UMASS/AMHERST 312066 0333 2644 6 Y,>/* ■w—wmrr. *Ms Pi ' ^•■.> J c , A \ %*••■■ ' '*%u Uibeancourt, President. Ed. Bertrand, Secretary. As a further evidence of this state of feeling, we present the following letter from Mons. Dennler, editor of the Alsacian Bienen-Zuechter, whom we met in London and afterwards at his home: Enzheim, Germany, Nov. 10, 1879. My Dear Mr. Newman : How quickly time flies ! Three months have al- ready elapsed since I enjoyed the honor of your visit at Enzheim, 1 have read with great interest the reports of your long European tour, published in your Journal, and how well you was received by all the bee-keepers of the various countries through which you traveled. I am quite anxious to see your report of the American Convention, at Chicago, which no doubt has made its appearance in your JOURNAL bv this time. The European Bee-keepers were quite enchanted by your presence in Prague. All the journals devoted to bee-keeping in Germany and Austria have made mention of your visit. Your German book : " Bee-Culture ; or Successful Management of the Apiary," which you left me as a keepsake, is well written and deserves a large cir- culation among us. 0. OENNLER. This article is already much longer than we intended, and we will let it close with the following letter from the Eev. L'Abbe L. DuBois, a prominent clergyman of France, and an enthusi- astic apiarist : LaMalmaison, Prance, Nov. 28.1879. Honored Sir— You have now returned from your voyage and will have come to the conclusion, from what you have obseived in France, that bee-culture in that country takes a back seat. Germany and Italy are far ahead of us; England.too, stands above us ; but all these countries take a secondary rank when compared with the bee-culture of America, and we Frenchmen march last in the line. The majority of bee-keepers not only stick to the old fogy treatment, but they also exert themselves when possible, to hand this treatment down in its purity to posterity. A certain number of bee-keepers have never- theless listened to the admonishing voice of ad- vancement, and their examples have already begun to bear fruit. Relative to this, the establishment of Mr. Todd, near Paris, deserves above all others to be favorably noticed, the more so, as the progress we have thus far made, had its basis only in the work of Mr. Bastian, which of itself is not sufficient. What we most need are works like the " Manual of the Apiary " by Prof. Cook, and your inestimable American Bee Journal. I cannot conclude without expressing to you my heartfelt thanks for the kind wish that appeared in your October number,in regard to me. I should have felt myself greatly honored by youV visit. The present year was discouraging to bee-keepers ; the bees starved and all the coionies had to be fed, after haying been reduced to one-third and in many instances to one-fourth of their numbers. I hope next year will be more favorable. .L'abbe h. Dubois. We are exceedingly well satisfied that there is a growing desire among the apiarists of the whole world to co- operate with one another, and that each will perform his part in the great work of progress, and gather in his share of golden sheaves from the waving harvest. ig^ To any one who will send us copies of the American Bee Journal for July to November, 1860, inclusive, we will send the Journal, for one year. Send them by mail, and write us a pos- tal card giving your name and address, and we will send the Journal, either to your own or any other address for one year. We will also pay 10 cents each for the following numbers: Jan., Feb. and March, 1868, and Jan., Feb., Aug. and Oct., 1877. HIT We intended to have used paper during this year, very slightly tinted, and of good quality, but we are sorry to say that our paper makers have disap- pointed us. We ordered the paper for this Volume two months ago, but on account of the rush of orders it has not yet come to hand, and we were obliged to use an inferior article. We expect it in time for our issue for February. HIT The Western Rural of a late date has the following concerning a corres- pondent's experience with Mrs. Lizzie Cotton. He says : I saw her advertisement in the Farm Journal and as my health is very poor I thought, perhaps, I could get rich keep- ing bees, if I could make fifty dollars from every colony of bees. So I sent her (or him) six dollars. She acknowl- edge the receipt of it and said she had so many orders that she could not fill mine then, but would let me know be- fore she sent it. I waited two months and then wrote to her. She replied by postal card, saying she would send the hives the 15th of February. Then in a couple of days 1 got another saying she would start the hive to-morrow, but I never got the hive, and I think that she is a big fraud. S. S. B. Gibson City, 111. Hard wood manufactured from wheat straw is one of the latest things out. Mr. R. C. Taylor, of N. C, has sent us the following clipping from a scientific paper, descriptive of it : A process has been devised for mak- ing wood out of common wheat straw, the method being described as follows : Ordinary straw board is taken, such as is usually manufactured at any paper mill, and as many sheets are used as are re- quired to make the thickness of wood desired. These sheets are passed through a chemical solution which softens up the fibre and completely saturates it. The whole is then passed through a succession of rollers, dried and hardened during the passage, as well as polished, by which treatment it comes out of the other end of the machine in the character of hard, dry wood, ready for any of the ordinary uses. In addition to this, it is claimed that the chemical properties, hardening in the fibre, entirely prevents water- soaking, and renders the wood com- bustible only in a very hot fire. Mr. Taylor suggests that it might be made available in the manufacture of bee-hives, &c. Perhaps so, yet we fear it would prove too heavy and otherwise inconvenient for use in the apiary ; be- sides it has no advantages over pine. 1^ We have a few copies of the first edition of Cook's Manual, which we will sell at 30 cents each. Dunham Comb Foundation Machine. We have received at our Museum one of these popular machines. We neg- lected to notice its arrival before, though it came in time to be examined at the National Convention. As a re- sult orders for 12 machines were received during the week of the Convention. This machine makes foundation with high side walls, and while we do not wish to say anything against any other machine, our own experience is that bees will work out the cells on this kind of comb foundation before that of any other, even when strips of each are put side by side in the same frame. igg°At the Convention of Bee-Keep- ers held in Edmonton, Ky., (a report of which may be found on another page) it was decided to organize a State Con- vention next year. Bee-keeping is on the increase in that State, and a great many intelligent men are taking an in- terest in the business. This is a step in the right direction. Every State should have such an organization, and the State Vice Presidents of the Na- tional Association we hope, will see to it that such are formed at an early day. To be successful we must have organ- ized efforts. The Vice Presidents, too, must see that Bee and Honey Shows are inaugurated in every State, so that those who produce honey for the mar- ket may be induced to produce it in the most marketable shape ; for the old slip-shod manner of production must pass away, while the new methods and new ideas of practical management will take the place of the old and undersirable methods. i^° The Mount Pleasant, Iowa, Free Press speaking of the Eev. O. Clute's lecture before the Bee Association in that city last fall, says : There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, and there is also a pleasure in hearing a pleasant speaker when he is so filled with his subject and familiar with all its phases and details, and has such a mas- tery of language that his subject unrolls before you like a series of illustrated maps j as all who were so fortunate as to hear Rev. O. Clute's lecture before the Bee Association on Saturday evening last, will bear witness. "Too Much Honey " was the cry only a few months ago ; now it is the oppo- site of this ! Then, a bee-keeper wrote as follows: "I do not know but so much honey will be produced that it wilt not be worth raising/' Now the cry is for more honey ! Before the win- ter is over, there will probably not be a pound to be obtained at any price. Europe is stretching out her hands to us across old Atlantic's billows, and crying "More, more; give us morel" The low prices of the past few months have encouraged thousands to " eat honey," as advised by Solomon of old, and the demand is steadily increasing. The present advance in prices and the short crop will retard the consumption a trifle, but it will be only of short duration. Not one in a hundred is now eating honey that will do so, within a few years. The prices may be some- what lower but the demand will be good, and we hope that next years' crop will be plentiful, that the prices may be somewhat lower than now, so that those who have learned to eat honey during the past year or so, may feel as though they could afford to continue to use it unsparingly. "Too much honey pro- duced!"—not at all ! Markets yet un- developed would take ten times as much as is now produced. Glucose for Adulteration. Dear Editor. — Have you seen the article in a recent No. of the Chicago Tribune, entitled " Manufacture of Glucose from Corn V" It seems you have an extensive manufactory of it in Chicago, and that it is used to an enor- mous extent, for the adulteration of California honey for exportation, etc. Think of one house only, using in 1878, five millions of bushels of corn in its manufacture. Bee-keepers have no ob- jection to their making as much of the article as they please. What we object to, is the lying and rascality implied in selling it under a false name for an article that costs twice or three times as much. Bee-keepers are now suffici- ently numerous and have influence enough to put a check to this fraud, if they choose to use their power, and they will be forced to act in self defense. C. W. Taylor. We have seen it, and also the item in Gleanings for December page 474, where Novice says : " Grape sugar, so bitterly persecuted and misrepresented has now taken its place among the legiti- mate products of our indian corn, and its manufacture has become a great in- dustry, benefitting many classes of people." Wre are sorry that Novice should see fit to give it all this praise, and carefully conceal the fact that one of its main uses is to adulterate honey and thus cheat the public and damage bee-keepers. From the article of the Chicago Tribune we extract the following : Manufacture of Glucose from Corn. The extent to which the manufacture of glucose syrup from corn has reached, would astonish the country if fully known. We are not prepared to give figures indicating the totality to which this business has al- ready reached. In fact, the business is at present mainly carried on under a kind of secrecy, the profits being immense, and the article produced being used, but not avow- edly 1. It is sold as was proven before the Congressional Investigating Committees, in immense quantities to sugar-refiners. 2. It is sold to all manufacturers of so- called syrups represented as made from jure sugar. 3. It is sold in immense quantities to manufacturers of candy and all other forms of confectionery ; instead of buying sugar largely made from glucose, they now buy the glucose itself and make their wares direct from it. 4. It is sold extensively to be mixed with California honey, it assimilating in color and in other respects with that article. It is mixed in the proportion of at least one gallon of glucose to one of honey, and the combined product is now not only sold to consumers as honey, but is also exported to Europe, where on account of its cheapness as well as its flavor and other qualities, it is finding an increasing market. 5. It is used in the East in the manufac- ture of sweet wines and in all liquors re- quiring syrups. In naming these purposes to which glucose is applied, we do not mean to say that it is confined to such uses : of course, it enters into all other productions of which sugar is a constituent. The extent to which corn is used for the manufacture of glucose, which manufacture is only in its infancy, may be judged when it is known that the consumption of corn for this purpose during 1878 by the one es- tablishment to which we referred, was 5,- 000,000 of bushels. For a time the trade was confined to a few hands, in New York, but the patent process has been sold to others, and at least one large establishment is in operation at Buffalo, another in St. Louis, and a third in Chicago — the lafter having been put in operation quite recently This industry presents the rather strange phenomenon of manufacturing annually the equivalent of many millions of pounds of sugar, involving the employment of large capital, with machinery, consuming millions of bushels of corn, and yet the whole business is carried on with as much secrecy as attends the illicit distillation of spirits. No purchaser is willing to avow that he purchases the article ; both seller and purchaser avoid publicity. The pur- chaser of glucose sells it to his customers under different names at ten times its origi- nal cost, and the consumers are paying several hundred per cent, profit on all com- modities of which sugar or sugar syrup is suppose to be the essential ingredient As Mr. Taylor remarks, the fraud is in selling the article as " honey," and as " syrup," calling it by these names, and thus reaping a profit, unjustly and fraudulently of 50 to 75 per cent, on this adulterated "honey," or "syrup" put upon the market. Let every bee-keeper take this mat- ter in hand and write to the Member of Congress from his district, and demand his influence and vote for the law against adulteration of food, when itshall again be brought before Congress. Immediate action is necessary, in order to secure the passage of the law. The Bee-Keeper, is the title of a new paper started in London, England. It presents a very creditable appearance. It is well edited and nicely printed. Advantages of Bees. In its Iahresbericht for 1878, the " Bienenwirthschaftliche Hanptverein im Konigreiche Sachsen," publishes the following highly interesting statis- cal data referring to the indirect utility of bees : " It has ever been one of the objects of all apicultural societies to prove the great importance of bees to agriculture generally. It appears that the Society named possesses 17,000 hives from each of which 10,000 bees fly out daily, which represents a total of 170 millions of bees. If we suppose that each bee undertakes but four journeys per day, and that this takes place only on 100 days out of the 305, then we ob- tain a yearly total of 68,000 millions of bee-journeys. It is not too much to suppose that 50 flowers are visited on each journey, and we are certainly justified in supposing that 5 out of these 50 are fertilized ; then we get a grand total of 340,000 millions of fertilized flowers per year. Let the value of fer- tilizing 5,000 blossoms be but 1 pfennig (or 500,000 for 25 cents): then the work done by bees of the Society represent a value of 68 million pfennigs, or $170,- 000. Its results from these calcula- tions that each hive benefits agriculture to the amount of $10.00 annually, a value hitherto totally overlooked." The fertilization of plants by the bees presents a very interesting field for study. But for the oft-repeated visits of the bees, myriads of beautiful flow- ers would in a short time cease to bloom —aye, and cease to live also ! Many plants absolutely require the visits of bees or other insects to remove their pollen-masses, and thus to fertilize them. Hence Darwin wisely remarks, when speaking of clover and heart's-ease : " No bees, no seed ; no seed, no increase of the flower. The more visits from the bees, the more seeds from the flower ; the more seeds from the flower, the more flowers from the seeds." Dar- win mentions the following experiment: 4i Twenty heads of white clover, visited by bees, produced 2,990 seeds; while twenty heads so protected that bees could not visit them, produced not one seed." Thus is infinite Wisdom dis- played by Nature on every hand ! Nothing is created in vain ; each has its proper sphere, and each its appropriate work to perform. The National Convention. Mr. A. J. King, of New York, editor of the Bee-Keepers' Magazine, thus gives his opinion of the late meeting of the North American Bee-Keepers' Society, held in this city. Never before was a meeting of this Association held in Chicago, and as Mr. King characterizes this one as " the best one ever held in this country," we have reasons to feel proud, and hope western and southern bee-keepers will feel interested enough in the next meeting to make it even an improvement over the last one. It can be done, and it ought to be done ! Mr. King says : The Chicago convention was, in many respects the best ever held in this country. Such unanimity and general good feeling, with the intelligent dis- cussion of a wide range of subjects, rendered it indeed and in truth a " feast of reason and flow of soul," and we can- not but believe that the two or three hundred persons, who participated in this feast, feel that it was money and time profitably expended. This desir- able condition of things was largely due to the efficiency of the officers of the Association, all of whom, save the Treasurer and a few Vice Presidents who were absent, were unanimously re elected. We renewed some old acquaintances and formed many new ones. The good impressions, formed by correspondence, were confirmed and deepened on per- sonal acquaintance. While at Chicago we enjoyed the hos- pitality of our old friend, Thomas G. Newman, Esq., President of the Asso- ciation, and we shall not soon forget the kind and genial manner in which we were received by his family, whom we met for the first time on this occasion. Take it "all in all" the Convention was a " grand success," and did work of permanent value to the science of apicul- ture. The valuable essays read at the Convention cover nearly the entire ground of practical and scientific bee- keeping, and will appear at the appro- priate time in our columns. igiT San Diego Union says that during November Mr. Maxfield's apiary, on the east of San Miguel mountain, was swept away by the forest fires that raged in that vicinity. He is reported to have lost 70 roloniesof bees, in addi- tion to the buildings, etc., on the ranch. (&QXVt$VO\\&mt£. Vot the American Bee Journal. Death of the Rev. William C. Cotton. W3I. CARR. This good old veteran Bee-master was born in 1814 and died on June 22d, 1879. Mr. Cotton was the eldest son of the late Mr. W. Cotton, some time Gover- nor of the Bank of England. He was formerly student of Christ Church, Ox- ford, and Newcastle scholar. He was through life an ardent bee-keeper, and by his writings and personal example did much to popularize the science of apiculture. When quite a boy his father read to him a translation of Virgil's fourth Georgia on Bees, and the next morning, he tried to carry out Virgil's instructions how to get a swarm of bees, so tried to bribe his father's farming man, by promising him, a small taste of Ins first honey, if he would kill a two-year old bull-calf, so that from the maggots when it decom- posed, he could get a swarm of bees; his father hearing of his son's wish to kill the stock, procured for him his first swarm of bees. In 1833, the Oxford Apiarian Society wras formed through the exertions of Mr. Cotton, who undertook the duties of Secretary. In 1838 he wrote two "short and simple letters to Cottagers, from a Bee Preserver." Twenty-four thousand copies of these letters were published. In 1842 he produced the well-known work entitled " My Bee Book," which not only treated of the best modes of management of bees at that time in all parts of the world, but which also in- cluded several rare treatises of former English apiarists, on the economy and practical management of bees. . In 1841 Mr. Cotton became domestic •chaplain to the late Bishop of New Zealand, Dr. Selwyn, with whom he embarked on board the Tomatin at Plymouth, on the 20th of December of that year. On the voyage out, and sub- sequently, Mr. Cotton rendered the Bishop much assistance in translating the Bible into the native tongue. Mr. Cotton took with him four colonies of bees, and many marvellous stories are told of his mastery over his favorites on ship-board. He was very successful in the introduction of the cultivation of bee-keeping in his adopted country ; and in 1848 he produced his " Manual for New Zealand Bee-Keepers," pub- lished at Wellington, New Zealand. Before the introduction of the honey- bee into New Zealand, they had to send over to England every year for the white clover seed ( Trifolium repens) as it did not seed freely there, but by the agency of the bees they are now able to export it. New Zealand is such a good country for bees, that Mr. Cotton told me one colony had increased to twenty- six in one year. The natives call the bee, the white man's fly. After his return to England, Mr. Cotton was presented in 1857, to the Vicarage of Frodsham, Cheshire. I made his acquaintance on August 29th, 1868, and we kept up the correspondence to the last year of his life. He was a very kind, generous man, and capital company. On the third day of June 1869, he was watching my bees in the Unicomb hive, when I happened to say to him, "you see the queen, always turns her body so that her head is below the horizontal line, when laying an egg." He exclaimed, does she V I said ! there she is again turning her body so that her head is below the horizontal line. After watching the queen lay a number of eggs, he said, I have represented the queen laying with her head upwards in " My Bee Book," but in the next edition I will turn the plate the bottom side upwards, when it will be all right. The Rev. L. L. Langstroth and others have copied this plate out of Mr. Cotton's Bee Book, and have all made the same mistake. In 1872 Mr. Cotton published a most amusing work entitled " Buzz-a-Buzz, or The Bees done freely into English,'''' by the author of My Bee Book, from the German of Wilhelm Busch. It is written in rhyme, profusely illustrated, and as the author says in his preface, "The verses were written up to the pictures, rather than translated from the German Text." It is a most amus- ing production, and there is much truth lying hid under the comical stories, and still more in the illustrations, and the notes which are appended may be found useful even by scientific bee-masters ; and any one who saw the honest, burly, English form of the author, in his guaint blouse at the first show of the British Bee-Keepers' Association at the Crystal Palace in 1874, will read Buzz-a-Buzz with redoubled delight. Mi'- Cotton, to the end of his life, re- tained his love for the fascinating study of his youth. He took a great interest in the establishment of the British Bee-Keepers' Association, became one of its first Vice Presidents, and was one of the judges at its first show. Though in issuing his Letters to Cottagers, he designated himself a " Conservative Bee-keeper," he was ready when con- vinced of the superiority of the tl more excellent way," to cast on one side the mode of management of his early days, and to advance— foot to foot, and shoul- der to shoulder— with the most expert of bee-masters. The late Mr. Cotton was the elder brother of Lord Justice Cotton, and died a bachelor. Newton Heath Apiary, Near Man- chester, England. For the American Uee Journal. Ladies and the National Association. MRS. L. HARRISON. The following letter was sent to me through the courtesy of the Editor of the Bee Journal: Fineastle, Ind., Dec. 9, 1879. Reading a letter from a lady bee- keeper in the Bee Journal for Decem- ber, whose name was not given, I ad- dress this to you through the Bee Journal Office. It is a subject over which I have exercised many thoughts. I admire your reproof of the gentlemen for their course towards the ladies who attended the late National Convention, in search of information . Perhaps those timid ones you complain of, felt some delicacy in frankly discussing all sub- jects connected with bee-culture in the presence of the fair sex. However, we are aware, all persons having the man- agement of bees, should have a proper knowledge of all things connected with apiculture. Consequently, would it not be more appropriate for' ladies to form an Association among themselves. They could discuss subjects of import- ance, and learn to think and act for themselves accomplishing more than under the present system. There are quite a number in the business and many competent to teach if they would unite. Some say that it is not suitable for ladies to engage in, as they cannot perform all the requirements. 1 think differently, when made a profession. If not able to do the heavy work she could get assistance ; this would give healthy employment to idle women, and "in union there is strength.1' I am sure, I feel amply paid for all labor and capital invested ; we have managed all the time to keep at top prices, selling our surplus comb-honey readily at 20 to 25c. per pound, without any effort on our part, except to have it put up in neat and attractive shape. Mary Brothers. I differ with the writer, as to the desirableness of forming an Associa- tion, composed entirely of ladies. I always thought that the Lord knew what was best when he said, " it is not good for the man to be alone.1' As our country should know no North or South, so should bee-keepers as such, be treated equally, without reference to sex. At the late meeting in Chicago, there were bee-keepers all the way from Canada to Texas, and it was none too large. We can learn bee-culture theo- retically at our homes, by studying the books that have been published, and the " Monthlies " keep us posted on any improvements that are being made. We can read at our leisure the essays and discussions that take place in the Conventions ; but our object in attend- ing is to become acquainted with promi- nent bee-keepers personally, meeting them in a social way. Peoria, 111., Dec. 16, 1879. For the American Bee Journal. Wintering— Dysentery, &c. W. A. HORTON. I beg leave to offer an objection to an idea expressed in Mr. Doolittle's article in the December number, in regard to the so-called dysentery among bees. He takes the position that long con- finement is the cause, and asks the question : " Do we see the bees soiling their combs and hives at any other times, except after a long continued confinement ?" I, for one, answer. Yes I A few of my colonies (very weak of course and which I had not put up for winter) had not been con lined to their hives more than a month when they commenced soiling the insides of their hives, soon after the first cold snap in November. The experience I have had in bee-keeping in northern Indiana, teaches me that severe cold is as much the cause of the trouble as long confine- ment ; but the two combined, i.e. long confinement and severe cold produce the mischief. I have tried but four ways of winter- ing bees, six years out of doors, without protection; eight years in the cellar; two years in a bee house, with walls 12 inches thick. Idled in with sawdust; and the last four years in outer cases with 5 inches of chaff all around and underneath, with coffee sacks Idled with chaff and laid on the top of the hives, after the honey boards were taken off; the boxes were then covered to keep out rain and snow. If my to colo- nies come out in good condition (except a few that will be queenless. &c.) I ex- pect to throw up my hat and shout for chaff for winter and summer. Our nearest neighbor lost 25 out of 28 colonies, last winter. They stood on their summer stands with corn fodder around, but not in front, and the upper story filled with straw. Since the adop- tion of chaff-packing my bees have come out all right every spring, except as above mentioned. Allen, Ind., Dec. 10, 1879. For the American Bee Journal. Fertilization in Confinement, &c. K. M. ARGO. I rejoice to see the American Bee Journal keep up its good reputation, and improve for the better each year. We have just passed through one of the worst honey seasons in this section I have experienced since 1868. This has been general throughout the country, and almost a total failure in California. Last year was also a tolerably poor honey season in this section, and I have observed that, as a general rule, a good honey How always follows two poor ones. It is said that good corn years are always bad honey years, and the season just past would seem to confirm this assertion, for, notwithstanding the great drought this year, I never saw a better corn crop. I see from the report of the National Convention, that Prof. J. Hasbrouck has succeeded in his experiments with fertilization of the queen in confine- ment. Among the various modes in which I experimented, one was very near like the one he succeeded with, the only difference being that I used a large store box, instead of a barrel. If I live, I shall try his plan again next season ; but I fear, if I report the plain truth for the Journal, I will have to write failed ! Should I be so fortunate as to succeed, I will send out queens that I desire to have tested as to markings, fertility and honey-gathering qualities with any in the United States. I said, in a former communication, that the man who discovered a safe and practical method to fertilize queens in confine- ment with select drones, should have one dollar given him by every queen- breeder in the country, ho matter how great the number. I repeat what I then said, but am not ready to pay my pro- portion till I am satisfied from actual experience that it is a success. I do not mean to say that Prof. Hasbrouck is mistaken, but I do mean to say, that as I took the word of over 200 (or perhaps 500) a few years ago that they had suc- ceeded, I never will take any evidence but my eyesight. The weather to this day has been the mildest I have seen for many years, and should it continue, the bees will winter splendidly. But it may turn out as it frequently does here, that our winter is in March and April. I have said in former articles that an average colony of bees could winter from October till the middle of February or the first of March, on 5 lbs. of honey. I have frequently proven this true, and have wintered many a colony on from 10 to 15 lbs., and thought it was a good plan not to winter on more than 18 or 20 lbs., for fear of having too much honey in the way. But none of us will ever be too old to learn from experience. I now think it better to leave 30 or 35 lbs. in a 10-frame Langstroth hive, if you want them to come out very strong in the spring and be ready for the harvest. I believe I may safely say, that not 1 colony in 20, wintered on say about 15 lbs., will be ready until the season is about half through, unless fed regularly in the spring, and that is very trouble- some. I have worked with neighboring bees every spring, and I find that except with worn out or unfertile queens, such colonies as had an abundance of honey came out the strongest. If they have an abundance of honey early in the spring, feeding is simply useless. I used to think differently. I do not deny that some colonies can have too much in Oc- tober to give the bees room to cluster out of sealed combs, and that there can be too much in the way in the spring to allow the queen room to spread her brood-nest; but these cases are very rare, and where they do occur we have only to exchange a few empty frames for full ones. Bees wintered on little honey know by instinct their condition, and will not begin to breed till very late in the spring; while those colonies that have an abun- dance will begin in January, and fre- quently in the first week if the weather is moderate. Those who have time and patience to feed regularly in the spring, can afford to winter on from 15 to 20 lbs. Lowell, Ky., Dec. 17, 1879. For the American Bee Journal. How I Prepare my Bees for Winter. H. S. HACKMAN. As soon as practical after taking off the surplus boxes or sections, I fill the cap with clean, dry, oak leaves, held in by tacking over them a piece of bur- lap. I then put the cap over the frames. When cold weather comes I see that the bees are supplied with clean stores and pack for winter. They are in rows about 2 feet apart on a low platform. I drive stakes on the north side, 10 inches from the hives, and on the south side about 4 inches. I make a passage for the entrance through the packing, and set up boards and pack with dry leaves from the timber ; oak leaves are the best. Pack solid all around and cover with boards to protect from the rain. I use leaves because they keep out more cold than any other material. I would rather have 4 inches of leaves than 12 inches of straw. I wintered 12 colonies in 1877-8, with- out loss ; last spring my bees came out as bright as gold, not a particle of dis- ease among them, there was no frost or moisture in the hives during the winter. My bees came out better than any in this locality. I lost 12 out of 69, not however by bad wintering : Three were small nuclei and starved ; 2 were queenless colonies made so when extracting, and 7 were murdered and robbed by other bees, by my own fault, for not contracting the entrances in time. My method involves, considerable trouble and work ; but bees packed in this way are so comfortable in cold weather that they do not feel the sudden changes, and only fly when it is suffi- ciently warm for them to return. Peru, 111., Dec. 15, 1879. For the American Bee Journal. Notes from Missouri. LEE EMERICK. On the western border of Missouri, adjoining Kansas, is situated the large and fertile county of Cass, noted for its rich prairies, fine timber and beautiful landscapes, Dotting the prairies here and there are picturesque mounds, from the tops of which may be obtained grand views of winding streams and charming valleys, studded with neat farm houses. The soil is productive and produces all fruits and grains com- mon to this latitude, but wheat, corn and flax are the staple grain products. Much attention is also paid to stock- raising, principally cattle and hogs. Bees usually do well, and many colo- nies are kept in our villages and scat- tered among the farmers ; but there is only one or two in the county that makes apiculture a specialty. ' The Langstroth hive is generally used, and a good many Italian bees have been in- troduced. The bee-keepers are usually up with the times, and obtain the latest improvements. Much credit for the interest felt here in apiculture is due to Thos. VVharry, who tirst introduced the Langstroth hive and Italian bees in this region. He was an enthusiast. He loved the bees, and never became tired of giving information to those seeking a knowledge of bee-keeping. He de- served success, but his apiary was much depleted by a severe winter, and soon after that his wife died and he, with his little boy, went to Texas. But the interest he aroused still survives. The honey crop this year is a failure. There is no surplus and many colonies will perish from starvation before the spring flowers bloom. The honey fail- ure is contrary to the usual order of Nature, as a good crop year and a good honey year usually go together. But this year it is an exception, as we have had an extraordinary crop of wheat, | flax and corn, the latter averaging from 50 bushels, upwards. There was less bloom than usual, but what bloom there was did not seem to secrete nectar. Such a season as the past is certainly discouraging to the apiarist who makes bee-keeping a specialty. But by mixed husbandry when one interest proves a failure another may give an abundance, and thus a competency be secured each year. There was no honey-dew last sum- mer. Old settlers state that honey-dew was very abundant in past seasons, that it really dripped from the leaves of the trees and the prairie grass was sticky with it, and the prairie chickens got so gummed with it, that they could not fly. This may appear an exaggerated state- ment, but I know my informants are men of veracity who would not make a misstatement. This being true there must be some other theory than that of Aphis or plant lice to account for it. Some years honey-dew is very abundant here, and is found most on the hickory and oak. I have never been able to discover any Aphis at work. The honey from the dew is inferior in qual- ity but improves with age. I had 90 colonies last winter but lost 20 during the winter and spring. So I began last spring with 70 colonies in good condition. By natural and arti- ficial swarming I again increased to 90 colonies and these are being; wintered on their summer stands. The stronger colonies furnished surplus honey enough Ho share with the weak and I think they all now have an abundance. This sum- mer I succeeded in Italianizing my apiary. Rearing from an Imported queen which produced dark queens, varying in color. My Henderson queen never failed to produce large yellow queens, exact duplicates of the mother. The workers of both breeding queens are pure. As yet we have had but little cold weather; this morning Dec. 11. being the coldest. The thermometer stands at 18° above zero. There has yet been no snow and bees fly every few days. Allow me in conclusion to say that I jnow have complete files of American Bee Journal from its first issue to the last number, and while the first vol- ume is good, the last is the best. Harrisonville, Mo. For the American Bee Journal. Removing Propolis from Glass. P. BALDWIN. I have not seen in the Journal any- thing about cleaning glass after it has been used and become unfit for further use on account of the large amount of propolis on it. Those who use glass largely will have some of this descrip- tion. My method of cleaning it may be old and well-known to some, but I will give it for the benefit of those who are not accquainted with it. It can be used in cleaning glass in honey racks that have become smeared and objectionable. Take one box of concentrated lye and dissolve it in 2 gallons of soft water (larger proportions can be used if de- sired). After it is thoroughly dissolved, put in as much glass as it will cover well, and let it remain 24 or 36 hours. Take it out and put into a vessel of water and wash it clean, which can be easily done as the propolis comes off readily, then rinse in pure water and put away to dry. The solution may be used several times. Care must be taken not to allow the liquid to come in contact with the hands. Independence, Mo., Dec. 16, 1879. For the American Bee Journal. Market Quotations for Honey. DR. C. C. MILLER. I have neither the time nor the incli- nation for a lengthy discussion with my old friend the American Bee Jour- nal. The article in the December number would never have been written by me, but that I expected to be present at the Chicago Convention to learn something in the discussion of the paper, which was little more than a series of questions. But I think, dear old Jour- nal, there will be little difference of opinion between us when we talk of the same thing. You evidently wrote about the prices paid by the few whole- sale dealers who buy outright from pro- ducers, and I am writing about the prices at which the commission men can sell our honey for us. Is it not a fact, that the great bulk of honey in Chicago is sold by commission men? Now, as you are laboring for the direct benefit of us who produce honey, is it not desira- ble to know each month what com- mission men can sell our honey for, and not what dealers are willing to give us for it i Do you not really give commis- sion men's quotations for the New York market ? If I am to be guided by the quotations in the December American Bee Journal, it will be greatly to ray advantage to ship to New York, as you quote New York 4c. per lb. higher than Chicago ; but I am strangely misin- formed if I can get any more for honey in New York than in Chicago. I can- not see that there is any more difficulty in giving quotations for honey than for some other articles, as butter, fruit, &c, there being just as much " a recognized grade in quality, and uniformity in the style of preparation for market," in one case as in the other. If you will give us in addition to present quotations, the prices at which commission men can sell our honey, you will do us a real service. Marengo, 111., December, 1879. [The comments appended to Dr. Miller's article, published in the Jour- nal for December, were intended more to explain the apparent incongruities in the market quotations, than as an argu- ment why they should be so. There is no difference of opinion between Dr. Miller and the Journal. When three commission men, located in one square, vary 3c. per lb. in the price demanded for honey of the same grade, it is difficult to arrive at quotations, except upon the basis of sales made. We do not think it would be safe for any one to predict " the prices at which commission men can sell honey,'' and certainly not so until there is united action on the part of producers to instruct the commission merchants as to the minimum price to be received. That this is feasible, or the better course to pursue, we are not at present prepared to say. Honey quo- tations in New York not being given in the Associate Press dispatches, we rely upon correspondents for figures.— Ed.] For the American Iiee Journal My Worst Bee Enemies. CHAS. SONNE. My bees seem to have lost the swarm- ing fever. During the years of 1877, 1878 and 1879 they have not given over three or four swarms during each sea- son, although I have had 100 colonies ; I now have 105. This is to me very agreeable as I dislike natural swarming; but the fact that the honey harvest commences each year at a later date is not so agreeable. My observations and experience on this, are as follows : Three years ago I observed in this latitude (39°) three families of bee kill- ing flies abound : Asilus Missouriensis (Riley); Asilus sericeus (Say); Erax bas- tardi (Macquart). I herewith send a number of speci- mens of Asilus Missouriensis and Asilus sericeus. Of Erax bastardi I could catch none this month ; they having passed Asilus Missouriensis (Riley). away already. For a description of these three species I refer to Prof. C. V. Riley's second annual report, page 151. I will only make a few remarks on their effect on the bees. At the time when bees begin to fill their hives, their combs being full of brood, and they bringing in honey and commencing to build queen cells, pre- paratory to swarming, these three spe- cies of bee-killers appear. When in the morning the dew has evaporated from the leaves and blossoms, if the day is warm and clear and' the bees are busy gathering honey, these voracious in- sects commence their ravages among the loaded bees. You see an Asilus or Erax perched on a shaded leaf, or hang- ing to a stem waiting for prey, almost like a spider. Any bee coming within a foot of it is lost. With lightning ra- pidity, while humming much like a drone when flying, they pounce upon the bee, holding it with the two (often four) front feet, and let themselves fall to some twig near the ground, where I they take hold by their long hind feet. I The bee evidently feels itself lost, and is resigned to its fate. I have never I seen one who tried to escape or defend | itself. The Asilus then very quietly I turns the bee between its sharp, hairy I claws, so that the breast is turned to- wards it, when it immediately sinks its sharp, horny proboscis into the thorax (never the abdomen) of the bee, sucking its life-blood. This lasts about a min- ute, when the bee drops dead, and the fly-tiger is ready for another victim. Asilus Missouriensis is rather oniniv- erous. It catches not only bees, but any insect it can master. Butterflies, bugs, beetles, hornets, and even Asilus sericeus and Erax bastardi; the latter two in such numbers as to justify the conclu- sion that Asilus Missouriensis may be- come the arch enemy and destroyer of Asilus sericeus and Erax bastardi. I have observed, this year, that Asilus Missouriensis has out-lasted Asilus seri- ceus. Asilus sericeus and Erax bastardi live exclusively on bees ; I have not seen one preying on any other insect. My experience and observations con- vince me, that these insect-tigers arc the main cause of the failure of my bees to swarm, or bring in any surplus honey, so long as they abound. My bees have been in the best possi- ble condition during all the summer, with six, and in many hives eight combs, full of brood from the middle of May to this day. Where are all the bees which have matured during these three months V Why have they collected no surplus honey, in spite of the abundance of flowers around me, in the woods, on the open prairie, on white clover, and on my five acres of alsike clover ? Why did they destroy their queen cells as soon as these tiger-flies appeared ? and why does my trial-hive increase in weight immediately after the daily hunt for them, showing conclusively that they had considerably lessened ? From July 27th, I have had a hive placed permanently on a Howe scale, so that I could make close observations. On every clear day, from 1 to 2% lbs. of bees would by 10 or 11 in the morning have left the hive. By the time that darkness set in, my scale showed very near the same weight as in the morning. From July 27th to Any;. 15th, the trill hive had lost l,1^ lbs. On the latter day (after a few dark days had passed) I found that Asilus sericeush&d nearly dis- appeared,that ■Era.r bastardi had entirely vanished, and that of all the Asilus Mis- souriensis caught that day, only 1 was a female ; the balance (20) were males. That same evening my trial hive indi- cated an increase of Y2 lb. ; Aug. 16th showed % lb. ; Aug. 17th was dark— no increase ; yesterday, Aug. 18th, 1% lbs. increase; to-day 1 expect 2% lbs., and within a week," from 5 to 7 lbs. daily. My honey harvest usually commences about Aug. 20th, and lasts till about Sept. 15th. This year it will commence about Sept. 1, and last to Sept. 15, justi- fying an expectation of half a harvest. These bee-killing insects seem to prey near the ground, so that those bee- keepers who depend on honey from flowering trees, are likely to be exempt from the fatal effects of these flies. I depend for my harvest on plants, and, therefore, suffer severely. The few lin- den trees growing in our woods are much injured by the wooden-shoema- kers, who use an incredible amount of linden lumber. After the Chicago fire I settled here in the spring of 1872. and commenced with 10 Italian colonies, which in 4 years increased to 100. Then I never noticed any of these killers, and my bees swarmed, often more than I liked. In 1876 I discovered the first, and it seems they increase every year, while my bees seem to forget about swarming ; only one colony having swarmed this year. My conclusions as to the probable ef- fects of these bee-killers are as follows : It is certainly under-estimating to pre- sume that every bee-killer destroys 10 bees every clear day. It is also under the mark to count one bee-killer for every 10 feet, or 400 to each acre of prai- rie, clover, weed or grass land. Let us say 100 to an acre. They abound during three months. Let us suppose that they are voracious only for 30 days. If my bees only fly one mile, they cross over 4 sections, or 2,560 acres. Would it be too much to suppose that among every 2,560 acres will be found 25 acres of prairie, clover, weed or grass land V The result of the calculation would be the killing of 750,000 of my bees. Calculating 10,000 bees to a natural swarm, the above 750,000 would have made 75 swarms. Twenty-five acres of 100 bee- killers each would make 2,500; if these kill 10 bees a day each during 30 days, or 300 for each, it would make 300 times 2,500. or 750,000 bees. It is, of course, not supposed that these 2,500 bee-killers on 25 acres do each live 3 months, but it is supposed that during these 3 months there are so many there at any time. How much I have under-estimated may be judged from the following : In the height of the season, where they abound, I guarantee a bee-killer to every 3 feet on all clover and meadow lands, which would be near 5,000 to an acre. Instead of 10 a day, they kill more than 25 a day. Four sections of land, on an average, certainly furnish over 100 acres of prairie, fence corners, clo- ver and grass land. How then, is it possible for bees to gather honey or to swarm ? 1 confess to being rather disheartened about prospects for honey. My 105 col- onies, up to Oct. 6th, have yielded 400 lbs. of honey, and that is 200 lbs. more than I ought to have taken. Cause : During summer the bee-killers ; during the latter part of August and Septem- ber the excessive drought. As I men- tioned before, the only hope I see before me is the increase of Adlus Missouri- ensis, which, in fact, has very much in- creased over the two other species, and as this Asilus Missouriensis seems to prefer its own kind for food, there is hope that these bee enemies will play the part of those two fabled lions, who in their rage, devoured themselves mu- tually, all but their tails. Sigel, 111. _ For the American Bee Journal. Last Season in Argyleshire, Scotland. It. J. BENNETT. In January and February the severe frost made it unadvisable to open the hives. Later on I discovered that I had nearly lost two of my best colonies ; during the intense cold they had eaten up all the honey around the cluster, thus dispelling the ancient but still popular delusion here, that bees during frosty weather lie dormant and consume no stores. In preparing for winter, passages should be made through all combs, so that the bees may easily get at their food. I again pay a high tribute to the use of the quilt over the frames ; last year it carried off all damp vapors from atmospheric influences, and this year any that may have arisen from the compact clustering of the bees passed into the quiltand were quickly absorbed. On March 5th 1 examined the colo- nies, and was amply rewarded for the trouble ; I found all in a fair condition, with the exception of the two above noted. After the four months of pro- tracted winter, frost and snow (any variation being only sleet or rain), I dusted all liberally with pea-meal as a substitute for pollen and began stimu- lative feeding, and it was well I did so, for from the 5th till the close of the month, there was hardly a day that it would have been prudent to have opened the hives. Never do I remember seeing the country so far behind ; crocuses, primroses, wall flower and arabus which are generally abundant by that time in our gardens, bad not been seen. In April, flowers began to make their appearance and the willows, that bad been almost stationary for tbe past two months, opened afresh. With the in- gathering of pollen and artificial feed- ing, breeding began, and we hoped that all our anxieties and troubles for another season were over. On May 7th I found the stores in every hive nearly consumed and in two cases almost beyond hope of recovery ; clearly proving that up to that date the bees had not gathered any honey. On the 24th inst., I attended a sale of bees and bought 9 colonies. 2 of which were pure Italians. This I may men- tion, was the best sale of bees I ever heard of in Scotland ; about 80 persons being present; showing a growing interest in apiculture. June is usually a busy month with hiving and increasing colonies. On the 5th, I again examined the hives and was perfectly amazed at their poverty. In only two cases were they in a fit condition for swarming and in one of them 5 queen-cells had been torn open and no doubt the Princesses destroyed. From the 9th to the 11th, we "had thunder, lightning and rain, enough to deluge all the bees in Argylesbire. On the 20th I removed 11 colonies 2 miles from my apiary, close to a clover held, hoping that if weather at all favorable did come, they would easily secure a rich harvest; but alas ! up to the end of the month, they scarcely obtained a bare existence, and from the 11 colo- nies I had not a single swarm. July, like June, was cold, bleak and wet, and it was pitiable to see the bees darting out and in, and returning to the hives with empty sacs. During the month, I fed liberally every colony in the apiary. At the end of this month, I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. T. G. Newman, President of the North American Bee- Keepers1 Society, who had been sent to Europe in the interest of the science of apiculture. I learned with pleasure that Prof. A. J. Cook, has regular classes for teaching theoretical and practical apiculture, and notwithstand- ing many of bis students have been engaged for years in the study, hun- dreds of things yet remain to be dis- covered in connection with the mys teries of the hive and the lives of its inmates. There are over 70,000 people engaged in apiculture in America and why I ask, should the people of Scot- land lose a million a year, for the want of a little knowledge and bees to collect the fragrant sweets. August opened well, and again my hopes were raised ; during the lirst 3 days more honey was stored than dur- ing any previous month of the year. Having purchased some Italian queens at the Perth Show, 3 of them were at once introduced in the apiary, the wis- dom of which will be seen later on. On the 16th, I again examined the hives and found plenty of workers in all, but not 2 lbs. of sealed honey in any one of them ; I could not resist the temptation to take about a pound from the strongest colonies, hoping that the heather would soon burst into bloom and there would be a plenty for all and some to spare. But alas, August closed and with it, all hopes for reaping a honey harvest died away. Rain took the place of sunshine. The month began with promise, but ended with disap- pointment. September, the great heather honey harvest month, as a rule, was this year like its predecessors, bleak, cold and wet. The heather did not burst into bloom at all, and the hills around the Holy Loch generally clad at this season with brilliant purple, presented a gloomy brown appearance. On the 20th, I examined my apiary and decided to bring home the 11 colonies I had taken away in June, with the view of reaping a rich harvest of clover and heather honey. In the quaint words of our gardener, " with the exception of thae Italian boys the rest hae naething ava but the skeps and the broads." On the 23d, I procured 280 lbs. of sugar to be made into syrup for winter feeding. On October 4, 1 weighed all the hives and found the gross weight ranged from 57 to 27 lbs.: the two Italian ones formerly mentioned, being respectively 57 to 53% lbs. The best black colony was 45 lbs. I at once decided to Italian- ize my whole apiary and sent off for 12 Ligurian queens; 0 arrived on the 20th and on the 22d (a lovely day) two friends accompanying me, we introduced them. We were net a moment too soon, for in 2 cases we found princesses reigning in the hives. That is the old queens had died and the princesses were too late in hatching to meet the drones, so that nothing but destruction could have been the outcome. Unless the practical bee-keeper makes a minute examination of all his hives some such calamity as this may from time to time happen. Having satisfied myself of the fertility of the remaining queens, I weighed all hives leaving nothing to chance. We have had an exceptionally bad season for bees, but let us take courage and hope it will be a long time before another such comes around. Those who have preserved their colonies in good condition during this year, are likely to become wealthy proprietors during the next year. Glasgow, Scotland, Nov., 1879. For the American Bee Journal The Age of Drones. W. S. FULTZ. Desiring to rear a few Italian queens about Sept. 1st, from a queen 1 had just purchased, I examined my 15 hives to see whether I had any drones, but finding none, I procured of a neighbor two pieces of drone brood each about 10 inches square and after making a colony queenless I inserted the drone brood in it. In one piece of this brood the drones were emerging from the cells ; the other was well sealed brood. A careful watch was kept over this colony ; no queen-cells were allowed to hatch, and the colony became hopelessly queenless so far as the ability of the bees to raise a queen was concerned. It was well-tilled with honey, and the bees were continually adding to their stores. In 10 days the drones had all hatched out, and the hive was apparently filled with them. Eight queen-cells were capped over and given to nuclei, and I felt sure the young queens would all become fertil- ized in due time. On examining the hive on Sept. 30th, I noticed that the drones were fast dis- appearing, and thoughts they may have found their way into the nuclei, but alas I found but 2 even there. By Oct. 5th, the drones were so scarce that I had to give up all thoughts of queen rearing. The first of these drones were hatched out between the 4th and 9th of Sept., and now in 24 days they were virtually all gone. Am I not right in concluding that the age of the drones will average about 24 days, just the time required from the laying of the egg until the perfect bee emerges from the cell ? The 8 queens came out perfectly; 6 were lost in their (lights to meet the drones, and the other 2 have not com- menced to lay, though one of them has made at least two flights. A writer in Gleanings says that dur- ing the months of June to Sept. the life of the worker is 45 days, and that of the drone is about the same, but my experiment in September shows con- clusively that the age of the drone is only about 24 days, even when reared in a strong colony, and not in a nucelus. Another writer in Gleanings experi- j mented with rearing drones in June, in I a nucelus, and strange to say, his ex- I periment and mine show the same re- i suits— the lateness of the season, there- ; fore, had nothing to do with it. In 1868, I purchased a colony of i Italian bees, and wishing to rear some queens from it for the purpose of j Italianizing my apiary. I carried all my nuclei a distance of \% miles from my apiary, taking no drones except from i the Italian colony. I had to carry : drones there every 2 or 3 weeks. I then ! thought they found their way back to I the parent colony. I now think they ! lived out their day and died naturally. : Every fall, for years, I have noticed i some colonies driving out their drones, ! while others had none to destroy — the : latter probably had reared none for some time, and in consequence they had | died a natural death in 24 days after j hatching. At our Convention last spring it was stated that it' drones were shut in their hives by drone traps for 3 days they would die ; one of my neighbors says that he has tried it this summer, and that his drones did die. Muscatine, Iowa, Oct. 13, 1879. For the American Bee Journal. American Honey in Europe. BEESWAX. I am sorry to learn through the Bee Journal that the past season has been an exceptionally unpropitious one for honey. But even in bad seasons American honey will, after this, find its way to this market to be sold at re- munerative prices. A protectionist cry is raised here and there, but it meets with no general response. However, there is a real struggle, but not between producers and American or other im- porters, nor between producers and consumers, but it is consumers against land owners. Three fourths of the land of this country is owned by members of Parliament, they rent their land at ex- orbitantly high prices and hope by imposing a duty on imports to raise the cost of home produce to a false value and thus enable their tenants to— pay their rent, but the consumers will not stand it. The question is : " shall the nation be supplied with food upon the most reasonable terms, or shall the masses slave for the sport and family pride of the landed aristocracy— the re- sult cannot be doubtful. Through the Thurbers we have in- troduced a better, cheaper and more attractive quality of honey into this country and Europe, than the bee-keep- ers on this side have ever offered for sale, and American producers will realize more good, later on, than is now- apparent. Build up a good home reputation for our American honey and its fame will soon spread abroad, not only the local demand, but also the foriegn trade in it will increase. There has been con- siderable talk among bee-keepers about developing a market in every neighbor- hood. Now in visiting American apiaries, I have found that all the best honey is either sold to the regular buy- ers, or sent off to the commission mer- chant, and all the k-off" quality kept for the neighbors. The home market is regularly repelled by neglecting to give it the best that can be produced. The true way to find a home market, is not by baiting it with stale or unmar- ketable stufL If bee-keepers were as solicitous about the wants of their im- mediate neighborhood, as dealers are for the capricious taste of city patrons, they would quadruple the home market. London, England, Oct. 6. 1879. For the American Bee Journal. The Honey Season in Florida. The fall has been too wet for best re- sults from our bees. We have more flowers during this season than any part of the year. Our pine lands are car- peted with a profusion of variegated colors that is beautiful to behold. Not many of these are honey producing Slants. I regret that my ignorance of otany prevents my naming those that mostly attracted the bees. Partridge peas seemeed to be highly esteemed by them. Several acres of fallow land near me grow them luxuriantly, pre- senting a solid mass of golden bloom. Every favorable day the roar of the bees along them could be heard a hun- dred yards away. More pollen than honey seemed to be gathered. The bloom lasted G weeks. Before blooming, the bees sucked the stems as they do those of our cow pea. The latter was quite prolific in honey. Golden rod followed closely the part- ridge pea, they are still in bloom, but will last only a little while longer. Bees are now bringing in some pollen and honey. The latter is gathered from flowers, but mainly from cracked, thorned and fallen oranges, and from palmetto berries. Being able to gather from these sources until the maple and willow begin to bloom in January, they require but little stores to carry them through the winter. I have recently transferred 7 colonies from box hives ; they are doing finely. Will transfer more in a few days. My experience does not correspond with Mr. Mclntyre in October number. Perhaps the difference in the locality is the cause. My bees are not at all cross. I have had little or no trouble with ants. Some disposition to rob has been mani- fested, particularly while transferring ; contracting the entrances, however, pre- vented any bad results. Mr. Mel. states that the present cost of trans- portation eats up the profits. I am further south, near lake Jessup through which the St. Johns river runs, and we have water transportation to New York. The cost on 40 gallon barrels of honey the past summer to that city, was $2.05 each. We expect to get a reduc- tion in freights this winter. The November number was exceed- ingly interesting and instructive — worth more than the price of a year's subscription to the American Bee Journal. Clifton Springs, Fla., Nov. 18, 1879. For the American Bee Journal. Wintering and Transferring. W. L. COGGSHALL. In the fall of 1878 I procured dry- goods boxes and packed 30 colonies by cutting an entrance in the box and tak- ing off the front supports, and honey board and spreading old carpet over the frames, then packing buckwheat chaff around and over them, not less than 6 inches thick ; but lost 6 of them. I put 30 in a bee house, lined from 8 to 11 inches with sawdust; and of them I lost 25, by wintering and swarming out in spring ; those wintered in chaff did not dwindle like those wintered in house. I purchased colonies in box-hives in April, increasing my number of colo- nies to 75 ; they gave me an increase of 40, and 4.200 lbs. of extracted and 800 lbs. of comb honey. I use the Lang- stroth hive for getting comb honey ; the Kidder hive for extracting. I think my way of fastening combs superior to any I have heard of. I take bright wire, cut %. inch longer than the frame, measuring from the bottom over the top to the bottom on the other side, then bend into a clamp; I bend them at right angles on top, so as not to interfere with the honey board. I have them of a good length, so that the lower ends of the wire may rest against the bottom-bar. With a little experience the wire may be slipped on while the the comb is on the board. It is con- venient to have an assistant when tak- ing the wires off. I can drive out and transfer 10 colonies a day, when robbers do not bother. West Groton, N. Y. From the Rural New Yorker. How to Place Sections on the Hive. REV. O. CLUTE. Without denying that, under some cir- cumstances, other receptacles for comb honey may be serviceable and desirable, I think it is generally conceded that the prize section is best adapted for the markets of the larger cities. It is pro- bable that before many years have passed nearly all the comb honey that goes to market will be stored in this, or a very similar section. The method of putting the sections on the hives is a subject of a good deal of practical im- portance. There are three methods in somewhat wide use. Those who use a honey-board over the frames, often arrange and fasten the sections side by side, until they make a long box, glass the open ends of this box, and place it on the honey- board, just in the way in which the old 5 lb. boxes are put on. For those who use a honey-board this method will answer, but for the large number who reject the honey-board it will not do. Another method advocated by some, excellent bee-keepers and used some- what extensively, is to put the sections in cases, or holders, and to hang the cases in a super, just as a frame is hung in a hive. The super, filled with these cases of sections, is set on the hive, bringing the cases immediately over the brood-chamber, with only a % inch space between. At first this seems to be an excellent way. It is easy to arrange the sections in the cases; to hang the cases in the super, and to set the super on the hive. All is done in a few minutes, and everything is snug and tight. But from my own expe- rience I am led to think there are two strong objections to this method. First, it is not possible to examine easily how work is progressing in the sections. It is important for the bee- keeper to know this, and he needs to make frequent examinations. By this method of placing sections, such exam- inations are difficult. Take off the lid of the super and you have only the tops of the cases to look down upon. You attempt to lift out one of these cases, but find that it is not easy work. If the cases have been shoved close to- gether— as they ought to be — it is very probable that the bees have glued them together, so that they must be pried apart. Not unfrequently the bees have fastened the bottom-bar of the case to the tops of the frames beneath it, so there is a still greater difficulty in re- moving it. Hence, by the time you have lifted out a case of sections, you have pretty thoroughly roused the bees and spent a good many minutes of valu- able time. This difficulty of examin- ing the sections when hung in cases, would, with me, be a sufficient reason for rejecting this method. But, secondly, there is another objec- tion, equally strong. When you have lifted out your case of sections and find some of the sections filled and sealed, you want to remove these and replace them with new ones. As soon, now, as you attempt to remove these filled ones, you disturb others only partly filled, and you find yourself in the midst of a diffi- cult and perplexing job, which requires more time and patience than it is pro- fitable to bestow. Speaking for myself and from my own experience, I am sure that this method of placing sections in IP Rack for Comb Honey. cases and hanging the cases in supers is not the best method. If I were a prophet I would hazard the prediction that in a few years it will be entirely given up, except when a small amount of comb-honey is desired from the brood-chamber. In this case there seems no better method than to hang the sections by the side of the brood combs. The third method of placing the sec- tions is to have a rack made for hold- ing them, which sits closely over the tops of the frames, and holds the sec- tions firmly in place; but by the re- moval of a wedge, allows the sections to be easily moved, and the filled ones to be taken out and replaced by others. By this method, when the sections are once in place in the rack, and the end sections in each row glassed, the rack can be instantly set over the frames, and there are then as many tight compart- ments for surplus honey as there are rows of sections, and these compart- ments come immediately above the brood. The progress of work can easily be known by lifting off the cap or super and each section is easily reached and removed. This method seems to me far preferable to either of the others. The sections should always come so close to the top bars of the frames be- neath them as to leave only a passage way for the bees between, as this tends to prevent the building of bits of comb between the frames and sections, and the bees will enter the sections more readily when thus close. The fact that there is an entrance to the sections at both sides of every one of them, except the end ones in each row, has a marked influence to lead the bees to enter them and go to work. Johnson Co., Iowa. For the American Bee Journal. Receipts for Honey- Wine and Mead. J. D. HUTCHINSON. The following are Beceipts for the Honey-Wine and Mead which took the prizes at our Bee and Honey Shows in Scotland. I think they may be of use in America : Wine — Awarded the first prize at the Edinburgh Show of 1877. Four lbs. of honey and 1 ounce of hops to each gal- lon of water ; boil for 3 hours and skim till oiear; when lukewarm add yeast on toast, and when worked, barrel off. Should not be bottled for 12 months ; if left in barrel for 2 years all the better. Wine— Awarded the second prize at the Edinburgh Show of 1877. To each gallon of water add 6 lbs. of candied honey and the white of 2 eggs, with the shells broken up ; boil over a slow fire, taking oft the scum as it rises. When clear add an ounce of hops to the gallon and boil for 1 hour ; strain the liquor, and when cooled to lukewarm- ness, add a very small quantity of yeast on toast ; let it work 2 or 3 days before being put into a barrel, and when it has done working, put in the bung. Bottle it after at least 1 year ; if 2 years, all the better, as it is extremely apt to break the bottles. It will be very light in color when first bottled, but the color will deepen with age. Wine— Awarded the first prize at the Dumfries Show of 1878. To 6 gal- lons of water add 24 lbs. of honey and boil it until the scum ceases to rise, which take off. Add 3 ounces of best hops and strain into a cooler; when milk warm add 6 tablespoonsful of yeast, well stirred in. When worked for 1 day, barrel it and bottle in 12 months. Wine — Awarded a prize at the Dum- fries Show of 1878. To 6 gallons of water add 26 lbs. of honey, boil for half an hour and skim. Add 4 ounces of hops and strain into a cooler ; add the rind and juice of 2 lemons and weeks and then bottle, when it is fit to drink. Glasgow, Scotland. From L'Apiculteur, Paris. Hope for the Depressed. Is Nature consistent? Does she cause her works to harmonize ? As far as those things which concern bees are considered we cannot answer in the affirmative. Tins year, Nature has caused great quantities of bees to be hatched only to condemn them to die of hunger ; so much so that, at the present time, if man does not come to the suc- cor of the bees, the species will entirely disappear from certain regions. Man, then, is the being who, when he is intel- ligent and enlightened, can harmonize the diverse creations of Nature. From this we should learn that we ought to feed our bees, making them advances which will in all probability be largely reimbursed next season ; for if Nature is not consistent she is at least repara- tive. Taking the statistics of the past we find that always after a year or two of misfortune and disaster comes a third which greatly repairs the results of the Erevious evil's, and which gives us more oney in one season than three average years put together. We must remem- ber how the disastrous years 1829 and 18(50 were followed by the extraordin- arily good ones of 1830 and 1861 . In our reckoning we shall always remember that in 1861 a set of hives bought at 25 francs a-piece brought us in 60 francs net profit per colony.— Editor. For the American Bee Journal. The Improvement of Bees. REV. M. MAHIN, D. D. Much has been written on the above subject, but it has not yet been ex- hausted. And its manifest importance demands that it shall be kept before the bee-keeping public. If bee-keeping is to continue to be profitable we must not only adopt the best methods of man- agement, but we must have the best bees that can be obtained. Our improved methods, and our greater care of our bees, is likely to work the deterioration of our stock , un- less we are careful to avoid it by judicious selection. Under the old methods, which left the bees very much to themselves, the weaker and less valu- able colonies perished, and only those survived that were able to take care of themselves. Now in our human desire to save the lives of our bees, the weak colonies are supplied with honey from the strongest and more industrious, and are thus carried over the winter to in- fuse an element of weakness into the apiary the next season ; for if queens are not reared from these poor colonies, the drones hatched in them are liable to mate with our queens, and thus trans- mit their undesirable qualities to their progeny. Another source of danger is the fact that in rearing queens artificially, we are liable to rear inferior ones. It has been observed that the first queens hatched among a lot of queen-cells are generally the best. If the bees were left to themselves these better ones would alone survive ; but we preserve the weaker and inferior, introduce them to our colonies, and find some of them of very little value. Now if we would have the best bees in the world we must remove all these inferior queens, and supply their places with good ones. But how shall we get good queens ? I will not at this time discuss the ques- tion of queen-rearing, further than to say that we must rear queens only from the best mothers. Among bees the mother impresses her character upon her offspring much more strongly than the father does his. This being true the mother should possess, in the largest possible degree, the qualities we desire. It is not, in my judgment, desirable to rear queens from a queen until she is a year old. Not that I think that queens reared from a young mother are not as good as those reared from an older one; but we cannot judge of the qualities of a queen until she is a year old or more. While it is of more importance tc rear queens from good mothers than it is to have them mated with good drones, the latter is by no means of small import- ance, and the bee-keeping fraternity is under lasting obligations to Prof. Has- brouck for helping us to the successful solution of the problem of fertilization in confinement. I have been more than a doubter on that subject, but I am now fully convinced that, with perhaps some slight modifications as to details, his plan will be a perfect success ; and if I live until next summer I propose to try it on a large scale. In this way only can we pursue that judicious system of crossing between different strains and families, not to say races, which can alone give us the best results. If we can control the fertilization of our queens, we may produce strains of bees superior to any now to be found in the world. I am not sure but that the coming bee will be an admixture of different races, but so carefully bred that it will assume a fixed and uniform type. The best colony of bees I have ever had, with, perhaps, a single exception, was from an Italian queen that had mated with a black drone. I received the queen from a queen breeder in Tennes- see. If I could have multiplied and perpetuated their good qualities I would have desired nothing better, except in the matter of temper, and even in that they were not very objectionable. I would not be surprised if a cross be- tween the Italian and Cyprian bee would give valuable results. Logansport, Ind., Dec. 6, 1879. For the American Bee Journal. Dysentery and Spring Dwindling. R. DART. Mr. Taylor, of Oakford, in the Jour- nal for December, gives us all an in- vitation to reply to his questions. First, the combs of any hive in win- ter quarters from which the bees have •died, from any cause, will become moldy and damp. Second, my box hives were always found moldy and damp after loss of bees in winter, having to break them up, and melt up combs. Third, during the winter of 1870, out of 40 colonies, in box-hives, I lost 21 by dysentery. In the winter of 1871 I lost all but 3 of those remaining in box- hives, by dysentery. Fourth, for 30 years I have seen more or less of this so-called disease, dysen- tery—many years before we had bee periodicals, to publish our troubles and losses. I then saw heavy losses from dysentery, but then all used the com- monest kind of box-hives. Mr. Doolittle, on dysentery and win- tering in December number of Bee Journal, writes to the point, and has given us about all the light we can get on these subjects. Mr. Brown's communication in De- cember number of Bee Journal on " spring dwindling," I think does not cover all the ground on this subject. I would suggest that when we carry our bees out of winter- quarters in the spring, and they have had a general flight, that we then set shade boards to the front of the hives, keeping the sun from the hive until the weather is warm enough for them to fly at all times of the day ; or after the first Might change the front of hive towards the North, and let it remain so all the summer. I can see no losses of my bees by changing the stands after being in winter quar- ters 4 or 5 months. When my bees come out of their winter quarters strong, and after the first flight are still strong in number, then spring dwind- ling commences with me, and goes on all through April, in this climate. Notice the changes of weather in this month : In a partly cloudy day, the sun breaks out for a few moments, our bees rush out and go to hunting over the fields ; the sun passes under a cloud and the air is chilled, in a moment the bees drop to the ground, and 9 out of 10 never reach the hive again. These changes are going on all through the month. I think such the greatest causes of spring dwindling, and will affect colonies, wintered in or out of doors. Ripon, Wis., Dec. 8, 1879. From the Swiss Bulletin D'Apiculteur. Experiments with Ether on Bees. On the 11th of August we again em- ployed on two colonies the method of etherising the bees, our object being to give to each a new queen. The hrst was a very strong colony, and was removed from its usual stand to another and the bees have not returned to tneir old location. In the second, which was not moved, the bees refused to accept the queen. On the 20th of August the hive had 4 sealed queen- cells. In July, by smoking the bees, we had already given them a queen which was not accepted ; hence our reason for etherising to give them another. We could have caged the queen for 24 hours, but we^wished to know the effect or etherisation in this case. Thus two young queens were sacrificed for this colony. This more than ever confirms what our experience had already taught us, viz : that to succeed in the opera- tion of uniting, the colony without a queen should be always given to one that possesses a queen ; or, at least, a change of location should take place. A wise precaution is to remove all the brood. A correspondent says : Wishing to unite the queen and work- ers of a hive to an orphan colony I etherised the latter, and put it in the place of the former. The operation was completely successful — not a single orphan bee returned to its accustomed spot, with the necessary exception of those which were on flight when I re- moved the hive, and these were very few. This was on the 19th of August. The second day after uniting I found that eggs were laid in the royal cells. To-day (17th of September) the queen is stillbusily laying, for I fed the colony to strengthen it, it having been queen- less since the middle of June. To etherise American hives (in all of which the combs are movable) I employ a box three centimetres high, otherwise of the exact dimensions of the hive to be operated on. It has two glass win- dows on opposite sides, so that I can observe the moment when the bees begin to fall. The ether being first placed in this box (about 30 grammes on a sponge, protected with zinc) I im- mediately put the hive above, and raise it when I see the bees fall. By this means evaporation is more prompt, and the operation presents less danger to the bees. F. Eisenhardt. For the American Bee Journal. Bee-Culture vs. Farming, etc. W. O. CARPENTER. In the December Journal you have an article, " Is Bee-Culture subject to more failures than Farming or Stock raising V" This is a very abstruse question, and by no means to be answered in a sum- mary manner ; each avocation has its special requirements, and the question is not so much whether the one is sub- ject to more natural failures than the other, but whether both come within the average capabilities of the ordi- nary run of individuals. " Non cuivis homini contingil adire Corinthum" — only those who strive to acquire great things can reach Corinth — and this is especially applicable to the suc- cessful management of bees. The chances are, the same individual would not be equally successful, whether he undertook the occupation of farming or bee-culture. To succeed in bee-keep- ing, irrespective of having a fair knowl- edge of business, you must possess a certain aptitude, have more or less a mechanical turn with an inventive brain, quick sight, and good powers of observation, and settle in a favorable location. It is by no means a game of ehances. To succeed in farming, you require another kind of knowledge, altogether apart from that acumen of perception, so necessary for bee-culture. You must be a good judge of stock, (a specialty of itself) and you must have consider- able experience in raising and cultivat- ing crops, with a knowledge of the nature of different soils, manures, &c, and their relative application to each individual grain or herb. This infor- mation is usually obtained in early life, and you commence on your own ac- count at a suitable age with a full store of farming knowledge. Not so in bee- keeping ; it is a science usually com- menced at mature age, probably a fancy instilled into the mind by a certain in- tuitive faculty you feel you possess, but of course it requires some experience and observation, before you can safely launch into it, and before you are really on a par with the young trained farmer just about to commence business. This being accomplished, suppose each enters upon his relative occupation ; both well up in their profession ; I will suppose each to be first-rate in their respective callings. Query : Which will make the largest return for the capital invested ? But to work this out fairly, a given number of colonies, must be supposed to be an equivalent for a given num- ber of acres ; and I am hardly prepared to give that piece of statistics correctly, but, say for example, 500 colonies of bees against 320 acres of land ; I would then say if you gave the 500 colonies to Mr. Doolittle, and the acres to the best farmer in the State, the latter would stand no chance with him. The Vice President of the Kentucky Convention stated his average for 6 years was $12.35 per colony ; can the experienced farmer produce such an average per acre V But it must be borne in mind by all those about to enter upon the business of bee-keeping, that all bee masters are not Doolittle's. The want of science will materially reduce the proceeds, and with regard to the relative failures of each from various accidents of bad weather, &c, if the farmers loses his- oats, he perhaps saves his corn or his hay, or some other produce ; but the bee-keeper saves nothing ! Of course if you place a bungling bee-keeper in competition with a skillful farmer, the farmer will beat him ; but setting two men together of average intellect in their respective professions with the average failures from bad seasons, the bee man will have the best of it, unless prices fall to an unprecedented extent. Lawrence, Kansas, Dec. 8, 1879. For the American Bee Journal. How to Obtain Cash for Honey. JAMES HEDDON. Every honey producer living where there is a production in excess of home consumption, knows full well the puz- zle he is in, after good luck and good management have supplied him with a full crop, to then realize on the same. How long, do you suppose, we shall have to go "hawking about" our pro- duct ("in order to build up a taste for it, and make it a staple"), before we can take it to market (in either town or metropolis), and realize cash upon it,, at some price, in the same way that other producers do for their products ? The peculiarity of this "same way" referred to above, is that the farmer receives that kind of cash that leaves no loop hole open through which he can be cheated out of his pay. The 30 day system called "cash" in commerce, may be a necessity and a safe way for commercial men to deal with each other, as they have reporters, and many other means of determining the responsibility of those with whom they deal, but the producer of grain, vegetables or honey, nave little or no knowledge of com- mercial men, hence the necessity for selling their products C. O. D. (come omediately down). Honey producers are about the only producers of imper- ishable crops who have to sell their year's accumulations upon the com- mercial system of 30, 60 and 90 days credit. My judgment is that by a regu- lar concerted action, the bee-keepers may be able to help this matter some, when the time comes that this business ceases to be so excessively profitable that accessions in such vast numbers will be among the things that were, and we can know from time to time who are the honey producers of America. Dowagiac, Mich., Dec. 10.1879. From The Bee- Keeper. Honey Season of 1879 in Denmark. J. S. WOOD, Vice President of Danish Bee Association. Were rain and flowers all that are requisite to ensure a good honey har- vest, we in Denmark could have boasted of such in the past season ; but, fortu- nately, the genial warmth of sun is necessary, otherwise there is no honey secreted in any plant, not even the busy ant is able to obtain its food as honey- dew on the leaves. As compared with the last 12 to 15 years, this season, taken in general, has been the poorest honey season in Den- mark. During the early part of the season there was every prospect of its being what might be called an average one, but as time wore on even the most sanguine began to despair. Swarming period arrived, though late, with no im- provement, and it was soon evident that if there was to come a trifle to the bee-keeper's profit, it would be before the heather bloomed, and thus only few would be the reapers, these being the users of frame hives, which, on the heaths, are in the minority. Previous to the heather coming in flower it was whispered in many places that even old colonies were dying of sheer starva- tion, swarms were already at the starva- tion point in the middle of June, and many died a little later. This was one grief, but a worse followed. The par- ent colony of many of these swarms also were lost owing to the young queens not being able to fly out and mate ; others when out were lost in their wed- ding Might, being overtaken by heavy storms, and becoming prey for the birds. The continual moist weather was uncommonly favorable for the .forthcoming of midges or gnats; in some districts the number of these were so enormous that they appeared as small clouds, and, in some instances, appeared in columns of 70 feet high, and of a considerable diameter, plainly to be seen at the respectable distance of a thousand feet or so; and where midges are in abundance there we find our welcome summer visitor, the swal- low. That our favorite bee fell a prey to them there was no doubt, and how could a mother-swallow refuse or re- frain from securing such a fat, dainty morsel for her young as a young queen, for example, that happened to be en- joying her honeymoon ? That many were lost in this way was certain, and the loss thus by storm and birds has been double, I might say, the number of young bees hatched; and the result is that apiaries usually giving an average of 50 to 60 lbs. of honey per colony this year have not given a pound ; but, on the contrary, required the aid of about 150 lbs. of candy for every 20 colonies to carry them barely over the winter months. In the heather districts the result has been a little more favorable, as the weather cleared up a little at the time the heather bloomed, giving a result in many cases of 20 to 30 lbs. per colony, and in exceptional cases higher. The general expectations were that honey would rise in price, but such is not discernible, owing partly to the sur- plus of last year, which in many cases has been kept in stock, the cold weather during the summer being very favor- able to its keeping so well without fer- mentation taking place. There is not the slightest doubt but that the past season will have not only thinned the number of bees, but also, I may say, decimated the colonies by loss of queens alone. The result, of course, will be in spring a heavy falling- off in the ranks of bee-keepers who by last year's good results were expecting to advance, but by this year's work will have come to the conclusion that the keeping of bees is not always sunshine with profit. The more hardened say, "Make the best of it," but above all winter well for the coming year. Nyborg, Denmark. S'or the American Bee Journal. Extracting Honey from Brood Combs. G. M. DOOLITTLE. Many suppose that something must be done in time of box honey, to clear the brood combs of honey to give the queen room to lay, so as to keep up the the population of the colony, reasoning thus : that when bees are working in boxes, as a necessity the brood combs- must be crowded with honey, while the truth is that when the bees are at work nicely in the boxes, with a proper hive, there is scarcely a pound of honey in the brood combs. I say with a proper hive, or brood chamber of a proper size. In this there is a great secret of success. Quinby gave, in his " Bee-Keeping Ex- plained," 2,000 cubic inches as the right size of the brood chamber, and told us that there was an advantage in feeding inferior honey in the spring, so as to have the space in the brood chamber, not occupied by the queen, filled with poor honey, thus necessitating the put- ting of the nice white clover honey in the boxes. This is one way of arriving at the same object that we do with a brood chamber of about two-thirds the size of the one used by Mr. Quinby. By thus feeding, he gave the bees no place to put their honey except in the boxes, and thereby losing the use of this infe- rior honey for half a year, besides hav- ing the boxes separated from the brood by some distance of sealed stores for the bees to pass over, which was of course a detriment; yet he got much more honey in his boxes than he would other- wise. My plan to accomplish this ob- ject is to have a hive or brood chamber of a size that an average queen will keep filled with brood to the exclusion of honey, thus keeping the boxes close to the brood, and if any feeding is to be done, do it in the fall. This is not all talk. If you will try it, you will find that the queen will keep the combs in a hive of 1,350 cubic inches filled with brood, and if any honey is to be had from the fields, the bees will put it in the boxes, as there is nowhere else to store it. This is our secret of getting box honey. Now, supposing Quinby had, instead of feeding, extracted the honey from the brood combs every week or so, as some would have us believe we should do to be successful, how much honey do you think he would have ob- tained in his boxes ? Not a pound. Bees will not build comb in surplus boxes so long as there is plenty of empty <3omb close to the brood to store honey in. Again, you may take a hive of 1 ,350 ■cubic inches, and fill it with frames which are full of sealed honey, and put on your boxes. Have a strong colony with a good prolific queen in it, and in 2 weeks' time you will have nearly all of said honey in your boxes. Once more : If you let a first swarm issue from a hive, and keep them from swarming again, by the time the young queen gets fertilized every available cell in the brood chamber will be filled with honey, and still no start be made in the boxes ; but just as soon as she commences to lay, the bees will commence work in the boxes ; and in 20 days, if you examine, you will find scarcely a ceil of honey in the brood combs, and as nice a lot of brood as you ever saw. Now, we will suppose that just as this queen was fer- tilized you had extracted all that honey, you would not have obtained a single box of honey unless from fall flowers. Therefore, if you want a large yield of box honey, keep prolific queens, and let the brood combs alone after the boxes are placed on the hive. Borodino, N. Y., December, 1879. For the American Bee Journal Something New about Honey-Dew. PROF. A. J. COOK. While at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, I became much interested in some observations and investigations made by Mr. Win. Trelease a very talented young man connected with the University, which entirely settles the matter of honey-dew. Mr. Trelease has not only tasted the nectar secreted by the plants, but he has discovered the glands which secrete the nectar. These are often so large as to be easily recognized by the unaided vision. Mr. Trelease showed me the glands on species of cassia, acassia, pasiflora — the May-pop of Alabama — prunes, and the cotton plant. On a fine acassia growing in the botanical laboratory of the University, I not only saw the gland, but also the drop of nectar, which I found sweet to the taste. I had the pleasure, not only of seeing Mr. Tre- lease's beautiful drawings, but also of viewing the actual cross-sections under the microscope. The usual dermal cells are enlarged and lengthened at the glands. The cell walls seem more thin, while the enclosed protoplasm is much more dense. These glands are on the peti- oles of the leaves, on the ribs, or on the blade of the leaves. On the Partridge pea which has so often been noticed to be swarming with bees, the glands are large and numerous, and, Mr. T. says, rich in nectar. Let us observe during the coining season, whether the bees get all their gleanings from these nectar glands, or whether some comes from the flowers as well, and if the latter be the case, let us note their comparative value. For the American Bee Journal. Queens Duplicating Themselves. A. F. MOON. In the Journal for October, page 449, Mr. J. Anderson says that he has the very queens called for, and makes this statement lest my very strong challenge should cause some to think that no queens exist that will inva- riably duplicate themselves. A little discrepancy in his article requires a passing remark. He says that some are brighter than the mothers, but will proba bly be like her when as old as she is. If the daughters are brighter than their mother they are not exact dupli- cates of her ! What will be the color of those daughters that are like the mother when hatched V Or are some of the queen daughters not changeable ? Rome, Ga. For the American Bee Journal. Removing Bee Glue from the Hands. DR. A. B. MASON. I was a good deal disappointed at not being able to attend the annual meeting of the Michigan State Bee-Keepers' As- sociation, which was appointed to meet at Jackson, Mich. In the American Bee Journal for June, 1876, I asked tk is there anything known that will remove bee glue from the hands?" and was answered "alcohol or spirits of turpentine." I soon after accidentally discovered another way. I had been examining all my hives and my hands were pretty badly smeared with the glue. My next job was some repairs in. and whitewashing my hen house. When washing my hands to remove the lime, I noticed they became quite yellow, as did the water I was washing in, and I did not understand what made it, but I soon discovered that the bee glue was nearly all gone from my hands. Since then I keep some slacked lime ready for use during the season when handling bees. I moisten the places that I wish to cleanse and rub with the wet lime till the propo- lis is removed. If I use much lime, I then moisten my hands with vinegar. This is much cheaper than alcohol, and as I am sometimes called from work among the bees, to work at some one's mouth, I am not annoying my patients with the fumes of turpentine. The National Convention. I have read the proceedings, &c, of the North American Bee-Keepers' Con- vention, with a good deal of interest, and I believe with a considerable profit. I have watched the Journal, for years, for a successful method of intro- ducing virgin queens, and when I saw the heading of the Rev. M. Mahin's paper on page 526 November number, I thought, tl of course we have it at last." I shall try his plan next season. I in- troduced a few virgin queens, in the summer of 1877 after the plan suggested on page 189, August number 187o, and page 190, July number 1876, by Wm. C. Belham, and in every instance with suc- cess, except in one colony in which I found a queen the next day. I used cells made as described in" the July number, 1876. Toledo, O., Dec. 10, 1879. For the American Bee Journal. How I wash out Drone Brood. W. H. SIEBRECHT. I have been very successful during the past season, in washing out drone brood from the comb, whenever I did i not desire to have it, with a very sim- 1 pie and handy sprinkler that I think every apiarist should have. I find it a great deal better than a hose or any thing else. All that is required being a basin with water with which to ti 1 1 the sprinkler and into which the brood may be washed out. I should like to see it illustrated in the Bee Journal, for I think it would be considered valu- able by all apiarists. Astoria, L. I., August, 1879. [We have procured the above engrav- ing of this sprinkler and we can till orders for it, at the manufacturer's price— one dollar. To use the sprinkler, compress the bulb, thereby expelling the air ; then put the nozzle into water, and it will fill itself.— Ed.] ©OUttCUti Cits- Lancaster County, Pa., Convention. The Lancaster county Pa., Bee-keep- ers' Association met at 2 o'clock Mon- day November 10th, at Lancaster, Pa. Reports. Eeports on the past bee season hav- ing been called for, the following mem- bers responded : J. F. Hershey, of Mount Joy, who is one of the largest bee-keepers in the county, said that the present season could not be regarded as a very success- ful one. In the early part of the sea- son the conditions were favorable. There was an abundance of flowers and the bees stored the nectar rapidly. This state of things lasted until haymaking, say about June 20, when the dry spell came on, and from that time until the present the little honey makers were unable to do much. The season is now over, and the honey crop has been {fathered. It may be regarded as about lalf an average yield. This is not the case in Lancaster county alone, but seems to be the prevailing condition of things the whole country over. But there has not only been a poor honey season ; many colonies are in u poor condition to go into winter quarters. Cases are reported where colonies have already starved, not hav- ing gathered sufficient to last them until now. There is no question but that many bee-keepers will have to feed at least a portion of their bees during the approaching winter. An average colony will consume about 20 lbs. of honey or its equivalent be- tween the time when the honey season closes and the 1st of May. Where a considerable number have to be fed this will be quite a tax on the owners. The Italians, as usual, have done bet- ter than the native black bees. The former have in almost every instance filled the brood-chamber and com- menced work in boxes, although some- times the black bees have clone the same. The increase in new colonies has averaged about 63 per cent., which is less than the average, but Mr.IL, gives more attention to rearing queens than to honey or swarming. He started Avith 62 colonies last spring. He re- ported having reared 200 queens realiz- ing $225.00 from this source. He also got about 650 lbs. of honey, and sold 5 colonies, and now has 72 colonies with which to go into winter quarters. All his own colonies have plenty of honey. He will winter them' in the peculiar house, half underground, already des- cribed in former reports. He also made remarks on wintering bees. This is one of the most impor- tant points in bee-keeping. Each colony should be carefully examined before it is put into winter quarters, to ascertain whether it has honey enough and bees enough. If it is too weak in bees, then unite them with another; if short of honey, feed it. Food is pre- pared by taking 2 lbs. of ordinary cof- fee sugar and 1 lb. of water, and bring- ing them to the boiling point. Protect your bees from the north and west winds. Take off the honey boxes and put an old quilt or blanket on the top of the frames, and place on a cap of straw. Place a protector on the alighting board, to keep the sun off from the entrance when there is a loose snow on the ground; if there is no snow on the ground, take the protector away from the entrance and let the bees have the full benefit of the sun's rays. Never disturb bees when it is cold. If bees are long in confinement when there is a loose snow on the ground, and there comes a warm day— warm enough for the bees to fly — take away your protector from the entrance, to allow the warmth of the rays to fall directly on the entrance. Scatter straw in front of the hives on the snow, for the distance of about 15 feet from the hives, for the bees to alight on, in case any should drop down from cold or other cause. So soon as the weather becomes warm and bees fly freely, all colonies should be examined to see whether they have queens. If some are queenless, unite the coionies with weak ones that have a queen. Cage the queen about 12 hours after the colonies are united, as they will sometimes kill her when 2 colo- nies are put together, Colonies that are short in honey in the spring, ought to be fed, for they require a great deal of food to supply the brood in March and April. They consume more honey at that time than during the 3 winter months. Mr. Samuel Dillmnn, of New Hol- land, presents the most favorable report so far heard from in the county. He had 17 colonies last spring. He has by judicious swarming increased these to 24, and got besides 800 lbs. of honey, nearlv all comb. W.I3. Detwiler, of Mt, Joy, started with 75 colonies last spring. These have now increased through swarming to 100. lie got from them aboutSOO lbs. of honey. All his bees are in good con- dition to go into winter quarters. Other bee-keepers were reported as having done about the same as those who reported personally, liev. S. S. Henry, of Hinkletovvn, began with 2 colonies last spring and by natural in- crease now has 7 colonies. lie increased their numbers largely, but the conse- quence was he got hardly any honey. C. Sensenig, of Earl township, began the season with 4 colonies, which in- creased to 16, but he got no honey. Another bee-keeper was reported as having taken 327 lbs. of honey from 15 colonies ; one of these yielded 55 lbs. I. G.Martin, of Earl township, started into the honey season with 20 colonies. These have increased to 30. From these he has taken 060 lbs. of honey of excellent quality. His colonies are amply supplied with honey for the win- ter's consumption. He will put them into winter quarters on the summer stands, as is his usual custom, with a protection of chaff. Mr. Martin presented the following interesting paper: Hints to Beginners. In writing a few remarks upon bee- culture I wish to state in the outset that I shall not perhaps present anything new to many of the members, but I will offer a few hints to beginners. The old opinion which ought by this time to be entirely exploded, that bees will take care of themselves and bring us large returns for little or no invest- ment of capital or labor, is still a stumbling block to prosperous bee- keeping. Added to this are the mis- representations of unscrupulous dealers whose advertisements are sure to mis- lead the uninformed. None of us like to tell of our failures or of bad years before the public, and consequently the reports in the papers usually show only the bright side and large yields. Ignorance of the business then is the fault of a large proportion of ill success. What then is essential is a thorough knowledge of the busi- ness—plenty of application and hard work. Much useful information may be obtained by reading the best words and papers on the subject, but actual practice in the apiary is indispensable. Many persons are naturally unfit for the business from carelessness and in- accuracy about their work. I know of no out-door work where so much depends on the right thing being done at the right time and in the right way. Avoid the common blunder of rush- ing into bee-keeping just after there have been one or two good seasons. The fact is that an extra good yield is usually followed by a very moderate or poor one. Beginners should purchase but a small number of colonies at first, and the bees will increase as fast as their knowledge will increase. Buy al- ways the best that can be found, even if they cost more ; for it will often pay you the first season. Spring is the best time to buy, for then they are through the winter and you have not much risk, and they will then soon be a profit to you. Use some good movable-frame hive, for with the box-hive the best re- sults cannot be obtained. A very great hindrance to handling the bees is the fear of stings. Every beginner should supply himself or her- self with a good bee-veil, which will protect the face, and a good bellows smoker is as necessary for the bee- keeper as a plow is for a farmer. The extractor for removing the honey from the combs without injuring them, is a very important implement, for then you can use the combs again, and it will in- crease your yield of honey. Use comb foundation for the brood- chamber, for it will insure all worker- comb, which is of great importance. A piece of drone-comb 2 inches square, in the center of the brood-chamber, is a small thing, yet it is a space in which every 21 days 200 worker bees might be raised, and in which they will raise a lot of drones, which are not producers, but consumers of honey. I have but mentioned some of the necessary fixtures of a first-class apiary, without which success cannot be ob- tained. But do not make the mistake of thinking that if you get these fix- tures you are sure of success. They are only aids and it will take work and knowledge yet to get the full benefit of your work. The merit of the Italian bee are thoroughly established among enlight- ened bee-keepers. I cannot now men- tion all their points of superiority, but I would advise all beginners to buy the Italians. Comb Foundation. The following letter was addressed to the chairman of the Association : Sprout Brook, N. V., Nov. t;. 1879. Presuming nil appliances tending to advance the interests of the bee-keeping community will he welcomed at vour meeting, wo send yon samples of flat-bottom comb foundation for distribution to your members. We have used the thin foundation this season in surplus boxes full sized sheets one six- teenth of an inch from the sides, and from one- qnarter to one-eighth of an inch from the bottom, adding thereby largely to the yield of honey, and also to its market value. The wired-foundation has also been used with good satisfaction during the past season. J. Van Dkcskn & Sons. There oeing no further business, the Society adjourned. The meeting was very pleasant and interesting, and it seems a pity that bee-keepers take so little interest in such gatherings. Southern Kentucky Convention. The Southern Kentucky Bee-Keep- ers' Association met at Edmonton, Thursday, October 2, 1879. The presi- dent being absent, Hon. J. F. Ray was called to the chair. Twenty members were added to the Association. The chairman appointed the follow- ing committees : On the State of Bee-Culture— J. D. Davis, Jo. Allen and F. Reed. On Questions for Discussion — Dr. N. P. Allen and A. J. Courtney. The following officers were elected for the next year : J. D. Davis, Cumber- land county, president ; C. W. Thomp- son, Metcalfe county, vice-president ; Dr. N. P. Allen, Warren county, sec- retary and treasurer. The committee on the state of bee- culture reported the following, which was approved : We, the committee ap- pointed to report on the state of bee- culture in southern Kentucky, would say that the past season has been in an unusual degree unprofitable to the bee- keeping interest, in consequence of the excessive drought that has extended throughout the entire region ; but, not- withstanding the poor season., we do not see that the interest in this direc- tion has in the least degree relaxed, and since the drought has abated, the colo- nies, so far as our observation has ex- tended, have been rapidly tilling up, and we believe that the bees in this region will go into winter quarters in as good condition as usual. What Hive is the Best 1 Messrs. Courtney and Yates advo- cated the use of the Golden bee hive. Dr. Allen and J. D. Davis were in favor of using the Langstroth hive, in preference to all others. The Best Time for Transferring 1 Mr. J. Allen said about the time the peach and apple bloom opened, but that he transferred at any time during the year it suited him. Dr. Allen said that early spring was the best time, as there were less honey and brood in the comb then. He pre- ferred the beginning of the honey har- vest, and said bees were often destroyed by being transferred too early in the spring or too late in summer. What is the Best Feed for Bees T A. J. Courtney said that syrup, made of New Orleans sugar and honey, was the best feed. J. D. Davis said he fed his bees on sealed honey from rich colonies, and that they required but little food, as he never took the honey too close. Dr. Allen said that he had not been so fortunate as Mr. Davis, but there was a great deal in management. He said that his preference for artificial feed was New Orleans sugar syrup, with a little cream tartar or apple vine- gar in it to keep it from granulating ; that capped honey was the best, as it contained more or less pollen, espe- cially if taken from near the brood- nest. For pollen he fed rye-meal, but his idea was always to keep his bees rich in honey, for thousands of bees are ruined by being robbed too close and too late in the season. Moving Bees. Dr. Allen gave bis plan of moving' bees short distances. He said they could be moved a few feet or a few rods any time during the warm weather in the following manner, and the bees would not return to the old spot where the hive was moved from : Place an empty box on top of the hive, and drive the bees into it by knocking or drum- ming on the hive for 10 or 20 minutes. Set the box off, near or on the spot where the hive stood ; raise it a little in front, to make an entrance for any bees that are on the wing to enter the box. Then remove the hive to where you want it, and place a board or cloth in front. Carry the box with the bees in it, shake them in front of the hive, and run them in as you would a new swarm. What are the Profits of Bee-keeping 1 *H Quite a discussion by several mem- bers was engaged in, and 100 per cent, was agreed on as the average of a colony of bees, properly managed, in a good locality for honey. Resolutions. On motion, the thanks of this Asso- ciation were tendered the citizens of of Edmonton and vicinity for the use of the church in which to hold the meetings of this Convention, and for their kind hospitality in furnishing a sumptuous dinner on the ground. On motion, the secretary was re- quested to have the minutes of this meeting published in the Farmers'1 Home Journal and the Bee Journal. Dr. Allen was elected a delegate to the National Association, at Chicago, 111., on Oct. 21st, 22d and 23d, 1879. On motion, the Convention adjourned to meet at the Exposition building, in Louisville, Ky., on the second Thurs- day in October next, at 10 a.m., for the purpose of dissolving this Association and organizing a State Bee-keepers' Association ; and that the secretary give notice of it in the State papers. N. P. Allen, Sec. From Bee-Keepers' Instructor. Central Ohio Convention. The November meeting was held at Circleville, Ohio, on the 19th, X. Julian presiding. The minutes were read and approved. The attendance being small, the discussion of the question previ- ously announced was posponed to next meeting. Henry Culp, of Hilliard, Ohio, .7. W. Newlove, of Columbus, O., and 8. X. Oldham, of Reynoldsburg, O., were ap- pointed a committee to confer with the Ohio State Board of Agriculture, in re- gard to establishing an Apiarian depart- ment at their annual fair. After trans- acting some other unimportant business. the Association adjourned to meet in Chillicothe the third Wednesday in Jan- uarv, 1880, when the question appointed for this meeting :— " Who should keep Bees ?" will be discussed. N. Julian, Pres. S. D. Riegel, Secy. Michigan State Convention. The Michigan Bee-Keepers, Associa- j tion met pursuant to call, on Dec. 10, in the Court Room at Jackson, Mich. Pres. A. B. Cheney not being present, the Secretary called the meeting to order and Dr. Samuel Stevenson, of Morenci, was elected Chairman, pro term., who opened the meeting with a few well chosen remarks and proceeded to business. The Secretary read the following essay from James Heddon, of Dowagiac, Mich., on Prospects of Bee-Keeping. I regret not being able to enjoy a pleasant visit with you, such as we always have at these conventions, other than which 1 (like IV Novice") can hardly see the value of them. I would suggest that the question of " Supply and De- mand," which so much affects your first topic for discussion, viz : " Prospects of Bee-Keeping, '" be fully canvassed. I would prefer the topic to read : " Pros- pects of Bee-Keepers." If they keep a sharp eye on their interests, the pursuit will take care of itself. I mean bee- keepers that now exist. If this Conven- tion is a honey-producers' Convention, it has no more to do with the honey- producer that is to be, than with the pursuit of blacksmithing. I hope to see in your report, that you have taken into consideration the mar- keting and prices of our uncertain product, and that you remembered that lumber has advanced, and is going still higher; that nails, glass, tin, &c, are nearly double prices ; that wages are advancing (and justly so); that nearly all which we have to buy is on the '• boom,'1 and that it becomes necessary that we " boom'1 also. Many bee-keep- ers sold their crop of comb-honey at 12^c. per lb., and one party near here sold beautiful comb honey at 8c, net weight. Had there been a full crop the world over, these sales would have been a precedent, and would have lixed the prices you and I would have had to take. But the scarcity in the Old World and California, as well as the very light crops about us, proved our salvation from these starvation prices. I am at present holding four-fifths of my crop till spring. I have sold the culls of my crop and some odd-sized frames, and so far have realized lS^'c per lb. above all expenses. Extracted does not go above 10(a)12^c. per lb. by the barrel, according to grade. Comb honey production pays best, by all odds, this season. Dried apples, prunes, and many other kinds of sour sauce having more than doubled in price lately, attention has been turned toward "sweet sauce."" Sugars, butter, &c, being higher, honey must advance— it is advancing. With proper management on the part of the honey producers of to-day, we may look for good prices for honey raised during 1880. Though I deal in supplies, my whole soul and interest is with the pro- ducers (of whom 1 am one), and that you may obtain large crops, and that farmers, carpenters and blacksmiths will also do first rate at their legitimate pursuits, is the earnest desire of your fellow bee-keeper, James Heddon. P. S. — I hope there is no supply dealer present, whose goods are so non-useful that he must create a raw apiarist in order to find a customer. J. II. Erastus "Weeks, of Jackson, said he felt inadequate to the comprehension of so vast a question ; but he would say that while prices have had a downward tendency for the last few years, still, with his present facilities and' knowledge his profits were better than formerly. He regarded the present outlook as en- couraging to those who were masters of their business and had such pasture and capital as the successful prosecution of any business required. Many of the farmers had lost their bees and the low price of honey would do much to pre- vent men without experience and capi- tal from further investment. He was convinced that nothing but the stern hand of Providence could stay the ad- vance of progressive apiculture. S. C. Perry. Lansing, regarded the industry as in a healthy condition when compared with other pursuits. C. B. Smith, Leslie, thought bee- keeping no more uncertain than raising wheat or stock. Do Bees Winter best when Crowdedlon a few Combs in a Roomy Hive ? The Secretary read two essays on the above subject; the first, from Rev. A. Salisbury, Camargo, 111., as follows : The question : " Do bees winter bet- ter crowded on a few combs, or in a roomy hive ?" should be answered in the affirmative. Bees winter better on a few combs, than many. Where they spread out all over the hive they largely lose the effect of the animal heat upon one another, small groups in the ex- treme part of the hive are lost the first cold night that the mercury sinks 10° below freezing. There is no settled rule as to the correct number of frames that a colony of bees should have when put into winter quarters. The number must vary in proportion to the size of the colony. In a small, or medium-sized nucleus, three frames of honey, hung in the center of a standard hive, one inch between the combs, allowing the bees to cluster on the center combs, and then placed in a good warm cellar with a temperature of 45° or 50° — success is almost certain. No cushion is ever needed in a good cellar. Small colo- nies must have a warmer temperature than large ones. A few frames should never be placed in a correspondingly small hive, just large enough to hold the frames. The vapor arising from the bees, that should condense remotely on the outer walls of the hive, is con- fined among the bees, unless well cushioned, and cushions are necessary only to correct blunders already made. In proportion as bees live through the winter in a damp, cold hive, dysen- tery and spring dwindling is a legitimate result. I have 100 fine tested queens for early spring use — bees with queen, on from 3 to 4 frames, hung in the cen- ter of a standard hive, and in winter quarters, and results will be no doubt as heretofore, satisfactory. From R. M. Argo, Lowell, Ky. : The above question will only admit of a conditional answer. If the question had been " will bees winter better in small than large hives?"from 20 years ex- perience I would say that they will win- ter better in small hives. An average colony of bees crowded on a few combs with sealed honey on the top and ends of each comb, with the brood-nest, or lower part of the center of the frames, empty, and with winter passages cut through each comb, will winter far better than in a large and roomy hive : but, if the large and roomy hive should be very tight, admitting of no upward ventilation, and filled with combs at least 3 years old, with sealed honey, and the lower part where the bees cluster should be empty, and sufficiently so for a large cluster, they will winter about as well as in a small hive. The hive being full of sealed honey above and around, the cluster will form what is almost equal to dead-air spaces. If crowded on a few combs in a large hive with open space either at the side or above, they will hardly winter at all ; but if these few combs with the above conditions are placed in the center of a large hive, with a partition board at each side and a cloth spread over the top of the frames, and the empty space on the sides and above filled with dry straw, fine hay or chaff, they cannot be wintered better, either in cellar or on their sum- mer stands. This is equal to wintering in a straw hive and I have found it to excel packing the hives in straw on their winter stands. I must be under- stood as speaking of wintering on sum- mer stands as I have never tried cellar wintering. I have successfully wintered four colonies for the past 8 or 0 years in a large double-floored and double-walled box 2 feet deep ; the top being also double- walled. These colonies remain there the year round, and I wish I had my whole apiary in such boxes. " Will the natives or the Italians win- ter the best without protection or feed- ing in the fall ?" This question was answered emphati- cally in favor of the Italians in 1868, the worst honey year I ever experi- enced, except the present. Now, I wish all to take an impartial survey during the coming winter and report at the next meeting. From a close in- spection of bees in my neighborhood during the last 6 weeks, I predict that where no feeding was done no natives will be alive in April. As my neigh- bors are not feeding their bees, I antici- pate a splendid opportunity for rear- ing pure queens next season with no native drones within 10 miles. I pur- chased 4 colonies of black bees last sea- son and Italianized three, forgetting one, and that one had not a pound of honey a month ago. I united the bees with an Italian colony. I had 41 colonies at home and 14 in the country, which I have reduced to 54 as put up for win- ter. I had to feed about half of them ; those that needed none were generally the purest colonies. Some years the blacks will do as well as the Italians and by being assisted, will winter bet- ter ; but such years as this, is the time to make a fair test. Many may differ with me, but I would like them to re- port briefly their experience and obser- vation, in the American Bee Jour- nal, next spring. Bees are on the wing to-day (Dec. 2d,) and have been almost every day up to this time, here in the center of the State. Mr. Perry said he found bees to win- ter best on a few frames with chaff cushions taking the place of the combs removed. The President had found very little difference in his opinion. The sense of the Convention was that bees were likely to winter well with proper care. House Apiaries and Cellar Wintering. The Secretary read the following essay : " Do house apiaries winter bees as well as cellars V I think not. House apiaries, I presume, are much improved since I used one. Nineteen years have elapsed since I abandoned the house apiary. Twenty-one years ago last spring, I built the first house apiary I ever saw, or heard of. It was so con- structed as to hold 56 hives of bees ; it was 32 feet long, and 10 wide, with a 7 foot story ; the lumber dressed, and it was well painted. I used it 2 years and then abandoned it as a house apiary, and fitted it up for a honey house, and still use it as such. It seemed to be defective in several particulars : First, the bees were too cold in severe cold weather ; the wall being only single. Second. It seemed to be too cool in early spring, to facili- tate brood-rearing, as rapidily as colo- nies in the open air that received the rays of the sun on fine days. Third. The worst of all were its summer defects. The first colonies that filled their hives with bees clustered on the wall of the house, the bees from ad- jacent hives, on their return from the fields would light upon the clustering bees, on the wall, and one colony grew too strong, while others became weaker. My experience in cellar wintering dates back only 15 years. During that period, the average number of colonies Eut into winter quarters, I suppose, has een about 150 per annum. The loss has been so slight, up the present, with all that were in a fair condition for winter and put up at the right time (Nov.) and taken out at the breaking up of winter, that I feel perfectly satis- fied. Last spring I lost about 50 out of 285 colonies, by spring dwindling. These were, with others under the care of a hand 6 miles from my house, they were left out until the coldest weather in January and then were brought home on the snow, and put into the cellar, full of ice, which ran out in streams of water as it melted. Life was shortened by a cold damp hive for the balance of the winter, the old bees disappeard be- fore young ones were reared to take their place. Three things must be ob- served in the successful wintering of bees : Pood, heat and air. The great epidemic (bee cholera, or dysentery) is doubtless produced in the absence of a proper amount of heat, but never in the heat of summer. A. Salisbury. Mr. Perry, said he was troubled about transferring bees and buying wax, but found that cellar wintering, last season, furnished more wax than all other methods combined. Mr. Martin, Hesperia, lost 80 out of 100 colonies last season. They were wintered in the cellar, but dwindled in April. Mr. Easton, Albion, had kept bees 40 years, but had used modern hives only 2 years. He thought chaff packing preferable, and wintered in that manner 54 out of 55 colonies, last season, and has 100 in chaff now, and expects to safely winter them. Mr. C. B. Smith fayored using chaff. Mr. Perry said wherever he had found an apiary where bees were wintered in chaff, he never found wax for sale. President Stevenson, had used chaff 4 years .. id and had lost only 5 colonies. J. H. l^bertson, Pewamo, had win- tered for years in a cellar, and believed it to be the safest, cheapest and best means now known for wintering bees. One winter water stood in his cellar more than a foot deep and his bees never wintered better. He took no stock in the theory that damp cellars would not winter bees. One of his neighbors, S. K. Marsh, wintered 80 colonies without loss with 2 feet of water in his cellar all the winter. J. Butler & Son, Jackson, gave their method of wintering in chaff for the last 10 years. Their experience shows that they have wintered almost without loss during all the winter trials of the last decade. They said they would not take the best house apiary, winter de- pository or cellar, ever made, as a gift to winter bees in. Mr. Robertson, remarked that the chaff hives of his neighborhood were mostly of the common type, and they had been essentially a failure in winter- ing bees Mr. Hanchet, Leslie, said he had used chaff exclusively, but now had some in chaff and some in the cellar. John II. Van Ness reported that he put all his hives of bees together and packed straw all around, above and be- low them about a foot deep, and there was not a dead bee in the hives in the spring. His bees were all through swarming by the time others that had been wintered out of doors had com- menced to swarm. At this juncture Mr. O.J. Hethering- ton, who had been to the depot to escort Mr. T. G. Newman to the hall, entered with the distinguished visitor and honorary member. After a hearty hand-shaking from his numerous ac- quaintances, the President formally presented the jolly, world-renowned editor of the American Bee Journal to one of the largest gatherings of practical bee-keepers every assembled in Michigan. He made a few happy remarks which were enthusiastically re- ceived. He said he was glad to meet with an Association, whose reputation was world wide. In Europe as well as America, the Michigan Convention had a distinguished reputation. The Best Bees. The topic "Can America breed the best bees, or must bee-keepers continue to import V" was enlarged so as to embrace the next topic, viz.: "The effects of close breeding." Mr. Robertson, said, the Italians were a great improvement and he believed America could sustain their reputation. There were so many black bees, it was difficult to keep an apiary pure, but he thought from what he had seen of the past season's operations, that black bees would be less in number and less troublesome next spring. Mr. T. G. Newman, stated that he took American bees to Italy and they were pronounced by experts more beau- tiful than they had ever seen before. Mr. Newman said that he had no doubts as to Americians breeding the best bees. Her progressive bee-keepers would never remain in the back ground with an enterprize in which the whole world was interested. Much had been said about " the coming bee," and " the next progressive step " in the production of "the bee of the future," but he thought " the linger of destiny " was pointing to apis Americana, as the one that would satisfy the expectations of those that were longing tor the best race of bees. He did not know but that the Cyprian race would form an important part in its production, but whatever it was, the coming bee, when produced, would be strictly American. He was asked about the comparative temper of bees, and remarked that it was generally admitted that Italians were best natured; after them pure blacks, and that hybrids were usually the least tractable. The numerous cases of fatal stinging of careless and ignorant people and horses, induced him to say that no one was justified in keeping bees without always having at command the means of con- trolling them. Smoke would control the most viscious hybrids, if applied promptly and in abundance. Any good smoker would answer— but he recom- mended the Bingham Bee Smoker, as the best yet produced. Mr. J. L. Curtis, of Grand Rapids, favored the Italians and believed they could be improved by selection and careful breeding. Mr. J. H. Robertson wanted as pure Italians as he could find. Mr. Butler said that if he was to send comb honey to the Centennial, he should have black bees do the work ; he believed they made the prettiest comb, but Italians take the best care of their homes. Mr. Geo. Stray had 50 colonies of Italians and 100 of blacks last winter. The Italians died, and the blacks all wintered finely. Dr. C. E. Ashley, Ypsilanti, expected America to hold her own and breed the best bees. Prof. Hasbrouck had demon- strated that both queens and drones could be selected and as in other stock the males determine the progeny ; he regarded the drone as a mighty factor in the improvement of the honey-bee, and believed America could and would produce the best bees. Mr. Newman said that if careless breeding was to be continued we must also continue to import. But if we breed from the best, under the best conditions, improvement is absolutely certain. Mr. O. J. Hetherington,of East Sagi- naw, said Dr. Whiting removed black larvae from queen-celis and substituted Italian and obtained splendid queens. Mr. J. II. Townley, of Tompkins, se- lected his cells and queens by letting the bees swarm naturally. In that way he obtained the best, every time. Mr. Prentiss, of Ohio, remarked that to improve our bees we must select from those which till their hives with combs, honey and brood, the quickest. Mr. T. F. Bingham then read the fol- lowing essay on : Close Breeding not Detrimental to Insects. In the absence of evidence to the contrary I shall assume that all insects dwelling in families like ants, whose lives are necessarily circumscribed do mate closely. A direful examination of any of the numerous families of ants will justify the belief that they have not deteriorated and that they are the same strong, industrious and orderly insects of which Solomon said: tkGo to the ant thou sluggard ; consider her ways and be wise." From the fact that wasps and hornets only a few days or weeks old, lay eggs when from any cause their nest is deprived of the old mother, is it not reasonable to infer that they too mate closely ? This probable close mating holds true of many of the birds and wild animals. One of which, our domestic pigeon, when raised from single pairs, will not usually mate at all. if only one of the eggs of a litter hatches and only one bird matures. It is also well known among pigeon hunters, who keep birds for decoy pur- poses, that the females will lay eggs in confinement which do not hatch, though males are confined in the same cage with them. From this it may be in- ferred that birds laying only two eggs in one litter, hatch mates, and if not so mated will not as a rule mate at all. No one who has observed the great strength and wonderful beauty of the different varieties of domestic pigeons would for a moment believe that they had suffered from close breeding, or t hat the dove Noah sent from the ark in pursuit of land, siirpassed in strength, symmetry and beauty the wonderful doves of to-day. From the fact that our best bees come from circumscribed limits, it is reason- able to infer that these best bees have not suffered from close breeding, but on the contrary have become what they are, by close breeding ! Assuming, then, that the close breed- ing of insects is not detrimental, but beneficial, and absolutely necessary in the production of fixed types, it is easy to see that any skilful "apiarist may. by careful selection and close breeding, readily produce in his own apiaries a comparatively fixed race of bees, pos- sessing those" peculiar virtues which as a specialist he most desires. T. F. Bingham. Mr. Bingham then stated that in the North American Convention at Chicago, Mr. E. J. Oatman, of Dundee. 111., slated that he had made marked success in breeding out the swarming instinct by breeding only from those colonies, which under ordinary circumstances showed no disposition to swarm. What- ever a specialist might wish to obtain, seemed quite within his easy reach ; whether non-swarming, honey gath- erers, non-stinging, hardy winterers, comb builders or bees of fancy color. The tendency to sport or vary make the Italian bee especially adapted to special improvement. The Italian bees are undoubtedly hybrids, and the best evi- dence is found in the fact that they will not duplicate themselves. I would ad- monish all to make their bees just as they desire and to try to make them as famous, by judicious, close breeding, as Hammond has made his American merino sheep. Best Paying Method of Securing Honey. Mr. Newman, stated that single-comb sections sold the most readily and at a much higher price. Extracted sold best in small packages, such as kegs, cans, jars, &c", and brought a higher price than when put up in large barrels. Mr. Stray said he could get more from his apiary by getting his honey in small sections, he could get nearly as much honey as with the extractor ■ it was of more" ready sale and better price. Pres. Stevenson also favored sections. He could sell any quantity at good prices, but had little demand for ex- tracted honey. Mr. Newman said the low prices of last season had stimulated the market and brought honey to the front and people would have it, if it was put up in desirable packages. Mr. Hetherington said he took nearly all his honey in prize sections. Only extracted to give the queen room. Mr. Townley thought he could get more money with the extractor. MORNING SESSION— Dec. 11. Pres. Stevenson having been called away. Mr. Erastus Weeks, of Jackson, was chosen President pro tern. He an- nounced that the next business in order was the election of officers for the en- suing year and the selection of the next time and place of meeting. The following officers were elected : Hon. A. B. Cheney, Sparta Center, President. Dr. C. F. Ashley, Ypsilanti, 1st Vice President. Geo. L. Perry, Lansing, 2d Vice President. T. F. Bingham, OtsgO, Secretary. O. J. Hetherington, East Saginaw, Treasurer. Lansing was selected as the next place of meeting and Dec. 8, 1880, as the time. Prof. A. J. Cook, S. C. Perry and Daniel Stevens, of Lansing, were ap- pointed the committee of arrangements. A committee on Resolutions were then appointed, consisting of T. G. Newman, O. J. Hetherington and S. C. Perry, who after retiring reported reso- lutions expressing the gratitude of the Convention to the City of Jackson, for its hospitality and the invitation sent to the members to visit the State Insti- tutions, and also for the free use of the court room ; to Erastus Weeks for his disinterested labors in arranging for hospitable entertainment. Bee-Keeping in Northern Michigan. The reports of two members of the committee appointed at the last meet- ing regarding Northern Michigan as a location for bees were then read : Mr. President.— In regard to bee- keeping in Northern Michigan, my own observation do not extend much north of this county (Montcalm). There are good locations in this county for bee- keeping, and a number have made quite a success of it. It has been very dry here this summer, so of course, bees did not do very well. Some increased in the ratio of from one to three. Where they increased that much, I think there are many colonies that did not store enough honey, and that they are too weak to winter well. One man told me that he started, last spring with 18 colonies, 1 of them was queenless. He obtained 1,500 lbs. of extracted honey and increased to 60. I have a report from N. S. Graham, Esq., living on the north line of Osceola Co., just south of the belt of pine, skirting Clam river. He thinks that section is admirably adapted to apiculture, and that Italian bees will do well there. For pasturage there is maple, basswood, alder, raspberries, kanker-wood, fire- weed, and other wild flowers in great abundance. They gather a large quan- tity of honey from the fire-weed, which extends for miles. Where the pine has been cut the low marshy land is covered with flowers that bloom till late in the fall. He thinks bees do best there in the fall. They increase so fast that they will soon have more bees than pasturage, and they will have to divide into dif- ferent apiaries. It is a fine farming country and honey plants may be raised if necessary. On'e year ago last spring, he started with one strong colony and another weak one : he increased to nine strong ones. This summer each one swarmed three times and now their hives are full of honey for winter. He thinks if there is a failure anywhere, it will be in wintering. But if they are properly prepared and given the right care, they can be wintered as well as in other localities. He winters in a dry cellar ; has a pipe running through the floor, connected with stove pipe above. We winter ours on summer stands in boxes packed with wheat chaff ; but to make a success of bee-keeping, in northern Michigan as well as elsewhere, one must know what to do, and do it at the proper time. I regret that I cannot be with you at the meeting. I hope you will have a very interesting time. Lawrence C. Lincoln. Mr. Geo. E. Steele, of Elk Rapids,. Mich., reported as follows : Mr. President,— At the last meet- ing of the Association in Grand Rap- ids, Messrs. L. C. Lincoln, of Green- ville, Henry Palmer, of Hart, and my- self, were appointed a committee to gather facts as to the probabilities of Northern Michigan for honey produc- tion. Just what is meant by " Northern Michigan " is not certain, but if Mont- calm and Oceana counties are not far enough north, surely Antrim county must be. The earliest settlements in this region bordering Grand Traverse and Little Traverse Bays, were made at Little Traverse, Charlevoix, Old Mis- sion, Elk Rapids, Northport and Tra- verse City, consequently it is in the vi- cinity of these villiages that we must look for the earliest importations of bees; and should expect them to be foremost in providing cultivated forage plants. We are not informed as to the first bees kept in that region, but the last 10 years would certainly include most of them ; even now they are rare tenants on our most cultivated farms. Farmers would as often think of bring- ing home from town a pound of candy for their children than a pound of delicious honey. Honey, you know, is only for sick folks to take medicine in ! Candy is made in Chicago of sugar, flour and poison, and is brought a long ways, and we often prize things accord- ing to the number of miles they have traveled. On inquiring of two persons who were probably the first to keep bees here, I find that after two seasons of reason- able success in box hives, the country then being almost a wilderness, one put his bees in a cellar to winter, when the cellar was half full of water; in the spring his bees proved to be poor sail- ors and gave up the ghost ; the other tried wintering out or doors with no kind of packing or absorbents ; the snow that winter was three feet deep, ice filled the entrances, and the bees went to another clime. In most cases where a hive of bees has been obtained, they have been left to care for themselves ; the farmer being too much "drove" with work, as he thought, to care for them except in swarming time ; and always laying down the axiom that ubees are dangerous things." Some I know, are now keeping bees according to the most approved methods in Benzie, Grand Traverse, Leelenaw, Antrim, Charlevoix and Emmett conn- ties, and with as much success as is usual in any part of the State, judging from reports. All of these, and others of the northern counties, have on their best farming lands a large amount of sugar maple, elm and basswood, the lat- ter bloomed this year from July 13 to 29th, inclusive— 17 days. On all of our best farming land also the white clover, in its season, is a rich carpet of bloom. The. raspberry and blackberry thrive almost everywhere, even on very light sandy lands, especially in oldchoppings and burnings ; and the golden rod is very abundant along old fence-lines and in low moist places. Buckwheat is much cultivated, but is mostly raised by the newer settlers ; its late sowing being favorable to late clearing. I have visited Mr. James Williams, in the township of Banks, who bought his first colony, a weak one, April 1, 1878, and commenced without any practical knowledge of bees. He took a bee paper, studied and persevered. His first swarm came off July 8, then fol- lowed 3 after-swarms July 19, 23 and August 22. He took 50 lbs. of comb honey, and packed his 5 colonies in rough boxes with 6 inches of chaff around them, for winter. On April 1, 1879, they were all in good condition, and he bought 1 more, making 6. First swarm he obtained June 9 ; the last July 12; giving him then 22 to winter. They are all in good condition, packed in 5 inches of chaff, on their summer stands, and, when I saw them, the brood-frames were well filled out, the faces being almost perfectly straight. He has an extractor, and has taken 200 lbs. of clover, 400 lbs. of basswood, mid 100 lbs. of fall honey. Uses Simplicity hives with Langstroth frames. By dip- Eing a cold saw plate in melted wax, lie ad improvised a thin, perfectly flat foundation, which the bees built out with good regularity— better so, than none at all. Mr. Cook, of Kearney, brought in a colony last spring. His place is a new clearing in the wilderness. This colony gave 7 swarms during the season ; all are well provided for the winter, and he has a little honey for the family. April 20, 1878. 1 brought home 2 colo- nies in movable frames, a distance of 46 miles. I had not, then, looked in- side the hives nor did I know anything of bee-culture, except by some reading in the agricultural journals. They proved to be good hybrids, and had been allowed their own way, filling in about % of drone comb. I transferred, united , Italianized, and made Simplicity Langs- troth hives and frames. I accidentally killed a queen, and secured a young virgin queen late, to take her place, and this colony wintered its drones. I ob- tained 300 lbs. of comb honey ; I went into quarters with 5 colonies after uniting 2, one of which had lost its queen in her flight, and the other was the colony with the late virgin queen. They came through the winter in good order. The upper story was rilled with chaff, and bundles of straw all around them. The snow covered them much of the time. The clear gain of the first season's venture was $75.24, after pay- ing all expenses, including two bee- periodicals, but not including my own time nor that of my wife, who has been an able assistant. The present season has not met my expectations, for no fall honey was taken ; but I do not make so discourag- ing a report as some. I started with 5 colonies (I having a drone-laying queen), the latter colony refused all my assist- ance towards replacing her, and was quite worthless during the season. On June 3, I received 4 colonies of nice Italians from Mr. James Heddon, of Dowagiac, and by a mistake after they left his hands, I did not get them till they had been on the road in the hottest of weather two weeks, losing the same as one swarm each, these recovered and increased well, but made little surplus. I lost 2 large swarms after hiving them on frames of unsealed brood ; I sold 1, which afterward made 2 more, and have 51 strong colonies, with plenty of stores, wintering on their summer stands, packed in rough boxes and straw, with chaff in upper story. I obtained 450 lbs. of honey, mostly comb, and all but about 50 lbs. from the 4 wintered over. There are several bee-keepers in the counties named who had from 60 to 125 colonies last spring, whose reports I am not able to get. Bees generally wintered well here last year. Snow is a good protection. I have a little incident showing the affection of the little creatures. When I bought my first colonies of bees, the seller could not tell the age of the queens, but this summer as I was stand- ing close by the entrance of a hive hav- ing one of them, the bees brought out the queen, as she proved to be an aged one, but instead of biting and balling her. were standing close around licking her ; while this performance was going on, she expired. I put her in a queen cage till the next day, when I placed her at the entrance, and the same cere- mony was again gone tlyough with. On examination, I found they had a queen to take her place. Let me close this imperfect report by, expressing the hope that if friend Hed- don ge ts the situation of Superintendent of the .National Apiary, at $2,500 per year, which he proposed to locate at Petoskey, Northern Michigan, may be- come famous for its apiculture, and if this great project should fail, Mr. Hed- don may be able to bear the disappoint- ment, and this part of the State, after years of recuperation from the misfor- tune, prove that there is honey in the carcass of the lion, if he did not find it in Petoskey. A vote of thanks to the committee was passed for their able report, and the report was adopted. The following essay by Mr. A. E. Wenzel was then read : Wintering Bees on the Snmmer Stand. We should ever feel under obligation to do our utmost as progressive bee- keepers, to advance our mutual inter- ests, as in all other relations of life ; the result of such unselfish labor to be de- termined by the public whose interests are intended to be subserved. I infer that it is not your society's intention to confine remarks to any particular sub- ject, but to have each respective branch of the apiarian industry, as one chooses to select, brought out for its fuller de- velopment. If so, I shall choose for my subject the oft repeated theme, " Win- tering Bees upon the Summer Stand," which subject, though threadbare, is still unintelligible to many. Assuming that much has been said, too much has been interpolated that has no bearing directly upon the vital point at issue. The errors have been errors of com- mission rather than of omission, by gen- eralizing upon the whole system, instead of confining a subject to special treat- ment, and which, otherwise, might often deservedly be rebuked by saying thereof, " It's talked to death." To winter bees successfully, it is of prime necessity that they be in proper condition in the fall, like other stock. To winter bees at all, we must assume their condition as favorable to be opera- ted upon ; their position and location to be assumed also as the best (or should be made so), as suited to one's necessity and convenience; plenty of honey in the hives ; bees numerous, which indi- cates a prolific queen. Their dwindling at times is, unfortunately, caused by extraneous conditions, which may be assigned to unseasonable molestation and sudden unfavorable changes in the weather. Some people would over-do their pack- ing or " stuffing;" stuff everything full where empty space allows, on the top, sides and bottom— their limit to the same being restricted only by the amount of lumber at their disposal. Too much packing over the frames, without vent, absorbs and retains the moisture exhaled from the bees, while below the moisture is frequently drawn in from without by capillary attraction, which moisture in either case has a ten- dency to decompose the saturated pack- ing, thereby rendering it unfit for the purposes designed, if it does not other- wise become solid by frost, in which state it becomes an element of cold. Another fruitful error (one which is a crime of commission), is the robbing of the bees of their necessary winter stores, thereby putting them to the necessity of seeing how little they can winter upon, and consigning them to certain starva- tion in case of a backward spring. Even molesting combs late in the sea- son, for the purposes of examination or for perforating holes through the same for winter passage-ways to their stores, I esteem as a fruitful source of disease, by the brood becoming chilled by ex- posure, and frequently disturbing other- wise the normal condition of things by breaking joints and combs, for which the bees have no redress, it being too unseasonable for them to make repairs, besides it sometimes induces robbing, thereby also causing decimation. A hive properly packed over the brood chamber, I esteem as the only essential to safe wintering on the sum- mer stands. When the side of the hive permits of a space by double walls (not particu- larly in feet nor inches, as any practical small air space that will allow of circu- lation of air would appear beneficial), I claim from my own long experience, formerly with' the common box hive and more recently with the American frame hive, treated as I recommend, that side packing is not really essential. The new comb-honey racks of the period are an excellent arrangement for properly packing above the bees, to wit : after removing the section boxes, insert wire-cloth in their place above and on the bottom of the rack ; if such racks be not used, then by sticks elevate the wire-cloth enough to allow a passage for the bees underneath it, upon the brood frames (a temporary frame surrounding the wire-cloth), then cover with a piece of common muslin, say 2 feet square, upon which chaff, buckwheat hulls, wheat bran or sawdust, to the depth of 1% or 3 inches (with the edges of the muslin projecting over the top to facili- tate removal when desired in the spring), the whole covered by a cap having holes \% to 2 inches in diameter cut upon op- posite sides, and covered with wire- cloth to exclude the vermin. These holes allow free evaporation, without a circulation of air up through the mass •of bees from below. The principle eliminated is that the moisture exhaled by the bees is absorbed and radiated by the chaff or other packing, but the heat is retained, owing to the non-conducting materal used. The carbonic gases and the exhalations of the bees, being heavier than air, flow out from the en- trance below, and is replaced by pure atmosphere. Thus from the foregoing we deduce the following conclusions : 1st. We should not rob bees too close at times when they have no chance to replace it. 2d. Do not bore holes through the combs for the bees, but let them have a passage in winter over the top-bars or frames, protected by a non-eonductor of heat, but to be no less an evaporator of moisture. 3d. Only during warm weather in winter clear the entrances, which may have become partially or wholly closed by snow, ice or dead bees. 4th. Let the bees choose their own time for purifying flights, and, if snow covers the ground, sprinkle with a little straw, chaff, or anything of that nature, to afford the bees a better opportunity to rise again than from the snow. 5th. Otherwise, let the bees "severely alone ;" but see to it that no loose, clat- tering boards or covers of hives can molest or annoy the bees by jarring the hives in stormy weather, when the bees are enjoying their wonted winter repose. I will sum up by recapitulation : For wintering — 1st. Have everything done in its proper season. 2d. Do not do too much ; but do that little well, and disease will be unknown. A. E. Wenzel. Callicoon, N. Y., December, 1879. Implements Exhibited. Langstroth Hive, &c— Erastus Weeks, Jackson, Michigan. Wired and Thin Flat-Bottomed Foundation— J. Van Deusen & Sons, Sprout Brook, N. Y. Comb Foundation and Sweet Clover seed— S. & G. Perry, Lansing. Michigan. Bingham & Hetherington Uncapping knives and Bingham Smokers— Bingham & Hertherington, Ot- sego. Michigan, Letters were received from some prominent bee-keepers regretting their inability to be present, and wishing the Convention " great success. " Albino bees were shown, and the Secretary would like to hear from the person who sent them V T. F. Bingham, Sec. fetter jprawjer. Breakabean, N. Y., Nov. 13, 1879. In the fall of 1878 I wintered 97 colo- nies on their summer stands and lost 30 of them ; 15 in the cellar, loss 5 ; 30 in a bee house, loss 10 ; 32 in my own hive without sawdust or chaff, on their sum- mer stands, loss 3. In the season of 1878 I got 1,000 lbs. of honey from 97 colonies; in 1879 I got 1,500 lbs. from 100 colonies. Last fall 50 out of the 97 were weak, now I have but 1 weak, out of 100 colonies. Wm. B. Burgett. Bernardo, Cal., Nov. 17, 1879. Our prospects here are very gloomy ; besides the bad season that we have had, the most extensive fires ever known have been raging, leaving the country for some 75 miles as bare as your hand ; it will be 3 years or more before vege- tation can be restored. Many have lost as high as 50 per cent.; one of my neigh- bors, 60 per cent. My loss so far is just 27% per cent. Then the colonies being so weak for winter, many will yet die. We have just had a glorious rain ; more of it for thus early in the season than ever before known ; but for 3 days a gale from the desert has been blowing, look- ing as if it would drink up every particle of moisture. Under the best of cir- cumstances you may count on nothing wonderful for California next year. I find my comb foundation does not sag near as much here as it does east, ana can account for it only by the very cool nights we have. Rufus Morgan. Nassagavveya, Ont., Dec. 3, 1879. My grateful thanks are due to Mr. G. M. Doolittle for the appropriate articles published during the past year in the American Bee Journal. May he long be spared to give us regularly his practical experience in the manage- ment of our bees and care of our honey. I have been greatly benefitted by his advice in the Journal and also by other scientific and common sense arti- cles, and in fact I am extremely well pleased with the American Bee Jour- nal. I cannot keep bees and do with- out it. Right here I must express my feelings towards the editor of the Journal for his ability to conduct and instruct. There is no man that the apiarists of this continent ought to be more proud of; with him their intersts are in safe keeping; and fraud and adulteration is denounced by him as it should be. Long may friend Newman be spared at the head of the American Bee Journal, R. L. Mead. Nebo, 111., Nov. 27, 1879. The honey crop was a failure here this season. I had 14 colonies last fall ; I doubled them up leaving only 7, and I fear they have not enough honey to winter on. E. F. Bogart. Portland, Maine, Dec. 15, 1879. Bees did well here till July, when the honey yield failed entirely. I winter on summer stands, packing with dry leaves, and have not lost a colony for two years. JOS. A. DlBWANGER. Cartilage, Ind., Dec. 13, 1879. About % of a honey crop is all we have had this season. We have 147 col- onies in the house rather weak in num- bers. We are selling extracted honey at 15c. per pound ; We had about 5,000 lbs. P. W. McFatridge & Son. Peoria, 1ST. Y., Dec. 10, 1879. I claim that not in any locality has comb foundation been experimented with to any greater extent than in this immediate vicinity. Commencing with that first manufactured and sent out by John Long and closing the past season's operations with the thin flat-bottomed cell, manufactured as the latest im- provement. We have thoroughly tested its practicability and found that the half lias not been told. C. R. Isham. Cokato, Minn., Dec. 11, 1879. With 19 colonies last spring I obtained 1,810 lbs. of honey and 21 swarms, be- sides getting 80 new combs built. I use the 1% story American hive. I use top boxes and winter in the cellar. I have never lost a colony in winter nor by "spring dwindling." I put my bees into the cellar before it becomes cold, give them one winter flight, and do not take them out till late in the spring. I ap- preciate the Bee Journal very much. F. Lee. Athens, O.. Nov. 10, 1879. The past was the poorest season here for bees and honey that I have known for 20 years. There was not a natural swarm from 80 colonies, and I got no extracted and but very little comb honey, and now bees not far from here are in a starving condition. A swarm came to my apiary late last night and settled on an apple tree. I put them into my workshop, and during the night they took possession of a quart can containing some refuse honey, literally covering it heaping full. It was a swarni of black bees ; mine are all good Italians in Langstroth hives. J. M. IIibbard, Jr. Zanesville, O., Nov. 20, 1879. The past season has been a poor one for bees here. They did not gather enough to live on. I have 11 colonies of black bees and 2 of Italians. I got about 150 lbs. of honey from them but had to feed it back in the fall. Thomas II. Hunter. Smith's Grove, Ky., Nov. 25, 1879. The honey crop here is very short. My bees are packed with leaves and chaff, on their summer stands, with plenty of bees and stores. After divid- ing the honey with poorer colonies, I have a nice surplus left over for spring feeding ; so that I shall not need sugar syrup to feed in the spring. N. P. Allen. Chismville, Ark., Nov. 15, 1879. The past season has been the best for honey that I have ever seen, but I have had very little increase in bees. I have some fears that our colonies are too full of honey to winter successfully. The honey-dew was so plentiful here that it killed thousands of trees in the forests. It fairly dripped from the leaves. I have several trees in my door-yard, and my bees awoke me several mornings, with their humming before it was fairly light, while gathering the honey-dew. Thos. H. Durham. Holley, N. Y., Oct, 21, 1879. My 3 colonies, I have increased to 4. August 1st I purchased a nice Italian queen and tried to build up a fifth, but tne cold and wet weather came on, and when I looked for her, she could not be found. The cold wet weather continued through September, cutting off all gathering from fall flowers, until this month. I have fed 10 lbs. of sugar to make sure of a winter supply ; had my bees been able to gather from red clover there would have been a large supply, as there are fields of it all around us. I sowed cleome last spring but it did not come up ; I have sowed more this fall and will sow some in the spring ; I have scattered some mustard and sweet clover seed, let the catnip go to seed, and a patch of motherwort has also> been allowed to grow. The basswood seed did not grow, but I will try again on that. I have taken a little care to extend the holly hocks, so I try to begin in a way to do better. I expended $60. in my new business; have increased 1 colony and taken over 100 lbs. of white honey. I can sell all I have, and more too, at my own door, at 15c. per pound. I have sold enough to pay the interest on the investment, besides that we ate and gave away. My bees go into winter quarters in good condition. As an ex- perienced bee-keeper, a few miles south of us, has only 40 lbs. of honey from each colony ; I think I have done well, in this my first lesson ; his is the best result 1 have heard of, the season being poor for honey. I call the " Blessed Bees " the poetry, kt Cook's Manual " the study, the American Bee Jour- nal the daily food, and with these shall, if all is well, advance in wisdom the coming winter. Mrs. A. S. Keyes. Malta Bend, Mo., Dec. 3, 1879. This past season has been the worst I ever knew for bees. There are very few but will have to be fed or they will starve. E. B. Lumbeck. Center Point, Iowa, Nov. 26, 1879. I ha d60 colonies of bees last season. They all did well, pleasing me so much that I intend to go into the business more extensively next season. D. S. Way. Ligonier, Ind., Dec. 5, 1879. I think the Bee Journal the best paper I have seen ; I have learned con- siderable from it. This has been a poor year for surplus. I had 8 colonies last spring ; I got 13 swarms from them and now have 18 colonies in good condition on their summer stands, well supplied with honey for the winter. A. D. Stocking. Beechville, 111., Dec. 8, 1879. Bees have not done well here this season, but I can say nothing when I see the reports of others. My report for 1879 is as follows : Sold honey for $30.00; outlay for hives, sections and boxes, $37.00; 14 swarms sold, $28.00 ; total, $58.00 ; profit, $21.00. I shall try it again, and expect to be able to make a better report next year. John Boerstler. Angola, Ind., Dec. 11, 1879. I had 48 colonies one year ago; 21 in A. G. Hill's single-walled hives, 2 in his double- walled hive, packed in sawdust, according to his theory ; I lost one out of the 23. I had 18 in the Farmer's hive, packed in sawdust ; I lost 4 out of 18, and I had 7 in Farmer's hive left on the summer stands, I lost 5 out of the 7. They were all in good condition ex- cept having too much cider. I have 61 colonies packed in chaff. I sold 6 colo- nies and 1,080 lbs. of comb and 140 lbs. of extracted honey. 'Wm. Macartney. Galesburg, 111., Dec. 2, 1879. My bees seem to be carrying a great many dead ones out of the hives and appear to be cleaning out more than usual. The weather being so mild, 1 still keep my bees out of doors in the open air and shall leave them out until a greater change takes place in the weather. H. Brown. Chariton, Iowa, Dec. 7, 1879. This was a disastrous season for bee- keeping. No surplus honey here. Many will die unless fed before spring. It was a singular season, as all crops raised here were reasonably good, and such seasons are generally good for honey, but this was an exception. Many bee-keepers are anxious to sell out. During October a gentleman here advertised his apiary of 100 colonies for sale at auction. The day of sale arrived and a number of bee-keepers were there to see how they would sell, but not a single bidder appeared on the ground. ,- John Barfoot, Hastings, Minn., Dec. 4, 1879. I have lately visited the apiary of John H. Ford. He has over 80 colonies, and one of the best locations in this part of the State. They were strong in numbers and had plenty of honey last spring, but he only got about 300 lbs. of extracted and 200 lbs. of comb honey in sections. This is the best yield I know of in this section. He has been engaged in bee-keeping for over 20 years, and says that this has been the poorest sea- son he ever experienced. I never saw a better growth of white clover, but it yielded no honey except a few days in June. Alsike clover aud bass wood were the same. During the first week in Sept. of 1878, my bees, increased from 5 to 8 lbs. per hive, by weight- but this year with, to all appearance, the same amount of bloom, one gained Y2 lb. in 2 days, and the others lost some % lb. in the same length of time. Another bee-keeper here has fed 30O lbs. of sugar to his bees this, fall to keep' them from starving. Wm. Dyer. Friend Newman. — Mr. D. A. Jones, of Beeton, Ontario, and myself will leave for Europe some time this month or early next. Sailing from Quebec, we will land at Liverpool, then go to Lon- don and proceed across Germany to' Trieste, stopping wherever we can gain any information about the much talked of Cyprians. At Trieste we will take a steamer for Cyprus, and after our arrival there will visit all parts of the Island, and selecting the most favorable point, establish a queen-rearing apiary. Mr. Jones expects to return in the spring while I shall probably remain to rear and ship queens to hiin. We go over there to sift the whole matter thoroughly, and if the excellent things our German cousins have said of the Cyprians do not hold out, we will let the whole matter drop. We have taken no orders for queens, nor have we promised them to any one, and we do not propose to do so, until by our personal experi- ence and observation we have learned what are the peculiarities of this race. Frank Benton. Bay City, Mich. Dec. 21, 1879. I have 16 colonies of bees on their summer stands, in Langstroth hives, packed in sawdust and straw. They appear to be doing nicely. I lost 15 colonies of bees last winter, and also all I had the winter before last, but am bound to succeed, if I have to buy every year. J. M. Parshall. Williamsville, Mich., Dec. 16, 1879. Last year our bees averaged 3 swarms and 90 lbs. of honey, while this year they have averaged but 2 swarms and 30 lbs. of honey, per colony. The bees kept breeding until late in October. I sold 5, united 4, fed a few, then prepared 48 for winter. 1 contracted the hive to a cubic foot, packed straw in the vacant ends and over them in the cap ; put the weakest and lightest in the cellar ; will move the in out if they get uneasy. C. F. Smith, Jr. Minister, 111., Dec. 10, 1879. Eight years ago when but 13 years of age, I found a swarm of black bees in an old linden stump on the banks of the Vermillion river. I took them out and put them in a box-hive, and from that one I have increased to 50, which are mostly in movable-frame hives, and nearly all Italians. I have lost several colonies in winter, and had a few rob- bed out. I know that I have not hand- led my bees as I should, to be profitable, and I have not received any profit from them ; in fact they are debtors to me for not less than $50, in cash, besides my labor, but I have a few hives and other supplies on hand that are worth some- thing. I have my bees all packed in chaff, on their summer stands, as if I expected them to come out all right in the spring. The honey crop in this locality, last season, was an entire fail- ure ; I only received a few swarms and no honey. I had to feed the young swarms to prevent them from starving and the young bees died in the comb with something like foul-brood in some respects, but not in all. The appear- ance of the cells that contained the dead bees was like foul-brood ; some of the cells were entirely uncapped, and others partly so, while still others had small holes, like pin holes, in them. There was no offensive smell in the hive as is the case with foul-brood, and instead of the young bees turning into a yellow, tough, bad smelling mass (as mentioned by Mr. Muth), they remain white, unless they are left in the combs a long time and then they turned black and seem to dry up in their natural shape ; the bees always remove them. I put a comb of this brood in a strong colony, where honey was plenty and they removed them in one hour and it left no bad re- sults. I found a few cells of this in several strong colonies but it disap- peared without harm. Is this a kind of foul-brood, or was it caused by lack of honey ? W. T. Hohenshell. [It is not foul-brood. Have you not opened the hives and stood the frames around when it was cool enough to chill the brood? It has that appearance. Or they may have starved.— Ed.] Denver City, Col., Dec. 9, 1879. The queen you sent me went to lay- ing the next day after I received her, and the colony 'was very strong when packed for winter. The bees looked as line as any I have. I started last spring with 6 coionies, 4 being very weak. I increased to 19, and have obtained 600 lbs. of honey, mostly extracted. Our honey season is only about 6 weeks in June and July. David Wolpert. Limerick, 111., Dec. 9, 1879. In the spring of 1878 I sowed the Bocky Mountain bee plant seed, and waited patiently for it to come up. As it did not, I thought it would not do so, so I dug it up and planted cucumbers and tomatoes. But the next spring, to my surprise, the bee plant came up very nicely. The fall of 1878 was good for honey. I asked bee-men what the bees got honey from but they could not tell. I thought it was from what we call black heart ; I asked if it would be good for bees to winter on and they did not know. That year bees went into win- ter quarters unusually early, plenty of bees and heavy in honey. Continuous cold set in about Thanksgiving day ; in this condition they formed more damp- ness and ice in the hives than common. The result was a heavy loss in winter- ing, and " spring dwindling." The long and severe cold caused them to eat so much poor honey without a fly, and that, I think, in part, caused the loss. The combs appeared effected by it, and were brittle, unhealthy and turned black. This year, the bees bad a fly on Thanks- giving day and also on Dec. 1st. I hope they will be the better for it. I do not think colonies half as strong in bees now as they were a year ago ; some think there will be a heavy loss again, because of a scarcity of bees. I tried to pack the better for it. E. Pickup. Simmer, 111., Dec. 10, 1879. About two-thirds of the bees in this locality died last winter, and J think the rest of those left unprotected will die this winter. I put 57 colonies into win- ter quarters last year and lost 0 of them. I have fed them nearly all the summer and fall to prepare them for winter, and united the weak ones, leaving only 22; I did not obtain a single pound of sur- plus honey, though I gave them good care and attention. The wingless queen that I mentioned last fall reared nice workers, but died in the spring. My bees are now packed in chaff, and have been provided with sugar for their win- ter supply. W. Emerick. Bellwood, Pa., Dec. 15, 1879. My bees are in pretty good condition for winter. I feared that they would not winter well when I packed them away, early in November, as the warm weather of October gave them an oppor- tunity to gather much cider from the presses, but as the winter so far afforded them frequent opportunities for flying, I think they will have this trash all worked up, and when winter weather sets in, they will have their good honey to work on and we will not have to wash and scrape our hives next spring from the effects of dysentery. I winter on summer stands with an outer case packed with chaff, and quilt spread on top of frames, covered with chaff 4 inches thick. Frank M. Glasgow. Canon City, Col., Dec. 20, 1879. On page 72, Vol. 15, 1 notice an article on cleome as a honey plant, in which the writer says, in Colorado and in vari- ous parts of' the Kocky Mountains he never saw a bee at work on it. There are many strange things in this world, but one of the strangest things is, that a man with his eyes open should be un- able to see a bee at work on cleome. I can only account for it on a theory that he had paralysis of the optic nerve. In this part of the State, it is the chief source of supply for our surplus honey. The bees gather large qualities of it ; it is of a light color, and good flavor. Chas. E. McRay. SSusiucss blatters. OUR TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION, PAYABLE STRICTLY IN ADVANCE. Single subscription, one year !§1.."»0 Two subscriptions, " " 3.50 Three subscriptions, " " 3.50 Four subscriptions, " " 4.i>0 Five or more, " " each, l.OO Advertisement* will be inserted at the rate of 20 cents per line of Agate space, tor each insertion. A line will contain about eijjht words j fourteen lines v ill occupy an inch of sp:ice. Advertisements must be received by the 20th, to insure insertion. Special Notices 00 cents per line. t^~ We intend only to advertise for reliable deal- ers, who expect to fulfil] all their advertised promises. Cases of real imposition will be exposed. Remit by express, money-order, registered letter or New York or Chicago drafts, payable to our order. Do not semi checks on local banks, for such cost us 25 cents each for collecting. THOMAS G. NEWMAN & SON, 972 & 974 West Madison St. CHICAGO, ILL. To Correspondents. Our Illustrated Catalogue and Price List will he sent free, on application. When changing a post-office address, mention the old address as well as the new one. Constitutions and By-Laws, for local Associations, $2.00 per 100. The name of the Association printed in the blanks for 50 cents extra. We do not send goods by C. O. D., unless sufficient money is sent with the order to pay express charges, both ways, in case not taken from express office. Strangers wishing to visit our office and Museum! of Implements for the Apiary, should take the Madi- son street-cars (going west). They pass our door. In consequence of the dearth of small currency in the country, we will receive either 1, 3 or 3 cent stamps, for anything desired from this office. We. cannot use Canadian or other foreign stamps. We will send a tested Italian Queen to any one sending us FIVE subscribers to the AMERICAN BEE Journal with ST. SO. The premium Queens will in every case be tested, but not sent till after July 1st. Club names for the Bee Journal may be sent to- as many post offices as there are names in the club. Additions can be made to clubs at any time at the same rate. Specimen copies, Posters, and Illustrated Price List sent free upon application, for canvassing. Seeds or samples of merchandise can be mailed for one cent per ounce, Printed matter one cent for every two ounces. These must be tied up; if pasted, they are subject to letter postage. Don't send small packages by express, that can justaswe'lbcsentbymail. Our answer to all who ask credit is this : We sell on ■mall margins, and cannot afford to take the risks of doing a credit business. If we did such a business, we should be obliged to add at least 10 to 20 per cent, more to our prices, to make up for those who would never pay, and to pay tke expenses of keepin;: bi " >k- accounts with our customers— this we know our Cash customers would not think to their advantage.— This rule we must make general in order not to do- injustice to any one. The cash system gives all the advantage to cash customers, while the credit sys- tem works to their injury. In justice to all we must therefore require Casta with the order. ^"Mr. W. P. Henderson, Murfrees- boro, Tenn., on Dec. 11, 1879, sent us some bloom from the Hawthorn, from which the bees were on that day gather- ing pollen. CLUBBING LIST. We supply the American Bee Journal and any of the following periodicals at the prices quoted in the last column of figures. The first column gives the regular price of both. Gleanings in Bee Culture $2 50 $2 25 Bee-Keepers' Magazine 2 50 2 00 Bee- Keepers' Exchange 2 25 2 00 Bee-Keeper's Instructor 2 HO 1 75 The five Bee papers of U. S 4 75 3 40 Local Convention Directory. 1880. Time and Place of Meeting. Jan. 13.— N. W. 111. & S. W. Wis., annual, at Davis, 111. 1H.— Indiana State, at Indianapolis, lnd. 21— Central Ohio, at Chillicothe. O. Feb. 2— Southern Michigan, at Battle Creek, Mich. 3-Fireman's Hall, Cortland. N. Y. 11— Northeastern, at Utica,N. Y. Oct. National, at Cincinnati, Ohio. 14— Southern Kentucky, at Louisville, Ky. Pec. 8.— Michigan State, at Lansing, Mich. 14, 15.— Northern Michigan, at Carson City, Mich. 83F" In order to have this Table complete. Secreta- ries are requested to forward full particulars of time and place of future meetings.— ED. Honey and Beeswax Market. BUYERS' QUOTATIONS. CHICAGO. HONEY.— White clover, in single-comb sections, 16(gl8c. ; when with more than one comb in a box, 2c. per lb. less. Dark, in the comb, no demand. Ex- tracted, 8@10e. BEESWAX— Prime choice yellow, 20®22c; darker grades, 12J-.j(« 15c. NEW YORK. HONEY.— Best white, in single-comb sections, 16® 18c; fair do., I4®ltic. Larger boxes, 2c. per lb. less. Extracted, 8 «,l(ic. BEESWAX.— Prime quality, 25c. CINCINNATI. HONEY.— White, in single-comb sections, 16@lSc. It retails very slowly on occount of the increased price, which is above the views of consumers. The extracted sells readily-8®9c. C. F. Muth. SAN FRANCISCO. HONEY— Comb. 15@18c. Extracted, 10@12c. $ lb. The stock is light, as is also the demand. Stearns & Smith. TD TJ 1ST lEI-A. JVC COMB FOUNDATION MACHINE. Having put in new machinery, I can manufacture much cheaper than heretofore, and will give Bee- Keepers the benefit of the reduction. I will sell strictly first-class machines, of the best workman- ship, at the following rates : 13 Inch rolls $57.00 » " " 38. OO 6 " " 3T.OO 4 " " 19.00 I will make a cheaper machine when desired, but do not warrant or recommend it. Send for circular, and also read the wholly unsolicited editorial on Comb Foundation, in the Amkrican Bee Journal for August, 1879, page 3-1 0. A machine can be seen at said office. I received orders for twelve Machines during the week of the National Convention, from D. A. Jones, of Beeton, Ont., and J. Oatmon & Sons, Dundee, 111., among others. Inventor ;md sole manufacturer, 1 MRS. FRANCES DUNHAM, Depere, Wis. North-Eastern Bee-Keepers' Association. The Tenth Annual Meeting of the North-Eastern Bee-Keepers' Association will be held in the City Hall, at Utica, N. Y., Feb. 11th, 12th and 13th 1880. Prices will be awarded for essavs anil implements of bee-culture, as follows : $5.00 for the best essay- subject, The Races of Bees and the different Crosses; $5.0u for the best essay-subject. Comb Foundation, the various Modes of Manufacture and its Uses : $5.00 for the best essay— subject, The Best Mode of Increase of Swarms, how far should it be extended, and how best prevented? $5.00 for the best Honey Extractor; $1.00 for the best Comb Foundation for the brood chamber ; $1.00 for the best Comb Founda- tion for the surplus boxes ; $2.00 for the best and most practical Bee Smoker; *2.00 for the best and most practical Bee Hive, with the surplus arrange- ment and boxes ; $8.00 for the best display of Apia- rian Implements. Every manufacturer of supplies, and every inventor of extractors, smokers, comb foundation and otherapiarian implements, are here- by invited to send their articles and compete for these prizes. It is especially requested that all arti- cles be exhibited In the same shape and form as they are made for the trade, and not fitted up expressly for exhibition. Every article will be arranged so as to compare favorably with others on exhibition, and we shall endeavor to have a just and impartial de- cision rendered in each and every case. All are in- vited to make an effort on the prize essays. The following will be the programme in part : First day, Feb. II.— Convention called at 1 o'clock p.m.; calling the roll ; Secretary's report ; Treasu- rer's report ; report of standing committees ; essay from Mr. A. G. Thurber— subject, The Future of the of the Honey Trade, followed by discussion. Evening Session.— Essay from Mr. II. A. Burch— subject, A Neglected Field, followed by discussion ; essay from Mr. E H. Wynkoop— subject, Small Fruits as a Secondary with Apiculture, followed by discussion. Second Day, Morning Session.— Convention called at 9 o'clock a. m.— Appointing of Coiumitteeon Prize Essays and Implements on exhibition; President's address— subject. The Best Mode of Increase of Swarms, how far should it be Extended and howbest Prevented ? followed by prize essays upon same sub- ject and discussion ; essay from Mr. A. F. Moon- subject, Improvement of the Italian Bee, Uollar Queens, &c, followed by discussion. Afternoon Session. Receiving members ; election of officers ; appointing of committee to take charge of question drawer ; reading of prize essavs -sub- ject, Comb Foundation, the Various Modes of Man- ufacture and its Uses, followed by discussion ; essay from Sec'y Geo. W. House-subject, Past Events, followed by discussion. Evening Session.— This session will be spent in ex- amining articles on exhibition, and receiving expla- nations from exhibitors. Third Day, Morning Session.— Convention called at 9 o'clock a.m.; reading of essays— subject, The Races of Bees and the Different Crosses, followed by dis- cussion ; essay from A. J. King— subject, Manage- ment, followed by discussion. Afternoon Session.— Report of Committee on Es- says and Implements on Exhibition, and awarding of the prizes for same ; report of Committee on Ques- tion Drawer : miscellaneous business ; adjournment. Those not expecting to be present are invited to send questions for the Drawer. Essays are expected from prominent apiarists. The coming Convention promises to be one of the most interesting since the organization of our Association. Let everybody attend. Geo. W. House, Sec'y. L. C. Root, Pres't. SEED-TIME AND HARVEST. Edited by Isaac F. Tillinghast. A New Illustrated 24 page Magazine devoted to the Cultivation and Improvement of our American Gar- dens. Price only 50 cents per year, and each num- ber contains as a supplement a packet of some New, Rare, or Novel Flower or Vegetable Seeds, which alone are worth more than the subscription price. One sample copy free. Address, Seed-Time and Harvest, La Plume, Pa. THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL, AND BEE-KEEPERS ADVISER. The British Bee Journal is published monthly at $1.75, and contains the best practical information for the time being, showing what to do, and when and how to do do it. C. *T. ABBOTT, Bee Master. School of Apiculture, Fairlawn, Souttiall, London. STILL LIVING! J. 4 would call attention of all desiring supplies for their apiaries the coming season, to the fact that they are prepared to lead the trade in DUUHAM FOUNDATION, ITALIAN BEES AND QUEENS, Modest and Langstroth Bee Hives, Honey Boxes, Sections, &c. Wax worked to order on Shares or for Cash. Especial mention would he made of the fact that webiiUL'htBOIMPOKTEDQVEEXS of MR, POMETTA last fall, and have them now winter- ing in full colonies, and will be pleased to book orders from all desiring a genuine Imported Queen earlier in the seaason than can usually be supplied. If you do not receive our Price-Last by February 1st, write for it. Address your orders and communications to J. OAT MAN & SONS, 1 Dundee, Kane Co., 111. Our FLAT BOTTOM COMB FOUNDATION, with high sharp side-walls, 10 to 14 feet __ . to the pound, has been nsED the past IS • • . I season in Fl'LL size sheets in Surplus ™ Boxes, adding largely to the yield and to market yah'E of the honey. The wired foundation does not sag, and gives general satisfaction. Circular and samplos free. This foundation is patented, and no infringements allowed. J. VAST DEUSEW * SONS, Sole Manufacturers, 1-6 Sprout Brook, Mont. Co., Bf. Y. Full Colonies of Yellow Bee«, in the best condition ; honey by the barrel or less. 1-tf J. M. MARVIN, St. Charles, Kane Co., 111. Foundation Machines. For the benefit of bee-culture. I will from this day sell my 12-inch Machines at $35. OO, and the 9-inch at V35.00. The Machine gives full satis- faction, and needs no praise. t3fSend for circular and samples. 1 JOHN BOURUMEYEK. Pond du Lac, Wis. BEFORE PURCHASING supplies for your apiary, send a postal card with your name, and if you will do us the kindness, the names of your bee-keeping neighbors, for our illustrated catalogue of apiarian supplies of every description, sample section box and comb foundation. We wish to present them to every reader of this Journal, and hence offer them FREE. Please send your name at once. Special attention given to rearing Italian Queens and Bees. V8~ The highest price paid for Beeswax. 1-8 J.C.&H. P. SAYLES, Hartford, Wis. Qumby's New Bee-Keeping, The latest, most practical and most fully illustrated work published. Price f 1.50, by mail. Smokers, by mail, $1.50 and $i.75, and warranted the best in the market. Send for Circular, giving full index of book and illustration of smoker. 1 Xa. C. BOOT, Mohawk, N. Y. SIXTH VOLUME. Every Farmer, Merchant. Argicultural Implement Manufacturer, Dealer in Tools and Implements, Blacksmith, and all others interested in Manufactur- ing industries should read the FACTORY AND FARM, A Wide-awake, Independent, Forty-page Illustrated Journal of American Agricultural Industries, and Farm Implement Price List ; each number contain- ing one or more elegantly engraved portraits of leading manufacturers of the West, drawn and en- graved expressly for the Factory and Fa km. and articles from the pens of leading writers on subjects ot general interest. A valuable medium of communication between the farmer and manufacturer, and the character of its contents plainly indicates the capacity of its conductors."— Chicago Tribune. " Is very comprehensive, treating all subjects in a briet and pithy manner which directly interersts."— Chicago Inter-Ocean. •'Is full of entertaining and instructive matter, profusely illustrated and admirably printed."— Chicago Daily A'ews. "There is not a wide-awake firm in the West which cannot peruse it with interest and profit."— United States Review, Philadelphia. "Is sprightly, racy, vigorous, neatlv-illustrated and well-printed monthly. The editor writes like a man having strong convictions, and these he im- presses upon his readers."— Caiman's Rural World. ' In its mechanical arrangements and instructive table of contents it is worthy of praise."— Scientific Farmer, Boston. "It is well tilled with sound, practical information." —Watchman, St. Johns, N. B. •' Fills a want very generally felt in the West. Its editorials are bold, pointed, and bristle with interest- ing facts."— Toronto Tribune, Out. Subscriptions $2.00 a year. 2 Copies One Year $3.50 5 " " 7.00 10 " ,' 12.00 Postage Paid. FOX, COLE * CO., Publishers, 177 La Salle Street, CHICAGO. A NEW SHOP, BUT OLD HANDS. James Forncrook & Co. have just fitted up a New Shop for the manufacture of Bee Hives. Honey Sections, &c. Material for the Standard Langstroth Hive Cheaper than the Cheapest. We will make a Specialty of the "Boss" One-Piece Sections, here- tofore called the Lewis Section, this being our own Invention. Send for Circular and Price List. JAMES FOBSCROOK A CO., Watertown, Wisconsin. The Michigan Homestead. A PAPER FOR THE Farmer and Family. CHEAPEST AND BEST ! Address, MICHIGAN HOMESTEAD, 54 Batea St., Oetroit, Mich. 1-2 >9 Gold, Crystal, Lace, Perfumed & Chromo Cards, ) ~ name in Gold&J et lOc.CIintonBros.Clintonville.Ct. My Self-Hiving Apparatus, Or, SWARM-CATCHER, Is something that bee-keepers the world over have long felt the want of. It will hive your bees without your attention ; no watcbingisneeessary. It is sim- ple, cheap and effective ; any workman will make them for 25 cents each. No one can see it without being firm in the belief that it will succeed every time. During the first summer, a gentleman after seeing it and hearing its operation explained, offered $500 for the State right of Mississippi, and take it without further guarantee ; and Mr. .James Heddon, a very intelligent and successful bee-keeper of Mich- igan, writes me that he will pay $100 for an individual right to its use. when he is satisfied it will do all I claim for it. When your bees show signs of swarm- ing, or any time before, all you have to do is to ar- range the hive you desire your swarm to occupy, apply my apparatus, and the work is done. You can then goon about your business, and when you return, if your bees have swarmed, you will find them in the hive you have prepared for them, and working out the entrance to the same, while the bees that remain with the parent hive will be working out at their usual entrance, all as contented as though nothing had happened, when the hiving apparatus may be removed to your next strongest colony. It will not fail one time in one hundred to do all I claim for it. It has been thoroughly tested for the past two sum- mers, and will give perfect satisfaction in every instance. For the present I will sell on] v farm rights. If you have 20 colonies or less, send me $6.00, and I will send you a farm right apd one apparatus, with full instructions. Special rates with larger bee-keep- ers. Send money-order payable at Morristown,East Tennessee, and order early. JOSEPH WILLIAMS, 1-tf 'fates Springs, East Tenn. This remarkable medi- cine will cure Spavins, Spiitit, Curb, Callous, .1c., or any enlargement, and ■will remove the bunch vKhout blistering or caus- ing a sore. No remedy everdiscovered equals itibr certainty of action instop- * ping the lameness and rc- . „■ the bunch. Price $100. Send for illus- jtrated circular giving positive proof, and your nearest agent's address. Kendall's Spav- 'In Cure is sold bv I»rusKiste, or •ent by Dr. B. J. Kendall & Co., Cuosburg Falls, Vermont. THE MARYLAND FARMER, A Monthly Magazine devoted to Agriculture, Horti- culture and Rural Economy. The oldest Agricultu- ral Journal in Maryland. Terms $1.(10 per year, in advance. Published by Ezra Whitman, 111 W. Pratt street, Baltimore, Md. THE MARYLAND FARMER has alarger circula- tion, and will be read by more Farmers, Planters, Merchants, Mechanics, and others interested in Ag- riculture, than any other paper which circulates in the Middle or Southern States, and therefore is the best medium for advertisers who desire to extend their sales in this territory. ]2-2t SECTIONS! SECTIONS! Before ordering supplies elsewhere, send us a 3 cent stamp for a sample of our beautiful snow -white pop- lar Sections, dovetailed or to nail. These are the nicest and cheapest sections in the world ; this no one will deny. Bee hives and other supplies made to order very cheap. SW Illustrated circulars free. A. E, MANUM, H-6t Bristol, Addison County, Vermont. Send your Name, Postonice, County and Stale, plainly written on a postal card, and we will forward by return mail our Illustrated Catalogue and Price Eist for 1880. It contains valua- ble information tor every bee-keeper. It illustrates and describes things new and novel, that have never betore been offered to the public. Write for it now, while you think of if, it is worth a thousand times what it will cost you. Address. SCOVELE & ANDERSON, Columbus, Cherokee Co., Kans. As Cheap as the Cheapest, AND As Good as the Best! .per 1000... $5 00 . " ... 6 00 i]4x4x4 section boxes, per 100, f>0c. Prize boxes, " 70c. Good Colonies of Italian Bees, in 8-frame Eangstroth Hives, in May, $S.U<1 ; 2 for $15.00 ; 10 and over, $6.00 each ; after May, $1.00 less each colony. Take your choice at the price. Tested Queens, from Imported Mothers, in May , $3.00 ; after May, $2.00. Untested Queens, in May, $1.50 ; after May, $1.00. I have had 23 years' experience with bees in Lang- strotta hives, and 17 with Italian Bees and have been extensively engaged in the bee business for 11 years. I have now nearly 700 colonies. I have manufactured my own supplies for a number of years with steam power ; though I have been engaged in other pur- suits. I now intend to make the bee business and its connections a specialty. With my experience, and no other business to look after, I think I will be able to satisfy my customers in every particular. Comb Foundation manufactured by the pound and on shares. My facilities for shipping are such that orders can often he filled the same day they are received. To those who may favor me with their patronage, I will try and make it a mutual advantage to us both. Cash must accompany the order. All my goods warranted. Cash paid for beeswax. Honey bought and sold. VW Price List Free. I, S. CROWFOOT, 1-12 Hartford, Wis. PURE Y ' S REG: OR iwata Best paper on fruit and flowers, i .'■ Specimen free. Zpraksfor itself. Address PURD Y, of Palmyra, N^ Y. PURDY SMALL FRUIT* ylNSTRUC^rOB.. Tells in plain, simple language how to plant and grow all kinds of Small Fruit for home and market; how to raake a Dry-House ; profits of the business ; sorts, with, description; how to market; manures; crates; differ- ent plans for growing ; garden and market plans ; soils, preparation, etc., etc. 64 pages postpaid for only 25c. JS^Postage stamps accepted. Also his Catalogue on. M^LIjrFRlXITS lb pages. Very instructive. FKEJE TO Alilt applicants. Address PURDY, of Palmyra, New York. HEADQUARTERS FOR EARLY ITALIAN QUEENS. Imported and Home-bred. Full Colonies and Nu- cleus Colonies. For quality and purity of stock, it cannot be excelled by any in America. If you want Queens or Bees. Hives, Extractors, Comb Foundation, Smokers, or Bee Fixtures of any kind, send for my now Circular. Address, DR. J. F. H. BROWN, 1-6 Augusta, Ga. Cyprian and Italian Queens and Nuclei.— A Descriptive Price List will be sent free. 1-3U Julius Hoffjuan, Fort Plain, Mont. Co., N. Y. ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUE FOR SALE BY THOMAS G. NEWMAN & SON, 972 and 974 West Madison St., CHICAGO, ILL. In the following pages we present our Price t,Ist for 1880. The quotations for nearly all the articles are much reduced for the coming year, and we ask a careful perusal of this Catalogue before ordering supplies. As the prices of some things are now fluctuating very much (tin, for instance), the quotations given are subject to change without further notice. On all articles quoted by mail, we pay the postage; all others are sent by express or freight, at the expense of the purchaser. Goods desired to be sent by freight, should be ordered from 10 to 20 days before needed for use, according to distance from Chicago. We do not send goods by C. O. D., unless sufficient money is sent with the order to pay express charges both ways, in case not taken from the express office. Always write the order for goods on a separate sheet from a private letter or article for publication. Write plainly your name, address, and the way goods are to be sent. Remit by express, money-order, registered letter or New York or Chicago drafts, payable to our order. Do not send checks on local banks, for such cost us 25 cents each for collecting. Seeds or samples of merchandise can be mailed for one cent per ounce ; printed matter one cent for every two ounces. These must be tied up ; if pasted, they are subject to letter postage. In consequence of the dearth of small currency in the country, we will receive either 1, 3 or 3 cent stumps, for anything desired from this office. We cannot use Canadian or other foreign stamps. We are not interested in the production of anything enumerated in this Catalogue, and recommend no article except on real merit. Being located in a great center of commerce, it is sometimes very convenient to get goods of different manufacturers all at one shipment. Purchasers may, by the aid of this Catalogue, compare prices, and scan closely the various articles offered, by means of its many illustrations and descriptions, thus being enabled to select such goods as are desired. It is not always that the lowest priced are the cheapest ; often such are proportionately inferior. Our answer to all who ask credit is this : We sell on small margins, and cannot afford to take the risks of doing a credit business. If we did such a business, we should be obliged to add at least 10 to 20 per cent, more to our prices, to make up for those who would never pay, and to pay the expenses of keeping book-accounts with our customers— this we know our Cash customers would not think to their advantage. This rule we must make general in order not to do injustice to any one. The cash system gives all the advantage to the cash customers, while the credit system works to their injury. In justice to all we must therefore require Cash- with the order. Very Truly Yours, THOMAS G. NEWMAN & SON, 973 «ft 974 JV. Madison St., CHICAGO, I 1. 1,. STANDARD LANGPTRQTH HIVE. NEW LANGSTROTH BEE HIVE, WITH MANIPULATING SIDE. SAMPLE UIVK— nailed, not painted. (14^xl8:M inches inside.) No. 1.— Brood Chamber, 10 frames, portico, 7*4 inch cap— but no surplus arrangement . $1 25 No. 2.— Same as No. 1, with Comb-Honey Rack, complete 2 00 No. 3.— Same as No. 1, but having 20 frames, and Comb-Honey Kack— complete 3-story hive 2 50 No. 4.— Brood Chamber, 10 frames, and 7-inch story, with 7 cases containing Prize Boxes and tin Separators, for surplus Honey, with 2-inch cap 2 23 No. 5.— Same as No. 4— but having second story containing 10 extra frames— a complete 3-story hive 2 50 No. 6.— Brood Chamber, with second storv con- taining 10 extra frames, for extracting, and 2-inch cap 1 75 K#~Jf painted, add 50 cents per hive. MATERIAL— cut, ready to nail. One story. Two story. In lots of 5 each No. I, .95 No. 6, $1.25 10 " " .90 " 1.20 " 25 " " .S5 " 1.15 Material for Langstroth Frames. Cut, ready to nail— (SS±$xVt% inches, outside.) 100 frames $150 | 1000 frames $14 00 5,000 or more frames, per 1,000 12 00 NORTH -STAR BEE HIVE Sample Hive complete, wit.i Comb Honey Kack, $3 00 MATERIAL CUT, READY TO NAIL. In lots of 5, without comb honey rack $1 25 ' , 25, " " " 1 10 We also own the right for the " Manipulating Side," as applied to the New Lanqstroth hive. . SPERRY * CHANDLER. DOOLITTLE'S BEE HIVE. Sample, nailed not painted, two-story, with 30 prize boxes, complete $fi 00 Material, ready to nail, 5 to 10 hives 3 50 This is a combination of the Langstroth and North Star Hives, patented by Sperry & Chandler, Minn. " The above engraving shows the Comb Honey Rack as used on Hive No. 2. It contains 18 Prize Boxes, with 5 separators between them (B, B). The wedge (A) presses the boxes close together ; by removing it any box may be examined, returned or replaced by an empty on" The onipr boxes are ulassed CC, C, C) when on the hive ; the others are not glassed. _JM PL W The above engraving shows the 1-inch second story of Hive No. 4, and contains 21 Prize Boxes and 7 Sep- arators ; each of the cases holding 3 prize boxes. SAMPLE HIVE— Nailed, not painted. No. 1— Brood Chamber, 10 frames, portico, 7J*j inch cap, but no surplus arrangement $1 *5 No. 2— Same as No. 1, with Comb-Honey Rack, 2 50 No. 3— Same as No. 1— but having 20 frames, and Comb-Honey Rack— complete 3-story hive. . 3 25 No. 4-Brood Chamber, 10 frames, and 7-inch story, with 7 cases (see cut) containing Prize Boxes and tin Separators, with 2-inch cap. . . 2 75 No. 5— Same as No. 4, but having second story containing 10 extra frames— a 3-story hive. 3 25 No. R— Brood Chamber, with 10-inch second story containing 10 extra frames 2 25 All these hives have metal rabbets for frames to rest on. If painted, add 50 cents per hive. MATERIAL— Cut, ready to nail. (14^x18% in. inside). In lots of 5 each No. 1, $1.25. . . .No. 6, $1.fi0 10 " " 1.20.... " 1.55 25 " " 1.10.... '• 1.50 50 " " 1.05.... " 1.45 100 " " 1.00.... " 1.40 My Annual Catalogue of Vegetable and Flow- er Seed for 1880, rich in engravings from photographs of the originals, will be sent free to all who apply. My old customers need not write for it. I offer one of the largest collections of vegetable seed ever sent out by any seed house in America, a large portion ot which were grown on mv six seed farms. Full direc- tions for cultivation on each package. All seed war- ranted to be both fresh and true to name, so far, that should it prove otherwise, I u-ill refill the order gram. The original introducer of the Hubbard Squash, Phinney's Melon, Marblehead Cabbages, Mexican Corn, and scores of other vegetables, I invite the patronage of all who are anxious to hare their seed di- rectly from the grower, fresh, true and of the very best strain. New vegretaoleB a, Specialty. 12-4 JAMES J. H. GREGORY, Marblehead. Mass. BEES FOR SALE. Three Hundred Colonies. One hundredColonies Italian Bees in Langstroth and Simplicity hives ; 200 colonies in Triangular hives, black bees, to be delivered on board any Mississippi river packet after winter has passed. I invite Bee- Keepers to come and buy cheap. GEORGE B. PETERS, 12-2 Peters' Landing, Ark. "^WAX EXTRACTORS. WlKW-«5Hff ITALIAN QUEENS— All bred from Imported Mothers of mv own importation. Dollar and Tested Queens from '1st April to 1st November. Full Colo- nies and Nuclei ; Bee-Keepers Supplies of all kinds ; Comb Foundation, etc. 6-tf PAUL L. VIALLON, Bayou Goula, La. Friends, if you are in any way interested in BEES OR HONEY We will with pleasure send you a sample copy of our Monthly Gleanings in Bee-Culture, with a descriptive price-list of the latest improve- ments in Hive*, Honev Extractors, Artificial Comb, Section Honey Boxes, all books and journals, and everything pertaining to Bee Culture. Nothing Patented. Simply send your address on a postal card, written plainly, to A. I. Root, Medina, O. A NEW SHOP, BUT OLD HANDS. James Forncrook & Co. have just fitted up a New Shop for the manufacture of Bee Hives, Honey Sections, &c. Material for the Standard Langstroth Hive Cheaper than the Cheapest. We will make a Specialty of the " Boss " One-Piece Sections, here- tofore called the Lewis Section, this being our own Invention. Send for Circular and Price List. JAMES FOBNCBOOK. «fc CO., 1-2 Watertown, Wisconsin. SECTIONS! SECTIONS! Before ordering supplies elsewhere, send us a 3 cent stamp for a sample of our beautiful snow-white pop- lar Sections, dovetailed or to nail. These are the nicest and cheapest sections in the world ; this no one will deny. Bee hives and other supplies made to order very cheap. S3T" Illustrated circulars free. A. E, MANUM, 12-3t Bristol, Addison County, Vermont. My Self-Hiving Apparatus Will hive your bees, without your attention or assist- ance, and will not fail onetime in one hundred. See American Bee Journal for January, 1880, page 56. JOSEPH WILLIAMS, 2-tf Tates Springs, East Tenn. SIXTH VOLUME. Every Farmer, Merchant, Argicultural Implement Manufacturer, Dealer in Tools and Implements, Blacksmith, and all others interested in Manufactur- ing industries should read the FACTORY AND FARM, A Wide-awake, Independent, Forty-page Illustrated Journal of American Agricultural Industries, and Farm Implement Price List ; each number contain- ing one or more elegantly engraved portraits or leading manufacturers of the West, drawn and en- graved expressly for the FACTORY AND FARM, and articles from the pens of leading writers on subjects of general interest. Subscriptions $2.00 a year. 2 Copies One Year -~'l?n io •'• / ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 12:00 Postage Paid. FOX, COLE «*r CO., Publishers, 177 La Salle Street, CHICAGO. SUBSCRIBE FOB THE Bee-Keepers' Instructor, A monthly devoted exclusively to Bee-Culture ; only oO Cents a year. Sample copy free. Address, SAMUEL I». It I Eft EL, 2-7 Adelphi, Ross County, Ohio. "before purchasing supplies for your apiary, send a postal card with your name and if you will do us the kindness, the names of your bee-keeping neighbors, for our Illustrated catalogue of apiarian supplies of every description, sample section box and comb foundation, we wish to present them to everv reader of this Journal, and hence offer them FREE. Please send your name at once. Special attention given to rearing Italian Queens and Bees. B3^~ The highest price paid for Beeswax. 1-8 J.C. & If. I'. SAVLES, Hartford, Wis. Ninety-four Colonies of Bees for Sale.— Mostly ftalians, In Langstroth hives, double-wall, winter-proof, in best possible condition ; all straight worker combs. Price, ©e.OOper hive. Address, 12-tf A. W. SORY, Devalls Bluff, Ark. FRANCES DUNHAM, Inventor and Sole Manufacturer of the Dunham Foundation MACHINE. 1 3 inch rolls $5 7 l..'»0 Two subscriptions, " " 3.50 Three subscriptions, " " :t. ."»«► Four subscriptions, " " I.r.o Five or more, " " each, l.OO Advertisements will be inserted at the rate of 8© cents per line of Agate space, for each insertion. A line will contain about eight words; fourteen lines v ill occupy an inch of space. Advertisements must be received by the 20th, to insure insertion. Special Notices 50 cents per line. J&~ We intend only to advertise for reliable deal- ers, who expect to fulfill all their advertised promises. Cases of real imposition will be exposed. Remit by express, money-order, registered letter or New York or Chicago drafts, payable to our order. Do not send checks on local banks, for such cost us 26 cents each for collecting. THOMAS G. NEWMAN & SON, 972 & 974 West Madison St. CHICAGO, ILL. To Correspondents. Our Illustrated Catalogue and Price List will be sent free, on application. When changing a post-office address, mention the old address as well as the new one. Constitutions and By-Laws, for local Associations, $2.00 per 100. The name of the Association printed in the blanks for 50 cents extra. We do not send goods by C. O. D., unless sufficient money is sent with the order to pay express charges both ways, in case not taken from express office. Strangers wishing to visit our office and Museum of Implements for the Apiary, should take the Madi- son street-cars (going west). They pass our door. In consequence of the dearth of small currency in the country, we will receive either 1, 3 or 3 cent stamps, for anything desired from this office. We cannot use Canadian or other foreign stamps. We will send a tested Italian Queen to any one sending us FIVE subscribers to the American Bee Journal with SST.SO. The premium Queens will in every case be tested, but not sent till after July 1st. Club names for the Bee Journal may be sent to as many post offices as there are names in the club. Additions can be made to clubs at any time at the same rate. Specimen copies, Posters, and Illustrated Price List sent free upon application, for canvassing. Seeds or samples of merchandise can be mailed for one cent per ounce, Printed matter one cent for every two ounces. These must be tied up ; if pasted, they are subject to letter postage. Don't se7id small packages by express, that can just as tvell be sent by mail. Our answer to all who ask credit is this : We sell on small margins, and cannot afford to take the risks of doing a credit business. If we did such a business, we should be obliged to add at least 10 to 20 per cent, more to our prices, to make up for those who would never pay, and to pay the expenses of keeping book- accounts with our customers— this we know our Cash customers would not think to their advantage.— This rule we must make general in order not to do injustice to any one. The cash system gives all the advantage to cash customers, while the credit sys- tem works to their injury. In justice to all we must therefore require Cash with the order. Catalogues for 1880.— We have re- ceived the new Circulars and Price Lists of the following dealers in api- arian supplies ; all of them are nicelv printed : Dr. J. P. H. Brown, Augusta, Ga. I. 8. Crowfoot, Hartford. Wis. J. E. Moore, Byron, Genesee Co.,]SJ\ Y. Hiram Roop, Carson City, Mich. Doolittle Hive. —We have received from Mr. I. A. Gooding, Peru, 111., one of these hives, which he is making for the trade. It is nicely made, of good material, and painted. It was fully des- cribed in the Journal last March. Local Convention Directory. 1880. Time and Place of Meeting. Feb. 2— Southern Michigan, at Battle Creek, Mich. 3— Fireman's Hall, Cortland, N. Y. 11— Northeastern, at Utica, N. V. IS, 14.— Nebraska State, at Omaha. May 4.-N. W. 111. & S. W. Wis., at Pecatonica, 111. 25.— Northwestern Union, at Hastings, Minn. Oct. National, at Cincinnati, Ohio. 5, 6.— Northern Michigan, at Carson City, Mich. 14— Southern Kentucky, at Louisville, Ky. Dec. 8.— Michigan State, at Lansing, Mich. %W In order to have this Table complete. Secreta- ries are requested to forward full particulars of time and place of future meetings.— Ed. Honey and Beeswax Market. HIYERS' QUOTATIONS. CHICAGO. HONEY.— White clover, in single-comb sections, lfi@18c. : when with more than one comb in a box, 2c. per lb. less. Dark, in the comb, slow sale, at 12 < 14c. Extracted, 8®10c. BEESWAX.— Prime choice yellow, 20ft22e; darker grades, 14& 10c. NEW YORK. HONEY.— Best white, in single-comb sections, 16<5j 18c; fair do., l4@lHc. Larger boxes, 2c. per lb. less. Extracted, 8&10c. BEESWAX.— Prime quality, 23<«25c. CINCINNATI. HONEY.— White, in single-comb sections, 15@17c. It retails very slowly on occourit of the increased price, which is above the views of consumers. The extracted sells readily-St- 9c. ( '. K. Muth. SAN FRANCISCO. HONEY— Comb, 15(S18c. Extracted, 102 Lake street, Agents, Chicago, 111. 8yl Headquarters for the Best Queens & Colonies IN THE UNITED STATES. As I make Queen-rearing a specialty, I guarantee to those ordering from me, just what they bargain for. J3F" Circulars free. Address, D. A. PIKE, 2-5 Box 19, Smithsburg, Washington Co., Md. Excellent Range for Bees. The undersigned, who imports all sorts of seeds (garden and field), offers for sale, in lots to suit, the following choice Clover Seeds : ALS1KE, BOKHARA, ALFALFA (French Lucerne) SAINFOIN. Orders solicited by E. G. WENIGE, 2 Belleville, Illinois. B^ J±. J", oooik:, Professor of Entomology in the Michigan State Agricultural College. Published hy THOMAS G. NEWMAN & SON, Chicago. 386 pp. large 13mo. ; 113 Illustrations. It comprises a full delineation of the anatomy and physiology of the honey-bee, illustrated with costly wood engravings— the Products of the Honov-Bee ; the Races of Bees ; full descriptions of noney-producing plants, trees, shrubs, etc., splendidly illustrated— and last, though nut least, detailed instructions for the various manipulations necessary in the apiary. This work is a masterly production, and one that no bee-keeper, however limited his means, can afford to do without. It is fully up with the times on every conceivable subject that interests the apiarist. It is not only instruc- tive," but intensely interesting and thoroughly practical. Within 20 days after this work was issued from the press, ijOU copies were disposed of— a sale unprecedented in bee literature. Bead a few of the many notices the Press has given it. Prices— Bound 3n Cloth, SI. 35 ; Paper Cover, Sl.OO. The following are among the many commendations received by the publishers : APPRECIATIVE NOTICES: All agree that it is the work of a master and is of real value.— L'Apiculture, Paris. I think Cook's Manual is the best of our Ameri- can works.— Lewis T. Colby, Enfield, N. H. It appears to have cut the ground from under future book-makers for some time to come.— British Bee Journal. Is a masterly production, and one that no bee- keeper, however limited his means, can afford to do without.— Nebraska Fa rmer. Prof. Cook's valuable Manual has been mv con- stant guide in my operations and successful manage- ment of the apiary.— J. P. WEST, Wells, Minn. I have derived more practical knowledge from Prof. Cook's New Manual of the Apiary than from any other book.— E. H. Wvskoup, Catskill, N. Y. This book is just what every one interested in bees ought to have, and which, no one who obtains it, will ever regret having purchased.— Michigan Farmer. To all who wish to engage in bee-culture, a manual is a necessity. Prof. Cook's New Manual sup- plies this need, as it is an exhaustive work.— Herald, Monticello, III. My success has been so great as to almost astonish myself, and much of it is due to the clear, dis- interested information contained in Cook's Manual. — Wm. Van Antwerp, M. D., Mt. Sterling, Ky. This book is pronounced by the press and leading bee men to be the most complete and practical treatise on bee culture in Europe or America ; a scientific work on modern bee management that every experienced bee man will welcome, and it is essential to every amateur in bee-culture. It is handsomely printed, neatly bound and is a credit to the West to publish such a book.