aDODDDDnaDaDnaannnDDnnDaDDaDnnna D D D a D a D •*^°'*^**-» a D D B /dl*X b% D D D > gl Nw is m D D ^ w^\nt Iff ^ D D •J iMj»'vjh ^ D D ''•^^^-»''^ D D D D D O D D D D D UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS D a D D LIBRARY D D D D D D D D D D a a D D D D D D D D a D a D D n D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D n a a D a D n D a n D D D D n D a n D D D D D D D D D D D D DDDDDDannnaDDDDDDDDDDDDnDDDDDDaa ESTABLISHED -1651 'the OLDEST BEL-PAPER -AMER T'uhlisTieKj '\V^e^li:ly, at ^l^OO per axuiiizn. Sample Cop>' sent on ^ppJicafion, 36th Year. CHICAGO, ILL., JAN. 2, 1896. No. 1. rTlcleit specialty vs. Mixed Bee-Keepiug. BY F. L. THOMPSON. "I am one of those who hope yet to see a class of amateur bee-keepers on the American continent, who will keep bees for the love of the thing, and not merely for the money they may make out of it." — Bee-Master, on page 409 of the Bee Journal for 1895. " Essays advising that bee-keeping as a business be made a specialty by the persons engaged therein, have been written from speak on this subject, with an invitation to everybody, and the seats would be crowded with eager listeners."^ — R. L. Taylor, on page 603 of the Bee Journal for 1895. In view of the above sentiments, it seems appropriate at this time to inquire whether the keeping of bees by farmers would make them more intellectual than they are. It must be admitted that in districts where the honey crop is a total failure for one, two, or three years in succes- sion, that specialty cannot well be pursued. But there are left large areas where there is always something every year. Shall bee-keeping in these places be in the hands of a great many side-issue farmers, or would it be of more benefit to the country by being in the hands of specialists ? Let me also say that Bee-Master's words touch a respon- sive chord in my nature. Very much pleasure and benefit in this world have no connection with money. In spite of the cant of " practical " men (who would do well to confine them- selves to business, and not settle every question in heaven and earth by " practical" standards), they can neither be bought nor sold. I prove that every day of my life, and I pity those ^ Apiary of Mr. J. B. Tucker, Wallingford, Conn. — See pnae 8. time to time. The essayists are often eloquent in their advice, but never, I believe, practice what they preach." — W. G. Hewes, quoted with approval by Mr. Abbott, on page 2T0 of the Bee Jour- nal tor 1895. " Beekeepers' conventions are not always well attended, be- cause only bee-keepers are invited, and they, in order to attend, must generally go long distances; but let competent men go into the country school-houses, in districts where the farming com- munities are starving for want of social and intellectual excite- ment, during the months when they enjoy comparative leisure, to people who don't see it. But, Bee-Master, don't you think there is as much poetry in three or four colonies as in 20? The argument of poetry and pleasure is not in itself sufficient to turn over the main bulk of bee-keeping from specialists to amateurs. Mr. Abbott, on page 173 of the Bee .Journal for 1895, would solve the question by making a groat number of small specialists, letting a younger member of the family have the exclusive care of the bees. He says he is confident that api- THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 2, culture can be more successfully conducted as a branch or part of mixed agriculture than in any other way, by so doiug. Perhaps it can be; but the trouble is it won't be, as long as human nature remains what it is. General farming neces- sarily includes a certain amount of hard, rough labor, both in and out of the house, which is enough to stultify the minds of 40 families out of 50 to such a degree that energy enough cannot be summoned to regard the care of bees in any other light than that which one regards milking, cleaning stables or baking bread. I have been there, and know something about it. I will add further, that I believe it the next thing to a sin for most people to get up before six o'clock ; but that you can't succeed in general farming unless you do. Under these conditions, the bees and honey-trade are better off in the hands of specialists ; and the farmers themselves are bet- ter off, if, excepting three or four colonies " to make things homelike," they are not given the additional burden of 20 or 30 ; and they would be better off still if they each made some one branch of agriculture their main work — dairying, fruits, bee-keeping, grain — so as to give their minds a chance to grow by becoming so familiar with the contingencies of that one branch as to keep ahead of their work, and have time for the relaxing, recreating influence of some small hobby, which they may practice for the " love of the thing." It would be well enough if some member of the family not only had the exclusive care of the bees, but did nothing else to speak of than to take care of them. But in how many families can that be done ? As it is, farmers are the intellectual class. Mr. Abbott himself realizes this on page 590 of the Bee Journal for 1895, and Mr. Taylor realizes it in the quotation above; but they do not seem to see that there is nothing else to make farmers so than their mode of life — their constant round of work which is drudgery jusi because it is not specialty ; and these gentlemen propose, as a remedy, to increase their drudgery ! Specialty means broad-mindedness. It is not possible for a man to get under the surface of one branch without new and fresh ideas of the relations of things, which assist him to a better comprehension of the deeper relations of other branches, than if he was jack-of-all-trades and master of none. Specialty means happiness. It is the non-specialists who say, "What's life worth living for, if you can't have a little fun now and then?" The specialists have their fun all the time. I have not before responded to Mr. Abbott's call for spe- cialists, because I had some idea of making chickens add to my income. But I hesitate no longer. I will keep bees for profit and chickens for pleasure — and eggs for my own use ; and arise to remark, that for the last two years, with very trifling exceptions, I have been supporting myself on bees ex- clusively, and expect to continue to do so. Arvada, Colo. ^W A natural ability and a rational enthusiasm are necessary to make a successful bee-keeper ; and therefore, unless a man makes himself thoroughly acquainted with the peculiarities of bees, he is doomed to disappointment should he attempt to give his time and capital to this occupation. — SiMMINS. % California as a Bee-Keeping State. BY PBOF. A. J. COOK. I know of no better introduction to this series of articles, than some candid statements about California in relation to the bee-keeping industry. If I am a little enthusiastic, I am sure that the facts that I shall pen in this article will warrant my fervor. First, the bee-keeper, like men of any other pursuit, wishes a pleasant home and surroundings. If his lot tails in Southern California, he has the grandeur of mountain scenery, constant summer, with very few days that know any frost, and about as many weeks that are unpleasantly hot. From October to March a liltle fire is needed much of the time in early morning and late evening, with an occasional day when a fire all day is pleasant. And, if we may judge from the two seasons of my sojourn, only the month of September is oppres- sive for its heat ; and then less than half the time, so that no one can complain who loves warmth and sunshine. Warmth and sunshine bring fruit, and so every month in the year, one can have, at very slight expense, the most luscious fresh fruit. Oranges from February to June, straw- berries every month, and plenty and cheap from May to No- vember ; blackberries from May to September in profusion, with cherries or plums much of the time ; lemons the entire season, and luscious apples and pears all the winter months, or from September to March, and the most delicious apricots, nectarines or peaches from Mayor June to September. Thus, to the lover of fruit. Southern California comes with wide- open arms to offer the best of all climes and zones. Nor are the social attractions less inviting. Culture, refinement and genuine heart sympathy and regard are most luxurious pro- ducts of this sunny southland. I never met such Christian courtesy ; such a warmth of interest, such hearty fellowship, as I have met since coming to this genial clime. Thus the bee-keeper of Southern California may surround himself with all that makes life rich and full, of the best of comfort and blessing. Again, no winter problem confronts the Californian bee- keeper. There is not a month in the year that the bees do not gather and even store some honey. The eucalyptus, which is rapidly coming to the very front, as a shade-tree, has scores of species, many very beautiful, and all very rapid growers. Most are good honey-trees, and by proper selection we may secure beautiful species that will give a succession of bloom throughout the year. The only danger comes from starvation, and that never threatens any but the improvident bee-keeper. There are occasional years — about one in five, if we can judge from the past 20 years — when the bees will gather no honey- not even enough to keep them from starvation. Thus every wise bee-keeper will never extract so closely as to run any risk. He will always leave at the close of the season ample food for a year. And then if the 15 to 25 inches of rain which insures a honey crop comes with winter, he will in the spring extract the surplus from the hive, which will surely be cured to the satisfaction of the most fastidious. Again, as abundant rains insure a crop, the bee-keeper knows in winter what the harvest will be; so there are no long months of fruitless expectation. This fact has further advantage — it prevents buying supplies, unless they are to be needed, and gives one certain warning months in advance that he is to look about for some occupation other than that of bee-keepiug. As I have said, seasons of failure do not come of tener than one year in five ; and it looks as if, with suitable forethought, removing bees to regions of alfalfa bloom, or orange orchards, or bean-fields, we may at least secure sufficient stores for the bees even in the "off" years. This is likely to be even more probable with the maturity of the numberless eucalyptus trees now being planted. Last year (LS94)wasa very dry one — only 11 inches of rainfall here at Clareinont, and much less fell in considerable of the bee-keeping range. Fifteen inches is the reported minimum for a honey crop from the usual forage of sage and wild buckwheat. Thus, last year, there was a total dearth of nectar-secretion in many regions. Yet several apiarists in the regions of alfalfa fields secured a fine crop. Others, doubtlessly, could have reaped a similar good fortune had they known the value of alfalfa as a honey- plant, and moved their bees to regions of its bloom. There are two other features of California apiculture which are unique and very encouraging. I refer to the great production in favorable seasons, and the astonishing number of colonies which can be kept in one locality at such times with profit. The past season, shough not one of the very best, illustrates both of these points. In large apiaries of from 200 to 300 or more.colonies, the product was from 100 to 150 pounds per colony. Thus several apiarists that I have known of, secured upwards of 30 tons of honey, with less than 500 colonies of bees. With a knowledge of the flora of this section, this is not so hard to understand as the enormous yield of wheat and hay tothe acre that is sometimes reported in sections of this State— oO bushels of wheat and 18 tons of hay ; for in no sections of my acquaintance are the flowers so long in bloom. White and ball sage are in bloom for two months or more, and the famous wild buckwheat even longer. Thus the nectar is not only very abundant in the flowers, but the latter continue to yield for a very long period of time. The pioneer bee-keeper of California, and once the largest producer of honey in the world — the celebrated J. S. Harbi- son, now of San Diego — has demonstrated that ball sage, an excellent honey-plant, can be easily transplanted and made to grow in all the hilly regions of Southern Calfornia. As these wide ranges are useless for other purposes, we may hope that the importance of the bee-keeping industry of Southern Cali- fornia may in the future wax rather than wane. The great increase of the eucalyptus plantation will also tend in the same direction. If the growers of alfalfa were, also, at the same time bee- keepers, or would become partners with bee-keepers, so as to delay cutting the crop a little, till the bloom had offered a 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. honeyed banquet for the bees ; or if some of each cutting was held for seed, there might be still another considerable in- crease in the honey-product. How few, too, realize at present from the extensive bean-flora of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Mr. Mendleson, the past season, secured a fine crop of bean-honey after the regular season was over. I sampled the honey, both comb and extracted, and cac speak truly of its excellence. Here, then, is a farther opportunity to in- crease the honey-reaources of our section. There seems, then, but one serious obstacle in the way of exceptional success in apiculture in Southern California. I refer to the poor market for the honey. Prices range away below what is reasonable and right. Finest grades of ex- tracted honey sell for 3 cents to 4}.^, when 6 cents is the minimum that should ever be paid for first-class extracted honey. It is not that the consumer gets it at these figures — the low price is due to the system of marketing. Impecunious producers, to secure ready and needy funds, sell at starvation rates, and Qx the price. The producers do not propose to suffer this system to continue. They are organizing to con- trol the output as the orange-men are now controlling their product by aid of the Fruit Exchanges. The bee-keepers seem unanimous in the desire to form a honey-exchange. We be- lieve they have the intelligence, the energy, and the wisdom to make a success of the undertaking. Pomona College, Claremont, Calif., Dec. 12, 1895. Some Subjects Reviewed and Commented Upon BY DR. C. C. MILLER. Sweet Clover. — Many thanks to Mr. Stolley for such a satisfactory reply, given on page 805, and I know of only one question I should ask just now if he were within ear-shot. That is as to the quality of sweet clover honey as compared with alfalfa. I know what alfalfa tastes like, but I never tasted anything that was called sweet clover honey without just a little uneasiness as to whether it was the genuine article. For the sake of those who say that if sweet clover is cut for fodder, it must be while young, and that spoils the chance of the bee-keeper, I want to call attention to the advice of Mr. Stolley, to cut while young for the sake of making it sprout vigorously. In this part of the country I think I'd much rather have it cut while young, for then it blooms a little later, and where white clover yields well, the early blooming of sweet clover is not so desirable as that which comes after white clover is gone. Amalgamation. — The discussion seems to be on. With some of the views expressed by Geo. W. Brodbeck, on page 807, Vm in accord, but as toothers I'm decidedly " forenenst " him. He says the North American Bee-Keepers' Association is an " admitted failure." As I think of the many delightful meetings held by it, I, for one, am not willing to admit that it was a failure, and I see no indication that it is not now as good' as ever. But say, Geo. W., what ever put it into your head to op- pose consolidation because "you cannot combine business with pleasure ?" Look at the grand successes of the German societies with their thousands of members, where they com- bine business with pleasure with a vengeance. As to some other points, I'll turn you over to the tender mercies of the other brethren, merely saying that I'm with you in thinking there's no need of any assessment clause. T Supers. — Referring to page 808, let me suggest a change that I think Mr. Schartz would like: Instead of nail- ing a T tin on the bottom of each end of the super, merely nail on a plain strip of tin }i inch or so wide, letting it project about a quarter of an inch for the sections to rest on. The sections will go in easier, and I think he'll like it better. Then instead of using T tins on top, just use little pieces of wood 11 inches long, M inch wide, and nearly Jg thick. .Tust push these down between the sections, and it will do the busi- ness nicely. A Free Show. — It may be all very well to attend a con- vention without paying anything to get in, but suppose every one does that thing, how are the bills to be paid? of any value, but I've always felt we owed a debt of gratitude to Heddon for telling us a way to manage when we didn't know of anything better. That Horbi-ble Affair. — The relation of that Horri-ble affair on page 807 is breaking away a little from established usage, but I believe the established usage of hushing up every wrong is itself a great wrong. If one finds out a man is a rogue, let him warn others. Wintering. — You may be right, Mr. Sage, in thinking as you do on page 818, that a colony in a good hive kept dry with plenty of stores will come out all right with you, but please remember that all places are not like Linton. But I'm with you in thinking that, as a rule, bees will winter better in a box-hive. An Ax to Grind.— Easy, easy, Bro. Kelly, in making charges of ax-grinding against hive-makers — page 817. Sup- pose they do try as much as they can to have all goods of standard kinds, and to have as few kinds as possible, as they can manufacture at less cost ; isn't that also for the benefit of the consumer? If each one of us had hives and sections of such patterns as were used by no others, it would cost us a round sum for our " fixins." BuRR-CoMBS. — The answers on page 819 show a change of opinion. Only five think the Heddon slat honey-board the best thing to prevent burr-combs, and In strictness hardly that, for one of them has never tried anything else, and the others do not say they have tried the same means that have succeeded elsewhere. I don't think the break-joint feature The New Constitution. — The candid remarks of Mr. Newman, on page 822, throw an entirely different light upon the whole matter. Of the major part of the work, as detailed in his second paragraph, I knew nothing, and can hardly be blimed for supposing there was nothing of the kind, as I was a member of the Union. Nothing of the first sending out reached me, nor of the second, and I feel sure the omission was not intentional, but all the same it left me so that I never dreamed anything of the kind had been done. I cannot agree, however, with Mr. Newman, that " the suggestions about Canada, given on page 793, are quite in order." Unless I have some misunderstanding of the case, they are utterly out of order. If there is a single thing that shows any more recognition of the United States than of Can- ada, I have failed to discover it. The charge is, "the entire absence of all recognition of Canada, except so far as it is part of North America." The complainant could hardly have read carefully Art. I, or he would not have said "entire absence." In that article occur the words "United States and Canada." There's no other mention of eitljer Canada or the United States throughout, and I don't see any need of further men- tion. Half the committee were Canadians, and Canada had exactly the same recognition the United States had. Won't it be "quite in order," Mr. Newman, for you to reconsider your opinion as to the suggestions about Canada ? A word as to the manner of voting: Mr. Mewman does not agree with my views. Now, Mr. Newman, admitting all you say to be correct for the present, it isn't a sure thing that you'll live always. Then a new Manager will come into office, and after he has been tried a year he may be found wanting, or at least it may be thought some other would do better. Each member sends him an open ballot, and the probability is that many who do not feel very strongly in the matter will send a vote in his favor that they would not send if the vote were sent elsewhere. If this were not so, why is it that it is so common a thing in deliberative bodies to take the more tedious way of voting by ballot instead of the much shorter way of counting noses ? And I'd rather have the change made now when you're in office, than to wait till the necessity arises. Marengo, 111. 1^" How to winter bees successfully has been to bee- keepers their most vexatious problem, and it may be safely asserted that failure in bee-keeping is chiefly attributable to defective wintering. — Quinbv. Large Hives ; Size and Shape of Hives ; and Conditions Necessary to Safe Winter- ing of Bees. BY CHAS. DADANT. (Continued from page 822.) In my last article, I have granted that the small hives, in a bad season, will give a little more surplus honey than the large hives, because there is more room in the large hive-body and the quantity stored in the upper story of the small hive will be easily stored in the brood apartment of the large hive. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 2, Let us now turn a leaf and see what the result will be in the spring. In the first place, the small-hive apiary will be reduced in numbers, more than the large, owing to the fact that the colo- nies, having less honey, will have bred less in the fall ; there- fore being weaker — or, if you prefer to say, less populous — they will be less able to withstand the extremes of tempera- ture. The large-hive colonies are better fitted for winter; having more bees they keep up a good heat. Their honey, which the bee-keeper would have sold, had they been in a small hive, is more likely to be well sealed than that of the others, and if of the early crop, it will be of better quality for wintering, be- ing whiter than that which is harvested the latest, and the bees can stay a long while without having to take a cleansing flight. In the early spring, those colonies which are well supplied, breed without stint ; tbey know that their stores will last, and are not afraid of a few backward days. Those of the small hives soon see the end of their stores, and if they are not constantly watched and fed back by the apiarist, they suffer. The result is a better crop from the large hives, and if the season happens to be an early one, the result may be more than a double crop from the hives that are best supplied. We discovered the great difference in results between colonies in a hive that has to be fed in the spring, and one that has plenty, in the following manner : In 1877, we had three or four apiaries away from home, one of which was located on the farm of an old countryman of ours, five miles north of our home. A part of the hives in this apiary had been placed by him in the front wall of a hot-house. These colonies were exceedingly strong, and as they had a large amount of honey which could not be extracted, owing to their situation, they swarmed over and over, and we found our- selves rather crowded for hives. We were not then, as yet, using comb foundation for the frames, and a few of the hives were not even supplied with the triangular top-bar frames. The result was that a number of our swarms — probably 15 or 20 — built their combs in the 10-frame Quinby hives crosswise instead of lengthwise of the frames. Any one who has had to transfer bees knows that it is much more difficult to transfer them from a movable-frame hive when the combs are built in this way, than from a plain box-hive. As we were very busy all that season, we left the hives in this condition. It was then our custom to take two or three of the outside combs, in those large hives, every fall, and extract the honey out of them, taking it for granted that 20 or 25 pounds were sufficient to winter any colony. These hives, having no combs that could be taken out without transferring the entire lot, were left with all the extra honey. We fully in- tended to transfer them the following spring early, but it was such an ugly job that we delayed it until it was too late. These colonies had plenty and to spare. They needed no feeding, and gave nearly twice as much as the others. But we did not think about this extra supply as being the cause of their greater yield, and it was not until we had transferred a few of them that we noticed that evidently the cause of their greater crop was due to their more prosperous condition. What had been procrastination on our part, turned to be a very good test. After that we ceased extracting honey from the lower story of those large hives, except when the bees are altogether too much crowded with honey. And please take note : It is only with large experiments that one can make sure of the advantage of one method over another. For example : When we heard of the chafl hives, made with a wall three inches thick, some 20 or 25 years ago, we were struck with the advantage claimed for them. We tried about a half dozen, and succeeded so well that we had a lot of 80 of these hives made for our apiaries. We have since ascertained that the chaff hives were not suitable here, for whatever they save during the cold of winter, they lose in early spring, as the same wall that keeps the cold out also keeps the rays of the sun from warming the hive at a time when the bees need to be induced to take flight. Last, but not least, among the advantages of large hives is the decrease of swarming. With our present methods, we have no swarms worth mentioning; but when the bees do swarm, these swarms are of very large size. We find that it does not require a constant watch during the swarming sea- son, for the few swarms that issue make enough noise to at- tract attention. How often this question is repeated in the Bee Jour- nal? " How can I prevent swarming ?" It is impossible to prevent it altogether, but large hives will very materially re- duce it, for the reasons already mentioned. There is one cause of natural swarming which cannot be very well prevent- ed. It is the superseding of the queen during the honey crop. If the queen seems to weaken, the bees will at once rear a number of young queens, and swarming will result. This will happen in hives of any size, and we do not see that it may be prevented. But the excessive swarming — so annoying in api- aries with small hives — is done away with when sufficiently large hives are used. Many bee-keepers will say that the production of swarms is profitable. This is so ; but I much prefer " making the swarms " myself, artificially, because I rear queens from the best bees, and can take the "swarms" from those colonies which would not produce any surplus honey. There are many points to consider in the selection of breeding-queens for reproduction. These are prolificness, gentleness, activity, endurance in winter, etc. Hamilton, 111. No bee-keeper worthy the name, will allow his bees to go into winter quarters short of stores. — Hutchinson. The Ventilation of Bee-Cellars. BY G. M. DOOLITTLE. A correspondent writes that he has his bees in the cellar, all in nice shape, but he has fears about his having ventilation enough for his cellar, in the two six-inch pipes he is using, and wishes me to give an article in the American Bee Journal on the subject of ventilating bee-cellars. When I first built my bee-cellar (which is a hole dug into a hillside, 24 feet back by 7 feet wide and 6K feet deep, with mason-work walls, and covered with flag stone, with three to four feet of earth over all, and a board roof covering the earth), no one could have made me believe but that any place in which bees were to be kept, should have means provided for a direct draft of air through it, at any or all times when the weather was mild enough to admit of it, without running the temperature of the cellar down too low. For this reason I prepared for what I considered the best possible ventilation Fig. i— Outside View of Doolittle's Bee-Cellar. of this bee-cellar when I built it, the ventilation being done by putting in a sub-earth ventilator, something over 100 feet long, this to carry in pure warmed air from the outside. At the top, in the opposite end, was the ventilator to carry off the impure air, a regulator or damper being provided, so that the amount of air could be adjusted to any amount required, from the whole amount, which was 50 square inches, to none at all. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. As the sub-earth ventilator was placed deep in the ground, I thought that it need not make the cellar too cold by leaving the upper one wholly or partially open all the time; but when I came to put it iu actual practice, I found that, in all cool weather, when there was a wind, I could not keep the tem- perature where I wanted it, so I began closing the upper ven- tilator entirely, except on all days when there was no wind, or the mercury stood above the freezing-point. As this made an Fkj. 2 — Oround-Plan. Fig. 3 — Roof Torn Aivay. endless lot of work, I resolved to leave it closed entirely for two weeks, and see what would become of the matter. It was with some misgivings that I went into the cellar at the end of the time, but I found the bees in splendid condition; in fact, they appeared the nicest and most quiet that I had ever seen them. I then gave the cellar a good draft for two or three hours, when the ventilator was shut again, and as the weather was extremely cold for a month, all direct ventilation was shut off during this time. As the bees seemed to be in the best of condition still, I then went to work shutting up both ventilators till I became fully satisfied that enough air came into this underground cellar, through the mason-work and dirt covering, for all the wants and requirements of the bees. Now, I not only found that the bees wintered just as well as formerly, but a little better ; and what was of more value to me still, I now had no trouble in controlling the tempera- ture. EVENNESS OF TEMPERATURE IN BEE-CELLARS. This brings me to another point which I wish to speak of, and that is evenness of temperature. Some seem to think that a cellar will be too cold in a cold winter, and too warm in a mild winter, or that the temperature will vary in it, just in proportion as it does outside. Any cellar which will thus change temperature to any considerable extent cannot be the best possible place to winter bees. This cellar of mine does not average one degree warmer in the "warmest winter ever known," from where it stands in the coldest winter ever known, and all the changes in the outside temperature from day to day does not affect it at all ; no matter if the tempera- ture stands at 603 above zero for a week, and 10^ below zero for the next week, it changes not inside, for the warmth of Mother Earth remains unchanged, when you get a little way under the crust. When the bees are put into this cellar, the temperature stands at about 50^, till they get quieted down so as not to throw off animal heat in excess of that required when in their semi-dormant condition, after which it gradually goes down to about 450, where it stays all winter, rarely varying more than one or two degrees from this afterward, till spring ; or when I take them from the cellar. This evenness of temperature, and keeping it at about the desired point, is one of the great secrets of successful winter- ing in cellars, and one of the reasons why I prefer a cellar en- tirely under ground, and away from any building, or that which may give it an unevenness of temperature. With a temperature as above, no bees come out of the hive to die, except those which die a natural death from old age. SHUTTING BEES IN THE HIVE IN THE CELLAR. This causes me to speak of another point, which is, the shutting of bees in their hives by means of wire-cloth or other- wise, to keep them from leaving their hives, as some seem to think necessary. Such ideas are fallacious, and only suggest themselves to the inexperienced. The reasons for not shutting the bees in their hives are, first, when an old bee gets ready to die, it always leaves the hive, if the temperature in which the hive is kept will admit of its doing so. Now, in a cellar of the proper temperature, these old bees can always do as nature prompts, and so strive to carry out this part, that they start some time before they expire to get away from the hive ; and if confined to it, they keep returning to the cluster, running over the bees, buzzing away on the wire-cloth, etc., so that when large numbers ex- pire at the same time, as they often do toward spring, the whole colony is aroused, when a struggle for freedom ensues, which is often very damaging to the whole colony, if it does not result in their death. Again, where the cluster spreads out to take in new sup- plies of honey from the surrounding combs — as most colonies do several times during the winter — they will come out on the outside of the hive, walk about a little and return. If on such occasions they find themselves prisoners, the same kind of stampede occurs as before, and much harm is the result. After experimenting for years in regard to how the hives should be placed in the cellar, I now raise tbera from the bot- tomb-board from two to three inches all around, leaving this space entirely open, so the bees can pass out or in as they please. Borodino, N. Y. [The engravings of Mr. Doolittle's bee-cellar, as well as the following description of them, are taken from that excel- lent book— Root's " A B C of Bee-Culture "—having been writ- ten by Mr. D., himself, in January, 1888 :— Editors.I Fig. 1 represents the outside appearance of the cellar as viewed from the southeast. The ground should rise gradually from the foreground up to the fence, the back end of the roof at the peak being lower, or as low, as the ground opposite to it on each side. The outer roof is hemlock boards batttened. In Fig. 2, 1 represents the window in the gable-end of the ante-room, so 1 can have a little light after I go in and shut the first door. In this ante-room (see Pigs. 2 and 3) I light my candle, have the sawdust to carry in to spread on the floor, etc. In Fig. 3, 4 is the upper drain, or water-course, to carry off all surplus water coming from the roof and else- where, it being made in a large scoop form by taking dirt out to go between the two roofs, as illustrated in Fig. 1. The fence is shown in the rear. This causes the snow to drift on the roof. In Fig. 3, 6 shows the ventilator at the back end of the cellar. Fig. 2 represents the front view, also the ground-plan of the ante-room and doors. 1 is the casing that the outer door hangs on, and against which it shuts; 2 is the outer door which swings in and around against the south side of the ante-room ; 3 is the first door toward entering the cellar ; and in opening, it swings out and around the north side of the ante-room, finding the position when open as represented; 4 is the next door, two feet further in, which in opening also swings around against No. 3, as shown ; 5 is the door enter- ing the cellar; and in opening, it swings into the cellar against the south wall, unless the cellar is full of bees, in which case a stop is so placed that it will not hit the hives. In entering the cellar I first go into the ante-room and shut the door, as I have explained ; then t open Nos. 3 and 4, and step into the last dead-air space, closing No. 4 after me, but allowing No. 3 to remain open. I now open No. 5, and quickly step into the cellar, closing after me. Thus it will be seen that very little change of air can take place by my en- tering, especially when I say that all is covered overhead and on all sides with dirt, except the ante-room. Fig. 3 represents the inside of the cellar. 1 represents the floor, or cellar-bottom. This is always quite dry, and there is a drain under the wall, and below the bottom all around, being S inches deep at the southwest corner, and 20 inches deep at the northeast corner, or outlet. 2 represents the south wall. The hives are put up along both walls and west end, putting one on top of the other ones four deep, as seen at 8 ; also by H. H., etc., in Fig. 2. In Fig. 3, 3 is the inner roof, which is made by using 2x6 stuff for rafters (which are a foot apart), with 1-inch boards nailed on thera at the top. [In the summer of 1890 these boards had become rotted so much that the roof caved in. To THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 2, prevent a recurrence of this, Mr. Doolittle uses stone flagging instead of the boards. If the latter were covered with tarred paper above and below, it might answer equally well, and, at the same time, be cheaper. — Ed.] 4 is the 'i feet of dry earth between the two roofs, 5 representing the outside roof. 6 is the ventilator, showing the two elbows, whish effectually ex- clude all light. The hole in it is 6x8 inches square. 7 is the sub-earth ventilator, which is 4 feet deep, as far as may be, and 100 feet long ; but, as I have said before, this and the upper one are closed of late, winters, while the bees are in the cellar. As I ha,ve often expressed, I believe this is the best underground arrangement possible for wintering bees, and I have tried to make it all plain, so any person can build one who desires. The cost to me was not far from $80 ; but, of course, prices of lumber, stone and labor, vary in different localities. THEllEtl'ttB^ Bees of Kight Age for Wintering'. We are convinced if A winters his bees just as B, and in one locality the bees cease to breed sufficiently early to mature and have a cleansing flight, and in the other this is not the case, the results will vary, and the fjrst will secure more satis- factory results with less thorough methods, and such a case may be used as an argument against the more thorough and better methods. — Editorial in Canadian Bee Journal. Just so; and equally if the bees cease to breed so early that the bees are all too old, the result will not be satisfactory. Wants Him "Sot Down" On. Rev. W. F. Clarke says that when the membership fee to the North American Bee-Keepers' Association gets down to 25 cents, he wants no more to do with it. Has the reverend gen- tleman made so much money from bee-keeping lately that he had rather pay .$1.00 than 25 cents'? Or is it because he does not wish to associate with the rank and file? If so, he had better use his powerful influence to get the fee raised to $10, if, according to his views, the higher the fee the better the organization. I think we poor " 25-cent fellers " ought to "sit down " on the reverend gentleman. We want no aristoc- racy in ours. — Observer, in Progressive Bee-Keeper. Prospects for Nebraska. In looking over the year's correspondence we gather these figures for the State of Nebraska : Loss of colonies of bees from September, 1893, to May, 1895, 95 per cent. Surplus honey placed on the market, 10,000 pounds. Gains in colo- nies. May IS, 1894, to September 18, 1895, about 4 to 1, so that we go into the winter with about 20 per cent, of the num- ber we had to begin the winter of 1893, and nearly one-half as many as in 1894, and our surplus honey crop this year is more than ten times that of 1894. One year ago we predicted very heavy losses on account of there being so few young bees to begin the winter with. This season the reverse is true. Colonies are well stocked with sealed honey and plenty of young bees, and we think bees will winter better than for some years past. Not since the fall of 1889 has there been as good a show for the coming year being productive of honey as now. In 1890 and 1891 we produced more honey than any other two years in the history of our State. Get your dishes ready. There will be honey next year. The fall rains this year have started the honey-plants in good shape, and unless they are destroyed after this, there will be a larger honey-production to the square mile than there has been for a long time. — Edito- rial, in December Nebraska Bee-Keeper. Alfalfa in Illinois. W. W. Pusey, residing nearOdell, Livingston County, 111., has been growing alfalfa on his farm the past two years and has made quite a study in regard to its culture and of caring for the plant. In conversation with a reporter of the Bloom- ington Pantagraph he said : " Alfalfa should be sown the latter part of April, and it would do to sow it in a very wet fall, like this one. In August or September. As a rule, in ordinary years it is good pasture by April 20, five inches high. There is no other pasture that will do to pasture so early in the season grown here. It can stand several hard freezes, and, if protected by rubbish, it will grow all winter." It has yielded on his farm two tons per acre each cutting, and he has good fall pasturage afterwards. The first cutting should be done the last of May, second cutting middle of July, third cutting the middle of September, and his experience has been that the straw is no more difficult to care for than timothy, and not so hard to care for as clover. It does not "dust" as does clover, by lying too long on the ground. The main root resembles the ordinary garden pars- nip with fine lateral branches like the small roots of a parsnip. Alfalfa enriches the ground by the long roots bringing the mineral substances to the surface, which other grasses do not do, as their roots do not penetrate the earth to the mineral depth. Alfalfa becomes of age or full growth in four years from the planting when the outside bark or shell of the root sheds off and a new bark grows. This is done annually after four years, which further acts as a fertilizer to the soil and loosens the earth, thus acting as a self-cultivator. Mr. Pusey thinks alfalfa is the coming feeding hay for this section, as it will grow better in a dry year than timothy or clover, and the yield is far in excess of any other grasses in any season, and reduces the acreage required for feed, which could be used for grain by a farmer. He has given up growing any other plant for feed, and his experience has been that all kinds of stock thrive better than feeding or pasturage on the other grass feeds. Some "Stray Straws" from Gleanings. Cellared my bees Nov. 13. Oh, but they're heavy ! Lots of fun dreaming over what big things the bees will do next year. Never forget that bees can stand more cold with good air than with bac^. So can you, or any other animal. The linden, according to an article in Gravenhorst's Bien- enzeitung, yields well only about four times in 26 years. Bet- ter get some American lindens. Foundation with wood-base ^g-inch thick is favorably men- tioned in Gravenhorst's Bienenzeitung. For extracting it has the advantage that no wire-cloth i8 needed in the extractor. Why is it that bees get lazy in a little while when working on feeders, and keep up a life-long interest in flowers ? Would they keep the same interest in the feeders if they traveled the same distance to them ? Although bees are in the cellar, I expect to keep doors and windows open day and night for some time — as long, anyhow, as keeping them open doesn't bring the temperature of the cellar below 40^. When it goes below that, I'll shut up and keep it at 45^ or more. Heather honey is so thick that as yet it has never been emptied by the extractor. One of the live questions at the present time in Germany is as to some machine or manage- ment by which it may be extracted, and the sturdy bee-keepers of that land are hopeful. Dzierzon, the German Langstroth, who invented movable combs in Germany, never allowed the advisability of end-bars and bottom-bars until the advent of the extractor. He used merely a top-bar; and when he wanted to remove a comb he cut it away from its side attachments with a knife. The bee-keeper's year, says Lebrecht Wolff, in Graven- horst's Bienenzeitung, does not begin in spring, nor Jan. 1, but Oct. 1. That's when I start a new record-book each year, and about the first entry is hauling home the bees from the out-apiary. Each volume of Deutsche Illustrierte Bienenzei- tung begins, not Jan. 1, but Oct. 1. Temperature alone will not decide when bees will fly. If badly in need of a flight they may fly at 40°, whereas they might stay quietly in their hives at 60° if there were no pas- turage and they had not been long confined. They'll fly at a lower temperature in bright than in cloudy weather ; and when honey is yielding than when nothing is to be had. I wonder why it is that in Germany heather honey brings lower price than clover, and in Scotland higher. [It's all in the taste. Doctor. Some people think Limburger cheese very delicious, and others can't bear to have it in sight. But, say : in York State there are not a few who think buckwheat honey far superior to any white honey ever produced. — Ed.] 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. CONDDCTED BY OR. C. O. MILLER, MARENGO, ILL. [Questions may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct.l Wliat Probably Caused the Queen's Deatli i- Winter Stores — Packing Bees. 1. Sometime ago I united two weak colonies, the one hav- ing a tested Italian queen, the other a hybrid. By way of cau- tion, I caged the tested queen on a comb for a day or so, hav- ing killed the hybrid. I released the queen about dark, giving the bees a good smoking, and thought all would be well ; but on examination about a week later, no queen was present. I am quite sure of this, for I made two thorough examinations. Meanwhile, they were fed about 10 pounds of syrup from a Miller feeder. What was the probable cause of the queen be- ing killed ? 2. Why must stores, either fed or gathered, be sealed for winter ? 3. My single-wall hives are arranged in a row in a shed facing the south, open two or three feet from the ground in nice weather, but closed during cold, stormy weather. I have packed several inches at the back, also between the hives with straw and chaff. Each hive has a T super filled with a sack containing chaff, closely packed. In lieu of a Hill device, the burlap covers are placed over the T tins instead of directly on the brood-frames. Is this the coirect way, or should the bur- laps be under the tin ? Should the packing in the supers be scant enough to allow of an air space under the cover ? My covers fit rather closely over the packing, but are provided with about an inch hole at each end for ventilation. I see bran mentioned for packing over the brood-chamber. What is your opinion of its merits, compared with wheat straw or chaff? H. M. S. Vine, 0., Dec. 7. Answers. — 1. Now look here. How do you know that queen was killed? You say you made two thorough examina- tions. That won't pass as conclusive testimony in this court. You were not convinced yourself by the first examination or else you would't have made the second. And if you missed finding her on the first examination, how can you be sure the second was any better. Sometimes a queen has kept out of my sight for more than two examinations, and I'm no "slouch," either, at finding a queen. Wait till next spring before you feel sure about it. Now if you're ready to admit that you don't know whether that queen's dead or alive, I'll admit that the chances are that you're not far out of the way in supposing her to be dead. As to the reason, it's reason enough that she was in a hive with a number of strange bees, in which there's always some chance of trouble, and in this case the chances went against her. Per- haps next time you try the same thing, all will be lovely. If I understand the case rightly, you killed the one queen and caged the other at the time of uniting. Then a day or so later you released the caged queen. I don't know just what occurred, but I'll give a guess at what might have been. When the bees were united, some of the hybrid queen's subjects went nosing around and found a strange queen in a cage. An un- friendly feeling made them hang around the cage, and the loyal bees not being able to get to her paid not much attention to her. If they discussed the matter at all, they may have said that a queen that would fool away her time in a cage like that wasn't exactly what she ought to be. So when the cage was opened, the disaffected bees had their own way and dis- patched her royal highness. If you had killed the hybrid queen a day or a week beforehand, and then united without caging, your chances might have been better, for the strange bees would by that time have discovered their queenlessness and been ready to tolerate anything in the shape of a queen. 2. If there were no other reason. I should prefer to have sealed stores for winter, because their being sealed is some- thing of a guarantee that they are ripe enough to be proper stores. I admit that there may be such a thing as sealed hon- ey, that isn't as ripe as the majority of unsealed honey, and that there may be unsealed honey very thick and ripe, but as a rule sealed honey will be the better of the two. But suppose we have two lots of honey exactly alike in every respect, only one is sealed and the other unsealed — I'd rather have the sealed. The vapor in the hive arising from the bees settles on the unsealed honey, thinning it so that by spring it will run out of the cells. The sealing keeps It closed against the entrance of the vapor, and It will remain thick until the bees uncap It. 3. I think you're all right with the burlap over theT tins, for if the burlap were next the frames there might be no chance for a passage over the frames. I suppose you saw that the burlap was close down upon the frames everywhere except where the T tins were. I don't believe an air space under the cover is of any special use. I don't know about bran, but I think I'd as soon risk chaff. Planer shavings, however, seem to be growing in favor. One good point about them is that they don't suit mice as well as either of the others. Sweet and Alsike Clover Seed. 1. Where can I obtain sweet and Alsike clover seed for the least money near to me ? What should it cost per bushel ? Anyone having the above seed for sale, I would be glad to re- ceive prices from. J. N. S. Cuba Landing, Tenn. Answer. — I know nothing about the matter only from the advertisements. Watch for them toward spring. I think it is usually about $6 a bushel.— [Those who have for sale the seed mentioned, should advertise it with prices in the adver- tising columns of this paper. — Editors.1 Housing Bees -Balling of the (tti^en. 1. Would it be best to house bees in this warm, damp cli- mate, or put under a good shed out-doors? All buildings get very damp inside, unless they have fire in them. The temper- ature seldom gets down to zero. 2. What Is meant by "balling a queen ?" H. B. B. Riverside, Wash. Answers. — 1. I'm inclined to think the best thing is to have them out-doors, perhaps properly packed in such a shed as you speak of. But I'd try to find out just what has been the practice of others, and their respective success. 2. The first time you have a queen that you want to de- stroy, throw her among a lot of bees that have a good queen, and you'll find out what " balling a queen " means. First one bee will grab hold of the strange queen, then another, and an- other until there's no room for any more to get hold of her, and then other bees will take hold of the bees that are holding on to the queen, and this will be continued until they make a ball the size of a hickory nut or a walnut. The balling bees will make a sort of hissing sound, and as a rule will hold on to the queen until she is dead. This will take several hours. Sometimes bees will ball their own queen and kill her, either because there's something wrong with her or because she has been handled and has thus acquired a strauge scent. When bees ball their own queen, however, I think they do not generally mean any evil to her, but ball her for the sake of protecting her. Often when I've opened a hive and found them balling their queen, I've closed the hive at once and left them, and the next day I'd find the queen all right. A Ne-w Binder for holding a year's numbers of the American Bee Journal, we propose to mail, postpaid, to every subscriber who sends us 15 cents in addition to paying for his or her subscription for 1896. It is called "The Wood Binder," is patented, and is an entirely new and very simple arrangement. Full printed directions accompany each Binder. Every reader should get it, and preserve the copies of the Bee Journal as fast as they are received. Why not begin with Jan. 1 to save them ? They are Invaluable for reference, and at the low price of the Binder you can afford to get it yearly. If your subscription is already paid for 1896, send 15 cents for the Binder. If any one desires two of the Binders — one for 1895 and one for 1896— send 25 cents, and they will be mailed to you. JI^.I am not sure but I should want a fire in a bee-cellar for the sake of ventilation, even if not needed for heat. — Dr. Miller. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 2, PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY GEORGE W. YORK & COMPANY, Editors and Proprietors, 36 Fifth Avenue, - CHICAGO, ILL. $1.00 a Year— Sample Copy Sent Free. [Entered at the Post-Offlce at ChicaKO as Second-Class Mail-Matter.] Vol. niVI, CEICA&O, ILL, JAN, 2, 1896, No, 1, A Happy Ne-w Year to you all ! The New Headings in this number of the Bee Journal we trust will please every reader. What could be more appropriate than to begin this brand new year with spick-and-span new "head-lights" on the "Old Reliable?" The Bee-Keepers' Congress' proceedings we had hoped to begin in this number of the Bee Journal, but they did not reach us in time. We expect next week to have the pleasure of beginning the account of what we understand was a very profitable convention held at Atlanta, Ga., last month. "While the Past Year has not been one of great prosperity for bee-keepers, yet no sadness should thereby be permitted to take possession of our hearts on this the thresh- hold of a New Year. At this season all should be happy, with courageous and better-matured plans for the future. Even if the past year has not brought to us the full fruition of our sincerest hopes, we must look forward with a stronger de- termination to overcome all obstacles, if possible, and press on as becomes men and women who toil not for Time only, but for an Eternity that shall be the more blessed because of the previously perfected characters we shall take there. Let us — '• On the future cast no longing, Wait not for a brighter day; We, the builders of the Present, Make our Future what we may." Bee Journal and the Supply Business.— There are a few people who seem to be worried somewhat about the American Bee Journal being connected with the bee-supply business, since the Root branch is now located so near its editorial sanctum. The following, which appeared in Gleanings for Dec. 15, puts the case fairly well : Various comment has been offered in some of the bee- journals as to whether the American Bee Journal is har- nessed to the supply business, or under the wing of Gleanings, now that its editor, Mr. York, has been engaged to manage the Chicago oflSce of The A. I. Root Co. So far as the Ameri- can Bee Journal is concerned, it is just as independent as be- fore. It has no connection, pecuniarily or otherwise, with Gleanings or its publishers. As Mr. York was an old wheel- horse in the supply business under Thomas G. Newman & Son, and as the successor of that firm had sold out its business to us, Mr. York, by virtue of his experience and general ac- quaintance with the territory, was engaged to manage the Chicago branch oflBce ; and wareroom rent, insurance, cart- age, freight, and stationery, etc., are paid by us. But sup- pose the publisher of the American Bee Journal did open up a supply oiBce, the same owned and controlled by himself — would that necessarily weaken the influence of his paper? If he were selfish, and inclined to " boom his supplies " irrespec- tive of their merits, through his journal, he would hurt it ; but he is not disposed to do anything of that kind. No, sir; the American Bee Journal is just as independent as it was before the Root branch was opened up here, and we defy any one to point to a single instance wherein the Bee Journal is the worse for having another firm's supply business in the same building ! But why didn't those same folks object when the former publishers of this journal were actually buy- ing and selling supplies ? The^i they might have had a rea- sonable excuse, but now it is a waste of space to discuss the matter so far as the present American Bee Journal is con- cerned. Again, we wish to say, that there isn't the slightest con- nection between Root's bee-supply branch here in Chicago and the American Bee Journal. They pay for their advertising space in this journal just as do others, and their goods will not be pushed in its columns auy more than are others — ex- cept as more advertising space is paid for. And that is open to all honorable dealers. Vou are Hard to Please, we shall think, if this number of the old American Bee Journal doesn't come pretty nearly to suiting you. But we hope it will serve only as an indication of what it will be this year. If everything goes well, the 36th volume will be the brighest and most valuable of all. We will do our "level best" to keep it up to the " pace" set by this particular number. You can all help us a good deal in succeeding, if you will do your part. A sympa- thetic audience always contributes greatly to the success of the orator who may be delivering the address. There are many who speak through the American Bee Journal. Let us all help each other. ^-•-*- Mr. Tucker's Apiary, as shown on the first page of this number, is thus described very briefly by himself : Wallingford, Conn., Dec. 2, 1895. Mr. Editor :— "I don't know " that I can say much about my apiary, as the picture shows well for itself. However, I will say that it all faces the south, and in the winter I board up the north side and the ends, and line the outside with single-ply tar felt. The two long boards seen in front are double, hung by hinges so I can let the outside one down in case of a driving storm, rain or snow. In the winter I wrap the hives in old carpets, old sacking, or anything that will do to keep them warm. I raise the rear end of each hive three inches. At this time I have 28 colonies, mostly in dovetailed hives. The shop (a portion of which shows) is 12x20 feet, with shed roof. I take lots of comfort around this little spot. I work in a factory where silver-plated ware is made, and keep bees for pleasure, as it is not much of a honey-district right around here. J. B. Tucker. ■*-—*■ A Xumber of Complaints have been received at this office recently, against C. R. Horrie & Co., a commis- sion firm at 224 South Water St., Chicago. Also, we are get- ting enquiries as to their reliability, honesty, etc. In view of the foregoing, we deem it but just to all concerned, that we make a few plain statements. As nearly all the Bee Journal subscribers know, several months ago there appeared in this paper a small advertise- ment of the above firm, soliciting shipments of honey. Before accepting that advertisement we investigated them as thor- oughly as we then thought was necessary, and apparently all 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. was well. At the end of the first order of three months' ad- vertising, there still appearing no good reason for doing otherwise, the contract was renewed. But before the second three months expired, we discovered that the firm was not giving the satisfaction to bee-keepers when handling their honey we thought they should, so we dropped the advertise- ment, and informed them that we could carry it no longer. They paid their advertising bills very promptly, and seemingly were pleased with the amount of business the advertisement had brought them. But since discontinuing the advertisement numerous com- plaints against them have come in, one of which was pub- lished on page 817 of the Bee Journal for Dec. 19, 1895. Now as that is but a fair sample of the others, we felt that it would be better for us to make an editorial statement, rather than to take up valuable space in publishing thera all. We can only say further, from what we now know, we re- gret that we permitted the advertisement of Horrie & Co. to appear in the Bee Journal. We have learned a lesson which we hope never to repeat. Of course, we feel the worst when thinking of those hard-working bee-keepers who, after having been fortunate enough in a poor season to. get any surplus crop at all, must be compelled to accept much less for their honey than they could have received at home, or at the hands of some other dealers through whom they had made satisfac- tory sales in previous seasons. In conclusion, permit us to say that if you feel that you have been dealt with unfairly by any commission firm that has handled your honey, place your complaint before the National Bee-Keepers' Union — if you are a member of it (and you ought to be, if you are not). Mr. Thomas G. Newman, 147 South Western Ave., Chicago, 111., is its General Manager, and he will look after your interests very carefully, if it is anything that comes within the province of the Union. And we do not know of any more valuable work it can do for bee-keepers, than to protect its members against those who attempt to take advantage of them. For what shall it profit a bee-keeper who, by careful toil, has gained a surplus honey crop, and then is defrauded out of a goodly portion of its value ? Xbe L.ang;strotli memorial, in Gleanings for Dec. 15, 1895, helped to make a specially interesting number of that beautifully-illustrated apicultural semi-monthly. It spoke eloquently of Father Langstroth as a man, minister of the gospel, college professor, editor, bee-keeper, and inventor. The memorial contributions were written by such noted men as Thos. Wm. Cowan, editor of the British Bee Journal ; C. J. H. Gravenhorst, editor of the Deutsche Illustrierte Bienenzei- tUDg; Edward Bertrand, editor of the Revue Internationale; W. F. Clarke and Thomas G. Newman, former editors of the American Bee Journal ; Rev. W. F. McCauley, a former pas- tor of Mr. Langstroth ; Prof. A. J. Cook, Thaddeus Smith, and S. T. Pettit. Next week we expect to republish some entertaining ex- tracts from the memorial articles, which we are sure will be read with much interest by all. Bee-keepers are yet too near the lamented Langstroth's time to rightly estimate him and his work. Those who will have the privilege of looking back- ward from the next century will be better able to put the true value upon the great Langstroth and his efforts in behalf of bee-keeping and the world in general. His life will shine on with a more resplendent glory as the years come and go ; for he "being dead yet speaketh," and unnumbered are they that shall yet "rise up and call him blessed." I^angstrotli on the Honey-Bee.— This fine book is now reduced in price from $1.40 to $1.25, postpaid. It is the latest revision by the well-known Dadants. We can supply it at the price named, or we will mail it with the Bee Journal for one year — both together, for only $2.00. Every bee-keeper should have Langstroth's peerless work. It is his own enduring monument, as well as the pride of American apiculture. MR. F. L.. THOMPSOIV. It is always interesting to read about our friends — to see their faces, even if only on paper — and to know something about the particular incidents connected with the life of each. For that reason, Mr. Thompson was requested to permit his photograph to be used, though he would not send it until the second urgent invitation, when he replied that he would comply, but "under protest." (Of course the "protest" made no difference, so long as the picture was forthcoming). Mr. Thompson was born near Cincinnati, Ohio, on April 3, 1865. Lung trouble induced his father — a teacher by pro- "P. L. Thompson. fession — to remove to Colorado in 1872, where he regained his health, but was told by the doctor not to enter the school- room again. Hence he settled in the country, near Denver, making and selling butter for a living. There were no fences in those days. The cattle had to come home to water, but this was not enough to prevent them from roaming for miles around in all directions. They had to be "roundup" and counted every day, and the cows brought home for milking, morning and evening. Most of the riding fell to F. L.'s share. In this and in milking, drawing water, hunting stray cattle (sometimes for days at a time in all weather), and, in the sum- mer, haying of the scanty wild grass three miles distant, from which he often secured no more than a load a day, the time passed in unbroken routine, sometimes varied by attending country schools, but chiefly, for him, in reading over and over their small collection of books. After some years of such a life, his father, at considerable sacrifice to himself, managed to send the children to school in Denver. Then began a new world. At first, of course, a col- lege education seemed like fairyland, too nice to be thought of as ever really happening. But after entering the Denver High School, taking the "general" course, it began to seem really too bad not to have some idea of what was going on in the cultured world, and so young Thompson began to study 10 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 2, by himself — first, Latin, then Greek, and finally "flopping" clear over to the classical course, after catching up with the others, though still without hope of doing more than finish- ing the high school. He has vivid recollections of carrying around his Greeic books one vacation, no matter what he was doing, and snatching a moment here and there for study. From that time to this, the so-called "dead " languages (with others) have been a perpetual joy, Inspiration, and comfort to him. Imagine his rapture, when, after graduation, wealthy friends offered the loan of funds for a college education. At college (Yale) his forte continued to be languages. In his junior year, he won the first Winthrop prize of §200, given to that member of the class who displayed the best ac- quaintance with the Greek and Latin poets in a competitive examination. Mr. Thompson graduated in 1888. His habit of mind is such as to regard every year as lost in which one does not make sensible progress in mental altitude (not mere knowl- edge) as a result of one's own efforts, as distinguished from the chance influence which circumstances may or may not have, which, if they do, is quite as apt to be stupefying as otherwise ; in other words, to keep up life-work as well as livelihood-work, giving the preference to the former when possible. Hence, after over a year of teaching in a private school in Philadelphia, finding that occupation, as at present pursued, too mechanical and exclusive for his bent, he cast about for something in which one could grow. In spite of his early ex- periences, it seemed to him that a country occupation, if kept within due bounds, was most favorable to mental freedom. He got an armful of books on rural specialties, at one of those second-hand book-stores in Philadelphia — among them the works of Quinby and Langstroth — and was not long in deciding that bee-keeping was the most rational of them all. He did not get into it immediately, however, as he should have done, but wasted some time in general farming, losing, of course, by the operation. His first purchase of 20 colonies, in 1892, developed foul brood in nearly all, the first thing, and he gained experience rapidly. Since then he has been enabled to devote his whole time to bee-keeping by running bees on shares, and believes it to be an ideal occupation, and a foretaste, in the nineteenth century, of what the coming man will enjoy in any occupation in the twenty-fifth or thirtieth — the golden mean of occupation and leisure, exercise and study, fruition and anticipation, and especially because it provides regular breathing-places (winters) in which to promote cul- ture; for, as a recent critic has said, "Civilization means pre- cisely the possibility of individual rights and individual culture. The history of culture is the vastly significant thing at the heart of all history." In conclusion, I may say that Mr. Thompson is no stranger to the readers of bee-literature. He has written quite a good many interesting articles for the American Bee Journal, and is at present the translator of foreign apicultural periodicals for the Bee-Keepers' Review. On page 1 of this number of the Bee Journal is published a recent production of his pen. No doubt in the future we shall all hear more frequently from him, as his apiarian experience shall increase, and the bee- business grows upon him. The Editob. Earn Your O^vn Subscription.— Any present subscriber can earn his or her own subscription to the Ameri- can Bee Journal for one year by sending three, new subscribers, with $3.00. A copy of " Bees and Honey " will also be mailed to each new subscriber, and the Bee Journal will be sent to the new readers from the time the order is received up to the end of 1896. This is an easy way to earn your own subscrip- tion and at the same time help to circulate the Bee Journal. Remember, getting 3 new subscribers pays for your own sub- scription for 1 year ! Of course, no other premium, will be sent in addition. This is a straight offer by itself. Tlie Alsike Clover Leaflet consists of 2 pages. with illustrations, showing the value of Alsike clover, and telling how to grow it. This Leaflet is just the thing to hand to every farmer in your neighborhood. Send to the Bee Jour- nal office for a quantity of them, and see that they are dis- tributed where they will do the most good. Prices, postpaid, are as follows : 50 for 25 cents ; 100 for 40 cents ; or 200 for 70 cents. ♦-.-► The Report of the Illinois State Convention. The annual convention was held at the State House in Springfield, Nov. 19 and 20, 1895. The President being absent in the morning, the meeting was called to order by Vice-President S. N. Black, after which Rev. A. P. Cobb, of the Christian church, offered the following prayer : Almighty God, our Heavenly Father : We give Thee thanks that Thy providence has been over our beloved land, and upon this Association, during the year that is now closing. We thank Thee that while there have been floods, and storms, and drouths, which have brought suffering and loss, there has been no calamity .so general or extreme, as to make us lose our faith in Thy goodness, or cause us to feel that Thou hast for- gotten us. Our blessings still infinitely outnumber our calami- ties ; and Thou dost still love us and care for us. We thank Thee that Thou hast so created and endowed us that we can take delight in studying the works of Thy hand. Thou has not only made all things beautiful in their season, clothing the flower of the field with grace and fra- grance, but Thou hast given to each object of Thy creative power, an adaptation to the purpose for which Thou didst intend it. We thank Thee that in Thy sight there are no gradations into greater and less, but that with Thee great- ness lies in each of Thy creatures faithfully fulfilling its mis- sion in creation. We are glad that in this world which Thou hast fashioned, there is a place for the wren, the violet, and the bee, as certainly as for the eagle and the rose, and we be- lieve that the bee, winging its humble flight from flower to flower, as certainly fulfils its divine mission as does the eagle soaring aloft in mid-sky. We rejoice that Thou hast filled human hearts with a de- sire to study Thy handiwork as exhibited in the bee rifling the flower of its sweets, and, by Thine own alchemy, transmut- ing its hidden treasures into nectar and ambrosia. We recall with gratitude that the blind Huber, and many of the purest and best men and women, have found delight in the study of this marvelous insect — the type of industry, of sagacity, and of patient adaptation of means to ends in overcoming obsta- cles. As the wise man of old pointed to the ant as a warning against sloth, so these have seen, in the bee, instructions for the wisest. We are glad that their labors have made exis- tence more pleasurable to the bee ; while its benefactors have reaped a rich reward for the labor of brain and hand, not only in material compensation, but in the inspiring thought that this humble creature is the friend of man, and co-worker with him in the laboratory of Nature, wherein earth and sea and sky are made to minister to many-sided life. May each member of this Association be imbued with a sense of the dignity and utility of his work, as he patiently studies this portion of Thy providence, and thinks Thy thoughts after Thee ; for Thy thoughts are as surely revealed in and by this tiny insect, as in and by the countless stars that roll in their splendid beauty, through the silent cycles of the Universe. Let thy blessing rest upon all the deliberations of this Association, and upon all their coming year's work. Guide us all through life with Thine infinite wisdom. Give us an in- creasing understanding of the works of Tby hand, as well as of Thy grace. And when our mission on earth is ended, take us to Thyself in Heaven, where we may still learn of Thee, until we come to know as we are known ; we humbly ask, though Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. It is true that hives gather no honey, but in so far as they effect the objects which have engaged our attention, they are the cause of much being gathered. — Prof. Cheshibb. A welcome address was then given by Col. Chas. F. Mills, of Springfield, as follows : Mr. President, and Members of the Illinois State Bee-Keepers' Association : It is a great pleasure to meet the bee-keepers of the State again, and I trust that your annual meeting may result in great good to the important interests you so ably represent. It has been my good fortune to meet with you In several of 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 11 your annual gatherings, and the interest manifested in the es- says read, and the discussions following, have confirmed my belief in the great benefits to the apiarists of the State from hearing and reading the proceedings of your meetings. Your committee has assigned me the very pleasant duty of welcoming you to the beautiful capital of your State. You are not only welcome to the hospitality of the city, but to our homes and hearts. The good work your Association has done, and is doing, entitles you to a very cordial and hearty recep- tion, which you will receive at the hands of all who are made acquainted with the object of your visit to Springfield. The good work you have assumed to perform for the bee- keepers of Illinois, has been performed to the entire satisfac- tion of all who are familiar with the very creditable reports published by your organization. Having had exceptional advantages for a thorough exami- nation of the work of the Illinois State Bee-Keepers' Associa- tion, I do not hesitate to most heartily commend the efforts of your Secretary, Mr. Stone, and other officers who have so ably and heartily "co-operated with the leading spirits in the ad- vancement of the best interests of this industry. With assurances of the high personal esteem with which you are held by our citizens, I again assure you of a most cor- dial welcome to the State capital. Chas. F. Mills. After the address, a vote of thanks was extended to Col. Mills, and both he and Rev. Cobb were made honorary mem- bers of the Association for the year 1896. The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved, when a recess was taken for the reception of members. The Secretary's report was read and approved, as follows: The summary of matters pertaining to our Association for the year past, can be given in a very brief space of time. Matters in this line are about like the honey crop for this year. When we first sent out our cards for reports from the members, in May, some answered that the prospect for a honey-flow was promising ; but as the season advanced the reports became more and more discouraging. When they were sent out in September so few answered (and they very dis- couragingly) that we did not think best to send again in October. As to the membership in the Association : We think it is on account of the poor season that we have had fewer fees sent in than in other years. Why would it not be well to re- duce the annual membership fee to 50 cents, instead of §1.00? or why not make arrangements with the bee-papers on some basis (to be arranged with them) by which a certain sum will entitle a member to both membership and a bee-paper for one year ? I would suggest that something be done along this line, if possible. The expense of running the Association is not heavy, and if it were, we think more money could be raised on a small fee than on a large one. The principal thing is members, not money. In the report last year I stated that we had a good many of our Annual Reports, both 1st and 2nd, on hand, with no postage to send them out. And as our last Legislature failed to make an appropriation for us, we still have no postage to send them. Some of the legislators asked for them for their constituents, but many are still on hand. What shall be done with them ? I am of the opinion that our 2nd Annual Re- port, containing the proceedings of the North American Bee- Keepers' Convention for 1893, at Chicago, and many things relating to the honey exhibit at the World's Fair, will be a desirable thing to have among bee-keepers, in years to come. As all were aware, we were troubled to get a date for our Chicago meeting — after the collapse of the Coliseum — no Fat Stock Show to secure us railroad rates. But, finally, as you know, we fixed upon the time of the National Cycle Exhibi- tion, Jan. 9 and 10, 1896. The time of this (Springfield) meeting was fixed by the Executive Committee, soon after our meeting last year. And when at a later date the di£Ferent associations of stock breed- ers organized, and fixed their date, we were present and used our influence to get them to meet at this date. But they set their time of meeting for January. (They have now secured an open rate of 13ii fare for the round trip.) We feel disposed to present this matter to the Executive Committee, and advise that this Association enter — and become one — with the other farmers' organizations in forming what will be known as the Illinois Stock Breeders' Association. We will thus, without doubt, secure good railroad rates, and perhaps one fare for the round trip, and be identified with them in whatever good we may strive to obtain ; apart of which will be reports of our meetings, programs, etc., printed along with the same of the other associations, comprising the Illinois Stock Breeders' Association, at a very small cost. I might name the work that has been done by the com- mittee on State Experimental Station, State Fair, etc., but will leave that for the committee to report upon. The amount of fees received during the year, by the Sec- retary, is just 75 cents more than that paid out per Secre- tary's account. Jas. A. Stone. Dr. Miller moved that the recommendations in the Secre- tary's report be taken up seriatim, and acted upon. Carried. The first was the sending out of the return postal cards, for members to report condition of honey crop, bees, etc. On this question there was considerable discussion, when it was finally voted that they be sent out on June 1, July 15, and Sept. 15. Treasurer Dr. Millerreported the amount received from the former Treasurer as SS3.52, which still remained on hand. The report was accepted. The convention then adjourned to 1:30 p.m., when the meetiug was called to order by Pres. J. Q. Smith. A piano was rolled into the room, and all listened to several songs by Dr. Miller, some of them being joined in by Mr. York. The Odd Fellows, who were in session in tne State House, crowded into the doors after filling all the chairs in the room, and then as Dr. Miller sang, " Lead Me to the Rock that is Higher than I," we saw the tear-drops starting from eyes that were look- ing in through one of the doors — showing how much the singer was moving his hearers, and thus proving the merits of the feast we had. The next recommendation in the Secretary's report was taken up, on the reduction of the membership fees. Dr. Miller offered figures showing what was possible to be done by adding the probable membership at 50 cents each to an appropriation from the State, and then expend it in the purchase of subscriptions to bee-papers. The afternoon session was consumed in each one present suggesting what might be done, and finally the Secretary was instructed to draw up a resolution to embody the sense of the members, to be reported the next morning. A letter from the President of the Board of Directors of the Illinois University to the Committee on Experimental Station was read as follows : Urbana, III., Jun. 18, 1895. Jas. A. Stone, Geo. F. Robbins, W. J. Finch, Jr., Commit- tee Illinois State Bee-Keepers' Association, Bradfordton, 111. GeJif!eme?i :— Your communication of March 15,1895, on the part of your Association, was duly considered at the re- cent meeting of the Board of Directors of the Agricultural Ex- periment Station here. It was, however, decided that it was not feasible at the present time to take up the matters re- ferred to in your communication for investigation or experi- ment. This does by no means indicate any want of apprecia- tion of the importance of such work, but it is absolutely im- possible for the Station to do all that would be desirable to have done, or to fill at the same time all the requirements of practical matters in the various lines of affairs coming under the general title of Agriculture. One factor in the decision is that the locality here is deemed a poor one for this work ; while under the present circumstances it is not deemed feasi- ble to establish such experiments elsewhere. The adverse decision concerning taking up in a prominent way special questions in agriculture, does not include giving such attention to the matter as will be possible in connection with the other work that is being carried on here. We shall be glad to be of any service, whenever it is possible, and some- time more attention may be given to your practical lines of investigation. I am, however, glad to inform you that instruction in Apiculture is offered in the University, to be taught by Mr. W. G. Johnson, who is a scientific entomologist, as well as a practical bee-keeper. Very truly yours, T. J. BUKRILL, President Board of Directors. The convention then adjourned to meet at 9:30 a.m., the next day. [Concluded next week] Xlie McEvoy Foul Brood Treatment Is given in Dr. Howard's pamphlet on " Foul Brood ; Its Natural History and Rational Treatment." It is the latest publication on the subject, and should be in the hands of every bee-keeper. Price, 25 cents ; or clubbed with the Bee Journal for one year —both for $1.10. 12 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 2, ATTENTION, BEE-KEEPERS ! We arc Now Ready to Receive Shipments of HONEY, both Comb k Extracted and BEESWAX For the Season of lSyb-96. We have made preparations to store Comb Honey in Any Quantity. This is our Fifth Year as a HONEY COMMISSION HOUSE. We received 812 Shipments last year. We 1-iindly solicit the business of our friends of former years, and a Trial Shipment of all Bee-Keepers in the Country. J. A. LAMON, 43 South Water Street, CHICAGO, ILL. 44A10t Mentixm Sfte A.mertcan Bee JowmaL TOUR BEESWAX! UNTIL FURTHEK NOTICE, we will allow 30 cents per pound for Good Yel- low Beeswax, delivered at our olBce— in ex- change for Subscription to the Bee Journal. for Books, or anything that we otter for sale in the Bee Journai,. Or, 26 cts. casta. GEORGE W. YOKK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS. Promptness Is Wliat Counts ! Honey-Jars. Shipping"-Cases, and every- thing- that bee-keepers use. Root's Ooods at Root's Prices, and the best shipping: point inihe country. Dealer in Honey and Beeswax. Cata- nl7^2.K.e. Walter S. Ponder INDIANAPOLIS. IND. Mention the American Bee Joimial. WANTED ! 10,000 pounds of BEESWAX, for Cash. Address, I.EAIIV ItlFO. CO., HlggtnsTille, Mo. Metitlon the American Bee Journal. ONE MAN WITH THE UNION ^°''i':'^^^'°^ Can do the work of four men using: hand tools, in Kipping*, Cutting-off, Mi- tring:. Rabbeting-, Groov- ing. Gaining. Dadoing, Edglng-up.fJointing StulT, etc. Full Lineof Foot and Hand Power Machinery. Sold oil Trial. CaU[og:Qe Free. SENECA FALLS ITIFG. CO., 46 Water St.. SENECA FALLS. N. Y lAly Mention the American Bee Journal, 33 cts. a Found We allow For Beeswax In Exchange for -SUPPLIES.- 1896 Circular Noiv Iteady. I. J. STRIiXOHAM, 105 Park Place. NEW YORK. N.T. A Binder for holding a year's num- bers of the Bee Joubnal we mail for only 75 cents; or clubbed with the JOITBNAL for $1.60. THIRTY THOUSAND POUNDS DEESWAX Is our present stock for this year's sales of Foundation. But still "We WTant More Beeswax and pay a good price. Don't Delay Ordering Your FOUNDATION. You will pay more by and by than you would now. Remember that we make the BEST, and everybody acknowledges this. Now is the time to read the work of the L,ate Father LangfStrotb — Langstroth on the Honey-Bee, Revised. The Price of this Work is now Reduced from $1.40 to $1.26, by mail. Send us your address for Catalogue of Bee-Supplies, etc. CHAS. DADANt & SON, Mention tlie American Bee Journai. TTATVl lliTON, Hancock Co. , TTili. ¥ m Appreciating the advantages for procuring Basswood L umber, and the splendid Shipping facilities of Marshfleld, we have established a Factory for the manufacture of —THE ONE-PIECE SECTION. We have all new and up-to-date Machinery for the manufacture of the "One-Piece Sec- tion." Have a Saw-Mill In connection with our Factory, enabling us to get the finest ma- terial to be had, for " One-Piece Sections." \^~ Write for Price- List, and also for pi ices on Sections in anj' quantity you may want. Dec. Is 1895. inAR»«HFlEL.D, Wood Co., WIS. 49Stf Mention the American Bee Journal, Qej^eral Iteti^s^ Bees Wintering Nicely. I am a young man and have 80 colonies of bees, some Italians and some blacks. They are wintering nicely. I have Simplic- ity and Quinby hives. L. E. Rhoades. Weedsport, N. Y., Dec. 3, 1895. Averaged Over 50 Pounds. I do not see how I could keep bees and get along without the American Bee Jour- nal. My bees did well this year, averaging ing over 50 pounds per colony. M. M. RiCKARD. Buffalo, N. Y., Dec. 7, 1895. No Honey and No Swarms. From .t1 colonies in the spring of 1895 I have only 33 now; not a pound of honey nor a single swarni, owing to the drouth. Miss M. J. Stalker. Randolph, Wis., Dec. 13, 1895. Will Try One more Tear. My bees have run me in debt again this year, but not quite as badly as last year. I want to try one year more. I put .50 colonies into winter quarters. I am trying to take care of them. I like to work with them. The drouth is not broken yet. When I get a crop of honey I will re- port again. A. F. Crosby. Sheffield, Iowa, Dec. 9. 1895. Bees in Good Condition. I had about 3,000 pounds of extracted honey this year, which sold in the home market for 8 cents a pound. I had 120 colo- nies, spring count, and now have 101 in chaff hives and 39 in the cellar, all in good condition for winter. I could not do without the American Bee Journal if it cost four times as much as it does now. F. B. Parrington. Strawberry Point, Iowa, Dec. 5, 1895. Didn't Get Much Honey. The bees are all packed and in their win- ter homes in good condition. I had to feed about halt of mine, 05 colonies in all. I did not get much honey this year, but still I am hoping tor a better season in the future. The honey is very dark, but thick and good. The bees were carrying in pollen last week. We have had no cold weather so far. Mrs. A. A. Simpson. S warts, Pa., Nov. 27, 1895. Good Report from Minnesota. I started in the spring of 1895 with 39 col- onies of bees, and this fall I had 150 colo- nies of bees, 3,000 pounds of comb honey, and 3,000 pounds of extracted. My location is in the timber, mostly hardwood. I am just starting in the business, and know but little about it. I let my bees swarm as they please. I use the Langstroth 8-frame hive. J. Z. Rhodes. Verndale, Minn., Dec. 10, 1895. The "Dry Weather Vine." The honey crop for southern Indiana is conceded to be only one-halt. I averaged only 75 pounds (mostly extracted honey) per colony, spring count, from 40 colonies, making my crop about a ton and a half. Had it not been for the " dry weather vine" our season would have been an entire fail- ure. When the flow set in from it, about the latter part of July, Mr. Cosby and my- 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 13 ¥. ^ California If you care to know of Its Fruits, Flowers Climate or Resources, send for a Sample Copy of California's Favorite Paper — The Pacific Rural Press The leading Horticultural and Agricultural paper of the Pacific Coast. Published weekly, handsomely illustrated, $2.40 per annum. Sample Copy Free. PACIFIC RURAL, PRESS, 220 Market St., - SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. ^■' ■ ! '\in, SUCCESSFUL I INCUBATOR i Our magnificent. T 11 e w cutaloei:e2 ^^^ giving full iu- 2 ^=^ formation ro- j Cfirding nrtificin Id •m -^ itna Hntching&EroodinK 2 Write now. |ip and treatise on poul- J Oes Moines Kp try raising sent for ^j a _ BnccbRtor Co- ©stamf^. Circular free. J Bos 78 fesMoiims.Ia ** ■»»<■> >«»«»a4a>»*& Moiiey-Kuife. Best on Earth. Iti years with but one com- plaining letter. 5 Sizes~60c. 70c. $1.00. $1.10. $1.50. postpaid. Send for Illustrations. IDtf T. F. Biiighaiu, Farwell, Iflicli. Mentiora the Araefncan Bee Journal doMen's Feeder ! Bee-Keepers:— We can furnish the Golden Combined Feeder and Htve-CoTer, with- out Feed Dish Las the Simplicity or any dish answers], direct from factory at the following prices: 1 made up. 30 cents; 1 in the fiat. 25 cents; 10 in the flat. $2.00. All orders sent to The A. I. Root Co., Medina, Ohio. For large orders, write the undersigned for special prices. J. A. GOLDEN, 4oA13t KEINERSVILLE, OHIO. Mention the A.mcHcan Bee Journal, TRY «j»« *ve sen yooi r'ouitrtr* «tdci.»v Fruits and all produce at high est prices. DAILY returns. For ■ stencils, prices and references, write .«.. F. I. SAGE & SONS. 183 Keade St- N V When Answering this advertisement, mention this Journal^ PATENT WIRED COMB FOUNDATION Has ISO Sag In Brood-Frames Thin Flat-Bottom Foundation Has Ko Fishbone io the 8arplos Bon«y. BeInK the cleanest Is usually worked the quickest of any Foundation made jr. VAN DEUSGN & SONS, Sole Mauufacturers, Bpront Brook MontKomery Co., N. Y. Mention tJie Artierican UeeJminial' COMB FOUNDATION. Wliolesale and Retail. Quality always the best. Price always lowest. IVorking Wax Into Foundation by the lb. a Specialty. I can make it an object for you In any quantity, but olfer special Induce- ments on stralKht 25 or 50 lb. lots. Or for making large lot of Wax into Foundation. I am furnishing large Uealers, and can also please you, Beeswax taken at all times. Write for Samples and Prices, to GUS DITTMEH, AUGUSTA, WIS. Reference— Augusta Bank. 16Atf t\|EW|\/|AMMOTH Poultry Guide for 1893 lines! buokever publibhed, coDtain t nearly 1U( patjes, all I'l-inled in colors, plans for best jioultry houses, sure renjetlies and recipes for aUiiiseaaps, and howto make poullry — ......... 3^0... ,^, aiiu u,Mv I, u uiHKe poultry i/i5>.¥"J ear'if nine pay. Sent post paid for 15n. ly^- John Banscher , Jr.itox SMFreeport , III 49A13t MtntiontheAmerwantteeJcumat^ self had all our hives running over with young workers to gather the prospective crop. But one rain after another set in, seemingly washing the precious nectar out of the many blossoms, and the result was only about six days' good, steady flow. If we had had a severe drouth, we would have been strictly " in it," so to speak. It does seem strange that when all other plants perish for want of rain, the "dry weather vine " flourishes at its best, and yields a fine flow of nectur in wonderful abundance. Bees are in fine condition for winter, with abundant stores. J. C. Wallen.metek. EvansvlUe, Ind., Dec. 4, 1895. Gathering Honey and Pollen. Bees are now bringing in both honey and pollen here. J. P. Leebrick. Mesa, Ariz., Dec. 12, 1895. Bees Did Fairly Well. We have now 30 colonies, that did fairly well last summer. We took all the way from 20 to 100 pounds per colony, gathered from basswood and fall flowers. White clover yielded but very little honey in this locality. We hope it will yield more next season. Mrs. J. Knuppel. South Brooklyn, N. Y., Dec. 15, 1895. Bees in Fair Condition. My 21 colonies are now iu fair condition, except two or three that are short of stores. I have them fitted up with outside boxes 4 inches larger than the hive on the sides and rear end. The front end has but one 10-inch board at the top part, leaving the entrance and most of the front end of hive- body uncovered. Geo. McCullough. Braddyville, Iowa, Dec. 10, 1895. A Very Poor Season. We have had a very poor honey season in this part of Canada this year. To begin the season, the bees were in a bad condi- tion. The bee-keepers in this section lost heavily last spring, some losing all. 1 lost half of mine. I have 132 colonies in winter quarters now, in pretty good condition. I got no honey the past season, and had to feed quite a good deal of sugar for winter. Wm. Coleman. Birr. Ont., Dec. 18, 1895. Best Two Seasons— 1894 and 1895. We have had two of the best seasons — 1894 and 1895 — for bees I ever saw. Dr. Miller says he has had two complete fail- ures. Get some black bees. Doctor. My best colony, in 1895, stored 85 pounds of comb honey, and three others filled 72 sec- tions each. I had 23 colonies last spring, and averaged 50 pounds of comb honey per colony. 1 put 44 colonic* into the cellar this fall. S. M. Robertson. Grey Eagle, Minn., Dec. 18. Had a Good Year. The year 1895 has been a good one for me. I started in the spring with 9 colonies, in- creased to 10, and got .500 pounds of comb honey in one-pound sections. It was mostly buckwheat honey, very dark, and sells here for 10 cents a pound. I use the Simplicity hive and winter my Vtees out-doors. They were in very good condition for winter. The S-frame hive is the best for my loca- tion. Willard G. Jeffeks. Rose, N. Y., Dec. 13, 1895. liikes to Work with Bees. My honey crop was small this year on account of the dry season. I got 40 pounds of comb honey from two colonies. My bees have plenty for winter stores. I have kept 5 DO ^YOU - WASH DISHES? No need of it The Faultless Quaker will do it for you and a et me hand*!, dishes^ money, ■* and p.itience;no scalded hands, broken or chip- ped dishes, no muss. Washes, ces dries and ishes quickly. ^I de of best ma- ^ ial, lasts a life- me. Sell atsight. t,ents. women or n of honor de- iring employ- ment may havea paying business .- , , by writing now Vf for descriptive circulars and terms to agents, ^The QUAKER NOVELTY CO., Salem, 0. Mention, the American Bee Journal- 39A26t WANTED. 10,000 pounds of BEESWAX, for Casli. Address. liEAHY inFG. CO., HigiKinsville, mo. Barnes' Foot-Power Machinery. Read whatJ. I. Parent, of Charlton, N. Y., says— "We cut with one of your Com- bined Machines, last winter 50 chaff hives with 7-ln. cap, 100 honey-racks, 5fX) broad frames, a.oiio honey-boxes and a great deal of other work. This winter we have double the amount of bee- hives, etc., to make and we expect to do itwtth this Saw. ^ It will do all you say itwlll. ^ Catalogue and Price - Ijist Free. Address, W . F. & JOHN BARNES, 45Ctf No. 995 RubySt.. Rockford. 111. DO NOT ORDER UNTIIj YOr HAVE AVRITTON US FOR PRICES ON The "Boss" One-Piece Section Also D. T. Hives, Sliipping-Crates and Other Supplies. We have completed a large addition to our Factory, which doubles our floor room; we are therefore in better shape than ever to fill orders on short notice. Send for Price-Llst J. FORNCROOK, Watertown, Jeflf. Co., Wis.. Jan, 1st, 1894. • IT'S RELIABL The Best and Che.ipi Mill oil Earth, ¥\\ warranted Will not choke. Write once for prices and Agency, ' Prices lowest. Quality best # It grinds more grain to any degree fineness than any other mill. Corn, earorshelled, Oats, Wheat. &c., fine enough for any purpose. Made only by UOLlETSTROff BRIDGE CO. JOLIET, ILL.. Jobbers and Mauufactur. ers of Form Machinery, CarriiiRBS Wations, Wind- mil In, Hicycles, Harness, Ac Mention the American Bee Journal. 34 A36 Tie RURAL CALIFORNIAN Tells all about Bees in California. The Yields and J'rice of Honey; the Pastur- age and Nectar - Producing- Plants; the Bee- Hauches and how they are conducted. In fact the entire field Is fully covered by and expert bee-man. Besides this, the paper also tells you all about Oalil'ornia Asrieultiire and HortieiillHre. $1 ,50 per Year; Sl.t Months, 75 cents. Sample Free, THE RUKAL CALIFORNIAN, 318 N, Main St., - Los Anoel,es, Calif. 14 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 2, bees for four years, and like to work with tbem. It seems strange to read of such big yields from the South when if we bee- keepers here get 50 pounds per colony, we think we are doing well. Will Alsike and crimson clover grow successfully as far north as Wood county, Ohio ? Will some one please answer through the Bee Journal? WILLIAM Daniels. Perrysburg, Ohis, Nov, 29, 18i)5. [Yes. we believe Alsike clover will grow all right in any place where red clover will prosper. Will someone please reply as to crimson clover ?— Editor.] CARLOADS Of Bee-Hives. Sections, Ship- ping-Cases, Comb Foundation, and Everything used in the Bee-Industry, ,,, I want the name and address ^ut? of every Bee-Keeper In Anier. /- ' ?>'^ ica. No reason why you can- — ='*^ not do business with me. I have Cheap Lumber and Experienced Workmen ; a g-ood Water-Power Factory and hnow how to run it. I am supplying Dealers as well as consumers. Why not you ? Send for Cata- logues, Quotatlous. etc, W. H. PUTNAM, ID River Falls, Pierce Co,. Wis, Mention tfie jLmerlcan BeeJourtud. —10 New Varieties, Jl. Pack- et Beet. Cabbage, Cccumb'r Lettuce, Tom.ato Seeds, lOc ■Catalogue Free, Address, J. F. mirHAKi., lD6t URBENVILLE, OHIO, MndUm the American Bee, JawmaL ^- IF YOU WANT THE Potatoes BEE-BOOK That covers the whole Apicultural Field more completely than any other published, send $1,25 to Prof, A.J. Cook. Chiremont, Calif,, for his Bee-Keeper's Guide. Liberal Discounts to the Trade. SELLING OUT. To close out. 1 offer my Improved Queen-and- Drone Traps per H doz.. in the flat, at$l,75; per doz,. $2,75: per 25, $5,00, Individual Kight to manufacture and use, 50 cents ; Towushlp Rights. $1,00 ; County Rights, $5.00. HENRY Alil^EV, lAtf WENHAM, MASS, The Rural Kansan Is an Agricultural Journal for the busy farm- er. It embraces Bee-Keeping and every de- partment of industry connected with the farm. 30 cts. a year, monthly. Sample Free. t,/e"o" Higglnsville Bee-Supplies ha°nd. Catalogue Free. jinisrRY I,. AriiZ-Ei?, 335 Shawnee Ave , Topeka, Kan. 1 A13t Mention the American Bee Journal. I ~. r-^ 1 ■] ■ ] - : ■■ ■■ " 1 _ . - 1 , ■ 1 , • - ~ ■ . — . — . - ■] (^ i i i Z5«Sii B w. ^M ^ '^i^ m m m "Just as Good as Page" Won't Go! 'Sell you a ticket over the J, A, G, A,P, for less money" said the Scalper, "Not if I know myself," siiid the traveller, "The Eoad thatuses Pase Fence will also use best rails and best equipment. Can't put me on the bargain counter yet." PAGE WOVEN WIRE FENCE CO., Adrian, Mich l>r. I*. V. -', Bee JaurywA, (Convention I^etices. Wisconsin,— The annual meeting of the Wisconsin State Bee-Keepers' Association will be held Thursday and Friday, Feb. 6 and 7, 1895, in the capltol buildiug at Madison, The program will appear in due time, Flatteville, Wis. N, E, France, Sec, East Tennessee —The Southern East Ten- nessee Bee-Keepers' Association will hold a snecial meeting at Cookson's Creek, on Satur- day, Jan. 11, 1896, beginning at 9 a,m. An interesting time Is expected. All are invited to attend, and especially those interested in apiculture, W, J, Copeland, Sec, Fetzerton, Tenn, The Special Meeting of the Illinois State Bee-Keepers' Association will be held In Chi- cago, at the New Briggs House, northeast cor- ner of Randolph St. and Fifth Ave., on Thurs- day and Friday, Jan. 9 and 10, 1896— the week of the National Cycle Show— when ex curslon rates will be given on the certificate plan— for IM fare for the round trip. Certifi- cate must be secured at the starting point, or no reduction will be granted on return. Be- fore return ticket is secured, certificate must be signed by the Secretary of the Cycle Exhi- bition Company, and vised by the joint agent of the rallwav lines, whose offices will be in the Exhibition Building. Tickets to Chicago may be purchased (and certificate taken), on any day between Jan. 1 and 11, and the return trip commenced on any day between Jan. 4 and 15, Chicago hotel rates are 75 cents each, per night, two in a room; $1.00 it one in a room. Meals extra— pay for what you order, or go elsewhere for meals, if preferred, Bradfordton, 111. Jas, A, Stone, Sec, 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 15 QuGstioi;)'Box^ In the multitude of counsellors there is safety. — Prov. 11-14. Hoiv Often Should Fraiiic§ be manipulated ? Query 1.— Please tell about how often you " go into " or take frames out of each hive in the course of the year.— Ky. G. M. Doolittle — About three to four times. W. R. Graham — About six times; oftener in queen-rearing. Prof. A. J. Coolv — It depends. No short answer can be given. E. France — It depends upon the sea- son, and what you want to do with the bees. P. H. Elwood — About once in ten days, during warm weather, until the close of the swarmiug season. Dr. C. C. Miller— My, goodness ! Not many times the past year. Sometimes twice, sometimes a dozen or twenty times. W. G. Larrabee^All the way from two or three to fifty — just as many times as they need it, but not unless they do need it. B. Taylor — I cannot answer. Some hives are not opened during the season ; others are opened, and frames handlefl many times. R. L. Taylor — Except in search of foul brood, I probably take frames out of about one in twenty of the hives dur- ing the season. C. H. Dibbern — I never open a hive unless I have some purpose in view. Why " go into " a hive when there is no object in doing so ? Mrs. L. Harrison — When I was a novice I went into them quite often. Now I let 'em be. It I notice anything wrong, I " go in ;" otherwise I stay out. Rev. E. T. Abbott— Only when I think the welfare of the colony demands it, and that is not very often. The less they are " gone into," the better it will be. Jas. A. Stone — It all depends upon how much work they are doing, or whether they are pure or not. If they need Italianizing, then a good many times. J. E. Pond — I cannot tell how often. I don't open hives unless I see some need therefor. Such occasions may oc- cur more or less often, depending upon circumstances. J. A. Green — Not at all, unless there is some special reason for it. Some of my hives have not had the frames in the brood-chamber removed or handled in two years or more. J. M. Hambaugh — This is hard to an- swer. Some colonies are not disturbed during the season, while others are handled quite frequently. I never dis- turb the combs without a cause. Mrs. J. N. Heater — That depends upon the strength of the colony to be drawn from, and the number of frames I need. I have taken ten or more frames of brood from single colonies, in a season, taking from two to four at a time at in- tervals of two or three weeks, while other colonies could not spare any. H. D. Cutting— When I began keeping bees I "went through them" almost every day. But of late years I seldom take out frames if the colony is all right, and you can tell by outside indi- cations. Dr. J. P. H. Brown— I might go into a hive several times a day — then not for a week. Some hives might not get opened over once or twice a year. Never take a frame from a hive unless they can spare it. Eugene Secor — Never, unless there is some reason for so doing. If a colony has a laying queen, and is otherwise all right, I do not touch a frame. Its con- dition is easily ascertained without ma- nipulating frames. Allen Pringle — This " going into" the hives and handling the frames of brood- chambers has been growing smaller with me and "beautifully less" for many years. Of late, some of my brood-cham- bers are not opened at all from spring till fall ; others are, as the circumstances may require. Rev. M. Mahin — I cannot answer that question. In some of my colonies I have not moved a brood-comb for years; in others I have had them all out several times during the past summer. I do not take combs out of hives unless there is some reason for doing so. I have learned to not open hives for fun. G. W. Demaree — Well, let me see. I usually examine my colonies the first warm spring days to see how they are off for stores. Then in apple-bloom I lift out the frames till I find the queen and clip her wing, if not already clip- ped. I then let them alone till locust bloom (May 10 or 15). I now give them the section-cases, or extracting-supers, ready for all the honey that may be stored from white clover. When I need brood for any purpose, I take it from any strong colony that can spare it. Really, now-a-days I manipulate my bees as little as I can get along with. But not because I fear it will hurt them. 4tiieens and — If you want to know how to have queens fertilized in upper stories while the old queen is still laying below; how you may mfihj introdui-e any queen, at any time of the year when bees can fly ; all about the different races of bees ; all about shipping queens, queen-cages, candy for queen- cages, etc. ; all about forming nuclei, mul- tiplying or uniting bees, or weak colonies, etc. ; or, in fact, everything about the queen-business which you may want to know — send for Doolittle's "Scientific Queen-Rearing " — a book of over 170 pages, which is as interesting as a story. Here are some good offers of this book : Bound in cloth, postpaid, $1.00 ; or clubbed with the Bee Jocknal for one year — both for only $1.7.') ; or given free as a premium for sending us three new subscribers to the Bee Journal for a year at $1.00 each. A THOUGHT THAT KILLED A MAN! He thought that he could trifle with disease. He was run down in health, felt tired and worn out, complained of dizziness, biliousness, backaches and headaches. His liver and kidneys were out of order. He thought to get well by dosing himself with cheap pills. And then came the ending. He fell a victim to Bright's disease ! The money he ought to have invested in a safe, reliable remedy went for a tombstone. The thought that killed this man HAS KILLED OTHERS. statistics show that 90 per cent, of the deaths from pneumonia, Bright's dis- ease and similar complaints are caused from derangements of the liver and kid- neys. These great organs keep the blood pure and in healthful motion. When they get out of order the blood becomes poisoned, the circulation impeded and the whole system speedily breaks down. It is A DANGEROUS IDEA to imagine that pills can strike at the root of these diseases. It has been thor- oughly proved that such remedies are worse than useless. There is only one remedy which can always be depended upon. This remedy alone can act on the liver and kidneys when they are out of order, clear out the system and build up the health. The name of this remedy is Warner's Safe Cure. It is the only standard remedy in the world for kid- ney and liver complaints. It is the only remedy which physicians universally prescribe. It is the only remedy that is backed by the testimony of thousands whom it has relieved and cured. There is nothing else that can take its place. mmi B^EE-MIVES, ^HlPPIfiG@ASES We make a Specialty of these Goods, and defy Competition in QXJA.rjIT-2-, •WOR.ICli/tA.lSrSHIP AND PK,ICE3S. Write for Free Illustrated Catalogue and Price-List. G. B. LEWIS COMPANY, Watertown, Wis. tS~ Be sure to mention the American Bee Journal when you write. 16 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 2, 1896. Getting Ready For 1896 ! We are now prepared to furnish in any quantity, at ilie ver}'' lowest prices— Ex- tractors, Smokers, and Everything used by the wide-awake bee-keeper. We shall con- tinue to make our FALCON POLISHED SEC- TIONS, which are yet unequalled. If you*ve never used any of our Goods it is time for you to do so. Thej' are ackuowledged to be un- surpassed by any other make. Our large new Catalogue will be out early in the year. Adj'- tblnp you want now? Write to us. Gooas and Prices guaranteed to be satisfactory. Address, THE W.T. FALCONER MFG. CO., JAMESTOWN, N. Y. Honey for Sale f Hnrifv In •'RO-Ih Pons (*l f\\r\a in < 2500 lbs. A No. _ Amber Fall Honey ln*'60-lb.Can8('Jciin8 Inacase). Price. 1 can. 8c.; 2 or more.7c., f. o. b. If sample is wanted send 2c. stamp. E. T. FLANAGAN, SOA-lt Box 783, Belleville, Ills. Mention the A.merican Bee Journal. Handy Cobbler *2.«« Family Shoe Repair Kit. 28 Articles With SolderiDg Materials. Bought singly would cost ^i.70. $ "2 Outfit Includes Harness Repair Tools 38 articles, wonli singly $B.70. Sent bj E.\pres3 or Freight. Ills. ■ Catalogue free. Ageots wanted. XUHN & CO. Box CQMoline, III. ^ 41A2ti Mtiaujii itw .d.iiierLcait Bee Journal. Will Pvnliqnrra —Concord Grapevines for HIU tiAUIdllgtj Fruit. Grain or offers. ,50A F. C. fflorroiir, Wallacebarg, Ark. TAKE NOTICE! 'DEFORE placing your orders for SUP- ■*-^ PLIES, write for prices on 1-Piece Bass- wood Sections, Bee-Hives, Shipping -Cratee, Frames, Foundation, Smolders, etc. PAGE & LYOX MFG. CO. NEW LONDON, WIS. Mention the A.merican Bee Journal, OUR POULTRY ANNUAL and Book of Valuable Recipes, w large [japes, contains 8 beautiful colored plates of fuwls, gives description and prices of 45 varieties, with imiiortanthintsoii care of poultry, and pagfs of recipes of t'l^at value to evervone. Finest Poultr\' Book putilished r<.rlsy sent on ^-IppJicnfion, 36th Year. CHICAGO, ILL., JAN. 9, 1896. No. 2. The Blooming of Sweet Clover. BY M. M. BALDKIDGE. On page 807 (1895) is a brief article on sweet clover, in which the writer says: "Sweet clover comes into bloom at or near Lemont, 111., the same latitude. Lemont being near Chicago, is practically in the same latitude as St. Charles. Now, sweet clover never blooms here until the latter part of June, and often not until the forepart of July. Nor does the plant, as a rule, remain continuously in bloom here until killed by frost. The state of the weather has much to do with its duration of blooming. In seasons of drouth it may not remain in bloom longer than six to eight weeks before it matures a crop of seed. This year (1895) the crop of seed was harvested here in August, at which time there was no bloom in sight. Now if before or about this stage of its growth we have a good supply of rain, the plant will send out a new growth of leaves and branches, and a second crop of blossoms, and the blooming may then continue till winter sets in. In fact, I have seen such things happen quite often. But, after all, the main crop of honey will be secured from the first crop of blossoms. Again this writer says: "To secure a fall crop of honey from sweet clover, cut half of it down about the middle of A Small Plat of White Melilot Clover in Full Bloom,.— See page 24. the forepart of June, and then remains in bloom until killed by frost." I think the writer has made a mistake, or else he has a different and an earlier-blooming variety of .sweet clover than grows here where I live, or that I have ever' seen elsewhere in August, and, one week later, cut the rest of it down, and. this will insure good pasturage for bees until frost." Now as the plants sometimes ripen a crop of seed about the middle of August, it is my belief that most of the roots would die if the plants be cut at this stage. I should, there- 18 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 9, fore, very much prefer to cut part of the crop in June and be- fore it blossoms. By so doing the period of blooming will be lengthened from two to four weeks. Sometimes it may do to cut the plants while in bloom — say between the middle of July and the first of August — but much depends upon the con- dition of the weather and the roots of the plants. If both weather and roots are just right, the latter will be able to seud forth a new growth of plants. My experience is that the roots of sweet clover are not so difficult to destroy, by cutting off the top growth when old enough to bloom, as many seem to suppose. St. Charles, Kane Co., Ills. Uuqueeuiiig and Requeening— How Practiced. BY E. C. AIKIN. On page 358 of the Bee Journal for 1895, is an article by C. H. Chapman, on dequeening. Both the editor and Mr. Chapman asked that I give an article on the subject. As it was then right in the swarming season, and when I was very busy, it was too late to get an article before the readers in time to be of benefit last year (1895). Mr. Chapman seems to understand the method pretty well, yet he is open to two or three criticisms. I will give my method, and ofl'er criticisms in the proper connection. I will also try to point out the kind of a location in which this method would not be suitable. Our honey-flow begins about June 15. Since I have been in Colorado, the earliest opening was the 12th, and the latest the 25th. These dates apply only to this part of the State. When the colonies were not strong enough I have sometimes delayed unqueening until the flow was on for a week or more; but experience has shown me that it is best to remove the queen right at the beginning of the flow, and more especially if the flow be abrupt and short. If the flow lasts for a num- ber of weeks, unqueening later would mean more workers for the latter end of the flow. After 2 L days from removing the queen the colony will rapidly decrease until the new queen gets brood to hatching. I try to have the hive full of brood and field-bees when the flow comes. As soon as I know that the flow has begun, I remove the queens, and at the same time look over every comb, and cut out every cell. (On page 406, Mr. Getaz says I cut out all but one cell at this time ; but he either misquoted, or else I have blundered, for I never meant to give such advice.) If a cell be left at this time, there is no certainty about it, for there is no way to tell cer- tainly the state of advancement— how soon it will hatch. Make thorough work, and cut out nil cells at the removal of the queen, then there will be no swarming before the 10th or 12th day. A queen hatches the 16th day from the laying of the egg. There is no diQiculty about rearing a queen from larvae two and three days old, or five to six days from laying the egg. If the colony begins cells the day the queen is removed, and uses a three-day larva, such queen will hatch the 10th day. Some colonies will do this very thing, while those that have not had the swarming instinct yet aroused, will be more slow, and use less advanced larv;c. Some will even start from the egg, and so will not hatch a queen till the 16th day. Since the colonies will be all grades, from the weak to the very strong, there will necessarily be those ready to swarm, and those with no thought of swarming. The work must be arranged to make all safe between certain dates, and we ar- range those dates to cover the whole apiary. I find it does not pay to have colonies of all grades of strength, but rather to unite till all that are run for surplus are made very strong in both bees and brood, and the remnants made into colonies of sufficient strength to fill their brood-chambers, and yet not trouble us about swarming. The uniting is done just as the flow is opening, and the unqueening being done, so there is no trouble about quarreling or robbing. As each colony is made queenless — whether an original or a united colony — I cut out all cells. As explained in the third paragraph, we may expect some to have queens ready to hatch the 10th day, and from that clear up to the 16th day. I have reason to believe that some colonies whose swarming instinct has been fully aroused, will use a seven-day larva in their eagerness to rear a queen, and such would hatch the 9th day. The great majority will start queens three to five days from the egg, which will bring hatching queens from the 11th to the 13th days. We must then be in the apiary not later than the 10th day from unqueening. Mr. Chapman says " in seven or eight days" cut out cells. Seven days is too soon. The brood will not be all sealed the 7th day, and a colony hope- lessly queenless will make a desperate effort to rear a queen and use the yet unsealed larva, but the result will be a worth- less queen, and yet go with the swarm the same. This is Mr. Elwood's experience, as well as my own. I cut out cells the 8th, 9th or lOth days, as pressure of work or weather will permit. I plan to work them the 9th day, and cut out all cells, or all but one if I want to requeen from their own ceils. Cells that are built when a colony is making preparation for swarming, are nearly — if not aluniys — built from the egg ; and if I have such from choice stock, I prefer toinsert one of these when I cut out the others. It will do no harm to cutout all and leave the colony hopelessly queenless awhile, as Mr. Chapman recommends, but I cannot advise this method. Three or four days will do no harm, but if left six or seven days there is danger of laying workers beginning, and a col- ony hopelessly queenless will very soon lose energy. I do frequently requeen by leaving one of the colony's own cells. Mr. Chapman asks if this will not give very poor queens. The quality of the queen depends very largely upon the selection of the cell. Of course, when the queen is re- moved there are always eggs in the hive. A colony, as before explained, will use some of the more advanced brood in the construction of cells, yet they almost invariably build some cells from the egg, too. When I cut out out cells I look for the less mature cells — those that will hatch the 14th, 15th or 16th day — and so get as good queens as are furnished by the thousand by breeders, and as good as a large per cent, of those reared in natural swarming. Mr. Chapman also says : "Allow the swarm to issue the same as in natural swarming," and cut out cells while the swarm is out. It is so easy to do the work while the hive is thus depopulated that one is tempted to do this (Mr. Chapman clips his queens, and so do I), but it requires watching for swarms that we don't want to do, and that we cannot do in two or more apiaries at one time. It also allows the colony to become excited with the swarming-fever — another thing we do not want. Aim to cut out cells the 9th day, and keep ab- solute control of the bees. Very few queens will begin the movements within the cell before the 9th day, and the work of the colony goes on the same; but the maturing queen soon begins to move about in the various cells, and then begins the excitement that comes with swarming. Sometimes this ex- citement runs so high that they will swarm before the queen hatches. Such a condition is very detrimental to the work of the colony. If there is prospect of bad weather, cut out cells the eighth day. If you plan for the 9th day, you will have the lOlh and 11th to come and go on. A very few queens will hatch the 10th day, and more the 11th day. These queens usually do not leave the hive till the first— and sometiuies the second — day after hatching ; so waiting till the I 1th day will not risk much in the loss of swarms, but is not recommended because of the excitement caused by the pres- ence of the queen. If yon work the whole apiary in one day, and treat all alike, you may get along without numbering hives ; but if the unqueening of an apiary is doue at different dates, a system of numbering and recording is a necessity. As outlined in the foregoing, there is no need of failure ; but the work must not be sHolilcd—FiSD every cell. This article is now too lengthy to permit of details about the care of queens and making nuclei or increase; location, convenience and wishes of the apiarist enter into this. In locations having but one flow during the season, there is no question in my mind about the desirability of this method. Where there are two or more flows it may be applied by other methods. Loveland, Colo. Tests for the Purity Qf Beeswax, Etc. BY C. P. DADANT. Referring to the article on beeswax, by Mr. Gregg, in a re- cent number of the Bee Journal, we will say that the test giv- en— to try the purity of beeswax by chewing it — is a good one if the adulteration is quite flagrant, for most of the adulter- ants do not chew like beeswax, but it is a very poor grade of goods that will not crumble in the mouth. If in chewing, you can make it hold together and stretch, like chewing gum, you may be sure that there is less beeswax in the sample than any- thing else. We do not know that there is any very good popular test except the above and the alcohol test. To make the alcohol test, put water in a wide-mouth bottle, and put into it a piece of pure beeswax. Then add alcohol till the wax readily falls to the bottom. You are then ready for the test. Pieces that will float are of a different specific weight. Although there are some grades of beeswax that have a lighter speciflc weight than others, this test is fairly safe, but one must be sure, in 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 19 testing, that there are not some air-bubbles sticking to the piece tested, as this would cause it to float even when pure. The taste, the smell and the touch, are all good tests. Even pure beeswax, if it does not smell of bees, will not be so readily accepted as that which smells " sui generis." That is why we much prefer sun-melted wax to all other kinds ; and that is why we object to the now too popular method of cleans- ing wax with acids. This destroys entirely the bee-smell, and makes the wax really inferior. The Europeans, perhaps, have a better chance to adulter- ate beeswax without suffering for it, because their climate is much milder than ours. In this country whoever has tried to adulterate beeswax with other substances, has killed, or will kill, his trade in a very short time ; for the combs will not stand in our hot climate. Even good, pure beeswax will occasionally break down, even when all built naturally by the bees, and the least adulteration will show itself in a hot season, by a general breaking down of all the combs so made. PREVENTION OF HONEY-THIEVES. Our Canadian friend, on page 779 of the Bee Journal for 1895, criticizes the '-Questionable propriety " of the answers given to the query on catching honey-thieves in a previous number, and gives us a method which he calls best — a house- apiary, properly locked. I, for one, cannot be convinced. The American farmer believes in his neighbor's honesty, he locks neither his door, nor his barn, and he surely will not think it will pay to lock his bee-hives. We have had from 300 to 500 hives of bees scattered through the country for years, and we do not think our total losses from thieves amount to §5.00. Hamilton, 111. Two Laying Queens in One Hive. BY GEO. W. WILLIAMS. On page 776 (1895), Mr. Abbott gives an extract of a letter I wrote him some time since, and in that letter I referred to the fact of having two laying queens in one hive. He requests that I give further particulars of these two queens. About the last of May, 1895, I found that the bees in No. 5 was not doing as well as they should, and, in looking through I found the old queen (a black one) in an enfeebled conditon, and decided atonce to supersede her with an Italian. At the same time I found hive No. 6 very strong, and as I wanted increase, I divided them, taking out five frames and put them into hive No. 9. filling up both hives with frames filled with comb foundation. (I use the 10-frame Langstroth hive). I was very particular to see that the queen was left in No. 6, and no queen was put into No. 9. I then ordered two untested Italian queens, when I hunt- ed through hive No 5 and found the old enfeebled queen, pinched her head, and introduced the yellow one. I went to hive No. 9, and found a number of queen-cells with young lar- VcB, and, cut them all out, as I thought, introduced the queen, and on the third day I looked into both hives and found the bees had released and accepted the queens all right. I paid but little attention to them until the 23rd day, when I again looked and found hundreds of young, bright golden Italian bees. I thought, " Now is a splendid opportunity to note the life of the worker ;" and I anxiously watched both hives to see when the blacks would disappear. In hive No. 5 they had nearly all disappeared Aug. 22, and by Aug. 31 were all gone. But in hive No. 9, up to that time, I could see no diminu- tion of blacks, although the beautifully-marked Italians were working in great numbers. About this time I noticed the young bees of this hive having a nice play, and, upon getting up close, I noted that they were about half young blacks. My suspicions were at once aroused that there were two queens doing service in that colony. I at once determined to see, and upon looking I soon found the yellow queen, but made quite a search before I found the black one, though finally succeeded in finding her. She looked as if she felt out of place, but I assured her, as best I could, that she was welcome to stay there for the season, at least, as I found her cell away down in the corner of a frame where I had overlooked it when I in- troduced the Italian on June 6. There has been — as near as I could guess — all summer about as many of one kind of bees in the hive as the other; and to-day (Dec. 8) it is nice and warm, and the bees are having a good flight, and that colony seems to be about equally divided between the blacks and yellows. No, Mr. Abbott, there is "no mistake;" there are two queens in that hive, and both are young, layiyig queens. I have them tucked up nice and snug for winter, and if the readers of the Bee Journal wish to hear any more from these " twin sisters " — yet no kin, as one is black and the other yellow — I will, in the spring, tell how they wintered. Humansville, Mo. [By all means, Mr. Williams, let us hear further about your interesting case, next spring. It is not every bee-keeper who can boast of an Italian and an " African " family of bees living and working peaceably together. — Editors.] The Drug Treatment of Foul Brood. BY WM. m'EVOY. In the American Bee Journal for Dec. 11, 1895, Dr. Miller asked Dr. Howard and myself to answer the following question : "A bee-keeper raises the question, whether there may not be danger of attempting the cure of foul brood as given on page 591, in view of the fact that the instruction is to feed the diseased colony at a time when the bees have no other sources; and that this is one of the conditions absolutely es- sential to success." If the reader will turn to page 591, he will see the old drug-method trotted to the front again. When foul brood matter in diseased colonies dries down, it settles on the lower side and bottom of the cells, and sticks there like glue. And when the bees gather honey they store it in the cells where the foul-brood matter dried down, just the same as they do in sound cells. When the disease Increases, and the colony be- comes weaker, the bees store more honey right in the brood- nest. Then just as soon as the sound larvte is fed any honey that has been stored in the diseased cells, it will die of foul brood. And when larvae is fed in cells where foul matter dried down, it will also die of foul brood. Medicated syrup, to be of any use for curing foul brood, would have to be strong enough with drugs to kill every germ in both the diseased cells and honey. And any medicated syrup made strong enough with drugs to do that, would kill all the sound larvae, and every bee in the colony. Cheshire's drug treatment for curing foul brood was found to be a complete failure when thoroughly tried with foul- broody colonies in Mr. D. A. Jones' apiaries at Beeton, Ont. Mr. Henry Couse — who was, for years, foreman in Jones' bee- yards — told me that they had sprayed the diseased combs with acids so strong that the combs fairly smoked ; and then it failed to cure them of foul brood. Dr. Duncan, of Embro, Ont., is a good bee-keeper as well as a medical man, and he told me that when his colonies had foul brood, he found the drug treatment of no use ; and he also said that his experience was that the foul-broody combs and diseased honey had both to be gotten away from the bees before a cure could be made. Mr. Vankleek, of Listowel, Ont., did his best with the drug treatment, and failed to cure his colonies by it. Mr. James Frith, of Princeton, Ont., stuck right to the Cheshire drug treatment in the hope of saving his bees, and lost the whole of his 120 colonies with foul brood. We all felt very sorry for Mr. Frith, as he was depending a good deal upon his bees. I asked Mr. Frith why he didn't try my method of curing foul brood, and he said that he had not heard of my plan at that time. Mr. A. I. Root, of Medina, Ohio, tried the Cheshire drug treatment with his colonies when they had foul brood, and failed to cure them of the disease with It, and, when following that treatment, had the disease spread worse. Would any bee-keeper, with a large apiary in good condi- tion, be willing to see a neighbor keep colonies with combs in them rotten with foul brood, and then feed them at a time when bees would rob, without first destroying all the foul- broody combs ? To advise the feeding of medicated syrup to colonies that have combs rotten with foul brood, and at a time when the weather is warm, and no honey for the bees to gather, is, without exception, the greatest humbug and most dangerous advice ever given. No cure can be made by feeding medicated syrup, and to feed in warm days, when there is no honey for the bees to gather, would set the bees to robbing the foul-broody colonies, and then the disease would be spread with a vengeance. Would it be right for a man to live in a city, and when any of his children died of small-pox, to leave them lie in bed, and keep them there; then throw a lot of medicated syrup over them, and at the same time put a lot of phenolated syrup in all the food for the rest of the family to use— then call it a 20 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 9, " cheap and easy cure," and with a solemn air lecture all the people on what science teaches? Every bee-keeper should get Dr. Howard's booklet on foul brood, and read it, as it is the only book on the subject that will be of any value to any bee-keeper. Wm. McEvoy, Woodburn, Ont., Canada. Foul Brood Inspector. [Dr. Howard's booklet can be had at this ofSce for 23 cents ; or both it and the Bee Journal for one year for only $1.10.— Editors.] " One Bee-Keeper Selliag Another's Honey." BY B. TAYLOR. In the November Bee-Keepers' Review I notice that our quaint friend, Mr. Hasty, has been badly hurt by several of the replies to Query 992, in the Bee Journal of Oct. 17, 1895. I remember Mr. Hasty as the inventor of the cele- brated sugar-honey, and I would not hurt his tender sensi- bilities for anything. Our sugar-honey friend says : A little close inspection will convince a body that not nearly all of these seven persons know what they are saying. For in- stance, J. M. Hambaugh says, "Yes! If your neighbor does not object." As all men object to false pretences, when the other fellow makes them, he gives himself away— happily gives himself away — to the effect that he is not a rascal, but only a little heed- less. Unfortunately we cannot get all of the seven off in that way. It gives me sincere pain to quote ; and I am going to leave the names off as I do so. I congratulate Mr. Hambaugh on his accidental escape from the company of the " rascals." Mr. Hasty says he will generously leave the names of the rascals off. Dear Friend H., I fear you are unjustly kind, and I will help you to amend. The seven rascals who say that there is nothing wrong in buying honey that is in every way as good as our own pro- duct, and selling it to our customers, are: Chas. Dadant & Son, W. G. Larrabee, J. A. Green, H. D. Cutting, J. M. Jen- kins, Rev. E. T. Abbott, and B. Taylor. The Dadants' reply, and my own, read as follows : Chas. Dadant & Son — It is all right if you know the honey is good. There is no deception about it, at least none that need worry your conscience. B. Taylor— Nothing is wrong that harms no person. If the honey is as good as your own, no one would be harmed, and it would not be wrong. Now these two answers are held up by Mr. Hasty as the especial evidence of the genus "rascal," but I stand by my answer ; it contains the substance of law and gospel honesty — not an ounce of sugar-honey in it. Another reply reads thus : Emerson T. Abbott — You do not need to lie to your customers. If they know you to be an honest man, they will not ask any further questions, if you tell them you are ready to stand behind all the goods you sell. Now let me illustrate Mr. Abbott's answer: In the fall of 1894 I canvassed my former customers for orders, and booked enough to consume my small crop of basswood honey, but when I came to fill the orders I was some 50 pounds short. I went to a friend and bought 60 pounds of as nice basswood honey as any man can produce. I put it into ray cans and delivered it without ever thinking of making any explanation of any kind. The labels on the cans read : " Basswood Honey. Forestville Apiary. B. Taylor, Proprietor, Forestville, Minn." Now, will any sensible man say that there was any need of tearing the labels off, or mak- ing any kind of explanation in order to be dubbed "honest " by our sugar-honey friend ? I sell all my honey to be returned if not satisfactory, and I never had a pound returned in my -16 years of selling. I have lived and sold honey for 36 years where I now live, and none of my customers would think of asking where I got my honey, any more than they would think of each customer who paid them gold needing to prove the particular mine it came from. Let me say here that the 60 pounds noted above is all the honey I ever bought to fill my orders with, but in the future I will buy if I need to, and will sell without changing my labels, or asking the buyers' consent. I will cure and prepare the bought honey just as I do my own ; will then say to each pur- chaser, "This honey is first-class, and you may return it after trial if it does not give entire satisfaction." Now, Mr. Hasty, I don't believe that when you invented the famous sugar-honey you intended any fraud or wrong. You just did not consider that it opened wide the door to fraud and deception, and came nearer to harmful results than any proposition ever suggested to bee-keepers. Some Minnesota, bee-keepers said "Rascal !" when I attempted to excuse you, but I was moved by that charity that " thiuketh no evil," aud reasoned most — but not all — of them out of it. Now, Mr. Dadant never allows any but perfect foundation to go to his customers, and I never allow shoddy work of any kind to leave my shop. I never try to sell cheaper than any competitor, but the work must be first-class of its kind. And I don't believe you could get the Dadants to make fraudulent foundation at any price, for they, as well as myself, believe that honesty is more in what we do than in what we say. Yet we do not believe in talking fraud ; that it is not necessary for honest people to deceive ; and that none but fools tell lies. Now, Friend H., come to think of it, does it not seem a little " Hasty" in you to hold up to the public gaze seven of your brother bee-keepers to the charge of " Rascal," without a jury trial? Forestville, Minn. ..^^^7 CONDUCTED Br Z>«. O. C. MILLER, AIARENGO. ILL. [Questions may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct.7 Preparing the Bees and Hauling Tliem. In what way would you prepare bees to move overland T or 8 miles? Can they be moved in a common farm-wagon, coupled out and prepared to haul 30 colonies at a time ? My bees are mostly in Simplicity hives, many of them in a dilapitated condition, so that the bees can escape all around the bottom, and no cover over the top except loose boards. I have 93 colonies in this condition to be moved. Astoria, Ills. W. C. H. Answer. — Whew ! That's a job for certain^to move 93 colonies of bees in leaky hives with only loose boards on top I In the first place, the farm-wagon is all right if your roads are ordinary Illinois roads, and you practice some care in driving. For fear I forget it, I want to tell you before I go any farther, not to think of hauling them in cold weather, at a, tine when there will be no likelihood of a cleansing flight for sometime. The shaking up that they'd get in that T-mile ride would do them no great harm if they could have a flight right after it, but if they should be confined several weeks it would be likely to ruin them. Better leave them till spring, and then it would be no harm to take them on a day so cold that no bee would think of flying. Two reasons for taking on a cold day : One is, that if any bees get out they'll not be so likely to stampede the horses; and another is, that there will be less danger of smothering them. As to preparing them for hauling, I feel a little shaky about giving advice, as I never hauled just that kind of hives, and if they were my own bees I think I'd try to hunt up some one that knew more about it than I do. However, there are always good friends on the watch, and if my advice isn't the best, perhaps some of them will help us out. Perhaps the first thing to look after is the inside — to see that the frames will not shake about in the hive and mash bees and combs. If the frames were of the fixed kind, this would not need looking after, or even common, loose-hanging^ frames with wooden ends of top-bars resting on fiat wooden rabbets, for I constantly haul this latter kind without any preparation whatever, merely depending on the accumulation of propolis to keep the frames in place. But I wouldn't want to handle the frames before hauling, for that would break up the attachments. But your Simplicity hives probably have metal rabbets with metal-cornered frames, and they'll be dancing a jig all the way if you don't fasten them in some way. You can fasten the frames in this way : Make some sticks about as long as the end-bars of your frames, or a little shorter. Let them be about % inch wide, and thick enough so that there will be room enough to crowd one down at each end between each two frames. Perhaps M of an Inch or a. little more will be thick enough. At least thick enough so 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 21 they make rather a snug fit. At one end of each of these sticks drive through, about }i inch from the end, a small wire nail an Inch to an inch and a half long. Drive it far enough through so it will project through the wood as much at the point as it does at the head. This will keep the sticks from falling down between the frames, and it will make it easier to take the sticks out after hauliug. It will do no particular harm if the sticks are left iu a good many days after hauling. As to the rest, the two things are to see that plenty of air can readily pass, and that no bee can get out. One could per- haps tell a little better how to accomplish this if he were right on the spot and could see the hives. I asked another bee- keeper who happened to be present how I should answer the question as to preparing and hauling those hives. The reply was: "Tell him he can't do it at all with that sort of traps. The thing can't be done." I admit it will be some trouble, still if I had those hives and wanted to haul them, I think I'd haul them. You can give air below by means of wire-cloth arranged in some way, but as there is no good covering on top, perhaps the best thing will be to cover the entire top with a piece of wire-cloth, and then there will be no possible danger of smoth- ering the bees. After you have everything fastened tight, then go over every spot — top, bottom, sides and ends — and look carefully for any spot a bee could get though, and stop it with a piece of rag crowded in with a jack-knife. If you see a crack that you think about half big enough for a bee to get through, don't say, "Oh, I guess it doesn't matter about such a little crack as that, no bee can get through it!" but stop it up anyhow, and be on the safe side. Unless you've been " through the mill," and have had trouble from bees getting out on the road, you'll be almost sure to leave some leak ; but when you do get into trouble by it, please don't blame me for not warning you. Have everything arranged so far as you can, so tha't you can quickly unhitch your team if anything happens, for I'd rather not have horses too near escaping bees. I know it is said that bees are hauled without being fastened in, and that after being smoked and jolted a little they stay right where they are ; still, I think I'd rather be sure to have them fast- ened in the hive. And it's a pretty good thing to have a lighted smoker ready in case of emergency. Possibly you could replace some of tiie worst hives with new ones before hauling. Transferring from Bee-Trees — Fceclins in Winter 1. What is the best time to cut a bee-tree and transfer the bees to the hive ? 2. Is it best to transfer the comb made in the hollow tree, or only the best of the woricer-comb, and brood (if any) ? 3. Is it too late to feed a colony that has not sufficient stores? I have two or three that I did not suspect of being short. (I have the Miller feeder, and can use it inside, you know.) G. M. Braddyville, Iowa, Dec. 10. Answers. — 1. I think I should prefer to take it at the time usually preferred for transferring, that is, about the time of fruit-bloom. 2. I'd save the worker-brood and any nice, straight worker-comb. S. Yes, it's too late to feed to the best advantage, but still I would rather try to feed now than to let a colony starve. But I'd use sugar candy for feeding, such as you've probably seen described many times. It's much better than to feed liquid feed in winter. Hive-Entrance in Winter — Did tlie Be98 Freeze or Starve to Deatii i To winter my bees I chaff-pack them from two to eight inches deep on the sides of the hives, and four to 12 inches deep on top. To form an entrance I cut a piece out of the box that holds the packing 5x12 inches and put a board inside be- tween the hive and the box, letting it slant from the upper edge of the hole in the box down to one inch of the entrance of the hive. This is done to keep the packing in place, and as my hives all face the south, this allows the sun to shine in at the entrance the same as in summer. I leave the top-boards, or covers, sealed down over the brood-chamber, and some times I put a two-inch rim under some of the hives. Now what I wish to know is this : 1. With hives packed in chafiE six inches on the sides and eight inches on top, with sealed covers, could I close, or partially close, the entrance during cold or zero weather, and have no frost to adhere to the inside walls of the hive '? I always leave the entrances wide open, which are 12 to 14 inches long, and this seems to me much like making a big fire in the stove and leaving the house- door open. Now, which way is the best? and why ? 2. In Nov., 1893, a neighbor of mine put three colonies of bees into a smoke-house to winter, and as it was a poor affair the bees found no trouble in getting out of it, and thus marking the location of their home. Along in March, 1894, he removed them to an orchard, a distance of about 10 rods, and the next day the bees flew back to their location in the smoke-house, and in the evening clustered in a heap on the floor, to the extent of about a gallon. As the temperature wentdown somewhere between 10° and 20^ below freezing, they were all dead the next morning, so ray neighbor told me. He said they froze. Now Mr. Abliott would say that they starved. Please let me know what your opinion is. Armour, lown. W. S. D. Answers. — 1. If your bees have wintered well, as hereto- fore arranged, that's a pretty good reason for continuing the same practice, or at least trying any change on a small scale at first. One reason why I should give the bees a good-sized en- trance is that those who have had experience in the matter favor it. They probably favor it because upon trial they find the best success with it. To come more directly to the spirit of your question, if you close the entrance entirely, you will still find frost on the walls of the hive whenever it is so cold that the walls go below the freezing-point; for vapor is con- stantly being thrown off by the bees, and closing the entrance holds all the vapor in the hive, so you can see there will be more frost form on the walls than if the vapor should partly escape at the entrance. Another thing to be remembered is, that bees keep up warmth in the hive by means of food and air. Food alone will not keep them warm — they must have air as well. You may cram all the coal you please into a stove, if you carefully shut off all air from the fire it will go out. Did you ever notice that in a crowded room you become chilly when the air be- comes foul, even though the thermometer stands pretty high? So the point to strive for with your bees is to close up enough to keep the bees warm, and at the same time leave the en- trance large enough, so that the foul air and vapor can escape, and enough fresh air enter to supply what oxygen the bees need. If you think your hive-entrances are more open than necessary, try a few of them closer and see how they come out in spring. If they do better than the others, then you can practice the same thing on a larger scale next winter. 2. I hardly know what to say about those bees being dead " next morning." At least I think this is true, that if your neighbor had taken the bees into a warm room they would most, or all, of them have come to life that morning. But whether they were dead, dead, the next morning or later, I should say they froze to death. The Report of the Illitiois State Convent ion. (Continued from page 11.) SECOND DAY— Morning Session. The meeting was called to order at 9:30 by Pres. Smith. It was decided to leave the time of the next annual meet- ing to the Executive Committee. A discussion on the Chicago meeting then followed. Dr. Miller thought a meeting of the Illinois State Bee- Keepers' Association, if called in Chicago, would not be as well attended as would a called meeting of the Northwestern. He also thought membership was not governed by attendance. Mr. Dadant said that the Northwestern, representing the entire Northwest, would bring a much larger attendance than the State meeting would. Mr. Becker thought the poor honey year had more to do with the attendance than anything else. 22 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 9, Mr. York cited a case in Chicago of a man having six col- onies of bees, who had a yield of 900 poands of honey this year. Not a very poor year there. The resolution which the Secretary had been instructed to prepare the day before, came up, was duly considered, and finally adopted as follows : Whekeas, It is the opinion of this Association, that measures should be taken to increase both membership in our Association and attendance upon the same, and thereby form an association that will be large enough to make its influence felt — as well in our legislative halls as elsewhere ; therefore, be it Resolved, That the Secretary be instructed to give notice to bee-keepers throughout Illinois, that upon receipt of $1.00 by him, the sender will be entitled to receive the American Bee Journal, of Chicago, (as the official organ of the State Asso- ciation) for one year, as well as a membership in the State Bee-Keepers' Association for one year, with whatever benefits may result therefrom ; including a copy of the Second Annual Report, and anything further which may follow during the time of membership. Mr. Becker offered a resolution that the President ap- point a committee of three, to ask of the Superintendent at the State Fair, that a permanent place be assigned for bees, honey, etc., all together, in one part of the building, and that they be asked to place a freight elevator in the Dome Build- ing for the use of exhibitors. This was laid on the table. The report of the Committee on the State Fair was read and accepted as follows : The committee appointed to represent our interests before the State Board of Agriculture and the State Experimental Station, beg leave to report as follows : We revised last year's premium list, offered by the State Fair Association, on bees and honey, making a list aggregat- ing .?312, and presented the same to the State Board of Agri- culture, who, in considering our petition, raised objections to allowing any premiums whatever on implements and devices of any sort, and ruled out all premiums offered upon them. The petition was then referred to the Superintendent of the Farm Products' Department — Hon. D. W. Vittum, of Canton, III. — who told us he could allow us about $2.50 out of the amount allowed him for premiums. The committee then re- vised the list according to the ruling of the State Board, which revision was accepted, as was also the Code of Rules for mak- ing awards, as recommended by this Association. Your committee were also asked to recommend a judge, capable of judging fairly, and recommended Mr. J. A. Green, whose efHcient services were obtained. Our List and Rules brought at least seven exhibitors from our State, one from Indiana, and one from New York, who placed about 5,000 pounds of honey on exhibition, and made a creditable display of other articles, there being as high as 13 entries for one premium. Supt. Vittum did all he could to increase our premium list, and assisted us in every way possible, and expressed himself as well pleased with our exhibit, hoping to be able to allow us a larger list the coming year. And in view of the importance of the pursuit in our State, and the standing of our State among the other States, we think an increase ought surely to be made. The committee also memorialized the President of the State University — Dr. Draper — praying the establishment of an Experimental Station for bee-keepers, who referred the same to the Board of Directors, who replied by letter as previously read. All of which is respectfully submitted. Jas. a. Stone, 1 Geo. F. Robbins, [Committee. W. J. Finch, Jr., \ On motion the following committee was appointed on State Fair work : Geo. F. Robbins, Chas. Becker, and W. J. Finch, Jr. The convention then adjourned to 1:30 p.m. AFTERNOON SESSION. The meeting was called to order by Pres. Smith. The following resolutions by Geo. F. Robbins were read and adopted : Resolved, That the thanks of the bee-keepers of Illinois are due, and are hereby tendered, to the State Board of Agri- culture for their liberal premium list, and for their general good treatment of bee-keepers and the apiarian industry. Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be sent to the Board at their next meeting. The election of officers for the ensuing year was held at this time, with the following result: of alfalfa in the have cut it four I have never seen President, Dr. C. C. Miller, of Marengo ; Vice-Presidents — 1st, J. Q. Smith, of Lincoln ; 2nd, C. P. Dadant, of Hamilton; 3rd, S. N. Black, of Clayton ; ith, Mrs. L. Harrison, of Peoria ; 5th, Geo. F. Bobbins, of Mechanicsburg ; Secretary, .Fas. A. Stone, of Bradfordton ; and Treasurer, A. N. Draper, 01 Upper Alton. It was voted that all the money in the treasury (which is §-l:.27) be paid to the Secretary for his services up to date. The prospects for the coming year were then considered. Mr. Bobbins said that when clover is well-rooted it does not winter-kill. Mr. York said that B. Taylor, of Minnesota, predicts a good season next year. Mr. Dadant — I think there is no one that can tell. Mr. Black — We cannot tell anything from the prospects a year ahead. In our part of the State we have a good pros- pect for the year ahead. Three or four dry years cuts out heart's-ease, etc. No man can tell a year ahead. Dr. Miller — I think next year will be a good one. It is remarkable to have a long series of failures. The longer the failures the more likely the next will succeed. Mr. Becker — If there is a supply of white clover in the fall, the next year is probable; but there is none in my vicinity. Mr. Black — I know of only one honey-plant that is to be depended upon, and that is sweet clover. Dr. Miller — I saw a large field of alfafa, and but few bees on it. Mr. Dadant — Alfalfa is a good honey-plant in Europe, and I don't see why it should not be here. The Secretary — I have a small patch garden — this is the second year. I could times, but for waiting for seed to mature, many bees working on it at any time. Dr. Miller— I think that alfalfa will make a good forage plant, but that is not what we are after, if it is not good for honey as well. I think the day will come when sweet clover will be used as a forage plant. I know of the stock liking it in localities where it is widely grown ; and I know of a place where stock are driven by it, along the road, where they keep it eaten down. Alsike is the best clover I have ever used. It does not produce as much hay as red clover, but a finer and better quality. Mr. Dadant — When we have abundance of white clover it does not matter about the other clovers. I think it is a help to sweet clover to cut it, as it then blooms more profusely. Mr. Robbins— We can't depend on white clover, and we should encourage the raising of Alsike. The Pres.— The trouble with Alsike— they pasture it too closely, and then claim it doesn't pay. Mr. Robbins asked: "Will artificial rearing of queens breed out the swarming fever?" The President— When the queen quits laying the swarm- ing will end. On the adulteration of honey, Mr. Dadant said that if honey colors tea, it is not pure. Pure honey will not tarnish tin. Mr. York— We ought to have a law against the adultera- tion of honey, then something could be done to prevent it. Mr. Becker — If we have pure honey we can always sell it. Mr. Black— But adulterated honey destroys the taste for pure honey. Mr. York— Bee-keepers ought to supply their customers by buying, when they cannot fill their orders from their own crop. Mr. Dadant— Spanish-needle and smart-weed honey sell the best, because it has such a strong taste that people are sure it is honey. The convention adjourned sine die. Jas. a. Stone, Secretary. A Neiv Binder for holding a year's numbers of the American Bee Journal, we propose to mail, postpaid, to every subscriber who sends us 20 cents in addition to paying for his or her subscription for 1896. It is called "The Wood Binder," is patented, and is an entirely new and very simple arrangement. Full printed directions accompany each Binder. Every reader should get it, and preserve the copies of the Bee Journal as fast as they are received. Why not begin with Jan. 1 to save them ? They are invaluable for reference, and at the low price of the Binder you can afford to get it yearly. If your subscription is already paid for 1896, send 20 cents for the Binder. If- any one desires two of the Binders — one for 189.5 and one for 1896— send 30 cents, and they will be mailed to you. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 23 CONDUCTED BY DR. jr. p. U. BROWN, AUGUSTA. GA. [Please send all questions relating to bee-keeping in the South direct to Dr. Brown, and he will answer in this department. — Eds.T Report of llie liiternallonal Bee-Keepers' Con- gress at Atlanta, Oa., Dec. 4 and 5, 1S95. This Congress was called to order on Wednesday morning by Rev. Jas. G. Teter, of Tennessee, and opened by prayer by A. I. Root, of Ohio. Upon nomination, Dr. J. P. H. Brown, of Georgia, was elected President, J. T. Calvert, of Ohio, Sec- retary, and A. I. Root, Vice-President. W. S. Hart, of Florida, moved that a committee of three or more bee-keepers prominent in each State of the United States, as Vice-President of this association, or representative of the bee-keepers of his State, to work up an organization in the interest of bee-keeping in said State. As there was some opposition to Mr. Lowrance's motion, he withdrew it, and Mr. Frank Benton offered the following as a substitute : Resolved, That this Congress proceed to effect a perma- nent organization under the name of " The National Bee- Keepers' Association of the United States of America," with the purpose of embracing all the States and securing repre- sentation from the several States. He spoke of the need of a National organization of bee- keepers for the United States, which should be representative of the whole country, and which should meet once in two or three years and discuss, not questions for beginners, but ad- vanced apiculture. The resolution was laid on the table, to be taken up the first thing at the morning session. THURSDAY MOKNING SESSION, DEC. 5. The meetine was called to order by the President, after which Rev. J. G. Teter offered prayer. The minutes of the previous session were read and approved. The resolution offered by Frank Benton was taken up and discussed. A. I. Root and J. T. Calvert both spoke in opposition to President Dr. J. P. H. Broitm. ]'irc-Prcsidcnt A. I. Root. Secretary J. T. Calvert. be appointed to prepare a program. The chairman appointed Messrs. W. S. Hart, Rev. J. G. Teter, and J. T. Calvert. Messrs. A. I. Root, O. O. Poppleton, of Florida, and J. D. Fooshe, of South Carolina, were appointed a committee on resolutions. SWARIIING OF BEES — SOUTHERN BEE-KEEPER.S. Next in order was the reading of an essay by Chas. Dadant, of Illinois, entitled, " About Natural Swarming." [This essay has not yet been received at the Bee Journal office, but will appear later if it comes. — Ed.s.] Mr. Dadant's essay gave rise to some discussion. W. S. Hart agreed in the main with the author of the essay, and said excessive heat will induce Bees to swarm, as well as the conditions mentioned by Mr. Dadant. Mr. Danzenbaker, of the District of Columbia, said it was as natural for bees to swarm as for hens to sit, and other things to reproduce. J. L. Hubbard, of North Carolina, agreed with Mr. Dadant. Questions suggested by the committee on program were read, and the following selected for discussion : " Are there no means by which the apiarists of the South may be brought more in touch with one another, so as to more fully develop the apiarian resources of the Southern States?" Mr. Poppleton suggested that a Vigorous Southern depart- ment in all the bee-papers would help this end. W. B. Lowrauce, of South Carolina, offered the following resolution : Resolved, That the chairman of this Congress appoint one the resolution. The call for this meeting stated that it was to be an informal congress of bee-keepers ; no permanent or- ganization was contemplated; that it would not be fair to the bee-keepers not represented to go ahead hastily and form a permanent organization ; and that there was no need of it, at any rate. The International could accomplish all that a national organization could, and thus save the machinery and fees of another organization. The question was settled by the adoption of a substitute resolution offered by Mr. Poppleton, viz.: "That Dr. J. P. H. Brown, J. T. Calvert, A. I. Root and Frank Benton be re- quested to correspond with representative bee-keepers over the country at large in reference to the advisability of form- ing a national society. If the responses are favorable to such an organization, said committee are directed to call a meeting of bee-keepers at such time and place as their judgment may direct." Mr. Calvert requested his name to be omitted from the committee, and the request was granted. Next in order was the following essay by Mr. G. W. Dem- aree, of Kentucky, on Bee-Culture. I have been requested by a much-esteemed friend and prominent writer and bee-culturist of the State of Georgia, and of the South, to prepare an essay to be read on this occa- sion, and am granted the privilege to select my own theme. {Continued on page 25.) 24 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 9, '<^z. PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY CEORCE W. YORK & COMPANY, Editors and Proprietors, 66 P'iftb Avenue^ - CHICAGO^ ILL. $1.00 a Year— Sample Copy Sent Free. [Entered at the Post-OfiBce at Chicago aa Second-Class Mail-Matter.] Vol. niVI, CHICAGO, ILL, JAN, 9, 1896. No. 2. California Industries is to be the subject of a symposium soon to appear in the San Francisco Call. Prof. Cook is to furnish the article on Bee-Keeping. It will be an interesting and reliable contribution, surely. The Ctaicag-o Meeting' of the Illinois State Bee- Keepers' Association will be in session when the majority of readers of the Bee Journal receive this number. We are ex- pecting a good time, and a large attendance on account of the IK fare granted by the railroad companies by reason of the National Cycle Exhibition held here this week. Lansfstroth memorial Extracts, mentioned last week, are found in this number of the Bee Journal. They are exceedingly interesting — so much so that our compositor who put them in type said : " Why, I'd be willing to die, if I could have such good things said of me afterward." We can add nothing more to what the various writers have said about our lamented Langstroth. We believe he deserved all, and more. Some day we trust there may be an appropriate vol- ume published, in which shall be recorded in permanent form a just and complete account of the noble deeds and the words of wisdom of the honored Father of American apicul- ture— the Rev. L. L. Langstroth. Melilot, or S-weet Clover.— The engraving on the first page of this number of the Bee Journal was made from a photograph showing a small plat of Melilotus alba in full bloom, as the plants appeared July 27, 1895, and after they had been in blossom nearly one month ! This shows the immense value of melilot — the white variety — as a blooming plant, and why it is such a wonderful honey-plant. When the photograph was taken the plants were about 6 feet high, but this is simply an average growth in Northern Illinois, when they are old enough to be in full bloom. On very rich soil the plants often grow from 8 to 9 feet high. It is through the kindness of Mr. Baldridge, that we have the pleasure of showing our readers this beautiful plat of melilot, or sweet clover. lie is a great admirer of this honey- plant, so much so that he has gone to the expense of getting out several "Special Bulletins" on Melilotus. He will send throe of them for 5 cents in stamps ; and for 5 cents more he will mail a small package of melilot seed — enough to sow a small plat of ground. Undoubtedly, sweet clover is destined to become one of the leading honey-yielding plants in the near future. Its honey is of the finest, both in flavor and appearance, and drouths do not materially affect its growth. It seems to pros- per in any part of our great country, and when farmers in general learn of its value as a hay and forage plant, they will unconsciously aid bee-keepers in placing it where the bees can revel upon it for weeks during the season of its bounteous blooming. ■*-—* Selling- Another's Honey.— On page 20 of this issue is a criticism by Mr. B. Taylor, in which he shows very clearly the correctness of our advice to buy and sell another bee-keeper's honey when your own crop is all disposed of and you have opportunity to sell more. So long as yoxi know your bought honey is absolutely pure, and equal to your own pro- duction, there certainly can be no necessity for any explana- tion when offering it for sale to your customers. On this matter we think Mr. Hasty is now "straining at a gnat," while a few years ago he was "swallowing a camel" loaded high with sugar-honey. Putting ourselves in a customer's place, and if we were buying honey of Mr. Hasty, would we care who produced the honey he sold us, so long as we had enough confidence in his honesty to feel that he would not sell anything but pure and good honey? We think that Mr. Taylor is entirely justified in his criticism, and we would urge every bee-keeper to try to keep his neighbors and customers constantly "sweetened up," even if you must buy all the honey you sell. But always, of course, be fully assured that the honey you purchase is the best and purest that can be had. We have retailed quite a little honey the past two or three years (some of our own production, but most of it we bought), and our customers never think of questioning us about it. If they did, we should of course tell them the truth about it. Always tell the truth when you tell anything; but it isn't always necessary to say anything. Bees Near a Railroad.— In response to the re- quest made by Dr. Miller, on page 79-4, Hon. Geo. E. Hilton, of Fremout, Mich., says : My home apiary is located near the railroad, and, with the observation of 16 years, I cannot see ihat the jarring affects the bees, although the ground shakes terribly at times. Geo. E. Hilton. Planing for Next Season.— One of our best ag- ricultural exchanges — the Farm and Fireside — has some very good suggestions to offer to its readers, about preparing in ad- vance for the coming season. The writer wisely says that winter is the time to make plans and be ready to begin next spring with a set purpose in view. No one can plan a year's operations and feel certain that it is going according to his plans, but he can map out a general course to pursue, and have his thinking done in time to be ready for acting when the time for action arrives. He who works without well-considered plans works to no purpose, and wastes precious time repairing mistakes. If the work of a season is considered beforehand, it can be accom- plished easily and without friction, and much of worry and bother will be dispensed with. An old farmer once said that he did a great deal of his work while sitting in his arm-chair. He meant that he planned his work carefully, and was ready to do everything in time, and promptly. That man's tools are always ready for use when they are needed ; everything is in good repair all the time, because he does every bit of work at the proper time, and does not allow it to get ahead of him. Every one knows how hard it is to catch up when one gets a 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 25 little behind his work ; and how much easier it seems when "we are able to do to-day what must be done not later than to- morrow. Delays in any kind of work on the farm or in the "apiary are not only dangerous, but very often they are the cause of great loss. One day late may raeau a great loss at planting- time, or its damage or ruin at harvest-time. If the farmer or bee-keeper makes it a rule to do every- thing on time, or a little before it is absolutely necessary that it be done, and losses come to him from wind or weather, he bas no reason to blame himself, as he has done all that he could. The influence of farm and bee papers cannot be][over- estimated. It is a rule that will apply to any community, that the man who reads the papers and acts according to the advice given in them, 's the more intelligent and prosperous than the man who does not read. It is because of, their read- ing, that farmers and bee-keepers of certain States and Prov- inces have a wide reputation for intelligence and progressive- ness. It will be a good idea to begin the new year with a deter- mination to so uianage your business as to always have the upper hand, no matter what may happen. Think the whole matter over this winter, while you have time, aud lay your plans for next season's campaign. Have enough provisos in reserve so that in case the unexpected or unfavorable should occur, you will not be at a loss how to proceed. No good gen- eral ever goes into a battle without a well-defined plan, and neither should the bee-keeper or farmer. Circumstances may change some of the details, but the main plan can generally bo carried out. Why not try this year to do a little better than we have heretofore ; to give the bees better attention ; to put up the honey (if we have any) in a more attractive condition ; to make our homes and surroundings more inviting and comfort- able; to treat our friends and neighbors a little better ; to be more cheerful and good-natured ; and to make those who live with us think we are the very best people in the world. < » > The 'Wisconsin Convention.— The twelfth an- nual meeting of the State Bee-Keepers' Association will take place at Madison, in the capitol, Feb. 6 and 7, 1896. The following is the splendid feast as arranged : President's Address — F. Wilcox. Advantages in Location — H. Lathrop. Sweet Clover as a Honey-Plant — J. J. Ochsner. Size of Brood-Chamber — C. A. Hatch. Production and Sale of Comb Honey — F. Murray. Production atid Sale of Extracted Honey — J. Hoffman. House-Apiaries — B. Taylor, of Forestville, Minn. (Mr. Taylor will be there to read his essay.) Benefits of a Foul Brood Law — N. E. Franco. Commission Men — L. M. Willis and S. T. Fish & Co. The free for all question-box is always interesting. As other State societies are in session the same week, all are enabled to get excursion-rates on all railroads, if you get full-fare certificate wherever tickets are purchased. It will pay you to attend, if at all possible. Mr. N. E. France, of Platteville, Wis., is the Secretary. International Bce>Kcepers' Congress. LContinued from page 23.] Atiout Neiiv Bee-Papers— "Well Put.— In the December Rural Californian we find this wise paragraph from Prof. Cook : There are now seven or eight bee-journals published in the United States, and rumor has it that another is to be born at an early day in Southern California. Malthus' law applies to bee-journals with a vengeance. Would it not be better to make the journals now in the field better, rather than to start others to be poorly nourished, to languish and die prema- turely ? This has been the history of scores of journals, though occasionally one comes to stay, which proves that it has a place in our bee-literature. That theme is "BEE-C0LTURE." I want to speak of several questions under this head. We live in a time of a most dangerous state of " unrest " among the people, the foundation of which is undoubtedly a " falling away " from self-reliance and Christian honesty, and t?!is has precipitated the "war between labor and capital." The cause is mistaken for the effect. Is there no remedy for this menacing state of things? Perhaps yes, and may be no, for the prophets tell us of a " day" (a time) that will admit of no remedy — no patching up, and that time is pointed out as the concluding years of this age or dispensation. Neverthe- less, whatever may be the time now, written with invisible fingers on the chronological dial of the age, it is our duty to meet and deal with things " as they are," and as we find them in the world, and one of those conditions is, increasing com- petition, that makes it harder for the laboring man or woman to live now than ever before. Hence, if the coming together of this apicultural congress can help to introduce a new and fairly remunerative occupation among our rural people, they will have done a good and lasting work. The South is the home of the honey-bee. The apiary can be operated in the South with less labor and with more cer- tainty in general results than anywhere else in North America. And yet our people are slow to reap these advantages. We have blindly "despised small things," though they may aggre- gate millions. It is a fact that might be practically demonstrated, that millions worth of precious nectar — that costs nothing in human labor, and relieves Nature of her surplus without impoverish- ing— goes to waste every year, because there are so few bees, under the management of skilled apiarists, to gather and store it. Let the most observing among men walk in the fields in "blooming season," and notice the tiny flowers at his feet, and in the trees and shrubbery about him, and if not an api- arist, he sees no wealth in them all, only as his sentiment comes to his relief, and enables him to say, " It is a wealth of beauty !" But let a practical apiarist occupy these same fields with Ills bees, and he will see more than the other — he will see wealth in beauty, and wealth iu realization. I am not carried away by mere sentiment, when I say that no rural pursuit is more pleasing to the senses, more soothing to the natural fatigue of labor, and more profitable in propor- tion to the amount of capital employed, than is the usually called " little business " of honey-producing. I might illus- trate thi? with practical facts. With 50 colonies of bees, and two months' labor on my part — no inconsiderable part of which was light work — I have cleared as much as $4:50. Of course, in bee-culture, this means a whole season's occupancy. Other seasons I have cleared rnach less. Bee-culture, as pertains to the production of honey, de- pends as much for successful output upon weather conditions, and perhaps more, than other agricultural pursuits. This fact has done much to make bee-culturea drag. The beginner in bee-culture cannot endure bad seasons at the start. The fact is, no man or woman can succeed in the business of pro- ducing honey for the markets by the application of mere drudgery and toll. There is something else essentially neces- sary, and that is some sort of enthusiasm or fascination for the business of keeping bees. This may be a natural love for the study of entomology, or some sort of fascination for the peculiar manipulations that are necessary to the modern man- agement of bees. This fact makes it improbable that the production of honey will ever be overdone. But there are no inconsiderable number of men and women who possess the necessary qualifications for apiary work (if the facts were dis- covered to them), and this should be one of the aims of asso- ciated efforts. There is no better way to meet sharp "competition " for " bread " than by enlarged occupation — " verified labor." The apiary will help in this direction. It has occurred to me that there is but the one product of the earth that is truly a warming, nourishing food for man, pre-eminently delicious to the palate, that springs into per- fection, in its season, by the touch of an unseen hand, and dis- appears as quickly if not utilized by bees. That product is Iioney ! — the synonym of all that is sweet and good in the earth. May the same unseen hand touch our lives into sweetness down to the end, which shall be but the beginning — ever- lasting ! G. W. Demakee. The questions of evaporating unripe honey, and "how to best educate the Southern dealers and consumers as to the 26 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 9, properties and virtues of honey," were taken up and dis- cussed. W. S. Hart thought that his honey, that was evaporated by the sun, was fully equal to that of other bee-keepers, and, judging from the samples of his honey that were exhibited, the evidence was very conclusive. It was the general opinion of those present that all honey-packages should be nicely labeled, and leaflets attached, giving the properties and vir- tues of pure honey. The next question was: "Is it practicable to introduce instruction in bee-culture into our common schools ?" Frank Benton stated that entomology was taught in Washington schools. Mrs. Harrison said that Natural His- tory in the Peoria, 111., schools included a study of bees. BEE-DISEASES AND THEIR TREATMENT. " What experience have you had in bee-diseases, and how have you treated them '?" was asked. Mr. Poppleton said that he thought he had lost 10,000 pounds of honey from damage to his colonies by bee-paralysis. Others present considered it of minor consequence. The gen- eral opinion was that no remedy yet proposed hit all cases. A. F. Brown said that foul brood had made its appearance in Florida, and that he had lost 288 colonies. He treated ten, but failed, and finally burned the lot. J. J. Keith, of Georgia, said he had cured foul brood by fumigating the colony with pitch-pine. (Continued next week.) ^^^m toNSTllt||EEbflt3 The Rev. L. L. Langstroth ]SIemorial. Gleanings for Dec. 15, is a Langstroth number, a dozen pages being filled by leading men from both sides of the Atlan- tic, with tributes of well-deserved praise to the man we all de- light to honor. Some extracts follow : LANGSTROTH'S invention — THE MOVABLE FRAME. Langstroth's name is closely connected with his invention, and this has certainly placed bee-keeping upon an entirely dif- ferent footing to what it occupied before the advent of the frame hive. There has been a great deal of controversy as to who was the original inventor of the frame principle. It was not till 1851 that Langstroth invented his hive, and frames had already been in use some years previously. They were, however, not of any practical utility, for the hives containing them were complicated, or so exceedingly expensive that they could be looked upon only as luxuries for rich amateurs rather than hives to be used by bee-keepers for business purposes. It was not till 1851 that Langstroth invented his frame hive, which, from its simplicity, cheapness, and practical adaptability to the purposes required, has conferred a lasting boon on bee-keeping. There are no doubt some who think other methods are quite as good; but a very large and daily increasing number of bee-keepers on this continent of Europe recognize that the principle introduced by Langstroth — and first published by him in 1852, in his book on the honey-bee — is the correct one. The opening of the hive at the top, the perfect interchangeability of the movable combs, and the lat- eral movement of the frames, have given the bee-keeper the most perfect control over his bees, and have more than justi- fied Langstroth's expectations when he wrote the note in his diary in 1851, that, "The use of these frames will, I am per- suaded, give a new impetus to the easy and profitable manage- ment of bees." There are not many bee-keepers of the present day who can look back 40 years or who know how Mr. Langstroth was treated, even by^those who were quick to perceive the advan- tages to be derived from his invention ; or how they pilfered his best ideas, and even patented them, and how he was de- frauded of his just dues. Nor do they know that these in- fringements of his rights led to costly litigation which swal- lowed up all his well-merited gains. As one of your own wri- ters (Prof. Cook) has written in Gleanings: " This whole mat- ter is the dark page in American bee-keeping history, and we gladly pass it by without further comment." — Thos. Wm. Cowan, editor of the British Bee Journal. LANGSTROTH REVERED THE WORLD OVER. The name of Langstroth is known and revered, not alone in North America, but in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, ;.. ; , ; ■: .: i li^ S:>iid Yoir. and even in Russia, where the French edition of " Langstroth Revised" has been translated into Russian, in which language it has reached its second edition. Many apiculturists having described the qualities of our lamented friend, it suffices me to say that my son and I are happy to have been deemed capable by him to put his book — which was so far in advance of the J 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 27 times at the date of its first publication — abreast with all that has been achieved since ; and above all, to have succeeded in spreading its renown in all countries where the English lan- guage is known, and where he is considered, as well as in the United States, as a superior man, distinguished for his intelli- gence, his knowledge, his disinterested and unceasing work directed toward apicultural progress, to which he had devoted his life. — Chakles Dadant. A GERMAN ESTIMATE. And now let me say right here, Langstroth was one of those bee-keepers to whom is due a place in the front ranks of bee- keepers the world over. He is, of course, the Dzierzon and Huber of America. His invention of a most practical bee-hive has, especially in America, raised bee-keeping to a very high degree. If I amnot wrong, Mr. Langstroth gave his hive to the public in 1852, seven years later than Dr. Dzierzon did his movable-comb hive ; but there is no doubt that Mr. Langstroth made his invention without knowing anything concprning what Mr. Dzierzon was doing ; otherwise such a Christian man as Mr. Langstroth has always shown himself to be, both In his public and private life, and in his masterpiece, " The Hive and the Honey-bee," would have given honor to whom honor was due. The difference between his hive and that of Dzier- zon proved that plainly. The Dzierzon hive has fixed top and bottom-boards, and two doors (sometimes one) on one or two sides. This hive is longer or higher than wide, according to the standard frames, which are nearly as large as the standard Langstroth frames. If side-storing of the honey is preferred, the Dzierzon hive con- tains 16 frames side by side in a so-called "lagerstock." On the other hand, the hive has two or more stories In a "staend- erstock." All frames In this German hive hang with the shorter sides above and below. Most of the German bee- keep- ers are of the opinion that bees winter better, especially out- doors, by the use of frames in which the bees may have their winter stores above the cluster. — C. J. H. Gravenhorst, edi- tor of the Deutsche Illustrierte Bienenzeitung. A FRENCH TRIBUTE. Francis Huber, my fellow-countryman, prepared the way by discovering the secrets of the habits of bees; and, fifty years later, Langstroth, in the United States, and Dzierzon and Berlepsch in Germany, crowned those efforts by giving to apiculturists systems of hives which have revohilionized the keeping of bees. But the manner in which the American in- ventor solved the problem of movable frames and the Inspec- tion of colonies, caused it to surpass the German method ; and it is his hives and methods which have been adopted in the greatest number of countries, and which give the most bril- liant results. I have, for my part, e.iiperlmented with both systems; and, without contesting certain merits In the Ber- lepsch model, I give the preference to the American hive, with loose bottom, and stores above. But it Is rot alone for his useful invention that the mem- ory of our great Langstroth deserves to be handed down to posterity. He has written an admirable book in which the elevation of the thoughts equal the extent of the writer's eru- dition as well as the richness of his observations, and which will remain the masterpiece of apicultural literature. Thanks to Mr. Dadant's translation, of which I am preparing a second edition, this work is now known to French-speaking apicultur- ists ; and it has been produced In Russian through the labors of Mr. Kandratieff. — Edward Bertband, editor of Revue In- ternationale. A CANADIAN HONOR. As a Canadian I am proud and glad that the last public tribute of respect and honor was paid to him, not only on our soil, but amid the classic surroundings of our educational department, where so many busts of departed great- ness In literary and philanthropic walks of life are gath- ered ; and I shall take pleasure In moving, at the next meeting of the Ontario Bee-Keepers' Association, that permission be sought from the government to add a bust of Langstroth to the collection. I feel sure that per^lission will be readily granted. — W. F. Clarke, formerly editor of the American Bee .Journal. A SUBSTANTIAL ENGLISH CONTRIBUTION. At a banquet In London, given in honor of the American representative to the bee-conventions of Europe, a toast was proposed to the Rev. L. L. Langstroth for his apicultural in- ventions and genius. Being called upon to respond to the toast, I referred to the misfortune of his poverty, and Imme- diately, In true, large-hearted English style, the whole assem- bly rose to Its feet, cheered his name, and a good contribution was then and there made and sent to Mr. L., to cheer his heart and clothe and feed him during the approaching winter. There were present, not only representative English and Scotch api- arists, but many from Continental Europe, and among these there were four or five editors of bee-periodicals. All were of one mind, doing honor to our loved American bee-master, who has just passed through the gates of Paradise. — Thomas G. Newman, former editor of the American Bee Journal. FRIEND AND PASTOR SPEAKS. He had a breadth of culture and of intellect that marked him a man among men. He deserves the respect of all, not alone for his achievements along the line of bee-culture, but for his general ability and high character. This is the esti- mate of a friend who knew him In his various moods, and nev- er found him other but true and lovable. — Rev. W. F. Mc- Cauley, Mr. Langstroth's pastor. HIS WORK WELL DONE. To-day we know positively that Mr. Langstroth was the inventor of the first practical movable-frame bee-hive. The German top-bar hive, with combs fastened to the side, was a previous invention, as was the close-fitting frame of Major Munn ; but neither of these was known to him previous to his own invention, and each was as inferior to his as is the sickle to the self-binder. Mr. Langstroth had the vision to see a great need, and the genius to supply It; and In so doing he shared the honor and glory of very few men — that of revolutioniz- ing a great industry, and changing entirely Its methods. He did more than this ; he did his work so well, that, though nearly fifty years have rolled by, yet no one has been able in all that time to Improve upon his Invention In any essential particular. What a compliment to him, that his hive, essen- tially as it was given to the world half a century ago. Is to-day the hive of nearly all our brightest and most successful bee- keepers! No one can gainsay the fact, no one can deny the glory of such an accomplishment. I cannot find a parallel case in all the history of inventions. — Prof. A. J. Cook. " only THE WAY HE SPOKE." Talking about being able to hear some voices much easier than others that might be of a higher pitch, he told me of an Incident of a deaf woman he was once In his ministry called upon to pray with. He said he had a very strong voice, and that he knelt down close by the side of the woman, and spoke slowly and distinctly ; and when he was through, the woman declared that It was the first prayer she had heard in many years; that It was almost miraculous, and she thought her hearing was returning. But he told her no ; it was only the way he spoke. — Thaddeus Smith. HIS message to the SUNDAY SCHOOL. And when he found that It was my official duty to visit all the Sunday-schools in the township in which I live, he, with warm animation, said : "I have a message I want you to take to the boys and girls as you visit your schools: First of all, impress upon their tender hearts, that the Bible is the tier!/ word of God— the infallible. Immutable word of God ; that it is the very voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to our hearts. Then you can show them the necessity of committing largely of that word to memory. Tell them that they can easily do this when young, and that what they learn when young will stay by them : but what Is learned when old is soon forgotten and lost."— S. T. Pettit. Proper Spacing of Frames. In spacing between frames the way the top-bars are now cut by manufacturers of bee-supplies, if spaced \% Inches from center of top-bar, it leaves a plump .'^'-inch between the top-bars, which X think Is right. The space between the lower chamber or brood-nest and the upper or surplus chamber should be a little more than 14-luch. If we could always main- tain a plump !4-ineh here, I would like that the best, but as the bodies will shrink a little, in a very dry time, the space has to be made to allow for shrinkage. If aftershrinking it would stay that way. It would be all right, but It will swell again in a wet time, so that it Is Impossible to maintain the space between the lower and the upper chamber just right, but perhaps near enough for practical purposes.- J. W. Rouse, in Progressive Bee-Keeper. ^g° Bee-keeping Is a science, having for Its object the attainment of a correct knowledge of all that pertains to the habits and instincts of these wonderful insects; and a practi- cal art which regards all the attainments thus made as the only reliable basis of successful bee-culture. — Newman. 28 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 9, THIRTY THOUSAND FOUNDS DEESWAX Is our present stock for this year's sales of Foundation. But still 'We 'Want More Bees'wax and pay a good price. Don't Delay Ordering Your FOUNDATION. You will pay more by and by than you would now. Remember that we make the BEST, and everybody acknowledges this. Now is the time to read the work of the Late Father L,angfStrotIi — Langstroth on the Honey-Bee, Revised. The Price of this Work is now Bednced from. $1.40 to $1.25, by mail. Send us your address for Catalogue of Bee-Supplies, etc. CHAS. DADANT & SON, Hevtion the American Bee Journal. TT A TVl I LTON, Hancock Co. , TLXi. YOUR DEESWAX ! UNTII. FURTHEK NOTICE, we will allow 30 cents per pound for Good Yel- low Beeswax, delivered at our office — in ex- chaiise for Subscription to ttie Bee Journal. for BooiiB. or anything that we olfer for sale In the Bee Journal. Or, 26 ctii. cash. GEORGE W. VORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS. Promptness Is What Counts ! Honey-Jars, Shippinj^-Cases. and every- thing that bee-keepers use. Root's Goods at Root's Prices, and the best shipping point in the country. Dealer in Honey and Beeswa.\. Cata- iiirJast Ave. WaltcF S. PoudcF INDIANAPOLIS. IND. Mention the American Dee Journal. WANTED ! 10,000 pounds of BEESWAX, for Caeli. Address, LEAHV IflFG. CO., HlgginsTille, ITIo. Hle>itlo)i the American BeeJounuiu UNION ONE MAN WITH THE COMBINATION SAW Can do the work of four men using band tools, in Kipping, Cuttlng-o£f, Mi- tring. Katibeting, Groov- ing. Gaining. Dadoing, Edgtng-up. Jointing Stutf. etc. Full Line of Foot and Hand Power Machinery. .Sold on Triiil. Calnlo^ae Free. SENECA FAL.L.S ItlFG. CO., 46 Water St., SENECA FALLS. N. Y 1 A 1 y Mention the A merix^nn Bee Journal. 33 Gts. a Pound We allow For Beeswax In Exchange for -SUPPLIES.- 1896 Circular Now Ready. I. J. STRIXOHAM, 105 Park Place. NEW YOKK. N. T. OC tills Journal wlao write to any of oni advertisers, eitUer Id ordering, or asking about the Goods oOfered, ^vill please state that they saiw 'he Advertisement in tills paper. READERS WOVEN W!!i FENCE Over 5 O Styles! The best on Earth. Horse hiph, M'uU ftioiig-, PijT and Chicken tiu-ht. You can make from 40 to 60 iMii.s per day for from 14 to 22c. a Rod. lllustratfd CataloKllf' Free. KITSELMAN BROS., Ridgeville, - Indiana. 48Kt f Mention tin'. A t^erican Bee .loumat. THE KEYSTONE DEHORNER I Cats clean on all eidea-does not crush. The ) most humane, rapid and durable knife ) made, fully warranted. ITi^'hest World's (S\ Fair Award Descriptive Circulars Free ^A.C.BROSIUS, Cochranville, Pa StJEl.l . (./It './Mi ^incrwau Cfcr- Jirtima.^ IHGUBATORS Our ICO pace, finely illustrated Combined Poultry Guide and 'CataioRue will tell you what you wish to know about PROFITS IN POULTRY We manufacture a complete line of Incubators. I Brooders and Poultry Appliances, (.luide and Ojitu- J logue 10c. (stamps or silver) Worth One Dollar. ] Reliahlelnoubator^A Brooder Co., *^ninry,^ Ills. aSElot Please mention this Journal. READERS or this Journal ivho ivrite to any of our advertisers, either iu ordering, or asliing about tlie Goods offered, will please state tliat they saw tbe Advertisement In this paper. $1.00 Sent to me a:ets $1.75. 1— The American Bee Journal for one year to a new subscriber. 2— A oOc. copy of " Business," or How the Sel- ler Reaches and Talks to the Buyer. 3— A Soc. copy or the Daily News Almanac for 1896. 1 wish a representative In every school and colleg-e in the United States. If you wish fur- ther particulars inclose in your letter to me a self-addressed and stamped envelope. E. Ifl. PKATT, 232 South East Ave., Oak Park, 111. Seir-Heip Supplies. HATCH Chickens „«r,f\f„r:i: EXCELSIOR Incubator Simple. Pfrfrrt. Self- Regulal ■ iuij. Thousands in sufcr-slul I'l.cratioQ. Lowest pflccd flrHt-<>Ia<'t4 llntchfr made. <;E0. II. SiTAIIl.. lit tolggS.6l!i*-it.<>.ilmv.ni. J^titition ttve American Bee Journal, 40 El 5 SELLING OUT. To close out, I otfer ray Improved Queen-and- Drone Traps per !4 doz.. iu the flat, at $1.75; per doz., S2.T5 ; per 2o, So. 00. Individual Kiglit to manufacture and use, .50 cents ; Township Hlghts. $1.00 ; County KIg-hts. $3.00. HENRV ALLEY, lAtf WKNHAM, MASS. PmsoMML Mestiom. Mr. Harry Lathrop, of Browntown, Wis., reports, in a recent issue of Glean- ings, a pleasant visit among bee-keepers in the basswood region of southern Wisconsin. He refers to visiting a web-footed commu- nity in a place called Goose Creek, where a preacher by the name of Gander used to preach to the families of Drakes and Gos- lins. Quack! Quack! Mr. H. M. Orr, of California, has been in Chicago recently, having brought a carload of honey with him. Mr. Orr is one of the few bee-supply dealers and manufacturers on the Pacific Coast. He is also interested in the fruit packing and shipping business. It he is a fair sample of tbe California bee- keepers, they are a pushing, wide-awake kind of people, with whom it is a pleasure to meet. Mr. S. J. Baldwin, of England, who has been spending the past few months in the United States, expected to sail for home Jan. 4. He reports that his health has greatly improved by his visit in this coun- try, and that he feels better and happier than when he left his home, last September. He was able to " take in " the Atlanta Ex- position, though not so fortunate as to be present at the recent International Bee- Keepers' Congress that was held there. Miss Mathilda Candler, of Cassville, Wis., made us a very pleasant call lately. She is a succeesful bee-keeper of about six years' experience, having bad some SO colo- nies the past year, but reduced them in the fall to 54. Her average per colony, in 1894, was about 1'20 pounds of comb honey, and in ISitS abouteo. Miss Candler is spending a, few months in Chicago studying, this winter, and iu the spring will return to her bees and again take up the work with them for another season. Mrs. W. E. Clark, of Bloomington, Calit., is, what Rambler says in Gleanings, •one of these quiet effective workers" they have out near the Golden Gate. She manages the apiary until tbe honey is ready to case, when Mr. Clark is called on to " ex- ercise his lifting talent." ■■ From 80 colo- nies, spring count, which have been in- creased to 120, Mrs. Clark extracted a car- load, or nearly 12 tons of honey" the past season. Surely, Mr. Clark should appreci- ate such a " sweet " wife ! "A Poor Excuse is better than none," 'tis often said. But the latest is given in Gleanings, where Editor Root says he is requested "to say, that, owing to a bronchial trouble, caused largely by the • breathing in of the odor of the bees, and their poi- son,' " the publisher of a periodical that was to improve our degenerated bee-litera- ture, •• has been obliged to suspend the pub- lication of his paper." One of our corre- spondents, in referring to this in a private letter, wrote thus: ■•Alas for the elevation of bee-literature! He must have been wintering his bees under his oflice, and the fumes of poison came up so strongly that it strangled the poor little paper!" Concerning the departed so-called bee- paper. Father Langstroth has been re- ported to have said this, when attending the Toronto convention last September: '• It contains more vigor, force and Inilh than all the other journals." If he uttered those words, all we can say is, that it is the unlij thing so far reported since that con- vention that leads us to think he was again suffering from a very severe attack o£ his old ••head-trouble" at that time. We don't believe Father L. had been physically or mentally able to read the bee-papers sufficiently close the past two years, to be a competent judge in the matter. Surely his quoted sentence proves this. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 29 '^M w^ California If you care to know of Its Fruits, Flowers Climate or Resources, send for a Sample Copy of California's Favorite Paper— The Pacific Rural Press The leading Horticultural and Agricultural paper of the Pacific Coast. Published weekly, handsomely illustrated, $2.40 per annum. Sample Copy Free. PACIFIC RURAL PRESS, 220 Market St.. - SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. successfSlI INCUBATOR t Our magnificent? new catalogue X giving full in- 2 formation re- # parding artificia 1* Hatching & Broodin and treatise on pou try raising sent for 4c Btamr'S. Circular free. Write now, Oes Moines Incubator Co- Boi78L'esiloiiies,Ia ' 49Ai:it Mention the A wfrimv Bet, JuurnaU Goldeu's Feeder ! Bee-Keepers:— We can furnish the Golden Combined Feederaiid Hive-Cover, with- out Feed Ulsh Las the Simplicity or any dish answers], direct from factory at the following: prices: 1 made up, 30 cents; 1 in the flat. 25 cents; 10 in the flat. $2.00. All orders sent to The A. I, Root Co., Medina, Ohio. For large orders, write the undersigned for special prices. J. A. GOLiDEN, 45A13t REINERSVILLE, OHIO. Mention the Atncrienn Bee JowniaZ, OUR POULTRY ANNUAL and Book of Valuable Recipes, 64 large pafres, contains 8 beautiful colored plates of fowls, gives description and prices of 45 varieties, with important hints on care ofpoultrv, and pages of recipes of preat value to everyone. Finest Poultry Book I.ut.lisl'pd for 1S96. Postpaid onlv lOcte, Cr N. Bowers, Box 24, Dakota, III' Mtntion ttic jini^ ican /i&«- ^u"./ »niu u&, "^a sen your t'ouitry* vef^'.» Fruits and all produce at high est prices, dally KETURNS. For ■ ■ stencils, prices and references, write ■ -■ >r T SAGE & SONS. 183 Reade St- N y IKf Qcj;)eral Iterrjs* Apiary Near a Bailroad. On page 794 the question is asked whether it would be good policy to locate an apiary near a railroad. I located my apiary here in Chippewa Falls, in ISSS, and have had from 50 to 100 colonies ever since (7 years) within 125 feet of the Wisconsin Central, Northern Pacific, and Milwaukee and St. Paul railroads, whose heaviest freights, limited passenger coaches, and fast cattle trains are passing all the time, night and day ; and although I have watched very clo.sely, in winter especially, when the ground trembles, still I have never been able to see any disturbance or notice taken of it. I am satisfied that no harm has ever been done my bees by passing trains. E. A. Morgan. Chippewa Falls, Wis., Dec. 15, 1895. When answering this Advertisement, Mention this journal. PATENT WIRED COMB FOUNDATION Has No Sag In Brood-Frames Thin Flat-Bottom Foundation Has So Fishbone in the Ssrplas Honey, Betnff the cleanest 1b usually worked the quickest of any Foundation made J. VAN OEUSEN & SONS, Sole Manufacturers, Sprout Brook Montgomery Co., N. Y. Mention the Anicrlcmi UeeJmci^utL COMB FOUNDATION. Wholesale and Ketall. Quality always the best. Price always lowest. Working Wax Into Foundation by the lb. a Specialty. I can make It an object for you Id any quantity, but offer special induce- ments on stralifht 25 or 50 lb. lots. Or for making larsre lot of Wax into Foundation. I am furnishing larg-e Dealers, and can also please you. Beeswax taken at all times. Write for Samples aud Prices, to GUS DITTITIER, AUGUSTA, WIS. Reference— Augusta Bank, 16Att NEW MAMMOTH PoultryGuidefor 1896 Eineei book ever publieiied, coDtain fc nearly 1(K pages, all printed in colorg plans for best poultry houses, sure remedies and recipes for alldiseases, and howto make poultry and gardening pav. Sent post paid for 15c. JohnBaiischer|Jr,,boi94Freeport, III Mention the Amtrican Ute Javmai. Non-Swarming' Bees — Fair Season. There has been a good deal said lately both for and against the breeding of a strain of non-swarming bees. Well, I won't say whether it would be better to have such or not; but this I do know, that I have not bad a swarm for the last six years ; but the reason for that (at least I think so) is, I use a fairly large hive, lSxl2xl8 inches, in- side measure, and by putting on the super at the proper time I have been successful in keeping down swarming. It I want in- crease, I divide. My bees did fairly well the first part of the past season, but dry weather cut the crop shorf. My average was 50 pounds per colony. But on account of later rains they gathered enough for winter. Jno. McKimmie. Niagara, Ont., Dec. 16, 1895. Poor Season — Xiikes Hybrid Bees. My bees are in the cellar in apparently good condition. The past was a very poor season for bees here. In the fall of 1894 I placed .57 colonies in the cellar, and took 56 out alive last April. They dwindled down to .53 at the commencement of the honey harvest. I had one prime swaragi issue, but still they decreased to 51 colonies for win- ter. My report for 1895 is as follows; From 53 colonies at the commencement of the harvest, I took about 600 pounds of honey, mostly extracted, and had 51 colonies for winter. Friday, Nov. 29, the bees had a good flight, and Saturday, Nov. 30, they were put into the cellar, and appeared to be in good condition. I like the hybrid bees. My best hybrid colony stored 105 pounds of surplus extracted honey this year. Cn.4S. B. Allen. Central Square, N. T., Dec. 3, 1895, 49A13t Breeding Out the Swarming Habit. I have read a good deal about " breeding out the swarming habit." I hardly think it would be any more desirable than swarm- ing out the breeding habit in the human or animal races. Doubtless it would be an ad- vantage to the world could we do this in degenerates of the races, but there is always "the survival of the fittest" to counterbalance a too great increase of scrubs. I think controlling swarming the only remedy, and tlmt with every precaution sometimes fails. By having queens clipped, tends to discourage swarming. Worker foundation (full sheets) in brood-frames reduces drone-production to a minimum, and careful examination of frames, remov- ing queen-cells and dividing the colonies at the commencement of active breeding, will to a great extent prevent swarming. I be- lieve if the queen is given to a nucleus, and a new tested, clipped queen purchased from a reliable queen-rearer given to the old colony, not once in a hundred times will either of them cast a swarm. I omitted to say, put the nucleus on the old stand, with the original number of the hive. I would advise numbering with mov- able tags, by keeping the old number with the queen; and by keeping a regular hive diary you always know the age of the queen, and you can easily tell when it will be best to supersede her. Those who keep bees for honey will find it profitable to buy from regular queen- rearers instead of losing about four weeks in securing a fertile queen, and then possi- bly, however good the original stock, the chances are she may have mated with a mongrel, and the honey season will be past, and no surplus, and a necessity of feeding the colony for winter stores. As to clipping queens— how can it destroy their, or their offspring's, physical power ? I know of a number of families at least on» parent of each having lost an arm or leg by amputation ; the children are as vigorous as those of other parents completely limbed. In one family of my acquaintance, both parents are deaf and dumb; they have two bright little girls who can laugh and talk as well as other children of their age. The parents lost their faculties in their youth — not after becoming mature, as in the case of queens. B. F. Onderdonk, Mountain View, N. J., Nov. 30. An Experience in Selling Honey. The editor's remarks on " Selling Honey on Commission." on page 764, sounds like a "fish story." Several years ago I sent a Chicago firm some honey from Waverly, N. Y. In a few days they wrote me that the honey was in bad condition— f)n4@7c.; amber. 4^@5c.; dark. 4@5c.. difference In price of each erade being- In ac- cord with its quality, floe flavor always beinp: at a premium. Beeswax, *2S@y0c., and selling upon arrival. K. A. B. & Co. CINCINNATI. Ohio. Dec. 20. -Demand for comb and extracted honey is fair only. We quote: Comb honey, 12®l4c. for best white, in the jobbing way. Extracted, ifgiTc. Beeswax is in good demand at 2'i@*27c. for good to choice yellosv. C. F. M. & S. NEW YORK. N.Y.Dec. 18 —The market on comb and extracted honey is a little dull at the present time, and we do not expect to have a very great demand until after the boll- days. Then we may look for a little better sale, but the bulk of trade is done for the sea- son. That is for comb honey: extracted we expect quite a sale of after Feb. 1, 1896. We quote: Fancy clover, 1-lbs., 1.3<^16c,; white clover. ];i{3il4c.; fairwhite. ll@12c.; buck- wheat. 9@9'4c. Extracted clover, 6@6i4c.; bas8wood.Gi4@''C. ; buckwhear. .">c. Beeswax firm and in good demand at 2y@32c. C.I.&B. KANSAS CITr. Mo,, Dec. 21.— The demand for comb and extracted honey is fair. We quote: No. 1 white, 1-lbs., i:^@I4c. ; No. 2, 12@l3c.; No. 1 amber. 12@13c.; No. 2, 8@ 10c. Extracted, while. t)@6i4c. ; amber, 5@ 5i4c.; Southern, 4(3i4i4c. Beeswax, 22@25c. C. C. C. & Co. PHILADELPHIA, Pa.. Dec. 9.— Honey has steadily advanced In this market. Comb honey sells quickly and pure while clover extracted sells on sight. We quote: Fancy comb. It)'.; choice. 14(3il5c.: dark. 10(2,llc. Extracted, 5@6c.; Wf ste n white clover, 10c. Beeswax finds immediate sale on arrival at 30c. W. A. S. NEW rORK. N. Y.. Dec. 9— We have a fair- ly good demand for white comb ho jey at l"2@15c., according to quality and style of package. While the market is well cleaned up of glassed sections and pMSte-board car- tons, uiiglassed is plentiful, having just re- ceived two more big cars irom California. Buckwheat comb is verv dull, with a plenti- ful supply. We quote 9@10c., but to effect sales on quantity lots, we find it necessary to shade quotations. Cons dering the limited outlet and large stocks on the market, we would not encourage shipping of buckwheat honey for the near future, as we could not render returns in reasonable time. The mar- ket on extracted is quiet at unchanged prictS. No demand for buckwheat as .vet. Beeswax is scarce and selling at29@31c., according to quality. II. B. & S. ALBANY, N. Y.. Nov. 9.— Ourhoncy market is in good shape, although prices, like on most all products, are not high; but receipts are lighter than last year, and there is a good, steady demand, with a real scarcity of white honey. We quote: White clover. 15@16c. ; mixed clover, 12@14c.;dark clover. 9011c. Extracted, white. 6l4(§i7c.; mixed, 5^@i>c,; dark, oQo/aC. H. R. W. List of Honey and Beeswax Dealers. Most of whom Quote In this Journal. Chicago. Ills. J. A. Lamon, 43 South Water St. R. A. Burnett & Co.. 163 South Water Street. New York, N. Y. F. I. Sage & Son. 183 Reade Street. HiLDRETH Bros. & Segelken. 120 & 122 West Broadway. Chas. Ibrael & Bros., 486 Canal St. Kansas Ctty, no. O. C. Clehohs & Co., 423 Walnut St. BHttalo, N. Y . Batterson & Co.. 167 & 169 Scott St. Hamilton, Ills. Chab. Dadant & Son. Pliiladelphla, Pa. Wm. a. Selser, 10 Vine St. ClnclnnaU, Ohio. C. F. MUTH & SON, cor. Freeman & Central ave. Questiorj-Box^ In the multitude of counsellors there is safety. — Prov. 11-14. Pcrcolalcd vs. Boiled Syrup for Fi-c( ItlFG. CO. NEW LONDON, WIS. Fine Basswood, White Sage or Alfalfa EXTRACTED HONEY —For Sale.— We have made arrangements whereby we furnish Calii'ornia Wiilte Sage or Altalfa Extracted Honey, in 60-pound tin cans, on board cars in Chicago, at these prices: 1 can. 1' I'iii 'i! ''h in a case, 8V4 cents per pound; 2 cans in one case, 8 cents; 4 cans (2 cases) or more, 7J4 cents. Tlie Basswood Honey is all in kegs holding 170 pounds, net. It is a very superior quality, and the prices are: 1 keg, 8 !4 cents per pound ; 2 kegs or more, 8 cents. Cash MDST accompany each order. BP~ A sample of either kind of honey will be mailed to an intending purchaser, for 10 cents, to cover postage, packing, etc. We guarantee purity, and that what we ship will be equal to sample. Now it seems to us that here is a splendid chance for any bee-keeper to supply his home demand after his own crop is ail sold. Or, why not begin now to create a local honey- trade ? Order one 60-pound can first, and start out among your neighbors and friends, and see what you can do. You ought to get at least 15 cents per pound in S-pound lots, or 50 cents for 3 pounds. Some may be able to do even better than that, though we think that enough ought to be sold at these f)rloes to make a fairly paying business out of t. Give it a good trial. Push It. It may grow into a nice winter's work for you. GEOBGE W. YORK & CO.. - CHICAGO, ILLS. Largest Factory t?e West ^^^^^'^JMi?^''"^ READ THIS— Mr. Keyes says: The 100 j-oiinds of Kxtra-Tuin Foundation you sent us is superior to anything he ever saw; and I think the same. R. L. Tucker, Wewahitohka. Fla. Dear Sirs:— The Sections came duly to hand. Indeed, they are very nice. Yes, sir; they are as good as the best, Charles H. Thies, Steeleville, Illinois. Leahy Mfg. Co.:— I have received the bill of goods. I must say they are the choicest lot of Hive-Stutr I have ever received from any place. I admire the smoothness of your work, and your close selection of lumber. Yours very truly. O. K. Ol.mstead, Orleans, Nebr. Dear Sirs:— The Sections arrived in due time, and are all O. K. so far as examined. They are simply perfection. 1 can't see how you can furnish such goods at such low prices. I hop© you may live long and do well. Yours respectfully, Z. S. Weaver, Courtney, Tex. Gents:— I received the " HigginsvUle Smoker" all O. K. It's a dandy; please find enclosed stamps for another. Yours truly. Otto Enders, Oswegathe, N. Y. Gentlemen:— 1 have bought Supplies from nearly all the large manufacturers by the car- load, and 1 must say yours are as good as the best. Indeed. In many lines they are the best. It is a pleasure to handle them, E. T. Flanaoan, Belleville, Illinois. The above unsolicited testimonials are a fair sample of hundreds we receive. Our prices are reasonable and the " HIgginsville Goods " are the best. I^~ We are now manufacturing for each of the following parties a Carload of Supplies: E. T. Flanagan. Belleville. Illinois ; Charles H. Thies, Steeleville, Illinois ; J, W. Rouse & Co., Mexico, Mo.; Henry Miller, Topeka, Kans.; Fulton & Gregg. Garden City, Kans. If you need a Carload ot Supplies, or only a Bee-Smoker, write to us. Remember, we are here to serve you, and will, if you give us a chance. A Beautiful Catalogue Free. Address, LEAHY MANUFACTURING CO.. HIGGINSVILLE. MO. 49 A Mention the American Bee JoumaL We make a Specialty of these Goods, and defy Competition in QTJA.ILiIT'Sr, "WOK.ICl^^A.N'SHIF and FR,ICE;S. \^~ Write for Free Illustrated Catalogue and Prlce-List. G. B. LEWIS COMPANY, Watertown, Wis. ^^ Be sure to meution the American Bee Journal when you write. _igEl SAVE MONEY 1 ITALIAN QUEENS If vou want flrst-class FOR BVSrSESS, Foundation at Wholesale PricesT Hives, suited for the South, or SUPP1.IES, send for Price-List — to A.XJOXJSTA., J. P. H. BROW.\, MentUm. tiie AineHcoM Bee j^vj^^^wA^ —Concord Grapevines for Fruit. Grain or offers. Will Exchange 50A F. C. Morrow, Wallaceburg, Ark Mention the American Bee Journal Poultry. — Any one wishing to becom& proficient in the handling of poultry, should send 10 cents, in stamps, to Des Moines In- cubator Co., Box 78, Des Moines, Iowa, for their book of Practical Poultry-Keeping. The Patent Wood Veneer FOUNDATION has no sag in full sheets. Extra Tuin Foun- dation 13 square feet to the pound. Working Wax into Foundation— if sent to me— a spe- cialty. Send for prices, samples & Catalogue. Wax wanted. AUG. WEISS. 2A5t HORTONVILLE, WIS Mention the American Bee Journal, ^ ROOT'S COMB FOUNDATION! ^ New Product. New Process. A Big Success We are pleased to announce that, having secured control of the new Weed process of manufacturing foundation for the U. S., we are prepared to furnish Foundation by tlie PJe-w Process, for 1896. Samples will be mailed free on application, and will speak for themselves. OUR SANDED and POLISHED SECTIONS, well, they will speak for themselves, also. Our 1896 Catalog will be ready for distribution now in a few days. Send in your name at once for catalog, samples of the new foundation, and those superb sections, and while you are about it ask for late copy of Gleanings in Bee-Culture. THE A. L ROOT CO., MEDINA, OHIO. 66 5lli Ave., Chicago, III. Syracuse, N. Y. 1024 inissisiiippi St., St. Paul, liinn. ESTABLISHED '"1661 ^m\ 'the OLDEST BEE-PAPER -AMER PtiMisTiecl VTe&lcly, at St^OO per nnniini. Sample Cop3'- sent on -Apj>7ic«f/ojj, 36th Year. CHICAG-O, ILL., JAN. 16, 1896. No. 3. ''ticbf Bees Eating in Winter Quarters. BY D. W. HEISE. What a wholj-hearted bee-keeper Mr. Cotton is. On page 783 (1895), he already asks me to forward that pig-tail ; and not the tail only, but the whole carcass clear up to the ears ! Verily, Mr. Cotton knows a good thing when he sees it ! But he wants me to send the premium before he has complied with the conditions upon which it was offered. He wants me to make the experiment, and determine for myself whether his contention is founded on facts, or merely theory. I am not at all anxious to make the experiment, which he outlines for me, just at present, because I never like to disturb my bees after they have " gone to bed " for their long winter's repose, except In cases of extreme necessity. In the meantime " let us reason together " a little in a friendly way, for I am sure neither of us want to quarrel, much less fight, over this matter. And if we did, it would not be possible for us to injure each other very seriously, knowing that we are about 1,000 miles apart ; and more than that, we are bee-keepers, and supposed to be good-natured. I presume, from the certainty with which Mr. Cotton af- firms that his statements are correct, that he has an experi- ment similar to the one he outlined for me. If so, please let us have all the facts and figures in connection therewith, and perhaps that will satisfy me, and victory may yet perch on his banner. Now here are a few thoughts which will perhaps enable us to get at the facts in the case without much laborious experi- menting : Is it not accepted as an established fact, by all ex- perienced bee-keepers, that bees will consume more food when wintered on the summer stands, than when wintered in the cel- lar? but yet they do consume honey when in the cellar. But, according to Mr. C's theory, they would not, because they do not, and cannot, fly out from the time they are put into it in the fall, until they are taken out in the spring. Again, what is it, I ask, that causes the difference in honey consumption, with wintering in the cellar or out-doors — is it only from the fact that the temperature is more uniform, and therefore they keep more quiet? or is it not also reasonable to suppose that they have to comsume more food when in a low temperature in order to keep up animal heat? Now if the latter supposition figures in the difference — and I truly believe it does — how would they keep up animal heat without any nourishment for three or four months of confinement in a low temperature ? It is too generally supposed by bee-keepers in this coun- try— I do not know whether upon good authority or not — that bees must have access to food every four or five days in cold weather in order to sustain life ; and I have had several in- stances to come under my notice during my short bee-keeping experience, which, if it does not thoroughly prove the matter, it certainly goes a long way towards showing that my supposi- tion is well founded. For instance, during the month of Feb- ruary, 1895, on a fine day when some bees were flying from all the hives except one, wanting to know what was wrong, I listened at the entrance after tapping upon the hive. No response ; all was still as death : and upon lifting the cap, such was really the case. Now, I would ask Mr. Cotton, what was the cause of this colony's death? He may say disease; but I say no, for there were no perceivable signs of disease — the combs were clean and dry ; no spotting of hive, etc.; but they were dead. He may say they froze. I cannot swallow that, either, for I am not the only one who will tell you that a healthy colony of bees will withstand almost any degree of Mr. Adrimi Oetaz, KnnxvUle, Tenn. — See paye 41. cold, providing they keep dry and have free access to good honey. Then why did they die? Why, bless your heart, they starved to death ! You say, bad management. I say, not so, for they had plenty of good sealed honey right in the hive, and yet they starved, for the very reason that the honey was on the one side of the hive and the cluster on the other. The honey had all been consumed around and about the cluster, and I have no doubt, had the weather been warm enough for the bees to break cluster, and move toward the honey, that colony would have survived along with the others. But according to Mr. Cotton's theory they filled themselves after returning from a 34 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 16, fight, and never ate another drop, but just " done gone and died." Now, is it reasonable to suppose that when they returned they filled themselves, and then clustered in that part of the hive where there was no honey, and there died ? Perhaps bees in Missouri are so stupid, but I think mine at Bethesda are not quite so foolish — at least I hope not. Another point : I have known bees to carry down pound after pound of section honey in the dead uf winter, when they were short of stores ; aud if my memory is not at fault, I say they did not fly out while thus engaged. I would ask Mr. Cotton, candidly, did they carry that honey down and consume it ? or did they merely store it, awaiting an opportunity for a flight to make a meal of it '? I hold to the former idea. If it were not for drawing out this article, which is al- ready too long, I could point to several other circumstances along this line, in support of my contention, but I will save my ammunition for future friendly battle. I said in my former article, that I was satisl3ed Mr. Cotton's idea would not hold good at Bethesda ; his last article has not led me to change my mind in any way ; but I might modify it a little by saying 1 do not think it well. Mr. C. asks me what the bees do with so much food as I speak of. I don't know. I never was inside the hi ;e to watch, but I suppose they eat and consume it, and certainly absorb a large portion of it, because it was in the hive in the fall, and was not there in the spring. What else could they do with it, unless they carry it out of the hive to be wasted, which is not their nature ? Now if I am wrong in any of my statements, I wish to be set aright, for you know Rochefaucald said that no person is more frequently wrong than he who will not admit he is wrong. Bethesda, Ont. Some Subjects Reviewed and Commented Upon BY DR. C. C. MILLER. BeeKeepeks' Associations. —Referring to page 809 (189o) Hon. Geo. E. Hilton writes : " If a bee-keepers' organi- zation could be efl:ected in every township within 200 miles of me, it would pay me to employ Uco assistants to assist in the organization." Which leaves me quivering with curiosity for further explanation. How would it pay him '? Lecturing, selling supplies, or what? Dadant with His Big Hives.