— Western Agricul- turist. This work is undoubtedly the most complete manual for the instruction of bee-keepers which has ever been published. It gives a full explanation regarding the care and management of the apiary. There is no subject relating to the culture of bees left untouched, and in the compilation of the work Prof. Cook has had the advantage of all the previous knowledge of apiarists, which he uses admirably to promote and make popular this most interesting of all occupations.— American Inventor. It is the latest book on the bee, and treats of both the bee and hives, with their implements. It is of value to alf'bee raisers.— Ky. Live Stock Record. With Cook's Manual I am more than pleased. It is fully up with the times in every particular. I hope the richest reward awaits its author.— A. E. Wen- zel, Callicoon, N. Y. It is a credit to the author as well as to the pub- lishers. I have never yet met with awork, either French or foreign, which 1 like so much.— IV Abbe Uu Bois, editor of the Bulletin D'Apiculteur, France. It not only gives the natural history of these in- dustrious insects, but also a thorough, practical, and clearly expressed series of directions for their management ; also a botanical description of honey producing plants, and an extended account of the enemies of bees.— Democrat. Pulaski, N, Y. We have perused with great pleasure this vade mecum of the bee-keeper. It is replete with the best information on everything belonging to apiculture. To all taking an interest in the subject, we say, ob- tain this valuable work, read it carefully, and practice as advised.— AgricuWwrist, Quebec, Canada. It may safely be pronounced the most complete and comprehensive of the several manuals which have recently appeared on the subject of bees and their handling in apiaries. The studies of I be -tincture of the bee, the different varieties, the various bee pro- ducts, and following these the points of manage- ment, extending to the smallest details, are ail oi high and practical value. Prof . Cook has presented the very latest phases of progressive bee-keeping, and writes id' the themes discussed in the 1 i •_• 1 1 1 ol his own experience with theni. -Pacific Rural Press. Of the many excellent works which we have ex- amined on bee culture, recently, we consider Prof. Cook's the most valuable for the study of those who contemplate going into the business or are already keeping bees. If thoroughly studied, ami its teach- ings conformed to, by the apiarist, who exercises a reasonable degree of common sense, he or she can- not fail to achieve at least a reasonable degree of success. The large stile of this volume, while evi- dence of its intrinsic worth, strongly marks the increasing interest which is being taken in the man- agement and care of bees throughout the country. The author addresses himself to the work with a degree of enthusiasm which carries his reader along with him to the end. Kansas Farmer. It is printed in the best style of the art, on fine book paper, and superbly illustrated. Price, bound in cloth, $1.35 ; in paper, &1.00, postpaid. Per dozen : cloth, !»13.00 ; paper, !»»..>0. THOMAS G. NEWMAN & SON, 972 & 974 West Madison St., Chicago, 111. Bee-Keepers' Supplies! I shall continue to sell, at reasonable rates, a large variety of Bee-Keepers' Supplies, such as MUTH'S ALL-METAL HONEY EXTRACTOR. UNCAPPING KNIVES, WAX EXTRACTORS, LANGSTROTH BEE HIVES, SECTIONAL BOXES, SQUARE GLASS HONEY JASS, to hold one and two pounds each, with Corks, Tinfoil, Caps and Labels, J* lb. Tumblers, Glass Fruit Jars, &c. COMB FOUNDATION, BEESWAX, GLOVES, VEILS, STRAW MATS, ALSIKE CLOVER SEED, as well as a great assortment of Garden and Field Seeds, &c. For further particulars address, CHAS. F. MUTH, 2-tf 976 and 978 Central Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio. 16 page Illustrated Circular Sent Free. EVEBETT BROS., 107 Monroe St., Toledo, Ohio. BOKHARA CLOVER SEED. We have received a lot of Imported Bokhara Clo- ver Seed, which we can sell at 50 cents per lb. If sent by mail, 70 cents per lb. THOMAS G. NEWMAN & SON, Chicago, 111. CO Gold, Crystal, Lace, Perfumed & Chromo Cards, uwnamein Gold&JetlOc.ClintonBros.Clintonville.Ct. CHEAP HIVES, AND CHEAP SECTIONS. The BEST BEE HIVES, HONEY BOXES, SEC- TIONS, SECTION CASES, BROOD FRAMES, SHIP- PING CRATES, Etc., for the Eeaxt Money. We make the EEWIS SECTION, all in one piece-the FINEST IN THE WORLD ; not only heretofore called the Lewis Section, but still known as the Lewis Section, and we are the sole and only manufacturers thereof in the United States, and the original inventors of the same. From fifty to one hundred thousand sold during the last three months. J3T" Send for Price-List. LEWIS & PARKS, 12 Successors to G. B. Lewis, Watertown, Wis. I860.— THE —1880. HOUSE. CO.PERRINE, 54 Michigan Ave., Chicago. Will buy at a fair price, for cash, any amount of COMB OR EXTRACTED HONEY. As a Manufacturer of COMB FOUNDATION, I can say my goods have given entire and universal satisfaction. The ruling low prices were made by me, and any one desiring any considerable quantity would do well to consult me before buying elsewhere. U3T" Market price for Beeswax. BARNES' PATENT Foot-Power Machinery CIRCULAR and SCROLL SAWS Hand, Circular Rip Saws for gen- eral heavy and light ripping. Lathes, &c. These machines are especially adapted to Hive Making. It will pay every bee- keeper to send for our 48 page Illustrated Catalogue. W. F. & JOHN BARNES, Rockford, Winnebago Co., 111. junely Advertisers will make money by advertising in the WISCONSIN FARMER, Published at FOND DU LAC. The only agricultural paper in the State. Send for sample copy and rates of advertising. 12-2 STILL LIVING! J. & would call attention of all desiring supplies for their apiaries the coming season, to the fact that they are prepared to lead the trade in DUNHAM FOUNDATION, ITALIAN BEES AND QUEENS, Modest and Langstroth Bee Hives, Honey Boxes, Sections, &c. Wax worked to order on Shares or for Cash. Especial mention would be made of the fact that we bought OO IMPORTED QUEENS of MR. POM ETTA last fall, and have them now winter- ing in full colonies, and will be pleased to book orders from all desiring a genuine Imported Queen earlier in the seaason than can usually be supplied. If you do not receive our Price-List by February 1st, write for it. Address your orders and communications to J. OATMAN & SONS, 1 Dundee, Kane Co., 111. Our FLAT BOTTOM COMB FOUNDATION, with high sharp side-walls, 10 to 14 feet • to the pound, has been used the past season in full size sheets in Surplus Boxes, adding largely to the yield and to market value of the honey. The wired foundation does not sag, and gives general satisfaction. Circular and samplos free. This foundation is patented, and no infringements allowed. J. VAX DEUSEX «fc SONS, Sole Manufacturers, 1-6 Sprout Brook, Mont. Co., N. X. JKvgf^Tull Colonies of Yellow Bees, in the IKSe? best condition ; honey by the barrel or less. 1-tf J. M. MARVIN, St. Charles, Kane Co., 111. The Michigan Homestead. A PAPEB FOB THE Farmer and Family. As Cheap as the Cheapest, AND As Good as the Best! 4Mx4M section boxes, per 100, 50c. . .per 1000. . .$r> 00 Prize boxes " TOc. .. " ... GOO Good Colonies of Italian Bees, in 8-frame Langstroth Hives, in May, $8.00 ; 2 for $15.00 ; 10 and over, $6.00 each ; after May, $1.00 less each colony. Take your choice at the price. Tested Queens, from Imported Mothers, in May , $3.00 ; after May, $2.00. Untested Queens, in May, $1.50 ; after May, $1.00. I have had 23 years' experience with bees in Liang- stroth hives, and 17 with Italian Bees and have been extensively engaged in the bee business for 11 years. I have now nearly 700 coll mies. I have manufactured my own supplies fur a number of years with steam power ; though I have been engaged in other pur- suits. I now intend to make the bee business and its connections a specialty. With my experience, and no other business to look after. I think I will be able to satisfy my customers in every particular. Comb Foundation manufactured by the pound and on shares. My facilities for shipping are such that orders can often be filled the same day they are received. To those who may favor me with their patronage, I will try and make it a mutual advantage to us both. Cash must accompany the order. All my goods warranted. Cash paid for beeswax. Honey bought and sold. V^~ Price List Free. I. S. CROWFOOT, 1-12 Hartford, Wis. PITRDY'S RE C O RDER Best paper on fruit and flowers, u ■" hpecunen tree. Speaksfor itself. Address PURDY, of Palmyra,N. Y. PURDY'S mmmm fruit, INSTRUCTOR.. Tells in plain, simple language how to plant and grow all kinds of Small Fruit for home and market; how to make a Dry-House ; profits of the business ; sorts, with description; how to market; manures; crates; differ- ent plans for growing ; garden and market plans ; soils, preparation, etc., etc. 64 pa.gespostjia.id for only 25c. B f?"Postage stamps accepted. Also his Catalogue on SMALL. FRUITS lb pages. Very instructive. FREE TO AEE applicants. Address PURDY.OI Palniyra.New York. CHEAPEST AND BEST! headquarters Address, MICHIGAN HOMESTEAD, 54 Bates St., Detroit, Mich. 1-2 Foundation Machines, For the benefit of bee-culture, I will from this day sell my 13-inch Machines at !$35. OO, and the »-inch at #35.00. The Machine gives full satis- faction, and needs no praise. %W Send for circular and samples. ltf JOHN BO URC MEYER, Fond du Lac, Wis. EARLY ITALIAN QUEENS. Imported and Home-bred. Full Colonies and Nu- cleus Colonies. For quality and purity of stock, it cannot be excelled by any in America. If you want Queens or Bees. Hives, Extractors, Comb Foundation, Smokers, or Bee Fixturesof any kind, send for my new Circular. Address, DR. J. P. H. BROWN, 1-6 Augusta, Ga. Cyprian and Italian Queens and Nuclei.— A Descriptive Price List will be sent free. 1-31T Julius HOFFMAN, Fort Plain, Mont. Co., N. Y. COFFINBERRY'S Excelsior Honey Extractor Sizes anil Prices : No. 1.— For 2 Langstrotb frames. 10x18 inches. . . $8 00 " 2.— For 2 American Frames, 13x13 inches 8 00 •' 3. — For 2 frames, 13x20 inches or less 12 00 " 4.-For3 12 00 " 5.— For 4 " ' 14 00 ;h is attached the les broad, with the Having made many im- provements in the EX- CELSIOR EXTRACTOR for 1879, it is now offered to the Bee-Keepers of America as the MOS T PERFECT MACHINE in the MARKET. The uni- versal favor with which the EXCELSIOR EX- TRACTOR was received in 1878, has induced other manufacturers to adopt several of its improve- ments. My experience and experiments of last season, with the assistance and suggestions of skillful workmen, have enabled me to perfect an Extrac- tor that cannot be ex- celled, and can only be equaled by being closely imitated. Some of its advantages are as follows : It is made entirely of metal, It is % light, but has attachments for fastening down to a m platform. It can be in- SP*\ stantly taken to pieces for p&Jf cleaning, having no rusty screws to take out or nuts ' to remove. The top or cross-band, to whi gearing, is wrought iron, three incl ends turned down in such manner as to thoroughly brace and strengthen the can and hold the basket flrnilv in an upright position. The strong over-motion gearing, so necessary to ease in running and speedy operating, was designed and is manufactured expressly for the Kxcelsior. A child ten years of age can operate the machine as rapidly as it can be supplied with combs. The Comb Basket having vertical sides, insures the extracting power alike for top and bottom of frames. The sides of the basket being movable and inter- changeable, greatly facilitate the operation of dust- ing before and thoroughly cleaning after use. It has a small comb-holder for extracting pieces of comb or partly-filled sections. At the bottom of the can, and below the basket, is a cone or metal standard, in the top of which revolves the bottom pivot of the basket, thereby givmgroom for sixty or seventy pounds of,honey without touch- ing the basket or pivot below. Nos 3,4 and 5, have neatlv-fltting covers, movable sliding sides to the baskets, and movable strainers covering the canal to the faucet, whereby all honey can be drawn off without a particle of sediment. The baskets of Nos. 4 and 5 have no center rod running from top to bottom, which will be found very convenient bv those who uncap both sides of the comb before putting in the basket, as they can be turned without removal. . The wire baskets are very neat specimens of skill- ful workmanship, thoroughly braced at every point where experience has proven it to be most requisite, and nothing has been omitted that could add to its efficiency. The No. 4, for three frames, has a triangular bas- ket, movable sides, no center rod, runs smoothly re- gardless of number of frames, and is fast supersed- ing the demand for four-sided baskets. A LOWER PK1CED MACHINE being called for by those having but few colonies, and not making a specialty of bee-keeping, I have made a special size to take the Langstroth frame, and one for the American, to sell at *S.OO each. These have no covers or strainer, and are smaller than the $12.00 and $14.00 sizes, but for the frames named are equal to the others for effective work, and are the best cheap Extractors made. B2#°A liberal discount to dealers. ,.„„„.„_ Address, C. C. COFFISBEKKT, Or American Bee Journal, Chicago, 111. CONNER, BURNETT & CO., 165 South Water Street, Chicago, General Commission Merchants, MAKE SPECIALTY OF HONEY. Refer to : Preston, Kean & Co., Bankers, Chicago ; H. A. Burch & Co., South Haven, Mich. 10-tf THE KING Of the Agricultural Press ! THE WESTERN RURAL. The Best, Most Eargely Circulated, and the Leading Agricultural and Family "Weekly Paper. It is conducted by a Practical Farmer. It is ably edited in all its departments. It is aggressive, pro- gressive, and up to the times. Its Agricultural in- formation is the latest, and is always reliable. It is quoted by the Press more extensively than any other paper of its class. It is always the Farmers' ally and most consistent exponent. It is the ONLY "FARMERS' ORGAN," and the only consistent advocate of Cheap Trans- portation to the Sea-Board, and just and equal local railroad freights. It is the Standard Authority on All Mat- ters Relating to Agriculture in all its Branches. Its great popularity and large general circulation are the best proofs of its practical character and substantial value. Enterprising, energetic and en- thusiastic, it leads the Rural Press, acknowledging no rival, being pronounced, without exception the best Family as well as the Best Agricultural Paper. No one having a Farm, a Garden, a Domestic Animal, or a Fireside, should be without it. PRICE REDUCED FOR 1880. Our former price was $2.00 per year. In order to keep pace with the times and place the Western Rural within the reach of all, we have Reduced the Price to $1.65 Per Year for single subscriber, or $1.50 per year in clubs of eight, For a club of four subscribers at $1.65 each, we will send an extra copy FREE to getter up of club. A Local Agent wanted at every postoffice in the United States. Samples for canvassing free. Address The Western Rural, Chicago, 111. Italian Queens or Colonies. Eighteen years' experience in propagating Queen Bees from imported mothers from the best districts of Italy. Persons purchasing Queens or Colonies from me will get^what they bargain for. Send for circular. WM. W. CAKY, 3-tf Colerain, Franklin Co., Mass. )A PDT?Q PLANTED with BERRIES. At/IVl!iO lOO varieties of Selected Fruits. Plants grown for transplanting, and Fruit for the market. J3F" See flfew Catalogue for what sorts to Plant. Sent free. Address 10-3 JOHN S. COLLINS, Moorestown, New Jersey. %W Also JERSEY RED PIGS, all pure stock PURE BEESWAX. Bought at best market rates, and paid for promptly. J. LEE SMITH * CO., 1-gff 8t> Beekman St., New York. My Annual Catalogue of Vegetable and Flow- er Seed for 1880, rich in engravings from photographs of the originals, will be sent free to all who apply. My old customers need not write for it. I offer one of the largest collections of vegetable seed ever sent out by any seed house in America, a large portion of which were grown on my six seed farms. Fulldirec- Uons for cultivation on each package. All seed war- ranted to be bath fresh and true to name, so far, that should it prove otherwise, I irill refill the order gratis. The original introducer of the Hubbard Squash, Phinney's Melon, Marblehead Cabbages, Mexican Corn, and scores of other vegetables, I invite the patronage of all who are an.rious to have their seed di- rectly from the grower, fresh, true and of the very best strain. New Vegetables a Specialty. 12-4 JAMES J. 11. GREGORY, Marblehead, Mass. FOR SALE, A SMALI, FARM OF SO ACRES, with a good orchard, house, and good well of water. Also, an A PI ART that will be sold very low. BEES to sell at .$3.00 to $(>.00 per colony. Address, BECKTEM, BROS., 3-4 New Buffalo, Berrien Co., Mich. My Self-Hiving Apparatus Will hive your bees, without yourattention orassist- ance, and will not fail one time in one hundred. See American Bee Journal for January, 1880, page 56. JOSEPH WILLIAMS, 2-tf Tates Springs, East Term. SUBSCRIBE FOR THE Bee-Keepers' Instructor, A monthly devoted exclusively to Bee-Culture ; only SO Cent* a year. Sample copy free. Address, SAMUEL I>. KIEOEL, 2-7 Adelphi, Koss County, Ohio. BEFORE PURCHASING supplies for your apiary, send a postal card with your name, and if you will do us the kindness, the names of your bee-keeping neighbors, for our illustrated catalogue of apiarian supplies of every description, >ampie M-ctiontbox and comb foundation. We wish to present them to every reader of this Journal, and hence offer them FREE. Please send your name at once. Special attention given to rearing Italian Queens and Bees. |3f" The highest price paid for Beeswax. 1-8 J. C. & H. P. SATIiES, Hartford, Wis. Friends, if you are in any way interested in EY We will with pleasure send you a sample copy of our Monthly Gleanings in Bee-Culture, with a descriptive price-list of the latest improve- ments in Hives, Honey Extractors, Artificial Comb, Section Honey Boxes, all books and journals, and everything pertaining to Bee Culture. Nothing Patented. Simply send your address on a postal card, written plainly, to A. I. Root, Medina, O. W V lVrPTTT^ A Place to work in an Apiary. »" All IIjL/ Have experience in handling bees, raising queens or honey. Best of references. Correspondence solicited. Address, 2-3 C. s i I K It It l < K , Mt. Ziou, Macon Co., 111. (Juinby's New Bee-Keeping. By E. C. ROOT. The latest, most practical, and most fully illustrated work pub- lished. The press generally, and best bee-keepers everywhere, are recognizing the practical value of this work for all classes of bee- keepers. Price, by mail, $1. SO. Bellows Bee Smokers. The Quinby Smoker has been upon the market four years longer than any practical smoker made. In 1879 it was much improved, and on March 11th a patent was granted it over all other Smokers, which fully protects all who buy, sell or use it. Our circular for 1880 illustrates and describes the finest improvement ever made on Smokers. In excellence of material and workmanship we chal- lenge competition. We make the only calf-skin bel- lows in the market. Price 15c, $1.35 and Si 1. SO. By mail to all points, including Canada, 25c. extra. Our new circular will be of particular value to all who purchased Smokers prior to 1878. For testimonials of books, specimens of illustra- tions, includingthe Smoker, and price-list of general bee-keeping supplies, address 2-12 E. C. ROOT * BRO., Mohawk, N. Y. Should Read Our Apiarian Catalogue for 1880 ! It will PAY you to do so. Write your name, and those of your friends who keep bees, on a post :i I card, at once, and direct it to H. A. BURGH & CO., 3 SOUTH HAVEN, MICH. ^$EES>OR 1880. We will furnish Full Colonies, Nuclei and Queens CHEAP. Satisfaction guaranteed, For circulars address, S 1». Mcl.EAX .«'Y. MAI L SO U CI T ED • *&i BARNES' PATENT Foot-Power Machinery CIRCULAR and SCROLL SAWS Hand, Circular Rip Saws for gen- eral heavy and light ripping. Lathes, &c. These machines are especially adapted to Hive Making;. It will pay every bee- keeper to send for our 48 page Illustrated Catalogue. W. F. & JOHN BARNES, Rockford, Winnebago Co., 111. junely Best paper on fruit and flowers. C '"Specimen iree. Speaks for itself. Address PURDY, oi Palmyra.N. Y. PURDY Wrnm*Wmmm Tells in plain, simple language how to plant and grow •ill kinds of Small Fruit for home and market ; how to make a Dry-House ; profits of the business ; sorts, with description; how to market; manures; crates; differ- ent plans for growing ; garden and market plans ; soils, preparation, etc., etc. 64 pages postpaid for only 25c. £ ^Postage stamps accepted. Also his Catalogue on ■■M-AL'L FRUITS lb pages. Very instructive. FREE TO A LI* applicants. Address PURDY, of Palmyra, New York. Foundation Machines. For the benefit of bee-culture, I will from this day sell my 13-inch Machine* at $315. OO, and the 9-inch at ISS.I.OO. The Machine gives full satis- faction, and needs no praise, '. I^~Send for circular and samples. ltf JOHN BOURGMEYER, Fond du Lac, Wis. STILL LIVING! would call attention of all desiring supplies for their apiaries the corning season, to the fact that they are prepared to lead the trade in DUNHAM FOUNDATION, ITALIAN BEES AND QUEENS, Modest and Langstroth Bee Hives, Money Boxes, St ctions, © IMPORTED QUEENS of MR, POMETTA last fall, and have them now winter- ing in full colonies, and will be pleased to book orders from all desiring a genuine Imported Queen earlier in the seaason than can usually be supplied. If you do not receive our Price-List by February 1st, write for it. Address your orders and communications to J. OATMAN & SONS, 1 Dundee, Kane Co., III. 11. 1 ut WE furnish anything, from a wire nail to engine. For bottom prices on Implem Supplies used in Bee-Culture, send fur our Illustn ted Descriptive Catalogue. It will tell you all abou Scovell's Eureka Cold-blast Direct-draft Bee Smo ker. Catalogue free— send for it. Address, SCOVELL * ANDERSON, 3_8 Columbus, Cherokee County, Kansas. FOUR DAYS AND NIGHTS WITH THE SPl RITS, ATMOTT'S, MEMPHIS, MO., being an ex- posure of the HUMBIIO by which thousands are being swindled. This book of 40 pages, 5x7 inches, will be sent by mail for 25 cents in stamps. Address, D. D. PALMER, New Boston, 111., Originator of the SWEET HOME Raspberry ; 1,050 berries picked from one cane. Never winter kills. The largest and best blackcap. Send for Circular. 3-tf 100: PLA> rE'l with BERRIES. )A.0KJljb ioo varieties of Selected Fruits. Plants grown foi a an -planting, and Fruit for the market. IS'" bee Sew Catalogue for what sorts to Plant. Sent free. Address 10-3 JOHN S. COLLINS, Moorestown, New Jersey. %W Also JERSEY RED PIGS, all pure stock The New .Hailing: Queen Cage, And all kinds of Manufactured or kept for sale by J. L. HARRIS, WHEELER, IND. Be sure to send for my new Circular. 3-tf CHEAP HIVES, AM) CHEAP _SECTI0NS. The REST BEE HIVES, HONEY BOXES, SEC- TIONS, SECTION CASES, BROOD FRAMES, SHIP- PING CRATES, Etc., for the Least Money. We make the LEWIS SECTION, all in one piece-the FINEST IN THE WORLD. We will sell our No. 2, or second quality hires, at 20 cents per hive less than our first quality. Our Price List gives prices of our No. 1 hive only. fW Send for Price-List. LEWIS & PARKS, 12 Watertown, Wis. Headquarters for the Best Queens & Colonies IN THE UNITED STATES. As I make Queen-rearing a specialty, I guarantee to those ordering from me. just what they bargain for. V3T Circulars free. Address, D. A. PIKE, 2-5 Box 19, Smithsburg, Washington Co., Md. THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL, AND BEE-KEEPER'S ADVISER. The British Bee Journal is published monthly at $1.75, and contains the best practical information for the time being, showing what to do, and when and how to do do it. C. N. ABBOTT, Bee Master, School of Apiculture, Fatrlawn.Southall, London. Italian Queens or Colonies. Eighteen years' experience in propagating Queen Bees from imported mothers from the best districts of Italy. Persons purchasing Queens or Colonies from me will get what they bargain for. Send for circular. WM. W. CART, 3-tf Colerain, Franklin Co., Mass. PURE BEESWAX. Bought at best market rates, and paid for promptly. «J. LEE SMITH )•>" "'as not received from the Secretary until this JOURNAL was neariy all "set up."— Ed.) The Xortheasten Bee-keepers' Asso- ciation met at Qtica, N. V..on Feb. 11, 1880, at 1 p.m., Fres. L. C. Root in the chair. The annual Reports of the Secretary and Treasurer were read and filed. Several gave their experience during the past season and then the Secrerary read a paper on the "Improvement of the Italian Bee," by A. F. Moon, of Rome, GJa. This evoked some discussion upon the merits of Italians as compared with the native bees. Some being loud in their praise of black bees. Mr. X. N. Bet- singer remarked : ll We have several bee papers afloat, and the question often comes up which is the best paper. Un- less we read them all, we will not know. Many men take bee papers a whole year, but do not read them. I am sur- prised to see men who, according to their own story, have kept but few Italian bees condemn them. I thought the bee question was settled many years ago; and everybody knows that the Italian is the best." The President said it was annoying to see the unqualified assertions made in the bee papers in favor of the superi- ority of Italian bees. There are many points of superiority in the Italian bee, but it was absurd to claim all the superi- ority for them. Italian bees had been bred out, and the stock had not been kept pure. The fact that people intro- duced Italians led them to investigate more closely and take better care. I claim that it is an advantage to a bee- keeper to have both kinds. The ques- tion is, if we have two colonies in the spring, one of each kind, which comes out the strongest? The idea that Italian bees will not rob, is wrong. I have found that the Italians will not only lind honey quicker, but take, comb and all, when the natives are satisfied with the honey. Italians work best on some kinds of blossoms, and natives bet- ter on other kinds, for this reason it is better to keep both kinds. It cannot be doubted that the Italians are not as easily disturbed as the natives, and this is much in their favor. I have known Italian bees to work right along getting white honey when the natives are get- ting dark honey. Any man who, in this advanced age, has not taken enough interest in the matter to keep at least one colony of Italians, is decidedly be- hind the times. The number of drones should be limited. I have paid as high as $20 for one queen, and have thought it profitable. This idea of rearing queens in hot-houses and nurseries has been carried too far. This buying " dollar queens " I do believe is cursing the Italian stock. We want to rear them purely. We can better afford to pay $.5 for a pure queen, reared under proper circumstances, than we can afford to take one of these "dollar queens" for nothing. We should take the queens that have been tested, and breed from them whatever the cost. The fact that the Italian bee fills the cell fuller, and caps it over directly on the honey, leav- ing no air. is a great advantage "for the keeping qualities of the honey. I be- lieve every man should keep both kinds and then test for himself. I have tried them in this way, and the results have been in favor of the Italians in thou- sands of instances. It is no wonder that these " dollar queens " run out so soon. It is a pity they did not run out sooner. With the large number of native drones allowed to accumlate in the hive, the wonder is not that there are so many native, but that there are no more. An adjournment was had until the evening, when a discussion was entered into on the proper size of a colony of bees on the first of May. After some dis- cussion, the following motion passed : The Northeastern Bee-Keepers1 Asso- ciation in Convention assembled, do hereby adopt as a standard for a colony of bees, on the 1st day of May : They shall occupy at least four spaces. Colo- nies occupying less than four spaces shall be termed and known as nuclei. Mr. Edwards. How many spaces must the bees occupy at the beginning of the honey season, to warrant us in expecting box honey ? Mr. Betsinger. It takes about four quarts of bees to take care of the things below — the kitchen work. All the bees you get above this number go to make box honey. One way to guess at the number of bees, is to measure them when you shake them into a basket to hive them. Mr. Alexander. I have never ob- tained box honey till the hive was some- what crowded with bees, whether it was large or small. Breeding Queens. Mr. Edwards. What is the relative value of queens, as reared under natu- ral swarming impulses, compared with those reared artificially V By difference I mean longevity and the other good qualities we all want; by artificial, I mean those reared by compelling bees to breed when they would not do so or- dinarily. Mr. House. I have used cells, and my experience is that there is not much dif- ference. A queen reared when a swarm is cast off naturally is a size larger ; she has a larger abdomen, but there is no difference otherwise. The cells must be cut from a full colony. I can discover no difference. Mr. Alexander. I have had as good queens reared artificially as in the natu- ral way. Mr. House. It makes some difference with an artificial queen if reared in the spring. A queen reared in the middle of May, or earlier in the spring, is not as good as one reared later. 1 he best time for rearing queens is from the mid- dle of May to the latter part of June. Queens reared in the fall— August or September — I have had as good success with as those reared at any other time of the year. President Hoot. The reason why the queens reared in full colonies are better, is that such a colony must be an extra good one, and must afford all the essen- tials for rearing a good queen. The egg deposited is exactly the same, and it is hatched just the same as if the bee is a worker. There are persons who say they can rear a better queen by supplying only eggs and the larvae, and these get more attention in this way than when there are other bees. I do not believe tins. We should breed when there is a flush of feed, and in the swarming season. There is a reason for later •queens being good. We can get our stock purer in this way. We make a colony queenless and the drones are de- stroyed. If our queens are reared late in the season, when it is colder, that is against them. I do not believe it makes any difference whether the egg is depos- ited in the cell for the queen or not. Mr. Betsinger. A double-handful of bees in a small box will rear a queen just as well in the summer. I have known of queen cells being built outside the hive— on the under side. This was done with the thermometer at 90°. Queens reared artificially, I can prove, are just as good as those reared naturally. Take a hive with a dozen or more queen cells, and graft in these nat- ural cells ; under what condition would these be raised — natural or artificial ? They would ordinarily have been work- ers. There can be no difference in the result. Queens, naturally, are reared in 3 or 4 weeks ; artificially, they are reared in a much longer time. Keeping Comb Honey. Mr. Waters. What is the best mode. •of keeping box honey after taking from the hive, whether in the dark or light, whether cold or warm V Mr. Betsinger. My experience has been to lead me to keep honey in a warm place. I never let the temperature go below 80°. From 90° to 95° is about right. I keep the honey in a dark room , as it keeps it lighter colored. Keeping honey in a warm room makes it thicker and heavier. I do not care if every cell is unsealed, the honey will become so thick that it will not run out. When the temperature goes below 60° the honey gathers moisture, and is thin. Mr. Alexander. I prefer keeping honey in a dark warm room, but not as hot as Mr. Betsinger advocates. Mr. House. The higher the tempera- ture is kept, the heavier, thicker and less liable to break, the honey becomes. £ keep my honey in a warm room on the south side of the building. Honey needs a pretty high temperature to cure well. It will be better flavored and keep better in a warm room. Mr. Waters. The greatest trouble is with the moth worm where kept warm. Mr. House. Some writers claim that honey should be brimstoned. I am not in favor of this. After taking out your honey, put it in a room where the mil- lers cannot get at it, and you do not need brimstone. It injures the flavor of the honey to use brimstone. Italian bees will not allow millers to get in. Natives allow millers to get into the brood-chamber. Mr. Betsinger. The miller is in the comb. A little brimstone is necessary. I put it under the honey which stands two feet four inches from the floor. Put a piece of tin under the honey to prevent the honey or house catching fire. After lighting the brimstone, shut the doors, and leave it 24 hours. Treat the honey thus every 4 weeks. Do not use too much brimstone. No definite amount can be given. The amount must be determined by experience. By treating honey thus you can keep it almost forever. The President. Has Mr. Betsinger had any bad effects from over-heating V Mr. Betsinger. Only from founda- tion comb. This will crumble at 135 , where natural comb will stand. The President. I had intended to bring with me a box of honey placed in a warm room, and cured too rapidly. There is no question that the honey was injured. I am not in favor of very warm rooms. In my judgment we want a moderately cool room. I think the largest honey raisers do not prefer warm rooms. I am not an advocate of brimstone. It is not often that I find it necessary. Mr. House's experience is that of very many of our best bee-keep- ers. Such boxes as seem to be affected should be kept away from the rest. I should prefer a moderately warm and very dry room. Mr. Hetherington who raises honey by the ton, does not find it necessary to use brimstone. If we use a very warm room, we shall be obliged to use brimstone. Mr. Snow. Boxes that contain any- thing darker than ordinary honey, I put away, and use brimstone on. I keep my honev up stairs, with a wire screen at the window. It is dry and warm. Mr. Betsinger to the President. It makes no difference how white the combs, are about the moths hatching. Of course they will hatch quiekerwhere there is pollen. Mr. Root objects to keeping honey in a warm temperature. but does not state his objections. He knows, however, that the temperature best for bees, from ii7 'to 102 . is best for honey. Imitate nature. Mr. House. Where men have been bothered with millers, I think that the trouble is with themselves. Keep no old combs in the hives ; keep the hives clean. Mr. Betsinger, to the President. In sulphuring the honey it does not kill the eggs. You cannot kill the eggs. The eggs will hatch at 80°. Mr. Alexander. I think the eggs will hatch at a much lower temperature. Mr. House. I think they will hatch at 45 or 5(P. Mr. Betsinger. There are two kinds of worms, one of which, of a reddish color, hatches at a lower temperature. Adjourned till 9 a. m. Met at9:30 a. m., on Feb. 12th. After appointing some committees, two essays on tl Swarming" were read. They were by A. B. Weed and D. D. Palmer. ..N. N. Betsinger. I can not see that any new ground is assumed. President Root. New ideas are what we are in search of, and Mr. Betsinger is the man to furnish them. R. Bacon. These papers take the ground that I took several years ago. After some discussion on this topic, the Secretary read an essay entitled, "A Neglected Field," by H. A. Burch. The paper suggested that the honey trade ought to be more concentrated, and only one or two houses in each city engaged in it. This would give greater uniform- ity in prices. This also gave rise to a discussion. President Root. As was suggested by Mr. Burch, why would not a commit- tee appointed by the Convention be a good plan, to report to bee journals on this subject? If we have men who have the time and means to investigate this matter, we can give them a big job. A. G. Thurber. The honey business should be concentrated. We have found that small consignments have in great measure hurt our market. The time is not far off when honey will become more staple ; but before that, producers have got to put up stock more uniformly. If we can adopt a more uniform style of box, and get a certain number of combs in the box, it would be much better for the trade— boxes as nearly the same weight as possible. You can just as well make an even 24 lb. box as 24% lbs., by placing in light or heavy combs as re- quired. I do not believe in having com- mission men compete in bee-keepers' goods. As soon as the business gets down to buying and selling only, we stand ready to take hold of it. The Secretary moved the appointment of a committee to carry out the objects of the paper of Mr. Burch. adjourned to 1:15 p. m., when all the officers of the Association were re-elec- ted. Rome was selected as the place, and the first Wednesday in February, 1881, as the time for the session of the next Convention. The President then delivered his an- nual address, which was a dissertation upon the " Best Method of Increase." Mr. A. G. Thurber then addressed the Convention on the subject of "•Market- ing Honey." He recommended a uni- formity in the style of preparing honey for market, and of grading it. The Secretary then read his paper en- titled, lw Past Events," after which some resolutions were passed, when the Con- vention adjourned until evening, which was devoted to an examination of the articles on exhibition, and receiving ex- planations from the exhibitors. Articles were on exhibition from the following persons : J. H. Nellis, A. J. King, C.F. Muth, L. C. Root, J. VanDeusen, J. Y. Detwiler, Mrs. Dunham, IS". N. Bet- singer, H. H. Cheney, J.E.Moore, J. Hoffman and A. G. Thurber. Feb. 13.— At9:30 a. m. the Convention met; Vice President Clark in the chair. The prize essays were then read on " The Races and Different Crosses of Bees," by Julius Hoffman, and " Comb Foundation," by Mrs. Dunham and J. Van Deusen. After some discussion, President Root said : I have tried foundation in almost every way. The fact that 100 combs were well sealed would not prove its grand success. What we want to know is whether, all things considered, it is profitable to use. I claim that it is so. We secure straight, handsome combs ; straighter combs than in any other way. I think we need something in the brood case to prevent sagging, but it wants further testing. I should not advise using the foundation in brood without wires. As to comb in boxes, I have ta- ken ground in my book against it; but if I were to express my views to-day, I should modify my opinions. That is because so much improvement has been made in its manufacture. I am opposed to having the foundation built out in the hives. It makes extra work. As to the amount of foundation to be placed in the box, it should reach from the top of the box so nearly to the bottom that the bees can reach it. [The afternoon session was devoted to the awarding of prizes and answer- ing of questions, for which we have no room left in this issue of the Journal. These, together with the essays, we may give hereafter.— Ed.] fetter jpVUUKT* Gibson Station, Ind., Feb. 2, 1880. 1 commenced the season of 1879 with 72 colonies ; increased to 112, and ob- tained 1800 lbs. of comb honey and 700 lbs. of extracted. It was a very poor season here. Chakles Kellar. Lizton, Ind., Jan. 27, 1880. My bees are flying freely this week, and I shall stimulate them. If the weather remains favorable, my hives will be full of brood by the time the apple trees blossom. James II. (TRear, M. D. Glasgow, Scotland, Jan. 8, 1880. Bees and bee-keepers are very quiet, at present; the bees are getting along very favorably. It is very gratifying to notice the wide-spread influence and circulation of the excellent American Bee Journal. May it long enjoy the position of leading all the publications in the world on apiculture. John I). Hutchinson. Fredericktown, O., Jan. 24, 1880. My bees are wintering nicely, they have had frequent "flights." My ex- perience proves that there are two main causes for bees dying in winter : Long confinement, and old queens. Last winter I lost % of my colonies, but not one died that had a young queen. I do not think the food has any thing to do with the disease. All had the same food, and yet some colonies died while others did not. If poor food was the cause, why did not all die alike V I will not winter a colony with a queen over 2 years old. J. Duncan, Jr. Ashland. Mo., Jan. 27, 1880. Our honey crop last year was a total failure. .My bees are in tine condition and wintering well, but it would be strange if they did not, as I never lose any in wintering. 1 have 130 colonies and have kept just about that number for several years, never varying more than a few. The losses in Missouri will be fearful this winter and spring; many large apiaries are now all dead, from starvation. The losses are much the heaviest among the black bees; they will nearly all die this winter. The past season has shown the immense superiority of Italian bees over the blacks, especially the most improved families. The best Italians are generally in good condition and will winter well. E. C. L. Larch. M. L>. Council Bluffs, Iowa. Feb. •"), 1880. I am a beginner in bee-keeping; I have 3 colonies of black bees in mova- ble-frame hives. Moth worms troubled me very much last summer, but by going through the hives carefully three and four times a week, I kept them down. I often found patches of brood about to hatch, that had been uncapped; some young bees were dead, some maimed, wings torn or entirely gone ; the cells often destroyed (that is no partition between the bees), sometimes a piece of comb 3 or 4 inches in area would crumble out, leaving a bole clear through the comb. The dead bees were usually of a gristly white color, though some were quite black. The dead bees and also the maimed, were carried out of the hive by the workers, and often the combs were repaired. Can you tell me what was the cause of this ? I have thought that the moths were to blame, but I now fear that it may be a light form of foul-brood. There was no bad odor about my bees. If I have any- thing like foul-brood I do not wish to be at the expense of Italianizing- my bees. Please answer in Bee Journal. M. M. Fay. [It certainly is not foul brood. The destruction or crumbling of the comb indicates the work of the moth worm- nothing more.— Ed.] Garden Plain, 111., Feb. 4, 1880. There will be a heavy loss among the bees that swarmed considerable last season. I am building a new work- shop and creamery, and 1 expect during the coming summer that my place will "flow with milk and honey."" R. II. Murphy. Poplar Bluff, Mo., Jan. 21, L880. This is a fine locality for bees. As a general thing bees in this country pay but little attention to buckwheat bloom there being such avast amount of other blossoms. I extracted 220 gallons of honey from 58 colonies last sprinur. I now have nearly 200 colonies. I bought over 100 this fall and winter: the most of them are very strong ; quite a num- ber are full of bees from side to Side Of the hive, across 10 combs. My bees are carrying in pollen every day and have been ever since .January 5th. The queens are filling the center combs with brood as though it was April; I never before saw them SO earlj rearing brood. 1 expect soon to commence sti inula ting them, until honey gathering is plentyso as to have them strong in numbers for the bloom ; this is half the battle in bee-culture. W. N. Ckavi.n. i:>o Jonesboro, 111., Feb. 3, 1880. In the Bee Journal, for January I noticed an article on honey-dew written by Prof. A. J. Cook. About the 7th of last May, I noticed the glands he speaks of, on my peach trees. My at- tention was called to them by the great number of bees which frequented my orchard. The glands were situated upon the stem of the leaves, and were sometimes very large and all of them kidney shaped. The bees worked on tins secretion till the end of May, when the poplar (tulip) tree bloomed. In August I noticed the same thing on the willows, but the bees did not work on them ; only the yellow jackets, wasps, hornets, &e. The dew from the willow was of a very bitter sweet taste, that from the peach was very white and sweet. I intend to pay more attention to it next summer and will send Prof. Cook specimens of the leaves. W. J. WlLLARD. [Such observations as the above will advance our art. Let us all be on the look out for these secreting plants. The glands are easily seen, as they are considerable elevations on the stem or blade of the leaf, and cannot escape close observation. The obvious tell- tales are the bees or other sweet-loving insects, which are attracted by the secreted nectar. The question is defi- nitely settled that there is real honey- dew or special secretion from other parts of plants than the flowers. Let us see from what plants.— A. J. Cook.] Crown City, O., Feb. 3, 1880. On peeping out of the window this morning, over my apiary, to my sur- prise I discovered 6 inches of snow, making every thing look gloomy, after my bees had been, during January, bringing in pollen. Luckily 60 colonies were housed, since the last of Decem- ber. Eleven were on the summer stands in 10 frame American and 10 in Langstroth hives, packed with white pine saw-dust, on the top and sides, all with plenty of honey, except 0 in-doors. I have read different modes of trans- ferring. Now here is my plan : after the comb is taken from the old box, place the frame on the table and cut the pieces to fit ; then turn the frame upon the broad side (speaking of American frame), and with strong spool thread wrap around and around, as often as need be. and carefully place them in the hive, and by the next day, the bees will cut the thread and carry it from the hive, thereby saving much trouble in taking clamps, and many other things used, from the hive. I have tried pegs, and hair wire, but give me the thread (200 yards for 5 cents). Our honey crop failed last summer, so I turned my attention to stocking my apiary with young queens. Chas. S. Newsom. P. S.— Bees are getting pollen to-day (Feb. 10), while the north hill-sides are- covered with snow, and have been for ;■*. week. C. S. N. Rockton, 111., Feb. 8, 1880. I see by Gleanings for February that Novice takes credit for the queen cage Prof. Cook took to Washington. I also see in the Bee Journal that J. L. Harris is the inventor. Is he connected with Gleanings? Bees are doing finely in Northern Illinois. They had a num- ber of good (lights in January, which we think will keep them from spring dwindling. The honey crop was light last season, and there is no surplus honey left here. D. L. Whitney. [The ruling of the Postal Department on the subject of sending queens in the mails may be found on page 121. The cage we sent by Prof. Cook to Washing- ton,was the one'made byMr. J. L. Harris. He is not in any way connected with Gleanings. Novice also sent one, but Prof. Cook says, speaking of the Harris cage, " I think yours the best." He adds, the Novice cage " is stronger but weighs more." We have not seen the Novice cage and cannot therefore speak of it, from personal knowledge. The point of special importance is never to> use honey in these cages, for feeding the bees, and to be sure to use the cage having the double- wire-screen cap. The Harris cage is now made much stronger than before.— Ed.] • Park Hill, Ont.. Feb. 9, 1880. My bees are on the summer stands, packed in shavings from a planing mill. January was very mild, and the bees had a good fly. I think they will winter well now. * D. P. Campbell. Fiskburg. Ky., Jan. 24, 1880. I began the winter with 21 colonies, they are wintering well, so far. I have only lost one queen, as far as I have examined. I am wintering on the summer stands. We have had a very mild winter up to date ; very wet and warm. Success to the American Bee. Journal. J.F.Ellis. Watertown, Wis.. Feb. ii. 1880. From an editorial article on the " Sec- tions all in one piece'1 on page 70 of the February number, the '•public'" may be led to think it is necessary to glue them. We do not recommend it, and all seem to be pleased who use them without glue. Lewis & Parks. [We did not intend to convey the idea that glue was absolutely necessary. Of course they can be used without ; but glue adds exceedingly to their strength. Perhaps experience will prove, however, that they will be sufficiently strong without— that the bee-glue will be all sufficient.— Ed.] Dundee, 111., Feb. 11, 1880. I have 84 colonies of bees in the cel- lar. They seem to be quite easy now, but have been very restless. Last sea- son was a very poor honey season. 1 obtained about 1,600 lbs. from 80 colo- nies. I was obliged, on account of the extreme dry weather, to feed consider- able of it back to them for winter. When they become uneasy in the cellar would it do, some warm' and pleasant day, to let them have a fly, and then put them back ? I am very anxious for spring to come, so that they can be put out. Fayette Perry. [Yes ; it would be best to do so. — Ed.] Embarrass, Wis., Feb. 10, 1880. We are having very mild weather for January, and there has been 8 flights for the bees ; they are wintering finely so far. The average temperature for the month is 273. We have had snow about one foot deep, and splendid sleighing. I was pleased to learn that the P. M. General had decided to let queens pass in the mails again, as I am so far from an express office that it is a great inconvenience to be obliged to depend on it to get queens, &c. Suc- cess to the American Bee Journal, and here is to the health of the Editor in nice honey, but not in any thing stronger. J. E. Breed. Salamonia. End., Feb. 18, 1880. My thanks are due to Prof. Cook and the Committee appointed by the Na- tional Association at Chicago, for the results of their exertions to get queen bees again admitted to the mails. I read the last number of the AMERICAN Bee Journal with more interest than ever. It increases in value with every number. My bees did well last season'. Out 1 lost 18 colonies during the previous winter, out of 18 ; the 2 remaining I in- creased to 1"), and traded hives and queens for 4 more making in, and ob- tained 250 lbs. of honey, mostly ex- tracted. They are doing well so far, this wilder. I wish ; II success to the Bee Journal. David \i. Knoll. Fuller's Station, N. Y., Feb. I, 1880. On Dec. 5, 1878, I put 78 colonies in my bee-house; I lost 2, and united 2, leaving 70 with which to commence the season of 1879. I have sold 6,151 lbs. of unbiassed comb honey and 488 lbs. of extracted, total 6,639 lbs. On Nov. 27, 1879, I put 88 colonies in the bee-house and left 19 on the summer stands. W. S. Ward. Burlington, Iowa, l^eb. 11, 1880. My bees have wintered well in the cellar. I shall have to feed considerably in the spring. I have 35 colonies. Thousands of colonies, in this locality, will perish for want of supplies before fruit blossoms come to their relief. If good syrup, made from "A" sugar will save mine, thev shall not die. I. P. Wilson. Anderson, Iowa, Feb. 6, 1880. The Journal for February is here and much of its contents perusei I. Eow rapidly time flies; nearly a year has passed since I spent a day at the office of the Journal, and closely examined its Museum of bee-keepers' supplies. I remember with pleasure the editor's kind and patient pains-taking, enume- rating the advantages claimed for each article— for all of which accept thanks. How easy it is to write the accounts of the doings of the busy little workers when we sit in the sunshine of a golden harvest, but when heavy dark ones shadow a year's labor, how different *} The year 1878 was a sunny one in this section, but in 1879 the clouds of disap- pointment never passed oxer. I com- menced the winter lsTs it with 80 colo- nies all in good condition. 1 packed !•"> in chaff and straw on the most approved plan ; 35 were left on the summer stands without protection. In the spring, 9 of those packed in straw had died, audi of those unprotected; leaving 70 colo- nies to commence 1S79 with. 1 led them a barrel of honey, for I always keep t be poorest honey to feed with. By the time of basswood bloom they were in fine condition, but the seven-year locusts swarmed the woods, storing all the small limbs full of eggs, especially the basswood ; as a result there was no honey, and the fall was very dry with no dews: the result can easily he imagined. I had but 160 lbs. of sur- plus honey and no increase. Would not the author of " Blessed Bees " do a good work for humanity by giving a little of this side of the bee question, instead of such exaggerated statements to deceive the over credulous V I have 400 basswood trees on my place averag- ing from 6 inches to 2 feet, all large enough to bloom profusely. What number of colonies do you think will find employment profitably, with that supply of basswood? Would 100 colo- nies be over-stocking in your opinion V William Morris. [Such a place ought to be sufficient to supply more than 100 colonies in ordi- nary seasons. — Ed.] Dowagiac, Cass Co., Mich., Feb. 10. Bees in this section (Southern Michi- gan) are in prime condition. I have lost but one out of nearly 500, all out- doors, mostly packed, one way and an- other. Those not packed seem as strong as any. The lost colony was queenless, and entirely overlooked. I will whistle again when entirely "out of the woods." James Heddon Bloomington, 111., Feb. 13, 1880. 1. Can brandy barrels be used for honey without being waxed, or can they be used at all V 2. Do you think it advisable to have the prize boxes (where separators are used) wider than two inches V 3. What is a queen yard ? Is there any contrivance, by means of which a queen that has her wing clipped, is com- pelled to return to the hive with the returning swarm ? H. W. Funk. [1. They can, but all hard- wood bar- rels should be waxed. 2. No. 3. A place used for queen-rearing is sometimes called a " queen yard." We know of no such " contrivance." — Ed.] Columbus, Wis., Feb. 11, 1880. Bees in this locality gathered very little surplus honey during the past season. Many I fear will be short of food, in their winter quarters, unless fed. I commenced last season with 0 colonies and increased to 23 ; and had 5 swarms from one hive in 7 days. Is not this rather uncommon? Some think I am mistaken, but I saw them all come out, so I am certain of it. By a streak of luck, I succeeded in rearing -r> queens from the Italian queen I re- ceived from you. I made a nucleus which started 5 queen-cells ; two of them I cut out and introduced to other colonies, after making them queenless for 48 hours. I opened the nucleus at the time for the other cells to hatch, and found a fine queen out and piping ; and the other two cells were vacated by two tine queens in less than -5 minutes. I put them under tumblers with a few workers, and went to a couple of colo- nies and killed their queens at.once and sprinkled the bees with peppermint water, as well as the young queens, and they were accepted nicely. Could any green hand have done better ? I win- ter in a dry cellar. There is quite a number of extensive bee-keepers in this county. Erastus Bowen. Elk Rapids, Mich., Jan. 12, 1880. My bees are in good condition, on the summer stands " packed " inside as well as outside. They have had several nice " play spells," January having started in quite spring-like. Geo. E. Steele. Myersville, Md., Jan. 26, 1880. The Cook's Manual, I purchased of you, a year ago, exceeded my expecta- tions, it was highly interesting and in- structive, giving minute directions for all the manipulations of the apiary. It is just the thing for a beginner, even though he has only one or two colonies. I commenced with black bees 2 years ago. After reading Prof. Cook's des- cription of the 11 points of superiorty which the Italians possess over the blacks I concluded to Italianize. Last June I procured of Mr. D. A. Pike, two beautiful Italian queens and success- fully introduced them the same day. In about 23 days I discovered young bees with three yellow bands. I was so much plensed with the conduct of the queens and their progeny that I im- mediately ordered two more Italian queens and one Albino. On July 16th, I received, and successfully introduced them. They have all produced beauti- ful workers. I have often opened the hives without protection for hands or face, and shown them to visitors and friends who are delighted with their beauty and amiability. I have yet to receive the first thrust as a sign of re- sentment from them. I agree with Prof. Cook, I would kefep only Italians or Albinos for their amiability, did that quality stand alone. W. R. Young. Poplar Bluff, Mo., Feb. 1, 1880. My bees are doing finely, gathering pollen and breeding fast. This is a tine country for bees. Our bloom is poplar, basswood, gum. grape vines, maple, lo- cust, boneset, iron weed, golden rod and white clover. The clover is a native of this climate ; in the timber we have the blackberry and others too nu- merous to mention. W. N. Craven. 5ifiU5iHC$S :rtl'7.oO. The premium Queens will in every case be tested, but not sent till after July 1st. Club names for the Bee Jouknal may be sent to as many post offices as there are names in the club. Additions can bo made to clubs at any time at the same rate. Specimen copies, Posters, and Illustrated Price List sent free upon application, for canvassing. Seeds or samples of merchandise can be mailed for one cent per ounce, Printed matter one cent for every two ounces. These must be tied up; if pasted, they are subject to letter postage. Don't send small packages by express, thatcan just as well be sent by mail. Our answer to all who ask credit is this : We sell on small margins, and cannot afford to take the risks of doing a credit business. If we did such a business, we should be obliged to add at least 10 to 20 per cent, more to our prices, to make up for those who would never pay, and to pay the expenses of keeping book- accounts with our customers- this we know our Cash customers would not think to their advantage.— This rule we must make general in order not to do injustice to any one. The cash system gives all the advantage to cash customers, while the credit sys- tem works to their injury. In justice to all we must therefore require Cash with the order. 6^* The Union Bee-Keepers' Associa- tion meets at Eminence, Ky., on April 1st, 1880. E. Dkane, Sec. pro tern. The Cortland Union Convention will be held at Cortland, N". 5T.,on Tuesday, April 6, 1880. All interested in bees are cordially invited. C. M. Bean, Sec. %ST The Central Michigan Bee-Keep- ers' Association, will convene at the New Capitol in Lansing, April 1">, 1880. An invitation is extended to all nianu- factors of apiarian supplies, who desire to exhibit their wares, to come and pre- sent them, or if consigned to the care of J. Ashworth, Ties., they will be ex- hibited. We expect a large meeting. J. Ashworth, President. Local Convention Directory. 1880. Time and Place of Meeting. April 1— Union Association, at Eminence, Ky. 6— Fireman's Hall, Cortland, N. V. 29, SO W. 111. and E. Iowa, at Monmouth, III. May 4. N. W. 111. & S. W. Wis., at Peeatonn-a, 111. 4, 5— Central Kentucky, at Lexington, Ky. 5 Southern Michigan, at Battle Creek, Mich. 25.— Northwestern Onion, at Bastings, Minn. Oct. National, at Cincinnati, Ohio. 5, 6. -Northern Michigan, at Carson City, Mich. 14— Southern Kentucky, at Louisville, Kv. Dec. 8.— Michigan State, at Lansing, Mich. 1881. Feb. 2— Northeastern, at Home, N. Y. jy In order to have this Table complete. Secreta- ries are requested to forward full particulars of time and place of future meetings.— Ed. Honey and Beeswax Market. BUTTERS' QUOTATIONS. cine \<;<>. HONEY. -White clover, in single-comb sections, llii.i 18c: when with more than one comb in a box, 2c. per lb. less. Extracted, 8®10c. BEESWAX.— Prime choice yellow, 20C .< C. F. MCTH. SAN FRANCISCO. HONEY.— Comb. 12>0<«h. it One-piece Sections, per 1,000 0.00(a) t .00 3 «J. OxtTMAN * SONS, Dundee, 111. J. m7 BROOKS & BRO'Sr Golden Italians. Fine Tested Queens a specialty. Send for Cir- cular, and nee what others say of them. Columbus, Ind., Box (54. 3-9 Full Colonies of Yellow Bees, in the best condition ; honey by the barrel or less. 1-tf .). M. MARVIN, St. Charles, Kane Co., 111. CHEAP BEES. About 50 Colonies in pood, Movable-Comb Hiyea, atJ5.00each. K. A. GASTMAN, Decatur, 111. Itt)T7T7 To any address, a sample copy of { KJCilii SKIUI-TROPIC CALIFORNIA. Tells ALL ABOUT Southern California, how, when and where to so. Address, 3-lt CARTER «fc RICE, Los Angeles, Cal. THE LATEST IMPROVED COMPOUND-GEAR me. No lost motion in the searing— may be turned either way. The machine is warranted to do the work like tnc sample. The rollers are made of the best type metal. The prices.are as follows : No. 1— Rollers 12 inches long, 4 in. diameter $75 00 "2 12 " "2 " .... 40 00 "3 " 9 " " 2 " .... 25 00 "4 " 0 " "2 " .... 15 00 Sample of Foundation made on this machine sent on receipt of 3 cent stamp. 3 C. OLM, Fond du Lac, Wis. 1880. 1880. REV.A.SALISBURY, CAMABGO, ILL., Pure Italian Queens, Bees, Foundation Combs. Honey Extractors, Dunham Foundation Machines, &c. Send for circular. 3-8 SEND FOR PRICES OF Lan^stroth Simplicity Hives, Sections, Frames and Comb Foundation, Manufactured by MERRIAM «fc FALCONER, 3-lt Jamestown, N. Y. Hale's Price-List. Send for my price-list of Bees, Queens. Nuclei, &c, for Piso. Early Queens a specialty. Address, 2-11 E. W. MALE, WirtC. H.,W. Va. 155 FOREMOST in the rank of supply dealers. J. H. NELLIS, At the end of the first year in his large brick factory, would invite attention to his unexcelled facilities for supplying Bee Hives, Honey Boxes, Shinpinq Crates, Bee Feeders, Honey and Wax Extrac- tors, Knives, Queen Cages, Smokers, <£c. Also, Italian and Cyprian Queens, Full Colonies, Nuclei, &c. We are positively head- quarters for COMB FOUNDATION. We make and keep in stock Drone and Worker Foundation made on the Root Machine; also K1.AT BOTTOMED FOIXMATION, both wired and the thin tor boxes. We have just purchased a ma chine, and can manufacture and supply the 1HT>- HAM FOI'MIATIOX. We guar an 1 ui Foundation to be as good as the best on the market. We pay the highest cash price for beeswax, or work it on Shares. Our Bee-Keepers' Exchange, is a monthly, at tUc. per year, six months for 38c; three months for SOe. No live bee-keeper can afford to be without it. Our price list is free to all, and is a cyclopedia of useful information. Write to J. H. NELLIS, 3 Cana jolmrie. X. Y. Sent Free! Thoughts for BeerKpepers, Giving BOTTOM PRICES on all kinds of Bee- Keepers' Supplies. Address, 3-4 G. P. McDOl'IJ A I.E, Indianapolis, Ind. CHEAPEST AND BEST EXTRACTOR Send JS2.50, and receive the livings complete, witii printed Instructions tor inserting In a barrel, thus making as efficient an extractor as is to be found anywhere, without exception. Always send the out- side measure of frames when ordering. This adver- tisement is for the whole season. \V>«. THOMSON. 3-lt 1051 Grand Itiver Avenue. Detroit. Mich. 'Price Eixt Tor 1880, of Italian Bees, Queens, 4 frame Nuclei, and Apiarian Sup- plies, Sent Free. Address, H. H. KKOW.\, Light Street, Col. Co., Pa. Italian Bees anil Queens. Send tor I'rue List ot Full C nits. Nuclei. Queens, I'.ee Hives, Comb Foundation, and Bee-Keepers' Suppliesgen- erallv. Satisfaction guaranteed. A. K. STAUFFBB, Sterling, Whiteside Co., 111. 3-lt "WORKER COMB.— 25 Extracting Hives, with frames 8x11, $1.00 apiece. Also, 15 volumes .it the BEE JOURNAL, bound complete, at $1.00 a volume. 3-lt ». C. MILLETT, Holmesburg, 1'enn. HAVING LOST! by the burning of our residence, January 31, 1880, our entire list of names, as well as correspondence, accounts, &*., we are unable to send out our new cir- culars for 1880, therefore, we ask one and all to send us their names and addresses. Everett's Honey Extractor has been before the public until it needs no com- ment, but we wish to call special attention to EVERETT'S LANOSTROTHjHIVE. Though advertised but a single season, it has been in general use for years in our vicinity, with our best apiarists. Our sales the past season were flattering, and anticipating large sales in the coining season, we shall continue the manufacture of the Everett Lang- stroth exclusively; and notwithstanding the advance in the price of all kinds of materials, we shall adopt our very low prices of 1879 for this season. Our frames and inside dimensions of hives are the same as the Standard Ijangstroth as made by Novice and others. Send for Circulars. Address, EVERETT BROS., Toledo, 0. The Croiening Culmination! A $5 Book for $2,501! MOORE'S UNIVERSAL ASSISTANT, tfSth, -1 n tl Cotnp lete Mechanic, j£)S»jfc Enlarged Edition, contains over/ fgSfjm 1 ,000,000 Industrial Facts, Oalcula-* ^CS2jFtii>ns, Processes, Trade Secrets, Legal Items, Business Forms, etc., of vast utility to every Mechanic, Farmer, and Business Man. Gives200,000 items for Gas, Steam, Civil and Wining Engineers, Machinists Millers, Blacksmiths, Founders, Miners, Metallurgists Assayers Plumpers Gas and Steam Fitters, Bronzers, Gilder . Metal and Wood Workers of every kind. Builder', Manufr'a and Mechanics. COO Engravings of Mill, Steam, and Mining Machinery, Tools, Sheet Meta! Work, Mechanical Movements, Plans or Mills, Roofs, Bridges, etc. Arrangement and Speed of Wheels, rulleys, Drums, Belts, Saws, Boring, Turning, Planing, & Drilling Tools, Flour, Oatmeal, Saw, Shingle. Paper, Gotton, Woollen & Fulling Mill Machinery. Sugar. Oil, Marble, Threshing & Hulling Mill, do.. Cotton Gins, Presses, &o. Strength of Teeth, Shafting, Belting Fric- tion, Lathe Gearing, Screw Cutting, Finishing Enuino Building. Repairing and Operating, Setting of Valves. Eccentrics, Link & Valvo Motion, Steam Packing, Pipe & Boiler Covering, Scale Preventives, Steam Heating, Ventilation, Gas & Water Works, Hydraulics, Mill Dams, Horse Power of Streams, etc. On Blast Furnaces, Iron & Steel Manufacture. Prospecting and Exploring for Minerals, Quartz and Placer Mining, Assaying, Amalga- mating, etc. 461 Tables with 500,000 Calculations in all possible forms for Mechanics, Merchants and Farmers, 801) items for Printers Publishers and Writers for the Press. 1,000 items for Grocers, Con- fectioners, Physicians Druggists, etc. 300 Health items. 500 do. for Painters, Varniahers. Gilders, etc. 500 do. for Watchmakers & Jewelers. 400 do. for Hunters, Trappers, Tanners, Leather & Rubber Work. Navigation, Telegraphy, Photography, Book-keening, etc., in detail. Strength of Materials Effects of fleait. Fuel Values, Specific Gravities, Freights by rail ana water— a Car Load, Stowage in Ships Power of Steam, Water, Wind, Shrinkage of Castings, etc. 10.000 items for Housekeepers Farmers Gardeners, Stock Owners Bee-keepers Lumbermen, etc. Fertilizers, full details. Rural Economy, Food Values. Care of Stock, Remedies for do., to increase Crops Pest Poisons, Training Horses Steam Power on Farms. Lightning Calculator for Cubic Measures, Ready Reckoner, Produce, Rent, Board. Wages, Interest, Coal & Tonnage Tables. Land, Grain, Hnv,& Cattle Measurement. Se d. Ploughing. Planting & Breeding Tables, Contents of Granaries, Cribs. Tanks, Cisterns, Boilers. Logs. Boards, Scantling, etc., at siaht. Business Forms, all kinds Special Laws of 10 States Ter- ritories ami Provinces (in the U.S. and Canada), relating to the Coll. of Debts, Exemptions from Forced Sale, Mechanics' Lien, the Jurisdiction of Courts, Sale of Real Estate, Rights of Married Women, Interest and Usury Laws, Limitation of Actions, etc. "Forms complete treatises on the different subjects. ' — Set. Am. ' The work contains 1,016 pages, is a veritable Treasury ui Useful Knowledge, and worth its weight in gold to any Mechanic, Business Man, or Farmer. Free by mail, in fine cloth, for $2.50; in leather, for $3.50. Address THOMAS «. NEWMAN «fc SON, 972 and 974 West Madison Street, Chicago, 111. FTy> WAX- EXTRACTORS. AMRX-sumfS Cyprian and Italian Queens and Nuclei.— A Descriptive Price List will be sent free. 1-3U Julius Hoffman, Fort Plain, Mont. Co., N. Y. i c- •.■-■• ■ ,.; '_■ "V .' ■; . By _A._ J*. OOOKI, Professor of Entomology in the Michigan State Agricultural College. Published by THOMAS G. NEWMAN & SON, Chicago. 386 pp. large l«mo. ; 113 Illustrations. It comprises a full delineation of the anatomy and physiology of the honey-bee, illustrated with costly wood engravings— the Products of the Honey-Bee ; the Races of Bees ; full descriptions of honey-producing plants, trees, shrubs, etc., splendidly illustrated— and last, though not least, detailed instructions for the various manipulations necessary in the apiary. This work is a masterly production, and one that no bee-keeper, however limited his means, can afford to do without It is fully up with the times on every conceivable subject, that interests the apiarist. It is not only instruc- tive.'but intensely interesting and thoroughly practical, after tins work was issued from the press, fKRI copies were disposed of— a sale unprecedented Read a few of the many notices trie Press has given it. Vrfce«-Roiinu 3n Cloth, SI. 35; Paper Cover, Sl.OO. The following are among the many commendations received by the publishers -A.IPIE'IREOIA.TIVE: NOTICES: All agree that it is the work of a master and is of real value.— L'Apiculture, Paris. I think Cook's Manual is the best of our Ameri- can works.— Lewis T. Colby, Enfleld, N. H. It appears to have cut the ground f.-om under future book-makers for some time to come.— British Bee. Journal. "Is a masterly production, and one that no bee- keeper, however limited his means, can afford to do without.— Nebraska Farmer. Prof. Cook's valuable Manual has been mv con- stant guide in my operations and successful manage- ment of the apiary.— J. P. WEST, Wells, Minn. I have derived more practical knowledge from Prof. Cook's New Manual of the Apiarv than from any other book.— E. H. Wynkoop, Catsk'ill, N. Y. This book is just what every one interested in bees ought to have, and which, no one who obtains it, will ever regret having purchased.— Michigan Farmer. To all who wish to engage in bee-culture, a manual is a necessity. Prof. Cook's New Manual sup- plies this need, as it is an exhaustive work.— Herald, Monticello. III. My success has been so great as to almost astonish myself, and much of it is due to the clear, dis- interested information contained in Cook's Manual. - Wm. Van Antwerp, M. D., Mt. Sterling, Ky. This book is pronounced by the press and leading bee men to be the most complete and practical treatise on bee culture in Europe or America ; a scientific work on modern bee management that every experienced bee man will welcome, and it is ! essential to every amateur in bee-culture. It is handsomely printed, neatly bound and is a credit to the West to publish such a book.— Western Agricul- turist, This work is undoubtedly the most complete manual for the instruction of bee-keepers which has ever been published. It gives a full explanation regarding the care and management of the apiary. There is no subject relating to the culture of bees left untouched, and in the compilation of the work Prof. Cook has had the advantage of all the previous knowledge of apiarists, which he uses admirably to promote and make popular this most interesting of all occupations.— American Inventor. It is the latest book on the bee, and treats of both the bee and hives, with their implements. It is of value to all bee raisers.— Ky. Live Stock Record. With Cook's Manual I am more than pleased. It is fully up with the times in every particular. I hope the richest reward awaits its author.— A. E. Wkn- zel, Callicoon, N. Y. It is a credit to the author as well as to the pub- lishers. I have never vet met with a work, either French or foreign, which I like so much.— E'Abl.e l)u Bois, editor of the Bulletin D'Apiculteur, France. It not only gives the natural history of these in- dustrious insects, but also a thorough, practical, and Clearly expressed series of directions for their management ; also a botanical description of honey producing plants, and an extended account of the enemies of bees.— Democrat, Pulaski, N, Y. We have perused with great pleasure this vade mecum of the bee-keeper. It is replete with the best information on everything belonging to apiculture. To all taking an interest in the subject, we say, ob- tain this valuable work, read it carefully, and practice as advi*e<\.— Agriculturist . Quebec, Canada. Itmay safely be pronounced the most complete and comprehensive of the Beverftl manuals which have recently appeared on the subject ol beea and their handling in apiaries. The studies of the structure of the bee, the different varieties, the various bee pro- ducts, and following these the points of manage- ment, extending to the smallest details, are all of high and practical value. Prof. Cook has presented the very latest phases of progressive bee-keeping. and writes of the themes discussed in the light of his own experience with them. -Pacific Bural Press. Of the many excellent works which we have ex- amined on bee culture, recently, we consider Prof. Cook's the most valuable for the study of those who contemplate going Into the business or are already keeping bees. II thoroughly studied, and its teach- ings conformed to. by the apiarist, who exercises a reasonable degree of common sense, he or she can- not fail to achieve at least a reasonable degree of success. The large sale Of this volume, while evi- dence of its intrinsic worth, strongly marks the increasing interest which is being taken in the man- agement and care of bees throughout the country. The author addresses himself to the work with a degree of enthusiasm which carries his reader along with him to the end.— Kansas Fanner. It is printed in the best stvle of the art, on tine book paper, and superbly illustrated. Price, bound in cloth, »1. 35 ; in paper, &I.OO, postpaid. Per dozen : cloth, 1*13.00 ; paper, >l>. ..<>. THOMAS G. NEWMAN & SON, 972 & 974 West Madison St., Chicago, 111. As Cheap as the Cheapest, AND As Good as the Best! 4J4x41/4 section boxes, per 100, 50c. . .per 1000. . .$5 00 Prize boxes " TOc... " ... 6 00 Good Colonies of Italian Bees, in 8-f i-ame Langstroth Hives, in May, $S.0O ; 2 for $15.00 ; 10 and over, *(>.00 each ; after May, $1.00 less each colony. Take your choice at the price. Tested Queens, from Imported Mothers, in May, $3.00 ; after May, $2.00. Untested Queens, in May, $1.50 ; after May, $1.00. I have had 23 years' experience with bees in Lang- stroth hives, and 17 with Italian Bees and have been extensively engaged in the bee business for 11 years. I have now nearly 700 colonies. I have manufactured my own supplies for a number of years with steam power; though I have been engaged in other pur- suits. I now intend to make the bee business and its connections a specialty. With my experience, and no other business to look after. I think I will be able to satisfy my customers in every particular. Comb Foundation manufactured by the pound and on shares. My facilities for shipping are such that orders can often be ailed the same day they are received. To those who may favor me with their patronage, I will try and make it a mutual advantage to us both. Cash must accompany the order. All my goods warranted. Cash paid for beeswax. Honey bought and sold. IS" Price List Free. I. S. CROWFOOT, 1-12 Hartford, Wis. H E ADQUARTERS FOB EARLY ITALIAN QUEENS. Imported and Home-bred. Full Colonies and Nu- cleus Colonies. For quality and purity of stock, it cannot be excelled by any in America. If you want Queens or Bees, Hives, Extractors, Comb Foundation, Smokers, or Bee Fixtures of any kind, send for my new Circular. Address, DR. J. P. H. BROWN, l-fi Augusta, Ga. O-ur FLAT BOTTOM COMB FOUNDATION, nth high sharp side-walls, 10 to 14 feet o the pound, has been used the past eason in FULL SIZE SHEETS in Surplus Soxes, adding LARGELY to the YIELD and to makket value of the honey. The wired foundation does not sag, and gives general satisfaction. Circular and samplos free. This foundation is patented, and no infringements allowed. J. TAN DEUSEIV «fc SONS, Sole Manufacturers, 1-ti Sprout Brook, Mont. Co., N. Y. CONNER, BURNETT & CO., 105 South Water Street, Chicago, General Commission Merchants, MAKE SPECIALTY OF HONEY. Refer to : Preston, Kean & Co., Bankers, Chicago ; H. A. Burch & Co., South Haven, Mich. 10-tf COFFINBERRY'S Excelsior Honey Extractor Sizes and Prices : No. 1.— For 2 Langstroth frames. 10x18 inches... $8 00 " 2.— For 2 American Frames, 13x13 inches 8 00 •' 3.— For 2 frames, 13x20 inches or less 12 00 " 4.— For 3 ' " 12 00 " 5— Fori " " " " 14 00 Having made many im- provements in the EX- CELSIOR EXTRACTOR for 1879, it is now offered to the Bee-Keepers of America as the MOST PERFECT MACHINE in the MARKET. The uni- versal favor with which the EXCELSIOR EX- TRACTOR was received in 1878, has induced other manufacturers to adopt several of its improve- ments. My experience and experiments of last season, with the assistance and suggestions of skillful workmen, have enabled me to perfect an Extrac- tor that cannot be ex- celled, and fan only l»e equaled by being closely imitated. Some of its advantages are as follows : It is made entirely of metal, It is light, biit has attachments for fastening down to a platform. It can be in- stantly taken to pieces for cleaning, having no rusty screws to take out or nuts to remove. The top or cross-band, to which is attached the gearing, is wrought iron, three inches broad, with the ends turned down in such manner as to thoroughly brace and strengthen the can and hold the basket firmly in an upright position. The strong over-motion gearing, so necessary to ease in running and speedy operating, was designed and is manufactured expressly for the Excelsior. A child ten years of age can operate the machine as rapidly as it can be supplied with combs. The Comb Basket havino vertical sides, insures the extracting power alike for top and bottom of frames. The sides of the basket being movable and inter- changeable, greatly facilitate the operation of dust- ing before and thoroughly cleaning after use. It has a small comb-holder for extracting pieces of comb or partly-filled sections. At the bottom of the can, and below the basket, is a cone or metal standard, in the top of which revolves the bottom pivot of the basket, thereby giving room for sixty or seventy pounds of honey without touch- ing the basket or pivot below. Nos.3, 4 and 5, have neatly-fitting covers, morable sliding sides to the baskets, and movable strainers covering the canal to the faucet, whereby all honey can be drawn off without a particle of sediment. The baskets of Nob. 4 and 5 have no center rod running from top to bottom, which will be found very convenient by those who uncap both sides of the comb before putting in the basket, as they can be turned without removal. The wire baskets are very neat specimens of skill- ful workmanship, thoroughly braced at every point where experience has proven it to be most requisite, and nothing has been omitted that could add to its efficiency. The No. 4, for three frames, has a triangular bas- ket, movable sides, no center rod, runs smoothly re- gardless of number of frames, and is fast supersed- ing the demand for four-sided baskets. A LOWER PRICED MACHINE being called for by those having but few colonies, and not making a specialty of bee-keeping, 1 have made a special size to take the Langstroth frame, and one for the American, to sell at SS8.00 each. These have no covers or strainer, and are smaller than the $12.00 and #14.00 sizes, but for the frames named are equal to the others for effective work, and are the best cheap Extractors made. E#~A liberal discount to dealers. Address, C. C. COFFISBERRT, Or American Bee Journal, Chicago, 111. My Annual Catalogue of Vegetable and Flow- er Seed for 1880, rich in engravings from photographs of the originals, will be sent free to all who apply. My old customers need not write for it. I offer one of the largest collections of vegetable seed ever sent out by any seed house in America, a large portion of which were grown on my six seed farms. Full direc- tions for cultinition on each package. All seed war- ranted to be both fresh ami true to name, so far, that should It prove otherwise, / irill refill the order gratis. The original introducer of the Hubbard Squash, Phinney's Melon, Marblehead Cabbages, Mexican Corn, and scores of other vegetables, I invite the patronage of all who are anxious to have their seed di- rectly from the grower, fresh, true and of the very best strain. New Vest>taHlc« a Speciality. 12-4 JAMES J. It. CiREtJORY, Marblehead, Mass. ~FOR~SALE, A SMALL FAK1I OF SO ACRES, with a good orchard, house, and good well of water. Also, an APIARY that will be sold very low. BEES to sell at 13.00 to $0.00 per colony. Address, BECKTELL BROS., 3-4 New Buffalo, Berrien Co., Mich. My Self-Hiving Apparatus Will hive your bees, without your attention or assist- ance, and will not fail one time in one hundred. See American Bee Journal for January, 1880, page 56. JOSEPH WILLIAMS, 2-tf Tates Springs, East Tenn. SUBSCRIBE FOR THE Bee-Keepers' Instructor, A monthly devoted exclusively to Bee-Culture ; only SO Cents a year. Sample copy free. Address, SAMTTEL D. RIEGEL, 2-7 Adelphi, Ross County, Ohio. BEFORE PURCHASING supplies for your apiary, send a postal card with your name, and if you will do us the kindness, the names of your bee-keeping neighbors, for our illustrated catalogue of apiarian supplies of every description, sample section box and comb foundation. We wish to present them to every reader of this Journal, and hence offer them FREE. Please send your name at once. Special attention given to rearing Italian Queens and Bees. %W The highest price paid for Beeswax. 1-8 J. C. & H. P. S AYLES, Hartford, Wis. Friendo, if you are in any way interested in BEES OR HONEY We will with pleasure send you a sample copy of our Monthly Gleanings in Bee-Culture, with a descriptive price-list of the latest improve- ments in Hives, Honey Extractors, Artificial Comb, Section Honey Boxes, all books and journals, and everything pertaining to Bee Culture. Nothing Patented. Simply send your address on a postal card, written plainly, to A. I: Root, Medina, O. Leather-Colored Italian {Jaeens.- Full Col- nies. $10.00 ; Yearlings from old colon7. $4.50 ; War- ranted Tested Queens, $3.50 ; 3-Combs Nuclei, 8- frame Hive, $4.00 ; Laying Queens. $2.50. Address, 4-ltif J. 3. II5E, Climax, Mich. CHEAP HIVES, AND CHEAP SECTIONS. The BEST BEE HIVES, HONEY BOXES, SEC- TIONS, SECTION CASES, BROOD FRAMES, SHIP- PING CRATES, Etc., for the Least Money. We make the LEWIS SECTION, all in one piece -the FINEST IN THE WORLD. We will sell our No. 2, or second quality hives, at 20 cents per hive less than our first quality. Our Price List gives prices of our No. 1 hive only. V&~ Send for Price-List. LEWIS & PARKS, 12 Watertown, Wis. Headquarters for the Best Queens & Colonies IN THE UNITED STATES. As I make Queen-rearing a specialty, I guarantee to those ordering from me, just what they bargain for. J2^~ Circulars free. Address, D. A. PIKE, 2-5 Box 19, Smithsburg, Washington Co., Md. CLEAR AHEAD! WE LEAD IN SMOKEBS1 Our new invention of a DOUBLE BLAST Smoker is pronounced the finest improvement ever made on smokers. No more sparks or ashes in the hive. Doolittle says : "The arrangement to change the draft so as to make it a cold-blast, after the Are is kindled, places it ahead of any smoker in the mar- ket by a long way." So say all who see and test it. Don't fail to see an illustration and description of it. Prices— Large. 2!^ inch tube, $1.50 ; medium, 2 inch tube, $1.25 ; small. 1% inch tube, without double- blast attachment, 75 cents. Dust box and extra noz- zle with large size, 25 cents extra. By mail, 35 cents extra each. Quinhy's New Bee-Keeping, By L. C. ROOT. This is the most practical work published. It con- tains 11 (Oil lustrations, including an excellent portrait of M. Quinby. Price, by mail, #1.5©. We sell everything used by practical bee-keepers. Send for our illustrated circular. L. C. ROOT A BRO., 2-12 Mohawk. Herk. Co.. N. Y. HEADQUARTERS FOB. APIARIAN SUPPLIES! Our facilities for manufacturing Hives, Crates, Sections, &c, are first class. Before ordering, tell us what you want ; we can do you good. We furnish Comb Foundation, Extractors, Smokers, Knives, &c. Queens, Nuclei and Full Colonies a specialty. HIRAM ROOP, 2-tf Carson City, Montcalm Co., Mich. Italian Queens or Colonies. Eighteen years' experience in propagating Queen Bees from imported mothers from the best districts of Italy. Persons purchasing Queens or Colonies from me will get what they bargain for. Send for circular. WBK. W. GARY, 3-tf Colerain, Franklin Co., Mass. 164 FRANCES DUUHAM, . Inventor and Sole Manufacturer of the Dunham Foundation MACHINE. 1 3 inch rolls $57. OO » " " 3S.OO « " " 37.00 •* " " 19.00 Dealer in All Articles Necessary in the Apiary. Dunham Foundation a Specialty. \W Circular and Samples free. _jgl DEPERE, BROWN' CO., WIS. 2-6 Brother Bee-Keepers : I will have mv SEW COMB-REVERS1S6 EXTRACTOR (ex- tracts both sides by reversing machine), ready for the market in March. Also, a full assortment of the best Apiary Supplies cheaper than ever. SyDescriptive Catalogue sent free to anyaddress. W. G. WALTON, Hamilton, Canada. N. B.— For the convenience of American Bee- Keepers, I have completed arrangements with par- ties in Buffalo, N. V., to manufacture my Extractor for the United States. 2-7 Land in Florida for Sale. Timber Land in Northern Florida— 640 acres— about 50 miles south of the Georgia line, 25 miles west of Tallahassee, and near the Apalachicolariver. Title clear and unincumbered. Will sell cheap for cash, or trade for a farm, apiary or other property. Address, with particulars, FLORIDA LAND, care American Bee Journal, Chicago, 111. THE ORIGINAL DIRECT-DRAFT OR BINGHAM PERFECT SMOKER. Patented Jan. 9, 1878. Re-issued July 9, 1878. If you buy a Bingham Bee Smoker you are sure of the best and cheapest, and that you are not liableto prosecution for its use. The largest and most scientific bee-keepers use Bingham Smokers, some using as many as fifteen in their various apiaries. No Bingham Smoker has ever been returned. No letter has ever been received complaining that our Smokers did not give entire satisfaction : but we have ceived hundreds of letters expressing the most unbounded satisfaction and preciation of our invention. The Extra Large Smoker and the Extra Standard for 1880, will have our new extra wide shields, which entirely protect the hands and bellows from heat and remove the danger of burning the fingers. Practical bee-keepers will find these wide shields an important improvement. The Plain Standard and Little Wonder Smokers will be better than ever before, and superior to any imitation smokers, whatever their size may be. Hundreds of them have been in constant use three seasons, and are now as good as new. One dollar and a half is not much for the use of such an instrument three seasons ; is it ? BINGHAM & HETHERINGTON HONEY Patented KNIFE. May 20, 1879. It is a large, strong, durable knife, polished and tempered like a razor, and so formed and sharpened as to cut both ways, over hills and through hollows all the same, without dropping a cap on the honey. The most world-renowned, practical and scientific Bee-Keepers in Europe and America pronounce it " the best Honey Knife ever made." Extra Large Smokers 2\i inch, $1 50 Extra Standard Smoker 2 " 1 25 Plain Standard Smoker 2 " 1 00 Little Wonder Smoker, $3.00 per half-dozen ; each 1^ " 75 Bingham & Hetherington Knife 1 00 Bingham miles Cor honey, I think !00col- onies would over-stock most localities. In conclusion I would say. if all colo- nies are strong and in proper shape to take advantage of the honey harvest when it comes, there will be less cry of over-stocking than therehas been inthe past. Get the bees, and they will get the honey, if it is secreted within 4 miles of vou. Borddino, N. Y., March, 1880. Pot the American 15 New Queen Cages for the Mails. JOS. M. BROOKS. I send you one of my Safety Queen Shipping Cages, as illustrated and des- cribed in Gteaninqs for March, page b's. It is roughly made on accounl of the center-bit being dull, but will give vou the idea. I also send you. as I did Mr. Root, a piece of perforated tin to cover the bees, because 1 have no wire-cloth suitable. Wire-cloth should be used that has been re-tinned after it is woven. then the wires will all be firmlysoldered together and not rave] out, when punched or cut to tit the cage. Please examine this cage, and if in your judg- ment it seems to be the strongest, safest and best for our purpose. others, say so as soon as possible, that shippers "may take advantage of the fact, and use them. I do not propose to patent them, and at present, have no machinery to manufacture them. All I ask is that we use whatever is the safest cage, and guard against having the use of the mails denied us again. I think this cage has many advantages over others offered for the purpose, such as safety from being damaged, shape, cheapness, &c. Let it stand on its own merits, if any. Columbus. Ind.. March 5, 18S0. [The cage is a good one. and would have answered the purpose of sending queens through the mails, if the ruling of the Postmaster General had been in accordance with its formation, but as that is not the case, it will not do to attempt to us" it in the mails. If one deviation from the requirements of the postal law, be permitted, why not another, or many of them V And then any regulation describing the cage to be admitted in the mails is a farce ! If we attempt to use any other cage than one having a " double wire screen " having V4 of an inch between the two pieces of wire cloth, we shall soon see the ruling of the department reversed, and the mails forever closed against bees and queens ! All who intend to use the mails for sending queens, should carefully read over, again and again, the letter of the P. M. General, on page 121, of the Journal for March. Let all be careful how they act in this matter —and then we may long enjoy the boon for which we have so dilligently labored. Since the above was in type the fol- lowing letter from the Rev. A. Salis- bury, and a sample of his cage, have come to hand : Carmago, 111., March 11, 1880. Friend Newman : I send you a Queen Shipping Cage, that as to safety, in every respect, fills the letter of the law. It has no double, or even a single wire cloth over it. The fact that a "double wire screen" is named in the postal law or decision, does not make wire screens necessary to fill the order, when the opening of the cage is covered with a solid board. The object as I un- derstand it, was to secure safety from leakage of honey, stinging by bees, and fright upon the p rt of clerks working for " Uncle Sam.''1 These three objects are well secured in the cage. I have used the cage for two years past, in the mails at times, and by express. If I am mistaken about my cage meeting the design of the law, say so, and why. I expect to use it in the mails, unless there is something about it that would do an injury to our craft. A. Salisbury. It consists of a small nailed box, X% inches square and o% inches in length, made similar to a section for comb honey, with strips of wood, y8 of an inch narrower than the space on each side, nailed on where the glass is put on sections. The sides are wide enough to project % of an inch beyond these strips, to admit air to the bees, no mat- ter how it may be placed. Two of these projections were broken off when it came to hand, showing that it was hardly strong enough to endure the rough handling such gets, while in the mails. It contains candy at one end and a small piece of sponge at the other. As liquids are unmailable, the latter is useless. The cage is an ingenious one, and would have been all right, had not the requirements of the postal department stated explicitly that the cage contain- ing queens shall not only conform "to the provisions of Sec. 223 of the laws and regulations," but also "with the ad- ditional security of a double unre or per- forated tin screen for cover,'''' after the manner of the one submitted by Prof. Cook, the representative of the National Bee-Keepers' Association." These are the exact words of the order issued and signed by the Post- master General. To deviate from this, is but to invite a reversal for all time to come, of the " temporary suspension " granted to us I The efforts that the National Asso- ciation has put forth, the money that some of us have expended to push it to a successful issue, the frequent rebuffs we have had, and the wording of the new Order for a "temporary suspen- sion"— all warn us not to trifle with a matter so important, by disregarding the requirements of the Order, and by assuming that anything else will do as well as the cage designated. We do not wish to be dictatorial, but must insist upon the use of no other than the cage with " a double wire screen," when sending queens through the mails. Some have said that we are interested in a particular cage, and im- pugn our motives for being so particu- lar about this matter. Let us say once for all, that such are only mean and contemptible insinuations, without the least shadow of truth. We have no in- terest, other than a retailer's profit, in any article that we sell. We, however, do not belong to that class, who imagine that no man can be honest and just, if he manufactures or sells supplies for the apiary. Some of the best and most upright men in the world are engaged in this business, and we hope never to become so depraved as to assert that the opinions of those who are our competitors in business are un- j ust or their practices dishonest, because they are dealers in or manufacturers of bee-keepers' supplies ! — Ed.] For the American Bee Journal. Experience with "The Queen Yard." J. M. S. The inquiry about a " Queen Yard," on page 152," March number of Bee Jouknal, awakened memories of an odd experience with that same ''con- trivance," a number of years ago. The device was intended to confine the departing queen, in the act of swarm- ing, near the entrance of the hive ; the worker bees and drones being allowed to fly, so that when the bees had re- turned to the hive the queen could also readily return to the brood-nest. The " queen yard " was simply a light box about 8 inches long, 5 inches wide and 2 inches deep ; an entrance cut at one end to correspond with the entrance to the hive, so that when the box was placed upon the alighting board in front of the hive, the bees would pass from the hive into the box before tak- ing flight. Strips of glass 2 inches wide were fixed at the top of the box so as to Eroject inward from the edges of the ox, the width of the glass, all around, to prevent the queen, her wings being clipped, from getting out and being lost. The theory of this invention at the time seemed correct and some sleep was probably lost between the reading of the description and the completion of a properly constructed queen yard. The contrivance was completed and placed at the entrance of a hive whose queen was worth many dollars, and must not be lost, if possible to be prevented. The swarm issued, the queen came forth reluctantly, capered around in that yard awhile and returned safely. How nicely stock in an eminent apiarist went up amazingly ! The next day that colony was in the air again, and the valuable queen did not appear, the swarm settled quietly, high in the air, on a hickory limb, just like a second swarm. The valuable queen was dead, a new queen with the swarm and the business of queen-rear- ing going on lively in the parent hive. That queen yard was then picked up, sadly, thoughtfully, and somewhat doubtfully, and placed in front of a hive of hybrids " about 60,000 strong which were threatening to swarm every minute. In a day or two out came the swarm, pell mell, thousands at a time, tumbling over each other and filling that queen yard full of struggling bees, determined to swarm at all haz irds, and that queen climbed over those bees to terra firma, bound for freedom ; easy enough, plenty of bees to walk over and she walked. That queen yard went where so much good material has gone— into kindling wood; like many other inventions i* worked best when the bees were not present. As the queen yard was not successful . the inventor need neither be hunted up nor named. He simply made a mistake which he was afterwards swift to correct. For the American Bee Journal. Centennial Exposition at Nashville. s. c. DODGE. The following are the rules govern- ing entries and exhibits at the Centen- nial Exposition, Nashville, Tenn.: 1. The building and grounds shall be open for the reception of articles for exhibition on Thursday, April 5, and remain open for the reception of articles until Thursday, April 22. On Friday, April 23, at 7 p.m., the building and grounds will be opened with appropriate ceremonies, and continue open day and night (Sundays excepted) from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., until Saturday, May 20, 1880. 2. Applications for space should be made upon the printed forms furnished by the board, and forwarded to B. J. McCarthy, chairman of the committee on classification and assignment of space. The above may be of interest to the Tennessee apiarists and supply dealers generally. There are no premiums. It is simply an advertising scheme, and will be a first-rate one. I have made application to the board and they have consented to " admit bees in glass cases on exhibition, with a guarantee that they arc safely con- fined If the bee-keepers should wish to give premiums, we can accommo- date their display." So says the secretary"- Chattanooga, Tenn., March 11, 1880. [Mr. Dodge, who is Vice President of the North American Bee-Keepers1 So- ciety for Tennessee, is evidently push- ing matters vigorously in the right direction. A proper and systematized effort on the part of all the officers of the National Society, assisted by the State, District and Local Societies, will do much in placing bee-keeping where it properly belongs— among the most important interests of the country. Much remains yet to be accomplished, and no time is ever so available as tho present. — Ed.] For the American Bee Journal. Where Honey Comes From— No. 2. WILLIAM TRBLEASE. It will be remembered that we found a spur formed by ;i prolongation of one of tbe sepals of the scarlet geranium, in which nectar is secreted by the mod- ified epidermal cells which line the lower part of the tube. Quite similar spurs are not infrequently produced on the sepals and petals of flowers, as, for example, on the petals of the columbine, and those of the bleeding-heart and its pretty wild relatives, the squirrel-corn and Dutchman's breeches ; but, though spurs of this kind may secrete much nectar, their length often excludes hive bees from enjoying it. Prominent among the honey plants of the spring is the basswood or linden. In the flowers of this tree we shall look in vain for a spur of any depth, though their honeyed treasure is plentiful. A careful examination, however, soon shows that this comes from the inner, concave surface of the sepals. Between one of these and the gland of our gera- nium the difference is one of degree only, and not of kind. Very early in the spring the willows afford a rich harvest to our patient gleaners, but a satisfactory study of their flowers can only be made by the aid of a hand lens — for instance, one of the folding linen-testers, to be obtained from almostany jeweler, which from its small cost (50 cents or less) is within the reach of all, and for the pleasure its use may afford, if for no other reason, is as profitable an investment of a small sum as can be made, since no observing per- son can spend an hour among the works of Nature without finding many oppor- tunities to use it. Everybody knows that the catkins or flower-clusters of willows are of two sorts. On one plant they are of a bright yellow, from the abundance of pollen which they bear ; on another, their silvery hue is only relieved here and there by the yellow- ish stigmas. A catkin of this latter sort consists of many simple flowers, each of which can boastof only a single scale for its floral envelope, and a stalked, flask-shaped pistil for its essen- tial organ. At the base of the latter, a small yellow knob or protuberance may be seen, which secretes the nectar, for which these female catkins are visited by bees. The yellower catkins of other plants are male or staminate, only, and each of their flowers consists of a scale, and two stamens, the anthers of which are borne on long and thread-like fila- ments, at the base of which is a small and not very active nectar gland. • Another and most valuable bee plant is the white clover, each head of which is readily seen to be made up of a num- ber of small flowers that are obviously of more complex structure than those of the willow, inasmuch as each consists of a calyx, an irregular corolla of pecu- liar shape, ten stamens partly grown together, and a central pistil. Between the stamens and the pistil may be seen a small yellow ring or gland, the nature of which is immediately suggested by its similarity to that of the willow. This is the organ charged with the duty of elaborating the nectar found so abun- dantly in the flowers. Many other examples might be de- scribed, but it must suflice us to merely mention a few flowers in which large nectar glands of this kind are found. Such are the common blue periwinkle, the cow-pea of the South, and many other representatives of the pea family, and the Salvias or sages, with many of their labiate relatives. Some flowers neither have a part of their sepals or petals modified and serv- ing as glands like the geranium and basswood, nor possess glandular knobs or rings like the willow and clover, yet they produce nectar enough to attract various insects. Of this kind is the cot- ton flower, in which there is not usually nectar enough to induce the visits of hive bees, though certain wasp-like in- sects may be constantly seen in them during the warm, sunny weather. Oiir lens shows us that the secreting organs here take the form of small glandular hairs on the lower part of the petals. Though not so common as the other kinds, nectar glands of this form are occasionally met with. In a few cases, which are not of much practical inter- est to bee- keepers, this sweet fluid which we call nectar is found in abundance within the fleshy walls of spur-like ap- pendages of the floral envelopes, and in other like situations, whence it can be obtained by insects only after they have pierced through the outer tissue. A knowledge of this fact offers us at once a temptation to ascribe all visits of bees to flowers from which they do not collect pollen and in which we can find no free nectar and no nectar glands, to some such diffused glandular tissue ; but this ought to be a last resort, after a micro- scopic examination shows no other glandular structure, and after repeated observations show that the bees are really engaged in collecting nectar. In a future article we will describe a class of concealed glands, speculations con- cerning the true nature of which have led to a number of mistakes. (Conucntions. Read before the Northeasten Convention. Increase of Colonies. l. c. KOOT. Tlie best method of increase of colo- nies, how far should it be extended and how best prevented V It is probable that no subject can be named which is of more real interest to bee-keepers throughout the land than the one which I have chosen for this occasion. It has commanded the attention of the most able bee-keepers of the past as well as the present. While marked progress has been the result of the earnest, honest thought which it has received, it may yet be considered one of the mysteries of bee-keeping upon which more light must be given before uni- form success will have been attained. First. The best mode of increase of colonies. There are many bee keepers who disapprove of any mode of hand- ling bees that checks or controls their natural tendencies. Consequently they favor only natural swarming. Now I desire to say that unrestricted swarm ing is the most unprofitable system of increase that can be practiced. In fact I know of no one thing which is practiced to any extent that is so thoroughly undesirable and so far be- hind the times. Even the box-hive and brimstone pit do not prove their advo- cates so unwise as are those who allow this mode of swarming. Those using the box-hive might control swarming to the extent that sufficient honey would be secured to warrant the application of the brimstone match. A little over one year ago I suggested this motto : " Keep each colony sup- plied with a laying queen at all times." Now I desire to make a strong assertion , and I ask bee-keepers to consider it. With a knowledge of what I state, I affirm that if this motto were observed, the amount of honey produced through- out the country at present would be more than doubled, from the same num- ber of colonies. When two or three swarms are allowed to issue, the old colony is without a laying queen from 15 to 20 days. This fact alone makes unrestricted natural swarming entirely undesirable. v Time and space will not allow me to mention the many disadvantages of the practice referred to ; but I hope that my assertions, given as the result of thorough investigation and actual practice, will lead those who have not 185 already done so to investigate the ad- vantages to be gained by the more advanced methods of increase. Many maintain that one swarm should be allowed to issue, and all other swarms be prevented. In some localities and some seasons this may prove satisfac- tory, but, all things considered, 1 object to any natural swarming. There are several modes of artificial increase, which in most seasons will prove prac- ticable, but I have found that it is neces- sary to adopt some system that will suit all seasons, for we cannot determine in advance what the season will be. I shall, therefore, recommend as the best mode, that of forming nuclei and build- ing them up to full colonies. In this way the queen may be reared from best selected stock. Then one comb of brood may be taken at a time from original colonies, until each nucleus is built into a strong colony. The place of the cards of brood removed from original colonies should be supplied with empty combs, or frames tilled with foundation. The practical benefits to be gained by this method could not be enumerated in a single article. They can only be attained by a thorough study of the subject through the various publications in which practical bee-culture is made plain. Second. How far should increase be extended? This of course depends upon the wants of the bee-keeper. If honey rather than increase is desired, I would say make as few colonies as is practical and prevent the desire to swarm. If increase rather than honey is the object, then my answer would be. ex- tend it as far as the season and one's knowledge of the business will allow. Or if a moderate increase is desired and at the same time some surplus honey secured, this may be accomplished, vary- ing of course with the season. But some will ask, is there not an average rate of increase which may be secured satisfactorily each season and at the same tune obtain a large propor- tion of surplus honey? I answer, no— at least not for such locations as our own, and I think our seasons average as good as in localities generally. Several years ago, before I made this an exclusive business, I purchased a number of colonies, and as I desired to increase them, I secured extra hives and divided my colonies, giving eacli part four combs, four empty frames, and giving all laying queens. Later in the season I was obliged to unite them again and feed the original number in order that they might winter. Had 1 taken one comb from each of eight colonies, and formed one new colony, the increase would even then have been too great for such a season, and the labor and expense would have been much less. Had the season proved good the larger number could have Been made at intervals more practically. I say, then, adopt the nucleus plan, and build up as many as is desired and the season will permit. Thirdly. How can swarming best be prevented ? Swarms might be pre- vented from issuing, and yet the system by which it is accomplished be very impracticable. The q uestion should be, how can the desire to swarm be con- trolled ? There are many things which tend to prevent the desire to swarm. I have known seasons when the introduc- tion of young queens to the old colonies would prevent swarming in nearly every case. In other seasons this would hardly accomplish it in a single instance. Some have advocated making the origi- nal colonies queenless during swarming season. This is practiced satisfactorily by some, but I cannot recommend it. I advise the following : First. I consider it absolutely es- sential to have one wing of each laying queen clipped. This prevents any swarm leaving for parts unknown if from any cause such are allowed to issue. When it is desired to secure extracted honey, little trouble will be experienced in preventing swarming. The process of removing the honey from the combs gives both queen and workers ample room, which prevents all desire to swarm. But in securing box-honey it will be found much more difficult. The conditions above mentioned must be observed, and empty comb be at all times afforded which the queen may occupy, as well as boxes with immedi- ate access furnished to employ the working bees. Many allow their "hives to become too much crowded with brood and honey before arranging their surplus boxes. Thus the desire to swarm is produced, and many times it will be found hard to subdue it. Boxes should be supplied as early as the bees will occupy them. The colonies should be examined once or twice each week during the swarming season, and combs tilled with brood and honey removed and their places supplied with empty combs or frames filled with foundation. I prefer the latter. Combs that are removed from time to time may be used in building up nuclei to full colonies as before sug- gested, or they may be used to strengthen lightest colonies which are being extracted. Occasionally a colony will be reluctant to occupy the boxes, consequently the comb or foundation* supplied will be at once completed and tilled with honey, and the desire to swarm be produced. While I do not claim that any system of management has yet been devised that will prevent the desire to swarm in every instance, I tind that when properly carried out this plan has proved the most satis- factory of any 1 have as yet become ac- quainted with. A perfect system of handling bees by which the desire to swarm shall be controlled in every in- stance is yet to be discovered, and when it comes will be welcomed with satis- faction by appreciative bee-keepers everywhere. Read before the Indiana State Convention. Causes of Failures in Bee-keeping. G. W. NEIHARDT. " Of all who engage in mercantile pursuits, 97 per cent, fail." It js not our province to discuss the cause of their failure. It would seem that others, learning the causes of ill success, would soon be able to avoid a like disaster, or deter them from engaging in such an uncertain business. Large as the per cent, of failures in that business is, failures in the pursuit of apiculture counts its scores for each one of the former. The disaster is not so great, because the amount invested is not so very large, yet the failure is just as complete. More than one-half of the far- mers in the country, who have farmed a dozen years, have at sometime tried to keep bees. Not one in twenty keeps any now. Like experiments are tried year after year by others, and as quickly abandoned. Failures multiply as the number at- tempting this business increase, so that scarcely a farm can be found but that in some old lumber-room may be found bee-hives and bee-fixtures of all kinds, from the most nondescript, moth-proof, self-dividing, non-swarming box-hives, to the most complicated two-story, twenty-framed, movable-comb, tele- scope, latest patent concern. Not a sin- gle bee is left to excite the appetite with promised sweets, or frighten the timid with its terrible sting. Everything tells of failure— total failure. " Large profits and quick returns," is ever a tempting prize to lure, men into untried fields, regardless of any special fitness for the business. Our agricul- tural as well as religious and political papers contain articles concerning enormous yields of honey and increase of bees. Of " two to five hundred per cent, realized in the bee business." "The especial adaptation of apiculture to ladies in indigent circumstances." " The healthfulness of this pursuit for invalids incapable of performing man- ual labor," etc., while not one single item is devoted to bee management ; not a word is said to aid the inexperi- enced in this undertaking. Bee-hive venders do their full share of mischief, with their pretended wonderful success attending the use of their peculiar fix- tures. They no doubt fully believe in the adage that ''men desire to be hum- bugged," and they certainly leave nothing undone to prevent one from realizing their desires in this respect to the utmost. In order to lessen failure in apiculture, and that it may take the rank among the ordinary pursuits of life, to which lovers of bees desire it to attain, it is necessary that incorrect notions be corrected and proper ideas be inculcated. Let conventions teach apiculture to the inexperienced as well as learn from the experience of others. Let them teach that bee-keeping is a science, that there is a reason why, in it. That bee-keeping adapts itself to those who adapt themselves to the bees — and to those only— that something more than bees and hives is necessary to be- gin bee-keeping, and tell what that something is. Let them teach that failures are opportunities for practical knowledge and future success. Only theories fully tested in practice should be taught, so that beginners may fully comprehend that to keep bees is not necessarily bee-keeping; and that honey raising is more than " holding the spoon to catcli the porridge," that they may know at the start, there is "no excel- lence without great labor." Let the farmers demand of their agricultural editors that they furnish them with stated articles on how to care for bees, by some practical apiarist, in place of those sensational cullings from various Eapers, which the thoughtful do not elieve and the thoughtless too eagerly believe, often to their sorrow. A man is much more likely to succeed, if in his undertakings his ideas of gain fall short, rather than exceed, what is possi- ble to be realized. A knowledge of systematic bee-keep- ing— to know how to produce honey in neat and attractive shape and reason- able in amount, is very important to success. But there is something beyond all this that is of greater importance still, and that is a ready and paying market for our products. The price obtained is paramount to the quantity produced. The real question for us to solve is : how to sell honey ? or in other words, how to increase the demand for honey V These stories of enormous yields have much to do towards unset- tling the demand. Let a man believe that you want one shilling for what cost you one penny, and he is not likely to buy your wares at all, though he might want them ever so much. No one loves to be swindled, vet some disinterested(?) bee-keepers won Id fain have the public believe that honey could be produced for one cent a pound. It is said that not one person in a hun- dred in these United States, ever get a taste of honey during the year, much less is it used on the table for food. Here then, is a great gap to be rilled. How shall it be done? If one half the energy, skill and perseverance, which is now employed in raising honey, be directed to the sale and building up of an unfailing demand for it, the subject of permanency in this business would be solved. Prices ruinously low, however, can- not create a permanent demand. Large profits or sudden rises are fitful and uncertain ; while losses and decline in prices are slow to recover. Better not sell at a loss, expecting thereby to create a future demand. Let the oidy competition among bee-keepers be that of raising the finest products and sell- ing them at the highest prices. The rivalry that is induced by underselling is sure to end in disaster to ourselves as well as to our rivals. One says " raise honey so cheap as to undersell syrup, and it will then take its place." In the first place it cannot be so raised, and in the second place it is doubtful whether it would then take the place of syrup. I do not want honey to take the place of anything else but honey. But I do want it to take that place to its full measure. Might as well say, raise but- ter and sell it cheaper than oleomar- garine and it will take its place. I prefer oleomargarine to keep its proper place and butter grace my table even if its price is somewhat greater. Read before the N. E. ConrentloD. The Best Method of Increase. D. D. PALMER. The best method of increase of swarms. How far should it be extended and how best prevented 1 In increasing your colonies make haste slowly ; you can buy increase cheaper than you can make it; i.e., your increase in pounds of honey by having few or no swarms will more than compensate or purchase your in- crease. We find as a rule that those bee-keepers who go slow in increase of colonies have in a limited time the most bees and more pounds of honey. I would increase by natural swarms fur- nishing them worker foundation; also increase by having as little decrease as possible. This decrease I would pre- vent, and at the same time improve my bees by furnishing young queens from the best colony I had to those which lacked the qualities of making them up to my standard of extra good. I would increase by natural swarms, and as few of them as possible ; for by artificial swarming we make more increase in- stead of less. If bees were high-priced, and I pre- ferred to increase, instead of buying them, I would stimulate my best colo- nies to raise brood, as soon as the weather and the strength of the colony would permit. I would add frames of worker foundation until I had about 20 Langstroth frames filled with brood, half of them being above the others. If you have a favorite colony you wish to increase, you can give valuable aid by giving it frames of brood, which are coming out from the cells; being care- ful to discontinue this a week before dividing. As soon as the weather per- mits, and your hive is crowded with bees, take away one frame of brood with bees, and the queen from another hive that can spare it, and which you do not wish to increase ; make this new hive strong by using a division board by which crowd the two frames to one side of the hive, and add frames filled with foundation just as fast as they need more room. The space in the hive from which we took the comb with queen we till with any comb, without brood, or a board the size of a frame. On the 9th day we divide, this colony into as many hives (using division boards) as the amount of bees and queen cells will per- mit. Frames of emerging brood may be used to strengthen them. In front of each new colony lean a board ; this will cause the old bees to mark their loca- tion and prevent their returning to the old stand. As fast as these nuclei are crowded with bees add a frame of foun- dation. How far this increase should be extended, depends upon the apiarist's wants, and his desire should be regu- lated by the number of colonies he can handle, by his pasture, by the price he can sell at, and the amount of money he has to invest in hives, artificial feed, hired help, surplus arrangements, etc. The method of increase, and how far it should be extended, has given us but little thought in comparison to what the last, and to us the most important, ques- tion has, viz.: How best prevented? For several years we have had as many colonies of bees as we wished, but never enough honey. Therefore, our attention has been directed to how to prevent in- crease of bees, and turn this over-pro- duction of colonies into augmenting the tons of surplus honey. Bear in mind that the directions I shall give are suit- able for our location, and not for all places. I do not stimulate in spring by feeding, either in or out of the hive, for by such I would defeat the object I have in view, viz., less increase and more honey; for by artificial stimulating I cause my hives to be overcrowded, and, in consequence, have an increase of swarms to provide hives and surplus arrangements for, and but little, or no honey from the old or new colonies. Come with me (in your imagination) about the 15th of March, to " Sweet Home " apiary. You see my hives have just been placed on their summer stands ; they are double portico Lang- stroth hives, having an entrance at each end. The back entrance is entirely closed by one piece of wood, the front is nearly closed by two blocks. As soon as I find a colony strong enough to clus- ter outside, I remove one block from the front entrance, and repeat the same with the remaining front entrance block when necessary, and also with the back entrance block, thereby securing good ventilation and preventing in a great measure the hive from being over- heated. As warm weather approaches, and the hot sun of summer causes the bees to still cluster outside, although both entrances are open, it becomes nec- essary that the hives should be shaded. By giving plenty of surplus room for the storing of honey, and by extracting often enough from those hives we run for extracted honey, will keep them almost entirely from swarming. To give plenty of surplus room in those hives run for comb-honey is not so easily done. To accomplish this we use a double-portico Langstroth hive, which gives us room for four boxes of seven prize sections each, or 28 sections in all, holding about 42 lbs. when tin separators are used. These sections have each a piece of foundation used as a guide, and an inducement to work in the box; as a still greater and earlier inducement we put in the center of each box one section filled or nearly so with comb from which we have extracted the honey the previous fall. In these sections we wish to give them working room at all times, to cluster, build comb and store honey, that the brood comb may not be crowded with honey. As fast as these sections are filled and finished, they should be taken off and their places filled with empty ones. By using worker foundation and cutting out drone comb, we prevent the over-production of drones ; this excessive supply of drones we believe causes much oi the swarm- ing fever. We will reiterate, what we said years ago in the American Bee Journal, that a hive in which there is no drone-comb to raise drones will not swarm. To sum up in brief, ventilate, shade, give plenty of surplus room, and raise no more drones than you need, and those few from choice colonies. But, in spite of all these precautions, we will have many swarms ; to make them as few as possible with the least labor, we put the first swarm in a new hive, for so far we have found it useless to return the first swarm. We then make on the slate (of which we are the in- ventor) of the old hive " '79, June 15, SW"d ;*' on the slate of the new hive we put " '79, June 15, sw." In from 5 to 10 days afterwards we have a second swarm. While the bees are clustering we pinch all the queen cells, and then return the swarm, thereby putting an end to all swrarming of that hive for the present. You will see the use of the slate as a register in swarming. When the first swarm came off we marked on the slate " '79, June 15, sw'd;" when the second swarm came off we saw on the slate that they had swarmed a few days previous. By this record we know that this is a second swarm to be re- turned. By this means our apiary of 250 colonies has increased but little* for the last three years. New Boston, 111. Read before the N. E. Convention. Improvement of the Italian Bee, Etc. A. F. MOON. Permit me to express my great grati- fication that there are so many repre- senting the apieultural interest of this great republic. Your Association is composed of members from different Eortionsof your State. No doubt many ave come at considerable sacrifice ; and I extend to you all the hand of fel- low ship, and greet you all as co-laborers in the great cause or apiculture. I trust you have met with no sinister motives; you have no* political arguments to ad- vance, yon have no sectional or party purposes to promulgate, but your meet- ing is for purposes more important ; you have met to advance apiarian science and art almost coeval with the earliest branches of industry. The improvement of the Italian honey bee is a matter of great importance, and one that should interest the bee-keepers of our country. It is about 20 years since their introduction into this country; they have been held and managed prin- cipally by the leading bee-keepers of the country, men who claim to under- stand and "instruct how to breed the bee in all its purity as well as any other stock. Someof them have written many a flowery article, setting forth their prin- cipal requisites, also encouraging their improvement, etc.; but I am led to be- lieve that their efforts have almost, it not entirely, been in "vain." even in their own apiaries, which would prove to the observer that they did not practice what they recommoidvd, and they, or some of them, have flown, like the lost sheep of "Israel;" some are fleeing to other countries to see if they cannot find something better, and perhaps, too, without even trying to improve upon the best bee ever known. But. away over " yonder " is the bee ; his proboscis is so "long!'' Oh, sir, it's just the bee for this "country;" not cont< nt or competent to improve what they have, but must try something new, which will add another great trouble in keeping the races pure. It seems that other professional bee men have struck for " higher wages," and gone to raising dollar queens and sending them broadcast over the country. So much for improvement. Improvement of the Italian honeybee since its introduction to this country has been slow indeed. I will give a few ideas for the consideration or your As- sociation, hoping, however, if 1 cannot say anything encouraging, that 1 will not say anything to impede the interest of bee culture. To improve the Italian honey bee means something more than " writing essays." In fact. I am almost led to believe that all, or nearly all. the efforts that have been put forth in this direction have been in vain. If the bee-keepers of this country cannot be prevailed upon to improve our present race of bees wre cannot see the propri- ety of introducing another '-bee" to augment our present trouble in keep- ing them {Hire. It seems that a greal amount of time has been spent in talk- ing and writing in behalf of this im- provement, yet we have failed to see it. This, gentlemen, is all wrong. If we do not improve upon our present bee, we deem it folly in the extreme to talk about importing .something that is considered by practical bee men no better. It really seems that many of Our so-called lice men have lost sight altogether of improvement. About 20 years ago the Italian bee was intro- duced into this country, and where is the man that can say that their quali- ties have been made better, or even as good, as the first importation ? It is not to be found, and who is to blame V The honey bee is just as susceptible of im- provement as any other stock, and the question is asked how we shall proceed. Our method is to select with care from the apiary the strongest and most vig- orous of both drones and queens ; upon this will rest the secret of success. In queens we choose those possessing the greatest number of qualifications, without regard to color, but her progeny must be uniformly marked and good workers, with peaceable dispositions. If this can be attained, even with the bright golden color of the workers, we do not object. In selecting drones they must be bred from queens of undoubted purity, possessing all the qualifications belonging to the Italian bee ; they must be strong and vigorous, and marked uniformly with the dark copper-colored bands, avoiding every time drones of a bright yellow. The drones must be large and active, as greater vitality is imparted from the male than the female. We avoid breeding from drones where the queens have met with hybrid or black drones. Dzierzon or no Dzierzon, for such we have no faith in or use for. In crossing with relatives, this, to a certain extent, can be avoided. How- ever, we do not consider it so injurious if proper care has been taken formerly in crossing. The question of in-and-in breeding 1 believe has never been set- tled by the uniform custom of any large number of breeders. The practice in the old country with respect to horses and cattle appears to be once in and once out, avoiding, if possible, incest. It has been the custom of our people to practice twice in and once out; tins custom has been highly received by breeders of the old country, although it has not been altogether reduced to any- thing like uniformity among American breeders. By in-and-in breeding is un- derstood to imply the union of near rel- atives, avoiding kindred of the first de- gree. It is a well-known fact that long continued in-breeding, without great care, wbuld tend to diminish the con- stitution ; therefore, it is very essential to breed out to strangers to keep up the size and other qualities ; this can be accomplished by careful selection of breeding stock. When the desired end is accomplished, we can breed back to kindred. By this process we get the most substance in the least compass. It is a fact that many of the in-bred horses have exhibited most wonderful strength, which has induced many breeders to follow. Some of the finest and most valuable horses and sheep have been bred and inter-bred through kindreds for many generations. The same law operates the same when ap- plied with proper care to the honey bee ; but to maintain that high degree of ex- cellence we should draw often from imported stock, and test their breeding qualities before we attempt to use them as breeding stock. I have found the best cross to come from a home-bred queen, and drones from an imported mother. In crossing this way, we get a higher grade of excellence, and retain many of their original qualities. It has been, and is now, the custom of many of our breeders to breed almost exclusively for color, which, in our es- timation, has reduced some of their best qualities. Instead of improving them, it has in some points weakened them. One of the great drawbacks in the way of successful improvement is in flood- ing the country with cheap untested queens— " dollar queens." We have not space or time to give a faint idea of the amount of injury it has done in stopping the progress of improvement. We will only mention one or two of its leading features and their results : Mr. A has spent largely, both in time and money, in procuring the. best and purest stock he could get ; besides he buys up and Italianizes all the black bees within his range in order to breed his bees purely and improve his stock. After testing them, he sells them at a moderate price, knowing them to be pure. Mr. B, his neighbor, is anxious to keep a few bees, and, believing the Italian bee to be superior, at the same time wishing to save a dollar, he sends to a dollar queen breeder and gets a queen. He introduces it safely; but being a novice in the business, cannot tell whether his queen is pure or purely mated ; but the queen proves to be a hybrid of the lowest type, and Mr. B does not know it, but Mr. A has found it out to his sorrow. He has found many of his young queens impurely mated ; he at once seeks to find from whence it came ; he finds that Mr. B has obtained a dollar queen, and, upon examining them, finds them a heavy, strong colony of hybrids, which is gen- erally the case with such a cross, and, of course, the swarm is alive with drones— enough to seed a whole State. Now, gentlemen, you can form some idea of the damage that dollar queen man has done not only Mr. A, but per- haps a dozen more in the same place. That Mr. A, who has been to the trou- ble to Italianize his bees, has suffered the same fate from the hybrid drones purchased, perhaps, of some of our great bee men, who sell the Italian bee. Here, gentlemen, is but a faint view of the facts that no candid man will deny, and what is to be done to remove the evil, for such it is r Men will not be coaxed, hired, or driven. It' there is a sufficient number of practical, in- telligent bee-keepers in this country, who will stand side by side with each other to put down this nefarious evil and impediment to successful improve- ment, then we can hope for success in bringing the Italian honey bee to a high state of cultivation, but not without. It is folly in the extreme to talk and write essays unless we can get men to act. The Italian honey bee in its pu- rity is good enough. All we want is men with sufficient knowledge and en- ergy to demonstrate and bring forth their excellent qualities. When this can be brought about, then we may ex- pect that the Italian bee in its purity may, and will be, classed as the best bee of all the world. Rome, Ga. Cortland Union, N. Y., Convention. A meeting of the Association was held in Cortland, N. Y., Tuesday, Feb- ruary 3, 1880. and a permanent organi- zation effected. The constitution and by-laws, pre- sented by the committee appointed for that purpose at the last meeting, were adopted. J. G. Bingham, the temporary presi- dent, read a brief, pointed, practical and encouraging article upon "The objects of a Bee-Keepers' Association." He spoke of the benefits which may be derived by its members in becoming acquainted with each other ; by relating their successes and failures, others might profit by the former and avoid the latter; in short, it would be to the mutual advantage of all. This was followed by some remarks from different members, and a short discussion of " the relative merits of natural and artificial swarming." E. Corey had practiced the artificial method for many years, and on the whole had been satisfied with the results. A. L. Lansing had tried it, but for some reason had not bee.ii very suc- cessful. Others frankly admitted they were acquainted only with natural swarming. D. F. Shattuck, of Homer, read a paper on "Spring Management." He gave some good hints regarding the precautions to be observed, and the methods to employ to prevent the loss of weak colonies ; and to keep all in good condition to enter upon the honey harvest— the regulation of the number of frames to the strength of the colony, supplying artificial pollen, &c. 191 The Association proceeded to the election of officers for the ensuing year, with the following result : President. Chas. A. Pierce, of Tiux- ton ; First Vice President, J. L. Gillett, of Cortland ; Second Vice President, E. B. Glazier, of Virgil ; Third Vice Presi- dent, J. G. Bingham, of Solon; Hono- rary Vice Presidents, G. M. Doolittle, of Borodino; I. L. Schofield, of Che- nango Bridge; Harvey Mason, of Fa- bius; Oscar Courtney, of Marathon'; Harvey Mellon, of McLean; Treasurer, J. W. Cudworth, of McGrawville; Secretary, C. M. Bean, of McGrawville. According to a resolution passed by the Association, the Chair appointed A. L. Lansing, of Truxton, and J. II. Kennedy, of Little Rock, to act with him as Executive Committee. The next meeting of the association will be held Tuesday, April 6, 1880, at Cort- land. All interested are cordially invited. C. M. Bean, Sec. Read before the North Eastern Convention. Increase— Clipping Queen's Wings. A. B. WEED. This subject is one of the most im- portant with which the bee-keeper has to do. It is one that he cannot dis- regard and let the bees settle it for him, because it is not likely that their choice would coincide with his wishes, hence the necessity of understanding how to control the bees in this matter. In considering this subject we start out on the presumption that bees have no will of their own, but are controlled by that almost indefinable something which is called nature. It is nature that makes the conditions which surround bees as well as other animals in their wild or natural state, and it is that which is called instinct, that tells them how to conform to these conditions. When under the control of man, their instinct still prompts them to accommodate themselves so far as it is possible, to the circumstances by which man surrounds them. Circumstances make the animal al- most as much as they are said to make the man. It is this word circumstance, that is the key of animated nature. By using it rightly we can control our sub- ject; but if we use it in such a way as to violate any of nature's laws, she will resent our interference, and we, find that we have defeated our own object by disregarding prudence. "Thus, the conduct of bees at that season of the year that we call swarm- ing time, is controlled by certain laws or conditions, which nature has estab- 192 lished, and it' we can effect these con- ditions, we can control the bees. The conditons which bring about swarming, are a good yield of nectar, and warm weather— and of course a good queen. The first tells the queen that it is now safe to lay abundantly, for the food which the young larvae will need as soon as hatched, is abundant, and the second makes it possible for her to move freely about the hive, and also enlarges the brood-nest, by enabling the bees to spread themselves, as they can- not do in cold weather, and so keep warm a large number of combs. As the work of the hive — that is the rear- ing of brood and the storing of honey progresses, the hive becomes crowded and the bees seem to see the time ahead when it will be over crowded. They appear to know that the only relief from such an embarrassment of riches, is to be obtained by swarming, and this they proceed to do by making queen- cells, so that the old hive will not be left queenless, for generally, bees are provident of the future. If these queen- cells are removed, swarming is usually delayed; but if in addition to this a few cells are kept empty of honey, and ready for the queen's use, and room provided for the workers as well, the desire to swarm will seldom be mani- fested. At least if the other conditions surrounding the colony are favorable to its comfort. This may necessitate shading or ventilation, or both. Chaff hives, in a great measure at least, main- tain a comfortable and an even tempera- ture, which of course, tends to make the bees contented with their home, and so the disposition to swarm is dis- couraged. It should be remarked in passing, that uncomfortable quarters will cause bees to swarm, when no other reason can be assigned for the act. If in spite of all our precautions, a colony is determined to swarm, we still have a means of detaining them, if the precaution is taken in time— we mean the clipping of the queen's wing. This is so important, and so easily done that it is best to render all queens incapable of leaving their homes. This will not prevent the bees from swarming, but they will come back when they find themselves queenless, unless they have an opportunity of uniting with another outcoming swarm which has its queen, which they will some- times do. The clipped queen will ac- company the bees out of the hive, without seeming to be aware that she cannot accompany them on the wing. On account of her disability to fly, she will soon settle to the earth, or alight on some low shrub or tuft of grass, a few of her workers will surround her, and by the cluster that they thus form, she may easily be found and put back in the hive. But before this is done, any queen-cells which there may be in the hive, should be removed. They are often useful to put in nuclei. If the bees cluster, and they generally do before they return to their hive, a few handsf ull maybe used to strengthen weak colonies or nuclei. This will generally also serve the purpose of weakening the swarming hive enough to quiet their desire to swarm for the season ; but still more may be done in that direction by the use of the ex- tractor, so as to give more room to both workers and queen. A colony managed in this way if the queen is an abundant layer, wdl soon become very strong and in the best condition to yield profit to its owner, and in this condition it should be kept, if the object of the owner is honey rather than increase. It is much easier to keep a colony in this state, if ex- tracted honey is desired rather than honey in the comb, for bees are disin- clined to work in boxes which are neces- sarily away from the brood-chamber, while there is unoccupied room in the body of the hive. Hence it is some- times more desirable to raise extracted than comb honey. If comb honey is the desideratum, the mode of prbceedure is much the same, except that the workers are allowed to crowd themselves out of the body of the hive, and ax-e thus compelled to work in the section boxes, which are provided for them, or swarm— which they are inclined to do unless the queen has some empty cells — and these it is a hard matter to keep supplied, on ac- count of the disposition of the workers to All all unoccupied cells in the brood- chamber before storing in the surplus boxes. The point at which bees will store in surplus boxes and yet notswarm, is a critical one, and a difficult one to maintain, though many apiarists are successful in doing it. It requires both skill and close watchfulness. There seems to be a difference in the various families of bees in their disposi- tion to swarm, some being more dis- posed to do so than others. This is an important trait, and should be taken into consideration when selecting colo- nies to breed from. Strong colonies do much more work in proportion to size than weak 'ones, in respect to both honey gathering and brood rearing, hence swarming is accomplished only at a great expense. When there seems to be danger that some of our strong colonies will swarm even in spite of the precautions which we have taken, a very good way to weaken them and thus remove the danger, and at the same time obtain material of which to make other colo- nies or nuclei, is to take from them as many frames as necessary, of hatching brood, with the adhering bees and put in their place either empty combs or frames of foundation. The combs of brood which we have removed are probably the most valuable part of our apiary, and are the best material with which to make nuclei. These nuclei should be immediately supplied with queens; if the queens are laying and tested, so much the better. These nuclei or small colonies, are now in a fair way to become good sized colonies before winter, if circumstances are favorable to them even if given no material aid, though they will appre- ciate any help which may be given them in the way of additional frames of hatching brood. This way of making nuclei out of the surplus strength of strong colonies, is, we believe, a much better way than breaking a large colony into numerous and weak nuclei, and then waiting for them to attain full size by a long process of feeble growth. By some it is preferred to take a few brood combs with the adhering bees from each of several strong colonies and unite them, so as to make a strong colony at once . This way is perhaps the best, but the former has the advantage of providing a large number of nuclei wherein to raise and test young queens, and this is a thing much to be desired by those who, like ourselves, rear queen's for sale. This taking away of brood frames is a heavy drain on the strength of the garent colonies, and if forage should ecome scarce, it may become neces- sary to feed them so that the depleted number of workers can act as nurses, rather than spend their time in roam- ing the fields. It is frequently a good plan to feed any weak colony and thus in a measure render them independent of untoward circumstances by supplying conditions which are favorable. As to the time for performing the various operations of the apiary, no rigid rule can be laid down, because seasons vary from each other as well as localities. Therefore a paper of this kind must necessarily be suggestive rather than didactic, and we would hint that unless the yield of nectar in the early part of the season is very large, that nuclei and new colonies be made after the clover yield rather than before or during it, so that we may have strong colonies at the right time to take advantage of this large harvest. And also that the work of dividing be done before the fall harvest so that the new colony may be in a condition to take advantage of it. The question how far may the increasing of colonies be ex- tended is to be decided by the needs of the bee-keeper and his ability to build his nuclei and weak colonies up before winter so that they will be able to stand that trying ordeal. It should be the aim of apiarists to have opportunity of doing a particular thing coincident with the need thereof, and he should be ever ready to take advantage of the occasion. Detroit, Mich. North Eastern Convention. The Question Box. 1. What is the best way to ship ex- tracted honey ? Ans. Barrels or kegs. 2. How far will bees go in search of honey ? Ans. by two, four to six miles ; by one. two miles. 3. In any ordinary locality how many colonies can be kept in one place to ad- vantage ? Ans. by one, not over sixty ; by two, one hundred to three hundred. 4. Which is the best time to ship bees on the cars where they are to go two hundred miles southeast, spring or fall V Ans. Spring. 5. Does the advantage, in better ven- tilation of a hive with two entrances, more than compensate tor the probable loss of bees when one of the entrances is closed in the fall? Ans. Yes; the bees generally are acquainted with both entrances. 6. How do you extract the wires from the comb after the foundation is drawn out? Ans. With little tweezers. Pull them upward. 7. Which is the best foundation for surplus honey boxes — drone or worker ? Ans. Worker makes the best appear- ance when capped over. 8. Is candy, made of good sugar, a good thing to feed bees with during winter, provided they have enough honey in the hive to supply necessary liquid? Ans. Yes, provided there is no way of getting along without it. 9. Or, if we COUld feed litem water and candy would it do just as well as honey V Ans. No. 10. How thick should a section box for honey be when separators are used? Ans. \\{ to 2 inches. 11. Will bees store and cap as much honey when the sections are two inches thick as when they are of less thick- ness, if a separator is used between each section V Ans. Yes. 12. Is it an established fact that for out-door wintering, a hive should not face the north ? Ans. No. 13. In which direction should they face ? Ans. Southeast. 14. Are bee-keepers a truthful and honest set of men, that is, take them as they run ? Ans. They average good. 1-5. Is dysentery a disease produced by bad honey or is it produced by the sudden changes of the atmosphere ? Ans. Both. 16. Which mode will increase the fastest, artificial or natural swarming ? Ans. Artificial. 17. What is the best method to use in wintering bees on their summer stands ? Ans. Make them comfortable. 18. Which is the best way to render wax, with a press and boiler, or with a wax steamer? Ans. With a wax steamer. 19. Can queens be fertilized in con- finement so as to make it profitable ? Ans. Prof. Hasbrouck says yes. 20. Will it pay to get a patent on im- plements to be used in the apiary ? Ans. by two. Judging from the past, we say no. By one of the committee- yes, if you have a good invention. 21. What is the best and most sim- ple hive to use ? Ans. The hive I use. 22. Upon the issue of a swarm, at what time, prior or after, is the parent hive supplied with another queen. Ans. In most cases after. Reports of Committees on Prizes. The committee on prize essays would report that they have carefully considered the two essays upon "The best methods of swarming and preventing the same," and have concluded that as the two essays were of so nearly equal merit, they therefore recom- mend that thelprize offered he divided between the two contestants. A. B. Weed and D. D. Palmer. On the subject, " The different races of bees and their crosses," your committee would award the prize to Mr. Julius Hoffman, of Fort Plain. On "Comb Foundation" the majority of the com- mittee recommends that the prize for the best essay be awarded to Julius Van Deusen, of Sprout Brook, N. Y. The committee on implements reported, and awarded the prizes as follows : The prize for best Honey Extractor was awarded to Mr. A. J. King, of New York City. The prize for the best and most practical bee-hive, with surplus arrangement and boxes, was awarded to the "Shuck Eclectic," exhibited by Mr. A. J. King, of New York City. The prize for the " Best Display of Apiarian Im- plements" was awarded to Mr. J. H. Nellis, of Canajoharie, N. Y. The prize for the " Best and most practical bee smoker" was awarded to the "Quinby Smoker," manufactured and exhibited by L. C. Root & Bro., of Mohawk, N. Y. The prize for the best " Comb Foundation," for the brood chamber, was awarded to J. Van Deusen & Son. The prize for the best " Comb Fonndation " for the surplus boxes was awarded to J. Van Deusen & Son. Your committee would call the attention of bee- keepers to the following articles as worthy of their approval : ' Peet's Combination Queen Cage." The com- mittee considers it the best and most practical cage in the the market. We also recommend the several " Honey Knives " on exhibition, viz : The new knife of Mr. Detwiler, the Bingham & Hetherington, and Novice's. W e also highly approve of the Wax Extractor as made by Mr. J. H. Nellis ; and would recommend every one just commencing the bee business to purchase a copy of each of the works on bee-culture on exhibition, viz : " Quinby's New Bee-keeping," and " The Bee-Keepers' Text-Book. Nebraska State Convention. The first annual meeting of the Ne- braska Bee-Keepers' Association was convened at Omaha, on Saturday, Feb. 21 , with President Hiram Craig, of Ft Calhoun, in the chair, and W. G. Pig man. Secretary. After the transaction of some routine business, the subject of " The Spring Management of Bees " was taken up for discussion. The different modes of feeding to produce early breeding were discussed. The election of officers for the ensu- ing year then took place, with the fol- lowing result : President — Hiram Craig, Ft. Calhoun. Vice Presidents— J. R. Kennedy, Pa- pillon ; D. J. Arnold, BrownviUe ; J. H. Masters, Nebraska City ; J. W. Flynn, Fairfield ; T. L. Vondorn, Omaha ; Dr. Cochran, Tecumseh. Treasurer — J. N. Dynes, Papillon. Secretary — W. G. Pigman, Omaha. Assistant Secretary — W. C. B. Allen, Omaha. A committee consisting of Messrs. Vondorn, Corbett, McLain, was ap- pointed to arrange with the managers of the State Fair to secure a proper exhibit of the products of the bee-keepers of Nebraska. Read before the Northeastern Convention A Neglected Field. II. A. BTJRCH. We know full well, that the research of the scientific apiarists of our land have explained away many mysteries that encompassed our vocation, and solved very many of the difficult prob- lems relative to the establishment of bee-culture upon a permanent and pay- ing basis. To the advanced thought of the ever- active German mind are we greatly in- debted for the gratifying results already attained. But every obstacle — in fact the chief of all— has not yet been com- passed. While with our present facili- ties we are enabled to quadruple our yield of surplus honey, the question, how we may best realize on this health- ful sweet, has received very little atten- tion at our hands. Ignoring the matter of attractive packages, which was made a necessity "by circumstances beyond our control,. we find ourselves confronted by this question : " Can we not command bet- ter and more uniform figures for our surplus honey?" We need not dwell upon the import- ance of this problem. To its speedy solution we invite your earnest and careful consideration, believing that, by the co-operation of our practical apiarists, an affirmative answer will be the result. To make our position clear and un- mistakable, please allow us to present an example by way of illustration. As you well know, Chicago is the great mart of the northwest. One of her busiest streets is devoted almost exclu- sively to the purchase and sale of our agricultural, horticultural and apicul- tural products. Her three hundred commission merchants solicit consign- ments of our honey. Now there are in our vicinity three or four persons making bee-culture a specialty. Three years ago, we (the writer and his neighbors) shipped our honey to as many different firms hand- ling that article, each one of course ex- pecting to get the best prices. The outcome showed a wide difference in point of results, net prices varying from 12 to 22c. per pound. Why this dif- ference? We found that the firm realizing the best prices was better adapted, and possessed better facilities for the handling of honey. To-day our honey goes to one house (whose adver- tisement appears in your programme), and we all obtain satisfactory prices. Now the point we wish to make, is this ; can we not, by concentrating the honey trade, obtain better prices than we now do ? Our experience is posi- tively on the affirmative side of this question. A common sense view of the situation, it seems to us, corroborates our position ; the history of the com- mercial world confirms it. To give one, or at most two firms in each of the large towns and cities, control of the honey trade, is essential ; but equally essential is it, that these firms shall be composed of men of large business ex- perience ; that they shall possess tact and energy ; and that they shall be men of known ability, and unquestioned integrity. Such men can be found, shall we not make such an arrangement with them as shall be alike advanta- geous to them and to ourselves. If, these few hurried thoughts shall be the means of awakening our bee conven- tions to better views of their most vital interests, and direct their energies into this practical channel, then indeed shall we rejoice that we have striven to cul- tivate " a neglected field." W. Illinois and E. Iowa Convention. The seventh semi-annual meeting of our Society will be held at Monmouth, Warren Co.. 111.. Thursday and Friday, April 29-30, 1880. All bee-keepers and others who are in any way interested in bees or honey, are cordially invited to be present. The Rev. O. Clute, of Iowa City, Iowa, will again favor us witli a lecture on the evening of April 29th, on some topic of general interest to all. The committee of reception will receive and exhibit free, all articles sent by bee- keepers or manufacturers, if sent to the Secretary at Monmouth, 111., and charges prepaid. The hotels will keep bee-keepers at reduced rates. From letters received we think this meeting will fully equal if not excel any previous meeting of the Society. Many valuable prizes have already been offered and more will be forthcoming. Monmouth was the birth-place of our So- ciety, let us show them how large we have grown. Let every member turn out that can, and bring many bee friends. The prizes which have been given away at our meetings have added not a little to the success and interest of the sessions, and it is a pleasure to deal with men who do just as they say they will. For one the Secretary can say that the pair of Black Cochin fowls drawn by him at Burlington last fall, from Dr. J. R. Baker, Keithsburg, 111., are most superb specimens of that ex- cellent variety of fowls. Among other prizes offered, the Doctor and his wife give a pair of Black Cochin chicks, to be delivered next September, value $5.lNi and a setting of eggs of either Black Spanish, Black Cochin or B. B. R. Game, value $2.00. Will. M. Kellogg, Sec. Oquawka, 111. From the Journal of Horticulture, London. British Bee-Keepers' Association. The annual meeting of this Associa- tion was held Feb. 18th, under the presidency of the Baroness Burdett- Coutts. After the usual preliminaries the Baroness expressed her pleasure at the manifest progress of the Associa- tion, and suggesting that the Presi- dents of county associations should be elected as Vice Presidents of the parent Association. The condition of Ireland was referred to. The Baroness ex- pressed a hope that the work which Canon Bagot lias taken up would do much in enligtening the peasantry in better methods of bee-culture to their immense advantage, as the plans they now follow are very crude and profit- less; and adding that perhaps the British Bee-Keepers' Association might see it wise to organize a series of gat tid- ings in the sister island. The report was moved from the chair, and carried unanimously. Dr. Ogle and Mr. Jackson of Slindon, in moving and seconding a vote of 196 thanks to the officers and Committee, spoke in high terms of the position the Society had achieved in their hands. Rev. Herbert R. Peel proposed and Mr. F. Cheshire seconded a vote of thanks to the Royal Horticultural Society for their hearty and ready co- operation in the projects of the British Bee-Keepers' Association. After the election of officers, in which warm ex- pression was given to the value of the Hon.. Sec, the list of votes for the Committee (the whole of whom have been re-elected) was read. Mr. Huckle was appointed paid Assistant Secretary. Perhaps the most important proposi- tion was moved by the Rev. E. Bartrum in an able and telling speech :— That in the opinion of this Association it is advisable that a professorship of api- culture should be established in con- nection with the Science and Art Department at South Kensington, and that the Committee be requested to take such steps as shall seem expedient with a view to the establishment of a professorship. The proposer pointed out that in relation to apiculture we were behindhand, as we formerly were in drawing, designing, and many branches of technical knowledge, but that the schools of design had accom- plished a work in relation to the objects the importance and value of which to the community, it was impossible to estimate. No large town could now be visited without seeing signs of progress. Apiculture being so behindhand, should we not do well by taking the same steps here as have done so much in other directions V The duties of a professor would be to visit the normal schools and training colleges. ut Just look,'" said the speaker, " at the wonderful ignorance of our teachers on the question, while in Germany no man is admitted to a mastership of a village school without he can pass an examination in bee- culture. The value of the bee is not measured by its power of producing honey. It has an influence of the most marked kind upon many of our crops, and without its visits to our orchards their fruitage would be little better than total failure. In ten years we should by this step do a work which we can hardly imagine. If the Association cordially sanction my proposal the Committee will use its influence with the Department to bring about so desir- able a consummation; and in taking this step we shall not be regarded as riding a personal hobby, for our en- thusiasm will rest in the conviction that we are advocating what will benefit the country at large." The Rev. George Raynor seconded the proposition with equal ability, re- marking that the present moment seemed perhaps an unfitting one for bringing it toward ; but he thought that in the present depressed condition of agriculture the farmers might well catch at every straw presented to them. The fertilization of many crops, es- pecially clover seed, received peculiar help from bee-keeping. "I am sure, then," added he, "that a better time could not be found for the question in hand, and here, it may be, that agricul- ture's extremity will be apiculture's opportunity. We should endeavor to connect this subject with the teaching of youth. It is impossible to prevent the* cottager adhering to the brimstone pit, but with the rising generation we may have hope to spread enlightened ideas." The proposition was unani- mously affirmed. Mr. J. P. Jackson proposed the forma- tion of a reference and loan library of works relating to bee-culture, which after debate was carried nem. con. The meeting was large and influential, many prominent apiculturists from a distance being present. The prize schedule will be considered at the next meeting of the Committee on March 10th. Death of the Rev. J. Van Eaton. It is with sorrowful feelings that I write to inform you of the death of the Rev. Dr. John Van Eaton, pastor of the United Presbyterian Church of York, Livingstone Co., N. Y., who died of heart disease March 5, 1880, in the 63d year of his age. Occupy- ing the same pulpit and looking to the spiritual welfare of a large congregation for more than a quarter of a century — his was a vigorous, active, useful life, a noble man- hood, a triumphant death. A brother minister, who knew him well, remarked in his funeral eulogy, "that he was looked upon by his associates in the body as the ablest member of this presbytery." A deep scholar in theology, hi% sermons full of ripe thought ; were interesting, con- vincing and .eloquent. Aside from pastoral duties apiculture was his chosen pursuit. He gave to its improvement the powerful genius of a fertile brain, and with assistant co-laborers to carry out his ideas, by practi- cal experiment, successfully wrought the solution of important problems in progres- sive apiculture, one being the practical and profitable use of wax foundation for surplus honey after it had been condemned as un- suitable for such purposes by the almost unanimous voice of several Associations. M. Quin by is at rest ; Adam Grimm, and many others whose names were familiar as writers in our bee publications, are no more. Thus one by one are passing away those who have done much towards placing bee- keeping in the position it now occupies. Peoria, N. Y. C. R. Isham. %ctUv Jlvcuuew Smith's Grove, Ky., March 3, 1880. As it is the duty of the Vice Presi- dents of the National Association to correspond with the Secretaries of Agricultural Associations, in their respective states, 1 take this method to request the bee-keepers of Kentucky to send me the address of Secretaries in their localities, so that I may be able to correspond with fchem,and induce them to offer premiums for bees, hives, honey and apiarian supplies. As the pre- mium lists are usually made out early in the year, I am anxious to get the addresses as soon as possible. i\" F* At t fk Vice President for Ky. N.A.B'.K.S. Park's Corners, 111., March 3, 1880. My 50 colonies of bees were put in the cellar about Nov. loth, and taken out for a cleansing flight Feb. 23, all in good condition. One of my nucleus colonies swarmed out with a fine Italian queen and was lost. I put all back in the cellar the same day ; the cellar is well ventilated with 3 inch flues. The thermometer stands from 40° to 48°. The bees seem to be doing well ; they are all strong, with plenty, of honey ; but a good many bees crawl out of the hives and die. I swept out three pans full of dead bees when I took them out, but there are plenty left. Is that too many dead bees for the length of time they were confined in the cellar V I use the Langstroth hive and have mostly Italian bees. D. G. Webster. [The dead bees are evidently the old ones, dying from natural causes.— Ed.] Martinsburg, Mo., March 5, 1880. The past year has been the most disastrous one on bees since the advent of scientiflc bee-keeping. Last summer was so unfavorable that there was but small increase in colonies, and no sur- plus honey. In fact a large proportion had not enough stores to take them through the winter, and it became necessary to feed them. The present winter has been so mild and dry, that we all thought that "our pets" would come through all right, but we were sadly mistaken, for the smallest loss that I have heard of is 20 per cent.; the average loss of colonies since the com- mencement of winter is about 75 per cent. Persons with but few bees, who did not pay much attention to them, have generally lost all. W. L. French. Borodino. N. V.. March (i. 1880. Bees have wintered finely so far. It is warm and rainy now, with no snow on the ground. The prospectsare good for a poor season on white clover as tin winter has been so open that the frost has badly drawn it out of the ground. G. M. DOOLITTLE. Light Street, Pa., March 0, 1880. Bees are doing very well. They have been on the wing nearly every week during the winter. No signs of dysen- tery or dwindling. Prospect somewhat brighter for the bee-keeper than last spring. H. II. Brown. Blairstown, Iowa, Feb. 24, 1880. The winter, so far, has been very fa- vorable for bees; though it has been very cold at times, we have had no pro- longed cold weather. There has not been a month that bees have not had a good flight, and consequently where they were properly taken care of they are in good condition. The hybrids have commenced breeding, while the blacks show no signs of doing so. The weather for the last few days1 has been very warm ; to-day the thermom- eter stands at 62°. Harry G. Burnet. O'Fallon Depot, 111.. Pel). 27,1880. During the past 10 or 12 years I have purchased some 25 queens from Mr. II. Alley, of Wenham, Mass.. and I re- member but one of them that lias raised hybrids. In 1870 I obtained 15 dollar queens of him. The fall was a dry one and forage scarce, and I lost about one- half of them in introducing. Though I did not request it he gave me three more queens in the year 187S to assist in bearing this loss. The latter have done well, and I reared from them some 30 queens last summer, which were even lighter in color than their mothers — as beautiful queens as I ever saw. My bees wintered well. Some brought in nat- ural pollen yesterday. C. T. Smith. Hokah, Minn.. March 4. 1880. I have 8 colonies of Italian bees do- ing well. I am feeding the lightest ones with honey and granulated sugar. Last spring I lost all but one. I boughl 4 colonies, 3 of them blacks, and Italia- nized from a queen that I bought from the Rev. A. Salisbury. She tills the bill in every respect. Last fall I bought an imported queen (Pometta), which is doins: well, the bees are not as large as the others or as regularly marked. I think I have a good way to remove moth worms. Shake off the bees, then keep tapping on the frame with any thing hard which will jar the moth, which is concealed amongst the young brood ; when it is disturbed it will make its appearance and leave the comb as soon as it can. You can then kill them without cutting the comb. After I got j pure Italians I had none of the above named work to do, they saved me the trouble. The Bee Journal I always read with interest. Wm. Lossing. Williamsville, Mich., March 13, 1880. Our bees are wintering well so far. We put half of them in the cellar last fall, and left the rest on the summer stands, with straw in each end of the hives and over them. But they con- sumed so much more honey out-of- doors that in January we put all the rest in but 2, where they have been breeding since February 1st ; also the 2 left out. I lately examined some and they appeared to be crazy for water : they fell into the water and drowned by the hundreds. Their actions struck me so forcibly that I would like to know if it is not imperative that it should be so that they can get water at all times while breeding? Is the Van Deusen foundation a success when used for comb honey ? C. F. Smith, Jr. [Bees when breeding need water, and it should be supplied to them if they have none at command. The Van Deusen foundation is thin enough to be unobjectionable for comb honey, and is successfully used by some.— Ed.] Knoxville, Iowa, March 12, 1880. My bees are doing splendidly. I win- tered 34 colonies in the cellar; have them now on their summer stands. I lost none, but will have to feed some of them before the bloom comes. They are now rearing brood nicely. A. J. Scoles. Mexico, Mo., Feb. 21, 1880. There has been a great mortality among the bees in this region. The last season was the worst for bees that I ever saw. There was no surplus honey gath- ered, except about 200 pounds, which I took myself ; no others report any sur- plus. In consequence, many colonies have starved, and many were left to winter on late, sour honey. Dysentery and foul brood have swept off whole apiaries. I hear of one man who had 130 ; he now has none left. Capt. Dicks has lost 15 by foul brood. I tried a new plan of putting up my bees on the sum- mer stands, and they seem to be doing well. If I am successful with it, I will report. One thing worthy of remark is the very heavy loss of queens last fall. I lost 5 young laying queens ; many others reported heavy losses of queens last September. All the drones were killed off and there was no chance to raise queens. Can you tell me the cause of so many queens disappearing with colonies in good condition r It was not caused by disturbing the bees or open- ing the hives. P. P. Collier. [ We cannot answer this without knowing more concerning the condition of things, and perhaps not then. — Ed.] Cincinnati. O., March 8, 1880. I take great interest in bee-culture. I think I have discovered a good plan of wintering bees. I use the Lang- stroth hive and made a box to go over it, about \x/2 inches larger all around except the front. The space I pack with pulverised charcoal, which is an absorbent of moisture, and a protection from heat and cold. C. Laibly. Waveland, Ind., Feb. 23. The present mild winter will, I think, in some measure, make up for the poor season last year. I prepared about 30 colonies last fall, by doubling up and dividing the honey around as best I could. I have lost none this far. The best thing that I have used for brush- ing bees off the combs or hiving is a hawk's wing. The feathers are soft and springy, of good length, and will stand a good deal of use. If any one has any- thing better, let them report. Almost any sporting man will furnish the birds free of charge. Probably the wing of other birds of flight will do as well. The more hawks we kill the less our poultry yards will be troubled by them. Isaac Sharp. Compton, 111., March 16, 1880, I commenced two years ago with one colony of bees, traded for 5 more and increased to 11 by natural and artificial swarming, but had poor success with the latter method. In the fall I bought 8 more colonies, but lost half of them after taking them out of the cellar. 1 see one of your correspondents thinks that it is the colonies with old queens die out by spring dwindling, but'I lost about as many young as old queens. I noticed it was the Italians that left me, I carried them out too early in the spring and they were so eager to get to work that they chilled and were not able to return to the hive. I bought 20 more in the spring of 1879 and increased to 45, but obtained no surplus honey. C. E. Harrington. Columbia, Term., March 16, 1880. Our bees have passed through the winter with but little loss, and are now in tine condition. With few exceptions, they have an abundance of stores, and are breeding rapidly. Pollen is without stint, and the bees are gathering some honey from the peach and plum bloom. We think our prospects for a big honey crop the coming season, very flattering. Colonies of bees are very cheap here. We have now with us a party of gentle- men from the North who are buying good colonies, in Langstroth and Amer- ican hives, at from $1.50 to §3.00. This surely must be a better honey country than the north, or northwest. Colonies can be bought here for less than half they cost there. Why is this? Is it for the want of a little Yankee nerve to be infused into the southern composi- tion '? It seems to me if some h, for anything desired from this office. We cannot use Canadian or other foreign stamps. We will send a tested Italian Queen to any one sending us FIVE subscribers to the American Bee Journal with SST.SO. The premium Queens will in every case be tested, but not sent till after July 1st. Club names for the Bee Journal may be sent to as many post offices as there are names in the club. Additions can be made to clubs at any time at the same rate. Specimen copies, Posters, and Illustrated Price List sent free upon application, for canvassing. Seeds or samples of merchandise can be mailed for one cent per ounce, Printed matter one cent for every two ounces. These must be tied up; if pasted, they are subject to letter postage. Don't send small packages by express, tliat can just as tvell be sent by mail. Our answer to all who ask credit is this : We sell on ama.ll margins, and cannot afford to take the risks of doing a credit business. If we did such a business, we should be obliged to add at least 10 to 20 per cent, more to our prices, to make up for those who would never pay, and to pay the expenses of keeping book- accounts with our customers— this we know our Cash customers would not think to their advantage.— This rule we must make general, in order not to* do injustice to any one. The cash system gives all the advantage to cash customers, while the credit sys- tem works to their injury. In justice to all we must therefore require Cash with the order. Bingham's Smoker Corner. Every bee-keeper needs a good smoker ; it will pay for itself many times over during a season's operations. We find by compar- ison in actual service, that the Bingham is the superior of all, hence we advise its pur- chase—standard or large size preferable. — J. Ontmnn & Sons' Circular for 1880. Shreveport, La., Feb. 9, 1880. I have used one of Bingham's large smo- kers for the past two years, and like it very well. Half-rotten wood burns out too fast, but I have not been able to keep it going with hard-wood alone, so I use some cloth with it.— C. R. Cablin, in Gleanings for March. The past season has proven the Bingham & Hetherington Honey Knives to be far su- perior to all others. We advise the pur- chase of none other.— J. Oatman & Sons' Circular for 1880. Bingham has certainly so far succeeded in giving us a smoker of which there is but very little complaint.— A. I. Root, in Glean- ings for March. $W We expect an importation of Italian queens in May, and can fill all orders promptly, after their arrival. Catalogues fob 1880.— Since our last issue, we have received the new catalogues of the following dealers in bees and apiarian supplies : L. C. Root & Bro., Mohawk, N. Y.; Lewis & Parks, Watertown, Wis.; H. A. Burch & Co., South Haven, Mich.; C. F. Muth, Cincinnati, O.; H. H. Brown, Light Street, Pa.; D. S. Given, Hoopeston, 111.; S. Valentine, Double Pipe Creek, Md. By referring to the printed address on the wrapper of every copy of the Bee Journal, each subscriber can ascertain when his subscription expires. We stop sending the Bee Joubnal promptly when the time for which it is paid runs out- sending only during the time paid for. In making remittances, always send by postal order, registered letter, or by draft on Chicago or New York. Drafts on other cities, and local checks, are not taken by the banks in this city except at a discount, to pay expense of collecting them. <^"lThe Farm," an agricultural paper published in Dublin, Ireland, has been enlarged and improved in appear- ance. The publication office has been removed to new and commodious quarters at 87 Marlboro St., Dublin, and it will in future be edited by Thos. B. Grant, Esq., for many years the co- editor of the Irish Farmers'1 Gazette. The freight on 200 lbs. sent to Geor- gia, was $3.85, showing that bee-keepers there can get goods from the north at reasonable rates. 03P~H. H., Byron, 0.,asks how to dispose of black ants when they arc troublesome in the apiary. A little powdered borax scat- tered about their hills will generally cause them to decamp. iP'We have received an Almanac for 1880, published by the Philadelphia Re- cord. It is beautifully printed and illus- trated, and contains much information. The Cortland Union Convention will be held at Cortland. N. Y.,on Tuesday, April 6, 1880. All interested in bees are cordially invited. C. M. Bean, Sec. iglT The Central Michigan Bee-Keep- ers' Association, will convene at the New Capitol in Lansing, April 15, 1880. An invitation is extended to nil nianu- factors of apiarian supplies, who desire to exhibit their wares, to come and pre- sent them, or if consigned to the care of J. Ashworth, Pres.. they will be ex- hibited. We expect a large meeting. J. Ashworth, President. Local Convention Directory. 1S80. Time and Place of Meeting. April 1— Union Association, at Eminence, Ky. 6— Fireman's Hall, Cortland, N. Y. 15— Central Michigan, at Lansing, Mich. 29, 30— W. III. and B. Iowa, at Monmouth, III. May 4.-N. W.Ill.&S. W. Wis., at Pecatonlca, 111. 4, 5— Central Kentucky, at Lexington, Kv. 5— Southern Michigan, at Battle i reek, Mich. 18— Bock Biver Valley, at Davis Junction, III. 25.— Northwestern Union, at Hastings, Minn. Oct. National, at Cincinnati, Ohio. 5, 6.— Northern Michigan, at Carson City, Mich. 11— Southern Kentucky, at Louisville, Ky. Dec. 8.— Michigan State, at Lansing, Mich. 1881. Feb. 2— Northeastern, at Rome, N. V. %W In order to have this Table complete, Secreta- ries are requested to forward full particulars of time and place of future meetings.— Ed. Honey and Beeswax Market. BUYERS' QUOTATIONS. CHICAGO. HONEY.— White clover, in single-comb sections, 16@18c. : when with more than one comb in a box, 2c. per lb. less. Extracted, 7@9c. BEESWAX.— Prime choice yellow, 20.'.i22c; darker grades, 14IX>ATX„ Strada Stefano 88, Bologna, Italy. April, May, June. July, Aug. Sept., Oct. 1 Queen 11.50 francs. 9.50 francs. fi francs. 6 " 66 " 55 " 35 12 " 130 " 108 " 68 I guarantee purity, proliflcness and safe arrival. Should any die en route they will be replaced. The value of a franc is 189! cents in gold. I solicit Amer- can orders. 4-5 Wanted.— A situation to take care of an Apiary. I am a thorough bee-keeper, according to the system " Dathe ;" am 24 years of age, and speak only German. Will work for a reasonable salary. Address HENRY SCHLEMMER. care of JNO. Jos. SCHLEM- meb, Elsah, Jersey Co.. III. lp FOUR DAYS AND NIGHTS WITH THE SPIRITS, ATMOTT'S, MEMPHIS, MO., being an ex- posure of the HUMBUG by which thousands are being swindled. This book of 40 pages, 5x7 inches, will be sent by mail for 25 cents in stamps. Address, B. B. PALMER, New Boston, 111., Originator of the SWEET HOME Raspberry ; 1,050 berries picked from one cane. Never winter kills. The largest and best black cap. Send for Circular. 3-tf IMPROVED Langatroth, Simplicity and Chaff Hive. Having enlarged my facilities for the manufacture -of Bee Hives and Section Boxes. I shall be able the present season to furnish the trade with better goods and for less money than any house in the West. Please send for Price List. S. B. BU I^L,, Union City, Branch Co., Mich. ' Full Colonies of Yellow Bees, in the best condition ; honey by the barrel or less. 1-tf J. M. MARVIN, St. Charles, Kane Co., 111. A Goo^ Offer! King's Bee-Keepers' Magazine, a live, first-class monthly paper, devoted to hee-culture in all its branches, Price, One Bollar per Year, and SHUCK'S BEE FEEDER, approved by leading apiarists ; exceedingly simple, convenient and effective ; thousands are in use and no complaint ; feeds equally well at entrance of hive or top of frames, without danger of robbing from its use. Price, by mail, 30 cents each. Both of the above for $1.00. Now is the time. Address, 4-lt J. M. SHUCK, Des Moines, Iowa. Special notice. Having now perfected my new dovetailing ma- chine, I will hereafter make no extra charge for dovetailing sections. I will from this date furnish il4xi'i White Poplar sections, in lots of from 100 to 5,000. at $0.00 per 1,000 ; in lots of over 5,000, at $5.50 per 1,000. Circulars free. A. E. MAJTUM. Bristol, Vt., March 20, 1879. EVERETT'S Honey Extractors and Everett Langstroth Hives a specialty. We challenge compe- tion in price and quality. Our circular and price list of apiarian supplies, Italian Bees and high-class poul- ltry sent free. EVERETT BROS., Toledo. O. QUEENS ! QUEENS ! ! QOLDEN ITALIAN QUEENS. Beaut Will, and good as the beat, all bred from select Imported and home-bred mothers. One tested Queen, $2.00 ; six for $11.00. One Unwarranted Queen, 80c; four for $3.00. Sent by mail ; safe arri- val guaranteed. Address, 4-7 T. JT. HOLLETT, Pennsville, Ohio. ^OMB^OUNDATION, For sale at 40c. per lb., by WM. HAMILTON, 103 W. Main Street, Louisville, Ky. 4-6_ BOKHARA CLOVER SEED. We have received a lot of Imported Bokhara Clo- ver Seed, which we can sell at 50 cents per lb. If sent by mail, 70 cents per lb. THOMAS G. NEWMAN & SON, Chicago, 111. THE SPIDER PLANT. I can now supply bee-keepers with the SEEB of this remarkable honey plant. Price, $3.00 per lb.; 25 cents per ounce. Address, 4-0 .J. A. MAOOUJT. Jr., Sioux City, Iowa. PURE BEESWAX. Bought at best market rates, and paid for promptly. J. LEE SMITH «fe CO., 1-6T 80 Beekman St., New York n^-CTPRIAir AND ITALIAN OUEEJTS A JTB N UCEEI.— A Descriptive Price List will be sent Free. JUEIUS HOFFMAN, 1-6H Fort Plain, Mont. Co., N. Y. 203 We are wintering over many very choice HOME- BRED and IMPORTED Italian Queens, and expect to be able to fill all orders at an early date for TESTEIl QIEEXS from AMERI- CAS and IMPORTED MOTHERS. The queen-cells are reared in full colonies, and only the best selected. We will also take extra care in selecting and pre- paring for shipment of Nuclei & Full Colonies, WITH TESTED QUEENS. For Prices, etc., see our Illustrated Cata- logue. Write for it, if you have not re- ceived it. Address orders early to THE AMERICAS BEE JOURNAL, 972 and 974 West Madison St., CHICAGO, ILL,. J. M. BROOKS & BROS. Golden Italians. Fine Tested Queens a specialty. Send for Cir- cular, a ml see what others say of them. Columbus, Ind., Box 64. 3-9 Sent^Free! Thoughts for Bee-Keepers, Giving BOTTOM PRICES on all kinds of Bee- Keepers' Supplies. Address, 3-4 G. P. McDOVGALL, Indianapolis, Ind. CANADA BEE-KEEPERS, Send for my Circular of Apiary Supplies for 1880, giving prices of Hives. Extractors, Comb Foundation, Bee Smokers, Bee Journals, etc. M. RICHARDSOS, 1-4 Box 212, Port Colborne, Welland Co., Ontario. •Price List for 1880, of Italian Bees, Queens, 4 frame Nuclei, and Apiarian Sup- Plies. Sent Free. Address, 3tf H. H. BROW'S, Light Street, Col. Co., Pa. CHAS. F. MXJTH, CINCINNATI, O., Manufacturer of and dealer in MTH'S ALL-METAL HONEY EXTRACTOR AND UNCAPPING KNIFE, LANGSTROTH BEE HIVES, Glass Honey Jars and Tin Buckets, Bee Veils, Gloves, and a general assortment of Bee-Keepers' Supplies, VI.S1U K CLOVER, and a variety of Field and Garden Seeds, etc. For further particulars address, CHAS. F. MUTH, 4-12 976 and 978 Central Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio. Read This. We are prepared to give bottom prices on all kinds of Bee Hives, Sections, &c, but we make a specialty of the "Boss" One-Piece Section, heretofore called the Lewis Section, of which I am the inventor. See article in February number of A. B. J. on this One- Piece Section. Send for Price List. JAMES FORNCROOK «fe CO. Watertown, Wis., April 1st, 1880. 4-lt PRIZE-BRED ESSEX PIGS. Essex are the best Farmers' Pig ; have been known to dress 90 per cent, of live weight ; small bone, light offal, quick to mature. Jos. Harris, author of "Har- ris on the Pig," etc., says of my Boar " Porter," that he is the finest Essex Pig he ever saw. A few Ped- igree Pi«» for disposal at moderate prices, suitable for breeding or exhibition. Personal inspection of my stock is solicited. All correspondence will have cheerful and prompt attention. C. W. CASFIEIiD, Athens. Pa. N. B.— A limited numberof Eggs for hatching from prize-winning Brown Leghorns and Black Ked Ban- tams, at $-'.00 per 13. Warranted to hatch. 4-yl Langstroth Bee Hives, HONEY EXTRACTORS, and Section Boxes, at reasonable rates for 1880. Ex- tractors from $10.00 to $ 12m I '"ze Boxes ^ $4.00 to $5.00 per 1,000. Address, R. R. Ml KPH Y, 4-6 Garden Plain, Whiteside Co., 111. =Send for Price lAttt of Bees, Queen.., Comb Foundation, and APIAKIA* SUPPLIES KeneraUy B Address^ ^r 4_itp ' ' sterling, Whiteside Co.. 111. WILBOE'S COMPOUHD OP PURE COD LIVES OIL AND LIME. To One and All.- Are you Hufferintt trom a Cough, Cold, Asthma, Bronchitis, or any ot the vari- ous pulmonary troubles that so often end in Con- sumption? If so, use " WUbofs Pure Cod Liver Oil and Lime," a safe and sure remedy. '1 his is no quack preparation, but is regularly prescribed by the medi- cal faculty. Manufactured only by A. B. \\ ILBOR, Chemist, Boston. Sold by all druggists. It m C\ c a x: c * &3 o r-H 91 CD 0) X ■o o — a (►> a cd q n 0 o o — a «a q a ^.coo H *2« >i'§ a a cdo 71 °PH W EasK CLTD 2«" ■%$ ^o £ H-J CD esq op OQ UJ LlI S3 2 £ >, © is* SaO tip a = PC 5g a a ^ S« "^ §1^ THE LATEST IMPROVED COMPOUND-GEAR Comb Foundation Machine. No lost motion in the gearing— may l>e turned either way. The machine is warranted to do the work like the sample. The rollers are made of the best type metal. The prices are as follows : No. 1— Rollers 12 inches long, 4 in. diameter $75 00 "2 " 12 " "2 " .... 40 00 "3 " 9 " "2 " .... 25 00 "4 " 6 " "2 " .... 15 00 Sample of Foundation made on this machine free. For sala at the office of the American Bee Journal. 3tf C. OLM, Fond du Lac, Wis. 1880. 1880. SKMI FOR PRICES OF Langstroth Simplicity Hives, Sections, Frames and Comb Foundation, Manufactured by HERRIAM * FALCONER, 3-2t Jamestown, N. Y. Hale's Price-List. Send for my price-list of Bees, Queens, Nuclei, &c, for 1880. Early Queens a specialty. Address, 2-11 E. W. HALE, Wirt C. H., W. Va. DAD ANT & SON COLONIES, With Imported Tested Italian Queen f 13 00 " Home-bred " " " 9 00 Hybrids or blacks in movable-frame or box hives. Have wintered over 100 IMPORTED QUEENS, and will continue to receive twr month, from May to September. REV. A.SALISBURY, CAMABGO, ILL., Pure Italian Queens, Bees, Foundation Combs, Honey Extractors, Dunham Foundation Machines, &c. Send for circular. 3-8 shipments every Root and Dunham Foundation. The purest and brightest yellow foundation made. Hives, Extractors, Uncapping Cans, Veils, Smokers, Pails, Jars. Knives, etc. Send your name on a postal card for circular and sample of foundation free. CHAS. UADANT & SON, 3-8 Hamilton, Hancock Co., 111. For Sale Cheap. 200 Colonies of Italian Bees. Having over ■150 Colonies of Italian Bees, I will sell 200 in lots of 25, 50, 100 or 200 at fo.00 each, delivered on board of any Mississippi river steamboat. All the Queens are daughters of Imported Mothers, of different parts of Italy. ff3^~Dollar and Tested Queens now ready to ship. Comb Foundation, Apia- rian Supplies, &c. Address, 3-tf PAUL L. VIALLON, Bayou Goula, La. 1880. -1880. Italian Queens, Nuclei, &c. Single Queen, Tested $ 2.00 Untested (laying) 1.00 By the dozen, 10 per cent, off of above prices. Queens sent by mail and postage prepaid. 3 frame Nucleus, Untested Queen $3.00 2 frame Nucleus, Untested Queen 2.50 1 frame Nucleus, Untested Queen 2.00 8 frame Colony, Untested Queen 6.00 Sent by Express. Send money by P. O. Order or Registered Letter. Address, W. P. HENDERSON, 3-8 Murfreesboro, Tenn. Ty WAX EXTRACTORS. SPECIAL NOTICE. We will mail to all who send two 3-cent stamps and their full address, including the township (in territo- ry not sold) one Right, bill of material, etc., to our fALACE BEK HIVE, not to be paid for until they have thoroughly examined it, and are assured of its usefulness. WHITE MANUFACTURING CO., 4 tf Madison, lml. i STILL LIVING! J. 4 ScoveU's Eureka Cold-Blast Bee Smoker Is Boss. —It is a cold-blast or a hot-blast, both at once or separately, at the will of the operator. It is the only cold-blast smoker on the market that has no tubes or othereomplicated machinery in the Are bar- rel to interfere with filling or cleaning. Large size bellows bl,ix(S}-i inches; fire barrel, 2^ inches. Price $1.00 ; By mail $1.35. Send for illustrated descriptive catalogue and price list of hives, implements and supplies used in bee culture. Address, SCOVELL «fc ANBERSOX, Columbus, Cherokee County, Kansas.*, 4-8 THE BRITISH" BEE JOURNAL, AND BEE-KEEPER'S ADVISEK. 1'he British Bee Journal is published monthly at 31.75, and contains the best practical information for the time being, showing what to do, and when and how to do do it. C. N. ABBOTT, Bee Master, School of Apiculture, Fan-lawn, SouthaU, London. Imported Queens.— We shall have a shipment of fine Tested Queens from Italy this month, select- ed for our apiarv. Circulars and price-list free.- 4'ltp E. A. BEST, P. O. Box 55, Best's, Pa. BEES FOR 1880. We will furnish Full Colonies, Nuclei and Queens I'HEAP, Satisfaction guaranteed, For circulars address, S. ». McLEAN . <'. ROOT «V IS ICO., 2-12 Mohawk, Herk. Co., N. Y. PRIZE-BRED ESSEX FIGS. Essex are the best Farmers' Pig ; have been known to dress HO per cent, of live weight ; small bone, light offal, quick to mature. Jos. Harris, author of "Har- ris on the Pig," etc., says of my Boar " Porter," that he is the finest Essex Pig he ever saw. A few Ped- igree Pigs for disposal at moderate prices, suitable for breeding or exhibition. Personal inspection of my stock is solicited. All correspondence will have cheerful and prompt attention. C. W. CANFIEEO, Athena, Pa. N. B.— A limited number of Eggs for Matching from prize-winning Brown Leghorns and Black Red Ban- tams, at $2.00 per 13. Warranted to hatch. 4-yl Stabilimento D'Apicoltura S^XEITI^O PILATI, Strada StefatioSS, Bohxjna, Italy. April. May, June. July, Aug. Sept., Oct. 1 Queen 11.50 francs. !).50 francs. 0 francs. 6 " 06 " 55 " 35 " 12 " 130 " 108 " 68 I guarantee purity, proliflcness and safe arrival. Should any die en route they will be replaced. The vali t a franc is 18%cents in gold. I solicit Ajner- can orders. 4-5 combIwjndation, For sale at 40e. per lb., by WM, HAM1ETOX, 103 W. Main Street, Louisville Ky. *-6p BOKHARA CLOVER SEED. We have received a hit of Imported Bokhara Clo- ver Seed, which we can sell at 60 cents per lb. n sent by mail. 70 cents per lb. TIKimasi;. NEWMAN & SON, Chicago, ni. THE SPIDER PLANT. I can now supply bee-keei this remarkable honey plant cents per ounce. Address, 4-6 ,J. A. MAOOl'X, , Jr., Sioux City, Iowa. . ..ith the SEEK of Price, $3.00 per lb. ; 2i PURE BEESWAX. Bought at best market rates, and paid for promptly. ,J. I.F.I'. SMITH A' CO., l-6«f s«; Beekman St., New York. CTCTPBIAX VXD ITALIAA QTTEENS ASD XTJCLEI.-A Descriptive Price List will be sent Free. JTLIX'S HOFFM AX, 1-6U Fort Plain, Mont. Co., N. Y\ 212 Inventor and Sole Manufacturer of the FRANCES DUUHAM, e ion 1* Inch rolls $57.00 » " " 38. OO 6 " " ST.OO 4 " " 10.OO Dealer in All Articles Necessary in the Apiary. Dunham Foundation a Specialty. tW Circular and Samples free. ,M\ DEPERE, BROWN CO., WIS. 2-tf FINE QUEENS ! ' Colonies in 10 frame Langstroth hives, each, $13. OO ; Nucleus colony, one frame, tested queen, SS4. 50 ; TESTED QUEENS, each, 8C3.SO. In ordering, send money in Registered Letter, Post Office Money Order, or Draft on Chicago ; will not be responsible it sent otherwise. W. P. COFFIJfBERRT «fc CO., No. ST* Flonrnoy Street, CHICAGO. THE ORIGINAL DIRECT-DRAFT BINGHAM PERFECT SMOKER. Patented Jan. 9, 1878. Re-issued July 9, 1878. If you buy a Bingham Bee Smoker you are sure of the best and cheapest, and that you are not liableto prosecution for its use. The largest and most scientific bee-keepers use Bingham Smokers, some using as many as fifteen in their various apiaries. No Bingham Smoker has ever been returned. No letter has ever been received complaining that our Smokers did not give entire satisfaction : but we have ceived hundreds of letters expressing the most unbounded satisfaction and preciation of our invention. The Extra Large Smoker and the Extra Standard for 188D, will have our new extra wide shields, which entirely protect the hands and bellows from heat and remove the danger of burning the fingers. Practical bee-keepers will find these wide shields an important improvement. The Plain Standard and Little Wonder Smokers will be better than ever before, and superior to any imitatiop smokers, whatever their size mav be. Hundreds of them have been in constant use three seasons, and are now as good as new. One dollar and a half is not much for the use of such an instrument three seasons ; is it ? BINGHAM & HETHERINGTON HONEY Patented KNIFE. May 20, 1879. It is a large, strong, durable knife, polished and tempered like a razor, and so formed and sharpened as to cut both ways, over hills and through hollows all the same, without dropping a cap on the honey. 1 he most world-renowned, practical and scientific Bee-Keepers in Europe and America pronounce it " the best Honey Knife ever made." Extra Large Smokers 2?^ incli, SI 50 Extra Standard Smoker * M J *» Plain Standard Smoker * 1 0U Little Wonder Smoker, *3. 00 per half-dozen ; each 1* 7» Bingham & Hetherington Knife J 00 Bingham ^xl8% inches outside. At the front and back of the hive are re- versible cases, closed on one side each with % inch boards, and top-mounted with metal rabbets. The same style of cases (e) are fitted in the ends of the hive, which are also reversible, and can be used to contract the brood chamber to any size desired. The cases described above can be packed with chaff, straw or leaves, and the open side covered with burlaps, tacked around the edges ; or the spaces can be. left unfilled, forming an air-space between the outer and inner walls of the hive. For wintering on summer stands, these inner cases may be turned, bringing the warm cushions next the bees. This forms an excellent absorbent of inside moisture, and also keeps the bees at an even temperature, being warm in winter and cool in summer. With tins packed, double-wall arrangement, bees are not lured from the hive, to chill and die, with every comparatively mild day in winter ; while in spring, a continuous spell of warm weather, of several clays' duration, is required to en- tice the bees forth in the vain search for "fairer fields and pastures green." Where extracted honey is the aim of the apiarist, the second story is made a dupli- cate of the lower story, holding 10 frames, and also provided with the inner wall. 21T The second story is omitted in nil cases where comb honey is wanted. The cap (a.) is the same in all, and racks are furnished (as in cut) to hold any sized box or section desired ; but will be made for 21 41l\4!4 un- less ordered otherwise. If comb honey in prize boxes (S^xtl^, or 2 lb. sections) be desired, the second story is omitted, and in its stead a rack holding 14 boxes, with an 8 inch cover (a) can be used. These racks are provided with bot- tom strips, made of split-basker stuff, just the width of the sections, which serve ad- mirably to keep the sections clean, and pre- vent much annoyance from fastening down. liF Mons. J. Fiorini, an Italian queen breeder, who for several years has furnished Messrs. Dadant & Son with queens from Italy, went to the Island of Cyprus last November. He spent two months there studying the habits of the native bees, and, having procured 8 colonies, returned with them to North- ern Italy. He found much difficulty in obtaining them, on account of the su- perstition of the natives ; they think that if they sell any bees to foreigners that all the rest of their bees will leave of their own accord, with the colonies sold. ©"Mr. John R. Lee, Vice President of the National Association for Ala- bama has removed to Arkansas, and recommends the appointment of Mr. J. A. Austin, of Huntsville, Ala., as his successor. He is. therefore, duly ap- pointed, and will enter upon the duties of that office at once. l^Mons. Dennler, in the Alsatian Bienen Zuechter says that to prevent his sugar syrup, made for feeding the bees, from granulating, he adds half a tea- spoonful of cream of tartar or glycer- ine to every 2 lbs. of the sugar syrup. "Our 'Apiary" is the title of a new paper started by Johnson & Homrig- hous. It is a monthly of Hi pages, and costs 50 cts. a year. It is a mixture of agriculture, apiculture, and religious enthusiasm. Its appearance is quite creditable. ©"The Rev. M. Mahin lias removed from Logansport to Huntingdon, Ind. Bee Notes from California. The Semi-Tropic has the following items of intelligence concerning bees in California : We have placed onr estimation of the loss of bees (up to willow bloom) this season at three-fourths; leaving one- fourth out of what there was last sea- son to commence work this season. We regard this estimate rather low, if out of the way at all ; many have lost all, while a large majority have lost from 50 to 75 per cent. Capt. Gordon, of the Arusa, informs us that the mortality among his bees has been fearful ; 200 colonies have passed in their checks. Mr. H. D. McGeorge, who resides about 40 miles west of Los Angeles, on the coast, informs us that wild bees are quite numerous in the woods and rocks in his vicinity, and that he will capture from 100 to 150 colonies this season. Mr. B. Franklin, an apiarist in the Cahu- enga mountains, will leave in a few days to assist him. Albino Bees.— Mr. S. Valentine, of Double Pipe Creek, Md., has sent us by mail some of his albino bees. They were received in good condition, and were very bright and fine. The follow- ing is his description of them : The dif- ference between them and pure Italians as to marking is very striking ; about the eyes they approach nearer a pur- ple than that of the Italian ; beginning at the waist they have three distinct yellow bands, then three distinct white bands — the white is pure, not muddy and dirty ; the wings are finer, and of a bright, silver color. i^The price of tin has advanced so much of late that the manufacturers of many extractors have been obliged to advance the prices of them. See re- vised prices on page 255 of this issue. lgi°The immense number of inven- tions and improvements patented in this country has astonished our English cousins. The following satire is copied from London Punch: "A Yankee baby will crawl out of his cradle, take a sur- vey of it, invent an improvement, and apply for a patent before he is 6 months old." I A Honey King.— The Montreal Wit- ness says : " The other day we had a call from a Butter King, and Thursday Mr. Valiquet, of St. Hilaire, who is deserv- ing of the title of the Honey King of this province paid us a visit. He has written several articles on the subject of bees and honey which deserve the attention of our apiarists and those whose incli- nations favor bee culture, which, al- though by no means general in this province, if conducted with skill, is very profitable. Some samples of honey rought in by Mr. Valiquet (one being 9 lbs. of granulated honey which he was about to present to a prominent retail grocery house) were the finest we have ever seen. This sample was firm, and could be cut like cheese ; he says only few localities can produce honey so good, as it requires cane sugar, such as is extracted from basswood by the bees. This sample, he said, was purely ripe. Some honey, when extracted, contains as much as" 20 per cent, of water, but if purely ripe it contains only from 5 to 7 per cent. Mr. Valiquet also showed a sample of comb honey of the same kind, the product of a hive— 76 lbs. It was put up by the bees in a box with sections. He had some boxes of sections that weighed as much as 130 lbs. put up in marketable form. A third box of honey shown was the result of a hive of Italian bees which he had wintered. The colony had been allowed to give off one swarm, which, when put in a new hive, produced 81 lbs. of first-class white honey, and 18 lbs. of an inferior quality, making altogether 99 lbs., all put up in a box of sections. The parent hive produced 80 lbs of extracted honey of the first quality. This is considered a large yield ; other hives averaged 65 lbs. The advantage of the section boxes are that the sections can be removed from the hive at any time without interfer- ing with the bees, and taken to market in less bulk than under the old plan, there being less weight of wood and glass to carry. Last season the honey crop in Europe and different parts of the United States failed. In Canada, however, the crop was considered very good. While the clover, the chief pas- turage of the bees, did not yield much, however the basswood, which abounds in Canada, supplied the want, and we had a crop of good quality as a result." '^A convention in the interest of bee keepers is to be held during this month in Salt Lake City, Utah. Bee keepers in Utah can find out more about it by writing to the Utah Farmer, pub- lished at Salt Lake City. Bailey's Swarm Catcher. Mr. J. W, Bailey, of Eipon, Wis., has obtained a patent on the swarm catcher shown in the accompanying illustration. fi r All will see at a glance its object and uses. It can be seen at our Museum, by all who wish to examine it. i^° We are mailing a large number of copies of the Journal to Great Brit- ain and other countries of Europe, and it is very seldom that a number is lost in the mails, as the addresses are all printed. Should any, however, be lost, we always cheerfully send duplicates, when notified of the fact. We have just been informed of one lost through the carelessness of a postal clerk, who had taken the Bee Journal from the wrap- per and failed to return it, after exami- nation— the empty wrapper alone reach- ing its destination. We think we are safe in saying that not 1 in 500 copies fail to reach their proper destination promptly. Our subscribers in any coun- try need have no fears about losing any numbers. Should one not come to hand within a week of its regular time they should notify us, and another will be sent at once. ^*Mr. J. Stewart, Kock City, 111., writes : " Would it not be best to print in the Bee Journal the addresses of the Secretaries of each Bee-Keepers' Association ? We often desire to cor- respond with the different associations, but can rarely find the address of the Secretaries." This point is well taken, and we will in future incorporate this in our convention directory. Sensible Advice.— So much that is in- consistent is often found in agricultural papers on the subject of "who should keep bees," that we give the Western Rural credit for the following sensible talk on the subject : " The Western Rural believes that bee keeping is a source of both pleasure and profit. With the new inventions that are now furnished the apiarist, much that was disagreeable about bee keep- ing has been obviated, and the business has become pleasant and remunerative. We would not, of course, advise every one to rush headlong into bee keeping. It is not every farm that is properly lo- cated for the business, and it is not every man who is fit for it. A little thought will naturally show the work of the apiarist to be a delicate one, requiring patience and the exercise of good sound judgment. The business requires con- stant study, too. The man who buys a colony of bees and thinks no more about the little workers, and does not care to learn their nature and habits, had bet- ter keep out of the business." 1g§* The paper used on the Bee Jour- nal for the past few months was made expressly for it, but was not such as we ordered or wanted. At the time we felt under obligation to take it, as it had been made for us, but we have regretted it ever since. It lacks stiffness and body, and as soon as this lot is used up (about 3 numbers more) we shall procure paper more to our liking. l^Mr. T. F. Bingham has sent to our museum a smoker bellows, having one side cut away to show the working of the different parts, as he makes them for the present season. It is a regular museum of itself — simple, ingenious, original and perfect. ^"Farmers should never be in a hurry to purchase from travelers. It will often save them money and law costs to address a letter to advertisers of implements, trees, seeds, etc., as ad- vertisers generally have a reputation and capital at stake. The glib talker you may never see again; but if it takes your farm that note will have to be paid, whether you get rubbish, value or nothing. Deal direct with established and responsible persons, if possible. — Farm Advocate. The "Resolutions" Repudiated. Since oar l&9t issue Tre have received a •'shower" of letters from apiarists all over the United States, condemning the hasty and unjust action of the North-Eastern Con- vention. This spontaneous outburst of in- dignation we fully appreciate, but cannot now give space to all the letters. The fol- lowing are fair samples of them all : The N. E. B. K. Convention could hardly have done the American Bee Journal more good by lavishing praises, than they have by thus over-reaching themselves. It must be its editor's success they envy— but vou are, in justice, fully entitled to all the honor which every honest and laudable work accomplishes.— A. E. Wenzel, New York. The N. E. Convention was rather severe on the Journal and its editor. That was but a one-sided trial, and judgment rendered in too much haste. The last Journal sums up the evidence in such a clear and strong manner, that it must sit quite snugly on the assailants.— A. Snyder, New York. Friend Newman : I do not indorse the resolutions passed at the Northeastern Bee- Keepers' Convention. I was one of the first to vote for you for President of the National Bee-Keepers' Association. when held in New York. I think you have nobly and honor- ably filled the position, besides giving to us a publication well worthy the name of The American Bee Journal, and I be- lieve you intend to be fair in giving all a hearing through your columns.— C. E. Isham, New York. I like the Bee Journal very much, and shall let them co-operate their journal by themselves ; the old one is good enough for me.— S. e. Tubbs, Neiv York. I would like to know how some of the N. E. Convention folks like their appearance, now that their masks are off ?— D., N. York. Dear Editor : Allow us to extend " the right hand of fellowship," for so ably an- swering the charges made at our Northeast- ern Convention.— Benedict & Newman, Neiv York. I have read with interest all the bee pa- pers for April. I think that the North-east- ern Convention could not have taken a more effectual method of killing the " co-opera- tive" idea. They have not injured the Bee Journal a particle.— F., Wisconsin, The American Bee Journal is just at hand. I notice the trouble just broken out, and I do not like it. I like all the. four bee papers, and take them all. I have been in the Journal office but twice ; the first time in Oct., 1878, and last Oct. During my first visit, I remember very distinctly Mr. New- man's stating that honey producers scat- tered their shipments too much, and the low price it caused honev to bring. After talk- ing awhile with Mr. Newman, I went down to Water street, and priced the honey I saw there. At one place it was 25c. per lb., an- other 30c, next 20c, next 18c, and so on. I found nice white comb honey offered as low as 10c per lb. I had forgotten about all this, till the fuss now raised brought it to my mind. I do not think the editor of the Journal wished the price of honey put down, or he would not have spoken to me as he did, and 1 thank him for it, although 1 am no shipper ; I can not supply the de- mand I have created at home. I learned much of value while at the Journal office. — W. J. Willard, Illinois. I notice that you have a north-easterly Mast, but storms from that direction, though they may be disagreeable and long, seldom do much damage. I do not think that little squall will hurt you. I like the Bee Jour- nal much.— E. B. Southwick, Michigan. I hardly think the Secretary of the N. E. B. K. Association merited so much attention as was shown him in the last Journal. He is quite young, almost "too smart" for one of his age, and has very limited experience. — H., Massachusetts. The Northeastern Convention is quite rough on the Bee Journal. Have the members of that society forgotten the rule laid down long ago : " Let him that is with- out fault cast the first stone "? When they are faultless let them throw the first stone at the Bee Journal— but not until then.— E. Pickup, Illinois. I wonder how the co-operative men feel now in their real clothing. Their "light in the East" is now about defunct. The last issue put a grand quietus on it ; again the sea is calm. I have a number of letters showing how bee men feel about their late attack on the American Bee Journal. — J., Michigan. Mr. Newman : Those resolutions against you for dealing in supplies for the apiary are unjust. They may as well resolve that commission merchants shall buy no honey except from them. Their intimation that you wanted to be re-elected President is as false as their statement that "the Chicago Convention was run by a ring ;" you stated to the Convention that you wanted some other good man to take the Presidency. Bee-keepers have confidence in you, and as long as they find you honest they will buy supplies from you ; and no one will object but the unreasonable and the prejudiced. — L. H. Pammel, Wisconsin. The Utica Convention needs only to be viewed away from the scene, to be loathed. They have made a bad exhibit, and it will do the American Bee Journal more good than all the laudations they could have be- stowed. If it is desirable, to co-operate, why not co-operate bee-keepers' supplies as well as bee papers ?— T., Michigan. Any one carefully reading the various bee publications the past 5 years will have little difficulty in finding which among them is devoted to the interests of producers (the Northeastern Bee-Keepers' Association to the contrary notwithstanding), and when they will produce a better journal for our consideration, we shall cheerfully give them our support. But the " old and reliable " American Bee Journal is too firmly , fixed in the affections of the fraternity to be shaken by such vague,unfounded assertions, and any attempt to found a new publication on such flimsy pretexts, when so many are already in the'field, will most assuredly fail. No, no, gentlemen; what we want is uetter magazines, not more of them ! It was, doubtless, exceedingly kind of the gentle- men to inform us of the dauger ; but, some- how, we fail to appreciate the favor, and think we" will "jog along" with the Ameri- can Bee Journal for the rest of the year, at all events !— C. S. Burt, Ohio. The following from our contemporaries will show how they view the matter : Mr. A. J. King, in Bee-Keepers'1 Maga- zine, Neiv York, says : The cause of truth, and a desire to do as we would be done by under similar circum- stances, compel us to observe : 1st. We have already expressed ourself regarding the National Convention at Chi- cago, and see no reasons for modifying those expressions. 2d. Begarding that Convention being run by a ring, we will say that we have heard from most, if not all of the men whose names occur in the report of the National Convention, as composing this "ring," and all deny sustaining any such relation to the National Association ; and as they are men of acknowledged honesty, we feel bound to accept their statements. This Convention was one of the largest ever held on this continent, yet Eastern bee-keepers were scarcely represented at all, but when the same Association convened in this city, the West was well represented. So, if the Chicago Convention "smacked" somewhat largely of Western ideas and in- terests, we have little room for fault-finding. Inregardto Mr. N. representing American bee-keepers abroad — As he paid his own way and consumed his time without recom- pense from the American Association, it is but natural to suppose that he would exhibit and press the sale of such books and imple- ments as he was most interested in, and in this we cannot blame him. Mr. A. G. Hill, in Bee-Keepers' Guide, Kendallville, Indiana, says : Nearly one-half of the proceedings of the -Northeastern Convention were devoted to condemning the present bee publications, and especially the editor of the American Bee Journal. He, like all the other edi- tors, deals in apiarian supplies, and the Con- vention concluded that no one can be honest and sell bee-supplies. There is one difficul- ty in the way of immediately starting their new paper. An editor cannot live on the support of a convention, or resolutions, and it would be impossible for such a paper to pay expenses unless the editor had some other business in connection with it. Mr. J. H. Nellis, Editor Bee-Keepers' Exchange, Canajoharie, New York, says : Your reply to House, Detwiler, Betsinger and others, whose accusations appear in the report of the Northeastern Bee-Keepers' As- sociation, meets my hearty endorsement. I did not support the position taken by those gentlemen, nor did 1 vote for the resolutions. I would much rather not have published them, but as my report was to be an " offi- cial" one, I dared not "mutilate," lest I get my "neck in the sling." I was very loth to publish it, for the reason that I prefer to keep altogether clear of quarrels, which always result in loss to all the parties participating. If you desire it, I will publish your repfy, and will effectu- ally close my columns to all further matter bearing on this subject. You are free to publish this in the Ameri- can Bee Journal, if you desire. 