— Chas. Dadant certainly makes a strong showing in favor of plenty of room in the brood-chamber, and I'm looking with interest for some reply from the advocates of small hives. I'd like to see the two D's lock horns — he of Borodino and the Frenchman. What about a big lot of bees reared too late to work on the harvest ? Even if it be admitted that the 8-frame hive is too small, why, Mr. Dadant, can't we use two of them for each colony ? The New Adornments. — No. 1 of the "Old Reliable" for 1896 looks quite dainty with its new head-dress, neck- ribbon and bracelets. If I should desire any change, it would be to have the name in very plain type on the first page with no ornamentation whatever. But that might be too severely plain for the general taste, and the general taste should be consulted. There's a wee bit of conflict between the title page and the headings of the other pages, there being no "The" in the title on the first page. I think I like the new name better, though come to look it up there's nothing new about it. At any rate, the shorter name is better. The Pun of Bee-Keeping. — I want to thank P. L. Thompson for some of the things he has said, and said well, in his article, " Specialty vs. Mixed Bee-Keeping," on page 1. I'm not entirely certain that I know exactly what "specialty" means when applied to bee-keeping, but I am certain that a man may be happier in a pursuit that accords with his tastes, and that keeps him constantly on the alert with inviting prob- lems, than if he had no other thought than making money. And I'm not in sympathy with the sentiment that the love or enjoyment of a pursuit goes out of it as money comes in. Bee-Master will never live to see a class of bee-keepers who keep bees for the love of it, if no such class now exists. If it were not for the love of it I should have been out of it long ago, for I could, and did, make more money in other ways. I'm not so sure about that paragraph that begins, "Spe- cialty means broad-mindedness." No doubt, as the writer had it In mind, it's all right, but I have known those who stuck so exclusively to a specialty that they were narrowed by it. But the next paragraph, beginning "Specialty means happiness," I'll swallow whole without blinking. Do Pield-Bees Play?— On page 824 (189t>) Wm. S. Barclay endorses, as well he may, the idea that long life in a strain of bees is a thing to be desired, but when he broaches such a revolutionary idea as that there may be such a thing as field-bees fooling away part of their time in play, one is led to say, " Why, bees are models of industry, and never play after they commence work in the fields." Did ever any one during harvest time detect in the act of playing in front of the hive a worker with ragged wings? There ought to be something more than circumstantial evidence to make one ac- cept such a revolutionary idea. And yet it has always been admitted that there was a difference in the industry of differ- ent colonies? Now if one colony maybe more industrious than another, it follows that one colony may be less indus- trious than another, which is only another way of saying that one colony may be more idle than another ; from which it is not such a very long step to saying that a colony may be so idle in character that some of its field-bees will play instead of work. It will do no harm, at least, to inquire whether such a thing may be, or not. California Through Prof. Cook's Glasses. — For years I've read the glowing accounts of matters and things in Cali- fornia— its climate, flowers, fruits and bees— and have re- mained proof against all its blandishments, but after reading Prof. Cook's article on page 2, with the thermometer within nine degrees of zero here, oranges 40 cents a dozen, and no strawberries for months, to say nothing of 150 pounds per colony, and the good society and all, I could hardly help think- ing maybe it might be a good thing for a young fellow like me to take a fresh start in a new spot, especially after ray wife saying, " Let's sell out and go." Say, Professor, hold on. "No more o' that, an' thou lovest me." It won't do for every one to pack up for California ; some one must stay to help gather the nectar in latitude 42^ north. Black Bees. — "Get some black bees," says S. M. Robert- son, on page 13, in view, I suppose, of the fact that I've had t»vo years of failure and he's had two of the best seasons he ever saw. I'd like to accommodate you, Mr. Robertson, but please give me some reason for getting the black imps. With the bees I have, I've done twice as well in a good season as you have in your best season. And I live in a poor honey dis- trict. I've had blacks a plenty, and they don't do as well as Italians. Opening Hives. — Queer that so many replies on page 15 seemed to resent the question there given as an implied charge that they opened hives too much. No less than eight of them refuse to answer the question, and poutingly say they don't do it at all unless they ought. Why, who said you did ? Marengo, 111. Advantages of Divisible Brood-Chamber Hives BY REV. WM. ANDERSON. Apropos to the discussion in the American Bee Journal on the question of the best hive for general use, I may be per- mitted to give my experience, covering a period of 12 years, during which I have experimented with nearly all the hives which have gained a reasonable degree of popularity. I began bee-keeping when a mere boy, in my native coun- try— Scotland — by transferring bumble-bees' nests into old kettles, pans and boxes, and had them as neatly arranged in our flower-garden as the best-kept modern apiary. Later, I became the happy owner of a straw skep, and still later, together with my brother, purchased several American Lang- stroth hives. On coming to this country, 13 years ago, I began keeping bees in several different kinds of hives, all modifications of the Langstroth, including the Simplicity, the Baker, and the old Heddon, etc. When the New Heddon hive was placed on the market, I purchased a sample and tested its merits for two years by the side of the others. One after another my loose frame hives were broken into kindling-wood, and replaced by the New Heddon. I now have all my bees in the latter hive, number- ing 30 colonies, and I will give my reasons for preferring the New Heddon to all others I have tested. I need scarcely say that I have no ax to grind in the mat- ter, and that I owe Mr. Heddon no other debt than that grati- 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 35 tude and public acknowledgment to which every inventor of a labor-saving device is entitled. The merits of the " New Heddon " are of a kind that do not show up on the surface, and hence for the novice in bee- keeping, who owns but a colony or two, and expects to treat these as a boy does his first watch, I would suggest the loose, pendant frame and Langstroth hive. When one has advanced so far in the knowledge of bees as to diagnose the contents of a hive from the alighting-board without lifting a cover, he will then be in a position to appre- ciate fully the merits of the Heddon. 1st. This hive solves the vexing problem of a large or small brood-nest, by permitting the apiarist at will, and with the very smallest modicum of effort, to increase or diminish it, a(J lihUuin. 2nd. The reversibility of its frames, and the interchange- ability of its divisions are of untold value in securing compact, solid combs, which will never break with ordinary usage, and in making the task of manipulating, whether in swarming or extracting time, a pleasure rather than a toil. 3rd. The shake-out principle I have found feasible with black or German strains of bees, and when the brood-nest was not filled with honey — which it should not be permitted to be until the close of the honey season. 4th. For securing both comb and extracted honey, the surplus arrangements of the Heddon I have found most ser- viceable in affording a No. 1 filled section ; and with the help The New Heddon Divisible-Brood-Chamber Hive. of the Porter bee-escape, in making the removal and trans- ference from apiary to extractiug-room easy and safe. The handling of combs does not take place until all bees have re- moved from the super, and the latter in the extraoting-room. 5th. As a hive for the migratory bee-keeper, or for the large owner with out-apiaries, the Heddon is par excellence. As a minister, I have had occasion to change my place of resi- dence, on an average, once in five or six years. I put 28 col- onies into a freight car with my household goods in the month of August, 1894, and transferred them a distance of 400 miles with but the loss of a single colony, and without any accident to either ray father or our family horse, both having had their quarters in the car by the side of the bees. With the light, and tight-fitting, appliances of the Heddon hive, the work was simple, which otherwise would have been impossible. 6th. As a hive for wintering, the advantage of the Hed- don is in permitting the apiarist to adopt the size of the re- pository to the strength of the colony with the least labor, by using the single or double case. I have found that bees win- ter in the cellar equally well in the double and single cases. 7th. This hive affords the speediest and safest means of natural and artificial swarming, and when once the system of manipulation is mastered, the apiarist has his bees very largely under his control. An objection to the hive has been placed in the difficulty experienced by some in finding the queen-bee. I think Mr. R. L. Taylor, of Lapeer, Mich., was the first to publish an easy method of securing her majesty in the hive, viz.: By placing an empty case on top of the brood-nest over a queen-excluding honey-board, administering a few puffs of smoke at the en- trance, meanwhile rapping on the sides and back of the hive for one minute ; then suddenly removing the honey-board, the queen will almost invariably be found on the under side of the honey-board, attempting to force her passage, and demoralized with the rest of the colony, may always be readily captured. Another objection has been the difficulty of keeping the thumb-screws from expanding, and even the frames, in a damp cellar or in wet weather, so as to become unmanageable with- out the aid of a wrench and a pry-chisel. Propolis, too, will cause trouble in the brood-chamber iu the fall, so as to pre- vent easy manipulation. At first this seemed to me a some- what serious objection, but latterly, as I became expert in the use of the above aids, the objection ceased. Again, it has been objected that the queen will not pass readily from one section of the brood-chamber to the other, and hence the work of brood-rearing is retarded. With me the facts do not sustain this objection to any appreciable ex- tent. 1 think it must be relegated to the domain of mere theory. I have noticed that when a queen wishes to lay eggs she will find empty cells anywhere above or below, as soon as the bees have formed passageways, which they invariably do the first thing after manipulating the hive during breeding- time. A queen will traverse the entire depth of the brood chamber and deposit eggs in empty cells several times in 24 hours, if there is occasion, and if she is a queen worth her salt. Bureau Co., 111. That Building for Wiatering Bees. BY L. M. WILLIS. On page 823 are some questions from Dr. Miller, asked about my article on wintering bees in a building not frost- proof. In reply thereto I may say that I believe that the stuffed wall insures dryness, which, to me, is one of the most essential parts of wintering. The building I use is 10 by 24 feet, outside measure, but I have used only one end of it for my bees, making the room where the bees are, 10 by 12 feet, less the packing of 12 inches all around, or 8 by 10 feet inside. I have 44 colonies in this room now. I have kept from 3 to 28 in it. I have used this room three winters, this making the fourth. The only loss I have had was one colony that for some reason left the hive before it was time to take them out, and they were lost in the room among the other hives. This col- ony had about 30 pounds of honey in the hive they left, and the hive and combs were perfectly clean and dry. I think that they became uneasy toward spring. I put my bees into this room on Dec. 2, 1895 ; in 1894 I put them into winter quarters on Nov. 27. I leave them out until it becomes cold enough to show a little frost on the un- derside of the honey-board. I think this is a better guide than Nov. 15, because my bees had a nice flight after that date the past fall. I have tried to winter bees iu the cellar under the house, and had dead bees in the spring because the combs became moldy. I have not had any spring dwindling since using the room described for wintering. I always put some rye flour out when I put the bees on the summer stands. For the flour I use a piece of board 12 inches square, with one-inch strips nailed on the upper side, around three sides. On these strips I place a small pane of glass, after putting a teacupful of rye flour on the board. The bees will take this flour into their hives pretty quick after they get a taste of it ; and it helps to start breeding early. Loyal, Wis. Bee-Hives for the General Farmer. BY B. H. GABU8. On page 747 (1895) there appeared an article entitled, " Bee-Hives for Farmers — Needs Verification," wherein the writer cannot call to mind any article of Father Langstroth advising the mass of farmers not to use the movable-frame hive he had invented. In the article referred to, published in the Farmers' Friend, in 1888, Father Langstroth says : " I believe farmers would have better success with their bees if they used only the old straw or box hives. A simple tool in the hands of one who knows how to use it, will turn out much better work than an improved implement whose proper use has never been learned." He says also in the same article : " I believe that if the mass of our farmers could be persuadedto resume bee-keeping with the old-fashioned straw-hive, there would not only be a large increase in the number of bees, but also in a short time a larger increase in the number of movable-frame hives than can be brought about in any other way. How many farmers would be asked by their smart boys and girls who naturally 36 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 16, take to bees, 'Father, why can't we get some movable-frame hives, and do as well with them as neighbor A. does ?'" He says also : " To the class of bee-keepers I had refer- ence to, the very first attempt to improve the old box or gum hive, by giving bees access to the supers, was a step backward, for in taking away the surplus honey, so-called, stored in these supers, often the honey absolutely needed to carry the bees through until the next harvest was taken away from them, and the colony unless fed perished." In Gleanings for June 15, 1892, page 476, Langstroth is reported as saying : "That he questioned whether many farmers were advanced enough to have movable-frame hives, because with such hives they would not handle the frames if they could. In Gleanings for July 1, 1893, Doolittle advises farmers to use the box-hive, and finishes his article in this manner: " Any farmer can do as much as I have here outlined, and I have sometimes seriously questioned whether this will not give any of us as good results as the more frequent manipulation of each hive, which has been insisted upon in the past." In Gleanings for July 15, 1891. Mr. C. J. H. Graven- horst, of Germany, saya : "In the course of several years I also got more houey and wax in the old-fashioned way, with my old Lunebergien straw skeps than with my accurately con- structed and skillfully handled Dzierzon and Berlepsch hives ; and last, but not least, with undoubtedly less cost, labor and time." He says again : " Of course, my experience would have prompted me to abandon the frame hive totally had I been blind enough to misunderstand the great advantages of the latter." Again, he says : " Experience soon convinced me that the principal point was that I could handle my old skeps instead of individual frames, and get a thousand pounds of honey with less labor." In Gleanings for April 15, 1891, P. H. Elwood says: "Quinby observed that bees did not winter well in the frame hive; and Dzierzon also observed that the open frame in- fringed upon the welfare of the bees." Mr. Abbott, late editor of the British Bee Journal, says that it is unnatural to have the open spaces at the end of the frames. The Langstroth hive has revolutionized bee-keeping, and we have made discoveries into the wonders of bee-life that could not have been made with the old-fashioned hive. Bee-keeping has been specialized, for only a few individuals are fit to become expert bee-keepers ; at the same time, farmers, as a class, have discontinued to keep bees, because it did not pay them as well with the improved hives as it did when the gum or box hive only was in use. This is not as it should be. Bees ought to be on nearly every farm, and not aggregated in large quantities as is the case now, where it is not uncommon to find individuals owning hundreds of colonies in one or two apiaries. We are now ready for another advance in bee-keeping, and one that will again place bees on every farm, and permit nearly any one to handle bees with success, and give the farmer a Ijee-hive that can be handled as the old straw-hive used to be. It will be a compromise between the old and the new ; it will be handled as easily as the straw-hive, and at the same time retain all the advantages of the movable-frame hive, and permit interior examinations: a hivo that will be cheap, as we cannot get the old prices for honey, and honey ought to be cheaper than it is, so as to be within the reach of all, poor as well as the rich. If you care to know more about the hive of the future, I shall tell you what it is In my next. Brock, Nebr. [Mr. Gabus, if you know of a better bee-hive for the future than we now have, of course we want you to tell us about it in your next. There are a few individuals who are afraid there will be an over-production of honey, but we are not among them. It will always be under-consumption, and if the almost doubling of the crop of extracted honey by the miserable glucose and syrup adulteration could be effectually stopped, there wouldn't begin to be enough genuine honey produced now to supply the demand. Certainly, farmers ought to produce honey — just as they do apples, potatoes, and other produce — for the city peojjle as well as for their own use. The trouble is not in over-production, it's under-consump- tion and the abominable adulteration. — Editors.] US'" " stop my paper ; times are too hard," says a reader. Certainly — and if you are going to burn the bridge on which you cross, you will find times much harder. Saving less than 10 cents a month is rather extravagant economy, if you be- lieve a paper is worth anything at all. Interesting Experiments in Heating Houey. BY HON. R. L. TAYLOR, SupmHteHchid of the Michigan State Eirperlment Apiai-y. Perhaps no fact is better known to the skilled bee-keepers than that honey is readily injured both in flavor and color by over-heating it, and yet for want of exact knowledge of the point at which heat begins to be detrimental, there is no ques- tion that qualities of honey are greatly reduced in value even by those who are well acquainted with the general truth of the fact referred to ; of course, with those who keep but few bees, and are content to neglect the latest and best sources of information, and to accept the word of the bee-hunter and the voice of tradition as all-sufficient to direct in the management of the bees and their product, thedanger is greatly augmented. What is the highest degree of temperature to which honey may be subjected without receiving damage ? It is not neces- sary to explain to bee-keepers how important this question is. Before the invention of the extractor, heat was an effective assistant in the operation of separating the houey from the wax, and in case of honey candied in the comb it was an in- dispensable assistant ; and to those whose limited apiary and slender resources do not warrant the purchase of all the con- venient appliances, the age of the extractor has not yet come. But the comiug of the extractor has, in fact, rendered the question still more important, for it has to a degree revolu- tionized the business of bee-keeping by the ability it gives the apiarist to readily remove the honey from combs without at all injuring them for the use of the bees, so that they may be used over and over again for years ; and the means thus secured of supplying the bees with ready-made receptacles for their honey, has rendered the extractor vastly popular; but with it has come the magnified inconvenience of handling large quantities of candied or granulated honey, which often can be done to advantage after securing its liquefaction by the use of heat. I know of no thoroughly satisfactory way of accomplish- ing the process of liquefaction. Either the process is a long and nice one on account of the skill and care required to keep the temperature below the danger point, as when the honey is to be liquified in crocks, jars or other vessels in which it has already been stored ; or else it must be placed in the melting- vessel after cutting it out of the one in which it has been stored — a slow and trying labor, if it has been allowed to be- come thoroughly solidified, in which case the use of a spade, or even of an ax, is necessary, in order to make any satisfac- tory impression upon it, and even then the same skill and care are required unless the melting-vessel is so constructed that the honey may run off as fast as it becomes liquified. I have invented a vessel to accomplish this, which is made as follows : The outer vessel (for it is double) is an upright cylinder, as large as desired, and as the stove to be used will accommo- date; made of tin, galvanized iron or copper ; the inner one would better be of tin, two or three inches less in height, and four to six inches less in diameter, than the outer one. The in- ner one is to be fastened on metal supports about an inch above the bottom of the other, and so that the space between the two is equal on all sides. Both vessels are to be perfor- ated for a spout to run from the bottom of the inner one out through the outer one, at a convenient distance to allow the passage of the honey, as it melts, to a receptacle to be pro- vided for it atone side of the stove. The spout is, of course, to be soldered in place. It should be at least an inch in diameter, and provided with a guard over and at some little distance from the inner end, of very strong and somewhat open wire-cloth, or other equivalent, to prevent the passage of too much unliquified honey. The honey, as it emerges, must pass into a strainer of cheese-cloth or other material, to intercept grains of unmelted honey, which are to be returned to the melting-can. The outer and the inner can should each have a cover of its own. In operation, the space between the two is filled with water, through which the heat is conveyed to the granulated houey in the inner one. The spout should also be provided with a faucet or other convenient cut-off at the outer end. The most obvious way of effecting the liquefaction of honey is to put it into an earthen or other fire-proof vessel directly upon the stove. This course would make the honey liquid as quickly as any, but the effect upon the honey would bs disastrous. As candied honey is a poor conductor of heat, that lying at the bottom of the vessel would become boiling- hot, or even scorched, before that two inches higher up in the vessel had become warm, if the fire were brisk, and the whole in a short time would be entirely ruined. The next method that would be likely to occur to one, would be to raise the vessel some little distance from the stove by means of brick. This would render the process much 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 37 slower, and in a corresponding degree safer, but would still be almost sure to do the honey more or less injury, and would prove to be, on the whole, quite unsatisfactory. The next plan, and in the absence of any utensil made specially for the purpose, the best of all is placing the vessel, containing the honey, in a bath of water, which is to serve as a medium for conveying the heat of the fire to the honey. In this place the heat is equalized and mollified, so to speak, and is under much better control, and yet, as will be seen later, all danger is not thereby eliminated. An improvement on this method could be made by so constructing the vessel which is to contain the honey, that it may be from time to time con- veniently lifted out, and such portion of the honey as is suffi- ciently melted poured or drawn off. The results of an experiment which I recently made is the best answer I can give to the question of what degree of tem- perature honey will endure without injury. For the making of the experiment I used a tin can about 20 inches in diam- eter. This, containing a few inches of water, was put on the stove, and an ordinary crock to contain the honey was set into the water, but raised about an inch from the bottom of the can by placing a few pieces of coal under it. The only honey at hand that would answer the purpose was some partially- filled sections of the crop of 1894. It was white and clean, gathered from basswood and clover, say two-thirds from the former to one-third from the latter, and was about half gran- ulated. The combs were broken out of the sections and put into the crock till it was nearly fliled. Fire was then put un- der, and the temperature of the honey gradually raised till it was at 145-' Fahr., when a considerable portion of the honey had dissolved and separated from the comb, and the wax had begun to melt slightly. At this stage the liquiSed honey was drained off, and a sample of it secured. The heating process then continued to be applied gradually to the remainder till its temperature reached 165^ Fahr., when both honey and wax were melted, and a sample of the honey was again taken after the removal of the wax. The temperature continued to be raised and the samples of the honey were taken at the temperatures of 185^ Fahr., and 200'^ Fahr. I then essayed to raise the temperature still higher, but after a pretty stren- uous effort I failed to get it more than two degrees higher. The honey was then removed and another sample taken. Thus five samples of the honey were secured at intervals of time amounting to one hour, or a little more. each. The color and flavor of these samples are the means we have of determining the various effects of the different temperatures. In the first sample I could detect nothing either in color or flavor indicating the application of heat. Between this sample and the next one taken at 165^, the difference is slight. I could distinguish between them correctly by the taste, blindfolded, and by sight by holding them up side by side to the light. One person, used to the taste of honey, could distinguish them neither by sight nor taste. Another one thought the second one the better fla- vored. Practically, it would be safe to say, I think, that they would be classed as of the same quality. After going above IGS-", the houey rapidly deteriorates both in color and flavor. The difference between the second and tliird is twice as great as between the first and second ; that between the third and fourth twice as great as that be- tween the second and third ; and that between the fourth and fifth shows even a more rapid rate of deterioration, though the temperature was raised but a trifle, showing that simply the continuance of an unwonted temperature causes injury. It is quite likely that the continuance of a temperature so low as 145-' would prove injurious. The rate of deterioration in color corresponds well with that in flavor. The third sample would still be classed as white honey, while the fourth is quite light amber, and the last just a good amber. In the absence of evidence that honeys from different sources can safely endure different degrees of temperature, we may assume that honey should not be subjected to a tempera- ture above 165°, and at a temperature so high as that for only the shortest possible time. — Review. Lapeer, Mich., Dec. 19, 1895. Back Numbers. — We have on hand a few back numbers of the Bee Journal for 1895, which we will mail to any one wishing them at 15 copies for 20 cents. They will all be different dates, but we have no complete sets for the year. Just send us 20 cents in stamps or silver, and we'll send you 15 copies. No doubt there are many new subscribers who ■will be glad to take advantage of this offer. All new sub- scriptions now begin with Jan. 1, 189H. ^"WmW CONDUCTED BY X>R. C. C. AILLLER, MARENGO. ILL. [Questions may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct. 1 Amount of Honey Certain Plants Yield — Keg§ for Honey. 1. Please give some estimate of the amount of honey each of the following plants will secrete per acre in a fair season ; also how much per colony would be a fair yield under favor- able conditions: Red raspberry, black raspberry, white clover, Alsike clover, basswood, and buckwheat. 2. Are whisky, wine and brandy kegs suitable to use for honey ? E. M. H. Kilbourn, Wis. Answers. — 1. I don't know. Neither do I know where the woman lives that can direct you to the man that does know. The only thing I've ever had bordering on anything like a well-defined opinion in the case is with regard to buck- wheat. I've always held that an acre of buckwheat would yield 25 pounds of honey in a day, just because M. Quinby said so, but I have serious doubts whether it was anything more than a guess with him. The fact is, that there's an un- explored field right here, and a chance for some one to dis- tinguish himself by giving answers to your questions with proofs attached thereto. If a man should say an acre of rasp- berries yielded less than 50 pounds in a season, and another should say it yielded more than 5,000 pounds, it might be a hard matter to convict either one of perjury. I suppose something might be learned in some cases where a given acreage of a certain plant was in reach, and nothing else in bloom at the time ; and if any of the readers of the "Old Reliable" have any definite data to form an opinion upon, whether about the plants here mentioned, or any other, let them not be backward about coming forward to inform us. 2. I don't remember seeing them recommended, and I think I have seen them condemned. Building Comb ^Vlien §warm iSettling on Fed on Sugar Syrup an Evergreen Tree. These questions have been asked in the American Bee Journal : Can, or will, bees build comb when fed on syrup ? Will a swarm settle on an evergreen tree ? I had a swarm to issue July 29, 1895, which has answered the above questions conclusively. The swarm set- tled first on an apple tree ; I put them into a hive, where they remained half an hour, when they came out, and after circling about the yard, settled the second time on an arbor vine. I noticed that the bees were excited and confused. After some investigation I discovered that there were a number of young queens in the cluster, which I concluded were the homeless ones flying about the apiary at the time. I caged one of the queens, and then tried to hive them, but in a short time they were again on the wing. They finally settled the third time on a balsam fir ; the limb on which they had clustered bent almost to the ground, which enabled me to cage three more queens, after which the bees went quietly into the hive. The following two days were too cool and stormy for the bees to fly out, from which they suffered no loss, as everything in the line of bee-pasturage was dried up by the long-contin- ued drought. Not wishing to lose the bees by starvation, I put on a super, into which I placed a large steak-dish with some little floats in it. I poured, every morning, about a quart or more of syrup into this dish, which had been made of an inferior grade of brown sugar and water, about equal parts. On the fourth or fifth day I looked into the hive to see what the bees were were doing with all the syrup. I found five frames drawn out and partly fliled, and capped very white; but, to ray surprise, I found no queen or eggs. About six days later I again examined the hive and found all the 38 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 16, frames drawn out, but no signs of a queen. About this time I had received some queens, and put one of them into this hive. Some time in September I again examined them, and found a thriving colony of yellow bees, the whole weighing 67}^ pounds — about 35 pounds of brood, bees, and honey. To-day — Nov. 16, 1895 — it appears to be a strong, healthy colony, in excellent condition. If the same can be said of this colony next spring, the fact may be worth reporting. B. J. C. Notre Dame, Ind. Answer. — Bees clustering on an evergreen is nothing un- usual, but it isn't so certain that bees can make wax from sugar syrup alone. The fact that comb was built in an empty hive by a swarm at a time when bees were apparently gather- ing nothing is hardly conclusive, for bees are not likely to swarm unless there is at least a little something to be had from the fields in the way of pollen and honey. Experiments have been made that show that sugar syrup can take the place of honey, more wax really coming from a pound of sugar than from a pound of honey, brown sugar excelling white, but pollen is also needed — at least Cheshire says that it is terribly exhausting for bees to be obliged to secrete wax without pollen. ■*-'~^ Dried Cattle-Duns as Smoker Fuel. I have tried linen rags, shavings, rotten wood, rotten sacking, and all sorts of things, but I find nothing nearly comes up to dried cattle-dung. It smoulders slowly and surely, one charge lasting three or four times as long as any of the first-named, while the odor is most powerful and effective. Try it ; you'll like it. S. D. Answer. — Although very old, this sort of smoker-fuel may be new to many, and has tlje advantage that it may be more easily obtainable in some places than other material. A " Crooked Commisslon-IVIan " Experience. What do you think of a commission man that will send out his flaming circulars to bee-keepers, stating that he is in a position to get the very top figure for honey, will sell for 5 per cent, commission, has a call for more than he can get. quotes you prices of 16 and 17 cents for white honey, and after three months reports to you sold at 8 cents, then charges drayage at the rate of .S2.70 per load for delivering the same, and 10 per cent, commission ou top of that, and tells you that your snow-white basswood and clover honey was dark ? If I had the power, I would prevent such men from ever receiving another pound of honey. E. A. M. Chippewa Falls, Wis. Answer. — I don't know for certain just what I'd think, for 1 never was in exactly that position, but I'll tell you what I think I'd think, and that is, that a man who would do the things you mention would not be a safe man to sit up with a corpse if the eyes of the departed were held shut with copper cents. And I am not in sympathy with the idea that we must keep so terribly silent about any one who is crooked in his business transactions. I wish some one would tell us whether any commission house in Chicago regularly charges 10 per cent, commission. I have an impression that it's something entirely new, if it is done. But please don't come down so hard on the whole frater- nity of commission men. While there may be scoundrels among them, there are also those for whom I have high respect as honest men. If you should hear of me abusing my wife, that wouldn't justify you in saying all bee-keepers were brutes. m w Comb Honey or Extracted — Which '. Would you advise a beginner in bee-keeping to produce comb houey, or extracted? H. F. M. McFall, Mo. Answer. — That question can't be answered by a single word without knowing about circumstances and surroundings. If the question means which will be easier for a beginner to manage, an apiary run for comb or extracted honey, I should say extracted. And on the face of it I should take your ques- tion to mean that. If one with little or no experience works for comb honey, there are a good many things about the busi- ness in which he could make mistakes that could not well be made with extracted honey. For example, we could so man- age as to have at the close of the season a lot of unfinished and unmarketable sections, with none in good shape for mar- ket. Simply as a result of tiering up too much. If the same thing were done with extracted honey the same loss would not occur, for even if the honey were scattered through a lot of combs instead of haviug a smaller number of combs well packed, the honey could still be extracted all right. If the sections were not taken off early enough they would become darkened, and on that account less valuable ; but the same thing would only make extracted honey better. But the question may have a wider scope. Suppose it comes in this shape : I am about to commence producing honey to make all I can out of it in the next five or ten years; do you advise comb or extracted ? The proper answer would be. That depends. If extracted houey will bring in your market just as much per pound as comb, then by all means work for extracted. In some places the honey is so dark that it will bring only a low price as comb honey, and you may make more money by running for extracted. It may be that your home market is so poor that you want to ship, and ship- ping facilities may be such that you cannot safely ship comb. These and other considerations must be taken into account. On the other hand, your honey may be all light, and it may be that you can get two or three times as much for comb as ex- tracted, throwing the balance in favor of comb. Your own skill and experience in the matter may have something to do with it. A may exceed B in working on the same ground for extracted honey, while B may be ahead on comb. Possibly it may be so difficult to properly determine the matter that the best way will be to commence working for both. ^ I ^ Increase b}' Dividing^ or by Natural Swarming. I wish to increase my colonies in the spring. Would you advise natural swarming, or would I better divide ? If you advise dividing please tell me just how to do it. My bees are hybrids, and good enough for me. I use the 8-frame hive. South Avon. N. Y. M. D. Answer. — It's hard to tell what would be best without knowing how far you have gone in your education as a bee- keeper. Some of those who are thoroughly versed in matters apicultural prefer natural swarming, while others prefer to take the matter in their own hands. Something depends upon circumstances, as whether a man expects to be on hand to see swarms when they issue. But, from part of your question, I suppose you are some- thing of a novice, and very likely your safer plan will be to let the bees swarm naturally. But as you intend to increase, the probability is that you intend to go into the business more fully, and it would be a fine thing for you to inform yourself during the winter by getting a good text-book and reading up. Then you will better judge for yourself as to what is best for you ; and after becoming familiar with what is given in the books about dividing, it will be a safe thing for you to under- take it if you think that the best way in your case. But for one with little knowledge of the general principles of bee- keeping, to make artificial colonies would not be the safest thing, as it is an easy matter to do some little thing wrong and thus spoil the whole job. A Nc'w Binder for holding a year's numbers of the American Bee Journal, we propose to mail, postpaid, to every subscriber who sends us 20 cents. It is called "The Wood Binder," is patented, and is an entirely new and very simple arrangement. Full printed directions accompany each Binder. Every reader should get it, and preserve the copies of the Bee Journal as fast as they are received. Why not begin with Jan. 1 to save them ? They are invaluable for reference, and at the low price of the Binder you can afford to get it yearly. _ If any one desires two of the Binders — one for 189.5 and one for 1896 — send 30 cents, and they will be mailed to you. — ^ -*-•-*• Honey as Food and Medicine. — A new and revised edition of this 32-page pamphlet is now issued. It has 5 blank pages on which to write or paste recipes taken from other sources. It is just what its name indicates, and should be liberally dis- tributed among the people everywhere to create a demand for honey. It contains a number of recipes on the use of honey as food and as medicine, besides much other interesting and valuable information. Prices, postpaid, are : Single copy, 5 cts. ; 10 copies 35 cts. ; 50 for $1.25 ; 100 for $2.00. Better give them a trial. Send all orders to the Bee Journal oflSce. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 39 MiM^^: TllE||[Ei>A«l& Bridal Trips of Virgin Ciueens. Virgin queens will not take their bridal excursion so long as unsealed brood is present, says Gravenhorst — he has known of only a single exception. I have known of thousands of exceptions. My queen-rearing nuclei are never without un- sealed brood, yet the queens mate all right. Of course, in natural swarming there is no unsealed brood in the hive at the time the young queen mates, but I doubt if its presence would have any effect in deterring her. — Review Editorial. Control of Swarming:. To control swarming we must remove one of the prime factors. Brood is the only factor we can remove and not defeat our object — honey. The removal of brood instead of decreasing the honey-yield rather increases it. We may re- move the brood by direct confiscation, or we can do it more gradually by the removal of the queen. The first method would be better where the flow is very short and profuse, the second better where the flow lasts 40 to 60 or more days. The cause of swarming is instinct ; its control, broodlessness. Other methods at times seem effective, but the only method of controlling swarming that is at all times a success, is brood- lessness.— R. C. AiKiN, in Review. Superseding Queens. A queen should be allowed to remain as mother of a col- ony as long as she retains her fecundity; for prolilicness, not age, should be the test in this matter. I never supersede a nice queen, no matter how old, until she shows signs of fail- ing powers. We want queens for the eggs they lay ; and for that reason, power of production, and not age, is the rule to follow. I would not keep even a young queen, if she did not lay up to a fair average, for there are a few queens that are not prolific enough to keep four frames supplied with brood as they ought to be ; and where I find such, I always give their colonies something better to take their place. However, such queens as this last are the exception and not the rule ; for the bees do not often allow such queens to remain in the hive long, especially if they are of the Italian variety. After experimenting in the direction of superseding queens for years, I now decidedly prefer to leave it to the bees to de- cide when their queens are worn out, unless, by outside obser- vations, I believe they are holding on to some unprolific young queen. Asa general thing, the bees will make fewer mistakes in directing this delicate matter than the wisest apiarist is likely to make. I have had queens that were five years old do good duty till the commencement of their sixth year, when the bees would supersede them that autumn, the same as they often do in the autumn with queens commencing on their sec- ond, third, or fourth year. — G. M. Doollttle, in Gleanings. Non-Swarmers Not Wanted. We do not think we want any non-swarming bees, and it is our opinion that when the swarming propensities are bred out, the keeper of such bees had as well have no pocketbook, if he depends on his non-swarming bees. — Southland Queen. Fire in Bee-Cellars. Two in the symposium keep fire in the cellar. I suspect that's a larger proportion than will be found generally among those who cellar their bees. Of those who have tried it and abandoned it, it might not be out of place to inquire whether there may not have been a wrong use of a right thing. Mr. Boardman says it grows in favor with him. I'm not sure whether it does with me, but I'm sure the conviction grows that it is all right. If a cellar stands too near the freezing- point, you can bring the temperature up by making the cellar closer; but you'll have better ventilation and air by bringing up the temperature with a fire. We make fire for folks in winter, and no harm comes of it. Why not for the bees? The fire is put in an adjoining room, not in the same room with the bees. .Tust why, I don't know. Perhaps the fire is made with wood, in which case there might be too sudden a change of temperature, and the light from the burning wood might be mischievous. For my own use I would no more think of put- ting the fire in an adjoining room than 1 would a stove for heating a sitting-room. But I use anthracite coal altogether. A small cylinder stove keeps a steady, low fire, and the door of the stove is left wide open all the time. That helps ventila- tion. 1 think some fear that bees would fly into the open door, but I never knew a single bee to do so. The fire is kept going day and night all winter long, unless a spell of weather comes that makes the cellar too warm. I may mention that those colonies that stand nearest the stove winter as well as any. — Dr. Miller, in Gleanings. Tlie Laying of a Queen. A queen can lay 3,000 eggs a day, but not every day. Here are observations on a colony of bees I followed In Pales- tine, January to December, 1891. As nearly as 1 could make out, the colony numbered some 10,000 bees, Jan. 1. Daily average. Total. Average laying from Jan. 1 to 20, '91 100 2,000 Spring waking-up. Jan. 20 to Feb. 7 66(5 11,988 Almond flowers, Feb. 7 to March 3 700 16.800 Beginning of orange blossoms. Mar. 3 to IS 2,333 34,995 Full orange blossoms, Mar. IS to Apr. 10 2,600 57,200 Beg'n'g of no flowers, then cactus, Apr. 10 to May 21 1,000 40,000 Chaste-tree blossoms, May 21 to June 17 2.1 11 56,997 Chaste-tree, then thyme. June 17 to July 10 2,277 .50,094 Thyme and end of it, July 10 to Aug. 3 1,2.50 30,000 Thistles, Aug. 3 to 29 400 10,960 Honey in the hive, Aug. 29 to Sept. 13 200 4,000 Peppermint and others, Sept. 13 to Oct. 14 , 115 3,000 Nothing outside, Oct. 14 to Nov. 11 35 1,000 Nothing outside, Nov. 11 to Dec. 10 38 1,000 Nothing outside, Dec. 10 to 31 0 Grand total 320,034 About the same at the end of the season as regards the number— 20,000 bees. At all events, this gives us an aver- age of 76 eggs a day for 865 days, or 1,760 eggs ;i. day if we take the honey-flow season from March 3 to August 3. The colony did not swarm, and at the end of the season it was reduced to very nearly what it was in the beginning; 300,000 bees were hatched, and passed away ; the colony had produced nearly 180 pounds of honey. This honey was taken by the extractor, April 10; April 18, orange-blossom honey ; June 13 to 19, chaste-tree honey; July 10 to Aug, 3, thyme honey. — Ph. J. Baldensperger, in Gleanings. Place of Next North American. The North American Bee-Keepers' Association agreed to come to Lincoln next year, and now some are kicking for fear they cannot get railroad rates to suit. There are no Nebraska men on the board of managers this year, and so we will have no say as to the time of meeting; but if they will listen to echoes from this end of the line, they can fix a time when low rates are given. This year (1895) those attending the meet- ing at Toronto paid full fare both ways, while at the same time anyone between the Missouri river and Chicago could have reached here for one fare plus .$2.00, for the round trip, and from Chicago to the Atlantic ocean it would have cost one fare plus .$4.00 for the round trip. Whenever you go east again, better buy return-trip ticket first. Gentlemen, don't talk about holding the meeting in con- nection with the G. A. R. encampment until after next year, but come and see how well we can use you. Excursions to Nebraska have been run by the railroads each year for several years past, during the fall months from Eastern points, and we have reason to hope that they will not be discontinued next year. We still have elbow room for several good farmers, and the railroads want to have them come and see this land of ours. — Nebraska Bee-Keeper. Idarket for California Honey. It was figured out during the convention, that extracted honey, on an average, for a series of years, costs 43-3 cents to produce, and that the average crop is 65 pounds. As the present price of honey is from 3 to 4 cents, it is evident the bee-keeper is getting next to nothing for his labor. The present slipshod method of marketing honey is largely to blame for the low prices. The citrus fruit men are so well organized that they can estimate several months in advance the probable number of carloads of fruit there will be to ship. The honey-producer has never yet been able to tell how much honey has been pro- duced, even months after its disposal.— J. H. Martin, of Calif., in Gleanings. 40 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 16, <^ .;. OUKSTBCEPHPtP^ ^7^. ~ -iNiimrnirA .*-r HPII<:L.D, Wood Co.. WIS. 4PDtf "••nM"™ tfte Amtrlcan Bee Journal. CARLOADS __ 3,;;-'^^_ Of Bee-Hives. Sections. Ship- ^ ''~-- -^ piDg-(^ases. Comb Foundation, f""'i™-— i;''; and Everylliliis used in the f '!■''.' Bee-Industry. L "--- ^J * ; I want the name and address 1 ii ; of every Bee- Keeper In Anier- '- ,;. ' ' lea. No reason why you ean- nnt do business with me. I have Cheap Lumber and E.vperienced Workmen : a good Water Power Factory and hnow how to run it. I am supplying Dealers as well as consumers. Why not you? Send for Cata- logues, Quotations, etc. W. H. PUTNAM, ID River Falls, Pierce Co.. Wis, Meixt'ion the American Bee Jounut^, Potatoes lD6t J. F. —10 New Varieties. SI, Pack- et Beet, Cabbage, Cuco.mb'k Lettuce, Tomato Seeds, 10c ■Catalogue Free, Addrtss, lUICHAUKi, GKEENVILLE, OHIO, REDUCED RATES I Biiigliain Bee-Smokers & Honey- Knife. Beet on Earth. 16 years witti but one com- plaining letter. 5 Sizes-60c. 70i-, *1 00, Sl.lO, $1.50, postpaid. Send for lUubtrations. IDtf T. F. Blngbani, Farwell, Ifllclt. MUTE'S HONET EXTRACTOB PERFECTION Cold-Blast Smokera, Square (lilasii Honey Jar>i« Etc. For Circulars, apply to Chas. F, Mhth & S(■^ Cor. Freeman & Central Aves,. Clnclnuatl. O. Send lOe for Practical Hints to Bee-Keipers. I PATENT WIRED COMB FODRDATIOB Has No Sag In Brood-Frames Thill Flat-Bottom Foundation Has Aio Fishbooe in the Sarplos Honey. BelDf; tbe cleanest is usually workeo the quickest of any Foundation made J. VAN DEIISEN & SONS, 8ole Manufacturers, Sprout Brook MontKomery Co., N. Y. Meiitioji the American Bee Jaitnial |\|EW|V|AMMOTH Poultry Guide for 1896 f^inesi I book ever published, contain fc nearly liK I pages, all printed in colors, plans for best poultry houses, sure remedies and recipee _ for all diseases, and howto make poultry [j'.^X.and gardening pay. Sent post paid for 15c. S^iVJohnBanscher ,Jr.,box94Freeport, 111 49A i;>t Mention the Ainerican iset Journcu. US. We sell yoQT Foultry* v^ars Fruits and all produce at high est prices- DAILY RETURNS, t'oj BtenoilB, prices and references, write F. I. SAGE & SONS. 183 Reads St- N. Y WK£K ANSWERING THIS ADVEfiTISEMENr, MENTION THIS JOURNAi- OUR POULTRY ANNUAL .and Book of Valuable Recipes, 04 large Ipages, containsS beautiful colored plates of fowls, gives description and prices of 4.5 varieties.with important hints on care of poultry, and pages of recipesof great value to everyone. Finest Poultry Book published for l^*96 Postpaid only 10 eta, C. N. Bowers* Box 24, Dakota, III' Mention the Amtnican Bee JtJumoL Questiorj'Box^ In the multitude of counsellors there is safety. — Prov. 11-14. Tiie Largest Yields of Honey. Mr. E. T. Flauaganhas been whistling up his courage by gathering from a num- ber of bee-keepers reports of their best yields, which he gives in the Progressive Bee-Keeper for January. These reports make very comforting reading. He sent the following questions to a number of bee-keepers, who responded, as will be noticed : 1st. How large a yield of honey (comb or extracted) have you ever secured from one colony in one season ? 2ud. What was the largest amount of honey you ever secured in one season, and the number of colonies and race of bees that gathered it ? The replies are as follows, beginning with Mr. B^anagan's answer : E. T. Flanagan, Belleville, III.— At my home apiary, while I always get enough to keep the bees breeding well, I seldom have any surplus, and often have little enough to winter on. That is what has forced me to keep from three to five out-apiaries, the nearest not less than eight miles from home. At my out- apiaries I always have some surplus and plenty to winter on, and generally enough to help out the home apiary. Still, meagre as is the flow here at home, as a rule, I have on several occasions secured a fine lot of surplus, and the strangest part of it to me was the fact that the flowers did not appear to be more abundant than usual, but they were overflowing with nectar, and it is this fact that makes me so sanguine that good yields of honey may be looked for in the near future. There must be a change for the better, as it could hardly be worse. The largest yield of honey I ever had from one single apiary was from 35 colonies, spring count, increased to 70, and secured 5,500 pounds of comb honey, and 1,000 pounds of ex- tracted. This is not an extraordinary yield by any means, but was very good for my locality, and could I do as well in proportion to the number of colonies, every year, I would be well satisfied. Mr. Hammond, Malone, Iowa. — The largest amount of comb honey I ever 44 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 16, secured from one colony was 188 pounds in well-filled sections, and a lot of un- finished ones that were not counted. The be^s were leather-colored Italians. The largest yield of extracted honey from one colony, that were given more start- ers of foundation in the super, and had to build their own comb, was 267 pounds. This honey was gathered from white clover. The average yield through- out the apiary was 120 pounds. Mrs. L. C. Axtell, Roseville, 111.— The season of 1882 we received 39,000 pounds of honey, mostly comb, in first- class sections, from 180 colonies, and increased to A'db colonies, being a little over 216r.j pounds per colony. Our greatest yield from one colony (a good hybrid) was about 300 pounds. Of the 39,000 pounds only 500 was extracted. The honey netted us in Chicago 12K cents per pound. H. W. Funk, Bloomington, III.— I got in the year 1882, from 75 colonies, 15,593 pounds of honey. One-half or more was comb of the finest quality, and averaged 207 pounds per colouy. It rained so much that there was not much honey from white clover gathered, but heart's-ease covered every field, as it was so wet that many fields were not planted to any crop. Since then nearly all the farms have been tilled, and heart's-ease and clover are both scarce, and the outlook not encouraging. J. W. Bittenbender, Knoxville, Iowa. — The largest yield from one colony, spring count, was 208 pounds of comb honey. Extracted honey, 3,400 pouuds from 45 colonies. Hybrid bees. Frank Ck)verdale, Delmar, Iowa. — I really do not know what my best colony gathered, but my best yield was in 1886, 208 pouuds to the colony, half extracted. Bees were blacks, hybrids, and Italians. The Eastern Iowa Bee- Keepers' Association showed an average, in 1889. of 212 pounds per colony, nearly all comb. Chas. Dadant & Son, Hamilton, III. — The largest crop of honey we have ever harvested was harvested in 1889, if we remember right, from about 400 colo- nies of bees, mostly Italians, with some hybrids and a few blacks — 45,000 pounds. VVe cannot give the largest amount harvested by one colony, for the reason that during our best seasons we were too busy to waste time weighing the crop of a part of the hives, and every time that we have started weigh- ing the crop harvested by one single col- ony, some other colony managed to get far ahead of this. If the honey was all harvested at once, it would be but little trouble to weigh the best, but we have extracted as many as five times from one apiary in one season, and we believe that during that season some colonies yielded as much as 400 pounds, and perhaps more. L. W. Baldwin, Independence, Mo. — I will say that the best report from one colony that I remember was 150 pounds of comb honey. The bees were pure Italians. The best crop I ever had was In 1886, when I took 12,000 pounds in one-pound sections from 150 colonies. It was nearly all from white clover, and was very fine. The bees were nearly all pure Italians. Myself and sons have now about 600 colonies in winter quar- ters. James Heddon, Cass Co., Mich. — I am unable to answer further than to say that I once took 410 pounds of surplus from one colony not fussed with in any way. The hive had no movable frames at all ; 362 pounds of the surplus was comb, and 48 was extracted honey. This was about 25 years ago, when we had fresh moisture at the roots of the bass- wood trees. From 48 colonies, that sea- son, the yield was very large (see back number of the American Bee Journal). One year I began an out-apiary with 102 colonies; increased to 225. I kept no account of the number of pounds, but I did of the cash I received from it, and it was $1,070.00. It cost me less than §70 for labor. I once hived a full prime swarm, on 10 Langstroth frames, during a copious basswood flow. After three days I opened the brood-chamber {all there was to the hive) to see how the queen was laying. I found about 50 square inches of comb in the center of one frame, empty and shining, but not an egg in any cell. All the rest was solid with basswood honey, and partly sealed over. I threw all out clean, and got about 70 pounds of honey. Next day at precisely the same hour (10:30 a.m.) I opened the hive to see if my queeu was then laying, and I found so much honey (all unsealed and ?! ripe) that I threw it all out and weighed it. It tipped the scale-beam at 29 pounds and 13 ounces. This is my best record. One year I got §800 from 16 colonies, and increased to 33. I sold the honey (it was extracted) in glass jars, and it netted me 32 cents a pound. These were the days when Nature favored us. Bees paid then. B. Taylor, Forestville, Minn.— The largest yield from a single colony in comb honey was 265 pouuds of market- able honey. There were some unfinished sections that were not counted. The bees did not swarm, and were first-cross Italian hybrids. The best yield I ever had from a whole yard was 143 pounds per colony from 45 colonies, spring count. This was finished comb honey, and there was a quantity of unfinished that was not weighed. The bees were blacks, with a slight mixture of Italian, but mostly pure blacks. They were in- creased to 70 colonies. G. M. Doolittle, Borodino, N. Y.— Largest yield of comb honey from one colony, 309 pounds. Largest yield of extracted honey from one colony in one season, 566 pounds. Largest crop in one season, 11,492 pounds, from 69 colonies ; mostly comb ; from choice Italian bees. Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, 111. --My largest yield was in 1882—16,549 pounds from 172 colonies, comb honey. I don't know the largest yield per colony, but never had anything extraordinary. I'm not in a good region, having nothing but clover for surplus. Mrs. L. Harrison, Peoria, 111. — The best yield from one colony was 200 pounds, Italian bees. Largest yield in one year, 5,000 pounds, mostly comb, from 80 colonies, spring count; in- creased to 120 colonies. Italian bees. We should be glad to add to the fore- going replies, if any others will report their large yields in a very condensed form. We would like to have replies particularly from States not represented in the list given. Mr. Flanagan, in closing his article, has these encouraging words to offer : We can hardly conceive of circum- stances under which extracted honey would bring 32 to 40 cents, and comb honey 50 cents per pound. Those days are gone forever, and the possibilities of realizing .$800 from the product of 16 colonies in one season, as given by Mr. Heddon, is not for us ; but that there will be good old-fashioned seasons again, for us of the Middle Western States, X have no more doubt than I have of my existence ; and, as in other lines of busi- ness, when, owing to low prices, bad seasons, and gloomy outlook, so many are turning their attention to other things, now is the time to hold on. Give more attention than ever to every de- tail ; see that all things are in the best possible order, and be ready to take ad- vantage of the opportunities for success, as they present themselves. P YOU ^WASH II 5 DO ^DISHES? .. ll No need of it. The FaultlesB Quaker will do it for you and •^ave time, hands, dishes, money, and patience;no scalded hands, broken or chip- ped dishes, no muss. Washes, inces dries and )olishes quickly. _Jade of best ma- terial, lasts a life- time. Sell atsight. Afjenta, women or men of honor de- siring employ- ment may havea paying business , by writing now \f for descriptive circulars and terms to agents, ^The QUAKER NOVELTY CO., Salem, 0. Mention the American Bee JounuU. SaA26t WANTED. 10,000 pounds of BEESWAX, for Casb. Addreso, LEAHY MFG. CO., HIgslnsville, ITIo. Peerless \' Feed LGRlNiDERS.^ 'C!d Re!iabi0 ^'Absolutely Guaranteed Will grind to any do- eired decree of fineness. Ear Corn. Onts, Etc., and do more of it thca any mill on earth. Wiife at ence tor (.ricoa .-;nd ncency. There ifl IMONEY IN IHEH. Quality Uest and Prices Right. JOLIET STROWBRIDGE CO , Jolief Ills., Farm Macliiaery, CarriageB.W iiidnulla,«sc. Mention the A merican Bee Journal. 3 4 A2 6 1 1 — 1 1 — 1 1 — 1 •■'•-■ r-i p - ■ ■ ■ — 1~ ; :=: S ; si ?S3 bs s ^ «isyi yiBKs S &t^ l» The Elephant Never Checks His Trunk He must have it handy. For the same reason tbe coil of tiie serpent l.s not stowed away in the end of its tail. Lilce-wise(ly) the Page Fonce is coiled its whole lengtli, and is always ready for business. PAGE WOVEN WIRE FENCE CO., Adrian, Mich. Mention, the Americim. Occ Journal Will fvoli-iiirro —Concord Grapevines for Ulll Ei.VtIliUlgtj Fruit. Grain or offers. 50A F. C niorroiv, Wallace burg. Ark. Mention the Amerteait Bee Jourjial 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 45 THIRTY THOUSAND POUNDS DEESWAX Is our present stock for this year's sales of Foundation. But still 'We 'Want More Beeswax and pay a good price. Don't Delay Ordering Your FOTTlfDATION. You will pay more by and by than you would now. Remember that we make the BEST, and everybody acknowledges this. Now is the time to read the work of the Late Father Lang;strotb — Langstroth on the Honey-Bee, Revised. The Price of this Work is now Reduced from $1.40 to $1.25, 'by mail. Send us your address for Catalogue of Bee-Supplies, etc. CHAS. DADANT & SON, iUentton the, A-mtntan Bee joumac. HAMIIiTON, Hancock Co. , ILXi. there Is No Douf About the MERIT of YOUR DEESWAX ! UNTIL. FURXHEK NOTICE, we will allow 30 cents per pound for Good Yel- low Beeswax, delivered at our otfiee— in ex- clian^e for Subscription to the Bee Journal. for Bonks, or anything that «fe oiler for sale in the Bee Journal. Or, 26 cts. cash. GEORGE W. IcORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS. Promptness Is What Counts ! Honey-Jars. Shipping-Cases, and every- I thing- that bee-keepers use. Root's Goods at Root'D Prices, and the I best shipping: point in the country. Dealer in Honey and Beeswax. Cata- rreTJalAve. Walters. Ponder INDIANAPOLIS. IND. Mention the A.merican Bee Journal- $1.00 Sent to me suets SI. 75. 1— The American Bee Journal for one year to a new subscriber. 2— A 50c. copy of " Business," or How the Sel- ler Reaches and Talks to the Buyer. 3— A 25c. copy of the Daily News Almanac for 1896. 1 wish a representative in every school and college in the United States. If you wish fur- ther particulars inclose In your letter to me a self-addressed and stamped envelope. E. iTI. PRATT, 232 South East Ave., Oak Park, III. Sclf-Help Supplies. f I **""-" ~ ~'~"" 11 HI in->mmiimi SUCCESSFUL [ INCUBATOR ! Our magnificent 5 Hew catalogue * giving full in- formation re- earding artificial* Hatching & BroodinK S and treatise on poul- i try raising Bent for 4c | etamps. Circular free. J Bos 78 L>esMoiaaB,Ia 49A13t Mention the Atnerican Bee Journal, The Patent Wood Veneer FOUNDATION has no sag in full sheets. Extk.v Thin Foun- dation 13 square feet to the pound. Working Wax into Foundation — if sent to me— a spe- cialty. Send for prices, samples & Catalogue. Wax wanted. AVii. %VE1SS. 2A5t HORTONVILLB, WIS Mention the American Bee JoiimaL ONE MAN WITH THE UNION <=°^i;'::^'°'^ Can do the work of four men using hand tools, in Kipping, Cutting-oft, Mi- tring. Rabbeting, Groov- ing. Gaining, Dadoing, Edging-up. Jointing Stuff, etc. Full Line of Foot and Hand Power Machinery. Sold on Trial. Catiiiosne Free. SENECA FAI.I.S mFO. CO., 46 Water St., SENECA PALLS. N. T 1 Aly Mention the Amerirnn Bee Journal, 33 cts. a Pound We allow For Beeswax In Exchange tor -SUPPLIES.- 1896 Circular Now Ready. I. J. STRIKOHAM, 105 Park Place. NEW YORK, N. Y. 'm' IF YOU WANT THE BEE-BOOK That covers the whole Apicultural Field more completely than any other published, send $1.25 to trof. A.J. Cook, Claremont, Calif., for his Bee-Keeper's Guide. liiberal Discounts to the Trade. WANTED ! 10,000 pounds of BEESWAX, lor Casli. Address, IjEAHV mFG. CO., Hlgglnsvllle, Mo. Mention the American BeeJoumaL The Rural Kansan Is an Agricultural Journal for the busy farm- er. It embraces Bec-Keepiug and every de- partment of industry connected with the farm. 30 cts. a year, monthly. Sample Free. ^i ™; Higginsville Bee-Supplies hand. Catalogue Free. IIUKRY /-. AtlT.T^ER, 355 Shawnee Ave., Topeka, Kan. 1 A13t Mention the American Bee Journal. SELLING OUT. To close out, I offer my Improved Queen-and- Drone Traps per !4 do?... in the flat, at $1.75; per doz.. $2.75 ; per 25, $5.00. Individual Right to manufacture and use, 50 cents ; Township Rights. $1.00 ; County Rights. $5.00. HENRY ALLEY, lAtf WENHAM, MASS. Qei;)eral Iten^s^ The Swarming Bees Ahead. I noticed in the Bee Journal during the last year that a great many bee-keepers prefer non-swarming bess ; that is, I sup- pose, bees that don't swarm. Now, my ex- perience is just the opposite. In June, 1893, I purcha.sed two colonies of Italian bees in the dovetail hives, from an Ohio bee-keeper. The colonies were the same throughout. One I kept, and a neighbor got the other. They were wintered on the summer stands, and when fruit-trees bloomed I gave my colony a set of 4S sections, so they should not swarm. My neighbor let his bees have their own way, and they swarmed May 26, and again June 3. Later on he gave each colony— now 3 — a set of 24 sections, and by taking out a few boxes when full, and giving empty ones, be managed to get 80 pounds of honey and two swarms besides. I, by giving empty sections as fast as the first were filled, got 74 pounds of honey and no swarms. How is that for non-swarming bees ? I can't see the point. If there is a point, X think it is in favor of swarming bees. Paul Whitebread. Hobble, Pa., Dec. 13, 1895. Short Season and Short Crop. The past season was a short one for the bees. The lack of snow last winter caused nearly all the white clover to kill out. Late frosts killed nearly all the fruit-bloom, and an off year with the basswood bloom, cut short the spring crop. There is lots of golden-rod here, but I have never seen my bees at work on it ; the same in regard to strawberries. Tils is a timbered country, and bees get a large portion of their honey from that source. Buckwheat helped them out some, but there is but little sown in these parts. My bees beat all former rec- ords in the line of swarming, but not much surplus honey. I put the bees into the cel- lar Nov. 30, in good condition. I was much interested in reading Query No. 996, giving a remedy for preventing bee-robbing, as a few nights before I had miscreants make a raid on my bee-yard, and opened 13 hives and carried off 1(5 frames of honey. They were not green hands, for the job was neatly done. G. W. Demaree speaks of the freaks of bees. Here is one that has not come to his notice : In October I heard the bees buzz- ing and flying around a lilac bush. There was no bloom at the time. On close exami- nation I found they had flown into the cen- ter of the bush, and cut off pieces of the leaves as large as their bodies, and some had more than they coiUd get away with, and fell down in the grass. Now, what did they do with it ? Can Dr. Miller give us any light on the subject ? I take pleasure in reading the Bee Jour- nal all through. I am nearly 75 years old, and have plenty of leisure. R. Howell. Gillett, Wis., Dec. 6, 1895. Commission Men, Marketing', Etc. In the Bee Journal of Nov. 28, I see the editor scores a Chicago commission house. It is precisely such men who have given commission men such a bad repute, that the whole Pacific Coast is afraid of them. It doesn't make much difference what we ship — if we let the property get into their hands, we are at their mercy, and get swindled three times out of four. I long ago discovered that bees alone, in this part of the country, would not keep the "pot boiling," so I have added farming, fruit-raising, etc. 1 once shipped seven carloads — 75 tons — of fresh grapes, as fine as ever left this Coast, having two cars sold in Minneapolis, and five in Chicago, in the regular fruit auction houses. Those grapes simply paid freight, and entailed a net loss to me of a little over $2..")00. Again, I have shipped many carloads of 46 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 16, >l? >p: 7J^ 7?? >p: YOUR PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE. >te >te >te >fa >t< >K >te>tote »x xv xv xv You have suffered much in the past. ' Many of your days have undoubtedly been darkened by the shadow of sick- ness and ill health. You have often- times felt gloomy and despondent. At the present moment you may not be feel- ing just as well as you ought to feel. Perhaps you are experiencing the first symptoms of some serious ailment which is lurking in your system. Unless it is promptly checked there may be a long siege of illness in store for you. Now is the time to STOP AND THINK about the actual state of your health. If you are suffering from tired feel- ings, headaches, backaches, biliousness, debility and other symptoms, remember that your present and future are in your own bands. You can get that most precious blessing of sound health, as others have done, by the aid of Warner's Safe Cure. Volumes could be filled in telling of what it has done for men and women who were completely run down in health. Its splendid tonic effects give new life and energy to those who are weary and worn out. If you are in need of help, you should make your present and future happier by putting your system in sound condi- tion. Get a new stock of health and strength by using the great safe cure which builds up the body, purifies the blood and makes the eye brighten with the sparkle of fresh life. f- ^ % California If you care to know of its Fruits, Flowers Climate or Resources, send for a Sample Copy of California's Favorite Paper— The Pacific Rural Press The leading Horticultural and Agricultural paper of the Pacific Coast. Published weekly, handsomely illustrated, $2.40 per annum. Sample Copy Free. PACIFIC RURAL PRESS, 220 Market St.. - SAN FRANCISCO. CAL. GRAND SWEEPSTAKES CORri AT III. STATE TAIR --» 1895. Best Corn in the whole biK Corn State of TUinoi^. He'it Yellow Dent from Northern Division, Best Yellow Dent from ALL Divisions. Best corn shown. MANDSCHEURI BARLEY. g,1.*n*|!;i?vT Sent out lab^t yeiirby theW is.Es.Stntiori. Catalomie of Seed Potatoes. Field Seeds and Garden Speds. L. L. OLDS - Clinton - Rock Co. - Wis- Mention the American Bee journal. SAVE MONEY W^l.'^'J'^y^'i^^ ITALIAN QUEENS Foundatiou at Wholesale Prices. Hives, suited for the South, or SUPPIjIEIS, send for Prlce-Llst— to A.XJOTJSTA., -C3-A..- J. P. H. imm, raisins East, and I find invariably that if the market drops a little, the consignee will try to get out of fulfilling his agreement. So it is with our wine, oranges, lemons, etc., until, in desperation, we are obliged to form combines or unions, and sell only for cash at our stations. The wine pro- ducers and orange-growers have the strong- est unions, and the result is our crops of that class are now selling for enough to pay cost of raising them. Previous to this, the more a man had to sell the worse he was off, and plenty of men were bank- rupted. Our California honey men are on the right track, and if the proper effort be made, we will have a union that will pre- vent a few commission men from gobbling the whole crop at their own price. At this writiug bees come in loaded with pollen and honey, and colonies are all very strong, and in fi'ne condition, but we have not yet had rain enough to amount to any- thing, and unless we get a good one this month, we will have little honey next year. Mr. J. M. Hambaugh, formerly of Illinois, has bought about .50 acres of land in this valley — l^o miles south of me — has built a barn, and will soon build a bouse, and be " one of us." The editor seems to be on the right track to get at the market prices of honey. We look to the bee-papers to keep us informed as to the quantity produced generally over the country, and the prices in the different cities. These prices ought not to vary much, and if they do, we think there is something wrong. Out here we do not ex- pect any more for our honey than Eastern men get for theirs of equal quality, but we think we ought to get as much, gross. Of course, we have more freight to pay, but we expect that. Southern California. Dec. 5, isa5. First Year's Experience— Sweet Clover Last spring 1 purchased six colonies of bees in box-hives. Later I got some 10- frame Improved Langstroth Simplicity hives. I now have 13 colonies in these hives, all in good condition for winter. The last was a poor season for bees in this locality, as the bees did not work on white clover here. I harvested about 300 pounds of nice comb honey. I think I shall try sweet clover for my bees. Last spring I received a small package of sweet clover seed, which I sowed on April llj; it came up nicely, and reached a growth of about 3 feet. I think I shall grow it more exten- sively next spring. But here are questions for any one who feels disposed to answer: If sweet clover is mown about July 10 or 1.5, will it produce a second crop of blossoms which will yield nectar ? For bee-pastur- age alone, how much seed should be sown per acre ? C. Wtnn. RoUa, Mo., Dec. 7, 1895. 8-Fraines — Fastening' Foundation. I commenced in the spring of 1805 with 13 colonies, 6 of which were in the S-frame hives, 3 in the 10-frame, and 4 in box-hives. I now have 18 colonies, with all but 3 in the movable-frame hives. I prefer the 8-frame Langstroth hive, tiered up three stories high for extracted honey, for this reason : If you don't use the perforated zinc be- tween the frames of the bottom and top stories, you are certain to have some patches of brood in the center frames of the second story, whether you use the S or 10 frame hive, it makes no difference. At least this is true with me. So the point I wish to make is this : If you want the sur- plus honey free from patches of brood, you must give the bees some directly above them instead of on each side as you must do with the 10-frame hive of two stories. And as to tiering up the 10-frame hive three stories high, you must have an extra early swarm, and a rousing big one, and give them full sheets of foundation if you want the hives filled at all in this locality in one season. So the S-frame hive is quicker and surer in results. CU j Now, don't misconstrue my words, and think I want all my hives of the S-frame pattern, for if a colony gets too populous for an 8-frame hive, why, I just transfer them into a 10-frame hive during a good honey-flow, and add the extra 4 frames with full sheets of foundation in the center of the top story, and by-and-by a third story is added. Also, as the transferring process is going on, I cut out all the queen- cells so as to have no swarming during that honey-flow, wlrtch means twice as much honey as if they had swarmed. As I do not produce comb honey, my esti- mates are for extracted entirely, as fol- lows: Poplar 36 pounds, linden 334 pounds, and buckwheat 108 pounds ; total, 468 pounds, from 13 colonies, averaging 39 pounds per colony. I am not in love with buckwheat honey at all : I consider it second quality. I see a writer from Tracy City, Tenn., asks Dr. Miller how to fasten foundatiou to frames, so I send a good, cheap way: If the frames have a comb-guide, lay the foundation with the edge on the comb- guide, as you wish it to hang in the frame. Now take a common porcelain bed-caster, wet it well and roll first a little spot at each end of the comb-guide, then in the middle, then between these three spots, to get it stuck all along. Now roll back and forth with the caster till you see the foundation shine, and the work is done. I have tried this plan with satisfactory results. J. A. Bearden. Cyruston, Tenn., Dec. 7, 1895. ftuilts on Hives — Placing Hives. My 14 colonies were put on five Lang- stroth frames each, standing on end and packed around with granulated cork, with cork cushion on top, about Oct. 10, 1895, in first-class condition. I see so much in the Bee Journal about " the quilt," "turn up one corner of the quilt," " remove the quilt and take out the combs, etc.," " after returning the quilts, etc." What do people use quilts on top of the frames for ? What do they do with the quilts when they get covered with propolis on both sides and stick to the cover, and stick to the frames so that if you want to look at your bees it comes off rip, rip! crack ! ! ker-r-r-r ! I ! rack ! ! ! ! There, it's off, and the bees are crazy mad, and "Git for shed "is in order, and leave the bees uncovered until they cool down. I got gloriously over that " quilt " business years ago. The poem against low-down hives, on page 7T9, suits me exactly. I've been there and left for good. What any one wants to work all day with his back bent double for, is more than I can tell. I have had boards from the alighting-board to the ground for heavy-laden bees that couldn't make the entrance, to crawl upon, but I have never seen a bee alight six inches from the en- trance that did not fly again to get in. About 13 or 15 inches is the right height from the ground for comfort. My bees got their usual quota of light honey last summer — about 40 pounds per colony — and fall honey enough for winter; and I have enough combs full put away for spring. Tnos. Thurlow. Lancaster, Pa., Dec. 13, 1895. Season of 1895 — Honey-Plants. I took out of the cellar last spring 30 col- onies, one afterwards swarmed out or was robbed, leaving 19 colonies, mostly in good condition, with a good supply of honey and well stocked with bees. In May there were hard frosts which seemed to destroy all the nectar in the willow and wild fruit blos- soms, and the bees, after using up the honey they carried over winter, were al- most in a starving condition, but with what they gathered, and what sugar syrup they were fed, they came through alive. The scarcity of supplies did not stop them from breeding. They commenced swarming the last of May, and kept it up till late in August. Five or six swarms left for parts unknown. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 47 and I put about a dozen back in the hives they left: I had 2 colonies robbed and killed, took up 5 and put the bees in with other colonies, and put 33 into the cellar. There are now 52 in the cellar, young and old. Most of them have plenty of stores, but a few of them are very weak. We got only about 200 pounds of comb honey fit for market, and about 150 pounds in partly-filled sections and in one hive "taken up." Such swarming 1 never dreamed of before. There was no flow of honey last fall, although the weather seemed favorable. The previous fall the bees gathered a great deal of honey from golden-rod and asters, but last fall scarcely any. I might tell of a good many kinks that occurred in the bee-yard, but I gifess I will not ask space for that. But I want to say something about honey-plants. It seems to be a well-established fact that plants that offer an abundance of nectar in one locality may be almost worthless in another locality. There are certain plants here that the bees work on constantly and busily from morning till night. The principal of which are mignonette, phacelia, borage and clarkia ; on poppies in the morning, and on chickory in the forenoon. And of those they work on more or less are bal- sams, marigolds, datura, nicotiana, hyssop, radish, cabbage and turnip flowers. These are all garden plants. Judging from the way bees work on them, I believe that one acre of phacelia or mignonette would pro- duce more honey than ten acres of buck- wheat. H. P. WiLLSON. Bathgate, N. D., Dec. 16, 1895. KesuUs of the Past Season. The season of 1895 opened here very good. Fruit-bloom was plentiful, and the bees got to breeding up nicely, then the cold weather set in. After that white clover came into bloom, but the bees did not gather much honey from clover. The linden flow lasted here about one week. It got too dry all at once, and we did not have any rain until November. I extracted from C5 colonies, during the linden flow, 1,600 pounds of honey; 8 colonies gave me 200 pounds of comb honey in sections, not very well flUed. After the basswood bloom dried up the bees did not get a drop of honey in the fall. The latter part of August I examined my bees, and found my best colonies had only from 5 to 10 pounds of honey. That started me to feeding right off. My feeder holds 25 pounds, and sets over the brood-chamber, like the Miller feeder. In two weeks I had my 35 colonies ready for winter, and up to date they have wintered well on the nice basswood honey. Henry Bohlmann. Defiance, Ohio, Dee. Itj, 1895. List of Honey and Beeswax Dealers. Most of whom Quote In this Journal. Cblcago, Ills. R. A. Burnett & Co.. 163 South Water Street. New York, N. ¥. F. I. Sage & Son, 183 Reade Street. HtiiDRETH Bros. & Seqelken, 120 & 122 West Broadway. Chas. Israel & Bros., 486 Canal St. Kansas City, Mo. C. C. Clemoms & Co., 423 Walnut St. Bnfialo, N. Y. Batterson & Co., 167 & 169 Scott St. Hamilton, Ills. Chas. Dadant & Son. Plilladelphla, Fa. Wm, A. Selser, 10 Vine St. Cincinnati, Oblo. C. F. MUTH & SON.cor, Freeman & Central av8. l>r. P. C Ciress, of Atchinson, Kans., would like to communicate, confidentially, with all persons who have consigned honey to C. R. Horrie & Co., of Chicago, 111., with unsatisfactory results. Honey & Beeswax Market Quotations. CHICAGO, III., Dec. 10.— White clover and linden, in 1-puund secilons, sells at 14@loc., but other kinds of white honey sell at 12® 13c.; dark andamber grades, 9@10c , of which there is a very liberal supply. Extracted, white, 3!4@"c.; amber, 4H@5c.; dark. 4@5c.. difference in price ot each grade being in ac- cord with its quality, flue flavor always beinpc at a premium. Beeswax, 2S@30c,. and sellinjf upon arrival. R. A. B. & Co. PHILADELPHIA. Pa., Jan. 3 —Honey has declined In this market during: the holidays. Large lots of Calltornia honey arriving, and selling at 5o. in 60-lb. cans. We quote: Comb honey, fancy, ICc; f;iir to good. 8@14c. Ex- tracted, 4@5!4c.; white clover, 10c. Beeswax, 30c. W. A. S. KANSAS CITY, Mo., Jan. 8.— The demand for comb and extracted honey is fair. We quote: No. 1 white comb, 1-lbs.. 13(iail4c.; No.2,12@13c.; No. 1 amber, ll@12c ; No. 2, 10c. Extracted, white, 6(gi6!4c, ; amber, 5® 5'/aC.; dark. 4@4Hc. Beeswa.\, 22®25c, C. C. C. & Co. Demand is elow for all kinds of honey. Best white comb honey sells at 12@14c. in the job- bing way. Extracted. 4@7c. on arrival. Beeswax is in goud demand at 22@27c. for good to choice yellow. C. F. M.&S. NEW YORK. N. Y.. Dec. 18 —The market on comb and extracted honey is a little dull at the present time, and we do not expect to have a very great demand until after the holi- days. Then we ma.v look for a little better sale, but the bulk of trade is done for the sea- son. That is for comb honey; extracted we expect quite a sale of after Feb. 1. 1896. We quote: Fancy clover, 1-lbs., 15@16c,; white clover. 13@14c.; fair white. ll@12c.; buck- wheat. 9@9!4o. Extracted clover. 6@6!4c. ; basswood. 6 i4@7c. ; buckwheat. 5c. Beeswax Arm and in good demand at 29@32c. C. I.&B. CoiiTeiitfoii Notices. Wisconsin.— The annual meeting of the Wisconsin State Bee-Keepers' Association will be held Thursday and Friday, Feb. 6 and 7. 1895, in the capltol building at Madison. The program will appear in due time. pratteville. Wis. N. E. FR.4NCE. Sec. C0L0R.4DO.— The 16th annual convention of the Colorado State Bee-Keepers' Association will be held Jan. 20, 21 and 22, 1896. in the Horticultural Kooms ot the Capitol Building, in Denver. Every bee-keeper is invited to be present and join the society. Duff. Colo. Frank Racchfuss, Sec. PATENT GARDEN HOB LNo. 522.872] to let on royalty, or will sell for $3,000; or will give agent fllty per cent, commission to sell. One person will perform more work with one ot the hoes than three with other tools. Very easy to work. Extra blades to replace worn ones. Mention this paper. J. H. AINDKR, Lockwood, N. Y. COMB FOUNDATION and RETA^IL. Are you going" to buy Foundation for Cash, or have you Wax to sell or trade lor Foundation and other Supplies ? Have you 'ih lbs or more ot Wax that you want made into Foundation ? If so, do not fail to write me for samples and prices. 1 make a specialty of working up Wax by the lb., and do it very cheap during the winter. Beeswax wanted at all times. GUS DITTMEK, AUGUSTA. WIS. Reference— Augusta Bank. 16Atf " ATCHChickens fl ,?7m^ am- EXCELSIOR Incubator Simple. Perfect. Sel/-Efgida(- iiiff. Thousaiuls ia >ui.'C'.-' Modion the American Bee Journal. TAKE NOTICE! "DEFORE: placing your orders for SUP- ■*-^ PLIES, write for prices on 1-Pieee Bass- wood Sections, Bee-Hives, Shipping -Crates, Frames, Foundation, Smokers, etc. PAGE & LYOX MFO. CO. NEW LONDON, WIS. Fine Basswood, White Sage or Alfalfa EXTRACTED HONEY —For Sale.— We have made arrangements whereby we furnish Calirornia Wbite Sage or Allalt'a Extracted Honey, in 60-pound tin cans, on board cars in Chicago, at these prices: 1 can. in a case, 8^ cents per pound; 2 cans In one case, 8 cents; 4 cans ('3 cases) or more, 7% cents. The Basswood Honey is all in kegs holding 170 pounds, net. It is a very superior quality, and the prices are: 1 keg. 8i4 cents per pound ; 2 kegs or more, 8 cents. Cash MUST accompany each order. ^^~ A sample of either kind of honey will be mailed to an intending purchaser, for 10 cents, to cover postage, packing, etc. We guarantee purity, and that what we ship will be equal to sample. Now it seems to us that here is a splendid chance for any bee-keeper to supply his home demand after his own crop is all sold. Or, why not begin now to create a local honey- trade ? Order one 60-pound can first, and start out among your neighbors and friends, and see what you can do. You ought to get at least 15 cents per pound in 5-pound lots, or 50 cents for 3 pounds. Some may be able to do even better than that, though we think that enough ought to be sold at these prices to make a fairly paying business out of it. Give it a good trial. Push it. It may grow into a nice winter's work for you. GEORGE W. YORK & CO., - CHICAGO, ILLS. Largest Factory ti°e West «o?d°Cpue7giJw^ces READ THIS— Mr. Keyes says: The 100 rounds of Extra-Tuln Foundation you sent us' is superior to anything he ever saw: and I think the same. R. L. Tuckek, Wewahltchka. Fla. Dear Sirs:— The Sections came duly io hand. Indeed, they are very nice. Yes, sir; they are as good as the best, " Charles H. Thies, SteelevlUe, Illinois. Leahy Mfg. (Jo. :— I haye received the bill of goods. T must say they are the choicest lot of Hlve-Stutf 1 h:ive ever received from any place. I admire the smoothness of your work, and your close selection of lumber. Yours very truly. O. K. Ol.mste.4D, Orleans, Nebr. Dear Sirs:— The Sections arrived in due time, and are all O. K. so far as examined. They are simply perfection. 1 can't see how you can furnish such goods at such low prices. I hope you may live long and do well. Yours respectfully, Z. S. Weaver. Courtney, Tex. Gents:—! received the " HigginsviUe Smoker " all O. K. It's a dandy: please find enclosed stamps for another. Yours truly. Otto Enders, (Iswegathe, N. Y. Gentlemen:— 1 have bought Supplies from nearlj' all the large manufacturers by the car- load, and 1 must Siiy yours are as good as the best. Indeed, in many lines they are the best. It is a pleasure to handle them, E. T. Flanagan, Belleville, Illinois. The above unsolicited testimonials are a fair sample of hundreds we receive. Our prices are reasonable and the " HigginsviUe Goods " are the best. i3^~ We are now manufacturing for each of the following parties a Carload of Supplies: E. T. Flanagan, Belleville. Illinois ; Charles H. Thies, Steeleville, Illinois ; J. W. Kouse & Co., Mexico. Mo.; Henry Miller, Topeka, Kans.; Fulton & Gregg. Garden City, Kaus. If you need a Carload of Supplies, or only a Bee-Smoker, write to us. Remember, we are here to serve you. and will, if you give us a chance. A Beautiful Catalogue Free. Address, LEAHY MANUFACTURING CO.. HiGGINSVILLE, MO. 49A Mention the American Bee Journal. BIG OFFER I 'Will Pay $l.oo for the address of every person who has any PURE ■WHITE CLOVER EXTRACTED HOI^iE'^ for sale— either for your own address, and any others you know of. The Solid Meat Please mention this Journal. lO Vine St., PHILADELPHIA, PA. is what you want In a bee journal, just the same as in other things. You don't care for the extra pages and issues If they are to be filled with side. issues and a lot of "stuff" that must be looked over to see if there is any " solid meat." If you want a journal that Is "solid meat." that is practical from beginning to end. that de- votes itself unceasingly to the one thing of making bee-keeping a more safe, pleasant, and profitable pursuit, then subscribe for the Bue-Kkepers' Review at $1.00 a year. Mr. H. D. Cutting. ex-President of the North American Bee-Keepers' Association, says: " I take most of the bee journals, and glance through them to see what there is in them, and occasionally find an article that I read, but when it comes to the Review I read that right through from begin- ning to end. It's solid meat." Mr. Cutting is not the only reader of the Review who talks In this way, and if you will subscribe for it now, you will 1)0 talking in the same fashion by the end of the year. The Review and Advanced Bee-Culture for only $1.'25. W. Z. IllTTCHIXSOK, Flint, Midi, ^ ROOT'S COMB FOUNDATION! ^ We are pleased to annouiK;e that, having secured control of the new Weed process of nianufaeturing foundation for the U. S., we are prepared to furnish Foundation toy the New Process, for 1896. Samples will be mailed free on application, and will spealv for themselves. OUR SA?{DED and POLISHED SECTIONS, well, they will speak for themselves, also. Our 1896 Catalos: will be ready for distribution now in a few days. Send in your name at once for catalog, samples of the new foundation, and those superb sections, and while you are about it ask for late copy of GleaniugfS in Bee-Culture. New Product. New Process. A Big Success THE A. I. ROOT CO., MEDINA, OHIO. .56 Sill Ave, Chicago, III. Sj'racH§e, IV. V. 1024 mississippi i)t., St. Paul, 9linn. J*ol>Jis7ied IVeeli^ly, at Sl^OO jy&r annum. Sample^ Ooi>y sent on A.pi)llcation, 36th Year. CHICAGO, ILL., JAN. 23, 1896. No. 4. Can Bees that are Noa-Swarming be Secured ? BY G. M. DOOLITTLE. A correspondent writes me protesting against some of the teachings of the past regarding new swarms being the best for honey, and queens from swarming-cells being the best queens for the average bee-keeper ; he wishes me to give my views regarding these matters in the American Bee Journal, and to offer any suggestions I may thinli proper. He states that "hundreds of bee-keepers do not want swarms," which I have should be written, or what should not be written, we must take in the great multitude of bee-keepers as a whole, and not narrow ourselves down to just what we want, but go out in our thoughts, asking the question, "What will be the greatest good to the greatest number ?" Failing to do this, we are not complying with the golden rule, nor using that broad charity for others which it is our privilege to use at all times, if we would make the world better for our having lived in it. I think that, as a whole, in the past, I have given more matter on "How to prevent increase," and save to others the providing to themselves of hundreds of dollars worth of hives, which often become empty and useless property, than I have on the different methods of increase, for on the whole, I am in favor of runuing an apiary on the plan of as little increase as possible ; yet while I now so feel, I have not forgotten the time when I was so anxious for natural increase that I lay awake nights planning how it might be obtained. In regard to queens from swarming-cells carrying the swarming mania throughout the country, I doubt very much there being any ground for such an idea, only a mistaken one, yet this brings me to the main point I wish to make in this article, which is, Is it possible to breed out of bees the dispo- Apiary and Some of Mr. Henry Sutherland, Bainbridge, Mich. — ice page 56. not the least doubt is the case, yet it is equally certain that hundreds of bee-keepers do want swarms, and it has been for these latter I have written at times in the past, when I have spoken favorably to new swarms, and not for those who do 7iot wish warms, like the correspondent. What the object of others has been, who have written favorable to natural swarming, I do not know ; they can answer for themselves. The point I wish to make right here Is, in thinking of what sitlon to swarm ? I have always said that it is not, nor do I now believe it entirely possible, yet some things have come under my observation of late that have modified my opinions to a considerable extent. I have said little of the matter, but it may be better to speak of it now, so that others may try their hand, and thus perhaps perfection may be reached sooner, for, "In the multitude of counselors there is safety." All who have read my book on queen-rearing will remem- 50 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 23. ber that I have adopted a different plan of queen-rearing from what I have formerly used. All who have had experi- ence in the matter also know that the best queens are reared in case of two queens in a hive, or, in other words, when a young queen is reared and fertilized from the same hive which has an old and laying queen in it at the time when the youug one is reared. This is a fact which none will dispute ; but the point to be arrived at is, Are queens thus reared less liliely to swarm than are those reared under the swarming-impulse ? The method I have adopted and given in my book, is nearly the same as that used by the bees where two laying queens are tolerated in a hive at the same time, as the queens are reared above a qneen-excluding honey-board when the old queen is doing full duty below, the colony not having the least disposition to swarm while the queens are being reared. About seven years ago I began to notice that I was not having nearly as many swarms as formerly, and the number of swarms coming from my apiary has continued to be less, so that during the last two years I have not had one swarm to where I used to have teu. All the older readers of the Ameri- can Bee Journal will remember that, during the 'TO's, I had excessive swarming, one season having above 350 swarms from less than TO colonies in the spring. Swarm they would in spite of all that I could do, so that it was nothing unusual for me to have from five to ten swarms in the air at once, while in one case I had as high as 1-4 swarms all clustered together. As I go back to those days in memory, it certainly does seem that I have made progress along the non-swarming line, for I have not had as many swarms during the past two years as I often had in one day then, and it almost begins to look as if the method of queen-rearing may have had some- thing to do with it. To be sure, some of the seasons of late have not been very good for honey, which may have had some- thing to do with the matter ; yet the seasons when the great- est number of swarms issued during the '70's, were those when only about a half of a crop was obtained. I am greatly interested in this matter, and am keeping close watch of it, and I wish all who rear queens entirely above a queen-excluding honey-board would test the thing also, and so be helping to solve the problem, so that we may reach something definite in the matter. Why I say " entirely " is, that some advise having the cells started by colonies having the swarming-impulse, and, after they are started, place them above queen-excluders for completion. Of course, this would not be entirely along the line given in my book, and conse- quently would not be likely to be as perfect as to results. If we could only breed the swarming-impulse out of our bees, it would seem as if it would be better for the majority of those who keep bees as a specialty ; for it is a very easy matter to obtain all the increase desired by the nucleus system, or a division of colonies after the harvest of white honey is over. Or, perhaps, we might breed a certain type of bees as non- swarmers, allowing other types to swarm, the same as we have types of hens which sit, and others which do not incline to sit. Borodino, N. Y. ¥k Evolution and Oueen-CHppiag Again. BY ALLEN PRINGLE. I am a little late in noting what is said on this subject on page 793 (1895) in rejoinder to some strictures of mine in a previous issue. I note what the editor says in a foot-note, and while I could very easily and effectually dispose of the writer's contentions, I shall not ask the editor to continue a discussion which might, as he remarks, " evolute into one on religious beliefs," though it certainly would not on my side, for I think I could discuss the great scientific and philosoph- ical questions in issue on their merits, without getting down to creeds or beliefs. In these times, when evolution has become the " working hypothesis " in all secular science and philosophy, it is quite impossible to thoroughly discuss the range of subjects prop- erly embraced even in bee-culture, without getting onto just such ground as Bee-Master, Dr. Miller, and myself now oc- cupy in this queen-clipping discussion. And it is certainly not very creditable to the intelligence and liberality of the confraternity of apiarian readers, that they cannot stand the friendly discusion of a great question like this, which grew directly out of a legitimate subject for a bee-journal, and hence comes fairly within its province. I know "Bee-Master," my opponent ; he is a gentleman of education and ability; and as I know myself equally well, I know that in discussing this matter there would be no unfriendly feeling or word — no personality whatever — nothing that a reasonable man, not afraid of open discussion, need fear. Nevertheless, the editor feels that readers would object to it, and deems it his duty to shut down. Under such circumstances I do not blame him, but I do not, I must confess, think much of the reader who would blame him for continuing the discussion. However, as already remarked, I shall not attempt to go contra to the editor's wishes by continuing the discussion ; but " I rise to a point of order," or a " question of privilege," and must make a correction and explanation, as my opponent has misunderstood me on the vital point of all. He says : "Mr. Pringle dogmatically asserts that I cannot hold the two oppos- ing philosophies of Evolution and Creation," and goes on at some length to show how he can hold them both consistently. But I did not say that, or mean that. This is what I asserted : " He is astride two opposing philosophies — which are utterly irreconcilable. These two philosophies are evolution and special creation. He may take either one, and I shall not complain, but in trying to ride both horses, he must have a fall." My opponent is confounding creation with special creation. They are quite different, and I supposed my opponent was sufficiently well read in modern science and modern thought to know the difference, Special creation means that every species of animal and plant was separately and specially cre- ated, and that man, of course, was so specially created, ac- cording to the Mosaic cosmogony. Evolution, on the con- trary, teaches and proves that species are evolved from each other — that they have all come from one or more original, primeval protoplasmic forms, and that man is no exception to the rule, but is himself a product of evolution instead of being a special creation. The general or original creation which Bee-Master probably means, is the creation of the primeval protopUtsm, or, at most, of a few orignal forms of life, evolu- tion doing all the rest. Such original creation I neither affirm nor deny, and I freely admit that between it and evolution there is no necessary conflict, while between special creation and evolution the conflict is utterly irreconcilable. The reader will thus see that my opponent's whole argu- ment was built upon what I did not assert — "dogmatically" or otherwise. Having thus merely made a correction and ex- planation without argument, I reluctantly stop, having that editorial foot-note before my eye. Selby, Ont. [We regret that Mr. Pringle " stops reluctantly," for it seemed to us that there was nothing to be gained by a con- tinuation of the discussion of clipping queens' wings. The principal objection to clipping, offered by Bee-Master, was so utterly imaginative and theoretical that to use much space in considering it would be a clear waste. And surely Mr. Pringle would not desire the readers of the Bee Journal to wade through a lot of evolution theory, which, at best, is mighty dry reading to most people, and quite unprofitable, especially to so practical and busy people as bee-keepers are supposed to be. Space in the Bee .Journal is altogether too limited to discuss subjects so deep and far-reaching as those found in the domains of spiritual, political or evolutionary thought. We propose to leave those subjects to periodicals devoted specially to them. Please all bear in mind that this is a bee- paper. — Editors.] Self-Hiving Arrangements and Queen-Traps. BY ADRIAN GETAZ. All the self-hivers invented so far are comprised under two different types. The first one (Fig. 1) has the self-hiver separated from the main hive by a piece of queen-excluding zinc and a queen-escape. Another zinc at the entrance of the hiver retains the queen in the self-hiver when swarming oc- curs. The hive may be a regular hive, or a box containing a few empty combs to hold the swarm temporarily. It has been placed in front, under, and, I think, sometimes at the side of the main hive. I constructed them about as shown in Fig. 1. The en- trance of the main hive was larger than usual ; there was ample space between the main hive and the zinc conducting into the hiver. Both zincs were of large size, not less than 35 to 40 square inches. All that was so the ventilation of the hive should not be hindered. Such hives will hive full swarms every time, and take up nearly all the field bees, as whenever the bees come in they will stay in the hiver rather than go beyond ; that is, after the hiver is occupied by the queen and the swarm. The trouble with that style of hivers occurs between the 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 51 time the hiver is attached to the main hive, and the swarming. As it is readily understood, the working bees have to go through the hiver every time they go out and come baclf. The drones can, and will, come out tlirough the queen-escape and be confined in the hiver. There they will stay quite awhile, being fed by the bees. The mischief is, that they are in the habit of clustering on the inside zinc (between tlie hiver and the main hive). The bees do so, also, to some extent. The result is, not only the ventilation of the main hive is inter- fered with, but the coming in and going out of the field-bees is considerably hindered. Frequently the bees take possession of the combs or foundation placed in the hiver without swarm- ing. This gave me the idea of putting sections in the hiver, and from that I readily got the idea of turning the field-bees Fiq. 1. into the supers, as described in some of my previous writings in the American Bee Journal. In calling the attention of the readers to this, it is to point out in what direction improvements should be attempted, but not to advise using the hiver as above described, as I was com- pelled to abandon it altogether. The second type of self-hiver used so far is as shown in Fig. 2, that is, a queen-trap large enough to admit the placing of combs in the apartment where the queen is caught and con- fined when swarming occurs. This having but one zinc be- tween the main hive and the outside world, will not interfere appreciably with the working of bees or the ventilation, pro- vided, however, that the zinc at the entrance of the hiver and all the openings are of a suliBcient size. But it will not retain a full swarm ; the majority of the bees will go back to the main hive rather than climb into the hiver through the inside zinc. I think, though, that with some ingenuity a disposition of the zincs could be found that might prevent it, but what- ever may be attempted in that direction ought to be with having the bees to pass through only one zinc in their work to and from the field. The disposition of the escape and zincs shown in Fig. 2 is adopted in view of leading the queen into the hiver. Nevertheless, she will sometimes go back into the brood-nest instead of through the escape. QUEEN-TRAPS VS. HIVERS. If I could be in my apiaries every day, or every other day, I would simply use queen-traps, or perhaps entrance-guards, rather than any kind of hivers. But if the apiarist may be ab- sent a whole week or more, then the second type of hiver just described is better than a queen-trap. When the queen finds herself a prisoner in the trap, she institutes a thorough inves- tigation as to the means of escaping, and in the course of two or three days succeeds in going back to the main hive through the cones. No sooner back there, she swarms again, and, knowing how to go back, does it at once, then daily swarm- ing, or rather attempts at swarming, take place, and last as long as queens and queen-cells are present — that is, until the last queen has emerged. In fact, the queen-trap is not much better in such cases than a mere entrance queen-excluder. When a swarm issues and the queen is retained in the hiver, enough bees stay with her, and combs are there, so the <}ueen does not even attempt to go back ; some work is done there, and is that much gained. Until a virgin queen emerges, ao swarming will take place, and the usual work is resumed in the main hive, as well as it was before swarming. With the appearance of a virgin queen, swarming is resumed, and the young queen gets into the hiver. There a fight between the queens takes place, and one of the two is killed, almost invariably the old one. In all my experiments with queen-traps, hivers and ex- cluders, only one laying queen has held her own against the virgin queens. The next day the same will be repeated, and so on until eventually no more cells are left in the brood-nest; one virgin queen is in the hiver, and another in the brood- nest. In the course of a few days the latter comes out to mate, and meets the other in the hiver. A last fight takes place, and only one virgin queen is left in the hiver. When the apiarist comes, all he has to do is to remove the hiver and allow the queen to mate — that is, if it has not interfered before. When the old queen gets into the hiver, no more eggs are laid in the brood-nest, and, more than that, hardly ever are any more queen-cells started after she has left, from the fact that the number of bees in the main hive is considerably re- duced. The queen-cells already started will be all matured, generally in from 12 to 15 days. By that time the last virgin queen has emerged, and swarming is at an end. With a queen-trap as an excluder, the case is different. The old queen will remain in the hive and lay eggs until she is killed by one of the virgin queens — generally the first one emerged ; and since the hive remains crowded, new queen- cells will be started as long as there is any brood old enough to make a queen. As I have stated above, no queen will stay in a queen-trap more than two or three days. The majority of them will get out during the night after they have been caught. Perhaps my queen-traps were not very well made. Of course, all the above supposes that the apiarist has not been able to attend to his bees sooner. I have only a limited number of hivers and traps, all the other hives having queen-excluders. A swarm issuing the first time may come out late in the day, but the following days they are sure to be out early; they may come back at once, or perhaps later dur- ing the day, generally before 12 o'clock. A returned swarm will hang on the outside of the excluder quite awhile, so by going into the apiary between 10 and 12 o'clock, a.m., the apiarist will early discover which hives have been swarming and need attention. The sooner they are attended to the better. If increase is desired, move the old hive to a new stand, except a comb or two with a queen-cell on the old stand un- less the queen is there. Better destroy all the queen-cells but one in the queenless hive, but leave the excluder on in case a queen-cell was overlooked. If no increase is needed, remove the old queen and allow requeening by leaving one queen-cell. (This in order to prevent further swarming.) Have an ex- cluder on (a queen-trap or hiver will do as well) ; wait until the young queen has emerged and destroyed the old one, then destroy the queen-cells. Do not spend more time than neces- fary to find the cells, but leave the excluder. If any cell has been overlooked, swarming will take place sometime during the next two days, if the weather is not too bad. No queen- cell will be started in the presence of a virgin queen, at least that has been my experience so far. FINDING QUEENS AND QUEEN- CELLS. To find the queens and queen-cells, have an excluder be- fore the hive ; put in front of this a board or platform about 2 feet square, one side resting on the alighting-board, and the other propped up from the ground. Take the combs out one by one, shake the bees on the platform, and set the combs anywhere, but not in the hive. It is not necessary to shake them clean, the queen falls easily, and all that you need is that enough bees are off to permit you to see the queen-cells. Fig. 2. Do not take too much time. The queen will be found prob- ably before the excluder, trying to get in, perhaps in the hive, perhaps on one of the combs. If you leave a virgin queen in the hive, leave the excluder on for two or three days. If any queen-cell has been left, you will know it by the bees swarm- ing. Bees shakeu on a platform as above described, will stay there, or, at most, will partly hang at the edges; while if shaken on the ground, they would crawl everywhere, es- pecially inside the operator's trousers. QUEENLESS SWARMS. The behavior of queenless swarms under circumstances as above described is interesting. The first day a queenless swarm comes out, it hardly ever clusters, and returns in a 52 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 23, short time. The following day it conies out early and stays out longer, probably clusters. The third day the bees will certainly cluster, and perhaps go away half a mile or so and cluster again. Every day they will stay out longer and cat up all sorts of capers worse and worse before returning. Occasionally they stay out until the nest morning. They hardly ever swarm twice a day. Sometimes in coming back they scatter into two or several different hives. As to uniting together, it depends upon the circumstances, and a trifling cause may determine two queenless swarms to unite aud all go back to the same hive. If while a swarm is returning and " calling," another in the air would be almost sure to unite ; but one clustered would not pay any attention to it. Once I was working with a hive. When through, and the hive was closed, the bees began to " call " at the entrance as they usually do in such cases. A swarm in the air hearing the call, came and entered the hive ; that is, would have done so if I had not prevented. A queenless swarm never swarms as compactly as a nor- mal one. The cluster is irregular, and has a more or less ragged shape, changing constantly. The bees are much more restless, and move continually. A queenless swarm will also fly slower, and closer to the ground, than a normal one. Neither will the bees fly as close together. MATING OF QUEENS. All that is very well — excluders and queen-traps will cer- tainly prevent the swarms from decamping, except, perhaps, when a strange swarm, passing by, might unite with one of your queenless swarms. But, by and by, some virgin queens will have to mate, and if some queenless swarm happened to be out at the same time, the whole outfit would go to the woods and never return — at least this would be nearly always the outcome of the meeting. I once had an exception. The queen brought the swarm to her own hive. I suppose they met after she was fecundated, and already on her way home. Very rarely a swarm issues after 3 o'clock p.m. The best is to remove the excluders only from that time until night, and only when the apiarist is present ; then should a swarm issue, it could be taken care of. Sometimes a queen has not yet returned when the apiarist closes the excluders and goes home. That does not matter ; she will stay on the excluder, outside, and be taken care of by the bees, even for several days, and be just as good. QUEENS PASSING THROUGH THE ZINC, or rather not passing through the perforated queen-excluding zinc — we must be careful in our conclusions on this point. As I stated above, a queen caught in a trap, will eventually go back through the cones, and we might think that she has passed through the zinc. Sometimes there is a hole some- where— a cover warped, leaving a crack at one corner; a zinc bent somewhere. My hive-bottoms are made of two pieces or more. The ends, exposed to the weather, do not shrink much, but the part under the hive being kept dry, shrinks sometimes enough to leave a crack between the two pieces big enough for any queen to go through. Knoxville, Tenn. An Eventful Visit to an Out-Apiary. BY C. P. DADANT. Let me warn the reader, at the outset, that I have no in- formation of any value to give him in this article. Perhaps some of you will say that this is no news, and that you took it for granted at the start. But, if I succeed in making you laugh at my expense, my object will be attained ; and let me say that I vouch for the truth of all that I am about to relate. Some six or eight years ago I took a trip to the South, and went to visit a brother bee-keeper living less than a thousand miles from St. Louis. He is a nice, warm-hearted fellow, very enthusiastic over all that he does, and he welcomed me heart- ily. I arrived there on Saturday evening, and after examin- ing his bees, his Heddon hives and his large hives, which he was then testing side by side, he took me into his home, where I made the acquaintance of his old mother, a nice, gray-haired lady with the genteel manners of well-bred New England folks. I was royally treated, and the next morning my friend, whom I will call X, so as not to hurt his modesty, proposed to me to take a trip to his out-apiary, four miles away. This apiary had been established but a short time, and I concluded that he was taking a pride in showing me that others could have out-apiaries as well as ourselves. But it was not out of bee-keeping pride that he wanted to go there, as I found later. X was a single man, and there was a young lady, living in the neighborhood of that apiary, whom he evidently felt required to visit every Sunday. It was a raw March day ; the roads, well — there was no bottom to them. X had a nice, new top-buggy and a neat, fiery little bay mare which had but one fault— she was balky. She could go " like the wind ;" in fact, it was of no use to hold her, for go she must, and if you tried to slacken her pace she would stop and stay there, quite a little while longer than you liked. So we started at full speed, in the mud, but the buggy was good, and we had a storm-apron that kept the flying slop out of our faces. In due time — no, I mean before due time, for the horse galloped all the way — we reached the apiary, some 60 or 80 colonies nicely arranged in rows on a hillside. Aud, of course, your humble servant got acquainted with a very nice young lady, who he felt sure would be a bee-keeper's wife some day not very far distant. When the hour came for retracing our steps towards the city, Mr. X inquired of the host in regard to another route, which had been less in use, and which they seemed to think would be less muddy than the much-traveled road through which we had come. This route was a sort of a private road, and consequently less traveled. There was one stream to ford — " Wood river" — which might be swelled by the recent thaw, but our host assured us it was "all right." So we started down the valley, and soon got to the edge of Wood river — a slow and quiet stream, probably 30 feet in width, running its smooth and muddy course noiselessly among the willows. " What do you think of it?" said X. "Bah, it is surely safe enough," said I ; accustomed as I was to the noisy torrents of our county, this little stream did not seem to have a foot of water in it. In went our horse with a rush, and we instantly found ourselves in four feet of water, and there the horse — balked. That buggy was not very high, and we had water on the seat, so we stood up, or rather stooped up under the top, waiting for the horse to start. Did you ever have to wait for a balky horse to change his mind, yourself knee-deep in the water, with an unknown quantity of the same muddy beverage on either side, wishing for dry weather? If so, you have a faint idea of our feelings. After a few minutes X tried to coax the horse forward, but only succeeded in getting her to plunge in such a fashion that she entirely disappeared under the water for a few sec- onds, and took us about ten feet down the stream and out of the main track. It was then next to impossible to turn back into the main road without backing, even with a steady horse, for the stream was narrow and the banks very steep. Backing with this horse was out of the question. We began to seri- ously consider the necessity of wading to shore. X is a gen- tleman all over, and when he saw me look at my traveling suit, knowing I did not have my entire wardrobe along with me, he concluded that I should not soil my clothes — he bravely took off his coat and vest, fastened them in the only dry place in reach — the brace of the buggy-top — and jumped into the water. " Now," said he, "there is no use of two of us getting wet; I am strong enough to carry you to shore." And so he did, though I felt a little ashamed of accepting such a gen- erous offer. Then he returned to the horse and unhitched her. When she found herself free, the little mare quietly walked to shore. Then X hitched himself at the shafts and tried to pull the buggy out, but the bank was steep, and the bottom was sandy, so he had to tie one of the lines to the shaft and hand the other end to me, and by the efforts of both, the rig was at last on shore, but full of water. That buggy was new, as I said before, and held water like a tub. We had nothing to bail it out with, and houses were too far away. So we upset the bqggy to take out the water ; but, unfortunately, we forgot to remove the coat aud vest that were fastened to it, and spilled the contents on the two garments. Still we were not out of our trouble, for, after having hitched up and started off, we found that the by-road that we had taken had teen lately fenced in, in two different places. Luckily these were of the old-style of worm fences, and with a few minutes' delay we managed to get through. We soon reached the city, where a good fire and a hearty supper awaited us. A temporary change of garments, es- pecially of foot-wear, soon set matters right. The kind hos- pitality of X, and of his aged mother, I will not forget, neither will he, nor I, readily forget our experience in Wood river. Hamilton, 111. P. S. — Let me add that X has since married the young lady who was the indirect cause of this eventful trip. C. P. D. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 53 A Visit Among Some Utah Bee- Keepers. BY E. S. LOVESY. At this writing I am located up near the clouds, near the top of the Wasatch Mountains. I came out here thinking to take a rest and to visit an uncle that I had not seen for over 26 years, but as soon as I stepped off the cars at Echo, in Summit county, I walked into Mr. Hopkins' store, to inquire about Uncle Blackwell, when I was greeted whitb a hearty hand-grasp, and an " Oh, yes, you are one of our prominent bee-keepers, I believe !" I admitted that I owned some bees. So I was taken in tow by the bee-keepers of Summit and Mor- gan counties, and while I came out here without even think- ing about bees or bee-keepers, and although I was taken by surprise, I have had a pleasant time visiting the bee-keepers in the different townships, and a more kind, generous lot of people I never met. We held two bee-meetings — one in Croydon county and one in Morgan — and the result was the organization of the Morgan County Bee-Keepers' Association, Dec. 5, 1S95. The officers of the association are: President, T. R. G. Welch ; Vice-President-at-large, Robert Hogg ; Secretary, David Cool- heds; and P. A. Jackman Vice-President of north Morgan county. Very interesting sessions were held, and many sub- jects discussed. I was called on, and talked about how to make our bees profitable. I tried to show that with proper management bee-keeping is one of the best paying industries in Utah. Dear old Uncle Blackwell, now nearly 81 years of age, is about the only one left that links us with our bee-keeping days in old Gloucestershire, nearly half a century ago. He re- minded me of the days when I was a little bee-keeper. I used to watch the bees, and when they swarmed I often fancy even now that I hear the racket I used to make with a cobble-stone and a tin pan in trying to settle them. Uncle B. asked my opinion about trying to settle bees by this method. Like my- self, he cannot see how it can affect the bees, unless it is pos- sible to make enough noise to drive them off ! There are many people who believe in it now. Last year a bee-keeper followed a swarm of bees into our garden with a tin pan, but I believe it was the hives more than the pan that attracted them. I have generally been successful in settling swarms by throw- ing water or sand among them ; it confuses, and thus causes them to settle. We have had a very interesting time talking about those bee-keeping days of the long ago. My father made his money off of pork and bees, and that brought us to this land of the free. The bees were destroyed with sulphur before the honey was taken out of the hive. The hives were made of straw twisted like a rope, and sewed together with fine willows. In shape they were round, and oval on top. In winter each hive was thatched with straw from four to six inches thick, gath- ered tightly together at the top and trimmed even around the bottom. Bees never died in winter put up in this way, as long as there was any honey in the hive, because it gave the re- quirements necessary for the successful wintering of bees, viz.: It kept them warm and dry, and absorbed all moisture. The past three weeks I have visited a number of bee- keepers in this and other counties, and I have found many hives with those everlasting tight covers. The frames are moldy, and the bees are like a man would be if he were dip- ped into a mill-pond in the month of January ; then when the temperature gets down towards zero the bees cannot leave the cluster to seek food, and thus they smother with foul air and die of starvation. I have put up my bees something after this method, using lucern instead of straw, and they appear to be all right. I have had a grand time visiting my uncle, and also among the bee-keepers here. There is just enough snow to make sleighing agreeable. The people do most of their travel- ing up here about three months of the year, with the merry sleigh-bells jingling, while in Salt Lake City we seldom get more than a week of sleighing weather, and sometimes not that much. All the settlements in Morgan county are nestled in three not very large valleys, and surrounded entirely by the grand old Wasatch Mountains. As we enter from the east by way ol^ Echo, we pass through what is called "The Narrows," where the mountains on each side come down into the river bed and the Union Pacific railway track — it is the same as we come in from the lower end of the valley, from Ogden or the west. But between those points the valleys widen out,and here we find one fine city and nine other settlements — a prettier spot in sum- mer, or a more healthy place it would be hard to find on the globe. There is said to be over 500 colonies of bees in and around Morgan city, and if there is finer honey in the world than is gathered in those mountains I have not seen it. The people live mostly by farming, wool and stock raising. I now return to the great and only city called "Salt Lake." CONDUCTED BY DR. C. C. MILLER, AUmBNGO, ILL, [Questions may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct.] Quality of Catnip Honey. What quality of honey is produced from catnip ? The bees work on it more than anything else in this locality, but it is scarce. It remains a long time in bloom. W. J. M. Cedarville, Mo. Answer. — Catnip has always had the reputation of a fine honey-plant, but I don't know whether any one has ever had a sample of pure catnip honey. I have an impression it is of good quality, but I have no positive knowledge. [I have seen honey that had quite a catnippy taste, and I rather liked it. It ought to be good for a colicky stomach I — 6. W. Y.] When to Move tiie Bees. I have a chance to buy 25 colonies of bees. When would you move them— when it is good sleighing, or wait until spring ? F. A. S. Shavertown, Pa. Answer. — It would be very nice if you could move them on a very cold day with good sleighing, and then have the next day a fine warm day with plenty of flowers for the bees to work upon. But as that can't be had, and as it's a bad thing to disturb bees without allowing them a chance for a flight soon after, I think you will do better to wait till spring. Starlins in Bee-Keeping and Maiiing it Pay. 1. Suppose I wish to have an income from the bees of $500, about how many colonies would you think I should have? I mean this to apply to a man of reasonable intelli- gence, close application, and the second or third year of the work, 2. Would the care of this number be more than I could stand ? This is like asking the size of a piece of chalk. Per- haps the question would be more intelligible if I said I could do as much physical work as an average woman. My present intention is to get two or three colonies in the spring, and try them the coming summer. If we suit each other, the apiary can be started after that. I cannot afford to venture much. Inquirer. Answer. — I've done more than the usual amount of thinking as to how best to answer your questions so as not to mislead, for such questions are very hard to answer. But I'll do the best I can. Answering your second question first, I think you would have no trouble on the score of strength, providing you were sure of good crops every year. And I may as well say in the first place that the greatest trouble comes from the element of uncertainty as to crops. Worse than all, crops are more uncertain of late years than they were formerly. If you had asked me the same questions 20 years ago, I could have answered with less hesitation, and could, or at least would, have given you a more definite an- swer than I dare to do now. But I'm afraid some disappoint- ment might have followed on depending upon my answers. Twenty years ago I said no one ought to embark in bee-keep- ing as his sole business unless he had enough ahead to stand an entire failure of the crop for one year. At present I should change the one year to two or three, and I should hardly advise any one to drop everything else for bee-keeping unless he had enough ahead to need but a small income from 54 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 23, the bees. Of course there may come another change, and the next ten years may be better than the past ten. Your private letter e.xp!ains to me that you are near a large city where there is much vacant land and plenty of sweet clover. I feel more uncertain how to reply than if you said you lived miles from any town or city, and yet the un- certainty leads rather to the hopeful side, for without know- ing anything very definitely about it, I suspect that in such a place as you occupy there may be more uniformity of crops than the average. I have a good deal of faith in a big lot of sweet clover, and should count on rather greater uniformity in its performance than in the average of honey-plants. As to how many colonies you should have to secure an income of $500, the easiest way is to answer that I don't know. But I'll give you some points upon which an answer would be based. It is possible to have a crop of 100 pounds or more from each colony in a good season. Supposing it was comb honey and you got 15 cents a pound for it, that would be $15 per colony. It is also possible to have not only no sur- plus, but to have to spend .$1.00 or more per colony to get the bees through winter and spring. Now averaging the minus dollar with the $15 gives $7 per colony, and at that rate it would require a fraction more than 71 colonies to allow an expectation of $50 annually. There are the figures for you, and I've confidence enough in your abilities as an accountant to see that they're all straight. The old saying is that figures won't lie, but between you and me this is one of the cases in which they will lie egregiously. The fact is, that it isn't an even chance between 100 pounds and a dead fail- ure, but the failure comes oftener than the hundred pounds, and when it isn't a failure it's more likely to be a low figure than somewhere near the hundred mark. To make something of a guess guided by what has been for a few years past, I should say that instead of 71 you would need from 150 to 200. I'm afraid that would be rather more work than you ought to undertake. I said there would be no trouble on the score of strength, providing you were sure of good crops every year. For in that case you'd need to keep less than 100 colonies. I think you might take care of that many, but more than a hundred raightswamp you. Now I haven't given you a very satisfactory answer, but you see it's a good deal like saying how many fish you can catch daily in the Chicago river. Your plan of starting with two or three colonies to make the trial is the eminently wise one. IVants Crimson Clover Seed. I wish a sample package of your crimson clover seed, and a price-list telling how you sell it. I am thinking about going into the bee-business, and if so I will sow a large field of it. Longtown, Minn. R. R. P. Answer. — Bless your heart, I haven't any seed to sell, or anything else of the various things I write about that bee- keepers use. But you'll find crimson clover seed at the seed- stores almost anywhere. I think it has also been advertised in the bee-papers. [No doubt very soon there will appear in the advertising columns of the Bee Journal, notices from various seed-firms, to whom all should apply if you desire any- thing in the seed line. — Editors.] Tivo Questions and Two Guesses. I use the dovetail hive with Hoffman self-spacing frames. I packed my bees in dry leaves about the middle of November, by making a rough box large enough to hold three hives, put- ting a stroug colony on each outside and a nucleus in the cen- ter, setting them close together. The box was large enough to pack three or four inches of leaves between it and the hives. There is a tunnel at the entrances of the hives. 1. A week or ten days after I packed my bees, I found one of the queens dead on the alighting-board in front of the hive. What caused her death ? 2. One of my neighbors had a large colony of bees, and he found them all dead a few days ago. They were on the summer stands, and had lots of honey. What caused their death ? E. B. T. Wallaceton, Pa., Dec. 31. Answers. — 1. This is another of those questions which can only be answered by a guess without more particulars. It's very much like giving a doctor a question like this : " A man was found dead on Jan. 5, in Chicago. What caused his death?" The manner of packing may and may not have had something to do with the queen's death. For if the entrances were very close together, and especially if the position of the hives at the time of packing was so changed as to throw bees into the wrong hives, then the strange bees may have had something to do with the death of the queen. 2. Another conundrum to be answered only by a guess. One of the most probable guesses is that the colony was queen- less, and without the owner's having noticed it, it had grad- ually become reduced in numbers until almost all gone, and then the first cold-snap finished the few very old bees that were left. ^ Bees Tlirowinj? Out their Young. In September I had a colony of bees that would carry out the young ones of their hive, some of them being dead and some alive. What was the cause ? G. E. L. Morocco, Ind. Answer. — It might be the work of worms. The worms burrow their way along the base of the cells, and in digging after them the bees throw out the brood and young bees. Probably the brood is injured by the worms, and that of itself would make the bees throw it out. A Queen tbat Left the Hive in Winter Out-Doors. I was puzzled yesterday, while passing through my apiary, when I noticed the hive-cover had been left on the ground, and on it was my best golden Italian queen (a clipped one). She was cold and unable to crawl. She had been out all night in a heavy rain and wind. I recognized her as the queen of hive No. 6, by the manner in which I had clipped her wing. I had not handled her hive for several days, and cannot account for her leaving the hive. Her colony is a good one, with plenty of stores. I put the queen back into her hive, and the bees balled her immediately. This was at 9 a.m., Dec. 24. At sundown I looked after her, and saw she was yet in a ball of bees. At 9 a.m. to-day (Dec. 25) I found her all right. Have you any idea why she left the hive ? Subscriber. Answer. — I don't know. If any of the brethren or sisters know, such an one will please take the floor. Several Eggs in a Cell — Queens Carrying Brood — Hive and Frame Dimensions. Foul 1. I wish to know what is the matter, or what caused the queens in two of my colonies to lay five or six eggs in one cell when there was plenty of room in the brood-nest. Was she too old ? She was not a drone-layer, for what eggs hatched and matured produced workers, and the queens were nice, large ones. I have several good bee-books, and can't find a case like it described. 2. Will I have to requeen them in the spring ? 3. Do you think queens from foul-broody colonies would carry the disease ? 4. What are the dimensions of the inside of the standard Langstroth hive, and the length of the top-bar of the Hoffman brood-frame ? D. E. D. Whittington, Ind. Answers. — 1. With just the light you give on the case I should suspect that there were too few bees to cover enough brood to suit the queen. She will not lay outside of the space covered by the bees, and if the bees are too few there is noth- ing but for her to lay a second time in the same cell. 2. If the plurality of eggs in a cell came from the small number of bees, it's rather an indication of a good queen, and no indication that she should be replaced. 3. I think no one has yet reported a case in which the disease was carried by the queen, and a number of cases have been reported in which a queen from a foul-broody colony was given to a healthy colony with no bad results. That's pretty strong evidence, if not entirely conclusive, that the disease will not be carried by a queen. 4. I suppose the dovetail is as nearly a standard Lang- stroth as anything, and the inside measure of that is lS?aX- 12 Js, and O^.l inches deep. The top-bar of Hoffman frame is 19J< inches. %W I firmly believe that better results can be obtained where bees swarm, than would be the case if we could breed out the swarming trait. — Doolittle. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 55 TEgprmTTTTTr iflN5TllE|EEi»APB3 Liquefying Honey In Fackag'es. R. C. Aikin says in Progressive : " My experiments have proven that honey can very easily and successfully be liquefied by dry heat, and without any very complicated fixtures. Jelly- glasses, jars, bottles, pails, or any kind of vessel, labels and all, may be put into an oven or hot chamber and liquefied without damage. I see no reason why we may not have a cheap sealing retail package, the honey put into it from the extractor, and never again opened till it is wanted for the table. The hot chamber can be used by large producers and by commission-houses to melt for those who so desire it ; but I see no reason why the near future may not see the consumer doing his own liquefiying, having printed instructions with each can. With such a plan, the honey could be put into shape for the retail trade at once upon extracting, the pack- ages put into a hot-air chamber if desired to be kept liquid, or there restored again to liquid state when marketed." New Weed Process of Sheeting Wax for Foundation. This is proving to be a great success. Yes, the new machine feeds a continuous sheet of wax, any thickness, from between a set of dies or parallel bars to any desired length — a mile long — without stopping, if need be. In practice, how- ever, the wax is rolled up upon bobbins holding about 25 pounds. These bobbins are then set in a set of bearings (in a vat of warm water), just back of the foundation-machine. The free end of the sheet is fed into the rolls, and, presto ! the whole bobbin of sheeted wax can be reeled off without stopping the mill. In practice, however, again, the founda- tion-mill reels off a length, and stops where the sheet is cut off. A pressure of the foot applies the power, starts the mill, and more is reeled off, and cut to the desired length. We have our plans laid, however, to run the wax through the mill, the whole 25 pounds, without stopping. An automatic cutting- off device will then in the meantime cut the sheets up into the required lengths. This is not all. A new and better product is secured. The wax, besides being of an absolutely even thickness, is much more beautiful and transparent. Indeed, some of it, even before it is milled, looks almost as transparent and beautiful as rock candy. Nor is this all — it is tougher and yet more pliable. — Gleanings. Bee-Keeping in England. My opinion is that bee-keeping will, in a few years' time, resolve itself into a specialty here as in America, rather than in a wide-spread application of modern methods. The trend of things commercial lies in that direction, and honey-pro- ducing will follow suit. Trade demands are also engendering the output of a uniform article. In the past, producers of a few pounds of honey had a difficulty in selling, whereas larger quantities have been salable when a regular supply of uniform quality can be depended on by the trader. This has been my experience. — Wm. Woodley, in British Bee Journal. Fixing Prices in the Home SEarket. G. M. Doolittle gives some excellent advice about market- ing honey, among other things advising to sell in the home market if you can get within a cent a pound of what it will bring you when shipped, on commission. For the benefit of some, it may be well to mention the exceptional cases that sometimes occur when ihere is a failure of the crop in your own locality. Suppose your home market requires 5,00U pounds, and you have secured only 2,000 pounds, and no other is to be had nearer than the city market. Looking at the market reports you find it quoted at 14 cents. Deducting freight and commission you find you will have less than 13 cents left ; considering all risks as to breakage, etc., you will do well to count that a cent less ; or 12 cents in your home market will be as well as, or better, than to ship to the city. So you sell your 2,000 pounds at home for §240. The merchants of your town must send to the city for an ad- ditional 3,000 pounds, and freight and risk is such that it costs them, besides the 14 cents paid in the city, an additional cent or more. Indeed, they would rather pay 15 cents cash, delivered at the store, than to send to the city. Is there any justice in paying 15 cents tor the 3,000 pounds, and giving you only 12 for the 2,000? I don't see any reason why you should not have the 15 cents, and thus put $60 more in your pocket. So when the crop is such that your home market must be partly supplied from the city market, you should get in your home market at least the full amount of the price quoted in the city market. — Dr. C. C. Miller, in Gleanings. It Pays to Use Plenty of Foundation. In the honey season, and in the same day, if you take the three first swarms, each weighing about six pounds, and put one in an empty hive, another in a hive filled with foundation, and the third in a hive filled with nice, bright combs, to which a half story of choice combs is to be added, about how much extracted honey would you get from each colony in the first 12 days, if the season was a good one? This question can be answered better after some fair testing has been done. In the meantime I will make a guess and say, nothing from the colony that had all its own combs to make; 20 pounds from the one that had its hive filled with foundation, and 45 pounds from the colony furnished with plenty of combs. The colony with its combs made out of foundation would be worth .^1.25 more for real business every year than one that made its own sort of combs. — Wm. McEvoy, in Canadian Bee Journal. Upward Ventilation Not Needed. F. A. Gemmill, in Canadian Bee Journal, after speaking of the usual wintering plans says: "The above arrangement was for some years practiced by myself, until by degrees the clean or new quilt was abandoned and the old propolized one allowed to remain ; it being composed of thick cotton-duck, and as a general thing completely coated with propolis to the extent that it might be considered water-proof. "Gradually, however, even those quilts were becoming less and less used, especially on colonies worked for comb honey, and the flat wood cover with the bee-space underneath used in their stead. The packing being spread over and above this cover in the same manner as above the quilts. " Fearing that a solid sealed cover (as near as the bees could make it so) would be a detriment, I in some instances loosened them, and also left a 'g-inch space at the back end, so that the moisture could find exit through the leaves above. "Experimenting in the direction indicated, I soon found that a clean quilt was not a necessity, nor was anything at all required but the wood cover, and that did not have to be dis- turbed, as if upward ventilation was actually necessary, that such a cover with 10 inches of forest leaves on top permitted all that appeared requisite. Artificial Bee-Pasture. When the drought seasons began, farmers tried to supply their bees with pasture by sowing Alsike clover and buck- wheat. While Alsike and red clover have helped the bee- business along to a large extent, until the severe drought of 1893-94 had finished up this business, buckwheat has not secreted nectar in Iowa for the last four years, as 1 have made examination; in fact, 1 have made this a study in Pennsylva- nia, where the writer was born and kept bees. Buckwheat was the main fall crop for bees, while Iowa soil and buck- wheat are no good. My first experience was made in good faith by furnishing a lot of seed to a farmer not far from my apiary; he was to have the crop of buckwheat, and I was to take or have the honey the bees might gather from it. Of course I was very anxious for the farmer to sow every foot of ground he could prepare and felt very enthusiastic of my pros- pects, as I had full confidence of a large honey crop, but my hopes were blasted— not a pound was gathered. Other tests have 1 made with much the same result. I do not know of anything, nor would I recommend anything, that could be profitably planted for bees, unless alfalfa or lucerne. This might in some localities, but I doubt whether it would prove profitable in Iowa. Sweet clover is a good honey-secreting plant, and will stand the drought and cold weather in Iowa, and were it of much use for anything but honey, perhaps it might be profitably cultivated in almost any State. What may spring up we do not know, but the bee-business is not now on the booming side of a livelihood. — J. W. Bitten- BENDBR, in Agricultural Epitomist. See " Bee-Keeper's Guide" offer on page 64. 56 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 23, (S T. OLDEST BCE PAPER •IN A^RrCA PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY GEORGE W. YORK & COMPANY, Editors and Proprietors, 56 Fittli Avezixxe, - CHICAGO, ILL. REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS : G. M. Boolittle, of Nbw York. Prof. A. J. Cook, of California. Dr. C. c. Miller, of Illinois. Dr. J. P. H. Brown, of Georgia. J. H. Martin, of California. Rev. E. T. Abbott, of Missouri. Chas. Dadant & Son, of Illinois. $1.00 a Year— Sample Copy Sent Free. (Entered at tbe P08^0fflce at Chicago as Second-Class Mail-Matter.] VoiniVI, CHICAGO, ILL, JAN. 23, 1896, No. 4, A Free Bee-BooU.— Gleanings for Jan. 1, -jiakes favorable mention of Government Bulletin No. 1, entitled, " The Honey-Bee : a Manual of Instruction in Apiculture. By Frank Benton." It was to be ready for distribution by the Department of Agriculture in a few days at 15 cents per copy ; stamps not taken. Editor Root speaks very highly of it. So far we have seen nothing of it. The Bee-Keepers' Union Report will be found on page Sit of this number of the Bee Journal. Mr. Newman always gets out a very interesting " annual message," showing the results of the conflicts of the year preceding, and the financial condition of the Union. This latter is in good shape, as will be seen— so that those who paid their dues for 1895 will not need to pay any for 1896, unless it is found necessary later on, which, in all probability, will not be the case. Read that 11th Annual Report, and then if you are not now a member of the Union, send your $1.00 to the General Manager— Thomas G. Newman, 147 South Western Ave., Chicago, III. *—*■ Sellingf Honey on Commission.— We have just been talking with the head of what we consider the largest firm of Chicago honey-dealers, about selling honey on commission. We asked particularly about the amount or per cent, charged for handling honey, and his reply was, that on a shipment which sells for less than §100 gross, their rule was to charge 10 per cent. On any shipment selling for over §100, they deduct 5 per cent, for their commission. We be- lieve this is about right. The gentleman referred to above, agreed with us in think- ing Chicago the principal honey-distributing point in this country. As nearly as we are able to learn (and we believe it is not far out of the way), since the season for shipping honey opened for 1895, there have been shipped to the Chi- cago market up to this time, about 60 carloads. That means about 600 tons, or 1,200,000 pounds of honey. And that would be only about one pound for each person living in Chicago ! Surely that one pound wouldn't last very long — say probably a week. Then something like 50 times this amount might be consumed here every year, if it were properly distributed among the people. Bee-keepers have a great work ahead of them, if the pub- lic is ever to be educated to use honey as it deserves to be used. Let every one do his share to popularize the consump- tion of the best sweet known — honey. -t—-^ "Satisfaction Guaranteed."— While many are preparing advertisements for the new year, we wish to give them a hint. It should be the aim of all supply dealers and queen-breeders to give entire satisfaction to all of their custo- mers, by giving " value received " for every dollar sent to them for goods — but no one can guarantee that every customer will be satisfied. Will those interested " take the hint," and en- deavor to avoid complaints by "doing unto others" just as you would have them do to you ? That " rule " is " worth its weight in gold." No wonder, for 'tis but the " Golden Rule." Resolve that it shall be the "rule" of your life this year. You will be happier, and so will all with whom you meet or do business. Honey-Production in Germany. — An ex- change says that it should be noted that in Germany little comb honey is produced, there being for the greater part no market for it. From the hives with fixed combs the Ijest honey that is obtained is what is called " run honey," and it approaches extracted honey very nearly in quality. The crushed combs are placed in a seive or a trough, and the honey permitted to run o£f. What remains is gently heated and strained. Extracted honey and " run honey " are sold on the average for 25 cents per pound, the "strained honey" 12 to 13 cents per pound. Come honey and extracted are the same in price. The honey is gathered chiefly from fruit- bloom, rape, esparcette, acacia or honey-locust, linden, corn- flower, etc. '■ *—-*• 9Ir. Sutherland's Apiary, so nicely shown on the first page of this number, was photographed in August, ] 895. Mr. S. writes this about it : In the foreground you will see my wife, daughter and my- self, while farther back is my son sitting in the buggy. On the left a portion of the house is shown ; next is the wood- house, then the top of the barn is seen over the peach-trees, while at the right is the poultry-house. I was born in Bainbridge, Mich., Oct. 10, 1851, and with the exception of a few months at a time I have always lived with- in the township. I first began bee-keeping in 1873, in com- pany with my brother-in-law, with a few colonies, and increased to 30, then lost all with dysentery in the winter of 1875. In the fall of 1883 I found two bee-trees, transferred the bees into hives, and those, with two others, died in the winter of 1884. Then I was without bees until July 7, 1889, when a run-away swarm settled on a tree in the front yard. I hived them, and bought one colony in the spring. I have 20 colonies now, after selling 10. In 1885 a man moved here with an apiary : he was tak- ing another bee-paper, in which I found the advertisement of the American Bee Journal, for which I then subscribed. I should not know what to do without the Bee Journal now. Henry Sutherland. Selling- Anotber's Honey.— In regard to what has appeared in the Bee Journal for Oct. 17, 189.5, page 675, and in a recent number. Dr. Miller has this to say : In the Question-Box was asked a question, some of the answers to which might be understood as intimating, if not plainly stating, that it was all right to buy other people's honey and sell it as honey produced in your own apiary. It was a mistake to answer without noting more clearly the bearing of the question, for when carefully examined the question asks : " Would it be right " " to make my customers believe " a thing that is not true? Put just in that shape perhaps not one in the lot would have answered in the afBrm- 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 57 ative, and evidently the majority so understood it, as they answered in the negative. Then the racy reviewer of the Review preached a sermon upon it, and made a mistalie in making just the deductions and applications he did upon his text, or at least in nialving his statements so that a man usually so clear-headed as B. Taylor could make the mistake of saying to Hasty, on page 20, "You hold up to the public gaze seven of your brother bee-keepers to the charge of Rascal." For it is a mistake to understand that Hasty calls those seven men rascals. Then it was a mistake for Mr. Taylor to go to calling names just because he thought some one else was doing it. For that has no bearing on the case. Finally, the editor, on page 2-i, makes the same mistake as some of the repliers in misappre- hending the question. He speaks of the correctness of the " advice to buy and sell another bee-keeper's honey when your own crop is all disposed of." Of course, that's all right, Mr. Editor, but that isn't at all the point upon which the ques- tioner asks light, unless I am making a mistake bigger than that made by any one else. If I at all understand the ques- tion, it is this : " Would it be right for me to buy honey from others and sell it, provided I should put my name on it and make my customers believe it is from my apiary ?" Mr. Hasty having finished his sermon, let me add a short exhortation: Brethren, bee-keepers are, in the main, a pretty good set of men, and mean to do about the straight thing. Like others, they sometimes make mistakes, and it's all right to speak out and speak the truth, but please don't forget the injunction about " speaking the truth in love." C. C. Miller. Replying to the question in your second paragraph, we should say : No^ sir; it is not rUjht to deceive under any ctr- cumstances. No bee-keeper need try to make customers be- believe the bought honey came from his own apiary, for any reasonable customer wouldn't care a fig where the honey came from, so long as he was satisfied of its purity. We are willing to say again, and over and over, that it is the proper thing for bee-keepers to buy honey to supply their customers, when their crop is all disposed of. If customers ask about the honey, tell them the truth, of course; it they don't care enough to ask about it, we say : Go ahead, and sell them all the good, pure honey you can get them to eat. Good 'Word for the Bee-Papers.— Somnam- bulist, who writes so charmingly for the Progressive Bee- Keeper, had this to say lately : Friends, have you noted the efforts that the different editors of the several bee-journals are and have been making to give us acceptable and attractive matter ? Regardless of the generable hard times financially, and the especial hard times apiculturally — in the face of business failure, north, east, south and west, undaunted they stand at their posts and issue to us just as much in quantity, and of just as good quality, as when times were at their best. These thoughts were forced upon me while noting the rounding-up numbers of 1895. Thank you, Sommy. We believe if all the bee-keepers, regardless of all discouragements, would help the bee-papers as enthusistically as their publishers are trying to do their duty, every bee-paper would have twice as large a list of sub- scribers as they now have. But we don't complain, for our friends have been very good to us and the American Bee Journal, and we sincerely appreciate it. And we have such confidence in them that we believe they will yet do more for the " Old Reliable " and its publishers. Xlie "Vermont State Con-vention will be held Jan. 29 and 30, 1896, at the Van Ness House, in Burlington. It will be the 21st annual convention. A splendid program has been arranged. Reduced hotel and railroad rates. Better go, if you can. Address C. W. Fisher, Secretary, 97 Cherry St., Burlington, Vt., for further information. Every Present Subscriber of the Bee Journal should be an agent for it, and get all others possible to sub- scribe for it. CONUnCTED BY DR. J. P. H. BROWX^, AUGUSTA. GA, [Please send all questions relating to bee-keeping In the South direct to Dr. Brown, and he will answer in this department.— Eds. 1 Report of tlie International Bee-Keepers' Con- gress at Atlanta, Oa., Dec. 4 and 5, 1895. (Continued from page 43.) Mrs. L. Harrison, Peoria, HI., read the following essay on Bee-Keeping for "Women. How many women say to themselves, " O if I could only earn some money, and spend it just as I want to, without hav- ing to give an account of it ! If I could earn the money my- self I would take a little recreation— go to the sea-shore or the mountains, and get something new to think about." A lady who had traveled the world over, and had every- thing she desired that money would buy, was asked what had given her the greatest pleasure ; she replied : " A few dollars that I once earned." Representative women from different sections of this great land of ours would have been present with us to-day could they have earned the necessary funds. There are many avenues of emolument open to young women ; they are teachers, bookkeepers, typewriters, and many find employment in manufacturing-plants. The number of occupations open to women have increased from TO to more than 500 in less than iO years. The want is something that home-keepers can do to earn money. There was a wide field open to the ingenuity of our grandmothers. Tbey spun wool, cotto.i and Qax, dyed and wove, cut and made garments, but now the inventive genius of man has superseded this with nimbled-fingered machinery. Butter and cheese are made at factories. The ever busy mind of woman must now seek other avenues for the exercise of her faculties. There is much more in a colony of bees than the honey and wax they represent. They offer to any intelligent and in- qusitive mind a rich field of thought. Nature is rich in re- sources, and the honey-bees are in close relation with it. Sex in plants is now attracting more attention than formerly, and bees act as marriage-priests ; while gathering the pollen to make the bee-bread for their brood, they disseminate the father dust from flower to flower. The cultivation of the honey-bee opens up a new world to a woman of inquiring mind, for every plant that grows possesses new interest to her, for it may mean dollars and cents to her purse. The little, modest white clover, wherever it rears its head, is petted and caressed, as it holds within its petals nectar, fit food for the gods. There is a lesson to be learned from the inmates of the hive. '• So work the honey-bee- Creatures, that by a rule in Nature teach The art ol order to a peopled kingdom." The government of a colony of bees is all in the hands of the females, and a woman may gain inspiration by its study as to how best to manage her household. When the young bee issues from its cell, weak and downy, it has not strength to roam the fields, and carry heavy loads of honey and pollen- it is then given the care of the young, to feed and nourish; digest the food and feed the queen and drones; secrete wax and build the comb ; and is daily given a play-spell in the open air to locate its hive, and gain strength for the heavy labors of the field. The office of the queen is no sinecure, as she lays at her best 3,000 eggs a day, and, let her reproductive powers fail, her throne is given to another, for their law is like that of the Medes and Persians, which change not— the greatest good to the greatest number. Bee-culture opens an avenue for woman which has long been a want, as it gives to her the means of acquiring money in the retirement of her home, and at the same time look after the comfort of her household. Bee-culture requires no great outlay of strength at any one time ; but to be a success there must be a faithful performance of many little items. Any 58 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 23, woman who can make a perfect loaf of bread can, having a good location, make bee-culture a success, as she realizes the importance of performing all the manipulations of the colony at the exact time. Bee-culture requires no outlay for land upon which to raise crops, for as yet there has been no plant discovered that pays to plant for honey alone. The honey-bee is a benefactor to our race, roaming the fields at will gathering honey and pollen, which it pays for in the fertilization of the flowers. She takes nothing from the fertility of the soil, but gives to it one of the greatest fertilizers known — the clovers — which would become extinct if it were not for her agency in fertiliz- ing the bloom. No land is required except a spot on which to place the hives. I knew a poor woman who occupied the sec- ond story of a tenement in a large city, and had no place to set her hives except upon a slanting roof. Her few hives, kept under such disadvantages, added materially to her slender in- come. I know of another lady who invested $600 in bees, hives, and patented fixtures, who realized nothing for her ex- penditure. She had read a sensational story of a fortune being made in bee-keeping, and invested her means without knowledge, and entrusted the care of her apiary to a person who knew nothing of bees, but that " they stung and gathered honey." Bee-culture is a science requiring study and thought. Women have made a success in bee-culture, and what woman has done woman can do. Two young women attending a boarding school suddenly found themselves thrown upon their own resources. Their father's fortune had flown, and with it his mind. In a log house, upon a little clearing in Michigan woods they engaged in bee-culture, and from its source supported their invalid parents, and obtained means of erecting a good home, surrounded not only with the com- forts, but the elegancies of life. Mrs. Sherman, a grand, noble woman of Texas, left a widow with an only son, reared and educated him, at the same time caring for an aged father by the culture of bees and poultry. Women of the South, of education and means, would do much good by engaging in bee-culture, and interesting less favored women in its pursuit. It is a panacea for those in feeble health, taking them out into the open air, where, bask- ing in the glorious sunshine amid flowers and the happy hum of industry, they will forget their aches and pains. When they uncover a colony of bees, and breathe in the aroma aris- ing from thousands of flowers, they will take on new life, for- get to worry and fret, singing instead, "Praise God from Whom all blessings flow." In conclusion, to the agriculturist and horticulturist, I would say, Remember that the busy little bee is your friend and co-worker. She is trebly a benefactor — shecauseth many blades of grass (I use the word in its broadest sense) to grow where none grew before; she multiplieth our fruits; she gathereth the richest of nectar to tickle our palates, and sooth our lungs ; she toileth early and late, and at the close of her brief but useful life, she asketh neither grave nor monument. Let a grateful people write her obituary. Mks. L. Harrison. beeswax production — tall vs. square sections. At the present price of honey and beeswax, would it not be profitable to produce beeswax as a primary product of the apiary? A. F. Brown said with honey at 5 cents and wax at 25 cents, it will pay to produce wax. What advantage, if any, has a tall section over a square one? This question was discussed at length in the affirma- tive by Mr. Danzenbaker. He contended you could get more honey from tall sections than square ones, because they em- braced more space ; the bees enter them more readily ; the combs built are more secure ; and they command a better price in the market. FREIGHT RATE ON EXTRACTED HONET. At the evening session the first question taken up was : " Should the freight rate on extracted honey be higher than on syrup ? If not, what may we do to have them put on a par in this line ?" It was moved and carried that a committee of three be appointed to wait upon the railroad companies in reference to rates on honey. W. S. Hart, A. F. Brown and N. G. Osteen were put on the committee. SHIPPING AND PRODUCTION OF EXTRACTED HONEY. The discussion of the above question drifted to the best receptacle for shipping extracted honey. Mr« O. O. Poppleton stated that the barrels should be made out of cypress and waxed or paraffined. The amount of honey that soaks into unwaxed barrels would pay the cost of waxing. Only about a pound of paraffine is required. The barrel must be thoroughly seasoned, and made hot in the sun or by artificial heat ; the hoops driven up tight. The waxing material must be poured in hot and the hole closed. The hot wax expands the air which forces the wax into all the little holes. The barrel must be rolled over and turned around so all the inside gets covered. If the barrel is dry and hot, the wax will not peel off. The next question was: "In working for extracted honey what is the best way to keep brood from the combs in the second story ?" Someone answered that the brood did not interfere, and was not thrown out when large extractors were used and care taken. The following resolution was offered by N. G. Osteen, and seconded by W. S. Hart: To the Honorable Secretary of Agriculture : — The International Congress of bee-keepers, composed of representatives from ten different States of the Union, in ses- sion at Atlanta, Ga., Dec. 4 and 5, 1895, after discussion of the needs of apiculture in the line of investigation and expla- nation, and having come to the conclusion that the United States Department of Agriculture can very materially aid us, respectfully petition and recommend the establishment of a Division of Apiculture in the Department of Agriculture, charged with such investigations as might be expected to aid and develop this industry in the United States. The resolution was unanimously carried. It was the con- sensus of the Congress that bee-keepers should write their representatives at Washington, urging them to act in concert with the resolution. The report of the committee on resolutions was as follows : Resoli^ed, That the thanks of this Congress are due the Mayor and Board of Trade of this city for the use of their very comfortable and convenient Council Chamber for our meetings ; to the papers of Atlanta for publishing notices of our meetings, and a synopsis of the proceedings of the several sessions. Be it further Resolved, That the thanks of this body are due our officers for the able conduct of our meetings, and particularly are they due our worthy president, Dr. J. P. H. IJrown, who first conceived the idea of holding this Congress, and who has been the chief worker in perfecting plans and arrangements for its successful carrying out. A. I. Root, | O. O. Poppleton, y Committee. J. D. FOOSHE, ) A Ne'w Binder for holding a year's numbers of the American Bee Journal, we propose to mail, postpaid, to every subscriber who sends us 20 cents. It is called "The Wood Binder," is patented, and is an entirely new and very simple arrangement. Full printed directions accompany each Binder. Every reader should get it, and preserve the copies of the Bee Journal as fast as they are received. Why not begin with Jan. 1 to save them ? They are invaluable for reference, and at the low price of the Binder you can afford to get it yearly. If any one desires two of the Binders — one for 1895 and one for 1896 — send 80 cents, and they will be mailed to you. ■*-*-* Honey as Food and lUedicine. — A new and revised edition of this 33-page pamphlet is now issued. It has 5 blank pages on which to write or paste recipes taken from other sources. It is just what its name indicates, and should be liberally dis- tributed among the people everywhere to create a demand for honey. It contains a number of recipes on the use of honey as food and as medicine, besides much other interesting and valuable information. Prices, postpaid, are : Single copy, 5 cts. ; 10 copies 35 cts. ; 50 for $1.25 ; 100 for S3.00. Better give them a trial. Send all orders to the Bee Journal office. Back Xuiubers. — We have on hand a few back numbers of the Bee Journal for 1895, which we will mail to any one wishing them at 15 copies for 20 cents. They will all be different dates, but we have no complete sets for the year. Just send us 20 cents in stamps or silver, and we'll send you 15 copies. No doubt there are many new subscribers who will be glad to take advantage of this offer. All new sub- scriptions now begin with Jan. 1, 1896. Xtie Xames and Addresses of all your bee- friends, who are not now taking the Bee Journal, are wanted at this office. Send them in, please, when sample copies will be mailed to them. Then you can secure their subscriptions, and earn some of the premiums we have offered. The next few months will be just the time to easily get new sub- scribers. Try it earnestly, at least. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 59 THIRTY THOUSAND FOUNDS DEESWAX Is our present stock for this year's sales of Foundation. But still We Want more Beeswax and pay a good price. Don't Delay Ordering' Your FOUNDATION. You will pay more by and by than you would now. Remember that we make the BEST, and everybody acknowledges this. Now is the time to read the work of the Late Father Lang^strotli — Langstroth on the Honey-Bee, The Price of this Work is now Reduced from $1.40 to $1.25, by mail. Send us your address for Catalogue of Bee-Supplies, etc. CHAS. DADANT & SON, MevtiontheA^mericaiiBeeJoumai, HAMTLTON, Hancock Co., HiIi. 33 cts. a Pound We allow For Beeswax In Exchange for -SUPPLIES.- 1896 Circular Nonr Ready. I. jr. STRIj\OHAin, 105 Park Place. NEW YORK, N. T. Mention the A.rnerican Bee JoumaL t^- IF YOU WANT THE BEE-BOOK That covers the whole Apicultural Field more completely than any other published, send $1.25 to Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont, Calif.. forhlB Bee-Keeper's Guide. Liberal Discounts to the Trade. WANTED ! 10,000 pounds of BEESWAX, for Ca»>ili. Address, 1.EAHV ITIFG. CO., HIgginsville, IHo. Mention the A rnerlcan Bee JoumaL SUCCESSFUL INCUBATOR J SSOur magnificent J ^u e w calaloguo 1 ^H giving full in- ] ^==3*_ formation re- J ETRrding artificialj Hatching& Brooding ! and treatise on poul- J try rniriing sent for 4c 1 stiimiiH. Circular free, 1 Write now. Des Moines _ Incubator Co. _ Boz^sL'esMouiesiIa < 49A13t Jdention the American Bee Journal, The Eural Kansan Is an Agricultural Journal for the busy farm- er. It embraces Bee-Keeplns and every de- partment of industry connected with the farm. 30 cts. a year, monthly. Sample Free. A Full Line of Catalogue Free. 355 Shawnee Ave . Topeka. Kan. 1 A13t Mention the American Bee Journal, Higginsville Bee-Supplies on hand. SELLING OUT. To close out, I otfer my Improved Queen-and- Drone Traps per V^ doz.. in the flat, at $1.75; per doz., $2.75: per 25, $5.00. Individual Kight to manufacture and use, 50 cents ; Towushlp Kights. $1.00 ; County Rights. $5.00. HENRY AI.1.EY, lAtf WENHAM, MASS. USc '^e sen year foultry, veais. Fruits and all produce at high- est prices. DAILY RETURNS. For stencils, prices and references, write F. I. SAOE & SONS, 183 Reade St, N. V. WHEN ANSWERING THIS ADVERTISEMENT, MENTION THIS JOURNAU O^** LARGE PROMINENT EYES are not desirable in a potato. Our World's Fair Potato lias very Bniall eyes. Order of us and get pure, (genuine Stork, Price way down. We tave about every valuable variety. Seed corn, oats, barley, garden seeds. ■L. L. OLDS, Clinton, Rock Co.. Wis. Mention the tinier lean Bee Jonnirti^ Promptness Is Wliat Counts Honey-Jars. Shipping-Cases, and every- thing- that bee-keepers use. Root's Caoods at KooVs Prices, and the best shippinfr point in tbe country. Dealer in Honey and Beeswax. Cata- TelmZ.j^.e. Walter S. Pouder INDIANAPOLIS. IND. Mention the American Bee JoumaL MONEY IN TOMATOES But You Must Plant the Right Seed. My new Seed Book tella all about the best kinds of Tomatoes and much else of interest iu the Seed Lino. Most attractive and instructive buyers catalogue e\tr published, illustrating these Tomatoes, free to -" intending purchasers. Address at once. P.O. Box 537 H. W. BUCKBEE, Roclcford Seed Farms, ROCKFORD, ILL. Mention J/vc American Bee Ji€V/?»atfA, The Patent Wood Veneer FOUNDATION has no sag in full sheets. Exth.\ Thin Foun- dation 13 square feet to the pound. Working Wax into Foundation— if sent to me— a spe- cialty. Send for prices, samples & Catalogue. Wax wanted. ACJG. WEISS 2A5t HORTONVILLE, WIS Mention the American Bee JownuiL ONE MAN WITH THE UNION ''°''iZ^-''°'' ran do the work of four men using hand tools, in Kipping, Cutting-otr, Mi- tring, Kabbetiug. Groov- ing. Gaining. Dadoing, Edglng-up. Jointing Stutf, etc. Full Lineot Foot and Hand Power Machinery. Solil nil Triiil. Oiihilo?ue Free, SENEGA FALLS MPG. CO., 46 Water St., SENECA FALLS. N. Y 1 A 1 y Mention the A merican Bee Journal. litli Annual Report for tlic Year 1895 OP THE National Bee-Keepers' Union. For eleven years "The^National Bee- Keepers' Union " li.as existed for the honorable purpose of defending bee- keepers in their rights, and maintain- ing the privileges guaranteed to them by constitutional enactments— and I may add thankfully, without boast- ing, that every case has been tried upon its merits, settled by compro- mise, or otherwise disposed of, so that it begins the year 1S96 with a clear field and a glorious record of achieve- ments, unparalleled in the history of any similar organization in modern times ! Since my last Report was published, the Union has lost one of its first and most honored members, who was also known and revered by the Apiarists of the whole World— the Rev. L. L. Langstroth. He passed to the " life beyond " last October, fully prepared for the change, and entered " the home over there" with a heart full of love to ail, and being also beloved by many thousands in both spheres of existence. ELECTION OF OFFICERS. up to the time of closing the polls, on February 1, 189.5, showed that 151 ballots were recorded, as follows : For President — The canvass of all the votes received Hon. R. Li. Taylor, 126; Dr. C. C. Miller, 5 ; G. M. Doolittle, 4 ; Hon. Eug-ene Secor, 3 ; A. I. Root, 2 ; Scattermg and blanks, 11. Total, 151. For Vice-Presidents. Dr. C. C. Miller. 114; G. M. Doolittle, 113; Prof. A.J.Cook, 103; A. I. Root, 101 ; G. W. Demaree, 77; Hon. Eugene Secor, 38; C. P. Dadant, 31; C. F. Muth, 22; P. H. Ehvood. 16; G. W. Brodbcck, 14; G. W. York, 11; E. R. Root, 7 ; Hon. R. L. Taylor, 7; Mrs. Jennie Atchley, 6; Hon. James Hcddon, 6; W. Z. Hutchinson, 4; S. I. Freeborn, 3 ; R. F. Holtermann, 3 ; Frank Benton, 2 ; C. W. Dayton, 2 ; H. G. Acklin, 2; Scattering, 17. For General Manager. Sec. and Treas. Thomas G. Newman, 149. Blank, 2. Total. 151. These ballots were arranged alplia- betically, tied up and preserved for a year for inspection, as all former one* have been. Although several had expressed their desire for a change in the offi- cers, the members decided to keep the management in the .same hands for another year. As Mr. (i. W. Demaree, Vice-Presi- dent for 10 years — j^osilk-ely declined to act— desiring a change in the "official board," this elected Hon. Eugene Secor, who received the next highest number of votes. WORK OF THE VEAR. COLUMBUS, MISSOURI. Last May, J. W. Bradley wrote as follows : '•! am sued for maintaining a nuisance, against the dignity of the State. I have 20 colonies of bees, and a man living near me says that they stung him, so he made the charge. Please tell me what to do." 1 sent him instructions what to do, and forwarded a dozen copies of the Arkansas Decision of llie Supreme 60 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 23, Court. But some one interested (in the local postoffice, probably) stole the pamphlets and substituted an old newspaper In the wrapper, before de- livery. Then I sent more in a sealed letter in a plain envelope. These were duly received, tor it was too serious a matter to intercept letters, and thus call down the penalties of the United States law for so doing. When the case was called for trial, the prosecuting attorney asked for more time, because he stated that he was not ready to go to trial. The de- fendant was ready and demanded a jury trial. The other side weakened, offered to settle, and Anally induced Mr.; Bradley to consent, which he reluctantly did. This was a mistake which he regretted ever since, because they would have been badly beaten. WINSTON, NORTH CAROLINA. Last June, Mr. Eflrd wrote to the General Manager as follows: "My neighbors are making complaint, to my detriment, about my bees, and as a member of the Union, I desire to have your advice as to how to proceed in the matter. It seems that I have done about everything in my power to satisfy them, but they are not yet satisfied, and seem about to take action against me, unless I will dis- pose of them entirely, and I do not think it at all necessary, as my bees are very much closer to me than to any of my neighbors. My children and people are not annoyed with tliem. If the Union can sustain me in keep- ing tliem, it is my desire to have its assistance; but, at the same time, I stand more than ready to do anything in reason for the comfort and satis- faction of my neighbors." The Manager of the Union armed Mr. Eflrd with its documents, to fire at those in authority in Winslion, and directed him to select the '• best attorney" in that locality to attend to the case for the Union. That can- non was promptly flred, and the Win- stonians now rest in peace, as well as the bees. FAIRFAX, JIISSOURI. Joseph W. Blevins had about 45 colonies of bees, in Fairfax, !Mo. Some of his neighbors, being envious of his success, had two ordinances presented at tlie City Council, declaring the keeping of bees a public nuisance. The first imposed a tine of from $1.00 to SlOO.OO for keeping bees within the corporate limits. This was passed but was not thought to be strong enough, and another was passed, making it a separate offense with a penalty of SlOO.OO for every week that colonies of bees were found in that city, and authorizing the Street Commissioners to remove them, etc. This was in direct violation of the Constitution of the United States, and the General Manager of the Union directed Mr. Blevins to distribute copies of the Decision of the Supreme Court of Arkansas to the Mayor and Councilmen, and employ an attorney to defend his rights. This was done and the ordinance was promptly re- pealed. The masterly argument of Judge Williams was too strong and overwhelming to give them a foot- hold. They saw it at once and sur- rendered gracefully. WEST BRANCH, inCHIGAN. The Village Council attempted to pass an ordinance, declaring the keep- ing of bees, a nuisance, subjecting the owne_r to a fine. Mr. Slirigley had 107 colonies, and two envious neighbors intended to "complain" under the ordinance if passed, and compel the removal of the bees. The Manager counselled Mr.S. what to do, and instructed him to employ a lawyer to prevent the passage of the ordinance, supplying him with copies of the Arkansas Decision, and that action ended the trouble. NELSONVILLE, OHIO. Here, Dr. Cabel introduced a bill in the City Council to prohibit the keep- ing of bees within the corporate limits, and in a vehement speech denounced bee-keeping, declaring it a nuisance. Mr. Kosser's apiary is at the edge of the city-limits, about one-half mile from the business center, and he said that they were in no sense a nuisance to any one. Other bees to the number of 50 colonies were similarly situated there, and if the ordinance should pass, trouble generally would ensue. Prompt steps were taken and that trouble was averted. Upon receiving the Decision of the Supreme Court of Arkansas, which I sent to Mr. Rosser to distribute to the Mayor and Alder- men, the case was killed. Tliey said that if the Bee-Keepers" Union in- tended to take it in hand, they would not pass the ordinance. So much for the beneficient influence of the Bee- Keepers' Union. But to further particularize will, perhaps, be unnecessary. I will, how- ever, briefly say that other principal cases of complaint were located at the following places : Strawberry, Gentry Co., Missouri. Utica, La Salle Co., Illinois. Toronto Junction, Ontario, Stephens City, Virginia, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Connersville, Indiana. Benton, Franklin Co., Illinois. Bridgeport, Connecticut. Elmira, Chemung Co., N.Y. The General Manager Instructed the bee-keepers in each case what to do, and supplied them liberally with the Decision of the Supreme Court of Arkansas, showing that bee-keeping was not a nuisance, jjer.se, and could not be legislated against by any cor- poration, either Village, City, County or State. Where it was deemed essen- tial, a good lawyer was selected and instructed to attend the meetings of the legislative bodies and watch the proposed ordinances, so as to prevent trouljle and annoyance to the bee- keepers. These efforts in each case frustrated the designs of the enemies of the pursuit, and settled the dis- turbance. The National Bee-Keepers' Union knows no dividing lines of States, Provinces and Territories — "No pent-up Utica contracts our powers. The whole unbounded Continent is ours.'' The Union defends its members from the assaults of the enemies of the pursuit — no matter where they may happen to reside — if, upon investigation, their lawful rights and PEERI-ESS-* 'EEB(nRlNBER.S. GRIND ^CORN Ear or SheU Oats, Wheat, S7e aid Barley Fine Enough for ssj Furpose. Made 011I7 by JOLIET STEOWBEICai: CO. Joliet.IUl. Mention the American Bee Journal. 34 A26 WANTED. 10,000 pounds of BEESWAX, for Casb. AddresN, JLEAHY mFG. CO., Uigstnsvllle, Iflo. ^itn f-*i ^ 7TTT~ r-*i r-^ rn r ^' ^ . ' ' 1 ■ -~~ — . -^ -—^ — . - K i ■^-■•t w y- P ^ ^ ^ *^^S ^ m W bs?s k A FAIR PROPOSITION. Six montl)H free! JInntlily Paper: Postpaid to anyone interested in tiie fence question. Under no obligations to buy of us, but use vourljest judt^ment. PAGE WOVEN WIRE FENCE CO., Adrian, Mich. ^deration the American Bee Jovjnwi. SAVE MONEY 1 'ill^l.t^J'^^^ri. ITALIAN QUEENS Foundation at Wholesale Prices, Hives, suited for the South, or SliPPIilBS, send for Prlce-List— to J. P. H. BROWX, ^^^^^Z.^' 40!^tiuHlurdi;reei!s Illus-| trjilrd & fully descrilietl I in my new I'oultry Huok. ' Rel able information fi'i- Koultiympn & inteii'li-'tj uvers. Good stock I >ucl:> & G-ese: also Siietljn.d Ponies. Send6cin6tumiis .H. 000^.30127, Huntlej.IH- 1 Mention the American Bee Journal.. 4A13t PATENT WIRED COMB FOUNDATION Had No Sag in Brood-Frames Thin Flat-Bottom Foundation Has Xo Fisbbone id tbe Sarpins Honey. Belne tbe cleanest la usually worked tbe qoickest of any Foundation made J. VAN DEUSEN &i SONS, Sole Manufacturers, Bpront Brook Montaomery Co., N. Y. Mention Vie AmerlcAin Tlee JmvnwbL |\|EW|V|AMMOTH Poultry Guide for I 89d f^inest book ever published, contain fc nearly lu( p.iges, all printed in colors, plans for best poultry houses, sure remedies and recipes fnr all diseases, and howto make poultry and gardening pay. Sentpoet paid for 15c. JohnBauscher ,Jr.,box94Freeport, lU Mention ttie American a&e Jo-UT'TUXi. 49A1.JL -A —Concord Grapevines for ^v Fruit. Grain or offers, F. C IMorro»v, Wallaceburg, Ark* Mention the American Bee Journal 50A 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 61 ^ California If you care to know of Its Fruits, Flowers Climate or Resources, send for a Sample Copy of California's Favorite Paper— The Pacific Rural Press The leading Horticultural and Agricultural paper of tiie Pacific Coast. Published weekly, handsomely Illustrated, 82.40 per annum. Sample Copy Free. PACIFIC RURAL, PRESS, 220 Market St., - SAN FRANCISCO. CAL. OUR POULTRY AXNUAL and Book of Valuable Recipes, 64 large pages, contains 8 beautiful colored plates of fowls, gives description and prices of 4r>varieties,with important hin^on care of poultry, and pages of recipesof great value to everyone. Finest Poultry Book published for 1896. Postpaid only 10 eta, Cr N. Bowers, Box 2^. Dakota, III' 52 Al Mention the American Btc ju*'.iiiam» COMB FOUNDATION ^iJ.^'^^l^r^F,.. Are you going to buy Foundation for Cash, or have you Wax to sell or trade lor Foundation and other Supplies ? Have you to lbs or more of Wax that you want made into Foundation ? If 80, do not fail to write me for samples and prices. 1 make a specialty of working up Wa.x by the lb., and do it very cheap during the winter. Beeswax wanted at all times. GUS DITTIflEK, AUGUSTA, WIS. Reference— Augusta Bank. 16Atf Mention Uvo American Bee Jourvxil- TOUR BEESWAX ! UNTII. FURTHEK NOTICE, we will allow 30 cents per pound for Good Tel- low Beeswax, delivered at our office — in ex- cban^e for Subscription to the Bee Journal, for Bonks, or anything that we offer for sale in the Bee Journal. Or, 26 cts. cash. GEORGE W. YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS. WOVEN WJM FENCE Over 50 StylesiThe best on Earth. Horse hi^h, - 'Bull strong, Pig and Chicken tight. Yuucan make fruni 40 to 60 rods per day for fruni 14 to 22c. a Rod. lllnsfriittil CatalOK'iie Free. KITSELMAN BROS., Ridgeville, - Indiana. 48Etf JUention the American Bee Jwimau MDTH'S HONET EXTRACTOB PERFECTION Cold-Blast Smokers, Square Glass Honey Jars, Etc. For Circulars, apply to Chas. F. Moth & Son. Cor. Freeman & Central Aves., Cincinnati, O. Send 10c for Practical Hints to Bee-Keepers. MentiMi the American Bee Journal, "j^EttS:U°kens BY STEAM- EXCELSIOR Incubator Siiitpte, Parfi-rt. Sdf-ll'Qiitnl- • i;,. Tlinusaiiils in lucci-.slul . II. STAIIL. 1 4 tol aa S. 6th Wt. Qiiliii.y.lll. ttkentlonUieAmerisMnBeeJaamoL 3A8t PATENT GARDEN HOB INo. 532.872] to let on royalty, or will sell for $.3,000; or will give agent fifty per cent, commission to sell. One person will perform more work with one of the hoes than three witti other tools. Very easy to work. Extra blades to replace worn ones. Mention this paper. J. H. ANDRE, Eiockwood, N. Y. privileges are found to be unjustly assailed. Besides having collected several bills of long-standing and uncertain value, for lioney shipped to commission mer- chants— furnishing information con- cerning the time tor spraying trees so as to prevent tlie poisoning of bees — advising what safe use to make of honey which liad l^een exposed to dis- ease in an infected tenement, etc., — I have had to deal with a case where a neighbor threatened to poison the bees in an adjoining lot, by sowing buck- wheat and spraying it with paris- green, so as to kill the bees by wholesale ! By taking prompt action in each case, the Union has prevented much miscliief, and rendered valuable ser- vice to the pursuit of apiculture. AMALGAMATION. As many of tlie members are aware, it has been proposed to unite the " Korth American Bee-Keepers' Association" and the " National Bee- I-Ceepers' Union " into one organiza- tion. It was expected that the vote on tliis amalgamation would accom- pany the vote for officers for 1896, but it is claimed by many members of the Union that the details have not yet been sufficiently discussed. It will be better not to "marry in liaste and repent at leisure." The Committee in Charge, after careful consideration, liave decided to defer tlie voting until a later period. HONEY EXCHANGE WAREHOUSE. California members propose tliat the Union should create a Honey Excliange Warehouse in some large city where they "could deal direct with the retailer through the General Manager, and secure to the honey- producer that which lie now loses, and also prevent the influx in many places to a degree that would depress prices." California has a right to be lieard on sucli a matter, for during the past 5 years she has had 110 members in the Union, and to-day nearly one- quarter of the members hail from that State. In fact, California is the principal State in the Bee-Keepers' Union. But I will offer a few suggestions : Such a Honey Exchange should be located in the very heart of tlie city selected for it, and be conducted on pure business principles. There must be a financial backing adequate to the business to be done. Shippers will want advances on consignments. Heavy freight bills will have to be provided for, and help and rent will not be small items of expense. It would need several thousands of dollars to start with. In my opinion, this should be a separate business matter and not be tacked on to the Union. Financial reverses or some unexpected losses, by failure or otherwise, might bankrupt the Union in a short time. Besides, it should be managed by an expert lioney-dealer, who sliould devote liis whole time to the business. DUES FOR THE COMING YEAR. It now becomes my duty, under the Constitution, to call for the Dues for 1896. But in view of tlie fact that "hard times " are upon us in "dread reality," the Advisory Board, at my suggestion, has decided that as tlie Union has sufficient funds on hand for present needs, that all members who paid $1.00 for Dues for 1895 shall have the Dues for 189G remitted, and they be declared members in good standing for 1896 without further payment, unless such shall be found to be necessary before the end of the year, (which is not at all likely, from present indications). All new mem- bers, as well as those who have not paid for 1895 will be required to pay $1.00 as Dues for 1896. Article IV of the Constitution clearly leaves tliis matter of raising sufficient funds to the Advisory Board. FINANCIAL STATEMENT. Balance, as per last Keport. . .$783.51 Fees from 242 members 242,00 $1,025.51 Expenses for the year $254.90 Balance, Dec, 31, 1895. . . .$770,61 Donation, C. Klock 1,00 Total balance on hand $771,61 The "Treasury" being in a satis- factory condition, the Union is fortu- nately in a position to demand justice, and protect the rights of its members in the courts of law. This is a place where "money counts." If the Union was a bankrupt concern, quite power- less to "help in time of need," its influence would be infinitesimal, and itself a laughing-stock for all. The " sinews of war " makes all the differ- ence in the world. Several more decisions from Supreme Courts are needed as precedents, for the guidance of Judges in lower courts, and these, I hope, will be obtained, covering several important points. For the first seven years I suc- cessfully managed the affairs of the Union without recompense, save in the consciousness of having done my full duty, and of knowing that my services have received the unanimous endorsement of the members at each succeeding election. For the past four years I have received, as a nominal salary, twenty per cent, of the gross receipts, and during the past year that has amounted to a fraction less than 94 cents per week ! rzj Of course such a munificent salary is in no sense a compensation for the time and labor necessary to success- fully manage the affairs of the Union, and if it had been simply a business transaction, I should have refused to continue it long ago. The unanimity of my election year after year has alone induced me to continue to act, for I viewed it as a dut?/— instead of business. rz\ If it shall please the members of the Union now to elect my successor, I shall retire with pleasure and a proud record ! Fraternally yours, Thos. G, Newman, General Manager. I>r. I». C 4jire!!i<«, of Atehinson, Cans., would like to communicate, confidentially, with all persons who have consigned honey to C. R. Horrie & Co., of Chicago, 111., with unsatisfactory results. 62 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 23, Disease is an effect, not a cause. Its oriein Is within; .ts manifestations without. Henci to ^^ the disease the cause must be removed, and m no other way can a cure ever be effected Warners SAFE Cure is established on Just this pnncipie. It realizes that 95 PER CENT, of all diseases arise from deranged Kidneys and Siffi/ulfv" '-?h'*"^'' ^\ ""," "t "'^ root's "the „rf S^riJVi ^'"' «'«9'ents Of which it is composed ?„L "^?'y IP"" *''^^« S""^"' organs, both as a food and restorer, and, by placing them in a ?hes?sVm"'"*'°"' ""^^ '''"'^^" """ P^'° *™™ 1°''.!!?'' innumerable troubles caused bv l^^ti^}^^ F^"^^^-^"" ^"0 Urina?" Orjans^ Nerlou, f«^S'"» Disorders of Women ; for all o-enJr„^?„ .1 ■^'""^V""'' Physical derangements generally, this great remedy has no equal. Its formance" '* ^ guarantee of continued per. WARNERS SAFE CURE CO., Lonion, Rochtater, Melbourne, Frankfort, Toronto.Parls. Mention Uie A.merican Bee JjCi\^ Honey & Beeswax Market Quotations. CHICAGO, III., Jan. 18. -White clover and linden comb honey Is scarce and commands a premium over other grades of white of 1 to 3 cents per pound. There Is a fair supply of other grades, which bring: 12@13c. for white, and amber to dark ranges at 9@llc. Ex- tracted is without special change; the West- ern ambers at 4!4@3c.; white. 5@6c.; clover and basswood in cans and barrels, 6@7c. Beeswax. 28@30c. K. A. B. & Co. Comb Foundation Without Sidewalls. I see that B. Taylor advocates foundation without any sidewalls. Now, there seems to be quite a difference in our experiments. The past season I tried about 40 brood- frames with foundation that had no side- walls, and it did not "pan out" as well with me. Last spring I bought 1.5 or 10 pounds of foundation, thinking that would be all I would need, but I run short and had to buy some more. One of my neigh- bors was going over to see a person who bad some foundation to sell, and 1 sent with him for 5 or 6 pounds, and when he showed It to me I told him that I thought the bees would be just as liable to build drone-comb out of it as worker-comb; and so they did. Some of it they worked out all right, into worker-comb, and some they worked into drone-comb. There were a 'few combs that the bees would work out all right on one side, and not even touch on the other side. Now, I do not know what makes so much difference in our experiments, unless it was that I did not use wire in my frames. Let that be as it may, I shall never try the ex- periment again. W.m. "Ckaig. Luce, Mich. CHICAGO, III., Jan. 20.— We are having good inquiry tor fancy comb, but all other grades are selling slow. Dark comb will not Bell on this market, and we would advise the producer not to ship It here. We are offering It as low as9@10c., with no buyers. We quote: Fancy, 15c. ; No. 1, 14c.; light amber, 12® J3c. Extracted, light, 5@6^o; dark. 4@5e. Beeswax, 28@30c. J. A. L. PHILAIIELPHIA. Pa., Jan.3.-Honey has declined In this market during the holidays. Large lots of California houey arriving, and selling at 3c. in 60-lb. cans. We quote: Comb honey, fancy, 16o. ; fair to good. 8®14c. Ex- tracted, 4@5V4c. ; white clover, 10c. Beeswax, 30c. W. A. S. KANSAS CITV, Mo., Jan. 8.-The demand for comb and extracted honey is fair. We quote: No, 1 white comb, 1-lbs.. 13fiS14c. ; No. 2, 12@13c.; No. 1 amber, ll@12e.; No 2 10c. Extracted, white, 6@e^ic.; amber, 5® 5'^c.; dark, 4@4i4c, Beeswax, 22@25c. C. C. C. & Co. Demand is slow for all kinds of honey. Best white comb honey sells at 12@14c. in the job- bing way. E.xtracted. 4@7c. on arrival. Beeswax is In good demand at 22@27c. for good to choice yellow. C. F. M. & S. Wisconsin.— The annual meeting of the Wisconsin State Bee-Keepers' Association will be held Thursday and Friday, Feb. 6 and 7, 1895, in the capitol building at Madison. The program will appear In due time. PlattevlUe, Wis. N. E. France, Sec, Wintering- Bees. I am making a new hive which I think will be better for Northern bee-keepers, as the winters are so long. I make the frame 15 inches long, and 13 inches deep, inside measure. I am making a few to try, and will report next year. In 1894 I had 10 good, strong colonies which I wintered on the summer stands, and two colonies left when spring came. With a frame 19 inches long and 9 inches deep, at both ends of the frame it was chock-full of honey, and the bees starved to death in the middle of the frame. They ate to the top and then starved. It was a hard winter on bees, we all know, so I think a deeper frame would winter them better as far north as this. I have two colonies yet on the summer stands, facing the south, with cornfodder around them, and wheat chaff in the top- box. I got about 40 pounds of comb honey from them this year. It was terribly dry here last summer, but we are geting lots of rain now, and about three inches of snow. William Daniels. Perrysburg, Ohio, Dec. 8, 1895. Sweet Clover Honey — Hives. I had 18 colonies, spring count; had 3 prime swarms, and one that I found which had taken possession of an empty hive I produced 2.000 pounds of choice comb honey, and SO pounds of extracted, all, or nearly all, being from sweet clover, which grows on the public roads for several miles in all directions from my bee-yard. With- out this honey-plant I think our crop would have been nearly a total failure. I have sold my entire product at 13 cents, and have had a market for it all. Ten miles south of me there was no sweet clover, and there was not much honey, either. If sweet clover is cut at different dates it puts out new shoots and blooms again in a short time. Some of my neigh- bors mowed the roads opposite their land three times during the season, and in this way we had a continual honey-flow until frost. I did not have one section of dark honey. I observe that some bee-keepers extract unfinished sections, and use the combs the next season. I used to practice that method, but do not do so any more, as the honey stored in the combs once used, with me, was never flrst-class the next season. Now I cut out the combs, melt them for wax, and use the sections for kindling wood. I use mostly a large hive, lO-frame Lang- List of Honey and Beeswai Dealers. Most of whom Quote in this Journal, Cblcago, Ills. R. A. Burnett & Co., 163 South Water Street. fiew York, N, Y. F. I. Sage & Son, 183 Reade Street. HrLDRETH Bros. & Segelken. 120 & 122 West Broadway, Chas. Israel & Bros., 486 Canal St. Kansas City, Mo. C. C. Clemoms & Co., 423 Walnut St. Buffalo, N. Y. Battebson & Co., 167 & 169 Scott St, Hamilton, lUe. Chas. Dadant & son. Pbiladelpbta, Pa. Wm. A. Selser, 10 Vine St. Cincinnati, Ohio. C, F. MUTH & Son, cor. Freeman & Central ave. For Sale, Bees audlouey I will sell 285 Colonies of Italian and Hybrid Bees in 8-L -frame hives, all in cellars In good condition Jan. 15; and certainly ia the best b.asswood region in North America. Would also sell a like number of Extrsicting-Hlves and Combs, 3 Extractors, etc. My outfit is mostly new. hives well made and painted, all uniform and interchangeable. The greater number of Combs are made with full sheets of loundatlon, wired in. Frames have thick top-bars. My average of honey and increase lor the past three seasons: 1893, honey 110 lbs., increase, 90 % ■ 1894, honey, 114 lbs in- crease, 90 ;,, ; 1895, honey, 58 lbs., increase. This locality was visited by a quite hard frost in May, which destroyed all tree bloom and buds in the valleys, so the bees had to go on the ridges miles away for supplies, so I got 14 crop of honey and uo increase. Also. I have 30 Kege of best water-white Basswood Honey, 260 pounds In a Keg which I win deliver, f.o.h. cars here. One^Keg or more, at 6% cents. I have a few 50-pound Kits worth 6U cents. Sample will be sent on application. My honey is now granulated Address, A. G. WILSON, KICKAPOO, Vernon Co., WIS. Mention the American Bee Journal. WANTED — To exchange a 12-lnch Van- dervort Foundation Mill, but little used for a Breech-Loadine- Shot-Gun. 4A2t J. P. H. BROWN, Augusta, Ga. FOR SALE. ALSIKE, CRIMSON, ITALIAN, ALFALFA or WHITE CLOVER SEED. 4A8t WOT. CRAIG, tuce, OTlcIi. WANTKD-200 Colonies of Bees and 4-Frame NnCLEi. on Simplicity or Hoff- man frames, in exchange for Supplies, to be shipped either from here or Medina. Ohio. Send for Catalog to— GEO. E. HILTON, 4E4t Fremont, Mich. Mention the American Bee JoumaL BASSWOOD TREES ! Orders booked now for Spring delivery for Kursery-lirown Basswood Seedlings 5 to 9 inches high, at $2 00 per 100 ; 300 for $5 or $1 5.00 for 1000. Parties living east of the Mississippi river will be supplied direct from our Nurseries in Ohio. Satisfaction guaran- teed. A. H. FITCH, 702 Toungerman Bldg,. Des Moines. Iowa. 4Atf Mention the American Bee JoumaL TAKE NOTICE! "DEFOBE placing your orders for SUP- -•-^ PLIES, write for prices on 1-Plece Bass- wood Sections, Bee-Hives, Shipping - Crates, Frames, Foundation, Smokers, etc. PAGE & LY03V BIPG. CO. NEW LONDON, WIS, Mentimi the American Bee Journal, 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 63 stroth. I have three or four 8-trame hives. My experience has been that the bees go into the supers just as soon in an 11-frame hive as if it had but S frames, and I get 33 sections of honey in a large hive just as quick as I do 24 sections in an 8-frame hive, and I do not think the bees are as apt to swarm so often. I give them supers at the proper time. My best colony produced 160 perfect sec- tions of honey the past season. M. M. Miller. Chatsworth, HI., Dec. 9, 1S95. Bees Near a Railroad Track. In reply to a question asked recently about locating an apiary near a railroad, I would say that my bees are in winter quartei's just 1.5 feet from a railroad side- track, and 30 feet from the main track, where the trains are passing as often as one every half hour. I have opened the front of my bee-house when the trains were pass- ing, paid strict attention to them, and I could not perceive any difference in them. The bees do not seem ,to pay any attention to the jarring and confusion of the trains passing. I have a neighbor that has been in the bee-business several years, and his bees are kept, in winter and summer, less than two rods from the same railroad, and he is successful with his bees. In my opin- ion it does not make any difference, except when the bees are coming home loaded, and a train is passing, it might make it a little inconvenient for them, as they might have to rise higher than they would had the train not been there. I shall locate my bees within less than four rods of the track. Homer, Minn. E. B. Huffman. Colo. Foul Brood Inspector's Report. By request of some bee-keepers of this locality, I herewith send the last report of our County Bee Inspectors, for publication. Thefirstcolumnof figures shows the number of colonies inspected, and the second col- umn the number found diseased with foul brood : Arapahoe county 4,3.')9 587 Boulder " 327 8 Bent " 19 13 Huerfano " .512 Jefferson " 2,830 89 Larimer " 1.5 4 Weld " 470 39 Mesa " 1,893 203 Total 9,934 933 Of those colonies found diseased, 307 were ordered to be destroyed. There were quite a number of colonies affected with paraly- sis, which were not included in this report. For the benefit of those bee-keepers who intend to remove with their bees to this State. I would say that it is to their inter- est to have their bees inspected before doing so. Section 7 of our State law on bee-dis- eases reads as follows: "Should the owner or possessor of diseased colonies of bees, or any portion of said col- onies, be they queens or workers, or of any affected appliances for bee-keeping, know- ingly sell or barter, or give away, or move or allow to be moved, such diseased colo- nies, or portion of colonies, or infested ap- pliances, he shall, on conviction before any justice of the peace, be liable to a fine of not less than S,50 or more than .^100, or to imprisonment in the county jail for any term net exceeding two months." Frank RAncHFUss, Sec'y. Colo, titate B.-K. Association. Duff, Colo., Dec. 7, 1893. Best Hives and Bees — Report. In speaking of our failures, I often think of a friend who once said that to be suc- cessful in any pursuit we must first pass through an age of darkness. This state- ment can surely be applied to bee-keepers, for where is there a bee-keeper of any note ■who has not made glowing and expensive CHEAP SECTIONS ! CHEAP SECTIONS ! We have at this Branch among- the Stock purchased of Thos. G Newman the loUowiDg: stock of Sections— not of our manufacture— which we desire to close out to make room for our Superior Extra Polished Sections. In order to close them out quickly we offer them for the next 60 days, or while they last, at these special prices ; 1.25 2.00 4.50 \f'Iiite Sections, 4V4x4?i. Cream Sections, 4!4x4M- 40,000 1 15-16) 1,000 for J1.75 10,000 115-16) LOOOforS 50,000 178 y 2,000for 3,00 20,000 1 'i \ 2,000 for 80,000 7-to-ft. ) 5,000 for 7.00 1.000 7-to-ft. ) 5,000 lor With all orders for less than 5,000, add 25 cts. for cartage. These Sections are of Wisconsin manufacture, and when made were doubtless considered as good as the best; but as compared with our Extra Polished Sections they are not up to the standard of to-day, but a decided bargain and should be closed out quickly at these very low prices. If you prefer a sample before ordering we will mail one for 5 cts. to cover postage. The A. I. Root Co., 56 5tli Ave., Chicago, 111. <>OOOO<>O^<><>O<3'OOO00<>^OOOO©<>9^OOO'&O<^^<>OOO^O<>*00 NCUBATORS WE WARRANT THE 0 RELIABLE^ To hatch So per cent of the fresh and fertile eggs. Hundreds ol recent^ testimonials! Have this year (1896) issued our Eleventh Annual X Poultry Guide and Combined Catalogue in one valuable book. ^ PROFITS IN POULTRY!! This 148-page, fully illustrated Poultry Guide tells you about profits inX poultry; about hatching eggs with machines; about brooding cliicksX ■ without hens. We have tor sale sixteen popular kinds of thoroughbred X also full line ol Poultry Supplies— anvthing you want Price of Guide. 10 cents inX , stamps— worth one dollar. .address. RELIABLE INCUBATOR AND BROODER CO.. Quincy. III. X 4<^<^<^0<>®<>0<>000000000000AA OVER ONE HUNDRED POULTRY PICTURES Of Poultry Houses, Incubators, Brooders and Poultry Appliances in Poultry Keeper Illustrator No 1 Pt-{<-(> ?^t{'S?,'^-,P°^'P'""' ".'L'" "^"'^ '"'^ *""'' numbers of 1^96. ThatleadinK poultry magazine THE POCL'J li V KEEPER one year fifty cents,or both the Poultry Keeper and Illustrator one year to new sXcri5)Ss o^^^ cents. Sample Poultry Keeper FREE. POULTRY KEEPER CO., Box t . Parkesburg, Ohes™?cS., PeSSa^ mistakes 1. I will name a few of my blunders pertaining to our pleasant pursuit. The first is a lot of 8-frame hives I made, which are a nuisance in this locality, for the reason that they are too small, as the bees are often found in a starving condition before clover blooms, owing to breeding and increase of bees; being so small the bees are liable to swarm too much. The hive will not accommodate bees enough to work to the best advantage. I know this is true, as I have had 12-frame hives in the apiary for several years, and it is a common thing to find 10 frames of brood in these large hives during the summer. Another thing, I want my bees to gather their stores for winter and spring use, for I despise being compelled to feed my bees through the spring, for the reason they do better on natural stores gathered the previous season. I will sum the matter up as follows : I want a handy hive so I can manage my bees with the least amount of labor, and at the same time get a good crop of honey, if the flowers furnish the nectar, as I have a small farm to look after and do the work on it as well as to tend the bees. What strain or race of bees will we keep ? This is settled in my mind. I would not give one imported Italian queen for one dozen of the choicest 5-banded Italian queens in existence. I have imported queens direct from Italy, also had the golden queens from many breeders, so I think I know what I say. I like gentle bees, also bees that will winter ou the sum- mer stands and not dwindle down to a handful per hive. My report for 1^95 is as follows: I com- menced the season with 75 colonies that wintered without loss, and increased to SO colonies ; secured a. crop of honey amount- ing to 1.2~8 pounds, an average of 17 pounds per colony. I had an average of 41 pounds per colony in 1894. C. A. BuNcn. Nye, Ind. Three Seasons' Reports, Etc. I suppose we ought to report our honey crops, good or bad. This is my third year of bee-keeping. In 1893 my bees averaged 110 pounds per colony, spring count; in 1894, a fraction over 80 pounds ; and this year they only averaged 3754 pounds. But I must not complain, for I know several bee-keepers around here that have from 5 to 40 colonies that have not any surplus at all. I have come to the conclusion that If we keep many bees ou these ridges we shall have to sow forage for them. They appear to do better along the Mississippi bluffs. I think the reason is because the bluffs are so steep that they can scarcely be pastured with sheep, consequently there is more for- age for the bees. I had one colony this year that every time I went into the yard I would see one, two or three bees crawling around the front of the hive apparently blind. Their heads were very small, and sometimes I saw a very small eye on one side of the head. I would like to know if any one else ever had such a case. I have never seen anything of the kind in any bee books or papers. I think I know what I ought to have done with that queen —I ought to have pulled her head off and given them a better one. Daniel, Smethdrst. Seneca, Wis., Dec. 16, 1895. Queens and <{iieen-Reai-ins;. — If you want to know how to have queens fertilized in upper stories while the old queen is still laying below ; how you may safely iHtroduce any queen, at any time of the year when bees can fly ; all about the different races of bees ; all about shipping queens, queen-cages, candy for queen- cages, etc. ; all about forming nuclei, mul- tiplying or uniting bees, or weak colonies, etc. ; or, in fact, everything about the queen-business which you may want to know — send for Doolittle's " Scientific Queen-Rearing" — a book of over 170 pages, which is as interesting as a story. Here are some good offers of this book: Bound in cloth, postpaid, $1.00 ; or clubbed with the Bee Journal for one year — both for only .?1.75 ; or given free as a premium for sending us three new subscribers to the Bee Journal for a year at $1.00 each. 64 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 23, 1896. Bottom Prices BRUWO VS BIG TRADE. GOODS KEEP IT. If you want the best supplies that can be made at a little less cost than you can buy the same gosds for elsewhere, write to us for low prices. 1896 Catalogue now ready —ask for It and a free copy of Tlie Ameri- can Bee-Keeper (36 pages). Address, THE W.T. FALCONER MFG. CO., JAMESTOWN, N. Y. Mention the A.merlcan Bee Journal. WonMiil Record. 17 Years with but one complaining' letter. I thinii Bingham Smolders and Bingham & Hetherington Honey-Knives are perfect. Write what you think of them, on a card, and mail to — T. F. BINGHAM, Farwell, Mich. 4A4t Mention the American Bee Journal HEADQUARTERS for ROOTS' GOODS Can supply you with all the Fixtures used in an Apiary. Best Goods at Lowest Prices. Cat- alogue free. 5 ;J discount until March 1st. JNO. NEBEl. Ac SON, UigU Hill, mo. Xfentlon the American Ber Journal. 4 Atf The Bee-Keepers' Guide: Or Manual of the Apiary, By Prof. A. J. Cook. This 15th and latest edition of Prof. Cook's magnificent book of 460 pages, in neat and substantial cloth binding, we propose to give away to our present subscribers, for the work of getting NEW subscribers for the American Bee Journal. A description of the book here is quite un- necessary— it Is simply the most complete sci- entific and practical bee-book published to- day. Fully Illustrated, and all written in the most fascinating style. The author is also too well-known to the whole bee-world to re- quire any introduction. No bee-keeper is fully equipped, or his library complete, with- out " The Bee-Keeper's Guide." For Two New i^ubscribers and Your Own Renewal. Send us Two New Subscribers to the Bee Journal and your own renewal (with $.3.00), and we will mail yon a copy of Prof. Cook's book free as a premium, and also a copy of the 160-page " Bees and Honey " to each New Subscriber. Prof. Cook's book alone is $1.25, or we club it with the Bee Journal for a year —both together for only $1.73. But surely anybody can get only 2 new subscribers to the Bee Journal for a year, and thus get the book as a premium. Let everybody try for it. Will you have one ? GEORGE W. YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS Bee-Keepei-s" Pbotograpli.— We have now on hand a limited number of ex- cellent photographs of prominent bee-keep- ers— a number of pictures on one card. The likeness of 49 of them are shown on one of the photographs, and MY on the other. We will send them, postpaid, for 50 cents each, mailing from the 131 kind first ; then after they are all gone, we will send the i'i kind. So those who order first will get the most " faces " for their honey. Largest Factory ti°e West Go?d^phf7|dg£^cw READ THIS— Mr. Keyes says: The 100 rounds of Extra-Thin Foundation you sent us' is superior to anything he ever saw ; and I think the same. R. L. Tucker, Wewahitchka, Fla. Dear Sirs:- The Sections came duly to hand. Indeed, they are very nice. Yes, sir; they are as good as the best, Charles H. Thies. Steeleville, Illinois. Leahy Mfg. Co. :— I have received the bill of goods. I must say they are the choicest lot of Hive-Stulf 1 have ever received from any place. I admire the smoothness of your work, and your close selection of lumber. Yours very truly, O. K. Olmstead, Orleans, Nebr. Dear Sirs:— The Sections arrived in due time, and are all O. K. so far as examined. They are simply perfection. 1 can't see how you can furnish such goods at such low prices. I hope you may live long and do well. Yours respectfully, Z. S. Weaver, Courtney, Tex. Gents:—! received the " HigginsvlUe Smoker " all O. K. It's a dandy: please find enclosed stamps for another. Yours truly. Otto Enders, Oswegathe, N. Y. Gentlemen: — 1 have bought Supplies from nearly all the large manufacturers by the car- load, and 1 must say yours are as good as the best. Indeed, in many lines they are the best. It is a pleasure to handle them. E. T. Flan.igan, Belleville, Illinois. The above unsolicited testimonials are a fair sample of hundreds we receive. Our prices are reasonable and the " HigginsvlUe Goods " are the best, ^F" We are now manufacturing for each of the following parties a Carload of Supplies: E. T. Flanagan, Belleville, Illinois ; Charles H. Thies, Steeleville, Illinois ; J. W. Rouse & Co., Mexico, Mo.; Henry Miller, Topeka, Kane.; Fulton & Gregg, Garden City, Kans. If you need a Carload of Supplies, or only a Bee-Smoker, write to us. Remember, we are here to serve you, and will, if you give us a chance. A Beautil'iil Catalogue Free. Address, LEAHY MANUFACTURING CO.. HIGGINSVILLE. MO, 4 9 A Mention the American Bee JcmmaZ. CASH PAID FOR BEESWAX For all the gfood, pure yello'w BEES'WAX delivered to our office on or before Feb. 20, 1896, we will pay 26 cents per pound, cash ; or 30 cents for whatever part is exchanged for Bee Journal subscription or books that we offer. If you want casb promptly for wax, send it on at once. Dark or impure wax not taken at any price. Address plainly, Ceorgc W, York & Co,, 5« Fifth Ave,, Cliicago, 111. mmm^, b^ee-mives, ^hippmgjsiases We make a Specialty of these Goods, and defy Competition in qxja.IjIT'2', ■woK-iciwar.AtisrsiiiP and pk-ioes. f^~ Write for Free Illustrated Catalogue and Price-List. G. B. LEWIS COMPANY, Watertown, Wis. p»~ Be sure to mention the American Bee Journal when you write. _/3£i ^ ROOT'S COMB FOUNDATION! m New Product. New Process. A Big Success We are pleased to announce that, having secured control of the new Weed process of manufacturing foundation for the U. S., we are prepared to furnish Foundation by the Bfcw Process, for 1896. Samples will be mailed free on application, and will speak for themselves. OUR SANDED and POLISHED SECTIONS, well, they will speak for themselves, also. Our 1896 Cataloff will be ready for distribution now in a few days. Send in your name at once for catalog, samples of the new foundation, and those superb sections, and while you are about it ask for late copy of Gleanings in Bee-Culture. THE A 56 5th Ave., Cliicago, III. 1024 missis^ippi St I. ROOT CO., MEDINA, OHIO. Syracuse, X. St. Paul, minn. Y. lEE-PAPER J*ub2isiiey sent on J\.x>i>lioation, 36th Year. CHICAaO, ILL., JAN. 30, 1896. No. 5. rtlckit; Alslke Clover for Honey and Forage. BY FRANK COVKRDALK. I have, as usual, raised a fine field of this very valuable crop. No crop pays me so well ia dollars as does Alsike clover. It has never yet failed. I have secured a fair stand at sowing during the past two dry seasons. From 35 acres, 115 bushels of fine, re-cleaned seed has been hulled, and the hay, after being stacked, is equivalent to at least one ton of extra hay for cattle (one ton per acre). Let us figure the proceeds : 115 bushels at .fiS per bushel, clear $575 00 One ton choice hay per acre, at $6 per ton. . 210 00 Total $785 00 This is at very low figures. It is a little over .$22 per acre, saying nothing about fall feed, or how much better the Alsike Clover. Crimson Clover. land is after it is taken off. Fifty bushels of corn per acre at 25 cents per bushel will net when sold .$12.50, and after much more labor has been required to attend and harvest it — a little over half the profit, and the land made poorer ! What a contrast ! Are these not facts ? Yes, they are facts at home. I ask you to read carefully every word of this, then put on your thinking cap, as Alsike is an excellent honey-yielder. ALFALFA FOR HONEY AND FORAGE. Three acres of fine alfalfa grows about three miles south of here. It has been there for three years, or cut two seasons. Mr. J. K. Darling, Almonte, Ont. — See page It is on top of hills and in a valley, and does well in both cases, yielding more good hay than any other clover grown here — three good cuttings in a single season, or one cutting for hay and one for seed. Bees work on it some, but do not take to it as well as to Alsike. I have some fine alfalfa, sown last spring, which has made a good growth during the past very dry summer. Drouth doesn't kill it at all, even when all other clovers will die (except sweet clover). SWEET CLOVER FOR HONEY. Sweet clover is spreading rapidly here. It seems to thrive anywhere wherever it drops its seed on the hardest of ground, and on wet, low land, in school-yards, fence-corners, or anywhere. I know of two places where it extends two miles almost a solid mat on either side of the road, and one school-house yard near nie has for years been an ocean of bloom. Sometimes it is cut down, but it seems to sprout and 66 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 30, bloom again, ^weet clover never fails to yield honey, and is the best of all honey-plants here, by far. Three miles west of me is three miles of it, and three colo- nies of bees in the midst of it. Those colonies were working continually on it, and the hives were chock-full of honey when my bees were doing nothing. Mine at that time were away at basswood, 12 miles away, and had no sweet clover. I am sure that if all the roadsides were growing it, honey would bo plenty every year. CRIMSON CLOVER. I sowed 5 acres of crimson clover Sept. 20. The ground has been frozen six inches deep, with some snow, and at this writing the snow has melted and thawed the ground, with fine rains, and the crimson clover looks just as green as be- fore. It is actually growiug now ; pet-haps it may winter ! Delmar, Iowa. The Place of Theory in Apiculture, Etc. BY F. L. THOMPSON. I notice that my statements — "Even facts maybe mis- leading," and " To keep adding more experience, first on one side, then on the other, leads to no conclusions" — have been taken for exaggerations, and replied to with exaggerations — " facts, not theories," and "theory vs. practice." It is as plain as anything well can be that those statements of mine mean " facts and theories," not " theories vs. facts. But, while stating the mere truth in regard to the limita- tions of facts, I did not express my opinion of the relative value of practice and theory. This seems to have worried some. Well, I will do so now. Practice is far, far preferable to theory io/!e?i you can get it ; and fact, in one sense, can snap its fingers at theory, while theory has to have a basis of fact. There. But why is it adverse to common-sense to omit common- places ? And why should it be so exceedingly sensible to take commonplaces, and exaggerate them ? That is just what is done by the maxim, " Facts, not theories." It is not true. Facts exist without theories ; but they cannot be applied with- out them. Now, just to show my fiercely practical critics how rea- sonable I can be, I will add that all theorizing has an innate tendency to become fine-spun and impracticable. There's an admission for you, though you don't deserve it. But remem- ber, that is not saying that that tendency cannot be resisted, and that there are not such things as suggestive, important, and practical theories. Further, I believe that in American apiculture, at least, the proportion of pure theory to fact should be kept small. For, as I understand it, most of us keep bees primarily for money, and only secondarily because it is agreeable to keep them. But (to refer momentarily to another question) it is mere affectation to take no account of the latter ; while the most matter-of-fact and practical among us, it is very evident, cannot keep out theory as they say they do. Let us see how it would work to apply that remarkably acute rule of " facts, not theories" Turn over the pages of the American Bee .Tournal for 1895, and strike out the fol- lowing: Page 18, Mr. Abbott's theory that it is the swarm- ing bees that gather honey; page 98, Mr. Davenport's theory that locality has nothing to do with the right size of a hive; page 149, Dr. Brown's theory that breeding for honey-gather- ing requires breeding for muscular development; page 326, Mr. Doolittle's theory on the prevention of swarming : page 376, Mr. Davenport's theory that eight frames are enough for the best queens; page 618, Mr. VandeVord's theory that longevity and prolificness can be easily combined ; pages 618 and 824, Messrs. VandeVord's and Barclay's theory that longevity tends to prevent swarming more than anything else ; excise elsewhere Mr. McKnight's theory that cellar-wintering may imitate the good effects of out-door wintering by occa- sionally raising the temperature; Mr. Heddon's theories on pollen in winter-food ; value of the storage and transmission of winter sunshine; breeding out the swarming impulse; great superiority of shallow to deep frames in breeding ; cause of poor seasons, etc. The foregoing, however, are the most obvious cases. If we should insist on applying the rule literally, strictly, and un- sparingly, the information left would be the merest shell. See also Mr. Abbott's words on this subject on page 283 ; and even supposing all those theories were false, ponder the following from Darwin : "False facts are highly injurious to the progress of science, for they often endure long ; but false views, if supported by some evidence, do little harm, for every one takes a salutary pleasure in proving their falseness ; and when this is done, one path toward error is closed, and the road to truth is often at the same time opened." It seems to me that the motto, " Facts, not theories," is a rather fantastic one to indicate a truthful ideal ; while the idea that there is such a question as " Theory ^s. practice " is, to say the least, picturesque. EXPLANATION ON OVERSTOCKING. In reply to Dr. Miller's note on page 823 (1895), I am pretty certain my copy contained a comma in the place re- ferred to. I don't mean to say there is no such thing as overstocking, nor that if in a good season 200 colonies do well, they might all starve if the number was Increased enough. Perhaps, Dr. Miller, you and I are thinking of different things. I remem- ber reading that bees sometimes pay no attention to white clover, showing that there is then no nectar in it. In such a case those blossoms might as well not be there, as far as the bees are concerned, and the few other flowers that remain are not sufficient to prevent the locality from being overstocked by a few colonies. But that is not the kind of poor seasons we have here. The alfalfa never fails to yield nectar, though sometimes in scanty driblets. Now, as long as nectar flows in each blossom, I don't see that the bees have very much less work to do to keep them all licked out often enough to prevent re-absorption into the tissues of the plant, when it is coming in a scanty stream then when it is coming in a full one — the quantity in each flower is exceedingly small, even in the latter case. To illustrate : When I was a boy we used to depend for firewood on the driftwood along the creek bottom. Sometimes there would be here and there a stick, and sometimes they would lie in beds. Generally the former condition would prevail. Two persons would then gather perhaps three loads a day. Now, do you mean to tell me that when two can gather three loads, one person can gather six? Isn't there something shaky about that idea ? If my reasoning is correct, then when 200 colonies do not do well in a poor season in a locality such as mine, to say that 100 colonies would have done better is also "one of those half-truths that sometimes make mischief," and in the light of the experience I have before given, there appears to be no grounds for fixing on 200 as the limit. Arvada, Colo. Some Subjects Reviewed and Commented Upon BY DR. C. C. MILLER. NoN-SwARMiNG Bees.— The interesting report of Jno. McKimmie, on page 29, suggests that he would be doing a favor if he would tell how many colonies he has had that have not swarmed during the past six years ; also the size and num- ber of frames used, and whether he runs for comb or extracted honey. Box-HivES. — E. H. Gabus (page 36) brings good support to show that under some circumstances box-hives may be ex- cused for not going out of existence. The whole thing in a nut-shell is this : Movable combs are not for the benefit of bees, but of bee-keepers ; box-hives are as comfortable as the others, and perhaps more so ; and there's no use in having movable combs if they're never to be moved. So important are box-hives considered in Germany that the very able Cen- tralblatt alternates by giving special instructions for box-hives in one number and for movable-comb hives in the next. North and South. — J. D. Fooshe is puzzled (page 42) to know why, in spite of the many advantages. Southern bee- keepers do not succeed better than those in the North. Pos- sibly he can fiud a partial explanation in his own words, when he says : "In October the golden-rod and asters are in full bloom, and our bees gather more honey and a better quality than from any other source." If a Northern bee-keeper got no better honey than golden-rod and asters yield, he would hardly make a very big success. Swarming Bees. — On page 45 Paul Whitebread cites the case of two colonies to show that swarming bees do best. It should be remembered that very little can be proven by an iso- lated case. I'm not now discussing whether swarming or non- swarming is best, but many a time two colonies side by side, alike in every respect so far as can be seen, will give very different results. Of course, there is a difference, even if it can't be seen, and Mr. Whitebread's queen may not have been as good as the other. If he'll have 50 colonies of non-swarm- ers side by side with 50 swarmers, and then note the results. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 67 not for a single year, but for a series of years, he will have some data that will be of value. But if he can always stop swarming by giving -±8 sections he'll do better than others. Bees Cutting Leaves. — On page 45, R. Howell asks about bees cutting out pieces of lilac leaves and carrying them off. I think if he had followed up those bees he would have found that they didn't go to hives, but were a sort of wild bee that make very ingenious nests by means of pieces of leaves. They make very rapid work in cutting the leaves with their powerful jaws. I never saw them on lilacs, but I've watched them many a time cutting rose-leaves. Mowing Sweet Clover. — In reply to C. Winn's question, on page 46, if sweet clover be cut down as late as July 10, it would in some cases be so far advanced that cutting it close might kill it outright, although in some cases it would sprout up again. But if it were cut down before coming into bloom, and then cut down again July 10, I think he would find it would bloom till frost. Indeed, it often sends out fresh shoots on the apparently dead stalks that blossom late. Marengo, 111. No. 1. — Experiences, Impressions and Reflec- tions After Five Years of Bee-Keeping in California. BY RAMBLER. There is evidently no area of land on our continent that excites more wonder and curiosity than the State of Califor- nia. The story of its early settlement by the Spanish Padres, the establishment of the missions and the civilization ol the degraded natives, was full of romance, adventure and Chris- tian fortitude ; and now that age is passed, and we have here the ruins of those missions that long ago meant so much for California. Their broken and vine-covered arches re-echo now only to the tread of the tourist, and the bells that once sent their sweet chimes echoing over mountains and plains, hang in silence above the crumbling walls. California — then the land of romance, isolated from the East by lofty ranges of mountains, and long stretches of alka- line deserts — it required in the early days heroic efforts to ^•each it. We all read with intense interest, even at this late date, the adventures of Fremont and his fellow explorers, as they opened up the pathway to this Coast. The discovery of gold, with all of its attendant excitement, adventures, successes and disappointments, and the tide of immigration from every quarter of the globe, added another chapter to the romance of the land. With the influx of more people the unknown canyons were explored, and the great natural wonders continued to enlist a lively interest; and when all other themes had been exploited, the wonderful climate became a subject of never-ending admiration. In every sense of the word it is the "Land of Sunshine." While blizzards are tearing the Eastern States, and intense cold sends people shivering to their firesides, this strip of country — 200 miles wide and 800 in length — is redolent with the odor of roses, and the seasons are so gradual in their changes, and so mild, that it seems like one unending summer; the resident often forgetting that the balmy weather of Jan- uary is indeed winter. In the early days of mining, fortunes of gold were not bestowed upon all, and the agriculturist not finding the yellow metal turned his attention to the cultivation of the soil. As a natural sequence the honey-bee soon followed the orchardist, and soil and tree and hive, all upheld the reputation of the country for wonderful results, and the romance of the laud has never been diminished. My theme, however, in these sketches, is not Caifornia and its wonders, but they are to give experiences, impressions, and conclusions drawn from five years' actual service in Cali- fornia apiaries. In this service I have endured stings, rattle- snakes, skunks, and coyotes, and, like a battle-scarred vet- eran, I am spared to tell the tale. In a portion of these sketches .1 will necessarily go over some ground that I have already written up in Gleanings in Bee-Culture, and while the main facts have been given in part before, I here touch upon actual work and impressions that could be gathered only after living here a term of years. I was not attracted toward California by any sentiment of romance, or in the pursuit of the ever-fleeting phantom — gold ; but having followed wife and child, and parents, to their last resting-place, I felt that the light and warmth of loving hearts had gone from my old home forever ; an undefined unrest took possession of me, and it seemed that no distance was too great to separate me from the scenes of my affliction ; and that unrest has sent me far, far indeed from the scenes and acquaintances of all of my previous life. I arrived in Sacramento July 17, 1891, and stopped a few weeks with a kinsman, who is in business in that beauti- ful capital city. I soon learned that bee-keeping was a pur- suit of not much consequence here — a few small apiaries were located in the suburbs of the city, the owners living in peace and harmony with their fruit-growing neighbors; down the river were other and larger apiaries, but the honey they pro- duced was not in large quantities, and not of a high grade. In the early days of California bee-keeping the Sacra- mento valley had been a noted field for honey-production, and it was here that Mr. Harbison commenced the career that afterward give him world-wide fame as a honey-producer. But the Sacramento valley was the first to be put to agricultural uses, and the sages and a multitude of wild flowers were de- stroyed, wide areas of wheat usurping their place. Mr. Har- bison finding his occupation crippled in this valley, moved to the extreme southern end of the State, and in sight qf the Mexican line had, for many years, an unmolested field. After a few weeks in Sacramento, I followed the example of Harbison, and also traveled to the south. Here, indeed, I found bee-keeping conducted upon those extensive plans about which I had so often read — the out-apiary in some remote canyon; the wild country ; the honey-flora so different from the flowers I had observed so much in the East ; and the win- tering problem no factor whatever. All of these features were new and novel, and though the same principles are ap- plied here for the production of honey, they are applied under more favorable circumstances than when applied under East- ern skies. Merry Christmas found me in the city of Riverside — a stranger among strangers. Not a person in the city, and in fact amongst the active thousands of all Southern California, that I had ever met before ; and if there is any time that will try one's remembrance of the old friends that annually gath- ered around the hearth of the old homestead with good cheer at Christmas time, it is this utter separation and isolation, thousands of miles away. New homes have been planted here, and we see the families gathering for their happy festivities. Would you call it a weakness if a tear comes to the eye in re- membrance of the faces I shall see never more "? And a moment of sadness steals into the heart as I take my seat and eat my Christmas dinner at the table of a restaurant with a jostling crowd of individuals like myself — homeless. But such are the changes of life. The fame of Riverside as an orange-growing city had long been known to me, and now the noble fruit was ripening; the train sped through miles of orchards, orange trees upon every side ; up the long rows at the right and the left, perfect balls of golden fruit resting against a back-ground of dark-green foliage; then there are breaks in the rows, and a green lawn appears, as a symetrical evergreen hedge, a quaint residence, often hid beneath trailing vines, upon which are fragrant blos- soms on this Christmas day. Another break, and we look up a long avenue of pepper-trees, their branches trailing to the ground like those of weeping-willow. Another avenue, and the palm and the century-plant greet us. Still another, and the magnolia, the cork-elm and the gum-tree serve as orna- ments and shade. It is said that first impressions are often lasting, and so this first impression of Riverside was that of beauty, and though I have since seen many cities in California perhaps equally beautiful, this first impression of most beauty in River- side clings to me still. It was no less an interesting experience when a few weeks later the orange-tree was in bloom and the air laden with its perfume, the busy hum of the honey-bee could be heard upon every hand, in that loud, busy hum that denotes the gathering of honey, giving one the idea that the orange-orchards alone would sustain many apiaries within the bounds of Riverside. (To be continued.) ^ Working Two Queens in One Hive. BY J. A. GOLDEN. From the South comes a letter requesting me to give my plan of working two queens in one hive, for the production of section honey. In order to do so I will give the method that proved the most satisfactory of any experiments tested, and what I learned about the width of brood-frames and the spacing of the same, which produced two very desirable fea- tures to the producing of section honey, namely, a capacious 68 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 30, brood-nest, and bees quickly to enter the surplus department. As my hive-body measures 14 inches in width inside, I divide that space by fitting in a ?^-inch division-board, having previously cut out a circular hole 6 inches in diameter, cov- ered with wire-cloth, which permits the air to pass from one colony to the other, causing the same sceut, and no fight will ever occur with each other. The bee-entrances should be at opposite ends. Place six %-inch top-bar frames l?s inches from center to center, previously filled with full sheets of comb foundation ; after which two swarms of bees are allowed to enter upon nearly 1,750 square inches of comb founda- tion, or 875 square inches to each colony, which cannot be drawn but a trifle beyond the brood capacity, consequently the surplus sections must be promptly put on in two or three days after the bees commence work ; for every bee-keeper has observed how quickly a swarm of bees will draw out a set of combs, even when allowed to the standard width. I learned from my experiment that if the bees were not promptly supplied with sections filled with comb foundation, they would crowd the queen to the smallest laying capacity, take the swarming fever and sulk ; and then the two-queen project will prove a failure so far as surplus honey is con- cerned, for when bees once get it into their little heads to swarm, they will either swarm, or sulk and die. I also discovered that narrow frames and narrow spacing caused the entire full capacity of the brood-comb cells to be so near the proper length of brood-cells that the queens seemed to double their egg-layiug capacity, until the 12 frames con- tained full sheets of brood, and so long as plenty of room was provided above, the bees gave no fears about swarming ; but a large per cent, was gained in honey, over the one-queen colonies. I have thus given, In as few words as possible, my two- queen system. On examining my two-queen colonies to-day (Jan. 7), when the mercury registers 2° below zero, I find them clus- tered together as one cluster, except the wire-cloth that keeps them separated ; and as my combined hive-cover admits sufB- cient ventilation, the combs are dry, and the bees in the best possible condition. If all goes well, I expect great things the coming season of 1896, from my two-queen colonies. Reinersville, Ohio. Hive-Contraction aad Management. After reading Mr. Doolittle's article on contraction of hives, in the Bee Journal of Dec. 25, 1895, Mr. I. N. Hoag- land, of Brooklyn, N. Y., wanted to ask him a few questions, which follow with Mr. Doolittle's answers to them : QuES. — 1. When you contract the brood-nest to 4 or 5 frames, and those frames are pretty well filled with eggs, brood and honey, will not the colony go to work and prepare, and soon swarm ? Ans. — The contraction spoken of, is used only with newly- hived swarms, or colonies having a poor queen, as all good queens will keep from seven to nine frames filled with brood previous to and during the forepart of the honey harvest. In case of a new swarm the queen will keep the comb filled with eggs as fast as built by the bees, so there will be little or no honey in the combs in the brood-nest, providing ample room is given for work in the sections ; in which case the bees will have no desire to swarm till after the young brood begins to hatch, or 24 days from time of hiving. The honey harvest is then nearly or quite past, and at that time the hive is to be filled out with drawn combs or full sheets of comb foundation. With a poor queen, swarms are not very likely to issue, in any event. QuES. — 2. If you give them those 4 or 5 frames filled with empty comb or merely starters, will they not fill them with brood and honey, instead of filling the section-case with honey ? And would not the colony be the better and stronger if they could retain the brood that you remove in contracting? Ans. — If you put bait sections in the surplus apartment, and contract the hive at the time of hiving new swarms, no trouble will be experienced along the line of honey in the brood-combs, whether empty combs are given, or starters. However, I prefer to use only starters in the brood-frames when working on the contracting plan, as I secure beautiful, all-worker combs in this way, with scarcely a cent of cost to me of honey or otherwise, as far as I can see. QuES. — 3. At the time of contraction do you place a queen-excluder between the brood-nest and section-case ? Ans. — When any hive is contracted to less than the full egg-laying capacity of the queen, it is well to use a queen- excluder between the brood-nest and the sections, otherwise the queen may enter the sections, and brood in the sections will be the result. Such result is neither profitable nor pleasant. QuES. — 4. If at the commencement or during the honey- flow a colony should swarm, and you removed the old hive, and gave a new one to the new swarm on the old stand, would you then contract to 4 or 5 frames ? And would you give the frames of empty comb, or merely the frames with starters ? Or would you give them frames partly well-filled with brood, eggs, and honey? Ans. — I would give the swarm in the new hive only 4 or 5 frames, and those having starters only. I consider it a fal- lacy to give any prime swarm brood in any stage of advance- ment. Nature never provides any to the newly-hived swarm, and it is well to follow Nature in this case, instead of theory. So says an experience of 27 years in bee-keeping as a spe- cialist ; although I have practiced the giving of brood to swarms very largely during that time. QuES. — 5. Would you proceed the same way with a very strong colony which you expect soon to swarm, and most of which you have removed with the queen to a new hive on the old stand ? Ans. — Artifically-made swarms are treated the same as natural, but the advantages of the contraction system are not as apparent with such as with the natural swarms. QuES. — 6. If you have frames that are mostly filled with capped honey, would they not be as good as dummies to use in contracting ? Ans. — Combs of capped honey may be used in hiving swarms, but they will not answer the purpose of dummies, for as soon as the queen reaches them the bees will be likely to uncap the honey, and remove it to the sections, and thus as much of the combs be filled with brood as her prolificness re- quires. If the honey in these capped combs is not of the same consistency and color as is that coming in from the fields, you will be likely to get a mixed product in your sec- tions which will injure the sale of it and cause dissatisfied customers. G. M. Doolittle. « THin. J. K. DARLINO. The subject of this sketch was born within 15 miles of the city of Kingston, Ont., in 1843. The country was then new, and he can well remember hearing the wolves howl around the house during the night. He did not have the ad- vantages of securing an education that the boys of the present day are surrounded with ; however, by making a good use of the means within his reach, he acquired what might be termed a good, common school education. He was brought up on a farm, and a bush-farm at that. Being the oldest of a family of nine, it fell to his lot to do a large share of the "chores," and as part of his father's stock consisted of a few colonies of bees in box-hives, he had some acquaintance with them when quite young. He was frequently told to " watch the bees," and one of the first things he remembers was placing some pieces of boards over a swarm that had settled on a hill of corn. His father and mother were away from home, and a shower coming on, he was afraid the wet would drive them away. Mr. Darling always liked the bees, and as he grew older he thought he could manage them as well as the most of the people whom he knew. He never read any bee-literature, be- cause he did not have it, and did not know it was obtainable. When he was 20 years of age he could break and cut the old black combs from a box-hive, or perchance a salt-barrel, in April — " to give room for the summer's work, you know," just 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 69 as deftly as almost any other person, and he was just as clever in placing over the " brimstone pit " in the fall any colonies that were thought to be too light to winter. Those were the days of "strained honey." After leaving home Mr. D. did not have much to do with bees for 12 or 15 years, but he had not lost his old love — it was just lying dormant. He went to Almonte, Out., in 1870, and built the house he now lives in. He often thought of bees, but living in a village he thought put an end to his aspira- tions in that direction, especially as he was engaged in one of the woolen mills, which took his time from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. However, somewhere about the year 1880, the old love blazed up more fiercely than ever before, and he " got the fever," and had it bad. He thinks Wm. F. Clarke was mostly too blame for this, for he was then writing for the Montreal Weekly Witness. In the spring of 1882 Mr. Darling paid .?5. 00 for a strong colony in a box-hive. It swarmed twice, and the old colony became queenless. He sent for a few hives, an extractor, smoker, etc., and an Italian queen for the queenless colony. The man he purchased the colony from had some that were too light to winter, and said if Mr. D. would leave him the honey and hives, he could have the bees and combs. He ex- tracted the honey, and putting three light colonies together, gave him a fairly good colony, but not an ounce of honey, and none to gather, as the frost had killed everything. He fed granulated sugar syrup, and had it sealed over most beauti- fully, and put the four colonies into the cellar for the winter. In the spring the second swarm "played out," as well as the old colony with the Italian queen. The prime swarm and the fed colony came out all right, and he never saw drier, cleaner combs in the spring than those in the colony that was win- tered on pure sugar syrup. That spring he bought 12 more box-hive colonies from the same man, and although it was the 21st of May, three of them dwindled out before the honey season, leaving him with 11 colonies at the commencement of the honey-flow. He in- creased them to 26, and sold .$100 worth of honey, which settled his determination as to keeping bees. He bought seven more box-hive colonies, and wintered the 33 without losing one. The next season (1884) he Increased to 51, and bought 8 more, making 59 which he wintered without loss. In 1885 he put away 110, which he brought through the winter, but one or two "kicked the bucket" shortly after being put out in the spring. Since that time he has lost more or less every winter, sometimes so many as to make him feel very sad. Mr. Darling is not in the best locality for honey, and his average has been from 72 pounds per colony, spring count, in a good season, to one or two pounds per colony in a very poor season. His success in wintering has been better when there had been a better crop of honey, and poor when the honey crop was light ; especially if what little he did get was gath- ered early in the season. He sent a little more than half a ton of honey to the In- dian and Colonial Exhibition held at Kensington, England, in 1886, which would compare favorably with the honey from the other parts of the Province. He was appointed one of the Directors of the Ontario Bee-Keepers' Association in 1888, which position he has held ever since, and last year he was elected Vice-President of that association. As a politician Mr. Darling is not known. Of very strong and decided convictions personally, he prizes highly, and ex- ercises with determination, his right of franchise, but his voice has never been heard at a political gathering, unless it might be in the cause of temperance. He was converted at the age of 12 years, and joined the Methodist Episcopal church, of which his parents were members. He has been an official member of the Methodist church for nearly 30 years, and has been an active worker in the Sunday school for nearly 25 years. Mr. D. is now carrying on a garden of vegetables and small fruits, and doing the best he can with his bees, having left the woolen mill 10 years ago. He put away 140 colonies of bees last fall in fine condition, and hopes for good things another year. So do we all. The Editors. Honey as Kootl aiKl Medicine. — A new and revised edition of this ,32-page pamphlet is now issued. It has 5 blank pages on which to write or paste recipes taken from other sources. It is just what its name indicates, and should be liberally dis- tributed among the people everywhere to create a demand for honey. It contains a number of recipes on the use of honey as food and as medicine, besides much other interesting and valuable information. Prices, postpaid, are : Single copy, 5 cts. ; 10 copies 35 cts. ; 50 for $1.25 ; 100 for $3.00. Better give them a trial. Send all orders to the Bee Journal office. Report of the Illinois Slate Bee-Keepers' Conven- tion Held at Chicago, Jan. 9 and 10, 1§96. REPOETED BY ERNEST R. ROOT. The convention was called to order at 10 a.m., Jan. 9, by the President, Dr. C. C. Miller, and E. R. Root opened the meeting with prayer. The Secretary, Jas. A. Stone, being absent, Mr. Root was chosen Secretary pro tern. The Presi- dent explained that there was no pre-arranged program, and that he would have to call upon the members to hand in ques- tions. The first question for discussion was : PLANTING FOR HONEY AND FORAGE. " What, in your opinion, will prove the most profitable to plant for honey and forage ? or what should we encourage as a honey-plant ?" Pres. Miller — I would not encourage planting for honey alone. As there are only a few here this morning, compara- tively, I think we can get at the matter by calling for votes. First, let us have a list of the plants. The various plants named were alfalfa, sweet clover, Alsike, crimson clover and buckwheat. President — What is your first choice ? The responses showed that Alsike had the preference. When the second choice was called for, sweet clover was awarded the palm. On the third choice there was a division between crimson clover and buckwheat. President — Alfalfa is a new plant, comparatively, and It is only lately that it has come into prominence. Mr. Finch — I voted for alfalfa because Mr. Stone praised it very highly at our last convention. Mr. Baldridge — I did not vote for it, because I never see any bees on It at St. Charles. It is not much of a honey-plant with us. President — There was only one patch of It in my vicinity, but I found no bees on it. Mr. Schrier — I sowed three acres of it tour years ago. I was very anxious to see the bees work on it, but saw none. Question — What do you know about Alsike ? Mr. Schrier — I sowed about 20 acres with Alsike. Some of my colonies stored as high as 100 pounds of comb honey, and the average from the whole -yard was from 80 to 90 pounds per colony. It Is a successful forage crop with me every season ; and while the clover is not as large as the red, it makes No. 1 hay, and sells for more than the red. I should rather have It with timothy than alone. Without the timothy it sprawls on the ground, and does not grow as well. Mr. Baldridge — Peck Brothers, of Geneva, are large sheep-growers. They sow all their land (about 200 acres) with Alsike and timothy, and have no bees. President — That is the point. We want to emphasize, as bee-keepers, the forage side of our valuable honey-plants, be- cause this appeals to the farmers. Mr. Holmes — My experience is the same as Mr. Schrier's. At this point a recess was taken. The following paid their dues then and at various times during the meeting : C. A. Stewart, St. Charles. C. Schrier, Peotone. Wm. Blume, Norwood Park. E. R. Root, Medina, Ohio. J. Roorda, Thayer. Ind. W.C.Lyman, Downer's Grove. W. A. Norris, Aurora. Geo. S. Affolter, May wood. N. L. Stow, Evanston. Chesterton, Ind. A. H. Kennan, LaGrange. M. H. Mandelbaum, Chicago Geo. Thompson, Geneva. J. C. Wheeler, Piano. M. M. Baldridge, St. Charles A. N. Draper, Upper Alton. H. O. Miller, Manteno. J. A. Green, Ottawa. Ephraim West, Channahon. E. F. Schafer There were a number of other bee-keepers present whose names were not recorded, some of whom had paid their dues at the Springfield meeting in November, 1895. After the recess, the subject of honey-plants was continued. President — We will next turn our attention to sweet 70 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. SO, clover. Now is your time to speak of it as a honey-plant, after which I desire to emphasize its value as a forage-plant. Mr. Finch — The honey from it does not seem to be of first quality. People do not like it. I had some at the State con- vention at Springfield, and no one seemed really to like its flavor. Mr. Baldridge — Was the honey light in color ? Mr. Finch — It was a light amber. Mr. Baldridge — That could not have been from sweet clover. President — Likes differ. We must go by the general taste. I have generally considered it to be very good in flavor. Mr. York — I have samples that were produced a few miles from this room, that were very fine. The honey is light in color, but it has a sort of greenish tinge. E. R. Root — Samples have been sent us at various times; and while we do not consider it quite equal to white clover, we call it a fine honey. It is light in color, though perhaps not quite so light as first quality of white clover. The honey that has been sent to us has come from a good many different localities, but all the samples seem to be very much alike. Mr. Schrier — The honey is a little strong, and slightly yellowish, but good. Mr. Baldridge — It is barely possible that your bees may have been working on other plants. That would account for the strong flavor and the dark color that you speak of. In my locality, nothing else is in bloom at the same time as sweet clover. The honey is both white and of fine flavor. President — Let us now turn our attention to sweet clover as a forage-plant. Mr. Baldridge — I have something on that subject, and I should like to read it. Sweet clover is grown for hay, for pasturage, and for enriching the soil. One farmer has 100 acres old enough to bloom the present year. In November, 1895, one of my sweet-clover correspondents in the State of Mississippi, a wide-awake and progressive farmer, wrote me substantially as follows : SWEET CLOVER IN MISSISSIPPI. "My farm contains 1,500 acres of land, and is all under fence; 300 acres are in pasture, 150 acres being seeded to common red clover, and 100 acres to sweet clover, the latter being of this season's growth. I think my sweet clover is almost a perfect stand. It will be old enough to bloom in 1896. I have at this time 150 tons of sweet clover hay, all undercover, and of this season's growth. My stock, both horses and cattle, seem to be very fond of the sweet clover hay, for they eat it as readily as that from the red variety. I do not grow the Alsike clover. I have never seen Alsike tried but once in my locality, and that was a complete failure, but I think I must give it another trial. " I have kept, this season, 55 head of stock on 50 acres of sweet clover as pasturage, and besides I have cut and saved from it 50 tons of hay. My stock had all the pasture from the sweet clover they could eat, and they are now very sleek and fat. The plant makes such a rapid growth that the stock and mowing-machine could not keep it back. Of course, if I were to go into the Held and cut the sweet clover all down at once, I might then use it up, but I simply cut small plats at a time, so as to let the stock graze all the time. "I always cut sweet clover for hay, the second year, be- fore it blooms, and when it is from 20 to 24 inches high. I do not think it would make as good hay after it blooms, as I fear it would then be too hard and woody. After it blooms I make no special use of the crop except to save it for seed. " Sweet clover starts to grow very early in the spring — much earlier than red clover — and makes a very rapid growth. In fact, it is one of the earliest and most rapid-growing plants that I am acquainted with. " I keep about 100 head of pure-bred Poland-China hogs, and I find that sweet clover is a good plant in early spring for hogs to graze upon ; and that it is ready for them to use be- fore anything else as pasture. " I bave also a large herd of thoroughbred Jersey cattle of both sexes ; I graze them also on sweet clover. When given access to it in early spring, they soon become fond of the plant, and will then keep fat upon it. " My horses do not seem to like sweet clover the second year until after it begins to bloom ; they then eat the plant with great relish. But the first year's growth of sweet clover is the finest grazing-plant to fatten stock of any kind, that I ever saw, and especially late in the fall, when all other plants are gone. The plant is so hardy that it takes several severe freezes to kill it down. "I sow from 8 to 10 pounds of seed, with the hulls on, to the acre. I prefer to sow the seed alone, or without a nurse- crop, and to sow it early in the spring or the latter part of winter. If the land is free from grass and weeds, it makes no difference with me about its being plowed or the seed har- rowed in ; still, in many cases, it may be better or safer to harrow and cover the seed lightly. It may be sown on oat or wheat stubble, if so desired, and with good results. If I first plow the land I then harrow so as to make it as smooth as possible before I sow the seed. Early seeding is very desirable so as to catch the spring rains. This insures the early germina- tion of the seed, and, of course, a rapid early growth of the plants. After the roots once secure a foothold, sweet clover will then withstand almost any summer's drouth. "There is perhaps no plant grown that will enrich badly worn soils more rapidly than sweet clover. The roots are large, and they go down to a great depth. The roots die and rot, as a rule, as soon as a crop of seed matures, and then the soil becomes filled with a large amount of decayed vegetable matter. If the land be then plowed, and seeded to grain, or planted to corn, an increased yield will surely be the result. The cultivation of corn will destroy any plants that may spring up from the seed of the sweet clover left on the ground. When young, the sweet clover plants are thus very easily de- stroyed. But by sowing oats, barley, wheat or rye, the sweet clover plants will not, of course, be disturbed, and after the crop is removed the land will usually be found nicely re-seeded, which, with me, is very desirable. But if the sweet clover be no longer desired, the land may be plowed up and seeded again to a grain crop. "The growing of a crop of sweet clover until a crop of seed matures seems to have about the same effect upon the soil as tile-drainage. The roots, being long, and of large size, when they die and rot, leave a multitude of holes in the soil, and these act as drains for the surplus water." Mr. Baldridge — We have a farmer near the Peck Broth- ers, who makes a business of cutting sweet clover and feeding it to his hogs. The road commissioner of that vicinity wanted him to destroy it ; but instead of doing this he made a con- tract to pasture the highways. He hired a boy, and put on 35 cows, and cleaned up four miles of road. The cows ate the sweet clover, and the milk was of finest quality. The ven- ture was a paying one all around. The milk paid well, and he was also paid under contract to pasture down the "noxious! weed." But he has not been able to renew his contract since Mr. Wheeler — I sowed sweet clover along where wild grass grew. About half of it came up. A neighbor wanted me to cut it down, as he thought it was a noxious weed. The horses refused to touch the wild hay or grass, but would eat the sweet clover. The clover I used for feed, and the grass, cut at the same time, was used for bedding. The horses form- erly ate the wild grass. Some discussion here followed, showing that sweet clover sometimes fails to grow in nice, mellow fields ; but it seems to thrive well on waste lands, roadsides, and railway embank- ments. The question was asked why it did not grow in the fields, and yet would seem to thrive along the roadsides. The suggestion was made that the trampiug-in of the horses and wagons along the roadsides caused the seed to be thoroughly covered. Mr. Thompson — In my greenhouse I sowed some sweet clover in a box. It did not grow at all. The next spring I threw it out ; and later on I saw a great bunch of sweet clover growing where I had thrown out the box of earth containing the sweet-clover seed. I came to the conclusion that the seed and the soil would have to be frozen before it will take root and grow. Mr. Schrier — Sweet clover will not stand low ground. [Continued next week.] Back Numbers. — We have on hand a few back numbers of the Bee Journal for 1895, which we will mail to any one wishing them at 15 copies for 20 cents. They will all be different dates, but we have no complete sets for the year. Just send us 20 cents in stamps or silver, and we'll send you 15 copies. No doubt there are many new subscribers who will be glad to take advantage of this offer. All new sub- scriptions now begin with Jan. 1, 1896. < » » Xlie Alsike Clover l,eaflet consists of 2 pages, with illustrations, showing the value of Alsike clover, and telling how to grow it. This Leaflet is just the thing to hand to every farmer in your neighborhood. Send to the Bee Jour- nal office for a quantity of them, and see that they are dis- tributed where they will do the most good. Prices, postpaid, are as follows : 50 for 25 cents ; 100 for 40 cents ; or 200 for 70 cents. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 71 Uniting to Spot a Good Queen. It has long been a " notion " in my mind that fall uniting furnishes about the only way we have to discover which of several queens is really the best — best queen sure to be the first one to get infuriated ; and her antagonists are stung and dead before they get their fighting trousers on. I like to unite a half dozen or more colonies into one great one with just this object in view, to discover an extra nice queen. — E. E. Hasty, in Review. Clipping ftueens' Wings. Some folks are still harping on the foolish theory that clipping the wings of queens will finally cause them to be- come permanently impaired, or even cause the disappearance of those members entirely. If every keeper in the land prac- ticed clipping on all queens, there might be some logic in this kind of " argufyen " (as the negro said), and about the year 2599 our posterity might notice some of the bad effects, but even this is doubtful. I presume people have practiced cut- ting the finger-nails for many centuries past, but the most of us have finger-nails yet, unless we have been unfortunate enough to have dropped some heavy weight on one or more of them, and thus been temporarily deprived of them. So long as all queens sent out by breeders have wings, it is hardly necessary to send up a cry against clipping. I suppose these fellows get this idea from what scientists and naturalists tell us about the penguins and other fowls, and insects, losing the use of their wings because they get too fat and lazy to use them. Nevermind! Whenever our queens commence com- ing out of the cells with cropped wings, we will quit cropping, for a year or two at least. — S. E. Milleb, in Progressive. Wintering Bees — Weak Colonies. Since we gave large entrances at the sides of the combs by raising one side of the hive, and putting under a half-inch block (our hives are not nailed, but clamped at the corners), we have lost no colonies if they were in proper condition when put into the cellar with queens and sufficient honey. From three or four, when being piled up in the cellar, the block came out, letting the sides down, which gave them only their front entrances at the ends of the combs. They all came through in bad condition, and most of them kept dwindling down, and died before white clover came, showing that close confinement makes bees unhealthy. We generally leave the honey-board on top of the frames, and lay on the second honey- board ; the slats between mal. There are too many intoxicating drinks already, we think. ■^--•-^ 'I'lie Apiarian Indnstry in tlie I'nited States is a development of the last 40 years, although isolated individuals were engaged in this work long prior to that time. The impor- tance of the industry at the present day is not generally realized, and the following figures will probably be surprising to many well- informed individuals : Apiarian societies in the United States 110 Apiarian journals 9 Steam factories for the manufacture of bee-hives and apiarian implements 15 Honey produced in the United States in 1869 (accord- ing to United States Census Report) pounds. . 14,702,815 Honey produced in the United States in 1889 (accord- ing to United States Census Report) pounds.. 63,894,186 Persons engaged in the culture of bees (estimated) 300,000 Honey and wax produced, at wholesale rates (Eleventh Census) 87,000,000 Estimate of the present annual vsdue of apiarian prod- ucts $20,000,000 The above Is taken from a circular recently sent out by the Department of Agriculture, at Washington, D. C. While some of the foregoing figures may be correct, it is pretty safe to say that others are hardly reliable. In fact, it is very diflicult to get at the actual figures when it comes to a subject of this kind. For instance, look at these two paragraphs, which are based on Gov- ernment Reports of the honey crop: In 1809 five States produced over 1,000,000 pounds each, and seven States produced none. Illinois led with 1.547,178 pounds, and North Carolina followed with 1,404,040 pounds. South Dakota producing the least— 110 — of those that produced any at all; Neva- da followed with the next least amount credited to one State, 363 pounds. In 1879 two States, New York and Tennessee, produced each over 3.000,000, and ten other States produced each, over 1,000.000 pounds. Illinois produced 1.310.138, and North Carolina 1,591,590 pounds ; South Dakota prod9Pe*1J,'r8(); and Nevada 24,296 pounds. New Mexico produced the least, 450 pounds, and only four states produced none. Now. just compare the honey produced in Dlinois with that of North Carolina, as given in the Reports. Who believes that the latter State in any year produces one-tenth as much honey as the former ? And yet, in 1879 the figures show that North Carolina produced wore honey than Illinois! and in 1869 almost as much. It 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 73 will also be seen that California isn't found at all among those worthy of special mention. But here is another paragraph touching on the honey-yields for 1889: In 1889 one State — Iowa— produced over 6,000,000 pounds. Three States — New York. Illinois and Missouri — produced each over 4,000,000 pounds. Three States — Texas, Wisconsin and Cali- fornia— produced each 3,000,000. Seven produced each, over 3,000,- 000, and six over 1,000,000 pounds each. Every state produced honey, the least being Montana, the next Wyoming, which pro- duced 305 pounds. Idaho, which produced none in 1869 or 1879, records 37,146 pounds for 1889. In the above, it shows that Iowa produced just twice as much honey as California in 1889 ! We're afraid the apiarian statistics of the past need revising. We hope the Government will take hold of the matter in real earnest, and see to it that proper api- arian reports are gathered in the same manner as those relating to other productions of the farms of our country. We think a few questions relating to bee-culture should be printed on all blanks used by assessors who annually make their visits among those who produce honey and many other crops. CONDUCTED BY DR. C. O. AIILr.ER, AIAJBtEKGO, ILL. [Questions may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct.] Does Feeding Bees Sugar Affect their Gathering from Flowers 3 wmmm^ There is an old German proverb which says : " Bienen die mit Zucker gefuettert werden hoeren bald auf Honig in den Bhimen zu siichen." Translated it reads : Bees that are fed with sugar soon stop gathering honey from flowers. I would like to know how much truth there is in it? J. S. Answer. — I don't believe there's anything in it. For some reason bees prefer the nectar of flowers to any solution of sugar, and if you feed them the latter when no flowers are to be found, they may take it greedily, but as soon as they find a chance to gather the genuine nectar, they will quickly neglect the sugar. I could never observe that bees worked with any less vigor on flowers after having been fed upon any substi- tute. In the same way I have seen bees working very indus- triously on some substitute for pollen, as ground corn and oats, but as soon as natural pollen was to be had the meal was deserted, and the bees worked with a will bringing in great loads of pollen. Two-Story Eight-Frame Hives- Bee-Zinc. -Objects to On page 810 mention is made of ten colonies of bees in two-story 8-frame hives, and the following questions were asked about them : 1. When were the second stories given, or were they on all the season ? 2. How strong were the colonies in the spring ? 3. How were they in the fall ? 4 . What was the crop ? 5. Can you tell us how they compared with one-story col- onies ? 6. Were they run for comb or extracted honey ? To these questions H. E. L. replies as follows : Answers. — 1. The second stories were put on in spring to increase the laying-room of the queen, and they are there yet as a two-story hive for winter. This Is the first season's trial with the two-story hive (I mean two-stories for the queen and her brood). 2. On an average, weak and short of stores. 3. Very strong and very heavy. 4. 50 pounds per colony, not forgetting that the season was very poor. A near neighbor did not average 25 pounds in his apiary, beside leaving all colonies with less than half as much as my colonies have left to winter on. 5. The above explains this question, as he confined all his colonies (the queen rather) in the one lower story by means of a queen-excluder above it, and a second-story for extracted honey. The queen-excluder, to my notion, is to the queen what the chain is to the dog, besides being a stumbling-block for the poor loaded bees to stumble over, that is, squeeze through the close-fitting openiug. Who can tell how much honey is lost by the use of those expensive excluders'? 6. All were run for extracted honey, three and four stor- ies, the strongest one having at one time five stories. East St. Louis, III. H. E. L. Answer : — Like many another thing that is good, 1 sup- pose b3e-ziuc may be abused as well as used. Comparing your results with those of your neighbor, it looks very much as if it has been a damage to him, that is, supposing there was no material difference between your management and his except the matter of queen-excluders. Used with judgment, howev- er, bee-zinc is certainly a grand invention. Just how much harm is done by forcing worker-bees to pass through the per- forations I suppose it would be difficult to determine. One can judge perhaps something about it by having bee- zinc at the entrance of a hive and watching the bees as they pass through it. At first it seems something new to them, and they don't pass in and out of the hive as readily as with- out it, but after a day or so it seems to make very little differ- ence. Only by a good deal of observation and comparsion could one tell very much about its use in the case of extracted honey. If you had used excluders over your second story it is possible there might have been some good in it in the way of keeping the queen out of the combs used in the extractor and also keeping pollen out of them. Still, it is possible that there may be some advantages in allowing the queen free range. Will you kindly tell us. if you can, about how many combs of brood were in the hive at the height of the season, and wheth- er the brood was spread throughout the several stories or in which stories it was ? Also tell us how many of them swarmed. Thanks for the information already given. Does Artificial Pollen Ferment in the Cell ?- it Paralysis ? Is 1. Does common wheat flour or meal, used as a substitute for pollen in early spring, undergo fermentation when the bees fill up the cell, in which it has been stored, with new honey ? 2. When bees are busily working on the second crop of red clover I notice that many of them are affected by what seems to be "paralysis." Is the trouble due to the nectar- secretions of the clover, or is the weather accountable, being at that time extremely warm and dry ? W. W. M. Wheelersburg, Ohio. Answers. — 1. Probably no more than the natural pollen. Pollen or any of its substitutes may undergo fermentation under favorable circumstances, but not when properly taken care of by the bees. I've seen what was supposed to be good extracted honey froth and run over the jar that contained it, on account of the floating pollen in the honey. 2. I don't suppose the clover has anything to do with it. If bee-paralysis is what you mean, that's a disease that opin- ions are unsettled about at present, further than it is due to a bacillus, and there's no certainity that the weather is in any way accountable for it. M I ^ Swarming Out— A Stray Queen. 1. I have a colony of bees which are cross and bad to handle. They will pitch at you if you are not any where near the hive yourself. They were the first from a swarm of very quiet bees, and they have been very cross ever since they lived in this hive. 2. Last spring I had a colony in a 10-frame Langstroth hive with plenty of honey and nice, clean combs, but they swarmed out. I tried to stop them and make them cluster, but it was impossible — they would not cluster at all. I threw water into them, but no use. They flew for aboutone hour, and then went northwest to a neighbor's apiary and settled on a wash-tub half filled with water for watering bees. I of course followed them and got them back home again, and then into the same hive again. Then the queen began to lay all right, but in about a week they swarmed out attain, leaving hive, honey and brood. They went right over to the same neighbor 74 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 30, again, and lit on an apple-tree ; so I got permission from him to cut the limb from the tree and take my bees again. I got them down and hived them in a new hive with full sheets of foundation but the next day out they came and were gone entirely. I saw nothing of their leaving the hive at all. But what was strange to me was, when we were eating dinner we found a queen on the window trying to get out. Now, where did that queen ever come from in the house? Was it the queen of the colony that left ? If it was, where were the bees gone ? This happened on May T, 1895. H. W. S. Baraboo, Wis. Answers. — 1. From the date given, it might be impossi- ble for any one to say just why the colony was cross. You say it was a first swarm from a gentle colony. In that case it had the same queen the old colony had, and for at least three weeks there would be no bees in it except those that came from the old colony. So the difference can hardly be accounted for by the change of bees themselves, as might be more or less the case with a second swarm. If honey ceased to yield immediately after the swarm was hived, that might account for an immediate change of temper in the bees. If the bees lost their queen by any accident, or even by de- sign, that would change their gentle character also. The place where the new swarm was put may possibly have had something to do with it, for some have reported that bees out in the hot sun were more vicious than those more com- fortably located. 2. It is simply impossible for any one to say with certainty from whence came that queen. It is possible that it might have come from a colony at almost any distance within two or three miles, and from any point of the compass. The fact that one of your colonies came out of its hive makes it of course more probable that it was from such a colony than. from a colony that remained quietly in its hive as a well-be- haved colony ought to do ; but after all, any answer given would only be a guess. Improved Nomcnelatiirc -Bee-Zinc. Some honey-boards are queen-excluding, others not ; then suppose that those which are queen-excluders be called " bee- boards," and leave the old name to those which fire honey- boards and not queen-excluding. Zinc being the material which is in general use — I might say almost universal use — for excluding or including queens and drones, at other places than where honey-boards are used, and most honey-boards are made of zinc if they are queen-ex- cluding, how would " bee-zinc" do for the " perforated zinc," as it is now called ? A Feibnd. Answer. — It is something of a question whether " bee- board " could displace the well-established name " queen-ex- clud8r," but decidedly " bee-zinc " has strong claims as a sup- planter of " perforated zinc." The name is shorter, more des- criptive, and could not be misunderstood. "Perforated zinc" might equally as well apply, and very likely if applied, to many forms of zinc with perforations that would not be per- forated zinc at all in bee-keeping parlance. But " bee-zinc " ■would easily recommend itself as meaning just the one thing. Let's call it bee-zinc. [We are willing to adopt this change, and for the reason given. — Editor.] CONDUCTED BY r>R. J. p. H. BROWIf, AUGUSTA, GA. [Please send all questions relating to bee-keeping In the South direct to Dr. Brown, and he will answer in this department.— Eds. 1 Balling Qiieen§. Dr. Brown :^0n Oct. 1, as I was passing through my apiary, I discovered one hive with a pile of dead bees in front of the hive, also a lump of live ones, so I searched the hive, and the bees were just wild. Then I took a stick and wanted to lind out about the bees in front of the hive, and found a queen in the middle of a tight lump of bees, and as soon as I took the queen some of the bees were fighting and trying to sting the queen, so I caged her, and yet the bees were not sat- isfied. I found another lump Just like the first, which I ex- amined, and, to my surprise, I found another queen. Well, I caged her, and not long after that the bees went straight to work again. What was the matter with that colony ? Could I not have kept those two queens until spring, if I had fed them honey mixed with sugar? They seemed to eat by them- selves. I had no bees with them, as the bees would fight her if I put any with her. I had them in separate cages. If I had shut the cages and put them into some hive, would the bees have fed them through the wire-cloth and taken care of them ? U. T. Leon Springs, Tex. Answer. — Judging from your description of the bees I infer that a swarm from some hive, or hives, tried to enter the other, and were killed, and the queen balled. Very often, with small, weak colonies, in the spring and fall, they swarm out and desert their hives, and frequently try to enter other hives. The fact of there being two balled queens would indi- cate two such swarms. I have also had cases where the queen of the colony en- tered would be balled by the stronger bees, but in this case the bees would be demoralized for quite awhile. As the bees in your hive soon quieted down and went to work, this suppo- sition would be very unlikely. If you wanted to save the queens, you could have given them to some queenless colonies. The chances were all against you saving them in cages until spring. (Jniling Colonics — Fccciing— The Danger of Ex- tracting Too Closely. 1. Is there likely to be a gain by uniting several weak colonies in the fall ? That is, will it make them swarm early, and put them beyond what they likely would have been? 2. I understand there is no use of packing bees for winter in the South ; but as soon as they commence brood-rearing regularly in the spring, would it not be of some advantage to pack them so as to prevent the cool nights from chilling the brood, allowing them to remain so until the nights got fairly warm ? 3. I have had my bees, from all appearance, within a week of swarming, when a cold, wet rain would set things back until they would not swarm at all. Now, what I wish to linow is, would it be advisable to feed a little regularly just to keep up brood-rearing until the weather was right again ? 4. The fall aster is our main honey-plant here. In ex- tracting as fast as it is gathered, is there not danger of work- ing the bees to death ? This accords with what decides the life of a worker-bee. It seems that it would be at a critical time of the year ; if so, what say you ? J. W. H. Newell, N. C. Answers. — 1. There would be a gain by uniting them in this way; if you did not do it they would most likely be lost before the first of April. Small, weak colonies in the fall and spring frequently get, as it were, discouraged, and swarm out — desert their hive and what brood they have started. Feed- ing will not always hold them — it more often kindles their " git and quit " propensity. By uniting you save the bees, and may have a good, strong colony for spring work. 2. I don't think you would gain much by the packing. What you might gain in the night you would lose in the day. The bees in the packed hives would be several hours later in getting out in the day for forage than those in the unpacked ones. You would find that by the time the honey harvest was well under way, the unpacked bees would be most likely ahead. I speak from experience. 3. It would be advisable. 4. Yes, there is danger. The extracting should be done with judgment — always be on the safe side — don't extract too closely — leave enough for the bees to winter on, and to carry them until the first of April. Prom the first of February until the first of April is a trying time with bees in our climate — ■ stores are rapidly consumed. Look out for starving colonies. Every Present Subscritier of the Bee Journal should be an agent for it, and get all others possible to sub- scribe for it. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 75 THIRTY THOUSAND FOUNDS DEESWAX Is our present stock for this year's sales of Foundation. But still 'We 'Want ]Wore BeeS'wax and pay a good price. Don't Delay Ordering Your FOTrHDATION. You will pay more by and by than you would now. Remember that we make the BEST, and everybody acknowledges this. Now is the time to read the work of the Late Father LangfStrotta — Langstroth on the Honey-Bee, Revised. The Frice of this Work is now Seduced from $1.40 to $1.25, 1)y mail. Send us your address for Catalogue of Bee-Supplies, etc. CHAS. DADANT &. SON, MevtiontTieAmeHcanBeejoumaL HAMILTON, Hancock Co., HiIi. We Is No Doubt About the MERIT of TJtr. KlT^ViTOyE It cuts both ways, does not crush. One clip ^^ -knife- s and the horns are off close, "Write for circular. A, C. BROSIUSj CochranviMe« Pa. ) 3tiEl:{t Please meatiou the American Bee Jourual. CHEAP SECTIONS ! CHEAP SECTIONS ! We have at this Branch among; the Stock purchased of Thoe. G Newman the following stock of Sections— not of our manufacture— which we desire to close out to make room for our Superior Extra Polished Sections. In order to close tliein out quickly we offer them for the next GO daj-s, or while they last, at these special prices : White Sections, 4!4x4^. Cream Sections, i^xia. 40,000 1 15-16) 1,000 fortl. 75 10,000 1 15-16 I 1.000 for $1.25 50,000 I'i ]■ 2.000 for .3.00 20,000 1 'i V 2,000 for 2.00 80,000 7-to-ft. i 5,000 for 7.00 1.000 7-toft. ) 5,000 for 4.50 With all orders for less than 5.000. add 25 cts. for cartage. These Sections are of Wisconsin manufacture, and when made were doubtless considered as good as the best; but as compared with our Extra Polished Sections they are not up to the standard of to-day. but a decided bargain and should be closed out quljkly at these very low prices. If you prefer a sample before ordering we will mail one for 5 cts. to cover postage. The A. I. Root Co., 56 5th Ave., Chicago, 111. Boney-CIovers & Buckwheat SEED FOR SALE. We have made arrangements so that we can furnish seed of several of the Clovers and Japanese Buckwheat, by freight or ex- press, at the following prices, cash with order: lOB 505) loom A Isike Clover Seed $1 .35 $ 6.25 $12.00 White Clover Seed 2.40 11.35 22 00 Alfalfa Glover Seed 1.20 5.25 10.00 Crimson Clover Seed 1.00 4.00 7.00 Jap. Buckwheat Seed 45 1.50 2,20 Prices subject to market changes. The above prices include a good, new two- bushel bag with each order. We expect to be able to offer Sweet Clover Seed by next week. We guarantee all Seed flrst-class in every re- spect—in fact. THE BEST that can be gotten. Tour orders are solicited. GEORGE W. YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS. STOP ! ! My Friend, just one moment, will you? Do you need anything in my line ? Any BEES? QUEENS ? coivib"foundation ? sections? SMOKERS? HIVES? Well, t've prot anything: you want. Send for my Catalos;ue lor 1 896, and see if it is not a Daisy— and learn how to save Freight on your Goods— more than enough to pay for your favorite bee-paper, for years to come. Send no\T, or paste this in your hat, for it will not appear again. E. T. FL.AXAGA1V, Box 783 BELLEVILLE, ILLS. Mention the A.mcrtcan Bee Journal, BimMM M MowM ^w wwmt A.I_iXj K,E3A.ID"5r FOK, 1S9S. J Jc^^dE ^ Appreciating the advantages for procuring Basswood L umber, and the splendid Shipping facilities of Marshfleld, we have established a Factory tor the manufacture of THE ONE-PIECE SECTION". We have all new and up-to-date Machinery for the manulacture of the "One-Piece Sec- tion." Have a Saw-Mill In connection with our Factory, enabling us to get the finest ma- terial to be had. for " One-Piece Sections." 10^ Write for Price-List, and also for piices on Sections in any qu.autity you may want. Dec. Is 1895. ITIAR!«HFIE:l.D, Wood Co., WIS. 49Dtf MKntion the American Bee Journal, In the multitude of counsellors there is safety.— Prov. 11-14. Unquccnin^ During the Harvest Query 3.— Do you practice unqueening a colony during the honey harvest? If so, why ?— Tenn. R. L. Taylor— No. Jas. A. Stone — No. H. D. Cutting— No. G. M. Doolittle— No. W. G. Larrabee — No. Prof. A. J. Cook— No. Mrs. L. Harrison — No. Rev. E. T. Abbott— No. W. R. Graham — I do not. J. M. Hambaugh — No, no. Mrs. J. N. Heater — I do not. Eugene Secor — I never have. Dr. J. P. H. Brown — No, sir. Rev. M. Mahin — No, and I do not be- lieve in it. Dr. C. C. Miller — I gave it up some years ago. B. Taylor — I have never made it pay to dequeen. P. H. El wood — Yes, when we do not wish to increase, we do it to prevent swarming. C. H. Dibbern — No; I allow the bees to manage the requeening business, as I believe they know more about it than I do. J. A. Green — Sometimes. In order to prevent or control swarming, and to keep colonies supplied with young queens. Chas. Dadant «fc Son — No. It is too much trouble, and we do not consider it practical. There is lots more of this done on paper than in the apiary. E. France — Some seasons we have caged queens during the honey harvest. I have not room here to explain the rea- sons why and when it should be done. Allen Pringle — I practice no foolish- ness of that sort. It might possibly be wise for some bee-keepers in some locali- ties to " unqueen," but it is otherwise with me and in my locality. J. E. Pond — I unqueen a colony at any time, when I desire to make a change, without regard to the "honey harvest." I do not unqueen colonies, though, in the " honey harvest," with the intent to get more honey by so doing, as I think it doesn't pay to do so. G. W. Demaree — No. I can bear the expense of rearing young bees during the honey-llow better than I can after the honey harvest is over, for there must be a succession of young bees if the col- onies are to be in readiness to get their winter stores from fall bloom. BASSWOOD TREES ! Orders booked now for Spring delivery for l\'ursery-Grown Basswood Seedlings 5 to 9 Inches high, at $2 00 per 100; 300 for $5 or $1 5.00 for 1000. Parties living east of the Mississippi river will be supplied direct from our Nurseries in Ohio. Satisfaction guaran- teed. A. H. FITCH, 702 Toungerman BIdg.. Des Moines. Iow.1. 4Att ilentionthe American Bee Journal. 76 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 30, California If you care to know of its Fruits, Flowers Climate or Resources, send for a Sample Copy of California's Favorite Paper— The Pacific Rural Press The leading Horticultural and Agricultural paper of the Paclflc Coast. Published weekly, handsomely illustrated, $2.00 per annum. Sample Copy Free. PACIFIC RURAL, PRESS, 220 Market St., - SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. Mention the jlrnerlcan Une, ,7.>ji,t»mK. OUR POULTRY ANNUAL .and Book of Valuable Recipes, ^ large 'papes, contaius S beautiful colored plates of fowls, gives description and prices of 45 varieties,with important hints on care of poultry, and pages of recipes of great value to everyone. Finest Poultry Book pulilished fur 1S96, Postpaid onlv lOcts, C. N. Bowers, Box 2^, Dakota, III' MeiUujJt, cfte A-tiwricaiL knx, ^twriuu^ COMB FOUNDATION 'n'HOL.ESAL.E aud KETAIIi. Are you going to buy Foundation for Cash, or have you Wax to sell or trade for Foundation and other Supplies ? Have you 35 lbs or more of Wax that you want made into Foundation ? If so, do not fail to write me for samples and prices. 1 make a specialty of working up Wax by the lb., and do it very cheap during the winter. Beeswax wanted at all times. GUS BITTMEK, AUGUSTA, WIS. Reference— Augusta Bank. 16Atf MentUm tJiis Anwricxin Bee JonjTtuaX PERFECT FRUIT; ;;'.S? BY SPRAYING. ie American Bee JouT^iat,, — 1.EADS THEM AIjL S to 24y, % — See reports of experiments with Comb Foun- dation at the government station, Lapeer. Mich. FRKE-large Illustrated Catalog of everything needed in the apiary. Full of In- fo) mation. M. H. Hunt, Bell Branch, Mich. 5Dtf Please mention this Journal. MUTH'S HOKET EXTBACTOB PERFECTION Cold-Blast Smokem, Square Glass Honer Jars, Etc. For Circulars, apply to Chas. F. Muth & Son. Cor. Freeman & Central Aves., Cincinnati, O. Send lOo for Practical Hints to Bee-Keepers. EXCELSIOR Incubator simple. Perfect. Sel/-Regu!.it- hiji. Thiiusainis la Mir,-i,'i--^jiil .■|ier;itii>Q. I.,oweHt priced first'Cla-'i* llotchei- madf. *;E0. II. STAIIL. JLcntion the AmerUian Bee Joumdtn 3A8t Potatoes —10 New Varieties. Jl. Pack- et Beet. C.4bbaqe, Cucumb'b Lettuce. Tomato Seeds. 10c ■Catalogue Free. Address, J. e. IfllCHAELi, lD6t GttEENVILLE, OHIO. Meiitwn the American BeeJounwl. READERS OC tbis Jonmal w3s.!> wrrlte to any of oni advertisers, eltUer In ordering, or asking about the Goodf offered, \v\\\ please state tbat ttaey saw Mie Advertisement in tbls paper. Results of the Past Season. I had, spring count, 45 colonies, took off about TOO pounds of honey, mostly ex- tracted, and sold I'iO queens. I sold 35 col- onies of bees, and now have 85 in fair con- dition. Bees are flying briskly to-day, and have been bringing in pollen up to within ten days. I find it difficult to get queen-cells to hatch during the hottest weather. I have no use for queens reared here in winter. Spring is the best time, and early fall will do. We are having more rain now than we had at this season a year ago, and I am hoping we will have a better honey season than the last was; and I would not object it the quality was a little better, and a little better market for what we do get. O. H. Stevens. Bee Co., Texas, Dec. 20, 1S95. Two Fertile Queens in a Hive. My report for the last four years is almost nothing. My bees run down from 73 colo- nies to 41, and averaged 200 pounds per year. No wonder I get discouraged and want to sell out and hunt a new location. I have kept bees since 1866. I found two fertilized queens the past sea- son. I went to the hive to put up a swarm for another person, and the second frame I took out had a young fertile queen on it. I set the frame in another hive, and went on with my work. When I got to the other side I found another fertile queen. I had found old queen-cells, and the old queen was gone, which was clipped. It is the only instance of the kind I ever heard of. R. R. Stokesbbbry. Clinton, Ind., Dec. 27, 1S95. The Bee-Pasturage in Montana. My bees had a good flight Dec. 10, and are now in good condition for winter. There are lots of willow and wild berries growing near here for the bees to work on in the spring, and then come the aster and other wild flowers. I think most of the honey that I will produce next year will be from that source. I will improve my bee- pasture by sowing sweet clover. Fhask X. Adelbert. Kalispell. Mont., Dec. 26, 1895. Poor Season in 1895. There is no honey to sell among the bee- keepers around here, and no young swarms in the summer of 1S95, either. Half of the bees' winter food is from sugar. My bees used 10 pounds of honey per colony from May 15 to Aug. 1, then they got their feed in 10 days; then in two weeks gained a lit- tle. They had September brood, and I hope they will be all right for 1896. We had a young winter from May 10 to the 13th — too much for basswood. It was so hot and dry in the autumn of 1891 and summer of 1895 for clover. O. E. Clark. Brillion, Wis., Dec. 26, 1895. The Closed-End Frame in Winter. On page 798. Mr. E. T. Abbott says he is unable to see where the closed-frame has any advantages in retaining the heat of the cluster in the spaces occupied. He says the cluster warms the spaces occupied and no more, let the frame be what it may. I use closed-end frames, and put foundation in them, and I find that the combs are built from end-bar to end-bar of the frame. I cover the top of the frames with a piece of strong cotton-cloth, which the bees seal air-tight. As the warm air of the cluster can neither escape at the top nor at the end of the combs, and being lighter than the air at the bottom of the frames, it is com- pelled to remain in the upper part of the comb-spaces occupied by the bees. I have also some open-end frames in dovetail hives ; in those I use foundation also, and the comb reaches also from end-bar to end-bar; they are Hoffman frames, and are closed- end about three inches; below they are open, and right there is where the warm air escapes and moves on into the parts of the hive not occupied by the cluster. I be- lieve the Hoffman frame would be a great deal better if it was made closed-end at least half of the length of the end-bar, and kept wedged close so as to retain the heat of the cluster. E. H. Gabcs. Brock, Nebr. Retailing Honey in California. I was in Los Angeles this week, and a lady told me that a man had been at her house peddling honey, and he asked 20 cents a pound for extracted honey in pound jelly-glasses. Besides, the glasses must be returned. Somebody must be making something on honey, if the bee-keepers are not. Ellex C. Bland. Fernando, Calif., Dec. 20, 1895. A Healthy Old Bee-Man. I had 9 colonies, spring count; I saved 14 good, strong swarms, and 3 after-swarms went away. They stored 275 pounds of surplus honey, and filled their hives so full that I could hardly lift them. I am very much pleased with the Ameri- can Bee Journal. I take great pleasure in working among my bees. I will soon be 73 years old. It all my pains and aches were put together, four weeks would cover them all. S. C. Coulson. Storm Lake, Iowa, Dec. 30, 1895. May Revive the Clover. I have my bees all in the cellar. The win- ter remains open and warm tor this climate. On Dec. 24 and 25 we had two inches of rainfall, ending with a light fall of snow. It is the first rain to start the water in two years. This rain may revive the clover, but I fear that it is almost destroyed with the last year's drouth. So the outlook for next year is very slim indeed. All that the bees can build up on is the fruit-bloom, and this is not much of a country for apples or cherries, but a considerable quantity of small fruit. D. C. Wilson. Viola, Iowa, Dec. 27, 1895. Very Dry Season. Last year was a very hard one on bees in this part of the country. The winter killed almost all of my bees, and what I had left did not get enough to keep them. It was so dry, and at the present time almost all of the springs and wells are dry. Our well is almost gone. We can hardly get more than about one-third of a bucket of water at a time; but we had a fine rain last night, though I don't think it will make much difference in the springs. Wm. Y. Stackhouse. Zermatt, Pa., Dec. 23, 1895. An Arkansas Report. Bees did very well this year in this part of the country— about an average crop. There are two crops to work tor here, one in the spring, and one in the latter part of the summer and tall. We always get some honey ever year. I never knew both crops to tail entirely. This year the bees swarmed a good deal in the spring, as they always do. The spring crop of honey was good, but it was a little dark. The persimmon tree, from which we get our best and whitest honey, tailed this year. It begins blooming about the first of May, and lasts about three weeks. The bees did not swarm much the latter part of the summer, as they generally do. Bees swarm a good deal in August here, 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 77 The Bee-Keepers' Guide: Or Manual of the Apiary, Bv Prof. A. J. CoOK. This 15th and latest edition of Prof. Cools's magniflcent book of 460 pages, in neat and substantial cloth binding, we propose to give away to our present subscribers, for the work of getting NEW subscribers for the American Bee Journal. A description of the book here is quite un- necessary— it is simply the most complete sci- entific and practical bee-book published to- day. Fully illustrated, and all written in the most fascinating style, The author is also too well-known to the whole bee-world to re- quire any introduction. No bee-Iveeper is fully equipped, or his library complete, with- out " The 15ee-Keepeb's Guide." For Two New Subscribers and Y'our Own Renewal. Send us Two New Subscribers to the Bee Journal and your own renewal (with $3.00), and we will mail you a copy of Prof. Cook's book free as a premium, and also a copy of the 160-page " Bees and Honey " to each New Subscriber. Prof. Cook's book alone is $1.'35, or we club it with the Bee Journal for a year —both together for only $1.75. But surely anybody can get only 2 new subscribers to the Bee Journal for a year, and thus get the book as a premium. Let everybody try for it. Will you have one ? GEORGE W. YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS ^~ IF YOU WANT THE BEE-BOOK Thatcovers the whole Apicultural Field more completely than any other published, send $1.25 to Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont, Calif., for his Bee-Keeper's Guide. Liberal Discounts to the Trade. WANTED ! 10,000 pounds of BEESWAX, for Casta. Address, IiEAHV MFG. CO., HIgginsville, Iflo. Mmtlfm lhp Amrrwan Rrf TmimaL mESSFULl INCUBATOR 2 Our magnificent? new catalogue X giving full in- 2 formation re- f sardine artificial^ Hatching* Brooding B and treatise on poul- J try rni^int,' sent for 4c X etami's. Circular free. { 49A13t jaeniion theAmm-ii}* Bee JournaL WANTED— To exchang-e a 12-iDch Van- dervort Foundation Mill, but little used, for a Breech-Loading- Shot-Guu. 4A2t J. P. H. BROWN, Au»:ui«ta, Ga. FOR SALE. ALSIKE, CRIMSON, ITALIAN, ALFALFA, or WHITE CLOVER SEED. 4A8t WJW. CRAIG, E,ufe, Mteh. WANTED— 200 Colonies of Bees and 4-Frame Noclei, on Simplicity or Hoff- man frames, in exchange for Supplies, to be shipped either from here or Medina, Ohio. Send for Catalog to— GEO. E. HILTON, *E4t FuEMONT, Mich. Mention the American Bee Journal. TAKE NOTICE! "DEFORE placing your orders for SUP- -^^ PLIES, write for prices on 1-Piece Bass- wood Sections, Bee-Hives, Shipping -Crates, Frames, Foundation, Smokers, etc. PAOE & LYON IHFG. CO. NEW LONDON, WIS. Mention the American Bee JoumaZ, and if the season is good they are worth a good deal to gather the late crop of honey. The bees are in good condition for winter. We do not need to feed, as they always store plenty to winter on. They winter well out-doors in single-walled hives. We use the dovetail hive, and think that eight frames are enough for the brood-nest tor the ordinary colony of bees in this locality. We have 235 colonies, and run them for comb honey. About half are Italians, and half Italian-hybrids. It is hard to keep them pure on account of so many wild bees, which are mostly blacks. We are located about half a mile from the White river bottom. A. J. BoNHAM. Augusta, Ark., Dec. 35, 1895. Poorest Season in 10 Years. Our bees gave us only about 1,100 pounds of comb honey the past season ; in 1S94 about 3,400 pounds of comb honey. The last was the poorest season for honey we have had in 10 years. The hard spring frost spoiled the best prospects we ever had for early honey. We get lots of honey from the black walnut trees here. The asters never yield any honey to speak of. Our bees always get plenty of fall honey to winter on, without being fed. Bellevue, Iowa. Bkown Bros. A Report for the Past Season. I purchased a dollar queen in August, 1894, and kept her a week before introduc- ing her to a swarm made the last week in August. They went into winter quarters with five Langstroth frames covered. Last spring they covered the same. They have filled their hive (a 10-frame Simplicity) and stored 84 pounds of surplus honey. I had 13 colonies in all, spring count, which gave me 250 pounds of comb honey and 60 pounds of extracted. I got 12 new swarms, and sold one for $1.50, which leaves me 24 colonies for winter. M. A. Bradford. Latourell Palls, Greg., Dec. 21, 1895. Too Dry for Much Honey. The year of 1895 was very dry here, and we did not get much honey. I had 8 colo- nies in the spring, increased them to 17, and sold about ■$40 worth of comb honey. I use the Langstroth hive, and like it the best of any I have seen yet. We have a nice lot of basswood here, and clover and golden-rod. Damon Cheslet. Jackson, N. H., Jan. 1. Report for 1895. I have ISO colonies of bees, and secured 2,000 pounds of comb honey from them the past year, tor which I received 10 cents per pound. S. D. Curtis. St. Mary's, Colo., Jan. 2. Too Wet and Then Too Dry. Bees did no good in this locality this year, on account of heavy rains in the spring, and excessive drouth in the sum- mer. They gathered only about enough honey to carry them through the winter. T. R. Greenkr. Grapevine, Tex., Dec. 18, 1895. Some "Knows" and "Don't Knows." I know that eight frames for a brood- chamber is too small for the best results in comb honey. I may tell why at some future time. I know that a black hat on one's head in the bee-yard is not the best thing if the bees are at all cross. Try a light-colored hat, and then a black one, and see if I am not right. Don't try to pack your bees to keep them warm. Leave them open to the south, and and they will get the warmth from the sun, which will do them more good than pack- •••^■•••-^•••••-^ •••'^••« IT'S RELIAB The Best and Cheapest Mill on Earth. Fully warranted. Will choke. Write at once for prices and Agency, Pricfislowest, Quality best It grinds more grain any degree f fineness than any other mill. rn, earorsheUed, Oats, Wheat, Ac, fine enough for any purpose. Made only by UOLIETSTROff BRIDGE CO. JOLIET. ILL., Jobbers and Mauufactur. • ers of Farm Machinery, m Carriages Wagons.Wind- - nills,BicycIes,Hamess,tfec Mention the American Bee Journal. 34A26 WANTED. 10,000 ponnds of BEESWAX, for Casli. AddresN, LEAHY mPG. CO., Hl§;s;lusvllle, ITIo. 1 SAVE MONEY 1 i^^"R"^rs'z5^'^tl! ITALIAN QUEENS Foundation at Wholesale Fiirrs. Hives, suited for the South, or SIIPPI.IES, send for Prlce-List— to J. P. U. BROW.\, ^^^^s:^^-: POULTRY 40 Standard Breeds Illus- trated & fully described in my new Poultry Book. Reliable information for Coultrymen & intending uyers. Good stock Ducks & Geese: also Shetland Ponies. Send 6c in stamps E.H.C00E.Bq's2?. Hnntley.Ill. Mention the American Bee JournaL 4A13t PATENT WIRED COMB FOUNDATION Has No Sag in Brood-Frames Thin Flat-bottom Foundation Bas tio Fishbone in the Sorplns Qone; . BelDK the cleanest is usually worked the quickest of any Foundation made J. VAN DEUSEN & SONS, Sole Manufacturers, Sprout Brook Montgomery Co., N. Y. |S|EW|V|AMMOTH Poultry Guide for 1896 Finest I book ever published, contain t nearly lUC pages, all printed in colors, plans for best poultry houses, sure remeriies and recipes for all diseases, and how to make poultry h i^MJhT"*^ gardening pay. Sent post paid for 15c. Bbd»yf>^JohnBausclier ,Jr.,box94Freeport, lU 49Al;ii Aicniwii itit. American i^ee Joumau $1.00 Sent to me sfets SI. 75. 1— The American Bee Journal for one year to a new subscriber. 2— A .^0 cent copy of " Business ; or How to Reach and Talk to the People." Postpaid. "An Ideal little manual." 3— A 25c. copy of the Chicajro Daily News Almanac for 1896. Postpaid. " The best of Its kind." I can guide young people to a business and a business education combined. If you wish further particulars Inclose in your letter to me a self-addressed and stamped envelope. E. M. PBATT, 232 South East Ave., Oak Park, 111. Seir-Help Supplies. 78 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 30, ing, and they will come out stronger in the spring than if packed all around. At least mine do. I know that a cross between the Italians and blacks are the best honey-gatherers for me that 1 have tried. I don't know how bee-keepers that have a three-months' honey-flow keep their bees from crowding the queen out of room for laying eggs enough to keep the colony strong, with only eight frames for a brood- chamber. I don't know why bees do not swarm in August, when there is a good honey-flow, the same as in the spring, if they don't rea- son. I know some say their bees swarm late in the fall, but mine do not. For a cough try this; Take half a tum- bler of extracted honey and the yolk of an egg ; stir well before taking, and see how quick it will stop your cough. G. E. Nelson. Bishop Hill, 111., Dec. 30, 1895. Bee-Keeping "Away Up." We are nearly 8.000 ft. above sea-level, and the past season the bees did finely. One ob- jection is, they are '"Mormon bees." and the way they believe in increasing is a sight! I believe they keep a good mwiy " frows " in the same house, all the samS Aspen, Colo. S. M. Brotles. S'weet Clover and Alfalfa Honey. Dr. Miller asks on page 3 what the quality of sweet clover honey is as compared with alfalfa honey. Here in Colorado we des- pise it, because it spoils the sale of our alfalfa honey, if mixed. After you eat alfalfa honey for awhile, and then get sweet clover honey, your liking for honey will be gone. It is so with me. Where bee- pasturage is scarce, as with me, of course a lot of sweet clover honey comes handy, if for no other use than for the bees ; it would help out in the way of feeding. Montclair, Colo. S. M. Carlzen. A Poor Season in 1895. The past season was a poor one in Otsego county. The frost and drouth were the cause, my average being but 20 pounds per colony, half comb and half extracted. But the bees are in fine condition for winter, with nearly all natural stores. What have I learned ? Well, I have learned that the flowers may bloom in abundance but yield no nectar. Our lin- dens were loaded with blossoms, supers were all ready, the sections filled with foundation, the bees had made a nice start on what clover and sumac there was, and we gave more supers, but, alas I we soon found that we must take them off again and feed some extracted honey to get the sections finished that were started before. I never saw so much trouble in getting queens mated, and some were balled after they were laying. I had 4 colonies queen- less in the fall, and a neighbor about oue mile from me had 11. The farmers around here have not made any more money than the bee-keepers, so I take fresh courage for 189B. Irvin Grover. Cooperstown, N. Y., Jan. 'i. Bees Did Fairly 'Well. I put into the bee-cellar on Nov. 9. 1894, 34 colonies iu good condition, and took out, the latter part of March, 1895, 30 colonies alive ; I afterward lost two. and two others dwindled away, so they did not amount to anything only to build themselves up. They nearly all had dysentery when put out, and had spotted their hives more or less (some quite badly), but built up very rapidly on willow, maple and wild plum blossoms by May 9, when some of them were getting ready to swarm, but heavy frosts on May 11 and 1'3 killed the blossoms. By the latter part of June they had (or most of them) little or no honey in the hives, and were on the point of starvation. Then the buck- bush commenced to bloom, and from that time on they stored pretty well until Sept. 1. I increased to 57 colonies, had 4 skip for the woods, lost 4 from queenlessuess, and took a little over 1,. 500 pounds of honey (not sections, but actual weight) — 3.50 pounds extracted, and the balance comb honey. I have sold nearly 1,100 pounds of the comb at 1'2},< cents; extracted at 10 cents per pound" I put .57 colonies of bees into the cellar Nov. '25, 1895, mostly in good condition, five or six, however, rather light in stores. We had no white clover here to speak of last season, owing to the dry weather last year; and no basswood bloom on the low lands, and but very little on the higher land, on account of the heavy frosts in May ; but the outlook now is good for another season — plenty of young clover; and basswood not blooming this season, it ought to bloom well next, if we have no frosts to kill it again. I sowed 4 acres of crimson clover in Octo- ber, but being late and dry it did not come up, so I look for nothing from that. I will try it again next season. Long live the American Bee Journal. I want to see no department cut down, but would like to see them all enlarged; but how can a man ask it, when he is already getting more than his money's worth ? S. LaMont. Jarrett, Minn., Dec. 31, 1895. Bees in Good Condition. Bees are in good condition so far here. We had very fine weather the past fall — not as much rain as usual, but cold and dry. We have only had one inch of snow, and it was gone the next day, and only a little freeze in the mornings up to date. We look for our worst weather this month and next, bpt it looks now as if we may not have much snow this year. G. D. LiTTOOY. Taeoma, Wash., Jan. 3. A Beginner's Good 'Work. I started last spring with one colony of bees in an old round hive; 1 now have 9 colonies, all in dovetail hives. I introduced 16 queens the past season, and losu only two. How is that for the first year with bees ? Jas. W. Woods. Sallisaw, Ind. Ter. A Beginner's Report. I started with three colonies last spring, and increased to 10. Some of my swarms I found on trees near the roadside; I put them into a box and carried them home, and put them in an 8-frame hive of my own make. I am a beginner in the bee-business, and I intend to give it a trial, as I am a crip- ple, and not much good for anything else. I have five or six neighbor bee-keepers, all of whom keep their bees in box-hives; they all claim they are the best. One neighbor has his bees on a stand fastened to his hog- pen; another claimed the queen was the male bee, and that the workers lay the eggs. So much for a man that never reads a bee-book. Our honey season was very good here until the middle of July, when a drouth set in, and the bees could find nothing to work on. C. H. Mat. Grove Hill, Va., Jan. 6. Dr. Miller "On the Fence." Say, Bro. York, I wish you would pull Dr. Miller off, for I imagined all the time that we were on the same side of the fence, and lo, and behold (on page 3), I find him astride of it, throwing stones, and I am hit, so here goes one back at him : We Califoruians live some distance from the place where the last meeting of the North American Bee-Keepers' Association was held, so if we have drawn wrong con- clusions or inferences as to its " admitted failure," Dr. M. should hunt down its mem- bers. "The North American has never been what its founders hoped that it would be; it is not representative, and if it cannot be made such, I think it might as well be given a decent funeral." — W. F. Clarke. " I doubt if the North American can ever be made a representative body." — Du. A. B. Mason. "It is useless to attempt to make the North American representative unless it is helped by Congress, and this will never be." — Frank Benton. The above quotations are taken from the report of the Toronto convention, on page 648 (1895). As to the Germans, Doctor, they as a class have the reputation of doing much and talking little; and if you (and others) who " look at the grand success of the Ger- man societies," had emulated them years ago, there would be no need of the North American attempting to work in the garb of the National Bee-Keepers' Union. Geo. W. Brodbeck. Los Angeles, Calif. GIVING AWAY HIVES. On all orders received before Feb. 15th for $30.00 or over, we will send a " Half-Joint Hive." complete, ready for a swarm. ^" Scud lor '96 Circular. I. J. STRIKGHAm, 105 Park Place. NEW YORK, N. T. For Sale— A Bargain. 119 Colonics of Italian Bees in Chaff Hives. Good House, and ■; acres of Land, with excel- lent well of water. E. 1.. ECT10IS. B^EE-MIIVES. mHlPPlJiG@ASES We make a Specialty of these Goods, and defy Competition In QXJA.IjIT'X", "VV0R,K;1^A.1TSI€:IF and FK-ICBS. '~ Write for Free Illustrated Catalogue and Price-List. G. B. LEWIS COMPANY, Watertown, Wis. ^P~ Be sure to mentloD the American Bee Journal when you write. _^^ ^ ROOT'S COMB FOUNDATION! ^ New Product. New Process. A Big Success We are pleased to annoiince that, having secured control of the new Weed process of manufacturing foundation for the U. S., we are prepared to furnish Foundation toy the PJew Process, for 1896. Samples will be mailed free on application, and will speak for themselves. OUR SANDED and POLISHED SECXIOXS, well, they will speak for themselves, also. Our 1896 Catalog: will be ready for distribution now in a few days. Send in your name at once for catalog, samples of the new foundation, and those superb sections, and while you are about it ask for late copy of Cleaning's in Bee-Culture. THE A. I. ROOT CO., MEDINA, OHIO. 56 5lli Ave., Cliieago, III. Syracuse, N. 1024 Mississippi St., St. Paul, minn. ESTABLISHED '"laei ^'^^'i Vhe'0LDE5T bee-paper"-amer I*ub7fslied ^.VGG^cly, at ^1,00 p&r annum. Sample Cojyy sent on A.T>i>liaation, 36th Year. CHICAGO, ILL., FEB. 6, 1896. No. 6. The New " California Honey-Exchange." BY PROF. A. J. COOK. In response to the request of subscribers to the American Bee Journal, I append the following regarding the proposed California Honey Exchange. The honey-producers of California feel that they have a serious grievance. They can produce honey of e.xcellent quality The retail prices remain practically the same, whether the sea- son is very poor, fair, or excellent. There are but two explanations to this anomalous condi- tion. Either a large supply irrespective of the actual amount produced, or else the dealers and commission men manipulate prices to suit their greed for gain, paying no heed to whether the producer has any margin of profit or not. This state of affairs has become simply unbearable; and the California bee- men are aroused to the necessity of a complete revolution. Like the producers of nearly all our farm products, they have no voice as to what they shall pay or receive as they visit the markets to buy or sell. They see no reason why they should not have a voice in determining prices on their own products. Could they but work in concert, act as one man, some- thing after the manner of the Standard Oil Company, then they could adjust prices of their honey according to the amount, and the cost of production. This is just what they are hoping. They believe that they have confidence enough in each other to thus act, and intelligence enough to adopt and make operative the best scheme of co-operation. AjjUiry oj Mr. J. IT. Yoaiuj, Kiiujtiiaii, Kaiis. — See iMtgc ^.s. and in satisfactory quantities, but they have to pay exhorbitant freight-rates, and are forced to accept ruinously low prices. Up to the present time they have been utterly unable to regu- late either transportation rates or the markets on a living basis. What makes the wrong all the more aggravating and exasperating is the fact that, though they receive prices which leave them no margin of profit, and often brings them in debt at the close of the season, yet the actual consumer pays as much as of old, when prices to the producer were more than double the prices of to-day. Again, any poor seasons make no perceptible difference with the prices in the retail markets. In formulating a plan, the bee-men are not wholly in the dark, or walking an unbeaten path. They have before them an example where genuine success, and almost universal sat- isfaction, has been secured. The orange-growers were threat- ened with bankruptcy in the face of just such evils as confront the bee-men. They organized the Southern California Fruit Exchange, and already, though but two years a-field, this new organization, on the plan of carefully managed co-operation, has brought new hope and courage to the Citrus Fruit Growers of this whole southern country. The Fruit Exchange is a cor- porate body. There is a central Hoard that oversees the whole 82 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Fel. 6, work of the organization. Under this there are local organi- zations for each district. Each orchardist may purchase stock up to the limit of five shares per acre of his actual acre- age of orchard, though all purchases of stock and all transfers must be approved by the Executive Committee that manage the local exchange. This committee is elected by the votes of the stockholders, each space of stock giving a vote. The directors of all the local exchanges elect the central man- aging Board. This Board districts the markets of the coun- try, and prepares to supply each market according to its needs, as determined by a careful estimate by experts previous to the opening of the year's trade. This central body also receives from the manager of each local exchange, before the season opens, a careful estimate of the probable output of its or- chards. Thus when the season opens, each local exchange is ordered by the central body to furnish its proportion of the fruit needed to keep all the markets supplied ; care being tak- en that no market shall be glutted and no market destitute of fruit. Each Exchange secures by vote of its Executive Board, a bright, active, wide-awake, rustling, capable manager, who receives orders from the central Board and apportions these orders to the several growers of his precinct. He also is an expert, and looks to grading, packing and shipping. Thus the grading is well done, and the packing and shipping very cheaply done. A saving last year of ten cents a box in the Claremont Exchange vpould amount to a total saving of over $20,000. A rebate on freight, which previously went to the commission-men, now goes direct to the producers, and aggre- gates many thousands of dollars. The Exchange is a powerful organization, and is interest- ed in low freight-rates, as the commission-men never could be, and is able to secure not what the traffic will bear, but what is just. Add to this the better markets, the better distribu- tion, and the intelligent effort to develop the markets before the season, and we do not wonder that the Exchange has al- ready won for itself the respect of the orange-growers, and also the praise of bankers and business-men generally. The bee-keepers hope — and not without reason — to do all that the citrus fruit men have accomplished. They expect to deal with the manufacturer of supplies and save one or two fees iu this purchasing. They expect to gain as much in reg- ulating of freights and advance in the markets as the citrus fruit-producers have secured through the fruit exchange. A very able committee held a prolonged session last week in Los Angeles, and will soon publish a scheme that will no doubt meet the approval of the apiarists of the State. No doubt but they will copy largely after the Fruit Exchange. It may even be thought best to work with the latter body in working up the Eastern markets, though at present it seems more prob- able that some able, capable, experienced manager will be se- lected, who will, under an executive board, negotiate for sup- plies, develop markets and conduct the business of the en- tire exchange. Every bee-keeper in California should at once write to Secretary J. H. Martin, of Bloomington, giving present year's crop, amount and kind of honey on hand ; and like statistics and name and address of bee-keeping neighbors. Claremont, Calif. Locating Apiaries in Sheltered Places. BT C. DAVENPORT. I believe it is claimed and accepted as a fact by all, that it is best to have an apiary located in a well-protected or shel- tered spot. I have some strong doubts whether this is true, and will give my reasons for so thinking. Some years ago I had an apiary for two years located in a very sheltered spot. Right back of this yard, on the north, and partly on the northwest side also were high hills. It was protected on the east side by a dense grove, and on the south by high ground. But while the grove on the east, and the high ground at the south protected the yard from most of the wind from those directions, they were at such a distance that they did not prevent the yard from receiving the full benefit of the sun. I had had this place in mind for sometime, as a very favor- ble place to locate a yard. For sometime I had a yard located near this place — but it was in a high and exposed position. Still, it had always done well, for this was a good range. The first spring that I put bees in this sheltered place, nearly half of them died from spring dwindling. I thought it was lucky that I had placed them in this well-protected spot, for as so many died there, I thought if I had placed them in their old and exposed location near by, probably nearly all of them would have died, for that was a cold, late spring. Still, I was puzzled about the matter somewhat, for the loss in the home yard, which, at that time, was in a location where it received the full sweep of the wind from all directions, was not one- third as heavy as it was in this out-yard. But I accounted for it at the time by thinking that those that were removed to the out-yard had, on account of being moved, filled them- selves too full of honey, and thus weakened their vitality, or something of the kind. The next year we had a warm and early spring, and in the home yard there was practically no loss from spring' dwindling. But the loss from this cause in this out-yard was very heavy again, though not as bad as it was the first year. This second year I decided that the spring dwindling in the out-yard was caused by its being in such a sheltered spot. The way I account for it is, that in this locality, no matter whether the spring is early or late, there are a good many days when the sun shines brightly, but on account of cold winds the bees perish if they fly and remain out long. Now, this yard being practically protected from these winds, especially on the north and northwest, it was often so warm and pleasant there that the bees would come out and fly, and perish in the cold winds which blew outside of the warm ravine where the hives were. Now, I am fully aware that those two seasons were not enough to prove this matter conclusively, and that some other cause foreign to this might have been the real cause of so many bees dying in that yard those two springs. I think it is much better to have a yard protected on the north, and partly on the northwest side also, but I do not be- lieve this protection should consist of very high hills, or, in other words, I believe if a yard is too well protected from the wind, it is worse than no protection at all in this locality. I should like to have others, who have had experience in this matter, give there opinions about it, whether it coincides with mine or not. Southern Minnesota. Some Subjects Reviewed and Commented Upon BY DR. C. C. MILLER. NoN-SwARMiNQ. — Was it the irony of fate, or was it pure cussedness on the part of the editor, that gave in the same number on page 54 that sentence quoted from Doolittle in which he takes the ground that " better results can be ob- tained where bees swarm than would be the case if we could breed out the swarming trait," only five pages after the place where he commits himself as very much interested in breeding out the swarming habit? But it ought to be remembered that, like every sensible man, Doolittle grows, and he expressly says in his article that his opinions have been modified to a considerable extent. [No ; that sentence quoted from Mr. D. was simply taken from his book. — Ed.] While we may not reach a strain of bees that can never be induced to swarm, it would seem well worth while to have bees such as he speaks of having obtained that give only one swarm to where he used to have ten. For whatever plan may be used to prevent swarming — and thousands are doing what they can to prevent it — prevention will probably be easier with those least given to swarming. Certainly, Doolittle's philosophy see'ms reasonable, that where queens are reared consecutively for generations from colonies that have never thought of swarming, the habit of swarming will grow weaker. Swarming Without a Queen. — Very interesting is A. Getaz' account, on page 51, of the deportment of colonies swarming when the queen is not allowed to accompany them. Each failure makes them more desperate, and I once had a swarm at an out-apiary that hung on a bush two days and nights without a queen, which, I suppose, had been battled several times. In another case they swarmed out with not a cell of eggs or brood in the hive except one queen-cell with an egg, but with honey in the super. That Bee-Keepers' Union Eeport (see page 59) makes good reading. Until I read it I hardly realized that the Union was still doing so much good. Whatever the General Manager may think about his successor, I hardly think the successor will be elected just yet. Buying Honey to Sell Again. — On page 57 you say, Mr. Editor, "any reasonable customer wouldn't care a fig where the honey came from, so long as he was satisfied of its purity." It may be that the average customer is not a " rea- sonable customer," and it may be that elsewhere customers are different, but I am very sure that in my bailiwick custo- mers do care several figs whether honey comes from my apiary 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 83 or not. One day an intellisent druggist wanted some honey from me, so he could be sure it was pure ; I told him there was some comb honey right across the way at the grocery that I would warrant all right, but it didn't satisfy him. I'm not saying a word against buying to sell again — that's all right; but I think the fact remains that people would a little rather have honey produced by the one from whom they buy, provid- ing he is one in whom they have confidence. — [All right; we've had our "say." — Ed.1 A Correction. — On page 54, in reply to a question I say, "at that rate it would require a fraction more than 71 colo- nies to allow an expectation of $50 annually. There are the figures for you, and I've confidence enough in your abilities as an accountant to see that they're all straight." But they weren't "straight," by any means, for that-SSO ought to have been $500. Some one in a certain printing-office ought to have a whack over the head for dropping out that cipher. Or is the whack due some 66 miles further west ? — ['Tis our fault. Doctor ; and we are ready for that " whack." — Ed.J Sweet Clover. — Will M. M. Miller please tell us about that sweet clover he mentions on page 62 ? Where it grows along the wayside is it of any value as a forage-plant? Did those neighbors who mowed it three times make any use of the hay ? At what stage of growth was the first mowing? Unfinished Sections. — Mr. Miller also says, " honey stored in the combs once used, with me, was never first-class the next season." If the honey is extracted from such sec- tions, and without having anything more done with them they are again used the next season, you may count on the honey being affected by the granulations from the little honey that the extractor doesn't get out. But if, immediately after being extracted, the sections are placed out where the bees have free access to them for a number of days, honey put in them the next season will be all right. Marengo, 111. Hives from Foul-Broody Colonies. Br G. M. DOOLITTLE. In a letter lying before me I find these words : " Foul brood visited my apiary last season and I had a struggle with it, and I think I haye it in subjection, having used the Jones' plan to eradicate it from my apiary. All colonies are now in new hives, but I have the old ones on hand. Is there any way I can cleanse these old hives so I can use them again ? If so, will you tell us about it in the American Bee Journal, as I feel too poor to buy all new hives for another season." I had foul brood in ray apiary in the early 70's, and suc- ceeded in eradicating it by the Qiiinby plan, which is the same as the Jones' plan. This left me in a similar condition to what our correspondent is in, and as I thought I could not afford to throw the hives away I proceeded as follows, and have never seen any trace of the disease since: The hives were scalded by plunging them into boiling water, the water being in a large caldron-kettle which was used on the farm for cooking food for the hogs, heating water for butchering, etc. The hives were put in first and scalded, and afterward the frames and combs, thus scalding the frames and making the combs into wax at the same time. As I made all of my frames with saw and plane then, I thought I must save them, but in these days of machinery I do not think it would pay to bother with the frames, for this scalding process makes them untrue and in poor shape for use again, so that new frames are much cheaper in the long run. Later on, a bee-keeper several miles away called me to his apiary to see his bees who had foul brood. I found it in sev- eral of his hives, and told him how to treat it. After he had cured his colonies he scalded the hives by pouring water from a tea-kettle onto the inside of the infected hives, and no foul brood was the result, afterward. If you are sure that the hot water hits every nook and corner of the hive, I do not know why this plan would not answer where nothing holding boiling water is at hand, large enough to put the whole hive in. The first would be the safest, however. Some claim that the hives do not need scalding, or doing anything else with them, if they are allowed to stand outside exposed to the weather one winter, in a locality where the mercury sinks to zero or below during the winter. They claim that the freezing and thawing of one winter is amply sufficient to destroy all the spores or germs of foul brood about any hive. I should be inclined to go slow on this, trying only one or two till I had proved for myself that there was no danger from such hives. don't mail SAMPLES OP FOUL* BROOD. While on this subject of foul brood, I wish to call atten- tion to what I consider as something having the elements of danger in it, and that is the promiscuous sending of samples of what is supposed as foul brood through the mails, to differ- ent persons for their opinion in the matter. One day last summer I received a package of what was once a thread-box. all broken and mashed, with the paper which was around it torn and soiled, the whole being saturated in places with thin honey and mashed brood, while much of the mail in the same bag with it was more or less sticky and besmeared, the package giving off a sickening scent, which told me at once what it was. As good luck would have it, the day was a cool one, and I was there to get the mail when it came, which is not often the case, as I generally go for my mail at night, else this careless sending of that package might have done much harm, as there are two apiaries within 75 rods of the post- office, and in warm weather the doors and windows are all left open. Had it been warm, and one single bee taken a load of that honey (the package came in a time of scarcity of honey when bees were ready to rob), the colony to which the load was taken would have contracted the disease, and had many bees been attracted to it a whole apiary or two might have been ruined, or the owner put to much trouble and worry to have eradicated what a careless hand had strewn. I put the package immediately into the fire and helped wash and clean the mail as best we could, so none of the disease need be car- ried farther, if possible. HOW TO DETECT FOUL BROOD. Now I wish to say to all who read this. Don't do such a thing as to send foul brood in the mails as samples, for by so doing you are liable to expose others to the same ills which you are so anxious to be rid of yourself. The books of the present day are sufficiently explicit in describing this disease, so you should be able to tell yourselves, without a reasonable doubt, with this additional test : Whenever you find some- thing which you think is wrong about the brood in any hive in your yard, the first thing you are to do is to close that hive as quickly as possible, so that there will be no chance for other bees to get at the honey, and then wash your hands and all else which you have used about the hive. This examination will tell you whether the bees are strong enough to repel rob- bers ; and if so, the entrance should be contracted so you are sure no robbing can occur. Now leave the hive entirely alone till near night some day, about two weeks from that time, and after the other bees are done flying, open it and examine it closely, washing your hands, etc., as before. If you still think there is a chance of its being foul brood, leave the hive closed again for two or three weeks (providing it has plenty of bees to resist robbers), when you are to examine it again. Now bear in mind that genuine foul brood is aggressive, and never retrograding, so that if you find more of it than at first, and still later more yet, together with the symptoms which the books describe, that colony should be burned up at once, and gotten out of the way, before any of the rest have a .;hance to carry off any of the honey. If, on the contrary, it does not perceptibly progress, or there is not as much as before, keep watch of it till you are assured there is no harm iu it. In no case change combs with any other hive, or expose any of this honey till you are sure it is not foul brood. Unless at least four or five colonies in the apiary have foul brood, I should not attempt to cure it save by burning, for I do not think it would pay any one to run the risk he would have to, in trying to cure the disease for less than that number. Borodino, N. Y. A Half-Dozen Apiarian Comments. BY BEE-MASTER. Wearing Veils. — Mr. Doolittle's remarks some time ago, about the wearing of bee-veils, are very sensible, but I doubt the wisdom of wearing them all the time when at work in the bee-yard. There are many operations in performing which there is little or no danger of getting stung, and as the veil is rather a hindrance to the fresh circulation of air, I do not think it is good for the lungs to wear it for any lengthened period of time. I keep mine rolled up on the rim of my hat, where it can be pulled down in a moment when I am menaced with a sting. The chip-hat suggestion is a good one. It gets twisted into all manner of shapes, but it is light, porous, and cheap. We are not all of us as particular as Mr. Hutchinson, to be dressed up in Sunday-go-to-meeting style when we are working in the bee-yard. When his picture with a bee-veil 84 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Fel. 6, attached to his best straw-hat appeared, I must needs get one just like it, but I found it a most uncomfortable affair — too stiff and unbending, too close and hard, leaving an inflamed sweat-mark all across the forehead, and hurting the back of the head. I did not know before that there was any difference in bobinet meshes. After this, I shall look out for the hex- agonal form as a help to seeing as plainly as possible, which is a matter of the greatest importance in connection with the use of bee-veils. WiNTEKiNG Bees. — The condensed symposium on this subject on page 777 (1895), will repay not only perusal but study. I agree with Editor Root that the essentials in which all the writers agree are — good bees of right age ; good food ; and suitable protection. But is there not another? Ventila- tion, somewhere, either at top or bottom ? It does not seem to be of much consequence where, if there is only enough. If much on top, little at bottom, and vice versa. What Editor R. says as to granulated sugar fed early so as to be well ripened holding first place, I somewhat doubt. If I thought that was the best food for bees, and that even " good light honey " holds only second place, I might be tempted to think it was the best honey for human consumption, which would be rank heresy if not unpardonable sin. But what does Dr. Miller mean by saying in Gleanings (page 887) : " Part of my bees will be wintered in the cellar this winter, the rest out-doors ? Number in cellar, 157. Number out-doors, 1 ?" Is that to be taken as his estimate of the comparative merits of cellar and out-door wintering ? Or is it merely one of the Doctor's little sallies of wit ? In justice to the advocates of out-door wintering, he should explain. Virtues of Honey. — Let me call special attention to what Rev. Emerson T. Abbott says on page 777 (1895), about honey being a germicide and an antiseptic. No doubt these qualities make it valuable as a preventive as well as a remedy for microbe diseases of all kinds. As for its whole- someness in the case of diabetic patients, there is a big field for discussion, and a big opening for the usefulness of the honey-bee when the day comes that the sugar-honey question can be sifted to the bottom. But switching off from that as dangerous ground, are bee-keepers generally aware that while the foul-brood bacillus can live in a state of suspended anima- tion in honey, it cannot multiply itself there ? This is an in- teresting and encouraging fact. Honey has an acid reaction, and the bacillus alvei cannot grow in any fluid of that nature. It must come into contact with an alkaline substance to be quickened into active life. Has the sale of unripe honey and honey adulterated with glucose and other substances had any- thing to do with the spread of foul brood, owing to lack of a sufficient percentage of formic acid ? This is a question which it will pay to look into. Making Bees Drunk. — That scheme of J. H. Andre's on page 752 (1895), to make bees honest by smoking them till they are drunk, is not to be commended. There is a stage of inebriety in the case of human beings in which they are very good and pious, tender, penitent, and resolved to lead better lives, but it all wears oft' when they get sober. I feel sure that bees made drunk will return to their bad ways when they sober off. The only sure cure for robbing I have ever found to work in all cases is to contract the entrance so that only one bee at a time can pass and repass. If the weather is hot, so that the hive needs more ventilation than itcan get through so small a fly-hole, a piece of perforated zinc or tin having plenty of holes in it, but only one large enough to permit a bee to go through, will fill the bill. Colonies that are weak in numbers are the ones that are most liable to be robbed, and these can be fixed in the way described so that they will have air enough, and yet be able to defend themselves from all intruders. Evolution of Associations. — Mr. Hilton's account of the way the "Newaygo County Progressive Bee-Keepers' As- sociation " expanded into a Farmers' and Bee-Keepers' Asso- ciation, and now seems likely to undergo another process of evolution into a Farmers' Institute, that shall comprise every department of rural industry, suggests the question whether special or general organizations best promote the public wel- fare. We have now agricultural, horticultural, fruit-cultural, apicultural, and any number of live-stock-cultural societies. I doubt if the present system is calculated to make good, all- round farmers. It is doubtless fitted to make specialists, but the various forms of rural industry run into one another and have such intimate relations that to be specially qualified along one line, implies and necessitates knowing something about several more. The amalgamation of the two great bee- keepers' associations is an example of the tendency of things; by-and-by, we shall probably get horticulture, or at any rate the small fruit branch of it, added to bee-keeping, and ulti- mately, perhaps, a comprehensive body like the Farmers' In- stitute will be made broad enough and big enough to take in the entire circle of rural pursuits. HivE-CoNTBACTiON. — There is a great deal written on this subject which I do not more than half believe. I have no faith in any system of bee-keeping which goes on the princi- ple of everlastingly disturbing a colony of bees. I have no doubt many colonies are disturbed to death. The Heddon plan of contraction by splitting a hive that has a divisible brood-chamber, has an air of common-sense about it, but monkeying with individual frames, changing them for dum- mies when the honey harvest is on, and changing back again when the honey harvest is over, involves more meddling with the bees than I think is good for them. My ideal of bee-keep- ing is to have a brood-nest which shall be a kind of family home, undisturbed from year to year, all the surplus opera- tions, whether by extracting or section-boxes, being carried on in the top-story. Will any advocate of contraction tell me what advantage there is in cleaning out all the stock and store of honey each year, and not permitting any quantity of old honey to remain in the hive from one season to another ? Bees are provident creatures, and I believe it is a comfort and satis- faction to them, and an encouragement to increase and mul- tiply, to be assured at all times that they are in possession of an abundance of stores. -*****■ CONDUCTED BY DR. C. C. MILLER, MJlIiEIfGO, ILL. [Questions may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct.! IJsiug Sei>aralor§ — Afler-Swarni Prevention — Ex- tracted vs. Comb Honey. 1. Is it necessary to use separators with sections with full sheets of foundation, to secure straight combs? 2. Will giving the old colony a young, fertile queen pre- vent after-swarms ? and is it necessary to cut out queen-cells before introducing? 3. How much more extracted honey per colony can be secured by furnishing them with empty combs, than comb honey in sections with full sheets of foundation? 4. Where can sweet clover seed be obtained ? Tacoma, Wash. W. S. Answers.— 1. That depends. If you are producing only a few combs for home use, or for a home market, then you can do very well without separators. If you are shipping to a distant market, then it will pay you well to have separators. Whole sheets of foundation will not prevent the sections bulg- ing in such a way as to make trouble about packing for ship- ment. 2. If you don't cut out queen-cells there will be much danger of swarming after you give the new queen. If you cut out all queen-cells you'll make a pretty sure thing of it. But please remember that it's a difficult thing for even an old hand to make sure that he has missed no queen-cells. 3. I don't know. Nearly every one will agree that more honey will be stored in the combs, but as to hoiv inuch more, there is by no means close agreement. Some say twice as much, and some say half as much more. Perhaps both are right. You'll only know just how it is with you after you've tried a considerable number of both kinds side by side for more than a single year. 4. Watch advertisements. Sweet Clover for Forage and Honey. I, like yourself, am very much interested in the growing of sweet clover, whether or not we can profitably use it for stock feed. About the only thing that I fear is, that on ac- 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 85 count of its early and rapid growth it would have to be cut early in June — a time that hay of any kind is hard to got dry enough to put into the mow. It takes dry weather and hot sunshine to dry clover of any kind, and sweet clover at this early date will be very sappy, and it will take probably some time to get it sufiiciently dried. To cut it later (say June 20), I fear would be too late. Would it not be too coarse at the later date, and too woody ? Now, I want to say. Doctor, that I have cot the least bit of doubt about my cattle and horses eating the hay if gotten up in good shape, though its flavor is altogether different from that of Alsike, white, red, alfalfa or crimson clover. I am in- clined to think that there might be some difficulty in obtain- ing a stand when sown with oats, barley, or wheat. Do you think a good stand might be had if sown in the corn, at the last plowing, or would the corn shade sweet clover too much ? I sowed some Alsike in the corn last summer, and obtained a fine stand, and it is just as strong as that sown early in the spring, with oats. I harvested a fair crop of honey from Alsike in 1894, while others away from Alsike pasture secured almost nothing at all. Something certainly should be done to improve our source of nectar. Sweet clover is just the plant that will fill the bill — that is, for later honey — if farmers can grow it profitably. Do you know where the seed can be had cheap? How about the people that grow it in the South ? Let us get the seed as cheap as possible, and let us as bee-keepers and farm- ers grow a few acres. Would not that be the proper thing to do? I have kept an eye on sweet clover for 12 years, and it has never failed to secrete nectar, and to interest the bees from early morn till late at night. From what I am able to learn of it, dry seasons make no difference. F. C. Delmar, Iowa. Answer. — There's no doubt about the difficulty of curing sweet clover early, and that's one objection my brother-in-law makes to it, that it can't be cured. But considering its value as/jot/i a forage and honey-plant, it might perhaps pay to cut it quite early — say the middle of May — letting it rot on the ground if nothing better could be done with it, then at the usual haying-time it would be in good shape to cut and make. But mixed with timothy and clover I've had it cure quite well, and make fair hay at the usual haying-time. Of course there is the objection that at that time it has quite woody stems. 1 can't answer about sweet clover in corn at last plowing, but I doubt if it would work. It needs, I think, the whole of the first season to grow to be ready for the second year's blooming. If it could be sown at the last plowing, and the seed not come up till the spring following, then it would be all right, but in that case it wouldn't bloom till the second year after sowing. I used to think that about the only way to get a good stand was to sow on pretty hard ground, and let the seed be tramped in by stock as it is on the roadside. I'm now in- clined to think a better way is to sow thickly, or, perhaps bet- ter still, have q, stand self-sown, then early in the spring plow about six iuches deep. It will then give a crop of hay first year of fine quality with no coarse stems whatever. I'm with you in thinking the time is past for discussing sweet clover as a honey-plant. Especially in a dry season when everything else dries up it shows its great value. The thing to discuss is sweet clover as a forage-plant, its value and best management. I don't know anything about where to buy, but I think there never has been so much call for it as at the present time, and this ought to call out advertisements from many who have it to sell. Last season the seed became so scarce that there w"as none on the market, and it had to be imported. Management for Rest Results — Changing Size of Frame. 1. I have 20 colonies of Italian bees in the 8-frame dove- tail hive, which I wish to run for comb honey next season. How can I get the best results — by putting on the sections as soon as the bees are getting crowded, or by letting each colony cast one swarm ? Or by dividing each colony once, and giving each queenless half a laying queen ? 2. I wish to change frames in my hives, from the Lang- stroth to a frame llj-^ inches deep, outside measure, and top and bottom bar the same as I now have on my Hoffman frame?, Langstroth size, and placing a rim 2J4 inches high under my hives. Now, can I nail a stick ?g-inch square lengthwise through the frame, so as to keep the comb from breaking out ? Or would it be better to wire my frames and use full sheets of foundation. The Langstroth frame is not deep enough to winter bees on the summer stands. To winter my bees on the summer stands is worth more to me than the standard frame. 3. Is such a hive and frame as good for comb honey as the Langstroth frame, by taking out two outside frames, or by leaving in the 8 frames, which are equal to 10 Langstroth frames? p. W. Hobble, Pa. ANSWEB.S. — 1. In any case you will probably do well to put on supers as soon as the bees begin to store from the main harvest, or a little sooner. There might be no great difference between a colony divic'ed by yourself and one swarming nat- urally, but there is this difference in favor of the natural swarming, that if you don't divide, some colonies might re- frain entirely from swarming, and give better results than If divided either naturally or artificially. 2. You can do either way, and except for the expense it is probable that you will be better pleased to use the full sheets of foundation. 3. You can only decide that for certainty by carefully trying the two side by side. It may be you would find very little difference. One objection, however, to a hive with one or two frames left out, is that over the part that has no combs you will find the bees not working so well in supers. Drones in Winter — moving Bees. I have 15 colonies of bees that I started with last spring. I got no surplus honey from them, and most of them have sufficient winter stores. I winter my bees out-doors. 1. There is one colony that shows considerable drones when taking a flight. What may be the cause ? 2. I wish to move my bees about 100 feet, when is the best time to do this ? F. P. P. Geneseo, 111., Jan. 10. Answers. — 1. When drones are found present In winter there is ground for suspicion that the bees are queenless, but bees never do anything invariably, and it may happen that now and then a colony may have drones when everything is all right with them. The only thing to do is to let them alone until spring, and then if you find no brood present, or only drone-brood when all others have plenty of worker-brood, you may decide that they have no queen worth having, and break up the colony, uniting it with others. '2. Late in the winter, and yet before their first flight in spring. At the recent convention in Chicago, M. M. Baldridge gave a new suggestion as to moving bees a short distance. Move them in the middle of the day when most bees are flying — move the whole business at once, and set up a board before each hive. If obliged to move bees after they have com- menced flying in the spring, his plan may be good, but in your case there probably will be no difficulty as to moving before spring flight. Section Starters — Wiring Sections — Fastening Starters in Sections — tlueen-Cells and a Colony with L.aying Workers. Dr. Miller: — 1. I am very much pleased with your idea of a bottom starter in sections. But will you kiudly say just whatsize and shape the start- ers should be, both as regards top and bottom, or that you pre- fer ? And do you use " thin " or "extra thin " foundation ? I have been thinking, how would it be to wire sections, using No. 34: wire, and having two parallel wires, at right angles with the starters ? No tacks needed, but the ends just twisted together on the top-bar, and a little printed slip pasted on each section directing the consumer to withdraw the wires by untwisting the ends, or else severing the wire at one side, and drawing it through on the other ; this would not ne- cessitate 1/20 of the labor required to get at the contents of a sardine tin, or many other canned edibles. I venture to think that such a section — filled, of course — might travel the world around, and stand the roughest imaginable usage by boat, rail or road without breaking down. What do you think ? Some may raise the objection that if the wires were to run from top to bottom — i. c, at right angles with the starters — they would be in the way of pressing the latter on by the use of the Parker' foundation fastener. Then run them parallel with the starters, or else adopt some other method of fixing the starters. And this brings us to the question — and which I take the liberty of suggesting might very well be made a leading one, 86 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Feh. 6, for the greater lights to reply to— viz : Which is really the best — i. 6., the easiest, safest or most efficient, cleanest and most expeditious — method of attaching starters, to either frames or sections ? Speaking from experience, this is a source of much worry and vesatiou of spirit to the novice. When I first started in the bee-business I invested in a so-called " wax-melter " — a sort of a miniature copper tea-kettle with an inside or double lining, and a thin, tapering double spout ; it was always getting clogged up, the wax congealing at the point just when I was about to begin operations. One day the wretched contrivance boiled dry, the solder, as well as the wax, melted, and it col- lapsed, disinteg'rating into about 20distinct pieces. Inwardly I was glad of it ; for only its prettiness had made me bear with it so long. The plan I next adopted — one I had read of in the Ameri- can Bee Journal — was pressing the foundation on with a warm chisel ; but neither did I find this very satisfactory ; but what I often did find, as a result of it, was starters lying at the bot- tom of the hive. If too many bees got on them at once, the starters had a nasty way of letting go. This drove me to try- ing the camel's-hair brush way ; I used it for a long time, but in the end I found it too messy, and so I cast about for something better. I then adopted the plan of raising the melted wax from the pot by means of a goose-quill, pressing my finger on the upper end when full, and conveying it to the frame — held sloping — raise my finger, when a nice little trickle runs all down the starter — and all is lovely. Finding this a success, no time was lost in substituting little taper pipes made of very thin sheet copper (tin will do) for the quills. These beat the camel's-hair brush all to fits ! If there is a better plan, pray let us know of it. I greatly doubt whether there is. In adopting this metal pipe arrangement, the wires (in the sections) are a decided ad- vantage, as they hold the starter nicely in position until fixed. Of course, the wires must be placed true in the center, or the starters won't be true. But with a simple guage and a lead- pencil, one can mark 1,000 in an hour, and then little children can do the wiring ; and if wired sections will travel safe every time, where a considerable proportion of unwired ones break down, then the extra work of wiring is not worth talking about. 2. The bee-books and papers teach us that bees will not accept queen-cells when there are laying workers in the hive. Does this agree with your experience? Lately I made a colony queenless, with a view to rear queens ; upon examination a few days after, I found they had two queen-cells sealed, though there was ample evidence of the presence of laying-workers — one unfinished queen-cell having no less than eight eggs in it. How is this to be reconciled with the above statement ? S. A. D. South Africa. Answers. — 1. For sections, I've always cut starters square, both top and bottom, as wide as can be conveniently worked in the section, and that's about 3?i inches ; bottom starter about %-inch deep. At one time I thought I'd like to have them deeper, but after trying it I found they tumbled over with their own weight. The top starters I've made deep enough to almost touch the bottom starters. So you see I All the section about as full as I can. Some experiments I made last summer with brood-frames inclines me to believe that pos- sibly I might better cut the upper starter shallower, so as to leave a space of perhaps half an inch between the two start- ers. But it may not work well. I hardly like " extra thin " foundation in sections, and if I used it for the upper starters I certainly would want some- thing heavier for the bottom starters. I'm a little afraid there would be prejudice on the part of customers against wire in sections, as it would suggest that the bees had had just that much less to do with the business. Be- sides, when a section is firmly fixed at the bottom and top — as it must be with bottom starters — I'm not sure that the wire is needed. My sections go hundreds of miles with never a break. Compared with the camel's-hair brush your plan of fas- tening sections is a grand improvement, but I cannot help wondering that you have never tried the " Daisy fastener," the Clark or the Gray. I think the Daisy is the best of the lot, and away ahead of any plan of fastening with melted wax. 2. I think the books and papers do not put it down as a rule without exception, that where laying workers are pre- sent no queen-cell will be accepted. Certainly they are not justified in so doing, for sometimes cells will be accepted all right, especially if the case has not progressed any great length of time. Laying workers are very vagarious little torments, and do all sorts of things. Sometimes they are even found in a hive after a young queen begins to lay — at least I have read so, although I think I never had such an experience myself. I think the safest thing to give to a colony with laying workers is a young queen that has just hatched, or one just ready to hatch that you pull out of a cell. Simply putting such a young queen on a comb among the bees has so far succeeded with me in every case. M I — ■ Building Up Colonies in Spring. How can we build up colonies best in the spring? Syracuse, N. Y. F. Answer. — That isn't a very easy question to answer. Per- haps, too, the same answer wouldn't fit all oases alike. If every thing is all right with the previous treatment — plenty of stores the previous fall, and plenty of bees — very likely noth- ing better can be done than just to let the bees alone. If there is any scarcity of stores, see to it that the defi- ciency is supplied in season so that the bees will never have a feeling that there is any necessity to economize. After they begin to fly in the spring — if you are in a region where there comes a time when there is an utter dearth of pasturage and yet good weather for bees to fly every day — breeding may be kept up by feeding. Not only feed honey or sugar syrup, but also some substitute for pollen, as ground oats and corn, or some other grain. Some advocate packing the hives in spring, and some think it isn't a good thing. Perhaps you can decide for your- self by trying both ways side by side, trying only a few in the new way. If there is much empty room in the hive, you can close up with division-boards, giving the bees only what room they need, although some experiments made in France seem to indicate that a comb full of honey is about as good as a division-board. Whatever you do, don't try to build up weak colonies by giving them brood and bees from stronger colonies. For although the weaker colony will gain by it, that gain will be more than counterbalanced by the loss of the stronger colony. Rather take from the very weak and give to those that are of medium strength. Indeed, it isn't a bad plan to break uo entirely the very weak ones, and unite them with the stronger, then later in the season you can more than make up your number with what the strongest can spare. Beeswax Questions — Extracling Honey — How to Put on a Super. 1. How can I keep beeswax from sticking to wooden molds when molding in small cakes for market ? 2. How can I make wax of a nice, clear, light color ? 3. How is snow-white wax made ? 4. How long is honey left in the cells by the bees before it is sealed over ? 5. What is the best extractor for me to get for extracting about 100 pounds late in the fall ? 6. Is extracted honey drawn from the extractor and put into small bottles for market, or is it strained through cloth to make it clear ? 7. This is a very important question with me : How to put on extra supers in the summer without getting stung unmerci- fully. The way I do is to blow a little smoke in at the en- trance, then lift the old super a little and blow smoke in, then lift quickly off, set it on top of the new one, and then put both on top of the hive. G. C. B. Bridgewater, Mass. Answers. — 1. Having the molds thoroughly soaked with water before putting wax in them will probably accomplish the object. 2. There is, of course, a difference in wax in the first place. That made from cappings of new comb will be lighter than that made from melting up old black combs. But even from the latter can be made a nice article of yellow wax. Be careful that it isn't heated too much in separating the wax from the slumgum or refuse, and to make sure of this there is probably no better way than to melt it in a sun extractor. The secret of making it clear is in letting it cool very slowly so that all impurities have plenty of time to settle slowly to the botto'n. A very large quantity is likely to be clearer than a small quantity, because the large body is a long time in cool- ing. If you have only a small quantity, you can make it cool more slowly by having a large quantity of water with it. One good way to have it cool slowly is to put it in the oven of a cookstove just before letting the fire die out for the night. Of course, it should be put in long enough so that it will all be thoroughly melted before the fire begins to die out, and care 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 87 must be taken not to overheat it. Just as soon as you think it safe to do so— which will be about the time the lire begins to die down — close the door of the oven and leave the wax till the next morning, when you go to make the Are. Of course, you must take out the wax before you make the fire, and to help you remember be sure to put the stove-handle at night in the oven. Then you'll open the oven door to get out the stove- handle in the morning, and can't forget to take out the wax. 3. Very new comb will make white wax, or you can bleach yellow wax by means of light, th% same as you bleach anything that is bleachable. •4. I don't know. I don't think there is any set time. Generally it will be sealed about as soon as evaporated enough to be ready to seal, but sometimes quite thin honey is found sealed. 5. If you mean just for the one extracting, it will hardly pay to buy an extractor at all, but you probably mean to ex- tract some each fall, and in that case a 2-frame extractor is all you need. I'm not familiar with all the styles of extrac- tors, but almost any of them are probably good. 6. Both. It can be taken right from the extractor, but a cloth can be attached to the extractor so it is strained as it leaves the extractor. 7. Your plan is excellent. I never found any trouble, however, in first putting on the empty one and then setting the full one on it. CONDUCTED BY DR. J. P. n. BRO\\r\, AUGUSTA., GA, [Please send all questions relating to bee-keeping In the South direct to Dr. Brown, and he will answer in this department. — Eds.1 Increasing the Depth of §implicity Hives to Cor- respond Witii a Oreater Depth of Frame. I have some bees in the 8-frame dovetail hive, and I wish to make the frames two or three inches deeper. How can I do it 1 T. G. B. Answer. — My friend, take my advice and let the frames alone — don't change the depth. If you must change, nail on strips to the top edge of the hive, of the necessary width ; but rather then have a botched job, you had better get new hives to suit the depth of your frame. Oetting Bees to AVork in Sections — Donbling Up — Hiving Swarms and Feeding. Dr. Brown : — I have received several letters of inquiry from beginners, asking how to produce comb honey in the Simplicity hives. I use this hive, but have not been success- ful, and have been told the hive was the cause. My bees do not go into or work much, however, in the sections. Will it be asking too much for you to give your plan of management? How do you hive the swarms, with all the frames in below? When do you put on the sections above, and when do you take them off ? Do you manipulate the frames during the honey- flow ? Do you practice "doubling," and when? Do you "contract," and how ? Do you buy queens? and have you been successful in introducing them ? When do you feed, and how ? Is there any use in feeding when bees seem to be bringing in stores of some kind ? W. F. Answers. — I do not think the style of hive you mention is the cause of your bees not working in the sections. You must look for other causes — most likely, either the colonies were not strong enough In worker-force during the honey-flow, or the flow was too limited in amount for any surplus. Now and then we meet colonies apparently in good condition, and in strength compare with others that are working in supers, that refuse to go into the surplus department. In such cases I endeavor to entice above by Inserting sections filled with comb and partly-filled with honey, if I have such. If they still refuse, I may contract the brood-chamber by removing a a frame or two, so as to force them up. But this plan en- courages swarming, which is not desirable when working for comb honey. If the hive is a 10-frame one, I place the swarm in with all the frames in position. When full sheets of foundation are used I alternate them with empty frames, or preferably with frames with comb already worked out. But never use a frame without a triangular comb guide, or a starter of foun- dation. The super should not be put on till the bees got well established in their work below, which may take three or four days. If you have sections partly-filled with honey to place on the hive, then it may be best to hive the colony with only starters of foundation In the brood-frames. There Is no need of disturbing the frames in the brood- chamber during the honey-flow. It is frequently necessary to double up and contract small colonies in the fall. While I rear queens, I frequently buy, and have no trouble to successfully introduce them. In early spring bees frequently bring in loads of pollen, but can gather very little honey, breeding goes on rapidly, and the supply of honey may soon be exhausted. Such colo- nies must be watched, and, if necessary, fed until they can gather enough honey from natural sources. My advice to W. P. is to purchase a standard work on bees, and not only read It, but study it, and apply its teach- ings practically to the hive. T Supers and Pattern Slats. On page 807 (1895) Peter Schartz gives an article on T supers and pattern slats, setting forth his reasons for using the former and discarding the latter. From his statements it appears to me that the reason, in a nut-shell, is simply this : He knew how to use the one, and did not know how to use the other. This is very often the case — we condemn a thing be- cause we do not know how to use it. I use both the T super and the pattern slats, and I think I like the slatted case the best. May be if I knew better how to use them I would like them better. In order that the readers may know why I think I like the slats best, it will be necessary to tell how they are made : My hives are 14 inches wide, inside measure, top-bars 19 inches long, with no bee-space above. The T tins I use are 13 Inches long, so I made my cases 17xl3?:£ Inches, inside measure. I nail a strip of wood o/lOx'l inch across the ends of the case for the sections to rest upon, and pieces of the same material one inch long at the sides for the T tins to rest on. When 28 sections, with separators, are in this case, it Is full, with no room for a " follower." They are very nice to handle, but they are too short to cover the frames, and the sections are hard to get out. I use a strip of waxed cloth to cover the ends of the frames at the rear end of the hive. I make the slatted cases the same length and width as the hives, and cut a groove in the ends of the case to receive the slats, leaving a bee-space below. The slats are put in before the last side-piece is put on, so that they cannot come out, but can be moved so as to properly adjust them when the sections are In. The sections are keyed up with followers at one end and one side. If it be desired to remove all the sections at once, take out the wedge, cover them with a board made to fit the top of the case, place your fingers on the ends of the board, your thumbs underneath the case, and turn it top side down. One objection I find to the slats is, they remove the sec- tions one step further from the brood. C. C. Parsons. Bessemer, Ala. Back ^Numbers. — We have on hand a few back numbers of the Bee Journal for 1895, which we will mail to any one wishing them at 15 copies for 20 cents. They will all be different dates, but we have no complete sets for the year. Just send us 20 cents in stamps or silver, and we'll send you 15 copies. No doubt there are many new subscribers who will be glad to take advantage of this offer. All new sub- scriptions now begin with Jan. 1, 1896. Xtae McEvoy Foul Brood Treatment is given in Dr. Howard's pamphlet on " Foul Brood ; Its Natural History and Rational Treatment." It is the latest publication on the subject, and should be in the hands of every bee-keeper. Price, 25 cents ; or clubbed with the Bee Journal for one year —both for $1.10. 88 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Feb. 61 j(S (■ OLDEST! BEE PAPER (fHy kijrtfliCA — "^ f^, mmiQ^ PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY GEORGE W. YORK & COMPANY, Editors and Proprietors, 50 FiftlL Avenue. - CHICAGO, II^l.. REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS : G. M. Doolittle, of New Ynrli. Prof. A. J. Cool;, ot California. Dr. ('. C. Miller, of Illinois. Dr. J, P. H. Brown, of Georgia. J. H. Martin, of California. Kev. E. T. Abbott, of Missouri. Cbas. Dadant & Son, of Illinois. $1.00 a Year— Sample Copy Sent Free. [Entered at the Post-Ofiace at Chicago as Second-Class Mail-Matter.] Vol.. nXVI, CEiCA&O, ILL,, FEB, 6, 1896. No, 6, Xlie Illinois Convenliou Report is omitted this ■week on account of more of it not getting here from the reporter in time. We hope, after this week, to complete it as rapidly as possible without any further break. Won't Oet I'neasy if you do not see your contribution in the next number of the Bee Journal receired after you send it in. At this time of the year we are always crowded with certain kinds of matter, but intend to accommodate as many as possible and as fast as we can. So if you don't see your letter or article in the Bee Journal as promptly as you would like, just remember there is a good reason for it, and that in all probability it will appear in due time. Mr. 3. W. ¥oung:*!i .^pisiry, on the first page this week is certainly a very neat one. He tells about himself and his bee-keeping experience in the following few paragraphs : Friend York:— My first interest in bees began in 1840, when 1 found a swarm on our farm. I hived them, and from that time to this I have been a crank on the honey-bee. I have studied its hab- its, and secured all other information obtainable, and will cheer- fully admit that I lack being posted on all points. My method ot bee-culture does not agree with the general re- ports. I have paid out .?600, besides time, and I am still in the field. In isro 1 got the idea of frame hives, and that year 1 had 1,800 pounds of comb honey, and increased from IS colonies, spring count, to 37. Then we had no foundation or starters. My frames 18x12 inches, entirely too deep. I have two lots 25x13,") feet for my apiary, planted to peach and boxelder, 12 feet apart, which gives a solid shade. The hives front to the east. I keep about 40 colonies of bees on hand, not for prof- it, but for pastime. I am 03 years of age, and will devote the bal- ance of my time to reading the American Bee Journal and study- ing the " little, busy bee." J. W, Youxg, Reliable Coniniijiision Dealers. — Gleanings is trying to do some very commendable work in the line of getting honey commission houses or firms to agree not to adulterate honey them- selves, or handle any that is adulterated. We extract these two paragraphs from an editorial by Editor Root referring to the sub- ject: We are getting all the commission houses to send us an afiida- vit to the effect that they will neither adulterate honey with glu- cose or any other inferior sweet, nor will they handle any adulter- ated honey of any sort if they know it. So far, nearly all have subscribed to the statement. Three or four have not yet responded, but we suppose they will when they get around to it. At all events, the list will be simmered down strictly to those who will agree under affidavit to handle only pure goods. This was done, not because we doubted the integrity of the honey-men who furnish the quotations so much as because we desired to weed out any who might hesitate to give us the required affidavit. And then, too, it gives them nU notice what we expect of them. If any of them should be discovered dabbling in honey- adulterations after they had given us their sworn statement, don't you see we should then be in a position to learn what their oath meant in court ? We should be glad to know that such " affidavits " would do any good in the way of the prevention of honey-adulteration, but we haven't much coafidence in them. Any firm that would so criminally demean itself as to adulterate honey with glucose would undoubtedly be quite willing to sign the affidavit. Such people don't know what a conscience is, neither do they care to do right so long as it is more money in their pockets to do the other thing. But '«' do not believe that the great adulterators of honey in Chicago, or any other city, are the commission firms, by any means. While a few of them may stoop to such nefarious work, we think the bulk of it is done by the wholesale grocers, and those who mis up and fix up the vile table syrups of questionable com- position which they palm off on a public that have almost ceased to be suspecting — except when it comes to honey. Many city peo- ple have so long abused their helpless palates and stomachs that they are now without the ability to discriminate between the good and the bad in the line of sweets. Then, again, many seem to think if they can get a heap very cheap it will " fill up " just as fast as if they paid more for a better quality. While we don't want to discourage anything in the line under- taken by Gleanings, yet we can't help feeling that the commission men might as well be asked to sign an agreement that they will be honest, and not take such miserable advantage of the honey-pro- producers as some of them do. And this leads us to say that just recently one Chicago honey-dealer bought of another, a lot of fine white comb honey for only 10 cents a pound! Some good ex- tracted was sold at 4 cents, and some other fair comb honey for 8 cents. Now, we'd like to know how much the shipper or producer is going to get out of those prices, after deducting freight cartage, and 10 per cent, commission ! We have been told more than once, the past two or three months, that honey-dealers can buy honey of some other dealers right on the same street, for hsx money than they would have to pay to the bee keepers who ship it in! Do you say, "How can that be t" 'Tis easy enough. When a bee-keeper sends his honey to an unreliable commission firm, he is at the mercy of that firm; they can sell the honey for just what they please, and then turn over to the bee-keeper the amount less high freight, higher cart- age, and highest commissions. There you are. We think, what bee-keepers need is a honey depot in every large city, in charge of a reliable man, who will do his best to create a demand and uphold the honey market, instead of putting in his time mainly in criminally "holding up '' bee-keepers " for revenue only." .*-•-•' Xlie Ontario Convention, held at Brautford the mid- dle of January, we understand was well attended, and great inter- est evinced in the proceedings. Weatli of Mrs. I.iynian C Root.— The sad intelli- gence reaches us of the death of Mrs. Libbie Quinby Root, only daughter of Moses Quinby, and wife of Lyman C. Root, which occured at her home in Stamford, Conn., Jan. 16, 1896. Mrs. Root was stricken with paralysis on the morning of the 15th, and died the following morning. Mr. P. H. Elwood, of Starkville, N. Y., wrote us as follows about her; Mrs. Root was a woman of rare intelligence, and had she given her attention to literary pursuits, would have gained celebrity. She was an easy writer of choice English. Beekeepers kuew her as literary editor of the book, "Quiuby's Bee-Keeping," and later of the same as revised by her husband. The sketches from which the engravings were made for these books were also from her pen. She was a natural artist, and in drawing or painting from Nature displayed genuine artistic talent. Her highest ambitions centered in her home, and in the educa- tion of her daughters. No matter how busy with household duties, or in the entertainment of visiting bee-keepers, time was found for the daily lessons of the girls, and also for reading and discussing with the family the best books and literature. In thus giving her life so unselfishly to the improvement of others, her own character developed by the maturing of those qualities of mind and heart that must endure forever. It is gratifying to be able to state that her husband and family fully appreciated her many excellent 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 89 qualities. Her presence, her sympathy, and her counsel will be sadly missed in the home circle. Bee-keepers everywhere in the English-speaking world, will unite with me in extending heartfelt sympathy to the husband, the daughters, and to the aged Mother Qiiinby. P. H. Elwood. We are glad to publish the foregoing tribute to the memory of Mrs. Root. We feel sure that those who knew her exceptional personal qualities and character must miss ber greatly. While building for Eternity, she also built for others. What better mon- ument than that of a lustrous, loving life ? Only such is worth imitating. *-•-*• " Dry 'Weatber "Vine" Honey. — A sample of this honey has been received from Mr. J. C. Wallenmeyer, of southern Indiana — also some of the seed, which somewhat resembles thistle seed, as it has a sort of balloon attachment, making it easily carried by the wind. Mr. W. says that " dry weather vine " grows from seed sown in spring, and after once planted always reseeds itself, increasing with wonderful rapidity. He thinks one vine has thousands of little blue flowers, and the hotter and drier the air, the greener the plant becomes. It starts blooming in July, and continues till frost. The sample of honey kindly sent us was gathered in August, lS9-i, during a very heavy flow in a severe drouth. Mr. W. says he got §22.50 worth of honey from one colony in three months, mainly from this source. He e.xtracted only from thoroughly capped combs. We have sampled the honey, and find it of excellent body and flavor, reminding us greatly of heart's-ease honey. We do not think it compares, however, with pure alfalfa honey in any way, though we have no doubt many people would like it well. So far, of all the different kinds of honey we have tasted, we much prefer the thick, rich, white alfalfa. The best we have seen came from Colo- rado, though we presume in other localities where the alfalfa abounds, they have just as good honey as in Colorado. We suppose the peculiar name — Dry Weather Vine — is simply a local one. Will Mr. Wallenmeyer please tell us the botanical name ? Bee-Escape for Honey-Room "Windows. — The Porter bee-escape is so well and favorably known, that whenever it is mentioned all bee-keepers know at once all about it. But those enterprising people have gotten up some new use for it, or a new escape for a new purpose, and in a recent issue of Gleanings, they described it as follows : Having quite a quantity of honey to extract during the excessively hot weather of last September, when no nectar was to be had, and robbing was at Its worst, and knowing too well how ineffective cone escapes used on extracting-room windows or escapes, made by extending the screen wire to a considerable extent above them with a bee-space between it and the sides of the building were for excluding robbers at such a time, to enable us to get through with the work without annoyance we made, for this purpose, the escape shown in the accompany- ing illustration. This escape is a modiHcation of the well-known form of the Porter spring escape, now so extensively used for freeing the surplus honey from bees automatically before removal from the hives, the principle used be- ing the same. It differs from that only in the details of construction necessary to adapt it to this particular use. The top, or oval part, is perforated along the edges, so that the escape may be readily tacked to the casing or window-frame. The body is made of perforated tin, to admit light ; and its open end is extended into a cone to pre- vent robbers crawling in at the sides of the springs and inter- fering with the bees passing out, which would occur if it were left open full width. As compared with the other form, the interior part is reversed in position; the springs used are somewhat broader, and set slightly more open. The method of applying these escapes to the window is almost too apparent to require explanation. Merely make 3j or % inch holes through the screen wire at its upper corners ; or, in case it is desirable to make holes without injury to the wire cloth, thus leaving it so that it can be replaced when the escapes are removed, if desired, remove the tacks from the corners and turn them down till triangular holes of corres- ponding size are formed, and then tack the escapes in a verti- cal position over these openings, so that the bees can pass through them into the escapes. In case the window is pro- vided with an escape made by extending the wire cloth above it, close the bee-space with a strip flush with the top of the window, and proceed as before. If escapes are not to be used on all the windows of the honey-room, preference should be given to those opening to the south or west, so that, on cold days, the bees may have the benefit of the afternoon sun. After putting these escapes to the severest possible test under the most trying conditions, we have found them to meet all the requirements of a perfect device for this purpose. Since using them we realize as never before how many of the dis- agreeable features of bee-keeping are removed, and how much pleasure and satisfaction are added to the pursuit by having all windows of honey and extracting rooms supplied with es- capes through which all bees that get in when doors are being opened or closed, or in any of the other ways these persistent little insects have of effecting this end, can pass out easily and rapidly, and not a single robber can enter. R. & E. C. PORTEK. It is almost needless to say that these new escapes will be sold by all the principal supply dealers, though The A. I. Root Co. control the sale of all Porter bee-escapes in this country. That " Free" Bee-Book. — On page 56 we men- tioned that "Gleanings for Jan. 1 made favorable mention of Government Bulletin No. 1, entitled, 'The Honey-Bee ; a Manual of Instruction in Apiculture, by Frank Benton ;' " and that the " price" is " 15 cents per copy." Shortly after the notice was published, Dr Miller wrote us thus : Mr. Editor: — On page 56 you speak of "A Free Bee- Book," and then say it would be ready for distribution " at 15 cents per copy." Is that straight, or is it a mistake? Glean- ings, from which you quote, says nothing about "15 cents." I made application for the book, and if you're right, I want to hustle that 15 cents on to Washington. C. C. Miller. We can best answer the Doctor's question by quoting the following paragraph from the circular notice about the book referred to which we received ajur we had seen what Glean- ings had said in regard to it: "' The Honey-Bee : A Manual of Instruction in Apicul- ture,' by Frank Benton, M. S., of the Division of Entomology of the department of Agriculture, is just issued. .. .This Bul- letin, which is No. 1, new series, of the Division of Entomol- ogy, has 119 pages, 12 plates, and 76 text figures. The edition is limited by the law of Jan. 12, 1895, to 1,000 copies. This is barely suSicient to supply the libraries on the Department's list, the agricultural colleges, and those to whom the Department is indebted ; a limited number, how- ever, will be disposed of by the Superintendent of Documents, Union Building, Washington, D. C, at 15 cents per copy." It was our mistake in calling it a " free " book. That part of the item was put in type before we learned of the charge for it, and we overlooked it when changing the reading further on from "free" to " 15 cents." Remember that the Supt. of Documents will not receive stamps or personal checks. We sent a dime and a nickle. TllE||[[» Honey-Boards or Non-Burr-Comb Top-Bars. In the American Bee .Tournal, Query 999, this question is asked: " To prevent burr-combs, is anything as good as the Heddon slatted honey-board ? If so, what?" Of the 2-4 who answer, 4 give it as their opinion that there is nothing as good; 17 think there is something just as good, and better. Of this number some lay stress upon exact bee-space, and generally !4 inch, and not over that, and others on thick and wide top-bars in co7Uicctio?J ivith exact bee-spaces. Only three of the entire number — that is, out of the 24 — express themselves as not be- ing competent to speak on the subject. When this question was propounded a few years ago in the same journal, and in the same department, a great major- 90 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Feb. 6, ity expressed themselves as being in favor of the slatted honey- board. The tables now seem to be pretty nearly turned in favor of top-bars and bee-spaces as against the slatted boards ; but I notice that none of the respondents sl-rike upon this point — that the honey-board does away with only one set of burr-combs between the slatted board and the super. Be- tween it and the brood-frames below, if the old-fashioned spac- ing is used, und narrow top-bars, there is the usual set of burr- combs. By the use of thicker and wider top-bars, and a bee- space of li inch, we do away with practically all the burr- combs. It seems there is no comparison between one system and the other. The slatted honey-board only half does the work, and the other system does it all, or practically so. — Gleanings. Amalgamation. A union of the North American Bee-Keepers' Association, and the National Bee-Keepers' Union, seems quite evident and eminently desirable. There is indeed a "broad field of labor" for such an organization, and, I opine, hundreds of dollars waiting only for the announcement that the union has been ef- fected, to pour into the treasury. My dollar is ready. — H. E. Hill, in American Bee-Keeper. Bees and Grapes. Mr. Bonart, of this county, has a large vineyard on the same ranch, and the vineyard is not injured by the bees. Mr. B. says that one year, when the grapei^ines were in bloom, there was a continuation of "northers" that kept the bees from working upon the whole vineyard. Only that portion nearest the apiary was worked thoroughly ; and when grapes ripened, this portion of the vineyard had the most grapes. Still, there are people who will conplain when a bee looks at a grape. — Rambleb, in Gleanings. Winter Food and Packing. E. France says in Gleanings: "The article, by J. A. Green, is excellent. His ideas of an abundance of feed for winter just suit me, as my motto is that a great deal too much honey is just enough. I don't want to feed bees in the spring if it can be avoided. It doesn't do any harm if the bees have a few pounds left over. I believe all who winter outdoors in the North agree that the hives must have thick walls, or dou- ble, filled in with chaflf or some other packing. I see that Mr. Green packs four hives together to winter, and puts a large box around the four packs inside of the large box, around the single hives. I think it would be less trouble for him to use a quadruple hive, without side packing. He would then have his four colonies ready at any time for winter by filling the top chamber with straw, or putting on top cushions. That is the way we do it. It is just as good, and saves lots of hard work. I see he also uses sealed covers. So do we." Feeding Back. I have had considerable experience in this direction just how much does not matter, but I could give some figures show- ing the actual results of some experiments that I have made that would look very flattering. Some of my experiments in feeding back have been profitable and some have not. Those which have not I think are in the majority. Of course, I am better prepared now to avoid the mistakes and blunders that have made this work unprofitable; but I am not as enthusias- tic over this subject as I once was. If properly conducted and the conditions are favorable, without doubt it might be made profitable in tlieright hands ; but with the average bee-keeper I am sure it would result in disappointment and loss. — H. R. BoABDMAN, in Review. Amount of Stores for Winter. Besides having winter stores in place early, emphasis is put upon the matter of having not only enough, but an abun- dance of stores— not only stores to last through the winter, but to last through the critical time from the first flight in spring till the main harvest begins. Here, however, there is some conflict of opinion. B.Taylor is convinced " that bees winter better with just enough always accessible honey in their hives to feed them safely until warm weather." Wheth- er his belief is correct or not, I feel pretty sure that in prac- tice he gives his bees more than he thinks they will use before warm weather, if by " warm weather" he means the time of taking out of cellar ; for there is a difference of several pounds in the amount different colonies use ; and as he doesn't know beforehand which will be the heavy consumers, he must in his winter preparations consider all heavy consumers. If he gives all enough so that he feels snre they will have enough until first spring flight, some of them will have enough to carry them through until the harvest. Whether it is best to have such an abundance in the hive that no colony will need any looking after until the main harvest, is one of the things that may well belong to that "further discussion." Whether my own theory agrees with his or not, my practice agrees at least so far that it is with me a very comfortable thing to know that I have some extra combs of honey ready to be given to any colony that may ask for it before the harvest. As to the manner of ascertaining the amount of stores, not much is said — the little that is said inclining to the opinion that the colonies are weighed " with the eyes," as J. E. Crane expresses it — that is, by looking in the hive at the frames. Considering the uncertainty of this, unless every frame is care- fully inspected, and that even then it's a hard matter to come within several pounds of the exact weight, I can not help thinking that most would prefer to weigh their hives if they knew how easy a thing it is. With a spring-balance properly rigged you can weigh the hives with less time and labor than you can take out and inspect the frames. And then there's a comfortable feeling in the thought that you know, and that there's no guess about it. True, you'll not know to a certainty just how much honey there is in the hive, but you will know for a certainty the total weight, and from that you can make a safer guess as to the amount of stores than in any other way. — Db. Miller, in Gleanings. Feeding for Profit. Many bee-keepers must change their location, go to the flowers, or change their methods of management. The bee- keeping public says at present, and perhaps always will say, that sugar-honey must not be produced, but there is no objec- tion to bees living on 4-cent sugar instead of 15-cent honey. It has been estimated, and I think fairly, that a colony of bees consumes 60 or 70 pounds of honey during the year. If a good portion of this can be cheap sugar instead of high-priced honey it may make all the difference between a fair profit and a serious loss. A change to a better location is preferable, if a change can be made, as there is more profit in plenty of honey from natural sources than in exchanging sugar for honey in a poor locality ; but there are many in the latter kind of locality who can't well change their place of residence but can still keep bees at a profit, if not so large a one, by pursuing tactics sim- ilar to those followed by our practical friend of East Town- send, Ohio. — Review Editorial. Temperattire for Queen-Cells. The atmosphere ought to be about 80^ when we are transferring the larvas. Our work is so rapidly done that we have successfully manipulated our grafting-plan with the tem- perature at 65^'. Only a few moments, and it is all done. I will say five minutes is as long as we expose the larvae for grafting 20 cells. Mr. Doolittle's plan is slower than ours, as it is quite tedious to take and replace the larvie. Any day from April 1st, to Nov. 1st is all right for this work here, un- less it is raining. Ripe queen-cells may be exposed a short while, say an hour or so, in a temperature as low as 65-. There is more danger of the weather being too hot here in summer, than too cool, for such work. A ripe queen-cell (or any other) exposed to the sun's rays a few minutes, will be ruined. In either grafting or removing ripe cells, you will be safe to expose the larvaj or cells a short while in a temperaturefrom 65- to SO'^. — Southland Queen. Dampness and Temperature of Cellars. I believe dampness in winter respositories is one of the agencies in causing bee-diarrhea, only when the temperature is so low as to condense the vapor on the inside of the hives and combs. It would be well to consider the difference in ef- fect on animal life, between a warm, damp atmosphere and a cool damp one, in all our talk in the matter of cellar-winter- ing. But, unless that front end of the cellar is well covered with earth I should fear too low a temperature during cold spells in winter. I should be much more concerned to have the temperature entirely in my control, than about dampness. Give me a cellar that will not vary from 45-, and good stores, and I have little fear as to how the bees will come out in the spring. This I say after many years of successful cellar-win- tering, and after watching others who have invariably win- tered their bees well also.— G. M. Doolittle, in Gleanings. Every Present Subscriber of the Bee Journal should be an agent for it, and get all others possible to sub- scribe for it. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 91 THIRTY THOUSAND FOUNDS DEESWAX Is our present stock for this year's sales of Foundation. But still 'We 'Want More Bees'wax and pay a good price. Don't Delay Ordering' Your FOUNDATION. You will pay more by and by than you would now. Remember that we make the BEST, and everybody acknowledges this. Now is the time to read the work of the Late Father Langstrotli— Langstroth on the Honey-Bee, Revised. The Price of this Work is now Reduced from $1.40 to $1.25, by mail. Send us your address for Catalogue of Bee-Supplies, etc. CHAS. DADANT & SON, nuvtwn tne American Bee Journal. HAMIIiTON, Hancock Co., HiL. INCUBATORS 132 Yards High ^ Class Fowls SELF REGULATING WE WARRANT ^ THE RELIABLE To hatch 8o per cent of the fresh and fertile eegs. Hundreds of recent testimonials! Have this year (1896) issued our Eleventh Annual Poultry Guide and Combined Catalogue in one valuable book. PROFITS IN POULTRY! This 148-page, fully illustrated Poultry Guide tells you about profits in poultry; about hatching eggs with machines; about brooding chicks without hens. We have for sale sixteen popular kinds of thoroughbred fowls, also full line of Poultry Supplies— anything you want. Price of Guide, lO cents in stamps— worth one dollar. Address. RELIABLE INCUBATOR AND BROODER CO., Quincy, Hi. CHEAP SECTIONS \ CHEAP SECTIONS ! We have at this Branch among the Stock purchased of Thos. G Newman the I'ollowiDg Stock of Sections— not of our manufacture— which we desire to close out to make room for our Superior Extra Polished Sections. In order to close them out quickly we offer them for the next 60 days, or while they last, at these special prices ; Wliite Sections, 4>ix4?4. Cream Sections, 4^x4^. 40.000 1 15-16 1 .1,000 for Jl. 75 10.000 115-16 1 1,000 for $1.25 50.000 17i > 2.000 for 3.00 20,000 171 > 2,000 for 2.00 80,000 7-to-ft. ) 5,000 for 7.00 1.000 7-toft. ( 5,000 lor 4.50 With all orders for less than 5,000, add 25 cts. for cartage. These Sections are of Wisconsin manufacture, and when made were doubtless considered as good as the best: but as compared with our Extra Polished Sections they are not up to the standard of to-day. but a decided bargain and should be closed out quijkly at these very low prices. If j'ou prefer a sample before ordering we will mail one for 5 cts. to cover postage. The A. I. Root Co., 56 5th Ave., Chicago, 111. 250,000 Peach Trees 100,000 Plum, best European and Japan. 150,000 Pear, Standard and I>warf. 75,O0O Clicrry, Morellos, Hearts, etc. 150,000 .Vpplc, Quince, Apricot. 100,000 Kut Beariita: Tree.*, 2,000.000 Small Fruits and tirapes. 7 50,000 Roses, Kvcrblooniint and Hardy. 1,000 Car Loads Ornamentals. Full supplv Flower and ■Vesetahle Seeds, Plants, -Bi!ll>«, etc-. E'lettant 168 puce CiitaloKue Tree, btnd for ' it l.i-liire t.uvinE. Everythine miiils,ize postpaid. LarEer by c.x- i,r(ss<>r freit'lit Safe arrival and satisfaction KUarantucd. We o.cui.v 1'., niiluson the hank of LaKe Erie. Ni> hardier, bealtliier trefsare lirown on the continent. Why not procure the best di rect from the erower and avoid all commissions. It Avili save you money. 42nd YEAR. 1000 ACRES. 29 GREENHOUSES. TKE STORRS & HARRISON CO., Painesvllle, 0. Box 223 The Patent Wood Veneer FOUNDATION has no sag in full sheets. Extra Thin Foun- dation 13 square feet to the pound. Working Wax Into Foundation— if sent to me— a spe- cialty. Send for prices, samples cS: Catalogue. Wax wanted. AUG. WEISS 2A5t HORTONVILLE, WIS. For Sale— A Bargain. 119 Colonies of Italian Bees in Chaff Hives. Good House, and 2 acres of Land, with excel- lent well of water. E. L. C4RRINGTON. 5A4t PBTTUS, BeeCo.,TEX. Mention the American Bee JounuiK Qcrjeral Hcn)s^ Another Way to Number Hives. In reg^ard to numbering hives — I thinly I have a better way than any of the experts. I take a large, soft graphite pencil, and put the number on the left hand upper corner of the rear end of the hive ; there they will not get rubbed out by handling the hive. In the fall, after all moving of hives is over for the season, I paint the numbers over with white paint, and number them. When an old colony is removed to a new stand, the date is put on it, and the number shows where it came from. Also, the date of the swarm is marked on its hive. There are no loose tags to move or take care of. Waterville, Ohio. Lewis Eastwood. Mr. StoUey's Sweet Clover Article. Friend York: — Allow me to thank you and Dr. Miller for bringing Mr. StoUey, of Grand Island, Nebr., to the stand, and giving us such valuable evidence in favor of sweet clover. I was much pleased with the way Mr. StoUey wrote up all about it. I have seen Mr. John McArthur's bees, at North Toronto, storing large quantities of sweet clover honey when the bees in other parts of the Province of Ontario were starv- ing for the want of something to gather honey from. Wm. MoEvoy. Woodburn, Ont. Longevity of ftueens.' On July 1. 1884, I received three queens from J. T. Wilson, of Kentucky. The first one died in 1888, and the second one in 18!)0 ; the third one is still living, and I have reared 43 queens from her this year. I have put her into winter quarters this year, apparently all right. In 1893 I had one of her daughters that was two years old, that became a drone-layer, and I had to dispense with her ; a similar case occurred again in 1895. There can be no mistake about this queen, as she has been in the same hive (No. .54) all the time, and has never swarmeti. The right wing is clipped off angling. She could not have been_ super- seded, as it would be a matter of impossi- bility. These bees are of no use to produce comb honey, but are good for extracted. They are easy to handle during the honey- flow, but as soon as it stops they become very cro.ss, and hard to handle. Should this queen live through the winter, and come out all right in the spring. I will re- port again. J. G. A. Wallace. Ontario, Canada. Bees Did Very Well. My bees did very well last year. I started in the spring with 7 good colonies, and I have :S now. in good condition. I got about 500 pounds of fine honey.; i 13 James Jardine. j Ashland, Nebr., Jan. 3. Sweet Clover, Alsike and Crimson. I have just read with considerable pleas- ure Mr. StoUey's article on sweet clover, on page 806 (1895), but there are yet a few facts that we should know in regard to it. 1. Will it do to sow with oats in the spring ? If so, can a crop of hay be cut the the next year ? 3. Is the hay good for milch cows '. and do they do as well on it as on red clover ? 3. Is there any tendency in the clover to slobber horses or cows, as white, or even red, clovers will do in wet years ? 4. Will a common threshing machine thresh it ; and what is the usual .yield of seed per acre ? What does it cost per bushel to thresh ? Last spring I tried crimson clover, Alsike 92 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Feb. 6, also. I sowed with oats. I also tried them alone, without any other crop. With oats the crimson clorer did the best, but if we had had some rain, and not so much frost. no doubt they would bolb have done better. The crimson bloomed and made seed in the summer; fell down and made young plants in the fall. The old plants look well now, as though they would bloom out in the spring. Where it was sowed alone they did much the best, but the labor of mowing three times and getting no crop, proved to me it was not the way to do. White clover looks better than it has for years in this locality. The fall rains gave it a start, and these winter rains will. I think, insure honey from it in the spring. Those who sowed red clover in this locality last spring have as good a stand and as fine a growth as I ever saw. . Cooksville, 111. E. B. Ellis. Hive-Numbering Plan. I am not satisfied quite with any explana- tion so far given as to numbering hives, and will therefore give my way of doing it: I number the queen by placing the num- ber on a board 4x6 inches, or any size de- sired. Put the same number on the back of the hive, and hang the board on a nail driven into the back of the hive. When I remove the queen for any cause, I take the board with her. If she comes out with a swarm. I remove the board with the swarm. I keep the record on the board, removing such as I see fit with my jackknife or plane. When winter comes, and I wish to cellar my bees, I gather all the boards into a box, put them away, and in the spring there is no trouble to tell where they belong, by the corresponding numbers on hive and board. Glendon, Iowa. (J. P. Miller. Mountain Laurel Honey. In the Bee Journal of Dec. 26, 1895, I no- ticed in an extract from the New York Sun, the report that a family in Trenton, N. J., was poisoned from eating mountain laurel honey. I am much surprised at the state- ment, inasmuch as I have kept bees for 15 years, and they have had access every sea- son to hundreds of acres of mountain lau- rel, and I have never known or heard of any one being made sick from eating the honey secured in this locality. Tracy City, Tenn. I. L. Parker. A Fruit-Man that Values Bees. After having read the Bee Journal more or less for a year. I must say that it fills the bill more to my satisfaction than does that of nearly 16 papers I take on other subjects. I have 30 colonies of hybrid bees. 5 of pure Italian, and two 5-banded, and three that are .3-banded. I will test them all the com- ing season, when I shall increase them largely. My honey returns have been very satisfactory the past summer. Fruit is my main industry. After next season I will have 40 acres in orchard. I am somewhat amused at seeing some of our horticultural papers fighting the bee-keepers. I consider bees one of the grandest and best helps we have in this valley. Without them we would not have nearly the amount of fruit that we do. We have about 10.000 colonies of bees in this valley, principally hybrids. Next Saturday we will organize a bee-keep- ers' association — the first in this valley — for our mutual protection. . James U. Harris. Grand Junction, Colo., Jan. 1. The Season a Failure. The past season has been a failure here. I had 40 colonies of bees last spring, and lost all except 23. which I put into winter quarters very light in both bees and honey. 1 did not get a pound of surplus honey the last season. Jesse B. Lewis. Westons Mill, N. Y., Dec. 10, 1895. Arranging the Hives. Query 99S suggests the idea, and though it be of but little or no interest to others, I will give my plan of arranging hives: Place them in pairs with the backs within two inches of each other, and the entrances 10 inches apart, giving 3,' .j to 3 feet between the pairs. Another row with the entrances in the opposite direction, can be placed .just to the back of the first, and no two very near each other, fronting exactly the same way. Creek, N. C. W. H. Phihgen. Report from N. W. Pennsylvania. The past season was a complete failure as to white clover or basswood honey. Buck- wheat was the largest of large redeemers this year, for it gave us a large surplus and plenty for winter. The story will be told this winter, whether buckwheat honey is good to winter bees on. Never since 1 have kept bees— 11 or 13 years — did the prospect for a large honey crop look so promising as last spring, but, alas! Jack Frost spoiled it all. Bees, last spring, filled the brood-nest with honey ; colonies were very strong, but had nothing to do but consume their stores. There were but few early swarms, but in August — hello ! but didn't they swarm ? — and sting ? Never were bees so cross. Last Friday (Dee. 13) we had zero weather, but to-day it is thawing, and the snow nearly gone. Geo. Spitler. Mosiertown, Pa., Dec. 18, 1895. A Beginner's Experience. My three colonies are in chaff hives— two in old-fashioned chaff, and one in a new dovetail chaff hive. I started with one col- ony last May. I got two. I hived and drove the others back as they swarmed. I got about 10 pounds of surplus comb honey in shallow extracting-frames. They would not work in the sections. I tried all ways to induce them to. Some I put some brood in one section. It hatched out and went be- low. The three hives were full of bees and 30 or more pounds of honey in the brood- Got Something for Nothing ! MVriii P Thousands of readers answering my ad. in the past received free 1 Uli ■ by mail at a cost of 20 cents to me, a package of my discovery, VIT.E ORE, and 90 per cent, have written to thank me and send cash order for more, declaring that it had done them more good than all doctors and man-made remedies they ever used. I scorn to take any one's money until convinced at my expense that V.-O. is the best thing in, on, or out of toe earth for all who suffer from ills no doctor or drug will cure, such as general debility, feebleness from over- work, worries, cares, protracted sickness, old age, female complaints, all kidney and membranous ailments. It is the only natural. Nature's cure for human ills ever offered to man, and not by a quack doctor or methods peculiar thereto. If you have been bamboozled often, and grievously, by robbers in the medicine business, I am not responsible therefor, but am if V.-O. fails to give greater satisfaction than all else you ever tried. Send the addresses of six sick people and I will do the balance. THEO. NOEL, Geologist, Tacoma Building, Chicago, III. 6A4t Mention the Bee Journal. eOLD RgLIABLE PEERLESS FEED GRINDERS , _ Grinds more grain to any degree of fineness than any other mill. Grinds ear- corn, oats, etc., fine enough for any purpose. War- ranted not toehoke. We warrant the Peerless to be THE BEST AND CHEAPEST MILL ON EARTH. 8^- Write us at once for prices and agency. There is money in this mill. Made only by the JOLiET STROWBRIDGE C0.,J0L1ET,ILL. Jobbers and Manufacturers of Farm Jlachlnery, Carriages, Wagons, Windmills, Bicycles, Harness, Btc. Prices lowest. Quality best. Mention the Americiiti Bee Jtmrnal 34 A26 POULTRY 4U Standard Breeds Illus- traied & fully described in my new Poultry Book. Reliable informiition for poultr.vmen &. intendittR buvers. Good stock Ducks & 'Geese: also Shetland Ponies, bend 6c in stamps E. H. COOK. Boz 27. Huntley, 111. Mentwn the American Bee Journals 4A13t WANTED. 10,000 pounds of BEESWAX, for Cash. Addresx, liEAHV MFG. CO.. msgiiisvllle. Mo. PATEST WIRED COMB FOUNDATION Has No Sag in Brood-Frames Tliio Fiat-liottom Foundation Has 9(0 FishboDe in the SorplQs Honey , Being the cleanest la usually worked tbe quickest of any Foundation made J. VAN DGUSKN & SONS, Sole Manufacturers, Borout Brook MontKomery Co.. N. Y. SAVE MONEY Ul^^ut^J'^^^'a. ITALIAN QUEENS Foundation at Wholesale Prices, Hives, suited for the South, or SIIPPI.IES, send for Price-List— to ,A.XJC3-XJSTA., OA. |\|EW MAMMOTH Poultry Guidefor 1896 -Finesi book ever publiclied, contain t nearly 10( pages, all printed in colors, plans for best poultry houses, sure remedies and recipes . for alldiseases, and howto make poultry §^^*^and gardening pay. Sent post paid for 15c. ij^t*' JohiiBanscher,Jr,,liox94Freeport, 111 49Al.'it Mention the American BeeJcumcu. I P. H. BROW.\, WOVEN WIBI FENCE OvAr-iOStvleslThe beston Earth. Horsehip:h,l OverSO&tyies g,,,, ^t,..„^,^ Pl^,' and Chicken I ti^'ht. Yi'iican make from 40I to 60 n^ids per day for fn>m I 14 to 22c. a Rod.r Illustratfil Oatalo^nie Free. KITSELMAN BROS., Ridgeville, - Indiana. | 48Ett Alentioiittw. AvericanBeeJmurruu.. O^^** LARGE PROMINENT EYES are not desirable in a pot lit o. Our World's Fair ■' Potato has very small eyes. Order of u^ and get pure, cenuine Stock. Price way down. , v\ e ^ave about evtry valuable variety. Seed corn , oats, barley, garden seeds. li. L. 01.LIS. Olinton. Rock Co.. ^V is. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 93 ¥ California If you care to know of Its Fruits, Flowers Climate or Resources, send for a Sample Copy of California's Favorite Paper— The Pacific Rural Press The leading- Horticultural and Agricultural paper of the Paciflc Coast. Published weekly, handsomely illustrated, 82.00 per annum. Sample Copy Free. PACIFIC RURAL PRESS, 220 Market St.. - SAN FRANCISCO. CAL. MoUton tlie A.w,erlcan Bee JounuU. WANTED TO EXCHANGE — Phono- graph, spring motor, and -iO Records, for 200 lbs. Foundation. Sections, or Bee-Hives. Write to me. Bert W. Hopper, Elmo, Mo. OUR POULTRY ANNUAL and Book of Valuable Recipes, w large pa^cs, contains 8 beautiful colored plates of Ibwlfi, gives description and prices of 45 varieties, with importanthintson care of poultry, and pages of recipes of great value to everyone. Finest Poultry Book published for 1896, Postpaid only lOcte, C. N. Bowers, Box 2^. Dakota, III ' Mention the A.mti'ican Bee Jont-nal, 53A1 -FOR- ADEL BEES AND QUEENS Address, HENRIT ALLEV, 6Ctf WBNHAM, MASS. ^^ IF YOU WANT THE BEE-BOOK That covers the whole Apicultural Field more completely than any other published, send 81.25 to Prof. A. J. Cook, Chiremont, Calif., for his Bee-Keeper's Guide. Liberal Discounts to the Trade. WANTED ! 10,000 pouiidx of BEESAVAX, for CasU. Address, LEAHY IflFG. CO., Higglusville, Mo. Me)ition Vie Amfricn^r Tire. JonrvML SUCCESSFUL I INCUBATOR Z ^Our magnificent? '-'•'new cat alogus S giving full in- 5 formation re- * „„_ ng ar tificia IS Hatching & Brooding and treatise on poul- try riiisint; sen t for 4c i BtHnips. Circular free. J Write now, Des Moines _ Incubator Co. , £o:£ 7^ Uus^oiaes.Ia ' 49A13t .daention the Auicrican Bee JournaU FOR SALE. ALSIKE, CRIMSON, ITALIAN, ALFALFA, or WHITE CLOVEK SEED. 4A8t WM. CRAIG, liuce, Iflicb. WANTED— 200 Colonies of Bees and 4-Frame Nuclei, on Simplicity or Hotf- man frames, in exchange for Supplies, to be shipped either from here or Medina, Ohio. Send for Catalog to— GEO. E, HILTON, 4E4t Fremont, Mich. Mention the American Bee Journal. TAKE NOTICE! T3EFORE placing your orders for SUP- -*-^ PLIES, write for prices on 1-Piece Bass- wood Sections, Bee-Hives, Shipping -Crates, Frames, Foundation, Smokers, etc. PAGE & LYOBJ MFG. CO. NEW LONDON, WIS. Mention the Arnerica7i Bee Journal. nest for winter, on 7 to 8 frames. The comb in some old frames is 3 inches thick, and full of honey. I have good, new wheat chaff packed in the sides of the hives, and burlap cushions 5 to 8 inches thick on top, a Hill's device over the frames, and a double thickness of good, clean burlap over that, then cushions on that. The ground is thrown up to make a low ridge so that water will run off. Two scantlings 2x4 are on the ground pinned down with long pegs to keep the wind from turning the hives over. The hives are on them, and tacked fast with nails at each corner. The hives are tipped up about two inches towards the front, all facing the south, and about 30 feet from the southeast corner of my house, to break the northwest wind from them. All are young queens of last summer and fall. The old one was superseded last fall by a little young thing. I sent and got a fine selected tested queen, and took her out ; I have her in the house with a few bees in a little hive with glass on two sides, with two frames made of a shallow extracting-frame cut in two. They are all right to-day, 10 degrees below zero, and a northwest wind blowing a gale. She sings for us quite often. I am going to try to keep her till spring. Her mother was four years old, very large, and almost black. My bees are all Italians, but the old queen's family was always cross, and very bad to handle, or, in fact, to go near. The others are nice and gentle. That is why I sent for a new queen to take the place of the " young lady." I thought she would be cranky, too, because her mother was rear- ing such a miserable, quarrelsome lot of young ones. All this may not be interesting to others, but I wanted to tell my first experience with bees. I am going to succeed if possi- ble. I like it, and want to learn it. This is no place for bees, but I can learn it here, and then go where it is better for them. S. M. Stafford. Bloomfield, Nebr., Jan. 2. More of Numbering Hives. I have the numliers painted on the hives so that they are seen a distance of 50 to 100 feet. It is no difference to me if the num- bers become mixed, for all the use I have of the numbers is to denote any hive. Sup- pose No. 3 swarms out, and next No. 49, and next No. 30, and so on. The numbers in this case serve to show me which colonies are swarming, so that I may give my at- tention to the right hives; and also to denote which hives I should give attention to either in the way of queens or other work. S. M. Caklzex. Montclair, Colo. Report for Last Season. I will give my repoi't for last season, as I think it is pretty good for Minnesota. I had 3.5 colonies, spring count, increased to 06 colonies, and took off 1,435 pounds of comb honey ; average per colony 56 pounds. L. A. Stioknet. Plainview, Minn., Jan. 4. The Best Way to Market Honey. Count me one more in favor of 10-frame hives for extracted honey. Three years ago 1 bought a lot of colonies in 10 and 8 frame hives. I had 5 or 6 in the 8-frame, but one by one they are discarded, so there is only one left, and that will go next spring. I have kept bees 16 years, have now 100 colonies in three apiaries, and produced 7,000 pounds or more of extracted honey in 1895. I expect to selMt all in my neighbor- hood. I sell mostly to grocers, in pint Mason jars. I found that the best selling package yet. I go around once in a week or ten days. I usually leave the honey to be sold ; the grocers make 5 cents profit on each pint. Some few prefer to pay cash down when received, then I take 15 cents less on a dozen. When it candies before it Honey-Clovers & Buckwheat SEED FOR SALE. We have made arrang-emeuts so that we can furnish seed of several ot the Clovers and Japanese IJuckwheat. by freight or ex- press, at the following prices, cash with order: 10ft. oOtti lOOft Alslke Clover Seed $1.35 $6.25 $13.00 Sweet Clover Seed 1.25 6.00 10,50 White Clover Seed 2.40 11.35 23.00 Airalla Clover Seed 1.30 5.35 10.00 Crimson Clover Seed.... 1.00 4.00 7.00 Jap. Buckwheat Seed 45 1.50 3,20 Prices subject to market changes. The above prices include a good, new two- bushel baif with each order. We guarantee all Seed flrst-classin every re- spect—in fact, the BEST that can begotten. Your orders are solicited. GEORGE W. YORK & CO., CFJCAGO, ILLS. WHOI.ESA1.E and RETAIL. Are you going to buy Foundation for Cash, or have you Wax to sell or trade lor Foundation and other Supplies '/ Have you 35 lbs or more of Wax that you want made into Foundation ? If so, do not fail to write me for samples and prices. I make a specialty of working up Wax by the lb., and do it very cheap during the winter. Beeswax wanted at all times. i GllS DITTMER, AUGUSTA, WIS. Reference— Augusta Bank. IGAtf nie-ailon t)vo Araerican Bee Journal. COMB FOUNDATION SPRAYING W«LL PRODUCE PERFECT k FRUIT. Ourillustrated catalogue tells you HOW and WHEN to spray— mailed Free to fruit Grow- ers and Dealers. Tile largest and best line of Spray Pumps and Nozzles in the world. THE DEMINC CO. Mfrs. Salem, Ohio. Western Agency: Henion & Hubbell, Chicago. UeiVA-yn :He A.inerlcan Bee Journal, MUTH'S HOHE7 £XTBACTOB PERrECTION Cold-Blast Smokers, Square Cilass Honey Jars, Etc. For Circulars, apply to Chas. F. Muth & Son. Cor, Freeman tx Central Aves., Cincinnati, O. Send lOo for Practical Hints to Bee-Keepers. HATCH Chickens >«r s-rEA«7 EXCELSIOR Incubator Simple, Per/^ct. Set/- Regulat- i'l^h Thousands in successful ration- l.ftweAt priced lii»til!i-» llatchci' nindc <;K<(. II. ST Mil,. Ill toiaas. 6lliSl.Oi,i„|.v.|ii. lif.ntifm the American Bee Journal, 3A8t GIVING AWAY HIVES. On all orders received before Feb. 15th for $30.00 or over, we will send a •■ Half-Joint Hive." complete, ready for a swarm. {3^ Send for '96 Circular. I. J. STRIiXOHAin, 105 Park Place. NEW YORK, N.T. US. We sell yoor Poultry, Veafs, Fruits and all produce at high- est prices. DAILY BETUBNS. Tor etenoils, prices and references, writa F. I. SAGE & SONS. 183 Beade SU N. Y. WHEN ANSWERrNG THIS APVEHTISEMENr. MENTION THIS JOURNAl- ONE MAN WITH THE UNION <^°«|j,':,*^'°N Can do the work of four men using band tools. In Kipping-, Cutting-off, Mi- tring, Rabbeting, Groov- ing, Gaining, Dadoing, Edging-iip. Jointing Stuff, etc. Full Liiieof Foot and H:iud Power Machinery. Sold on Trial. Calido^ue Free, SENECA FALLS MFC!. CO., 46 Water St., SENECA FALLS, N. T lAly Mention the American Bee JoumaL 94 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Fel. 6, ^mMM m MowM ^w w] AXSLj K,E3jA.I3"y FOK. 1S9S. n 1 % Appreciating the advantages for procuring Basswood L umber, and the splendid Shlpplnir facilities of Marshfleld, we have established a Factory for the manufacture THE ONE-PIECE SECTION. We have all new and up-to-date Machinery for the manufacture of the " One-Plece Sec- tion." Have a Saw-Mill In connection with our Factory, enabling us to get the finest ma- terial to be had. for " One-Piece Sections." i^*" Write for Frice-List, and also for prices on Sections in any quantity you may want. Dec. Is 1895. MAKSHFIEI.D, ITood Co., WIS. 6Ctf W'.ntion (Tie Amtrican Bee Journal All the leading varieties of choice plants and trees. Koonce Pear (frost proof) anil other valuable sorts at popular prices Seiiil for descriptive Catalogue fhee. ~Pl"EASANT valley nurseries ".ARTHUR J._C_qLLiNS,.Moor9Stgwn, PLAINTS TREES is sold. I usually exchange it for liquid, whether it was paid for before or not. A uniform price is adhered to with all. I have it now in seven towns, in some 00 stores, or more. I also sell some honey in bulk, peddling around to consumers. I use an old novice extractor-can, fixed on the back of my spring-wagon box. and carry along a plat- form spring scale to weigh on. I also sell considerable in pails, using the five sizes, from a pint to 10 pounds, and fill them so as to make the prices even money — 1.5, 25, 50, 75 cents and $1.00. The price must he so as to correspond with such as generally obtain in your vicinity. I set my price as low as possible at the beginning of the season, and then stick to it clear through, regardless of what some small uninformed producer may sell bis at. I extract but very little uncapped honey — not more than one-flfth or one-sixth, con- sequently my boney is uniformly good, and that, with fair dealing, and a constant en- deavor to be pleasing and obliging, I find after some years begins to tell, mid pays. Utica, 111. A. MoTTAZ. Sells Direct to Consumers. My report for 1895 is, (JOO pounds of comb honey from 9 colonies, spring count, in- creased to HO. I have them in good condi- tion for sate wintering. I sell my honey direct to the consumer, by the pound or the crate. I grade my honey in three grades. and sell at 10 cents, 12i.,, and 15 for fancy. I have no trouble to sell my honey. I took the premium at the Gentry County Fair. J. E. Entart. McFall, Mo., Dec. 20, 1895. Ten-Frame Hive Suits Him. I have found out that 10 Langstroth frames in any kind of a hive that can be packed with very dry forest leaves, is all right for me. If the hives are large enough, you will not be bothered about swarming and its results. I transferred two colonies last spring, and they gave me 73 pounds of honey each, but did not swarm. Put on the sections and give the bees plenty of brood-chamber, and you will get the honey, by having plenty of bees to gather it. F. A. Snyder. Shavertown, Pa., Dec. 23, 1895. keeper living in either eastern Tennessee, western North Carolina, southwestern Vir- ginia, or western Georgia. If this should be read by any living in the localities named, they will confer a favor by sending me their addresses. E. B. Foster. Oceola, Ohio, Dec. 23, 1895. Dry Weather the Cause. Bees in this locality did not store much surplus honey the past season, the dry weather being the cause. The lands through this section are all highly cultivated, no waste places for sweet clover, golden-rod, etc., to grow. The basswood is also nearly depleted, consequently the outlook for bee- keepers is anything but encouraging, al- though we are all hopeful for another year. I would like to correspond with some bee- Results of the Fast Season. I started last spring with 7 colonies, in- creased to 21, and got about 800 pounds of comb honey. H. D. Philpot. Humboldt, Nebr., Dec. 20, 1895. ^^^•^^^^■* CARLOADS Of Bee-Hives. Sections, Ship- ping-Cases, Comb Foundation, and Evcrylliiiig used in the Bee-Industry. I want the name and address of every Bee-Keeper in Amer- ica. No reason why you can- not do businesB with me. I have Cheap Lumber and E.\perienced Workmen ; a good WaterPower Factory and hnow how to run it. I am supplying Dealers as well as consumers. Why not you? Send for Cata- logues, Quotations, etc. W. II. PUTNAM, ID HiVEB Falls, Pierce Co.. Wis. Barnes' Foot-Power Machinery. Read whatJ. I. PARENT, of CHAKLTON,N.Y..Baya— "We cut with one of your Com- bined Machines, last winter 5') chaff hives with 7-in. cap, 100 honey-racks, sou broad frames, 2,rnio honey-boxes and a Rreat deal of other work. This winter we have double the amount of bee- hives, etc., to make and we expect to do it with this Saw. Itwill do all you say it will. Catalogue and Price - I.ite to Prof. I^oel, who adver- tises " Got Something for Nothing " in this issue. If he fails to do what he promises, let us know. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 95 A THOUGHT THAT KILLED A MAN! He thought that he could trifle with disease. He was run down in health, felt tired and worn out, complained of dizziness, biliousness, backaches and headaches. His liver and kidneys were out of order. He thought to get well by dosing himself with cheap pills. And then came the ending. He fell a victim to Bright's disease ! The money he ought to have invested in a safe, reliable remedy went for a tombstone. The thought that killed this man HAS KILLED OTHERS. statistics show that 90 per cent, of the deaths from pneumonia, Bright's disease and similar complaints are caused from derangements of the liver and kidneys. These great organs keep the blood pure and in healthful motion. When they get out of order the blood becomes poisoned, the circulation im- peded and the whole system speedily breaks down. It is A DANGEROUS IDEA to imagine that pills can strike at the root of these diseases. It has been thor- oughly proved that such remedies are worse than useless. There is only one remedy which can always be depended upon. This remedy alone can act on the liver and kidneys when they are out 'Of order, clear out the system and build up the health. The name of this remedy is Warner's Safe Cure. It is the only standard remedy in the world for kid- ney and liver complaints. It is the only remedy which physicians universally prescribe. It is the only remedy that is backed by the testimony of thousands wUom it has relieved and cured. There is nothing else that can take its place. STRAWBERRY PLANTS FOR SALE. miclilgan Grown Plants are the Best* BuB.\CH, Parker Karle. Haverland, War- field AND Jessie. Vigorous Plants of the above well-known va- rieties, shipped direct from the Nursery — Lake View Fruit Farm. Gibson, Mich. 100, :$1.00; 200, $1.50, postafre paid. Special price -on large quantities. Address, GHAS. N. TRIVESS, ITIanaser, <635 Chicago Stock Exchange, - Chicago, III. 6E4 1 Mention the AmerUian Bee Journal. Qucstiot^'Box^ In the multitude of counsellors there is safety. — Prov. 11-14. Doubling Up Colonies. ttnery 4.— Do you make apractlceof doub- ling up colonies at other times than fall? If BO, why ?— Mich. Jas. A. Stone — No. G. M. Doolittle— No. Prof. A. J. Cook— No. P. H. El wood — Yes, in the spring. Rev. E. T. Abbott— No ; not at any time. W. R. Graham — Sometimes, when I think it best. Dr. C. C. Miller — I rarely double, spring or fall. Rev. M. Mahin — I do not. I build up weak colonies in the spring. J. A. Green — Not often. In fact, I seldom double up colonies at any time. R. L. Taylor — Xot except occasionally just at the opening of the honey season. H. D. Cutting— At swarming time I sometimes put twoor three small swarms together. Chas. Dadant & Son — No, never; un- less they are absolutely worthless and queenless. B. Taylor — I double colonies all through the working season, as circum- stances demand. Mrs. J. N. Heater — No, sir. I some- times strengthen weak colonies with brood from stronger ones. W. G. Larrabee — Yes, I unite weak colonies in the spring that would be worthless as they are, to make one strong colony. Allen Pringle — I do the doubling up whenever the reasons for doubling up are present, no matter what time of year it is. E. France — We never practice doub- ling up colonies in the fall. If two colo- nies have only honey for one, kill one, and feed their honey to the other. Dr. J. P. H. Brown — I do when neces- sary. "Why?" They may be weak nuclei — might swarm out. I don't want them to amuse themselves in this sort of fashion. J. M. Hambaugh — While in Illinois I sometimes united weak colonies in the spring, in order to have populous colo- nies at the commencement of the honey harvest. G. W. Deniaree — It is sometimes profit- able to put two colonies together in the spring if both can't be gotten ready for the early honey harvest. But I do not practice it much. C. H. Dibbern — Yes, when I find a col- ony that is " petering out " when others are doing well, I destroy the queen and chuck in the first swarm that issues, or double up with some other colony. J. E. Pond — Sometimes. I try, and intend to have all colonies in the fall that have satisfactory queens, strong enough to go through the winter. If there were bees enough to fairly cover three Langstroth frames, I should con- sider such a colony strong enough to go through an ordinary winter. Given, a poor queen and two small colonies, I should unite. Eugene Secor — No, except occasion- ally at swarming-time. I do that to keep the number of my colonies within control. Isn't the swarming season the best time to double-up colonies, anyway? Mrs. L. Harrison — No, I do not, but I think a much greater yield of surplus honey could be obtained by taking brood from the weaker and giving to the stronger, in time for them to be on the boom for a honey-flow. M IF. YOU PLANT THE RIGHT SEEDS My New Seed Book tells all about the best varieties of Peas and Everything of in- terest in the Seed Line; how to grow them for profit, etc. FREE if you send a postal to-day, mention this paper. H.W.BUCKBEE Rockford Seed Farms ROCKFORD, ILLS. p o. Eos usa ^A. Ill//"' Mention tlie American Bee JoumaL Bees, Queens, Nuclei T^r^'^^k ^ Two-Frame Nuclei, with a Choice Warranted Queen, at $:?.nO each. Special prices on large orders furnished. LEININGER BROS, 6Etf Ft. Jennings, Ohio. Mention the Amertcaii Bee Journal V -n r~i n "T^ rr* !t' , " ■ P t' - . — , 1-X_ (■ ■ — . ■ ■-4— . - rr — . 'h : b s fc~~ =4= ~~ b (83 hi ".'"vi. ??SSSS ESSE? ^isi .^kf: M ^1^ INFORMATION WANTED! Anyone li.'irlng knowledge of a general pur- pose wire fence, "just as good as tlie page," will confer a favor by sending us full particu- lars. No hearsay evidence wanted, only act- ual tests count. PAGE WOVEN WIRE FENCE CO., Adrian, Miclu Mention tlie Amcricmi Bee Jmi/maL WANTED— By a young- man (23) a posi- tion in a good apiary, or apiary and small fruit or gardening- business combined, prefer- ably South and near this State, lor the coming- season. Has already bad good e.vperience with bees, and is willing, serviceable, and ac- tive. Would appreciate a good home and a generous employer. Is an c.vperienced clerli, with good relerences. Address. 6E4t r. C. DOORI.Y, AlpUill, Ta. WHEN ANSWERING THIS ADVERTISEMENT, MENTION THIS JOURNAL. CALIFORNIA, "WAKE UP!" Xlie Paeilic Bee Journal^ devoted to the Protection and Advancement of Bee- Keepers' Interests on the Pacific Slope. 50 cts. per year. Send for sample copy. THE BEBfNETT BEE-HIVE COMPANY now make Foundation at 40 cents per pound. Bee-Hiye Bodies (plain covers) 17Hc. each. Common Bee-Hive, 2-8tory. 60 cts. each. Dovetailed Hives, " $1.00 each. Sections and Supplies low. Send for Price- List, and Save JTIoney. 365 E. Second St., I.OS ANGELES. ale^Ulora the Amertcan Bee Jaurnai 96 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Feb. 6, 1896. Bottom Prices BRINO \}S BIO TRADE. GOOD GOODS KEEP IT. It you want the best supplies that can be made at a little less cost than you can buy the same goods for elsewhere, write to us for low prices. 1896 Catalogue now ready —ask for It and a free copy of Tlie Ameri- can Bee-Keeper (36 pages). Address, TBEW.T. FALCONER MFG. CO., JAMESTOWN, N. Y. Mention the American Bee Journal. Wonderful Record. 17 Years with but one complaining letter. I think Bingham Smokers and Bingham & Hetherlng-tou Honey-Knives are perfect. Write what you think of them, on a card, and mail to — X. F. BINGHAm, Farwell, IHich. 4A4t Mention the American Bee Journal HEADQUARTERS for ROOTS' GOODS Can supply you with all the Fixtures used in an Apiary. Best Goods at Lowest Prices. Cat- alogue free, r, ',: discount until March Ist. JNO. NEBEL. & SUN, High Hill, I*Io. Mention the American Ber JoumOb -iAtf The Rural Kansan Is an Agricultural Journal for the busy farm- er. It embraces Bee-Keeping' and every de- partment of industry connected wllh the farm. 30 cts. a year, monthly. Sample free. A Full Line of CatalOOue Free. IIIZXRY L. liIIT^T,EIi, 355 Shawnee Ave , Topeka, Kan. 1 A13t Meiition the Amer^an Bee Journal. Iligginsville Bee-Supplies hand. Qiieeii-CIippiiig Device. I want the address of all who clip Queens and have even the least trouble either in catching- or holding' them while they are be- ing dipt. I have invented a Device by which it is IMPOSSIBLE to injure a Queen ei- ther In catching: or clipping, unless it is done purposely. With it they are cauirht and dipt any way desired almost instantly. One does not have to louch the Queen with his hands, whatever. Price, postpaid. 50 cts. Send for Free Circular. C. MONETTE, 6Atf CHATFIELD. Fillmore Co., MINN. Mention the American HeejonmaL QUEENS Smokers. Sections , Comb Foundation, Aod ull .\piiiirau Supplies rheup, Sorid for KKtE utatufue. E. T. FLA.\ai;a\, BolleTille, III. 6A26t Please mention the Bee Journal. Golden Queens FROM— —TEXAS. My Bees are bred For Biisineeis as well as for Beauty and Oeulleiiess, IST Safe arrival and reaBonable satisfac- tion guaranteed. Write for Price-List. I'ntested, $1.00— Tested, $1.50. Ji 111 UlVtNO) Box:) TE32S:, 6A26t Please mention the Bee Journal. Largest Factory tl°e West Go?d^phf^!dgf^ces READ THIS— Mr. Keyes says: The 100 pounds of Extra-Tuin Foundation you sent us! is superior to anything he ever saw; and I thinls the same. R. L. Tucker, Wewahitchka. Fla. Dear Sirs:— The Sections came duly to hand. Indeed, they are very nice. Yes, sir; they are as good as the best. Charles H. Thies. Stedeville. Illinois. Leahy Mfg. Co.:— I have received the bill of goods. I must say they are the choicest lot of Hlve-Sluff 1 have ever received from any place. I admire the smoothness of your work, and your close selection of lumber. Yours very truly. O. K. Olmstead. Orleans, Nebr. Dear Sirs:— The Sections arrived in due time, and are all O. K. so far as examined. They are simply perfection. 