1 am, as heretofore, your friend, J. II. Nellis. Duty on Bees.— Please answer the fol- lowing through the Bee Journal : Is any duty demanded on queens imported from Italy? If any, how much? If no duty is required, why cannot they be sent by mail? I wintered 12 colonies without loss. All are doing well. G. A. McCarttiey. There is no duty on bees sent to this country for breeding purposes. They can be sent by mail, but the long and close confinement in a huge pile of mail bags may cause much loss— perhaps too much to make it profitable to send in that way. Hg°The proposition to put an import duty on honey in France has failed. That leaves that market open to us, as heretofore. Hgg0 A Canajoharie, N. Y., paper gives nearly a column to a description of Mr. Nellis' new fatory, and the details of his business. We wish the enterprise success. 1^° Poor health has induced Mr. Jas. Ileddon to transfer his " supply *' trade to H. A. Burch & Co. for this season. He will supply his local trade, and (ill all orders sent him for full colonies of bees, but nothing more. i^We have received from the pub- lishing house of Jules Caye, of Paris, a new book on the " Theory and Prac- tice of Movable Frames in Apiculture," by T. Sourbe, edited by A. Quant in. It is an octavo volume, illustrated. Price 3 francs. To us the subject is well understood, but in France movable frame hives are but little known or used. Correspondence. For the American Bee Journal. The Prospect for a Honey Harvest. J. N. M'COLM. My bees have come through the win- ter in fair condition, but my prediction is that Wisconsin will have no honey to brag of this year. The last three months have been a continual freezing and thawing ; the result is that our clover and dandelion are practically used up, so that we will get but little benefit from them. And, as it is the off year for basswood bloom, you see that our chance is slim. The first natural pollen made its ap- pearance yesterday. We believe with Mr. Heddon, that the bee business is nearly overdone ; at least, the " supply business." Nearly every mail brings us a "circular" from some "enthusi- ast," and if this thing continues we shall have a load of paper rags before the close of the year. Our prediction in regard to the latter subject is that one-half of the supply dealers will be driven out of the business in less than three years, from want of patronage. The production of honey will not sus- tain so many. Plymouth, Wis., April 5, 1880. [In Wisconsin and Northern Illinois we have heard that the clover has been injured— but the question is, to what ex- tent ? We should be glad to hear from bee-keepers on this point. Also, is it so in other localities ? It does not ap- pear to be injured around this city, though it is late in springing up. — Ed.] For the American Bee Journal. Do We Need More Bee Papers? JOHN F. BEAN. Bee-keepers in this section read with regret the unjust and uncalled for res- olutions of the "Northeastern Bee- Keepers' Association." We were really pained to see such a spirit manifested by any one, and surprised to think that an association possessed of so much in- telligence should be guilty of such an act of injustice, and that, too, without any foundation whatever. We do not see why an editor of a bee journal should not deal in supplies ; in fact we really think he ought to^because he is able to judge of the merits of everything pertaining to bee culture. He also has a right, and we consider it a duty he owes to his readers, to devote a reasonable amount of space in adver- tising those supplies and in bringing before his readers everything that is new and valuable. We iook to him to bring all valuable inventions to our no- tice ; to criticise them in a just man- ner ; and, if worthy, we are glad to know we can send our money to a responsible dealer and get due returns. We are fully convinced that the col- umns of the American Bee Journal are open to all bee-keepers, and articles worthy of publication and of real inter- est to its readers, and not written in the interest of or through some selfish mo- tive, receive due notice. We neither desire nor do we need a co-operative bee journal. It would be impossible to run a journal on the plan proposed by our Eastern friends. May I be permitted to ask if it was not " sel- fishness " that prompted them to advo- cate a co-operative journal ? We hope they will reconsider this matter, ac- knowledge to the world that they have acted unwisely, and make due amends for their hasty proceedings. One thing is certain : such resolutions instead of being an injury to the American Bee Journal will only build up its list of subscribers, and cause its many read- ers to stick to it closer than ever. Allow me, before closing this, to say, we were truly glad to see the able man- ner in which the editor of the Bee Journal treated the unjust accusa- tions brought against him and the Journal. Mt Sterling, Ky., April 15, 1880. For the American Bee Journal. Increase, After-Swarms, Etc. JAMES HEDDON. I have been somewhat edified lately in reading various methods of increasing stocks of bees. I have been led to the following conclusions by my experience: So long as honey brings the figures it has commanded the past season, and bees their present price, it is to the ad- vantage of most apiarists who produce honey for an income, to do all in their power, consistently, to prevent increase. So far as my experience goes, I must say that I know of no practical prevent- ives except shade and plenty of room at all times. There are many other meth- ods equally certain, but they are either injurious or too laborious and expensive to be practically successful. Well, if you do not want any increase, you will not be apt to purposely make it, conse- quently what you have will be from natural swarming. By the way, I am not sure, all tilings considered, that the last named kind of increase is not the most preferable in any case. I have practiced artificial increase in many different forms, and the following has proved the most successful in all kinds of seasons, and with all sorts of locations and bee-keepers, so far as I have been able to find out. Just before swarming time, induce your choicest blooded colonies to prepare to swarm naturally. This is done by seeing that fresh food is not neglected at any time, and by the addition of brood from other good colonies, and by heat and crowding. This method will give you a lot of just such cells as you wish to procure queens from. Watch developments, and as you find cells ready (you may let the cell-rearing colonies notify you by swarming), divide your foremost colo- nies as follows : Remove all the. top from your hive and place thereon the cap or a box, and drum the bees up into the same. When about one-half have gone up (the queen will be almost sure to be with them) set your box aside with its bees, then remove the old hive to the new stand, putting the new one (just like it) in its place, and run in the bees. Number each hive alike. You can look for the queen as you run them in, or not, as you please ; as stated above, she will nearly always be there ; but when she is not, the bees will soon notify you by "running," when you go to the old hive (now removed), and you can quite easily pick her out and put her where she belongs. How to Prevent After-Swarms. Modify the above process in this way : Instead of carrying the old hive away, face it the other way, and set it close by the new hive on the old stand. Every day after, turn it one-fifth the way back facing the old direction, and on the sixth day carry it away to a new stand. What few bees were flying again from the old hive are now added to the new colony, so what the old colony loses the new one gains. The old hive is to have one of the aforesaid queen-cells on the day of the division, just at night. Divide only when the bees are flying to the fields freely, and not later than 3 o'clock p. m. The above method of artificial in- crease can be made to work with box hives just as well as any, and from box to frame hives, by throwing a piece of carpeting over the old hive before, and over the new hive after dividing, to make the deception complete. The plan given to prevent after- swarms works just as well with natural 223 swarming as with artificial. It is not always a sure preventive, but there are hardly more exceptions than are re- quired to prove a rule. You see there is no removing frames to be done, consequently your work is straightforward and rapid. I know by experience that the plan works well, and I can see no good reason why it should not. The conditions are as near like those of natural swarming as well can be. With or without foundation, I will never put one frame of comb (with or without honey and brood) between empty ones, nor will I put one empty frame between full ones, unless the lat- ter are chock-full of brood. In the above hasty description of my favorite method of artificial increase (I do not use any now but the natural, which is forced upon me by the instinct of the bees and the flow of honey), I have no doubt omitted some points, and I know I have left out the minutiae, ex- pecting that most readers of the Bee Journal have experience enough to supply the details. Nowthat I am out of the supply trade for this season, next month I will tell you what I know about " Supply Deal- ing." A Card. I take this occasion to return thanks to the writers of the several congratu- latory letters I have received in refer- ence to my article of last month, and the cause it advocates. While poor health and many cares prevent me from answering each separately, I feel most forcibly their great help to our cause, and the grand growth of good sense among the many honey producers who read the American Bee Journal. Dowagiac, Mich., April 10, 1880. For the American Bee Journal. Wintering of Bees. L. H. I'AMMEL. We have just passed a trying winter for bees, on account of the great changes in temperature. It is a question of in- terest to many, how to winter bees suc- cessfully. We can hardly find two bee- keepers who agree on this subject ; some prefer wintering them in a cellar ; oth- ers in a bee-house ; and still others on the summer stands. My experience gives me unbounded faith in wintering on summer stands. The bees will remain clean, and will not besmear their combs and hives, which always results in loss of colonies. I had a case of that kind during the past win- ter. I wintered some in a house, and some on the summer stands. Upon ex- amination, I found the latter clean and healthy, while some of those wintered in the bee-house " dwindled " badly ; they had plenty of honey, but the combs were besmeared, and a foul odor came from them. They had occasional flights in good weather, but it did no good. I lost 2 out of 27 colonies ; these were wintered in a bee-house. Others in this locality, who wintered in cellars, have lost one-third, not for want of honey, but the high temperature in January caused the queens to lay early. In February cold weather set hi again, and the bees could not take care of all the brood. The bad odor that came from the besmeared combs and dead brood caused them to dwindle away. Whereas, if the hives and combs had been clean they would have emitted a sweet odor. Some may say that this would have been different had the bees been carried out of doors, but their dis- turbance would have produced the same results. La Crosse, Wis., April 19, 1880. For the American Bee Journal. The Latest from Cyprus. p. A. JONES. The natives here are usually poor, and, on account of the failure of the crops here last season, or from some other cause, they too closely robbed the bees of honey. The spring is very cold and late ; thousands of colonies have starved. I believe three-fourths of the bees in Cyprus are dead, and I wonder that all are not, considering the lack of pasturage and care. If this weather continues much longer, very few will survive. The winter has been very se- vere both in Europe and Asia. My carpenters have made 200 hives, and, by scouring every part of the island for bees, I hope to have 300 colonies by June. Mr. Benton is busy transferring and bringing over the mountains 100 colo- nies I have 30 or 40 miles from here ; and, as they have to be carried on the backs of mules and camels, up and down steep places, you can imagine the task — expensive as well as tedious. To-morrow I leave for Palestine to examine the bees there, and bring 10 to 20 colonies of them back with me, if I Qnd therntobe good. I shall then select a variety of the different races of bees, and return to America with them in May. The bees here are kept in tubes about 30 inches long and 10 or 12 inches in diameter, varied according to the no- tion of the natives. The honey here is dark and very strong, except some gath- ered up in the mountains from plants resembling our sage, which is of alight color and better flavor. The Cyprian bees have large wings and great power of endurance, but do not venture out in the spring in unfa- vorable weather ; but they breed early, and when stores are insufficient, I have found much brood dead for the want of proper nourishment; this may be the result of the lateness of the season here. I am feeding largely to prevent starva- tion and keep up brood rearing. By October I hope to have a thousand queens in my different apiaries, and I expect to exhibit several races of bees at our National Convention at Cincin- nati next fall. I will write you again from Palestine, and should you receive some queens direct from Palestine from me, you need not be surprised. Island of Cyprus, March 27, 1880. From the Prairie Farmer. Practical and Timely Work. MRS. L. HARRISON. All who desire to have profit, pleas- ure and a good time generally with their bees, should provide their fixtures be- fore the busy season commences. Mov- able frame hives well made and painted are a desideratum. Every hive in the same apiary should be precisely alike, so that all parts are interchangeable. We know of nothing more aggravating than to find that a frame will not fit, when it contains honey, brood and bees, and we are in the act of removing it from one colony to another — poor time to stop and whittle. Hives should be made of good, well-seasoned lumber, by a competent workman (not thrown to- gether by saw and hatchet men), and if kept well painted should last as long as a house. Some persons order hives from the manufactories when swarms are daily expected, and when they arrive the bees have to be transferred from salt barrels, tobacco buckets, etc., making a deal of work for their procrastination. We have known persons to go several miles to purchase a hive, leaving the bees clustered, and were surprised on their return to find that the bees had emigrated. The best kind of box for the apiarist to use will depend in a great measure upon what his market demands. Pieces of white comb can be utilized to advant- age in surplus boxes, and it encourages the bees to work in them sooner. Peoria, 111. For the American Bee Journal. Honey Plants of Northern Texas. DR. WM. K. HOWARD, Secretary Texas Bee-Keepers' Association. In offering this list of native honey plants, it will be necessary to consider many plants cultivated by farmers and planters, which furnish more or less honey and pollen ; but before entering upon our subject fully, we Avill offer, here, a few remarks upon pollen, the fertilization of plants, the production of honey, etc. Pollen is in appearance a small yel- low dust contained in the cells of the anthers. When viewed with the micro- scope it appears as grains of various forms, usually spheroidal or oval, some- times triangular or polyhedral, but always of the same form and appear- ance in the same species. Externally they are curiously and often elegantly figured,with stripes, bands, dots, checks, etc. Each grain of pollen is a mem- branous cell or sack containing a fluid ' its coat is double, the outer is more thick and firm, exhibiting one or more breaks, where the inner coat, which is very thin and expansible, is uncovered. In the fluid are suspended molecules of inconceivable minuteness, said to pos- sess a tremulous motion. When the membrane is exposed to moisture it swells and bursts, discharging its contents. In some of the flowers under con- sideration in this text, the pollen grains do not separate into a dust or powder ; they all cohere into masses, called pollinia, accompanied by a viscid fluid. In flowers dependent upon insects for their fertilization, there is a copious deposit of starch provided in the receptacle and disc. At the opening of the flower, this is changed to sugar to aid in the rapid development of those delicate organs which have n# chloro- phylle, wherewith to assimilate their own food. The excess of sugar flows over m the form of nectar ; which is taken up by the hairy tongue of the honey bee, and conveyed by the ali- mentary tube, to the proventriculus, or crop, where honey is elaborated by an unknown chemical process, and regurgi- tated into the honey cell. Many are of the opinion that the honey as taken rrom the flower, undergoes no change before it is deposited by the bee in the cell, and offer as argument, that it has been proven that syrups, etc., undergo no perceptible change in being trans- ferred by the bee to the honey cells ; and thus reason from analogy that no cnange can take place within the labora- 225 tory of the honey bee. Be this as it may, I will not stop to argue here, as it can be of but little practical importance to the apiarist. This wise economy of nectar is seen in fertilization ; for attracted by it, t lie insect enters the ilower, rudely brushes the pollen from the now open anthers, and inevitably lodges some of itjL thousand grains upon the stigma. Experiment has proved ttr;L j,, ajj cases of formation of sugar rrom starch oxygen is absorbed a-* carbonic' acid evolved-a proce^ wnich we might ex- pect, since starch (C« H10 0">) contains proportionally more carbon than sugar fcrfHBOM) contains. It is probable that these two phenomena in vegetation are always co-existent. In the following list, the seasons must be considered, as when the spring opens early, the weather propitious, both pollen and honey will be gathered earlier, more abundant, and of better quality; while in late, cold and wet springs, there will be but little of either collected and that of inferior quality, making our swarming later. In 1879, our fruit trees were in full bloom the first of March, while now (March 1st) we have none in bloom, not even the wild plum. Ked elm {ulmus) furnishes an abund- ance of pollen, and of good quality, and commences to bloom early in January, with a succession of blossoms for about a month. Slippery elm blooms the last of February, furnishing a rich pollen for about two weeks. Wild plum (prunus) is next to red elm, commencing early in February, about the time elm ceases; with a suc- cession of about fifteen days, furnishes both honey and pollen ; the honey, though of inferior quality is eagerly sought by the bees, new honey giving, as it were, new life and vigor to the whole colony. Peach and pear commence to blossom about the first of March, giving a suc- cession of about twenty days, connect- ing with the apple, which gives a succes- sion of from ten to twenty days, owing to the varieties; late winter apples bloom several days later than the earlier varieties. Fruit trees generally yield a fair quality of both honey and pollen, the former, being sometimes somewhat bitter. Judas tree or red bud (cercis) blooms from the first of March to the last of the month, furnishing principally honey, which is of good quality; eaiiy'swarms are frequently thrown' off from the abundance of this harvest. Black haw (viburnum). This shrub or small tree blooms about the twentieth of March, with a succession of blossoms for a month and sometimes more. Yields honey and pollen. Ratan vine (smitax) blooms from the tenth of April to the last of the month ; furnishing an inexhaustible quantity, and a very fair quality of honey. In localities where this vine abounds, our spring yield is from it, and our main swarming is thrown off from the abundance of this crop. Black locust and honey locust (robin- ia) flower in March, commencing about the middle of the month, and giving a succession of flowers for rather more than twenty days ; furnishing both honey and pollen of excellent quality. Pepper-wood, angelica tree ( aralia spinosa, Linn.) furnishes both honey and pollen ; honey of inferior quality on account of its pungency. Blooms April twentieth, with a succession of fifteen to twenty days. It is visited mostly for its pollen, which is abundant. Poison ivy {rhus toxicodendron) fur- nishes an abundance of pollen and some honey. Blooms in April through- out the month. Milk weed ( anantkerix connivens, Peay), commences flowering early in May, with a succession of flowers up to the middle of June % and sometimes later. It furnishes an abundance of honey, of an inferior quality, being strong and pungent. It yields no pol- len; its pollen cohering in masses, called pollinia, are suspended by a thread-like beak, in the sides of the connate mass of anthers, which are 5- angled, truncate, opening by five longi- tudinal rissures, which when the flower opens and comes to maturity, release the pollinia, throwing them out, and being furnished with wings, so to speak, and a heavy viscid beak will scarcely escape the cup-like flower without com- ing in contact with the stigma. These pollen masses are of great incon- venience to the bees, as in visiting the flower for the nectar, their feet come in contact with these pollinia, and by the viscid fluid they become firmly attached ; and in going from flower to flower every pair that touches, sticks. As soon as the viscid liquid dries, it becomes brittle and soon falls off. They do not kill the bees as asserted by some, but I am satisfied that bees are considerably disabled for the time be- ing, by these unnatural and clumsy ap- pendages, and I am of the opinion that bees do as well, or perhaps better with- out this plant ; but where it is to be - found, bees will invariably visit it, not- withstanding the deleterious conse- quences ; but had it not been for this plant in some localities the past season, many apiaries would have starved out ; for it was an uncommonly dry year, and this was the only honey-plant we had. Persimmon {diospyros virginiana) commences to bloom early in May, with a succession of flowers for rather more than a month, early varieties sometimes have half grown fruit, by the time the later varieties are in bloom. It affords an excellent quality of honey ; in locali- ties where there are a few acres of these trees, bees will become rich in stores in a very short time. Black sumac (Rhus.), commences to bloom about the first of June, with a succession of flowers for one month. White sumac ten to fifteen days later, both furnishing honey and pollen of fair quality. Cotton plant (gossypium herbaceum), commencing to bloom about the 15th of June, with a succession of flowers till frost ; furnishing both pollen and honey. The blossom expands its petals of rich creamy-white, about 10 o'clock a. m. As soon as the flower is open enough, the bees immediately visit it, gathering both pollen and honey ; prior to the opening of the new flower, early in the morning the bees seek the flowers of the day before, which have closed, and are of a pale red color, diving down out-side, at the base, and lapping up the delicious nectar, which is no longer necessary for the development of the floral organs. Bees gather more honey from this flower after it begins to close, say after 11 o'clock a.m., till 9 a.m. next day, than from the freshly opened flower; which furnishes mostly pollen. The honey from this plant is dark, like that of buckwheat, but of good flavor, very thick and granulating shortly after it is extracted. Jamestown weed [datura stramonium), commonly called jimson, is visited late in the evening and very early in the morning, but the bee is unable to pro- cure any.honey except from the largest flowers. Several species of wild bees enter it, and some species gnaw into the flower at the base for the purpose of obtaining the abundant supply of nectar which this flower evolves. Corn [zea mays, Linn.). The tassel of corn yields pollen early, and some honey later on. If the weather is favorable for the reproduction of plant-lice, we may always expect them to attack the tassel, making the top leaves " sticky " and discolored. I have seen bees " pile " on the tassel till you could scarcely have seen anything but the bees, gathering this " honey-dew." The honey thus obtained is dark, but of very fair flavor. A few remarks on the subject of honey- dew may not be out of place here Honey-dew is very abundant on many plants, and is sought by the bees with great eagerness. Honey-dew for the most part furnishes rather an inferior honey, being dark and in some instances watery. There has been much cavil for years in regard to the origin of honey-dew. It has been known to entomologists and botanists since the time of Linnaeus, that the so-called honey-dew was mostly the ejections from the bodies of certain insects be- longing to genus Aphis, to which plant- lice belong. The word Aphis is from a Greek word, which signifies to exhaust. The principal characteristics which distinguish these from other insects are as follows : Their bodies are short, oval and soft, and are furnished at the hinder ex- tremity with two little tubes, or pores, from which exude almost constantly minute drops of a fluid as sweet as honey ; their heads are small, their beaks long and tubular, their eyes are globular, but they have not eyelets, their antennae are long and usually taper toward the extremity, and their legs are also long and very slender, and there are only two joints in their feet. Their upper are nearly twice as large as their lower wings, and much longer than the body — are gradually widened toward the extremity, and nearly trian- gular ; they are almost vertical when at rest, and cover the body above like a sharp-ridged roof. The winged plant-lice provide for a succession of their race by stocking the plants with eggs in the autumn. These are hatched m due time in the spring, and the young lice immediately begin to pump sap from the tender leaves and shoots, increase rapidly in size, and in a short time come to maturity. In this state, it is found that the brood without a single exception consists wholly of females which are wingless but are in a •condition immediately to continue their kind. Their young, however, are not hatched from eggs, but are produced alive, and each female may be the mother of tifteen or twenty young lice in the course of a single day. The plant-lice of this second generation are also wingless females, which grow up and have their young in due time ; and thus brood after brood is produced, even to the seventh or more, without the appearance or intervention through- out the whole season of a single male. This extraordinary kind of propagation ends in the autumn with the birth of a brood of males and females, which in due time accquire wings and pair ; eggs are then laid by these females, and with the death of these winged indi- viduals, which soon follows, the race becomes extinct for the season. Plant-lice seem to love society, and often herd together in dense masses, each one remaining fixed to the plant by means of its long tubular beak ; and they rarely change their places till they have exhausted the part first attacked. The attitudes and manners of these little creatures as described by Harris, whose words are used in the history and parthenogenesis above, are exceedingly amusing. ''When disturbed, like restive horses, they begin to kick and sprawl in the most ludicrous manner. They may be seen at times, suspended by their beaks alone, and throwing up their legs as if in high frolic, but too much (Mi- gaged in sucking to withdraw their beaks. As they fake in great quanti- ties of sap, they would soon become engorged if they did not get rid of the super-abundant fluid through the two little tubes or pores at the extremities of their bodies. When one of them gets running-over full, it seems to com- municate its uneasy sensations, by a kind of animal magnetism to the whole flock, upon which they all with one accord, jerk upwards their bodies and eject a shower of honeyed fluid." The leaves and bark of plants much infested by these insects are often completely sprinkled over with drops of this sticky fluid, which, on drying, become dark- colored and greatly distigurin<,r tin1 foliage. This appearance has been denominated '• honey dew.*' but there is another production observable on plants after very dry weather, winch has received the' same name, and con- sists of extravasation or oozing of the sap from the leaves. Horse-mint [monarda). This plant furnishes an excellent quality of honey, equal to white clover, finely flavored ; it is the best honey-plant we have. It grows on all our prairies, stands the drought well, and comes in bloom just when our bees are in their working strength ; it blooms rather after the middle of June, and gives a succession of flowers for one and a half months, or rather more than forty days. We all rejoice when our bees are safely through to the horse-mint. There are several species of this plant here which furnish more or less honey; the most valuable are M. ciliata and .1/. punctata. The first mentioned is nearly a month earlier in flowering, though both are valuable honey plants and deserve attention in the way of cultivation. I believe some of our apiarists are cultivating horse- mint for its honey qualities. It yields no pollen worth mentioning ; the anthers project in a direct line with the upper cleft of the flower, dusting its pollen grains over the body of the visiting bee. Too much cannot be said for horse- mint as a honey plant. Pig-weed (chenopodium album, Linn.). This very common weed in fields and gardens, blooms about the first of August, and furnishes an excellent quality of pollen ; unimportant as a honey plant. Flax weed (bigelovia virgata, DC), blooms about the first of August, but is not visited by bees till late in the sea- son when other and better flowers are scarce ; it blossoms till frost ; the honey is bitter and pungent. We have a plant of the genus solidago, or a closely allied genus of the com- posites, which I have not had time to determine satisfactorily, which blooms in August and furnishes an inexhaust- ible quantity of honey until frost. There are hundreds of acres of this plant in this country, common in old vacant fields, waste places, etc. With a favorable fall, bees will get very rich from it. The honey is so pungent and firey that no one can eat it; even the smallest portion of it will create a burn- ing sensation in the mouth, throat and stomach. I have seen persons who had eaten not more than a few ounces, and it caused such distress, that vomit- ing, followed by violent purging, last- ing several hours, was the sequel ; per- sons who could eat pure honey with impunity, and were very fond of it, too. Such is the character of this honey that most persons have supposed it to come from pepper wood (^4. spinosa), the taste of which is very much like that of prickly ash {xanthoxylum). The honey is of fine appearance, being transparent as water, but of medium consistency. Slow to granulate. It will remain liquid six months, and I do not know how much longer. I have never tried boiling it to remove the pungency. I contemplate making some experi- ments the coming season on this honey. Bees will winter on it if they have plenty of it. My bees have had no other honey, and have wintered in tine condition. I would suggest that when this harvest comes in, to extract all the honey on hand, and let the bees have the benefit of this honey for winter use, as a safe plan. I shall make more extended observa- tions on native honey plants in north- ern Texas, the coming season, and hope, also, to be able to write a paper on cul- tivated honey plants as soon as I have satisfied myself as to their value in this climate. It will be remarked from the fore- going incomplete descriptive list of honey plants, that our natural resources for the production of honey, are equal to any in the south or west. Our climate is such that our bees winter well on the summer stands, plenty of stores to prevent starvation being necessary only. Our country is subject to severe droughts once in every three or four years, which is very trying on our apiarists, causing heavy losses on account of starvation. There are other plants deserving at- tention in a paper like this, but as I have not had an opportunity to examine them, and visit their localities and ascertain their value, I will pass them by. I have been more lengthy than I intended, but I desired to offer a few remarks on botany and entomology, to explain certain extraordinary phenom- ena in the production of honey. If this shall be the means of rendering information to those interested in the subject, then its object shall be accom- plished. White Kock, Tex., March 3, 1880. Translated for the American Bee Journal. Value of the Different Races of Bees. The following is the report of the debate on this subject at the Austro- German Congress, at Prague, last Sep- tember, as reported in the Bienen-Zei- tung: Dr. Pollmann remarked that the his- tory of bee-keeping for the past 30 years, had demonstrated that in obtain- ing the best races of bees we had to contend with many difficulties. Dr. Dzierzon, who introduced the Italian bee into Germany, in 1853, described it as " gentle, quiet and easy of manage- ment." Baron Von Berlepsch said he did not believe in the much-talked-of virtues of the Italian bees ; he was decidedly of the opposite opinion. In 1867, the Baron Von Kothschutz, Sen., recommended the Krainer bee. In 1872, Count of Kolowrat, and Herr Cori, introduced Cyprian bees ; and the value of this race is now a much dis- puted point. Some admire their beauty, but others pronouce them as cross as maddened beasts. The truth, evidently, lies between the two extremes. All races are good, if treated as near to the requirements of their nature as possible. Dr. Dzierzon said that both his ex- perience and observation proved that the Italian bees were gentle and not fond of stinging. They are very coura- gous in the defense of their stores, and diligent in the gathering of honey. 229 This shows that we were perfectly right in preferring this golden bee to the lazy black bees, which Virgil, in his day, so much praised. These characteristics present the principal differences be- tween Italian and German bees. The Italian race is by far the best, accord- ing to my judgment. Herr Klimke : As an apiarist and importer of bees into Silesia, since 1867, 1 find the Krainer bee t'he best race under all circumstances. It will cross well with other races, but best with the Italian. It is the most in- dustrious as a honey-gatherer— is gen- tle, and works with more diligence. Herr Hilbert said that perhaps no race of bees could be said to be the best under all circumstances — so much depends upon treatment, climate, coun- try and the taste of the apiarist. Each race have some good traits of character, and will gather some honey. If we look for utility instead of fancy color, the German bee is beautiful. I do not desire to condemn the yellow bees ; on the contrary I admire them greatly ; but I think it useless to go to the ex- pense and trouble of obtaining them, if economical profit is what we desire. It is inexpedient to spend large amounts of money in acquiring Italian, Cyprian or other fancy queens (which are often of questionable purity), as many have a passion for doing in our country. This may be called an acute disease of apiarists, which may become as dis- astrous to improvement as is the dis- ease of foul-brood ! Many a poor fel- low who throws his money away for such, would act more wisely to spend it for personal or family comforts. For this reason I never offer to sell queens, and I have serious doubts of a man who will give 20 or 30 marks for a Cyprian queen, unless he is anxious to get rid of his money. If a man is able to do so, comfortably, he might procure a queen to improve his stock ; but the improve- ment of the race of bees is a difficult matter, and is usually only successfully accomplished by a breeder and dealer of queens and bees. But the apiarist who wants to keep bees for the money to be obtained from the sale of his honey, should depend upon the revenue he may obtain from a careful and judi- cious management, rather than upon obtaining different races of bees. In improving the race, queens produced by the best colonies should be selected to mate with choice drones of another race. Cyprian bees use their sting more readily than the Italians. Any one not sensitive on this point will be much pleased with them, for with this exception they have all the virtues of the Italian race. They are also hardier and do not dwindle away in the spring, as Italians do. They increase and swarm more readily than the latter, and are so warlike that they will with ease conquer any colony of Italians. For this reason they cannot be united with any other race. The Egyptian race of bees are quite useless. In attempting to improve the races of bees, we should have an eye to utility, by periodically adding new blood or crossing with a hardier race like the Cyprians. Herr Budiegizki, of Bohemia : My experience as a stock raiser, proves that any race of animals will degen- erate, if obliged to remain excluded from others. Importing the different races of bees has been highly beneficial. This was the happy idea of Dr. Dzier- zon, who made it possible for the intelli- gent apiarist to thus " cross " their bees and infuse new blood into them. This has been a great benefit to the bee culturist. From the Bee-Keepers' Magazine. Do we want a Co-operative Journal? G. M. UOOLITTLE. I was much surprised in reading the report of the N. E. B. K. Association, in the March number of the Magazine, to see the resolutions tending toward the establishment of a new bee paper. No bee journal could besuccessfulhi con- ducted on the plan as given in 'these resolutions. One of them says, "The columns of this co-operative bee jour- nal are to be always open to contribu- tors." This would give the editor of such a journal no control whatever, and he would be obliged to admit all quar- rels into said journal, and all language, however indecent or abusive it might be, or else the journal must go down at once. Now an editor should always have the right to say what shall go into his paper, and what shall not ; for with- out this power, his hands are tied and the publication is a failure. Next we find that this journal must be "managed for the sole interest of the honey producer at all times, and disinterested nxro tea;/ in the manu- facture or ««/('<)!' suppliis for the apiary." This would please me much and would be just what I would like, but, the question is— can a bee journal conducted on these principles be self supporting ? I answer No. Why not? For the simple reason that the price would have to be so high, to make it pay, that but few would take it. Perhaps 300 would be willing to paj $3 or $4 each for such a journal, but the majority would say, I can get the Magazine or Gleanings for a dollar and I would rather have it at that, even if it does puff the wares of the editors, than to pay four dollars for a co-operative journal. If this is not so what has caused the Bee- Keepers'1 Maga- zine and the American Bee Journal to lower their prices ? The bee journal that gives the largest amount of in- formation for the least money is the one that the majority will patronize, whether the editor has wares to sell or not. This is a fact that will meet us, turn which ever way we will. It would seem by the action of the Convention, that the members thereof are not willing to extend to Mr. New- man the same privilege they do to their president, for, on page 51, I read : "I am sorry that there is an impression that a dealer in supplies allows his judg- ment to be warped by his position." As proof that they considered Mr. Roofs judgment was not thus warped, they re-elected him president. Again, they award a prize to Mr. Van Deusen for the best essay on comb foundation, when he is as much interested in the making and monopoliz- ing of comb foundation as any man in America. Why not accord to the editor of the American Bee Journal the same privilege ? There is something said somewhere about consistency being a jewel. As to honey markets I find that the bee journals vary somewhat, but I fail to see where the American Bee Jour- nal quotes honey lower in the Chicago markets " to further its own interests." In the March number, the American Bee Journal quotes honey in Chicago, from 16 to 18 cents, while the Magazine says, it is worth in Chicago 14 to 16 cents. Mr. Miller says in February Gleanings that honey is selling there at 22 cents, but I know some friends who sold their honey there, and did not real- ize the lowest quotation given above. "It is reported by some that Mr. New- man submits to Doolittle the articles for American Bee Journal and that which he does not approve cannot be inserted." I wish to say that Doolittle has nothing whatever to do with the American Bee Journal, any more than he has with Gleanings or the Magazine. I simply write for it, as I do for them , and the editors clip my articles or throw them into the waste basket, as they see tit. It is a little tough, I know, to have an article one has spent time to prepare, consigned to the waste basket, but such things have occurred with me, and I claim the editor has a perfect right to do so. In conclusion I would say, with Mr. Clark, that there is no necessity for starting a new journal, as we already have six, each devoted to bee-keeping. If we wish a co-operative journal, let us see how much we wish such a jour- nal, and if we wish such a one $6,000 worth, no doubt, the editors of either journal will give us such a one, and drop the manufacture and sale of sup- plies. I want such a journal $6 worth, and if 1,000 of us are in the "same boat," we can have it, I assure you ; but until we are willing to pay for such, let us not rind fault with the journals we have. Borodino, N. Y., March, 1880. For the American Bee Journal. Buying Untested Queens. E. B. SOUTHWICK. I notice friend Doolittle (whose writings I generally swallow without doubting) is very careful in getting his choice queen and colony ready early to swarm. Suppose she does come out and two-thirds of the bees with her are leaving for parts beyond reach, is it not a risk ? I will tell my plan, which I am self conceited enough to think is much better : I get them ready to swarm as he does, but before they swarm I take two frames of brood with the bees that are on them, and the queen also, and place these in another hive and add brood from other hives and empty combs enough to make a good colony. Then I do not lose my choice queen and my queenless colony commences to rear queen-cells and will rear more, and better ones, than they would if they had swarmed, for there would be more bees.to work at it and keep up an even temperature in the hive, which I think very essential. I notice that nearly all who rear queens to sell recommend the tested queen to the purchaser and lament the great damage the cheap queens are do- ing to the business. I am not rearing queens to sell. I rear some for my own use, and if a friend or acquaintance wants one of me, I show him the queen that I will sell; show him her progeny and tell him her age, if I know it, and put my price which will vary from one to five dollars, or more. But were I buying queens for my own use, I would invariably buy the untested queen, and the sooner she commenced laying the better. My reasons are that the queen breeder, whether honest or dishonest, will rear queens from his best colonies and get the best he can, for it is to his interest to establish a good reputation. When his queens begin to lay he knows but little about them ; they may be pure or impure, but the careful breeder has little fears of that, for he has Italianized his own and his neighbor's bees. They may be good layers or they may be poor, he does not know which. Now if he sells them at this stage he is just as apt to sell the best as the poorest, and the purchaser for the one dollar is just as apt to get the best as the poorest. But suppose he rears them to the tested point ; then he need be no longer igno- rant of their quality. He finds some of them very energetic, active and great layers and will rill the hive with bees in a very short time ; others will not lay enough to keep the old colony good. Some of them are worth five dollars, others not any thing, but all are purely mated, all are tested. Need I say who will get these five dollar queens for two dollars ? The poor ones fill the bill, and the best ones find their way into their own hives, or some friend of theirs, like Doolittle, through which they expect to establish a name. I need not mention the great chance they have to weed out their own apiary of the old and poor queens. Mendon, Mich., April 3, 1880. For the American Bee Journal. Cyprian Bees, a Superior Race. D. A. JONES. No doubt the thousands of readers of the American Bee Journal will be glad to hear that the Cyprian bees are superior to any other in the hands of some of the most experienced European bee-keepers. Being determined to ascertain whether or not the Cyprian bees were superior to all others, I pro- cured the assistance of Mr. Frank Benton who has experience in queen rearing, and is able to speak the differ- ent languages required in the enterprise, and in January we started for the Island of Cyprus. But I was deter- mined before importing, to go through Europe, visiting all those persons who have had experience with the Cyprians, and if theydidnot convince me of their superiority, to return home without go- ing further than Italy, and importing Italians. Having visited the principal apiarists who had Cyprian bees, and learning all that is known of them, in Europe, I am greatly pleased with the information I received from all quarters and especially from those who never sell colonies, queens or bees ; such per- sons as Count Kolowrat, Krakovsky, Edward Cori, Director Chancellory, &c. The Count imported Cyprian queens for his own apiary, when one would cost $200. His apiary is one of the finest in Europe. He thinks the Cyprians, re- gardless of cost, much superior to all others. When I visited him, he gave me a very warm reception, which I shall ever remember with pleasure. He stated that when all his other bees wintered poorly, the Cyprians wintered well, and when his others would dwin- dle down to a mere handful ,the < 'yprians would be strong, and their hives over- flowing with bees before the others would be strong, thus enabling them to secure large yields of early honey. They breed early and late, going into winter quarters very strong, and with young bees. Some of the principal breeders in Italy intend to get the Cyprians to improve their stock. If they decide that the Cyprians are superior to the Italians, will they not be very valuable to us, in America ? Being satisfied of their superiority I have purchased a large stock of lumber and nails for hive-making, and also a lot of superior loaf sugar for queen cages, wire cloth, carpenter's tools, and every thing required in an apiary, and have shipped it to Cyprus. Being a British subject I have secured through the British government the assistance of its officers there, and from a gentle- man of Austria, the assistance of the Austrian consul. We shall doubtless be able to start a large apiary, in spite of the superstition of the natives on the Island, who stop up all their hive entrances and fumi- gate the hives and yard to drive away the influence of the witchcraft that might be practiced on them, after one of us have been around. As soon as possible I shall purchase a large num- ber and start a bee-farm and queen- rearing establishment, and as soon as I can, I will return to Canada, bringing with me all the queens I can secure; Mr. Benton will remain in Cyprus and take charge of the bees, rear queens, and ship them to me, or the parties in Europe who have ordered them, after the supply is sufficient to meet the demand. Those who have been im- porting heretofore, have been delighted to learn that Mr. Benton will remain on the Island, and asked us to import for them. We have with OS, the Count's shipping cases in which to send hi in queens. We have also received orders from Messrs. Cori. Cravenhorst. Shro- der. and others, who will have them, regardless of cost. I will write as often as possible and give readers of the Bee Journal the Cyprian news, and keep them posted on all points of importance. Corfu, Ionian Islands. March. 1880. 232 For the American Bee Journal. Where Honey Comes From— No. 3. WM. TKEEEASE. If a .flower be taken from a single hy- acinth— a double flower would not do so well, because the artificial doubling has transformed some or all of the essential organs into petals — and the floral envel- opes (a) removed from one side as is shown in Fig. 6, the pistil (o) will be seen occupying the center of the flower, and around this the stamens (b). A glance at the pistil shows it to be made up of an egg-shaped ovary, creased longitudinally with 6 equi-distant lines, and surmounted by 3 styles. Three of the grooves mentioned occupy the mid- dle of the walls of 3 cells into which the ovary is partly divided by partitions (Fig. 8) ; and the other three, which are deeper, correspond to these partitions. At or near the top of the ovary, on each Fig. 6.— Flower of the hyacinth, with the nearer half of the perianth removed— natural size. In all of the figures a indicates the perianth ; b, the stamens ; d, the gland cavity ; e, the flower stalk ; f, the ovules : o, the ovary ; s, the style ; 1, the epider- mis of the gland cavity ; 2, that of the outside of the ovary. of the last mentioned grooves will be found a glistening drop of fluid, sweet to the taste. Two of these drops are in- dicated in Fig. 6. The presence of these drops has been observed from time to time for many years, and even Linnaeus saw them and knew that they were nec- tar. But no study of the glands which secrete this fluid appears to have been made, till 18.54, when they were briefly described by a Frenchman, M. Brong- niart. Notwithstanding this descrip- tion, even in the last year the glandular tissue has been wrongly described as disseminated in the ovary, by one of the highest authorities on the relations be- tween flowrers and insects. With a sharp razor the ovary may be cut from top to bottom in such a way that the section shall pass through the middle of a cell and the middle of the opposite partition. Such a section is shown, enlarged 11 diameters, in Fig. 7. The cell of the ovary is partly tilled by the ovules or young seeds (f ), and a narrow pocket (d) is found extending down a short distance from the point where the drop of nectar was seen, into the tissue of the septum or partition. This is one of the nectar glands, and is a so-called septal gland of the ovary. A thin section across the ovary near its top, shows all three of the glands as very small crevices in the septal tissue. Such a section, at the point xy of Fig. 7, is shown in Fig. 8, where it is enlarged 17 diameters. The gland tissue, which differs very little from that surrounding it, is indicated by the figure 1. Septal glands similar to, though much larger than those of the hyacinth, are found in the ovaries of many lily-like flowers, such as the Canna, or Indian shot, the Amaryllis, the squill, or wild hyacinth, the onion, and many others which need not be mentioned. In the Fig. 7.— Vertical section through a septum of the ovary— magnified eleven diameters. hyacinth, the gland is little more than a slight deepening of the furrow be- tween the two halves of a septum, and is wider at its mouth than at any other point. In other cases, the gland cavity is of equal width throughout ; in others it preserves the nature of a simple pock- et, but is much enlarged below, and passes its secretion to the surface through a contracted portion often of considerable length, and then forming a true duct ; and in still others the pouch is relatively very large, and its walls are folded into longitudinal and transverse ridges, thus largely increasing the secreting surface. In these latter in- stances, the gland is quite comparable to one of the simpler racemose glands of animals. Every septal gland may be considered as a cavity such as might be formed in a clay model of the ovary by pressure from the outside with ;i hard object, and if we imagine this model in- vested with a piece of thin sheet rubber, representing its epidermis, and adher- ing to the clay at every point, it will be seen that this layer must necessarily line every part of the cavity formed, however complex it may be. Fig. 8.— Cross-section of the ovary at xy— magnified seventeen diameters. From this study it appears that in some cases supposed diffused glands may be merely concealed glands of defi- nite form which are in communication with the surface by definite channels, and the drops of fluid accumulated at the openings of these may serve as guides to the glands within. For the American Bee Journal. Fertilization in Confinement. A. J. HINTZ. This seems to be the most important question to the mass of bee-keepers at the present time ; and it may well be, for to successfully breed any thing in its purity, for the best qualities, and to perfection, we must have perfect con- trol over their mating. When attending the Convention at Chicago, I was very much interested in the experiments of Prof. Ilasbrouck, and the discussion that followed the reading of his paper, showing the suc- cess of the Professor and others. In the summer of 1878 I studied all of the plans and methods on fertilization in confinement, that I could obtain, but none satisfied me, so I invented a plan of my own which I intended to practice during the summer of 1879, but the winter of 1878-9 cleaned out every bee I had (11 colonies), so that stopped me from experimenting, until I obtained more, during the last week in June. I then bought one black colony, and early in the fall I found two small colonies in the woods, which L transferred to hives, so I have one strong and two weak colonies. Now I will tell you the plans that I am going to try to get my queens purely fertilized. I have been thinking of a wire -screen house about 10x12, 8 feet high, but it would be too costly for ex- perimenting, so I shall get up something cheaper, that will answer the purpose. Take 4 sticks, pointed at one end, 6 feet or more long, drive them into the ground in a square about 4 feet apart one way, fi feet the other, have them all of even height at the top ; these are the posts ; get 4 pieces 4 feet, 4 pieces 6 feet long, 1x2 inches thick; these are the rails or frame pieces ; nail one all around at the top of the posts and one all around a few inches from the bottom, then the frame is complete. Now get 20 or 25 yards of sheeting, cut it up into lengths to reach from the bottom of one side, over the top to the bottom on the other side ; then cut off pieces for one and one half ends ; get them sewed together as they ought go on to the frame. Stitch it over the frame and tack it to the bottom rail on each side, do the same with the ends, only leave enough loose at the hinder end to get in and out ; on one-half of the front put one width of screen cloth all the way up and down, then your fertilizing cage is complete. In tacking on the sheeting, put a strip of thick cloth or thin wood over it, to nail through, then the sheet- ing can afterwards be taken off without tearing holes through it. When the queen is a few days old, in the evening, take the nucleus or hive where queen and drones arc in. place it in the back end of the fertilizing house, the hive facing the front. Peed them while they remain in there. About noon the next day, if pleasent. open the hive, and the queen if ready for her wedding trip will come out and the drones on the look out will soon follow, and the desired object may lie accom- plished. If not successful the first day try the next, and so on until it is accom- plished. I should not take the hive out until I found the queen laying, if not over six days. Another plan is this, which anyone can easily try. if they have a well lighted emptyroomat their command. Darken all the windows, but on one side; put the queen with selected drones together in a cage, leave the cage in the hive where they belong, until mid-day, then get the cage into the room, take it to the corner furthest away from the light. 234 open it to let out the inmates, when the queen flies out the drones will accom- pany her on the wing, perhaps to your satisfaction. When one is fertilized then put her back in the cage . Marking the cage to know where she belongs. Then open the next cage and proceed as before until you have them all fertilized and caged ; then open the windows and let the surviving drones fly home, and take the queens home too. This is my theory, which I did not care to make public until tried and proved successful, but as I may not be able during the coming summer to give it a satisfactory trial, and as others have more bees and time to devote to experiments than I, and not having seen any mention made of these plans, I give them to the public for what they are worth. If any one has tried similar plans I should like to hear of it through the Bee Journal, giving full particu- lars, whether successful or not. Perhaps by a little modification of some plan, if not already perfect, we may be able to devise a way that will prove as much of a success in fertilization as the use of comb foundation has been proven to be in the hive, or the introduction of supe- rior queens to colonies. An interesting question is : Does the season of the year, in rearing a queen, have any effect upon the disposition of her progeny ? In other words, will the progeny of a queen bred in the early part of the summer, when honey is coming in plentifully, have a better disposition than a queen that is bred in the fall, when honey is scarce ? If any one has made any observation in that line, I should like to have an answer through the Journal,. Lamont, 111. Translated from the Bienen Zeitung. The value of different Races of Bees. DR. DZIERZON. Ever since we have become acquainted with and introduced various foreign races of bees, the color of some of which differs in a striking manner from that of our native bees, apiculture has become considerably more interesting and profitable. Many questions on which formerly opinions were very much divided, are now capable of being solved in a simple way. . . . Of the most gentle bees may be named the Carniolan and Italian bees. The former, in addition to their gentle nature, show a great disposition to swarm. The latter are distinguished by their extraordinary industry, their capability of defending themselves against "attacks by robbers, and the large quantities of honey they collect, in which they certainly surpass the capabilities of our native bees. The advantage of the introduction of foreign races of bees, however, is not only to be found in the good qualities and superiority of the latter, but also in the difference in color. Generally speaking we may grant the correctness of the maxim that success depends, not on the color of the dress but on the capacity for work, still a decided differ- ence in color is also no mean practical advantage. A Hungarian bee-keeper, in a letter which I received from him, states that in his opinion the Italian bees are valu- able chiefly on account of the remark- ably bright color of their queens, whiGh greatly facilitates their being easily discovered among the bees. The following example will illustrate the advantage of being able to dis- tinguish queens more or less pure from one another by their color. Some of the colonies in my apiary at Carlsmarkt had become somewhat reduced in popu- lation during the winter, and in order to strengthen them I deprived several populous colonies in my distant Bank- witz apiary of a quantity of bees which I brushed into a box. When I arrived home I discovered to my regret that I had brushed off a queen "with the bees. The weather being cold the operation had to be performed quickly, and as I had removed no combs from the brood- chamber where the queen generally resides, I did not suspect the presence of the queen upon the combs which I took out of the hives. What was to be done now ? Having taken bees from four or five hives, which colony did the queen belong to ? I was not long in doubt. Of the colonies which I had deprived of bees, two were pure Ital- ians, one colony was tolerably pure, and one only contained rather dark bees. I guessed at once that the queen, which was also of a rather darkish complexion, belonged to this colony and my supposi- tion proved correct. When I returned to my distant apiary on the following day I found the colony in question without a queen, and on putting her back into the hive she was joyfully received, and thus the mistake was made good, which might easily have caused me the loss of a good colony. The queen of a swarm might fall to the ground, a queen returning from her wedding trip might by mistake enter the wrong hive and still be liberated unhurt from the bees surrounding her, or she might slip down the comb un- 235 perceived during the tempi nary removal from the hive and be discovered after- wards. I need not therefore enter into further particulars to show how im- portant it is to know with certainty which hive she belongs to. For the American Bee Journal. Feeding Honey to Store in Boxes, Etc. GEORGE THOMPSON. In the February number, page 77, there is an excellent article by G. M. Doolittleon "Feeding Extracted Honey to be stored in Boxes/' I have been experimenting in this direction for the last two or three years, and I must also say that I have to feed a great amount of honey to get a little stored in boxes. My plan, however, has been a little different from his. I feed below in- stead of above, my hives having all tight bottoms. I pour in about dusk 2 or 3 pounds, and it is usually all car- ried up by morning, so this does not prevent them from working when there is anything to gather. I had all my unfinished sections nicely filled and capped in this way last fall. I have, however, come to the conclu- sion that it will not pay to put on empty boxes and feed to get them filled and capped over. I would ask G. M. D. to lend me his ear ; it may be that we can do some- thing in this direction yet. You know we live in a "progressive age." By a careful and judicious selection of our best box-workers, can we not produce a strain of bees that will carry every- thing in the form of liquid sweets up into the boxes ? — regular elevators, you know ! What a bee " the coming bee "is to be. Little or no sting, remarkably gen- tle, the swarming propensity worked out, rapid multipliers, the * tongue greatly lengthened, the working quali- ties greatly increased, the elevating in- stinct marvelously improved, and, presto, " Apis Americana.'''' I was sorry that Mr. Ileddon in the March Journal discouraged the im- portation of the Cyprian bee. The lat- ter part of his article spoiled all the rest. I wonder why he said: "I will pay no high price for any new bee," and at the same time acquiesce in what Mr. Langstroth wrote : "• Crosses, I think, will prove the point in the com- ing bee." I would ask him if the Ital- ian bee in America has been brought to its present state of perfection by " crosses " or by careful selection V lie says : " I prefer to go slow." That is the way of some folks till they are driven out of the market; or. after two or three years, into the traces by their more enterprising and lucky neighbors. My bees came out of the cellar in splendid condition, but I am a little fearful they will be considerably re- duced before warm, settled weather comes, for breeding ceased very early last fall. They gathered nothing after the basswood harvest. Geneva, Kane County, 111. For the American Bee Journal. To what extent can Bees be Improved ? G. M. DOOLITTLE. In the March number I said something in regard to the best way of rearing queens, as I considered it, but said very little about the selection of stock from which to rear said queens. There prob- ably is not an apiary in the United States, containing 20 colonies, but what the owner thereof is compelled to ac- knowledge that certain colonies do bet- ter than others nearly every year in producing honey, as we often hear it remarked, if the whole apiary could have done as well as such a colony, I should have had a big yield. Some contend that the hive and strength of colony has all to do with it, but I am inclined to think that the race, of bees lias the greater influence over these things, and that certain traits of character exist in certain colonies of bees that do not in others. If this is so. there is a chance for improvement in our bees, and I am inclined to think that it will be more to our credit in the future to strive to im- prove on the bees which we have, rather than to keep importing stock. Bui how can we accomplish this improvement '.J I know of but one way at present for the majority of us to accomplish this, and that is through the queen. A tew cases have been reported, where the drones have been brought into subjec- tion, so that an improvement could be made by a selection of drones, but a majority of those who have tried fer- tilization in confinement have only made a failure of it. Thus, we have only the queen to aid us in the improvement as a certainty. Well, such being the case, how shall we proceed? 1 do not know that I can give my views better than to relate some of my experience. About seven years ago I began fcoturn myattention to this matter, and adopted the following plan : At the close of the honey season I struck an ayerage ol the number of pounds of surplus honey produced by the whole apiary, and then all colonies which did not come up to 236 the average were marked, as well as those which produced the very largest amount. (This, you will see, requires a record kept of each hive by some means.) Those that were marked as not coming up to the average were united, either in the fall or spring, with others that had produced an average amount or above, if such uniting was deemed advisable through colonies light in bees or scarcity of honey. Of course, we always destroyed the poorest queen and retained the other. If all were not disposed of in this way, we superseded the inferior queens by those reared from the colonies marked as producing the very largest amount. All queens were reared, as far as possible, from those producing the largest yields of honey, and so, by following this plan and rear- ing the most of our queens, as given in the March American Bee Journal, our bees have been improving as re- gards honey-gathering qualities instead of retrograding. As far as possible we have selected our best blooded Italians to breed from, always, however, keeping an eye to business rather than to color. But dur- ing these seven years we have found other points worth looking after as well as honey producing, such as good dispo- sition, keeping brood in compact shape, remaining quiet during the winter, etc. Our attention is just now turned in another direction. The readers of the Journal will remember that it was claimed the honey which drew the gold medal at the National Convention in 1877, was gathered by black bees ; one of the reasons given for so claiming being that black bees made whiter looking honey, or whiter looking comb than the Italians. We discovered in 1876 that we had one colony of Italians which so sealed their honey that it was superior in appearance to that of the black bees. In 1877 this colony pro- duced upwards of 300 lbs. of box honey, and the most of the honey in the crate drawing the medal was selected from these 300 lbs. Here was a chance to improve our bees in another direction, as we all know that the appeai-ance of com!) honey has a- great deal to do with its sale, and as I had but one colony that produced more box honey than this, 1 thought it something worth trying for. The queen, being quite old, was superseded in 1878, but from the cells left in the old hive at swarming we reared a few queens, only one of which came up to our ideas of excellence in every way. From her we reared some very fine queens last season, and pro- pose, if possible, to stock our yard mostly with this strain of bees the com- ing season. These bees have also, as a rule, wintered well. They are not as light colored as some, but as most of the young queens are nearly duplicates of the mother, we are satisfied on that score. Thus every apiarist, if he will keep his eyes open, will find desirable points in certain colonies of his bees which he can improve upon, and by adopting the plan as given above, his apiary can be steadily advancing in worth to its owner. The only drawback that there is to cer- tain improvement in any direction with bees, is our inability to control the drones. Then let us try with more zeal than ever, the coming season, to make fertilization in confinement a success. Borodino, N. Y., April, 1880. For the American Bee Journal. Queen Rearing. H. ALLEY. For 20 years I have been rearing queens ; 18 of these have been devoted to the Italians. Almost every con- ceivable experiment for rearing queens has been tested by me. For several years I have used only the following method : My combs for nuclei are 4jf inches square, as they are the most con- venient, and in my queen-rearing hives I use 24 of them at one time. There are 3 sections to these hives, each con- taining 8 combs. These combs are well filled with honey and pollen. Now the strongest colony of bees is selected and after being made to fill themselves with honey, by drumming on the hive, they are all brushed from the combs into a box that has wire top and bottom, so as to give plenty of air. The queen is found and removed and the bees left in the queenless state 10 or 12 hours, this fits them for queen-rearing. Now I prepare the queen hive by filling each of the 3 sections full of combs, leaving out 2 or 3 of the frames from which one- half the comb is cut, to make room to put strips of comb containing eggs just hatching, for the bees to make the queen-cells on. The comb the eggs are in is cut in strips about 3 cells deep, and is attached to the combs in the frames with melted beeswax and rosin sim- mered together and used, of course, while warm. The strips of comb are shaved down, so that when looked at sidewise, they form the letter V. Queen-cells will be made on both sides of it. Having thus prepared the queen- rearing hive we place it on the same stand that the bees were taken from, and if there are no objectionable drones the cover is removed (without smoking the bees) and the bees will enter the new hives readily, and in the course of an hour, queen-cells ^ inch long may be found. The strongest colony should not be permitted to rear over 25 queens. The more they rear the poorer will be the queens. In 12 days from the time the queen-cells are started the young queens will commence to hatch ; that will make 16 days from the time the eggs were deposited. No 8 or 10 day queens can be raised by this plan, as is the case when the queen is removed from a full colony and the bees allowed to select the eggs themselves. Under such circumstances the bees will select anything, from the hatching egg to a larva? 3 days old, to make a queen of. By my plan the cells are all made in a bunch, and cannot be separated with a knife. I use no lamp nursery or other artificial apparatus for hatching queens —hatching boxes, with glass in 2 sides are used. The combs having the cells are placed in them and bees enough to keep up the natural heat are put in with them. A young queen can be seen readily when she emerges from the cell, as they are nearly white when first hatched out. The frame is removed and a sponge used for the queen to run on. She is then placed in a cage or nucleus that has been queenless 3 or 4 days. I never handle queens just hatched, by their wings. In the course of 24 hours all the cells will be hatched out. What will you do with the bees that have just made the cells ? I do this ; more cells .are wanted, but these bees will not do to rear them, they can be used for this purpose, but the queens would hardly be worth $1.00 each. Now I go through the same process again that I did in the first place. Another strong colony is selected and all the bees brushed off the combs into the wire box. The combs are replaced in the hive just as they came out. The hive is then placed on the spot where the queens were reared, the bees in the queen-rearing hive are then shaken from the combs in front of the new hive, and a queen, or rather the queen taken from the full hive given them. By this method all the large colonies are kept full of brood as they are never queen- less. As soon as the cells are sealed they are removed to strong nuclei and from there they are removed to the hatching boxes when the cells are ready to hatch. The reader will notice that while the bees are rearing queens they have no brood %to care for, except that given them to rear queens from. All their forces are directed to queen-rear- ing. While forage is abundant no feed- ing need be done. When the flelda furnish none, the bees must be fed until the cells are sealed. When the combs are full of syrup ami scaled or ready to be sealed, they are given to the bees in nuclei, or the bees in fertilizing boxes. I do not keep my breeding queens in full colonies. I could not run my queen- rearing business easily and conveniently if I was obliged to open a full hive every time I wanted a few eggs to start queens. They are kept in small hives which have the 1% inch frame ; I'we of these frames are used. The middle one is drawn out twice a week, or every day if needed, dated and placed in some other hive for the eggs to hatch. I know just when to look for eggs that are ready for my queenless bees, when I want to rear queens. Larva; over 12 hours old should never be given bees to rear queens from ; queens reared in such manner, will hatch in 8 to 10 days and be rather shortlived and this is the case where too many are reared in one hive; even though they are 16 days from the egg, they do not live so long as queens that are reared in hives where only a small number are reared at one time. The price or color of the queens does not make the quality. My opinion is that a pint of bees will rear as good queens as are reared under natural swarming, provided, they rear but one at a time, but the difficulty is to fix the brood so that they will rear or make only one cell. I have experimented very much on this one thing, sometimes with success and sometimes with failure. I can place one egg in a hive, but the bees do not like it at all. Some- times they will make a fine cell and then again none. • If I could meet with good success every time I would rear queens in no other way. The year 1879 will long be remembered by me. I never received so many orders for queens, and never had such hard work to get them fertilized. From June 1 to 20 there was not a favorable dav for queens to fly. From that time to "July 4, the weather was tine, hut from then till October it was very un- favorable, all the time. To perfect 1,000 queens I had to rear 2,000. My expenses were heavy, and on the final wind-up, I found that I was many dol- lars out of pocket. I commenced last fall to get ready to make a success, the present season, and am bound to do it. I have written the above for the bene- fit of those who have sent to me for my method of rearing queens. Although I have not advertised any since September last, nearly 1,000 bee- keepers have sent for my circular, and 99 out of every 100 say, " I saw your advertisement m the American Bee Journal." The Bee Journal must have alarge circulation — and why should it not? I notice that one man thinks we need a new journal, and expresses a strong desire to kill out the old Ameri- can Bee Journal. 1 wonder where they will find their Newman to run it ; they must have him if they expect to meet with success. Wenham, Mass. For the American Bee Journal. Queens Duplicating Themselves. a. f. moon. The March No. of the American Bee Journal, under the above heading, contained an acceptance of my proposi- tion, from Mr. D. A. Pike, which was made in September number of Bee Journal, of 1879. I was pleased to see a breeder come to the front with these " princesses," and hope that he will, as he says, " bear off the palm." From the following postal card re- ceived from him it would seem that he is laboring under some misapprehension with regard to this proposition. If there is anything he does not fully un- derstand, he has plenty of time to inquire or correct, as the case may be : Smithburg, Md., Jan. 6, 1880. In the September number of the Ameri- can Bee Journal appeared an article from you, relating to the matter of duplicat- ing queens ; I do not like to see such a mat- ter rest so, to be left forever ; I am of the opinion that such queens are in existence, and that I even now have them in my apiary, having tested them to my personal satis- faction. The plan of testing does not ap- pear plain in every particular, perhaps you can give some light on the subject. Are the men who are to rear the queens situated so as to have no difficulty with black bees ? How many are to constitute this committee? If perfect satisfaction can be obtained, you may find an acceptance to your challenge. D. A. Pike. From the above, it would seem that Mr. Pike is laboring under some mis- take. First, the plan of testing is very simple, all he has to do is to send the "princess," (one that he has tested to his personal satisfaction), to Prof. Cook, or any man, or set of men, and they will put her to the simple test of rearing 12 queens from her; the 12 to be reared at one time . I do not think it will make any difference what time of the moon they are to be reared, whether in the new, full, or the last- quarter, only that the 12 in number are to be the exact "duplicates of their mother in color !" Their being reared near black bees will never affect a purely mated queen, and especially one of such remarkable purity, and more especially one that has received a careful test by friend Pike, for such an occasion as this. As to the number of committee it will make no difference with me, if they be men capable of judging between black and white. All I have to say, is send on the " princess," one that you know to be true (be sure you get the right one), and Prof. Cook will test her, and report the result, whether they are duplicates of the mother, or not, or have colors of different hues. Rome, Ga., March 17, 1880. For the American Bee Journal. Hives made of Wood, Plaster and Sand. C. W. SAPPENFIELD. On the subject of wintering bees, much has been said, and many have given their views and modes of winter- ing. There are points that almost all agree upon, viz: plenty of food, even temperature, occasional flights, and keep them dry. The first point may be remedied by feeding, either in the winter or in the fall, depending on latitude as to fall feeding. If the colony has 20 or 30 lbs. of honey it is safe, on that point. Even temperature is the point on which so many disagree — as to how the proper temperature shall be attained. For 30 years I have been " experi- menting." I have tried cellar winter- ing, with only moderate success, losing many by " spring dwindling." I have wintered in a warm house, with nearly the same results. I have wintered on summer stands, packed in chaff, straw, leaves, and sawdust, and in all of the latter modes, have had trouble with mice, rats, and moisture; losing more or less. I have tried the " American," " Cottage," " Continental," " Hicks," "Kidder," "Mitchell," " Langs troth," and many other styles of hives, with about the same results, as to wintering, but a great difference as to surplus honey. I have for three winters, used the " Farmers' Bee Hive," which has so far proven to be the best for cellar, warm house, straw, chaff, leaves and sawdust packing, all combined. It far excels any and all of them. I have the first colony yet to lose by wintering in them. I have in every instance left them on the summer stand, in the same position ; only removing the sections, and placing quilts over the frames. The plan of the hive is that of the Langstroth, except the base, which is like a hip roof in- verted and supported by four legs. The surplus arrangement is that of the Langstroth. The inside is plaster and sand, an inch or more thick, with an air chamber between the plaster and wood. Having tried the hive three winters under the most severe tests, with entire success, and as a summer hive with the same results, being the only hive, this year, in which I obtained any surplus honey, averaging 80 lbs. to the colony, with the same facilities of my other hives, and the same strain of bees. The only reason I can give why I got better results from the lined hive is, that the plaster and sand being two of the greatest absorbents known, facilitated the evaporation of water from the nectar, also being a good non- conductor, enabled the bees to keep the proper temperature. I use no upward ventilation, as in summer it only at- tracts robbers, and in winter it venti- lates the bees out of your hives. I obtain all the advantages of upward ventilation by absorption. By winter- ing on the summer stands my bees fly when it is warm enough, the plaster and sand, keeping the hive dry and with such a house the bees pass the winter in a continuous holiday, greeting their master with music every warm day. Crawfordsville, Ind., Feb. 19, 1880. For the American Bee Journal. Taking Sections from Broad Frames. o. E. COOLEY. A correspondent in a recent Bee Journal relates his troubles in re- moving sections when filled from the wide frames which hold them in the super. The plan that has proved en- tirely satisfactory with me for the past two years is as follows : My supers are 16 inches wide, and will consequently hold 8 broad 2-inch frames of sections. When putting them on the hive I place 4 frames of sections on one side in the super, and three in the other, and put a frame of comb in the space left in the middle. The top bar to my frame of comb is \% inches wide, and the bees will not fasten it to the sections on either side. When the sections are filled, or when I wish to examine them, I have only to take the frame of comb out of the center, and I can remove the sections at once. Another advantage is derived from using the frame of 239 empty comb : the bees will go to rk sooner than they otherwise won the supers and they will begin in the right place. Last year I put :; ami \ frames of comb, and filled out the bal- ance with frames of sections, in a few supers, in order to ascertain if swarm- ing could not be partly controlled thereby, and the result wi is reasonably satisfactory. By keeping the honey closely extracted from the frames and taking off the sections as soon as filled, and replacing them with empty ones. swarming was materially checked, although not entirely prevented. Will others experiment in this direc- tion and report results in the Bee Journal ? Bluffton, Iowa, April 1, 1880. Translated from the Bienen-Zeitnng. Electricity upon Workers and Drones. O. FREIWIRTH. When I made my first trials of sub- duing bees by the use of the electric induction current, I had no drones in my experimenting hives, and could therefore only establish the fact, that bees, according to the strength of the current employed, would sooner or later fully recover, apparently without injury to their health. Afterwards, when I had drones, I continued my ex- periments, first taking them singly and afterwards together with the workers. Here I made the remarkable discovery that the drones, as soon as thej come in contact with electricity, instantly die. At first I supposed that the current had been too powerful, and to test this, I employed the galvano-meter, by which to ascertain the strength. To my sur- prise I found the magnetic needle show- ing the same as usual, 20P. By this 1 was led to believe that drones are more delicate and much more frail than the workers. To make sure of this, I took a small number of bees and drones, and electrified them together and simul- taneously. The result was the same as before; the workers recovered after a few minutes, but the drones were dead. Of the relative weakness of thedrones, every apiarist can convince himself by taking a full grown drone between two fingers, and, without pressing it, keep the fingers on the head and the little shield upon the back for a few seconds, he will then have in Ins hand a dead drone; while a worker, treated in the same manner, will remain healthy and active. In this bodily weakness of the drones may be found an explanation of the remarkable circumstance, that the drones run around in the hive cow- arclly and timid, and that the little bees come off victorious in a combat with them. In all probability it is not always the sting, which brings death to the drone, but their being pulled hither and thither. This remarkable fact of the different effects of the electric current upon bees and drones may induce apiarists to try further experiments in this direction. Possibly electricity will furnish a radi- cal remedy for relieving hives that are overfilled with drones. Whether the queen would suffer through the effect of the induction current or not I could not ascertain, as I had no superfluous queen to experiment with. But I think we may safely assume that a queen whose constitution permits it to live for sev- eral years is not more delicate than a worker-bee. Continued experiments might prove whether electrified queens would be capable of producing drones only, as is the case when they have been chilled. By charging with electricity the alighting board I have disabled and caught a large number of robber-bees in front of a hive where the robbing was going on lively. I closed the en- trance, and charged the alighting board, to which I had attached several wires, with electricity, and all the robbers that flew upon it remained sticking to it as if nailed to the spot ; the small pile soon increased to one of wonderful size ; when no more arrived I swept the cap- tured robbers into a little box and to- wards evening I set them at liberty. I hardly think that a more radical rem- edy is known, for usually the robbers attack another hive when the entrance of the one first attacked has been closed to them. At all events, electricity deserves to be taken into consideration by all thoughtful apiarists. Who knows but that the scintilla of electricity may not also permit a great light to dawn upon us ? Cannstatt, Germany. For the American Bee Journal. Spring Report— Strange Case— The Northeastern Convention. R. M. ARGO. In the January No. of the Bee Jour- nal, page 42, 1 requested bee-keepers to report this month their success in wintering. I predicted that all black bees not fed for winter, in this neigh- borhood, would die during this month, if not before. The remarkably mild winter is all that saved them. But, so far as I can now learn, all such as are now alive are only living " from hand to mouth " on fruit bloom, and a few wet days would end their existence. As I predicted in a former article that we may have our winter in March and April, so it has been thus far. Peach trees have been in full bloom nearly 2 weeks, and were not killed a week ago, though they may be killed now, as we have had several sharp frosts, and some ice % of an inch thick. I only lost 1 colony, and that during March. It was one of my strongest ones, with an im- ported queen, leaving about 20 pounds of sealed honey, and plenty of pollen in reach ; it had drones on the wing on Feb. 21 ; it was all right on March 1, but was found dead after the cold spell about March 19. All the bees were in a large compact cluster. I confess that with all my bee-skill I am unable to account for this ; for they had a good flight and were gathering pollen a week or 10 days before. Here, Mr. Doolittle, is a case for you. Nothing ever struck me with greater surprise than the report of the N. E. Bee-Keepers' Convention. I have always had much respect for many of those present. I have known parallel cases to transpire among members of religious and political conventions ; but such conventions or members always came out at the little end of the horn, just as I expect the above one will, in due time. I cannot well explain what was the matter with these men ; but Job i: 6 — 12, will probably furnish an explanation. I am interested in the whole bee fra- ternity of the United States, both North and South, but in no particular conven- tion, association or journal, and. there- fore, I am an impartial, unbiassed ob- server. One good journal is better than two; two are better than three, and three better than four, etc.; so, I say, we need no more bee journals, but we do need a North American Bee Convention, if the members will all dwell together in harmony in one general ring, or no ring at all. The attempt to form a granger journal signifies the formation of a ring ; I can understand it in no other way. But no granger ring ever held together long, and never will, on such principles as they are formed. Lowell, Ky., April 12, 1880. ig^ In Cochin, China, they have a species of bee larger than the German. They are numerous along the coast, and have a singular long mouth, with which they suck the honey from the deepest flower cups. They build comb in hol- low trees. Read before the N. E. Convention. Races of Bees and Different Crosses. JULIUS HOFF3IAN. Ever since the introduction of the gentle and industrious bees of Italy by the great master, Dr. Dzierzon, intelli- gent bee-keepers of Europe and this country have labored to improve their bees by breeding as well as by introduc- ing different races. It is well known that great differences are found in productiveness and dis- position among colonies of the same apiary, even when belonging to the same race. We also know that these differences exist among the several races of bees. This fact being estab- lished, the bee-keepers of to-day will have to take advantage of it in trying to procure the most profitable bees. I will first consider the improvement with a certain race of bees, which I be- lieve to be of the highest importance. When bees increase naturally (that is, by swarming), the best colonies will first be ready to swarm, and rear young queens, which will generally cross with the drones from, other good colonies, as such will naturally produce drones earlier and more numerously than less prosperous ones. This is entirely dif- ferent when we do not allow our bees to swarm and compel them to raise queens ; great skill and experience will then be required to keep our bees from degenerating ; we ought, therefore, to imitate nature, for it is only in this way, by crosses between our best colo- nies, that we can procure the most profitable bee, and even improve nature. The improvement of our bees by for- eign races is another important point that we gain over nature, as we can take advantage of the good qualities of the bees we import from distant coun- tries, and reduce the qualities which are not desirable. This will be accom- plished by cross-breeding different races, wmich will lead us to the much discussed question oi which is the best race of bees V In reviewing the differ- ent races of bees, I will try to give their respective good and bad qualities as they appear to me, and with as few words as possible. I will begin with the common black bees, the native bee of Germany and England, which at present is predomi- nant in this country. This bee has some excellent qualities ; their queens are long-lived and hardy, and the comb honey produced by them is the nicest in appearance that we get. Credit is also given them for working on buck- wheat better than Italians. Next I will mention the Italian bee. Their appearance is so well known that I will omit describing them. The Ital- ians are now generally acknowledged to be more industrious and gentle than black bees. In time of scarcity they will work on flowers which black bees will not notice ; in consequence, they store more honey. They defend their hives better than blacks against robbers and the moth. In handling them they are more quiet, and do not leave their combs as blacks do, which enables us to find the queens much easier; the light color of their queens also aids us in this last point. They have, however, one bad quality ; they cease brood rear- ing too early m the season, and gener- ally go into winter quarters weak in numbers. The Carniolan or Krainer bees are not much different from the common black bee, they are a little more gray in color than black bees, and are said to be more gentle, but ther swarming propensity is very great. The Egyptian bee has been imported to Germany, and, after a thorough trial, it has been found worthless for honey production. Lastly, I will mention the Cyprian bee, which was imported by Count Kol- owrat, in 1S72. into Austria, anil is now fast becoming the preferred bee in Austria and Germany. As the Cyprians have been described in the Bee Keepers'1 Exchange and in the American Bee Journal, I will now only give in short their prominent qualities as known to me by information and partly by my own experience. Although more beau- tiful than the Italian, they are not as lazy as most of the bright-colored Ital- ians, but are a very industrious and vigorous race. One of their most prom- inent characteristics is the rapidity with which thev carry on breeding in the spring. Mr. E. Ililbert, of Prussia, the well known discoverer of the foul brood remedy, said the following at the last Bee Keepers' Convention held at Prague: " I will admit the [talians to be more gentle, but this is the only point in favor of the Italians. In all other good qualities given to the Italians, the Cyprians not only equal them, but sur- pass them greatly. A Cyprian colony will never, even iii our cold climate, go into winter quarters so weak in num- bers as the Italians, nor will they come out so weak in spring. One very good quality of their queens is their longev- ity as compared with Italian queens. 242 For defending their homes, they have proved to he the most vigorous, watch- ful, and strongest of all races." In con- clusion, Mr. Hilbert says: "For the purpose of improving the blood of other races in crossing them, the Cyprians are the most valuable of all races." So far, all other reports agree with the above with the exception of one point, which is their disposition. While some say they are crosser, others find them as gentle as Italians. Having now reviewed the different races of bees, I will give my conclu- sions in regard to what I think the most desirable "cross" of the different races for practical bee-keeping, and will say : Mate the gentle Italians with the vig- orous Cyprians. If from some queen-breeders we can get pure Italians, and from others pure- Cyprians, we will have the best mate- rial for the future bee of America, and it only remains for us, by intelligent breeding, to incorporate the two into one fixed race. Fort Plain, N. Y. Read before the N. E. Convention. Comb Foundation and Its Uses. MRS. F. DUNHAM. Bee-keepers at the present day scarcely need to be told what comb foundation is; though its general use can be dated back but a few years. Even as late as the seasons of 1876 and 1877 only a few used it in any quantity ; and of those few approved of it, while many condemned its use altogether. Writers have given us a minute his- tory of. the original invention of foun- dation, and to Heir Mehring or F. Weiss be accorded the great honor. It is an easy thing to improve an invention, after a great mind has originally thought of and demonstrated its prac- ticability. We have many ways of making foun- dation though there are but four kinds : 1. That with the base of the cell in natural form, with a mere outline of the wall between the cells. 2. That with the base flat, with wires inserted, and the walls well formed for the brood comb, while that for surplus honey has no wire. 3. That with the base of natural shape, a-nd walls brought up to form even sur- faces, while at the joining of the cells there is a triangular portion of wax, which adds strength. 4. Foundation with walls on one side only, and a comparatively flat surface on the other. A few years ago all efforts were turned toward keeping drone comb down ; that is, preventing the bees from building it, or by cutting it out after being built, and one of the strongest arguments against artificial division of colonies, which now we find so essen- tial, was the liability of bees to build drone comb under certain conditions, which it was then almost impossible to guard against ; and much labor was spent upon a matter to which we give no thought to-day, for the reason that it is only necessary to give bees full frames of worker foundation to insure there being no drone comb built in the hive. And it is difficult to estimate the im- portance of this matter, for, with the ability to control the rearing of drones given us, we can hardly see any limit to the improvement of such qualities as we demand in a queen and her progeny, viz.: docility, prolificness, honey gath- ering, and disinclination to swarm. And, again, how we labored to have the bees build straight combs. The apiarist who could say : " I have 100 colonies of bees, and not one crooked comb among them," was looked upon as a wonder of industry ; for it repre- sented days and months of unremitted care, attention, and hard work. Now it is nothing, straight combs are a cer- tainty, with a free use of foundation. As before said, there are several methods of making foundation. The wax must first be formed into sheets, where rolls or presses are used ; and there are also a number of ways to sheet wax, of which I will mention the three best : Smooth boards, thoroughly water soaked, are dipped into melted wax, and then into warm water, the operation being repeated till the sheet is thick enough. Or a wooden cylinder is used, which revolves in the wax ; this reduces the labor of sheeting it very materially, and, lastly, metal plates are dipped into the hot wax and then into ice water. It is of course unnecessary to add that the last is the most expensive method. The sheets so formed are dipped into a preparation of slippery elm or starch water (some use soap, but it should be borne in mind that- the bees dislike soap), and then carried through the rolls of a foundation machine, to give them the desired impression of either style of foundation before mentioned, with one of which wires are deftly in- serted. To prevent the wax sticking, it is necessary to brush the rolls well with the solution used. There is also a very ingeniously- formed press, in which sheeted wax laid on a brood frame already wired is pressed into foundation, which of course is fastened into the frame by the same operation. Plaster or metal casts, double or sin- gle, are also used ; by being dipped into melted wax, the sheet so formed being the foundation, without needing any further manipulation. Another and more laborious method is to take sheeted wax and, with a die or cluster of dies and mallet, form cells as regularly as possible over the whole surface ; the opposite side, of course, it is almost impossible to form. In regard to the proper use of foun- dation, I may be pardoned perhaps in making the assertion, that, in nine cases out of ten,. the good or bad effects in the brood chamber are entirely within the control of the bee-keeper himself, depending largely upon the thickness and purity of the foundation, the man- ner of fastening, and the time of its insertion into the hive. Many apiarists, who approved of foun- from the first, were severely tried by its liability to sag, and sometimes even break down, after being well drawn out and tilled with brood and honey. It wras soon discovered that breaking of the comb wTas generally caused by impure substances mixed with the wax; as the wax of commerce is frequently adulterated with tallow, cerasin, flour, etc.; though all may be detected by an experienced person, either by odor, taste or feeling. .Sagging was due to the same causes, and sometimes by a failure to insert the foundation with the broad part of the •cell uppermost, as the wall with the pointed part up gives much less sup- port, as is easily demonstrated. An- other cause of sagging was the use of sheets of foundation made too thin to support (after being softened by the great heat of the hive) the mere weight of the bees employed in working it out. A single season will convince those using it extensively that it not only does not pay, but is a positive, loss to use foundation in the brood chamber thinner than 4 or 4% feet to the pound. In using foundation to obtain the best results, take a heavy sheet, cut it to the size of the frame ; it must be fastened properly, that is, warmed slightly and rubbed with a putty knife well into the top bar of the frame ; and here let me say that I most decidedly prefer the tri- angular top bar ; it gives good support to the foundation, which by its use has not to be bent at right angles, and so, perhaps, be broken or cracked, and there is less danger of your knife cut- ting through in fastening it on. Having fastened the comb foundation into the frame, insert it into the hive in the afternoon, so that the whole forces of the hive may work at it and have it well drawn out before it is subjected to the heat of the noonday sun. You need trouble yourself no further about it. for the bees will take care of it. But suppose you had used the thin foundation (say 6 Langstroth frames to the pound), you gain - sheets, or the bases of 2; but see the added work. In the first place, you must cut it at least an inch short, for fear of sagging, some will not, but the bees will till up the inch allowed with drone comb; other frames will stretch, and will have to be carefully looked after, and perhaps cut off ; and, again, many will not be joined to the bottom bar, winch is bad for ex- tracting; and, after all, you merely have the central portion of the comb, and your finest honey has to he drawn upon to make up the deficiency in Wax. at the rate of 15 lbs of honey to produce 1 lb of wax (some authorities say 20 lbs), but, at the least calculation, the wax so produced costs $1.50 per lb, to say noth- ing of the enforced idleness of your bees, in secreting wax, at the height of the clover or basswood season. The giving of foundation in early spring induces the bees to great activ- ity, and so influences the queen to lay freelv. when she would not do so at all in old combs. Therefore, provide the queen with foundation as fast as she is able to occupy it, taking away the old combs to make room, and saving them for swarms or extracting. Thin Foundation for Surplus Honey. Here the bee-keeper has not the mat- ter so fully in his own hands, for the bees will thin foundation in the surplus boxes, and, again, in a great How of honey, sometimes will not. I imagine the form of the piece of foundation given them has something to do with it. A pointed piece, reaching to the bottom of the box, and serving as a climber, is almost always thinned, while a straight piece, the full size of the box, but reaching only half way down, is not as apt to he well worked out. It isniueh better to till the boxes full, and have them drawn out before t!i«' season com- mences. in the body of the hive. Thin. Hat-bottomed foundation is very highly prized for surplus honey, as is also all that with a very thin base. But it should he borne in mind that the heavier foundation should newer be used in boxes in its crude state, hut should be first well drawn out in the lower hive. In concluding, let me mention a strange fact that has come to my no- tice. In melting a boiler full of wax, the sheets first dipped out are the lightest colored and most beautiful, but they are also the weakest; that dipped after, and several shades darker, has greater strength and tenacity. Un- doubtedly others have observed the same thing. The bee-keeper of to-day has great cause for thankfulness. For this in- vention of comb foundation is of as great importance as the movable frame hive, which in a few years revolution- ized the whole system of bee-keeping. All honor to Langstroth. Foundation is now fully appreciated, and the fact is becoming apparent, that, properly used, we can double our honey crop, and with less labor than it took in years gone by to manage the common box hive. Depere, Wis. Head before the N. E. Convention. Perfect Comb Foundation. J. VAN DUESEN. To comprehend the subject, it is nec- essary to define what constitutes perfect comb foundation. It is a sheet of pure wax put in such shape as will enable the bees to utilize the greatest amount of wax in the construction of their cells, in the least time — of sufficient strength when used in brood frames to retain a perfect shaped cell, and be handled safely in extracting or moving— to which you can introduce a colony of bees, whenever it is necessary to hive them, without danger of its breaking down, and when used in surplus honey to be acceptable to the consumer. The above are essential points in good foun- dation. There is a very general method of manufacturing by melting the wax, without using heat enough to color the same, giving it sufficient time to settle and free itself of impurities, and sheet- ing on flat sheets of iron, or cylinders of iron or wood, of a proper width for your rollers, which vary from 3% to 18 inches, and, after passing through the rollers to dry, cut to size required, paper and box for market. This will answer for ordinary foundation, from 3 to 5 feet to the lb.; but when you get to the lighter foundation, 10 to 18 feet to the lb., it requhes special facilities and special help. Others use a press mak- ing a single sheet for each impression, as in printing, the weight varying with the weight of each sheet. Order is an immutable law of our Creator, else this system of worlds revolving in mid-air would be clashing. The tiniest insect that crawls is en- dowed with the instinct necessary for its own preservation and reproduction. The honey bee is endowed not only with instinct but order. We find it not only building its cells but arranging them in perfect order, 5 cells to the inch, andthat its cells may be of uniform thickness, they are made hexagonal, each square inch containing 25 cells, and each hive, as we furnish the frames, contains 8 combs, say 1 foot square, making 57,(500 cells. A swarm of bees is put in a hive say with eight frames ; they commence by building 1 cell at a time, here and there, in each of the 8 frames, and they will take from 2 to 6 weeks to fill these frames, according to circumstances, or as honey is flush or scarce ; so that it used to be an old adage that " a swarm of bees in May, was worth a ton of hay ;" " in June, a" silver spoon ;" in July, not worth a fly." These 57,600 cells we will suppose to be % filled with brood and the balance with honey, so we may esti- mate a colony to contain between 20,000 and 30,000 bees, as to size of brood comb used. To build 57,600 cells in the brood department alone is no small task, but when we add as many more for surplus honey, it might seem discouraging to any but the busy bee, they being for- merly required to work without the aid of foundation, and if a swarm could not be hived before July they could not secure stores sufficient to carry them through the winter, consequently, in most cases, were of no value. They usually commence building their cells near the center of top bar, and circling around it ; but few find room to work on the cells, while the balance are idle, or stopping the crevices in the hive with propolis ; when empty boxes were put on they worked to the same disadvantage. Man, with his accumu- lated facilities, lays out the work in the space to be occupied by the brood and honey department of the hives and boxes, and the bees being all permitted to work, as their instinct inclines them to do, the cells spring up as if by magic, and in 24 to 48 hours they begin to de- posit brood and honey. Thus the July swarm, that was thought to be of no value, not only sustains itself, but proves a source of revenue to its pos- sessor. Man has not only made the ox,, the ass, the horse, and all the subtler elements subservient to his will, but is now utilizing the insect to add to his revenues. I make a foundation with heavy side wall, 4 feet square to the lb., and sub- mit it to the test of the bees, and find they do not utilize the whole of the wax. I make a foundation with light side wall, and find they are not satis- fied with it, but wander around and nibble it. I make a foundation with high, sharp, side wall, and, finding them contented therewith, adopt it. I find by inserting line wire to give strength to the brood comb, I have produced what I call a perfect foundation. For brood comb, say 6 square feet to the lb. Now, I give the screws to the same ma- chine an extra turn and produce a foun- dation 10 to 14 square feet to the lb., with high, sharp, side walls, that are all utilized in the construction of the cells, and find a delicate foundation that, when used, is acceptable to the con- sumers of honey. Not- that an expert in testing honey may not occasionally detect it, but the general consumer will accept and enjoy it as a luxury. Sprout Brook, N. Y. South Bend, Ind., April 9, 1880. My 50 colonies of bees wintered with- out loss, so far. I think some of them are stronger than in the fall ; part are in the cellar and part on the summer stands protected. I could not do with- out the American Bee Journal. A. J. Hatfield. Dundee, 111., April 3, 1880. I took my 80 colonies of bees from the cellar to-day. They are in splendid condition. I lost but one. The day is lovely ; all nature is clad in the habili- ments of joy, the birds are filling the air with their notes of music, and why should not man be happy ? I never had my bees to come through so strongly before, and with so many young ones. I introduced two of the Pometta Italian Queens into my hives on Sept. 18. The Dives are full enough to swarm, if it was time for it, and the combs are full of young bees in all stages. I intend to stock my apiary from those two queens. I" shall allow one to rear queens, the other drones, to the exclusion of all others. Can I doit? As it is nearly swa lining time, I will state my plan of treating bees that are high minded and have exalted notions, those that settle in the top of the tall oaks. In my yard I go through the hive and remove all queen cells but one ; and when the clus- tering is well under way I get my shot gun and put a charge of bird shot into the cluster. In a short time they come back to the hive like doves to the win- dow ; a few are sacrificed but the ma- jority are saved. As soon as quiet is restored, I go through the hive again, and if I find the queen uninjured, I destroy the saved cell. If the queen is injured in the least I destroy her an.! raise a young one ; that generally ends the swarming tor the season. 1 wish but little or no increase. E. J. Gould. [ You cannot prevent drone-breeding to some extent among your black bees ; but can greatly facilitate drone-rearing, where desired, by placing drone com lis in the centre of the brood-chamber and stimulating the colony by night feeding, when the bees will rear the drones pre- paratory to swarming.— Ed.] Poplar Bluff. Mo., May 7, 1880. I extracted 220 gallons of honey last spring from 58 colonies, in about 4 weeks. One of my neighbors found 15 bee trees here last fall and winter ; from some trees he obtained 100 lbs. of honey. This is a good locality for bees, but there are few persons here who give them attention. The forests are abun- dantly spread with flowers from spring till fall. White clover is also plenty. W. N. Craven. Northville, Mich., March 28, 1880. Last season 1 commenced with 17 col- onies of bees. I increased to 35, and obtained 1,400 lbs of honey from white clover and basswood, having noneafter July 12. I sold 5 colonies, and 1 became queenless in the cellar in the winter and died. The rest are all in good con- dition. One of my neighbors put 17 colonies into a light cellar, closed up the entrances, and lost all but 2, and cannot think'why ! He uses box-hives and takes no bee papers. Hees that were properly taken care of in this lo- cality have wintered well. Ransom Allen. Richmond. Ind., March ;;i, lsso. Last fall, anticipating a mild winter, I departed from my usual custom of wintering my bees in the cellar, and packed on the summer stands, with quilt and sawdust, covering all with a good roof. They wintered without loss. and are in good condition. Some or my neighbors who gave no protection have lost a few, and are feeding to save others. Mybees remained quiet in their hives, and when unpacked, bees were living freely. It made a saving to me in stores. "Bees are gathering pollen and breeding strongly. I think the prospect is excellent for a good season and a large crop of honey. Success to the American Bee Journal. M. II. WOLFER. 246 Wilmington, N. C, April 2, 1880. I, and I firmly believe 99 out of every 100 of the subscribers of the American Bee Journal,, have the fullest confi- dence in its editor's honor and integ- rity, and his ability to properly conduct the Bee Journal. And we will ever be glad to see the Journal move *' on- ward and upward," as it has been doing ever since my acquaintance with it. " We have hope that the love of the truth Will preside in the bosoms of all. So that man, whether old or 1n youth. May speak f : eely, not fearing to fall." Our bees are in tip-top order, and the hives crammed full to overflowing with bees. We will have lots of swarms by the middle of this month in this lati- tude. Don't you wish you were down here in our bright and jolly sunny clime ? Yes, I am sure you do. Let's have the next year's meeting of the Na- tional Association here in Wilmington. R. C. Taylor. [The location of the National Con- vention for 1881 will rest entirely with those present at Cincinnati next fall. If those present think it best to locate the next further South, or East, or West, we shall be satisfied. It should be in a different State every year, we think, to make it the most beneficial to the great body of apiarists. We desire only its permanent good, and have no axe to grind or selfish purpose to serve with it— Ed.] De Kalb Junction,N.Y.,Mar.30,1880. About a year ago I promised my re- port at the close of the honey season, but failed to give it. We had a good honey season, for a short one, no honey being gathered after July 25. I began the season with 116 colonies, increased them to 210 by natural swarming, and obtained about 8,000 lbs of comb honey, mostly in prize boxes. I sold the bulk of the crop for 19 cts. per lb. Bees in this section are now all in cellars, and will be for some time to come. I do not know what condition my bees are in, for I have not seen them but once since they went into winter quarters, and that was the last of January. They are 20 miles from home in a cellar, and were in fine condition when last seen. We are looking for a poor honey harvest, here the coming season, as there has been but little snow, and for the last two months the ground has been bare, thawing every day and freezing every night, which as a rule kills nearly all the white and Alsike clover, the best sources of honey in this section. About every third year is a regular bee-killer with those that do not feed their bees when honey fails. Much is said of late about dollar queens. I have paid $5 sev- eral times for queens, yet I have never got one that produced as good workers as those sent me by II. Alley for a dol- lar. The workers reared from the dollar queens would find honey if it was to be had, and store it in the boxes at once. Another important point in their favor was that they were small eaters while in winter quarters. I do not rear queens to sell at any price, but this is my ex- perience. Ira Barber. Rice County, Minn., March 20, 1880. In the fall of 1876 1 bought 4 colonies of bees for $40. The next fall I had 400 lbs. of comb honey worth $100, and 14 swarms worth $100, the income from these being $200. In the fall of 1877 and the next spring I had 18, and in the fall I had 1,100 lbs. of comb honey, worth $220, and 26 swarms, with the 18 original colonies making 44. The next spring they came out all right, and I sold 22 of them for $112, making $332 income from them, and had 22 colonies left. In the fall of 1879 I had 750 lbs. of comb honey, worth $135, and I sold $25 worth of bees and had 50 colonies left, 26 more than I had in the spring, worth $100 ; the income of honey and bees be- ing $260. Last year I ran them for honey. I have not lost one colony in winter or summer. Who can show a better rec- ord V This was all done with the little, despised, black bee, and with nothing but log and box hives. Now, would you advise me to get some frame hives and Italian bees, so that I might lose half of them every winter and gather less honey Y Joseph Coeagne. [We should never advise a change when doing so well — but where can you find another that has such a regular bonanza as you have ? See what a honey-pro- ducing country, honey market with high prices, and desirable location, with industrious bees, you report I The like of this can hardly be found anywhere else, and you will do well if you can keep it all to yourself. " Mum's the word," for your benefit.— Ed.] Shelbyville, Tenn., April 10, 1880. My 36 colonies wintered well, and are now at work in surplus boxes. I had drones on the 1st of April. J. W. Price. Manteno, 111., March 8, 1880. Inclosed please find specimens of spi- ders that I find quite plenty in and about my bee bives. My attention was first drawn to them by finding the remains of a good many bees on the top of can- vas that covers frames of bees. I do not know whether they kill the bees, or feed on those that naturally die. In fine weather they sit on the packing around the hives and sun themselves. They are wonderfully active and hard to catch. I have not noticed any webs about the hives. I keep a few good col- onies of bees just for the fun and sweet- ness of the business. My bees are wintering well. Philip P. Nelson. [The spiders were too much crushed for identification. It is quite possible that they kill the bees, and more likely than that they feed on those already dead. Though I should have little fear of any very serious damage from spi- ders.—A. J. Cook.] Bowden, Ga., March 29, 1880. I am highly pleased with the founda- tion you sent me, and do not see how I could do without the smoker. I have been transferring my bees into movable frame hives, and have used some of the foundation in full sheets. I have 4 colonies of Italian bees, and I am leaving much drone comb in them nad removing all the drone comb from the blacks, so that I shall get drones from my Italians first, and by doing that hope to have my queens fertilized by pure Italian drones. I am the only person in this section who is giving any atten- tion to bees. I am determined to see if there is any money in them. I have been reading the American Bee Jour- nal for 4 years, and I think I have been well paid for my subscription money. I would not be without it and try to keep bees. Bees are storing honey every pleasant day, but we have had too much rain. 11. M. Williams, M. D. Chebanse, 111., March 29, 1880. I put into winter quarters 33 colonics of bees about the middle of November, having prepared a room for them in the basement of my barn. They were not moved or disturbed until Feb. 25, except to pass through the room carefully to examine them, about once each week. They became uneasy, and said as plainly as they could that they wanted to see daylight and have a fiy. I moved them to their summer stands after night, and awaited anxiously for the results next morning. Having neglected when I put them away in the. fall to number the hives and stands, I expected to see much confusion among them. Before 10 o'clock they were flying thickly from every hive, assuring me that all were alive and apparently strong. Every bee seemed to know his home, and all are doing nicely. I have never had bees use so little honey, and am fully per- suaded that a good, dry, dark room, free i from frost and well ventil ted, is the : place in which to winter bees. I think i fully two-thirds of the last year's swarms in this part of the country starved during the winter, many of them early. Reuben Havens. Clarksville, N. Y., April 1, 1880. My bees are in the cellar and are do- ing well. We are having cold weather now. We had nearly 12 inches of snow on March 27, and it goes off slowly ; it will take 3 or 4 days yet to thaw it. I have 140 colonies. A. Snyder. Warsaw, Ont., March 19, 1880. I have just finished moving my bees to a new apiary ; they are all out strong to-day. I wintered out of doors ; they have had several flights since the 12th of February— a very unusual thing for this locality. Geo. Garlick. Union City, Ind., Feb. 26, 1880. I took my bees out of the cellar to- day. They are now gathering pollen from the maples. This is something I never before saw in this month. I wintered in a sawdust house with walls 12 inches thick, without loss. I lost 73. of them in the same house last winter. My bees yielded about 75 lbs. of honey per colony last season. I find the Bee Journal indispensable. A. Hoke. Rome, Ga., March 17, 1880. The winter, if such it may be called. has been one of the mildest for many years, with scarcely a day that the bees were not flying. They consumed more honey than if the weather had been cool. By Feb. 20 they were breeding profusely, and were about ready to- swarm by March 15. Plums, peaches and cherries blossomed about the end of Feb., but before the bees could gather the honey in them, it commenced to rain, continuing ever since, day and night. The river is now30feet above low water mark, and is still rising. Many weak colonies with brood, are in bad condition, and the result will be very disastrous. The prospect for an early spring is good although the swarm- ing season has been checked nearly a month. A. F. Moon. Owensville, O., April 9, 1880. My bees have wintered well, and con- sumed but little of their stores. The weather has been cool since March 1 ; freezing some nights. The bees are not breeding up very fast. The prospect for a good yield of honey I think is good. J. B. Rapp. Chester, S. C, March 24, 1880. My bees are doing well — the fruit is beginning to bloom. Here we have no spring dwindling. Bees gather no honey in July and August here. I can- not do without the 'assistance of the Bee Journal. I think more and more of it, every number I get. H. S. Hardin. Seymour, Incl,, Jan. 1, 1880. According to previous arrangement, I now report on my trial apiary. Last spring I purchased queens of the fol- lowing persons, at dates named, and number them as they were received: 1. Kev. A. Salisbury & Hays, May 7, 1879. 2. J. M. Brooks & Bio., May 9, 1S79. 3. A. F. Moon, June 6, 1879. 4. W. P. Henderson, June 14, 1879. 5. Aaron Benedict, June 24, 1879. They were all successfully introduced, and in due time sent out their offspring, and, upon examination, I found I had bees of all colors, from a black to a golden red. No. 1 was a fine queen, very prolific, workers a light leather color, three distinct bands; drones medium to dark. No. 2 was a fine queen, very prolific, of a bright golden color ; drones of a golden color, bands almost as well marked as the workers, altogether the finest drones I ever saw. No. 3, fine looking queen, but her off- spring was from a black to a bright Italian. I pronounce her a hybrid. No. 4, workers leather color, bands distinct; drones dark. No. 5, received a fine queen in the cool weather in May with less than a dozen bees with her. She was chilled. I caged her and placed her in the midst of a colony of bees, but in a short time she was dead. I wrote Mr. Benedict, and he sent me another on June 24; she lived only four weeks, and I only saw her workers, which were dark leather color, but had the three bands. In this report I have said nothing about prices paid for them ; have only to say that they cost me from $2.50 to $5 each. I ordered a queen from H. A. Burch & Co., but as they did not supply it till late in the season I received my money back. C. H. Hancock. Paris, 111., April 5, 1880. We organized a bee-keepers' Conven- tion here on the 27th ult. ; meet again on May 1st. J. A. Nelson. Glasgow, Scotland, March 26, 1880. Bees have wintered remarkably well all through Great Britain and Ireland. Not more than 1 in 50 colonies have died. Reports from all quarters state that the bees are now in first class condition, but will need a little spring feeding. John D. Hutchinson. Austin, Minn., April 3, 1880. My bees commenced dying last fall and I have lost 15 colonies — cause, un- sealed, thin, sour honey — can extract easily with my hands. Bees kept dying all winter until dwindled out, and will continue so until the stuff is removed from the combs, when health is restored. The honey was gathered in a wet sea- son. Symptons: Bees bloated, dragging themselves around with wings in motion; others bloated abdomen with shining black body and shrunken head. I could have prevented the loss had I had the experience. I have now both loss and experience. Frank A. Ticknor. Byron, 111., March 23, 1880. I put 25 colonies into winter quarters last fall, have lost one by mice. Part were in the cellar, and part were packed in straw ; the latter are breed- ing the most rapidly now, but suffered most with mice. In future I shall place wire cloth above the frames to prevent the entrance of mice. The queen I procured from the Bee Jour- nal apiary is laying vigorously, though in a week colony. I am feeding about a pint of syrup per day. W. J. Longsdon. New London, Ind.,' April 8, 1880. I have 32 colonies of bees, in good condition. I put them in the cellar about Nov. 15, and took them out dur- ing the warm weather in January for about two weeks ; I then put them back and let them stay until Feb. 28, when I put them out again. On that afternoon they brought in pollen, and they have been at it ever since. I lost none this winter ; all very strong, with very few dead bees about the hives. Last winter I saved 18 out of 40, and these were very weak. I increased to 32, mostly by nat- ural swarming, and obtained about 300 lbs. box honey. Things now look favora- ble for a good season. The fruit trees are full of buds, and we have plenty of bees to gather the honey if any comes. C. A. Jones. ^xxsxncss fjlattm. OUR TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION, PAYABLE STRICTLY IN ADVANCE. Single subscription, one year $1.50 Two subscriptions, " " *,.».. ~»o Three subscriptions, " " 3.50 Four subscriptions, " " 4. 50 Five or more, " " each, l.OO Advertisements will be inserted at the rate of SO cents per line of Agate space, for eacli insertion. A line will contain about eight words ; fourteen lines v ill occupy an inch of space. Advertisements must be received by the 20th, to insure insertion. Special Notices 50 cents per line. %5T We intend only to advertise for reliable deal- ers, who expect to fulfil 1 a! 1 their advertised promises. Cases of real imposition will be exposed. Remit by express, money-order, registered letter or New York or Chicago drafts, payable to our order. Do not send checks on local banks, for Buch cost us 25 cents each for collecting. THOMAS G. NEWMAN & SON, 972 & 974 West Madison St. CHICAGO, ILL. , To Correspondents. Our Illustrated Catalogue and Price List will be sent free, on application. When changing a post-office address, mention the eld address as well as the new one. Constitutions and By-Laws, for local Associations, $2.00 per 100. The name of the Association printed m the blanks for 50 cents extra. We do not send goods by C. O. D., unless sufficient money is sent with the order to pay express charges both ways, in case not taken from express office. Strangers wishing to visit our office and Museum of Implements for the Apiary, should take the Madi- son street-cars (going west). They pass our door. In consequence of the dearth of small currency in the country, we will receive either 1, a or 8 cent •tumps, for anything desired from this office. We cannot use Canadian or other foreign stamps. We will send a tested Italian Queen to any one sending us FIVE subscribers to the American Bee Journal with ST.SO. The premium Queens will in every case be tested, but not sent till after July 1st. Club names for the Bee Journal may be sent to as many post offices as there are names in the club. Additions can be made to clubs at any time at the same rate. Specimen copies, Posters, and Illustrated Price List sent free upon application, for canvassing. Seeds or samples of merchandise can be mailed for one cent per ounce, Printed matter one cent for every two ounces. These must be tied up; if pasted, they are subject to letter postage. Don't send small packages by express, that can just as wellbesent by mail. Our answer to all who ask credit is this : We sell on smull margins, and cannot afford to take the risks of doing a credit business. If we did such a business, we should be obliged to add at least 10 to 20 per cent, more to our prices, to make up for those who would never pay, and to pay the expenses of keeping book- accounts with our customers— this we know our Cash customers would not think to their advantage.- This rule we must make general in order not to do Injustice to any one. The cash system gives all the advantage to cash customers, while the credit sys- tem works to their injury. In justice to all we must therefore require Cash with the order. 249 Bingham's Smoker Corner. "Whew! 12,000! whew!" Patent Bing- ham smokers sold. All bellows smoker patents subject to Bingham's original and first patents. " Draft," not blast, the question ! Most of the old smoker makers have tried to get per- mission to use direct-draft in smokers, but have invariably been refused. Without substantially my patent draft, all smokers now made would be worthless, while with it, substantially, and for the pur- poses of draft, all are infringements. Our patents reduced the cost of smokers to bee-keepers one-third, increased their du- rability and convenience beyond calculation or competition, and secured beyond question or cavil their title and credit to the original inventor. Four years have passed, and many worthless infringements have been sold to innocent parties, but no one except Bingham has improved on the original pat- ent Bingham smoker. Our patents, granted and pending, will enable us to make and sell the best smokers from fourteen to sev- enteen years longer, and we expect to do it. Original and first patents pay, and are safe to sell or use. T.F.Bingham. Monmouth, 111., April 12, 1880. The large smoker came duly. Have tried it, and like your improvements very much ; it is now all that could apparently be de- sired. T. G. McGaw. Reading, Pa., April 7, 1880. I received all safe and sound Bingham's Little Wonder Smoker, and indeedit is a wonder how I ever did without it. Lee Esenhower. Convention of the Southern Mich- igan Bee-Keepers' Association will be held at Battle Creek, Mich., on Wednesday, May 5th, at 10 a. m. B. Salisbury, Sec'y. U^r The bee-keepers of Northern New York will meet to organize an Association on the 12th of May, 1880, at Glen's Falls, N.Y. J. II. Martin. 10^~ The Central Kentucky Bee-Keepers' Association will meet at Lexington, Ky.. on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 5th and 6th, at 10 o'clock a. ni. ('has. p. Muth, Esq., will be present to deliver an essay on some interesting topic in bee-culture. W. Williamson, .s'cc'y. J^~ The South-western Wisconsin P>ee- keepers' Association will meet on .May 18, 1880, at the residence of E.France, in Platte- ville, Wis., at 10 o'clock a. m., sharp. The following interesting papers will he read and discussed : Bee Forage, by II. C. (Rea- son ; Italian Bees, by H. Gillmore ; Black Bees, bv E. France; Marketing Honey, by R. D. Wilson ; Natural Swarming, by Mr. Woodberry ; Artificial Swarming, by E. France ; Transferring, by E. France ; Comb and Extracted Honey, by N. France. All persons interested are invited to attend. Newell France, Sec'y. Ucmcy $c Jjtecsiuas. [.We will insert free of charge, under this heading, the names and addresses of persons having honev and waxto sell, givingaddress, description and prices"; all to occupy not more than three lines.— En.] Honey and Beeswax Market. BUYERS' QUOTATIONS. CHICAGO. HONE Y.— Light honey, in single-comb sections, 18@20c. : when with more than one comb in a box, 2c. per lb. less. Extracted, 8@9c BEESWAX.- Prime choice yellow, 22@25c; darker grades, 15fel8c. NEW YORK. HONEY.— Best white, in single-comb sections, 18® 22c. Larger boxes. 2c. per lb. less. Extracted, '.let 10c BEESWAX.— Prime quality, 25<«<27c. CINCINNATI. HONEY.— White, in single-comb sections, 18@20c. Extracted sells readily— 8fe!)c. C. F. Muth. SAN FRANCISCO. HONEY— Comb, 14@16c.; Extracted, 7@9c. $ tt. BEESWAX-22@23c. Stearns & Smith. Local Convention Directory. 1880. Time and Place of Meeting. May 4— N. W. 111. & S. W. Wis., at Pecatonica, 111. Jonathan Stewart, Sec, Rock City, 111. 4.— Northeastern Wisconsin, at Waupun, Wis. F. Dunham, Sec, Depere, Wis. 4, 5— Central Kentucky, at Lexington, Ky. Wm. Williamson, Sec, Lexington, Ky. 5— Southern Michigan, at Battle (.'reek, Mich. B. Salisbury, Sec, Battle Creek, Mich. 12— Northern New York, at Glen's Falls, N. Y. J. H. Martin, Sec, Hartford, N. Y. 18— Rock River Valley, at Davis Junction, 111. 18— S. W. Wisconsin, at Platteville, Wis. N. France, Sec, Platteville, Wis. 25.— Northwestern Union, at Hastings, Minn. Oct. National, at Cincinnati, Ohio. 5, 6.— Northern Michigan, at Carson City, Mich. 14— Southern Kentucky, at Louisville, Ky. Dec. 8.— Michigan State, at Lansing, Mich. 1881. Feb. 2— Northeastern, at Rome, N. Y. GIVEN'S FOUNDATION PRESS. From $15. OO to $40.00. Foundation in wired frames a success. Those wishing a sample of our new foundatian and a de- scriptive catalogue, please send your address on a postal. If prices on Copper Dies are wanted, send inside size of your frames. 5p I>. S. OIVEN, Hoopeston, III. Simplicity, Chaff and Story-and-Half Hives, SECTIONS, FRAMES, DUNHAM FOUNDATION, Etc., CHEAP. Workmanship superior. Manufactured by MERRIAM & FALCONER, Jamestown, N.Y. BEES FOR SALE. I will sell good, full colonies of hybrid bees in May at $0.(11) each ; in June and July, with dollar queen, at $4.00 each ; very strong 4-comb nuclei at .fll.OO each, all in good 8-comb hives ; combs all i:;"„xll outside. I will sell Tito SO colonies, with dollar queen, in 8-comb Langstroth hives, at $5.00 each. Safe arrival and sat- isfaction guaranteed. R. S. BECKTELL, 5-lt New Buffalo, Berrien Co., Mich. Worker Combs in Frames, 10!4xl7^ inches, in good condition, at 35c. each. Send cash and orders to 5 F. W. CHAPHAIT, Morrison, 111. J. W. BAILEY, Inventor and Sole Manufacturer of the BAILEY SWARM CATCHER. Patent applied for. In presenting the same, we are happy in knowing by our own experince, and the statements of wthers, that we are offering an implement that no one who keeps bees can afford to do without. Because with- out it your bees will often swarm into talK trees where it is very difficult to get them. In its use there will be no more chasing them across the fields, no more defacing choice trees and shrubs, no more smoking them from difficult places, no more swarms going together, and no more clipping the wings of the queens to compel them to stay in the hive, for the Bailey Swarm Catcher can be placed at any hive, and never fails to catch bees when swarming. Should four swarms issue at the same time, we feel safe in saying that one person can adjust four catch- ers in a single minute, and thus keep each swarm separate. A child ten years old can catch your bees, and they can be hived at pleasure. As soon as you see the bees beginning to swarm, then it is brought into use, and the bees that have es- caped will alight upon the outside, and try to get in. The Swarm Catcher is covered with wire cloth, and can be set at any angle, and by its use, and a queen cage, a swarm can be compelled to stay in any hive. One Swarm Catcher, boxed and delivered at the cars, $6.00. Two or more, $5.00 each. Full directions sent with each Catcher. At Present will ship none to Indiana or Kentucky, as those States are being canvassed. jy State and County Rights for sale. Write your name, Post Office, County and State plain, and send by Postal Money Order, Draft or Registered Letter. J. W. BAILEY, 5-0 Box lOS, Ripon, Wis. DECISION I "1 This One-Piece Section, heretofore called the LEWIS SECTION, has been involved in an Inter- ference, in the Patent Office, at Washington, be- tween James Eorncrook and Lewis & Parks, and the Commissioner decided Priority of Invention in f a\jor of James Forncrook. Send for Price List. .1 A M 1 S FORNCROOE A- CO. Watertown, Wis., May 1, 1880. 5 ALBINO AND ITALIAN QUEENS, Full Colonies and Nuclei, at reasonable Prices.— I am prepared to furnish early Queens- Pure Albino and Italian Queens— bred from Import- ed and select home-bred mothers. Warranted pure and safe arrival guaranteed. Also Hives and Apiar- ian Supplies generally. Semi for Price List. Address, S. VALENTINE, ltp Double Pipe Creek, Carroll Co., Md. r^^CS^ISE* Tested&lmportedQueans H. ft. BURGH & CO. I) I XII. 1 M FO UNDA TION, MODEST BEE HIVES, SECTION BOXES, &c, TO BE HAD OF J. u DUNDEE, KANE CO., ILL. N. B.— We shall hereafter rear NO DOLLAR QUEENS, but will confine our Queen-rearing to producing FINEST TESTED QUEENS, bred for BUSINESS. Please take notice. Write for Price List. J. OATMAN & SONS, &-7 Dundee, Kane Co., 111. Italian Queens. I shall rear PUKE ITALIAN QUEENS, during the season, and will sell them at reasonable prices. JULIUS BEYER. Butlerville, Intl. 4 BEES AND SUPPLIES. Send for Circular and Price List to O. H. TOWN- SEND, manufacturer of THE CHALLENGE BEE HIVE, adapted to the use of the American, the Gal- lup and the Roop frames. Italian bees, nuclei, and queens from imported stock. Apiarian stock in gen- eral. Address, O. H. TOWNSEND, 5 Hubbardston, Ionia Co., Mich. Don't advertise much, but they carry a full line of BEE-KEEPEKS' SUPPLIES, which, for quality and price, make their customers happy. Competent judges say that their COMB FOUNDATION is away ahead of all competitors. If you ever feed bees, try a HEDDON FEEDER, the latest, and by far the best, invention of its class; we are the sole manufacturers for 1880. For DOLLAR QUEENS, from best strains of Italian blood, we shall lead the trade, and you should see that your orders are sent in early. The choicest of TESTED AND IMPORTED queens always on hand ; if you want splendid honey gathering stock, try our queens. A good supply of FULL COLONIES, at prices that will please you, if you want the Bent Bee*. Finally, if you want the neatest Apiarian Catalogue printed in any land or language, send your name on a postal card to H.A. BURCH&CO., SOUTH HAVEN, MICH. CHEAPER STILL. Yet on hand, 25 Colonies in good condition. As I cannot find time to take can' of them will sell for !S>4.;>0 each. Good movable comb hives. 5p E. A. GASTMAN, Decatur, 111. Salisbury's ""Wonder" Chaff Hives and im- proved Simplicity hives, wonderful for their simplic- ity and cheapness ; section boxes, comb foundation, smokers, extractors, Italian queen»,etc. Send for Cir- cular. B. salisiukv \ co.. Battle Creek, Mich. CHEAP HIVES, CHEAP SECTIONS. The BEST UK K HIVES, lloNEY BOXES. SEC- TIONS, SECTION CASES, FRAMES, Etc., for the Least Money. Manufacturers of the LEWIS SECTIONS, all in one piece -the finest Sections in the world— and we make them perfect. Notice.— There is no patent on the above section, and the Examiner ol [nte ! the Patent Office has adjudged the same unpatentable ; BO, any one has an undisputed right to manufacture, Bell Oi use the same. l>< i not be mislead by parties claiming a patent on the same. P^Send for Price-List. LEWIS & PARKS, Watertown, Wis. WILLIS D. PARKER, Manufacturer of Watch A Jewelers' Boxes, BEE HIVES, SECTION HONEY BOXES, And other Apiarian Supplies, DEFIANCE, OHIO. Send for Circular and Price List. 5-H CHAS. F. MTJTS, CINCINNATI, O.,' Manufacturer of and Jdealer in HUTU'S ALL-METAL BONE? EXTRACTOR AND UNCAPPING KNIFE, LANGSTROTH BEE HIVES, Glass Honey Jars and Tin Buckets, Bee Veils, Gloves, and a general assortment of Bee-Keepers' Supplies, ALSIKE CLOVEB, and a variety of Field and Garden Seeds, etc. For further particulars address, CHAS. P. MUTH, 4-12 976 and 978 Central Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio. Langstroth Bee Hives, HONEY EXTRACTORS, and Section Boxes, at reasonable rates for 1880. Ex- tractors from $10.00 to £12.00. Prize Boxes, $4.00 to $5.00 per 1,000. Address. R. R. Ml'KPHY, 4-6 Garden Plain, Whiteside Co., 111. THE LATEST IMPROVED COMPOUND-GEAR Comb Foundation Machine. No lost motion in the gearing— may be turned either way. The machine is warranted to do the work like the sample. The rollers are made of the best type metal. The prices are as follows : Ko. 1— Rollers 12 inches long, 4 in. diameter $75 00 "2 " 12 " "2 " .... 40 00 "3 " 9 " "2 " .... 25 00 "4 " 6 " "2 " .... 15 00 Sample of Foundation made on this machine free. For sale at the office of the American Bee Journal. 3tf C. OLM, Fond du Lac, Wis. 1880. 1880. REV. A.SALISBURY, CAMABGO, ILL., Pure Italian Queens, Bees, Foundation Combs, Honey Extractors, Dunham Foundation Machines, &c. Send for circular. 3-8 Hale's Price-List. Send for my price-list of Bees, Queens, Nuclei, &c, for 1880. Early Queens a specialty. Address, 2-11 E. W. HALE, Wirt C. H., W. Va. IKjSf^ Price 1,1st for 1880, of Italian Bees, I12S? Queens, 4 frame Nuclei, and Apiarian Sup- plies. Sent Free. Address, Stf H. H. BROWN, Light Street, Col. Co., Pa. BEES FOR 1880. We will furnish Full Colonies, Nuclei and Queens CHEAP. Satisfaction guaranteed. For circulars address, 8 ». McLEAJf * SON, 2-7 Culleoka, Maury County, Tenn. DAD ANT & SON COLONIES, With Imported Tested Italian Queen $13 00 " Home-bred " " " 9 00 Hybrids or blacks in movable-frame or box hives. Have wintered over 100 IMPORTED QUEENS, and will continue to receive two shipments every month, from May to September. Root and Dunham Foundation. The purest and brightest yellow foundation made. Hives, Extractors, Uncapping Cans, Veils, Smokers, Pails, Jars. Knives, etc. Send your name on a postal card for circular and sample of foundation free. CHAS. DADANT & SON, 3-8 Hamilton, Hancock Co., 111. For Sale Cheap. 200 Colonies of Italian Bees. Having over 450 Colonies of Italian Bees, I will sell 200 in lots of 25, 50, 100 or 200 at $5.00 each, delivered on board of any Mississippi river steamboat. AH the Queens are daughters of Imported Mothers, of different parts of Italy. t^~Dollar and Tested Queens now ready to ship. Comb Foundation, Apia- rian Supplies, &c. Address, 3-tf PAUL L. VIALLON, Bayou Goula, La. 1S8CX— — 1880. Italian Queens, Nuclei, &c. Single Queen, Tested $2.00 Untested (laying) 1.00 By the dozen, 10 per cent, off of above prices. Queens sent by mail and postage prepaid. 3 frame Nucleus, Untested Queen I3.00 2 frame Nucleus, Untested Queen 2.50 1 frame Nucleus, Untested Queen 2.00 8 frame Colony, Untested Queen 6.00 Sent by Express. Send money by P. O. Order or Registered Letter. Address, W. P. HENDERSON, 3-8 Murfreesboro. Tenn. EVERETT'S Honey Extractors and Everett Langstroth Hives a specialty. We challenge compe- tion in price and quality. Our circular and price list of apiarian supplies, Italian Bees and high-class poul- ltry sent free. EVERETT BROS., Toledo. O. Scovell's Eureka Cold-Blast Bee Smoker is Boss.— It is a cold-blast or a hot-blast, both at once or separately, at the will of the operator. It is the only cold-blast smoker on the market that has no tubes or other complicated machinery in the lire bar- rel to interfere with filling or cleaning. Large size bellows b]4x6]4 inches ; fire barrel, 2>a inches. Price $1.00; By mail $1.25. Send for illustrated descriptive catalogue and price list of hives, implements and supplies used in bee culture. Address, SCOVE11 «fc ANDERSON, Columbus, Cherokee County, Kansas. 4-8 1865 — T«E -1880. HOUSE. C 0. PERRINE, 54 Michigan Ave., Chicago. Will buy at a fair price, for cash, any amount of COMB OR EXTRACTED HONEY. As a Manufacturer of COMB FOUNDATION, I can say my goods have given entire and universal satisfaction. The ruling low prices were made by me, and any one desiring any considerable quantity would do well to consult me before buying elsewhere. Pf~ Market price for Beeswax. 1861.- Nineteenth Year. -1880. The Original Headquarters For Italian Queen Bees. Italian, Hungarian and -Cyprian Queens. Send for price list for 1880. <-9 ' H. ALLET, Wenham, Mass. The American Popular Dictionary $1.00 Only This useful and ele- gant volume is a Com- plete Library and En- cyclopedia, as well as the best Dictionary in the world. Superbly bound in cloth and Gilt. It contains every word of tiie English language, with its true meaning, derivation, spelling, and pronunci- ation, and a vast amount of absolutely necessary information upon Science, Mythol- ogy, Biography, A mer- ican History, La tea, etc., being a perfect Library of Refer- ence. Webster's Dic- tionary costs *9, and the American Pop- u 1 a r Dictionary cost only $1. "Worth ten times the money." — X. X.Times. "We have never seen its equal, either in price, finish, or contents."— Chris. Advocate. "A perfect Dictionary and library of reference,"— Leslie'* Illus. Netcs, N. T. One copy of tho American Popular Dictionary (illustrated), the greatest and best book ever published, postpaid to any address on receipt of SI. MTEntire satisfaction guaranteed. Two eopies postpaid for $2. Order at oncel This offer it good for 60 days only, and tcill never he made again. Money may it at our risk in a plain letter. Name this paper, and ss H. C. DKAN. 8« Metropolitan Block, Chicago, Ills. addr 'Send for Price TAst of Bees, Queens, D-«»wC,S£,b Foundation, and APIARIAN SUPPLIES generally. Address, A. F. STAT/FFER, '""P Sterling, Whiteside Co., IU. 253 USED LANGSTROTH HIVE WELL PAINTED, EIGHT-FRAME. In use 1 year, each 55e. 2 " " .45c. Second stories for same, each 15c. A limited number for sale. 5 FRAJVCES Dl.MIAM, Depere, Wis. BARNES'^PATENT Foot-Power Machinery CIRCULAR and SCROLL SAWS jHand, Circular Rip Saws for gen- feral heavy and light ripping. , Lathes, &c. These machines are _J especially adapted to Hive rfnmm m Making. It will pay every bee- keeper to send for our 48 page Illustrated Catalogue. W. F. & JOHN BARNES. Rockford, Winnebago Co.. 111. junelr THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL, AND BEE-KEEPER'S ADVISER. The British Bee Journalis published monthly at $1.75, and contains the best practical information for the time being, showing what to do, and when and how to do do it. C. X. ABBOTT, Bee Master, School of Apiculture, Kairlawn.Southall, London. WTLBORTS COMPOUND OP PTJEE COD LIVEB OIL AND LIME. Wilbor's Ood-I.iver Oil and Lime. -The great popularity of this safe ami efficacious prepara- tion is alone attributable to its intrinsic worth. In the cure of Coughs, Colds, Asthma, Bronchitis, Whooping Cough, Scrofulous Humors, and all Con- sumptive Symptoms, it has no superior, it equal 1 ,et no one neglect the early symptoms of disease, when an agent is at hand which will cure all complaints of the Chest, Lungs or Throat. Manufactured only by A. B. Wir.BOR, Chemist, Boston. Sold by all Drug- gists. Brother Bee-Keepers : I will have mv XEW COMB-REVERSIXG EXTKACTOB (ex- tracts both sides by reversing machine), ready for the market in March. Also, a full assortment of the best Apiary Supplies cheaper than ever. ^^"Descriptive Catalogue sent tree to anv address. \%. G. WAl/rox, Hamilton, Canada. N. B.— For the convenience ol American Bee- Keepers, I have completed arrangements with par- ties in Buffalo, N. V., to manufacture my Extractor for the United States. 2-7 This remarkable modi- cine will cure Sravins, Splint, Curb, Callous, ic, or any enlargement, and will remove the bunch without blistering or caus- ing a sore. No remedy ever discovered equals it for certainty of action in stop- ping the lameness and re- 1 moving the mincli. Price $100. Send for illus- Hjt rated circular giving positive proof, and your J nearest agent's address. Kendall's SpaT- 'in Cure is sold by Brueirists, or •ent by Lr. B. J. Kendall & Co., Lnosburg Falls, Vermont. FULLER & FULLER, 22 Market street, and VAN SCHAACK, STEVENSON & CO., 92 Lake street. Agents, Chicago, 111. 8yl 254 IAN SUPPLIES. As Cheap as the Cheapest, AND As Good as the Best! COFFINBERRY'S 4k'x4J4 section boxes, per 100, 50c. . .per 1000. . .$5 00 Prize boxes " 70c... " ... 6 00 Good Colonies of Italian Bees, in8-frame Langstroth Hives, in Slav, £8.00 ; 2 for $15.00 ; 10 and over, $6.00 each ; after May, $1.00 less each colony. Take your choice at the price. Tested Queens, from Imported Mothers, in May, $3.00 ; after May, $2.00. Untested Queens, in May, $1.50 ; after May, $1.00. I have had 23 years' experience with bees in Lang- stroth hives, and 17 with Italian Bees and have been extensively engaged in the bee business for 11 years. I have now nearly 700 colonies. I have manufactured ruy own supplies for a number of years with steam power ; though I have been engaged in other pur- suits. I now intend to make the bee business and its connections a specialty. With my experience, and no other business to look after, I think I will be able to satisfy my customers in every particular. Comb Foundation manufactured by the pound and on shares. My facilities for shipping are such that _ ^^-JsL ■ 1 t<> 25 ms 10c. | 100 to 200 fts 37c ""&-. "%,,. 111*- **V-^--^rf*^^s -3 to 50 tts 39c. 200 to 500 as ; Z^-oZClilWL^-^^0^L Wl M to 100 as 38c. | Add 2c. $ a. for odd sizes. Add lOc. peril), for Thin Foundation for surplus honey ; will be 4 or 5 inches wide. 83T" Circular and Samples free. _j£j FRANCES DUSfHAM, DEPERE, BKOWJI CO., WIS. FINE QUEENS ! Colonies in 10 frame Langstroth hives, each, $13. OO; Nucleus colony, one frame, tested queen, $4.50; TESTED QUEENS, each, S3. 50. In ordering, send money in Registered Letter, Post Office Money Order, or Draft on Chicago ; will not be responsible if sent otherwise. W. P. COPFIKBEKRT «fe CO., So. 374 Flournoy Street, CHICAGO. THE ORIGINAL DIRECT-DRAFT BINGHAM PERFECT SMOKED. Patented Jan. 9, 1878. Re-issued July 9, 1878. If you buy. a Bingham Bee Smoker you are sure of the best and cheapest, and that you are not liableto prosecution for its use. The largest and most scientific bee-keepers use Bingham Smokers, some using as many as fifteen in their various apiaries. No Bingham Smoker has ever been returned. No letter has ever been received complaining that our Smokers did not give entire satisfaction : but we have ceived hundreds of letters expressing the most unbounded satisfaction and preciation of our invention. The Extra Large Smoker and the Extra Standard for 1880, will have our new extra wide shields, which entirely protect the hands and bellows from heat and remove the danger of burning the fingers. Practical bee-keepers will find these wide shields an important improvement. The Plain Standard and Little Wonder Smokers will be better than ever before, and superior to any imitation smokers, whatever their size may be. Hundreds of them have been in constant use three seasons, and are now as good as new. One dollar and a half is not much for the use of such an instrument three seasons ; is it ? BINGHAM & HETHERINGTON HONEY Patented KNIFE. May 20, 1879. It is a large, strong, durable knife, polished and tempered like a razor, and so formed and sharpened as to cut both ways, over hills and through hollows all the same, without dropping a cap on the honey. The most world-renowned, practical and scientific Bee-Keepers in Europe and America pronounce it " the best Honey Knife ever made." Large Smokers V4 inch, $1 50 Extra Standard Smoker 2 " 1 25 Plain Standard Smoker 2 1 00 Little Wonder Smoker, $3.00 per half-dozen ; each \% 75 Bingham & Hetherington Knife 1 00 Bingham* Hetherington Knife and Cap-Catcher 1 25 If to be sent by mail, or singly by express, add 25 cents each to prepay postage or express charges. §W Send for circular. If to sell again, apply for dozen or half-dozen rates. Address, 2-9 T. F. BINGHAM, or BINGHAM «fc HETHERINGTON, Otsego, Mich. Vol. XVI. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, JUNE, 1880. No. 6. Contents of this Number. Editor's Table: Editorial Items 261 to 264 Interesting Letter from Palestine. . . 262 Venus Fly Trap 262 District Convention 263 Libel Suit 263 Another Queen Cage 263 Honey Plant 263 Glucose from Rags 263 New Catalogues received 263 Salisbury's Queen Cage 264 Propolis 264 Honey Dew, &c 264 Hastings' Queen Cage 264 Felt Blankets 264 I^etter Drawer : W. Lossing, A. E. Wenzel, Geo. M. Hawley, J. O. Todd, Nelson Per- kins, J. H. Davis, Z. D. Scott, H. Wilson Ulsh 265 M. E. Loehr, W. It. Thompson, Bray & Seacord, Claud Hopper, J r 266 J. T. Scott & Bro., II. Klosterman, A. J. Tibbetts, Geo. W. Dodder.. 267 Wm. Dyer, G. VV. Zimmerman, W. N. Craven, W. C. Nutt, E. Drane, J. E. Hastings, F. A. Snell 268 E. C. L. Larch, J. J. Quinn, H. T. Rosenbaum, Wm. Camm. L. John- son, J. H. McCall, E. J. Gould.... 269 Correspondence : What I Know about Supply Dealing 270 Where Honey Conies from— No. 4. . 271 Queens Duplicating Themselves ... 272 Apis Dorsata of Java, etc 272 Nailing Machine for Frames 273 How to get Choice Queen Cells 273 Dysentery or Wintering Troubles . . 274 Indiana as a Bee-Keeping State 275 Transferring Bees from Box Hives. 276 Conventions : Central Michigan Convention 277 Foundation and its Manufacture.. 277 Water for Bees 278 Untested Queens 280 Ashtabula County, O., Convention. 281 Apiculture— Bee Hives 282 Central Kentucky Convention 282 Our Bee Hives 286 The Value of Comb in the Apiary 288 W. 111. and E. Iowa Convention .... 288 To Make Bee-Keeping Profitable. 293 Cortland Co., N. Y., Convention 295 Rock River Valley, 111., Convention 296 Lancaster Co., Pa., Convention 297 gdttor's JgaMje. HdP Tooth ache may be cured by bee stings. So says the Austrian Bienenvater, published by Hern Karl Gatter, in Vienna. IHJpThe Annual meeting of the Ameri- can Association of Nurserymen, Florists, Seedsmen and kindred interests, will be held in the Exposition Building, in the city of Chicago, on June 16, 1880, and continue days. E^*'The Cincinnati Industrial Exposition will open Sept. 8 and close Oct. 9, 1880. The National Bee-Keepers' Convention will be held within these two dates, and the indica- tions are that it will be very largely at- tended. |WA doctor in Wisconsin thought lie would try glucose for feeding his bees. He fed 6 colonies with the trash, and now not one bee in all the 6 are living. So one of his neighbors reported a few days a'go in our office. H^" From the most reliable accounts from various parts of Los Angeles County, Cal., the loss of bees is estimated to be three- fourths of the stock on hand last season ; leaving probably from 5,000 to 6,000 colonies to commence this season's work. Much of the loss was from spring dwindling. g^T Prof. Marcher, of Prague, Austria, died on Feb. 6, 1880. He was 75 years of age, and made bee culture his study for many of these years. We had a very agreeable visit with him while in Prague last year. He was a very learned and agreeable gentleman, and will be missed by his apiarian associ- ates in Prague. 262 An Interesting Letter from Palestine. We have received the following letter from Mr. D. A. Jones, who, as indicated in our last Journal, has been to Jerusalem and the Holy Land, and while there sent this letter to us, for insertion in the Bee Journal. It will be read with more than ordinary interest. He was then southeast of Damascus, near the desert, east of Jordan : Editor American Bee Journal : In my last letter from the Island of Cyprus, I promised to write you from Palestine and say what I thought of the bees there. I am so delighted with them, having examined them in various places in Palestine and Syria, that I have sent a telegram to Can- ada by cable for a large amount of money to enable me to buy and import many queens from different parts of this country. The natives call them " holy bees," and from the long distances I found them from their hives, I think they are endowed with pecu- liarities not to be found in the bees of Amer- ica. In some respects they are similar to the Cyprian bees. I think they are a pure race, as the.v have no means of being mixed with other races. They fly so rapidly that only those laden with honey can be caught on the bloom. I have bought a large quantity, and am sending them to the coast to be taken to Cyprus, where they will be prepared for their long journey to America with my Cyprians. 1 procured them from Jerusa- lum, Bethlehem, the Mount of Olives, and other places in Judea east of the Jordan and Dead Sea ; also from Mount Lebanon, Damascus and near the Desert of tne North, in order to have -a variety and select the best, if there is any difference in them. 1 experience great difficulty in getting them to the coast safely, because the earth- ern tubes and clay cylinders are so easily broken. There are no wagon roads, except from the port of Joppa to Jerusalem and from.Beyrout to Damascus, and no vehicles to carry such safely, so I have to convey them on the backs of camels, mules and asses, and the expense and loss is great. The paths or trails are unfit for travel. Sometimes we find only a few inches be- tween our feet and the brink of a gorge hun- dreds of feet deep, and rocks projecting out into these paths, so that it requires great skill to prevent breakage and loss. One of the mules walked too closely to these pro- jecting rocks and smashed an earthern tube hive ; the bees escaped and attacked the poor animal, and the result was that he soon got rid of the other two hives on his back in a similar manner, and scampered off with- out load or driver. I was then obliged to get three more and send by another party to supply their places. If, after testing them when they arrive in Canada, I find them desirable, I have made arrangements to secure enough to sup- ply any demand that may arise. I will re- port the results of my investigation and the tests made, in due time in the Ber Jour- nal. D. A. Jones. Venus Fly Trap.— Mr. E. C. Taylor, Wilmington, N. C, has sent us two sample plants of Dionea Muscipula, or "Venus Fly Trap," and says: "This is a very in- teresting plant indeed, and grows only in the eastern part of this State, in vicinity of swamps, etc. During the summer it throws up spikelets of very pretty, white flowers ; the ends of the leaves are formed like a rat-trap, and the plant, being very sensitive, closes on any insect that touches it, and remains closed until the prisoner in- sect dies, when it again opens. This plant has been shipped largely to Europe, where it created a very considerable interest. Many claim that the plant digests the juices of the insect prisoners it catches, and thrives thereon amazingly. Plant in me- dium damp and shady place in box or other- wise. It is easy to live." Mr. Taylor has our thanks for the plants. They are very interesting. We have them planted, and shall watch them with much pleasure. ISP The Rev. Rufus Morgan, who moved from North Carolina to California, a little over a year ago, died on the 5th of April. On his way to California he called on us, and we spent some time with him very pleasantly. He was poisoned by eating some mushrooms which he had gathered (some of them being of the poisonous kind). A good man has fallen in the prime of life. He leaves a wife and two small children to mourn his loss. JgiPThe Department of Agriculture for the State of Kansas has issued for free dis- tribution an edition of the abridged report of the first biennial, a book of 450 pages. We have received a copy, and find it very interesting to those who are desirous of learning official facts regarding that State ; it is very complete and exhaustive. Any one can obtain this work by sending 20 cents for postage to J. K. Hudson, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Topeka, Kan. GL3F" Our attention has been called to some party or parties, claiming to have and offer- ing for sale, a recipe for the purpose of bleaching out old black honey comb, mak- ing it as good as new, etc. These parties claimed to have learned this valuable (?) secret while attending an apiary school in Ohio. There is no such school in Ohio nor any other State. Leave them and their valuable recipe severely alone.— Indiana Farmer. District Convention.— "Shall we have a District Convention ?" is the question now propounded to us hy bee-keepers living near Chicago. Mr. A. Rice, President of the Rock River Valley (III.) Association, writes as follows : Byron, 111., May 19, 1880. Dear Mr. Newman : In company with ■quite a number from this section I attended the meeting of the National Convention at Chicago. That meeting was so profitable and pleasant that we believe a District Con- vention should be held in Chicago, each year, during the time of the Chicago Expo- sition, when cheap fares can be obtained on all the railroads. This would give bee- keepers a chance to attend both at a single expense— and that a very small one. Shall we have one ? A. Rice. We certainly have no objection; and to test the matter we invite bee-keepers in the surrounding country to give us their views of the propriety of this undertaking. Those who would attend and become members of this association will please write us at once, stating what time will be preferred, if such is to be held. HP Mr. Geo. L. Perry, a breeder of Ital- ian bees and supply dealer in Lansing, Mich., has named his apiary of about 100 colonies the "Globe," but why we cannot tell. Lansing is a nice town, but is neither the "hub" of theglohe nor the globe itself ! but Mr. Perry is a wide awake and progres- sive apiarist. Libel Suit.— The Indiana Farmer has the following item : One N. C. Mitchell, this city, has entered suit against us for libel, claiming damage in the sum of $5,000 for a-serting that he is humbugging the people by selling as his patent bee-hive an article which is public property. As we made this assertion solely for the benefit of our readers and to protect them from fraud, we call upon all who have had dealings with Mitchell, or his agents, to write us briefly in regard to the claims they have made, the kind of hive they offer to sell, whether or not it is the same as that •described on the second column of page 2 in this number, and any information they may possess regarding the character of Mitchell and his manner of doing business. Please send in these statements at once. Our contemporaries, especially those pub- lishing bee journals, will confer a favor upon us by sending us promptly any infor- mation in their possession having a bearing upon the case. Any of our readers who have cause to complain of Mr. Mitchell or his agents in this matter, should write to the Indiana Farmer at Indianapolis, Ind., at once. 263 Another Queen Cage.— Mr. S. J. Mc- Kinney, of Burlington, Iowa, has sent us an- other queen cage, and says : "I tfcink it is good for introducing or shipping queens. The cylinder is to be filled with a sponge saturated with honey and water; the tin shield is to be used only in shipping a long distance. I think upon examination you will find it a good cage for transportation of queens." It is ingenious, and will do for in- troducing and shipping by express, but will not do for mailing, honey and wafer both being unmailable. We have added it to our museum. Honey Plant.— Mr. R. C. Taylor. Wil- mington, N. C, says : -'I send sample of flower, leaf, etc., of shrub growing near my garden, close to swamp. I counted 1,000 blooms on it, and there were from 4 to 12 bees on every spikelet of flowers. Please give name, etc., as to what it may amount to for bees." Prof. Cook notices this plant as fol- lows : Prof. Beal kindly informs me that this is one of the lead-plants. It is Amorpha fruticosa. It is a leguminous plant, and is widely distributed through our country. Glucose from Rags.— The Eevue In- dustrielle states that a German manufac- tory is turning out over a ton a day of glu- cose made from old linen rags. These rags, which are composed of hard vegetable fibers, are treated with sulphuric acid, wiiich converts them into dextrine. The latter product thus obtained undergoes a washing with milk of lime, ami is then treated with a fresh supply of acid stronger than the former, when the mass is at once transformed and crystallizes into glucose, of which confections, honey and jelly may be made. The process is said to be a very cheap one, and the glucose chemically identical with grape sugar. A strong out- cry, however, has arisen against the manu- facture of grape sugar from rags, and the enterprise is understood 'to be in danger of being interfered with by the German gov- ernment. New Catalogues Received.— We ac- knowledge the receipt of the following cat- alogues and price lists for apiarian supplies : O. H. Townseud, Hubbardston, Mich.; J as. A. Nelson, Wyandotte, Kan.; Ashton, Jones on hand, and can furnish at the shortest notice. See prices on page 303. They are not provisioned, but there is a small augur hole to contain candy, so arranged that the food cannot interfere with the bees. The "nails" are left loose, so that the shipper can draw 3 out (the ones left up> and swing the top around and put in the candy. There is no tack over the candy- pocket. IIP Mr. F. W. Chapman uses peat for smoker fuel, and it "works like a charm."" HdTOn account of so much space being used this month with convention reports, we- have had to contract our editorial space con- siderably. These reports are very inte rest- ing, and will pay for a thorough perusal. Felt Blankets. — We have used very successfully for a warm covering for brood frames, blankets cut from woolen webbing after having been used in paper mills. They make a very warm cover, and keep the bees- very comfortable in winter. We have se- cured a lot of such, and furnish those who desire them for 5c a blanket ; or when 50 or more are wanted for 4c each. d^" We spent a short time at Mr. H. H. Everton's, near Monroe, 111., while attend- ing the Convention at Davis Junction . He is a whole-souled gentleman, and, with his lady, entertained us right royally. We were much pleased with the intelligence and en- terprise of the members of the Rock River Valley Association. ICxttev 3Qva\u.ci\ Hokah, Minn., May 7, 1SS0. My bees are doing splendidly, having wintered without loss, while others here have lost on an average one-third. They have been building comb since May 1, and I have 1 colony working in boxes. W. Lossing. Callicoon, 1ST. Y., May 5, 1880. Apple blossoms are opening. My 80 odd colonies reveal 5 starved or queen- less ; others are all well, and breeding finely; no disease exists anywhere in my apiary ; all wintered on summer stands; I think I am safe in saying " I'm out of the woods " for 1880. A. E. Wenzel. Lincoln, Neb., April 17, 1880. Bees in most parts of Nebraska have not wintered well, owing to the poor honey harvest last fall, and the weather during winter being so pleasant, they consumed more stores than usual, Those who have wintered in good cel- lars have met with but little loss. A number of bee-keepers here are using the one-piece sections. They are very nice and strong when put together, and are cheap. Geo. M. Haw'ley. Kichmond, Iowa, April 19, 1880. There are a good many bee-keepers in this section, but many let Providence care for them through the winter sea- son. I have learned that many of them have lost the most of their bees. There are not very many Italian bees here yet. I saw in the Bee-Keepers1 Magazine a plan for wintering bees ; my neighbor and myself tried it this winter, and we both wintered successfully, not losing a colony, and the bees are good and strong. It is Mr. Hosmer, first and last, by Mr. King's plan. J. O. Todd. Houston, Minn., April 29, 1880. From the 1st of last August until the time of going into winter quarters, bees reared but little brood, and from the 1st of October I do not think there was an average of a half lb. of brood to the col- ony anywhere in the southern part of Minnesota. From the middle of Octo- ber till the time mine were put into the cellar, about the middle of November, I think there was not 1 pound of brood in my whole apiary of 50 colonies, but there were large quantities of old bees. This spring when I put them on their summer stands, I found! colonies dead, and some weak and queenless, and, after looking them over and putting them in as good condition as I could by doubling, I lost about 20 per cent, of colonies, and I should think about 50 per cent, of bees. Some, however, are now strong in bees, with plenty of honey, while others are weak and will have to he fed. l have heard from nearly every apiary within 20 miles and talked with many apiarists ; they have lost on an average about three-fourths of their entire stock of bees. Nelson Perkins. Stockbridge, Wis., April 26, 1880. I put 45 colonies into the cellar last fall ; I lost 4, the rest are in good con- dition. The season has been rather cold and backward. J. II. DAVIS. Ovid, N. Y., May 1,1880. I commenced the season of 1879 with three weak colonies, and worked them on the Hosmer plan, feeding in the spring until honey was abundant, and using double hives until 3,500 cubic inches were filled with brood. In this way I increased to 16, and obtained 500 lbs. of extracted honey. I wintered in the cellar, putting in 13 good colonies (5 blacks and 8 Italians). The Italians came out strong in numbers, but the blacks all died but one. Z. D. Scott. Middlecreek, Pa., May 5, 1880. I transferred a colony of bees from a large pine tree with unexpected suc- cess. Having cut the tree down, I stopped up the hole or entrance, then 1 smoked them, after which I cut it open and took out the combs, putting them into frames ; then I drove the bees into the hive by smoking them, and they are working very finely. I noticed that the bees in one of my box hives, after a wet day, rolled out of the hive, tossing about, not able to fly, and in a short time died. I did not know the cause of all this ; so transferred, and found no honey but plenty of brood ; there were only about a gill of bees left. I placed some honey in the hive, but was unfor- tunate in losing the queen, and the re- maining few bees died. The same day I tried another: drove the bees into a box, took the hive with comb into a room and transferred the comb, but when I came to getting the bees in I found that they were all getting into a neighboring hive, outside of which, on the next morning, I found the queen dead. I now have that strong or double colony in a movable comb hive, busy at work. I also transferred -J. other colo- nies successfully, according to your plan. I am pleased with your little honk " Bee Culture;" also with "Cook's Manual." II. Wilson Ulsh. Palestine, Ind., April 12, 1880. Bees that were properly packed in the fall came through the winter in good condition. I have not lost one colony yet. I wintered 50 colonies in the cel- lar-; the rest on the summer stands. Owing to the shortness of the honey crop last fall, many in this vicinity have died of starvation. Some of mine are light. I have plenty of honey to feed. M. E. Loehr. Iberia Parish, La., April 22, 1880. I moved my bees from St. James Parish, La., by steamer around by the Atchafalia River. My 21 colonies came through in fine condition. They have increased by dividing and natural swarms to 30. This seems to be a hue locality for them, as they have been steadily at work since their arrival, Feb. 6. Only 1 colony is pure Italian ; the rest are large gray bees. They are very docile and easy to handle. I captured a swarm some 5 years ago, and have in- creased them to 20. The marsh around Spanish Lake (near me) is tilled with flowers. I see- bees visiting them in abundance. I have buckwheat planted, and will try that in this climate ; it is up and looks fine and thrifty. W. R. Thompson. Wartham, Cal., April 10, 1880. We are nicely located in the foot hills east of the plains, some 25 to 30 miles, or in fact we are on the coast range, on the side sloping toward the San Joaquin. Our apiary is on a nice hat of some 12 acres, surrounded with hills which are covered with sage, buckwheat, honey suckle, honey vine, deer brush, bear berry, and ail kinds of wild bloom, while the "level land produces in abundance clover, philaree, etc., and a live stream of water runs within a rod or two of our bees. The past season, from Dec. 1, 1879, to April 1, 1880, has been a se- vere season on bees ; the time between the dates named has been unusually cold ; frost every night, except when raining. The loss in some localities has been very large ; for the past week the weather has been all that could be de- sired, warm and fine, and at present the bees are rearing brood and gathering pollen and honey from the philaree, which is now coming into bloom. Bees do well here in good seasons, and will average in surplus honey per colony from 75 to 100 lbs., and many put up from 100 to 175 lbs., and some colonies have stored in section boxes 250 lbs. The honey is of the very best quality- clear, white, thick, and ropy ; when put up in nice section boxes, will bring the highest market price ; and, could we only escape these dry years, California could supply the world with honey. The season is fully one month late, and, ow- ing to heavy frosts, the early bloom, such as wild gooseberry, mansanetta and cottonwood was a failure, but if the season from now on is favorable, a large amount of honey will be stored. We think the American Bee Journal is the best paper published upon bee cul- ture ; as a book of reference it is very valuable. Besides it treats upon bees without mixing in psalms, hymns and prayers, and so subscribers get just what they pay for. Both bees and religion are good, in their proper places, but they do not mix at all ; and many of those who are now trying to mix them will in time admit the same to be a failure. Bray & Seacord. Wisconsin, April 19, 1880. I noticed that one of your correspon- dents in 1878, desired to know how to prevent thieves from disturbing his bees or stealing honey from the hives. Having lately attempted to climb or crawl through a barbed wire fence of only two wires, I have come to the con- clusion that if his apiary is surrounded by a barbed wire fence of, say 5 wires, having gates on each side, through which swarms may be followed, each connected with an alarm by wires, to be hooked on at night, and so arranged as to swing shut and fasten themselves by hidden spring-catches, any person entering the apiary, not in the secret of the alarm and hidden spring-catches, would be nicely trapped ; and, if in his hurry to escape, he tried to climb or get through that wire fence, with a big dog behind him, and a pistol shot or two over his head from the window, he would be sufficiently punished without further prosecution. Among the great variety of feeders described in the Journal (if you deem it worthy) I will describe mine. I use the Langstroth frame, bottom and side-pieces of equal width ; with tacks or brads I nail one of my section division strips on each side of the frame, which makes, with the bottom piece of the frame, a cup or box about 3 inches deep and y& inch wide, to be filled and hung in the hive. By putting in an extra bottom piece, so that the top of the box will come near the top of the frame, it can be filled without being taken from the hive. If it leaks, wax the joints. No patent on either the feeder or fence, or any com- bination of the fence, big dog and pis- tol, or of the spring-catches and alarm, , or any other thing any man's ingenuity may connect with the arrangement, so far as I am concerned. Claud Hopper, Jr. Crawfish Springs, Ga., April 23, 1880. Bees wintered very well on summer stands the past winter. They are gath- ering honey from apple trees and white clover— the latter is just coming into bloom. The colonies . are generally strong, and some are swarming ; we have had several up to date, which is considered rather early for this coun- try. We have taken colonies of blacks to Italianize on shares for a neighbor. Not much attention is given bee culture here. Many still use log gums, and cling to the old fogy notions of their ancestors ; some few are reading the bee papers, and adopting movable frame hives, and seeking the yellow- banded bees. We are thankful that we are again to have the use of the mails for carrying queens. We hope all bee- keepers will heed your admonitions to not abuse this privilege. J. T. Scott & Bro. Shawano, Wis., April 16, 1880. The wintering of bees has been disas- trous here. Some have lost %, others ';j. I lost none for -4 years. Last winter I had 20 colonies oil the summer stands and 18 in a cellar, and have lost but 1 ; they were not out of cellar from Xov. 1 till March 15 ; then they had a flight and were put back till April 13; now they are on summer stands, and bring- ing in pollen. To-day we have a snow storm. My success is' due more to my hives and care than to anything else. I use the regular Langstroth frame. 9l4x 17'. , in. outside. My brood chamber is made of clean rye straw, standing per- pendicular all around and about 2 in. thick ; you may think that these walls are soft, but they are not ; the straw is pressed on a machine of my own con- struction, and is as even as a planed board, except the No.26brass wire run- ningover and through the same. I do not make these hives for sale, but it may be that some of my friends maybe bene- fitted by this description. Prof. A. J. Cook says in the American Bee Jour- nal for October, 1879, page 400, under ••Hints on Wintering Bees:" " I have already spoken of dry cellars and ab- B( irl tents above the bees. Could our hives be so constructed as to secure a good absorbing surface entirely around the brood chamber, it would doubtless be an advantage.*' Well spoken, friend Cook ; it has satisfied me for 5 years. With a good woolen quilt over them and 8 inches chaff and cover, I am not alarmed about my bees dying out un- protected ; but, as* usual, I put a rough box, the same as Prof. Cook has de- scribed, with 4 inches chaff stuffed all around, and the portico Hied with loss comes heavily on him, as he had in- chaff 4x1L, indies. Entry left open for the bees. lean warrant every goodcol- ony during winter without lookmgafter them. At snow-fall I throw an armful of loose straw at the entrance, and clear away when warm enough to fly. That is my way of wintering successfully ; and my bees use less stores in winter, and may be housed and confined to their hives for many months without their health being impaired and dwindling down to nothing in the spring. II. Klost human. Downsville, Wis., May 3, 1880. Two-thirds of the bees in this part of our State died during last winter and this spring. I lost 6 colonies out of 62, the first loss I ever had in wintering. My bees last year commenced swarm- ing on May 15, and I think they will this year, for drones are hatching in several hives. I fed rye meal and syrup very early. A. J. Tibbetts. Lettsville, Iowa, April 29, 1880. My bees are doing finely, gathering pollen and breeding very fast. I began last spring with 1 colony of Italians, in- creasing to 3, and obtained 25 lbs. of very fine comb honey. I use the Lang- stroth hive, and expect to increase my bees to 12 colonies this summer by di- viding, which I think is more preferable than allowing them to swarm. I win- tered in the cellar, with the caps oft and open in front. Mycelial- is tiled and cemented on the bottom and sides, with a partition through the center, and it is quite dark and well ventilated, with the thermometer ranging from 35 to \5 . I took them out for flights in February and March, and each time they ap- peared to be in good condition. They are now on their summer stands, with plenty of honey and doing well. Geo. W. Dodder. Hastings, Minn.. April 24. 1SS0. We are meeting with severe losses of bees in this section. Mr. Morse has lost his entire apiary in the last four years ; tie has bought and taken on shares over 100 colonies. I think foul brood has had something to do with his losses. Rev. A. Telford commenced last spring \\ itb 40 colonies, and increased during the season to 84 ; hefed during the fall 300 lbs. of sugar: he has lost heavily; he thinks now that he will save 8 colonies in a very weak condition; he thinks foul brood has been one cause of his se- vere losses; I assisted him last spring in purchasing 36 or 38 colonies, which were then in very good condition. The vested nearly all his means in the busi- ness, and is so broken down in health that he is not now able to preach for a living. Rev. S. Barteau has lost his entire stock or nearly so ; he had about 60 colonies last fall. Others, having from 2 to 10 or 12 colonies, have lost all or nearly all of them. I think I shall have 15 to 18, out of over 60 colonies last fall. I think the losses through the State have been heavy ; still some localities report but small losses. I think we will not be overstocked with bees this sea- son. Wm. Dyer. Napoleon, O., May 3, 1880. My 42 colonies came through the win- ter all right without loss. I think I can winter bees as safely as I can sheep. G. W. Zimmerman. Poplar Bluff, Mo., May 4, 1880. My bees are all in fine condition; gathering honey from poplar and white clover. Of the latter I have a very large amount. I lost a few colonies in win- tering, as I had many old bees in the fall, and thev died before rearing much brood. I fed and stimulated 6 colonies last fall, and these were very strong in the spring, having been stimulated to rear brood then, and thus they had young bees to go into winter quarters with. I have now about 165 colonies. There was much loss in bees all around me ; they died for want of care. Here- after I shall call on you for all my sup- plies. I find hand manufacturing too expensive, and I shall give it up. Ma- chine manufactured articles are much the best and cheapest. W. N. Craven. Otley, la., April 29, 1880. Last season here averaged very poorly. White clover was fair, but basswood was cut short by the extreme drouth. By partly preventing swarming and re- turning swarms, I managed to secure about half a crop of honey— 1,100 lbs. of comb and 1,700 lbs of extracted. I sold the latter at an average price of lli^ ; comb from 18 to 20 cents, mostly at 20c. The fall harvest, which we gen- erally consider the best, was an entire failure for surplus honey, and almost for any kind. It was very dry until about the 8th of August, when we had a heavy rain, after which flowers came out quite profusely, but seemed to be destitute of honey. I think we never experienced such a fall before, and I hope not again to see such soon. I am a lover of my profession, and have been since a boy, but such a season as the latter part of last year would discour- age the most sanguine. I put my bees into winter quarters about the last of November and took them out from April 5 to 13. I wintered in the cellar, and had good success. Out of 135 colonies we lost but 2, and a few weak ones since putting them out. We still have a goodly number left to commence the season with. The dead bees are not so much loss, as we still have the hives and comb. I think that the Journal, Cook's Manual, and Bingham's smoker are 3 essential things to an apiarist, and I think no person intending to make api- culture a success can afford to be with- out them, should they cost twice the money. W. C. Nutt. Eminence, Ky., May 15, 1880. We have had for the past 3 days cool east winds, with a good flow of honey from our poplar, locust and white clo- ver for a few days preceding. Some swarms are already reported in this lo- cality. E. Drane. Carlisle, Iowa, May 13, 1880. In this locality white clover is a fail- ure this year. It was nearly all killed through the winter, and what comes from the seed will be late, though we may expect some honey from it by the last of July. Last year we had a " sea" of "white heads" spreading every- where. J. E. Hastings. Milledgeville, 111., May 18, 1880. I was sorry to see the course taken by the last Northeastern Convention. I sincerely hope it will not permit any more of such rashness in its proceed- ings. We, as bee-keepers of America, should not allow such matters to mar our friendly feelings towards one an- other ; we should act as a band of broth- ers—East, West, North and South. Suc- cess to the American Bee Journal. E. A. Snell. Ashland, Mo., May 10, 1880. The spring has been hard on bees here where neglected, but with proper care and attention they are in fine con- dition. Mine have recruited up finely, without any dwindling. My apiary of 112 colonies will be ready for the honey when it comes. Nine-tenths, or more, of the black bees are dead, and about 10 per cent of the Italians ; a few apia- ries of Italians are nearly all dead, but it is owing to inferior stock and bad management. The best way to improve the Italian bee is to purchase queens from parties who are known to be al- ways successful : test them thoroughly, and select the best queen, or the two best if they are nearly equal— then rear all from the best, and have them mate with her drones or those reared from her daughters. If you have another queen of equal merit, it might be best to use her drones. My queens are all the offspring of a single queen, after hav- ing tried queens from several parties ; with the present stock of bees I do not raise one inferior queen in a hundred, therefore my bees all winter well ; all get honey, if there is any to be had, and I have no spring dwindling, as they sel- dom leave their hives when it is too cold for them to return. If all bee-keepers would pursue the same course, there would be less complaint in the future about bad seasons and cold winters. E. C. L. Larch. Henderson Co., Ky., May 6, 1880. I had a colony of bees swarm out on Jan. 2, and another on Feb. 25. Both had queens, eggs and brood, and the combs were all sweet and nice. What was the cause ? J. J. Quinn. [It is a case of abnormal swarming, for which no definite reasons can be given.— Ed.] Fort Calhoun, Neb., May 2, 1880. My bees wintered well out of doors. I put the hives close, and packed hay on the sides and backs, and banked up the backs with dirt, a broad board being set up in front. My hives are double- walled German. Last fall I had 15 strong and 1 weak colonies ; the weak one I kept in the cellar. I have lost 3 (2 were queenless and 1 was robbed). Bees are doing well on fruit bloom. H. T. ROSENBAUM. Winchester, 111., May 8, 1880. Like Mr. Heddon, I did not want to whistle till I was out of the woods, or bees fairly out of the winter, at any rate. Out of 32 colonies I have lost 5 ; '4 starved, and one was robbed out in March. Another came through queen- less, but with a fertile worker in it ; I gave them 2 frames of Italian brood, and a week ago to-day I found a queen just hatched. There are so few drones flying yet that I fear she will be a drone layer. I wintered on summer stands, with chaff and saw dust packing, or in double- walled hives, and in nearly every hive there was more or less mold on the combs. The drouth last fall thinned out the white clover greatly, but it has come up thickly from the seed, and with copious rains there will be plenty of it; still, on account of the backward condition of the bees, we expect a mod- erate yield, however good the season may be. Wm. Camm. Walton, Ky., May 14, 1880. The most of our bees came through the winter, but with very little honey left in the spring. Spring dwindling was very prevalent during a part of April. When fruit trees bloomed they did very well for about 10 days, but a heavy fall of rain the latter part of April washed all the honey out of the blossoms, and they have done nothing since. The white clover is just coming into bloom, but the weather is very dry and cool, and, unless we have rain soon, I fear our honey harvest will be quite meager. I have lately received two fine queens from Rev. A. Salisbury, which are real beauties. I have 25 colonies, all Italians, and hope to be able to report favorably next month. Success to the American Bee Journal. I cannot do without it as long as I keep bees. L. Johnson. Quitman, Ga., May 12, 1880. I hope the Bee Journal will have that continued success which it meri- toriously deserves. I am glad to see how well you fight when attacked. I think the Northeastern Convention has scared up the wrong man. Our bees through this section are generally doing well, though the moth has been worse this season than usual. I have purchased some comb foundation, and find that my bees do not take to it very well ; in some hives thev refuse to have anything to do with it. This is mostly the blacks, the Italians generally accepting it. The blacks are more self-dependent and prefer their own make to any other kind V I have a colony with not a sin- gle drone, nor is there any drone brood. Can you tell me the cause V The bees work well, and have a good supply of honey on hand. J. II. McCall. [There is probably an abundance of room in the hive, and no cause to make preparations for swarming.— Ed.] Dundee, 111.. May 20, 1880. Your remarks following my letter on page 245 of the May No., do me injus- tice, as I have had no black bees for years, neither are there any in this town- ship. I had a fine strain of Italians from Oatman's apiary, but wishing some- thing finer. 1 purchased the imported queens, and the result is, I have the handsomest bees I ever saw. They have broad yellow bands clear down to the tip. E. J. Gould. [ We received the impression that Mr. Gould's bees were natives, which he wished to Italianize, but of course stand corrected.— Ed.] 270 ©tttTCsycnulcucc- For the American Bee Journal. What I Know About Supply Dealing. JAMES HEDDON. Last month I promised to tell you what I know about supply dealing. I am so busy that I can hardly think of half of it, and the whole would not make a very large book. Some have asked me why I withdrew from the field this season ; and here let me say that poor health was the main reason. One can much more easily carry on a trade in any class of goods that are more fixed or uniform. I wish' to speak of the practice of warranting safe arrival of goods in our line. I guess the practice grew out of the newness of the class of goods to be shipped. Bees more particularly. It is amply demonstrated that a colony of bees (properly put up) are more apt to reach their destination safely than a box of oranges. Does any one know a class of commercial men who' warrant safe arrival ? There is every reason why no such warrant should ever be given. We all know that fire, smash ups, or very malicious handling may damage any kind of freight. In such cases the transportation company is responsible, and they know enough to pay right up without any trouble that will advertise the matter. Now who do they owe ? They owe the consignee, and not the shipper. His receipt says he delivered the goods in good shipping condition, to all appearances, and the company are in no way responsible to him nor he to them or the consignee, and the only party who can reasonably ask for dam- age is the consignee, and the only party who is in the least responsible' is the one at fault. If it should so happen that the shipper did not deliver the goods in good shipping condition (as his receipt says he did), then he should be held partially or wholly responsible, as the case may be, and to the company. In regard to "cash with the order," that is the proper way to do our busi- ness, where we are so unacquainted, and not in the regular commercial field. It saves book-keeping, and leaves no opportunity for the confidence man. On the other hand, the purchaser should have some satisfactory evidence that the dealer is good for the amount sent, so that if any altercation ensues wherein the purchaser is liable to be wronged, he can squeeze his due out of the dealer by law. A perusal of the different commercial reporters will show you that a man is " good," " fair," or " worthless," almost in exact proportion to what can be forced from him by law. This fact is not exactly intended to eulogize our present civilization, but I am not in- clined to run around truth, whether it is agreeable or not. It is pleasant to feel that all our brothers (sons of Adam ) are honest, but if you indulge this feel- ing too much, you may have to put up with the feelings of hunger. " It takes a rogue to catch a rogue " is an old adage, but notwithstanding that, I do not believe it is strictly neces- sary for a man to be " either a fool or a knave ;" in other words, it is highly pos- sible to be honest without taking every one else to be. There seems to be something peculiar, enough about us as a class to cause some to rub their eyes and inquire : " Are bee-keepers more dishonest than others, as a class ?" Well, I should not wonder if they were, for very many have been lured into the business by the " gushers," who told them that great returns for little outlay, labor and knowledge, were there. Such " talk " naturally catches the lazy dead-beat. In regard to prices of the different articles kept by supply dealers, one can tell nothing about who gives the most for the money by reading descriptions and prices in their circulars. A hive is sold by one all complete for, say, $3. By another do. for $1. Both claim to be the best, and one is described as worthy as the other. These descriptions use adjectives that are all comparative, and really convey no meaning at all. It is quite likely that the $3 man gives the most for the money, and realizes the smallest profit. A pine candle box can be had for 1 shilling; a cross be- tween this and a bee hive is easily sold at "60c in the fiat." I heard a party say that he sent for some cheap hives in the Mat, and large, black, pine knots dropped out as he handled the pieces. I have the pleasure of an acquaintance with the man who shipped this worth- less material, and I believe him honest, too, but you see he used just such trash, and if this let was not quite so bad as some he kept at home, his circular would pronounce it " the best." Last evening I took a circular from the office chock full of Novice's cuts, and offering for sale nearly everything in our line, and yet the party makes but one article mentioned. Verily this place is not " Headquarters " for much of anything, is it ? I have been a little sur- prised at the way a gushing, pretentious circular would catch customers. I did not think there were so many " green 'uns." One bee-keeper of this State who vis- ited me, and who is a more than ordi- narily shrewd man, showed me one of these loving circulars, and said : " I guess I won't patronize this fellow. My wife (who is the smartest man in the family) says he ' loves ' us too much for a stranger." Xow, I am inclined to think that the main trouble with our business and us as a class, that causes such questions as " Are bee-keepers more dishonest than others ?" to find their way to the " ques- tion drawer," is because'we are not in- clined to look this business squarely in the face, and realize the fact that we must expect to earn our money like other producers, and do our business upon common commercial principles. Take up a bee periodical and read it and one would be led to think that apiculture was the very best business in existence. The same nonsense is to be found in horticultural and poultry journals of their respective callings. The solid old agricultural papers make no such claims, and yet it is their calling that has less failures, and more fine houses to boast, than any other business in ex- istence. This puts me in mind of another thought, and that is one now agitating some New York bee-keepers, whether an editor has any right to reject arti- cles, cull, prune, etc. I see it something like this : If his paper runs down in quality who is blamed ? If subscribers fall off who is the loser? In view of the fact that these questions answer themselves, it seems to me that it is his duty to his family and himself to keep his paper up to as high a standard as he can. I don't want to take a paper that contains the shucks and meats all mixed up, and without any culling. I am al- ways willing to concede to others what I ask for myself (or at least I should be), and I cannot object to your reject- ing this article, Mr. Editor, as long as I want you to keep out that senseless article of John Smith's. When I think you reject any from personal motives alone, then I will quit your paper. In my judgment, he who undertakes to hold up the claim that an editor has no moral right to control his sheet just as he thinks proper, will meet with an ig- nominious failure. I wish to say a word for the ears of the editor of Gleanings. He seems to have entirely forgotten the wants of his older subscribers, who helped to start the machine, and only thinks of the " A B C class." This is what I allude to : Old bee-keepers are not too old to learn, but they are capable of passing judg- ment on certain theories for themselves. Very many articles are not worth read- ing, and what they most need is their journal so well arranged that they can quickly cull out the weaker portion from the stronger, or perhaps those articles pertaining to more advanced subjects, in which they feel more interest and need more light. Gleanings is so ar- ranged that it is just about a necessity to read lots of trash in order to get at the points sought after, that it may con- tain. "Order is heaven's first law." says Pope, and if this is really true. Gleanings will never get there, even if its editor is sure of a sofa seat. Dowagiac, Mich., May 8, 1880. For the American Bee Journal. Where Honey Conies From— No. 4. WM. TKELEASE. In many parts of the South is culti- vated a plant known as cow-pea, and it is generally known among planters that bees and other nectar-loving insects " suck the stems " of these plants ; that is, they collect nectar or some other fluid from certain parts of the plant. As it commonly grows, the leafy stem of this plant trails along the ground, and here and there from the axils or angles above the leaves a flower stalk grows upward and bears a cluster of blossoms near its top, and it is the end of this flower stalk that the bees visit, but they do not go there for the flow- ers. An examination of a peduncle shows that among the flowers or pods, and just beyond the last one, there are several rounded prominences (g fig. 9), on the surface of which a number of depressions may be detected. Under a lens each of these appears a hollow, 272 from the center of which rises a small point pierced with a pore at its sum- mit ; and at certain times the cavity is more or less filled with fluid. This is the nectar which attracts bees to the plant. Figure 10 represents a section of one of the knobs (g fig. 1) perpendicular to its surface and passing through the middle of one of the cavities just de- scribed. At a is the opening or pore, lined for a short distance by a prolong- ation of the epidermis or skin (1) which covers the surface of the entire organ. Beneath the surface the tissues are con- siderably differentiated. A dense hollow cone, made up of elongated cells, with very granular contents (g), runs up to the bottom of the pore d, and forms the secreting part of the organ— the gland •6 Fig. 10. proper. Between this and the epider- mis, and separated from the former by a thin layer of elongated, obliquely set cells, is a mass (a) of rounded cells, with slightly granular contents, and in the center of the cone formed by g' is a tis- sue composed of rounded cells, which contain a considerable amount of starch in the form of very hue grains. At some little distance below the surface the tis- sue g' thins out and a and b come to- gether so that more or less starch is to be found in the former, and it is difficult to define their respective limits, while intermingled with their cells are a con- siderable number of spiral and dotted cells passing off into the vascular tissue of the peduncle. In all the cases we have hitherto con- sidered, the secreting part of the gland has been on the surface— a modification of the epidermis ; but here a deep tis- sue takes on the same function, dis- charging its secretion through a pore (formed by a break in the epidermal covering) into a shallow cup, whence it is readily collected by the bees or other insects which are attracted by it. For the American Bee Journal. Queens Duplicating Themselves. D. A. PIKE. The May number of the American Bee Journal contains an article from Mr. A. F. Moon in reply to my accep- tance of the proposition made by him in the September number. The answers to my questions are so obscure, that it seems to me that Mr. Moon must have been laboring under some mental difficulty — perhaps the moon was changing. The proposition seemed fair; I ac- cepted it in good faith, and now I am making my arrangements to fulfill my part of the contract. As he promises to bear the expense of the committee and to pay $25 for each of the purely mated queens, I wish to have some assurance that he will fulfill his part of the contract, and in some way secure me of my reward. I claim that I should have the privi- lege of choosing at least one of the judges. The time for testing it is near, and I hope that nothing may occur to mar the pleasure of the occasion. Smithsburg, Md. For the American Bee Journal. Apis Dorsata of Java, etc. E. PARMLY. I noticed lately in one of our dailies a statement that "all the European bees taken to the island of Java had perished; that the Italian bee showed the greatest vitality, and was the last to succumb." Do not the foreign bee jour- nals give the cause or eauses of this loss? Any one who wants better reading than the Bee Journal for May must be very hard to satisfy. It looks as if Messrs. Jones and Ben- ton are likely to succeed in doing good missionary work in Cyprus. Supersti- tion must vanish when it comes in con- tact with energy and skill in any depart- ment of knowledge. May success at- tend their efforts in their present under- taking, as it has in their past, is the firm hope of all their friends. [We have not noticed any "causes" for this in the foreign journals. We shall give them as soon as we find any- thing of interest on the subject.— Ed.] For the American Bee Journal. Nailing' Machine for Frames. GREINHi; BROTHERS. After five years of experience in the manufacture of bee hives and bee fur- niture, we find that next to a power buz/, saw a good " nailing machine " for frames is one of the most indispensable tools we use, and as it is now the time of the year that this kind of work is done by those engaged in the same busi- ness, we give its description below, hoping that some may be benefitted by it. The way the machine is made, sizes and dimensions of the material used' need not be exactly the same ; it may be varied according to circumstances and individual preferences, but the principle will still be the same and the accuracy of the work done with the machine will satisfy in every respect. Our nailing machine is made as fol- lows: The block AA is 2xoxl6^ in.; this is the most important part of the tool, and. as the trueness of our frames de- pends upon it, it is necessary that it be (Nailing Machine for Surplus Frames.) perfect in every respect — out of wind, square (especially the end surfaces), and of correct length. This is fastened to the backboard, G, %x6%x22^ in. by large screws, leaving even spaces at the sides and ends. The end-blocks, EE, I%x2x6% in., with notches, DD, l%x S}4 in., are also fastened in the same way to the ends of the backboard ; these answer as supports to the eccentric levers, BB, and at the same time for the machine to stand on. The levers BB are the same thickness as the width of notches DD, \% in., and the circular part 2% in. in diameter with handles 2 in. long. The set screws, CC and FF, are placed as shown in the cut, and, as the machine is reversable, similar screws are needed on the lower side. The screws CC project y8 in. from back- board, or one-half of the difference in width between top and end-pieces ; the other screws, FF, regulate the project- ing ends or tennons of the frame, en- abling the operator to get them of just even length. To begin work the levers BB should be turned up (they are accidentally shown downward, in closed position); have the machine facing you. as in the cut, place end-pieces of frame between AA and eccentrics, taking care that they rest firmly on the bench and close against the backboard, and with a downward motion of the handles BB secure them firmly to their respective places ; lay the top-piece on the end- pieces, so that the edge and ends touch the screws CC and FF, and nail ; turn the machine over by changing ends, the top-piece being just even with the ma- chine, will then rest on the bench ready for the frame to be finished by nailing on the bottom piece ; another downward motion of the handles will free the end pieces, and the frame may be taken out. The next frame requires the same operation with the exception that the end-pieces are fastened and loosened with an upward move of the levers. For brood frames we use a machine nearly the same ; it only varies in size and has no set screws ; the top and end pieces being one width the side screws are not needed, and, as we make our top-pieces with shoulders, the end screws are useless. We do not use any machine to nail sections ; if the material is got out true they will come right anyhow, unless particular pains are taken to get them otherwise. It seems like a waste of time to bother with any such arrangement for that purpose. Naples, N. Y., April 13, 1880. For the American Bee Journal. How to Get Choice Queen Cells. O. II. TOWNSEND. A few days before you wish a colony to start queen cells, place a new worker comb (which should lie clean and white) between two combs of brood containing the queen from which you wish to rear queens. (For convenience we will call this hive No. 1.) Keep watch over this comb, and when eggs are found, mark the date on the top bar of the comb; 3 days laterthese eggs will be batching. and that is the right time to remove them to a qiieenless colony. (We will call this No. 2.) In choosing a colony to build the cells, always select a strong one of pure Italians, if yon have them (hybrids are apt to sting you while removing the cells). Find the queen in No. 2, and re- move her with 2 combs of brood and bees into a new hive (No. 3) on a new stand, and build them up as best you 274 can. Remove all the combs that con- tain brood from No. 2, first shaking off the bees. I think it a mistake to use old bees for rearing queens; Ave also want them strong to commence work on the queen cells at once. Get empty combs enough to fill the space made by removing the brood (less 1 or 2). Erom hive No. 1 take the comb of hatching eggs, and cut strips from it about y2 inch wide and as long as con- venient to handle. Take an empty comb and place one of these strips upon it a little below the top bar and parallel with it, in such a way that the cells on one side of the strip will point downward ; gently push the strip against the comb, and stick 1 or 2 pins through the strip into the comb, to hold it in place. Use only 1 strip, or row of strips, on a single comb, and this on only 1 side of each of 5 or 6 combs. Hang the combs in the hive with the strips next to you, and put the combs close enough together to hold the strips firmly in place. Close up the hive, giving the bees a chance to fasten these strips, and deposit food for the use of the young larvse, which they will lose no time in doing, having plenty of bees for the work on the start. Leave them just 4 days (do not wait until the 5th day, or some of the cells will be sealed) ; then open the hive and loosen each strip from 1 comb with the point of a sharp knife, being careful to cut well away from the strip. If all the above directions have been closely followed, you will be surprised to see long rows of nice-looking cells nearly ready to seal. Choose the best ones to leave, and " steal " out the larvse from the others, leaving the food, which will be removed by the bees, into the cells of your choice. These cells will hatch (or the queen will) on the 13th day from the time the strips were placed in the queenless col- ony. In this way I have never failed to get plenty of well developed queen cells. Those who are not satisfied with their past experiences in queen rearing should try this plan, and they will be surprised at the number of choice queen cells that a good colony will produce. I have had single colonies build 40 and 50 cells on these strips of comb, but 20 are the most I have ever permitted to ma- ture, and this was in a colony that had started cells preparatory to swarming. A queen will hatch from each of the 20 cells. I have 18 of them now in my yard, and a neighbor has the other two, and every one of them is doing " its duty " in a strong colony of bees. The above method may seem slow and tedious before trial, but I do not find it so after getting used to it, and I am sure I am paid for my care by get- ting a superior quality of queens, as good as any natural ones can be. I shall hereafter rear all my queens in this way. Bees are in good condition here. Hives full of brood, and a good many have sealed drones. We have reason to expect a good report from Michigan the coming season. Hubbardston, Mich., April 10, 1880. For the American Bee Journal. Dysentery, or Wintering Troubles. G. M. DOOLITTLE. It would seem that my article on page 541 December number of the Ameri- can Bee Journal, was not worded so as to be understood by all, for it appears that a few of my friends think that I have gone crazy. It also appears that when the first part of that article had been read that the conclusions drawn in the last part were not applied to the first. I generally intend to write my articles on subjects which are of inter- est to the readers during the month in which the Journal is read, but it would seem that I must rise and ex- plain to my friends just where I stand on this dysentery question at once, if I ever expect to gain their ears again. On page 211 of Gleanings, our friend, J. Elliott, made a great mistake in put- ting "Doolittle head and shoulders above all other apiarists." It's no won- der he got disgusted with me when he put me where 1 did not belong. If he will put me down to a level with, or a little below, the average bee-keeper, and carefully read the last part of my article over 'again, on page 541 Decem- ber number, 1 think he will see that he and 1 agree exactly as to his swarm over which he put the sod in 1865. I am only commencing to learn a little of this interesting business, "Apiculture," and, as I learn, I write what I learn, so that what is practical may be of use to the readers who know less of the busi- ness than I do; but, kind reader, my articles want sifting. Keep the good, if there is any, and throw the bad away. Butto return : Byplacingawetsod over our bees, as did friend Elliott, poor or soured honey is produced, as well as dampness of the hive. Under these conditions, if his bees stood a confine- ment of 6 weeks without all dying, they did better than we would have ex- pected. Had he placed this sod on them in July, when they could have flown every day, it would have done no harm. On page 21 of the American Bee Journal for 1880, W. A. Horton agreed with my article on page .541, although he says he does not. He says a few of his very weak colonies commenced soiling their combs after a month's confinement, thus claiming that long confinement is not the cause of the so-called dysentery. If he will recall page 541 again he will there find that but few bees in a hive tend toward a failure in wintering because they cannot keep up the desired warmth without consuming an undue quan- tity of food. It was not the length of time, as regards weeks or months, that I was trying to get at entirely, but it was that if all the conditions given in the last part of my article were care- fully looked after, that our bees could be be kept in confinement with com- parative safety for a much longer pe- riod than could be possibly done if we were heedless of those conditions. On page 121 of Gleanings for 1880, our friend, H. lioop, does not stop to round off the corners of his words a bit, but says j ust what he thinks. Farther on he says : " I supposed that nature de- signed the honey bee, as well as nearly all the insect creation, to go into a par- tially dormant state on the approach of cold weather and remain so for several months without any injury to them- selves, etc.'1 Now I do not know but I am wrong, but I had always supposed bees were a native of a warm climate, and hence nature did not design them to go into a dormant state, as we find flies, wasps, ants, etc., during cold weather. If friend Roop will go to a colony on some zero morning and quickly draw a frame from the center of a large cluster of bees, he will find that the bees inside of those forming the crust, or outside of the cluster, are just as lively as in July; that brood rearing to a certain extent is going on after the middle of January, and that at all times food is consumed, which is not the case with ants and wasps. Per- haps I was a little fast in using human beings or the animal kingdom to illus- trate what I desired to, but I think not more so than friend Roop is in classing bees with insects which do not move or stir during the cold months of winter. What I wished to have understood in my article on page 541 was this : that bees of a necessity must consume food during confinement; that if this con- finement was continued longer than they could contain said food in their bodies they would have the so-called dysentery ; that the so-called dysentery was no disease at all, but simply the effect caused by a too long confinement, that poor honey, or being disturbed so as to cause more honey to be taken than was required, uneasiness or disquietude of whatever nature which tended to- ward an undue consumption of honey. that confinement in warm weather, too few bees, dampness, or draft of air through the hive, all helped t<> produce the effect sooner or later ; while perfect quietude under favorable circumstan- ces, in a well ventilated cellar or a prop- erly constructed chaff hive, would tend to successful wintering. Also, that if we could have weather the year round so that bees could fly every day, no amount of honey dew. poor food, damp- ness or zero cold during the night would cause the so-called dysentery. The cause of confinement, of course, is our cold weather. Borodino. N. V.. May, 1880. Indiana as a Bee-Keeping State. F. L. DOUGHERTY. The following is a portion of a com- munication presented to the last meet- ing of the State Board of Agriculture by me, as Secretary of the Indiana Bee- Keepers' Association. The purpose of the address was to influence the Board to recognize the bee-keeping interest in their premium list: There is no reason why Indiana should not be in the front rank with the products from the apiary. She has growing upon her soil almost as large a variety of honey-producing plants as any State in the Union. We have honey- producing trees in vast numbers, such as basswood, poplar, elm. willow and the various fruit trees. We haveamong the countless multitude of (lowering shrubs and plants, white, alsikeandred clover; buckwheat, golden rod, the manyastersand mints, and small fruits, currants, gooseberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc. In fact, from the first blossoms of early spring to the coming of host the flora of Indiana is suf- ficiently productive in the secretion of honey to afford our little pets plenty of forage on which to work. It is esti- mated that we have iii our State as many as 30,000 colonies of bees, produc- ing annually an average of 15 lbs. per colony, or a total of 450,000 Lbs. of honey, which. at 123 .•'' I"'1' lb., would bring$54- 225, and I believe the average none too high. We have no reliable statistics from which to glean information on this subject. But through the efforts of T. (r. Newman, President of the National Bee-Keepers' Association, arrange- ments have been made to have complete statistics gathered by the Government, while taking the next census. Arrange- ments are also being made by the Ex- ecutive Committee of the Indiana Bee- Keepers' Association to gather all pos- sible information on the subject in this State. As regards the offering of pre- miums, etc., I would suggest the fol- lowing as a competitive list : Best package comb honey, 1 lb. or more. Best package extracted honey, 1 lb. or more. Best crate of honey in the comb, in the most marketable shape. Best display of honey, both comb and extracted. Best machine for extracting honey. Best display of bee-keepers' supplies and the best display of wax. In conclusion, I would ask that you also inquire into the feasibility of the establishment of an apiary in connec- tion with our agricultural college. Other States have gone far ahead of our own in this respect. Michigan has in connection with her agricultural college an apiary, managed by a competent, practical apiculturist, whose observa- tions are recorded and published, and whose methods of treatment are always open to the inspection of learners. Sev- eral other States have followed the worthy example of Michigan. This department, in connection with the ag- ricultural college, should be and will be, if successfully managed, not only self- sustaining financially, but a repository of demonstrated facts and scientific knowledge, to which the public should have full access, and bee-keeping will thereby be raised to the rank of a surely remunerative pursuit, instead of a hap- hazard speculation. From the Prairie Farmer. Transferring Bees from Box Hives. MRS. L. HARRISON. When you have bees to transfer choose a warm, still day ; about 10 a.m. is the best time, as many bees will be in the fields at that hour. Get every- thing in readiness for use that you will need before the bees are aware of your intention. If you get the bees stirred up, and have to run to the shop, string-bag, kitchen and pantry for tools, vou will wish that you had never seen a bee, before you get through. You will need a box to drive the bees into, and a smoker to intimidate them. If we were doing the transferring, we should take the hive, after the bees were driven out, to the kitchen, as we should feel more at home working at the kitchen ta- ble having provided there for our use be- forehand a hammer and cold-chisel for cutting nails, a small saw for cutting off the supports, and a long knife for cut- ting combs loose from the sides of the hive, and something soft, like folded muslin, for laying the brood upon, so that the baby bees would not bruise their heads. If we were intending to fasten the combs into frames, with spines from the red haw, we would have holes punc- tured all around the frames, and the thorns near at hand ; or, with splints, have them tied in pairs, and a wire or string attached to the other end of one of them, so that they could be readily adjusted, when put over the frame. As some pieces of comb are more readily fastened one way than another, strings, splints and tacks should be at hand. When all is ready, and the dog tied up, smoke the bees, and give them a little time to fill their sacs with honey, then invert the hive, and place the driv- ing box on top, wrapping around where they join with cloth to prevent any bees from escaping. Now you can sing "marching along," keeping time by rapping sharply on the hive with a stick for about 20 minutes, when the bees will be clustered, like a new swarm, in the top of the box, and should be placed where the hive formerly stood, leaving an entrance for the bees which return from the fields. The hive is now ready for dissection, and may be done in any way best suited for preserving the combs entire. If the pieces of comb are cut a trifle larger than the frame, it may be sprung over it and more easily kept in place. All worker comb should be carefully saved, and drone appropriated for wax. Handle the combs containing worker brood carefully, for the future prosper- ity of the colony depends, in a great measure, upon the safety of the babies. When the frames are put into the hive, those containing brood should be placed together in the center of the hive. When the combs are all in the hive, it should be placed on its stand, and the bees poured out of the box in front of it, when they will readily enter, like a flock of sheep into the fold. In a few days the owner will notice that they are working with greater energy than ever before, and if splints or strings have been used to fasten the combs they may be removed, as the bees will have fas- tened the combs securely. We almost forgot to mention one important item — care should be taken that no honey is running from the transfer hive, to at- tract robbers, when it is placed upon its stand. This spring is a good one for transferring, as most colonies have very little honey. Peoria, 111. (Couucntions. Central Michigan Convention. The Central Michigan Convention met at Lansing. April 15, and was called to order by Pres't W. J. Ash worth, who. after a few remarks, suggested that a Secretary pro tern, should be elected to rill the vacancy caused by Mr. Frank Benton's being'in Europe, and, on mo- tion of Mr. Harper, Geo. L. Perry was elected. The first topic considered was the methods of wintering, and reports of those present were received. The ma- jority favored the chaff hive or similar methods of out-door packing. . Mrs. L. B. Baker, of Lansing, de- scribed her method of cellar wintering, and gave statements of great success with the chaff hive. Mr. Baker said that he could produce experiments and arguments that gave the cellar the ad- vantage whenever the right kind of a cellar could be had. Discussion then drifted into "early' breeding ; its dangers and advantages." On this the convention was divided. Some said the earlier the better ; others that they did not wish bees to breed until they could fly with safety. Question—" How to stimulate brood rearing ?" Answer—" By feeding." Ques. — "How shall Ave feed?'' Mr. S. C. Perry then introduced a feeder, known as the Globe Feeder; this was entirely new, and was received with much favor. It answers the purpose of a chaff cushion, and gives the apiarist a chance to examine and feed the bees in the coldest weather, without admit- ting cold air, or disturbing them. He presented the idea to the convention, and told them to try it for themselves. Ques. — "Is pollen necessary to brood ?" D. K. Coles answered, Yes. Ques.—" Are spring flights beneficial to bees V" Mr. Harper answered. Not too early. Ques.—" Is upward ventilation neces- sary V" Mr. Blackburn answered, No, except what goes through the cushion. Ques. — "Should the entrance lie con- tracted in winter ?" Ans., from the Chair, Yes. Mr. S.C. Perry, of Lansing, t lien gave his plan of a door-yard, thai gave the beesa chance to come out on the alight- ing board, and also prevents a cold draft of air coming in at the entrance. Mr. C. B. Smith, of Leslie, was re- quested to give his opinion of the best winter weather for bees. He said he preferred a continuous cold winter to one of uneven temperature. Mr. Smith and Mr. Waldo, of Grand Ledge, said they practiced late breed- ing with success. Mr. Coles, Of Howell, and Mr. Har- per said they wanted all work done be- fore cold weather. Questions were asked and anwered on various items that would not inter- est the genera] reader. The following essay was then read by G. L. Perry, of Lansing, on Comb Foundation and Its Manufacture. With the exception of the hive, per- haps, no article is of more value to the bee-keeper than that known as " comb foundation.'' Many of us have used it, and when we look at the straight and beautiful combs produced, our admira- tion leads us to inquire the origin of such a valuable auxiliary. Comb foun- dation is of modern origin, much later than the movable frame, and conse- quently has but a short history. From Prof. Cook's •■Manual of the Apiary1' we learn that as early as 1857 Herr Mehring, a German, used im- pressed sheets. of beeswax as founda- tion for honey comb. His machine con- sisted of indented metal plates: the sheet of wax being placed between them and subjected to pressure. As this was a slow and imperfect process, it soon passed into disuse and was forgot- ten. This. I think, is as far as the Ger- mans ever carried its manufacture; still, they are entitled to the in\ cut ion. Foundation was first brought to the no- tice of American bee-keepers by Mr. Wagner, who obtained a patent for the same in 1801, but, as this had a tendency to restrict its introduction, and as the demand for it was limited, it also was soon forgotten. Seven years later, in 1868, Messrs. King Bros., of New York, secured a patent on the first machine. This also was short-lived ; for the foun- dation consisted simplyof narrow strips of wax run upon wood, and was only used for starters in the brood frames. For 6 years longer the busy bee was to be deprived of this great help, which may justly be called the lever of bee- culture, until the inventive genius of Mr. Fred. Weiss came to their relief. Mr. Weiss was the inventor of the first machine that can claim such a name, and this it is certainly entitled to. for it combined all Of the inventions be- fore, and all of the ideas that havesince been produced, iii addition to the Ger- man indentation that gave the face of the cell, he cut small grooves, to give side walls of cells, and thus gave to the world the first comb foundation with side walls. Becoming advanced in years and in 278 indigent circumstances, this inventor was unable to keep his name parallel with his invention, and, as I understand, his machine was labeled with another man's name, and offered for sale at $100, while the poor inventor was wholly forgotten. Since that time several machines have been produced, each having some peculiar features, and bearing the name of their manufacturers, but not one of them has given the credit to tbe origi- nal inventor. Let bee-keepers, when they look at the straight comb that re- sults from the use of comb foundation, remember the poor German who gave it to us, and let the supply dealers thank him for this article of profit. His name should be placed by the side of the Rev. L. L. Langstroth, and these be regarded as two of the greatest American benefactors of the apiarian science. Such is the history of the introduc- tion of comb foundation — the next thing to consider is its manufacture. This is attained with no small amount of trouble, and what might be termed " muss," as our worthy President, Mrs. Baker, and others present, can testify. The wax is melted and strained through several thicknesses of cheese- cloth to remove the sediment. After being cleansed, it is kept over the stove in a large can, holding from GO to 80 lbs., and 2 qts. of water, called a " melting- can." From this it is strained into a smaller can, holding 2 parts of wax and and 1 of hot water ; this keeps an even temperature and catches any sediment that may yet remain. The dipping is next in order, and re- quires a thin, straight-grained board of the width and nearly the length re- quired for a sheet. This is placed in cold water until well soaked, then dipped in the melted wax and taken out quickly ; the dampness of the board prevents the adhesion of the wax. Several dippings are required to obtain the desired thick- ness of sheet, varied according to the temperature of the wax. After being taken from the board and allowed to cool a moment, they are ready for the machine. As a rule, the first sheet sticks to the rollers, tears apart, etc. Then we must get a sharp stick or quill and pick the wax from the rollers ; this is a long and tedious job. By the time the rollers are cleaned, and with the assistance of some more soap suds or slippery elm bark solution on the rollers, the second sheet comes out from the machine in satisfactory shape ; it is then taken to the rinsing tub and thoroughly washed and sponged. After being dried it is stowed away in piles of about 8 lbs., to be cut according to orders. This is the simplest and we think the best process. Many use steam pipes and other fixtures, but we think them superfluous. It requires 5 persons ; 1 to dip, 2 at the machine, 1 to rinse, and the other to sponge and lay away. When the wax and water are cold it will be about 9 o'clock before work can be com- menced, and 6.5 lbs. is an average day's work, varied adcording to weather, etc. On cool days the sheets will crack and break, and in extremely warm weather the sheets will hardly bear their own weight when taken from the machine. The only danger attending the manu- facture of foundation is that in the hurry of the work the wax in the melt- ing can may be forgotten, and if the heat is too great, it will boil over, and, being of an inflammable nature, it ig- nites instantly. We never allow it to boil, only to retain the melted state. The convention then proceeded to elect officers for the ensuing year, as follows : President, Rev. W. J. Ash- worth ; Secretary, George L. Perry ; Treasurer, Mrs. L. B. Baker. Vice Presidents were elected from the coun- ties represented: Ingham, Prof. A. J. Cook, of Lansing; Shiawassee, Allen Beard, of Morris; Livingston, W. R. Coles, of Howell ; Ionia, Stephen Perry, of Portland; Eaton, N. B. Coles, of Grand Ledge, and Clinton, Mrs. L. J. Gibson, of Dewitt. Adjourned to 1 p. m., when the con- vention listened to the following essay, by Stephen C. Perry : Water for Bees. To briefly examine this subject, let us first inquire Do Bees Need Water f Inasmuch as all animals and plants partake more or less of water, it is no wonder that bees should occasionally take a drink ; but that an abundant sup- ply of water is as essential to the wel- fare of the colony as is either honey or pollen, is a fact which but few realize. Not only do the bees on the fly drink it, but they carry it into their hives for the young bees which do not yet fly out, and to mix with the pollen and honey to make larvae food, in such quantities that during this spring my 50 colonies have taken some 5 quarts of water in one day. Bees, therefore, need large quantities of water, and we we will now inquire How should they obtain it f Says one : " There is a beautiful little lake near me. where my bees can get all the water they want." Says another: u A splendid stream runs just a little way from my apiary, where my bees have an abundant supply of water.1' Such conveniences are very nice for a horse or cow, and for sheep and poultry ; they can march down to the edge of the lake or river, and carelessly place their heads down for a sup, and if a wave splashes the water half way to their eyes, they can quench their thirst with indifference ; but how is it with the lit- tle honey bee ? See it on the wing care- fully approach the stream ; it balances itself over the edge of the water, then flirts up, then clown, looking for a spot where it dare to alight ; the ripple re- cedes, it sees a moist pebble or a dam- pened spot on the ground, and ventures to alight, but scarcely has it extended its ligula to sip a drop, when the water returns, and if the poor bee is smart enough to spring into the air it saves its life, but obtains so little water that it goes off in disgust to the barnyard or cesspool, where it knows the water will remain quiet enough for it to get some, even if the water is not so clean. " But," says one, "■ I have„a nice foun- tain in my yard, and an earthern flower vase under it, and the vase keeps just full of water all of the time ; it is amus- ing to see the little fellows form a circle clear around the edge of the vase and sip the water ; and if one gets in it soon flaps around to the edge and, the vase being full, it easily gets out." Yes, that is better; but just think what a neces- sity it would be that would compel us to go where we may be very liable not only to get a ducking, but -have to un- dergo all the horrors of a threatened death, even if somebody else did know we would get out alive at last. Many ways may be devised to furnish water for bees, where they can get it without danger of getting wet. I will mention a very cheap one : Take an oyster can, remove one side, prepare some thin strips of wood as wide as your tin dish is deep, and just long enough to slip into it ; take some little blocks % of an inch thick and p;! of an inch wide, and as long as the dish is deep, place a block across each corner of the dish on one side ; then against these place a thin strip, then two more blocks and another strip, and so on until it is wedged full ; it can then be tilled with water and placed near the apiary. There should be at least one for every colony. Having now demonstrated that bees need water, and how to obtain it, let us consider In what condition the water should be. Because people have seen bees around barnyards, hog-pens, cesspools, etc., where there was more or less moisture, they have supposed the bees were after salt, ammonia, or something of the like ; but, from observation. I have concluded differently. The urgent need of water, and the great danger to which they are exposed in oilier places, drives them there. Bees, like nearly all other animals, may need a little salt oc- casionally for medicine, and it is well to have a tew dishes of water slightly salted within reach. In order for the bee to carry the water to its hive, it must take it into its stomach ; therefore, the water should be slightly warm. This, I think, furnishes another reason for bees frequenting barn-yards and such places. To sum up : First, bees when rearing brood should have an abundant supply of pure, soft water. Secondly, it should be provided for them so that they can obtain it without danger of their get- ting wet ; and, thirdly, it should be fur- nished, fresh and clean, and kept at about the right temperature. President Ashworth called for re- marks. Mr. Coles, of Howell, thought water essential at all times of the year. Mr. Smith, of Leslie, thought the same. Mr. Harper thought the natural re- sources quite sufficient. Mr. Blackburn asked if water was wanted in winter. The convention an- swered no. The Secretary then read an interest- ing letter from Mr. Frank Benton, tBe late Secretary. Prof. Cook entered the room, and was received and introduced to the conven- tion by President Ashworth. The Pro- fessor was asked to give his views of Cyprian queens. He did so, giving par- ticulars of his correspondence with Mr. Benton. Mr. Baker, of Lansing, moved that the Agricultural College be instructed to obtain Cyprian queens and rear queens for the benefit of the Associa- tion. Mr. Harper asked if queens could be obtained direct from Cyprus. Prof. Cook said they could. Mr. Harper moved that Prof. Cook be instructed to order a queen. Mr. Lewis advised caution in order- ing, until the price, chances and condi- tion of shipment be better understood. Prof. Cook advised all to wait until their merits are more fully determined. President Ashworth then read an es- say on select queen rearing, and gave what lie considered ttie standard ot ex- cellence in queens and colonies. Mr. Harper was requested to give his method of queen rearing. He said that in rearing queens careful selection should be the breeder's greatest con- cern. He considered the cheap queens now offered for sale as detrimental to the industry. He was followed by Messrs. Lewis, Coles, Blackburn and Perry, whose re- marks entirely agreed with his. The question was asked, " which were the best Italians, light or dark ?" Mr. Harper preferred the light, be- cause of their docility : Prof. Cook and others preferred the dark. The President then announced that the question-drawer would be opened, and appointed Prof. Cook, Mr. Baker, Mr. B. Salisbury, Mr. Harper and Mr. Smith, to answer the questions. While the questions were being pre- pared, time was given to examine the exhibits of apiarian supplies. President Ashworth had a consign- ment of section honey boxes, etc., from Lewis & Parks. Mr. C. B. Smith, a hive and sections. Mr. Wood, of the firm of Norman & Wood, a chaff hive. Mr. Perry had comb foundation, sections, feeders, etc. The question-drawer was opened, and the many inquiries it contained showed that great interest was taken by those present. The following were a few of the most prominent ones : Ques. — " What is the opinion concern- ing grape sugar for feeding ?" Ans. , by Prof. Cook, I am utterly opposed to it. Ques. — " What is a living price for extracted honey V' Ans., by C. B. Smith, 15c. Ques.—" Which is the best for fall feeding, honey or sugar?" Ans., by Prof. Cook, Sugar. Ques. — " What is the evidence of foul brood?" Ans., by Prof. Cook, A very offensive stench. C. B. Smith moved that the President publish his experience with grape su- gar. Declared optional with the Presi- dent. Mr. Blackburn stated that he had suc- cessfully fed grape sugar for spring feeding. Mr. Fishel stated that he had fed the same, much to the injury of his bees. Prof. Cook read an essay entitled " A Curious Discovery in Natural His- tory." After some further discussion, Mr. L. B. Baker offered the following resolu- tion, which was unanimously adopted : Besolved, That it is the sense of this convention that 15c a lb. is a fair price for fine comb honey in good marketa- ble shape, and that we will retain the products of our industry until such may be obtained. The convention then adjourned to meet again in the Pioneers' Boom of the Capitol building in Lansing, on Oct. 7, 1880. George L. Perry, Sec. . Read before the Indiana Convention. Untested Queens. A. G. HILL. This term signifies a laying queen, shipped with guarantee of safe arrival, but no warrant is given to insure the purity of her brood. She must in all cases be reared from the brood of a queen of undoubted purity. From the time of the first importations of queens from Italy to this country, producers have placed on the market queens of this character ; so the subject is not a new one, although it has recently been quite generally treated upon. Much of the sentiment against this class of queens has perhaps arisen from preju- dice, and just because some one has chosen to speak against them. It is the case among men of honesty, that just as good stcrck is employed in rearing queens which are sola before their qual- ity is ascertained, as is used in breeding the tested queen, and often they are progeny of the same colony. That no one can rear queens and sell them at $1 each (the prevailing price) at a profit to himself, has been stated. To verify this statement a few cases of repeated failure have been cited ; but how do these failures compare wit li those of the honey producers, which have been so universal ? The queen breeder of 1879 reaped a good harvest. The heavy losses of bees and the anx- iety of the unfortunate to increase, have made a ready sale for all the queens* that were reared. It is urged that those who sell queens cheaply must necessarily rear them cheaply, and therefore produce an infe- rior stock. An experience of 15 years in this branch of apiculture has not yet enabled me to discover a cheap method by which to rear queens. The dollar queen of to-day is brought about in the same manner as the $10 queens of as many years ago. You may say of the producers, that they use small nuclei, employing a less amount of bees, and thus reducing the expense; but the small nucleus was not abandoned because of the inferior qual- ity of the queens bred therein, but on account of the liability of the bees to abscond and the amount of attention required to keep them in fitness. •''No one ever found fault with Quinby's queens, reared in boxes, containing 3 or 4 frames, 5x6 inches square. Instances are known of breeders who have sold impurely tested queens as untested, but this is dishonorable, and the guilt of such a one should be excused none the less by the plea that good queens can- not be furnished at that price. If there be a disposition to deal unjustly, the opportunity to do so is as great for those who sell tested queens only, as for him who deals in the untested as well ; and for this reason there is great variation among Italians of pure breed ; rendering it difficult to decide as to pu- rity, and, as there is neither court nor jury to make decision, they are to be considered as pure because they cost $3 each, and the producer says they are pure. Probably % of all the queens bought during the past season were the untested and the unwarranted, and whatever may be said against them, the low price at which they are sold for profit, and the readiness with which they can be furnished when queens are most needed (swarming time) will keep up a demand. Kendallville, Ind. Ashtabula County, 0., Convention. The bee-keepers of Ashtabula and adjoining'counties met at Andover, O., on Feb. 25, and organized a society by the adoption of a Constitution and By- Laws, and electing the following officers for the coming year : M. E. Mason, Andover, President. C. L. Payne, Eagleville, Vice Pres't. W. D. Howells, Jefferson, Secretary. C. E. Harmon, Andover, Treasurer. Mr. T. G. Newman, of Chicago, was present by request, and was heartily welcomed by those present. The following questions for discussion were presented : " The artificial production of queens. Does experience of scientific bee-keep- ers prove that they are as i-eliable as those reared by natural swarming ?" Mr. Newman spoke at some length on the question, condemning the rear- ing of inferior queens, and said that the stock must be improved by select- ing the best to breed from. -. '"Is it desirable to use a 2-story hive for the production of surplus honey ?" Mr. Buslmell thought the less ma- chinery about bees the better. Mr. Trunkey— If the frame was shal- low it would be better to use a 2-story hive. Mr. Belden— Found that the honey in the lower tier was not as nice honey as that obtained in the upper story of 2- story hives. Mr. Newman — Two-story hives, if rightly managed, are much better than 1-story ones. They admit of getting honey in the most marketable shape. 3. "Is it advisable to use comb foun- dation ?" One member found the use of wireto strengthen the foundation very service- able. Mr. Newman said that comb founda- tion was very desirable in building up colonies; but its use in surplus boxes must be not more than a starter, unless the thin foundation made by Messrs. Van Deusen be used. That had been used with success by some, but he was not yet prepared to indorse its use for comb honey. Another season would perhaps demonstrate whether it will do to use full sheets of it or not. 4. " What is the best method of pre- paring bees for winter ?" M. E. Mason gave his experience as follows : He had 40 colonies, and put them in a cellar prepared for them ; took them out for two airing flights. After the first flight they showed signs of dysentery. Left 20 colonies outdoors in chaffed hives. Two colonies were left in a cellar all winter without a flight, and wintered in a splendid condition. Mr. Newman advised every one to try different ways and learn from ex- perience the better plan. He has his prepared in four different ways this winter. But what would prove good this winter might never do again as the winter is so open. 5. " In what shape shall we put up our honey for market V" Mr. Newman said that comb honey should be produced in small sections: the 2 principal sizes being 414\414 and 53^x6j| inches outside. Extracted honey must be ripe before extracting, and should be shipped to market in small kegs containing from 100 to 200 lbs. each. Moved and seconded that the next convention meet on the first Tuesday in February, 1881 , holding 2 days. Car- ried. Moved and seconded that Mr. New- man be made an honorary member of this Association. Carried. On calling for statistics, after a part of the audience had left, the following result was obtained : No. of colonies spring 1S79 92 No. of colonies fall 1S7<> 206 Extracted honej obtained 1S79, lbs — Comb honey obtained, lbs 1,816 Wax. lbs ■ » Average price for extracted honey 1254c Average price for comb N>c One person reported that he had ob- tained more than 12-5 lbs of honey from 1 colony. 282 Head before the Indiana Convention. Apiculture— Bee Hives. J. M. HICKS. It is a pleasure, and I deem it an honor, to have the privilege of address- ing this convention, upon the subject of apiculture, as being adapted to the many, as a business. It was my good fortune to meet with and become a member of the first organization that ever convened in this city as a band of bee-keepers. It has also been my lot to have been a bee-keeper for many years, having formed a love and desire to learn what I could about the little pets when but a small boy. There are many, how- ever, that form an ardent love for bees, after they arrive to manhood and womanhood. Others take up the keep- ing bees as a pastime, having of course some profit in view. Again, there are others who go into bee-keeping as a means of support, and we often find them failing, as in all other business, and then the next we hear is that bee- keeptng is a humbug, and he or she who has failed retires from the contest. This is owing to the simple fact, that they never study nature's law governing the habits and working of their stock, a want of which will surely produce fail- ure in this day of progression. It has been so in in ail ages of the world, and the bee business is no exception. But let me say, we never find any one who goes into this business with a de- termination for success, and makes it a subject of study who ever fails. Many of you may ask why I make this asser- tion ? If so, I will answer, first, that such parties as last referred to, look well to various conditions necessary to successful bee-keeping. For instance, a good and proper location for an apiary. Then they look well to the kind and style of a hive to be used ; also as to the various departments their apiary is to be run for, such as honey to supply a given market, or the especial raising of bees for the trade, and also that of queens, for the demand. I would not forget the resources for the bees to work on. All of these things are necessary elements to success, and are of vital im- portance in the proper management of the apiary, and should be well studied by the apiarist. Much precious time is wasted in try- ing to invent worthless beehives, such as we now have patented and offered by unprincipled venders, who never did and never will know the first principles or requisites for a good beehive. Hence so many failures in this hive business, and more bees murdered and ruined. Let me admonish all to beware of him who comes to you with an untested bee- hive, telling you it is the best hive in the world, for you may be sure he him- self knows but little if anything about bees, or what a hive should be to pos- sess the good qualities, such as nature's law demands for a successful manipu- lation of bees. But study well all the essential points referred to. and you will be capable of judging for yourselves as to the wants of a successful apiarist. I want no hive that has any loose boards or boxes to remove before hand- ling, or replace after handling my bees. All such I consider as a nuisance and worthless. Central Kentucky Convention. The annual convention convened at Lexington, Ky., on May -1, President H. C. Ilersperger in the chair. The Secretary's and Treasurer's re- ports were read and approved. The following new members were en- rolled : Chas. F. Muth, Cincinnati, O.; E. A. Bagby, Midway, B.F. Elkin, Mer- cer County. President's Address. Gentlemen : I feel like congratulat- ing you upon the ending of a mild win- ter and the opening of a favorable spring. One of Kentucky's mildest winters has just passed over us, and a beautiful spring, laden with opening flora, is upon us. Wherever bees have been properly provisioned they are now in fine condition. The mildness of the winter, the absence of severe and pro- tracted cold, made it only necessary for the prudent bee-keeper to see that his bees had sufficient stores and nothing more. I have wintered .40 colonies with- out loss, and I gave them no care what- ever, except to feed a few. I had sev- eral nuclei, with about a pint of bees and an Italian queen in each, and they all went through right. What did it? A mild winter, and nothing else. When we met here a year ago, an un- usually severe and protracted cold win- ter had just passed over us. Our bees were fairly frozen out. Some lost nearly all, as friend Holman will testify. Oth- ers, again, had them so weakened by freezing to death upon the outer combs, that they could not build up in time for the spring bloom, and the tiny cups of the flowers were filled with sweet, but the little winged harvesters were not here to gather in the harvest, and na- ture's sweetest boon was wasted on the air. When we contrast the disastrous win- tei of 1879 with the mild winter of 1880 and look at the results, do we not find a plain lesson before us V Is it not clearly demonstrated that even here in the latitude of Kentucky our- bees must have proper protection in cold, rigid, zero spells of weather, that often sweep over us ? We give protection to our stock and to ourselves, but we let our bees winter without any. Our horses and cattle may rough it through, but they will come out in bad condition. Our bees may rough it through (I speak of severe winters), but they will come out in poor condition for service in the spring. The very mildness of our cli- mate unfits us to guard against the zero weeks that occasionally come down upon us. It is hardly reasonable to ex- pect bees to go through 4 or 5 weeks of zero weather in a box of % inch boards, and come out all right in the spring. The food in the cluster becomes ex- hausted, and, if the cluster is broken to bring in a fresh supply, it cannot again unite itself, and of course the bees must perish with plenty of honey around them. The opinion is held here in Kentucky and elsewhere that bees sleep through the winter, and the colder the winter the better for the bees. This is a mis- take. They eat, digest and live just as cattle do, and the colder the weather the more food they will consume in or- der to keep up a proper degree of warmth. You will understand me that the or- dinary mild winters of Kentucky re- quire no special care, but the long, cold spell of 3 to 5 weeks must be bridged over by painstaking of some kind or other. Each may have his own method in giving it, but protection they must have. This, together with proper feed- ing, will bring them out of winter quar- ters in splendid condition to " improve the shining hours." By proper feeding, we do not mean feeding by the spoon- ful, but with a liberal hand. Give them, especially in March, not less than 10 lbs. of honey or good sugar syrup. This will put them in good cheer. They will go to raising brood, and when the spring opens you will have ;i hive full of young bees ready for work. The honey or syrup you feed them will not be lost. They will pay it back with interest. They are close calula- tors; they never raise much brood with- out much honey ; they seem to measure the honey and raise brood in proportion. They may be raising brood rapidly in April from the yield of honey in the flowers, and if it "is suddenly cut off by a cold snap, and no resources of supply left them, in order to save their own lives and perpetuate the colony, they will take the brood out of the cells and drag it out of the hive, and thus bridge over the interval of bloom. This may be simply nature's law of self preser- vation, but we cannot but admire the instinct, if not intelligence, which God has given them. I have said this much of wintering and springing bees, be- cause I regard it as the key to success- ful bee-keeping. Strong colonies alone give a heavy yield of honey. Of course much depends upon a good . strain of bees. It is now well under- stood there are Italians which are poor workers, and there are Italians which I are superior workers. It is our work to cultivate and develop a superior strain of bees, by raising queens from such as give the best results. The superiority of some colonies over others is seen in almost every bee-yard, with the same conditions, so far as we can see, attend- ing them — not only for 1 year, but until the queen becomes too old for service. The course of the bee-keeper is here clearly marked out. Raise queens from the best, and let poor ones go ; keep the fittest, and weed out the poorest. * Eminent bee-keepers all over the country are already taking steps in this direction. The natural law of selection by a " survival of the fittest," is too slow a process in this fast age of ours. We want the work of many years com- pressed into a few, that wre may reap the advantages, and see the footprints of our going. I am gratified to believe that the in- terest in bee-keeping here in Kentucky is on the increase; that hundreds are going into it, while but few are fall- ing out. It is too late to be called a failure. The science and the interest and success attending it have made it a source of wealth in our land. In the North, East and West, many are mak- ing it a special interest, through which they obtain a living; and then again here and there are many, in connection with other pursuits, keeping bees intel- ligently, and reaping a rich reward of pleasure and profit. God seems to have intended the flow- ers for every one, for he has made them to bloom in every latitude, and bees to live in every climate. The beautiful Ligurians swarm among the flowers of our laud as much at home as in their own native Alps. And he who does not provide for and accept that which is given him, denies himself one of the pleasures, blessings and privileges of life. I thank you, gentlemen, for the courtesy and kindness you have shown me as your presiding officer. My best wishes are for the continued prosperity of the Society." The following committee was ap- pointed to draft questions for general discussion, with instructions to report at the afternoon session : Chas. F. Muth, J. R. Williamson, J. W. Bagby, The following officers were elected for the ensuing term : H. C. Hersper- ger, President, Jessamine County ; W. W. Williamson, Secretary, Lexington ; F. P. Scearce, Treasurer, Lexington. Vice Presidents— Chas. F. Muth, Cin- cinnati, O.; J. W. Rose, Fayette ; Dr. Van A twerp, Montgomery ; J. W. Eg- bert, Mercer County ; W. B. Herring, Scott County- John W. Bean, Clark County ; J. T. Wilson, Woodford Coun- ty ; J. W. Bagby, Pendleton County. ' On motion of W. B. Herring, seconded by J. W. Rose, the following resolution was unanimously adopted : Resolved, That it be the duty of the Vice Presidents of this Association to obtain from every bee-keeper in their several districts, as near as possible, statistics of the number of colonies on hand at the beginning of this season, the increase for the present year, and amount of honey and wax produced, and report the same to the Secretary at the next annual convention, after which the Secretary shall forward the same to the State Commissioner on Agricultural Statistics, etc., at Frankfort, Ky. The Secretary said he had a commu- nication from Dr. N. P. Allen, Smith's Grove, Warren County, Vice President of the National Bee-Keepers' Associa- tion, requesting his assistance in organ- izing a State Convention at Louisville in October next, it being the intention of the Southern Kentucky Bee-Keepers' Association to disband and merge into the State Association. Several members expressed them- selves as decidedly opposed to any dis- solution of the district or county as- sociations, while they were in favor and fully approved of the organization of a State Convention. The Secretary offered the following resolution, which was unanimously adopted : Resolved, That this Association is in favor of all local associations and con- ventions, and fully approves of the or- ganization of a State Association, and that three delegates be appointed to at- tend the organization of the State Con- vention at Louisville in October next. The President appointed the follow- ing committee: W.Williamson, Chas. F. Muth, J. W. Rose. Mr. Cunningham asked how long can a queen go unfertile before mating ? C. F. Muth thought about a week ; D. C. Hersperger possibly 3 weeks ; J. W. Bagby, in certain instances, 30 days. C. F. Muth said there are exceptions in all rules, and freaks in nature with all females. Bees are no exception ; the general opinion is that after 30 days' trial if unfertile, death must be her doom. Several other interesting questions were discussed, after which the conven- tion adjourned. Afternoon Session. Convention called to order, President Hersperger in the chair. Committee on questions for discus- sion reported the following : 1. Best way to transfer bees from box to movable frame hives. 2. Best manner and time to Italianize a colony or apiary. 3. Best manner to cure a colony of a fertile worker. . 4. Best manner of ripening extracted honey. 5. Why do bees swarm, and how to prevent swarming V The questions were then taken up and discussed separately. J. W. Bagby said the best time to transfer is the beginning of the honey season, as there is then an abundance of material to patch up all broken comb and fill up crevices. The statement was generally concurred in. C. F. Muth said he did not approve of smoking bees drunk, in order to intro- duce a queen for the purpose of Italian- izing colonies ; he had known parties to use tobacco smoke to such excess that the bees were made drunk, sick and ex- hausted from the effects of it. He used only sweetened peppermint wTater, and sprinkled all the bees with it when let- ting the queen at liberty in the hive. He also said that the best way to cure a colony of a fertile worker is to find her as soon as possible after the fact is as- certained and kill her, and that the best German bee-masters have proven and declared that a fertile worker does not produce perfect or entire drones. W. B. Herring got rid of fertile work- ers by taking trie whole of the frames in the hive, with bees on them, and shaking the bees off, some distance from the hive. Most of the bees will return to the hive, but not the fertile worker. These opinions were generally accepta- ble to those present. On the question of the best manner of ripening honey, C. F. Muth said : Some advocated the idea of having all honey capped over before being ex- tracted. He does not believe in the the- ory, from the fact that comb honey is as* apt to sour as extracted. He prefers- each distinct kind of honey by itself, as near as possible. Apple bloom honey extracted at that time, locust honey by 285 itself, and during all the honey season he preferred and would advise each kind of honey to be as near the production of the different blooms the bees work on as possible. Ripen honey by expos- ing it to the air in open cans. The Secretary said any well ventilated dry place would answer. The whole se- cret is pure air. ventilation and sun- shine. Secretary Williamson said that he had often thought that bee culture and its benefits had never been properly or fully presented to ladies as a light and profit- able employment. The subject of bees and flowers are so inexhaustible, so in- dispensable to each other, and each so susceptible of care and cultivation by ladies, that a few hints on these inter- esting subjects may lead to others still greater. Bee culture, like all sciences, is full of research, and probably more fascinating than any. It is akin to bot- any, but even more interesting ; in fact there is a certain mystery about the habits of bees that forever keeps the imagination waiting for some new dis- covery. The bane of bee-keeping has been stings ; but modern improvements in bee culture, bee-veils, rubber gloves and smokers, properly applied, should be sufficient to dispel every fear, even of the most timid. Bees have been spoken of in the earliest history of the world. In the Bible, bees and honey are spoken of as possessing wonderful vir- tues. The ancients called the bee " De- borah,*' or she that speaketh. They have been called the tl chief of geom- etricians."' "a ray of Divinity," as '" surpassing in architecture the skill of Archimedes," and ,k a magazine of the virtues." When such authors as De Montford, Quintillian, Plutarch and Virgil, have made famous in history the virtues of the humble bee, I am led to believe that many a silent lesson in the economy of the world has been learned from the wonderful bee. That sweet and simple song: ■• How doth the little busy bee improve each shining hour," was taught us in childhood. We never forget it; it teaches us that the sweets of this life are offered to us all, as freely as the sweets of the flowery kingdom to the virtuous and industrious bee. If we but imitate these virtuous habits our coffers will overflow with the sweets of life. In fact, the whole study and practice of bee culture is refining, ennobling and elevating. Ladies are certainly adapted to bee-keeping, because as a general rule they love and cultivate flowers— the very perfection of virtue and in- spiration. Bees and flowers seem insep- arable. Where flowers are bees are, even in the deserts where the foot of man has never trod. In the cliffs, on the hills and in the valleys, may be found the industrious little bee sipping the sweets from the " Many flowers that arc born to blush unseen. And waste their sweetness on the desert air." What a wonderful mission these little workers seem to perform while gather- ing honey, which the Bible declares is '; sweet to the soul, and health to the bones." They spread from flower to flower "the germs of life," of the sweetest things of earth's broad bosom. Let us provide abundant forage for our bees, fill our gardens full of flowers, and thus invite them to " Come and taste the sweets my garden yields, the bud, the blossom— all are thine." Every lady loves flowers, cherishes them, and at all seasons of the year they are her constant care. You, who will care for bees as for flowers, keep them. You who enjoy nature, pure air, healthful and invigorating exercise, keep them. I would not advise all ladies to keen bees ; but to those who have time, in- clination, and wish all the benefits, in- cluding the profits of bee-keeping. I say try a few colonies. Gi^e them the same care and attention you give flowers, and I am sure the results will exceed your most sanguine expectations. Second Day's Proceedings. President Hersperger in the chair. After some preliminary business, a number of questions were opened for general discussion, and each gave their experience on the questions submitted. The following resolution was offered by F. P. Scearce and J. W. Bagby, and was unanimously adopted : Resolved, By this Association that we condemn the use of glucose for feeding bees at any season of the year, because it is an impure sweet and an uncertain economy, and detrimental to the inter- est of bee-keepers in producing a belief that we are adulterating our honey; and, further, that we reaffirm our in- dorsementof the law passed by our Leg- islature two years agoal the instance of this Association, in regard to fine, con- fiscation and destruction of all adulter- ated honey not plainly labeled as impure honey. C. F. Muth said that in Cincinnati adulteration of honey is carried on to a fearful extent, about equally with ma- ple sugar, lie has seen a druggist mak- ing honey composed of lib. of honey and 5 lbs. of glucose ; glucose can be bought at3^c per lb. He said: lam sorry to acknowledge that nearly all of the ordi- nary syrups sold are impure and adul- terated with glucose, acids, etc.; and, honest to say, I have never yet seen a bottle of pure honey from either Chicago or New York. Sugar is cheaper at 10c a lb. than glucose at 3c. The Secretary asked Mr. Muth if he had ever received or seen any impure or adulterated honey from Kentucky. He answered no, he had not. The Secre- tary said, nor need you ever fear of buying impure honey from Kentucky, even without the stringent laws on the subject. It is not in the country ; it is rarely the bee-keeper who adulterates his honey ; it is the large dealers, who could find it more profitable to use 1,000 lbs. of pure honey, at 15c per lb., and 3,000 or 4,000 lbs.' of glucose, at 3c per lb., than to pay 15c per lb. for the whole. Mr. Muth then read the following : Our Bee-Hives. Many arguments have been made in our country, as well as in the old world, about a uniformity of bee-hives. Much has been said in favor of deep frames, and as much in favor of shallow ones, and the most sanguine of our friends are convinced by this time of the im- possibility of bringing about the uni- versal use of a "Standard Bee-Hive. " If a standard hive could be adopted and standard surplus boxes, much vexation and disappointment would be avoided. However, as we look at these things in so many different ways, and, as every one of us has a right to his own opin- ion, allow me, please, to express t my views in regard to bee-hives. The nests of bees built in hollow trees cannot well be taken as models, as the bees were guided in their construction by the shape of the hollow they hap- pened to discover and made their home. More bees perish each winter in hollow trees than under the care of practical bee-keepers. But when we observe the manner in which a strong colony hived in a com- mon box hive, and during a good yield of honey, builds its combs, we find that the hive is filled almost exclusively with worker combs, which are apart from center to center just about 1% inches, or a little less, with an open space of about % inch between every 2 combs. But little drone comb is built, and we find it generally to be the last comb on the sides of the* hive and the lower ends of the worker combs. Such will be the case if the colony and queen are in a normal condition. A colony of this kind will be prosperous in the future, and the owner will say of it, that he has good luck with his bees. The reverse will be the case, however, if the queen is old, or shows signs of weakness, as the drone comb will then be predominant in the hive, and its owner does not know why that colony will give him no honey. He may say that the bee-moth got among his bees. As stated above, a prosperous colony has worker combs built \% to 1% inches apart from the center of one to the cen- ter of another comb, with a space be- tween every 2 combs of about % of an inch. If we give them room enough, we find further that, when their combs are built 12 or 14 inches long, that the brood is in the lower third or lower half and honey in the upper part. If the bees want more room for brood, they build to the lower part of their combs, while for honey they add to the upper part. In this manner bees proceed when they have their own way, if they can follow their own inclination. Everyone who has done his share of transferring bees from box hives had a chance of judging of the correctness of this statement. If we deprive a colony of the room above their brood to deposit their stores, they will put honey alongside, behind and in front of their brood, and even below it. During a good yield of honey I have seen comb built on the outside of a hive and filled with honey, extend- ing about 4 inches from the hive and about 6 inches or more in length. We can expect the best results when we assist nature to the best of our abil- ity, and bees are no exception to this rule. A good bee-keeper can do almost anything with his bees, because he is acquainted with their habits, and does nothing again their instincts. When honey is to be had, he gets his share ; he has no secrets. I noticed some years ago at one of our fairs an old quack displaying his control over the bees. He was feeding from a vessel above them, and the bees were storing honey in a tumbler. A notice was pasted on one of the tumblers that bees must not enter it. The bees obeyed orders because he had greased the in- side of the tumbler. Such tricks have ceased to be laughed at among intelli- gent bee-keepers. Wonders are claimed by some men for their hives, as if hives were doing it all. We can have good results in almost any bee hive, if it is only composed of movable combs and is easy of access to us. We may remove, one fine morning, the very obstacles to prosperity, which would take the bees, perhaps, all one season to accomplish. It is therefore very essential to use hives which afford the greatest of com- fort to our bees and to us. Bees must be looked over occasionally, as there may be something to clean up or cut out, the combs in brood chambers may have to be rearranged to promote breed- 287 ing. Queen-cells may have to be in- serted, or a young queen introduced. If you come across the passage of a moth- worm under the capping of your brood combs, and pull him out, you have done something which paid you well for the trouble of opening your hive. If a party tells you that bees get hurt when opened you may depend on it that he is a poor bee-keeper, or that he, at least, does not understand how to open a hive of bees. I had frequently a comb in my hands with the queen quietly keeping on de- positing her eggs. A good bee-keeper should always be acquainted with the state of every one of his colonies, that he may know what to expect when the honey season comes. There is, in my estimation, no hive which combines so many advantages and has less objectionable points than the Langstroth. The only objection made to it has been that the frames are too shallow for successful wintering ; an objection which hundreds of us, for years past, have proved to be none at all. We winter bees in Langstroth hives as successfully as bees are wintered at all, and Langstroth's disciples are counted among the most successful bee- keepers in the country. The shallow- ness of the brood frame with the honey chamber immediately above imitates nature closely, and is apt to give us the best results; consequently, we must keep in view that not wintering alone is our object, but a full honey harvest. Give me, therefore, a shallow frame, just deep enough to insure successful wintering. From the above we have seen that bees, if left to themselves, keep their brood close together and store their honey above. It should be our aim in early spring to get those 10 frames com- posing our brood chamber filled with brood. By the aid of division boards we can give our bees just as many combs as they can well cover. They can control their temperature better in a smaller apartment, and breeding is pro- moted. Their frames will be filled from end to end and from top to bottom, when, without division boards, we find small patches of brood in twice the number of combs, but amounting to not half the quantity of brood. We should at no time allow a vacancy in any one of our hives, if we care for the wel- fare of that colony. "When using division boards we must examine about once a week and add an empty comb as the number of bees in- crease. Division boards should not touch the bottom by % inch, as bees will help themselves lively from combs of honey hung on the other side. Our 10 frames being filled with brood at about the beginning of the honey harvest, we mayput our sectional boxes on (1 at a time is perhaps best). and add another just as soon as a lively progress is noticed. We have then large colo- nies, and may not only expect large re- turns, but, as there arc s<> many young bees hatching all the time, the queen is kept busy refilling with eggs those cells just vacated, that no swarming fever may arise, if the necessary room to store honey is given above. When the queen has the necessary room to deposit eggs, and the bees have the necessary room to deposit honey, no' swarming will take place. This wemaj set down as a rule, but there is no rule without an exception. A queen may be crowded for room, when a comb filled with honey hangs on each side of the brood. No difference how many empty combs hang on the other side. So many bees, especially Italians, will be crowrded for store room if we do not give 1 full comb above, serving them as a ladder to run up on. The Secretary1 said he was glad to see Dr. K. L. Spurr present, an extensive bee-keeper, and Vice President of the Kentucky Agricultural and Mechanical Association, the gentleman who is en- titled to all the credit of any and all recognition the bee-keepers of Ken- tucky have received at the hands of the Association, of which he is an excellent officer. Dr. Spurr answered that, as a member and officer of the Kentucky Agricultural and Mechanical Association, he took great interest in the encouragement of bee culture ; in fact, is a warm advocate of bee-keeping interests, and feels sure the Association of which he is an officer will meet the wishes of the bee-keepers in a liberal spirit, and, as we arc intend- ing to build a large hall in which we can give you ample accommodations, I hope to see a grand and lull display, not only of honey, but of every implement and hive in use; also bees in observation hives; in fact, everything that will tend to dispel the too prevalent idea that bee culture, bee-keeping and bees are insignificant : for there is not a no- bler occupation I know of. and no study. no history I have ever took more inter- est in than bee culture. Although I have never had the time to attend your conventions my best wishes were with you. I have been a student of bee cul- ture these many years, as these gray locks will attest. On motion, Dr. Spurr was unani- mously elected an honorary member of this Association. Dr. Spurr thanked the Societv for the compliment, and said he hoped to see the bee-keepers fully and completely represented at the fair next fall, for they are the men to show the people what bee culture and bee-keepers can do. Mr. J. W. Bagby read the following essay on The Value of Comb in the Apiary. The value of comb in the apiary is generally known among bee-keepers, consequently the value of the extractor is apparent. It is not necessary that bees should starve to death because we use the ex- tractor. One bee-keeper says I got a large amount of honey, but my bees all died. Another reports getting his ex- tractor too late for the honey season, but in time to extract his bees to death. This all comes from not knowing how to use the extractor. Now I will attempt to give a plain method of extracting the honey, and getting good results from bees almost any season when there is a good flow. We will first take a colony of bees with a good supply of comb ; as soon as we have all the frames in the lower chamber full of brood, or nearly so, we will raise about 2 frames of the worst brood combs to the upper chamber, filling their place with empty comb, or start the bees above and fill the upper chamber with comb. If you have drone comb it can be used at this time. Now we may extract almost as fast as the honey is stored, otherwise just keep it out of the way of the bees. Set your honey in open cans in a warm dry room to evaporate or throw off im- purities. This course maybe continued until the best flow of honey is at hand. At the time we are -satisfied our bees are gathering the greatest amount of honey of the season, then we make a half ex- traction, leaving 5 or 6 frames full, and let them seal or cap over these frames for wintering, and the remaining frames may be extracted as often as the occa- sion may require, but not extract from the 5 or 6 any more. The best part of the honey season in this climate is from the 15th of June to the 1st of July. The full crop of honey in this climate is un- certain. Now the main thing is not to extraet too late or too close late in the season; but at the beginning of the honey season we may take almost all of the honey from a hive. The best way to start a colony in the upper story, when scarce of comb, is to raise several frames from the lower chamber and supply their place with empty frames, and alternate above with the same. The Secretary said he took great pleas- ixre in presenting to this Association, from Thos. A. Hutchcraft, a beautiful and well preserved specimen of petri- fied honey comb, which was discovered in a small cave on Glenn's Creek, near Frankfort. In doing so Mr. Hutchcraft desires that it shall be left in the custody of the Secretary, and go towards form- ing a museum for this Association, and, should this Association fail to form a museum, then the Secretary is to for- ward it to the State geologist, Prof. Sha- ler, to be the property of the State, for the museum at Frankfort. On motion, the following committee was appointed to confer with and indi- cate to the Kentucky Agricultural and Mechanical Association the wishes of this Association in regard to exhibits at the next fair : W. Williamson, Ollie Eeed and F. P. Scearce. Nominations for next meeting were declared in order. The Secretary put in nomination Winchester, and J. W. Egbert, Harrodsburg. Winchester car- ried, and it was unanimously resolved that this Association adjourn to meet in Winchester, Ky., on the second Tuesday in April, 1881. W. Williamson, Sec. Western Illinois and Eastern Iowa. The seventh semi-annual meeting was held at- Monmouth, 111., April 29 and 30, 1880, and was the best meeting our society ever had, with the exception of the one at Ham- ilton, 111., on May 6, 7, 1879. The Court House was well filled with as jolly, socia- ble and wide-awake an assemblage as one could wish to see. The ladies turned out in goodly numbers, and added very much to the pleasure of the occasion. The meeting was called to order at 10 a.m. by the Presi- dent, L. H. Scudder, of New Boston, 111. Messrs. C. P. Dadant, Dr. H. J. Scoles, Kev. O. Clute, E. D. Godfrey and T. G. Mc- Gaw were appointed a committee to arrange the questions handed in for discussion. Each question was fully and freely dis- cussed, but we can only give the main points in the space alloted to us. Topics. Which Is the Best Way to Unite Colonies in the Fall ? D. Rider— I take out all the empty combs and brush the bees into the hive 1 wish to keep, and put in from both colonies the combs containing the best honey and brood. I intend to equalize the pollen and honey among all my colonies early in the fall. I have no particular way of uniting; just dump the bees in any way, and do not kill any of the queens, let the bees do that them- selves ; have practiced this mode for 20 years. O. Clute— If there were any choice be- tween the queens, the best one is as liable to be killed as the poorer one. I think the better way is to select and save the best ones. In cool weather bees are less liable tb fight when united, and by the time the weather is warm enough for them to fly they have got used to each other. E. D. Godfrey— If friend Rider was sell- ing a lot of cows, would he sell his best cow for half price? Then why does he do thus with his queens, where there is as much va- riation in quality as among cows? I keep a record of all colonies, and know just what each colony does. I had 120 colonies ; 1 se- lected 40 of the best, as regards combs and quality of bees, to keep. The next best 40 I sold. The poorest 40 I united to make good colonies. I killed the poorest queens a day or two before 1 united. I took the brood from the killed queen and put it in the hive to be united with it, putting the bees on other combs in the upper story. They gradually go below and unite without any trouble. If I had no 2-story hive I would use a wide cap for the same purpose. It is natural for queenless bees to go where there is a queen. If you' put a queenless colony beside one that has a queen, 9 times out of 10 they will go together. Jas. A. Simpson— I have tried Mr. God- frey's plan ; it is very successful. But we have hives scattered all over the yard ; if warm days come soon many bees go back to the old stand. I take bees out of both colo- nies to be united and shake all together in one box ; in 30 or 40 minutes put them in a hive, and give best combs from both hives, and they will stay without going back. E. D." Godfrey— Place a little board in front of the entrance ; it causes the bees confusion, they will more readily relocate their hive, and prevents their going back. If left queenless awhile, it helps very much. O. Clute— I have found the board in front of the hive to be very effective at any time of the year. There is something new and strange about it, and it is a complete suc- cess. Mr. Bingham stated, at the National Convention, that bees can be moved after the honey harvest is over without any trouble by adopting this method. D. Rider — I smoke both colonies thor- oughly, disturb them all I can, interchange frames, brushing off the bees ; they relocate, and I never lose a bee. O. Clute— Is the atomizer useful in unit- ing? L. H. Scudder— I have used it with suc- cess. In running for extracted honey, is it bettter to have a two-story hive or a single long hive ? Jas. A. Simpson— I have never used any except the 2-story hive, and hardly ever take honey from the brood chamber. The bees will occupy almost the entire lower story with brood. C. P. Dadant— I agree with Mr. Simpson ; give the bees ample room above and they will rarely crowd the queen for room below. Through the clover yield we extract from the lower story to some extent. Jas. A. Simpson — It is the universal ex- pression that well ripened honey is the best to winter on. I extracted from the brood chamber one fall, and they filled up for winter with the late fall run of honey, and 1 had a feaful loss of bees, which I laid to the late gathered honey. C. P. Dadant— I do not believe it was ex- tracting from the lower story that killed the bees, for we always do it when needed. O. Clute— I noticed in one of Mr. Doolit- tle's reports that he got 566 lbs. from each of two hives ; he used a long hive of 20 frames ; kept the brood in the center, and extracted from each end. C. P. Dadant— We have 60 American frame hives, of 16 frames each ; have tried side and top frames, the top ones were filled first; the bees will crowd the brood before going into the outside frames. Will. M. Kellogg— I used to work exclu- sively for extracted honey, and used a good many long hives, some of 20 frames each, and a good share of the time the queen crowded out the extractor ; have had 18 frames out of 20 so filled with brood as to be unfit for extracting. Extracting from the brood chamber, if rightly done, makes strong colonies. D. Rider— I find the bees prefer the upper story to side combs. L. H. Scudder— I have had great trouble in keeping the queen from the upper story. C. P. Dadant— I do not think your hive is large enough (10-frame Langstroth). Jas. A. Simpson— My hives differ as to top story ; some nave a half inch board between the two stories, and some with no bottom. I find where the queen goes above at all, it is almost invariably in those with no board between. I can see no difference as to yield of honey in the two ways. O. Clute— It might be wise to considerthat where you extract from the brood chamber you get a larger amount of bees thereby. As the rearing of brood largely is one of the main features, it seems to me quite possible that this is the reason of Mr. Doolittle's suc- cess. Jas. A. Simpson— I have reason to believe that Mr. Doolittle's success is due to hives packed for that purpose. 1 have done it my- self, but cannot get such results from all my hives. Many present expressed the opinion that nine-tenths of all our big reports come from packed hives. E. D. Godfrey— I think we should use a hive adapted to both comb and extracted honey. Have deep caps, have the brood chamber of one certain size, and have the upper story of the same sized frame as the lower story. I want my hives all alike. C. P. Dadant— There is a great deal of difference in taking out honey when it is ready, or waiting to take it all out at once. Frequent extracting is best. Jas. A. Simpson— 1 prefer a small frame for the upper story, as it is more evenly fin- ished, and ready to extract sooner than the larger frame. T. G. McGaw— I have used 2 long hives, and the only advantage I can see in them is that you can have a case of sections on top at one end, while extracting from the other. Why do bees in apparent equally good condition, winter tvith different degrees of success ? C. P. Dadant— Apiaries located near each other, with the same treatment, turn out very differently. This last fall we got no fall honey, and we fed some sugar syrup. One apiary wintered well, the other with K 290 loss, and is not in good shape now ; many of the queens, even, appear sickly. The hives are all alike ; the caps filled with leaves, space contracted inside, and well filled up. One suggestion is the location as to damp- ness of the atmosphere. The one that win- tered well was close to the river, the other 3 miles in the country near low lands, and has always wintered the poorest of any of our apiaries. Till last year this apiary has al- ways had a large fall crop of honey; last fall we got none from it. Jas. A. Simpson— My experience in this respect has been varied. I had 2 apiaries half a mile apart ; one had a cellar covered with straw ; it was snowing at the time I hauled the straw to cover, and it got a layer of straw, then one of snow. The other one had a wall of dirt 2 feet thick; dry straw on top. The first one was very damp, of course. The bees in the 2 cellars wintered about equally well. Location, flight and pasture about the same. The bees in the damp cellar were most all Italians, the other nearly all blacks. The Italians seemed to carry in the dripping water from the en- trance. The Italians wintered the best, if anything. How shall we prevent the rearing of an excessive number of drones ? E. D. Godfrey— Cut out all drone comb, and save it to use in the sections. Jas. A. Simpson— That will not always do. The bees will sometimes raise drones in worker cells when they have no drone comb. Cut off their heads with a honey knife just before tbey are ready to hatch. L. H. Scudder— I have known bees to lengthen the worker cells to raise drones in. C. P. Dadant— Cutting the heads off is poor policy ; bees cost more to raise than to feed after tliey are hatched. They will not raise many drones in worker comb. E. D. Godfrey— Keep good, young queens, and bees will not trouble you much with drones if you keep out the drone comb. O. Clute— I have had no trouble with too many drones. 1 use a great deal of comb foundation, and thus have all worker comb, and think that, and keeping queens joung and vigorous, the best way. C. P. Dadant— I noticed an instance in France, where one colony had all worker comb, and raised a few small drones; an- other had all drone comb ; the colony was kept up from other hives ; the queen laid very little, and the bees made the opening to the cells narrow and raised worker bees in them, but only raised a few bees during the summer. What is the earliest time that any one present has discovered drones flying in the spring? II. F. Putnam— I saw them this spring in February and March, but think they were raised last fall, as there was no brood or queen in the hive. Jas. A. Simpson— I saw them last season very early, but they were from a last year's drone-laying queen. It is \yz miles from my apiary to the edge of white" clover, the clover extending V/2 miles further ; will it pay to move my bees for the white clover run f L. H. Scudder — I would prefer to move on some accounts, but hardly in this case. O. Clute— Much has to be taken into con- sideration m a question of this kind ; the effects of wind in Hying, hills to keep off the wind, or for the bees to fly over. If there is likely to be much wind encountere'd, I think it would pay to move. Which is preferable for use in the sec- tions, drone or worker comb foundation? D. Rider— We discard all the drone comb we can, and in extracting kill off all the drones. We prefer the worker comb foun- dation every time. L. H. Scudder— Prof. Cook, in his book, says drone comb above is better. I never thought the subject debatable at all. Would it not be better for us to have work- ers raised in the sections if the queen gets up there at all ? C. P. Dadant— Bees do not put pollen in drone comb, while they do put it in worker comb, and in the sections, too. We prefer worker foundation. T. G. McGaw— When honey is coming in very fast, bees build much drone comb. I would a little rather use drone comb. C. P. Dadant— When we compare the dif- ference in rearing drones and workers, the workers are ahead by all means. L. H. Scudder— If the bees were furnished drone comb at the start, I am inclined to think the queen would be more apt to use it. If worker bees are reared, no loss occurs. Geo. Bischoff— I let my bees build comb as they please ; they will do it anyhow. I prefer worker foundation. E. D. Godfrey— 1 save all drone comb and use it in the sections, that is any way light enough, and have very few drones above. 1 use very thick foundation. L. H. Scudder — I was annoyed the past season more than ever before ; had whole sections filled with drones. What are the prospects of bee-keeping? T. G. McGaw— I think the days of fancy prices for honey have gone by. There was a time a few years ago when honey sold for 40 and 50 cents a pound, but I think hereaf- ter what a man gets out of bee-keeping will be done by hard work. O. Clute— That is a question that is easy to make a long speecli on. Now, suppose we think only of low prices for honey, and that many are going into bee-keeping, and look at it from the gloomy side ; do a great deal of dolorous croaking, we should go home with a strong desire to sell out. One always hears such croakings at all meetings. At the farmers' club meetings there is the same talk of low prices, how many there are taking up farming for a living ; but farmers have been doing about as well as usual, dairymen are doing better, the mar- kets are getting better for American butter and cheese. In spite of all croaking these interests of farming have gone forward. Men and women who have kept courage- ously at work have made good progress in the onward march ; those who stick to it through all discouragements are doingabout as well as any departments of farming. It is the same with our bee-keeping interests. It is not always advantageous to have a large number of persons go into any kind of pur- suit. Crops sold at low figures create a de- mand from those who, before the low prices came, had no idea they could buy these products. It is precisely the same with honey, the tow price caused it to be bought by every class of people ; they found that honey could be got cheaper than before, and acquired a taste for'it, and hence it enlarges our field of consumption. Though honey does not sell at so large a price as formerly, •we sell a great deal more of it. 1 do not think we need to be alarmed and want to go out of the business if we are already well established in it. L. H. Scudder— The competition of Cali- fornia honey has been spoken of. I have no fears on that point. I am acquainted with a party living there who produced 52,000 lbs. of honey. He got SI, 500 for the year's work, and has quite a large interest there. In 1879 lie got no honey, but paid out $500, and has only $1,000 as his profits for 3 years. It does not seem possible to me that we need fear California honey. It does not really injure our market ; it was our own immense surplus that created the glut of the market. I remember well when we got 30 cents a pound for our honey, but we only had a small crop. What do high prices amount to with nothing to sell? We made more last year with low prices than we did before, for we had a large crop, and sold it, too. There are not as many bee-keepers now by at least one-half as there was 1 year ago. Every poor year cuts off as many or more heads than a good year will produce. 1 have been at it a good while, and am willing to try it longer and make success a surety. S. Bittenbender— We sold honey in Iowa at 15 cents. The grocers got some Califor- nia honey, but had to sell it at IS cents to be profitable, and could not sell it till our Iowa honey was all gone. I believe we can pro- duce honey by providing pasturage as cheaply as they can raise it in California. Mrs. L. Harrison — We sold none of our honey less than 20 cents, and from that to 23 and 24 cents, and sold at home ; our cus- tomers came to us, we do not have to hunt for them. O. CI ute — Our foreign markets are reliev- ing us of our large crop of honey ; we are exporting great quantities, and we have the markets of a whole world. California does not have good honey years very often ; con- sequently we do not have their honey to compete with only now and then. Jas. A. Simpson — A few years ago I took the position that we would have to sell our honey as cheap as syrups in order to dis- pose of it. Honey is yet a new thing ; it is not in demand like staple groceries. When I first began to have extracted honey by the barrel, my neighbors said it could not be honey ; he gets too much of it, he makes it of sugar. Honey has got to work its way into use. I wrote to Pennsylvania to see if 1 could sell a barrel of honey, and was laughed at. A barrel of honey ! I hope for a law in regard to the adulteration of food. Honey is a luxury. Hard times are over, we are told. This will help us. We are some like the Irishman rolling down hill on a log; his companion yelled to him, "Stick to it Jaimie, ye're on top every other time." C. P. Dadant— In regard to the sale of honey for the present year, there need be no alarm, for there lias been a very greatloss of bees in Europe. With few bees, and a small crop there last year and the present one, there will be little honey in our way. L. H. Scudder— I notice our sales of ex- tracted honey in Europe arcon the increase. The markets of the world are nearly bare of honey at this time. Relative merits of Italian and black bees. Dr. H. J. Scoles— I have had a little expe- rience with both, and prefer the Italians, especially in a poor year for honey. They are more peaceable, of course, and keep their hives more free of moth. Blacks we have to help, the Italians take care of them- selves, usually. S. J. McKinney— I am a black-bee man in a small way. I began with blacks ; was very successful that year; my colonies sent out heavy swarms, I divided some, and lost by it. We have had all the honey we wanted to eat, and I will not make any report till we have more than we can eat at home. Thos. Dunu— I got Italian queens from Messrs. Dadant and Simpson. My Italians gave me a surplus, my blacks hardly lived. S. Bittenbender— I would prefer the Ital- ians, but I believe too much is claimed for them ; they have been bred up by judicious selections of the • best and most prolific queens, while the blacksthave been bred down, we might say, Who takes the pains to select and breed from the best black queens? I believe the Italians will run down the same way if neglected. The Ital- ians need watching more than the blacks. Keep your black colonies strong and they will take care of the moth, too. As to blacks running off of the combs, 1 do not eare where my bees travel to, if they do well otherwise. In looking through a hive of blacks we can see the combs much better than in an Italian colony. The blacks will come in on the home stretch equal to the Italians. 1 believe the blacks can carry as much as the Italians, but they want better- wages. I admit that the Italians will work better on a short crop. 1 have 00 colonies of bees. E. D. Godfrey— Italians consume more honey in rearing brood, which is one reason why thev are apt to get short of stores. S. J. McKinney— I have seen statements that one bee carries in a teaspoonful of honey during a season. If you reckon up what the whole colony will get, it will not amount to 200 or 300 lbs. per hive, as some Question : Do Italians get honey from red clover? H F. Putnam— I keep both Italian and black, and do not think either of them get honey from red clover. Jas. A. Simpson— I have no queens tor sale. I think too much has been said on the superiority of the Italian bees, and think blacks could be bred up to as high a grade as any Italian. For extracting the blacks are away ahead, You cannot brush the Italians off the combs. There are advantages and disadvantages in both kinds of bees. I donbt if any bee ever gets honey from red clover. " Bumble " bees get red clover honey ; it has a very peculiar flavor, and 1 never once tasted it in the common bees' honey, They get pollen only, I think. The Italians are surely a longer-lived bee ; if you change the queens in two hives, give one an Italian and the other a black queen, both young and vigorous, it will be found that there are Italians in the black colony longer than there are blacks in the Italian. The weight of my hives tells the grade of the bee, the heavier the hive the nearer pure Italian. E. Child— We remember the taste of bum- ble bee honey in our boyhood. My daugh- ter asked me the trouble with some honey we had on the table. It was very strongly charged with red clover honey. L. C. Meadows— If one can judge from the strong scent of a red clover field, if the bees could reach the honey, a half section set with red clover would supply all Chi- cago. E. Child— I do not know that bees get honey from red clover, but have seen them at work on it. We get Spanish needle honey and can not eat it ; it tastes just as Spanish needle smells. Red clover the same. L. H. Scudder— As to flavor of honey, I have put unfinished sections of white clover honey on to the hives in the fall, and it was taken off as golden rod honey. Had whole sections flavored with the golden rod ; un- cap it and the golden rod flavor was gone. C. P. Dadant— Comb honey that is white in the spring becomes colored in the fall by something the bees use. L. II. Scudder— I do not think the caps are all wax. I had 60 lbs. of cappings, and only got about 30 lbs. of wax from it. I think it contains pollen. Jas. A. Simpson— Have observed the same thing with heartsease ; as soon as buck- wheat came in bloom the nicer article of heartsease honey was changed to buck- wheat. L. H. Scudder— With the experience I have had I would prefer the hybrids to the pure bees for comb honey. Pure Italians are loth to go into the sections ; will build from the bottom upwards. Never knew the blacks to do it. Hoiv many bees may be kept with profit in one apiary f C. P. Dadant— It depends altogether on the location. In some not more than 50 col- onies could be kept ; it will average from 100 to 150 colonies to an apiary. The bees reach from 1% to 2 miles each way. Apia- ries ought to be 4 miles apart. S. J. McKinney— A man below Burling- ton has 300 or 300 colonies, has a large range, gives them very little attention, has good success, seldom loses any bees. C. P. Dadant— I do not want bees close to a large sheet of water, so they have to cross it to get their honey. Jas. A. Simpson— 1 think 60 to 100 colonies will get all the honey in the range of their flight in ordinary seasons. C. P. Dadant— We have to find how many can make as much per colony as one can. L. H. Scudder— I think much more de- pends on location than the season. Seasons change and vary the yield in the same lo- cality. _ What is the cause of bees leaving their hives in the early spring, when the hive is in good order and plenty of honey ? C. P. Dadant— I confess I can*ot answer that. L. C. Meadows— I have been troubled very much with this disease, if we may call it so, and would be very much pleased to know its cause. [Many cases of bees swarming out were given, but no good cause assigned as a rea- son for it.] What is the cause, prevention and cure of spring dioindling t E. D. Godfrey— I got very tired of carry- ing bees out and into a cellar. I have used a chaff hive for 5 years. I begin feeding my bees in September, after the frost kills the bloom, to stimulate brood rearing, which gives me a strong force of young bees to go into winter quarters with. My bees are always strong, and lam never troubled with spring dwindling. Changing weather in spring does not affect bees in this hive ; a slightly warm day does not cause the bees to come out and get lost in the cool winds, as it does with the 1-inch hives. Colonies in these hives never have dead bees under outside combs. S. J. McKinney— 1 do not think thin hives are so good for bees. Corn cobs are good to ventilate the hive and absorb the moisture ; the bees will take it out of the cobs and use in place of water. E. D. Godfrey— I claim that one cause is that bees are wintered in doors and have to be taken out of the cellar at a time when they need protection from the cold winds the most of any. They are not used to nor prepared to stand the changes in the weather as those that have been out all the time. O. Clute— It is no matter how you protect the bees ; if we keep them from the sudden changes we will save them. Jas. A. Simpson— I think this wintering bees has been overdone. Have had bees winter with no bottom boards to the hive, and bees all exposed to the full force of wind and weather, and came through in tip-top condition, while one in a house fixed for it came through in bad shape. ' L. H. Scudder— I have been troubled with this dwindling very much. I think the bal- ance of expense in wintering out or indoors is against outdoor wintering. Will not the amount of honey saved by the cellar much more than pay for taking the bees out and in once or twice, even if we hire it done ? I have less trouble with my hives faced north every time, with a board up to keep out the direct wind. When faced south thousands get lost, while those facing north had no bees flying at all. Those facing north gather more honey for me than the others. C. P. Dadant— We had once 26 colonies facing north, and very many died in the spring. One apiary faces south on a warm hillside, and winters best of any. Have had more loss from those facing north or north- east than those facing south or southeast. L. H. Scudder— Perhaps you would not if in an open country, as I am. O. Clute— I had a long talk with Mr. Jones, of Beeton, Out.; he thinks the much less amount of honey consumed in the cellar would more than pay for all expense of building and moving. He found that bees in a cellar use 7 to 8 lbs. per hive less than those wintered out. L. H. Scudder— The past winter is no cri- terion to go by in wintering out or in. Take the winter of 1873 or 1874 ; if your bees did not freeze in such a winter they never will. E. D. Godfrey— I wanted to show Mr. Scudder that in Michigan, the old strong- hold of indoor wintering, over one-half are now wintering outdoors. Bee-keepers are changing, and I think in 5 years the great bulk of bees will be kept the year round in the double-walled hive. O. Clute— We had a very cold winter a year or two ago. We must compare various ways, and adopt that plan that proves, on the whole, to be the most successful. C. P. Dadant— A good many have noplace to put their bees away for the winter ; three- fifths of our own bees were wintered out because we had no place for them. Jas. A. Simpson— We all know bees form a compact cluster in cold weather, and if the cold is long continued will starve right there, being unable to leave the cluster for more food. During the winter of 1873 and 1874 the thermometer ran below zero for several weeks, and we had colony after colony per- ish with an abundance of honey in the hive, and think the chaff hive would not have kept them. Question by E. Child : What is the proper temperature of a cellar? Dadant and Putnam— Above 40° and be- low 48*. Adjourned at 5 p. m. to meet again at 7:30 to listen to a lecture from the Rev. O. Clute, of Iowa City, Iowa. Mr. Clute chose for his subject a topic that would interest all alike, " Marriage and the Home." The seats were all occupied, and the marked attention of the audience gave evidence of their deep interest in the speaker and the subject. Mr. Clute is a thorough scholar ; his language is easy and well chosen, and he uses no superfluous or unintelligible terms. Morning Session—April 30. Which will produce the best results in surplus honey, an 8 or 10-frame Lang- stroth hive f T. G. McGaw— I have always used the 10- frame hive, but think the 8-frame the best for comb honey. Mrs. L. Harrison— We think we get the most honey from the 8-frame hive ; nearly all of ours are of that kind. We sometimes winter in 10-frame hives, but change in the spring. Nearly all the Wisconsin bee-keep- ers use the 8-frame hive. Jas. A. Simpson— Are not the outside combs of an 8-frame hive filled with honey to the exclusion of the queen? T. G. McGaw— They will fill those frames late in the season to a great extent. Smaller hives will swarm the most. C. P. Dadant— Bees bring in pollen in the spring constantly, if only 8 frames are used where will they put it? The consequence is the hive is crowded, and the bees swarm much more without corresponding results in comb honey. We think a hive above the average size better than one below the av- erage. Quinby calculates 2,000 square inches, which is about a 10-frame Langstroth hive. We would prefer 10 frames or more. L. H. Scudder— I am in favor of the 10- frame hive. Never found they were too large for comb honey. To keep down in- crease, I find we need to use a good large hive and keep them well shaded. To get increase, of course we must use a small hive. It certainly takes the bees longer to fill a large hive, but I have had it done in 5 days. A man near me is using a hive as small as 8 inches square. He gets an abun- dance of swarms, but no honey. The following essay was then read by Mr. L. H. Scudder : How to Make Our Chosen Avocation Reasona- bly Profitable. This subject has cost us much thought and investigation, and still the problem re- mains unsolved. Various schemes have been tried by which we hoped to realize good prices for our products, but, we must confess that while at times the prices were remunerative, in the main they have been very unsatisfactory, and still the tendency of the honey market is not in favor of the producer. The problem which demands our careful and earnest consideration is, how can we command good and uniform prices for our surplus honey? This, to-day, is the question of more vital importance to us than all other questions combined ; for, upon a proper solution of it, depends our very existence as apiarists. I will briefly glance at the past to show why I believe we must adopt a different method of disposing of crops. With the ad- vent of scientific bee culture in this coun- try) an advanced price was readily obtained on the products of the apiary, not that the public discovered that honey was any more palatable or wholesome, but that it was thrown on the market In a more attractive shape. No sooner was this discovered than a strong rivalry was engendered, which has culminated in flooding the market with honey in neat clean packages, until the most fastidious customer cannot fail to be pleased. Now it is very clear that sales cannot here- after be made because of superior style of package or finer appearing honey, there- fore it seems reasonably certain that a gen- eral system of marketing must be adopted. How can this be best accomplished'.' It was suggested at the National Convention in Chicago that producers could in a great measure control the market by concentrat- ting the honey trade ; that is, by selecting one or two good firms in each of the great cities to handle our products for us. II. A. Burch, in the April number of the Ameri- can Bee Journal, favors a similar plan. 1 take it that these parties mean a selec- tion of firms who will receive our crops and sell them on commission. If that is what they propose, I am inclined to believe that there are. some serious objections to the plan. We will admit, for the sake of the argument, that the large producers may be able to select parties and make satisfactory arrangements for the sale of their crops, but how, let me ask, are you going to in- duce the "small fry" to send theirs to the same parties? Will they not, as heretofore, send to the first commission house they hear of? Will not a large proportion of the 300 commission houses on South Water street, Chicago, receive consignments in this way, and will not the same rule obtain in all the other cities? Now, suppose all these obsta- cles could be removed, how long would the average apiarist be content to send his crop to market and be compelled to wait for re- turns till said crop could be sent to Europe and there disposed of? Can you see anything very flattering in the prospect? We believe that the laws of trade will eventually control the honey market to the same extent that the markets for all other commodities are controlled ; the law of sup- ply and demand alone w,ould regulate the matter if producers would only act with or- dinary prudence. Producers of honey should at all times endeavor to keep themselves thoroughly in- formed as to the amount produced in all countries with whom we trade ; then it will not be very difficult to make a fair estimate of the value of our crops. The want of such knowledge has been the prime cause of the unsettled condition of our honey markets. Let me illustrate : A case in my own neigh- borhood will show clearly how it works. A party living a few miles from our town raised a few hundred pounds. of choice white clover honey in 2-lb. sections, last year, and, as a matter of course, took it to bur town (that being the market) for sale. He had made no effort to inform himself as to the value, and the party to whom he of- fered it being equally ignorant, finally paid him 8 cents per lb. for it. I presume hun- dreds of similar transactions occurred throughout the country. I cannot close without mentioning one very bad habit we as honey producers have been guilty of : I refer to the reckless and ruinous manner in which we have forced our products on the market, the entire crop going in during a period of 2 months or less annually. Is it surprising that the market becomes depressed and a ruinous deprecia- tion follows? If such a policy was pursued with cattle, hogs or grain, how long think you a market could be maintained? Here- tofore our means of obtaining information were so meager that we were somewhat jus- tified in doing as we did, but now that we have daily and weekly quotations in addi- tion to the monthly reports in our bee papers, we have no excuse for wrong doing. It is claimed by some that our conven- tions are working a great injury to the honey-producing class, in that hundreds are induced to embark in the business, thereby overstocking the markets and depressing prices. Now I am firmly convinced that one bee-keeper who does not attend conven- tions, nor take the bee papers, will work more injury to the honey markets than any ten who use all available means to inform themselves ; they are the very persons who throw their miserable products on the mar- ket to bring what it will, and you who have seen it, will agree with me. that it was dear at any price. But it is to include such stock as this that quotations have so wide a range, thereby appearing so vague as to be almost worthless. Let us work on with the hope that time will bring all things right. C. P. Dadant— In selling honey the great- est trouble comes from small producers, farmers, etc., who take to market their honey in all shapes, and take what the gro- cers offer them ; they never take it home again, if they only get 6 cents a lb. To sell honey well, we should furnish it in the best shape. We have a set price for our honey, and hold it at that, preventing the beating down of prices by buyers by going from one commission house to another. I believe we ought to all set our price and hold our com- mission men to that price, but do not think it best to give it all to one or two firms of a large, city. Jas. A. Simpson — I think the same as to commission men, but find a market at home as much as possible. In 1868 or 1869, I sold 21 barrels of extracted honey at home at 75 cents a gallon. It was looked on with sus- picion ; could hardly sell any of it outside my circle of personal acquaintances, but soon worked up a trade where I could sell 40 gallons a day in a town for awhile. Get yourself known, sell a good article, sive good measure. I have no fear of overstock- ing my home market. I would go west, or send into the farming country, rather than send to the large cities. E. D. Godfrey— I do not believe in selling honey at 5% cents a lb.; it does very much to injure our honey trade. T. G. McGavv— Such sales have injured my trade right here in this city. It spoils my market for extracted honey. I never sold any for less than 10 cents. Jas. A. Simpson — 1 am a free trade man, sell where I can, get the most I can, and buy where I can buy the cheapest. I have been compelled to sell my honey for a low price. I am afraid to ship honey to Chicago and other places ; they claim leakaue, etc., that does not exist, and growl about its being granulated. C. P. Dadant— In the last 2 years we have sold 30,000 lbs., and almost all of it was granulated. It netted us about 10 cents a lb. We only handle extracted honey. Can only sell about 6,000 lbs per year near home. Mrs. C. M. Kingsley— We never sold any honey at less than 10 cents a lb., and do not have to go away from home to sell it ; we sell about 1,000 lbs. a year. C. P. Dadant— As to leakage we put up all our honey in tin cans, well labeled ; they do not leak. We do not get returns till all is sold, but nearly all commission men give drafts for nearly all they have sold for you. Who are best qualified to select good queens, the bees or thejiee-keeper ? T. G. McGaw — The bee-keeper is, un- doubtedly. Many a poor queen is kept in a colony and doing no good, when the bee- keeper coidd remove her and put in a good one. D. Rider — It' a swarm conies off with 2 queens, how can we well decide which is best. T. G. McGaw— Let the bees choose in that case. S. J. McKinney — I think bees have some instinct as well as other animated things, and that they can choose a good queen as well as a bee-keeper. If they get a poor queen, they soon supersede her. Afternoon Session. The following letter from one of the Vice Presidents was read by the Secretary : Kind greetings to pleasant friends. As the time draws near for the meeting of our Society, I find myself thinking much about it, and should like to be one of those present, but as circumstances are inau- spicious 1 shall have to forego that pleasure, but shall try to be with you at the tall meeting, the location of which arrange among yourselves, and count upon my concurrence therein. I shall look forward to the AMERICAN Bee Jocknai.'s report of the meeting with much interest, as I am feeling somewhat dis- couraged, having lost must of ray bees during the past winter, only saving 9 out of J.'i colonies. Unit- ing and fall feeding seemed to be successful, until there came two or three cold days about Christmas, when all such died, with feed by them, on summer stands, with quilts over them. Also, I am doubtful about the February feeding, whether it did not do more harm than good. The honey season must be very late, for the weather has been so very windy that the poor bees can scarcely do anything. The usual supply of hazel pollen was nearly all cutoff by a severe frost in March after the blossoms had partially opened. Last week there were two or three good days in which they gathered honey from the peach, pear and gooseberry, and pollen from the plum, and now, better than all, there is an abun- dance of apple bloom, 60 or 90 acres of which are accessible to my bees. Oh! that I had a few mil- lions for a few days, only that it seems as if the God of winds had turned all his furies loose upon us to-day. 1 fear I should not compare favorably with the good bee-keepers. Success belongs to the ever vigilant apiarist. Hoping you will have a pleasant and profitable meeting, I will close. lilts. Z. Hollingswokth. Wintering of bees, etc. ' Mrs. C. M. Kingsley— Like many bee- keepers of the present time, I will say my hive is the best one in use for outdoor win- tering. It is 24 inches long, holds 12 frames; the frames are 12 inches square. In the fall 1 take out 2 frames at each end, put in the end hoards, then fill the space with straw, put on the quilt then fill the cap with straw. 1 examine them during the winter, and, if the straw is gathering moisture, I empty it out and put in a fresh supply. About the 1st of April I throw the straw out of the cap, but leave it in the ends until the weather is quite warm. 1 like outdoor win- tering best. If you keep the frost out of the caps by changing the straw when neces- sary, the bees are very much less liable to dwindle in the spring. My feeder is a piece of (bone comb placed under the quilt near the edge of the hive, directly on the frames, and pour warm honey on it every evening. A report of members on method of win- tering and result was called for, and was given as follows : 15 wintered in cellar or house, 10 outdoors in chaff, straw, etc. The balance gave no report. 1,420 colonies were put into house or cellar, with a loss of 175 ; 484 were wintered dn their summer stands with a loss of 51. Ffteen new members were added to the list, 7 of them being ladies. There was quite a good display of articles on exhibition, and 36 prizes were given away 295 to members present. [The full list of these is omitted for want of space.— Ed.J A vote of thanks was given to Mr. Clute for his very able and interesting lecture. Also to the County of Warren for the (ice list' of the court house, to the citizens of Monmouth for their generous, hospitable/ treatment of visiting bee-keepers, and to Mrs. L. Hollingsworth and T. G. McGaw, of the local Committee of Arrangements, for their services and efforts to make visitors com- fortable, and to the President and Secretary for their services. Mrs. L. II. Scudder and Messrs. D. D. Pal- mer and John Hoover, of New Boston, 111., were appointed a local Committee of Ar- rangements for the next meeting. Adjourned t meet at New Boston, 111.,, at the call of the E .entire Committee. L. 11. Scuddeb, Pres't. Will. M. Kellogg, Sec. Cortland County (N. Y.) Convention. A regular meeting was held at Cortland, N. Y., on Tuesday, April 8, 1880. President Charles A. Pierce called the Convention to order at 1:30 p. in. The proceedings of last meeting were read, and the Treasurer being absent, a brief statement of the previous condition of the Association was given by the Secretary. The first question proposed for discussion was " Spring Feeding." R. H. Mellen considered it a good plan to feed if bees needed it ; otherwise, objec- tionable; would not feed outside unless the weather was such that it could be done with- out injury. In cold weather would feed in the hive ; in warm, at the entrance. I. L. Schofield had fed grape sugar in a trough out-doors, but could not have ted honey in the same manner. Fed grape su- gar at about 9 a. m., and large quantities would be eaten before night. In 14 years'' experience had never found any other ma- teria! that could be fed to bees outside of the hive in safety, unless among a limited number of colonies. A. G. Chapman thought the question started wrong. It would be better to deter- mine just what circumstances rendered feeding necessary or advisable. Had fed sugar and water among his bees outside the hive and with success. Rather thought it prevented robbing. .). (I. IJingham had learned from experi- enced bee-keepers that feeding strong colonies made them lazy when it came time to gather honey. His method was to teed in liquid form at entrance at night. Mr. Schofield thought but little wouid be taken by the bees before morning. Mr. Schofield presented some comb foun- dation which was made by a newly invented machine he had purchased. He considered it the best foundation so far, the bees not tearing awav the side walls. Some time was taken by the members in examining the foundation and also a double-draft Quinby smoker. Pres't Pierce inquired what was the best method of arranging boxes and sections for _ surplus honey. J. H. Kennedy preferred to have boxes- both on side and top, allowing them to build the comb on side and filling them with honey at top. Mr. Mellen thought it made some differ- ence in the colony ; some would work bet- ter on side and some on top. He further said bees would work in boxes sooner if in confined space ; for this reason the division board was often useful ; thought an extrac- tor necessary if bee-keepers had only 5 col- onies. M. C. Bean inquired what was best depth for frames. Mr. Kennedy considered 12 inches none too shallow— used that depth. Mr. Mellen said deeper was better, if any- thing. Pres't Pierce had begun with Laugstroth and increased it to a foot ; thought shallow frame would do as well in warmer climate. Mr. Mellen said, in answer to a question, that wintering in houses was being aban- doned. It was better to use chaff hives. Mr. Chapman asked Pres't Pierce the con- dition of his bees, etc. Pres't Pierce stated he used hive with space of about 3,000 cubic inches— 18x14x12 ; liked large hive and could easily make it smaller. Those wintered in chaff were in good condition. Last year he used wired foundation ; put in 4 frames for the young swarms ; the other 5 frames he supplied when needed. It was not a good plan to put in the 9 frames at one time ; bees were apt to make holes in foundation. In less than 24 hours by this method eggs were laid in the cells. Would not use the wired foundation again ; thought it could be made to answer without the wires. Mr. Bean had used the Novelty hive, 18x14x10 inches, and found they had done well in it. Pres't Pierce wished some information as to which was more profitably produced, box honey or extracted. W. L. Coggshall had extracted several years, and put in boxes but one. As far as he had tested the two methods, he preferred extracting. Last year 25 colonies produced an average of 3G lbs. of box honey ; 50 pro- duced an average of 82 lbs. of extracted. Used firkins, barrels and cans to put ex- tracted honey in. By extracting honey he nearly did away with swarming; used the 2-story Kidder hive. Used chaff to winter in ; took dry-goods boxes and placed around hive, with 1 inch and upward space for chaff. By this means could winter in Langstroth as well as in Kidder hives. Mr. Kennedy used regular chaff hive ; was as good in summer as in winter— cooler in summer and warmer in winter. E. B. Glazier wished to know whether it was best to Italianize, and the general opin- ion with regard to it. Pres't Pierce said there was much differ- ence in the breed. His experience had been that the dark, leather-colored Italians were better than the light colored ones. In order to make each better acquainted with what others were doing in bee-keep- ing, the members present stated the number of colonies they had at beginning of win- ter, the number now, and the manner of wintering. On motion of Mr. Kennedy, it was re- solved that we extend a vote of thanks to D. F. Shattuck, whose labors had started the Association. The next meeting will occur on Tuesday, July 27, at 10 a. m.; the subject for discus- sion will be " The Best Method of Obtain- ing Surplus Honey." J. H. Kennedy to open, A. G. Chapman alternate. Pres't Pierce also requested the members to make experi- ments in mating queens in confinement, and report success at next meeting. C. M. Bean, Sec. Rock River Valley, 111. The Kock River Valley Association met at Davis Junction, 111., on Tuesday, May 18, 1380, Pres't A. Rice in the chair. The report of the Secretary was read and approved. In response to the question, " How were our bees wintered, and how much loss was sustained ?" the following reports were made : Fall. Loss. H.H.Everton 28 2 Packed in chaff. G.G.Fraiser 28 8 Cellar. J.C.Evans 13 4 J. A.Atwood 7 4 Out-door. O. J. Cummings 16 7 Bee house. H.W. Lee 216 1 Cellar. Mr. Whitlesy 60 3 G.Lyman 14 3 Jas. Mason 25 2 J. Woodman 260 50 Mr. Lewis 13 6 Geo. & D. A. Fuller 65 10 A.Rice 50 25 " H. H. Everton had weighed 8 hives on Nov. 1, and again about April 1, in order to ascertain how much honey had been con- sumed in winter. The figures were as fol- lows, the first figures being the weight in the fall, and the latter the weight in the spring, the average consumption being 15% lbs. of honey : 72, 55—57, 44—66, 53—66, 51—60, 41— 60, 41—52, 41—60, 47. By request Mr. T. G. Newman, who had been invited to be present, gave an interest- ing description of his travels in Europe last summer, and of the state of bee culture in the different countries he visited. The Convention then adjourned for din- ner. Upon reassembling, Mr. Newman gave an interesting address on the desirable points in bees ; showing the points of ex- cellence to be found in the Italians, and the desirableness of improvement in the race, by careful and constant selection. Though this address occupied over an hour, the speaker was listened to with profound at- tention, and was interrupted only by the applause of the audience. As Mr. Newman spoke extemporaneously, and the Secretary is unable to write short hand, he could not report the address, and desires Mr. Newman to insert it in this report if possible. [We would do so, but are so much crowded with convention matter this month we must defer it to some future time.— Ed.] After an intermission of 10 minutes, the Convention considered the subject of time and place of holding the next meeting. A committee was appointed to recommend the best time and place. Mr. Newman was then called upon to ad- dress the Convention on the benefits of or- 297 ganization. He explained the benefits to he derived from organization at considera- ble length : the most important being those derived from getting all the smaller pro- ducers to understand the best manner of marketing their honey, and to be able to im- press upon them the necessity of compre- hending the situation so as not to break down the prices when taking their honey to market. Many a market had been ruined by the inexperience and thoughtlessness of the small producers, who did not read bee literature. They went into a locality or town and sold their crop of honey at any price offered, because they did not know its real or marketable value. Had they been readers of the bee papers or attended some good convention, they would have known othewise, and thus save thousands of dol- lars to the honey producers of the country. Many instances were cited where honey had been sold by such for about half its value. Mr. H. W. Lee, President of the North- western Association,' requested this Associ- ation to send a delegate to their next meet- ing, to confer upon establishing uniform prices for this year's crop of honey, and that until then we hold our honey at Chi- cago market quotations. The Convention passed a vote of thanks to Mr. T. G. Newman for his addresses and efforts to interest and benefit them ; to Mr. Lee, of Pecatonica, and to the landlord of the Junction Hotel, for kind attentions. The meeting was well attended, and very interesting. We obtained 12 new members. It was decided that the next meeting be a picnic, and that it be held in Davis' Grove, Davis Junction, 111., on August 31, 1880. D. A. Fuller, Sec. Lancaster County, Pa., Convention. Met at Lancaster May 10, Mr. I. G. Mar- tin in the chair. The following reports on wintering were then given : Mr. I. G. Martin's 32 colonies wintered without loss on summer stands. They are nearly ready to swarm. Mr. E. Hershey wintered 31 colonies and lost 2, starved ; the rest in good condition. Mr. J.Eiteiniller lost 7 out of 26 colonies ; the rest being almost ready to swarm. Mr. J, H. Mellinger lost 3 (queenless) out of 16 colonies wintered on summer stands. He used no packing. All agreed that the prospects were good for a large crop of honey. , Adiscusion followed on the best plan of introducing queens, Messrs. Mellinger, Her- shey, Martin and Eitemiller taking part in it. In reference to the best plan of getting bees to work in section boves, Mr. Hershey gave them comb foundation. Mr. Martin said that when he had colonies which refused to work up the upper stories of his boxes, he took a section already filled with comb, and placed in it the bees who refused to work, and he always found they would then work toward the upper story. In reference to buying untested queens, an agreed that it was desirable, providing they purchased from reliable breeders, who had no hybrids in their yards or vicinity. Adjourned till 2d Monday in August. business iJdattm, OUR TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION, PA TABLE STRICTLY IN ADVANCE. Single subscription, one year SI. SO Two subscriptions, " " SS.AO Three subscriptions, " " .{...<> Four subscriptions, " " 4 .10 Five or more, " " each, l.OO Advertisements will be inserted at the rate of 8© cents per line of Agate space, for each insert ion A line will contain about eight words; fourteen lines v ill occupy an inch of space. Advertisements must be received by the20th, to insure insertion. Special Notices 60 cents per line. t^~We intend only to advertise for reliable deal- ers, who expect to fulfil] all their advertised promises. Cases of real imposition will be exposed. Remit by express, money-order, registered letter or New York or Chicago drafts, payable to our order. Do not send checks o?i local banks, for such cost us 26 cents each for collecting. THOMAS G. NEWMAN & SON, 972 & 974 West Madison St. CHICAGO, ILL. To Correspondents. Our Illustrated Catalogue and Price List will be sent free, on application. When changing a post-office address, mention the old address as well as the new one. Constitutions and By-Laws, for local Associations, 12.00 per 100. The name of the Association printed in the blanks for 50 cents extra. We do not send goods by C. O. D., unless sufficient money is sent with the order to pay express charges both ways, in case not taken from express office. Strangers wishing to visit our office and Museum of Implements for the Apiary, should take the Madi- son street-cars (going west). They pass our door. In consequence of the dearth of small currency in the country, we will receive either 1 .-«>•• .1 cent slumps, for anything desired from this office. We cannot use Canadian or other foreign stamps. We will send a tested Italian Queen to any one sending us FIVE subscribers to the Amkhican Bee Journal with ST.SO. The premium Queens will in every case be tested, but not sent till after July 1st. Club names for the Bee Journal may be sent to> as many post offices as there are names in the club. Additions can be made to clubs at any time at the same rate. Specimen copies, Posters, and Illustrated Price List sent free upon application, for canvassing. Seeds or samples of merchandise can be mailed for one cent per ounce, Printed matter one cent for every two ounces. These must be tied up; if pasted, they are subject to letter postage. Don't send small packages by express, thatcanjustaswellbesentbymail. Our answer to all who ask credit is this : We sell on small margins, and cannotafford to take theri^ks of doing a credit business. If we did such a business, we should be obliged to add at least 10 to 20 per cent, more to our prices, to make up for those who would never pay, and to pay the expenses of keeping book- accounts with our customers— this we know our Cash customers would not think to their advantage.— This rule we must make general In order not to do injustice to any one. The cash system gives all the advantage to cash customers, while the credit sys- tem works to their injury. In justice to all we must therefore require Cash with the order. 298 ' The price of tin has been reduced a little. See prices of extractors on page 258. 5t^=The most interesting tiling at fairs would be hive of Italian bees at work. A good observatory hive would, attract more attention than anything else. HEP" The price of comb foundation is after this date reduced. From 1 to 25 lbs. is now 42c ; 50 lbs, 41c ; 100 lbs. 40c. We keep in stock all styes and makes of it, and our cus- tomers can have their choice of that made by Chas. Dadant &, Son, J. H. Nellis, Mrs. Dun- ham, J. Oatman & Sons, or J. Van Deusen & Son. The " wired" and " extra thin" flat- bottomed still remain at 62c. per lb. E3P By referring to the printed address on the wrapper of every copy of the Bee Journal, each subscriber can ascertain when his subscription expires. We stop -sending the Bee Journal promptly when the time for which it is paid runs out- sending only during the time paid for. In making remittances, always send by postal order, registered letter, or by draft on Chicago or New York. Drafts on other •cities, aud local checks, are not taken by the banks in this city except at a discount, to pay expense of collecting them. IGiF^We are prepared to supply all new subscribers with the numbers from Janu- ary when it is so desired. HEP" Our readers will do well to notice the advertisement of Hermon W. Ladd, XX Uot, in the Journal this number. Here is a good bed for a little money, and it is appre- ciated, as the enormous sales of the past year fully proves.— Adv. Local Convention Directory. 1880. Time and Place of Meeting. July 27-Cortland Co., N. Y., at Cortland, N. Y. C. M. Bean, Sec. Aug. 9— Lancaster Co., Pa., at Lancaster, Pa. 31— Rock River Valley, at Davis Junction, 111. D. A. Puller, Sec, Cherry Valley, 111. Sept. W. 111. and E. Iowa, at New Boston, 111. Will. M. Kellogg, Sec, New Boston, 111. Oct. National, at Cincinnati, Ohio. 7— Central Michigan, at Lansing, Mich. Geo. L. Perry, Sec, Lansing, Mich. 5, 6.— Northern Michigan, at Carson City, Mich. 14— Southern Kentucky, at Louisville, Ky. Dec. 8.— Michigan State, at Lansing, Mich. 1881. Feb. 2— Northeastern, at Rome, N. Y. 5, 6— Ashtabula Co., O., at Andover. O. W. D. Howells, Sec, Jefferson, O. April 5— Central Kentucky, at Winchester, Ky. Win. Williamson, Sec, Lexington, Ky. ZW In order to have this Table complete, Secreta- ries are requested to forward full particulars of time and place of future meetings.— Ed. [ We will insert free of charge, under this heading, the names and addresses of persons having honey and wax to sell, giving address, description and prices; all to occupy not more than three lines.— ED.] Honey and Beeswax Market. BUYERS' QUOTATIONS. CHICAGO. HONEY.— Light honey, in single-comb sections, 17©. We sell everything used by practical bee-keepers. Send forour illustrated circular. E. C. ROOT * BRO„ 2-12 Mohawk, Herk. Co., N. Y. SUBSCRIBE FOR THE Bee-Keepers' Instructor, A monthly devoted exclusively to Bee-Culture ; only SO Cents a. year. Sample copy free. Address, SAMTTEL 1>. RIEQEE, 2-7 Adelphi, Boss County, Ohio. BEFORE PURCHASING supplies for your apiary, send a postal card with your name, and if you will do us the kindness, the namea of your bee-keeping neighbors, for our illustrated catalogue of apiarian supplies of every description, sample section box and comb foundation. We wish to present them to every reader of this Journal, and hence offer them FREE. Please send your name- at once. Special attention given to rearing Italian Queens and Bees. %W~ The highest price paid for Beeswax. 1-8 J. C. & H. P. SAYLES, Hartford, Wis. Friends, if you are in any way interested in BEES OR HONEY We will with pleasure send you a sample copy of our Monthly Gleanings in Bee-Culture, with a descriptive price-list of the latest improve- ments in Hives, Honey Extractors, Artificial Comb, Section Honey Boxes, all books and journals, and everything pertaining to Bee Culture. Nothing Patented. Simply send your address on a postal card, written plainly, to A. I. Root, Medina, 0. PRIZE-BRED ESSEX FIGS. Essex are the best Farmers' Pig ; have been known to dress 90 per cent, of live weight ; small bone, light offal, quick to mature. Jos. Harris, author of "Har- ris on the Pig," etc., says of my Boar " Porter," that he is the finest Essex Pig he ever saw. A few Ped- igree Pigj« for disposal at moderate prices, suitable for breeding or exhibition. Personal inspection of my stock is solicited. All correspondence will have cheerful and prompt attention. C. W. CABTFIEED, Athens, Pa. N. B.— A limited numberof Eggs for batching from prize-winning Brown Leghorns and Black Bed Ban- tams, at $2.00 per 13. Warranted to hatch. 4-yl J. M. BROOKS & BRO'ST Golden Italians. Fine Tested Queens a specialty. Send for Cir- cular, and see what others say of them. Columbus, Ind., Box 04. a-9 iniiHjmE As Cheap as the Cheapest, AND As Good as the Best! 4Mx4^ section boxes, per 100, 50c. . .per 1000. . .$5 00 Prize boxes, " 70c... " ... 6 00 •Good Colonies of Italian Bees, in8-frameLangstroth Hives, in May, $8.00 ; 2 for $15.00 ; 10 and over, $0.00 each ; after May, $1.00 less each colony. Take your choice at the price. Tested Queens, from Imported Mothers, in May, #3.00 ; after May, $2.00. Untested Queens, in May, $1.50 ; after May, $1.00. I have had 23 years experience with bees in Lang- stroth hives, and 17 with Italian Bees and have been extensively engaged in the bee business for 11 years. I have now nearly 700 colonies,- I have manufactured my own supplies for a number of years with steam power ; though I have been engaged in other pur- suits. I now intend to make the bee business and its •connections a specialty. With my experience, and no other business to look after, I think I will be able to satisfy my customers in every particular. Comb Foundation manufactured by the pound and on shares. My facilities for shipping are such that orders can often be filled the same day they are received. To those who may favor me with their patronage, I will try and make it a mutual advantage to us both. Cash must accompany the order. All my goods warranted. _ Cash paid for beeswax. Honey bought and sold. 5^~ Price List Free. I. S. CROWFOOT, 1-13 Hartford, Wis. HEADQUARTERS FOR EARLY ITALIAN QUEENS. Imported and Home-bred. Full Colonies and Nu- cleus Colonies. For quality and purity of stock, it eannot be excelled by any in America. If you want Queens or Bees, Hives, Extractors, Comb Foundation, Smokers, or Bee Fixtures of any bind, send for my new Circular. Address, DR. J. P. H. BROWN, 1-6 Augusta, Ga. Our FLAT BOTTOM COMB FOUNDATION, with high sharp side-walls, 10 to 14 feet .to the pound, has been USED the past season in full size sheets in Surplus Boxes, adding largely to the yield and to .market value of the honey. The wired foundation does not sag, and gives general satisfaction. Circular and samplos free. This foundation is patented, allowed. ft. VAX DEHSEX «fc SOXS, , . Sole Manufacturers, 1-6 Sprout Brook, Mont. Co., X. Y. QUEENS!~QUEENsTi GOLDEN ITALIAN QUEENS. Beautiful, and good as the best, all bred from ■elect Imported and home-bred mothers. One jested Queen, $2.00 ; six for $11.00. One Unwarranted V»ueen, 80c; four for $3.00. Sent by mail : safe arri- val guaranteed. Address, M T. X. HOLLETT, Pennsville, Ohio. , and no infringements 301 COFFINBERRY'S Excelsior Honey Extractor Sizes :uul Prices : No. 1.— For 2 Langstroth frames. 10x18 inches... $9 00 " 2.— For 2 American Frames, 13x13 inches 9 00 •' 3— For 2 frames, 13x20 inches or less 12 00 " 4— For 3 ' " 12 00 " 5— For 4 ' " 14 00 Having made many im- provements in the EX- CELSIOR EXTRACTOR for 1880, it is now offered to the Bee-Keepers of America as the M O S T PERFECT MACHINE in the MARKET. The uni- versal favor with which the EXCELSIOR EX- TRACTOR was received in 1878, has induced other manufacturers to adopt several of its improve- ments. My experience and experiments of last season, with the assistance and suggestions of skillful workmen, have enabled me to perfect an Extrac- tor that cannot be ex- celled, and can only be equaled by being closely imitated. Some of its advantages are as follows : It is made entirely of metal, It is light, but has attachments for fastening down to a platform. It can be in- stantly taken to pieces for cleaning, having no rusty screws to take out or nuts to remove. The top or cross-band, to which is attached the gearing, is wrought iron, tlree inches broad, with the ends turned down in such manner as to thoroughly brace and strengthen the can and hold the basket firmly in an upright position. The strong over-motion gearing, so necessary to ease in running and speedy operating, was designed and is manufactured expressly for the Excelsior. A child ten years of age can operate the machine as rapidly as it can be supplied with combs. The Comb Basket /Hiving vertical sides, insures the extracting power alike for top and bottom of frames. The sides of the basket being movable and inter- changeable, greatly facilitate the operation of dust- ing before and thoroughly cleaning after use. it has a small comb-holder for extracting pieces of comb or partly-filled sections. At the bottom of the can, and below the basket, is a cone or metal standard, in the top of which revolves the bottom pivotof the basket, thereby giving room for sixty or seventy pounds of honey without touch- ing the basket or pivot below. Nos. 3, 4 and 5. have neatly-fitting covers, movable sliding sides to the baskets, anil movable strainers Covering the canal to the faucet, whereby all honey can be drawn off without a particle of sediment. The baskets of Nos. 4 and 5 have no center rod running from top to bottom, which will be found very convenient by those who uncap both sides of the comb before putting in the basket, as they can be turned without removal. The wire baskets are very neat specimens of skill- ful workmanship, thoroughly braced at every point where experience has proven it to be most requisite, and nothing has been omitted that could add to its efficiency. The No. 4, for three frames, has a triangular bas- ket, movable sides, no center rod, runs smoothly re- gardless of number of frames, and is fast supersed- ing the demand for four-sided baskets. A LOWER PRICED MACHINE being called for by those having but few colonies, and not making a specialty of bee-keeping, I have made a special size to take the Langstroth frame, and one for the American, to sell at !*1 O.OO each. These have no covers or strainer, and are smaller than the $14.00 and $16.00 sizes, but for the frames named are equal to the others for effective work, and are the best cheap Extractors made. J^"A liberal discount to dealers. Address, C. C. COFFIXBERRY, Or American Bee (Journal, Chicago, III. DAD ANT & SON COLONIES, With Imported Tested Italian Queen $13 00 " Home-bred " " " '.» 00 Hybrids or blacks in movable-frame or box hives. Have wintered over 100 IMPORTED QUEENS, and will continue to receive two shipments every month, from May to September. Root and Dunham Foundation. 1 axiSf uaiQ. l\iiiVC5, cw.-. ucuu ,ruui utuuc »_fu a, yr\j, card for circular and sample of foundation free. CHAS. DADANT & SON, 3-8 Hamilton, Hancock Co., 111. 1880- — 18SO. Italian vuo<,»«,.iuu.u., Single Queen, Tested $2.00 " " Untested (laying) 1.00 By the dozen, 10 per cent, off of above prices. Queens sent by mail and postage prepaid. 3 frame Nucleus, Untested Queen $3.00 2 frame Nucleus, Untested Queen 2.50 1 frame Nucleus, Untested Queen 2.00 8 frame Colony, Untested Queen 6.00 Sent by Express. Send money by P. O. Order or Registered Letter. Address. W. P. HENBERSON, 3-8 Murfreeshoro. Tenn. EVERETT'S Honey Extractors and Everett Langstroth Hives a specialty. We challenge eompe- tion in price and quality. Our circular and price list of apiarian supplies, Italian lieesand high-class poul- ltry sent free. EVERETT KKOS., Toledo, O. Scovell's Eureka Cold-Blast Bee Smoker is Boss.— It is a cold-blast or a hot-blast, both at once or separately, at the will of the operator. It is the only cold-blast smoker on the market that has no tubes or other complicated machinery in the tire bar- rel to interfere with filling or cleaning. Large size bellows o^xtij-l inches ; fire barrel, 2]4 inches. Price JSl.OO; By mail SSI. 35. Send for illustrated descriptive catalogue and price list of hives, implements and supplies used in bee culture. Address, SCOVELt «*: ASDEKSOX, Columbus, Cherokee County, Kansas. 4-8 COMB FOUNDATION, For sale at 4©c. per lb., by WM. HAM11TON, 103 W. Main Street, Louisville, Ky. 4-6p I can now supply bee-keepers with the SEED of this remarkable honey plant. Price, $3.00 per lb. ; 25 cents per ounce. Address. 4-6 J. A. MAGOTa, Jr., Sioux City, Iowa. Tested & Imported Queens DUNHA3I FOUNDATION, MODEST BEE HIVES, SECTION BOXES, &c, TO BE HAD OB" J. DUNDEE, KANE CO., ILL. N. B.— We shall hereafter rear XO IIOI.LVK QUEENS, but will confine our Queen-rearing to- producing FINEST TESTED QUEENS, bred for BUSINESS. Please take notice. Write for Price List. J. OATMAN & SONS, 5-7 Dundee, Kane Co., 111. BOKHARA CLOVER SEED. We have received a lot of Imported Bokhara Clo- ver Seed, which we can sell at 50 cents per lb. If sent by mail, 70 cents per lb. THOMAS G. NEWMAN & SON, Chicago, 111. ueens or Colonies. Eighteen years' experience in propagating Queen Bees from imported mothers from the best districts- of Italy. Persons purchasing Queens or Colonies from me will get what they bargain for. Send for cireular. WM. W. CAEY, 8-*f Oolerain, Franklin Co., Mass. Brother Bee-Keepers : I will have my NEW COMB-REVEKSING EXTRACTOR (ex- tracts both sides by reversing machine), ready lor the market in March. Also, a full assortment of the best Apiary Supplies cheaper than ever. BSTTJescriptive Catalogue sent free to any address. \V. G. WALTON, Hamilton, Canada. N. B.— For the convenience of American Bee- Keepers, I have completed arrangements with par- ties in Buffalo, N. Y., to manufacture my Extractor for the United States. 2-7 The Challenge ESive. BEES AND SUPPLIES. Send for Circular and Price List to O. H. TOWN- SEND, manufacturer of THE CHALLENGE BEE HIVE, adapted to the use of the American, the Gal- lup and the Roop frames. Italian bees, nuclei, and queens from imported stock. Apiarian stock in gen- eral. Address, O. H. TOWNSEND, 5 Hubbardston, Ionia Co., Mich. Oldt's Hiving Apparatus. R. B. Oldt wishes to say that he will not come be- fore the public this season with his Hiving Appara- tus, but that he is experimenting, and is determined to surmount all difficulties by next season. Let this be an answer for the present to many inquiring friends. New Berlin, Pa. b 307 rested&lmportedQueens H. A. BURCH & CO. DUNHAM FOUNDATION, MODEST BEE HIVES, SECTION BOXES, &c, TO BE HAD OF OATMAN i SONS DUNDEE, KANE CO., ILL. N. B.— We shall hereafter rear NO SOLLAK JIEEXS, but will confine our Queen-rearing 10 irodueing FINEST TESTED QUEENS, bred or BUSINESS. Please take notice. Write for *rice List. J. OATMAN & SONS, 5-" Dundee, Kane Co., 111. OHAS. F. MTJTH, CINCINNATI, O., Manufacturer of and [dealer in -^~^~~~^~~~^ '« ' In re-ularsizet1slieets8xlt;l',i.l2xl8>7MxlG,9xl6^, 10x11. *°0O4t\% ^C* ^~~^--'.Mgi ■ 1 to 25 fts 10c. | 100 to 200 lbs 37c. ^> WP- ^*^— -^^i^*^ i"> to 50 It. s 39c. 200 to 500 fts 36c. ■S!CfilkwL^^^^^. Eg 50 to 100 fts 38c. | Add 2c. * ft. for odd sizes. Add lOc. per 11>. for Thin Foundation for surplus honey ; will be 4 or 5 inches wide. fW Circular and Samples free. _^J FRANCES OVITHAH, BEPERE, BROWN CO., "WIS. FINE QUEENS ! Colonies in 10 frame Langstroth hives, each, SSIO.OO ; Nucleus colony, one frame, tested queen, $>4.50 ; TESTED QUEENS, each, $3.50. In ordering, send money in Registered Letter, Post Office Money Order, or Draft on Chicago ; will not be responsible if sent otherwise. W. P. COFFINBERRT «fe CO., No. 274 Flournoy Street, CHICAGO. THE ORIGINAL DIRECT-DRAFT OR BINGHAM PERFECT SMOKER. Patented Jan. 9, 1878. Re-issued July 9, 1878. If you buy a Bingham Bee Smoker you are sure of the best and cheapest, and that you are not liableto prosecution for its use. The largest and most scientific bee-keepers use Bingham Smokers, some using as many as fifteen in their various apiaries. No Bingham Smoker has ever been returned. No letter has ever been received complaining that our Smokers did not give entire satisfaction : but we have , ceived hundreds of letters expressing the most unbounded satisfaction and preciation of our invention. The Extra Large Smoker and the Extra Standard for 1880, will have our new extra wide shields, which entirely protect the hands and bellows from heat and remove the danger of burning the fingers. Practical bee-keepers will find these wide shields an important improvement. The Plain Standard and Little Wonder Smokers will be better than ever before, and superior to any imitation smokers, whatever their size may be. Hundreds of them have been in constant use three seasons, and are now as good as new. One dollar and a half is not much for the use of such an instrument three seasons ; is it ? BINGHAM & HETHERINGTON HONEY Patented KNIFE. May 20, 1879. It is a large, strong, durable knife, polished and tempered like a razor, and so formed and sharpened as to cut both ways, over hills and through hollows all the same, without dropping a cap on the honey. 1 he most world-renowned, practical and scientific Bee-Keepers in Europe and America pronounce it the best Honey Knife ever made." Large Smokers |^ inch, $1 50 Extra Standard Smoker fL „ \ ™> Plain Standard Smoker - „ l ^ Little Wonder Smoker, $3.00 per half-dozen ; each 1* $ Bingham & Hetherington Knife \ ffl Bingham & Hetherington Knife and Cap-Catcher >■ <=° If to be sent by mail, or singly by express, add 25 cents each to prepay postage or express charges. S3?" Send for circular. If to sell again, apply for dozen or half-dozen rates. Address, 2-9 T. F. BINGHAM, or BINGHAM * HETHERINGTON, Otsego, Mich. Vol. XVI. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, JTJLY, 1880. No. 7. Contents of this Number. Editor's Table : Editorial Items 309 to 316 Adulterations of Food 309 Diploma from Italy 310 A Correction 310 Bright Yellow Foundation 310 Cyprian and " Holy" Bees 311 Seasonable Hints 312 New Inventions in England 312 Married and Settled in Life 313 The Dunham Comb Foundation 314 Ants in the Apiary 314 British Apiarists 314 Weevil 315 Bees in Kansas 315 Importance of the Bee to the Ancients 315 Extracted vs. Comb Honey 316 Separators made of Card Board 316 Correspondence : My Plan for Dividing Bees 317 Block for Nailing Sections 317 Wonderful Instinct of Queen Bees 318 The Past Seven Months 319 Queens Duplicating Themselves 320 Queen Fertilizing Cage 320 Getting and Caring for Box Honey 321 Cyprian Bees— American Apiculture 322 Rearing Queens, and Other Matters 323 Honey Dew again 324 Spring Feeding and Management 324 Wintering of Bees in Missouri 325 Pasturage or Forage for Bees 325 Fertilization in Confinement, etc 326 How to Italianize Black Bees 327 Systematic Apiculture 327 Resolutions of the Utica Convention . 328 Feeding Back for Comb Honey 329 Ants Troublesome in the Apiary 331 The Manufacture of Glucose 332 Conventions : Chatf Packing for Wintering 334 Discussion on the Caucasian Bee 335 Los Angeles, Cal., Convention 337 Albany County, N. Y., Convention 337 Letter Drawer : T. N. Marquis, A. A. Honsberger, Silas M. Locke, L. H. Pammell, Jr 337 A. J. Tibbetts, J. H. Bupp, B. F. Pratt, C. S. Newsom, D. H. Hopkins 338 W. S. Ward, A.J.Cook, E. T. Bogart, T. F, Bingham, J. H. Shimer, Jas. A. Austin, Geo. L. Perry, Wm. Dyer, H. S.Hardin 339 N. Davis, L'Abbe DuBois, J. N. McColm, Jas. S. Lord, J. Newton, John Craycraft, David Thompson, C. G. Shaw 340 John T. Mardis, A Griffes. Thos. Tracy, F. J. Stich. Preston J. Kline, F. W. Chapman.... 341 H. L. Jeffrey, S. P. Sowers, A. F. McKenrich, E. A.Gastman, R.Meade 342 Wm. Boiling 343 Mrs. Aaron Bailey, G. B. Dines, W. J. Beal, A. J. Cook, W. C. P.. A. B.Mason 344 G. H. Pierce, Lewis & Parks, M. M. Stimson, R. V. King 345 Business Department: Honey and Beeswax Market 346 Local Convention Directory 346 National Convention 346 District Convention at Chicago 346 %A\tOVfS %KUt. i^Mr. C. F. Muth says that the post- master at Cincinnati has refused to re- ceive queens in the mails. He should be better posted on the rulings of the Department, and is referred to page 45 of the Official Postal Guide for Febru- ary, 1880. iHT We notice an interesting article on bee-keeping in New York City, in some of the daily papers. It refers in a very complimentary manner to Mr. A. J. King's apiary there, and reports an " interview" made by a reporter or cor- respondent with Mr. King. "The Adulterations of Food; What We Eat and What We Should Eat," is the title of a new work just issued in this city. It contains 200 pages, and its perusal will perfectly astonish the reader, who, no matter how much he may have thought of the adulterations going on, would hardly be prepared for such wholesale fraud as is now afflicting the country. Almost everything con- sumed in the family is so adulterated that it is hard to find a genuine and pure article. A stringent law against adulteration is necessary, and Ave be- lieve this book will do much to work up a strong feeling in favor of its enact- ment at the next meeting of Congress. The price of the work is 60 cents in paper covers, and $1 bound in cloth. It is beautifully printed, and should be in every family in the country. We shall add it to our list of books, and can supply it at the publisher's prices, postpaid. Diploma from Italy. A few days since we received a pack- age from Italy, consisting of an exceed- ingly ornamental Diploma of Honorary Membership, and a Letter from Count Barbo, President of the Italian Bee- Keepers' Association . Not being famil- iar with the Italian language, Mr. Chas. Dadant has kindly translated them for us. The following is the letter of the President, Count Barbo : Milan, Italy, March 27, 1880. Most Illustrious Signior : I have the honor of informing you that, at the general meeting which took place on the 13th of January, 1880, your Signiory was elected an Honorary Member of the Central Association for the Encouragement of Bee Culture in Italy. I hope that such an honor will prove to your Signiory to be a testimony of gratitude from the Italian bee-keepers for the eminent services rendered to their noble industry by your Signiory. We hope you will deign to keep us in- formed as to the improvements in bee culture in your country. I subscribe myself, with all respect, Yours, very obediently, Gaetano Barbo, President. The Hororary Membership Diploma, when translated, reads thus : Central Association for the Encourage- ment of Bee-Culture in Italy: DIPLOMA OF HONORARY MEMBER. Hon . Thomas G. Newman, of Chicago, Illinois, (United States of America) was elected on the 1st of March, according to article IX. of the statutes of the So- ciety. Milan, from the office of the So- ciety, March 1, 1880. G. Barbo,- Preset. A. Visconti de Saliceto, >Sec. To say that we appreciate this great honor, but feebly expresses our feelings. We are exceedingly gratified to know that our feeble efforts in the cause of progressive apiculture have been pro- nounced worthy of this distinguished mark of approval. We can only assure the "Central Society for the Encour- agement of Bee-Keeping in Italy,1' that we shall diligently continue our work in the cause, and strive to merit our membership in their honorable Society. Bright Yellow Foundation. — ii. corre- spondent asks : " Is the darker shades of beeswax as well for foundation when used in the brood chamber ?" The bees prefer it, and will work much sooner on the darkish yellow foun elation than on the very bright, and prob ably this is the reason : The bright yel- low wax is generally melted and strained more and loses some of its " aromatic''' qualities which are more acceptable to the bees than brightness of color, for they can the more readily manipulate it. It is not nearly as brittle as the lighter shades. Por comb honey, the light color is indispensable, and when rearing fancy stock the lightest colored comb will produce the brightest yellow bees. Correction.— Mr. C. P. Muth desires to make the following correction in the report of the Lexington, Ky., Conven- tion, published last month. He says : On page 284, in answer to a question con- cerning a fertile worker, the Secretary made me say that the best way to get rid of it is to " pick it out." 1 have never seen one, and do not believe that any one else has. If something of that sort was said it was not by me. I said " the best way to get rid of a fertile worker is to introduce 2 or 3 combs with hatching brood from a strong colony, with all the adhering bees; when they will readily accept a queen or a queen cell, and nothing is seen of the fertile worker any more." In regard to introducing queens, I said that they could be introduced successfully in various ways. In former years 1 intro- duced them with peppermint or nutmeg, fla- voring alike the queen and colony, but the way 1 now practiced was to leave the new queen caged between 2 brood combs for 24 hours, and no longer. Then put a piece of honey from the same hive in place of the cork, and leave it to the bees to liberate the queen. No queen-cells being in progress yet, nor any excitement (which may be caused by being opened) about the hive, the queen is liberated and commences to lay eggs a few hours afterwards. I^A farmer in Bangor, Me., notic- ing that wheat was being picked from the heads of standing grain, and find- ing flocks of yellow birds flying about, shot some of them. On opening their crops he found only 3 grains of wheat, and, by actual count, 350 weevils. It is better that farmers know whether they kill friends or foes. The Cyprian and "Holy" Bees. On May 27, Mr. D. A. Jones arrived in England with 150 pure Cyprian queens, as well as some from Palestine. He left England on the 5th of last month, and while we are writing this lie is on the ocean with his choice freight. The British Bee Journal of June, re- marks as follows concerning Mr. Jones enterprise : " Mr. Benton at Larnica is actively employed in raising Cyprian queens for shipment to us, en route to America ; and. having ' flown 'and repacked them, we shall send them forward minus such as may from time to time be ordered for England and the European conti- nent '•The enormous expenditure which he has incurred, to say nothing of the personal suffering he has borne, fully evidenced by his altered appearance since we last saw him, but from which, thanks to an 'iron' constitution, he is rapidly recovering, will probably ren- der his enterprise profitless to him in a Eecuniary sense for a long time to come, ut to him will belong all the honor due to such unexampled skill and personal pluck. To such a man the idea of fail- ure never once occurred; he determined to do what many others have tried to do, and pronounced a comparatively hopeless task, and he has fulfilled his self-imposed mission to the letter " We shall have the honor of breeding from the first 'Holy Bees' that have ever reached our shores. Mr. Benton, we are glad to say, is quite wrell, and as happy and busy as a bee among newly blown flowers, and we hope to hear of his continued success "On the afternoon of the 28th nit., these bees were allowed their first flight in England, and, whatever doubt had existed as to their true nature, through our never having seen the pure natives, was at once dispelled. Though imported without a vestige of comb (except in six of the cages), the bees on being lib- erated were in a few minutes thick upon the flowers, the hairy emigrants from Jaffa and Beyrout being particularly interesting from their darting move- ments. The extreme beauty of the Cyprians is undeniable, and they will doubtless prove a most valuable acqui- sition." Just before closing the forms for this number of the Bee Journal, we have received a letter from Mr. D. A. Jones, who has now safely arrived at his home in Beeton, Canada, with his choice and valuable stock of queens. The follow- ing extracts from Mr. Jones' letter will be read with interest : " Beeton, Ontario, June 18, 1880. "Dear Mr. Newman: I have just re- turned to my home with my choice queens, and have them safely introduced, and as soon as they commence to lay 1 will fill or- ders for them. Many have inquired as to prices, and 1 may be pardoned for here stat- ing that I cannot afford to dispose of the Cyprian queens for less than from $10 to $15, according to quality— some are much finer than others. I expect others soon to follow, and I shall sell them for just as low prices as will cover the cost, after deduct- ing for those that die on the long and tedi- ous journey. I shall promptly fill all or- ders sent through you. I shall also send a sample of bees, drones, etc., for your Mu- seum. My bees are carrying in about $200 worth of honey daily, and prospects for a large honey crop are very good. I have just heard that some are now pretending to sell queens from Cyprus and Palestine of my importation. I wish to say that I have only authorized the editors of the various bee papers to take orders for queens of my importation, and should I conclude to au- thorize any others I will so announce it in the journals, so that there is no necessity of any one being imposed upon. D. A. Jones. As the editor of the Bee Journal is now entirely out of the " bee supply " trade, we have turned the queen busi- ness with all the supply trade over to our son, Alfred If. Newman, and all orders entrusted to him for queens of Mr. Jones' importation will receive as prompt and careful attention as they would, had they been sent to us. "We mention this only because of Mr. Jones' reference to us in the foregoing letter. "We shall be pleased to receive the sam- ples of bees and drones for our Museum, so kindly promised by Mr. Jones. acre of land, worth $100, a house, 16x24, worth $300, a barn, 18x30, worth $125, a honey house, 12x48, double wall, cost $300. We use every inch of this room, and the house and barn are 2 stories high, and in tip-top order. Probably the fixtures, tools, etc., are worth $100, and the 200 colonies of bees, in their present condition, and hives, $8 each, or $1,600. This is about double the capital of last year, a part of which I reared, but most of which I bought. I hope these figures— which are very close in round numbers— will answer many questions which I have received in private letters from inquir- ing friends in regard to capital re- quired, and the income from bee cul- ture. I shall this year put this locality to a pretty thorough test, in the impor- tant and little understood matter of "over-stocking." The extracted honey spoken of was taken from 5x6 sections not finished 320 sufficiently for market. We aim at ob- taining all comb honey in this apiary. The sections were nearly all figured white spruce, and the cases finished nicely, and, though they helped to swell the expense fund, I know they had much to do in bringing me the $1,070 income. Conner, Burnett & Co., of Chicago, sold the larger part of this crop. My home apiary, of about the same size, I have no accurate account of, but I know it did not yield me as great profit in money, and among the reasons are, that the location is not as good ; also that I did considerable queen rearing here, besides giving much time toother supplies and entertaining visitors. If you will excuse these personal de- tails," which will be of little value to many of our older producers, on grounds given above, I will next month give you an account of my experiments with comb foundation of different kinds, in- cluding a new variety, which, from my present experience, I am very favora- bly impressed with. Dowagiac, Mich., June 14, 1880. For the American Bee Journal. Queens Duplicating Themselves. A. F. MOON. It appears, from reading the June number of the Journal, that Mr. Pike wants me to bind myself to pay all ex- penses of the committee in making the test, which is a light and quick job, when they once get in possession of the queen. Did any one ever hear of such a thing ? It is generally supposed that when a man has superior stock that he spares no time to place the same before the public, either with specimens of his stock or by advertising. I offered to pay all the expense in testing this mat- ter, besides offering to pay $25.00 for each of the 12 queens, they to be exact duplicates of the mother queen bred from. But this does not seem to be sat- isfactory, and my old friend thinks lam laboring under mental derangement ; also that my answers to his questions are "rather obscure." No doubt the readers of the Journal are watching to see where the " obscurity comes in," and in time will better understand it. To cut the matter short, I will not be particular, if the " princess" herself is all right, and the daughters are dupli- cates of the mother, if one-half of the 12 are purely mated; I will make a great bargain to get them at $300, as nearly all of them are at present engaged. I will take them, and bind the bargain with good security, acknowledged by the Mayor of the city, in whose hands the security will be placed, that upon receipt of the affidavit of the committee that the queen has proven true and in color will fill the bill, that the $300 shall be paid over to Mr. Pike. But I must ex- act of Mr. Pike that he binds himself in a similar manner to the amount of $75, in case his queen does not prove what he expected, and that he pays the expenses of the committee in case that the daughters are not exact duplicates of the mother queen. This, Mr. Pike (as an honest man) cannot refuse, as my time and credit are worth something — besides he is sure of not having it to pay. If the proposition suits let me know by letter, and the necessary papers and security will be sent to the committee. I expect the same of Mr. Pike, and unless he complies, he need not say any- thing more about his fine "princesses." For the American Bee Journal. Queen Fertilizing Cage. MARTIN HAAS. The accompanying engravings give two views of my queen fertilizing cage. Pig. 1 is the cage, 8 feet long and 3 feet in diameter. It is made of cloth and wood, and has a large glass in each end. B B are 2 posts driven into the ground, on which the cage revolves. Pig. 2 is a side view of the cage. D is a piece of black cloth 3 feet wide and 9 FlG.l. Fig. 2. !^F=™" feet long, held in place by the stakes E E ; the cloth darkens the lower glass ; the drones and queen will fly to the light glass above, and by turning the crank F, fig. 1, half round, they will fly the length of the cage again. Thus the queen can be kept flying with the drones till the desired result is attained. Give this a fair trial, and I think that by a little practice and improvement, it can be made to work successfully. For the American Bee Journal. Getting and Caring for Box Honey. G. 31. DOOLITTLE. As July is the great honey month with most of us, perhaps a lew words about how to secure and how to care for box honey may not be amiss. Your boxes should all lie on the hives before this reaches you, unless some of your colonies are very weak, in which case you should unite them at once in the manner I told you in the American Bee Journal for June, 1S79. There is but little chance for surplus honey in boxes from weak colonies, al- though by means of the division board even a nucleus can be made to work in boxes to advantage ; still, as weak colo- nies are generally treated, no honey .is the rule. Therefore, my advice is to have all colonies strong by the middle of June, even if you have to reduce your number of colonies one-half or two-thirds. There is more money in 10 hives overflowing with bees than in 30 weak colonies. If any have been so slack as not to have boxed their bees as yet. let them do it at once, and do not forget, if you wish a start made in the boxes immediately, to have the centre tier of top boxes full of comb. If you have no comb, use full sheets of the thin foundation in the centre tier, but I am not yet prepared to advise its use in all. If you have no comb except for starters, and do not feel able to purchase founda- tion, go to a hive and cut out of one of the frames a piece of brood large enough to fill just one box. and tit it in place so it will not fall out, placing it in the centre of the top boxes, and your bees will be at work in the boxes forthwith, if strong enough in numbers. If you have been carelessand not cut out your drone comb, use the drone brood for this purpose. When you are taking off your honey, you can cut out this brood iif drone) and throw it away, or leave it. letting the bees hatch, and have it tilled with honey. Of course, this honey will have to be classed as second quality, but as the comb is already built, it will bring more in that shape than if. ex- tracted and the comb made into wax. This getting bees started in the boxes early in the season is one secret of suc- cessful honey raising, as a week's delay in starting often makes a difference of a good yield, or no yield at all. After all the colonies are at work in the boxes look after them, and if you seel hey are getting crowded for room add more boxes to the sides, (if you have side box hives), or tier up those on top. However, do not do this during the last half of the honey season, for if you do you may come out as we (lid once, with all of our boxes nearly tilled but none tit for market. As the season draws toward its close shut the bees off the side boxes, and get those on top as compactly together as possible, so that all will be filled and finished, as far as possible, with white honey, and not finished off with dark. Next to getting box honey is the care of it. The lack of care is one great cause of the ruinous prices we are often obliged to take in market. Mr. A takes his honey to market after it has stood on the hive till it is dingy with the soil of the bees traveling over it, and is often put up in boxes or cases having a slov- enly appearance, with a determination to sell it for what it will bring, which is often not enough to cover the cost of production of white honey. Mr. B goes a few days after with his snow-white combs put up in handsome cases, and finds lie has to compete with A's in price or not sell at all, as the parties having A's honey know if B's is put along side of A's, they cannot sell a pound of it till all of B's is disposed of ; and thus the price paid for A"s honey is used as a leverage to bring all honey down to that figure. These things ought not so to be. Very good, says one, but how will you change such a state of affairs V There are two ways of doing it. First, get your own honey up in the best shape possible. As soon as it is sealed take it from the hives, going over your whole apiary at least once a week, and take off all that is finished before the bees change the color of the snowy combs. Pack it in a room with a high temperature so it will grow thick, to prevent any leaking of honey when you crate it, or upon reaching market. Keep an eye out for the moths, and if troublesome use sulphur, after which pack it for market in neat, tasty crates. Now, call in all of your bee-keeping friends to look at it, and ask them what shape theirs is in. and inform them as to the probable prices of honey put up in nice shape. Have samples of the bee papers at hand, and do not let one go away without subscribing for one or more of them. Does friend Heddon object ? Friend H., we have not added any more to our ranks, but if they will read the good old American Bee Jour- nal, we shall hope to enlighten them. I do not believe in -l gushing," or large stories to draw the simple into bee- keeping any more than you do, and I admire your sensible articles on this point ; but I tell you, one of those old fogies let loose without a bee paper for a rudder, does more harm to the honey trade than a dozen producers like your- self. Second. If you cannot get your friends who keep bees to adopt a nice, tasty style of package, and get their honey off in nice shape, do not let them get it in the marketatall. Buy it yourself, or at least make them an offer for it, for all it is worth, so if they should not get the price in market you offered they will bring it back to* you. After having bought it, dress it lip in the best shape possible and sell it with your own crop, and thus, as a rule, you can get out of it without loss, and after a few years of energetic work on the part of intelli- gent honey producers, we shall have a more uniform price for our product. I have had the handling of nearly all the honey in my neighborhood for the past 5 years, and although as a whole I have lost on that I have bought, still I am satisiied I have realized more on my own. Borodino, N. Y., June, 1880. For the American Bee Journal. Cyprian Bees— American Apiculture. C. J. H. GRAVENHORST. "The valuable qualities of the Cyprian bee are now everywhere acknowledged, and, as a matter of course, the demand for the same daily increases. Even the Italians came gradually to the conclu- sion that the Cyprians are in many ways superior to their own bees. Prof. Sartori, in Milan, purchased a Cyprian queen in Prague, with the in- tention of improving his bees. But more than that was done by Fiorini in Monselice, Italy. He started, on Nov. 13, 1879, for the island of Cyprus, and there purchased eight colonies, which he took with him to Italy to improve his apiary by introducing them into his hives. He arrived home on Dec. 12, 1879. Fiorini, who is very circumspect and full of experience as a bee-keeper, will surely gain his point. He will be able' to raise a species of bees, by choos- ing with care and bringing together bees from both races, which will unite the good qualities of both. It cre- ated a joyful sensation among the ad- mirers of the Cyprian bee in Germany thai steps are taken also in America to introduce that race of bees into that country. Messrs. D. A. Jones, of Can- ada, and Frank Benton, of Michigan, are importing the Cyprians with suc- cess. Both gentlemen (with Mrs. Ben- ton) paid me a visit last February, when on their way to the island of Cyprus, and remained at my house for 2 days. I was greatly pleased with their visit, and we conversed very profitably to- gether about bees and apiculture. From here they went to Cori and the Count Kolowrat, to whom I had previously sent word as to their coming. The American Bee Journal. I have had the pleasure of reading the American Bee Journal ever since its commencement by the late Mr. Samuel Wagner at Washington, D. C. In every volume I have had the honor to contribute articles for its columns. I have tried to study from it the apicultural conditions of America, and I am indebted very largely to this pa- per— which now is, through your ability as its editor, and through your exer- tions, the most renowned of apicultural journals — for much information that has enabled me to report and judge of American bee-culture with intelligence. Reports from it have been published in many of our bee-publications, and I have also translated many articles from your valuable journal and given to our publishers who have printed them. These were read everywhere by apia- rists in Europe with great satisfaction. I believe that, through these transla- tions, I have done much towards creat- ing a better knowledge and comprehen- sion of American apiculture, bee-plants and the excellent productions of the American bee-keepers. More than this, I have found strong support in the American Bee Jour- nal, against the many attacks that have been made on American apiculturists, and against which I have made a vig- orous defense. You will find, for in- stance, in No. 1 of the Bienen Zeitung an article from Hannemann, in South Bra- zil, in which this gentleman talks of me as an emigrant agent, who is trying to coax German bee-keepers to go to America, just because I have defended my American brother bee-keepers from outside attacks. With great arrogance, Hannemann denies that the Americans live in a country which is the best honey-pro- ducing country on earth (see Ameri- can Bee Journal, December, page 533). He pronounced the magnificent honey harvests of Grimm, Wilkin and others, as nothing but humbug, and at- tempts to prove that it is impossible to obtain 112 lbs. of honey from one hive during one season. Last year he wrote a lengthy article in the Bienen Zeitung, in which he made strong attacks on American bee-cul- ture. That article has been ably re- futed by Greiner Bros., of Naples. N. Y., in the BienenZeitung No. 9 of this year. It indeed pleased me that these gentlemen so clearly exposed the mistaken views 323 of said Hannemann. But before that ar- ticle appeared in the Bienen Zeitung, L bad sent to the editor of that journal a long communication, in which I made it a point to prove to Hannemann how much he was in the wrong, when he at- tempted to belittle American apicul- ture and putting himself so much in the foreground. He denies the remarkable honey crops of the Yankees, simply for this reason (do not laugh, dear friend), because he never realized the same results him- self ! I have shown to him that he never will be able, notwithstanding his blessed Brazil, to obtain such quanti- ties as have been obtained by the most successful American apiarists, because he only and solely carries on swarm-cul- ture, gains about 700 swarms from 135 hives, which he stows away in old pack- ing boxes, barrels, etc., and, as he seems to know nothing of honey extrac- tors, he obtains only strained honey, which he divides from the wax by means of a steam press. These hints will prove to you, I think, how arrogantly Hannemann tries to drag American apicultural matters into the mud. But at the same time, the proofs will be furnished to you in an article, which was written by me, and which will shortly appear in the Bienen Zeitung, that I have not read the American Bee Journal up to the present day without having derived some benefit from it; and, also, what sympathy I feel for my transatlantic brother bee- keepers. Braunschweig, Germany, May 6, 18S0. From the Farmers' Home Journal. Rearing Queens andjOther Matters. CHARLES F. SIUTH. Where a swarm is deprived of its queen, the whole colony is in a state of alarm. The inexperienced will observe the unusual commotion in the hive, and squads of restless bees will be noticed running about the outside of it. About 24 hours later, quiet is restored, the bees have realized their loss, and proceed to start queen cells. The first work no- ticed is the widening of those worker cells containing eggs or larvae, from which they intend to rear queens. We can show them the very cells we want them to use. by widening the openings somewhat, with the end of a pencil. Worker bees are imperfectly devel- oped females ; but from the egg, which produces a worker bee under ordinary circumstances, a queen bee can be reared by enlarging the cell and supply- ing the larvae with the necessary food. so-called " royal-jelly," a mixture of bee-bread and honey. It requires 21 days to hatch a worker bee from the time the egg is laid and 16 days to hatch a queen, under ordinary circumstances. An hour or two after the young queen has made her appearance, she can be noticed running leisurely over the combs apparently unnoticed by the bees ; and wherever she finds a queen cell, we can see her actively at work biting a hole in it at the side, through which she introduces her sting, killing the queen inside. Every other rival queen cell will be served in the same manner, generally in less than 24 hours. If the colony was deprived of its queen, in order to breed queens the pru- dent be"e-keeper will commence to cut out the capped queen cells on the tenth day after the colony was made queen- less, and have them hatched out by col- onies made queenless for tne purpose, or nuclei colonies by laying them on the frames above the brood in the hives. The stock of bees can be controlled with almost the same certainty as that of horses, cattle or hogs. We select the colonies from which to breed queens, and the colonies from which to breed drones (male bees). As fertilization is consummated on the wing, it should be our object to have an abundance of choice drones on hand in due time, that our young queens, who make their bri- dal trips generally when 4 or 5 days old, have more chance of meeting one of them than a common drone. Herein lies our only reliance of a pure fertili- zation until that art is better under- stood. When the young queen returns from a successful trip, she has the mark of the drone still adhering to her body. The impregnation lasts for life. She moves among the bees like one of them, unnoticed, until the second or third day, when her body appears more developed, looks larger, longer, and she begins to lay eggs. A. marked attention is now- paid her by the bees of the hive. The sole office of the queen is to lay eggs, while the worker bees build newcombs, clean the cells of old combs for the re- ception of eggs or honey, and do all the work pertaining to the colony. The labor seems to be divided equally and distinctly. Newly hatched bees, for instance, live first on bee-bread only, until after a day or two ; they par- take also of honey, and commence to be nurses for the brood, supplying the larvae in the cells with the necessary food— a mixture of bee-bread and honey When 5 or 6 days old, the young bees become wax-workers, comb-builders, etc., and within 10 or V2 days they are of 324 age, go out foraging, and do no more housework if they can help it. Five to 6 weeks is the age worker bees at- tain during the height of the honey sea- son. They disappear — worn out by hard work, a prey to birds and other ene- mies, drowned, get entangled in the grass, etc. A hive would be decimated in a short time were it not for the great fertility of the queen, who is capable of laying as many as 3,000 eggs in a day. This is the routine of business in a bee-hive. But there is no rule without an exception. So we find in early spring the old bees nursing the first young and doing all the housework. No hive is in a thriving condition without plenty of young bees ; and as the honey yield is often of a short duration no colony can bring in a large crop of honey without a huge number of old worker bees at the proper time. To have strong colonies in the early part of the season, and to keep them strong as long as the season lasts, should be the object of the bee-keeper. It happens often to inexperienced bee-keepers that a hive is without a queen for some time, and that, with their best efforts, they do not succeed in introducing a new queen, as the bees will kill every queen liberated among them, and destroy every queen cell given them to hatch. The reason for such conduct is generally that the bees are all old— too old for nurses and for housework— feel no necessity for a queen, and will not tolerate one among them. Give to such a colony 2 or 3 combs with hatching brood and all the adher- ing young bees, from some strong colony or colonies, when a queen will be ac- cepted without any trouble, and the colony will soon be in a normal condition again. Cincinnati, Ohio. For the American Bee Journal. Honey Dew Again, Etc. WM. MAXWELL. Bees are doing poorly in this vicinity, the loss by starvation and spring dwindling being heavy ; what few came through did pretty we'll, while the fruit bloom lasted, but now there is a scarcity of pasturage. I want to call attention thus early to the " Honey Dew" subject, and I have made the offer to go 500 miles and pay $10 to any individual who will show me 5 drops of liquid honey dew, free from any deception ; provided he will pay my traveling expenses in case he fails to show it. Now I want it particularly noted that I do not deny that there may be often seen a glistening substance on hickory, and perhaps some other kind of leaves, that may be tasted by applying the tongue ; ' but it is never found in a liquid form. I also do not deny that some kinds of trees or plants may exude some saccharine from the glands of their leaves, but never in quantity to be col- lected by bees, or produce the tremend- ous amount of "dew "as seen by my Missouri friend that "fairly dripped from the leaves," or my Texas friend, where it was so " heavy as to kill the trees." I think that all such accounts, together with that remarkable phenom- enon of the bees piling up in one of the counties of Missouri to such a degree that the people had to haul straw and burn them up, and published as an ap- pendix to " Baron Munchausen." I am aware that people, like myself, have been educated to believe in the existence of " honey dew," but for the last 15 years I have made the standing request of my neighbors to send for me whenever they saw any of it ; but I have never been sent for. Edgerton, Kan. For the American Bee Journal. Spring Feeding and Management. H. L. JEFFREY. I have looked over about 250 colonies of bees within a circuit of 15 miles and inquired about the wintering of as many more. Those that were wintered on the summer stands have done well. The first pollen gathered was on Feb. 20 from skunk cabbage and some tag alder ; they worked 3 or 4 days, then we had a frost that killed off all the pollen- yielding plants that had started so early on account of the mildness of the win- ter. The first honey gathered was from maple, and for 2 or 3 days they stored honey very abundantly, then we had 3 or 4 cloudy days, and honey weather came again, lasting a few days, then windy and rainy weather prevented much flying till the hard maples bloomed,' which gave an uncommon yield. About May 1, cherry trees bloomed exceedingly full, which for 2 or 3 days kept the bees very busy, and wore out most of the old ones. On May 6, apple trees began to bloom, lasting about 12 days, furnishing the largest yield, in this locality, known in the past 12 years, and a good many box hives had honey stored in surplus boxes (these colonies always showed a mixture of Italian blood to a greater or less degree ; where there was any signs of purity in the black bees, there was a noticeable lightness of stores). One colony of pure Italians (in New- town, Conn.) gave a surplus of 25 lbs. from apple bloom ; they are dark col- ored ; they had 12 Quinby frames in the hive ; 8 of them were quite full of brood. The surplus was taken away May 22 ; on May 6 they had 9 frames and capped queen cells, making prepar- ations to swarm, which was ended by giving more combs and surplus room. The Italians invariably doubled the blacks for strength of bees and brood, wintering better and storing double the amount of honey and pollen. About % of the bees in box hives have died out, either from starvation, worms, old queens or being robbed. Of 2 colonies that I tried to winter on candy, without either honey, bee-bread or syrup, one died about the middle of January, the other one I tucked up tight, giving no ventilation or escape for moisture ex- cept the entrance, and it came out well. The other had slight ventilation at the top, through burlaps, but starved with a 5-lb. candy slab on the top of the frames. The candy was made by heat- ing honey as hot as possible, then stir- ring in all the coffee A sugar that could be put in, and worked to a stiff dough with wheat flour, pressing it into a frame, and put on top of the frames. The candy stimulated breeding exceed- ingly, and_ furnished strong, healthy workers. 1 used it on other hives, and feel confident that it has no equal either for feeding or brood stimulation. Woodbury, Conn., May 24, 1880. For the American Bee Journal. The Wintering of Bees in Missouri. by '-alsike.' It has been a long time since I penned an article for the Bee Journal, but I am now induced to do so from the sin- gularity of the past winter's results to bees in this section, where wintering on summer stands is generally prac- ticed. Bee-keeping is not a specialty of mine, yet as an adjunct to orchards, grain, grass, etc., I find it sufficiently profitable and interesting to continue with about 100 colonies, more or less, after the •' don't fuss or muss" plan. I still use such movable comb hives as I com- menced with some years ago, with good results. Those around me have become accustomed to them, and can. from past experience, manage them without much help from me. On overhauling my hives, this spring, 325 I found 2 played out entirely, but all the others, about 100 in number, were in good condition. Last season was a poor one here; we had only linden bloom to rely on for honey. Late in Novem- ber I weighed all my colonies, and marked the net aggregate weight of comb, bees and honey on each hive ; those deficient in weight were duly sup- plied with boxes of nice, sealed linden honey to make up the deficiency, and were otherwise well cared for. The others being likewise cared for were left to themselves, and, as above stated, got through with a loss of 2 per cent. Reports from different places in my county and immediate neighborhood come to me that, from a few colonies up to 100 or more, the loss has been un- precedented— 50, 60, and even a greater per cent. — doubtless many having died from starvation. A friend, within 6 miles of my place, with 100 strong col- onies last fall, reported before the close of February 50 dead, others perishing, and many have since succumbed. He reports the hives with plenty of honey, combs clean, and no disease discerna- ble, yet the bees were dead in quantity on the bottom board. He, however, no- ticed this fact, that the cells in many instances were filled with a thin, bitter kind of honey, and mostly unsealed. He is using hives similar to mine, and his management has been much the same. Heretofore, like myself, he had excellent success. The past winter was exceedingly mild for this latitude. I can but wish you great prosperity and the increased support that your course so richly merits. Lafayette Co., Mo., May 10, 1880. From the Prairie Farmer. Pasturage or Forage for Bees. MRS. L. HARRISON. To every owner of an apiary the most important question is good pasture or forage for his bees, for therein rests all his hopes for profit. In the outset, I shall take the ground that it will not pay to raise any crop for honey alone. First in rank as a honey-producing plant, both for quantity and quality, in this latitude, is white or Dutch clover, and upon dry or sandy soils, or soils of a sandy loam, sown with red clover and red top, it makes a quality of hay rel- ished by stock, and of unsurpassed ex- cellence ; and those bee-keepers who may happen to own low, wet fields, or fields with a damp, heavy soil may well sow Alsike or Swedish' clover, as it makes excellent hay. and the blossom is rich in nectar; but if your land is high, dry and gravelly, save your money and your seed. Like white clover, Al- sike blooms all through June, and in most seasons through July. Both of these clovers should be sown early in the spring with about 6 lbs. of seed per acre. Those who may own rough, broken or waste land, may well try a little sweet clover [Melilotus A lba)\ this plant yields a delicious honey ; it is a biennial, does not bloom the first year, and at the close of the second year dies, root and branch. Some, object to this plant, claiming that if it becomes fairly established it is a pernicious weed ; but, as it dies the sec- ond year, root and branch, it is easily gotten rid of if not allowed to seed, and its decaying roots and branches are a benefit to any soil ; and as an ornament to roadsides it is superior to dog fennel or ragweed. Buckwheat, the very name, is suggestive of honey ; this cereal, upon fair soil, may be safely calculated upon to yield 15 bushels of seed per acre, and to the owners of 50 colonies it is worth on the average $15 per acre more ; there is occasionally a season when buck- wheat does not produce honey, but it is very rare. Sow, the last of June, V2 bushel per acre, if the soil is rich ; if the soil is poor, % of a bushel. Trees.— First in rank as a honey-pro- ducing tree, stands the Linden or bass- wood (Silex American a ) , of rapid growth , luxuriant foliage, tall, spreading, ma- jestic; it is truly a beautiful tree for shade, is a passable fuel, a fair timber for many purposes, and for cutting into veneers for fruit baskets and berry boxes is second to none, and, although there is occasionally a season in which the blossoms secrete little or no honey, the yield is generally good, and some- times immense ; to every bee-keeper who expects to continue in the business I would say, w' plant the Linden." The tulip tree [Liriodendron tulipifera) often called poplar or whitewood, is a good honey-producer; the flowers ex- pand in succession, thus affording more time to the bees in which to harvest the nectar ; the tree grows to a large size, and for many purposes makes a supe- rior quality of lumber; plant the tulip tree. I need hardly remind apiarists of the apple (that king of northern fruits), the blossoms of which yield a most delic- ious honey, or the horticulturists of the benefit derived by the cross fertilization of the flowers by the busy bee, but will take for granted that every bee-keeper, who has the facilities for so doing, will plant an apple orchard. To the lovers of that delicious fruit, the toothsome raspberry, I will say that its blossoms yield very freely of honey, of a quality surpassed by none, and the bees, as a rule, will even forsake white clover for the bloom of the raspberry, while 1 have never known of a season in which it failed to secrete honev. I have only attempted to give a list of some of the more important honey-pro- ducing plants, and those which have a double value ; for while I do not believe it will pay to raise any crop, tree or plant, for honey alone, there are many things, which by saving its harvest of nectar, may be raised with pleasure and profit. Peoria, 111. For the American Bee Journal. Fertilization in Confinement— Swarm Catcher, Etc. M. S. SNOW. I have tried the plan for fertilizing queens described by Mr. A. J. Hintz, on page 233 of the Journal for May. I made a frame 10 feet square, covered with mosquito bar. I caught the drones and put them in, and then introduced the queen, but they would cling to the mosquito bar and try to get out. I ex- perimented with it until I was satisfied that it would not work, and then gave it up. His plan of putting the nucleus hive in the fertilizing cage and feeding may overcome this difficulty. I will give it another trial, and report through the Bee Journal. My Swarm Catcher. I think 1 made my first swarm-catcher in I860, and in 18(51 I had 10 in use, hav- ing then 200 colonies at Forestville, N. Y., the home of my brother. The size I make is 3 feet high, 3 feet long, and 2% feet wide. Tack the mosquito bar on to the frame, which I make of lath. Any light frame, even if made of wire, will answer for any hive or box, as there is no adjusting ; simply putting it over the hive. Let it remain until they quiet down, which will be about the same length of time as though they had swarmed out into the air. Any one can make all they wish with- out fear of some one claiming this in- vention, for I believe I stand ahead. I never heard of such a thing, nor saw an illustration of one of any make until since the cut of mine came out. If on the watch, you have ample time — as the time required is nearly long enough — to pick it up and set it over. If it does not set close to the ground, put some- thing around it, but on grass there is no danger, as their course is upward. The queen may not come out until half the swarm has. Place the hive as you wish it to stand (that is, the empty one), turn the catcher over, dip out a tew and put them down by the hive, drum on Dive a little and as soon as they give the call or begin to go in take the catcher by the handles and give it a quick jerk in front, so that they will fall in front, and they will gather in. The ones that get the start before you place it over will return to the catcher and be as anx- ious to get in as the ones inside are to get out. The material for one will not exceed 50c. Xowitdoes seem as though this is enough ; make an experiment and report in the Bee Journal. Osakis, Minn. From the Planters' Journal. How to Italianize Black Bees. rev. j. w. m'niel. Whenever any one desires to Italian- ize an apiary it is necessary to start right. The important matter first is to be certain to procure a pure Italian queen. Let what are called dollar queens alone, they are, at best, poor property according to my experience. Deal directly with a responsible party, and purchase a pure tested queen. When obtained and introduced into a hive, of which I will hereafter give my plan, then the work of raising queens from her maysoon be commenced. The fiame hive of some make is necessary in this work. Of whatever kind used, be certain to have all the frames of the same size ; this will obviate a great deal of trouble and loss of time, not only in the work of raising queens, hut also in the general management of bees. After all the eggs of the black queen in the hive into which the Italian queen lias been introduced, have hatched and been capped in their cells, then the work of raising queens maybe commenced, provided the Italian queen has beenlay- mg. This being sure, my plan is to re- move a hive from its stand, placing an empty one in its stead, and in this place a frame of comb, with eggs in it from the Italian queen, then return to the hive, having been removed from its old stand, and blow a strong draft of smoke into it ; many of the bees will return to their old stand, and those, together with others out foraging, will enter this, making a nucleus— if not strong, still continue to agitate the bees of there- moved hive until the nucleus is a good sized colony. This nucleus will in a few days com- mence queen cells, making from3to 15. These must be closely watched, ami from the day the first is capped allow only 6 or 7 days to pass before all the queen cells except one are carefully cut out, and place one in each of the queen- less nuclei. These nuclei may have been previously prepared by destroy- ing a queen and dividing up the hive. Be certain that the nuclei have neither queens or queen cells. In these introduce the queen cells into the combs in about the same position as those made by the bees. These queen cells will soon hatch, and after the queens are fertilized they can be intro- duced into hives of the common bee. It may be well to remark that the safest plan I have tried is to cage the young queens, destroy the black queens into whose hives it is desired to intro- duce the young queens. Suspend the cages about the center of the hive, hav- ing placed a small piece of comb in the bottom with honey in the cells, upon which the queens can feed themselves. After the cages remain there about 48 hours, take them out and cork them with a small piece of thin honey comb, and suspend" them again in the hives. The bees of the hives will uncage the queens by removing the comb from the mouth of the cages. After suspending the cages thus, the second time, do not disturb the hives in less than 3 or 4 days ; after which the hives may be opened, and, if the queens are alive, they can soon be found among the black bees, for the reason the Italian queens are of a bright golden color. By the above plan, any one may in a short time displace all their black queens and place in their stead the Italian. For tlio American Bee Journal. Systematic Apiculture. SILAS M. LOCKE. This subject may be an old one ; but it is of vast importance. When we con- sider that the bulk of our honey is gathered in about six weeks, we must at once realize the necessity of system. System is a secret of success ; and the more fully we comprehend it as such, and encourage its practice, the greater will be our success. This applies not only to apiculture but to all other kinds of business. Show us a man who is prompt and systematic (other things being equal) and I will show you one Avho is gener- ally successful. The result of my in- vestigation is that in no department of business is there so great a lack of sys- tem as in apiculture. Many bee-keep- ers fail to comprehend the full value of the old adage : " Never put off until to- morrow what can be done to-day." The actual time spent in gathering the bulk of our honey crop is of so short duration, leaving so many months to prepare, that we have no valid reason for being behind with our season's work. My experience in managing an apiary for a man in this State (X. Y.) under his supervision, will give a good illus- tration of the point. I took charge of it in March. I at once urged the ne- cessity of being in readiness for our sea- son's work as soon as possible, but he answered : " There is no need of hurry ; there is plenty of time.'1 We had 65 colonies, which had been neglected ; the hives were filled with drone comb, crossed combs, etc. We had a work shop to saw out the material for 75 new hives, 8,000 boxes, 1,000 cases, 500 frames and nail them together ; we had to move the bees some distance by hand to our new yard, which had been used the year before for a corn held, and it had to be fixed up andleveledfor the hives. We transferred all the bees to the new hives, took apart and made over 50 old hives, and clipped nearly all the queen's wings (black queens). Our supplies were ordered late, and our foundation was not all at hand on July 4. When swarming was at its height, I was obliged to be nailing up boxes and cases, putting in starters, etc., when I should have been in the bee- yard. I might say much more, but any reasonable person can predict the result of such a season's work. That fall we had 119 colonies, if I remember right, and 1,000 lbs. of extracted and about 400 lbs. of comb honey. I relate this only to substantiate the statement that a large majority of bee- keepers are troubled with the same fault. That season's work taught me a lesson which I never shall forget, as regards the ordering of supplies. Already white clover is opening its fragrant petals, filling the air with sweet fragrance, and invites the willing bees to its vast storehouse of the nec- tar. And yet orders for hives, boxes, etc., come pouring in to the factories and supply dealers, each bee-keeper wanting his goods at once ; goods which should have been ordered and made up before the bees had left their winter quarters. A large corps of hands are working as hard as men can work to fill the orders and yet too much blame is heaped on the heads of all supply deal- ers which might be obviated by a little system and forethought on the part of bee-keepers. Such men as Capt. Hetherington, Ju- lius Hoffman, (}. M. Doolittle and oth- ers, have learned the importance and value of system, and their apiaries and bank accounts attest its beneficial re- sults. Show me a man who lays on his oars (so to speak) and neglects to order his supplies and put in shape his hives and surplus arrangements and prepare for his honey harvest until his swarms hang upon the tree tops, and I will show you the man who finds the most fault- How much time could then be devoted to the individual wants of our little pets and industrious workers, and to building up strong, active colonies, to gather from nature's vast storehouse the nectar often wasted on the air, the gathering and saving of which has be- come such a great industry ? I will close by repeating the words : "System is a secret of success." Let us adopt it as our watchword. Canajoharie, 1ST. Y., June 8, 1880. For the American Bee Journal. Resolutions of the Utica Convention. AV3I. E. CLARK. I have read several articles written by different persons and published in the Bee Journal reflecting upon the action of the Utica Convention of the " Northeastern Bee-Keepers' Associa- tion," where resolutions were offered by Mr. Betsinger, and passed, relative to establishing a co-operative bee pa- per, and censuring Mr. Newman for some supposed mismanagement of his paper. I was a member of that body, and did all I could to prevent the Conven- tion from passing those resolutions. I believed then, as do now, that any ac- tion was uncalled for and not for the best interest of bee-keeping. Mr. New- man's paper is his own private prop- erty ; he has a right to publish such as he pleases ; he is responsible for it and not N. N. Betsinger nor G. W. House ! I suppose he is publishing it to make money, the same as all of us are doing in different trades and professions ! I would ask, what right has any one to dictate to Mr. Newman and say he must publish such and such things, or to Mr. Betsinger that he must make his " tin-points" out of such and such material ? I believe that, shoiild the bee-keeping public ever make up their minds that Mr. Newman's paper is of no use to them- they will request him to discontinue sending it to them, and to Mr. Betsinger they will say we have no use for your L' tin-points!" all resolutions of bee conventions to the contrary notwithstanding. Human nature crops out in bee-men, as well as in others ; they take just such papers as they desire, and buy such bee supplies as they want, and of those with whom they can do the best. Little do they care what other business they may be engaged in , not even stopping to in- quire whether they publish a bee book or not ! We all buy our supplies of those from whom we can buy the cheap- est and most conveniently, and that is right. Now, I ask, who wants a co-operative bee paper '? Mr. Doolittle says he does — $t> worth ; that is $6 more than I will give for one. I do not feel like getting some enthusiast to loose it all in any such investment ; for whoever tries it will most certainly come out minus his investment in any such stock ! I do not think any one will be willing to start one by subscription, even for $6 each. I do not say that the advocates of these resolutions were not honest in offering them ; but I do say they mis- judged concerning the necessity for passing them in the manner they did ! But let us throw the mantle of char- ity over each other's mistakes and faults. Christ at one time said : " Woman, where are thine accusers ? Does no one condemn thee ? Neither do I ; go and sin no more." Just before this, Christ said to those that were so anxious to have judgment upon the erring woman. "Let him that is with- out sin cast the first stone." I would say likewise to those that seem so anx- ious to condemn and say hard things. Exercise charity toward all and hatred toward none. I believe, Mr. Editor, with you, that the Convention made a mistake in pass- ing any such resolutions, and I think, perhaps, they have learned wisdom, and will never repeat such a mistake. Oriskany, N. Y., June 1, 1880. [Long and earnestly have we labored for peace, unity and concord among the fraternity; and no one can deprecate more than we, anything calculated to produce discord and strife. Some, more impetuous than others, just before at- tending conventions, have written to us that they intended to offer resolu- tions diametrically opposed to those passed at Utica, and denouncing that Convention for its hasty and unjust censure. We have immediately written to such persons not to do so— that such would but add fuel to a tire already "dying out"— "that grevious words stir up anger " — that many of the mem- bers of the Northeastern Association heartily disapproved of the hasty steps taken, and that, if let alone, the matter would soon right itself. Therefore, as our worthy correspondent, Mr. Clark, suggests : " Let us exercise charity for all, and have malice for none." Being conscious of having merited none of the abuse contained in the " Besolves" we are not troubled concerning it, and to apiarists everywhere would say : "Let brotherly love prevail, and every moral and social virtue cement us " into one common brotherhood. — Ed.] From the Bee-Keepers' Exchange. Feeding Back for Comb Honey. J. H. NELLIS. Various opinions exist as to the use- fulness of the book entitled " Blessed Bees." When the book appeared we spoke highly of its value, recommend- ing our readers to procure and study it. Of course we knew that the book was an instructive novel, and supposed every reader would discover that fact. Some of our contemporaries denounced the book as dangerous and unsafe in the hands of beginners, if not with more experienced persons. We are now of the opinion that no book devoted to bee culture, in the English language, is so valuable in developing modern bee culture and settling some of the per- plexing difficulties that have beset us for a long time. A visit with friend E. J. Oatman, previous to seeing " Blessed Bees," developed the fact that he was practicing a method similar to that ad- vocated in that book, so that, whatever originality is due to the author of it, we must give Mr. Oatman great credit for putting in practice a method that, fully developed, will revolutionize mod- ern bee culture. Between Mr. O.'s plan and "Blessed Bees," we laid out a scheme that worked admirably during the season of 1879. Sometime ago we promised our readers a full description of the method in time for this season's operations, so here it is: We will suppose that the honey season is nearly upon us, and our stock of bees consists of 75 good col- onies. We desire large yield of honey and small increase of bees. We tiil tiamcs with comb foundation, which we insert into our best hives, to have it drawn out ; but as we do not want pol- len or eggs deposited, we will have to be careful not to leave it in the hives too long. Experience will teach how to manage it. If the queens are very pro- lific we must not put the foundation be- tween the brood, otherwise this is the best place. The time the foundation should remain in the hive is from 12 to 60 hours, depending upon the strength of the colony and the flow of honey. This foundation after being lengthened out by the bees, is cut into blocks that entirely fill the honey boxes. These we fasten into boxes with our wax and rosin mixture. Undoubtedly most of you prefer to get all the honey stored directly into boxes that you can, there- fore we give the above directions. The boxes are now ready, and should be put on all strong colonies, just as the honey flow developes, and before the bees get discontented or idle, Six or eight good colonies are reserved for extracting and for the purpose of draw- ing out all the foundation needed in the boxes used in the balance of the api- ary. If your colonies with boxes go briskly to work in them, and show no disposition to swarm, your object is at- tained, and all you have to do is to see that they have plenty to do, i. e., put on boxes filled with lengthened-out foun- dation as often as you can find a com- pleted box. The plan of leaving on an entire set till all the boxes are finished, is wasteful of time and honey, and sometimes breeds discontentment among the bees. But if your bees get the swarming fever and you find that valuable time is squandered, then pro- ceed as follows: We have often, with good effect, hived a swarm till evening, when the queen cells were cut off and the swarm put back. This sometimes proves effectual. If the swarm comes out the second time, we remove all the boxes, add foundation or sheets of comb and proceed to extract them regularly. In fact, we are not sure but that a thorough system of extracting all the colonies, is conducive of greater results and less trouble than the effort to get part of them to work in the boxes, with loss of time caused by discontent. Our extracted honey is put in tin vessels and stored in a warm, dry place. Proceed with the above plan until the flow of white honey is about ended. Having provided suitable feeders, se- lect as many industrious colonies as can store the extracted honey into boxes. The feeders we use hold about 2 quarts each, and we have two styles, suitable either to put on top or to screw fast to the side of the hive or to the board that confines the bees. All the frames except those contain- ing brood should be removed, so that the extracted honey cannot be stored in the body of the hive. The swarming fever has its season, and at this time the bees have no further inclination to swarm, but seem to store with zeal, as if they realized that the close of the harvest was nigh. Our boxes being filled with lengthened-out foundation,, we put on as many as the bees can oc- cupy. A quantity of our extracted honey is put in a tin vessel, this vessel being set into another containing water, and the honey heated to about 110° Fahrenheit, and water enough added to make it run thin. Very much of the success of the feeding in depends upon getting honey of proper consistency; if it is too thick, the bees will carry' it very slowly. We imagine that this is the cause of many a failure to feed back honey to advantage. When the honey is too thick, the bees cannot handle it without waste both of material and time. If too thin, the honey will have to remain uncapped too long. The dan- ger generally lies on the side of being too thick. For a day or two the bees will take the honey very rapidly, and it should be bountifully supplied. We usually feed at evening, but see no ob- jection to feeding at any other time. If bees are getting some honey from the fields it is best to feed only at evening. If the honey is of proper consistency, some of it will be capped in 4 to 6 days, and the box honey will soon " shell out.'' Of course the quality of the comb honey will depend upon how neatly the ex- tracted honey has been kept. If done l' decently and in order," the combs will be " beautiful to behold." To keep the operation moving briskly, all boxes should be removed as soon as complete. d As the dark honey harvest approaches the boxes with white honey should be consolidated on the best working colo- nies, and empty boxes put on those so relieved. At the close of the buckwheat har- vest, if the weather is not too cool, the feeding back can be continued. The plans should be so laid that the honey is all stored before the cool weather of fall, as then the operation will be tedious and unprofitable. We expect to receive criticims, doubts and denunciations, but, as we know the plan above described will work, we do not hesitate to give it. During the sum- mer of 1879 we fed in about 4,000 lbs. to 40 colonies, and the shrinkage did not exceed the weight of the unglassed sec- tions that held it. If no foundation had been used we think that the shrinkage would have been far greater. If the feeding back is begun just as the flow of honey from the fields ceases, and the brood nest is kept small, the hcmeymust go into theboxes; and as the bees have no comb to build, how can they waste it V We have noticed that when' the honey was too thick more wax was secreted and the bees also seem helpless. For the American Bee Journal. Ants Troublesome in the Apiary. w. w. BURNET. Prof. Cook in his excellent Manual says : " Ants cluster about the hives in spring for warmth, and seldom, if ever, I think, do any harm. Should the apiarist feel nervous he can very read- ily brush them away, or destroy them by using any of the fly poisons which are kept in the market. * * One year 1 tried Paris green with perfect suc- cess. " !N"ow it so happens that my hives are on a sandy hill-side, which this year is teeming with black ants about % of an inch long. This spring a neighbor kindly gave me a weak swarm, and I placed it in a hive, gave it brood, and it seemed to be doing well, until about 2 weeks ago, when I noticed that the air was full of bees. I returned them as soon as they clustered, but out they came again. I clipped the queen's wing, caged her, and thought I had them sure ; but to my dismay out they came again, and endeavored to force their way into other hives, until I was minus a swarm. I noticed the ants very thick around and in the hive ; but as I saw no bees injured, and Prof. Cook said they "seldom, if ever," etc., the " api- arist" didn't " feel nervous." A week later I removed a queen to make room for one I was expecting to receive, and at noon I put her in a new hive with a couple of frames of brood and plenty of bees, and that evening when 1 went to see how they got along, I found them in bad shape; the ants had killed the bees with the exception of about a dozen workers and the queen, and had pulled t he larva' out till the bottom of the hive was white : then the " apiarist felt nervous," I tell you. I put the queen back into the hive I took her from. I had noticed that the ants would not bother my full hives, which were boil- ing over Avith bees, so I determined to remove another queen to make room for my new one. and put the hive on stilts in pans of water (I have my hives on the ground. " hi Cook). I made a nucleus one evening, tilled the pans, and next morning went to work with the air of an apiarist who had tri- umphed over difficulties ; but " the best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley." When I returned the water had evaporated ; the hive was black with ants, and the queen, bees and larvse were numbered with the things that were. To say the " apiarist was nervous" but feebly expresses his feel- ings ; he was desperate ! I procured strychnine, dissolved enough to kill 40 men, mixed it with syrup, fed it to them in divers places where the bees could not reach it, and the ants got fat on it ; the only ones hurt were abont a dozen in each pan, which, heedless, fell in and were drowned. I fed them Paris green, and they ate it until I had to stop buy- ing, for I am a poor man and have a family to provide for. I dug over their nests, time and again, put slacked lime on them, scattered "wood ashes on them, poured coal oil in the holes, set the hives off the ground with wool tied around the legs of the stands, but all to no purpose. I found that the queenless colony was not disposed to take kindly to my new queen, so I procured a large deep pan and put the hive on blocks, tilled the pan with water, put a lot of frames of hatching brood in, introduced the queen, and it worked all right for a day or so. Yesterday I went away, and on my return went to the hive to see my new queen, and found her dying, her legs bitten off, and her bees dead. The ants had drowned in the pan, till it seemed there were thousands floating on the water, and the balance of them marched over the dead bodies " onward and upward." The '' apiarist now feels despondent," and wishes some of his brother bee-keepers would help him out of his troubles by telling him how to destroy the nests of these ants. I have tried hot water by the boiler full. It may be that my disaster will prove a " light along the shore " to some other apiarist who wishes to raise a few queens. Lagonda, Clarke Co., O. [Many of the usual plans for ridding the apiary from the presence of ants appear to have been pretty thoroughly tested by Mr. Burnet. He has used strychnine, kerosene, wood ashes, Paris green, lime, hot water, etc. Salt scattered on their nests, or pow- dered borax, which, after a rain, makes a soapy mixture, will usually cause them to emigrate " bag and baggage." Tansy leaves, catnip, copperas, black walnut, and tobacco smoke are all distasteful to them, and they will usually decamp at once where such are used. 332 It is claimed by some persons that they cannot cross a wide chalk mark, and to stand the hive (or its legs, if it has any) on a board and make a chalk mark % inch wide all around will keep them ont of it. Of course it must be renewed after a rain. But this is not an infallible remedy ; they will some- times ignore its existence entirely, and cross and re-cross at pleasure. To exterminate them some drive a crowbar deep down through their nest, causing a trap into which thousands upon thousands drop and die. A jar or tin can, with holes punched through the tin cover with a small awl, half tilled with honey mixed with wa- ter, and then placed . near the ants' nest, or burying it level with the ground, will destroy them in great quantities. The large black ants are extraordina- rily fond of honey, and will sometimes carry off large quantities of it in a short time. Mr. A. I. Root mentions a case — his hives were troubled with ants, and his bees, after being annoyed much with their presence, took them up, one at a time, and flew away from the apiary and dropped them to the earth so far away that they could not again return. The pungent odor given off by the ants is very obnoxious to the bees, and if they cannot expel the intruders they will swarm out, and no amount of " returning" them to the hive will cause them to remain. It may be well to try some more of these methods of defense before becoming totally tl despondent" over the trouble. The case is an unusually severe one and requires severe measures. Ordi- narily we would not counsel their exter- mination, but when it becomes a ques- tion of which shall be exterminated — the bees or ants— we must say, save the bees at all hazards. Sulphuret of lime is said to be the most potent remedy for their expulsion, and a more recent letter from Mr. Bur- net states that he has used it with full success.