1 can't see how you can furnish such goods at such low prices. I hope you may live long and do well. Yours respectfully. Z. S. \Veaver, Courtney, Tex. Gents:— I received the " HigginsvlUe Smoker" all U. K. It's a dandy; please find enclosed stamps for another. Yours truly. Otto Enders, Oswegathe, N. Y. Gentlemen:— i have bought Supplies from nearly all the large manufacturers by the car- load, and I must say yours are as good as the best. Indeed, in many lines they are the best. It is a pleasure to handle them. E. T. Flanagan, Belleville, Illinois. The above unsolicited testimonials are a fair sample of hundreds we receive. Our prices are reasonable and the *" Higginsville Goods " are the best. ^^ We are now mauufacturing for each of the following parties a Carload of Supplies: E. T. Flanagan. Belleville. Illinois ; Charles H. Thies, Steeleville, Illinois ; J. W. Rouse & Co.. Mexico. Mo.; Henry Miller. Topeka. Kans. ; Fulton & Gregg. Garden City, Kans. If you need a Carload of Supplies, or only a Bee-Smoker, write to us. Remember, we are here to serve you. and will, If you give us a chance. A Beantifnl Catalogue Free* Address, LEAHY MANUFACTURING CO.. HIGGINSVILLE, MO. 49A Mention the American Bee JournciL CASH "Ra BEESWAX For all the g-ood, pure yello-w BEESWAX delivered to our office on or before Feb. 20, 1896, we will pay 2Q cents per pound, cash ; or 30 cents for whatever part is exchanged for Bee Journal subscription or books that we offer. If you want casta promptly for wax, send it on at once. Dark or impure wax not taken at any price. Address plainly, George W. York & Co., 56 Fifth Ave., Chicago, 111. lECTIONS, B^EEMIIYES. SHlPPIi\G@ASES We make a Specialty of these Goods, and defy Competition in QXJ.A.LiIT'2', ■WOK.ICl^A.ITSIIIP and F>K,I0E3S. f~ Write for Free Illustrated Catalogue and Price-List. G-. B. LEWIS COMPANY, Watertown, Wis. {S~ Be sure to mention the American Bee Journal when you write. _^8 MU ROOT'S COMB FOUNDATION! ^ ^ew Product. New Process. A Big Success We are pleased to announce that, having secured control of the new Weed process of manufacturing foundation for the U. S., we are prepared to furnish Foundation l>y the Ne'W Process, for 1896. Samples will be mailed free on application, and will speak for themselves. OVR SANOED and POLISHED SECTIONS, well, they will speak for themselves, also. Our 1896 Catalofir will be ready for distribution now in a few days. Send in your name at once for catalog, samples of the new foundation, and those superb sections, and while you are about it ask for late copy of OleaningfS in Bee-Culture. THE A. I. ROOT CO., MEDINA, OHIO. 56 5tli Ave., Chicago, III, Syracuse, N. Y. 1024 missisMppi St., St. Paul, minn. ESTABLISHED -I ae %HE OLDEST BEL-PAPER -AMER I*at>lish&d H'^eelclyv at ^l.OO per annum. Samjyl& Copj' sent on ^XjypUc'ation, 36th Year. CHICAGO, ILL., FEB. 13, 1896. No. 7. .Selling Honey on Commission — Farming. BY EMERSON T. ABBOTT. Let me give the bee-keepers who read the American Bee Journal a hint on the subject of selling honey on commission. The entire commission business is founded on a false basis, and is contrary to sound business principles. Do not ship honey, or anythinq else, to (nil/ one to be sold on commis- sion, is my advice. Think of employing a man to act as your agent, whom you have never seen, about whose business push and energy you know very little, and of whose facilities for placing goods you knowcomparatively nothing ! This is surely not very sound business. You would not hire a hand to work on your farm or in your apiary under your direct supervision in this loose way. If merchants have facilities for selling honey, they know it. Then let them buy honey and pay a fixed sum for it, and it will be their own business when they sell it, how much they get for it, etc. Did you ever think of the fact that you are loaning the man to whom you ship your honey that much capital to do business on ? He does the business on your capital, takes out his pay, and gives you what is left. How many of you would loan an entire stranger that amount of money without any security ? Not one. Why, then, furnish these men capital on which to transact business ? The commission business, like the miscellaneous credit business, is sure to prove very unsatisfactory in the end, and I am not sure but it should prove so to those who are so unbusi- nesslike as to encourage this method of disposing of goods. Most commission men are honest and honorable, in my opin- ion, but they are all doing business on a false basis. No man could buy (?) — get anything of me in that way. Sell for cash and get cash, and you will have no trouble about returns. IS FARMING DRUDGERY ? On page 2, Mr. Thompson talks of the "constant round of work which is drudgery just because it is not specialty," and says it stultifies the minds of forty families out of fifty so that they cannot "regard the care of bees in any other light than that which one regards milking, cleaning stables or baking bread." Well, why should they? It is no more de- grading to milk a cow or clean out a stable than it is to care for a colony of bees, or write a poem, for that matter. Any work can be made drudgery, and the most disagreeable work may become a certain source of enjoyment, if one will look at it in the right light. It is no more necessary to rise at un- reasonable hours to succeed as a farmer or bee-keeper than it is to succeed as a lawyer or doctor. If farm life is so stulti- fying to man's intellectual life, why is it that some of our best and ablest men come from the farm ? There is an intelligent way to milk a cow, clean a stable, hen-house or horse, as well as to make a loaf of bread. There is an education, too, in all of this, if one only knows how to get it out. 1 know just what I am talking about, for I grew up on a farm, and have not gotten beyond cleaning my own hen-house, stable and horse yet, and the only reason I do not milk is, I do not have room for the cows. I find recreation in all of these things, and ed- ucation, too; and, if it were not for them, I should soon have to cease all intellectual work. No, sir ; no necessary work is drudgery unless we make it so. I commend to all who think the contrary the following, said to have been written by Mrs. Garfield to her husband : "I am glad to tell you that, out of all the toil and disap- pointments of the summer just ended, I have risen up to a Mr. Edimn Bevins, Leon, Iowa. — See page 101. victory. I read something like this the other day : ' There is no healthy thought without labor, and thought makes the labor happy.' Perhaps this is the way I have been able to climb up higher. It came to me one uiorning when I was making bread. I said to myself : ' Here I am, compelled by an inevitable necessity to make our bread this summer. Why not consider it a pleasant occupation, and make it so by trying to see what perfect bread I can make ?' It seemed like an in- spiration, and the whole of life grew brighter. The very sun- shine seemed flowing down through my spirit into the white loaves ; and now I believe my table is furnished with better bread than ever before. And this truth, old as creation, seems just now to have become fully mine — that I need not be the shirking slave of toil, but its regal master, making whatever I do yield its best fruits." 98 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Fel. 13, No ; I would uot make a lot of " small specialists " on the farm, for here, if anywhere, " variety is the spice of life." The specialist is the narrow-minded man ; he runs in one groove, he studies one thing, he lives in one atmosphere, he learns one kind of phraseology, and perforce of his being a specialist con- tinuously turns out one grist. He may become an expert in some special line, he may get rich, but a broad-minded man, in sympathy with universal humanity, he never can be. Then, how far shall the idea of a specialist be carried ? Some have devoted their lives to the study of one language, but others have looked upon this as a great mistake. I have seen it stated somewhere that the last regret of a noted Ger- man philologist was that he had not confined the labors of his life to the dative case. Such men have their work and place in the world, but the ordinary every-day work of life must be done, and, it is generally done, by those who are not specialists. Children are crying everywhere because they are not pro- vided with a delicious and healthy sweet like honey. If they are to have it, it must be produced on the thousands of farms all over our broad land. The farmer who devotes all of his energies to other things and buys his honey usually has none, as he generally thinks times too hard to buy honey ; and so it comes to pass, that to heed the cry of those who would con- fine the production of honey to specialists is to rob thousands of the pleasure and health which is to be derived from the use of this delicious sweet three times a day, 365 days in the year. Honey-production belongs to agriculture. No specialty for me in this line. St. Joseph, Mo. Some Subjects Reviewed and Commented Upon BY DR. C. C. MILLER. Ckimson Clovek. — S. LaMont says, on page 78, that his four acres sowed to crimson clover in October, didn't come up, and from what he says I suspect he means to plow it up and sow again. Perhaps it might be worth while to let it alone just as it is. I know the general teaching is that it must be sown in the fall and get a start so as to live over winter. But lately a writer in one of the foreign journals says that with him it does best when sowed in the spring. Last spring I had some sown with oats at the usual time for sowing oats, or rather a little later. It was not a remarkable success, dry weather being against it, still most of it succeeded in bloom- ing, and if the seed lies in the ground over winter it is possi- ble it may succeed a good deal better than mine did. At least, let a small patch of it try its chances without being disturbed, Mr. LaMont, and then report how it comes out. Breeding Off Wings. — Here's a new suggestion ssnt me by J. R. Felt, of Rochester, N. Y.: Dr. Miller : — There have heen so many articles in the American Bee Journal upon " breeding out the swarming in- fluence," that I think it is time for some one to write upon "breeding wingless queens," for that certainly would stop the swarming. J. R. Felt. Yes, they wouldn't swarm if their wings were bred off, at least a queen couldn't go with a swarm if her wings were bred off, and neither could she if her head was bred off, but there's this difference between that and breeding out the swarming habit, that many desire the latter and no one desires the former. Still, I'd rather have a good plan of management to prevent swarming, habit or no habit. That Admitted Failure. — Mr. Editor, please stop my paper, or else stop that man Brodbeck abusing me on page 78. Now, look here, my Brod-minded friend, when you say without any qualification or limitation that a thing is an " admitted failure," I think it would always be understood that every one, or at least nearly every one considered it a failure. If you could get ten men to testify very positively that the North American was an utter failure, that alone would hardly justify you in saying it was an admitted failure. But you don't get the testimony of ten men. You stand three men up in a row, and two of them don't give the least hint that they ever dreamed of such a thing as the North American being a failure. They merely say it is not repre- sentative. It isn't necessary to be representative to be a suc- cess. I think you had a successful convention of bee-keepers in California, but I think it didn't make the slightest attempt at being representative. That narrows you down to the testimony of the Rev. W. F. Clarke, who thinks if it cannot be made representative "it might as well be given a decent funeral." He has made some statements about the North American in a late number of Gleanings that I don't believe he can substantiate, and until he does substantiate them I don't believe his testimony would be considered of any great weight in the matter. Say, B'riend Brodbeck, between you and me, the North American has had some very successful meetings, and you would have said so if you had been present. Ask Prof. Cook, one of your own men. If they were admitted failures, do you think men would pay so much to attend them year after year, men, too, who have advanced beyond the primary class of bee- keepers? f Commissions — Queen-Cells. — Gustave Gross, of Milford, Wis., writes me as follows : Dr. Miller: — I noticed in the Bee Journal what you say about commissions in Chicago. I have shipped every year for five years, and have always been charged 10 per cent, by J. A. Lamon and R. A. Burnett & Co. The latter firm, however, charge only 5 per cent, when the shipment amounts to $100 and over. There is another matter I'd like to mention — the cutting of queen-cells to prevent after-swarms. I have practiced it in over 1,000 cases, and never missed but three cells. The ones that I found the most dangerous (easy to overlook) are built horizontally at the bottom of the comb, from one side to the other. If I had trusted to "Langstroth Revised," I should never have looked for queen-cells in that place, for it says that queen-cells always hang with their mouths downward. Gustave Gross. It seems that I was wrong in thinking that 5 per cent, was the regular and only commission on sales of honey in Chicago. It shows that for some years I have shipped no honey to Chi- cago on commission. Years ago I shipped more or less there, and was never charged more than 5 per cent., no matter how small the shipment. I think no house at that time charged more than 5 per cent., but I will be glad to be corrected if wrong. In some other cities at that time the commission was 10 per cent. It would be a good idea to have full information as to rates and rules in the different places. Missing only three queen-cells in a thousand may be called very successful work. But this was after natural swarming, and if it had been after the removal of the queen without swarming the result probably would have been quite different. In that case the most difficult cells to find are not always the ones between comb and bottom-bar, but those right on the middle of the comb, but projecting so little above its surface as to be scarcely noticed. Bees build queen-cells mouth downward where they can. Where the situation will not allow it, they make an exception to the rule. Selling Honey on Commission. — The following letter gives some experience in selling honey : Dr. Miller:— You ask, on page 38, if commission houses in Chicago charge 10 per cent. I enclose a bill and letters from a well-known house, which shows that he not only charges 10 per cent., but charges drayage also. Of the honey sent one lot was extra fine basswood, and the other was mostly basswood, but colored slightly. You will see by one of his letters that the honey was all right except the packages (one gallon cans). He also docked me 45 pounds — something I have never had done before. W. H. Young. Ono, Wis. Accompanying the above letter was an account of sales from J. A. Lamon, of 345 pounds of No. 1 honey, at 6 cents per pound, .$20.70; 690 pounds of No. 2 honey, at 5}.; cents per pound, §37.95 ; total, $58.65. From this was deducted — freight, $7.56 ; drayage, 75 cents; commission, $5.85 — total, $14.16. Net proceeds, $^4.49. The honey was put up in one-gallon cans, which was more expensive than to use larger cans. If the popular 60-pound cans were used, it would require IS cans, and I suppose these would have cost, delivered, about $6.50. Deducting this from the $44.49 leaves $37.99 clear money for the 1,080 pounds of honey, or just about an even 3}-3 cents a pound. I commend a careful study of those figures to any one who contemplates shipping to a city market. It does seem as if that honey might have been sold at home for 5 cents a pound, in which case there would have been a gain of $16, and that would have paid for several days' peddling in the surrounding towns. If Mr. Young is correct, each can held 12 pounds, but Mr. Lamon says: "Those cans were billed out at llj^ pounds each, and that is all we could get for them." It 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 99 doesn't seem the right thing to sell for less than the actual weight. Perhaps Mr. Laiuou, or some one else, can tell us whether that is the common practice, and if so, what there is to justify the practice. In the present instance it is a practice that cost Mr. Young $2.30. Marengo, 111. The "Handy" ShippJag-Crate Described. BY B. TAYLOR. A recent letter from Dr. Miller contained the following self-explaining slip : Dr. Miller : — I wish you could get Mr. B. Taylor to tell the readers of the American Bee Journal just exactly how he makes that wood and paper crate weighing 2}^ pounds only. (See his essay, read at the Toronto convention, page 615, 1895.) Do try and induce him to give particulars. Seems to me improvement is greatly needed in this item. S. D. The above note is from S. A. Deacon, South Africa ; and for the Doctor's sake, as well as his distant brother's, I hasten to explain. The B. Taylor Handy shipping-orates are made of very light wood, lined with water-proof building-paper. For an 18- section crate there are two side-pieces 13% inches long, 4'a wide, and % thick; top and bottom are 14J^ by 11 inches, and Jj thick. The front end is two pieces of wood 11 inches long, and IJ-a wide, 5/16 thick, with a strip of glass \% wide between their grooved edges. The end is of solid wood, 11 inches long, 4JS wide, '4 thick. These pieces are nailed strongly with very slender wire finishing-brads. The grain of the wood in top, bottom and ends goes across the crate. Good, clear soft pine is used, and is dressed very smooth, making a neat, handsome box Idjg long, 11 inches wide, and 49^ deep, outside measure, and holds two courses of handy sections, of nine sections each. (The " handy " section is four-piece, 4x5 inches, and eight to the foot.) The paper is made into a shallow pan, with sides one inch high, and as large as the inside of the crate. One of these paper pans is placed in the bottom of the crate, the sections put in, and another slipped over their top, and the cover nailed over all, with Js-inch wire flat-head nails. (The flat heads will not pull through in prying off the cover.) The cover is in two pieces, so that in using the honey, one- half may be uncovered at a time, the paper cut away as the honey is used, and the remainder kept clean and free from dust until all is used. These crates are very popular with private families who buy honey by the crate. I put up my finest goods for this kind of customers, and sell most of my honey in my home market in that way. I have not sent a crate of honey to the large city markets for years. This settles the contention with the commission men, good or bad, and saves heavy freight charges. Brethren, go and do likewise. Forestville, Minn. To Avoid Being Stung by the Bees. BY C. P. DADANT. To avoid the anger of bees, no method has ever been found that compares with the use of smoke. This evidently frightens them better than any other thing ever tried. The principle underlying the present practical system of manage- ment in the handling of bees was clearly stated by Mr. Lang- stroth, years ago : "A honey-bee, when heavily laden with honey, never volunteers an attack, but acts solely on the de- fensive." We may subdue our bees temporarily without com- pelling them to fill themsalves with honey, but in such cases their peaceableness is only superficial, and a quick or careless motion may suffice to irritate them. Not so, when they have once filled themselves with honey through fright, for it be- comes then almost impossible to arouse them. But other methods than smoke have been used and recom- mended to keep the bees quiet. Preparations of chemicals, " the Apifuge of Grimshaw," a solution of carbolic acid recom- mended by some English bee-keepers, and different other in- gredients have been used, with more or less success. The lovers of animal magnetism and hypnotism have asserted that bees may be subdued by magnetic influences, and there is un- doubtedly something in the manners of an operator who is self-confident, that subdues them in just the same way that the wild animals of the menageries are subdued by their trainer. Evidently, faith in one's powers has a great deal to do with success, and I have just read an article in the Revue Internationale, from the witty pen of the eminent graphologist, Mr. Crepieux-Jamin, on the superstitions of Normandy and the subduing of bees by prayers. Yes, by prayers ! Is this not a task almost equal to the converting of R. G. Ingersoll by the same means ? But let me quote Mr. Jamin's article : " The Norman, formerly great friend of adventure, has become the slave of habit. It is among populations of this kind that one has a chance of finding, in their habits, customs and language, traces of their origin, and to live over, through the past, without ceasing to enjoy the present. Truly, peas- ants are custom-led everywhere, but not everywhere in the same manner. Thus, in some parts they are rough, in others their habits are improved by a tendency to art, in others again they are more or less progressive, but in Normandy they are unintelligible, rouUnier, and unpolished. I speak, as a matter of course, of the real paysan, of the countryman after Nature, for the educated man is the same everywhere, the first result of a mind-culture being the unification of tendencies, through a methodical spirit which renders these tendencies uniform. "It is well known that the Norman never says squarely, yes or no. We tested this fully when making inquiries among the bee-owners of the vicinity of Rouen. It is impossible to find out whether their bees are prosperous, whether the honey was good, the crop large, etc. " ' Did you have any swarms ?' ' Sometimes.' "'How many'?' 'Some years we have some, and some years we have none.' " 'But how about this year ?' ' Perhaps we had some.' " ' Don't you know whether you had swarms or not ?' 'We don't bother much about it.' " ' May I go and see your bees ?' ' Some people say that it is not good.' " 'What is not good ?' 'May be you know it as well as I do.' " You may converse in this way for an hour. Remember that it is a tradition among the Normans that visiting stran- gers are prejudicial to the apiary. The bees do not like their inquisitiveness. Is it not charming to grant our little pets peevish feelings that we would not allow in our daughters? When the master dies, the bees are put in mourning, by fastening crape to each hive. This custom still exists in many parts of Europe. It rests, however, on very correct observa- tion. When the master disappears, if no one cares for the bees, they will soon die out or leave, from lack of care. To put them in mourning is to %how an interest in them, to shel- ter them from sun or rain, and thus the pious custom bears its fruits. In some parts, they never sell bees — they give them away, stingily. 'The man who sells bees would be condemned by everybody. The reason of this is, evidently, that, the bees being considered as a part of the real estate of a farm, the man who sold them in the olden times must have been negli- gent, or hard up, and very near ruin. At this time the condi- tions are changed, but the idea remains with its superstitious bearing. They also make a great noise, in Normandy, when the swarms issue. I have seen, on a farm, some old kettles kept purposely for this usage. It was impossible for me to con- vince my host of the uselessness of this. The all-powerful tradition is there, and that which has been done, for centuries, cannot be undone in a short time. But here is a prayer to avoid bee-stings, recited by a farmer's wife at Pont-de-l'arche (Eure) : " Beautiful bee, remember when our Lord washed his hands in the waters of Jordan, how he shook off the drops." (Repeat five times bareheaded.) Add to this the Lord's prayer, five times, and the prayer to the Virgin, five times. It is rather long, but they say it is sometimes very effectual. In this instance, with me, it was a failure ; I had a veil ; I was not stung, but the farmer's wife went home with a swollen nose. " Beautiful bee, remember " You have no idea, dear reader, of the trouble I had to obtain the text of this prayer. Above all things, it is forbid- den to write it. It must be taught only to friends, and bare- headed, and they must learn it bareheaded. Here is another : " In the dew of the morning, Jesus washed his hands. He dropped from his fingers three drops of water, which gave birth to three bees, to make wax to serve at the holy Mass. Bees of the Lord, do not sting. Bees of the Lord, do not swarm." These formulas, transmitted from mouth to mouth for centuries, are evidently incomplete, so they have but little sense, but what of it ? Let us smile kindly at the peasant who does not care for the meaning, and is contented with an unmeaning text, for in a manner his faith is respectable. The prayers to keep bees from swarming or from sting- ing are probably numerous. Michelet informs us, in his "Origins of French Common Law," that an old manuscript of 100 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Feb. 13, St. Gall contains a formula to call the queen. Here is the text translated from the Latin : "I adjure thee, mother of the bees, in the name of the Lord, King of Heaven, and of the Redeemer, Son of God, I adjure thee to fly neither far nor high, but to come back at once to thy tree. There thou wilt alight with all thy lineage or thy friends. I have there a good receptacle in which you will work in the name of the Lord." This prayer is more interesting, for it is whole. Take notice, that in all these prayers our little friends have a fine role. They are begged and supplicated, and treated as rational people. They are even granted faculties which they do not possess ; for instance, the capacity of recognizing their owner. This is a very frequent error which is not worth re- futing. There will always be ignorant people who will neither read a journal nor attend a convention. But even a bee- keeper with movable-frame hives has asserted to me that when he goes to the flower-market his bees come and settle on his shoulders. Let me close with the text of the law concerning bees, taken from the Etablissements de St. Louis. We have found this also in the book of Michelet above mentioned : "If one has swarms and they escape, and he to whom they belong sees them go and follows them at sight without losing, and they settle in any place or manor, and he on whose place they have settled takes them before he comes, and if he says after, 'They are mine,' and the other says, 'I believe you not,' then they will transport before the judge where the first man will swear that the swarms are his, and by this will have them and will pay the other the value of the vessel in which they have been collected." (Xlllth century.) " Crkpieux-Jamin." Let me add that the writer of the above is the author of a very interesting book, an exhaustive treatise on graphology, or the science of discovering one's character by his hand- writing. I must acknowledge that I had always considered this study as absolutely useless, but a hurried glance over the book, kindly presented to my father, by the author, has con- vinced me that there is a great deal more in this science than any one can imagine, by a hasty survey of its broadest out- lines. Hamilton, 111. An Essay on Bee-Culture. Read before the Farmers' Iiistitute-at Lancaster, Calif., Dei-. 17, 1S!)5. BY C. H. CLAYTON. It has been a matter of considerable difflculty for me to prepare something upon the subject of bee-culture that would be measurably satisfactory to myself and beneficial to others. A celebrated French author has told us that there are two errors into which one is liable to fall — one may " say too little, or one may say too much." The first certainly is a trivial offense, and easily forgiven, but the second is almost unpar- donable. Let me err by saying too little, confident that if I succeed in arousing a spirit of inquiry upon this subject, will- ing and abler peers will come to my aid. It would be easier for me to take up the subject of Apicul- ture at its very beginning, and follow it along step by step to the fruition of all our hopes — a fat bank account — than I find it to select from the mass of material at hand such features of the subject as may be submitted to you at this time. A BIT OF BEE-HISTOBY. Bees have been subject to man's control from the very dawn of History. We are informed that the land where Abra- ham dwelt — Canaan — was a "land flowing with milk and honey." We read also, that at one time there was a famine in the land, and the old Patriarch sent his sons down into Egypt to buy corn, that they might not perish. The young men bore with them as a present from their wise old father, to the ruler of Egypt, a portion of their delicious honey. Even at this early date honey was an article of commerce, and was, along with corn and milk, regarded as one of the necessaries of life. For centuries the method of handling bees and pre- paring their product for use was far different from the method of to-day. The habitation provided for the busy little workers was altogether different from the convenient hive we now use. The hollow-tree, the natural cave in the cliff, and later, the straw "skep" of our grandfather's day lack much of the utilities of the nineteenth century movable-frame hive. Then the bees were usually sulphured — murdered — when the owner wished to secure their stores. Noiv the whole crop of honey can be secured, practically, without the loss of a bee. It is difficult to realize the great change from the wasteful, bar- barous and destructive ways of early times to the enlightened and humane methods of the present. The advancement has been truly marvelous, keeping fully abreast with the best spirit of this intellectual age. VALUE OF BEES TO FRUIT-BLOSSOMS. Modern bee-keeping has attained to the dignity of a pro- fession, and its usefulness to all branches of agriculture and horticulture is everywhere recognized. The product gathered by the bee, which would otherwise be wasted, although val- uable in itself, is probably of far less importance to the farmer and orchardist than is the work of fertilization so thoroughly performed by the bees in passing from flower to flower. Some flowers are self-fertilizing, but there are many that remain absolutely sterile unless pollen is conveyed to them by me- chanical means from other blossoms of the same species. For example, I might name the " stone-fruits," such as the peach and cherry, and apricot. The Bartlett pear is another fruit that will not " set " unless pollination is effected by mechani- cal means. I mention these fruits because they have fallen more directly under my notice. You will readily call others to mind from your own observations. There can be no longer the shadow of a doubt that many crops of fruit, grain and vegetables are greatly improved in both quantity and quality through the agency of the bees in bringing about perfect fer- tilization of the blossom. In the early settlement of the country, this fertilization was perhaps fully accomplished by native insects, but the orchards and fields have been so enlarged that it has become a physical impossibility for the few native insects to accom- plish proper fertilization, hence we must more and more de- pend upon the bee. Some plants never produce seed because the insects that feed upon their blossoms were not imported with the plants. Red clover was imported into Australia and remained barren until " bumble-bees" were also imported, when it bore seed as in this country. Fruit-growers, as a matter of self-interest, should be in- terested in bees, and I feel sure that within a very few years it will be an exceedingly rare thing to find a successful fruit- grower who does not also keep the honey-bee, the main object being to secure perfect pollination of his fruit-bloom, and, in- cidentally, the production of some honey for his own table. If he produces some to sell, so much the better, it will be a wel- come addition to that " fat bank account." I am engaged in the production of honey for the market, and your production may increase the supply, and this may mean lower prices. Cheaper honey means the ultimate exten- sion of the market. The immediate profits may not be so great, but the foundation for a permanent market will be the more easily and securely laid. We must meet this lower price with better and cheaper methods of production. In some portions of the country bee-keeping is conducted as a specialty, and under favorable conditions has proven very profitable. But localities where this obtains are compara- tively few. THE LOCATION OF AN APIARY. It may be proper for me, at this point, to say a few words regarding the location and management of an apiary. If you intend to engage in the business to any considerable extent the question of location with reference to feed, water, etc., is a vital one. Perhaps I can best tell you what you need by describing my own location, which I consider a fairly good one as demonstrated by results : My apiary is in Soledad canyon, a quarter of a mile from a shipping station, on level ground. There is a range of hills on the southeast, south and southwest, at a distance of from a quarter to a half mile ; a range of hills also at about the same distance to the north. These hills shelter the bees from the southeast and southwest storms of winter and the hot northers of summer. The hives are placed in double rows, 30 inches from centers, and rows 8 feet from outside to outside. This leaves an alleyway about 43^ feet wide between the rows for workway. A space of 25 feet is left between each set of double rows. There are openings left through the rows at convenient intervals. Each hive is placed so that the end of the frame as it hangs in the hive is toward the 2-o'clock sun. This throws one-half of the entrances a little west of south, and the other half in exactly the opposite direction. This position reduces the danger of melting down from the great heat we sometimes experience, by exposing to the hottest sun two thicknesses of wood with bee-space between. If the sun shines upon the side of the hive you have only one thickness of wood for protection. Those of you who have had young fruit-trees blistered by the sun, will know why I say the " 2- o'clock sun." That is the side of your tree that suffers the worst from the heat. For additional protection I leave a 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 101 shade-board against the westerly side of the hive. I have not lost a colony from the heat for years, notwithstandlnR the mercury frequently goes to 108^ or more in the shade. SOME OF THE MANY HONEY-PLANTS. In January, February, and part of March my bees visit manzanita and willow, gathering pollen and honey enough to carry on brood-rearing at a lively rate. March furnishes buckhorn and alder, the alder lasting into April, when the wild plum and the spring flowers take up the burden and bring us to the point where a surplus is to be expected. In May and June Yerba Santa and ball-sage are the prin- cipal sources, and in July and August white sage and wild buckwheat. I have seen some fruit-bloom and alfalfa avail- able during the season. The buckwheat flow ends the surplus season. September, October and November are filled out by the fall flowers, the principal of which is a species of broom, bear- ing a profusion of small yellow blossoms, yielding a fair quantity of a rich golden-yellow honey, upon which the bees fill up their hives for winter, which really only lasts a month. Locations vary, but, in my judgment, unless you have about the equivalent of the foregoing, your honey-yield will suffer. I have a water-ditch by the side of the apiary, and in season, I turn a stream out over a bed of sand and gravel for a " watering-trough" for the bees. APIAKIAN IMPLEMENTS AND CONVENIENCES. I use what is called the Ventura-Standard hive, 10 frames in the lower and 9 in the upper story. The frames measure 8xl6X inches inside the wood. Sometimes, when lam crowded, I pile them up three, and even four, stories high. This only occurs when I get behind with my extracting. Usually, I ex- tract from each hive every seven or eight days during the season. The extracting-house is made principally of common wire- cloth, with a good shake roof over it, and is furnished inside with extractors, oil-stove, uncapping-can, honey-tanks, etc. I ripen ray honey in large tanks from four to six days be- fore I case it up for market. I use new cans and cases, tak- ing care to have everything perfectly clean and neat during the whole operation. I close the cans tightly, and keep them so, and have never had any honey " candy." I handle my bees and hives just as little as I possibly can, never taking two steps where one will answer the purpose. I sell my honey as soon as I get it ready for market, and save insurance, warehouse charges and other expenses. THE ROAD TO SUCCESS. I am convinced that the road to success lies along the line of cheapened production. The field of the specialist is being narrowed year by year, and he can no longer hope to secure the phenomenal yields of the past. You, of this valley, may not find it profitable to engage largely in apiculture, but when your vast underground resources are tapped; when the life- giving streams from the enclircling hills are conducted upon your fields, and Alfalfa — that prince of forage-plants — spreads his mantle of green over the naked breast of Mother Earth ; when around each cottage home there thrives the apple, the peach, the almond — all manner of fruits and flowers — they all grow here — then I hope to see beside each garden-wall a few thriving colonies of bees. Since modern science has done so much to simplify the care and management of bees, there is no reason why every family living as you do, in the country, should not keep a few colonies for its own use. With the movable frames now in use, and the knowledge that bees can be subdued by smoke, they may be handled by the most timid. The women and chil- dren can take care of a few colonies at the cost of no more labor and trouble than would be given a flock of hens. BEES AND FRUIT AGAIN. It has been contended that bees destroy fruit. This is certainly a mistake. Wasps and hornets — which secrete no wax, are furnished with strong, saw-like jaws, for cutting the woody fibre with which they build their comb — can, and do, penetrate the skins of the toughest fruits. On the other hand, the jaws of the bee are adapted chiefly to the manipulation of wax — are not serrated as are those of the hornet, but smooth ; are so feeble that they cannot puncture the skin of the ten- derest grape. This has been proven by repeated experiment. If the skin of the fruit is once broken, however, the bee is not slow to take advantage of the circumstance, and will at once proceed to collect and store the juices, and in the case of grapes, at least, to the detriment of both bees and bee-keeper. REQUIREMENTS OF SUCCESS. In apiculture, as in all other lines of endeavor, only the careful and practical may hope to succeed. Experience is an important qualification for the successful running of any busi- ness, and apiculture is no exception to the rule, yet men who have not had practice, and cannot get it, are much better equipped for the work, provided they have some knowledge of the bee, its habits and management. This knowledge is not only valuable to the beginner, or those just about entering upon the business, but it is also of great importance to the regular, old-time bee-keeper whose success would have been much greater if he had had a knowledge of apiculture com- mensurate with his opportunities. Theory leads practice to greater results. This knowledge may be obtained from any of the standard books published upon the subject. Of these there are several that can be recommended : The " A B C of Bee-Culture," by A. I. Root; " Langstroth on the Honey-Bee" — universally regarded as the classic ; and the " Bee-Keepers' Guide," by Prof. A. J. Cook, are the best. You make no mis- take in procuring either of these. You want also, one or more of the journals devoted to bee-culture. There are several — all good — and it is difficult to choose between them, but if you can take but one, I would ad- vise the American Bee Journal. Then, study the book, and the journal, use your eyes, and your reasoning powers. No man can be an earnest student of the bee and its ways without being made better physically, in morals, and in intellect. Do not attempt to keep too many colonies at the first. Start with a few — they will increase with good management quite as fast as you advance in knowledge. Give them good care. Be alive, wide awake, sober, industrious, and you will surely prosper. Lang, Calif. MR. EDWIIV BEVINS. The subject of this week's biography has kindly written it himself, so we give it in his own words : The events of my life are few and hardly worth the telling. I was born Aug. 30, 1831, in Hague, Warren Co., N. Y., where I spent the first 22 years of my life. Farming and lumbering, and growing men and women to people the Miss- issippi Valley were almost the only occupations of the inhabi- tants of this region at that early day. My father was a farmer and lumberman. My memory goes back to the time when bear were killed in our neighbors' cornfields, and deer were chased along the mountain sides by the hounds, and killed by the hunters watching on the shore of the lake. Here, too, I fished and hunted, and drank fire-water and begged tobacco from a lone Indian — Jonathan Paul — "The Last of the Mohegans." My mother died when I was a little more than four years old, and soon after I went to live with my grandparents, who resided not far from my father's. My father married again, and soon after sold out and moved to another county, and I saw and knew but little of him and hi? family for many years. In my boyhood I assisted my grandfather what I could on his farm, and attended the district school summers and winters until he died. I learned to read at a very early age, indeed, I have no recollection of the time when I could not read. I read, or rather devoured, every book that I could lay my hands on. As my grandfather was school dristrict librarian most of the time, I had no lack of books to read. But I read indiscriminately, and with no particular end in view, and no one gave me any guidance or direction. Books of history, biography, poetry and fiction gave me the most pleasure, and my dream at this time was of a college education and a liter- ary career — things utterly beyond my means. Once, when in Schenectady, N. Y., I stood outside the walls of Union College, then presided over by Eliphalet Nott, and felt an almost irre- sistible impulse to go in and beg for something to do to pay my way while studying there ; but I did not do it. Again, later, in Williamsport, Pa., I stood at the door of Dickinson 102 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Fel. 13, Seminary, ouly to be told by its principal — now Bishop Bow- man, of the Methodist Episcopal church — that I had not money enough to justify me in attempting to study there. Something of bitterness comes into my heart even now when I think of the intense longing I had in my youth for a college education, and the desperate poverty that hindered me from getting it. I earned my first money the winter after I was 18 years old, teaching school in an old log school-house for the munifi- cent sum of $11 per month, and board; and had to " board around." After my grandfather's death I continued to live with my grandmother till her death, when I was 22 years old. Then, packing a sachel with some of my most cherished books, and a few articles of clothing, and with just about money enough in my pocket to pay my traveling expenses, I started for the pine forests of Pennsylvania, then giving employment to thousands of men. There I found employment on a big saw- mill, measuring and marking the lumber as it came from the saws. One winter I measured and marked the logs as they were piled in the forest. One winter I taught a term of school, and one winter I gave instruction to a big family of boys belonging to a man of German origin named Wolf. Some of the boys were a good deal bigger than I was, but they were good-natured and well-behaved "Wolves," and I got along without trouble. Once when the sawmill ran out of logs, I spent a few weeks in the village of Jersey Shore, on the north bank of the Susquehanna, studying surveying with a man by the name of Parker, who had been instructor of mathematics at West Point. I mastered that branch of mathematics in a short time, but my health never permitted me to enter on the prac- tice of surveying. Leaving Pennsylvania in the fall of 1856, I took Horace Greeley's advice and went West. I had a sister living in Illinois, whom I had not seen for several years, and thither I directed my steps. Other relatives were living in Iowa, and there I taught a term of school the following winter. Return- ing to Illinois in the spring of 1857, I went to work with my brother-in-law on a rented farm. Our crops were good, but the financial panic of that year was on hand as soon as the crops were, and all my earnings in Pennsylvania were swept away. The following winter I returned to the old home in New York, where my father then lived, he having bought it, with other lands, about the time my grandfather died. There I staid and helped him on the farm till the fall of 1865, when he sold out and moved to Carroll county. 111. In January, 1866, I was married to Julia Itf. Prentiss, of Windham, Vt., and we wont immediately to keeping house on a farm near the scene of my former failure. After the birth of our first and only child — a daughter now married and living here — her health rapidly declined, and, although she lin- gered for several years, the demon of Consumption never re- laxed his hold till his deadly work was done. She died in July, 1881. Subsequently I was married to one of her sis- ters, who had been with us for a long time. I continued my farming operations in Illinois until the spring of 1S9U, when, in the hope that my health would be benefited by the change, I sold out and moved to this place. The farm here has been cultivated and improved mainly by the aid of hired help. Here, on the high divide midway between the Missouri and Mississippi, in caring for hogs and horses and cattle by proxy, and giving a large share of my own time and attention to the care of bees, and in musing somewhat mournfully, perhaps, on what might have been, I shall probably pass the short re- mainder of my days. My pathway has not been along the sunny side of fate. I had not been long settled here, when, one afternoon near sundown, I found a swarm of bees clustered on the limb of an apple-tree. It was hived iu a box-hive, and it went to work and stored considerable honey. Then somebody stole it. Some bees in log-hives were bought, but I did not know very well what to do with them. I resolved that I would know what to do with bees. I got what I thought were the best books and papers on the subject, and read them with the same avidity that I had read everything else, at the same time working with the bees and making a good many mistakes. I have bought some bees every season since I have been here, but the seasons have been mostly poor ones, and I have not had much natural swarming until the past season, so that my apiary is not now very large. Last season, also, I had a fair crop of honey, put up in such a way that I was able to cap- ture my home market, it being now all, or nearly all, disposed of at a fair price. In the future management of my bees I shall keep two objects in view, viz.: 1st. To get the maximum amount of honey at the mini- mum expense of money, time and labor. 2nd. To determine what departure, or departures, if any, can be made from the 8-frame size of the Langstroth hive with advantage to the bee-keepers of this locality who work for the production of comb honey. In making these experi- ments I shall not change the length of the frame, but the de- partures will be in the depth of frames and the number of frames used. Notwithstanding all that has been said in favor of the 8-frame hive, I am not friendly to it, though I use it more largely than any other. If I am permitted to make any discoveries either to the advantage or disadvantage of bee- keepers, they will, with the editor's permission, hear of them in the American Bee Journal. In conclusion I will say that nobody steals bees from me now, and that when another stray swarm of bees alights in one of my apple-trees, I think I shall know how to care for it. Leon, Iowa. Edwin Bevins. Report of the Illiiio§ State Contention Held at Chicago, Jan. 9 and lO, 1S96. REPOBTED BY ERNEST K. ROOT. (Continued trom page 70.) CRIMSON CLOVER AND BUCKWHEAT. President — We do not know very much about crimson clover; but what we do know we might as well air here. I sowed some in the spring, and it came up fairly well, but I did not see a great many bees on it ; but freezing weather came on, and I had a nice patch of it. Mr. Schrier — I sowed 10 acres along with timothy, and it seemed to do well. Mr. Baldridge — I sowed a small lot in 1894, and bees worked on it very nicely. The seed dropped off, and it re- seeded itself as nicely as at first. I have great faith in the plant. I would mix it with Alsike or other clover. If it should fail, then we would not lose the other crop. Mr. Thompson — Mr. Baldridge's experience is' the same as mine. Mr. Draper — I should not think it would do very well with red clover, because the latter is biennial, and crimson clover is an annual. Mr. Baldridge — The seed is very cheap, and there is not very much to lose, even if it should fail when it is sown with other clover. Mr. Stewart — How tall does it grow ? Mr. Schrier — It is short. Mr. Baldridge — It grows about a foot high, and very well with red clover, because it protects it. Crimson clover is not hardy. President — What have we to say about buckweat ? Mr. Stewart — I should like to know how Japanese buck- wheat compares with others. President — It yields a larger grain, more of it, and seems to have all the advantages of the other buckwheat. Mr. Schrier — It ripens earlier. Mr. Draper — How long does it continue in blossom ? President — About the same as the other. THE BEE-PAPERS AND BEE-PASTURAGE. Question — " What can the bee-papers do in the line of in- creasing artificial bee-pasturage?" President — lust what we have been doing here to-day — gathering together in convention, and then spreading the knowledge here gained in the agricultural papers. We should emphasize to the farmers the value of the honey-plants only as /oracyp plants. Perhaps it is better to say little or nothing about their being valuable for honey. Mr. Stewart — What can be sown on waste land that farmers will not object to ? Sweet clover won't do, because farmers call it a "noxious weed." President — farmers will object to every plant that you try to push, If they think your bees get hooey from it. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 103 Mr. Baldridge — Alsike clover will be a good plant to push. I would scatter it along the roadsides. President — I would try to educate the farmers that sweet clover is not a noxious weed. Mr. Draper — Mr. Quinby recommended catnip 25 years ago. Some years ago I sowed considerable of it, and have lots of it growing every year, and bees work on it well. REMOVING BEES FROM THE WINTER REPOSITORY. Question — " When is the best time in the spring to remove bees from the winter repository?" Mr. Thompson — Localities differ. Bee-keepers must be guided by the season. We, on the Fox river, put them out as early as possible. A little frost after they are out will not hurt them any after they have had a good flight. Mr. Baldridge — I put my bees in late, and bring them out early, and give them a good flight. I believe I secure young bees, brood and swarms earlier by so doing. Mr. Wheeler — I get brood in the cellar, and keep my bees in as long as I can keep them quiet. President — Some of you feel sure that there is advantage in taking bees out early. Others think bees would be better off as long as they can be kept quiet in the cellar. Those who advocate out early seem to lay great stress on the flight. I am going to try a few next spring, and compare them with those taken out late. Mr. Finch — Bees kept in the cellar late become uneasy. If they get out, the flight quiets them, and then they keep quiet, even if they go out-doors. President — I keep bees quiet by opening the cellar-doors at night. If it is cold, I start a fire and thus start the circu- lation of air. Either way will quiet the bees. The convention then adjourned to meet at 1:30 p.m. First Day— Afternoon Session. HONET ADULTERATION. Question — "flow can we stop adulterating honey?" Pres. Miller — Why, just stop. Mr. Finch — If you stop, it does not stop any one else. In central Illinois we find honey put up in glass jars. These jars hold a pound of some sort of mixture containing a little comb. The storekeeper pays 6}^ cents per jar, and retails it for 10 cents. It does not taste like honey. If a suitable law can be drafted, I feel pretty sure it can be passed. The honey that I just spoke of is labeled simply "Honey." Mr. Wheeler — I can beat that story all to pieces. I know where those jars in boxes of two dozen have been bought for 90 cents, or a little less than 4 cents each, you see. President — It was wrong to overcharge [laughter]. But, Mr. Finch, can you prove that what you speak of was not honey ? You propose a law against selling such stuff ; but how are you going to prove it is not pure ? Mr. Finch — By analysis, and by tasting; besides, pure honey cannot be put up at that price. Mr. York — In a walk of five minutes, I understand there are plenty places where they are adulterating. Mr. Draper — I will tell you how you can knock 'em out. Raise honey nice enough, and you will run 'em out. The poor won't sell alongside of the good honey. President — Mr. Finch has tried that, and failed. I don't mean he has adulterated, but has put a nice honey on the market. I should like to know whether there is a law already in this State against selling anything but pure honey. If there is not, ought we to have such a law ? Mr. York — There are lots of firms in this town, I under- stand, who are adulterating. A friend of mine Investigated, and there is no doubt they can double the amount of honey (?) in that way. Mr. Finch — Prof. Wiley's report shows that honey is adulterated. A Member — But how do we know that this analysis was correct ? E. R. Root — You will remember that, some time ago. Prof. Cook, for the purpose of testing Prof. Wiley's skill, sent him various samples of honey. Some were adulterated 50 per cent., some 25, some 10, and still others were not adul- terated at all, but a queer, twangy kind of pure honey. Prof. Wiley successfully Identified each sample, and told the amount of adulteration in each kind by analysis ; and the pure honeys were pronounced pure by him. As he had no knowledge in the first place of what these samples were, they being submitted to hira by number, he had to rely solely on his skill and that of his associates. Well, then, if he had skill enough to name accurately each sample, and its amount of adulteration, we can assume that he is probably correct in his analysis of the samples found in the open market, to which Mr. Finch refers. A motion was made by Mr. York, to the effect that the Executive Committee be instructed to draft a suitable law to present at the next session of the Illinois legislature. Carried. SWARMING IN SMALL AND IN LARGE HIVES. Question — "Do bees swarm more in small than in large hives, generally ?" The President called for an expression. The general con- sensus of opinion seemed to be that the small hives would give more swarms. A few thought there would be no difference. Mr. Draper — If you want to force bees to swarm, keep ventilation away ; but If you don't want them to swarm, just give them plenty of ventilation. Mr. Lyman — Colonies in large hives will swarm later, and those in small ones earlier. Mr. Stewart — I practiced ventilation as suggested by Mr. Draper. It did rot seem to make a particle of difference. They swarmed just the same. Mr. Finch — I do not believe very much in ventilation to prevent swarming. I had a hive once that was warped so badly that It was open all around. They wintered well, and swarmed when the rest did. I do not know why I left them in that way. Mr. Draper — Mr. Hutchinson claims that replacing queens every season will stop swarming. Regarding Mr. Finch's hive, open all round, perhaps it was a small one, and the bees just ?iacZ to swarm. In running for extracted honey we use the large Quinby hives, and, besides that, give them a large amount of empty combs above. I keep no queens over two years old. Taking all these things into consideration, I man- age to keep swarming down. Mr. Stewart — The size of entrance cuts quite a figure in the prevention of swarming. President — Heat does have something to do with it. I do know when that window is open it is cooler. [It was very warm in the room.] Mr. Stewart — I tested 75 hives, raising them up on four bricks, and it made no difference with swarming. Mr. Draper — I think you did not raise the hives soon enough. Mr. Stewart — That was not the fact. They were raised before honey came in. PREVENTION OF SWARMING. Question — "Is there any other means of preventing swarming, other than to raise the hive from the bottom?" Mr. Thompson — Keep the honey away from them, and they will not swarm. Mr. Baldridge — Go into a poor region where there is no honey, and they won't swarm. [Continued next week.] From the Oxford Bee-Keepers' Meeting'. Having some time to spare, the question-box was opened with : Will brood-combs color honey stored in them ? If so, how shall we prevent bees storing temporarily in the brood- nest? The idea intended by the question was that when a flow suddenly begins, bees fill the spare room In the brood-nest and then remove it to the super. Will this honey be dark ? Every- one had noticed that brood-combs soaked in water would color it, and that honey, though coming from clover and basswood, if stored first in the brood-nest and then removed to the super, would be dark. To prevent the bees storing first in the brood- nest, it was necessary to have the super filled with clean combs before a flow from white clover, or any white honey- flow, began. In extracting, what method do you follow In removing the combs ? The best method was to remove half the combs at a time from the super, put the remaining half in the center and fill the outsides with empty combs. Would you have the same number of combs in the extract- ing-super as in the brood-nest ? S. T. Pettit preferred the same number; others preferred one comb less In the super. In lifting combs from the super would you commence at once to brush off the bees ? The general experience was that combs should remain a half minute or so. The bees are not so apt to resent the brushing as when done at once in lifting from the hive. — Canadian Bee Journal. Every Present Subscriber of the Bee Journal should be an agent for it, and get all others possible to sub- scribe for it. 104 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Feb. 13, ^- OLDEST N ATjtERICA PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY GEORGE W. YORK & COMPANY, Editors and Proprietors, 66 Fifth Avenue, - CHICAGO, ILL. REQDLAU CONTRIBUTOKS : G. M. Doolittle, Of New Y'ork. Prof. A. J. Cook, of California, Dr. C. C. Miller, of Illinois. Dr. J. P. H. Brown, of GeorRia. J. H. Martin, of California. Rev. E. T. Abbott, of Missouri. Chas. Dadant & Son, of Illinois. 11.00 a Year — Sample Copy Sent Free. [Entered at the Post-Offlce at CbicaKo as Second-Class Mail-Matter.] Vol. niVI, CHICAGO, ILL., FEB. 13, 1896. No. ]. Xlie Itee-Keepei-s' Union Election of officers for 1896 resulted as follows: President— Hon. R. L. Taylor. Vice-Presidents— Prof. A. J. Cook, G. M. Doolittle, Dr. C. C. Miller, Hon. Eugene Secor, and A. I. Root. General Manager, Secretary and Treasurer — Thomas G. Newman. On page 110 of this number will be found the vote in detail. All the oflicers were re-elected, which is just as it should be when- ever any set of officers give the universal satisfaction that these Bee-Keepers" Union officers have given. The Union has lost none of its old-time vigor and usefulness, and no doubt will continue to wield a beneficent influence upon the bee-keeping industry. But it should have thousands of members instead of hundreds. Why not send ^l.OO to the General Manager now, it you are not already a member ? You owe it to yourself and to the pursuit to be a member of the National Bee-Keepers' Union. I^ang'strotU iUoniinient Fund.— A number of our readers have suggested the beginning of a fund for the purchase and erection of a monument over the place where lies all that was mortal of our beloved Father Langstroth. We are very willing to receive subscriptions for this commendable purpose, and on page 107 of this number we give a list as a starter. It is thought best by some to have the contributions somewhat small in the individual amounts, as then a larger number of bee- keepers would feel that they could help in the matter. But of course, none need feel at all limited if they desire to give in excess of others. We shall be pleased to take care of whatever money is sent to us for this purpose, and will, at the right time, turn it over to the proper committee who will have in charge the erection of the mon- ument. Gleanings has already announced itself as ready to re- ceive contributions, and we presume the other bee-papers will also. Let there be a general feeling of willingness to take advantage of this last opportunity ofl'ered to show our esteem for our loved Langstroth, who in his great invention of a bee-hive bestowed upon the bee-keeping world such a substantial and permanent blessing. Xlie 4Jiinadian Piire-IIoney Bill.— Mr. Wm. McEvoy, Foul Brood Inspector of the Province of Ontario, wrote us as fol- lows concerning this Bill, on Feb. S: Our Pure-Honey Bill has passed its second reading in the House of Commons at Ottawa, Canada, and as the third reading is only a matter of form, our Pure-Honey Bill is just as good as passed. I feel so rejoiced over our great victory in getting our Pure-Honey Bill passed, that I feel just like " hollerin'." We went in to win, and did our work as if our life depended upon it. I enclose a copy of the Bill, which had to go before a Commit- tee in Parliament after it passed the second reading, and it went through their hands day before yesterday, and is not changed any worth noticing. This is a good Act, and when all of our honey is sold with ;j/f«(// of copies of this Act, to all the dealers in Canada and foreign lands, won't it give the public more confidence, and increase pure honey sales more than anything else on earth could do? Hurrah for our laws! Wm. McEvoT. The Pure-Honey Bill referred to by Mr. McEvoy in the fore- going, reads thus: BILL NO. 10. An Act further to amend the Act respecting the Adulteration of Food, Drugs, and Agricultural Fertilizers. Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows: 1. No imitation of honey, or "sugar-honey" so-called, or other substitute for honey manufactured or produced from cane sugar, or from any other substances other than those which bees gather from natural sources, shall be manufactured or produced or offered for sale in Canada, or sold therein; and every person who contravenes the provisions of this Act in any manner shall, on summary conviction, incur a penalty not exceeding four hun- dred dollars, and not less than one hundred dollars, and in default of payment shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceed- ing twelve months, and not less than three months: Provided that this Act shall not be interpreted or construed to prevent the giving of sugar in any form to the bees, to be consumed by them as food. 3. Section six to thirty, both inclusive, of The AduHeratiun Act shall, so far as they are applicable, be held to apply to this Act in the same way as if the adulteration of honey were especially men- tioned therein. Ml-. Kenton's Book may yet be issued in sufflcieut quan- tity to accommodate all who desire it. The original 1,000 copies, we understand, did not last long, and so a joint resolution has been introduced by Representative Wadsworth, of New York, to au- thorize the printing of 30,000 more copies. Hon. Geo. E. Hilton thinks there should be 100,000 copies of it printed, if all among the estimated 300,000 bee-keepers who want it are to be supplied. Mr. Hilton suggests that we advise all our readers to write their sena- tors and representatives to not only support the joint resolution, but ask that it be amended so that 100,000 copies may be published. We hope next week to give a review of Mr. Benton's book, when bee-keepers will be able to see just what it is. From a very hasty glance at it, we should say it is about the finest small work on bee-keeping that has been published in this country. Surely the many illustrations are exceedingly fine. Sweet Clover Honey. — There are quite a number of bee- keepers, we find, who are not familiar with honey gathered from sweet clover. They no doubt would pay more attention to sowing sweet clover seed if they knew what an excellent honey the plant produces. An opportunity was given us lately to buy some of as nearly pure sweet clover extracted honey as we believe can be pro- duced, and in order that all who wish may have a sample, we will mail it for 13 cents in stamps. We have a few 60-lb. cans of it, and will ship one can for $5.00, on board cars here. We consider it equal to anything we ever tasted in the line of honey. Send for a sample, and see what yon think of it. AdTerlivitl» tlie Reading' - Matter. — Among those who recently, upon request, made suggestions in the line of improving the Bee Journal, were one or two who said they preferred to have the advertisements separate. But one of those who answer questions in the "Question-Box," has this to say about it : Mr. Editor:— If I could have a bee-journal just to suit me, it would not have an advertisement in it. Neither would it have a word in it about anything except bees and bee-keeping, and noth- ing about them except what applies to latitude 43 degrees north. Nothing about extracted honey, only comb honey. Every page and every line would be filled with matter that would be helpful to me in my work, and every number would be entirely made up of matter I had never before heard of. But not being quite a fool, I would not expect to get such a paper unless I expected to pay something more than a dollar a year for it. And every man who puts an advertisement in my paper Is helping me to pay for it. If there are advertisements galore, the money that comes from them will help the publishers to pay for more pictures, more everything that makes a good bee-paper. So when I see plenty of advertise- ments in a paper, instead of feeling that I am cheated by that, I know that it means the publishers can do better work for it, and if they are wise enough I know they will. Advertisers will pay more money for having their advertisements on the same pages with the reading-matter, and although I don't like the looks of it 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 105 quite so well, I prefer, on the whole, to have it so, for it means I can have that much more for my money. Come to think of it, quality and quantity of contents are more than looks, and if there are advertisements on every page it won't take more than 30 seconds longer to leaf over the pages. So, Messrs. Publishers, try to have half of every page filled with ad- vertisements, and then put in some more pages. I still think I would like to take a paper such as I first described, and if you can get up one at $50 a year, please put me down as a subscriber. Or how much would it cost ? Well, sir, you have succeeded in putting the case pretty well. It we were to omit all advertisements from the Bee Journal, nm-y subscriber would have to pay at least $3.00 a year instead of $1.00, so by having advertisements there is quite a saving to bee-keepers. Besides, the great majority want to know where they can buy queens, bee-supplies, etc., and doubtless wouldn't have a bee-paper without any advertisements in it. As you say, it is true that advertisers prefer their notices put with the reading-matter, and as it is no inconvenience at all to the reader to have it so, ihere is no good reason why the advertiser shouldn't be gratified in his wish. Each advertiser pays in any paper just for say an inch space one time, as much, or more, than a subscriber pays for a whole year's subscription ; and as there are so few subscribers who are so whimsical as to care anything about the matter anyway, it is better to strive to please the advertiser in this case, particularly as there is no sacrifice of principle. But if only one or two subscribers insist on having no adver- tisements in their copies, we couldn't accommodate them short of $50 a week each. Very few could afford that at present prices of honey, we think ! CONDUCTED BY DR. C. C. MILLER, MARENGO, ILL. LQuestlons may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct.] may Be Short of Stores. My bees are in the cellar, and in a condition generally agreed upon as the best, except a possibility that some may be short of stores, as I was unable, at the right time, to attend to them closely in that particular. Would it be safe and bet- ter to leave them alone until they fail to respond as promptly as usual to a tap on the hive? or should they be examined ? (They are in frame hives.) The point is, what would you do '? Sound Beach, Conn., Jan. 20. E. M. Answer. — If I thought only a very small portion were in danger of being short of stores, I think I'd risk their starving rather than to risk hurting all the rest by opening them up, and I don't think I'd want to be tapping them every day. If, on the other hand, I thought a sufficient number were in dan- ger of starving to make it a serious matter, I'd try to find out for certain by weighing or looking into the hives, and then I'd give enough to all that were at all doubtful, using combs of honey or else candy. Putting Bees Out of tbe Cellar. 1. Where one has from 125 to 200 colonies of bees in the cellar to be put out in the spring, what kind of weather should it be when they are put out ? 2. About what should the thermometer register ? 3. Should it be in the morning, at noon, or evening ? 4. Should they be put out all at one time, or at intervals '? 5. If at intervals, about how much time should elapse, and how many should be put out in each lot ? 6. When put out, should one begin at one side of the yard and fill each row of stands until they are all out, or fill and then skip alternately, and thus repeat until all is full ? 7. I have had hives crowded and over-run with bees in a few hours after they had been put out, even so they would cluster on the outside of the hive in large numbers; appar- ently they came from several hives, as I could not detect the loss from any one, or the direction they came from. What was the cause ? 8. How can it be prevented ? When it happens, what is the best thing to do ? Northern New York. Answers. — 1. A still day, with bright sunshine. 2. Fifty degrees or more; but if you're sure of your day, and handle the bees quietly, you can commence in the morn- ing early at 40-^ if you feel sure It will go up to 50° or 60"'. 3. I prefer getting them out as early in the day as possi- ble. However, if you could feel sure of a warm, nice day fol- lowing, it would do to carry out in the evening. 4. Either way will do, but I like full as well to put them all out at once. 5. The intervals I have used have been such as to suit my own convenience. If I commence one morning, and after get- ting out a few it turns cloudy or cool, I stop and make an in- terval till the weather suits, whether it be the next day or the next week. 6. I think I have read of the skipping plan, but I never knew any harm to come from filling the rows straight along. 7. I've had something of the same kind, and It seems to be something like swarming out. 8. About all I've done has been to look on and wish they wouldn't act so. If some hives get more than their share of bees, I don't know that It does a great deal of harm. If so many should be In one hive that at night they would not all crowd In, I think I would take the bees that hang out in the evening and give them to some colony that needed more. Just after taking out of the cellar there isn't much trouble about putting bees from one hive Into another. Double vs. Single Walls for Dryness. Will a double-walled hive, made of %-lnch lumber with a %-inch dead-air space between the Inner and outer wall, keep bees drier and better than a single-walled hive ? We are not troubled with cold here, but rain. I do my own hive- making, and lumber is no object. J. O. W. Cowlitz, Wash. Answer. — I doubt it. After getting wet, the double wall would be slower in drying out. With lumber cheap, the best thing might be to have a good roof large enough to cover al the hives. -^ — » — ^•— Probably Robbing. What makes my bees fight at this season of the year, when we have a warm day so that they can fly ? They are fighting all the time. Are they robbing ? I do not have time to look after them as I ought to. J. W. W. Sallisaw, Ind. Ter., Jan. 6. Answer. — Without being on the ground. It isn't easy to say why they are fighting, but very likely it is as you suspect, simply that they are trying to rob. If you find the fighting mainly at one hive, throw some loose hay or straw at the en- trance. That will allow passage for the bees that belong to the hive, but robbers are a little shy of going into a place where they can't make an easy and prompt retreat. The Use of the Bee-Escape. Man — especially the bee-man — never is, but always to be, blessed ; and I'm blessed if SImmlns, in the new edition of his "Modern Bee-Farm," hasn't been loudly decrying the use of bee-escapes— that perfect Invention that was going to save us all so much stinging, anxiety, blasphemy and work, and smooth our way to fortune. Back again to the primitive smoke and brush ! Verily, we are progressing backwards! SImmins says : " As soon as bees are frightened they will com- mence to tear open the beautifully capped cells. This is one of the most forcible arguments that can be used in condemna- tion of the super-clearers, for the bees, once frightened by the lifting of the super, will not hesitate to break countless pin- holes In the beautiful cappings." And on page 129 he alludes to bee-escapes as "an old and discarded fad." Does your ex- perience permit of your endorsing these statements '? S. A. D. Answer. — It may be all right to call bee-escapes a fad, but I hardly see how any one can call them "old," and surely they are not "discarded" on this side the water. If a single bee-keeper that has been favorable to them has given up their 106 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Feb. 13. use, I don't remember to have seen it. I never before saw it charged against bee-escapes that it caused the bees to tear holes in the sections. Indeed, that is one of the strong points claimed for them, that the bees, being less frightened than by any other way, will not tear holes. To give a direct answer to your question, my own experience makes me believe that in no way other than by bee-eseapes can I get bees out of sections with less tearing. At the same time I must say that I gener- ally get them out by older methods without any tearing, and as it takes longer time with the escapes, I use them much less than many others. But at times I value some sort of escape highly. ^ I ^ — ■ MakiiiiT ISugar Candy for Feeding^. I wish you would tell how to make sugar candy from granulated sugar and water; how to get it hard, and in what form you make it. If in a pan (to form it) will it not stick to the pan, and be hard to get it out? G. D. Answer. — To tell the truth, I don't make it at all. I pre- fer to feed the bees plenty of sugar and water — providing they need feeding, or will need feeding — early enough so there will be no danger of scarcity through the winter. But if I had bees that were in danger of starving before spring, and had no combs of honey to give them, I should prepare candy for them after the instructions given in Root's " A B C of Bee- Culture." Take good, thick honey of the very best quality you can get, and warm it till it gets very thin. Then stir in pulverized sugar as long as it will take up the sugar. When it won't take up any more sugar, take it out of the dish and knead it with the hands, adding what more sugar it will take, making it a stiff dough. Then lay cakes an inch thick, over the frames. If, however, you have no extracted honey, you may be obliged to make the hard candy out of sugar alone. Sprinkle granulated sugar into a dish on the stove containing hot or boiling water. Use a little more than twice as much sugar as water. Let it cook until a little of it dropped into cold water becomes hard. Then pour it into shallow dishes previously greased. If about an inch thick it will be in good shape to lay over the frames. It will be easier to get it out of the pan or dish before it gets entirely cold. Prcpariug Bees for Movfiis 1. How should bees be hxed for a trip of 300 or 400 miles, by railroad ? They are in frame hives. ::zj l_: 2. Where can I buy sweet clover seed, and what would probably be the cost per pound. S. W. S. Dumont, Iowa. Answers. — 1. First of all look out that they have plenty of air. Just how that can best be given depends upon the kind of hive. With almost any hive, however, you can have a frame covered with wire-cloth to take the place of the cover. If the hive has loose-hanging frames, they should be made fast in some way. One way is to drive nails through the ends of the top-bars into the rabbet, not driving them in so deep but that they can easily be drawn out by a claw-hammer. Or you can make sticks about as long as the depth of the frames, pushing them down between the frames at each end. At the top end of each of these sticks drive through an inch or an inch and a half wire-nail so the stick can't fall down between the frames. A sponge with water laid on top of the frames will be a good thing, especially if the weather is hot. Place the hives in the car with the frames running parallel with the railroad track, so they will the better stand the bumping of the cars. Better have the hives in some way fastened in their place so they won't be shot all over the car every time it is bumped. 2. I never knew so much call for sweet clover seed as at the present time. Last year the home supply gave out and there was none to be had except what was imported. That would probably have the effect of stimulating the home pro- duction so that there will likely be plenty of it to be had this year. Watch the advertising columns, and you will see who offers it. Xlie McEvoy Foul Brood Xreatment is given in Dr. Howard's pamphlet on "Foul Brood; Its Natural History and Rational Treatment." It is the latest publication on the subject, and should be in the hands of every bee-keeper. Price, 25 cents ; or clubbed with the Bee Journal for one year —both for SI. 10. \M\mi How Many Queens from a Nucleus ? My average number from a nucleus, during the past ten years, has been about two a month. Some nuclei do better, others not as well, so that it is always well to calculate on having a few more nuclei than you really expect you will need to fill all orders ; and even then, if your case proves anything like mine, you will be obliged to return money for some un- filled orders at the end of the season. — G. M. Doolittle, in Gleanings. Big Hives and Swarming. Dr. Miller says in Gleanings: " Nearly every year, for several years, I have had in each apiary one or two colonies as a sort of reservoir, in which were put frames of brood or honey to be taken care of, and to be drawn upon whenever needed. These ' piles,' as we called them, would run up three and four stories high, and it always seemed to me that they stored more honey in proportion to the number of bees than other colonies ; and like your ' hummers,' not one of the 'piles' ever offered to swarm. But then, one reason for their not swarming may have been that they were weak colonies at the beginning of the harvest — too weak to take sections — and their growing strong was a work of degrees. "Against the view that room alone prevented swarming, stands the fact that, in the past season, preparations for swarming were made in colonies having two stories, one of the stories being very little occupied, and no excluder between." Foul Brood. I have boiled the honey from diseased colonies and added one-half ounce salicil and about 60 pounds of honey, and fed the bees, with no bad result. That a spore of any bacilli can stand boiling for hours with Impunity, as some Americans say, is a thing I cannot accept. A bullock would not only be dead, but tender at the same time, but a spore shall come to life again ! — W. Abram, in Australian Bee-Bulletin. House-Apiaries . I have had the pleasure of handling bees in a house" apiary for the past six years, and I indorse all that has been said in favor of them, and will add that this is certainly the way to care for bees in order to save labor, which, you will agree, is the greatest item of expense in the production of honey. To be sure, the common out-door hive must be used, rest- ing on shelves ; the building painted in colors, large openings not less than 4x8 inches, cut in various forms. These are closed iu the fall with a slide or board on the inside, with small auger-hole, or slat, to admit entrance to hives. In set- tled winter weather a board closes all up tight on the outside. For admitting light, one opening with shutter is sufficient for every two hives. Don't make the building too large, I. e., to contain any more cubic feet of space than is necessary for convenience in handling, on account of being much better for wintering if in close quarters. A raised earth floor will keep dry, and does not sound, or disturb bees, when walking, or working with them. — E. E. Slingerland, in Gleanings. Burning or Water-Soaking Wax. While it is true you can burn wax with direct steam, or live steam, you can hardly do so by sending that steam into water and transmitting the heat indirectly from the water to the wax. Wax will never burn when over water, because it can never get hotter than the boiling-point. The trouble with your wax is probably not burning, as you suppose, but water- soaking the wax. While in this condition it is quite spongy, and appears as if it had been ground up into meal. When a handful of it is grabbed up it can be pressed together, and the water can, be squeezed out as from a sponge. The only way of restoring such wax is to subject it to a dry heat, where the water can pass off. The solar wax-extractors are the best means of rendering such wax back to its cake form. Trays of such wax placed in the stove oven will also dry it out. — Glean- ings. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 107 COMPLETE STOCK. Good Supplies and Low Prices Our Motto. Largest Factory ti°e West READ THIS— Mr. Keyes says: The 100 roi'ids of Extra-Tuin Foundation you sent us is superior to anything he ever saw; and I think the same. K. L. Tucker, Wewahitchka, Fla. Dear Sirs:— The Sections came duly to hand. Indeed, they are very nice. Yes, sir: they are as good as the best. Charles H. Thies. Steeleville. Illinois. Leahy Mt'g-. Co.:— I have received the bill of goods. I must saj' they are the choicest lot of Hive-Stuif 1 have ever received from any place. 1 admire the smoothness of your work, and your close selection of lumber. Yours very truly. O. K. Ol.mstead. Orleans. Nebr. Dear Sirs:— The Sections arrived in due time, and are all O. K. so far as examined. They are simply perfection. I can't see how you can furnish such goods at such low prices. I hope you may live long and do well. Yours respectfully. Z. S. Weaver. Courtney, Tex. Gents;— 1 received the '• Higglnsvllle Smoker "alio. K. It's a dandy; please And enclosed stamps for another. Yours truly. Otto Enders, Oswegathe, N. Y. Gentlemen:— 1 have bought Supplies from nearly all the large manufacturers by the car- load, and I must say yours are as good as the best. Indeed. In many lines they are the best. It is a pleasure to handle them, E. T. Flanagan, Belleville, Illinois. The above unsolicited testimonials are a fair sample of hundreds we receive. Our prices are reasonable and the " Hlgginsville Goods " are the best. Tlie " HIgginsTillc " Goods are for sale by the following parties : Chas. H. Thies, Steelvllle, ill. E. T. Flanagan. Belleville, III. Henry L. Miller. Topeka. Kans. E. A. Seeley, Bloomer, Arkansas. J. W. House & Co.. Mexico, Mo. P. J. Thomas, Fredonla, Kans. And by a number of others. If you need a Carload of Supplies, or only a Bee-Smoker, write to us. Remember, we are here to serve you, and will. If you give us a chance. A Beaiilil'iil Catalogue Freet Address,^ LEAHY MANUFACTURING CO.. HlGGlN^ILLE, Mo. 49A Jlfentxon t?te Ame-rxcan Bee Journal. Tte Is No Doubt About the MERIT of TlIE KJrVSTOyE It cuts both Tvays, does not crush. One clip ^^aojlj^i^^h^jrns^a^^e^^^ ) 36E13t Please iiienlion the American Bee Journal. Honey-Clovers & Buckwheat SEED FOR SALE. We have made arrangements so that we can furnish seed of several of the Clovers and Japanese Buckwheat, by freight or ex- press, at the following prices, cash with order: 10ft .50* 100ft Alslke Clover Seed $1.35 $6.25 $12.00 Sweet Clover Seed 1.25 5.50 10.00 White Clover Seed 2.40 11. .35 22.00 Alfalfa Clover Seed 1.20 5.25 10.00 Crimson Clover Seed 1.00 4.00 7.00 Jap. Buckwheat Seed 45 1.50 2.20 Prices subject to market changes. The above prices include a good, new two- bushel bag with each order. We guarantee all Seed first-class In every re- spect— In fact, THE BEST that can begotten. Your orders are solicited. GEORGE W. TOKK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS. ONE MAN WITH THE UNION ^°''i';^„^-''°'' Tan do the work of four mea using hand tools, in Kipping-, Cuttlng'-off, Mi- tring, Rabbeting-, Groov- ing. Gaining. Dadoing, Edglng-up. Jointing Stuff, etc. Full Liueof Foot and Hand Power Machinery, Sold OH Trial. Caialo^ae Free. SENECA FALliS MFG. CO., 46 Water St.. SENECA FALLS, N. Y lAly Mention the Ameriran Bee Jov/maZ. GIVING AWAY HIVES. On alt orders received before Feb. loth for $20.00 or over, we will send a " Half-Joint Hive." complete, ready for a swarm. iS~ Seud for '96 Circular. I. J. STRINOHAM, 105 Park Place. NEW YORK. N.T. Mention the American Bee JouniaU CHEAP SECTIONS ! CHEAP SECTIONS ! We have at this Branch among the Stock purchased of Thos. G Newman the following stock of Sectlons-not of our manufacture— which we desire to close out to make room for our SuDerior Extra Polished Sections. In order to close them out quickly we offer them for the next 60 days, or while they last, at these sperlal prices ; White Sections, ifixiii. Cream Sections, 4!ix4!4. 40,000 115-16) l,000for$1.7o 1 . l,000for$125 50,000 I'i [ 2,000for 3.00 8.500 1 15-16 V 2,000 for 2.00 80,000 7-to-ft. ) 5,000 for 7.00 ) 5,000 for 4.50 With all orders for less than 5.000. add 25 cts. for cartage. These Sections are of Wisconsin manufacture, and when made were doubtless considered as good as the best; but as compared with our Extra Polished Sections they are not up to the standard of to-day, but a decided bargain and should be closed out quickly at these very low prices. If you prefer a sample before ordering we will mall one for 5 cts. to cover postage. The A. I. Root Co., 56 5th Ave., Chicago, 111. The Langstroth Monnraent Fond. Contributors. Geo. W. Brodbeck $1.00 Dr. C. C. Miller 50 Geo. W. York 50 MattleC. Godfrey 25 Total $2.25 Qetjeral licn)s^ A Splendid Showing for 1895. My report is 39 colonies in the spring of 1895, and l.^iU in the fall; 3,000 pounds of comb honey and 3,000 of extracted. That shows three swarms from each colony, and 1.50 pounds of honey per colony, spring count. That beats anything that ever struck this section, although Minnesota is a good State, and probably can furnish its share of bread and butter and honey. Osakis, Minn,, Jan. 4. M. S. Snow. That Home Market for Honey. I believe it of much importance for bee- keepers to create, supply, and keep supplied, a home market. It can be done, as I know by personal experience. I work, besides, under a great disadvantage, being very deaf. However, year by year, I extend my market, so that now I supply 60 or more stores with extracted honey in pint jars. I continue a steady and much interested reader of the American Bee Journal. It and Gleanings, make a powerful team. Yours for first-class, ripe honey, sold in one's home market. Alfred Mottaz. Utica, 111. The Non-Swarming-Bee Question. I am not deeply interested in the non- swarmingbee question, save as one of pros- pective importance ; I doubt my ability to throw any light upon it; and I feel that I am not really entitled to the last "say." Moreover, I shouldn't wonder if the readers thought the same, and were nearly ready to see this subject follow the queen-clipping matter, off the stage. Therefore, I will make a few general statements based upon Mr. Lownes' article, on page 808 (1895), and then "abscond." I answer his remarks briefly, as follows; Animal will is nothing but an expression thr jugh instinct of the needs of animal na- ture, which is no stronger, grade for grade, higher form compared with higher form, or lower with lower, than plant nature. You change the natural need or bent, and the " will changing'' will take care of itself. The will of an insect to sip honey from a plant, and the will of a plant, as the "Venus' fly-trap," to clasp with its leaves and digest the insect alighting thereon, have a common origin. " Bees do not swarm or hens sit for the love of their posterity," but Nature impels them to do so because the author of Nature has regard for their posterity. We cannot "make a cross between the honey-bee and the bumble-bee ;" but it is a fact of zoology, nevertheless, that just as widely different species of birds, mammals, etc., as of plants can be crossed, our control over one equal- ing that over the other. No, I did not mean to say, or intimate, that artificial incubation has made hens non-sitters; but only that domestication, as all well know, has made all animals and plants more variable in all characteristics than they were before. For instance, man has bred into pigeons from one common stock anatomical differences that, found in Nature, would make not only different species but different genera. Mr. Lownes could never send me "into the jungle to get Leghorns;" for I would not expect to find any there. The various original species of jungle fowls alone are there by 108 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Feb. 13, Nature. I deny that non-sitting fowls are so through any wildness of disposition. I haye found the non-sitting Houdans and Crevecoeurs to be tamer than even Brah- mas and Cochins. They are the most familiarly tame of fowls ; and the non-sit- ting Leghorns are no wilder than the sit- ting games. The sitting jungle-fowl is the wildest of all. Any breed of animals and any variety of plants, if left entirely alone, would soon revert, or lapse back, to the original form of its species. The non-sit- ting or non-swarming character would not be an exception. As to the " Plymouth Rock hen, and get- ting fat on nothing," something can never be made from nothing. You can breed out all tendency to waste, and there it must stop. As to " breeding our ears off entirely," it probably will never be tried. However, an extra tee was bred on each foot of the Dorkings, etc. Having thus covered all the points ad- vanced against me by Mr. Lownes, I retire from the arena, after making this state- ment of my position in brief: 1st. No reliable man will ever claim to have produced a strain of non-swarming bees without first testing them and finding them so; and, 2nd. If some one does claim to have pro- duced a non-swarming strain, any one can say, "I don't believe it;" but none can as- sert that it is not so until he has tried those bees and actually found that they do swarm. 3rd. And let any one keep trying to pro- duce them who wants to do so. Monterey, Calif. A. Norton. Results of the Past Season. My last year's crop of honey amounted to 1,043 pounds, and it is almost all sold at home. I had only 54 colonies of bees, and they have plenty of winter stores besides. H. K. Gresh. Ridgeway, Pa., Jan. 13. Bees Did Fairly Well. My bees did fairly well last season, tak- ing 3,000 pounds of mostly extracted honey from 40 colonies, spring count, and in- creased to 50, with plenty of stores for win- ter. Some colonies gathered over 100 pounds. Success to the Bee Journal. Geo. W. Wilson. Hylton, Tex., Jan. 18. Another Honey-Buying Fraud. On pages 817 and 818 is a letter from E. B. Huffman about marketing honey. After reading it I remarked that misery loves company. It is so near what I experienced myself that I concluded to tell the readers of the Bee Journal where my man is located — not in Chicago, but in Toronto, Out. In August, 1895, I received an order from C. A. Hirchfelder, of Rosedale, Toronto, for 300 pounds of honey, stating that he wanted it for a college there, and that he would send me a postoffice order for the amount on its receipt. But, as in the case of Mr. Huffman, that postoffice order never came, and my attorneys report the man to be worthless. This man Hirchfelder has been an American Vice-Council in Toronto, but in the month of June last, he had to quit the office on account of his conduct. So now, brother bee-keepers, in every land where the American Bee Journal is read, take notice, and be careful to whom you sell your hard-earned product ; and when a man of the stamp of Dingsman or Hirchfelder calls on you in any way, just give them an introduction to your shoe- maker! W. J. Brown. Chard, Ont.. Canada. The "Marriage" Forbidden. As a member of the Bee-Keepers' Union I have a right to say a few words about its proposed marriage with the North Ameri- can Bee-Keepers' Association. I was one of the earliest members of the Union, and have paid as much toward its bank account as any one. I look at it as I would look upon an old man who had spent his whole life in social pleasures, and in his dotage and poverty seeking the hand of a rich young woman, who had been prudent and economical, and was helpful to her family and friends. He says, " Marry me, and give me the disposition of your money, and we will have much pleasure in attending all the social parties in the country ; and when your money is all gone, we will call on your friends for more, and if they do not band it over promptly we will disin- herit them." Now, as one of the family of " the bride," I forbid the bans. I fear that the proposed marriage will Impair the usefulness of the Bee-Keepers' Shion. L. Eastwood. Waterville, Ohio. Two Good Years for Bees. Seeing I am not a member of any bee- association, I would like to see a conven- tion held somewhere close by, so that some of us northern bee-keepers could attend, and I must say that there are a good many beekeepers springing up in the northern part of the State at present, and bees have done very well the last two years. Mine wintered without loss, but they did not swarm last summer. I had 4,800 pounds of comb honey from 35 colonies, and put them into winter quarters in good condition. The weather is very mild at present, with no snow. It is almost too warm for our bees. John Hoffman. Clinton ville, Wis., Jan. 30. Back With the Bees Again. Possibly some of my old-time friends of the 70's and 80's, not having heard from me for several years, imagine I "crossed the river." I wish to assure them now that I am still in the land of the living. In 1889, I received an appointment as United States gauger in the Internal Rev- enue service, at S5.00 per day. This in- duced me to leave my home and my bees here, and move to Peoria, 111., where I Got Something for Nothing ! MVnii P Thousands of readers answering my ad. in the past received free 1 UU. I by mail at a cost of 20 cents to me, a package of my discovery, VITjE ore, and 90 per cent, have written to thank me and send cash order for more, declaring that it had done them more good than all doctors and man-made remedies they ever used. I scorn to take any one's money until convinced at my expense that V.-O. is the best thing in, on, or out of the earth for all who suffer from ills no doctor or drug will cure, such as general debility, feebleness from over- work, worries, cares, protracted sickness, old age, female complaints, all kidney and membranous ailments. It is the only natural. Nature's cure for human ills ever offered to man, and not by a quack doctor or methods peculiar thereto. If you have been bamboozled often, and grievously, by robbers in the medicine business, I am not responsible therefor, but am if V.-O. fails to give greater satisfaction than all else you ever tried. Send the addresses of six sick people and 1 will do the balance. THEO. NOEL, Geologist, Tacoma Building, Chicago, III. 6A4t Mention the Bee Journal. .P EERLESSi "Feed Grimders.\ 'Old Reliable 'Absolutely Guaranteed Will grin3 to any de- Bired degree of finrne^a, EarOom.Oats. Etc., (ind do more of itthaa anymill onearth. Writeato^ce forT^rices ind aeency. There ia IMONF.Y IN THEM. Quality Best and Prices Right. JOLIET STROWBRIDGE CO , Joliel Ills.. Farm Machinery, Carriage9,WindmiIl8,&c Mention the American Bee Journal. 34A26 POULTRY 40 Standard Breeds Illus- trated & fully described in my new Poultry Book. Reliable information for poultrymen & intending buyers. Good stock Ducks & Geese; aiso Shetland Ponies. Sendee in stamps E . E. COOS. Box 27 . Hnntley. Ill- Mention the American Bee Journals 4Al3t WANTED. 10,000 pounds of BEESWAX, for Casta. Address, liEAHY MFG. CO., HIgslnsvllIe, mo. PATENT WIRED COMB FODNDATIOR Has No Sag in Brood-Frames Thin Flat-Bottom Foundation Has Ko Fisbboae Id the Sarplm Bosey. Being the cleanest la usually worked the qalckest of any Foundation made J. %'AN D£USEN & SONS, Sole Manufacturers, Sprout Brook Moninomery Co., N. Y. T]1 — „ Col A —A Dozeu Colonies of I- J; Or OcilC talian and Carniolan Bees inS-fratue Lanffstroth-Simpllclty hives. The Combe all built on full sheets of foundation, wired in. and straight as a board. Seven of the Queens are Imported, and all are of last year s rearing. Will be sold at $5 50 per col- ony for imported and $4.50 for native. Bees are in fine condition with plenty of stores to carry them throutfb. Address. W. J. CULI-INAN, 7Atf QUlNCr. ILL. NEW|V|AMMOTH Poultry Guide for 1896 Finest book ever published, contain fa nearly lOt pages, all printed in colorg, plans for best poultry houses, sure remedies and recipee for all diseases, and how to make poultry and gardening pay. Sen t post paid for I5c. JohnBanscher ,Jr,,boi94Freeport , lU 49A I'St Mention the A.merica7i Bee Javmat, )^ Olds' Seed Potatoes 21 ^Took First Premium last fall at Ills..™ ^i^Mis. and Mich. State Fairs. A tremendous ^^ A^stofk. A good year to obtain Choice Seed ofu3 \^ Improved Varieties. Prices L,ow, for this v' roved Varieties. PrL , ....» - re;i«on most people will not plant many pota- /^ r you to plant, tX'. Now is the time for J /v I II lot rated catalogue of held and garden seeds /^ ^Free. lu L. OLDS, Clinton, Rock Co.. Wig. ^ Mention the American BceJourtial. Promptness is Wliat Counts ! Honey-Jars. Shlpplng-Caees, and every- thing that bee-keepers use. Root's Goods at Koot's Prices, and the best shipping point in the country. Dealer in Honey and Beeswax. Cata- 'reTJa^Ave. Walters. Ponder INDIANAPOLIS. IND. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 109 % California If you care to know of Its Fruits, Flowers Climate or Resources, send for a Sample Copy of California's Favorite Paper— The Pacific Rural Press The leading Horticultural and Agricultural paper of the Paclflc Coast. Published weekly, handsomely Illustrated, 12.00 per annum. Sample Copy Free. PACIFIC RURAL, PRESS, 220 Market St., - SAN FRANCISCO. CAL. Mention iheAvneHcan Bee Journal. OUR POULTRY ANNUAL and Book of Valnable Recipes, »H large papes, containsS beautiful colored plates of fowls, gives description and prices of 45 varieties, with important hints on care of poultry, and pages of recipes of great value to everyone. Finest Poultry Book published for 1896, Postpaid only lOcts, C. N. Bowers, Box 24, Dakota, III Mention the A.nuirican Bee JvumoA^ WANTED ! 10,000 poands of BEESWAX, for Casb. Address, liEAHY MFG. CO., HIgglnsville, IHo. MoitUm the A merlcan Bee Journal. I— ».. .■■■■■■ ■■.■.,... iTtri--iminm»»T SUCCESSFUL i INCUBATOR 2 Our tna^'nificent ? new ciitfilogue Z giving full in- I formation re- j carding artificiaJi Hatching & Brooding 9 and treatise on poul- try raising een t for 4c 6tani[ii=<. Circular free. S Write now. Oes Moines J incubator Co. • Box 78 l>esIUoiixe8,Ia * 49Al3t Mention the American Bee Journal, For Sale— A Bargain. 119 Colonies of Italian Bees in Chaff Hives. Good House, and 2 acres of Land, with excel- lent well of water. E. V,. CARRINOTON. 5A4t PETTUS, BeeCo.,TEX. Mention the American Bee JowninJ^ CALIFORNIA, "WAKE UP!" Tlie Pacific Bee Jonrual, devoted to the Protection and Advancement of Bee- Keepers' Interests on the Paciflc Slope. 50 cts. per year. Send for sample copy. THE BENNETT BEE-HIVE COMPANY now make Foundation at 40 cents per pound. Bee-Hive Bodies (plain covers) 17V4C. each. Common Bee-Hive, 2-Btory. 60 cts, each. Dovetailed Hives, " $1.00 each. Sections and Supplies low. Send for Price- List, and Save IHoney. 365 E, Second St„ liOS ANGELES. Mention the American Bee Joum/U DO NOT ORDER UNTIl. YOU HAVE WRITTEN US FOR PRICES ON The "Boss" Oiie-Piece Section Also D. T. Hives, Shipping-Crates and Other Supplies. We have completed a large addition to our Factory, which doubles our floor room; we are therefore in better shape than ever to All orders on short notice. Send for Price-Iilst J. FORNCROOK, Watertown, Jeff, Co,, Wis,, Jan, 1st, 1896. Malt ion flie AinerSicwn Bee Journal, measured many thousands of barrels of spirits fermenti. and determined the amount of tax due Uncle Sam. But, like all things earthly, my " good job " came to an end, and I am now back with the bees. When I moved away I left a man in charge of my home and my bees, but be did not prove an eminent success. I find I have only 40 colonies now to begin next season's work with, and a chance, of course, of losing part of these between now and white clover bloom. I have always win- tered my bees on the summer stands, in double-walled hives packed with sawdust and chaff, and my winter losses and spring dwindling have never been serious. Of course, I do not claim to be up-to-date now in the bee-business, but I will fall in again, and endeavor to keep up with the procession. My earnest wish now is that we may have an abundant crop of white clover next summer, with plenty of rain. Gilson, 111., Jan. (J. C. W. McKown. Poor Honey Season. We had the poorest honey season last summer that we had had in years. I had 12 colonies, spring count, got 618 pounds of honey, and no increase. I think the American Bee Journal a splen- did paper, that every bee-man ought to take. Levi Kikbt. Eureka. Mich. The Season of 1895. I started last spring with 15 colonies, 13 in good condition. We had nice weather the last days in April, and the first ten in May, with light thunder showers, but May 12 we had a heavy frost, and that night and the next day a heavy snow storm, the snow froze on the fruit-trees, so that some limbs broke ofl:. May 14 it froze very hard, and a week later again. I saw drones about ten days earlier than other years, but in June and July the bees killed them all. The first three weeks in August they were busy on buckwheat, but there was only a few acres in reach of the bees. August 17 I had a swarm ; I gave them seven frames with honey, and three with comb foundation. We did not get any honey here. I bought about 13 pounds of sugar to feed the bees. One of my neighbors, who has 10 colonies, gave them about 30 pounds of honey in June, and bought *7,00 worth sugar and fed them in the fall. My cellar is cemented where I keep my bees in winter, Wm. Dubscher, Wrightstown, Wis,, Jan. 17. Bees Wintering All Right. So far as I know, bees are wintering all right out-doors. They did not do much last summer here, I got 250 pounds of honey, mostly from buckwheat. There were 42 acres about a mile from them ; no clover, and but little basswood. 1 hope for better times to come. My bees are all in long sheds packed all around with chaff. I had to feed four of them with sugar syrup. D. D. Daniher. Madison, Wis,, Jan, 25. Sweet Clover Growing in Florida. When I came to St. Andrews Bay for the first time, five years ago. I brought some sweet clover seed with me. hoping to in- troduce this plant for forage and honey. I've continued to sow it from year to year, in the edges of the ti-ties, by the sides of the roads, in brush-heaps, and piles of oyster shells, on rotten shell walks, and on my own lots, I think that I've given it a faithful trial, and my only reward has been to see one plant last spring, which had dis- appeared on my return. As far as my observation goes, it does not thrive on a loose soil, I've seen it upon country roads in Illinois so thick and high that they were almost impassable. It clings to clayey, gravelly hillsides, where scarcely Honey & Beeswai Market Quotations. Chicago, ill,, Jan, is,— white clover and linden comb honey Is scarce and commands a premium over other prades of white of 1 to 3 cents per pound. There is a fair supply of other grades, which bring- 12@13c, for white, and amber to dark ranges at 9@llc, Ex- tracted is without special change; the West- ern ambers at 4i4@5c, ; while. 5@6c.: clover and basswood in cans and barrels, 6@7c. Beeswax, 28(a30c, R. A, B. & Co. CHICAGO, III., Jan. 20.— We are having good inquiry for fancy comb, but all other grades are selling slow. Dark comb will not sell on this market, and we would advise the producer not to ship it here. We are offering it as low as 9@10c., with no buyers. We q note : Fancy, 15c. ; No. 1. 14o.; light amber, 12® 13c. Extracted, light, 5@6i4c; dark. 4030. Beeswax, 280300. J. A. L. PHILADELPHIA. PA., Jan. 3.— Honey has declined in this market during the holidays. Large lots of California honey arriving, and selling at oc, in 60-lb, cans. We quote; Comb honey, fancy, 16c,; fair to good, 8®14c. Ex- tracted, 4@5Hc. ; white clover, 10c. Beeswax, 30c. W. A. S. BUFFALO, N. Y., Jan, 22,— Sales very light and market dull. We quote: Fancy white, 14@15c,: choice, ll@13c, ; buckwheat, 7®9c, Extracted, 4@6c, Beeswax, 25@28c. B. & Co. CINCINNATL O., Jan, 22,— Demand is slow for comb honey, which brings 13@14c, for best white. The demand is fair for extracted honey at 4@7c,, with a scant supply. Beeswax is In good demand at 25@28c, for good to choice yellow, C, F, M, & S, KANSAS CITY, Mo., Feb. 8,— The demand for comb and extracted is light. We quote: No, 1 white, 1-lbs,, 13®14c.; No. 2, 12@13c.; No. 1 amber, ll@12c.; No. 2, 8@10o. Ex- tracted, white. oH@6c.; amber, 5@5!4c. Beeswax, 22®2oc. C. C. C. & Co. List of Honey and Beeswax Dealers. Most of whom Quote In this Journal. Cblcago, Ills. R. A. Burnett & Co.. 163 South Water Street. New Ifork, N. Y. F. I. Sack & Son. 183 Reade Street. HiLDRETH Bros. & Seoelken. 120 & 132 West Broadway. Chas. Israel & Bros., 486 Canal St. Kansas City, Itlo. C. C. Clemoms & Co., 423 Walnut St, Battalo, N. Y. Batterson & Co,. 167 & 169 Scott St, Hamilton, Ills. Chas, Dadant & Son, Pblladelphla, Pa. Wm, a, Selser, 10 Vine St, Cincinnati, Oblo. C, P. MUTH & SON. cor, Freeman* Central ava. BASSWOOD TREES ! Orders booked now for Spring delivery for IVursery-Grown Basswood Seedlings 5 to 9 inches high, at $2 00 per 100 ; 300 for $5 or $15,00 for 1000, Parties living east of the Mississippi river will be supplied direct from our Nurseries in Ohio, Satisfaction guaran- teed, A. H. FITCH, 702 Youngerman Bldg,. Des Moines, Iowa, 4 Atf Mention the American Bee Journal, ■tee-Koeper!.)' Photograph We have now on hand a limited number of ex- cellent photographs of prominent bee-keep- ers—a number of pictures on one card. The likeness of 4',t of them are shown on one of the photographs, and 121 on the other. We will send them, postpaid, for 50 cents each, mailing from the 121 kind first; then after they are all gone, we will send the 49 kind. So those who order first will get the most " faces" for their money. Send orders to the Bee Journal office. 110 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Feb. 13, another plant could hold. It is a valuable acquisition where its good qualities are known. Stock learn to eat it, and fowls revel in it, as it comes up so rank and green before other clovers. There was but little surplus honey stored in this locality during the past season, as the early part was very wet, followed by a severe drouth. The winter has been quite cool, with a number of frosts, yet there have been but a few days when bees did not fly and bring in pollen from the swamps. Intelligent bee-culture is moving slowly forward. Mrs. L. Harrison. St. Andrews Bay, Fla., Jan. 18. Breeding Out the Swarming Fever. Mr. Doolittle has given a nice solution of the question, but oh, dear! to think of breeding out the swarm fever — «f!'f?-, no never can this be accomplished ! Seasons may change the state of afl'airs, in which persons are led to believe certain theories have accomplished. Mr. D. may have a similar year to 1S70. Some three or four years ago I had colonies that swarmed five and six times, each being hived. Since that time I have not had a swarm, and do all I could to make them swarm, nary a swarm issued. There is nothing in it. Mr. D. God so created the busy little bee with the instinct to swarm, the same as he cre- ated in man the power of will to love God or reject his salvation. J. A. Goldex. Reinersville, Ohio. Fair Crop— Wintering Well. My last season's crop of honey was a fair one, mostly all white, from wild mustard and golden-rod. The bees are wintering well so far, in the cellars. Tracy, Minn., Jan. 28. Evan J. Davis. Good Report from Florida. My average yield for 1895, was 184 pounds of extracted honey from 2G colonies of hybrid bees, spring count, and increased to 46. H. F. Baker. Bristol, Fla., Jan. 31. Kesults of Three Seasons. The past was a very poor season for white honey in northeastern Ohio. Bass- wood buds were killed by frost, and white clover failed to secrete honey. My report is 2,000 pounds of honey, about 1,700 being extracted (all from fall bloom), from 50 colonies, spring count, many of them be- ing reduced to a mere handful and a queen in the spring. My crop is all sold at 10 cents for extracted, and 12^j for comb honey, besides selling 400 or .500 pounds for my neighbors. I now have 60 colonies. Although two of the past three seasons were counted poor in this section, yet I have secured a total of about 9,000 pounds the past three seasons, from an average of less than 50 colonies, spring count. Bees are wintering well. B. W. Peck. Richmond Centre, Ohio, Jan. 26. Black Bees — Doubling Swarms. Dr. Miller, I was just joking about the black bees. I felt good because I got a sur- plus when people 500 miles south of me didn't, but it is a fact that my blacks and hybrids have done better than my yellow beauties, and I think if you could have handled my bees they would have done much better. I raised 1,000 bushels of wl eat. 1,200 of oats, 500 of corn, 125 of rye, 600 of potatoes, and made 35 tons of hay, and only hired IS days' work in 1895. So I think my bees did well. Can we put two or more swarms into one hive ? My bees swarmed clear out of rea- son in 1895, so I tried doubling. I put 15 swarms into 5 hives, put 14 more into 7 hives, and run 4 back into the parent hive. Of the first, all came out queenless in three weeks ; of the second, 2 came out queenless ; and of the third, I found 2 without any bees, and solid full of honey when I went to put them into the cellar. I had two old colonies that swarmed five times each. S. M. Robertson. Grey Eagle, Minn., Jan. 18. Bees Did Not Do Well. The last two years the bees did not do well on account of the drouth. In 1894 they did not get enough, so I had to feed them to get them through the winter. The spring of 1895 .started out finely till the frost came about May 10, which killed all the blossoms, and the white clover was frozen out so badly that there was hardly any left. But the fall was good, and the bees had 275 pounds of surplus honey. I have 12 colonies. I pack them in two boxes, 8x3, and 3 feet high, and then put chaff all around. We have had a nice winter; it is so warm to-day (Jan. 22) that the bees are flying. Louis Harting. Arthur, Iowa. The Bee-Keepers' Guide: Or Manual of the Apiary, By Prof. A. J. Cook. This 15th and latest edition of Prof. Cook's magrnlflcent book of 460 pages, in neat and substantial cloth binding:, we propose lo give away to our present subscribers, for the work of getting NEW subscribers for the American Bee Journal. A description of the book here Is quite un- necessary— it is simply the most complete sci- entific and practical bee-book published to- day. Fully Illustrated, and all written in the most fascinating style. The author Is also too well-known to the whole bee-world to re- quire any introduction. No bee-keeper is fully equipped, or his library complete, with- out " The Bee-Keeper's Guide." For Two Bfe*v Subscribers and Your Own Renewal. Send us Two New Subscribers to the Bee Journal and your own renewal (with S^i.OO), and we will mall you a copy ot Prof. Cook's hook free as a premium, and also a copy of the leOpage ■ Bees and Honey" to each New Subscriber. Prof. Cook's book alone Is J1.25, or we club It with the Bee Journal for a year —both together for only $1.75. But surely anybody can get only 3 new subscribers to the Bee Journal for a year, and thus get the book as a premium. Let everybody try for it. Will you hare one f J >It >te iit .>fe. >K Jte. ite. >lt >fe. >!i >te. >{< ' ^ Q ORIGIML ^ h ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ BI\(illAM SMOKERS Wonderful Record I V Have Lasted 17 ^""^Ilbest on earth. Always Give Perfect Satlslaction. My cool Wire Handle and Bent Nose were patented 1892, are the original. my best Invention since my open or di- rect draft Patent. 1878. that revolu- tionized Bee-Smokers. My Handle and Nose Patent bent all the other smolier noses. None but Bingham Smokers have all the best improvements. If you buy genuine Biugliani Knio- kers and Honey-Knives you will never regret It. The " Doctor," !4-lnoh larger than any other smoker on the market— 3V4-inch stove, by mall, $1.50 Conqueror, 3 " *' " 1.10 Large, 3V4-ln. " " 100 Plain, 2-ln. " " .70 Little Wonder, 2-ln..wt. 10 oz. .60 Bingham & Helheringtun Hoiicy-Kiiivfs, 80 cents. . F. BiNGHAIU, Farwell, MIcU. 7Att Mention the Bee Journal. Tlie National Bec-Keeperslijioii ELECTION OF OFFICERS. The canvass of all the votes received up to the time of closing the polls, on February 1, 1896, showed tliat 153 ballots were received, and they were given to the Judges of Election to open and count. The following is their Report : Chicago, Feb. 5, 1 896. We, the Committee on Ballots of the National Bee-Keepers' Union, find the votes cast as follows, for Officers for 1896 : Total numberof votes cast, 153, of which one was blank. For President — Hon. R. L. Tavlor, 100; Dr. C. C. Miller, 17; Prof. A. J. Cook, 8; Hon. Eugene Secor, 5 ; A. I. Root, 5 ; G. M. Doolittle, 2 ; R. F. Holtermaun, 2. — W. Z. Hutchinson, James Heddon, Geo. W. Brodbeck, G. W. Demaree, P. H. Ehvood, C. P. Dadant, C. K. Decker, Chas. Dadant, C. P. Muth, Dr. J. P. H. Brown and Frank Benton, 1 each. For Vice-Presidents. Prof. A. J. Cook. 116; G. M. Doolittle, 115; Dr. C. C.Miller, 109; Hon. Eugene Secor.lOl; A.I.Root,91; G.W. York, 19; C. P. Dadant, 16; R. F. Holtermann, 16; Hon. R. L. Taylor, 14 ; E. R. Root, 14 ; C. F. Muth, 13; Geo. W. Brodbeck, 11; P. H. Ehvood, 9; Dr. A. B. Mason, 8; G. W. Demaree, 8 ; Frank Benton, 7 ; W. Z. Hutchinson, 6 ; James Heddon, 6 ; Charles Dadant, 5; Hon. Geo. E. Hilton, 5; J. H. Martin, 4.— Jas. A. Stone, B. France, Thos. G. Newman, Rev. E. T. Abbott and Mrs. J. Atchley, 3 each. — Wm. McEvoy, J. A. Green, C. A. Hatch and R. Wilkin, 2 each. — B. Taylor, R. McKnight, Bob IngersoU, C. S. Burlev, G. G. Baldwin, James Arnott, H. G. Acklin, H. C. Wheeler, J. LaRue, O. C. Blanchard, M. H. Mendleson, Captain J. E. Hetherington, Wm. Muth-Rasmussen, C. Theilmann, L. A. Aspinwall, J. C. Wheeler, Dr. .1. P. H. Brown, D. P. Steven- son, E. A. Boone, J. T. Calvert, Mathias Hettel, D. C. McLeod, O. M. Pierson and A. W. Spracklen, 1 each. For General Manager. Sec. and Treas. Thomas G. Newman, 142 : Geo. W. York, 4.-C. C. Miller, J. A. Green, J. T. Calvert, M.H. Mendleson and R. Dumphmore, 1 each. RespectfuUj' submitted, C. C. Miller, I Committee Geo. W. York, f ^"nmitiee. The old Officers are therefore all re- elected, to serve for another year. Thomas G. Newman, 147 .South Western Ave., Chicago, 111. Botanical \ 3 A 8 1 COMB FOUNDATION ivhole:s4l.e: and KETAII^. Are you going to buy Foundation for Cash, or have you Wax to sell or trade lor Foundation and other Supplies 'I Have you ih lbs or more of Wax that you want made Into Foundation ? It so, do not fail to write me lor samples and prices. I make a specialty of working up Wax by the lb., and do It very cheap during the winter. Beeswax wanted at all times. GCS DITTMER, AUGUSTA, WIS. Reference— Augusta Bank. 16AtE Mention tix: American Bee Journal. Question;) -Box^ In the multitude of counsellors there is safety. — Prov. 11-14. The Best Siir|>lug Arrangement. Query 5.— What do you thinkthe best sur- plus arrangement— wide frames, or what ?— Ga. Prof. A. J. Cook— I like the T super. Mrs. L. Harrison — One-pound sections. Dr. C. C. Miller — T supers suit me the best of all I've tried. Dr. J. P. H. Brown — Top storing in section cases or holders. W. R. Graham — I prefer sections or half-depth shallow frames. H. D. Cutting — I have used the T super with the best results. R. L. Taylor^Wide frames, if cor- rectly made. Next to that is the Hed- don case. J. M. Hambaugh — Were I a comb- honey specialist, I think I would use the Miller T super. C. H. Dibberii — I have a method of my own that I prefer to either wide frames or the tin T super. P. H. Elwood — I have used wide frames and other styles, and do not find very much difference. G. M. Doolittle — I use wide frames, and enjoy them much more than any " or what " ever invented. E. Prance — I use a slatted super hold- ing sections enough to cover the frames. Set it on over the brood-nest. Emerson T. Abbott — A super with pattern-slats in the bottom, with fol- lowers and wedges at the side and end. W. G. Larrabee — I use a slatted bot- tom super that holds 16 pounds, two to cover the top of the hive, which I like best. Jas. A. Stone— 4^x4: J^x2-inch sec- tions, in section-cases, on wood strips cut the shape of the bottoms of the sec- tions. Allen Pringle — I presume you mean for sections. If so, then my answer is, I have never seen anything yet that suited me as well as the wide frames. J. A. Green — Section-holders. These are wide frames for one tier of sections with separators, but no top-bar, fitting closely into an outer case, with bee- space at the top. G. W. Demaree — I have tried almost everything, and I like the T cases best of all. The " wide frame" is the worst of all the sticky traps I have thrown away, or met with. J. E. Pond — I use the wide frame, and so fir have found it satisfactory. Sev- eral kinds of surplus arrangements are used, but I have so far " stuck to " the old plan of wide frames. B. Taylor — T supers with my slotted separators make the finest finished sec- tions of anything I have used. I shall try single-tier wide frames without any case in connection with the new separa- tors next season, and report. Eugene Seeor — If you mean by wide frames some such arrangement as the new Heddon super, that is all right. If you mean the old Root idea of sections in wide frames, I don't like them. The new wide-frame section-holder is good. Also the T super. Rev. M. Mahin — I have found wide frames pretty good, and yet after hav- ing used a small number of them at sev- eral times, I have discarded them, and I can hardly tell why. What I am using cow is a little like the Heddon case, if I know what that is. •imimuuiiuuiiiiiiuuiiiiuuimuiimi^ 3 buUUEbSr UL npowFPR E ^ Si'RAY THEIR TREES. C jTHE DEMINC SPRAY PUMPSP ARE THE "WORLD'S BEST" fc 3 Send for complete catalogue and treatise on t 1 spraying. mailed FEEE. The DEMINC CO. E I Henion & Hubbell, C!.ia«« ^i.-^ P i Western Acts., Chicago, III. S»alem, OhrO. ^ •TTmTTTnTTTmTTTTTTTHmTTtTTTTTTTTTTTmm* Mcnloyn the .American Bee Jownial, MUTH'S HONET EZTHACTOB PERFECTION Gold-Blast Smoker*! Square Glaan Honey Jars, Ete. For Circulars, apply to Chas. F. Mdth & Son. Cor. Freeman <& Central Aves., Cincinnati, O. Send lOo for Practical Hints to Bee-Keepers. Menlkm Uie Jlmerican Bee JcuvnaL If You Plant the RIGHT SEED. My new handsomely illustrated I l^EED BOOK tells all about the ( I I 0!*t. varieties of Onions and Every- " " ling of interest in the Seed Line ; 'iDw to Krow and market ve^etHbles n iccesfifully — FKEE if you wri'e D it, once— to-day. a^"P. O. Bos Ca7 H. W. BUCKBEE. ROCKFORD SEED FARMS, Meiiilon tJie American Bee Journal. TAKE NOTICE! "DEFORE; placing your orders for SUP- -*-* PLIES, write for prices on 1-Piece Bass- wood Sections, Bee-Hlves, Shipping -Crates, Frames, Foundation, Smokers, etc. PAGE & LYON mPG. CO. NEW LONDON, WIS. Mentimi the American Bee Journal, Have You Plenijf of Money ? And land? Then buy all kinds of wire fences offered, and give them a fair test. Such an ob.iect lesson will prove valuable for yourself, your iioitrhbors, and the PAGE WOVEN WIRE FENCE CO., Adrian, Mich. Mention tlie American Bee Journal. t^' IF YOU WANT THE BEE-BOOK That covers the whole Apicultural Field more completely than any other published, send Sl.'iu to Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont. Calif., for his Bee-Keeper's Guide. Iiiberal Discounts to the Trade. 112 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Feb. 6, 1896. Bottom Prices BRIKO U§ BIG TRADE. OUOD «OOD!$ KEEP IT. HILL, If you want the best supplies that can be made at a little less cost than you can buy the same goods for elsewhere, write to us for low prices. 1896 Catalogue now ready —ask for it and a free copy of The Ameri- can Bee-Keeper (36 pages). Address, THEW.T.FALCOKERMFG.CO., JAMESTOWN, N. Y. Meiition theA.merican Bee Journal. EVERGREENS! iiid Ornjimental trees, Kursery trmv.n. 2ii0 Choice Evercreen'-, lO varieties ?;2. 400 Ornamental trees. 6 varieties, it'l: 6 other $5 and ¥10 bargains, KKi Scutch ■ Pine, .'ft. hit;h, ^; 1,000 10 to 12 iiifhes '$10. All other varieties and size.s cheap. Local .Agents Wanted, St^nd for Illustrated Oataloyue FREE. Evergreen Specialistf DUNDEE, ILLINOIS. Please mention the Bee Journal. HEADQUARTERS for ROOTS' GOODS Can supply you with all the Fixtures used in an Apiary. Best Goods at Lowest Prices. Cat- alogue free. 5 ^\^ discount until March Ist. JNO. NEBEE. & SON, UigU Hill, ITIo. Mtiniion the American Be Jouma. iAtf The Rural Kansan Is an Agricultural Journal tor the busy farm- er. It embraces Bee-Keepiog' and every de- partment of industry connected with the farm. 30 cts. a year, monthly. Sample Free. ^i/e"o" Higginsville Bee-Supplies hand. Catalogue Free. UEISTRY L. MILT,ER, Zoo Shawnee Ave , Topeka, Kan. lA13t Mention the American Bee Joumac FOR SALE. ALSIKE, CRIMSON. ITALIAN. ALFALFA, or WHITE CLOVER SEED. 4A8t WM. CRAIG, Lnce, micli. Mention tlw American Bee Joums',',. ^iieeii-Clippiug Derice. I want the address of all who clip Queens and have even the least trouble either in catching or holding- them while they are be- ing dipt. I have invented a Device by which it is IMPOSSIBLE to injure a Queen ei- ther In catching or clipping, unless it is done purposely. With it they are caught and clipt any way desired almost instantly. One does not have to louch the Queen with his hands, whatever. Price, postpaid, 50 cts. Send for Free Circular. C. MONETTE, 6Atf CHATFIELD, Fillmore Co.. MINN. BETC'C QUEENS H ■ ^^k Smokers. Sections . H ■ k ^Bk Comb Foiin elation, ■ ■ II V -^i>0 Fiftli Avenue. We keep no other goods there. We make a specialty of Veils sind Veil Stiift.s of best quality, cotton and silk. Langstroth on the Honey-Bee, Revised. Bee-Keepers' Supplies, Smokers, Sections, Tin Pails, etc.3 Samples of Foiindation ami Xiille FREE with Circular. Instructions to beginners with Circular. BEESWAX 1VA]XXEI>. Send us your address. CHAS. DADANT & SON. ulevtwn the American Bee J oumai. HAMELTON, Hancock Co. LLI.. CASH PAID FOR BEESWAX For all the gfood, pure yello'w BEES"WAX delivered to our oiBce on or before Feb. 20, 1896, we will pay 26 ceuts per pound, cash ; or 30 cents for whatever part is exchanged for Bee Journal subscription or books that we offer. If you want casta promptly for wax, send it on at opce. Dark or impure wax not taken at any price. Address plainly, George W. York & Co., 56 Fifth Ave., Chicago, III. mm^, B^EE-MIVES. ^HIPPMG-@ASES We make a Specialty of these Goods, and defy Competition in QXTA.ILiIT'S", ■WOR,K:ik4A.llislirn is the title of Farmers' Bulletin No. 31, issued by the Department of Agriculture at Washington, D. C, some time ago. It not only gives excellent illustrations of alfalfa, but an immense amount of information in the line of its cultiva- tion and value as a forage plant. A copy of this Bulletin can be had for the asking. Write for it if you are interested — and what bee-keeper is not interested in so valuable a honey -yielder as alfal- fa has proven itself to be in certain localities of our country ? V. I. Sage A: Son Failure. — We were greatly surprised to see in the New York Journal of Commerce and Commercial Bul- letin, for Feb. 10, an account of the failure of F. I. Sage & Son, on Feb. 8. This firm have been well-recommended for a long time, and we had every reason to believe them an honorable firm, but it seems they left things in pretty bad shape, for from the published account they very suddenly left for parts unknown. We hope no bee-keeper has lost through them, though we fear they have, for this firm dealt largely in honey as well as other farm produce. Some of their creditors think the liabilities are all the way from $25,000 to .$50,000. P. I. Sage & Son were originally from Wethers- field, Conn. ■*-»-*• Xliat Heuton Uee-ltook Hon. Eugene Secor of Forest City, Iowa, has this suggestion to offer in regard to Bulletin No. 1, prepared by Mr. Benton : Mr. Editor:— Let me suggest to the readers of the American Bee Journal that they write to their Congressmen for a copy of bulletin No. 1. issued by the Department of Agriculture, called "The Honey-Bee." It was written by Frank Benton, of the Divi- sion ot Entomology. It is a book of 118 pages, well written, clearly printed, and handsomely illustrated. The reason they ought to write to their Congressmen is that the limited number of copies already printed is exhausted. No more can be issued with- out an appropriation. If they ask their Congressman for a copy, he will know they are interested in the matter, and will be more likely to vote for a resolution authorizing the Secretary ot Agriculture to print an- other edition. A resolution has already been introduced, to authorize the printing of 20,000 more. You might say to him, if he cannot get a copy you hope he will use his influence and vote for the passage of this resolution. This will inform our National Legislators that there is such an industry as bee-keeping — a fact which perhaps many of them do not know, and it may aid us in procuring further legislation in our Interests. Eugene Secor. Mr. Secor's suggestion is a good one. We regretted that it came just a little too late for our last issue, but it may yet result in much good to do as directed. It can surely do no harm, and as Mr. Secor says, "it may aid in procuring further legislation in our interests." That's a good point. Let those Washington folks know there is such an industry as bee-keeping, by literally flood- ing them with requests for copies of Bulletin No. 1, called "The Honey-Bee," by Frank Benton. A review of this Bulletin we expected to give this week, but there was not room for it. We wUl try it again next week. V. IE. Ilorrie & Co. — In a recent editorial referring to this well-advertised firm of Chicago honey-dealers (?), we men- tioned their having bought all the list of names of bee-keepers from Mr. Hutchinson that he had for sale. We did not intend to even intimate that Mr. Hutchinson furnished the names after Horrie & Co.'s unsatisfactory dealings with bee-keepers were known. Mr. H. let them have the names befure be had received a single complaint against them, or of course he wouldn't have sold them the names for any price. We understand that Horrie & Co. will drop the honey part of their business. It is a great pity that they didn't stop before they began it. Many bee-keepers would be better off now if they had done so. We personally and very strongly advised them to get out of the honey-business long ago, as we decided, after learning of their way of doing business, that they knew no more about the honey-business than a boy 10 years old. Commission for Selling' Honey.— Dr. Miller writes us as follows on the percentage charged by Chicago commission- men for handling honey : Mr. Editor:— I got myself into trouble when I said that 5 per cent, was the regular commission for selling honey in Chicago. As I have already said, that statement shows that I haven't very re- cently shipped honey to commission-men in Chicago. Please say to the friends that no more of them need write to correct me. I think I am correct in saying that in past years 5 per cent, was the regular thing, no matter whether the amount sent amounted to a dollar or a hundred dollars. But from what a number write, I can hardly make out just what is the rule now, or whether there is any fixed rule upon which all the Chicago houses are agreed. Some say 10 per cent, on all amounts under SlOO and 5 per. cent on amounts over, but others say they have been charged 10 per cent, on amounts of more than .saOO. Now can you tell us anything about what the rule is, or is there any rule ? C, C. Miller. Doctor, we have about concluded that there is a " rule " on the subject among commission-men, and that rule is to charge 10 per cent, on any and every shipment, unless the shipper makes too big a " kick. " We think it is all right to charge 10 per cent, on a ship- ment amounting to lexs than .*100, but to charge the same per cent, on a liuY/er sale is next door to robbery, in our opinion. An Iowa bee-keeper writes us that S. T. Fish & Co. charged him 10 per cent, on a shipment amounting to over .$200; and a Utah honey-producer says in a private letter that J. A. Lamon charged him 10 per cent, on a shipment that sold for over .S500. We have come to the conclusion that bee-keepers can well afford to peddle their own honey from door to door, rather than hire commission-men to sell it, and, besides, stand the freight, cart- age, and possible breakage or leakage. Coal-<»il Can IVands.— After reading the following letter received by a Chicago honey-dealing firm, from one of their customers, we think you will agree with us in saying that it is a fraud to use second-hand coal oil cans for holding honey: Dear Sirs:— I am very sorry to inform you that I have just returned all of your last shipment of extracted honey. I thought that the California sage was all right, but 1 found, on heating a couple of cans (as we always do to melt the grain), that the honey had been packed in coal-oil cans, and I did not detect the fraud until the heat developed the oil. You will find that the honey is worthless, and should be returned to the producer at his expense. One can seemed to be worse than any of the others, so I emptied it into a clean can and cut the top out to see just what condition it was really in. On the inside I found that the oil had not been washed out at all— the sides of the can are covered with oil so 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 121 much that the honey don't stick to the tin. I sent the empty can along so that you can see for yourselves. Just examine that empty can — it shows premeditated fraud — — the cap has been changed from the original top to the bottom for the purpose of covering up the stamp of the oil company. Now, I claim that the commission merchants are largely to blame for such vandalism. All you would have to do, would be to notify California producers that oil packages would not under any cir- cumstances be accepted. Yours very truly. Honey-Man. We cannot understand how any bee-keepers can have the "gall," or the poor business sense, to use cans that have had coal- oil in them, for holding honey, when they ought to know that the flavor of honey is very easily affected and totally injured. What poor policy it is to try to save a few cents orf cans, and run the risk of having the honey ruined and made wholly unfit for use! Surely, no readers of the American Bee Journal would be guilty of such an act, but if they know any bee-keeper using old coal-oil cans for honey, they should try to stop it if at all possible, for by the wrong-doing of one, or a few, the whole fraternity must some- times suffer. ^-•-♦^ ms»>oiiri Agriciiltitrnl Report. — We have just re- ceived a copy of The 37th Annual Report of the State Board of Agriculture of Missouri for 1S94, prepared by Secretary J. R. Rippey. It is a book of over 350 pages, bound in cloth, and is a credit to the State and its Board of Agriculture. We presume the book is for free distribution in Missouri. About 25 pages of the book are devoted to " Bee-Keeping," in which appear some of the discussions, as well as a number of essays read, at the St. Joseph, Mo., convention of the North American Bee-Keepers' Association held in 1894. We shouldn't wonder if to ex-President E. T. Abbott is due the credit for the fine showing which bee-keeping receives in the Re- port. When introducing the subject of " Bee-Keeping " — after mentioning the meeting of the North American at St. Joseph— the Report says : This society represents the industry in the United States and Canada, and as apiculture is a growing and important branch of agriculture, we have thought best to give it a considerable space in this Report. While it may not seem to have become sufficiently advanced locally to justify giving it so much attention, yet we feel that bee-keeping is of very great importance to the farmers of the State. It already adds largely to the income of our people, and we firmly believe that the profits derived therefrom will be greatly increased in the near future, as our citizens become more acquainted with the tools and methods of modern apiculture and its possibilities in our State. There is scarcely a locality in the State where a few bees may not be kept, and some parts of the State are especially suited to the profitable carrying on of this in- dustry in connection with mixed farming. As advanced methods of agriculture are introduced, and our people, as a result of this, give more attention to the growing of berries, orchards, small fruits and the clovers, the possibilities of apiculture in the State of Missouri will be greatly increased. Be- lieving this to be true, and thinking that it would be in many ways profitable to our readers, we present herewith a lengthy report of the doings of the convention referred to above. Buying- to Sell Again. Labeling the honey that a bee-keeper buys to supply his customers after his own crop is sold is being discussed a little. Getting up labels praising one's honey as being peculiarly su- perior to that produced by others, and then buying houey and selling It under such labels would be deception. As labels are usually worded, and as honey is usually bought and sold, I doubt If there will usually be any deception If both lots of honey are sold under the same label. I have bought and sold a great deal of honey, but I don't know as the question vyas ever asked me If the honey was of my own production, although I have frequently told customers that the honey was some that came from so and so, but they never seemed to man- ifest any particular interest in the matter. As a rule, I think people don't carg who produces the honey so long as it is good. I certainly would not word a label In such a way as to deceive. It may be that some labels are unintentionally deceptive, and If a man is making a business of buying and selling it might be well to have his labels so worded that no one could be de- ceived even if he tried to be. — Review Editorial. Age of Bees. Early last May I hived a swarm of Italians, and next day I found their queen dead under the alighting-board. I gave the colony a queen-cell. The weather was unusually cool at the time, and, several weeks after, I noticed that the hive was queenless ; and on opening it I found that the young queen had never emerged from the cell. Laying-workers being pre- sent, no effort was made to requeen. In July, noticing that the hive was very heavy, and fearing robbers, I removed the hive and substituted a three-frame nucleus hive on the same stand, and drove the bees from the old hive with smoke. They took refuge In the nucleus hive, which was furnished with frames filled with foundation. Desiring to see how long they would live without a queen, and hoping that they would draw out the foundation, I let the bees remain In the nucleus hive all summer. They drew out the foundation In one frame in a patch about 5 inches In diameter, and survived until October 16, when the last one perished. This Is evidence that bees may survive for six months of summer — an occurrence that seems a little unusual in view of what is usually taught In the books. The swarm was secondary, and the queen, conse- quently, a virgin, and no brood was reared, so that the last survivor was over six months old. — Gleanings. Beginning of the Bee-Year. The German wise heads say the bee-keepers' year does not begin either with spring or with January, but with Octo- ber 1. There, now ! All my records and things are adjusted to a bee-year beginning October -J:. I'm within three days of it — just by the fortuitous circumstances of buying the apiary on that day. And the experience of so many years shows me that It Is Indeed just the proper place to divide year from year. — E. E. Hasty, in Review. Quoting Honey at More Than Actual Market Prices. Both in and out of the convention I learned that some of the houses, not only In Chicago, but other cities as well, had been making a practice of making special high quotations — at all events, considerably higher than it would be possible for them to realize In the open market. The object of this, off course, was to get consignments from bee-keepers ; and in this they suceeded admirably. Well, having received the consign- ments these firms in many cases do not scruple to meet the sharpest corapetion in the open market, irrespective of what , they had promised in the way of returns to the bee-keeper; and the honey will be sold for several cents lower per pound. Of course, there is complaint; but the commission house gets out of It by claiming a loss In leakage, broken-down comb honey, or poor quality all round. Again, they will claim to sell at quotations. They will quote at, say, 15 cts. per lb., and realize to the bee-keeper perhaps S cts. They claim that the honey was sold at 15 cts.; but after taking out the cart- age, freight, commission, leakage, and other little items, they will work It around somehow so as to net the bee-keeper only 8 cents. — Gleanings Editorial. A Few Healthy Dont's for Beginners. In the first place, don't get too many colonies to start with. Two is enough, not more than four or five at the out- side. After having secured your start, don't be In too much of a hurry about increasing your colonies. Don't divide them into a number of small colonies and expect to be able to get a crop of honey. With your limited experience you will simply sacrifice your honey crop for Increase, and still have no expe- rience In what Is essential for a beginner to learn — the art of holding colonies advantageously for securing a crop of honey. Have patience, and don't try to go too fast. Let your efforts be directed to getting your colonies strong for the honey-flow, and always do all you can to discourage swarming rather than encourage It, and then you will find they will increase as fast or faster than your growing knowledge will enable you to handle them proficiently. After having started In the spring, and had one summer's experience, don't spend your time the following winter Invent- ing a hive that will revolutionize the bee-keeping world, for hives and frames of every conceivable size and shape have been tried, and over a quarter of a century of experience by 122 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Feb. 20. the leading scientific bee-keepers has decided., that the hives aad frames now catalogued as standard by all supply dealers are the nearest approach to perfection that has yet been attained. Don't buy hives that take other than a standard frame, for they are sure to be a vexation to you in the end. Don't conduct new and costly experiments in your apiary until you have had several years of experience in the more common methods of bee-keeping. By that time you will have learned enough to let the other fellow do the experimenting. Experimenting is costly business, as I happen to know by experience. I followed this will-o'-the-wisp two or three years and made some grand inventions and many new and important discoveries, but just as I was about to turn them over to the bee-keeping public and become its everlasting benefactor, I invariably found that some other seeker had been there 10 or 15 years before, and that the thing I had spent so much time and money on had long since been discarded for having no other merit than incumbrance. And so it will be with any that go beyond their light. Don't fail to get one or two good standard works on bees, and study them carefully. Besides, subscribe to one or more bee journals, or as many as you can afford. I know the beginner is apt to think he cannot afford any, but the truth is, if he has but one or two colonies of bees, lie cannot afford to do without them. I take six, and my name is not Vanderbilt either, but I get so much practical good out of them I cannot afford to do with less. — Ed. Jolley, in American Bee-Keeper. Shade for Hives. Sunflowers make a neat, effectual and desirable shade for hives. The seed must be planted early and the ground rich in order to have the plants large enough to furnish shade dur- ing the hot days of June and July. Plant five or six seeds in a row four feet long and a foot south of each hive. As the plants grow they can be thinned out if necessary. A sunflower apiary is decidedly picturesque. — Review. Slaking a Feed-Syrup for Bees. At the Home of the Honey-Bees they now incline toward a feed-syrup made by putting cold water into the extractor and pouring in sugar while the reel is run. Continue running the thing 10 or 15 minutes. Proportions half and half; or two of water to three of sugar for late feeding. No clubs — but if we follow all of Ernest's feeding plans will not Lincoln's story of the college graduate who came home and plowed, and followed too strictly his father's direction to " drive directly toward the black heifer " — will not that just about describe the crookedness of our furrow 1 — E. E. Hasty, in Review. CONOnCTED BY DR. J. P. II. BROWnsr, AUGUSTA, GA, [Please send all questions relating to bee-keeping In the South direct to Dr. Brown, and he will answer in this department.— Eds. 1 Most L.ikel}- a L.Byins-W^orker. Dr. Brown :— What is best to do in the following case ? I looked through my hives yesterday (being a warm day) for the first time since Nov. 25. I found all had plenty of stores, and appeared to be strong and healthy, but in one colony I found on the center comb a little patch of drone-brona in worker-cells about three inches square. The brood was partly sealed and partly unsealed. I could not find the queen, but I I am not sure that they are queenless, for none of my other queens are laying yet, and this colony had a very fine queen all last year, and was the gentlest 5-banded colony I had. Do you think it is possible that a laying-worker is the cause of it? I shall^Iook at them again in a few days — the next warm day — it has been very cold since. The only reason I think it is drone-brood is because it stands out about 14-inch beyond the comb when sealed, and is regular in every cell for about 3 inches square, and all in worker-cells on foundation. Where do the eggs come from ? None of the other queens are laying yet. Fruit generally blooms here sometime during February, and they should be starting now. P. C. D. R. Abilene, Tex., Jan. 11. Answer. — The colony you refer to has either a very small unimpregnated queen, or a laying-worker — most likely the latter. The brood is drone. As soon as you can, give them a frame of unsealed brood to assist and encourage them. They may start queen-cells, but the queens would be of no service from the fact of you having no drones to fertilize them. Still, by giving a frame of brood occasionally you can preserve the colony until you get drones and then allow them to rear a queen. Before this you had better not allow any queen-cells to mature. Bee.Smokers — Bee-Quills. There is a great deal in being used to a thing, I know, and sometimes it is mighty hard for an old fogy to get used to some of the new-fangled ideas that are set afloat now-a-days. When I began bee-keeping, or rather, when I began " to put on style " in bee-keeping, I did not want to spend much money buying new fixtures. Of course, I had to buy a smoker — not that I could not get along without it (we had been getting along with a roll of rags a long time), but I wanted my neigh- bors to see that I was progressive — I wanted to get ahead by getting something new. I bought a Clark smoker — I got used to it — learned to handle it, and liked it very much. I found one objection to it — it would not last alicays. So, after about ten years, I concluded to buy another smoker, and sent to my supply dealer for a Clark smoker, but when I began to smoke with that smoker, I smoked myself instead of the bees — it smoked the wrong way. I sold it to a neighbor, and began to manufacture my own smokers (not for sale) because all the catalogues I could get showed that smoker all twisted out of shape. Not a word have I seen written against the change, and sometimes I wonder if all the good writers are really bee-keepers. Sometimes I think may be the manufacturers are not interested as much in handling bees as in the manufacture of supplies. How practical bee- keepers can tolerate a so-called Clark smoker, with the bel- lows opening next to the nozzle, I cannot understand. Every time it is opened and shut it is a banter to the bees, which they are sure to resent. Has any one ever suggested that the change was an improvement ? QUILTS OVER THE FRAMES. On page 46 Mr. Thos. Thurlow asks: "What do people use quilts on top of the frames for? What do they do with them when they get covered with propolis," etc.? I use a quilt made of smooth cotton cloth, usually called "sheeting," as a covering for the frames or sections, to con- fine the bees in their proper place, because it is cheaper and more easily handled than a board cover. When the quilts get pretty well covered with propolis and wax, I give them a good ironing with an iron just warm enough to melt the wax when moved slowly over them several times, and then I have an ideal quilt — a quilt that will keep the bees dry, should there happen to be a leak in the hive- cover. I use the gable hive-cover. I kuow nothing of the ripping and cracking that run the bees crazy, but I suggest that when the propolized cloth over a full colony of bees is so very hard that it breaks with a crash, the hive should not be opened unless the bees need feed- ing, as they will surely be injured by exposure to the cold. Bessemer, Ala. C. C. Parsons. tW Bee-keeping offers additional funds to the poorly paid ; out-door air to clerk and office-hand ; healthful exercise to the person of sedentary habits ; opportunity for the poor to reap what would otherwise go to waste ; and superior recrea- tion to the student, teacher and professional man, especially to him whose life-work is of that dull, hum-drum, routine order that seems to rob life of all zest. — Prof. Cook. Xbe mcEvoy Foul Brood Xreatment is given in Dr. Howard's pamphlet on "Foul Brood; Its Natural History and Rational Treatment." It is the latest publication on the subject, and should be in the hands of every bee-keeper. Price, 25 cents ; or clubbed with the Bee Journal for one year —both for $1.10. Every Present Sul»scril>er of the Bee Journal should be an agent for it, and get all others possible to sub- scribe for it. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 123 Book Premiums for Getting New Subscribers For each New Subscriber to the American Bee Journal sent us by a present subscriber, we will give as a Premium 40 cents' ^vortll of the Books, Pamphlets, etc., described on this page — figuring on the retail price given in connection with each book, etc.. below, This is a very easy way to get a lot of most excellent literature. Free Copy of " BEES AND HONEY " to Every New Subscriber. Yes, in addition to the above offer, we will mail free a copy of Newman's 160-page " Bees and Honey " — premium edition— to each new subscriber, NOW IS JUST THE TIME to work for big lists of New Subscribers. The American Bee Journal List Sliould Easily Be DOUBLED on these Liberal OITers. BEE-BOOKS SEXT POSTPAID BV Geor£:e W. York & Co., Chicago, Ills. Bees and Huney, or Management of au Apiary Cor Pleasure and Protlt, by Thomas G. Newman. — This edition has been lur^uly re-written, thoroughly revised, and Is " fully up with the times " In all the (mprovements and Inventions In this rapldly-devel- Oplng pursuit, and presents the apiarist with everything that can aid In the successful manage- ment of an apiary, and at the same time produce the most honey In an attractive condition. It con- tains 250 pages, and 245 Illustrations— Is beautifully printed In the highest style of the art, and bound In cloth, gold-lettered. Price, 51.0U. X^angstroth on the Honey-Bee, revised by Dadaut— This classic In bee-culture, has been entirely re-wrltten. and Is fully Illustrated. It treats of everything relating to bees and bee-keep- ing. No apiarian library Is complete without this standard worit by Kev. \u L. i>anEstroth — the Father of American Bee-Culture. It has 520 pages; bound In cloth. Price, postpaid, $1.25. Bee-Reepers* Guide, or Manual of the Apiary, by Prof. A. J Cook, of the Michigan Agri- cultural College.— This book Is not only instructive and helpful as a guide In bee keei'lng, but Is interesting and thoroughly practical and sclentlflc. Itcontatns a full delineation of the anatomy and physiology of bees. 4fiO pages ; bound In cloth and fully Illustrated. Price, postpaid, $1.25. Scientific Qiieen-Kearlns, as Practically Applied, by G. ai. Doollttle.— A method by which the very best of yueen-Bees are reared In perfect accord with Nature's way. ITfl pages, bound In Cloth, and illustrated. Price, $1.00. A B C of Bee-Culture, by A. I. Root.— A cyclopiedla of 4tK) pages, describing everything pertaining to the care of the honey-bees. It con- tains ai>0 engravings. It was written especially for beginners Bound in cloth. Price, $1.25. Advanced Bee-Culture, Its Methods and Management, by W. Z. Hutchinson.— The author of tills work Is too well known to net'd further description of his book. He Is a practical and entertaining writer. You should road his book. DO pages, bound In paper, and Illustrated. Price, 50 cts. Rational Bee-KeepInK, by Dr. John Dzlerzon —This is a translation of his latest German book on bee-culture. It has 350 pages; bound In cloth, $1.25; Id paper covers. $1.00 Blenen-Kultur, by Thomas G. Newnan.— This Is a German translation of theprlnclpr' por* tlonof the book called Bees of Honey. 10^ page pamphlet. Price, 40 cents. Convention Hand-Book, for Bee-Keepers. Thomas G. Newman.— it contains the parliamen- tary law and rules of order for Bee-Conventions— also Constitution and By-Laws, with subjects for discussion, etc. Cloth, gold-lettered. Price, 25 ots. AmerikaiilHclie Bleiienziiclit* by Hans Buschbauer.- Printed in German. A hand-book on bee-keeping, piving the methods in use by the best American and German apiarists. Illustrated; 13S pages. Price, $i.no_ Tliirtv Years Among the Bees, by Henry Alley.— Gives the results of over a quarter- century's experience in rearing queen-bees. Very lateslworkof thekind. Nearly luo pages. Price, 5uc. Wliy Eat Honey ?— This Leaflet is intend- ed for FREE distribution, to create a Local Market. 100 copies, by mail, 4u cts.: 5C)U lor$l.50; lOOti, $2.00. 8^^ If 5(X» or more are ordered at one time, your name and address will be printed on them FKEE. How to Keep Honey and preserve its richness and flavor. Price same as "Why Eat Honey. Apiary Resister, by Thos. G. Newman.— Devotes two pages to a colony. Leather binding. Price, for 50 colonies, f I.OO; for 100 culonles, $1.25. Preparation of Honey for the Market* Including the productlun and care of comb and extracted huney. A chapter from Bees and HuXKV. Price. 10 cents. Bee-Pasturat^e a Necessity.— This book sug gests what and how to plan U Is a chapter fron Bees and Uu.nev. Price, 10 cents. Tbe Hive I Use, by G. M. DooUttle. It details his manag-ement of bees, and methods of producing comb honey^ Price, 5 cents. Dr. HoYTard^s Book on Fotil Brood. —Gives the McEvoy Treatment and reviews the ex- periments of others. Price, 25 cts. Dictionary of Aplculiure, by Prof. John Phin. Gives the correct meaning of nearly 500 api- cullural terms. Price. 5(i cts. Winter Problem In Bee-Keeping, by G. R. Pierce. Result of 25 years' experience. 50 cte. Handling Bees, by Chas. Dadant & Son.— A Chapter from Langstroth Revised. Price, 8 cts. Bee-Keepers' Directory, by H. Alley.— Latest methods in Queen-Rearing, etc. Price, 50c. Foul Brood Treatment, by Prof. F. R. Cheshire.— Its Cause and Prevention. Price, 10 cts. Foul Brood, by A. R. Kohnke.— Origin. Development and Cure. Price, 25 cts. History of Bee-Associaiions, and Brief Re- ports of the first 20 conventions. Price. 15 cts. Honey as Food and ITIedicine, by T. G. Newman.— A 32-page pamphlet : just the thing to create a demand for himey at home. Should be scattered freely. Contains recipesfor Honey-Cakes, Cookies. Puddings, Foam, Wines, and uses of honey for medicine. Prices, prepaid—Single copy, 5 cts.; 10 copies. 35 cts.: 50forfl.50: nxtfor $2.5u; 250 for $5.50; 500 for $10.00; or lOdO for$l5.oo. "When 250 or more are ordered, we will print the bee-keeper's card (free ot cost) on the front cover page. Bee-Keeping: for Profit, by Dr. G. L. Tinker.- Revised and enlarged. It details the au- thor's " new system, or how to get thelargest yields of comb or extracted honey." 8o p. ; illustrated. 2oc. Emersou Binders, made especially for the Bee Jot'KNAL, are convenient for preserving each number as fast as received. Not mailable to Canada, Price. 75 cts. Commercial Calculator, by C. Ropp.— A ready Calculator, Business Arithmetic and Ac- count-Book combined m one. Every farmer and businessman should have it. JJo. 1, bound in water proof leatherette. caU tlnish. Price, 4n cts. Ko. 2 in tine artificial leather, with pocket, silicate slate, and account-book. Price, 60 cts. Oreen'N Fonr Books, by Chas. A. Green. —Devoted to, 1st. How We Made the Old Farm Pay; 2nd. Peacii Culture; 3rd. How to Propagate Fruit- Plants, Vines and Trees; 4th. General Fruit In- structor. Nearly 120 pages. Fully illustrated. 25 cts. Green's Six Books on Fruit-Culture, by Chas. A. Green.— Devoted 1st, to Apple and Pear Culture; 2nri. IMuni and Cherry Culture; 3rd, Rasii- berry and Blackberry Culture; 4th. Grape Culture; 5th, Strawberry Culture. 129 pp.; illustrated. 25 cts. Garden and Orcliard, by Chas. A. Green. -Gives full instructions in Thinning and Marketing Fruits; Pruning, Planting and ('uitivating; Spray- ing. Evaporation. Cold Storage, Etc. U4 pages, illus- trated. Price. 25 cts. Kendall's Horse-Book. — 35 pictures, showing positions of sick horses, and treats on all their diseases. English or German. Price, 25 cts. Silo and $llage, by Prof. A J. Cook.— It gives the method in operation at the Michigan Agri- cultural College. Price. 25 cts. Ijumber and I^og- Book. — Gives meas- urements of lumber, logs planks; wages, etc. 25c. IVIapIe Sugar and the Susrar Bush, by Prof. A. J. Cook.— Full instructions. Price, 35 cts. Grain Tables, for casting- up the price of grain, produce, hay, etc. Price, 25 cts. Capons and Caponizins, by Dr. Sawyer' Fanny Field, stnd others.— Illustrated. All about caponizing fnwls, and thus how to make the most money in poultry-raising, 04 pages. Price, 30 cts. Our Poultry Doctor, or Health in the Poultry Yard and How to Cure Sick Fowls, by Fanny Field.— Everything about Poultry Diseases and their Cure. 64 pages. Price, 30 cts. Poultry lor Market and Poultry for Profit, by Fanny Field.— Tells everything aboutthe Poultry Business. 64 pages. Price, 25 cts. Turkeys for ITIarket and Turkeys for Profit, by Fanny Field.— All about Turkey-Raising. 64 pages. Price, 25 cts. Rural Wfe,— Bees. Poultry. Fruits. Vege- tables, and Household Matters. HX) pages. 25 eta. Strawberry Culture, by T. B. Terry and A. I, Root. For beginners. Price, 40 cts. Potato Culture, by T. B. Terry.— It tells how to grow them profitably. Price, 40 cts. Carp Culture, by A. I. Root and Geo. Fin- ley.— Full directions. 70 pages. Price, 40 cts. Hand-Book of Health, by Dr. Foote.— Hints about eating, drinking, etc. Price. 25 cts, Alsike Clover I^eaflet — Full directions for growing. 50 for 25 cts. ; 100 for 40 cts. ; 200, 70c. Book Clubbing Offers. (Bead Carefully.) The following clubbing prices include the American Bee Journal one year with each book named. Remember, that only one book can be taken in each case with the Bee Jour- nal a year at the prices named. If more books are wanted see postpaid prices given with the description of the books on this page. Following is the elubblDg-list: 1 Langstroth on the Honey-Bee $2.00 3. A B C of Bee-Culture 2.00 3. Bee-Keeper'sGulde 1.75 4. Bees and Honey [Cloth bound] 1.65 5. Sclentlflc Oueen-Kearlng 1.75 6. Dr. Howard's Foul Brood Book 1.10 7. Advanced Bee-Culture 1.30 8. Amerikanlsche Bienenzucbt [Germ.] 1.75 9. Blenen-KuUur [German] 1.25 10. Rational Hee-Keeping [Cloth bound] 2.00 11. Rational Bee-Keeping [Paper tound] 1.75 12. Thirty Years Among the Bees 1.30 13. Bee-keeping for Profit 1.15 14. Convention Hand Book 1.15 15. Poultry for Market and Profit 1.10 16. Turkeys for Market and Profit 1.10 17. Capons and Caponizing 1.10 18. Our Poultry Doctor 1.10 19. Green'sFour Books 1.15 20. Green's t^i.v Books on Fruit-Culture.. 1.15 21. Garden and Orchard 1.15 23. Rural Lite 1.10 24. Emerson Binder for the Bee Journal. 1.60 25. Commercial Calculator. No. 1 1.25 26. Comme-clal Calculator, No. 2 1.40 27. Kendall's Horse-Book 1.10 29. Strawberry Culture 1.20 30. Potato Culture 1.20 31. CarpCulture 1.20 32. Hand-Book of Health 1.10 33. Dictionary of Apiculture. 1.35 34. Maple Susrar and the Sugar Bush — 1.20 35. Silo and Silage 1.10 .36. Winter Problem in Bee-Keeping 1.30 37. Apiary Register (for 50 colonies).. .. 1.75 38. Apiary Register (for 100 colonies) . 2.00 39. Bee-Keepers' Directory 1.30 Please Send Us the Names of your neighbors who keep bees, and we wD! send them sample copies of the Bee Journal. Then please call upon them and get them to subscribe with you, and secure some of the premiums we offer. 124 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Feb. 20, ^ California If you care to know ot its Fruits, Flowers Climate or Resources, send for a Sample Copy of California's Favorite Paper— The Pacific Rural Press The leading Horticultural and Agricultural paper of the Pacific Coast. Published weekly, handsomely illustrated, $2.00 per annum. Sample Copy Free. PACIFIC RVRAL PRESS, 220 Market St.. - SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. Mention the A.rnerlcan Bee Jorur^iai. OUR POULTRY ANNUAL and Book of Valuable Kecipes, 64 large pages, contains S beauti f ul colored plates of fowls, gives description and prices of 45 varieties, with important hin^ on care of poultry, ami paices of recipes of preat value to everyoiif , Finest Poultry Book published for is;it;. Postpaid only 10 cts, C. N. Bowers, Box 21, Dakota, III Mention the A.nit:rican tsec jwnixjju WANTED ! 10,000 pounds of BEESWAX, lor Cash. Address, liEAHV IflFG. CO., Hii2;glnsviIIe, Iflo. Meiiticm the A mcrican Bee Jnurnai. ^ ---i - ''^'^ SUCCESSFUL I INCUBATOR t Our magnificent? Hew caliiloguo J giving full in- 2 formation re- j irding artificials _at€hing& Brooding S ..nd treatise on poul- J try rnising sent for 4c S Btiimi's. Circular free. J Write now, Des Moines Incubator Co. Box 7b U6sMolaeB,Ia ' 49Ai;it Mention the American Bee Journal, For Sale— A Bargain. 119 Colonies of Italian Bees in Chaff Hives. Good House, and *i acres of Land, with excel- lent well ot water. E. L.. CARKI^fi1'0^. 5A4t PETTUS, BeeCo., TEX. CALIFORNIA, "WAKE UP!" Tbe ParlAc Bee Journal, devoted to the Protection and Advancement of Beo- Keepers' Interests on the Pacific Slope. oO cts. per year. Send for sample copy. THE BENNETT BEE-HIVE COMPANY now make Foundation at 40 cents per pound. Bee-Hive Bodies (plain corners) IT'/aC. each. Common Bee-Hive, :i-story. 60 cts. each. Dovetailed Hives, " $100 each. Sections and Supplies low. Send for Prlce- Llst, and Save Money. 365 E. Second St., E,OS ANGELES. tte'M^/y'^. ztif. AriwicDfi Bee Jfyi/mjjA Italian Bees for Sale. Prices will be as follows. One Colony J6.00 Five Colonies 28.00 Ten " 50 00 Each Colony will contain one ot my $2.00 Queens. NUCLEUS COLONIES. Any size from One frame up. Select Tested Queens, $i. 00 each, or Two for $3.00. Breed- ing Queens, $3.00 to S.t.OO. Address, F. A. OROAVEJLl,, 8E2t liRANGER, Fill. Co., MINN. ALFALFA, CRinsON AND ALSIKE Clover Seed. One or more lbs. by mail. 25c.; bushel. SO. 00; peek or more at bushel rates. Invaluable for honev and forage. Dr. C. L. PARKER, 8A4t Onondaga, Onon. Co., N, Y. WHEN ANSWERING THIS ADVERTISEMENT, MENTION THIS JOURNAU His Largest Yield. My largest yield was in 1S.S2 — 1,960 pounds of comb honey from 14 colonies. I sold it all at 30 cents per pound. Peotone, 111. C. Sc'hrier. Some Big Honey Crops. In 1SS2 I secured 10.17.5 pounds of honey from CO colonies, spring count, and in- creased to 150. It was about ,-;;' extracted and >;; comb. In the spring I selected one that I thought an average colony, and weighed all the honey taken from it — it footed up 30fi pounds of extracted honey, leaving enough in the hive for the bees to winter on. It cast one swarm, and from this I extracted 150 pounds, making a total of 4.56 pounds, spring count. In 1SS9 I got 0,000 pounds of extracted and 4,000 pounds of comb honey from 90 colonies, spring count, and increased to ]60. There have been some very poor sea- sons, but my bees always got enough to winter on. I use a chaff hive, and winter bees on the summer stands. Gilson. 111. C. W. McKowN. Sowing Buckwheat for Honey. On page 3T Dr. Miller quotes from Mr. Quiuby, that an acre of buckwheat yielded 35 pounds of honey a day, but says he be- lieves the veteran Quinby was guessing. Any one planting buckwheat for honey would be assured of that fact. Of course, in some localities it will yield more than in others. On my trip in October, 1895. I visited a good many bee-keepers in north- ern Ohio, and found nearly every one planted several acres of buckwheat for his bees, and said they thought it paid. But my experience would not bear out that as- sertion. I sowed two acres July 15, 1S94, got a good stand, full bloom Aug. 15 to Sept. 1. yet I do not believe my bees stored a pound of buckwheat honey. I never found but a few bees working on it at any time. I attribute their failure to work on it to the fact that the " dry weather honey- vine '^ began to bloom about the same time, and continued until cut down by frost. This shows more strongly than ever that bee-keepers must not plant for honey alone. Evansville, lud. J. C. Wallenmeyer. enclose the apiary with Page woven wire fence and a barbed wire over that, and put a vicious dog in the enclosure. Use more wire and less dog, and mark the result. Moving Bees.— On page 20, W. C. H. asked how to move his bees. Now if those bees were mine I should not consider it a very bad job. I( the frames had not been moved or handled since cold weather I should not try to fasten them, and if the hives are in a dilapidated condition, so as to allow the bees to escape all around, the bottom-boards undoubtedly would come off easily, and I should take them off. or rather, take the hives off of them. Then have at band about l^.j yards of sheeting, and place that on the bottom-board so about 5 inches of it will be out on one side, the balance over the bottom-board and tbe other side. Now set the hive on this, and when the bees are settled you can fold the sheeting over or around the whole hive, and with a few small nails and strips like bot- tom-bars or comb-guides, the cloth can soon be made fast, and not a bee can es- cape. Use the cloth full width, and that will give a good chance to fold over the ends of the hive. The bees will not gnaw out, only don't let the hives rub together and wear a hole through. The cloth or sheeting here would cost 6 cents per yard, or 9 cents per hive — as cheap as wire-cloth for the top of the hive. I have moved bees 13 miles with only cloth like this to keep them in. C. A. Huff. Clayton, Mich. Several Questions Noted. Sweet Clover. — I am pleased to see so much interest taken in sweet clover. It might be of great value to the Southern bee-keeper as a honey-plant. Where it grows here by the roadside, it is alive with bees when there is nothing else for them to work on, or at any time when it is in bloom ; but we do not have it in large quantities to get any surplus from it. Preventing Apiary Thieves. — On page 39 E. C. Culhert speaks of having four vicious dogs to guard one apiary. Why not Bees Did Fairly Well in 1895. Our bees did fairly well the past season. I got an average of 40 pounds of section honey per colony, varying from 8 pounds to 103 per colony. The Italians are far ahead of the blacks with us. One colony, which was given to us in September, 1894, which we drummed out of a box-hive, gave it an untested Italian queen in October, and wintered on candy, gave us 78 one- pound sections, and a good prime swarm. We have concluded to clip the stings of our queens, and breed out the habit! Champlin, Minn. W. H. Stout. Sweet Clover Questions, Etc. That picture on the first page of the Bee Journal for Dec. 19, is enough to make a beeman turn green with envy. I want to thank Mr. StoUey for the excellent treatise on sweet clover that accompanied it. But to show that human nature is never satis- fied. I would like to ask Mr. Stolley a few questions (for Dr. Miller's benefit, you know) ; 1. How do you cut and handle it when cutting for seed ? 3. How do you get it bulled ? Can it be hulled with a common clover-huUer ? Any other way ? I am referring to a large lot of two or three acres or more ? I know by the last two years' experience that Mr. Stolley is right in saying that it is a much more reliable plant for honey than white clover, and is not affected by ordi- nary drouths. It is a wonderful plant to withstand drouths. Speaking of drouths, Got Something for Nothing ! MYnil <^ Thousands of readers answering my ad. in the past received free lull ■ by mail at a cost of 20 cents to me, a package of my discovery, VIT.E ORE, and 90 per cent, have written to thank me and spud cash order for more, declaring that it had done them more good than all doctors and man-made remedies they ever used. 1 scorn to take any one's money until convinced at my expense that V.-O. is the best thing in, on, or out of toe earth for all who suffer from ills no doctor or drug will cure, such as general debility, feebleness from over- work, worries, cares, protracted sickness, old age, female complaints, all kidney and membranous ailments. It is the only natural. Nature's cure for human ills ever offered to man, and not by a quack doctor or methods peculiar thereto. If you have been bamboozled often, and grievously, by robbers in the medicine business, I am not responsible therefor, but am if V.-O. fails to give greater satisfaction than all else you ever tried. Send the addresses of six sick people and I will do the balance. THEO. NOEL, Geologist, Tacoma Building, Chicago, III. 6A4t Mention the Bee Journal. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 125 The Bee-Keepers' Guide: Or Manual of the Apiary, By Prof. A. J. Cook. This loth and latest edition of Prof. Cook's mag'niflcent book of 460 pages, in neat and substantial cloth binding, we propose to give away to our present subscribers, for the work of getting NEW subscribers for the American Bee Journal. A description of the book here is quite un- necessary—it is simply the most complete scl- entiflc and practical bee-book published to- day. Fully illustrated, and all written in the » most fascinating style. The author Is also too well-known to the whole bee-world to re- quire any introduction. No bee-keeper is fully equipped, or his library complete, with- out " The Bee-Keepeb's Guide." For Two New Subscribers and Your Own Renewal. Send us Two New Subscribers to the Bee Journal and your own renewal (with S'^.OO), and we will mail you a copy of Prof. Cook's book FREE as a premium, and also a copy of the 1 60-page *' Bees and Honey "to each New Subscriber. Prof. Cook's book alone is $1.'35, or we club it with the Bee Journal for a year —both together for onlj' $1.7.5. But surely anybody can get only 3 new subscribers to the Bee Journal for a year, and thus get the hook as a premium. Let everybody try for it. Will you have one V GEORGE W. YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS .^ >ti >li >li >li >k >14>K ili iti J«ti >fe: ite ti SMOKERS Wonderful Record ! Have Lasted 17 Years. —BEST ON EARTH. AlivaysCiive Perfect Satisfaction. My cool Wire Handle and Bent Nose were patented 1892, are the original, my best Invention since my open or di- rect draft Patent. 1878. that revolu- tionized Bee-Smokers. My Handle and Nose Patent bent all the other smoker noses. None but Bingham Smokers have all the best improvements. If you buy geiiulue Biiigliam Smo- kers and Honey-Knives you will never regret it. The " Doctor,'' f4-inch larger than any other smoker on the market— 3H-inch stove, by mail, SL.'iO Conqueror, 3 " " " 1.10 Large. 'i^-in. " " 1.00 Plain, 2-in. " " .70 Little Wonder, 2-in.. wt. 10 oz. .60 Bingham * Ilftlieriiigton Honey-Knives, 80 cents. T. F. BINGHAM, Farwell, micli. 7Atf Mention the Bee Journal. 10 Pkgs. tested, pure, fresh garden seeds, 12 I"J cts.. postpaid. R. S. Tlionins, .Slirnandoab, lona. TEXAS QUEENS. If you are in need of Queens, let me have your order. Price-List Free. 8A26t J. D. eiVSINS, I^isbon, Tex. If "TIicKest is llio Clieapest'" is applicable to the purchase of anything, it is pre-eminently so to that of trees. You find no seedlings scattered through your orchard If you purchase direct of a thor- ough nurseryman. The Storrs & Harrison Company, Painesville, Ohio, have been in the nursery business over 40 years, have the reputation of being expert tree growers, and as you will see in our advertising col- umns offer a valuable catalogue free. If you are in want of trees, plants, seeds, or anything in the nursery line, send them your address on a postal. did the readers of the Bee Journal know we had one '. Yes. here in western Iowa we haven't had enough snow and rain to- gether, since the middle of last August, to make one good, ordinary rain. It is fine winter weather, but where will our white clover be by spring ? That reminds me of another good trait of sweet clover. Last winter all white and red clover winter-killed here on account of dry winter, but sweet clover came through smiling as usual. I wish to tell Mr. Peter J. Schartz (see page SOT, ISTO), that he must not blame a thing for not working right when it isn't put together rightly, or part is gone. If he will nail a strip of tin, or sheet-iron, % of an inch wide, across each end of those su- pers of his, that have the section-holders or slats on the bottom side, for the slats to rest upon, and then wedge the sections up tifjlii from both sides and end, if necessary, I will undertake to get it off the hive and sections of honey out of it and I'Jenned in the same time he takes to get off his T super and clean the sections. If I can't do it I'll stand treat, Peter. I got about aOO pounds of honey from 15 colonies, and increased to 28 the past sea- son. If any bee-keeper in western Iowa has good comb honey to sell, I would like to urge him very strongly not to sell it for 12 or 14 cents in trade to some store-keeper. As scarce as honey is, you can get 18 or 20 cents per pound cash for good, clean, comb honey. Don't let your honey stay on the hive until the sections are brown and the capping of the honey water-soaked. The honey may be .itist as good, and even better for it. but it won't sell as readily, or for as good a price. 1 just wish I could produce as much honey as I could sell for 18 and 20 cents iper pound. E. S. Miles. Denison, Iowa. 'Twas the Indian, Not the White Man. Will you do me the favor to read again the manuscript of my biography, on page 101 ? Somebody who furnishes copy, or sets type, made a terrible mistake. I wrote: " Here, too, fished and hunted and drank fire-water and begged tobacco, a lone In- dian, Johnathan Paul — 'the last of the Mohegans.' " Your types made me say that 1 did the hunting and fishing, and that / drank fire-water and begged tobacco of an Indian ! My friends will be surprised to learn that I ever did any of those things. In my boyhood I was too much devoted to my books to spend any time hunting and fishing. Intoxicating liquors were quite freely used by most of the people around me at that time, but I never tasted them unless prescribed by my physician. They were msed medicinally much more than now. I never entered a saloon in my life unless it was to call some man out with whom I had business which could not wait his pleasure. As for tobacco, I have never used it in any form. In my early boyhood there was an Indian living in my native town whom the people called "Johnathan Paul." //<■ spent his time in the way you have made me say / spent mine. When asked to what tribe he belonged, he would mutter "Mohegan." He was the last Indian that ever was seen in that region. It was the recollection of him that led me to write the unfortunate sentence. Edwin Bevins. Leon, Iowa. [Mr. Bevins, we think the fellow that made you appear in such a bad light ought to be — well, what would you do with him ! We'll have to own up that it was unr fault entirely, and we are glad to give your cor- rection. We are very sorry it occurred, and trust all our readers will read your letter above. — Editors.] A Bee-Cellar Described. The spring of 1895 I started with two col- onies of Italian bees which I purchased in the summer of 1894. The spring was rather backward, and the bees did not get started POULTRY 40 Stfindard Breeds Illus- trated & fully described in my new Poultry Book. Reliable information for poultrymen & intending buyers. Good stock Ducka & Geese; also Shetland Ponies. Send 6c in stamps E.H.COOS. Bos 27. Huntley.IU. Mention tlie American Bee Journal.. 4A13t BASSWOOD TREES ! Orders booked now for Spring delivery for Nursery-Grown Basswood Seedlings 5 to 9 inches high, at $2 00 per 100 ; 300 for $5 or $1 5.00 for 1000. Parties living east of the Mississippi river will be supplied direct from our Nurseries in Ohio. Satisfaction guaran- teed. A. H. FITCH, 702 Toungerman Bldg.. DES Moines. Iowa. 4 Atf Mention the American Bee Journal, GRAND SWEEPSTAKES CORIi AT 111. STATE FAIR -.-=■ ia95. Best riorii in tho whole big Corn State of Illinoi'J. Best YhIIow Dent from NoilTHERN Division. Best Yellow I tent from ACL Divisions, Best corn stiown. MANDSCHEURI BARLEY. fiC^^tV.'i^r Sen tout, last year by theWis.Fx, Station, fatalnc'ie of Seed Potatoes. Fielil Seeds and Garden Seeds. L. L. OLDS - Clinton - Rock Co. - Wis. Mention the American Bee Joumah PATENT WIRED COMB FOUNDATION Has No Sag In Brood-Frames Thin Flat-Kottom Foundation Has Qio Fisbbooe in tbe Sorplas Honef . BelnK the cleanest is nsually worked the quickest of any Foundation made J. VAN DEUSEN & SONS, Sole Manufacturers, Bprout Brook MontKomery Co.. N. Y. T7/W QrilA — A Dozen Colouies of I- X or OdlU talian and Carniolan Bees Iq 8*frame Laufrstroth-Simplicity bives. The Combs all built on full sheets of foundation, wired in, and straight as a board. Seven of the Queens are Imported, and all are of last year's rearing. Will be sold at $5.50 per col- ony for imported and $4.50 for native. Bees are in tine condition with plenty of stores to carry them throueh. Address. "W, J. CCILI^INAN, 7Atf QUlNCr, ILL. NEW|V|AMMOTH Poultry Guide for 1896 Finest huokever imblibhed, contain t nearly lo( patres, all printed in colorg, plans for besl [inultry houses, sure remedies and recipes , for all diseases, and howto make poultry ^^^p^nnd gardening pay. Senipost paid for 16c. ^ft' JohnBauscher ,Jr.,box94Freeport, III Mentifjn the A merican Bee Joumatm n 1 " , .. ,^ ' Qj ' jjr, ' Mv ' Id . , St. «s[ = — 'p^ — :=: rrr: :=z — ^■ It'.^.'vT ^ s ^&^ &--. "^ .yiTe 53 '^ M d ^3 No Hurry! Take Your Time ! ,Tu.st h;id a cu.stomer who was leu years maUitiK up his mind. Using our fence all the time too, as his farm joins a railroad with PACK hctween. We send our paper free wiiile you wait. PAGE WOVEN WIRE FENCE CO., Adrian, Mich. Mention the American Bee Journal. Promptness Is What Counts ! Honey-Jars. Shipping'-Cases, and every- I thing: that bee-keepere use. Root's CaoodH at Koot's Prices, and the best shipping point in tbe country. Dealer in Honey and Beeswax. Cata- rrerJal Ave. Walters. Ponder INDIANAPOLIS. IND. 126 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Fel. 20. dOCTriSl Sets Plants ami Fruits'. I>y iiiiiil ]>ostpni«U M:tt*o ni'i'ival and Njits^^Oiction crunranteed. Order by III',* k-in-rs and the numlnTs ln»m this advertise tiu-iit XO"\V, as these are intro- diic-iory sets, roi in caia'otiue, an Elearant Annuul of 168 paeew. which will be h^eiit free with tirst order. If none uf these sets suit you and you want anyihinp: in our line send for CATAX,0S, 70 to PJLANTS and the balanc-etotheCREAM OFTHE FRUITS. Trees and plaats in these sets are all thrifty and well rooted. Try them. Set JT— 10 elecant pr-fnss bloom ing Roses, inclucline one of the new famous Crimson Rambler. '* B—bipkts choice Vegt-table Seeds. M sorts and 1 pUl. of our new Oolden Hubbard Sqtiatth " E-'-Ilt pkts choice Flower Seeds, 20 sorts .tOc me 5Uc FRUIT TREES, ETC. MAIL SIZE. Sot 103-S Peaehes, 4 sorts, 50o X04—S Apple. 4 sorts. jOc lOo— 2 Pear, 2 sorts. 2 Cherry, 3 sorts, 50c 14>6—t; Grapes, 3 sorts, 5Uc 107-10 Grapes, all Concord 50c 108 4 Goo»eberrie!». 4 sorts, 50t: 10»-10Cnrrants, .i sorts. 60c 1 lO— ;>0 Ra«pberrieN. 6 sorts, 50c 1 1 1— JO Strawberries, 5 sorts, 50C , any U sets $\ 2,5. 5 sets ?;.00. Everything of the best for LAW.M, CO JSERVATO:?Y. PARK, ORCHARD. VINtfARD and GARDEN. 42nd YEAR. 1000 ACRES. 29 GREENHOUSES. THE STORRS & HARRISON GO., Box 219 Painesville, 0. F— 10 trayrant<'arn:itM>n Pink^i, Ifi sorts, 5IIC G — 10 l^rize Chrysanthemiims, 10 sorts, oOc H— 4 superb French ('annas, 4 sorts, 50c It— lOiar^-e tlowered Ger:ininnis, It) sorts, 50c L— ;iO fine Gladioli all tlowerinti bulbs. 50c N— 10 Tuberoses, d jiible sorts all fiowerlDK. 50c O— 10 Howerins plants all different. 5(lc P— li hardy ornamental Shrubs, tt sorts, 50e Q— tl hardy ClimbiniL; Vines, fj sorts, .Vic IJ— 2 elegant Palms, stronj; plants. 2 sOrts. 5Uc One-half each of any two sets ."/Ic. CARLOADS Of Bee-Hives. Sections, Ship- piDg-Cases. Comb Foimdatloo, and Everything used in the Bee-Industry. I want the name and address L .t i of every Bee- Keeper in Amer- }—-__ y-^' ica. No reason why you can- notdo businesswith me. I have Cheap Lumber and E.xperienced Workmen ; a g:ood Water-Power Factory and hnow bow to run it. I am supplying Dealers as well as consumers. Why not you? Send for Cata- logues, Quotations, etc "W. U. PUTNAM, IE KivER Falls, Pierce Co.. Wis. MentU/i^ itve A.meHcojn. Bee Jicvj^^^vC'Jbr WOVEN WIBI FENCE OvprSOStvteSlThe be^t on Earth. Horse high, I Uverauaiyiesij^^jl str,..if, Vie and chicken! tight. Yuucan make from 401 to 60 rods per day tor frtjiii | 14 to 22c. a Rod. lllii-tiiit'-l ratalogue Free. KiTSELMAN BROS., Ridgeville, - Indiana. 48Etf MiWion th.- A verican Bee juunuu- WANTED— 200 Colonies of Bees and 4-Frame Nuclei, on SlmpUcity or Hoff- man fraroee, in exchange tor Supplies, to be shipped either from here or Medina. Ohio. Send for Catalog to-GEO. E. HIL.TON, 4E4t FiiEMONT, Mich. STRAWBERRY PLANTS FOR SALE. niicliigau Orowii Plauts are tbe Best. BuBACH, Parker Barle. Haverland, War- field AND JE.SSIE. Vigorous Plants of the above well-known Ta- rieties. shipped direct from the Nursery — Lake View Fruit Farm. Gibson, Mich. 100, $1.00; -200, $1.50. postage paid. Special price on large quantities. Address. CH*S. N. TKIVESN, iTIaiinser, 635 Chicago Stock Exchange, - Chicago, III. 6 K4 1 Uention the American Bee JcnimaL WANTED— By a young man (23| a posi- tion in a good apiary, or apiary and small fruit or gardening business combined, prefer- ably South and near this State, for the coming season. Has already had good experience with bees, and is willing, serviceable, and ac- tive. Would appreciate a good home and a generous employer. Is an experienced clerk, with good references. Address. 6E4t C. C. DOOKLY, Alptain, Va. Bees, Queens, Nuclei zlluTl^^k so? ' Two-Frame Nuclei, with a Choice Warranted Queen, at $2.50 each. Special prices on large orders furnished. LEININGER BROS, 6Etf Ft. .Jennings, Ohio. WANTED. 10,000 pouuds of BEESWAX, for Cash. Address, I.EAHY niFG. CO., HlgslnsTllIe, Flo. iMCUBiifORSl Out ItJO pape. finely illustrated Combined Poultry Guide and : ataloKuewill tell you what you wish to know about PROFITS IN POULTRY We manufactnre a complete line of Incubators, i Brooders and Poultry Ai'pliances tiuide and Cat a- )loguelOc. (stamps or silver) Worth one Dollar. \ KeliablelncDbalor^A Brood*»r Co., <{n[mj,_IIIs.^ ."ISElat Please mention this Journal. COMB FOUNDATION ^a'Jr.fli'\?i.. Are you going- to buy Foundation for Cash, or have you Wax to sell or tratie tor Foundation and other Supplies V Have you '-'o lbs or more ot Wax that you want made into Foundation ? If 60. do not fail to write me for samples and prices. I make a specialty of working up Wax by the lb., and do it very cheap duriug the winter. Beeswax wanted at all times. GUS DITTITIER, AUGUSTA. WIS. Reference— Augusta Bank. 16Atf Merati/yn txi^ Amcncan Bee Jwijntjal ^~ IF YOU WANT THE BEE-BOOK That covers the whole Apicultural Field more completely than any other published, send 11.25 to Prof. A.J. Cook, Claremont, Calif., for his Bee-Keeper's Guide. Liberal Discounts to the Trade. TAKE NOTICE! T3EFORE placing your orders for SUP- ■^^ PLIES, write tor prices on 1-Piece Bass- wood Sections, Bee-Hives, Shipping- Crates, Frames. Foundation, Smokers, etc. PAGE & LYON MFG. CO. NEW LONDON, WIS. using? C7?l/rm ANNUALLY by OHVC.LI FRUiT GROWERS = iDeming SPRflYING Ouims ' Recommended by I e a d i n g Horticulturists'. > Recommended by ' S^agelllast?ated caiuiocae ana troaiiee r rtii.iii ; Jhe Deming.Co., Mfgrs.. Salem, Ohio. ' Hemon &. Habbell, Gea'l West. Ag'ts. Chicaco. ■ uerfiiw'fi uie A.nier%ca/n Bee Jov/niab. \ SAVE MONEY '^l.^^lsTs^'i'^i, ITALIAN QUEENS Foundation at Wholesale Prices. Hive», suited tor the South, or SUPPI.1ES, send for Prlce-Liet— to jflLTJO-XXSTA., -C3-.A.. J. P. H. BROWN, until late — did not get any swarms until the last of June. In May I ordered one colony and a half from another bee-keeper, malting three and one-half colonies that I really started the season with. From the time they com- menced to swarm they did quite well. I let them swarm naturally, and at the end of the season 1 had taken 335 pounds of sur- plus comb honey, and had increased to 17 colonies. One colony which lost its queen, and one late swarm, both went into the cellar rather weak, but the rest were in good condition. I should have tried to build up tbe weak ones, but I had so much else to do in the fall that 1 could not see to it. My bee-cellar is built by first digging in the ground about 4 feet, then a wall of logs hewn on the inside is built inside of the ex- cavation to the height of B feet, and over this is a tight board roof, }4 pitch. Outside of this wall, at the distance of 3 feet, is another wall of round logs, built up from the surface of the ground to the level of the inner wall. Over this is a good shingle roof, with space between roofs of 3 feet, which is packed solid with damp marsh- moss, which, when dried, is like a sponge — swells and fills everything snug. There are two doors in front, one opening out, and the other one inside, with the space be- tween of 3 feet ot dead air. In the roof there is one 6-inch ventilator, which can be closed entirely it needed. 1 can stow away 100 colonies very easily, and last winter the temperature only varied 6 degrees all winter, with only two colonies, and so far this winter there has been a fall ot 2 de- grees. We have winters here where the thermometer registers between 40 and 60 degrees below zero, and 1 think something similar to such a cellar as I have for win- tering is a necessity. If my bees don't all die this winter. I may write again how they come from cellar. I have been using the yframe dovetail hive, but I may change to the 10- frame next sea- son, although I am quite satisfied with re- sults so far from the S-frame hive. Nimrod, Minn. E. B. Gilmoke. si sx- FECIAL OFrER ^ Made io Build New Business. Atrial will make you our permanent customer. A Vegetable Garden for the cost of Postage (Premium Collection i—lia(Ush,i(.ivc'irieties; Lettuce, 9 kinds; Tomatoes, 7 finest; Tlirmps, 5 spleniriid; inni Onions, 6 best varieties. ^FMfl TFW PFWT^ to cover postage and pack. OLrtU I Cn ULlv I 0 iug and receive this valu- able collection of seeds postpaivi. R. W. Laughlin, Ada, O. writes: "Have planted Buckbee's Seeds for years, with the best of success. It is a f^rnnd business to liandle Buch a good grade of f^eeds." Write to-day and receive my new Seed and Plant Book; the best published. I guarantee to please. HUf DIIPI^DCP Rockford Seed Farms, . Til DUUKDlC, Box B37 KocKFOiii>, III, When Answering this Advertisement, mention THrs Jouhnau MUTH'S HOITET EXTRACTOS PEBFECTION Cold-Blast Smokers, Square Glass Honey Jars, Etc. For Circulars, apply to Chas. F. Muth & SON. Cor. Freeman Ht, Central Aves., Cincinnati, O. Send lOo for Practical Hints to Bee-Keepers. Xli«' <'oiI Spring- Ilnsller.— We have just received the January issue of The Coil Spring Hustler, and find it full of interesting matter pertaining to fencing. If any of our readers are not receiving that paper, a copy will be mailed them gratui- tously by addressing the Page Fence Co., Adrian, Mich. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 127 Honey & Beeswax Market Quotations. CHICAGO. III.. Feb. 14.— White clover and basswoad comb is sought after In preference to any other, and commands a better price and now sells at 15c. for clover and l."i@14c. for basswood. Other white comb honey sells atll@12c.; dark. 8@9c. amber. 9@]0c., and very slow of .sale. Extracted is unufiually dull, with large amounts on sale. White clo- ver and linden, G@7o. ; dark and amber grades, 4y2@oc. Beeswax, 28(a30c. R. A. B. & Co. CHICAGO, III., Jan. 20.— We are having good inquiry for fancy comb, but all other grades are selling slow. Dark comb will not sell on this market, and we would advise the firoducernottoshipithere. We are offering t as low as 9@10c.. with no buyers. We quote: Fancy. 15c. ; No. 1. 14c.: light amber, 12® 13c. Extracted, light, 5@6!4c; dark. 4@5o, Beeswax. 28@30c. J. A. L. PHILADELPHIA. Pa., Jan. 3— Honey has declined in this market during the holidays. Large lots of California honey arriving, and selling at 5c. in 60-lb. cans. We quote: Comb honey, fancy, I6e.; fair to good. 8@14c. Ex- tracted. 4@5(4c. ; white clover. 10c. Beeswax, 30c. W. A. S. BUFFALO. N. Y., Jan. 22.— Salf s very light and market dull. We quote: Fancy white, 14@15c.; choice, 11® 13c. ; buckwheat, 7@9c. Extracted. 4@6c. Beeswax. 25@28c, B..& Co. CINCINNATI, O., Jan. 22.— Demand is slow for comb honey, which brings 12@14c. for best white. The demand is fair for extracted honey at 4@7r., with a scant supply. Beeswax is in good demand at 2"5@28c. for good to choice yellow. C. F. M. & S. KANSAS CITY, Mo., Feb. 8.-The demand for comb and extracted Is light. We quote: No. 1 white, l-lbs.. I3@14c,.; No. 2. 12@13c.; No. 1 amber, ll@12c. ; No. 2, 8 lOOft A Isike Clover Seed $1.35 $ 6.25 $12.00 Sweet Clover Seed 1.25 5.50 10,00 White Clover Seed 2.40 11.35 22,00 Alfalfa Clover Seed 1.20 5.25 J 0.00 Crimson Clover Seed.... 1.00 4.00 7.00 Jap. Buckwheat Seed 45 1.50 2,20 Prices subject to market changes. The above prices include a good, new two- bushel bag with each order. We guarantee all Seed flrst-classin every re- spect—in fact, the BEST that can begotten. Your orders are solicited. GEORGE W. YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS. UNION ONE MAN WITH THE COMBINATION SAW Tan do the work of four men using hand tools, in Ripping, Cutting-off, Mi- tring, Rabbeting, Groov- ing. Gaining. Dadoing, Edglng-up. Jointing Stuff, etc. Full Lineof Foot and Hand Power Machinery. Sold on Trial. Oaliilasue Free. SKKECA FALLS lUFC CO., 46 Water St., SENECA FALLS. N. Y 1 Al V Mention tlie American Bee Journal. DON'T I liny S{ii» or Siipplit'K until you have sent to us toi' speL'ial (trices uu what you need. The Goods and Prices *' are right." Our >96 Circular now ready. I. J. STRI1VOHA9I, 105 Park Place. NEW YORK, N. Y. We have at this Branch among the Stock purchased of Thos. G Newman the following stock of Sections— not of our manufacture— which we desire to close out to make room for our Superior Extra Polished Sections. In order to close tlifm out quickly we offer them for the next 80 days, or while they last, at these special prices ; White Sections, 4!-ix4H. Cream Sections, 4>4x4!i. 3,000 1 15-161 1,000 forSl. 75 ) 1,000 for $1.25 ■ 2,000 for 3.00 7,000 115-16^ 2,000 for 2.00 23,500 7-to-ft. ) 5,000 for 7.00 ) 5.000 lor 4.50 We also have a stock of Triangular Top Langstroth Frames at these Special prices: 100 for $1.00; 300, $2.70; 500, $4,00; 1000, $7.00. On all freight orders of $5 or less, at this Branch, please add 25c. tor cartage. Catalogue Free. The A. I. Root Co., 56 5th Ave., Chicago, 111. ]28 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Fel). 20, 1896. Bottom Prices BRIKO U!^ BIG TRAI|E. OOOD GOODlS KEEP IT. HILL, If you want the best supplies that can be made at a little less cost than you can buy the same goods for elsewhere, write to us for low prices. 1896 Catalogue now ready —ask for It and a free copy olTIie Ameri- can Bee-Keeper (36 pages). Address. THEW.T.FALCOKERMFG.CO., JAMESTOWN, N. Y. Mention the A.mcrican Bee Journal. EVERGREENS! and Ornamental trees, Nursery crown. 260 Choice Evercreens, 1(1 varieties ^'1. 400 Ornamental trees. 6 varieties, $2; 6 her ^ and $1U hargains, KKl Scotch Pine, 2 ft., hiuh. 5^; 1.000 10 to 12 inches '$10. All other varieties and sizes cheap. Local Agents Wanted. Send for Illustrated Catalogue. FREE. Evergreen Specialist, DUNDEE, ILLINOIS. 7A5t Ple.ise mention the Bee Journal. HEADQUARTERS for ROOTS' GOODS Can supply vou with all the Fixtures used in an Apiary. Best Goods at Lowest Prices. Cat- alogue free. .5 ';ii discount until March let. JNO. NEBKl. 6c SUN, HlgU Hill, Mo. Jtfentton the American Bef Jouriia.. 4Atf The Rural Kansan Is an Agricultural Journal for the busy farm- er. It embraces Bee-Keeping and every de- partment of industry connected with the farm. 30 cts. a year, monthly. Sample Free. ^i/e"o" Higgiiisville Bee-Supplies hand. Catalogue Free. IIEI'mY L. AIJiX-ER. 355 Shawnee Ave , Topeka, Kan. lA13t Mention the American Bee Joumcu, FOR SALE. ALSIKE, CRIMSON. ITALIAN. ALFALFA, or WHITE CLOVEK SEED. 4A8t WM. CRAIG, Luce, Mlcli. Mention tiie Awjerican Bee Jov/riu-,',- Qiieeii-Clippiug Device. I want the address of all who clip Queens and have even the lea.st trouble either in catching or holding them while they are be- ing dipt. I have invented a Device by which It is impossibIjB to Injure a Queen ei- ther In catching or clipping, unless it is done purposely. With it they are caueht and dipt any way desired almost instantly. Dne does not have to touch the Queen with his hands, whatever. Price, postpaid. ."]0 cts. Send for Free Circular. C. MONKTTE, 6Att CHATFIELD, Fillmore Co.. MINN. Mention the A)nericn7i Bee Journal- QUEENS Smokers, Sections , Comb Foundation, Aod nil Aplairnn Siippllev rheap. Nend Tor FKEE atalogue. E. T. FLANAUAN, Itclloville, 111. 6A26t Please mention the Bee Journal. Where to buy tliem at whole- sale price. Send postal for de8- c r i p 1 1 V e and wholesale Catalogue of all of the leading va- rieties of the Straivberries, Raspberries, Black berriefv, Curraiits. Gooseberries, Grapefi and Potatoes. EZRA G- SMITH, Manchester, Ont. Co., N. Y. 8Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. Fruit Plants xm Dadant's Foundation S Is still in the lead, for we use all the latest improvements, including the NEW PROCESS, and still make the best goods. Remember that we do not use any acid to purify our bees- wax, and that is why our Foundation preserves the smell of the honey and is more ac- ceptable to the bees, than any other. It is kept for sale by G. K. Hubbard. Fort Wavne, Ind. L. Hanssen. Davenport. Iowa. C. Theilmann, Theilmanton, Minn. E. C. Eaglesfield. Berlin. Wis. B. T. Abbott, St. Joseph, Mo. J. M. JenkinB, Wetumpka. Alabama Jotin Rey, East Saginaw. Mich. Vickerv Bros., Evansville, Ind. The Jennie Atchley Company, Beeville. Texas. C. F. Muth & Son. ('incinnati, Ohio B. Kretchmer. Red Oak. Iowa. Jos. Nysewander. Des Moines. Iowa. Q. B. Lewis Co.. Watertown. Wis. James Reynolds Elevator Co., Poupthkeepale. N T. Page & Lyon. New London, Wis. T. H. Strickler, Solomon City, Kansas. and many other Dealers. All agree in saying that no goods are better than ours. Those of our customers who formerly bought through Thos. G. Newman can get our Foundation in Cltiosigo^ III., by addressing hs* at 50 FiTf li Avenue. We keep no other goods there. We make a specialty of Veil* antl Veil Stiills of best quality, cotton and silk. Langstroth on the Honey-Bee, Revised. Bee-Keepers' Supplies, Smokers, Sections, Tin Pails, etc. Samples of Foundation and Xiille FREE with Circular. Instructions to beginners with Circular. BEESWAX ^VA3fXEI>. Send us your address. CHAS. DADANT & SON, Mention the American Bee JoumaL HAMILTON, Hancock Co. , Ilili. CASH PAID FOR BEESWAX For all the gfood, pure yellow BEES"WAX delivered to our oflBce till further notice, we will pay 26 cents per pound, cash ; or 30 cents for whatever part is exchanged for the Bee Journa), Honey, Books or Seed, that we offer. If you want cash promptly for wax, send it on at once. Dark or impure wax not taken at any price. Address plainly, George W. York & Co., 58 Fifth Ave., Chicago, III. mnm, PE-MIVES. ^BIPPIMASES We make a Specialty of these Goods, and defy Competition in QXJA.I-iIT"2", "W0K/ICM:A.N"SIIIP and PK,ICBS. '" Write for Free Illustrated Catalogue and Price-List. G. B. LEWIS COMPANY, Watertown, Wis. Be sure to mention the American Bee Journal when you write. ^ ROOT'S COMB FOUNDATION! ^ New Product. New Process. A Big Success We are pleased to announce that, having secured control of the new Weed process of manufacturing foundation for the U. S., we are prepared to furnish Foundation by the New Process, for 1896. Samples will be mailed free on application, and will speak for themselves. OUR SAXDED and POLISHED SECXIOr<(S, well, they will speak for themselves, also. Our 1896 Cataloa: will be ready for distribution now in a few days. Send in your name at once for catalog, samples of the new foundation, and those superb sections, and while you are about it ask for late copy of Gleaning's in Bee-Culture. THE A. I. ROOT CO., MEDINA, OHIO. 5© 5lh Ave., Chicago, III. Syracuse, W. 1024 Mississippi St., St. Paul, Qlinn. J*ublisfiec? Weelcly, at ^1,00 per annum. SfMiJipli? Cctjyy sonf on .Xjijtlionl iftn. 36th Year. CHICAGO, ILL., FEB. 27, 1896. No. 9. The "California Bee-Keepers' Exchange." BY J. H. MARTIN. LThe following Is a report, ot the sp'eelal meeting of the California Bee-Keepers' Assoeisiion, and the orKanlzln? of the California Bee-Keepers' Exchange.— Editors. 1 It will be remembered that at the annual meeting of the State Association, held in Los Angeles. Nov. 16 and 17, 1895, a committee was appointed with full powers to formu- late plans for an organization that would unite the bee-keep- was to ratify the work of the committee, and adopt by-laws for the government of the Exchange. In the absence of Prof. Cook, the meeting was called to order by Mr. C. H. Clayton, the Vice-President. After re- ceiving the report of the committee, and attending to other business that properly belonged to the State Association, the meeting then resolved itself into a committee of the whole, with Hon. J. M. Hambaugh as chairman. Mr. R. Touchton, of Santa Paula, had formulated a set of by-laws, and they were read, section by section, by the Secretary, and each sec- tion was attentively considered, and many of them were dis- cussed at length. Throughout the discussions the best of temper was maintained, and there were no stings with venom that words so often inflict. Mr. Touchton had drawn the by-laws with such care that there were but few amendments made, and at the conclusion of the discussion, which run well into the second day, they were adopted. This committee of the whole then adjourned, and those who had become members of the " California Bee-Keepers' Exchange," by the payment of $1.00, and signing the articles, met for the purpose of electing permanent Directors, and the Apiary of Mr. A. W. Swan, Centralia, Kans. — See page 137. ing interests under one head, for the more systematic market- ing of our products, and purchase of supplies. This committee met in Los Angeles, Jan. 6, and as a re- sult articles of organization were drawn up under the co- operation law of 1895 (as it is known in this State). The ar- ticles were filed in State and county, and a special meeting of the State Association and all bee-keepers was called for Feb. 3. There was a large gathering of representative bee-keep- ers at the Chamber of Commerce on that date, and their work following 11 gentlemen were elected for the counties follow- ing the names : J. La Rue for Riverside ; G. S. Stubblefield, San Diego ; R. Touchton, Ventura; C. H. Clayton, Los Angeles ; R. B. Herron, San Bernardino ; J. C. McCubbin, Central Cali- fornia; E. A. Honey, Orange ; Geo. W. Brodbeck, F. S. Pond, W. T. Richardson and J. H. Martin, at large. The meeting of members of the Exchange then adjourned, and the Directors appointed a meeting for the next day in 130 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Feb. 27. which to elect officers and a general manager. At this meet- ing, which assembled in the Chamber of Commerce Feb. 5, at 9:30 a.m., W. T. Richardson, of Fremontville, was elected President ; Geo. W. Brodbeck, Vice-President ; The Los An- geles National Bank, Treasurer ; and H. H. Youugken was unanimously elected Secretary and General Manager, and the California Bee-Keepors' Exchange was declared permanently organized. The committee who formulated the Exchange, and bee- keepers generally, felt the necessity of getting a thorough business man for General Manager, and iu selecting Mr. Youngken they went outside of the ranks of bee-keepers. Mr. Youngken comes highly recommended by the bee-keepers of Ventura county. He has been a bookkeeper from youth up, has a practical knowledge of banking, and a wide acquaint- ance with monied interests. He is the successful manager of a Building and Loan Association, and has successfully built up other organizations. Mr. Youngken thinks that if the honey interests of California are handled in a cooperative and businesslike manner, there are great possibilities before it for the mutual benefit of all concerned. Bee-keepers seem to be alive to the benefits to be derived from a thorough organization, and before it was three days' old, the Exchange had enrolled upward of 70 members, among them such honey-producers as W. T. Richardson, with his 60 odd tons ; M. H. Mendleson, with his scores of tons; Mr. Touchton, a large producer ; and others too numerous to mention, who produce honey by the carload. At this writing, meetings are being held in the various counties, and the ball is rolling. It cannot be expected that great things can be accomplished immediately, but by sticking everlastingly at it, great good will result. It is the intention of the Exchange to get supplies for all of its members, at the lowest wholesale price. This feature alone would be of sulBcient importance to cause every Califor- nia bee-keeper to belong to the organization. Readers of the American Bee Journal may expect to see more in relation to this movement iu the near future. J. H. Martin, Sec. Bloomington, Calif. Some Subjects Reviewed and Commented Upon BV DR. C. C. MILLER. California Bee-Kkepers' Exchange. — Whether the com- petition of California honey in the Northern markets is a good thing for Northern bee-keepers may be questioned, but on page SI, Prof. Cook has put the need of Californians so plain- ly and forcibly that one cannot help wishing them full success. On the whole, if the plans of the Californians succeed, how can it fail to be a benefit even to Northern producers '? For is it not better to have the competition of honey that is sold at living prices than to have that of honey that is sold for almost nothing? Possibly the success of those Southern men may be an example for others, and the market throughout may be im- proved. At any rate, they seem to be in dead earnest, and that counts for a good deal. Success to them. Out vs. In Wintering. — In reply to Bee-Master, (page 84r) I would say that his first guess is not far from right, that is, for me out-door wintering is many times more unsafe than in-door. If, however, there may be a plan of out-door winter- ing by which I could be fairly successful, I should very much like to practice it, if for nothing else because in that way the bees are always surrounded with pure air. So I try occasion- ally wintering in the open on some plan a little different from anything I have previously tried. But it would be foolish to try any large number until I first succeed with a smaller num- ber. Should the one colony that is now on its summer stand come out with flying colors in the spring, the experiment will probably be repeated another winter on a larger scale. Selling Honey on Commission. — On page 87, Mr. Ab- bott takes very radical ground — a little too radical, it seems to me. His idea is all right, that ifs a risky thing to send honey to men you know nothing about. That's true, and the fact that commission men have things so largely in their own hands makes it all the more important to know about the man you deal with. But if you know your man, and are sure that he's straight and honest, I don't see why there's anything wrong in the principle of selling on commission. Why is the principle any different from hiring a man to peddle honey for you ? In either case it is doing business on your capital, and so is the man doing business on your capital who uses your saw to saw your stove-wood. " Most commission men are honest and honorable," says Mr. Abbott. Then find out which they are, and ship to them, if you've no better way to dispose of your honey. There's just a bit of moonshine in the idea that there's no risk about selling for cash. If a man is dishonest it may be safer to send on commission than to sell for cash. For if you sell to him for cash and he fails to pay ou receipt of the honey, you have no recourse at law if the man is not financially re- sponsible ; whereas, if you ship to him on commission, and he pockets the proceeds, you can proceed against him as a crimi- nal. Don't comdemn the whole commission business just be- cause the minority of men in it are bad. T Supers and Pattebn-Slats. — C. C. Parsons, (page 87) takes such a reasonable view of things that I am sure he'll not take it amiss if I say that I think he would prefer T supers if they were made right and used right. His supers are made after the old way, having the bee-space at the bot- tom. I'm pretty sure he'd like the improved way better — the space at the top. He'd also find it an improvement to have sections narrow enough to admit a follower. I don't know how he takes sections out of T supers, but I know he can do it very easily if he does it the right way. Numbering Hives. — Several have lately given their plans for numbering, and some seem to think it an advantage to have the numbers permanently attached to the hives. Proba- bly that's all right with their management, but it wouldn't work in my apiary. The same stand must always have the same number, for it wouldn't do to have a hundred numbers in confusion so a number could not readily be found. Then when the hive is changed to another stand its number must be changed. Losing Queens by Doubling. — Isn't the experience of S. M. Robertson, on page 110, quite exceptional? If I am not mistaken it is a common practice to double up swarms just as he did, leaving the bees themselves to settle their little differ- ences as to queens, and generally all ends well. If the swarms doubled were all second-swarms, having young queens, it is possible that the queens were lost on the wedding-trip. Even then, the loss of queens was unusual. Marengo, 111. A Queen-Clipping Implement Described. by c. monbtte. Although this might be called the age of machinery, when a person claims and advertises that he has invented a ma- chine that will catch and clip a queen any way desired, and that it is impossible to injure her with said machine, either in catching or clipping, the bee-keeping public is apt to be some- what skeptical about it, and on this account I have asked to be allowed to explain what the machine or device is. I keep all laying queens clipped, and consider it a great advantage to have them so, but it was always a good deal of trouble for me to catch and clip queens by hand without dan- ger of injuring them. A laying queen is a very delicate thing to handle without injury, and in spite of myself I would al- ways become nervous and excited when trying to catch and clip a queen by hand ; and the more valuable the queen, the more nervous I would be. I have injured a good many. Some- times I would do it in catching them, and sometimes, after I had caught them all right, I would clip off a leg or two with a wing, it was on this account that I made the clipping de- vice. At first I had no thought of getting it patented or offer- ing it for sale, but I was so much pleased with it myself that I gave, or sent, one to a number of my bee-keeping friends, and in every case they were so pleased, and spoke so highly of it, that I made arrangements to offer it to all who might need it. Although it is said that nothing is perfect, I believe this is so nearly so, that it can never be improved in any way, for it is utterly impossible with this device for the operator to injure a queen, either in catching or clipping, unless he does so purposely. One does not have to touch the queen with his hands whatever, and on this account the scent of a queen is not changed, and she is never balled when she is re- turned to the bees, as is sometimes the case when a queen is caught and clipped by hand. The main part of the device consists of a spiral wire cone, made out of small, polished steel wire ; it is large at one end and small at the other. In catching, the large end of the cone is placed over the queen, then a tin bottom that is fast- ened to the wire cone is brought into position under the large end of the cone ; the queen is then securely fastened in this cone, and, if one desires, the cone and queen can then be put 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 131 or laid down anywhere, the same as if she was in any kind of a cage. When the large end of the cone is placed over a queen, one does not have to wait for her to crawl up. She can, with this wire cone, be picked right up off a comb out of a cluster, or any other place where she can be seen and got at. The tin bottom to the cone is made and hung in such a way that it is impossible to injure the queen when bringing it in its position to close the cone. The cone itself being made spiral, and of steel wire, is a very delicate spring up and down, so that in placing it over a queen, if it is purposely brought down quite hard upon her, it will not injure her; but the cone is large enough at the large end so that it can be easily placed over a queen without touching her, and the wires are so close together that when a queen is inside she can never get her head between them. The cone is worked, and the queen caught, with one hand, and this can be done with a heavy glove on. After the queen is in the cone, another part of the device, which, for the want of a better name, we will call a "fol- lower," is inserted between the bottom wire of the cone and the tin bottom. This follower is padded with soft cloth, and with it she is gently urged up towards the small end of the cone. By holding the cone with the small end up, a queen will almost always, of her own accord, go up into the small end. If she does not, by touching her gently with this fol- lower she will, and then when she is confined in the small end in a space about her own length, the follower is stopped, and with a small hook any one or all four of her wings are pulled out between the wires, and with a knife or scissors they can be cut off any way desired. After her wings are pulled out between the wires, she cannot get them back again, neither can she throw her legs up in the way. The wires of the cone do not press against her in the least — she is merely kept from moving backward or forward much, and, as I have said, the follower, as well as the front of the cone, is padded with soft cloth, so she will not injure herself in trying to back or go ahead. After her wing or wings are clipped, the small end of the cone is removed, and she is allowed to walk out. Now, from reading this, one might think that to catch and clip a queen with this device is a long and complicated operation; in reality it is very simple. With this device, in the presence of a number of witnesses, I caught and clipped a queen in 20 seconds. But it sometimes happens that in catching a queen one or more workers are caught at the same time. This causes a slight delay, for then it is better to re- move the small end of the cone and let the workers out that way, or the hook can be run between the wires and with it they can be pulled out between them ; the wires being steel they will spring apart enough for this. There is nothing about the device that will get out of order, or wear out, except the cloth, which can be easily re- placed by any one. One of them will last many years, even if it was used every day. Some Suggestions oh Several Subjects. BY .1. C. WAI.LENMETER. Catnip Honet. — W. J. M., of Cedarville, Mo., asks on page 53, what quality of honey is obtained from catnip. Dr. Miller says he does not know that anybody ever had a pure sample of catnip honey. During 1894, my supply of comb honey ran short, and I bought several hundred pounds of catnip honey from G. F. Muth & Son. I had several grocers waiting for comb honey, and immediately delivered to each of them, seve- ral cases from the depot without examining it. In this way it was all sold four hours after arrival here. I began to receive complaints in a few days, which kept up, until I had all the " beautiful" catnip honey returned to me, as being strong, dark, of sickening odor, and other bad qualities. Everyone knows how strong buckwheat honey is — well, it is not half as bad as catnip. I used to think catnip a very fine honey-plant, seeing my bees work on it all the time, but since getting hold of such a bad mess, I condemn it. Liquefying Honey. — R. C. Aiken, on page 55, speaks of the consumer doing his own liquefying of extracted honey, having printed instructions with each package. My experi- ence is that consumers do not want candied honey, will not even try to liquefy it, and any amount of talk is wasted on otherwise intelligent people. Although I offered $100 to a grocer here if my honey contained a particle of any adultera- tion whatever, he stubbornly persisted in saying I fed my bees sugar. As long as I supplied him with honey that did not candy, he sold lots of it to his customers. So I made a round of all grocers every once in a while, and replaced the candied jars of honey. I used No. 50 glass jars, and found they candy more readily than a jar with a cork pushed in tight and tin- foil pressed around it. I can now keep all my honey from candying by pouring hot beeswax on top of it, and corking tight while hot, and it will candy only on very rare exceptions. This is best done by using Muth's square jars, as they have a small " mouth " and do not require much wax. Bees Stakving with Plenty of Honey. — On page 54, E. B. T. asks Dr. Miller the cause of a large colony of bees dying with plenty of honey in the hive. The Doctor suggests queenlessness, and gradual reduction in numbers until a cold- snap finished them. If the good Doctor looks closer, he will see that E. B. T. says " the colony was a large one, and they were 'all dead'." A more probable cause than that given by the Doctor would be, that they starved on account of not be- ing able to reach the honey without breaking cluster. We hear so much of bees starving with plenty of honey. If a Hill's device were laid across the frames, I claim all bees will live as long as there is a pound of honey in the hive. I have learned this by experience. Only the other day I discovered a large colony starved with at least 30 pounds of honey in the hive, while a little nucleus by its side, with only a pound or so of honey, came through the cold-snap all right. The nucleus had a Hill's device over the frames, covered with enameled cloth, and a super put on full of clover leaves, which retained all the warmth. The large colony had noth- ing but the enameled cloth, which was glued down to the top- bars, thus keeping the bees from passing over the frames to the much-coveted stores. All our packing will amount to nothing if we do not allow a space for the bees to pass over the frames. Evansville, Ind. Large vs. Small Hives Once More. by W. J. DAVIS, 1st. On page 84, Dr. Miller says: "Chas. Dadant certainly makes a strong showing in favor of plenty of room in the brood-chamber," etc. I have read Mr. Dadant's articles on the size of hives with much interest, and while I give him credit for giving his views correctly, just as he views the matter, and in accord- ance with his experience, yet I regard his views as very mis- leading to a majority of American bee-keepers. I am not unmindful of the fact that he can prove his faith in large hives by results, for, if I am not mistaken, he has made a financial success of bee-keeping, and may be one of those -'bloated bond-holders" — (a class, by the way, which seem to be increasing of late.) But I opine that his success is due more to location than size of hive, and also to the produc- tien of extracted instead of comb honey. I infer, also, from his enormous yields, as reported on page 44 — viz., 400 pounds from a single colony in one year. I notice, also, that most of the reports of larger yields reported on page 44 are from the State of Illinois. I very much question whether a single col- ony in the state of Pennsylvania ever in all her history pro- duced such an amount in a single season. If such a thing has ever occurred and was reported, it has escaped my notice, for I have every volume of the American Bee Journal from No. 1 to the present time. Though not as old as Mr. Dadant, I have kept bees longer in this country, and kept them in the same locality, and I have tried hives of different sizes, from one holding 24 Lang- stroth frames, to 12, 10 and 8, the latter of which I now use with the brood-frames shortened five inches in length from the standard Langstroth frames. The favoring condition we lack in western Pennsylvania — the lack of nectar for the bees to gather, the almost total absence of basswood, and the high price of land in the valley of the Brokenstraw, leave but little land for grazing purposes, hence a limited amount of white clover, and no sweet clover to speak of. We would not secure any comb honey one year in five with larger hives. But notwithstanding all this, we have the advantage of no year being an entire failure, and we have no such thing as foul brood, or bee-paralysis. If I had lived at Hamilton, Ills., I have no doubt I should have used larger hives, and if Mr. Dadant had happened on coming to this country, to have set- tled in western Pennsylvania he would now be advocating small hives, and his $300 worth of big hives would be cast aside as mine are. There is the whole thing in a nutshell. Bees are bees, no matter in what latitude or various surroundings they are kept. But all localities are not alike, neither do all localities 132 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. FeT). 