— Ed.] For the American Bee Journal. The Manufacture of Glucose. M. M. BALDRIDGE. So much has been said respecting glucose by those who know very little about it, that I have concluded to send you the following article from the Chi- cago Tribune for republication, so that both sides of the question may be heard. The author is a stranger to me, but it is my impression that he knows what he is writing about. It seems that glucose, when made properly, is not such a very unhealthy product after all. The Tribune says : " Glucose is the Latin name for all saccharine solutions contained in the cereals, in fruits, peas, beans, etc. It differs from sucrose (cane-sugar) in that it forms no crystals, and is identical with the sugar formed on dried fruits, particularly raisins, from which the su- gar thus formed derives its name of grape sugar. " Kirchoff , a chemist at St. Petersburg, Russia, was the first to convert starch into sugar. This was in 1811. It created at that time, when the traffic of colonial sugars was interdicted by Napoleon, such a sensation that several factories were at once erected in France and Germany. The excitement, however, soon subsided after it was found that the sugar was much inferior in sweet- ness and taste to cane sugar, and the invention of the extraction of pure su- gar from beet root, which soon followed, thereafter put a stop to the whole un- dertaking. " Beet-sugar, however, did not yield a palatable syrup. All the experiments failed to improve it into an article for table use, and this brought to life again the question of the feasibility of ma- nipulating the starch into an uncrys- tallizable syrup. Still it was not before 1832 that the eminent practical chemist Payen commenced to improve upon the first rude process of the conversion of starch into sugar and syrup. He was followed by Musculus and Dubrunfault, and these' three men may be regarded as the founders of this enormous indus- try. The researches which they made were followed by the most astounding success. They produced a syrup in color and taste even superior to cane syrup. It did not possess the powerful sweetness of the latter, but it had the great advantage of being not liable to crystallize. " This result gave at once a new life to the abandoned enterprise. Factory fol- lowed factory throughout France and Germany. Better and improved ma- 333 ehinery and methods were discovered continually. The sugar, at first a brown, bitterish product, became a pure, white and sweet article, and was found to con- tain all the elements for the ameliora- tion of beer, wine and vinegar. It was also found that the saccharine principle could be checked, and the syrup turned into a gummy substance, equal in its elements to the best gum-arabic. •• In 1838 France and Germany counted ](> factories in full operation, and with a steadily increasing demand. The erec- tion of new factories and improved met 1 ods kept on unabated, and in 1867, at the time of the Paris Exposition, there were working on the continent of Europe 67 glucose factories. In 1878 there was an increase of 15 more estab- lishments, which made a total of 84 fac- tories. If we consider that the great bulk of the enormous amount tinned out daily is grape sugar and gummy glucose, we may make some estimate Of the great traffic in Europe of these two articles. The demand for table syr- ups in Europe is very light in eompari- with that in this country. Seven-eighths of tliis production is there used for man- ufacturing purposes. * * * * " In the fall of 1865, when residing in JSew York City, I received a letter from one of my friends in France, a manu- facturer of glucose, by which he ad- vised me of having shipped a keg of his white, dense glucose, with a request to compare his product with the best ar- ticle made in this country. He wished to know what progress the business had made in the United States. The sam- ple glucose which arrived was an excel- lent article, and at once I took steps to investigate the matter. "To my utter surprise, no glucose could be found for comparison. The article was actually so little known that the wholesale confectioners declared they had never heard even of the name. I then commenced to work over some of the glucose into a sweet syrup, and in- troduced a sample of it to one of the heavy sugar brokers. When I told him that the main base of the syrup was starch, and it could be produced pound for pound, lie refused to believe me, but 1 partly convinced him by proving the tact from some scientific works, and by letters from European manufacturers. A tew days after Wall street was in an excitement. Corn syrup was intro- duced, and its career opened in America, where now many factories are success- fully operated, of immense capacities." The above article gives some points of historic value, and we cheerfully give place to it. as yir. Baldridge re- quests. But we can never look upon the adulterations which are made with glucose with anything but feelings of disgust. The author of the above is in error as to the origin of the word glucose ; it is not Latin, as he says, but it is a Greek word, and means " sweet." He also is mistaken regarding the origin of the name grape sugar. In some instances, therefore, he evidently does not know what he is talking about ! The N". Y. Tribune has the following excellent article relative to the multitu- dinous adulterations made with glucose: " It is known that many mills are kept busy grinding minerals and earth for this adulteration. It is fearful to think of the clays and starches, glucose and pigments, that are swallowed by inno- cent infancy, and of the doctors and un- dertakers who will share the profits with the candy-makers. " Of these adulterants, glucose, which is generally assumed to be innocent in a sanitary point of view, is becoming one of the most unmitigated and suc- cessful swindles of the age. With corn at 20 or 30 cents per bushel, it is almost as cheap as clay, and a large per cent- age of adulteration possible makes it the favorite and most profitable means of perpetrating fraud in sugars and mo- lasses. It is used by sugar refiners, by manufacturers of syrups, by makers of confectionery, for mixing with honey, in making sweet wines, and in all the pro- ducts into which cane sugar enters. "Unfortunately the extent of this manufacture may not be fully revealed by the census. Those who will cheat will also lie. Could the facts be di- vulged, the community would be aston- ished at the magnitude of its manufac- ture. Were it offered as glucose to the ultimate consumers, at its real worth, there would be no objection— and at the same time little sale. The manufac- turer shares with the maker of sugar products the gains of this nefarious business, while the consumer unwit- tingly pays for a substance of trifling value the price of real sugar. New York, Buffalo, Chicago and St. Louis, ami possibly main other places are cen- ters of this manufacture, which is kept as secret as possible, like the manu- facture of illicit spirits, which plunders a vigilant and powerful government only, while this trade oppresses mil- lions of poor and unsuspecting people. Swindles like this should be by law a felony.'' ®oixu cut ions. Read before Livingston Co., Mich., Convention. Chaff Packing for Wintering Bees. EDWARD GREEMWAY. The wintering of bees is one of the most important factors in the manage- ment of the apiary. The loss occa- sioned by the long, and sometimes very severe winters in this latitude, is greater than all the other losses with which we, as bee-keepers, have to contend. Hence, we should study this subject, and adopt some plan which will, at least, reduce this loss to a minimum. In my opinion, there are only 2 modes of wintering which are really worthy of to stock-growing, or any other business for profit or pleasure V I prefer chaff-packing to cellar win- tering ; perhaps, because in my 3 years' experience with wintering bees I have not lost a colony. I do not ascribe my success, however, to " luck " but to the " chaff packing " and " proper man- agement in the fall." It may be of interest here- to give, somewhat in detail, my manner of pre- paring bees for winter : First, Be sure that all colonies are kept breeding until Oct. 1, which they will usually do, unless there is a scarcity of honey in the flowers; in which case, feed them to stimulate breeding; by so doing you have young bees, which will stand the winter much better than old bees. Second, About Oct. I reduce the mrni- Prof. Cook's Winter Packing Box. our attention, viz.: Cellar wintering and packing in chaff on the summer stands. All the other methods I con- sider hazardous, and experiments which are not yet fully demonstrated. Some old-style bee-keepers say that they had good luck with bees for a num- ber of years, till a poor honey season came, followed by a hard winter, killing all their bees. They then gave up the business in disgust, saying that their "luck" was gone. Would the farmer who lost his stock for want of proper care, food and protection against the cold winters, ascribe his loss to " luck?" Of course not! Why should not we adopt the rule that " anything that is worth doing at all is worth doing well," and apply it to bee-keeping as well as I er of frames in the hive to 5 or 6, ac- cording to the size of the colony. I re- gard it as very important "to use no more frames than the bees can cover." Third, Be sure that each colony has at least 20 lbs. of good, sealed honey (coffee A sugar will do as well). Fourth, Cut with a tin tube a %-inch hole through each comb for winter pas- sages, and till the vacant space on each side of the frames with chaff-cushions, protected from the bees by white wire cloth fastened to a frame and fitting in the hive like a division board, (the hive is thus contracted to the size of 5 or 6 frames), place a chaff-cushion over the frames and contract the entrance to 1 inch, and all is ready for the packing boxes. For these procure common " stock" lumber, at a cost of about 50 cents eacb. and make them from 4 to (> inches larger on every side than the hive, with a slanting roof that will not leak, and a spout about 4 inches square and 1 foot long, leading from the en- trance of hive through the packing box, a la Cook (see "Cook's Manual, page 250). Then fill all the space around, above and below the hive with chaff, and we are done with them until the fol- lowing April. The advantages of this mode of win- tering are, that bees are enabled to fly at any time when the weather will per- mit, and the combs will never be moldy, whether they are covered by the bees or not. I also claim advantage over the chaff hive, in that I have a double chaff cov- ering, and that the chaff comes in di- rect contact with the bees on 3 sides in- stead of 1, thus more readily absorbing the moisture. I also do not have the extra trouble of manipulating such large and heavy hives in the summer. Cellar wintering has been practiced successfully by many experienced bee- keepers, who have cellars sufficiently dry and properly ventilated ; but such conditions many of us have not. The past winter has been so warm and wet that many bees were lost in the cellars in this vicinity. I will not at this time attempt to give any directions for cellar wintering, but will leave it for some one who has had experience in that direction, and con- sequently will be more competent than myself to do the subject justice. Howell, May 1, 1880. From the Beinen Zeitung. Discussion on the Caucasian Bee. AUSTRO-GEEMAN CONVENTION. IIerrVogel : In commencing, let me give you some incidents in the history of tliis race of bees. It is surprising that its qualities should have been so long untested, since German apiarists were long ago informed of its existence through men of science. The famous naturalist, Pallas, trav- eling in the mountainous regions of the Caucasus, by order of the late Empress, Katharina II., noticed the native bee of that country, and sent a specimen to Berlin, under the name of apis remipes, which may now be found in the ento- mological collection, where I first saw it in the year 1862. Last year the Councillor-of-State,Dr. Buttlerow, of St. Petersburg, published in the Bienen Zeitung a dissertation on the subject of the " Caucasian Bee and 335 its Culture." In this article lie says: " The Caucasian bee is a special race, which has many variations in regard to the color of the first segment of the abdomen, and partially like the hybrids of the German and Italian bee found in the neighborhood of Wladikawkas, in the same bright yellow color, which we esteem so much in the Italian bee." This gentleman says that the Cauca- sian bee produces a good number of queen cells, and also much honey. I came into possession of the first Caucasian bees in May, 1879, and will now enumerate my observations rela- tive to the subject : 1. Is the Caucasian bee really a special race, as Dr. Buttlerow says in the Bienen Zeitung for 1878? Though there is a great variation in the color, I de- clare this bee to be a special race ; first, look at the type of race, and it is not much smaller than other races. 2. Does this bee possess that " extra- ordinary gentleness " of which Dr. Buttlerow speaks ? I could hardly be- lieve it, and I reasoned as follows : Dr. Buttlerow came from St. Petersburg to the Caucasus, and, visiting several bee- keepers, became prejudiced in favor of that much-praised bee; but now I be- lieve in it, for I have had the proof of its gentleness in my own apiary. While manipulating this race of bees it is not necessary to apply smoke at all ; if I want the bees to' move away from a comb, I blow on them to insure success, but there is no reason to get them an- gry by blowing or striking them, and there is no probability of provoking them to stinging. I will add, that these bees also preserve their amiable dispo- sition in increased temperature, and even in the hot period of fulinination or the changes of meteorological influ- ence. But it is a noted fact the Cau- casian bee is very belligerent toward strange or robber bees, and millers and robbers never leave the Caucasian hive except as they are carried out dead. 3. The prolificness of the Caucasian is very great, and also the disposition to rear drones, which shows their tendency to swarm. This is also stated by Dr. Buttlerow, who says that an apiary of 5 colonies in a year has increased to 15. 4. It is not strange to find 100 queen cells in a moderately large colony. As the Caucasian bee is a special race, it does not follow that the queens pro- duced will be weak and inferior because of the great number of cells built. About the natural qualities of the Cau- casian bee, I will give them at some fu- ture time in the Bienen Zeitung. 5. I cannot, of course, state this sea- son Avhether the Caucasian bees are the 336 greatest honey gatherers, because I did not receive the first queens till in May ; it was the latter part of June before the young bees went out, and the middle of July before they commenced gathering honey, which brought the sea- son too late to determine their quali- ties. They were always busy gathering when there was anything to be ob- tained, and this fact leads me to hope they can be relied upon when there are flowers in the fields. It is not possible to determine their value till next year, after having passed a winter, and been tested during a full season's honey flow. Dr. Buttlbrow, of St. Petersburg : For the benefit of those who did read my disertation in the Bienen Zietimg, I will tell how I came to possess the Cau- casian bee. Two years ago I traveled to the Cau- casus to spend the season, and there I met the bees and the apiarists, who keep their bees in "Ssapetks." This bee I did not notice particularly by its color, but did so at once by its extraordi- nary amiability, which was observable to me, having always been accustomed to our cross Russian bees, which we could only manage by a plentiful use of smoke. The Caucasian bees, on the con- trary, but rarely require the use of smoke. I was much astonished when I once saw the destruction of nearly all the queen cells in a colony (and where they existed in a mass) without using any smoke, and that, too, in the evening, while the field bees were at home in the hive. I had to acknowledge the docility of the Caucasian bees as a phenomenal one. This was a strong feature in their favor, and I at once determined to pay further attention to them. I did not think the Caucasian bees more a race than the Italian or others. We do not find any great difference be- tween the black and yellow bees ; but if we look on descent, we must speak about races, and so I think we should also designate the Caucasian bee as a race, if only for the reason that, besides their amiability, they exhibit such an extraordinary propensity for building queen cells and for swarming. In re- gard to their ability as honey gatherers, 1 can only say the Caucasian apiarists are very successful ; but this is a ques- tion which we must determine in the future. When I became acquainted with the qualities of these bees I purchased 8 queens at once, and placed in the care of a bee-keeper at Moscow, in 1877. Two bee-keepers of Moscow state that the progeny of those queens are of the same amiable disposition I had ob- served, and in consequence of winch I proposed to the Free Imperial Econom- ical Society the importation of this race into Germany and Russia, and received an order to proceed to Caucasus for the shipment of the bees. In the meantime something unexpected transpired. A Caucasian apiarist, of the most common kind, purchased in the spring a number of colonies in the generally used straw hives, or " Ssapetks ; " as he found many of them very weak he could do no better than unite them, and, after doing so, sent 24 surplus queens to a friend in St. Petersburg to sell, without having previously informed him. From these queens, taken from weak colonies, and perhaps old, I purchased 12 and sent them to Mr. Vogel, who at once sent 4 to Mr. Gunther at Gispersleberg. Finally, 1 made the journey to Wladi- kawkas, the very home of the progres- sive Caucasian bee-keeper, and from thence I sent 4 queens to Mr. Vogel and 4 to Mr. Gunther. The bee-keepers from whom I obtained those queens used im- proved hives with movable frames, and pay more attention to color, etc. They are also said to prefer the black queens to yellow ones. As before stated, I found the gentle- ness of this bee to be "phenomenal." I took the queens with my hands, and lifted the bees into the hives. Among 30 colonies from which I had taken away the queens, I only once used some smoke, and then it was really not nec- essary. Twice I saw bees swarming. Once I placed myself in their midst, and made quick and sudden motions, and I was not stung. On another occa- sion a swarm clustered on a tree, get- ting confused ; we shook the tree, and I went among the bees while sweating, but was not stung, although we tried in every way to anger them. I was on the other side of the moun- tains, in Alsatia, on the coast of the Black Sea, and there I saw some bees which are blacker than the Caucasian, and less amiable, for I was stung once by them while blowing in the entrance to the hive. They are not so pretty as the Caucasian bees. I hope to be able to give further particulars regarding these bees in a short time. Here Gunther, of Gispersleberg : I have to confirm the remarks of Messrs. Vogel and Buttlerow, as my observa- tions and experience were the same. You may gather these bees in your hands, or on the combs, without beings stung. I manipulated and operated with my bees in every manner without the use of smoke, and without being stung or annoyed by them. Los Angeles, Cal., Convention. Met May 15 at Los Angeles, Cal., Pres't J. E. Pleasants in the chair. Af- ter reading the minutes of the last meeting, the Secretary read the report of the Committee to "Correspond with the Apiarists of other counties rela- tive to some plan for lixing the price for honey. A communication from the apiarists of Santa Barbara County relative to concentrating the sale of honey was re- ceived. After some discussion, the following resolution was adopted : Resolved, That we, the apiarists of Los Angeles County, co-operate with the brother apiarists of Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties in concentrating the sale of our honey shipped to San Francisco, in the houses of Stearns & Smith and Hatch & Barkley. J. W. Wilson said the prospect for a good crop was fair, but, owing to the extreme poverty of the bees at the be- ginning of the working season, the crop would fall short. J. E. Pleasants was of the opinion that it would not reach half of what it was in 1878. I. S. Battles said that by this time in 1878 he had taken 7,000 lbs.; this season he had taken but about 1,500 lbs. from about the same number of colonies. J. Haskell, of San Fernando, was •called upon for his method of treating foul brood. He said : Clean out the hive thoroughly by scalding with hot soda water; 1 lb. soda to 20 gals, of wa- ter will renovate all brood combs. In his opinion, chilled brood was the origin of foul brood, and that it was spread through the apiary by the exchange of comb from one hive to another. After making some arrangements for an exhibition of honey and the offering of prizes, the Convention adjourned till June 19, 1880. N. Levering, Sec. Albany Co., N. Y., Association. At the fifth semi-annual meeting of the Albany Co. Bee-Keepers' Associa- tion, held on April 6, 1880, the following officers were elected for next year : A. Snyder, President; G. J. Flans- burgh, G. B. Carpenter, F. Boomhower and G. J. Parent, Vice Presidents ; W. S. Ward, Secretary; W. D. Wright, Treasurer. The next meeting of the Association will be held at New Salem, Albany Co., N. Y„ Oct. 5, 1880. W. S. Ward, Sec. Fuller's Station. N. Y. fetter 5v;uivcv* Woodland, 111., June 9, 1880. I have 57 colonies, with which to commence the season. About % of them are in good condition. I think white clover is as early as common in this locality, but not more than half a crop, yet I think there is plenty. The weather has been too cool since it bloomed, but is warmer now. T. N. Marquis. Jordan, Out., June 7, 1880. I have 93 colonies and they are now gathering honey from white clover. The hives I use have frames about \2% inches square, and from 8 to 32 frames in each hive. My bees are doing well. I have hives with 15 brood frames (10 filled). Numbers of bees in this local- ity have starved. Success to the Amer- ican Bee Journal ; I have taken it ever since 1870. A. A. Honsberger. Canajoharie, N. Y., June 8, 1880. As regards the action of the North- eastern Convention, I consider it hasty and unjust in the extreme, and feel that the result will show the bee-keeping fraternity of America your worth and value. Your journal has the honor of being the best, and I should be at a loss without it. Whenever I have offered you an article to publish, it has ap- peared verbatim in the Journal, not- withstanding I am a poor writer. May the editor of the American Bee Jour- nal live long and reap the fruits of an unselfish devotedness to the interests of apiculture. Silas M. Locke. La Crosse, Wis., June 9, 1880. Swarming time has commenced here, and bee-keepers are all very busy pre- paring for the season's work. The weather for the past 2 weeks has been rather unfavorable for the bees to gather honey. We have had excessive rain for the past 2 weeks. The last night's rain (8th of June) was the most damaging of the season. The white clover is just blooming, but about 3 weeks later than last year. May was an excellent month for the bees ; they gathered honey extensively from fruit blossoms, and we had considerable honey dew. They also worked on the oak. The honey of the oak is not very good in quality. One of my colonies has some surplus; quite a number of them have stored large quantities of honey in the brood chamber during May. L. H. Pammel, Jr. 338 Downsville, Wis., May 26, 1880. About % of the bees in this part of the State died last winter or this spring. Those that came through in fair condi- tion are doing well. I lost 6 out of 62 ; the first I ever lost in wintering. The flowers are secreting an unusual amount of honey thus far this spring. The bass- wood will blossom very full, and we are expecting a large honey crop. My first swarm came off yesterday. I expect more to-day. A. J. Tibbetts. Glen Eock, Pa., May 28, 1880. I repudiate the unjust attack of the Northeastern Convention by promptly inclosing to you $1.50 to renew my sub- scription to the Bee Journal, for an- other year. Dear Editor, please to con- tinue your fight for truth, right and " justice to all," as you have done in the past, like a brave Captain. Bees here are doing well, but it begins to be dry. J. H. Bupp. [Knowing that we had done nothing to merit the censure of the Utica Con- vention, we are not in the least dis- turbed, but had we been, the prompt and unmistakable rebuke given to it by our patrons— east, west, north, and south— would have reassured us. To all let us here return thanks for their " kind words " and hearty indorsement. We shall endeavor to storm the citadel of error and falsehood with red hot ar- guments, but will care for the wounded, the dying and the dead with charity, and cover their faults with its mantle. —Ed.] Dixon, 111., June 3, 18S0. My bees are in good condition now ; but, from the looks of white clover, there will be a light crop of honey, as it- is mostly winter killed ; only young plants from seed, and they are rather thin on the ground. Bees wintered well where they were taken care of, but box hive men have lost from % to all they had. I lost none. B. E. Pratt. Crown City, O., May 20, 1880. At present my bees are doing their level best on poplar blossom. I lost 20 per cent, of my bees during the winter, and the rest barely weathered it through, but now 71 colonies never had a better showing ; everything lt full up," and by the first week in June expect it lively in swarms. My hives and every- thing are in order for emergencies ; I have Mirth's extractor, and will use it to the tune of 1,000 lbs. in a few days ;. also a Bingham smoker. So when I walk into my apiary I have got to be choked off before I can come out. I like my bees, and therefore give my time wholly to their management; all have been opened, cleaned and re- cleaned, and every necessary attention given them. Please find inclosed the t; Sweet William " for the Journal an- other year ; I must have " 'im." C. S. Newsom. Sheridan, Mich., June 9, 1880. 1. When a queen is removed from a colony for the purpose of starting queen cells, can she be safely introduced at once in a strong nuclei of several frames of brood and bees taken from different hives V 2. If 2 colonies are united, one with a young queen, the other with an old one, will the old one be killed V 3. Should a sheet of foundation or an empty frame be placed between two frames of brood ? My bees draw it out sooner than when placed at one side. [1. Many report in favor of immedi- ate insertion of the queen among bees thus brought together, but we prefer and use the introducing cage for 24, 36, or 48 hours, as circumstances seem to- indicate. 2. If the young queen has not com^ menced to lay, she will undoubtedly be victorious in a royal combat, as the lay- ing queen is more clumsy and cannot use her sting so readily. 3. When the weather is sufficiently warm and the season advanced to war- rant spreading the brood, if the combs- are full of it, the foundation can be al- ternated to advantage ; but where put between combs in which the bees are storing honey, they will extend the cells in the old comb while drawing out the foundation, thereby causing the combs- to be of different thickness. — Ed.] Bear Lake, Mich., June 14, 1880. Bees wintered very poorly in this lo- cality. One person who had 7.0 colonies last fall has lost all but one weak one ; others have lost all. Nearly all have lost % or more. I feel that I have been very fortunate, for I put 46 of my own colonies with 8 belonging to a neighbor in my cellar last fall, and took out 50 good colonies this spring, which are do- ing moderately well, and are now com- mencing to swarm. D. H. Hopkins. 33£ Fuller's Station, N. Y., May 29, 1880. I send to Prof. Cook the contents of a king bird's gizzard, with request to examine with a microscope and report in the American Bee Journal. W. S. Ward. [This poor king bird, slaughtered for the good of science, had one consola- tion at least— his last meal was rich and bounteous ; fragments of nearly all kinds of insects were to be seen, prin- cipally beetles. There was no sign of any bees— neither drones nor workers. I know from actual examination that the king bird does sometimes capture worker bees, but with us the damage is very light. One can never examine the stomach of one of these birds without coming to the conclusion that, as an in»^ sectivorous bird, it ranks even with the beautiful blue bird, as par excellence. —A. J. Cook.] Nebo, 111., May 19, 1880. I have 21 colonies ; I wintered 7 colo- nies with good success; have divided this spring and bought 12 more. I am transferring them now. I have in- vented a clamp for fastening comb in frames, that makes quick work. It is as follows : Take a sheet of tin and cut it in strips )i in.; it must be long enough to admit of bending over the top and bottom bars at each end. Punch holes in each end large enough to allow a No. 12 wire to pass through ; lay down the frame on 2 of the clamps, then put in the comb and slip the wire pins through ; it is quickly done and they are easily taken off. If this idea is worth anything please give it in the Journal. I have the same queen yet that I got of you last spring ; she is a good one. E. T. Bogart. Otsego, Mich., June 21, 1880. Bees are doing finely since the hood of rains we had. We have had none now since the 15th. We now have bright clear weather, just right for honey. T. F. Bingham. llillsboro, 111., June 19, 1880. I send you a plant that grows around the town and in the fence corners. When cut the smell is splendid. The bees are working on it from morning till night. Please give me the name of it. My bees are doing nicely now. J. H. Shimer. [It is motherwort, and is an excellent honey-prod ucer.— Ed.] Huntsville, Ala., May 14, 1880. Having been appointed Vice Presi- dent of the National Association for Alabama, I acknowledge the compli- ment, and will do what I can to further the interests of bee-keepers in this State, for I think it one of the finest locations in the country for bees. I have 34 colonies of Italian bees, and I expect to double them during the season. I get from 80 to 100 lbs. surplus honey from each colony. Not long ago I had a swarm come off, and in 15 or 20 days every frame was filled with honey. I use a frame 9^x14%, and 19 to the hive. I am charmed with my success in bee culture, and shall do all I can to create an interest in the science of bee-keep- ing in this State. James A. Austin. Lansing, Mich., June 15, 1880. In my report of the Central Michigan Bee-Keepers' Association last month, on page 277, it says that Mrs. Baker " gave statements of success with the chaff hive.1 ' This is is a mistake. She is all in favor of the cellar for wintering bees, and has the best of success. She probably has the best cellar in the State. Geo. L. Perry. [This mistake was caused by a slight omission. It should have read thus : " Mrs. Baker described her method of cellar wintering, and gave statements of great success that were a comparison with the chaff hive." The words in ital- ics were accidentally omitted.— Ed.] Hastings, Minn., June 5, 1880. I have finally saved 13 cononies, 1 of them in fair condition. Rev. A. Telford has only 4 left out of the 84 colonies he had last season. Some reports of foul brood here. Some colonies that were strong last season, and not divided nor extracted, are now sending out swarms. We have had much wind and sudden changes, preventing many bees from returning to their hives, weakening many colonies. The Northern Wiscon- sin liee-Keepers' Association met here on the 20th and 27th ult. It was not well attended but was an interesting meeting, and opened the way for a good meeting this fall at Minneapolis, where the next session is to be held, during the State Fair. Wm. Dyer. Chester, S. C, May 24. 1880. I have 14 colonies of bees in Lang- stroth hives and 10 in box hives. I had a swarm April 5. My bees are doing well now. H. S. Hardin. Emporia, Kan., June 3, 1880. My bees are now doing well. I win- tered 18 colonies on their summer stands without loss. I had 10 swarms in May. I think we shall have a good honey season this year. N. Davis. Guise, France, May 29, 1880. I always read the American Bee Journal with the greatest pleasure, and I peruse its excellent articles before I do those in any other journal pub- lished in Europe. L'Abde L. DuBois. Plymouth, Wis., June 9, 1880. Enclosed find specimens of a bug which is devouring what little bass- wood bloom we would otherwise have. I also send you a sample of their work. Please name the insect and their habits in the American Bee Journal. J. N. McColm. [This is one of the leaf-eating beetles (Dichelonychaelongatula, Say). It feeds on the leaves of various trees. I often get them by the score in jarring the plum trees for the plum curculio.— A. J. Cook.] Linden. N. Y., June 14, 1880. I have 48 colonies of bees in fine con- dition. They did not gather much honey, only enough to keep up brood-rearing, until June 12; since then they have been at work on white clover. I have 30 colonies of hybrids ; they are excel- lent honey-gatherers, but a little crosser than pure Italians. I wintered on the summer stands, packed in planer shav- ings. I lost 3, 2 of them queenless. I transferred 31 of them this spring into movable frame hives. Success to the American Bee Journal. Jas. S. Lord. Greenpoint, N". Y., June 9, 1880. Several plans have been tried for the fertilization of the queen in confine- ment, but as yet none have been tho- roughly successful. I would like some one that has the conveniences to try an idea of mine. As it is the nature of the queen to fly high in the air, where fe- cundation takes place, may not the air at some certain heighth have some in- fluence upon them ? I would take gauze or netting of some kind ; make it about the size and shape of a barrel, keep it in shape with about 3 or 4 hoops, put the queen and drones into it, and hoist it up in the air about 50 or 100 feet, by a flag-staff or some such means. Would not the experiment be worth try- ing ? J. Newton. Salem, Ind., June 7, 1880. Parties from JNashville, Tenn., are here selling the " Golden Bee Hive,1' patented by David Thompson, July 3, 1877. They claim a combination pat- ent covering nearly all the features of any movable frame hive, with division boards, feeders, etc. With many others of the readers of the Bee Journal I wish to have a certified copy of their claims published, so that we may know what their claims are. John Craycraft. [In order to ascertain exactly what Mr. Thompson patented, we sent to Washington for an official copy of the patent. From it we glean the following : " What I claim as new, and desire to secure by letters patent is : The com- bination, with the hive proper of the &*dpplemental hive or box B, feed-board A, feed-cup C, and key and lever E, all arranged substantially as described and shown. David Thompson." It will be seen that this patent does not cover the hive proper (brood cham- ber), nor the frames nor division board. Mr. Thompson only claims the "com- bination " of his surplus arrangement with the hive proper. His surplus ar- rangement consists of small frames of the same length of the brood frames, but about % their depth ; these hang by the top-bar, over the brood frames, and both the frames and their manner of hanging, together with their posi- tion on the hive, are all old, and have long been common property ! The " combination " which Mr. Thompson claims is simply the attaching of his " supplemental hive," or surplus box, to "the hive proper," and he has no claim upon any movable frames, or any of the desirable features of the ordi- nary hives, or upon division boards. His " feeder," " key " and " lever," are the main points in his patent, and these are, perhaps, of the least importance to bee-keepers.— Ed.] Vermillion, Dakota, June 16, 1880. My bees are doing well. I started the season with 38 colonies ; have increased by natural swarming to 70, and will probably have 20 more. Our honey sea- son commences about July 1, and will continue till about Oct. 10. C. G. Shaw. Lebanon, O., June 17, 1880. I have an Olm foundation mill and like it very much. I have already made 300 lbs. of foundation on it. John T. Mardis. Albion, Mich., June 20, 1880. Bees are doing but little here ; it has been too wet and cold, and I bad to feed out more than 100 pounds of honey to keep them alive and the queens laying, and I do not think my 50 colonies have more than 2 lbs. of honey each, and yet they are mostly strong in numbers. The season looks dubious for honey. A. Griffes. [The glorious weather we are having now will work wonders in the line of gathering honey if it is the same in Michigan as here. — Ed.] Coopersburg, Pa., May 24. 1880. My bees came through the winter in very fine condition, and everything looked prosperous, but unless it rains soon our honey crop in this part will be a failure. 1 had a swarm on May 7. Preston J. Kline. Pearl Rock, Iowa, June 10, 1880. I receive the Journal regularly, and from it get much useful knowledge ; first, by its advertisements of the best bee implements, and, second, by writ- ings of such men as Doolittle and oth- ers, who have had much experience in the management of bees. From it I have been led to purchase a Bingham knife and smoker, an Everett extractor, an Olm foundatien machine, a Swiss wax extractor, etc., which are all first class implements. It will pay every- body that keeps bees to take the Bee Journal. We have had the poorest honey-producing June so far that can be ; it has rained excessively. My bees would have starved if they had not had some old honey. I have to feed the new swarms; they cannot make any comb, for there is no honey ; but with the beautiful foundation and feed they go right along with their work. I hope to hear that others have had better times. Thos. Tracy. Macon, 111., May 15, 1880. In the fall of 1878 I had 5 colonies of bees; last fall 11. I had but little sur- plus honey last season. I have never lost a colony in wintering. I use the standard Langstroth hive, and give them »> full frames of honey to winter on. I use division boards, chaff cush- ions on sides and top. I use enameled cloth over the frames, with a wire screen 2}4 in. square in the center; the (•loth is elevated in the center about 2 in. to run the water each side of the cluster of bees. I draw the cloth down over the hive tight, and have the cap lit well. I winter thus on the summer stands, and they are strong 'in the spring. F. J. Sticii. Morrison, 111., June 19, 1880. I have a fine field of alsike clover, and wish to know how to secure the seed. If some one who has had experience with it will write me at once how to do it, I will cheerfully pay them for their trouble, if they wish it, besides thank- ing them. It is the only thing my bees are at work on now. There seems to be no honey in the white clover, as the old roots were mostly winter-killed. I wish I had 10 acres of alsike instead of 2. F. W. Chapman. [Alsike clover should be cultivated the same as the red. The first year it blooms but sparingly, but the second season it is at its best. After the third year it should be sown again, in order to perpetuate the crop. To save the seed allow it to stand about 2 weeks longer than if it were to be cut for hay. Obtain the seed with the aid of a clover h idler. — Ed.] Woodbury, Conn., June 21, 1880. White clover began to show May 26, and bees gathered honey from it about June 8, but were quite slow, and only about as much as they used for breed- ing purposes. The blacks were more frequently seen on it than the Italians ; but about June 5 the Italians were quite freely working on red clover, in which our very dry weather appears to have dwarfed the flower tubes, and the col- onies that had boxes on showed that the Italians would work on the red clover in dry seasons with a good will. I have examined closely into the reason why some people have thought their colonies were queenless when, in fact, they were not, and when the bees show by their actions that there isaqueenpresentand yet no eggs are to be found. In such cases the queen, if found, will show at the end of the abdomen a hard, yellow- ish-white bunch, about the size of a small shot, which gives evidence that the queen is egg-bound and cannot lay. Two weeks since I was called to go about 10 miles southwest to examine a black colony in which a tested Italian queen had been introduced. I found her, after examining carefully for about an hour. All the brood in the hive was capped over, so that she must have been egg-bound for about 10 days. I caught her and held her carefully by the head in my left hand, and, with a sharp nee- dle in my right hand, I laid her side- ways on the edge of the hive, and run the needle through the bunch close to the orifice of the abdomen, and pulled it out. In 2 or 3 days she began to lay again, and is now doing well. This is the 5th case that I have found in the last 2 years, and they were all good pro- lific queens. In 3 of the cases, I tried honey and warm water, and soaking them in warm water, but to no purpose. In the last 2 cases, I used the needle with perfect success. It is of no use to as much as 1878. The market so far has cleaned up for local and Eastern shipments. Buyers fur European markets are waiting for lower figures for extracted. We quote : HONE Y-Comb, 126 15c; Extracted, 5ruggUt«, °r «ent by Dr. B. J. Kendall & Co., Enosburg Falls, Vermont. FULLER & FULLER, 22 Market street, and VAN SCHAACK, STEVENSON & CO., 92 Lake street. Agents, Chicago, 111. 8yl Special Notice. HAVING purchased the department of Bee-Keep- ers' Supplies heretofore connected with the American Bee Journal, I hope to receive a continu- ance of the patronage bestowed upon the late Arm. I have presided over this department in the past as business manager, and my best recommendation to the bee-keeping fraternity is the former reputation of Thomas G. Newman & Son for promptness and reliability. ALFRED H. NEWMAN, 1»7« West Madison Street, Chicago, III. Implements for the Apiary, JS^Catalogues sent on application..^ Atomizers (postage 30 cents extra) $1 00 Bees— Full Colonies of Italians 10 00 Bee Feeders— Shuck's, by mail 30 Novice's, " 10 Kretchmer's, *' 35 Van Deusen's " 75 Bee Veils— complete face protection, by mail, 50 Binders for Journal or any bee paper, by mail 50@ 75 Cases— Material to hold 3 Prize Boxes, per 100, 2 50 "2 " " . . 2 00 " " 8 small sections,per 100. 2 5(1 Sample of 2 or 3 box case ( postage 25c extra) 20 " 8 box case (postage 50c. extra) 25 Comb Foundation— Sample by mail 10 Any kind, 1 to 25 lbs., boxed, per lb 42 Vail Deusen's Wired and Thin, per lb H2 Dunham Thin 52 Machines to make it, see Catalogue Comb Honey Backs— Sample with boxes and separators, complete— nailed 1 00 Material for 50 Racks, without boxes. &c 5 00 Family Counter Scales, % ounce to 25 lbs. . 3 00 Foot Power Saws, see Catalogue 35 00 to 50 00 Gearing; for honey extractors 1 50 Glass for honey boxes, 5x6, per box of 240 lights 3 00 Hives— Standard Langstroth. No. 1— Brood chamber, 10 frames, portico, 7f^ inch cap, but no surplus arrangement 1 25 No. 2— Same as No. 1, with Comb Honey Rack, complete 2 00 No. 3— Same as No. 1, but having 20 frames and Comb Honey Rack— complete 3 story hive 2 50 No. 4— Brood Chamber, 10 frames, and 7-inch story, with 7 cases containing Prize Boxes and tin Separators, for surplus honey, with 2-inch cap 2 25 No. 5— Same as No. 4, but having a second story containing 10 extra frames, a complete 3 story hive 2 50 No. 6— Brood Chamber, with second story containing 10 extra frames for extrac- ting, and 2-inch cap 1 75 Standard Langstroth Hives— Ready to Nail. Quantity. No. 1. No. 2. No. 3. No. 4. No. 5. No.6 5 hives, each. . ,95. . . .1.4".. . . .1.75. . . .1.60. . . .1.85. . . .1.25 10 hives, each. . .'.)0. . . .1.40. . . .1.70. . . .1.55. . . .1.80. . . .1.20 25 hives, eaeh. . .85. . . .1.85. . . .1.65. . . .1.50. . . .1.75. . . .1.15 50 hives, each. . .80. . . .1.30. . . .1.60. . . .1.45. . . .1.70. . . .1.10 100 hives, each. . .75. . . .1.25. . . .1.55. . . .1.40. . . .1.65. . . .1.05 Hives— New Langstroth, with Manipulating Side. For New Langstroth. Nos. 1,2,4 and 5 add 50c, and for Nos. 3 and 6 add 75c. to prices given for Standard Langstroth. If painted, add 50 cents more per hive. New Langstroth Hives— Ready to Nail. Quantity. No. 1. No. 2. No. 3. No. 4 No. 5. No.6 5 hives, each. .1.25. . . .1.75. . . .2.05. . . .1.90. . . .2.15. . . .1.60 lOhtves, each. .1.20.... 1.70.... 2.00.... 1.85.,.. 2.10.... 1.65 25 hives, each. .1.10. . . .1.60. . . .1.90. . . .1.80. . . .2.05. . . .1.50 50 hives, each. .1.05. . . .1.56. . . .1.85. . . .1.75. . . .2.00. . . .1.45 100 hives, each. .1.00. . . .1.50. . . .1.80. . . .1.70. . . .1.95. . . .1.40 All Langstroth hives have Metal Rabbets for frames to rest on. Hives -Doolittle's 2-story Hive, complete 4 50 Hill's Winter-Hive, complete 3 00 North Star Hive, with Surplus Arrangement 3 00 Worrall's Centennial Hive, complete 5 00 Honey Extractors- Excelsior— for 2 Langstroth frames, 10x18. . . $9 00 for2 American frames, 13x13.... 9 00 for 2 frames, 13x20 or less 12 00 for 3 12 00 fori 14 00 Novice's— for 2 Gallup frames 7 50 for 2 American frames 7 75 for 2 Langstroth frames 8 00 for 2 frames of any size 9 00 Muth's— for 2 frames of any size 15 00 Everett's— for 2 frames of any size 10 00 Some of older styles offered from SK5 to StilO. Honey Gates 75 Honey Jars (common square), per gross, 1-lb 6 50 K' 2-Ib... 8 50 Honey-box Caps, Moore's, per 100 1 25 Honey Eabels, per 1,000 1 00 to 4 00 Honey Knives— Muth's, each 50 Bingham & Hetherington's 1 00 with Cap-Catcher, complete 1 25 SchoHeld's.Novice's, Murphy's or Chapman's 75 If wanted by mail, each, 15 cents extra. Kretchmer's Metal Bearings, per 100, by mail 15 Novice's Metal Corners, per 100 50 Novice's Transferring Clasps, per 100 25 Sent by mail for 10 cents extra. Queens— Tested Italian 2 50 in 1-frame nucleus 4 50 in 2- frame nucleus 5 00 Qneen Cages— Harris' Mailing & Introducing 10 Hastings' Mailing, not provisioned lo Novice's, Scovell's, and others 10 any of them, per dozen, by express 1 00 Queen Registering Cards, per doz., by mail 10 Rubber Gloves per pair, by mail 1 75 Scissors for clipping queens' wings, by mail... 50 Sections all in one piece, 4Hxil4, per 1000.. 7 00 Sections all in one piece, 5Mx6M, Per 1000 7 50 Sections, ready to nail, Vixili or5%x6J4: sample, by mail 5 narrow top-bars, 500 for *3.50 ; 1000 for 6 00 wide top-bars, 500 for $4.00 ; 1000 for 7 00 Sections, dovetailed : 4Mx4'4, 500 for $3.50 ; 1000 for 6 00 5^x6M, 500 for $4.00 : 1000 for 7 00 For odd sizes and smaller lots, see Catalogue. Seeds for Honey Plants : Clovers (White. Melilot or Alsike), per peck 4 25 Any of the above, by express, per lb 30 Catnip per oz., 10c; per lb. 1 00 Chinese Mustard " 10c; " 100 Mignonette " 20c; " 2 00 Motherwort " 10c; " 100 Borage " 10c; " 100 Spider Plant " 25c; " 3 00 Basswood " 75 Imported Bokhara Clover " 50 Summer Rape " 20 Silver Hull Buckwheat " 20 Teasel " 75 Cleome, Rocky Mountain Bee Plant, per oz. 25 If sent by mail, add 20c. per lb. for postage. Shipping Crates-Material, per 100 9 00 Sample Crate, flat, and 1 Prize Box 25 Sample Crate and 12 boxes nailed, no glass. . 50 Slates— Sample by mail, 10c; 50 by express 1 50 Smokers— Bingham's, by mail 1 00, 1 25, 1 50 1 75 New Quinby, " 125 150 Scovell Cold-Blast, " 125 Sutliff's, " 2 00 Tin Separators, per 100 3 00 to 3 50 Tin Points, for glassing, per 1,000, by mail.... 50 Wax Extractor (boiler 75c extra) 3 25 Whitman's Fountain Pump 8 50 Wire Cloth for extractor, tinned, per sq. ft. . . 15 for queen cages, 12 painted— 14 meshes to 1 inch " B3^~ Send by Postal Money Order, Draft or Regis- tered Letter at my risk. ALFRED H. NEWMAN, »73 West Madison St., CHICAGO, ILL. HONEY WANTED.— I desire to purchase sev- eral barrels of dark extracted honey, and a few of light; also. Comb Honey. Those having any for sale are invited to correspond, giving particulars. ALFRED H. NEWMAN, 972 West Madison Street, Chicago, 111. 350 DAD ANT & SON COLONIES, With Imported Tested Italian Queen $13 00 " Home-bred " " " 9 00 Hybrids or blacks in movable-frame or box hives. Have wintered over 100 IMPORTED QUEENS, and will continue to receive two shipments every month, from May to September. Root and Dunham Foundation. The purest and brightest yellow foundation made. Hives, Extractors, Uncapping Cans, Veils, Smokers, Pails, Jars. Knives, etc. Send your name on a postal card for circular and sample of foundation free. CHAS. DADANT & SON, 3-8 Hamilton, Hancock Co., 111. 18SO.— — 1880. Italian Queens, Nuclei, &c. Single Queen, Tested $2.00 Untested (laying) 1.00 By the dozen, 10 per cent, off of above prices. Queens sent by mail and postage prepaid. 3 frame Nucleus, Untested Queen $3.00 2 frame Nucleus, Untested Queen 2.50 1 frame Nucleus, Untested Queen 2.00 S frame Colony, Untested Queen 6.00 Sent by Express. Send money by P. O. Order or Registered Letter. Address, W. P. HENBERSON, 3-8 Murfreesboro. Tenn. EVERETT'S Honey Extractors and Everett Langstroth Hives a specialty. We challenge eompe- tion in price and quality. Our circular and price list of apiarian supplies, Italian Bees and high-class poul- ltry sent free. EVERETT BROS., Toledo, O. Scovell's Eureka Cold-Blast Bee Smoker is Boss.— It is a cold-blast or a hot-blast, both at once or separately, at the will of the operator. It is the only cold-blast smoker on the market that has no tubes or other complicated machinery in the tire bar- rel to interfere with filling or cleaning. Large size bellows 5J.ixtj^4 inches ; fire barrel, '2)4 inches. Price SSl.OO; By mail *1.35. Send for illustrated descriptive catalogue and price list of hives, implements and supplies used in bee culture. Address, SCOVELL es are not doing very well in this locality. F. N. Spear. Spider Plant. Big River Mills, Mo., June 29, 1880. Bees have done well here considering their weak condition in the spring, caused by the drought last summer and the cold wind and rain so prevalent this spring. Spider plant grows abundantly in southeastern Missouri, in neglected fields, and produces honey abundantly for a few hours in the morning. When it is in bloom the air is filled with bees, even before it is light enough to see them. It sometimes grows 4 or 5 feet high with brandling top; it seeds largely, but it dies root and branch each year. Mr. O. H. Townsend has our thanks for his article on how to rear good queens ; now tell us the compo- nent parts of royal jelly, and we may experiment more in this direction. S. G. Haile. Honey Crop an Entire Failnre. Monmouth, 111., July 12, 1880. This has heen to me the most dis- couraging bee year I ever experienced. Not a drop of surplus honey, either comb or extracted, and I can find at least i20 colonies in my apiary with not to exceed a quart of honey in all. I lost a good many colonies by feeding crude or unrefined grape sugar the last of the winter, and others direct from spring dwindling. At no time since winter, except a few days in fruit bloom, have colonies been able to make a living un- less they were extra strong, and hardly then. The old clover (white) was win- ter-killed. What we have had is from seed, and it does not appear to contain honey. T. G. McGaw. Introducing Virgin Queens. 1 would like to have some instruc- tions on introducing virgin queens. I have lost about % of my queen cells and young queens so far this season. I am a beginner. S. G. Haile. [The introduction of virgin queens is always attended with great risk, and few. if any, of the most experienced bee-keepers have met with uniform suc- cess. If your colony has been long queenless, introduce a frame of larva? and sealed brood, on which is a well- advanced queen-cell, or into which one has been engrafted. If you wish to supersede a queen with a cell, remove her in the evening ; 24 hours after, de- stroy all cells, and insert a ripe cell in the centre comb. — Ed.] Spring Feeding and Honey Crop. Theilmanton, Minn., July 11, 1880. On June 10 I had to feed my bees ; they were without honey and very weak for want of food up to the 20th; from that day they made their living and in- creased weight a little up to the 29th, when basswood commenced to bloom. They also started to swarm again— the l«i old colonies that 1 have at my ware- house increased to 34; I did not have to feed them. I did not get any swarms from the 107 colonies at my home, though the most of them are getting very strong, and nearly all of them have tilled their hives. Quite a number have gathered from 20 to 30 lbs. of surplus, and some of the young swarms have tilled their hives and 30 lbs. surplus. Basswood has been yielding honey since July 1 ; the trees are loaded yet, and the bees are very busy to-day, even in the rain showers which we are having. The basswood will probably last another 3 or 4 days ; the honey is of the very best quality (very thick). I extracted some yesterday. I have never seen such a flow of "basswood honey here before. Some of my young swarms filled the combs which I gave them the first day (about % of frames contained comb). C. THEIL31ANN. Fertile Workers. South Stockton, N. Y., July 12, 1880. I would like to give you my experi- ence in fertile workers. Mr. C. F. Muth in his correction to the report of the Lexington, Ky., Convention, in the July number, speaking of fertile workers, says: ".I have never seen one, and do not believe that any one else has." In 1878 I hived a second swarm, and in about a week I looked in and found they were building nothing but drone comb, and this was well filled with eggs, being from 1 to six in a cell. While looking at them I saw a bee backed into a cell up to its wings. I pinched its head, thinking I had found the laying worker, and closed the hive. In a few days I opened it again, and to my surprise I saw and killed 3 more in the same way. Were they all layers? If not, what wrere they doing V I destroyed them by giving them 3 frames of hatching brood and a queen cell about 10 days old. My neighbor destroyed one, by hiving in a small after swarm. I am very much pleased with the American Bee Jour- nal,, and wish it success. Bees are now doing well in this locality. Basswood is in full bloom. I have 27 colonies ; lost 16 last winter and this spring. W. H. Wakeman. [These were evidently fertile work- ers; as they look just like any other bees it is difficult to find them, unless seen in the act of depositing eggs, or discovered by the action of the bees to- wards them. — Ed.] Bees Working on Red Clover. Bloomtield, Ind., July 14, 1880. The honey harvest here has closed. There has been good pasturage, but my bees were transferred so late they did not gather much surplus. Black bees worked on red clover here in 1879 and this summer. In 1879 the drought caused the blossoms to be very small, and they worked on the first crop but not on the second. This summer the blossoms were as large as common, and they work nearly as much as on white clover. John C. Gilliland. Crop Report—Appreciates the Journal. Union Point, Ga., July 5, 1880. I cannot get along without the Amer- ican Bee Journal. When it comes I am not fit for anything till I have read it through. The honey crop so far is a complete failure. I have obtained only 29 lbs. from 55 colonies. My best wishes for the success of the Bee Journal. J. F. Hart. Plenty of Bees, but no Honey. West Liberty, O., Jidy 13, 1880. My 31 colonies of Italian and hybrid bees will not store enough surplus honey to pay expenses. I never had my hives so full of bees and brood since I have been in the business. There is plenty of white clover, but still they gather no honey. There are bees enough in each hive to make two good colonies, and plenty of room for storing honey. What had I better do V Success to the American Bee Journal. L. Z. Lantz. [There is probably very little nectar secreted in the white clover, and they cannot store that which is not to had. Were the brood chambers full, we might suppose they were averse to working in the sections, and recommend a most liberal use of the extractor. — Ed.] Good Prospect for Honey. Kane, 111., June 22, 1880. I prepared all my bees for winter on Oct. 25, 1879, on their summer stands, 16 colonies in all, in Armstrong's cen- tennial hives. I weighed the bees, comb and honey, which weighed per hive, in pounds, respectively : 21, 21, 13, 20, 18, 13, 20, 13, 10, 14, 10, 10, 9, 12, 12, 11. On the same day I crammed clean rags and pieces of carpet between the divis- ion boards, and piled on the top of the brood chamber, and I made holes through each comb. In January and February last I fed each of 9 colonies with 4 pounds syrup made of A sugar and soft water with apple vinegar enough to keep the syrup from grain- ing. No. 6 had a 4-year old queen : she died in February. The queen in No. 8 was 1 year old, and died in March, all leaving brood in good condition. April 21, 1880, 1 overhauled them and took the rags away from each hive ; they were all dry and nice, not one speck of mold or damp was found, nor moth. They had plenty of hatching brood. No. 10 contained a beautiful Italian queen I received Aug. 7 of H. Alley. No. 10 weighed 14 lbs. on Oct. 25. I had to move it out of my apiary, for when the weather was cool, the Italians would visit black hives early in the morning and rob them. Rains and frost in time of apple bloom were so numerous that it did little good for the bees ; about all the old white clover was killed in the winter. The young clover is very thick ; I do not think it will bloom much this season. There is not much linden here ; it is in bloom now. The bees are now busily working on the timothy bloom. The hearts-ease (or smart weed) is beginning to bloom. We have plenty of good rains, and that is hurrying the Spanish needle and figwort. The prospects now are that we have a splendid honey harvest in the fall, and my bees are all in good condition, plenty of brood, drones and workers, and yet I have had no swarms this season. The loss of bees in this neighborhood, last year, was about 75 per cent. I am the only one in this neighborhood that had suc- cess the past winter, and I am the only subscriber here to the American Bee Journal. I read and I heed it. It is- good enough for me. Without it I should be in despair ; so pay no attention to demagogues. R. M. Osborn. Queen Cage—Albino Bees. Double Pipe Creek, Md., July 5, 1880. I mail you one of my introducing queen cages. You will notice there are 2 doors in it — the one is filled and cov- ered with candy. All that is necessary is to remove the cover and place the cage on the frames and let the bees eat out the candy and liberate the queen. I have not lost a virgin queen with them yet. I think it is the very thing for be- ginners. I also put in it a few of my albino worker bees and 2 drones. I will give the origin of them when I have more time. S. Valentine. [The cage is good enough, but it does not conform to the letter of the postal law, not having a " double wire screen. 'r The "albinos" are very " pretty," but we have them just as handsome, and much larger. Perhaps Mr. V. also has. larger ones. — Ed.] Poor Prospect for Honey. Clear Point, Ark., June 18, 1880. Bees wintered well here, but did not swarm any. I wintered 25 colonies, and obtained 3 swarms ; 2 of them left for parts unknown. Bees have gathered very little honey so far ; they are work- ing on sumac now, with prospect for a little honey. Italians are doing better than the blacks. D. F. Kissinger. Correspondence* For tbe American Bee Journal. Hiving Swarms and Various Matters. G. M. DOOLITTLE. I see in Gleanings for July that A. I. Eoot thinks it strange that Mr. Willows' swarm of bees should have returned to the parent colony after being placed in a hive containing a frame of brood : as if a frame of unsealed brood was a sure preventive of a swarm leaving a hive wherein it was put. I have every rea- son to believe that such brood is no pre- vention at all, although such a course has been recommended through the press for years. Up to 1871 1 had clipped no queens' wings, and had hived my swarms in empty hives. During the spring of 1871 I read of this plan of putting a frame of brood in the hive the bees were to be placed in, to make them stay at all times. Consequently, the first swarm I had (a large one) I placed in a hive con- taining a frame of brood in all stages. The swarm was hived at 2 p. m., and be- fore 9 o'clock the next morning it came out and decamped for parts unknown, leaving a handful of bees, two small pieces of new comb, and the frame of brood with queen-cells started and eggs laid in them. Then I thought, why do Dees swarm except to leave the brood contained in the old hive with queen- cells, so that the bees remaining with the brood could still continue the exist- ence of the old colony. So I had been placing in their new home just what they had swarmed from in their old one, except the queen-cells which they see fit to add, thus placing them in a similar condition to that which they sustained before— they not realizing the difference between one frame or many. If I had filled the hive with empty combs except this one frame the case would have been different, as then it would have been like adding plenty of empty combs as we do in extracting. 1 have many times verified the truth of Mr. Quinhy's statement, that al- though tin- amount of 2,000 cubic inches of comb be placed in a barrel or box of 4 limes its size, yet the bees will gener- ally swarm before they will build any new comb : while if the whole space be tilled with comb, they will rarely swarm. 1 have had swarms leave unsealed brood several times since 1871, under similar conditions, yet. as I have clipped all queens' wings since then, I have sus- ained no loss as regards swarms leav- ing. However, swarms hived with a frame of brood will generally stay, but this is not an absolute rule. 'Still, this was not the trouble with Mr. Willows1 bees, as he says they were quiet about 15 minutes after being hived, when they came out and returned to the old hive. This proves that they had no queen with them, for brood will not satisfy bees which swarm with a fertile queen, as they will go back to the old hive to find her as soon as fully aware of her absence. I once tried letting the old queen go back in the old hive, and putting a vir- gin queen with the swarm while they were clustered on the limb, after which I hived them ; but it would not do. Back they would come to their old hive, leaving my virgin queen clustered in a ball of bees. By rearing queens in nu- clei, and after fertile giving them to swarms as above, I have succeeded quite often, but not always. Seeing I have friend Root's ear, I wish to say a little more. On page 340 same number of Gleanings, Novice has much to say about charity for our fellow men, while right on the same page I find these words : " I would burn up the best hive I ever saw or heard of, or give it to the first man who would wheel it away without asking questions, if it did not hold the regular standard Lang- stroth frame." It is a pity friend Root could not have said so at the time he w^as sending his " Standard " hives and frames over the country, instead of nowr saying : " The quicker you throw them away and commence in the beaten track with the rest of the world the better." Does he not know that all these things cost money, and for Prof. Cook and myself to throw away our hives would cost us quite a sacrifice to make up for his lack of charity toward anything but the " standard Langstroth frame ?" It was said that Greeley, through the New York Tribune, forced the Army of the Potomac on to the battle of Bull Run and defeat, as Gree- ley, through the Tribune, so influenced the minds of the people that President Lincoln was compelled, as it were, to order the army on to this battle. So Novice, through Gleanings, has his influ- ence overnearly 5,000 people on the hive question, and if he sees fit to tell these people that the " standard Langstroth frame" is the frame, and none other, we who use the Gallup, Quinby and other frames, will try to have much charity for him and those he really forces, through Gleanings, to use nothing but the Langstroth frame. Borodino, N. Y., July, 1880. 372 From the London Journal of Horticulture. New Method for Preventing Sagging. FRANK R. CHESHIRE. I have already pointed out that the grubs were killed by contact with the metal threads in wired comb founda- tion, and further observation has shown me that the loss to the bees, if the for- mer are not removed, is far in excess of what I had at first supposed, since eggs are almost certain to be laid pretty quickly after the clearing out of the dead remains, the grubs hatching there- from dying generally after being fed up to half size or little more. Those who know how greatly profitableness is in- terfered with by an undue number of drones will perceive the gravity of the .evil in this leak of life labor and en- ergy. To get rid of the wires is imper- ative, and my first efforts took the form of endeavoring to remove from below by pincers ; but I was met by two dif- ficulties—one the loss of form to the comb, the other breaking of the wire. Of these I found it impossible to re- move more than 1 in 3, and since I be- lieve there is but one kind of wired foundation in use in England* none here are likely to be much more success- ful in this particular than myself. I had not up to this point placed my foun- dation in the frames as transatlantic authorities recommend, because I felt that if this were indeed the only plan the utility of wired foundation was dis- proved en avance. In short to give an idea of the involved trouble let me say that boring holes in the top bar oppo- site to the wires, clearing away the wax to expose about an inch of these, and then drawing them through and getting ready for insertion in the hive, occupied me 21 minutes, a period which practice would not greatly reduce, as thin wires are broken by any rough usage in a moment. After all this labor, waiting until the comb was nicely formed, I met the most complete failure, for all the wires but 4 broke in my attempt to draw them out, and the four which I removed literally crumpled up the comb as you would crumple up a letter for the waste-paper basket. With fur- ther trials I met the same results. No wonder Mr. Betsinger at the North- eastern Convention of Bee-Keepers, held last February, said : " A year ago at the National Convention held at New York I offered $50 to any one who would present me with a *In America some put foundation on the wire after the latter has been stretched in the frame; the two are then pressed together. This form may admit of extraction of wires with greater ease. square foot of foundation on wire that was perfect, but no one has done it." Without at present making more than a passing reference to the unnaturalness and waste involved in the fiat-bottomed cell, a matter which I wish to look at from its mathematical side another time, I am pleased to be able to say that I have already had successes in some experiments I have been trying, which must deliver us, if nothing more, from any necessity for wires or flat mid-ribs. Glue, as most of us know, can be used successfully in fastening combs. Tak- ing my cue from this, i at flrst tried some ordinary fine sewing cotton, dipped it in thin glue, placed it on the face of the foundation in perpendicular lines about \% inches apart and gently passed the finger along it to bring it into contact with the edges of the incipient cell walls, and when dry placed it in the center of one of my strongest colonies, a position which would certainly have caused half an inch elongation in the sheet if unassisted. The bees worked it beautifully ; no sagging occurred, but contrary to my expectation, the bees were unable to attack the glued cot- ton. They built it into the fronts of the cells near to the base of course. As the comb was half built, pulling out the cot- tons torn away little of the walls of those cells through which they passed, which the bees in an hour or two re- paired perfectly, and we were already altogether ahead of wired foundation, the labor not being one tithe of that in- volved in drawing out, or rather trying to draw out, the wires, leaving the troublesome fixing into the frame out of view. The cell bases in properly formed foundation are never perpendicular, but the weight of bees and wax is al- ways tending to bring them to this po- sition, hence the sagging ; but the cot- tons acted as a bow string upon the bow, and prevented the points of attach- ment from receding from each other. The beau ideal, it appeared to me, would be reached could we find something which the bees could remove as the comb progressed. To this end I have been and am still experimenting with hair, ravelling, cotton, silk and thread, fixed by gum, glue, wax, shoemakers' wax, and varnish, and have so far succeeded that it is only now necessary to deter- mine which fiber and fixing are uni- formly most desirable. Any of these it seems to me, pressed into the comb during its manufacture must fail without the flat bottoms are used, be- cause as its fiber runs to the right and left of the perpendicular in every cell diameter it simply without stretching assumes a straighter line as the comb drops without in any way sustaining it. I -will report further in the future of my experiments ; but another plan lias given me perfect results, and this I be- lieve, will l>c very largely adopted. I soldered 5 pins by their heads to a piece of fine brass wire at intervals of about 1 inch or a little more, and then turned the wire at the end to a right angle, so that the arrangement looked not unlike a tiny rake head with 6 teeth. Half a dozen of these were pre- pared, and when the foundation (I use that Mr. Raitt supplies— I mention this as it is best known amongst us) had been waxed in the frame and the pins all cut down toabout half an inch in length, the turned ends of the wire wentover the top bar at regular intervals, and the cut pinswere pressed through the foun- dation, as it stood on the board used in waxing. The whole was lifted, and so linn was it that while the frame was held horizontally the foundation kept its po- sition. It' was given as before to a strong colony. When half w7orked the little rakes were removed, and the fine holes each left were invisible in an examination made half an hour af- terwards. The comb is most perfect, no disposition to turn at the corners — the one fault of all foundation I have ever seen — the rakes preventing any movement. I can only now add I shall name these wire arrangements " foun- dation rakes. Acton, London, England. Translated from L'Apicoltore by Chas. Dadartt. Journey to Cyprus and the East. GUISEPFE FIORINI. On Thursday. Xov. 13, 1879, at 2 p. m., I bade farewell to my family, and started for Venice, Mestre,Trevisa, Udine.and reached Trieste at 1 a. m.of the follow- ing day, In the morning I wrote tomy wife, and to Count Barbo, informing him of the journey I had just underta- ken. At 12 o'clock punctually the steamer Austria, on which I took pass- age, raised her anchor and sheered off. We roasted along Tetra and Dalma- tia. It was an uninterrupted succession of small villages and of charming pano- ramas, and a continual display of all that is beautiful and smiling in nature. As I had not vet traveled by sea. but from Venice to Chiagga, through the lagoons, I was delighted by so marvel- lous a sight, which detained me till 5; ami. after supper. I returned to my place, where I remained till the night had heroine so dark that I had to repair to my cabin, where 1 dreamed of Cyp- rian bees and bee-hives. On Sunday we coasted Lissa, where I sent a sad salutation to the valiants of 1866, who died so miserably, but not quite in vain. On Monday, 17th, at 7 a. m., we reached Corfu, where our anchor was lowered. There the Greeks hastened with fruits, grapes and a great quantity of oranges and woodcocks. I sawvery little of the island, for in less than 2 hours the merchandise having been un- loaded and boarded, the anchor was raised, and the Austria resumed her journey. On Tuesday forenoon the sea (quiet so far) threatened to become stormy. The storm was foreseen by the seamen, and the preparations be- gan. For some time the height of the waves increased, the wind blowed and the passengers suffered. I was among the most fortunate, yet I had to pay my tribute to the treacherous element. At daybreak on the 19th we passed by the Island of Candia. Then the sea began again to be agitated, and it was stormy till Thursday, the 20th, when we arrived at the port of Alexandria. An Arabian pilot came in his skiff and took posses- sion of and directed the ship. We landed at 9 o'clock. I have no room here to describe the place and the clothing, but how can I be silent about the feelings of a traveler seeing such a quantity of white dresses, of angular profiles of the proud inhabi- tants? What a battle of skiffs and steamers ! What a forest of commer- cial ships from every nation ! What numbers of workmen'! What a strange mixture of voices and languages ! What active life, which announces the neigh- borhood of a great business center — Alexandria ! After landing, how not notice such a fantastic aggregation, so different from ours. The palm, the date- trees, the banana. After the examination of the pass- ports, I reached the land in company with an acquaintance made during the journey. We took a carriage drawn by two Arabian horses, rather small, but which rushed witli great speed. Either by the skill of the driver, or by the good training of the horses, they trotted witli an admirable gait, and maintained the same speed in the middle of people, baggage, wagons, carriages, etc. At last we reached a hotel in front of the post- office. After dinner, I inquired if there were any bee-keepers in the city. There were none but in distant villages. Yet. when passing by an umbrella store, I went in to purchase one — a necessary implement in that country— and noticing that the seller spoke French, I made new in- quiries and was directed to Pierre Thierrard, a gardener who lives not far from my hotel, where I would rind a few bee hives. I hastened, and found 9 colo- nies, in large earthern jars, of about 20 litres of capacity (5 gallons), and made similar to the ones in which we put lard, and with their opening below, on a wide board. I took a few of these bees and put them in a small phial of alcohol. At the office of the Lloyds I was told that the steamers visit Lanarca only every 15 days. This fact was for me a grave contretemps, for 8 days in the island of Cyprus were sufficient, since I had already 6 colonies bought and waiting for me. Then remembering the description I had read and heard of Jerusalem and of the Holy Land, and knowing that the far-famed city was but 48 miles distant from Jaffa (point of passage to Lanarca) I determined to spend 8 clays in visiting these lands, re- serving 8 days for my visit to Cyprus Island. I therefore left Alexandria and reached Port Said on Sunday, the 22d, at about 8 a. m. Then a pilot came on a small steamer and took the direction of the ship towards the port, where I saw several men-of-war, English, Tur- kish and of every other nation. On a French steamer, just arrived, was a brother of the Viceroy of Egypt, going to India, who was received with sover- eign honors by the Turkish man-of-war, which discharged 21 guns, while a troop of soldiers, well clothed and armed, were ranged on the shore. A two-oared skiff conveyed me in the canal of Suez. There were in the neighborhood neither bees nor bee-keepers, for bees would perish on such a heap of sand. At 4 p. m., we left Port Said for the old city of Jaffa, which we reached at 8 a. m. on Sunday, the 23d. This city offers from the sea a splendid sight ; but it is deception, for as soon as I entered I found nothing but hovels or huts. The very air seems to be vitiated. The streets are narrow and filthy. Either by my fault, or from the fault of others who were unable to understand me, or refused to understand, it was im- possible to find a bee-keeper. Yet I took some bees on the market while they were sucking dates and grapes and put them in alcohol. The country around Jaffa enjoys a luxuriant vegetation; the gardens are splendid. For 2 miles and more all around are groves of orange, lemon and citron trees. I measured a fruit of the latter kind, which had 25 centimeters of length (about 9 inches). As these orchards never are watered by rain, the inhabitants use hydraulic machines called norias. The water is kept in large basins, stocked with small colored fishes. The orchards, on account of their sandy soil, are small, and are watered in the evening. They are enclosed with hedges of Indian fig trees, which are very close and impenetrable. Contin- uing my journey through Kamble, I saw a road 2 kilometers long (1)4 miles), and bordered with acacia hedges, which exuded a very sweet odor. What a pasture for bees. At Ramble I visited the apiary of the Franciscan Fathers. They use earth- en hives, about 35 to 40 centimeters long and 18 to 20 wide (l1^ ft.xS1^ in.). One of the ends is conic, with a hole to the point for the passage of the bees. The other end is shut up with a disc of stone corked with dirt. They take out the honey from this part. The sides are placed horizontally, and the apiary faces the east. From this apiary I took also a few bees to put in alcohol. I remained at Ramble over night, and started for Jerusalem in a carriage. But I cannot advise any one to use such a conveyance, for it is much less safe than the saddle. In these countries the roads are impassable, rocky and very steep ; the carriages not very solid ; the horses are good, it is true, but very poorly har- nessed by their owners, who generally are Prussian. Like every city belonging to Turkey, Jerusalem shows to the traveler a gloomy spectacle. It is no more the city sung of by the Prophets ; the city, with its 5 hills, is 779 meters high above the sea ; it is a confused agglomeration of dwellings, with narrow and ill-paved streets, having no foot-paths. Around Jerusalem I found 2 bee- keepers, with hives similar to those of the Franciscans of Ramble. These hives faced the south. At the ava ma- rie of Nov. 2S I was on the Mount of Olives, where I collected 3 bees on the flowers of rosemarys. From Jerusalem I went to Bethlehem. I visited the "■ Castle of the Cows," so named because the cows of Solomon were kept there by the Baschi-Bazar. In this castle I found 200 hives similar to those of the Franciscans. I saw one of the colonies attacked by hornets, which were fighting to rob the contents of the hive. These hornets are the color of coffee, with the point of their abdo- men white. The hives were turned to- wards the south and west. I took also there a few bees for my phial of alcohol. From the "Castle of the Cows" I went to St. John in the mountain. There I saw an apiary of about 50 colo- nies, with hives of the same material, shape and capacity as the others. 375 On Monday, Dec. 1, 1 returned from Jerusalem to Jaffa, and took passage on the steamer Oreste. At 4 o'clock I left for Beyrout, and reached the latter port at 0 a. in. the following day. I left the ship for the lovely Beyrout to take a little rest and see as much as possible •of a city very little more civilized than Jaffa. I was unable to find bee-keepers around t lie city, yet I gathered a few bees on the fruits of the market. Then 1 repaired to the office of the English Consul, and gave 24 lire ($5) for my pas- sage to Lanarca. where I arrived at 7 <>n the morning of Dec. 3. Cyprus Island contains about 4,200 square miles and 240,000 inhabitants, centered in 4 cities— Lanarca, Nicoda (capital, with 24,000 inhabitants), Lim- assol and Famagosta. There are also about 600 villages. The English are improving the island. They have en- larged the fort, constructed a road from Lanarca to Nicosia, and work now to connect Lanarca to Limassol by a car- riage road. The farms have already doubled in price, but the taxes are also doubled, and the cost of living has greatly ■increased. The land is very fertile. The wheat in the watered spots gives 30 seeds for one, and the barley 50. The caroube is one of the best producers of t he land. The area of cultivated land is but 1-7 of the total superfices. Several kinds of reptiles crawl in the fields— among them is the phalarginni ; the reapers during harvest attach small bells to their feet in order to frighten these pests. Lanarca, situated at about a kilome- ter from the sea, is a poor city of 12,000 inhabitants. With the exception of a few new buildings, the postoffice, a few hotels, the houses are made with sun- dried earth built with dirt. The roofs of dirt are supported by beams ; they are about level, so that rain can easily run through. Our Italian Consul told me that when it rains the inhabitants use umbrellas in the houses. These poor hovels are but 1 story high. Two years ago, during winter, 200 of these hovels gave way in Lanarca. After a visit to the postoifice, where the longing for news from my family directed me first, I hastened to see the colonies that I had ordered to be bought for me last October. I saw the 6 colo- nies, and cannot tell the pleasure I ex- perienced. The hives are cylindrical and made with earth 2 centimeters thick, with a border outside of both the apertures, 60 or 65 centimeters long, 20 to 22 wide ; they have 3 projections inside to receive a disc of soft stone, which closes the aperture. In one of the stones a small hole is made for the entrance of the bees. There is in the Island another kind of earthern hive, cylindrical also, with crossed sticks, but they are not very solid. In Cyprus, as well as in Egypt, the hives are placed horizontally, and turned towards the south ; but they are far from the houses in open apiaries. I had no time to spare, and I began to work. I ordered 3 double hives for the transportation, and, of course, I had to overlook their manufacturing. On Friday I began to hunt for colonies (for I intended to bring a good many with me on my return to Italy) with an in- habitant who fluently spoke both Greek and Italian, and a muleteer. We char- tered each of us a mule, and went to the village of Avdellero, about 6 leagues from Lanarca. There we visited the owner of an apiary, who, after great difficulties and persistent prayers of the muleteer, consented to show me 2 of his numerous colonies— only 2. I asked the price, and received for answer that he would not sell 1 of his colonies for whatever money I could offer, for the other bees would follow to Europe the colonies sold. Then he gathered some dry cow-dung, put it on some burning charcoal, smoked his hives and shut them up, to prevent the bees from fol- lowing me. After this first fiasco, we repaired to a hovel, that pretended to be a hotel, and, upon a painted table, we were served with some eatables, pre- pared Turkish fashion, and sugared wine. As soon as the saddles were again put on the backs of our mules, for I was ready to prosecute my journey in search of colonies, the landlady of the hotel came with a pan of kindled charcoal on which she spread some leaves of the olive tree, and she perfumed our 3 mules, the muleteer, the interpreter, who accepted readily this ceremony ; then she neared me, but already ill-dis- posed by the difficulties of my under- taking, I refused to submit to this cu- rious fumigation. We Avent to Athiam. There also I was permitted, as a great favor, to see a bee hive ; but there was no question about the price, on account of the same prejudice which pervades all the inhab- itants. This colony was also almost exorcised against the charm that my eyes could have communicated to it. It was thoroughly fumigated and shut up immediately. In 3 apiaries of the same town I saw bees, but to no purpose. The bees were all beautiful, of a light yellow, like those of the colony that I owned already. Night came, and we had to repair to a hut, where to sleep I had to make a tolerable bed with 2 poor ones. Very early in the morning we proceeded on our apiarian peregrination. I visited 3 other villages, and finally I found 2 bee- keepers who, having but 1 colony each, had nothing to fear from the prejudice. I bought these hives, which the peas- ants brought me to Lanarca on the fol- lowing day. In these villages also the mules, the muleteer and the interpreter were carefully fumigated. But time was going on. Seeing that my trip would not succeed as well as I had anticipated, I decided to be satis- fied with the eight colonies that I had, and to return to Lanarca. In order not to lose time, I taught the interpreter the means to rear bees and tend queens and swarms, and I hope that my les- sons will suffice to secure a regular and direct importation of Cyprian bees into Europe. Such had been the aim of my voyage in the East. On my return to Lanarca, I visited our Consul, Mr. Magni. I narrated to him the aim of my journey, and, as he is not only acquainted but related to Count G. Barbo, President of the Cen- tral Society of Bee-Keepers of Italy, he proved very courteous, and gave me a copy of a report on the bee culture in Cyprus Island, made to the Italian Government by one of his predecessors. I will copy it for L^Apicoltore* On Sunday and Monday I made the transfer of my 6 colonies in their double hives prepared for their transportation, and provided with wire cloth. In the comb taken out of the 6 hives I found but a small piece of drone comb, not larger than 4 inches square ; all the other was worker comb, and all the cells were perfectly regular, not of various shapes as we are accustomed to find in our Italian hives. The cells have ex- actly the same diameter as the Italian. The bees are beautiful, orange-yellow, they seem a little smaller than the Ital- ians. They are peaceful, docile, as I have observed during the transferring, for I did not get a single sting, although I worked during the cold hours of the day. The thermometer at that time did not exceed 15° cent. (58°Eahr.) in the room where I made the transfer. I saw all the queens of my hives; they are beautiful yellow, of about the size of our Italians. I noticed that most of the combs were built across the en- trance, what we call warm combs. There were no sticks inside the hives to support the combs. One of these hives was made with interwoven sprigs *I will translate it for the next number of the American Bee Journal. C. D. coated with clay. The inside was well polished and painted with a kind of white varnish. This paint helps the taking out of the comb, for by putting a knife between the combs and the hive the varnish is broken loose and the comb may be taken out whole. Such hives are unfit for transportation, for the combs are not enough fastened to the sides. Besides these hives are nearly as heavy as if they were made of stone. The hives made with earth are pretty-well made and light, but too brittle ; so much so, indeed, that, hav- ing introduced my knife as a lever be- tween the hive and its disk to take it out, I broke 2 of these hives which had a little resisted my pressure. They were both the largest of the 6 that I transferred. All the hives that I saw in the island were similar to one or the other of these kinds. On Monday evening I shut up the 6 colonies transferred and the two others of earthern ware, and on Tuesday morn- ing I took passage on the boat Ceres, with my hives well packed up. But I cannot say how much care and atten- tion were indispensable to prevent the squalls from agitating them. I left Lanarca with spring-like weather, the thermometer showing 12° Cent, above zero (54 Eahr.), to arrive in Italy in full winter, and what winter! I went through Rhodes and arrived at Smyrna on the 12th. This city has been embel- lished by the French, and furnished with a railroad which follows the shore, and on which are also tramways. I saw Syra, a pretty Greek city, which. is built around a mountain. I visited Corfu, a pretty and agreeable city, where we were compelled to stay on account of a squall which was too powerful for our helix, and tossed us to and fro for a whole night. From Syra to Trieste we traveled at the rate of 26 kilometers an hour (about 16 miles), and reached this last city on Thursday at 3 p. m. I ar- rived at Venice on the next day, and my colonies were there transferred for the last and 8th time. But these dan- gerous operations were not the worst of the perils to which the poor bees were exposed. The cold would completely kill all the aim and product of my jour- ney and of my fatigue. Just think of bees leaving Cyprus with 12° Cent, above zero (54° Fahr.) while, on my ar- rival at Monselice, Dec. 12, 1 found 10° Cent, under zero (13° Fahr.). On my return from Cyprus I did not gather bees, for I did not visit any api- ary, thinking such work of no purpose, since the bees that are found on the way were already described by Mr. Ed. Cori, of Brux, in Bohemia, and pub- lished in the Bienen Zeitung and in the Journal of UApiculteur by Mr. Hamet. In spite of the extreme rigor of the season, and through my opportune and constant cares, the colonies are now in good condition. I have had the pleas- ure of overcoming tins last and grave difficulty, and I hope that my journey in the East will prove useful to our na- tional industry. While the crossing of the races are 'always to he advised to increase their vigor, no douht the Ital- ian hees will increase in beauty and quality. Such are the accomplishments that f have found in that new kind which I was the first to import directly into Italy. Monselice, Jan. 9, 18S0. For the American Bee Journal. Comb Foundation Made on Wood. CIIAS. F. ECHARD. Two years ago I invented what I call •■ Board Foundation," and have manu- factured and used it ever since with the most complete success. I showed my invention to a few friends, but on the whole did not make much noise about it, because I intended to take out a ] lat- ent on it as soon as I had thoroughly tested it. This was now done, and I was just about to apply for a patent when 1 was startled by seeing Mr. Jones' letter in the Journal and in the Bee-Keepers' Magazine, about Mr. Ab- bott's wooden foundation. My first thought was that, of course, my expectations were now all fudge. The next day (yesterday) I took down to Mr. A. J. King a comb 2 years old completely tilled with brood, nearly all sealed, and some of it just hatching, 1 comb just drawn out, and 1 blank pannel of the foundation as I manufac- ture it. He was exceedingly pleased with it ; thought it a much better thing than Mr. Al.hotfs. I also take the liberty to send you to-day by express 1 drawn out and 1 blank pannel of the founda- tion for your examination, and respect- fully solicit your comments in the JOTJ i:\AL. Besides being absolutely proof against breaking down by rough handling or excessive heat, this board foundation is invaluable for queen rearing. To this end I cut it in narrow strips, say 1 inch wide, and tack these on thin strips of wood so as to form something like lad- ders, which will just tit inside my trames. The spaces between the strips of foundation I make about '.. inch more than the width of the strips, tak- ing care that commencing with a strip at the top of the frame 1 have a space at the foot. Now putting 2 such ladders together, 1 of them upside down, and the strips facing each other, they will fill the frame like a solid pannel of foundation with only narrow sides in it, 1 inch apart . The frame so prepared I put in the hive from whose queen Iwish to breed, leave it there until drawn out and tilled with eggs, then take it out, separate the lad- ders by running a thin knife through the comb, following the slides, and give them to queenless colonies. In this way I get great numbers of queen cells in the best possible shape for separation, without wasting any comb. Woodside, L. I.,N. Y., July 7,1880. [All the difference we notice between this and the foundation forwarded by Mr. Jones, is that these cells are lozenge- shaped, as in the ordinary Root comb foundation, while Mr. Abbott's has the flat-bottomed cells, like the Van Deu- sen foundation. Our experiments with wood-base foundation are reported in the Editorial columns. — Ed.] For the American Bee Journal. A Cure for the Weevil. LYNN BONHAM. I notice in your last issue an inquiry from R. R. Stukesberry, with a very in- teresting reply by Prof. Cook. Prof. Cook suggests the use of the mallet and sheet as a means of destroying the wee- vil on the apple tree. I have tried this method thoroughly in the case of cur- culio, but without satisfaction. Where a person has a large number of trees it is tedious and to me very unsatisfac- tory, as I never had a quart of plums mature after its use. This year 1 tried a new plan. I procured some coal gas tar. It can be obtained at any of the gas works at small cost. I then placed some live coals in an old tin pan, and on these coals laid some corn cobs dipped in the tar; this made a dense smoke, and as it rose and passed through the branches of the tree I could see the curculio leaving by the quantity. I have repeated this treatment once a week during the summer, and the tree is now loaded with fine plums. I have another tree near it that was not treated in this way. and it is destitute of plums, all having fallen off. I should suggest that the gentleman try the mallet and sheet as Prof. Cook recommends, and should be pleased to have him try the coal tar smoke, and let us know the results of both methods. I do not know that the tar smoke will drive off the weevil, but I do know that it is destructive to animal life, and think that it would likely drive away the weevil from the apple trees as well as it does the curcu- lio from tbe plum trees. Oxford, O., July 9, 1880. For the American Bee Journal. Do Bees Injure Fruit? FRANK FLINT. At the recent meeting of the South Barbara County, Gal., Bee-Keepers' As- sociation, the subject of fruit-growers vs. bee-keepers was discussed, together with the probable fight that will take place between the two at the next meet- ing of our State Legislature, and it was voted that the Secretary request the ed- itors of the leading bee papers of the country to publish any articles bearing upon the subject of the destruction of fruit by bees. Will you kindly help us by publish- ing anything that has been or can be written on the above subject? Very truly yours, Frank Flint, Sec. [Some time since this subject was thoroughly discussed in the Bee Jour- nal. We now append an article from the Lancaster, Pa., Farmer, which was called out by the fruit-growers threat- eng to destroy the bees — poisoning, trapping, and declaring a war of exter- mination generally against them. — Ed.] Do Bees Destroy Fruit1? " As regularly as the autumn comes around we are treated with long ac- counts of the depredations committed by that industrious honey-gatherer — the bee. The charges brought against them are not only many, but as serious as they are numerous. Nine times out of ten these charges are brought by per- sons incapable of pronouncing an opin- ion, but who swell the hearsay cry of denunciation merely because it is pop- ular, or in consequence of some unreli- able information receeived at second hand. The result of all this is, that the poor bees have a hard time of it. It is to relieve them from at least one, and that the most serious, of all the accu- sations against them, that we write this article. "No opinion seems to be more gener- ally prevalent than that bees tear open the outer skins of grapes,plums,peaches, and other fruits for the purpose of feast- ing on the sweet juices within. Be- cause they are found on these fruits in the act of committing a trespass, they are condemned without a hearing or any consideration whatever. It is most commonly said they sting the fruit. This is the result of sheer ignorance. Neither the bee nor any other insect employs its sting for such purposes ; they have them for other uses, as a means of defense against enemies, and use them solely as nature designed that they should. It is as impossible for a bee to sting open a grape as it is for it to open a walnut or a shellbark by the same process. Its only means to com- mit the deed of which it is accused, is the proboscis with which it is armed, but this, although perhaps capable of tear- ing open skins of ripe fruit, is never used for thatpurpose, its functions, like those of the sting, being far different, and confined exclusively to the ends de- signed by nature. "Although the charges are based mainly on the fact that at this season large numbers of bees are seen on the grapes on our vines, busily employed in helping themselves to the palatable juices, yet we assert very positively that none of the persons who bring this charge of stinging the grapes have ever seen the insects depredating on a sound grape or attempting to tear one open. They always select those already in- jured, and never perpetrate an original injury. A rainy spell followed by warm weather very frequently causes grapes and other fruits to burst, and it is to the fruit thus injured that the slandered bees pay their attentions. " The results of a close investigation of the question, lasting through a series of days, are : On the grapes of a vine growing in our yard hundreds of bees were literally swarming, their home be- ing in a neighbor's yard, not 20 paces distant. We sat hour after hour watch- ing closely the proceedings of the in- dustrious insects. There was not a sin- gle raceme on the whole vine but was visited by dozens of bees, who exam- ined every grape on it in search of a bursted one whose juices were acces- sible, After a most careful search, and finding none such, they would immedi- ately leave and continue their search elsewhere, until the berry they desired was found. On all the defective fruit clusters of bees were gathered, but we failed utterly in detecting in a single instance anything like an attempt at trying to tear open a perfect berry ; their investigations were hasty but thorough, and when the desired spoil was not found no time was wasted in useless delay. There can be no mistake about this matter; our observations were careful and prolonged, and must certainly have resulted in detecting the harm complained of had any been done. That none was done we are positively certain, and we feel that these hard workers deserve a good word in return for the odium cast upon them by the- orists and careless observers." Another writer says : " I have several colonies of black bees, and close by sev- eral varieties of grapes, and never be- fore this summer did they in large numbers visit the grapes ; but this sea- son, when the grapes ripened, the Clin- tons in particular, being the most per- fect, full and large for the kind, burst their skins, many half way round, from some cause unknown to me, so that the air around was filled with the delicious sweet smell of the ripe fruit, which naturally invited the bees to come and regale themselves, and sip the nectar now open to them. Concords near by were not near so perfect this year, and few burst their skins when ripening, and few bees gathered about them. Delawares, nearest to the hives, were also very perfect, but none burst their skins, and no bees visited them. Now, if the bees had cut the grapes open, is it not natural and reasonable that they would have also cut the other and sweeter kinds, as more to their taste, particularly the Delawares V" For the American Bee Journal. Comb Foundation on Wood, Etc. L. MARTIN. I have been thinking for some time of the wood foundation, but had not as yet perfected a plan for excavating the pointed bottom for the cell. Now can- not a foundation machine be made of material hard enough to indent soft wood, after wiping it dry, in hot wax. thus making a wax-coated wood bot- tom comb for all brood and extracting purposes V I thought when I first saw your article on '\New Inventions in England," on page312of the Bee Jour- nal for July, that they had my plan, lull they had only begun the job. Now it only remains for some one to finish it. The Season—Wintering. My bees are doing fine. You may perhaps recollect I was one of the Jack- son Convention members that advo- cated cellar wintering. I put in 20 col- onies and took out 19 ; 1 hive being left by the bees nearly full of honev. no bees, either dead or alive, remained. I always leave their entrances open, and they had left the hive and joined other colonies, most likely for want of a queen. I have had 26 natural swarms, and nearly all full ; I have put the boxes on all, finishing them last Friday. My first swarms have filled their stock hives, and some have gathered 28,31, 37 and 3S1., lbs. of honey— comb and extracted. " My surplus is obtained in frames, so I cut out the heaviest, and extract the lightest, then the bees are ready to go right to work again. Troublesome Ants. I get the advantage of the ants by taking a 2-inch plank for the platform to put the hive on ; drive into it 4 20-d nails for legs ; take 1-10 inch sheet lead, make scallop dishes about 3 inches in diameter and 1 inch deep ; put them level on some % bricks, and fill the dishes with crude petroleum, and set the legs in them ; then I am sure of not being troubled by ants. From the Prairie Farmer. How to Rear the Best Queens. MRS. L. HARRISON. The most important member in a col- ony is the queen. She should be called the mother-bee, as she is the mother of every bee in a colony — that is, in a nor- mal condition. The workers are females whose ovaries or " egg-bags" are not fully developed ; they never mate, and although an occasional one lays, her eggs produce only drones. The value of a colony depends almost entirely upon a queen; if her progeny is industrious, swift in flight, and have tongues of suf- ficient length to reach the nectar im- bedded in blossoms, an astonishing large amount of honey will be gathered during a prosperous season, lint if the queen is superannuated, and, like an old hen, lays few eggs, and a majority of them drone eggs, the colony will be scarcely able to make a living, and produce no surplus. It does not pay to keep any queens that are not regular thoroughbreds. 'Whether there are any bees better than Italians remains to be proven. In choosing a queen to breed from, whether a native or Italian, let her be the very best of her kind. Her progeny should be industrious and energetic, and able to take care of themselves. The eggs from the selected queen may be utilized in any way for the rearing of queens that is most suitable to the wishes of their owner. If the queen is removed from her colony, they will start queen cells in a few hours. Most apiarists claim that queen cells reared in a full colony are better than when reared by a few bees, and also that the queen should be started from the egg in lieu of larvae 3 days old. In order to comply with these conditions, there must not be any larvae in the hive for the bees to have access to. The combs containing larvae should all be removed from a colony, and their queen also, when they should be given eggs only from a selected queen. As the bees have only these eggs to care for, they will receive plenty of attention, and large, fully developed queen cells will be the result. If the eggs were all given on one comb, they cannot be utilized as readily as if the eggs had been dis- tributed among several combs. This could be done by cutting the comb con- taining eggs into strips and joining it on, or inserting it into the combs. If 25 queen cells are built, the first queen that emerges will destroy all the rest, if they are left in the hive. As it takes 16 days from the egg for a queen to hatch, and the age of the eggs are known, we can nearly tell the exact time when a queen will hatch, and the bees also gnaw off a part of the cover- ing of the cell before she emerges. As no queen hatches from a larva under 10 days, about that time is the best for cut- ting out queen cells. If they are younger they are easily injured. It is much easier rearing queen cells than it is to get them introduced to colonies without getting them destroyed. In our early days of bee-keeping, we used to read, to form a nucleus by taking 2 combs of bees and brood and giving them a sealed queen cell — and we inva- riably had them destroyed, and the bees would rear queens to suit themselves from the eggs or larvae they had. If the nucleus has been formed long enough for them to have queen cells of their own, and a cell ready to hatch is given them; it will not be destroyed ; or, if their cells are cut out, and another inserted in its place, it will be respected. A frame might be taken from the col- ony, containing a queen cell upon it and covered with bees and put into a hive, where it would hatch. About the time it hatches a frame containing unsealed larvae should be given to it, to prevent the bees leaving with their queen on her " wedding excursion." In rearing queens, forming nuclei, etc., it is much the best way to use a hive of the same size as those in con- stant use in the apiary, and restrict the size by using division boards ; then at any time a comb of honey or brood can be given it, or it can be readily built up into a strong colony by adding frames of hatching brood. Peoria, 111. From the Prairie Farmer. How to Obtain Purely Mated Queens. W. M. KELLOGG. Since the introduction of Italian bees- much effort has been put forth in the endeavor to have the young Italian queens mated with pure Italian drones, resort being had to attempts at fertiliza- tion in confinement, isolating the queen, rearing colonies on islands and other out-of-the-way places, and a common plan being to dispose of as many of the black queens and drones in the vicinity as possible. Much money and labor have been expended in these directions with not always satisfactory results, and it is out of the reach of a large ma- jority of bee-keepers to obtain purely mated queens in these ways ; hence, they have to run their chances by rear- ing as many pure drones as they can in their own yard. This will go a great ways toward the desired object, but we can still add much more that is within the reach of all bee-keepers. Let us be- gin back at the start, and see how best to accomplish this. The time taken to raise a queen from the egg to hatching is 16 days, but they are many times raised from eggs already hatched as workers before the bees take them to raise queens of: hence, some queens are hatched in 11 or 12 days. These young queens usually do not make their fertilizing flight under 5 days old, and we should have had plenty of drones flying from our best Italian colonies by the time these young queens- are ready for their bridal trip. lJrones and young queens usually fly from 1 to 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Now we want to get the start of these black and hybrid drones if we can, so about 10:30 or 11:30 o'clock in the forenoon we will go to our colonies containing young queens of the right age, and also to our pure Italian colonies from whose drones we wish to breed, take off the caps of the hives, then the quilt or honey board and thoroughly sprinkle each colony with very thin warm honey, or alike mixture of sugar syrup and close the hives at once. In a very few minutes the air will be filled with bees, drones and young queens (if of the right age} rushing out of the. hives like a pack of school boys at recess, and making about as much noise, too, the worker bees to hunt around for that inflow of warm honey, thinking perhaps that the flowers- have got tired of waiting for the tardy bees, and are bringing it to the hives, roots, plants, honey and all ; the drones and young queens hearing the rumpus- want to know what it is all about, and come out to have a " finger in the pie," too, and, as there are but tew drones flying at this part of the day, your chances for purely mated queens are ten-fold greater, and, too, with drones reared from the most prolific queens. whose bees are the hardest workers. This plan followed up day after day till all the young queens are mated will well repay all extra trouble in bringing it about. Oquawka, 111. From the Western ARriculturist. Comb or Extracted Honey, Which ? c. P. DAD A XT. The decision of this question depends considerably on the amount of care that a bee-keeper can bestow on his bees, and also on the market that he can reach ; but we will try and solve it from a general point of view, and with a con- sideration of markets in general and also of future prospects. The main advantage of comb honey is the less amount of time it takes to harvest it. and the greater facility with which it is sold when it is once brought on the market. But there are many drawl lacks to this. Comb honey can never be raised in as large quantities as extracted, from the fact that it takes all the comb away from the bees, and forces them to build up their combs at a time when they should be busy in the flower fields. It takes not only time, but also honey, for bee-keepers are aware that in the pro- duction of each pound of wax about 15 lbs. of honey are used. Of course, comb foundation" remedies this to a certain extent, but it nevertheless leaves the bees with a great deal of work, since foundation only furnishes the base and material for cells. Extracting, on the other hand, allows the bee-keeper to re- turn all the comb after emptying it, so thai the work of building comb is no longer required, and these extracted combs can be used over and over for years. Moreover, it is only the white and choice comb honey that can be sold to advantage, for if any comb is dark from the presence of pollen, or through hav- ing contained brood, or if it is bruised or injured in anyway, it becomes of less value than the honey that could be ex- tracted out of it. The very darkest or ugliest comb will furnish just as nice extracted honey as the very best, and pollen or other impurities will never be found in extracted honey. There is still another great disadvan- tage in comb honey, and that is the dif- ficulty of transporting it without break- ing. There is nothing more easily injured than this by rough handling. and when choice comb honey is shipped to any distance there usually is consid- erable loss through leakage. This is to us the greatest stumbling block in the production of comb honey, and we find that even could we get % more for comb honey than for extracted the latter would still pay best. There is now, however, quite a pref- erence on most markets in favor of comb honey. This arises mainly from the fact that the strained honey of old was of very poor quality, being gener- ally made from the residue of the very lowest grades of honey, and pressed or strained out of the comb with a mix- ture of pollen and often dead bees. The consumers have hardly yet become aware of the great difference between strained and extracted honey. We find in our experience of selling honey that wherever the consumers become ac- quainted with the fact that extracted honey is as good as the best honey with- out the wax, they ask for nothing but extracted honey. In Keokuk, where we sold extracted honey for the past 10 years, the price is now about on a level with that of comb honey, and we fore- see the clay when it will command a bet- ter price than comb honey. Our advice therefore is, raise ext raided honey in preference to comb. We sold lo.OOOlbs. of extracted honey the past season. Hamilton, 111. From the Rural New Yorker. When and How to Feed Bees. J. G. BINGHAM. There are bee-keepers who say : " Bet- ter keep no bees than feed them !" There are others who think they have done enough if, once a year, when the time of greatest need comes, they remember these little creatures with a small por- tion of honey, or sweetened water, or a piece of candy. But there are also some bee-culturists in the world— and, thanks to the spirit of progress, their number is increasing — who feed during the whole year; that is, whenever it maybe deemed advisable as a matter of profit. Brimstoning bees, and really robbing them of their honey, and se- curing large yields in good seasons, can- not be termed scientific bee-culture. On the other hand, wintering bees suc- cessfully, and, in order to secure a sur- plus during poor seasons, such as last year, decreasing the number of colo- nies without killing any bees, may be said to combine the science and art of cultivating bees. Most novices in api- culture are impelled by a desire to in- crease the number of their colonies as rapidly as possible. To attain this re- sult, some have recourse to artificial swarming ; they divide, 2 and even 3 times, colonies which often are already very weak ; but instead of advancing they go backward. Others resort to speculative feeding to stimulate the queen in her laying and to bring about the development of brood in order to obtain a large number of natural swarms. This latter method will pro- duce the desired result, if it is applied with a proper understanding of the subject ; and, above all, if it is em- ployed at the proper time. Feeding may commence in the be- ginning of May, to bring about early swarming. In movable frame hives, this is done by inserting full cards of capped honey, or, in case these are lack- ing, lukewarm syrup of the consistency of mucilage— 2 parts white sugar and 1 part water brought to a boil, and fed every 3 to 5 days. Bees, like human beings, like warm food better than cold, and when it is prepared in this manner they will more readily accept the sweets offered them. When syrup is fed, the feeder should be placed at the entrance, and so ar- ranged that the bees enter it readily from the inside of the hive, while out- siders and robbers are excluded. What takes place when bees are fed for the purpose of stimulation ? They regard as the product of nature what the hand of man spreads before them ; they has- ten to leave their habitations and go outside in search of the sweet nectar. All goes well if vernal sunshine and gentle zephyrs favor their excursions ; but if the weather is bad, if rigorous winds follow closely upon seductive sunshine, and overtake the rovers in the open field, the poor workers are chilled, the weak colonies rapidly de- populated, and the brood perishes for the lack of care, and finally the colo- nies succumb. Although so few bee- keepers think of feeding during May, June and July, yet such unfavorable weather often occurs that young swarms and nuclei should be looked after — it will be found to pay. During such pe- riods feed as often as every fifth day. If the honey in the hive is not sufficient it is better to feed now. If one tries spring feeding, even on a single colony, he will find it to increase rapidly in num- bers, especially if the queen is young and the colony has a fair number of bees to start with. For the American Bee Journal. My Method of Introducing Queens. G. W. DEMAREE. I presume that as long as no method has been discovered by which queens can be introduced without danger of loss, the subject will continue to be one of much interest to scientific bee-keep- ers. By practicing any of the methods heretofore published I have failed to introduce queens without some vexa- tious and occasional loss. Hence I have given the subject much study, and have of late adopted a plan of introducing which has given me much pleasure and satisfaction in performing the hereto- fore somewhat disagreeable and uncer- tain task of introducing queens to full colonies of spiteful hybrids, etc. I employ a cage such as is commonly used to ship queens in by express,- ex- cept that it is altered so that the sliding door is made to stand in a perpendicu- lar position when the cage is set with the wire cloth down, and projects above the cage about % of an inch. The quilt used to cover the bees while introduc- ing has a hole cut in its center about 5 inches square, and a second quilt is em- ployed much smaller than the first, which has a slit like a button-hole in its- center, just large enough to slip over the projecting end of the sliding door of the cage. What has been described above is all the machinery used. Now let us see how the plan works. I put the queen in the introducing cage — which is provisioned with a phial of new honey — and place it, wire cloth down, in the center of the hole in the quilt, right on the top bars of the^ frames, and spread my second quilt over the cage, making the projecting end of the sliding door pass through the slit or button-hole in the center, so that it " sticks up " above the covering over the bees high enough to admit of being drawn out by the thumb and fin- ger without moving anything else about the bees. I now close the hive and go about my business. In 24 or 48 hours I open the hive as quietly as possible, and. place my thumb on the cage to hold it steady while I draw out the sliding door, thus liberating the queen without ex- citing the bees in the least ; the hive is now closed up gently, and the thing is done. You may now exercise your best judgment as to whether you will look, after her and " see that she is received by the bees," or whether you will trust to the instinct of the bees in a state of quietude. I prefer to take the latter risk, if it is any risk at all. Just 5 days- ago I liberated, a valuable queen in a colony of hybrids as fierce as a snapping turtle, and to-day I cu1 a slip from one of their combs containing larvae of a proper age to rear queens. I claim for this method thai it embraces all the good features of all other methods and more, and is tree from the objections attending all of them. 1. It enables the apiarist to be his own judge as to -when the queen should be liberated. 2. She walks out among the bees when she or the bees are not excited. 3. It prevents the queen from taking wing or " run- ning when introducing. 4. To sum it all up, it is the most natural way, and is attended with less trouble than any other method I have seen in print or heretofore tried. Christiansburg, Ky. For the American Bee Journal. Experiments with Comb Foundation. JAMES IIEDDOX. At different times in every bee-keep- ers' experience, he has for a time some one of the different branches of his pur- suit, particularly, on his mind and nearest his heart! Just now I find my- self leaning toward comb foundation/ For six years I run all hive-ward, determined to get almost an automatic hive, and to combine all the valuable features Lnowehive. I need not tell you I failed to gain the entire end sought after, but I am well repaid, I consider, in the attainment of a hive that satisfies me. Then five years were devoted to breeding as my main study. After getting hold of some well made pure foundation and using it in the brood chamber for two years, in strips from 1 to 3 inches wide, for guides on my Langstroth frames, season before last I tried 8 hives with full sheets, and by working with the bees every day, I suc- ceeded in getting 7 of them through all right, with elongated cells. as the 8-inch sheets stretched about 1 inch. The foundation in the other hive, after being nearly all drawn out and left to take care of itself, fell down and caused the ruin of the colony. It did not come loose from the top-bar. but pulled in pieces. No doubt this lot of wax was Of a rotten nature. In one hive I placed alternate sheets of foundation made on the Root and Dunham ma- chines respectively. I could see no dif- ference in the sagging or amount of comb drawn from the wax ; but. strange enough, thequeen laid in every sheet of the Root, Skipping every sheet of the Dunham. I was nonplussed, and no doubt that queen was also. A friend gave me Light: "Soap suds on theDun- ham," said he. After a time all was full of brood. Why do bee-keepers speak of " sag- ging" so much V l)o they make this word cover all the grouncl of sagging, warping, kinking, etc.? The sagging is no trouble at all compared with the warping, twisting and kinking of foun- dation put into frames without wires. Wired foundation will not sag. but I consider it of little value, for it, too, will twist around and kink up, and give* us nearly as much trouble as that not wired. I consider its invention as a standing evidence of a long-felt want, which it does not supply. Bees will allow us to hedge about and seemingly violate many or their time- honored instincts in many directions,, but flattening the bottoms of their cells is more than my bees are willing to put up with. On the back end of about one-half of my hives containing new swarms the word " Given" is written, and each hive contains 8 combs as straight as if planed, and every cell worker. There is a No. 36 tinned wire running verti- cally every 2 inches. These wires are plainly visible from either side ; eggs. can also be seen in these cells contain- ing the wires. On the other hives can be seen " F.,'r UR.," "E.," or "A.," they being the initials of the woman whom we lured to press the wires into the foundation, cell by cell, with a pointed instrument made for the purpose. On opening these hives you will find about 1 sheet in 5 fallen down to the bottom bar : a majority of the others ],, to '| of an inch away from the wires. Many have the wires through the side- walls, and % of an inch from the bottom of the ceils- where the foundation is drawn out. There are eggs on the side opposite the wires, but not in those cells that the wires pass through, on the wired side. Any system that will not allow one to hive 2 prime swarms on one set oi frames with lull sheets of foundation, and close the hive for that season, and know that when opened all the combs will be found perfect, is not as good as the one I am using. Some ninety days ago I received a cir- cular from I). S. (liven. Hoopeston, 111., illustrating and describing a press and die book, for the manufacture of foun- dation in every shape, but especially recommending it for the making of the same in wired frames. This method and its results were so highly praised that I dared not hope for its attain- ment in my apiary. I wrote to Mr. Given that he could find a purchaser in me, if he would sell to me on terms of " no cure, no pay." I then dropped the subject, supposing it forever ended ; but along came a letter saying he would accept the proposition in this case, and I might look for a press soon. By-and- by it was received. I had a 9-inch Root machine, but had never made or seen made a sheet of wax or foundation in my life, though I had used it 5 years. I had some 600 lbs. of wax on hand, and concluded to manufacture it into foun- dation. Having prepared everything, we com- menced dipping wax sheets, and were quite successful ; but from want of ex- perience, failed and were twice discour- aged in our attempts to make the proper impressions with the Root machine and the Given press. Upon examining some fragments from the latter, we observed that the septum was very thin, while the lines, or side-walls were quite prominent and heavy. This encouraged to try again. The third time we tried the press we turned out a few poorly-made sheets. This encouraged us. We tried again, and finally " struck a gait," rinding our- selves putting in 100 per hour, and turn- ing off frame after frame of just such foundation, on wires, as the one I send you for the Bee Journal Museum. We now have 1,700 of them partly occu- pied by prime natural swarms. 1 have never seen foundation drawn out more rapidly than this made on the Given press. I have never seen foundation of the same weight go so far into comb ; you can see by the frame of comb sent you, how far the wax was utilized, and we made it about 6% feet to the lb. The secret is, the wax is nearly all in the line, the base being very thin. We are at present conducting a series of ex- periments with Given, Dunham and Root foundation in boxes. We have both the old and the new thin Root foundation. Of course this is thin all over, line and all, and does not go far as a comb maker. I send for the Museum a sample of Given foundation — about 10 feet to the lb.— and you will see that the base is so thin that there is considerable wax in the lines. I notice that in boxes the bees work first on that foundation that has the most line. I have some extra thin base and high side-wall (or line) Dunham foundation that I am testing with the Given. About all the differ- ence that I can see in their comparative merits, is that when drawn out the Giv- en presents the least fish-bone. I have cut several combs that not even an ex- pert can detect. 1 claim that the value of all foundation consists in its thinness of base and weight of line. The press will make foundation 12 feet to the lb. readily. The sheets do not stick as to the rolls, and we could run off thin foundation for boxes faster on the press than on the roller machine. The reason the wax does not stick to the dies is no doubt because the line is low and heavy, instead of high and sharp. I think this is the best way to have it, as it then works off the machine readily, having a thin base, and the line is all drawn out by the bees. Of course they will draw out all of any line, as they do sometimes, also, though rarely, thin the base or septum. Wired foundation (not in frames) can be made rapidly on this press. I send you one out of a dozen samples I made. I have had the second generation hatched over these wires, and all came out in perfect order. I saw a young bee emerge from a wired cell. Though it was the second from that cell, the wire was plainly to be seen, and this bee was perfect as far as I could detect with my microscope. Why should it not be, when the wire is down smooth with the surface of the septum on either side and tinned to prevent corroding V There is not so much difference in the style of all the foundations, as in the methods of applying them successfully in the brood chamber. I have sold some 15 sets of these foundationed frames to farmers about here, and every one who sees them feels that success is stamped upon them. I believe it is safe to say that 2 days on these sheets puts the colony where 8 days are required without them. This should give us 1;{ more surplus, and I shall charge one dollar more for colonies with the Given foundation than for any others, because they have all worker combs, which are firmly secured in the frames, and are better for extracting from, transporting, etc., and because the combs are straight and uniform. Another feature : of all the swarms we have hived this season, not one has de- serted where this foundation was used. Mr. Betsinger offers $50 for a solid foot of wired foundation with no vacant cells. Would Mr. B. withhold the bonus if there were some cells empty, provided all the wired ones were occupied with brood V By putting a prolific queen and numerous attendants on 4 large combs, his square foot could be quickly pro- duced, provided these wired frames of foundation were made on the Given press. As no truly honest man wants his money without giving him some equivalent, his unaccepted offer proves nothing. Wagers and blows are not proof, nor even arguments, but are used 385 iiixni the unthinking as substitutes, when the proof is wanting. When to Buy a Machine. This depends upon how much founda- tion will be required, and at how low a iigure it can be purchased. After taking into consideration the capital required to be invested in press, boilers, room, etc., each bee-keeper should be a I ile to decide that for himself. Mr. Xebis thinks 200 colonies warrant the ownership of a mill. At the low job- bing prices of foundation^ I think he is about right: but as the press is not mine expensive than the roller ma- chines, and as it puts the foundation in the wired frames, too, I think 100 colo- nies warrants an ownership. Unless bee-keepers can buy foundation at rea- sonable prices, it would pay to purchase a press for 25 colonies. Many have used foundation more ex- tensively than I. I am writing for the benefit of those who are newer at the business, and know less of this subject, and because it is a luxury to communi- cate to others what we conceive to be truth. Here are two facts from my expe- rience book : Drone foundation is in no place as good as worker— bees work it more slowly. The best way to fasten foundation to sections and boxes is by pressing on with a honeyed putty-knife. I send the accompanying samples to the Bee Journal Museum, to aid in showing what I am writing about. Things seen make a more lasting im- pression than those heard of. While I feel thankful to all those who have aided in the perfection of founda- tion and- methods of applying it, from tacking it to the top-bar with a stick, up to the Given press, I cannot but feel sorry that the supply field is so full of ci uiscienceless men. Adulterated foun- dation kept me back 3 years. Do not do it ; it is not best for you. Do not use snap about its manufacture. Do not send out sampies that are better than the goods. Better die a financial fail- ure, than have lived a continual disap- pointment. Dowagiac, Mich., July 6, 1880. [Mr. Heddon's samples came to hand duly and are placed in our museum. They are very fine and well made. The wax is of a bright color* and all the cells of one that has been in the hive are draw out evenly, presenting the same appearance over the wires as else- where. The piece of thin (10 square feet to the lb.) is very nice, the base of the cells being exceedingly thin, while the lines of the side walls are thick, placing the wax where it is just ready to be drawn out by the bees. Our ex- periments with comb foundation are reported in the editorial pages.— Ed.] For the American Bee Journal. The Queen Duplication Trial. D. A. PIKE. After getting the July Bee Journal and seeing Mr. Moon's* article on page 320, I sent him the following letter about July 5 : Mr. A. F. Moon : If you will look at your proposition in the American Bee Journal for September, you will find this sentence, which we think good English: "And still further, we bind ourselves to pay the committee for the trouhle of making the test requested." We can un- derstand that in but one way. We have accepted your proposition, as you gave it. If you mean to stand by it, do so ; if not, "forever hold your peace," and draw in your flag. D. A. Pike. Since that time I have awaited his answer, hoping to find out whether he meant to stand by his proposition or not. I fear that he means to back down from it. Any one who will read the proposition made by Mr. Moon, in the September number of this Journal (page 400), and then turn to his article in the July number (page 320), will see that Mr. Moon is trying to creep away from his proposition, in which nothing is- said of the one accepting bearing part of the expenses or of paying anything. He now wishes to bind me to paysTo in case of failure. I consider that his way to withdraw the original proposition, and shall dismiss the subject. Smithsburg, Md., July 16, 1880. For the American Bee Journal. Absconding Queens. j. d. hill. I noticed a letter in July number of the Journal entitled " Wonderful In- stinct of Queen Bees," by R. M. Argo, Lowell, Ky. I have had some experi- ence with queens flying away, but in regard to their returning to the place where they left my experience varies very much from that of Mr. Argo. The first case I had of this kind was about the 1st of last May. with a black queen. I opened the hive to clip the queen's wing, and, it being a native col- onv, as usual. I had much difficulty in finding her. I examined all the combs 386 and decided she was not on them. Then I proceeded to look carefully in the brood chamber, among the bees which run off the combs while lifting them out, and as I was carefully watching for her appearance I caught a glimpse of her as she flew out of the hive and went very high in the air, out of sight. I replaced the combs and left the hive open as long as I dared to, on account of robbing, which is a common occurrence if proper care is not taken in manipulating a hive at this season of the year. But my queen failed to return. In 2 or 3 days I opened this hive again, and found queen cells being constructed quite exten- sively, which was good proof of their being queenless at that time of year. The following day, after reading Mr. Argo's letter, I had occasion to open a nucleus which I had used for hatching a queen cell from a very choice Italian queen. The nucleus contained a queen about 3 weeks old, and laying nicely. I opened them about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, intending to cage the queen and introduce her to a full colony. In opening them, I used no smoke, as there were but few bees in the nucleus, and these were very quiet and easy to ma- nipulate as a general rule. I opened the hive with more than usual care, not to excite the bees on account of not using smoke to quiet them. The first frame I took up contained the queen and a few bees. I had hardly lifted the frame from the brood chamber, when the young lady took to her wings and fled for parts unknown. Xo bees seem- ing to follow her, I then placed the frame back in in the hive, and stepped back 2 or 3 paces, leaving the hive open as when the queen left, and was as careful as possible to dis- turb nothing to change the appear- ance of the hive or its surroundings. I remained there till it began to grow dark and all the bees in the yard stopped flying, being anxious for the return of my absconding queen ; which, through some mistake as I suppose, forgot to put in an appearance. This is the sec- ond time I have had similar experience of queens flying from the combs, cind in each case she failed to return. I have now arrived at the conclusion that queens (especially in my apiary) have lost their wonderful power of in- stinct to return to the same place they leave ; or that these are exceptions to the general rule. I think, to say the least, a queen with a wing clipped or securely fastened in a cage till the win- dows and doors in a room can be se- curely closed, to safely admit of the operation of clipping, would be worth several on the wing that have from any cause been let loose to fly in the open air without a swrarm to accom- pany them. I should be happy to learn through the Bee Journal if others have been so unfortunate as to have similar experience in queens flying away, and still more happy to learn the cause and also the remedy. I have now about 100 colonies of bees (mostly natives), in the Bristol hive, containing 12 frames 9} VrfEISHT 12 IBS. ( -MEAS Y\>zCUB.FT. Makes a perfect bed. No mattress or pillows re- quired. Better than a hammock, as it tits the body as pleasantly, and lies straight. Folded or opened in- stantly. Self-fastening. It is just the thing for ho- tels, offices, cottages, camp-meetings, sportsmen, etc. Good for the lawn, piazza, or "coolest place in tin' house." Splendid for invalids or children. Sent on receipt of price, or C. O. D. For SO eta. extra, with order, I will prepay expressage to any railroad sta- tion east of Mississippi river and north of Mason & Dixon's line. For 15 cents, in Minnesota, Missouri and Iowa. HBRMON W. LADD, 10S Fulton St., Bos- ton ; 207 Canal St., New York ; 105 North Second St., Philadelphia ; 94 Market St.. Chicago. Send for Circulars. 6-S BARNES' PATENT Foot-Power Machinery CIRCULAR and SCROLL SAWS Hand, Circular Kip Saws for gen- eral heavy and light ripping. Lathes, &c. These machines are especially adapted to Hive Making. It will pay every bee- keeper to send for our 48 page Illustrated Catalogue. W. F. & JOHN BARNES, Rockford, Winnebago Co., 111. THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL, AND BEE-KEEPER'S ADVISER. The British Bee Journalis published monthly at $1.75, and contains the best practical information for the time bein^, showing what to do, and when and how to do do it. C.X.ABBOTT, Bee Master, School of Apiculture, Fairlawn, Southall, London. 396 ENDED! The interference case between James Forncrook and Lewis & Parks has come to an end, and the pat- ent was allowed to James Forncrook on the "Boss" one-piece section (no longer called the " Lewis" sec- tion), and would have been issued had it not been for the application of Mr. Delzell. "Boss" section, 4&x4&, $6.00 per 1,000: 5x0, $7.00 per 1,000. We will make the " Boss" section any size desired. Full Colony of Italian Bees, $0.00. Send for price list, JAMES FORNCROOK A CO. Watertown, Wis., August 1, 1880. S-tf BEFORE PURCHASING supplies for your apiary, send a postal card with your name, and if you will do us the kindness, the names of your bee-keeping neighbors, for our illustrated catalogue of apiarian supplies of every description, sample section box and comb foundation. We wish to present them to every reader of this Journal, and hence offer them FREE. Please send your name at once. Special attention given to rearing Italian Queens and Bees. E3T" The highest price paid for Beeswax. 1-8 J. C. & H. P. SAYLES, Hartford, Wis. D. S. GIVEN, Inventor and Sole Manufacturer of the FOUNDATION PRESS. Foundation in Wired Frames a Success. We also Electrotype Dies any size desired. We make a specialty in rearing queens ; all our queens are reared from the egg, and we send out none half- developed. Send for a descriptive catalogue of our Presses, Italian Queens, Foundation, and all kinds of useful implements. A sample of our Foundation sent free. tf I». S. GIVEN, Hoopeston, 111. AGENTS WANTED. To any one desiring to canvass for our publications and who sends us proper references, we will forward large posters and circulars with their name printed on them as our Agent, and give them Larger Commissions than any other House in America.' We challenge any paper in America to pay as large a commission to its agents as we do for obtaining sub- scriptions to THE COSMOPOLITE, $1.00 a Year ; 25c. for Three Months. Send for Sample Papers and Agent's Outfit, giving us Good References. We also want Agents to sell TALBOT'S PUBLIC LAND LAWS, a book of 170 pages, retailed at 50 cents each, giving all the Acts, Rulings how to obtain, etc., all classes of Government Lands, such as Agricultural, Mineral, Desert, Town-sites, etc. The Pensioner's Hand-Book. Every Pensioner ought to have one ; 56 pages, 25 cts. Also, SOLDIER'S BOUNTY MASfTJAL, 40 pages, 25 cents. Remit in currency or postage and send for our Special Terms to Agents. No other House equals us in our Commissions to Agents. Address, THE COSMOPOLITE, Sioux City, Iowa. CYPRIANS AT $101 We now receive Cyprians every two weeks, via- Italy, and can sell them at the following prices : Select Imported Cyprian SIO OO Common " " 8 OO Send for Supplement to our Circular. CHAS. DABANT & SON, 8-9 Hamilton, Hancock Co., 111. ^RJZE-BRED ESSEX PIGS. Essex are the best Farmers' Pig ; have been known to dress 90 per cent, of live weight ; small bone, light offal, quick to mature. Jos. Harris, author of "Har- ris on the Pig," etc., says of my Boar " Porter," that he is the finest Essex Pig he ever saw. A few Ped- igree Pisrs fordisposal at moderate prices, suitable for breeding or exhibition. Personal inspection of my stock is solicited. All correspondence will have cheerful and prompt attention. C. W. fAKPIELD, \ l lieiiK, Pa. N. B.— A limited numberof Eggs for hatching from prize-winning Brown Leghorns and Black Red Ban- tams, at $2.00 per 13. Warranted to hatch. 4-yl J. M. BROOKS & BROS. Golden Italians. Fine Tested Queens a specialty. Send for Cir- cular, and see what others say of them. Columbus, Ind., Box 04. 3-9 Friends, if you are in any way interested in BEES OR HONEY We will with pleasure send you a sample copy of our Monthly Gleanings in Bee-Culture, with a descriptive price-list of the latest improve- ments in Hives, Honey Extractors, Artificial Comb, Section Honey Boxes, all books and journals, and everything pertaining to Bee Culture. Nothing Patented. Simply send your address on a postal card, written plainly, to A. I. Root, Medina, O. Bees and Hives for Sale, I have for sale 60 Colonies of Bees, in 8-frame hives, with a quilt and division board, at !$4.0»> per colony. Also, ilG Hives, nicely painted, con- taining 10 frames, division board and 21 sections, at !#l.l>0 each, Address, E. P. PERRY, 8-lt Algonquin, McHenry County, 111. Binders for the Bee Journal. We can furnish Emerson's Binders, gilt lettered the back, for the American Bee Journal, at the following prices, postage paid : Cloth and paper, each 50c. Leather and cloth 75c. " %W We can also furnish the Binder for any Paper or Magazine desired. THOMAS O. NEWMAN, 974 West Madison Street, Chicago, 111. Tested & Imported Queens D UNHAM FO UNDA TION, MODEST BEE HIVES, SECTION BOXES, &c, TO BE HAD OF J. 01III & SON DUNDEE, KANE CO., ILL. N. B— We shall hereafter rear XO DOLLAR QITEXS, but will confine our Queen-rearing to producing FINEST TESTED QUEERS, bred forBUSIXESS. Please take notice. Write for Price List. J. OATMAN & SONS, 5-7 Dundee, Kane Co., Ill, CHAS. F. MTJTS, CINCINNATI, 0., Manufacturer of and dealer in MUTH'S ALL-UEttL BUST EXTRACTOR AND UNCAPPING KNIFE, LANGSTROTH BEE HIYES, Class Honey Jars and Tin Buckets, Bee Veils, Gloves, and a general assortment of Bee-Keepers' Supplies, IAI.SIRL CLOVER, and a variety of Field and Garden Seeds, etc. For further particulars address, CHAS. F. MUTH, 4-12 97(1 and 97S Central Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio. CYPRIAN QUEENS. Mr .lulius Hoffman shipped me, June 23d, a frame ol worker eggs and one of drone brood, from which I have, July 9th, 77 Cyprian Queens and 4.000 Cyprian Drones. Received an imported Cyprian Queen from D. A, Jones. July 5th. Will sell untested Cyprian queens at WS.OO ; tested ones, in a 1-fratne Srocle- IM, with half a pound of bees, !$5.00. Extra bees Sl.OO per pound. Safe arrival by express guaran- teed- J. S. HUOHES, Mt. Zion, 111. ffi^ir' £r,<-e L«»t for 18SO, of Italian Bees, *?^ ~ Queens, 4 frame Nuclei, and Apiarian Sup- plies. Sent Free. Address, 8tf H. H. BROWN, Light Street, Col. Co., Pa. H. ft. BURGH & GO. Don't advertise much, but they carry a full line of BEE-KEEPERS' SUPPLIES, which, for quality and price, make their customers happy. Competent judges say that their COMB FOUNDATION is away ahead of all competitors. If you ever feed bees, try a HEDDON FEEDER, the latest, and by far the best, invention of its class: we are the sole manufacturers for 1880. For DOLLAR QUEENS, from best strains of Italian blood, we shall lead the trade, and you should see that your orders are sent in early. The choicest of TESTED AND IMPORTED queens always on hand; if you want splendid honey gathering stock, try our queens. A good supply FULL COLONIES, at prices that will please you, if you want the Best Bees. Finally, if you want the neatest Apiarian Catalogue printed in any land or language, send your name on a postal card to H.A. BURCH&CO., SOUTH HAVEN, MICH. Eighteen years' experience in propagating Queen Bees from imported mothers from the best districts of Italy. Persons purchasing Queens or Colonies from me will get what they bargain for. Send for circular. WM. W. CASY, Colerain, Franklin Co., Mass. 1S80. 1830. REV.A.SALISBURY, CAMARGO, ILL., Pure Italian Queens, Bees, Foundation Combs, Honey Extractors, Dunham Foundation Machines, &c. Send for circular. 3-8 ITALIAN QUEENS, after August 1st, at $1 (M each, or B for S5.00. Purity, safe arrival, and satisfaction guaranteed. Address, 8-ltp REV. J. E. KEARNS, Morning Sun. Iowa. GREAT REVOLUTION IN BEE-KEEPING. Use my wired frames ; they never break out when extracting and allow no sagging, but make combs very strong and durable in the brood chamber. Mr. C. F. Muth, of Cincinnati, said on the 18th July : It is excellent ; he had never seen anything better in this line. Wired sample frame, $2.00 ; frame with foun- dation, $2.30 ; frame with comb finished by bees, $3.50. Sent by express. Send P.O. order or registered letter. J. DIESEXKEITER, Cove Dale, Hamilton Co., O. DAD ANT & SON COLONIES, With Imported Tested Italian Queen $13 00 " Home-bred " " " 9 00 Hybrids or blacks in movable-frame or box hives. Have wintered over 100 IMPORTED QUEENS, and will continue to receive two shipments every month, from May to September. Root and Dunham Foundation. The purest and brightest yellow foundation made. Hives, Extractors, Uncapping Cans, Veils, Smokers, Pails, Jars. Knives, etc. Send your name on a postal card for circular and sample of foundation free. CHA5. DADANT & SON, 3-8 Hamilton, Hancock Co., 111. 1880. 1880. JJHUUIUIJWUI Single Queen, Tested $2.00 Untested (laying)...-. 1.00 By the dozen, 10 per cent, off of above prices. Queens sent by mail and postage prepaid. 3 frame Nucleus, Untested Queen $3.00 2 frame Nucleus, Untested Queen 2.50 1 frame Nucleus, Untested Queen 2.00 S frame Colony, Untested Queen 0.00 Sent by Express. Send money by P. O. Order or Registered Letter. Address, W. P. HENDERSON, 3-8 Murfreesboro, Tenn. EVERETT'S Honey Extractors and Everett Langstroth Hives a specialty. We challenge compe- tion in price and quality. Our circular and price list of apiarian supplies, Italian Bees and high-class poul- try sent free. EVERETT BROS., Toledo, O. Scovell's Eureka Cold-Blast Bee Smoker Is Boss.— It is a cold-blast or a hot-blast, both at once or separately, at the will of the operator. It is the only cold-blast smoker on the market that has no tubes or other complicated machinery in the fire bar- rel to interfere with filling or cleaning. Large size bellows 5J4x6J4 inches; fire barrel, 214 inches. Price &1.00; By mail SSI. 25. Send for illustrated descriptive catalogue and price list of hives, implements and supplies used in bee culture. Address, SCOVEEE inch tube, $1.50 ; medium, 2 inch tube, $1.25 ; small. \% inch tube, without double- blast attachment, 75 cents. Dust box and extra noz- zle with large size, 25 cents extra. By mail, 35 cents extra each. Quinby's New Bee-Keeping, By E. C. ROOT. This is the most practical work published. It con- tains 100 illustrations, including an excellent portrait of M. Quinby. Price, by mail, SSI. oO. We sell everything UBed by practical bee-keepers. Send for our illustrated circular. E. CI. ROOT «fc BRO., 2-12 Mohawk, Herk. Co., N. Y. "A Merciful Man is Merciful to Ms Beast." The Horse AND HIS DISEASES- A TREATISE giving an index of diseases, and the symptoms ; cause and treatment of each, a table giving all the principal drugs used for the horse, with the ordinary dose, effects and antidote when a poi- son ; a table with an engraving of the horse's teeth at different ages, with rules for telling the age of the horse ; a valuable collection of recipes, and much valuable information, BY B. J. KENDALL, M. D. 6:5i ENGBAVINGS. This book, during the short time since its original publication, has been recognized as one of the most reliable authorities on anything pertaining to the condition or treatment of the horse, while its low price places it within the reach of every one who owns or has the care of these animals. The best evi- dence of its popularity is the immense sale which it has met with ; over t>50,000 have been published and sold in all parts of the Northern States. Hundreds of testimonial" to the efficacy of the treatment ad- vised can be shown, and in many cases a reference to this book, and prompt following of its advice, has saved the lives of valuable animals. It is plain and simple in its tarrns, and can be understood by any one. A distlnguishad veterinary surgeon, who pos- sesses a library comprising the most costly books on the horse, recently said that he would part with almost any one of them sooner than this inexpensive treatise, which comprises so much. For sale on re- ceipt of price, by THOMAS G. SEWMAN, 974 West Madison Street, CHICAGO, ILL. Stutterers, Speakers, Singers ! rpTTT7 VTATm? gives cures of STT7T- 1 O Hi V UH^Hl TERINO and STAM- MERING, exposes "secret" systems, and treats of Sinning and Elocution. Publshed monthly. It will be sent during 1SS0 with Dr. Cohen's book, 'The Throat and the Voice' (price 50 cents), for One Dollar. Single copy, 10 cents. Address, EBGAR S. WERNER, 8-3mx Albany, N. T- CHAS. F. MT7TH, CINCINNATI, 0., Manufacturer of and dealer in HUTU'S ALL-METAL WSi BIUCTO! AND UNCAPPING KNIFE, LANGSTROTH BEE HIYES, Glass Honev Jars and Tin Buckets, Bee Veils, Gloves, and a general assortment of Bee-Keepers' Supplies, \ !.sl lvi. CLOVER, and a variety of Field and Garden Seeds, etc. For further particulars address, CHAS. F. MUTH, 4-12 976 and 978 Central Ave.. Cincinnati, Ohio. (V-TS=° Price 1,1st for 18SO, of Italian Bees, lkr£? Queens, 4 frame Nuclei, and Apiarian Sup- plies. Sent Free. Address, Stf H. M. BROWH, Light Street, Col. Co., Pa. EVERETT'S Honey Extractors and Everett Langstroth Hives a specialty. We challenge compe- tlon in prin' and quality. Our circular and price list ut apiarian supplies, Italian Bees and high-class poul- ltry sent free. EVERETT BROS., Toledo, O. Soovell's Eureka fold-Blast Hee Smoker is Boss. —It is a cold-blast or a hot-blast, both at once or separately, at the will of the operator. It is the only cold-blast smoker on the market that has no tubes or other eompliea led machinery in the fire bar- rel to interfere wnh rilling it cleaning. Large size bellows 5){x6J4 inches; tire barrel, 2J*> inches. Price tfl.OO; By mail $1.25. Send for illustrated descriptive catalogue and price :i-'"t hives. Implements and supplies used in bee culture. Address, S(OVELL*AXI)ERSOX, Columbus, Cherokee County, Kansas. 4-8 GREAT REVOLUTION IN REE-KEEPING. Dse my wired frames ; thev never break out when extracting and allow no sagging, but make combs v'T> str { and durable in the brood chamber. Mr. C. F. Muil i. of Cincinnati, said on the 18th July : It is >t ; he bad never seen anything better in this line, wired sample frame. $2.00; frame with foun- dation. *2...ib ; 1 1 nine with comb finished by bees. (3.50. Bent by express. Send P.O.order or registered letter. J. DIESENKEITEK, Cove Dale. Hamilton Co., O. 403 Excelsior Honey Extractor No. L— For 2 Langstroth frames. 10x18 inches... $!l 00 " 2.— For 2 American Frames. 13x18 Inches '•• 00 •' 3.— For '.' frames, 13x20 Inchc s or less V£70 " 4.-For3 " 5.-For4 Having made many im- provements in the EX- CKl^SIOR EXTRACTOR for 1S80, it is now offered to the Bee-Keepers of America as the MOST PERFECT MACHINE in the MARKET. The uni- versal favor with which the EXCELSIOR EX- TRACTOR was received in 1878, has induced other manufacturers to adopt several of its improve- ments. My experience and experiments of last season. with the assistance and suggestions of skillful workmen, have enabled me to perfect an Extrac- tor that eaniiot be ex- celled, and can ouly be equaled by being closely imitated. Some of its advantages are as follows : It is made entirely of metal, It is light, but has attachments for fastening down to a platform. It can be in- stantly taken to pieces for cleaning, having no rusty i screws to take out or nuts ' to remove. |J^"A liberal discount to dealers. Address, C. C. COFFIXHERRT, Or ALFRED H. JiEffMAX, »73 West Madison St., Chicago, 111. Stutterers, Speakers, Singers ! TTIT7 VOTPTT eives cures ('f stit- L I 1 Tj > \JlVjrj TERIXG and ST.\ M- MER1X6, exposes "secret" systems, and treats of Singing and Elocution. Publshed monthly. It will be sent during 1880 with Or. Cohen's book, 'The Throat and the Voice' (price 50 cents), for One Doi.i, a it. Single copy, 111 cents Address, EOGAR S. WERXER, 8-3mx Albany, N. Y. ITALIAN QUEEXS-A11 bred from Imported Mothers of my own importation. Dollar and Tested Queens from 1st April to 1st .November. Full Colo- nies and Nuclei : Bee-Keepers' Supplies of all kinds; Comb Foundation, etc. C-tf PAUL L. VIALLON, Bayou (inula, La. Hale's Price-List. Send for my price-list of Bees, Queens, Nuclei, &c., for 1880. Early Queens a specialty. Address, 2-11 E. W. HALE, Wirt C. H., W. Va. C$@ ENGBAVING8. The Horse BY B. J. KENDALL, M. D. A TREATISE givingan index of diseases, and the symptoms ; cause and treatment of each, a table giving all the principal drug? used for the horse. With the ordinary dose, effects and antidote when a poi- son ; a table with an engraving of the burse's teeth at different ages, with rules for telling the age of the horse ; a valuable collection of recipes, and much valuable information. Price 35 cents.— Sent on receipt of price, by THOMAS G. XEHMAX, 974 West Madison Street, CHICAGO, ILL. FRANCES DURHAM, Inventor and Sole Manufacturer of the — Dunliam Founflation A MACHINE. ► I 8 S - v- - f 12 inch rolls $o?.00 l?"**^ I "*..V ■• M » " " 38.00 f|.»\^r ? " " 37. OO 4 " " la.oo Dealer in All Articles necessary in the Apiary. DUNHAM COMB FOUNDATION, -^Ifvj*- ~"" VjM=-- : In regular sized sheets 8x16^, 12x18, 7?i'.\ 16, 9x16)^, 10x11. °oiiDAr\ ^Jc. JyHlim^^^^^. HP 50 to 100 lbs 38c. I Add 2c. ¥ tb. for odd sizes. Add lOo. per lb. for Thin Foundation for surplus honey ; will be i or 5 inclies wide. VST" Circular and Samples free. _^J FKASCE8 DUNHAM, BEPERE, BROWX CO., "WIS. At Reduced Prices. CYPRIAN QUEEXS, of Mr. D. A. Jones' importation (according to grade), each »7 OOi.l8 OO IMPORTED ITALIAN QUEENS, of my own importation, each 4 SO HOME-BRED TESTED ITALIAN QUEENS, of my own rearing, each 2 50 All orders will receive my prompt attention. ALFRED H. NEWMAN, 973 West Madison St., CHICAGO, ILL. THE ORIGINAL DIRECT-DRAFT BINGHAM PERFECT SMOKER. Patented Jan. 9, 1ST8. Re-issued July 9, 1878. If you buy a Bingham Bee Smoker you are sure of the best and cheapest, and that you are not liableto prosecution for its use. The largest and most scientific bee-keepers use Bingham Smokers, some using as many as fifteen in their various apiaries. No Bingham Smoker has ever been returned. No letter has ever been received complaining that our Smokers did not give entire satisfaction : but we have ceived hundreds of letters expressing the most unbounded satisfaction and preciation of our invention. The Extra Large Smoker and the Extra Standard for 1880, will have our new extra wide shields, which entirely protect the hands and bellows from heat and remove the danger of burning the fingers. Practical bee-keepers will find these wide shields an important improvement. The Plain Standard and Little Wonder Smokers will be better than ever before, and superior to any imitation smokers, whatever their size may be. Hundreds of them have been in constant use three seasons, and are now as good as new. One dollar and a half is not much for the use of such an instrument three seasons ; is it ? BINGHAM & HETHERINGTON HONEY « KNIFE. May 20, 1879. It is a large, strong, durable knife, polished and tempered like a razor, and so formed and sharpened as to cut both ways, over hills and through hollows all the same, without dropping a cap on the honey. The most world-renowned, practical and scientific Bee-Keepers in Europe and America pronounce it " the best Honey Knife ever made." Large Smokers %& inch, $1 50 Extra Standard Smoker f M 1 ~j» Plain Standard Smoker * •■ ||y Little Wonder Smoker, $3.00 per half-dozen ; each 1% To Bingham &, Hetherington Knife l w If to be sent by mail, or singly by express, add 25 cents each to prepay postage or express charges. &T Send for circular. If to sell again, apply for dozen or half-dozen rates. Address, 2-9 LT. F. BINGHAM, or BINGHAM «fc HETHERINGTON, Otsego, ?Mich. Vol. XVI. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, SEPTEMBER, 1880. No. 9. Contents of this Number. Editor's Table: Editorial Items 404 to 109 What the Harvest U and Will Be 4(ii; Associations and Conventions 407 Crusade against the Bees 108 1 Dgratitude 11 18" Comb Foundation Experiments 403 Melilots as Weeds 409 Prince Arthur Hive 409 Conventions : Lancaster County, Pa 410 Northeastern Wisconsin 411 LaCrosse, Wisconsin 412 Northern Indiana 412 .Northwestern Jllinois and Southwestern Wis. 412 Letter Drawer : Swarm Catcher 413 A Welcome Visitor 413 Satisfactory Honey Yield 413 Honey from Red Clover 413 Mitchell's Patent— Persistent Swarming 413 The Curculio 414 Making Foundation 414 Goldenrods, etc 414 Wired Foundation 414 Shade Trees for Hives 4 1 r, Good Yield of Honey 4ir> Best Season for Many Years 415 Queries answered 415 BeeKiller 415 A Freak 415 Correspondence : One Day's WTork Extracting 41(1 Duplicating Queens. 4 Hi The Cyprian— The Coining Bee 41H Ode to the Honey Bee 417 The Several Kaces of Bees 417 Fertilization in Confinement 418 Honey Show and Markets in England 410 Comb Foundation— A Review 120 K. L. Meade and Supply Dealers 422 Where Honey Comes From— No. ti 422 Extraordinary Work on Foundation 423 (Hie More Spool of Cotton 423 i"iub Foundation again 424 Lt mdon Honey and Bee Show 441 Honey Harvest : The Present and Prospective Crop 425 to 440 Business Department : Kentucky State Convention 442 Central Iowa Convention 442 Canada Convention 442 Southern California Convention 442 Nebraska Honey Show 442 Programme of the National Convention 443 District Conventional Chicago 444 Honey and Beeswax Market 444 Local Convention Directory 444 Died.-On July 14. 1880, Dr. E. Penx WORRALL, of West Chester, Pa., in the «uth year of his age. Dr. Worrall was the patentee of the Centennial observatory Hive, and has been a bee-keeper for many years. Me was a kind and genial companion, and leaves a wife and son to mourn his loss. Sditov's Tabic. i^Mr. O. J. Hetherington gave us a short call, and brought a sample of a re- versible frame for our Museum. <^*Mr. J. D. Enos says : " Our post- master now admits queens in the mails —thanks to the Journal for July." iglT We have received several Premium Lists of Fairs, nearly all of which have premiums for bees and honey. i^Prof. Cook says: "One of my ' holy' queens has laid 4.000 eggs in one day." That settles one point— they must be prolific. ^ Thirty thousand Knights Templar were at Chicago last month, and had a grand parade and triennial meeting — among them were several bee-keepers, who made it lively at the office of the Bee Journal. Hgf The Cincinnati Gazette has a long article concerning bee-keepers in and around that city. We intended to have republished it, but it is crowded out by other matters. 1^° We notice that Dr. Hipolite, Vice President of the National Society, is one of the Board of Directors of the Ar- kansas State Fair. He has done excel- lent work in arranging the matter of premiums for bees and honey. The Doctor reports a short crop of honey in Arkansas. 406 What the Harvest Is and Will Be. In this issue we publish reports of about 300 apiaries, in all parts of the country, up to Aug. 25th, and have many more which were received after that date. From careful figuring we con- clude as follows : In Arkansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Tennessee and Vermont, there is an average yield. In California, Michigan, New York and Virginia, % of the usual crop. In Alabama, Canada, Missouri and Ohio, one-half. In Connecticut, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine and Pennsylvania, one-third. In Indiana, Georgia, Kansas, Nebras- ka and Texas, one-fourth. In Illinois and Wisconsin, much less than one-fourth of the usual crop. An average yield was reported by 52 ; no surplus honey, by 90 ; all the rest va- ried between the two extremes. Last month the Bee Journal esti- mated that the summer yield would be about one-third the usual crop. We see no reason for changing that estimate, and we now estimate the fall crop at two-thirds— making in all, for the whole season, about one-half the usual yield. i^Mr. C. F. Muth reports having re- ceived a nice shipment of choice comb honey from Dr. Blanton, of Greenville, Miss. It is put up in sections 53^x6, and was obtained without separators, but every comb is perfect. This lot of honey is perhaps unequaled in theSouth, and shows that Dr. B. has devoted time and attention to the study of scientific bee-keeping, and practices it. g"On page 343 of the July number, a lad 12 years of age is said to have hived several swarms with the " Bailey swarm-catcher."" A typographical error in the age of the boy was unfortunate. It was printed "'17 years of age"— 5 years too much. We make the correc- tion with pleasure— the more so, as the error was detrimental to Mr. J. W. Bai- ley's invention. g'Mr. S. P. Hyde, St. Joseph, Mo., sends a blossom, and desires to know its name. He says the bees work on it in- cessantly, etc. It is Cleome alnifolia, or Rocky Mountain bee plant, and a good honey producer. Dr. Davis' queen nursery is a nice thing in which to nurse queens, where colonies are not available to each. It holds 12 queens. iH"" Farm papers have very generally copied the article, "Does it pay to plant for Honey ?" from the Bee Journal for August. We are pleased to have •them do so, when proper credit is given, but we regret to notice that the Farm- ers'' Review, of Chicago, has copied it verbatim without credit— thus palming it off as its own editorial. ^ Mr. J. W. Bagby, Morgan Station, Ky., sends us two fertile workers hav- ing dark abdomens. He says : " I saw one of them deposit eggs ; the bees treated the other as though she was a queen." By request we have forwarded them to Prof. Cook for examination. igiT One of our manufacturers of comb foundation has printed on his cards, " manufacturer of artificial combs." We are sorry to see this, for it is not ar- tificial—that is unnatural, unreal, fraud- ulent. It is real, natural wax made by the bees, and only restored to them in sheets, when it will be of most use to them, and they will " put it where it will do the most good," and speedily draw it out into real combs. Let no one call it artificial, hereafter. jfgT It is desired that each Vice Presi- dent should sendareport of bee-keeping in his State to the National Convention. Send early, so that they may be formu- lated and properly arranged. m* Smith & Smith, Kenton, O., have sent us a smoker as they make it, and ask for our opinion. It is essentially a copy of Bingham's, and a good smoker. Associations and Conventions. It cannot but be gratifying to every progressive apiarist, to note the increas- ing interest taken in the formation of new societies, and tbe intelligence and harmonious good-feeling which charac- terizes their conventions and debates. Every meeting held is an instructive school to many who have been toiling in the old ruts, doing little or no good to themselves, and who have been a drawback and positive injury to the scientific specialist who depends mainly upon the product of his apiary for his livelihood. It is observable, that the tendency of societies to elevate the in- dividual member, necessarily stimu- lates a pride which aims to excel in the product placed on the market, and the result is a stimulation of prices. All local Societies should see to it that there be a large attendance at the Dis- trict Convention, to be held in Chicago en the 14th and 15th inst. Mr. G. M. Doolittle, of New York, whose able let- ters in the Journal each month have been read with so much interest, and many other successful apiarists, are ex- pected to attend. Let all interested in bee matters attend ; formulate your ex- perience, and prepare your questions for discussion. Come prepared to have a sociable time, and to bear your part in the debates. The Annual Convention of the North American Bee-Keepers, to be held at < ineiimati Sept. 29th, 30th and Oct. 1st. promises to be the largest, most enthu- siastic and most important ever held in this country. An unusually intellectual treat is promised by some of the ablest essayists in the country, and the dis- cussions will embrace a variety of sub- jects and experiences that cannot fail to i 1 1 struct or interest the most advanced bee-keeper. A very liberal and ex- haustive programme has been prepared, which will be found on another page. Make your arrangements early to at- tend, and let no mistaken ideas of econ- omy keep you away. Below will be found a letter from Mr. Muth, setting forth some of the advantages of the place selected for the meeting : Cincinnati, O., Aug. 16, 1880. Friend Newman.— There is no bet- ter place in Cincinnati, for holding the meetings of the National Convention, than at the Bellevue House, on the hill top. There will be found a splendid pavillion of sufficient capacity to ac- commodate the Convention; in front. is an abundance of shade trees, where the weary may rest, and put out their bees if any are brought for exhibition. Should the weather be unfavorable, we can occupy the capacious hall in the second story. Those who desire can take their meals at the Bellevue House, or can ride down town to any of the hotels. Those who attend this Con- vention must wear badges, and these will be recognized as free passes up in the " Inclined Plane Car." As you are Chairman of the Executive Committee you must get up these badges and bring them with you. You have had excel- lent opportunity of seeing the nice ones used in Europe, and can get up some- thing creditable. Our meetings will be visited by a large number of strangers and Cincinnati and its surroundings will be well represented. Only a few squares north of Bellevue, and con- nected by street railway are our Zoologi- cal Gardens, Burnetts1 Woods, Mount Auburn and Clifton, the prettiest spots around this city, and affording the grandest views of it. C. F. Muth. ig|° In order to give the Crop Reports in this Journal, we have been obliged to abbreviate many of them, and omit entirely much that had been prepared for this issue. We requested a postal card announcement of crop, but many were so full that it took from 4 to 12 pages to tell their story. We have gleaned the information desired and " digested" the rest ; the greatest good to the greatest number being our object. All who have reported will please accept our thanks, as well as the unexpressed thanks of the great body of apiarists. W The Toronto Fair will be held Sept. 6-18, 1880. Mr. L>. A. .Jones prom- ises to be there with a large display of honey and bees, including queens from Palestine. Syria and Cyprus. It is in- tended to have a Bee-Keepers7 Conven- vention held there at the same time. Crusade Against the Bees. The London Daily News has published the following item : It is a disadvantage of civilization that it shows us the dangers to which life is exposed. Every year presents us with a new peril, and the latest is al- ways the least expected. French men of science are now preaching a crusade against the industrious race of bees. Not only are they destructive to prop- erty, but they are actually dangerous to human life. The Prefect of the Paris police has been appealed to. M. Del- pech has drawn up a formidable brief, and is precise in his statements and clamorous in his demands. It seems that bee-keeping is lucrative in the neighborhood of Paris, and that so also is the distillation of spirits and the re- fining of sugar. Moreover, wherever there are sugar works the bees are act- ive and abundant. At Say, for instance, the loss attributable to them is esti- mated at £1,000 a year. M. Delpech gives facts and figures. At another re- finery the number of bees killed daily amounted to fully 22 gallons. He him- self saw a large glass of syrup drank up in 2 hours. As to loss of life he is equally circumstantial. He gives a full list of people who died of bee stings in the course of the year. Most of the cases occurred in America, but many are furnished by France and some by Germany. The death is very painful and in some cases extremely sudden. At Chemnitz, in Hungary, a peasant stung while cutting a branch of a tree died on the spot. At Chester, Penn., a farmer, examining some hives, was stung, fell at once into a state of syn- cope, and died within a quarter of an hour. In another case 25 minutes elapsed between the wound and its fatal consequence. M. Delpech accordingly appeals to the Prefect for the assistance of the police, and what he asks is that the keeping of bees maybe placed in the category of dangerous and unhealthy occupations. The 4th Georgic of Virgil may be read with new interest. "Funny Folks" a London illustrated paper, contains a cartoon on the above subject, characterizing the keeping of bees as a misdemeanor, as declared by French authorities. We have lately noticed several in- stances of death resulting from bee stings. But the condition of the sys- tem of the persons stung doubtless in- duced the poison to take rapid effect, shortening life a little — the stings acting only as any other casualty, to which all humanity is subject. Ingratitude. R. C. Kedzie, Professor of Chemistry in the Michigan Agricultural College, has lately been making elaborate tests of the relative value of the different kinds of wheat. The " Clawson" has heretofore been deemed less valuable for flour, and 10c. per bushel has been the penalty of this prej udice. The Pro- fessor has demonstrated that it is fully equal to other kinds, and now it ranks with them, saving the Michigan farmers alone half a million dollars a year. The College modestly asked the Legislature to grant a small amount for needed ap- paratus for the chemical laboratory, but we notice by the papers that it has been refused— thus rewarding the College for its valuable work by the grossest ingrat- itude. How natural it is for public benefactors to be treated with inconsid- eration while living, but to be honored and lauded when their race is run and they no longer need encouragement, having passed beyond the smile or frown of mortals. Comb Foundation Experiments. It will be remembered we intimated in the Bee Journal for August that we would submit the Given wired foun- dation to another trial, as we did not think the test a satisfactory one, owing to the wash used on the plates. Our subsequent experiments have been much more favorable for the Given, but invariably the Dunham has been first completed and fully occupied with brood or honey before the Given or Novice. We cannot but reiterate the conclusions then arrived at, although there may be especial uses or places where some other foundation may be preferred. i^° Strangers wishing to visit our office and Museum of Implements for the Apiary, should take the Madison street cars. Going west they pass our door. Melilots as Weeds. " It no wand then happens that a plant heretofore regarded as harmless, rinds a locality specially favorable to its development, becomes aggressive, grow- ing where it is not wanted and is recog- nized as a weed. Singularly enough two species of the same genus, Meli- lotus, nave come to us this year from widely separated localities — Maryland and Texas — to ascertain their names, and both represented as unwelcome in- truders. There are two species of Mel dot common in the older States, a white and a yellow flowered. Both are ■coarse branchingplants 2 to 4 feet high, or even taller. The leaves are shaped like those of clover, rather smaller, and the divisions toothed ; the flowers, which are minute pea-shaped are in little racemes, which go on lengthening and blooming, so that while there are buds and flowers above, the little one or two-seeded pods at the bottom of the cluster will be full grown if not ripe The White Melilot, 31. albus, is from Maryland; the yellow, (M. officinalis) besides the different color of its flowers, has somewhat differently shaped leaves, there are other species, and all have the peculiar odor that is so marked in the Sweet-scented Vernal-grass, the Seneca frass, and especially the Tonqua Bean, 'he White Melilot, known as Sweet Clover, and sometimes as Bokhara Clover, is sometimes cultivated by those who are fond of its perfume. It was formerly cultivated in England, not so much as a fodder crop, as cattle will not eat it when fresh, but to mix with poor hay in order to perfume it. In Europe this or a related species is bruised and mixed with the curd to flavor it in making Gruyere cheese. This is all that can be said in favor of the plant ; it is often found as a straggler along road sides and in waste places, but not in a manner to arrest attention. Last June, Mr. T. Davids, who has a farm near Annapolis, Md., brought us a remark- ably vigorous specimen, which reached as high as one's head, and branched from the very base. This, according to Mr. Davids, is spreading with great rapidity, making inroads upon the grass lands, appearing in the wheat fields, and threatens to be a serious pest If left alone they are biennials, the root dving at the end of the second year, and after it has provided for its abundantincrease by seed. If the tops are cut away be- fore the seeds are ripe, we are met by another difficulty— cutting off the top prolongs the life of the root. Were a crop of seeds perfected this would so exhaust the root that it would die, but by preventing this we keep the old root which becomes stronger and pushes up its shoots year after year.*1 The above extract from a late num- ber of the American Agriculturist, bears strong testimony as to the "staying" qualities of melilot or sweet clover, and its adaptability to any climate. We heartily thank the editor for his recom- mendation of the plant to bee-keepers, and making mention of points we had forgotten to call attention to. Except the mammoth mignonette ( Reseda grandiflora), we know of no plant so well calculated to serve every turn, and again repeat our advice to plant sweet clover plentifully— everywhere. See to it, in October or November, that all waste places are seeded in melilot, and early in spring scatter mammoth mignonette in every place overlooked this fall with melilot. The happy, con- tented hum of your bees, and the gen- erous return of beautiful, rich honey, will well repay you for the little trouble involved. In truth, had apiarists long ago, generously provided for their little workers by planting the barren spots and waste places, our " Honey Har- vest " department would not this num- ber be so monotonously discouraging. Prince Arthur Hive. Mr. Anthony Malone, Garden Island, Ont., has sent one of these hives to our Museum. As its name implies, it is gotten up in 'princely style, and has been greatly admired for its beautiful finish and workmanship. It is ingeniously arranged so that the outer shell turns down all around exposing the frames, which may be opened like the leaves of a book. It is in this particular very much like the Armstrong, Latchaw, and some other hives. Prize boxes or sections of any of the newer styles may be used over the frames for surplus. It can be made to conform to the "long idea" shape, containing 24 frames when used for extracting honey. It is stained, varnished, lettered in gold, and mounted with brass trimmings, and is an orna- ment to our Museum. ©autfjeutious. Lancaster Co., Pa., Convention. This Convention was held at Lan- caster, on Aug. 9, 1880. After the usual preliminary business, the following was given in as the re- ports of the present season : President Hershey started in the spring with 60 colonies, of which he sold 8. He has at the present time 108 colonies. He also got 250 lbs. of honey, and reared 250 queens. Mr. Hershey pays more attention to rearing bees than to honey. He also has Mr. Detweiler's colonies under charge. There are 65 colonies ; he got 787 lbs. of comb honey SO lbs. of extracted, and 3 swarms. They are now gathering honey fast. This is a small yield— too many old queens. There are 250 colonies within the radius of a mile of his place. A. B. Herr began the season with 5 colonies, and now has 12. He tried to make swarms, not honey. L. Fleckenstein began with 9 colonies. He got 215 lbs. of honey, and expects a good deal more. His bees cross the Susquehanna into York county, and bring over buckwheat honey. He has 13 colonies now, although he tried to get honey rather than new colonies. John Eitermiller started with 19 colo- nies, now has 22, and got 400 lbs. of honey. J. H. Mellinger began with 12 colo- nies and increased them to 16; he got about 275 lbs. of honey. I. G. Martin started 30 colonies and increased them to 32. He has also received 760 lbs. of honey up to the present time. Elias Hershey began the season with 24 colonies ; increased them to 29 and has taken about 750 lbs. of honey. T. Thurlow started with 9 colonies* increased to 14, and has so far obtained 225 lbs. of honey. J. B. Eshleman wintered 25 colonies ; he now has 30 ; his yield of honey is 400 lbs. The hives are well filled with honey and are ready to go into winter quarters. He introduced new queens into a good many of his colonies, which was a drawback. Do Italians Gather Honey from Red Clover 1 The above question was proposed by I. G. Martin, who asserted the affirmative. J. H. Mellinger also advocated the affirmative side of the question. He believed much of the honey gathered by Italians is derived from red clover. J. B. Eshleman followed with the same views. Go into any clover field and you will find it covered with Italians. If they do not get honey there, what are they there for? I. G. Martin placed on exhibition a case of red clover honey, which was very beautiful. Also some "honey dew " in boxes that was fine. J. F. Hershey believed we get more honey out of the red clover than the white. He can see the clover fields in his vicinity fairly swarming with bees. Perhaps the western apiarists have clover that grows more rank than ours, so that the bees cannot reach it. L. Fleckenstien asked why more honey is stored in the spring than after- wards, when the red clover blooms ? A Bee Feeder. J. F. Hershey had on exhibition a bee feeder which he believed to possess many advantages. It introduces the food just where the bees are, prevents robbing, creates no excitement and allows but few to get at it at one time. He explained the manner of its use and it met with the approval of the society. He also said his colonies last winter did well. They began rearing brood rapidly and he has not lost a single colony in 3 years. He wintered 60 colonies. "Dew Honey." The "dew honey" was tested and found to be far inferior to clover honey. It was also asked whether this honey was good to winter bees on. The gen- eral opinion was that it would do for that purpose, especially in mild winters. Grape Sugar as Bee Food. The value of grape sugar ws also dis- cussed. The feeling was against its use to feed bees. There is not enough sweetening in it. Good cane sugar is cheaper at double the price of grape sugar for this purpose. A Bad Season. The season on the whole has been a poor one for honey. Too much rain is the cause. It has been more profitable to rear queens this season than honey. The Best Plan to Bear Queen-Cells'? J. F. Hershey asked the above ques- tion and called* for the members1 views. T. Thurlow gave the methods of Mr. H. Alley, of Mass., at some length. J. F' Hershey detailed his own method and said 'he had no trouble in rearing fine queens. Transferring. J. H. Millinger asked whether it was too late to transfer ? If there is an abundance of honey it may be done now, but it requires skill. A better time is the spring, when it is comparatively easy and nearly always successful. How Large should a Hive Be ? A. B. Ilerr thought the lower story ought to be of about 2,000 cubic inches inside capacity. These dimensions have given him good results. J. H. Mellinger advocated the use of a hive of 1,728 inches capacity. I. G. Martin has Langstrottfs hive, which is of about 1,700 inches capacity. He believes you get more honey out of such hives. J. H. Mellinger thought it depended far more on the queen and bees than it did on the size of the hive. Elias Hershey believed a hive a foot square is the best of all sizes ; the bees can better take care of themselves in it. L. Fleckenstien, after trying many kinds, has now a hive a little larger than a foot square. T. Thurlow believed a brood-chamber of 2.000 cubic inches is entirely too large. In such a case more honev is stored there than will winter two colo- nies and very little in the boxes. Average Yields. It was asked what the average yield of honey was in this county per colony. Elias Hershey one season averaged 53 lbs. This year his average will not be over 25 lbs. I. G. Martin said his highest average was 48 lbs. Last year it was only 35, while this season it will not exceed 25 lbs. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned to meet again on the second Monday of November. N. E. Wisconsin Convention. This Convention was held at Waupun, Wis., on May 4, 1880. Meeting called to order by the retiring President II. P. Sayles, of Hartford, whose address was listened to with great interest. Officers for the following year : President— A. A. Winslow, of New Holstein.* Secretary and Treasurer— Mrs. Fran- ces Dunham, of Depere. Vice Presidents— G. H. Pierce, of \\ mooski ; T. E. Turner, of Sussex ; Geo. S. Church, of Neenah ; Jas. Forn- crook,of Watertown. Reports on wintering were called for: , Pres. Winslow in 1876 lost 18 colonies; m 1877, lost 45 ; in 1878. lost 30 ; in 1879, lost 57. The loss of queens was very great ; the bees were all alive at the be- ginning of spring, but having no queens of course died. Winters on summer stands well packed with chaff. Mr. Bales packed 20, lost none. Mr. Stephens buried his bees in a soil-pen, packed with straw and dirt; lost none. Mr. Bourne put 25 colonies in cellar; lost none. Mr. Guenther wintered 700; lost 11. Wintered on the same plan he has already given to this Association last year, viz : with wool quilts, and no direct draft, and strict attention to fall management. Some were in damp and some in dry places ; all came out well. The losses being from taking out too early in the spring. They all had quilts over the frames; some cotton, but most wool, which is decidedly best. A colony protected with quilt made of %, lb. of wool will consume 4 lbs. less honey than one with }£ lb. of wool. Mr. Hodgson thinks the condition of the bees in the fall is the main thing. Those put in the best condition, come out best. His house. 18 inch walls, filled with shavings proved a failure ; lost 25 colonies out of 100. Mr. Pfeffer lost 30 out of 430. Mr. Germain has taken much pleasure in his bees, has tried every way, and has always lost. Built a splendid cellar, walls 18 inches, laid in liuie and mortar ; put 48 colonies in ; took caps off and laid pieces of rag- carpet over frames ; put in Nov. 4 ; set on shelves ; lost quantities on the floor ; had plenty of honey but dwindled verv badly. Mr. Guenther says spring dwindling is very easy to prevent. Bees should be looked over September 1st, and if not rearing brood in abundance should be fed; 9 lbs. of honey if fed judiciously will rear 3 frames of brood. The only loss he can report is from a man who did not feed at that time. Reports emphatically that spring dwindling is due to fall management. Twenty-four pounds of honey is an abundance to winter on ; a wool quilt over frames ; an inch auger hole above the entrance, so that they can have air; even if the lower entrance is clogged with dead bees. They should not be disturbed. Gives them a fly in March and put them back till settled weather. Puts his bees into winter-quarters November 1st. Four days after giving them a fly gives them water, about }4 pint in an inverted bottle, with a piece cut from the side of the cork and a rag inserted. His bees continue to rear brood from that time till they are set out. Averages 220 to 250 lbs. of extracted honey ; which pays him best. Some colonies gave 300 pounds. 412 Mr. Hodgson has found from his own experience and from many persons of whom lie has inquired, that bees winter best in cellars with merely the ground instead of board floor or cement. Mr. Gibbon has wintered the best with his bees set right on the ground with a board between ; they were much better than those set higher up. Mr. Sayles says he has tried wintering nucleus colonies on Mr. Guenther's plan ; feeding September 1st ; wool cushion; and auger hole above entrance with perfect success. Mrs. Dunham suggested that each one tries 5 colonies on Mr. Gunthers plan, and report the result. Mr. Moore says he built a new bee- house of brick ; wood lined ; dead-air space ; plastered and 4 ventilators ; also ventilators to let out hot air ; keeps the room 30° to 35° ; put in 6 colonies ; one colony had a space for ventilation in hive, which filled with ice ; took ice out but the bees died. Mr. Place put 46 colonies in cellar in November ; first tier 2 feet above the floor ; had enameled cloth over frames but found them very wet ; put on pieces of heavy blanket and they became dry and nice ; brought them all out splen- didly but one which smothered ; has lost some by dwindling and starving on grape sugar ; has it planted all over his garden, and even the neighbors' bees will not touch it. Mr. Johnson says he has tried upward ventilation with loss. He was success- ful with no ventilation and dry earth till a severe winter made a total loss ; he then packed snow around and smoth- ered them — they need some ventilation, but not much. A direct draft he thinks causes a loss of heat. On account of bees visiting stores, in villages, and be- ing killed there, he keeps them shut up till late in the spring. When snow is on the ground, he spreads straw around before giving them a fly. Mr. Spear asks if bees can be win- tered without pollen V Mr. McColm wintered 3 colonies with- out pollen ; much brood-rearing requires too much activity and too great a con- sumption of honey : breeding in winter is a great detriment; young bees must fly to be healthy; in 1877 had 98 colonies, lost 45, and every colony that died had brood in every stage ; in 1878 had 65, lost heavily again from extreme breed- ing ; in 1879 became satisfied that breed- ing was attended with loss, so deprived 3 colonies of pollen ; they done well. The Convention adjourned to meet at Oshkosh, Winnebago county, Wis., the third Tuesday in January, 1881. Frances Dunham, Sec. LaCrosse, Wis., Convention. The bee-keepers in the vicinity of LaCrosse, held a preliminary meeting at the City Hall the 10th of August. John A. Zalser was chosen temporary Chairman and L. H. Pammel, Sec- retary pro tern. Mr. Pammel stated the object of the meeting, and gave a brief history of bee-keeping. Those present then decided to make preparations for an exhibition and meeting to be held at the City Hall, on the 14th day of Sep- tember. A programme was also com- pleted including four essays which several prominent bee-keepers have decided to write for the Convention. L. II. Pammel, Sec. pro tern. Northern Indiana Association. A number of the bee-keepers of Por- ter county, Ind., met at the court house in Valparaiso, July 31, 1880, and organ- ized a bee-keepers' association, to be known as the Northern Indiana Bee- Keepers' Association, and elected J. L. Harris, of Wheeler, President ; V. Heineman, of Valparaiso, Vice Presi- dent; J. B. Decrow, of Valparaiso, Sec- retary; T. S. Bull, of Valparaiso, Treasurer. Their first meeting is to be held September 25, 1880, at 2 p.m., and their regular meeting for the election of officers, is to be held the first Thursday in April, 1881, in Valparaiso, Ind. J. B. Decrow, Sec. N. W. 111. & S. W. Wis. Convention. The North-western Illinois and South-western Wisconsin Bee-Keepers' Association held its quarterly meeting at Squire Whitlesey's, 2 miles south or Pecatonica, May 4, 18S0. All the officers being present the meeting was called to order by President Lee. Many questions were presented and discussed. Mr. H. W. Conklin presented an im- plement for making a starter in section boxes. It consists in placing a half- cell in wax on the under-side of top of section box. The invention was pre- sented to the bee-keepers for which the Association tendered its thanks to Mr. Conklin. Thanks were also voted to Squire Whitlesey for his hospitality. The Association adjourned to meet at Mr. Levi Ileister's, in Bock Grove, Stephenson county, 111., on Tuesday Sep. 7, 1880. The annual meeting will be held in Freeport, 111., on the second Tuesday of January, 1881. J. Stewart, Sec. 413 Setter Bvaitfcv. Swarm Catchers.— Will any of the readers of the American Bee Jour- nal, who use swarm catchers, please inform me if they are a success, and worth the trouble and expense of mak- ing a sufficient number to supply an apiary ? The honey crop is not up to an average in this section. I. C. Thorn, M. D. Garafraxa. Canada. July 26, 18S0. A Welcome Visitor.— The Bee Jour- nal is a welcome visitor to our home ; we peruse its contents, anxious to gain information in the different branches of apiculture, and a good share of our suc- cess is due to its instructive pages. If the Bee Journal has paid us well for the eagerness we have manifested in reading it to advance in the pleasant occupation of bee-keeping, the July number has done more than that, it has touched a tender chord and aroused the memory of former days, to see in its columns (page 322) a communication from the dear old fatherland, and that not a great distance from the dear old parental roof of our childhood. We feel like shouting : " Long may it wave and bring tidings from the still cher- ished shores on the other side of the ocean.'' Greener Bros. Naples, N. Y., July 25, 1880. Satisfactory Honey Yield.— I have ex- tracted 4,000 lbs. of white honey, of good quality, from about 70 colonies. I do not know whether this is ^, % or a whole crop. I have spent about 20 days in getting it, and am well satisfied with the result. I sell extracted honey at 15c. per Hi., and comb honey at 20c. I have been in the business 3 summers, having started with bees in boxes ; they are in Langstroth hives now, and are mostly in good working order. Have had but one swarm leave me ; that went 14 miles by observation, and how much further no man can tell. I live between two high mountains, the sun always shining into our valley at noon, and the flowers always blossoming either in the valley or on the mountain sides. Bass- wood, melilot, white clover and buck- wheat are the main supply. I winter in a building made on purpose, with walls 26 inches thick, and floor overhead cov- ered with sawdust. It does not freeze in the coldest weather, nor get warm during a thaw. The temperature is regulated by ventilators. The bees con- sume but little honey during the winter. I am well pleased with the business, and have met with no discouragement, except from anxious friends. I think the Green Mountains a good place to keep bees, though but very few are kept here. Success to the American Bee Journal. P. T. Griffith. Danby, Vt., Aug. 4, 1880. Honey from Red Clover.— To those who still believe that honey bees do not work upon red clover, I must repeat that I have seen hundreds of them do so, black bees at that ; yet I do not see them do so every year. I have lain in the clover and watched them hour after hour. They seemed to get honey, as well as a dark-looking pollen. This year I noticed bees working freely upon flowers they did not seem to touch last year. During harvest I noticed many bees working upon parsnip and timothy, first upon one then the other, in the same flight. I have often watched bees among mixed flowers, and never saw them do this before, except a single bee, which flew from mustard bloom to dog- fennel flowers, and then away as though ashamed of what it had done. Wm. Camm. Winchester, 111., Aug. 8, 1880. Mitchell's Patent— Persistent Swarm- ing.—Levi Mosier still claims a patent on X. C. Mitchell's bee hive, and says he will prosecute any one who attempts to use the hive without buying the right to do so. Is there a patent on a plain division board, without rubber strips, and only a slat along the top, to hang like a frame in the hive ? Our bees are doing as well as can be expected, it was so wet last spring ; they seem to be very strong. We have 10 colonies. I win- tered 6. We had 1 swarm come off about the last of June, which went back ; still it came out and went back 10 times. They came out every day when it did not rain. On the 3d of July they came out ; some of them lit, and some went back. I hived them on Sun- day morning ; they came out again and all went back ; the same afternoon they came out again, alighted, and I hived them. On Tuesday, the 6th, another swarm issued from the same hive. I put them all together, making a large swarm, and they are doing well. They swarmed 14 times in all. What was the cause V C. Fletcher. Columbia City, Ind., Aug. 1, 1S80. [Do not let Mr. Mosier's threatened prosecution deprive you of sleep. Mr. Mitchell's patent does not cover a plain division board, or one with a "slat along the top to hang like a frame in the hive." If all persons keeping bees be- came constant readers of some good bee periodical, these blackmailing threats would soon cease to be remunerative to the persons making them. The return of the swarm to the parent hive so often was probably owing to the loss of the queen when first issuing, or her inability to go with them ; during the demoralization attendant, several young queens were hatched, and each went with an " after-swarm." — Ed.] The Curculio.— I saw in the August number mention made of burning coal gas tar as a remedy for curculio in plums, etc. If this is a positive remedy, I think a knowledge of it would be worth twice the subscription price of the Bee Journal, for those who want to raise plums. We have what is called the Mi- nor plum ; the trees were loaded with plums, which are now rotting and fall- ing off. What time does the curculio work — night or day V How does the in- sect look. We have looked day after day, and could see nothing. Would the burning of gas tar be injurious to bees V Our bees are near the plum trees. It seems as though they were stung after they were more than half-grown. They are very large plums. C. Fletcher. Columbia City, Ind., Aug. 8, 1880. [The curculio work (or eat) day and night, when neither too hot nor cold. They look like a small worm or weevil, and their presence is usually indicated by numerous tine, spray-like webs. The burning of gas tar would be injurious to your bees, if done while they were flying ; but for several reasons the smudging better be done in the evening. Without knowing the situation of your plum trees, we suspect the vegetation around and under them is very tall and rank, which is injurious, as it harbors insects to sting the fruit, and frequently causes earth-damp to blight it. — Ed.] Making Foundation. --On page 365 of the August Journal, I notice an arti- cle concerning Mr. F. W. Chapman's in- vention to help the manufacture of comb foundation. This is my plan to accomplish what he states, though he does not give the modus operandi. Just before the end of the sheet gets to the rollers, I lay another sheet, just lapping the edges, thin end first, and so on, run- ning it out as long as I want it. I use a root which grows in Southern Utah and Arizona to prevent the wax sheets from sticking to the rollers. We call it soap root, or " ooze," and it works ad- mirably. The tops are like bayonets ; it grows in bunches about 4 feet in diam- eter. I do not wash the foundation after it is passed through the mill, and the bees work on it as soon as it is put into the hive. I think that wax melted in the sun is better for foundation. I send you two samples made on the Olm mill — the lightest in color was melted in the sun, on the cover of a hive; the other was re-melted over a fire. Tou may " mutilate" this letter all you wish, and publish only such portions of it as you think will be of general interest. J. G. Bigler, Jr. Nephi City, Utah, Aug. 6, 1880. [The samples sent are very nice, and the one " melted in the sun" is almost white. We have placed them in our Museum. We think our correspondents are well satisfied that we never "mutilate" an article sent for publication, except to improve its grammar, or to condense it to make it more readable and accepta- ble to both the author and our readers. All the *' hue and cry" about our "mu- tilating articles" comes from those who are not among our correspondents, and they offer no proof, but bare assertions, prompted by prejudice and a selfish de- sire to injure the Bee Journal.— Ed.] Goldenrods, etc—What is the en- closed weed V It grows in abundance along the creeks here, and the bees are now working greedily on it. It is now about 6 feet high. My bees have done splendidly, and are as busy now as dur- ing the month of June. They are still on the white clover, also red clover and buckwheat. K. W. Keene, M. D. Versailles, Ky., July 22, 1880. [It is a goldenrod [Solidago), from which bees obtain much nice fall honey. —Ed.] Wired Foundation.— Our bees seem to be using all their energy thus far this season to increase, consequently there has been but little surplus honey stored. It has been a good season for bees up to about July 20th. It has been so dry since then that they have not done much. Most apiaries have doubled, and some have trebled, making up in many in- stances the heavy losses of last winter. There are more bees on the ripe peaches 415 and apples than I ever noticed before, and the drying scaffolds are literally alive with "them every morning and evening. White clover has dried up, and bees are now at work mostly on buck-bush (Symphoricarpus vulgaris), mustard and a meadow flower, a speci- men of which I enclose, with the re- quest that you give the name in the American Bee Journal. I have used about 40 frames of wired comb founda- tion this season, and am well pleased with it. W. L. French. Martinsburg, Mo., July 26, 1880. [The specimen enclosed is one of the mint family, and produces considerable honey.— Ed.] Shade Trees for Hives.— Hemp seed sown in the fall, and set out 5 feet apart in the spring, will give good shade for hives. Trim them to suit; they will grow 12 feet high if not cut. John Boerstlek. Monterey, 111., Aug. 10, 1880. Good.— From 1 colony in the spring I have obtained 70 lbs. of honey and 1 natural swarm. I then divided the pa- rent colony into 3, as it was very strong, making 4 in all, and gave the two new colonies tested Italian queens. Honey is short, but I am feeding them all they will take. Can I succeed in building them all up to good colonies this fall ? A. D. Dilley. Des Moines, Iowa, Aug. 5, 1880. [Yes; if you do not tax them too heavily in comb building. By giving good foundation or clean combs, as fast as they are ready for it, we believe al- most anything is possible in the way of increase, in an ordinary honey season. Certainly a dozen from one. — Ed.] Best Season for Many Yenrs. — The past season has been one of the best for honey-gathering we have had for many years. The hives were almost empty in the spring, but they soon became so crowded with honey as to obstruct brood-rearing in some instances ; con- sequently, we had but few early swarms. Latterly, however, they have strong ten- dencies toward swarming. Two large swarms have issued during the last few days. Nearly all of them are full of drones, and comb-building is still going on. Why is this? Do the bees expect a tall honey harvest, or have they for- f often the" time of year? Black bees ave done but little so far as heard from. I lately received a queen from II. Alley, and after I thought her safely intro- duced I raised the cover to see that all was right, when the queen took flight for parts unknown, and, although I left " all things as they were," yet she failed to make her appearance. Many Ken- tuckians will be glad to meet you at the National Convention at Cincinnrti, Sept. 29,30. L. JonNSON. Walton, Ky., Aug. 20, 1880. [The bees are evidently preparing for swarming, notwithstanding the lateness of the season.— Ed.] Queries. — 1. Are queens reared at swarming time more liable to lead out swarms than if reared before or after ? 2. What are queens warranted and tested for— for 3 yellow bands ? 3. What do bee-keepers mean when they say a " crop" or " half a crop" of honey ? Do they mean as much as the Yankee when he says "A good bit," or "Well, right smart?" Please stick a stake for us somewhere between 25 and 150 lbs. II. W. Funk. Bloomington, 111. [1. No ; as a rule, we are not aware that the queen leads out the swarm. 2. Queens are warranted and tested to be pure Italians, and to be purely mated ; they are never, that is, "hardly ever," marked with 3 yellow bands. 3. When a term of years are compared one with another, it is easy to arrive at an average honey yield, or, in bee- keepers' parlance, "crop." This average may be varied by location, race of bees, or other causes ; therefore, we must let the intelligent reader stick the stake where it best suits. — Ed.] Bee-Killer.— I send you a bee-killer, caught in the very act of killing a bee. I discovered it on some brambles strug- gling with a bee, and captured both alive. What is it ? Jesse Cook. Salem, Iowa, Aug. 16, 1880. [ It is Asilus Missowriensis, a two- winged fly of the Asilidm family (see Cook's Manual, page 268). It attacks the bee, taking it away in captivity, and then feeds upon its fluids.— Ed.] A Freak.— An Italian queen, intro- duced into a nucleus, left, going into a colony of hybrids, destroying its queen, and in 30 days it was Italianized. There are 400 colonies within 12 miles. R. CORBETT. Manhattan, Kans., Aug. 16. 18S0. 416 Correspondence. For the American Bee Journal. One Day's Work Extracting. L. C. ROOT & BRO. On page 367 of the American Bee Journal for August, friends McLean & Son speak of taking 1.153 lbs. of honey in one day with one machine, and ask who has done better. We acknowledge we are not very ambitious in regard to such matters, but as we have probably had as much practical experience in ex- tracting for the past 10 years as most bee-keepers, having often during our hurried season taken more than the amount named, we will say that on the 29th day of June we took from 56 colo- nies 1,565 lbs. This apiary was about 4 miles from our home, and we did not commence work until about 9 a. rn.,and finished about 6 p. m. This account is without weighing the honey that drained from between 1 and 2 bushels of cappings. We cannot head our item as they do, yet we have taken 15,000 lbs. from 176 colonies, which, considering the almost entire failure of surplus with many bee-keepers in this part of the country, we thiink a very satisfactory yield. We consider this a pretty good proof of the superiority of modern over ancient methods. Mohawk, N. Y., August, 1880. For the American Bee Journal. Duplicating Queens. A. F. MOON. This question ever keeps rising, like Benquo's ghost : How long is it to con- tinue, in the utter hopelessness of ob- taining any " satisfactory result ?" In the August number of the American Bee Journal, Mr. Pike quotes his "card" to me, which read as he states, but not one sentence to give any surety that he would perform what he agreed to. Neither would he agree to bind himself to send his security. But he quietly remarks that Mr. Moon is trying to creep out of his proposition. The readers of the Journal may remember my proposition, which was to give Mr. Pike 8 times the price of queens, be- sides paying all expenses in making the necessary test. Mr. Pike requested that I give security for the full amount; to this I responded that the necessary security would be placed in the hands of the Mayor of this city, and acknowl- edged good, and I then exacted a small security of him that he should perform his part of the contract ; but this was bringing matters to a focus, and shows who is " creeping out," etc. If Mr. Pike has this remarkable class of queens, why should he refuse to prove it, and give the small security asked of him to perform what he agrees. But rather than to bind himself to show that he has such " princesses," Mr. Pike quietly dismisses the subject. The columns of the Bee Journal have been open to this subject for nearly 2 years, and none of the advocates of queens invariably duplicating them- selves have proved their assertions. I have been ready to do as I agreed, as well as to bind myself to perform, etc.; but when Mr. Pike was required to bind himself in a small sum to do as he agreed, he refuses to do so, as all others will who claim that they have such stock Rome, Ga., Aug. 12, 1880. [Now both sides have had their " last word," etc., let it rest. Many of our readers are tired of the controversy, which is so fruitless in its results. — Ed.] For the American Bee Journal. The Cyprian "The Coming Bee." HENRY ALLEY. Much is being said about " the coming bee." I have had Cyprian bees all the season, and find them to be all that is claimed for them. They are very act- ive, industrious and smart. The work- ers are as beautiful to look at as the handsomest Italians. I have heard, in years gone by, that they were vicious, but I do not find them so. I can open a hive with much less smoking than I can either my Italian or Hungarian bees. The Cyprians will be in demand as soon as their superiority is known. The weather the past season has been very favorable for queen-rearing. Occasionally some one asks if queens can be safely introduced in September. They can be safely introduced at any time between April and November. I think my plan the surest and safest of any published. It is this: Unqueenthe hive, and in just 72 hours (3 days) smoke the bees or sprinkle them with honey and water scented with peppermint or anything of the kind, and let the queen in. Do not put the queen near the hive till she is introduced ; no hunting for queen cells. Let all try the above plan and they will succeed. Wenham, Mass., Aug. 17, 1880. THJgp For the American Bee Journal. Ode to the Honey Bee. MRS. A. M. SANDERS. Welcome, thou ever busy bee : Come in among my flower:-. And with thy cheerful hum beguile The tedious summer hours. I like to watch thy graceful flights Beneath these shady bowers : Then yield thee to temptation's spell And linger 'round my flowers. Here is a leaf of richest mole Enfolding petals rare, Shedding around its sweet perfume On balmy summer air. Come, draw fr^m i rat their coral depths The sweets that heaven distill ; Reluctant, then. I'll let thee go. Thy waxen cells to fill. But come again, thou beautiful Italian, golden-hued ; Thy presence doth inspire my heart With humble gratitude. Oh : come : free access shalt thou have To all my floral treasure ; Thy joyful singing takes me back To childhood's time and pleasure, When through the leafy woods I roamed And fragrant fields of clover ; When every blossom swayed beneath A honey-seeking rover. And then, the ever- fresh delights My appetite afforded ; By feasting on the honeyed sweets The bees so neatly hoarded. Oh : gentle bee, come help me feel Imagination's power. By lulling me to sweetest dreams Of childhood's happy hour. Sheridan, Mich. From the Bienen Zeitung. The Several Races of Bees. REV. DR. DZIERZON. Since we have become acquainted with the various foreign, and somewhat different colored races of bees, apicul- ture has sained greatly in interest and profit. Many questions, upon which views greatly differed in former times, can now be solved in a simple manner. If Baron Ehrenfels was alive to-day. be would not dare t«» argue bis former opinions in regard to the duration of the life of worker bees. viz. : that it could reach the age of the queen if it escaped all threatening dangers— consequently could live several years. For whoever has experimented with queens of dif- ferently colored races, has learned how rapidly the bees perish, and that in the season of activitv. scarcelv six weeks will pass away before the former genera- tion will have passed away, to make V >< 'in for a new. That the fructification of the queen takes place only outside of the hive, and frequently at a distance from the same, and that she can la> eggs without being fertilized, concerning which disputes were formerly carried on witli a good deal of feeling. Since the introduction of the Italian bee in particular, these will not be questioned. Such an important correction and en- richment of the theory, could naturally not exist without exerting its influence in regard to practice, and necessarily it was forced to elevate the advantages of management indirectly. But the introduction of foreign races of bees also furnishes direct advantages, inasmuch as some of them possess val- uable qualities not found in the domestic race. The common bee. cultivated through- out the greater part of Germany, pos- sesses, it is true, some excellent traits. It is a real honey-bee. One valuable peculiarity I find is the fact that young queens do not deposit any drone eggs the first year, and consequently the workers do not build drone cells. When Herr Bruning, in the first vol- umes of the Bienen Zeitung, reported of •• after-swarms."" which, after they had only about half-finished their filling up thestraw hive, again made preparations to swarm, by depositing drone eggs, it appeared to me more like fiction than truth, because at that time I was not aware of the anomalous peculiarity of the heather bee. among which colonies. with queens of the present year, prepare themselves, by depositing' drone eggs, for issuing another swarm. This never happens with the common German bee. It is. therefore, not a swarm-bee. but in reality a '' honey-bee.*" But, in showing so little inclination to swarm, they make it unpleasant for an apiarist who desires to increase his apiary. Its irritability ami stinging propensities also often renders the man- agement of the apiary a disagreeable task. Although the "true bee-keeper does not mind an occasional sting. one"s good-nature certainly gives out when this inclination to sting degenerates into real madness: when every occupation, be it ever so pressing, must be suspend- ed : when animals and human beings have to take to their heels far and near. and you are expecting every moment to see the police arrive and command you to remove the hives, so that the neigh- borhood may live in peace. For this reason it must be considered a great gain in apiculture to know of races of bees which, although possessing a sting like our domestic bees, only make use of the same very infrequently, and then only when provoked in a high degree, and who are unable to fly into a passion like that mentioned above. As is well known, the Carniolan and Italian bees are the most gentle. The first combines with its gentle na- ture a great inclination to swarm ; the latter, extraordinary industry, great ability in resisting robbers, and plenti- ful honey gatherers, in which it is even superior to our domestic bee. The advantages of the introduction of foreign races of bees are not only to be found within their inner good quali- ties and superiorities, but also in their color-markings generally. The color of the dress is of but little importance when compared witli the ability to per- form. But in bees the colored bands or marks are of no small importance. A Hungarian bee-keeper explains, in his correspondence, that he thought the principal advantage of the Italian bee was the very light color of the queen, which facilitated finding her ; but much further advantage exists in the fact that the more or less pure queens can be dis- tinguished from each other by their lighter or darker coloring, which is shown by the following instance : To strengthen several colonies at my apiary in Carlsmarkt, having become much re- duced during the winter, I took a num- ber of bees from several strong colonies at my apiary at Bankwitz, and put them together into a small transportation box. Arrived at home, I made the unpleasant discovery that I had also shaken off a queen. The temperature being cool, the operation had to be performed with- out loss of time, and as I had gone into none of the hives as far as the brood- chamber, the usual abode of the queen, I had no idea that the queen could be upon the combs I had taken out. What was to be done V To what hive did this queen belong, as I had taken bees from 4 or 5 ? Out of this dilemma I soon ex- tricated myself. Of those hives from which I had taken bees, 2 contained pure Italians, 1 nearly so. and only 1 contained mostly all black bees. I was at once convinced that this queen, be- ing pretty dark, belonged to the latter hive. My supposition was conlirmed. Going to the apiary next day, I found the hive in question indeed queen less. She was returned, was received joy- fully, and the mistake I had made, and which might easily have occasioned the loss of a good colony, was rectified. When the queen of a swarm falls to the ground, or on returning from her bridal trip she strays into the wrong hive, she can be safely rescued from the bees closing around her, or if she drops to the ground unnoticed, when lifting the frames from a hive, she can be found again. How important it is to be able to recognize at once to what hive she belongs, needs no comment. With only one race of bees this becomes very diffi- cult. But having to do with one other at the same time, and especially with the strikingly differently colored Italian race, then one has so many distinctive marks to go by, not only on account of their size and the form of their bodies besides, but also because they are lighter and darker in coloring ; that among a not too large number, a queen that has been seen once can almost certainly be recognized again, and if found away from her home, she can be placed back where she belongs. Carlsmarkt, Germany. For the American Bee Journal. Fertilization in Confinement, Etc. W. W. BURNET. I have been wraiting to hear from some one who has tried the Hasbrouck method for fertilization in confinement. Is it possible no one has met with suc- cess ? I made several attempts ; cut a hole in the head of a barrel, tacked glass over, placed a queen and drones inside, and as far as the queen was con- cerned it worked well, for when placed in the sunlight every queen I experi- mented with fiew nicely. Some would alight on the glass awhile, and then take wing and circle round and round the barrel, but the drones would not fly, obstinately crawling on the bottom. I noticed one queen, that I left in the bar- rel at least half an hour, fly down re- peatedly to the drones and then back to the glass. Now, I am certain if the drones had taken wing the experiment would have succeeded. It may be, some one else has met with better re- sults, and I would be glad to hear their experience in the Bee Journal. I desire to return my thanks to you and the many friends who sent me remedies to assist me in my fight with the ants, I intend to place all my hives at least a foot from the ground, and either place the legs in pans filled with water and carbolic acid, as Prof. Cook suggests, or else wrap rags around them saturated with tar. I find with hives placed on boards near the ground, the ants have a fine, dry place to harbor un- der the hive, and they utilize it. One of our most successful apiarists, Mr. Ole Olesen, leaves us this fall for Florida, to engage in the business there. Bee-keepers here are generally going to attend the Cincinnati Convention. We feel glad that interminable dis- cussion about queens duplicating them- selves is at an end. We hope Prof. Cook will give the Cyp- rian bees a trial, and then report as to their qualities — good, bad and indiffer- ent. A report from him would carry more weight with it to the bee-keeping fraternity than a dozen reports from supply dealers or persons interested in the sale of these bees. We hope the Convention at Cincinnati may be a perfect success, and I have no doubt it will, in spite of that Northeast- ern breeze. Lagonda, O., Aug. 3, 1880. For the American Bee Journal. Honey Show and Markets in England. w. M. HOGE. Forty-three miles from London, on the right bank of the Thames, in one of the most beautiful parts of the county of Berks, is situated the ancient town of Windsor, where Queen Victoria lives when she is "at home." During his life the late Prince Consort established the " Windsor Association for Improv- ing the Condition of the Working Classes." It is expressly stated that this is not an eleemosynary institution, nor does it purpose to relieve the dis- tressed ; its object is to stimulate and cherish the spirit of industry, and thus to raise the social condition of the labor- ing classes, and it gives rewards for past and encouragement to future exertions. The association arose from a desire expressed by II, 11. H. the Prince Con- sort, to bestow some mark of favor on cottagers in and around Windsor who are diligent in keeping their homes tidy and cultivating their gardens well. The association also provides encourage- ment for the cultivation of any honest skill or useful talent. For this purpose an exhibition is held at the annual meet- ings for garden produce of every kind, and handicraft, whether in works of taste or usefulness, executed by cotta- gers, are awarded prizes for the best specimens. The Queen, who fosters with great affection all such institutions which were inaugurated by the great and good Prince, continues to be the Liberal supporter of this association. This week the British bee-keepers, under the distinguished patronage of II. Pi. II. the Princess Christian, held an exhibition in the enclosure of the Prince Consort's Association, of bees, hives, honey and bee-keepers' applian- ces. A military band was in attend- ance, and prizes to the amount of $80, a silver medal, a bronze medal, and a cer- tificate, were distributed by H. R. II. the Duke of Connaught. The bee-tent was raised, in which the usual interesting manipulations oc- curred, and practical lectures were given. It is a wonder to me some en- terprising American ha snot constructed one of these bee-tents, and attended the various fairs and bee conventions in the United States, delivering lectures upon bee-keeping. I am sure there will be a harvest of money for whoever goes into such an enterprise. I could make no display of American honey, because the rules permitted only this year's produc- tion to be shown for competition. This being a very favorable season, the show of English honey was much better than those last season. The markets are rather barren of good extracted honey ; there is no California to be had, except some dark stuff in a sort of semi-candied, fermented condi- tion. In London, this week, 38 brls. Chili honey, pile x(i. e., extra white) sold at public sales, brought 9^0. per lb., while 120 brls. and kegs West India, pile 1 (i. e., about the color of goldenrod), sold at S^'c. In Liverpool, this week, Chilian met a ready sale. About 1,000 brls. sold at 10c. per lb. for the pile x (or extra white), amber or pile 1 brought 9 to 93^c, and pile 2 (a grade darker in color"), sold at 7}4C- American beeswax- is selling at 26to29c., according to color. Extracted honey and wax are offered regularly once a week — on Tuesdays — at the public sales in Liverpool and' Lon- don. These articles are sold for cash in one month, or if paid for within 11 days a discount of 2% per cent, is made. The prices are regulated, of course, by the supply and demand. There is no demand here for dark honey ; but so far as the lighter grades of extracted are concerned, this is a better market than the United States or the Continent. During the past winter and spring sev- eral consignments of California honey, originally sent to Hamburg, had to be brought here to be sold. Windsor, England, July 13, 1880. [The bee-keepers of the United States, as a class, are too intelligent and too progressive to place it within the power of any one man, traveling with a bee- tent and making a specialty of lectures on bee -culture, to realize a proper remu- neration in return. On the library shelf of nearly every one interested in bee matters, can be seen a text-book devoted to bee-culture : besides, among his pe- riodicals, the Bee Journal or some other bee paper is a regular visitor. In many localities clubs are formed, and all the bee papers and desirable books are purchased, and these are passed around and read in rotation, and their contents discussed.