27, require the same size of hive or the same management, to ob- tain best results. Can anyone suppose for a moment that the same kind of hive and same management would apply, whether the bees could work one month in 12, or 4 months in 12, or 8, 10 or 12 months in 12 ? I think not. Youngsville, Pa. Comparison of Section Comb Foundation. BY HON. E. L. TAYLOE, Superiitteiident of tlie Miclilrjayi Experiment Apiary. In making an experiment with comb foundation, I pursued a course differing in some respects from that pursued in former experiments. In the first place all the sam- ples made by others to be used in the experiment were pro- cured in such a way that none of the manufacturers could know that it was to be used by me except the single one which I will explain here is a foundation made by a machine got up by the A. I. Root Co. to make foundation in imitation of that produced by the Given press though the machine itself is a roller mill. Then instead of using a single sample of Given foundation of my own manufacture for comparison as in form- er experiments I used two— one was freshly made from wax se- lected on account of its bright yellow color and its hard, brittle character, from a lot of wax which was mostly purchased, and perhaps from five to ten per cent, of the selection was made from cappings. On account of the character of this wax the proper sheeting of it for use in the Given press was decidedly more difficult than is ordinarily the case, as the sheets were so prone to crack in cooling and when they did not crack they were considerably inclined to roll or crinkle. The other was made last year and was from the lot used in making the test a year ago. In the table the former is simply denominated Given while the latter is called the Old Given. In addition to the three mentioned I procured a sample from each of the three following manufacturers, viz.: C. Dadant & Son, The A. I. Root Co., and M. H. Hunt. The method of comparison pursued was the same as was employed in last year's trial. Sections nine to the foot were used in cases holding 36 such sections without separators, the theory, I may repeat, being that the kind of foundation best adapted to such use would be worked first and drawn out farth- est by the bees, and so be found to contain the most honey. To make the test a fair one, each case was filled with one of the sorts of foundation selected for the trial and the other half with another sort, the two sorts being made to alternate throughout. As will be seen, the Given foundation made from the hard yellow wax is the kind selected with which to compare each of the other sorts. The table following, in addition to the dis- TABLE SHOWING RESULTS OF C0NPARI80N. No. of Pieces No of ft Weight of i4 Per ct. Per ct. Designation. SJii in. square to the lb] case of honey of of to the lb. " lbs. oz. excess, deficit. JDadaafB-. 128 12.49 11 11 6.5 I Given .... 108 10 54 12 8 1 Hoot's 112 10.92 11 9 8 IGiven 113 10 92 10 11 ( Hoot-Glven 96 9,39 12 6 3.6 "I Given 104 10.14 11 15 J Hunt's 120 11.70 10 8 15 (Given 113 10.92 9 2 (Old Given.. 100 9.75 12 23 IGiven 96 9.39 9 12 tinguishing designation, shows in each case the number of pieces 3% inches square to the pound, the number of feet to the pound, and the weight of 18 sections. It is hardly neces- sary to say that the record of each parcel of Given foundation is placed next in position to the record of that sort with which it was compared, thus that treated in the second line of the table was compared with that in the first line, that in the fourth line with that in the third line, and so on. A word of caution may be necessary lest on a cursory ex- amination of the table some should be misled into fixing the standing of the several foundations considered from the col- umn giving the weight of the honey produced. For instance, in the second line of the table the Given foundation is shown to carry 12jj pounds of honey — the highest amount shown — but that this fact should not be used as an argument in favor of that foundation appears when it is considered that other kinds figure in cases generally less well filled as well as with different antagonists, so to speak. The columns containing the per cent, of excess and deficit as found from a comparison of each with the " common term" furnishes a far better criterion. By the use of this it appears that the old Given, though manufactured at least a year be- fore, easily leads all the others in quality, But what is the most remarkable is the great difference shown in the quality of the two samples of Given foundation, and that this is in favor of that sample which had been much the longer made as well as somewhat lighter in weight. No one was ever heard to afHrm that age improves the quality of foundation, and with good reason, so the explanation of the discrepancy must be sought elsewhere. Undoubtedly it is to be found in the char- acter of the wax from which the two samples of foundation were made. The hard, brittle character of the wax from which the freshly-made Given foundation came guaranteed its inferiority. If this is true, and it will hardly be questioned, the quality of the wax cuts as great a figure in the quality of the foundation produced as does the method of its manufac- ture, perhaps more. This suggests important questions for future experiments such as the following : Whence does wax derive the undesirable consistency referred to ? Does it come from the character of the honey from which it is produced or from excessive boiling, or from some other occult cause ? If the injury is caused by boiling, what amount of heat is effect- ual in doing the injury ? Again, is there any way in which the quality of such wax can be "annealed" by a proper at- tention to temperature at the time of sheeting it? Is such claim well founded ? Nothing farther need be added in explanation of the table and scarcely more could be said to enforce its lessons. — Review. Lapeer, Mich. Report of the Illinois State Convention Held at Chicago, Jan. 9 and lO, IS96. BEPORTED BY ERNEST R. BOOT. (Continued from page 117.) Second Day— Forenoon Session. NUMBER OP COLONIES TO BEGIN WITH. Question. — "How many colonies should a beginner com- mence with, in order to attain success ?" This matter was put to a vote, and a majority seemed to think that two was about right. Mr. Baldridge — The proper answer to this question would depend upon whether the beginner was to have some one to show him. He might then start with four or five. Ordinarily, one will be enough. COST OF PRODUCING A POUND OF HONEY". Question. — "Prof. Cook states that the cost of producing honey is, for extracted, 5 to 8 cents; comb, 5 to 7 cents. What is included in these cost figures ?" President — Prof. Cook would have probably figured on foundation, hives, and interest on the money. DEVELOPING THE HOME HONEY-MAEKET. Question. — " How can bee-keepers best develop and hold the home market for honey ?" President — I will tell you what I did. I put up some honey in Muth jars, and took them to the nearest market. That year there was some of the vilest honey stored that I ever had. I took that and put it on the market. I spoiled the trade. Some of the consumers insisted that the honey was adulterated, and others that it was not good. Mr. York — But what did you do to Iwld the trade ? President — I didn't hold it ! Mr. Schrier — I sell all my honey at home. It advertises itself so well that I frequently get mail orders for a second lot. If, however, I send honey away, it is always the best. Around home I can sell almost anything, because people all know me ; but the honey must be clean. I find I can sell dark as well as light honey. Question. — " What is your usual crop?" to answer this. He labor, winter losses, 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 133 Mr. Schrier — From 90 to 100 pounds per colony. Mr. York — Could Mr. Schrier sell more if he bought it? Mr. Schrier — I bought some ol a Chicago honey dealer and sold it. I have no trouble in selling what I buy, so long as I stand back of it and guarantee it. President — As a rule, which is better — to sell comb honey or extracted ? Mr. Schrier — Comb honey. President — Let's see the hands. A vote showed by a considerable majority that comb honey was the easier-selling article. A few thought they could sell extracted easier. President — A poor article of extracted does not sell as well as a poor article of comb. CAUSE OF BEE-PARAiTSIS. Question. — " Is bee-paralysis caused by a diseased queen, or by the food consumed by the bees ?" President — I have had but very little experience. At all events, I do not regard it as of much consequence. While it does not trouble me, I know it is a serious matter with some in the South. Mr. Root — No one seems to know the cause of bee-paral- ysis. Some think it is a disease inherited from the queen, and therefore that the removal of the queen will cure it. Others take the view that the bees get something from the blossoms that causes the trouble. Mr. Wheeler — One year, somewhere about the first of June, my bees began to take some sort of disease, and died. I got that year no honey to speak of ; and the bees in all my apiaries were affected. I made up my mind that they were getting something from the field that caused the trouble. They did not look like robber-bees, nor did they seem to be bloated, as in the case of those affected by bee-paralysis. Mr. Root — Some seasons, in early summer, I have seen the same thing in our yard. A close scrutiny in the grass would show bees crawling up the spears of grass and attempt- ing to fly, they drop down, only to repeat the operation. In fact, sometimes I have seen the whole yard in the apiary pretty thickly dotted with the bees in the grass. We could not ac- count for it at the time, but supposed that the bees were get- ting something from the fields that was making the trouble. Reports have come in showing that this is a real disease, and that others have been bothered by it certain seasons. Mr. Baldridge — That same malady appeared among my bees one season. CUBING FOUL BEOOD. Question — " Will foul brood cure itself in a good honey- year ?" Mr. Thompson — Yes. Mr. Root— Yes. President— Did the disease re-appear after it went away ? Mr. Thompson — No. Mr. Walker — I had this year as good a honey-flow as I ever had, yet foul brood made serious havoc among my bees. However, a good honey-flow does seem to have quite an effect in diminishing the virulence of the disease; but it does not cure it with me. The past season I felt that I could not treat the colonies as recommended by Mr. Root — that is, put them on foundation in clean hives — so I cut out the diseased spots in the combs, and burned them. I followed this up for three or four weeks. Some colonies seemed to be cured, and in others the trouble re-appeared. It is hard to lay down abso- lute rules to apply in all cases. President — The Germans recommend formic acid for cur- ing foul brood ; and as this is supposed to be present in honey, it is possible that a honey-flow helps to cure the disease, owing to the presence of this same acid. Mr. Baldridge— I think the point is right here : During a honey-flow the bees do not use diseased honey, but they use good, pure, clean honey. SHIPPING AND SELLING HONEY ON COMMISSION. Question. — "When comb honey sells on South Water Street (Chicago) for 14 cents, what will it net the producer?" Mr. York— The honey will net the producer just about 10 cents. President — We have a blackboard here, and suppose we put down some of the items of expense. Now, first, what ought we to put down for cost of freight? Mr. Walker— Well, that depends on how far the honey is to go ; but somewhere about 40 cents per 100 pounds. President — Then we will put down 4/10 of a cent as freight. Now, what is the usual commission ? Mr. Walker — Some charge 5 and some 10 per cent. Mr. Draper — I had rather pay 10 per cent, commission, and get better prices. Mr. Wheeler — I get just as good prices, and pay only 5 per cent, commission. After a good deal of discussion, in which all the members participated, the following table appeared on the blackboard : Selling price of honey per pound .14 Freight 004 Commission at 10 percent 014 Cartage 002 Loss in leakage 007 Shipping-cases 010 Total expense 037 .037 Net cash to the purchaser 103 Mr. York — There ! didn't I tell you? — just about 10 cents per pound. MOVING AN APIABT A SHORT DISTANCE. Question. — "I have a small apiary that I desire to have removed ten rods, more or less, to another location. How can I do this without loss of bees ?" Mr. Wheeler — Put them into a cellar. Keep them there over winter, and then move them in the spring to where you want them. Mr. Green — But the question seems to imply that the .bees are to be moved immediately. I would say, first, remove the bees all at once, and then remove, so far as possible, all traces of previous landmarks. In the new location, set the hives in the same relative position. Mr. Baldridge — I would move them when they were fly- ing the thickest — say about the middle of the day. The air will then be filled with bees, and they will then find their loca- tion. They might not all go back to the same hives, but that would not matter much, for they would equalize. If in any case they do not equalize properly, change the location of a weak and a strong colony — putting the weak one on the stand occupied by the strong, and the strong on the stand of the weak. Mr. Green — Common bees will find their location much quicker than Italians. Mr. Wheeler — Give each colony a ride on a wheelbarrow for about a full hour. Jolt them about a good deal, and then when they are set on their new location, they will stay where they are put. Mr. Baldridge — I have not time for that. Mr. Wheeler — This plan that I have just spoken of is Mr. Doolittle's idea. He aims to excite the bees so that, when they are given their freedom on their new location, they will mark that location. Mr. Draper — When I move my bees to Spanish-needle I fasten up all the hives during the day, and move at night. At that time the bees do not bother the horses. For a day or two after they are set on their new location the bees are cross, I tell you. BEST WIDTH OF ONE-POUND SECTIONS. Question. — " What width of one-pound section, 4Jix4^, will be most profitable to use?" Mr. Green — I think 1 ?f is a nice width, holding % pound, when separators are used, and sells for less than a pound. It is more likely to be of uniform weight than the heavier section. President — The Canadians, you know, prefer a narrower section — that is, l?a, or 7 to the foot. Mr. Wheeler — I use and prefer \%. President — Why ? Mr. Wheeler — For the same reason as Mr. Green ; and, moreover, these narrow sections are more quickly capped over, and I find I get with them fewer unfinished sections. Mr. Draper — I prefer a 2-pound section, 2 inches wide. It looks bigger. President — At first I wanted my sections to weigh a full pound ; but now I find the dealer wants something holding a little less than a pound — just near enough a pound to make the consumer f/imfc he is buying a full pound when he is not. That is cheating. I should want something that would weigh at least a full pound, or at least so much less that the con- sumer will not be fooled. Mr. Green — Grocers around us prefer %-pound weights. I sell by the section generally, although a few buy by weight. When they buy by the section they know just how much each is costinE them, and what their margin of profit is ; but they do not always know, when it is bought by the pound. Mr. Wheeler — I sell by the section. Mr. Baldridge — I think the majority prefer to sell by the section. President — Let's have an expression from the convention. 134 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Feh. 27, and see what width of section, 4}^x4}i, seems to have the preference. A show of hands revealed the fact that 7 to the foot seemed to have a little bit the lead in the preference; 1% came next ; after that, X%. NUMBER OF BROOD-FRAMES DURING THE HARVEST. Question. — " How many combs, Langstroth size, should be left in the brood-chamber during the harvest for comb honey ?" In answer to this, the President called for an expression. The majority favored the 10-frame size — that is, the majority who voted at all. Mr. Green and Mr. Wheeler thought one section of the Heddou hive sufficient, which would be equiva- lent to 5 Langstroth combs. Mr. Walker — Does not Mr. Green have swarming from those shallow oases '? Mr. Green — Yes, sir ; but I give them another story, or half section, if they need room. Question. — " How many reduce the brood-room of an old colony during the harvest ?" An expression from the convention showed that there were but very few who did so, while the majority did not. Question. — " How many hive their swarms on less than the full brood-room ?" A call for an expression showed that the majority did so. ADVERTISING FOE COMMISSION-MEN. Question. — "Should the bee-papers accept advertisements of commission-men, soliciting shipments ot honey?" Mr. Green — There is no more reason why they shouldn't, than that the publisher of any trade-journal should not solicit advertisements from people coanected with their trade. Mr. Mandelbaum — The firm I represent has bought largely on commission, but in the future we propose to buy outright. In answer to the question, I think bee-papers should accept advertisements from commission-houses. It is the bee-keep- ers' own fault if he gets caught by unreliable parties. Mr. Newman — I should answer the question in the affirm- ative, providing the bee-papers have investigated the standing of the parties who desire to advertise. The mistake is very often made by the bee-keepers themselves, in not investigat- ing the responsibility of houses that may or may not advertise. I know several parties who have shipped to irresponsi- ble firms ; as a result, they have suffered by it. Bee-keepers should go to the banks and ascertain the responsibility of the commission firms that they are not acquainted with. If such firms are not quoted, they should not be trusted. Mr. Mandelbaum — If any bee-keepers have accounts with commission-houses from which they caunot collect or get sat- isfactory returns, the firm I represent will be willing to aid them if in their power. Mr. Walker — Referring to Mr. Newman's point, I would say that a high-quoted firm is not necessarily safe. 1 want to know whether they are honest. Mr. Newman — But when you go to the banks you can find out their credit. It is not their capital, but their credit, that should be taken into consideration. Give me the standing of a man who has honor and credit, and I will not be afraid to trust him. Adjourned to meet at 1:30 a.m. [Concluded next week.! A Ne'W Binder for holding a year's numbers of the American Bee Journal, we propose to mail, postpaid, to every subscriber who sends us 15 cents. It is called "The Wood Binder," is patented, and is an entirely new and very simple arrangement. Full printed directions accompany each Binder. Every reader should get it, and preserve the copies of the Bee Journal as fast as they are received. They are invaluable for reference, and at the low price of the Binder you can afford to get it yearly. If any one desires two of the Binders — one for 1895 and one for 1896 — send 25 cents, and they will be mailed to you. ^-•-^ Tlie Alsike Clover Leaflet consists of 2 pages, with illustrations, showing the value of Alsike clover, and telling how to grow it. This Leaflet is just the thing to baud to every farmer in your neighborhood. Send to the Bee Jour- nal office for a quantity of them, and see that they are dis- tributed where they will do the most good. Prices, postpaid, are as follows : 50 for 25 cents ; 100 for 40 cents ; or 200 for 70 cents. See " Bee-Keeper's Guide " offer on page 14 3. CONDUCTED BY DR. C C. JSJJLLBS, MARENGO, ILJL. LQuestlons may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. MUler direct. 1 Onawings of the Capping^. My bees are on the summer stands, and are all right ex- cept one colony. I was looking at them last week, and found that one colony had fallen comb at the entrance ; I looked in and found that the queen was dead, and the bees were eating off the comb. I found plenty of honey and pollen. What is the matter ? H. M. P. Keysburg, Ky. Answer. — In winter there is an accumulation of the gnawings of the cappings that the bees let fall. This, how- ever, you would find at all the hives, and is a little like ground- pepper in appearance. If bits of comb are found a fourth of an inch in size, then the mice have probably been gnawing the combs. It's a good plan in winter to have the entrances closed with wire-cloth having three meshes to the inch. This will stop the mice, but allow bees to pass. It would be hard to say what caused the death of the queen. Some Sweet Clover Questions. 1. Can sweet clover be sown in the spring, so as to get a crop of hay the same year? 2. Would sweet clover be likely to do well in the vicinity of Boston, on rather light land ? 3. Is there any other clover that could be sown in the spring so as to give a crop of hay and also to be useful as a honey-plant? 4. If sweet clover was plowed under in the fall, after it had gone to seed, would it come up in the spring ? P. C.'J. Answers.— 1. I have had it grow two or three feet high the first year, and it would have made a fine crop of hay, pos- sibly two crops. But it doesn't blossom till the second year. 2. I couldn't be certain about it, but I should expect it to do well. Mrs. Harrison reports that down in Florida it will not prosper, but that's the only report of the kind I ever heard. 3. Possibly crimson clover might fill the bill, although most say it should be sowed in the fall. It is expected to grow only the one season, whether sowed fall or spring. 4. I've had a fine stand by having such ground plowed in the spring, and I see no reason why it would not do just as well if plowed in the fall. Prodiiciiig Extracted Honey — Fumigating Combs — liuilding a Honey.IIouse. 1. In working for extracted honey, would you advise the use of half-depth frames in supers, or full-size Hoffman frames, the same as are used in the brood-chamber ? 2. In fumigating your frames of combs, how much sul- phur should be used to a given number of frames? Is there danger if a little too much sulphur is used ? 3. I want to build a honey-house. Would you kindly give me a few dimensions and instructions necessary for the pur- pose ? I want it large enough to accommodate the work necessary for 15 or 20 colonies. I am almost a beginner, and would appreciate as minute instructions as your time will allow in the matter of the honey-house, or anything in the line of extracted-honey ad- vice. J. M. H. Mt. Vernon, Ind. Answers. — 1. I don't know which to advise. The half- depth frames are better. In giving additional super room it is better to have shallow frames, so as not to be obliged to give so much room at a time, and indeed it is better not to have so 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 135 much surplus-room the first time. The shallow frames are more convenient to uncap. I think it is said the queen is less likely to go up and lay in shallow frames. But it is expensive and inconvenient to keep a set of frames especially for ex- tracting. If you use the same kind of frames as you use in the brood-chamber, you can change from one to the other, so a smaller number of frames will be necessary, and the frames can more easily be all kept in use all the time, and that's bet- ter for the combs. But another thing is, that some think that the honey is affected by the old combs in which brood has been reared, and if that be true, then the combs used for extracting should never have brood in them. On the whole, the matter stands in this way : It's better to have shallow frames for extracting, but if you don't want to stand the expense you can get along by using frames the same as in the brood-chamber. 2. It isn't so much a matter of the number of frames as It is of the amount of room in which they are placed. If a thousand combs require a given amount of sulphur, it will take just as much sulphur for a single comb if that single comb is put in the same room. If there are big worms to be killed in your combs, you can hardly use enough sulphur, and if they have just been hatched from the egg it will need very little to kill them. At a rough guess, perhaps a pound of sulphur may be used for a room 10 feet square. In smoking section honey, there is danger of making the nice, white comb green if an overdose of sulphur is used, but you would probably do no harm by any amount for brood- combs. 3. For 15 or 20 colonies you'll want a room not much smaller than you would need for five times as many. Of course, more room is needed to store the increased amount of . honey. Moreover, there's no certainty that you will always be of your present mind as to keeping so few colonies, and it is more comfortable to have plenty of room, and a large room costs less in proportion than a small one. You could get along with a room 7x7, but I wouldn't want it less than lOx- 10, and larger would be still better. Figure to have plenty of light, and that will at the same time give you plenty of chance for ventilation. Have it convenient to the apiary, and the lay of the land will have something to say about that. Be sure to keep in mind that you may want to drive a wagon close up to load and unload. So general is the question that it is not likely all points would be covered, no matter how long the answer, and any special questions you may think of will be cheerfully answered so far as ability goes. Sa^vdust Packiiis iu the Spring. Is it advisable to place sawdust on the top of the brood- frames for the protecting of brood during the spring? Last spring I took the frames out of the half stories, and placed them on the hives with the oil-cloth over the brood-frames, and filled the half-stories about half full of dry sawdust. If this is advisable, how long should they remain on ? Peasleeville, N. Y. W. H. E. Answkr. — I should think it might be of some benefit, al- though I wouldn't like to be very positive about it. Why not try some hives with, and some without such covering, and compare results? I'd take off the sawdust about the time to put on sections, or a little before, according to convenience. Wants to Produce Only Bcc§tvax. What do you consider the best plan to secure the most wax ? Bees do well here. Besides a fair yield during the regular seasons, they usually gather some honey and keep up brood-rearing the entire winter, but there is very little sale for honey at any price, while wax sells readily at 50 cents per pound. I have no extractor. What do you thinl< of feeding back honey in comb? and how should it be done? About how many pounds of honey should make a pound of wax, wlien fed to the bees ? About how many pounds of wax-should a strong colony make per annum if worked for wax alone. I suppose in working for wax I should increase as fast as practicable. If so, what is the best plan to pursue? Monte Morelas, Mexico. W. H. C. Answer. — I don't know enough to attempt any answer to some of your questions, and practically know very little about working for wax alone. Whether it can be made profitable or not can only be decided by trial. In the States it is hardly worth the trial, but in Australia it has been thought of. With poor sale for honey, and wax at 50 cents, it's certainly worth the trial. I think I should try somewhat after this fashion : Have a hive of such size that the queen would have a fair chance to lay and still leave a little room, but very little. As soon as the hive is filled iu spring, or a little sooner, add a second story below with starters. I think you'll find the bees build down comb quite rapidly. Cut away the combs as fast as built down, every two or three days if you can stand the work. These combs will have very little honey in them, and will give wax of the finest quality. There may be danger that the combs in the upper story will become filled with honey to such an extent that brood enough will not be reared, so it may be well to keep an eye on this, and either cut out or extract the outside combs occasionally. Probably the best way to feed back the honey would be to dilute it a half and feed in the open air, providing, of course, other bees don't get it. Otherwise the Miller feeder, or the crock-and-plate feeder would work. Now, mind you, I'm only guessing at what is best to do. How to Insure Sections of Safely. Honey Shipping I wish we could get the collective wisdom of our sages on this matter. But, then, to the confusion of the tyro, their opinions differ so on this, as on most other matters. For in- stance, B. Taylor, in his Toronto essay, says he fills his sec- tion with " moderately heavy foundation," and boastfully re- marks that he has sent 200-pound lots 700 miles with three railway transfers without a single section breaking down. Had the "moderately-heavy foundation" anything to do with in- suring this safety ? Also, had the viscidity of the honey (as a result of 60 days storage in an iron-house with free air circu- lation) anything to do with it? Does he use spiral springs for his crates, or corrugated paper, perhaps ? I wish he'd be less tantalizing, and a trifle more explicit. These big fellows just hint at things — in a rather supercilious sort of way — telling us youngsters just enough to make us long to know more. I wish you would " squeeze " B. T. a bit on this point. I said just now that the opinions of our leading lights differ so vexatiously on many minor — aye, and on many major points, too. Now, at this same Toronto convention we have Allen Pringle telling us most emphatically that it is a mistake to use full sheets of foundation, or anything beyond the merest starters, in sections. I wonder if A. P.'s sections travel, as a rule, as safely as Mr. Taylor's. And here let me pass in my humble thank-offering to both these gentlemen for their highly interesting and very valuable essays. These "old boys " take a deal of trouble to give us youngsters, in their essays, the benefit of their long years of experience, and de- serve every individual bee-keeper's special thanks. I'oit would appear to have hit upon a good "dodge" of strengthening sections of houey for traveling by using a top a?icJ bottom starter. I mean to try it. What thickness of foundation do you recommend for these starters ? South Africa. S. D. Answer. — I have generally used the same thickness of foundation in both top and bottom starters. I don't like ex- tra-thin foundation for either place, but if I used it for top starters I certainly would have something heavier for the bot- tom. Indeed, when I use thin (not extra-thin) foundation at the top, I like for the bottom something a little heavier, or perhaps more properly something with higher sidewalls, so it will not be so likely to topple over. ^ ■ ■ Getting: Bees Out of a Chiuincy— Separators. 1. What is the best plan to get bees out of a; chimney, either just located, or of one or two years' standing ? 2. Will bees work better in sections with no separators ? I always use full sheets of Van Deusen thin foundation. Last season was a good one with us. I took 4,932 pounds from 50 colonies, spring count. They swarmed but little. Utah. Answers. — 1. Sometimes the boarding can be cut away, then by the use of smoke the combs can bo cut out and all removed. If no cutting is allowed, then perhaps the easiest way to drive out the bees is by means of carbolic acid. Bees cannot stand the fumes of this, and as soon as it gets too strong they will make for the open air. 2. Possibly there may be a shade of difference, at least in theory, but it isn't enough so that you can detect it in actual practice. 136 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Feb. 27. '-OLOKTBEIPAPD» HAJjtERICA TABUSHCO PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY CEORCE W. YORK & COMPANY, Editors and Proprietors, Se Flttti Avenue, - CHICAGO, ILL. REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS : G. M. Doolittle, of New York. Prof. A, J. Cook, ot California. Dr. C. C. Miller, of Illinois. Dr. J. P. H. Brown, of Georgia. J. H. Martin, of California. Rev. B. T. Abbott, of Missouri. Chas. Dadant & Son, of Illinois. $1.00 a Year— Sample Copy Sent Free. [Entered at the P08^0ffice at ChicaKo as Second-Class Mail-Matter.] Vol. inVI, CHICAGO, ILL,, FEB, 21, 1896, No, 9. Xlie California Bce-Kecpcrs' Eiccliaiig;e is now started. Mr. Martin tells about it in his interesting article on page 129. Those plucky Californians will be eagerly watched from now on, for if their new venture proves successful we do not see what is to hinder its imitation In nearly every part of the country. We believe the leading bee-keepers of the Golden State are on the right track. We hope so, for we would like to see the new Bee-Keepers' Exchange develop into a grand institution for the advancement of the financial interests of all its members, by way of disposing of their crops of honey more satisfactorily, and also in the purchase of the necessary apiarian supplies. If bee-culture is to be successfully prosecuted as an industry, the cost of produc- tion must be lessened, and then at least a fair price be secured for honey. We believe the Bee-Keepers' Exchange is a move in the right direction, and we are anxious to see it succeed. The Bee Journal is ready to do whatever it can to aid California bee-keepers, and no doubt it will have the privilege of keeping the members of the Exchange informed regarding the movements of their new organi- zation from time to time. This will be a good time for every California bee-keeper to subscribe for the American Bee Journal, if not now receiving it regularly. We don't know where they will find more genuine bee- information for the money — 53 weekly numbers for only -Jl.OO. 'Tis so ridiculously cheap that no real beekeeper can afford to be without it, no matter where he lives. For a short time we will be able to furnish all the back num- bers from Jan. 1, 1S96, to new subscribers. SelUnjs: Aiiotlier's Iloiiey as Your 0«-n.— After reading our several editorials on selling another's honey, one of the Bee Journal's many friends writes us as follows: Mr. Editor:— Will you pardon me. if I ask you to turn back once more and carefully examine the question asked by " Mis- souri," about " one bee-keeper selling another bee-keepers' honey," page 675 ? The question is so involved that a careless reading might give one the wrong impression, and a first impression is sometimes hard to correct when it is wrong. And just that sort of thing has happened, I think, with you, Mr. Editor, and also with some of those who replied. The question is, " Would it be right ?" and the majority of those who reply answer more or less directly, "No." You say, "Yes." I do not believe you have a different standard of right from that majority, and I feel sure that you will answer with thera when you answer the question that is asked, and not the one that you mistakenly supposed to be asked. Just look and see what is asked. " Would it be right ?" Would what be right ? From what you repeatedly say you take it to mean buying from another to sell again. No one questions that — not one of those who replied. That isn't the question at all. The question is " Would it be right to sell honey under sucli circum- stances ?" Getting the twists out of the question, it is, " Would it be right to sell honey " bought from another " provided I should put my name on it and make my customers believe it is from my apiary ?" Instead of answering that question you go to talking about the simple matter of buying to sell again, which has nearly as much to do with the question as if you should argue that I should sell my crop of honey instead of having it all used up on my own table. If you had looked at the real question, I don't be- lieve you would have been so "Hasty" in your remarks on page 24. HONET-PRODnCER. Well, Mr. Honey -Producer, we have taken your advice "to turn back once more and carefully examine the question " asked and answered on page 675 of the Bee Journal for 1S95, and we must candidly admit that we did not consider seriously enough the part of the question which reads, " and make my customers believe it is from my own apiary" — really meaning that it vi as produced by the seller. Why, of course. t!uit would be wrung. And we don't be- lieve those of the repliers who even intimated that it would be right, were any more careful than we were in reading the ques- tion. But we are just as certain they are as much opposed to any and every wrongful act as are we. After saying the above, it looks very clear to us that we owe, and hereby tender, Mr. Hasty an apology for writing as we did concerning him on page 24. While doing this, we would say, how- ever, that we think Mr. H. went a little too far when intimating that certain good people were " rascals." Although it ought to be unnecessary to say it, we will repeat our statement on page 57, viz. : /( is not right to deceive under any cir- cumstances! 1'hc Kee-Siipply Manufaetiircrs— the largest — were shown in last Gleanings, by way of portraits of all the principal members of the several firms. Mr. G. B. Lewis and Mr. C. E. Parks (now deceased) represent The G. B. Lewis Co. ; Mr. W. T. Falconer and Mr. D. E. Merrill, of The W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co. ; and Mr. R. B. Leahy and Mr. J. E. Gladish, of the Leahy Mfg. Co. The six pictures make an excellent showing of the manufacturers of supplies used by bee-keepers. If to the foregoing are added The A. I. Root Co., then the list would be complete. Of course there are many who manufacture on a small scale, and are excellent firms, but we presume Gleanings aimed to "show off " the "big guns "in the supply manufacturing line. It was a decided suc- cess, and we congratulate our esteemed contemporary upon its enterprise and general "git-up-and-gituess." >»Xlie Hoiiey-IIee : A Manual of Instruction in Apicul- ture." By Frank Benton, M. S. — This book, already mentioned, is issued as Bulletin No. 1, New Series, U. S. Department of Agri- culture, Division ot Entomology. It is 6x9 inches, paper cover, 118 pages, 11 of them being blank, the obverse of the beautiful full- page engravings. As already mentioned, the many illustrations are exeedingly flue, there being 88 in all, including the 13 full-page plates. Of course, some of the engravings are the old ones, with which all readers of bee-books are familiar, but most of them are new, more than 30 being original. On page 33 are three cuts that seem to be put in to fill up. no reference being made to them in the reading matter. They represent the manner of handling a frame so as not to have the comb break out — a manner of manipulation that it is hardly worth while to give in these days of wired frames. The book is divided into 13 chapters, treating of Classification, Kinds of Bees, Manipulation, Establishing an Apiary, Hives and Implements, Pasturage, Spring Manipulation, Securing Surplus, Queen-Rearing. Increase, Wintering, Diseases and Enemies. The author sets the amount of honey necessary to produce a pound of wax at a higher figure than many do in these latter days, saying that IS to 20 pounds are necessary to produce a pound of white comb. The use of the quilt is taught as one of the regular things, al- though in the most jJopular hives of the present day no quilts are used. Possibly the extra warmth obtained through quilts would more than repay their extra trouble. Here is an extract with regard to the use of the veil that some would do well to consider: "To dispense entirely with the bee- veil is a more important consideration, especially to the profes- sional bee-master, than is at first apparent to the inexperienced. Its use injures the eyesight seriously, especially where one is obliged to strain his eyes for hours to see eggs, larviB, etc., in the cells; to hunt out queens and queen-cells, and adjust frames. Be- sides this, the hindrance to rapid work which the veil causes, as well as the great discomfort ot wearing it for hours during hot weather, are considerations worth weighing." The statement, " If the combs are so old as to be nearly black and to show cell-walls much thickened, they are very objection- able," would be more readily endorsed in England than in this country. The author has evidently given much attention to the matter 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 137 of honey-plants, and he strongly recommends to bee-keepers in Middle and Northern regions a trial of Japan and suUa clovers. A list of honey-plants is given for the North above latitude 40 de- grees, for the South below 35 degrees, and one for the Middle sec- tion between 35 degrees and 40 degrees. The relative importance of the plants is shown by four different kinds of type. The most important, given in full capitals, are, for the North— raspberry, white and Alsike clovers, linden and buckwheat; for the Middle section — tulip tree, sourwood, alfalfa and sweet clover; for the South— white sage, horsemint, sourwood, saw and cabbage pal- metto, black mangrove and alfalfa. For full sheets in sections, "thin" foundation is advised on page 80, and '■ extra thin " on page 55. The author says he has seen 3.50 queen-cells constructed at one time by a single colony in Tunis. Henry Alley thinks only ten or a dozen good cells can be reared at one time in a colony ; but Mr. Benton thinks a large proportion are good in colonies that have several times as many. There are good reasons for believing that the latter is correct in his views. With the right condition, he says " there need be no hesitancy in permitting the construction of hundreds of queen-cells in one colony, if such numbers are needed." Clipping queens is spoken of in such a way as might mislead the novice to think a queen should be clipped annually. A good point is given on page OS which is perhaps new. After removing the old colony to a new location after swarming, intro- duce a young queen within a day or two. This will secure the destruction of the queen-cells, whereas if the colony were left till the first queen hatched out, it might have enough bees added to its numbers as to warrant swarming. Some would take issue with Mr. Benton when he advises, at the time of dividing, that the queenless part be left on the old stand. The plan of dequeening during the honey-flow is not com- mended, but the author recommends replacing the old queen early in the season with a queen of the same season's rearing. He has no sympathy with the " pollen theory," and is on the safe side in recommending 40 pounds of winter stores in Northern regions. On the whole, this book, with its large, clear type, and its plain putting of correct teachings, is a real credit to the author and the Department of Agriculture. l>r. Peiro's Hints. — In reply to letters of enquiry re- ceived from subscribers of the American Bee Journal, we wish to state that though Dr. Peiro cannot continue his " Medical Hints," as in the past, he may be expected to touch upon the most recent medical topics as they occur, from time to time. Further, that he will be glad to reply to all enquiries, giving medical advice de- sired by our readers, the only consideration being the enclosure of enough stamp for return postage. Address, as before— Dr. Peiro, 100 State St., Chicago, 111. Mr. A. W. Swan and Apiary. Mr. A. W. Swan was born in Story County, Iowa, in 1S5.S. He spent his early boyhood days on the farm, receiving a com- mon school education. With his parents he moved to western Kansas in 18To, there enduring the disadvantages of pioneer life. While only a boy he developed a remarkable ability for broom-making, and though serving no apprenticeship, by his own ingenuity and persistent effort he has won success. In 1880 he moved to Nemaha county, Kans., and was married to Miss Orcelia Jackson shortly after. Together they built up a pleasant home in Centralia, and when the future looked bright, and all seemed fair to lead to success, the happy home was blighted, and the wife was called to that better Home beyond, leaving the husband, and daughter of 13 years, to toil a little longer, and experience that great lesson — " learning to labor and to wait." A few years ago Mr. Swan became interested in bee-cul- ture ; believing that he could make a success of this work, he purchased 30 colonies of bees, and by obtaining aid from reading the bee-papers and thoroughly studying the actions of the " busy little bee," he has built up his apiary until it is the best in Nemaha county. He finds no difficulty in disposing of his honey, and has always received a good price for it. Mr. Swan Is an ever-ready talker on the subject of bees, and is delighted with the work. E. L. S. The foregoing biographical sketch was kindly written by Miss Emma L. Swan, sister of Mr. S. In the following, Mr. Swan, himself, tells us about some of his bee-keeping experi- ence: In the spring of 1893 I bought 30 colonies of bees in ex- tra large hives. Not knowing very much about bees I left them in the large hives, and have 16 of them in my apiary yet, as will be seen in the engraving. It is a deep hive, the frames being 11x15 inches, outside measure, or 10x14 inches of comb space in each frame. There being 10 of these frames in each hive, it makes 1,400 square inches of brood- comb. With close observation I found 900 square inches occupied by the queen in the height of brood-rearing, leaving a balance of 500 square inches for the bees to store honey in, consequently the bees are very slow to commence work in the sections-until the best honey-flow is over. Bees winter well in these large hives on the summer stands, without any protection, having their winter stores directly over the cluster, which is very essential to successful wintering on the summer stands. The only way such hives are profitable is by getting large swarms from them, and then hiving them in 8-frame hives with full sheets of foundation in the brood-frames, and in three days put on one a super of sections filled with extra-thin foundation. By so doing I gefi from 24 to 48 pounds of choice comb honey in one-pound sec- tions from a prime swarm. This is the result of actual prac- tice, not theory. Finding that bees paid me better in 8-frame hives, I transferred the bees and comb from 14 of these large hives in May and June, 1895, and in August I took off 560 pounds of choice comb honey in one-pound sections, nicely finished. At the same time I took 300 pounds from the 16 large hives, in 400 sections finished up in all shapes, leaving me 150 sec- tions that were not fit for market. So, with the experience I have, I shall adopt the 8-frame hive, or in other words, the Hoffman frame, no matter what kind of a hive so it is not too large — not over nine frames for the brood-chamber. I winter all my bees on the summer stands, with very little loss, if they have plenty of good stores, plenty of young bees, and are properly packed. I believe in late brood-rear- ing, so that the hives will be full of young bees at the begin- ning of winter — at least this is my plan, and my bees are win- tering nicely. On the first day of January, this year, it was a nice, warm day, and the bees had a cleansing flight, and were carrying out very few dead bees. The majority of the honey in this part of country is from sweet clover, which grows in all waste places, fence-corners, lanes, streets, and alleys for miles around my place, and it is alive with bees while it is in bloom. This "weed," as the farmers call it, is our best honey-plant — without it I would not keep bees in this locality, as there is nothing else for them to work on after fruit-bloom in the spring until heart's-ease and buckwheat bloom in August. As I do not make a specialty of bee-keeping, the bees do not get the attention they should have, but with the care they get they pay me very well. A. W. Swan. Hive-Numbers and Becord-Books. Now, it seems to me just about as necessary to number or name colonies of bees as it is to name people. If I had to stop and describe each colony of bees by some peculiarity of hive or location every time I wanted to refer to it, instead of saying No. 12 or No. 9, I believe I should get discouraged, and just give up. It seems to me a bee-keeper's time is too valuable to be wasted in that way. But if there were no other reason for it, I should want them numbered in order that a record might be kept. You know when children dispute with regard to their ages thsy are always referred to the family Bible. Well, when we want to be sure of our queens' ages we refer to the record-book. 138 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Feh. 27, Suppose I go to a colony and find that it is queenless. Is the record-book now of any use to me ? Of course it is. I can take the book and look and see if there is any colony I can go to for queen-cells, tell how ripe they are, tell whether it's a colony I want to breed from, whether it's gentle or cross, whether they are good workers or not; in fact, tell all about them. With a record-book you can sit down and map out your day's work, and know just what you're going to do before- hand. In fact, I don't see how any one can get along without one. If we should forget ours when v*e go to the out-apiaries, we should have to go tjack after it, and it would be a difficult thing to keep a record-boo'k without having your colonies numbered. — Emma Wilson, in Gleanings. Emptying Honey-Cans. No doubt, most bee-keepers have at times had experience in emptying honey from five-gallon cans into smaller recepta- cles, and know that to till the can up each time a jar is filled, and again lower it, is quite some work. The honey-gates made of tin and leather, such as the Roots sent out some years ago, were quite handy, but just about the time one has a sup- ply of these on hand, he will have to have some new cases, and the chances are that these will have a different-sized screw cap, and his gates will not fit them. Now, let me tell you how to manage it without a gate : Stand the can on a box, chair or table, far enough from the edge so that when you lay the can over on its side it will project four or five inches over the edge of the table, unscrew the cap, take a smooth piece of section that is not warped, (any other small piece of board will do), place it over the mouth of the can and lay it (the can) down on its side while you hold the piece of section firmly in its place. Now you want an as- sistant to hold the jars or cans, or at least someone to hand them to you ; hold the jar under, and slide the section-piece up until the honey flows out as fast as desired. Usually it will not flow too fast, if opened entirely. When the jar is full, slide the piece down and cut off the flow while you take away the full jar and put an empty one under, and so on. If the honey is not too thick, it will take you less time to fill a num- ber of jars than it has taken me to write this. Try it. — S. E. MiLLEB, in Progressive Bee-Keeper. Longevity of Bees. C. Davenport says in Gleanings : " One summer I had a strong second swarm issue from a large box-hive. I do not remember the date, but it was just before basswood blossomed. The queen of this swarm was lost, on her mating trip, or in some other way, for I am certain that they did not have a lay- ing queen at any time during the summer. I thought I would let them do without one, to see what they would do. They were hived on combs that contained considerable honey, so they did not have much room to store below ; but they filled up what room there was, and then, instead of working much in the sections, they took the world easy. "In the fall I thought I would unite what few of them were left, with some other colony ; but on coming to examine them I was surprised at the amount of bees there was left. There seemed to be nearly as many as when I hived them ; so in order to experiment further they were put in the cellar, where the rest were. They came out in good shape in the spring. A queen was given to them ; and although they dwin- dled away very fast, they pulled through all right. "Now, in this case the workers lived at least 10 or 11 months, not ouly a few, but thousands of them. But they would not do so every year. If the same thing had been tried the past summer I do not think there would have been a live bee left after they had been in the cellar a month." Using TJnfinislied Sections. Says B. Taylor in Gleanings ; " Now I will try to answer pointedly Dr. Peete's questions. You, see, Doctor, the sec- tions which I use for extracting and using again were got from the supers I must necessarily use in saving the honey- crop, and not only without extra work or loss, but with au ac- tual saving in both, for we avoided the swarming trouble, and did not curtail, but ijicreased, the general surplus crop, and even the crop of finished comb honey, so there was no waste of work here. After the honey is extracted from the sections they are returned to the T supers, and on a warm afternoon are all set out at once in the open air ; and by dark every sec- tion will be cleaned of every particle of honey by the bees, ready for the comb-leveler. Two hours' work will accomplish all the work of having thousands of combs cleaned ; but the leveler must be used on every comb. Surely that will be a big task. No ; it is but little more work than to properly fill sec- tions with full sheets of foundation, especially where two pieces of foundation are used in each section ; and the comb- honey producer who does not use two pieces has not yet learned his trade ; so there is but little if any extra work or loss in leveling or using the drawn combs again." Honey in Butter. When the butter is salted, add a little sugar or honey, about half a tea-cup full to five or six pounds, and see what a nice flavor it gives to the butter. — Mrs. Hallenbeok, in Pro- gressive Bee-Keeper. Apicultural Nomenclature. I am glad to see the disposition on the part of bee-keepers to use shorter terms in designating various articles and opera- tions in the apiary. Dr. Miller, in the American Bee Journal, in place of the circumlocution of saying "carrying bees into the cellar" would "cellar them." He does not say what term he would use when he would take them out ; but reasoning from analogy he would " uncellar " them. Perhaps this would be carrying matters a little too far. So far the new nomenclature includes the word " cellar " as a verb — to put bees into the cellar ; "queen and unqueen" for " supplying a colony with a queen and taking one away ;" " floor " instead of " bottom-board ;" " queen-bar " instead of "queen-excluding honey-board." I am not sure that the sub- stitutes for the last two terms are sufficiently descriptive to be readily understood. I shall be glad to receive a list of short words that are perfectly plain as to their meaning, in place of the longer circumlocutions we are now using. By the way, in York State I heard the bee-keepers using the term " boxing a colony," instead of the longer term, " putting sections on a colony." They almost invariably used the term " boxes" in- stead of " sections." In the West I have heard the expression "supering " for putting ou sections or extracting-supers. — Gleanings editorial. Importance of Longevity m Bees. Referring to the article of Geo. J. VandeVord in this jour- nal, page 6 IT (1895), Editor Hutchinson says in the Review : "Prolificness in queens is almost universally desired. In sum- ming up the desirablequalities of a race of bees, or of a queen, prolificness is almost always put at the head of the list. Oc- casionally a bee-keeper has had the insight to notice and the courage to say that there are other points of more importance than prolificness: in fact, some have asserted that prolificness is at the expense of other desirable qualities. Every bee-keep- er knows that it is not always the most populous colony that stores the most surplus. There is certainly a reason for this, and it is possible that Mr. VandeVord has struck it." Bees for Australia. The present mania seems to be for imported American stock. Though considering them superior to queens reared in Italy, yet those from the Eastern States have one defect which would not occur in those bred from climates similar to our own. In the Northeastern States of America for several months in the winter the bees and queen hibernate and cease from all active exercise. This proves of great advantage to the apia- rist there, as the bees thereby have a large stock of unused vi- tality to start work when the spring opens, This lying dor- mant in winter time will become hereditary and inbred amongst the race, as those which possess this quality have a better chance of surviving the severe winters. We know that all animals have the power of gradually adapting themselves to the changed conditions of their environment, provided the change is not too sudden. Now these qualities which prove advantageous to the American apiarist has the opposite effect here, as over the greater part of Australia the bees can fly al- most any day through the winter. Then we want queens that will lay through the winter as well as summer, for if the work- ers keep flying through the winter, and there are no young bees hatching out to replace them as they die off, the stock will become too weak by spring-time to be of much value as honey-gatherers for the ensuing summer. I believe to this want of hatching brood may be attributed a great deal of what is called spring dwindling. — A. C. Cusack, in Austra^ lian Bee-Bulletin. ' The Xatnes and Addresses of all your bee- friends, who are not now taking the Bee Journal, are wanted at this office. Send them in, please, when sample copies will be mailed to them. Then you can secure their subscriptions, and earn some of the premiums we have offered. The next few months will be just the time to easily get new sub- scribers. Try it earnestly, at least. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 139 Largest Factory ti°o West Go?d°^pji!7|AT?^ces READ THIS— Mr. Keyes says: The 100 rounds of Extra-Tuin Foundation you sent us" is superior to anything: be ever saw; and I think the same, R. L. Tuckkk, Wewahitchba. Fla. Dear Sirs:— The Sections came duly co hand. Indeed, ihey are very nice. Yes, sir; they are as g-ood as the best. Charles H. Tries, Steeleville, Illinois. Leahy Mfg". Co.: — I have received the bill of goods, I must say they are the choicest lot of Hive-Stuff 1 have ever received from any place. I admire the smooihoess of your work, and your close selection of lumber. Yours very truly. O. K. Olmstead, Orleans, Nebr. Dear Sirs:— The Sections arrived in due time, and are all O. K. j^o far as examined. They are simply perfection. I can't see how you can furnish such goods at such low prices. I hope you may live loaj;: and do well. Yours respectfully. Z. S. Weaver, Courtney, Tex. Gents:— 1 received the *' Hig-ginsvUle Smoker " all U. K. It's a dandy; please And enclosed stamps for another. Yours truly. Otto Endehs. Oswegathe. N. Y. Gentlemen:—! have bought Supplies from nearly all the large manufacturers by the car- load, and i must say j'ours are as good as the best. Indeed, in many lines they are the best. It is a pleasure to handle them. E. T. Flanagan, Belleville, Illinois. The above unsolicited testimonials are a fair sample of hundreds we receive. Our prices are reasonable and the *• Higglnsville Goods " are the best. Tlie ** If l^i»iiiKville " OoodM are for sale by the following parties : Chas.'H. Thies, Steelville, fU. E. T. Flanagan. Belleville, III. Henry L. Miller. Topeka. Kans. B. A. Seeley, Bloomer, Arkansas. J. W. Rouse & Co., Mexico, Mo. P. J. Thomas, Fredooia, Kans. And by a number of others. If 5'ou need a Carload of Supplies, or only a Bee-Smoker, write to us. Remember, we are here to serve you, and will, if you give us a chance. A Beaittil'iil C'nialouue Free. Address, LEAHY MANUFACTURING CO.. HiGGINSVILLE. Mo. 49A Mention the American Bee JournaL Honey-Clovers & Buckwheat SEED FOR SALE. We have made arranfrements so that we can furnish seed of several ot the Clovers and Japanese Buckwheat, hy freight or ex- press, at the foUowiaff prices, cash with order: lOIb sot) lOOIb Alslke Clover Seed $1.35 $ 6,'J.5 $12.00 Sweet Clover Seed 1.50 6.50 12.00 White Clover Seed 2.40 11.35 22 00 Alfalfa Clover Seed 1.20 5.25 10.00 Crimson Clover Seed.... 1.00 4.00 7.00 Jap. Buckwheat Seed 45 1.50 2.20 Prices subject to market changes. The ahove prices include a good, new two- bushel bag with each order. Tour orders are solicited. GEORGE W. YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS. ONE MAN WITH THE UNION ^o^'i;':,*^'^^ ("an do the work ot four men using- hand tools, in Ripping-, Cutting-otf, Mi- tring, Rabbeting, Groov- ing:. Gaining, Dadoing", Edj^lng-up. Jointint? Stuff, etc. Full Lineof Foot and Hand Power Machinery Sold on Trial. Caliiloarue Frte. SENECA FALl^S MFO, CO., 46 Water St., riENECA FALLS. N. Y lAly Mention the AmeHmn Bee JournaL DON'T r Buy Bees or Supplies until you have sent to us for special prict-s on what j'ou need. The Goods and Prices " arc riglit." Our '96 Circular now ready. I. J. STRIIVGHAM, 105 Park Place. NEW YORK, N. Y. We have at this Branch among; the Stock purchased of Tbns. G Newmau the foUowingr stock of Sections— not of our manufacture— which we desire to close out to make room for our Superior Extra Polished Sections. In order to close them out quickly we offer them for the next 60 days, or while they last, at these spc4-ial prices ; Wliite Sections, 4>iX'l>i. Cream Sections, 4^x4!^. 1 1,000 for$l. 75 1 1,000 for $1.25 45,500 7-to-ft. V 2.000 for 3.00 3,000 1 15-16 V 2,000 for 2.00 ) 5,000 for 7.00 ) 5,000 for 4.50 We also have a stock of Triangular Top Laugstroth Frames at these Special prices: 100 for $1,00; 300, $2.70; 500, $4.00; 1000, $7.00. On all freight orders of $5 or less, at this Branch, pleaee add 25c. for cartage. Catalogue Free. The A. I. Root Co., 56 5tli Ave., Chicago, 111. READERS Hi£HH?; i THRniTi^™-FV ordering, or a.Uing about ti.e Goods 1 [1 llUH CH clro"' ' h o% V offered, will please state tl.at they saw I III I W I I I CHICAGO. Hours 9 to 4. tbe Advertisement In tbis paper- | Mention the American Bee JaiLmal. (^cr)€ral ltcn)s^ Bees Wintering Finely. I have 10 colonies o£ bees, and they are in fine condition for wintering. We had a fine honey crop here last year, in the latter part of the season, though too wet in the spring for much honey. W. W. BucT. New Concord, Ky., Jan. 20. Electric Humbugs. In regard to electric batteries and appli- ances— subjects upon which my opinion is frequently asked — I unhesitatingly say that ninety-nine (1 may as well add the other unit) are unmitigated humbugs. The idea that they exercise other than a moral effect is preposterous in the extreme. All ■' belts," soles, jackets, bands, are simply devices to catch the dollars of gullible people. Nor are ''machines" — " eiectropoise," ''motor via," and all the rest of these high-sound- ing and misleading appliances — other than sheer rubbish. The fact is. the proper ap- plication of electricity puzzles physicians whose every-day business is to investigate its merits; and if such is the case, how can a person unaccustomed to its nature and uses hope to profitably use it, even if he were given a practical instrument, instead of the worthless affairs for which large prices are charged ? Db. Peiro. 100 State St., Chicago, 111. Hives — Moving Eggs — Transferring. Dr. Miller's answer to size of hives (on page 745, 1895), 18' — Will Produce \ife*^PERFECT FRUIT^ Wetellrouall about sprayinK andC , care of fruit in Our 33-pg. illustrates! t book— free. OurPumpsand Nozzle^*; vin liicti«st honors in every (■est.j' The Deming Co., Salem, O.* _W.Acts..HeninnA Hubbell.Chicai:o \ He'fUiyn ih£ ^ 1llcr^can Bee JGun\£iL SAVE MONEY '^^''^l.Ts^3%%%] ITALIAN QUEENS Foundation at Wholesale Prices. Hives, suited for the South, or SUPPLIES, send for Prlce-List — to J. P. H. BROW.\, -A-tJOXJSTA., COMB FOUNDATION "Tn^^fll^Fi,. Are you going to buy Foundation for Cash, or have you Wax to sell or trade lor Foundation and other Supplies '/ Have you a5 lbs or more of Wax that you want made into Foundation ? If so, do not fail to write me for samples and prices. I make a specialty of working up Wax by the lb., and do it very cheap during the winter. Beeswax wanted at ail times. GUS BITTMEK, AUGUSTA, WIS. Reference— Augusta Bank. 16Atf lap and four or five thicknesses of rag car- pet. 1 prefer the 10-frame hive with 9 frames and a dummy, then 1 can contract or enlarge the brood-nest to suit the colony. I like the dummy, for in examining the brood-nest you can take it out and set it down any place, und that gives plenty of room to set the rest of the frames back in the hive as examined, and no danger of robber-bees if there is no honey coming iu. I often see the question asked, When is the best time to transfer bees ? I have transferred bees in May, June, July and August. My first colony was transferred from a tree Aug. 15, with not more than IJo frames of brood and empty comb, no honey. They came through, but were very weak. They built up on golden-rod that fall. Those that were transferred in June and July did not work with the vim that those did that were transferred in fruit-bloom. They worked more like a good prime swarm. Early fruit-bloom is the proper time to transfer. D. A. Holeman'. Goodwill Hill. Pa.. Dec. 14, 1895. California Anti-Adulteration Law. Some time ago there was an incjuiry in the Bee Journal respecting the California law on adulteration of honey. The follow- ing is a copy from the Revised Statutes of this State: An Act to provide against the adultera- tion of food and drugs. Approved March 26. 1895. Sec. 1. No person shall within this State manipulate for sale, offer for sale, or sell any drug or article of food which is adul- terated within the medning of this Act. Sec. 3 (part of) The terra "food." as used herein, shall include all articles used for food or drink by man. whether simple, mixed, or compound. Sec. 3. Any article shall be deemed to be adulterated within the meaning of this Act: (6) In case of food: (1.) If any substance or substances have been mixed with it, so as to lower or depreciate, or injuriously affect its quality, strength or purity. (2.) If any inferior or cheaper substance or sub- stances have been substituted wholly or in part for it. (3.) If any valuable or neces- sary constituent or ingredient has been wholly or in part abstracted from it. (4.) If it is an imitation of, or is sold under the name of another article. (5.) If it consists wholly, or in part, of diseased, decomposed, putrid, infected, tainted, or rotten animal or vegetable substance or article, whether manufactured or not; or in the case of milk, if it is produced from a diseased ani- mal. (6.) It it is colored, coated, polished or powdered, whereby damage or impurity is concealed, or if by any means it is made to appear better or of greater value than it really is. (7.) If it contains any added substance, or ingredient which is poisonous or injurious to health. Provided, that the provisions of this Act shall not apply to mixtures or compounds recognized as ordinary articles, or ingre- dients of articles of food, if each and every package sold, or offered for sale, be dis- tinctly labeled as mixtures or compounds, with the name and per cent, of each ingre dient therein, and are not injurious to health. Sec. 4. Every person manufacturing, ex- posing or offering for sale, or delivering to a purchaser, any drug or article of food incliided in the provisions of this Act, shall furnish to any person interested, or de- manding the same, who shall apply to him for the purpose, and shall tender him the value of the same, a sample sufficient for analysis of any such drug or article of food which is in his possession. Sec. 5. Whoever refuses to comply, upon demand, with the requirements of Section 4, and whoever violates any of the provisions of this Act, shall be guilty of misdemeanor, and shall be fined not ex- ceeding .^100, nor less than •*25. or impris- oned iu the county jail not exceeding 100, nor less than 30 days, or both. And any person found guilty of manufacturing, offering for sale, or selling, an adulterated article of food or drug under the provisions of this Act, shall be adjudged to pay in ad- dition to the penalties hereinbefore pro- vided for, all necessary costs and expenses incurred in inspecting and analyzing such adulterated articles of which said person may have been found guilty of mauufac- ing, selling, or offering for sale. Sec. 6. This Act shall be in force and take effect from and after its passage. Los Angeles, Calif. G. A. Millard. Moving Eggs — Numbering Hives. My 51 colonies come out of winter quar- ters in poor condition in 1S95, and dwindled down to 24, but they increased again to 41, and I got TOO pounds of comb honey in one- pound sections, and 300 pounds of extracted. I sold it in my home market for 15 cents for comb and 10 cents for extracted. I have 41 colonies in the cellar in good condi- tion now. I never had them winter better than they have so far. In regard to bees stealing or carrying eggs from other hives. I can say positively I know they will. Last spring I had a strong colony that was queenless. A cloud came over the sun, and it got cold, so I didn't like to open any more to get a frame of eggs for them, for they did not have an unsealed egg in the hive. It was five or six days before I got to see them. I opened the hive, and on the empty frame I found a queen-cell with an egg not more than three days old. 1 looked for more eggs, but not another in the hive, so I took out another empty frame and gave them a frame of eggs and brood ; in about a week more I looked, and they had taken some of the eggs from that frame and put into the one with the other queen-cell, and started five or six more, and built some on the one I put iu. 1 watched them closely, and their cell hatched out a fine queen, and they tore the rest down themselves. Now. where did they get that egg if they did not steal it ? I can say that the American Bee Journal has been worth more than S50 to me in the last five or six years I have taken it, by telling me how to get my honey in shape for market, and how to handle my bees to the best advantage. It would seem like losing an old friend to be without it. The last three years have been poor, but Got Something for Nothing ! MY nil P Thousands of readers answering my ad. in the past received free 1 UU I by mail at a cost of 20 cents to me, a package of my discovery, VITiE ORE, and 90 per cent, have written to thank me and spnd cash order for more, declaring that it had done them more good than all doctors and man-made remedies they ever used. I scorn to take any one's money until convinced at my expense that V,-0. is the best thing in, on, or out of the earth for all who suffer from ills no doctor or drug will cure, such as general debility, feebleness from over- work, worries, cares, protracted sickuess, old age, female complaints, all kidney and membranous ailments. It is the only natural. Nature's cure for human ills ever offered to man, and not by a quack doctor or methods peculiar thereto. If you have been bamboozled often, and grievously, by robbers in the medicine business, I am not responsible therefor, but am if V.-O. fails to give greater satisfaction than all else you ever tried. Send the addresses of six sick people and I will do the balance. THEO. NOEL, Geologist, Tacoma Building, Chicago, III. 6A4t Mention the Bee Journal 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 141 1« the name of llic Hive you want. PRICE- LIST now ready. Send stamp and get valuable paper on WIiXTERlIVU BEES. OOLDEK WYABfDOTTE Eggs from line birds only $1.00 for 13. EMERSON T. ABBOTT, St. Joseph, Mo. St. Joe sli >l4 >Jt >li >te. >tt ....A.....AAti -•■'■•■■ IWkl'PV We have a large amount of Pure llVllEil No. 1 Alfalfawe will sell cheap. Vl?l?lk Ot those great honey-producincr plants iMiLU —Alfalfa and Cleome or Rocky Moun- tain Honey-Plant. Alfalfa seed at 7 cts. a lb. Boss be6-GSeiip6 plest and quickest Escape on the market. Sent postpaid to any address for 50 cts. It can be returned at our expense if it is not as represented, or we will send the Escape on trial to any bee-keeper wishing to test it in good faith. We are agents for the Ferguson Patent Hive ^^I1rir\l,-c'ife^^ Gate Honey-Board, with the Escape. It is the easiest, quickest hive to handle for the pro- duction of comb honey. Address, E. S. liOVESV A: CO., 353 6th East St., SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH. t' t^ rn r 1 — r~i — r~i 1 — 1 ^ --,- ri: 1 i ~"--i— ' 1 zt t 1 ^^xz - 1 ^ 1 , , . , ^ . r±d . « iU 1 ^ ■s^'irJ-!:^^^ i i i? SSisH s& SE But the PAGE stays on forever— that is as long as you nned fence. This idea of peruiau- ency is worth cnnstdering when times ,are hard. You can olfoi'd our monthly paperfree. PAGE WOVEN WIRE FENCE CO., Adrian, nSich. Mentimi the American BceJounuil. ^~ IF YOU WANT THE BEE-BOOK That covers the whole Apicultural Field more completely than any other published, send $1.23 to Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont. Calif., lor his Bee-Keeper's Guide. Liberal Discounts to the Trade. TAKE NOTICE I "DEFORE placing your orders for SUP- PLIES, write for prices on 1-Piece Bass- wood Sections, Bee-Hives, Shipping -Crates, Frames, Foundation, Smokers, etc. PAGE & LVOK mFG. CO. NEW LONDON, WIS. Sweet Clover, Willow-Ilerb, Basswood EXTRACTED HONEY —For Sale.— We have made arrangements whereby we furnish Sweet Clover or Wlllow-Herb Extracted Honey, in 60-pound tin cans, on board cars in Chicago, at these prices: 1 can. in a case, 8 cents per pound; 2 cans In one case, TYi cents. Tlie Basswood Houey is all in kegs holding 170 pounds, net. It is a very superior quality, and the prices are: 1 keg, 8^ cents per pound ; 2 kegs or more, 8 cents. Cash MUST accompany each order. f^~ A sample of either kind of honey will be mailed to an Intending purchaser, for 12 cents, to cover postage, packing, etc. We guarantee purity, and that what we ship will be equal to sample. GEORGE W. YORK & CO., - CHICAGO, ILLS. the bees bave paid as well as anything on the farm. I have run my farm of 80 acres, and seen to the bees, and did the work mostly alone. I have my bee-hives all with numbers painted on them, for this reason: When I am in the field to work, and the bees swarm, some one runs out and rings the dinner-bell as hard as possible; then I know what is up. and run for the house, and the wife will say, ''Number 14" or " "23," as the case may be, " has swarmed ;" sometimes she has the queen in the cage already, for I clip the queens' wings. I don't like to climb tall trees. Then I keep a record this way : 14 swarmed June 20, in hive 16; 23 swarmed June 24, in hive 40. Then you see I know just where the old queen is, and when to open the old hive, and cut out the queen-cells. The next year I can look in my book and see just where my old or young queens are. Geo. H. Acrinqbe. Bonniwells Mills, Minn. Sweet Clover — Bees and Noise. As the readers of your paper are desirous of picking up all the knowledge possible about sweet clover, I wish to add what little I know about the hardiness of the plant. Last September my little nephew and I took a day"s outing in the Chemung valley, near Waverly. Of course, I had my bee- hunting kit with me. After fishing until it ceased to be sport, we commenced a search for honey-plants, in order to find bees. Although the season was the driest ever known in this vicinity, sweet clover was found on a dry, gravelly bar, which was so barren for several rods each way that there was scarcely a plant of any other kind. There were plenty of blossoms on the plants, which were only 2 or 3 feet above the low water mark. Those plants must have been under water many times. Prob- ably three or lour days at a time during the spring freshets. As I do not wish to be misleading, I will say that stock might have nipped the plants during the summer somewhat, which caused them to blossom so late in the season. I never took too much stock in the idea of noise interfering with bees, if the hives or their foundation were not thumped, as I have wintered them in first-class condition under the sitting-room where a large family lived. Dr. GalUip's account of that colony wintering on the willow-tree in that rock-a- bye-baby style, has convinced me still more that noise has little effect if the hives are not jarred, or motions are not seen by the bees. J. H. Andre. Lockwood, N. Y. How to Market Honey and Wax. I live in what is called a poor honey country, not many bees being kept here. I have 13 colonies, and produced, last season, 2.50 pounds of honey in one-pound sections. My best colony gave 67 pounds. Three swarms went away in the month of August. I have sold three-fourths of my honey, and I have not been to any trouble to do it. I work every day at my trade, and some mornings I carry my sample box of honey, which holds 8 one-pound sections; the box is made of ;v^-inch white- wood lumber. It is 10 inches square, and i}.< inches deep. The box has a handle on the 4i,,' inch side, and is carried like a hand traveling-bag. A cover opens from each side, showing four sections on each side. It can be carried in a wagon without breaking the combs, and looks fine when open to show to a customer. I get 20 cents a section for all of my honey. I keep a supply at the village store, which sells readily. For that I have made a little show-case of comb foundation. We keep the honey in a box at the store, and set out two sections at a time, in the little case, which is made of black walnut lumber and brood-foundation. The bottom is made of a 1-inch pine board, 10 inches long and 5 inches wide, 2}4 inches being left flat for the section to rest on, and 2^., inches of front beveled down to a fine edge. The flat part is covered with white paper, the bevel with foundation. The top is made of }4- inch black walnut lumber. There 'are four round posts, and a half-round top-rail on top, with grooves in rail, and posts for foundation to catch in. This attracts con- siderable attention, as most of the people have never seen any foundation. I mold my wax into small cakes, and get 5 cents a cake for it — that makes 80 cents per pound. I am looking forward for a good season next year. George C. Beals. Bridgewater, Mass., Jan. 13. Report of a Chicagro Bee-Keeper. My apiary is located on 43rd and Col- orado avenue, in a good place, surrounded by a 6-foot board fence, the boards of which are pointed at the top. On the northwestern portion of the grounds stands a neat cottage, the grounds being sur- rounded by a 16-foot alley. My 13 hives face the east. I have sufficient room for 100 hives. I winter my bees on the summer stands. Although I have tried many plans for in- door protection, I prefer the former. The amount of honey from eight of these colo- nies was 700 pounds ; three of them I built up. I got 108 pounds from one colony of blacks ; the amounts from the others aver- aged from 70 to 80 pounds. They are all in prime condition. I have an oak-tree stump that I found in the woods by the World's Fair Grounds. It is a monster, with bees and honey, and stands 6 feet high. It is interesting to see them slip out from two entrances. I would not take -$30 for it. I notice by reports that the honey crop has been very slim for some years. I think the bee-keepers have to blame themselves for the light crops. If all the bee-keepers took the pains to scatter sweet clover over waste places and grounds, the reports would be quite different from what they are. They talk about all kinds of hives, and their sizes, but sweet clover is the best "hive" made. I sold 700 pounds of honey at 15 cents per pound. Timothy O'Donnell. Chicago, III., Jan. 38. Phenol Cure for Foul Brood. I will now give my experience with phenol and the way I used it. I had five colonies to experiment with. Nos. 1 and 3 were very bad, Nos. 3, 4 and 5 were strong, with not much foul brood to be seen, but some cells in every comb. The 5 colonies were treated with half a pint of syrup for three weeks every evening, with 1-500 part of phenol. Colonies Nos. 1 and 2 I poured the syrup all over the brood in the comb the first two evenings; after that I poured it around the brood on every comb, so they were bound to get it right against the brood. Nos. 3, 4 and 5 I poured the syrup around the brood-nest in every comb in the hives. This was in July, 180.5. There was but little honey coming in at the time. At the end of three weeks' treatment the colonies were just as bad as when the treatment was begun, and the result was I kept the disease in my apiary through the season. If any readers of the American Bee Jour- nal have made a success with the phenol cure, I hope they will give it, so the read- ers can see how they used it. Also, it would be good if those who failed would state how they used it, for I have cured a good many 142 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Feb. 27, colonies by the starvation cure, and also by Mr. McEvoy's method. Where I could have counted 100 colonies two years ap^o, I could not find 10 colonies to-day, not 2 miles from my apiary, yet I have to keep my bees from increasing too fast. The country was full of foul brood wherever there were bees, and it was im- possible to keep the bees from getting at such honey, for the farmers had combs lying around everywhere. Summit Mills, Pa. D. D. Johnson. Early *Brood-Rearing*, Etc. I have been in the bee-business three years in southern California. The more I am with the bees the better I like them and the care of them. My bees have the name of being the quietest in the community, still I think it advisable to wear a veil while handling them, as they are not of the non-stinging variety. But what I started to tell is. that they have a quantity of brood in all stages at this time. Is that not something unusual for this season of the year? There has been but very few days this winter that they have not carried in pollen. There has never been a time this winter that there has not been flowers of different kinds. At present they are bring- ing in some honey. We have just had a fine rain, and are hoping for a good crop the coming season. I have 140 colonies in good condition. I use the Langstroth 10- frame hive. E. E. Wilson. Del Rosa, Calif., Jan. 23. Honey & Beeswax Market Quotations. CHICAGO. IT.L.. Feb. 21.— White clover and basswoud comb is sought after In preference to any other, an(3 commands a better price and now Bells at 1.5c. for clover and l.*J@14c. forbasswood. Other white comb honey sells atll(Sl'-^c.; dark. 8@.9c. amber. 9@10c.,and very slow of sale. Extracted is unupually dull, with large amounts on sale. White clo- ver and linden, 6@7c. ; dark and amber grades, 4H@5c. Beeswax. 28@30c. R. A. B. & Co. PHILADELPHIA. Pa.. Jan. 3 —Honey has declined In this market during the holidays. Large lots of California honey arriving, and selling at 5c. in 60-Ib. cans. We quote: Comb honey, fancy, 16c.; fair to good. 8@14c. Ex- tracted, 4@5Hc. ; white clover, 10c. Beeswax. 30c. W. A. S. CINCINNATI. O., Feb. 18.— Demand is fair for choice comb honej', at 12@14c. in a job- bing way. Extracted is slow at 4@7c. Beeswax is In good demand at 25®30e. for good to choice yellow. C. F. M. & S. KANSAS CITY, Mo.. Feb. 19.— The demand for comb and extracted is fair. We quote: No. 1 white, l-lbs.. I3{3il4r.; No. 2. ll@12c.; No. 1 amber. I0@llc.; No. 2. 8@10c. Ex- tracted, white, .~)^@6i4c.; amber, 5@5!^c. Beeswax, 20@2oc. C. C. C. & Co. Ca.talog,>i for lw»«- — We have re- ceived the following Catalogs. Price-Lists, etc., a copy of which may be obtained up- on application, always being careful to say you saw their advertisement in the Ameri- can Bee Journal: Geo. E Hilton, Fremont. Mich.— Bee-Keep- ers' Supplies. M. H. Hunt, Bell Branch (near Detroit), Mich.— Bee-Keepers' Supplies. Ezra G. Smith, Manchester, N. Y.— Small Fruit Plants. L. L. Olds. Clinton. Wis.— Seeds. Storrs & Harrison Co., Painesville. Ohio.— Seeds. Plants. Trees, etc. Emerson T. Abbott. St. Joseph, Mo.— Api- arian Supplies, Household Conveniences, etc. Utah.— The Utah Bee-Keepers' Association will hold their semi-annual meeting in Room 54. Citv and County Building. Salt Lake City, Apr. 6,' 1896, at 10 a.m. All are Invited. "In union is strength. By industry we thrive." Come, and bring your friends, and enjoy a good time. A full program in the interest of the industry will be presented. The Associa- tion needs your aid ; then let every one do his full duty for our own interest and self-pres- ervation. Geo. E. Dudley, Sec. Provo, Utah. " Domesticated Animals: Their Relation to Man and his Advancement in Civilization." is the title of a new book published by Charles Scrlbner's Sons. N. V. It was written by Prof. Shaler, of Harvard University, contains about 300 napres, is finely illustrated, and sells for $2.50. The dog-, the horse, cattle, sheep, swine, domesticated birds, and, under the head of "' Useful Insects," the honey-bee, receive attention. His talk about bees "is in- terestiug, but contains nothiug new, and is marred by some blunders such as scientific men. who are not practical bee keepers, are apt to make. The chapters on the " Rights of Animals" and the •'Problem of Domestica- tion" should be carefully read by all who have an opportunity. Prof. Shaler shows a keen sympathy with the animal kingdom, and he is an able and instructive writer. Such a book cannot fail to do good. "The World of Matter: A Guide to the Study of Chemisty and Mineralogy." This book is published by D. C. Heath & Co.. Bos- ton, Maes. It was written tiy Prof. H. H. Ballard, A.M., who has exhibited on every page a peculiar aptness to teach. He begins with a commonplace thing— a piece of ice— and then takes up such subjects as water, air. earth, quartz, carbon, iron, chlorine, salt. etc. He talks about these In a way that is sure to interest, hold the attention, and instruct the reader from the start. Tbls is another one of the books which make the student feel that he is studying things as they are, rather than theories about them. It will be found a valuable book, especially where there is a family of children growing up. "Agriculture " is the title of a late work written by R, H. Wallace, and published by J. B. Lippincott Co.. Philadelphia, Pa.; price $1.25. It was written by a citizen ot another country, but the principles of agriculture are the same the world over. Every phase of what is generall called "Agriculture" re- ceives a brief but careful discussion in lan- guage that can be easily understood. The bee-keeper will be Interested in tbe recogni- tion which the busy little workers receive in the chapter on "Blossoms and their Func- tions." "The yield of Iruit trees." he tells us. " has often lar^ielj' increased by the Intro- duction of bees into the neighborhood." '"The flowers, as it were, tempt the bees uncon- sciously to help them to reproduce them- selves by the combined means of pretty sights and dainty fare." So the busy bee is slowly receiving tbe recognition its impor- tance merits in the literature of the country, and this recognition cannot fail to bear fruit in time. The book contains over 300 pages, is filled with illustrations of agricultural implements and products, has an excellent index, is well bound and neatly printcfl. The price, con- sidering the quality of tbe contents, is very reasonable. Botanv.— Wherever the science of botany is made a study, the name of Asa Gray Is familiar, and bis text-books have so long bi en a standard in this country that it seems like a superfluity to write of them. We desire, how- ever, to invite the attention of the reader to a new edition of his " Field. Forest and Garden Botany," published by the American Book Co., Chicago. III., price. $1.45. This edition has been thoroughly revised by Prol. Bailey, of Cornell, aud the searcher after informa- tion will find it up to date in every respect, and thoroughly reliable. The bee-keeper will notice many plants mentioned in this edition, which were not found in the earlier editions, that are of special interest to him— and more, attention is called to their value as honey- producers. We are glad to note this, for a general recognition of the industry in the lit- erature of the country cannot fall to prove of material advantage to it. This book, bound with "Gray's Lessons," under the general title of " Gray's School and Field- Book of Botany," price. $1.80, is almost a necessity to those who have any interest in the study of plants, and should "be in every home where there are children. The " Les- sons " furnish the " Key." or nomenclature of the subject, giving all the essential facts as to the growth and development of plants, and the second part enables the student to prop- erly name and classify any of the common plants of the Northern, Middle, and Southern States. J^" Any of the above books may be or- dered through the Bee Journal office. Bee-Keeper's Guide— see page 143. Peter Ebl, of Sherrills, Dubuque Co., Iowa, would like to correspond with some bee-keeper living near Traverse City, Mich., about locating there. The Bluest Thing Out is the Progressive Bee-Eeeper, or at least the o«(side is very Wi<«-coTered. But the inside is bright re(a)d-ing. Greatly improved this year. Mr. W. Z. Hutchinson contributes some very interesting and practical articles these days to the columns of The Country Gentle- man, one of the oldest and best agricultural periodicals of this country. Dr. George Duncan, of Embro, Ont., Canada, died Jan. 33. He was one of the oldest bee-keepers in the Province, having made apiculture a deep study, and was recognized as an authority. Mr. John Nau, of Middletown, Iowa, made the Bee Journal ofBee a call re- cently. He comes to Chicago about once a year with a carload of stock. He thinks the prospects are good in his region for a honey crop this year. Dr. C. C. Miller and Family (Mrs. Miller and Miss Emma Wilson) were in Chicago the first week in February. The Doctor came in to help count the ballots cast by the members of the National Bee- Keepers' Union for the election of officers for 1S96. Mr. Jas. a. Stone, the good Secretary of the Illinois State Bee-Keepers' Associa- tion, was requested to write an essay on " Bee-Husbandry " for their local farmers' institute, Feb. 20 and 21. We are sure it was well done, for Mr. Stone possesses the "know how." Mr. N. Staininoer, of Tipton, Iowa, called on us recently. He was on his way home from a trip through western Tennes- see. He thinks some of changing from his present location — may go to Missouri. Mr. S. had 25.000 pounds of honey in 1SS9, part comb and part extracted. Hygienic Living is the title of a most excellent 4)^-page article by Mr. Allen Pringle, of Canada, in the January Re- view. He's a great quill-pusher when he "gets a-going." He's a good deal of a physiologist, phrenologist, bee-ologist, and — well, that's pretty much the "gist" of him, anyway. List of Honey and Beeswax Dealers. Most ot whom Quote In this Journal. Clilcago, Hid. R, A. B0RNETT & Co.. 163 South Water Street. New York, N. Y. Hildreth Bros. & Seqelken. 120 & 122 West Broadway. Chas. Israel & Bros., 486 Canal St. Kansas City, Mo. C. C. Clemoms & Co., 423 Walnut St. Bufialo, N. Y. BATTEHSON & Co.. 167 & 169 Scott St. Hamilton, Ills. CHAS. Dadant & Son. FlilladelpUta, Pa. Wm. a. Selser. 10 Vine St. Cludunatl, Obio. C. F. MiTTH & Son, cor. Freeman & Central avs. New York.— The Seneca County and Cen- tral New York Bee-Keepers' convention will be held at Hayt's Corners. Seneca Co., N. Y., at 9 o'clock. Mar. 5. 1896. All are cordially invited to attend. An oyster dinner will be served to all visitors. C. B. HOWARD, Sec. Romulus, N. Y. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 143 The Bee-Keepers' Guide: Or Manual of the Apiary, Bv Prof. A. J. Cook. Tbls 15th aud latest edition of Prof. Cook's magDiflcent book of 460 pagres, in neat and substautlal cloth binding, we propose to give away to our present subscribers, for the work of geiting NEW subscribers for the American Bee Journal. A description of the book here is quite un- necessary— it is simply the most complete sci- entific and practical bee-book published to- day. Fully illustrated, and all written in the most fascinating style. The author is also too well-known to the whole bee-world to re- quire any introduction. No bee-keeper is fuUy equipped, or his library complete, with- out " The Bee-Keeper's Guide." For Two New Subscribers and Your Oivii Renewal. Send us Two New Subscribers to the Bee Journal and your own renewal (with S:5.00), and we will mail you a copy of I'rof. Cook's book FREE as a premium, and also a copy of the 160-page •" Bees and Honey " to each New Subscriber. Prof. Cook's book alone is $1.'^.5, or we club it with the Bee Journal for a year — both together for only $1.7.3. Rut surely anybody can get only '2 new subscribers to the Bee Journal for a year, and thus get the book as a premium. Let everybody try for it. Will you have one ? GEORGE W. YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS TEXAS QUEENS. If you are in need of Queens, let me have your order. Pdce-Llst Free. 8A26t J. D. GIVENS, I.i!^bon. Tex. When Answering this Advertisement, Mention this journau ^>fe:>ti i^ >Ji j^t< >ti>!i >te. >!i >ti >fe: >!iEi , Olrul-Iltin ttrW BINGHAM Bee Smoker ORIfilML SMOKERS Wonderful Record ! Hate Lasted 17 Tears. —BEST ON EARTH. Alfvays Give Perrect Sati^traction. ^ My cool Wire Handle and Bent Nose ^ were patented 189*2, are the original, t' ^ my best invention since mj- open or di- rect draft Patent. 1878, that revolu- tionized Bee-Smokers. My Handle and Nose Patent bent all the other smoker noses. None but Bingham Smokers [4 a have all the best improvements. It >*■ •'' you buy genuine Biiigliaiu ISuio. g. kers and Huney-KulTes you will !^ never regret it. The " Doctor," >4-lnch ji .S larger than any other smoker on the S^ ■^ market— 3!^-inch stove, by mail, $1..=)0 li ^ Conqueror, 3 " •• •• l.io i^ Large, 2^-in." " 1.00 It Plain, 2-in. " " .70 (^ Little Wonder, 2-in.. wt. 10 oz. .60 t4 ■^ Bingham k Helheririgton Iloiicy-Kiiivcs, 80 cents. !^ ^ T. F. BINGHAIfl, Farwell, Mich. * ^ 7Atf Mention the Bee Journal. ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 12 Pkgs. tested, pure, fresh garden seeds. 13 cts., postpaid. R. Ji. Thomas, .Shrnandoah, Iowa, Bee-Keepers' Pliotogi-apli.— We have now on hand a limited number of ex- cellent photographs of prominent bee-keep- ers—a number of pictures on one card. The likeness of 49 of them are shown on one of the photographs, and 121 on the other. We will send them, postpaid, for 50 cents each, mailing from the 131 kind first; then after they are all gone, we will send the 49 kind. So those who order first will get the most " faces '■ for their money. Send orders to the Bee Journal office. Questiot;)'Box^ In the multitude of counsellors there is safety. — Prov. 11-14. Single or Double Brood-Cham- bers for 12 Frames. Query 6.— I am inclined to think I want 12 frames or more in the brood -chamber. Is it best to have these in a single hive large enough to contain all, or to use two eight- frame hives, filling up the vacancy with dum- mies?—Ind, Mrs. L. Harrison — I prefer 8-frame hives. W. G. Larrabee — I would use them all in one story. Dr. 0. C. Miller— I don't know. I'm trying to find out. Prof. A. J. Cook — I prefer the two- story 8-frame hive. J. M. Hambaugh — I would use the 12 frames in one body. J. A. Green — I should prefer to have them all in one hive. Dr. J. P. H. Brown — I would have them in a single story. B. Taylor — I would make the frames deeper, and use 10 in a hive. W. R. Graham — I would want all my brood-frames in a single hive. G. M. Doolittle— If I used 12 frames I should put them in a single hive. P. H. Elwood — If I used no more than 12 frames I should put them into one story. Mrs. J. N. Heater— If I had to use 12 frames, I should certainly have them all in one hive. Jas. A. Stone — Whatever number of frames I would have, I think best to have them all in one hive. Chas. Dadant & Son — We much prefer a single story for brood, with dummies if needed to reduce the space. E. France — Use two 8-frame hives one over the other. We use three 8-frame hives, that is, three tiers high. R. L. Taylor — Better have a single hive large enough to hold 12 frames, and fill that up partly with dummies. C. H. Dibbern — I think I should prefer the single hive for comb honey, and the two hives for extracted honey, but 1 would omit the dummies. H. D. Cutting — It depends upon the size of frame. Why don't you say what you are using ? I don't believe you want 12 Langstroth frames in a brood-cham- ber in Indiana, any more than we do in Michigan. Emerson T. Abbott — I do not want any "dummies" in a brood-chamber. There are too many "dummies" lying around in the country now. If I wanted more than eight frames, and used a two- story hive, I should prefer 16. Eugene Secor — If you winter bees on the summer stands, perhaps one hive would be preferable. If in a cellar, such a hive would be too large to handle. I would not use 16 frames in either ease, but your conditions may be different. Allen Pringle — You have struck a vexed question. Some of the "lights" have been at that a long time, with no sign of stopping. Let them go on with it to the crack of doom, and not only will everybody have his own opinion still, but nobody will be much the wiser. If you must have " 12 frames or more " in the brood-chamber, I would advise the doulde S duly dummies. G. W. Demaree — I would want them in a single hive-body, like the Dadants make their hives. But I doubt very much if you don't learn that 9 or 10 Langstroth frames iu the brood apart- ment is preferable, one year after another. Rev. M. Mahin — I cannot imagine why you want 12 'or more frames in the brood-chamber, unless you want some- thing on the Heddon plan. If I wanted 12 or more I would have about 20; and I would have them about 12 inches long and 6 inches deep, and have 10 below aud 10 above. J. E. Pond— This is a question that can only be determined by yourself and by experimenting. Different localities affect this question to such an extent that experiments are the only guide to determine the matter. I prefer a 10- frame Langstroth hive, tiered up to suit the condition of matters during the honey- flow. ^^^■^■^^^■* 40 Stani-inking--^Vater. — The depart- ment oi chemistry of the University of Illinois, at Champaign, has been engaged during the year on the analysis of drinking-waters. The last Legislature made an especial appropriation for this pur- pose, and the work is being carried on very thoroughly and sys- tematically. Already over .500 analyses have been made by the department. The only expense to the individual is the actual cost of expressage. Purity of drinking-water is so important to- the health of a community that the water in every well in general use should be carefully examined at least once a year. An Event in l^ondon, says a " stray straw" in Glean- ings, was a presentation, to the Lady Mayoress, of a representative collection of native honey, contributed by women bee-keepers, or the wives and daughters of bee-men in various parts of Great Britain. Object, to popularize the use of British honey " as an essential article of the household dietary." Might do that here, but who would be the Lady Mayoress ? If she of New York were selected, there might be trouble with Mrs. Swift, of Chicago. Iiii|>iii*lties on the bottom of a beeswax-cake can be more easily scraped off while the cake is still hot. So says the British Bee Journal. Future of Bee-Keeping. Of all the humbugs palmed off on a susceptible and long- suffering public the glucose syrups and candies made of the same material — or a cheaper and more inferior — are the worst. Another reason why honey is not so generally used as formerly is the common belief that it is adulterated. And there is no use to deny the fact. I frequently see in grocery stores an article offered for sale as e.Ktracled honey which has all the outward appearance and internal evidence of being " made" in a laboratory very much larger than a bee's stomach. Consumers buy this stuff, but its use doesn't popu- larize honey. Right here let me digress far enough to say that in my opinion the invention of the extractor was the worst i?nproi'c- raent (?) that ever happened to this industry. With the ad- vent of the extractor began the necessity for the bee-keeper to defend the purity of his product. If the article is to be pro- duced hereafter in the same generous quantities as formerly there is a rich field for the labors of the Bee-Keepers' Union. Legislation must be procured in the interest of pure food. Every offender must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. There is no use of trying to produce honest honey in competition with syrup made of 15-cent corn. Perhaps you think my liver is disordered, and you may ask if there is no bright side to the picture. To convince you that I am no pessimist I have the follow- ing prescription to offer in addition to the above suggestion regarding legislation : 1st. Produce only comb honey, and put it up in such " taking " packages that it will find its way onto the tables of those who can afford to pay for luxuries. That's what comb honey is and always will be. 2nd. Encourage small bee-keepers (the adjective has ref- erence to numbers of colonies). — Hon. Eugene Secor, in Review. Currants Preserved in Extracted Honey. Considerable quantities of white currants preserved in ex- tracted honey have been imported lately from France, and are selling freely, at long prices, to dealers in fancy groceries. A glass containing hardly a gill retails at 25 cents. Evidently only the best selected white currants are used, slightly cooked — just enough to take off the raw taste but not injure the fine flavor — and preserved in nice extracted honey. This confec- tion is not too sweet, but has the most captivating flavor, and is destined to wide popularity. Here's a point for some one to make a profitable little business putting up such preserves for market. — American Agriculturist. Does the Food Affect the Temper of Bees ? It is a mooted question among bee-keepers, as to whether the food which is given to the larv;r of a colony determines their character; or, in other words, whether the larviB from a gentle queen, when placed in and fed by a vicious colony, will become less gentle, and vice versa. Mr. Bertrand formerly believed in this kind of so-called " heredity," but he takes it all back now, after experimenting in this line with his gray Caucasian queen. He selected a very bad and vindictive col- ony of his, killed their queen, and replaced her by the Cauca- sian queen on Aug. 24, 1894. She laid splendidly, and her colony was the strongest and most advanced of all in April, 1895. And her bees ? well, they were remarkably gentle; and, although Mr. Bertrand never used any smoke or veil when he worked with them, yet he never received a solitary sting from them. The experiment, of course, is only a single instance, and "one swallow does not make a summer ;" yet Mr. Bertrand's prior opinion is thoroughly shaken by it. The force of the argument, I might add, is increased by the fact that these foreign races, when transferred to other countries, often lose their gentleness. The Egyptian bee, for instance, hardly ever uses its sting " at home," while, when taken to Europe, it becomes very bad (Revue, page 211).— Charles Norman, in Gleanings. Getting Others Into Bee -Keeping. J. D. Evans, Islington. — I would like to know if it is ad- visable for the Bee-Keepers' Association to encourage an in- crease in the number af bee-keepers. I notice in the journals that a large quantity of honey is being wasted, and I want to know if we as bee-keepers, who desire to make something out of the business, should desire to increase the number in the profession. The Chairman — What do you think about it yourself ? Mr. Evans — I do not think so. I do not think the doctors and lawyers go around seeking to get more in their profession. It makes me red-hot when I see this. I think it is simply com- mitting suicide, and therefore think it is a mistake on our part to encourage other people to leave any business and take up bee-keeping. Mr. Frith — I think there is another feature of the question — Can we produce, or over-produce, a good quality of honey, and can we have too many qualified progressive bee-keepers? Take the dairy industry ; butter brings just as much to-day as it did 25 years ago, that is, taking it for a number of years. Take the cheese industry ; very little was produced in this country 25 years ago, and it didn't bring any better price than it does to-day, yet the production of cheese has Increased 100 per cent, in this country. It seems to me Mr. Evans is mis- taken in his remarks, and there is room for qualified bee-keep- ers all over the country. My experience leads me to this con- clusion, that if we have qualified bee-keepers just the same as in any other industry, it will increase our market rather than overdo it. — Ontario Convention Report, in Canadian Bee Jour- nal. 154 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. March 5, Book Premiums for Getting New Subscribers For each IVew Subscriber to the American Bee Journal sent us Ijy a present subscriber, we will give as a Premium 40 cents' worth of the Books, Pamphlets, etc., described on this page — figuring on the retail price given in conneotiou with each book, etc., below. This is a very easy way to get a lot of most excellent literature. Free Copy of " BEES AND HONEY " to Every New Subscriber. Yes, in addition to the above ofl'er, we will mail free a copy of Newman's 160-page " Bees and Honey " — premium edition— to each new subscriber, NOW IS JUST THE TIME to work for big lists of New Subscribers. The American Bee Journal list Siiould Easily Be DOUBLED on these Liberal Offers. BEE-BOOKS SENT POSTPAID BV Geor£:e "W. York & Co., Chicago^ Ills. Bees and Houey, or Mano^'ement of an Apiary !or Pleasnre and I'ruHt. by Tliomas G.Newman.— rhl3 edition has been lar^'ely rewritten, thoroui^hly revised, and la *" fully np wltb the times " In all the Improvements and Inventions lu this rapidly-devel- oping pursuit, and presents the apiarist with everything that can aid lu the successful manafre- ment of an apiary, and at the same time produce the most honey in an attractive condition. It con- tains 250 pafres. and 245 Illustrations— Is beautifully printed In the highest style of the art, and bound In cloth, gold-lettered. Price, $1.00. r.aug8troth on the Honey-Beci revised by Dadant— This classic In bee-culture, has been entirely re-wrltten. and Is fully Illustriited. It treats of everything relatlnK to bees and bee-keep- ing. No apiarian library Is complete without this standard work by Rev. L. I-.. Jjancstroth — the Fatlierof American Bee-Culture. It has 520 pages; bound lu cloth. Price, postpaid, $l.'-35. Bee-K.e:2*ers* Guide* or Manual of the Apiary, by Prof. A. J Cook, of the Michigan Agri- cultural College.—Thls book Is not only Instructive and helpful as a guide In beekeeping, but Is interesting and thorougbiy practical and sclentiflc. It contains a full delineation of the anatomy and physiology of bees- 4ti0 pages ; bound In cloth and fully Illustrated. Price, postpaid, $1.25. Scientific Queen- Kearlnff^ as Practically Applied, by G. M. Doollttle.— A method by which the very best of (.'ueen-Bees are reared In perfect accord with Nature's way. ITt) pages, bound Id Cloth, and Illustrated. Price, 51.00. A B C or Bee-Culture, by A. I. Root.— A cyclopjedla of 4U0 pat:es. describing everything pertaining to the care of tlie honey-bees. It con- tains 300 engravings. It was written especially for beginners Bound In cloth. Price, $1.25. Advanced Bee-Culture* Its Methods and Management, by W. 7.. Hutchinson.— The author ofthisworli is too well known to need further description of his book. lie Is a practical and entertaining writer. You should read his book. 90 pages, bound In paper, and Illustrated. Price, 50 cts. Rational Bee-Keeplne, by Dr. .John Dzlerzon —This Is a translation of his latest German book on bee-culture. It has 350 pages: bound In cloth, $1.25; In paper covers. $1.00 Blenen-K.ultur, by Thomas G. Newnan.— This Is a GerniHu translation of thepiinclpfi por- tion of the bookcalletl Bkes OF HoNEV. 10., page pamphlet. Price, 4U cents. Convention Uaud-Book, for Bee-Keepers. Thomas G. Newman.— It contains the parllameo- tary law and rules of order fur Bee-Conventions— also Constitution and By-Laws, with subjects for discussion, etc. Cloth, gold-lettered. Price, 25 cts. Amerikaiii^elie Bieiieiiziiclit* by Hans Buschbauer.— Printed in German. A hand-book on bee-keeping, giving the methods in use by the best American and German apiarists. Illustrated; lys pages. Price, $1.00 Thirty Years Amoiiii!: Uie Bees, by Henry Alley.— Gives the results of over a quarter- century's experience in rearing queen-bees. Very latest work of the kind. Nearly lou pages. Price, 5Uc. "WUy Eat Honey ?— This Leaflet is iutend- ed for FREE distribution, to create a Local Market. 100 copies, by mail. 40 cts.: 5ihj forSl.SU; loou, $i>50. B^" If 500 or more are ordered at one time, your name and address will be printed on ibem PKEE. How to Keep Houey an^l preserve its richness and flavor. Price same as Why Eat Honey. Apiary Re:<:lster, by Thos. G. Newman.— Devotes two pages to a colony. Leather binding. Price, for 50 colonies. $1.00; for 100 colonies, $L25.^ Freparatlon of Honey for the Market, Including the pruductlon and care of comb and extracted lioney. A chapter from Bees AND HoxEV. Price. 10 cents. Bee-Pasturagre a Necessity. — This book sug gests what and liow to plan it Is a chapter froo Bees axu Uunev. Price. 10 cents. The Hive I irse, by G. M. Doolittle. It details his management of bees, and methods of producing comb houey. Price. 5 cents. I>r. Howard's Book ou Foul Brood. —Gives the McEvoy Treatment and reviews the ex- periments of others. Price, :25 cts. DicUonary or Apiculture, by Prof. John Phin. Gives the correct meaning of nearly 500 api- cultural terms. Price, 50 cts. Winter Problem in Bee-Keepinff. byG, 11. Pierce. Result of 1J5 years' experience. 50 cte. Handliug Bees, by C^as. Dadant & Son.— A Chapter from Langstroth Revised. Price, 8 cts. Bee-Keepers' Biree.tory, by H. Alley. — Latest methods in Queen-Rearing, etc. Price, 50c. Foul Brood Treatment* hy Prof. F. R. Cheshire.— Its Cause and Prevention. Price, 10 cts. Foul Brood, by A. R. Koiinke.— Origin. Development and Cure. Price, 25 cts. History of Bee-Assocfations, and Brief Re- ports of the first 2o conventions. Price. 15 cts. Honey as Food and Iflcdieine, by T. G. Newman.— A a2-page pamphlet : just the thing to create a demand tor honey at home. Should be scattered freely. Contains recipes tor Honey-Cakes, Cookies. Puddings, Foam, Wines, and uses of honey for medicine. Prices, prepaid— Single copy, 5 cts.; lOcopieB.35 ctB.: ooforfl.sn: loofor $2.50; :i50 for $5.50; 500 for$in.(iO; or lOOO for $15.00. When 250 or more are ordered, we will print the bee-keeper's card (free of cost) on the front cover page. Bce-Keepins: for Profit, by Dr. G. L. Tinker.- Revised and enlarged. It details the au- thor's " new system, or how to get the largest yields of comb or extracted houey." SO p. ; illustrated. 25c. Emerson Binders, made especially for the Bee JOPKNAL. are convenient for preserving each number as fast as received. Not mailable to Canada, Price. 75 cts. Commercial Calculator, by C. Ropp.— A ready Calculator. Business Arithmetic and Ac- count-Book combined in one. Every farmer and businessman should have it. No. 1, bound in water proof leatherette, calf tlnish. Price. 4o cts. No. 2 in tine artificial leather, with pocket, silicate slate, and account-book. Price, 60 cts. Green's Four Books, by Chus. A. Green. —Devoted to, 1st. How We Made the Old Farm Pay; 12nd. Peach Culture; 3rd. How to Propagate Fruit- Plants. Vines and Trees; 4lh. General Fruit In- structor. Nearly 120 pages. Fully illustrated. 2jct3. Green's «ix Books on Frnil-Cultnre, by Chas. A. Green.— Devoted isl. to Apple and Pear Culture; 2nd. Plum and Cherry Culture; 3rd, Rasp- berry and Blackberry Culture; 4th. Grape (Culture; 5th, Strawberry Culture. 129 pp.; illustrated. 25 cts. Garden and Orcliard, by Chas. A. Green. —Gives full instructions in TliimiinL' and Marketing Fruits; Pruning. Planting and Cultivating; Spray- ing, Evaporation, Cold Storage, Etc. U4 pages, illus- trated. Price. 25 cts. Kendall's Horse-Book. — 35 pictures, showing positions of sick horses, and treats on all their diseases. English or German. Price. 25 cts. Silo and $ila«:e, by Prof. A J. Cook.— It gives the method in operation at the Michigan Agri- cultural College. Price, 25 cts. i^uiuber and Log-Book. — Gives meas- urements of lumber, logs planks; wages, etc. 25c. inaple Sugar and the Sugar Bush, by Prof. A. J. Cook.— Fiill instructions. Price, 3.". cts. Grain Tables, for casting up the price of grain, produce, hay, etc. Price, 2."> cts. Capons and Caponizins, by Dr. Sawyer' Fanny Field, and others.— Illustrated. All about caponizing fowls, ano thus how to make the most money in poultry-raising. 64 pages. Price, 30 cts. Our Poultry Doctor, or Health in the Poultrv Yard and How to Cure Sicte Fowls, by Fanny Field,— Everything about Poultry Diseases and their Cure. »)4 pages. Price, 30 cts. Poultry for ITIarket and Poultry for Profit, by Fanny Field.— Tells everything about the Poultry Business. 64 pages. Price, 25 cts. Turkeys for ITIarket and Turkeys for Profit, by Fanny Field.— All about Turfeey-Raising. 64 pages. Price, 25 cts. Bural Life.— Bees. Poultry. Fruits, Vege- tables, and Household Matters. 100 pages. 25 cts. Strawberry Culture, by T. B. Terry and A. I. Root. For beginners. Price, 40 cts. Potato Culture, by T. B. Terry.— It tells how to grow them profitably. Price, 40 cts. Carp Culture, by A. I. Root and Geo. Fin- ley.— Full directions. 70 pages. Price, 40 cts. Haud-Book of Health, by Dr. Foote.— Hints about eating, drinking, etc. Price, 25 cts. Alsike Clover Ijcaflet.- Full directions for growing. 50 for 25 cts. ; 100 for 40 cts. ; 200, 70c. Book Clubbing Offers. (Read Carefully.) The following clubbing prices include the American Bee Journal one year with each book named. Remember, that only one book can be taken in each case with the Bee Jour- nal a year at the prices named. It more books are wanted see postpaid prices given with the description of the books on this page. Following is the clubbing-list: 1 Langstroth on the Honey-Bee $2.00 3. A B Cof Bee-Culture 2.00 3. Bee-Keeper'sGulde 1.75 4. Bees and Honey [Cloth bound] l.OS 5. Scientific (Jucen-Kearlng 1.75 6. Dr. Howard's Foul Brood Book 1.10 7. Advanced Bee-Culture 1.30 8. Amerikanisfhe Bienenzucht [Germ.] 1.75 9. Bienen-Kultur [German] 1.25 10. Rational Bee-Keeping [Cloth bound] 2.00 11. Rational Bee-Keeping [Paper bound I 1.75 12. Thirty Years Among the iiees l.-'iO 3 3. Bee-Keeping for Profit 1.15 14. Convention Har.d-Book 1,15 13. Poultry for Market and Profit 1.10 16. Turkeys for Market and Profit 1.10 17. Cupons and Caponizing 1.10 18. Our Poultry Doctor 1.10 19. Green's Four Books 1.15 20. Green's Si.v Books ou Fruit-Culture.- 1.15 21. Garden and Orchard 1.15 23. Ru ral Llf e 1.10 24. Emerson Binder for the Bee Journal. 1.60 25. Commercial Calculator. No. 1 1.25 26. Comme-clal Calculator, No. 2 1.40 27. Kendall's Horse-Book 1.10 29. Strawberry Culture 1-20 30. Potato Culture 1.20 31. Carp Culture 1.20 32. Hand-Book of Health 1.10 33. Dictionary of Apiculture 1-35 34. Maple Sugar and the Sugar Bush. . .. 1,20 35. Silo and Silage 1.10 36. Winter Problem in Bee-Keeping 1.30 37. Apiary Register (for 50 colonies). . .. 1.75 38. Apiary Register (for 100 colonies) . 2.00 39. Bee-Keepers' Directory 1.30 Please Send TJs the Names of your neighbors who keep bees, and we will send them sample copies of the Bkb JouKNAi.. Then please call upon them and get them to subscribe with you, and secure some of the premiums we offer. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 155 Largest Factory ti°e West Go?d°^ph!7|g?^ce. READ THIS— Mr. Keyes says: The 100 yonnds of Extra-Tuio Foundation you sent us" is superior to iinything he ever saw: and I think the same. K. L. Tuckek, Wewabitchka. Fla. Dear Sirs:— The Sections came duly io hand. Indeed, they are very nice. Ves. sir; they are as g-ood as the best. Chakles H. Tries. SteeleviUe. Illinois. Leahy Mlg. Co. :— I have received the bill of goods. I must say they are the choicest lot of Hive-Stutf 1 have ever receiv^ed from any place. I admire the smoothness of your work, and your close selection of lumber. Yours very truly. O. K. Olmstead. Orleans. Nebr. Dear Sirs:— The Sections arrived in due time, and are all O. K. so far as examined. They are simply perfection. 1 can't see how you can turnish such goods at such low prices. I hope you may iipe long and do well. Yours respectfully. Z. S. Weaver, Courtney, Tex. Gents:— I received the " HigginsvlUe Smoker" all O. K. It's a dandy; please find enclosed stamps for another. Yours truly. Otto Enders, Oswegalhe, N. Y. Gentlemen:— 1 have bought Supplies from nearly all the large manufacturers by the car- load, and 1 must say yours are as good as the best. Indeed, in many lines they are the best. It is a pleasure to handle them. E. T. Flanagan, Belleville, Illinois. The above unsolicited testimonials are a fair sample of hundreds we receive. Our prices are reasonable and the " HlgginsviUe Goods " are the best. The '* Higgintiiville " Ooo6 Circular now ready. I. J. STKIXGHAM, 105 Park Place. NEW YORK. N. Y. We have at this Branch among the Stock purchased of Thos. G Newman the foUowirg stock of Sections— not of our manufacture— which we desire to close out. to make room lor our Superior Extra Polished Sections. In order to close them out quickly we offer them for the next 60 da^'S. or while they last, at these special prices : Wliite Sections, 4MX4J4. 40,500 7-to-ft. at these low prices -1,000 for $1.75; 2.000 for *3. 00; 5,000 for $7.00 We also have a stock of Triangular Top Langstroth Frames at these Special prices: 100 for $1.00; 300, $2.70; 500, $4.00; 1000, $7.00. On all freight orders of $5 or less, at this Branch, please add SSc. for cartage. Catalogue Free. Tlie A. I. Root Co., 56 5th Ave., Chicago, 111. MUTH'S ' HONET EZTRACTOB PEHPKCTION old-Blast SmoUers, Square Glass Honef Jars, Etc. For Circulars, apply to Chas. F. Mdth & Son. Cor. Freeman & Central Aves., Cincinnati. 0. Send lOo for Practical Hints to Bee-Keepers. HATCH Chickens er.S'^sf.ft.'Sr EXCELSIOR Incubator S-mple, Perfect I'.'l. Thiiusa iJ ■ 1 eratioM. I,oweHt prlt-t-d rHt-<*lu* by tnall, post-paid, safe arrival and satisfaction gnaranteed. « ROSES, PLANTS, ^^AND SEEDS Tbese roses are fine healthT plants and will bioom ail this Pummer m pots or planted out. W© snaranl^ce Ihem lo be bj' far the best 50 ou. yon ever invoKtrd ia roses, as follows: ___^^^^^^ Haiserin Augusta Tiotoria.—( 'New.') Pnre Whiti? elesant. Grace Marline.— «mU^^^^^^* Silvery, IVach a beaiitv. 4'loitiilde Sooperl,— Thit; ie evprvbodve favorite, Bricles- ^^■^■^ ■iiuid.— the most cliafniiiii: I'liik K(.se. *»earl of tbe Garden*. — Heep Gnl.i.-ii Yel- SHM^^^y luw. Snnsei.— Beautiful yhad'-* "( Copper and Gold. d£e:irlet Eed«ler.— the rifbeet and brisrhtest of all R*-d Ros-s. *>anei*ih« Krti^er.— ve;!o\v flupbed pink rbarming. 9Iad. de WatteTille.— the famous Tulip Rose. RSieinsrold.— deep Cirron and Gold, a remarkable ( olur. Mad. Welche. Amber Yellow, deepenins towurd the center. Mad. Hoste,— A Pure Siuow White, none better. Ituchess de Brabant,— Amber Robs, delicately tinged apricot. "V^liat IT oil O^xiL Uxiy for 30 Ceiats. Set42— 2* Larc-e Flowered Pansy PlantB. , .50 c. 43— 15 Coleus, will make a bright bed. . .50 c. 44—13 Donble and SindeFnchsiaj.all colore 50 c. •■ 3f. 13 Evpr-bloomioff Roses all diffpr*»nt . 50 c. 13 Fragrant Carnation Pinks. 11! kinds. .^O e. 3b— 8 Lovely Flowering Besonias.all sorts.SO c. 37—13 Geraniums, all colors and kinds, . 50 e, 38— 1.1 Choice Prize Cbrysanthemiims, 50 c. 39— 4 Choice DecoratiTe Palms, try them, 50 c 40— 5 Dwarf French Cannas. .'i kinds. . 50 c. 41—18 Sweet Scented Double Tube Roses, 50 c. ' 45- 6 Choic* Hardy Shrnbs, 6 eorti, . . -50 c. ' 46-30 Pkts Flower Seeds, no two alike . . 50 e. ' 47—20 Pkt's eleeant Sweet Peas.all differentSO c. ' 48—18 Pkt'B Choice Veeetable Seeds 18 sorts 50 c. You may select halt or any two sets for 50 ceots. or 3 complete seta for SI 25. any 5 sets for S-OO. the entire l,-^ sets for ts.on ; or bait of each set for $2,607 Get your neighbor lo club witb you. Our catalogue free. OBDUB TO-DAT. We will hold the plants and ship them any time you may desire. Address, 36E13t THE GREAT WESTERN PLANT CO., Springfield, Oliio. **»■»*»< St. Joe ite. >t4 >1« >J4 ilt >Ji l!» the name or the Hive you waul. PRICE- LIST now ready. Send stamp and get valuable paper on WI\TERIXU BEES. 00LDE;V Wl'AA'DOTTE Esgs from fine birds only $1.00 for 13. EMERSON T. ABBOTT, St. Joseph, Mo. X PLANTS!?^ TREES PT^EASANT VAM.KT NrRSERIES. ■ T CIDPT PflPT AH the leading varie- (■ A I rlnol LUol. ties of Apple. Pear, r Feaoli aiiilClierryTrees. SMALL FRUITS L A SPECIALTY, free c.\talogue. r ARTHUR J. COLLINS, Bloqrestown, N. J^ J 260,000 Peach Trees 'tmk m 100,000 Plum, bpst European and Japan. 150,000 Pear, Standard and Bivarf. 75,000 Cherry, Hlorellos, Hearts, etc. 150,000 Apple, Uiiinee, Aprleot. 100,000 >ut Beariiiii Trees, 2,000.000 Small Fruits an1c Seeds, Plant", -Bnlb», e«e. Eleuant IBS pace catiiloauc tree, frond for ■ it before buving. Everything mail size po-tpaid. Larger by e.\- nress or frciglit. Safe arrival and sal istaclion guaranteed \\ e occunv l'.. miles on the bank of Lane Erie. No hardier, bealthior treesarf grown on the continent. 'Why not procure the be«t direct from the croiver and avoid "II commmions. will save you money. It ' 42nd VEAR. 1000 ACRES. 29 GREENHOXJSES. THE STORRS & HARRISON CO., Painesville, 0. box 223 ^^mKM m ^OWM O'E^ WMie I A.IjI-1 K,E3A.ID'2- FOK, 1S9S. n ^^ I % Appreciating' the advantages for procuring- Basswood Lumber, and the splendid Shippinn- facilities of Marshfleld, we have established a Factory for the manufacture THE ONE-PIECE SECTION. We have all new and up-to-date Machineri' for the manuiacture of the '* One-Piece Sec- tion." Have a Saw-Miil in connection with our Factory, enabling us to get the finest ma- terial to be had. for " One-Piece Sections." ^F" Write lor Price- List, and also for piices on Sections in any quantity you may want. TWm HMRSHFlEEf© MFG. CO., Dec. is 1893. 1TIARSHFIEL.D, Wood Co., WIS. 6Ctf Mentitm the American Bee Joumalc per colony of only 1 2-9 ounces per day. The largest amount cousutued by any one colony was 2 ounces, the least was 1 ounce. The strength of the colonies was a fair average for this locality. I contend that at this rate of consumption the 25 to 30 pounds usually claimed to be necessary in the standard works would be superabun- dant here ; however. I admit that consump- tion witb the beginning of brood-rearing will be much more rapid, but it remains to be seen how much. Several of our membership, who bad at- tended the International Bee-Congress at Atlanta, were present, and it is something surprising how looking upon the faces of such veterans as A. I. Root, Poppleton, Demaree, Fooshe. Benton, Osteen, Hart, the Browns. Danzenbaker, Calvert, Hub- bard, and Mrs. Harrison, and listening to their words of wisdom, can fire the enthusi- asm of their younger brethren. No trouble to look around and tell who had visited the Congress. I feel sure these meetings are good for the fraternity. Fetzerton, Teun. W. C. Copeland, tiec. Bro. Ben's Report for 1895. Increase of bees 1.50 per cent. Average per colony, spring count. 100 pounds of ex- tracted honey of fine quality. Main source of honey supply, basswood. buckbrush, sweet clover, wild cucumber and fruit- bloom. Red clover and most kinds of grass may be kept very green, by putting into the barn in alternate layers of the grass and dry oats straw — layers about one foot thick, beginning and ending with a layer of the straw. I see no reason why the same would not preserve sweet clover, at least it is worthy of a trial. Bed. Ben. Grant Centre, Iowa, Feb. 10. From a Young' Lady Bee-Keeper. The past season was a poor one, freezing and drouth being the cause. We started last spring with 15 colonies of bees and in- creased to 55. So far this winter we have not lost any. From the 45 colonies we got 4.000 pounds of extracted honey and 600 pounds in sections. We have all our bees in chaff hives on the summer stands. Almost all the bees had a good flight Jan. 29. Two laying queens in one hive were mentioned recently by G. W. Williams. We also have two queens in one hive. We call them " mother and daughter," but they were there only in the summer; in the fall the old queen was gone. The 2-queen hive was 3 Langstroth 10-frame bodies, filled with brood, and 3 for surplus honey. This made 5 Langtroth hives, or one hive and 4 upper stories, or 50 frames with honey and brood. We took 3S5 pounds of extracted honey last year from this hive, and it had 40 pounds for winter. This colony did not swarm. We would be pleased to bear from Mr. Williams again, whether his 2 queens live through the winter. My pa takes the Bee Journal. I am only 9 years old. My name is — Miss Emma Banker. Golden Gate, Minn. What the Bees Worked On. I had six colonies in the spring of 1895, three of them being strong and three me- dium. I took from them, in September, 427 pounds of comb honey, an average of 71 pounds per colony ; this by actual weight, not by sections. Now, when I see a honey-yield reported I always want to know whrir it raine from, and I report accordingly. The first flowers to which my bees had access in eifrly spring were those of the tag-alder. After four or five days these were killed by frost. Shortly after, the willows offered them a fine field for over two weeks. We have both the swamp and upland willows. The latter grow on the pine plains, and are rich in honey and pol- len. Just as the huckleberry bushes and fruit-trees came into bloom, a big snow- 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 157 Sweet Clover, Willow-Herb, Biissvvood EXTRACTED HONEY —For Sale,— We bave made arrangements whereby we furnieh Sweet Clover or Willow-Herb Extracted Honey, in 60-pound tin cans, on board cars in Chicajro. at these prices: 1 can. In a case, 8 cents per pound; 2 cans In one case, 7S^ cents. The Basftiwood Honey is all in kegs holding 170 pounds, net. It Is a very superior quality, and the prices are: 1 keg, 8i4 cents per pound ; 2 kegs or more, 8 cents. Cash MUST accompany each order. ^e^ A sample of either kind of honey will be mailed to an intending purchaser, for 12 cents, to cover postage, packing, etc. We guarantee purity, and that what we ship will be equal to sample. GEOKGE W. YORK & CO., - CHICAGO, ILLS. ^~ IF YOU WANT THE BEE-BOOK That covers the whole Apicuitural l-'iokl more completelv than any other published, send $1.25 to Prof. A. J. Cook. Claremont. Calif., tor his Bee-Keeper's Guide. Liberal Discounts to the Trade. fPERFECT FRUITS ;?«".? Br sPRJiiBu. %,£=; . Spray Pump Catalogue tells How and When to ' » Spray-mailed Free. THE DEMINC CO. \ Gen'lWestern Ap ts. , Henion & Ilubbell. Chicago. Salem, Ohio. '^.C^Mira AnwriAxin Bes Jma^iO,-^ TAKE SMOTIOEI 'DEFORE placing your orders tor SUP- PLIES, write for prices on 1-Piece Bass- wood Sections, Bee-Hives, Shipping- Crates, Frames, Foundation, Smokers, etc. PAGE & LYOIST MFG. CO. NKW LONDON, WIS. We have a large amount of Pure No. 1 Alfalla we will sell cheap. Vrpn Of those g-reat honey-produclnir plants ijULiV —Alfalfa and Oleome or Kocky Moun- tain Honey-Piaut. Alfalfa seed at 7 ets. a lb. Rm<(! hiifl 0«|)>ino Warranted the best, sim- WUSS MLC-CSljil|IC plest and quickest Escape on the market. Sent postpaid to any address for 50 cts. It can be returned at our e.\pense if it is not as represented, or we will send the Escape on trial to any bee-keeper wishing to test it in good faith. We are agents for the Ferguson Patent Hive Fuplr'aZ' w,"^ifl>cuij"i liiu., BEGINNERS. Beginners should have a copy of 'the Amateur Bee-Keeper, a 70-page book by Prof. J. W. Kouse. Price 25 cents; if sent by mail, 38c. The little book and the Progressive Bee-Keeper (a live, pro- gressive 28-page monthly journal) one year, 65c. Address any flrst-class dealer, or LEAHY MFG. CO., Higginsville, Mo. storm followed by a week of cold weather, killed all honey-yielding flowers. Then for some weeks the bees were comparatively idle. Next came the wild red-raspberry, which usually furnishes a large amount of de- licious honey. But the freezing weather above-mentioned killed so many of the raspberry buds that the yield from this source was much less than usual. The first-plant to yield honey in abun- dance was epilobium, sometimes called " fireweed." The bees began on it early in July, and continued to gather honey from it for over six weeks. Epilobium honey is as white and palatable as that stored from white clover. A few days before the epilobium went out of bloom the golden-rod blossomed in great abundance, and lasted until cold weather closed the labors of " the little busy bee " for the season. I might add that during the mouth of July my bees had access to the blossoms of some eight acres of cranberry vines, but I think little honey was gathered from them, although persevering efforts seemed to be made to extract sweets therefrom. Usually in this vicinity honey is gathered from the bloom of the huckleberry, the swamp maple fa shrub growing to the height of 15 or 20 feet), and the basswood, but the past season all these were failures. The dandelion and wild strawberry were a little help in their season. My bees went two miles, or over, for epi- lobium. The golden-rod was abundant all around them. D. C. Leach. Walton, Mich. Hive ftuestion Solved for Himself. My crop for IS94 was 7,000 pounds — 700 pounds of comb and the rest extracted — from 50 colonies, and increased to S3. I wintered and springed 72. secured in 1895 (3,300 pounds— 1,200 pounds of comb, and the rest extracted, and increased to 113 colo- nies. They are wintering finely in a saw- dust-packed building. I have solved the hive question to my satisfaction. The S-frame is just right, ex- actly for a hen's-nest. but for bees I want nothing smaller than 13 frames for ex- tracted, and for comb I use the divisible hive, with 1(5 frames 6x17^. These hives give me good satisfaction, but I don't like to handle them. They are banging frames, ;=4-inch top-bar, with '4 -inch space between — very little trouble with burr-combs. I have no trouble with queens going from one story to the other. Ono, Wis., Jan. IS. W. H. Young. Results of the Past Season. My report for the year 1895 is as follows : About l.SOO pounds of extracted honey from about 55 colonies here at Eldora ; about 1,200 of basswood and GOO of buck- wheat— all of excellent quality. My 40 col- onies that were in Jasper county did not do as well, only producing about 900 pounds of surplus honey. I sell my basswood honey at 12'.^' cents, and buckwheat honey at 10 cents a pound. I moved my bees from Jasper county here by railroad about Nov. 20; waited a few days for them to have a flight before put- ting them into the cellar, but had to put them into winter quarters without having a flight. Those here I put in in nice condi- tion, but left them stopped up a short time, waiting for the other bees to have a flight. (I loosened the sticks so they could get ven- tilation.) I think that I never had so many bees to take up from the bottom of the cel- lar as this winter. I lay it to those moved not having a cleansing flight after moving, and leaving those here at home stopped up a few days after putting into the cellar. The bees seem to be doing pretty well (with the exception of too many dead bees on the bottotn of the cellar). I put 88 colonies into winter quarters. Should nothing happen to the white clover from now on, I think that we will get some clover honey next summer. I CARI^OADS P ,^3h. Of Bee-Hives, Sections, Ship- ping-Cases. Comb Foundation, i^j and Everything used iu the \ ■ ' Bee-Industry. ' ■ '■ ', I want the name and address 1 ;, , : of every Bee- Keeper in i\iuer- .V-^,-____!;.:,^;- ica. No reason why you can- -- "-.i- ^ not do fjusiness with me. I have Cheap Lumber aud Experienced Workmen : a good Water Power Factory and hnow how toruuit. I am supplying Dealers as well as consumers. Why not you? Send for Cata- logues, Quotations, etc. W. H. PUTNAM, IK River Falls, Pierce Co.. Wis. WOVEN Wil FENCE (Ovt^r "iO StviesiThe best on Earth. Hor^e hit-ii, I «verauaTyn,s.ij,^^lj strong-, Pit- and Chicken I tit?ht. Yuucan make from 401 to 60 rods per day for from \ 14 to 22c. a Rod. Illustriited fatalot--iic Free. KITSELMAN BROS., Ridgeville, - Indiana. 4 8 Etf m&ntiAm U. N. TRIVE!«S, ITIanaser, G3."i Chicago Stock E.whange, - Chicago, III, 6 E 4 1 Mention the American Bee luwmal. WANTED— By a young man (23) a posi- tion in a good apiary, or apiary and small fruit or gardening business combined, prefer- ably South and near this State, tor 1 he coming season. Has already had good experience with bees, and is willing, serviceable, and ac- tive. Would appreciate a good home and a generous employer. Is an e.vperienced clerk, with good references. Address. 6E4t C. C. DOOBI^V, Alphln, Va. Wlention the American Bee Journal, Bees, Queens, Kuelei collnTil^sln: ISS Two-Frame Nuclei, with a Choice Warranted Queeu, at $2.50 each. Special prices on large orders furnished. LEININGER BKOS, 6Etf Ft. Jennings, Ohio, INCUBATORS! Our 160 pape, finely illustrated { Combined Poultry Guide tind 5 Catalogue will tell you what you C - wish to kuow about ^ PROFITS IN POULTRY; We manufacture a complete line of Incubators, J i Brooders and Poultry Api>liauces (.iuide and Cata- f i logue 10c, (Stamps or silver) Worth one Dollar. { } Itelialilp Incubator _& Brooder Co., <^uinrj^^ IUn. J ;iSE15t Please mention this Jouruiil. Italian Bees for Sale. Prices will be as follows. One Colony $6.00 Five Colonies '.iS.OO Teu " 50.00 Each Colony will contain one of my $2.00 Queens. NUCLEUS COLONIES. Any size from One frame up. Select Tested Queens, $2.00 each, or Two for $3.00. Breed- ing Queens, $3,00 to $.3.00. Address, F. A. CKOWEI,L, 8E2t GKANGEK, Fill. Co., MINN. Mention the Araerican Bee Journal. 158 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. March 5, DO NOT ORDER UNTIL YOU HAVX: AVRITTBN US FOR PRICES ON Tlie "Boss" One-Piece Section Also D. T. Hives, Sliipplng-Cralcs and Oilier Supplies. We have completed a large addition to our Factory, which doubles our floor room; we are therefore in better shape than ever to fill orders on short notice. Send for Price-Iilst J. FORNCROOK, Watertown, Jeff. Co., Wis.. Jan. 1st, 1896. Mention the American Uee, Iwmmh FOR ADEL BEES AND QUEENS Address, HENRY Al,l.EY, 6Ctt WENHAM, MASS. Barnes' Foot-Power Machinery. Read what J. I. Parent. o Ch A RLTON. N. Y ., says— " W e cut with one of your Com- bined Machines, last winter 5(1 chaff hives with 7-in. cap, l(X) honey-racks, 500 broad frames, li.ono honey-boxes and a trreat deal of other worfe. This winter we have double the amount of bee- hives, etc.. to make and we expect to do It with this Saw. It will do all you say it will. CataloBue and Price - J^ist Free. Address, W. F. & JOHN BARNES. 45Ctf No. 995 Ruby St.. Rocbford, lU. THe RURAL CALIFORNIAN Tells all about Bees in California. The Yields and Price of Honej-; the Pastur- ase and Nectar - Producing Plants; the Bee- Uanchee and how they are conducted. In fact the entire field Is fully covered by and expert bee-man. Besides this, the paper also tells you all about Oaliroriila AarlcnUure and Horticnllnre. $1.50 per Year; Six Months, 75 cents. Sample Free. THE RURAIi CALIFORNIAN, 218 N. Main St.. - Los Angeles, C-4LIF. Potatoes Sir William. Mag-gle Murphy, World's Fair. Hural N. Y. No. 2. $1.00 per bushel. 20 New ■Varieties. Catalogue Free. J. F. MICHAEI^, lD6t (jttEENVILLE. OHIO. Mention thcjlmcrican lice Jonnml Promptness Is What Counts ! Honey-Jars. Shipping-Cases, and every- I thing that bee-keepers use. Root's C.oods at Root's Prieeii, and the best shipping point in the countrj'. Dealer in Honey and Beeswax. Cata- rreTJllAve. Walters. Ponder INDIANAPOLIS. IND. — liEADS THEM Alil. 8 to 24S4 % — See reports of experiments with Comb Foun- dation at the government station, Lapeer, Mich. FREE— large Illustrated Catalog of everything needed in the apiary. Full of In- toi mation. M. H. Hunt, Bell Branch, Mich. 5Dtf Please mention this Journal. *. California It you care to know of Its Fruits, Flowers Climate or Resources, send tor a Sample Copy ol California's Favorite Paper— The Pacific Rural Press The leading Horticultural and Agricultural paper of the Pacific Coast. Published weekly, handsomely Illustrated, $2.00 per annum. Sample Copy Free. PACIFIC RURAL, PRESS, 220 Market St„ - SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. have been used to bees from boyhood, and am a lover of the profession. This country is too cold for me: I would like to find a good location in the South, where I can produce both honey and fruit. I would like to correspond with some one living in a good location for both bees and fruit, either in East Tennessee, southwest Virginia, western Georgia, western North Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. It some one living in the places named, and where the location is suitable, will write me a short letter, or send me their address, I will consider it a favor. W. C. Nutt. Eldora, Iowa, Feb. 10. WLoving Bees by Wagon. The question was asked on page 20 about the way to prepare bees to haul overland on a common farm wagon. As I have hauled bees over rough mountain roads with complete success, I can tell W. C. H. how I prepared my bees. I made light bottoms and tops of i^-inch lumber, and cut holes 5 inches square in both bottom and top, and covered both openings with wire-cloth, nailing 1-inch square cleats on both tops and bottoms to keep them from splitting; this will give plenty of air. The frames were loose-hang- ing, and I made some sticks -'sXl '4 inches nailed crosswise, one over the frames at each end. with small wire nails awled in, so as not to .iar the bees too much while nail- ing. Then I saw that all cracks were stop- ped. I put a nail in each frame, and hauled the bees SO miles. Place the hives length- wise of the wagon. J. R. Gibson. Tucker, Mo. The Home Market is the Place. I have sold my apiary of bees, including hives and " fixings," so I am out of the bee- business for awhile at least. 1 have kept bees for the past 22 years. In the spring I intend to start in new. For the past two years about all my honey has been mixed with honey-dew, and I have had to sell it for about half the price of white honey. Taking all the years together, I have sold tons of honey which paid a big profit for the amount of time and money invested. I never sold a pound to commission mer- chants, and never have failed to find a home market for all the honey I have had. I think it is safe to say that thousands of dollars are lost to bee-keepers in Vermont every year by shipping their honey to Bos- ton and New York to be sold on commis- sion. Vermont produces no more honey than she can consume herself, and would if she had the chance, paying good prices to the producer. I know a number of mer- chants that get all their choice Vermont honey by way of Boston cheaper than I can afford to sell it to them here. Comb honey sells here for 20 cents, and Western extracted for 15 cents per pound. Sharon, Vt., Feb. 2. C. A. Maksh. Some Folks Need Educating. Rev. E. T. Abbott thinks it is just and right to tax bees. Here in Wisconsin they are taxed. Then comes our weed commis- sioner and pulls up our sweet clover. I sowed the seed on my own ground, and had a nice, large field of sweet clover, but the weed commissioner cut it down. I have been a member of the Bee-Keepers' Union, and I think it could help us in this matter. I think our State has made a mistake. Probably our officers are too poor to buy honey, so they destroy our sweet clover. Pulcifer, Wis., Feb. 4. Henry Stark. Death of Mr. C. H. Pond. My father, C. H. Pond, died on the morn- ing of Jan. 14, after an illness of several months. He had been a sufferer from heart disease for the past three years. He had been engaged in horticulture and apiculture for the past ten years. I shall continue in SEEDS - _ J FROM GROWER |||| "^^^^^^l TO PLANTER^r*-*.* New and \Yonderful Varieties sold at lowpst Rrowiii!,' prices. I give you mid- dlpm;m'sprJi >t« >li .xJi j>Ji >li >Jt >i4 >te. >!<. >Ji >!< Q ORIGIML 1 KIMJIIAM Vh Years. Wonderful Record ! AVE L-\STED n 12 BEST ON EARTH. Aln^aysGlve Perfect Satisfaction. My cool Wire Handle and Bent Nose were patented 1892, are the original, m.v best Invention since my open or di- rect draft Patent. 1878. that revolu- tionized Bee-Smokers. My Handle and Nose Patent bent all the other smoker noses. None but Bingham Smokers have all the best improvements. If you buy genuine Bin^liani Nnio. iters and Honey-Knives ,vou will never regret it. The " Doctor," Ji-lnch larger than any other smoker on the market— 3J4-incn stove, by mail, $1.50 Conqueror, 3 " " " 1.10 Large, 2^4-in. " •• 1,00 Plain, 2-in. " " .70 Little Wonder, 2-in.. wt. 10 oz. .60 BJnghatn * Hi'tlierington llniipy-Kiiives, SO ccDb. T. F. BINGHAM, Farweli, Micli. 7Atf Mention the Bee Journal. Pkgs. tested, pure, fresh garden seeds, 12 cts., postpaid. R. iV. Tlioiiias, Slipnaiidoab, Iowa. Oi-intI Yoiii- Foe«l CJrsiin.— Just because corn is cheap is no reason why the farmer should waste it by feeding it whole. Economy as well as the health and thrift of the animal demands that grain of aU kinds should be ground to produce the best results in feeding. This being true, it then becomes a mere question of the selection of the proper machine with which to grind the grain. The " Peerless," which is man- ufactured by the Joliet Strowbridge Co., of Joliet, 111., seems to offer a good many ad- vantages to the farmer, as it requires no power separate from the machine itself, and grinds ear corn and cob quickly, easily and finely. Send for their Catalogue about their Feed Grinder, and correspond with them. They also handle a full line of agri- cultural implements. J60 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. March 5, 1896. Bottom Prices CASH PAID FOR BEESWAX BRI3IO U8 BIG TRADE. GOOD GOODS KEEP IT. It you want the best supplies that can be made at a little less cost than you can buy the same goods for elsewhere, write to us for low prices. 189(i Catalogue now ready —ask for it and a free copy ol'Tlie Ameri- can Bee-Keeper (36 pages). Address. THE W.T. FALCONER MFG. CO., JAMESTOWN, N. T. Metuioii Vie Amcrlco.ii Bcc Jonnuil. EVERGREENS! and Ornamental trees, Nursery crown. 2b0 Choice Evergreens, 10 varieties $2. 400 Ornamental trees. 6 varieties, $2; 6 other ^ and ^\Q bareains, lUO Scotch Pine. 2 ft. high. $8; 1.000 10 to 12 inches $10. All other varieties and sizes cheap. Local Agents Wanted. Send for Illustrated Catalogue. FREE. Evergreen Specialist, DUNDEE, ILLINOIS. HILL, t Pleiise meuiiou tlic Uee Journal I> /\ A Ty A great reduction in Prices on llV "l/IJ what vou heed and we will pive you low prices. 36-p. Cataloeui" Fref. NKBEl. & SON, High Hill, Mo. Hives and Sections. Other bar- gains in Apiarian Supplies. State JNO 4A2Bt The Rural Kansan Is an Agricultural Journal for the busy farm- er. It embraoes Hee-Keeping and every de- partment of industry connected with the farm. 30 cts. a year, monthly. Sample Free. ^i„^e"of Higginsville Bee-Supplies 355 Shawnee Ave . Topek.\. Kan. 1 A13t Mention the American Bee Journal. on hand. FOR SALE. ALSIKE, CETMSON. ITALIAN. ALFALFA, or WHITE CLOVER SEED. 4A8t WM. CRAIG, Eiuce, ITIlcb*. Meniifyi tne Anwr-ican Bee .«o'«r"ir>:. Qiieeii-Clipping Device. I want the address of all who clip Queens anU have even the least trouble either in catching or holding them while they are be- ing dipt. I have invented a Device by which it is IMPOSSIBLE to Injure a Queen ei- ther In catching or clipping, unless it is done purposely. With it they are cauirht and cllpt any way desired almost Instantly. One does not have to touch the Queen with his hands, whatever. Price, postpaid. 50 cts. Send for Free Circular. C. MONETTE, 6At£ CHATFIELD, Fillmore Co.. MINN. Moition tlie American Bee Journal- QUEENS Smokers. Sections , Comb Foundation, An<] all Apiairaii Supplies cheap. Senil for FKKE atalogue. E. T. FLAHAUAN, BellovSlIp, 111. 6A26t f lease mention the Bee Journal. Fruit Plants Where to buy them at whole- sale price. Send postal for des- c r i p 1 1 V e and wholesale Catalogue of all of the leading va- rieties of the Strawberries, Raspberries, BlaokberrieN, Currants. Coosebcrrles, (■rapeN and Potatoes. EZRA G. SMITH, Manchester, Ont. Co., N. Y. 8Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. For all the g^ood, pure yellow BEES"WAX delivered to our office till further notice, we will pay 26 ceuts per pound, cash ; or 30 cents for whatever part is exchanged for the Bee Journal, Honey, Books or Seed, that we offer. If you want casli promptly for wax, send it on at once. Dark or impure wax not taken at any price. Address plainly, George W. York & Co., 56 Fifth Ave., Chicago, III, Ye?r Dadant's Foundation S Is still in the lead, for we use all the latest improvements, including the NEW PROCESS, and still make the best goods. Remember that we do not use any acid to purify our bees- wax, and that is why our Foundation preserves the smell of the honey and is more ac- ceptable to the bees, than any other. It is kept for sale by G. K. Hubbard. Fort Wavne, Ind. L, Hansaen, Davenport, Iowa. ('. Theilmann, Theilmanton, Minn. E. C. Eaplesfield. Berlin, Wis. K.T.Abbott. 8t. Joseph, Mo. J. M. Jenkins, Wetumpka, Alabama Jotin Key. Bast Saginaw, Micb. Vickerv Bros., Evansville, Ind. I Tbe Jennie Atchley Company. Beeville, Texas. C F. Mulh & Son. i 'incinnati, Ohio B. Kretcbmer, Red Oak, Iowa. Jos. Nysewander, l)es Moines, Iowa. G. B. Lewis Co.. Watertown, Wis. James Reynolds Elevator Co., Poughkeepsie. N Y, Page & Lyon. New London, Wis. T. H, Strickler, Solomon City, Kansas. and many other Dealers. All agree in saying that no goods are better than ours. Those of our customers who formerly bought through Thos. G. Newman can get our Foundation in Cliicag^o^. 111.^ by addressing us at 5tf Firtli Aveoiie. We keep no other goods there. ZZZZ We make a specialty of Veils and Veil Stitfts of best quality, cotton and silk, Langstroth on the Honey-Bee, Revised. Bee-Keepers' Supplies, Smokers, Sections, Tin Pails, etc. Samples ot I'^oaindation untl Xiille FREE with Circular. Instructions to beginners with Circular. BEESWAX WA!\XKI>. Send us your address. CHAS. DADANT & SON, Mention the American Bee Journal. HAMILTON', Hancock Co. , ILL. mm^, B^EE-MIIVES. SHiPPIi\C-@ASES We make a Specialty of these Goods, and defy Competition in C3XJ.A.XjIT"2-, ■WOK.KlMIA.lSrSHIF and PK^ICES. r~ Write for Free Illustrated Catalogue and Price-List. G-. B. LEWIS COMPANY, Watertown, Wis. fa?~ Be sure to mention the American Bee Journal when you write. _^t ^ ROOTS COMB FOUNDATION! ^ New Product. New Process. A Big Success "We are pleased to announce that, having secured control of the new Weed process of manufacturing foundation for tbe U. S., we are prepared to furnish Foundation by the New Process, for 1896. Samples will be mailed free on application, and will speak for thenisclve«. OUR SANDED and POLISHED SECTIONS, well, they will speak for themselves, also, j Our 1896 Catalog will be ready for distribution now in a few days. Send in your name at once for catalog, samples of the newfoundatlon, and those superb sections, and while you are about it ask for late copy of Gleanings in Bee-Culture. THE A. I. ROOT CO., MEDINA, OHIO. 56 5lli Ave., Chicago, III. Syracu§e, N. Y. 1024 niUsisiiippI St., St. Paul, IMinn. J*obIishecJ WG&Jily, at 9i*00 per aniau/n. Sample Cop3' sent on Jk.jyj^Uc'at ion. 36th Year. CHICAG-O, ILL., MARCH 12, 1896. No. 11. General Hints on a House-Apiary. BY B. TAYLOR. (Read at the Wiscomin State Convention, Feb. 6 and 7, 1896.) I will give a few thoughts upon the subject of house-api- aries, drawn from six seasons' experience with that method of caring for bees. To make bee-keeping pay, we must have good crops of surplus salable honey, and to get that we must have plenty of it would furnish all the prime conditions for perfect winter quarters. I reasoned by having the hives near together, and packing a number of them properly with a cold-excluding and warmth-retaining blanket of dry sawdust, that each single hive would co-operate with its neighbor in retaining heat, and thus secure mutual warmth, even temperature at all times, and especially protection from sudden harmful changes of temperature in the critical breeding season — early sprlny. I reasoned that the bees would be at liberty to take a cleansing flight several times during winter, on warm days, and that such flights would be more healthful for the colonies than five or more months of cellar confinement. Yes, theoretically, the house-apiary furnishes all the couditions that reason demands for successful fall, winter, and spring protection. ztttj I have not been disappointed, for five winters' practical experience has proved the house a good, safe place to winter bees in. I have, it is true, had some loss each winter in the house, but there was each year still greater loss, with equally good colonies, in a (irst-class cellar. I have each season got better results in surplus honey in the house than in the open yard. Perhaps this may have come from giving the bees in the house a little the best care. Feeding, and many other ,u :!JiSiSI^ Mr. B. Taylor, of Forestvllle, Minn., and Hlx House-Apiarij. healthy bees in early spring, so a large army of workers may be bred in time for the white clover harvest, and in order to have those early bees, successful wintering is indispensable. Moses Quinby long ago declared what our experience has proved true, viz.: That two-thirds of the failures in bee-keep- ing come from failure in successful wintering. The house- apiary, then, to be practical must be a good place to winter bees in. When first resolved to try a house-apiary, I reasoned that necessary things are more easily done in the house. Robbing, cross bees, wet grass, hot sun, and many other nuisances are unknown in the house. It is a great comfort to be able to open a hive at any time, and not be troubled with robbers. I put my bees into the cellar last year on Nov. 8; the bees in the house have had two splendid plays since then. They were out Jan. 8, and yesterday (Jan. 30) they were out en masse. In both of these flights not enough bees chilled to speck the snow. 162 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. March 12, In regard to the construction of houses, I have been un- able to discover anything better than my new house-apiary. It is cheap and simple, and fills all practical demands so /ar as I can see. Some have advocated building with packed walls, and made warm enough so the hives would need no packing, but the cost would be greatly increased, and no practical good gained. Several good houses have been illustrated in the bee-papers in the last year or two, but in principle they are the same as my own. Some have used the shelf to set the hives on, without a bottom-board. This is not good. We need to handle and change hives in the house, and when the hives set directly on the shelves, every time a hive is lifted the shelf will be left covered with crawling bees, and they must be brushed away to give place for the new hive that must be set down. I have the same bottom-boards for the hives in the house as for the out-yard work. When I lift a hive I move bottom and all to a table near by. If I need to move the hive from the bottom, I carry the bottom with its crawling bees outside, and they will return home. In the swarming season, if we want increase, we will need to move the hive that has swarmed to a new stand outside, and a movable bottom-board is needed for the reason I have given. I mention this seemingly trifling part because some may wish to build, and Mr. Root says in the " A B C of Bee- Culture," that the bees you must necessarily have under foot in a house is a great nuisance. I have not crushed a gill of bees on the floor in my five years' practice. Gentle Italians that will not rush from the hive when opened are a great comfort in the house. It is also a great comfort to have hives with frames that can be taken out and returned with certainty to their proper place quickly, and without any prying and scraping ; and frames handle more conveniently when placed lengthwise of the shelves. I like the plan of building house-apiaries on posts raised two feet from the ground, for it is the only cheap, practical way of entirely getting rid of that unbearable nuisance — rats and mice — which are sure to undermine stone-walls and dirt floors. In my house rats and mice have no place they can sit on to gnaw, and I have entire immunity from them. I regard house-apiaries as especia,lly adapted to out-yards, having all the facilities for properly caring for bees in them- selves the year around, and without increased cost over open yards; I contemplate increasing my honey-business in that way. In writing this I have only tried to give general helpful thoughts to those who may wish to build. A house-apiary is not easily changed after once built, and I caution you to in- vestigate and know what you want before you build. If you make no mistakes, you will not afterward regret having made "a house-apiary." Forestville, Minn. The Amalgamation Ouestiou Again. BV HON. J. M. HAMBAUGH. There has probably been enough said on this question al- ready, but as the matter is still open to discussion, I trust no one will take exceptions to me having my "say;" and now that I have become a citizen of the banner honey-producing county of the banner honey-producing State of the United States, with once more a small apiary at my command, I feel somewhat disposed to arise and make myself known. When this subject first came to my notice from the mas- terly pens of quite a number of the Bee Journal contributors, I was favorably impressed with the idea, and was disposed to give it my hearty approval, but after mature deliberation, and reading the able arguments on the opposite side in the contro- versy, I have become convinced that the amalgamation of the North American and the Bee-Keepers' Union would not be in accord with the best interests of the two societies, and the bee-keepers' interest in general throughout the United States. In the first place, I will state that the Bee-Keepers' Union is National and not international, and to conbine the two so- cieties under one code, would necessitate an entire change of constitution, by-laws, and the entire modus operandi. And now the question naturally comes up, are the two societies rec- oncilable ? In a financial point of view, which of the two old societies would have the greater amount of money to replenish the treasury of the new society ? Our General Manager of the Bee-Keepers' Union reports the balance in the Treasury, Dec. 31, 1895, to be §771.61 ; while the report of the Secretary of the North American, at Toronto, Sept. 6, 1895, reports a balance of $7.53. Is there not a chance here for a bone of contention ? Again, by our abandoning the National feature to become international, do we not embrace in our territory the entire northern hemisphere, which would take in Canada, Mexico, and the British Possessions of North America ? In so doing would our brethren across the borders be willing to accept a tax that would place them on an equal footing with us finan- cially? or would we have to hold the amount from the Bee- Keepers' Union as a gratuitous fund to be used alike in the in- terests of the pursuit regardless of boundary lines ? Now, friends, in all fairness and justice, would it not be more consistent to have the mfitter fairly explained before the members of the Bee-Keeper's Union, and give them an oppor- tunity to vote for or against the amalgamation, ere you seek to change the situation that prompted them to contribute their money ? The Bee-Keepers' Union was organized for the mutual protection to its members against unjust encroachments and " assaults of the enemies of the persuit;" and with this ban- ner in the hands of our bold and indefatigable General Mana- ger— Thos. G. Newman — success has perched upon our ban- ner, and bee-keepers have had a bulwark of defense, that few pursuits can boast of ; and with all due defference to other members composing the organizers and promoters of the Bee- Keeper's Union, to Thos. G. Newman belongs the honor of its universal beneficence to the bee-keepers' cause; and to de- throne him from a position in which he has proven himself our greatest benefactor, we believe would not be in accord with the true rules of etiquette and the best interests of the pursuit. The Union as it now stands with our highly-esteemed General Manager, Thos. G. Newman, at the helm, is too po- tent a power for good to be destroyed by the cohesion of other societies. It is our safe-guard against unjust encroachments, and a terror to wrong-doers. What more could we desire of one society ? Let the Union stand, is our motto. Escondido, Calif. Artificial Swarming, or Dividing for Increase. BY CHAS. DADANT & SON. (Continued from page 145.) Now that we have our queen-cells reared — for we aim to make enough of the colonies quoenless to rear all the cells we need for our swarms — our next step is to make small swarms, something like what queen-breeders call "nuclei," after Lang- stroth, but these nuclei, instead of being made in diminutive hives with microscopic frames, are made in the ordinary style of hives, with from two to four frames of brood, bees and honey, and a division-board, or dummy, to reduce the space. To make these swarms we do not take anything from our honey-producing colonies. These are left in full possession of all their strength, which they need to produce a good crop. In an apiary of, say 50 colonies, only enough of the best are broken up, as previously stated, to furnish all the queen-cells we need ; after this, we make the divisions from the colonies which would not be likely to produce any honey. In every apiary there are a- number of colonies, which, either owing to weakness in early spring, to lack of fecundity in the queen, to a shortage in their supplies, or to other unaccountable cause, are late in their brood-rearing, and become strong only when the crop is at its height, or past its best. They are then in possession of a large lot of brood, and will hatch many bees that will only serve to consume the stores ; for they will be fit to work only after the crop is over. These are the colonies that we use to make our swarms. In a state of nature, not one swarm would be harvested from them ; and if they did swarm, their progeny would not be desirable, since, in all prob- ability, their queens are only second-best in prolificness. As we have our queens all reared, and all from the best stock, it does not matter from which hives we take our increase. On the 9th day after the queens have been removed, as mentioned in the previous article, we open our queenless hive, or hives, and count the queen-cells. We then make as many nuclei, with two frames of brood, and two frames of honey, and pollen, and bees enough to cover them, as we have queen- cells left, after leaving one to each hive. On the next day, after the bees have ascertained their loss, we insert the queen- cells (after the method of queen-breeders) in these queenless nuclei. We can take as many as two swarms from one hive; but this is not advisable. We prefer to take only one from each, with nearly all the young bees that the hive contains; for many of them will return to the parent hive. If the weather is cool, and we can keep the hives shaded, we close up these nuclei until the next day ; so they become accustomed to their new habitation. Care must be taken, of course, not to remove the queen with the bees, and it is always best to find her. If we took her with the swarm, our aim would be foiled, for she would destroy the queen-cell when we insert it, and 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 163 the queenless colony, from which she was removed, would then be compelled to rear another, an inferior queen like her- self. The colonies, from which these combs of brood and feed have been removed, are at once supplied with frames full of foundation, and in a few weeks those hives are again filled. If we do not wish to use full sheets of foundation, we make it a point to remove all, or nearly all, the combs, and furnish these bees with a large lot of empty frames, with only starters, or guides ; for we have noticed that, unless a colony is almost without comb, it will, if strong, during a good crop, build a groat many drone-cells. A swarm, beginning in an empty hive, will invariably build 90 per cent, of worker-comb. A colony with only three combs to build, if strong in bees, during the harvest, will build half of these in drone-comb. For this reason, we let only comparatively weak colonies, and colonies with young queens, do the comb-building. Most important of all, we do not give any empty space to a queenless colony, /of tliey would build nothing but drone-comb. It is for this reason that we do not wish our nuclei to have any more bees than are necessary to keep the brood warm, until their queens are fer- tile and laying. We also believe that a colony while queenless is somewhat discouraged ; that the bees do not work with en- thusiasm, and we want to use as few bees as possible for this purpose. In about 10 to 14 days after the queen-cells have been in- troduced, most of our queens are laying, and the little colonies may be reinforced by giving them more bees, and more brood- combs, if we have them. The same colonies that have been used to furnish the bees, may be called upon to do this. The swarms, according to their strength, may be given empty frames, in which they will most probably build nice worker- combs. If foundation is used, and we generally use it, the ad- vance is very much more prompt. In all these manipulations, we must be careful not to leave a swarm, that has brood with too few bees ; not to divide a weak colony, or give a queenless colony any empty space, in which they might build. The swarms which have been made must be examined, so they may not rear additional queen-cells, and swarm with the young queen first hatched. We nave seen very weak colonies divide up in this way. The swarms, in which the young queens are inserted, while yet in their cells, may destroy those cells, and try to rear some of their own brood ; or the young queen may be lost in her wedding-trip, and this must be all at- tended to. These accidents may look as quite a hindrance to the success of the method, and may annoy some people, but, after all, they do not amount to anything, when compared to the trouble given by natural swarming. In our eyes, the advantage of our system rests in the being able to save, for honey-production, the very colonies that are most likely to yield honey, and to use, for increase, such colo- nies as would give little if any profit; while we are, at the same time, breeding our bees from our best stock, and the in- crease thus made is, so to speak, of the gilt-edge kind. It is worth quite a little trouble to attain this end, and the profit reaped is two-fold. Hamilton, III. The Cheshire Cure for Foul Brood. BY WM. F. CLARKE. On page 19, we are informed that several parties men- tioned by name have tried the Cheshire drug treatment for foul brood and found it a complete failure. It is further stat- ed that any medicated syrup strong enough to cure foul brood would kill all the sound larvaj and every bee in the colony. One of the persons named is said to have "sprayed the diseased combs with acids so strong, that the combs fairly smoked" and then it failed to cure them of foul brood. .This is not the Cheshire remedy for foul brood. The Cheshire prescription is simply to get the bees to consume syrup medicated with phenol. In his great work. Vol. II, page 562, he speaks of many, who " with a perversity which is al- most incredible say that phenol will not cure, for they have given it in the food-bottle, but the bees would not take it." On the next page he asserts that if the bees can be induced to take the phenolated syrup they " will use a curative quantity of it." So far as I know, I am the only bee-keeper on the Ameri- can Continent who has patiently investigated the Cheshire method and got to the bottom of it. He prescribes from the 500th to the 750th proportion of phenol. I am inclined to think the drug is not always of the same potency. At any rate, the main difficulty is to get the bees to take the mixture. When they will do that, It is plain sailing. My eyes were opened when, after many failures I at last got a foul-broody colony to take the phenolated syrup. I fed them 20 pounds of it in the fall. Next spring and all through the following season they were the best colony I had. Of all the many pret- ty processes in bee-keeping, there is nothing prettier than to see how the bees will clean out the foul brood when once you get them onto a diet of phenolated syrup. It is like magic, the way it works. Ridicule is not argument. I am not lecturing the people with solemn airs on what science teaches. lam dealing with facts and speaking of what I know. Deliberately, I wish to put myself on record as asserting that the Cheshire treatment, (ts he prescribes it, is what I have called it—" a cheap and easy cure for foul brood," in all curable cases. It is also a remedy, in comparison with which every other I have tried is " vanity and vexation of spirit." I can bide my time, assured that sooner or later, in this case as in every other, "magna est Veritas et prevalebit." 1 will only add that the man who does not know how to feed a colony of bees medicated syrup without their being robbed by other bees is not much of a bee-keeper, and had better look into Mr. Benton's new book on " The Honey-Bee," page 117, and learn the Cheshire way to prevent robbing. Guelph, Ont. The Past and Present of Bee-Keeping. BT G. M. DOOtlTTLE. Having occasion, lately, to look over an old diary to find something that was called in question, I ran across an item which was written by a friend to prove that bee-keeping was always to be a lucrative business, which item read as follows : " Notwithstanding the great demand for bees, and the im- mense quantities of honey that are produced from year to year, the amount largely increasing each year, I do not see any reason to think that overstocking or overproduction is a factor that need trouble us in this generation. At any rate, I don't see that the price of nice honey is any lower than years ago." This was written in 1884, or about 12 years ago, and in reading there was a strange sound to It; strange, not only from the standpoint of 1896, but from the standpoint of 1869, as well, at which time I commenced to keep bees. I fell to wondering if " this generation " that existed 12 years ago had passed away, for surely, if I read our present bee-lit- erature aright, both "overstocking" and "overproduction" are causing a wail to come from nearly every hand. Hear Mr. Hutchinson telling in the Review how the forests have been cut off, the swamps been dried and the fence-corners cleaned out, till the flora which we had a few years ago — which invited the little busy bee to a sumptous feast — was be- coming nearly as scarce as the trails of the Indian. Then hear Dr. Miller, and others, asking if the good old times will ever come again? All of which point to the fact, that wheth- er overstocked or not, from some reason the average bee-keep- ers does not secure the average good crops of honey that they did years ago. Then look at the talk of low prices, the planning to form a honey-association, and the censure of our commission-men, who realize only 10 cents a pound fdr nice white comb honey to their consigners, where they sell at 14 cents, and ask your- self if overproduction is not figuring in this matter of low prices. If it is not overproduction that makes the low prices for honey, what is it? Commission-men were not formerly criticised for charging 10 per cent., for that was the usual charge during the early seventies. All must admit that the market price of honey is much lower than it formerly was, and when 10 per cent, is taken from a low price it hurts the honey-producer much worse than it does to have the same per cent, taken from a high price. Small honey-producers can sell their honey to advantage about home, in neighboring villages, but the large producer must always seek a market for his pro- duce in the large cities, and the price obtained in these cities has very much to do with home prices; hence the "market price" is what we have to look to in determining whether overproduction has had anything to do with the matter of prices. I commenced bee-keeping 27 years ago the present spring, and at that time honey in six-pound boxes, having glass on two sides, brought 25 cents per pound, delivered at the railroad, while in the fall of 1869 I was offered by a party from New York city, 50 cents per pound for the little I had, the advance of 100 per cent, being caused by a very poor season during 1869, so that the supply was very much less than the de- mand. The season of 1870 being an extra-good one, the price fell back to 25 cents again, at which price I sold my crop of 164 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. March 12, that year, as well as that of 1871 and ] 872. Owing to the loss of bees during the preceding winter, the supply was in- sufficient again, so that in the fall of 1873 I sold at 27 cents, taking my whole crop, light and dark, together, while in 1874 I received 28J^ cents per pound for the whole of my crop. Those prices brought more persons into the business, which, with but little loss in wintering, caused honey to drop, so that 26 cents was the price I obtained in 1875, while in 1876 the supply was again adequate to the demand, and 25 cents was the selling price. That the readers of the American Bee Journal may know something of the past, without going over the matter for them- selves, I have carefully looked up the market reports as given iu our bee-papers, and here give an average of quotations as I found them. For 1874, 28 to 30 cents; 1875,27 to 30 ; 1876, 23 to 25; 1877, 20 to 22; 1878, 12 to 16; 1879, 20 to 22 ; 1880, 18 to 20; 1881, 18 to 22; 1882, 22 to 25; 1883, 18 to 20; 1884, 17 to 19 ; 1885, 15 to 18 ; 1886, 14 to 16 ; and during the past 10 years the prices have ranged between those of 1886 and the 13 to 15 cents of the present. Previous to 1874 I fail to find any quotations in any of the bee-papers which I have. ITrom the above it will seem that honey quotations at pres- ent, and for the past 10 years, are fully 100 per cent, lower than they were in the early seventies. Another thing, which is, that honey in such shape as was sold from 1868 to 1873 at 25 cents or above, per pound, would not net to-day over 6 to 8 cents in any market. To bring from 13 to 15 cents now, honey must be very fancy, in one-pound-sections, without glass, which means nearly if not quite six times the labor and expense to the bee-keeper that si.x pounds of honey, in one box, meant 25 to 30 years ago, so that honey really does not bring, taking all these items into consideration, much more than one- third what it did " years ago." Wherein lies the trouble ? Is It not overproduction, which my old friend of years ago said would be no factor '■ in this generation ?" If not in overpro- duction, wherein does it lie ? Will not some one tell us, for when we know the cause we may be able to apply a remedy ? Borodino, N. Y. ■ -fc * ^ ^ * ^ Cv,-.^;- The Ontario Bee-Keepers' Convention. The annual meeting of the Ontario Bee-Keepers' Asssocia- tion was held in Brautford, Jan. 15, 16, 17, 1896. The almost entire absence of a honey crop last year prevented a large attendance, and it was noticeable that some of those present were not in the best of humor, which condition had an undesirable effect upon the harmony of the sessions — more sweetness needed. Notwithstanuing the fact that a pro- gramme was prepared that might have brought out much val- uable discussion, the time was so much occupied with personal differences that not only was the time lost, but peaceable members became so much disgusted and annoyed with the proceedings that almost all the utility was taken out of the convention. It is a matter of regret that expert bee-keeping delegates should gather together from the very extremities of the Province, and not have an opportunity of teaching and learning lessons from each other's experiences, to be dissemi- nated through the press, so that smaller bee-keepers may glean points whereby they may improve their methods. We would not be understood that the majority of the members who attend this convention from year to year are unreason- able cranks, but when a few men are allowed to break the peace of the whole gathering, the directors and other officers are more to blame than perhaps they allow themselves to believe. We have attended the last two annual meetings, and have come to the conclusion that unless the directors and officers combine against such dissensions as have characterized these two conventions, the money expended in holding such would be more productive if devoted to some better directed enter- prise. President Hall's Address dealt with the salient fea- tures of the industry. It was recommended that bee-keepers who get foul brood co-operate with the Inspector as carefully as possible in stamping it out. It gave him pleasure to rea- lize that Europeans are seeking Canadian honey ; he therefore felt the necessity of having the Pure-Honey Bill passed, so that the reputation of Canadian honey may arrive at the posi- tion which will make it desirable to honey-consuming mar- kets. The President also recommended that packages be stamped, on the same principle as the branding of Canadian cheese. [Mr. Hall's address will appear later. — Ed. J Foul Brood. — The repo.-t of the Foul Brood Inspector, Wm. McEvoy, showed that 85 bee-yards were visited, 32 of which were affected with the disease. Owing to the severe frosUin May, followed by the continued drouth, the brood of many colonies died from starvation, which, in many eases, was taken for disease, and therefore (. great demand was made for inspection, which fact indicates that bee-keepers are becom- ing more anxious for visits from the Inspector than heretofore. A few years ago much opposition was met from bee-keepers who now welcome inspection, knowing that the desire is to cure and not to kill, except when a cure cannot be otherwise obtained. — [Mr. McEvoy's Report will also appear soon.— Ed.] Among the communications read was a letter from the Rev. W. F. Clarke, of Guelph, in which the Foul Brood In- spector was strongly condemned for having destroyed a num- ber of his colonies by fire. To this, Mr. McEvoy explained that he had spent a great deal of time endeavoring to have a cure effected, but ultimately found that destruction by fire was the only wise method to pursue. After hearing both sides of the case, the convention endorsed the Inspector's actions in in this as in all other cases. A vote of thanks was then ten- dered to him for his good work, and a resolution was passed to the effect that the association have confidence in their In- spector, and that they believe his method of cure is the best known. The Pure-Honey Bill. — Mr. S. T. Pettit reported on the Pure-Honey Bill, which has been introduced into the House of Commons, but had not as yet passed all the readings. The purpose of the Bill is to prevent the production of sugar- honey, and ultimately to have the same effect on the honey industry of Canada as the law against " filled " cheese has on the cheese reputation and business. Mr. Pettit was one of a committee last year to go to Ottawa in its interest, and, although he did not succeed in getting the Bill through, he felt convinced that all that is necessary for its passage is con- tinued effort by the association for a short time longer. One very good argument in favor of such a Bill was the presence of a sample of adulterated honey brought to the meeting by one of the directors, who obtained it from a grocery-store. It was in a glass vessel sealed with a paper stamped "Canadian honey." The stuff was mildly sweet, light in color, and thin. While it was not unpleasant to taste, its after effects were of such a character as to disgust a consumer with honey as an article of food. A sample of this so-called "Canadian honey" was recently subjected to the Dominion Analyst for analysis, when it was found to contain too much glucose syrup and more than the average per cent, of water. It was, therefore, evident that it had been adulterated with these substances. The only opposition offered to further pressing the passage of the Bill was by one member, who has always claimed that the Adulterated Food Act already covers the necessary ground. He therefore considered it unwise to expend any more money over it. It was, however, claimed by several intelligent mem- bers that the presence of such stuff as was proved to be upon the market showed that the passage of such an Act as is now being pushed is necessary in order to develop a demand for honey and to protect honest honey-producers. It was resolved that Mr. Pettit's report be accepted, and also that the former committee still prosecute the Passage of the Pure-Honey Bill. Honey-Packages. — The question was asked, whether it were wiser to sell honey in packages, charging for gross weight for honey and package, or for net weight of honey. For instance, when honey is 10 cents per pound, is it wise to sell 10 pounds net of honey in a pail, or should the value of the pail be retained in honey '? Several dealers claimed that fhe price of the vessel should be added to the honey in asking a price, as it was difficult to get extra for the pail, or get it returned in good order. It was, therefore, advised that 25- pound pails be used as far as possible, because the value of the pail was relatively small compared to the honey contained, and it is also of more value to the receiver, because of its size. Foundation in Sections. — While all agreed that at least a starter be used all around the edge, so as to avoid creep- holes between the wooden side and the comb, it was generally conceded that whole foundation of clear wax, about 10 or 12 feet to the pound, gave very satisfactory results in the pro- duction of comb honey. Too heavy foundation is apt to cause " fish-bone" comb. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 165 Shipping Comb Honey. — It is fairly evident that Manitoba will furnish a good market for a large quantity of comb hooey annually, if of good quality and well packed. It was advised that sections to be shipped should be full and uniform, and packed so tightly that they cannot shift or rub. Mr. Hall, who has shipped as high as §1,100 worth to Manitoba in one shipment, without any loss, recommends that not less than 200 pounds be put into a package, and that the package be long in form, and have two handles, so that it may be lifted by railroad men, and not rolled and tumbled. Mr. McKnight, who also ships to Manitoba, recommends using light butstrong cases holding 12 sections each, packed on edge, three high and four deep. He also recommended that the case have a glass front, and that the crate be protected by laths nailed up and down the ends, the back, and cornerwise across the front ; the sections should have comb attached all around, and that excelsior be used as packing to avoid crushing. Ventilation of Hives in Winter. — It is now generally admitted that upward ventilation is not desirable, but that front and back bottom ventilation should be given. It was recommended that the too of the hive be hermetically sealed with propolized cloth. For out-door wintering, six inches of straw should form the top, side and back packing; a less thickness is desirable on the south side, so that the warmth of the sun may penetrate to some extent on bright days. It is advisable to have a dead-air space on top. The subject of packing was gone into, and brought out points to the effect that dry leaves, well packed in, are entirely best when there is any possibility of rain getting in ; but where a positively water-tight roof and box is used, dry sawdust answers all re- quirements. Wintering Bees. — Mr. Pettit is of the opinion that in the dead of winter, if bees are in the very best condition, they will be almost perfectly quiet. Other good bee-keepers claim that the bees are all right when a low hum of contentment, so- called, can be heard. The most generally accepted theory offered was that in large apiaries it is impossible to have all the colonies quiet at once. When they are in the best condi- tion, the different colonies will each have their spells of hum- ming and quietness. Business. — The by-laws were adjusted to harmonize with the new Agricultural Act. It was also resolved that hereafter the reports of affiliated societies be in by Dec. 1, instead of Jan. 1, so that the annual meeting may be held in December. A resolution was passed to the effect that each affiliated society be entitled to send two delegates to the annual conven- tion, and the fee of §5.00 paid by each affiliated society en- titles the delegates to full privileges of members in voting, etc. It was resolved, on recommendation of a committee ap- pointed by the President, that the President, Vice-President, 2nd Vice-President and Secretary each represent on the Board the district from which they come, and that each of the nine directors represent one of the remaining nine districts, so that each district has representation. Election of Officers. — President, R. F. Holtermann, of Brantford ; 1st Vice-President, J. K. Darling, of Almonte; 2nd Vice-President, W. J. Brown, of Chard ; Secretary, W. Couse, of Streetsville ; Treasurer, M. Eraeigh, of Holbrooke. Auditors— J. D. Evans, of Islington ; D. W. Heise, of Bethesda. Foul Brood Inspectors — Wm. McEvoy, of Woodburn ; F. A. Gemmill, of Stratford. Directors— W. B. Holmes, of Athens; Allen Pringle, of Selby ; J. W. Sparling, of Bowmanville ; A. Pickett, of Nassagaweya ; J. Armstrong, of Cheapside ; A. E. Sherrington, of Walkerton ; F. A. Gemmill, of Stratford ; W. A. Chrysler, of Chatham ; N. H. Hughes, of Barrie. Delegates to Fair Boards— Toronto, R. H. Smith, of Palmerston ; West- ern, John Newton, of Thamesford. The next annual meeting will be held in Toronto in De- cember, 1896. The date was left to the Executive. An Open Session. — The second evening's meeting was thrown open to the citizens, and partook of the nature of an entertainment. Mayor-elect Elliott very ably filled the chair. After welcoming the bee-keepers to the "Telephone City." he made a few well-chosen and pleasing remarks. He expressed his appreciation of the work the Foul Brood Inspector is doing, and also wished the association success in obtaining pure honey legislation. Mr. McKnight, of Owen Sound, de- livered an eloquent address, which was attentively listened to. Mr. Holtermann, the newly-elected President, gave an inter- esting address on the past, present, and future of bee-keeping. Some references were made to the care of honey, and to the natural history of the bee. He also hoped to see Canadian honey placed upon the English market by the Dominion Gov- ernment. The programme was interspersed by highly-appre- ciated selections given by the "Telephone City Quartette." At the close of the entertainment the delegates were right royally banqueted by the newly-elected President. — The Farm- ers' Advocate. M ^ The Bee-Conveniion at Kankakee, III. On Feb. 8 about 25 bee-keepers of Kankakee county met in Kankakee to discuss apiculture and the desirability of or- ganizing a county society. The idea of permanent organiza- tion met with hearty support, and resulted in the election of D. L. Durham President, F. S. Tinslar Secretary, and the ap- pointment of a committee to draft a constitution and by-laws to be presented to the next meeting. It was the general opinion that 1895 was a very profit- able season here for bee-keepers, and that all bees went into winter quarters in excellent condition. One bee-keeper re- ported his crop (from 19 colonies, that increased to 27 during the season) at an average of 123 pounds of comb honey in sections, which we consider a very good showing. Sweet clover seems to have been the main source of supply. Mr. Durham had owned bees five years. He had 4 colo- nies, and took 150 pounds from 2 of them last summer. Most of the honey was from sweet clover and heart's-ease. Dr. Pottinger had 16 colonies, and took 300 pounds from 5 colonies. Dr. Tinslar had only 2 colonies, began late, and had 18 pounds of surplus from one hive. B. T. Brady had one colony, and secured 80 pounds of surplus, mostly bass wood and sweet clover. William Mote had 8 colonies, and secured 200 pounds, mostly sweet clover. William Cooper had kept bees since 1853, often as high as 80 colonies, now down to one. He came to learn, not to talk. Mr. Saltsider had 16 colonies, and took off 1,008 pounds, mostly sweet clover. L. B. Bratton had 35 colonies in various hives ; never made a business of it ; took probably 1,000 pounds last year ; sold and gave away a great deal. F. C. Stewig had 3 colonies, and took off 160 pounds — basswood and sweet clover. B. T. Graham started with 18 colonies last spring, in- creased to 26, and had 2,210 pounds, mostly basswood and sweet clover. Chas. Lehnuz had 6 colonies that gathered 170 pounds. He had kept bees many years, but only since using frame hives had he been satisfied. Charles Ring had 30 colonies to start with, and took, from 20, 2,450 pounds, and from the other 10 he extracted 250 pounds, and had as much left. Last season was a good one. Without sweet clover last year the crop would have been a failure. Some discussion then took place on various matters, and it was decided to make the organization permanent, and hold frequent meetings. F. S. Tinslar, Sec. — ■ ^ The Seneca County, IW. ¥., Convention. The 13th annual convention of the Seneca County Bee- Keepers' Asssociation was held Dec. 19, 1895, representa- tives from adjoining counties being present. This was one of the most interesting and instructive meetings yet held by the Association. The most progressive bee-keepers of this and Tompkins county were among the speakers, who gave val- uable information, gleaned from many years of experience. The forenoon session consisted mostly of a social order, and initiating and getting acquainted with new members. After partaking of a bountiful repast served by the lady mem- bers, the meeting was opened by song and prayer, followed by the President's address, by Fred S. Emens, a very able essay, ending with a poem, "The Honey-Bee." "Advantages of being a member of the Bee-Keepers' Association," J. F. Hunt, who thought that the instructions given at these meetings were often of great value in an apiary, and recommended that the officer assign each member a certain subject to experiment on and report at the next meeting ; also to establish uniform prices at home to improve our home market. Reports of members of honey crop and success in winter- ing the past season : The average winter loss reported being 14 per cent., the greatest loss being 40 per cent., the smallest loss 4 per cent. The greatest losses reported were those just starting in the pursuit, while the smaller losses were reported by those ripe in experience of apiculture. The same could be said of the report of the honey crop, the greatest amount of surplus honey being taken by those of the most experience. The total number of pounds of honey reported by the 166 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. March 12, members was 50,000, gathered by 750 colonies of bees. It is estimated that there was produced in the county 20,000 pounds of honey, gathered by 500 colonies of bees, not re- ported. The question-box was next opened, followed by some val- uable talk by B. D. Scott, on the home market and its im- provement. Best method of preventing increase, also to in- crease, by J. C. Howard. Remove the queen about June 20 ; if you do not wish to increase, destroy her and let the colony rear a new queen. To increase, place the queen with about three frames of brood in a new hive, giving them frames as they are in need of them. The following ofBcers were elected for the coming year : President, F. S. Emens ; Vice-President, J. B. Whiting ; Sec- retary and Treasurer, C. B. Howard. The next meeting will be held at Hayt's Corners, at the call of the ofiScers. C. B. Howard, Sec. Romulus, N. Y. ^ The mesa County, Colorado, Convention. An interesting convention of Mesa county bee-keepers was recently held. Mr. J. U. Harris being chosen as temporary chairman, called the meeting to order, and in a few well chosen words stated to those present that the meeting had been called to arrange co-operation in buying supplies and disposing of honey at better prices ; and for the general diffusion of apicul- tural knowledge. On motion, J. U. Harris was chosen President, M. V. B. Page Vice-President, M. A. Gill Secretary, and J. P. Utter- back Treasurer, by acclamation ; the President appointed an Executive Committee consistingof Messrs. Kane, of Fruita, Wm. Dittman, of Plateau, and J. R. Penniston, of White- water; a committee of three was appointed, consisting of Messrs. Page, Patterson and Gill, to draft a constitution and by-laws. The question was raised in regard to foul brood. Mr. Kane, of Fruita, stated that there was at the present time a great deal of foul brood existing in the lower end of the valley. All seemed to be alive to the fact that it was their duty as an organization to stamp out this disease in the county, it being ascertained through the bee-inspector, Mr. Leach, that there were at this time about 5,000 coloniesof bees in Mesa county. The Ontario County, KI. Y., Convention. At the Ontario County Bee-Keepers' Association's annual session held in Canandaigua recently, various subjects of in- terest to apiarists were discussed. Pres. Walter F. Marks, in his annual address, advocated the adoption by the society of a system of marketing, whereby the producers of first-class honey would be assured of securing first-class prices. He would have an inspector appointed by the society to place a stamp upon all No. 1 honey, which stamp would bear the seal of the Association, and be a guarantee to purchasers, of the quality of the product. The plan was adopted, and E. H. Perry was appointed honey-inspector. "The Secretary read a translation from a German publica- tion, entitled, "Gravenhorst on Apis Dorsata," which con- tained comments on an essay read before the local association last year, prepared by Frank Benton, of Washington, D. C. After the reading of the essay it was moved by H. L. Case, that the petition oilered at the last annual meeting for the in- troductionof the Apis Dorsata bo endorsed by the Association. This was done, and the Executive Committee was instructed to have the petition printed and circulated. The following officers were elected : President, W. F. Marks, of Chapinville; Vice-Presidents — Lee Smith, H. L. Case, E. H. Perry ; Secretary, Ruth E. Ta.ylor, of Bellona ; Treasurer, Heber Roat ; Honey-Inspector, E. H. Perry, of South Bristol. The Association has a membership of 40, in- cluding honorary members. The question-box was an interesting feature of the meet- ing. Among the exhibits were different samples of comb foundation, manufactured by J. Van Deusen & Son, A. I. Root Co., Schmidt & Thiele, and Aug. Weiss. J. Van Deusen, of Sprout Brook ; F. A. Salisbury, of Syracuse, and C. B. Howard, of Romulus, Secretary of the Seneca County Bee- Keepers' Association, were welcome visitors, and participated in the discussions of the meeting. CONDnCTED BY DR. C. C. AfUJ-ER, aiAJREJVGO, ZCL. IQuestlons may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct.l Different ]yame§ for Sweet Clover. In the seed stores of San Francisco they know nothing of sweet clover seed. What is its other name? Calipoknia. Answer. — Melilolixs alba, melilot, white melilot, Bokhara, Cabul clover, and honey-lotus. Another Odd-Size Frame. Every Present Sul»scriber of the Bee Journal should be an agent for it, and get all others possible to sub- scribe for it. What objections can be raised against a 10-frame hive with frames lOxlS^^' inches, inside measure; hive 17 3/16- xl3%xl032 high, to correspond with T super for 28 sections, contents 3,000 inches, making a more conducive brood and wintering possibility? J. M. Carthage, Ohio. Answer. — One objection is that the frame is an odd size. Aside from that you'll probably like it. The frame is not so large as the Dadant or Quinby. Double or Single Walls for Winterins. 1. Which is best, double or single walled hives to winter bees on the summer stands, where the thermometer indicates 20^ below zero at times ? 2. What will bees build up on quickest in the spring? Why ? Mass. Answers. — 1. If the hives are to be left without any pro- tection, perhaps the double walls would winter best. A cellar might be better than either. 2. I don't know. Some say they'll build up best in double walls because warmer ; some say in single walls because the heat of the sun has better chance to get in its work. Transferrins and Other Matters. 1. I have bought an 8-frame hive, put in full sheets of brood foundation and starters of two or three inches in the sections. I want to get my bees into this hive at the right time, and in the right way ; that is, in a way that can be man- aged by a man who never saw bees handled at all. Is Mr. Heddon's " short way," given on page 299 of the " A B C of Bee-Culture," the one for a novice? Can I make two colonies while transferring? 2. Now, as to comb honey or extracted : Recently you advised an inquirer to try both. Would you give this counsel to one who lives in a country that produces honey nearly uni- formly dark-colored? or is such honey more salable in the extracted form ? 3. Should a quilt, cloth, canvas, or some such thing be placed over the sections? None came with my hive; but I have seen something referred to bearing all those names, and more. 4. Mr. Root advises that hives be placed on the ground ; but I am getting old, and don't like stooping much. All the bees I have ever seen have been placed on benches. Will that not do for me ? There are not many bees kept around here (about 5 miles from Oakland), and " I don't know" whether this is a good place for bees or not ; but I don't expect to do much more than supply some of my friends, and enough for my own family ; although an addition to my income would not come amiss these hard times. 5. Perhaps you will excuse me for saying that there are too many words in the "A B C of Bee-Culture," and it takes some time to find what you want. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 167 6. Another thing : We are told to open the hives while many of the bees are out in the fields, and keep in subjection those that are at home, by smoking. But are not bees return- ing all the time, and how will they behave when they find some one meddling with their hive ? G. W. W. Oakland, Calif. Answers. — 1. If there is no one to watch for swarms, perhaps you can't do better than to use the Heddon plan of transferring. If convenient to watch for swarms, it may be better to let them swarm uaturally, hive the swarm in the new hive, setting it in place of the old hive after removing the old hive to a new place, then 21 days later drive the bees, either uniting with the swarm or putting in a separate hive. If you are anxious for increase you can make two colonies in this way, or in either way. If the colony is not very strong, better keep it all in one. 2. Probably extracted will be the best thing for you, but I think you may be interested in getting a little comb honey, if for nothing but the fun of it. 3. Your hive is probably dovetail, which has a flat cover, and makes no use of sheets or quilts. When supers are put on the hive, the flat cover is put directly over the sections without any sheet or quilt. Sheets or quilts are not used as much now as in the past. 4. A few bee-keepers prefer to have their hives set up high enough to work at them standing without stooping over. I'm like you, I don't like to stoop. More than that, I'm too lazy to stand up when I can sit down, so I set my hives close to the ground, and always have a seat to sit on wheu at work at a hive. It is possible, however, that in some places it may be better to have the hives elevated by way of protection from some animal or insect that may be an enemy to the bees. 5. Yes. I'll excuse you, /or ihepresent, for saying there are too many words in the " A B C of Bee-Culture." Wait just a little while, and you'll say there are not enough. Some things, perhaps many things, in it are given in which yon feel no par- ticular interest, and others are treated more fully than you care for, but there are others who wouldn't miss those super- abundant words for a good deal. 6. A bee stings in defence of its life or its home. A pinched bee stings iu defence of its life. A free bee only in defence of its home. A bee that comes from the field has nothing to do with the defence of its home, and I don't believe you could get such a one to sting in any other way than by catching and pinching it. But as a matter of actual practice, handle the bees when it suits you, providing it isn't too cold. You'll find times though, when they are so cross that it will best suit you to let them alone, especially when there is a sud- den check to the honey-flow. Combs With Old Dead Brood. Last fall, in taking frames out of the hives and replacing with frames filled with honey for the bees to winter on, I found 4 or 5 frames that I took out contained a small amount of brood. These frames are all nice worker-comb. I set them away in the shop. Will this dead brood do any harm to give to the bees this spring, or would I better melt the combs up '? Luce, Mich. W. C. Answer. — It is not at all likely that the dead brood will do any harm, only it will be well not to give too much of it to one colony at the same time. The bees will do wonders in the way of cleaning up dirty combs, but it is possible to give them so much nastiness that they will desert the hive rather than undertake the job. If, however, the dead brood is dry, as it probably is, there will hardly be any danger that you will overdo the matter. Xiicleus-Box IMetliod of Makiiis j^iiclei. In Mr. Doolittle's work on "Queen-Rearing," he gives a method of making nuclei by means of the nucleus-box, where one has bees in an upper story and queen-excluder between the two stories. I want to make some nuclei in nucleus-boxes for the purpose of introducing some virgin queens, and perhaps some valuable queens from a distance, but I do not want to put on any upper stories. Would there be so much danger of getting the queen as to deter one from shaking the bees from the outside frames of any colony that could spare them, if you wanted to make nucleus in this way ? E. B. Answer. — If I understand correctly, the risk would be too great. I suppose you're perhaps counting that the queen would not be likely to be on one of the outside combs. Of course she is, or has been, wherever there is brood, and when- ever you find a frame outside the brood that has bees enough on it to make it worth while to take, the queen may think it worth while to be there. If you're going into the business of making nuclei, let me tell you an item that perhaps you don't know: A queenless colony is ever so much better than a colony having a queen, if you want to take away bees for a nucleus. Take the frames with adhering bees from a colony having a queen, put each frame separately in a nucleus hive, and so many of the bees will return to the old colony that enough will not be left to take care of the brood. But take the frames in the same way from a queenless colony, and the bees will pretty much all stay just where they're put. At least that has been my ex- perience in a number of cases. If I wanted to make nuclei, and didn't want to look for a queen, I think I'd do something like this : Divide the brood and bees of a colony into two equal parts, putting them in two hives side by side on the old stand. Four days later lift out the frames with bees and put them where you want them, taking them from the hive that contains no eggs. Wood-Veneer Foundation. What about the wood-veneer foundation mentioned some- time ago. Is it in any way superior to all-wax brood-founda- tion ? H. B. Answer. — I don't know. I never saw any of it, and was not prepossessed in its favor, because at one time foundation with a tinfoil base was lauded, and failed on trial. But some who have tried the foundation you mention say they have found it a success. It will be in order for any, or all, who have tried it, to say with what result, whether successful or not. ■ — ■ ^ Laying of the Queen — A Boy's Question. 1. As far as I have learned, the queen lays her egg in the empty cell. Now, is the cell filled with honey after the egg is put in, or is the cell capped over without anything in but the egg? As I am a young beginner, I would like to learn all I can about bees. W. L. Z. Answer. — I remember in one instance to see an egg in a cell with pollen in a hive with a normal laying queen, but I never yet saw an egg in a cell with honey. The egg is laid in a clean, empty cell, hatches out into a little grub in about three days, then for about five days the nurse-bees feed it, and then it is sealed over. No honey is put into a cell that contains an egg or a larva. It would be a good plan for you to get a text-book on bees, that would inform you about this and many other things. Producing Extracted tiie Out-Apiary- Sheets of Honey — Cointe Honey in -Separators or Full Foundation 'i 1. In working for extracted honey, would you use full- size or half-depth frames above the brood-chamber ? 2. Would you use a queen-bar between the brood-chamber and extracting-supers? 3. Can I run an out-apiary for comb honey, if I have the queens' clipped, without having some one to watch for swarms? 4. If X use separators, do I need to use full sheets of foundation in sections ? Or is it more profitable to use full sheets, anyway? H. H. P. Baraboo, Wis. Answers. — 1. If I didn't care anything for expense, I'd use half-depth. The full-depth have the advantage that they can be used interchangeably in the brood-chamber. But some think that the honey is affected by being in combs that have contained brood, so that, all things considered, the weight of argument may be in favor of the shallow frames for surplus honey. Dadant says the queen is not so likely to go into shal- low frames where no excluders are used. 2. With deep frames I should want excluders. If shallow frames are used in the super it is possible that excluders might not be needed. 3. I don't know. I've done it for some years, but it might be more satisfactory than it is. 4. Although there isn't much difference, you'll probably get along better with full sheets than starters when you don't use separators, but so far I have thought it advisable to use both fnll sheets and separators. 168 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. March 12, PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY GEORGE W. YORK & COMPANY, Editors and Proprietors, US Mlcbigaa St., - CHICAGO. ILL. KEGULAK CONTRIBUTORS : G. M. Doolittle, of New York. Prof. A. J. Cook, of California. Dr. C. C. Miller, of Illinois. Dr. J. P. H. Brown, of Georgia. J. H. Martin, of California. Kev. B. T. Abbott, of Missouri. Chas. Dadant & Son, of Illinois. $1.00 a Year — Sample Copy Sent Free. [Entered at the Post-Office at ChicaKO as Second-Class Mall-Matter.] Vol. niVI. CHICAGO, ILL, MAR. 12, 1896, No. II. Removal Notice. — In order to get more room, we have removed from 56 Fifth Ave. to US Michigan St., where all our correspondents should now address us. We are on the 3rd floor in the large brick building on the southwest corner of La Salle and Michigan Streets — one block north and one block east of the Chicago & Northwestern Passenger Station. Remember, we are on Michigan Street, not Michigan Avenue. The latter is used almost wholly as a boulevard and residence thoroughfare, while the former (where we are) is a business street. ^-•-•^ The Xoronto ConTention Report is now is- sued in pamphlet form, and will be mailed free to those who became members of the North American at Toronto, in a few days — just as soon as we can reach it after getting settled in our new office. This fulfills our offer to furnish a bound copy of the Report to Toronto mc?nt>ers free of cost; anyone else desiring a copy, can have it by sending us 25 cents in stamps, when it will be mailed promptly. As we had less than 100 copies of the Report bound, it will be necessary to order at once, if you wish to get it. Mr. Xhomas G. IVe-^'Mian— the Manager of the National Bee-Keepers' Union — expects to remove to San Diego, Calif., with his family about April 10. This will be welcome news to hfs many friends in the sunset State. Mrs. Newman's health, and that of Mr. N., have been quite bad for some time, and it is with the hope of recuperating weakened energies that they make the change. We trust the invigorating cli- mate of southern California will do wonders for them, and that they will favor the Bee Journal with frequent reports. Next week we will publish an article from Mr. Newman, on the amalgamation subject. Hon. J. M. Hambaugh puts in a vigorous protest this week, on page 162. All Honey Couimission-lflen are not thieves and swindlers, as some of our readers might think from read- ing recent denunciations of certain unreliable ones in the Bee Journal. No, sir; we know there are good, honest men in the commission business, and we believe that all who are found in the honey and beeswax dealers' list on another page are treat- ing their customers all right. If not, we want to know it, for we will not Iceep their names in the Bee Journal after being assured of any crooked dealing on their part. During the past year we have refused and cast out what will amount to a loss to us of about .$200 a year in advertis- ing, just because we became satisfied that they were not treat- ing customers as they should. As we have said before, we will not knowingly advertise for a dishonest firm. We will en- deavor to protect our subscribers in every way possible, even if we must suffer the loss of money from advertising that we need. But we believe our readers will appreciate our efforts, and send us more than enough new subscriptions to make up for all loss in advertising from any dishonest commission-men. •—» Ulr. E. Kretcbmer, of Red Oak, Iowa, thinks he was slighted on page 136, where several of the leading supply manufacturers were named, and Mr. K. was omitted. Of course, it was quite unintentional on our part; we had no thought of doing him, or any other firm, an injustice. Come to think of it, the Page & Lyon Mfg. Co., and J. Forncrook, of Wisconsin, should also be included. From a publisher's standpoint, it might easily be decided that " the largest " firms are also those that should advertise the most extensively. That may be one reason why some were overlooked. We should think that large bee-supply manufacturers would also advertise largely in the best bee- papers, for the papers really create the demand for new sup- plies in their untiring effort to reach every bee-keeper in the land. Sometimes we think dealers and manufacturers do not sufficiently appreciate this fact. But, of course, they are sup- posed to know their own business best, and we may be wrong about it. However, we venture the suggestion that the most successful in any line do the most advertising — judiciously, of course. ■^*-*--p' " Xhe California Bee-Keepers' Exchange is now fully on its feet,", writes Prof. Cook. " Articles of in- corporation have been adopted ; directors appointed for each of the counties of Southern California ; one of the best bee- keepers of the State elected for President, and a very bright business man appointed as Secretary and Manager. This last gentleman will give his entire time to the Exchange, and if we may judge from the enthusiasm already shown in favor of the movement, it will not be difficult to secure the co-operation of the whole bee-fraternity of Southern California. This gentle- man will at once commence to work up markets for the com- ing year, so that by the time the honey is ready for sale, it will be known just where it is to be sent, and what prices may be secured. It is expected that the membership fee, together with one-sixth of the honey crop — which every member of the Association is to promise — will give all needed funds for the necessary preliminary work. The bee-keepers are wide-awake in this matter, and are very hopeful of the results." A Bee-Keepers' Arbor Day has been suggested by Mr. N. Levering, the editor of the apiarian deparitnent of The California Cultivator. He says : Bee-forage is a most Important question for bee keepers' consideration on account of the diminution of the furage by agriculture and grazing, which, in part, accounts fi'r short honey crops in many parts of the country. An incinase of bee-forage will remedy the deficiency in a great measure. This can readily be done by concerted action on the part of the apiculturists who reside in the mountain districts, and where- ever there are lands not susceptible of cultivation, by plant- ing trees whose bloom yields nectar, and such other plants and vegetation as contribute to the bee's storehouse. This would soon bring about a perceptible increase of honey as well as bees. Planting by a few would secure the desired object only to a limited extent, whereas if all plant each year for a 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 169 few years the result would be most gratifying. The wouder- ful advantage that would be derived from such a movement can readily be seen by every careful observer and practical apiarist. The gain in honey and the saving of bees owing to the proximity of feed would be very remunerative for the labor and expense incurred. I sincerely trust that the State association, at its called meeting, will take some action in the matter by fixing a day for the planti;jg of trees and other feed, to be known as "Bee- Keepers' Arbor Day," and urge bee-keepers to organize Bee- Keepers' Arbor Associations throughout southern California. I have given the matter codsiderable thought, and regard it most important and feasible, and deserving the most care- ful consideration of all who are interested in the future pros- perity of apiculture. All kinds of forage should be planted that will contribute to the bee, and are most suitable to the soil and locality. In trees I would call special attention to the sugar eu- calyptus. It is a vigorous bloomer, rich in nectar. Other varieties that bloom at various seasons of the year should be planted, among which are early and late willow. The acacia is also good, and requires but little and often no irrigation. The sages, horehound, and many other plants of a nectar- yielding character, the seeds of which can be sown upon the waste-places of the mountains during the rainy season will soon repay in a luxurious growth and much nectar. If this suggestiou is not acted upon now, the time is not far distant when it will be. We think Mr. Levering has made a good suggestion, and we hope that "The Bee-Keepers' Arbor Day" will not be limited to California, but that everywhere bee-keepers will resolve to plant annually some honey-yielding trees or other forage for their bees. Very often they may be able to induce their neighbors to plant or sow what will be beneficial to be»s, and thus will the object be doubly helped. Why not begin this spring to plant and sow ? ■*-'-* Benton Book Resolution. — On March 3, we re- ceived the following letter from Mr. Hilton, which refers to the Benton Book : Washington, D. C, Feb. 28, 1896. Hon. Geo. E. Hilton, Fremont, Mich. — My Dear Sir : — My resolution to have a reprint of the work on Apiculture, passed the Senate at yesterday's session. I think there will be no trouble in securing its passage by the House. If this result is secured, of course you know how pleased I shall be to send copies to you as you may desire. Very truly yours, J. C. Burkows. So there is good prospect of every bee-keeper being able to have a free copy of "The Honey-Bee," by Mr. Benton. Mr. Burrows is one of Michigan's able Senators in Wash- ington, and shows his interest in bee-keeping by his works. The Senate has done a wise thing in thus recognizing apicul- ture, and no doubt the House of Representatives will also dis- tinguish itself by endorsing the Resolution as soon as it has a chance to do so. Somnambulist's Big- Vield of honey failed to appear in connection with the other large reports on page 43, but it was given in the Progressive Bee-Keeper later, and is as follows : Friend Flanagan encourages us by reference to many of the large crops in the past, and Editor York copies the article complete in January 16th number of American Bee Journal, and at the same time gives any others who may so desire a chance to blow, by kindly inviting them to relieve themselves through the medium of this journal, but as that would incur extra postage and delay, I'll take my chances right here and now, and just say that a certain sleepy-head not only dreamed of, but realized, 22,000 pounds of comb honey from 114 colo- nios, spring count, in a single season. Pretty good for a "sleepy-head." But, surely, Sommy must have been awake that season, in order to do the neces- sary hustling to take care of so large a crop. No^w is the Xime to work for new subscribers. Why not take advantage of the offers made on page 175 ? 'm^^^ Wk-W Growing Basswoods from Cuttings. In Gleanings I read about how to grow basswood and mul- berries. Either will grow from cuttings, as will all soft woods, if cuttings are made from ripe wood. For basswood and mul- berries, take off this year's growth, soon after the leaves have fallen off. Cut from 8 to 12 inches long ; tie up in small bun- dles ; place in damp sand, not wet ; for if too wet they will die; and if kept in a warm cellar they will have calloused over by spring, when they can be carefully set in rows, and covered with a mulch of straw or leaves so as to keep them damp and shaded. They will soon start out leaves and roots, and will grow, if properly cared for, six feet high by fall. — John Cray- craft, in Gleanings. Alfalfa in Ohio — Cioltivation and Value. The Ohio Experiment Station has made repeated attempts to cultivate it, both at Columbus and in Wayne county, but the difficulty of getting a stand is so great, and the plant is so particular about its soil, that we do not expect its culture ever to become general in Ohio, although there are some regions of the State where it would seem that it ought to thrive. To those who wish to experiment with it we offer the fol lowing suggestions : Select a loose soil, preferably sandy, ly- ing above a gravelly or porous sub-soil, with, if possible, a subterranean water supply. The soil conditions which are found in many of our river bottom lands would seem to be most favorable. Avoid a soil on which water stands, or one having a hardpan near the surface. Prepare the land by plowing and harrowing most thor- oughly, as soon as it can be worked in the spring. Sow the seed (which should be American grown) at the rate of 20 to 30 pounds to the acre, and cover it with a light harrow. When the weeds have grown to sufBoient height, clip them off with a mowing machine, with the cutter-bar turned up so as not to cut close to the ground, repeating this as the weeds grow during the season. No crop is to be expected during the first season, but it should give two cuttings the second year, and after that about three cuttings each year. If a good stand is secured on suita- ble soil it will not need renewing for many years. The New York State Experiment Station, at Geneva, has succeeded in securing a fine stand of alfalfa, which has thus far endured the winters, and there are isolated instances of successful culture on the gravelly loams of Southwestern Ohio and on the sandy lands of the lake shore.— Ohio Exp. Sta. Bulletin. Cleansing Wax With. Acid. The following questions are asked Dr. Miller, in American Bee Journal, page 745 : 1. How much sulphuric acid should I apply to a gallou crock f ull of old combs to take the wax out of the cocoons ? 'Z. Is it injurious to a tia vessel V 3. How is it applied to old combs ? L. H. L. Answers.— 1. I'm not familiar with the matter from experience but I think about a small tablespoon ful to a gallon of water. o Yee. .5! I think the wax is stirred in the water, and allowed plenty of time to do its work, then tbe wax is melted and separated as usual. From answer 3 it would appear that Dr. M. means to stir the combs in cold water with the acid. Now, that is just what stumps me. I never tried a scheme of that kind, and do not believe that the acid could do any work, so far as purifying the wax is concerned, no odds how long the combs were left in the solution. Refiners use sulphuric acid to cut the dirt and color out of crude oil, and then cut the oil out with caustic soda. But oil is a liquid ; and if you want aciii to cut the dirt out of wax you must turn that into a liquid. Tliis can be done only by heat. The doctor conveys the idea that the work of the acid is done while the old combs are lying in the solution of cold water and acid. This is the one thing, the only thing, that I didn't know. This is what surprised and astonished me — astonished me so much that I don't believe it yet, and 1 will tell you why. You notice the answer concludes, " then the wax is melted and separated as usual." Now, Doctor, there 170 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. jMarcJi 12. is where the acid does its work — on the liquid wax ; for when would it drive the dirt to the bottom, out of old comb ? This process will cleanse the wax if it is boiled in the same water in which it is soaked because the acid is in it. But it is bad en- gineeriop. It will boil over very easily. Now, L. H. L., sit down at the feet of experience, and learn. Here are three things you should not do : 1. Never go near a kitchen stove to melt wax. It is dangerous. 2. Don't melt it in any place where any thing can catch fire, even if the whole country burns down. 3. Never put any acid in until your wax is completely melted — every bit of it, out of your old comb. When it is done boiling, pour your acid in slowly — very slowly — stirring your wax all the time until it is milky — quite milky. When you have thoroughly stirred and mixed it, let it settle. The acid drives all the dirt to the bot- tom, and in a little while you can dip it out carefully — not go- ing to the bottom of the wax — and run it into merchantable cakes. — Skylark, in Gleanings. The Dark and the Bright Side. "Well ! the bees will die anyway, fix them as you will. I do not want much to do with the pesky things. They are too uncertain. You never know when you are going to have a good year for honey or whether it will pay to fuss with them." " 1 think you are looking all on the dark side of bee-keep- ing. We must look on all sides for a little profit. I get a great deal of pleasure from my bees, as well as considerable profit some seasons. Bee-keeping is a good school-teacher. It teaches one patience and perseverance." " We farmers must work at something that will pay." " That is very true, but do you know when you plow and drag your ground for potatoes that you will get a crop ? You must mark the ground, plant and fertilize, cultivate, hoe, put on paris green three or four times, hill them up, dig them, carry them into the cellar and sell them for only 15 cents a bushel, if you sell them just now. Very soon you may hear they are 20 cents, and thinking they will be no higher in price you will carry them out of the cellar, load them into a wagon, draw them to a car perhaps three or four miles away, and for over 40 bushels you will receive .SS.OO. This is not very large pay for the amount of work, but it is what is being done this fall, yet you would not say you will never plant any more potatoes, or sell your farm. Our dividends did not net us more than 35 to 40 cents for 100 pounds of milk some months this season at the factory. We would not sell our cows because of the drought of one or two seasons. We must look on the bright side of things. Keep our bees and love them. Work the harder. Raise a little of many things. We as in- dividuals and a nation are very wicked. We must learn to look to God, the source of all blessing, more than we ever have before, and we will then reap a rich reward. — Mks. Oliver Cole, in American Bee-Keeper." Three Stray Straws from Oleanings. A record book has this advantage, that it can be referred to at any time, and is often useful in furnishing testimony as to events that transpired years ago. M. Bertrand, editor of the Retutc, accepted with favor the theory that bees inherit character from the nurses. He intro- duced a Caucasian queen of great gentleness into a very vic- ious colony, and the progeny of the new queen showed no trace of viciousness. He is now very doubtful as to to the correct- ness of the theory. The report of the U. S. Secretary of Agriculture quotes the English honey market as giving "Thurber-Whyland's white-sage, strained, 1-pound jars" at only Ic. a pound more than "Californian in original cans." One can not help pity- ing that poor cent iu having so much to do in covering the ex- pense of jars and putting up. The report innocently re- marks, "It would be ruinous to send adulterated honey to England." Importance of Strong Colonies Under all Circumstances. Some write as though a colony could get too strong. How it is possible to get one too strong without doubling, I cannot understand. I know that, in poor seasons, only strong colo- nies will do well, even in getting winter stores. In a, fair sea- son the strong colony will outstrip the average colony ; and in a good season the strong colony must certainly do the best, for surely two pounds of bees can and will gather more honey than one pound. I have never been able to believe that apiarists are able to get colonies so strong that they refuse to work. I admit there is a little more energy in proportion to numbers when the energy is necessary to get the brood-nest into shape ; but this does not apply to the colony already in prime strength. I can always get more and better work in the sections when I have colonies so strong that they must occupy the super. If the flow comes very freely while it does last, we do not notice it so much ; but when the gain is one to two, and even three pounds a part of the time, per day, it is almost impossible to get even reasonable work in sections with a colony that has not swarmed ; while the one that swarms will do ajmost nothing in sections ; but two colonies put together in one hive (the bees and enough brood to^W the hive) will do fair to good work. This year (1895) our flow began June 20. My scale hive colony was stronger than the average, and was not allowed to swarm. It is a 10-frame hive. The gain from June 20 to July 15 (the extent of the flow) was an average ef 2J^ pounds per day. The best day's work was 6 pounds. This colony gave about 25 sections. Many other average colonies in nine- frame hives, and a few in eight-frame, gave from nothing to about one super, the majority not giving 10 good sections. In one case I put the force of two colonies in one nine-frame hive, and got two 28-section supers. Another colony on nine frames had the forces from two other colonies added, and gave three 2S-section supers. All the evidence goes to show that, if I had doubled the forces of all, preserving the old stock in original hives, I should have had as many colonies in the end. and about doubled my surplus, — R. C. Aiken, in Gleanings. Difference in Colonies. For instance, the colony which I would call best on May 15 might become one of the poorest by June 25, at which time the honey harvest was about to arrive. This as a rule, would be owing to a failing queen, as I have often noticed that a colony which wintered extremely well and goes to breeding rapidly in early spring, does not equal one that wintered only fairly well, but commences brood rearing in earnest on May 1. The reason is that by about May 25 to June 1 the queen in the stronger one ceases to be as prolific as the other, and this allows the bees to put the first honey coming in into the brood- combs, rather forcing it into the sections, as does the other through her extra-prolificness later on. I have often noticed that if the bees are allowed to get the start of the queen so as to store much honey in the brood-chamber during the first of the honey harvest, that colony will be an unprofitable one. The remedy is to give each colony only as many combs as the queen will keep occupied with brood, and when a colony is found having a failing queen, either give another queen or remove a part of the brood-combs. Again, the giving of a col- ony a large amount of surplus room to start with has a ten- dency to make that colony an unprofitable one. As it has not a force of bees large enough to occupy the whole of the sur- plus department at once they seem to become discouraged, and Instead of taking possession of a part of it, they will often cluster outside the hive, and crowd the brood out with honey, sometimes never entering the sections at all. I usually give only room in the surplus apartment to the amount of 20 pounds, and a part of this space has combs in it left over from the previous season, thereby coaxing the bees into the sections with their first loads of new honey. In a week, more room is given, and so on as I see each colony needs, as all colonies are looked after once a week at this time of year, if possible. — G. M. DooLiTTLE, in Progressive Bee-Keeper. Poultry with Bees. Dr. J. H. Ashley says in Gleanings: "We believe from personal experience that the raising of poultry furnishes just what we are looking for ; namely, an occupation not laborious, but whose returns for faithful attention are sure, and where the most active labor comes at that season of year when bees need the least attention. This is equally suitable for the bee- keeper who does the work himself, or for him who, like our- selves, while actively engaged in professional work, wants something at home which, by way of change, furnishes pleas- ure and relaxation, and still makes it profitable to keep a good active man of all work. By keeping a few standard-bred fowls of a variety giving a profusion of eggs and fine bodies, we have the pleasure of seeing fine birds of uniform size and color, and having on our tables fresh eggs, and fowls of our own raising ; and, even without any special efifort by advertising, there will be a demand among our friends and neighbors for sittings of eggs, with an occasional call for a trio, or pen of birds from our pure-bred stock, which, sold at even a moder- ate price, will soon more than repay the difference in the orig- inal cost between starting with thoroughbreds and common fowls : and iu nothing does blood tell more surely than in fowls." H^ See "Bee-Keeper's Guide" offer on page 173. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 171 Largest Factory t^e West Go?d°CpHe7|AT£^oes READ THIS— Mr. Keyes says: The 100 rounds of Extra-Thin Foundation you sent us' is superior to anything he ever saw; and I thinlf the same. R. L. Tuckek, Wewahitchlsa. Fla. Dear Sirs:— The Sections came duly to hand. Indeed, they are very nice. Yes, sir; they are as good as the best. Charles H. Thies, Steeleville. Illinois. Leahy Mfg. Oo. :— I have received the bill of goods. I must say they are the choicest lot of Hive-Stuff 1 have ever received from any place. I admire the smoothness of your work, and your close selection of lumber. Yours very truly. O. K. Olmstead, Orleans, Nebr. Dear Sirs:— The Sections arrived in due time, and are all O. K. so far as examined. They are simpl.v perfection. I can't see how you can furnish such goods at such low prices. I hope you may live long and do well. Yours respectfully, Z. S. Weaver. Courtney, Tex. Gents:—! received the " HigginsvlUe Smoker " all O. K. It's a dandy; please find enclosed stamps for another. Yours truly. Otto Enders. Oswegathe, N. Y'. Gentlemen:— 1 have bought Supplies from nearly all the large manufacturers by the car- load, and I must say yours are as good as the best. Indeed, in many lines they are the best. It is a pleasure to handle them E. T. Flan.^gan, Belleville, Illinois. The above unsolicited testimonials are a fair sample of hundreds we receive. Our prices are reasonable and the " HigginsvlUe Goods " are the best. The " Higgiiisville " Goods are for sale by the following parties : Chas. H. Thies. Steelville, 111. E. T. Flanagan. Belleville, 111. Henry L. Miller. Topeka. Kans. E. A. Seele.v, Bloomer, Arkansas. J. W, Rouse & Co.. Mexico, Mo. P. J. Thomas, Fredonia, Kans. Ana by a number of others. If you need a Carload of Supplies, or only a Bee-Smoker, write to us. Remember, we are here to serve you, and will, if you give us a chance. A Beautil'iil Catalogue Free. Address, LEAHY MANUFACTURING CO.. HIGGINSVILLE, Mo. 49A Mtntwn the American Bee Journal. Honey-Clovers & Biickwlieat SEED FOR SALE. We have made arrangements so that we can furnish seed of several of the Clovers and Japanese Buckwheat, by freight or ex- press, at the following prices, cash with order : 5tb 101b 25tt aOt) AlslkeClover $.80 %\.^b $3.50 $6.25 SweetClover 1.10 1.80 4.25 8.00 White Clover 1.50 2.40 6.00 1100 Alfalfa Clover 75 1.20 3.00 5.25 Crimson Clover 65 1.00 2.50 4.00 Jap. Buckwheat... .30 .45 1.00 1.50 Prices subject to market changes. The above prices include a good, new 25- cent two-bushel bag with each order. Your orders are solicited. GEORGE "W. YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS. ONE MAN WITH THE UNION ^°^|),':,'^^'°'^ Can do the work of four men using hand tools, in Kipping, Cutting-off, Mi- tring, Rabbeting, Groov- ing. Gaining, Dadoing, Edging-up. Jointing Stuff, etc. Full Line of Foot and Hand Power Machinery Sold on Trial. Catalosrne Free. SENECA FALLS MFG. CO., 46 Water St., SENECA FALLS. N. Y 1 Aly Mention the Amer-iran Bee Journal. Buy Bees or Supplies until you have sent to us for special prices on what you need. The Goods and Prices " are right." Our '96 Circular now ready. I. J. STRUVOHAin, 105 Park Place. NEW YORK, N. Y. We have at this Branch among the Stock purchased of Thos. G Newman the foUowiDg stock of Sections— not of our manufacture— which we desire to close out to make room for our Superior Extra Polished Sections. In order to close them out quickly we offer them for the next 60 days, or while they last, at these special prices i AVhIte Sections, 4*X TURKEY SUBSUEO AT LAST. In spite of tlieoommon belipf tluitshci'oulil not be restrained, an eastrrn nmn r-iised an immense f'roi'e. pent up with PAGE, from the egg to the oven. See picture in "Hnsllrr. PAGE WOVEN WIRE FENCE CO.. Adrian, Mich. Better than 10 °io Discount! By comparing the following with the custom- ary prices of Foundation they will be found to be better than a 10 ■, discount. Prices are f. o. b., cut to any size. COmB FOUNDATION. Ift 5Ib lOtti 25B> Heavy or Medium 45c 42c 40c .38c Lig^bt 4oc 44c 42c 40c Thin 50e 49c 47c 45c ExtraThin 55c 54c 52c 50c Samples Free. Watch this advertisement for changes. Better huy now. before prices ad- vance. BRESWAX— :iOc cash, ;i2c trade, de- livered. Hives. Sections. Smokers, Etc., always in stocli. PRICES are right. Order before the rush. W. J. FllNCH, Jr., llAtf SPKINGFIELU, ILLS. Mention Vie Anve^yum Bee Jcvmck^ SUCCESSFUL I INCUBATOR 2 Our mapnificent ? new ciitjiloguo 1 giving full in- 2 formation r e- j ffarding nrtificia It Hatching & Broodinc 5 and treatise on pou'- J try ralBing sent for 4c I stamT'H. Circular free, z Write now, Des Moines incubator Co. Bos 78 DesMoineSiIa llA9t Mcutb Uie vl/ntrudu Het. JiiUriial. California If you care to know of its Fruits, Flowers Climate or Resources, send for a Sample Copy of California's Favorite Paper— The Pacific Rural Press The leading Horticultural and Agricultural paper of the Pacific Coast. Published weekly, handsomely illustrated, S2.00 per annum. Sample Copy Free. PACIFIC RURAI. PRESS, 220 Market St.. ■ SAN FKANCISCO, CAL. WILL PRODUCE PERFECT FRUIT. Our illustrated catalogue tells you HOW and WHEN to spray— mailed Free to truit Grow- ers and Dealers. The largest and best line of Spray Pumps and Nozzles in the world. THE DEMINC CO. Mfrs. Salem, Ohio. Western Agency: Henion JtHubbell, Chicago. Meatuyn i-ne Arvjeruxm Bee Jcrui. COMB FOUNDATION WHOIiKS4LE and KEXAIL. Are you going to buy Foundation for Cash, or have you Wax to sell or trade lor Fouudatlon and other Supplies ? Have you 'Ih lbs. or more of Wax that you want made into Foundation ? If so, do not fail to write me for samples and prices. 1 make a specialty of working up Wax by the lb., and do it very cheap during the winter. Beeswax wanted at all times. GUS OlTTiyiER, AUGUSTA. WIS. Reference—Aug-usta Bank. 16Atf MenXiOih the .American BeGJoumuL PATENT WIRED COMB FODPATIOS Has No Sag In Brood-Frames Thin Flat-Kottom FoundatioD Has Ilio Fishbone in tbe Snrplns Hon«y. Being tbe cleansBt Is UBually worked tbe quickest of any Foundation made J. VAN DEUSEN A: SONS, Sole Manufacturers, Bpront Brook Montaomery Co.. N. Y. Meiitura 'Jie American Bee Jowmai m\^W We have a large amount of Pure IlVllIlil No. 1 Alfalfa we will sell cheap. VPPIk Of those great honey-prod iiclnir plants aiitiV —Alfalfa and Cleome or Kocky Moun- tain Honey-Plant. Alfalfa seed at 7 cts. a lb. Rftso l»Dfl os<>:icking. will keep the heat up in the hive, but 1 do believe it prevents cold winds entering the hive through cracks, that is about all, excei)t the chaff in the super, that probably belp.< to retain heat. In our State about 1-6 to I4 of the days in winter the sun shines very warm, and if hives are packed all around, the heat on warm days will have little effect in thawing out accumulated frost. The hive-entrance should be large, and not allowed to close by snow, frost, or dead bees. Four of my losses this winter were from smothering, and the other from starving, with plenty of honey in the hive. The bees clustered during a cold spell on empty combs. J. L. Gandt. Humboldt, Nebr.. Jan. 31. Sweet Clover and Alfalfa. In reading the proceedings of the Illinois State Bee-Keeper.s' Convention, on page 09, the question of planting for honey and pasturage engaged my attention. I believe this to be one of the most important sub- jects in relation to bee-keeping, especially when we consider the changing conditions going on around us, our forests being re- moved, the flora changed, making bee- keeping as a specialty a very uncertain oc- cupation. I do not intend saying much on the subject, as the last season left convinc- ing proof of the necessity of increasing our pasturage by sowing of honey-producing plants. In this section bee-keepers within reach of sweet clover can report 100 per cent, increase, and some wonderful yields of comb honey ; bees going into winter quarters heavy with natural stores, and strong in bees. The question I wish more particularly to refer to is alfalfa as a honey -plant. From the glowing accounts of the great yields of honey from the alfalfa fields of the South and southwestern States, one would be led to believe that the same results might be expected from alfalfa wherever it may be sown, which is not thecase. I saw in Glean- ings for Feb. 1. a perfect picture of alfalfa, and a comment as follows; " Permit us to say once more, that any one who contemplates making any test of alfalfa at all should send for Farmers' Bulletin No. :il. Department of Agriculture, Washington. D. C. In the alfalfa bulletin we find nothing in regard to its value as a honey-plant. It seems a little strange that such a complete and exhaustive treatise should omit to mention that the plant pro- The Bee-Keepers' Guide: Or Manual of the Apiary, Br Prof. A. J. Cook. This 15th and latest edition ot Prof . Cook's magnificent book of 460 pages, in neat and substantial cloth binding, we propose to give away to our present subscribers, for the work of getting NEW subscribers tor the American Bee Journal. A description of tlie book here is quite un- necessary—it is simply the most complete sci- entific and practical bee-book published to- day. Fully Illustrated, and all written in the most fascinating style. The author is also too well-known to the whole bee- world to re- quire any introduction. No bee-keeper is fully equipped, or his library complete, with- out •• The Bee-Keeper's GniDE." For Two Xew Siib§cribcrs and Your Own Renewal. Send us Two New Subscribers to the Bee Journal and your own renewal (with $i.OO), and we will mail you a copy of Prof. Cook's book FREE as a premium, and also a copy of the 160-page " Bees and Honey " to each New Subscriber. Prot. Cook's book alone Is $I.3.5, or we club it with the Bee Journal for a year —both together for only $1.75. But surely anybody can get only '3 new subscribers to the Bee Journal for a year, and thus get the book as a premium. Let everybody try for it. Will you have one ? GEOBGE W. YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS TEXAS QUEENS. If you are in need of Queens, let me have your order. Prlce-Llst Free. SA26t J. B. GIV£NS, Lisbon, Tex. Mention the American Bcejoiiryiau 4lJNt;m1^ >li >li. >ti :5l^ >ti i4i >ti ili >tt >!i >!iti OIUGIML SMOKERS Wonderful Record ! Have Lasted 17 Ye.vrs. —BEST ON EARTH. Always Give Perrect SaU»!il'aclioci. My cool Wire Handle and Bent Nose were patented 1892, are the original, my best invention sincp my open or di- rect draft Patent. 1878, that revolu- tionized Bee-Smokers. My Handle and Nose Patent bent all the other smoker noses. None but Bingham Smokers have all the best improvements. If you buy fi^enuiiie Bin^lkani Smo- kers and Honey-Knives you will never regret it. The " Doctor,'' ^i-lneh larger than any other smoker on the market— ^Hi-Inch stove, by mail, $1.50 Conqueror, 3 '* '* " 1.10 X-arge. 'il/a-ln. " " 1.00 Plain, 'J-in. " " .70 Little Wonder, 2-in.. wt. 10 oz. .60 Bin^liHin & Ili'lliiThi^ton Hont'y-Kiiives, SO cents. T. F. BINGHAIYI, Farwell, ITIich. 7Atf Mention the Bee Journal. yiy(Kyi\yi\y;f'yify^yifi'P:7tKyt<->^7iK^ 12 Pbgs. lesied, pure, fresh frarden seeds. 12 cts.. post pa'd. K. \. 1'lioiiias, Slteiiaiido.-tji. Iowa. JUention the Amtrtcan Bee Journal 174 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. March 12, BEE-SUPPLIES! Address, We have the best equipped facto- ry in the West. Capacity, one car- load a day; and carry the largest stocli and greatest variety of ever- ything needed in the apiarv. assur- ing BEST goods at LOWEST prices, and prompt shipment. Illustrated Catalog. 80 pages, Free E. KRETCHMER, RED OAK, IOWA. duces some of the finest honey in the vForld : and it has for several years been shipped by the carload from regions where alfalfa Is largely grown." From the above one would suppose that | alfalfa may be grown anywhere with the same results. Ten years ago I invested in alfalfa seed, and up to the present time I have never seen a bee upon it. This coin- cides with several prominent bee-keepers at the recent Illinois State Bee-Keepers' Convention. I am of the opinion that there is a large belt of territory on the North American continent where alfalfa is grown, and it is of no use whatever as a honey- producing plant. For the benefit of bee- keepers it would be well to have its limits defined, so that those wishing to try it may not waste tbeir money upon it and meet with disappointment. I hope this may open the way to a friendly discussion on this subject for the benefit of bee-keepers. Toronto, Ont. John McAkthur. Report for 1895— An Old Elm. I commenced the spring of 1895 with 1.5 colonies, having no loss in wintering. They did quite well the first part of the season, especially on raspberry. White and Alsike clover furnished a moderate amount, but did not last long; after those we usually have more or less basswood, but it was less last year— none to speak of, with scarcely anything from fall flowers. They showed little propensity for swarming, but in- creased slightly by dividing, but united in September to the original number. My yield, per colony, was 40 pounds of comb honey and 10 pounds of extracted. I fed mostly sugar syrup to winter. Altogether it was a rather poor season. About the large honey yields, I will say that the most I ever knew of being taken from one colony, spring count, was 172 pounds; the parent colony was allowed to swarm once, and the new swarm furnished the 100 pounds. That was nearly 20 years ago. and before I had any bees. I think it could hardly be done around here now. The most I ever got from one colony was 72 pounds of comb honey and 20 pounds of extracted. The colony did not swarm, or seem inclined to. I have just finished cutting up an elm tree, which I think is perhaps the oldest tree in this portion of the country. If the rings or circles around the heart are reli- able indications of the age— and they un- doubtedly are— it was 350 years old, and must have been quite a tree when the Pil- grims landed. There were the remains of two different swarms of bees in the tree, but for some reason they failed to survive long. It was an enormous tree, measuring 41 inches in diameter inside of the bark, at a height of 7i.,' feet from the ground, and made, when worked into cord-wood, 3Ji cords. It was nearly sound, the circles in some places indicating very hard seasons. Frank Champeon. Exeter, Maine, Jan. 24. A Report— Kobbing— Frosted Plums. I began the season of 1895 with 13 colo- nies, having been reduced from 58 to 13 by the previous dry year, and the past was not a real good honey season, but pretty good, at least towards the close. My bees aver- aged about 77 pounds per colony, and a good quality of honey. About 300 of this was from basswood, but it is not so good as clover honey. I am trying to learn something every year, and when able to be out I try to gain some practical information every day. One new feature that I have tried and succeeded in, is to have two laying queens in one col- ony at the close of the season. I put away three colonies with two queens in each, so as to have queens to supply any deficiency that may occur in that line in the spring. Should none occur, I have a good laying queen to sell to some of my less fortunate neighbors. I also learned how to prevent robbing, and it may be a very old method for ought I know among the fraternity. Neverthe- less, I will give it: After having opened a hive, I found the robbers entering both at the top and bottom. I took the paint brush and painted all around the top where they crawled in under the lid, then took a bunch of grass and laid it in front, and made it thoroughly wet, so that all bees crawling through became quite wet. This put a stop to the robbing, instanter. Last spring my 20 plum trees set very full of fruit, and I intended to .spray the trees the day following, but that night it was very cold, and when 1 got up in the morning I found the plums all frozen hard. I had heard mother tell about putting cold water on garden plants to draw the frost out, so I took the spray pump, and water from the well, and sprayed the trees until the water dropped from the leaves. After having done tliis, I went to the house feel- ing very blue, for I had great hope for my plums, as this was the first crop that I bad on these trees. I awaited results, but ex- pected when the sun came up to find all my plums on the ground, as others had done, but to my surprise and delight they were all right, and the trees were full of as nice fruit as I ever saw, while my neighbor near by had none. Whether the water did it or not, I don't know. O. P. Miller. Glendon, Iowa. Not a Failure Last Year. Through the Bee Journal I learn of the success or failure of bee-keepers from nearly all parts of North America, except northwestern Minnesota. There are a num- ber (mostly farmers) that keep bees in this section of the State, and some of them take the Bee Journal— and they all ought to take it — but as I see no communication from any one in this part of the State, I will give a brief account of my own and my neighbors' success. (We had no use for the word "failure" last season — if there was failure it was the fault of the man, not of the season.) Last spring I had 4 colonies, and one died after I removed them from the cellar to the summer stands, leaving me 3 good colonies. I had 6 swarms issue ; one absconded one day during my absence, and I united 2 small swarms ; this gave me 7 colonies to put into the cellar last fall. Bees were not put into winter quarters until the last of November here ; I put mine into the cellar Dec. 3, and they had a flight only a few days before. I took 150 pounds of honey in one-pound sections, or 50 pounds to the colony, spring count.. I find a ready sale for all the honey I have to spare, at 17 cents per pound. My family can all handle bees without gloves or veil, except one daughter, who can't go within sight of bees without get- ting stung. I was obliged to be absent a few days during the swarming season, and I told this daughter to watch the bees, and call her brother if any swarms issued. She wanted to know if I would give her a swarm if she would hive them. Certainly, I would. Well, the day I left home a swarm came out, and she hived them, and they not only filled the brood-chamber, but stored 28 pounds of surplus honey in one- pound sections. My daughter has married since then, and of course she will take the Bee Journal. Some of the bee keepers here have taken from 75 pounds to 85 pounds of surplus honey per colony last season. Taking some of the correspondents of the Bee Journal as authority, there are no apiarists here — they are only bee-keepers. I do not know of any one that keeps more than 8 «»• 10 colonies of bees. They are kept mostly by farmers, not for profit, but for the honey for family use. S. B. Smith. Keeville, Minn. ■^^^^^»^^^«^«»*^*^*^***^*^>^ Honey & Beeswax Market Quotations. CHICAGO, III., Feb. 28.— White clover and basswood comb is sought after In preference to any other, and commands a better price and now sells at 15c. for clover and 13@14c. tor basswood. Other white comb honey sells atll@12c.; dark, 8@0c, amber, OQlOcand very slow of sale. Extracted is unusually dull, with large amounts on sale. White clo- ver and linden, 6@Tc. ; dark and amber grades, 4S4@5c. Beeswax. 28@30c. R. A. B. & Co. PHILADELPHIA. Pa., Mar. 6.— Honey has been SPlllng freely, there being considerable call lor comb honey, and the war in Cuba has made extracted honey sell to the baking trade who previously used Cuba honey. We quote: Fancy comb. 15c. ; fair to good, 11®13.; fair, 9c. Extracted, 4 H@5^4c.; pure white clover, 10c. Beeswax, 30c. W. A. S. NEW YORK. N. T., Feb. 24.— Market quiet. White comb in fair demand at ll@14c. Very little demand tor buckwheat comb at 8(gl9c Extracted selling fairly well, priuclpally Cal- ifornia, at 5i-4@59.iC , and some buckwheat moving at 4@4V4c,; Southern, 500550, per gallon; white clover and basswood, 5!4@6c. Beeswax unchanged. H. B. & S. CINCINNATI. O., Mar. 7.— Demand is fair for choice comb honey, at i2@14c. In a job- bing way. Extracted Is slow at 4@7e. Beeswax is in good demand at 25@30c. tor good to choice yellow. C. F. M.&S. KANSAS CITY, Mo., Feb, 19.— The demand for comb and extracted is fair. We quote: No. 1 white, l-lbs.. 13@14c.; No. 2. ll@12c.; No. 1 amber, 10@llc.; No. 2. 8@10c. Ex- tracted, white. 5'/j@6^o.; amber, 5@5i4c. Beeswax, 20@25c. C. C. C. & Co. List of Honey and Beeswax Dealers. Most of whom Quote in this Journal. Chicago. Ilia. a. A. BURNETT & Co.. 163 South Water Street. New Vork, N. Y. HiiiDBETH Bros. & Segelken. 120 & 122 West Broadway. CHA8. Israel & Bros., 486 Canal St. Kansas City. Mo. O. G. CLEMOM8 & Co.. 423 Walnut St. Bnttalo, N. V. BATTERSON & Co., 167 & 169 SCOtt St. Hamilton, Ills. CHA8. Dadant & Son. Ptalladelpbla, Pa. Wm. a. Selser. 10 Vine St. Cincinnati, Oblo. C, F. MuTH & son, cor. Freeman & Central ava. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 175 Book Premiums for Getting New Subscribers For each New Subscriber to the American Bee Journal sent us by a present subscriber, we will give as a Premium 40 ceiit§' wortli of the Boolis,. Pamphlets, etc., described on this page — figuring on the retail price given in connection with each book. etc.. below. This is a very easy way to get a lot of most excellent litei-ature. Free Copy of " BEES AND HONEY " to Every New Subscriber. Yes, in addition to the above oS'er, we will mail free a copy of Newman's 160-page "Bees and Honey" — premium edition — to each new subscriber, NOW IS JUST THE TIME to work for big lists of New Subscribers. The American Bee Journal List Should Easily Be DOUBLED on these Liberal Offers. BEE-BOOKS SENT POSTPAID BV Georfice "W. York & Co., Chicago, Ills. Bees and Honey, or Management of an Apiary for Pleasure and Prullt. by Thoiuaa G.Newman.— This edition has been largely rewritten, thoroughly revised, and is " fully up with the times " In all the taiprovementa and Inveutloiia In this rapidly-devel- oping pursuit, and presents the apiarist with everything that can aid In the successful manage- ment of an apiary, and at the same time produce the most huney In an attractive condition. It con- tains 250 pages, and 245 Illustrations— Is beautifully printed In the highest etvle of the art, and bound In cloth, gold-lettered. Price, $1.00. r.nnf;i9troth on the Honey-Bee, revised by Dadiiut— This classic In bee-culture, has been entirely re-wrltten. and U fully illustriited. It treats of everything relating to bees and bee-keep- ing. No apiarian library Is complete without this etandnrd work by Kev. L. L. hangstroth — the Father of American Bee-Culture. It has 520 pages; bound In cloth. Price, postpaid, $1.35. Bee-K-erpers* Oulde, or Manual of tbe Apiary, by Prof. A. J. Cook, of the Michigan Agri- cultural College.— This book Is not only Instructive and helpful as a guide In bee-keeping, but Is Interesting and thoroughly practical and scientific. It contains a full delineation of the anatomy and physiology of bees. 4ti0 pages ; bound in cloth and fully illustrated. Price, postpaid, $1.25. Scientific (|ueen-Rearlnff, as Practically Applied, by G. M. Doollttle.— A method by which the very best of Queen-Bees are reared In perfect accord with Nature's way, ITi'. pages, bound lo Cloth, and Illustrated. Price. $1.00. A B C of Bee-Culture, by A. I. Root.— A cyclopiedla of 400 pages, describing everything pertaining to the care of tbe honey-bees. It con- tains yuo engravings. It was written especially for beginners Bound In cloth. Price, $1.25. Advaneeil Bee-Culture, Its Methods and Management, by W. Z. Hutchinson.- Tlie author of tills work Is too well known to need further description of his book. Ue Is a practical and entertaining writer. You should read his book. 90 pages, bound In paper, and Illustrated. Price, 50 cts. Rational Bce-Iteeplnif, by Dr. John Dzierzon —This Is a translation of his latest German book on bee-culture. It has 350 pages: bound In cloth. $1.25; In paper covers, $1.00 Blenen-Kultur, by Thomas G. Newrnan. — This Is a German triinslatlon of theprlnclpF^ por- tion of the book called Bees ok Honey. 10^ page pamphlet. Price, 40 cents. Convention Hand-Book, for Bee-Keepers. Thomas G. Newman.— It contains the parliamen- tary law and rules of order for Bee-Conveutlons— also Constitution and By-Laws, with subjects for discussion, etc. Cloth, gold-lettered. Price, 25 cts. Amerikaiiisclie Bieneiiziiclit, by Hans Buschbauer.— Printed in German. A hand-book on bee-keeping, giving the methods in use by the best American and German apiariatB. Illustrated; 138 pages. Price. $1.00 Tliirty Vears Amoii^ tlie Bees, by Henry Alley.— Gives tbe results of over a quarter- century's experience in rearing queen-bees. Very latest work of the kind. Nearly lOu pages. Price, 50c. "Wliy Eat Honey ?— This Leaflet is intend- ed for FKKK distribution, to create a Local Market. 100 copies, by mail. 4u cts.: 5tX) for $1.50; 1000, $2.50. B^" If 500 or more are ordered at one lime, your name and address will be printed on them FRKE. Hoiv to Keep Honey and preserve its richness and flavor. Price same as Why Eat Honey. Apiary Reeister^ by Thos. G. Newman.— Devotes two pages to a colony. Leather binding. Price, for 50 colonies, $1.00; for lOO colonies, $1.25. Preparation of Honey for the market* Including the production and care of comb and extracted honey. A chapter from Bees and Honey. Price, 10 cents. Bee-Pasturagre a Necessity.— This book sag gests what and how to plan U Is a chapter froii' Bees and Honey. Price, 10 cents. The Hive I rse, by G. M. Doollttle. It details his management of bees, and methods of producing comb honey. Price, 5 cents. Dr. Howard's Book on Fonl Brood. —Gives the McEvoy Treatment and reviews the ex- periments of others. Price, 25 cts. Dictionary orApicultnre, by Prof. John Phin. Gives the correct meaning of nearly 500 api- cultural terms. Price, 50 cts. Winter Problem in Bee-Keeping:, by G, R. Pierce. Result of 25 years' experience. 50 cts. Handling Bees by Chas. Badant & Son. — A Chapter from Langytroth Revised. Price, 8 cts. Bee-Keepers' Directory, by H. Alley.— Latest methods in Queen-Rearing, etc. Price, 50c. Foul Brood Treatment, by Prof. F. R. Cheshire.— Its Cause and Prevention. Price, 10 cts. Fonl Broody by A. R. Kohnke.— Origin. Development and Cure. Price. 25 cts. History of Bee-Associations, and Brief Re- ports of the first 20 conventions. Price, 15 cts. Honey as Food and ITIedicine, by T. G. Newman.— A 3i2-page pamphlet : just the thing to create a demand for honey at home. Should be scattered freely. Contains recipes tor Honey-Cakes, Cookies. Puddings, K<.iam, Wines, and uses of honey for medicine. Prices, prepaid— Single copy, Sets.; 10 copies. 35 cts.; 50for$1.50: luofor $2.50; 250 for $5.50; 500 for$10.O0; or ioOO for $15.00. When 250 or more are ordered, we will print the bee-keeper's card (free of cost) on the front cover page. Bee-Keepinjz; lor Profit, by Dr. G. L. Tinker.— Revised and enlarged. It details the au- thor's " new system, or how to get the largest yields of comb or extracted honey." 80 p.; illustrated. 25c. Fnierson Binders, made especially for the BEE .U)iTKNAL, are convenient for preserving each number as fast as received. Not mailable to Canada, Price, 75 cts. Commercial Calculator, by C. Ropp.— A ready Calculator. Business Arithmetic and Ac- count-Book combined in one. Every farmer and businessman should have it. No. i, bound in water proof leatherette, calf finish. Price. 4n cts. No. 2 in flne artificial leather, with pocket, silicate slate, and account-book. Price, 60 cts. Green's Four Boolts, by Chas. A. Green. —Devoted to, 1st, How We Made the Old Farm Pay; 2nd. Peach Culture: Mrd, How to Propagate Fruit- Plants, Vines and Trees; 4th. General Fruit In- structor. Nearly 12<.) pages. Fully illustrated. 25 cts. Green's Six Boolcs on Fruit-Culture, by Chas. A. Green.— Devoted 1st. to Apple and Pear Culture; 2nd, Plum and Cherry Culture; 3rd, Rasp- berry and Blackberry Culture; 4th, Grape Culture; 5th, Strawberry Culture. 129 pp.; illustrated. 25 cts. Garden and Oroliard, by Chas. A. Green, —Gives full instructions in Thinning and Marketing Fruits; Pruning, Planting and Cultivating; Spray- ing, Evaporation, Cold Storage, Etc. 94 pages, illus- trated. Price, 25 cts. Kendall's Horse-Book- — 35 pictures, showing positions of sick horses, and treats on all their diseases. English or German. Price, 25 cts. Silo and Sila«:e, by Prof. A J. Cook.— It gives the method in operation at the Michigan Agri- cultural College. Price, 25 cts. I^uiuber and Log- Boole. — Gives meas- urements of lumber, logs planks; wages, etc. 25c. maple Sugar and the Suprar Bush, by Prof. A. J. Cook.— Full instructions. Price, 35 cts. Grain Tables, for casting up the price of grain, produce, hay, etc. Price, 25 cts. Capons and Caponizing, by Dr. Sawyer* Fanny Field, and others.- Illustrated. All about caponizing fowls, and thus how to make the most money in poultry-raising. 64 pages. Price, 30 cts. Our Poultry Doctor, or Health in the Poultry Yard and How to Cure Sick Fowls, by Fanny Field,— Everything about Poultry Diseases and their Cure. 64 pages. Price, 30 cts. Poultry for Market and Poultry for Profit, by Fanny Field.— Tells everything aboutthe Poultry Business. 64 pages. Price, 25 cts. Turlceys for market and Turkeys for Profit, by Fanny Field.— All about Turkey-Raising. 64 pages. Price, 25 cts. Rural liife.— Bees. Poultry. Fruits, Vege- tables, and Household Matters. 100 pages. 25 cts. Straw^berry Culture, by T. B. Terry and A. I. Root. For beginners. Price, 40 cts. Potato Culture, by T. B. Terry.— It tells how to grow them profitably. Price, 40 cts. Carp Culture, by A. I. Root and Geo. Fin- ley.— Full directions. 70 pages. Price, 40 cts. Hand-Book of Health, by Dr. Foote.— Hints about eating, drinking, etc. Price, 25 cts. Alsike Clover liCaflet.— Full directions for growing. 50 for 25 cts. ; 100 for 40 cts. ; 200, 70c. Book Clubbing Offers. (Kead Carefully.) The following clubbing prices include the American Bee Journal one year with each book named. Remember, that only one book can be taken in each case with the Bee Jour- nal a year at the prices named. If more books are wanted, see postpaid prices given with the description of the books on this page. Following is the clubbing-list: 1. Langstroth on the Honey-Bee $2.00 3. A B O of Bee-Culture 2.00 3. Bee-Keeper's Guide 1.75 4. Bees and Honey [Cloth bound] 1.65 5. Scientific Queen-Hearing 1.75 6. Dr. Howard's Foul Brood Book 1.10 7. Advanced Bee-Culture 1.30 8. Amerlkanische Bienenzucht [Germ.] 1.75 9. Bleneu-Kultur [German] 1.25 10. Kational Hee-Keeping [Cloth bound] 2.00 11. Rational Bee-Keeping [Paper bound] 1.75 12. Thirty Years Among the Bees 1.30 13. Bee-Keeping for Profit .. 1.15 14. Convention HacdBook 1,15 15. Poultry for Market and Profit 1.10 16. Turkeys for Market and Profit 1.10 17. Capons and Caponizing 1.10 18. Our Poultry Doctor 1.10 19. Green's Four Books 1.15 20. Green's Si.Y Books on Fruit-Culture.. 1.15 21. Garden and Orchard 1,15 23. Rural Life 1.10 24. Emerson Binder for the Bee Journal. 1.60 25. Commercial Calculator. No. 1 1.25 26. Commercial Calculator, No. 2 1.40 27. Kendall's Horse-Book 1.10 29. Strawberry Culture 1.20 30. Potato Culture 1.20 31. Carp Culture 1.20 32. Hand-Book of Health 1.10 ,33. Dictionary of Apicuiture 1.36 34. Maple Sugar and the Sugar Bush 1.20 35. SUo and Silage 1.10 .36. Winter Problem in Bee-Keeping 1.30 37. Apiary Register (for .50 colonies) 1.75 38. Apiary Register (for 100 colonies) . 2.00 39. Bee-Keepers' Directory 1.30 Please Send Us the Names of your neighbors who keep bees, and we will send them sample copies of the Beb Journal. Then please call upon them and get them to subscribe with you, and secure some of the premlutis we offer. 176 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. March 12, 1896. Bottom Prices CASH "J°o« BEESWAX bruvg vs bic trade. cood goods keep it. If you want the best supplies that can be made at a little less cost than you can buy the same goods for elsewhere, write to us for low prices. 189C Catalogue now ready —ask for It and a free copy of Tlie Ameri- can Bee-Keeper (36 pages). Address, THE W.T. FALCONER MFG. CO., JAMESTOWN, N. Y. Mention the American Bee Journal. D. and Ornamental trees. Nursery grown. 2.M) Choice Evergreens, 10 varieties $2. 40O Ornamental trees, 6 varieties. $2: 6 ther .^5 and $10 bargains, 100 Scotch Pine, 2 ft. hiKh, 18; 1,000 10 to 12 inches -t^lo. All other varieties and sizes cheap. Local Acents Wanted. Send for Illustrated Catalogue. FREE. HB I ■ Evergreen Specialist, I LiL>| . DUNDEE, ILLINOIS. t Please mention the Bee Journal. RA A TV A great reduction in Prices on I Ilk Hives and Sections. Other biir- Gl 1 1 llkV gains in Apiarian Supplies. State VVWtJ what you need and we will give you low prices. 36-p. Catalosuf Free. JNO. N£BELi i tne American Bee Journal- Qiieeii-Clippiug Device. I want the address of all who clip Queens and have even the least trouble either in catching or holding them while they are be- ing dipt. 1 have Invented a Device by which it is IMPOSSIBLE to injure a Queen ei- ther In catching or clipping, unless it is done purposely. With it they are cauirht and dipt any way desired almost instantly. One does not have to touch the Queen with hie hands, whatever. Price, postpaid, 50 cts. Send for Free Circular. €. MONETTE, 6Atf CHATFIELD. Fillmore Co., MINN. Mention the American Bee Journal. QUEENS Smokers, Sections . Comb Foundation, Ami all .4piiilriin Sii|ii)ne» r lie an- So nil for FKEE ulalogue. E. T. FLA.N.IGAN, Uellpvllie, III. 6A26t Please mention the Bee Journal. "Tl 9 1 TWl J Where to huy |J1*111T PlOlir^ them atwhole- null lldlllS p^st.rfSr«d?s^ cri p t i ve and wholesale Catalogue of all of the leading va- rieties of the Slraivberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Currauts. Gooseberries, Grapes and Potatoes. EZRA G. SMIXp, Manchester, Ont. Co., N. Y. 8Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. For all the grood, pure yellovir BEES'WAX delivered to our office till further notice, we will Day 26 cents per pound, cash ; or 30 cents for whatever part is exchanged for the Bee Journal, Honey, Books or Seed, that we offer. If you want casb promptly for was, send it on at once. Dark or impure wax not taken at any price. Address plainly, (leorge W. York & Co., 118 Michigan St., Chicago, III. S Dadant's Foundation ffi Is still in the lead, for we use all the latest improvements, including the NEW PROCESS, and still make the best goods. Remember that we do not use any acid to purify our bees- wax, and that is why our Foundation preserves the smell of the honey and is more ac- ceptable to the bees, than any other. It is kept for sale by O. K. Hubbard. Fort Wavne, Ind. L. Hanssen, Davenport, Iowa. ('. Theilmann, Theilmanlon, Minn. K. C, EaKleafield. Berlin, Wis. E. T. Abbott, St. Joseph. Mo. J. M. Jenkins. VVetumpka, Alabama Jonn Key, East Saginaw, Mich. Vicfcerv Br03., Evanaviile, Ind. The Jennie Atchley Cnnapany. Beeville. TeiaB. C. F. Muth & Son. Cincinnati, Ohio B. Kretchmer. Red Oak, Iowa. Jos. Nyaewander, Ues Moines, Iowa, G. B. Lewis Co., Watertown, Wis. James Reynolds Elevator Co., Poughkeepsie. N r. Page & Ijyon. New London, Wis. T. II. Strickler, Solomon City, Kansas. and many other Dealers. All agree in saying that no goods are better than ours. Those of our customers who formerly bought through Thos. G. Newman can get our Foundation in Cliicago, III., by addressing iis at IIM ^lidiignn Street. We keep no other goods there. We make a specialty of Veils and Veil Stiifls of best quality, cotton and silk. Langstroth on the Honey-Bee, Revised. Bee-Keepers' Supplies, Smokers, Sections, Tin Pails, etc. Samples ot Foiiiidatiou and Xiille FREE with Circular. Instructions to beginners with Circular. BEESWAX »VA;^XEI>. Send us your address. CHAS. DADANT & SON, Mention tlie American Bee Journal. HAMHiTON, Hancock Co. , IIiI<. mECTlOMS, B^EE-MIYES, mHIPPMO^ASES We make a Specialty of these Goods, and defy Competition in QXJ.A.3LiIT"2", ■WOK,IClwIA.N"SEIII=' and FK,ICES. ^~ Write tor Free Illustrated Catalogue and Price-List. G. B. LEWIS COMPANY, Watertown, Wis. ^^ Be sure to mention the American Bee Journal ^hen you write. _,£j ^ ROOT'S COMB FOUNDATION! ^ We are pleased to announce that, having secured control of the new Weed process of manufacturing foundation for the U. S., we are prepared to furnish Foundation by the ^ew Process, for 1896. Samples will be mailed free on application, and will speak for themselves. OUR SAIS;»ED and POLISHED SECXIOIVS, well, they will speak for themselves, also. Our 1896 Cataloa: will be ready for distribution now in a few days. Send in your name at once for catalog, samples of the new foundation, and those superb sections, and while you are about it ask for late copy of Gleanings in Bee-Culture. New Product. New Process. A Big Success THE A. I. ROOT CO., MEDINA, OHIO. lis Michigan St., Chicago, III Syracuse, N. Y. 1024 niississippi St., St. Paul, minn. ESTABLISHED -1661 'theOlde5T bee-paper -AMERT PabHshed 'Weekly, at Sl.OO per annum. Sample Copy sent on Azypllcatioii, 36tli Year. CHICAGO, ILL., MARCH 19, 1896. No. 12. Bee-Forage — Some Important Suggestious. BY PROF. A. J. COOK. The general failure of the honey crop for so many seasons during the last decade in nearly all portions of the country, and the absolute failure in arid regions like Southern Cal- ifornia, whenever the rainfall comes short of a certain limit, gives to this subject of honey-plants, more than merely a pass- ing interest. In the great North East of our country, before the great forests of basswood and tulip were cleared away, and the great marshes with their profusion of boneset, golden-rods, as- ters, ete., were drained — and possibly, we may add, before the extreme seasonal drouths, consequent upon the removal of the forests and draining of swamps — each and every season was a honey season, and the expression of " honey-years " had no sig- nificance, and so was unheard among bee-keepers. In Cali- fornia, if the rainfall is less than 15 inches, experience proves that the honey-production will range from nothing to less than half the maximum crop. These facts make it desirable that the bee-keeper should study thoroughly the bee-forage of the country, should know the honey-plants, the quality and quantity of honey which each is likely to produce, and the effect of drouth and other season- al peculiarities upon the nectar-secretion of each species. This subject suggests two practical considerations, both of which will engage the thoughtful attention of every wise bee- keeper : In securing a location, he will give earnest heed to the native bee-plants, hoping to secure a rich bee-pasturage, without any extra labor, in the natural resources of his neigh- borhood. Many a Michigan and Wisconsin bee-keeper has been led to rejoice in by-gone years, because of the near prox- imity to his bee-yard of a grand forest of basswood, or of a broad expanse of marsh-land. Even today, the great bass- wood forests of Wisconsin make that, perhaps, the leading honey-state of the great North East. Year after year the wil- low-herb of the pine-clearings of Northern Michigan, supple- mented by the berry-bushes of the same treeless tracts, has given a rich honey crop of finest quality to the bee-keepers of that region. If the apiary is along a stream, so. that variation in moisture will prolong the season of bloom, then the bee- keeper will rejoice in greater prosperity. Mr. Doolittle and others along the Mohawk River in New York have felt th(^ benefit of such location. In Southern California a good range of white and ball sage in both valley and canyon, hard by the apiary, followed by generous acres of wild buckwheat, will give a wondrous crop in seasons of bounteous rainfall. If eu- calyptus and alfalfa are found in quantity, then he may be more independent of the rainfall. After the location is decided, then the enterprising bee- keeper will anticipate drouths, winds, cool seasons, and en- deavor to add to the native recources of his section, which he will almost always be able to do, so that if possible he may re- joice in a bountiful honey harvest each season. Let us con- sider what may be wisely attempted in this direction. It is well if the bee-keeper has so wisely located that he will be content to make his location his permanent home. Then he can fix up his apiary so that it will be his pride, and the pride of his section. This will make his bee-keeping more than a mere business, it will become his pleasure, and he will mingle poetry with the prose of life. Once permanently located, and the bee-keeper may well set to work to make his locality all that it is possible to make it. By proper thought and wise management this may be easily and cheaply done. In the first place, let me urge, that it will not pay to plant good land with bee-plants exclusively for honey. My own ex- periments, extensively carried on for a series of years, at the Michigan Experiment Station, as also private experiments by others, make this more than mere opinion — make it really dem- onstrated fact. But it will pay oftentimes to scatter seed of the mints, sweet clover, viper's bugloss, great willow-herb, etc., on all waste places near by the apiary. It will pay to line the roadside with tulip, linden and other nectar-producing trees, and get our neighbors to do the same, even if we have to pay something towards the purchase of these trees. Mr. D. A. Jones did very much of such work about his home at Bee- ton, Ont. Mr. Root planted out many basswoods at Medina, and now is reaping the advantage which must swell with the years. To raise buckwheat and Alsike, and induce one's neighbors to do so, may be very wise. All this, the tree-plant- ing, and buckwheat and Alsike growing pays, aside from the bees and honey, and should receive most thoughtful attention by all our bee-keepers. I believe that bee-keepers of the East may well adopt these suggestions. With little expense, they may add materially to their income by just such planting or tree-setting. Sometimes by moving bees the bee-keeper can keep in the range of bee-forage. Many bee-keepers have added greatly to their incomes by moving bees to regions of basswood bloom or fall flowers. Mr. Harbison told at a recent Farmers' Institute at Sao Diego, Calif., how he secured a large growth of ball-sage, by planting, and how it increased the value of his location very materially. This was on waste hill land, and so all clear gain. There are great areas of such tracts along the mountains and in the canyons of this favored region, and Mr. Harbison's sug- gestion may well receive thoughtful attention. Another bee-tree — or bee-trees, for there are, it is said, more than one hundred species — which Californians should ob- serve and study with the greatest care, is the eucalyptus. It is destined to become the great shade-tree of this State. It blos- soms from September to April, depending upon the species; is a favorite with the bees whenever in bloom, and seems to furnish much and excellent honey. Some of the trees are wondrously beautiful, and the tassel-like bloom, white, buff, or crimson, with the curious caps to the flower-buds is notouly wondrously beautiful, but exceedingly interesting. Eucalyp- tus globulus, or blue-gum, is the common one. This tree has an entirely different foliage when young from that of later growth and years. The white blossoms are showy, and are freely visited by the bees. But it blossoms in winter when the bees are not numerous and when they are mostly shut in the hives, so that the amount of honey is not great, though I knew bees to get not a little blue-gum honey during the last winter. I have some of this houey now, and have just sam- pled it. It is amber-colored, very sweet, and has a very pecul- 178 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. March 19, iar flavor, which I think might become very pleasant with use, but I doubt if it would be as well liked at first. It is claimed that this honey has rare medicinal properties, which seems not at all improbable. The deep-red showy blossoms of eucalyptus fissifolia, which will make this tree a great favorite, blossoms from August to October, and attracts the bees. By proper selection of species we can have blossoms from August to April. Eucalyptus robusta is quite a favorite for planting in this locality at present, because of its beautiful habit, and foliage, and the strong, thrifty growth which it makes. It blossoms at the same time with the common blue-gum. Eucalyptus corniocalyx, so called from the long, horn-like cap that covers the bloom in bud, blossoms in October and November. It is so curious and interesting that it may well be planted. I saw the bees thick about the blossoms in No- vember while the cap was only slightly raised and not yet fall- en from the blossoms. I have much hope from these eucalyp- tus. They come from arid Australia, and more than likely will be indifferent to the most severe droughts. Indeed, this is more than a guess, for the winter of 1893-1894 was one of the driest ever known in this region. The bees were idle — en- tirely idle — all through the following summer. I saw not the least evidence of honey-gathering after fruit in March and April. Yet my bees gathered quite an amount of honey in De_ cember and January of the following winter from the blue-gum I think it behooves all of us in Southern California to keep close watch of our bees and their storing from eucalyptus, and at all such times be sure to make note of date of bloom, earli- est and latest, and unless the species is surely known, send bark, leaves, bud and blossom to some one who can identify it, that we may learn the most valuable species. Bee-keepers near Smiley Heights, Redlands, where there are over 80 spec- ies of this genus, or at Santa Monica, where the State Fores- try Station is located, and where there are a large number of species of the eucalyptus, can do excellent service in this di- rection. I am trying to secure such data, and already have a long list of species with rate of growth and time of bloom. I think bee-keepers may well do all in their power to en- courage road-side and field-planting of eucalyptus. Such plantations as are being made all over the grand Elysian Park at Los Angeles, are large with promise to bee-keepers. It is said that there are over 1,000 colonies of bees in buildings in the city. No doubt they get much of their food from the eu- calyptus groves that are so numerous and so attractive to others than bees. We all do well to make a close study of bee-forage, and whenever we notice bees thick upon any bloom, be sure to find the name of the plant that attracts. The Bulletin just issued by the Department of Agricuture, Wash- ington, D. C, has extended and carefully prepared tables of of bee-plants, with time of bloom. We should all do what we may to make such tables fuller and more complete and accu- rate. It is also very desirable to make a note of the color and excellence of the honey, and the power of the plants to secrete at times of severe drouth. Claremont, Calif. Organization Among Bee-Keepers — Amalga- mation. BV THOMAS G. NEWMAN. After having read the American Bee Journal of March 5, which came to hand this morning, I feel like making a few re- marks on the subject of Organization. At the Convention held in Chicago on Jan. 10, as the re- port shows, a vote was taken upon the desirability of uniting these two Societies into one, viz.: The North American Bee-Keepers' Association and The National Bee-Keepers' Un- ion. I was called upon for some remarks on the subject, and then stated that my position as Past President of the former, and General Manager of the latter, prevented me from influ- encing opinion relative to the amalgamation, especially as there has now been developed a very strong feeling of opposi- tion thereto, and it seems that now no consolidation can re- ceive the united and active interest, which should be the result if amalgamation takes place. In an editorial on this subject, on page 152, it is stated that, " So far about all the communications we have received concerning it have been against the amalgamation idea. Those who are in favor of it, seem to keep very still about it." The fact that this is so, seems to be very surprising, but it is not only a fact in the office of the American Bee Journal, but also in the office of the National Bee-Keepers' Union. Either there is nothing more to be said in favor of amalgamation, or else there has been a very marked change of opinion on the sub- ject, during the past few months, after reading the many arti- cles in the bee-periodicals opposing the scheme. It is universally conceded that the Bee-Keepers' Union has a record to be proud of. That it is, in every sense of the word, " a power in the land ;" what it lacks in numbers is made up in influence, in the records of its victories in the courts throughout the nation. Many seem to think that by hitching on the Association to the Union it might retard its onward course, or in other words, be a useless appendage to it — a real hindrance. I must say that I do not indorse this position. The united societies by a largely increased membership, might become powerful, if rightly managed. It might be able to influence both State and National Legislation and thus bring great good to the pursuit, but if it does not have unanimous approval and co-operation of the bee-keepers of America, then the amalga- mation could only be abortive and would be detrimental, not only to the Societies, but to the pursuit in general. I therefore want to say, that unless there is a decided and united effort made, the amalgamation scheme should be aban- doned entirely. The editor of the American Bee Journal states that nearly all the communications he has received on the sub- ject have been in opposition thereto. My experience tallies with that. Nearly all the communications I have received at the office of the Bee-Keepers' Union have been decidedly op- posed to the amalgamation. Unless this is reversed within the next 30 days, by the receipt of letters from those who favor it, I shall request the Advisory Board to decide the matter as to whether it shall be submitted to vote or not, and at the same time I feel constrained to say to them personally, that I do not believe it will be to the interest of ihe Bee-Keepers' Union to incur the elcpense of a special election for that in which the friends of the measure have not interest enough to advocate and defend. By the March number of Gleanings I notice that in Califor- nia they have organized a " Bee-Keepers' Exchange" whose headquarters is at Los Angeles. This is now a third organiza- tion of a similar nature among bee-keepers, and if amalgama- tion is to rule, then this also must be taken into the fold. To my mind, though consolidation was possible last Sep- tember, it is now not only impracticable but also impossible. I do not say this for the purpose of influencing a decision one way or the other, but I have been importuned by the members of the Union to state my real opinion of the matter in public print, and acceding to this general request, 1 have penned the above article and hope that it will be taken in the spirit that it is intended, i. e., for the general good of the pursuit. Chicago, III., March 4. Best Size of Hive for Comb Honey. BV EDWIN BEVIXS. The discussion as to the best size of hive to use for comb honey production drags its slow length along, and I suppose bee-keepers will have to get in what they have to say on the subject soon, or the editors will get tired and shut their doors in their faces. It is more than probable that I have no business to criti- cise anything that Dr. Miller, or Mr. Doollttle, or Mr. Dadant, write or say about anything pertaining to apiculture, but, at the risk of annihilation, I will venture a few remarks on some things that have recently appeared from the pens of some of these gentlemen on the subject of hive-construction, or rather, the best size of hive for the comb honey producer to use. With regard to Dr. Miller, on this question, he maintains his position astride the fence with a poise and tenacity that is admirable. And the Doctor is not to be blamed. Nothing has appeared in the discussion so far to cause any one to tumble off suddenly on either side. The majority of comb honey pro- ducers, I believe, are on the fence with the Doctor. Most of them, I suppose, have been brought up on the " standard," and they fear that a change of diet may not agree with them. Mr. Doolittle argues for the use of a small brood-chamber in order that we may have a hive full of bees for the harvest. Mr. Dadant advises the use of a large one for the same pur- pose. Here we have the spectacle of two epiinent apiarists advocating and practicing directly opposite systems of man- agement in order to bring about the same result. When Greek met Greek the barbarians looked on with awe. Until one or the other of these combatants receives his death wound, or retreats from the field, it may be prudent for some bee-keepers to keep their positions on the fence. When I read " Langstroth Revised," I was impressed with the reasons given by the revisers for the use of large hives instead of small ones. But as they said that they did not 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 179 produce comb honey, and advised beginners to produce ex- tracted honey instead, I could not see what authority they had to speak for the comb honey producers. In a recent arti- cle by Mr. Chas. Dadant, which appeared in the American Bee Journal, he says that he has tried the large hives by the side of the small ones for comb honey for years, and that the large hives gave best results. For awhile after reading this my position on the fence was not as comfortable as it was be- fore, and I almost tumbled off on the side of the big hives. But now comes Mr. Doolittle in the January Progressive Bee-Keeper, with an account of experience, and an array of arguments, that had the effect to make me assume as upright a position on the fence as ever Dr. Miller did. Mr. Doolictle's experiments seemed conclusive, that the small brood-chamber hive was best for him. Mr. Dadant's experience seemed equally conclusive that the large brood- chamber hive was best for him. In what position does this leave the rest of us who have not experimented except with bodies perpendicular, the right leg on one side of the fence and the left one on the other ? It may be well to observe here that Mr. Doolittle gives the particulars of his experience. It was not an experience of much magnitude. I do not know, but I believe, that Mr. Dadant's experiments were conducted on a much larger scale, and covered a considerable period of time. Will Mr. Dadant please give us the details of his experience ? But with Mr. Doolittle's experience I was more favorably impressed than I was with his arguments. I fail to see how necessarily we have "more hands to hoe potatoes in March " and " more hands to hoe potatoes in October" when we use the big brood-ohamber hives than when we use the little ones. I mean more in proportion to the size of brood-chamber. As a matter of fact, I suppose there are more bees in the big hives all the time. That is what we use the big hives for — to have more bees. If we have more all the time, we must necessarily have more during the honey-flow, and why will they not gather more surplus than the smaller number in the smaller hive ? You answer, " Because there is more empty space in the brood-chamber for the bees to fill." But is there any more in proportion to the strength of the colony, when both colonies are as strong as the varying sizes of the hives will permit ? I do not believe there is. I have never noticed any excessive number of bees around these big hives in March, and none too many in October, but always a plenty of them in June, and they went into the extracting supers as early and as readily as the bees in the smaller hives went into the section-cases. I have used section-cases on some of these large hives, but not extensively enough to prove anything. Most bee- keepers agree that a large hive is best for extracted honey. Whether Mr. Doolittle is one of these I do not now remember. If there is such an over-abundance of bees in the big hives in March and October, when worked for comb honey, why is there not the same over-abundance when worked for extracted honey ? Is this over-abundance any more detrimental in the one case than in the other ? Again, if you have a very prolific queen in one of these large hives, as you ought to have, will she not keep the cells so full of brood in its various stages that there will really be no more room comparatively for storing honey in the brood- chamber than there will be in the smaller hive ? If she will, then the bees are compelled to go above, the same as the others. Mr. Doolittle remarks that enough is as good as a feast. This is one of the cases where a little too much would seem to be just enough. I should very much dislike the job of going over a large apiary to equalize stores. One of the standing complaints about small hives is that the apiarist's work is very much augmented if he tries to pre- vent swarming, and that his surplus is likely to be very much reduced if he lets the bees have their own way. When we take into consideration the lessened liability of the bees to swarm when large hives are used, it seems to me that when the brood-chambers are once filled, a given number of colonies in the large hives should in a given time yield a larger amount of surplus than the same number of colonies in the small hives. I believe with Mr. Dadant, that they will do it. Satisfactory evidence that they will is yet to be produced. I have this winter made 10 hives, 20 inches long and 12 inches deep to take 10 frames. If life is spared, and health permits, I shall keep on making these hives till I have 25 of them. They will be used for comb honey in comparison with 25 of the 8-frame dovetailed hives, as soon as I can get the large hives filled with bees and comb. I propose to fight it out on this line if it takes not only all summer, but many sum- mers. It is by such means that a satisfactory solution of the question must be reached, if ever reached at all. Leon, Iowa. The Houey-Competitiou Fallacy. BY J. H. MAliTIN. I notice on page 130, that Dr. Miller uses these words: "Whether the competition of California honey in the North- ern markets is a good thing for Northern bee-keepers, may be questioned." I think Dr. Miller, and a great many other well-inten- tioned bee-keepers, use the word " competition " rather loosely when applied to California honey, or honey from any other far western State. It is easy to see that there may be competition in the pro- duction and marketing of potatoes or apples, and various other products that are almost universally grown, and are staple articles ; but when we consider that there are over 70,- 000,000 of people in the United States, and only a little over 63,500,000 pounds of honey produced — less than one pound per capita — it is difficult to see why the cry of competition should arise. I suppose it arises because it is the easiest way to explain, or to account for, low prices. But I believe if we look a little further we will see that California or Arizona honey cannot compete with Northern honey, or vice versa. The one great competition to both California and Northern honey is glucose, when in all of our leading markets glucose is mixed with our honey and sold to the consumers openly, and said consumers, when told that of two samples before them one is honey one-fourth part of which is glucose, the other pure honey, will nearly always take the mixed goods in preference to the other, owing to its lighter color and less- pronounced flavor. If glucosed honey is sold in that way, it is a perfectly legitimate business, and, gentlemen bee-keepers, what are you going to do about it? Again, if there was competition between California and Northern honey, what would be the result when there is a total failure of the crop in California ? The price surely should run up to a figure to sort of balance the deficiency, but does it ? How much did the price advance in the autumn of 1894, when all of the Eastern markets knew that the crop was a failure here ? The fact did not make any apparent difference in prices. I know it sounds discouraging to Northern bee-keepers to see in the market reports, "Market well supplied; several cars of California honey arrived ;" but not a word do you hear about the cars of glucose that have arrived, and be the honey crop great or small, about the same amount of so-called honey will be sold ; but in this case the most of it will be sold as pure honey. Vou have laws in every State, I think, against adul- teration— what are you going to do about it, gentlemen bee- keepers ? And why don't you wake up and do something '? Again, let us bring up another point: 70,000,000 of people, and 63,500,000 pounds of honey. Suppose we in- crease our output of honey to two pounds per capita, or 140,- 000,000 pounds. Seems to me there is a screw loose now somewhere, if we do not get a good price for our honey. Is it competition ? No, sir ! It is a failure to distribute it in a wise and systematic manner. A little further along in his review, the Doctor says : " Possibly the success of those Southern men may be an ex- ample to others, and the markets throughout may be im- proved." That's just it, Doctor. No one would rejoice more than the California bee-keepers to si'e every bee-keeper in our broad land benefitted by our examp'e. But, Doctor, don't put your hands in your pockets and be content to whistle : " 'There's a good time coming;' t'lose California fellows are going to bring it !" You want to get around and organize in every honey-producing State, and then instead of trying to sneak in under the mantle of the Union, the North American Bee-Keepers' Association (as I have more fully pointed out in Gleanings) should arise like a Phenix from the dust, and be- come the great central head — the North American Bee-Keep- ers' Exchange. With thorough organization all over the con- tinent, there would be but little chance for adulterators. The glorious time for which we have been longing would arrive, with its attendant benefits. Bloomingtou, Calif. ^ President's Address at the Ontario Convention. It rejoices my heart that so many of us are spared to meet in convention, and that so large a number are here, notwith- standing the discouragement of the past season, many of us having had a total failure in honey, and had to feed our colo- nies to carry them through the winter. But truly the apiarist is a hopeful' being, and most of us are nursing our pets with 180 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. March 19, the hope of a harvest in the summer of 1896. I trust that our hopes may be realized. I am sure that you with me feel and regret the loss and death, and miss the kindly face, of our esteemed freind, the late F. A. Rose, of Balmoral, who has met with us so often at our annual meetings. I would suggest for your consideration, that By-Law No. I, be amended by adding thereto — " That those opposed to the interests of its welfare be rejected or expelled by a majority vote of the meeting of members." I think you will see the need of this change in said By-Law, as the Association has no means of refusing membership to those who may oppose its best interests, through the public press or otherwise, who, as members of the Association, use such membership to give force to their statements, the reverse of the unanimous vote of the Association. Also that some stated time be made with a stenographer for the delivery of the written report, as in the past the Revis- ing Committee has been very much troubled by delay. Also that some practical apiarist be present when the report is being re-written, to give the stenographer assistance where he has " caught the sound incorrectly." I also think you will do well by choosing at a full meeting the Revising Committee. I feel that as bee-keepers, and as an Association, we are greatly indebted to our representatives, and to the Parliament of Ontario, for their generous and kindly feeling to the apia- rists of Ontario, and especially for giving the Province an elH- ciept Foul Brood Inspector, whose services are put at our com- mand. I am also pleased that the bee-keepers throughout the Province (excepting one or two would-be scientists) who cheer- fully, willingly, and thoroughly followed the Inspector's in- structions (and made a clean job by so doing) now have healthy and clean apiaries, and will be in a position to reap a bounti- ful harvest, if the Ruler of All causes the nectar to secrete in the flowers. I am pleased that so many in Europe have been seeking our product, and hope that in the year 1896 we may have a full crop, and that the demand for it may be great. I find that our honey gives satisfaction to our British friends, and I urge that all of us put up and sell only first-class goods, and by so doing the demand for our product will increase. I would urge you to push the pure honey legislation, for if obtained it will give ns a position as honey-producers second to none in the world, for then our goods would be the guaran- tee of the Government of Canada as regards its purity, and that will go far with the British consumer. When permitted, put your name and address on each package. An item may be of interest to some present — and the Ex- ecutive Committee submit it for your consideration — in con- nection with the meeting of the North American, held in To- ronto. Your Secretary and President were urged to call a meeting of the Board of Directors, to meet said North Ameri- can and welcome its members to Toronto and to the Province of Ontario. To have complied with these wishes would have cost S 175.00, and this expense the Executive decided was not advisable, so they called together for that and other purposes the Executive Committee at a cost of ^20. 8o, thus saving to the Society .$15-4.00. I am pleased that our Secretary is able to report an in- crease of County or District societies affiliating with Ontario, thus showing an increase of interest in apiculture. Allow me to repeat, that I hope your labors of 1896 will be rewarded by an abundance of choice honey, to gladden your hearts and supply the demand of the honey-loving public. Woodstock, Out., Jan. 14. Co-operatioH in Marketing Honey. BY W. D. FRENCH. Since I have undertaken to agitate the subject of an or- ganization of bee-keepers, wherein a bee-keepers' union could be formed that would enhance the value of honey, and place the product directly before the people, in a manner heretofore described, I have been flooded with letters from the different States, extending from Maine to Washington ; the drift of which tends to encourage my effort. I am aware of the fact that nothing can be done with the present Bee-Keepers' Union, until other matters, which are now pending before that body, are settled. But I may as well say that I have the necessary assurance that steps will be taken at the proper time — co-operation in that direction has been pledged. If Prof. Cook, Dr. Miller, and many others so prominently appearing before the bee-keeping world, could only see and read so many expressions favorable to the question which I have sought to accomplish, I feel sure their attention would at least be brought to that subject. There are thousands of people who are scientific, practi- cal, and advanced apiarists, who do not write bee-literature for publication, or speak in public upon such subjects, not being gifted in that direction, but who are sound, sensible, thorough, and ready to accept practical ideas, especially that which tends to elevate the pursuit thai we follow. I do not wish to speak despairingly of any scheme which has a tendency to elevate or advance the pursuit or in any manner benefit the bee-keeping fraternity ; but the time is sure to arrive when apiarists of all States will see that noth- ing short of a union of bee-keepers will accomplish the object which is so vital to their interests, and without which is so detrimental to the bee-keepers of California. The scope of the Bee- Keepers' Union, as it now exists, is too narrow to ever warrant a large membership, consolidation with the North American notwithstanding ; the benefits to be derived therefrom are isolated. Hence, the great mass of bee- keepers are not justified in contributing to its existence. Whereas, a union co-operated as a unit, systematically equaliz- ing and distributing the product of the bees, thus rendering aid to every bee-keeper, and inducing them to become its mem- bers, would, in a short time, enlist every apiarist in our land. Foster, Calif. CONUUOTED By DR. J. p. n. BROHTV, AUGUSTA, GA, [Please send all questions relating to bee-ljeeping In the South direct to Dr. Brown, and he will answer in this department.— Eds.T A Word to Southern Bee-Keepers. The Southern Department of the American Bee Journal has been established for your benefit, hence we hope that you will avail yourselves of its advantages for throwing light on the seeming mysteries of the hive ; and for unraveling, solving and making clear many of the problems that confront the be- ginner in bee-keeping. Send along the questions that you want answered, and we will take pleasure in giving you all the light we can. There are many Southern bee-keepers of experience that have treasured up valuable ideas on bee-management and honey-production, that if put on paper and sent to the Ameri- can Bee Journal for the Southern Department, might prove a blessing to many a beginner now groping in the dark. Dot down your experience, and let us have it. J. P. H. Bbown. Feeding Bees. Lose no time to examine and ascertain the condition of all your colonies, for between now and the first of April is the most trying time with bees in the South. Last fall the bees laid up no great amount of stores, and hundreds of colonies will need feeding, otherwise they will " go up " before April. Peed regularly where needed, but always do it carefully — see that no sweets are exposed to strange bees, for if you start robbing you will have trouble. DistingiiUiiing Italians froin Hybrids. Db. Bkown : — Is there any way to distinguish whether bees are pure Italians or hybrids, when one knows nothing of them except that the stock was originally pure ? The bees commenced bringing in pollen Jan. 20, and have been working ever since. They are getting some honey HOW from peach, huckleberry, plum, and early pear bloom. Ocean Springs, Miss.. Feb. 24. E. W. H. Answers.— The usual way of distinguishing pure Italians is by having the abdomen of the workers marked by three 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 181 yellow bands. The shade of these bands may vary from a bright yellow to a dark leather color. Very often the band next to the thorax may be indistinct, and only plainly percep- tible when the abdomen is distended with honey. The work- ers of the whole hive should be of these markings ; but when you find bees in the colony with one and two bands, some black and some with three bands, the queen is mismated, and the term " hybrid " is applied to the inmates. The pure Italians maiutain their position on the combs better when the hive is opened and a comb removed, than any other race of bees. Hybrids are more prone to run and scamper, to leave the combs and take to the sides of the hive ; and, besides, they are crosser than pure Italians. Basswood Trees. Dr. Brown : — Where can I getbasswood trees, and when? I also want directions for planting, if they will grow this far South, and any other information concerning them, as I wish to purchase a few and trj' them here. New Orleans, La. J. B. D. Answer. — You can get basswood trees from almost any Northern nursery. Plant any time from October till March, but the sooner they get in the ground the better, so as to give the tree a chance to throw out young roots before the hot weather comes on. The Colorado State Bee-Keepers' Convention. REPORTED BY F. L. THOMPSON. The 16th annual convention of the Colorado State Bee- Keepers' Association was held in Denver, Jan. 20, 21 and 22, 1896. S. M. Carlzen moved that an assistant secretary be ap- pointed to take reports suitable for publication in the daily press and agricultural and bee journals, so that the Secretary could confine his attention to the minutes, and take part in the proceedings. F. L. Thompson was appointed. MARKETING HONEY. The first number on the program was Marketing Honey. S. M. Carlzen, of Montclair, read an essay, which may be con- densed as follows : Last season I increased ray apiary from 28 to 61 colonies, and sold my crop for $74.60, at the rates of 12)4 cents whole- sale up to 25 cents retail. I suggest that we try to open up a Honey Exchange. I can recommend a competent business man as agent who is willing to give bonds for your protection. I hope you will take action to have our industry repre- sented by suitable floats at the second annual festival of Mountain and Plain, which will be celebrated next October in Denver. Mr. F. L.ThompsoD says in the American Bee Journal, Dec. 12, 1895 : " I believe Mr. Carlzen's locality is over- stocked." Perhaps yours is, too. Why cannot we find a remedy ? We should decrease instead of increase the number of our colonies. To sell our surplus colonies will not help matters. If it requires 100 pounds of honey a year to carry a colony of bees through, and if you have 100 colonies of bees in a locality where 50 are enough to gather the harvest, your loss is 5,000 pounds of honey. If you sell 50 colonies to your neighbors, you have not thereby relieved your locality. Put two colonies in one. Your wants will be met, and your bill of supplies decreased. Our honey crops can be increased. Last spring I bought, from Nebraska, 100 4-year-old linden trees, which cost me in Denver 7 cents a piece. All but five lived and did well, and 12 bore an abundance of blossoms. These trees will be set out in my vicinity, regardless of other compensation, wherever irrigation and care is assured. S. M. Carlzen. A committee to see that bee-keeping be represented in the festival of Mountain and Plain, according to Mr. Carlzen's suggestion, was appointed later. Eev. F. O. Blair, of Trinidad, also read an essay on mar- keting honey, in substance as follows : My bee-keeping is a kind of side-show. I have never pro- duced a large amount, and do not expect to. I have a market in Trinidad for all the honey I can produce, which is chiefly extracted. I put it up in pails holding 5, 8 and 10 pounds, and of course it soon candies. The labels on the pails includes directions for liquefying so as not to ruin the flavor. Each customer melts it to suit himself, and I hear no complaints. I sell a single pail for 12J-2 a pound. If a man takes 50 or 100 pounds, I sell for 10 cents ; if 500, for 9 cents. F. O. Blair. The subject was discussed as follows: N. C. Alford — If Mr. Carlzen had had a large amount he could not have sold it at 12>o' cents, especially in these times. People will provide substitutes for honey. F. Rauchfuss — Farmer bee-keepers damage us. Their honey is poor. Some of it is sold in the supers. Much of it is sold for 8 cents. V. Devinny — That honey is retailed at 10 cents. Honey, now, after such competition is past, has been sold for 17 cents. This shows what might be done. The only remedy is to buy up such honey, but I doubt whether It is practical to do so. F. Rauchfuss — To get a higher price, sell by the case in- stead of by weight. A. M. Preston — There is a home market for the small crop, but not for the full crop. We should combine to get our produce near the consumer, and ship in carload lots. Mr. Devinny, representing the committee on legislation, then made his report. He had put in a bill for an appropria- tion of $500 only, and had worked faithfully for seven or eight days. The bill passed as far as the Senate. There was much other legislation at that time, and things were rushed so that many bills were passed by, this among them. One clause of the printed matter which he distributed among the members of the assembly is as follows : "The production of honey and wax is no longer an ex- perimental enterprise, but promises to become a vast and profitable industry of the State, when its advantages are more generally known and understood by the people, and it should receive a full share of legislative aid as do the growing of fish or wild game, upon which thousands of the people's hard- earned dollars are annually lavished." Mr. Carlzen, representing the committee on securing a room in the Capitol for the use of the Association, and the committee on adulteration, reported that both bills had passed the House, and had not been called up in the Senate. Some of the foul brood inspectors made their reports. They will be given later, when all are in. A discussion on foul brood ensued, as follows : FOUL BROOD. Mr. Alford — The management wBich requires mixing up bees and changing frames in spring will surely spread foul brood. Mrs. Rhodes — That has been my experience. Mr. Preston — And mine. Mr. Devinny — The foul brood law ought to be repealed. Several members here gave instances of the insuflioiency of the system of inspection. Mr. Devinny — Bees should notbe inspected after Sept. 1. F. Rauchfuss — Suppose the weather is fine, and one wishes to buy and remove bees — a clean bill of health is wanted. H. Porter — Bees can be inspected any day when they fly strong. D. L. Tracy — We have got to have class legislation. Mr. Preston — There are days in almost every month in Colorado when bees fly. They can bo inspected without in- jury as long as they don't rob. Mr. Devinny — The law provides for transferring. That cannot be done any month in the year. F. Rauchfuss — One huudred and fifty colonies in Mesa county had to be burned. It is really cheaper to do so. If the inspector burns, we know it's done. Mr. Devinny — Did the State pay for those bees? F. Rauchfuss — No. Mr. Devinny — That is where the law is unjust. No man has a right to destroy property. Even law cannot be a law unto itself; and when the bees are burned, that destroys the evidence of foul brood. Mr. Preston — I had the constitutionality of the law looked 182 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. March 19, up by the best lawyer in my county. He said, " Go ahead — if the bee-keeper can show damages, the county has to pay for it." Pres. Aikin — Mr. Devinny errs in so sweepingly condemn- ing the law. Certainly, good can be done. But the law is not right as it stands. It condemns property without recompense. Mr. Preston — Dr. Howard claims that foul-broody hives can be exposed without again generating the germ. Mr. Devinny — It is the honey that passes through the stomachs of the nurse-bees that we have to look out for. Clean the hives, don't burn them, and keep foul-broody honey away ; that's all. Mr. Porter — Do the germs increase in honey ? Mr. Preston — According to Dr. Howard, they do not, but they are preserved by it. [Inspector Adams was not present at this time, or he would doubtless have said something. See his article on page 248 of the American Bee Journal for 1895. -F. L. T.] Mr. Thompson next read an essay on management of swarms, an abridgement of which follows : MANAGEMENT OF SWAEM8. In Colorado it is safe to say that three-fourths of the dif- erence between success and failure in keeping bees lies in the proper treatment of swarms. Every colony should give a sur- plus in the poorest season. The ordinary management is to set the swarm in a new location, leaving the old colony in its place, with the super on it. When the swarm has filled its brood-chamber, it also is given a super. This is according to Nature. But bees in a state of nature don't set out to produce what we call surplus honey. They divide their forces during the flow; whereas the one golden Tula it'C should keep in mind is that which is well stated in the words of Mr. Demaree : " A system of managent that will keep the full working-force of the colony together during the entire honey-flow." When swarming is allowed, the swarm only should get the super, and it should be set on the old location, the old colony being removed elsewhere later on. If increase is wanted, the old colony is first made to contribute all the bees it can spare to the swarm, and then left to itself, and only expected to build up to a full colony by fall. Not many bees are neces- sary for this. Perhaps the best way is to set the old colony by the side of the swarm a few days, then shake off all its bees in front of the swarm except such as are on one comb (or more according to weather or advancement of season) which contains the best- looking queen-cell, then remove what is left of the old colony (i. e., all the brood and the smaller part of the bees) to a new location. As Mr. Demaree rightly says, there is no need of any fuss about it. There is only one operation to remember, and when you have done that, you have done everything, and done it thoroughly. This also prevents after-swarms, which are a regular nuisance, and do not pay anyhow. If more in- crease is wanted, the old colony, instead of giving bees to the swarm, can be divided into nuclei. This is a plan I have suc- cessfully practiced. When increase is not wanted, the simplest way is to pro- ceed as before, and hive the swarm in a contracted brood- chamber (preferably shallow rather than narrow) with a queen-excluder. It will not be worth much in the fall, but it will have stored lots of surplus. It can then be united to the old colony. There is another plan, followed by Mr. Lyman, of Illinois, by which it is the swarm which survives and the old colony which is united to it. I have tried it with good success, but do not know whether it is any better. This plan has been de- scribed in the American Bee Journal, Vol. 34, page 211. F. h. 'Thompson. Next came an essay by D. L. Tracy, entitled, Swarming," most of which follows : 'Natural NATURAL SWARMING. There has not been a year since I commenced to handle bees but what they have paid expenses, and a little more, up to a very fair profit. If I were starting in the coming spring with plenty of colonies on hand, I should only save the largest swarms. I should send the small swarms back into their hive. I would place the swarm in the new hive, carry it to where I wished it to stand, and let them alone from 24 to 60 hours. When another swarm came off I would take it to the first one, lay a board or white cloth in front of the hive, gently lay them upon it, give swarm No. 1 a good puffing with the smoker, gently puff No. 2, and as they go in catch the queen and pinch off her head. This is my plan when I only desire to save a few swarms. The hive will be full of bees, and with any nec- tar in the flowers will give a surplus. My second plan, when I do not wish to enlarge my apiary, is to use a 10-frame hive, liUed not with brood-frames, but with seven wide frames, the old style 8-section holder used in a double body ; or, use section-holders. This will fill the brood-chamber with 56 one-pound sections. Proceed as with the first plan, and on the third day — not later, for after the third day the queen may commence to deposit eggs — open the hive and take the frames out gently. Some of the sections will have been drawn out by this time. Lay them on a board or cloth in front of the hive, puff them a little with the smoker, and as they go in catch the queen. Pinch her head. Close the hive and let them alone until the next day. If a swarm comes off, run them into the queenless hive the same as be- fore, catching and killing the queen. Put on supers accord- ing to the size of the swarms. With this plan you have two things to contend with- -a lay- ing worker or the "blues." The laying worker is the hardest to contend with. The blues may be overcome by baiting with partly-filled sections. Should the bees commence to dwindle too much before the sections are capped over, add another swarm or part of one. This hive must be watched very closely, for often the bees seem to go all at once. I have had a hive like this with 150 sections full, and not a handful of bees in it. I like this plan better than the first, and it seems more humane than the practice of some to put the swarms in boxes and kill them in the fall. D. L. Tracy. The latter essay was then discussed : Mr. Devinny — I don't like the plan for poor seasons ; too many are lost. Mr. Tracy — I do not run all my bees that way. H. Rauchf uss— What kind of combs do they build ? Mr. Tracy — Straight. Mr. Porter — When you are looking for a queen, how about other swarms coming out? Mr. Tracy — I don't care if 17 swarms get together, if they have no queen. H. Rauchfuss — Are there not too many bees in a hive sometimes ? We tried the plan of running the bees of two colonies into a third hive between the other two, by means of an automatic device. It did not work. There was too much hanging out. But when by means of the same device we turned the bees of only one hive Into an empty hive, it worked all right. In that empty hive we set one frame of brood, which was removed when the queen began to lay. Pres. Aikin — My average last year with the unqueening system was 100 pounds per colony. Three colonies together in one empty hive gave three good supers. Two others in one hive gave two supers. I do not think there can be too many bees. F. Rauchfuss — The reason why we did not succeed with so many bees, is that we had too many young bees. Your un- queening system cuts off the supply of young bees. Mr. Tracy — My plan was suggested by Mr. Aikin's princi- ple of having no young bees to feed. Pres. Aikin — Don't leave them hopelessly queenless too long. A colony that has laying workers is useless for honey. H. Rauchfuss — We had a case of laying workers in which in spite of queen-cells in the hive, comb was built around and on the queen-cells (which were fastened on a stick by the Doolittle method), and eggs laid by the workers in that comb. We had several cases of a young queen in the hive at the same time the workers were laying. When the colonies are weak, queens will seldom lay 5 or 6 eggs in a cell as laying workers do, but when an egg is found on pollen, it is a sure sign of laying workers. PRODUCING extracted HONET. This subject was next on the program, but as no essay had been handed in, it was taken up by discussion. Mr. Porter — I have almost concluded it would have been better if the extractor had never existed. We can get nearly as much comb honey. There is the trouble of adulteration to contend with. We can't educate people on that subject. I used to think so. but have given it up. There is no question that there is much adulteration. Mr. Devinny — Adulteration is on the increase. Extracting encourages it. H. Rauchfuss — There is not so much adulteration as some imagine. Some people get notions in tasting. In a large grocery a clerk told me that some 5-galIon cans they had contained adulterated honey. It was as nice alfalfa honey as I ever tasted. But that is the disadvantage of ex- tracted honey. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 183 j Another disadvantage of extracting is that winter losses are too heavy. There is a tendency to extract too close. The colonies are not in as good condition as when run for comb honey. I don't know the reason exactly. Possibly the bees are benefited by producing wax. Mrs. Booth — Somebody stole my extractor 10 years ago, and I was glad of it. Mr. Porter— It is hard to keep up the stock when extract- ing. Colonies out of honey and weak in bees are very apt to result. A man took charge of an apiary for me for several years, and extracted altogether. He understood his business ; he never extracted from the brood-chamber ; but that apiary kept running down. The bees do not store so much below. Of course, extra frames of honey can be saved, and the stock can be kept up ; but does it pay ? Mr. Rauchfuss — If a queen-excluder is used, more honey is stored below than otherwise. Mr. Blair — I have no trouble in educating people. Quite a number of my colonies are set aside for strengthening others by frames of brood. When the flow comes, the strengthened colonies roll it in. Pres. Aikin — My experience is much like Mr. Porter's. When colonies are given full sets of combs, they put almost every bit of honey above, if they are good ones. Therefore, we want large hives. Plenty of honey in the spring means plenty of bees. The 8-frame hive here is a mistake. It will not succeed. But I have an idea that in the future we might produce extracted honey and let the bees build the comb. We could let somebody steal our extractors, run the combs through rollers so as to thoroughly crush them, drain the mass, and get the finest honey and wax. Mr. Rauchfuss — We once let the bees build their combs from starters in producing extracted honey. We transferred 47 colonies. They each had 4 or 5 combs, after being trans- ferred, and built the rest. We also put on an upper story with inch starters. They averaged 109 pounds in 17 days. But of course there was a loss iu profit. These colonies did not swarm, because we gave them young queens. Mr. Devinny — There is always a little difference of taste in favor of comb honey. Possibly there is some chemical action by contact of the honey with the wax. (Continued next week.) llONGTllitrtAPK Swarming Contagious. L. A. Aspinwall says in Review: "Although my chief ob- ject in the production of artificial comb [made of wood] was to prevent swarming, I saw other possibilities ; and, although, as a non-swarmer it was not a complete success where located among swarming colonies, still, when isolated I have never known colonies in artificial comb to cast a single swarm. This was abundant evidence to my mind that the swarm- ing impulse is contagious. The aggregation of num- erous colonies under the control of man, places the bee under unnatural circumstances which favor contagion of every kind. When isolated, the absence of drones is sufficient to prevent swarming. Modern bee-keeping, with the use of comb found- ation to exclude drone-comb, certainly restrains swarming to some extent." Many Bees, Much Honey. In the spring I selected an ordinary colony of bees, and set it apart for extracted honey. I built them up as fast as possible and when the fruit-trees came in bloom the queen had brood in 12 frames, and from that source I obtained \iS}i pounds. A few days after this the 12 frames, bees and all. were set in a hive four feet long, and a division-board placed at the rear of the frame of comb. Once a week two more empty combs were inserted in the center of the brood-nest until the hive contained 20 combs well filled with brood. As white clover was not yielding honey, the hive was filled out with frames of empty comb, which numbered .32. I did not expect that queen would occupy any of these last 12 combs, but in this I was mistaken, for before white clover was through yielding honey I found brood in every one of the 32 combs, which if blaced compactly together, was fully equal to 15 frames of brood, coming out to the wood all around. Each frame would give at least 100 square inches, making all due allowance for the few cells of pollen that would be scattered about in different cells, and each square inch gives 50 work- er-bees, hence there were 5,000 bees to hatch out each of these frames every 21 days, or 75,000 from the fifteen frames. The average life of the bee in the' working season is 45 days, hence it will be seen that the queen can place two and one-seventh generations of bees on the stage of action, to where one generation dies off. Two and one-seventh times 75,000 equal 160,700, as the number of bees in the hive dur- ing the basswood yield. Prom clover, they gave 186 pounds ; from basswood 2873-2 pounds, and from buckwheat, 76 pounds, making 566 in all. — G. M. Doolittle, in American Bee- Keeper. Building Out Drone Foundation Quicker Than Worker. I wrote an article about a year ago, telling the result of my experience in using drone-foundation in the sections. I claimed that, when the regular (or worker) size was used, the bees would not finish it and cap it as soon as they would when drone size was used ; and when a starter was used, the bees would change it to drone. I have experimented by having each alternate section all drone and all regular ; and last season I " kept tab " on 550 sections and find : The drone sections are finished 13 to 68 hours before the regular, or average of about 32 hours. In the height of the honey-flow, hours are worth money. I wish some of the older bee-keepers would give us their experience on this point. I will use drone foundation in all my sections hereafter. — Harry Dwight. [At the time your article was published I called for re- ports ; but, if I am correct, none were received. Bees, it is true, seem to prefer, for storage, drone-comb ; but the trouble, as I then pointed out, was that the queen, not having drone- comb in the brood-nest, was quite sure to go into the sections if filled with drone-foundation. But this can be overcome by the use of perforated-zinc. — Ed.] The New Weed Process Comb Foundation. Just as soon as we got the new Weed process of making foundation nicely under way, we sent Mr. 0. O. Poppleton, of Stewart, Fla., sample sheets of the product, and sample sheets of the old foundation, same weights and size. These he was to test in the apiary as soon as the weather would permit, to determine the relative sag or stretch of two kinds of foundation in the hive. After he had made his first tests, he wrote us that the difference was slightly in favor of the new process ; but the weather was hardly suitable to arrive at satisfactory results. A month or so later we heard from him again, under date of Feb. 19, giving more exhaustive experiments, the result of which showed that the sag by the old process, or dipped foundation, he had been trying, was nearly five times greater than by the new process. Mr. Poppleton, cautious as he is, desires to test the mat- ter further, when the weather is hotter, and will report again. He adds :" It looks as though your claim — that the new method gives extra toughness to the wax — is correct." Any- one who works the two kinds, the new and the old, in his hands can readily see the difference ; and it is not surprising at all that the bees should discover the marked difference in favor of the new foundation. Incidentally it may be remarked that the bees can work this wax in a much cooler temperature than the old dipped product. — Gleanings. Syrup by the Cold Process vs. that by the Old Way. Last winter, and so far this winter, we tried, and are try- ing, syrup by the cold process, and so far as we can see, it is fully equal (if not superior) to the ordinary syrup made % water and "3 sugar where heat was used ; and by the cold pro- cess we have used the sugar and water half and half, and it was then brought more nearly to the consistency in which bees find the raw nectar in the flowers. Such thin syrup, I am sure, is ripened better whether heat is used or not ; and when sealed in the combs, for us at least, it makes very much better stores. Mone of sugar syrup has shown the least tendency toward granulation, and the bees last winter came out on it in perfect condition. I do not believe heat has very much to do with it either way. Mechanical mixtures can be effected perfectly by vigorous stirring, either hot or cold, providing the sugar is iu proportion of half and half, and this, in our experience, is quite thick enough in order to insure ripening on the part of the bees. They will then reduce it down themselves to the right contistency, if you give them a chance. — Gleanings. 184 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. March 19, PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY GEORGE W. YORK & COMPANY, lis TaicTligan St., - CHICAGO, ILL. REGULAK CONTRIBUTORS : G. M. Doolittle, of New York. Prof. A. J. Cook, of California. Dr. C. C. Miller, of Illinois. Dr. J. P. H. Brown, of Georgia. J. H. Martin, of California. Rev. E. T. Abbott, of Missouri. Chas. Dadant & Son, of Illinois. B. Taylor, of Minnesota. $1.00 a Year— Sample Copy Sent Free. [Entered at the Post-Office at Chicago as Second-Class Mail-Matter.J Vol. niVI, CHICA&O, ILL, MAE. 19, 1896, No. 12, California Bee-Keepers' Exchange. — We have received a copy of the By-Laws of this new organization, and have been much interested in reading its pages. All Cali- fornia bee-keepers should address the Exchange, P. O. Box 15'2, Los Angeles, for a copy of the By-Laws and such other information as may be ready to send out. Surely, every bee- keeper in that State will wish to become a member of the Exchange. We believe that instead of its resulting in the least detrimentally to honey-producers outside of California, the Exchange is going to prove a great blessing. They cer- tainly have 'set other States a good example. Bee-keepers must unite if they_ever expect to get and keep what is justly their right. •-.-» Sweet and Alsike Clover.— This month and next are the months in which to sow the seed of sweet clover —that excellent honey-yielding plant. What a wonderful addition to the bee-forage of the country would there be, if every bee-keeper would sow say only 10 pounds of sweet clover seed^each yearj In a very few years we believe the effect would be easily noticed in the increased crop of honey gathered. Above all things, do not fail to sow some Alsike clover seed also ; and^get your farmer neighbors to do the same. Better send to us for 50 of the Alsike clover leaflets, and hand them around. Only 25 cents for the 50 copies. '^Tood-Base Foundation. — We have received the following about wood-base foundation, from Mr. E. B. Hufif- man, of Homer, Minn.: Editor Bee Journal : — I have just received a sample of foundation sent me from a certain manufactory, called " veneered comb foundation." It is made especially for the brood-c hamber, very thin wood with foundation on either side. Do you consider it good, or in what way do you consider it best to arrange the foundation in the brood-chamber where one runs for comb honey '? E. B. Huffman. Very few reports have been received as to foundation with wood base. One or two have reported favorably. If others have tried it, it may be well to report the result, no matter whether favorable or otherwise. The Benton Bee-Book Resolution passed the House of Representatives March 9, as shown by the fol- lowing letter which was sent to Hon. Geo. E. Hilton, of Michigan : Washington, D. C, Feb. 9, 1896. Hon. Geo. E. Hilton: — I am glad to inform you that the Bulletin called "The Honey-Bee," is to be reprinted. Resolu- tion having passed the House this morning to print 20,000 additional copies for distribution. I have been pushing this matter in different directions ever since your letter was received. As soon as I get a supply to my credit, I will send you as large a quotia of my portion as I can spare. Your friend, R. P. Bishop. As the above Resolution will probably pass the Senate, and Senator Burrows' Bill will pass the House, this will make 35,000 more copies of Mr. Benton's book. Some time ago Mr. Hilton sent in a list of his customers of 1895, and some others ; the Department of Agriculture notified them of his action, also that their names had been listed, and that they will receive a copy as soon as published. Mr. H. expects to get enough copies through his Congressmen to supply his new customers the coming season, without any cost or trouble to them. Of course, now that there will be an ample edition for all printed, the only thing necessary will be for those who desire Mr. Benton's book, to simply send a request for it to the De- pirtment of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. Those congressmen who labored to secure this National recognition of bee-culture, and all who voted for the Resolu- tions, deserve the hearty thanks of bee-keepers everywhere. It ought to result in an increased interest in apiculture through- out the whole United States. Experiments in Bee-Keeping^.— Mr. B. Taylor said this in the Farm, Stock and Home: I am wintering some 40 colonies in two-story hives of 2,000 inches of comb space, and at least 50 pounds of honey per colony. I had intended to stop experimenting, but there are yet many unsettled things in bee-keeping, and I shall go on testing methods hereafter with more care than ever. I will set three large double hives, with their rich stores, on the summer stands, treat all as near alike as possible, and then keep a strict record of which gives the earliest and largest swarms, which class gives the most salable honey during the season, and then figure the comparative profit of each. A Horticultural Fable. — Mr. A. O. Packard, of Lindale, Tex., kindly sent us t'ne following clipping, with the request that " a little apiarian light be let in upon the mind of the editor of Meehan's Monthly :" In the Horticultural Department of Meehan's Monthly, for December, there is an article which will be of great inter- est to bee-keepers, for it is made clear that half-starved bees will attack fruit in spite of the claims of bee-keepers to the contrary. The writer says: "That honey-bees destroy grapes, raspberries, and other fruits is a well-known fact, though bee-keepers and bee-jour- nals dispute It. The creatures are not able to bite the skin, but, in the grape particularly, they start near the attachment of the berry with its stalk where it requires scarcely any force to thrust the tongue through. There are some bee-keepers who are the essence of meanness — people who keep bees with- out taking the slightest interest in providing flowers, and who line their pockets out of the predatory practices forced on the industrious bee. It is too bad that these useful creatures should be led to their destruction by the want of conscience in their owners ; but there is nothing left for those troubled as our correspondent is, but to hang up bottles of sweetened liquid out of which the little thieves cannot escape. It is be- lieved that bees would not steal fruit, if the bee-owner pro- vided flowers for them. It is easier to gather honey than to suck grapes." It seems strange that such an able paper as Meehan's Monthly should publish matter that betrays so much ignor- ance on the part of the writer. It's bad enough to have a writer in a horticultural department who knows nothing 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 185 about bees, but wheu he knows nothing about grapes it's carry- ing matters a little too far. Did ever any one see a bee " thrust the tongue through " " near the attachment of the berry with its stallc ?" The tongue is delicate as a camel's- hair pencil. Just try pushing the latter into a grape " near the attachment " or anywhere else. Besides that, if he had ever seen grapes worked upon by bees, he would invariably have found that they were working through a perforation made not " near the attachment," but right through the part farthest away, the perforation being made by birds or wasps before the bee can have the slightest effect upon It. The "essence of meanness" is to have a colony of bees without providing a nice little posy bed 10 feet square for each colony, so that no bee would ever go 10 rods from home ' Now will Meehan's Monthly do the ame?idc 7io7io7'aii(c by telling its readers no bee can puncture a grape at any part ; that bees fly in all directions a mile or more from their home, and would be likely to pay little attention to flowers planted close by their hives ; that they more than pay for all the i ec- tar they gather by means of the aid they give in fertilizing the flowers; that an acre of flowers planted by the bee- keeper would not ensure that the bees would keep away from a vineyard within half a mile ; that bottles of sweetened liquid would not prove very effective ; that so far as they did trap bees, the man who should hang them up would be guilty of a criminal act, and liable to prosecution ; and that it is sorry such stuff ever got into its usually reliable columns ? A many-^amed Honey-Plant.— A " stray- straw " in Gleanings reads thus : "Shamrock, the national emblem of Ireland, is nothing more nor less than our much- valued white clover. It is worn in honor of St. Patrick, who is said to have plucked a leaf of this plant to represent the Trinity. The botanical name is Trifolium repens. It is also called Dutch clover, white trefoil, white meadow trefoil, creeping trifolium, creeping clover, stone clover, honeysuckle- grass, honeysuckle-clover, and, in Germany, sheep-clover, field, bee, and little clover. The French name is triplet, trefle blanche, or blanc; Spanish, trefol bianco; German, weisser Klee ; Italian, trifoglio." CONDUCTED BY DR. C. C. MIILLER, JiLARETfGO, ILL. (.Questions may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct] Feeding Bees Short of IStores. I expect to put my bees out the first day of March, if it is not too bad weather. I have them in a good cellar made pur- posely for bees, but they are very light. Yesterday my bees flew — five colonies that I had out-doors this winter. I have 71 colonies all together. How can I feed them ? Honey is scarce around here this spring, but some of my bees have more honey than they need. They are all in patent hives. Would it do to take a frame from those that have lots of honey, and put it into another hive ? Is home-made molasses good enough to feed them, and light brown sugar ? C. W. A. Answer. — It will be all right to take a frame from the colonies that have too much and give to the others. Home- made molasses and brown sugar will do to feed as soon as it is warm enough for the bees to fly every two or three days. In fact, when bees can fly all the time you can safely feed them anything they'll take, if it isn't actual poison. But when they cannot fly there's nothing better than sealed honey. When you can't have that, use a syrup of granulated sugar. It wouldn't be best to feed syrup in the middle of the winter, but it's all right for spring. Use the crock-and-plate method that has been described in back numbers. Fill your crock half full of granulated sugar, then fill up nearly full of water, cover the crock with one or two thicknesses of woolen cloth or six thicknesses of cheese cloth, lay a plate over it upside down, then turn the whole business upside down, crock, plate and all. Set it on top of the frames, and set an empty hive over it so the outside bees can't get in. Bees Dying — Use of Foundation — How 9Iany Supers to tipc Colony i 1. One of my hives is exposed to the full rays of the sun. The other day it was very bright, although the temperature was 82 below freezing, yet a goodly number of bees left the hive, whether to explore, or what, I don't know. Many of them never returned. They were frozen, apparently. Now what is troubling me is whether those bees would have died any way, or whether I should shelter the hive to prevent them dying so suddenly. 2. Would you advise a beginner to use full sheets of foun- dation in getting combs, or follow Doolittle's plan, as given recently ? 3. la working for comb honey, how many supers would you advise per colony ? Cakniolus. Answers. — 1. While many of those bees may have been of such age that they would soon have died inside the hive, I'm afraid some of them in full vigor were enticed by the bright sun to their death. So it might have been better if the hive had been shaded. 2. That's a hard question to answer. Opinions differ. Gravenhorst, high German authority, says that the bees will do about as well without foundation as with it for the first five combs, but after that it is best to have foundation. Tak- ing into account the great length of time that the combs are to last, and the straight and true combs one can be sure of with foundation, and all worker-cells, I prefer to use full sheets of foundation. But I'll not quarrel with those who think differently. If any difference is to be made on account of one's being a beginner, I should certainly say that the be- ginner has the stronger reason for using full sheets of foun- dation. 8. Circumstances control that entirely. Last season I put one super on each hive. And that was one too many. Some- times five or more are needed. When a super is about half filled it's time to add a second. And when there's only about half a super of empty space in the two supers that are on, both taken together, then it's time for a third, and so on. In general it's well to have ready in advance about twice as many supers as you'll need for an average season, for the coming season may happen to be one of the extra-good ones. Fire in the Bee.Cellar. I have 100 colonies of bees in a damp stone cellar. The first part of the winter (before we had any snow) the tempera- ture was 34^', then as the snow began to gather around the building it rose to 38'J, and now it stands at 40^. I put a small coal-stove in the cellar, and built one fire in it, which raised the temperature to 50", but the next day it was back to 403 again. The bees have plenty of splendid honey, and are quiet, with no signs of dysentery, and very few dead bees on the cellar-bottom. The temperature will probably go a little higher as the snow gets deeper. Would it be best to make a fire occasionally, or run one most of the time, even if it keeps the temperature up to 50^? I never kept them in this cellar before? E. T. Mapleton, Maine. Answer. — It isn't easy always to tell without trying, just what is best. The thing that's wanted is to keep the bees so they will be in the quietest condition possible without being too cold. For even if bees are in very bad condition, you can quiet them down considerably by running the temperature down below zero. The air of the cellar should be pure and sweet, with no smell of diarrhea. Now if you can manage to keep a constant fire in the cellar so as to keep the same tem- perature all the time, and have the bees very quiet, then you better keep the fire going all the time. Cellars differ, and 186 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. March 19, thermometers differ, and your cellar may be as cold for the bees at 50- as your neighbor's at 40^, for there may be 10- difference in the thermometers. A dry cellar will allow the bees to be quiet at a lower temperature than a damp one. So you see you must cut and try. If putting a fire in the cellar makes the bees noisy at first, you needn't feel troubled about that, but if the fire keeps the cellar at 50^', and the bees con- tinue noisy for 24 or iS hours, then you better let the fire die down and build one again a week later. If you can keep the fire going all the time, and hold the temperature day after day at that point where the bees are the most quiet — and that will probably be somewhere in the neighborhood of 45^ — then keep a steady fire. Otherwise put in an occasional fire, and in the case of an occasional fire you can let the temperature run higher than if you kept it going all the time. It will do no harm if the temperature runs up for a short time to 60- or more, but it might be dangerous to keep a constant fire at that. ^ I ■ Variety of BrooiI-Coinb§— marking Hive-En- Irances — Tlirown-Oiit Brood. 1. I have a lot of brood-combs which I intend to use at swarming-time next season. There are a lot solid full of foun- dation, and just as many frames solid with straight worker- comb, a lot empty, with a little over l/lBxJ^ inch wax starter instead of foundation, and a few dozen that contained drone-comb, little patches which I cut out. Now how could I use all of these the best, or with the best results? Would it do to have them mixed, or each kind alone, when hived on small quarters, or will they build out the partly-filled frame again with drone-comb ? How about the starters ? I always prevent after-swarming by moving the parent hive on the eighth day. 2. I see at these packed bees (sheds) on a warm day that bees fly, they don't know which is there own home. They don't fight, but fly from one bridge to another, 4 inches apart; each bridge being 16 inches wide. How would it do to put some kind of a mark above each entrance, and when I re- move the sheds this spring to putthe same mark on each hive, or wouldn't you mark them ? 3. I bought a colony in a box-hive from a neighbor, moved them home, and sometime in January I noticed chilled brood at the box-hive entrance, and among the packed ones at this date, I couldn't see any pushed-out brood, just as if they were not at breeding. January was not so cold, and bees had sev- eral flights, but February was colder, sometimes a little below zero. Without knowing how the packed ones turn out, would you think there was no chilling nor brood pushing out ? Each packed colony has about 30 pounds of honey, and good sugar and water fed early to some to make the 30 pounds. Brickerville, Pa. E. B. K. Answers. — 1. The first thing to do is to cut out all drone- comb starters and melt them up. Don't think of saving any- thing by using it for starters in any comb in which the queen is ever expected to lay. With droue starters the bees are more likely to continue building drone-comb. Very likely you'll do best not to mix the foundation and empty combs. Bees are more likely to build worker-comb the first few days after swarming than they are later. So it may be a good plan to crowd a swarm onto four or five frames, and when those are about filled give the balance of the frames filled with founda- tion. 2. Yes, it's a good plan to have something by which the bees can mark their own entrances. A post or a board stand- ing between two entrances is a good thing. Any kind of a mark will help. 3. I think you needn't be very anxious about the brood you saw thrown out. You'll probably find them all right in spring. Traiiirerring During iTIaple Bloom. To-day (Feb. 18) my bees are coming in loaded with pol- len and honey. If this continues, would it do to transfer ? The soft maples will be in bloom in about two weeks, and the bees work on them more than on fruit-bloom, at least here at my place. My bees have a good deal of honey. If I transfer I can put this into the new hive. W. D. M. Ferris, Greg. Answer. — Having no personal experience in the matter, I wouldn't like to speak positively, but I suspect that it will be well to wait till later than maple bloom. Even if the bees work more on maple than on fruit-bloom, the weather during soft-maple bloom is not so warm as in fruit-bloom, and after being transferred the bees need weather warm enough to work wax in good shape so as to make all needed repairs. You could tell by trying a single hive during maple. Alfalfa Growing. A correspondent at Platteville, Iowa, which is on the southern line of the State, writes as follows : "As I am thinking of sowing some alfalfa, I want to know what kind of success it has had in Iowa. Will it grow on any kind of soil ? What kind of soil does it favor ? Do you think it would do well in southern Iowa ? How much seed should be sowed to the acre? Which do you think the most profitable, alfalfa or red clover ? When should alfalfa be sowed and how should the ground be prepared ? Should it be cut or pastured the first year? Should it be sowed with a nurse crop ?" There are a good many instances of successful alfalfa growing in Iowa, and a good many in the southwestern part of the State. There are also a considerable number of failures, some of which have been due to bad methods in sowing and growing, and some to an improper selection of the soil ; for re- plying to the second question put by our correspondent, alfal- fa will not grow on every soil. It does best on a deep sandy soil, underlaid by a loose, permeable subsoil. It will not grow where there is an excess of water in the soil, nor where there is hardpan between the surface and the permanent water table, which should not be less than six or eight feet below the sur- face. Success with alfalfa seems to depend upon large root growth, and this root growth ceases if the roots reach water too soon. We think there are many places in southern Iowa where alfalafa would do well. The seed weighs 60 pounds to the bushel. For a hay crop it is customary to sow from one-third to a half bushel, and for a seed crop from eight to nine quarts, say from 15 to 18 pounds. As to which is the most profitable, alfalfa or red clover, a direct answer is hardly possible. The feeding value of alfalfa is nearly a half greater in protein than that of clover of equal quality, one-sixth less in carbohydrates and somewhat less in vegetable fat. Where both do well, the alfalfa is much the larger producer, and it also has the advantage of being a perennial, lasting with suitable management, soil and climate, indefinitely. It has the disadvantage of being harder to cure than hay, and it suffers greater loss from shattering of leaves, which is the most valuable part of the hay. Alfalfa should be sowed or drilled as early in the spring as the ground is warm and the danger from late frosts has passed. The ground should be plowed deep and the surface should be made smooth and mellow. The seed should be covered lightly, not to exceed an inch, using a light harrow or brush, or if broad- casted just before rain no harrowing or brushing will be nec- essary. It should not be cut or pastured the first year, but its chief enemy during the first season being weeds it will be ad- vantageous to mow two or three times during the season with the cutter-bar set high, leaving the cuttings on the field as a mulch. It should not be sowed with a nurse-crop, although there are some experiences where fairly good results have been obtained without a nurse-crop, — The Homestead. Removal Xotice. — In order to get more room, we have removed from 56 Fifth Ave. to 118 Michigan St., where all our correspondents should now address us. We are on the 3rd floor in the large brick building on the southwest corner of La Salle and Michigan Streets — one block north and one block east of the Chicago & Northwestern Passenger Station. Remember, we are on Michigan Street, not Michigan Avenue. The latter is used almost wholly as a boulevard and residence thoroughfare, while the former (where we are) is a business street. < ■ » A Ne'w Binder for holding a year's numbers of the American Bee Journal, we propose to mail, postpaid, to every subscriber who sends us 15 cents. It is called " The Wood Binder," is patented, and is an entirely new and very simple arrangement. Full printed directions accompany each Binder. Every reader should get it, and preserve the copies of the Bee Journal as fast as they are received. They are invaluable for reference, and at the low price of the Binder you can afford to get it yearly. If any one desires two of the Binders — one for 1895 and one for 1896 — send 25 cents, and they will be mailed to you. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 187 Largest Factory tl°e West Go?d°^ph!s^£LTf|^ces READ THIS— Mr. Keyes says: The 100 pounds of Bxtra-Tuin Foundation you sent us] Is superior to anything: he ever saw; and I think the same. K. L. Thckek, Wewahitchlia, Fla, Dear Sirs;— The Sections came duly to hand. Indeed, they are very nice. Yes, sir; they are as good as the best. Charles H. Thies. Steelevllle, Illinois. Leahy Mfg. Co. ;— I have received the hill of goods. I must say thej- are the choicest lot of Hive-Stuff 1 have ever received from any place. I admire the smoothness of your work, and your close selection of lumber. Yours very truly. O. K. Ol.mstead, Orleans, Nebr. Dear Sirs;- The Sections arrived in due time, and are all O. K. so far as examined. They are simply perfection. I can't see how you can furnish such goods at such low prices. I hope you may live long and do well. Yours respectfully, Z. S. Weaver. Courtney, Tex. Gents;— 1 received the " HigginsvlUe Smoker " all O. K. It's a dandy; please find enclosed stamps for another. Yours truly. Otto Enders, Oswegathe, N. Y. Gentlemen;— 1 have bought Supplies from nearly all the large manufacturers hy the car- load, and 1 must say yours are as good as the best. Indeed, in many lines they are the best. It is a pleasure to handle them, K. T. Flanagan, Belleville, Illinois. The above unsolicited testimonials are a fair sample of hundreds we receive. Our prices are reasonable and the " HigginsvlUe Goods " are the best. Tbe " HIgglnsvllle " ix4!4. 35,000 7-to-ft. at these low prices -1,000 for $1.7.j; 2.000 for $.!. 00; 5,000 for $7.00 We also have a stock of Triangular Top Langstroth Frames at tlicso Special prices: 100 for $1.00; 300, $2.70; 500, $4.00; 1000, $7.00. On all freight orders of $5 or less, at this Branch, please add 25c. for cartage. Catalogue Free. The A. I. ROOT CO., 118 micliisaii SI., 4'lirCAOO, Il-L,. Geo. W. York, Blsr. Please mention tlie Anierican Bee Journal. MUTH'S HONET EXTBACTOB perfection Cold-Blast Smokers, Square Glass Honey Jars, Etc. For Circulars, apply to Chas. F. Muth & Son. Cor. Freeman & Central Aves., Cincinnati, 0. Send 10c for Practical Hints to Bee-Keepers. A Barffain-EARLY QUEENS. 11!) Colonies Italian Hees in Chaff Hives; two acres land: good house; e.xcellent well. Early Queens— Tested, $1.50 ; Untested, E. £,. CVKKINGTON, llA4t PETTUS, Bee Co., TEX. Questioi;)-Box^ In the multitude of counsellors there is safety. — Prov. 11-14. Better Marketing of Honej-. Query 7.— Along the line of marketing the honey crop, what are the most needful re- quirements now. in order that producers may realize better financial results ?— Calif. .Tas. A. Stone— I give it up. W. G. Larrabee — Higher prices. R. L. Taylor— Selling the honey crop in the hotne market. B. Taylor — To sell in your home mar- ket, direct to consumers. J. A. Green— Better quality, and bet- ter methods of marketing. Dr. C. C. Miller— Perhaps a better quality of extracted honey. H. D. Cutting — I don't know, unless it is a "change of Administration." Dr. J. P. H. Brown — Co-operation — ia packing, in transportation, in selling. E. Prance — When we have honey we use barrels holding 360 pounds each. J. M. Hambaugh— Create an appetite for honey, by pushing sales in every home. Rev. M. Mahiii — Have a good article, neatly put up, and sell at and near home. W. R. Graham— For the retail market, neatness is the first essential, small packages, all neat and new. Prof. A. J. Cook — Full co-operation among producers ; I believe that, aided by our journals. This is practicale. Mrs. L. Harrison — Cultivate their home market. Use honey in their fami- lies, in lieu of sugar syrups, as far as practicable. 0. H. Dibbern— The best comb honey now appearing on the market is hard to improve on, but much that is offered is still put up in a careless, slovenly way. P. H. Elwood— A good knowledge of the honey-yield in the different sections of our country, together with a knowl- edge of the cost of producing honey, aad co-operation in marketing. Emerson T. Abbott— Pluck, energy, push, keenness of perception, and a feel- ing that you are able to take care of yourself without any help from the law or your neighbors, provided you are let alone. Chas. Dadant & Son— Salesmen at home. You need some one who will talk to your neighbors and get them to eat; honey. You have no idea, till you try, of the sales that can be effected by a live peddler. Mrs. J. N. Heater— If producers will counsel together instead of under-selling each other, then make consignments of carefully graded honey to honest dealers who are responsible, they can do much toward bettering said results. Allen I'ringle— "The most needful re- quirements " are : First, put nothing on the market but good, pure, ripe honey, cleanly and tidily put up ; second, let every bee-keeper work up the home market for all it is worth, instead of shipping his honey off to some commis- sion man ; third, diminish the cost of 188 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. March 19, production by applying the highest scieiice and the best a?-t to the business, for this is tantamount to increasing the price. Eugene Secor — Don't neglect the home market to send your honey to large cities. California honey is now selling in my local market at one cent less than my own. Who realizes the most profit from its production, myself or the other fellow? J. E. Pond — I don't know anything in regard to this matter, as I don't produce any honey to sell. My idea is, however, that the requirements are : The best honey, in well-filled sections, carefully cleaned, and sent to the market in at- tractive form. If this won't sell honey nothing will. G. M. Doolittle— Legislation in favor of the producers of wealth instead of trusts, combines, and monopolies. The trouble is not that the price of honey is too low, but that what we have to buy with our honey is too high, or out of pro- portion. Legislation is all in favor of the plutocrats or parasites, and against the producers of wealth. G. W. Demaree — The most needed thing I know of is a great deal of energy to improve the "home market" for honey. As long as nearly all the honey is crowded into the city markets its price will decline. I have a friend who markets nearly his whole crop of honey from a spring wagon in the country and small villages, at a price from 30 to 50 per cent, above the quoted city markets. Convention I%etices. Texas.— The Texas State Bee-Keepers' con- vention will be held on April 1 and 2. 1896. All bee-keepers are Invited. L, Blossom. Tex. W. H. White, Sec. r Utah.— The Utah Bee-Keepers' Association will hold their semi-annual meeting In Room 54. Citv and County Building. Salt Lake City, Apr. 6, 1896, at 10 a.m. All are invited. "In union is strength. By industry we thrive." Come, and bring: your friends, and enjoy a good time. A lull program in the interest of the industry will bepiesented. The Associa- tion needs j'our aid ; then let every one do his full duty for our own Interest and self-pres- ervation. Geo. E. Dudley. Sec. Provo, Dtah. Ready JUixed Paiuts.— There was a time when people supposed that good paint could only be produced by the use of whitelead and oil. That argument is still driven with considerable force by many painters, because it is profitable for them to do so. The IngersoU's Liquid Rubber Paints are much cheaper and are guaran- teed to be the best and most durable that money will buy. These paints are free from the objections of "chalking" and will not scale or fade. They are sold largely all over the country. To all those wishing to inform themselves on this mat- ter, we suggest that they correspond with O. W, Ingersoll, of the Patron's Paint Works, Brooklyn, N. Y., whose advertise- ment is on another page. Bee-Keepers" Pliotogi-apli.— We have now on hand a limited number of ex- cellent photographs of prominent bee-keep- ers— a number of pictures on one card. The likeness of 49 of them are shown on one of the photographs, and 131 on the other. We will send them, postpaid, for .50 cents each, mailing from the 121 kind first ; then after they are all gone, we will send the 49 kind. So those who order first will get the most " faces " for their money. Send orders to the Bee Journal office. Set.I- • B- •■ E- ■ F ■ G- • H •■ K.- ■■ I-- •■ BT- • O- • r- OUCTriSi Sets Plants ami Fruits! Ity niiiil poKtpniilt wjsfe arrival and natisraction iraaranteed. Order l>y Ilie'lcitiTs and the nuuitiers from tbis advertisement NOW, as these are intro- ductory sets, not in catalotiue. an Eletrant Annu:il of 16>^ i>:it;eM. which will be sent free with first order. If none ot these sets suit voii ;ind yuu want anvihlnR in our line send for CATAX.Oilie TREAM OF THE FRUITS. Trees and plants in these sets are all thrifiy aud well rooted. Try Ibem. 10 elegant prnfnse bloomin*; Itoses, including one of the new famous Crimson Kambler. TiOc -It; pkis choice Veeretii!>t<„' Seed**, Iti sorts and 1 pkt. of our new Oolden Hubbard Squash f>Uc ^0 pkts choice Flower Seeds, 20 sorts fiOc n I ^i t 'r, _••• .•«£«.. x> : .. ■.- 1^ in r-i-ixtc 10 irayrant t'aruiition i'inks, 10 sorts, 50c -10 Prize ChryHanthemums, 10 sorts, 50c -4 superb French Cannnw. 4 surls. 50c -10 'iart,'e flowered Gerjiniinns, HI sorts. 50c -:>U fine Oliidi oil. all tluwerliiu' luilbs. 50c -lOTuberoM"*. d mblesorts all dowering. 50c ■lOtlowerin-pianiNall different, 50c -f. hardy tirna[iicnt:il Shrub«. li sorts, 50c -« hardy ClimUinK Vines*, t; sorts, 50c -I elegant Palms, strout,' plants, 2 sorts. 50c One-half each of any two sets 50c.. any 3 sets Jl 25. 5 sets $-,'.00. Everything of the best for LAWN. CO.^SERVATORY, PARK, ORCHARD, VINEYARD and GARDEN. 42nd YEAR. 1000 ACRES. 29 GREENHOUSES. THE STORRS & HARRISON CO., Box2f9 Painesville. 0. FRUIT TREES, ETC. MAIL SIZE. Sot 103— S Pcnchcs, 4 sorts. " 104— S Ai»|»K*. 4 sorts. " lO.^— 3 Peai', 2 sorts. 2 Cherry, 3 sorts, " lOC-li Grape--, a sorts, " Iwr-lOGrapeN, all Concord " 108-4 GooKeberrie**, 4 sorts, " 10»-10Cnrr:iiitfi, 3 sorts, " 110-:M) Raspberries, 5 sorts, " 1 11— 50 Strawlierries, 0 sorts, .Wo aic Mo 60o .Wo 60o Hlc 60e 5oo St. Joe Is liic name of the Hive you want. PRICE- LIST now ready. Send stamp and get valuable paper on WI»ITERI!VO BEES. COI>DEi\ WYANDOTTE Eggs from Hnc birds only $1.00 for 13. EMERSON T. ABBOTT, St. Joseph, Mo. t > A A A A A . AAAAAAA.AAA...AA.A...AAA«, WOVEN W!!l FENCE OvprSOStvleslThe best on Earth. Horse high, I -!j^ >V ^-■■viB"" strong, rig and ChiclienI tiKiit^. You can make frucks I & Geese; al.^o Slietl;uid| Ponies. SendGc in BLamps E.COOK. Bos 27, Huntlej'.IU. I IIIIIMBIlMliyMIHMI^Iilll Mention the Anu-rican Litt Journal- 4A13t ^ :^ti >ti >fe. >14 >!^ >!i >li >Ji iK >li >ti >Ji ti BINGHAM BeeSmoker Wonderful Record ! Have Lasted 17 Yeabs. —BEST ON EARTH. AlwaysGlve Perfect Satisfaction. My cool Wire Handle and Bent Nose were patented 189i, are the original, my best Invention since my open or di- rect draft Patent. 1878. that revolu- tionized Bee-Smokers. My Handle and Nose Patent bent all the other smoker noses. None but Bingham Smokers have all the best improvements. If you buy genuine Biugliani Smo- kers and Honey-Knives you will never regret it. The " Doctor," ^-Inch larger than any other smoker on tbe market— 3^-inch stove, by mail, $1..50 Conqueror, 3 •' '■ " 1.10 Large, 2y,-ln. " " 1.00 Plain, 2-in. " " .70 Little Wonder, 2-in., wt. 10 oz. .60 BinKliam * Detlifringtoit Hoiiey-Kuives, 80 cents. T. F. BINGHAM, Fartvell, Jflich. 7Atf Mention the Bee Journal. >i ti. -?] -^ -jp: TK "^J*^ >f^ >?< "^ ■^ '^ ■*!*">?*■>?« ^ HEADERS Of Ibis Joarnal jxrtm Trrite to any of oni advertisers, either lu ordering, or aslcing about the Goode offered, ivlll please state that they saw *.he Advertteement In this paper. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 191 the summer stands, and giving tbem the proper attention at the proper time, and I doubt very much if there is any other plan that will beat it. It seems that is their nature, has been their habit, and they do winter successfully in the timber high up in a tree, often with a large hole below, but they see well to closing all air-spaces above them. As I have said before, my experience is self-experience, as the saying is. It cost me nothing, still I value it highly. I like the Bee Journal, and don't think I could do without it. Now, in conclusion, I will say toMr. Heise: Come over and bring the pig-tail with you, but divide the red apple between yourself and your children; keep the two pieces of chalk to write upon the wall that bees do not eat while conSned in winter quarters. Andrew Cotton. Pollock, Mo. Extracting-Combs and Tar Paper. I have been requested to say whether ex- tractingcombs protected from moths with tar paper by the method I described on page 113, would cause the first honey ex- tracted from tbem to taste of tar ; and if the bees will work as well in such combs. I think the bees would work in them just as well, but I believe the first extracting from such combs would taste of the tar, although I cannot say from actual experience, for while some years I produce a good deal of extracted honey, I have never had any ex- tracting-combs to preserve, for I only ex- tract unfinished sections, and from the brood-nests in the fall, and in the latter case the combs are returned to the bees, and they are fed sugar syrup with which to fill them up again for winter stores. C. Davenport. Southern Minnesota. ♦'Only a Cold." I'm just off the skirmish line of what portended a serious case of pneumonia. And you need waste no sympathies on a person who knows so well the certain ten- dencies of lung fever, and is so careless re- garding precautions for its prevention, or even proper care when the symptoms are strong upon him. No ; I say that a person who knows better, and is heedless of con- sequences, deserves a lesson — and I've just had a good one! It's the same old story with which we tickle our big conceits— "onlyacold." Yes, that's it. And " colds " are just the accidents that more often bring us into close relations with the undertaker. Then, too, it is not always possible to de- termine where the results of lung fever are going to end. Certainly, one's lungs are never again so strong as before the attack, and often enough it lays broad foundations for consumption. The wise will take timely care of a "cold." Dr. Peiro. 100 State St., Chicago, HI. Wintering Bees — Selling Honey. January 34 being a beautiful, springlike day, I went into the apiary, and seeing the entrances of some of the hives indicated a lack of scavengers, I thought I would turn in and help, so I got two bottom-boards (as I have two sizes of hives, the double and single walled). I took a camp stool and set it just back of the hive, puffed a little smoke in if the bees were cross, put the hive on the stool, and the extra bottom- board where the hive was, lifted the hive off its bottom-board and put it on the new one, then cleaned off the bees and cappiugs from the other, and used it in like manner for the next, and so on throughout the yard. In some hives you will find over a pint, others not over a dozen bees; at the same time you can determine the condition of each hive. Some of mine were apparently as heavy as iu the fall, while some were very light, but on opening the lightest I was surprised to find ample stores to last until spring ; then if it is cold and wet I will put on the supers and feed them with the unfinished sections that I saved for that purpose, if they need it. They are un- protected on the summer stands, with sealed covers, that is, if they wished to seal them, but I find some colonies have not theirs sealed, which gives ample upper ventilation, I think, to satisfy the greatest stickler for that hobby. Our honey crop here was very short, only 200 pounds from 64 colonies — on account of drouth and a forest fire, which burned everything green. I sell finished sections, regardless of color, for '35 cents retail, 30 cents wholesale ; extracted 1.5 cents per pound, and in %■ pound bottles for 1.5 cents, '.i-pounds, 10 cents; in Mason jars, .50 cents. How is that for a home market ? The very thought of a commission dealer makes me tired. I sell my honey, or I keep it, and would if I had tons of it. No, no commission in mine, if you please. I would not insult the bees by selling their hard earnings for 3 cents per pound by the barrel. When it comes to selling it at 3, 4 or 5 cents per pound, I would convert it iuto vinegar or wine, or whatever you choose to call the product, and get at the rate of 16 cents per pound in that way. I know I am poor, but I allow no man to rob me on the commission plan, not if I know it. J. E. Prichard. Port Norris, N. J., Jan. 37. Honey & Beeswax Market Quotations. CHICAGO. III., Mar. 13.— White clover and basswood comb is sought after In preference to any other, and commands a better price and now sells at 15c. tor clover and 13@14c. for basswood. Other white comb honey sells atll@12c.; dart, 8(S9c. amber, 9@10o., and very slow of sale. Extracted is unusually dull, with largre amounts on sale. White clo- ver and linden, 6@7c. ; dark and amber grades. Beeswax. 28@30c. R. A. B. & Co. PHILADELPHIA. Pa., Mar. 6. -Honey has been selling freely, there being considerable call for comh honey, and the war In Cuba has made extracted boney sell to the baking trade who previously used Cuba honey. We quote: Fancy comb. 15c. ; fair togood,'ll@13.; fair, 9c. Extracted. 4 H@5!^c.; pure white clover. 10c. Beeswax, 30e. W. A. S. NEW YORK. N. Y.. Feb. 24.— Market quiet. White comb in fair demand at ll@14c. Very little demand for buckwheat comb at S@9c. Extracted selling fairly well, principally Cal- ifornia, at 5ii<^5?.iC,. and some buckwheat moving at 4@4Hc.; Southern, 50@55c. per gallon; white clover and basswood, 5K®6c. Beeswax unchanged. H. B. & S. CINCINNATI. O., Mar. 7.— Demand is fair for choice comb honey, at 12@14c. in a job- bing way. Extracted is slow at 4@7c. Beeswax is in good demand at 25@30c. for good to choice yellow. C. P. M. & S. KANSAS CITY, Mo., Mar. 8.— The demand for comb and extracted is fair. We quote: No. 1 white, 1-lbs.. 13@14c.; No. 2, ll@12c.; No. 1 amber, 10@llc.; No. 2, 8@10c. Ex- tracted, white. 5i4@6c.; amber, 5@5!^c. Beeswax, 20@25c. C. C. C. & Co. List of Honey and Beeswax Dealers. Most of whom Quote In this Journal. Clilcago. Ills. K. A. B0BNETT & Co.. 163 South Water Street. New York, IV. Y. HiLDRETH Bros. & Segelken. 120 & 122 West Broadway. Chas. Israel & Bros., 486 Canal St. Kansas City, ITIo. O. C. Clemoms & Co., 423 Walnut St. BBfiaIo,N. Y. Battebson & Co., 167 & 169 Scott St. Hamilton, Ilia. Chab. DADANT & SON. Philadelphia, Pa. Wm. a. Selser, 10 Vine St. Cincinnati, Ohio. C, F. MuTH & Son, cor. Freeman* Central av8. PmsoML MEETim. Hon. J. M. Hambaugh, of Southern Cali- fornia, wrote us as follows, March 4: " We have had uncomfortable weather the last three days, but just what we have been praying for, viz. ; rain— about 3I4 inches having fallen the last 30 hours. But it is cold and windy. There is lots of snow on the mountains. These rains insure a honey crop for ISOO." Dr. Miller and Family have all been suffering from severe attacks of Mr. Grippe. We could sympathize with them exactly, for we had a tussle with the fellow, our- selves, and know just how he tries to '■ down " his victims. At last accounts, all our Marengo friends were " on the im- prove." Good for them. Hope they'll come off victorious. Editor Hutcuinson is giving his readers a whole lot of "Pringleism " nowadays, via hygienic living. Wonder why he doesn't make that a "special topic." Surely, 'tis of sufficient importance. Mr. Pringle seems to know how to get well and keep well. But if all followed Mr. P.'sgood advice, what would become of all the M. D.'s ? Probably they'd have to do like editors- look out for themselves. Mr. E. B. Weed, the inventor of the new- process foundation, made us a very short but pleasant call last week. He was on his way to the Dadants, to set up machinery built by The A. I. Root Co., for making the new-process foundation. We understand that Mr. Weed has one or more inventions that promise to make some big strides in beedom. Of course this " Weed " is not the ordinary, useless kind, but a valuable spe- cies, and will doubtless impress his worth upon the industry of apiculture in a lasting and beneficial way. Geo. W. Brodbeck, of Los Angeles, Calif., wrote thus on Mar. 3: " Unheralded and unbeknown to the weather prophet, it began raining this morning, and should we at this late day be so fortunate as to have much rain, we Califoruians wiU be very h^PPYi indeed, for such an incident has not happened in this icountry since 1SS4. when, during the month of March, there was a percipitation of over 17 inches, resulting in an unusually good honey-year. We'll hold our breath now until we see what this month brings for us in 1S96." Catalog'!^ for 189©.— We have re- ceived the following Catalogs, Price-Lists. etc.. a copy of which may be obtained up- on application, always being careful to say you saw their advertisement in the Ameri- can Bee Journal; Gus Dittmer, Augusta, Wis. — Comb Foundation and Bee-Keepers' Supplies. E. H. Cook. Huntley, 111.— Silverwood Poultry and Stock Farm. I. J. Stringham, 105 Park Place, New York, N. Y.— Apiarian Supplies, Bees and Queens. IHtl'FV ^^0 have a large amount of Pure UlfllLI No. 1 Alfalfa we will sell cheap. XPPn Of those great houey-producln? plants kJUUlf —Alfalfa and Cleome or Kooky Moun- tain Honey-Plant. Alfalfa seed at 7 cts. a lb. RftVS! hpp.ltvi>nn(i Warranted the best, sim- WU»S MCC-tSUlJiC piest and quickest Escape ou the market. Sent postpaid to any address for 50 cts. It can be returned at our expense if it is not as represented, or we will send the Kscape on trial to any bee-keeper wishing to test it in good faith. We are agents tor the Ferguson Patent Hive ^V.^JlrlZ'l^.-cTe^^ Gate Honey-Board, with the Escape. It is the easiest, quicke.'it hive to handle for the pro- duction of comb honey. Address, E. S. LOVESY & CO., 355 6th East St., SALT LAKE CITY. UTAH. Mention the American Bee Jowmal. 0 Atf 192 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Marc?i 19, 1896. Bottom Prices BRING US BIG TRADE. GOOD GOODS KEEP IT. If you want the best supplies that can be made at a little less cost than you can buy the same goods for elsewhere* write to us for low prices. 1896 Catalogue now ready —ask for it and a free copy of The Anierl- can Bee-Keeper (36 pages). TBEW.T.FALCOMRMFG.CO., JAMESTOWN, N. Y. Mention the American Bee Journal. RAATS lOOi A great reduction in Prices on Hives and Sections. Other bar- gains in Apiarian Supplies. State what you need and we will give you low prices. Sfi-p. Cataloirnc Frep. JNO. NKBEL ic SON, High Hill, Mo. l^eiMcmtlieA'mtrieanBeeJmaraa/. 4A26t ^ueeii-Clippiug Device. I want the address of all who clip Queens and bave even the least trouble either in catching- or holding- Ihem while they are be- ing dipt. I have invented a Device by which it is IMPOSSIBLE to Injure a Queen ei- ther In catching or clipping, unless it is done purposely. With it they are cauuht and dipt any way "desired almost instantly. One does not have to touch the Queen with bis bands, whatever. Price, postpaid, 50 cts. Send for Free Circular. C. MOINKTTE, 6Atf CHATFIELD, Fillmore Co., MINN. Mention the A.mcTican Bee Jounuil I AEISE TO SAY to the readers of the BEE JOURNALthat BOOI4ITTI.E has conclnded to sell — BKES and QUEENS— In their eeason, durinji 1896, at thefollowtne prices : One Colony of ItaHans on 9 Gallup framee, in light shipping-box ft^uO five Colonies l'5 00 Ten Colonies 4500 I untested queen. 1 co 6 " queens 5 50 12 " *' lOUO 1 tested Queen ... » 1 .s^ 3 " Queens . 3 50 1 select tested queen 2 MM 3 •' " Queens 4 0 Select tesied queen, previous aeason's rearing » no Bxtra Selected for breeding, the vekt best. 5 0 ) About a Pound of BKKS in a Two-frame Nucltjua, with any Queen, f 2.00 extra. ^' Circular free, giving full particulars regard Ing the Bees and each class of Queens. Address 6. M, DOOLITTLE, 12A25t BORODINO, Onon. Co., N. Y. MC/tto'o *')c Aw/Tf^.cojth Bee Jouniw? QUEENS Smokers. Sections , Comb Foundation. And all A)iiuirun Sii|)|)UeH rheapi Spnd f(ir FKEE utalogne. E. T. FLANAtiAN, Belleville, III. 6A'26t flease mention tbe Bee Journal. Where to buy them at whole- sale price. !:?end postal for des- c r i p t i v e and Fruit Plants wholesale Catalogue of all ot tbe leading- va rieties ot the Strawberries, Kaspberries, Blackbcrrien, «'nrraiits. Gooseberries, Grapes and Potatoes. EZRA G. SMITH, Manchester, Ont. Co., N. Y. SAtf Please mention the Bee Journal. CASH '^"o. BEESWAX For all the s:ood, pure yello-w BEBSWAX delivered to our office till further notice, we will Day 26 cents per pound, cash ; or 30 cents for whatever part is exchanged for the Bee Journal, Honey, Books or Seed, that we offer. If you want casli promptly for wax, send it on at once. Dark or impure wax not taken at any price. Address plainly, Oeorge W. York & Co., 118 llicliigan St., Chicago, III. MYCAT^h^ IS FULL I 1 M%t^5ii PLEASANT VALLEY NDRSERIES of valuable information about Trees and Plants All the Standard and NEW VARIETIES. PLEASANT VALLEY NDRSERIES, fl.^titit.J^^coj.'i'is. , MOORESTOWN.N.J. S Dadant's Foundation S Is still in tbe lead, for we use all tbe latest improvements, including tbe NEW PROCESS, and still make the best goods. Remember that we do not use any acid to purify our bees- wax, and that is why our Foundation preserves the smell of the honey and is more ac- ceptable to the bees, than any other. It is kept for sale by T. H. Strickler, Solomon City, Kansas. G. K. Hubbard. Fort Wavne. Ind. L. Hanssen, Davenport, Iowa. C. Theilmann, Theilmanton, Minn. E. C. Eaclesfield. Berlin, Wis. E. T. Abbott. St. Joseph, Mc. J. M. Jenkins. VVetumpka, Alabama Joan Rey, East SaRinaw. Micb. Vickerv Bros., Evansvllle.Ind. The Jennie Atchley Company, Beeville, Texas. C. F. Muth & Son. Cincinnati, Ohio B. Kretcbmer. Ked Oak. Iowa. Jos. Nyaewander, Des Moines, Iowa. G. B. Lewis Co.. Watertown, Wis. James Reynold^ EievatorCo., Poutrhbeepsie. N Y. Louisiana Bee-Keepers' Supply Manufactory, Donaldsonville, La, Page & Lyon. New London, Wis. and many other Dealers. All agree in saying that no goods are better than ours. Those of our customers who formerly bought through Thos. G. Newman can get our Foundation in Chicago, 111., by addressing us at 11!* Micliigfan Street. We keep no other goods there. We make a specialty of Veils and Veil Stiitis of best quality, cotton and silk. Langstroth on the Honey-Bee, Revised. Bee-Keepers' Supplies, Smokers. Sections, Tin Pails, etc. Samples of Foundation and Xnlle FltEK with Circular. Instructions to beginners with Circular. BEESWAX WA:>XK». Send us your address. CHAS. DADANT & SON, Metitwn the American Bee joumai HAMILTON, Hancock Co. , ILIi. §^ECTMS, B{EE-M1VES. §iHlPPMG-@ASES We make a Specialty ot these Goods, and defy Competition iu QXJ-A.IjIT'y, ■W0K.K:M:A.3>TSH:XI=' and FK,ICE3S. E^ Write for Free Illustrated Catalogue and Prioe-List. Gr. B. LEWIS COMPANY, Watertown, Wis. ^P~ Be sure to mention the imerlcan Bee Journal when you write. _g£i BEAUTIFUL Transparent TOUGH and yet PLIABLE. SEW • PROCESS WEED FOUIATM -DELIGHTS ALL RECENT COMPARAiriVE TESTS IN FEOKIDA show that the old-process dipped wax will sag or stretch In the hive nearly five times as much as that by the new Weed process. REDUCED Our Kew Sanded and Polished Sections PRICES ' and Bee-Hive Material are the Finest Product that money and machinery can turn out. CATALOG FREE. THE A. I. ROOT CO., MEDINA, OHIO. 11§ inichigaii St., Chicago, III. Syracuse, X. \. I — I 1024 niis$isi>ippi SI., SI. Paul, Blinn. ESTABLISHED -166 'tme0lde5T bee-paper -amer r*ab2isfted WGeliJy, at ^I.OO per anntun. Sample Oojiy sent on Ji.iyt>lIcatloii* 36th Year. CHICAGO, ILL., MARCH 26, 1896. No. 13. Something About Beginning The Season. BT G. M. DOOLITTLE. As the time is near at hand when our bees, which have been housed in the cellar all winter, must be placed on their summer stands and cared for, I thought perhaps I could not do better at this time than to tell the readers of the American Bee Journal something of how I manage at the beginning of the season when working for comb honey, as I now expect to follow this article with four or five more on the production of comb honey. I follow a different plan in setting the bees out of the cellar from what most apiarists do, and after trying all the plans for years which have been given, I like this much better than any other. Beginning with the first day that the bees which are out-doors (I almost alwa3"s leave a few colonies on summer stands during the winter) gather pollen, I commence at about 3:30 o'clock, p. ra., (if the mercury stands as high as from 50-' to 60-^ in the shade) to put out a part of them, say from 10 to 20 colonies, as the case may be, scattering them about the yard so they will be as far apart as possible and yet be within the limit of what space I wish the yard to occupy. This is done so that I need keep no track of where they formerly stood, and yet not have any mixing of bees, as would be the case were all set out at once or near together. Where all are put together, as most apiarists do this work, there will be more or less of colonies mixing up, unless each colony is put on the same stand they occupied the fall previous. To so put them requires a great deal of extra work, numbering hives, stands, etc., which is quite an inconvenience, along this line, and even then does not prevent some colonies getting far more than their share of bees. To put out, I place my spring wheel-barrow and lighted smoker near the door of the bee-cellar, when I carefully open the door and quickly step in and get the first hive nearest the door, placing it on the wheel-barrow, when the door is im- mediately shut again, The bees in the hive now begin to re- alize that their long winter nap is at an end, and if I took no precautions would soon be out of the hive and in the air, los- ing their home and stinging fearfully. To avoid this, I now blow four or five puffs of smoke in at the entrance to keep them quiet, when the entrance is closed by laying a square stick in front of it, when the hive is wheeled and placed on the stand it is to occupy. The stick is now taken from the en- trance and the bees allowed to fly. This they will do as leis- urely as they would had they not been disturbed at all, while had not the smoke been given, they would have all piled out of the hive with a rush. This going out slow is a great advantage to them in marking their location and repelling robbers. The next pleasant day more are put out in the same way, and at about the same time, scattering them about as before, but pay- ing no attention as to how near they come to those put out at the same time. I sometimes put out about the same number In the morning of a pleasant day, beginning to carry out as soon as the mercury reaches 45-^, because in this case the bees must get through their thickest flight before those already out become active, or else there is danger from robbing. In fact, those put out in the morning are much more liable to be robbed, especially if a little weak, and for this reason I put out the most of them in the afternoon. By this plan all of the fatigue usually attending this work is overcome, as well as the mixing of the bees, keeping record of where each hive stood the year before, etc. As soon as put out, the next is to see that all have plenty of stores, and if in a tight-bottomed hive, clean off the bottom- board. As I use loose bottom-boards, a clean bottom-board is placed on the wheel-barrow to set the hive on as it comes from the cellar, so I do not have to disturb the bees afterward, on this account. To find out about the honey or stores, the first cool morn- ing I go to the hive, take off the cover, and carfully raise the quilt or honey-board, and look for sealed honey along the top- Miss Mathilda Candler, Cassville, IFis. — Sec page 200. bars of the frames. If plenty is seen they are all right till they are to be looked after three weeks later. If little or none is seen, they must be fed, for if we are to reap the best results from our bees they must have plenty of stores at this time to encourage brood-rearing. For feed at this time, I prefer combs of sealed honey set in next to the cluster, to anything else. If no such can be had, we must feed sugar syrup, of course ; but the feeding of syrup or extracted honey, thus early in the season, entices many bees out to perish in unfavorable weather. 194 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. March 26. Three weeks later, the hives are opened for the first time (unless we have some essential cause for opening them sooner) and the brood-nest reversed by placing the two center combs of brood on the outside and the outside ones in the center. By so doing, a great gain is made, as all of the older brood is in the central combs, which are generally filled nearly to the out- side next the frame, while only small patches of eggs and small larvas are in the outer ones. This reversion causes the now in- side frames to be filled entirely with brood in the shortest space of time, while there is little danger of chilling any brood in this way. Remember, it is only the combs that actually have brood in them that are to be reversed, not all the combs in the hive, for, if this latter was to be done at this time, much harm would be the result. At this time we should also know that each col- ony has plenty of stores to last two or more weeks, for at no time should the bees feel that they must economize in honey, if brood-rearing is to go on rapidly, which it now must if we are to get a good harvest of honey. Borodino, N. Y. Getting Women to Attend Conventious. BV MRS. N. L. STOW. At the Chicago meeting of the Illinois State Bee-Keepers' Association, this question was asked by our worthy President: " What can we do to interest the women, and get them to attend our conventions '?" The question was not fully answered. That all who are interested in bees, will be glad to attend if they have oppor- tunity there is no doubt, as there is so much to be heard there that we do not get in our printed reports, and, as far as I have been able to judge, those who have attended have been most cordially and graciously received, so they can have no cause for complaint on that score. The best solution of the question would be, to let each man begin at home — bring the wife, daughter, or sister, and having his own there, he will be more likely to tolerate his neighbors'. If you have any female relative you can inveigle into the business, do so, and make her think, if you can, that she is as much interested as you are, financially, or otherwise, and you will have a most efficient helper, and you won't have to ask her twice to attend the convention with you. While the wife and daughter may be the best help for the apiarist, I object to making them a convenience. It may look sordid, but if there is any money in the business they should share enough in it to feel that they are working for themselves as well. That, of course, is an individual matter, but — " All work and no pay makes Jack a dull boy," applies here as well as anywhere, and they should get as much fun, or profit, out of it as you do yourselves. I have never advised a woman to go into bee-keeping in- dependently ; all have not a natural taste for it, and there is so much expense attending it, that a woman should think well before venturing ; but for one with a love for nature studies, and strength for out-door work, it is an ideal occupation, es- pecially as a helper or director of an apiary. There is activity and mental stimulus enough to give it a zest, and lift it out of drudgery. Some of our best ladies are interested in bee-culture. One whose name is well known in high social circles in Chicago, has put bees on her summer home in the country, and has made the care of them a study, and took charge of them her- self last summer. To my young sisters who may be restive in your country home, and ambitious to try city life, I would say — Don't. Our large towns and cities are full enough of struggling humanity. Make the most of your opportunities where you are. Try bee- keeping, or anything else that will keep your lives pure and sweet. If you are aiming for higher culture, then I bid you God-speed ; but cheap finery is not culture. Hamerton says : " The essence of intellectual living is a constant preference for higher thought, over lower thought, and this preference may become the habit of a mind which has not any consider- able amount of information." Evanston, 111. Large vs. Small Hives — The Double 8-Frame. BY CHAS. DADANT. On page 34, Dr. Miller asks me : " What about a big lot of bees reared too late to work on the harvest ?" In a previous article, I have shown that the colonies which are the most likely to rear a big lot of bees too late for the harvest are those that are too weak at the beginning of the harvest to gather a big crop of honey. The others being strong at the beginning of the harvest, fill the cells early, and the breeding is more likely to decrease in them early. "Those hives, which breed largely late, we have shown that we use for increase, putting their bees where they will do the most good. But what if we rear a big lot of bees in every one of our hives before, during and after the harvest? You will, or course, grant that the number of idle bees will only be propor- tionately larger in our hives than in the small hives. I would rather have a large lot of bees during the whole year, in my hives, than to have as small a lot as can be reared in an 8- frame hive. A big lot of bees — after the spring harvest — will make the hive ready for a big fall harvest ; for I take it for granted that you have two distinct crops, as we have. A big lot of bees, in the fall, will give the colony a chance to winter' better, rear young bees earlier, and — since they have a larger proportion of honey — with no more proportionate expense than a small colony. I think we all agree that a large number of bees in the hive, in spring, insures a better chance for a spring harvest; and nothing entices a queen to breed as a large lot of bees in a well supplied hive. Dr. Miller continues : "Even if it is admitted that the 8- frame hive is too small, why, Mr. Dadant, can we not use two of them for each colony ?" Of course, this can be done, and in fact, is done, often, but we have tried it and do not like it at all, especially when we try it side by side with the large hives. The 8-frame hive doubled, increases the space too much — it gives 16 frames in- stead of 8, furnishing about 4 frames more than is needed for the most prolific queens. Now let us compare the two hives, the one with the large Quinby frames and the double 8-frame hive, beginning with October. The colony in the 16-frame hive, if strong, inhabits the entire two stories. The honey may be scattered through the two stories, or it may bo only in the upper tier. If it is scat- tered in both, there is a chance that the upper story will not have enough to winter all the bees. If it is only in the upper story, it is quite likely that the colony will be crowded, in that one story. There may also be some brood in the upper, and in the lower story. Then you cannot remove one and leave the other, unless you wait longer than is advisable. You have to examine both these stories. Thus, not only your visit is long, and excites robbing, but you must either leave both stories with too much room, or give yourself a great deal of trouble in removing the superfluous combs. With the large hive, after the supers are removed, we can, at a glance, tell whether the bees have enough to winter. If they cannot cover all the combs the removal of one frame, and moving up of the dum- my, reduces the space quickly. If they cover all the combs, and you see honey iu every frame, it is evident that they have enough, and they are ready for winter. The work is done fas- ter than with the two stories, and the colony is in more com- pact shape, if very strong, than in two stories, and in better condition for winter. There is no need of disturbing the brood- nest and exposing the combs. Let me say here, that we have never adopted, at home, the cheaper way of making the hive-cap of the same size as the body, for economy's sake. Our caps are all made larger than the bodies, and telescope on them in the old way, being sup- ported as with the good, old Langstroth hive, with cleats all around. The hive is a little more expensive, but we have a better fit, and a much better protection against robbers, moths, cold, etc. An open joint will do in the summer, but in other seasons, especially in spring, we want a well closed cover. Then we have more room to put on an oilcloth or a straw-mat. We even broaden the top edge of our hives, by nailing a slat all around, on the outside, over which the cap fits. Supers, honey-boards, etc., are much more readily adjusted, in this way. In the spring,tbes6 large hives have more of a supply than your 8-frarae hive, if the latter has been reduced to a single story, for winter, as we suppose you expect to do. We can, at a glance, tell whether our bees have sealed honey left, which is usually our test for knowing whether they can go through the rough weather of March and April without feed. With your double S-frame hive, reduced, you will probably have to feed the strongest colonies — the very ones which are the best off with us, uuless, as I said before, you have left the double story on. When the crop comes, all we have to do is to put on the surplus boxes ; while you have to wait for the opportunity of doubling your hive again. If this is done too soon, you make your bees cold by giving them so large an empty space. If too late, they may have prepared to swarm already. With us, the hives which have been narrowed up by removing one or two combs, can be re-supplied, oue comb at a time, if advis- 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 195 able. You cannot do this, and yet, you must acknowledge that it is of very great importance to keep the bees with room, and yet, as warm as possible during the spring months. Our method saves work and gives the bees just the space they want. It leaves enough honey with them for the entire winter, unless the supply was short, in which case you are no better off than we are. If your bees are so strong that they can use nearly two stories the season through, you have an unwieldy hive, easily tipped by strong winds, the bees are less cosy, the cluster more scattered, and the expense of keeping two small hives is just as great as that of ttie one large hive. If we had to use the 8-frame hive, we should not use a double story, but a story and a half, which would make about the right space, but we prefer to use the half-stories only for the surplus. Hamilton, 111. Some Subjects Reviewed and Commented Upon BY DR. C. C. MILLER. Size op Hives. — Referring to the remarks of D. A. Hole- man, on page loO, I must say that the size I gave on page 745 is really the size of the Dovetail hive instead of the Sim- plicity. It's the size, however, that I would make the Simplic- ity hive if I should make such a hive, which I don't think I'll ever do. Mr. Holeman is right in supposing a dummy is used in the hive, and I wouldn't like to be without it. It gives so much better chance to get out the first frame. With regard to super, I'd have that the same size as hive, and I'd have a dummy in that, too. QuEEN-CLipriNG Device. — When I first saw the advertise- ment of this implement, I said to myself it didn't amount to anything, if indeed it wasn't a humbug, but after reading the description on page 130 I must confess I think it would be a fine thing for many an inexperienced person, and possibly it might be a decided help to those with much experience. House-Apiaries on Posts. — Does B. Taylor find no disad- vantage in having his house-apiary on posts, on account of its being colder ? Amalgamation. — Is there something in the climate that makes bee-keepers in California think the attachment of the North American to the Union would be a damage ? Mr. Ham- baugh has come to be a Californian, and his views have un- dergone a change. I do really believe, Mr. Hambaugh, that you Californians have the views you have, simply from some misunderstanding. On page 102, you think a big change would be necessary to unite the two because one is national and the other interna- tional. I believe that is a mistake as to fact, for unless I am utterly mistaken one is international as much as the other. So that point needs no diccussion. As to the " bone of contention," there might be a bone of that kind if there was to be a division, and one society get less money than the other, but when all the money and all the members are one, where is the chance for contention ? That question about "abandoning the national feature to become international" falls to the ground if I am right in thinking the Union is already international. Moreover, our brethren across the border are no more obliged to accept a tax than we on this side. If I don't want to pay my dollar I can stay out of the Union, and so can a Canadian. Yes, you're right, the whole thing should be fully under- stood, and I've no idea there will be any action taken without a fair vote of the members of the Union. Now look here, Mr. Hambaugh, the last time I looked in- to your pleasant face, (I wish I could look into it again) you seemed perfectly sane, but you surely must have been suffer- ing a temporary aberration when you wrote that word about dethroning Thos. G. Newman. Who in the world was talking about dethroning him ? Besides, if I wanted to have him de- throned I could vote against him as manager without any amalgamation, and what more could I do if the two societies were united ? What difference can the amalgamation possibly make as to his election ? Now, friends, if there's any reason against amalgamation, by all means let's have it. But if there's any way by which the numbers can be increased, don't oppose that way through errors of imagination. Marengo, 111. PJo-w is the Time to work for new subscribers. Why not take advantage of the offers made on page 175 ? Amalgamation and a National Bee-Keepers* Association. BY GEO. W. BRODBECK. Have you ever thought of the possibility of the proposed an- nexation of the National Bee-Keepers' Union to the North American Bee-Keepers' Association as being a misleading one, and, should this consummation take place, it would not be what our needs demand ? Is it not true that every organization of prominence in connection with bee-culture that has existed in this country which has gone through the varied phases of consolidation, etc., is a thing of the past '? Is it not true that some of the very individuals who are seeking to enlarge the capacity of the North American are but repeating their past history '? If past failures have followed like projects, have we any assurance that the proposed one will be a success ? If the National Bee-Keepers' Union had no bank account, would the effort to secure control of it by the members of the North American be just as strong? Have the members of the Union expressed dissatisfaction with their organization, and a desire to consolidate with the North American ? Is it not true that the Union has been a success up to the present ? Is it not the boundeu duty of the officers of an organiza- tion to protect its interest without discrimination ? We leave the reply to these questions to the readers, but especially to the members of the Union. Our Canadian brethren have thoroughly intrenched them- selves by effective home organizations, and one of the late re- sults of their labor and combined influence was the enactment of a prohibitory adulteration act by the Canadian Parliament. We, unfortunately, have no such organization, consequently our bee-periodicals find it incumbent to request the bee-keep- ers to appeal to their congressmen, and in all likelihood that ends it ; and this very method has been demonstrated quite recently in the American Bee Journal and Gleanings in the effort to secure a re-issue of Mr. Benton's bee-book ; and yet we are prone to prate about our advanced state in bee-culture, when there does not exist a single organization in the United States representing the bee-keepers of this great land, capa- ble of meeting the demands of the times ! 'Tis true, wo have our county and State organizations, in which we take just pride, but right here our influence ends, and that is why we are so helpless outside of our own domain. We believe that the realization of this condition has resulted in impressing itself upon the minds of some, that this proposed new project of amalgamation would fill this long-felt want, and the sooner we rid ourselves of this assurance the nearer we will be to the accomplishment of our desires, and the at- tainment of our objects. How would it be possible for an affiliated association, com- posed of two elements, and one of those elements of foreign competition, entering the halls of our republican form of gov- ernment, and claim to representthe American bee-keepers (we have no thought of reflecting upon our Canadian friends) ? Why, the very thought is absurd and preposterous ! Nothing but a representative United States organization can ever repre- sent our bee-keepers within our legislative halls, and it is a blot upon our history, both past and present, that no such or- ganization exists in the United States to-day. We appeal to every State and county organization, and to every individual bee-keeper of foreign or native extraction, who claims this land as his home, and whose sentiments are in accord with those expressed, to join hands with all others who favor the upbuilding and protection of the bee-keepers' interests by the organization of a National Bee-Keepers' Asso- ciation. Los Angeles, Calif. Hives and Systems of Management. BY JOSEPH THIRY. Never before has our bee-literature been so valuable to the wide-awake and successful bee-keepers as it is now. One of the most important and valuable discussions is that on the bee-hive — the proper size of brood-chamber, and the most economic and labor-saving systems of bee-keeping ; for these are the ones that will come out ahead in the present competi- tion with low prices. Of course there will always be advocates of the various types of hives and systems, but the great ma- jority will agree with me, that there are but three systems to- day that are worthy of consideration, namely : the Dadant, the Tinker, and the Heddon. I believe there is not a place on the 196 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. March 26, face of the earth (where bees are kept) that one of the above systems can't be worked to the best advantage. Outside of these systems I do not consider bee-keeping a profitable busi- noss — at least in this part of the country. The Dadant hive will be the best for those who still stick to the single story brood-chamber, and far better than the Langstroth hive, for several reasons. For me, the Langstroth hive has seen its best days, for it is too deep to tier up to the best advantage, either for brood or honey, and it is too shal- low to give the best result in wintering. In fact, I have seen but few who could honestly recommend it as the best hive. What gave the Langstroth hive its prominence was the great advantage it afforded the manufacturers, who made the hive to sell, requiring boards of but 10 inches in width, which are the cheapest, and in their eagnerness to sell the cheapest, the Langstroth hive was universally adopted. Dr. Tinker has a far better bee-hive and system, and his frame is far ahead of the standard Langstroth frame; it is handier to manipulate, and the bees will build better and truer combs in these smaller frames. It is also handy for handling hives instead of frames, which is another short cut in handling bees. The single case is just right for contracting, for building up colonies in spring, and for those who want increase. This little hive is just the thing for hiving late swarms (if swarm- ing is allowed), and the brood-chamber, containing 800 inches, is sufficient to winter most colonies, although two are better. And the great beauty of the hive is that a queen will pass from one case to the other without the least trouble, which they will not do with the standard Langstroth, unless they are in the very best condition. A young and vigorous queen, right in her prime of fer- tility, I have found will enter without any trouble the double standard Langstroth, other conditions being equal, but such queens are not always on hand, and another thing is, that adding 8 Langstroth combs makes too much of a change, and will retard brood-rearing, unless it is done at just the right time; and a change in the weather would do great damage to colonies thus expanded; therefore, 800 inches of comb is the best for safety. I would like to hear of the success others are having with this bee-hive. I am sure that but few will have anything to say against it. Another great advantage is that the combs used in the brood-chamber can also be used to the best advan- tage in producing extracted honey, doing away with the nui- sance of two kinds of combs in the same hive ; and it is nest to impossible to produce a gilt-edge article with deep extract- Ing-combs, as the bees are loth to enter it, and there will be ripe honey at the upper edge, and thin, watery honey at the lower edge, which spoils the quality. The same applies to the production of comb honey, and the deep comb will not give the best result with the bee-escape. For those who desire a closed-end reversible frame, the New Heddon hive is the ideal. I consider the New Heddon hive and system of bee-keeping the best for all purposes, but it would be better if the brood-case was a little larger, for it is claimed by some that in producing comb honey the bees are inclined to carry pollen to the sections. Findlay, Ohio. Honey as Food and Me«licine.— A new and revised edition of this 33-page pamphlet is now issued. It has 5 blank pages on which to write or paste recipes taken from other sources. It is just what its name indicates, and should be liberally dis- tributed among the people everywhere to create a demand for honey. It contains a number of recipes on the use of honey as food and as medicine, besides much other interesting and valuable information. Prices, postpaid, are: Single copy, 5 cts. ; 10 copies 30 cts. ; 50 for SI. 00 1 100 tor SI. 75. Better give them a trial. Send all orders to the Bee Journal office. Back Numbers. — ^Ve have on hand a few back numbers of the Bee Journal for 1895, which we will mail to any one wishing them at 15 copies for 20 cents. They will all be different dates, but we have no complete sets for the year. Just send us 20 cents in stamps or silver, and we'll send you 15 copies. No doubt there are many new subscribers who will be glad to take advantage of this offer. The McEvoy Foul Brood Treatment is given ill Dr. Howard's pamphlet on "Foul Brood; Its Natural History and Rational Treatment." It is the latest publication on the subject, and should be in the hands of every bee-keeper. Price, 25 cents ; or clubbed with the Bee Journal for one year —both for $1.10. ^-.-*. See " Bee-Keeper's Guide" offer on page 206. The Colorado State Bee-Keepers' Couvetitiou. KEPOKTED BY F. L. THOMPSON". (Continued from page 183.) An essay from Theodore Lohf, of Brighton, was read, on the " Use of Foundation." The chief points are as follows : THE USE OF COMB FOUNDATION. For surplus, I use as narrow starters as possible, say }4 to % inch, in order to have a nice article of honey, and to save foundation, which is equal to money. I fasten starters with the Daisy foundation fastener. It is easy to put in 2,000 starters a day. I find the sections must be well warmed and dried after folding, or else the wax will not stick. If only one starter should become loose, the loss might be three sections in the super. For brood-frames I use full sheets. I have not succeeded vat all times in former years with wired frames; while work- ing for comb honey, I do not care for them. The bees require little help in working the combs straight when started right. I hang a frame of foundation between two straight combs. I find it valuable in building up weak colonies and in prevent- ing strong ones from building drone-comb. Theodore Lohf. The essay was then discussed. H. Rauchfuss — I should do just the opposite — use full sheets above and starters below. More honey results. There is danger of swarms swarming again when hived on full sheets, even when they have dwindled. Very strong colonies do not swarm as much as medium or weak colonies. I have hived swarms on drawn combs which started queen-cells in three days, and then swarmed. Before I'd use full combs I'd cut them out and melt them in the solar extractor. Never use drawn combs except for building up weak colonies and nuclei. Don't use unwired sheets unless you want more drone-comb than in any other way. The foundation will stretch at the top. The nicest work in comb-building is at the very first of the flow. My most perfect combs are built by nuclei, from starters over wires in the first part of the sea- son. If swarms build rapidly, even their comb will stretch. Foundation in weak colonies late in the season may not be worked at all, except to have holes gnawed in it. Pres. Aikin — It is very bad advice to use foundation with- out wire. H. Rauchfuss — Even with wire, combs from full sheets are not so nice as combs built from starters. They are like a sheet of tin which has been pounded. They bulge every way. Pres. Aikin asked the convention how many had found that by using full sheets they would get an abundance of drone-comb by the stretching of the foundation. A rising vote was taken. The majority had found it so. The most important question in the question-box was: WHAT DO YOU KNOW OF THE LONGEVITY OF DIFFERENT COLO- NIES OF BEES ? H. Rauchfuss— I had one colony which was not very strong, not even medium. Not long after it received a super, it filled it. It continued that way all summer, and kept up only four frames of brood. Such a colony I consider a weak one. But it outstripped every colony in the yard. We had another which for three years was the best one. It was never more than medium in strength. The reason for such cases is, that the bees lived longer, and did not have to support so much brood for the same results. Pres. Aikin — The system of unqueening ought to give the opportunity to observe this point, but I did not have my at- tention called to it. I had one colony which lost every queen given to it, yet it stored abundance of honey, though it had very few bees at the end of the season. The question is a very complicated one, and requires much care in observation. Queens lay freely at different times. Some writer has said that a queen with a large thorax is better. F. Rauchfuss — The colony referred to by my brother had 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 197 an Italian queen which was tnismated. It happened to be the colony which we had on scales, so that a good record was taken, and we naturally observed the brood closely. It al- ways had less brood, and was always the best working colony. The queen was of medium size. The workers were mostly 3- banded. Mr. Carlzen— That hive stood at the end of the row, as I observed. They say the end hive in a row gets more bees. H. Rauchfuss — But they were not strong in bees. Besides, the hive and its surroundings were so peculiarly marked that the bees could not have mistaken their location. The queen was clipped, so we knew it was the same one. The colony never attempted to swarm. Mr. Porter — In Italianizing I noticed one case by observa- tion of the black and yellow bees. In that way the chance for deciding is more favorable. But this matter requires a good deal of science. Mr. Devinny — S.uch things ought to be brought before the Agricultural College by the Secretary. P. Rauchfuss— I have already suggested it, but the col- lege is overburdened with work, and is without some facili- ties. I suggested an experiment in foul brood, but that re- gion is free from foul brood, and they do not want to introduce it. Experimeuting takes a long time. Mr. Alford — The professors are confined nine months in the year. They want a vacation. This comes just when such work can best be done. An experiment station would be bet- ter. The only time they can give to such matters is between the 1st of April and the middle of June, when they are busy with their classes. SECOND DAT — SECBETART'S KEPOBT. The season of 1895 was, as far as honey-production is concerned, one of the poorest the bee-keepers of Colorado, and of the whole United States, ever experienced. But in spite of the scarcity of our products, prices have not advanced ; on the contrary, comb honey was sold in the Denver market last fall at a lower figure than ever before, and extracted honey only held about its own. Beeswax is the only article which is in good demand at fair prices. It would be well for bee-keep- ers to work so as to increase the wax-production of their api- aries. The past season the bee-keepers of the United States have suffered the loss of their greatest benefactor, the Rev. L. L. Langstroth, the Inventor of the movable-frame hive, and author of that standard work on bee-culture, "The Hive and the Honey-Bee." The California State Bee-Keepers' Associa- tion invites the co-operation of the bee-keepers of the world for the purpose of erecting a suitable monument to his mem- ory, and I hope the bee-keepers of this State will not stand back. On account of the poor season, the need of organization for the purpose of disposing of our products was not much felt ; but anticipating a good crop the coming season, it would be well to take steps toward that end now. Frank Rauchfuss. THE president's ADDRESS. Ladies and Oeyitlemen : — We have met once more in the capacity of the Colorado State Bee-Keepers' Association. We come together to see each other face to face ; to give and re- ceive ; to tell our experience since last we met; to discuss ways and means of bettering our condition as bee-keepers ; and, I hope, to help each other to be better in every way. The past year has been one of much disappointment. We looked for good crops, but they came not. We hoped for liv- ing prices for the little we did produce, and in this have been disappointed. Selfishness is the prevailing motive in the con- duct of affairs in general. True, there are many good and honest people; nevertheless, the prevailing custom of business is to get all it can — " all the traffic will bear" — right or wrong. That bee-keepers may crucify this spirit is my ardent desire. We should be as willing to give as receive ; to help one another. This organization is known as the Colorado State Bee- Keepers' Association. It has met annually for 15 years, and has done much good to its members and the apiarists of the State in general. If I mistake not it was through this organi- zation that our foul brood law was brought about. I will not try to enumerate all the benefits to the apiarists accruing from the organization ; but that much good has come, I think all will admit. But is there not more that can be done? Can we not de- vise some way by which we may have a reasonable fund in our treasury ? To do good work we must be thoroughly or- ganized. Organization means labor and expense. That this should be borne from year to year by a few, and the many reap the benefit, is not right. We need many members and more money. I hope to see the bee-keepers all over the State brought into contact by means of the State association. I do recommend thorough organization, but not with selfish mo- tives. Let our efforts be to foster, defend and protect, and not for greed and oppression. Almost every business interest except the agricultural is organized, and why not we? In- deed we must do so or be crushed. Most organizations at first are fostering and protective, but as they grow in power be- come the instruments of oppression. So long as we can work in the former spirit I say organize; but for greed, never, no never I Our country is vast in extent, and we send products to and receive from far distant places and people. Capitalization and organization together with the great transportation facili- ties favor and are fast leading us into specialism. In the days of the past each family was complete in itself, buying little and selling little, producing what they used, and doing with- out what they could not produce; but now we exchange our honey, corn, pork, beef, potatoes, and whatever we produce, for the products of others, thus becoming dependent upon one another, which also gives much greater opportunity for unjust methods, and the more so the greater the combination and capitalization. Were it possible for me to use all my own pro- ductions, or place the same at home where I know everybody with whom I deal, and also the needs of the people, I would not care a snap for organization ; but since I must exchange with strangers, knowing not with whom I deal, nor where the greatest need of my product is, and even if I did know, and a greedy transportation company lies between me and the needy place, the need of a protective organization appears. It behooves us, then, to organize and co-operate ; to place our products to the best advantage through the help of one another; to protect ourselves against injustice. Supply and demand should regulate prices, and co-operation foster and protect. I therefore recommend that this organization — which is but a mere speck of what it should be — reach out to the limits of the State ; that we establish some method of continually knowing the supply and location of honey throughout the State, and the market that will best receive it. I do not rec- ommend that we antagonize the honest honey merchant ; but rather that we centralize the business with those we know to be the right kind of men, or sell through an agent of the As- sociation who is practically one of us, and whose interests are those of the Association. Helter-skelter selling, and slip- shod work, is certainly not the best for the pursuit, nor for the best interests of the consumer. The California fruit-growers have already accomplished a system of selling similar to the foregoing, and the bee-keepers of that State are now organiz- ing to the same end. A fostering association is at all times right, but I much deplore the condition of affairs that necessitates combination for defence. The State (Nation) should foster all its interests, but she does not. I know there are the so-called protective tariff laws ; but as for benefit to the masses they are about as protective as was the " sugar bounty " law that helped the wealthy sugar manufacturers directly, and a few farmers in- directly, while the mass of over 300,000 bee-keepers had to compete with cheap sugar, especially on their extracted honey. Organized buying and selling would both be a benefit, but the more so in the selling, because the sales should far ex- ceed the purchases, in apiarian lines. Every bee-keeper in the State — both great and small — should be in frequent communication with this organization in a central office, and do business intelligently. The manager should know where honey is most wanted, and ship from the point nearest, or where it would bo to the most advantage. One great obstacle in the way is the fact that so many pro- ducers are so encumbered with debts that they must and will sell at once if possible, and regardless of prices or needs of the market. This demoralizes prices both by the direct cut often offered to induce purchasers, and by putting the product on a market not ready to receive it. I do not know how we are to overcome these obstacles, but I do think we should make the effort at once. Methods of packing and marketing extracted honey also need attention at your hands. We have no retail package that is practical for shipping, and at the same time propor- tionally cheap. We now depend upon the wholesale package for a shipping package, and depend on the city mixer to re- pack in suitable retail packages. We should have a retail package that can be used as are those of fruits, the goods going to the consumer in the original packages, and without any tinkering on the part of middle-men. I have not by any means exhausted the subject, but have 198 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. March 26, tried to start you in the right direction, and now wait for you to develop the thoughts, if it seems wise in the eyes of this Association to do so. R. C. Aikin. (Continued next Week.l CONDUCTED BY DR. C. C. Ain^LER, ALAJiENGO, ILL. LQuestlons may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct,] Wlien and How to Transfer. I have a colony in a box-hive ; they did not swarm last year, and I am going to put them into a Langstroth hive this spring. When and how would it be advisable to drive them into the new hive ? C. H. L. Answer. — During fruit-bloom is the favorite time. Many prefer to let them swarm first. Full instructions for trans- ferring are given in back numbers, and in all the bee-books. Sowiiiff Sweet Clover Seed on Sod. I have a waste place of about three acres, partly over- grown with blackberry bushes, etc. It was never cleared of stones or stumps, or plowed. Do you think sweet clover would grow on such a place, if sown on the sod '? I intend to sow some this spring ? E. T. Chain Dam, Pa. Answer. — I once sowed a number of acres with sweet clover on sod. Not one seed in a thousand grew. But I think you would get a catch if you would sow very early (in the fall might have been better) then have a lot of stock run over the ground so as to tramp the seed into the ground thoroughly. Conih-Space — Frame Sizes and measurements- Spring Dwindling: — Enamel Cloth Covers. 1. Is this the correct way to find the comb space in a hive — find the number of square inches (inside measure) in a frame, multiply by two, and by the number of frames in the hive ■? 2. Can you tell me the sizes of the frames, and the number in each hive, of the following kinds of hives : Dadant, Quinby, Gallup, and Heddon ? 3. When a frame measurement is given, how is it ob- tained ? Is it outside measurement, disregarding the projec- tions of the top-bar? 4. My bees are troubled very nyich with spring dwindling, and I would like some advice on the subject. The hives are situated in a warm place under a hill, and the least sunshine calls the bees out to their death by cold winds, etc. I do not care for very early breeding in the spring, because of the many sharp freezes after warm weather sets in, so I think it might be a good plan to shade the entrances with the summer shade-boards, removing them during really warm days. The only objection I can think of, is that shading the entrances shades the hives, and hinders early brood-rearing ; but, as I have said, I would not care for that. What do you think ? 5. Do you use enameled cloth to cover brood-frames, or simply the cover ? I find the bees try to weld the cover, frames and hive together, and I have used heavy oilcloth raised a bee-space by sticks to prevent the welding process. I would like to discard that arrangement if you think the bee- space is of no special value to the bees, and simply use a sheet of enameled cloth. 6. Is there any special form you would like questions to be in, such as writing on one side only, numbering, etc.? Don't think by this that I am going to flood you "off the fence" with questions. Bee-Fevek Patient. Answers. — 1. Of course, that gives the actual amount of comb-surface in the hive, providing the frames are completely filled, but it is not customary to multiply by 2. So, if the in- side measure of a frame is 8x10, the comb-surface in that comb would be called SO inches. 2. Quinby, ISj-^xlli^: Gallup, llJixllJi; Heddon, 18 1/16x5 ?s- I think the Dadant is the same as the Quinby, only a inch deeper. 3. Yes. 4. It may be well to try shading the entrances as you sug- gest, or at least part of them. If you shade part it will give you a chance to compare results. 5. I used enamel cloth for many years, but use none with the flat cover. To be sure, the bees glue together the hive and cover, and I prefer to have them do so. If they didn't, the first strong wind would blow off the cover. I suspect from what you say that the bees build comb between the top-bars and the cover. Perhaps you have too much space. One-fourth inch is all that should be between top-bar and cover. I never used anything under the oilcloth, but put it directly on the frames. The bees always took care to make passages over the top-bars by crowding in bee-glue. 6. It helps to have questions numbered, and although I can make out to answer questions in any shape almost, still it is a pleasure to have plain and distinct writing. So far as I am concerned, I don't care how many sides of the paper you write on, but printers are better-natured if you use only one side. m I m Time to Make Honcy-Yineg^ar. How long a time does honey and water ferment before it becomes vinegar ? C. W. L. Answer. — E. France says he takes two years to make vinegar. T. F. Bingham says a year or less. If you make it strong with honey it will take longer to make than if it is weak. Variation of Bee-Cellar Temperature. 1. Will the temperature of a cellar be any higher with 100 or more colonies than with only five or less in it ? 2. If so, how much will it vary '' 3. Will the temperature be more even with 100 than with five or so ? Nebraska. An.swers. — 1. Yes, the heat from the bees themselves makes a difference. The smaller the cellar, and the more crowded the bees, the more difference will be shown. 2. I don't know, and it would be very hard to get an en- tirely reliable answer. If you had two celiars exactly alike in every particular so you could compare, then you could find out something about it. With only one cellar I don't know how you could find out for certain. The variation would probably not be at all constant. Under some circumstances the varia- tion might be more than twice as much as under others. 3. Probably you wouldn't notice much difference as to evenness, although the larger number ought to keep the tem- perature a little more even. How and When to Transfer. How do you transfer bees? I have 6 colonies in old Lang- stroth hives, and have 10 new alternating hives which are smaller, being IS 11/16x5 11/16, 2-story brood-chamber. The question with me is, how and when to transfer these 6 colonies from Langstroth hives to these alternating hives, to get the best results in increase and honey (in your judgment). Of course there are many things that might make vastly dif- ferent results, but of these unforseen things I must take my chances, as I did at the front in 1861 to 1864-. C. E. M. Answer. — To transfer from a larger to a small frame ought not to be a very difficult matter. Upon a table place some newspapers spread out, and on this place one of the frames of comb to be cut out, having previously placed under the frame some pieces of common wrapping-twine. Cut all around the comb with a sharp, thin case-knife heated from time to time. Now lift off the frame, leaving the comb on the table. Place the new frame over the comb, and with the knife mark around the inside of the frame on the comb. Take the frame off and cut the comb so as to fit in the frame, being sure to have it rather a snug fit. Now crowd the new frame down over the comb. If the strings were placed right in the first place, you will have six or eight of them at intervals, so that all you have to do now is to tie the two ends of each 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 199 string together over the top-bar If the comb should happen to be such that it fits loosely for any considerable distance, crowd in little pieces of comb to wedge it in place. In lifting the comb from the table, it will be a help if you have pre- viously put on the table a board a little larger than the frame. Then you can lift board and all, turning it so the top-bar will be uppermost before removing the board. If drone-comb is present, cut it out and replace with patches of worker-comb. Perhaps you can fill a frame or two with pieces fitted together. It may be well for you to take out about half the frames at first, then when you get these transferred remove the old hive from the stand and set the new hive with the transferred combs in its place, then brush the bees from the remaining comb into the new hive, filling up the hive after you have transferred the balance. Transferring cau be done almost any time, but you will probably do as well to take the time of fruit-bloom. After two or three days you can remove the strings and save the bees the trouble of gnawing them out. Another Frame-Spacer. I send a pattern of a spacer that I am going to try this summer, although I suppose it has been tried and discarded long ago. It looks to me as if it will be satisfactory. Please give me your opinion. There are lots of bees in the woods. I found four colonies last fall. Bees in this part of British Colum- bia fly out occasionally through the winter ; they were out Feb. 16, gathering honey for the first from the chickweed, on the 19th bringing in pollen from the willow; the 20th was too cold. One thing here against bee-culture is the springs, which are generally chilly and wet, although some times it is very warm and pleasant. M. S. Steveston, B. C. Answer. — According to the pattern sent, each end-bar is made with a shoulder at top and bottom. The plan is not new, and some like it, but where the frames are not put in the extractor, there is no advantage perhaps over the use of com- mon nails driven in the right depth for spacers. Starting in Bee-Keeping. If a person wishes to begin in bee-keeping, and must buy his bees of some dealer, which way is the best to have them shipped — by the pound, by the nucleus, or by the colony? Which way would you do, everything considered? E. B. Answer. — In this case, if I understand it rightly, it isn't a question as to where or from whom, but that part being set- tled, it's simply a question as to which of the three ways it is best for the beginner to get his start by. It will cost less to get them by the pound for expressage, but a beginner isn't supposed to have everything in good shape to set ito work a lot of bees with nothing else. If, however, the bees are to be got a long distance, so that the expressage is a very serious matter, then it may be quite a saving to get the bees by the pound, and get hives, etc., by freight. This presupposes, however, that the beginner has read up pretty well in ad- vance. But in ordinary cases, especially if only one or two colonies are to be started, then I wouldn't advise getting by the pound. Much the same reasoning will apply to nuclei and full colonies. If the distance is great, there will be a saving of expressage by getting nuclei. Otherwise it will be better to get full colonies. Another item comes in to be considered, and that is the length of the purse. If a merchant in good circumstances is about to start in bee-keeping, and he doesn't care much for the matter of expense, by all means let him get full colonies. But if his clerk is the one, and that clerk is hardly earning enough to get him decent clothes, better get nuclei. Cleaning Out Unfinished Sections. Having a large number of unfinished sections, I would like to know if the bees that are a little short of stores as the season opens would remove the honey that is in them, they being placed in supers and put on top of the hive. O. L. Answer. — If they are short of stores, and if the weather is warm enough for the bees to go up, they will take the honey out of the sections placed over. If your object is to get the sections emptied so as to have them filled again, you will do well to do something more than to merely place them in supers on the hive. For there is likely to be some candied honey in them, and the bees will not be sure to empty out all the little granulations. If any are left in, even though so little that you don't see it, it will spoil your section honey next summer. Unfinished sections, to be used over again, should be cleaned out by the bees at the close of the harvest, before there is time for any granulation. After the bees have had a chance to empty the sections on the hive, put them out where all the bees can get at them. They will clean them out a good deal better there than on the hive. But there's danger of their tearing the combs to pieces. There are two ways to avoid this. The best way is to put out enough at a time so that all the bees in your apiary can find plenty of room to work on the sections. If you put out a single section for a dozen of colonies to work at, you may count the comb won't be worth much when they're done with it. But if you have only a few sections, then instead of having them all open as you do when you have plenty, go to the other extreme and allow an entrance to the sections only large enough for one bee to enter at a time. But never again carry unfinished sections over the winter with the intention of having the bees clean them out in the spring. The fall's the time for that job. Facts About Sweet Clover. If sown with oats or other grain, it is apt to become choked out, before the plants get a start, and should it be desirable to sow in this way, the grain should be put in very thin. It has always seemed to me that it would be a good plan for bee- keepers who are also farmers to sow sweet clover quite exten- sively and show neighboring farmers thatit is a valuable plant, quite worthy of their attention aside from bee-keeping. If cut the first year in September it will produce a fine crop of hay, quite equal to alfalfa, and the plants will not beinjured. Show farmers that it may be pastured for a month or more in early spring to great advantage the second year. It may then be plowed under to fertilize the land, but of course that would destroy it as a honey-plant. At the present price of seed, I am surprised that farmers do not raise it for that alone — it would surely pay better than many other crops. Farmers seem to be prejudiced against the plant and we should try to teach them that they are wrong, and that it is really one of their best friends. Show them that if they want to get rid of it from the field, they have but to cultivate it thoroughly for two years, or turn in plenty of stock for a few years, and hardly a plant will re- main. If we but show farmers how this, and other honey-pro- ducing plants can be profitably raised by them, the soon- er will we hasten the time when "The good years will come again." — C. H. Dibbekn, in Canadian Bee Journal. Shall We Use Separators ? I first used separators in 1872, on a small scale, to try the feasibility of them. These were cut so as to leave one-half inch at top and bottom of the sections, as I felt sure that they would retard the labor of the bees in the sections, inasmuch as they divided the bees into small clusters, apparently. To test the matter thoroughly, I used fully as many without separa- tors, and with other colonies I went so ffPr as to leave the bot- tom pretty much entirely ofi' the sections, using only a thin strip to hold the sections together at the bottom, to see how much gain there would be by the most frequent communica- tion all throughout the whole brood-chamber and surplus apartment, but at the end of the season, each part of the api- ary tried was about equal as regards the surplus. One thing I found, which was, that in my anxiety to get all the communication possible, I had made a blunderain cut- ting the tin too narrow, for the bees built the honey-cells out too long at the top and bottom of the sections, thus making them so they could not well be crated, without causing the honey to leak more or less. The next year the tin was cut wider, and also many separators were slotted so as to divide the bees as little as possible and other colonies were prepared with sections without separators. No perceivable difference, as to yield, was the result, again, while many of the sections used without separators could not be crated for mar-ket, and had to be disposed of the best way I could. I finally adopted a separator as wide as the inside of the section, less one-quarter of an inch at the top and bottom, with no perforations of any kind, and today, although I have ex- perimented many ways since then, I see no reason for aban- doning separators, or changing what I decided upon in any- way, but, on the contrary, see many reasons for still continu- ing their use.— G. M. Dooi.ittle, in Progressive Bee-Keeper. 200 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. March 26, PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY ! GEORGE W. YORK & COMPANY, MS Aficliig-an St., - CUICAGO, ILL. REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS : G. M. Doolittle, of New York. Prof. A. J. Cook, of California. Dr. C. C. Miller, of Illinois. Dr. J. P. H. Brown, of Georgia. J. H. Martin, of California. Rev. E. T. Abbott, of Missouri. Chas. Dadant & Son, of Illinois. B. Taylor, of Minnesota. $1.00 a Year— Sample Copy Sent Free. [Entered at the Post-omce at Chicago as Second-Class Mail-Matter.] Vol. niVI. CHICAGO, ILL, MAE. 26, 1896. No. 13. A National Bee-Keepers' Association is proposed by Mr. Brodbeck, on page 195. If such is ever organized we would suggest that it be called "The United States Bee-Keepers' Association " instead of " National." We have a National Bee-Keepers' Union, and to use the same descriptive word for another society, perhaps composed of the same members, might lead to confusion and possible annoy- ance. Mr. Brodbeck is quite right, we think, when he intimates that our country ought to be able to have a grand bee-keepers' association all its own. Other countries have such, and why not we ? Home marketing; of Honey is now receiving a good deal of attention in some of our contemporaries. Good thing. It's high time bee-keepers are learning to work the "gold-mines" near their homes instead of rushing their honey off to city markets, and often into the hands of untrustworthy commission-dealers. As " charity begins at home," so should honey-selliug. If you love your neighbors as you should, you'll see to it that they all are well supplied with honey be- fore sending a pound to city markets. The home demand must first be worked up, and then supplied with a good article. No trouble to hold it then. Think well along this line before you have another crop of honey to dispose of. It will pay. Tbe Benton Bee-Book Ag-ain.— Last week we received the following just a little too late to appear in the previous number of the Bee Journal : Friend York : — Senator Burrows' Concurrent Resolution as amended, providing for the reprint of 20,000 copies of Bulletin No. 1, on "The Houey-Bee," has passed both branches of Congress, and is now in the hands of the printer. Of this edition, 15,000 copies will be distributed by Members of Congress, and 5,000 by the Department of Agriculture. The Department informs me they now have over 2,000 appli- cations on file, and as soon as it is known that anew edition is to be published, they will be swamped. Will you kindly ask your readers to apply to their Senators or Representatives for copies. Should their allotment be exhausted, the requests will then go to the Department of Agriculture. This will serve two purposes, viz.: Relieve the Department of Agricul- ture, and impress upon Congress the extent of our industry. and the appreciation by the bee-keepers of the work and their efforts in the interest of their constituency. Very truly yours, Geo. E. Hilton. Now we hope that all who wish to have a copy of Mr. Benton's book will follow Mr. Hilton's directions, as given above. Be sure to apply through your Congressmen instead of the Department of Agriculture, and see to it that the names of all the bee-keepers you know are sent in for the book. It is not always that every bee-keeper has a chance to get something for nothing, or merely for the asking. But here is a case where it seems to be the fact. Send in your re- quest at once — to one of your Congressmen — Senator or Rep- resentative. Comb-Honey Production.— In this number of the Bee Journal, Mr. Doolittle tells how to begin the season, and that article will be followed by others from his practical pen along the line of comb-honey production. Then, next week, Mr. W. Z. Hutchinson will commence a series of four articles on "Producing Comb Honey in Michigan." Those who wish to produce comb honey will find in the articles of Mr. Doolittle and Mr. Hutchinson ^ lot of valuable instruc- tion, which will well repay careful reading and heeding. We believe that this year we have secured many of the very best writers on the subject of bees in this country — in fact, we have not spared expense in getting reading-matter for the Bee Journal, and we believe that our readers are ap- preciating it, and will do all they can to show their apprecia- tion, not only by way of promptly paying their own subscrip- tions, but will get as many of their neighbor bee-keepers as possible to take the Bee Journal regularly. It will pay to help educate all your surrounding bee-keepers, so that they will be likely to produce a better article of honey, and then not spoil a good home market afterward. Tlie Langstrotb monument Fund.