— Ed.] For the American Bee Journal. Comb Foundation— A Review. G. M. DOOLITTLE. I have not said a word about comb foundation since January, 1879, but have kept experimenting during the past two seasons. As much is said in last month's Bee Journal in regard to foundation, I think a review of the foundation busi- ness up to date will not be out of order. Our first foundation was purchased of John Long (Wm. Hoge) about Aug. 1st, 1875, and was placed in boxes. As the bees did not obtain honey enough after that to finish them, we fed extracted honey to have them sealed over, after which we had as nice-looking box honey upon foundation as was ever before our lot to witness, when built from a starter of natural comb. We were elated till we came to cut it, when the septum was so hard that in trying to cut it the cells of honey on the under side were mashed fine. This, of course, would not answer, and we had to laugh to-day, in examin- ing a piece of bleached foundation, which was sent out in 1877, 1 think, by C. T. Reynolds & Co., to be used in boxes. It is at least y& of an inch thick, running, I should judge, about S}4 feet to the pound. Such was the starting point in the foundation business for comb honey. In 1876 we bought a small quantity of A. I. Root. This we experimented with till we became disgusted, and had lost in time, money and honey at least $50. In our disgust we sat down and wrote friend Root about it, and our trials with it, and under date of Aug. 1st, 1876, we have this from his type- writer : " You have, in spite of all that we said in Gleanings, been using the paraffine." You can imagine how consoling this was, inasmuch as I had purchased said paraffine from him, without even a hint but what it was bleached wax. Howev- er, we obtained some more, warranted to be pure wax, and kept on experiment- ing, meanwhile expostulating with Novice that it was not a success. To prove to me that it was he writes, under date of Aug. 9, 1876 : " It has already grown into quite an industry, and we are using wax by the ton." How came such an industry to grow up so soon ? Simply by Novice's push- ing it through Gleanings. After using the pure wax with no better results than we had with that purchased from John Long in 1875, as to the bees thinning it, we sent samples of the foundation, after the cells of honey were scraped • and washed off, together with some that the bees had not worked upon, to Novice, at the same time writing an article to be published in Gleanings, giving all my experiments with foundation thus far, which proved conclusively that founda- tion was not a success for comb honey. Novice replied that the samples sent were "a great mystery tome,'" and that I was "• putting my foot into it" in de- siring said article published. As he opposed the article so strongly, I told him he need not publish it, and shortly after, on a card, told him that my ex- periments were conducted thoroughly, and held good in my locality, but that I could not reasonably expect him to pub- lish them, as it would injure the sale of foundation, which was a part of his- business. Under date of Sept. 22, 1876, he writes in reply : " Do you really think, friend D., that because I am in the business, I would hesitate to give both sides ? See next number of Gleanings." Of course I expected to see my exper- ments given in full. The next number (Oct. 1876) came; on page 245 we read : "Mr. G. M. Doolittle is the next and last, and his claim that the thickness of the bottom of the cells is a serious objection is not worth debating, for tons of honey have been produced, and hundreds of bee- keepers have used the foundation." Query : If such was the case, why does he advertise thin foundation to-day, and why the need of Van Deusen's patent on machines that will turnout 14 feet of foundation to the pound ? Time passes, and the next season (1877) finds us with 15 or 20 lbs. of foun- dation made from our own wax, for the first trial in the brood chamber. Al- ways anxious for real progress we watched developments, both in our own apiary and in that of our bee-keeping neighbor, to whom we had given foun- dation ; but the stuff sagged, so that there was nothing practical about it, and again the season ended with a loss to us or at least another $50, by the many ex- periments we had tried. Again I wrote Novice about our experiments, and here is his reply to my objections to it, as re- gards comb honey and its use in the brood chamber also. As to its use in boxes he says : "It is utterly incomprehensible to me the way you stick to your old notions on the foundation. It has filled the markets with most beautiful honey." To its use in the brood chamber he says: " The whole world almost is rejoicing over the sue- cess of the invention ; tons of it are in use ; brood has been reared in it three seasons, and so far as I know every objection to it has been overcome." Query second : If this was all true, and foundation was such a success, why is he now using wired frames to prevent foundation from sagging v Again, the season of 1878 rolls around and J. H. Nellis shouts success. So our wax goes to him to be worked up, think- ing surely it will go this time ; but we again chronicled in our diary : " No go ; money out of pocket and still it sags badly, both with myself and neighbors." After our article in the American Bee Journal for January, 1879, a few got the idea that foundation did really sag. so I had some sent me for trial, amongst which was some from Mrs. Dunham. During the height of the season this sagged some, though not so bad as that made by Root or Nellis ; but in the fall, during cool weather, I had some built out into nice combs. Yet, I could hardly call it a success, as it could not be used in every spot and place as a natural comb could. However, this was by far the best I had tried so far. Seeing the following from the pen of J. H. Nellis, in the Exchange for Feb., 1879, page 30 : " I said it did not bother me much sagging, but now we have a new kind that fills the bill, both for brood nest and surplus boxes, viz : flat bottom wired, and thin flat bottom not wired ; for this we shout, Eureka!" I thought I would try some ; notwith- standing the Betsinger offer of $50 for a sheet of perfect brood over the wires remained uncalled for by any one. Ac- cordingly the past spring we sent to Mr. Van Deusen for some of both kinds. The bees accepted the wired readily, and we soon had as handsome sheets of comb as we ever saw, without a particle of sagging ; but alas ! after a few weeks' time we did not wonder that Mr. Bet- singer's offer had never been claimed, for nearly % of the larvae over the wires died when from 2 to 4 days' old. They were removed for the queen to till with eggs, only to have the larvae removed again, and thus the matter worked till in time a sediment had accumulated over the wires. Finally, most of the cells contained brood, with but a few empty cells over the wires remaining to tell the story of scores of larvae which had perished. Now if this fills the bill, we too can shout Eureka ! — others can shout, we will keep still. Novice says, on page 309, July number of Gleanings, in reply to Mr. Cheshire : " Betsinger's offer was passed by, because most of us were too busy to take up such an offer." That is too improbable. Mankind does not pass by a loose $50, that can be had for such a trifie..as a perfect frame of brood on wired foundation, if such a frame could be produced according to Mr. Betsinger's proposition. I saw Mr. Betsinger a few days ago, and he says his offer is still open for any one. On the same page (309) Novice says : " Mr. Cheshire is most assuredly mistaken, if he means to say our fine tinned wire kills larvae." Now, I have never used it, but a friend says it is even worse than the Van Deu- sen ; so I see no other way for Novice but to claim the $50, or forever hold his peace. About three weeks ago I received ' some foundation from John Ferris, made by the dipping process. As I wished to give it an impartial trial, I put it in the hive on a day when the mercury marked 92° in the shade. In 48 hours I found the bees had the cells drawn out }/2 their length, with some honey in them and plenty of eggs ; also, by measurement, it had not sagged or warped a particle. In fact, they were just as perfect as those on the Van Deu- sen wires, or any we had ever seen. We also tried the thin Van Deusen, on the Cheshire plan, and had fair combs built, but the bees bridged the wax out on the teeth or pins so far, that in removing them the combs were badly hurt. This foundation for comb honey is all right, so far as finding any fish- bone is concerned, for, from repeated experiments, I cannot find any differ- ence between honey built upon that and from a starter, as regards the septum to the cells. In the height of basswood bloom, the bees would fill a box having a starter of natural comb as soon as they did those with foundation ; but where honey comes slow, the foundation has a decided preference. Thus, the readers have our experi- ments during 6 summers, which have cost us at least $200. Of course, my ex- periments with the Ferris foundation are not all that I could wish, to adopt it for a certainty, but I predict for it a grand future— in fact, a success. Why? Because for foundation to be a success it needs 3 essential elements, viz : 1. It wants to be so you can use it in every place wherein you can use a natural worker comb ; 2. It must be produced as low as 50c. per lb. ; 3. The machine must be so cheap and simple that every bee-keeper having 10 colonies can afford to own one to work up his own wax. The Ferris plan comes the nearest, if it does not quite fill this bill, of anything I have tried. If I should say that so far, outside of supply dealers, there had been more money sunk in foundation than was ever made out of it, I should not be far from the truth. How many there are that get crazy over the bee business ; spend their hard-earned dollars coined in some other calling, for bees and sup- plies, only to sink the whole and turn from the business in disgust. Again I would repeat what I have written be- fore : " If you buy bees, do not go to an expense of over $40 or §50, and do not lay out any more on them after that than they earn you, remembering that if you cannot make 2 colonies pay, you cannot 200; and if you fail you can console yourself that you have lost only $40 to $50, instead of $400 or $500. Borodino, N. T., August, 1880. For the American Bee Journal R. L. Meade and Supply Dealers. KEV. A. SALISBURY. In the July number of the American Bee Journal, page 342. over the sig- nature of R. L. Meade, I find the fol- lowing, also a reference to the same in the August number, page 389 : It is my duty to say, that during 3 years I have only found T. G. Newman & Son, A. I. Root and G. M. Doolittie to be punctual in lining orders for the re- spective articles they advertise. Of course Mr. Meade does not expect us to understand that he has dealt with all the supply advertisers and found them to be defaulters, or not up to time, except the 3 named. But may our friend not be mistaken about his "duty," in giving notice of an existing evil, but not to tell the public where the evil lies, leaving all liable to censure, 3 excepted V I wonder if our friend has dealt with 3 outside of the excepted ones. [It will be remembered that we stated that Mr. Meade gave the names, but that we had omitted them purposely, out of a sense of justice to them and others. We stated in that issue of the Bee Journal that we considered Mr. Meade's plan quite impracticable, and that the " buyers" were sometimes more at fault than the " dealers." We have no doubt but that those whose adver- tisements are admitted to our columns are among the honest and conscientious dealers. If we were not thus persuaded, we should not insert their advertise- ments. But misunderstandings, unpro- pitious weather, and many other things, sometimes prevent the realization of the expectations of those who send orders, and hence the " nervous" are often dis- appointed.— Ed.] For the American Bee Journal. Where Honey Comes From— No. 6. WI. TRELEASE. At one time it was customary to con- sider all provisions of nature, which in any wise promote the interests of man- kind, as specially devised for our bene- fit ; and the fact that many flowers by their beautiful colors and fragrant per- fumes delight our senses, while their copious store of nectar needs only to be collected and elaborated by the bees to become our food, may seem to warrant this view of the case. Were no other facts than these at our disposal we might, perhaps, consider the explana- tion sufficient ; but if the testimony of the rocks is to be credited, beautiful flowers and nectar-loving insects lived ages before man existed to profit by the beauty of the one or the industry of the other. Moreover, Xenophon and Pliny's accounts of the poisonous effects of a certain kind of Asiatic honey, and St. Hilaire's experience with that stored by a South American wasp, taken in con- nection with the well-authenticated ca- ses of poisoning by the honey collected from certain of our own native plants, show that in some cases this substance is gathered and used by insects when it can be of no use to human beings ; and the study of biology reveals so many facts which tend to prove that man has not been exclusively considered in the production of even the things that he enjoys most ; that it is now by no means considered a satisfactory explanation of any natural phenomenon to say, merely, that " it is for our good ;" rather, so close is the inter-dependence of beings widely separated in the scale of Nature, that we expect to find any well marked structural or functional peculiarity of a living being not only of vital import- ance to its possessor, but entailing equally marked peculiarities in other creatures that are thrown in contact with it. Let us carry this idea into our study of the origin of a sugary secretion by certain parts of plants. Certainly, so many honey-producing flowers bloom far removed from the in- fluence of man, that we cannot regard the secretion as connected primarily with his needs ; but we do know that its production is very essential to the well-being of certain insects, and that these are invariably found where nec- tariferous plants naturally grow in abun- dance. It has been well said that where free lunches are provided some advan- tage is generally expected from the treat, and in the case of nectar-bearing flowers, this appears to be their fertili- zation; for there is not a flower of this gi ni t hat is not of such a form that some insect in removing its nectar mtist trans- fer pollen from the stamens to the pistil, thus fertilizing the latter; and, more t han this, many flowers are so construct- ed that they are absolutely sterile with- out this aid, and a large number can only be fertilized by insects which go from one flower to another, for, though each may contain both stamens and pistil, these organs are often so arranged that the stamens of a given flower are brushed by the insect after it has touched the pistil, so that the pollen to fertilize the latter must be brought from another flower, while in others the sta- mens and pistil come to maturity at different times, so that in some species the younger flowers are always fertilized by pollen from older ones, and in other species the older flowers are dependent niton the younger ones for their fertili- zation. The scarlet geranium, which was described in our first article, be- longs to the latter class, and we propose next month to show how it profits by the secretion of nectar in the spur of its calyx. For the American Bee Journal Extraordinary Work on Foundation. E. A. 3IORGAN. I am having a large yield of honey this year— the best ever known. I ha ve had full sheets of Dunham foundation drawn out in 2 hours, and 2 lbs. honey stored in it. It is surprising to me, but true. It was accomplished in a-4-Lang- Btroth frame nucleus, from my best colony, and was filled with hatching brood for the purpose of hatching and rearing a choice queen from the cell. They were crowded with a division board; the queen hatched in 6 days, mated on the 13th. and began laying on the H'.th day. when I noticed that the combs were bulged and full of honey, there being a bounteous yield of honev during the time. On the 18th day. at ii a.m., I spread the combs and placed between them a full sheet of Dunham foundation. I noticed the bees run for it at once, and that they were exceed- ingly crowded, and also that the queen was very lively, and laying in short cells along the bottom edges of the combs. I then closed the hive. The weather was foggy and very dark, and no bees flying, although the day previous was the best I ever saw. At 10 o'clock the fog cleared up, and the sun came out hot and sultry. At 11 I had a swarm come out, and having no foundation, ran to the nucleus to get this sheet, expect- ing to cut and use it for starters. Judge my surprise to find it worked out 1 inch thick to the very corners, and honey in both sides over % of the surface. The bees during the time from 10 to 11 ap- peared to fairly roll into all the hives. I find usually it takes new swarms 12 hours to draw out full sets of combs. I used many styles of foundation, and had much sagging, twisting and break- ing down until I tried the Dunham. Since then I have used 500 sheets full size, and never had one break down, twist, or stretch and sag a bit, and when drawn out they look as even and straight as a board. I use sheets weighing }£ of a pound, 9x17% inches (Langstroth frame), and prefer it 1 year old, as I notice that win- tered over was accepted more readily than the new. The wired foundation answers every purpose, the price only makes it undesirable. The bees in this vicinity have done remarkably well, and put up surplus in May, June and July without ceasing. I have taken 200 lbs. of comb honey from one colony up to date, and they arc still working in 42 new sections. They fly in one continuous stream from light un- til dark, and fairly tumble in. I have no foundation mill or interest in any, neither have I any friends so in- terested, and have no preference for one kind of foundation more than another until tried. Arcadia, AVis., Aug. 11, 1880. For the American Bee Journal. One More Spool of Cotton. E. E. JOYCE. Last winter I saw Mrs. Lizzie Cot- ton's advertisement in the New York Tribune, and sent her my address, after which she sent me her circular. From statements made there I thought the road to wealth extremely smooth to those who kept bees on her plan. I had never had anything whatever to do with bees, but felt confident I could learn, so decided to try bee-keeping. I could have bought a colony in my own town for $6, but as I wanted to have the very best, and also all the necessary appur- tenances, I sent her. on March 22d, a money order for $20, her price for " a colony of Italian bees in the 'controlla- ble hive.' with all the fixtures, receipt for food, printed instructions," etc. Receiving no acknowledgment of the order, after waiting 2 weeks. I wrote to her, but failed to get a reply ; at the end of another week I sent her a postal card. She then admitted she had received the order, and said the bees would be for- warded as soon as the weather was suit- able. The bees came April 3d, in what seemed to be the bottom of a hive, be- ing a box with 2 partitions : in the cen- tre the bees, with only a covering of wire-cloth. I supposed the rest of the hive for some reason had been delayed on the way. As it was Friday night and we had 3 mails before Monday. I decided to wait, feeling sure the mail and express would not both fail, as she had not sent me the printed instruc- tions. As neither brought anything, on Mondav I wrote her of the condition of the bees, that I feared they would die if kept confined as they were, and that I had received no instructions how to care foi them : but she did not notice my letter. I was then convinced she wa fraud, and hired a carpenter to make a hive over the bees as best he could. I then placed them on the stand. They had been confined 10 days: a great many of them had died, leaving not more than a pint, and they have yet done nothing, neither do they seem to increase or diminish. If there was no queen would thev not all have died be- fore this, and if there is a queen why do thev not increase ? Mrs. Cotton advertises she has made arrangements with the express compa- nies wherebv she can send her hives to anv part of the country at the rate of .-2'foreverv LOW miles. At that rate charges from Gorham would be less than 25 cents. I immediately wrote her I should not accept what she had sent me as a ••complete outfit.'* and unless she sent me evervthingthat belonged to her "controllable hive.*" I should expose her. She then sent me a clumsy top for the hive, and an old feeder filled with dust and dead bees. Surplus honey boxes, of which she savs30 fit her hives. she would not send, for if she should. I would expect them filled with honey : though in some instances I have heard of her sending her customers one as a sample, but she sent none to me. When she sent the top and feeder she wrote for me to send back the plan, or to send $4 to pay for it. as that was what she sold them for. I have sent neither the plan nor the $4. The express charge on the bees was %\ : on the top ami feeder, sent.", weeks after. 75c; for 4 lbs. of honey for the bees while shut up, $1 : material and work on hive -■>. Bothafcapint ol bees, in a very ordinary hive, have cost me $27.75 in cash, besides all the vexation. For the benefit of persons who may be as credulous as myself. I hope you will publish this statement. Skowhegan, Maine, July 24, 1880. For the American Bee Journal. Comb Foundation Again. JAMES HEDDOX, Eight glad was I to rind a test of foundation, and editorial remarks on my article on the above topic in the August number of the American Bee Journal. I am glad so many are ex- perimenting, for the exact truth will surely come to all by-and-by, and thatis whafall of us (who are honest want on fill sxibiccts. Am I to understand, by your remarks, that von can keep foundation straight in the frames without wires or any such device ? I never could do it in a single instance out of many trials— not even the heaviest Dunham, which is by all means the best I have tried. Besides. I do not want to keep it in place, I only want to put it in its proper position when the swarm is put in. and then know that it will keep itself there forever. Now, these Given-pressed wired frames of foundation do this every time, and no others will. By the way. you did not put a large or double prime swarm on 8 or 10 sheets of it. as we have done with some 50 this season. If you do. you will wish for wires or a sweet and patient disposition, when you open these hives 48 hours afterward. We placed many sheets of Dunham. Given and Root foundation side by side, both in hives and sections, and while we found a marked preference for the Dunham and Given foundation over the Root, we could see none between the Dunham and Given. The first experimental hive opened showed a decided preference for the Dunham : in the second the prefer- ence expressed was about equal ; in the third, the preference was as much in favor of the (riven as against in the first After «i»ing over some 10 or 12 prepared purposely to test their merits as cells of foundation (not asfoundationed frames,] for'in making those— i.e., making foun- dation securely in frames— the Given press has no competitor), we came to the conclusion that the merits of the foun- dations were as nearly equal as could well be. Inasmuch as it is a fact, that not one hole has ever been gnawed ifl one Given wired-frame of foundation. I am well satisfied that something was the trouble with the wax. or the non- sticking solution used in pressing the sheets. I agree with von. that wired foundation out of frames is an article not to be desired. I was forcibly reminded how much behind our British cousins are, when 1 read Mr. Cheshire's article, on page 378 of the August Bee Journal, contain- ing statement after statement that is the exact reverse of the experience of many of our leading apiarists in this country. He talks about " pulling out the wires :" yes. I thought of that once, but I am now happy to say these wires stick with a tenacity beyond all calcu- lation, and that is a splendid point in their favor. I would not have the wires withdrawn from my combs for 50 cents per hive. I know that a No. 36 tinned wire sunk down level with the surf i ■um. will cause no trouble what- ever to bees or keeper. In your kind editorial remarks in re- sard to the sheets and comb I sent you. yon forgot to say that the comb con- tained a large patch of eggs, and that the wired cells were laid in regularly. Perhaps you did not look at it. Please observe and note the fact. I hope you will find out the trouble in your last experiment, and make another, which I fully believe will show up the Given foundation in its true light I feel enthusiastic over this invention. and so will every honey producer who knows the advantage of full sheets of all-worker foundation, and never could make such self-sustaining, where full swarms were hived upon them and the hive closed for ti e season if need be. with any other device. Dowagiac, Mich.. Aug. 7. 1880. [True : what we want is the exact truth on this, as well as every other subject, as Mr. Heddon justly remarks— we have no other thought or wish in the matter. - very pleasant to agree with our friends, but no honest man will sacrifice truth to friendship, and we know Mr. Heddon would scorn such an idea. We do not quite arrive at the same conclu- sions, yet it is none the less in the inter- est of science, or of advantage to apiar- ists, to have these experiments so inde- pendently carried on. Our experiments with the Dunham foundation, as well as the testimony of others who have used it. proves conclus- ively to us. that it will neither sag. warp nor twist, after being properly fastened in the frames. Some foundation has been made and sold this season in which the cells were pulled out of shape by being made on an imperfect machine, which was condemned and returned to the manufacturer as imperfect— these are the only ill-shaped cells we have noticed. A large or double " swarm." being fully charged with all the material nec- essary, will accept anything in the line of foundation, and build out the cells very rapidly. Our experiments were conducted in normal colonies, - arrive at the facts under such conditions. In the Bee Journal for August. -7 . page 341. while noticing a frame of wired foundation sent us by Mess - Blood, we stated that "the queen had utilized nearly every cell by depositing an egg in it.'" We have never doubted that eggs are placed over the wires. We unintentionally failed to state that we noticed the eggs in the sample sheet sent by Mr. Heddon. Of course we have made further ex- periments, and the result may be found in the editorial columns of this issue of the Joukxal— Ed.] Honey itarucst. The Present and Prospective Crop. SPECIAL REPORTS. I have not had one pound of honey to date, and no swarming. My bees have struggled to live during the whole sum- mer, which has been one of extremes- wet, hot and cold. If buckwheat should sive us no honey, then we will have to feed largely to save our bees. I think all the bees' in this part of the State are in the same condition. For thirty years a bee-keeper. I never had but one total failure before this season : that was the summer of 18 EL DART. Ripon, Wis.. Aug. 8, 1880. I put 31 colonies in fair condition in the cellar late last fall, after preparing them for winter. About the last of February I hem out on the stands in their old places : all alive, and all but 2 with con- siderable brood. One of these had reared a young queen, which had not mated : l" killed her and united the bees with the other colonies. The other was almost out of honey, but had plenty of moldy pollen. The bees were getting dysentery, but a few feeds of loaf-sugar syrup put them in order. I sold 1 colony in May, which left 29to start the season with. " I have at present 44 colonies, and over 30 small nuclei, most of them with nice laying queens. I have taken 1,500 lbs. of linden honey ; no surplus before the linden blossomed,which commenced about the 23d, and by the 25th they were gathering rapidly. Bees are doing well now, but using all the surplus in brood-, rearing. M. Bailey. Winterset, Iowa, Aug. 2, 1880. My bees have done poorer than I ever knew them to do before ; swarming out of their hives, and gathering nothing, till, I might say, now they are starving. J. Campbell. Princeton, 111., Aug. 2, 1880. Out of 14 colonies I have only 24 lbs. of comb honey, and no swarms worth mentioning. The season in Eastern In- diana and Western Ohio has been very poor for bees and honey. Abe Hoke. Union City, Ind., July 28, 1880. I now have 450 colonies. I have shipped l,2001bs. comb honey and 1,500 lbs. ex- tracted to Mr. Muth. We have had too much rain and cool weather, but as our great honey flow is from August 15 to October 5, 1 hope yet to obtain much more honey. I have not succeeded with the tin separa-tors in the sections. O. M. Blanton. Greenville, Miss., July 26, 1880. Honey crop of 1879 : In sections, 2,700 lbs.; extracted, 2,400 lbs.; total, 5,100 lbs., from 45 colonies; 100 percent, in- crease. Crop of 18S0 : extracted, 2,000 lbs.; comb, 100 lbs., from 90 colonies, and 60 per cent, increase. Surplus from raspberry, clover and basswood. There is no fall flow in this section. J. B. Hall. Woodstock, Out., Aug. 3, 1880. Comb honey, white, 1,100 lbs. ; ex- tracted, white, 400 lbs. ; no dark honey. Xumber of colonies in the spring, 69 ; number at present, 94. D. J. Peck. Harford, Pa., Aug. 3, 1880. Our honey crop in this section will probably average about 5 lbs. per hive so far ; but the prospect is good for fall honey. J. V. Caldwtell. Cambridge, 111., Aug. 2, 1880. My yield of honey for this season is 1,200 lbs., all in the comb, and nearly all from basswood. The prospect for a fall crop is fair. I expect 400 lbs. more. I have 78 colonies in good condition. The vield is >£ an average here. Saml. Stevenson. M. D. Morenci, Mich., Aug. 3, 1880. The prospect for my honey crop is at present not very hopeful. I have about 100 lbs. of very nice honey in sections, and about 5 gallons of extracted. I had 42 colonies in the spring, and have had 22 swarms. The weather has been too hot and dry here. I do not expect over half a crop. E. E. Hardin. Scotia, N. Y., Aug. 3, 1880. My 30 colonies in the spring have in- creased to 58 ; white comb, in prize boxes, 750 lbs.; white extracted, 1,300 lbs. Should the fall be favorable, as it now promises, I shall have some 1,000 or 1,200 lbs. more of dark honey. W. C. Eanney. Elbridge, 1ST. Y., Aug. 3, 1880. My crop of white honey this season is only about % °f what it ought to have been. I have but 900 lbs. from 40 colo- nies in the spring. All box honey, and very good; no extracted honey. I know not what the fall crop may be. A. L. Edwards. Skaneateles, 5T. Y., Aug. 3, 1880. The honey crop here is an entire fail- ure thus far this season. The same I believe is true of the whole surrounding country, as I have heard from apiaries for several miles in each direction, while further north and east, in some loca- tions, they seem to have done better ; though I believe all bee-keepers are unanimously of the opinion that white clover failed to secrete honey. If the hives do not fill up on buckwheat, wre shall have to feed or kill. J. P. Moore. Bingham ton, N. Y., Aug. 4, 1880. Last spring I had 20 colonies, which increased to 30 by natural swarming. I have obtained 70 lbs. of light honey in the comb. Will report the fall crop hereafter. G. W. Thomas. Easton, N. Y., Aug. 4, 1880. The honey crop here is a failure this year. One bee-keeper reports about 100 lbs. from 30 colonies ; that is the most I have heard of. There was no basswood of any account. I have here 11 colo- nies, "and had but 10 sections (5x6x2) nicely tilled. Our apiary, located at Lodi, N". Y., between Seneca and Cayu- ga lakes, contains 100 colonies. We have obtained 9 brls. of extracted, and a lot of box honey, I do not know just how much. One colony gave 100 lbs. of extracted linden honey in one week. Best wishes for the success of the Bee. Journal. S. S. Bristol. Galesburg, Mich., Aug. 4, 1880. 427 There will be no surplus honey from this section. W. W. Burnet. Lagonda, O.. Aug. 3, 1880. I have extracted 4.000 lbs. of white clover honey from 70 colonies — an aver- age of 57 lbs. per colony— and am well satisfied with the crop. P. T. Griffith. Danbv, Vt,. Aug. 4, 1880. We have had 3 unfavorable seasons for honey here, in succession. I have not witnessed the like in 28 years. I have a small yield from linden, but it is not vet sealed. It is of nice quality. J. M. Ryan. Bloomfield, Ala.. July 26, 1880. I have now 60 colonies. The white clover yield of honey was good, but short. I have extracted about 500 lbs. of white clover honey, and have about 100 lbs. of comb honey. I expect the fall crop of dark honey will be YA more, making about 900 lbs. in all from 60 col- onies, thus averaging 15 lbs. from each, besides the increase. O. L. Sawyer. Gardner, Me., Aug. 4, 1880. I had SO colonies last fall ; have now 130. No honey till June 20. White clo- ver was a failure, but basswood was good. We have not had any fall honey for 2 years, and 1 do not know that we shall this year. I have extracted 250 lbs., and have about the same amount of comb honey; all white. There is prob- ably as much more on the hives. If Mr. Doolittle's advice in the July number had been given in May. it would have been worth $25 to me. I hope to be ben- efitted by it next year, if I continue to live. My best wishes for the Journal. Tnos. Tracy. Nashua. Iowa. Aug. 4, 1880. "What shall the harvest be ?" is a question the answer to which I contem- plate with much interest, as to me it is of much importance indeed, and in- volves a point of life or death, either in feeding my bees at a heavy outlay of expense, in order to preserve their lives, or let them die of starvation, or the more humane one of brimstone. From my 50 colonies in the spring I have had 2 swarms, and not one ounce of honey, and in the whole apiary I do not think there is to-day 150 lbs. of honey— say, 3 lbs. to the colony ; but every hive is full and running over with bees. I do not see anv prospect for a fall crop, sutti- cient to winter on, much less for a sur- plus. F. W. Chapman. Morrison, 111.. Aug. 5. 1880. I commenced the season with 9 colo- nies; increased to 30: have extracted 75 lbs., and now have taken off -loo lbs. of comb honey. We generally have a large crop of fall honey. L, D. Ormsby. Pierpont, O., Aug. 3, 1880. In this immediate locality honey will not average more than H a crop. While some may do better than that, a great many who have sometimes had good crops, will get but a very small amount in shape for market. G. W. Stanley. Wyoming, N". Y., Aug. 3, 1880. I report for Cass county, myself in- cluded, and think Southern Michigan is about the same : Early crop, }i\ pros- pects for fall crop hardly average. Du- ring clover bloom too wet and cold. Only one class ot our basswood trees blossomed, thus making the bloom of only 9 days' duration. We hope to make something over half a crop for the whole season. James Heddon. Dowagiac, Mich., Aug. 4, 1880. So far we have only about a quarter of a crop of surplus honey, and }4 of a sup- ply for winter stores. A drouth cut off our summer harvest, and now another one has cut off all reasonable hope of a fall harvest. D.J. W. Warren Co., Pa., Aug. 3, 1880. I have just looked over my colonies, and find my strongest have not over 5 lbs. of honey ; the weakest not 1 pound. I have no surplus. The white clover (our main dependence) was all winter- killed. I shall either have to feed or kill, this fall. I have not seen such a failure in 15 years. In Kane county alone 1,000 colonies are in about the same condition. Geo. Thompson. Geneva, 111., Aug. 5, 1880. My honey crop for 1SS0 will foot up about 2,700 lbs., of which 2,000 lbs. is comb, and 700 extracted, nearly all light honey. From fall flowers we expect nothing buta help to wintering— no sur- plus. I have 58 colonies. ('has. S. Hurt. Bucksville, O., Aug. 6, 1880. The honey season so far has been an entire failure. I have not obtained any surplus, and but 3 natural swarms from 115 colonies. My bees wintered with- out loss, and were in splendid condition for the honey harvest. 1 use A. I. Boot's chaff hive. A. F. Stauffer. Sterling, 111.. Aug. 6, 1880. 428 My bees have gathered no surplus. If they gather enough from fall flowers to winter on, it is all I expect. My neigh- bor, who has between 100 and 200 colo- nies, says he will not have 500 lbs. of houey. W. N. Holmes. Wyoming, Iowa, Aug. 3, 1880. Bees have gathered but little surplus honey. It has been so dry since July 20 that they have not done much. In- crease is plenty. W. L. French. Martinsburg, Mo., July 26, 1880. We had a profusion of white clover bloom during June and the early part of July. Bees did not work on it with great animation, owing, I suppose, to meagre secretion of nectar. The honey crop will not exceed 25 lbs. of extracted, nor 10 lbs. of comb honey to the colony. I do not expect surplus from fall (low- ers. I have no buckwheat. My bees are in good condition. G. Green. Mt. Lookout, O., Aug. 6, 1880. The honey crop is a total failure. Aug. 5th — Goldenrodin bloom, and bees carrying out brood for want of food. Aug. 7th — A little honey. Aug. 8th— Quite a flow of clear, light honey. The prospects for fall honey are good. The lilies that grow in the river are in bloom now, but I have never been able to as- certain whether they yield honey. Mrs. L. Harrison. Peoria, 111., Aug. 9, 1880. I have taken no surplus and have not divided, except a few that I broke up for nuclei, and I have not had a swarm to my knowledge. They have had good attention, wanting for nothing but nec- tar, of which we had but a few days to amount to anything. This they have used up for breeding. Unless we have an immediate change we shall be com- pelled to say, " The harvest is past," and our bees are not saved. I have about 75 colonies, large and small, about 55 being in fair condition; 35 of them are bright Italians; 31 of these I bought last spring for $200. My expenses were heavy for hives and supplies, which I have on hand, as I had no use for them this year. I am a little discouraged, but shall stick to it as long as there is a bee and sugar to. feed. My Italians will work when the others will not. My in- tention was to do away with the blacks, but I guess they will save me the trouble by doing away with themselves. The yield is not more than 34 of a crop. I wish the Bee Journal, success. Bartlett Z. Smith. Tuscola, 111., Aug. 9, 1880. The honey crop in this section will not exceed }± that of last year. White clo- ver was a total failure ; basswood lasted but about 3 or 4 days. No fall crop is expected. Bees are in good condition, and are now doing well. C. B. Woodman. Farmington, Wis., Aug. 8, 1880. I had 132 colonies in the fall of 1879 : 38 were wintered in the cellar, and 91 on the summer stands. Of those out of doors l lost 2 by desertion ; of those in the cellar, 1 was destroyed by mice, and 5 by desertion after they were put out on the summer stands, giving 124 as my working force this summer. Of these 20 were run for box honey, and I have taken so far 105 lbs., and will perhaps take off enough more to make 7 lbs. per colony. I run 104 colonies for extracted honey ; they yielded5, 166 lbs. — very near 50 lbs. per colony. I extracted up to July 14, when the basswood gave out. Some of those last extracted may have to be fed a little, but I cannot tell posi- tively, as they are gathering a little buckwheat honey ; the prospect is, they will gather enough to winter on. I re- ceived 60 swarms this year, making 1S7 this fall. In the spring of 1879 I let 38 colonies out on shares ; this year they gave me 819 lbs. extracted as my share, making in all 6,090 lbs. of honey, of which only 105 lbs. is comb. If the bees gather enough this fall to winter on, I shall call it good for this year. My bees wereneverin better condition than now. I had to feed 1,500 lbs, of honey this spring, continuing it up to fruit bloom ; feeding so heavily produced a great many bees, so by June 5 (the usual time clover blossoms) my hives were crowded with bees ready for work. But alas ! there was no clover to speak of, and what little there was yielded no honey. Bees worked on everything that had any sweet in it until basswood blos- somed ; that gave them 15 days' work. We had several rainy days in the har- vest, which lessened the crop some. We took out all the honey (which was as dark as poor molasses) just before basswood blossomed, to have the combs perfectly empty and clean for the white honey. Two extractings of basswood and we were done. All around here the white clover was killed out, but the ground is well stocked with clover now that has come up from the seed. The prospect is good for next year's clover, if the winter is favorable ; but should it be killed again next winter, and no seed this year, it will be a long time be- fore we shall see our usual amount of clover honey. E. France. Platteville, Wis., Aug. 9, 1880. 1 think my entire crop will be 71)0 lbs. —200 lbs. light, and 500 dark. I have 15 colonies. W. P. Stephens. Blissfield, Mich., Aug. 7, 1880. Our bees have stored no surplus up to this date. The hives are full of bees, and I think the prospect for a fall crop is good, as we have had recent rains and buckwheat is just coming into bloom. Spanish needle is very plenty here. I am vet hopeful. Mrs. CM. King slew Elvaston, 111., Aug. 5, 1880. I commenced after fruit bloom with 7 colonies in box hives ; 6 weak and 1 strong ; had very little honey in any, and foul brood in all. 1 transferred to frame hives, increased to 12, and have about 50 lbs. of clover and basswood comb honey. A. B. Mason. Toledo, O., Aug. 11,1880. I have only secured 100 lbs. box honey. 1 wintered 14 colonies. Never in 50 years had them stronger in the spring, and never a poorer season. I had 16 swarms from 8. All the hives are over- run with bees, yet they gather only enough to eat. C. L. Young. Brecksville, O., Aug. 9, 1880. 1877—35 colonies, 2,176 lbs. extracted honey ; 62 lbs. per colony. 1878 — 55 colonies. 1,656 lbs. extracted, 366 lbs sec- tion honey ; total, 2,022 lbs.— 36% lbs. per colony. 1879—49 colonies, 891 lbs. extracted, 101 lbs. section honey ; total, 992 lbs— 20!4 lbs. per colony. 1880—30 colonies, 300 lbs. extracted, 50 lbs. sec- tion honey ; total, 350 lbs. — 11% lbs. per colony. 1 fed them last spring 200 lbs. of honey and 80 lbs. of coffee A sugar. I shall be glad if they get enough honey to winter on. C. P. Kauffman. St. Paul, Minn., Aug. 9, 1880. My yield of honey is about 400 lbs. of j good linden, and the present dry weather l gives prospects for but little more. W. J. LONGSDON. Byron, 111., Aug. 6, 1880. I commenced the season with 60 colo- nies in good condition. We had a good supply of fruit bloom, and a fair yield of white clover. Basswood yielded well for about 7 days. I worked about 1 . mv bees for comb honey, and obtained 1,000 lbs. ; the rest extracted, 1,600 or 1 ,700 lbs. 1 market it in Cleveland, and have sold about all at 12%c. per lb. for extracted, and 18@20c. for comb. I have about % of a full crop in all. John T. Newton. West Richfield, O., Aug. 7, 1880. I commenced the season with 55 colo- nies ; have obtained 2.250 lbs. of nice white comb honey from white clover and expect enough in the fall to winter on, from asters. II. W. Roop. Nashville, Tenn., Aug. 7, 1880. My honey crop to date is as follows : Extracted, 22 lbs.; comb, 39 lbs. I had 11 colonies in the spring ; received 9 swarms. We had no surplus honey till the basswood blossomed. There are 50 to 100 lbs. of unfinished honey on my colonies now. The prospect is* poor for a fall crop. II. J. Rosenbau:h. DeSoto, Neb., Aug. 7, 1880. Bees have virtually done nothing but swarm in this section. In May I pur- chased 10 colonies of hybrids. They each swarmed once in June, and now they are swarming again. I have had 15 swarms since the 1st ult. My old apiary of 30 colonies gave me no increase till a few days ago. No bees are swarm- ing here except my Italians and hybrids. Bees are gathering just sufficient to pre- vent feeding ; nothing to store. Where there is not foundation enough to build comb, we cannot expect more than % of a crop this season. Jas. Anderson. Farmers, Mich., Aug. 8, 1880. My honey crop has been 800 lbs. from 22 colonies— 650 lbs. extracted, and 150 comb ; 300 lbs. of the extracted was from 2 Italian colonies. What the fall crop will be I cannot tell. The honey flow. if we have rain soon (it is very dry now) will begin in about 10 days, and should continue until the last of September. This has been the best season we have had for honey since I entered the bee- keeping ranks— 3 years ago. W. J. Wtllard. Jonesboro, 111., Aug. 7, 1880. I had 108 colonies in the spring to com- mence with. I have on hand 2,200 lbs. basswrood comb honey. Bees are work- ing rapidly at this time on buckwheat and other fall flowers. I expect about 4,000 lbs. of fall honey, making an aver- age of about 54 lbs. per colony. R. Forsyth. Blisstield, Mich., Aug. 11, 1880. I have personal knowledge of 6 apia- ries, which together contain about 250 colonies. I do not think they have over 200 lbs. of surplus, and not more than 25 swarms. The prospect is they will gather enough to winter on, where there is plenty of buckwheat ; elsewhere they must starve if not fed. B. II. Standisii. Evansville. Wis., Aug. 11, 1880. 430 From 35 colonies I received 2,000 lbs. extracted honey, and goldenrod yet to come. My hives are full of honey now. I lost Y2 last winter and spring ; some lost all. Last year at this time there was no honey in the hives. The pros- pect is good for 500 lbs. more of box, or 1,000 lbs. extracted honey. The 2,000 lbs. is linden honey. I increased to 70 colonies. H. H. Rosebrook. Owatonna, Minn., Aug. 7, 1880. xemmi The crop of honey is short. I win- tered 37 colonies, and increased to 70. I obtained 600 lbs. of extracted honey, 400 lbs. of comb honey in sections, and 100 cards of comb. I used 50 lbs. of foundation. I had not much honey from basswood. White clover was plenty, but gave little honey. The season was very wet. Martin Emigh. Holbrook, Ont., Aug. 10, 1880. I went into winter quarters with 23 colonies in Langstroth hives — 17 were packed with chaff, which came out well, the other fi were in the cellar, and I took them out in March ; 1 was dead ; the rest were in bad condition ; 2 of these were robbed in April, leaving 20. These increased to 30. The season has been the poorest for years. I have no sur- plus to sell. The bees were strong in the spring, and gathered just enough honey to live on and to rear brood, till basswood came, when they filled their hives ; it lasted about 2 weeks, but the yield was poor ; it was too hot and dry some of the time. The loss among the small bee-keepers around here was very heavy this spring, principally from rob- bing, which was worse than for years. Our bees have but little to work on till apple bloom, and that was spoiled by a hail storm ; the white clover was mostly winter-killed, and yielded little honey ; alsike yielded well, but there is but little sown near here. I have a grand place for basswood ; there are probably 10,000 trees within a mile. I sowed sweet mignonette as an experiment, and am very well pleased with it so far ; it has been in bloom 5 weeks, and is literally alive with bees from 8 in the morning till night, in fair weather. I shall sow more another season. Motherwort is another plant that the bees have worked on since the 1st of June, except in time of basswood bloom, We have no fall feed for bees of any account after buck- wheat. The bees are nearly all blacks and hybrids near here. I have taken your valuable paper since I commenced bee-keeping, and would rather have it than all the rest together, and I wish you and it success. E. J. Smith. Addison, Vt., Aug. 7, 1880. I started last spring with 33 colonies, and increased to 55. I have obtained 1,600 lbs. of honey— 600 of extracted and 1.000 of comb; all light honey. About }4 is basswood. The prospects are poor for fall honey. I do not expect any more surplus. E. A. Calvin. • EauClaire, Mich., Aug. 10, 1880. I commenced the spring with 29 colo- nies, having lost 1 in the winter, queen- less when I put it in the cellar last fall ; 3 came out queenless this spring, leav- ing me 26 in good condition. I worked 1 for comb honey, the rest for extracted. The bare ground last winter allowed the white clover to freeze out, and we ob- tained nothing from that ; basswood yielded well for about 9 days, from which we obtained 1,000 lbs. of very nice ex- tracted, and 48 lbs. of comb honey. I use what is known as the "' cottage hive," 8 frames 10x15 inches inside, 2 stories high, for extracting, and store my honey in 10-gallon tin cans. I have increased by natural swarming to 51 colonies. Ransom Allen. Northville, Mich., Aug. 11, 1880. I cannot think the crop more than J£; from my 15 colonies I obtained 50 lbs. in sections, and a greater part of that poorly filled and not one-sixth of it capped. I did not extract at all. I know of others who have not had 1 lb. We have a favorable showing for the fall crop, with any quantity of golden- rods opening. There were many acres not planted in corn on account of the wet, which are now covered with gold- enrods, also the asters on our bottom- lands, and a larger acreage of buckwheat than usual. Should the season close now, most of the bees would starve if not fed, I think. I am still hopeful of a fall crop. H. Peachee. May wood, Ind., Aug. 5, 1880. I have 203 colonies doing well ; swarms have been scarce, though some are still swarming. I wintered 227 colonies on the summer stand ; you can see the loss. The fall crop promises well. They came near starving, in fact 3 colonies did starve, the bees rolling down in front of the hives dead ; 6 colonies I saved by feeding. The linden came just in time, and they filled up, but gathered no sur- plus. My bees are mostly hybrids. I purchased queens from M. Quinby and A. F. Moon. From the hitter's queen I have 2 or 3 of the brightest daughters I ever saw. Quinby's holds them in color, but not in prolificness. I get rid of fer- tile workers by taking a frame of comb, bees and a good queen, and placing in the hive. Bush plantain is a rich pollen producer. With us it lasts longer than hemp, and makes a nice lawn grass. I use dog fennel, or may-weed as some call it, around my hives to drive away the ants. Otto Halblieb. Henry, 111., Aug. Id, 1880. I enclose 2 plants ; please name them. Both yield honey, and grow here quite plentiful. Honey will not be more than *4 a crop. I can sell my surplus at home very readily at 20c. per lb. I never used comb foundation until this season, and think it a grand success. I commenced with -50 colonies of bees in the spring, and increased to 70 by natural swarming. J. F. McCoy. Van Wert, O., Aug. 9, 1880. [The plants are melilot clover and fig- wort ; two excellent honey plants.— Ed. J The honey crop here is almost a fail- ure. I will have but a very small quan- tity of surplus honey, but hope for a better crop next year. I think my bees have enough to winter on, though not much more. Others in the neighbor- hood are in the same condition. Suc- cess to the Bee Journal. J. Stewart. Rock City, 111., Aug. 10, 1880. Honey crop for 18S0, product of 25 colonies : White comb, 375 lbs. ; dark comb, 135 lbs.; extracted, 223 lbs. If the fall yield proves as good as 1879, the probable amount will be 400 lbs. more— an average crop. J. W. Price. Shelby ville, Tenn., Aug. 4, 1880. I have 2,000 lbs. of extracted, and 500 lbs. of comb honey, from 39 colonies, all from basswood. I do not expect any surplus from fall flowers. J. F. Meyer has extracted 2,200 lbs., from 20 colo- nies ; he has no comb honey. R. Wiltz extracted 900 lbs. from 16 colonies, and 100 lbs. comb honey. There is probably as much more, in marketable shape, in the balance of the county, all of which will be consumed in our home markets. I call it a full crop. Jas. A. Nelson. Wyandott, Kans., Aug. 4, 1SS0. In June my bees nearly starved. I had 44 colonies in tin- spring ; these gave 16 swarms, besides 15 second swarms, which all starved, as I had no honey to feed them. The bees are doing well now. lean say nothing now about fall flowers, for the Mississippi bottom lands have been under water, and if the gold- enrods do not come up, many colonies of bees will starve this fall. John Boerstleu. Gilead, 111., Aug. 4. 1880. The honey crop here is not worth speaking about ; no honey but what was gathered from the linden. Bees were in such a poor condition when it came that most of them only filled their hives, hence not many swarms. I have 2,000 lbs., all extracted. T. B. Quinlan. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Aug. 10, 1880. Owing to north winds, white clover freezing out last winter, and basswood lasting but 4 or 5 days, we did not get more than 14: of a honey crop. I do not expect any surplus from fall tlowers. The weather is very cool, especially at night, with north winds for almost a week. J. H. Euy. North Robinson, O., Aug. 7, 1880. The season for white honey with us is over. I have taken, from 40 colonies in the spring, about 1,200 lbs. of comb honey in 1-lb. sections, and very little extracted. We may get 200 or 300 lbs. of fall honey, but will make the bees store most of it in brood frames, to be in shape for winter. The august number of the Bee Journal is worth a year's subscription. C. A. Graves. Birmingham, O., Aug. 8, 1880. This is the poorest honey season that I have ever known in this section. The bees wintered nicely, coming out strong, and there was no loss in the spring. They had 5 good days to work on the fruit blossoms, and gathered enough honey to last them till the white clover blossomed, but it came 18 days later than usual, and was very feeble on ac- count of the open winter (freezing and thawing so much), and yielded but very little honev. I fed them in June to pre- vent starvation. The hives are full of bees, and have been ever since the mid- dle of June, yet 1 have taken no honey and they are light to-day. I have 130 colonies ; I have had but 5 swarms, and not one of them have- honey enough to winter on. My bees are nearly all pure Italians. It is very dry with us, and late corn and potatoes will be alight crop. Frank Searles. Hadley, 111., Aug. 12, 1880. My honey prospects this year are any- thing but iiattering. Linden, sumac, alder and Indian currant, all of which are abundant in my locality, and gold- enrodofmany species abounds, but in consequence of the peculiarity of the season, failed to yield their due propor- tion of nectar. Consequently I look for little or no surplus this fall. This seems general so far as my knowledge extends. Jacob Emmons. St. George, Kans., Aug. 6, 1880. 432 I keep from 50 to 75 colonies of bees, and usually obtain from 2,000 to 6,000 lbs. of honey per annum ; but I shall have none to sell this year. J. L. WOLFENDEN. Adams, Wis., Aug. 5, 1880. I have 40 colonies of bees, but have obtained no honey this season. A. Cramer. Bloomingsport, Ind., Aug. 6, 1880; I have 8 colonies of black bees, and have now obtained 350 lbs. of comb honey. I expect not less than 100 lbs. of dark honey. Bees are working finely on buckwheat. We have had no swarms in a radius of 4 miles. Bees in box hives have done poorly. I use the Langstroth hive. Thos. J. Nichols. Bees wintered well in this section. Apple bloom yielded a fair crop, putting the bees in good condition. We expect- ed a good honey harvest, but white clo- ver did not blossom, red clover Avas nearly all winter killed, and even the alsike clover, which has always given me large yields of the best honey, failed in its secretion, although there was an abundance of blossoms. Basswood only yielded honey 3 days. The result is but very few swarms, and from near 300 colonies in this neighborhood there has not been an average of 10 lbs. to the colony, and all of inferior quality. Un- less we get a good fall yield, we shall lose many colonies. P. A. Riegle. Arlington, O., Aug. 6, 1880. This has been a poor season, so far, for bees. On May 8th I finished trans- ferring 13 colonies from box hives into 10-frame standard Langstroth hives. I had left 3 empty Langstroth hives into which I put natural swarms on the first of June. The colonies that I trans- ferred only having 5 and 6 full frames to commence with, 1 gave them frames with comb starters as fast as needed. From the 16 colonies I have received 100 lbs. of comb honey in sections, mostly basswood, which I have sold at 18@20c. per lb. , in this place. There was a great quantity of white clover, but the bees paid no attention to it. The prospects for a fall crop are poor, as buckwheat is the main honey-producing plant in this vicinity. If I get 50 lbs. more of sur- plus honey I shall be satisfied. I think I can get 15(a>16c. per lb. for dark honey. My surplus sections are 5x6x2. I shall not extract any honey this season. I am well pleased with the American Bee Journal,, and do not see how I can do without it. F. H. Seares. Girard, Pa., Aug. 6, 1880. My crop of white clover comb honey will be a little better than I at first ex- pressed it. It will probably average 50 lbs. to each colony in the spring. G. M. DOOLITTLE. Borodino, N. Y., Aug. 7, 1880. This has been a good honey season ; amount of white comb honey, 1,200 lbs.; extracted, 200 lbs., from 20 colonies in the spring. I expect 500 lbs. for my fall crop. Francis Cullen. Mottville, N. Y., Aug. 9, 1880. I had 35 colonies last spring ; 30 fair ones, and 5 too weak to get much honey. The season has been better than the average. I have taken 1,355 lbs. of ex- tracted, and 129 lbs. of light comb hon- ey, most from white clover and rasp- berry. I have no basswood. Bees are now working on buckwheat, with every prospect of a large yield of fall honey. A. W. Smith. Parksville, N. Y., Aug. 9, 1880. Honey has been nearly an entire fail- ure here. I commenced the season with 67 colonies ; I have obtained 1,800 lbs. of comb honey, but expect none in the fall. My bees are all Italians, and I have the largest crop of honey of any one in this section of country. Some bee-keepers now having from 20 to 50 colonies, will have scarcely a pound of honey to sell. I have purchased one of D. A. Jones' " holy queens," from which I expect to rear queens, and shall introduce 50 of her daughters into my apiary this fall. These I shall keep in an apiary by them- selves, in order to keep them pure. I have a Given foundation press, which I like very much. It is just the thing for making foundation in wired frames, or without the wires. A girl 15 years of age can work the press with ease. I expect to be at the District Convention in Chicago next month. I. R. Good. South West, Ind., Aug. 6, 1880. The yield throughout this part of the country has been the poorest I ever knew, although last year was but very little better. I have been keeping bees for 20 years, and never experienced two such unfavorable seasons. I have 25 colonies, and have only about 300 lbs. of honey, while many have no surplus. I had 2 swarms each this year and last. White clover was abundant, and lasted a long time, and some is still in bloom. There was a heavy rain storm in the height of the bloom, and after that the bees gathered but little honey. My bees all wintered through, and bred up early in the spring. J. W. Donley. Surry ville, O., Aug. 7, 1880. 433 I have 74 colonies of bees, but not 1 lb. of honey, and no swarms. Bees are almost in a starving condition. White clover was winter-killed, and we have no basswood. My only dependence is on buckwheat, heartsease and goldenrod, and I have not seen a worse prospect in 7 years. I think I have one of the best locations for bees in the State of Illinois, with about 100 acres of pasture north and about the same south, and plenty of fruit east and west. I will soon give you some of my experience in bee-cul- ture, and my method for fertilizing queens in confinement. I am well pleased with the Bee Journal; the only fault I And, is that I get through it too quick. Levi Filbert. Port Byron, 111., Aug. 4, 18S0. [We shall be pleased to have Mr. Fil- bert give his method of fertilization. We want all the light and all the meth- ods described in the Journal.— Ed.] Your request for a report on the honey crop is a good one, and all should re- spond. I nave to report a light crop — less than % ; 55 colonies in trie spring ; 89 now. 800 lbs. white honey ; less than 300 lbs. of this is extracted. I may get 200 lbs. of dark honey. I have reports from other bee men in this State, who have from nothing to half a crop. R. Bacon. Verona, N. Y., Aug. 12, 1880. Fruit bloom yielded well and greatly stimulated breeding, but as tbe bees had come out of the winter with empty combs, before they had filled up fruit bloom passed, and J une 15th found many strong colonies starving. When I should have been taking early honeyj I was compelled to feed the bees. White clover, from the seed, bloomed in con- siderable quantities, and is blooming still, but it affords little nectar. Milk- weed afforded some honey, but now and then a bunch of bloom would be found with 8 or 10 bees stuck to it, dead or dying. At present buckwheat and figwort are yielding some honey, but 1 have not had an ounce of surplus. The outside combs are still empty, and they may not have enough to winter on, though all supers be removed at once. I have not had a single swarm. I pre- pared a colony for queen-rearing, and let them rear one queen, which gives me an increase of one. A colony that came out of the winter with a fertile worker was given Italian brood, and by April 16th had a purely mated Italian queen laying in the hive. I have more empty hives than colonies ; some hives have been waiting for swarms for two summers ; but I shall not surrender yet, though it is very hard on one who has just essayed making bee-keeping a spe- cialty, and upon limited means. If I can bear the down to start with, the up will be all the more pleasant and cheer- ing when it does come. Those who- persevere will be benefited in the end ; " under-feet" will be driven out of the business, and we shall have ti wider and better market for honey when we do get it. Wm. Camm. Winchester, 111., Aug. 8, 1880. My report of comb honey is 400 lbs. from 15 colonies. I expect 150 lbs. more when it is capped. I wintered 15 colo- nies in the cellar. I have 25 now in good condition. Buckwheat is a failure, but fall flowers are doing well. E. A. Parish. Hornellsville, X. Y., Aug. 7, 1880. The weather has been very dry here for 2 months ; bees have done but very little, with no white honey to speak of. Poor prospect for fall crop. W. D. Wright. Knowersville, X. Y., Aug. 6, 1880. I now have 125 colonies of bees, and not a pound of surplus honey so far this season. All are light, and I do not. expect more honey than will be needed for wintering. All the bees in this sec- tion are in about the same condition. C. H. DlBBERN. Milan, 111., Aug. 2, 1880. I lost % of my bees last winter and spring ; I wintered in the cellar until February, and then out of doors. I had 55 colonies when I commenced to in- crease, and now have 160. 1 have extrac- ted 800 lbs. , and have about 500 lbs. more to extract, with about 700 lbs. of comb honey to take off, leaving the bees about 20 lbs. in each hive. II. A. SlMONDS. Eagle Lake, Minn., July 31, 1880. We have not a pound of surplus honey in this neighborhood, and no prospect of any. What clover there was, did not produce honey. The floral cups were scattered very thinly over the head, showing an unhealthy condition of the plant. So there was Jbut a slight flow of nectar into the floral cup. The fluids of the plant were absent. It will cost $200 or $300 to winter my bees, after the loss of $200 in preparing for the sum- mer's campaign, and all my work. It is very dry here. A good rain of 24 hours, I think, would be worth $200 to me. A. Salisbury. Camargo, 111., Aug. 16, 1880. The present has been one our best years for bees in Southwestern Iowa ; the grove seems to be swarming with them. Some 20 swarms have been cap- tured in the woods near here. We never had such a yield of basswood honey be- fore. S. C. Smith. Wheeler's Grove, Iowa, July 30, 1880. Thus far I can see very little differ- ence between this and last year's crop. I had 25 colonies last spring, and expect about 800 lbs., Y2 of which is extracted, and the remainder comb honey, mostly bergamot and buckwheat. The extract- ed is mostly white clover and linden. If we get a rain, the bees will yet gather considerable honey. L. II. Pammel, Jr. LaCrosse, Wis., Aug. 10, 1880. I have been taking the Bee Journal, for years, and cannot well get along without it. We have had a very poor honey season. I wintered 20 colonies, which came out strong in the spring, and have increased to 33 — 3 by natural swarming, and 10 by dividing, but I shall not get a single pound of honey. I put on over 200 boxes and racks June 7th, but there is not a pound in all of them now. About % of the hives have not to exceed 5 lbs. "each. If I winter them all I shall have to feed them. It has been very wet here this summer; during May, June and July we had 96 rains. Wm. C. Wolcott. Eldorado Mills, Wis., Aug. 16, 1880. My honey crop for 1880 is 1,180 lbs — 600 basswood, the balance whitewood and raspberry. The bees are getting honey now, and the prospects are good for 1,000 lbs. more. Mine is all extract- ed. I commenced the spring witli 30 colonies, and had only 3 swarms. T. G. Zimmerman. Union City, Mich., Aug. 13, 1880. The white honey season is over, and is the poorest I ever have had. I have 100 lbs. of white honey, and if it keeps so dry I do not think I will have over 1,000 lbs. of dark honey from 46 colonies in the spring. P. S. Grogan. Aquetuck, 1ST. Y., Aug. 14, 1880. This has been the poorest season for honey for many years. It will not aver- age % of a crop, though there are plenty of bees. If this foil proves a failure, we shall have to feed heavily for winter. I have received a number of reports from different parts of the Dominion, all bearing the same complaint. M. Richardson. Ft. Colborne, Ont., Aug. 5, 1880. The present season has been one of the poorest ever known in Xorthern Georgia. Bees are in a light condition. For a few days past they have been gathering some. The scarcity of honey has almost totally prevented queen- rearing. A. F. Moon. Rome, Ga., Aug. 12, 1880. Bees are literally starving in this vi- cinity. I had 75 colonies in the spring, and have not had a swarm nor 1 pound of honey, and have lost 8 colonies by robbers. I fed till fruit blossoms came, but have not fed since. I have not heard of any one getting any surplus in this region, and unless we get rain soon, we shall lose all our bees. The only thing we now have to depend on is buckwheat or feeding. Wm. C. Gray. Pre-emption, 111., Aug. 6, 1880. At the commencement of fruit bloom I had 100 colonies of bees in good con- dition, as I supposed ; they did well on that ; the white clover season was wet, so that bees obtained no honey, and 2 colonies starved. They began to swarm on June 17th, 3 weeks later than last year, and increased to 184, besides doub- ling up and putting back some. During basswood bloom the weather was line about }4 of the time ; they then gath- ered honey very fast, and are doing well on buckwheat now. I have 125 frame hives, the balance being box hives. Unless I sell some this fall, I shall kill about 100 colonies. I have attended them this season all alone, and it is rather more than I wish to do, with other business. O. C. Blanchard. Ironton, Wis., Aug. 11, 1880. I wintered 45 colonies of bees in my cellar, which came out all right. Dur- ing the apple bloom they filled the lower stories of their hives well with brood, and by the last of June I had about 10 swarms, and I divided about as many more, giving them each 3 or 4 combs. I do not think the new colonies have on an average more than 3 lbs. of honey. I am 83 years old, having kept bees over 60 years, and never before experienced so poor a season for honey. L. BURDICK. Galesburgh, Mich., Aug. 7, 1880. This is my fourth year here with bees, and not a good season have I had ; the first year being the best. I shall dis- pose of my 80 colonies, or move them to a better place. They have honey but no surplus to spare. I expect the fall har- vest to make it up ; but for 3 years I have been disappointed. I have only extracted 100 lbs., and have 50 lbs. of •comb honey. I think the country is over-stocked. There are 290 colonies in range of ray bees, and the axe has been slaying the poplar and linden; without these I would give but little for the bee ■business. Wishing you a happy bee future, C. Newsom. Crown City, 0., Aug. 5, 1880. Our honey season started in early, but was of short duration. From 3 colonies I have now only obtained 20 lbs. of comb honey, which is Y2 or % of an average yield. Our fall prospect is good, and it is nearly all the show we now have for surplus. My bees are in good condition for the coming crop. I increased to 5 .after the first yield. Asa B. Phcenix. Campbell Hill, 111., Aug. 3, 1880. Eees in this part of New York have •gathered but little honey. It has been very dry. The Italians have done best; but for them I should not have procured 1 lb. of white honey. As it is, I have but 300 lbs. If we have a few more days •on buckwheat I shall secure 1,200 lbs. of dark honey. One apiary in an adjoin- ing county that produced 10,000 lbs. last •season, will hardly yield 500 lbs. this. I commenced with 50 colonies in the spring and increased to 80. I have one colony in my yard that have gathered 32 two-lb. sections full of white honey, and are working on the third set, hold- 32 lbs. more, and have them nearly fin- ished ; where they get it from is a mys- tery to me. There is nothing but meli- lot clover, and that is nearly 2 miles from here. Do you think they will carry it thus far ? All the rest are storing buck- wheat, of which there are 100 acres with- in % mile of my bees. This colony has an Italian queen that met a black drone, and it is the strongest working colony that I ever saw. I think hybrids are best for storing box honey. F. BOOMHOWER. Gallupville, N. Y., Aug. 18, 1880. [Bees, especially Italians, will go very much further than 2 miles for honey, some apiarists placing the distance at 7 miles, and even more ; and the fact that your bees neglect 100 acres of buck- wheat within Y^ mile, and fly 2 miles to obtain the delicious nectar from melilot or sweet clover, is timely corroboration of our editorial in the Bee Journal for August last, page 361. — Ed.] I have increased from 81 to 165 colo- nies of bees, and have re-queened all with Italian queens. H. S. Hacioian. Peru, 111., Aug. 16, 1S80. The honey yield has been good ; my best colonies have gathered 80 to 100 lbs. of comb honey. Honey dews have been partial here, and the honey crop is much larger in some localities than in others. J. E. Pitman. Marlboro, Va., Aug. 21, 1880. This has been a poor season for honey, the rain washing it all out from the blossoms. We have now had 2 poor sea- sons, but I am not discouraged ; the next may be a good one. Martin Haas. Mendon, Mich., Aug. 13, 1880. The crop of honey in this vicinity is very large and fine in quality ; clover and basswood yielded well ; some of my colonies will give 200 lbs. of surplus. Edward B. Beebee. Augusta, N. Y., Aug. 10, 1880. Half of the bees, at least, in the north- eastern part of Iowa, and the adjoining counties north in Minnesota, died last winter and spring, mostly from starva- tion. No honey was stored until June 19 ; bees were then very weak. We had very little swarming, and that mostly in July ; 15 colonies have given 150 lbs. of comb and 750 lbs. of extracted honey ; about 300 lbs. in sections, nearly ready to take from hives that none has yet been taken from ; 65 colonies have giv- en no surplus yet, but many are working well in the supers now, and there is a good prospect for a fair fall crop. Gass- man has taken about half as much sur- plus per colony, from 60, as I have ; no others, so far as I can hear, have taken surplus of any account. There will be a home demand for all of the honey raised here this season. O. E. Cooley. Bluffton, Iowa, Aug. IS, 1S80. Of light honey I have not over one- sixth of an average crop, and the pro- portion of dark will not be larger, as the bees will have to store much of it in the lower story, they being light in honey for this time of year. I have 160 strong- colonies ; they have swarmed but little, and have not gathered much honey. W. E. Forbes. Plainwell, Mich., Aug. 16, 1880. We have here had the best honey sea- son for manv years. L. Johnson. Walton, Ky., Aug. 20, 1880. Bees in this section are gathering no surplus, and it is very doubtfal if they get sufficient to winter on. I had no swarms from 75 colonies. Wm. Heald. Mt. Sterling, Iowa, Aug. 19, 1880. 436 I have to report the honey crop with me almost a total failure ; certainly less than X3 of a crop. I have had but 12 natural swarms from 70 colonies, and some, I fear, will not gather honey enough to winter on. Geo. W. Teller. Colon, Mich., Aug. 16, 1880. I expected to obtain a good yield of white clover honey, but did not get any. I have taken about 175 lbs. of basswood, and will get from 200 to 400 lbs. of buck- wheat honey more, all in the 1% lb. sec- tions, and I think, as far as I can hear, that I am the only one about here who is getting any surplus, except a little buckwheat. I have at present 81 colo- nies of bees (6 of them Italians). My total yield is about 500 lbs.— % of the amount taken in 1878. J. H. Murdoch. Dexter, Mich., Aug. 16, 1880. In this (Miami) county there are about 1,200 colonies of bees, and one- fifth the average number of swarms ; no surplus honey worth mentioning up to Aug. 15th, and none in the market here. We are expecting perhaps xi of an average yield from fall flowers. This year's yield in Northern Indiana will not exceed more than % of an average crop. I have 75 colonies. W. A. Horton. Macy, Ind., Aug. 16, 1880. This has been a poor year for bees in this section of the country. There is very little comb honey made. M. H. Milster. Frohna, Mo., Aug. 13, 1880. I have taken about 600 lbs. of comb honey from 39 colonies in the spring, and have 400 or 500 lbs. yet on the hives in partly-filled sections. I extracted about 150 lbs. I have increased to 47 colonies. The prospect is very good for fall honey. H. W. Funk. Bloomington, 111., Aug. 11, 1880. I have obtained no surplus to date ; we may get a little from buckwheat, but it will take about all of that to winter on ; and so far as I know, every bee- keeper is in the same Hx. J. Lee Anderson. Lawrence, 111., Aug. 19, 1880. The wet weather seems to have washed out the honey from the Mowers ; but since the corn, cotton and asters have bloomed, I think the yield will be about 25 lbs. to each hive. J. A. Austin. Huntsville, Ala., Aug. 14, 1880. From 21 colonies I have extracted. 250 lbs., and had 500 lbs. of comb honey. I expect a like amount from fall flowers. John Herbst. Eichville, Mich., Aug. 18, 1880. From 12 colonies I have extracted 113% lbs. of extracted and 73% lbs. of" comb honey ; all from white clover. I do not expect any fall surplus, it will take all of that for the bees to winter on. R. L. Aylor. Waterloo, Ky., Aug. 9, 1880. I have 50 lbs. of honey and no increase from 46 colonies. Bees are weak but working lively on golden rod. I cannot expect more than 400 lbs. for the season.. J. A. Green. Dayton, 111., Aug. 11, 1880. In April I had 22 colonies ; now I have 40. I have extracted 285 lbs. and have no comb honey. I do not expect any surplus from fall flowers, though the bees are working on them lively. J. Chapman. Home, Mich., Aug. 14, 1880. From 150 colonies I get no honey or increase. The bees were in good con- dition, and the weather was favorable but the blossoms secreted no honey. There is no surplus honey in this, county, so far as I know. D. B. Ulery. Northampton, O., Aug. 13, 1880. My honey crop for 18S0 is 1,029 lbs. of extracted and 573 lbs. in the combf chiefly light, from 35 colonies ; I expect a good yield from fall flowers, but no> surplus. Ciias. Welling. Jackson, Mo., Aug. 11, 1880. I shall have about 1,000 lbs. of honey this season, about 300 of it is extracted. J. Precious. Big Spring, Mich., Aug. 17, 1880. There has been no white honey, either extracted or comb, in this vicinity this- season. I do not believe there is a fully capped box in Walworth county. There have been very few swarms, and bees are mostly without sufficient stores for winter. Buckwheat is now just in blos- som, and promises a fair yield. S. X. Clarke. Delavan, Wis., Aug. 11, 1880. Honey is but }£ of a crop; white- clover was a failure ; during basswood bloom it was too cold for bees to work, much. It is cold and wet now. F. L. Smith. Watervale, X. Y., Aug. 19, 1880. From 35 colonies I have taken 649M lbs. of comb honey in sections, and 101} 2 lbs. of extracted, all light, and I have 2000 sections on the hives about }4 full, and 1,000 not worked in yet. but hope to get 3,000 lbs. of comb honey, all told. Harry Blackburn. Webberville, Mich., Aug. 16, 1880. From 230 colonies in the spring, I in- creased to 426. White honey in boxes, 8,300 lbs.; extracted. 800 lbs.; yield about 1 , of a crop. Prospects for fall honey are poor, owing to the dry weather. Honey will not be % of a yield through Central New York. Geo. W. House. Fayetteville, X. Y., Aug. 16, 1880. I have 1,800 lbs. of section comb honey, and 2,000 lbs. of extracted, all clover. We have no fall crop of honey. Our season has been an average one for honey ; but little swarming, and some of my neighbors' late swarms are starv- ing out. Two called on me, and I took them in and gave them rations. E. Drake. Eminence, Ky., Aug. 14, 1880. My honey crop is very light ; about 16 lbs. to the hive, in boxes. This was gathered in June ; since then the bees have not gathered as much as they have consumed. I expect to feed back some for winter. Honey sells here at about 20c. per lb. Peter Moyer. Clark, Pa., Aug. 17,1880. Clover winter killed; basswood yielded well and buckwheat is plenty. I have 4.000 lbs. about % the quantity I obtained last year. W. C. Wells. Philipston, Ont., Aug. 10, 1880. From 75 colonies the surplus is 100 lbs. of extracted and 150 lbs. of comb honey. Prospect poor for buckwheat yield, it will not exceed 500 lbs. The Italians swarmed considerably but could not be induced to go into the boxes— the blacks gave what little sur- plus we obtained. D. H. Hopkins. Bear Lake, Mich., Aug. 17, 1880. I expect about 300 lbs. of honey from 9 colonies in the spring, and 2 swarms. It is all comb honey, and }{ of it is dark. O. P. Coddings. Johnson, Vt., Aug. 20, 1880. Honey in this county is less than % •crop. 1 shall have about 2,000 lbs. in- stead of 8,000 lbs. which I had last year. Many here get none. It is exceedingly dry here, and my bees have incessantly swarmed. Ika Barber. DeKalb Junction, N.Y\, Aug. 20, 1880. From 50 colonies I extracted 1,500 lbs., besides getting 350 lbs. of comb honey. My bees are all Italians. It will average % crop. J. D. Enos. Napa, Cal., Aug. 8, 1880. From 25 colonies last spring I in- creased to 30, and have extracted 1,000 lbs. of honey ; I have 150 lbs. of comb honey, and will get 100 lbs. more this season ; the 5 swarms did not yield much surplus honey ; 500 lbs. of the extracted honey was dark. W. II. Newsom. Wittsburg, Ark., Aug. 16, 1880. From 5 Italian and 2 black colonies of bees I have 150 lbs. of comb honey and the same amount of extracted. I have had no natural swarms ; made 2 extra colonies by dividing. This is about % of a crop ; they have about 30 lbs. to each hive left for winter. W. W. Lynch. Maysville, Ky., Aug. 17, 1880. I have extracted nbout 2,000 lbs. of honey (800 dark and 1,200 light) from about 80 colonies, and may get 500 lbs. more. J. F. Love, Connersville, Tenn., Aug. 18, 1880. During the past 2 weeks I have con- versed with 26 bee-keepers, having from 2 to 100 colonies each. One reports 3 swarms, 2 have each had 2 swarms, and 2 have each had 1 ; with these excep tions the universal report is "not a swarm nor a pound of honey." My bees are storing a little in the surplus boxes from buckwheat. Beuben Havens. Chebanse, 111., Aug. 23, 1880. I had 41 good colonies last fall, but only saved 15 through the winter, and 5 of them were weak. I have extracted 225 lbs. of light honey, and have 60 lbs. of comb honey. If they gather enough from fall flowers to winter on they will do well. They have gathered nothing from buckwheat yet. though it is in full bloom. Perry McKay. Spofford, N. Y., Aug. 10, 1880. We have as yet no honey of any kind; all the first part of the season being a total failure. Bees were almost in a starving condition during the months of May, June and July, owing to the fail- ure of the white clover, which was win- ter-killed, and the new crop secreted but little honey. The extreme high water in the Mississippi river destroyed all vegetation in the low lands, conse- quently there is no probability we will have any surplus this year. L. H. SCUDDER. New Boston, 111., Aug. 21, 1880. I have been Italianizing and increas- ing, and have taken no honey from 40 colonies. A few of the strongest colo- nies have filled their hives 2 or 3 times. The country is parched for want of rain. S. S. H. Big River Mills, Mo., Aug. 20, 1880. I have 2-50 colonies, but have not had 5 lbs. of surplus to the hive. The bees are breeding finely and the hives are full of bees. Fair prospect for a good harvest from Spanish needle. A. T. Williams. St. Charles, Mo., Aug. 10, 1880. From 75 colonies my surplus will not exceed 200 lbs. of comb honey ; this is the poorest honey year since 1872 ; white clover being a failure, the basswood was the only source for honey. A. M. Sawdey. Poolville, X. Y., Aug. 23, 1880. Bees wintered well here, but in the spring they dwindled badly ; when rasp- berries and locusts were in bloom the combs were full of brood, so that there was no room for honey ; clover yielded no honey this year, and basswood only lasted 5 or 6 days ; buckwheat is now in bloom, but it does not seem to contain much nectar. Upon inquiring regard- ing the honey crop in this locality I find as follows : Mr. A., 5 miles distant, has 49 colonies and 3 swarms. Mr. B., 2}4 miles east, has 45 colonies and only 1 swarm. Mr. C, 4 miles southwest, has 52 col- onies and 3 swarms. Mr. S., 5 miles south, has about 500 colonies, and 5 or 6 swarms. Mr. H., 7 miles west, has about 40 col- onies, and has had very little surplus. Mr. G. has 15 colonies, but no increase. Mrs. C. has 6 colonies and 1 swarm, which went to the woods. Mr. M. has 14 colonies, butno increase nor honey. I would like to call attention to the valuable hints given on page 361 of the Journal for August. If bee-keepers do not own a foot of land, there is plenty of waste land along the highways, va- cant lots and fence corners, and I believe that bees get half of their living from mustard, catnip and motherwort. Suc- cess to the Bee Journal. D. L. Whitney. Eockton, 111., Aug. 16, 1880. My 50 colonies barely made a living, even though fed a little every week ; I shall double up and feed in September. H. T. Collins. Jacksonville, 111., Aug. 23, 1880. I commenced in spring with SO colo- nies ; increased to 125, which are strong in numbers, but some are light in stores. Comb honey, 1.600 lbs.; extracted, 400 lbs. This has been a very poor season in this vicinity for honey, even with a lot of combs for surplus and brood chamber ; many of us have left no stone unturned to prevent increase, so as to run for surplus. I think I can safely speak for 1,000 colonies, many of which will not give more than x/2 the increase or surplus of mine. We ought to get 20@22c. for clover honey that is not al- ready on the market. A. A. HARRISON. McLane, Pa., Aug. 14, 1880. I have kept bees for 20 years, but this is the first season that I have been with- out a pound of surplus. The white clo- ver was killed last winter, and the new crop did not come on this summer in time to do the bees any good, and it is now so dry that buckwheat and fall flowers are doing nothing. I fed my bees last fall to carry them through the winter, and will have it to do again, un- less we have a very favorable change. I have always held that the black bees, if treated the same as the Italians, would do equally as well. This lias been a good year to test their qualities, and I find the Italians far ahead in every way. I now have all my bees Italianized, and want no more blacks. E. Armstrong. Jerseyville, 111., Aug. 16, 1880. My crop of honey is : Extracted, 500 lbs. light, 500 lbs. dark ; comb, 90 lbs. light. I shall get about 200 lbs. dark comb honey, and 400 or 500 of extracted from buckwheat and asters. J. N". McColm. Plymouth. AYis., Aug. 24, 1880. I had 62 colonies in the spring; in- creased to 93, and obtained 3,000 lbs. of comb and 500 lbs. of extracted ; all clo- ver honey ; none to be expected from fall flowers. F. A. Salisbury. Geddes, N. Y., Aug. 21, 1880. I had 7 colonies of black bees in the spring ; increased to 9, and obtained 80 lbs. of dark and 182}i lbs. of light honey, most of it is still on the hives ; the fall harvest will continue several weeks yet. J. R. Kilburn. Fisher Station, Mich., Aug. 21, 1880. There is but little honey and no in- crease ; I expect enough honey from; buckwheat for my bees to winter on. H. W. CONKLIN. Rockton, 111., Aug. 23, 1880. I have increased from 24 to 3S colo- nies and obtained 600 lbs. of honey 1 ron i white clover. I expect no surplus fall honey. J. F. Kropp. Varysburg, X. Y., Aug. 11, 1880. From 48 colonies in the spring I have increased to 55, and obtained only 10 lbs. of honey. It has been too dry. The bees are working nicely now on buckwheat and fall flowers. The bees have nearly starved all summer and I do not expect much surplus this fall. W. T. HOHENSHELL. Munster, 111., Aug. 12, 1880. Last fall I had 43 colonies ; I wintered all but 4, and 14 swarmed out in the spring, leaving eggs and brood in the hives. I had to feed till basswood came and then I had increased the 25 colonies to 41, in fair condition. I ex- tracted 3,200 lbs. of basswood honey ; I got 400 or 500 lbs. in comb; I do not expect to get any more surplus honey this fall. I now have 51 colonies. J. E. Cady. Medford, Minn., Aug. 17, 1880. The honey harvest was almost a failure here. From 50 colonies I ex- tracted about 1,100 lbs. and obtained 30 partly filled sections. Our honey har- vest was over by the middle of July. Wm. Bitzer. Wheeling, W. Va., Aug. 11, 1880. I have no surplus honey yet ; the bees barely get enough to live on. The Erospect is good for fall flowers and I ope to get a few pounds to eat. It is very dry and buckwheat is in bloom. I have 5 colonies. C. Hollowell. Dunreith, Ind., Aug. 10, 1880. White clover was almost a failure here, but basswood never yielded better; but the bees were weak in numbers and did not get much honey. The yield from 49 colonies was about 500 lbs. from clover and 2,650 lbs. from basswood. Wm. H. S. Grout. Poland Centre, N. Y., Aug. 16, 1880. I have taken 3,300 lbs. of extracted and 800 lbs. of comb honey ; there is about 1,000 lbs. of comb honey on the hives yet. The fall harvest will be late and may be from nothing to 3,000 lbs. , according to the weather. Geo. W. Horner. Dubuque, Iowa, Aug. 18, 1880. My 225 colonies produced 3,500 lbs. of white comb honey. I may get 1,000 lbs. more of dark honey. C. Alexander. South Onondaga, N. Y., Aug. 16, 1880. I have 38 colonies, and 8 half-barrels of extracted linden honey. John Scheerer. Ridgeley, Mo., Aug. 11, 1880. From about 150 colonies last spring, owned by several parties, I can report an increase to 325. The yield of white honey is not more than 1-5 of a crop. Dark honey will give us probably % of a crop. Thomas T. Delzell. Hershey, Mich., Aug. 20, 1880. In Vermont the honey crop is not over }£ of an average. From 31 colo- nies I have obtained 250 lbs. of light honey and expect about 300 lbs. of dark. Had the crop been an average one I should have had 2,000 lbs. R. G. Whally. Charlotte, Vt., Aug. 23, 1880. I have 30 colonies, but have only had 2 swarms. Several strong colonies pro- duced 50 lbs. each. But many were weak and I have only 400 lbs. of comb honey. I am the only one that has had any honey to speak of, in this locality. Col. R. Walton. Industry, Pa., Aug. 24, 1880. I began the season with 7 colonies ; have increased to 19, by natural swarm- ing; have taken 40 lbs., and may get enough to make 100 lbs. The crop is a failure here, this year, on account of dry weather. The ground lias not been wet down 2 inches for 4 months. James II. Holt. Fairfield Centre, Maine, Aug. 16, 1880. Last year I commenced the season with 12 colonies, increased to 33 and ob- tained 400 lbs. of surplus. I lost 2 in winter and 4 dwindled away in the spring. From the remaining 27 I have had 200 lbs. of comb honey and 125 lbs. of extracted. It has been a very poor season. C. A. Stone. Southbury, Conn., Aug. 20, 1880. White clover was plenty for 7 weeks but yielded no honey. The weather has been so dry that we shall have but little surplus. My bees have not worked on melilot clover this summer. Basswood was also a failure. J. P. Spaulding. West Creek, Ind., Aug. 17, 1880. From 7 colonies I extracted 568 lbs.; from 7 others I obtained 250 lbs. of comb honey in 1 lb. sections ; I have in- creased the 14 colonies to 29; they are hybrids; I have introduced 1 Italian queen and have another to introduce to-day. O. J. Terrell. North Ridgeville, O., Aug. 14, 1880. 440 From 12 colonies in the spring (6 be- ing weak) I have 105 lbs. of clover and basswood honey. If the weather is favorable I expect 200 lbs. more of fall honey. 1 have increased to IS. Some of my neighbors who have 20 to 50 colo- nies have neither increase nor honey. We raise all comb honey here. E. H. Norton. Marengo, Iowa, Aug. 15, 1880. My bees are in fine condition, but there is no honey to gather ; I hope they will get enough to winter on ; I do not think there will be 500 lbs. of surplus in Warren Co., this year. F. J. Satirist. Kirkwood, 111.. Aug. 19, 1880. I had 81 colonies in the spring ; I have increased to 149, in good condition ; I have now 2,220 lbs. of honey (50 lbs. of it is extracted), and expect enough more to make 4,000 lbs. in all ; clover was winter-killed and basswood blighted, yielding honey but 3 or 4 days. J. F. Spaulding. Charles City, Iowa, Aug. 23, 1880. Bees are doing well here this month — the first time this season that they have done so. D. S. Given. Hoopeston, 111., Aug. 21, 1880. From 40 colonies I have only 3 swarms and 35 lbs. of extracted honey. It has been too dry and hot to expect much from fall flowers. I shall be satisfied to -call it a }i crop. H.J. Ward. Farmington, 111., Aug. 17, 1880. We have just honey enough to keep the hives full of bees all the season. From 107 colonies I had 30 swarms, but returned all after-swarms and many first swarms ; I have extracted 300 lbs. of honey ; from goldenrod I expect a good yield. Nearly all this honey 1 obtained from Italians — this season has proved their superiority over the blacks. J. W. ECKMAN. Richmond, Texas, Aug. 12, 1880. I have increased from 12 to 20 colonies; I shall have but little surplus; bass- wood yielded well for about 2 weeks. Peter Billing. Pawnee City, Neb., Aug. 23, 1880. This is the poorest season I have known for 13 years ; there is no surplus in Carroll county ; other portions of the State are in the same condition; my bees are breeding well, and will doubt- less obtain enough for winter. F. A. Snell. Milledgeville, 111., Aug. 23, 1880. I had 54 colonies in the spring, some weak ; increased to 130, and have ob- tained about % of an average crop, or about 120 lbs. to the colony in the spring ; there is no comb honey here to send to market ; the yield in this locality has been about the same as mine ; the season is now over for honey with us. J. P. Bassett. Santa Barbara, Cal., Aug. 14, 1880. I wintered 24 coionies without loss on the summer stands ; I have now 46 strong colonies with plenty of honey for winter; I extracted 500 lbs. of white clover and linden honey and have about 500 lbs. of comb honey ; if the weather is favorable I shall have much more fall honey ; bees have done poorly in this section. Dr. A. J. Wright. Carlton, Mich., Aug. 15, 1880. I extracted only 2% tons from 360 colonies ; about 300 of them being in good order ; some bee-keepers obtained none. L. Lindsly, Jr. Waterloo, La., Aug. 16, 1880. Mine is an average crop ; I have about 8,000 lbs.; % light. R.' B. Oldt. New Berlin, Pa., Aug. 16, 1880. I had 60 colonies in the spring and have extracted but 3,080 lbs.; % less than usual ; I have increased to 100 colo- nies ; our country is mountainous and is well adapted to bee-keeping ; we have poplar, linden, persimmon, sourwood and almost all other common honey plants ; I wish some good bee man would come clown here and develop the business. B. B. Toney. Holly Tree, Ala., Aug. 17, 1880. The mild winter destroyed nearly all our honey-producing plants ; we have less than % a crop. C. B. Miller. Selin's Grove, Pa., Aug. 3, 1S80. I fed 8 colonies last fall with honey extracted from combs on which bees had died the previous winter from dysentery ; they wintered safely ; in July I think there was about 320 lbs. of honey in the hives ; on Aug. 1, 1 took off 100 lbs. of light comb honey, and I have increased to 14 colonies ; I shall have "to feed again this fall ; since writing this I have had another swarm ; a virgin queen accompanied a swarm from a hive that had given a swarm on the 4th inst.; I returned the swarm ; this is new to me, to have a virgin queen lead off a swarm. Joseph H. Fisher. Napoleon, 0., Aug. 12, 1880. London Honey and Bee Show. The sixth annual exhibition of bees and their products and apiarian ap- pliances, under the auspices of the British Bee-Keepers* Association was held from July 2S to Aug. 2. This association was formed with the two- fold object of advocating the more humane and intelligent treatment of the honey bee, and of bettering the condition of small farmers by the en- couragement, improvement and ad- vancement of bee-culture. The British Bee-Keepers' Association which is a splendid example for the American National Society, has held shows every year, having sent its tent and skilled manipulators through the country to attend fairs, etc., and has 11 local asso- ciations affiliated to it. The accompanying engraving shows the bee tent as it stands upon the green sward in front of the conservatory of the Royal Horticultural Society at South Kensington. In this tent Mr. Frank Cheshire, one of the soundest thinkers in this generation of bee- keepers, delivers several times a day lectures of the most charmingly in- teresting character, while an expert practically illustrates that part of the lecture relating to transferring, etc. There are I fancy few, if any, in America who would limit the number of bee-keepers or make the production of honey a monopoly to be enjoyed only by a small class of individuals. I hope the National Society, will, therefore, have one of these tents made for use at the bee conventions and fairs through- out the States and thus educate the masses by popular lectures and practi- cal illustrations in modern bee culture. By charging a six-pence admittance, the tent is made not only self-support- ing, but so large is the attendance it is actually a source of revenue. One of the features in the tent this week was the competition in transferring from a straw hive into a movable-frame one, to capture and exhibit the queen. Mr. Walton, of Leamington, transferred his Ligurians in 4 minutes and 15 seconds and found his queen in :; minutes and 15 seconds. The prize for transferring was awarded Mr. Walton. At the show this year there are 53 exhibitors among whom 93 prizes were distributed, comprising silver medals and $10.00; bronze medals and $5.00; Certificates and $2.50; and many prizes alone varying from $10. 00 down to $1 .25. There were 9 exhibitions of live bees. Mr. Baldwin was awarded the first prize for the best colony of Ligurian bees. The second was given to Messrs. Neighbour & Sons. Messrs. Abbott Bros. — not Mr. Jones as previously written— received a silver medal for the best colony of Cyprians. For the best colony of other foreign bees— Neigh- bour & Sons took the first prize, a silver medal, with their Hungarians. Abbott Bros, were awarded a silver medal first prize, for the best hive for observation purposes, stocked with bees and their queen. Colonies were sold at $22 to $30, each. There were 28 exhibitions of hives. The highest prizes being awarded those constructed upon the movable-frame principle, while the old fashioned "skep"' or straw bee hive, the shape of which is proverbial, are rescued from disuse by several prizes. Price of straw hives here is Si. 25 each, while the movable-frame hives range from 621£ cents up to $12.50. The American honey which I intro- duced into this country in the " prize " and " Hetherington " boxes, have exer- cised a complective influence upon the Honey Show this year. The season being more propitious than last; the large number of American surplus boxes imported into this country, have gone into use and the 98 different ex- hibits displayed at least a variety never found at an American fair, while the highest prizes in any class, were awarded to the honey in American sections. In every instance white clover won the laurels. While it was not considered necessary for a prize to have the best honey in the most mar- ketable shape by glassing and crating the sections, consideration was given to straight, well-tilled combs. The ex- tracted clover honey had a particularly hue definite flavor, but rather thin in body and in some instances unripe. The prices asked for 1 lb. sections tilled with white clover honey was 2s. 6d. (62^c), while extracted sold at Is. 6d. (37Xc.), per bottle, containing 1 lb. Of course these prices amounted to a pro- hibition, and although the show was largely attended, many of the exhibitors will take their honey home again. * 442 JUisittjess Utattm, OUR TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION, PATABLE STRICTLY IN ADVANCE. Single subscription, one year $1.50 Two subscriptions, " " 3.50 Three subscriptions, " " :>.."»<► Four subscriptions, " " 4.50 Five or more, " " each, l.O© Advertisements will be inserted at the rate of 20 cents per line of Agate space, for each insertion. A line will contain about eight words* ; fourteen lines v ill occupy an inch of space. Advertisements must be received by the 20th, to insure insertion. Special Notices 50 cents per line. tW~ We intend only to advertise for reliable deal- ers, who expect to fulfill all their advertised promises. Cases of real imposition will be exposed. Remit by express, money-order, registered letter or New York or Chicago drafts, payable to our order. Do not send checks on local banks, for such cost us 26 cents each for collecting. THOMAS G. NEWMAN 974 West Madison St. CHICAGO, ILL. 1H0 Specimen copies of the Bee Jour- nal and our catalogue of bee literature sent free upon application. igi" Postage stamps received in pay- ment of all sums due this office, when bank bills are not available. Kentucky State Convention. The bee-keepers of Kentucky will meet at the Exposition Building, Lou- isville, on Tuesday, Sept. 28, at 10 o'clock a. m., for the purpose of organ- izing a State Bee-Keepers' Association. After the organization is effected, it' will adjourn and go to Cincinnati, to be at the opening of the National Conven- tion the following day. I hope a full delegation will be in attendance from all the associations in the State. All bee-keepers are cordially invited to at- tend. Dr. N. P. Allen, Sec. Southern Ky. Association. H^The Central Iowa Bee-Keepers' Association was organized at Grundy Center, Iowa, on the 17th inst.. by adopt- ing a constitution and electing the fol- lowing officers : President — Rev. E. G. Waite, of Grundy Center, Iowa ; 1st Vice President — J. II. Lighter, of Mel- rose ; 2d Vice President— M. A. New- comb, of Traer ; Secretary — Dr. L. B,. Alderman, of Traer ; Treasurer— John Dixon, of Grundy Center. The meet- ing was small, but we regard it as a " nucleus," promising great things in the future. The bee-keepers present reported less than % of a crop of white honey. We are having a copious flow of buckwdieat and goldenrod at present. E. G. Waite, Pres. Bee-Keepers' Convention. Arrangements are being made for the holding of a Bee-Keepers' Conven- tion at Toronto, Canada, on the loth, 16th and 17th of September, 1880, in connection with the great exhibition which is to be held in that city in Sep- tember. Mr. D. A. Jones, of Beeton, Out., is making arrangements for the meeting and it is expected that bee- keepers will be present from all parts of the United States and Canada. Mr. Jones is going to show at the Toronto Exhibition, colonies of bees just im- ported by him from the Holy Land and Cyprus, and a large collection of honey. The Industrial Exhibition Association, of Toronto, are lending Mr. Jones their influential assistance. * Southern Cal. District Convention. At the suggestion of many apiarists, who think that a convention of those engaged in honey-producing should be held this fall, and believing that such a general meeting would materially ad- vance the interests of this branch of industry in Southern California, I name the 20th and 21st days of October, 1880, at Los Angeles, California, as the time and place for holding such convention, that being during the session of the Horticultural and Agricultural Pairs. A cordial invitation is extended to all apiarists in the State, and to all who feel an interest in the science of api- culture. C. J. Fox, Pres. Dist. B. K. Association. N. Levering, Sec'y Los Angeles B. K. Association. Nebraska Honey Show. On September 20. the next State Fair of Nebraska will open at Omaha and continue during the week. The com- mittee appointed at the last regular meeting of the Nebraska State Bee- Keepers' Association to arrange for and conduct the exhibit of apiarian pro- ducts and implements, would hereby request the makers of implements and supplies to notify the Committee at once of anything they may wish to ex- hibit, that" ample space may be pro- vided. Premiums on honey are limited to the products of Nebraska, but other- wise, are open to all competitors. Direct all communications to 820 S. Ave., Omaha, Neb. T. L. Van Dorn. i T. S. Corbett. f. Committee. J. J. McLain. \ North American Bee-Keepers' Society. Programme of the Eleventh Annual Meet- ing, to be held in the Pavilion Hall of the Bellevue House, Cincinnati, O. This Pavilion is capacious enough to hold the meeting, with abundant shade trees if the weather be warm, and a good hall if it be cool or wet. There is also a good place to put out colonies of bees for exhibition. Meals can be obtained at the Bellevue House at a small cost. WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 29. MORNING SESSION. 10 to 12.— Convention called to order. Reading minutes of the last meeting. Reading of correspondence. Calling the roll of members for last year, and payment of annual dues. Receiving new members. President's annual address. Reports of Secretaries, Treasurer and Stand- ing Committees. AFTERNOON SESSION. 1 to 5.— Report of honey crop of 1880. Appointment of committee to nominate of- ficers for the coming year, to report Thurs- day morning. Addresses to be followed by Discussion. The Tongues of Different Races of Bees Compared.— Prof. A. J. Cook, Lansing, Mich. Honey-producing plants, trees and shrubs. — Dr. N. P. Allen, Smith's Grove, Ky. EVENING SESSION. 7 to 0.— Receiving new members. Addresses to be followed by Discussion. Improvement of the Race of Bees.— Thos. G. Newman, Chicago, 111. New Discoveries in the Cure of Foul Brood. C. F. Muth, Cincinnati, 0. Peculiarities and Advantages of Cyprian Bees, illustrated by samples of bees- queens, drones and workers— from Cy- prus, Palestine, historic incidents and sketches of their native management, etc. — D. A. Jones, Beeton, Canada. THURSDAY, SEPT. 30. MORNING SESSION. 9 to 12.— Report of Nominating Committee. Election of Officers. Installation. Addresses to be Followed by Discussion. Queens— their fertilization and peculiarities. —Dr. J. P. H. Brown, Augusta, Ga. Comb Foundation ; its Uses, and the Best Kinds for all Purposes.— C. C. Coflinberry, Chicago, 111. Permanence of the Bee-Keepiug Industry. —A. J. King, New York. AFTERNOON SESSION. 1 to 5.— Balloting for time and place of next meeting. Addresses to be Followed by Discussion. Honey— Past, Present and Future.— J. H. Nellis, Canajoharie, N. Y. Artificial Swarming, or How to Profitably Divide Colonies.— Chas. F. Muth, Cincin- nati, O. Wintering Bees, Nortb and* South.— T. F. Bingham, Otsego, Mich. EVENING SESSION. 7 to 9.— Election of Executive Committee for the coming year. Addresses to be Followed by Discussion. How to Make Honey a Staple Product.— R. Bacon, Verona, N. Y. Best methods for placing honey upon the market.— Thos. G. Newman, Chicago, 111. Do Bees Make or Gather Honey V— Paul L. Yiallon, Bayou Goula, La. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1. MORNING SESSION. 9 to 12.— Introduction of new business, res- olutions, etc. Addresses to be followed by Discussion. Apicultural Failure.— James Heddon, Do- wagiac, Mich. Which is the Most Profitable, Comb or Ex- tracted Honey ?— Charles Dadant, Ham- ilton, 111. Systematic bee-keeping.— Rev. O. Clute, Iowa City, Iowa. AFTERNOON SESSION. 1 to 5.— Reading of Correspondence. Addresses to be Followed by Discussion. Fine Comb Glucose Honey ; with speci- mens and samples of my own production. This is intended to illustrate the dangers arising from '• feeding back," etc.— Prof. J. Harbrouck, Bound Brook, N. J. Bee Pasturage.— L. H. Pammel, LaCrosse, Wis. Final business, auditing bills, etc. Adjournment. Ig^~ Articles for exhibition should be sent to C. F. Muth, 976 Centre avenue, Cincin- nati, Ohio, at least one week in advance of the time of meeting, with charges prepaid. As the Cincinnati Exposition will then be in session, excursion tickets at greatly reduced rates may be obtained at nearly all railroad depots when the time comes. The Railroads centering in Cincinnati have agreed to issue Excursion Tickets, at about one-half the usual fares. Hotels have also reduced their rates. A Transportation Circular, giving all particulars, is issued, and may be obtained by addressing Mr. H. McCollum, Exposition Sec, Cincinnati, O. By order of the EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. 444 District Convention at Chicago. — The arrangements are now complete. It will be held at Parker Hall, corner of Halstead and West Madison streets, on Sept. 14 and 15, 1880, commencing at 10 a. m. All bee-keepers in the North Western States are invited to attend. The Ganlt House has reduced rates for those in attendance. Excursion rates to the Chicago Exposition will be ob- tainable on all the railroads. i^We have received the " 29th An- nual Report of the Indiana State Board of Agriculture, 1879." It contains the proceedings of the agricultural societies of the State, as well as the proceedings of the State Bee-Keepers' Association, making a valuable book of reference. Secretary Heron has our thanks for it. HSPWe are prepared to supply all new subscribers with the numbers from Janu- ary when it is so desired. ©"A few copies of the first edition of Cook's Manual may still be obtained at this office, at 30c. each or 4 for $1.00. Local Convention Directory. 18S0. Time and Place of Meeting. Sept. 14, 15.— District Convention, at Chicago, 111. 14— LaCrosse, at LaCrosse, Wis. 15-17— At Toronto, Canada. 20— Nebraska, at Omaha. Nebraska. 26— Northern Indiana, at Valparaiso, Ind. 28— Kentucky State, at Louisville, Ky. 29, 30 and Oct. 1— National, at Cincinnati, Ohio. Oct. 5 — Albany County, N. Y., at New Salem, N. V. 5, 6. — Northern Michigan, at Carson City. Mich. 6, 7— Tuscarawas and Muskingum Valley, at Newcomerstown, O. J. A. Bucklew, Sec. Clarks, O. 7— Central Michigan, at Lansing, Mich. Geo. L. Perry, Sec, Lansing, Mich. 14— Southern Kentucky, at Louisville, Ky. 14, 15-W. 111. and E. Iowa, at New Boston, 111. Will. M. Kellogg, Sec, Oquawka, 111. 20— Southwestern Wis. at Platteville, Wis. N. E. France, Sec, Pletteville, Wis. Nov. 9— Lancaster Co., Pa., at Lancaster, Pa. Dec 8.— Michigan State, at Lansing, Mich. 1881. Jan. 11— N. W. 111. and S. W. Wis., at Freeport, 111. 18— Northeastern Wisconsin, at Oshkosh, Wis. Feb. 2— Northeastern, at Rome, N. Y. 6, 6— Ashtabula Co., O., at Andover. O. W. D. Howells, Sec, Jefferson, O. April 5— Central Kentucky, at Winchester, Ky. Wm. Williamson, Sec, Lexington, Ky. IE^~ In order to have this Table complete, Secreta- ries are requested to forward full particulars of time and place of future meetings.— Ed. MAX WASTED, Reliable and experienced, to take charge of apiary and do light gardening. Apply to DOCTOR NUGENT, Strathroy, Ont., Canada. Illls WANTED, rom 100 to 200 colonies, mostly Italians (pure). Ad- dress, Doctor Nugent, Strathroy, Ont.. Canada. [ We will insert free of charge, under this heading, the names and addresses of persons having honey and wax to sell, giving address,description and prices; all to occupy not more than three lines.— Ed.J t bbls. clover and basswood, extracted, at 10c, de- livered on cars here, and 500 lbs. of nice comb honey, in i}4x4% sections. H. F. Walton, Woodruan, Wis. 5 bbls. Extracted, to sell (2 linden and 3 poplar), 40 gallons to the bbl. ; $32.50 each, delivered on cars. B. B. TONE Y, Holly Tree, Jackson Co., Ala. Honey and Beeswax Market. BUYERS' QUOTATIONS. CHICAGO. HONE Y— Light comb honey held at 15® 17c, Ex- tracted. 6@8c. BEESWAX— Choice yellow, 20(a23c; darker, 15To Black. Bees in the vicinity. Single queen $1,111 ; six queens for $5.0U ; twelve for $9.00 ; twenty-four or more, 65 cents each. Tested queens, $1.50 each. Safe arrival, by mail, guaranteed. For $1.25 extra, queens will be sent by express, good, strong, 'i-frame NucU i. Send money by draft, registered letter, or by P. O. money order drawn on Flint, Mich., as Rogersville is not a money order office. A neat little circular and price list, printed in bright colors upon the cheiro- graph, will be sent free upon application. N. B.— A large stock of fine queens on hand, and orders filled promptly. 9-ltp Tested & Imported Queens DUNHAM FOUNDATION, MODEST BEE HIVES, SECTION BOXES, &c, TO BE HAD OF J. &s DUNDEE, KANE CO., ILL. N. B— We shall hereafter rear NO DOEEAK QUEENS, but will confine our Queen-rearing to producing FINEST TESTED QUEENS, bred for BUSINESS. Please take notice. Write for Price List. J. OATMAN & SONS, Dundee, Kane Co., III. D. S. GIVEN, Inventor and Sole Manufacturer of the FOUNDATION PRESS, Foundation in Wired Frames a Success. We also Electrotype Dies any size desired. We make a specialty in rearing queens ; all our queens are reared from the egg, and we send out none half- developed. Send for a descriptive catalogue of our Presses, Italian Queens, Foundation, and all kinds of useful implements. A sample of our Foundation sent free. tf D. S. GI VEN, Hoopeston, 111. AGENTS WANTED. To any one desiring to canvass for our publications and who sends us proper references, we will forward large posters and circulars with their name printed on them as our Agent, and give them Larger Commissions than any other House in America. We challenge any paper in America to pay as large a commission to its agents as we do for obtaining sub- scriptions to THE COSMOPOLITE, SI. 00 a Year ; 25c. for Three Months. Send for Sample Papers and Agent's Outfit, giving us Good References. We also want Agents to sell TALBOT'S PUBLIC LAND LAWS, a book of 170 pages, retailed at 50 cents each, giving all the Acts, Rulings how to obtain, etc., all classes of Government Lands, such as Agricultural, Mineral, Desert, Town-sites, etc. The Pensioner's Hand-Book. Every Pensioner ought to have one ; 56 pages, 25 cts. Also, SOLDIER'S BOUNTY MANUAL, 40 pages, 25 cents. Remit in currency or postage and send for our Special Terms to Agents. No other House equals us in our Commissions to Agents. Address, THE COSMOPOLITE, Sioux City, Iowa. STILL AHEAD! THE Improved Quinby Smoker MORE POPULAR THAN EVER. The Double-Blast Outdoes Itself. Testimonials from the best bee-keepers in all quar- ters, and, best of all, larger sales than ever before^ prove its superiority. Price by mail. Medium, $1.50 ; Large, $1.75 ; Small, Single Blast, $1.00. Quinby's New Bee-Keeping. The number and the character of the commenda- tions of this book, that we are continually receiving, prove very conclusively that it is a plain, practical work, invaluable to the beginner as well as to the more advanced bee-keeper. Price, postpaid, 9>1.50. If you desire practical information, such as has enabled us to secure over 15,000 lbs. of honey from 176 colonies, the present poor season, send for our fall circular. Address, E. C. ROOT * it !{<>., 9-12 Mohawk, Herk. Co., N. Y. CYPRIANS AT 1101 We now receive Cyprians every two weeks, via Italy, and can sell them at the following prices : Select Imported Cyprian SSIO OO Common " " 8 OO Send for Supplement to our Circular. CHAS. DADANT & SON, 8-9 Hamilton, Hancock Co., 111. PRIZE-SUED ESSEX FIGS. Essex are the best Farmers' Pig ; have been known to dress 90 per cent, of live weight ; small bone, light offal, quick to mature. Jos. Harris, author of "Har- ris on the Pig," etc., says of my Boar "Porter," that he is the finest Essex Pig he ever saw. A few Ped- igree Pigs for disposal at moderate prices, suitable for breeding or exhibition. Personal inspection of my stock is solicited. All correspondence will have cheerful and prompt attention. C. W. CANFIEED, Athens, Pa. N. B.— A limited number of Eggs for hatching from prize-winning Brown Leghorns and Black Red Ban- tams, at .$2.00 per 13. Warranted to hatch. 4-yl Friends, if you are in any way interested in BEES OR HONEY We will with pleasure send you a sample copy of our Monthly Gleanings in Bee-Culture, with a descriptive price-list of the latest improve- ments in Hives, Honey Extractors, Artificial Comb, Section Honey Boxes, all books and journals, and everything pertaining to Bee Culture. Nothing Patented. Simply send your address on a postal card, written plainly, to A. I. Root, Medina, O. ADULTERATIONS OF FOOD ; What we eat and what we should eat. 200 pages. Paper cover, 50c, postpaid. Sold by THOMAS G. NEWMAN, 971 West Madison Street, Chicago, 1IL AMERICAN BEE-KEEPERS desirous of staying awhile in Bohemia (German-Austria) will find the best accommodation at my country resi- dence in Troja, near Praga. No charge for lodgings; board according to agreement. R. Mayekhoeffeh, 747 Breitgasse, Prague, Austria. Vol. XVI. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, OCTOBER, 1880. No. 10. Contents of this Number. Editor's Table: Editorial Items 451 to 458 Obtaining Cheap Notoriety 452 The Convention at Chicago 452 Are Bees a Nuisance ? 453 Foul Brood in Michigan 453 Asters— Fairs 453 A Swarm of Bees Capture a Car 454 Food Adulterations, &c 454 Suspended 454 Bee Furniture at Lexington, Ky 455 Is it a Superior Strain of Bees ? 455 Does it Pay to Plant for Honey ? 456 Convention at New Boston, 111 456 The Bee of the Future 456 The " Co-operative" Paper 456 Something about the Convention 457 Officers of the National Society 458 Convention* : Southern Michigan 459 The Honey Producer's Future 459 Foul Brood 459 Northwestern Bee-Keepers' Society 461 Foreign Demand for Honey 461 Fertilization in Confinement 465 LaCrosse, Wisconsin 46S Mr. Bryant's Opening Address 468 Southern California 470 Letter Drawer : Bee Pasturage 471 Asilus Flies 471 Egg- Bound Queens 471 No Sagging in Foundation 471 Report of a Beginner 471 Barrels for Honey 472 Deserted 472 Gol denrod 472 Killed by Glucose 472 Clubbing Rates 472 Bee-Killer 473 Freak of a Hybrid Queen 473 A Wash for Foundation 473 Fierce Stinging 473 A Stray Swarm 474 Eggs that would not Hatch 474 Fertile Worker, etc 474 One Thing Lacking 474 Cleome as a Honev Plant 475 Is it Foul Brood ? 475 Swarm Catchers 475 How to Winter Bees 475 Curculio 475 Honey Harvest : The Present and Prospective Crop 476 to 478 Correspondence : Speedy Cure of Foul Brood 479 Proper Time for Queen-Rearing 481 Honey-Dew in Profusion 482 Those Egg-Bound Queens 482 A Concert by the Bees 483 Bee and Honey Show in Scotland 483 Comb Foundation 484 Healing Power of the Bee Sting 484 Uniting Colonies of Bees 485 Experience with Comb Foundation 485 Healthf ulness and Flavor of Honey 486 Fructification in Closed Apartments 4S7 Go and Tell It to the Bees 487 About Swarm Catchers 4S7 Carrying Bees to Pasture 488 Apis Dorsata of Java 488 What My Bees have Done 488 jEclitov's 3*able, Ulir The editor of the Bee Journal has, by particular request, agreed to give a lecture at the Nebraska State Fair at Omaha, on Sept. 21th. Subject: "Bee-Keeping a Science." IP°A correspondent desires to know if it will do to sow raelilot clover now ; and if sown now, will it bloom next year V Now is the best time to sow it. It will bloom but little next season, and that quite late. iggp Beports received during the past month assure us that the fall honey har- vest has been large. Bees now have, in many localities, enough for their winter use. A failure three years in succession is hardly possible, and we confidently expect a full crop next year. i^° Careful handling of bees will sometimes cure those that are irritated, but they remember careless and rough treatment for a long time, and often it takes a new generation to get over the disposition to pay someone out for any heedless management. ^° The more a man knows about any subject the greater will be his char- ity for and sympathy with views dif- fering from his ownjj| It is only the inexperienced that is ever ready to abuse any one differing from their pet notions. " Charity suffereth long and is kind," said one of old. 452 Obtaining Cheap Notoriety. Some persons, to attain notoriety, will descend to the use of the most diabolical means. They have a contemptible way of selecting a prominent individual to abuse and defame, without a shadow of excuse, save the attainment of that no- tice which they covet, and which they could obtain in no honorable way. This is forcibly illustrated by the following scurrilous language applied to Ameri- ca's greatest living bee master, the Rev. L. L. Langstroth, by the little monthly which has been selected by the " co- operative" clique to be their organ : "Rev. Langstroth was not the originator of the first movable frame hive, and we know it." " He stole that movable frame idea from another party and then patented it, thereby practicing a fraud on the people and taking the reputation that rightly be- longed to others, for which he is getting his just retri- bution.,' " What egotism, or what ignorance. Just think of a man who pretends to have sense and brains to write a treatise on bee-culture (Prof. Cook), who says that Langstroth is the inventor of a bee hive." Such insinuations are both infamous and unpardonable I . Is it not a crime to thus maliciously charge with fraud, ly- ing and stealing, a man who has done so much for the advancement of scientific apiculture, and spent his life in its study and development ? Is it not infamous to thus attempt to rob an old gentleman of his well-earned reputation, when he is utterly unable to help or defend himself, by reason of physical suffering and wasting disease V Is it not blasjrfiemous to thus intimate that his afflictions are a retribution vis- ited upon him by the Creator, in whose service his life has been spent, and to whose glory every act has redounded ? Think of the cowardliness of the as- sault on one who has suffered so much to advance the interests of the bee-keep- ers of America — who, by reason of affliction, has now passed from the stage of active participation in the cause he loved so well ! His work is mm done, and he only awaits the angel'scall to that " rest for the weary, where the wicked cease from troubling." Standing on the brink of the vast ocean, we watch with intense anxiety until the last struggle is overr when he will sink beneath death's, yielding wave. Apiarists the world over unite to* honor his memory, and his name will adorn the pages of history as one of the greatest apiarists the world ever pro- duced ; while the sycophant who at- tempted to ruin the fair reputation of that great and good man will be execra- ted, and his name will be buried in oblivion ! i^° The Convention at Chicago was. very interesting and instructive, and we have no doubt that the ''Northwest- ern Bee-keepers' Society " there organ- ized will become one of the most valu- able societies of America. The selec- tion of Dr. Miller, for President, was & wise choice, as he is one of the best and most successful apiarists of the west. Mr. G. M. Doolittle, of New York, was enthusiastically welcomed, and made many warm friends. Signor Mihl, a bee-keeper from Spain, who is spending a short time in America, to obtain in- formation respecting our methods and management, gave an interesting ac- count of bee-keeping in Spain. Great unanimity prevailed, and a sincere de- sire was manifested to act harmonious- ly on all important measures. Conven- tions, carried on in this manner, are always beneficial ; but those where per- sonal animosity and strife are allowed to enter are but a detriment, and should be discarded by all right-minded per- sons. !!rr^ i^ The preparation of bees for win- ter should now be the study of all judicious bee-keepers. If not yet de- cided as to how to prepare them, read up at once, apply the knowledge obtain- ed to practice, and be prompt in mak- ing all the necessary arrangements. — The different plans of wintering have been so often described in the Bee. Journal, that it will be only necessary to " read up " on that subject to gain all the information necessary to winter successfully by any ordinary method. 453 Are Bees a Nuisance 1— Mr. B. B. Bar- num of Louisville, Ky., has sent us a copy of the Louisville Courier- Journal, containing the following item : " A case of stinging by bees in Phila- delphia is thus referred to by the Times: ' There is no law in relation to the keep- ing of bees within the city, but should it become objectionable to three or more neighbors, then it could be declar- ed a nuisance and the owner of the bees compelled to abate it. Where only one person suffers, his only course for redress is a civil suit for damages or a bill in equity to compel the abatement of the nuisance.' Here is another in- stance of idiotic law-making. A nui- sance is a nuisance just as much in the case of one person as in that of a dozen. A civil suit ought to be unnecessary in any plain case?' Mr. Barnum writes : " If one case of stinging by bees is sufficient, then good- bie to bee-keeping in this city. The Bee Journal apiary contains about seventy colonies now, having sold down from over a hundred, and is situated within 250 feet of a crowded thoroughfare, but we have no com- plaints from people being stung. Our bees are all pure Italians and usually as harmless as flies. Those keeping bees in cities should keep only the most docile kinds, and there would then be no trouble about the neighbors being stung by them. ligT Foul brood, that most dreaded of all bee diseases, has again made its ap- pearance in Michigan. The Southern Mich. Bee-Keepers' Association held a meeting at Battle Creek on the 2d. ult., to take the matter into consideration, and learn the best means of curing it. The report of this meeting will be found on page 459, and, on page 479, we have given a full description of its cause and cure from the German Bienen Zeitung. Those who desire to know anything of this disease will read it with interest. I have obtained 4,000 lbs. of comb honey and 1,000 lbs. extracted from 85 colonies in the spring, besides 15 swarm. Gustav Ilisch. Hickman, Ky., Sept. 14, 1880. Asters — Fairs.— Can you tell me the names of the enclosed specimen ? It is closely allied to the golden rod, and is an excellent honey plant. It blooms late in autumn and even a little frost will not injure it. I have just returned from the county fair, where I had some honey on exhibition in 2 lb. sections. It attracted the attention of everyone for its very neat and beautiful appear- ance; 40 lbs. of this very beautiful honey was taken off at one time, from a 10-frame Langstroth hive. L. H. Pammel, Jr. LaCrosse, Wis., Sept. 18, 1880. [Yes ; this is an aster. — Ed.] l^ The Dominion Pet Stock Bazaar is the name of a new paper published in Toronto ; Mr. G. Hooper is its editor. It contains eight pages, one of which has items on bees. It is proposed to issue it under the name of the Domin- ion Apiarian Bazaar if sufficient en- couragement be given it. H^ On the 18th. ult., an apple tree near our residence, bloomed for the second time this season, giving bees an excellent feast. We sometimes hear of such, but it rarely occurs. The foliage was nipped by a frost, and fell off ; the sap, remaining in the tree, caused this second bloom. &• On page 406, of the Journal for September, Mr. Bagby mentions two fertile workers, sent me for dissection. I have dissected only one of them, and she seems to be a perfect worker in all respects except in the development of her ovaries. There is no spermatheca to be seen.— A. J. Cook. igir In an exchange we see that it is stated that a French traveler, M. Pierre Arnoux, while traveling lately in Abys- sinia, discovered in small cavities of the soil a species of honey without wax, produced by an insect resembling a large gnat. Its composition resembles that of the manna of Sinai and Kurdistan, and the sugar found in 'the leaves of the plane tree, as well as ordinary honey ; but it is distinguished from all these by the total absence of cane sugar. 454 A Swarm of Bees Capture a Car. The Leavenworth, Kan., Times, gives the following details of a swarm of bees that lately came to that city on a quiet Sunday afternoon. The Times says : '-' When the Chicago, Bock-Island & Pacific arrived it came in under a cloud. A large swarm of bees settling on the top of the car while near Beverly, in Missouri, took deck passage for Kansas, and the fears ot the conductor and other men on the tram of a stinging rebuke prevented any attempt to put the dead-heads off. When the car ar- rived here Police Officer McCart was apprised of the fact that he could take in a number of prisoners if he would visit the car. He went to investigate, and finding the bees snugly ensconced on their novel abiding place, proceeded to effect their capture by coaxing them into an empty keg. He succeeded in capturing the entire swarm, taking more prisoners than he will have at any one time while he is on the force. He says they are doing well." "What we Eat." The American Poultry Journal speak- ing of the new work on "Food Adul- teration," says : A subject in which every one is inter- ested, discussed in a manner which every one can comprehend, should con- stitute a popular book, and such a vol- ume is just issued under the title of "Pood Adulteration ; or What We Eat and What we Should Eat." The writer, with the assisstance of competent chemists and micrologists, among whom mav be mentioned Dr. B. U. Piper, Dr. T. D. Williams, and Prof Geo. A. Mariner, has made over five hundred analyses and microscopical examinations of articles of food pro- cured from the grocery shops and such as are daily supplied the consumer throughout the country. The results of these examinations are simply appall- ing. The sophistication of articles of food is a subject which has attracted more or less attention in England, Prance, and other foreign countries, and it is a severe commentary upon the enlightenment, as well as the morality of our own Government, that while the consumer of the Old World is protected in person and in purse against the health-destroying adulterations and shameless frauds practiced by unscrupu- lous purveyors of food, there has been as yet no general legislation upon this subject this side the waters. There is not a page in this little work which cannot be read with interest and profit, and it should find its way into every family of the country, where it should create a sentiment to demand the correction of this great and grow- ing evil. The chapters upon " Oleo- margarine " and "Glucose," the modern substitutes for butter and sugar, will be found especially interesting. The valu- able paper treating upon the first named subject is from the able pen of Dr. Piper, and is interspersed with original microscopic drawings showing what the doctor has, with the aid of his instru- ments, actually discovered in this latest abomination of the adulterations. It is beautifully printed and hand- somely illustrated and is for sale at this office. Price 50 cents. Suspended.— In the Bee Journal, for May, page 217, we stated the fact that another bee paper, entitled " Our Apiary," had made its appearance. Now we find, in the New York News- paper Beports for August, page 733, that it has been " suspended for want of sufficient support." Any enthusiast, with a few dollars, can get out a num- ber or two of a paper with 8 or 16 pages, but it takes money to successfully pub- lish a bee paper that will be of value to bee-keepers. The one just deceased was published at 50 cents a year, and at that price it could neither do justice to itself nor its patrons, hence both are probably disgusted with the enterprise. When the American Bee Journal was started, there was no paper pub- lished in America, "devoted exclusively to bee-culture." Since then, seven have started and died, and six besides the American Bee Journal are now being published, making seven in all. With a field already too much occupied, who will be the next to venture ? We shall see. igg° Take advantage of the first favor- able weather to look over the bees, and prepare them for winter. 455 Display of Bee Furniture. We have received a copy of the Lex- ington, Ky., Daily Transcript; contain- ing the following notice of the exhibit made by Williamson & Brother at the Fair: The fine display of bee-keepers' sup- plies made by Williamson & Bro., of this city, on which they took the pre- mium, deserves special notice. Per- haps no display in Floral Hall attracted more attention, and was less understood by the majority of visitors. Even a great many bee-keepers do not know the innumerable number of imple- ments used in the successful manage- ment of the apiary, sucn as bee-veils, queen-cages, honey extractors and knives, comb foundation, section frames, bee feeders, bee smokers, rub- ber gloves, honey jars, &c. of different makes and styles of the above articles to suit the fancy of all. Their beautiful display of honey was greatly admired. The greatest novelty in their display is perhaps the Queen Hatching Nur- sery for raising queen bees by steam. It is a square box, with an inside tin box with double walls, and a space be- tween all around, in which is placed water heated by lamps below. The thermometer is kept at about 100° Fah- renheit. The queens can be seen emerging from their cells, which resem- ble a peanut. Their observation hive of Italian bees were admired above all else in their display ; probably because every bo .y knows they " improve each shining hour," and moment, too, when in a stinging mood. They have also in their display all kinds of bee literature, and it seems to us that such displays cannot receive too much encouragement at the hands of the Association. We hope to see this branch of industry encouraged. The Fair Directors say that the lively interest displayed in this exhibit, and the attraction that it proved to be, will warrant them to offer larger premiums next year. Keep the ball rolling ! 1^° James Mclntyre, London, Ont., writes : It has been said a bee-hive is the poorest thing in the world to fall back on. Let no one believe it; for there is nothing in the world that will raise you up again so quickly ! Is it a Superior Strain of Bees ? Mr. Otis Ames, Fort Fairfield, Maine, writes as follows : I had but 1 colony of Italians and that one cast a swarm on June 10th, a second on June 16th, a third on June 18th, and a fourth on June 20th, making 4 in 10 days ; they were put in Gallup hives containing 1,900 cubic inches; they have all built up and gathered 88 lbs. of comb honey ; the fourth produced 12 lbs. The first swarm that came out on June 10th, cast a swarm July 18th, and second July 31st, and they have each filled their hives of same size as the others. They have a plenty to win- ter on. The parent colony, after swarm ing four times, produced 48 lbs. of comb honey, which is 130 lbs. from 1 colony and its increase of 6, so that I now have seven. If any of the readers of the Ameri- can Bee Journal can beat that, this season, I should be pleased to hear from them. Now, Mr. Editor, is that an every day occurrence for Italians, or are mine an extra strain of Italian bees? I never had them before and I do not know what they will do on an average. This has been rather a poor season here, not more than % a crop. I put out 57 colonies last spring, 10 weak and the rest in fair condition. I have 2,000 lbs. of comb honey, which is about 35 lbs. on an average, per colony. In the year 1870, my average per colony was 60 lbs. I have increased to 89 colonies by natural swarming this year. [Such a report as the above, in a poor season, is quite refreshing. This is another proof of superiority for the Italian race. i^Just at the hour of going to press, we have received the minutes of a very interesting meeting of the Northwest- ern (Mo.) Bee-Keepers' Association, and a copy of the St. Joseph Democrat, containing a lengthy editorial notice of the same. R. S. Musser, Secretary, writes : " The American Bee Jour- nal was awarded the premium at our Exposition tor the 'Best Bee Journal.' " The Association adjourned to meet in St. Joseph, Mo., on the 13th inst., at the Court House. All interested in bee- keeping are cordially invited to attend, as there will be many questions of im- portance brought up for discussion. 456 Does it pay to Plant for Honey? In confirmation of the advice given by the Bee Journal, we notice that many are now advising to plant for honey. Mrs. L. Harrison, in the Prairie Farmer, says : Wherever the apiarist may be located, he should observe the time of the year, when a scarcity of honey is likely to occur, and provide, if possible, for this contingency, and by taking note of the few nectar yielding flowers at this time, will discover what could be cultivated to advantage. In our dry sandy soil, which is so easily affected by drouths, we fail to find a better honey plant than sweet clover (Melilotus alba), blooming from the middle of June until late in autumn. " It is mete " that we should talk about these things now, for the seed is ripening, and if it is scattered now upon the highways, gravelly banks and waste places generally, as it is self- sowing and not eaten by stock, the honey flow may be materially increased. One honey producer furnishes this seed to hands working along the railroads, who carry it in their pockets at all times, sowing it wherever they disturb the soil. Sweet clover has a twin sister, known among bee-keepers as the Eocky Moun- tain bee plant (Cleome integrifolia) whose habitat is Colorado, and that region formerly known as the Great American Desert. It cares not for drought, but will put forth its leaves and expand its pink petals "alle samee." Catnip ( Nepeta cataria ) furnishes nice white honey, blooming during July and August, and as it, and the rest of the mint family, are great favorites of the. busy bees, they should receive fostering care by bee-keepers. Convention at New Boston, III.— The eighth semi-annual meeting of the Western Illinois and Eastern Iowa Bee- Keepers' Society, will be held at New Boston, Mercer Co., 111., Oct. 14 and 15, 1880. All are cordially invited to be present. The usual programme of dis- cussions, prizes, lectures, etc., will be carried out as formerly. The committee of reception will receive and exhibit free, all articles sent by bee-keepers or manufacturers, if sent to L. H. Scud- der, New Boston, ill., and charges pre- paid. Will. M. Kellogg, Sec. Bees have done tolerably well here ; I have obtained 50 to 60 lbs. of comb honey from 2 colonies; no extracted. Clyde,Kan.,Sept.8. C.M.Gaylord. "The Bee of the Future."— The Aus- trian Bienen-Zeitung , referring to this subject, remarks as follows : "Friend Newman names the Ameri- can bee as the bee of the future ! True it is, that the American apiarists have gained brilliant results, but neither honey nor bees do it all alone ; there must be a working together of many factors. If we only had America's wealth of honey-plants, we certainly could do as well as they can, with our degenerated European bees. But we do not intend to say, that nature alone does all the work for the Americans, without any exertions on their part. No, indeed ; but they understand better how to make nature subservient to their purposes. Just as high as we stand in theory do they stand in practice, and in the latter we must try our utmost to catch up with them, and, if possible, to get ahead of them." i^The " co-operative" paper has at last appeared, and it is to be hoped that the few morbid individuals will now be happy— at least for a time. As was gen- erally expected, it overflows with false assertions, distorted facts, garbled quo- tations and malevolent abuse. This is not only heaped upon the editor of the American Bee Journal, but also upon the Kev. L. L. Langstroth, Prof. Cook, Rev. O. Clute, Mr. G. M. Doolit- tle, Mr. T. F. Bingham, &c. For all this there can be but one object, and that is to advertise the " co-operative" paper. In our April number we briefly answered these calumnies, and do not propose, by their stale repetition, to be badgered into further controversy. — New matter only is worth answering. Those who relish abuse and vile slander might take the "co-operative" paper, but those who desire one devoted to apiculture will certainly choose some other. Hg^ " Always in demand and always brings the highest price," is what is said of nice comb honey, put up in the most attractive shape. Those who pro- duce comb honey in a poor and unsala- ble shape only work against their own interests. To aim for the best, should always be our motto. 457 Something about the Convention. The Cincinnati; Gazette has the fol- lowing notice of the National Conven- tion, and facts and figures concerning bee-culture which will be read with interest : The American National Bee-Keepers' Association will hold their Convention in this city, on the 29th and 30th of September and 1st of October. There will be delegates present from all parts of America. Every State of the Union will be fairly represented, and a large number of bee-keepers are expected to participate in the proceedings. One re- publican feature of the Convention will be that not only delegates will be ad- mitted to the various discussions, but every one who has an interest in bee culture. Among the topics to be con- sidered will be the progress of the science of bee culture and the present and future state of the honey market. A most interesting item will be the discussion of the many improvements which have been made in the various departments of bee raising within the past few years. The progress in this direction has simply been wonderful. The honey extractor, an invention of Maj. V. Hrushka, improved upon by numbers of others in many ingenious ways, has been in use now about 12 years, and has wrought quite a revolu- tion in the production of honey. It works on the principle of centri- fugal force, somewhat in a manner of a winnow, and preserves the honey comb entire. This fact, together with the invention of comb foundation, winch is far more perfect and suitable than the natural comb, has been instrumental in increasing the honey yield more than four fold, for under the old system, when the bees were obliged, after every destroyed layer of honey, to build one afresh' with long and continuous toil, they consumed between 20 to 30 lbs. of honey in order to manufacture 1 lb. of comb. Before the invention of this extractor, the so-called Cuba honey flooded our markets. It was produced wild in the trees of the West India Islands, and with larvse in different stages of de- velopment, and bee bread and other impurities mashed into a promiscuous mess, and thus shipped to New York and Boston. Druggists then pretended to cleanse and clarify it, but it was not always done, and besides it was almost impossible to make it a palatable article, or lit for the use of the sick. Now a much finer article is used, even for manufacturing purposes. Bakers, tobacconists, meat curers, druggists, compounders of liquors, and other manufacturers use honey exten- sively, though they do not require for their purposes the choicest of all brands the white clover honey, but instead the linden, buckwheat, or poplar honey. The white clover honey is confined to table use and medicinal purposes. Jacob Vogel, pork packer in this city, buys a barrel of honey every other week from Mr. Muth for curing hams. The business in this sweetest of all products has grown to be immense in the United States. Thurber & Co., in New York, in 1879, sold in one week 65,000 lbs., and during the year over 1,000,000 pounds of honey. In regard to the capacity of the States, California produces the largest quantity, being the most abundantly blessed with a variety of honey producing flowers. As regards quality, no better honey is raised than in our immediate vicinity, because the bees can scarcely feed on anything else here save white clover. If the Southern people showed the same energy in the cultivation of bees as is displayed in the Northern States, they would outdo even California in an im- mensely productive yield of honey. There is an inexhaustible supply there of honey producing fiowers. Carloads of the product are shipped from the States of Michigan, Wisconsin, Louisi- ana and Mississippi. Mr. Muth re- ceived recently a shipment of several thousand pounds of honey from Dr. O. M. Blanton, Greenville, Miss., and pro- nounces it the finest that he has ever received from the South. He has a large apiary, and bestows all his care and attention upon the subject of bee culture. Cincinnati and vicinity have not been slow in cultivating this in- teresting science, and most profitable investment. There fire several large apiaries in and about the city, among which may be mentioned those of Chas. F. Muth, Joseph Savage, Ludlow, Ky., who bestows most of his time to queen- rearing ; J. S. Hill, of Mt. Healthy ; King Kramer, Dry Kidge ; Richard Curry & Bros., East Walnut Hill; J. Coates, White Oaks. Mr. J. S. Hill has 120 colonies and possesses the finest apiary in the West- ern country, beautifully laid out, and artistically managed. Mr. Curry is also an enthusiast in the science, and has been very successful in the plentiful production of honey. It is safe to say that in a good season the yield of Cincinnati and vicinity will amount to over 100,000 pounds. No one here has bestowed more time and careful study to the subject than Mr. C. F. Muth, 978 Central avenue. He has been in the business over 20 years, and has had an apiary at his present stand for 18 years. For the past 15 or 16 years his bees have not swarmed, excepting once about two years ago, which was caused by a slight inadvertence. He says that by keeping the hives large enough for the increase of bees, and at the same time sufficiently small for an abundant supply of honey, all swarming may be avoided. Mr. Muth sold over 200,000 pounds of honey last year, and his business lias increased steadily. His apiary perched on top of a two-story roof in the rear of his house is a perfect curiosity and worth a visit. He has 40 colonies, all in active operation. The yield during the past season has been exceedingly poor, only 15 lbs. to each hive; m fact, though the preceding 2 years have been very meager in their honey pro- ductiveness, the present one has been the most meagre of all. There was an abundance of fruit blossoms in the early spring, and locust flowers, and white clover in the month of June, but somehow there were no honey secre- tions, and the bees returned minus the sweet essence. His bees feed on the clover of the hilltops, and the flowers that are found in the immediate suburbs, especially the country about Cumminsville. Three years ago he averaged 198 lbs. of honey for each hive, and the preceeding year 170 lbs. Mr. D. A. Jones, of Canada, recently made a trip to the Isle of Cyprus, and brought with him about 200 line speci- mens of queens, which may in course of time supplant the present Italian progeny, on account of their superior skill and productiveness. They are considered more agile and strong than the Italian queens, and some of our home bee- keepers will give them a fair trial. Mr. Muth bought a large number of Egyptian queens about 5 years ago, and found them almost superior to the Italian, but they were intractable, and would not allow the honey to be taken away from them, in consequence of which he was obliged to destroy them. The science of bee culture has grown to be very systematic of late years, and the raising of pure stock has been con- ducted on as correct and scientific prin- ciples as the breeding of blooded horses and stock. From certain colonies queens are raised, from others drones, and both at pleasure, and the beauty is that the several families can be kept entirely separate and distinct from each other. Eangstroth's hive is the one that is generally in use, and has movable combs in the brood chamber. Above the brood chamber is an arrangement of 3 sectional boxes, each containing 8 small frames for the accumulation of comb honey. Each of these frames holds from \% to 2 lbs. of the product. Other hives are arranged with 10 large frames of comb in the honey chamber for the production of extracted honey. The study of bees is one of the most absorbing and useful, and the work of the coming Convention will be con- sidered with interest by those who can appreciate the animal type of industry and the sweetest product of nature. National Society Officers for 1879-80. The following is a corrected list of the officers of the North American Bee- Keepers' Society : President— Thomas G. Newman, Chicago, 111. Recording Sec.— Ehrick Parmly, New York. Corresponding Sec— O. Clute, Iowa City, Iowa. Treasurcr-F. A. Dunham, Depere, Wis. STATE VICE PRESIDENTS. Alabama— J. A. Austin, Huntsville. Arkansas— Dr. W. W. Hipolite, Devall's Bluff. California— C. J. Fox, San Diego. Colorado— J. L. Peabody, Denver. Connecticut— H. L. Jeffrey, Woodbury. Dakota— Calvin G. Shaw, Vermillion. Florida— Dr. J. M. Keyes, Iola. Georgia— Dr. J. P. H. Brown, Augusta. Illinois— E. J. Oatman, Dundee. Indiana— Kev. M. Mahin, Huntington. Iowa— E. D. Godfrey, Red Oak. Kansas— D. P. Norton, Council Grove. Kentucky— N. P. Allen, Smith's Grove. Louisiana— Paul L. Viallon. Bayou Goula. Maine— J. H. Spaulding, Augusta. Maryland— J. M. Valentine, Double Pipe Creek. Massachusetts— Dr. E. P. Abbe, New Bedford. Michigan— Prof. A.J. Cook. Lansing. Mississippi -Rev. J. W. McNeil, Crystal Springs. Missouri— P. P. Collier, Benton City. Nebraska— George M. Hawley, Lincoln. New Hampshire— J. L. Hubbard, Walpole. New Jersey— Prof. J. Hasbrouck, Bound Brook. New York— A. J. King, New York. North Carolina -T. B. Parker, Goldsboro. Ohio— C. F. Muth, Cincinnati. Ontario— D. A. Jones, Beeton. Pennsylvania— W. J. Davis, Youngsville. Quebec— Thomas Valiquet. St. Hilaire. Tennessee— S. C. Dodge, Chattanooga. Texas— F. F. Collins, Cuerco. Vermont— Jacob Ide, Passumsic, Virginia— J. W. Porter, Charlottesville. West Virginia-E. W. Hale. Wirt C. H. Wisconsin— Christopher Grimm, Jefferson. igfSome persons complain of our dis- continuing their papers, if not promptly renewed. To accommodate such as de- sire it continued and wish a few weeks " grace," we will in future so mark their papers and continue a short time, if they will send us a "card" requesting it. We desire to accommodate all, but can not think of adopting the credit system again. <&ouweuttous. Southern Michigan Convention. A special meeting of the Southern Michigan Bee-Keepers' Association was held in Battle Creek, Mich., on Thurs- day, Sept. 2, 1880. Over 30 members were present and took part in the dis- cussions. Letters were read from Mr. James Heddon, Mr. J. II, Townleyand others, and the question of foul brood was discussed. The crop reports of 34 bee-keepers were as follows : From 518 colonies in the spring they had 377 swarms, 2,586 lbs. of comb honey, and 695 lbs. of ex- tracted ; being a little over 6 lbs. to each colony in the spring. Mr. Heddon re- ported no fall honey, and not one-fifth of a crop. Mr. Townley had obtained but 40 lbs., but if the weather continued favorable he might obtain 2,000 lbs. more. Mr. Heddon's essay was as follows : The Honey Producer's Future. The poor season, though very hard on us, especially those of us who are largely spread out in the business, will, I feel confident, prove a blessing to us. It will teach us that bees do not " work for nothing and board themselves.1' It will teach us not to rush our honey into the market all at once, but to hold for a re- munerative price. If one-fourth of a crop will bring one-half more price, let us sell our next good crop in fourth lots. The honey-producer's future looks brighter to-day than for some time past. The new and useful improvements, such as foundation, etc., together with our accumulated knowledge of manipula- tion, and last, but not least, the export trade in our product, all whisper " Suc- cess." I rejoice that I am thus enabled to conscientiously own that our pros- pects look brighter. The large, yes, almost unlimited for- eign demand for honey, will prevent a glut in the market; and now, bee-keep- ers, it rests with you to use discretion with the source of our product— the field. No wise apiarist will try to pro- duce honey in a range already occupied by another. From the unwise, little fear or successful opposition need be enter- tained. Thousands of good locations are yet unoccupied, and if it will not pay the would-be honey-producer to re- move to them, it certainly will not pay him to labor in a divided field. FOUL, BROOD. I am pained, but not very much sur- prised, to hear that this most dreadful of all our enemies is at work among you. I think you will remember seeing something from my pen in regard to the great caution we should use when pur- chasing bees from different parts of the country. I have no doubt but that you got your start in this dreaded scourge from some imported queen and her at- tendants. I have always used the great- est care when opening communication with other apiaries. In fact, I have done but little importing from other bee- gardens, just through my caution in this respect. One remark in your letter in- duces me to say, that there has never been a cell of foul brood in this vicinity. I will pay $100 to any committee who will find a cell of it among my 500 colo- nies. My motto is, "An ounce of pre- vention is worth a pound of cure." If I had it to cure, however, I should purify by cremation, as I am not posted in re- gard to any other effectual method. I hope your Convention will become wise, both in prevention and cure. I feel that you may be working for me against the day I may find it here. I am determined to postpone that time as long as possible, and to that end I have dissuaded all bee-keepers in this vicinity from promiscuously purchasing bees from other apiaries. James Heddon. Dowagiac, Mich. The following essay was read on Foul Brood : Having been called upon to give my views and experience in regard to foul brood, and being requested by brother bee-keeper whose apiaries are attacked by this most dreadful of all diseases the bees are subject to, I will endeavor to comply with their requests. If not ar- rested in time and cured radically, this evil will spread over all the surround- ing country, wiping out of existence thousands of colonies. The worst of it is, that in all places where this disease appears, bees brought from a distance, not affected, are just as liable to have it, even if you have killed and burned your affected bees, comb and honey. If you wish to rid your apiary of this evil by cremation, you will not only have to burn your bees, comb and honey, but all your hives, too, your implements, your clothes, in fact everything having been carried, worn or handled in an af- fected apiary. Experience in Germany, as well as in this country, has convinced others, as well as myself, that this disease is con- tagious in the highest degree ; further, that all means, medicines and chemicals employed failed to cure it, up to a very recent date. The most extreme meas- ures were adopted to eradicate this evi 1 460 by burning hives, bees, implements and all ; still, after a year or two, the disease- would make its appearance again in the same yard. The medicines used were of such a nature as either not to arrest the disease at all in its progress, or to kill bees and brood. As I have said before, this practice of cremation has been in vogue in Germa- ny up to a very late date, until finally the true nature of the disease was dis- covered, and at the same time the reme- dies and methods of successful treat- ment to combat the malady were intro- duced. I am proud to say that this was done by my countrymen, and I take the liberty to mention the names of some of the leading men who have contributed so much toward conquering this dread- ful plague. They are Schonfeld, Kolbe and Hilbert. Schonfeld discovered the true nature of the disease ; Kolbe dis- covered the remedy, and Hilbert the method of treatment. Now, what are the remedies, and what is a proper course of treatment, and what is the nature of the disease V To spend much time in answering the last question I consider useless, for I sup- pose that progressive bee-keepers,whicb I take you to be, will get all the infor- mation possible through the press, tak- ing and reading carefully bee journals and books on bee cultture, some of which contain concise instructions in regard to the nature of the disease. Suffice it to say, that it is a process of putrefac- tion induced by the presence of bacteria, a low form of animal life pervading the honey and stomach of the bees, the germs of which are so small that the slightest whiff will carry them not only from one hive to another, but from one apiary to another. Short as this answer is, it will probably be satisfactory, at least to the average bee-keeper, who very likely does not care, nor has the patience to listen to a lengthy scientific exposition of the whole subject. The nature of the disease indicates the remedies. All antiseptics, remedies which arrest or prevent putrefaction, are employed, some in certain cases where others will not do. Such antisep- tics are the following : Salt, alcohol, sugar, soda, arsenic, thymol, phenol, salicylic acid, and others too numerous to mention. Some of these, and others not mentioned here, have been employed to cure toul brood. The properties of such remedies must be of a nature to be certain destruction to the bacteria and their germs, and harmless to bees and brood. Any chemical having this prop- erty, either singly or in combination with some others, is good. Some of these you will have found recommended in books and bee journals as a sure cure for foul brood. Now, some claim suc- cess with one, by the use of which an- other has failed entirely. Why this dif- ference in success ? I will answer this question by proposing another : Why are some bee-keepers successful as honey-producers, while others make a total failure of it? It is the method they pursue, and some follow no method whatever. Still, to lay down a certain rule, a course by which to succeed in bee-keeping, is an impossibility, as the method has to be varied according to circumstances. To further illustrate : Neuralgia is a disease of the nerves, and a most painful one as I happen to know. The remedies are aconite, arsenic, bella- donna, quinine, salicylic acid and num- erous others. Hence, " What is one man's meat, may be another man's poi- son ;" which proves that it requires a man well versed in the different meth- ods of treatment to choose the right, and also proves that it is quite impossi- ble to lay down a certain course to be followedin curing foul brood ; especially as you are well aware there are two dis- tinct types of this disease, which require a judicious and different treatment in the different stages of the disease and the malignancy of each case. Burning the visibly affected colonies would not be of much avail, for the rest of the colonies, or some of them, may have come in contact with germs,though the disease is not discernible to our senses j not having had time or the proper condition to make its spread in the hive, and one colony after another will suc- cumb and have to be burned, until the whole apiary is "cleaned out." The curative method not only arrests the disease in affected colonies, but prevents its spi'eading to others. This cannot be done by the annihilation of those dis- eased, for reasons given already, but by a proper treatment of all the colonies, whether affected or not. Certainty of success can only be ex- pected of such as have made this a spe- cial study. Nevertheless, as far as I am concerned, I know that if a colony is not too much reduced in numbers, suc- cess in curing the disease is not only possible, but certain, without sacrificing too much of the apiary. Albert Kohnke. Dowagiac, Mich., Sept., 1880. After some further discussion, the meeting adjourned. B. Salisbury, Sec. U3P~We are prepared to supply all new subscribers with the numbers from Janu- ary when it is so desired. North-Western Bee-Keepers' Society. Pursuant to a call in the American Bee Journal, the bee-keepers of the Northwestern States met in convention at Parker Hall, Chicago, on Tuesday morning, Sept. 14, at 10 o'clock, Mr. A. Rice, Byron, 111., in the chair. At the request of the chairman, Thos. G. Newman, of Chicago, stated the ob- ject of the meeting to be to consider the advisability of permanently organizing a general society of bee-keepers of the Northwestern States, and to hold an- nual conventions in Chicago each fall. After favorable remarks from several, Messrs. Thomas G. Newman, Chicago, T. S. Bull, Valparaiso, Ind., I.R. Good, Napanee. Ind , A. J. Hatfield, South Bend, Ind., and II. W. Funk, Bloom- ington, 111., were appointed a commit- tee on permanent organization. On motion, the membership fee was fixed at 75 cents. The following paper was read on the Foreign Demand for Honey, etc. I intended to have been with you, but uncontrollable circumstances prevent. I am sorry, for I feel new enthusiasm in our pursuit, as a producer of honey ; the more so, because of the new foreign outlet for our product. This demand, though not high-priced, is of sufficient magnitude to save us in times of large productions at home. A bee-keeper now in my employ, who has been a producer in Germany, and traveled extensively throughout the Old World, assures me that the foreign de- mand will take care of all the honey we can produce for many years to come, and that, too, at paying prices ; that the Old World does not compare with our country as a source for our product, and that honey sells at much higher figures there than here. These facts encourage us to put our capital and energy into the business. I hope your association will not fail to thoroughly discuss the subject of over-stocking the field, and the neces- sity of each producer enjoying a field or range exclusively to himself. I consider this a vital element of success. None can succeed in a divided Held, as special producers. While ''competition is the life of trade,'1 opposition is the death of bee-keepers. Opposition in the field is not only bad for those so opposed, but for the consumers of our product as well. The easier we can produce honey, the cheaper can we afford to sell it. Let us have harmonious and united action in the direction to oppose and counteract all movements to " bear" the honey markets. In my best judgment, these issues are of fully as much im- portance as the discussion of the best methods to be employed in accumulat- ing a crop. I shall look forward with impatience for a report of your meeting. James IIeddon. Dowagiac, Mich., Sept. 13, 1880. T. G. Newman rejoiced with the wri- ter in this foreign outlet for our over- production. He had long foreseen it, and had labored assiduously in England and on the continent to remove preju- dices, and establish a confidence in and demand for American honey, and he could but congratulate Mr. Heddon on the removal of his former fears regard- ing the over-production of honey. He thought, too, Mr. Heddon's views in regard to over-stocking would in a great measure be modified in the future. Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, 111., wanted an expression of the Convention in re- gard to what might be considered over- stocking a locality. Owing to the ab- sence of honey in white clover he had not only gained no increase, but had doubled-up his colonies to a great ex- tent. As fall approached he moved part of his apiary a distance of 2^£ miles ; about this time a field of buckwheat came into bloom near them, and they had nearly filled their brood chambers. George Thompson, Geneva, 111., said the question of over-stocking depended altogether upon the honey bloom. II. W. Funk inquired how many bees could be kept in one locality, supposing there was 80 acres of white clover to each square mile of territory ? Dr. C. C. Miller thought that white clover alone would yield but little profit to the bee-keeper, as the time for honey- gathering was so limited, it would be mostly consumed by the bees during the remainder of the year. G. W. Naftzger, South Haven, Mich., suggested that during basswood bloom, in his locality, over-stocking would be an impossibility. A. Rice said honey gathering de- pended on the condition of the bees. Some strong colonies would have 50 lbs. surplus, while weaker ones would get nothing. C. B. Fisk Bangs, South Haven , Mich., suggested that bees and humanity were similar: some colones would do well, others done but poorly. T. S. Bull was of opinion all depended on the honey secretion. Dr. C. C. Miller had observed this season, when white clover was in fresh bloom the bees did not work on it, but as the blossom became older, apparently going to seed, they did so. I. R. Good thought a good locality could not be over-stocked ; for the nec- tar How was continuous, and the secre- tion constantly going on. G. W. Naftzger was of the same opinion. C. B. Fisk Bangs has found that full colonies would not gather honey where there was no honey to be obtained. He believes in planting a variety. It is pos- sible for the bee-keeper to keep his bees busy and prosperous the whole season, by a judicious system of planting to supply the deficiencies in the spontane- ous bloom. At this time. G. M. Doolittle, Boro- dino, N. Y., was introduced to the Con- vention by T. G. Newman. In response to inquiries regarding the comparative merits of white clover and basswood as honey producers, he said the bees com- menced work on the former in the morn- ing about 10 o'clock, but they worked on basswood from daylight till late at night. It is necessary to keep hives full of brood, to secure a large yield of sur plus honey. Convention adjourned till 1:30 p. m. Afternoon Session. In the absence of the chairman pro tern.. Dr. C. C. Miller was called to the chair. T. G. Newman read a communica- tion, entitled Introduction of Queens to Strange Colonies. Brethren : My fondly anticipated hope of meeting with you in the District Convention is blighted by unforeseen circumstances. In this world of casualties, our aims often fall, blighted to the ground ; so with the practical part of this subject, fondest hopes are often lost, and melan- choly tills the mind. But on the arrival of the next Bee Journal, some per- fectionist gives a never-failing rule, and cheers the heart until practice demon- strates that the theory will not hold good under all circumstances. Three things should be observed in the introduction of queens to strange colonies of bees : 1. The instinct of the bee. 2. The season of the year when the work is to be done. 3. The age of the bees who are to re- ceive the queen. The strongest instinct of the bee is, aside from the love for storing honey, to replace the loss of a queen from re- sources in their own hive. This is in keeping with the first law of nature— self-protection— and all outside intru- sion is discarded. To protect the life of the queen to be introduced, as a rule, she must be placed in some kind of a cage until the natural instinct of the bee to supply a lack from resources on hand dies away, which is sometimes sooner and sometimes later; but as a rule, with the capping over of the royal cells, when they seem to anticipate a queen to supply the place of the one lost. She may generally be released then with safety. The time in the year when the work is to be performed has much to do with success. Late in the fall and early in the spring, after the vital forces of the bees seem lulled to quietude, by age and inactivity, the work of the hive being suspended, and not quickened into life by the unfolding flowers and sweet nec- tar of an anticipated summer, queens do not have to be caged long, as a rule, and sometimes may be released at once. The age of the bees receiving a queen makes a difference in the manner of her reception. A colony long deprived of its queen, will receive one soon or reject her entirely. In the latter case they will generally accept a virgin queen that has just emerged from the cell. Virgin queens may sometimes be given to a colony of bees with success, where a very old, superannuated queen is the incumbent. They receive her and let the old queen live, on the same prin- ciple that bees will build royal cells and supply the hive, with a new queen while the mother queen is still alive, and sometimes lives for months doing duty with her daughter. No plan has yet been devised, to my knowledge, for the safe introduction of virgin queens to strange bees, except the one so natural, simple and easy : wait until the bees are looking for the young queens to make their appearance. Queen cells should be built in time, so that the queens to be introducd are in advance, and all will be right ; give them to the colonies and afterwards destroy all royal cells. If the young queen makes her appearance before the one you wish to introduce, change the queens, and as a rule she will be accept- ed, unless the one removed has been fertilized. A. Salisbury. Camargo, 111., Sept. 13, 1880. After considerable discussion on the subject of introducing queens, without eliciting any new methods or arriving at anything absolutely certain, the ques- tion of comb foundation and its uses was taken up for discussion. I. R. Good said he had experienced considerable trouble in using Novice foundation -, it sagged very badly, broke down and warped. Bast spring he pur- chased a Given press, and now has sev- eral hundred beautiful, straight worker combs, in wired frames, in use. It was all that had been claimed for it, and he 463 did not think there was any better now in use. G. M. Doolittle's experience with foundation was unsatisfactory. He had tried several kinds, and the Dunham Wets perhaps the best; in the earlier Eortion of the season it sagged badly, ut later in the summer it did not sag at all ; has had colonies fill hives full of comb when they were gathering no honey. As to wired foundation, he did not think there was any manufactured he would be willing to use ; has seen it built out, and the cells over the wires would have the bottoms covered with the remains of larva? which had hatched and died, and again the queen would deposit eggs only to hatch and die. In fact, he was not "convinced it was econ- omy to use foundation to any great ex- tent, as it was paying out money for that which the bees would themselves supply when it was needed. Dr. C. C. Miller had used considerable foundation ; had tried thin foundation in surplus boxes, and been pleased with it; he did not observe any "fish-bone," and had never heard any complaints. A. Rice said that he would never use foundation in the sections ; he had seen old, filthy combs melted into wax, and that wax was manufactured into foun- dation ; he would not eat it, and would not put upon the market, for others to consume, that which he could not him- self eat. T. G. Newman vigorously protested against the use of comb foundation in the surplus boxes ; for use in its proper place (the brood chamber) he thought it a great invention. Mr. Doolittle said he had used foun- dation in the sections, but prefers start- ers of natural comb. The bees will build natural comb during a good honey flow, and fill and cap it, as soon as they will build out and fill foundation. An inquiry was made, whether any- thing could be gained by feeding ex- tracted honey back to the bees, to be stored in the boxes? Dr. C. C. Miller has tried it, but can- not express an opinion. II. D. Burrell, Bangor, Mich., thought it had paid him. George Thompson, Geneva, 111., has accomplished it, but thought it did not pay. He poured the honey in the bot- tom of the hive. T. S. Bull had fed back till he became tired; he thought there was nothing gained by it. It was suggested that in feeding back for the purpose of storing in the sections, the brood frames should be filled with sealed brood or be free from larvse. A. Rice said the feeding should be done while they were storing above, and not when they were carrying down for winter. G. M. Doolittle said it could not be done profitably. He had fed 400 lbs. to get less than" 75 in the sections; his neighbor. Mr. Betsinger, had fed 80 lbs. and received back 15 lbs. H. W. Funk inquired what became of the honey fed back, if not stored ? G. M. Dooiittle said his bees would hang around the feed pans and live out of them, but done no work. Dr. C. C. Miller asked what could be done with partly filled sections, at the close of the season V G. M. Doolittle said the most profita- ble use he could put them to, was to give them to colonies that were short of win- ter stores. An inquiry was made whether tin separators were necessary to insure straight combs in sections, and if they were not a detriment to the bees V Mrs. F. Dunham suggested 3 narrow tin strips instead of a single broad one. Dr. C. C. Miller thought broad tin separators a detriment; he had used wires stretched back and forth, but they were troublesome, and were unsatisfac- tory in their results; perforated tin might answer better, provided the holes were not too large— say, }i of an inch. The Committee on Permanent Organ- ization reported the following Constitu- tion, which was unanimously adopted : Constitution. Art. I. — This Association shall be known as the Northwestern Bee-Keep- ers1 Society. Art. II.— The object of this Associa- tion is the promotion of scientific bee- culture, by forming a strong bond of union among bee-keepers. Art. III.— The officers shall consist of a President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer, whose duties shall be those usually assigned to such officers, and their term of office shall be one year, or until their successors shall be elected. Art. IV.— By signing the Constitu- tion and paying to the Secretary the sum of 75 cents, annually, any person may become a member of this Society. Art. V. — The regular meetings of this Society shall be held at Chicago, annu- ally, while the Exposition is open. Art. VI.— Special meetings may be called bv the President and Secretary, who shall constitute an Executive Com- mittee. Art. VII.— The officers of the Society shall be elected by ballot, and shall con- stitute a committee to select subjects for discussion and appoint members to deliver addresses and read essays, and the same shall be published with the call for the next annual meeting. Art. VIII.— This Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote at any regular meeting. Mrs. Frances Dunham, Depere, Wis., was unanimously elected an honorary member, in recognition of her valuable invention. On motion, the Society proceeded to ballot for officers for the ensuing year, with the following result : President— Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, Illinois. Vice President— Mrs. F. Dunham, De- pere, Wis. Secretary— C. C. Coffinberry, Chicago, Illinois. Treasurer— Thomas G. Newman, Chi- cago, 111. The President suggested that ques- tions be propounded for discussion, and to give opportunity for comparing prac- tice, with the reasons therefor. Mrs. F. Dunham inquired if queens were not more liable to be superseded from having their wings clipped V She had lost several in this way, and attrib- uted it to the clipping of their wings. H. D. Burrell had practiced clipping the queens' wings, and could not see that it made any difference ; he should continue the practice, to save his valua- ble queens and the bees. G. M. Doolittle would as soon thinkof returning to black bees and box hives, as to abandon the practice of clipping the wings of the queens. H. W. Funk would clip their wings to save the queens as well as the bees in cases of swarming. George Thompson assigned a similar reason ; he can always find a clipped queen in the grass, from the presence of bees in her vicinitv. T. S. Bull would not clip any more, because he had lost several queens in swarming time, and the bees always be- came demoralized. A vote being taken, the practice of clipping was largely sustained. T. G. Newman stated that he had per- fected arrangements, whereby he could procure tickets for those desiring to at- tend the North American Bee-Keepers' Convention, in Cincinnati, from Chica- go and return, at $12, instead of $18, the regular fare for the round trip. Adjourned till 7:30 p. m. Evening Session. A. J. Hatfield inquired whether it was desirable to shade the hives, and to what extent V After considerable discussion, the opinion prevailed that a complete shade was undesirable ; but that during the extreme heat of the day a shade was quite beneficial. M. A. Newman, Collins, 111., inquired as to the value of red clover as a honey plant. G. M. Doolittle said one season his bees secured about 500 lbs. of fine comb honey from red clover ; he thinks if it could all be reached by the bees, the red clover would prove to be the richest honey plant we have. There are two kinds of red clover ; his bees work on the large red clover better than the smaller variety. T. S. Bull remarked that his bees worked very briskly on red clover last spring; he saw no difference between the black and the Italian bees in regard to gathering honey from it. G. M. Doolittle's Italian bees some- times stored surplus from red clover, while the blacks were consuming their surplus stores. President Miller suggested that per- haps by pasturing red clover closely a species of clover might be produced, with shorter corollas, from which bees could obtain all the nectar. A. J. Hatfield inquired as to the best manner of arranging surplus boxes- He found that the bees do not fill out the boxes so nicely when placed below as those above. President Miller has had the same ex- perience. G. M. Doolittle said he never allows the boxes to remain below till finished; they build out the comb faster below. He starts the bees in the surplus boxes at the sides, then carries them above to replace the boxes filled and removed, and puts in empty boxes below again. President Miller inquired, " What, shall we plant for bee pasturage V" C. C. Coffinberry was convinced, after several years of close observation, that melilot clover and large mignonette would well repay cultivation for honey; they were early bloomers, and among the last to succumb to the winter frosts; every bee-keeper should have the waste places, within reach of his bees, well seeded with them, to bridge over the bloomless period between spring and fall fiowers ; in fact he was not certain that they would not prove equal to white clover when the latter was in its prime. Catnip and motherwort would also well repay any expense and trouble which might be expended upon them. Several persons heartily endorsed all these plants as good honey producers, and especially melilot or sweet clover. G. M. Doolittle could heartily recom- mend motherwort as a honey plant. Convention adjourned till 9 a. m. Wednesday, Sept. 15--Morning Session. Convention was called to order by President Miller. A. Rice inquired if, in introducing a queen she escapes from the hive or cage, will she return to the same V George Thompson thought she would always mark and return to the spot from which she escaped. A. Rice introduced about 70 queens the past season. One escaped while he was placing her on a comb. Afterward, on opening the hive, he found the queen had returned, entered the hive, and was industriously depositing eggs. C. C. Coffinberry had introduced sev era] hundred queens, and they had fre- quently escaped,but invariably returned to the starting point. He thought it safe to say queens would always return to the point from which they escape, un- less overtaken by disaster. It is very desirable that the surroundings remain unchanged until her return, and espec- ially the person handling her, as he is frequently the most prominent object she notices in her rapid survey. H. D. Burrell inquired if fertilization in confinement, on Prof. Hasbrouck's plan, had proved a succcess V T. G. Newman, in response to this query, read the following from the Rev. M. Mahin, D. D., as pertinent to the subject : Fertilization in Confinement. A year or two ago the above topic was somewhat prominent in the publications in the interest of bee-keeping. I pre - sume that the silence of the present time arises from the fact that the wri- ters have nothing favorable to report. When the matter was first brought to the notice of the public, I was among the doubters ; but within a year or two I became a convert to the doctrine that queens might be impregnated certainly, safely and economically, on a plan sim- ilar to that reported by Prof. Hasbrouck. I confidently expected— well, somewhat confidently — that I would be able during the present summer to rear queens from some of my very fine Italian colonies, and to have them mated with selected drones from others, and that I would have a lot of bees a little ahead of any in the country. But, alas for human expectations ! my queens and drones would have their own way, or they would have no way at all. I made a box 10x10x12 inches. In the center of the tight-fitting cover I made a hole 3 inches in diameter, and covered it by a glass on the under side extending beyond the edge of the hole all around. When my young queens were 3 or 4 days old I caught and caged them, leaving 465 them among the bees until the sixth day. Then, a little after noon I put the cage and queen into my feriilizing boxv and opened the cage so that the queen could come out at her leisure ; then caught a drone and put him in. It was easy to get the queen and the drone to tly at the same time, and to fly in close proximity to each other; they would even jostle against each other. But for any practical purpose, one might just as well have been in Greenland and the other at Cape Horn. One sole purpose seemed to possess them, and that was to get out of there. Day after day I ex- perimented with one drone at a time, and with half a dozen, but always with the same result. I lost several young queens in the course of my experiments, and did not get one fertilized on the im- proved plan. In one case I made a cage the size of a frame, only shorter, and closed up the spaces between the frames so that the bees could not get up into the cap or upper story. I opened the cage about noon so that the queen could go above, and put in a few fine drones, covering the upper story with a board having a window in it. in a little while the queen came out, and she and the drones flew nicely, but they utterly ig- nored the purpose for which they were put there. The conditions were the most favorable that I can conceive, and yet every effort was a flat failure, and my opinion is that those who think they have had queens fertilized in confine- ment have drawn upon their imagina- tions for facts. My bees will not mate in confinement, and they seem to be just like other bees. I very deeply regret the failure ; I intended, if I could have succeeded, to settle beyond dispute, one way or the other, the question whether the drone a queen mates with has any influence upon her drone progeny. Huntington, Ind., Aug. 25, 1880. T. G. Newman said the advantage of having queens fertilized by selected drones, from choice colonies, was so great that he had especially desired that a successful and easy plan to accomplish this might be discovered, but at no time has his faith in it been '" greater than a grain of mustard seed." Many plans have been tried, but without success, by prominent apiarists all over the country, as well as at the Bee Journal apiary ; and much as he desires to have it suc- cessfully accomplished, he fears it is a sad failure. If it could be done, it would be one of the greatest achievements in modern bee-culture, and the apiarist could breed races of bees that would answer every requirement and gratify any fancy. 466 A. Rice stated that a neighboring bee- keeper had a wingless queen which be- came fertilized in some manner, but in what way he did not know. Several questions relating to winter- ing being propounded by different per- sons, the President submitted a test vote, in order to get an expression of preference between the cellar and out- of-doors. The vote was about equally divided, E. J. Oatman, Dundee, 111., being called up, said they had tried several plans. Their first experience was under the rules as laid down by N. C. Mitchell in his circulars ; they had labored under the impression that a warm, close, quiet and absolutely dark cellar, were neces- sary essentials in successful wintering; but they had found that with healthy bees light was essential to safe winter- ing. They had tried feeding in the cel- lar in February, and lost nearly all their beeB. Of late years they have tried sev- eral styles of wintering, both in cellar and out ; last winter they packed mostly on the summer stands ; those packed warmly and fed in February, bred up too soon, and spring dwindling largely prevailed ; but those not fed done nicely, and had the season been propitious, would have given a large serplus. This winter their bees will all be packed out of doors, in tenement packing- boxes. These tenements are so constructed as to hold 4 hives each, 2 facing one way and 2 at their rear facing the other, with straw or chaff packing in and around them. This season the white clover and other honey plants have failed in their secretion, and he could not report one pound of surplus honey. C. W. Naftzger inquired if they had stimulated moderately, Mr. Oatman did not think they would have clone much better. Mr. Oatman replied he did not; they have abandoned spring feeding entirely, and he thought they had lost more bees from that cause than in any other way, A. J. Hatfield tried both plans of win- tering ; part in the cellar, and part out- doors packed around with hay. Those put in the cellar came out strongest in the spring, but dwindled away very bad in the earlier part of the season, while those packed on the summer stands built up rapidly, and have given much more surplus honey. T. S. Minier, Oak Park, 111., practiced out-door wintering, and had lost only 2 out of 44 colonies ; he had observed that those colonies put away without pollen in the brood frames did not build up so rapidly in spring as those with a plenti- ful supply. I. R. Good wintered 67 colonies out- doors in chaff-packed hives, and had lost none ; he should continue to winter in the same manner, and did not antici- pate any loss this winter among more than 100 colonies. T. S. Bull had always been successful in cellar wintering. A. Rice recommended the following as the cheapest, most successful and easiest constructed winter protection : Select a wall or plank fence that will give the hives a southern or southeast- ern exposure, then place the hives about one foot distant ; pack behind and over with hay or straw, letting the packing come down well in front to completely shade the entrance, so the bees will not be enticed out to destruction by the sunshine in winter ; when all are neatly and snugly packed away, cover over with a shed roof, with the ends of the boards projecting beyond the fronts of the hives, to prevent the snow and rain from beating in. 0. B. Fisk Bangs said Mr. Rice had exactly described his method of winter- ing. He had lost only when wintering in the cellar. George Thompson wintered success- fully in the cellar, and had no desire to change. President Miller impressed upon all, whether wintering in celler or packed in chaff, the necessity of good ventila- tion and plenty of fresh air. On motion, T. G. Newman was ap- pointed a committee to collect statistics of number of colonies represented, sur- plus honey produced, amount of in- crease, manner of wintering and per cent, of loss. II. W. Funk inquired, " How do we know that it takes from 15 to 20 lbs. of honey to build 1 lb. of comb?" Con- siderable discussion was indulged in without eliciting anything definite. E. J. Oatman said he had experi- mented by feeding sugar, and ascer- tained he could have combs built out and filled with brood at a cost of 123^ cents each. A. J. Hatfield asked if straight combs could be obtained in surplus boxes with- out the use of separators V II. D. Burrell could not get straight combs without using separators. He did not think tin separators any impedi- ment to the bees. C. W. Naftzger has had no difficulty in obtaining straight combs without the use of separators ; lie regards them as wholly unnecessary in producing honey for the market. Considerable discussion was indulged in, and opinion was divided about equal- ly in regard to their use. President Miller inquired if bees could be moved short distances success- fully, in flying time, by putting a board in front of the hive ? The question was answered affirma- tively by many. T. G. Newman introduced Signor Mini, a Spanish gentleman, to the Con- vention, who proceeded to give a graphic description of bee-keeping in the Old World. In Spain but little progress has been made in scientific bee-culture ; the most primitive hives are still in vogue, and native black bees, similar to the black bees in this country, are the only ones kept. When surplus comb honey is obtained, it is clone by inverting earthen jars, and small wooden boxes similar to those formerly used in this country, over the hives ; but a movable frame hive is unknown there, as is also comb foundation, and, in fact, all the implements and improvements in use in this country ; the honey obtained there is much darker than ours, but is of good flavor; in the Guadalajara dis- trict, where the rosemary grows spon- taneously and very abundant, is pro- duced the best honey, which ranks in the Madrid market about as does our honey from white and sweet clovers and linden in the American market ; it is not so white, and the general appear- ance is not nearly so attractive, but the honey is very fine and commands a ready sale. France is more progressive than Spain, and in Bordeaux and other cities there are schools of instruction in bee- keeping. Mr. Mihl had visited but little with the apiarists in this country ; he had spent some time with Messrs. L. C. Root & Bro., and was astonished with the quantity and quality of honey they obtained, although they informed him it was not a good honey season. Why, in Guadalajara 75 to 100 lbs. is a large yield of '•'strained'" honey from 1 colony. Mostly all the Spanish honey is strained, the combs being mashed and the honey is pressed or squeezed through cloths. T. G. Newman, special committee on statistics, made a report. Many of the larger producers were not in at the time of its collation, but the result of those present was as follows : No. of colonies now 1,734 No. of colonies in the spring... 1,338 Increase 396 Comb honey produced, lbs.. Extracted " " , . 10,780 ,.35,578- Total honey " ....46,358 The crop thus reported was an aver- age of 34% lbs. per colony in the spring. Six persons only reported no surplus for the season. Those wintered in the cellar, 792 ; packed in chaff, 603 ; without protec- tion, 43. The loss in wintering was 7 per cent. Mr. Messimore inquired if it was known to a certainty that the drone progeny of a pure queen, mismated, will be pure ? No one could give a positive answer from experience. Adjourned till 1:30 p. m. Afternoon Session. H. D. Burrell inquired if cider was detrimental to bees, and will they work around cider-mills to the extent of in- juring themselves ? President Miller thought they would. A. Rice has a bee-keeping neighbor who owns a cider-mill, and who usually is obliged to re-stock his apiary each spring. George Thompson said there could be no doubt of the injurious effects of cider- mills upon bees located in their vicinity. T. G. Newman read the following pa- per, as pertaining to the subject of the '' Best Business Bees": How can we Improve our Bees 1 How can we rear the best "' business bees?" Only by producing the best queens and best drones possible, from the best colonies we have or can procure. We must take as much pains in rearing queens and drones as the breeders of different kinds of fine stock do in the selection of choice animals to breed from. I confidently expect, in a few years, to see strains of bees far superior to any we now have. The main point is in breeding queens. We cannot get the best queens from larvae one day or one hour old, for then they will get some worker food. They must have royal food from the time they hatch, so I would give the bees eggs at least 6 hours before they hatch, so that cells will be started and plenty of royal food be put into them when needed. Eighteen years of observation have shown me that workers reared in the swarming and honey-producing season, are better developed and more perfect than earlier or later, and so it is with queens and drones. We can get the bees to give a limited number of cells that close attention which they usually give 2 or 3 of the first ones, when getting ready to swarm naturally, in a full colony of our best bees, in 2 or 3 months of the swarming and honey-producing season; and neither before nor after that season can we, by any pains that we may take, rear as perfect ones. We cannot rear best queens in colo- nies of blacks, but must rear them in 468 colonies that do their work the most thoroughly — our best ones. We cannot rear best queens by giving the cells, as soon as sealed, to small nu- clei to hatch, that cannot keep up the necessary heat to fully develop them ; but must hatch them in full colonies. They should be fertilized in full colo- nies, as they will fly out sooner than from weak ones, and the sooner they are fertilized, the more prolific they will be. To get best drones, we must rear them from our best queens, near the center of the brood nest, so that they will have all the care and heat necessary. Colonies of best bees give robbers the "cold shoulder." Such colonies work here in California in our poorest and dryest seasons, during all the fall, keep- ing their hives full of brood and honey, and not trying to rob others ; while common ones are growing lighter, try- ing to force themselves into other hives, and many of them starving. Such best colonies will winter in cold climates, almost any way, without spring dwind- ling ; in such colonies the age of the queens will be from 3 to 4 years, instead of the short life which is the rule with common ones. Who will give us the best business bees V S. S. Butler, M. D. Los Gatos, Cal., Aug. 25, 1880. E. J. Oatman was of opinion that queens would fertilize as soon from nu- clei as from full colonies. President Miller and others held the same opinion. E. J. Oatman had purchased 2 Pales- tine queens ; 1 died ; the survivor is very prolific ; aside from prolificacy, Mr. Oatman could give no opinion of their merits. I. R. Good has a " holy" queen, which is the most prolific queen he ever saw. George Thompson has one, with the same characteristic. I. R. Good said he had reared about 40 queens from his Palestine queen, and all were nearly perfect duplicates of the mother queen. E. J. Oatman stated his queen did not duplicate. In response to a question as to which is best for the amateur — artificial or natural swarming— the Convention by vote recommended artificial swarming. A test question being submitted, the Convention unanimously disapproved of wired foundation sheets ; a vote being then called for upon the desirability of foundation wired in frames, it was de- cided in the negative. President Miller inquired the best method for finding queens in full colo- nies ; he had frequently experienced trouble from their rapidly passing from one comb to another. Several speakers recommended com- mencing the search on a center comb. The following communication was re- ceived and read : To the Bee-Keepers of the Northwest, in District Convention assembled, the Mich- igan Bee- Keepers'1 Association sends greeting: May your salutations be honeyed, your deliberations candied, and waxing warm in debate may your foundation not sag, but support firmly and spread freely the bee-bread of fraternal sym- pathy and brotherly love. T. E. Bingham, Sec'y. On motion, the Convention adjourned subject to the call of the Executive Committee. C. C. Miller, Pres. C. C. COFFINBERRY, Sec. LaCrosse Bee-Keepers' Convention. The Northwestern (Wis.) Bee-Keep- ers' Convention was held at LaCrosse, Wis., Tuesday, Sept. 14. 1880. The meeting was called to order by the President, John A. Zalser, at 10 a.m. After reading and approving the min- utes, a constitution and by-laws were adopted, and the following officers elect- ed for the ensuing year : Preside) it— James Manchester. Vice President— E. Markel. Secretary— L. H. Pammel, Jr. Treasurer— John A. Zalser. B. F. Bryant of LaCrosse, then deliv- ered the following Opening Address: The honey bee has been the com- panion and servant of man from the very earliest times, accompanying his wanderings and ministering to his com- fort and enjoyment. Scarcely tamer now than in its wildest state, it bears the yoke of servitude more lightly than any other creature, and is beholding to man for hardly any thing but shelter. Obedient only to its instincts and habits, no servant was ever more faith- ful and trusty. Incapable of instruc- tion it is in some respects the most in- telligent of the beast or insect creation. Capable of being the subject of owner- ship, and of a bargain and sale, its mas- ter could hardly be made responsible for its acts. The honey bee is a great trespasser, and has no respect for fences and boundary lines. It gathers its food wherever it pleases and enriches its owner out of other peoples' property without impoverishing or diminishing the property of ;iny one. A wonderful mathematician and architect is this little insect. If it ac- cepts shelter from man, it yet builds with method and exactness its own house and store-house, and furnishes its own materials. Almost all of its actions, apparently, are governed by unvarying rules, and in its travels, whenever it chooses to, it pursues its ways along a straighter path than birds or other insect ever took. The carrier pigeon makes a wonderful flight through the air, finding its way back to its home, from distances very remote, and over unfamiliar route. No bee, or insect, or other bird can accomplish such a feat, and yet the path of the carrier pigeon is not straighter than other birds can take, but who ever heard of a bird-line, or a bug-line. It is only the " bee-line " which has come to be in common speech the synonym of unvarying directions. We are greatly beholding to the ani- mated, irrational creation. Food and clothing it furnishes us, comforts and luxuries also ; ivory and pearls, and beautiful firs and feathers. The fish, the beast, the bird and the insect min- ister to our wants and gratify our tastes. But all these, except the pro- ductions of the honey bee require skill and labor to make them serviceable. The honey comes prepared for instant use. It has been distilled by a more delicate and perfect process than any labratory has ever provided. It has been stored in a permanent and eco- nomical way, and the case in which it is enclosed has a value beyond its primary use. Full of wonder as well as of use are this little insect and its productions. It is not strange that the wise and learned have patiently studied its habits and its organization, and that a literature, full of curious and valuable information, has grown out of their researches, now that poets and moralists have wrought into their fancips and sentiments the images and lessons drawn from its habits. Any thing which may increase our knowledge of the honey bee and its ways and methods of work and em- ployment, or aid in increasing the amount and quality of its productions has real and permanent value. And an association which brings the bee-keep- ers of a community together, and dif- fuses useful knowledge with respect to their calling, deserves to be promoted. The members reported for 1880 less than an average honey yield. The re- port from 17 bee-keepers is as follows : In the spring, 283 colonies ; now, 547— increase, 2(>4. Honey obtained, 8,500 lbs.— 5,800 lbs. of comb honey, and 2,700 lbs. of extracted. The discussion of honey report occupied the remainder of the forenoon. Afternoon Session. An essay was read on Wintering Bees, by E. A. Morgan, of Arcadia, Wis. [Owing to want of room we must omit its publication this month, but will give it hereafter. — Ed.] Nelson Perkins, Houston, Minn., win- tered on the summer stands, but thought upward ventilation was necessary to winter successfully. L. II. Pammel, LaCrosse, Wis., said upward ventilation was unnecessary ; he had wintered very successfully with- out it for 3 or 4 seasons. J. Pelty, LaCrosse, Wis., wintered in a bee house ; always had upward venti- lation, and lost very heavily through it. Mr. Palleys, Melrose, Wis., always wintered in a dry cellar, and never lost any bees, either through spring dwind- ling or dysentery. E. Markel, LaCrosse, Wis., always wintered in a dry cellar ; as nine-tenths of the bee-keepers winter in cellars, it must certainly be the best and cheapest way; as regards carrying the bees in and out of the cellar, bethought it must be cheaper than to pack them in chaff. Louis Peters, Melrose, would winter in a dry cellar, and let his bees have an occasional flight on a very nice day. Mr. Sprain, Barre Mills— Would it make any difference whether bees were wintered in a bed-chamber or bee-win- tering house V Mr. Whipple said it would not make any difference, if the chamber was dark. Mr. Whipple, Shelby, Wis., would winter his bees in a bee-house with double walls, with a 2% inch space filled with sawdust; then leave the door open at night so that the dead air can escape. Mr. Zoules, LaCrosse, wintered in a bee-house ; used a double- walled bee house, with a dead-air chamber, and al- ways kept his bee house dark. Simon Klich, LaCrosse, would have such a bee hive that he could winter on the summer stand. J. C. Kraemer, LaCrescent, Minn., turned his bee hives from south to north, and left them on the summer stands. Kev. O. Clute, Iowa City, Iowa, save his consent for the Secretary to read his Chicago essay on " Increasing the De- mand for Honey." L. H. Pammel stated that we must do something to make honey a staple arti- cle, so that the poor man can enjoy its luxuries as well as the rich ; for such a demand he thought extracted put up in tin pails would be the best, and that every bee-keeper should warrant his honey as to purity. For comb honey, 1 and 2 lb. sections are the most attract- ive, as the rich will pay % for its beau- tiful appearance,, and the other half to sweeten the palate ; he also said Mr. Clute suggested something very wise when he said that the grocer should keep the honey in some conspicuous place. The secretary then read his essay oh the tl Bee Forage of Western Wiscon- sin." [This article is also omitted for want of space ; it will be published here- after.— Ed.] Mr. Palleys said the Secretary made a mistake in saying that the hard maple was not very abundant in Western Wis- consin ; some distance from the Missis- sippi, in the interior, the woods are heavily timbered with it; had tested the spider plant the past season, and found it to be an excellent honey plant. Mr. Markel thought apiarists would have to plant for honey in the future, to make bee-keeping more reliable ; he said it would be unnecessary where golden- rods and asters grow abundantly ; but in his location he found it necessary. Nelson Perkins found bees working very vigorously on hemp some years, when it blooms after Sept. 1st. Wra. Lossing. Hokah, Minn., wanted to know on what soil swoet clover grows. Mr. Perkins replied it does well on all soils. Mr. Pelty found bees working on box elder. Question. — What foundation to use ? E. Markel said this was a question of great interest to bee-keepers ; he had used the VanDeusen, and the bees would not work on it, while they would on the Dunham. N. PerkinsaskedMr. Markel whether he would condemn all foundation, from the fact that they would not work on the Van Deusen. He replied, no. Mr. Polley said the bees accepted the Root and Dunham very readily. L. 11. Pammel found Dunham thin the best; had tried the Dunham thick but did not answer for all purposes as well as the thin. The Van Deusen his bees will not work, as they gnaw all the cells off and notning remains but the thin shell of wax. Mr. Zoules asked if there was any sagging in using foundation. Mr. Markel said there was not with the Dunham. Mr. Lossing stated there was no sag- ging when the thick foundation was used. At 5 p. m. the meeting adjourned till 7:30 in the evening. Question. — Does it pay to use an extractor in the apiary V Mr. Perkins said it was one of the best things to secure strong and vigor- ous colonies and a large amount of surplus honey. Mr. Markei thought it would be pro- fitable to use the extractor, but there is so much adulteration in honey, it would be difficult to dispose of it. Mr. Pammel said he has used the extractor with profit and in the future would run more for extracted honey. The producer would not adulterate it but he should be responsible for what he sells. Mr. Palley thought every one should put it up in jars and label it. Mr. Manchester asked Mr. Pammel if he could find a home market for his extracted honey. The Secretary said he found no trouble in doing so. Mr. Perkins said he had created a home market for all the extracted honey he produced and that three times as much honey was used where he lived at the present time than nine years ago. The following was then unanimously passed : Resolved, that we hereby tender our thanks to the citizens of LaCrosse for the use of their hall and the interest they manifested in the progress of this, society ; and to the press for their kind and appreciative notices. The meeting then adjourned. The following articles were on exhi- bition : by E. Markel, comb honey ; by John A. Salzer, several kinds of extract- ed honey, an Everett honey extractor, and other implements for the apiary ; by L.H. Pammel, the Gem double-walled hive and extracted honey ; by S. Klich, a swarm-catcher : by W. Lossing, comb honey in sections. J. Manchester, President. L. H. Pammel, Jr., Secretary. Southern Cal. District Convention. At the suggestion of many apiarists, who think that a convention of those engaged in honey-producing should be held this fall, and believing that such a general meeting would materially ad- vance the interests of this branch of industry in Southern California. I name the 20th and 21st days of October, 1880, at Los Angeles, California, as the time and place for holding such convention, that being during the session of the Horticultural and Agricultural Fairs. A cordial invitation is extended to all apiarists in the State, and to all who- feel an interest in the science of api- culture. C. J. Fox, Pres. Dist. B. K. Association. fitter Jprawjer, Bee Pasturage. — When I last wrote you I expected some honey from fall flowers, but am disappointed ; out of 31 colonies I will not get 1 pound of sur- plus. The season has been very unfa- vorable ; I had but 2 swarms, both late ; 1 is doing well, the other is in a starving condition, and I fear will not winter over. I think all but the one named will have sufficient for winter stores. I find we must make pasturage ; we can- not depend on nature's voluntary con- tributions. In the early days of this section the honey product was enor- mous, but settlement and cultivation have destroyed the greater part of the natural bloom. I contemplate planting melilot clover, large mignonette, borage and motherwort. F. A. Grove. Kirksville. Mo., Sept. 10, 1880. Asilns Flies.— I send you to-day, by mail, a package containing 3 bee-killers. There are plenty around my hives and must destroy a great many bees. Please give name through the American Bee Journal. Two of the specimens are bruised some ; but perhaps, the perfect one will be sufficient for name. R. Van Dusen. Palmyra, X. Y., Aug. 23, 1880. [These insects are Asilus flies, but not A. Missoiiriensis. They are too much injured to be easily determined as the hair is all rubbed off. They are smaller than A. Missouriensis. I should be very glad to get some more in good condition. — A. J. Cook.] Egg-bound Queens, &c. — I have at present an observatory hive with Italian bees, also extracted and comb honey on exhibition at the Mechanics' Fair, at San Francisco, which closes on the 11th inst. The hive has drawn a good share of attention : they have been there for 3 weeks in the building ; I took them out every few days for a fly and they are very healthy. They have come 45 miles on boat, wagon and rail, and only one Eartly filled section got loose, and no ees were killed. The hive shows both upper and lower arrangement, bees, drones, &c. Seeing in the July and August numbers of the American Bee Journal, regarding queens being egg-bound, convinces me that I had a case. 1 noticed a very fine Italian queen with what I then supposed were the parts of the drone attached to the queen. I watched for eggs, to time her laying. That queen still had the same appearance at the tip of the abdomen, even after 30 days had passed, until finally she disappeared and the colony got much reduced. She was in a 3 frame nucleus. Had I known in time, I might have saved her. She was a fine looking queen and came from good stock. I am sorry now that I did not examine her more closely at the time, but expecting that all would be right, I did not trouble her. I would like to get all the particulars about fertilizing in confinement. Several subscribers to the American Bee Journal are very much interested in this subject. Xapa, Cab, Sept. 10. J. D. Enas. [See article on Fertilization in Con- finement on page 465 of this number of Journal.— Ed.] >To Sagging in Foundation. — Hearing so much said about the sagging of comb foundation, I have come to the con- clusion that it is the fault of the one that uses it. I have used 30 lbs. this season and not one sheet has sagged. My way of fastening it, is to cut sheets so as to reach % of the way down, then tack thin strips of wood over the foun- dation to the top-bar. I have never used any but the Dunham foundation, and could not say how other makes would do. Success to the American Bee Journal; I could not afford to do without it, and I think one copy is well worth the subscription price for a whole year. J. F. McCoy. Van Wert, O., Sept. 16, 1880. Report of a Beginner. — I have no cel- lar tit to winter my bees in, and shall winter them on the summer stands by packing with flax straw. I commenced last summer with a swarm I caught on the fence, put them in a common board box ; wintered them in a box with open- ing at entrance of hive backed with straw ; last March I bought 5 colonies in movable-frame hives ; 1 died soon after I got them home and left 20 lbs. of honey and about a pint of bees; the other 2 gave 2 swarms each. My boxes are 10x14 inches, inside, 9 frames; the 2 first swarms have their lower stories full and are filling 12 boxes on top, of about 3 lbs. to 4 lbs. each ; the last swarms have not quite filled their boxes below. I have had 3 boxes filled in June, with Italian bees. I shall not have much surplus honey, this has not been a very good year for bees; too much dry weather. I like the Ameri- can Bee Journal. Thomas Parke. State Centre, Iowa, Sept. 13, 1880. Barrels for Honey.