— As our experience tallies exactly with that of Gleanings in regard to this fund, we give here an editorial from that paper for March 15: It will be remembered that, a few issues ago, a movement was started to build a suitable monument over the grave of Father Langstroth, said monument to be purchased with sub- scriptions received from bee-keepers. I regret to say that so far only a few subscriptions have been received. I cannot be- lieve it is because of a lack of appreciation, nor because times are so ver^ hard, but because it has been put off. I wish to say that even small subscriptions are very acceptable — amounts of 50 cents and $1.00. These, as fast as received, will be credited and acknowledged ; but if sent with other re- mittances, be sure to designate which is for the Langstroth monument fund. I believe that all the supply manufacturers, if not a good many of the dealers, should be willing to give more largely than bee-keepers who buy of them ; but, in the meantime, let the small subscriptions come in. It would in- deed be a reproach upon us, if, having attempted to raise funds for a suitable monument, we should fail. Miss Matliilda Candler, whose portrait is shown on the first page this week, is one of Wisconsin's fair lady bee-keepers, living at Cassville. She began bee-keeping about seven years ago, by buying two colonies of bees in box-hives, which increased to four, and the next spring were transferred to Langstroth hives. Miss Candler uses the 10-frame Langstroth, and thinks that is none too large, for the queen keeps them pretty well filled ; also, the bees are apt to be better prepared for winter. The outside frames are nearly always solid full of honey. She works mostly for comb honey, running only a few colonies for extracted, and extracting such unfinished sections as are not readily sold. She cuts out and sells as broken comb all not heavy enough to sell in the sections. The extracted sections, after being cleaned by the bees, are melted into 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 201 wax, or, if nice and clean, are used again the next season. In using these sections. Miss C. puts a row at each of the sides of the super, and one row in the middle, and fills out with new sections, using separators between each row. She thinks it pays to use them in this way. Miss Candler puts the supers on when the raspberries be- gin to bloom— being about two weeks before clover begins to bloom— and gives the bees plenty of time to get ready for storing the honey, if there is any. But the] last few years have been so dry, that the clover is nearly all gone, and her harvest has been mostly from basswood and fall flowers. She winters her bees on the summer stands, in a box or frame with a hole cut in, to come even with the entrance of the hive. To the top edge is tacked a piece of canvas or mus- lin. This is set over the hive and filled in with sawdust. It is something like a sack, which is pinned shut over the top of the hive with pins. Her bees winter better when prepared in this way, than in any other way she has tried. Miss Candler attended some of the sessions of the late Illinois convention, where we had the pleasure of meeting her. We hope to hear occasionally from her by way of something from her experience in the bee-yard. We wish all women bee- keepers to feel free to "have their say " in the Bee Journal. This is one of their " rights " we shall take pleasure in seeing that they get. *-»-^ The Next North American Meeting— where will it be held ■? Again we want to suggest the experiment of following the G. A. R. encampment this year. As the Grand Army meets in St. Paul in September, and that city will be pretty well crowded then, we think that Minneapolis would be the proper place. All could get round-trip tickets to St. Paul, and then a small street car fare would take them to Minneapolis in a few minutes more. It seems to us this plan is worth trying, as the railroad fare will be only one cent a mile at that time. While we know that it was practically decided at the St. Joseph convention that the North American in 1896 should go to Lincoln, Nebr., still we also know those good Western people are willing that the success of this year's meeting shall not be prevented by holding the North American so strictly to its pledges in a matter of this kind. Doubtless some other year, and that very soon, the G. A. R. will meet in Lincoln or Omaha, and then, if we find it a good thing to follow it around, there will be such a big meeting of bee-keepers as will simply astound our Nebraska friends, although accustomed to big things. What does the Executive Committee say ? Will they let the North American try the plan of assuring its members of low rates, by meeting with the G. A. R.? We would like to see it just once, any way, for we feel that ever afterward it would be the settled thing, and then wherever the annual G. A. R. meeting is announced, all bee-keepers would know that the North American will be there, too. Asking: Questions to be answered in the depart- ment of " Questions and Answers" is all right for any or all who are subscribers to the Bee Journal. But we have no space to waste on people who do not think enough of the Bee Journal to pay for it and get it regularly. We invite our pay- ing subscribers to send in their questions — to us or Dr. Miller — but we do not feel under any obligations to answer questions in the Bee Journal when asked by a bee-keeper who is trying to " sponge " his information. We have just had such a case — a fellow in Kentucky who ordered this journal for some time, refused to pay for it, and then sent Dr. Miller a lot of questions, with the request that they " be answered in the American Bee Journal." Not much. Only honest people can patronize our question and answer departments, if we know it. mm^^^M iMim How to Feed Bees Profitably. The rapid breeding in the early part of the season uses up the stores in the hive and very frequently leaves the combs empty at the beginning of the honey harvest, and they will be filled with the choicest honey from the flowers before the sec- tions will receive any attention from the bees ; and sometimes, in a poor season, this takes about all of the honey that the bees are able to gather and there will be nothing for the bee- keeper to show but stings. This has seemed to me to be a grand opportunity for suc- cessful and profitable feeding, and I have made it an opportu- nity for exchanging sugar for honey by feeding the bees liber- ally at this time, filling their store-combs with sugar syrup for winter stores, and getting in exchange the choicest honey from the flowers in the sections. By this plan there is a possibility of some surplus if any honey is gathered from the field. Of course there is a premium on this exchange, just how much depends on several things. A part of the feed given at this time will be converted into young bees, which will become a part of the working-force to gather the surplus honey, and a part will be sealed up in the store-combs for winter stores. The part that becomes winter stores is without doubt a safe investment. The part which is consumed in rearing brood, rearing more bees to gather more honey, is, I am sure, still better. Sugar and water in about equal parts thoroughly dissolved is all that is needed. Don't try to fix up or doctor it in any way, let the bees do that themselves. Don't imagine that you can help the bees in their work of ripening the feed at any time by making it thicker. You will only hinder instead of helping them. Don't feed too fast ; aLiout '6 pounds of sugar per day is enough. The wide-awake farmer feeds and cares for his horses to increase their working ability; his cows for the milk and but- ter ; his sheep for the wool, and the poultry for the eggs. No sensible-up-to-the-times-farmer would think of making his business profitable without he did this, and yet there are very many bee-keepers who seem to cling to the uncertain possibili- ties of the bees working for nothing and boarding themselves ; of getting a crop without any outlay. But suppose the season should be a failure, how are you going to get your money back that you have paid out for sugar? I have been asked. My bees will be ready for busi- ness when the next season opens, instead of hovering on the ragged edge of starvation for half the year and then have to be fed to be worth anything.— H. R. Boakdman, in Bee-Keep- ers' Review. Windbreaks. In regard to windbreaks, I would not advise going to the expense of setting out trees of any kind, because it takes so many years for them to mature sufficiently to be of any ser- vice. It is true, we have around our apiary a row of tall ever- greens ; but they have been 17 years in growing, and it is only for the last three or four years that they have been of much service. They make a perfect windbreak— the very best —but they are very expensive ; and by the time they would be of service many an apiarist might be out of the business. As a general rule we would advise the selection of a locality where natural windbreaks may be found. The apiary can often be located in the L that is sometimes formed by the barn and wagonshed. If, however, there is only one place where the apiary can be located, and that has no windbreak, I would advise putting up a tight board fence, say six or eight feet high, using cedar posts if you can get them. This will last a good many years, and be ready for immediate use. No, windbreaks do no harm in shutting out summer- breezes. If the tees have sufficient entrance they can create ventilation enough to keep the hive cool, providing they have a little assistance in the way of shade.— E. R. Root, in Glean- ings. Every Present Subscriber of the Bee Journal should be an agent for it, and get all others possible to sub- scribe for it. 202 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. March 26, COMPLETE STOCK. Good Supplies and Low Prices ^Our Motto. Largest Factory ti°e West READ THIS— Mr. Keyes saj's: Tbe 100 rounds of Extra-Thin Foundation you sent as] is superior to anything- he ever saw; and I think tbe same. R. L. TucKE(t, Wewahitchka. Fla. Bear Sirs:— The Sections came duly lO hand. Indeed, they are very nice. Yes, sir; they are as g-ood as the best. Charles H. Thies. SteeleviUe. Illinois. Leahy Mfg. Co.:— I have received the hill of goods. I must say they are the choicest lot of Hlve-Stutf 1 have ever received from any place. I admire the smoothness of your work, and your close selection of lumber. Yours very truly. O. K. Ol.mstead. drleans. Nebr. Dear Sirs:— Tbe Sections arrived in due time, and are all O. K. so far as examined. They are simply perfection. 1 can't see how you can furnish such goods at such low prices. I hope you may live long and do well. Yours respectfully. Z. S. Weaver, Courtney, Tex. Gents:—! received the " Higginsville Smoker " all O. K. It's a dandv; please find enclosed stamps for another. Yours truly. Otto Enders, Uswegathe, N. Y. Gentlemen:— 1 have bought Supplies from nearly all the large manufacturers by the car- load, and I must say yours are as good as tbe best. Indeed, in many lines they are the best. It is a pleasure to handle them. E. T. Flanagan, Belleville. Illinois. The above unsolicited testimonials are a fair sample of hundreds we receive. Our prices are reasonable and the '* Higginsville Goods " are the best. Tlie *^ HiggiiiMville " Ooods are for sale by the following parties : Chas. H. Thies. Steelville, lU. E. T. Flanagan. BeHeville. 111. Henry L. Miller, Topeka. Kans. E. A. Seeley, Bloomer, Arkansas. J. W, Rouse & Co.. Mexico, Mo. P. J. Thomas, Fredonia, Kans. And by a number of others. If you need a Carload of Supplies, or only a Bee-Smoker, write to us. Remember, we are here to serve you, and will, if you give us a chance. A Beantil'til Catalogue Free. Address, LEAHY MANUFACTURING CO.. HIGGINSVILLE. Mo. 49A Mention the American Bee Joui'imL Honey-Clovers & Buckwheat SEED FOR SALE. We have made arranfi-ements so that we can furnish seed of several of the Clovers and Japanese Buckwheat, by freigiit or ex- press, at the following prices, cash with order: olb lOft 251b oOIb AlslkeClover $.80 H.-^o $3.50 $ e.L'o SweetClover 1.10 1.80 4.25 8.00 WhiteClover 1.50 2.40 6.00 1100 Alfalfa Clover 75 1.20 3.00 5.25 Crimson Clover 65 1.00 2.50 4.00 Jap. Buckwheat... .30 .45 1.00 1.50 Prices subject to market changes. The above prices include a good, new 25- cent two-bushel bag with each order. Add 25 cents to j-our order, for cartage, if wanted by freight. Tour orders are solicited. GEOBGE W. YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS. ONE MAN WITH THE UNION ^°-|;':,*T'°'' *'nn do the work of four men using^ hand tools, in Hipping:, Cutting-off. Mi- tring, Kal)beting', Groov- ing'. Gaining. Dadoing, Eil^!lng-up. Jointing- Stulf, elr. Full Lineof Foot and Hand Power Machinery Soil! on Tri;il. Caliilosue Free. SENECA FALL** IUFG. CO., 46 Water tit.. SENECA FALLS. N. T lAly Meyition the Amerirnn Bee JoumaL $1.50 a M. 3 M. $4.25. These .ire not Seconds, but perfect Sections. As they are not up to our present high stan- dard, we wish to close them out. Sample free. Widths— 7-to toot. 1 15-lB in., and 2 in. Catalosof BeestV Supplies FREE. I. J. STRIKOHA1VI, 105 Park Place. NEW TOKK, N. T. MOVED TO LARGER QUARTERS ! In order to take care of the business properly at this Branch, we have moved to 118 Micbi- gau St., [3rd Floor], within two blocks of the Northwestern Passeng-er station, where we've secured larger quarters, making ample room for a Fall Assurdiient, Send along your or- ders, remembering that we guarantee satisfaction, aud at prices as low as the best quality of Goods can be furnished for. Special Prices on a lot of Stock we are closing out. Send for Catalog and a List of Goods at Special Prices. In order to close them out quickly we offer some good Sections, for the next 30 days, or while they last, at these special prices ; TO'liUe Sections, 4^ix4%. 25,000 7-to-ft. at these low prices -1,000 for $1.75; 2,000 for $3,00; 5,000 for $T. 00 We also have a stock of Triangular Top Langstroth Frames at these Special prices: 100 for $1.00; 300, $2.70; 500, $4.00; 1000, $7.00. On all freight orders of $5 or less, at this Branch, please add 25c. for cartage. Catalogne Free. The A. I. ROOT CO., 11§ Micliigan SI., CHICAGO. ILL,. Cieo. "W, York, Mscr, Please mention the American Bee .lourual. fflUTH'S HOKET EXTBACTOB PERFECTION Cold-Blast Smokers, Square Glass Honer Jars, Etc. For Circulars, apply to Chas. F. Mdth & Son. Cor. Freeman & Central Aves., Cincinnati, O. Send 10c for Practical Hints to Bee-Keepers. A Barffain-EARLY QUEENS. 110 Colonies Italian Bees in ChatT Hives: two acres land; good house; excellent well. Early Qiieeus— Tested, $1.50 ; Untested, 75c. E. li. C\RKINGTON, llA4t PETTCS, Bee Co., TEX. Qej;)eral ltcn)s^ Large Yields of Honey. On page 44 is published a list of large yields of honey. While I have never kept a strict account of all my bees any season, I have kept an account of a few of the best. In 1894 I got from my five best colonies L.'JOO pounds of extracted honey, getting a little over 460 pounds from the best single colony. This count was commenced in the early part of June, after I had divided my bees and strengthened them up for the honey-fiow. In 1S95 this same colony I divided, getting three new swarms and 400 pounds of honey from the whole. In the spring of 1S95 they were the first to fill the hive to overflow, so I commenced dividing them up, manipulating to the best advan- tage until I obtained six new swarms and a little over 500 pounds of honey, but we could only call them one colony, spring count: but then they are what Mr. S. M. Broyles (see pageTS) calls "Mormon bees," but they are rustlers, I tell you. They are leather-colored, and " up to date." Salt Lake City, Utah. E. S. Lovest, It Pays to Care for Bees. The honey-flow the past season was good. Those who had strong colonies secured a good crop of honey, and those that did not look after them received a small crop, and they wonder why they did not get as good a crop as those who looked after them. They think that they must get as much without taking any care of the bees as those who take care of them. It is just the same with bees as with cows, horses or sheep — if you don't take care of them you won't receive anything from them. If beekeepers would take care of their bees just half as well as they do their other stock, they would get something from them, but no. they think they must go it without any care, and bring in lots of honey. Such people you can never get to read a paper or take one. If they would read the valuable American Bee Journal, thoy would see why they did not get better returns. A. T. Ball. E. Blackstone, Mass. A Correction. In the report with my signature on page 107, I was referring to Mr. J. Z. Rhodes, of Verndale. I think he must have made a mistake; if not. he has done better than the writer, who has kept bees here for the last 20 years. Having spent the summer in Oregon, I did not keep any last season, but 1 shall try it again here in cold Minne- sota, but it is away ahead of the Coast as regard bees and honey, and many other things. As one writer said, speaking of Texas as a bee State — All that was lacking was plenty of rain and good society. That strikes any arid country. M. S. Snow. Osakis, Minn., Feb. 1.3. Dummies and Bats. Mii. Editor: — On page 143, in my reply to the Query 6, as to " Single or Double Brood-Chambers for 12 Frames," the printer sets off my answer at a tangent. One wrong letter does much mischief, and the word it ends, being a brand new one, the reader would not be apt to supply the right letter to make the new word. As Dr. Miller, yourself and others, were going ahead at a great rate coining new words in Apicultural Nomenclature. I thought I had as good a right as anybody to coin one, and so I coined one, but it had to come to grief before it saw the light. Tbe querist wanted to know whether it was best to have his 12 frames in a single hive or in "two S-frame hives, fllling up the vacancy with dummies." The last sen- tence of my reply was : " If you must have 13 frames or more in the brood-cham- 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 203 BUY "DIRECT FROM FACTORY," BEST MIXED PAINTS At WIIOl,liSAl.l5PKllCES, Delivered FIIHEI! For Houses, Barns, Roofs, all colors, and !S A V »•. Dealers trofils In use r>4 years. Endorsed by Granse & F.armers Alliance. Low prices will surprise you. Wrile for Samples. 0. W. INGERSOLL, 289 Plymouth St., Brooklyn. N. v. Sff.ntiOTi t»t.d .&rfi,e!rioi}jn See Jmj.r^nl We bave killed liisrh prices. Give me a trial order and be convinced that good Queens can be reared lor 50 cts. each. Untested, .50 cts. ; Tested. 75 cts. Golden Italians. 3-Banded I- talians, and Silyer-Gra.v Carniolans, all the same price. Best of Kelerences given. C. B. BAIVRSTOX, 13Atf CHRIESMAN, Burleson Co., TEX. BRITISH mm mmm mu Cn Feb. I71h we received an ordar from an English RaiIwayforanotiierlenmilesoffer.ee, also a remit- tance in £ s d. for the last ten miles. This third order proves that the favorite American fence suits the Englishman also. F;\f;c WOVEN WIRE FEKCECf . Adrian, IWich. When ANSWEHrNC this AoveRtisEMEhT, Mgntion this Journau Better than 10 °lo Discount ! By comparinjr the following with the custom- ar3' prices of Foundation they will bo found to be better than a 10 % discount. Prices are f. o. b., cut to any size. COITIB FOUNDATION. IB) ofc lOlh 2.5* Heavy or Medium ..45o 42c 40c .SSc Ligtit 4oc 44c 42c 40c Ttiin 50e 49c 47c 45c E.\traThin 5oo 54c 52c 50c Samples Free. VVatch this advertisement for changes. Better buy now. before prices ad- vance. BRESWAX— :!0o cash. 32c trade, de- livered. Hives. Sections. Smokers. Etc., always in stock. PKICE-? are right. Order before the rush. W. .1. VliNCH, Jr., llAtf BPKINGFlliLD, ILLS. J III — ............... ■....!,„, ,l-^^^^j^j,,„,^ Bos 78 OesMoinea SUCCESSFUL i INCUBATOR 2 [Our magnificent? new catalogue X eiving full in- 2 — - _ formation tb" J Ejarding nrtificia 1 9 HatchingA Broodinc S and treatiee on poul- J try raising sen t for 4c « etamr's. Circular free. 2 llAiJt- M6nlii)ii the American iitc JournaL Gaiifornia i^ If you cure to kuow of its Fruits, Flowers Climate or Kegoiirces. send for a ISampleCopy of California's Favorite Paper— The Pacific Rural Press The leading- Horticultural and Ag-rlcultural paper of the Pacific Coast. Pubiishod weekly, handsomely Illustrated, $2.00 per annum. Sample Copy Free. PACIFIC RURAL PRESS, 220 Market St.. - SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. TEXAS QUEENS. If you are in need of Queens, let me have your order. Price-Llst Free. 8A26t J. D. GIVENS, Lisbon, Tex. Mention the A.merlcan Bee journal. ber, I would advise the double 8 duly dum- mli'd." Now, so far as I know, I am the father of that last word— (/«)«'«(((;— but the printer put an "s" in the place of the last (/, and so spoiled both word and sentence. I now come to Juils. If any reader of the Bee Journal knows how to circumvent rats that are too cute to eat poison of any kind, no matter bow it is mixed, or go into any trap, no matter how it is set, that is the man or brother I wish to hear from (through this journal) right away. Let Dr. Miller, who answers all sorts of questions, speak; but he must keep back that '■ Don't know." Let anybody and everybody speak who has a plan. Never mind telling me about cats as traps — I know all about that — but have no cats. Selby, Ont. Allen Pringle. [If Mr. Pringle knew how we studied over that new word "dummied," and from his writing couldn't possibly make anything but the old "dummies" out of it, he'd have some sympathy for us. When a word is coined, it should stand out new, bright and pliiiu, then even such mortals as editors wouldn't stumble over it, and get all "dummied "up. We'll try, in the future, to look out for new words when they are " fired " at us, for we know how exasperat- ing it is to have new things spoiled. — Ed.] Gathering Pollen. My bees are building up nicely. The weather is fine, and bees loaded with pollen are coming in. 1 started brood early in January by feeding corn meal, and on Jan. lU I noticed the first load of natural pollen come in. I had one colony that was short on stores; I fed them by filling both sides of the combs with honey. A colony near by robbed them, and they made no effort to protect tlieir stores. The robber colony was so strong that they cleaned them out in one day. so I removed the hive that had been robbed, and put the bees into another hive, and gave them frames of sealed honey. They now defend themselves, and are doing nicely. I left them 50 feet from their old stand. Tlie queeu I found on the hive-cover on Dec, :H, that I mentioned in the American Bee Journal, has left the hive again, and I have failed to find her, as she failed to return this time. Scbscribek. Waring, Tex., Feb. 14. ■Wintering Bees. I think my way of wintering bees has proved as satisfactory as any. I built my bee-house in the fall of 1892, ami I put in (J5 colonies, some of tliem being nuclei. I put them in Nov. 34, IS'.l'i, and took out 63 colo- nies April 8, IS'.lo. It was a poor year in our section for surplus honey ; the increase for 1893 was to 9.5 old and young colonies, which I sold down to 89 colonies; these 1 put into the bee-house Nov. 3.5. and took out 89 April 17 and IS. 1894, without any loss. It was a poor year here in 1894 for sur- plus honey — had only about 500 pounds of salable honey, and increased to 1.55 colonies. In the fall I shook the bees out of 13 heavj- colonies, which left me 143, which I put into the bee-house Nov. '^ij, and in April, 1895. I took out 141 in g(jod condition, the one dying for want of honey. I put on some sections May 8. which the bees took hold of in good earnest— they put as high as 15 to 3(1 pounds in some of the supers, and on May 11 it was dark and lowry, on the 13th cold and snowy, and at night it froze the ground one inch or more on the beet beds in the garden. This put a damper on honey- gathering, for the white clover, Alsike and raspberry were past commencing to bloom ; they were frozen black as could be, and it froze all the young growth on basswood, so I do not think there was a basswood bloom in our town. There was no honey coming in for some time, until white clover and white daisy sprouted again; by this time the bees had consumed most of the honey they had stored, and what they had in the hive. I had to put in some frames of honey to supply their wants. I sold b(l colonies the day after the freeze, and traded others for work, and so reduced my bees down to about 84 colonies. My first swarms for 1895 were on May '39 and 31. Bees did not store any surplus honey to speak of, only 800 or 900 pounds from 84 colonies, spring count. They increased to 110 colonies and 10 nuclei, which I put into the bee-house Nov. 37. most of them being very heavy with honey, but I think not as heavy with bees as they should be, on ac- count of the long spell of dry weather that we had, and no fall flowers for the bees to work on so as to keep up breeding. Our home market for honey is only S cents per pound, and slow sale at that. 1 have not seen a section of white honey in our vicinity that was stored in 1895. Our surplus houey was mostly froni buckwheat, with the exception of the first that was am- ber in color. I think one thing our poor seasons here are due to, is that there are too many bees kept for the territory they occupy ; there are nearly 300 colonies be- sides mine within a radius of 4 miles around my bee-yard. My bees seem to be wintering finely so far, and I am looking forward to the sea- son of 1896 to be a good one for honey. Andrew M. Thompson. Canaseraga, N. Y., Jan. 29. ■Wintering Well. Bees seem to winter well, better so far than usual. The weather is warm for this time of year— ,50 degrees above to-day. We have bad only three or four days of sleigh- ing this winter, and but little snow is left, C. Theilmann. Theilmantou, Minn., Feb. 33. Wintering Nicely. I started last spring with two colonies, increased to six, and got 03 pounds of comb honey, mostly buckwheat. There was not much early honey on account of the frosts. My bees had their last flight Jan. 18, and are wintering nicely. Herbert C. Towle. Northwood Narrows, N. H., Feb. 30. Sweet Clover in Texas. I have 10 acres of sweetclover now sown, and will sow 5 acres more next week. 1 think I will have sweet clover honey another year. I have had from one to two acres of sweet clover for the past four years. It is a perfect success here, and bees work on it with great vigor; but I have never had any pure sweet clover honey. J- D. Givens, Lisbon, Tex. Sweet Clover Honey in Colorado. I was surprised when I read the article on page 78, by S. M. Carlzeu, in regard to sweet clover honey. He says: "Herein Colorado we despise it, because it spoils the sale of our alfalfa honey, if mixed." My experience is just the reverse. The bee- keepers here prize sweet clover above all other plants, both for the quality and quantity produced. I have produced thousands of pounds of both alfalfa and sweet clover honey, as well as a mixture of the two. I have sold honey all over this corner of Colorado, and have never had any honey rated as any- thing but first-class. When people have a preference it is always for the sweet clover. At our altitude (7.000 feet) our alfalfa begins to bloom the first week in July. For three weeks we have pure alfalfa houey. About the last week in July the sweet clover comes in, and we get a mixture for about two or three weeks. Then the alfalfa in waste-places dries up, the first cutting of alfalfa is all up. the second has not bloomed, and we have absolutely no other plant in bloom but sweet clover. We count on our 204 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. March 26, Say, That The Please ~W~\ ractical |~^ ACIFIC JLJ other "T^nm'bo for Copy of eautiful I ocose Paper, EE ^ OURNAL. -BEE-KEEPING IN- CALIFORNIA, IDAHO, OREOON, WASHIlVGTOiV, NEVADA, UTAH, ARIZONA, COLORADO. All Easterners should keep in " touch " on the " Land of Sunshine * -the COMING BEE-LAND. Address, PACIFIC BEE-jrOHRl^AI.. 365 East Second Street, LOS ANGELES, CALIF. best comb honey during the time that the honey is pure sweet clover, as it is whiter and thicker, and has a flavor that is not ex- celled by any. Isn't it j)ossible that Mr. Carlzen has some weed in his neighborhood that spoils his sweet clover honey ? There has been a strong prejudice here against the plant, as it takes possession of ditches and fence-corners and every waste nook. Some of the farmers have tried making hay of it, and those who cut it at the proper time found that stock would eat it in preference to alfalfa. Those who put it up after it got woody and strong, declare that it is a bad weed, and that we ought to have a law compelling people to exterminate the pest. So it seems there is a difference of opinion about it outside of the quality of its honey. Mancos, Colo. Mrs. A. J. Baebeb. Bees in Good Condition. Beautiful day, this. Bees are out having a jollification, all in apparently good condi- tion. Jas. W. Williams. Appleton City, Mo., Feb. 16. Report for 1895. I have 40 colonies on the summer stands, packed on top with dry leaves. I think they are wintering nicely. I got 900 pounds of nice comb honey last season. I have kept bees 30 years, and think they pay when properly cared for. S. M. Cox. Angola, Ind., Feb. 19. Bee-Keeping in West Virginia. My bees are on the summer stands, and have been wintering very well. At this time they are very strong. I had S3 col- onies that went into winter quarters; most of them were in good condition. Bees swarmed very much here last summer, some colonies swarming as many as two or three times, which kept the parent colony from storing much surplus honey, but there was a good sugar tree, basswood and tulip or whitewood bloom here, and bees did well. A great many swarms went to the woods. J. c. Williamson. Williamson, W. Va., Feb. 15. Leather-Colored Italians, Etc. Referring to Dr. Miller's comment on my article on page 39, in regard to non-swarm- ing bees, I may say that I am not a large bee-keeper, my average being from 5 to 10 colonies, as I have not time to attend to many. Of course, if I kept a large number I have no doubt I would have some swarms, as I do not claim that my bees are any dif- ferent from others of their kind ; they are what are called "leather-colored Italians," but I might say here that they are not like the Italians I had at one time, awav back in 1870 — when the drones and bees were out in full force it was like a shower of gold in front of the hive. Now for the size of the hive I use: It is 18 inches long. 13 inches deep, and 131o inches wide indside, with 13 frames placed across the hive. I like them better than the frames lengthwise, as I find them handier for extracting, which I do alto- gether, as it pays me better than comb honey. The supers are the same as the hive, and are interchangeable, and if the queen happens to go up and fill 4 or 5 frames, as she sometimes does, they come in handy to start a nucleus, giving it the queen, letting the old colony rear another. I have no doubt if I went in for produc- ing comb honey, I might want a different hive, and would probably have the same trouble with swarming as many others seem to have. Jno. McKimmie. Niagara, Ont. Not a Cold Winter. This has not been a very cold winter here so far, but the bees have not had a chance to fly since Nov. 30. I would like to correspond with some of the readers of the American Bee Journal living in the State of Washington, on the west side of the mountains. Luce, Mich., Feb. 13. Wm. Craig. Prospects in Washington. We have just had three days of freezing, down to SO degrees above zero, which is quite an extreme for us to have, especially at this time of the year. So far we have had fine weather, and it is fine now except it is cold. Our gardens are in flue shape. Roses had a 1'; inch growth on them March 1, but to-day is a little warmer, and I ex- pect to-morrow the ground will be soft again. Bees have been bringing in pollen since Jan. 15; usually they commence about Feb. 30. Clover is coming up finely all around. G. D. Littoot. Tacoma, Wash., March 8. Bee-Keeping in Arkansas. I commenced in the spring of 1895 with 50 good colonies and 40 nuclei. From all that were in good condition I got about 100 pounds to the colony, all comb honey in one-pound sections. My honey was all gathered in the month of May. It rained the month of June, but we didn't get any basswood honey last year. Our basswood commences blooming about June 10, so our crop was from holly, black-gum and ratan. I missed a fall crop for the first time in 10 years, as it was so dry here that the peas and mint did not yield any nectar. I closed the season with 130 colonies. My honey netted 10 cents a pound in my home market. We have had a nice winter — the tempera- ture has gone down to 14 degrees above zero only twice, with an average of 44 de- grees through January and February. My golden Italians are in the lead with the 3-banded or Carniolans. Ozan, Ark,, Feb. 13. J. W. Taylor. Answers to Some Questions. Dr. Miller calls me out again on page 73, to answer questions, which I will try to do. I can tell only on an average (but that's all), as I only worked with the bees after coming from work after 5 o'clock. In June the average was about 10 fiames; August, from 13 to 14 frames in all of them. This brood was in the two lower stories. Occasionally some greedy queen would lay C7r\/Cn AHNTIALLYby «MVI1U FRUIT GROWERS neinel Deming SPRAYING Ouims 'Recomm ended by I g a d i n e Horticulturiate. - Sapageillnstrated catalogue and treatise FREE r : The Deming Co., Mfcrs., Salem. Ohio. / ^ HenionA Hubbell, Gen'l^Vost. Ai?t7.'CMca°o,-^ Mention the American Bee Jourttni^ The Patent Wood-Veneer Foundation, Bee-keepers should give it a test, and my All- Wax Foundation. I will guarantee there is no better made. Now Is the the time to send wax to be worked up. Send for Samples and Cata- log with low prices. Wax wanted at 30c cash. AUG, WEISS, Hortuiivllle, Wis. 12A13t Please mention the Bee Journal. Mention the A.vienean Bee Journal. POULTRY 40 Standard Breeds Illus- trated & fully described in my new Poultry Book. Reliable information for Coultrymen & intending ujprs. Good stock Ducks it Geese; disc Sliel laud i'onius. Send 6c iu Btamiis ■ n.C00E.Bos-27.Huiitley.Ill. Mention the American Bee JoumaJ- 4A13t 1^~ IF YOU WANT THE BEE-BOOK That covers the whole Apicultural Field more completely than any other published, send completely than any other published, send >i o^i tr, Plot. A. J. Cook, Claremont, Calif., $1.25 to for his Bee-Keeper's Guide. Liberal Discounts to the Trade. NEW MAMMOTH POULTRY GUIDE showing colored plate of chickens in natural colors. Finest book ever pub- lished. Almost ItX) pages. Tells all about Poultry for Profit or Pleasare. Price only 15c. JOHN BAUSCHER, JR.. Box »1 Freeport. Ills. 12A7t Mention the American BeeJournaL TAKE NOTICE! 'DEFORE placing your orders for SUP- PLIES, write for prices on 1-Plece Bass- wood Sections, Bee-Hives, Shipping -Crates, Frames, Foundation, Smokers, etc. PAGE & LVON 9IFG. CO. NEW LONDON, WIS. WHEN ANSWERtNO THIS ADVERTISEMENT, MENTION THIS JOURNAL. Promptness is What Counts ! Honey-Jars. Shipping-Cases, and every- thing that bee-keepers use. Root's Ooods at Koot's Prices, and the best shipping point in the country. Dealer in Honey and Beeswax. Cata- iiTrMalAve. Walter S. Ponder INDIANAPOLIS. IND. Mtntion the American Bee JournaZ, PATENT WIRED COMB FODNDATIOH Has No Sag iu Brood-Frames Thin Flat-Bottom Foundation Bbs So Fisbbooe is tlie Sarplns HOBejr. Belnff the cleanest is usually worked the qulckeet of any Foundation made J. VAN DEIJSEN Sc SONS, Sole Manufacturers, Sproat Brook MontKOmery Co.. N. 7. Heraticm, She American Bee Journal New England Supply Depot ! You can get the most complete Bee-Hive, also other Supplies, at— H. ALI^EV'S. Koom 5, 82 \Vater St., - BOSTON, MASS. ISDtf MentUm the American Bee Journal. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 205 in the third story, obliging me to place it down and put an outside comb from the lower story in its place. Bee-zinc would prevent this trouble, but to my notion this is not nearly so much work for me as crawling through the zinc for the bees. Then I do not believe that more than one out of ten will want more than two stories to lay and rear brood in. Two of them swarmed very much, and both at the same time. Old queens proved to be the cause, or at least seemed to be. E. St. Louis, 111. H. E. Leveling. Wintering' All Right. Bees were wintering all right in the cellar in this vicinity up to Feb. IS. I have 30 colonies in good condition, and if we can have some rain in May we may have some clover honey. We had a lot of rain before Christmas, and there is about 10 inches of snow now, with very cold weather. There are about 100 acres of Alsike clover within one mile of my apiary. I did not get any clover honey in 180.5 — it was too dry in the spring. I got a„500 pounds last year, mostly from buckwheat and black-heart weed. 1 am sowing sweet clover along the roadside and on waste-places, for 1 think it is the best honey-plant I have. I have taken the American Bee Journal ever since I began to keep bees ( four years) , and would not get along without it If it cost $3.00 a year. Jacob Wikth. Rickel, Dls., Feb. 31. Feeding Bees — Bees Starved. February was a nice month, warm and springlike here. The bees could fly and eat whenever they felt like it, and I rather guess they worked too hard at it, for there are lots of them that will fly no more. Out of 35 colonies there are only 34 left, and I have been feeding all the syrup they would take the last week of February. I fed in the open air; 10 pounds of granulated sugar, 10 pounds of boiling water; put the sugar into a tin pail, pour in the water, and stir with the mush-paddle until all is dissolved, then set away to cool. When lukewarm pour into milk-pans, or bread- pans, or any shallow vessel, and cover with cheese-cloth, and set out in the apiary. If you do not have the cheese-cloth, fill with clean corn-cobs, then pour in your syrup. February 38 and 39 the bees worked strong on soft-maple bloom. March 1 was cloudy and cold ; the '2nd cloudy and colder ; the 3rd it snowed until noon, and is still cloudy and cold. There have been more bees that died of starvation this winter than I ever knew in one winter before. J. C. Balch. Bronson, Kans. , March 3. That Glueen-Clipping Device Free ! PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING OFFER : We have arranged with the inventor of the new Queen-Clipping Device (Mr. Mon- ette), to offer it to our present subscribers as a Premium for getting new subscribers. Send us jn.st ,me new name for the American Bee Journal a year (with .*1.00), and we will mail you the Queen-Clipping Device fkee; and will also send a copy of Newman's 100- page book—" Bees and Honey "—to the new subscriber. Or, the Queen-Clipping Device will be sent postpaid for 50 cts. But why not get it as a Premium by the above offer ? You can't earn 511 cts. any easier. Almost every bee-keeper will want this Device. See page 130 (Feb. 37) for full description of it. Complete directions accompany each one sent out. It is a most ingenious and useful article. Address, GEORGE W. YORK & CO., 118 Michigan St., Chicago, lU. Crimson Clover Growing. I have seen Dr. Miller's comment on page 98, in regard to what I said on page TS about my 4 acres of crimson clover. The piece is apart of a 0-acre field that I in- tended to sow to buckwheat next season, so it will not be disturbed until time to sow buckwheat. By that time it will show plainly whether it is going to be worth leaving or not. If it is, I will leave it for the seed to ripen ; if not, I will plow it up and sow to buckwheat, as originally in- tended. My idea was that if it was sowed in the fall, and blossomed in May, as they tell about, I could get the crop off (or plow it under for a fertilizer) in time to sow a crop of buckwheat, and thereby improve the land and still not miss a crop. If crimson clover will work here as they tell about, it is just what I want. The blossoms for the bees, the clover as a fertilizer, followed with buckwheat for the bees, and still get a crop off the land; and if this piece should be a failure, I will try again, but next time I will know more about when to sow it, as I have a brother-in-law that is foreman at our State Experiment Station, and he .^ >ti >li Jli .>li >!i >!i.ili. iti iK iK >K sJitt OlllGIML --"•»»"- ^ umm SMOKERS Wonderful Record ! Have Lasted 17 Y E.IKS. —BEST ON EARTH. Always Give rerfect Satisfaction. My cool Wire Handle and Bent Nose were pateuted 1892, are the original. my best invention since my open or di- rect draft Patent. 1878. that revolu- tionized Bee-Smokers. My Handle and Nose Patent bent all the other smoker noses. None but Bingham Smokers have all the best improvements. It you buy genuine Blnj!;Uaui Smo- kers and Honey-Knives you will never regret it. Tbe " Doctor," iJ-lQCh larger than any other smoker on the market— 3V4-incli stove, by mail, $1.50 Conqueror, 3 ' Large, 3H-in. " '* Plain, '2-in. " Little Wonder, '2-in., wt. 10 oz. Bingliam * Hetlierinston Hooey-Kiiives, S T. F. BINGHAIW, Far»vell, iMicli. 7Atf Mention the Bee Journal. 1.10 1.00 .70 .60 I cents. BEGINNERS. Beginners should have a copy of 'the Amateur Ree-Keeper, a 70-page book by Prof. J. W. House. Price 25 cents; if sent by mail. 2Sc. The little book and the Progressive Bee-Keeper (a live, pro- gressive 28-ii:ige monthly journal) one year, 65c. Address any first-class dealer, or LEAHY MFG. CO., Higginsville, Mo. Dadaiifs Foiiiulatioii = ill Chicago ! No other Goods kept there. Send for Price-List, CHAS. D.\DANT & SON, lis Michigan St., 13Atf CHICAGO. ILL. Please mention the Bee Journal. CHEPER THAN EVER ! Hilton's AVlilte T Supers Cliaff Polished Foundation Hives Sections Smokers And everything needed in the apiary. 1896 Catalog ol' 36 pages free. GEO. E. IIIETOIV, 13Att FKEMONT, MICH. Mention the American Bee Journal Uuuey & Beeswax Market Quotations. CHICAGO. III.. Mar. 20.— White clover and basswood comb is sought after In preference to any other, and commands a better price and now sells at Inc. for clover and 13@14c. for basswood. Other white comb honey sells atll@12c.; dark, 8@9c. amber. 9@10c., and very slow of sale. Extracted is unusually dull, with large amounts on sale. White clo- ver and linden, 6@7c. ; dark and amber grades, 4S4@5e. Beeswax. 28@30c. R. A. B. & Co. KANSAS CITY, Mo.. Mar. 18.— The demand for comb and e.xtraoted is fair. We quote: No. 1 white, l-lbs., 13(3il4c.; No. 2, 10@llo.; No. 1 amber. ll@12c.; No. 2. 8@10c. Ex- tracted, white. .")'/i@6c.; amber, 5@5^c. Beeswax, 20(a22c. C. C. C. & Co. CINCINNATI, 0., Mar. 19.— Demand is fair for best white comb honey, at 12@14c. ina jobbing way. Extracted is fair at ■l@7c. Sup- plies of both are fair. Beeswax is in good demand at 25@30o. for good to choice yellow. Arrivals are not ade- quate to the demand. C. F. M. & S. PHILADELPHIA. Pa., Mar. 6.— Honey has been sluing freely, there being considerable call for comn honey, and the war in Cuba has made extracted honey sell to the baking trade who previously used Cuba honey. We quote: Fancy comb. 15c. ; fair to good, 11® 1 3.; fair, 9c. Extracted. 4!4@514c.; pure white clover, 10c. Beeswax, 30o. W. A. S. NEW YORK. N. Y.. Feb. '24.— Market quiet. White comb in fair demand at ll@14c. very little demand lor buckwheat comb at S@9c. Extracted selling fairly well, principally Cal- ifornia, at .5ii@.j?i0.. and some buckwheat moving at 4@4i4c. ; Southern, 50@5.5c. per gallon; white clover and basswood. 5!4@6o. Beeswax unchanged. H. B. & S. H ATCH Chickens ,fj ,f ^^^.f.rf 7 EXCELSIOR Incubator Simple. Perfirf. Sclf-Iic'i'iilaC- (".;;/. Thousa'hl-i in ^^u-.-cr'-sful oNcratioa. I^owcMt prSceil llrHt-oln-ft Hatchfr niiiilv. am*. Ji. sTMii.. oia? s. fill! st.er'and''w;c?^^ Gate Honey-Board, with the Escape. It is the easiest, quickest hive to handle for the pro- duction of comb honey. Address. E. S. E.OVESV A- CO., 355 6th East St.. SAT.T LAKE CITY. UTAH. JUsTitton the American Be^ Joumai. 9Atf Willow-Herb, White Sage, Basswood EXTRACTED HONEY —For Sale.— We have made arrangements whereby we furnish Willow - Herb or Wlille Sage Extracted Honey, in 60-pound tin cans, on board cars in Chicago, at these prices: 1 can. na case. 8 cents per pound; 2 cans in one case, 7^ cents. The Basstrood Honey is .all in kegs holding 170 pounds, net. It is a very superior quality, and the prices are: 1 keg. 8 !4 cents per pound ; 2 kegs or more, 8 cents. Cash MUST accompany each order. ^^ A sample of either kind of honey will be mailed to an Intending purchaser, for 10 cents, to cover postage, packing, etc. We guarantee purity, and that what we ship will be equal to sample. GEORGE W. YORK & CO.. - CHICAGO, ILLS. Convention i^otices. Texas.— The Texas State Bee-Keepers' con- vention will be held on April 1 and 2. 1896. All bee-keepers are invited. L. Blossom, Tex. W. H. White. Sec. Utah.— The Utah Bee-Keepers' Association will hold their semi-annual meeting In Room 54. City and County Building. Salt Lake City. Apr. 6. 1896. at 10 a.m. All are invited. "In union is strength. By industry we thrive." Come, and bring your friends, and enjoy a good time. A full program in the interest of the industry will be presented. The Associa- tion needs your aid ; then let every one do his full duty for our own Interest and self-pres- ervation. Geo. E. Dudley. Sec. Provo, Utah. sowed a little piece of crimson clover every month last season to test it. It I have any success with the clover, or discover anything about it that I think would be of any interest to the bee-keeping fraternity, I will report it. Scott LaMost. Jarrett, Minn., Feb. 25. Another House-Apiary, Etc. I have been a reader of the " Old Relia- ble "two years, and would not think of trying to get along without it. I have 26 colonies of bees, wintering in the cellar. I have a two-inch cold-air pipe, and all are in fine condition. I keep them in a building throughout the gathering season. My building is a copy of H. P. Langdon's. of New York, with two exceptions, viz. ; mine is one foot wider, and instead of a board floor, I filled within the walls stones, cov- ering them nicely with coarse sand. I can walk about or work at anything, and do not jar the hives in the least. Everything is handy, and what a comfort it is, indeed, to care for them in this way ! One can per- form the work for four times as many colo- nies in the same time as when kept out-of- doors, and surely more honey is secured. I nearly forgot to mention that I use this building for poultry in the winter, and in the sprmg, after having cleaned and puri- fied this sand Hoor, no one can tell that fowls had ever been inside of it, for no roosts or nests are near enough to the building so that it could in any way be soiled. The building cost S.50, is l'3x25 feet, nicely made, within 2 rods of our house, thus making it very handy in both winter and summer. I have had poultry in it this makes the second winter; the first winter I sold .f.2S.90 worth of eggs, and I will do as w ell this winter. My bees occupied it last summer, for the first time. My crop of honey was l.OSil pounds in one-pound sec- tions, and sold at 15 cents. S. E. Rood. Fertile, Iowa. Feb. 21. Bees in Fine Condition. The prospects here for a honey crop are very poor, as we have had less rain so far than any other year since I have been in the State, which is seven years. Bees are generally in fine condition. F. C. Wiggins. San Diego, Calif., Feb. 15. Bees Had a Joyful Time. This has been a beautiful day, the mer- cury at sunrise being 29degrees above zero; at 10 a. m., 42 degrees ; in the shade at noon, 45 degrees, and in the sun, 55 degrees. My bees had what I call a "melee;" they were out in full force — every hive seemed to send out a joyful anthem, as they have not had such a flight since last November. My bees were on the summer stands packed in chaff, outside cases. I use the 10-frame hive. When they swarm it means bees, but my 8- frame hives gives small swarms, and not many left at home to keep house. Ionia, Mich., Feb. '26. Jacob Mooee. Warm Weather in "Virginia. Our bees have wintered nicely so far. but it has been so warm that they have eaten a lot of honey — so much that I thought best to feed some of the weak colonies, if it was late for feeding. February 13 I fed the weakest of them. After feeding I had about nine pounds of syrup left, which I put into a kettle and put some hay in it, so that the bees would not drown. I put it in the api- ary so that all the bees could get some. Would you believe it ? — a colony, queen and all. left its hive and clustered on a board standing by the back of a hive, close to where I had the syrup. Not knowing it was a colony at the time. I thought they were waiting their turn to get at the syrup, there being so many bees on it all the time ! Tlie Bee-Keepers' Guide: Or Manual of the Apiary, By Prof. A. J. Cook. This loth and latest edition of Prof. Cook's magniflceut bonk of 460 pages, in neat and substantial cloth binding, we propose to give away to our present subscribers, for the work of getting NEW subscribers for the American Bee Journal. A description of the book here is quite un- necessary— it is simply the most complete scl- entiBc and practical bee-book published to- day. Full.v illustrated, and all written in the most fascl'natlug style. The author is also too well-known to the whole bee-world to re- quire any introduction. No bee-keeper is fully equipped, or his library complete, with- out " The Bee-Keeper's Guide." For Two Wew Siib§cribers and Your Oivn Renewal. Send us Two New Subscribers to the Bee Journal and your own renewal (with $'?. 00). and we will mail you a copy of Prof. Cook's book free as a premium, and also a copy of the 160-page " Bees and Honey" to each New Subscriijer. Prof. Cook's book alone is $1.25, or we club it with the Bee Journal for a year —both together for only SI. 75. But surely anybody can get only 2 new subscribers to the Bee Journal for a year, and thus get the book as a premium. Let everybody try for it. Will you have one 'i GEORGE W. YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS GOMB FOUNDATION! Wax always wanted for Cash or in Exchange tor Fdn, or other Supplies. My trade is estab- lished on lioiv Prices and the merit of my Foiindallon. Orders filled proiuplly. i0g'~Wi)RKiNO Wax into Fdn. by thb Lb. a Specialty. Wholesale prices to dealers and large coiisuniere. Send for Prices and Sam- ples to-GUS UITTMEK, AUGUSTA, WIS. Keference— Augusta Bank. lAtf Mention the American Bee Journal. ^,",^YOUR WIFE? U m 6 her strength, save her health, save { her beauty ami , DiiiUe her happy ' by buying her a a faultless: quaker dish* WASHER. (, It is a Diarvel of ^ ■•-.tiM'licity a li d a .\oiHler for utility. Washes, rlnces ' ^ dries & polishes | "" in two minutes Lasts a li fetiroe. i It selis tiuickly. Evervboily .viiiu> it v.n-u they once see it. Agents i ^ maliH money rapidly. WriLo today for terin-^ etc. ^ ^The Quaker Wovelty Co. Salem, Ohio. ^ ISAlt Please mention the Bee Journal. Kansas Bee - Keepers ! —SAVE FREIGHT— ^oad of " lliggiiisville Bee-Supplies " just receiyed. Get .my C.^talogue. IIElSTtY L. MI LI. BR, 355 Shawnee Ave . Topeka, Kan. 1 A 1 3 1 Mention the A merican Bee Journal. SAVE MONEY 1896 '^6"^^^%^^%'^%'. ITALIAN QUEENS Foundation at Wholesale Prk'es. Hives, suited for the South, or SI PP1.1ES, send for Prlce-List^to J. P. H. BROW.\, ^^15^^:^^' Mention the American Dee Journal. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 207 But as night was near, and they remained there, I took a small stick and began to spread them a little, as there were so many. I found a queen among them ; I took her with the bees to the hive they came from, put them at the entrance, and they all went in. Before taking them back, I looked into the hive and found they had plenty of honey to last them through the winter. Now, why did they leave the hive like that ? We have not had more than 10 cold days this winter here. It is so warm that the fruit-trees are budding already ; if it keeps warm like this until March, and then comes cold, we will have very little fruit this year. W. W. Seeley. Norfolk, Va., Feb. 15. Tolerably Good Season in 1895. The past season was only a tolerably good one in this part of Missouri. In the early spring of lSi)5 the weather was warm ; fruit-bloom of all kinds was early and abundant. As the weather was fine, the bees were able to work on the bloom early and late, so they soon filled their hives to overflowing with brood and considerable honey. About May 10 there came a cold spell that lasted until fruit-bloom was gone, then we had very little honey and no swarms until basswood bloom, which was about July 10. This bloom was very good. The colonies averaged about one swarm each, and gathered on an average about .36 pounds of comb honey, which sold in my home market at 20 cents per section of one- pound. After basswood bloom my bees barely made a living. Later on I will tell how the bees wintered, and how I managed them when I discov- ered, late in the fall, that they would not have enough stores to winter on. John W. Beattt. Excelsior Springs, Mo., Feb. 15. A Beginner's Experience. In 1804 I started into winter with 4 colo- nies of bees, and in the spring I had none. I never knew there were any books that tell how to keep bees. Last spring I bought two colonies, and now I have seven in good condition. I use the S and 10 frame Lang- stroth hive. I don't think I could keep bees without the American Bee JournaL Look through one year's subscription, and see how many valuable points it gives. Harvey Brokaw. Newville, Ohio, Feb. IT. Sweet Clover — An Open 'Winter. I do wish that I was able to answer all ther questions satisfactorily propounded to me regarding sweet clover since I wrote that last article on it. I have found out since, to fully satisfy me, that I am every bit as much of a "know nothing " as Dr. Miller at times pretends to be. If I am always to be "cornered" the way I have been, when I write a piece for the Ameri- can Bee Journal, I think I had better "swear oft," and keep mum in the future. Nearly every day I receive letters of in- quiry, and, of course, I try my level best to satisfy those anxious to learn more about sweet clover. However, I am glad to know that sweet clover is on the boom, and those interested will have to try it on their own hook, in their respective localities, and thus satisfy themselves. I am sorry to say to Mr. E. S. Miles, of Denison, Iowa, that I never attempted to harvest the seed of melilot in any consider- able quantity, hence I do not know how it is best handled. But still, I have my idea how I think it ought to be done. To handle the unchecked growth of sweet clover for the purpose of securing the seed, is out of the question, I think. By cutting it before blooming in the month of June, and then harvest the second growth when properly matured, strikes me as being the proper way to proceed. The second growth admits of being cut and handled by a self- binding machine, I think; and thus could be handled. But the seed drops off easily when very dry. and it, no doubt, requires careful handling to prevent this, so as to secure the seed. It would be interesting to learn the nwdns operandi in practice in the province of Bokhara, from which the imported melilot seed is shipped here. All the imported seed of melilot is well hulled, while all the seed grown in this country is largely still in the hull when sold; — and here I will drop the subject, because — "I don't know " anything positive about it. We have had, so far, an extremely mild and open winter, and my bees (on the sum- mer stands in my bee-shed) have wintered perfectly. They have consumed more of their stores than in former winters. On Feb. 31 I found in most hives from one to three combs with more or less capped brood in them. I have re-arranged them where needed, and supplied some colonies with reserve combs well tilled with honey, so that they will need no further attention until about April. From Jan. 1 until now, my bees had just 30 flights— a little too much of a good thing in winter, I think. 1 presume, though, that March and April will come in and do some equalizing, by bringing us one cold wave after another, and the bees then will suffer the consequences. Wm. Stollei'. Grand Island, Nebr., Feb. 24. [We hope that any of our readers who know will tell us how to handle sweet clover in order to get the seed from it. There are many particulars about this plant that ought ,to be more generally known, and we shall be very glad to pub- lish everything that is sent us regarding it. We k/ww its honey is very fine, and we think its real value as a general utility plant on the farm needs only to be more widely known to insure a more general growing of it throughout the country. Then will the bees and their keepers laugh in the abundance of sweets which the hives will always contain. — Editor.] Bees Killed with Poison. On March 31, 1S9.5, I shipped by express four colonies of Italian bees to H. R, Hearne, of Robinson county, Tex. He re- ported lately to me that he received them all right, and they did well — swarmed eight times. About the latter part of August he put poison on his cotton, for the purpose of killing the boll-worm. The bees were at work on the cotton-bloom at the time, and in ten days they were all dead. Now he wants more bees of the same kind. The poison consisted of Paris green and London purple, put on in a dry state with a blower. The bees never returned from the field where they got the poison. All died from home, leaving their hives full of nice honey, and not a dead bee, or a live one, in the hives. This should be a warning to bee-keepers, to be careful how they use poison. Hunt Co., Tex. W. R, Graham. Sweet Clover Starts Out-Apiaries. Sweet clover is the best thing I know, considering the continuous growth and never-failing honey-producing qualities. Thirty years ago I sowed it along the banks of a creek which runs near my apiary, and it has been carried down stream by high water reaching the Cuyahoga river four miles away, and several miles down that, catching on to the sand-bars and low places until the quantity thus self-sown warranted me in establishing an out-apiary at the junction of the creek and river, four miles away, and I am contemplating establishing another, three or four miles further down. Bedford, Ohio, Feb. 39. J. B. Hains. iJlaglc Section Press and Founda- tion Fastener is an invention made by James Cormac, of Des Moines, Iowa. He says this about it: It does perfect work. No foundation will loosen from the section. Jj-inch wide starters, or any width to a full section, with the ease and surety of attachment, and can be used when too cold to fasten with any machine that fastens by pressure. All malleable iron and steel, except the box and lamp. Lamp is brass, with metal chimney with isinglass opening to see the blaze of wick. Dimensions, 7'iX~%. When packed, lamp is in the box; closes sections from two inches to as narrow as made. To Operate. — Lay the section on the door by bringing the ends together as Bee-Keeper's Guide— see page 2(16. shown in the etching, with your left hand on the handle (not shown), close the door, allow the "starter" to touch the hot iron plate, slacken pressure on door, bring foun- dation down on section, the door opens and the work is done. One Handling op Sections. — The "Magic" is fastened to stand, table or shelf by two malleable iron clamps at- tached to back of box. From three to four thousand per day can be closed and filled with one of these "Magics." A child can operate it. Cannot get out of order. The lever that closes the section is hinged with ball socket and provided with a rod and nut on bottom of box; by turning nut will throw the door outward. To Use It.— Open the door, which is hinged on the upper end; if spring is not on the lever, place it on, and if the pin is out of head block place that in. Now you shut ihe door and it will open itself, ready to receive a section. Place the lamp in position, as shown in engraving. Lay sec- tion on door, one scallop end up, one straight side to left and to right; by shut- ting the door you will gain instruction. When commencing to work, cut your foun- dation and pile it up handy ; pile one-piece sections up with wide end toward you, with grooves uppermost; as you lay sec- tion on door, close door with one hand and pick up foundation with the other, and lay it on block; touch tongue; if your lamp is of right blaze the wax will melt at the touch as you open the door; that melted, follows the foundation and is deposited on section, holding it safe and sure. I claim for this machine that each year a person having 15 to 30 colonies of bees and producing section honey can save the price of machine. BEE-KEEPERS ! Send me Cabinet or Card Pluito^raph and 25 ct8.. and I will send you H doz, Mineite Pho- tosraplis made on best Arlstotype paper. Ex- act LiKENES-s. It. E. PirriflAN, Bee-Keeper and Photographpr. i;jA GKIFTON, N. C, 208 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. March 26. 1896. Bottom Prices BRIKG UlS BIO TRADE. OOOD GOODS KEEP IT. If you want the best supplies that can be made at a little less cost than you can buy the same goods for elsewhere, write to us for low prices. 189t> Catalogue now ready —ask for It and a free copy of The Ameri- can Bee-Keeper (36 pages). Address, THE W.T. FALCONER MFG. CO., JAMESTOWN, N. Y. MenXian the A.meHcan Bee JoxumoJ,. Rf\ ATS A great reduction in Prices on III! Hives and Sections. Other har- Gl II InC sains in Apiarian Supplies. State VvWkj what you need and we will give you low i^rices. 3f>-p. Cataloirnfi Free. JNO. NBBEl. & SON, Higll Hill, Iflo. JkicnUofntheAmtneanBetJaama/ 4A2(it I AEISE T ''O SAY to the readers of the BEE JOURNAL that DOOIilTTLE has concluded to sell -BEES and QUKENS— In their season, durlnfi 1896, at thefoUowln*! prices : One Colony of Italians on y Gallup frames, in liKhtshippinK-box $6 00 Five Colonies :JoOO Ten Colonies 45 00 1 untested queen. 1 00 6 " queens 12 1 tested Queen... S " Queens . 1 select tested queens i^j 3 " " Queens 4 CO Select tested queen, previous season's rearing-. 4 oo Extra Selected for breediuK, the very best.. 60J About a Pound of BEES in a Two-frame Nucleus, with any Queen, f 2.00 extra. Bf circular free, Rlvlnn full particulars retiard iDK the Bees and each class of Queens. 5 50 10 00 $1 50 3 50 Address 6. M. DOOLITTLE, 12A25t BORODINO. Onon. Co., N. Y. QUEENS Smokers, Sections , Comb Foundation, And all Apiairun Siififilies _ rheap. Send for KKEE atalogue. E. T. FLANAGAN, Belleville, III. 6A26t Please mentiou the Bee Journal. Where to buy them at whole- sale price. Send postal for des- Fruit Plants c r i p t i V e and wholesale CataIog:ue of all of the leading va- rieties of the Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries* Currauts. Gooseberries, Grapes and Potatoes. EZRA G. SMITH, Manchester, Ont. Co., N. Y. 8Atf Please mentiou the Bee Journal. CARLOADS i,^- Of Bee-Uives. Sections, Ship- ping-Cases. Comb Foundation, and Everything used in the Bee-Industry. I want the name and address of every Bee-Keeper in Amer- ica. No reason why you can- not do business with me. I have Cheap Lumber and E.xperienced Workmen ; a good Water-Power Factory and hnow how to run it. I am supplying Dealers as well as consumers. Why not you ? Send for Cata- logues, Quotations, etc. W. II. rUXNAM, IE BivER Falls, Pierce Co.. Wis. M&ition the Ariierican Bee JQVWVUfA, 28c Gash Paid for Beeswax! For all the g:ood, pure yello-w BEES'WAX delivered to our oflSce till further notice, we will pay 2S cents per pound, cash ; or 32 cents for whatever part is exchanged for the Bee Journal, Honey, Books or Seed, that we offer. If you want casb promptly for wax, send it on at OEce. Dark or impure wax not taken at any price. Address plainly, George W. York & ««., 118 llicliigan St., Cliicago, III. >ECTIOfiS. BiEE-MilVES. mHIPPIi)iG-@ASES We make a Specialty of these Goods, and defy Competition in QXJA.LiIT"5r, 'WOK.KIluIA.lTSIIIF' and PK-ICBS. ^^~ Write for Free Illustrated Catalogue and Price-List. Gr. B. LEWIS COMPANY, Watertown, Wis. ^^~ Be sure to mention the American Bee Journal when you write. ..^^ ^^^^ Dadant's Foundation ^^^'^ Year Year Is still in the lead, for we use all the latest improvements, including the NEW PROCESS, and still make the best goods. Renjember that we do not use any acid to purify our bees- wax, and that is why our Foundation preserves the smell of the honey and is more ac- ceptable to the bees, than any other. It is kept for sale by' T. H. Strickler, Solomon City, Kansas. G. K. Hubbam, Kurt Wayne. Ina. L. Hanssen. Duvenport.lowa. C. Theilmann, Theilaianton. Minn. E. C. Eaglestield. Berlin, Wis. E. T. Abbott, 8t. Joseph. Mo. J. M. Jenkine, Wetumpka, Alabama Jobn Rey, Bast Sapinaw. Mich. Vickery Bros., EvansvUle, Ind. Tbe Jennie Atchley Company. Beevilie. Texas. C. F. Muth & Son, Cincinnati. Ohio B. Kretcbmcr, Red Oak, Iowa. Jos. Nysewander. De3 Moines. Iowa. G. B. Lewis Co.. Watertown. Wis. James Reynolds Elevator Co.. Pouahkeepsie. N Y. Louisiana Bee-Keepers' Supply Manufactory. Donaldsonville, La, Page & Lyon. New London, Wis. and many other Dealers. All agree in saying that no goods are better than ours. Those of our customers who formerly bought through Thos. G. Newman can get our Foundation in Cliicag^o^ 111., by addressing us at 118 JVlicliigan Street. We keep no other goods there. We make a specialty of Veils and Veil Stiifls of best quality, cotton and silk. Langstroth on tlie Honey-Bee, Revised. Bee-Keepers' Supplies, Smokers, Sections, Tin Pails, etc. Samples oft Foiiadatioii and XitUe FREE with Circular. Instructions to beginners with Circular. UEESWAX IVA^^IXEO. Send us your address. CHAS. DADANT & SON, Mentiontlie American Bet Journal. HAMILTON, Hancock Co., ILI<. — 1.EADS THEM AI-E. S to 24S4 % — See reports of experiments with Comb Foun- dation at the government station, Lapeer, Mich. FREE— large Illustrated Catalog of everything needed in the apiary. Full of In- fo) mation. M. H. Hunt, Bell Branch, Mich. 5Dtt Please mention this Journal. READERS or tills Journal ivtao write to any of our advertisers, either io ordering, or aslcing about the Goods offered, nrill please state that they saTC tbe Advertisement in this papeir< BEAUTIFUL Transpareut TOUGH and yet PLIABLE. REDUCED PRICES IW- PROCESS WEED FOUNDATION DELIGHTS ALL RECEXT COMPARATIVE TESTS Ii\ FLORIDA show that the old-process dipped wax will sag or stretch in the hive nearly five times as much as that by the new Weed process. Our Kew Sanded and Polished Sections and Bee-Uive Material are the Finest Product that money and machinery can turn out. Catalog Free. THE A. I. ROOT CO., MEDINA, OHIO. lis micliigau St., Cliicago, III. 1024 mUsisMppi SI., St. Paul, ITIinn. Syracuse, N. Y. ESTABLISHED -1661 ^HE OLDEST BEE-PAPER -AMER I^uhUshGd W&&lilyB at 9l,00 T>er annum. Sample CoT>y sent on JXpiylioation. 36th Year. CHICAGO, ILL., APRIL 2, 1896. No. 14. Insuring Sections of Honey Shipping Safely. BY B. TAYLOR. The following paragraph was published on page 135, having been written to Dr. Miller : I wish we could get the collective wisdom of our sages on this matter. But, then, to the confusion of the tyro, their opinions differ so on this, as on most other matters. For instance, B. Tay- lor, in his Toronto essay, says he Alls his sections with "moderately- heavy foundation," and boastfully remarks that he has sent 3U0- pound lots TIKI miles with three railway transfers without a single section breaking down. Had the "moderately-heavy foundation " anything to do with insuring this safety ? Also, had the viscidily ofViehuiinj (as a result of BO days' storage in an iron-house with free air circulation) anything to do with it ? Does he use spiral springs for his crates, or corrugated paper, perhaps ? I wish he'd be less tantalizing, and a trifle more explicit. These big fellows just liint at things — in a rather supercilious sort of way — telling us young- sters just enough to make us long to know more. I wish you would " squeeze " B. T. a bit on this point. S. D. The loss from breakage in shipping comb honey is very great, and any light on the subject is important to the general bee-keeping fraternity. I will try to give my e.^perience in preparing and shipping, in as plain terms as possible. The first step is to have the combs built firmly to all four sides of the section, and to do this to a certainty, narrow sec- tions—not more than seven to the foot — are best. 1 use eight to the foot. I have used thousands of sections two inches wide, but I never could get the bees to fasten the combs so firmly to the wood as in the narrower sections. In the wide sections there would be a small part of the comb that would be fastened to the wood in the center of the sides and top, and commonly not fastened at all to the bottom. When I first used the l}^-inch sections, they would hold only about % pound of honey, and I invented the Handy slotted and cleated separators to remedy this defect. They not only did this, but much more, for ever since I began to use them the sections have been filled and capped solid, right plump to the edge of the sections, in a way that never has been, nor can be, done with a smooth, solid separator. With solid separators the bees will leave holes in the combs at the corners, so they can pass from comb to comb. If the combs were made solid on all sides there would be no passage from comb to comb, except by going over the tops or under the bot- toms, and this they wisely refuse to do. But with the slotted separators there is a free passage from comb to comb right through the center of the super. The bees do not need to leave a passage in the combs ; and the honey is built and capped solid to the sections on all sides. For making beauti- ful comb honey, that will ship safely, I claim the narrow sec- tions, in connection with the Handy slotted and cleated sep- arators, to be a great improvement over the old ways. But to be sure of having every section complete, there must be two pieces of foundation in each section — a strip ]4- inch wide at the bottom, and the larger top piece to come J-a inch from this, and both pieces must be fastened exactly in the center of the sections, and so they will stick for all time to a certainty. Let me say before leaving this subject, that the Handy separators are not used between each section, but only be- tween each two combs. They will last a lifetime, and are cheaper than plain ones in the end, besides giving very much more fancy honey. Now we have our honey as it will be when taken from the hives, and we must cure it. And here there are two points to be looked after. The first is to have the honey in the very highest excellence as to quality ; and, second, to have it in the highest perfection for handling and sliipping. Happily these two points both require the same treatment, viz.: To keep the honey in a very warm, dry, well-ventilated room for at least six weeks. This I do by putting the supers on end with an inch space between them, in my iron curing-house. I have the house of iron only because the warm sunshine will keep it at the right temperature very cheaply, and then mice, rats, and other pests are certain to not get in. But any room that can be kept near 100^ will cure the honey equally well. One of the finest lots of honey I ever had was cured in a bed-room in a farm-house, directly over a large cook-stove that was fired up 20 hours each day. Honey, after being treated in this fashion, has an excel- lence for the table that is unknown to those that eat it directly from the hives, or store it in an unventilated, cold room ; and is so thick and strong as to ship with safety where honey can be shipped at all. For shipping in 200-pound lots, I make a crate much in thestyle of those in use to ship one-piece sections. Those crates are four inches longer than the width of five of ray 20-pound section-cases, and five inches deeper than two tiers of said cases. The large crate is made of light stuff, but is nailed very strong, and has a solid bottom of thin stuff. On this bottom I lay evenly two inches, when packed, of clean straw ; then on this several thicknesses of waste paper. Five 20- pound crates are placed close together in the crate ; this will leave them two inches from the end of the large crate, and this space is packed moderately solid with straw to make a cushion to receive and soften any end-jar in the cars. On these first five crates is spread one inch of fine straw, paper laid on it, and five more crates put in as before, paper laid on top, and straw laid on as thick as is possible, so the cover can be nailed over all. I use pressure in nailing the cover on, as the fruit-men do in packing apples, for we must prevent all jumping of the honey in the large crate. I must not forget to say that the large crate is just wide enough so the cases will fit snugly endwise, and no packing is used in this part. The glassed ends of the crates are all placed on one side, and the slats that make the large orate are far enough apart so the honey is plainly to be seen. The top strip that is used for the sides of the crate is long enough to project 8 inches at both ends, for the railroad men to lift it by. The crate is now plainly marked with directions to set it lengthwise in the car, and is always sent by freight. This crate is too large for one man to handle, and it is all ready for two to carry conveniently without rolling. I have never lost a nickle from breakage in them. Forestville, Minn. 210 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 2, Spring Work in the Apiary. BY WM. S. BARCLAT. As the season is rapidly approaching when the bees will have to be examined, a few words in relation to the manner of handling them may not be out of place. To those who have wintered their bees out-doors and at the same time used single hives, I will here say that they are more fortunate than myself if their bees bees are not troubled with dysentery. To avoid this great trouble I would ad- vise that the single hives be enclosed in an outside case, and that they be packed now (as if for winter) on all sides except the front of the hive, and if the weather is warm enough for them to fly, that they be fed rye meal ; if not warm enough, that the meal be liberally scattered over the tops of thecombs. I remember one instance at least in which this treatment re- lieved me of some serious oases of loss from this my greatest spring trouble. Those who have used double hives which have not been packed in their vacant spaces in the winter, should see that it is done at once. So far as my locality is concerned, I am not yet sure that it is not of greater consequence to pack at this time, than it is to do so in order to meet the rigors of a severe winter. In all outside packing I would advise that it should be put in quite loosely, as in this way we are more apt to avoid dampness, and this is our great object in packing. As to feeding to increase brood-rearing, I have almost con- cluded that no matter how much honey may be in the hive, if we place feeding-honey, or sugar syrup in the proper position in the brood-nest it will be greedily taken by the bees, and thus be promotive of increased brood-rearing. By the proper position I mean by placing it out-side the division-board. I like this much better than feeding lightly every day above the brood-nest; it accomplishes the same purpose, and saves much time and labor. Another matter that has been much practiced and written about is that of brood-spreading. This is a subject that should be approached with great caution — indeed, after practicing it to a limited extent for some years past, I have serious doubts that there is anything gained by the practice ; and where it is attempted, I would insist that no spreading of brood should be attempted until the colony has at least four or five combs of sealed brood, and not even then, unless there is promise of continued favorable weather. If it is then at- tempted, it will be found that a little sugar syrup filled about one-third of the way down the combs, given for eggs, will cause them to be tilled with brood much sooner than if given empty. The danger to be encountered in spreading the brood is to be attributed to the rapid and variable changes of the weather in which the bees, in closing the cluster, uncover their brood, and thus a portion of it is killed. I find after this has occurred the colony almost always becomes discouraged to su.^h an ex- tent that it is almost impossible to induce them to rear bees in time for the honey harvest, and thus the bees are reared only to become consumers instead of honey-gatherers, so that I much prefer to blanket down tight over the combs, not even using a "IIIll's device," and then use plenty of packing over the brood-nest, leaving an empty space next the roof of the hive, and if feeding is done, let it be in the brood-nest outside of a division-board, as before spoke of. In my locality, natural pollen will be very late this season, and as I find that the feeding of rye meal is a great assistance to brood-rearing, I would reccommend that this, or other pol- len-giving material, be given freely to the bees. Beaver Pa., March 17. Mr. Aikiu on the Swarming Question. BY ADRIAN GETAZ. In the Bee-Keepers' Review for December, Mr. R. C. Aikin, in an excellent contribution on the swarming question, says : "In the American Bee Journal for Nov. 14, 1895, page "31, I find the following sentence by Mr. Adrian Getaz : ' Excepting the case of loss of queen, queen-cells are constructed only when three conditions are present, viz.: 1st, a honey-flow; 2nd, a number of young bees, and ,3rd, the laying of the queen restricted by either the lack of space (or rather empty combs) or a failure in the fecundity of the queen.' In the article from which I quote, he advances the theory that the bees under such conditions have a surplus of larval food which is used in the construction of queen- cells, hence swarming results." The idea that the surplus of larval food is the cause of swarming is not original with me. It was discussed exten- sively in Gleanings during 1889, and advocated by quite a number of our leading writers, chiefly Messrs. Stachelhausen and Hasty. Dr. Miller and Editor A. I. Root also endorsed it. In some of the foot-notes Mr. Root insisted that previous to swarming, larval food is found in the embryo queen-cells, even quite awhile before any egg is deposited therein. He also stated that the idea of a surplus of larval food being the cause of swarming had first been advanced by Adair, several years before. All seem to have taken the ground that the swarming notion originates with the young bees on account of the sur- plus of larval food. This, 1 cannot see ; it does not seem to me that the young bees, which have hardly over been out, should be the ones to get dissatisfied and want to swarm. , On the other hand, I can very well conceive that having more larval food than they can use in feeding the queen and young brood, they construct queen-cells, and, perhaps at first, , only store the food in them until finally eggs are laid there also. Once the queen-cells constructed and getting pretty far advanced, the old queen begins to realize (probably as Mr. Hasty says, by the scent of the cells) that rivals are there. She gets excited and tries to destroy them, the bees instinct- ively try to protect them, and finally the excitement reaches the point where swarming takes place. That the plurality of queens, or queen and queen-cells, is the immediate cause of swarming seems to be admitted with- out doubt, as least as far as I can see. If two or more queens are at liberty, a fight ensues, and only one remains. If one is free and the others in cells, and protected by the bees, or caged by the apiarist (this I know by experience), the free queen, after attempting to destroy her rivals, will swarm. Further on Mr. Aikin says : " But what causes this surplus of larval food? lean see a reason in the activity and stimulus of the honey-flow, the greater number of nurse-bees, and the surplus augmented by a decreased amount of brood caused by crowding the queen; but if these are the causes of building cells, why do fehey not continue until the close of the flow ? If the colony can be gotten safely past the first part of the flow (or through the first 10 or ISdays) without swarm- ing, we may have present all the conditions named, and yet the swarming will decrease 'Sy to T5 per cent." This may depend upon a great many circumstances, and I would like to know more about it. In my locality honey comes in irregularly, and in moder- ate quantity at the best, from the first of April (fruit blos- soms) to the middle of July, or a little later (sourwood). Until the first of June, or about then, should queen-cells be con- structed, which is nearly always the case, swarming follows invariably. During that time the weather, at least during the night, is not very warm yet ; and the bees remain crowded in the brood-nest, and in one, or perhaps two, supers imme- diately above. The result is that the queen gets easily crowded for space, and that when queen-cells are constructed, they are fully protected by the bees. After that date, or about, the conditions change. I always put plenty of supers on my hives so that they will not be too warm. I find then (I mean after June 1) that the tem- perature is high enough to permit the bees to break up the cluster entirely, and work anywhere in the hives, and I find them scattered in all the supers instead of being concentrated in the brood-nest and immediately above. The higher tem- . perature also favors the building of comb and storing in the I supers. The result is that the brood-nest is no more crowded ; with honey and bees; and the queen has enough empty combs to lay in. If through failure of fecundity of the queen the construc- tion of queen-cells takes place, the bees are not crowded enough to sufficiently protect them, and the queen succeeds (I say " succeeds" not" is permitted ") in destroying them, or if the old queen is nearly worn out, and has not the energy to do it, the first virgin born will surely do it thoroughly. Does the above apply to Mr. Aikin's locality? I don't know. I would like to know. In his case, judging by his writings, the questioo of temperature does not seem to play any part. Until some time in June, he has but little nectar, then all at once the flow comes in abundance, and with the flow excessive swarming during a week or two. I should sug- gest the following explanation : At the opening of a heavy flow the bees get somewhat ex- cited, the same as they do when feeding begins, rush for the nectar, and crowd the brood-nest. It is also known that comb-building is not well started until after a few days. So they will at first literally clog the brood-nest, then after a few days the comb-building is well under way, the excitement diminished, the honey carried from the brood-nest into the supers, and the swarming decreases consequently. That is only a supposition. I would like to hear more 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 211 about it from Mr. Aikin, especially what part the changes of temperature may play in the matter. I will quote yet another paragraph : " Mr. Getaz is evidently wrong in his theory that a surplus of larval food causes the building of queen-cells. Take from the most prosperous colony all its brood, and you at once take away its swarming; yet such proceeding o«i/7if to leave the colony with a sitperabumlaiice of larval food and nowhere to use it." I think Mr. Aikin is certainly wrong in this, or I do not understand him. In a colony ready to swarm, we find quite an amount of sealed brood, only a limited amount of young brood to feed, and a still more limited amount of space to lay eggs in ; nurse-bees also in quantity, and more of them are " horning" dally from the sealed brood. Wo remove all the brood — what is the result ? By the operation we at once give the queen plenty of room to lay, and in a day or two there will be plenty of larvas to feed. At the same time the daily increase of nurse-bees from sealed brood is taken away, and with them the surplus of larval food. Does not that show that the withdrawal of brood has increased the amount of larval food needed, and decreased the source of supply, and therefore there is more suplus to put in the construction of queen-cells ? Knoxville, Tenn. Some Subjects Reviewed and Commented Upon BY DR. C. C. MILLER. Unkind Flings. — "Now that we have for the first time a Southern journal, devoted to our favorite pursuit, ought we not, as Southern men, come gallantly to the support of the brave lady who has dared to undertake the enterprise of editing a Southern ."journal ? It seems that her spirit of enterprise, or something she lias said or done, has so provoked the spleen of a contributor to one of the above-named periodicals, that he was not long since moved to make the charge that this lady has been cribbing from the files of the American Bee Journal in order to make the col- umns of her journal more interesting. Later, he says in explana- tion, that she has been using in the Southland Queen, some articles that she wrote for the Bee Journal. Reading these unkind flings, I was moved to wonder if the writer had never felt, from mother, sister or wife, that love and devotion that, once experienced, ren- ders the very name of woman sacred to a gentleman." The above is said by " Novice " in the Southland Queen, and it seems a little strange that that paper should allow it to pass without comment. I suppose I am the contributor re- ferred to, and I never made any " unkind flings " in the case, nor made any charge of cribbing. I said the articles were copied from the American Bee .Journal, and in saying that I said just what the Southland Queen itself said. Knowing the facts in the case, the Southland Queen will please do the fair thing by making the proper correction. That "Fallacy." — After reading what J. H. Martin has to say on page 179, I smole a quiet smile and said to myself, " Mr. Martin's reasoning machine is somewhat out of gear." Just shake yourself awake, Mr. Martin, and see how it looks. You say less than one pound per capita is used, and because so little is used the bringing of a lot of California honey North doesn't make competition. Say, J. H., were you really awake when you said that? No, I don't believe I use the word "competition " " rather loosely " so long as a heavy shipment of honey from California brings down the price in the Chicago market. Amalgamation.— On page 178, Manager Newman says the expressions so far given are mainly apainst amalgamation of the North American and the Union. I can hardly believe a square vote of the Union would show a majority against amalgamation. It certainly didn't look that way at Toronto, and at the last Chicago convention the vote of the Union mem- bers there was all in favor of amalgamation. Now, friends, will those of you that are opposed to amal- gamation please give us your reasons ? I don't remember see- ing any reasons given except those based on a misunderstand- ing. I was one of the first members of the Union, and have always been loyal to it. I want to see it continue and in- crease. As matters stand at present the prospect is that it will go out of existence. There's no use blinking the fact that it is now on the down-grade as to members. Give the members the additional advantage of the North American for the same money, and are they not more likley to stick by ? Marengo, III. ^W See "Bee-Keeper's Guide" ofifer on page 221. No. 1 — Producing Comb Honey in Michigan. BY' W. Z. HUTCHINSON. The first thing to be considered is the bees. As to variety of bees I know of nothing superior to a cross between the Ital- ian and German. Italians are better foragers than the black or German bees. When the pasture is near, and the flow good, the blacks will gather as much honey as any bees ; but when the nectar must be sought for far and wide, the Italians will be found the more industrious. If the Italians are better field-bees, they are excelled by the blacks as " house-keepers." They (the blacks) keep the brood-nest more compact, are bet- ter comb-builders, enter the supers more readily, and cap their combs whiter. The Italians are the .bees to bring in the honey, the blacks the ones to handle it to the best advantage after it is in the hive. The Italians might be compared to the man who goes out in the field to labor — the blacks to the woman who stays in the house and manages to the best ad- vantage the products of the man's labor. Of course, we can- not make any such arrangement with the black and Italian varieties of bees ; at least, not any permanent arrangement. By introducing a black queen to an Italian colony of bees there would probably be a short time when the majority of the field-workers would be Italians, and most of the nurses and wax-workers would be blacks, but such a division of labor would not last long — the Italians would soon be gone and the blacks in their place. Such a plan would not be practical, but a cross between the Italian and German is eminently so. A cross between these two varieties is not one whit behind the Italians as workers, and comes pretty well up to the blacks as " house-keepers." If such cross-bred bees are lacking in any respect it is in those characteristics possessed by the black Possessed of the right kind of bees, the next step is to see that they are present in sufficient numbers at the time the surplus is to be gathered. Each bee-keeper must understand his locality and work accordingly. In those localities where the main harvest comes in the fall, but little attention is necessary to have the colonies strong in numbers by the time the harvest is ready ; but when it begins in June, or the last of May, and lasts only six weeks, or less, where there is no basswood, it is of the utmost importance that the colonies be populous at the beginning of the season. Not only must they be populous, but the combs must be full of brood. As a rule, I don't believe it is profitable to change about combs in the brood-nest for the sake of getting them more completely filled with brood. By this I don't mean that more honey per colony might not thereby be secured, but it takes too much time. If the number of colonies is limited, and it is not practical to in- crease the number, and their owner has nothing else to do, such work might be advisable. When possible, it is better to have more colonies, up to the capacity of the field, and do less work per colony. In the early years of my bee-keeping I did a great deal of "fussing" with the bees. Latterly, in producing comb honey, the bees have almost managed them- selves. They have been taken from the cellar, the sections put on and taken off at the proper times, the swarms hived, the bees put back into the cellar upon the approach of winter, and that has been about all there has been to it. I Tinoio I have never produced honey so cheaply as by what some would call slipshod methods. With the sectional Heddon hive it is all riglit to transpose the two sections just before the opening of the honey harvest. This is a sort of wholesale, short-cut method of inducing the bees to more completely fill the combs with brood, that I endorse it. But don't do it too early. Bet- ter let the brood-nest remain entirely undisturbed than to chill some of the brood. Perhaps all do not understand how transposing the sec- tions of a Heddon hive will act as a greater inducement. Bees aim to keep their brood-nest in a globular shape. Cut this globe in two horizontally, and place the upper half below the lower one, and it will be seen that the two spherical sides are brought together in the center, while the broad, flat surfaces are brought to the top and bottom. In their endeavor to again bring the brood next to a globular shape, the bees fill cells with brood that would not have been filled had the brood- nest been left undisturbed. There is one more thing that can be done to induce a safe extension of the brood-nest early in the season, that is, sur- rounding the hives with some packing material. In ordinary seasons this may not be of much benefit, and I believe it is possible to so apply it that no good will result — possibly harm. The packing must not be too thick ; if it is, it will deprive the bees of the benefit of the sun's rays Strong colonies may be able to take care of themselves under such circumstances, but it means death or disaster to a weak colony. The packing should be of such a thickness that the warmth from several 212 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 2, hours' sunshine will surely reach the bees. The packing will become warmed up during the day and retain it a good share of the cominK uight, besides preventing the too rapid escape of heat from the colony, thus acting as a sort of caloric balance-wheel. Two inches of dry sawdust is sufficient for spring-packing. There is one more point in connection with this packing that ought to be heeded, and that is the color of the packing boxes — they must be dark. Light colors reflect the rays of the sun, dark absorbs it. Venetian red Is a good color. I know that Mr. R. L. Taylor's experiments of last year showed no advantage in spring protection, but the spring was not one that favored protection — was a warm spring — and I fear that the packing was too thick. The benefits of protec- tion show to the best advantage when a long spell of warm weather is followed by a " freeze-up" lasting several days. I one year lost nearly half of my bees by such a "freeze-up" about the middle of May, coming on the heels of about three weeks of fine weather. Colonies that were packed did not mind the cold. The raising of a cushion in a packed hive would show the bees crawling about all over the combs, while In a hive with no protection the bees were closely clustered, leaving large quantities of brood exposed. Weak colonies un- packed perished outright ; medium-sized ones suffered the loss Of much brood, while the extni-strong ones did not seem to suffer much loss, even if not packed. I have no quarrel with those whose methods and localities are adapted to large hives, but to producing comb honey in my locality I prefer a small brood-nest. I want a hive of such a size that an ordinary queen with ordinary management can fill it with brood by the opening of white clover. I would not unite weak colonies in the early spring. Without being able to explain Just why, I laiow that several weak colonies united into one will, within a week after, dwindle down to the size of one of the weak ones at the time of uniting. As a rule, I would see that each colony had a good queen and plenty of stores, then tuck it up warmly and let it alone until the time approaches for putting on the supers. If at this time I found many colonies not strong enough to work for comb honey, I would'take the brood from one, two, or three of these weak colonies, as the case might be, and give it to one colony — just filling the hive with brood. A hive thus treated will soon be overflowing with bees. The colonies robbed of brood can be left to build up into sufficient strength for wintering, if nothing more. I have devoted considerable space to the bees, but it must not be forgotten that in the production of comb honey no point is of more importance than that of having the hives ovcrjioic- ing with the rltiht kind of bees at the beginning of the harvest. Having gotten the bees, I will, in ray next, tell how to use them. Flint, Mich. Ontario Foul Brood Inspector's Report. BY Wll. M'EVOY. During 1895 I visited bee-yards in the counties of Lamb- ton, Middlesex, Oxford, Brant, Elgin, Norfolk, Wentworth, Lincoln, Perth, Wellington, Peel, York, Ontario, Hastings and Simcoe. I examined 85 apiaries and found foul brood in 32 bee-yards, and other kinds of dead brood in many others. The great frosts in May, and the dry weather that set in right after, and continued for so long a time, was very hard on all apiaries on account of its shutting off the honey-flow when the colonies had large quantities of larvae to feed. When the un- sealed stores was used up the bees in many cases did not un- cap the old sealed honey fast enough to keep pace with the large amount of larvae that required so much feeding, and the result was a good deal of starved brood, in several colonies, which was mistaken for foul brood in many cases. The great failure of the honey-flow would have led to the wholesale spread of foul brood through robbing setting in by the bees when the diseased colonies were being treated, if I had not taken particular pains to warn the bee-keepers well, and in- sisted upon everything being done exactly as I ordered. I went in for putting every diseased apiary in grand order, and for having as many, if not more, colonies at the close of the season as when I began. In every part of the province that I went into I found the bee-keepers were pleased when I called on them to examine their apiaries, with the exception of three men ; one of these men had only four colonies, and they were bad with foul brood, and near other apiaries. I explained to him how to cure, and urged him to do so ; I also warned him of the great danger of his keeping the disease so near other bee- yards, but it was all no use — he refused to cure. I waited for over six weeks for that man to get his few colonies cured ; he did not even try to do anything, then there was nothing left for me to do but to go and burn his foul-broody colonies so as to save other bee-keepers from having their apiaries ruined by his diseased stock. I burned one colony that was nearly dead with foul brood, for a bee-keeper that I never could get to cure his few colo- nies, or do his duty like other men. I burned three very badly diseased colonies in the same apiary the year before. When a bee-keeper can cure a few colonies of foul brood in a short time, and is urged to do so, time after time, and will not do it after being given every possible chance, then I have to stamp the disease out by fire for the public good. I burned 13 colonies for another bee-keeper, that were nearly dead with foul brood, in fact, ome colonies in the same apiary had died right out with the plague. I did my best with that man several times to melt up his diseased combs, and burned three foul-broody colonies for him before, but all that had no effect on him, he would, and did, risk using old, dis- eased combs until his apiary got into a horrid state with foul brood. I then stamped the plague out again by fire, so as to save the valuable apiaries in the same locality. I was very much pleased with the way all the other bee- keepers went to work and cured their apiaries of foul brood, and some of these men had neiirly 100 diseased colonies when they started to cure. Five years ago last spring when I set out to get all the dis- eased apiaries In the Province cured of foul brood, I soon learned that I had undertaken a tremendous job. I found the bee-yards in every locality that I went into at that time in a horrible state with foul brood, and the disease spreading at an alarming rate then. And to make matters worse, many were selling when they saw it. I had first to take the greatest of pains to explain to every bee-keeper how to cure his colonies of foul brood, and then see that they made no mistakes, and that led to my having to write very many long letters to them, hours after I should have been in my bed, so as to help them out, by explaining everything again, which I always did. I have handled the disease in six cities and 36 counties, and made a great success of ridding out the disease by getting thousands of colonies cured of foul brood and put in grand order. Several sales of diseased colonies had taken place by the very best of men amounting to hundreds of dollars. I soon found that neither the buyers nor sellers knew that the colonies had foul brood at the time of sale. I was chosen as the sole judge by all these parties. And in one case a note for $240.00 had been given. I decided what I believed to be just and very fair to all, and I am very much pleased to say that I satisfied both the buyers and the sellers, and got every- thing settled very nicely. Five years ago last summer, while on my rounds through the Province, I often met with opposition from the bee-keep- ers. Many of the small bee-keepers looked on the inspection business as a something gotten up to drive them out of bee- keeping, and several had no faith in a cure. Some expected that I was going to stamp the disease out by fire. I was as- tonished to find so many holding such views in so many parts of Ontario. I felt very sorry for those people, and took the greatest of pains explaining to them that I came to cure and not to destroy any colony if the bee-keepers would take hold and cure after I told them how to do it. Things have taken a great change since then. I don't find any more opposition, but all very willing to have me call and examine their apiaries. My railway fares, time, and livery hire, for 1895, amount- ed to •SGTo.'lO. Woodburn, Ont. [The foregoing report was read at the last meeting of the Ontario Bee-Keeper's Association, after which it was moved by Mr. Frith, and seconded by Mr. Chrysler, that the Foul Brood Inspector's Report be adopted. Carried. It was also moved by Mr. R. H. Smith, and seconded by Mr. John Newton, that the Ontario Convention desires to express its appreciation of the work done by the Government in the curing of the various foul-broody apiaries throughout the Province, by the Foul Brood Inspector, William McEvoy, and gives their hearty indorsement of the methods of curing as adopted by him ; also, to express themselves as believing Mr. McEvoy's methods for curing foul brood to be the best at pres- ent known. Carried.— Editor.] Xlie IWcEvoy Foul Brood Treatment is given in Dr. Howard's pamphlet on " Foul Brood ; Its Natural History and Rational Treatment." It is the latest publication on the subject, and should be in the hands of every bee-keeper. Price, 25 cents ; or clubbed with the Bee Journal for one year —both for $1.10. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 213 The Colorado State Bee-Keepers' Convention. KEI'ORTED BY T. L. THOMPSON. (Continued from page 198.) The subject of organization was then discussed. Mr. Alford — We havi^ about four times as many bee-keep- ers as we need. I have not sold any honey in Colorado for five years. The marketing of honey is what we should attend to. H. Rauchfuss — We cannot afford to ship in small amounts. We must combine, and educate bee-keepers to produce mar- ketable honey. That is what our organization is here for. But it does not fill the bill. How shall we do it? I don't know — but it must be done. If the organization is a success, bee-keepers will join. Mr. Devinny — Profit depends on putting the honey where it belongs. A man in Texas wrote me for two carloads. I thought surely I could get it for him, but couldn't find it in Colorado, because it had already been promised elsewhere. Mr. Alford — There is no trouble in finding a market. We have not too much honey, but we have bee-keepers enough. Mr. W. L. Porter read an essay entitled " Our Associa- tion," most of which is here given : OUR ASSOCIATION. Organization means civilization. I do not think we have any reason to be discouraged. Our society compares well with any similar society of the country. But we might have better attendance, and thereby achieve better results. To find the combination is the problem. If we could combine, there is no doubt but what we could obtain better prices. The retail price of honey this winter is 15 cents, straight. Now the re- tail dealer is willing to pay S3. 00 per case of 24: sections, and still sell at that price. Allowing 25 cents for jobbing, this would make the price we should obtain §2.75 per case. Instead of that, §2.40 is about the average. This means 35 cents loss to each case. This is a good illustration of what goes on every year. Many of us do not dream of what might be done if we had a Union, and could all sell honey through it. But we have to face the thing as it really is. We, the honey-producers, are not united. The only remedy is to work towards educating the indifferent fellows to an appreciation of the benefit of fellowship. For our meetings to draw, we should have them as social as possible. I have thought it would be well to give one of our meet- ings— perhaps the evening session — to social culture and en- tertainment. We might have a program interspersed with music, essays, songs and speeches. This meeting might be made so very interesting that we would go away feeling that it alone amply repaid us for coming out. The subject of the busy bee is attracting great attention in our public schools. Great stress is put on the teaching of the science and natural history of the bee to the children. Why not ask our professor at the Agricultural College to pre- pare a popular lecture on the science of the bee, with special drawings to illustrate, and then invite the teachers who are interested to be present, and allow them to ask questions, and give them the benefit of our many years of profound e.xperi- ence ? We could also save, if we had more funds. I would sug- gest that we make the admission to thesociety §1.00 for male, and 50 cents for female, members. Our meetings should be a means of education by which we may be kept abreast with the latest discoveries in our profes- sion. It should be a financial aid. Through our society we should be able to learn the demand and supply of honey, so we can market to better advantage. On the supply business I will not say much. But in my judgment it can be carried on better by local societies. There are several reasons for this. In a locality it is very often the case that some certain standard of goods has been introduced, such as the Langstroth hive or the Dovetailed, and that locality would have to buy of the house that produces that particular kind. Then it is better to have the goods shipped direct to that point in a car lot than to be shipped to another point and then reshipped, which would take extra time and extra freight. Hence, wherever there is a locality with a number of bee-keepers, let them come together and organize and correspond with manufacturers and dealers for prices of such goods as they may need, and favorable results will come. In the same way the honey can be disposed of. The peo- ple of each locality can get together and arrange to ship one or more cars of honej out. For instance, we may call Greeley one point ; Fort Collins another, Longmont another, and so on. These societies will have a tendency to educate the peo- ple in the benefits of association, and finally they will wish to take one step higher, and so we will have them up to the State meetings. I have thought it might do good to make the place of our State meetings migratory. We could meet at Greeley, Fort Collins, Longmont, and once in awhile in the famous Arkansas Valley. In this way, as we push our ship around, a few bar- nacles would catch on and perhaps would stick. In this way we would become better acquainted with each other and see more of our grand State, which is to be the banner honey State of the Union. There might be an objection to this when we have an ax to grind in the Legislature, and would want to be on the ground to do it. W. L. Pokter. ORGANIZATION ANB MARKETING. The discussion on organization continued : R. H. Rhodes — The Secretary has the names of 143 bee- keepers, while the usual membership is 25 or 80. Keep the fee as it is (50 cents for male members, and 25 cents for fe- male members). Increased membership brings increased funds. Mr. Devinny — Members here should write to those from a distance to stay with them during the session. L. Booth — There must be a State organization. Let our Secretary and other ofBcers contract directly for supplies — let the local organizations get their supplies through our Secre- tary and Executive Committee. Pres. Aikin — We might imitate the Citrus Fruit Exchange in California. There is a central office and a representative in communication with all growers. He is also in communica- tion with the principal markets. Orders come to him, and he fills them from appropriate parts of the State. Supply and demand do not always regulate prices, on account of "cor- ners." Therefore, let us not organize for greed — to raise the price especially, but to help those in debt to sell to the proper quarters a,t fixed prices. Small lots at low prices should not affect the market. We are to hold our produce for a short time. As soon as the small lots are cleared off, consumers must look to us for the rest of what they want. As a result of advertising, firms all over the country have written me for honey. I sold all my extracted at 7 cents. We haven't enough honey. If we had more, so that merchants would frequently call on us, the prices would be firmer. The pack- age has something to do with it. Large packages are a detri- ment. The grocer gets disgusted after buying one can. He won't handle it in that shape. Extracted honey should Ije in small packages in large crates. In that way it may be made a staple article. I wrote to a commission firm about this. At first they discouraged the idea, but finally said, " Try it." If I can sell my honey that way, I can let it go for 1 to 3 cents a pound less, as the work of transferring from large to small packages would be saved. J. B. Adams — A Chicago firm wrote to me asking, "What can we buy Colorad'o honey for ? It must be at such a price as to compete with California honey." But in their second letter they said, " We can sell all first-class Colorado honey for a good price in competition with California honey." That shows why the honey we ship should be first-class. We can't produce enough to supply all the first-class honey wanted. Since then I have received requests for o}4 carloads. They all want it first-class. Mr. Alford — On commission ? Mr. Adams — No, sir. Mr. Alford — Sell iio?ic on commission. Sell it f. o. b. here. My experience with selling on commission has been such that I want no more of it. Mrs. Shute — It is possible that Chicago man Mr. Adams referred to saw the Colorado honey at the World's Fair. A Chicago newspaper said : " The public conceded the awards to the Colorado honey." J. E. Lyon — Even if only two or four get together, it pays to organize. Then we can first send a man ahead to sell, and afterwards send the honey, at a cost of not more than a cent a pound. I have shipped honey to Illinois in 500-pound lots. It is always wanted. It is never necessary to undersell. 214 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 2, Pres. Aikin — I have shipped to many States. They all said mine was fine honey. F. Rauchfuss — There used to be an orRanization here for that purpose. Each member was a stockholder. That is the only way to have it. L. Booth — That failed from bad management. That is the trouble with stockholding. Pres. Aikin — The Citrus Fruit Exchange have succeeded. They have controlled half the output of Southern California. They have a central office controlled by managers elected by stockholders. Their orders come in, and their markets are worked up, before the season opens. A car goes to all mar- kets. It does not have to be reshipped. The rebate in freight rates goes to the producer instead of the commission-men. Mr. Devinny — One method would be to make a contract or agreement to furnish so much honey to be shipped. If you sign an agreement to furnish goods, it is just like a note. P. Rauchfuss — We should reach those who do not find it convenient to attend, but who would receive benefit by being members. SECUHING SURPLUS IN ADVERSE SEASONS was next treated of in an essay by V. Devinny. From forget- fulness, Mr. Devinny's essay was not procured, but in sub- stance it was as follows : I shall only treat one aspect of this question. Honey- production requires the production of young bees early in the season. When animals are in unnatural conditions we should help them. Our bees are not native to Colorado. Since there are many warm days in which bees fly before natural pollen comes, flour should be fed. I have practiced feeding wheat flour for many years, and have found nothing better. Last year I fed 150 pounds to about 100 colonies. I press the flour firmly down in the bottom of the vessel, and set it at an angle of 45-. In this way the bees do not get in and smother. V. Devinnt. Mr. Adams — I recommend mixing the flour with an equal quantity of clean chaff. It gives them plenty of room. Mr. Devinny — I have tried mixing the flour with coarse materials, but do not like it. The bees split their wings. By my method they do not get in at all. Mrs. Booth — I spread the flour along a table 15 or 20 feet in length. The bees do not smother. R. Patterson — How long before the honey-flow should flour be fed ? Do you look at light colonies at the same time ? They will be incited to use up their honey. Mr. Devinny — I do not feed before March 1. Mr. Adams — I commence to feed as soon as they will take. Mrs. Booth — Be careful about feeding too soon. Once about April 1 my hives were overflowing with bees, and I lost 12 or lo colonies by starvation. It rained several days, and they could not fly for fruit-bloom. Mr. Adams — I gave my reply on the supposition the bees had enough stores. Mr. Alford — I would like to be troubled with too many bees. I don't care how early they get strong enough. Mr. Tracy — Watch for lightness of stores by lifting hives. Always keep full combs on band to replenish. Mr. Alford — I feed 4 or 5 bushels of oats. I never touch the hives before April 1, then put in full combs when neces- sary. There is more danger of starving about June 10 than any other time. But the colonies are so strong then it is hard 10 get honey in. So I feed inferior honey outside on boards to tide them over. Pres. Aikin — I feed flour as soon as they will take it, to keep them from bothering my neighbors, and from going to the flour-mills and getting lost, and I would feed anyhow. In feeding liquid honey outside, look out. I will give an instance: Last spring I took about 600 pounds of feed honey, which was fully half water, to an out-apiary of SO colonies. Arriv- ing at 4 p.m., I poured it over a large quantity of extracting- combs outside, and at once passed along the hives, flinging a few drops of honey on each alighting-board, and tapping or kicking the hives to bring the bees out, and to put each colony on its guard. For a few minutes they did not know where to look for the source of the supply, kept nosing around each others' hives, and, oh my, how cross they were ! But when they began to carry the feed in, I could open hives just as in a honey-flow. The honey was all gone at half-past five. Mr. Alford — Did you visit that apiary next day ? Pres. Aikin — No, but I have done so on similar occasions. There was no robbing. It is just as when a honey-flow stops. Each colony is on its guard. H. Rauchfuss — Don't buy sugar for that purpose when you can get extracted honey for 5 or 6 cents a pound. It would be profitable to know which goes farther. F. Rauchfuss — To use honey instead of sugar will assist other bee-keepers. Pres. Aikin — Outside feeding should be done in the after- noon, as late as possible, so that the honey will all be in the hives before the neighbors' bees know where it is. Airs. Booth — I have had no trouble with robbing by this method. I fed to prevent robbing, and succeeded. Mr. Carlzeu — How close to the hives do you feed ? Pres. Aikin— Anywhere ; 10 to 50 feet. Mr. Adams — How often ? Pres. Aikin — As often as necessary. Mr. Patterson — But what need is there of such broadcast feeding 'I AVhy not feed the weak colonies only, and feed them inside? I have a lot of swarms which were without honey in the fall, and I am trying to feed them now. Mr. Porter — I don't think it advisable to feed at this sea- son of the year. But in June the colonies are all alike and all out. , H. Rauchfuss — Don't fuss with weak colonies by feeding. If you have not enough bees, you can buy up heavy colonies in the vicinity for §2.00 apiece, and unite your weak colonies with them, if you do not want to kill them. Mr. Alford — I didn't succeed in keeping the ground clear longer than a year in my neighborhood, by buying up. Pres. Aikin — In outside feeding, those frames found filled with honey can afterwards be put where they are wanted. Mr. Adams — How should the feed be diluted ? Mr. Porter — Half and half. Outside feeding is all right. Pres. Aikin— If it is too thick they will daub each other. (Concluded next week.i CONDUCTED BY DR. C. O. MILLER. MARENGO, ILL, LQuestlons may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct.! Spraying Fruit-Blossoms. Is there any danger to bees or honey from spraying fruit- trees in bloom with poisonous solutions ? G. S. C. Answer. — Yes, most decidedly. The man who sprays fruit-trees in bloom doesn't know his business. It can do no good whatever to the blossoms, and may do harm. In some places the law will not allow spraying fruit-blossoms. Bees Need a Cleansing FiislM. I noticed one of the hives in the cellar this morning had the bottom-board and part of the front well smeared with something like propolis. I suppose the colony has bee-diar- rhea. What would you do? I do not want to put them out for at least two weeks yet. There seems to be plenty of bees in the hive, and they are quiet. Reader. Answer. — Air the cellar thoroughly, and if you can do so, warm it up at the same time. But nothing will answer so well as to have warm weather come so the bees can fly. Diridins Colonies for Increase. As I will not be at home this summer to attend to my bees, I wish you would advise me as to the best way to divide them, as I wish the increase and do not want them to swarm. Olympia, Wash. Subscriber. Answer. — It isn't the easiest thing to know what is the .best way to divide without knowing all about the circumstan- ces. Even in the same apiary onecolony might be so different in its conditions from another that a different plan should be used. In your case, if I understand rightly, the idea is to pre- vent the bees swarming, and at the same time have the in- crease, only being in the apiary on stated occasions. So I'll try to give you one way of doing — a very easy way : 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 215 As soon as the bees get fairly to work and begin to in- crease in numbers, give each colony a second story, putting the hive with empty combs or foundation under the full one. Very likely the bees will work down into this lower story more or less, and at any rate the extra room will have a tendency to prevent swarming. About the time of the beginning of the main harvest, lift off the upper story and put it on a new stand, leaving the queen on the old stand in the partially empty hive. This makes your work very little, and if you do nothing more each hive put on a new stand will rear its own queen, but it will be a great help if you can give to each a cell ready to hatch. The Queen-Clipping Deviee. Who and where is Mr. Monette ? lam anxious to learn more about his queen-clipping machine. J. W. P. Answer. — Mr. Monette is at Chatfield, Minn., and is a well-informed practical bee-keeper. I have never seen his de- vice, but from the explanation given in a late number of this journal, I should think it might be a good thing. L.ucern or Alfalfa — Sweet Clover. Can you inform me about a grass called lucern ? In Amrt-- ican Bee Journal of 1894, page 434, in "Bee-Notes by the Wayside," Mr. E. S. Lovesy speaks of lucern. Where can the seed be bought ? Is it sweet clover? Will it grow in this State ? How many kinds of sweet clover are there, and which is the best for bees ? J. R. F. Rochester, N. Y. Answer. — Lucern is the same as alfalfa. I only know of the white and yellow sweet clover, and I believe the white is best, but I never saw much yellow. ^ I » Size of the Hire. Which is the better size for a bee-hive, 13>8x20xlO, or 13^x20x12 inches, outside ? It seems to me 10 inches in depth is rather shallow. F. M. C. Answer. — Most bee-keepers prefer a frame hot so deep as would be taken in a hive 12 inches deep. The additional two Inches makes quite a difference about taking out and putting in the frames. Some would prefer the deeper hive on account of the increased capacity, but others would say it is better to have two stories of the shallower frames. Opinions vary wide- ly, and its one of those questions you'll have to settle for your- self. Just now, for myself, I'm iuclined to try two stories with standard sized frames. Turning Honey into AVax by Feeding. I have had a dim idea or plan in mind for some months, and would like to know what you think of it. I do not think that I can depend entirely for suport upon the bees, as the honey-flow is not very heavy. There is no clover, and almost no basswood bloom here, but plenty of locust, some golden-rod and wild flowers. The yield from locust is very uncertain, and cannot be depended upon. I am afraid that what little I could do in the way of artilicial pasturage would not be much help. I like to manage an apiary first rate, but I am afraid I must have some other business than bee-keeping if I stay here. My idea is to give the bees as much freedom as possible in their house-keeping arrangements, examining iheni once or twice in the spring and summer, and seeing that they are in good conditton for winter. Having clipped queens, some one at home can easily manage swarming with the bees in 10- franie Langstroth hives tiered up so as to furnish plenty of room. As I cannot attend to them closely during the proper time, comb-honey is out of the question. I might do as the Dadaut's do, and, during my slack times in business, after the season is over, extract all surplus. But there is a serious objection to extracted honey with me — it is from badly mixed sources, and is what I call strong or rank honey, and does not have ready sale. Therefore I should like to turn those surplus frames of honey into wax. In the late fall I can easily get away from business for two or three weeks. At that time I should like to feed back the surplus honey for the wax it will bring. The combs that con- tain the surplus and those obtained by feeding back should make quite a quantity of wax from 2.5 colonies of bees. I will give a few points, as J think of them, in favor of the plan : 1. The combs being new, they would be easily worked into wax by any method. 2. It would be A No. 1. in quality, and would bring the highest price. 3. The market price of wax in New York is as high, or higher, than in other cities, I think. 4. The great demand for it would insure a good market. 5. There would be no trouble from granulation in feed- ing back for wax, as the result is neither comb nor extracted honey, nor winter stores. 6. The feeding back would fill the hives with young bees, which I think is a good point. As comb and extracted honey seem to be out of the ques- tion with me, I should like your advice as to whether you think it would add something to my income to follow this plan. I do not expect great returns, but if it would bring me in a small sum every year — that with the pleasure of handling the bees, would satisfy me. In what way would you feed back the honey? Would you uncap it and place it at a short dis- tance from the apiary, or would you feed it in the hive ? If so, how ? A. M. Stamford, Conn. Answer. — If you have 1,000 pounds of extracted honey of so poor quality that you can get only o or 6 cents a pound for it, and feed it all back to the bees, I've no kind of an idea that all the wax you could get from it would begin to bring you as much money as the honey before feeding. You can't get all the honey turned into wax, only enough to contain the honey. Don't try it on a large scale. Bees That Store "So Honey. I have bad a colony of bees In a Langstroth hive for about 10 years, and it never swarmed and never gathered any honey, but seemed to be very strong through the honey sea- son. I never look in the hive, as it is so much trouble. Can you tell me what is wrong ? R. H. E. Springfield, Tenn. Answer. — Hard to tell. The bees maybe very poor stock, and a cliange of queen might help. There may be a greatdeal too much drone-comb, and cutting this out and giving worker- foundation would be a good thing. Queen-Excluding Honey-Boards and Extracting. Does it pay to buy queen-excluding honey-boards when producing extracted honey ? If they are not used will the queen enter the supers so as to discommode the apiarist? B. D. D. Answer. — A large number think it pays well. There is a growing tendency to avoid extracting from combs that have brood in them. Still, there may be no great need of excluders if the bruod-nest is very large and the extracting-combs are spaced wide apart. Dadant says queens are not so likely to go up if extracting-combs are shallow. M I M Is Foxglove Honey Poisonous i 1. Is honey gathered from digitalis or foxglove poison- ous ? 2. "Would you advise starting an apiary in a neighbor- hood where it grows. Amateur. Answers. — 1. I don't know. I don't believe it is. I con- fess to just a little skepticism about there being much, if any, honey that is poisonous. 2. I might possibly make a mistake in the matter, but I should't pay any attention to foxglove. Even if the honev is objectionable, is there enough of it to make any difference ? Perhaps it might be well to say that there is such a thing as honey being in effect poisonous to the bees, even when all right for people to eat. In some places bees get honey that seems all well enough, only the bees can't winter on it, so it might as well be poison for them. Every Present Subscriber of the Bee Journal should be an agent for it, and get all others possible to sub- scribe for it. 216 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 2, PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY GEORGE W. YORK & COMPANY, MS ariciig-an St., - CHICAGO, ILL. REGULAK CONTRIBUTORS : G. M. Doolittle, of New York. Prof. A. J. Cook, of California. Dr. C. C. Miller, of Illinois. Dr. J. V. H. Brown, of Georgia. J, H. Martin, of California. Rev. E. T. Abbott, of Missouri. Cbas. Dadant & Son, of Illinois. B. Taylor, of Minnesota. $1.00 a Year — Sample Copy Sent Free. [Entered at the Post-OtBce at Chicago as Second-Class Mail-Matter.] Vol. Iim CHICA&O, ILL,, APe, 2, 1896. No, 14. Bees and Honey in Illinois.— The Statillcal Re- port issued by the Illinois State Board of Agriculture at the close of 189.5, gives the following for the apiarian industry for last year: Of the 427,667 pounds of honey produced in Illinois last year, 151,823 pounds was produced in the northern division of the State, 105,925 pounds in the central, and 109,919 pounds in the southern division. The average price received was IS cents per pound, and the total value, $56,534. There were 50,760 colonies of bees reported in Illinois in 1895. Well, that is a beginning. May be this year beeswax can be included in the Report. We wish they would separate the honey into extracted and comb. Xlie Xext Plortb American Meeting.— We have received the following about the 1896 meeting of the North American Bee-Keepers' Association, from ex-President Emerson T. Abbott, of St. Joseph, Mo.: I see that the Nebraska people have begun to make ar- rangements for the next meeting to be held at Lincoln, and I do hope there will be no thought of holding the meeting at any other point. It seems to me that every member, who was at St. Joseph, especially owes it to our Nebraska friends to do all he or she can to aid in fulfilling the implied promise which was made that the next meeting should go to Lincoln. Let us go there next fall, and carry out our part of the contract, and then I for one will vote to have the next meeting at any time or place that seems to offer the best inducements. I am inclined to think that the bee-keepers of the country •will be a unit as to Lincoln when they fully understand the conditions under which the Nebraska people voted to send the last meeting to Canada. Emerson T. Abbott. We should like to hear from those good Nebraska people that were at the St. Joseph meeting. How do Messrs. Stilson, Whitcomb, and others, feel about meeting at the same time and place as the Grand Army this year ? Corrections.— On page 182, second column, and sec- ond line of Mr. Aikin's first remark, the number should be 10 instead of 100. On the same page and column, in the first line of the second paragraph of H, Rauchfuss' second remark, the word " not " was omitted. It should read, " queens will not seldom lay 5 or 6 eggs," etc. California Bee-Keepers' Exchange.- The By-Laws of the California Bee-Keepers' Exchange, contained in a neat little pamphlet of 23 pages, form a very interesting document. To give any definite idea of what is contained in those 23 pages would take too much space, but a few points may be mentioned : Membership is confined to actual producers of honey, and admission to membership is carefully guarded. Each member pays an admission fee of $1.00, and then 75 cents dues four times a year. Each member is required to turn into the Ex- change his annual product of honey, but he can sell direct to the consumer in the home market. The Exchange retains 5 per cent, of the proceeds of extracted honey, and 2}^ per cent. of comb. The amount thus retained, after paying current expenses forms a guarantee fund. The guarantee fund may be loaned to the permanent fund, and then there's an arrange- ment by which the members may get back part of the funds of the Exchange if it gets too flush. Debt may be incurred to the amount of 850,000. The Exchange will receive honey from those not members, charging, besides the expenses of marketing, a commission of 5 per cent, for extracted honey, and 2}4 per cent, for comb. The Exchange seems to mean business, and its career will be watched with very great interest. The American Bee-Keeper for March, contains a real funny editorial, in which it condemns very strongly what it is pleased to call, "so many 'soft' sayings, self- praise, mutual editorial flattery, and railings over personal domestic misfortunes as are found in the bee-journals of the country." As an actual fact, in that self-same March American Bee- Keeper, we find items and articles with these suggestive head- ings : "Kissing;" "An Attentive Gallant;" "An Old Love- Letter ;" "And then He Proposed;" "The Fin de Siecle Damsel," etc. Talk about " so/f sayings" — why, the above seem pretty musJiij ! " People in glass houses," etc. Apis Dorsata Once More. — The Ontario County, N. v., Bee-Keepers' Association seems to be determined that the "Giant Bee of India " shall be brought to this country, whether or no. We have received the following from the President of that Association : Chapinville, N. Y., March 16, 1896. Mr. Editor: — We enclose an open letter to the bee-keep- ers of the United States, that we would like to have published in the American Bee Journal. We also enclose a copy of the Petition, We had hoped that others more capable would lead in the matter, but becoming disgusted with the delay of those who are supposed to look after the apicultural progress of the country, we decided to move in the matter if we moved alone. We are acting entirely on our own responsibility, with " malice toward none, and charity for all." Yours fraternally. Exec Com. Ont. Co., N. Y., B.-K. A. W. P. Marks, Chairman. The " letter" referred to by Mr. Marks, reads as follows • Open Letter to the Bee-Keepers of the United States. Fellow Bee-Keepers : — We have prepared for circulation a petition asking the Secretary of Agriculture of the United States to take steps to secure and introduce " Apis dorsata" — the Giant Bee of India — into this country. It is a duty that the Government owes, and is willing to render our industry. (See Report of Secretary of Agriculture, 1893, page 25.) Owing to the rapid disappearance of the bumble-bee the in- troduction of these bees will soon be a necessity in the success- ful growing of red clover for seed, if for no other purpose. That these are a distinct and large race of bees there is no doubt, but of their practical value we know nothing, and never will know until we have thoroughly tested them. As progres- sive bee-keepers and honey-producers, we should not rest until 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 217 every spot on this earth has been searched, and every race of honey-bees has been tested. We should do it for the ad- vancement of scientific and progressive apiculture, for our- selves and for posterity. Prof. Cook said in the American Bee Journal, Oct. 1^5, 1890, page 708 : " It is not creditable to the enterprise of our time that the Orient is not made to ' show its hand,' and any superior bees that may be in existence in Africa, India, Ceylon, or the Philippine Islands, brought here for our use and test." Our Association has taken hold of this with sincerity, and expects the united support of the bee-keepers of this country, and with their support the end of the nineteenth century will witness a new era in apiculture, in which the bee-keepers of the United States will take a leading part. Life is too short for further delay. There is much to gain and nothing to lose. We are determined to succeed, and want your active assis- tance. Yours fraternally. Executive Committee, Ontario Co., N. Y., Bee-Keepers' Asssociation. Copies of these petitions may be obtained by any one who will circulate them, by addressing, W. F. Marks, Chapinville, N. Y. The following is a copy of the Petition which the Ontario Co., N. Y., Bee-Keepers' Association is desirous to have cir- culated for signatures : To the Honorable, the Secrelary of Agriculture, Washington, D. C: The bee-keepers of this country are aware of the existence in the East Indies of a large honey-bee, known as "Apis dorsata," reliably reported to be an excelleat wax-maker and honey-gatherer. It is believed that these bees would be of great advantage to the apiarian and agricultural interests of the country — a belief which only actual trial will ever con- firm. The bee-keepers are thankful, and appreciate all favors received from the Government, yet they have asked for, and have received, perhaps, less than any other branch of Agricul- ture of equal importance. Realizing that, if we are going to have " Apis dorsata " domesticated during '• our day and gen- eration," it is time to begin, and since repeated individual efforts have failed to import these bees alive, we, the under- signed bee-keepers and farmers, respectfully and earnestly petition you to take steps to insure their introduction into the United States. In this we represent the sentiment of a ma- jority of the progressive bee-keepers of the country. The Secretary of Agriculture, in his report for lSi>3, page 25, says : " The Entomologist, Prof. Riley, strongly recommends, as a part of the work for this fiscal year, an attempt to intro- duce from Ceylon the Giant Bee of India ; therefore, the in- terested attention of bee-keepers in the several States is directed in a special manner to these suggestions." We, therefore, pray that our petition will receive imme- diate and favorable consideration. In order to get au expression from some more of the "progressive bee-keepers of the country" on this subject, we hereby request that all who reply to questions found in the Question-Bos" department of the American Bee Journal, please send us on a postal card their opinion regarding the matter of importing " Apis dorsata," as proposed by this Petition. If they will do it at once, we can publish the replies this month yet. Such expression will no doubt be an aid to others in deciding whether or not they wish to help in the undertaking. It seems to us that if, as proposed, "Apis dor- sata" will prove such a great acquisition, a petition issued by the North American Bee-Keepers' Association would carry with it greater weight when it comes before the Washington authorities. Kindly let us have a prompt response from those who represent our " Question-Box." than are well supported, and for any one to rush into the newspaper business these days shows a lack of good sense. Of course, the older papers can stand it all right, no matter if a thousand new ones are started, but what folly it is for any one to throw away good money ou such useless and needless ven- tures. " A word to the wise," etc. The Rural Kansan has been purchased by the Progressive Bee-Keeper, and its subscribers will hereafter re- ceive the latter paper. So writes Editor Leahy, of the Pro- gressive. It's a good move. In the first place, the "Kansas Bee Journal " was started ; then the name was changed to " Rural Kansan," and now it drops out altogether. 'Tisjust as we expected. There is no need of more new bee-papers or other farm papers. There are more papers published now Gradingf Comb Honey.— This subject is brought up again in Gleanings for March 15, after a hibernation of several years. Mr. Thos. Elliott, of Harvard, HI,, who men- tions it, thinks that Dr. Miller's grading, offered in 1892, would suit the majority, and says that what is wanted now is " action," as " the matter was discussed all that was neces- sary." Mr. Elliott says further : My plan now is to print small, cheap slips, reading some- thing like this : The honey in this cr.ate is graded according to the rules laid down by the Miller grade, which is as follows: Fancy.— Combs straight, white, well filled, firmly fastened to wood on all lour sides: all cells sealed: no pollen, propolis, nor travel-etaiu. No. 1. — Wood well scraped, or entirely free from propolis; one side of the section sealed with white cappings. tree from pollen, and hav- ing all cells sealed except the line of cells next the wood; the other side white, or but slightly discolored, with not more than two cells of pollen, and not more than ten cells unsealed beside the line of cells touching the wood ; comb fastened to the wood on four sides. No. 2.— Three-fourths of the total surface must be tilled and sealed; wood well scraped of propolis. No. :i.— Must weigh at least half as much as a full-weight section. For the Classes of honey I would suggest the four already in use, sufficiently understood I'rom the names alone; namely, light, amber, DARK, MIXED. Parties buying or selling honey will please quote this grade. The grade marked on the crate would designate the con- tents. Larger copies could be printed for the use of commis- sion men and dealers. A slip could be put into every crate sold, and placed where they would do the most good.- Having once gained a foothold, it would surely spread. Thos. Elliott. In a footnote to the foregoing. Editor Root said : This was a compromise of the grading suggested by J. A. Green and W. C. Frazier— the grading proposed at Albany, and the one at Chicago, combining, as I understand it, accord- ing to the best judgment of the Doctor, the best points in all. Some of the former gradings were too exact, and too difficult to comply with. Others were too wordy. If I remember cor- rectly, no other grade since that time was suggested, and I am going to assume, at least, that our readers at the time had no particular objection to it. I was sorry that the subject of grading was dropped some years ago, without coming to any decision. I have always felt that a poor grading was better than none at all, providing that all could adopt the same system in referring to their qual- ities of honey. Now, lest we get into the same snarl we did before, in criticising and suggesting until no grading was left, I would suggest that, if this Miller is not so "awfully" bad, we adopt it. I am of the opinion the bee-journals can do as much as, or more, in this line than any association or convention of bee-keepers. If they (the journals) were to agree on some system of grading, and then request all their commission men to quote prices on honey according to that grading, it would not take very long before it would be universally applied. Gleanings stands ready to co-operate with any of its cotempo- raries. We think the great difficulty will be to get the commission men to co-operate with the bee-papers in this matter, still a trial could do no harm, and might lead to much good. The American Bee Journal also " stands ready " to join hand with the other bee-periodicals in an attempt to establish a system of grading. Surely, there is need enough for it. Shall we all try to have the " Miller grading " used ? «-.-♦ Honey as Food antl Medicine. — A new and revised edition of this 33-page pamphlet is now issued. It has .5 blank pages on which to write or paste recipes taken from other sources. It is just what its name indicates, and should be liberally dis- tributed among the people everywhere to create a demand for honey. It contains a number of recipes on the use of honey as food and as medicine, besides much other interesting and valuable information. Prices, postpaid, are: Single copy. 5 cts. : 10 copies 30 cts. ; 50 for ¥1.00 : 100 for $1.7.5. Better give them a trial. Send all orders to the Bee Journal office. 218 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April Largest Factory ti°e West Go?d^p^fs^|Aif^c-es READ THIS— Mr. Keyes says: The 100 rounds of Extra-Thin Foundation you sent usl is superior to anything- he ever saw; and I think the same. R. L. TtJCKER, Wewahitclilia. Fla. Dear Sirs: — The Sections came duly to hand. Indeed, they are very nice. Yes, sir: they are as good as the best. Charles H. Thies, SteelevlUe. Illinois. Leahy Mfg. Co. :— I have received the bill of goods. I must say they are the choicest lot of Hive-Stuff 1 have ever received from any place. I admire the smoothness of your work, and your close selection of lumber. Yours ver.v truly. O. K. Olmstead. Orleans. Nebr. Dear Sirs:— The Sections arrived in due time, and are all O. K. so far as examined. They are simply perfection. 1 can't see how you can turuish such goods at such low prices. I hope you may live long and do well. Yours respectfully. Z. S. WE.iVER. Courtney, Tex. Gents:—! received the " HigginsviUe Smoker " all O. K. It's a dand.v: please find enclosed stamps for another. Yours truly. Otto Endeks, Oswegathe, N. Y. Gentlemen:— 1 have bought Supplies from nearly all the large manufacturers by the car- load, and 1 must say yours are as good as the best. Indeed, la many lines they are the best. It Is a pleasure to handle them. E. T. Flanagan, Belleville, Illinois. The above unsolicited testimonials are a fair sample of hundreds we receive. Our prices are reasonable and the '* HigginsviUe Goods " are the best. The ''HlgglnKville " (ioods are for sale by the following parties : Chas. H. Thies. Steelville, ill. E. T. Flanagan. Belleville, 111. Henry L. Miller. Topeka. Kans. E. A. Seeley, Bloomer, Arkansas. J. W. Rouse & Co.. Mexico, Mo. P. J. Thomas, Fredonia, Kans. And by a number of others. If you need a Carload of Supplies, or only a Bee-Smoker, write to us. Remember, we are here to serve you. and will, if you give us a chance. A BeHtitit'iil Cataloa^tie Free, Address, LEAHY MANUFACTURING CO., HiGSINSVILLE. MO. ■19A itfention the American Bee JrurnaL CHEAPER THAN EVER Hllton'8 Cbafi- Hives Wliite Poli«lied Sections T Siipcrw Koiiiidatlou Siiiokei'M And everything needed in the apiary. 1896 Catalog of 36 pages free. OEO. E. IIILTOi\, ISAtf FKEMONT. MICH. Mention the A.m€rica )i Bee Jouriui'^, Dadaiit's Foiiiidatioii ill Cliica2:o ! No other Goods kept here. Send for Prloe-Liat, CHAS. DADANT &. SON, 118 Michigan St., - CHICAGO. ILL. 13Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. ONE MAN WITH THE UNION °°"^«j,':,'^-'°^ (im do the work of four men using- hand tools, in Kfpping-. Cutting-off, Mi- trinj^r. Rabbeting-, Groov- in<:. Gaining-. Dadoing, Edging-up. Jointinsr Stuff, oil-. Full Liueof Foot and Hand Power Machinery Sold nil Triiil. riil;ilo!.'uc Free. SENECA FAI^IjS MFO. CO., 46 Water St., SENECA FALLS, N. T lAly Mention the Amerimyi Bee Journals $1.50 a M. 3 M, $4.25. These are not Seconds, but perfect Sections. As the.v are not up to our present high stan- dard, we wish to close them out. Sample free. Widths- 7-to foot, I 15-16 in., and 2 in. ' Catalog of Been A: Supplies FKEE. 101 I. J. STRIIVGHAIU, Park Place. NEW YORK, N. T. MOVED TO LARGER QUARTERS ! In order to take care of the business properly at this Branch, we have moved to 1 IS Mlc-lil- gan St., [3rd Floor], within two blocks of the Northwestern Passenger station, where we've secured larger quarters, making ample room for a Full .Issoriiueiit. Send along vour or- ders, remembering that we guarantee satisfaction, and at prices as low as the best iiu'ality of Goods can be furnished for. Special Prices on a lot uf Stock we are closing out. Send for Catalog and a List of Goods at Special Prices. In order to close them out quickly we offer some good Sections, for the next 30 days, or while they last, at these special prices ; White Sections, ■l^xi'H. 25,000 7-to-ft. at these low prices -1,000 for SI. 75; 2.000 for S3. DO; 5,000 for J7. 00 We also have a stock of Triangular Top Langstroth Frames at these Special prices: 100 for $1.00; 300, $2.70; 500, $4.00; 1000, $7.00. On all freight orders of 85 or less, at this Branch, please add 2oc. for cartage. Catalogue Free. The A. I. ROOT CO., 11§ Micliisan SI.,CHICAOO, II.L,. Geo. W. York, HIgr. Please mention the American Bee .Tournal. MUTH'S HONET EZTBACTOB pehpection Cold-Blast Smokers, Square Glass Houe^ Jars, Etc. For Circulars, apply to Cras. F. Muth & Sos. Cor. Freeman & Central Aves., Cincinnati, O. Send 10c for Practical Hints to Bee-Keepere. A Barffain-EARLY QUEENS. 119 Colonies Italian Bees in Chaff Hives: two acres land: good house; excellent well. Early Clueeiis— Tested, $1.50 ; Untested. 73c. E. L. CARUINGTON, llAlt PBTTUS, Bee Co., TEX. Qer)eral licrrfs^ A Good Colorado Report. I traded a hog for two colonies of bees in February, IS9.3. I never had any use for bees prior to that time. That summer I re- ceived from one hive 96 pounds of comb honey; from the other 6 pounds, and no swarms. The spring o£ 1894 I had them transferred to new S-frame hives, and they cast 7 swarms. Then I went into those two hives and cut out 'J queen-cells, leaving a queen in each hive. I got 300 pounds of comb honey that season. Last year the 9 colonies ran up to 28, when I again went "queen-hunting," and got — well, I never stopped to count them, but I had all our glasses, teacups, etc., full of queens, and then some left over. I sold 20 colonies for -SUJO to one man. one colony to another for .*7.00, and sold 3.50 pounds o£ honey from the 7 colonies left. As it rained a great deal last summer, it cut our honey crop short. My bees are in fine condition now. and with the assistance of the Ameri- can Bee Journal I hope to do some good work in the near future in the bee-business. A. O. Konxs. Rocky Ford, Colo., Feb. 22. The Enemies of Bees. flarris, in his work, "The Honey-Bee," says, " Although the Greeks credited the swallow with being a robber of apiaries, we have no reason to charge "«)• swallows with the same crime." No. not our pretty little friend that builds under the eaves; but in many parts of the world there is a far larger species of swallow, known here as the " wind swallow." and probably existing in California, and generally in warm lati- tudes. The way t/i< ij go for bees is a cau- tion! Two or three times a day a flock of them comes to my apiary for a meal. They are very daring, and most difficult to shoot, for they dart over the hives with the rapidit3' of lightning, and the loud and fre- quent snap! snap! as the poor bees are caught in their beaks, drives the helpless bee-keeper almost to distraction. At much cost of time and powder I have managed lately to bring down three of these auda- cious rascals, and have found as many as 20 bees in the stomach of one! Nor does shooting scare them away ; they will gwoop backwards and forwards over the hills till they have had their fill. The swallow— or at least the larger species of this bird — is about the bee-keep- er's biggest enemy ! Let apiarists in warm latitudes (where all of the swallow tribe may hitherto have been regarded as harm- less) make a note of this, and when found make a note, if he can, of the swallow, too. I am about to get up a shooting party, of which each member will pay, say a dollar, into the pool, the slayer of the greatest number to take the same. The flock visit- ing my apiary consume at least 1,000 bees a day. and probably vastly more! Another enemy of the bee is the Bee! " Bee's cruelty to bee, makes countless thousands kick." But I am happy to say that since I have adopted the pauit cure, robbing in my yard is a thing of the past. I open and expose hives and combs with impunity whether honey be coming in or not; but accompanying me in my rounds is the indispensable paint-pot; as soon as the work is done, and the hive closed, the brush (/("/ tuo wri) is drawn two or three times over the flight board, and just above the flight hole, and no robbers trouble after that — even let them have begun an attack and be crowded about the entrance as thick — well. " as thick as thieves," a dab of the paint-brush at once sends them ofl: about their business, nor do they return. I find this a simple and most efficacious remedy for robbers, and worth many times my annual subscription to the American Bee Journal, in which a year or two ago I happened to see it mentioned. Another enemy of the bee — in his own 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 219 BUY „w. "direct FROM FACTORY," BEST MIXED PAINTS At WHOLESAI.E PRICES, Delivered FUEE For Houses, Barns, Roofs, al 1 colors, and S A ^ |.. Dealers profits. In use r,4 years. Endorsed by Grange & Farmers Alliance. Low pHces will surprise you Wrj^efor Samples. 0. W. INGERSOLL, 289 Plymouth St., Brooklyn, N. V. 12Aia Mention Uie American Bee JoumoL We h.-ive killed hip:h prices. (Uvc me a trial order aud he convinced that, good Queens can be reared tor 30 cts. each. Untested, .tO cts. ; Tested. 75 cts. Golden Italians. 3-Banded I- taliaus, and Silver-Gray Carniolajis, all the same price. Best of References given. C. B. BARfliSTOX, 13Atf CHRIBSMAN, Burleson Co., TEX. Mentton tue. Anvsirican Bee Jov/rnai, *§ . .. .'«• u 1 — J— . ■ * ^1 1 ■ 1 ' ■ ^ , , ^ . , i ^ ^ U u::^ '-^ Wi :;^ ■— * ^^^ :S4 i.« s te S*3 » m b^il0 in farming nowadays is preparing for the future. Periuaiicnt fences slioulJ be bu.ltof Page Woven Wire, and wtien good limes come, be ready to give your wliule attenl'.on to business PAGE VUftvPN M'lRC ^'""""'^no. Adrian, Mich. WHEN ANSWEHrNG THIS ADVERTISEMENT. MENTrON THIS JOURNAu Better tliau 10 °lo Discount! By comparing- the following with the custom- ary prices of Foundation they will be found to be better than a 10 K discount. Prices are f. o. b., cut to any size. COIHB FOUNDATION. 1ft 55) 10n> 251)) Heavy or Medium 45o 42c 40c .38c Light 4oc 44c 42c 40o Thin 50o 49c 47c 45c Extra Thin 5oc 54c 52c 50c Samples Free. Watch this advertisement for changes. Belter huy now. before prices ad- vance. BRESWAX— 30c cash, :!2c trade, de- livered. Hives. Hections. Smokers, Etc., always in stock. PHICES are right. Order before the rush. W. J. FIINCH, Jr., llAtf SPRINGFIELD, ILLS. ^t?5 SUCCESSFUL I INCUBATOR S Our mu^'niticf^nt ▼ new Cii'aloguQ S Reiving full in- 2 !3f formation re** Rarding artificiale „, .. R H Hatching & Brooding S Write now. P P mid treatise on pou I- * OeS Moines fej try rniaing eentfor 4c _ Incubator Co. &Btamps. Circular free. Box 78 UesMolnesJa 11 AiJt JMcnttuu the Jlrnti ivan uct Ju'trnaL. "^ifc California If you care to know of its Fruits, Flowers Climate or Resources, send for a Sample Copy of California's Favorite Paper— The Pacific Rural Press The leading Horticultural and Agricultural paper of the Pacific Coast. Published weekly, handsomely illustrated, 13.00 per annum. Sample Copy Free. PACIFIC RURAL PRESS, 220 Market St., - SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. TEXAS QUEENS. If you are in need of Queens, let me have your order. PrioeLlst Free. 8A26t J. D. GIVENS, LUbon, Tex. Mention the American ISce journal. camp— is that abominable beast— the laybuj workrr. We are tausht that ouce they are established there is hardly any means of getting rid of them, for they will accept neither queen-cells, virgin, nor fertilized queens. Well, I rather think I have found out a method of overcoming these senseless objectors to accejit a proper Head of the State. All I do is this: I open the hive, powder them well with a dredger (a tin canister like a biggish pep- per-box) contaiuiug flour scented with a few drops of the essence of peppermint, then dredge a fertile queen and pop her in, and all's well! Dredging with scented flour, whether for the above purpose or for uniting colonies, beats wet spraying all to fits, and the dredger is always ready and handy— no plan to equal it for introducing queens. I don't know wh.it I should do without the American Bee Journal, though it is hard to say what bee keepers in this part of the ■world can do ir!fli it. unless it should hap- pily some day contain directions for secur- ing a regularity in the rainfall. Indeed, it is three years since there has been any rain- fall worth terming such— there is a sort of a honey-flow on just now. or there would be if the strong winds (which begin regu- larly at sunrise and stop blowing at sun- down) would only cease; and as our white population is not much over half a million, there's not much of a market when we do manage to get a little honey. Beekeeping is an interesting occupation, and that's about all— in 111,111:1 parts of the globe; though there may be parts where there's money in it. '• (jli. where oh where, is that happy land V Not here, not/inr, my child ! S. A. Deacon. Mossel Bay, Soutli Africa, Jan. •2'3. Colorado Bee-Keeping. Stopping a couple of days at this place (Pueblo), I have accidentally run across a copy of the American Bee Journal contain- ing a letter from Mr. F. L. Thompson, of Arvada, Colo., in which he speaks of his average yield, and further remarks on the yield of some one at Rocky Ford. Colo., as being an average of 1.50 pounds. I had rea- son to make inquiry last fall as to where I could get comb honey, and found the aver- age of the bext apiarists in that region to be about 60 pounds, while from that it went to nothing. It sounds to me as it Mr. Thomp- son's informant must have caught a piece of a Kansas cyclone in his mouth. The average in Mr. Thompson's neighbor- hood was not even ;25 pounds per colony, and much sold as comb was cut out of brood-frames, and I (jnexs Mr. Thompson extracted quite a bit from the same source. Mr. Thompson ought to know that there were yards near him that yielded almost nothing. One gentleman I heard of, from 400 colonies, between Denver and Littleton, got some 2.000 pounds, and would need to feed 4.000 pounds to winter. My observation leads me to think that there are many piirts of Colorado with all the bee-keepers tliey need, and that they will in many places crowd each other soon. Prime swarms are often sold in Jefferson county at .50 cents each, put into hives, so you may Judge for yourself as to the profits. Durango, Colo. Joh.n Seton. Section Supers— Mountain Laurel. On page T1.5. W. L. asks Dr. Miller for advice in regard to frames with top-bars for holding sections. I have some with hinged bottom-bars, in use the past season, and am very favorably impressed with them. The first cost of making is a little more, but that is more than offset by the convenience and saving in time of scraping and cleaning sections, for they will come ofl: as white aud clean as when put on the hive. I also have had a pattern-slat super in use the past two seasons, and unless further experience changes my mind very ma- terially, I would not discard either, if I could have the old T super given to me. Some might object to the bars or slats on Honey-Clovers & Budwheat SEED FOR SALE. We have made arrangements so that we can furnish seed of several of the Clovers Sweet Clover— the Great Honey-Plant. and Japanese Buckwheat, by freight or ex- press, at the following prices, cash with order: SB) 101b 2oIb oOIb AlslkeClover $.80 $1.:!.5 $3.50 $6.25 SweetClover 1.10 1.80 4.25 8.00 WhiteClover 1.50 2.40 6.00 11.00 Altalfa Clover 75 1.20 3.00 5.25 Crimson Clover 65 1.00 2.50 4.00 Jap. Buckwheat... .30 .45 1.00 1.50 Prices subject tP market changes. The above prices include a good, new 25- cent two-bushel bag with each order. Add 25 cents to your order, for cartage, if wanted by freight. Your orders are solicited. GEOBGE W. YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS. WIND... MILLS Tanks Shelters Pumps Cutters Horse Powers Priicticiilb f^''>i'm proof. Writeu^. CHALLENGE WIND MILL & FEED MILL COril ISo. IH River Street, Batavia, Ills. it. 1 4E4t Mention the Arrutrican Bee Jonmw: -FIRST-CLASS BEE-SUPPLIES- at ROCK-UOTTOM Prices. Send for Catalog to W. J. STAH,«ANN, 14A4t WEAVER, MINN. 220 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April ^i!i>te. iJi >Ji iii >li>ti >}i >te.ite_>li ittts. ORIGIML Kntt-tnA TirM BINGHAM BeeSznoker m Wonderful Record ! V Have Lasted ''''''— BEST ON EARTH. Alfraj-s Give Perfect Satisfaction. My cool Wire Handle and Bent Nose were patented 1892, are the original, mj' best invention since my open or di- rect draft Patent. 1878. that revolu- tionized Bee-Smol;ers. My Handle and Nose Patent bent all the other smofeer noses. None but Bingham Smokers have all the best improvements. It you buy genulue Biii^liatu Smo- kers and Honey-Knives vou will never regret it. The " Doctor,'"' Ji-lneh larger than any other smoker on the market— 3 !4-inch stove, by mail. $1.50 Conqueror, 3 •' '■ ■• 1.10 Large. 2i4-in- " "' 1.00 Plain, 2-in. " " .70 Little Wonder, 2-in.. wt. 10 oz. .60 Biiigliam * Hftheriogton Honpf-Knives, 80 cents. T. F. BINGHA.II, Farivell, Mich. 7Atf Mention the Bee Journal. Promptness Is Wliat Counts ! Honey-Jars. Shipping-Cases, and every- > thing that bee-keepers use. Root's I Goods at Root's Prices, and the 1 best shipping point in the country. Dealer in Honey and Beeswax. "Cata- logue Free. li62Mass.Ave. "alter S. Ponder INDIANAPOLIS. IND. Mtiition the American Ber. Journal. The Patent Wood-Veneer Fonndation, Bee-keepers should give it a test, and my All- Wax Foundation. I will guarantee there is no better made Now is the the time to send wax to be worked up. Send for Samples and Cata- log with low prices. Wax wanted at 30e cash. AUG. WEISS, Hurtunville, Wis. 12A13t Please mention tiie Bee Journal. Mention the .American Bee Journal, PATENT WIRED COMB FODNDATIOR Has No Sag in Rrood-Frames Tliin Flat-Bottom Foundation Bas So Flstbone in tbe SnrplBS Honey. Being the cleanest 1b nsnally workea the quickest of any Foundation made J. VAN DEUSEN & SONS, Sole Manufacturers, opront Brook MontKOmery Co., N. T. Me-rttic-?, the Anuri'yj/r. Bee Jmimal BEGINNERS. Beginners should have a copy of 'the Amateur Bee-Keeper, a 70-page book by Prof. J, W. House. Price 25 cents; if sent by mail. 28c. The little book and the Progressive Bee-Keeper (a live, pro- gressive 28-page monthly journal) one year, 65c. Address any flrst-elass dealer, or IiKAHT MFG. CO., HigginsviUe, Mo. Mention tlic Amcriaui Bee Journal. Will Produce PERFECT FRUiT^ Wetellyooall about eprayinR aii. care of fruit in Our 32-pg. lllust^ate^ book— free. Our Pumps and J.'ozzle vin hJEhest honors in every t^st.J The Detjiing Co., Salem, O.'. Mention the A.merlcan Bee JounujJm account of removing the bees so much farther from the brood, but with a hive full of bees, and plenty of hone^ in the fields to gather, I do not think they are particular about going I4 or -^ of an inch farther to store their honey, and without the above conditions I fail to get much work done in tbe supers. Mountain Laurel.— I have seen a great deal of late in the bee-papers about moun- tain laurel and poisonous honey. I don't know that I can say anything that will throw any light upon the subject, but we have plenty of laurel here; the leaves are very poisonous— it answers to the descrip- tion of the plant given by Novice, on page 146, with the exception of its growing on wet ground. It grows here exclusively on dry ridges, and quite plentifully within 50 or 60 rods of ray apiary. When in full bloom it is very beautiful. People come quite a distance to gather the flowers, but I have never heard of any one being injured by eating honey in this vicinity. In tact, 1 do not remember having ever seen a honey- bee working on laurel. I have often won- dered if they ever did work on it. Now my attention has been more particularly drawn to it, I will take a little more notice the coming season, and see what I can learn. But is it possible for a bee to gather and store a poisonous article, without its being injured by it .' I think not. and I shall always believe, until more positive proof has been brought forward, that those peo- ple were made sick from some other cause than eating honey. I think we can safely trust to the instinct of the bee without fear of being poisoned by eating honey which they have gathered. Animal instinct is very acute in discriminating between the wholesome and unwholesome plants. We have had cattle rimning among it for several years, and during the past dry sea- sous, when everything was parched to the earth, and every other bush and shrub was browsed down, the green leaves of the laurel were passed by untouched by them. In a very few extreme cases, when the ground had for a long time been cov- ered with snow, and their desire for some- thing green got tbe better of their judg- ment. I have known sheep to be injured by browsing the leaves. A. D. Watson. Mansfield. Pa.. March 9. Winter Problem Solved. I have been experimenting with alfalfa, white and Alsike clover, and buckwheat, on an extensive scale for the last 15 years. I have solved the wintering problem and the pollen-theory humbug to my own satis- faction. I have also succeeded in reariug a queen in December, aud had her fertilized. I am sorry to state that my bees, that are on the summer stands, are as full of brood as they ought to be by the middle of April or first of May. I. C. Niemollek. Tarnor, Neb., Feb. -38. From a Maryland Bee-Man. The more I read every page of the grand old American Bee Journal, the worse bee- fever I get. I would have it if it cost me S2.50. I talk it up to every one who has a few bees. I had 12 colonies and bought 10 about one month ago, and have them not at home. I am three miles from the mountain, and one mile from the Potomac river, where there are lots of blue thistle. I noticed in the Bee Journal that farmers could not keep bees and make them a suc- cess. No kid-glove farmer can grow wheat or corn, or raise stock if he doesn't give them proper attention, and he will say farming doesn't pay. I can say farming does pay. It pays me about 10 per cent. If you don't attend to bees properly, like stock, they won't pay. I saw in last week's Bee Journal that a Chicago bee-keeper has bees in a log that he got on the World's Fair grounds, and he values it very highly because it was cut on POULTRY 4(J Standard Breeds Illus- trated & fully described in my new Pooltry Book. Reliable information for poultrymen & intending bayers. Good stock Ducks & Geese; also Shetland Ponies. SendGcinstamps E. E. COOS. Box27. Euntle?. HI Mention the American Bee JoumaJ. 4Al3t ^^ IF YOU WANT THE BEE-BOOK That covers the whole Apicultural Field more completely than any other published, send $1.25 to Prof. A. J. Cook. Claremont. Calif., for his Bee-Keeper's Guide. Liberal Discounts to the Trade. NEW MAMMOTH POULTRY GUIDE showing colored plate of chickens in natural colors. Finest book ever pub- lished. Almost lOf) pages. Tells all about Poultry for Profit or Pleasure. Price only 15c. JOHN BAUSCHER, JR.. Box 94 Freeport, lUa. 12A7t Mention the American BeeJournaL Kansas Bee - Keepers ! —SAVE FREIGHT— *ioaS'of " Higgiiisville Bee-Supplies " just received. Get my C-iTALOGtjE. riE:XRY L. MILLER, 355 Shawnee Ave , Topeka. Kan. lAlSt Mention the American Bee Journal, COMB FOUNDATION! Wax alwaj's wanted for Cash or in Excbangie for Fdu. or other Supplies. My trade is estab- lished ou liOiv Prices and the merit of my Foiiiidaiioik. Orders filletl |>roui[>lly. ^'~\V'ere carrying pollen nicely; to-day they are covered with snow. Sutton, Tenn., March 13. Wm. Webb, Poor Prospect for a Crop. The prospect for a honey crop is some- where else this year. It won't be as bad as 18y4, put the bees will have to rustle in this neighborhood to gather enough for them- selves. Amatedr. Miramar, Calif., March 10. Likes His O'wn Hive Best. After trying various kinds and shapes, I now use a hive of my own make, and find I succeed best with it. It has 9 frames, 13;*.;' inches wide by 13?j, inside measurement ; 12 inches deep, with the Hoffman frame. In cold weather the bees cluster in the center of the hive, as all bee-men know, and when more honey is wanted by the cluster, they move upwards, and do not spread out side- wise; so the hive is deeper, and the bees fill it fuller, and take the honey in the entire hive as they progress upward. I used to use the Langstrotb hive, which is a good hive, only in my judgment it is too long and shallow ; the bees will cluster in the center and starve after eating honey from the center, and have plenty of honey in each end ; that is, where they are wintered on the summer stands. I winter mine on the summer stands, in my hives, and have never lost a colony from starvation, or from any other cause, in this hive. I have strong colonies, and moth-proof. Here in "drouthy Kansas" my bees yielded me, last season, ISIO per colony, aside from the increase. My hives supports a super hold- ing 31 4i4x4i4 sections. I tier up two and three supers high. Now you have my experience of several years in the bee-business, and to my notion i have the best hive except one, and that is the Hubbard hive. E. A. Wilson. Eatonville, Kans.. Feb. 33. Always Something to Learn. I have taken the American Bee Journal I think for over '25 years, and always found it interesting and beneficial to one inter- ested in bee-keeping. I am of the opinion that one never gets too old to learn, or gets perfect in any great science. I often tell those who come to me for information in bee-work, that they will find that the more they learn the less they will know. That is, the more they learn the more they will find to learn. The bee-business in this part of Iowa (the central part) for the past three or four years has been very poor, owing to our ex- treme dry weather, especially that of 1S94. I lost the majority of my apiary by the great Iowa drouth of 1894. Still, I am not discouraged, and hope to make a good showing for 1S90, as our white clover has again got a good start. Of course, the coming summer will again decide the ques- tion. Our bees, I think, owing to the good fall bloom, went into winter in good condi- tion. A part will require some feeding early in the spring. So I say to all bee- keepers, look out for this part of your duty. J. W. Sanders. LeGrand, Iowa, Feb. 32. Hea-vy 'Winter Losses, Etc. The loss of bees has been very heavy here this winter and spring, so far, on account of their poor condition. Last fall was the worst on bees of any since I have been keeping bees. Some of my neighbors have lost from 50 to 75 per cent. I have lost 9 colonies out of 6B. but if I had not fed I would have lost like the rest, so it pays to take care of the bees. Bees are working on the maple-bloom to Honey & Beeswax Market Quotations. CHICAGO, lLi„, Mar. 20.— White clover and basswood comb is sought after In preference to any other, and commands a better price and now sells at 15c. for clover and 13@14c. for basswood. Other white comb honey sells atll(ai'-o.; dark, 8@9c. amber, 9@10c.. and very slow of sale. E.xtracted is unusually dull, with large amounts on sale. White clo- ver andllnden,6@7c.; dark and amber grades, 4!4@3c. Beeswax, SSlSSOc. R. A. B. & Co. KANSAS ClTT, Mo., Mar. 18.— The demand for comb and extracted is fair. We quote: No. 1 white, 1-lbs.. i:i@14c.; No. 2, 10@llc,i No. 1 amber. Timvic: No. 2. 8@10c. Ex- tracted, white, o'^liOic.; amber. 5@5'/4c. Beeswax, 20@22c. C. C. C. & CO. CINCINNATI. O., Mar. 19.— Demand is fair for best white comb honey, at i2@14c. In a jobbing way. Extracted is fair at 4@7c. Sup- plies ot both are fair. Beeswax is in good demand at 25@30c. for good to choice yellow. Arrivals are not ade- quate to the demand. C. F. M. & S. PHICADELPIIIA. Pa., Mar. 6,— Honey has been sf lling freely, there being considerable call for comrj honey, and the war in Cuba has made extracted honey sell to the balding trade who previously used Cuba honey. We quote: Fancy comb. 15c. ; fair to good, 11® i 3,; fair, 9c. Extracted, 4V4@5'/4c.; pure white clover. lOe, Beeswax, 30c. W. A. S. NEW YOKE, N. Y., Mar. 23.— There isafalr demand for white comb honey, and the mar- ket is well cleaned up. We have another car now in transit fiom California. We quote same: 12@14c. Plenty ot buckwheat comb Is on the market, and same is moving off slowly at 8c, Extracted, all grades, dull, at unchanged prices. Beeswax Arm at 30@31c. H. B. & S. List of Honey and Beeswax Dealers. Most of whom Quote In this Journal. Ctalcago, Ills. K. A. BURNETT & Co., 163 South Water Street. New Vork, N. Y. HiLDRETH Bros, & Seoelken, 120 & 122 West Broadway. Chas, Israbl & Bros., 486 Canal St. Kansas City, Mo. C. C. Clemoms & Co., 423 Walnut St. Bnaalo, N. Y. Battebsok & Co., 167 & 169 Scott St. Hamilton, Ills. Chas, Dadant & Son, PbiladelpUla, Pa. Wm, a, Selser, 10 'Yine St. Cincinnati, Oblo. C. F. M0TH & Son. cor. Freeman & Central ars. CouTention IVetlces. Utah.— The Utah Bee- Keepers' Association will hold their semi-annual meeting in Room 54. Citv and County Building, Salt Lake City, Apr. 6,' 1896, at 10 a.m. All are invited. "In union is strength. By Industry we thrive." Come, and bring your friends, and enjoy a good time. A full program in the interest of the industry will be presented. The Associa- tion needs your aid ; then let every one do bis full duty for our own Interest and self-pres- ervatioo. Geo. E. Dudley, Sec. Prove. Utah, WANTED to Exchange— St. Bernard Pups, fine ones, for something useful. Address with stamp -SCOTT BKILLHART, Millwood, Knox Co., Ohio. J. W. TAYLOR -HAS THE BEST- Italian HuBens for Sale Untested, ready now, 75c. apiece; 6 for $4.25, or 12 for J8. 00. Tested. $1.25. Select Tested, best, $2.00. Pay for yueens on arrival. I guarantee sate arrival and satisfaction. 14A9C OZAN, ARK. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 223 day, the first for this season, and if the weather continues nice for awhile, so we can get them in good condition early, we may be able to get a good crop of honey. The last tour seasons have been very poor, and we would like a change very much. I have had a bad case of bee-fever for several years, and if we should have a real good season like we used to have, years ago, I suppose I would get clear beside myself. I have been occupied in several positions, but have never found anything so fascinat- ing as the bee-business. I admire the get up of the Bee Journal very much, and I get more pleasure from its pages than any book or paper I take. May its shadow never grow less. W. S. Feeback. Carlisle, Ky., March 13. The North American at Toronto. It afforded me much pleasure to meet so may bee-keepers at the North American, in Toronto, many of whom I had read about, but when we meet face to face it seems so much nicer. It seemed almost providential that we had with us dear old Father Lang- stroth. of whom I had heard so much, but when I saw him, and heard the gracious words that fell from his lips, it was then that I began to realize in the old veteran, the Grand Old Man. At the convention there were essays read and commented upon, but one I have in mind deserves credit, and that was that " Convention Song." the words written by the Hon. Eugene Secor, and set to such nice music by Dr. C. C. Miller. I don't wonder that the Doctor is so charming when he has such good music in him. I don't need to say much about Mr. Secor, for my mother was a Secor, and they are great folks. That Convention Song I presume would not have been sung had it not been for Messrs. Newman, York, Calvert, and Miss Root, and it was appreciated by all, es- pecially by the Hon. John Dryden. Minis- ter of Agriculture, Dr. Mills, and many others. I think it would be nice to have it sung and put into practice, for surely we are brothers; and let us not know any dividing lines. The nearer we get to the sentiment of that song, the better we will be prepared for that Heaven where I trust we all shall meet. Wallace Secor Walton. Scarboro Junction, Canada. Poor Honey Year. The last was a poor honey year in this section ; 5 colonies that wintered gave me only 7.5 pounds of section honey and 2 swarms. The same Italian queen swarm- ing twice— once in June, and again the last of August. I am wintering 10 colonies— 8 out-of-doors, 4 packed in chaff, and 4 in fine marsh hay — and 3 in the house cellar. On Feb. 37 they were all alive, and had a good flight, the first since early in December. I grow fruit for a living, and keep a few bees to fertilize the bloom, and I am satis- fied it pays, even if I get no surplus honey. W. C. Nutt. on page 1.58, expresses my views exactly, only I prefer to locate east of the Mississippi river. On account of poor health. I am obliged to seek a warmer winter climate. Like Mr. Nutt, I would like to correspond with some one in west- ern North Carolina or Virginia, northern Georgia or Alabama. If he finds more localities than he can occupy, perhaps he will generously divide with me. A. H. Smith. Paw Paw. Mich., March 5. Bee-Keeping in Florida. Bees in this locality find something to gather from the ti-ties nearly every day during the winter. Flowers bloom, being protected by the heavy growth of evergreen shrubs, and bees carry in heavy loads of pollen. I should judge from observation, and from what I've learned from others, that colonies will be stronger in the spring, that have had the sun shining upon their hives. They are rearing young, and need warmth. The scuppernoug grape has been called the good-sense grape, for it never leaves out until all danger from frost is passed. and sheds its leaves in the fall. It would be a good shade for bees, for it would pro- tect them the only time they need it— dur- ing the summer's heat. And another item in its favor is, that it does not thrive spread on the side of a trellis, but runs up, and spreads out in every direction over a level surface, forming a dense shade. The cata- logues which say that this grape should not be trimmed, make a mistake. Where it is allowed to grow thickly, the fiowers smother, and little fruit is produced. Again, the tendrils wind so tightly around a branch that the sap cannot circulate, and it will perish. This trimming should be done when the leaves fall, or sooner, for if it is trimmed when the sap is rising, it will bleed to death ; if it does not die. it will weaken it so much that it will fail to bear that season. One vine will cover a quarter of an acre or more. From the dangling roots, which I've seen hanging from vines, I imagine that it is of the nature of a ban- yan. Bees are pressed with work now, for ti-ti and other wild shrubs and trees are bloom- ing, and so are fruit-trees. Pear and plum trees are white with bloom, while a breeze brings down a shower of white petals from the peach. The early varieties of peaches — such as ''honey" and "angel" — have fruit larger than hazel-nuts; the peen-toes are shaped like a small, flat tomato. Mrs. L. Hareisos. St. Andrews Bay, Fla., March 16. Elements of Botany* by J. T. P.ergen, A. M.; Ginn & Co.. Boston. Price, postpaid, $1.20. Every bee-keeper, and I might say every farmer, can. and should, know at least the elements of botan.v- 1 do not know of a bet- ter place to learn them than in this new work just from the press. The subject Is handled here in such a fresh, vigorous, simple, and at the same time scholarly, way, that J cannot see how anyone, .voung or old, could take up the book and give it a few minutes' attention without becoming greatly interested in the subject-matter. Prof. Bergen is an experi- enced teacher, and has learned that there Is an interestiug and attractive way to state what has sometimes been called " dry facts," — dr.v, 1 apprehend, many times on account of the Way they are presented. We have here just enough of the laboratory method combined with an outline of vege- table anatomy and physiology, and a brief statement of the principles of botanical class- iticatlon to give the student a clear idea of the foundation principles of botany, and not enough of abtruso technicalities to confuse and discourage the learner, render the work unfit for common school use, or as a popular hand-book. The bee-keeper will be interested in the recognition his industry indirectly receives when, in speaking of bees. Prof. B. says: '■ They accomplish an immense share of the work of fertilization by means of the pollen- grains which stick to their hairy coat." I. for one, feel like encouraging all such recog- nition, and bidding the students of the land, who are thus helping forward our industry to a more general recognition, a Godspeed. He, also, very properly makes a distinction be- tween honey and nectar— a discrimination which is frequently overlooked, not only by botanists, but by writers on apiculture as well. Emerson T. Abbott. Golden ^^-If gi^s — I -FOR SALE— I — 1 Frame Nucleus, with Queen $1.50 2 " " " 2.00 3 • " " 2.50 Queens— 40 cts. each: Vi doz„ $2.25; 1 doz $t Safe arrival guaranteed. No foul brood or bee-paralysis. Reference— E.vpress Agt,, P. M,, Kline & Burt, merchants. Money Order office P. O., Gunnison, miss. One-cent stamps taken under $1.00. J. H. SIPLE. Mtntion the American Bee Journal. Mr. Thomas G. Newman and family ex- pect to leave Chicago for California, April 16. arriving in San Diego the evening of the 'JSrd. We'll all- Hope they'll like the '• Sunset State," With its heaps of honey and "Golden Gate." Mr. E. Whitcomb, of Friend, Nebr., be- lieves that sweet clover and alfalfa promise great things for bee-keepers in the future in the State of Nebraska. He thinks the past drouths may prove "a blessing in disguise.'' A dry sort of blessing, probably. Mr. J. C. Hicks, of Kentucky, writes: "I like the American Bee Journal very much. It is worth all it costs." Mrs. L. Harrison is again at her old home, 831 Hurlburt St.. Peoria, 111., after several months spent in Florida. She says the movable-frame hive is slowly marching through that State; and that in her opin- ion there is no honey there equal to the white clover honey of the North. We thought the orange-blossom honey was about as tine, but you know tastes differ. Mr. E. Kretchmer, of Red Oak, Iowa, was shown in Gleanings for March 15 by an excellent portrait. Takes a good "picter." Mr. Wm. Stollet, of Grand Island, Neb., said at their last State convenion that he had 200 tons of sweet clover hay. He pre- fers it to any other kind, if rightly treated. His stock like it best. too. He says his are " educated cattle." Wish he'd tell just how to treat sweet clover for hay. Mr. Daniel Danielson, of Clarkson, S. D., doesn't think it will pay to sow rape for honey alone, though the bees work on it lively. — Gleanings. Rev. E. T. Abbott some time since lec- tured before a meeting of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture, and Mr. Co- burn, the Secretary, wrote Mr. Abbott as follows afterward ; " I wish personally to thank you for your excellent address at our meeting, which was apparently listened to with profit and pleasure by the large audience of bright Kausans, who heard it." Mr. Coburn also sent a copy of a resolu- tion adopted unanimously by the Board, expressing its hearty thanks to all who contributed by their excellent essays, ad- dresses, etc. Those Kansas folks are quite appreciative. They seem to " know a good thing when they see it," or bear it. Mr. Geo. McCullougii, of Iowa, says: " The American Bee Journal is very excel- lent help in the bee-business, and well worth preserving for reference." Hon. R. L. Taylor- Superintendent of the Michigan Experiment Apiary — thinks some bee-editors are somewhat careless in their criticisms of his experiments, partic- ularly Gleanings' criticism of his honey- heating experiment, where it seemed to Editor Root that the result of the experi- ment would have been more valuable had Mr. Taylor used extracted honey, instead of comb honey broken up, as the former would have been free from any beeswax. Mr. Root thought the wax being heated with the honey was apt to affect the flavor of the honey as much, or more, than the beating. That looked reasonable to us. We believe Mr. Taylor expects to experi- ment again, using the extracted honey, free from all comb. 224 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 2, 1896. Bottom Prices BRIKG US BIO TRADE. GOOD GOODS KEEP IT. If you want the best supplies that can be made at a little less cost than you can buy the same goods for elsewhere, write to us for low prices. 1896 Catalogue now ready — ask for it and a free copy of Tlie Ameri- can Bee-Keeper (36 pages). Address, THEW.T.FALCOKERMFG.CO., JAMESTOWN, N. Y. Mention the America?), Bee Journal. Dovetail A full line RAATV Prices Reduced on I II I Hives and Sections. A Gllllli^ of Apiarian Supplies in stock to \J \J Vij fill orders promptly at lyivest prices for Bfst (ioods. .56-ii«!,'(! Calalofrof Frff. JNO. NEBEL. ic SOTS, Higll Hlil, Mo. HnentUm Um Ameriian Bee JoumaL 4A2Gt I AEISE rpo SAY to the readers 1. of the BEE JOURNAL that DOOLIXTLE has concluded to sell —BEES and QUEENS— In their season, during 1896, at thefoIIowlDK prices : One Colony of Italians on 9 Gallup frames, in light shipping-box $6 00 Five Colonies.. K. 2500 Ten Colonies 45 00 1 untested queen, l 00 6 " queens 5 50 12 " " 10 00 1 tested Queen... $i 5o 3 " Queens . 3 50 1 selecttestedqueenaou 3 " " Queen84ro Selecttested queen, previous season's rearing . 4 00 Hitra Selected for breeding, the vkrt best. . 5 0J About a Pound of BEES In a Two-frame Nucleus, with any Queen, $2.00 extra. 0r circular free, giving full particulars regard Ing the Bees and each class of Queens. Address G. M, DOOLITTLE, 12A25t BORODINO. Onon. Co.. N. T. QUEENS Smokers. Sections , Comb Foundation, And nil Apiairun Supplies rheap, Send for fltEE utaloeue. E. T. FLANAGAN, Belleville, 111. 6A'26t Please mention the Bee Journal. TAKE NOTICE! "DEFORE placing your orders tor SUP- -*^ PLIES, write for prices on 1-Pieoe Bass- wood Sections, Bee-Hives, Shipping: -Crates, Frames, Foundation, Smokers, etc. PAGE & LVOKI 9IFG. CO. NEW LONDON, WIS. When Answering this Advertisement, Mention this Journal. CARLOADS"" Of Bee-Hives, Sections, Ship- piDg-Cascs, Comb Foundation, and Everylliing used in the Bee-Industry. I want the name and address . _; of every Bee-Keeper in Aiuer- _y*" lea. No reason why you can- ^-#^ not do business with me. I have Cheap Lumber and Experienced Workmen ; a good Water-Power Factory and hnow how to run it. I am supplying Dealers as well as consumers. Why not you 1 Send for Cata- logues, Quotations, etc. W. H. PCTNAra, IK filVER Falls, Pierce Co., Wis. MentUyn the jlmerlcan Bee Jowmu, 28c Cash Paid for Beeswax! For all the g^ood, pure yello-w BEES"WAX delivered to our office till further notice, we will pay 28 cents per pound, cash ; or 32 cents for whatever part is exchanged for the Bee Journal, Honey, Books or Seed, that we offer. If you want casb promptly for wax, send it on at once. Dark or impure wax not taken at any price. Address plainly, (ieoi-ge W, York & fa„ 118 Mkliigaii St., Chicago, III. mmi wmmvin, m\mm-^m We make a Specialty of these Goods, and defy Competition in QXJ.A.rjIT"5r, ■WOK.KIIiaiA.lSrSIIIP AND FK,ICE!S. t^~ Write for Free Illustrated Catalogue and Price-List. G. B. LEWIS COMPANY, Watertown, Wis. ^^ Be sure to meutioD the A.merican Bee Journal when you write. _,^ Ye^i'r Dadant's Foundation S Is still in the lead, for we use all the latest improvements, including the NEW PROCESS, and still make the best goods. Remember that we do not use any acid to purify our bees- wax, and that is why our Foundation preserves the smell of the honey and is more ac- ceptable to the bees, than any other. It is kept for sale by T. H. Slrickler, Solomon City, Kansas. G. K. Hubbard. Kort Wavne. Ind. L. Hanssen, Davenport, Iowa. ('. Theiimann, TheilmHnron, Minn. E. C. EaglesHeld, Berlin, Wis. E.T.Abbott. 8t. Joseph. Mc. J. M. Jenkins. Wetumpba, Alabama John Key. East Haginaw. Mich. Vicfeerv Bros., Evansville. Ind. Tlie Jennie Atchley Company, Beevilie, Texas. C F. Muth & Son, (_'incinnali. Ohio B. Kretchmer. Red Oak, Iowa. Jos. Nysewander, Des Moines, Iowa. G. B. Lewis Co.. Watertown, "Wis. .lames Reynolds Elevator Co.. PnushkeepsiA. N Y. Louisiana Bee-Keepers' Supply Manufactory, DonaUisonville, La. Page & Lyon. New London, Wis. and many other Dealers. All agree in saying that no goods are better than ours. Those of our customers who formerly bought through Thos. G. Newman can get our Foundation in Cliicago^ 111., by addressing us at UN ^Ucliig-an Street. We keep no other goods there. We make a specialty of Veils and Veil Stitfls of best quality, cotton and silk. Langstroth on the Honey-Bee, Revised. Bee-Keepers' Supplies, Smokers, Sections, Tin Pails, etc. Sainplc!« ot Foiindation and Xiille FKEI] with Circular. Instructions to beginners with Circular. MEESWAX '»VA:^XEI>. Send us your address. CHAS. DADANT & SON, Mtvtion the American Bee Journai. HAMILTON, Hancock Co., ILL. PLA All the leading varietiesof choice plants anil ti ees. Koonce Pear (frost pronf) andothervaluable sorts at popular prices i>r descriptive Catalogue fiuce TREEl PLEASANT VALLEY NURSERIES--ARTHURJ;COLUN^^ BEAUTIFUL Transpareat TOUGH aad yet PLIABLE. IW ■ PROCESS WEED EOIBIDATM DELIGHTS ALL RECENT COMPARATIVE TESTS Ii\ FLORIDA show that the old-process dipped wax will sag or stretch in the hive neariT five times as much as that by the new Weed process. REDUCED Our M\ Sanded and Polished Sections PRICES and Bee-Hive Material are the Finest Product that money and machinery can turn out. CATALOG FREE. THE A. I. ROOT CO., MEDINA, OHIO. lis 9Iiciiigan St., Chicago, III. Syracuse, N. Y. 1024 mUsisftippi St., St. Paul, minn. Publtsli&d We&lily* at ^IMO p^r annum. SampJe Cojyy sent on Apjylloat ion. 36th Year. CHICAGO, ILL., APRIL 9, 1896. No. 15. '^~T"T~'i llcleit; Swarming — Its Cause and Prevention. BY GEO. F. BOBBINS. I notice by the report of the Chicago meeting of the Illi- nois State Bee-Keepers' Association (page 103), that the " swarming-fever " struck the convention. I wish I had been there to doctor them. I could have cured them. In other words, I linow why bees swarm. There are a great many things about bee-keeping that I do not know, many that I am uncertain about, many things I think, but this one thing I know. And knowing the causes, I practically know to just what extent swarming can be prevented, and how to do it. Now if you will all give me your attention, I will tell you what I know, and add a little, perhaps, that I do not know, but I will tell you when I come to that. And when you have read what I have written, if it is too hard for you to remem- ber, file away this number of the American Bee Journal, or cut out this article and paste it in your scrap-book. Then if ever this matter begins to exercise you again, just look this up, read it, and set your questionings at rest. It is not enough to say that it is the nature of bees to swarm, therefore, swarming cannot be prevented. Indeed, the premise is not exactly true. It is not enough to say it is the nature of corn to grow, therefore it will grow. In order to reproduce and propagate the species, Nature has implanted In the grain of corn a germ, which, if fed and nursed accord- House-Apiary of E. Qouldinu, Wcllesley, Mass. — Winter View. ing to Nature's laws, will grow and become a sprout, then a stalk — otherwise it will remain a latent germ or perish entirely. The bent to swarm is not primarily the nature of bees — it is not itself the germ. It is only a form or outgrowth of the instinct to reproduce and propagate the race, which is im- planted in the bee as in all other species of the animal world. That instinct is the organic principle — the germ which, if properly fed and nursed, develops into the disposition to swarm. Now, the question is. Can this want of their nature be supplied some other way ? If it can, and we can discover the " how," the problem of the prevention of swarming is solved. Obviously the first thing to do in order to arrive at an an- swer to this question is to ascertain, if we can, the more direct causes of the swarming-impulse. Now is the time for me to tell you why bees swarm. Notice : There are two sets of conditions that conspire to this end. Summer View of the Goulding House-Apiary — See page 232. The first set ministers chiefly to the instinct for procreation. They are these : First— As conditions wax and wane, they have the effect to correspondingly stimulate and depress the energies of bees and queen alike. I would tell you why this is so, but it is too large a subject to enter into now. The same circumstances may be present in the same degree in May and September — in June and August. Yet in the former two months life and enthusiasm are thriving, while in the latter they are dying out. Second — Anything that rouses bees to action incites to brood-rearing. I have known a warm spell in November, with some disturbance of the brood-chamber in preparing bees for winter, to start the queen to laying. Third — The favorable stimulating conditions we find pres- ent in the earliest part of the season are : 1st. The weather grows warmer and more settled. 2nd. Honey and pollen begin to come in. How a little smell of nectar will excite bees is one of the familiar sights of the api- ary. 3rd. The bees that are hatching out in ever-increasing numbers can nurse still greater quantities of brood. That is, one young bee can feed and care for more than one egg and larva. 4th. There are an ever-increasing number of house- bees that really want something to do. 226 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 9, Fourth — In no respect is the stimulating effect of these things more potent than upon the queen. A (low of nectar hardly rouses the bees themselves more than its ingathering, and the hatching of young bees as well, does the one bee whose strongest instinct and only duty is to lay eggs. Fifth — This, the climax of the series, consists in the fact that in the month of June all these conditions are present in the highest degree. Throughout the season thus far there has been an almost uninterrupted boom. Now the boom has reached its height. The weather is the most propitious, more honey is coming in than ever before, there is more brood in the hive, more bees hatching, more house as well as field bees with nervous powers stimulated to the utmost, and as a result of all these things, the queen will lay more eggs than at any time in the season. It may be you knew all these things before. If you did not, you know them now. But I want to note particularly how these conditions, in their effects, forces upon the instinct for procreation, that same ponderous thought I gave you awhile ago. All incited to brood-rearing, and upon that one thing centers all the activities of the hive. The propensity to store honey itself is subsidiary to this, even though upon it the bees may for a time expend the greater share of their energies. Right at this juncture the other set of conditions arises. Honey is now coming in so rapidly that there is not sufficient room in the hive — now pretty well filled — in which to store it. Bees will not go into empty chambers and build comb in which to store honey so long as there is any empty comb in which to put it. It is much the simplest and quickest way to run it into the receptacles already constructed. When they are finally driven into surplus apartments, the process of secret- ing wax and building comb is slow. Hence, every empty cell in the brood-chamber, and often perhaps those in which eggs have been laid, are speedily filled with honey. As fast as the brood in the outer circle of the brood-nest hatches, the comb is filled and sealed, while all through the nest are cells filled temporarily, especially in the latter part of the day. Often there is scarcely a cell left in which the queen can lay an egg. As a result, we have now the following set of conditions : First — At the very time the queen wants to lay the most eggs, she is most hampered for room. Second — At the very time the nurse-bees are prepared to feed the most brood, there is least of it — unsealed — in the hive. Third — At the very time the nervous powers of the house- bees are most excited, they must, to secrete wax, be most quiet. This is an item that alone would be insignificant, but along with the other causes it helps to swell the aggregate. Fourth — The blood of the queen acquires an enriched character owing to the check in egg-production. It is Hasty that says this, but it meets my indorsement. Fifth — The vessels in the bee-anatomy in which are stored the supplies for future brood-rearing become "turgid" (Hasty again) — simply gorged for want of brood to which to give the food. It is easy to see that; we have here a state of things that makes queen and bees alike uneasy and discontented. Now it is that, according to Nature's law, the instinct to reproduce their kind, which cannot he satisfied in the hive under exist- ing circumstances, develops into the impulse to swarm. If what I have written is true — and it is — the way to pre- vent swarming is briefly this : Allow unrestricted room for brood-rearing. Simply have a large brood-chamber, then to keep the bees from filling it with honey, have plenty of avail- able storage-room above — that means empty combs. Notice what Mr. Draper said at the convention (page 103). He uses a large Quinby hive, keeps plenty of combs in the upper story, and runs for extracted honey. In that way he keeps down swarming. Of course. I could have told you so. I knew swarming could be prevented that way, before he said so. But how to prevent swarming when running for comb honey, and not at the same time seriously interfere with honey-storing, is the problem. Four methods have been tested, and some success claimed with each, viz.: 1st. Remove the queen, or cage her in the hive for about ten days. 2nd. Replace queens with young ones before swarming season arrives. 3rd. Remove the brood a short time before the swarm is likely to issue — perhaps a week, more or less. 4th. Practice shifting the bees back and forth from one hive to another. Only one of these methods exactly meets the conditions laid down. This is the third one. It is easy to see why the first method succeeds. I do not know what to say about the second one. If the fourth one is successful it is be- cause— 1st. Any considerable derangement of the internal affairs of the hive tends to disturb and divert the bees from their pur- pose for a time. 2nd. It takes some time to get queen-cells started in the hive that catches the bees. 3rd. It meets in part the conditions that cause swarming. It takes some time for the boom in the colony that has for awhile been so depleted of bees, and to some extent of honey, to again reach its height. By this means swarming can be delayed until the sum of conditions that cause it begin to stag- nate and decline. I think I kept two colonies, sitting side by side, from swarming, by this method in 1893, when a regular swarming mania had struck my apiary. I simply set one hive off the stand about a foot, turning the entrance at right an- gles (or less) to the other, and iu four or five days put it back, and set off the other one. Of course, I shifted the supers with the bees. About four shifts did the work. For two years I have had no chance to test the plan, as the seasons have been so poor that there has been no swarming at all. If it is a success, the Langdon non-swarming device, or something like it, is just the thing. I hope I shall have occasion to try this method the coming season, then it may be I will tell what I have learned. I have frequently prevented a colony from swarming en- tirely by taking away the brood. Sometimes I have replaced with empty combs, but if I want to get a good crop of comb honey, I remove every comb, putting the queen and older bees into an empty brood-chamber contracted to five or six frames, the latter containing only starters of comb foundation. This, of course, is practically artificial swarming. There are some other points upon which I would like to touch, such as requeenlng a Id Hutchinson, and the possibility of breeding out the disposition to swarm, but as this is already one of the longest articles I have ever written, I forbear. Mechanicsburg, 111. Peppermint as a Honey- Plant. BY CARSON VAN BLARICUM. Peppermint is a stranger to the readers in general, as a honey-plant, but known as an oil-product, although quite fre- quently found growing by roadsides, in pools of water, and waste-places. Its greatest value is supposed to be that of its relation to our medical fraternity. It is not produced as uni- versally as wheat or corn, and for this reason it is not famil- iarly known to a large number of our inhabitants. Only a small area is given up to its culture, nor is this the only rea- son why the industry is not becoming larger. Only certain acclimated localities will produce oil, and to produce a valua- ble crop of oil it must blossom. Bees cannot gather nectar from hay or corn stover, but must visit numberless multitudes of most fragrant blossoms; likewise, if peppermint does not bloom in a locality in profusion, its value does not become ap- parent to the oil-producer or bee-keeper. Peppermint is generally harvested before it attains the required age to give a very large flow, and seems to secrete nectar in larger quantities the older it gets. You go to your nearest wild mint plat ; gather the roots — take th^m home and plant on your lowest ground, in rows 33 inches apart, and place two or three long roots side by side, or so as to make them as continuous as possible. These plants will give you the required flowers, but no oil. You can plant on high or low ground, but with better success on low land or muck marsh. The plant is a perennial, smooth stem, decumbent, four- angled ; leaves opposite, ovate, acute at end, serrate, thin, flowers in dense, axillary clusters, small, pink or light purple, labiate, very slender petioles. The oil is volatile, and belongs to the genus mentha (menthol for catarrh is made by a special process from the oil, which contains from 30 to 50 per cent, of its specific gravity, of menthol). For cholera plague it is used in large quantities, both in home and foreign climes. For rheumatism it has no superior in immediately relieving the most acute at- tack of this much-dreaded disease, when mixed one-half ounce pure oil with one-half ounce of either chloroform orlaudanum ; agitate briskly, and apply externally, but under no considera- tion apply near the heart. Peppermint is planted in continuous rows and cultivated like corn or potatoes, or a vegetable garden. Although it seeds freely, it is propagated from the roots only. Planted in March or April it attains in five months (at maturity) from three to five feet in height. It begins to blossom in August and September, and for its profusion of flowers is likened unto a clover or buckwheat field. When in full bloom it entirely covers from view the dark green foliage of the mint plants. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 227 until there is only a grand, a sublime tint of crimson. In the morning the gentle breeze sways the whole field with a maj- esty seldom seen or brought to mortal eyes, and the mellow rays of a rising sun reflects itself in splendor on the dewy sparkling mass with tints of purple crimson which holds the viewer in ecstasy and delight. What a contrast is presented to my gaze as I write, which is only a dreary waste at present, but soon to be one mass of blazing glory. Bees work on peppermint from morn till night, and if the condition of the weather permits, or with very heavy dews a bountiful flow is secured. On mornings, after a heavy dew, the happy hum of rejoiciYig of the industrious bees is plainly heard, which are always heavily laden. Their appearance, when toiling on peppermint, is much like that of basswood — you will find them scattered around about the hives in all states of fatigue. The honey has a consistency a little thicker than that of water, being real light in color for a fall flow of nectar. Next season I shall endeavor to save specimens of honey, if the plants blossom in suflScient numbers so bees can gather it in quantities for examination. Last year the peppermint did not bloom much, and the bees did not store any surplus, yet they worked on the bloom •wherever a blossom was found, showing that the plant is one of our honey-plants, and should be added to our nectar-bear- ing flora, and being in a decided drouth where the plants barely retained vitality to nourish their existence. Ellis, Mich. * The Importation of Apis Dorsata. BY PROF. A. .J. COOK. The movement made by our apiarian friends of New York, to secure the importation of Apis dorsata, is, I believe, a move- ment in the right direction. I think that our friends are to be congratulated on the energy and method which they are de- voting to this subject. A few years ago the late Dr. C. V. Riley came to see me at the Michigan Agricultural College, where I was then labor- ing, to discuss bee-keeping and the ways and means by which its interests could be promoted. My first reply to his question was that it seemed to me that there was nothing in which the Government could lend its aid with more assurance of success than to make an effort to import races or species of bees which were as yet untested by apiarists of intelligence. I suggested to him that it seemed to me from the information which we had already received through Mr. Benton, that there was great hope of a decided improvement in bee-culture could we once introduce Apis dorsata into the apiaries of the United States. I stated at that time that Mr. Benton had proved that Apis dorsata could be made to work in the ordinary hive, and that with reasonable caution was perfectly tractable. The fact of the size of the bee and its immense combs, and large produc- tion of honey in India and Ceylon, its native clime, gave us reason to hope that it would be a decided acquisition in our country, both in the production of honey and of wax. It seemed to me then — it seems to me now — that there is alto- gether too much of possibility, not to say probability, of im- portant gain with this bee in our apiaries for the trial not to made. It is also too great an" undertaking to be left with pri- vate individuals or even to our societies or the stronger Bee- Keepers' Union. It is one of the enterprises which demands the strong arm of the Government for its successful prosecu- tion. I suggested to Dr. Riley at that time, that as Mr. Benton had already been to the native home of Apis dorsata, and had only been prevented by accident from successfuly introducing it into his apiary in Ceylon, and from thence to our own coun- try, that he was the person of all persons to act as the agent of the Government in this important undertaking. Mr. Riley signified to me on that occasion that he agreed with me entire- ly, and would at once do all in his power to secure this im- portant action on the part of the Government. I have no doubt but it was this interview that led to the employment of Mr. Benton in the Department of Agriculture, where he has been at work ever since the time of my interview with Dr. Riley. Dr. Riley wrote afterward, that through some technicality — some red-tape obstacle in the way of a law or act preventing the spending of money in other countries — he was unable to carry out this project. Later, Assistant Secretary Willets, of the Department of Agriculture, informed me of this hindrance in the way of all such enterprises which required the spending of money in foreign countries. I presume that the same law, act or ruling is still in the way of action ; yet we have the man in Government employ who should be secured to do this work. It goes without saying that Mr. Benton is just this man. It is further evident that the Departments at Washington, and also Congress, are very susceptible to influence if the peo- ple are only wide enough awake in regard to any such matter. I feel very sure that if every State, county, town and neigh- borhood of the United States, where bee-keeping is an impor- tant industry, would send in petitions to the Department of Agriculture and Congress, urging the importation of Apis dorsata, the enterprise might be carried to successful execu- tion. I very heartily commend, then, the enterprise and work of our brother bee-keepers of New York State, who have gone to work so wisely to secure this important action. I hope that every one of our bee-keeping journals, as well as all of our so- cieties, not to speak of individual bee-keepers, may give this matter hearty support. Of course we do not know that Apis dorsata will thrive at all under the conditions of our climate and productions. Of course we can never know that any such undertaking will prove a success ; but where there is so much of hope and pros- pect, there is going to be with enterprising people an earnest desire that something should be done. This desire will often be so strong that private individuals ought never to be asked to do. This is another reason why the Government should take this measure in hand, and why all bee-keepers of our country should urge the enterprise upon Congress and the De- partment of Agriculture. I would suggest that the Manager of the Bee-Keepers' Union, who is supposed to have ex-officio his keen eye upon the interests of apiculture all over our country, should at once correspond with the Department of Agriculture, and learn what obstacles are in the way of sending Mr. Benton to India or Ceylon in pursuit of Apis dorsata. After this information is gained, through the bee-journals, the bee-keepers of the country can be informed just what they are to ask for, and just how they are to proceed to secure prompt and successful action. Then I would urge that our societies and individual bee-keepers take hold of this matter with the energy which would insure success. It seems to me that the good sense of our people will not be slow in pushing this matter to the ut- most. It is certainly true that the Government never yet has done very much in aid of this important industry. Surely, if the matter is put before the officers of Government in its true light, we may expect prompt and successful action. I hope there will be a general expression through the bee-papers in regard to this matter. Claremont, Calif. [We'd like to suggest that before Mr. Benton is sent after Apis dorsata. Prof. Cook get him to do as he agreed at the To- ronto Convention, viz : To turn over the balance of the St. Joseph Convention report, for which he received pay a year and a half ago. Until Mr. Benton does this duty, toe can't conscientiously endorse him for anything. And neither should any one else. — Editor.] The Blooming of Sweet Clover. BY PETER J. SCnAKTZ. On page 33, M. M. Baldridge says I must have made a mistake when I said that sweet clover blooms here the fore- part of .June. I do not mean that sweet clover always blooms the forepart of June. It all depends upon the kind of winter and spring we have. In the year 1894 sweet clover did not bloom until the latter part of June, because the month of May was very cold ; we planted corn on the 23rd with our overcoats on. But the month of May, 1895, was warmer, excepting three or four frosts, which did not affect sweet clover at all ; it grew right along, and the first blossoms I noticed were on June 8. Sweet clover has grown here ever since I can remember, and they call it an obnoxious weed. There is about two acres in sweet clover, 30 rods from the apiary, which is never cut (excepting the way I described in my former article), and yet it does not die out. Farmers cut It all along the roadway, sometimes cutting it four or five times in a year ; it grows eight or ten feet in height, and seriously interferes with traffic, when teams pass each other, and still it keeps growing and blooming, which goes to show that the roots do not die very easily, and the consequences are that the bee-keeper gets the benefit. In my article on page 807 (1895), I wrote concerning the cutting of sweet clover. By cutting it the middle of August, it will send forth new sprouts and blossom, and at the same time you have the seed sowed for the next season ; but if you 228 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 9. harvest the seed, of course that is another thing. Our honey crop would be cut mighty short the latter part of July if it were not for sweet clover, and I have yet to see the second cutting fail to yield honey. On page 3, Dr. Miller says : "For the salJe of those who say that if sweet clover is cut for fodder it must be cut while young, and that spoils the chance of the bee-lseeper," etc. Now, you do not need to cut it while young to make it sprout vigorously; it will sprout vigorously without cutting it while young, at least it will here, unless sown on a solid stone pave- ment. It sometimes grows so dense that it is almost impossi- ble to wade through it. Again, Dr. M. says : " In this part of the country I think I'd much rather have it cut while young, for then it blooms a little later, and where white clover yields well, the early blooming of sweet clover is not so desirable as that which comes after white clover is gone." Yes, if white clover yields well — that's it. How many bee-keepers last season claimed that white clover was a failure. Had it been sweet clover, there would have been no reason to complain. Bee-keepers that have to depend upon their bees for their bread and but- ter could not run such a great risk by cutting down sweet clover, while white clover might be a failure, and consequently would not be of any benefit whatever. Why not give sweet clover another clip while basswood blooms, and that would make it a little after basswood got through ? White clover has been a failure here — bees would not touch it. I would rather have a profusion of bloom than to have nix, and I think that most bee-keepers are of the same opinion, for then you are assured of some surplus honey. Lemont, 111. Commission Men and Bee-Keepers. BY L. M. WILLIS. (Head at tlie Wiscoiisin titate Convention.') Commission men would appear, at first glance, to be a sub- ject somewhat foreign to the interest of a bee-keepers' conven- tion, and yet, commission men are so closely connected with our business, that they are ofttimes the means through which our profits are increased, or the labor of an entire season lost. The commission business, as a business, is just as legiti" mate as any other calling, and in the past, commission men, have, to a large extent, been regarded almost in the light of a necessity. There is no question regarding their value to the producers of farm and garden crops, and, I believe that they have very often made dollars for those who entrusted the sale of their goods to them. I do not say, that the best means for the disposal of our products, is through the commission men, because I know that there are plenty of men — producers themselves — who are fully qualified to handle and sell our surplus. And these men, as a natural consequence, wpuld take more interest in our well- doing, tbau those whose only work is to sell the product of others' labor, for the fee obtained in the making of such sale. At the present time, the honey-producers, as a class, are almost completely at the mercy of commission men ; and, as a general thing, meekly submit to whatever treatment the men in the commission business may see fit to bestow upon them. What reason can we give for this — I ought to say, criminal — neglect of our interests ? Is it indifference to the value of money? Is it laziness? or, is it because we are laboring under the impression that what is must be ? These are questions that must needs be answered, and we are the ones to whom they are put. Of course, we all know that there are extenuating circum- stances which somewhat relieve the commission men of the burden that we sometimes feel justified in placing upon them. They certainly have diCSculties to overcome, and without doubt it is sometimes almost impossible for them to live up to their promises. But they can be, and ought to be, honest men. It has been said that a man could not be honest in the commission business. Well, if he cannot, then the sooner he changes his business, the better it will be for him, because it is only a question of time with him when exposure will come. This fact is evidenced already, with one commission firm in Chicago. The case of C. R. Horrie & Co. is familiar to the readers of the American Bee Journal. This case is simply the shadow of coming events, and now, right here, I wish to say, (and I believe that I voice the sentiments of honey-producers generally), that we are heartily sick and tired of being gulled and robbed by sharpers, three-card moute men, and all other men, who, under the guise of a respectable business concern, are permitted to use the results of our labor as a means of en- riching themselves. And the time has come to order a halt. We demand a square deal. It is our due, and they will have to give what is right. I know that some of you will smile, and slyly remark that "the fools are not all dead." And you may be right, too, but there are some few who may be able to teach the fools. And, when we have done that, somebody, and sombody's business, will be "in the soup." See? I presume that some of you will think that I am bearing a little too hard on this subject, but when a man has been eu- chred out of some 30 hard-earned and much-needed dollars, and at the same time lost about 50 per cent, of his faith in human nature, he will say a few things that do not tend to the credit of the one who caused his loss. This is not a new thing, although it is my first exerience. I hope, however, that it will be the last. And now, I want to say just a few words to those who are fortunate enough to have honey to sell in the future. We want honest treatment — let us, then, be honest ourselves, and thereby be entitled lo it. Let us put our goods up in the very best manner possible. Don't put the best sections in the front of the shipping-case — that is not honest. Send strictly pure goods to market. If you can't do this, don't ship any. Let the best rule that ever was made, be your guide — "As ye would that others should do to you, do ye even so to them." In closing, I want to say, that in view of the interest that ' the editor of the American Bee Journal has taken in the cases brought to notice regarding the losses of bee-keepers through one of his advertisers, he deserves our heartiest support. It is impossible to always detect the black sheep, especially if they wear a white fleece, but we can discountenance them when found ou% and help to expose them. And this, George W. York has done to the best of his ability, spending his time without compensation. I am sure that the bee-keepers of this country fully appreciate this action on his part, which, as Dr. C. C. Miller on page 3, truthfully says, is a breaking away from the established usage of hushing up such affairs. Editor York has given us a good example. Let us be fearless and honest, and stand firmly for our rights. Loyal, Wis. [An essay was also read at the Wisconsin convention (from one of the largest honey commission firms in Chicago) from which we take the following suggestions: — Ed.J The most important points for bee-keepers, from our ex- perience and study of markets, are: 1st — Market your honey early. 2nd — Put your honey in as neat a package as possible. The 24-section cases our trade prefers. 3rd — Grade your honey very carefully, and mark the grade on the end of the case. Always bear in mind that white honey will sell, while dark honey takes its chances for a cus- tomer. 