— Can I put honey in oak barrels, with waxing, and have them hold? O. C. Blanchard. Ironton, Wis., Sept, 3, 1880. [Yes, if properly waxed, which is very difficult ; at least 75 per cent, of all the oak barrels we ever saw (whether waxed or otherwise) containing honey, leaked. We advise the use of "sugar pine" or spruce ; then make small casks, to hold not less than 10 nor more than 20 galls. (100 to 210 lbs). These will cost but lit- tle, if any, more than barrels, are much easier to handle, less liable to bruise in transit, and will command a readier sale in market. Few grocers or consumers care to buy a 500 or 600-lb. pkg. of honey atone time, and if the ''middle man" has to repack to make a market, there is shrinkage in weight, loss of time and waste of barrel, all of which have to be made good, either by the producer tak- ing a less, or the consumer paying a greater figure, or the " middle man" is a loser, and declines to handle in future without a larger margin. — Ed.] Deserted. — Mr. D. O. Byrne, a neigh- bor and beginner in bee-culture, having 6 colonies in the "•golden" hives, re- quested me to come over and examine them. I found all doing well ; one col- ony threatening to swarm ; upon open- ing it, I found it heavy with brood, plenty of eggs, honey, and 7 queen cells, from 3 to 5 days old ; I destroyed 4, leaving 3 of the best developed, not more than 2 days capped ; I straightened some crooked combs, and closed it up to await further development of the cells, when I proposed to put them in nuclei. I considered the colony in good condi- tion, the honey boxes being about half full. In about an hour after the bees came rushing out pell-mell, jumping from the alighting-board upon the ground, sweeping a trail for 2 feet, and arose. Mrs. B. ran out and settled them, thinking it all right, but as soon as settled they arose again and left for parts unknown. Upon examining the hive, every bee that could fly had de- serted, leaving it with but a few young bees. Mr. B. filled up the hive again with bees from other colonies, to save the brood and queen cells. We cannot assign any cause, having never seen or heard of a similar occurrence. Give us your opinion of it. We use the golden bee hive here generally, and are well pleased with it. Bees are doing well this year, except that they swarm too much ; they have been swarming all this month ; this is the second season for this year. W. A. Milling. Biard, Texas, Aug. 24, 1880. [It was a case of natural swarming. The bees were fully prepared to go, and were only awaiting a successor to the old queen, when you facilitated their departure by destroying the cells, thus persuading her that a rival had already commenced her work of destruction. This, too, we judge to be a case where the queen led out the swarm, from the fact of their not taking wing from the alighting-board, but following her on the ground till she gained strength to rise. — Ed.] Goldenrod.— Please name the enclosed flower. I think it must be the much- praised goldenrod. It grows wild, and often covers the landscape for hundreds of acres, and as it grows from 3 to 0 ft. high, it forms, as it were, a golden sea of bloom for several weeks each fall. David Higbee. Avoca, Iowa, Sept. 3, 1880. [It is one of the goldenrods. — Ed.] Killed by Glucose.— My bees all died last winter from being fed on glucose, so I am out of the business now and you can stop my Bee Journal. II.M.M. [The only thing we regret is that the writer of the above was so perverse as to disregard all the warnings given in the Bee Journal about feeding bees such vile trash, and to deliberately mur- der them in such a disgraceful manner. We would as soon think of feeding our children on sulphuric acid, as to shut up our bees for the winter and give it to' them to die on. Several similar cases are reported, where bees have been killed by feeding them on glucose.— Ed.] Clubbing Rates.— I have taken the Bee Journal for years, and shall con- tinue if I can get it at the same rate that others can. I know of no one near me who would subscribe for the Jour- nal so that I can get it at club rates, and now my only remedy is to send off to some agency ; but this I dislike to do from principle. I think that people vho are scattered apart have a right to be able to obtain public journals at the same rates that those can who are in more thickly settled places, where they 473 club together and save 50 per cent, on the cost. I do not see what publishers can hope to obtain by this method, ex- cept to estrange their own subscribers from them. The Inter-Ocean abandoned this clubbing nuisance long ago, and now give their paper to all alike at the same price. I respectfully suggest that it is very desirable to have the Bee Journal published at the lowest self- sustaining uniform price. I like the Bee Jourx al, and the good personal feeling it maintains in its discussions. O. B. Curtis. Ulah, Henry Co., 111. [Mr. Curtis' points are well taken, and for several years we have been disgusted with the clubbing business. It is neither right, reasonable or just, and we shall continue it no longer than to the end of this year — then we shall inaugurate a new policy, which will be determined and announced in due time. — Ed.] Bee Killer.— I send you a block of basswood with a hole and plug, enclos- ing a bug or bee killer. I caught him with a bee on a sunflower. What is it ? J. H. Eby. North Kobinson, O., Sept. 7, 1880. [It is Phymata erosa, or the stinging bug, which is fully described and illus- trated in the 4th and 5th editions of my Manual for the Apiary, pages 293 to 297.— A. J. Cook.] Freak of a Hybrid (Jueen.— Last spring I had a colony of fine Italian bees (the queen and workers were beau- tiful), and I concluded to rear some ■queens from her ; some time in May I in- troduced her into a colony of black bees; the queenless colony of course went to work and constructed a lot of cells, which I removed in due time all but one, which was very large. I only suc- ceeded in rearing one queen from those cells removed, which was a line one and quite yellow ; but the one hatched in the parent colony was a little, spindling thing, and as black as tar. What is the cause of that difference ? The queen that formerly produced such fine 3 banded workers, produces nothing now but hybrids, with scarcely a sign of Ital- ian blood in them. Now, Mr. Editor, please explain. L. Z. Laxtz. West Liberty, O., Aug. 20, 1880. [The parent queen was a good Italian, but had been improperly mated, and of course her queen progeny was variega- ted ; since then your attention has been more critically directed to her worker progeny, which you find to be hybrids, and which was undoubtedly the case with the workers in the hive from which she was removed. — Ed.] A Wash for Foundation. — I take pleas- ure in sending you some root which I use on foundation rollers, also a sheet of foundation made on the 6-inch Olm machine, for you to try in your apiary. To use this root, soak it until you get the root soft, then squeeze the water out of it and use it on the rollers with a brush. If desired you can boil the root, but I think it best soaked. If you like it I can furnish it to bee-keepers. The foundation does not require washing after coming from the rollers. I start the sheet of wax through the rollers, and before it gets clear through, I lap anothersheet, thin end first, on the thick end of the first one, and so on as long as I want to, cutting off as it comes through, so I have but one sheet to start from the rollers. Bees are doing toler- ably well here. I wintered 47 colonies on their summer stands, and lost none. 1 have lost but 1 in winter for 5 years. J. G. Bigler, Jr. Xephi City, Utah, Aug. 8, 1880. [It is too late in the season to make a satisfactory trial of the wash, but next summer we will be glad to do so.— Ed.] Fierce Stinging.— I have just looked through all of my hives. They are all in good condition for winter, but only 2 have given me any surplus, and these were stimulated in the spring, and I realized 70 lbs. of comb honey from each of these 2. , My experience teaches that it is better to keep 1 colony in good condition than 100 and give them no attention. The hives I use are \% in. thick, poplar lumber, 10x12 in. wide and 18 in. long, for brood-chamber ; for surplus or upper story just one-half the size of the brood-chamber. The com- mon stock pea gives good forage for bees; it will grow in most any climate or soil. I had a strange occurance with a colony of my bees this morning. A gentleman and lady wished to look at them and see the honey in the hive. As usual I used the smoker, but the mement the cloth was raised, the bees poured out profusely, stinging the parties present fearfully. I was com- pelled to abandon the place entirely ; it was a strong colony and gathering honey nicely. My bees have always been amiable. Can anyone account for it ? J. Smith H*ead. Benton, Mo., Sept. 14, 1880. 474 A Stray Swarm.— There are few bees in this neighborhood ; poor season for honey till fall bloom began, bnt since then it has been plenty. I bought 2 col- onies of Italians last spring, and have increased to 5 artificially ; lost 1 ; when the fall bloom began in the latter part of August, the bees all made prepara- tions for swarming, and one swarm was a little too smart for me and left for elsewhere. One of my Italian nuclei which I was building up, has apparently given shelter to a swarm of wild blacks, as there are thousands of pure blacks in the hive ; in fact, they completely out- number the Italians. The queen I reared myself; she is tine-looking and Erolific. I have been unable to find any lack queen, and am just introducing into the colony an imported Italian queen, so as to have no question as to parentage. Is not my theory of the in- trusion of the blacks probably correct; if not, what is the explanation ? Fred. C. Bowditch. Brookline, Mass., Sept. 18, 1880. [It is an unusual freak, but one which sometimes happens. A similar one oc- curred lately in the Bee Journal apiary. It was probably an after-swarm , and its queen was killed in the melee upon entering the nucleus. — Ed.] Eggs that would not Hatch.— I send you with this letter the corpse of a queen which I had calculated to send alive, but she died before I was ready to send her. This queen was reared in a neigh- boring apiary, and never laid an egg that hatched into the larval state during an existence of 3 months. She laid in this time 1.000 eggs, but they dried and shriveled up, and she would lay repeat- edly in the same cell. We exchanged her eggs to other hives with the same result. Now, according to the best au- thorities,these eggs should have hatched whether fertilized or not. If you will send her to Prof. Cook for dissection, I think probably he can find some trouble about the reproductive organs that will account for this remarkable phenom- enon. W>i. Hausmann. Ashford, Wis., Sept. 2, 1880. [This is another one of those curious cases mentioned in my Manual of the Apiary, p. 83. Such queens seem in every way perfect, but there seems to be a congenital defect with the ovaries. The eggs continue to grow in these organs^but are imperfect, and so fail to develope. Such cases are found among all higher animals. The special defect of the cells, for each egg is only a cell, has not been determined. — A. J. Cook.} Fertile Worker, &c— Bees have not done well here, this season. I lost a number of colonies by spring dwind- ling ; I now have 24 colonies ; they have filled their hives, but have very little surplus. The enclosed weed grows here from 3 to 9 feet high ; the bees gather a great deal of pollen from it ; it is in bloom for two months or more. What is its name? Do fertile work- ers ever get into a hive where there is a queen ? I had a colony that was % drone brood and I thought I would kill the queen and let them rear one. I looked for her and found her ; when I was looking I noticed more than one egg in the drone cells but never thought of fertile workers. I removed all of their combs and gave them a frame of larvae and two frames of honey from another hive ; in two or three days I looked for queen-cells, but instead, found eggs, from 1 to 7 in a cell. I then took another hive like theirs and put in a frame of brood and bees, and two more frames of honey and placed in their hive, and carrying them across the yard, put the frames and bees in with another colony, and thought that I should get rid of the egg layer, but did not. When I looked for queen-cells I found eggs the same as before. I then united them with another colony and did not have any hive for them to come back to. J. C. Peters. Greenleaf, Minn., Sept. 10, 1880. [The queen, evidently, had become worthless as a mother and hence the presence of this pest to the apiarist— a fertile worker.— Ed. J One Thing Lacking.— I have just been reading in the Bee Journal, the re- ports of the crop of honey, &c, from different parts of the country, and thought, while reading, that one point of interest, at least to me, was omitted; and that was the price of honey in the home market of each person reporting. I thought it would be equally interesting to know the different prices all over the country, as to know the other condi- tions. I have been selling comb honey readily at 20c. I produce extracted honey only for my own use. The crop of surplus honey here is quite light, some of the largest bee-keepers have no surplus at all ; while others have very little. I had a fair yield from 18 colonies. White clover was a failure ; basswood was good for a few days ; we had a fair fall yield, and most of my bees are supplied for winter ; but every thing stopped on the 7th, the weather suddenly turning cold and continuing so, till the 16th, with a little froston the 13th and 14th ; it is warmer now and the bees are out again, but are not getting any honey. P. R. Hunt. Plattsville, O., Sept, 17, 1880. Cleome. — What is it? Does it grow any where ? Does it blossom the tirst year? Please explain and oblige a reader of the American Bee Jour- nal. Joiin C. Wilms. Waupun, Wis,, Sept. 14, 1880. [It is a good honey-producer, blooms the first year, and grows in any good soil. It yields honey only early in the morning or late in the evening. — Ed. Is it Foul-Brood J— My bees have a little dead brood with sealed caps, sunken but not perforated ; no bad smell ; would this be caused by the honey crop failing suddenly while bees are rearing brood rapidly, or is it a case of foul-brood ? My increase from 14 colonies is 35; surplus honey 100 lbs. extracted. A. Subscriber. Hamilton, Ont., Sept. 18, 1880. [Probably if you perforate some of the brood, you will find bad smell enough to convince you that it is a genuine case of foul-brood. — Ed.] Swarm Catchers.— Seeing in your Journal for August, mention made of " swarm catchers," by one of your correspondents, F. W. Spear, Wyocena, Wis., could you give me any particu- lars of them, through the columns of your Journal next month, if so I should be much obliged V I am only an amateur bee-keeper, but have not heard of any thing of the kind before. I think it would be a great boon to bee- keepers, if any thing can be devised to catch issuing swarms, as it seems im- Eossible to entirely prevent swarming, ut how to catch them is a puzzler to me. I am sorry to see such poor ac- counts of the honey harvest in your country. I think upon the whole ours is a very fair harvest. E. J. Holmes. Cranbrook, Kent, Eng., Sept. 10, '80. [A description of a swarm catcher may be found on page 487 of this Jour- nal. See also our May number, pages 219 and 250 for description of Bailey's Swarm Catcher.— Ed.] How to Winter Bees.— It has been too cold here for bees to do much this fall. A man here says that too much honey below will become as cold as ice in win- ter and freeze the bees. Is this so ? He says the best way is to take out the frames of honey at the sides, and give them empty frames in the middle. I think the hives are full of comb honey below, but do not know howr much. C. Fletcher. Columbia City, Ind., Sept. 12, 1880. [Leave only as many frames in the hive for winter as the bees can coverT removing the rest and put a division board on either side, and on the outside of these fill in with chaff, hay, leaves- or something of the sort, and cover up warmly on the top with a blanket ; then place over that chaff, leaves, sawdust or something of that sort to keep them warm and also to absorb the moisture generated during the winter. — Ed.] Curculio. — In the last Bee Journal I noticed an error in the item on the Curculio, p. 414, which please allow me to correct. The Curculio is a small dark snout beetle, or weevil, which when disturbed draws up its legs and falls to the ground, when it looks so like a dried bud that it is not readily distinguished. Early in the season during the cold days of May it is wholly nocturnal, later it works day and night. It continues to sting the plum till in July. Its puncture can readily be told from that of any other insect, as it is always marked with a crescent thus >?\, The grub which hatches from the egg is maggot-like, as it has no legs. It wrorks in plums, peaches, cherries and apples, and causes the plums to fall, but not the other kinds of fruit. Any one can find the Curculio by shaking their trees in June over a white sheet. Look closely and there will be seen the small bud-like weevils. The smoke from burning coal tar, will drive the Curcu- lio away without injury to the trees, and save the plums, if it is practiced thoroughly. But the jarring method is perfectly effective and better. If desired I will give this method next spring, when it is needed. A. J. Cook. Lansing, Mich., Sept. 18, 1880. [Wej thank Prof. Cook for this cor- rection and full description of the Curculio, and shall be pleased to have him give his method of jarring, &c.y when convenient. — Ed.] 476 Money f^arucst. We had so much rain in the early part of the season that bees could do nothing till Aug. 1st ; since then they have stored some surplus. If the season continues as favorable as it is now, we shall have a good fall crop of honey. G. W. Zimmerman. Napoleon, O., Aug. 25, 1880. I put out of the cellar last spring 100 colonies of Italian bees ; I have ex- tracted 150 lbs. of honey, but ought not to have taken it ; I shall not have any surplus honey. Mr. Hatch has 15 colo- nies, and said he examined a part of them this week, and they only had about 3 lbs. of honey in each hive. All the bees in this neighborhood are in about the same condition ; some have starved. E. S. Johnson. Lockport, 111., Aug. 30, 1880. I shall obtain 350 lbs. of box honey (buckwheat) from 20 colonies ; no ex- tracted. What should I plant on my sand and gravel hills for honey plants V H. A. Knudson. Mt. Morris, Wis., Aug. 25th, 1880. [Melilot clover, mammoth mignonette or almost any honey plant with deep- penetrating roots.— Ed.] On June 8th we had a storm that de- molished every blossom ; the bees had just begun to get well going, and this storm set them back fully a month ; brood was dragged out, and every colony saw hard times and nothing to do. Since then bees have gained steadily. White clover was a failure ; we had very few natural swarms. Since the 10th of August the honey harvest has been abundant, and will continue till frost comes. Pri/e boxes that I put on one week ago are nearly full now, and cap- ped over. Colonies are all strong, and in fine working order. Philip P. Nelson. Manteno, 111., Aug. 26, 1S80. I commenced this spring with 10 colo- nies of blacks ; increased to 18 by di- vision, introducing young and prolific Italian queens; I have had 3 natural swarms during the last 3 days, making 21 coioniesnow, and expect 8 or 10 more in a few days. I use a 7-inch cap for surplus, but it is now a brood nest from bottom to top. I have taken only 100 lbs. of extracted honey, but have con- siderable in each hive now. and always aim to keep much there. To tins I at- tribute my success in the management of bees. I now have no blacks, and never want to keep any more. I have several colonies that are a little cross, but they give me the most honey. J. S. Tadlock. Kingsbury, Texas, Aug. 29th, 1880. I have extracted 500 lbs. of honey, and have taken off 1,000 lbs. of comb honey to date, and have some more on the hives yet. In all, I have about % of a crop. J. S. Lord. Linden, N. Y., Aug. 30, 1880. From 5 colonies in the spring, I had my first swarm on May 19 ; now have 20 colonies. The natural swarms are the largest I ever saw. I extracted 30 lbs. June 14th, and shall not have over 40 lbs. of box honey, which is "second quality. I use the American hive. There are 4 or 5 others in the same condition, near me. I have blacks and Italians. Wm. Chinnock. Battle Creek, Mich., Aug. 24, 1880. I commenced the season with 45 colo- nies, most of them very weak. I have 3,715 lbs. of extracted honey, and about 50 lbs. of wax ; I have increased to 82 colonies. The season was too cold. The quality of the honey is very good. S. S. Butler. Los Gatos, Cal., Aug. 25. 1880. For some unknown reason the honey crop has been exceedingly short with us. We have had a fair supply of rain and sunshine, and farm crops generally promise to be unusually abundant. The failure is very general, and there has been little natural swarming. W. W. Hipolite, M. D. DeValPs Bluff, Ark., Sept. 3, 1880. The honey yield in this section has been very good ; my bees have never done better. My 5 colonies wintered without loss, and gathered their first pollen on Feb. 26th, two weeks earlier than usual. They swarmed from May 8th to 28th, a full month earlier than usual. Two colonies swarmed 3 times, and have given 50 lbs. of comb honey. I shall have 300 lbs. from the 5 colonies in the spring (now T3). Apple blossoms yielded well, as did the locust ; but bass- wood and white clover gave no honey. In June we had a heavy honey-dew run- ning down the body of the pear trees on to the caps of my hives ; but it is poor stuff for bees to winter on. It has been very dry here, and things are much parched up, but the bees are gathering some from fall flowers. M. D. DuBois. Newburgh, N. Y., Aug. 30, 1880. On May 1 , 1 had 53 colonics ; increased to 79 ; have obtained 150 lbs. of white and .500 lbs. of dark comb honey. Honey is now coming in rapidly, and I expect to get about 1.600 lbs. F. Wilcox. Mauston, Wis., Aug. 18, 1880. From 25 colonies in the spring I now have 50, and 1,500 lbs. of honey (about i^ of which is extracted). They are do- ing well now— gathering freely. Mrs. E. M. Covekt. Sellersburg, Ind., Aug. 24, 1880. We have 10,000 lbs. of white comb honey, 2,000 lbs. of mixed, and expect a fair crop of dark honey. We never had thicker or finer flavored honey than this. Benedict & Newman. Perry Center, N. Y., Aug. 24, 1880. My bees increased 50 per cent., but 1 have no surplus white honey. The fall crop will, I think, be an average one. M. Blanchard. Sherwood, Wis., Aug. 20, 1880. I have 165 colonies of bees, in Lang- stroth hives. They wintered well, but the spring was unfavorable. Bees have not swarmed much, nor gathered much honey. S. Ruggles. Saratoga Springs, N. Y., Aug. 25, 1880. From 95 colonies in the spring I ob- tained only about half a crop ; I ex- tracted 3,750 lbs., and have 650 lbs. of comb honey in 2 lb. boxes, all basswood honey. I expect about 500 lbs. of dark honey. John F. Dipman. Fremont, O., Sept. 4, 1880. I have extracted this season 5,680 lbs. from 29 colonies of bees in Langstroth hives (mostly blacks and none more than % Italian). There is not a half crop on an average. I have taken out nearly twice as much according to the amount of bees as any one I am acquainted with. My apiary is in the mountains, and I had empty combs, is the reason of my having a larger yield than others. The honey is about equally divided be- tween sage and dark honey, and is of fine quality and flavor. Honey is now worth from 6 to 7c. per lb. in Los Ange- les ; 2 years ago now it sold for 2% to 4c. per lb., and dull sale, while last Christ- mas it was scarce at V2%c. There is but little comb honey gathered here, as it is so far from market, and not a very good sale unless in glass sections and very choice. Last year about % of the bees here starved out, and a great many lost all they had. Success to the Bee Journal. A. A. Dexter, Jr. Cucamonga, Cal., Aug. 24, 1880. Fall flowers are abundant, and our bees are gathering honey rapidly. Joseph Saunders.** Beatrice, Neb., Sept. 3, 1880. I commenced the season with 86 colo- nies, and have extracted only 2,200 lbs. of basswood honey. The white clover was killed last winter, and the weather is so wet at present that bees can do nothing on the buckwheat. I had 38 colonies last year and got 3,600 lbs. R. P. Wilson. Platteville, Wis., Aug. 29, 1880. Honey ready for market, 900 lbs. of comb and 1,500 lbs. of extracted. The prospect is good for 3,000 lbs. more of comb honey. I have 130 colonies of bees, increased from 50 in the spring. I have 1,500 2-lb. sections on the hives, which will soon be full. The honey is from mint, boneset and asters, of which the swamps are full. I have no home mar- ket, and would like to sell to some relia- ble person ; could you name one or more in the Bee Journal V Thomas H. Shepherd. Ubly, Mich., Aug. 25, 1880. [See our advertising pages. — Ed.] Bees in this section started off well in the spring, doing splendidly on fruit blossoms ; the white clover secreted but little nectar, but basswood was the best I ever knew it in this section. Bees are are now gathering from goldenrod, as- ters and thoroughwort, which promises well for an unusually large crop. In the spring I sold and doubled up till I had but 20 colonies. I shall secure about 500 lbs. of comb honey, 1,000 lbs. of extract- ed, and increase to 40 colonies. With no preventing Providence, I shall be at the National Convention at Cincinnati. M. E. Mason. Andover, O., Sept. 3, 1880. My crop report is as follows : Box honey, white 300 lbs., dark 350 lbs.; ex- tracted, white 4,000 lbs., dark 6,000 lbs. The amount of dark honey is of course estimated, but very closely, and will be likely to exceed the estimate. The amount of honey is at least double what I have obtained any one year hereto- fore. The season has been a good one with us here ; not so good as I have seen, but better than the average. I esteem your crop reports from so many different localities, as one of the most valuable features of the Journal, and hope vou will continue to make them as- full as possible. I had 85 colonies at the beginning of the season. O. O. Poppleton. Williamstown, Iowa, Aug. 28, 1880. 478 We have had a nice fall yield of Ijpney, and it is still coming in. I have • extracted 3,000 lbs., and have obtained 1,000 sections from 75 colonies, since Aug. 5. I put a swarm on wired frames on Sept. 3, and now it is as good a colony for winter as I have. D. S. Given. Hoopeston, 111., Sept. 20, 1880. [We are glad to notice the improve- ment in the reports during the past 3 or 4 weeks. The rains have much im- proved the fall yield of honey in many parts, and made many a bee-keeper's face brighen.— Ed.] I wintered 20 colonies of bees, which came out healthy, but have no surplus honey ; there being no white clover in this locality. Some bees are in poor condition here; no swarming any where; where there is buckwheat there is no surplus honey. S. H. Bueiilen. Full honey report for the year: 1 have 43 colonies of bees ; extracted from 30 colonies 1,467 lbs.; no comb honey. This shows my report of 285 lbs. Aug. 14 was premature. J. Chapman. Home, Mich., Sept. 18, 1880. [To have 1,200 lbs. more than you ex- pected is a good disappointment, is it not? Many others are in the same condition, we are glad to say.— Ed.] Bees have only about one-half enough to winter on. They may get more vet, but it is somewhat doubtful. We had ■our first frost last night. I have 700 colonies of bees, and have many of them to feed almost all they require for win- ter, and it is not a very profitable part of bee-keeping. I. S. Crowfoot. Hartford, Wis., Sept. 9, 1880. Bingham's honey report for 1880 is as follows : The clover season opened with 85 colonies of bees in fair condi- tion. In June and July clover and bass- wood honey was stored to a limited ex- tent, but as the prospect seemed poor and honey thin it was allowed to remain in the hives (an extra set on top) until enough had been stored in the two bot- tom hives to winter and spring the bees without spring care. September 17 and 18 we extracted from 46 colonies about 1,500 lbs. of very thick, nice clover and linden honey ; as the entire sur- plus of the season, and the smallest honey crop we ever had. Our present stock consists of 116 strong colonies of bees in two-story hives, well supplied with honey for winter. Shall pack 100 colonies as usual— each one having two sets of frames and 50 lbs. of bees, honey, pollen and combs for winter and spring use. T. F. Bingham. Otsego, Mich., Sept. 20. 1880. I commenced last spring with 7 colo- nies in box hives ; 5 weak and 2 strong ones. I transferred into the Doolittle hive, have increased to 17, and have ob- tained 300 lbs. of section honey ; my bees will have enough to winter on. 1 like the Journal very much, and do not see how I can do without it. Charlie W. Bradish. Glendale, N. Y., Sept. 5, 1880. Bees are doing well on goldenrod and buckwheat. I commenced with 6 colo- nies, increased to 13 by dividing, and ob- tained 75 lbs. comb honey. J.H.Eby. North Robinson, O., Sept. 7, 1880. I have taken about 800 lbs. of comb honey, mostly basswood, a little buck- wheat, and perhaps some white clover, though they seemed to get but little honey from that ; but as there was white honey after the basswood was gone, I do not know what else it came from. The above from 9 colonies, with about 50 lbs. of extracted. S. E. Tubbs. Auburn, N. Y., Sept. 7, 1880. From 39 colonies 1 have of white comb honey 400 lbs., extracted do. 100 lbs.; and I expect 800 lbs. of dark comb honey and 200 lbs. of extracted. George W. Long. Dearborn, Mich., Aug. 25, 1880. The honey season has closed with about y2 a crop of honey. From my 14 colonies in the spring I have obtained 900 lbs of extracted and 200 lbs. of box honey. A. A. E. Wilber. Kelloggsville, N. Y., Aug. 20, 1880. I have 700 lbs. of extracted honey from 43 strong colonies in the spring. I now have 56, mostly Italians; some blacks and hybrids. All are well sup- plied for winter; they are and have been strong all summer. It has been my poorest year. B. F. Pratt. Dixon, 111., Sept. 12, 1880. I commenced last spring with 16 colo- nies ; wintered on summer stands in large Quinby hive ; no spring feeding ; bought one nucleus colony and $7.00 worth of foundation : Extracted 1,734 lbs.; box honey, 130 lbs.; total 1,864 lbs. Increased to 34 colonies, besides losing several that took " French leave " when I was not around. Bees are busy on golden rod now, with good prospect of getting all they need for winter stores. Communitv,N.Y. S. Ft. Leonard. OTovTespcmckncc, Translated from the Bienen-Zeitung. Speedy Cure of Foul Brood. by h . If anyone desires to make microscopi- cal foul-brood studies, lie should possess such diseased colonies himself ; to re- quest others through letters or bee papers to send combs, bees or brood, is too circumstantial and unsafe, and these coming from a distance, would be likely not to possess any value. For these reasons I had to make quite extensive experiments first to create this disease artificially, and second, to cure it again, and to prevent its spread- ing any further within my large apiary. As my apiary is situated in quite an isolated spot, I could, without doing harm to anyone but myself , undertake these experiments. To create foul-brood within a hive, is not at all difficult ; that is, if we would n ot at the same time desire to find out, how this disease in general voluntarily originates. I obtained the first foul brood, by feeding brood comb with sealed and unsealed brood, the same having passed over to a stage of fermen- tation and putrefaction, adding to it a little water ; this mass showed all the symptoms of foul-brood. Of this stinking pap I put one part in 20 parts of thinned honey, putting the same into a flat vessel, and pushing it into the hive below the frames; as soon as this vessel became empty, another one of ihe same shape was placed as before, but this did not contain the food in a wet state, it was given to them, al- though of the same substance, as dry as possibly, so that through the air the micrococcus could rise. In this manner therefore I obtained the first perfect foul-brood. Previous experiments with mere feeding did not offer such excellent results. But the Eoint is not, how to create foul-brood, ut how to cure it speedily and effectu- ally. In this I proceed as follows : If the well-known signs of foul-brood are noticed among a colony as for in- stance, first, want of uniformity in the color of the brood-cell coverings, of which some appear as if pierced in the center with a fine needle. Second, a slimy, yellow and brown mass after opening a brood-cell ; third, black, rot- ten maggots, lying upon the lower cell- walls, being as yet not covered, then no delay must occur to securely fasten the entrance with a wire screen in such a manner that no bee can find egress. This must be done when the weather is pleasant and in the evening when all of the bees are within. Should the weather on the following morning not be pleasant and sunny, then by removing the wire screen, I give the bees free flight, but if the weather is pleasant and sunny, then I commence the operation. The hive is carried into a closed up room, and from it I take one frame after another, brushing the bees off with a strong feather, trimmed off about half, and wipe the bees off the combs into a wooden box, this latter being about 8 inches wide, 13 inches long and 8 inches in height; the walls of this box and also the bottom and lid have an opening about 3x5 inches, over which is nailed a fine wire screen. After having brushed off the bees in this manner from all the combs, those that remain within the hive are also put into the box. When they are all within the box, then the cover is placed upon it and put aside, covering the whole up with a cloth that has been dipped into a solution of 1 per cent, of salicylic acid and water. The combs being now free from any bees, are covered up in like manner as the box ; having done this, the vacant hive is thoroughly cleansed. For this purpose a solution of salycilic acid, 1 part of salicylic acid to 10 parts of alcohol is used, and with it, and the aid of a strong bristle brush, the whole receives a thorough scrubbing, scraping it sub- sequently with pieces of broken glass. When this is done, then the hive is sub- mitteed to another washing; in the same manner must the spot be treated, upon which the hive rested, and every object surrounding it. After this I place the hive upon its accustomed stand, and begin with the cleaning of the combs. These are uncapped and hung singly into a zinc-lined box, which also contains the solution, 1 part salicy- lic acid, to 10 parts of alcohol ; within this the combs are moved about, raising and lowering them alternately for about 1 minute, when they are placed into the extractor and both sides emptied. My apprehension that I would aid in spread- ing the micrococcus while using the extractor on the combs, soon disap- peared when I found, how well I could submit the whole to a microscopic con- trol. The cover of the honey extractor was removed, and replaced by lights of plate glass, under the lower sides of which I fastened (using Canada bal- sam to make it stick) boiled cotton. After every few turns of the basket I inspected this cotton with Hartnack, system 9, ocular 3, and found no signs of living bacillarise. 480 Furthermore, I took from this cotton, selecting parts that had been nearest to the combs, and put it into several small alembics, which contained partly fresh distilled water and partly nourishing liquid, and closed them up with boiled cotton. For this method in searching for bacillarise and which is an excellent one, I am indebted to Prof. F. Chon, in Breslau, who makes mention of it in the second number of his contributions to Biology of the Plants, 1872, and can easily be followed. Here now I could not find the least trace of dimness, although I left these alembics with their contents stand quite a time. Examin- ing the liquid with a strong magnifying glass, I found, it is true, a few bacillariai, but only dead ones. Yet another num- ber of these alembics, treated in the same manner, with an alloy of the ex- tracted mass, furnished similar results. After this I assort the combs ; those containing many cells with pollen, I cut out, and such as have only a few, are freed of them by digging them out; this pollen, removed from its structure and containing bacillarise and micrococ- cus, is, while crumbling it tine, mixed with a little alcohol and salicylic acid (1 part salicylic acid. 10 parts alcohol), and being thinned with honey-water, added again to the food and used. Now the combs once more are immersed and ex- tracted, and put back into the hive. When all the combs have been treated in this way, then I take the box, con- taining the bees, and place it with them into a second, somewhat larger zinc-tin box, which contains a solution of 1 part salicylic acid to 100 parts of water, its temperature is raised to 15-18cReaumur, leaving it therein about 10 seconds. After that time the inner bee-box is pulled out again and exposed to the sun- light and air: about 10 to 20 minutes later it is again lowered into the solu- tion for about 8 seconds, after which it is placed as before on a sunny spot. As it is only after a bath, lastingoO seconds, that bees cannot recover, no apprehen- sion need be felt, that the immersion of such a short duration might kill them; at least I have never lost a single bee thereby. Previous to, and after each immersion, I give the bees within the box a light shaking, so that they cannot remain together in a cluster, and that the solution is enabled to exert its in- fluence over each and every one of them. That the fluid within the larger box must be sufficient in quantity, to cover the box that is lowered into it, is self- evident, the access of the fluid as well as its escape is made possible by the lattices. Here I should also mention that the bottom of the box containing the bees is slanting, to enable the water y when the box is raised, to run off. As soon as the bees have been ren- dered dry by the sun and air, and have entirely recovered, I fasten in front of the entrance to the cleaned hive a wire screen, being 1% foot square in front and from there up to the entrance diminishing in size on all sides, the base of which is horizontal up to the en- trance ; below this horizontal bottom, a sheet of paper is placed, to serve as a receptacle for the excrements and im- purities carried out by the bees, which paper is to be changed daily. On one side there is a small sliding door, through which an unevenlydivided feed- ing vessel is placed within, the larger division of which contains thinned honey with a little of the salicylic and water solution, the smaller division containing water. Having accomplished all this I return all the bees to the hive, and slide the window gradually up to the renovated combs. Here now I confine the bees for 2 or 3 days; they in the meantime removing the remnants of foul-brood, that have become hardened through the influence of the spirit and salicylic acid, from the combs. But that I may not have anything more to do with this hive for the next 2 or 3 days, I shove through the opening, which is situated in the rear, below the window, a flat feeding vessel, which possesses a shif table, perforated divi- sion, and place it in such a manner that the division wall is even with the win- dow ; into the outer, smaller division I place an uncorked wine bottle up side down. This bottle is filled with thinned honey, to which is added some of the crushed pollen and also a small quantity of salicylic acid solution ; as the bottle stands with its mouth in the liquid of the vessel, it is quite plain, that only so much escapes from it, as is permitted by the access of the air. In case such a diseased colony is very much reduced, it is well to strengthen it, by giving to them a capped brood comb from a healthy hive, leaving all the bees on it. The queen of a diseased colony need not be caged ; at least I have in such cases never had a queen killed or injured. After a lapse of 2 or 3 days, I remove the wire screen, allow the bees to fly out, and in every case I had the pleasure to find that the colony was cured. Whilst I give this method to the pub- lic, it is my only desire, that my speedy and thorough treatment in curing foul- brood, may benefit all bee-keepers who may have this disease in their apiaries and to save to myself the trouble of answering questions in regard to it. For the American Bee Journal. A Proper Time for Queen-Rearing. G. 31. DOOLITTLE. Years ago, when Mr. E. Gallup con- tributed largely to the pages of the American Bee Journal, he told us that the time to prepare our bees for winter was the month of August, and not to wait till October or November to do such work, if we wished to have success. The reasons for such a course are that the bees form themselves into a sphere or ball as cold weather approaches, sur- rounding themselves with honey close at hand for use in cold weather. To this end, we find them in the fall unsealing the stores on the outside of the outer combs, and carrying it to the part of the hive selected for winter. Therefore we see, if after this is accomplished we dis- turb them by uniting, changing combs, etc., we must of necessity lessen the chances of safe wintering. In view of the above, which we believe to be cor- rect, we have made it a practice to have all our queen-reariug done up before Aug. 20, and all nuclei and small colo- nies united, so that they may have suf- ficient time to prepare themselves for winter. Again, as a rule, in this locality there is scarcely any honey gathered af- ter Aug. 25, and queens reared out of the honey season have proved, as far as we have experimented, to be inferior in nearly all respects. We have had queens reared both before the harvest com- menced in spring and after it had ceased in the fall, by the loss of the old queen, none of which proved to be efficient lay- ers for any length of time. Nature de- signed queen-rearing and swarming only during a period that honey as well as pollen was being gathered from the fields, and we can always consider it safe to go according to the teachings learned by a close observation of our pets, and unsafe to go contrary to the rules and laws which govern the economy of the hive. In view of the foregoing, we were not a little startled to read on page 130 of the Exchange for August, this advice by the editor : "As this is the season when queens can be most cheaply reared or bought, there is no reason why the stock of queens cannot be reared now preparatory to next season's increase of colonies." As the August Exchange put in its ap- pearance August 26th, we are driven to the conclusion that this is the way the cheap queens are reared cheaply so they can be afforded at 05c, 75c. and $1.00 each. Except in some portions of the West, where fall flowers are abundant, queens reared by commencing opera- tions Aug. 26th, would not be worth 25c. each, calling a queen reared under the swarming impulse worth $3.00 as a standard. At least, such would be my estimation of them from the experience of the last 8 years. This rearing of cheap queens at all seasons of the year is suicidal to the best interests of the bee-keeping fraternity, although perhaps profitable to a few. As good prolific queens are of more im- portance to honey producers than all else combined, it stands us in hand to rear only the best, and if we buy, pro- cure only such as are reared during June, July and the first half of August, and we soon shall hear less of poor and short-lived queens. On page 125, same number of Exchange, Mr. Sayles makes some close remarks and observations, and asks : " Whether the necessity of rearing (queens) from the egg is theory, or the result of careful and long continued experiments 7" As this is a proper question, it may be well to look into the matter a little. As a rule, a larva fed for a queen from the time it hatches from the egg till sealed over, will produce a better queen than if fed as a worker for the tirst three days, and then fed as a queen, but we would much prefer the latter reared during July than the former reared in April or October. Again, a prominent bee man advises- as a sure way to get good queens, to get a frame of eggs the oldest of which are about hatching, place it in an empty hive, and place said hive on the stand of a populous colony. If you are sure you get only eggs or larva? you will always- get good queens, no matter (I suppose) when this removal is made. Nonsense ! Such queens would not be worth intro- ducing if thus reared in October, and I would rather have a nine-day queen reared in July, than one reared from the egg in this way at the same time. Still a queen from the egg under precisely the same conditions otherwise, is al- ways preferable. When will our cheap queen-breeders learn that nature de- mands, to rear good qeeens, that there should not only be plenty of honey and pollen coming in from the fields, but that there should be bees of all ages in the hive to secure universal good queens. Certainly no better queens can be reared than those reared in the swarm- ing hive, where the queen lays the egg directly in the queen cell, and the larva is fed for a queen until it is sealed over. Then, why not conform as nearly as possible to such a mode of queen-rear- ing, and not try to *' climb up some other way," which can certainly be no better, and has numerous chances to be a partial, if not a total failure ? Let us in this, as well as in all else we do, strive to use only the best means, and put forth every energy in our power to be advancing, until we shall have a strain of bees and a system of management that shall be as near perfection as is possible for mankind to obtain. Borodino, N. Y., Aug. 28, 1880. For the American Bee Journal. Honey-Dew in Profusion. W. M. KELLOGG. After reading on page 324 of Ameri- can Bee Journal for July, William Maxwell's article on honey-dew, I really wish he was here to-day. I would take him over to Benton Island and show him honey-dew to his heart's content, and he need not give me the $10 either. For weeks back it has been very hot and dry here, and during that time our bees have been working lively on honey-dew. Our honey-yielding flowers are drying up sadly, yet, by the help of honey-dew our hives are very heavy with honey, and bees are going into the sections ; some few have sections ready to come off. I know not whether this yield of honey-dew is universal on the river- bottoms, but with us it is very abund- ant, and the bees make a literal "roar" on it, from as early in the morning as they can see till long after sundown. I have seen none of it dripping from the trees, but maple, oak, hickory, grape leaves, etc., are literally covered with it. To stand under a tree on tie island, one would think a huge swarm of bees was clustering overhead. I do not pre- tend to say what this substance is, but I do know there are great quantities of it, and our bees are doing finely on it. I have extracted some of it, and find it a very dark-colored honey (?) which I know comes from honey-dew, for at this time of year our honey is usually very white. But people seem to like the taste of it, and call it good ; for myself I prefer something else. I have been a bee-keeper for many years, and this is my first experience with honey-dew. It is not only found on the islands, but the leaves on melon vines, and on the ground under them, have their load of it, on the sand 50 feet above the water •level. I have seen no signs of insects in connection with it. This substance on the leaves can not only be tasted, but if one had a biscuit along he could get a pretty good dinner of biscuit and— what shall I call it ? The high water injured our honev prospects, but this honey-dew is helping us out finely, and we hope for a contin- uance of it. Oquawka. 111., Aug. 16, 1880. For the American Bee Journal. Those Egg-bound Queens. H. L. JEFFREY. On page 387 of the August American Bee Journal, I see that Mr. M. S. Snow seems to think that I might have been mistaken. Now, for the queens (and thanks to him for calling my at- tention to it again), if they had been just mateds according to my observa- tion, they would not have shown any foreign substance after 48 hours, as it is generally absorbed from sight in that time, or nearly so; but in the cases I alluded to, the queens had been laying for some time, and, furthermore, they had their wings clipped, making it im- possible to mistake young queens just mated for the ones introduced or belong- ing in the hives. I have, since writing the first letter to the Journal, had the satisfaction of seeing a queen in the primary stages of the disease. The lower end of the ab- domen began to enlarge, and the orifice began to spread open ; in about 4 or 5 days it began to show quite plainly but the substance still remained soft, and when it begins to harden, and as soon as hard like the scab of a sore it will do to run a needle through and tear off ; if, in tearing, it should cause any bleeding, dip the queen's abdomen in thin warm honey and drop her among the bees. The honey will prevent the bees from attacking her, and will help to cleanse any matteration and take out any sore- ness caused by tearing off the substance resulting from the hardening of the eggs. I did not intend that, if anyone saw a queen whose abdomen showed some- thing attached should amputate it im- mediately ; butas I had just been called on to examine that colony and saw the situation, I penned the short article to call the attention of our best informed bee-keepers to the fact, and hoping some one else would be able to give some light on the subject; also to prevent the pinching off of the heads of some good queens or that have been good, because they have stopped laying. I also ob- ject to giving a colony containing such a queen a frame containing any larvse, 483 unless you want the bees to pitch her out of doors. Wait till she begins to j lay, and if the colony is weak, as soon j as her eggs hatch then give the colony j brood in all stages, and you will find things go on all right. Mr. S. speaks about his rearing Ital- ian queens. I have reared over 1,000 since 1873, but I never knew everything go wrong-end first as they have this season. Sometimes you have them, and very often when you look for them you will find the combs covered with cells. It has been so with me ever since June, and I know of others that have been troubled the same. Such a season has not been known here before. Woodbury, Conn., Sept. 13, 1880. For the American Bee Journal. A Concert by the Bees. W. T. STEWART. Many concerts have been given in the halls of our town— but the best exhibi- tion in the line of music that has ever been our pleasure to witness was a con- cert given by the bees this summer(not in a hall) but in a patch of Simpson honey plant in my bee yard. There are about one hundred plants. The bees com- menced their work on the second of July and the concert is still going on lively. For over two months the plants have been literally covered with bees from daylight until dark every day (Sundays not excepted), it looks and sounds somewhat like a good swarm in search of a good place to settle. It is undoubtedly the best honey plant we have. I have in the same yard almost all the known honey plants and I take a great delight in watching them. The Simpson is by far the best of all. Motherwort is second best. Both are easily cultivated and bloom all through July, August and September. If bee- keepers would plant the fence corners and waste ground in their respective neighborhoods with these two plants until they are well seeded, we might have honey stored in boxes all summer, and it would pay well. They both come from the old root every year, for a life- time, and also new plants are springing up from the seed all around near the old ones. I counted the seed pods on an average Simpson plant, they amounted to the enormous number of twenty-six hun- dred pods or flowers on one stalk, and there were four other stalks from the same root. I am planting the seed as fast as they ripen. I have seen but one bee on melilot this season or last. I neglected to report my honey crop last month. 1 commenced the season with 35 colonies ; increased by natural and artificial swarming to 73 ; I have 787 lbs. of white comb honey. I use the book frame, 10 inches square in the clear, 15 frames to the hive in summer and 12 in winter, mostly chaff hives. I work them by Doolittlevs plan of spread- ing the frames in spring and towering up boxes or sections. My bees are mostly hybrids. Success to the Bee Journal and Simpson honey plant. Eminence, Ky., Sept. 14, 1880. For the American Bee Journal. Bee and Honey Show in Scotland. J. D. HUTCHINSON. Our bee and honey show was a fine one, and was a success except in finan- ces. It rained incessantly for the first 3 days, interfering very much with the attendance. In Scotland we have had an excellent, season, and I think bee- keepers have nothing to complain of. The following is from the Kelso Chronicle, in reference to our show : The Caledonian Apiarian Society held its 7th annual honey and bee show at Kelso, Scotland, on July 27 to 30, 1880. The Society was instituted in 1874, and shortly afterwards was honored with the patronage of the Highland Agricultural Society. The aim of the Society's existence is to foster through- out the country a love for apiculture on the most humane, as well as the most profitable, principles ; and the result of the Society's exhibitions, wherever they have been held, has been to introduce the bar-frame hive and the honey box, as well as to stamp out the inhumane system of killing the bees in order to get their honey. The exhibits in the show tent this year, although not so numerous as on some previous years, show a marked improvement in the science of apiculture. The center of interest to strangers was, as on other occasions, the observatory hives, where the Ligurians and the blacks were seen working side by side. The place of honor was awarded to an ordinary nucleus of 0 frames. Two well got-up Woodbury hives in glass cases were also much admired. Of greatest interest to the bee-keeper, however, was the excellent assortment of hives and bee- gear exhibited, showing all the most recent improvements, several of which have not hitherto been before the pub- lic. Mr. R. Steele, Fowlis, Dundee, deservedly carried off most of the honors in this department. It is to the 484 enterprise of this gentleman, Mr. Thomson, Blantyre; Mr. Young, Perth, and others that Scotland owes the rapid advancement in bee-culture that has been made of late years. Mr. Steele's collection of bee furniture was quite a museum. It contained, amongst its 30 articles, a comb foundation machine, hives of all sorts and sizes, supers, honey extractors, &c. One of the best articles in the tent was the extractor belonging to this collection. This is evidently the extractor of the future. Instead of having one large cylinder as hitherto, the new machine is composed of the ordinary central gearing, round which revolves two elliptical cases for receiving the combs. These cases may be turned on their own axes, so that the combs do not require to be withdrawn and re- inserted before both sides are emptied of honey. In this extractor the current of air which was previously so destructive to the young brood is altogether done away with ; whilst the instrument is so constructed that it can easily be taken to pieces and packed away in a small space. The display of honey, especially the 23 lb. super, made up of lib. sections, was very creditable. A " manipulation " tent was erected adjoining the exhibition, where from time to time during each day interest- ing manipulations with live bees were carried on, by which the uninitiated are acquainted with the method of taking the honey without resorting to the des- truction of bees. A gauze screen through which the whole operations can be witnessed, protects the vistors from the attacks of the busy little creatures. On Friday a competition for driving bees took place for a silver medal offered by the Highland and Agricul- tural Society, The prize was for the one wiio performed the operation in the shortest time and neatest manner, and was awarded to Mr. James Johnson,who drove the bees and captured the queen in less than 7 minutes. For the American Bee Journal. Comb Foundation. W. J. WILLARD. I disagree with Mr. G. M. Doolittle on the comb foundation question. Two years ago I bought 10 lbs. of comb foun- dation from Mr. A. I. Root ; out of that lot 5 sheets broke down for me and 2 sagged ; the breaking down was my own fault (as I have since found out), and the sagging was the fault of those par- ticular sheets. Last year I bought 10 lbs. of Mr. Chas. Dadant ; none broke down, and there was no sagging. This- summer I sent Mr. Dadant some wax (it was dark), and the foundation which I received has been used both in the brood chamber and in the surplus boxes (1 and 2 lb.), what has been the result ? Simply this : I have had neither sagging, bulging nor " fish-bone," and the foun- dation was very heavy, not more than 5 feet to the lb. I really think that I can make a suc- cess of any good, pure, yellow wax foundation, excepting the wired. If wires will not do in foundation with loz- enge-shaped cells, I certainly do not want them in foundation. I have tried them to the above extent. Would it not be better for bee-keep- ers to make some allowance for latitude, longitude and season V I hardly think Mr. Doolittle has done himself justice in his criticism on comb foundation. But I have made several dollars out of what I learned from some of Mr. D.'s» articles. Jonesboro. 111., Sept. 5, 1880. Translated from the Germant Healing Power of the Bee Sting. The Augsburg Abend- Zeitung has the following: We have related to our readers how a severe attack of the gout was cured by the sting of bees, and we owe it now to them, to further state, that our patient was a brewer from Markle— has enjoyed the best of health since that sting cure. Having been confined to his bed for weeks in the month of April, he has been up to this hour perfectly healthy after receiving those seven bee-stings ! A further confirmation of the curative power of bee-stings is found in the ex- periment that was made in the mean- while at Rettenbach, in the upper Pala- tine, and which has since then been vouched for as true in every respect. The inn-keeper of that place, G. Hirl, had adopted sometime ago a poor, lame girl, of 8 or 9 years (Magdalen Kuhn was her name), who could not even stand upon her feet. After all remedies had proven themselves fruitless, they, following the advice of a physician, took refuge to bee-stings, and lo ! im- mediately after the first stings, an im- provement took place in her condition which increased after repeated applica- tions quite rapidly, so that the child now not only stands up without assist- ance, but can also run around at pleasure, and consequently we may assume, that a perfect and perhaps a lasting cure lias been accomplished. Augsburg, Germany. 485 From the Prairie Farmer. Uniting Colonies of Bees. MRS. L. HARRISON. Most apiaries contain colonies that have not stores or bees to winter suc- cessfully, and should be united. This uniting of two colonies of bees when they stand side by side, by lifting the frames together iifto one hive, appears a very simple matter. And so it is, provided that you do not care if one colony kills the other. We used to fol- low apiarists, who told us to move the bees to the side of the hive they were to occupy when united, and as soon as they were accustomed to this, if a cold day came so that the bees would not fly, lift them together, giving each one the side of the hive formerly used, and as the weather grew cold they would unite peaceably. But we found to our sorrow that although, the bees did not fight when put together, if a warm day came, even if they had been put together a week, the stronger would exterminate the weaker. We now prefer to unite our weak colonies when the weather is warm, and not wait for October's cold to stiffen their fighting propensities. The careful bee-keeper will sometimes find during August and September, a queenless colony; generally old colonies that had swarmed, and the young queen was lost on her bridal excursion ; such colonies do not contain eggs or larvae so the bees have not the means to raise another. We would remove the frames and give them to some late colony need- ing them, except what there were bees to protect, and put in a division board, confining them to one side of the hive. If wTe had an afters warm, as they al- ways contain a young vigorous queen, we would prepare it for uniting in the same manner. In the evening, after all the bees had returned from the fields, we would choose the location we prefer- red best, and set one hive upon the other, putting weeds or grass to obstruct the flight of the removed one, so that they would know that something was different, and mark their location. In two or three days the bees will know their abiding place, and can be lifted into the lower hive. There will be no fighting as each enters its own side of the hive, and as there is but one queen, they gradually assimilate. In the course of a week, we would brush off the bees from one of the frames of the queenless side, and put it in the other, removing the division board ; in this way gradually increasing the size of the apartment containing the queen until all were united. Bees seldom quarrel, if only one or two frames are taken from the same hive, thus taking enough bees from four or five different hives to form one colony— it seems to confuse them. In uniting together several small colonies, we would remove all queens but one, and hold all the others in reserve until it was ascertained whether the bees had accepted the queen given them. These queens could be kept in wire cages well provisioned, and if the nights were cool a few bees might be admitted with them, or if they were laid upon the frames under the quilt of a strong colony, they would be both warmed and fed, until needed. Peoria, 111. For the American Bee Journal. Experience with Comb Foundation. C. E. WrALDO. Noticing some reports of the experi- ence of others with comb foundation, I will give mine. Last spring I bought a Bourgmeyer machine and began to get sick of it, because the foundation that I made stretched more or less according to the weight of the swarm. I use sheets of foundation S)% inches square ; my frame, inside measure, is 10x11 in., so that the foundation fills, in width, within \i of an inch, and within \% in. in depth. I obtained some Dunham foundation at Lansing, Mich., and cut it the same size as mine, and put it into a new and heavy colony to try it. I put in the cen- tre of the hive a frame of brood, so the bees would cluster the heaviest in the centre of the hive, then I put a frame of my foundation, next a frame of Dun- ham, then mine again. I had only one frame of the Dunham in the hive. The Dunham stretched clear to the bottom of the frame ; mine stretched J^ inch ; the queen laid in the foundation made on the Bourgmeyer machine, both sides of the Dunham, before she laid a single- egg in the latter, and this was one of the last the queen laid in. I make my foun- dation so it runs 7 feet in length by 8% inches in width (about 5 square feet) to the pound. I have 86 colonies at this date, which are now doing well, and have been all this month. The fore part of the season was too wet, and bees but little more than made a living. Grand Ledge, Mich., Aug. 23, 1880. [Your experience with the Dunham foundation was exceptional,and so much at variance with our own and scores of others who have tested it, that we are 486 convinced you unintentionally used a defective sheet, either in point of man- ufacture or quality of wax. We have had samples sent us, manufactured on the Bourgmeyer machine, which were very fine, and much resembled the Dun- ham in thinness of base and height of side- wall ; but even a half-inch stretch in any foundation that depth would be objectionable.— Ed.] For the American Bee Journal. Healthfulness and Flavor of Honey. E. R. BAKER. There is a great error abroad in re- gard to the comparative merits of comb and liquid honey, which like every other error can have only pernicious influence and therefore could be squelched. The object of this article is to squelch the said error, which con- sists in the popular belief that liquid honey is in its nature inferior to comb honey in point of flavor. A moment's reflection will be sufficient to convince anyone of the fallacy of this idea. We admit that liquid honey is some- times inferior to comb honey, but not from its nature. It is inferior only in cases where it has received improper treatment. 1. The old fashioned "strained honey " was inferior because bees, brood, pollen and honey were all pressed together in a conglomerated mass in the process of straining, and as a result strained honey was not just as nice and sweet as honey in the comb. 2. Liquid honey that has been taken from the comb by any process before it is capped over and well ripened is vastly inferior to comb honey in flavor; in fact it scarcely deserves the name of honey. It is called green honey. It has not the proper consistency being too thin, however where honey is removed in this thin state and placed in jars with cloth covers, the water part will evapo- rate and the honey thicken and attain nearly as good a flavor as if it had been left on the hive until capped over. Machine extracted honey has none of the objections that are urged against strained honey and when well ripened is fully equal to the best comb honey. This must, as we have said, be evident upon a moment's reflection, for the comb containing the honey consists only of beeswax and it is absurb to suppose the flavor to inhere in the wax. Ihe flavor must be in the honey as it comes from the perfume-laden flowers. Take up a comb of wax either before or after it has been made the receptacle of honey and chew it (or, if you are a very strong comb-honey advocate, eat it ) and you are welcome to use as an argument against our position all the flavor you can get out of it. Neither can it be plausibly argued that the flavor of honey is so volatile in its nature as to escape during the pro- cess of extracting; in none of the edible productions of nature or art do we find flavor so evanescent. There is no kind of syrup, liquor, extract or fruit that will part with its flavor upon such slight manipulation. The flavor remains in the honey after it is extracted. It is held by some visionary theorists that the breaking down of the delicate cell-walls of the comb in eating it, so graduates the shock of sweetness on the sense of taste, as to greatly enhance its delicacy and power, while liquid honey overwhelms and destroys the finer sense of taste. If this position were true, then fine syrup or even sor- ghum molasses poured into combs and capped over by the bees, would possess the crowning excellence in point of flavor belonging to comb honey. Thus we leave this error to die in the last ditch. Comb honey is also more expensive than extracted honey. It costs just twice the labor to bees and bee-keeper to produce the former than it does the latter. It takes just as long for the bees to build a set of combs as it does to fill them with honey. By extracting the honey and return- ing the combs each colony will produce double the amount of honey. A generous disposition therefore, as well as a spirit of economy must ever favor the use of extracted honey, for thereby, we have an increased amount, of equal quality, produced at far less cost, bringing it to the tables of double the number of households. The argument of healthfulness also lies strongly in favor of extracted honey. I should hardly presume that it would be necessary to inform intelligent parents that wax of any kind is not a healthy diet for themselves or their children. Children sometimes chew wax to the slight detriment of their health, but no child would of its own accord swallow or eat it while reason held its throne. Does the wiser parent gives it comb honey V Wax disguised in honey so that it can be swallowed to go on the mission of mischief, clogging the stomach, constipating the bowels ; thus vitiating the blood and irritating the brain and nervous system ! Sidney, Iowa, July 15, 1880. 487 Translated from the Bienenvater. Fructification in Closed Apartments. FRANCIS JOSEPH GROHMANN. If the bee-keeper has the necessary material with which to carry on the rear- ing of queens, and has also young, un- frnctified queens, then it will become necessary for him, in case he desires to have the fertilization accomplished with certain drones, to make two indispensa- ble arrangements, namely: 1. A barrel must be arranged for this purpose, by fastening below the bunghole, within the barrel, a wire bottom or perforated sheet of tin. 2. A pretty large box, having 5 sides with glass doors, namely, to the ends, sides and top, constructed in such a manner that it will tit upon the hive. When these arrangements have been correctly completed, then the operation itself can begin. One of the first queens coming out of the cell is put into the bunghole en- trance, then the glass box is placed upon it with the opening closed, and there she remains to be nursed by the bees that are below the wire screen, un- til the time arrives in which the queens usually make their bridal trips. If the weather is favorable, that is, pretty warm, then the beekeeper must place in the glass box the drone which he de- sires to fructify the queen, open the sliding door, and. as the queen has no knowledge of any larger space than that of her prison, she will immediately be attracted by the drone and the gleams of light that fall within the cage, and will start on her bridal trip, after which she must be replaced by another. Austria, April, 1880. [This is almost identical with several experiments that have been tried in this country, and pronounced impracticable because of frequent failures. — Ed.] From the Sacramento Record Union. Go and Tell It to the Bees. ADDIE L. BALLOU. To my father, A. II. Hart, Sr., who who passed away while out with his little grandchild "on the lawn watching the bees, which for many years have been identified with his daily life, at Appleton, Wis., in his 75th year. There is a tradition among the Eastern people, that when a death occurs in the family some other member must rap upon the hives and tell the bees, else they will go away. Could the dear old man have chosen the condition of his own exit. this glorious setting of life's sun into peaceful and painless slumber would have been ordered as it was, on that af- ternoon in July last, when he arose new- born through sudden transition. Have you heard the olden legend By the Eastern people told, Of the strange old superstition, That when Death's dark pinions fold Newly 'round some cherished loved one. That the dearest friend to these, To the busy hive must hasten And must " tell it to the bees ?" Is it true some spirit lingers "1'wixt their busy hives and ours, And that half the sweets they gather From the breathsttf human flowers ? Did some other wintred thing tell them,. When the bees o'er drifts of snow To her window came to perish When she died, who loved them so ? How distinctly I remember All those drear unmothered vears ; Of the lake-side and the cottage Where I wept my childish tears : How, from early-budding April Till the autumn seered the trees,. Every twilight found my father Busy with his swarms of bees. For they loved him, and caressed him With their gauzy, restless wings. Dusty with the yellow pollen. Girt about with golden rings. Year by year they thus enriched him With the sweets from flowering trees. And with each white thread that crowned him Dearer grew to him the bees. Oh, I know how they will miss him. All the summer afternoons. When the languid perfume lingers O'er the lily-spread lagoons ! And the angel that received him Must have told among the trees. When the dear old man, grown weary, Fell asleep among the bees. Busy bees, cease not your humming, Burdened with the summer sweets ; Hallowed thoughts 'round you are clustered, Where the past and future meets. When shall come the dark-winged angel, And my weary spirit frees. Will some loving friend or kindred Tell it to my father's bees ? Sacramento, Cal., March, 18SU. For the American Bee Journal. About Swarm Catchers. GEORGE GARLICK. In the Sept. No. of the Journal, I. C. Thorn, M. D., inquires about swarm catchers. As I have made and used them for a number of years, I will give my experience with, and opinion of them. In 1869, having trouble from my bees settling on the trees of my neigh- bors, and their objections to my going on their property to take them, I devised a swarm catcher. It consists of a tin tube 10 inches long, 1 inch deep and 4 inches wide, the top having 10 openings 5-32x4 inches ; 1 inch at each end is a little tapering ; one end of this tube is nicely inserted into the entrance of the hive, and at the opposite end is placed a box 10 inches square, made of % inch lumber, the end of the tube projecting into the box about 1 inch. One side of this box is covered or made of a frame or door covered with line wire-cloth ; the whole costing about 50c. One of these was fitted to each hive just before the swarming season commenced. The •drones and queen not being able to pass through the openings in the tube, pass on into the box and on the wire cloth, the swarm, on returning, settling with them. Now, when a swarm starts out, if some one is on hand, by covering the openings on the top of the tube with a piece of board, cut to just fit over and -close all the openings, all the bees are run into the box ; now draw the tube out from the hive, close the end of the tube, and remove it and the swarm any- where you wish, and hive them in the usual way ; or, what is better, remove the old hive to anew stand, and put the new hive in its place; or, if you have good, close, new hives, with glass in one side to admit the light, you may use one of them in place of the box, and run your swarm directly into their new home ; but I could never get them to enter a dark hive or box. I have had as many as 4 swarms all issue within a few minutes of each oth- er, and by running them into these boxes have kept them all separate and hived them at leisure. Second or after-swarms may be hived in the same way, taking care to remove the catcher from the hive in about 12 days after the first swarm has left, so that the young queen can go out to meet a drone. As this same arrangement confines all the drones, it may be useful in Italian- izing, as all the common drones can be controlled. I may say that a few of the worker bees will go .out through the tube, and find themselves in the box; to let them out I enlarge a few meshes of the wire cloth in the front of the box, and close to the top ; this can be done with a scratch-awl, taking care that the openings are not more than 5-32 of an inch, or your queen may go out through them. I tried a great many shapes, forms and experiments before I got anything to work to my satisfaction, and although I always managed to get the queen, I found some improvement could be made, and have no doubt this can be much improved yet. For the benefit of any who may be disposed to experiment, I may say that I first tried perforated tin writh round holes, for the bees to pass through ; this let the bees out all right, but would take all the pollen from a loaded bee in try- ing to get into the hive again. I then tried openings 5-32x1 inch ; this worked better ; but still, if a bee passed through close to either end, it would take the pollen from the side that came against the end. I then made the opening the whole width of the tube, the tin being cut in the centre of the opening, and both edges folded back so as to leave no rough edges for the bees to wear out their wings on. Now, after using these from necessity for several years, I find it better to ex- amine hives often, and divide and in- crease artificially, rather than go to the expense of these swarm catchers, and they would be in the way when extract- ing. I have now removed my apiary to a place where my neighbors will not be troubled, and have this year increased them from 90 in the spring to 142, only 10 of these being natural swarms. I have discarded the swarm catchers, and they are lying around my apiary, their usefulness gone— killed by progressive bee-culture, the extractor, frame hives and artificial swarming. The honey season here has been poor this year ; not over y% a crop. I am putting mine in tin cans, holding 10, 20 and 60 lbs. each. Warsaw, Ont., Canada, Sept. 8, 1880. From Western Agriculturist. Carrying Bees to Pasturage. C. P. DADANT. The present season has been the worst to my knowledge of a great num- ber of years in the bee business. The white clover was scarce, owing to the drouth of last year and there was there- fore no June crop of honey. The bees were short of supplies ever since the beginning of spring, and instead of breeding and increasing in numbers, they became weaker and weaker, and July saw us with depopulated hives and a dry summer in the bargain. The drouth in these hills had parched the corn so that by August 15th it was fit to cut for fodder. Starvation stared at our bees. On the other hand, the bot- toms of the Mississippi, wiiich have been overflowed, were covered with a luxuriant vegetation and abounded in wild flowers. We therefore concluded to move them to those low lands. On July 14th we started, with two teams and hay racks on which to liaul the hives. Our intention was to haul them during the night to prevent the smothering of bees which the heat of the day would cause. We began pack- ing and nailing at 9 p.m., and finished at 3 a.m., when we started. Arrived at noon, and soon the heretofore deserted bottom land was literally swarming with bees, gathering honey from the millions of blossoms. In a week after, we had brought safely and in good order 115 ■colonies of bees to the same spot. At the end of the first week, one of the first colonies brought was found to have gathered 20 lbs. of honey during those 7 days. This hauling of bees to the bottoms will therefore prove to be a clear gain of several thousand pounds of surplus, while the bees on the hills will barely gather enough honey to carry them through the winter. Hamilton, 111., August, 1880. Translated from the Bienen-Zeitung. Apis Dorsata of the Island of Java. C. J. H. GRAVENHORST. A great deal has been written about this bee at different times, and yet our knowledge of it is very limited indeed. At an earlier period the report was pub- lished that it was much larger than our common bee, that it built combs as large as a wheel, upon the branches of trees, and was, withal, so wild and fond of stinging that it could not be tamed. Whether this report is based uyon truth ■or not, can only be decided when more reliable intelligence has been received. Should this bee really be found in Java, then I should like to request Mr. Ry- kens, who at the present time resides there as an instructor in bee-culture, to forward to us, through the Bienen-Zei- tung, reliable and thorough information in regard to the Dorsata. I naturally suppose that Mr. Rykens, as an instructor in bee-culture, is a reader of the Bienen-Zeitung, and will certainly take an interest in a bee about which we are so anxious to be enlight- ened, and which might in very many respects I'evolutionize bee-keeping in the future. I find in the American Bee Jour- nal of Dec, 1878, an article worthy of notice from the pen of the renowned apiarist, Rev. L. L. Langstroth, whom we are pleased to call the Dzierzon of America, in which he writes about the Dorsata and its introduction into Amer- ica. He states therein that Mr. Wood- bury, of Exeter, England, who has re- cently died, was the only one who ever saw the Dorsata and its comb-building. He further says he had many letters from him. He unfortunately died much too soon for the world of bee-culture. He says that these bees would also nest in closed apartments, for at one time a swarm of this race of bees had settled down within a steamboat shed in the harbor of Galle, Ceylon. The cells of the workers of the Dor- sata are of about the same diameter as those of our bees, only a little longer. Mr. Woodbury, therefore, had taken the view, that our bees could use the cells of the Dorsata ; they would only need to nibble them off a little. This, Mr. Langstroth takes as his basis, when he says that we could probably give to our bees a queen of that race, and that per- haps our drones would copulate with the queens of the Dorsata. Mr. Wood- bury, he says, had placed much weight upon the fact that the Dorsata is much larger, and consequently has a longer tongue. In case the Dorsata could not be tamed, then a mixed breed could be produced, which might become, as far as activity is concerned, a valuable race of bees. Braunschweig, Germany. For the American Bee Journal. What my Bees have done. C. A. JONES. I have been keeping bees for 40 years, more or less, and this is the poorest season for honey I have ever experi- enced. I wintered 32 colonies ; sold one in the spring, leaving 31, all strong and in good condition. I looked for a large crop of honey and plenty of swarms. I had 9 or 10 swarms ; sometimes putting 2 together ; I put 1 second swarm back ; 1 or 2 went back and did not come out any more. I had an increase of 8 ; sold 2 of them ; only 1 of the remaining 6 has enough to last them ; I shall double 2 and feed them. I thought I should have to feed all my bees but lately they have been storing honey from red clover, golden rod and other fall flowers. My bees are all hybrids ; they stored considerable honey this spring from fruit blossoms and black locust ; after that they barely made a living till lately. I think all but the new swarms will have a plenty for winter. The hives are quite heavy ; I have had no honey, except about 50 lbs. of comb houey and about 10 lbs. of extracted. I shall get quite a number of boxes partly filled, which I will use to feed those that are lacking. The cause of the honey failure here was on the account of wet weather during the early part of the season. About the first of July it turned dry and has been so ever since, until within the last two weeks when, we have had a few light showers. New London, Ind., Sept. 8, 1880. 490 ^uzxmzs IPatters* OUR TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION, PAYABLE STRICTLY IN ADVANCE. Single subscription, one year 8S1.50 Two subscriptions, " " 2.5© Three subscriptions, " " 3. SO Four subscriptions, " " 4.50 Five or more, " " each, l.OO Advertisements will be inserted at the rate of 2© cents per line of Agate space, for each insertion. A line will contain about eight words ; fourteen lines ? ill occupy an inch of space. Advertisements must be received by the 20th, to insure insertion. Special Notices 50 cents per line. ty We intend only to advertise for reliable deal- ers, who expect to f ulnll all their advertised promises. Cases of real imposition will be exposed. Remit by express, money-order, registered letter or New York or Chicago drafts, payable to our order. Do not send checks on local banks, for such cost us 25 cents each for collecting. THOMAS G. NEWMAN 974 West Madison St. CHICAGO, ILL. i^° Specimen copies of the Bee Jour- nal, and our catalogue of bee literature sent free upon application. H^ Postage stamps received in pay- ment of all sums due this office, when bank bills are not available. ill" We have prepared Ribbon Badges for bee-keepers, on which are printed a large bee in gold. Price 10 cents each, or $8.00 per hundred. i^TWhen changing a postoffice ad- dress, mention the old address as well as the new one. ijgT Constitutions and By-Laws for local Associations $2 per 100. The name of the Association printed in the blanks for 50 cents extra. By referring to the printed address on the wrapper of every copy of the Bee Journal, each subscriber can ascertain when his subscription expires. We stop sending the Bee Journal promptly when the time for which it is paid runs out- sending only during the time paid for. In making remittances, always send by postal order, registered letter, or by draft on Chicago or New York. Drafts on other cities, and local checks, are not taken by the banks in this city except at a discount of 25c, to pay expense of collecting them. [ We will insert free of charge, under this heading, the names and addresses of persons having honey and wax to sell, giving address,description and prices; all to occupy not more than three lines.— Ed.] 7bbls. clover and basswood, extracted, at 10c, de- livered on cars here, and 500 lbs. of nice comb honey, in 4J^x4% sections. H. F. Walton, Woodman, Wis. 5 hbls. Extracted, to sell (2 linden and 3 poplar), 40 gallons to the bhl. ; $32.50 each, delivered on cars. B. B. TONE Y, Holly Tree, Jackson Co., Ala. Honey and Beeswax Market. BUYERS' QUOTATIONS. CHICAGO. HONE V— Light comb honey held at 16@lSc., Ex- tracted, 7(59c BEESWAX.-Choice yellow, 20@23c; darker, 15017. NEW YORK. HONEY.— White, in single-comb sections, 18@20c Larger boxes. 2c. per lb. less. Extracted, SKsiOc. BEESWAX.— Prime quality, 20(522c CINCINNATI. HONEY.— Extracted honey, 8@10c. Choiee white comb honey, lt>18c. BEESWAX-20a25c. C. F. MUTH. SAN FRANCISCO. HONEY-Comb, 12@13c; Extracted, 7@8e. $ ft>. BEESWAX-22(a.24c. STEARNS & SMITH. DISSOLUTION NOTICE. Notice is hereby given, that the co-partnership, heretofore existing under the name of THOMAS G. NEWMAN & SON. is this day dissolved by mutual consent. All accounts due to the said Arm must be paid to Thomas G. Newman, who will also pay all claims against the late firm, and continue the publi- cation of the American Bee Journal and Bee Books and Pamphlets. The business of dealing in, Bee-Keepers' Supplies will be continued bv Alfred H. Newman. Dated at Chicago, 111., July 1, 1880. THOMAS G. NEWMAN, ALFRED H. NEWMAN. Local Convention Directory. 1880. Time and Place of Meeting. Sept.28--Kentucky State, at Louisville, Ky. 29, 30 and Oct. 1— National, at Cincinnati, Ohio. Oct. 5— Albany County, N. Y., at New Salem, N. Y. 5— Cortland Union, at Cortland, N, Y. 5, 6.— Northern Michigan, at Carson City. Mich. 6, 7— Tuscarawas and Muskingum Valley, at Newcomerstown, O. J. A. Bucklew, Sec. Clarks, O. 7— Central Michigan, at Lansing, Mich. Geo. L. Perry, Sec, Lansing. Mich. 14— Southern Kentucky, at Louisville. Ky. 14, 15-W. 111. and E. Iowa, at New Boston, 111. Will. M. Kellogg, Sec, Oquawka, 111. 20— Southwestern Wis. at Platteville, Wis. N. E. France, Sec, Pletteville, Wis. Nov. 9— Lancaster Co., Pa., at Lancaster, Pa. Dec. 8.— Michigan State, at Lansing, Mich. 1881. Jan. ll-N. W. 111. and S. W. Wis., at Freeport, 111. 18— Northeastern Wisconsin, at Oshkosh, Wis. Feb. 2— Northeastern, at Rome, N. Y. 5, 6— Ashtabula Co., O., at Andover. O. W. D. Howells, Sec, Jefferson, O. April 5— Central Kentucky, at Winchester, Ky. Wm. Williamson, Sec, Lexington, Ky. ZW In order to have this Table complete, Secreta- ries are requested to forward full particulars of time and place of future meetings.— Ed. 4p°A few copies of the first edition of Cook's Manual may still be obtained at this office, at 30c. each or 4 for $1.00. STILL AHEAD! THE Improved Quinby Smoker MORE POPULAR THAN EVER. The Double-Blast Outdoes Itself. Testimonials from the best bee-keepers in all quar- ters, and, best of all, larger sales than ever before prove its superiority. Price by mail. Medium, |1.50 ; Large, $1.75 ; Small, Single Blast, $1.00. Quinby's New Bee-Keeping. The number and the character of the commenda- tions of this book, that we are continually receiving, prove very conclusively that it is a plain, practical work, invaluable to the beginner as well as to the more advanced bee-keeper. Price, postpaid, Sil.iiO. If you desire practical information, such as has enabled us to secure over 15,000 lbs. of honey from 176 colonies, the present poor season, send for our fall circular. Address, X.. V. ROOT «fc IE ICO. . 9-12 Mohawk, Herk. Co., N. Y. PRIZE-BRED ESSEX FIGS. Essex are the best Farmers' Pig j have been known to dress U0 per cent, of live weight ; small bone, light offal, quick to mature. Jos. Harris, author of "Har- ris on the Pig," etc., says of my Boar " Porter," that he is the finest Essex Pig he ever saw. A few Ped- igree Pigs for disposal at moderate prices, suitable for breeding or exhibition. Personal inspection of my stock is solicited. All correspondence will have cheerful and prompt attention. V. W. CASPIELD, Athens, Pa. N. B.— A limited number of Eggs for hatching from prize-winning Brown Leghorns and Black Red Ban- tams, at $2.00 per 13. Warranted to hatch. 4-yl Friends, if you are in any way interested in BEES OR HONEY We will with pleasure send you a sample copy of our Monthly Gleanings in Bee-Culture, with a descriptive price-list of the latest improve- ments in Hives, Honey Extractors, Artificial Comb, Section Honey Boxes, all books and journals, and everything pertaining to Bee Culture. Nothing Patented. Simply send your address on a postal card, written plainly, to A. I. Root, Medina, O. VERY CONVENIENT. Binders for the Bee Journal. " We can furnish Emerson's Binders, gilt lettered the back, for the American Bee Journal, at the following prices, postage paid : Cloth and paper, each 50c. Leather and cloth 75c. d?~ We can also furnish the Binder for any Paper or Magazine desired. THOMAS G. NEWlttAK, 974 West Madison Street, Chicago, 111. THE LAST AND BEST OFFER ! See W. Z. Hutchinson's advertisement, page 491. Tested & Imported Queens D UNHAM FO UNDA TION, MODEST BEE HIVES, SECTION BOXES, &c, TO BE HAD OF j. orai i sons, DUNDEE, KANE CO., ILL. N. B— We shall hereafter rear NO DOLLAR QUEENS, but will confine our Queen-rearing to producing FINEST TESTED QUEENS, bred for BUSINESS. Please take notice. Write for Price List. J. OATMAN & SONS, Dundee, Kane Co., 111. D- S. GIVEN, Inventor and Sole Manufacturer of the FOUNDATION PRESS. Foundation in Wired Frames a Success. Common and thin foundation made on our press is not surpassed ; 13 of these presses were soldi last spring, and we will return any their money who is dissatisfied with them. We also make dies without presses. Send for descriptive catalogue and sample of wired foundation. D. S. Given, Hoopeston, 111. HONEY A SPECIALTY! CONNER, BURNETT & CO., 165 South Water Street, Chicago, G-ZEZLSTIEiFL^IL, PRODUCE COMMISSION. We ask you to correspond with us before disposing of your HONEY CROP, as we can be of much serv- ice, having constant intelligence from all parts of the- country. We would refer to James Heddon, Dowagiac, Mich., and J. Oatman & Sons, Dundee, 111. 9-tf Land in Florida for Sale. ggr CHEAP FOR CASH. ,x-;i Timber Land in Northern Florida— (90 acres— about 50 miles south of the Georgia line, 25 miles west of Tallahassee, and near the Apalachicola river. Title clear and unincumbered. Will sell cheap for cash, or trade for a farm, apiary or other property. Address, with particulars, KLORIDA LAND, care American Bee journal, Chicago, 111. 492 Books for Bee-Keepers. Cook's Manual of the Apiary.— Entirely re- written, greatly enlarged and elegantly illustrated, and is fully up with the times on every conceivable subject that interests the apiarist. It is not only in- structive, but intensely interesting and thoroughly practical. The book is a masterly production, and one that no bee-keeper, however limited his means, can afford to do without. Cloth, $1.25 ; paper cov- ers, SM.OO, postpaid. Per dozen, by express, cloth, $12.; paper, $9.50. Quinby's Jfew Bee-Keeping, by L. C. Root.— The author has treated the subject of bee-keeping in a manner that cannot fail to interest all. Its style is plain and forcible, making all its readers sensible of the fact that the author is really the master of the subject. Price, #1.5©. Novice's ABC of Bee-Culture, by A. I. Root. This embraces "everything pertaining to the care of the honey-bee," and is valuable to beginners and those more advanced. Cloth, $1.35; paper, SSI.OO. Kin;;'" Bee-Keepers' Text-Book, by A. J. King.— This edition is revised and brought down to the present time. Cloth, Sl.OO; paper, 75c. Langstroth on the Hive and Honey Bee. This is a standard scientific work. Price, J82.00. Blessed Bees, by John Allen.— A romance of bee-keeping, full of practical information and con- tagious enthusiasm. Cloth, $1.00. Bee-Culture ; or Successful M a nam men t of the Apiary, by Thomas G. Newman.— This pamphlet embraces the following subjects : The Lo- cation of the Apiary— Honey Plants— Queen Rearing — Feeding— Swarming— Dividing— Transf erring- Ital- ianizing—Introducing Queens— Extracting— Quieting and Handling Bees— The Newest Method of Prepar- ing Honey for Market, etc. It is published in Eng- lish and German. Price for either edition, 40 cents, postpaid, or $3.00 per dozen. Food Adulteration ; What we eat and should not eat. This book should be in every family, where It ought to create a sentiment against the adultera- tion of food products, and demand a law to protect consumers against the many health-destroying adul- terations offered as food. 200 pages. Paper, SOc. The Bzlerzon Theory ;— presents the funda- mental principles of bee-culture, and furnishes a condensed statement of the facts and arguments by which they are demonstrated. Price, 15 cents. Honey, as Food and Medicine, by Thomas G. Newman.— This is apamphletof 24 pages, discoursing upon the Ancient History of Bees and Honey ; the nature, quality, sources, and preparation of Honey for the Market ; Honey as an article of food, giving recipes for making Honey Cakes, Cookies, Puddings, Foam, Wines, &c. ; and Honey as Medicine, followed by many useful Recipes. It is intended for consum- ers, and should be scattered by thousands all over the country, and thus assist in creating a demand for honey. Published in English and German. Price for either edition, 6c; per dozen, 50c. Bees and their Management. This pamphlet was issued by the Italian Bee Company, and has had a large circulation. The price has been reduced from 20 cents to lO cents. The Hive I XJse— Being a description of the hive used by G. M. Doolittle. Price, 5c. Kendall's Horse Book— No book can be more useful to horse owners. It has 35 engravings, illus- trating positions of sick hoses, and treats all diseases in a plain and comprehensive manner. It has a large number of good recipes, a table of doses, and much other valuable horse information. Paper, 35c. Chicken Cholera, by A. J. Hill,— A treatise on its cause, symptoms and cure. Price, 35c. Moore's Universal Assistant contains infor- mation on every conceivable subject, as well as re- ceipts for almost everything that could be desired. We doubt if any one could be induced to do without It, after having spent a few hours in looking it through. It contains 480 pages, and 500 engravings. Cloth, $2.50. Bopp's Easy Calculator.— These are handy tables for all kinds of merchandise and interest. It is really a lightning calculator, nicely bound, with slate and pocket for papers. In cloth, JSl.OO ; Mo- rocco, S1.50. fW~ Sent by mail on receipt of price, by THOMAS G, SEWMAJf, 974 West Madison Street, Chicago. 111. COFFINBERItY'S Excelsior Honey Extractor No. 1.— For 2 Langstroth frames. 10x18 inches.. . $9 00 " 2.— For 2 American Frames, 13x13 inches 9 00 •' 3.— For 2 frames, 13x20 inches or less 12 00 " 4.— For 3 " 5— Fori Having made many im- provements in the EX- CELSIOR EXTRACTOR for 1880, it is now offered to the Bee-Keepers of America as the MOST PERFECT MACHINE in the MARKET. The uni- versal favor with which the EXCELSIOR EX- TRACTOR was received in 1878, has induced other manufacturers to adopt several of its improve- ments. My experience and experiments of last season, with the assistance and suggestions of skillful workmen, have enabled me to perfect an Extrac- tor that cannot he ex- celled, and can only he equaled by being closely imitated. Some of its advantages are as follows : It is made entirely of metal, It is light, but has attachments for fastening down to a platform. It can be in- stantly taken to pieces for cleaning, having no rusty screws to take out or nuts to remove. The top or cross-band, to which is attached the gearing, is wrought iron, three inches broad, with the ends turned down in such manner as to thoroughly brace and strengthen the can and hold the basket firmly in an upright position. The strong over-motion gearing, so necessary to ease in running and speedy operating, was designed and is manufactured expressly for the Excelsior. A child ten years of age can operate the machine as rapidly as it can be supplied with combs. The Comb Basket having vertical sides, insures the extracting power alike for top and bottom, of frames. The sides of the basket being movable and inter- changeable, greatly facilitate the operation of dust- ing before and thoroughly cleaning after use. It has a small comb-holder for extracting pieces of comb or partly-filled sections. At the bottom of the can, and below the basket, is a cone or metal standard, in the top of which revolves the bottom pivot of the basket, thereby giving room for sixty or seventy pounds of honey without touch- ing the basket or pivot below. Nos. 3, 4 and 5. have neatly-fitting covers, movable sliding sides to the baskets, and movable strainers covering the canal to the faucet, whereby all honey can be drawn off without a particle of sediment. The baskets of, Nos. 4 and 5 have no center rod running from top to bottom, which will be found very convenient by those who uncap both sides of the comb before putting in the basket, as they can be turned without removal. The wire baskets are verv neat specimens of skill- ful workmanship, thoroughly braced at every point where experience has proven it to be most requisite, and nothing is omitted that can make it efficient. The No. 4, for three frames, has a triangular bas- ket, movable sides, no center rod, runs smoothly re- gardless of number of frames, and is fast supersed- ing the demand for four-sided baskets. A LOWER PRICED MACHINE being called for by those having but few colonies, and not making a specialty of bee-keeping, I have made a special size to take the Langstroth frame, and one for the American, to sell at!$9.©© each. These have no covers or strainer, and are smaller than the $12.00 and $14.00 sizes, but for the frames named are equal to the others for effective work, and are the best cheap Extractors made. JWA liberal discount to dealers. Address, C. C. COFFIJTBERKT, Or ALFREB H. NEWMAN, 973 West Madison St., Chicago, 111. 493- 1865.— —1880 HOUSE. C 0. PERRINE, 54 Michigan Ave., Chicago. Will buy at a fair price, for cash, any amount of COMB OR EXTRACTED HONEY. As a Manufacturer of COMB FOUNDATION, I can say my goods have given entire and universal satisfaction. The ruling low prices were made by me, and any one desiring any considerable quantity would do well to consult me before buying elsewhere. J2T" Market price for Beeswax. THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL, AND BEE-KEEPER'S ADVISEK. The British Bee Journal is published monthly at $1.75, and contains the best practical information for the time being, snowing what to do, and when and how to do do it. C.N.ABBOTT, Bee Master, School of Apiculture, Fairlawn.Southall, London. C OLM'S Comb Foundation Machine. Send for Circular and Sample. 9tf C. OLM, Fond du Lac, Wis. BARNES' PATENT Foot-Power Machinery CIRCULAR and SCROLL SAWS Hand, Circular Rip Saws for gen- eral heavy and light ripping. Lathes, &c. These machines are especially adapted to Hive Making. It will pay every bee- keeper to send for our 48 page Illustrated Catalogue. W. F. & JOHN BARNES, Rockford, Winnebago Co., 111. SECTIONS AND HIVES. Send for price-list of Hives and the " Boss" one- piece section (no longer failed the "Lewis" Section. JAMES FORNCROOK A CO. Watertown. Wis.. Sept. 1. 1880. 9-tf Stutterers, Speakers, Singers ! T'Tn? xTrYTriTT' P've8 °"res of STTJT- ill-Ci V vJIUJCj TERINO and STAM- MERING, exposes "secret" systems, and treats of Singing and Elocution. Publshed monthly. It will be sent during 1880 with Br. Cohen's book, 'The Throat and the Voice' (price 50 cents), for One Dollar. Single copy, 10 cents. Address, EDGAR S. WERNER, 8-3mx Albany, N. Y. ITALIAN QTJEENS-A11 bred from Imported Mothers of my own importation. Dollar and Tested Queens from 1st April to 1st November. Full Colo- nies and Nuclei : Bee-Keepers' Supplies of all kinds; Comb Foundation, etc. 6-tf PAUL L. VIALLON, Bayou Goula, La. CHAS. F. MTTTH, CINCINNATI, O., Manufacturer of and dealer in UDTH'S ALL-METAL HONEY EXTRACTOR. AND UNCAPPING KNIFE, LANGSTROTH BEE HIVES, Glass Honey Jars and Tin Buckets, Bee Veils, Gloves, and a general assortment of Bee-Keepers' Supplies, II. Ml K I CLOVER, and a variety of Field and Garden Seeds, etc. For further particulars address, CHAS. P. MUTH, 4-12 676 and 978 Central Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio.. EVERETT'S Honev Extractors and Everett" Langstroth Hives a specialty. We challenge compe- tion in price and quality. Our circular and price list of apiarian supplies, Italian Bees and high-class poul- ltry sent free. EVERETT BROS., Toledo, O. - Seovell's Eureka Cold-Blast Bee Smoker Is Boss.— It is a cold-blast or a hot-blast, both at once or separately, at the will of the operator. It is the only cold-blast smoker on the market that has no tubes or other complicated machinery in the Are bar- rel to interfere with filling or cleaning. Large size bellows 5J-|x6^4 inches ; fire barrel, 2)4 inches. *- ~ Price Sl.OO; By mail 8&1.S5. Send for illustrated descriptive catalogue and price list of hives, implements and supplies used in bee culture. Address, SOOVELL «fe ANDERSON, Columbus, Cherokee County, Kansas.„j^. c J~ W COR.Cl ARK & MONROE STS.CHICAG0.I Borders by mail solicited. ^y. A f-n-iCTFurnisht pleasant, profitable employment, iigclllo Local Printing House, Silver Creek, N. Y. 9yl . Italian Queens or Colonies. Eighteen years' experience in propagating Queen Bees from imported mothers from the best districts of Italy. Persons purchasing Queens or Colonies from me will get what they bargain for. Send for circular. «»-—.-- WM. W. CARY, g-tf Colerain, Franklin Co., Mass. Q@ engravings. The Horse BY B. J. KENDALL, M. D. A TREATISE giving an index of diseases, and the symptoms ; cause and treatment of each, a table giving all the principal drugs used for the horse, with the ordinary dose, effects and antidote when a poi- son ; a table with an engraving of the horse's teeth at different ages, with rules for telling the age of the horse ; a valuable collection of recipes, and much valuable information, Price 35 cents.— Sent on receipt of price, by THOMAS G. SEWMAJf, 974 West Madison Street, CHICAGO, ILL. Hale's Price-List. Send for my price-list of Bees, Queens, Nuclei, &c, for 1880. Earl v Queens a specialty. Address, 2-11 E. W. HALE, Wirt C. H., W. Va. The Crmcning Culmination 1 A $5Jloolfor §2.501! MOORE'S UNIVERSAL ASSISTANT, -,*A?*t And Complete Mechanic, ; ' Tis true" they may believe there is an abund- ance of honey plants growing wild, under the best circumstances that nature will per- mit. Though this may be so with many localities, it is not so in all places. The basswood winch may grow with great luxu- rience here, and the bees get a good flow of honey, a few miles further on there may be none of it. Where field flowers full of rich honey are in abundance, bees will com- mence to gather surplus early in the season. All kinds of honey plants are not favor- able to all locations ; the basswood will not grow where it is wet and marshy ; in such places the willow, maple, golden reds. and Spanish needles grow abundantly, and in such locations bees may have very little surplus in the early part of the season while in autumn they will have every cell filled with the most delicious honey. * The white cloveris fast becoming the best honey plant for it is genial to nearly all soils and can he found every where, along the road- sides, in the meadows, and in the pastures, and in my opinion it blooms longer where cattle are herded than elsewhere. About '2(i rods from my apiary is a field of f30 acres, used for herding cattle, and to-day the white clover is blooming with the same luxurience that it did in June, and the bees are tilling their hives with honey gathered from it. There are years where the white clover has yielded no honey and bees have had to gather from other sources. As bee- keeping is fast becoming one of the great industries of America, we must provide our bees with ample bee-pasturage ; if not limited to a few kinds, let there he great variation in the time of bloom. When the season is wet. white clover contains no honey, then buckwheat and borage must supply iis place; the latter 1 believe is one of the most productive honey plants we have. Let every bee-keeper produce as much honey as possible, so that others may he induced to recuperate, and that they may have pleasure as well as profit. Virgil says : "The gifts of heaven my following suiil- pursues, Aerial honey and ambrosial dews." L. H. Pammi.i.. Jr. LaCrosse. Wis., Sept. 19, 1880. 517 A. A. Freidenburg, Ohio, had ex- pended $40 for honey plants. lie put in about 150 feet square of mignonette reseda odorata . and has not realized one-fourth its cost. Lady-slippers or balsams are good. Last fail lie gathered about 1,000 roots of the Simpson honey plant, and knows he has been well re- paid for his trouble, lie has tried spi- der plant, and likes it. The blossoms are so shaped that the rains do not wash out the nectar. Rev. L. Johnson, Kentucky, was de- cidedly in favor of planting for honey. He thought a variety of plants was best. Some seasons one plant would bloom and yield largely of nectar. while another might not prove satisfactory, and vice verso,. Mr. Harrington, Ohio, hoped the gen- tlemen present would not overlook the many excellent qualities of ground ivy. It was a hardy, thrifty plant: would grow anywhere, and under the most ad- verse circumstances ; if you turned it upside down it would blossom up from the other side, and you could not kill it with a club ; besides it was such a pro- verbial bloomer, that the season when it failed to blossom you would have no taxes to pay. II. B. Price, Ohio, suggested lucerne or alfalfa clover, which had been ex- tensively grown along the banks of the Ohio river by the late Mr. S. Mangold. P. W. McFatridge, Indiana, spoke fa- vorably of buckwheat, and said that aside from the honey, the grain obtained from it would always amply pay for its cultivation. D. A. Jones. Ontario, said there was nothing equal to Bokhara clover. It blossoms early in the summer, and till winter kills it ; the stalk is strong and well set, growing from 5 to lOfeet high, and well covered with bloom. He was so well pleased with it that, after sev- eral years' trial, he will this fall plant 28 acres of it. The plant has often been identified as melilot or sweet clover, but the speaker thought he could detect a difference. Question. — Do you think it will pay to plant it with a special view to its honey yield V .Mr. Jones. — Yes sir ; I know it will. A. Benedict, Ohio, has observed that the (low of honey to the flowers is like that of sap in the trees, and an ad\ erse wind will dry it up. lie has often been in the forests while making maple sugar, and with a favorable wind the sap would flow in a continuous stream ami sugar- making would goon very sal isfactorily : but if the wind changed to come vig- orously from a northerly direction, the flow of sap would cease', and with it the sugar-making till the wind changed to a more favorable direction. Mr. Board man, Ohio, has had a little experience with spider plant and fig- wort. He does not think much of the former, as the flow of honey is not con- tinuous during the day, and after the early morning hours the bees do not work on it ; but with figwort the case is different, and the bees visit it at all hours of the day. lie thinks it will pay bee-keepers to cultivate it. A. I. Root, Ohio, is satisfied cultiva- tion does much in developing any honey plant, and will greatly increase the quantity of nectar. S. T. Pettit, Ontario, called attention to the hawthorn or thornapple of this country. Its time of bloom was very opportune for the bees, and its nectar so easily obtained and so fragrant that bees would fly a long distance to work on it. Where a hawthorn bush was in bloom, vast numbers of bees could al- ways be found. D. A. Jones, Ontario, was called up to give his views regarding over-stock- ing. He thinks it very difficult to over- stock any good location with bees. He has 300 colonies in his home apiary, and at another locality but a few colonies, entirely out of range from any other bees. This latter bee range is quite as desirable as the former, and the bees equally as good and strong, yet they store no more honey per colony. He has visited many apiaries in the East with 1,000 to 1,200 colonies in one place, and that, too, where appearances indi- cated that 6 or Smiles afforded no more nor better pasturage than 2 or 3 miles would in America. He is satisfied that over-stocking is an imaginary evil, and one of the improbabilities in a good lo- cality for bees. Adjourned till 7 p. m. EVENING SESSION. President Newman invited Vice Pres- ident Dr. J. P. II. Brown to the chair, and gave the following address on the Improved Kace of Bees. To obtain the best results we must possess the highest grade of bees that it is possible to obtain. Our object being to elevate the race, there must be no backward steps ; no deterioration should be countenanced ; no thoughtless or hasty work must be allowed —but after carefully weighing the matter the most thorough and rigid treatment should be employed, all looking to the ad- vancement of the* art and science of repro- duction, and the building, up of a strain of bees that will give the very best of results. In developing the highest strain of horses, not all their offspring are equal to the best ; careful selection of those coming the nearest to the ideal animal must always be clusen, from which to breed, and the closest sending is necessary while making that selection. The same is true of cattle, sheep, hogs, poultry, and bees. "Sports'* and "variations" continually occur, pro- ducing inferior progeny ; but all careful breeders who have an eye to the improve- ment of the race will reject those that do not come up to the "standard of excellence;" sending such animals and poultry to the shambles— so let us carefully select the best queens and drones to breed from, and re- morselessly sacrifice all others. Five points are essential to govern the selection : they must be prolific, industri- ous, docile, hardy, and beautiful in ap- pearance. The queen must be prolific, to be able to keep the hive full of bees, to gather the honey harvest when it conies ; the bees must be industrious to let nothing escape their vigorous search, while gathering the sweet nectar ; they must be docile to allow the apiarist to manipulate them with ease and pleasure ; they must be strong and hardy, to withstand the rapid changes in climate ; and must be of singular beauty, to attract the admiration of the fancier of line stock. " The bee of the future" will be present at the very moment when the slumbering flower, under the penetrating dew, awakes to consciousness, and unfolds its buds to take in the first rays of the morning sun. The ideal bee will dip into that tiny foun- tain, which distils the honey drop by drop, and bear off its honeyed treasure to its waxen cells of virgin comb. Much has been written and spoken about queens duplicating themselves— but what we want is progression, not duplication ! We want to breed up— good, better, best- not simply to hold what we have, but to improve the race. Mr. Langstroth struck the key-note when he said : " We want the best race of bees, or the best cross in the world." It is yet an open question as to what part will be taken by the Asiatic races in producing "the coming bee." A "cross" in this direction, and breeding in or out the distinctive features and propensi- ties, may possibly, be "the next progressive step." But of one thing I am certain, how- ever, "the bee of the future" will be the one that will gather the most honey, be the most prolific, and, at the same tune, the most docile, hardy and industrious ; and when produced, whatever may be its color or markings its name will be Apis Americana .' D. A. Jones. Ontario, moved a vote of thanks be tendered Mr. Newman for the able address. Carried unanimously. Rev. L. Johnson, Kentucky, would like the question fully discussed as to the superiority of bees. Since he be- came enthused in the occupation of bee- keeping, he has been unable to pass a hive of bees without observing all the characteristics connected with it. He thought the Italian bee a great advance on the old-time black bee, and doubted not they were capable of still greater improvement. He thought all would admit the* greater prolifieness of hybrid queens. The past season he had one which produced at least a bushel of bees, and that colony had given fully 200 lbs. of honey. What we want is the race of bees which will bring the most money. Mr. Newman was certain Mr. John- son and himself agreed upon the gen- eral results to be attained. First, we want the bee which will obtain the most honey — and the most honey brings the most money ; then the other traits as he had enumerated them. Mr. Harrington. Ohio, has tried sev- eral strains of bees : First, Italians ; second, albinos ; third, a cross between Italians and albinos. The claim that the dark or leather-colored Italians are the best honey-gatherers is all bosh. He finds the larger Italians are the best honey-gatherers, regardless of color. He has a holy queen that is very prolific, and her bee's gave the best yield of honey he has received this season. This queen was received late in the season, placed in a small nucleus, and had built up to the strongest colony he owned. O. O. Poppleton, Iowa. I have experi- enced that the lighter bees are far ahead in all the desirable qualities. I invari- able get a good return from the yellow bees, when perhaps the dark ones are in a destitute condition. When the yel- low bees have no surplus, it is useless to look any further. Mr. Muth, Ohio, had removed nine Egyptian queens in one day to give place to yellow Italians. The Egyp- tians were in a starving condition while his light Italians were filling the sur- plus boxes nicely ; besides, the Egyp- tians were so cross that there was no pleasure in working them. In fact, they seemed almost intractable, even with the plentiful application of smoke. Dr. J. F. H. Brown, Georgia, thinks the idea prevalent with some apiarists, that the dark Italians are the best workers, is a mistaken one. He thinks the amiable, light-colored bee just as good a worker as the darker colored. Mr. Harrington, Ohio, inquired why the grand-daughters of imported queens are always lighter than those imported. Rev. Mr. Johnson. Kentucky, thought it was undoubtedly owing to climatic change; the same effects were true of horses, cattle, and even the human family in point of superiority. C. C. Coffinberry, Illinois, attributed much of the superiority of the Ameri- can-Italian bee to a loose practice pre- vailing in the selection of queens for shipment to this country. In filling an order, most of the Italian queen-breed- ers paid but little attention to the selec- tion of the best ; with them it was enough to know that a queen was fertil- ized and laying, to till the requirements of an order, and he ventured the asser- tion that not more than one queen in a score was fit to breed queens for the market. With the American queen- breeder, who had any regard for repu- tation, the best are always selected for propagation, and the fact of the impor- tation does not constitute it the best. By a careful selection from the very best of those imported, and a subse- quent breeding with a special view al- ways to perpetuate the best, we have now reached a point far in advance of the apiarists in Italy. S. D. Riegel, Ohio.— The last speaker has expressed it exactly. Purchasers wanting the best queens and bees al- ways select from the American im- proved stock, instead of the imported or that bred directly from the imported. Dr. Brown, Georgia, acquiesced in the above opinions. Mr. Harrington, Ohio, said he had never seen an imported queen that did not produce three-banded Italians, al- though some were very dark. Mr. Coffinberry had seen several which did not. A. G. Hill, Indiana, had seen at least two imported queens that produced hybrids. Mr. Newman has noticed bees in Italy as black as any in this country. Mr. Jones said he had seen black bees at several places in Italy, even in the vicinity of Rome. He gave, as his opinion, that the Italian bees were des- cended from the bees of Holy land, or those on the Island of Cyprus. The following communication was read, as bearing upon the subject under discussion : The Yellow Race of Bees. The advertisements andotlier writings <>f the breeders and dealers in queens and bees, as published in the bee papers, if taken literally, would lead one to believe that the name "Italian" is synonymous with the yellow race of bees. To inquire into the truth or falsity of this assumption on the part of interested parties, is the pur- pose of this short article. It is but repeat- ing whatevery well-informed person knows, when I say that with the honey bee, as with the ants and some other insects, there is the yellow or light-colored race, and the black or dark-colored race ; and these races when isolated ought to be, and are as distinct, one from the other, as the yellow and black ants are. But if they are so situated (being of the same species) that the yellow queens may meet the black drones, and vice versa, the result will be "graded stock," or what is commonly called in bee parlance hybridi- zation. Now I assert without fear of successful contradiction, that the yellow race of bees is not peculiar to Italy ; they are found in the Island of Cyprus, Palestine, Syria, and doubtless in other parts of the earth ; hence the name "Italian" is not synonymous with the yellow race of bees. If further proof was necessary to establish this propo- sition, it is found in the fact that the breed- ers and dealers in queens have bought and sold "golden" Italians, "dark" Italians, "leather-colored" Italians, and all the shades of the rainbow under the spacious name "Italian." I am of the opinion that not more than 25 per cent, of all the queens imported from Italy fairly represent the pure yellow race of bees. I have seen at least one imported queen from Italy, that produced the most common Hybrids. 1 now have queens in my apiary from six imported queens, and the variations are as palpable as that seen in "graded" stock. Dr. Willich, in his "Domestic Encyclo- paedia or Dictionary of facts," re-published in this country nearly 80 years ago, in his chapter on the honey bee speaks of Milan, Italy, and other places, and says "of the several kinds of working bees" that "those which are small, oblong, smooth, bright or shining, and of a gentle disposition" were preferred by the, ancients ; " that the super- ior utility of this species has been estab- lished by experience." That this author in the words, "bright or shining and of a gentle disposition " intends to refer to the yellow race of bees, so highly prized at the present day, I have no doubt. And when he speaks of the " several kinds of working bees " he proves all that I have said, viz : That the imported stock from Italy as a general thing do not fairly represent the "bright" or yellow race of bees, because of their contact in the past with other races of bees. It matters not, though the bright or yellow race of bees in Italy have sur- vived and absorbed (because of their "su- perior utility") all other races of bees in that country; they must necessarilly have retained some of their blood, peculiar traits, tfec, which is continually cropping out in the process of breeding. Hence we have bees from the same im- ported queens which fairly represent the pure yellow race in color and disposition ; and bees called "dark" Italians, and "leather-colored" Italians, full of vindietive- ness, always ready for a light. These fairly represent the dark, or black race of bee's both in color and disposition. There is a curious fact connected with the amalgama- tion of blood, well understood by stock breeders, and that is, there is always a tendency to run downwards ; or, in other words, the blood of the inferior parent always prevails in the long run, because their progeny is invigorated by the superior blood of the superior parent, while nothing is given in return. We have a striking example of this ac- cepted proposition in the offspring of the queens imported from Italy. So prone have they been to breed after the taint of blood in their composition, that breeders and dealers have been compelled to do all in their power to popularize the so-called "dark Italians" or give up the business of queen-rearing at present prices. No one of them, however, has claimed that the so- called "leather-colored " Italians are a dis- tinct race, separate and apart from the yel- low and black varieties, which are acknowl- edged by all to be distinct and fixed races of bees. The so-called "dark" Italians, there- fore, is either a distbctraceortype of bees, or they are hybrids, there is no escape from this conclusion. G. W. Demabee. Christiansburg, Ky. Mr. Boardman moved, as a test of the sentiment of the Convention, Resolved, That the importation of Italian queens is no longer advisable as an improvement of our present race of bees. A. I. Root, Ohio, has labored under the impression that there were no black bees in Italy. He is now satisfied they do exist there, since Mr. Jones says he has seen them. Mr. Root thinks, how- ever, the manner of applying tests, and the points of excellence bred for, has had much to do in improving the race, and in deciding their purity. W. Williamson, Kentucky, hoped the resolution would not prevail. Since 1861 we have been improving. Capt. W. F. Williams, Ohio, moved to lay the resolution on the table. Motion prevailed. D. A. Jones, Ontario, stated he had been unable to perfect his paper on the " peculiarities and advantages of Cyp- rian bees,-' however, he would tell them something of what he had seen and en- countered in his European trip. He stated that the people of Cyprus were a superstitious people and he had ex- perienced much trouble in his dealings with them, owing to their prejudices against foreigners. From Cyprus he had gone to Jerusalem, and had ob- tained many queens and bees in the holy land., but had experienced much difficulty in getting them over the mountains and to the sea-coast, as the bees hi that far-off land were mostly kept in hives made of unbaked clay, and cylindrical in shape. After a a swarm of bees was put in one of them, the end was closed with an earthen plate or disc which fitted in, and tiie cracks were then closed with mud, which made them quite tight. These, were then packed on the tops of each ' other, in pyramidal form, with some- times several hundred in a single pile, and the entrances all opening one way. In this manner the top layers kept the lower ones cool, and although the heat was often as high as 112° to 115°, he had never heard of a case of melting down of the combs. When honey is wanted, the disc or plate is removed from the end, some smoke blown in to drive the bees forward, then with a long knife the combs are cut out, the plate rilled in again, and the bees left to repair the damage and till up with comb and honey again. Mr. Jones bore strong testimony to the proliflcness of the holy and Cyprus queens, and thought they wonld prove valuable addition to our present line race of Italian queens. Adjourned till 9 a.m. to-morrow. SECOND DAY— MORNING SESSION. The Convention was called to order by President Newman. The report of the Committee on Nominations being called for, Mr. Wil- liamson, the chairman, asked for further time, as all the committee were not present. On motion, further time was granted. The Secretary read the following com- munication : To the President— Dear Sir : I have been troubled with "Foul Brood " and have succeeded in eradicating it so well that at present there is not a particle in my apiary. When I discover it in a colony, 1 immediately take all their combs from them except one or two empty ones that contain no brood ; 1 first extract the combs, then cut them out of the frames and immediately melt them up into wax ; I boil or bake the frames for a tew minutes and use them again, instead of new ones, as they are then free from infection. In two or three days 1 shake the bees off of the remaining combs, in a new clean hive, and give them nothing but foundation to begin with. To purify the old hive, I first burn about two ounces of sulphur in the hive ; then scrape the hive well with a square-ended knife, removing all Eropolis and wax, then scald throughly with rine. This, 1 find, makes the hive all right. By this course I only lose the combs and save the hives, frames, wax and bees. I have an improvement in frames to pre- sent to the fraternity which 1 believe they will appreciate, as I have found it to be quite valuable, and have never known of its having been used except where introduced by myself. 1 therefore claim it as my own invention : Did you ever take hold of a heavy frame by the top-bar and give it a downward jerk to remove the bees, and have the top-bar, come off ? If you have, then you know how provoking it is, and incon- venient to remedy at the time. I have no further trouble iiow in that line and will now describe my invention. In nailing up a frame I use but one nail at each end of the fop-bar, to secure the side bars in place, and then take a strip of tin about 5 inches long by M inch wide and punch a small hole near each end. This piece of tin is first t» be nailed to the side-bar about 2 inches from the top, with a small brad, then bent across the top-bar, down the other side, and nailed to the side-bar. This strip will bear great weight. The other end of the frame is finished in the same manner. I use the refuse strips of tin from the tinshops, and the expense is quite trifling. Chattanooga, Tenn. S. C. Dodge. The Secretary read the following let- ter from Prof. J. Ilasbrouck : President Newman : 1 am sorry that I shall be obliged to dis- appoint you and the Convention— if it will be any disappointment — in not furnishing my" fine comb glucose honey" as per agree- ment. I am not able to do this on account of the very abundant and uninterrupted flow of honey in this locality ever since I promised the article and even from the 10th of July. During this time it would have been impossible to get bees to take the vile stuff, even if mixed in only small pro- portions with honey, I had hoped that there would have been a slight " rest " between toad flax (linaria vulgaris) and the fall asters; but the country is yet yellow with the flower, while the latter is yielding honey in a flood almost. Hoping that toad flax may extend around to all the brotherhood, so that none of them may have time to dream of bonanzas in any kind of " fed honey," and wishing for you all a very profitable and agreeable meeting. J. Hasbrouck. Bound Brook, N. J., Sept. 26, 1880. In consequence of the non-reception of several papers, and as several desired to return to their homes this evening, Mr. Williamson offered the following resolution : Besolvcd, That the Convention com- plete its labors to-day, so that its ad- journment this evening may be final. On motion, the consideration of the resolution was postponed till the after- noon session. Dr. J. P. H. Brown, Georgia, ad- dressed the Convention on Queens ; Their Fertilization and Peculiarities. The subject I have chosen for the con- sideration of your Society is : " Queens— their fertilization and peculiarities." While this, no doubt, may seem hackneyed and threadbare to many present, it is, after all, the pivotal point around which the whole science of apiculture revolves. During the past 25 years what desperate efforts have been made, and what money has been expended, in order to procure queen-bees that would produce worker progeny possessing more desirable qualities than those with which we were already ac- quainted ! To get something better nearly every known country has been ransacked : even Palestine and the historic Isle of Cy- prus have been made to contribute their quota. The ideal queen-bee of to-day is an en- tirely different personage from her royal highness of 30 years ago. Then, " Ku>t <>f the throng and foremost of the whole, She stands contest the sovereign and the soul.' NowT, while she may still lie regarded as the soul of the colony, she stands divested ot her royal robes, and is in a great measure the creature of the apiarist. The cry is for queens that will produce progeny having the very essence of all the good qualities and virtues of beehood. They must be in- dustrious, good honey gatherers, long of tongue, strong of wing, peaceable, gentle to handle, must never sting their keeper, must 522 never rob their neighbors nor suffer them- selves to be robbed ; and, in connection with all these attributes, they must possess the quality of beauty. 1 have no doubt there are bee-keepers who would desire a much longer array of virtues than those I have enumerated. Whether it is possible to center and focal- ize all these physical qualities, and psychi- cal characteristics into the individuality of a queen-bee, 1 consider rather questionable. It is quite likely that the degree of attain- ment in matters of this kind is limited. We find such to be the case in breeding stock and poultry, and in pomology. Nature seems to have set a limit to this improve- ment— when we arrive at that point, there is a physical degeneracy with a rapid tendency to revert back to the original type. For the last 10 years 1 have made the breeding of Italian queens a specialty, and during this time I have spent days of ob- servation and thought in studying every phase of the subject in order to reduce it to a demonstrated theorem. My experience aud observations can be summed up in the following propositions : It is possible to maintain a standard of vigor, and achieve a great degree of im- provement in our queens with especial reference to desirable qualities in. then- worker progeny. In considering this propo- sition the essential points to be observed are, 1. Our breeding stock must be pure, vig- orous and prolific. Pure stock is of the first importance if we wish to breed with an eye to improvement. 2. The worker progeny of our breeding mothers must possess those qualities that we most desire to transmit and perpetuate. 3. All the conditions necessary for the production and development of a healthy and vigorous queen must be complied with. Before I speak of these conditions I shall refer to the fecundated egg and to its appear- ance at the time of the birth of the larva1. "We often hear talk of rearing queens from the egg— that is, the egg is selected and bathed in the queen-developing food even before it is hatched. Such queens, it is argued, are better than those reared from the larvae. This notion, like thousands of others owes its existence more to a repeti- tion of old theories than it does to well-ob- served and demonstrated facts. I believe it is admitted by all scientific apiarists that there are no eggs per se laid especially for the production of queens, and another sort of eggs laid to hatch workers. It has been most conclusively determined, that an egg that would, under ordinary cir- cumstances, develope into a worker bee, would when developed in a royal-cell and fed with royal jelly, come forth as a queen or mother bee. The ovum, then, that would hatch a queen is not different from that which would hatch a worker. It is the same. It has all the characteristics of a perfect egg — the vitalized germ, the yelk, the al- bumen, the chorion or shell, thus constitut- ing the " initial " insect. Nature has amply and most bountifully provided and stored within the delicate egg- shell and membranes sufficient food for the support of the embryo during its abode in its egg-home. From a long series of observations that I have conducted with a view to determine if any prepared food is ever deposited in the cell before the hatching of the egg, I am satisfied there is no such food placed there until after the larva? has emerged from the egg. As soon as this takes place, the nurse- bees quickly deposit a milky looking food within reach of the little grub. In fact, this food is often placed there before the exuviated shell is removed from the cell, which at times makes it appear as though the egg was still there and bathed in the larvse-pabulum. It may be laid down as a well established maxim that the younger the larva;, other conditions being the same, the better the queen. If possible the larvie should not be over one day old. To know the exact age, requires experience and a system of close observation has to be kept up. The colony containing the breeding queen must be kept in a thrifty condition. The cards of combs intended for the reception of the eggs should be new and clean. The time of its insertion into the hive, and the time of egg-deposit, must all be noted. An egg will hatch on an average in three days— sooner if the weather should be very warm, and longer if it should be cool. When examining the frame it should be taken to a strong light, otherwise the newly hatched grub cannot be seen. At first when it appears outside of the shell it is a tiny elongated mite, but its nurses soon literally bathe it in food. When the larva? is three days old it is very rare that a good queen can be reared at all. 4. Next in importance to newly hatched larva? is a sufficient quantity of bees of a suitable age to supply the magical food that is capable of transforming the. grub into a bee anatomically and physiologically differ- ent from all other bees in the hive, and capable of becoming the mother of a whole colony. We know royal jelly is elaborated by the workers, but how it is compounded we do not know; still, we do know that without honey and pollen no queen-cells can be built. An abundant supply of pollen is of the greatest importance ; for even with plenty of honey and a scarcity of pollen, the cells will be only abortive attempts. The number of bees must be sufficiently large to keep up the temperature of the hive and to perform the ordinary duties, besides preparing the requisite food. Less than two quarts of bees I should consider a weak queen-rearing colony. The bulk should be young bees, or such that never did duty in the fields. The cells must be subjected to a rigid system of pruning — the large and per- fect only retained, and the small and puny- looking ones rejected. When a cell is hatched in an incubator or in a nursery cage and the queen is kept confined for a few days and thus deprived of the freedom and invigorating influences of the hive, she be- comes thereby impaired to a certain degree, in physical power, and also in color. Hence, such contraptions are not to be recommended and should only be used in cases of dire necessity. We have now, in a general way referred to the most prominent conditions whereby we can improve the standard of our queens 523 so far as physical development is concerned. •Our queen is now supposed to have ar- rived at that age when her organs of gen- eration commence to develop, and when she becomes infused with that sexual impulse that prompts her to leave her hive to seek a union with the male. Without this union, her laying capacity will be limited to com- paratively a few eggs that will beunimpreg- nated and will hatch only drones. By the way, I will here take occassion to remark, that while the Rev. Dr. Dzierzon has re- ceived the credit, however justly, of pub- lishing to the world the anomaly of the development of unimpregnated eggs under the. theory of parthenogenesis, Huber un- doubtedly had the honor of making the discovery that virgin queens very often laid eggs and that all such eggs produced only drones. The influence of the male in stamping the character of the worker and queen progeny is much greater than the majority of bee- keepers suppose. While the drone progeny of virgin queens, and even that of a fertile worker, possess perfect genital organs and are capable of fertilizing the queen, as we have well authenticated cases to prove, still I would recommend that the greatest care be taken to select large, well developed drones from the best colonies that are noted for purity and industry. If the colony «hosen has other desirable qualities, so much the better. Drones from objection- able colonies can partly be held in check by the removal of all droiie comb, but they can effectually be prevented from issuing by the application of a drone trap, Eight or ten years ago there was much interest taken by the propagators of Italian •queens to devise some plan by which they could be fertilized in confinement. Hun- dreds of experiments were tried, with all sorts of traps, boxes, and tents, and all proved failures except in a few cases. I fear even some of these reported successes have been accomplished by allowing san- guine hope and imagination to get the bet- ter of correct observation. Recently a series of fresh experiments have been con- ducted with some accredited success. 1 would not have you understand that I think fertilization in confinement impossible. I have had a wonderful case to occur in my own apiary a few years ago, of a fine Italian •queen, with partial wings, becoming ferti- lized within the hive. While never a pro- lific queen, she laid worker and some drone eggs, and kept up her colony for some time. Fertilization on the wing in the air seems to be the plan that nature signaled out for the male and female of the honey bee. The structure of the drone genitals in conjunc- tion witli the formation of the contiguous parts of his abdomen favors this opinion. Prof. Leuckart, an entomological anatomist of celebrity, when speaking of this subject observes: "The more completely the ab- domen is filled and distended, the more readily and perfectly will the sexual ap- paratus be thrown forth. Now. among the internal organs of the drone, there are sonic which can become inflated only under cer- tain conditions. Such are the tracheae, which permeate the body as ramified tubes Tvith occasional enlargements or sacs of variable dimensions. The most of these, while in a state of repose, are collapsed and nearly empty ; but they become some- what charged with air while the insect is preparing to fly, and are only fully inflated when it is on the wing. The inflation of these tracheal tubes, presupposing the simultaneous closing of the spiracles, must very considerably increase the pressure exerted on the side-walls of the abdomen and this enables us to perceive the reason for the remarkable fact that copulation is effected exclusively while the parties are flying. In a state of comparative repose, when the tracheal vessels are collapsed, the amount of pressure which the drone could exert on the contents of the abdomen would not suffice to effect that perfect inversion of the copulating organs which is indispensa- ble to liberate the spermatophore and in- troduce it in the vaginal sheath of the queen." It is to be hoped that experiments will still be conducted, to effect some more suc- cessful plan than any yet devised, of fertilization in confinement. In order to make any plan successful, it must comply with all the natural conditions demanded in the case. Among the peculiarities of queens 1 may mention virgin queens laying before copu- lation. A case of this kind occurs now and then, but rarely. Queens may go out a number of times to meet the drone. This is often the case at those seasons when drones are scarce. She may keep going out till im- pregnation is eifected. After this is ac- complished, 1 do not think slie ever leaves the hive except to accompany a swarm. The only certain test to tell if copulation has taken place during her flight, is by the portion of the drone's genitals adhering to the queen. After a queen is once fertilized, does she ever leave her hive for a second fertilization? I have often heard of reports, and had cases under my own observertion, that leaned strongly toward the affirmative side of the question ; yet I think that all such circum- stantial evidence can be satisfactorily ex- plained without militating in the least against the one-impregnation theory. As there are many freaks and anomalies connected with queen-bees it would be use- less for me to make any attempt at enu- meration. But by a careful study of such cases as they arise in our own apiaries, we may gather ideas and facts that may be of vast benefit to us in future observations. Augusta, Ga. J. P. II. Brown. P. W. McFatridge, Indiana, said he had experimented by placing larva; in dry, partially built cells, and the bees would feed them and rear queens, but they were invariably killed before fertili- zation. Dr. Stevens, Indiana, inquired if the queens thus reared were in any wise different in appearence from those reared in the natural way ? Mr. McFatridge.— No ; I found theni apparently as well developed, and could observe no difference. A. G. Hill, Indiana, took exceptions to Dr. Brown's theory of the age of the larvae. It was an admitted fact that the first queens hatched were always the best developed and most prolific, and consequently the larvae, if produced queens first* would be preferable. He thought the age of the larvae made but little difference, whether one or three days old. A. Benedict, Ohio, prefers the queens which emerge from the cells first. He thought them better developed, more prolific, and of longer life. Dr. Brown, Georgia. — My experience has been that the bees select the best, and concentrate in greater numbers on those, and, as a consequence, they hatch first and produce the best queens. Mr. Benedict gave his process of queen-rearing, which consists in giving 1 frame of larvae and brood in all stages, then concentrates a heavy force of bees upon it. He thinks larva? one or two days old is the best. S. E. Newman, Ohio, lias a neighbor who practiced the grafting process quite successfully last season ; but the colonies reared from those queens were all inferior. J. Scholl, Indiana, could, from his own experience^ ully sustain Dr. J. P. II. Brown's process of rearing queens from the youngest larva1. S. F. Newman stated that nearly all the queens he )mu\ reared by the graft- ing process, had been superseded with- in a year. Rev. L. Johnson, Kentucky, thought a larvae fed with royal jelly from its first emergence from' the egg must be best. It is an admitted fact, that the best queens are reared in swarming season, and perhaps at that period the requisite food for rearing good queens is most abundant. If fed with larvae and eggs partially digested, as claimed by some writers, 'then it is necessary that brood in all stages should be given the bees with which to rear the queen. He would not keep a queen in his apiary which has gone longer than eight days before meeting a drone. Dr. E. Parmly, New York, said it was possible to give a colony of bees a single egg, from which they would rear a per- fect queen. In fact, if robbed of a queen in mid-winter, they will rear a queen. Capt. W. F. Williams, Ohio, has de- voted much time to queen rearing, and endeavors to follow nature in his meth- ods. He prefers giving eggs from which to rear queens, but wants his bees and hive in a normal condition. He has de- voted much of his time in trying to de- velop a better race of bees', and lias met with encouraging success. He had offered a challenge, to forfeit a colony of his best bees to any person who could produce a colony of bees with longer tongues than some he had reared, and no one had yet claimed the forfeit. At a recent meeting of the Northwestern Ohio Bee-keepers1 association, he ex- hibited bees which reached syrup a dis- tance of eleven thirty-seconds of an inch, through fine wire cloth. He is- still breeding with a view to attaining greater perfection in the length of bees' tongues. The Secretary read a communication from J. E. Moore, Byron, N. Y., accom- panied with some samples of paper-body comb foundation, paper separators, and honey in Moore's Perfection honey box. The paper for separators and comb foundation is coated with shellac to harden the texture so bees cannot gnaw and destroy it. He says he has tested il thoroughly this season, and asnotone of them has* been injured by the bees, he will hereafter use paper in preference to tin, as it is not only cheaper, but makes a warmer box for bees to cluster in than if no separator is used. The comb foundation is made on lighter pa- per, prepared in the same manner, which is dipped in melted wax and then passed through the rolls. He thinks it an im- provement on wood as a partition wall in making foundation. He reported about half a crop of honey, the short- age being the result of a partial failure of white clover and the destruction of red clover by the clover maggot. The Secretary read the following let- ter of inquiry : Lansingville, X. Y., Sept. 3, 1S80. 1. Do you consider the. thin flat-bottom comb foundation, 10 feet to the pound, a suc- cess to use in comb honey ? 2. How many feet to the pound is in the lightest Dunham foundation for boxes ? 3. What kind of foundation do you pre- fer for boxes, and also, what shaped starters do you put in, or do you till the box nearly fuli ? Very little is said about what kind of foundation is best for the surplus boxes, also, the best shape to put it in the boxes. I wish these questions brought up before the National Convention. D. W. Fletcher. The following paper, as pertinent to the above questions, was then read : Coral) Foundation : fits uses, and the Best for all Purposes. It may not be out of place to introduce my subject with a reference to Mr. Frede- rick Weiss, the first in America to conceive and manufacture a foundation machine, and with whom your writer has spent many in- structive and interesting hours. The oc- casion of my last interview with him was during the earlier part of this season, when "old Fred." obtained permission from the Superintendent of the Cook County (Illi- nois) Poorhouse, to visit the city and obtain some reading matter, with which to relieve his long, monotonous hours. Old and feeble— his mind, fast passing into dotage, reverts bark to its struggles with the first machine, to release the waxen sheets from the rollers; next, to his over- coming the difficulty with soapsuds; then wanders in clouded dreams to his two boys whom last he saw and parted from in the fatherland ; then come his beautiful, airy castles built in the future, all of which he expects to reali/.e when he recovers from his rheumatism, and regains his robust strength of fifty years ago. Poor "old Fred !" how forcibly did he bring to mind the lines in the school-books of years ago : ■' Pitv the sorrows of a poor old man, Wbose trembling limbs have borne him to your door ; Whose days are dwindled to the shortest span- Give relief, and heaven will bless your store." Although soon to pass to obscurity, and the records of his senilis blotted out "unhonored and unsung," his invention will receive the praise of being one of the greatest of the age. It would be tedious to review all the vari- ous styles of foundation presented to bee- keepers since " John Long " first introduced *' old Fred's " product to the public, and the claims of the many machines now upon the market for its manufacture. We have had foundation with triangular shaped cells, with flat-bottomed cells, with nigh side- walls and with no walls at all ; with linen, cotton, wood, paper, tin-foil and woven- wire for a base; while latterly we have had flat-bottomed foundation, with fine wires imbedded therein, and frames of foundation with wires pressed therein. But one by one these are passing awray. Experience is demonstrating that a medium heavy sheet— say, 4}i to 5 feet per lb., with a thin base or septum, and heavy promi- nent side-walls or lines, is the most desira- ble for economy in the use of wax, and rapidity in comb-building by the bees ; and whether it be distinguished by the name of Dunham, or Given, or Bourgmeyer, or Ferris— or call it what you will — the above characteristics will be predominent in the foundation of the future. My experience has been that such is less liable to sag in the hive, the bees will accept it much more readily, and, unless honey be coming in very rapidly, every particle of the wax will be utilized. It is not unusual for such foundation to be built out sufficiently for storing and the queen's use in 13 hours, in colonies in a normal condition ; while one writer claims (and I do not doubt him) that 10 hours is sufficient time with him for prime swarms to build out sets of combs. For some purposes, it is possible wires may be desirable, but I have never had oc- casion to use them, except by way of ex- periment, and cannot now imagine why I should want them, whether they be im- bedded and dipped with the sheets, or pressed in by a machine. I am not persuaded as to the desirableness of full sheets of foundation in the surplus boxes. I have frequently tried fiat-bottomed thin, but never with the most gratifying results, and I am long since convinced there is but little gained by its use — certainly not enough to compensate for its cost and trouble. Perhaps the style commonly called Dunham, if made thin enough— say, S to 10 feet to the pound — would be more desirable. Buteven this I should not use. could I after- ward detect the boxes in which it was employed. I am convinced from numerous experi- ments the past season, that the brightest, yellowest, purest, freshest foundation is much the cheapest. It is possible for good, unburned wax to be dark or brown, but it is hardly possible for burned, or mixed, or impure wax to be a bright yellow ; there- fore, if for no other reason than a guarantee of its purity, I would select the latter. It is certainly a fallacy to suppose that very dark foundation is less liable to sag in the brood-chamber, and this erroneous impres- sion can only be accounted for by the fact that the bees are less liable to crowd upon it in such immense numbers ; or that the darker wax is cheaper in price, and hence " the wish is father to the thought." In choosing wax to manufacture, always select the brighest, cleanest and purest— it will be cheaper and give better satisfaction, even though you pay l@2c per lb. more for it. In ordering foundation for the brood- chamber, specify what you want. First, state what frame you use, giving the size ; second, that you want foundation with a thin base, and the bulk of the wax in the side-walls ; third, that you want it to run not less than 4% nor moie than 5 feet to the pound. If for use in surplus boxes, full size, or nearly so, all the above conditions should be observed, except in weight, which should run about S feet per pound. Judging from my past experience, I would not advise the purchase of any foundation with a flat base, depending upon the bees to work it into proper shape ; sometimes they will do so, but more frequently they will not. In conclusion, while ready to endorse all that has been said by manufacturers and dealers of the desirableness and utility of good foundation, 1 am half persuaded that perfection has not yet been reached in the machines employed in its manufacture. Undoubtedly, many of the best machines on the market are sold at as small a margin of profit as their manufacturers can afford them ; yet, whether the machine costs S50 or only $5 ; if it cannot be run to make up the wax into good foundation at a less ex- pense than 15 to 25c. per pound, it is a practical failure. Many of the most promi- nent and successful apiarists are loth to advise the purchase of foundation freely because of its cost; but reduce the price, and thousands will use it who now cannot afford to ; yes, thousands of bee-keepers will melt up all surplus combs at the end of each season, rather than trouble to make them mothproof, and buy or exchange the wax for foundation when wanted ! I have an abiding faith in the genius of the American bee-keeper, and believe that his ingenuity will yet perfect and bring out, in the near future, a foundation machine which will make good foundation so rapidly and cheaply as to entirely supersede the use of old combs and comb starters. Chicago, 111. C. C. Coffinberry. S. T. Pettit, Ontario, said he lias no trouble keeping the combs free from moths. He places them in close, tight hives, piled above each other, with a newspaper placed between to keep all close. By this method they are never troubled with moths. H. R. Boardman, Ohio, thought comb foundation was a very important sub- ject. Last season he had about 600 combs built out from foundation, and there was neither warping nor sagging observable. He used no wires, but, in- stead, a cross-piece from end to end of the frame, then put in the foundation in two strips ; this method virtually makes two combs in each frame ; the bottom of the upper comb leaving pass- age-ways over the cross-piece to each side of the comb. He uses the best yellow wax. D. A. Jones, Ontario, recommended foundation running \x/2 t° 5 feet per lb. He uses a Dunham machine, is well sat- isfied with it, and thinks there is none better. C. H. Deane, Kentucky, has had no trouble preserving old combs, and for use in extracting thinks they are pref- erable to new combs built from founda- tion, as they are not so liable to injury in handling. He could indorse all that had been said in favor of the Dunham foundation and machine. Mr. Boardman thought 4J3 to 5 feet per pound the most economical weight for use in the brood chamber. The following was then read on Permanence of B«?e-Keei»ing Industry. All great achievements, whether in science or art, if traced hack in their his- tory, will be found to have sprung from small beginnings, and the perfected article is usually the results of the contributions of many minds. The wine and silk interests of this country are familiar examples. In considering the stability of any in- dustry it seems proper to give a brief out- line of its rise, progress, present status, and its claims on the community for perpetuity. It is within the easy recolle'ction'of most of us here assembled, when boxes and log gums were the only homes provided for the industrious little bee and each year, as cold weather approached, a sufficiently number paid the penalty for their industry with their lives in order to provide their keepers' table till the next year should bring a fresh supply. There were very few consumers of honey outside of its pro- ducers—and indeed the product of the hive being usually a conglomeration of bee- bread, brood and cocoons, mixed up with many varieties of honey, was not very tempting to sensative palates. The little which was secured in fair order had to be sold at such prices that it was regarded as a luxury to be indulged in only by the rich, or by the apothecary for medicinal purposes. With the rude appliances then in use, no progress was made nor was it possible, and he who should at that time have proposed bee-keeping as a means of gaining a liveli- hood for himself and family, would justly have been regarded as a first-class subject for a lunatic asylum. As for a system of bee-keeping, there was none, but each fol- lowed his own inclination, deriving his notions of managment from the accumu- lated verbiage of tradition. Superstitions the most foolish were held, and practices the most unreasonable pre- vailed. Hardly a fact relating to the natu- ral history, anatomy and physiology of the bee had been correctly stated. Some re- garded the drones as females and the mothers of all the rest, while others re- garded them as water carriers, and still others as a kind of police to defend the stores through the working season. The workers were regarded by some as males — others as females — others without sex, and still others as about equally divided in this regard. There was substantial agreement in but one thing, viz : that there was one king who ruled the whole hive with abso- lute sway, directing all its movements, and without whose presence work would at once cease. The combs were supposed to be made from the gum of trees and perhaps mixed with the pollen of flowers. The same absurd notions, with a few honorable exceptions, were embraced in all that re- lated to this subject. Such assumed premi- ses, as a correct theory carried into practice would necessarily produce just such results as we have enumerated. This state of things, although in the near past, may be well denominated the " Dark Ages" of bee-culture in America, but as all dark nights have their mornings, so in this case, a bright sun at length loomed above the horizon in the person of Rev. L. L. Langstroth, proclaiming that the night of superstition had ended and the morning of improvement had dawned. The hive and the book which he brought out at this early day contained a correct basis for all future improvements, and in connection with other eminent services to the cause of bee-cul- ture, have rendered his name dear to every lover of the honey bee, and will be held in sweet remembrance long after he shall be gathered to his fathers. Yes, they will form a monument more enduring than the marble which will mark his last resting place. The foundation once laid, enterprising and progressive minds were not slow in building thereon. Rock has been laid upon rock and stone added to stone until the structure has assumed enormous propor- tions and with no adverse, influences, the "cap stone" will ere long be brought with shouting of "grace, grace unto it." The past thirty years have added more valuable information in regard to a correct practice based on the true theory of bee-keeping, and have added a greater number of useful im- plements than 5,000 years which preceeded this period. The advent of the movable frame hive in America marks the beginning of this won- derful era. The honey extractor soon fol- lowing, swelled the tide immensely. The invention and successful use of comb foun- 527 dation in its many forms completed the "trinity" of inventions out of which has sprung'all the other useful appliances and practices which, taken together, constitute bee-keeping the pleasant and profitable pur- suit it is to-day. Under the influence of the new system, botanists have ransacked the entire floral kingdom and have given us a catalogue of honey producing plants, of such varying habits, that the wise apiarist may till up all the gaps occuring between the regular periods of bloom of the plants usually depended upon for honey, and thus secure a constant flow of nectar during the entire season. By many experiments made by competent bee-keepers under every variety of climate and circumstance, the wintering problem is so far solved that the progressive apiarist expects to see his bees come forth bright and lively in the spring, with the same confidence that he does his other farm stock. To secure to our bees the benefits arising from the commingling of the blood of dif- ferent races no pains have been spared, and no expense or toil has been deemed too great ; and the magnificent result is, that all the qualities which go to make up the per- fect honey bee, such as vigor, endurance, long tongues, swiftness of flight and sweet- ness of tempter, America to-day stands without a rival. The abundance of the floral supply and quality of the various varieties of American honey also excel that produced in any other portion of the known world ; so that wherever it has been in- troduced, whether in our own or foreign lands, it has never failed to create a demand for more ; and, although the quantity pro- duced is now reckoned by barrels, tons, and car loads, exceeding hundreds of times the quantity produced by our fathers, the prices obtained on an average are remunerative, and from causes already enumerated, will, doubtless continue to be. The fear of stings, natural stupidity, the lack of scientific edu- cation, together with the lack of that pecu- liar adaptation for the work, forming a kind of "protective tariff" for the honey pro- duced in other respects, will always render his business free from the ruinous compe- tition observable in nearly all the other industries of our country. With the vast accumulation of correct knowledge and appliances adapted to every need, the intel- ligent bee-keeper of to-day feels as certain of a fair return for his labor as though engaged in any other occupation. Viewing then this industry from the standpoint of its growth on correct princi- ples as distinguished from its former career when founded on absurdities, and taking into consideration the universal appetite and craving demand for its delicious pro- ducts, we should at once conclude that it is destined to attain a vigorous old age; but there is another side to this question which it is well to consider as affecting our future markets for honey, and consequently the permanence of the industry itself. It is a well-known fact to those who read and are posted on the production of sugars and syrups that, with a few trifling exceptions, all the sugars produced during the past three years and now being produced, are adulterated on an average of 35 percent, on the whole amount, and the various syrups differing in quality, principally in name and amount of coloring material used, are adul- terated still worse ; that as a consequence all the refiners unwilling to engage in the nefarious business of slowly poisoning the public, and not being able to sell a pure article of sugar or syrup at the same price of this vile, though fine looking "stuff," left the business in disgust, and to-day the whole field is occupied by these counter- feiting scoundrels. Honey has thus far to a very large extent escaped their ravenous "maw," but as many of their victims, either through warnings in the newspapers, or the failing health of their families from the use of this "trash," have been casting about for a change and are rapidly substitut- ing honey, these villains are becoming alarmed and are extending their field of operations to include this industry also. In a recent law suit among the members of the firm of the Buffalo Grape Co. for the re- covery of $450,000, the fact was brought out by the affidavit of one of the firm, that one bushel of corn produces thirty pounds of grape sugar, or a still greater quantity of glucose, and that the refuse of each bushel brings 8 cents for swine feed. Now, it must be apparent to every honey producer, that if his Dure unadulterated article is to compete with honey mixed with this sub- stance so that the mixture will contain from 50 to 75 per cent, of glucose (the usual pro- portions), his business as a bee-keeper will soon be closed out, and this new industry, with all its triumphs in the past and hopes for the future, will sink into oblivion. We do not make these statements to discourage bee-keepers, but to stir them up to a sense of their danger, while there is yet time to avert so great a calamity; but we cannot avert it by ignoring its existence. It, there- fore, behooves bee-keepers everywhere to at once drop their silly questions of who shall or shall not deal in supplies ; whether or not we shall destroy our present bee papers that we may establish on their ruins our Journal, &c, and with one grand co- operative purpose unite in solid phalanx to oppose the onward march of this giant enemy to our industry. Let the National Association originate some trade mark and label to be adopted by all the minor associations in all the States. Let producers pledge themselves to sell only to dealers who will become members of this association, and in turn pledge them- selves in good faith to carry out all its requirements. Let vigilant committees be appointed in all the different associations, whose duty it shall be to watch for and report all violations by the members, whether dealers or pro- ducers, of the association rules, and when convicted let it be known through all our mediums of communications with the public. Let those who are qualified write fre- quently for the country papers, setting forth the extent of syrup adulterations, the dan- ger to the community by their continued use, giving simple methods of detecting the poison such as the tea or alcohol test ; also setting forth the merits, in all points, of pure honey as a substitute. Let tracts on these subjects be published by the National Association, unaccompanied by any man's advertisements, for gratuitous distribution, and in the meantime petition our State legislatures for the enactment of laws for our protection, similiar to our New Jersey law, under which Prof. Hasbrouck and our District Attorney are soon to com- mence suits against the most prominent adulterators of honey in Jersey City, and which will, doubtless, result in a glorious victory of tins first application of our new law. Let the bills presented to our Legislators be in the interests of honey alone, for if framed to cover other sweets, they will be sure to meet with defeat, on account of the immensity of the interests of the opposition and the amount of money they would wil- lingly sacrifice in their defense. In offering these plans to this Convention, we do not arrogate to ourself any wisdom above our hrethern, and shall gladly accept and work for any method by whomsoever proposed, which seems calculated to ad- vance and protect the cause of bee-culture in the United States. A. J. King. New York. President Newman remarked that it was exceedingly encouraging to witness the spirit in which Mr. King had writ- ten, and of his kind allusions to the Rev. L. L. Langstroth, whom some un- wise enthusiasts are now trying to mis- represent and abuse. Mr. Newman said that he had not the pleasure of even a personal acquaintance with Mr. Lang- stroth, but revered him only for his no- ble work and devotion to the science and art of bee-culture. Mr. King's allusions to the necessity of adopting the newest and most perfect methods, as well as to keep abreast with the times in every department of apiculture, he regarded as the very key-note to success. The speaker very heartily endorsed the posi- tion taken by Mr. King, that "the liv- ing issues" of to-day demanded of us something else besides bickering and strife, begotten of envy and malice. In the great work before us, he was happy in the thought that generally we were alive to our duty and united. Himself, the editor of the Bee Journal in Chi- cago, he had been gallantly supported on his right and left on the platform at this meeting by the editors of Gleanings in Ike-Culture and the Bee-Keepers'1 In- structor, the two Ohio bee papers. He had noticed in the auditorium the editor of the Bee-Keepeer's Guide, of Indiana, who was taking a lively interest in the discussions, and the paper just read was from the editor of the Bee-Keepers1 Mag- azine, of New York, and he noticed on the programme an essay from the edi- tor of the Bee-Keepers1 Exchange. These six editors are now all arranged in solid phalanx, ready for the fray, and will give the common enemy a tierce and de- termined battle. This is not only flat tering to the Society, but inspires all to look for a successful and triumphant issue. He congratulated the Society upon the self-evident union, peace and harmony now prevailing, and earnestly desired that it might be permanent. He felt happy that his term of office as Pres- ident concluded under such auspicious circumstances. Samuel Fish, Ohio, thought this Con- vention should take some action regard- ing legislation enactments to prevent the indiscriminate adulteration of honey now so largely practiced. President Newman, in some elaborate and convincing remarks, endorsed Mr. Fish's views. D. A. Jones, Ontario, explained that they had a law to punish adulterations in Canada. Not only was the party per- petrating the adulteration punished, but also all parties keeping the adul- terated article on sale. II. G. Burnett, Indiana, moved the appointment of a Committee to draft resolutions condemnatory of adultera- tions, and especially looking to the adulteration of honey. Carried unani- mously. The following committee wTas then appointed : Dr. J. P. H. Brown, Geor- gia ; Dr. N. P. Allen, Kentucky; Chas. F. Muth, Ohio ; Melville Hayes, Ohio ; H. G. Burnett, Indiana. Kev. L. Johnson, Kentucky, thought the permanence of bee-keeping de- pended much on the intelligence of the bee-keepers and the enlightening in- fluence of the bee-papers and Conven- tions may accomplish all in this way. * He thought bee-keeping an occupation as well adapted to females as to the sterner sex, and any woman of intelli- gence and nerve could run an apiary with profit and success, and in many instances could contribute more to the support of herself and family in that manner than in any other he could call to mind. Mrs. L. Harrison, Illinois, being called up, said she found she could sell a pound of honey for just as high a price as any man could. Most avenues of employ- ment were entirely closed to women, or, if they were given work in competition with men, it was always at reduced wages. She instanced a case where a woman dressed in male attire had ob- tained work in a tailor shop, thus to sustain herself and family, at regular wages, but when her sex was discovered she was obliged to don female attire and go to work at reduced wages. In keep- ing bees it was different ; a woman's bees would get just as much and just as nice honey as those kept by a man, and 529 it would sell for quite as much money in the market. W. Williamson, Kentucky, chairman of committee on nomination of officers, reported the following as the unanimous recommendation of the committee : President— Dr. N. P. Allen, Smith's Grove, Ky. Recording Sec— Ehrick Family, New York. Corresponding Sec.— C. F. Muth, Cincinnati, O. Treasurer— F. A. Dunham, Depere, Wis. STATE VICE PRESIDENTS. Alabama— J. A. Austin, Huntsville. Arkansas— Dr. W. W. Hipolite, Devall's Bluff. California— C. J. Fox, San Diego. Colorado— J. L. Peabocly, Denver. Connecticut— H. L.Jeffrey, Woodbury. Dakota— Calvin G. Shaw, Vermillion. Florida— Dr. J. M. Keyes, Iola. Georgia— Dr. J. P. H. Brown. Augusta. Illinois— E. J. Oatman, Dundee. Indiana— Rev. M. Maliin, Huntington. Iowa— E. D. Godfrey, Red Oak. Kansas D. P. Norton, Council Grove. Kentucky— W. Williamson, Lexington. Louisiana - Paul L. Viallon. Bayou Goula. Maine— J. H. Spaulding, Augusta, Maryland— J. M. Valentine, Double Pipe Creek. Massachusetts— Dr. E. P. Abbe, New Bedford. Michigan— Prof. A.J. Cook, Lansing. Mississippi Rev. J. W. McNeil, Crystal Springs. Missouri— P. P. Collier. Benton City. Nebraska— George M. Hawley, Lincoln. New Hampshire— J. L. Hubbard, Walpole. New Jersey— Prof. J. Hasbrouck, Bound Brook. New York— A. J. King, New York. North Carolina— T. B. Parker, Goldsboro. Ohio— A. I. Root, Medina. Ontario— D. A. Jones, Beeton. Pennsylvania— W. .1. Davis, Youngsville. Quebec— Thomas Valiquet. St. Hilaire. Tennessee- S. C. Dodge, Chattanooga. Texas— F. F. Collins, Cuerco. Vermont— Jacob Ide, Passumsic, Virginia— J. W. Porter, Charlottesville. West Virginia— E. W. Hale. Wirt C. H. Wisconsin— Christopher Grimm, Jefferson. On motion, the report was accepted and the committee discharged. There being no other nominations, on motion, the Secretary was requested to cast the vote of the Society for the above named nominees. Dr. N. P. Allen, President elect, be- ing invited to the chair, made some very felicitous remarks, thanking the Asso- ciation for the honor conferred, and congratulating it upon its prosperous condition. Mr. Williamson then offered the fol- lowing resolution, which was adopted unanimously : Resolved, by the North American Bee- Keepers' Society, in Convention assem- bled, That the thanks of this Associa- tion are due, and are hereby tendered Thomas G. Newman, Esq., our retiring President, for the zealous, untiring and successful manner in which he has con- ducted the affairs of this Association ; and we further thank him for his great liberality in traveling through Europe in the past two years at his own expense, thus being the means of opening up ave- nues of trade for Americau honey, and advancing the interests of American apiculturists in a manner that could not be reached by any other method. The following was then read by the Secretary on The Coming Frame. This may seem a strange subject for an essay, and yet it admits of much study and I expect will receive sharp and severe criticism. I sometimes think that some of our bee masters fail to get at the real mean- ing and value of our conventions. As our National Congress and Senate meet for the purpose of ascertaining the means of bene- fitting our country. .So our conventions should be the storehouses of knowledge; and as the educators of the fraternity at large, should decide all questions of debate justly and candidly, laying to one side all personal prejudices and personal interests, conceding to the welfare of the whole. Should we do this I think that it would lead us to adopt a standard frame and box. 1 would not for one moment advise even (as some do) the throwing away our frames and hives now in use, as no one who has fitted up bis apiary wishes or needs to change his frame, but might change the honey box. Every intel- ligent bee master can succeed with almost any of the frames in use. 1 would suggest and urge the necessity of a standard frame in view of the following facts : 1. That apiculture is growing so rapidly in importance that it has taken its place as one of our national industries and beginners are being added to our ranks every day. 2. Because the many-shaped packages in which our honey is put on the market injure its sale, and the frame used to a great extent governs the above. 3. Because in the sale and interchange- ing of colonies, nuclei, &c, odd shaped frames cause much vexation and trouble. 4. Because I believe that if we choose the proper frame as a standard, we shall do away with this vexation, aid to systema- tize apiculture and benefit the fraternity. This brings me to the question of what frame shall we choose as a standard ? and why ? Bees when left to follow their natural in- stincts store the honey above the brood, building and addingcomb below and retreat-' ing (so to speak) as they store above, until (as records show) they sometimes build comb 7 feet in length. From this stand- point some have originated the deep frame. This would do well enough if we did not wish our honey stored in t >xes, but we do ; and in view of this fact, that well-known and justly-honored pioneer of apiculture in America, the Rev. L. L. Langstroth, origi- nated the shallow frame. While many frames have been originated to suit different tastes, both deep, square and shallow, Mr. Langstroth has lived to see bis frame promise well to be the coming frame ; and if you ask why, let me answer : l". Because being shallow, it admits of successful top boxing ; thus following the nrtural instincts of the bee. 2. Because it admits of easy and rapid manipulation. 3. Because being shallow it brings the heat down close to the cluster which is very essential in spring breeding. 4. Because it is the best summer frame in use. 5. Because there is a greater demand for this than tor any other frame, and demand regulates supply. 6. Because it can and will allow of suc- cessful wintering on summer stands. 7. Because its use encourages the use of the regular 4V£x4)^, and prize boxes; and because this will help regulate our honey market. One word as regards wintering ; it is be- coming a fact that out-door wintering will be the popular method ; in this I am sup- ported not only by my first teacher in api- culture that veteran queen raiser H. Alley, but by many of our best bee masters, all of whom are capable of sound judgment and whose testimony is solid. 1 am prepared to state and can demonstrate that we can win- ter successfully on the summer stands with the Langstroth frame. As knowledge on the subject of apiculture advance, we find men like J. H. Xeilis, H. Alley and many others, whose testimony cannot be im- peached, adopting the Langstroth as the standard frame. These are men who have held in favor thedeeper frames, but are now of the same opinion as myself. I began with the American frame, and have used besides the Bay State about 83^ wide by 16>£ deep, the standard Quinby, and one 10>| xl5, and after studying them all have be- come thoroughly convinced that the Lang- stroth is the best frame for general use and should be adopted as the standard and is the coming frame. I would again urge the National Conven- tion to take notice of these remarks and render a just and impartial decision, keep- ing in view the fact that it should work for the interest of the whole mass of bee- keepers. I am sorry that I could not be with you and detiate upon and help to decide these questions of interest. Our conventions are the educators of the thousands of bee-keep- ers who await eagerly the report of our deliberations. After showing some persons who were just embarking in bee-keeping, who had only a few colonies in box-hives, how often they are bewildered by the large array of hives, frames and boxes, and would ^ay " I am puzzled; what would you suggest?" This shows again the importance of a standard frame, and of system. The time is coining when, even though we may not now adopt a standard frame which governs the honey box, &c, the demands of the people will force the fraternity to do so. Let us then take the laurels and honors as a Convention, of recommending a standard frame. But lest I exhaust your patience, I will close, wishing you all a pleasant and a profitable meeting. Thanking you for your patience and also taking this means of shaking hands (so to speak) with many of your number whom I met at the National Convention, at New York and at the Syra- cuse Convention. Silas M. Locke. Canajoharie, X. Y. Adjourned till 1:30 p.m. AFTERNOON SESSION. Time and place of next meeting being in order, Rev. L. Johnson nominated Lexington, Ky., as the next place of meeting, supporting his nomination by an eloquent and forcible appeal to the North American bee-keepers. Several other places were nominated, but all were successively withdrawn, and Lexington was unanimously select- ed, amidst much enthusiasm, as the place for the next annual meeting. The Secretary then read the following paper : Money— Past, Present and Future. The subject we have chosen for a few thoughts is a vast one and one that cannot be dealt with justly, in the few moments that this Convention can spare for the read- ing of it. However, we will endeavor to condense it to suit the time allowed and patience of our hearers. First we look at the word honey ; it is derived from the Hebrew word "G'noueg" and means delight. We find it in Webster or Worcester meaning " a sweet, viscid sub- stance, collected and elaborated by bees from flowers and stored in waxen cells." We have divided our subject into three parts, our first is, " Honey in the past." As we look back to find a starting point, we are led step by step through a lapse of more than 3,000 years, to the mention in the Bible of the land of Canaan which was said to be a land "flowing with milk and honey," and the first mention of it is where Jacob instructs his sons to carry down a little honey to the man in Egypt, for a pre- sent.— Gen. 43 : 11. We read, also, of suck- ing honey out of the rock, and honey from the carcass of a lion, honey upon the ground, brooks of honey, etc., and, in fact, honey is among the first tilings we read of in God's Word, and nm-t have been one of the com- mon products of the land occupied by God's favored people. We cannot say any- thing as to the method of securing it. We know that John the Baptist lived upon locusts and wild honey, and we gatiier from that and other facts connected with Bible history, they understood how to secure the honey, if not to manipulate and domesticate the bees. From these ancient times we leap forward to the present century, and our own day and generation. It is not many years since we were using liquid honey strained from a mass of dead bees, comb and bee-bread, secured by a wholesale massacre of the colony. It is only a few' years since we were able to place our comb honey in the market in a commercial form, it bringing prices, which, if obtained now, would make us all rich in a short time. It is only a little while since we have been able to know just the kind of flower our honey was gathered from, and to secure it before it became mixed with other kinds. The rapid advance of genius, coupled with our American in-born propensity for improvement and money-making, has brought us to our present improved and beautiful style of marketable honey. This brings us to our second division of our sub- ject : " Honey at present." Honey at present is considered amonsr the luxuries, having drifted into that position from the neglect of those who made a busi- nessof producing it, and from the fac t that cane sugar being produced in such quanti- ties that ma le it cheaper, and of course sup- plied the demand for sweets among those whose tastes were only too easily satisfied by something, no matter what, as long as it was sweet and cheap. Among the ancients cane sugar was unknown, and no doubt honey was the common and only known sweet used by all. We presume the secret of our people neglecting to produce honey is, that the majority of them are afraid of the "business-end" of the bee, or sting ; another fact is that too many have made the producing of honey merely a side-issue, and have not used the modern appliances and improvements which would enable them to produce it in much larger quantities and in a very much more convenient and handsome shape, for we presume there has been no time in the history of the world when honey was stored in such a convenient and hand- some style as at present. We have not only the small convenient box of comb honey finished and complete, a thing of beauty in itself, but we have the pure honey in a liquid form, extracted from the combs by the modern machine known as the mel ex- tractor or hone.y-slinger, giving us the pure virgin honey free from all the impurities of wax. bee-bread and dead bees. Honey in this form is certainly one of the healthiest and purest syrups we can place upon our table, enjoyed by our children who naturally love it, and ourselves, because we know it is free from the adulterations which form a very prominent ingredient of the many forms of syrups of the present day. Our modern improvements and appliances have brought honey into this desirable posi- tion, ami also to the meat reduction in the price of it now, compared to the past. We now come to consider our third division of our subject: "Honey in the future." As we remarked in th ' outset, our subject is a vast one. and our paper does but touch upon the outskirts of its vastness : we would weary our hearers should we attempt to dig into the cells or go even beyond the cappings of this subject. What we can say about our third division of the subject is only of course conjecture on our part, al- though judging from the rapid strides of the past few years, and from the fact that apiculture is growing in interest, and the production of honey becoming one of the great industries of this country (mostly brought about by the dissemination of knowledge ami experience through the bee papers), we predict for honey a place second to none among the products of the land. We have about reached the acme of suc- cess, as far as the package of comb honey is concerned, although we may make an im- provement if we can reach a uniformity of the package. To do this would in a large measure necessitate a uniformity of hive or brood frame, which would be a grand thing if it could be brought about; but we can hardly hope to ilo this as long as the old adage holds good : •• Many men of many minds." But to come hack to our subject, honey in the future is destined to take its appropriate place. This will he brought about through an increase of production and a corresponding decrease in price ; also, through the villainous adulterations of cane sugar and syrups, and the honesty of bee- keepers in producing a pure article of honey. There will he temptations to resist. In fact, they are being resisted now (and we hope successfully by every bee-keeper in this countrv ), in refusing to countenance the use of grape sugar and glucose as an adul- teration of honey. We are to take pride in the fact that our honey is a pure article ; we are to endorse it by placing our name and address upon each package, thus showing that we are willing to vouch for its purity. If we do this, we need not fear to keep step with advanced apiculture. We need not fear to run our bees for extracted honey, if by so doing we can secure double the quantity, and then feed it back when the flowers fail, and have it stored iuto beauti- ful comb honey. Should we retrain from using our ingen- uity and brains because some unprincipled fellow may learn a way to cheat? Should we not teach our children to write, because some fellow may learn to write and commit a forgery? Out upon such a principle! What are our bee papers for, but to dissemi- nate knowledge and exchange thought and experience, and thereby advance our in- dustry to where it belongs among the industries of the world? It has been said " he is a public oenefactor who has been the means of causing two spears of grass to grow where one grew before," does not this hold good in our business? Certainly it does, and we mean to continue. G >d helping us, to be an expert and to teach others so to be. But are we not digressing ? The last division of our subject is one that we all are intensely interested in, and to sum it up in a few words, for I fear I have already wearied you, let us do our best to get all the honey we can ; use all the means that are legiti- mate and best in doing so; have it in the most approved and salable shape, and sell it to responsible dealers who will pay us the best price for it. Let us not be satisfied with the past, nor content with the present, but reach forward to a glorious future. Canajoharie, X. Y. .1. II. Nellis. Dr. J. P. H. Brown. Georgia, chair- man of committee to draft resolutions condemnatory of adulterations, reported the following resolutions, which were unanimously adopted : Resolved, bythe North American Bee- Keepers' Society, in Convention, Tint we most sineerly deplore the almost universal system of adulterations in articles of food, and particularly all attempts at adulterating honey, or the use of glucose in any manner whereby it may by any possibility become in- corporated with honey. 2. That the practice of adulterating lnuiev heretofore placed upon the mar- ket as ■• strained "" honey, has worked to the detriment of all honest honey pro- ducers, and thrown great discredit upon our product. 3. That we demand a stringent law be passed by the general Congress of the United States, imposing heavy penalties, or making it a criminal offense to so adulterate, or vend adul- terated honey. The following paper was then read by the Secretary : How to make Honey a Staple Product. Some arrangement to bring our honey market on some reliable foundation, as other products are sold, is very desirable. As matters now are, we have nothing to guide us ; there are so many hee-keepers who take no bee paper and do not keep posted in any way respecting the crop ot honey or its value, who will rush into the market with honey out of season, and take any price "sharpers " feel disposed to pay them, and thereby establish a market price at about one-half its value. This has much to do with the interests of the honey raiser ; it is so often done that many honey buyers know that the old maxim is just as true as ever : "Fools are not all dead"— and many of them watch for such honey men and will not talk with those who they know are well posted in the value of honey. Last week I was in the city of Utica and called on a honey dealer, 1 offered to show him the report in the Bee Journal and other papers, but he would not look at it. He replied he did not care anything about the report— he could get all the honey he wanted. He said a man was there on the previous day with one pound boxes and offered them at 14c. per lb. You see his offer was little over one-half of what honey is worth. His actions spoke louder than words that " fools were not all dead," and it was for that class of men that he was watching to obtain his honey. Can there not be something done to keep such inexperienced men out of the market and prevent the honey sharpers from getting our honey at half its value ? I hope this question will be fully investigated by the National Convention. K. Bacon. Verona, N. Y. C. F. Muth, Ohio, gave the following review of honey-production : It is now only 12 or 15 years since our honey yield averaged about 10 to 15 lbs. per colony. I remember well that I managed to sell from season to season all I had pro- duced. To my sales were added occa- sionally a few boxes of comb honey pur- chased from neighboring farmers. My ambition was modest like my produc- tion. When I obtained the first 500 lbs. in a season, its production was an event as unexpected as the sale of it. Comb honey came to our market in almost every shape. Combs built in large boxes were offered for sale, as well as promiscuous-looking combs, cut out and placed in barrels, stone jars and wooden buckets. People desiring to buy honey had to take it in such shape as it was offered. Mr. Muth said times had changed. Since the honey extractor has come into use, we have not only increased our pro- duction manifold, but we are also pro- ducing the finest honey we ever dreamed of. We produce the choicest comb honey in any desirable shape, and our extracted honey cannot be excelled. As honey-yielding' flowers bloom at differ- ent times, we can keep separate almost all the different kinds, such as fruit- blossom, locust, clover, linden, buck- wheat, etc. These are about all the principal honey plants in our neighbor- hood, not mentioning a large number of fall flowers, such as goldenrods, hearts- ease, etc. By means of the honey ex- tractor we have produced a large quan- tity of honey all over the country dur- ing the last 10 or 12 years. Our markets were over-stocked and prices went down until they became unsatisfactory to the producer and dealer. Low prices, how- ever, brought on a demand. Manufac- turers using sweets found honey to be a finer and purer sweet than molasses or syrup, and as cheap as any, and when we had no idea of selling a barrel of dark honey to anyone a few years ago, we sell now a few hundred barrels of it in a comparatively short time. Ex- tracted honey has become a staple arti- cle, and is getting in better demand with every year. The price of an article is a matter of consideration with every business man, and the price of honey is no exception to this rule. I find, for instance, that dark honey will sell to manufacturers at about 7(fl)10c. per lb., according to qual- ity and quantity purchased, when they would not buy any at a higher price. Our best comb honey will retail sowly at 25c. per lb.; it selis well at 20c; but everybody buys it at 15c. Comb honey will remain a fancy article ; only when choice white, and in neat shape, will it bring a good price. The last 3 years have been discourag- ing, as our product hardly paid for our labor ; but, if times gone by are a cri terion, this has been an exceptional pe- riod. A poor honey season was an exception, and not the rule, and it is my conviction that bee-keeping is a paying business if we can realize 10c. per lb. for extracted, and 12@16c. per lb. for comb honey, for the reason above given, that the demand is more than proportionably greater. This was followed by a paper on the Best Methods for Marketing Honey. I It has been estimated that there are some 300,000 persons who keep bees in North America ; an average of 10 colonies each, will place the number of colonies at three millions ; and if these produce 25 lbs. each, the honey product amounts to 75,000,000 of pounds, valued at $10,000,000. The wax product, if each colony give but one pound, worth 20 cents, amounts to $600,000. If these figures are substantially correct, then the "best methods" for placing this enormous product upon the market, is a subject of vast importance to honey pro- ducers. Any method that will add one cent per pound to the marketable value is worth to them three-quarters of a million of dol- lars : and any error of management, causing a reduction of one cent per pound if to them a corresponding loss ! We should ascertain what the market demands and then dilli- gently apply ourselves to the work, in order to reap the reward of "well doing," and rejoice in the labor of our bands. Honey in the comb is a luxury— a fancy article — and our first care should be to pro- duce it in such a manner as to command a fancy price. It must captivate the eye of the consumer, and tempt him to purchase. To this end does the confectioner assort and classify his product ; for this object, bolts of muslin and rolls of dry goods are adorned with lithographs of luscious fruit; fortius cause fancy boxes and toilet articles are embellished with fancy labels, exhibiting enchanting faces with bewitching smiles ; and to tempt the gentlemen, cigar boxes and tobacco wrappers are gaily decorated with beauty's charm. Honey should also be placed upon the market so as to attract and tempt the con- sumer to purchase it. To this end comb- honey should be put up in single-comb sec- tions, all combs being straight and evenly built (which can only be done by the use of separators) and labeled with rhe kind of bloom which produced it, giving the pro- ■ ducer's name and address. It should be put up in uniform crates, and not veneered, i.e. the combs inside should be just as good as those on the exterior of the crate. Small packages sell the most readily, 12 in a crate is usually sufficient, and always the most desirable for the jobbing trade. The apiarist should give his personal at- tention to its crating, grading and shipping, so that he may be positive as to the details, should any question, involving these, be raised by the consignee. The inexperienced and careless ones are always adetriment and sometimes ruin the market, for their more caretul and experienced neighbors. They take an inferior grade of honey, put up in irregular and soiled packages to market early, just to get a little money, and sell for any price offered ; and this often settles the price for that locality and season, and the attractive honey is either sacrificed to their carelessness, or shipped to another market. If shipped away to market it must not be packed in straw or chaff ; but put in small crates containing a single tier and placed with the top bar downwards, which is the strongest way, and will prevent much break- ing down. Ship by freight tor the express- age will be so high that it will take off all the profits, and is, in nearly all cases, liable to as much damage as when sent by height. See to its packing in the car, wagon or ve- hicle, and place the combs lengthwise to the engine but crosswise to the horses, and tjive direction not to have it unloaded on trucks, but invariably to be unloaded by hand. Extracted honey should be capped before extracted so as to be sure that it is ripened, and then put into small kegs made of sugar pine or spruce, and to hold from 100 to 200 lbs. to be of ready sale and more easily handled. Keep the honey from the different blossoms separate, it will enhance the price. The demand for honey is increasing fully as much as its production. There need be no fear now of overstocking the market. It is being regularly used in various manu- factories in the liquid form, and its demand Is steadily increasing the world over. In the comb it is finding its way to the festive boards of thousands of families where it was in former years, scarcely ever seen. The markets of the world are not only open to it, but the demand is far greater than the present supply. This is exceedingly encouraging to the apiarists. We have never doubted the final success of exertions put forth to de- velop the honey markets in the Eastern Hemisphere, but some have done so ; the burden of their cry has long been that " honey is not a staple, and never can be " — "the markets are ov rstocked "— and "we have too many honey producers." But at last, one of the "chiefs" of these "children of fear," has heard "a still small voice," whispering in his ear, that electrifying and consoling word "Success !" Now all the stars of lesser magnitude, that revolve around that luminary, will soon hear the same " whispering angel," and rejoice in the abundant success in store for all honey producers. Thomas G. Newman. Chicago, III. S. T. Pettit, Ontario.— What is meant by sugar pine V Mr. Newman.— A species analogous to Norway pine ; however, the latter will do, or almost any pine, being care- ful to scald thoroughly before putting in honey, that it may not be tainted by a turpentine taste. The following essay, bearing upon a similar topic, was then read by the Sec- retary : Extracted vs. Comb Honey. "Which is the most profitable, extracted or comb honey ?" is the question to be dis- cussed. According to our experience, ex- tracted honey is the most profitable ; for it is beyond the smallest doubt, that bees can give at least twice as much of extracted as of comb honey. Yet, some bee-keepers find extracted honey difficult to sell, and it will be the same as long as their customers will doubt the, purity of extracted honey, and as long as they will refuse to admit that ex- tracted honey is more healthy than comb honey, since the last contains beeswax, which is indigestible. Since I became, a bee-keeper I have been struck with the inconvenience of comb honey ; for besides giving less pounds, we have to take into account the amount of. work to prepare the sections, the number of sections which are unsalable from being sealed only in part, or soiled by a few cells containing pollen, or by the depositing of eggs by the queen ; if we add the care of 534 packing tliese sections, the risk ot breakage and loss by leakage during the transporta- tion ; the risk of motlis on the combs ; the soiling of the sections and of the floor by a few broken cells, etc., we are compelled to admit that tliese drawbacks are far from be- ing compensated by the price, which is about half as much more than extracted, and con- sequently quite inadequate to counterbal- ance the loss, the work, and the difficulties. One of the main objections which pre- vents many bee-keepers from working their bees for extracted honey, is the difficulty of getting the people accustomed to buy their article. Tiiis objection is serious. About 12 years a«o we had 300 lbs. of ex- tracted honey to sell. I sent my son to town with a sample of clover honey. It was in July. The honey was clear as crystal, and as light in color as the finest amber. Well, my son entered a drug store, The man took the vial in his hand, raised it between his eye and the window — " Is that honey ?" said he, with an inquiring eje; " 1 don't buy such stuff !" Ot course, our honey was too pure for a man accustomed to buy strained honey, always mixed with pollen and crushed laivse. To get rid of our honey we had then to put it in the hands of a grocer, to be sold on commission, and more than one time our honey was in part returned in April. But, by our persistency, our article has become known around us, and we can sell 15,000 lbs. ot it more easily than 1,500 lbs. 12 years ago. The next difficulty to overcome was the granulating of honey. The adulterators, unable to make candied honey, took great care to accuse our honey of being adultera- ted, because it was candied. By our labels we have overcome this difficulty, and now we can readily dispose of our entire crop at paying figures. Perhaps our means of procuring this honey will not he out of place here. For years we have been accustomed to take out of our hives, in the spring, all the drone combs. These combs are not melted, but are fixed in frames, and put in the upper half-story. As some of our customers want comb honey, we replace about J^ the frames with sections filled with light comb foundation, made ex- pressly for that purpose, from the finest and lightest beeswax, to avoid "fish-bones." The bees use, in the lengthening of the cells, the wax produced by the young bees when they are too well fed, and the cost of our combs is thus greatly reduced. As soon as our first story is about half full, we put a second story, similarly pre- pared, under it, and sometimes a third story on our best colonies. We have on hand sev- eral thousands of drone combs, thus pre- served for years ; in fact, we have enough of them to give room to our bees till the honey crop is at an end, and do not extract before. By this means our honey is thor- oughly ripened, and hardens completely in winter. Remember that ripe honey can be kept for years without fermenting to a damaging extent. Our customers are now so much accustomed to candied honey, that the sale of liquid honey would be to us as difficult now as the sale of granulated was in by- gone years. Of course we consider as bad the advice given sometime ago, by the editor of Glean- ings, to bee-keepers, to boil their honey to preveiitgranulation, before putting it on the market. Besides being difficult and expen- sive, this boiling process changes the true characteristic ot pure honey, and lowers it to the level of the adulterated article. Let us be honest in our dealings, offer to the people a good, ripe and well-presented article, and we will soon and forever over- come all the difficulties. Chas. Dadakt. Hamilton, 111. D. A. Jones, Ontario, has always sold his crop in neatly labeled tin cans, hold- ing 2%, 5 and 10 lbs. each. C. F. Muth, Ohio, knows from long experience, it is not necessary to wait for bees to cap their honey before ex- tracting it. As soon as the cells are all rilled, it is ripe enough to extract. When there is a doubt, let the honey stand in any open vessel, exposed to the air, and it will soon ripen. Mr. Newman said they use a sun evap- orator in California. I do not care how it is ripened, but must insist upon it be- ing done. Foul Brood. C. F. Muth, Cincinnati, gave the fol- lowing elaborate method or eradicating foul brood : It is gratifying to observe the growing attention paid by bee- keepers in this country to the dangers of the spread of foul brood. Utah has a bee inspector in every county, a State officer, drawing pay from the State. It would be a move in the right direction if other States would imitate our Mor- mon brethren in this especial particu- lar, since bee-keeping has become so important a factor in the common wealth of the country. It is very essential for every bee-keep- er to know his position in regard to foul brood, should it make its appearance in his apiary, as the pleasures and profits would be destroyed if this pest is per- mitted to become predominant in his neighborhood. A country like ours, where an abundance of forest trees af- ford homes for absconding swarms, is very favorable for the spreading of the disease. There would be no end to foul brood in a neighborhood altera number of bee-trees become infested, as every bee running over those devastated combs for years afterward, is liable to take home to its own hive the germs of the disease. Let us, therefore, be on our guard. Foul brood is a disease. imported. and spreads by contagious spores. It is of vegetable growth— a fungus. Little specks of it, hardly discernible with the naked eye, are carried along on the legs of the bees running over infected combs. Wherever one of these spores drops into a cell containing larva, the larva dies, changing soon into a brownish, putrid mass, settling into the lower corner of the cell, and foul brood begins its growth. It happens that larvae are af- fected and die jnst before the cells are capped, or while the bees are perform- ing their usual labor, capping, uncon- scious of the trouble below. We rind these cells, a few weeks afterwards, perforated at or near the centre, and easily recognize them as diseased. Lar- vae in uncapped cells, killed by this dis- ease, settle into the lower corner as a ropish substance, and dry up in a hard, coffee-colored mass. They are easily recognized. J5ees continually running over these cells will soon carry the micrococcus to a large number of others containing larva-, until every comb is affected. The putrid stench becomes so strong in the hive that often the bees swarm out in despair, unable, however, to rid them- selves of the curse of foul brood adher- ing to their bodies. The disease does not affect old bees, but, killing off the young, soon decimates a colony. Micrococcus dropped into empty cells, or cells containing honey or pollen, may remain dormant for years. As soon, however, as the queen deposits eggs in such cells, and they develop into larva?, the trouble commences. I have had a case where the spores from an infected hive were hidden among the fissures of a plank exposed to the weather for more than 12 months, and were ready to do the mischief the following season when I put a hive on that plank. The bees ran over it. and dragged in with them the germ of foul brood. Br. Schcenfeld has taught us the true nature of foul brood, and that its growth is destroyed by salicylic acid, while Mr. Emil 1 1 illicit found the proper propor- tion and application whereby foul brood is destroyed without injury to animal life. Mr. Ililbert applied his medicine by means of an atomizer, subjecting every comb, cell and bee to a spray of the same. Every infected cell had tit be disinfected, as also every comb and frame, and the inside of 'the hive and adjoining surroundings. Several thor- ough treatments of this kind will cure a colony of foul brood. I have cured quite a number of them in this manner, and speak from experience. My modus (yperandihua been given in an essay to the meeting of our Association in ('lii- cago, which makes a repetition here un- necessary. See page 502 November No. of American Bee Journal, 1879. The only objection I have to the above method, is that bees from other hives visit the combs under treatment in your hands, or the open hive before you. and take the spores home with them, and by the time that one colony is cured we may find a number of others affected. So it was with me in spite of the great- estcare. Mr. Ililbert treats hisdiseased colonies in a closed room, so that no bees from other hives have access dur- ing the time of treatment. I had come to the conclusion that it was the cheapest and safest remedy to destroy an infected colony, with all' the brood, combs, and every bee belonging to it. However, I learned a better method this summer. A neighbor of- fered me, in March, two empty hives and combs, the bees from which had died during winter and were robbed by other bees, as he stated. 1 was con- vinced at first sight that those bees had died of foul brood, and sent a warning, to look out, to my neighboring bee-keep- ers, one of whom discovered one of his hivesaffected afterwards and burned it up. in April I discovered two colonies in my apiary affected with the disease ; I brimstoned the bees the same evening, burned up the combs and frames, and disinfected the hives. Another colony showed it in May. Feeling sorry to kill a beautiful queen, besides a very strong colony of pure Italians, I brushed them on 10 frames of comb foundation, into a clean hive, and placed over them a jar with food, as I shall describe hereafter. The old combs and frames were burned up, and the hive disinfected. Thisfeed- ing was kept up until all the sheets of comb foundation were built out nicely and filled with brood and honey. It was a beautiful colony of bees abo'utlweeks afterwards, full of healthy brood, and with combs as regular as can only be made by the aid of comb foundation. Four more colonies were discovered in- fected, one after another. All went through the same process, and every one is a healthy colony at present. I was so convinced of the completeness of this cure, that I introduced into one i>[ these colonies my first Cyprian queen sent me by friend Dadant. All are doing finely now. and no more foul brood. Should, however, another one of my colonies show signs of the disease, it would not be because it had caught it from its neighbor which I at- tempted to cure, but because the germ of tool brood was hidden somewhere in the hive, and of late had come in con- tact with a larva. The formula of the mixture is as fol- lows : 16 gr. salict lie acid, 16 aw soda borax, 1 oz. water. I keep on hand a bottle of this mixture. so as to be always ready for an emer- gency ; also a druggist's ounce glass, so that I may know what I am doing. My food was honey, with about I4 weight of water added. But we may feed honey or sugar syrup, adding to every quart of feed an ounce of the above mixture. Bees being without comb and brood, partake of it readilv, and by the time their comb foundation is built out, you will find your colony in a healthy and prosperous condition. Thus you see foul brood can be rooted out completely, and without an extra amount of trouble, provided you are sufficiently impressed with its danger- ous, insidious character, and are pre- pared to meet it promptly on its first appearance. When an atomizer is used on combs and larva?, the medicine should be only half as strong as given in the formula. In answer to a question, Mr. Muth gave it as his opinion that foul brood is imported into this country, and not of American origin. Mr. Boardman differed with Mr. Muth ; he is satisfied he contracted one case of it, which he cured by destroying the combs and putting the bees in a new hive, after which he sprinkled them thoroughly with carbolic acid. In answer to the question, whether foul brood existed in this country prior to the importation of foreign bees, Mr. Muth said he did not know. T. F. Bingham, Michigan, said foul brood existed in this country previous to the importation of Italian bees. Dr. Brown, Georgia, said the late Mr. Quinby mentioned foul brood before im- portations had been made from Italy. After some further discussion on the subject, Mr. Bingham stated that foul brood emitted a very strong and disa- greeable smell. After the death of the young bee, the mass becomes very pu- trid and ropy in attempting to remove it from the cell, thereby making it im- possible for the bees to clean out the combs. Mr. Bingham then moved a vote of thanks to Mr. Muth for his val- uable discovery, which was carried. The following paper was then read by the Secretary : Apii'iiltural Failures. I recognize such a factor as "luck" in every branch of business. By " luck," we mean, circumstances and conditions materi- ally affecting our successes, and over which we have no control. Outside of this class of conditions, there are a vast number over which we can exert more or less influence. What we know about these conditions is called science. As we are learning more and more day by day, science is expanding and the domain of luck contracting, each day. Still I may say that there will always he enough of the uncontrollable, called " luck," to make or break the wisest of busi- ness men. Every bee-keeper no doubt, has had a taste of both good and bad " luck." The judicious business man of any calling makes the very best of it in either case. When " luck " favors with good weather and a consequent large yield of boney, then is the time to exert ourselves and see how large we can make it. "When you have help is the time to pitch in," is the old adage. When you get a good crop, do not come to the conclusion that " bees work for nothing and board themselves," and rush it into the market early and all at once, thus bearing the price down to a much less figure than you can produce it, in an average season. Do not do this, for we do not want to lose your company so soon. Remember such seasons as 1809 and 1880, when thousands of colonies come home to board. Last October and November white comb honey in sections, sold in Chicago at 12>£e.; four months later it sold at 18 to 20c. for the same. By that time the glut in the market was over. Indiscretion on the pait of pro- ducers brought about that condition of things. Honey is nota perishable commodity but on the contrary can be kept from year to year. When it is below the cost of pro- duction there will surely come a correspond- ing reaction in prices. Hold for tliat time, in which case you will help to hasten it. To succeed in any pursuit it is of vast im- portance to have a mind clear of super- stition, to the end that we may " see things as they am," as Billings puts it. Our writers of "gush," looking at one side of the picture, tell us that all that is needed is a little capital, a few new ideas, and then fix up the hives (chaff hives) and put on the boxes (prize boxes) and go about your busi- ness (not bee business) and in the fall take off a few tons of honey and its all (most all) clear gain. Just so. But that does not equal agriculture. All one has to do, to raise corn, is to buy some cheap land, just skip over it with a plow, then drop in the seed, and may be tickle it once or twice with a lioe, and it grows itself (nights, Sundays and all, rain or shine) and all you have to do is to step out in the beautiful autumn, and glean the golden ears, which always bring cash. Like the hod- carrier, who said, all he had to do was to carry a little mud up a ladder; " the men up there did all the work." When we compare the price of honey with the price of bees, we come to the con- clusion that something besides bees is requisite in the accumulation of a honey crop. Yes sir, a clear head, lots of nerve, close attention to details, and a disposition and ability to do hard work, are all required to succeed in this business. May I not add, to succeed in making merely a living at it? A large majority fail, who attempt bee- keeping, and many more would, were it not for the fact of some profits gained by help- ing others on to the royal goal. Whoever heard of anyone buying out an apiary com- plete. Could I have made such a purchase twelve years ago (I mean have bought out an apiary complete, one up to the highest standard of that day) I need not to-day care for my own sake, whether honey was worth 1 c.or 20c. per pound. No, we prefer to " kinder" grow into the business, and it costs ns two or three times as much money and time as it would to purchase and commence where some one leaves off. It will not do to depend upon directions found in bee papers and books. Many of the writers of hooks are practical failures and have strength only in the literary part of the pursuit. The contributors of our bee papers are " many men of many minds." Many of them unsuccessful as honey pro- ducers. Some dishonest, and writing as experiments what are only theories ; others governed by personal spleen, or mercenary motives; and all this in spite of the best editors and publishers that we can have. Bee papers and books are of most value to him who has the ability to cull the chaff from the kernel. A successful method of getting apicul- tural lore, is by visiting such apiarists as you would guess might be as well fixed for the accomplishment of the end in view, as any. Sometimes it is quite difficult to ex- plain some points, in the apiary, that can be brushed away with a breath on the floors of conventions, or from the pages of papers. In my limited travels, I have been many times surprised and heartily disappointed, at finding'scarcely a spark, behind a great volume of smoke. Again have I been happily disappointed at findinga " mute in- glorious Milton," truly on the royal road to success. I call to mind my last journey of a few days ago; I found that on the road I should "'pass Mr. B's skeps." I thought I should like to see how many "skeps" Mr. B had. I did so, and what did I find ? A young man with a lady-like wife, and two sweet children ; little house and honey room ; large apiary and last but not least, a head full of thoughts, of a clear solid and practical nature and entirely free from superstition, and besides the best income of colonies and honey 1 have yet heard of in Michigan. " Here we are" said he, "trying to make a business of honey producing as a specialty. What do you think?" "That you will succeed," said 1, without hesitation. He will succeed because he is up with and a little ahead of the times. Because he has the judgment to keep within his means, and keep perfect system and older all about him. Because he had the keen insight to see where and how others had failed ; I tell you it made me feel happy to see such progress. No supplies to sell. A sign on the honey house said "honey for sale." I never was more pleased to find one of my supers over- flowing with bass wood honey, than to see his neat shipping cases well filled, during this poorest of all seasons. 1 like to see coats, hats, dresses and bon- nets, large and small, together with all necessaries and luxuries common with the family, all bought with the products of the apiary. If 1 have a weakness for honey- producing as a specialty, please excuse it. This friend is in the country and do you not think it would be a splendid achieve- ment for our pursuit, if some non-producing enthusiast, could only persuade Mr. B's farmer neighbors to cut into his splendid field ? I left this friend not only a happier but wiser visitor. Many such there are in this broad land, who have more apicultural knowledge, than disposition to write on the subject. We get their experience only by visiting them. 1 am much pleased to admit, that the out- look for the apiarist Is more encouraging to- day than for years past. The export trade proposes to hold us at, or above 15c. per lb. for oursections crated and laid down in the city. This is certainly good to fall back on when: our home market is too full to bid higher. This season we shall get 20 to 25c. Now bee-keepers who would succeed, it rests with you to know that a divided field will not pay anyone, and act accordingly. If you expectto avoid an "apicultural failure," choose an unoccupied field (for many such there are, and good ones too) and then it you are possessed of integrity, mental and physical tact, with an ability and disposition to work, success is surely yours, James Heddon. Dowagiac, Mich., Sept. 13, 1880. D. A. Jones, Ontario, explained an important discovery made by him for obtaining surplus honey in the brood- chamber, whereby he thinks as much comb honey can" be obtained as ex- tracted. It consists of a division sheet of perforated zinc going across the hive and removable at will. The perfora- tions are of such a size that the worker bees can pass through but the queen can- not. This sheetof zincisplaced behind: the first three or four frames in the hive. The queen has access to the frames in front of the zinc, but not to those be- hind it. The worker bees will always deposit their honey in the middle of the hive if possible, and with the zinc sheet in, the queen cannot get at the middle frames to deposit eggs. Consequently the frames in frontof the zinc get filled entirely with brood and the frames be- hind the zinc entirely with honey. If a little is deposited in the brood frames it is of no consequence the object being to get the honey frames free from brood. As soon as a brood frame has been laid full of eggs it is lifted out and put at the back of the hive? for the eggs to hatch out, and another frame is given to the queen. The gain by this method is immense. Not only can box and extracted honey be obtained from the same hive, but the quantity deposited is increased greatly from the absence of brood and pollen in the honey frames. The zinc sheet can also be used to pre- vent swarming, if there should be any such signs at an inconvenient time : by placing it at the entrance of the hive the queen is shut in, and of course the swarming does not take place while the work goes on as usual. T. F. Bingham, Michigan, gave the following address : Wintering Bees North and South, Is the subject which lias been assigned to me ; not because I am master of the aub- ject, but because I am not. The fact that i shall not exhaust the subject, but shall say just enough to provoke a hearty discussion and call everybody out, is the reason I have been selected— probably. Every bee-keeper, and many other intelli- gent people, are aware that bees have peri- ods of activity and periods of repose, and that while bees are presumably as busy as a bee, they are just the most lazy, idle and vindictive insect known, when out of em- ployment. When there is nothing to do they do nothing butspeculate. They are on the lookout for a nice job. They are very tractable and have a keen eye to business. But while they have this practical turn, and are often pugnacious about it, they never make smokers, or house apiaries, or com- plicated chaff hives, for their own use. In no country or section of the world is the flow of nectar continuous through all •periods of the year; hence even in the tropics, periods substantially corresponding to winter exist ; though in such a limited •degree as to require practically no attention. It is in the northern belt lying between 37° and 47° north latitude, that we find winter in its nobler sense — winter worth considera- tion as a leading factor in apiculture and sherry cobblers. In New England, New York, Minnesota, "Wisconsin and Iowa, cellars entirely under ground have given the most uniform ai d satisfactory results ; while in Michigan, -Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, etc., surface pro- tectors, such as house apiaries and chaff packing have given good results. The lat- ter plan under the stimulus of complicated and expensive hives, has received much at- tention, and while the results have not been uniform, they have been generally satisfactory. In that part of the winter belt of which Kentucky and Tennessee afford fair illustration, a straw, cotton or wool mat, 2 or 3 inches thick, placed upon the frames of shallow hives, renders the wintering of bees a matter of certainty ; while in Alabama, Mississippi, etc., no special winter protection is required. Though I believe a cotton seed mat or mat of unginned cotton would be of great value on the frames of shallow hives. By shallow hives 1 mean all the popular frame hives in use. Much more has been said, perhaps, than has been specially interesting, on the subject of protection of bees in win- ter, yet the matter of external protection •does not wholly cover the ground of winter- ing bees in any section. Bees wintered in deep, dark cellars, consume less honey than by any other method. Bees, properly pro- tected and allowed to fly when they are so disposed, consume more honey but require little or no spring care, except in removing the combs from those that have lost a queen or failed in the race of accidents to demon- strate their right to survival, when only the fittest survive. First. To winter safely there should be a large average colony of bees. Second. If to bewildered in the open air, properly protected. An average hive should contain 25 lbs. net of honey in November. If to this be added an extra set of com lis, or the hive to be wintered is the equivalent of 2 cubic feet, it should contain from 10 lbs. to 15 lbs. more honey, exclusive of combs, pollen, bees and frames. Bees in Kentucky, Tennessee, &c, re- quire fully as much honey for winter and spring as in Ohio or Michigan, and. except in epidemic seasons, suffer about the same ratio or loss from death and other causalties. The entire loss of an apiary of any con- siderable size by winter epidemic in any of the Southern States, I believe, has never been reported. Winter losses in any section of our country from November until the swarming season, will average 15 per cent., and in large apiaries the summer losses will aver- age about the same, except in poor seasons. In poor seasons the average accidents are greatly diminished and the summer losses much "less. T. F. Bingham. Otsego, Mich. M. Hayes, Ohio, offered the following resolutions, which were adopted unani- mously : Eesolved, by the North American Bee- Keepers' Society, in Convention assem- bled. That the importation of pure Italian, Cyprian and Holy Land bees into North America, ought to be en- couraged for the sole purpose of adding new and different strains of blood to that we already have. 2. That the strain of Italian blood we now have has reached a higher standard of excellence than is to be found in the native home of the Italian. 3. That queens reared from pure selected home-bred Italian mothers, should command at least as high a mar- ket value as those bred from imported mothers, where pure Italian stock is the sole object desired. C. F. Muth, Ohio, addressed the Con- vention upon the subject of A. Rational Increase of the Apiary. When in early spring the days begin to lengthen, the queen of every hive in normal condition begins to deposit her hist eggs, if not induced to commence sooner by warm weather. At first she lays a small circle of eggs on each side of and in one or two combs, according to the strength of the colony. About twenty-one days after the first eggs are laid, the hist young bee make their ap- pearance. The circles of brood become larger and more combs are made use of. Bees older than 10 or 12 days are poor nurses,and do all house work reluctantly. They are foragers. Young bees, how- ever, are nurses and comb-builders and do all housework pertaining to the well- fare of a colony, such as cleaning hives and combs, preparing cells for the re- ception of eggs, honey or pollen, sup- plying the larva' with food, etc. The brooding is carried on with more energy after the first lot of young bees are hatched. No colony is in a prosperous condition without the necessary quan- tity of young bees. Here many begin- ners miss it when making artificial swarms. In this part of the country, where white clover is almost our only resource for honey, it is of the greatest import- ance that our colonies should be strong early. Bees require heat for brood-rear- ing and comb-building, and we can pro- mote breeding very much by contracting the space in their hives according to the size of each colony, by means of division boards. Give them just as many combs as the bees can well cover, and the result will be sheets full of brood from top to bottom and from end to end. Without this precaution, we have about half as much brood or less, in as manner combs. Division boards should not touch the botiom by from )i to % inch so as to give the bees access to combs of honey placed on the other side. An empty comb is to be added from time to time as the growth of the colony requires. The proper use of division boards in early spring is such a stimulus to breeding up, that perhaps none of us would do without them who give it once a fair trial. When we have a number of colonies which are all treated alike, we find, in spring, always some much stronger than the balance, while other colonies are rather slow in increasing their popula- tion. If their queen is too old, or un- prolific for some reason, she should be replaced by a better one. But it hap- pens, sometimes, that no good reason can be assigned for the slow progress of such colonies and we are often surprised at their energy and rapid growth as soon as a few combs with hatching brood and adhering bees from a strong hive are added to them. The proverb of old, " Make your swarms early," is, therefore, not my motto. But I strengthen up my weak colonies with combs of hatching brood and adhering bees from strong colonies in order to be ready for the honey har- vest. As old bees only are foragers, it requires a large number of them at the time when flowers are yielding the nec- tar, to insure a full crop of honey ; con- sequently, we should secure our honey- harvest first, and then make our swarms. As a rule, bees will not swarm when the queen has plenty of room to deposit eggs, nor the bees to deposit honey. Without one or both of these require- ments, a swarm may issue on any tine day. A queen, however, may be crowded in the course of a day. and we must prepare for an occassional excep- tion to the above rule. I use the Langstroth hive with 10 frames in the brood chamber, giving a capacity of about 1,320 square inches of comb. My greatest care in spring is to have these 10 frames filled with brood by the time that white clover com- mences to bloom, and I do not put on the second story or honey chamber un- til that object is accomplished. A comb tilled with too much honey in propor- tion to the brood is exchanged for an empty one, and placed in the upper story of some hive, or used to build up a weak colony or a nucleus. The empty comb is placed next to the one on which I find the queen, who will not be long in finding it. When 10 Langstroth frames are filled with brood and the honey-chamber is put on the hive, at least partly filled with empty combs, bees will follow at once their natural in- clination of storing above their brood, providing the flowers are secreting honey and weather permit. We should always make it a point of having at least one full comb in the honey-cham- ber reaching down to the brood, serving the bees as a ladder to run up on. This is an inducement for them to enter more readily. There are now so many young bees hatching every day that the queen is kept busy refilling with eggs those vacated cells. Under these circum- stances she will hardly ever enter the honey-chamber. If honey combs are emptied promptly with the" extractor, or the necessary room is given them to build comb honey we shall have but few natural swarms. I am producing princi- pally extracted honey, but it is due to the above management that I have had but one natural swarm during the last 1 "> years or more. While our colonies are all very strong and bees busily engaged collecting honey, we may quietly prepare for the increase of our apiary. Worker- bees are females imperfectly developed, and a perfect female or queen can he developed from a worker-egg. Accordingly, the bees select their cells, make them larger and longer, and sup- ply them with the necessary food, so- called royal-jelly— a mixture of pollen and honey. In due time the cells are capped over. The hive containing our choicest queen may be deprived of the same. The restless motion of the bees about their hive soon afterwards tell an ex- perienced eye that they are missing their queen". In less than 24 hours, however, their loss has been realized and the bees proceed quietly to repair it by commencing to build a number of queen-cells, each one of which occupies about as much room as 4 or 5 worker cells, having a downward tendency and shaped much like a peanut. About 16 days after the eggs are laid, young queens emerge, but as bees will often form queen-cells over larva? 5 or 6 days old, we may expect the first queens to issue on the 10th day after the colony was deprived of its queen. We should, therefore, form nucleus colonies the pre- ceding day. We take from every strong colony (according to its strength) 1 or 2 frames with hatching brood and adher- ing bees, and replace them with empty combs or comb foundation. Two combs being sufficient for a nucleus colony, we place these in a hive between 2 division boards. All old bees having gone back to their old hives, we proceed to cutout queen cells, using a sharp, thin-bladed pen-knife, leaving % to }4 of an inch of comb all around them so as not to in- jure the young queens inside. A queen cell is placed between the top- bars of the frames of each nucleus, in such a position that one may see on raising the cover whether the cell has hatched. The bees lose no time in fastening and taking care of it. In due time the young queen emerges, is fertilized, and begins her avocation as mother of the colony. She lays her first eggs gener- ally 8 to 12 days after she is hatched. We can now let her fill a few combs with eggs, or give some useful work to the colony, according to their strength and the season, such as the building of worker combs or the building out of comb foundation, etc. WThen our honey season is over, we have kept our bees from swarming by the above method and by adding occa- sionally to our nucleus a frame of brood from our strongest colonies, without, however, depriving them of their force of honey-gatherers. If we have manip- ulated properly, a full crop of honey (according to the season) has been se- cured, and Ave have not been troubled with natural swarms. We may now strengthen up our nuclei with sheets of hatching brood and adhering bees from our old colonies which have an abun- dance of brood and stores. As every swarm made is more or less at the expense of the honey harvest, we are satisfied with about 1 swarm from every 2 colonies. We make less if we can ; but if swarms are the object, the most ambitious can satisfy themselves by the above method and the aid of comb foundation. Another good method of starting queen cells is as follows : Divide the colony from which you desire to breed by means of a division board ; lay the entrance blocks in the middle, letting the bees enter on each side of the porti- co, and leaving most of the capped cells on the same side with the queen. All communication between the two sides must be prevented . The queenless part will proceed to build queen cells at once, which will be ready to cut out on the 10th day and be placed in the nuclei as de- scribed above. At least on the 10th day we should begin, as the young queen hatching first will unceremoniously dis- patch every rival queen m the hive, by biting open the cells and introducing her sting, thereby killing the young queen inside. We may continue rear- ing queens in the same hive all the sea- son if we choose, and from the same queen, by changing her from one side to the other. The Langstroth hive is well calculated for rearing in it 3 queens at a time, by means of 2 division boards, letting the side swarms fly out from side ventilators, and the middle swarm in front — 3 nuclei in one hive. The advantage of this method is, that any of our combs answer for the nucleus, and after our 3 queens are laying eggs, we may make use of 2 of them, take out the division boards, and let the remaining queen take charge of the hive. This queen will be safe among the bees, which will all be of the same scent, and in the same condition. C. H. Deane, Kentucky, offered the following resolution, which was adopted unanimously : Resolved, That all bee-keepers in this Convention, who feel competent, are hereby requested to write for their local papers on the subject of bee-keeping. Mr. Kramer, Ohio, with a hive illus- trated a method by which he had suc- ceeded during the past season in having two queens mated in confinement. It was done by carrying the queen above, into the second story, and placing a wire screen below ; then the drones are imprisoned with the virgin queen in the second story, and a cloth covered over. Each day the cap of the hive is removed to allow the sun to shine on the cloth, and entice the queen and drones to night in the hive. The thanks of the Convention were voted Mr. .Kramer, and he was requested to write an explan- ation of his method for publication. Mr. Jones presented the North Ameri- can Bee-Keepers'' Society with a Cyp- rian queen, the same to be placed with Mr. C. F. Muth. the bees to be tested for superiority by him, and a report to be made. j6 ^MgglGflJi^ Vol. XVI. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, DECEMBER, 1880. No. 12. Contents of this Number. Editor's Taole : Editorial Items, 549 to 554 Tht1 International Food Exhibition,.. 551 Poisonous Wild Honey 552 Shipping Bees to New Zealand 552 End of the Volume, 553 The Honey Season in Scotland, 554 Correspondence : The English Honey Markets, 555 Honor J ustly Bestowed, 556 Preparation for Winter Quarters, . . 556 Origin of the Albino Bees, 557 The Bee- keepers' Conventions, 557 Overstocking a Locality, 559 E. A. Morgan's Report for 1880, 560 The Sagging of Comb Foundation, . . . 561 Systematic Bee-Keeping, 561 Fertilization in Confinement, 563 Bee Pasturage, etc., 563 Chaff Packing on Summer Stands, 564 Plenty of Bees ; Plenty of Honey, . . 565 Tool for Glassing Sections, 566 Cyprian and "Holy" Bees, &c, 566 How Bees are kept in Cyprus, 567 Bee-Keeping the south, 568 Do Queens lay Eggs in Queen Cells ? 568 A Visit to Mr. J. S. Hill's Apiary,. . . . 569 Hard wood Barrels for Honey, 570 Exhibitions of Honey, etc.. at Fairs, . . 570 Convention* : Cortland Union, N.Y., 571 About Wintering Bees, 572 Bee Pasturage of Western Wisconsin, 573 Western 111. and Eastern Iowa, 574 Why a small crop of Honey, 574 Separators— Comb Foundation,... 575 Central Michigan, 577 Letter Drawer : Best Honey Gatherers, 578 Melilot Clover, 578, 581 Heavy Losses, 578 National Convention, 578 Prairie Hay for Winter Packing, 579 Size of Entrance to a Hive, 579 Bees that have not done well, 579 A prediction for next year, 579 Packed with Chaff, 580 A fair Crop, 580, 581 Rocky-mountain Bee Plant, 580 Weekly Bee Journal, 579, 580 Late Breeding, 581 Bees in New York, 581 Spider Plant and Sweet Clover, 581 The Honey Crop of four States, 581 c* "giXitov's iaMe. igl° Those who remove from one lo- cality to another, should notify us be- fore moving, and have their Bee Jour- nal at the new post office by the time they arrive there. Delays in this mat- ter may lose several numbers of the Journal,. We shall next year give a resume of all the matters of interest contained in the monthly bee papers, as soon as they are received. Our readers will thereby obtain all the cream of the current articles, no matter where they are first published. Of course we shall give due credit, and shall kindly criticise the articles to the best of our ability. i^° By a private letter just received from the Census Bureau, we are in- formed that the Tenth Census Report when published will contain full de- tails of the production of honey and beeswax in the United States. This was by us suggested to the Bureau a year ago, and will be very valuable to bee-keepers and others. (gg' Our Index to Correspondents con- tains 541 new names which were not in the Index for last year. These have nobly assisted in making the Bee Jour- nal so interesting during the past year, and show its increasing patronage and usefulness. Now let all take fresh courage and endeavor to make the next volume still more useful, interesting and instructive. 550 To Our Friends. — If every subscriber could make it convenient to send the name of another subscriber with his own, the already large circulation of the Bee Journal would be doubled for 1881. Any one sending six subscri- bers will be entitled to a copy like the club free for 1881. Now is the time for the friends of the Bee Journal to show themselves. A friendly word spoken now will be of more value than at any other time for a year to come. It will be our greatest aim in the future, as in the past, to ele- vate the profession of bee culture, to its proper place among the industries of the world. To this end we shall devote ourselves, by unremitting energy and devotion — ever looking to the producer's interest, as well as to the advancement of the science and art of apiculture. Our friends are earnestly invited not only to renew their subscriptions at once but also to suggest to their bee- keeping friends that the Weekly Bee Journal will satisfy their wants in the line of bee literature and give them full value for the money invested. Reader : Shall the Weekly Bee Journal receive your hearty co-operation and support '? It is working for your interest, will you not, in return, work for its ? Hi° The Dowagiac, Mich., Times, re- marks as follows on " home industry : " " Mr. James Heddon, our towusman, who has more colonies of bees than any other man in this State, is selling some $1,500 worth this fall. Mr. E. Nugent, of Strath- roy, Canada, through his agent, Mr. Nor- man Conklin, has just purchased $800 worth. Mr. Conklin tells us he has just visited other apiaries and has been offered colonies at much lower prices, and decided upon taking Mr. Heddon's, owing to the value of stock, style of hives, and first-class condition of the entire fixtures. Tims we see what is worth doing, is worth doing well. Mr. Conklin is an experienced apiarist, having been with Mr. D. A. Jones, of Canada, for several years." igl° We have received several num- bers of the Musical Journal, published by Thomas Brothers, Catskill, N". Y., at $1.00 a year. It is a handsome monthly and exceedingly cheap. Power of the Press.— President !N". P. Allen writes thus on the subject : " I am much pleased that the Bee Journal is hereafter to become a Weekly ; that looks like progression. We want fresh news to read, at least once a week. I wish it great success in its fct new departure." I recognize the power and influence of the press, in building up all organizations for the promotion of knowledge in every de- partment of business. It is through the influence of bee books and bee papers, that bee-keeping has assumed a res- pectful position among the industries of the world. I therefore hope, that you and the editors of the different bee papers' in the United States, will all unitedly labor for the success of the National Association, and the cause of scientific bee-culture in general." gg° We call attention to the complete indexes to be found in this number. These show that the themes contained in the Volume for 1880 have been full and complete — covering all the topics of interest to bee-keepers, and this volume will make a very valuable book of ref- erence for every apiarist. Any who have not yet procured a Binder, can ob- tain one for 50 cents, and it will be a very good investment, where it is not convenient to get the volume bound in the usual way. 6^" A resolution, passed unanimously at the Cincinnati Convention, was, by an oversight, omitted in the last Bee Journal. It ordered 1,000 copies of the Constitution and By-Laws, with the names of the officers and members for 1880, to be printed and mailed to every member. This has been done, and any one desiring a copy can obtain it from one of the officers, or at this office. ^" The fifteenth annual session of the Michigan Bee-Keepers' Association will be held at Lansing, Dec. 8th, when the following subjects will be discussed : 1. Evidences of superiority in different races of bees ; 2. Best method of win- tering bees ; 3. Best method of obtain- ing surplus honey ; 4. Practical value and cost of comb foundation ; 5. Poi- sonous honey, ancient and modern ; 6. Prevention, danger and cure of foul brood. T. F. Bingham, Sec. The International Food Exhibition. On Oct. 13th, the great " Interna- tional Food Exhibition " was opened in Agricultural Hall, London, England. In the report given by the London Grocer, we notice the following : "One of the most prominent and conspicuous spaces occupied in the Hall is the large central stand, which is de- voted to the exhibits of Messrs. Thur- ber & Co., of New York. The show made by this firm is an excellent and interesting one. Its chief feature is a large obelisk, 30 ft. high and 6 ft. at the base, and consisting of twelve different kinds of American canned fruits and vegetables. The obelisk is surmounted by a lamp containing a brilliant electric light. On the lamp is conspicuously painted the name of lt Thurber." Sam- ples of American cheese are placed at each corner of the obelisk, and there are smaller structures of a similiar kind surmounted by bronze figures. The design of Messrs. Thurbers' stand was the work of Mr. W. M. Hoge, their representative, and it certainly does him much credit, being striking and effective. ': We are glad to see that the ingenuity and skill of Mr. Hoge is wining for him a reputation in England. He is an energetic worker, and will make himself felt, even in that great metropolis of the world. He gave an address at the Ex- hibition upon the rise and progress of the now enormous trade of canned meats. In the Grocers'1 report of which we find the following relative to this industry in Chicago : "The history of the compressed corned beef trade has been almost like a romance. The Wilson Brothers started this in Chicago just afterthe great fire ; and to show you how young this now important trade is, I will mention, en passant, that I bought the first case of these goods ever packed. The two Wil- sons were then located in a small one- story wooden house on State street; now their factories are one of the won- ders of the Garden City. Eighteen months after the business was started they were packing 960,000 2-lb. tins a month, and I doubt whether there is to- day an army, a city, or a vessel unpro- vided with American compressed corned beef.' To Mr, Hoge more than to any other man living, is America indebted for developing the great demand for Ameri- can honey in Europe, as well as greatly enlarging the call for it at home. This must be admitted on all hands, botli by friend and foe. In saying this, we but accord to him that credit which is his honest due. A Christinas Present.— Now that the volume of the Bee Journal, for 1880 is complete, we find that we have a few complete sets of numbers, and shall immediately have them bound. As a volume of reference it will be' very valuable to the beginner or the more advanced bee-keeper, and will be an excellent Christinas Present for a bee- keeping friend. Price bound in paper covers, $1.50, postage paid; in nice leather and cloth binding, $2.00. Those who wish one, should order early as there are but a few of them to dispose of. iH" B. I. Barber asks : " Is it cus- tomary for commission men to return honey crates, after the honey is sold ?" Certainly not ; they usually sell it to re- tailers and the crate goes with it. When the producer sells directly to the retailer, they are sometimes returned, if it is so stipulated. Ijgl0 Prof. Cook and family passed through the city on Nov. 10th, and gave the Bee Journal a very pleasant call. He is much pleased with the Peet queen shipping and introducing cage. In the Bee Journal for May, page 214, we stated that as improved, it was a good cage, and we are glad to hear that Prof. Cook is so well pleased with it. Errata.— On page 527 of last month's Journal several errors occurred, and were not discovered until too late for correction : 29th line from the bottom of the fist column read " form " instead of forming ; 27th line for produced read " producer, which if protected." Sec- ond column, 23d line from the top, should read " Buffalo Grape Sugar Co.'1 ths. Poisonous Wild Honey, Etc. Mr. A. V. McDonald, of Aukland, New Zealand, writes thus : Editor Bee Journal. — Do you know of any case of poisoning from eating wild honey, gathered from poi- sonous plants. I saw the following in a New Zealand paper lately : " A curious circumstance showing the danger which persons run from eating wild honey, occurred near Maketu. A native who was on the search for honey discovered a hive close to a wharangi bush, and having eaten plentifully of the honey, he was attacked after a 'few hours with violent pains similarto those resulting from taking strychnine. No medical assistance was available, and the unfortunate sufferer died in the course of the night. The bees had gathered their honey from the flowers of the wharangi, which is one of the two poisonous plants to be found in New Zealand. It is well that people should be aware of the poisonous nature of this shrub, so that they may prevent their cattle from eating its leaves. Its flowers produce abundance of honey, as is indicated by the botanical name melicope ternata. It is easily known by its large white-backed leaves. Its gen- eral habitat is at the edges of forests." I notice in the New Zealand papers that an acclimatization society in the northern portion or this Colony are about to import humble bees in order to fertilize red clover. Will not the Eure Italians do this as well as humble ees ? Is the honey from red clover good ? as I notice in a late number of the Bee Journal that it is questioned. Also, will humble bees be an acquisi- tion to a country perfectly free from them ? Would the amount of honey they take be of any consequence to bee- keepers V I ask these questions because more than one pest has been introduced . to the Colony through carelessness and ignorance. If in event of humble bees being objectionable I should like to mention it in time. In answer, we would remark that Italian bees do sometimes work on red clover, and that it yields honey of ex- cellent quality very plentifully. Any insect that works on red clover will naturally fertilize it. We do not see wherein humble bees would be detrimental; they will cer- tainly do their part in fructifying the plants on which they work. The honey they may store will be quite insignifi- cent when compared with that secured by the Italian honey bees, and their irritable disposition will not be very tempting to men in general to handle them. A colony of pure Italian bees was sent from the Bee Journal apiary to New Zealand last summer, and we hear that it arrived in good condition. A corres- pondent from Canada sends us the fol- lowing information concerning another shipment of bees to New Zealand : " Italian bees (2 hives) have been success- fully carried across the tropics from San Francisco to Auckland, New Zealand. They were shipped per H. M. Ship ' Aus- tralia' with damp sponges over the combs. Capt. Cargill keeping them in his own state- room throughout the 20 days sea voyage, via Honolulu. They arrived in splendid order in Auckland, whence one hive was sent to Coromandel, in the Thames Peninsula, Auckland; the other being sent to Christ- church, Canterbury. New Zealand with its 113 varieties of flowering shrubs and trees, its mild aud equable climate, is the Para- dise of the bee. Judging by the rapid in- crease of the black stock introduced 40 years ago, there is every reason to think that the ' immigrants' will rapidly increase." igir Two queens in a hive is rather a rare occurrence, but none the less vexa- tious, especially when attended with such results as one lately found by Dr. N. P. Allen, of Smith's Grove, Ky. At the National Convention, he was pre- sented with a fine queen by his old friend Benedict, of Benningion, O. On arriving home, he introduced her into a hybrid colony, after removing the old queen. Still having a young queen they desired no stranger, and killed her majesty from Italy. The Doctor now regrets not having made a thorough search, before introducing his valued queen. f^ Mr. F. Benton says that hundreds of colonies of bees died in Cyprus, last summer, from the effects of buiming hot winds. We never felt such burning hot winds as those that assailed us in Venice, last year. They came from the desert of Sahara, and the same have evidently troubled the bees in the Island of Cyprus. 553 This Number Ends the Volume. This issue of The American Bee Journal closes the volume for 1880, and calls for a few remarks. So far it has existed only as a monthly Journal, and as such has gained an enviable rep- utation and influence. Its visits to thousands of homes all over the world has been greeted with an enthusiastic welcome, and its teachings on the all- absorbing subjects of "bees and honey," have been as anxiously looked for as they have been essentially adopted by apiarists not only in every State, Terri- tory and Province in North America, but also in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Neither war, pestilence, financial de- pression, partial failures of crops of honey, nor the foolish jealousies and merciless abuse of evil disposed persons, has been able to materially hinder its steady onward course. From year to year it has increased the number of its pages to give its thousands of readers and correspondents an opportunity to participate in an interchange of thought and fully discuss the various topics of interest that are ever and anon present- ing themselves to the apicultural world for investigation and decision. Still its capacity is too limited to ac- commodate all its correspondents, and its monthly issues are too infrequent to satisfy the longing for intercourse found in its many patrons, and to solve vital scientific questions frequently arising in the management of an apiary which require a more speedy solution. We have therefore determined to celebrate the twentieth year since its birth, by further enlarging its capacity and issu- ing it weekly. The bare announcement of this fact, in our last issue, has called forth a perfect storm of applause from its friends in the East, West, North and South ; and multitudes of letters come by every mail, not only approving the plan of issuing the Bee Journal weekly, but assuring us of hearty and continued support. Each weekly issue will contain more than one-half the amount of reading matter heretofore given in the monthly — thereby more than doubling its present capacity I In order to publish the Journal at a price so low as to be within the reach of all, it becomes necessary to assume the popular form of weeklies, enlarging the size of its pages, so that each one will contain more than three times the amount of reading matter on those of this size. Eight of such pages will contain as much as 26 pages of like this one, equal to 1,352 of these pages in a year, instead of 592, the number contained in the Bee Journal for 1880. It will hardly be necessary to state that we shall devote all our energy and determination to make the Journal even more interesting and instructive than it has heretofore been, if that is within the range of possibilities. Its record, character, power and usefulness, in the past, will be its guarantee for the future. When others have fainted and fallen by the way, it has made more de- termined efforts, by enlarging and im- proving—ever keeping in view the one grand object of its existence, that of furthering the interests of honey pro- ducers, by losing no opportunity to create a demand for this God-given pro- duct, opening up oiew avenues for its use. creating new demands and eager purchasers, both at home and abroad — thus benefiting every honey-producer. With this issue several thousand sub- scriptions expire, and as we do not wish to lose any of them, we earnestly invite all to promptly renew, and thus save us the unnecessary trouble of taking the names from our mail list, and having to replace them again in a few days. Promptness in this will save us much valuable time and perplexity. The WEEKLY will be published ev- ery Wednesday, and mailed on that day to every subscriber, for $2.00 a year, postage included ; six months forSl.OO ; three months for 50 cents ; making it within the reach of every bee-keeper. When bank bills are not available, post- age stamps may be sent. 554 Each number being complete in itself, will be fully indexed ; therefore, those who desire only to take a monthly, will be furnished the number published on the first Wednesday of each month, for 50 cents a year. Those wishing it semi-monthly, can have the numbers published on the first and third Wednesdays of each month, for $1.00 a year. By this elastic plan, all may be accom- modated who desire to invest 50 cents or more in a bee paper. We give an extra copy to any one who will send a club of six for either edition ; this is intended to pay for the time and labor of getting up the club. As before stated, we have abandoned the club rates, because they are an injustice to those who are not favored with an op- portunity of joining a club, and are often the cause of dissatisfaction on that account. Those who desire to second our efforts in giving them a weekly Bee Journal, are earnestly invited to co-operate with us in every way to make it a success. The Honey Season in Scotland. Mr. J. Lowe, of Edinburgh, writes as follows to the London Journal of Horti- culture, concerning the season of 1880 in Scotland : The past spring opened promising enough considering the sad condition in which the previous autumn found our colonies botli as regards population and stores. Inauspicious weather super- vened, however, and being somewhat prolonged, breeding went on so slowly that in April little progress was percep- tible, the older bees disappearing faster than the accession of the young from the brood cells, so that the weaker colo- nies dwindled away, simply from want of a sufficiency of bees to carry on the necessary work. More favorable weath- er followed in May and June, and breed- ing was again in full progress. Still swarming was not so general as in ordi- nary seasons, and honey-gathering was extremely meagre. Summer honey- yielding blossoms were not so plentiful as usual, and as time went on appear- ances became even more gloomy; so that bee-keepers like myself, who do not ben- efit by a proximity to white clover pas- ture, had a poor return of flower honey, and in some cases feeding had actually to be resorted to prevent starvation. But another chance still remained. The heather season was at hand. August commenced under auspicious circum- stances ; good weather set in early in that month. The bees were forthwith dispatched with all haste to seek their fortune among the Pentland Hills, and retrieve, if possible, the short-comings of the summer, and not for many years has there been a fairer prospect of suc- cess. The heath was rich and luxuriant, its purpled blossoms abundant and opening. Could the result under such circumstances, and with a continuance of good weather, be doubted V In a lit- tle over four weeks these comparatively empty hives were brought to their sum- mer stands laden with golden stores, some having gathered from 40 to 50 lbs. of honey. Scottish apiarists who have thus availed themselves of sending their hives to the moors and heath-clad hills will find them, even after the appropria- tion of some well-filled supers, in splen- did condition for winter; and it may be hoped that having at last obtained, on the whole, one good honey season, it may be the harbinger of a series of prosper- ous years to follow. Science.— The thirteenth number of the Humboldt Library of Popular Science is received. It contains Prof. Alexander Bain's new work entitled " Mind and Body ; the Theories of their Relation. ', The author brings to the examination of the immemorial problem of the phi- losophers the erudition of an accom- plished scholar and the method of the modern scientist. His work maybe re- garded as the latest authentic expres- sion of the modern scientific school upon one of the most important ques- tions that have everagitated the human mind. Price 15 cents. I. Fitzgerald & Co., publishers. 143 4th Avenue, New York. i^° Sample copies of the Weekly Bee Journal will be sent free to any names that may be sent in. Any one intending to get up a club can have sample copies sent to the persons they desire to interview, by sending the names to this office. (froxrcspomUutt. For the American Bee Journal. The English Honey Markets. w. M. HOGE. I send you by this mail a very truth- ful lithographic picture of the lady president of the British Bee-Keepers' Association, the Baroness Burdett- Coutts, as well as the young American gentleman, Mr. Ashmead Bartlett, to whom the Baroness is reported to be betrothed. This rumored marriage is the present sensation of London. Not only the great discrepancy in the age of Mr. Bartlett and his fiance, she being 64 and he 28, attracts attention to the happy pair, but the whole-souled liber- ality which has characterized the Bar- oness' stewardship of perhaps the greatest fortune in the world, and a constant and kindly disposition to alle- viate the distress and suffering of those about her, has garlanded her name with the tenderest feelings of gratitude, and made all the nations feel that the world is better for her having lived. Mr. Bartlett is one of those noble souls that even men cannot help loving. It is reported that the marriage lias been delayed in order that a legal question may be circumvented concerning the reversion of a large portion of the Bar- oness' heritage in case of her espousing an alien to the British crown. The Dairy Show commences here on the 26th of next month, lasting four days. This is held under the presidency of H. B. H. the Prince of Wales. The British Bee-Keepers' Association ex- hibit at the show. Neighbour & Sons have new English honey stored in American sections attractively dis- played in their windows, placarded 2s. (50c.) per pound— mostly unglassed. Consignments made by California producers and commission merchants to Liverpool, London and Hamburg, which, although they netted a present loss at the time, have been pregnant of much good, for they introduced a su- perior article to the European markets, the consumers got hold of it and liked it. Thus the influence of the consumer is all the while working in the favor of American honey, grocers' customers come back saying they " want some more of that American honey." Thus you see the demand arises' and this year English and continental buyers have either sent agents to, or employed agents in California to secure them honey, and here comes the verification of the old adage that in competition lies the life of trade, for the agents be- ing unable to procure consignments have had instructions to buy, and in the presence of so many buyers, honey has been sold out-and-out without the neces- sity of consigning, and at prices that must be remunerative to the producers. The San Francisco markets quoted " Honey in demand with a strong up- ward tendency ;" the bulk of the pur- chases have been moved forward by the " all ocean route " which requires 3 to 4 months to make ; the parcels which wrere shipped the latter part of August and September will not be due here until about Christmas, too late I am afraid in many cases for packers to get it ready in jars, etc., for the Christmas trade. I have managed to get forward several car loads, which were sent early across the American continent by rail to the eastern states, and thence by steamer. This enabled me to come into the market here almost abreast with the domestic honey and realize a better margin of profit than I will on later shipments. Yesterday there was not a single pound of California honey re- maining unsold. We sold none for less than 12 cents per pound in ton lots. Then first parcels have all been strictly white in color, and heavy in body. When the anticipated large shipments arrive the markets will no doubt be af- fected, and prices decline. There will be some white clover honey wanted, one or two sales having been made at 10c. per pound "free on board" at New York, but your readers should mark this is not for basswood, for which strange to say there is no demand; consumers are- prejudiced against it and the preference or prejudice of consumers is the all- powerful factor which makes or un- makes trade. It is with the greatest imaginable re- luctance that I announce my despair of there ever being a satisfactory traffic in " prize " or the section honey. If they could be distributed everyvvhere with the combs safe and sound, they would be the most salable article ever intro- duced to the grocery trade, but to deal in them now, is to live in a perfect at- mosphere of complaints. The value of Chilian honey has re- mained nominal, pending late arrivals in this country, being placed upon the market; 2.789 barrels arrived oer "Craig- nair," " Pole Star" and " Osceola." London, England, Sept. 20, 1S80. [Mr. Hoge has our thanks for the very interesting particulars about the honey market, as well as for the lithograph mentioned. — Ed.] For the American Bee Journal. Honor Justly Bestowed. P. P. COLLIER. In looking over the proceedings of the meeting of the North American Bee-Keepers' Society at Cincinnati, I find many things of interest and practical utility — both to the young and old, to the learned as well as unlearned ; indeed it would be a great blank in api- culture were it not for this association — this source of information indispensable to the interest of progressive thought, and progressive work in all branches of apiculture. I rind that the subjects treated upon, were handled with great ability. While for 2 years there has been at the head of this association one who has given it honor, credit and influence, both at home and abroad, one who has worked hard for the success of this Society, and one who every American feels proud of, and sincerely thanks for his success in building up this Associa- tion—while we regret to give him up, yet we feel proud to say that the selec- tion made as a successor is every way befitting, and an "honor justly bestowed." Dr. Nathan Perry Allen, of Smith's Grove, Ky., our new President, is one whom I have been acquainted with from my youth up ; almost my first schooling was under his direction, and having been very intimately connected as neighbors and friends, I know whereof I speak. Almost my first les- sons in bee-culture were learned in his apiary and under his instructions. Well do I remember his first colony in a " gum " given to him by his father for " good luck " on going to house-keeping. His first honey was taken in tubs, but a better day came, a " patent" hive (standing some three feet from the ground) was purchased, moth-proof, everything but a " real bee hive." But this was soon abandoned with many others until the Langstroth hive made its advent. This the Dr. seized, and to- day hundreds are using this truly meritorious hive, from his influence. The first bee orgaization I ever attended and the first ever in Southern Kentucky to my knowledge, was organized at his magnificent residence— the Southern Kentucky Bee-Keepers' Association," and through his labors as its presi- dent, " it became a power in the land," and its influence will long be felt. The Dr. is one of the best dentists in southwest Kentucky ; one of the best farmers, as well as his superior knowl- edge in handling and propagating fine sheep, cattle and hogs — indeed it is only necessary for an effort to be made and success seems to crown his labors. I believe the Association to which he is elected President will grow under his administration. Our bees seem to be in fair condition for winter ; early frost killed late buck- wheat and it gave but little honey. Mexico, Mo., Nov. 8, 1880. Prairie Farmer. Preparation for Winter Quarters. MRS. L. HARRISON. In what ever way bees are wintered, whether in a cellar, or in a receptacle built purposely for them, or upon their summer stands, the conditions should be such, that they will be dry at all times. Bees can stand cold but not dampness. Every one who owns bees, whether his colonies are few or many, should make the best use of the means at his command, to protect them against the severities of the coming season. In order for a farmer to sleep well, his farm must be well fenced and free from mortgage, and if the bee-keeper wishes to enjoy cracking jokes and nuts around his fireside, while there is a howling blast without, he must know that his " little pets " are comfortable. We winter our bees upon their sum- mer stands, and with the light we now have, we think in this locality, taking the seasons as they run, some warm and others cold, it is as good a way as any. To winter successfully the colony should be of fair size, with plenty of young bees and well ripened sealed honey, and last but not least, a good warm hive with a tight roof. In lieu of theory, we will now tell our readers how we have prepared our bees for winter. The honey season did not close with us until the 15th of October ; during the early part of that month, honey came in freely and as fast as a bee hatched, the cell was filled, until the main hive was almost solid honey. Fearing for the safety of our apiary, we procured an extractor, and threw out the honey from two combs of each hive, thus giving them room to rear young, and to cluster in. The first days that we were extracting, honey and pollen came in freely, but before we were through the season closed. After the cappings were drained, we fed them to the bees every fine day. and they sucked them dry, and no bad results by robbing followed. After scrubbing until it was free from dust, some old, red and white Chinese matting, we cut sheets from it, of the exact size to fit nicely when laid upon the frames over the bees. We have formerly used cluck, and some sheets cut from an old ingrain carpet, but they were so covered with propolis that the moisture could not escape; but the mat- ting is porous and yet will conline the bees below. Above the matting is placed a cushion, of about six inches in thickness, filled with chaff. We have learned by experience, that the best material for this purpose should be thin and open, yet strong enough to hold the chaff. Old coffee sacks answer the pur- pose well, but they are more expensive than muslin, as they cannot be made so readily on the machine. The sack for the cushion should be sewed up. and then the corners sewed across diago- nally in such a way that the cushion will be square sided when completed. The idea may be obtained by pushing in the corner of a pillow. These cushions if cared for will last many years. We give a free circulation of air above the cushions, and contract the entrance — care is given that there shall not be any cold draughts through the hive. We have several small colonies, that we have confined to the frames they can cover, by means of division boards, fill- ing up tiie space between the board and hive with some warm material — these baby colonies are often our very best, the following season. Peoria, 111. For the American Bee Journal. Origin of the Albino Bees. S. VALENTINE. During the past season I have re- ceived many letters asking information in reference to the origin of Albino bees. As it is considerable trouble to answer each individually, I desire to answer through the Bee Journal. First, the Albino bee has been pro duced by crossing the light Italians. In July, 1876, 1 bought an 'Imported queen from Mr. Willman, of Pennsylvania, from which I produced Albino bees. I made a cross with some beautiful, large, bright drones from a home-bred mother (of what we termed Argo stock) and in August, 1877, I had several grand- daughters of the Imported queen that produced about % Albino workers. Those bees were the most vigorous I ever saw and yet were very gentle. I noticed in carrying dead bees from the hive they generally dropped them from 4 to 6 feet, whilst others carried them only from 1 to 2 feet distant. My curiosity was aroused and I paid Mr. Pike a visit to see his Albinos, and I bought a queen of him (though she did not produce pure Albinos], I crossed again with her and then bred them pure, and I have succeeded beyond my expectation ; having had them pure during the last two seasons and am proud to say that they are still improv- ing. As honey gatherers they compete with the best, and as to beauty and docility or gentleness I feel safe in say- ing the world cannot surpass them. This is the origin of my downy and white-banded bees. I received a Holy Land queen in September, whose progeny are much like Albinos. The queens and workers are very active (I fear they may not be as pleasant to handle). As I received her too late to make any test, I cannot say anything detinite. I have several daughters of the Holy queen now lay- ing, that mated with Albino drones, when they are tested I will report. I think it would be well if all the queen breeders that are experimenting on the new bee would report often and com- pare results. If they prove to be better than those we now have, the sooner we know it the better ; and on the other hand if not as good, we cannot know it too soon. Double Pipe Creek, Md., Nov. 4, 1880. For the American Bee Journal. The Bee-Keepers' Conventions. JAMES HEDDON While I regret very much that I could not attend either of the main Conven- tions of the season — no, not even the North-Western, at Chicago, only 100 miles away — I do rejoice that we have the means of knowing what " the boys" were about there. First, in regard to the first discussion of the Chicago Convention on over- stocking. Most of the opinions given were of a mixed, "' don't know" charac- ter. I believe them perfectly candid, for they coincide with my own exactly. The few that did have any settled opin- ions, mainly were on the side of the hopeful. I am sorry that they failed to give us any evidence of their belief that very many colonies can be kept in one locality with about the same profit as a small number. The point, just where a locality is over-stocked and it becomes necessary for the producer to move off a part of his stock to a second apiary, is one of vi- tal importance to the main honey produ- cers of this country. Can we not get some practical information upon this subject ? Let us skip over to Cincinnati. I am struck forcibly with the truths set forth in the President's essay on the " Best methods of marketing honey." The more so, because I have practiced just what is set forth there, hence I may say I know the truth of the statements made, until we come to the latter end of the paper, where he says that " the de- mand is increasing fully as much as the production." About this I do not know. For 2 years we have not had the average product thrown upon our markets. Bees, fixtures, determinations and sound ideas of production, have increased much faster than surplus honey, owing to the off-years for the latter product. How I wish the belief of the writer was a known fact, even to myself — how I would rejoice. But I am destined to •' wait a little longer," and keep my hat on my head and out of the air, for the present. Near the close, the essayist informs us that some of the more fright- ened ones are beginning to hear the voice of success whispered in their ears, etc. Is not the tone of this sentence fitted to scare the timidly moral ? I mean, to cause a man, when honestly convicted of an error, to still stick to his error, knowing now that it is an error, but frightened lest he be called 'w incon- sistent ?" I do not mean that the sen- tence was intended thus, but only ask if such would not be its in fl uence ? I ha ve an adage like this : " He does best who predicts aright ; he does next best who manfully owns right up to his mistake." How many of you who have written considerably for the Journal, have gone back through a half dozen years and read over your own assertions con- secutively V Were you not astonished at the honest errors, weaknesses, etc., that showed themselves in the greater light of progress V To be just right to- day about all things, is to idly sit and rot during the future. Where is the man who has written a •' bee book," that cannot now look at it and wish he had a chance to say this and that over again V I think I know that Doolittle is wrong in regard to the merits of comb foun- dation. I feel sure he will have to come over among our crowd ere long, the same as many of us have done. When he comes, I hope to see him come head foremost, in the front gate ; notcoming feet first through a small hole in the back fence, where some one has by mis- take left a board off. I deem it a crime to try to mislead our fellows, especially in the art of produc- tion, and through the public print; and a foolish wrong to doggedly stick to a convicted error, and no one should ever knowingly lend any influence in that di- rection ; " honor bright," should they ? "If I am right, thy aid impart Still in the right to stay ; If I am wrong, teach me the art To find that better way." It should not be forgotten that the " children of fear" have not yet met those who overflow with enthusiasm, nor should it be forgotten that each squad is slowly but surely traveling to- ward the other. Had not the " scared ones" blown their horns, the" gushers" would have said : " Come where we are ; you must /" and I tell you, it is not near as good ground to stand upon, as where we are both fast approaching. Do you forget the kind of music we were invited to dance after ? I quote the following, which I clip from the Dominion Pet Stock Bazaar, and copied by that paper from the Indiana Farmer : " Bee Profits.— A hive of bees can, with ordinary management, be doubled every year for several years. Let us figure a little and see what the result will be, say for 7 years. In the fall of the seventh year we have 64 colonies ; 20 lbs. of honey to the hive every year will be a low average for that length of time ; 15c. per lb. is not high for honey; we have 2,540 lbs. for 7 years ; that at 15c. makes $381, if I have made no mis- take. The 64 colonies, at the low rate of $7 per colony, makes $548 ; this added to the value of the honey gives the snug sum of $820. This is no big thing, but is enough to pay all the trouble it costs. Some will say it looks well enough on paper, but not one man in 50 can do that well. I believe it can be done every time with proper care. I would like to hear some of our bee-keepers on the subject. If they think I am extrava- gant in the figures given above, let them say so." I conceive that the writer's knowledge or his honesty are as badly at fault as his figures. May-be he is too modest to name the real amount of wealth that these 7 years of patient waiting will wriggle out of one " skep." I make it 128 colonies^ and $1,658. Am I not cor- rect? What is the use of our taking $820, when the figures allow us $1,658 ? Suppose that the writer knew by experi- ence that such increase and sales were possible, it would undoubtedly have corrected his sad mistakes in mathe- matics. I hope the above will show some of the more enthusiastic that they have undergone a growth. I cannot help being mistaken some- times, but I can and will help being dis- honest enough to try to cover it up. But I am as much pleased as any man among us, that times for the honey- producer are better, and have a better outlook. I think the essayist referred to in the beginning of this article has rather over-estimated the extent of my con- version. Don't mistake my ever-readi- ness to back up and off from each inch of untenable ground as quickly as I see it, for an admission of the other ex- treme. I am glad of the new light of better prospects, glad of the essay, and hope to see the Chicago North- Western Bee-Keepers' Association excelled by none in the country, and that it may be my lot to be at the next meeting. Dowagiac, Mich., Nov. 11, 1880. [ We are glad of our friend Heddon's honest criticism. The communication of Mr. Hoge, on page 555 of this Jour- nal, proves that consumption has in- creased fully as much, if not more, than production. No one who knows Mr. Heddon, could think he would hesitate a moment to embrace a truth or discard an error, as soon as it becomes apparent to him. Sometimes he is a little slow in seeing it, but that is often a good fault, if we may use that term. He is cautious and honest in his convictions, and though we are often compelled to differ with him, yet we shall, we hope, ever remain the best personal friends.— Ed.] For the American Bee Journal. Over-Stocking a Locality. GEO. W. HOUSE. The subject of over-stocking is an all- important one, and at the present time is much discussed in our bee papers and at our Conventions. Intelligent and practical apiarists know that it is an easy matter to over-stock any locality ; but still there are some who claim that a location cannot be over-stocked. Whether this is owing to a lack of know- ledge, or with an intention on the part of the writer for increasing the sale of bees, is a question to be settled by the reader. In the repoi-t of the last National Con- vention, page 518, of the American Bee Journal, Mr. D. A. Jones thinks it very difficult to over-stock any good lo- cation with bees. He says he is " satis- fied that over-stocking is an imaginary evil, and one of the improbabilities in a good locality for bees. He had 300 colonies in his home apiary, and at an- other locality but a few colonies, en- tirely out of range from any other bees. This latter bee range is quite as desira- ble as the former, and the bees equally as good and strong, yet they stored no more honey per colony." Then, again, Mr. Jas. Heddon, in his essay on " Api- cultural Failures," at the National Con- vention, page 537, American Bee Journal, says, " Now bee-keepers who would succeed, it rests with you to know that a divided field will not pay anyone, and act accordingly. If you expect to avoid 'apicultural failure,' choose an unoccupied field." Now, why this diversity of opinion ? I claim Mr. Heddon is right. Let us see. Mr. Jones says he has an apiary located away from his home apiary. Now, if you cannot over-stock a loca- tion, why did Mr. J. make his second apiary ? The expenses would be less, and then it would be much more con- venient to have the bees all in one apia- ry. Again, Mr. J. says he will this fall plant 28 acres of Bokhara clover for his bees. I believe much benefit can be de- rived from planting for bee pasturage, to fill in the gap between the bloom from which we secure our yield of honey. But to our subject again : Suppose there were 100 colonies on each side of Mr. J., north, south, east and west, and within \% miles of his home apiary; what would be the consequence V I fear Mr. J. would feel like growling, and would not think over-stocking an " im- aginary evil." Again I say, over-stock- ing a location is a very easy matter. I know this from experience. Let me illustrate. At our home apiary of about 100 colonies, we have within ]% miles about 400 colonies of bees in every di- rection. Our bees in their flights are, therefore, cut off on every side, and the result is our yield of surplus honey is light, and with only a moderate flow of honey, no surplus is secured. At apiary No. 2, of about 200colonies, and located 5 miles south, our yield of surplus honey is three times theamount secured atour home apiai-y. At this apiary we have an undivided field. Apiary No. 3. of about 150 colonies, and located 10 miles south, gives us about the same results as apiary No. 2. Here we also have an undivided field. The localities are all one equally as good as the other; but our home apiary is over-stocked, and we see the results. Some localities can be over-stocked with 100 colonies, while others would keep 300 colonies. Every bee-keeper should make his lo- cation a study until he is able to know just how many colonies he can keep profitably. Then if you feel confident of being able to manage more bees, you should seek a new location. Locate where you find the most bloom— willow, fruits, clover, linden and fall flowers— the more bloom the better. But seek for some valley where you are protected from the winter winds and your bees are close by the willows, thus enabling them to get the honey from this source in the early spring, while it is yet chilly. I might say much more upon this subject, but fear I am occupying too much space already. Before signing I would say : If you do not believe these words to be facts, go into the neighborhood of some of these men who think over-sto'cking an " imag- inary evil," and talk of locating an apiary near them, and if that man has any influence over his neighbors you will know it verv quickly. Fayetteville, N. Y., Nov. 11, 1880. For tbe American Bee Journal. My Report for 1880. E. A. MORGAN. As I see that many bee-keepers are now making their reports, I will send in mine. My neighbor, McNay, makes a good showing, but his pasturage is not as good as mine. I had no success in wintering and only had 14 colonies left out of 27. It was too warm and they were not well ventilated. Of the 14, only 3 were colo- nies, the rest were nuclei. My plan is to take out all combs but 2 or '3, or what the bees can be crowded upon, by using division boards and keep them crowded, until these are full of sealed brood, then give another and so on until the hive is full, thus getting the combs full to the top and ends, when the hive is full then put on upper story for surplus. If any are short of stores hang a frame of warmed honey in the hive, cold honey is injurious. I worked for comb honey until the colonies showed signs of swarming and then began to extract, consolidating all unfinished sections on a few hives, ex- tracting the others, and feeding to these at night. In this way I secured 200 lbs. to each hive, on an average. My colonies increased to 28 by natu- ral swarming ; 3 I broke up into nuclei and have sold 56 dollar-queens from them. My bees are all Italians, from an imported queen and a descendant of a tes'ed Oatman queen, and are almost non-swarmers. The weather has been good during the season, and the yield at all times has been large. I believe with Mr. H V. Train that Italianizing by the drones is better than by the queens, for wherever my neigh- bor's queens have met my drones they seem to be nearly pure Italian bees, and where pure queens meet black drones they seem to be nearly all blacks. I once had hybrids that were uniform in color, every bee showing 1 band and no blacks with them. I think the size of a colony must be determined before we can secure large crops of surplus honey. A neighbor said to me last July, he had 0 colonies from 1 colony. I invited him to come and see me extract, the next day, when he said to me, " my 6 colonies would not make one of yours." I consider the Italians far better than blacks because they are more hardy and live longer. This' is why they are al- ways strong, and the blacks strong only in hot weather. Strong colonies give the surplus and I think 3 pecks of bees a good colony. Each of my 24 colonies would measure that much, and I took 4,800 lbs. of honey from them. I have sold 2,000 lbs. at 20c. and have the bal- ance on hand. Farmers here sow red clover with their wheat in the spring for fall pas- ture and to enrich the land. It springs up after the wheat is cut, gives a small stunted blossom and yields honey pro- fusely. I have honey marked apple blossom, dandelion, white clover, bass- wood, buckwheat, red clover and golden rod. Each yielded abundantly this year. I think there is no better pollen for early spring breeding than the alder ; it gave pollen this season on March 19, and on April 19, 3 colonies had started the sections ; I lost no time from that on. I was always watching and knew the exact condition of every brood frame and section and did what was needed to be done. Here I found Italians ahead again, for in opening an Italian colony, giving brood, exchanging combsor extracting, they work right on, while blacks are scared and buez for an hour or two, and stop work for the day ; this I proved last season. One colony on the scales gained just 12 lbs. everyday. One day at noon the scale showed 5 lbs. gain, when I opened the hive and looked them over, in the afternoon, showed % lb. gain. An Italian colony treated the same, this year showed 5 lbs. up to noon and 7 lbs. from 12 until dark. All will admit this to be so, that have handled both kinds of bees. As all, or nearly all, report a poor season this year ; it seems that my neighbor, Mr. McNay and myself have had an extra yield ; this I think is due to locality, for bee-trees cut down in the woods are giving 100 lbs. of nice honey. Arcadia, Wis., Nov. 9, 1880. For the American Bee Journal. The Sagging of Comb Foundation. W. G. WALTON. The sagging of comb foundation, while the bees are drawing it out, seems yet to be a question of doubt even among leading apiarists. In the September number of the Bee Journal I noticed an article by Mr. James Heddon on this subject, which surprised me somewhat. I dislike to disagree with a man like Mr. Heddon on any question of bee-culture, but I mil st say that I think he is behind the times on comb foundation. The following engraving will show my method of placing it in the frames. I gave the same idea in a letter published on page 314 of the Bee Journal for 1S76. I had used it previous to that date and since, and tried it thoroughly before giving my method. I have shown this rT !' l!i.!-..''!i!!!!li|!";r;!i!..S!li;-!il!':r mm mi'' mini i: iii iii.iuiiiiiii ii.i.i iiiiiillilliiuiliiiniiiiiiiiiiiiii.iw "^mBJ plan to about 100 bee-keepers who have tried it, and have thus far failed to find one that ever had the foundation sag so much that it could be noticed, or built crooked or buckle. I have made in my own apiary, I presume, during the time since it has been invented, thou- sands of combs by this plan, and never had the slightest trouble, and we have it as hot sometimes as 10.". in the shade. I see Mr. D. A. Jones is recommending the tin-pointed comb-holder, to hold up the comb foundation while it is drawn out. I think the wired foundation is of no value in this latitude, for if comb foundation is cut as shown in the above engraving. with a saw-mark deep enough in the top- bar to let it go up }{ of an inch, and either nail or wax along the top, as well as wax half way down the side, where the comb foundation touches the wood, it will not sag. I should like for Mr. Heddon, or any one who has not already tried it, to do so, and report in the Bee Journal. I think I was among the first to use comb foundation in Canada, and have had considerable experience with it, I have never had any, with the exception perhaps of a dozen combs (while I was experimenting with it), but what has been straight, beautiful, and all alike, and no drone cells in any of it except when I desired them. All that is re- quired is ordinary foundation, cut in the above shape, made on any machine, out of pure wax, to make straight combs without sagging, although I pre- fer the Dunham over any make I have yet seen. If any one should ask why those points are left at the bottom corners of the frame, in the above cut, I can inform them it is to save the queen and bees from being hurt when sitting the frames on the ground, about the hive, either upright or on the side, as well as form- ing a guide for the same purpose, while lifting the frame out of the hive, of which there is great danger, especially with a young queen, when she runs down to the bottom-bar or side to hide while the frames are being moved. Hamilton. Canada, Oct. 8, 1880. For the American Bee Journal. Systematic Bee-Keeping. o. CLUTE. Order is one of the first elements of success. The merchant whose business is not in order is constantly harassed with difficulties, and, in the end, fails. The farmer who conducts his work without system will ultimately have an exhausted soil, short crops, poor prices, and a ten-per-cent. mortgage that blank- ets all his acres. The bee-keeper who runs his bees in a systemless way will get but little benefit from the good sea- sons, and will be utterly routed by the bad ones. 1. A work-shop, or " bee-room, "as my children call my shop, is very import- ant. This may be a room in the house, a part of the wood-shed, a corner of the barn— any place at a convenient dis- tance from the hives, where all tools and appurtenances of the apiary can be kept, and where work can be conveniently done. In this room are the work- bench and the tool-closet. In this room the bee-keeper can profitably employ every rainy day throughout the season. An old stove that has been discarded from the house, with a little fixing, can be made to do duty in the shop for several years. Then in fall and winter and early spring full preparation can be made for the next summer's campaign. Hives can be made and painted ; frames 562 can be made and stored away ; racks for sections can be made ; the sections themselves can be made, the starters put in, and the sections put into the racks, so that when the hurry of the white clover or the linn season is come, the labor of preparing for the surplus honey will be so nearly done before- hand, that a few minutes will suffice for putting on the racks. In this shop all the fixtures for extrac- ting can be arranged, and the extracting can be done with the least possible amount of carrying and lifting. Here, too, the exLracted honey can be put into kegs, cans, pails and jars for market. Here the comb honey can be neatly put up in crates, and stored until time to send to market. By the enterprising bee-keeper such a shop is needed every hpur of every day. 2. Every bee-keeper should adopt a frame most suitable to his needs, then have all his frames made exactly alike, and have every hive so made that any frame will fit instantly in any hive. Let all the parts of the hives be exact in measurement, so that lids or caps, alighting-boards, division-boards, sur- plus-honey racks, feeders, second-sto- ries, are each exactly like every one of its kind. Then there is no trouble or fuss about fitting. When you take up one of these articles for use, you are confident that it will fit the place for which you want it. 3. The arrangement of hives in the apiary may be so made as greatly to fa- cilitate the labor. Having chosen a spot with suitable exposure, put the hives in groups or rows so that each hive can be easily approached and conven- iently manipulated. At the same time give the hives such symmetrical ar- rangement as will be a pleasure to the eye. In arranging hives in the spring, allowance of space should be made for whatever increase you expect to make, so that as the new colonies are made, the hives need not become huddled and disorderly. Let every hive be conspic- uously numbered. With stencil figures and black paint, this can be done easily and rapidly. 4. "Now keep a stout pocket memo- randum-book, with the pages numbered in order. Let each page of the book be devoted to the hive of corresponding number. Then any hive's record can always be turned to instantly. Keep a full record of each hive. First in im- portance in this record is the age and quality of the queen. Let this always be kept in view in examining your hives. If a queen is lacking in any desirable qualities you soon learnit, and can su- persede her. If one or more queens give a remarkably good record you know it, and can breed your next year's queens from them. In this memorandum book all important items can be noted, then, as the book is examined from time to time, you have before you the exact his- tory of every hive, and know at once what work needs to be done for each — number 59 needs more frames, number 65 needs to be extracted, the racks of sections must go on numbers 13 to 46, new queens must be given to numbers 49, 53 and 70. So the labor of each day can be carefully planned and provided for, and when that labor is done you have the satisfaction of feeling that it counts something in permanent value for your apiary. 5. Make out a full plan of each year's work, and then adhere to the plan as closely as the season will permit. Of course the wise bee-keeper must adapt himself to the conditions. If a poor sea- son spoils his hopes of honey and in- crease, it cannot be helped. His good plans will come to naught. But finding that his old plans are impossible he at once studies the conditions, and adapts himself to those conditions, and so turns what would otherwise have been a cer- tain and disastrous failure into a com- parative success. How many hives shall I run for comb honey, how many for extracted honey, what increase shall I attempt to make, how many old queens shall I replace, from what colonies shall the queens and the drones be reared, at what time or times in the season shall the increase be made ? — these and numerous other questions the careful bee-keeper will ask, and, having an- swered them to the best of his ability, he will so plan as to accomplish the de- sired ends in the best way. 6. The bee-keeper who works by sys- tem will have his harvest at the end of the year in the best shape. The comb honey is in nice sections or boxes, stored in neat crates. The extracted honey is in good barrels or kegs, in tin cans, or tin pails, or glass jars. Honey in this shape will command the highest mar- ket price. And if the producer does not want to push his product upon a glutted market, he has that product in such shape that lie can keep it for months without deterioration. It is, too, in such shape that he can ship it to distant mar- kets East or West, or even beyond the sea, and so avoid the fierce competitions in the. glutted markets of the small towns in his neighborhood. 7. This systematic bee-keeping im- plies an acquaintance with what has been learned by careful observers in the science of bee-keeping all over the coun- try. This knowledge can best be ac- quired by reading. The periodicals devoted to bee-keeping are indispensa- ble to him who would keep up with his business. And the valuable books of Prof. Cook, L. C. Root, A. I. Root, and T. G, Newman should have a place on the book-shelf of every enterprising student of this fascinating employment. I venture to suggest that John Allen's 14 Blessed Bees" could be read by all with profit. The truth is often most forcibly taught in the guise of fiction. If all bee-keepers would work with the spirit and system I have endeavored to teach in the "Blessed Bees," I am sure they would have greater delight and greater profit in their calling. Iowa City, Iowa, 28th Sept., 1880. [The foregoing was contributed to the essay department of the North Ameri- can Bee-Keepers1 Convention, recently held in Cincinnati, but did not reach the Secretary in time to be read. There are so many valuable suggestions con- tained in it, that we publish it entire as correspondence. — Ed.] For the American Bee Journal. Fertilization in Confinement. LEVI FILBERT. A year ago last August, I thought I would try an experiment. Having a queenless colony, I made a frame of the same material that I make frames for the hive, only larger, so that it would fit down tight all around. I then cov- ered it with wire-cloth, and removed the first comb from the eiidof the queenless colony, placing in my wired frame. I then went to a hive and took out a queen cell, where the queen was just begin- ning to cut through ; I took my pocket- knife and cut the queen out and placed her in the end of the hive, with a good portion of bees and drones. I left her there three days, when I changed her to the other end of the hive with other drones. In this way she became fertil- ized and proved to be a good layer, and she " holds the fort" to-day. Now I do not wish to be misunder- stood. I do not say this will always be a successful way, but it worked like a charm the first time I gave it a trial. I intended to give this another trial this season, but my bees did poorly, so I dropped it for the present. I wish some other bee-keeper would try this plan of fertilization. I have united my bees from 74 down to 51 colonies. I put 2 and 3 together, along with all the young brood and honey, and removed the empty frames. This I think is the only safe way. I am not the only unlucky man here ; if I lose my bees, others will lose theirs. Suc- cess to the Bee Journal and all bee- Port Byron, 111., Sept. 29, 1880. For the American Bee JournaL Bee Pasturage and Other Items. WM. CAMM. Editor Bee Journal : In my last you made me say "under feet," where I wrote tender feet. I meant that the two bad seasons would drive out many, or most beginners, who would become cus- tomers rather than producers, and the ultimate advantage would be to those who intelligently persevered in apicul- ture. I have saved seed of melilot and figwort; shall sow and cultivate the best honey plants side by side, and care- fully note results. Since writing you last I have observed bees, in the same flight, many times pass from purslane flowers to those of another, weed closely resembling them in color and size. In one particular spot where I often watched, contrast- ing flowers were mixed, but I saw no crossing in the same flight except be- tween buckwheat and smartweed, whose flowers, though differently shaped, were of nearly the same color. Here I saw almost every bee that visited the clus- ter cross, and saw them do so hundreds of times. Color, then, seems to guide the bee. and not only the bee but birds, for while making these observations I was one day painting farm implements with a bright red, some of the paint was spattered upon plants, and I saw a hum- ming bird repeatedly stick his bill in the paint on different plants, and several times tried even the tongue of a reaping machine. The little fellow seemed sur- prised, and before giving it up alighted on the tongue in the fresh paint, so close to me that I tried to put my hand on it. Several parties were standing close by, and we were conversing with a good deal of animation, yet the bright color seemed to attract the bird more than our presence and noise overawed it. Desiring last week to introduce eight Italian queens, I tried six of them by making a sweet infusion of peppermint leaves, removed the old queen, sprinkled the hive and bees with the infusion, also the new queen, then lifted a comb, put her on it, and after watching to see that the bees did not hurt her, put the comb in its place. Out of the six, five were successful. In looking for one black 564 queen I was bothered a long time, but finally saw her dead, killed by accident, in front of the hive. As the bees were annoyed by exposure to robbers, I put the new queen in a cage, and next morn- ing another black but smaller queen laid in front of the hive. A letter from the northern part of Alabama tells me that there bees use all the honey they get from white clover in brood-rearing ; but gather a surplus of good honey from red clover. Two de- grees south of this I saw hundreds of bees work on common red clover, but here not a single one. There few worked on blackberry ; here many work upon it. I removed a black queen ; 24 hours afterwards I put one of Alley's queens in, caged ; after 48 hours I released her, and, though well received, she flew away. As she seemed to mark the hive, my wife and I sat long by it without moving anything, but our bird was in the bush and for good. Just where I live frost has killed all but the hardiest flowers, though the sit- uation is high and dry ; but where I have bought, 6 miles east, there is hardly a sign of frost, and even beans and to- matoes are green. This shows how care- ful one should be in selecting a location for an apiary. I have just destroyed an old, gentle queen, caught wild in the Ozark Moun- tains in Missouri, thattomy own knowl- edge has laid five seasons, and was still prolific, but this year bred a great num- ber of drones. Her progeny were very gentle, very industrious, and nearly ail showed one or two yellow bands. Winchester, 111., Oct. 4, 1880. For the American Bee Journal. Chaff Packing on Summer Stands. SAMUEL STEVENSON, M. D. On this, as on many other subjects, there is still a difference of opinion, which means that we have not yet reached perfection. Much has been said upon this interesting topic, yet I think there is no danger that we shall under- stand the subject too thoroughly. I will give the method of wintering which I have pursued successfully for the last six years. I make a box of good, strong, inch lumber, with a bottom of the same thickness. The bottom is placed on the inside of the end and side pieces. I make an opening on the front side 1 inch wide by 2 long, on a level with the floor or bottom. I then remove the top from the hive and place the body containing the frames and bees within the box. I build so as to have a 3-inch space on all the sides, between the out- side of the hive and the inside of the box. The box extends 5 inches above the top of the hive when placed in posi- tion. To secure entrance to and exit from the hive at all times when the bees are disposed to lly, I take a thin piece of board 3 inches wide by 6 long, and upon the same near the ends nail a piece of board 2 inches high by 3 wide. This is placed on the inside of the box, so as to cover the opening made there. The hive is then brought up snugly in con- tact with it. Here we have a little ves- tibule or porch completely enclosed, 2 inches high, 3 wide and about 5 long. This secures perfect freedom to the bees to pass in and out. The space between the hive and box is now completely filled with finely cut wheat straw and chaff— the dryer the better. The honey boards are now removed, and a piece of good, strong, thick, clean, woolen cloth (not anything that you can pick up here or there) is put down upon the frames and fastened at each corner with a small tack. This is then covered with from 3 to 5 inches of straw and chaff. By hav- ing the cloth thick, dust is prevented from passing down. The animal heat is effectually retained, while the moist- ure or perspiration, which is constantly generated, passes up through the cloth freely, and leaves the bees dry and warm. The whole is now covered by a roof, which shuts over the outside of the box and rests on a strip of wood nailed about 2 inches from the top of the box. I build the roof of boards and shingles, and allow spaces between the roof boards for the escape of moisture. On the approach of winter, I place a quantity of straw around the hives, upon the ground, and push it up snugly against them. This prevents the cold wind from driving under them. Thus prepared, I leave my bees until the 1st of May, or sometimes till the 10th. Put up in this way, bees are not apt to leave their home on the first warm day in winter, while those not thus pro- tected, leave by hundreds and perish on the snow or by the cold wind. The warm rays of the sun do not easily pen- etrate the well-covered home and arouse them. In the early spring months breeding goes prosperously on within the well- protected hive, indifferent to the sudden and often unfavorable changes peculiar to our spi-ing season. Dryness and warmth seem to be secured by this meth- od—without these conditions, no colony can prosper. By this method of winter- ing, I have succeeded for the past 6 years to my entire satisfaction. Morenci, Mich., Oct. 12, 1880. For the American Bee Journal. Plenty of Bees : Plenty of Honey. G. M. DOOLITTLE. In order to get box honey we must have plenty of bees in our hives when the honey season arrives, or a failure is almost certain, as those reared as the season draws to a close will be consum- ers instead of producers. But how shall we get the bees '? is a question frequently asked. We will tell you how to get them : When pollen becomes plenty — say, the 10th of May in this latitude — we go to each hive, and if the bees will bear spreading a little more without danger of chilling the brood, take a frame of honey from the outside of the cluster, and break the sealing by passing a knife flatwise over it, and place it in the center of the brood-nest. In ten days go over them again, and so on until settled warm weather comes in June, then go over them every four or live days, putting one frame in the cen- ter each time, and you will find the queen will till it every lor 5 days, besides keeping all the empty cells filled which are daily vacated by maturing brood. By the 25th of June every available cell should be tilled with brood, and the hive full of bees. By this time white clover is at its height, and all the boxes should be put on, if not already on. We like to put on boxes when the hive is so full of brood, and the bees so anxious for some place to put honey that they will commence work in the boxes at once. Gallup gave us the secret years ago in the American Bee Journal, when he said : " Get the bees and they will get the honey, if there is any to be had." Keep an eye to business and do things at the right time, if you wish success. If we wait about putting on boxes when our bees have arrived at the condition we have supposed them to be in on June 25th, and we should have but a few days honey yield, we will get nothing. It'is no unusual thing to secure from 6 to 10 lbs. of box honey from a colony per day, if you have your hive full of brood and bees and honey is plenty in the flowers. Now we will suppose that instead of spreading the brood as given above, we let our bees take care of themselves, leaving weak colonies unprotected, and if any bees have died during the winter we leave their stores for the bees to carry away. After carrying off this they will be apt to rob out week colonies, and thus their combs will be tilled with honey instead of brood. Soon the willows blossom, then the apple trees, and thus the hive is kept full of honey. Too much stores in May and June will just as surely spoil the colony for box honey as to let them starve. There is no such thing as having the combs full of honey during the fore part of the season, and then getting boxes filled with clover honey, for where would the bees come from to gather said honey ? E. Gallup said in the American Bee Journal, page 6, vol. 4: "We must never allow the bees to get in advance of the queen, for if we do the prosperity of the colony is checked at once ; that is, if the bees are allowed to till the combs with honey in the spring, before the queen has filled them with brood, the colony will be an unprofitable one." Honey cannot be obtained without bees. Our 9 Gallup frames give us 45,000 work- er bees every 21 days, and a queen that is good for anything, worked on the plan given in this article, will keep the frames full of brood after they are once full, till the honey season draws to a close, providing the boxes are put on at the proper time ; but give the same queen 5,000 bees, and these old ones or field-workers, and they will keep the combs so filled with honey that no sur- plus will be obtained. If our hives con- tain 5,000 bees on the 1st of May, with 10 lbs. of honey, they are what we call extra good colonies. Now. if we should give them what honey or syrup they could carry during the month of May, instead of using up the 10 lbs., we would have about 5,000 bees in our hives all summer. Thus it will be seen it is bees we want in our hives the fore part of the season, instead of honey. If, by the process given, our bees run short of stores, of course we must feed them, and money thus spent in feeding will return a large interest, if the sea- son is anything like favorable. When boxes are filled take them off before they are soiled, and put empty boxes having a starter of nice white comb in their places, and thus you will avoid the difficulty so often experienced, of getting bees to work in a secend set of boxes after a full set has been taken off. As the season draws to a close, place the unfinished sections together, and as near the brood as possible, con- tracting the amount of box room to suit their number, and thus you will get most of your honey in a salable form. Again another season draws to a close, and this is the last one of the articles we promised you for the season 1880. We hope they may have been of some practical value to some, and if so. we are content. We rejoice that we are to have a weekly American Bee Jour- nal for 1881, and we shall try to show our appreciation by writing for its col- umns as often as our time will allow. Wishing you all a prosperous season for 1881, we remain your obedient servant. Borodino, N. Y., Nov., 1881. For the American Bee Journal. Tool for Glassing Sections. C. WITRSTER. Editor Bee Journal : I have sent you an implement for inspection and opinion. I have felt the need so much for it during the past two years, and have tried several devices to help me in putting the. tin points on sections in glassing, of which, as you see, this is the result, and I do not think it can be im- proved much in principle, except that the hole for the shank, which is smaller in diameter down through the interior of the jaw, may be extended about % of an inch further back, so on the spring Eressing back the shank it may still ave sufficient insertion in its own bore to prevent the point of the shank from slipping over on the shoulder left by the larger bore. One continuous small bore may do, but the shank would not be sufficiently strong and stiff, and the large bore would be too big to go to the tip of the jaw unless made heavier, also the slat in the exterior cut in the furl or casing might be put on the opposite side to prevent coming in contact with the right fore finger in the act of press- ing down when driving the tin points. It is a great convenience for those who have many sections to glass. I have come across nothing so far to do this work. I have spent much study and labor on this, and whether it suits or not, you are welcome to it, and to use it for a pattern. It is not easy to make one to work right, but a good mechanic, with a reasonable amount of skill, ought to be able to do so without difficulty. We have had engravings in your valua- ble Journal for nailing sections to ad- vantage, but I consider this just as indispensable. You can drive the point into hard wood even. Although only lately perfected, I still had the pleasure of driving some 7,000 points, without missing or ill-spending a single one. You will see, when using the tool, the section must be laid down fiat, lay your glass on, and the side of the section you wish to drive the points in should be nearest you, then with your left hand hold the section and glass in place, and with the left hand thumb to steady the tool, having, as you will notice, one jaw shorter, which must be facing the glass in front of it, keeping the tool close to the edge of the glass, and while press- ing down with the left fore finger press the glass against the tool, or at least from pushing it off in case a point is a little faulty and sometimes apt to bend. A very little practice will enable a person to put in the points, and with the side of the jaw turning over the heel of the point with such rapidity that a looker-on can hardly tell how it is done. I of course have taken out no patent on it, and therefore make it pub- lic property with this wish, that it may be named with the inventor's name if it should be found deserving. The shank is put into the handle with a thread cut on it and screwed in, as that part is to be the strongest, and to project just so so far, to almost a hair's breadth. Kleinburg, Ontario, Oct. 5, 1880. [The tool is very handy, and shows skill in devising. Those who do much glassing will find it quite useful. — Ed.] For the American Bee Journal. Cyprian and Holy Bees, Etc. D. A. JONES. In compliance with the request of the National Convention that I write out for publication, in the American Bee Journal, the substance of my remarks before that body at their last session, in Cincinnati, relative to my recent trip to the Island of Cyprus and Jerusalem, it gives me pleasure to submit the fol- lowing : Since we last parte i (about one year ago) I have endeavored, in common with the rest of my brother bee-keepers, to elevate the science and better our con- dition, and one of my efforts has been to secure new and superior races of bees, in which I have succeeded beyond my most sanguine expectations, and I feel satisfied that the years 1880-81 will be marked in the bee history of America as making greater onward strides in bee- keeping than any previous years. One year ago we were very anxious to secure queen bees from the Island of Cyprus, which I have accomplished at great expense and sacrifice of comfort ; but even more has been done. A supe- rior race of bees, now known as " holy bees," have been collected from various parts of the Holy Land. I found bees there which I believe to be those first given to man, and which possess quali- ties not found in any others. The Cyprian bees have been described in the Journal, and as I have now fur- nished a great many of our American bee-keepers with Cyprian and holy queens, it will only be necessary to call attention to some of their leading points: They build less drone comb than the blacks or Italians. They fly further in search of stores, if necessary. They fly very swift, being able to go as far, and unload and return, in 7 min- utes as others do in 9. They protect their stores against rob- bers with such determination that they often catch the robbers on the wing around their hives and punish them be- fore they even get time to alight ; in fact, they appear robber-proof. They are more judicious about going out in bad weather, and have a keener scent, which is more acute than blacks or Italians. Their bodies are more telescopic, which enables them to carry large loads of honey, and to contract their bodies at other times to quite small proportions. They are wonderfully prolific, laying an incredible number of eggs in a sea- son ; in fact, I would not be surprised if holy queens would lay as many eggs in one season as blacks or Italians do in a life-time. They do not stop breeding early in the fall after frosty nights, like blacks and Italians, but continue breeding right along ; thus it will be seen that they will be in good condition for wintering, so far as young bees are concerned. Both races have a beautiful gold shield between their wings, and are very light on the under side of the abdomen. The Cyprians have a black tip at the end of the abdomen, more so than the holy bees; some of them having beautiful gray hairy rings even to the tip, and when well filled with honey they sometimes show 4 broad gold bands and 2 narrower ones— 6 in all. Some of the Cyprian drones are very handsome, more so than the holy drones; yet the holy drones are very tine, large and vigorous, with long gray and blue- tinged hair. Both Cyprian and holy bees are more easily transported than Italian or blacks, as they do not gorge themselves with honey so frequently or readily, and can contract their bodies so small ; may it not be reasonable to suppose that they consume less stores, except in breeding? I intend to test this matter fully, and wish others to do so. I believe they will be valuable for box honey, as the queen will occupy every cell in the brood chamber, and force them to put their honey elsewhere. Both the Cyprian and holy queens are very much smaller when not laying, and some persons think them ordinary- looking ; but give them plenty of bees and room, and they get very large and fill frames with eggs so rapidly that you would imagine it impossible for one queen to deposit them so fast. One holy queen can lay eggs enough in 21 days to make from 4 to 6 swarms of bees, if they are all cared for and hatched. This may seem surprising, but try the experiment and be convinced. How Bees are Kept in Cyprus. They are kept in clay cylinders, which are piled up like cord-wood, the ends being closed up with stone or mud, and the spaces between the cylinders as they are piled are also closed at each end, so there is a dead-air-space almost around each cylinder, which keeps them cooler than any one would suppose they could be, standing as they do in the burning sun. As the bees all fly out at a small hole in the end of each hive, I should think that heavy losses must occur with the queens as they go out on their bri- dal tours. When the natives want any honey and think the cylinder is full, they open the rear end and remove the stone or mud plate that closes it, and blow in smoke to drive the bees forward, sometimes out of the entrance, and remove all the honey from the back end of the hive. Sometimes they have two honey seasons, other times one, but this year none. It has been the worst honey year ever known in Cyprus. Three-fourths of the bees died last spring, and since then three-fourths of what were left have died, so there are none in some locali- ties, and only a few in others. We have had to feed an enormous quantity of sugar to keep our large apiary at Lan- arca from starving. Mr. Benton says that our Italians or blacks could not survive where the Cyp- rians will live and thrive. He wonders that there is a bee left in such a country, and claims that they are only the fittest which have survived. Mr. Benton is very sanguine about their great supe- riority when it is put to the test. But I must now tell you about the holy bees, or the bees of Palestine and Syria. In the Valley of Sharon, at Jeru- salem, Bethlehem. Mount of Olives near Jericho, and in fact, all through the hills of Judea, the hives are made of clay, and conical-shaped. The bees fly out and in at the small end, the other being closed the same as in Cyprus. About Beyrout, and along the edge of Mount Lebanon, they are kept in water jugs, some in cylinders, and others in a wickerorbaskethive,about7or 9 inches 568 in diameter, and about 3 feet long, cov- ered with the manure of camels or mules. They are also laid on the side, and the ends closed, except a small hole in one end for the bees to pass in and out. At Damascus they are in clay cyl- inders not burned nor baked, but dried with a mixture of straw to hold the clay together. On Mount Hermon they are the same as the above, but near Palmyra they are smaller, and the bees are very handsome, some of which were shown at the Convention. In other parts I found the hives similar to those I have described. But the strangest one I found was a rock hive, or rather a colo- ny in a deep crevice in the rocks, near the Jordan. I examined it to see if I could not get them out, but came to the conclusion it would take a barrel of gun- powder to blast away the rocks so I could get to them. I was informed they would not have been there then if they could have been reached, as the shepherds are always on the search for wild bees, and they rob them as soon as they find them. There is one redeeming feature about the system of bee-keeping practiced in Cyprus, Palestine and Syria ; that is, although they are heathens, they do not brimstone their bees as do the Christians of Europe and America. Beeton, Ontario, October, 1880. For the American Bee Journal. Bee-Keeping in the South. B. F. AVERILB. Having kept bees with profit at my home in Massachusetts, I have often, since coming South, wondered why so few people here are engaged in that pleasant and profitable occupation. I regard an apiary located in the South, if managed with equal energy and skill, more profitable than those I have visited in other sections of the country. Here are flowers in abundance (except per- haps a few weeks in July and August) from February to November, and dur- ing the winter months, in mild weather, bees gather quantities of juice from stubs of cane in the cane-fields, breed- ing, therefore, throughout the year. I find with regret, in a country so well adapted to bee-keeping, the pursuit sadly neglected. A walk through sev- eral apiaries in this vicinity discouraged me of the bee prospects for Louisiana. But a number of apiarists in this State are doing much to advance the business in the South by their example and suc- cess, prominent among whom I may mention Mr. Paul L. Viallon. of Bayou Goula, who has an extensive apiary. A glance at his many colonies and nuclei, overflowing with bees, would induce, I think, many of my Northern friends to wish they were as favorably situated. While my bees at home had ceased breeding, and were ready for the cellar when I left, his are gathering honey, and will do so for weeks to come. October 11, 1880. For the American Bee Journal Do Queens lay Eggs in Queen Cells? D. K. BOUTELLE. Mr. G. M. Doolittle in an article on the "proper time for queen-rearing," in the Journal, for October, says : " Certainly no better queens can be reared than those reared in the swarm- ing hive, where the queen lays the egg directly in the queen-cell, and the larvae is fed for a queen until it is sealed over." I will give an account of a little ex- perience I had two years ago, which, if I mistake not, may have a bearing on the question whether the queen lays eggs directly in the queen-cells, or whether they are transferred there by the worker bees from worker cells. In 1868 I had a few hives of black bees which I desired to Italianize. Prom one of them I took the queen, closing the hive for a few days for all eggs and larvae to be too far advanced for pro- ducing queens. I then cut out all queen cells started, so there was no possibility of a queen being reared from any thing then in the hive. Next I gave a comb from an Italian colony containing a small patch of eggs equal to about 3 inches square, but no brood. On the second day afterwards I opened the hive and took up that comb. To my sur- prise, no queen-cells were started on it, but the eggs were there, apparently as when I gave the comb. I closed the hive for two more days when I looked again, and was again surprised, on tak- ing up the comb, to find no eggs in it — not an egg. This puzzled me. I took up the next comb, but nothing peculiar was seen. I then took up a third which was a new, light-colored comb (the one supplied was an old black comb) and was built only about half way down, and, as is often the case in a long, or Langstroth frame, it was built in two points— or forked. Here, for a third surprise, in the fork between the points, were two good queen-cells, built about two-thirds length. On looking into them there I saw the tiny larvse lying in bits of white jelly all nice. But my surprises were not yet over. While puzzling over the matter, I noticed that one of the points of this comb was com- posed of drone cells, and which were also occupied with just hatched young larva? and bits of jelly apparently just like those in the queen-cells. Here was a puzzle sure. I closed the hive and watched it closely, examining it nearly every day, until it was nearly time for the queens to emerge, when I cut one of the cells out and gave it to a another hive of black bees from which I had previously taken the queen. Both queens from these two cells proved to be good Italians. In due time, from the drone portion of the comb, occupied with brood, hatched nice Italian drones. The number of drone cells occupied was apparently about the same as the eggs in the comb I had supplied from the Italian colony. If I remember rightly, some three or four years ago, some one offered, through either the Bee Journal, or Magazine, to give $50 to any one who would prove that the bees ever removed an egg from a worker to a queen-cell. Now, if I have made no mistake about the facts, as herein related, then the conclusion seems inevitable, that the bees do, at least sometimes, remove egffs, not only from worker to queen- cells, but also from worker to drone cells. It would seem too, that the eggs which the queen deposits in worker cells are capable of producing both queens and drones ! It would further seem that no great number of eggs or larvae could have been fed to these two queens. If these conclusions be true, then what becomes of the theory that drones are produced only from eggs not impregnated with the male princi- ple V 1 do not dare, at present, directly to advocate what would, from the above seem to be true, against the theories of experienced and learned apiculturists. But, here is my expei'ience for what it is worth, and I confess to some few pinches of doubt about a number of things pertaining to bees, which are pretty generally taken for granted after reading them in a bee book or paper. But to return to the question whether queens deposit eggs directly in queen- cells. I am fully convinced that the bees do in some cases at least, remove eggs from worker to queen-cells. And now, the question I would ask is, do queens ever deposit eggs directly in queen-cells V I remember sometime to have seen an article— I think it was in the Journal— in which the writer maintains that the matter of rearing queens and swarming is entirely con- trolled by the worker bees; and, that the queen is naturally opposed to the whole arrangement; and that whatever she does about it is by compulsion. Here is one thought about it. I have noticed that a very common, and it would seem a favorite location in the hive for bees to build queen-cells is the very bottom edge of the combs, 'where it is rare to see any worker-brood. I have often seen them in the lower back corner of the outermost side frames, a situation in which I never saw any worker-brood. Now is it not probable that the worker bees have brought eggs from other parts of the hive and depos- ited them in these situations? And further, is it not possible that the workers transfer all eggs that occupy queen-cells ? Has any one ever seen a queen deposit an egg in a queen-cell, or otherwise verified the fact that she does so ? or is it only taken for granted V If any one knows the fact, will he or she tell us through the Journal how they know it ? Lake City, Minn., Oct, 15, 18S0. For the American Bee Journal. A Visit to Mr. Hill's Apiary. DR. E. PARMLY. After the adjournment of the Con- vention a number of us accepted an invitation from Mr. J. S. Hill to visit his apiarv,at Mt. Healthy, 9 miles from Cincinnati, O. I wish, Mr. Editor, you were with us. I heard many inquiries for you but you had vanished. We had a most enjoyable time ; a perfect au- tumn day and, once beyond the limits of the city, a clear sky. You won d be pleased to know all the occupants of the several wagons so kindly provided by Mr. C. F. Muth. Among other things we discussed was by what strat- egy our worthy president. Dr. Allen, managed to get all the ladies in his wagon, and we argued that equally skil- ful management of all the bestthings in which we are interested, would make our North American lice- Keepers" So- ciety a grand success under his admin- istration. Miss Delia Benton, who was in at- tendance at the National Convention, is a sister of Mr. Frank Benton now on the Island of Cyprus. His labors in the interests of bee-culture are too well- known to remark upon them here. Miss Benton's principal object in at- tending the Convention was to send her brother the earliest news of its proceed- ings and she must have been gratified to hear from so many, of the high es- teem in which he is held by the most prominent bee-keepers, both here and abroad. After dinner we examined Mr. Hill's apiary and had a pleasant meeting. Dr. !N. P. Allen in the chair. On mo- tion of Mr. D. A. Jones, seconded by Capt. W. F. Williams, it was resolved that we tender our thanks to Mr. J. S. Hill and his family, for their kind- hearted hospitality in furnishing us a sumptuous dinner and his kindness in exhibiting to us his apiary and his fine Italian and Cyprian queens, also our thanks to Mr. 0. F. Muth for his kind- ness in exhibiting to us his house apiary and bees, and his kindness in procuring for us vehicles for our trip. Mr. Muth is a large-hearted man ; systematic in the management of his business and I am not surprised at the unbounded confidence I so frequently heard expressed, in his judgment and integrity. The persons who were seated at Mr. Hill's table in addition to his family, represented about 3,000 colonies — Mr. Jones heading the list. In our examin- ation of the apiary Miss Hill rendered valuable assistance to her father in opening the hives in advance. She showed that skill and gentleness of action that comes from experience and although unprotected, showed no fear and was not stung. When asked if she liked such work, she replied, that she liked to do anything to assist her father. If more sons and daughters were like minded, there would be more happy homes. She has intelligence, independ- ence and firmness enough to make a strong character, and whatever she does, it will be done as Sir Joshua Reynolds mixed his colors, ''with brains, sir." New York. For the American Bee Journal. Hard-wood Barrels for Honey. EDWIN FRANCE. I have had some experience with oak honey barrels. It is needless to detail all my trials and troubles with " leaky"' barrels, the hrst year, after I obtained an extractor, but I will say that oak barrels will hold honey without leaking, if they are well made, of good timber, and thoroughly dried before putting the honey into them. The barrels should be kept up stairs, two months or a year before using them — by all means keep them out of the cellar. I use oak barrels without waxing and they do not leak at all, and the most of them have been in use from 3 to 4 years, and every year I have to take out one of the heads to get the honey out, after it is candied. I sell most of my honey in our home market. Am selling now at 123>£c. per pound or 10c. by the barrel. Platteville, Wis., Oct. 12, 1880. [Hard wood barrels as usually made and kept in damp places, will not hold honey without waxing. Small sugar- pine or spruce barrels are far preferable to hard- wood, for honey ; besides, your success with hard- wood is certainly ex- ceptional. We recently saw a lot of 7 tons of honey, and all the barrels leaked but 3. For our opinion of honey casks, see October number, page 472. — Ed.] For the American Bee Journal. Honey and Apiarian Supplies at Fairs. L. H. PAMMEL, JR. Many counties in the United States hold an annual fair, where there is a general display of agricultural products, farm inplements, stock, fruit, honey and apiarian supplies. Some depart- ments are well represented, but that of honey and fruit is generally meager. So deficient were they in the former, at the numerous fairs wliich I have visited, that I questioned myself as to the cause, not thinking, however, that it was from a lack of interest. I further considered the matter, and through inquiry I hud it to be actually from a lack of interest; and still another cause is that many bee- keepers hold fast to their old theories and think very little of scientihc bee- culture, and 1 am sorry to say that a large proportion are such— of course there are many exceptions. Something must be done to enlighten such bee- keepers. But how shall it be done ? is a question of great importance. Bee- keeping as a science has been developed to only a limited extent, for many new theories will be adopted that will add to the store of human knowledge. Every bee-keeper should take pride in advancing the cause of scientiUc bee- keeping, and no place affords such am- ple opportunity as our State and county fairs, for the less advanced class gener- ally attend the fairs, and if the advant- age is shown to them of having bees in movable-frame hives, or show tiiem your honey, how elegant it looks, and others passing by will praise it ; then contrast the difference with an old box hive, or surplus gathered in cheese- boxes and tobacco-pails. They will very soon be converted from their old hobbies to the more modern principles. LaCrosse, Wis., Oct. 1, 1880. ©miumtions* Cortland Union, N. Y., Convention. The Cortland Union Bee-Keepers' As- sociation held its regular fall meeting in Cortland, N. Y., on Monday, Oct. 5, 1880. The morning session, after the reading of the minutes of the last meet- ing and the Treasurer's report, was de- voted to miscellaneous discussion. M. C. Bean inquired whether black or Italian queens were more prolific layers during life-time ? He was replied to by H. D. Mason, who claimed that the Italians were far superior, that they were more able to build themselves up when weak, would cover more comb with a given number, were greater honey gatherers, and re- quired attention that they did not crowd the brood chamber. Some discussion of the relative merits of queens reared in nucleus and full colonies, and dollar queens in general, was participated in by Messrs. R. H. Mellen, E. B. Glazier and Pres. Pierce. At the opening of the afternoon ses- sion, in the absence of M. H. Fairbanks, who was to open the principal question of the day, " The best method of pre- Earing bees for winter," and E. H. Inapp,alternate, desiring to be excused, M. C. Bean was called upon to lead off the discussion. He stated that from lack of preparation he would simply give the plan he had pursued up to the E resent time. Since basswood time he ad fed back considerable honey extrac- ted for the purpose, and the hives were now full of bees and seemed strong for winter. The majority of his bees were in double-walled hives, packed in chaff and hay. The bees are on 8 and 9 frames. He always fed good honey, without diluting. A. L. Lansing had fed natural honey and his success in fall feeding had been poor. The larger portion of the bees so fed had died before spring. Mr. Mellen— It should he diluted. Mr. Corey had fed diluted honey, and his bees had died with dysentery before spring. Pres. Pierce— Bees not fed so late but that they could have one or two cleans- ing flights before winter, would be all right. Mr. Chapman was feeding 5 colonies now as an experiment. Mr. Mason's experience was that the honey fed late in the season would not be sealed, but soured, and the bees died of dysentery. Except for daily use, he would not feed later than the early part of September. In wintering bees Mr. Mason had tried many plans. He had once packed in chaff and sawdust. The plan he liked best and now practiced was to remove one end of the hive — the Langstroth, with one end secured by buttons — and placing it on that end on scantling arranged in a trench in dry soil. The hives were placed closely to- gether, covered with an abundance of straw and a few inches of earth. He gave no ventilation except such as came through the soil; the bees consumed little honey, and came out strong in the spring. Last spring his bees dwindled away badly ; attributed it largely to the cider they had stored in their hives in the fall. Some colonies wintered out- doors fared worse than those which he buried. W. L. Cogshall wintered his bees packed in chaff ; had tried a bee-house, but failed. A discussion ensued upon the venti- lation of hives, which was participated in by Messrs. Chapman, Mason, Cog- shall, E. H. Knapp and F. Schermer- horn, The latter gentleman wintered in the cellar, and followed the directions laid down in the "New Quinby" as closely as possible. His success had been good. Mr. Mellen had formerly tried the cel- lar, but failed ; had used chaff hives for two years. Slips of paper were given to the mem- bers, with the request that each give the amount of honey produced the last season, both comb and extracted, with the number of colonies in the spring and the increase. From these it appears that the total production by the Asso- ciation is 10,215 lbs. extracted, and 9,160 lbs. of comb honey ; number of colonies in the spring was 688, and now is 1,051. It was decided that there be several subjects for discussion at the next meet- ing, instead of one. The questions selected, together with the gentlemen to open them and their respective order, are as follows : "Foun- dation in hives and surplus boxes," W. L. Cogshall ; " Wintering Bees," A. G. Chapman; "Rearing Italian Queens," E. H. Knapp and J. W. Cudworth ; "Safest manner of Introducing Italian Queens at any time of season,"" H. D. MaSOn ; ' RTwinorincr T?pps ': Mellen. Mason ; " Springing Bees," R. H. The Association adjourned to meet at the same place on Tuesday. Jan. 4, 1881, at which meeting the election of officers for the year will occur. The attendance was excellent, and in- cluded several ladies. C. A. Pierce, Pre*. C. M. Bean, Sec. Read before the LaCrosse Convention. About Wintering Bees. E. A. MORGAN. This is a subject of more importance to the apiarist than all others combined, and well deserves the earnest thought, careful study, and accurate experiments of the most practical apiarists. If we have no bees, we need not trouble our- selves about their style of hive, their forage, or their management; and we are absolutely certain we shall lose them unless properly cared for. Although a heavy loser myself by disastrous win- tering, I have conducted a series of ex- periments which I feel sure will prove a gain in the end. Bees, unlike other insects, are more or less active all through the winter, and require more or less food, according to the amount of heat they generate ; therefore, to successfully winter them they must have an even temperature, and to secure this cellars, bee-houses, and packing on the summer stand are resorted to. I have traced the trouble to sudden changes of temperature, causing ex- cessive dampness, unwholesome food, and failure in late fall breeding. I am satisfied that bees in this lati- tude cannot be wintered successfully in cellars ; the five months' confinement either bloats them up, causing disease, or they besmear the combs, and the foul odor soon destroys the colony, or renders them so weak that they dwindle in the spring. Some advise putting them out for a fly, but the disturbance in doing this makes it equal to leaving them iii, and results in no good ; besides, it is a heavy job with a large number. As we have seen that an even tem- perature is desired to keep the bees quiet, and as the foul odors of cellars and bee-houses causes disease, we must search for other means of protection. After three years of careful experi- ments, I am' satisfied that wintering on the summer stand is preferable to any other, and that bees are in a better condition for the season's work, than if kept in any other way. But to get our bees through safely with a small amount of honey, and have them strong in num- bers and in a healthy condition, they must be prepared in the fall ; for the better condition they are in when put away, the better they will come out in the spring. First in importance is the queen ; more depends upon the queen than is generally supposed. The nives should be examined as early in the fall as the first of September, to see that all have queens, and that those which are old and feeble may be superseded, and those not laying be fed or the honey extracted from the center combs. A good bee- keeper will know the age of every queen, and note the condition of the colony. I am certain that no colony will live un- til May without a queen, let them be in ever so good a condition. It is very important that the queens be kept laying until October 1st ; at least that there may be young bees to winter on, instead of old ones, for the work required in spring to rear brood is too much for old bees, which are tired out at the beginning of the winter. With this method we have young bees and the colony is strong in numbers, both tending to the desired point— heat and even temperature. Very much is lost by keeping old or poor queens. In- troducing a young, vigorous queen in august will generally save the poorest colony. After the queens and late breeding have been attended to, I prepare my colonies as follows : On a warm day in October remove 3 or 4 frames of honey from the hive (choose the lightest), and leave the balance in the center of the hive ; then put a division board on each side and pack the space with dry chaff ; cover the top with duck, put on the up- per story, fill in with chaff, and put on the cover. I then construct an outer rough box. with 6 inches of space all around, which I fill with chaff; then cover with coarse marsh hay, and rider it ; leave the hive justwhere it stood all summer; contract the entrance to about 2 inches. Thus packed, strong in num- bers, with plenty of good, sealed honey, the heat is retained, the moisture es- capes without the heat being lost, dur- ing a protracted cold spell leave the entrance nearly closed, and at the begin- ning of a thaw open the entrance full width to allow the dampness and the gases to escape at the bottom. A colony of bees in a cellar, with the temperature at the freezing point all the time, are worse off than out on the summer stand, unpacked. Each colony should have at least 30 lbs. of .good sealed honey, and two small sticks should be laid across the tops of the frames before covering with the duck and chaff. If warm days occur in mid-winter, scatter straw in front of the hives; some old bees will fall and die, but the colony is not weakened, for during such a flight the queen is excited to lay, and young bees are reared even in 'January and February, and very many in March. Several colonies taken from the cellar on April 1st, 1880, seemed strong, but in 573 3 days did not cover 2 frames, while those wintered out, as above described, were strong and healthy, and emitted a sweet odor ; they did not dwindle, and gave the best returns this season of any bees I ever knew. Some have success with cellar winter- ing, but I find bees wintered out are stronger, tougher, and breed up earlier than those wintered in-doors. It is said that bees kept in cellars, in a healthy condition, void their feces in a perfectly dry state ; but the conditions under which they must be kept are so particu- lar, that with the majority it is not safe. Prof. Cook would leave his bees in the cellar until flowers appear ; this may do in countries where winters are short, but in Wisconsin I have lost several good colonies which were very quiet from Nov. 1st until April 10th, by leav- ing them until flowers appeared, April 18th, when all were dead. I consider that no upward ventilation is necessary, for impure air caused by exhalation of the bees will escape at the bottom ; being carbonic acid gas, it is heavier than air. Do not molest or jar hives in cold weather, as this disturbs the cluster, causing them to eat, and any excitement produces an undue heat, which rises in moisture and must be ta- ken up. During several weeks of pro- tracted cold, frost will collect on the outer combs if not covered with bees, and when a thaw comes, if the entrance be not opened wide, this dampness will kill the bees. It is my belief that in cellar wintering brood-rearing kills the bees. I shall, therefore, continue ex- periments the coming winter, giving pure honey sealed in June in the upper story, with not a particle of pollen in it. Whatever may be the result, I will re- port it for the benefit of science. Arcadia, Wis., Sept., 1880. Read at the naCrosse Convention. Bee Forage of Western Wisconsin. L. H. PAMMEL, JR. A man's success in bee-keeping may be traced to the scientific management of the apiary, and the number of honey plants that are in easy reach of the bees from the apiary. Every locality con- tains some honey plants. The fertility and productiveness of these plants de- pend upon the soil and climate. Of course our soil and climate cannot show honey plants that grow so luxuriantly and blossom with such fertility as those of the more tropical regions. Many of the southern plants thrive here, but their blooming season is retarded by our late springs. The willow is with us the first plant of the season that contains any pollen or honey. The blossoms of the willow are of two kinds— pistillate and stanii- nate ; the former contains only honey, and the latter only pollen. The red or soft maple is a valuable honey plant, blooming long before its leaves appear. In April many wild flowers bloom, that contain both honey and pollen ; these are nearly all members of the crowfoot family. Early in May the hard maple opens its buds, and is very productive in honey. We can hardly classify it among the honey plants of this region, for the tree is very scarce in our forests. About the 15th of May the apple, cherry and wild plum blossom. They contain considerable nectar of fine flavor, and are thronged with bees from the first opening bud till the last. About the same time the dandelion opens its beau- tiful yellow tints, and where it is found the busy bee may be seen. One of the best honey plants of May is the wild crabapple, the honey being of the finest flavor, and, from a careful observation, I am satisfied that the blossom contains as much honey as the bass wood. So fragrant are the flowers of the crabap- ple, that the air is scented for a great distance. As a honey plant, I would advise its cultivation. There are many wild flowers that bloom in May that are frequently visited by bees, but time and space will not permit me to name them. The honey plants of June are more abundant. The white or Dutch clover opens its deep hidden tubes early in June, and is in continual bloom for about six weeks. It is well adapted to the soil of Western Wisconsin, very little having ever been sown; it is at home alike on the alluvial bottom land or on the poorest clay soil. The sumac is a valuable honey plant. The bees can gather honey from it as long as the dew remains on its blossoms. Borage is one of the cultivated honey plants. and is very valuable for the reason that bees work on it in rainy weather, when nearly all other plants have no honey it blooms from June till frost. Alder berry, like sumac, only has honey early in the morning, and t he honey is* not of the finest quality. Ilorehound (Salvia officinalis), is one of the mini family. This is oneof thefewwiid honey plants which have a commercial value. The honey is very fine, but retains slightly the taste of the plant. Early in July the basswood opens its first buds: and blossoms continuously for two weeks. The appearance and flavor of the honey certainly cannot be surpassed. The basswood, so greatly admired by the ancients, will still con- 574 tinue to win the admiration of all ar- dent lovers of nature. Indian and sweet corn contain considerable pollen, and the latter some honey, which is very thin and of poor flavor. I cannot say with certainty that bees gather honey from Indian corn, but think they do. Catnip is rich in honey, and blooms from July till frost. Very little of the plant is grown for honey, as it is a weed which is hard to destroy. In August the cultivated buckwheat blossoms, if sown from the 20th of June to the 1st of July. The honey from buckwheat is very dark, and is of an in- ferior quality ; the flowers are rich with nectar. About the 15th of August the bergamot opens its beautiful yellow co- rollas, ready to let the bee sip its nectar. Bergamot is only adapted to sandy soil. Goldenrod, belonging to the Solidagoes. is one of the latest honey plants of the season, and can be found growing on all soils— in the marshes, on the prairies. and on the uplands. The honey is of fine quality, and in flavor cannot be ex- celled. The asters bloom about the same time, and are found growing more abundantly in the marshes and along the water-courses. This makes up the list of most of the honey plants of Western Wisconsin that I am most familiar with. Not be- ing an expert in botany, I presume errors have been made in this essay ; but it was not my object to give you the botanical names and descriptions, but merely a simple description of the honey plants, that beginners may be guided. LaCrosse, Wis., Sept., 1880. Western Illinois and Eastern Iowa. Various adverse circumstances, which were unavoidable, tended to make our eighth semi-annual meeting a very light one, among which are prominent the universal failure of the honey crop this year, the great political campaign being so near its close, and many members who would have been present, but, at the last hour almost, were detained at home by other pressing business. Neverthe- less, those who were at New Boston on the 14th and 15th of October, 1880, en- joyed themselves very much, and the discussions, though limited as to deba- ters, were as animated as of yore. Sev- eral essays were read which drew out lively discussions. The meeting was called to order by the President, L. H. Scudder, who is ever prompt and at his post. Letters were received from many of the mem- bers regretting their inability to be pres- ent and wishing the meeting all success. The first question very naturally taken up was Why the Small Crop of Honey this Year 1 All seemed willing to give a theory, but no satisfactory conclusions were reached, except it be in the mind of each individual. Jas. A. Simpson. I would like to see that question answered. It is the first time in my experience when all things were favorable ; it seemed as though every condition was right for the secre- tion of honey, and yet no honey flowed. I always thought that when plants blos- somed and produced seed, we ought to get honey from them. But this sea- son was an exception ; bees were starv- ing in our hives when white clover was in bloom. I saw a bee go to 67 heads of white clover, and yet she had no load. The heads were short, but the bees ac- cumulated nothing. E. I). Godfrey. I think the bees were about as much disgusted as you Jas. A. Simpson. They seemed so. D. D. Palmer. The last two seasons were very short crops ; this year we get none. From our 201 colonies I only ob- tained 10 lbs. Some others report large crops. E. D. Godfrey. Messrs. Dadant write me they hauled 115 colonies to the river bottom's to get 25 lbs. average to the colony. The only reason why they did not get 10,000 lbs. was they did not go soon enough. I rather attribute our failure to get honey in the fall to wet weather ; it was very warm , and the rain washed all the honey from the flowers ; I obtained 110 sections of comb honey, but had 1,000 lbs. of extracted from 25 colonies. Jas. A. Simpson. I have heard it said many times by wise men, who thought they knew it all at least, that when honey-dews were prevalent, we can look for no honey from flowers. E. D. Godfrey. I must say I am very much puzzled over this subject. L. H. Scudder. Yes, it is so all over the country; there seemed to be no honey in any of the flowers. Some years ago I obtained 200 or 300 lbs. of honey-dew honey ; I sent it to Chicago, expecting, of course, slow sale for it, but the result was I obtained 25c. per lb. for it. That was 8 or 9 years ago, and right following it we had a good yield in the fall. I take one or two old- liners and put 6-lb. boxes on them, and sections on others, to see if there is any difference in the using; it looks as though the separators keep the bees out of the boxes ; have had some colonies till several cases full of sections when none was put in the 6-lb. boxes. So it shows that the blame of no honey is not in the separators. D. T>. Palmer. I will give my theory, but may change my mind next year. There are many conditions needed to the secretion of honey. All are aware that a warm, wet atmosphere is very favor- able to the production of honey. For my part, I want one condition above all others, and that is warm nights. Just look back over this season, and also last year; we had many hot days, but very few hot nights. Year before last we had hot nights, and we obtained a good yield of honey. No matter if we do have warm days, if the nights are cold we get but little honey, for what is se- creted in the day time is evaporated by the sun about as fast as it comes ; while it does not evaporate at all at night, and the bees get it early in the forenoon. L. H. Scudder. The reports this year show that nearly all of the honey has been obtained from basswoodor linden. Jas. A. Simpson. I have seen honey secreted when the nights were quite cool, and when warm nights came no honey followed. It must be something else ; we have other crops in abundance. D. D. Palmer. Yes; we had warm nights and bees obtained honey. They showed it by roaring the next night, but as soon as cool nights came they quit roaring. L. H. Scudder. I have long believed that such was the case ; but whole sec- tions of country South, and in the great honey regions of California, have cold nights, yet I have always felt we must have warm nights for honey. I have had a good run of honey after the first frost came. Jas. A. Simpson. We all know that when the ground is wet we have a more uniform temperature day and night ; then we mav expect vegetation to grow best; the change is much quicker ;it night in very dry weather ; I think the ground when wet and hot is in the best condition for honey. D. D. Palmer. The coast of Califor- nia has been spoken of. There are no bee-keepers in Oregon and Washington Territory; there is no honey there. I think they must have warm' nights to get honey in California, if looked at closely. L. H. Scudder. In Southern Califor- nia they lay their short crop of honey, and other crops, to the drouth. Jas. A. Simpson. Does white clover raised from seed, yield honey the first year? There is a large extent of coun- try covered with white clover near me. Old clover gave us no honey. Many thought clover did not yield honey the first year. Is it best to put on Separators at first T L. H. Scudder. At first, by all means. It is just as well to put them on then, and saves a great deal of work and trou- ble. This was concurred in by several members present. Some discussion was had in regard to bees having enough to carry them through the coming winter. From re- ports given, it was thought those on the river bottoms would have an abundance; but back of a line 3 or 4 miles from the river, bees would have to be fed, and much loss is expected. Many old queens will be kept over that in a good season would have been superseded. Comb Foundation. Jas. A. Simpson. I believe there is too much purifying of the wax in comb foundation ; they try to get it too pure; in the process too much of the natural oil is taken out to make it of good sub- stance. I had a quantity of comb foun- dation which was very dark ; the bees worked it out into very white comb ; I obtained some more that was pretty as a picture. The bees would not touch it as long as any dark foundation was left in the nive. I could see the foundation in the comb made of the light article, but not so with the dark. I am satisfied foundation will be better with less heat- ingand purifying. Newer wax is better. E. D. Godfrey. I would ask Mr. Simpson if his bees change the color of the foundation ? Jas. A. Simpson. I think that some coloring matter must be used in the foundation. E. D. Godfrey. I can tell every time where the foundation begins and where it ends. The bees do not change it, but the comb below the foundation changes with the honey that isput into it. I saw some on which letters had been painted, which was drawn out so it could be read, of the same color as when the bees be- gan it. L. H. Scudder. I asked Mr. Dadant his method of making wax. He said he did not use any chemicals ; the only secret was in cooling it slowly. lb' cools his wax in a large tank, packed so as to cool very slowly. -las. A. Simpson. I cannot account for it: but the dark foundation was worked out first. I think every time wax is heated it becomes harder. 1). 1). rainier. Do not use iron ves- sels to melt wax in. or it will be dark ; but use tin or other vessels. Jas. A. Simpson. To coo] wax, set it in the stove oven, anil it will cool grad- nallv as the stove cools, and the sedi- ment will go the bottom much more readily. 576 What Business to Connect with Bee-Keeping. D. D. Palmer. I have tried fruit- raising quite successfully. In getting surplus honey, in some neighborhoods, there will be none in the spring ; in oth- ers, none in the summer or fall. I have found that a good crop of raspberries came very handy to sell when white clo- ver fails, as it did this year. Fruit rais- ing fills in these gaps. Will. M. Kellogg. I would also add vegetables and poultry. Jas. A. Simpson. The best thing a man can do at such times is to run for office, it will enliven his ideas and send him back to his bees more contentedly. Very many have good crops th is year; I had a good crop of grapes, but they did not take the place of honey. E. D. Godfrey. I would keep a good lot of bees, but not depend on them for a living. I aim to follow a business aside from bee-keeping to make my living. D. D. Palmer. I have not made enough to square up accounts on my place, aside from my bees, and my other business has not paid well either. E. D. Godfrey. Do you not think you have too many* bees (over 200 colonies) V D. D. Palmer. No ; I do not. E. D. Godfrey. It is a question not easily answered. A man must follow that business which he is most capable tor. L. II. Scudder. I can see great trou- ble in this. Mr. Palmer is depending mainly on his bees ; in case his bees fail him he has no other business that will supply that loss. E. D. Godfrey. Get a business that will furnish a support, and run bees as an extra. John Hoover. I would advise the keeping of sheep, which can be done easily in many places. Mr. Holcomb. Our family has been in the habit of keeping sheep and bees, and we find it works well. I think they can be run together very well. L. H. Scudder. If a man has extra land for stock to run on, he can keep bees and stock too. We keep stock, but have other land than our own for it to run on. Is there Danger of Over-Stocking T Jas. A. Simpson. I firmly believe there is. I think if I had had many less this season I would have done better. I know a man who last spring had a barrel of bees. They stored about 16 lbs. of honey, and built the comb, too, and had no better chance than mine. I have known also where only a few colo- nies were kept, they done much better than mine. Such a'season as this does not often occur. I have known seasons when the country could not be over- stocked with bees. I think 40 colonies in the spring is plenty to begin with. D. D. Palmer. How can we tell when we are going to have too many bees for a season ? Jas. A. Simpson. By watching the way in which the bees are succeeding. D. D. Palmer. We can test it by watching how our bees build comb in contrast toa smaller number of colonies; if they do better, we can conclude we are over- stocked. Will. M. Kellogg. That will do, if the bees are all under one management. One man may get more honey than an- other by his better management, and the strain of bees has a great deal to do with it. L. H. Scudder. But this year one or two colonies, in isolated places, done no better than large lots. D. D. Palmer. In South America several thousand colonies are kept in one locality. If they could run so many were they over-stocked V E.D.Godfrey. Yes; they run them- selves out. We hear no more of them. John Hoover. Is there not much dif- ference in the kind of bees kept V I do not think we obtained any section honey this year except from hybrids. Much discussion was had pro and con in regard to sending delegates to Europe to instruct their people to keep bees in a better way, thereby causing them to produce more honey to compete with our own honey. Some were opposed to such a course, saying it would injure our foreign honey markets ; others favored it, claiming it would increase our sales, as the more honey was advertised the more it would be bought. Extracting Honey after the Season is over. E. D. Godfrey. I know one man who has extracted from his bees since the season was over, and I think he will wish he had not before spring comes. Jas. A. Simpson. I extracted from the top stories of 5 colonies, the frames below were full of brood, the honey- flow ceased, and I soon had 3 dead colonies, and this, too, when all conditions were favorable. Will. M. Kellogg. Mr. Simpson's case does not apply here at all. I have al- ways made it a practice to extract from my bees after the season was over, and never had any bad results follow but once ; that time I returned the empty combs in the fall ; the bees bred very early in the empty combs, which were sticky with honey, and came out of the cellar boiling over with bees ; wet wea- ther kept them from the spring bloom, and I had to feed. I use a large frame and extract from all but well-filled combs, put in a division board, and pack down one side and on top with dry straw, and my bees winter better than they would oh 10 or 12 combs of honey. E.D.Godfrey exhibited and explained his chaff hive— a modification of the Shuck Universal. It has 3 sides double- walled, with about 2 or 3 inches of space filled with chaff, the inner walls being very thin, perforated boards. The 4th side is movable, and a division board is used, made of a square frame with per- forated board and paper on each side, which is closed up to the bees according to the size of the colony, and in the fall the space at the side and on top is filled with chaff. On the evening of Oct. 14th (but one day's session was held), the Society had an enjoyable sociable at the residence of Mr. L. Antrim. There many questions were discussed, but in such shape as to make it impossible to report them. L. H. Scudder read the amusing story of the "Cat and the Bees." Jas. A. Simp- son related an account of a coon's fight with bees, which ended by the coon at- tacking and biting his master. George Bischoff told an amusing story of a dog and some bees having a squabble. Many other anecdotes were given which kept the fun going. A basket picnic dinner and supper were given by the family of the Presi- dent—Mr. L. H. Scudder— to the visi ting members, in the church where the meet- ing was held. Among the articles exhibited were : A chaff hive, by E. D. Godfrey, Red Oak, Iowa; several fine samples of comb foundation, by J. Van Deusen & Sons, Sprout Brook. N. Y.. , queen cages from T. O. Peet. Canajoharie, N. Y~., and some Cyprian bees from J. S. Hughes, Mt. Zioh, 111., who kindly sent them for inspection . Though the mem bers looked at them closely, no one could see any difference between them and our bright- est Italians. If there is a difference in looks, we failed to see it. The various bee papers were represented by sample copies. The old officers were re-elected for the coming year, to wit: L. II. Scudder, President, New Boston, 111.; E. D.God- frey, Red Oak, Iowa, and Mrs. Z. Hol- lingsworth, Montrose, Iowa, Vice Presi- dents; Will. M. Kellogg, Oneida, 111., Secretary and Treasurer. It wras decided not to hold any spring meeting. Adjourned to meet at New Boston. 111., some time in the fall of 1881, at the call of the executive committee. L. H. Scudder, Pres. Will.M. Kellogg, Sec, Oneida, 111. From the Lansing Kepublican. Central Michigan Convention. The Central Michigan Bee-keepers' Convention was held in the pioneer rooms of the new capitol, at Lansing, Oct. 7th, 1880 ; about 35 persons being present. The season has been unfavorable for bee-keeping, the yield of honey being about half that obtained in a favorable, season. President Ashworth was absent, and W. K. Cole, of Howell, presided. The principal subject discussed was " foul brood." Prof. Cook warned people not to buy bees from a distance, as this disease is raging in adjoining counties. The topic of •'wintering*' was dis- cussed by Messrs. Harper, of Mason ; Waldo, of Grand Ledge ; and L. B. Baker, of Lansing. Considerable time was taken up in inquiring about " Cyprian queens." Prof. Cook gave some interesting state- ments of his " Holy queen," as it is called, from the river Jordan. The relative merits of chaff hives and cellar wintering were considered by G. L. Perry and Mrs. L. B. Baker, the former favoring the chaff hive, and Mrs. Baker cellar wintering. This lady has been very successful, never having lost a colony "by the cellar method. In comparing the merits of different hives, it was agreed that the one known as the " Baker," leads all others for simplicity, convenience and general utility. The next meeting will be held in the pioneer rooms, May 5, 1831. &T The Michigan State Bee Keepers' Association will hold its annual session at Lansing, on Wednesday, December 8, 1880. l^ The annual meeting of the North- western Illinois and South-Western Wisconsin Bee- Keepers' Association will be held in Freeport, 111., on the sec- ond Tuesday in January. The meeting will last two days. At the evening session on Tuesday, prominent practical bee-keepers are expected to speak. All persons interested in the production of one of the most delicious sweets are in- vited to attend. Jonathan Stewart, Sec. ®"The Indiana Bee-Keepers1 Asso- ciation will meet in annual session on Thursday and Friday, Jan. 18 and 14, 1881. Frank L. Daugherty. Sec 578 %ztUx graxixet\ Best Honey Gatherers.— This has been a poor season for honey here. We had a splendid run of basswood ; I think the best I ever saw, but that was all we obtained this season. Colonies that were in condition to take advantage of the basswood, gave a fair yield. I had a few colonies of Italians and hybrids that gave 100 lbs. of extracted to the colony, during basswood bloom. I see that Mr. W. H. Gibbs, Clinton, Mass., says that from 23 colonies of black bees he obtained 1.015 lbs., while from 37 colonies of Italians and hybrids only 491 lbs. of honey, making a very favor- able showing for the natives. Such has not been my experience. I have had both blacks, Italians and hybrids for the last 9 years, side by side, and the Italians and hybrids have invariably been the best honey gatherers. I weighed one colony of hybrids (very bright) for 8 or 10 days during basswood bloom, to see what it would do ; it gained from 5% lbs. to 14 lbs. a day. On Sunday, June 27, it gained 14 lbs. While on the same day a strong colony of natives by its side, gained 6 lbs.; no guess work, actual weight. They have always done in about the same propor- tion for me, except when honey is scarce, then the Italians and hybrids will make a living and store some honey, when the natives will do nothing but use up the stores on hand or starve to death. I raise no queens to sell. L. G. Purvis. Hartford, Iowa, Oct. 30, 1880. Melilot Clover.— I had 50 colonies of bees last spring in good condition. I fed flour early ; they thrived on fruit blossoms and I expected a good crop of honey, but alas, how they failed. In the last of May and June I had to feed 125 lbs. of honey to keep them from starving. I had 10 frames full of brood and for 6 or 8 weeks the hives were full of bees. On opening a hive, not 2 lbs. of honey were to be found. I shall have to agree with the friend that writes so much on over-stocking, for there is about 200 colonies within 2 miles of my apiary, and nearly all are in the same condition. Within 4 miles, where there were but few bees, about 300 colonies did well, and I have to go there to get honey to put in my hives, as we use the same hives. I have now about 70 colo- nies. I have kept bees nearly 50 years and always thought when they swarmed the first time there would not be a queen under 8 or 9 days, but I had two occurrences to the contrary ; a swarm with the old queen came out and my wife went to the hive to get a frame of brood for the swarm and heard the queen piping and told me so, when I came home at night. I told her she must be mistaken, but upon examina- tion, I found brood in all stages from the egg first laid, to the hatching bees by the thousand. This was in August in buckwheat time. I had six or seven natural swarms and some of them that I have not fed 2 lbs. of honey. I shall put in frames of honey from the country next week and I expect to winter them, hoping for a better season. I have one or two thousand small sweet clover roots. These I shall send all over the vicinity, and sow 7 to 10 quarts of seed, and it will get scattered pretty well. Oh, how the bees thrived on it this year, when they could find it. A. Griffes. Albion, Mich., Oct. 8, 1880. Heavy Losses.— My bees have done well this summer. They go into winter quarters in good condition. There are only three bee-keepers left about here, out of about thirty last year ; they say it does not pay. I lost more than any one else because I had more to lose. My loss was $220 at a low estimate. We had a very unfavorable winter last year. The coast is clear now for my bees and I have sown considerable white clover this vear. H. Berney. Custar, Mich., Nov. 8, 1880. The National Convention.— The Bee Journal came to hand very early, of this I was glad for I was anxious to see the report of the National Convention, at Cincinnati. It gave me much pleasure to see the enthusiasm with which the members were working. I read with great interest Mr. A. J. King's essay on " the Bee-keeping Industry," Dr. J. P. H. Brown's address on " Queens," and also with no less interest that of the editor of the Bee Journal on the "Improved Race of Bees," In fact all the productions were so practi- cal and to the point that every bee- keeper could read them with interest and profit. I must congratulate the Society with its success. It would have given me great pleasure to have been present at the Convention, but it came in such a busy season that it was im- possible for me to leave home. I hope the Society will always meet in the same good spirit and that the future will crown it with success and a golden harvest. There is one thing I notice and feel it my duty to mention just here. The committee on nomination of officers has appointed as vice-president for Maryland, J. M. Valentine, of Double Pipe Creek. I am the only Valentine at Double Pipe Creek, and I believe in the County or State, who keeps a large stock of bees and is mak- ing a business of apiculture. I mention this that there may be no mis-mailing and for the good of' the Society. S. Valentine. Double Pipe Creek, Md., Nov. 9, 1880. [This was an error in the initials and is duly corrected now. Thanks to Mr. Valentine for calling our attention to it.— Ed.] Prairie Hay for Winter Packing. — I obtained no surplus honey this year. I am now doubling up weak colonies for winter, and feeding dissolved sugar. I am, however, not discouraged with one poor season. I have no doubt but that we shall have a good season next year, and that it will pay to care for the bees this fall. Prairie hay is the best pro- tection I have tried to prevent chilling the bees. I enclose my subscription for the Weekly Bee Journal as the best evidence that I appreciate it, and am unwilling to do without it. II. S. Heath, M. D. Muscotah, Kansas, Nov. 8, 1880. Short Crop.— I had 85 colonies in the spring; I have obtained 4,500 lbs. of honey in the comb. It is a short crop. Three years ago I had 5 tons from 110 colonies. I have been taking the Bee Journal 10 years. J. M. Bennett. Waterloo, Iowa, Oct. 29, 1880. A Visit.— In September I made a long- contemplated visit to Douglas county, 111., calling on the Rev. A. Salisbury, and he surprised me by opening hive after hive, early in the morning, with- out the use of a smoker. He has young Cyprian queens, now laying, bred from a Cyprian queen of Mr. Jones' impor- tation. On my way home, I visited Chicago, and had a good chat with the genial editor of the Bee Journal, and also with Mr. Coffinberry. I arrived home abundantly pleased with my visit. J. V. Caldwell. Cambridge, 111., Oct. 12, 1880. A Long-Felt Want.— Allow me to con- gratulate you upon your contemplated undertaking, viz : the publication of the Weekly Bee Journal. Such a Jour- nal, if properly managed, will supply a long-felt want, and I am sure would meet with a success. Geo. W. House. Fayetteville, N. Y., Nov. 13, 1880. Size of Entrance.— Please state in the American Bee Journal the proper sized opening to a hive, that will allow free egress and ingress to workers, but prevent all possible escape of drones or a laying queen. Mr. Garlick gives 5-32 of an inch— is not that too small ? w. E. Flower. Shoemakertown, Pa., Oct. 18, 1880. [Five thirty-seconds of an inch will allow ingress and egress to the worker bees, but such a small entrance is quite detrimental to the welfare of the colony in the working season. Often quite a quantity of pollen may be noticed at the entrance of such a hive, caused by the bees scraping themselves while entering with their load. Every plan suggested to prevent the queen and drones from going out and in with the workers is objectionable on this account.— Ed.] Bees have not done Well.— The Bee Journal has been a welcome visitor, I have learned much from it. I am glad it is to be published weekly next year. My bees have not done well the past season ; it has been too wet and we have had too many north-west winds. I have now only 9 colonies, and I think of try- ing chaff packing for winter. Success to the Weekly Bee Journal. F. W. BURTNETTE. Glass River, Mich., Nov. 5, 1880. A Prediction for Next Year.— I think this has been the poorest season for bees, in this part of the country, thai we have ever experienced. I had about 110 colonies of bees on the first day of May. By putting together and feeding, I have reduced them to 103 colonies. It will take about 150 lbs. of sugar and 50 lbs. of honey togetthem ready tor win- ter. By estimate, we have 245 lbs. pf comb and 1,049 lbs. of extracted honey. I think our bees have done as well or better than other bees around here. M> crop is mostlv disposed of at 15 and 20c. per lb. We 'must make up in price to partly compensate for the loss in quan- tity. I hear of some quite extensive bee-keepers within about 20 miles, that extracted during linden bloom, who will now have to feed it back or let their bees starve. I think bees gathered about half enough this fall to winter on. We had two short harvests : apple and linden. White clover was generally winter-killed. Pastures nearly dried up during July and the first part of Au- gust, so that people had to feed their cattle. We have had some heavy rains 580 since that time, and the young clover has grown up nicely, from which I pre- dict a good season for bees in these parts next year. Perhaps at some future time I may give my mode of management and preparing bees for winter. W. C. Nutt. Otley, Iowa, Oct. 21, 1880. Highly Pleased. — 1 enclose my sub- scription for the Weekly Bee Jour- nal for 1881, and I am highly pleased with the proposed k' new departure." W. A. HORTON. Macy, Ind., Nov. 6, 1880. Packed with Chaff. — I have packed 33 colonies with chaff in boxes on the sum- mer stands. Three for experiment are supplied with upper stories (Simplicity) filled with chaff. All are covered with pieces of rag carpet over the Novice cushion, with the cover removed. J. Chapman. Home, Mich., Nov. 6, 1880. A Fair Crop. — Our honey crop is over for this season, and I have my bees snugly prepared, on their summer stands, for going through the winter. I had what Dakota apiarists would call a fair crop. From 11 colonies in the spring I increased, by natural swarm- ing to 20, and obtained 1,060 lbs. of comb and extracted honey, of splendid quality. I am finding a ready market at home for it at 15 and 20c. per lb. \V~. M. Vinson. Elk Point, Dakota, Oct. 19. 1880. Bee Pasturage. — The season's work is now over, and I can make a report with- out guessing at it. I have -50 lbs. of box honey for each colony that I started with in the spring, and half as many swarms as colonies. This I call good for this locality, although 1 believe 1 can do 20 per cent, better another year. My bees suffered badly from being brought out of the cellar, in the spring, on the even- ing before a cold, damp day. They came out of the hives, and chilled be- fore they could get back. I see the sub- ject of honey plants is attracting much attention just now. From what I read, I must think that no one plant is best for all sections of the country and all seasons. Cleome or Rocky Mountain bee plant has done exceedingly well in this vicinity this year. It seemed to be literally alive with bees from morning till night, all the while it was in bloom. If it does as well another year, nearly every bee-keeper will sow some of it. F. Wilcox. Mauston, Wis., Oct. 15, 1880. Appreciative.— Hurrah for the Weekly Bee Journal ! This is a progressive age, and we are glad to see that the editor of our favorite Journal has the spirit of progression, and is determined to place it upon the highest pinnacle among the bee literature of the day. With pleasure I shall hail its coming. I would suggest, however, that it be published in its present form, as being more convenient for binding for future reference ; with double its present mat- ter, it would make a book of convenient size and form, as with its present size I have two volumes bound in one book. I have been a subscriber and con- stant reader of the American Bee Journal for more than ten years, and I have every volume complete that has been published except one number, and have most of them bound. I would not take $100 fcr them. Long live the American Bee Journal. W. D. Wright. Knowersville, N, Y., Nov. 3, 1880. [We would much prefer keeping the Bee Journal its present shape, but many things conspire to make it im- practicable. First, we have aimed to greatly increase the amount of reading matter, and give it weekly, with but a very trilling increase in price, in order to accommodate our correspondents and meet the necessities of the thousands who cannot afford a high-priced Jour- nal. Second, the additional work in folding and stitching the Journal each week (in addition to its expense), would cause delays in the regularity of our issue which would give dissatisfaction to our readers and be unendurable to its publisher. And lastly, we expect to give a weekly which, at the end of the year, when neatly bound, will be as at- tractive in appearance and convenient for reference, as in the old form, and that all may feel they have received more than their money's worth. — Ed.] Never failed to obtain a good crop.— Many have failed to make it prolitable to keep bees, getting no surplus honey. I have kept bees here 17 years and al- ways have a good yield of honey, and I think this is by all means the best honey location in our country, if not in the world. And my reasons are these, I am located on the north edge of a rich farming district, where within 4 miles there are over 3,000 bearing apple trees, plums, cherries, &c, in abundance. On the north is an immense old lumber region covered with wild cherries, plums, basswood, willows, elm, maples, wild berries, in immense quantities, white clover from spring until fall, and thousands of other wild honey produc- ing plants, so that the bees find business from the time the snow leaves in the spring, until it covers the ground in the fall. L. Martin. Hesperia, Mich., Nov. 10, 1880. Good Honey Crop.— The past has been a good season for bees and honey in Southwestern Iowa. I have had swarms issue, and gather from 75 to 85 lbs. of surplus honey in the combs. Through August and September the colonies were in splendid condition and strong in numbers. I use the Kretchmer hive. I wish the Bee Journal success. S. C. Smith. Whitley's Grove, Iowa, Oct. 24, 1880. Late Breeding1.— My Italians have a little honey to spare, but the blacks, as a rule, are not half supplied for winter. The Italians gave some surplus in the early part of the season. The queens stopped laying about 10 days ago, and I think they will do as they did in 1877 ; then they stored enough in October to winter on, and reared two lots of brood in October and November, and went through the winter and spring in good order. II. L. Jeffrey. Woodbury, Conn., Oct. 4, 1880. Bees in New York, etc. — Another bee season has passed, with its pleasures and disappointments. I commenced the season with 22 colonies in fair condition. My honey harvest was 168 lbs, of ex- tracted, and 338 lbs. of comb or box honey, making in all 50G lbs.; this is 22 lbs. to the colony. I increased 15 colo- nies, making 37 in all. These are all packed now in chaff and dry leaves, on their summer stands. Bees' are in good condition for winter. The price for honey has been from 8 to 123^c. per lb. for extracted, and 12^ to 15c. per lb. for box honey. I am very t hankful that the Bee Journal is to issue every week, and give us double the amount of read- ing matter during the year, and, with- out doubt, double the amount of knowl- edge ; and those who keep but few colonies, and do not feel able to sub- scribe for the weekly, can enrich their minds with bee knowledge for only 50c. a year. As far as I am concerned, I must have the full documents on the bee, for to the American Bee Jour- nal I have to credit all my success. Please find enclosed $2 for the weekly I'M- 1881. In the November number I find a, pen-picture drawn by the Cincin- nati Gazette of the editor of the Amer- ican Bee Journal; how would it be, if you would give your readers in the first issue in January, 1881, a photo- graphic picture of yourself V Wm. Polling. Dunkirk, N. Y., Nov. 13, 1880. Spider Plant, etc.— I started my seeds in the hot-bed, and had no trouble what- ever in making them grow. Mine com- menced to blossom about the 4tii of July, and continued until frost killed them. All the reports about the large yield of honey from them are true, so far as my experience goes ; but I doubt very much the %>ay part of raising any crop for honey alone, that has to beset outevery year, and hoed 'and cultivated as thor- oughly as the spider plant seems to re- quire. If it would seed itself year after year, as the sweet clover does, I would not hesitate to pronounce it one of the best honey plants I know of. I see by the bee papers that in a great many sec- tions buckwheat is not at all reliable as a honey-yielder; but in this locality it has only failed once in the last 10 years. and I shall depend mostly on that for honey from cultivated crops, until some- thing better is found. I expect to ex- periment more or less this coming year with sweet clover, spider and Simpson plants, but shall certainly discard any or all of them that are not re-seeders. O. O. POPPLETON. Williamstowm, Iowa, Nov. 15, 1880. [We heartily commend sweet clover to every bee-keeper. Its easy cultiva- tion, ability to withstand drouth and wet, long-blooming season, self-seeding nature, and its beautiful, rich honey, will certainly make it a profitable favor- ite with all who give it a fair trial. — Ed.] Honey Crop.— Since leaving home Aug. 23d, I 'have traveled through Illinois. Michigan and Indiana, and find that the honey crop is very short. Our train be- ing side-tracked near Mr. Heddon's branch apiary. I looked over it and never saw bees doing better. Goldenrod was in bloom, and the bees were enjoying it exceedingly. The valley of the Missis- sippi river generally. this year, has failed to yield honey. and many bees will starve. Some are selling their bees at nominal figures. In Central Iowa bees have done nicely ; ours have not done much, though I have fed a little all the time to keep them in good order. A. D. Dilly. Des Moines, Iowa, Sept. 20, 1880. INDEX TO CORRESPONDENTS. A. A. B., 27, 83. Abbe, E. P.. B29. Abbott, ('. N.. 167. Adams, Willis, 507. Alderman & Roberts, OS. Alexander, C, 430. Alexander, Mr., 146. Allen. Dr. N. P., 40, 50, 07, 107, 2SI, :;r,o, 4'..9, 500, 507, 514, 510,551: Allen, Joseph, 40. Allen, Ransom, 215, 430. Allen, W. C. B.. 101. Alley, Henvv, 00. 170, 175, 107. 214. 220,237, 41 G. Alsike. 325. Anderson,. J. ,420. 503. Anderson. J. 1,., OS, 436. Andrews, W. J., 10. Antrim. L., 577. Argo, R. M., 22, 42, 70. 240, 318, 551. Armitage.W. H., 368. Armstrong. E., 43S. Arnold, D. J., 104. Ashley, rtr. J. F., 44. Ashworth, Rev. W. J., 153, 201,215,277,577. Austin. James A., 217,330, 436. 520. Averill, R. F.,5'!8. Avdelotte, J.W.. 508. Ay lor, R. L, , 80. 436. Bacon, R.,432, 400,532. Bagby, E. A., 282. Bagb'v, J. W.. 400, 508. Baile'v, M.,426. Bailey, Mrs A., 343. Baile'v. J. W., 210,406. Baker, E. R..486. Raker. L. B., 215 277. 577. Baldridge. M. M„ 135, 167, 332. 365, 366. Baldwin. P.. 24. Balentine, Rev. W., 302. Bales, Mr., 411. Ballou. Adrtie L., 4S7. Bangs, Fisk, 461. Barber. I., 246. 437. Barbo, Count Gaetano, 11, 310. Burfoot. J.. 51. 82. Barker. R. [.. 551. Barnum. B. B., 453, 507. Bartrum, Rev. K., 106. Bassett,J. P., 440. Battles. I. S.. 337. Beal, Prof. W. J., 344,501, 502. Bean, C. M., 153. 191, 201. Bean, John F., 222. Bean. J. W., 284.5117. Bean. M. C 296. 571. Beard. A.. 278. Beebee, E. B., 435. Beeswax. 28. Belden. Mr., 2S1. Benedict, A., 517. Benedict & Newman, 220, 477. Bennett, R. J., 26. 314. Bennett, Win., 581. Benton. Frank. 10.52,213. Benton, Miss D.,560. Bernev.H.,578. Bertrand. Mons. Ed., 11, 15, 74.101,363.512. Betsinger. N. N., 145. Bever, J., 215. Bigler, J. G.. 414, 473. Billing, P., 410. Bingham, J. G., 76, 101, 205 381. Bingham, T. F.. 44.05, 170 210, 220, 330, 367, 468, 478. 501.538. Bischoff, G., 290. Bittenbender, S., 201. Bitser, Wm., 439. Blackburn, H.,437. Blackburn, Mr.. 279. Blanchard, M., 477. Blanchard.O. C.,434. 472. Blanton. Dr. O. M., 406, 421!, 457. Bledsoe, O. F., 97. Boardman, H. R.,516. Boerstler, J., 51, 415, 431. Bogart, E F., 50, 330. Boiling, W., 343, 581. Bonhani, L., 377. Bnomliower, F.,435. Bourgtneyer, John, 551. Bourne, Mr.. 411. Boutelle. D. K., 568. Bowditch. F. C..474. Boven. Erastus, 152. Boyd. C, 392. Bradish, C. W.. 478. Bray & Seacord. 206. Breed. J. E., 80. 151. Bristol. S. S., 426. Brooks, J. M., 06, 181, 214. Brown, G. J., 502. Brown, H., 51. Brown, H. H., 197. Brown, Dr. J. P. H., 350, 515 521. Brown, Dr. L. E., 507. Bryant, B. F.. 468. Bucklew, J. A., 392. Bull, T. S., 168.461. Bupp, J. H.. 338. Burch.H. A.. 104,221. Burdick, I,., 434. Burgett, W. B., 49. Burnett, H.G., 107.528. Burnett, W. W., 314, 331, 418, 427. Burrell, H. D..463. Burt, C. S. 04, 221. Buttnette, F. W.,579. Bushnell, Mr, 281. Butler, J., & Son. 43. Butler, Dr. S. S., 468, 476. Butlerow, Dr., 90, 335, 336. Byrne, D. O., 472. Cady. J. E.. 439. Caldwell, J. V., 426, 579. Calvin, R. A., 4X0. Cainm, Wm., 269, 413, 433 563. Campbell. D. P., 93, 150. Campbell, J. ,426. Carpenter, G. B., 337. Carr, Wm., 20. Oasson, W. C, 130. Chapman, A. G., 295. 571. Chapman, F. W., 264, 341, 365, 427. Chapman. J., 430, 478, 580. Cheney, A. B., 41. Cheney, H. H.. 71. Cheshire, K\, 120,312,372. Child, E., 29!. Chinnock, Wm.. 476. Christie, J. H., 95. Church, C. J., 98. Church, Geo. S . 411. Clarke, S. X.,436, Clarke, W. E., 320. Clarke, W. F.. 500. Clute, Rev. O., 30,170,238 469, 502, 561. Coddings, O. P„ 437. Coeagne, Joseph, 246. Cornnberry, C. C, 464,500 516. 525. Coggshall. W.E., 29, 200,571 Coles, D. K., 277. Coles, N. B., 278. Coles, W. R., 278. Colling, F. F., 122, 529. Collins, H.T., 139,438. Collins, Samuel, 507. Collins, W.T., 13. Colt, B. F., 508. Conkltn, H. W., 412. 43S. Cooley, O. E., 239, 435. Cook, Jesse, 415. Cook, Prof. A. J.. 36, 45, 74, 150. 215, 247, 278, 314, 315, 344, 366, 453, 471, 473. 474, 475. 501, 515, 577. Corbett, R., 415. Corey, E., 101.571. Cori, Hern, 100. Cotton, I. N., 103. Cotton, Rev. W. C.,20. Courtney. A. J.. 40. Covert, Mrs. E. M., 477. Cowan, T. W., 13. Craig, II.. 104,501. Crall, Jesse, 508. Cramer, A., 432. Craven. W. N., 86, 149, 152, 245. 268, 389. Crawford. J., 215. Craycraft, John, 340. Crowfoot, I. S., 366, 478. Cud worth, J. W.,571. Cullen. Francis, 432. Culp, H.,41. Cummings, O. J., 144. Curry, R., 457. Curtis, J. 1j., 44. Curtis, O. B., 473. »adant, Ch., 127, 141. Dadant.C. P.. 2ss, 381. 48S. Dart, R., 33, 425. Davis, A. G., 507. Davis, A. J., 502. Davis, Dr. Jewell, 406. Davis, J. 1) ,40. Davis, J. H., 265. Davis, J. M., 504. Davis, J. T., 165. Davis, N.. 340. Davis, W. J., 200, 529. Dean, C. H., 526. Decrow, J. B., 412. Delair, E., 368. Delzell.T. T., 365,439. Demaree, G. W.,382. 520. Dennler, Mons., 11,15,217. iietwiler, W. B., 38. Dexter, A. A., Jr., 477. Dibbern,C. H., 433. Diehl, L. J.. 312. Dilley, A. D., 415, 581. Dillman, S.,38. Dines, J. B., 98. Dipman, John F., 477. Dirwanger. J. A., 50. D. J. W., 427. Dodder, G. W.. 267. Dodge, J. R., 73. Dodge, S. C, 1S3, 512,521, Doolittle, (4. M., 36, 77, 125, 170, ISO, 107. 2 JO, 220, 235, 274, 315, 321, 366, 371, 420, 432, 462, is I. 5115, 565. Donley. J. W., 432. Dougherty, F. b., 103, 275, 577. Drane, Dr. E., 153,268,437, 507. Drory, Edward, 11. DuBois, 1/Abbe L., 15, 340. DuBois, M. D..476. Duncan, Dr.. 510. Duncan, J., Jr., 140. Dunham, Mrs. F. A., 216, 220, 212,411, 403. Dunken, P., 96, 388. Dunn, Thomas. 201. Durham, T. H..50. Over. Win., 51.208,339. Dynes, J. N.. 194. Dzierzon, Dr., 11, 99, 234, 417. Easton, Mr.. 43. Eby, J. H., 431,473, 478. Eckman J. W., 440. Edson. A. S., 504. Edwards, A.L.,426. Edwards, W. R , 146. Egbert, J. W., 2*4. 507. Eggleston, J. F.. 82. Eisenhardt, F., 34. Eitemiller, J., 297, 410. Elkin, B. F., 282. Ellis. J. F.,150. Emerick, Dee, 25. Emerick. W,. 53. Emigh, Martin, 430. Emmons, Jacob. 431. En as, J. D., 367, 301, 405, 437, 471. Erwin.J., 507. Eschard. C. F.. 377. Eshleman, J. B., 410. Evans, J. C, 144. Everett, B. O., 122. E verton, H. H., 144, 264, 296. Fairbanks, M. H., 571. Fay. M.M., 149. Filbert, Eevi. 423. 563. Findlev, A. R„ 87. Fiorini, Signor G., 217, 273. Fish, S., 517, 528. Fishel, Mr., 280. Fisher. Joseph H.. 440. FlansDurgh, G. J..337. Fleckenstein, D., 410. Fletcher, C. 413, 475. Fletcher, I). W.,524. Fletcher, W. H., 507. Flick, H. H.,314. Flint, Frank, 37S. Flower, W. E ,579. Flynn, J. W., 194. Forbes. W. E., 435. Forncrook, J., 3S7, 411. Forsyth, R., 420. Fox. C. J., 470, 529. Fox. John, 109. France, E., 428, 570. Frasier, G. W.,144. Freidenburg, A. A., 302,517. Freiwirtu, Hern., 133, 166, 2i9. French. W. I-.. 197, 415, 428. Frost, F. C, 508. Fuller, D. A.. 144. Fultz, W. S. 28. Funk, H. W., 152, 415, 436, 461. Garlick, G., 247, 487. Garvin. J. D., 507. Gastman. E. A., 342. Gatter, Hern. Karl, 11, 75, 00, 119, 120.201. Gaylord, Charles M., 503. Gibbon. Mr., 411. Gibbs, W. H..5U7. Gilliland, J. C.,369. Given. D. S., 177. 440, 478. Glasgow. F. M.. 53. Glazier, E. B„ 296,571. Godfrey. E. D.. 285,574. Good, I. R, 432, 461, 501. Goodno. O. R , 368. Gordon. Capt., 218. Gould, E. J., 245, 269. Gravenhorst, C. J. H., 153, 322, 489. Graves. C. A., 431. Gray, Wm. C.,434. Green, G., 428. Green, J A., 436. Green, W. H., 05. 97. Greenawav. E., 314. Greenslarie, D. B., 509. Greer, I.N. .507. Greiner Bros., 72. 273, 413. Griffes, A., 341, 578. INDEX TO CORRESPONDENTS 583 Griffith, J. C, 503. Griffith, P. T., 413, 427. Grimm, C. , 529. Grogan, P. S., 4:54. Grohmann, F. J., 487. Grout, W. H. 3., 439. Grove, F. A.. 366, 471. Guenther, Hern.. 336. Guenther.J. H.,411. Haas. Martin, 32(1, 435. Hackman.H.S.,22, 435. Haile, S. G., 368, 369. Haines, D. S..2L5. Hulbleib, 0..431. Hale, A. W.,97. Hale, E. VV.. 529. Hall, 1. B., 507. Hall, J. B., 420,509. Hallett, T., 97. Ha met. H..32. Hanehet, Mr., 44. Hancock. C. H., 248. Hanneman, F. A., 178. Hardin, E. E., 426. Hardin, H. S., 248, 339. Harmon, C. E.. 281. Harrington. O.K., 198. Harrington, Mr.. 517. Harper, W. J., 280, 577. Hart, J. F., 370. Harris, J. L., 72, 199. 217. Harrison, A. A„ 200, 43S. Harrison. Mrs. L„ 21, 224, 270, 291 , 325, 379, 423, 450, 485, 528. 556. Hasbrouck, Prof.J.,362, 521 Haskell,. I., 337. Hastings, J. HJ.,214, 204,208. Hatfield, A. J., 245. 461. Hausmann, Win., 474. Havens, R., 247, 365, 437. Hawley. G. M„ 75. 265. Haves, Melville, 538. Head, J. 8., 473. Heald,E.. 90. Heald, Wm.,435. Heath. Dr. H.S.,579. Heddon, James, 34, 41, 92 135, 152, 165, 173, 220, 221, 222, 270, 319, 383, 424, 427, 459, 461, 537, 557. Heister, Levi, 412. Herbst, John, 436. Herr, A. B., 410. Herring, W. B.. 284. Hershey, E., 297, 410. Hershey, J. P., 38, 96, 214, 410. Hersperger, H. C.,282. 507. Hetherington, (>..!.. 44. Hibbard, J. M.. Jr., 50. Hicks, J. M.. 103, 282. Higbee, David, 472. Hilbert, Hern. E., 11. 168. Hill, A. G., 103,220,280,502, 519. Hill, J. D., 285. Hill, J. S., 457, 499,569. Hiller, F., 99. Hintz, A. J., 233. Hipolite, Dr. W. W., 124, 405. 476, 513. Hodgson, Mr., 411. Hoffman. Julius, 241. Hoge. W. M., 120, 360, 419, 440, 551, 555. Hohenshell, W. T., 52, 439. Hoke, A.. 247. 426. Hoi len beck, G. W.,103. Hollingsworth, Mrs. Z.,295. Hollowell.O., 439. Holly, A., 124. 11. M. S.,472. Holman, J. M.. 507. Holmes, E. J., 475. Holmes, W. N., 428. Holt. James H., 439. Honsberger, A. A., 337. Hoover, John, 576. Hopkins, D. H., 338, 437. Hopper, C. 176, 268. Horton, W. A., 2i, 436,580. House. George W., 146,217, 437, 560, 579. Howes, VV. C, 91. Hubbard, J. 1.., 429. Hunt. P. K.. 475. Hunter, John, 364. Hunter, T. H.. 50. Hutchinson, J. D., 9, 31, 149 248, 483. Hvde, Richard, 214. Hyde, S. P., 406. Ide, Jacob, 529. Ide, J. B., 178. Ingals, U. S.,94. Isham, C. R., 50, 220. Jackson, J. P., 196. Jeffrey. H. L., 324, 342, 482. 515. 581. J. M. 8., 18,3. Johns, Dr. H., 508. Johnson, Mr., 411. Johnson, Rev. L., 269, 415, 435, 501, 517. Johnson, R. S.,476. Johnston, James, 507. Joice, E. E.. 423. Jonas, L., 122. Jones, C. A., 94, 24S, 489. Jones. D. A.. 10, 168,221,231. 262, 311, 312, 358, 407, 158, 500,502, 509. 517, 520, 566. Jordan, E. ('., 357. Julian, N.,41. Karnatz, F. VV., 123. Kaufman, C. P., 429. Kedzie, Prof. R. C, 408. Keene, Dr. R. VV., 414. Keister, Levi, 104. Keller, C, 143. 149. Kellev, Wm., 507. Kellogg, W. M., 9, 195, 2.S9, 3S0, 456, 482, 576. Kennedy, J. H., 295. Kennedy, J. K., 194. Keyes, Mrs. A. S., 51. Keyes, J. M.,529. Kheil, Prof., 100. Kilburn, J., 438. King, A. J.. 19, 171,221,526. King, R. V., 345. Kmgsley, Mrs. C. M., 294, 429. Kissinger, D. F., 370. Klich, Simon. 469. Kline, P. J., 341. Knapp. E. H.,571. Knoll, D. K., 151. Kohnke, A., 460. Kramer, J. C.,469. Kramer. King, 540. Kropp, J. V., 439. Kruschke, H. O., 366. I-aihlv, C.,198. Langton. H. L„ 168. Langstroth, Rev. L. L., 167. Lanker, G., 508. Lansing, A. I,., 191. 571. Lantz.L. Z.,370, 473. Larch, Dr. E. C. L., 149, 269. Lashbrook, T., 96. Lee, K., 50. Lee, H. W., 104, 296, 412. Lee, John R., 217. Leonard, S. R.. 178. Levering, N., 168, 337. Lewis & Parks, 151, 345, 357. Lincoln, L. C, 46. Lindslev, L., Jr.. 440, 507. Locke, S. M., 327, 337, 49!), 530. Loehr, M. E..266. Long, George \V.. 478. Longsdon, W.J.,248, 129. L lis, A. B.,199. Lord. J. 8.. 340, 476. I ,| iSSiDg, \V m., 198. 2(15, 470. Love, Dr. J. F., 437. Love, Joseph, 392. Lowe. J., 554. Lucas, E., 144. Lumbeck. B. B., 51. Lynch, W. W., 437. McCall, J. H.,269. McCarthy, G. A., 221. McCarthy. Osman. 503. McColm,' J. N., 95, HI, 438. McCoy. J. F.. 431, 471. McDonald, A. V.,552. McFatridge, P. W. & Son 50, 517. McGaw. T. G., 2S8, 369. McGeorge, H. D., 218. McKay. A. J., 509. McKay, Perry, 437. McKenrich, A. F.. 342. McKinney, S. J., 263, 291. McKnight, R., 509. McLean, 8. D..367. McNeil. Rev. J. W., 327. McRay, C. E., 53. Maatman, J. H.. 168. Macartney, Vf, 51. Mahin, Rev. M., 32, 103, 114, 217, 465. Malone, A., 409. Manchester. James. 468. Manum, A. E., 214, 263. Mardis, John T., 341. Markel, E., 468. Marauis, T. N.,337. Marsh, ('. A., 95. Marsher, Prof.. 261. Martin, I. G., 39. 297. 410. Martin, L.. 43, 97, 379, 581. Marvin. J. M., 120. Mary Brothers. 21. Mason, Dr.A. B., 37, 311,429. Mason, H. D.,571. Mason, M.E..281, 177. Masters, J. H.. 194. Matney.J. A., 508. Maxfie'ld, Mr., 19. Maxwell, Wm., 324. Mead, R. L., 49, 312. 389. Meadows, L. C, 292. Mellen, R. H.. 295. 571. Melllnger, J. H.. 297, 410. Merlinn. John, 508. Miller. C. B., 440. Miller, Dr. CO., 24, 78, 461. Milliken, F. A., 368. Milliken. R. M., 104. Milling, W. A., 472. Mllster, M. H., 436. Minier.T. S., 466. Mitchell, Dr. S. C. 507. Moberly, L. T., 507. Mohan, James, 502. Montgomery. J. F., 91. Moon. A. F.; 37. 145, 189, 238, 247, 3211. 416, 434. Moore, Dr.. 103. Moore, J.. 395. Moore.J. E.. 121, 499,506,524. Moore, J. P., 426. Morgan, E. A., 423, 469, 560, 572. Morgan, Rufus. 49, 262. Morris. Wm., 152. Morse, W., 144. Mover. P., 168, 437. Murdock, J. H., 436. Murphy. R. R., 149. Musser, R. S., 4.55. 508, Muth.C. F., 282, 309. 310. 323, 359, 4li(i, 407, 457, 500, 513, 532, 555, 540, 569. Xaftzger. G. W.,461. Needles, J.. 508. Neihardt, G. W.,103, 186. Xellis.J. H.. 221.329, 53H. Nelson, J. A., 248, 233 I. I. Nelson. P. P.. 217.476. Newlove, J. W.,41. Newman, A. H., 313. Newman, M. A.. 464. Newman, 8. F., 52o. Newman, T. G., 44,99, 101, 103, 170, 281,296, 461, 500, 507. 510, 518, 528. 33,2. Newsom, V. 8., 95,150,338, 133. Newson, W. H., 437. Newton,.!., 340. Newton, John T„ 432. Nichols, Tims. I.. 1.2. Nicholson, R. G.. 504. Norton. D. P.,. "04, 514. Norton, E. 1I.,44U. Nouguier, Mons., 102. Nutt, W.C., 268,680. «'atman, E. J., 45, 166. Oldham, s. M.,41. Oldt, R. I'. .410. Olm, O. 123. O'Rear, Dr. J.H., 149. Ormsby, L. D., 427. Osborri, R. M., 370. Paglla, Signor L, 11. Palleys, Mr., 469. Palmer, D. D., 187, 295, 360, . , I. Pammel, L. H., Jr.. 96, 220, 223. 317. 337, 357. 390, 412, 134, 168, 517,570,573. Parke, Thomas, 471. Parker, D. G.. 508. Parker. T. B.. Parish, E. A., 433. Parmly, Dr. E., 171, 272, 510, 569. Parsnall.J. M.,52. Payne, C. L.,281. Peabody, J. L . 529. . H.. 1114, 130. Peck, D. J.. 426. Peel, Rev. II. R., 196, 510. Peet, T. O.. 123. 541, 551. Pelham, J. B., 94. Pelham, W. c.,3,14. Peltz, J., 469. Perkins, N.. 265,469. Perry, F., lol. Perry, Geo. L.. 215, 263,271 339.577. Perry, 8. C, 41. 277. Perry, S. P.. 215. Peters. Louis, 469. Peters. J. C, 474. 502. Pettigrew, A.. 134. Pettit, S. T.,518. Phoenix, Asa B., 435. Pickup, E., 53. 78, 220. Pierce, ('. A.. 191,295, 571. Pierce, G. H.. 345,411. Pigman, VV. G., 194. Pike, D. A., 127, 214,272, 38*. Pilati, Signor Pietro, 11. Pitman, J. E., 435. Place. Mr.. 411. Pleasants, J. E., 337. Plummer, I. F., 95. Poppleton, O. O., 477, .504, 581. Porter, J. W.. 529. Pratt. B. P., 94, 338, 478. Precious, J., 436. Prentiss. Mr.. 44. Price, J. W., 246,431. Price, R. B.,517. Putnam. H. P., 290. Purvis, L. G..578. Quinlan, T. B.,431. Quinn, J. J., 269. Kanney, W. C, 42G. Rapp.J. B..248. Ray..!. F.. 40. Reed, F.. 10. Reed. 0..288. Reibstein, Hern., 100. Reynolds, M. <>., 368. Rhodes, J., 508. Ribeaucourt, Mons. C, 15, 101. Rice, A., 144, 263, 296, 365, 461. Richardson, M., 434. Ruler, 1)., B4, 288. Riegel, P. A., 432. Riegel, 8. D., n.517. Riker, J. VV., 199. Rilev, Prof. C. V., 90. Robbing. Mrs. Cass, 104. Robertson.. I. II., 12,43. Kogers.J. P., 508. Rooker. John. 81. Ronp, II. M-. I •■'.391. Roop, H. W..429. Root, A. I.,499,515. Root, L. C. 76. 145, 185, IV Rose, .1. W.,284. I ;,. -ei.au in. II. J., 269, 129. ., II. II.. 430. Ruebler, B. H., 178. Ruggles.S., 177. RuiCk, Mr., 1(15. Ryan, .1. M.. 427. Sage. F. I., 390. galiceto, A., V'isconti, 97. 310. Salisbury, Rev. A., 42, 182, 251. 122." 155, It;'.'. Salisbury, it.. i3, 115,460. Salisbury. I- . A.., 138. Sanders. Mrs. A. M., 417. Sanders.. I. VV Sappenfield, C. W.,238. 5S4 INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS. Sartori, Signor L., 99, 142. Saunders, Joseph, 477. Saurin, F.J. 440. Sawdey, A.M., 438. Sawyer, O. Ij.,l„4'-.'7. Saxton. C. W., 199. Sayles, H. P., 411. Scearce, F. P.. 284. Scheerer, J., 439. Schmidt, Hern. A„ 11, 167. Schofield, C. S.. KM. Schofleld, I. L„295. Scholl, J., 524. Scoles, A. J., !98. Scoles, Dr. H. J., 288. Scott, J. T„ 267. Scott, Z. D., 265. Scudder, L. 11., 288. 437, 574. Seares, F. H., 317, 433. Searles, Frank. 431. Sears, W. T„ 5(17. Sedgwick, Dr. W. H.,95. Sensenig, (\, 39. Sharp. 1., 198,367. Shattuck. D. H'., 191, 296. Shaver. Dr., 510. Sha-.v.C. G., 340,307. Shearer, James, 124. Shearer, Rev. J. W., 215. Shelton.T. W., 507. Shepherd, T. H.,477. Shimer. J. H , 339. Shore, James, 507. Shultz, Otto. 101. Siebrecht, W. H.,37. Simonds, H. A., 4 13. Simpson. J. A., 289. 574. Slater, Wm. M.. 199. Smith. A.W..432. Smith & Smith, 95. Smith, B.Z..4i8. Smith, C. B., 42, 277. Smith, C. V., 52, 198, 367, Smith, t\ T., 197. Smith, E. J., 430. Smith, V. Li., 436. Smith, S. C, 434. 581. Snell, F. A., 268, 440. Snow, M. S., 129, 327, 387. Snow, S., 147. Snvder, A.. 220, 247, 337. Sonne, C, 25. Sourhe, Mons. T., 221. Southwick, E. B., 139, 220, 230. Sowers. S. P., 342. Spangenburg. C, 96. Spaulding, J. F., 440. Spaulding, J. H., 429. Spaulding, J. P.. 439. Spaulding, M., 264. Spear. F. N., 368. Spencer, Mrs. D. C, 80, 131, 391. Sprain. Mr., 469. Spurr, Dr. R. L,., 287. S. S. H., 438. Stahala, Counsellor, 100. Standish, B. H., 429. Stanley, G. W., 427. Stauffer, A. F., 427. Steele, George E., 46, 152. Stephens, W. P., 429. Stevens, Dr., r23. Stevenson, Dr. S., 41, 420, 564. Stewart, J., 104, 219, 412, 431, 577. Stewart, W. T., 483. Sticb, F. J., 341. Stimton, M. M., 345. Stocking A. D., 51. Stone, C. A., 439. Stray, George, 44. Subscriber, 98, 475. Tadlock, J. S., 476. Taylor, C. W., 18. Tavlor, R. C, 16, 168, 246, 262, 263. Teighor.N. J., 504. Teller, Geo. W.,436. Terrell, O.J. ,439. Teter. Rev. J. G.. 85, 101. Theilmann, O., 369. Thomas, G. W., 426. Thompson, C. W., 40. Thompson. David, 340. Thorn pson.G eo. ,235, 427,461. Thompson, W. R.. 266. Thorn, Dr. I. C, 413. Thornburg, J. H., 507. Thurber, A. G., 148. Thurlow, T., 410. Tibbetts, A. J., 267, 338. Ticknor, K. A.. 248. Todd, J. O.. 120.265. Tonev, B. U.. 440. Townley, J. H., 44, 459. Townsend, O. H., 263, 273. Tracy, Thomas. 311, 427. Trelease, Prof \V., 137, 184, 232, 271,362.386.422. Trunkev, Mr., 281. Tubbs, S. E., 220, 478. Turner, Prof. J. B., 139. Turner, T. E., 411. Ulery, D. B., 436. Ulsh, H. W., 265. Valentine, S., 218,370,529, 557. 579. Valiquet. Thomas, 218, 529. Van Antwerp, D. W., 93, 284, 507. Van Deusen, J., 39, 244, 369. Van Deusen, R., 471. Van Eaton, Rev.J., 196. Van Ness, J. H.,44. Viallon. Paul L.,515. Vincent, G. A., 508. Vinson, W. M..5S0. Vogel. Hern., 11.335. Von Dorn, T. L., 194, 501. Wainwright, L. M., 103. Wakeman, W. H.. 369. Waldo, C. K., 485, 577. Walker, Francis A.. 73. Wallace, J. G. A., 510. Wallbridge, Hon. L., 510. Walton, Col. K.,439. Walton, W. G., 13, 561. Ward, H.J. ,44H. Ward, W. S., 151,337,339. Waters, Mr., 147. Watson, J esse B., 306. Wav, D. S.. 51. Weatherbee, W. B., 168. Weber, Von E., Baron, 99. Webster, D. G., 197. Webster, F., 510. Weed, A. B., 126, 191. Welling, Charles, 436. Wells, W. C..437. Weeks, E., 45. Wenzel. A. E., 48, 143,166, 220, 265. Whaley, R. G., 439. Whipple, Mr.. 469. White, H.. 503. Whitney. D. L„ 150,438. Wilber, A. A. B., 478. Wilcox, F., 477, 580, Willard, W. J., 150, 220, 261, 429, 484. Williams, A. T.,43S. Williams, Dr. H. M., 247, 501. Williams, Capt. W. F., 520. Williamson. J. R.. 284. WiHiamson.W., 284,455,500, 507, 515. Wilms, John C. 475. Wilson, Dr. I. P., 151. Wilson,.!. T., 284. Wilson. J. W., 337. Wilson, R. D., 477. Winslow, A. A. ,411. Winslow, Prof., 411. Wismer, J. M., 367. Wolcott.Wm. C.,434. W.Kfe, L. B.,392. Wolfender, J. 1... 432. Wolfer, M. H.. 245. Wolpert, D.. 52. Wood. Dr. G. C, 142. Wood, J. S-. 35. Woodman, C. B.. 428. Wr'ght, Dr. A. J.. 79, 440. Wright, W. D., 337, 433, 580. Wurster, C, 126, 666. Wyckoff, W.O., 315. "Young, C. L., 429. Young, W. R., 152. Zalser, John A., 468. Zimmerman. G.W., 208, 476, Zimmerman, T. G., 434. Zoules, Mr., 469. INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS. Asilus Missouriensis 25 Bailev's Swarm Catcher 219 Bellevue House. Cincinnati, 0 511 Bingham Smoker with Wide Shield <1 Block for Nailing Sect on < 317 Brooks' Queen Mailing > age 181 Chaff Packing for Wintering Bees 334 Dunham Comb Foundation Mill 17 English Bee Tent 441 Given's Comb Foundation Press 1<7 Harris' Queen Mailing C.ige 72 Harris' Gem Bee Hive *■' HastinL's' Queen Mailing Cage 264 M. S. Snow's Swarm-Catcher 129 Nailing Machine for Frames 27a Queen Fertilizing Cage 3.0 Rack for Comb Honey 30 Rocky Mountain Bee Plant 8 Sprinkler for washing out Drone Brood, etc 37 Sweet or Melilot Clover— Mehlotas Alba 362 The Bee Moth 90 The late Mr. John Hunter 364 Tool for Glassing Sections 566 Walton's Frame of Comb Foundation 561 Where Honey Comes From : Pistil ahd Calyx of Geranium 137 Cross- Section of the Upper Pedicel 138 Cross-Section of the Lower Pedicel 138 Epidermal Cells, magnified ISP Form of the Secreting Cells 138 Flower of the Hyacinth 232 Vertical Section, magnified 232 Cross-Section, magnified 233 Peduncleof Flowers ?T1 Cross-Section, showing a Knob 272 White's Palace Bee Hive 12 INDEX TO SUBJECTS. Abnormal Swarming— cause of 94 now prevented 87 instances of 94, 198, 269, 292 V '■, 168 races, merits of 228, 241 removing eggs from one cell another 568 shipping on cars 198 spring flights of 277 swarm captured in a car 454 things known and unknown... 134 transferring. .40, 82, 150, 265, 276, 281.293 410 uniting colonies. .33, 42, 2SS, 338, 485 water for 198, 278 Beeswax- adulteration of 215 extractor for 194 production of 134 propolis melted with 264 5S6 INDEX TO SUBJECTS. Comb Foundation- advantages Of.... 39, 50, 78,104, 148, 213, 212, 247, 277,1281, 314, 415, 420, 402, 525, 501 575 bright yellow, best 525 compared . .242, 310, 350, 308, 402, 525 drone or worker cells for sur- plus? 290 Dunham... 80, 242, 314, 350,423. 524,525 561 Dunham mill for IT, 525, 520 experiments with. .383, 408, 420, 424,484 485 extracting the wires 193 Faris' plates 420 Given's wired 177, 356, 383 help in manufacturing 3H5, 414 in comb honey 148,243, 524, 534 lengthening the cell walls 308 made by dry process 344 made on wood 356, 377, 379 manufacture of 277, 345, 525, 526 575 not artificial 400 Olm'smill for 123,341, 345 sagging of 314, 307, 470, 471, 561 tbm for surplus 50,242, 525 ■wash used in making 473 when to buy a machine 385 ■wired 39, 414, 468, 470, 525 without corrugations 47 Conib Honey — assort and label 530, 533 attractive packages 45, 456, 532 533 compared witli extracted... 41, 45, 120, 316. 3S1, 532 533 Dr. Blanton'S shipment of 406 fair prices for 280, 532 feeding back extracted honey, for.. 77, 235, 329, 390, 163, 51 i.i, 531 how to obtain 36, 321, 3s:i, 532 keeping 147, 321 preparation for market 147, 321,532 533 production of 45, 321, 456. 404 racks, use of in winter 48 sections for 45, 321, 406 strong colonies and prolific queens necessary, to get. 36 Combs- amount of honey consumed to produce 166 arrangement of 2S6 bleaching old 262 building of 286, 388 Cheshire's •Takes'' for holding up 312, 372 clamps for fastening 339 how to fasten 29, 372 how to keep moth out of 97 mouldy 33, 139 spreading in brood chamber .. 338 petrified 288 value of empty 2SS Conventions — arrangements for 407, 457 benefits of 19, 75 ladies and 21 reports— Albany Co., N. Y 337 Anderson, Ind 502 Ashtabula Co., 0 281 Austro-German 99, 335, 363 British 195, 314 Caledonian 314 Canadian 509 Central Kentucky 282 Central Michigan 277, 577 Chicago North- Western 203,305,407,452 461 Cortland Co., N. Y 9, 295, 571 Indiana State 103, 577 Lancaster Co., Pa 297, 410 Marshall Co., Iowa 393 Michigan State 5, 577 Kentucky State 17, 499, 507 Los Angeles, Cal 337 LaCrosse North-Western. . . 357, 412 468 North American. . .19, 75, 359, 407,457, 500 510 North-Kastern, N. Y 145, 168. 169, 216, 220, 229, 240, 268, 269, 271, 328, 337, 338 359 North-Eastern Wisconsin... 411 | Conventions— continued, N. W. Illinois and S. W.Wis- consin 104. 412, 577 Northern Indiana 412 N. W. Missouri and Eastern Kansas 455, 508 North-Western Union 101 Rock River Valley 144, 167 Southern California 470 Southern Michigan 145, 459 Switzerland 101. 363 Tuscarawas & Muskingum, O. 392 Western Illinois & Eastern Iowa 9, 195, 289, 456, 574 Cyprian and Syrian Bees- bee-keeping in Cyprus 567 compared with Italians 229, 241,367 509 D. A. Jones' description of — 566 desirability of obtaining. ..279, 416.538 579 in Italy and Germany 315, 322 Letters from Cyprus and Pal- estine 224, 262 Messrs. Jones and Benton's trip to Asia for . . .52, 168, 213,272,311,458 520 Mons. J. Fiorini's journey to Cyprus to obtain 217, 373 Prof. Cook asked to report on, 419 proliflcness of 405 queens, duplication of 468 samples from Mr. Jones 358 superior races 231, 311, 620 Yellow races 520 Deaths of Apiarists- Rev. Wra. C. Cotton 20 Prof. Marcher 261 Rev. Ruf us Morgan 262 Mr. John Hunter 364 Mr. W. L. Gordon 365 Rev. A. H. Hart 487 Diseases ot" Bees — breeding in cellars, a cause of, 81 causes of 52, 132 chilled brood 52 dead brood in cells 52 diseased combs 124 dysentery 21, 33, 274 cause of 21, 194 foul brood. .122, 121, 167, 267,280, 339,314,453, 159,475,479,521, 534 experiments with 159. 479, 534 Hern E. Hubert's discoveries,168 remedies for 344, 459, 479, 535 fungous growth of brood 124 honey-dew a cause of 132 Drones- absence of 269 age of 29 destroyed by the workers 345 early drones 120, 290 how to prevent rearing 245, 290 improved races of 120 Italianizing by 560 longevity of 29 sprinkler to wash out brood. . . 37 the last drone of summer 70 Extracted Honey- best hive for 289 compared with comb honey, 531 533 extracting from brood frames, 36 frequent extracting desirable, 2S9 hard- wood barrels for 472, 570 how to produce, sell and ship. . 534 more profitable than comb honey 531 one day's work, extracting — 416 preparing for market 533, 534 small pine casks best for 472 should be capped before being extracted 316, 534 sun evaporator for 533 Fertile Workers- accompanying a swarm 371 caught in the act of laying — 391 experience with 310, 369, 474 how to get rid of 284, 310 i specimens 400, 453 Feeding Bees- apple vinegar, soft water and sugar for 370 candy for 193, 362 cream tartar and honey for. . . 40 honey for feeding 40, 85, 119, 311 571 how to prepare food for 81 in early spring 38, 267, 295, 324 is cider detrimental ? 467 rye meal 40, 85 sugar syrup for 193, 217, 280, 283,325 370 when and how to feed. . .36, 81, 128, 144, 151, 277, 2S3, 325, 381, 391 with pollen 129 Frames- all of one size 139 depth of 296 distance between 286 enameled cloth over 341 extracting from brood frames, 98 how far apart, in winter 98 how many for surplus honey?. 293 improvement in 521 Langstrotli preferred 165, 529 machine for nailing 273 reversible frame 405 standard size desired 530 the coming frame 529 Glucose— adulteration of honey, with.. . 18,333 527 analysis of 527 condemned for feeding bees.. 98,261,280,285 410 contains arsenic 120 experiments with 261 fine comb glucosed-honey — 521 made from rags 263 manufacture of. .18, 98, 332 527 selling as honey, a fraud, 18, 77, 527 that will kill 72,261,472 unprofitable for adulterating comb honey 77 Hives- best for surplus honey— 8 or 10 frames? 293 capacity of brood chamber.. 36,286,296,371 : 411 chaff hives 267 contracting the entrances in winter 277, 579 convenience and simplicity of, 282 286 distance between 510 division board, not patented.. 200 287 Farmers' bee hive 51 frequent examination of 287 "Golden" bee hive 340 hard-wood for making 16 Harris' Gem bee hive 217 Hill's Winter bee hive 51 Kidder's bee hive 29 Langstrotli bee hive. .29, 40, 96, 102, 143, 199, 267. 287, 371. .. . 458 made of wood and plaster. .87, 238 Mitchell's bee hive 503 moth-proof hives 93 movable frames, history of. .. 526 Prince Arthur bee hive 409 seeking the best 92, 286 ventilation for. . .48, 99, 178, 277, 412, 469 573 weighing 296,370 which way to face 194 White's " Palace" bee hive — 12 wire cloth for bottoms 168 Honey and Bee Shows- display of honey and apiarian supplies at 570 in England 360, 419, 441, 555 in Scotland 483 premiums at 359, 407, 453, 455 prizes for, at fairs 70, 2ib State Vice Presidents' duties concerning 17 70 tent for bee exhibitions, at — „„ 419,441 483 the international exhibition in London 551 INDEX TO SUBJECTS 587 Honey- American, in Europe 28 a staple article 148, 532 average yields of 411, 415 basswood honey, a prejudice against 555 best packages for 45, 7tJ, 294, 533 " cookies," receipt for 107 creating a demand for 294, 533 crop in California. . . .49, 69, 201, 337 crop in Europe 9, 554 crop, reports of . . . . 295, 319, 337, 341,365 407 Doolittle's crop report 505 drinks, how made 31 European markets destitute of 122 extracting at the end of the season 576 feeding back, to be stored in sections. . . .77,235, 329, 390, 460, 506 531 foreign duty on 120 good prospect next season for 579 good yield of. .50, 51. 52, 216, 580, 5S1 granulation of pure 91, 126 historic sketch of 530 healthf ulness and flavor of . . . 486 home markets for 294 honey-dew. . . .23, 36, 50, 132, 150, 227, 264, 324, 410, 482 574 honey producer's future 459 honey wine and mead, receipts for 31 how to make it a staple pro- duct 532,533, 55S is there too large a production of? 17,533, 559 large yields of 266, 505, 560, 580 made with sugar 168 marketing of 76, 146, 293, 610 market quotations for. . .24, 78, 512 Mr. Jones' plan of obtaining surplus 537 new uses for 457, 532 no over-production of 17, 294 poisonous wild honey 552 producers' interests in, 173,293, 459 prospects for. . .197, 272, 339, 365, 395 selling for cash 35 should be ripened 284,285, 533 sideortop storing, which ?.. . 289 small yield of.. .22, 23, 35. 38, 40, 50, 51, 151. 198, 269, 574 579 BOUr or "hot" 284 sourwood honey 91, 104 style most important 76, 293 transportation, cost of 29 undeveloped markets for 17 where honey comes from. .137, 184,232,271,386 422 winds, their effect on honey- gathering 342, 517 Honey Extractors— always necessary in an apiary, 296,312 363 Cowan's reversible-comb ex- tractor 13 does it pay to use ? 312, 363, 470 history of 457, 526 Walton's comb-reversing ex- tractor 13 when and how to use. . .288, 312, 36,3 Honey Surplus Sections- American sections in Europe. 555 best arrangement of 296 block lor nailing 317 comb honey rack for 30 covers for marketing 13, 140 holder for 93 how to manage 93, 287, 321 how to place on the hive 30 H.H. Flick's invention of .... 314 Moore's" Perfection Caps"... 121 queen laying in 98, 139, 312 one-piece sections 70. 151 controversy concerning. .345 357 387 removing from broad frames, '.'39 removing propolis from glass, 24 >. 96 sections most desirable 93, 294,531 532 tool for glassing 566 when and how to put on the hive 287, 321 alfalfa 392, 504, alder 46,515 alsike clover. .69. 80, 97, 275, 325 American triflda aster 80, 275. 453, 503 balsam or lady slipper 516. banana basswood 46, 80, 135, 152, 326, 338,361,36,9, 370,505,515 basil bearberry beggarticks bergamot blackberry 47, SO, 275, blackhaw.. blackheart black locust 226, black mangrove bokhara clover boneset borage 471, 51 buckeye buckwheat 266, 275, 516, 517, cabbage palmetto catnip 50, 80, celendine weed cleome. . . .52, 53, 80, 406. 475, 483, 504, sr coralberry corn cotton 36, crab apple dandelions dates deerbrush elm flreweed flax weed ... fruit trees 7.7.7. .85, 225, 27:V, 324. goldenrod 29, 47, SO, 152, 275, 414,472,489, 516,517,574.... gooseberries 275, 470, ground ivy hawthorn hearts-ease horehound 361, honeysuckle honey vine horsemint 227, Jamestown weed Jersey tree— red root Judas tree or red-bud. .225, 361, kanker-wood lead plants locust maple. . . .46, 80, 152, 324, 470, 515, may-pop melilot clover... .50, so, 526,, 342, 361, 409, 451, 164, 470, 471, 516, 573 mignonette 361, 393, 471, milk-weed 226, mint 275, motherwort. .50, 80, 339, 361, 164, 471,483 mustard 50, myrrh oak 337, orange partridge pea 29, pepper-weed persimmon philaree pig- weed poison ivy prickly ash 228, prunes raspberry 46, SO, 275, ratan vine red clover. .275, 291, 569, 412, 413, 464, 489, 509, 516, red elm sage 26,6,, saw palmetto smart-weed 370, sour-wood 91, Spanish needle spider plant 368, 470, 517, sumac 226, sunflower tamarack timothy tulip, or poplar 91, 152, 326,, white clover 47, 80, 152, 26,6,, 26S, 275, 325, 338, 340, 616, bl't , wild plum 225, willow 29, 71, 80, 515, 517, yellow wood y erba santa Honey Harvest— a failure.... 366, 367, 369, 370, 591, 46,6 a magnificent yield 266, 45 .',, 56u estimate of the crop of 1880. . 406 512 fall yield 367, 451 good honey harvest 367, 369, 370,379,413.415,455 5S0 reports of. . .56*, 36,'.i, 3i0, 112, 425 to 440, 46',, 469, -r,6, :, 507 514 smallest crop since ls',2 366 what will the harvest be '.'. .35s, 406 Hnnil>iij»s— Cotton . . Mitchell. 16, 425 .. 200,263,311,356, U3 Italian Bee*— a hy brid race 45, 520 careful breeding and selection necessary 44, 468, 519 compared with Cyprians 229 compared with natives . .38, 42, 115, 197, 291 503 description of 520 Improvement of the race.. 11, 32, 44. 82. 126, 1S9, 229, 25.',. 211.26,9, 2S3, 167 518 leather-colored preferred, 135, 519 light and dark-colored, con- trasted 519, 520 more hardy than natives.. .41, 149 560 superiority of. ...78, 98, 319, 325, 455,518, 56,0 57S work on reel clover — :.' 292,369,412,413,464. 489, 509, 516 517 yellow races of 619 Italianizing; an Apiary— accomplished by drones 56.ll benefits of 190, 327 how to do it 144, 190, 327, 560 Langstroth, Kev. I*. I*.— abuse of f5~ fund for 16' Marketing Honey- attractive packages — 194, 281, 293,321,631,532 533 best methods for 533, 534 buy up honey and control the market 322 crates not returnable 551 developing home demand for, 294,312 580 experiences in selling. .195,294, 532 535 forced sales injurious. .291,296, S21 o32 grading, assorting and ship- ping 533 hard-wood barrels, waxing of, 1 >'-' how to obtain uniform prices, 195,293,297,321,512, 532.... 53:; in California 291, 555 in England 09 over-stocking the markets 294, 321, 560 533 points to be considered — 281, 294.321, 510 533 preparation for market 152, 294,321 532 prices obtained at home .. .4,4, 534 ruined by inexperience — 297, 321, 532 '■•■■ gelling out-and-out for cash .. 294 shipping extracted honey.. 152, 193,533 small packages desirable. 281. 533 small pine kegs, host for. . 172, .>.i-, supply and demand regulate prices |1 undeveloped markets. . .1., 419, o5o Honey Statistics- bees and honey in Ohio 458 bees and honey in La 513 bees, honey and wax in the United States 552 sales in Cincinnati, O........... 458 the 0. S. Census 73, 2i5, 499 588 INDEX TO SUBJECTS. N. Am. B. K. Society- appreciated 75 badges for 513 Bellevue House, Cincinnati, O. 5U constitution and by-laws 550 election of officers 529 future location for meeting.. 246. 514 530 hints about exhibits 177, 183 honor justly con f erred 556 lady members of 80 letter from Rev. H. R. Peel ... 510 letter from Mons, Bertrand... 510 Mr. King's opinion of 19, 221 officers for 1879-80 458 President's address 512 report of annual Convention, 510 retiring President, resolutions concerning 529 Southern welcome to 504 Vice Presidents, reports and letters from... 177, 197,217, 339, 306, 405, 406, 513 578 Queens- affection of workers for 47 albinos . . . .120, 152, 218, 370, 504. . 557 a prolific queen should always be in the hive 312, 3-12 changing queens 462 clipping the wings of. . .186, 191, 371 464 Davis' queen nursery 400 duplicatingthemselves. .37, 127 233, 272, 32J, 385 416 eggs all alike 522 egg-bound 341, 387, 471, 482, eggs laid in queen cells eggs laid in one day Egyptian entering the wrong hive escaping from hive 318, 385, fertilization and peculiarities, fertilization in confinement. . . 22,, 32. 93, 231, 321,320,340, 418. 465, 487, 523, 540 fertilizing by the drones from fertile workers freaks of a hybrid Haas queen fertilizing cage. . . how often impregnated how to produce the best 32, 190,518 introducing. .72, 338, 382, 402, 563, introducing virgins 37. meaning of "warranted" and "tested"' late breeding of new queen cages 72. 123. 150, 175,181,199,214, 263. 2fi4.... old queens not suitable for wintering purely-mated queen yard Queens— continued. queen cells, how to get best 273, 410 522 rearing 32, 125, 146, 190. 236, 274. 279, 281,323,380,481, 5'.'2. 524 royal jelly 522, 524 select best to breed from.. .29-1, 522 selling the untested 103,125, 146, 189, 231. 240. 280 two in one hive 308, 550 use of the mails for 74, 121, 150, 151, 175. 309, 3S9 392 wedding flight of ...35, 305, 380, 523 we need progression.not dupli- cation 518 wingless queens mated. .53, 466, 523 wonderful instincts of 318 Separators- fastening combs to 97 J. E. Moore's 499, 506, 524 paper for 316 perforated tin for 463 when to use :'.. 575 Smokers — always essential 44 Bingham's 44, 70, 219, 208 Holly's 124 peat as fuel for 261 Smith & Smith's 406 Spring Dwindling— cause of 33, 48, 52, 209, 292 prevention of ....33, 42, 81, 292, 411 Swarms and Swarming— best methods of increase.. 185, 187, 191, 222, 281 53S breeding out the swarming in- stinct 45 capturing 50, 368 catches for . . . 129, 144, 219, 320, 343, 413. 475 487 Croffut's poem on 501 does the queen lead 415, 472 early swarms 215, 268 electricity for capturing 133 extraordinary swarming 152 hiving swarms 371 labors of a swarm, on enter- ing a new hive 388 leaving their hives 80, 371 made by dividing 185, 223, 317 management of 185, 340 natural and artificial ..1S5, 192, 389, 392 472 need careful watching 472 prevention of swarming 287 presistent swarming 413 rational increase of bees 538 Swarms— Continued. second, how to prevent 1S6, 192, 223 537 standard size of colony 146 stray swarm 474 with virgin queen 371 Wintering Bees — above-ground cellar 81, 142 amount of honey necessary for 275, 475, 503 bee-house for 29, 43, 82, 84, 503 best cellar for 277 best hive for 42 burying in a cave 342 causes of disaster in 21, 48, 275 chaff hives and packing for.131, 290 cheap winter protection 466 cleansing flights 84, 149, 151, 277 572 comparing different methods. 21 double-walled hives for 48 experience in 178, 290 felt blankets for 264 H. H. Flick's chaff packing. ... 314 Hosmer's theory of 265 how to pack with chaff 334 in cellars 43, 46, 50, 94, 178, 197. 245, 240, 247, 248, 265, 266, 267. 208, 338, 339, 412, 466, 469, 572 insufficient honey a cause of disaster 22, 48 Italian bees winter best 42 losses while ....29, 191, 205, 260, 267, 268, 269, 325, 411, 538, 578 mild weather for 247, 325 North and South 538 on summer stands 23, 42, 48, 49, 51, 80, 90, 95, 90, 97, 98. 152, 199.223, 215,217, 205,266, 267, 340. 466, 469 572 packed with chaff.... 21. 22, 29, 43, 47, 53. 80, 94, 152, 199, 245, 248, 269, 290, 313, 564, 571,579, 580 packed with charcoal 198 packed with dry leaves 50 packed with prairie hay 529 packed with straw and saw- dust 52 passages for bees over frames 49 preparation for winter. .22, 38, 42, 48, 86. 143, 207. 268, 281, 295, 319. 391, 452, 514, 556. 504, 571 snow covering the entrance 47, 49 tenement hives for 94, 95 theoretically and practically considered 538 unsealed sour honey for 248 use of comb honey racks in... 48 when to put into winter quar- ters 81, 82 when to take out of winter quarters 82 young bees necessary 81 9 ^1 -,.,jf '. ?^**r ft. ^8*4: ,; . >ter¥l %i >* ft J*Yl fl