4th — Place the gross, tare and net on every package. These remarks refer to extracted as well, whether it is placed in cans or barrels. We have no preference as to pack- age for the extracted. Sweet Clover — Swarming vs. Noa-Swarming. BY E. S. LOVESY. Dr. Miller asks if I can give any reason why that great honey-plant — sweet clover — gave out in some parts of Utah last year. I have investigated somewhat, and I note that we had a very heavy rain the forepart of July, soon after the sweet clover came into bloom, and the nectar, or saccharine matter, was thus washed out. This is my view of it. But our lucern was grand last year, and. when it is all right, I prefer it to the sweet clover, because the honey is better. While there may be more honey on a given amount of ground, or plants, in thcsweet clover (whether this is so or not), while we have considerable sweet clover we have 30 acres of lucern to one of clover in most places, so that when our lucern is all right our bees will fill up their hives. On page 45, Paul Whitebread says that the swarming bees are ahead. He says that he bought two colonies of bees, and in the spring he prevented one from swarming by putting on 48 sections ; the other he sold to a neighbor who let them do as they pleased, and he got two swarms and 80 pounds of honey, while he himself got no swarms and only 74 pounds of section honey. But what possible figure can this cut on the question ? Mr. Whitebread simply sold the wrong colony. We all have one or more colonies every season that do wonders, and it often happens that one or more will do noth- ing. The past season, on June 29, I made the sixth new 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 229 ■ swarm from one colony, and on the same day another colony that I had helped with bees and brood twice, but they would do nothing, so I caught and cut the head of the queen and in- troduced a cell ready to hatch, from the other prolific queen, and in from five to six weeks the hive was full of bees and honey. While there are exceptions to all rules, as a general thing, with proper management, any bee-keeper can do much better than with a haphazard, go-as-you-please plan, whether it be the swarming or non-swarming method. I have tried both methods for eleven years, and the non-swarming system has always paid me the best. Much has been written about a non-swarming strain of bees. While I do not believe there is such a thing, I do be- lieve that we can have our bees swarm or not swarm, as we please, simply by the method of management. Under certain conditions they will swarm, but under other conditions they will not. We might run forever for extracted honey without swarming, but we cannot always succeed in running for sec- tion honey exclusively. Salt Lake City, Utah. The Colorado State Bee-Keepers' Couveutioii. EEPORTED BY F. L. THOMPSON. (Continued from page 214.) Pres. Aikin then read an essay on REARING QUEENS, ( of which the most essential parts follow : Since practicing the unqueening system I frequently use cells started under the swarming impulse. Such cells are much the safest, especially for the inexperienced. Two classes ■ of cells are almost invariably good — those built for swarming, and those for superseding. In either case they are started from the egg, and if for swarming are well cared for, and from vigorous colonies, when feed is plenty. Supersedure cells are counted by Doolittle to be the very best. 1 think that such are as good as any in most cases. The swarming cells are always built under favorable circumstances, while there are times that a very weak colony may be compelled to supersede when no nectar is coming in, and so may not properly feed the larva. But if superseding is done during the flow, and when the colony is not weak, such cells ought to be good. When superseding there are usually only two to four cells built, hence better cared for. When swarming, they may have 20 to 30, though usually about 10 to 15 cells. If you wish to get cells aside from the above, you can do so by making a colony queenless; but this method requires much more care to get good queens. They will force cells by using larvaj as much as six and sometimes seven days from the laying of the egg, which cannot give so well-fed aud vigorous queens. While the swarming colony usually has but 10 or 15 cells, the forced colony will have often 15 to 30, and if this be at a time when no nectar is coming in, there will be a lot of starved queens. If we rear from forced cells, the colony should be fed until they are in much the same condition as during a honey-flow ; and unless you have a great lot of bees it will be all right to give them no brood at all except some fresh-laid eggs, and then you know there will be no building from old or advanced larvfe, and all will be well fed the whole time of their growth. After the cells are sealed, they can be put in any nucleus that has sufficient bees to keep them prop- erly warm. If the weather is warm, less bees will do, but if cold, give more bees. A queen may be injured by being too cold while developing. In transferring cells they should be handled very care- fully, not shaken or turned over and about, or exposed to ex- tremes of temperature. Just after the larva has spun its cocoon and passed to the form of a bee, a very little shaking will often destroy the embryo wings, and while you will most likely have a perfect queen in other respects, her deformed wings will prevent her mating. This I learned from experi- ence. The use of cell-cups and transferring eggs or larvaj I have never tried ; but I have no doubt they will be all right in the hands of experts. The average apiarist will seldom find any use for these new methods. R. C. Aikin. N. C. Alford — I think that when queens are reared by forcing, the bees will eventually run out. Last year I lost one-third of my colonies in unqueening, even after putting an extra cell in each hive. One apiary lost one-half. The loss was greater than ever before. Some years the loss is not over 15 or 20 per cent. So much queenlessness causes trouble from laying workers. I have found that combs which have been used by laying workers are injured. The cells are swelled, and the queen will not lay in them. H. Rauchfuss — The loss is light when virgin queens are reared and introduced. We reared our virgin queens in upper stories, by the Doolittle method. The cells were put in nur- sery cages. Mr. Alford — That is a good deal of work. Pres. Aikin— Loss of queens depends largely upon the way an apiary is marked by trees, etc. In one apiary, which was well marked, I lost only 4 out of 50 or 60. In another, which was not well marked, I lost one-third. But there is a considerable per cent, of loss from chilling, or knocking about too much. I found lots of queens with deformed wings. W. L. Porter — Isn't there danger in leaving queen-cells on the bottoms of combs from drafts of air from the entrance '? Pres. Aikin — In warm weather, and with strong colonies, cells at the bottom are all right; otherwise not. H. Rauchfuss — Cells should not be cut out until they are ripe. They are ripe when the bees begin to gnaw ofif the end. Or, in using the Doolittle plan, we can distinguish the color of the queen through the cell, by holding it up to the light. The darker the queen, the closer the maturity of the cell. Some- times the motions of the queen can be thus seen. R. Patterson — Are queens reared artificially as good as those reared naturally? S. M. Carlzen — I got some queen-cells from Rauchfuss Bros. The queens were good, and their progeny developed into strong colonies. Pres. Aikin — If bees commence with the egg, or with the just-hatched larva}, aud they are fed well, the queens are just as good. Mr. Alford — In forcing, how can you tell between good and poor cells ? Pres. Aikin — You can't tell except by results. H. Rauchfuss — Forcing ought not to be practiced. Even swarming-cells are sometimes inferior. Even if the bees only have eggs to start with, some of the queens will be poor, be- cause some cells are started six days after the egg, and they cannot be distinguished, because they hatch at the same time. Our bought queens never lived more than two years ; most of them only through one summer. It was not from mailing, be- cause the queens we reared from them were not good, either. But our imported queens, from Italy or Carniola, were always good. Mr. Alford, who had been put down for the subject, FALL, WINTER AND SPRING MANAGEMENT, had not prepared an essay, but gave a short talk on the sub- ject. The following were his chief points : I have gone to a good deal of trouble to pack my bees well in straw, with plenty of chaff above, but my neighbors' bees in single-walled hives, without special care, always wintered as well as mine, and were as strong in bees on the 1st of April. Colorado wintering does not require packing. But after the 1st of April, the case is different. Spring management is everything in this climate, on account of the sudden changes of weather. From the 1st of April to the 15th of June is the whole secret. The bees should be stimulated and kept warm. N. C. Alford. E Milleson — Look out for mice in packing. This climate is hard on lumber. The hives should be thoroughly seasoned, with no cracks. The first thing to remember is to keep the bees dry. Don't let the quilt stick out from under the cover. The moisture from rain and snow will soak in. D. L. Tracy — Is it altogether the moisture from outside which is seen in hives? Mr. Milleson — In extremely cold weather, there is inter- nal moisture under an oilcloth or a propollzed and water-tight quilt. W. L. Porter — That kind of moisture is also caused by the kind of hive. That is why I do not like the flat cover of the dovetailed hive. In cold weather it is moist every time. I prefer to make a little ventilation by putting strips under, above the quilt, rather than have them too tight. Rev. F. 0. Blair, of Trinidad, and Mrs. Shute, Secretary 230 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 9, of the Horticultural Association, were elected honorary life- members. Mrs. Shute invited all bee-keepers to meet with the Horticultural Society at its next session. The following resolution by V. Devinny was adopted : Resolved, That the Executive Committee of the State Bee- Keepers' Association be authorized to coufer with the State Board of Horticulture to secure if possible a more intimate co- operation in carrying out the purposes and interests of the society, and if possible to change the dates of the meetings so that the members of each society may attend the meetings of the other, and if possible secure a publication of the bee-keep- ers' association's transactions with the Horticultural Report. The Secretary reported that the yield of three precincts in Delta county was 14, 10 and 13 tons of honey, respectively. Mr. W. L. Porter, President of the Denver Bee-Keepers' Association, called attention to their next meeting in the Hor- ticultural Rooms of the State Capitol on the second Wednes- day in ITebruary. (It has been the custom of this local associa- tion to meet on the second Wednesday of every month, in winter and spring.) A Committee on Resolutions was appointed, consisting of L. Booth, D. L. Tracy and R. H. Rhodes. Officers for the ensuing year were elected as follows : President, R. C. Aikin, Loveland ; Vice-President, W. L. Porter, Denver ; Secretary, Frank Rauchfuss, Duff; Treas- urer, Mrs. R. H. Rhodes, Arvada. Member of Executive Com- mittee, R. H. Rhodes, Arvada. Vice-Presidents from some of the 22 bee-keeping counties were appointed as follows : C. W. Cain, Fruita, Mesa Co.; J. E. Reynolds, Husted, El Paso Co.; Oliver Foster, Las Animas, Bent Co.; W. S. Simpson, Port Morgan, Morgan Co.; J. B. Adams, Longmont, Weld Co.; Levi Booth, Denver, Arapahoe Co.; D. L. Tracy, Denver (appointed for Jefferson Co.); F. L. Thompson, Ar- vada, Jefferson Co.; S. M. Carlzen, Montclair, Arapahoe Co.; Rev. F. O. Blair, Trinidad, Las Animas Co. More are to be appointed by the Secretary. During the session the convention adjourned to the re- ception room, where Gov. Mclntire was introduced to them, and made a short address. THIRD DAY. The Committee on Resolutions made their report. The resolution on marketing will no doubt be more fully developed at the spring meeting. It was adopted as follows, after con- siderable discussion : MARKETING THE HONEY CROP. Resolved, That our Executive Committee be instructed to correspond with different responsible dealers in honey in vari- ous parts of the country, and to obtain prices from them, to- gether with the quantity they will purchase, and in case that they shall obtain fair prices in sufficient quantity to justify, they shall immediately notify all members of this Association of the price offered and the amount of honey required, and of the place of shipment, whereupon all members of this society having honey to dispose of, at the figures offered, shall imme- diately inform said committee of the amount which he can furnish, and if a sufficient quantity of the required quality be shipped, then said Executive Committee shall direct the mem- bers to deliver the same on board the cars at a point desig- nated by the committee, and at least one of said committee shall be present to see to the shipment, and to see that the honey is properly packed and of the required quality, or ap- point some suitable person for such work. Before it was adopted, the following were the chief points of the discussion : H. Rauchfuss — What is to be done if the honey brought is not of the proper quality ? Prices should be adjusted to the quality. L. Booth — There is only one grade to ship. This does not provide for the home market. Outsiders want the first quality. R. Patterson- -The large producers will have the advan- tage in this way. J. B. Adams — There is plenty of market. The small pro- ducers won't be crowded. Pres. Aikin — The scheme is in its infancy. We may not be able to dispense justice at first as we would like to. Mr. Patterson — Is there any commission in this arrange- ment ? Mr. Booth— No. The following discussion took place at another part of the day, but comes in most appropriately here: USE OF SEPARATORS AND HONEY-BOARDS. Mr. Carlzen — The Association should recommend the use of separators. Mr. Adams — There will be a heavy loss by not using sep- arators. They pay much more than their cost. H. Rauchfuss — Separators and honey-boards are very necessary. The latter we might get along without ; but sep- arators are indispensable. Their use has spread greatly dur- ing the last few years, as the result of experience. We must have them to produce honey fit for shipping. Pres. Aikin — I formerly recommended separators only be- tween the alternate rows. I5ut now I think they are necessary between every row. Mr. Porter — All supers have room enough to get separa- tors in. A. W. Croff — Bee-literature shows that separators are be- coming out-of-date in the East. I have never used them. Mrs. Booth — I have produced good honey without sep- arators. Pres. Aikin — A Chicago commission firm wrote me that they wanted honey that was produced with separators, be- tween every row. Mr. Patterson — I have had separators stuck to the combs. Mr. Croff — Bees can be bred to build straight combs with- out separators. Mrs. Hartraan — I want separators, and I want honey- boards even more. They keep the sections much cleaner. Mr. Porter — I had not used separators until last year, and then produced better honey than I ever did before. I think we should use them. By a nearly unanimous vote the Association recommended the use of separators. STATISTICS OF BEE-KEEPING. A resolution on statistics was adopted as follows : Resolved, That every member of this Association be re- quired to report to the Secretary on April 1, Aug. 1, and Sept. 1, of each and every year, the following facts, to-wit: 1st. The condition and the number of colonies in his apiary. , 2nd. The amount of first-class comb and extracted honey which he has for sale, and such other information as may be considered of benefit for the Executive Committee to know. Mr. Porter made the following remarks on this subject : Statistics are necessary if we want to get down to busi- ness. I think the Secretary should print appropriate circu- lars, and make every member a committee to gather statistics of bee-culture in his neighborhood, the names and addresses of bee-keepers, the number of their colonies, the number of pounds of comb and extracted honey, the presence or absence of foul brood, etc. The county vice-presidents and the foul brood inspectors especially could furnish information. These reports could be sent iu and tabulated. The Association voted also to adopt Mr. Porter's plan. PURCHASING BEE-SUPPLIES. The following resolution on buying supplies was adopted after much discussion : Resolved, That our Executive Committee be instructed and empowered to contract with one of the different bee-sup- ply houses to furnish the members of this Association with all of their supplies at the least possible cash rates, and that each and every member of this Association shall furnish, as soon as possible, to said committee, the kind and amount of supplies which they require, and that each and every member of this Association hereby agrees to stand by the contract so made as aforesaid by our Executive Committee, if not against his personal interest, and said contract shall be kept secret among its members ; and that said committee shall, as soon as the aforesaid contract shall have been made, furnish every member of this Association, in a circular letter, a list of the prices agreed upon by them, and the name of the house, or houses, with whom the contract shall have been made. The following were the main points of the discussion : Pres. Aikin — This resolution is not so important as that on marketing. There is not so much to be saved after all in buying supplies. I object to the clause which requires se- crecy. Plain, straightforward, open business doesn't hurt anybody. H. Rauchfuss — We should not publish figures. There should be an advantage in being a member. Mrs. Booth — We are helping outsiders by publishing our figures. Those outside who would be so helped are the same ones that undersell us. Mr. Porter — A local association of this State, in this way 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 231 succeeded in buying their sections at a reduced figure of a certaiu house. Injudicious members let it out, whereupon a rival house lowered the price of their sections 20 cents per thousand below those reduced rates. The result was that outsiders got their sections cheaper than did the memoers of the Association, who were in honor bound to stand by the house they had chosen. R. H. Rhodes — Secrecy is a benefit to those who make our low prices. Mr. Booth — A neighbor of mine refuses to .join the Asso- ciation just on that account. He says, " You will go down there and pay your fee, and I will pay nothing, and get my supplies cheaper than you, after all." Mr. Porter — This is a matter of business. Honey-pro- ducers, as a rule, are not business men. They must be edu- cated. Pres. Aikin — I think I ara misunderstood. I don't advo- cate telling our business. But the idea of secrecy is the be- ginning of organizing for selfishness. Then, irresponsible members may leave goods on the hands of the committee, who may have to pay for them. Let us have no credit business. Mr. Adams — The Northern Colorado Association took or- ders in this way. The members were to pay cash when they got the goods. Some of the goods were left on the hands of the committee. Some raembers wanted to pay for them in honey and wax, making us work for them in both ways, buy- ing and selling. There is quite a little left on our hands now. Mr. Booth — The E.^ecutive Committee does not contract for the exact amount, but somewhere near it. If some do not pay, that is between the house and them. Members are not responsible for orders sent in. None are sent in. They be- come orders only when the certificates of membership are presented. Mr. Croff — If supplies are ahipped to Denver and reship- ped, local freights may be grea'er than the rebate. Mr. Porter — I have been in the supply business. Often the only profit to supply dealers is the difference between ear lots and local freight. Even when car lots are brought here first and then distributed, I think there would be a gain. The clause " if not against his personal interest," was in- serted to meet Mr. Croff's objection. The Association adopted the following resolution by Mr. Aikin : Resolved, That the chair appoint a Legislative Committee of three to revise our foul brood law, or to draft a new law to be placed before the next General Assembly for passage ; that the report of this committee shall be submitted to the Execu- tive Committee for their concurrence before going before the assembly ; and after being concurred in by the Executive Committee, said Legislative Committee shall, when the Assem- bly convenes, place the bill before them and use all proper means to secure its passage ; further, that said committee may work in the same manner to recommend such legislation as may be thought advisable. J. B. Adams, H. Rauchfuss, and F. L. Thompson were appointed as the legislative committee. A letter from E. S. Jenkins, of Las Animas, was read, in which he said that apiculture has had its day in this part of the Arkansas valley. The sheep craze has struck the people, and alfalfa seed is low. The request of the Committee on Resolutions, to be per- mitted to furnish the Secretary with a copy of the memoir of the Rev. L. L. Langstroth for publication, was granted. R. Patterson asked whether the self-hiver was a success. .1. B. Adams replied that it had been tried in the northern counties, and was not. The convention adjourned to meet at the call of the Executive Committee, which will be some time in the spring months. F. L. Thompson, Arvada, Colo. Assistant Secretary. A. JJew Binder for holding a year's numbers of the American Bee Journal, we propose to mail, postpaid, to every subscriber who sends us 15 cents. It is called "The Wood Binder," is patented, and is an entirely new and very simple arrangement. Full printed directions accompany each Binder. Every reader should get it, and preserve the copies of the Bee Journal as fast as they are received. They are invaluable for reference, and at the low price of the Binder you can afford to get it yearly. If any one desires two of the Binders — one for 1S95 and one for 189(3 — send 25 cents, and they will be mailed to you. Age of Brood-Com'bs. I have combs in my hives which have been in constant use in the brood-chamber for 20 years ; and, while the cells do ap- pear small in looking at them, yet, so far as lean see, it makes no difference in the size of the bees hatching from these cells. A neighbor tells of combs being in use for 40 years and yet no perceptible difference in the looks of the bees coming from these combs. All bees, when first emerged from the cells, look small ; but wait till they are 36 to 48 hours old, and it will be seen that they look altogether different, especially during a honey- flow. Some seem to thiuk that bees do not grow any after they cut out of the cells, but I think a little observation will satisfy any one that the young bee "plumps out" considera- bly after it emerges from the cell. Several times during past years I have compelled the bees to rear workers in drone-cells, and, so far as I could discover, using the closest scrutiny, said bees were not a whit larg'er three days after hatching than were those of the same age hatched from combs from 10 to 20 years old. It is true, th;it each emerging bee leaves a slight cocoon or lining in the cell ; but as this cocoon is much thicker at the base of the cell than at the sides, and so thin at any spot that it is hardly perceptible, no bad results seem to arise therefrom. It is always safe to use combs as long as they are in good condition, and old combs have the advantage of being better for the bees during winter than new ; conse- quently I have no thoughts of throwing away these 20-year-old combs at present. — G. M. Doolittle, in Gleanings. Bleaching- Beeswax. While beeswax may be bleached by means of chemicals, the results are inferior to sun bleaching, and the latter process is, I believe, the only commercially successful one. To bleach wax by this method, it is first cleaned by the sulphuric acid process which, if properly done, will restore the blackest and dirtiest wax to its original color. To cleanse wax by this method, take a whiskey or alcohol barrel and put about 6 inches of water in it, adding to the water a small quantity of sulphuric acid, the quantity varying with the amount of dirt in the wax. Two pounds of acid to one hundred of wax would generally be sufficient. Then fill the barrel about two-thirds full of wax. Next turn a jet of steam into the bottom of the barrel, slowly at first, until the wax is all melted. Do not be afraid of getting the wax too hot, but keep the steam on until a froth rises to the top of the melted wax. Now watch the froth carefully, for this is the critical point of the operation. If you stop the steam too soon, you will not have cleaned the wax. If the steam is on too long, you will make a soapy mess of the whole thing. The time to shut off the steam is when the bubbles in the froth begin to grow large — say about one- fourth of an inch in diameter. Having shut off the steam, wrap a carpet, or anything else that will keep the heat in around the barrel, and let the wax settle until it is nearly cold, when it may be dipped out and all the dirt will be at bottom. To prepare the wax for running, a little machinery is re- quired. This consists of a tank to hold beeswax, having near the bottom a row of holes about two inches apart. This tank stands over a trough of cold water, some 10 or 15 feet long. Revolving in one end of the trough, and about two-thirds sub- merged, is arolle.- covered with felt, the tank of wax being di- rectly over it. The melted wax flows from the holes in the tank upon the wet felt and is instantly chilled into the shape of ribbons about one-eighth of an inch thick, the revolution of the roller at the same time moving the wax forward into the tank of water, thus making as many continuous strips of wax as there are holes in the bottom of the tank. From the tank the wax is taken to the bleaching-ground and s_pread upon frames covered with white cloth. Here it is exposed to the action of the sun and air until the outside of the strips are bleached, when it is re-melted and again run into strips and sunned, the operation being repeated until satisfactory results are reached. It should be said that not all wax is suitable for bleaching, wax from Southern countries, with a reddish tinge, generally proving very difficult to whiten. — E. B. Weed, in Canadian Bee Journal. 232 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 9, PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY GEORGE W. YORK & COMPANY, 118 JkTioiig-an St., - CHICAGO, ILL, REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS : G. M. Doolittle, Of New York. Prof. A. J. Cook, of California. Dr. C. C. Miller, of Illinois. Dr. J. P. H. Brown, of Georgia. J. H. Martin, of California. Kev. E. T. Abbott, of Missouri. Chas. Dadant & Son, of Illinois. B. Taylor, of Minnesota. $1.00 a Year — Sample Copy Sent Free. [Entered at the Post-Offlce at ChicaRo aa Second-Class Mail-Matter.] Vol. inVI. CHICA&O, ILL,, APR, 9, 1896. No, 15. Barly Bee-Supply Orders are the ones that are apt to receive the most prompt attention on the part of deal- ers. Better make out your order and get them to your supply dealer before the busy time comes on. It will be very annoy- ing to be compelled to wait for goods when you need them at once. Consult our advertising columns for prompt and re- liable dealers. Get one of their catalogues, and then mail your order in time to get the goods you want before you will actually need to use them. Xhe Next North Aniericau Meeting.— Just as we were mailing the last number of the Bee Journal, we received this letter from Mr. E. Whitcomb, of Friend, Nebr., dated March 30: Deak Mr. York : — I am not a little surprised that you are advocating the removal of the North American Bee-Keep- ers' Convention to Minneapolis, Minn. Do you not think that this would be a serious mistake? The convention at St. Joseph practically promised to come to Lincoln, and at this time it occurs to mo that they should not think of anything else. It occurs to me that as cheap railroad rates can be secured to Lincoln as to any other point, and a marked ad- vantage in entertainment. The fact that the American Bee Journal is advocating the removal to another point, must in all events tend to keep a great many away from Lincoln who otherwise would be in attendance. We had been in hopes to be able to treat our visitors, next fall, to a real specimen of true Nebraska hospitality, to have a good meeting, and that all would return home feeling that all Nebraska, and especially Lincoln, had for a time, at least, been theirs. I sincerely hope that you will not farther advocate this move, but that you will, as much as is possible, endeavor to undo what injustice has already been done. Your friend, E. Whitcomb. As we are not running the North American, a very short reply from us, to Mr. Whitcomb's letter, will suffice. If Mr. W. will guaranlce s. \}i railroad rate to Lincoln for those attending the bee-keepers' convention, we will pitch right in and " whoop her up " for the Nebraska city. But we cannot, as in former years, urge bee-keepers to attend, ex- pecting to get the lower rate on the return trip, and then be disappointed. Some $300 was lost to bee-keepers at Toronto last September, where we fully expected there would be over the necessary number to secure the reduced rate. If the E.Kecutive Committee (who were given the deciding power at Toronto) say that the convention shall be held in Lincoln, all well and good. The Bee Journal will help to have a good meeting, no matter where it will be. But it does seem to us that our Nebraska friends should be willing to sacrifice a little in order that the rest of the country may be enabled to take advantage of the assured low rate of o?ie cent a mile (which the G. A. R. has already been granted for their meeting the first week in September, at St. Paul, Minn.), unless they can guarantee at least the 1>3 rate. The " Neboiden House- Apiary " is shown by two pictures on our first page this week. It seems quite a number of bee-keepers use this means of caring for their bees. It certainly has its advantages, and we shouldn't be surprised if more apiarists would use house-apiaries in the future. The one illustrated in this issue of the Bee Journal, belongs to Mr. E. Goulding, of Wellesley, Mass., and he tells us about it in the following communication : As I have been very much interested, the past year, in the house-apiaries that have been shown in the American Bee Journal, I will send pictures of mine — "The Nehoiden Api- ary." No. 2 is the house open for summer. Around the house the loam was taken out 8 feet wide and 6 inches deep, and filled in with sawdust, which Ijeepsthe weeds down and makes a, clean place for the bees, if they happen to alight on the ground. The sides are all made in doors, and hung with steel hinges. By filing off the head on one side, I can pull the rivet out with my fingers, and take them off very easily. By being buttoned on to the bottom I can swing them up, as the north end ones are. The inside of the house has a floor made in three parts, so I can walk in and not jar the bees at all. The bees are set up 5 inches from the floor. The house is 8 feet wide and 16 feet long, and holds 28 colonies, with the 2 in the gable end. The side shelves are 2}4 feet wide on each side, and a 3-foot walk in the center. Each side of the walk there are sliding screens that will slide all to either end. I can open the hives just as I can out-of- doors. No. 1 is the house closed for winter. The " little houses " seen on the outside are covered in front, and the entrance is on the south side. In the spring and fall the front comes off. There is an entrance to the little house from the hive 6 inches long and "^ wide, and from the little house out 3 inches long by 5 wide. The hives are all packed with leaves or fine hay, 6 inches on all sides. E. Goulding. California Bee-Notes. — Prof. Cook, of Claremont, kindly sends the following : Bee-Keepeks' Exchange. — The California Bee-Keepers' Exchange is moving on in a manner very satisfactory to its friends. There is a hearty co-operation, just as was expected, and it looks now as though almost every bee-keeper of South- ern California would give hearty co-operation. It is fully be- lieved that with all our bee-keepers as members of this organ- ization we shall have made a stride in apicultural advance- ment which has seldom been equalled in this or any other in- dustry. Scant Rainfall. — The bee-keepers of Southern Califor- nia are somewhat anxious regarding the scant rainfall of the present winter. Of course there is time for heavy rains even yet ; but some of our friends feel that with heavy rains during the last of this month (March) and next month, we cannot ex- pect a first-class season. They say that observation in the past has shown, that, in order to secure a heavy honey-flow, there must be early rains as well as a heavy rainfall. The needed rainfall is usually put at 15 inches. As yet we only have about half that amount. Pukb-Mating of Queens. — It will be remembered that Mr. D. A. Jones, some years since, established breeding apia- ries on the islands in Georgian Bay, in the hope of securing pure mating. Because of the heavy winds and severe cold 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 233 Mr. Jones was unable to succeed as he wished, and after one or two seasons gave up the project. California is liliely to follow in the wake of Mr. Jones with more hope of success. Mr. A. D. D. Wood, so long and favor- ably known as a bee-keeper, dealer in bee-keeping supplies, and queen-breeder, in Michigan, has come to California and proposes to engage solely in the breeding of queens. Mr. Wood is negotiating for the privilege of locating two apiaries on Oatalina Island, one in which he will breed only [talian and the other where he will rear only Carniolan queens. It is hoped that the flora of this island will be such as to warrant the success of this effort. There is little doubt but that the mountains will so break the sea-breezes that there will be no hindrance from winds. Any one who has enjoyed the delight- ful summer weather of Catalina will know that there will be no objection because of too great cold. It is to be hoped that the island is large enough so that two apiarie.s — one at each end — can be conducted, and yet there be no intermixture of blood. This is certainly a matter of general interest to bee-keepers, not only in California, but throughout our whole country. We are sure that Mr. Wood's undertaking will be watched with interest by bee-keepers all over the country. The bee- keepers, especially of California, are to be congratulated that so able and straightforward a man as Mr. Wood has interested himself in this project. A. J. Cook. Grading^ Honey.— In the last Review, Editor Hutch- inson wrote thus in referring to this subject and to the " Miller grading :" Grading honey is spoken of in Gleanings for March 15. Mr. Thos. Elliott, of Harvard, 111., uses a grading suggested by Dr. Miller. This was a compromise between the Chicago grading and that proposed at Albany in 1891. In 1892 the North American, in its meeting at Washington, still further " revised " this grading and adopted it. Since then the Re- view has kept this grading at the head of its market column, and it is printed on the blanks sent out to dealers for their use in giving quotations, and quotations are given in con- formity with that grading. The editor of Gleanings suggests that we take up the Miller grading and use it, and says that Gleanings stands ready to co-operate with any of its cotem- poraries. Good ! But why adopt the grading of a private individual (unless it is better) when that adopted by the lead- ing bee-keepers' society of this country has been in use three years by one journal, and during that time not one criticism has been made by dealers or shippers'? If that adopted by the North American has any faults, let them be pointed out and have them corrected at its next meeting; but don't en- courage the use of different sets of rules for grading, and thereby bring in "confusion worse confounded." Editor Root, in Gleanings for April 1, copies the above, and comments thus upon it: Since Mr. Hutchinson has called my attention to it, I have carefully compared the two gradings side by side; and I must confess that the one he uses, adopted by the Washington North A-uerican, has the advantage in point of briefness. It also has another important advantage— that it has been tried, as Mr. Hutchinson says, three years, and " during that time, not one criticism has been made by dealers or shippers." This is a big point in its favor. In order that our readers may more easily compare the two, I reproduce both the Miller grading and the Washington North American : MILLER. Fancy.— Combs straight, white, well filled, firmly fastened to wood •on all lour sides: all cells sealed: no pollen, propolis, nor travel-stain. No. I .—Wood well scraped, or entirely free from propolis; one side of the section sealed with white cappingrs. free from pollen, and hav- ing all cells sealed except the line of cells next the wood; the other side white, or but slightly discolored, with not more than two cells of pollen, and not more than ten cells unsealed beside the line of cells touching the wood; comb fastened to the wood on four sides, No. a.— Three-fourths of the total surface must be filled and sealed ; wood well scraped of propolis. No. .'!.— Must weigh at le;i8t half as much as a full-weight section. bur the Classes of honey I would suggest the four already in use, sufliciently understood from the names alone; namely, light, ambek, DARK, MIXED. WASHINGTON. Fancy.— All sections to be well filled: combs straight, of even thickness, a.nd firmly attached to all (our sides; both wood and comb unsolled by travel-stain, or othersvise; all the cells sealed except the row of cells next the wood. No. 1,— Ail sections well filled, but combs uneven or crooked, de- tached at the bottom, or with but few cells unsealed; both wood and comb unsoiled by travel-stain or otherwise. In addition to this the honey Is to be classified according to color, using the terms white, amber, and dark. That is, there will be •' fancy white," " No. 1 dark," etc. The reader will readily see thatthe Washington is briefer, and really covers all the Miller grading does, with the excep- tion that it allows for no No. 2. The editors of the bee-jour- nals could easily hitch on such a number if such should be necessary. Now, then, it does not seem to me that we need very much discussion. What we need now is action on the part of bee-journals. If a majority of the others agree, I am willing to commence with the Washington North American grading, and put it at the head of our Honey Column, the same as Mr. Hutchinson has been doing. Why do I select the Washington ? Because it has been tested three years, and the other has not been tested at all ; and because it really covers all that is set forth in the Miller grading. I believe that most of the com- mission men who have furnished us quotations, have also furnished them for the Review. That being the case, they could easily adapt themselves to the grading used in the Re- view, in Gleanings. If all the editors fall into line, the system will be practi- cally universal ; and thereafter shipper and buyer can desig- nate their honey by this grading. No doubt it will save a good many jangles, and a good deal of descriptive matter re- garding honey that now is necessary. What say you, brother editors? The American Bee Journal will gladly co-operate with Gleanings and the Review in this matter. If begun at once, it will be helpful during the approaching season. CONDUCTED BY DR. C. C mrLLER. ALARMNGO, ILL. LQuestlons may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct.! A Colony that Starved. Last spring we started with one colony of bees which swarmed three times. The first swarm got away after being hived twice, and the remaining two we saved. Not wishing for honey, but increase, this spring found the last swarm dead from starvation. On examining the hive there was no brood or queen to be found ; there was about one quart of bees. I looked very carefully over them, but found no trace of the queen or a queen-cell. It seems they neither gathered honey nor reared brood. What was the matter that they had no queen or queen-cell? It seems that they did nothing but build comb, of which there was plenty. There were small clusters of bees woven together with a kind of web, and in this web there were some small red eggs. Do you think there was some insect that fastened the bees together, preventing them from working ? Novice. Portland, Oreg. Answer. — When bees starve to death the queen is very small, and you might easily miss her. If the bees built work- er-comb, there was pretty certainly a queen present. The web that you found present was the work of the wax-worm probably, and the small red eggs were those of some insect that happened to be present, but probably had nothing to do with the destruction of the colony. Robbing Among Bees — Robber-Traps. Some one wrote me lately that he finds he can't get much surplus if his hives are all together, i. e., in one yard — "the bees rob from each other so." I had never noticed this among my own bees ; but since the idea has been put into my head, I have been carefully watching, and find now, with a flow just ceasing, that a good deal of what appears to be quiet, sneak- ing robbing seems to be going on — not much fighting with it, either, hardly any — still one-half seems to be quickly robbing from the other half. Is this usual, in your apiaries? It is not the result of carelessness, as many of the hives which appear to be visited by robbers have not been opened for some time. My informant also happened to mention that if you find 234 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 9, three or four colonies of wild bees close to each other in the woods, the chances are that only one nest is full of honey, and the others almost storeless. Now is it in the nature of bees for stronger colonies thus — unmolested by man — to deliberate- ly rob out weaker ones? How often it happens that in one yard there may be found one or two colonies which have se- cured an enormous surplus, while the majority of the others have produced very little. This is explained on the ground of superior working-qualities of the former, and queens are con- sequently bred from them. May it not often be that they are not superior field-workers, but superior robbers, accumulating an immense surplus at the expense of their neighbors? Of course, this is not always the explanation, but may not such great difference in amount of stores accumulated be sometimes, and more often than we imagii:e, accounted for thus? What are " robber-traps," of which I recently saw men- tion ? How are they constructed ? Afeica. Answer. — I don't believe bees are much more likely to rob from each other in the same apiary than when scattered a good many rods apart. I don't believe there's any quiet rob- bing going on among my bees — that is, a strong colony taking away honey from a weaker, with a good queen. When a case of robbing occurs, and is allowed its own course, the rule is that the robbed colony gives up the ghost. And if you'll par- don me for saying so, I don't believe that sort of robbing that leaves the robbed colony still in existence is a common thing in Africa. I don't know what robber-traps are referred to, but it may be some kind of cone escape that allows entrance but not exit. Paper Separators — Shallow Extractiiig-Frauics- Doiiblc Hives, Etc. 1. What do you think of the brown building-paper for sep- arators ? 2. What do you think of shallow frames for extracting? Are they better than the Langstroth ? 3. What do you think of Editor E. R. Root's plan of put- ting two 8-frame hives on top of each other for comb honey ? I think it all right for extracted honey, but not for comb. 4. What do you think of the wood-base foundation for brood-frames ? 5. Why is it that some foundation when melted over in the solar wax-extractor, turns a dark color? I had some last summer which did that very thing. F. C. C. Answers. — 1. Bees would be likely to tear it, but if prop- erly prepared by means of varnish or something of the kind it may make good separators. I think it has been so used, but I cannot now say by whom. 2. Taken all in all, I suppose they are better. The Da- dant's prefer them after long years of' trial. 3. I don't know whether any one has tried it thoroughly enough to speak with authority on the matter. But I hardly see why bees might not store honey in sections over 16 frames in two stories about as well as they would over the same num- ber of frames in one story. 4. Very few have reported as to this, and I've had no ex- perience. 5. I don't know. I don't see how the color should change unless it should be burnt, or there was dirt in the extractor. lJ§ing Empty Brood-Combs — A Swarm's Actions. My bees I think are doing better this spring on the sum- mer stands packed with leaves ; those in the cellar the entran- ces are getting daubed. I have some empty brood-combs left from queenless colo- nies— some left by doubling up in the fall. How can I best use them to advantage to hive new swarms on — either to give a full set of combs or to divide them two or more to each swarm and the rest of the frames to be filled out with founda- tion, full sheets or stories ? When a swarm issues, transfer all supers and sections to the new hive on the old stand using the 8-frame dovetail hive. Our season here in Vermont is short for light honey. All is dark honey after raspberry and basswood bloom. Bees work very little on white clover when the others are in bloom. Basswood was a failure here last year, but we detected no honey-dew as the year before. I do not think that noise has any effect on bees, in the cellar, if they are so placed that they do not come in contact with any pillar or partition. I have kept them under a room used, and part unused, and could see no difference. I would like to mention the actions of a swarm that I did not quite understand. I used Alley's queen and drone trap at the time it issued — leaving the queen in the trap. It alighted some 20 rods distant, up 20 feet on a large limb. This swarm did not return to the parent hive after a week's bleechiug, of sunshine and rain, and remained on the limb though they were one-half diminished during this time. To remove them finally they were burnt down with a torch on the end of a pole. Were they lost, or were they afraid to return? F. S. C. Answer. — It doesn't make a great deal of difference how you u^o ttie combs. You cau fill the hives with them as far as tbey go, or you can put two or more iu each hive and then fill out with frames filled with foundation. But if you mix the two in the same hive, let the combs be all at one side and then fill out with foundation. If you alternate them the bees some- times prolong the cells of the old combs and make the new cells on the foundation very shallow. In rare cases a swarm will hang in the way yours did until they all disappear, and I don't know any reason for it unless it be stupidity or pure cussedness. Bees Are Animals — Taxing Tlicm. 1. In all dictionaries bees are classed as insects. In what way can they be called animals, as they are called iu all law decisions ? 2. Also tell in what States bees are taxable property, and explain in what way they can be classed as taxable property. S. T. Answers — 1. As a bee could not be admitted into the veg- etable or mineral kingdom there's nothing left for it but to get into the animal kingdom. Anything that has animal life is in- cluded in the animal kingdom. An animal is thus defined in the dictionary: "A sentient living organism broadly dis- tinguished from a plant by incapacity to convert inorganic matter; a sentient living being." That deflnition very plainly includes the bee, so a bee is an animal, and is so called in law. 2. Each State has its own laws, and I don't know what States tax bees. In the State in which I live, Illinois, bees are taxed, and very properly. If a man's property should be wholly or solely in bees, he would probably want the State government to protect him in his rights, and if he has the ben- efit of that protection he surely ought to be willing to support it by means of paying taxes. To Prevent Increase and Get Spring and Flow. Fail Please advise me regarding the working of the following plan, as I cannot find a way to prevent swarming that is of use to me : The flow of white honey here is from scarlet, white, and Alsike clover, and bush honey-suckle, and closes about July 10. There is nothing for the bees from that time for about six weeks. During that vacancy I use the Boardman feeder (which has given me a great deal of comfort.) I fill the brood- nest with sugar syrup and get the buckwheat and golden-rod honey in the supers, that is, trade sugar for honey. I would do it in the spring, but our first honey is better, but where it comes from I am not able to find out. As I have fully stated the case, I will now state the ques- tion : To prevent increase and work the bees for spring and fall flow, how will it do to hive the swarm in S-frame super of shallow frames with one-cell starters, place on the same a queen-excluding honey-board, run the bees from the old hive into the swarm for 10 or 12 days, then after the white honey unite with the old colony for the fall flow ? J. C. S. Willow Grove, Del. Answer. — That's a little after the plan of John F. Gates — a plan that he has successfully followed for some time. I don't know any reason why it may not do as well with you. I suppose your idea is to leave iu the old hive only as many bees as will take care of the brood, then the swarm being in limited quarters will be obliged to put in its time on the sections. The Alsilte Clover Leaflet consists of 2 pages, with illustrations, showing the value of Alsike clover, and telling how to grow it. This Leaflet is just the thing to hand to every farmer in your neighborhood. Send to the Bee Jour- nal office for a quantity of them, and see that they are dis- tributed where they will do the most good. Prices, postpaid, are as follows : 50 for 25 cents ; 100 for 40 cents ; or 200- for TO cents. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 235 Largest Factory A°e West Go?ci°^pV|s^|djTf^ces READ THIS— Mr. Keyes says: The 100 roi'nood8 are for sale by the following parties : Chas. H. Thies, Steelville, III. E. T. Flanag:in. Belleville, 111. Henry L, Miller, Topeka, Kans. E. A. Seeley, Bloomer, Arkansas. J. W. Kuuse & Co.. .Mexico, Mo. P. J. Thomas. Fredonia. Kans. Fulton & Gregg, Garoen City, Kans. W. J. Finch, Jr., Springfield, 111. tf you need a Carload of Supplies, or only a Bee-Smoker, write to us. Kemember, we are here to serve you, and will, if you give us a chance. A Beaiitil'iil Catalogue Free, Address, LEAHY MANUFACTURING CO., HIGGINSVILLE, MO. 4 9 A Mention the American Bee JcurnaL CHEAPER THAN EVER T Supers Kouiidatiou Siuoker« Hilton's Wliite Cbaff Poliklied Hives Sections And everj-thing needed in the apiary, 1896 Catalog of 36 pages free. CEO. E. HIETO:V, ISAtf FREMONT, MICH. Mention theA.merlcan Bee Jounuit^ Dadaiit's Foiiiidatioii . in Chicago ! No other Goods kept here. Send for Price-List, CHAS. DAUANT & SON, 118 Michigan St., - CHICAGO, ILL. 13Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. ONE MAN WITH THE UNION ^°''iz^^'°^ Tan do the work of four men using hand tools, in Kipping-. Cutting-off, Mi- tring:. Ual)beting:, Groov- ing. Gaining. Dadoing, Edglng-up. Juintinsr Stuff, etc. Full Line of Foot and Hand Power Machinery Sold on Trial. Calainirue Free. SENECA FALL^ MFG. CO., 46 Water St., SENECA FALLS. N. Y 1 Aly Mention the Amen>nn Bee Journal. $l..iOaM. 3 M, 14.25, These are not Seconds, but perfect Sections. As they are not up to our present high stan- dard, we wish to close them out. Sample free. Widths— 7-to-loot. I. 15-16 in., and 2 in. Catalog of Bees Ac Supplies FREE. I. J. STRINOHAin, 105 Park Place. NEW YORK, N. T. MOVED TO LARGER QUARTERS ! In order to take care of the business properly at this Branch, we have moved to 1 1 8 Mlclil- San St., [.'Jrd Floor], within two blocks of the Northwestern Passenger station, where we've secured larger quarters, making ample room fur a Full Assorinient. Send along your or- ders, remembering that we guarantee satisfaction, aud at prices as low as the best quality of Goods can be furnished for, Special Prices on a lot jf Stock we are closing out. Send for Cat.ixoo and a List of Goods at Special Prices. We also have a stock of Triangular Top Langstroth Frames at these Special prices: 100 for $1.00; 300, $2.70; 500, $4.00; 1000, $7.00. On all freight orders of S5 or less, at this Branch, please add 25c. for cartage. Catalogue Free. The A. I. ROOT CO., 11§ micliisan !«l., CHICAOO, H.E. Geo. W. Yorlc, Mgr. Please mention the American Bee .Tournal. MUTH'S HOHEY EXTBACTOB PERFECTION Cold-Blast Smokers, Square Olass Honey Jars, Etc. For Circulars, apply to Chas. F. Muth & Sos. Cor, Freeman & Central Aves., Cincinnati, O. Bend 10c for Practical Hints to Bee-Keepers. TEXAS QUEENS. If you are In need of Queens, let me have 5'our order. Price-List Free. 8A26t J. D. GIVENS, I,isbon, Tex. Mention the A.merican Bee journal. Qucstior)-Box> In the multitude of counsellors there is safety.— Prov. 11-14. Best Honey-Planis in tlic Order of their Value. Qtiery 8.— What honey- producing plants would you recommend bee-keepers to endeav- or to spread ? Please name them in the order of their value, as you believe.— Pa. Prof. A. J. Cook — Sweet clover. B, Taylor — Alsike clover first; sweet clover next. Mrs. J. N. Heater— White clover, mel- ilot (or sweet) clover, alfalfa clover. J. M. Hambaugh — In the East, sweet clover, linden trees, and Alsike clover. Chas. Dadant & Sou — White clover, alfalfa, Aisike clover, melilot (sweet clover). R. L. Taylor — Such as are profitable for other purposes. Alsike aud crimson clovers, and alfalfa. Jas. A. Stone — Alfalfa, if suited to your climate ; sweet clover, Alsike clo- ver, and white clover. H. D. Cutting — A wild "honey-pro- ducing plant " in one section may be of no account in another. W. R. Graham — Sweet clover. The season has more to do with the produc- ing of honey than the flowers. Eugene Secor — 1. Linden (basswood). 2. While and Alsike clover. 8. Buck- wheat. 4. Sweet clover (melilotus alba). Dr. J. P. H. Brown — Soil and climate call for different honey-flora. Study the- best in your location, then plant accord- ingly. Allen Pringle — Basswood, Alsike clo- ver, buckwheat, crimson clover, white clover, sweet clover, raspberry, mother- wort, etc. Dr. C. C. Miller — Depends upon place and perhaps circumstances. In this lo- cality, perhaps sweet clover, crimson, and Alsike. G. M. Doolittle— I do not think it pays bee-keepers to plant anything that is of no value save for honey. Fruit trees, the clovers, basswood, and buckwheat are the things to " tie to." W. G. Larrabee— 1. White clover. 2. Basswood. 3. Alsike clover. 4. Buck- wheat. 5. Sweet clover. 6. Raspberry. Perhaps alfalfa would come in among the first, if I knew more about it. Rev. M. Mahin — Crimson and Alsike clovers. I know of no others that can be cultivated with advantage in this region. Rape might, but I do not know. White clover does not need to be spread. It spreads itself. E. France— In this latitude sweet clo- ver, Alsike tlover, catnip, etc. But I never could sow anything that did any good. Our State has put sweet clover on the foul-weed list. The farmers about here fight it, and the stock feed it to death. G. W. Demaree— After trying to help my honey-resources by scattering seeds of divers varieties as honey-plants, I now have mighty little faith in it. Al- sike clover would be a great source of honey-supply to me if the plant was a success as a forage crop here, but it has 236 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 9. proven a failure. It is a bieDnial plant here; you sow it, say this spring, and it makes a good crop next year, and dies, root and branch. If it would make two or more good crops like red clover, from the one seeding, there would be some chance for its introduction, but it won't. C. H. Dibbern — Anything that will grow in your locality, and furnish nectar for your bees. Sweet clover is the only plant that I know of, that can be de- pended upon to hold its own against all the world, and is one of the best honey- plants we have. Mrs. L. Harrison— Sweet clover, in all waste places, gravelly knolls, and road- sides. The more it is down-trodden, the better it thrives. Encourage the sowing of crimson clover. Alfalfa in localities where it will thrive. Alsike clover first, last, and all the time. J. E. Pond — In my own locality I do not think it pays to spread plants, with a view to a gain of honey. Buckwheat seems to me to come nearest to the point, and that sometimes fails to give a honey crop. The ordinary, natural products are the best for the purpose, in my judgment. P. H. Elwood — Alsike clover, crimson clover (where it succeeds), white clover, and buckwheat. I do not advise nor have ever practiced, spreading weeds, but dandelion and sweet clover are good honey-plants. Dr. Miller may pull my hair for calling the last a " weed," but it is not used for forage about here. .las. A. Green — Sweet clover and Al- sike are about the only plants which I could recommend very highly, unless the linden would come under this bead. There are many more which are more or less useful, but I have had no experience with any others that will pay very well for the labor or expense of spreading them. Emerson T. Abbott— The value of a honey-plant depends upon its adaptabil- ity to the locality, soil, climate, etc. It will not pay to plant anything for honey alone, and here in the West it is not necessary. With this locality in mind, I would name: Alfalfa, Alsike clover, crimson clover, sweet clover, buckwheat, mammoth clover, and all of the culti- vated berries and fruit-trees. These are not all plants, strictly speaking, but they all have a value aside from the honey they produce. I do not think there can be any question of alfalfa being the prince of honey-plants in any local- ity where it will thrive, and I am not so sure but sweet clover comes next. The Government Report says, "Alfalfa has been grown with more or less success in every State and Territory in the Union." Promptness Is What Counts ! Honey-Jars. Shippin!j--Cases,and every- 1 tiling- that bee-keepers use. Root's 1 GoodH at Root's Prices, and the I best shipping- point In the country. 1 Dealer in Honey and I4ees-wax. Cata- I log-ue Free. 1 163 Mass. Ave. "'I'ter S. Poudcr INDIANAPOLIS. IND. Mention the American Bee Journal. H^^^hickens by steam- EXCELSIOR Incubator Simple, PerfKt, SclJ-Rtgulat i"g- Th»u3aiiils id sueo.'sslul "iierat,™. I.owMt nrlc-d «rse-cla«a llatrhrr imide. ij. .oo'v''!.'-."- ST A III,, 14 toiaa 'i. 61|i Mt. Qui.. Mention Vie American Bee JownuU. .^iJi >te >fe. >fc >li >liite.itt >ti >te >li >teti Wonderful Record I ^ 0 ORIOIML ^ I himm BINQHAM Bee Smoker V Have Lasted 17 ''''''— BEST ON EARTH. AInrays Give Perfect Satisfaction. My cool Wire Handle and Bent Nose were patented 189-2, are the original, my best Invention since my open or di- rect draft Patent. 1878, that revolu- tionized Bee-Smokers. My Handle and Nose Patent bent all the other smoker noses. None but Bingham Smokers have all the best improvements. If you buy genuine Bingham $$mo. kers and Honey-Knives you will never regret It. The " Doctor,'' !4-lnch larger than any other smoker on the market— 3!^-lnch stove, by mall, $1..50 " ■ 1.10 1.00 .70 .GO cents. . F. BINGHAIfl, Farnrell, lUich. 7Atf Mention the Bee Journal. Conqueror, 3 Large. 2!4-ln. " •' Plain, 2-ln. " Little Wonder, 2-in.. wt. 10 oz. Bingham & Hctlierin^loii Honey-Knives, i ■^ >;<:■>?« Tpr ■??«■>?« >ff>?< ■>?? 5J? >pc yji^ >$« ^ PATENT WIRED COMB FODNDATIOB Has No Sag In Brood-Frames Thin Flat-Kottom Foundation Has i\o Fisbboue io the Sorplos floiief . BelnK the cleanest Is usaally worked the quickest of any Foundation made J. VAN DRtJSEIS A- SONJ>i, Sole Manufacturers, 8prout Brook MontKomery Co.. N. T. BEGINNERS. Beelnners should have a copy of 'the Amateur Bee-Keeper, a 70-page book by Prof. J. W. Kiiuse. Price 25 cents; If sent by mall. 28o. The little book and the Progressive Bee-Keeper (a live, pro- gressive 28-page monthly journal) one year, 65c. Address any flrst-class dealer, or LEAHT MFG. CO., Higginsville, Mo. '«k.%/%/V%^V%^W%^%/%^ PERFECT FRUIT Ll^lo BY SPRAYING, x^rst! Spray Pump Catalogue tells How and When to ' Spray-mailed Free. THE DEMINC CO. ' Gen IWesteru Ae ts. Qai.i.v. rtu-^ Henion&Hubbell. Chicago. oaiem, OhlO. Mention. thcA^tiicricaa Bee Jouni/v^ J. W. TAYLOR -HAS THE BEST- Italian dueens for Sale Untested, ready now, 75c. apiece; 6 for S4.2o, or 12 for $8,00. Tested. $1.25. Select Tested, best. $2.00. Pay for Queens on arrival. 1 guarantee safe arrival and satisfaction. 14A9t OZAN, ARK. Sweet Clover n Canada. At the following prices : 5 lbs. 10 lbs. 25 lbs. .'^O lbs. $1.00 $1.80 $3.75 $7.25. Also a quantity of Motherwort and Catnip seed. Prices on application. EGGS for Hatching. Buff Leghorns. In- dian Games, & Light Bi-ahmas. Chuiee Uirds. A breeder for 30 years. Prices on appllcoitiou JOHN Mc.\RTHUK, 881 Yonge Street, - TOKONTO, ONT. 1 5 A t f Mention Hi« Amenca7i Bee JaurTUh. Qcrjeral Hcn)s^ Wintered in Good Condition. Oar bees passed through the winter in very good condition— lost only about 3 per cent. Their stores are somewhat light, but we are feeding them when the weather will permit. I have three sisters, and we all assist in caring for the bees in the busy sea- son. Myself and one sister aid in remov- ing the surplus from the hives, and the others take care of it when brought from the apiary. In this manner we can take care of a great amount of honey in a short time. Dr. Peiro, on page 191, says he has just passed through a severe cold. My father is in a great deal worse condition than that. For the last two years he has been afflicted with diabetes, and has not so much as dared to taste the honey from our api- ary. When he would be busy with the bees, and get honey on his hands, he felt very much like licking it off, but dared not do it. Not only is he forbidden to taste honey, but all kinds of sugar and starch. Fannie Shafnit. Brighton, Iowa, March .3. [We are glad to get the above from Miss Shafnit. We only wish more women bee- keepers would send in reports. We would like every lady reader of the American Bee Journal take this as a personal invitation from us, to send in a report within the next two weeks. Now, you can't say we never gave the women a chance to exercise their inalienable rights. — Editor.] The Only Bee-Keeper Left. The bees in this section are all dead ex- cept mine. I have 23 colonies in good con- dition. Jos. Bargehr. Webster, Pa., March 17. Wire-Cloth for a Bee-Veil. I have seen several plans for a bee-veil, but none so good as a small piece of wire- cloth to go over the eyes, as it interferes with the eye-sight scarcely any at all. Any kind of thin cloth will do for the balance of the veil. J. W. Hatmond. Asheville, N. C. Clipping Queens— Selling Honey. A great deal is said about clipping queens, and how it ought to be done so as not to injure the queen. Some recommend a knife, some a spring cage and a plunger. I have clipped queens for 15 years and over, and never injured or touched one. My method is as follows: I take a small pair of round-pointed scis- sors, such as come in a surgeon's small pocket-case; take the frame with the queen on it, and rest it on the hive; with the left hand put the point of the scissors under the wing and clip. It is done in a second after one has done a few. If the scent is so important, after one or two queens are clipped in the device de- scribed on page 130, Feb. 27, I cannot see why the scent would not be imparted to the cage. Mr. R. C. Aikin, on page 131, hits the nail, about people having good sense in general use and none in regard to honey. These are not his words, but it is the En- glish of it. To give an illustration : A neijjhbor came over to my place. I was extracting honey. He bought some. I drew it from the extractor into some jars he brought with him. This was in October. A week ago he came over, and wanted to know what kind of stuff I sold him for honey. The jar he brought over was as white as marble. I explained to him the best I could the cause, but still he thought 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 237 BUY "DIRECT FROM FACTORY," BEST MIXED PAINTS At WHOI.ESAI-E PRICES, Delivered FKEE For Houses, Barns, Roots, all colors, and SA \ h Dealers profits. In use 54 vears. Endorsed by Grange & Farmers' Alliance. Low prices will surprise you. Write for Samples. 0. W. I NQERSOLL, 289 Plymouth St., Brooklyn, N. V, 12A13 UtntionUie American Bee Journal- We have killed liitrh prices. Give me a trial order and be convinced that good Queens can be reared for 50 cts. each. Untested. 50 cts. : Tested. 75 cts. Golden Italians. 3-Bauded I- talians, and Silver-Gray Carniolans. all the same price. Best of References given. C. B. BAIVKSTOIW, 13Atf CHRIESMAN, Burleson Co., TEX. Mention the American Bee Jcv/T'OMc,, WE DIVIDE THE WORLD into three classes. Those who will have the best. Those who waut the best, and those who don't care so it's cheap. The first always buy Page fence, the second most always, and the third buy one of the many substitutes. PAGE WOVEN WIRE FENCE CO., Adrian, Mioh. WHEN ANSWERrNG THIS ADVERTISEMENT, MENTION THIS JOUHNAt. Comb FouudatJoii Made by Automatic Iflacbinery, liOfvest in Price. rn]/»Aii Polished SECTIONS. f ClllUlI Finest Made. otherwise In stock a full line of Higginsillle SUPPLIES. Cheapest Sold Seven H. K.'s and 4 Express Co.'s to ship over. Catalogue and Samples Free. :5 W. J. FIKCH, Jr., ^'•«',1«lI?^''" MKiJiifin Vw, Arwe!riaif\ lice J'i.j-an'jaU-- •»MWMrm — — -.....-■ iiirii-,m,,,nn Write now, Oes Moines _ Jncubaror Co. , Box78L>osMoiaes,Ia ' llAOt Meniiiiii (lit AmericuJi Uee Jimrnal. ^ California If you care to know of its Fruits, Flowers (vlimate or Resources, send for a Sample Copy of Californias Favorite Paper— The Pacific Rural Press The leading Horticultural and Agricultural paper of the Pacific Coast. Published weekly, handsomely Illustrated, J2.00 per annum Sample Copy Free. PACltiC RURAL PRESS, 220 Market St., - SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. New England Supply Depot ! You can get the most complete Bpe-Hive, also other Supplies, at— H. ALLEY'S. Room 5, 82 Water St., - BOSTON, MASS. ISDtt Mention the AmerUian Bee Journal. he was cheated. I had some comb honey I had had so long it was candied (and it was solid). I gave him a pound section, asking him to try it, and let me know about it. I saw him in a few days, and he said it was as hard as a stone, and be would like to know how I made the confounded stuff and got it into the comb. He was going to get a colony of bees to get some pure honey to eat ! Now, what are you going to do with such ignorance ? Geo. L. Vinai-. Charlton, Mass. A Smoking Fact. It is very considerate of the ladies and educators to stir up public interest against the evil of cigarette smoking, but I venture to say that if the daddies of the boys ad- dicted to the evil habit were to. set their youngsters the example of abstinence in the use of tobacco, far greater good would result than present prospects indicate. What the boys need is moral suasion, with the occasional help of a springy rattan, to promote right conclusions regarding the filthy and dangerous habit of smoking. No use in the old deacon lecturing upon the terrible vice, when his breath reeks with the fumes of an old pipe, and his patriarchal beard is streaked witti coloring from tobacco chewing. Boys soon learn to despise hypocrites. Dr. Pbiro. 100 State St., Chicago. Bubby Has His Say. Wunst pa found a swarm ov bees Buzzin' 'mongst the apple-trees Way down in the orchard ; an' He ist beat on a disbpan Till they settled on a lim ; Nen he took a saw an' dim Up the tree, an' let 'em down So tbay peart neart touched the groun'. I stood fur off when pa kum Frum the tree an' got a gum Fer them bees ; nen he ist took Down the lim an' shook an' shook, Shook an' shoo/,-, till all the bees Filed back in the apple- trees ; Nen they chawed the rag — got mean 'Cause they couldn't find their queen. Bout a bushel ov 'em lit On pa's head, an' thay ist bit Him rite on the eyes an' nose — Their sharp teeth stuck in his clothes Tight as burrs— an' the fur flew ! Bet yer boots the air wuz blue 'Round thare; 'cause pa ripped an' tored 'Bout the orchard, nen he swored ! Ma, she kum an' pulled up three Kinds ov weeds fer pa; an' she Took an' beat em with a rock — Plantain, jimson, yeller dock — Till thay mellered ; nen she fixed Up salt, soda, camflre. mixed With them weeds — an' that ere stuff Stopped the hurtin', sbure anuff ! Pa don't like bees, no-sir-ee!— Took an' sulfered every bee On the diggin's ; an' said he Hadn't enny further use Fer sich stock — an' nen cut loose On 'em ! — Iliinny won't indooce ]fim to keep bees ; no, not one- Hundered-ninety-forty-ton \ Alexander, Ind. Ellert Keum. That New Constitution. There is one clause in it which would surely cut uie off from ever becoming a member of the new organization, as pro- posed on dage 757 of the Bee Journal for 1SU5. That is the clause which makes an "assessment" possible. It is a theory of mine that every man is entitled to know the price of a thing before he buys it, and no man can know the cost of membership in a society where an assessment can be made. I, for one, do not care to belong to any POULTRY 40 Standard Breeds Illus- trated & fully described in my new Poultry Book, Reliable informatioQ for poultrjmea & intending DuyerB. Good stock Ducks & Geese; also Shet land Ponies. Send 6c iustamps E.H.COOS.Bog27, HtiDtlej, 111. Mentxon the American Bet JoumaJ^ 4A13t ^" IF YOU WANT THE BEE-BOOK That covers the whole Apicultural Field more completely than any other published, send $1.25 to Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont. Calif,, for his ne-ff Bee-Keeper's Guide. Liberal Discounts to the Trade. NEW MAMMOTH POULTRY GUIDE showing colored plate of chickena in natural colors. Finest book ever rmb- liahed. Almost iOll pages. Tells all aboat Poultry for Profit or P]eji.sure. Price only 15c. JOHN BAUSCHER, JR,. Boi 94 Freeport, Ilia. Mention the A tnerican Bee JournaL 12A7t Kansas Bee - Keepers I —SAVE FREIOHT— *iSad of " IligginsvUle Bee-Supplies " just received. Get my Catalogue, HElfRY I.. AULT-ER, 355 Shawnee Ave , Topeka, Kan, 1 A 1 8 1 Mention the American Bee JournaL COMB FOUNDATION! Wax always wanted for Cash or in Exchanire for Fdn. or other Supplies. My trade is estab- lished on liotv Prices and the merit of my Foiiiidalloii. Orders filled proiuplly. ^^WORKiNG Wax into Fdn. by the Lb. a Specialty. Wholesale prices to dealers and large consumers. Send for Prices and Sam- ples to-GUS DITTIMEU, AUGUSTA. WIS. Reference— Augusta Bank. lAtf Mention the American Dee JaiLmal, #Do .^ vfiim iifirr# YOU * "»"■" ■■•ILM- LOVE D YOUR WIFE; Then save her strength, save herliealth, save \ her beauty and . make her happy * by buying her n | faultless' quaker dish* WASHER, ( 1 1 is a marvel of , - iiii|ilicity and a f .Minder for utility. Washes, rinces ' ^ lir^es &. polishes , in two minutes Lasts a lifetime, ] It [;ells quickly. ^ Everybody want;^ it w.ieii they once f^ee it. Agents ^ make money rapidls. Write today for terms etc. ^ ^The Qua«er Novelty Co. Sarem, Ohio. ^ 13A4t Please mention the Bee Journal. IIAIIE^V ^^^^ liave a large amount of Pure lIUllEil No. 1 Alfalfa we will sell cheap. VrFh Of those great honey-producinur plants ^EiUU —Alfalfa and Cleome or Kocky Moun- tain Honey-Plant. Alfalfa seed at 7 cts. a lb. Rfttf« Koa i^VPnna Warranted the best, si m- DUSS WCC"CSUl|IC plest and quickest Escape on the market. Sent postpaid to any address for 50 cts. It can be returned at our expense if it is not as represented, or we will send the Escape on trial to any bee-keeper wishing- to test it in good faith. We are agents for the Ferguson Patent Hive ^.lllriZ'wic'ife'^ Gate Honey-Hoard, with the Escape. It is the easiest, quickest hive to handle for the pro- duction of comb honey. Address, E. S. LOVES V tc CO., 355 6th East St., SALT LAKE CITV. UTAH. MentiontlieAmtricanBefJoujmaiL 9Atf 238 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 9, Say, That The Please ~|"^ other ~T~ ractical |— =Ceai\tiful I ACIFIC JL^EE ^ ■umbo for Copy of ocose Paper, OURNAL. -BEE-KEEPING IN- CALIFORKIA, OKEGON, WASHINGTOX, NEVADA, IDAHO, UTAH, ARIZONA, COLORADO. All Eusterners should keep in " touch " on the ■• Land of Sunshine ' -the COMING BEE-LAND. Address, PACIFIC BKE-aOlKi^AI,, :)65 East Second street, LOS ANGELES. CALIF. That Queen-Clipping Device Free ! PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING OFFER : ' We have arranged with the inventor of the new Queen-Clipping Device (Mr. Mon- ette), to offer it to our present subscribers as a Premium for getting new subscribers. Send us j'i.if une Jiev lunne for the American Bee Journal a year (with SI. 0(1), and we will mail you the Queen-Clipping Device free ; and will also send a copy of Newman's U50- page book— •• Bees and Honey "—to the new subscriber. Or. the Queen-Clipping Device will be sent postpaid for .")0 cts. But why not get it as a Premium by the above offer ? You can't earn 50 cts. any easier. Almost every bee-keeper will want this Device. See page 130 (Feb. '27) for full description of it. Complete directions accompany each one sent out. It is a most ingenious and useful article. Address, GEORGE W. YORK & CO., 118 Micliigan St., Cliicago, III. 4 f 4 I 4 $1 Buys a "ST. JOE" hive during April only, made up, Sec- tions and Starters, no paint. One only, to new customers, to show you the best hive made. Satisfaction guaranteed. Say how to ship, and send on your $1 Golden Wyandotte Eggs for hatching, only $1.00 for 13. EITfERSON T. ABBOTT, ST. JOSEPH, MO. Fniit ■ Plants Free ! ALL CHOICE VARIETIES. No. 1— Elpht Snyder Blackberry Plants. $1.00 No. 'i— 50 Asparagrus Roots 1.00 No. 3— 6 Fay Prolific Currants 1.00 No. 4—3 Snyder Blackbery. 20 Asparag's Roots and 3 Fay Prolific Currants — 1 00 No. 5—3 Blackcap Gregg Raspberries, 3 Choice Red Raspberries, 12 lo'a Beau- ty Strawberries and 2 Fay Pro. Cur.. 1.00 No. 6—4 Snyder Blackberry, 4 Golden Queen Raspberry. 12 Asparagus R'ts and 10 Erie Blackb'ry Root Cuttlng-s. 1.00 No. 7— 75 Blackberry Root Cuttings 1.00 VnA/iiol Aff'ap —Tour choice of any one of iSUClJlill VllCl the above 7 Numbers for sending us one new subscriber to the Bee Journal tor a year at $1.00, and 15 cts. to pay Postage on the Plants. GEORGE W. YORK & CO., - CHICAGO, ILLS BEES & QUEENS. Strong, full Colonies of Italian-Hybrid Bees, in Langstroth 9-f rame hives, at $5.00 per col- ony: 5 to 10 colonies, $4.75 each. Special low price on larger orders. Bees are in good con- dition, and are fine honey-gatherers Italian Queens— after May 15— Tested, $1 each; 6 for $5. 00; 12 for $9.00. Safe arrival and satisfaction guaranteed. Reference -George W. York & Co. Address, F. GRABBE, LIBERTYVILLE. ILL., 32 ml. northwest of Chicago, on C. M. & St. P. Me?itioiv Vie American lice Jounuil. -FIRST-GLASS BEE-SUPPLIES- at Bock-Bottom Prices. Send for Catalog to W. J. STAHMANN, 14A4t WEAVER, MINN. Mention the American Bee Jourtiai. The Patent Wood-Veneer Foundation. Bee-kpepers should pive it- a test, and my All- Wax Foundation. T will g-uarautee there is no better made, as six j'ears ago I discarded the old way of dipping- tor wax sheets, and a new invention of my own was discovered, which enables me to" make the toughest kind of Foundation; also, no acid used to purify the Beeswax, and it preserves the smell of honey, which is more acceptable to the bees Now is the the time to send wax and have it worked up at low prices. Send for Samples and Cata- log with low prices. Wax wanted at 31c cash, or 33c trade, delivered. AUG. WEISS, Hortonville, Witt, 12A13t Please mention the Bee Journal. Mention the jlmcrican BeeJour-naL For Sale 50 ColOQies of Bees, in Lang- stroth 10-frame hives. Will deliver on cars here, at $3.50 each. J. \r. HOWEI^Ii, 13A7t KENTON, TENN. Mention the A merican Bee JoumaL Honey-Clovers & Buckwheat SEED FOR SALE. We have made arrangements so that we can furnish seed of several of the Clovers and Japaaese Buckwheat, by freight or ex- press, at the following prices, cash with order: oft lOft 25fti 501b AlBlkeClover $.80 $1.35 $3.50 $6.25 SweetClover 1.10 1.80 4.25 8.00 WhlteClover 1.50 2.40 6.00 11.00 Alfalfa Clover 75 1.20 3.00 5.25 Crimson Clover 65 1.00 2.50 4.00 Jap. Buckwheat... .30 .45 1.00 1.50 Prices subject to market changes. The above prices include a good, new 25- cent two-bushel bag with each order. Add 25 cents to your order, for cartage, if wanted by freight. Your orders are solicited. GEORGE W. YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS. organization which has the power at any time to increase the cost of my membership in the same, let the " assessment " be made by the society as a whole or through its Board of Managers. The manner of mak- ing the ''assessment'' is of but little con- cern to me, but I do most earnestly protest against any provision of that kind being made a part of the new constitution. I hope others may offer a similar protest, and that this clause may be left out. Make the annual membership fee large enough to cover all necessary expenses, and then every member will know just what is ex- pected of him or her, aud can "count the cost " before joining. St. Joseph, Mo. Emerson T. Abbott. TTnder Consumption. Emphatically, nnder-coiisumption, Mr. Doo- little, in answer to your question on page 1C4. W. Harmer. Arcadia. Mich. Bees All Alive. My bees are all alive so far, and look well. It will be about three weeks before I can take them out of the cellar. W. J. Stevenson. Guelph, Ont., March 25. Bees in Fine Condition. My bees have come through in fine con- dition on the summer stands, although they had all the cider they could store from a mill in the neighborhood. I expected some loss. R. S. Russell. Zionville, Ind., March '34. Report for 1895. My crop of honey for 1805 was 1,033 pounds of extracted and 45 pounds of comb honey, from 19 colonies, spring count. I put 3i) colonies in the cellar last fall, and took them out March '25, ISOfi. I have found 3 colonies dead, so far. Geo. a. Forgekson. Rosemount, Minn., March '21. Bees in Fair Condition. My bees are in fair condition up to date. I started in the winter with 13 colonies, one of the number being a nucleus X used for queen-rearing, and it was weak, but I thought I would save the queen for spring, but it does not pay. But I find since I was a novice that some things do pay, and one is, that the less I open my hives until May 20, the better and stronger the colonies are. Burns, Mich., March '20. Fred Card. Good Honey-Producing Region. In the early 40's my father was the prin- cipal, and I do not know but the only, bee- keeper in all the region of Columbiana, Mahoning and Stark counties, O., where my earliest recollection is that of the long rows of boxes (hives) and bee-gums around the border of the garden and through the orchard, and I remember watching him prepare the gums by sawing off sections from a boUow sycamore log, and nailing boards on the ends. I think he kept bees quite extensively for those times, for I re- member being told that he had at one time more than a hundred colonies. I have kept bees in Michigan, but only a few colonies, but since coming to Colorado I have decided to indulge my (inherited) inclinations, and have at least as many colonies as my father had. We (my wife and myself) now have 54 colonies, snugly packed on the summer stands, and so far every one is in fine condition. How the next two months will serve them, I cannot tell. The weather has been so warm for the past two months that breeding is going on at quite a rate, with some of them, it 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 239 not all, and a long and severe cold spell now may prove disastrous. This valley of the Cache La Poiidre is a ■wonderful honey-producing region, as well as for other things. There are hundreds of thousands of acres of alfalfa growing: the banks of the irrigating ditches are lined with sweet clover, and the profusion of wild flowers, where the land is not culti- vated—asters, cleome, and other honey- producing plants— would drive an Eastern bee-lieeper wild with delight. The princi- pal forage plant is. of course, the alfalfa, and if our ranchmen can only be convinced that the hay is as good, or better, if cut ■when fully in blossom, bee-keepers will be happy, for then we will seldom miss a crop of honey. D. A. McLean. Fort Collins, Colo., March 3. Bees Wintering Well. My 100 colonies of bees in the home api- ary have pulled through all right. We have had a very cold, steady winter. Bees are very busy now working on peach, plum, and box-elder. I saw a few drones flying. I opened some of the hives to-day for the first time, and found brood in as many as four and five frames. Send my Bee Journal along, for I can't keep house without it, when such men as Doolittle, Dr. Miller, the Dadants, and many others, contribute to it. J. H. SiPLE. Gunnison, Miss., March 34. ■Uniting Colonies of Bees. In the late numbers of the American Bee Journal I notice one or more methods of uniting colonies. Having had a little ex- perience in that line myself, andmymeibod differing from those I have seen described, I will here give it. In the first place, my hives have loose bottom-boards. I wait till the sun sets, and then go to the colony I wish to unite with, give them a little smoke, and trim oil the burr-combs, if any, and scrape olf every- thing clean preparatory to setting the other colony right on top. I then go to the other colony, give them a little smoke at the entrance, then lift the box right 09" the bottom-board, and set it over on the other box to be united with. I take my smoker and again give them some smoke at the entrance below. I find this method very simple, and have not had any trouble yet in uniting colonies. As to the queens: I unite the inferior col- ony with the better, and I find, as far as my experience has been, that the strange queen to that colony is the one that is killed. If I am wrong in this, the queen not wanted can be destroyed before unit- ing, Geo. Tournat. San Antonio, Tex. Three Comments. Poisonous Honet. — "Novice," on page 146, agitates a subject of great interest to bee-keepers. Though I kept bees in Penn- sylvania for years within range of " moun- tain laurel," as exactly described by him, I have never known any ill-effects to con- sumers of honey from my apiary. I am, however, from a limited experience with jessamine, prone to credit the prevalent theory regarding its properties fatal to bees, — [We will have a short symposium on this suliject very soon. — Editok.] Foundation Fastening. — Referring to the editorial foot-note, on page 148, regard- ing the Daisy foundation fastener, permit me to present my corroborative experience. I have tugged at a Parker for weeks.daubed with hot wax and glue ; in fact, employed all kinds of methods that one would resort to who has put foundation in sections by the tens of thousands, but now, like Ram- bler, with the bread and butter, I say, "Blessed is the man that invented the Daisy." A slight alteration which I find of value, is a larger block, which serves as a gauge for the foundation, and by which each section is squared as it is placed in position. The "Daisy" is all the name implies; it is easy to operate, clean, dur- able, rapid and efficient. A Fellow-Feeling. — Rambler's inimit- able " experiences," etc., on page 147, viv- idly recall to my mind when, in that same picturesque valley, an occasional mountain zephyr, or the howl of the " cyote," only broke the nocturnal stillness, as " I stood alone at midnight," in that same six-ton honey-tank with spade and rubber boots, equipped to remove its contents, which consisted of several hundred pounds of granulated honey, several bushels of dead bees, and a large, half-rotten rodent, which had entered through the more liberal open- ings of those days. H. E. Hill. Spruce Bluff, Fla., March 12. Honey & Beeswax Market Quotations. CHICAGO. III... April 4.— White clover and basswoud comti is sought after In preference to any other, aud commands a better price and now sells at 1.5c. lor clover and i:j@14c. for basswood. Other white comb honey sells atll@12c.; dark, 8@9c. amber, 9@10c., and very slow of sale. Extracted is unusually dull, with large amounts on sale. White clo- ver and linden, 6@7e. ; dark and amber grades, 4'/5@5c. Beeswax. 28@30c. R. A. B. & Co. KANSAS CITY, Mo., Mar. 18.— The demand for comb and extracted Is fair. We quote: No. 1 white, l-lbs.. i:!4@yc. Extracted, 4@5o. Beeswax, 30c. W. A. S. NEW YORK, N. Y .. M.ar. 23.— There is afalr demand for white comb honey, and the mar- ket is well cleaned up. We have another car now in transit tiom California. We quote same: 12@14c. Plenty of buckwheat comb Is on the market, and same is moving oft slowly at 8c, Bxtracted, all grades, dull, at unchanged prices. Beeswax firm at 300)310. H. B. & S. List of Honey and Beeswax Dealers. Most of whom Quote In this Journal. CtalcaKO, Ills. R. A. BtTRNETT & Co.. 163 South Water Street. New York, N. Y. HiLDBETH Bros, & Segelken, 130 & 122 West Broadway, Chas. Israel & Bros., 486 Canal St. Kansas City, ITIo. C. C. Clemoms & Co., 423 Walnut St. Buffalo, N.Y. Battbrson & Co., 167 & 169 Scott St. Hamilton, Ills. CHAS. Dadant & Son. Pblladelphla, Pa. Wm. a. Selser, 10 Vine St. Cincinnati, Oklo. C. F. MUTH & Son, cor. Freeman & Central avB. Illinois.— The spring meeting of the Nor- thern Illinois Bee-Keepers' Association will be held at the home of Mr. O. J. Cummlngs. in Guilford, on May 19, 1896. Come, and bring your wives and Iriends interested in bees. New Mllford, Ills. B. Kennedy, Sec. Mr. E. B. Weed — the New-Process comb- foundation man — called on us last Thursday on his way back to The A. I. Root Co., from Chas. Dadant & Son, where he had been nearly a month putting in a machine for making the New Process foundation. Mr. Weed is a hustler. He will spend the sea- son at Medina, experimenting in various lines in the Root apiaries. Mr. & Miis. David Stice. of Swan Creek, 111,, have 8 or 10 colonies of bees, which they think pay them well for the little work they do on them. They are too humane to ever rob them, and the result is, they are seldom without honey for their taide, which is not a very small quantity, as they generally have several hired hands to help run their large and beantiful farm, besides much company, and also have some honey to sell nearly every year. " The Inimitable Hasty " is kept pretty busy these days fishing out the good things from- the other bee-papers in order to "View" them for the Review. In his March contribution he had only reached page IS of the Bee Journal for this year. Over 200 pages behind ! He'll have to move more " Hastyly," or he'll get so far behind as to be quite "out of sight." But it's a bard matter to condense so many good things into so limited a space as is at his command. Mr. W. D. French, from Foster, Calif., writes thus, March 24: Friend York:— Sunday, March 22, a young lady came to my house in San Diego, declaring her intentions to remain and be- come a liiee-keeper. She weighs 10 pounds, and all are doing nicely. "Now, Mr. Hilton, you can't go me one better." We extend our heartiest congratulations to the parents of that " little French girl." Mr. & Mrs. William DAVENroRT, of Roseville, 111., have some 18 colonies of bees in a hive that is very successful in wintering: it holds 16 frames, double- walled, with a dead air space. In the win- ter they lay a sack of chaff on top of the frames, and in summer they remove it aud set in a super holding sections. The hive has so many frames that they seldom have to feed. The size of the frame is lO'.j inches deep and U'l wide, inside measure. Mrs. Davenport does much of the work herself. She remarked one day that she dearly loved to work among her bees. She and her husband are so good-natured it is no wonder their bees do fairly well for them. "And their bees improve all shining hours When there is honey in the flowers. She oft among her bees is seen. While they store rich cakes of nectar. Fit to grace the table of a queen." Fine Catalogue for Poultrymen. — If our readers have not availed themselves of the privilege offered by the Reliable In- cubator & Brooder Co.. of Quincy, Ills., of getting a first-class poultry catalogue and incubator book free, they are missing a great deal. All they ask is enough to pay postage — 4 cents. Better send at once, be- fore they are all gone. This firm is rightly named — " Reliable." Xoroiito 4'onTention Report has been issued in pamphlet form, and will be mailed from the Bee Journal office for 25 cents. Better have a copy, if you have not read it. Only a limited number of copies were bound. 240 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 9, 1896. Bottom Prices BRIKO VS BIG TRADE. OOOD GOODS KEEP IT. It you want the best supplies that can be made at a little less cost than you can buy the same goods for elsewhere, write to us for low prices. 1 896 Catalogue now ready —ask for it and a free copy of The Ameri- can Bee-Keeper (36 pages). TBEW.T.FALCOmMFG.CO., JAMESTOWN, N. Y. Menition the American Bee Journal. Dovetail A full line RAAT^ Prices Reduced on I II 1 1(3 Hives and Sections. A GIIIIU^ of Apiarian Supplies in stock to V vlrW till orders promptly at lowest prires for Bfst Goods. 3(>-pa^e Catalocwp Fref. JNO. NEBEIi &- SON, Higli Hill, Mo. tlctMon the Amerimn Bee Joumat. 4A26t I AEISE TO SAY to the readers of the BEE JOURNAL that BOOl^lTTIiE has ooDClnded to eel I — BKB8 and QUEBN8- In their eeason, dnrloK 1996, at the following prices : One Colony of Italians on 9 Gallup frames, in ■ "300 liaht shipping-box Five Colonies 25 00 - ~ - ■ 45 00 1 00 5 50 10 UO fl 511 3 50 Ten Colonies.. 1 untested queen. 6 " queens 1 tested Queen... 3 " Queens , 1 select tested queen 2 m' 3 " " Queens 4 00 Belectteeied queen, previous season's rearinR . 4 00 Bxtra Selected for breedinK, the very best. . 5 0) About a Pound of BKKS in a Two-frame Nucleus, with any Queen. $2.00 extra. IV Circular free, Klvlng full partlcalars regard Ing the Bees and each class of Queens. Address G. M. DOOLITTLE, 12A25t BORODINO. Onon. Co.. N. V. QUEENS Smokers. Sections . Coinb Foundation, And all A])inlrun SiijJiiIleft rhpap. Nend Tor FIIEE alalogue. E. T. FLANAUAN, Belleville. III. 6A26t Please mention the Bee Journal. TAKE NOTICE! ■DEFORE placing your orders for SUP- ■^ PLIES, write for prices on 1-Piece Bass- wood Sections, Bee-Hives, Shipping - Cratep, Frames. Foundation, Smokers, etc. PAGE & LYON MFG. CO. NEW LONDON. WIS. WHEN Answering this Advertisement, Mention this Journai, CARLOADS Of Bee-Hives. Sections, Ship- ping-Cases. Comb Foundation, and ETerytliliig used in the Bee-Industry. I want the name and address of every Bee- Keeper in Anier. ~ lea. No reason why you can- --- notdo buslnesswitb me. I have Cheap Lumber and E.\perienced Workmen ; a good Water-Power Factory and hnow how to run it. I am supplying Dealers as well as consumers. Why not you ? Send for Cata- logues. Quotations, etc. W. H. PUTNAM, IE River Falls, Pierce Co.. Wis. MeniUm Oie American Bee Jowmus*. 26c Gash Paid for Beeswax! For all the gfood, pure yellow BEES'WAX delivered to our office till further notice, we will pay 26 cents per pound, cash ; or 30 cents for whatever part is exchanged for the Bee Journal, Honey, Books or Seed, that we offer. If you want cash promptly for wax, send It on at once. Dark or impure wax not taken at any price. Address plainly, George W. York & Co., 118 Ulicliigan St„ Chicago, 111. Wmmi ^EE-pVES. §^H1PPING-@ASES We make a Specialty of these Goods, and defy Competition in QXJA.rjITTr, ■WOR/IClwIA.N-SKIF and PK,ICES. fSff~ Write for Free Illustrated Catalogue and Price-List. G. B. LEWIS COMPANY, Watertown, Wis. ^^ Be sure to mention the American Bee Journal when you write. _/Kl ^^^^ Dadant's Foundation ^^^^ Year Year Is still in the lead, for we use all the latest improvements, including the NEW PROCESS, and still make the best goods. Remember that we do not use any acid to purify our bees- wax, and that is why our Foundation preserves the smell of the honey and is more ac- ceptable to the bees, than any other. It is kept for sale by T. H. Strickler, Solomon City. Kansas. G. K. Hubbard. Fort Wavne. Ind. L. Hanssen, Davenport, Iowa. C. Theilmann, Theilmanton, Minn. E. C, EaKlesfleld, Berlin. Wis. E. T. Abbott, 8t. Joseph, Mo. J. M. Jenkins, Wetumpka, Alabama John Key. Bast (JaKinaw. Mich. Vickerv Bros., Evansville. Ind. The Jennie Atchley Company. Beeville. Texas. C. F. Muth & Son, Cincinnati. Ohio B. Eretcbmer. Red Oak, Iowa. Jos. Nyse wander. Des Moines, Iowa. Q. B. Lewis Co.. Watertown, Wis. James Reynolds Elevator Co.. Poushkeepste. N Y. Louisiana Bee-Keepers' Supply Manufactory, Donaldsonville, La- Page & Lyon. New London, Wis. and many other Dealers. All agree in saying that no goods are better than ours. Those of our customers who formerly bought through Thos. G. Newman can get our Foundation in CliioAg^o.. 111.^ by addressing us at XIS iVUoliigan Street. We keep no other goods there. We make a specialty of Veils anti Veil Stiitis of best quality, cotton and silk, Langstroth on the Honey-Bee, Revised. Bee-Keepers' Supplies, Smokers. Sections, Tin Pails, etc. Samples of FoiindntioH aiitl Xiille FRKE with Circular. Instructions to beginners with Circular. Send us your address. CHAS. DADANT & SON, Mevtion the American Bee Joumai HAMILTON, Hancock Co., IUj. -LEADS THEIfl AKiI. 8 to 24>4 See reports of experiments with Comb Foun- dation at the government station, Lapeer. Mich. FREE-large Illustrated Catalog: of everj'thing needed in the apiary. Full of in- fo) mation. M. H. Hunt, Bell Branch, Mich. 5Dtf Please mention this Journal. READERS or this Journal ivtao write to aay of our advertisers, eltlier In ordering, or aii-klng about tlie Goods offered, «rlll please state tliat they saw the AdTertisemeut In this paper- BEAUTIFUL Transparent TOUGH and yet PLIABLE. REDUCED* PRICES^ NEW -PROCESS WEED FOUNDATIOfli DELIGHTS ALL RECEKT COMPARATIVE TESTS liV FLORIDA show that the old-process dipped wax willasag or stretch in the hive nearl.v five times as muchast^at by the new Weed process. Onr IV'ew Sanded and Polished Sections and Bee-Hive Material are the Finest Product that money and machinery can turn out. CATALOG FREE. THE A. I. ROOT CO., MEDINA, OHIO. 118 micliigaii St., Chicago, III. Syracuse, N. Y. 1024 mississiippi St., St. Paul, Hiiin. Pabllsbed Weekly, at 91.00 per anaum. Sample Copy sent on Application, 36th Year. CHICAGO, ILL., APRIL 16, 1896. No. 16. No. 2. — Producing Comb Honey in Michigan. BV W. Z. HUTCHINSON. (Continued from page 211.) As the honey season comes on, every available cell will be filled with brood, pollen or honey, and little spurs of white comb will appear here and there along the top-bars, or in any space or inequality into which they can be crowded. The cells along next the top-bars will be whitened by the plastering on of little bits of new wax. Some of the stronger colonies may begin " hanging out," as nothing will crowd bees out of the hives quicker than a honey-flow. All these things show that the time is at hand for putting on the sections. It the flow should open very suddenly, or, at least, become very profuse soon after it opens, sheets of foundation in the sections may be as good as drawn combs, but when It comes on gradually, drawn combs, or, at least, a few sections of such in each super as " bait," as it is called, are a decided advan- tage. If I could have my choice, however, I would be glad to have all of the sections in the first super filled with drawn, or partly-drawn, combs. I have seen seasons in which I was well satisfied that a case of partly-drawn sections of comb to give a colony at first meant just cmc more case of finished honey. A colony given a case of combs would have those combs filled and be commenced upon a second case of sections by the time that a colony given simply foundation had made a start. This difference is more noticeable with Italians than with blacks. The Italians cling to the brood-nest until actually forced out of it. If a bee hatches and the queen doesn't stand ready to put in an egg, it is quite likely to be filled with honey. Give such a colony a case of sections filled with partly-drawn combs, and the bees will store honey in the combs just about as readily as in the combs below — a long time before they will draw out foundation in the sections. Combs in the sections relieve the pressure upon the brood-nest. More brood is the result. Yes, and it starts the bees to storing above the brood- nest, and having made a start they are sure to continue it. Considering the value of drawn combs for this purpose, I should not try, to any great extent, to restrict the number of unfinished sections at the end of the season. In this connection there is another point worth consider- ing, viz.: that the bees will store more honey in the supers if they are not crowded too much. The sections may not be filled so plumply and solidly as when there is some crowding, but there will be more honey in the aggregate. Probably as much finished honey as though crowding were resorted to, while the number of unfished sections will be augmented. Two courses are open by which these unfinished sections may be used to advantage. One is that of "feeding back" extracted honey to secure their completion, and the other that of using them in the spring as just now indicated. In the latter case they must be extracted in the fall and the bees allowed to clean them up. After this they must be kept away from the dirt and dust. I prefer to "feed back " and secure the completion of all sections that are at least one-half com- pleted. Those less than one-half finished I would extract and keep over to use in the spring. When combs that are nearly completed are kept over and used again, they will not have the smooth, new look of those just built, or of those that were not more than half completed the previous season. The rem- edy is to use the comb-leveler invented by B. Taylor. This very quickly and satisfactorily reduces the length of the cells to the required depth, which results in a smooth surface when the comb is finished. The tiering-up method, by means of which a whole case of sections can be handled at once, is the only one suitable to the requirements of modern bee-culture. Handling sections, put- ting them on and taking them off one at a time, or first put- ting them at the side of the brood-nest, and then later " hist- ing" them on top, is too much work. I would not leave on a case of sections until every section was finished, but until most of them were, then when a lot of such cases have been stacked up in the honey-house, sort over the sections and use the one or two unfinished sections that may be found In each corner of the case in making up a few new cases of sections that will be nearly finished. These are given back to the bees to be completed. All, of course, understand "tiering up." When the first case of sections is one-half or two-thirds completed, it is raised up and another case placed between that and the hive. When the case last added has reached the same stage as the first had reached when raised up, both are raised and another placed next the hive. By the time that a third case should be added the top case is usually ready to come off. If it is not, and it seems necessary to add another case, I would take off the upper case, bees and all, and give it to some colony having not more than two cases. I have never found it profitable to tier cases more than three high. The bees seem disinclined to work so far from the brood-nest. While shade may be dispensed with when the hives are painted white, and stand in an airy location, I think it better to have shade. The bees will not be driven out of the supers on hot days if shade is used, and the inclination to swarm is lessened. A board two by three feet in size, one edge placed even with the north side of the hive, makes the best shade with which I am acquainted. Shade-boards may be made very cheaply from cull shingles, by nailing the thick ends to the side of a piece of board four inches wide and two feet long. Some use stones or bricks to keep these boards in place. This may be all right for an out-apiary, but at the home-apiary that is almost cousantly in sight, I would prefer to pick up the boards and put them back the few times that they may blow off during the season, to lifting stone twice every time a hive is opened. In the earlier days of bee-keeping we often heard the ex- pression : "With a swarm goes all hope of surplus." The swarm was hived in a full-sized hive and set off on a new stand, and the result was that the harvest was over by the time the hive was full and the bees ready to enter the supers. Only from an early swarm could surplus be expected. The old colony swarmed at least once or twice more, and, of course, stored no more surplus. Now a swarm is hived upon the old stand, and in some instances the brood-nest is con- tracted to such an extent as to force the bees into the sections which are set over from the old to the new hive. I would con- tract the brood-nest when hiving swarms that are expected to 242 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 16, work in the sections, and this is the only time that I would contract the brood-nest, unless it might be in trying to force a rather weak colony to begin work in the sections. By plac- ing the swarm upon the old stand it will be seen that the field- bees are thrown into the swarm, which would not be the case if it were hived upon a new stand. Many go still further in angmenting the force in the newly-hived swarm. This is by practicing what is termed the " Heddon method " of preventing after-swarming. The old hive is set to one side of the new one, with the entrance turned to one side at an angle of nearly 45^. Each day the entrance of the old hive is slightly turned towards the new hive. At the end of a week the two hives will stand side by side. The old hive is now moved to a new stand. This throws another "dose" of bees into the new hive, and robs the old hive just at a time when the young queens are hatch- ing. Losing so many bees just at this critical time usually causes the old colony to give up swarming. As a rule, no sur- plus is obtained from the old colony, but it has a young queen, plenty of stores, all of its combs, and builds up into a splendid colony for wintering. As a rule, the swarm is not in the best condition for win- tering. It has an old queen, its workers have " used them- selves up" in storing honey, and the contraction of the brood- nest has restricted the production of brood. There is also a lack of stores for winter. A good plan is to unite such colo- nies as soon as possible after the supers are off. Don't wait until fall, as bees need some little time to get their stores and things in shape for winter. Decide, if you can, which of two queens is less desirable, and destroy her. About two days later the queenless colony may be united with the one having the better queen. Simply set the queenless colony over the one having the queen, and in a day or two the best combs may be set together in one hive. In my next I will have something to say of the use and non-use of comb foundation. Flint, Mich. Is the '• UHion " on the " Down Grade ?" BY THOMAS G. NEWMAN. In the Bee Journal for April 2, I notice that Dr. Miller (on page 211) does not appreciate " unkind flings," and yet in the same article, which is only of about one-half a column in length, he speaks of the National Bee-Keepers' Union thus : "I was one of the first members of the Union, and have always been loyal to it. I want to see it continue and in- crease. As matters stand, at present, the prospect is that it will go out of existence. There's no use blinking the fact that it is now on the down-grade, as to members." While Dr. Miller may not have intended this as an " un- kind fling," it will certainly be so taken by many who read it. It is a fact that the Union is not increasing In membership, but who could expect it to increase when bee-keepers have had four or five failures in the honey crop, year after year, which has had the effect of discouraging thousands, driving out of the business all who could see their way clear to im- prove their condition, by abandoning it and embarking in something else promising more lucrative returns. Ask the publishers of the different bee-periodicals whether they have increased their circulation lately ; nay, more, ask them if they have not lost from 20 to 30 per cent, of their subscribers dur- ing the past few years, and I think, without doubt, the answer will be that they have done so, and that it has been consequent upon the cause I have just mentioned. Yet the National Bee-Keepers' Union has kept its membership far be- yond my most sanguine expectations under these untoward conditions. — [No, we do not thliik that any of the best bee- papers have lost even 10 per cent, of their subscribers the past four years. At least the Bee Journal has not. — Ed.J Last year its decrease was only 20 per cent., which I think Is less than the percentage of loss in the best bee-period- ical in existence ! In addition to the failures in the honey crop, the business of the country, during the past four or five years, has been paralyzed, and money has been almost impossible to get; all kinds of business in every locality in the United States has suffered in consequence. When these circumstances are also taken into account as factors in the career of the Union, it is Indeed surprising that it has retained so many of its members. Still another cause for loss of membership is the fact that during the past few years when the bees have gathered only a partial crop of honey, envious neighbors have not been suffi- ciently wrought upon by jealousy to prosecute, and hence there have been fewer lawsuits, and less trouble generally in communities where bees have been kept ; as a result, many bee-keepers have become apathetic, and it is wonderful that the Union should not have lost more members than it has, if the latter is taken into account. Dr. Miller wrote his item, evidently, without sufficient thought, but no one will say it was with " malice afore- thought." The Doctor is too good a man for that, but his lan- guage is misleading and unreasonable, when he says : "There's no use blinking the fact that it is now on the down-grade as to members." The Union is no more on the "down-grade " than are multitudes of other institutions that are not now prosperous, all over the whole country. She has held her own better — much better — than ber most sanguine friends could have hoped for or expected. If "amalgamation" is to be effected, its friends must pre- sent the strongest arguments in favor of its accomplishment, showing the benefits to be obtained, rather than to disparage either of the institutions sought to be united. I believe in building up — not tearing down ! Let our zeal be "according to knowledge," not tempered with suspicion, envy or jealousy. We should commend the good work and efficiency of both institutions. Chicago, 111., April 2. ^ Sweet Clover — Harvesting It for the Seed. BY JOHN M'AKTHUR. In the March 26th number of the American Bee Journal I read an appeal from the editor, asking for more information about sweet clover. When one begins to write about this — the queen of honey-plants — he scarcely knows where to begin or where to end. I have always written favorably of it as a forage and honey-plant, having had lo years' experence in cultivating, harvesting and marketing the seed. If my ex- perience will be any benefit, it will be given freely. Before going into details, allow me to say a few words about an editorial that appeared in the Canadian Bee Journal for Jan. 18, 1896, page 699. The editor said : " Some put great stock in ' sweet clover.' It may be a matter of locality, but we think it is sometimes a matter of careful observation ;" and winds up by saying, " It is an injury, making the bees restless, and consume more stores than they gather." This has never been my experience. Perhaps he will wait till some one more enthusiastic than himself does the seeding, and he share the benefit. I would advise the use of a little more seed. It can be had .handy, and at reasonable figures; by doing so he would be helping himself, also his neighbors, and that Is our mission here, I believe. Mr. Wm. Stolley gave us a grand description of sweet clover in the Bee Journal of Dec. 19, 1895. Then we had another view of it in the Bee Journal of Jan. 30, 1896, dis- cussed by the Illinois State Bee-Keepers' convention, and a really practical reading by that veteran — Mr. M. M. Baldridge, of St. Charles, 111. Just look up those back journals and read them over and over, until you master the facts. Then get some seed, and commence the good work, and help your- self. If you do that, you will help your neighbors, and be none the poorer. You will aid the sportsman, because it Is a fine cover for game. Several declared to me when harvesting, that rabbits and other game had become very numerous in the past few years, attributing it to the amount of sweet clover growing in this locality, being food and cover for them. Another very important point not touched upon, is sweet clover from an ornithological point of view. While harvest- ing, we were very much surprised at the unusual amount of bird's-nests found among its many branches, and singularly reminded one of the parable of the mustard seed — Matthew xiii, 31 and 32. The season was too far gone to find eggs to identify the species ; however, I brought the matter before our Natural History Society, and it will be looked into next season. This certainly is a very valuable addition to its other good qualities. Since our forests have disappeared birds have disappeared also. If we commence to cover those barren hill- sides, rough and inaccessible places, that have been denuded of its timber, we can have a growth of sweet clover in two years that will bring back, and very much increase, our in- sectivorous friends, which will be very much appreciated by orchardists, fruit-growers and farmers, in fact, all will be benefited. All who love Nature should gain in helping for- ward the wood work. Seed is cheap, and may be procured anywhere. The question of harvesting will now be considered. The method adopted by the writer may not be the right way, but has been found the most convenient, although entailing con- siderable labor. As to whether the first or second crop should be taken for seed depends upon whether you are merely grow- 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 243 ing it for seed, or for hay and seed. For some time I have cut a portion for hay, and used the second crop for seed. This answers well, because the second crop is finer in the straw, producing as much seed as the first crop, and is easier man- aged, which, I think, answers the best from an agricultural point of view. The second growth is much finer, and after threshing it, it can be used to good advantage for litter, pro- ducing as much seed as the first crop, with this advantage, it can be handled much easier, being from two to three feet in height, while the first crop will sometimes reach from three feettollJ-4 — I have a sample that height in my possession, this being the exception, not the rule. It was grown in a very favorable locality. My advice to the farmer who grows sweet clover for its food value is this : Cut in June, or at all events before it blooms, or you will have a job on your hands, and you will sweat for it, and deserve to. Mr. Stolley is right in saying so. It is very succulent, and care has to be exercised in curing it. Don't cure it too much — just have it nicely killed. If over- done, the leaves will drop off, which would be a great loss. When putting it in the mow use plenty of salt. The acreage grown here is pretty extensive, and the seed procured is from the first crop, which is generally ripe in Au- gust, and should be cut before the second blossom appears, which is sure to be the case if we have much rain in the latter part of July, or the beginning of August. If the atmosphere is sultry and showery, nectar will be collected liberally from the second blossom. I employ two or three men for a month, at$1.25 per day, and accompany them to the field of operation. Each is equip- ped with a scythe, a sickle, and whetstone. We have a sling made from the top of an old boot, with a cord attached ; this is put around our waist. The sling, or pouch, hangs from the middle of the back downwards, and contains the whetstone and sickle. It is out of the way, and always at hand when required. When reaping, we often find places the scythe can- not be worked to advantage, when the sickle is at hand and applied. The ordinary scythe is too light for the first crop, requiring what we term here the " bull-dog," a short, strong blade, generally used in cutting down weeds. The sickle, I believe, is the more profitable implement of the two. The cutting is more gently done. The clover is laid down in bun- dles, can be picked up gently and quickly, which means a great saving of seed. The scythe strikes hard, and out flies the seed, and, in gathering, it is a tangled mass in the swath, and much seed is lost in unravelling it. The first few days we cut without interruption ; as the seed becomes riper we cut only in the mornings, devoting the heat of the day for threshing, which is done as follows : About 9 or 10 o'clock we select a level piece of ground with as few stubbles as possible, which are cut close to the ground, throwing on some mould to level up and make it smooth. We then spread out an old sail or canvas about 20 feet square, and gather up all clover around the threshing floor, piling it up several feet high with the heads to the cen- ter. Two then get on top with flails, or dung-forks or pitch- forks, striking with all the might. In the heat of the day the seed will fairly rush out. Towards evening you will find it more difiicult to get it off the straw, showing how easily it be- comes affected by moisture. When fairly in the swing of the work, you will find it necessary to make a second threshing-floor, because of the long distance to carry. Proceed as at first, leaving the two threshers to clean up the first floor. By shaking off the straw, the bottom will be found a mat of seed and pens, and will make you sweat to shake it out. When as clean as the hands will make it, put it through a riddle, % mesh. If you want it cleaner, put it through another a little finer. Bag it up, and store it away in dry, comfortable quarters. If it should be the least damp, spread it out on a floor and turn it occasionally. Should it become heated the seed is spoiled. This is one rea- son why we find so much poor seed. With two carrying, and two threshing, a great amount can soon be got out of the way. The straw can be used in some cases if not too strong, for bedding. Last season I burned all except a few loads of the flue. Don't carry it a long distance ; handle carefully, and handle only once. It must be threshed on the ground. By the time you would get it into the mow, there would be no seed upon it. I have tried the reaper, and unless cut in a damp condition, or in a green state, the loss of seed is too great to warrant its application. Select a very dry or freezing time to hull. If prepared in the above manner, the clover-huller will hull a hundred bush- els in a day. The above is the manner of procedure with the writer. Of course, we are a slow people here, in most things, and would be glad to hear of a less expensive method of procuring the seed. By the price offered for the seed by some firms, we are inclined to think there must be a less expensive method, or else men work gratis. Ontario, Canada. [In order that all our readers may have a chance to try sweet clover, we will send 2 pounds, postpaid, for 50 cents; or 5 pounds, by express, for 75 cents (one-cent stamps taken). Send your order at once to the Bee Journal office, and get the seed by return mail or express. — Editor.] Reasons for Favoring Uupainted Hives. BY C. THEILMANN. On page 746 (1895) Mr. Thomas gives us some very valuable hints on painting, on which Dr. Miller remarks (page 774) that some of us believe that bees are better off in unpainted hives, but covers should be painted, etc. To this Mr. Thomas, on page 114, gives us more explanations on the wood of which most bee-hives are made, and their lasting qualities, and says : " White pine, however, does not stand exposure to the weather unless thoroughly protected by paint." Now, I wonder if Mr. Thomas has really knowledge of this by actual experiments, or is it only his theory, because white pine is very soft wood. If he be correct, then there must be a big difference, in some way, between Minnesota and North Carolina concerning bee-hives made of white pine. I am not able to tell how long my unpainted white pine bee-hives will last hereafter, but some of them have been in constant use for 25 years, and they are still in good condition ; not one of them, so far, is injured enough by the weather to render it useless. Twenty-four years ago I had 12 hives made and painted with linseed oil and white lead. For the hives I paid in cash $48. They were made of clear, white pine lumber, one inch thick, after it was planed. At the same time I had 12 hives, same size, made of rough lumber, not painted, for which I paid §24, and to-day one lot is about as good as the other. Now, just 30unt the difference between .$24 and $48, and compound interest for 24 years, and see what a nice little sum of money I would have saved with all unpainted hives. Outside of the 12 painted hives I have since used nothing but unpainted hives, and thereby saved many hundreds of dollars on hives alone. But I consider this only a small part compared with the comfort of the bees and general success of my bee-keeping. I am in line with Dr. Miller when he says (on page 774, 1895) : "So far as the bees are concerned, it will be an unpainted hive." I am not keeping bees for pleas- ure, but for the pay I get for my labor. The most important point is not mentioned by either the Doctor or Mr. Thomas, namely, that the unpainted hives should not be planed on the outside, but only planed on the inside. This roughness on the outside not only helps to pre- serve the wood from the weather, warping aud cracking, but creates very little refiection from the sun in hot weather, which all the veterans in bee^culture know unpainted hives do. Of late years this hive (the Minnesota Langstroth) is get- ting very popular in Minnesota, as bees winter better In un- painted hives, and it has many other advantages oyer painted hives. Theilmanton, Minn. The Sun Wax-Extractor— How to Make It. BY G. M. DOOLITTLB. And old bee-friend of years ago writes me as follows: "I hear through Friend W. that you have thrown away the Swiss wax-extractor you used when at your place In the early eighties, and now use a sun wax-extractor. I suppose you like the lat- ter better than the former; aud if so, and you think the sun wax-extractor a really good thing, I wish you would tell us in the American Bee Journal how to make one, for from days of yore I know that you can tell us so plainly that any of us can make one. Please do this and oblige." , Yes, I now use a sun or solar wax-extractor, altogether, and find it one of the nicest things about the apiary. The Swiss was good for its capacity, and the time as toapicultural advancement, when it made its advent, but it was no compari- son to a good solar wax-extractor, as to ease of manipulation, cleanliness of use or capacity of work. As to the "how" of making, I will, in order to make it plain, give the size and number of pieces contained in the extractor, by numbers, and then tell you how.to put them together, as 1 find it in an old 244 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 16, diary of the time when I made the one I have been using ever since : Number. Pieces. Length in inches. Widtli in inches. Thiclsness 3. 4 5. 6. 7. 8. 9., 10. .ao. ...14... ...\b%. ...30... ...17^. . ..32. . ...16... ...34..., ...18 .., ...34..., .10... .10. .10. .10. ■ % ..% ■ % ■ % ■ % 11 2 straps... J sheet American 12..1 ( stove-pipe iron 20 18 13 2 glass 30?.i 16!4 Having these pieces cut to the dimensions above given, take No. 1, which is for the sides of the body of the extractor, aud nail to the ends of No. 2. Nest nail No. 3 on to one side for a bottom. No. 3 should be made from matched lumber, and all joints put together with white lead, so no loss of heat will oc- cur from its escaping through the cracks or joints where the extractor is put together. Nail No. 4 to the outside of the extractor, at the sides, 14 inch from the top, for the glass frame to rest on, and then nail No. 5 to the ends of No. 4 and the extractor. Now nail No. 6 to the ends of No. 7, for the glass frame, putting the glass. No. 13, into the grooves which have been previously cut for them, before nailing. These grooves should be % deep, the upper one being % from the top, and the next one Ja below the first, so as to make a dead air space between the glass. Perhaps it would be better to put this glass frame together with screws, for in this way there is less danger of breaking the glass. If you cannot handily get glass as large as stated, any number of glass 16M inches long and of the right width so that a certain number when placed side by side will make Z0% inches, will do, if you have the upper and lower glass so ar- ranged that they will break joints ; still, the whole glass are better where they can be readily obtained. The frame for these glass is to be put together with white lead, the same as the body was ; but there is no lead put in the grooves, as we could not get the glass out should it ever be broken, as mine has been twice. I find that air passes very slowly where it has to go around anything in the way it does these glass. Next nail No. 11 to the center of this glass frame at each end, nailing them in such a way that they will form loops or handles, for the frame is to be handled by these, slid off and on, when putting in bits of wax, or when manipulating in time of scarcity of honey, when robbers would bother getting in, were the sash to be lifted off bodily, instead of sliding it. Now nail No. 8 to the ends of No. 9, nailing No. 10 to the side of the frame made by nailing Nos. S and 9 together, for a cover to go over the glass frame when the extractor is not in use. This cover will keep the glass from being broken by hail- storms, or from any other cause. It is not necessary to have No. 10 all of one piece, as narrower stuff with the cracks bat- tened, will do very well. Now take No. 12 and spring the middle down till the edges come even with the top of the body of the extractor, and snugly against what is to be the back of this body, when it is to be nailed along each side to the side of the extractor. This will give you a hollowing trough on which to put the material which is to be rendered into wax, and the black surface to the iron will so absorb the rays of the sun that it will become very hot in a short time after the cover is taken from over the glass. Fit a piece of half-inch stuff under No. 12, a little back, say 5 inches, from the front or open end, so as to keep the hot air from going under the iron, and it will help very much about keeping the wax melted in the dish into which it runs while being extracted. This keeping the wax melted in the dish helps much about securing our wax cakes in nice form. Having all in readiness, set the extractor in or near the apiary, in some handy place, and as of ten as you have any bits of comb or scraps of wax, slide the cover a little forward and drop them in. When any amount has accumlated, remove the cover and in afh hour or two the sun will have reduced all to a nice lot of clean wax in your dish. Of course you will prop the extractor up at the back side so it will face the sun at the right angle, and, if, in the fall of the year the inclination is so great that the refuse slides down into the wax dish, you can remedy it by fixing a piece of wire-cloth at the lower end of the iron bottom, so that the melted wax may run through, but the refuse be held back. After a little you will find many kinks about its use not given here. Borodino, N. Y. Preservation of Comb aud Rendering of Wax. BT HON. R. L. TAYLOR, I'iiiperiiitencleHt of the Mkhicjan Ei:pmment Apiary. While the production of wax is not made a special object by bee-keepers, at least, not in Northern latitudes, yet, in every apiary, considerable wax may be obtained from burr- and brace combs trimmed from frames, honey-boards, etc., and from drone-comb and broken bits of other comb, if one is careful to preserve them for that purpose. Often, too, a con- siderable portion of the bees of an apiary perish during the winter and spring, especially where little or no care has been taken to secure their comfort during those seasons, and some- times combs become affected by the germs of the conta- gious disease known as foul brood. In this latter case the des- truction of the combs is absolutely necessary in order to pre- vent the spread of the disease, and in the former, in such api- aries, there will be many combs from crookedness, or because they are made up largely of drone-cells, that are of little value as such, and in many such cases it will not be deemed desirable to undertake the preservation of first-class combs, from the prospect that the moths or the mice may des- troy them before they can be put to use among the bees. In all such cases it is important that the wax the comb contains should be secured by rendering. However, the value of choice comb is so great that its des- truction should not be entered upon hastily, nor until it is fully settled, after a careful canvass of all the circumstances, that to its owner the wax it contains is all there is of value. To determine its value as comb, consider that experienced bee- keepers think it very profitable to purchase comb foundation at the rate of 10 cents for enough to fill a Langstroth frame, besides the cost of transporting it and the labor of putting it into the frame — say 12J^ cents in all. The comb is certainly as such, worth no less, aud for some purposes very much more, but the wax that can be got from it, i. c, from the comb of a Langstroth frame, is not worth more than five or six cents, which must still be heavily discounted on account of the labor involved in rendering the wax. So the least that can be said for good combs is, that they are worth at least 50 cents more per eight-frame hive for use as combs than for purposes as wax. It is very evident, then, if one has comb that cannot pres- ently be made use of by the bees, that it is worth while to know how to keep them in a good state of preservation. The moths and the mice are the enemies that work the most rapid destruction, but light and moisture in connection with bee- bread and other foreign matter cause a gradual deterioration. I have experimented largely both during the past year as well as during prior years, with different methods of preserving combs, and it has not been altogether from choice, but rather a case of necessity, for I have had on hand, not in use, for sev- eral years, from 1,000 to 2,000 combs. There are four meth- ods which I have found to have merit, as follows : 1. Placing them in hives, over strong colonies of bees so that the bees can have free access to them. To good colonies from one to half a dozen hives of empty combs may be given, care only need be taken that no more be given than the bees will visit somewhat freely. Where it can be used this is the safest and best method, for the bees not only protect them completely, but clean them to a considerable extent, so that they are put in better condition for preservation by other methods, still it has its disadvantages ; the combs must be handled two to four times a season, and during the honey sea- son if comb honey is produced they must be removed, and this is the time when they especially need protection from moths. 2. I have had excellent success in keeping them in close hives in the shop by laying two thicknesses of newspaper upon a level place on the floor, setting a hive of them upon the paper, covering the hive with two thicknesses of the paper, puttine another hive covered with paper on that, and so con- tinue the operation until the pile is of the desired height, when the top-most hive is to be protected with paper and a close- fitting cover. As the combs are thus so tightly inclosed, they must be reasonably dry aud put away only in a dry place. It is all-important, too, that they be put away early, at least be- fore the millers have an opportunity to deposit their eggs in them. By this method I have kept combs the season through without the sign of a moth, while combs put up in the same room, in the same way, except that the paper was not used, required constant care to preserve them from destruction. The miller that produces the egg from which the moth emerges is furnished with a long ovipositor which she can insert in a small opening, such as she is almost sure to find somewhere between almost any two hives set one upon another. No doubt the openings are present only in a less degree where the paper Is 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 245 used, but for some reason they appear not to invite the miller; it may be because there is something repulsive to her in paper, or, possibly, because the paper, extending outward from the hives all around an inch or so does not allow her to take the position she desires when she uses her ovipositor. There is one function which it seems reasonable to suppose the paper would perform, though, as yet, I have had nothing to test it, that is, in case the moths should obtain a lodgment in one hive, to impede their spread to the others. Tar paper unques- tionably would be much more effective in this respect, and quite likely fully as repulsive to the egg-laying miller. It is worthy of a trial. The method here described, when the combs are reasonably clean, has proved with me on the whole the most satisfactory. 3. Another way that is entirely effective against the moths is to hang the combs up to the light and air with a space of at least one inch between each comb and its neigh- bors. This answers well enough for a season or two, or even longer, when the combs have become toughened by the cocoons of many generations of brood; but if the combs are new, the the light seems to have a deteriorating effect upon the wax composing them, causing it to readily crumble; besides, combs so disposed, gather dust and the webs of other insects than the moths. For convenience in practicing this plan, when I built my shop I placed the joists overhead so as to freely admit the top-bar of a Langstroth frame crosswise, then by nailing half- inch strips near the lower edge of neighboring joists, each space is made to conveniently accommodate a tier of combs, their arms resting upon the half-inch strips. 4. The other method I have to mention is the placing of the combs in hives in the bee-cellar. It appears that a some- what high temperature is necessary for the propagation of the wax-moth, at least, I have never known them to breed in combs placed in the cellar, so I think I may safely say that any good, cool cellar would be a sure protection against the moths. Un- fortunately my cellar is damp, on account of which there is a liability to mold, unless the combs are free from flith and bee- bread, and it is worse still if they contain any honey, since, by attracting the moisture, it begins to run and thereby disfigures both the combs and hives. Mice are particularly fond of bees and bee-bread, as well as a hive of combs as a place for building their nests, conse- quently, if they can possibly reach the combs they are liable to do much damage in a short time. The only security against them is to put the combs away in such a manner that they can by no possibilty get them. — Review. (Concluded next week.) POISONOUS HONEY— DO BEES GATHER IT? POISONOUS HONEY SIMPLY THEORY. I was greatly pleased to read Novice's article on page 146, in regard to poisonous honey. He wrote me quite a long letter about the time the report was heralded abroad, that his bees had been poisoned by the honey from the yellow jessa- mine, giving a detailed account of the surrounding bees kept in his vicinity, which had access to the same pasturage, and yet no fatality was observed. Consequently, he was justified in denouncing the theory, that his bees suffered from that source. In fact, his experience was a practical observation, and not theoretical, and ought to go a good ways in breaking down wrong conclusions from a theoretical stand-point, that if a plant contained poisonous elements, the nectar it contained was poisonous also. Upon the same theory we will say that honey would be poisonous stored from nectar gathered from the buckeye, that grows in such abundance in this State, and which yields bountifully both nectar and pollen every season, but such is not the case. If stock eat of either its foliage or fruit to any extent, it causes the same symptoms of poison as the so-called mountain laurel, and usually results in death. However, it is claimed generally, I believe, that one can eat heartily of the fruit without injury, so long as the heart, or germ, of the nut is not eaten, which is said to contain the poisonous elements. I distinctly remember, when but a small boy, being instructed never to eat the heart of a buckeye because the squirrel would not eat that portion of the nut, as it was poisouous. Again, conclusions of some of our good, honest, and most worthy bee-keepers, from the same stand-point (theoretical), have said that pollen gathered from the flowers of plants that contained poison would cause destruction to bees that fed upon such pollen. Then it that theory is founded upon a practical experience, how does it come that in our and other localities where the most deadly poisonous plant grows by the acre, and the bees revel for its pollen, are not annihilated, in all of those districts in which this plant grows in profusion — the wild parsnip ? Undoubtedly such reports as are referred to by Novice, heralded broadcast, will greatly damage the pursuit of bee- keeping in the various localities in which bees gather nectar from the sources mentioned. Besides, I am like Novice, skep- tical on the subject; indeed, I cannot be persuaded that the great Creator of all things, animate and inanimate, would instill into plant-life a poisonous substance, and cause it to be accessible to any of His creatures through any natural source in which created. It is an unjust criticism. At the same time, through the art of man, plants and flowers may be sprayed with poisonous fluids, and bees may and do gather, and to which all cases of poisoning rightfully belong, so far as it relates to honey being poisonous gathered from natural sources. I am glad that Novice has called this subject up. I hope to read such an array of testimony, from every section of this country, in defense of unpoisonous nectar, that will forever put to rest the theory that bees gather either pollen or nectar of a poisonous nature. J. A. Golden. Reinersville, Ohio. MOUNTAIN LAtTREL 60 YEAKS AGO. I have noticed in the Bee Journal an item in regard to laurel being a poisonous plant. My experience is quite limited as to its poisonous nature, but 60 years ago, when a boy, 1 lived about 17 miles southeast of Lancaster, Pa., and we had laurel on all sides of us, within a mile or so of our apiary. My father used the box-hive, and in the fall after the first frost, the poor bees were brimstoned, and we ate honey strained through a thin cloth, in the comb, and every way. I never heard of poisonous honey, and it seems strange that it was never discovered until of late, although the laurel is poison- ous. We turned our cattle out in early spring on the com- mons to pasture, and as the laurel is an evergreen, the cattle would seldom touch it, but when through mistake they got it, it would kill them. I have helped to skin them. We would open them and find it in them. Generally the flower is of a pink color, and sends out a delicious perfume. Ionia, Mich. Jacob Moore. KALMIA, mountain LAUREL, OR IVY. On page 146, " Novice " asks for satisfactory proof of the bees storing honey that was poisonous. In the spring of 1894 there was a very hard frost late ic the spring that destroyed all the fruit-bloom and killed the leaves on a great many trees. There was nothing for the bees to get honey from until the kalmia, mountain laurel, or ivy, bloomed. The plant is known by all these names. The bees had used all the honey in the hives rearing brood. In this part of North Carolina, where there was plenty of kalmia, the bees stored some honey in the sections from the kalmia. The other flowers that generally bloom at that time in the year the frost had killed, so that the kalmia was the only flower the bees could get honey from. This honey was bitter, and a number of people were very sick after eating it. The symptoms were alike in all cases, but some were worse than others. A Mr. Ledbetter, who has about 30 colonies of bees, ate quite heartily at dinner, of the kalmia honey, and fell down in the harvest field unconscious. It was very hard work to restore him, and there were a number of cases where the peo- ple who ate the bitter honey came near dying. Mr. Ledbetter has kept bees for a number of years, and is a close and accu- rate observer of them. He knows just what flower the bees are working on at any time in the year, and he told me the honey came from the " ivy," "because from the freeze, you know, there wasn't anything but the ivy to get honey from — all the rest were killed, you know." Dr. Weaver, of Asheville, N. C, said that the symptoms were those of poisoning from the poison of the "ivy." In the spring of 1895 Mr. Ledbetter told me he had a great deal of the bitter honey, and asked if it would hurt the bees if he fed it to them. I told him to " go slow, try a little and watch the results." He took the honey from a number of sections and put it on top of the frames in two hives. It killed every bee in both hives. The summer of 1894 was very dry, and after the sour- wood bloomed there was almost nothing for the bees. The only flower I could find the bees working on was the night- shade. In a short time there were thousands of young bees lying dead in front of the hives. They were apparently the nurse-bees. Upon examination, there was plenty of sealed sourwood honey in the hives, and the brood looked all right. 246 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 16, but young bees kept dying until the fall honey-flow from the golden-rod and asters came, when there were no more dead bees. I am convinced it was the poison from the nightshade that killed the young bees. In this part of North Carolina there are so many other flowers blooming at the same time as the kalmia that the bees prefer, that they do not get much honey from the kalmia. For instance, the " redroot " — Ceanothus Americanus — when that is in bloom, the air around my apiary is filled at night with the odor of the blossom. I do not believe that the bees will work on the poisonous plants like kalmia or nightshade unless they are forced to by there being nothing else. I think that "Novice " will find, if he observes his bees carefully, that they are getting the honey, while the kalmias are in bloom, from some other flower. He may find a few bees on the kalmia blossoms, but I do not think much of his honey comes from that flower. It is well under- stood among the mountains of Polk county, N. C, when there is a great deal of " ivy," that bitter honey is poisonous, and that it comes from the " ivy." W. A Thompson. Buena Vista, N. C. MOUNTAIN LAUREL HONEr, ETC. I have been interested in the communications with refer- ence to laurel honey. The experiences of those who have re- cently written in the American Bee Journal on that subject coincide with mine. It is now 27 years since I began keeping bees, and my bees have always had access to hundreds of acres of mountain laurel, and I have never heard or known of any one being sick from eating honey gathered therefrom. The truth is, I don't believe that bees ever gather poisonous honey from that source. Laurels are great bloomers, and in favorable seasons produce great quantities of nectar, and if it is poisonous, surely, in these long years, with my surround- ings, at least one case of poisoning from its use would have come under my observation. Prom the few communications published in the Bee Jour- nal from East Tennessee, one would almost suppose that our people are lagging in bee-culture, but such is not the case. The year 1895 was not a favorable year with us, but the in- dustry paid expenses, and left a surplus for a rainy day. Owing to the dry weather in the fall the asters and golden-rod did not produce as usual, and many bees went into the winter with a scarcity of stores, and many will doubtless fail to re- spond to roll-call this spring; but still we are not discouraged. I fed my bees in the fall sufficiently to secure them against starving, and so far their fatality has been less than usual. The winter here has been a mild one, and the indications are favorable for a good honey season, and it is important that our bee-keepers should be ready for it. H. F. Coleman. Sneedville, Tenn., March 6. CONDUCTED BY r>R. C O. JUII^LER. AT-AItEA'GO. ILL. LQuestlons may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct.] Cutting Out Dronc-Conib — Fccdiug Rye-Flour. 1. When cutting drone-comb from the frames of colonies of bees In the spring, do you first smoke them, that is, puff smoke in at the entrance ? Do you shake the bees from the comb, or leave them on while cutting the drone-comb out? 2. Why do my bees refuse to go near several pans of rye- flour that I put out for them? I placed the pans about 15 feet from the hives. S. K. L. Olneyville, E. 1. Answers. — 1. Yes, you will do well to pufiF some smoke lightly into the entrance before opening the hive, and then give them a little on top as you open the cover. If they run down from the top, then they may not need any more, but if they show fight you must smoke till they retreat. You might cut out the drone-comb with all the bees on, but it will be easier and much pleasanter to handle the combs without any bees on them. You can shake off most of the bees, but you will do well to brush the combs clean, using a Coggshall bee- brush If you have one. This brush is made of broom-corn, only the brush is very thin, and you would have a brush some- thing like it if you should take a common corn-broom and cut out half or more of the brush, and then cut off all but six inches of the handle. A bunch of grass or weeds tied together makes a good brush. Asparagus is good. Remember that you'll do no good to cut out the drone-comb unless you fill in its place with patches of worker-comb, for the bees will be pretty certain to fill up the holes with drone-comb. 2. Like as not your bees don't care for the rye-flour be- cause they can get something better. Watch when they are flying and return to the hives, and see If they are not carrying in loads of natural pollen on their legs. If they can get nat- ural pollen you can't get them to touch the substitute. Some- times, however, they are slow about working on the rye-flour simply because they haven't yet found it, and in that case you can bait them to it by using a little honey or other sweet. Bio Bees for Sale. I wish to inquire if you have Italian bees for sale, and if so what price, prepared ready for a long journey by express? Forks, Wyo. A. D. B. Answer. — Haven't a bee to sell. I don't do anything in the supply business. I've only two things to sell : honey — that is, when I get any — and the sort of stuff I write for these columns and the editor pays me for. Amount and Position of Honey for Wintering. 1. Is it generally admitted that it takes 25 to 30 pounds of honey to winter a colony of bees ? 2. Does it make any difference where the honey is left in the hive ? 3. Should the center combs be full of honey ? J. M. Ionia, Mich. Answers. — 1. If you mean will bees eat 25 to 30 pounds of honey from the time they are put in the cellar till they are taken out, the answer is no, they are not likely to eat any- thing like that amount — many will do with a third of It. If you mean is it best to have 25 to 30 pounds of honey in the hive at the beginning of winter, yes. They'll not have much of it left by the time they can gather in the soring, and in some cases It will all be gone. 2. and 3. Ye«, It's probably best to have It somewhat after the plan the bees themselves follow, having a space toward the center of the hive for the brood-nest and the honey stored above and at the sides. Swarming and Tran§fcrring. I am a boy, and also a beginner. I have a few colonies of bees, and I would like to know how to prevent some of them from swarming, as they did nothing else last year but swarm. I use an 8-frame hive. I think my bees are in eood condition, from all appear- ance. They seem to be rolling something in awfully fast; I don't know what it is. I have one colony I want to transfer. Is It the time of year to commence such work ? R. W. Coalgate, Ind. Ter. Answer. — Probably what you want to know is how to prevent excessive swarming, and not to prevent swarming altogether. Most bee-keepers want at least some swarms, so as to make up for winter losses, even if they don't care to have a larger number. It is a very difficult thing to prevent all swarming, but not so very difficult to prevent each colony from swarming more than once. When a colony swarms, if left to itself it Is likely to send out a second swarm in a week or ten days, perhaps another a day or two later, and some colonies keep this up until they have sent out four, five or six swarms. The desirable thing is to know how to prevent all " after-swarms," as those swarms are called which issue after the prime or first swarm. The way some do is to catch all after-swarms and put them back where they came from. If this is continued a few times, that will be the end of the matter, for each time a swarm is re- turned one of the young queens Is killed, and when only one young queen is left" there will be no more swarming. In one respect that Is a good plan, for it leaves the mother colony 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 247 good and strong, and in localities where there is a good fall flow it will be in good condition to store surplus. But in many cases it is better to expect nothing in the ■way of surplus from the mother colony, merely allowing it to build up in good condition for winter, and making the swarm as strong as possible so as to store a good amount of surplus from the light honey harvest. So perhaps the better plan for you, as well as less trouble, is this : Set the hive with the swarm in the place of the old colony, having previously set the old colony on a new stand a rod or two distant. For the next day or two all the bees that go to the fields from the old hive will, on their return, go to the old spot, and will unite with the swarm. That will make the swarm strong for sur- plus work, and of course the old colony will be just so much weaker, and that weakening will discourage them from further swarming. You may make the matter surer — for by the plan mentioned some have failed —you may make surer by setting the old hive close by the side of the hive containing •the swarm, and then in six or seven days from the time of swarming moving the old hive off to its permanent location. The usual time for transferring is when fruit-trees are in bloom. Young Bees Flying in the Early Spring. How early in the spring will young bees hatch, ready to frolic? One of the bee-keepers here claims to have young bees (this year's) flying out, and I contradicted him. (His bees are 5-banded, and mine are Carniolan.) Remember this spring has been cold. The bees have had two flights — Feb. 2 and March 9, then the one we disputed, on March 25. We want you as referee. E. C. C. Tarentum, Pa. Answer. — Now you're trying to get me into trouble. I think I'll say I don't know whether young bees of this year's rearing were flying March 25 or not, and I doubt whether your neighbor could tell by looking at them whether the bees were two weeks or four or five months old. I'm pretty sure I couldn't tell for certain. Tell your neighbor that it isn't best to be sure about such things, and that he's altogether too positive. Say it to him in a very stern manner, so as to make him ashamed of himself. Then when he's feeling very penti- tent, you may as well say a few more things to him. Say to him that in a strong colony the queen commences to lay a few ■eggs very early in the season, often in February. Tell him that when the bees had a flight Feb. 2, it would be nothing strange for the queen to lay at that time, and that would make bees ready to fly March 25. Perhaps you can think of other things to say without my suggesting them. Starters in ^Vired Frames— Transferring and Uniting. 1. If I use only a starter, aud wire the frames, will the combs be built uicely over the wire? 2. I have several weak colonies in box-hives that I wish to transfer, as soon as practicable, onto some full sheets of foundation, and some starters, and will arrange the frames alternately — full sheet first, then starter — will this work this way ? 3. If I unite by April 15, by the Heddon method, will the bees of the second driving unite well with the first driving without fighting ? 4. In using comb foundation, should the sheet touch the frames at the ends ? C. S. R. Lamar, Ark., March 3U. Answers. — 1. Maybe, and maybe not. More likely not. The bees will build down the comb just as they would if no wires were present, and if the wire happens to be just where they want the middle wall of the comb, it will be all right, but it's just as likely to come in the wrong place. 2. You may do better to have the full sheets by them- selves, for if they are alternated the combs may not be so evenly built. If the full sheets are first built out, there may be danger that the others built between will be too thin. But if all are filled with brood, there will be no trouble. 3. Yes, unless there should be a dearth of forage. 4. Usually a space of }i inch is left, but I have had good success in wired frames with the foundation touching the en- tire length of the end-bars. Every Present Subscriber of the Bee Journal should be an agent for it, and get all others possible to sub- scribe for it. ^ Tiit||[[-M Amalgramatioii Protested. Several articles have appeared in the various bee-journals, and more will appear in our columns, strongly protesting against amalgamating the Bee-Keepers' Union with the N. A. B.-K. A. While I have advocated this step, I shall do so no more, i/, in the judgment of our wisest bee-keepers, it is not best. So far as I am concerned, I don't care what is done, only so the Union or something shall take hold of this adulteration business and fight it to the end. We need more fighting and legislation. — Editorial in Gleanings. Sweet Clover. E. F. T. writes : "How deep do you plow sweet-clover seed in ? Would it grow on sandy soil ?■ In what month do you generally sow it?" Without paying any attention to the order of answering, I may say that I don't generally sow it at all, but let it sow itself. My brother-in-law, who is a much better farmer than I, insists that it is best to have nothing else sown with it. The piece that I spoke of being plowed in was plowed in last spring about 6 inches deep in May, seed having fallen on the ground the year before. I don't think it would make much difference what time the seed was put in from November till the first of June, providing it was put in fairly deep, or the ground well firmed if put in shallow. I've seen it grow well on sandy soil and on very stifif clay. I don't think it would grow on a bare rock, and it would probably not make a good growth in clear sand. — Dr. Miller, in Gleanings. The Dietetic Value of Honey. Probably most people consider honey as the equal in value for food of any sweet sauce — no better, no worse. All should know that it possesses one great superiority — ease of digestion. The nectar of flowers is almost wholly cane-sugar. The secre- tions added by the bees change this to grape-sugar, and so pre- pare it that it is almost ready for assimilation without any effort on the part of the stomach ; in fact Prof. A. J. Cook once styled honey "digested nectar." It will be readily seen that honey is a very desirable food for those with weakened diges- tive powers. If a person is very tired, "too exhausted to eat," it is astonishing how a few tastes of honey will act like magic. Almost no effort is required to make it ready for assimilation. Persons suffering from some forms of kidney trouble will flnd that honey is a much more beneficial food for them than is cane-sugar. In eating comb-honey, many strive to reject every particle of wax, fearing that, a? wax is indigestible, nightmare and other troublesome consequences will follow an indulgence in warm biscuit and honey. It is true that bread is more easily di- gested than warm biscuit,as the latter is inclined to " pack " in chewing, but it many surprise some to know that comb-honey is really an aid to the digestion of hot bread or biscuit. The philos- ophy of the matter is that the flakes of wax prevent the "pack- ing," while the honey readily dissolves out, leaving passages for the gastric juice to enter the mass of food. * The flakes of wax are indigestible, that is true, but when warmed are perfectly smooth and soft and will not injure the most delicate mem- brane ; in fact, they act as a gentle stimulant, and are benefi- cial in some forms of alimentary difficulties. The unpleasant symptoms from which some suffer after eating honey may often be removed by drinking a little milk. — W. Z. Hutchinson, in Country Gentleman. An "Infallible" method of Introducing ftueens. Do you want an itifnUiblc method of introducing queens ? Well, according to the November issue of the Leipziger Bie- nenzeitung, Dr. Metelli, that well-known Italian bee-master, pretends to know and practice one. First he prepares the col- ony which is to receive the queen. If they have neither queen nor brood, the bees are contracted in the brood-nest on as few combs as possible, the upper story is emptied of its honey- frames, and the two stories are separated by a bee-tight wire {ContinuaJ on page 249.) 248 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 16, (^ {. OLDEST eCE PAPER fCj |^-> r -IN AMERICA V. ]l. ST \HL. ol aa *i. 6tli --^t. Qiihiev.lll. MentU/fi the Anverican Bee Joun^a^ 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 251 Largest Factory ti°e West Go?d°^p^!7|d55^ces READ THIS— Mr. Keyes says: The 100 pounds of Extra-Tuin Foundation you sent usi is superior to anything he ever saw ; and I think the same. R. L. TncKEH, Wewahitehlsa, Fla. Dear Sirs:— The Sections came dulj'co hand. Indeed, they are very nice. Yes, sir; they are as good as the best. Charles H. Thies. SteeleviUe, Illinois. Leahy M fg. Co. :— I have received the hill of goods. I must say they are the choicest lot of Hive-Stuff 1 have ever received from any place. I admire the smoothness of your work, and your close selection of lumber. Yours very truly, O. K. Olmstead, Orleans. Nebr. Dear Sirs: — The Sections arrived in due time, and are all O. K. so far as examined. They are simply perfection. 1 can't see how you can furnish such goods at such low prices. I hope you may Live long and do well. Yours respectfully, Z. S. Weaver, Courtney, Tex. Gents:— I received the •' Higginsville Smoker" all O. K. It's a dandy; please find enclosed stamps for another. Yours truly. Otto Enders, Oswegathe, N. Y. Gentlemen:— 1 have bought Supplies from nearly all the large manufacturers by the car- load, and I must say yours are as good as the best. Indeed, in many lines they are the best. It is a pleasure to handle them. E. T. Flan.agan, Belleville, Illinois. The above unsolicited testimonials are a fair sample of hundreds we receive. Our prices are reasonable and the *' Higginsville Goods " are the best. Tlie " Higginsville " Ooodis are for sale by the following parties : Chas. H. Thies, Steelville, HI. E. T. Flanagan. Belleville, 111. Henry L. Miller, Topeka, Kans. E. A. Seeley, Bloomer, Arkansas. J. W. Rouse & Co.. Mexico, Mo. P. J. Thomas, Fredonia. Kans. Fulton & Gregg, Garden City, Kans. W. J. Finch, Jr., Springfield, 111. If you need a Carload of Supplies, or only a Bee-Smoker, write to us. Remember, we are here to serve you, and will, if you give us a chance. A Beautiful Catalogue Free. Address, LEAHY MANUFACTURING CO., HIGGINSVILLE. Mo. 49A Mtntion the American Bee JnurnaL CHEAPER THAN EVER Hilton's AVbite T Super* Cliafi* PolI»hed Foundation Hives Sections Smokers And everything needed in the apiary. 1896 Catalog of 36 pages free. GEO. E. HILTOX, 13Atf FREMONT, MICH. Mention the American Bee Journal., Dadaiit's Foundation in Cliicaii'o ! No other Goods kept here. Send for Price- List, CHAS. DAD.IKT & SOX, 118Michig;in St., - CHICAGO, ILL. l.'JAtf Please mention the Bee Journal. ONE MAN WITH THE UNION COMBINATION rati do the work of four men using- hand tools, in Kipping-, Cuttiug--off. Ml- triiifr. Kabbetiug, Groov- ing. Gaining:. Uadoingr, Edglng-up. Jointinsf Stuff, etc. Full Line of Foot and Hand Power Machinery Sold on Trial. Catalftirut? Free. SENECA FALL^ MFG. TO., 46 Water St.. SENECA FALLS. N. Y lAly Mention the -Imerv**/!?), j^^e Journal. 81.50 a M. 3 M, $4.25. These are not Seconds, but perfect Sections. As the.v are not up to our present high stan- dard, we wish to close them out. Sample free. Widths— 7-to loot, I )5-16 in., and 2 in CataioKof Beet) A: Supplies FKEE. 1. J. STRIXGHAM, 105 Park Place. NEW YORK, N. Y. MOVED TO LARGER QUARTERS ! In order to take care of the business properly at this Branch, we have moved to 1 18 Mielii. San St., [3rd Floor], within two blocks of the Northwestern Passenger station, where we've secured larger quarters, making ample room for a Full Assorinient. Send along your or- ders, remembering that we guarantee satisfaction, and at prices as low as the best quality of Goods can be furnished for, Special Prices on a lot .jf Stock we are closing- out. Send for C.4.T.iLoo and a List of Goods at Special Prices. We also have a stock of Triangular Top Langstroth Frames at these Special prices: 100 for $1.00; 300, $2.70; 500, $4.00; 1000, $7.00. On all freight orders of $5 or less, at this Branch, please add 25c. for cartage. Catalogue Free. The A. I. ROOT CO., Il§ Michigan SI.,CHICA«0, lI.E. Please mention the American Bee.Tournal. Geo. ^V. York, Mgr. MUTH'S HONET EXTBACTOB PKRFECTtON Gold-Blast Smokers, Square Glass Honey Jars, Etc. For Circulars, apply to CHAS. F. Mcth & SON. Cor. Freeman & Central Aves.. Cincinnati, O. Send 10c for Practical Hints to Bee-Keepers. TEXAS QUEENS. It you are in need of Queens, let me have your order. Price-Llst Free. 8A2Gt J. D. GIVENS, Usbon, Tex. Mention the American Bee journal. Question;) 'Box^ In the mtiltitude of counsellors there is safety.— Prov. 11-14. Fertilization of Queens. Query 9.— 1. In the appendix to Mr. Doo- little's work on queen-rearing, he expresses some doubt about always being able to get queens fertilized from upper stories by the methods he therein suggests. Have you tried these methods ? If so, with what success ? 2. At what period In the life of a virgin queen does she become too old to be ferti- lized?—IOWA. W. R. Graham — 1. I never tried it. 2. I don't know. B. Taylor— 1. I have had no experi- en-ce, 2. I do not know. E. France— 1. I have never tried Doo- little's plan. 2. I don't know. W. G. Larrabee— 1. I have never tried these methods. 2. I don't know. Mrs. L. Harrison— 1. I never experi- mented along that line, 2, I don't know. G. M. Doollttle— 1. Varying success. 2. I had one fertilized 28 days old, once. Jas. A. Stone— 1. No. 2. I do not know, but I think it would not occur after one week. Emerson T. Abbott— 1. No. 2. This is an open question. The unexpected happens sometimes. C. H. Dibbern— 1. As I have never tried it, I must say I don't know. 2. I could only guess, and you can do that as well as I. Eugene Secor—1. I have never tried it. 2. It is my opinion that a young queen ought to be fertilized before she is 10 days old, for best results. Prof. A. J. Cook— 1. I have not. 2. I think no one knows. It is very likely variable. It is a difficult problem to settle, in the nature of the case. Allen Pringle— I have not tried. 2. After having passed a winter in this climate. The chances, however, rapidly diminish after the age of 3 or 4 weeks. Dr. J. P. H. Brown— 1. I have not tried them. 2. According to my experi- ence and observation, all virgin queens that are fertilized after 17 days old are worthless. R. L. Taylor— 1. Yes, in a small way, with very poor success. 2. Probably queens vary in that respect. If I made no mistake, I had one fertilized when she was 40 days old. J. E. Pond— I. I have never tried the plan. 2. 1 don't know that the ques- tion has been positively settled. Con- sensus of opinion gives six to eight weeks old, or thereabouts. Dr. C, C. Miller— 1. I think I was the first one to publish a case of the kind. I suspect if we could know exactly the right conditions we might always suc- ceed. I have generally succeeded. 2. I believe some have been fertilized as old as four weeks. G. W. Deuiaree — 1. Yes, I have tested the plan carefully, and find that it re- quires the best of conditions to succeed uniformly. In fact, and indeed, so much depends upon the condition of the bees, honey-flow, etc., that the plan is imprac- 252 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 16, able. 2. In my experiments along this line, I have concluded that the virgin queen to be normal in usefulness, must be mated by the time she is 12 days old. I have retarded mating, by artificial means, till the ISth day, resulting in poor queens. P. H. Elwood — 1. I have not thor- oughly tried the upper story for queen- rearing. 2. I remember to have had a virgin queen forgotten for two weeljs in a queen-cage, that afterward became fertile, but I think this must be an ex- ception. Ask the queen-breeders. Rev. M. Mahin— I. I have never tried Mr. Doolittle's plan, nor seen it tried, and can express no opinion. 2. I have no experience that will enable me to speak with authority. After a virgin queen begins to lay, she cannot, or will not, be fertilized. The age will vary many days. S31 BRASS BUCKET SPRAV PUMP ^ on thp markft. It is fully describwl iu -' our SPRAY PUMP CATALOGUE. Anotlir;- ■],e.v.'iUialilP work is our handsome ILLUS- TRATED BOOK ON CIDER PRESSES AND FRUIT < MACHINERY. I.ntll will bp sent FREE. DAVIS-JOHNSON CO. 41 W. Randolph St. CHICAGO, ILL. 16 A4t Mention the American Bee Journal The La. Bee-Keepers' Supply &, Wood Work Mfy. Wanted— Some one to run my business ou shares. Address, Box 54, Donaldsonville, La. Mention the American Bee JoumaU 16A2t I have one of the choicest flocks of BROWN LEGHORNS IN THE STATE Keep no other kind. Eggs, 7.t<\ per 15; »1.2o per 30. B. G. ."ifniTHAN, 16Etf OTISVILLE. MICH. Mention the American Bee Joumai STAND UP in the very worst storms, thesR wind mills of ours, that is becaiisn they are constructed tif the ver best of steel and because our four cornered steel tower is braced in' every direction. All galvanized after it is put tot^ether. Tanks, Sliellers, l*uiiips, Ciitters. &c. Write. Challenge Win Mill &. Feed Mill Co., No, . River Street, Batavia lllino, Mention t»t,o ^m^^Tican Be^ Jmir^xvl PURE BARRED PLYMOUTH ROCK Eggs. $1.25 per 14. Our P. Rocks are very large, with fine plumage. Also, BLACK MINORCA EGGS, a non-sitting and great laying breed. Roth kinds raised upon our farm. Minorca Cock- erels. $1.00 each. Mrs. L. C AXXELIj, lOAtf KOSEVILLE. Warren Co., ILL. Mention the American Bee Journal >j >ii >ti iii >!o!i >ti>ti>ti iti >ti >ii :^feti I SAVE MONEY 1 ITALIAN QUEENS If you want first-claes FOK bushkuss. Foundation at Wholesjile Prices' Hive^. suited for the South, or SI:PP1.IES, send for Prlce-List — to J. P. H. BROWN, ^uousT.^, Xoroiito Convenlion Kepoi-t has been issued iu pamphlet form, and will be mailed from the Bee Journal office for 25 cents. Better have a copy, i£ you have not read it. Only a limited number of copies were bound. WtMllnll Pwfttt BINOKAU BeeSmoter ORIGIML BL\GHAII1 SMOKERS Wonderful Record ! Have L.\sted 17 Years. —BEST ON EARTH. Altvars Give Perfect Satisracllon. My cool Wire Handle and Bent Nose were patented 189*J. are the original, my best invention sine** my open or di- rect draft Patent. 1878. that revolu- tionized Bee-Smokers. My Handle and Nose Paient heut a'l the other smotier noses. None but Bingham Smokers have all the best Improvements. If you buy genuine Blngliani Smo. kers and Honey-Knives you will never regret it. The " Doctor,'' ?-4-lnch larger tlian any other smoker on the market— avi-inoh stove, by mail, $1..tO Conqueror, 3 •■ " " 1.10 r.arge. 2^-in. " " 1.00 Plain, S-ln. " '• .70 Little Wonder, 2-iQ.. wt. 1 0 oz. .80 Biiiglmm * Hftlierinston Hoiiey-Kiiives, SO cents. T. F. BINGHAM, Far well, I*Ilrli. 7Att Mention the Bee Journal. ■y^T^y^y^^ytiyifi^yi^ytfyi^yt^yt^yii PATENT WIRED COMB FOUNDATIOH Has No Sag In Brood-Frames Thill Fiat-Bottom Foundation Bas Ko Fishbone in tbe Sarplos Qonef. Belns the oleanest le usually worked the quickest of any Foundation made J. VAN DEUSGN Sc SONS, Sole Manufacturers, Sprout Brook Montiiomery Co., N. Y. BEGINNERS. Beginners should have a copy of 'the Amateur Bee-Keeper, a 70-page book by Prof, J. W. Bouse. Price 2b cents: If sent by mail. 28c. The little book and the Progressive Bee-Keeper (a live, pro- gressive 28-page monthly journal) one year, Gbc. Address any first-class dealer, or LEAHY MFG. CO., Higginsville, Mo. a^K^^^^^yi^^ ^^^^^^vO WILL PRODUCE PERFECT <■ FRUIT. ■SPRAYING Our illustrated catalogue tells you HOWund WHEN to spray-mailed Free to fruit Grow- ers aud Dealers. The largest and best line or Spray Pumps and Nozzles in the world. THE DEMING CO. Mfrs. Salem, Ohio. Western Agency : Henion & Hubbell, Chicago. Mention the jimerix^an Bee J/jiini/iL J. W. TAYLOR -HAS THE BEST- Italian dueens for Sale Untested, ready now, 75c. apiece: C lor $4.25, or 12 for $8.00. Tested. $1.25. Select Tested, best. $2.00. Pay for Queens on arrival. I guarantee sate arrival and satisfaction. 14A9t OZAN, ARK. Sweet Clover n Canada. At the following prices ; 5 lbs. 10 lbs. 25 lbs. 50 lbs. $1.00 $1.00 $3.75 $7.25. Also a quantity of Motherwort and Catnip seed. Prices on application. EGGS lor Hatching. Bu£E Leghorns. In- dian Games, & Light Brahmae. Choice Birds. A breeder for 30 years. Prices on application JOHN mcAKTHUIt, 881 Tonge Street. - TOKONTO, ONT. 1 5 A 1 1 Maitimi the American Bee Joui-noi. Qei;)eral Itenjs^ The Tinker Hive and Management. On page 100 Mr. Thiry says that he would like to hear ot the success others are hav- ing with the Dr. Tinker hive. I have kept bees for the last 20 years and upward, com- mencing with the standard Langstroth. I became dissatisfied with it, and sent for the Bay State hive, which I now have in use. Three years ago I sent to Dr. Tinker for his hive, and have used that almost exclusively since that time, and I am compelled to say I like it the best ot any hive I have used. My bees have wintered the best in thi.s hive, and I have been enabled to get the most surplus honey in sections. There is one feature, however, about the winter case that I don't like. In adding the second story. I find it exceedingly diftl- cult to take off the second story after it is waxed down. The case is so filled up there isn't room to work. I have not used the single-walled hive that would obviate the difficulty mentioned. I follow Tinker's plan of treatment as laid down in his book. My bees are all in the cellar, and have wintered splendidly. They are all packed in chaff and straw mixed. I leave the pack- ing in the hive until late in June. I do this to keep up a uniform temperature. Until I find something better I will con- tinue the use of the Tinker hive and his method of treatment iu running for comb honey. The American Bee Journal is a most wel- come guest to my home. We take 12 or 1-i different papers, magazines and journals, but the Bee Journal is among the first to be read. Long may it live to bless and en- courage, as well as to enlighten, the api- arists. L. Allen. Loyal, Wis., March 37. [Dr. Tinker's book, referred to by Mr. Allen, can be had at this office for 25 cents; or we will club it with the Bee Journal for a year— both for $1.10.— Editor.] Hives — Foul Brood — Wintering. Hives receive a large percentage of argu- ment. A beginner is at variance to know which to adopt, and well may he be at a loss to choose intelligently among our many very good bee-receptacles. Some say, '• Choose the standard !" I say, experiment on a small scale first, and choose that which is best adapted to your locality. The best hive for a general one is the old Ameri- can hive, cut down to IS^f, inches. This will give a hive ll'.j inches deep, \5}^ wide, and 13 long ; a frame being 11% top- bar and loinch end-bar. Each brood- frame will contain 118.75 square inches, or whole hive 1.1N7.50 square inches, being 10 frames per hive. Such hives have wintered bees successfully for me, either on the sum- mer stands or in-doors, or for cellar-win- tering for the past five years. I have eight colonies outside, and the balance inside, but I can see no material difference in their present condition. The summer of 18fl4 I had a colony which I concluded had every indication of foul brood, and to do a little on the experimen- tal line, in January I withdrew all combs but four, which the bees completely cov- ered. This hive was located on the north side of a building, partly sheltered by a Scotch pine. I raised the hive two inches from the bottom-board, and did likewise with the cover. VV'e had very cold weather until spring, sometimes as low as 12 de- grees below zero, and they were the ones that gave me the largest yield and did not swarm. They were the first to have brood. Yet the strangest of all was that I failed to discover any symptoms ot foul brood the whole of the past summer. The question would naturally be asked, Did, or did not, the foul-brood germs freeze ? The month of March has been one of the severest for many years. The ground 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 253 BUY "DIRECT FROM FACTORY," BEST MIXED PA1NT5 At WHOL.ESA 1.E PKICES, Delivered FKF.E For Houses, Barns, Roots, all colors, and SA\ K Dealers prolits. In use G4 years. Endorsed by Grange & Farmers Alliance. Low prices will surprise you. Write for Samples. 0. W. INGERSOLL, 289 Plymouth St., Brooklyn. N. V. 12 A13 Mentton tr^e. ^merwan Bee Tournai momSmmmS We bave killed hisrh prices. Give me u, trial order and be convinced that, good Queens can be reared lor 50 cts. each. Untested, 50 cts.; Tested, 75 cts. Golden Italians. 3-Bauded I- talians, and Silver-Gray Carniolans, all the same price. Best of References given. C. B. BAIVHSTOIV, 13Atf CHEIESMAN, Burleson Co., TEX. Menttaii the American Bee Jorumvil, %. '*»» 1 -: ' -K f ■ nS? -^ 1 ' ' ' ] i =^ — — ■=^ :^ =3 =d z=z =3 :. & fe & '.^i!^ k^-€ m W^ ^ j\ti RH fe b fe b§ S^ THESURRENDES OF BUFFALO. There are fifty eitr'n hend in Austin Corbin's great parkin New Hampshire. The old bulls have a!v/ays objected to separation, but as usual ""the Page'' won and now divides them into fourherds. Result: Order for4^i miles. 9 ft. fence, close enough to hold foxes. PAGE WOVEN WIRE FENCE CO., Adrian, Mich. » ANSWCflir^G THIS ADveRTlSewe'*' ITIOH THIS JOLiHNAi. We did not know that such Good Cioodii could lie sold so lo\v as the HIGGINSVILLE SUPPLIES just received, We did know th.it Comb Foundation could be sold cheaper, and consequenllv started the reductions, and have just made another. Have you seen it Jet ? \gf~ A 32-page Catalogue of everything you need, tells all about it. :5 W. J. FINCH, Jr., ^'•"',1'lI?^''" Des Moines t fncubat-or Co. Box 78 UesMoiaes.Ia successfulI INCUBATOR X [Our magniticent £ <^fi new cutalogue X ^^ giving full in- 2 ^^:sSf^ formation re- J carding artificial* Hatching & Brooding 2 and treatise on poul- J try raiaiiig sent for 4c S Btamr's. Circular free. J 11 AUt jjjc/itiu/i iftt. ^mci'icaii L>tt, jotrriai. California If you care to know of its Fruits, Flowers Climate or Resources, send for a Sample Copy of California's Favorite Paper— The Pacific Rural Press The leading Horticultural and Agricultural paper of the Pacific Coast. Published weekly, handsomely Illustrated, 12.00 per annum. Sample Copy Free. PACIFIC RURAL PRESS, 220 Market St„ - SAN FRANCISCO. CAL. DCCS, VJUCCIIS, llUClCI coming season', 500 Two-Frame Nuclei, with a Choice Warranted Queen, at $2.50 each. Specliil prices on large orders furnished. LEININGER BROS, 6Etf Ft. .lE.NNiNGs, Ohio. When ANSwERirtG this advertisement, mentioi this journal. covered with snow at this writing, with wind north. Bees are wintering in an ex- cellent condition. We have had excellent rains, and an unusual amount of snow, which, after last summer's drouth, will no doubt give a nectar-flowing season. The farm gentry will hail a wet season with joy and delight. I received 13 and l.") cents for my honey crop, which retails in Battle Creek (our metropolis of this county) for 18 cents per pound Within a radius of three miles are six lakes, with Nottawa river but two miles away. Success to the American Bee Jour- nal. Long may it live. Carson Van Blaricum. Ellis, Mich., March 30. ■Wintering Bees in Vermont. Much has been said about wintering bees, and many methods given. My method is very much like many others. I winter them on the summer stands, in hives called the " Bristol." The hive itself is in a case, so the sun never strikes it. For wintering. I pack sawdust around the hive. I take off the top-board, and lay three or four sticks across the frames, put a cloth over them, and several thicknesses of sacking, then cover with sawdust six or seven inches. The bees can pass freely over the frames. I do not like to have the sun warm up the hives, for it often causes the bees to fly out when the atmosphere is too cold for them, and thus causes the loss of great numbers by being chilled down. I frequently set wide boards in front of the hives in sunny days, to prevent the sun from warming them up to their destruc- tion. When the general temperature is high enough, is soon enough for them to fly. It often happens that the sun warms them so as to start them out when there are cold currents that they will strike in flight, and which chills them many rods away. E. L. HoLijEN. North Clarendon, Vt., March 20. Vaccination. Discussions — moderate and immoderate — have been long, loud and continuous re- garding vaccination, the opposition claim- ing that evil results frem vaccination have far out-weighed its protective influence. And this has been true under certain condi- tions, as, for instance, when the virus (or crust) from some vaccinated person has been used, or a stale point of vaccine-lymph has been inoculated. But it may be ac- cepted as good theory that, beyond ques- tion, nothing has yet been found to protect against the usual ravages of small-pox as fresh, pure vaccine-virus, obtained from the healthy heifers— the animal generally used for the propagation of the virus. It is supposed by many that the matter taken from a baby's vaccinated arm is harmless, and the best, but this is a serious mistake, as its system may be as danger- ously contaminated as that of the parents. 100 State St., Chicago. Dr. Peiro. Calls It a "One-Sided Betrothal." At this late hour I will make an attempt to express myself in regard to the (what seems to me) one-sided betrothal, between the North American Bee-Keepers' Associa- tion and the National Bee-Keepers' Union. It seems that the latter has had a most successful existence now for 11 years, and to-day, under excellent management, stands " cock o' the roost." And to think of it, according to the list before me (the Annual Report for 1895) the total member- ship is 242 1 And a total balance on hand of .$771.29. The only complaint that I have to make is, that the compensation (so exceeding small, and out of proportion to the benefits derived) to our able Manager has not been greater. I suggest to the members (since reading the last Report) that all dues for 1896 be forwarded to our Manager, and pre- POULTRY 40 Standard Breeds Illus- trated «fc fully described in my new Poultry Book. Reliable information for poultrymen & intending buyers. Good stock Duck^ & Geese: also Shetland Ponies. Send 6c in stamps E.H.CQ0E.BOI27. ETmtlej.IU- Mention the American Bee Journal. 4A13t ^ IF YOU WANT THE BEE-BOOK That covers the whole Aplcultural Field more completely than any other published, send »1.25 to Prof. A.J. Cook, Claremont, Calif., for his ■* J Bee-Keeper's Guide. Liberal Discounts to the Trade. NEW MAMMOTH POULTRY GUIDE showing colored plate of chickens in natural colors. Finest book ever pub- lifthed. Almost 100 pages. Tells all abont Poultry for Profit or Pleasure. Price only 15c. JOHN BAUSCHER, JR.. Box 91 Freeport. Ills. 12 A7t Mention the American Bee Journal. Kansas Bee - Keepers ! —SAVE FREIGHT— *iStd"of " Higginsville Bee-Supplies " just received. Get mv Cataloode. IJEITRY L. MlLl-ER, 355 Shawnee Ave , Topeka, Kan. 1 A 1 8 1 Meiition the A merican Bee Journal. COMB FOUNDATION! Wax always wanted for Cash or in E.'ichanfre for Fdn. or other Supplies. My trade Is estal)- llshed on Lotv Prices and the merit of my Foniidailou. Orders filled proiupti}'. ^^WoHKiNO Wax into Fdn, by the Lb. a Specialtv. Wholesale prices to dealers and large eoiisniuers. Send lor Prices and Sam- ples to-GUS Df rXIUEK, AUGUSTA, WIS. tteference— Augusta Bank. lAtf Mention the American Bee Jmumal, JOUR WIFE! / FAUl ! QUAKE ^Do '^ vnim wiirc# YOU LOVE „ Then save her strength, save her health, save { her bt^auty aud . mitke lier happy " by buying her a a LTLESS: ER disk' WASHER. It is a marvel of ] simplicity a nd a woniler for utility. Washes, rinces ' _ dries & polishes d -^ in two minutes. Lasts u lifetime. | It bells quickly. , Everybody Aauls it ^i^aeu they once see it. Agents I ^ make money rapid l.v. Write todp.y for lerms etc. ^ ^The Quaker Novelty Co. Salem, Ohio. ^ 13A4t Please mention the Bee Journal. IIAYPV ^^6 have a large amount of Pure lIUlILl No. 1 Alfalfa we will sell cheap. Vr|?l4 Of those great honej'-producinir plants iSfiEilf —Alfalfa and Cleome or Kocky Moun- tain Honey-Plaut. Alfalfa seed at 7 cts. a lb. Ua«« h(i^ ^«r*inP WJi«TaQted the best, sim- DOSN Ulilj-t^Miiptj plest and quickest Escape on the market. Sent postpaid to any address for 50 eta. It can be returned at our expense if it is not as represented, or we will send the Kscape on trial to any bee-keeper wishing to test it in good faith. We are agents for the Ferguson Patent Hive ^V.^Ilr'aZ'wS^ Gate Honey-Hoard, with the Escape. It is the easiest, quickest hive to handle for the pro- duction of comb lione.v. Address, K. S. liOVESY A: CO., 353 eth East St.. SALT LAKE CITi'. UTAH. MeiUUmtlie American Bef Journal, OAtf 254 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 16 , ^?t YOUNG QUEENS BY RETURN MAIL 3«r From the South. Bred from our hardy straiyi of GRAY CARNIOLANS aud GOL- DEN ITALIANS. Untested Queen, 75 cts.; Tested, SI. 50. If you want a Fine Imported or a Select Tested Breeding-Queen, or Bees by the Pound, Nuclei and Full Colonies, we can furnish you at boffOJJi prices. We never saw Foul Brood or Bee-Paralysis. Satisfacti07i guaranteed. Pmce-List Free. P. A. LOCKHART & CO., Lake George, N. Y. Please mention the American Bee Jourual. 16Etf 4 I 4 f 4 f Buys a "ST. JOE" hive during April only, made up, Sec- tions and Starters, no paint. One only, to new custoincrs, to -.—i sliow you the best hive made. tt^^ Satisfaction guaranteed. Say how to ship, ?rs? and send on your Golden Wyandotte Eggs for hatching, only $1.00 for 13. EMERSOIV T. ABBOTT, ST. JOSEPH, MO. That Gueen-Clipping Device Free ! PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING OFFER : We bave arranged with the inventor of the new Queen-Clipping Device (Mr. Mon- ette), to offer it to our present subscribers as a Premium for getting new subscribers. Send us./'(s( urn- new name for the American Bee Journal a year (with -Sl.OO), and we will mail you the Queen-Clipping Device free of charge. Or, the (Jueen-Clipping Device will be sent postpaid for 50 cts. But why not get it as a Premium by the above offer ? You can't earn .50 cts. any easier. Almost every bee-keeper will want this Device. See page 130 (Feb. 37) for full description of it. Complete directions accompany each one sent out. It is a most ingenious and useful article. Address, GEORGE W. YORK & CO., 118 Michigan St., Chicago, lU. Fruit -Plants Free! ALL CHOICE VARIETIES. No. 1— Eight Snj'der Blackberry Plants. $1.00 No. 2— 50 Asparagus Roots 1.00 No. 3— 6 Fay Proliflc Currants 1.00 No. 4—3 Snyder Blackbery, 20 Asparag's Roots and S Fay Proliflc Currants — 1 00 No. 5—3 Blackcap Gregg Raspberries. 3 Choice Red Raspberries, 12 lo'a Beau- ty Strawberries and 2 Fay Pro. Cur.. 1.00 No. 6—4 Snyder Blackberry, 4 Golden Queen Kaspberrv. 12 Asparagus R'ts and 10 Erie Blackb'ry Root Cuttings. 1.00 No. 7—75 Blackberry Hoot Cuttings 1.00 VinaAinl MVav —Tour choice of any one of opcClal Wlltl the above 7 Numbers for sending us one new subscriber to the Bee Journal for a year at $1.00, and 15 cts. to pay Postage on the Plants. GEORGE W. YORK & CO.. - CHICAGO, ILLS BEES & QUEENS. strong, full Colonies of Italian-Hybrid Bees, in Langstroth 9-trame hives, at $5.00 per col- ony; 5 to 10 colonies, $4.75 each. Special low price on larger orders. Bees are in good con- dition, and are fine honey-gatherers Italian Queens— after May 15— Tested, $1 each; 6 for $5.00; 12 for $9.00. Safe arrival and satisfaction guaranteed. Reference — George W. York it Co. Address, F. «R.\BBE, LTBERTYVILLE. ILL.. 32 ml. northwest of Chicago, on C. M. & St. P. Mention the American ISee Journal. Promptness Is What Counts ! Honey-Jars. Shipping-Cases, and every- I thing that bee-keepers use. Root's Goods at Kuot's Prices, and the I best shipping point in the country. Dealer in Honey and Beeswax. Cata- H;::;;::::.„. Walters. Ponder INDIANAPOLIS. IND. Mention the American Bee JoumaZ. The Patent Wood-Veneer Foundation. Bee-keepers should give it a test, and my AU- Wai Foundation. 1 wlU guarantee there is no better made, as six years ago I discarded the old way of dipping lor wax sheets, and a new invention of my own was discovered, which enables me to make the toughest kind of Foundation; also, no acid used to purify the Beeswax, and It preserves the smell of honey, which is more acceptable to the bees Now Is the the time to send wax and have it worked up at low prices. Selid for Samples and Cata- log with low prices. Wax wanted at 31c cash, or 33c trade, delivered. AUG. WEISS, Hortouvllle, Wis. 12A13t Please mention the Bee Journal. For Sale 50 Colonies of Bees, in Lang- stroth 10-frame hives. Will deliver on cars here, at $3.50 each. J. \¥. HOWELI., 15A7t KENTON, TENN. IHe^Uion the A merican Bee Journal. Honey-Clovers & Biickwlieat SEED FOR SALE. We have made arrangements so that we can furnish seed of several of the Clovers and Japanese Buckwheat, by freight or ex- press, at the following prices, cash with order: 5a> lOB) 259) 50ft AlslkeClover $.70 $1.25 $3.00 $5.75 SweetClover 75 1.40 ;!.25 6.00 WhiteClover 1.25 2.00 4.50 8.00 Alfalfa Clover. ... .65 1.10 2.70 5.00 Crimson Clover 55 .90 2.00 3.50 Jap. Buckwheat.. . .20 .35 .90 1.25 Prices subject to market changes. Add 25 cents to your order, tor cartage, if wanted by freight. Your orders ai'e solicited. GEORGE "W. YORK & CO., CHJCAGO, ILLS. -FIRST-CLASS BEE-SUPPLIES- at Rook-Bottom Prices. Seud for Catalog to \V. J. STAHMANN, 14A4t WEAVER, MINN. Mention the Anierican Bee Journal, sented to him as a slight token of our ap- preciation of his services. He mentioned that bard times are on us. 'Tis true. We all expected to pay our dues (and I hold a receipt for mine for 1896), and while Mr. Newman has, in his generous way. not forgotten our welfare, in his un- selfishness he is entirely left out. This sug- gestion is not offered through a feeling of personal friendship, for Mr. N. is a stranger to me, except what I have seen in print. Now, I am not intending any discourtesy to any member of our sister association, in regard to amalgamation, and do not wish to stand on record as an obstructionist, yet I believe I know a good thing when I see it in the National Bee-Keepers' Union, and I. am decidedly in favor of "letting well enough alone;" and if any one, or any number of bee-keepers, wish to avail them- selves of the benefits to be derived from membership, let them walk up and pay their .$1.00 like the rest of us, and not tack onto members who do not wish it, the ex- pense of expensive meetings. The Union was organized for a purpose, and has most decidedly gained its object, and there is work for it in the future. Los Angeles, Calif. G. A. Millard. That Foul Brood Report. It is seldom that I read an article on the subject of foul brood. Of the thousands of reports and remedies for said reported dis- ease, I think I have not read a half dozen during the last ten years, having usually passed by such articles as unworthy of no- tice. But in accidentally reading what was said about this dispute between McEvoy and Rev. Clarke at the Ontario convention, that wonderful infection as reported ar- rested my attention. Is it possible that more than one-third of the apiaries of Can- ada are thus rotten and foul ? Now if one- tenth of this be true, ought not Canadian bee-keepers begin to search for some under- lying cause of all this infection ? Is it not possible — yea. probable — that an inspector himself may spread the disease and carry the contagion on his person, from diseased apiaries to those that are healthy ? This is one of the reasons I have opposed the in- troduction of Bills into the legislatures, providing for " foul brood inspectors." I predict that "foul brood" will go on increasing in Ontario under the present method of eradication. Will the bee-keep- ers up there be patient enough to await the fulfillment of my prophecy ? Updegraff, Iowa. W. P. Fatlor. The Season of 1895. A year ago last fall I had 8 colonies, not very strong in bees, nor abundant in stores. In February there were a few nice days, and I examined them and thought they had not enough to last through the spring, so I fed each of them about 21., pounds of gran- ulated sugar syrup. Through March I gave them about 34 pound per day each. On April 5 I procured from New Orleans 16 frames of brood and bees (supposed to con- tain 60,000 to SO.OOO bees), and these I divided amongst the 8 colonies. On May 1 the hives were full, and I esti- mated that I had at that time about 500,000 bees. Now, as a bee will store about one tea-spoonful of honey in a season, and as two spoonfuls make an ounce, according to the figures and measures (and they won't lie), I calculated that I would have 2.56,000 ounces, or 15,000 pounds of honey. But to make a sure estimate, and to allow for all contingencies, I threw ofT 14.000 pounds, and concluded that I would be satisfied if I got 1.000 pounds of clear, pure honey. I will give some of the circumstances and surroundings, and the reader can judge if I was foolish in my expectations. The spring was very favorable, and my bees had a large bed of crocus, hyacinths, and a great many willow trees to go to work on very early. They were near a 75- acre woods filled with maple, chestnut, sassafras, dogwood and wild flowers, and several orchards of fruit-trees on a lOS-acre 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 255 farm, all of which, except the woods, is laid out in lawns, pastures and gardens. The lawns are filled with white, and the pastures with red clover, the fences are covered with honey-suckles. Some fields are surrounded with an old hedge (miles of it) grown up with raspberries, blackberries, sassafras trees, poison-ivy vines, catnip and thistle full of bloom. Within a mile of the bees are any amount of wild-cherry trees. thousands of locusts, and good basswood and flowering poplars; also lots of sumac, golden-rod. milkweed, wild asters, smart- weed and Spanish-needle; a field of scarlet clover, and two fields of Alsike clover. All this is situated in the middle of a neck of land betvreen the two Shrewsbury rivers in Monmouth county, N. J. This whole neck of land is covered with fine summer residences, and most of the ground given to pasture, orchards, lawns, shrubbery, gardens, and flowering plants. To all this, for two or three miles in either direction, my bees have free access, without any other bees to hinder, molest or make afraid — except one small apiary of about 25 or 30 colonies, which is one mile away. The only thing I can think of that my bees have not, is sweet clover and buckwheat. I had thought there were tons and tons of honey or sweet nectar going to waste in this locality for the want of bees to gather it. I bought a new honey-extractor, and the last of June I thought I would take a little honey, so that we could have some for the Fourth of July. I took about 100 pounds each of comb and extracted honey, and thought the bees would soon flU up the sec tion-cases again. But. alasl for my 1,(100 pounds— I was unable to take any more honey. I examined them time after time for more, but each time they appeared to have less than they had in June, until I was finally afraid I would have to feed to keep them alive. Towards fall they picked up a little, and on Oct. 1 I thought they had about 10 pounds each. I fed them about 1.5 pounds each, of sugar syrup. I lost no colony of bees during the year, but increased to 13 : I think I could have increased to 40, but I did not desire in- crease. I doubled up 4 colonies, which left 10 to winter. I put on the cushions and protected them for the winter. I keep Ital- ian bees in 8 -frame Langstroth chaff hives, and winter them on the summer stands. As I live about 40 miles from my apiary, I think I shall not disturb them until about May 1. I. N. Hoagland. Brooklyn, N. Y. An Open Letter to Dr. Miller. Dear Dr. Miller; — I have just been reading page 211 of the American Bee Jour- nal (which has just come to hand), and your talk to J. H, Martin is somewhat of a surprise to me. Therefore, "I smole a quiet smile, and said to myself, "Wonder what the Doctor is up to, anyhow." Then I thought the good Doctor is always com- municative, why not ask him ? So, Doctor, here are a few questions I would like to have you answer, that "we" readers of the American Bee Journal may be able to understand you (and ourselves) better. Please do not say " I don't know " to these questions, lest we lose our confidence in your ability: Why do you object to California honey coming to the Chicago market ; I never heard you make such objections years ago when we were getting from 25 to 30 cents a pound for our honey. Is it because you think California honey has been the means of bringing the price of that we produce from 25 cents a pound down to 10 ? Or is it because you think your honey and that pro- duced in the State of Illinois is of better quality, and gives the Chicagoans better health ? Hey, Doctor ? If neither of these, is it because you think that there is honey enough produced in the United States, out- side of California, to supply ceo-;/ inuittli which " waters " for honey in the Nation ? If so, should those California bee-keepers go out of the honey-producing business, that you and I can have a monopoly of the honey-trade ? Then, Doctor, have not you and I been trying all these years to educate those California bee-keepers how to pro- duce honey, through our articles, and by answering their questions ? If so, what do you think Christ would say of us if we are not just as willing they should enjoy our markets as we have been that the world should enjoy and he helped by the mite we could contribute toward advanced bee-cul- ture ? Say, Doctor, what is the reason there are so many mouths wateringfor honey to-day, and unable to get it, while you and I growl at the low prices we receive for our pro- duct ? scarcely one-third the price we formerly obtained ! Then, again, why is it that with these one-third prices, and nearly double the population in the United States there was when honey brought 30 cents per pound, hardly as much honey is consumed to-day as there was in the early seventies ? Why are you growling over low prices of honey when a pound of your honey will buy as much wheat, buckwheat, potatoes or land as it ever would ? I have many more questions I would like to ask you along these lines, but fearing I may weary you. and knowing what a host of questions means to an over-worked bee- keeper, I will leave the rest till some other time. I am not trying to "catch" you with these questions. The proper answer to them is of vital importance to every apiarist in the land. G. M. Doolittle. Borodino, N. Y. Bees Storing: Surplus Honey. My bees are doing well, having com- menced storing surplus. If the weather is good, I look for them to swarm about April 10. M. P. Smith. Tobin, Calif., March 20. Dr. Gallup a Bee-Keeper Again. I have picked up and divided, so I now have 5 colonies of bees. I received a queen as a present March 29. from W. P. Crossman. of Texas, and who knows but Gallup will yet become a bee-keeper ? There is every prospect of a good season here. Bees began swarming March 15, and all reports are that bees are in excellent condition. Dr. E. Gallup. Santa Ana. Calif.. March 31. A Correction. The latter part of the last paragraph of my contribution, on page 210, should read thus: "Does not that show that the withdrawal of brood has increased the amount of larval food needed and decreased the supply, and therefore there is no more surplus to put in the construction of queen-cells." It is needless to say that I do not mean that the larval food is used in the construc- tion of queen-cell as material, but that the young bees construct queen-cells when they have a surplus of larval cells to dispose of. Knoxville, Tenn. Adrian Getaz. Birdlime for Mr. Pringle's Bats. On page 202, Mr. Pringle asks for infor- mation to get rid of his rats. If they are of the rodent species, let him first cover the ground with leaves or soft grass — the grass is the best; then sprinkle birdlime all over it, and wait results. Birdlime acts as a glue; it will stick to their feet, and as they try to get it off, more gets on ; and as the rat gets scared, it will either leave altogether, or will be un- able to leave the floor, and can be killed. I will guarantee this to work. If not. I will eat all that is left, providing he sends them to me, charges paid ; and I am no Chinaman. E. C. Culbekt. Tarentum, Pa. Honey & Beeswai Market Quotations. CAICAGO. III.. Apr. 11.— We quote: Fancy white comb, J5c.; ordinary white. 12®13c.; faucy iimber, 10@llc.: amber and dark. 7@ 9o, Exlracted, white, 5@7c.; amber and dark, 4@5c. Beeswax, yellow, 30c. The season for sale of comb honey is now at a close, and only a case or so will be taken for colds, and by enthusiasts on honey as a food (of whom there are too few). R. A. B. & Co. CINCINNATI. O., Apr. 8.— Demand is good for choice white comb honey, at 12@14c.. aud slow for e.xtracted. at 4@7c. on arrival. Beeswax is in g-ood demand at 25@30c. for good to choice yellow. C. F. M. & S. KANSAS CITY, Mo.. Apr. 9.— The demand for comb and extracted is fair. We quote: No. 1 white, 1-lbs.. 13@14c.; No. 2. ll@12c.; No. 1 amber, 10@12c.; No. 2. 8@10c. Ex- tracted, white, 6@6!4c.; amber. 5@5!4c. Beeswax, 22@2.5c. C. C. C. & Co. PHILADELPHIA. Pa.. April 4.— The de- mand is falling off very rapidly for comb honey, and prices are decidedly lower. Ex- tracted seems to be shipped in from all quar- ters. We quote: Fancy comb, lie; fair to good, 7 -4090. Extracted, 4(850. Beeswax, 30c. W. A. S. NEW YORK. N. Y.. Mar. 23.— There iaafalr demand for white comb honey, and the mar- ket is well cleaned up. We have another car now in transit from California. We quote same: 12@14c. Plenty of buckwheat comb is on the market, and same is moving off slowly at 8c. Extracted, all grades, dull, at unchanged prices. Beeswax Arm at 30@31c. H. B. & S. List of Honey and Beeswax Dealers. Most of whom Quote In this Journal. Cblcago, Ills. R. A. BUBNETT & Co.. 163 South Water Street. New York, N. Y. HiLDRETH Bros. & Segelken. 120 & 122 West Broadway. Chas. Israel & Bros., 486 Canal St. Kansas City, Mo. C. C. Clemoms & Co., 423 Walnut St. Bufialo, N. Y. BattbbsON & Co.. 167 & 169 Scott St. Hamilton, Ills. Chas. Dadant & Son. Plilladelptala, Pa. Wm. a. Selser, 10 Vine St. Cincinnati, Oblo. C. F. MniH & Son. cor. Freeman & Central avs. Excites Admiration. Rutland Co.. Vt.. Feb. 6th. 1896. Mr. O. W. Ingersoll— Dear Sir : I painted my house with your Indestructible Paint, and it excites the admiration of all who see it. Your paint is all that is claimed for it. Yours very truly, A. S. B.\ker. See adv. IngersoU's Liquid Rubber Paints. ConTentlon Notices. Illinois.— The spring meeting of the Nor- thern Illinois Bee-Keepers' Association will be held at the home of Mr. O. J. Cummings. in Guilford, on May 19. 1896. Come, and bring your wives and friends interested in bees. New Milford. Ills. B, Kennedy. Sec. Connecticut.— The annual meeting of the Connecticut Bee-Keepers' Association will be held at the Capitol In Hartford. Wednesday. April 29. beginning at 10:30 a.m. Free to all. Mrs. W. E. Kiley, Sec. Waterbury, Conn. Cheap for Cash-ITALIAN BEES In 10-framo Lsizc 9;bx1755] hive, $4. Italian Queens, $1.50. Address. OTTO KliEINOW, 122 Military Avenue, Detroit, Mich. 12E3t Please mention the Bee Journal. 256 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 16. 1896. Bottom Prices BRINO VS BIO TRADE. OOOD GOODS KEEP IT. It you want the best supplies that can be made at a little less cost than you can buy the same goods for elsewhere, write to us for low prices. 189tj Catalogue now ready —ask for It and a tree copy of Tlie Ameri- can Bee-Keeper (36 pages). Address, THE W.T. FALCONER MFG. CO., JAMESTOWN, N. T. Mention the American Bee Journal. INCUBATORS! Our leOpape.finelyillustrated I Combined Poultry Guide and ^ CataloKue will tell you what you t wish to know about • PROFITS IN poultry' _ We manufacture a complete line of Incubators,] ? Brooders and Poultry Appliances. Guide andOata-J ^ logue 10c. (stamps or siWer) Worth one Dollar.- ? Keliahle Incubator ^& Broodfl^r^Co^^ Jjninrj^^ Ills. j 38E15t Please mention this Journal. K VUds si, Prices Reduced on Dovetail Ives and Sections. A full line Apiarian Supplies in stock to till orders promptly at lowest prices for Best Goods. 3(>-|ia!;e Catalocne Free. IZZ] JNO. NKBKL. A: SON, HigU Hill, Mo. Jk«7n//{on tti« A-nuriA'^n Bee Journal. 4 A 2 6 1 I AEISE fpo SAY to the readers X of the BEE JOURNAL that DOOLITTLE has concloded to eel I -BEES and QUEENS- In tbelr eeason, during 1896, at thefollowins prices ; One Colony of Italians on 9 Gallup frames, in linht shippinn-box $6 00 Five Colonies 125 00 Ten Colonies 45 00 1 untested queen, i oo 6 " queens 5 50 12 " " 1000 1 tested Queen... |i 5n 3 " Queens . 3 50 1 select tested queen 2 txi 3 " " Queens 4 CO Select tested queen, previous season's rearinK.. 4 oo Bxtra Selected for breeding, the vert best.. 5O0 About a Pound of BEES In a Two-frame Nucleua, with any Queen, $2.00 extra. 1^" Circular free, glvlnK full particulars regard lag the Bees and each class of Queens. Address G. M, DOOUTTLE, 12A25t BORODINO. ODOn. Co., N. Y. QUEENS Smokers. Sections . Comb Founciation, Aad all Aplalrun Supplies cheap. Send Tor KKKE atalogue. E. T. FLANAUAN, BelleTllle, III. 6A26t Please mention the Bee Journal. CARLOADS Of Bee-Hives. Sections, Ship- ping-Cases. Comb Foundation, and Everytblng used in the Bee-Industry. I want the name and address of every Bee-Keeper in Ainer. - ica. No reason why you can- not do liuslness with me. I have Cheap Lumber and E.vperieuced Workmen ; a good Water-Power Factory and hnow how to run it. I am supplying Dealers as well as consumers. Why not you? Send for Cata- logues. Quotations, etc. W. H. PUTNAM, IK River Falls, Pierce Co., Wis. 26c Gash Paid for Beeswax! For all the grood, pure yello-w BEESWAX delivered to our office till further notice, we will pay 26 cents per pound, cash ; or 28 cents for whatever part is exchanged for the American Bee Journal, Books or Seed, that we offer. If you want casli promptly for wax, send it on at once. Dark or impure wax not taken at any price. Address plainly, George W. York & Co., 118 Michigan St., Chicago, III. SECTIONS CHEAP! ^ ^ ^ ^ In order to reduce stock we will sell 40,000 4^x4'ix2 40,000 i^^xiU^l 15/16 250,000 4iix4;ixlJi 150,000 4Mx4Jixl?i 80,000 4}ix4iix7-to-ft, Of our No. '2. One-Piece, Open-Top Sections, at the following Mjow Prices: 1,000 for $1.00 ; 3,000 for $2.50 ; 5,000 for $3.75. These Sections are all ot good quality and manufacture, and prices will be maintained for a short time only. G. B. LEWIS CO., W^AXERTOW^N, W^IS. ^^~ Be sure to mention the American Bee Journal ■when you write. _^^ Yea^r DadaHt's Foundation ^^^^ Is still in the lead, for we use all the latest improvements, including the f? NEW WEED PROCESS, f? and still make the best goods. Remember that we do not use any acid to purify our bees- wax, and that is why our Foundation preserves the smell of the honey and is more ac- ceptable to the bees, than any other. It is kept for sale by Year T. H. Strickler, Solomon City, Kansas. (J. K. Hubbara. Fort Wavne. ina. L. Hanasen. Davenport, Iowa. (;. Theilmann, Theilmanton, Minn. E. C. Eaulesfield, Berlin, Wis. E. T. Abbott, St. Joseph, Mc. J. M. Jenkins. Wetumpka, Alabama Jobn Key, East Saginaw, Mich. Vickery Bros., Evansvil^o, Ind, The Jennie Atchley Company, BeevlUe, Texas. C. F. Muth & Son, Cincinnati, Ohio K. Kretchmer. Ked Oak, Iowa. Jos. Nysewander. Des Moines, Iowa. Q. B. Lewis Co.. Watertown, Wis. James Reynolds Elevator Co.. PoughkeepBle. N Y* Louisiana Bee-Keepers' Supply Manufactory, Doualdsonville, La. Page & Lyon. New London, Wis. and many other Dealers. All agree in saying that no goods are better than ours. Those of our customers who formerly bought through Thos. G. Newman can get our Foundation in I'litoag'o^ III., by addressing ii!>i at llW ^licJiig'an Street, We keep no other goods there. We make a specialty of Veils and Veil Stuffs of best quality, cotton and silk. *'LAXGSXROTH OX THE HONEY-BEE "—Revised. Bee-Keepers' Supplies, Smokers. Sections, Tin Pails, etc. Samples ot I'^oiiudatiou and Xulle I-'KKI'] with Circular. Instructions to beginners with Circular. Send us your address. CHAS. DADANT & SON, Meption the American Bee Journa^ HADHLTON, fiancockCo., HiL. I I ^- BED OF STRAWBERRY For Spring was never better— all young Plants. Also have a Big Stock of Ap- _ _ _ _ _ _ pie, T. :uli, IMuiii, Pear and other FRUIT TREES. Catalogue FREE. Write for it. PLEASANT VALLEY NURSERIES, Arthur J. Collins, IWoorestown, N. J. PUNT§ BEAUTIFUL Transparent TOUGH and yet PLIABLE. • NEW -PROCESS WEEDFOCPATION DELIGHTS ALL RECEXT COMPARAIIVE TESTS IX FLORIDA show that the old-process dipped wa.x wlUisag or stretch in the hive nearly five timeslas much as that by the new Weed process. REDUCED Our New Sanded and Polished Sections PRICES and Bee-Hive Material are the Finest Product that money and machinery can turn out. CATALOG FREE. THE A. I. ROOT CO., MEDINA, OHIO. II § Slicliigan St., Chicago, III. Syracuse, IV. Y. 1024 IMissi$!)ip|ti St., St. Paul, Minn. ESTABLISHED •- [OLDEST BEE-PAPER 7*ut>llsbed Weekly* at 9l»00 per annxun. Sample Copy sent on Application, 36th Year. CHICAGO, ILL., APRIL 23, 1896. No. 17. Oi(iril)tff(l y Coutiauiug to Work Toward Comb Honey. BY G. M. DOOLITTLE. As a rule, I do not think it best to call attention to slight mistakes in any article of mine, after they get in print, whether the mistake was made by the " typo" or myself, but the one in my article, on page 193, is of such a character that it should be rectified. The sentence at the bottom of the first column reads : "The next pleasant day more are put out in the same way, and at about the same time, scattering them about as before, but paying no attention as to how near they come to those put out at the same time." The *^ at the same time" should have been before, as bees set out at the same time will mix up on their first flight after being set from the cellar, if set near each other, but if one of these colonies has been out of the cellar 24 hours or more, the bees will not mix, no matter how closely to the first set out, the second one may be placed. With this explanation we will continue the theme of work- ing for conb honey, beginning where we left off on page 19-1. After having reversed the brood-nest, as there given, we wait for about 10 days, when we take a frame of honey from the colony, if the hive contains such, or from the shop, if we have such there and not in the hive ; or if we have no frames of honey anywhere about the premises, we fill combs with sugar syrup, which will answer the same purpose. We now open the hive and separate the brood-nest in the middle, when we insert this comb of honey or sugar syrup in the center of the brood-nest, after which the combs are brought up to comb- space apart all through the hive, and the hive closed. If it should be a comb of sealed honey used for this purpose, the sealing to the cells should be broken by passing a knife flat- wise over the cells, bearing on sufficiently to break the cap- pings to the cells. Most writers cell us to use a feeder when feeding bees in the spring, but after trying all plans of feeding to stimulate brood-rearing, I have never found anything which will begin to equal this plan here given, all things taken into consideration. By the removing of this honey and the queen immediately filling the comb with eggs as soon as the honey is removed, brood-rearing is accelerated to an extent greater than in any other way I know of, while the excitement caused by the same, causes the bees to keep up the proper temperature in the brood-nest, even should a few days of cool weather occur at this time, which is not very liable this late in the season. The great objection to the spreading of the brood, usually placed before the bee-fraternity, is that there is danger of a cold snap occurring just after such a manipulation, which often causes the death of much brood, this being against an increase of bees in time for the honey harvest, rather than favorable to the same. No one should advise the promiscuous spreading of the brood, or an ignorant attempt of the same by any novice, but by a careful, intelligent use of the plan as here given, the prospects of a good yield of comb honey is greatly increased, where the honey-flow we are striving to reach with our laborers commences on or before .Tuly 1st to 10th. If the honey-flow occurs later than this, most colonies, as a rule, will get strong enough in numbers to do good work in the same, if they are " left to their own sweet will." In about 10 days more, the brood-nest is to be reversed again, when, if all has worked well, there will be brood in all but the two extreme outside combs at each side of the hive, and generally some in these; but if not, there soon will be, owing to the full sheets of brood coming next to them. This plan of spreading of the brood has often been called "fussy," and too much work is attributed to it, but from 25 years' ex- perience with what is outlined above, I am prepared to say that no work with the bees pays as well in comb honey as a judicious use of this plan. It will be noted that no hive need be opened more than three times previous to the honey har- vest, while the doing of this practically insures to us the laborers for the harvest, juH in time for the harvest; and the having of the laborers just in time for the harvest is the one great secret of successful comb-honey production. Failing in this point — of securing the laborers in time for the harvest — the flowers will bloom in vain for us, and empty sections be the greeting we shall have after the harvest (we might have had) is over. In all of the operations with bees in the spring of the year or early part of the summer, the top of the hive should be closed as tightly as possible, the quilt, if you use one, be tucked down as neatly as possible, so that the warm air gen- erated by the bees shall be continually escaping from the hive through the cracks left open, for u'armth in the hive and clus- ter is another of the great essentials toward securing the laborers in time for the honey harvest, for brood-rearing can- not go on to its greatest degree unless the temperature inside the cluster can be steadily maintained at from 92- to 98° above zero, as I have proven by several tests with a self-regis- tering thermometer. Then, each bive should be provided with a wide alighting- board, reaching from the hive-entrance to the ground, so that bees coming home heavily loaded with pollen and partially chilled on cool, windy days, when the sun is partially shaded by clouds, may not fall under the hive by missing the entrance to the hive, and die from cold when being so near home. I have seen hundreds of dead bees under hives set on stakes a little up from the ground with no suitable alighting-board, each bee having its pollen-baskets filled with pollen. Each old bee is worth, at this season of the year, 500 after the honey harvest is over, hence we should look well to all of the little things which, at this time of the year, tend toward our success in the immediate future. Borodino, N. Y. Apiaries in Suuny, Sheltered Places. BY GEO. J. VANDEVORD. I read Mr. Davenport's article, on "Locating Apiaries in Sheltered Places " (page 82), with much interest, and after reading that he would like to have others give their experi- ence along this line, I thought perhaps my own experience might be of some little interest and value to others, though it does not coincide with very much that I have read, but unless I am mistaken in the conditions prevailing in Mr. Davenport's 258 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 23, apiary, his experience, so far as he states it, tallies exactly with mine. Prom the results described by Mr. D., I should judge that his hives were ail single-walled, and also without paclfing at the top, for my experience has been that a sunny, sheltered place is a very poor place to attempt to "spring" bees that are housed in single-walled hives, but on the contrary, it is tlie place, par excellence, to locate an apiary where chaff hives or packing are used ; as (in my opinion) they ought to be used in all northern localities, and in some that do not claim to be very northern, too, and even though the bees are wintered in the cellar. Such hives, in such a location, very soon make up the cost of the packing, if the honey-flow amounts to any- thing before basswood, though where the main flow is from basswood and fall flowers, and no increase is desired, much of the importance of a " sunny location " vanishes. I have an apiary located on a rather steep bank of a ravine, facing the south and southwest, extra-well protected from winds from almost any direction, where a few hours' sunshine on fine days in the winter cleans away the snow in quick order, and leaves a dry footing for the bees to alight on, should they fly during the winter (I winter bees outside) ; and I find after trying no packing at all, packing lightly, and packing extra heavily, that the bees that are best protected from the heat of the sun's rays beating directly on their hives, winter the best, spring the best, and consume the least stores in reaching their maximum strength in the spring; and more than that, they are far in advance of the average strength of colonies in the same neighborhood that have not the combina- tion of a sunny location and packing. Some of my bee-keeping friends around there believe in sunshine and shelter from winds ; some believe in packing, and some in neither, and I think there is pretty good ground for this apparent difference of opinion found in their different systems of management. Is not this " sunshine and shelter theory " a tradition handed down to us from the days of box-hives, when the combs ran " criss-cross " in the hives, and gave the bees a protection from sudden changes of temperature, that the orderly method of modern movable frames does not allow? and do not many of us accept this old maxim without any modification to suit our changed conditions? Occasionally some of the observant ones have ■• kinder wondered " why the bees have spring-dwindled so badly in some "beautiful loca- tion," while they came through a perhaps cold and backward spring without very much loss, in another apiary near by that was considerably exposed to all kinds of weather. I noticed that my bees seemed to have a pretty tough time of it in getting through the spring in decent condition, when I first began bee-keeping there, as I used to clear away the packing pretty early in the season "to let the sun get at them and warm them up;" but after keeping bees for a year or two, and learning more of their habits, and the detriment it was to them to be continually disturbing them, or causing them to take useless flights, it struck me that that was the very thing the sun was doing nearly every day, for a month before there was much pollen or honey to be secured ; and that it was rather unreasonable to clear away the packing be- fore there was plenty of both pollen and honey coming in, and since then I have found minor reasons why it is advis- able to keep bees packed nearly if not the whole year through, the two chief of which are, the steady and more certain in- crease of brood (no check ever occurring from a rapid lower- ing of the temperature outside), and the better and cheaper work done in comb-building and capping honey right out to the corners of frames and sections. On the other hand, if I had decided, from any reasons, that it suited my purpose to run a certain apiary in single- walled hives, I would choose a place where the wind got all around the hives ; and I would put them where the sun had to raise the temperature for miles around at the same time that it warmed the hives, for then there would have to be a pretty general rise in the temperature before the bees inside the hives felt the influence of the sun to any very great ex- tent, and thus no harm would be done like there would if these same single-walled hives were put in a place that, be- cause of its shelter, allowed the sun to raise the temperature very rapidly on every fine day, and did not allow the wind to circulate freely over and around the sun-heated surfaces of the hives. These frequent warmings up, and the general jubilee that always accompanies them, are a very positive detriment to the bees, causing loss of vitality, and an unnecessary consumption of stores, without any corresponding gain ; so that when the hard labor of pollen and honey gathering in the spring really commences, the remaining bees are practically old and feeble, and rapidly "dwindle" away; whereas, had they been located in a sunny, sheltered place, and protected by packing from these short periods of warm sunshine, so that when they were induced to fly the average temperature outside their sunny location would not be too low for them to withstand, and inside their shelter it is so much warmer that once the bees are aroused, the air they will at once begin to fan out of their hives is replaced by air fully as warm, which materially assists them in maintaining and increasing the heat of the contents of the hive ; and where these congenial surroundings exist, bees from these hives will be found to have enough vitality and bee-sense to " make for " their sunny home at any lowering of the temperature outside the shelter. They will not as quickly commence to rear brood, but they will hold every cell that they do start, and will have their 8 frames chock-full of brood from a few days to a few weeks earlier than those in single-walled hives in any location, sheltered or otherwise ; and if they started the season with the same amount of stores as those in single-walled hives, they will have consumed less at the commencement of the honey har- vest, though they will have a larger force of more vigorous bees. More vigorous, because at no time in their development have they been subjected to any serious " cooling off," or any stint in food-supply because any of them happened to be left outside the cluster on a cold night. CZILJ This so far is not theory, but my experience in the apiary, and from this it will be seen why I think we cannot afford to do without packing, and how I think we can get the benefit of the great advantage that a sunny, sheltered location may be to any apiary. Rudyard, Mich. Cellar-Winteriug— The Apiarian Outlook. BV MK8. L. C. AXTKLL. We put out our 83 colonies of bees (that we had in the cellar) half of them March 10, and the rest on the 26th. All were alive but one, and it seemed to have had laying-workers, from the appearance of the brood. They fly as if they were very strong and in good condition. The 40 wintered out-of- doors also fly as if in good coudition. Probably when we ex- amine them all through, we will find some that are weak, as is always the case, but now as they fly on warm days they will fill the air like they do in swarming-time. We took up less dead bees from the cellar than usual. We try to sweep all dead bees up that fall on the bottom of the cellar, about once in two or three weeks — not longer — as we think it must be very unhealthy for us to breathe the cellar- air tainted with dead bees. I do not think all people who winter bees in the cellar are as careful as they ought to be, to remove the dead bees often. Although in the cellar, yet the cellar-air permeates the living-rooms above more than we think. One winter we left our bees for one month shut up in the cellar while we were away on a visit. The living-rooms were not opened much while we were gone, yet we had a neighbor throw open the cellar-doors on all warm nights while we were gone. When we came home, the rooms above the cellar were very damp, the windows were frosty, clothing in a closet in the center of the house over the cellar was not fit to wear un- til dried, and yet the cellar was plastered overhead. We had then about 125 colonies in the cellar. Some years ago I remember calling on a bee-keeper one spring, in April, I think. They had not yet taken their bees from the cellar. As soon as I went into the house the bad cellar-smell met me. I noticed it immediately. It struck me that it smelled like a corpse. The man and his wife were in poor health. I do not remember how about the health of the children, but the wife died in a year or so. I do feel we ought to be careful to remove all dead bees from the cellar quite often, and then there will remain many under the hives and in places we cannot reach, so we ought to air the rooms above every day as much as possible, and some rooms ought to have a window raised night and day. What is true of dead bees is true of all impurities in cellar or house. Decaying vegetables, dusty carpets, moldy wall- paper, etc., will tell upon the health of the family. THE OUTLOOK FOB BEK-KEEPING. It has been the editors of bee-papers that have kept bee- keeping from shipwreck, by gathering up everything possible pertaining to the best interest of bee-keeping, and putting it in a shape so we can learn how to make the most of our bees with the least possible labor, and, indeed, that is the secret of success everywhere— to get the most ive can out of our labor. I think no one should embark in bee-keeping expecting to 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 259 make a living solely from that pursuit. In years past it has paid, but seasons have changed, the ground is much drier than in former years — vire know this by all farmers having to dig their wells deeper ; the almost entire tile-draining of every low and swampy piece of land, and putting in some kinds of grain that bear no honey-producing flowers, and destroying the wild flowers that produced honey. (I speak of the condi- tion of things in this neighborhood and surrounding country.) But this condition of dry weather cannot go on much longer, or all crops, too, will be cut short. I believe as soon as we have plenty of rain, as in former years, until the ground is thoroughly soaked, we will have honey-producing flowers and good honey-flows. What we need is courage to hold on to our bees, and not let them run out or dwindle down to poor colonies, as it is less expense to take care of good colonies than it is to care for poor ones ; and then if there is any honey, the good colonies will be sure to hunt it up. We need to learn how to keep bees in good condition at all times. It is not safe to weaken one colony to build up others, or to let bees swarm more than once; often, then, it is the most profitable to put the swarm back, and only take away one or two combs of brood, so as not to greatly weaken the colony, using the brood to build up other colonies that may not be in the best of condition. If we let our colonies become weakened, they so often do not become strong enough to fill their hives for win- ter ; in that case the colony itself is too weak to winter well, and we have to resort to fall feeding, which all bee-keepers ought to dread, as it takes the poetry out of bee-keeping, and the money out of the purse, especially if we didn't have a honey-flow in the forepart of the season. Roseville, III., March 23. Some Subjects Reviewed and Commented Upon BY DR. C. C. MILLER. Going Into Hives.— I confess to some degree of surprise on finding, by reading page 212, that Mr. Hutchinson des- cribes exactly the kind and amount of handling that my bees get in the spring — seeing that they have a good queen and plenty of stores, and taking brood from weaklings to strength- en others. The only modification — and perhaps he does the same thing — is that the brood taken from the weaklings is given to those that are fairly strong but not quite up to the mark, and that I see that every queen is clipped. Now if I am not mistaken he has very lately written something to the effect that it is not necessary to take the honey-boards off hives more than once in three years. Mr. Hutchinson, will you please arise and explain ? Amalgamation. — I'm not so set on amalgamation that all the light will go out of my life if it is not accomplished. And if a majority of the members of the Bee-Keepers' Union vote against it I shall be quite satisfied. As a member of the Union from the first, and as one of its officers, I am anxious for its continued success, and on that account in favor of amalgama- tion. On page 221, Wm. L. Backensto thinks the combination of business with pleasure will not be the same here as in Ger- many, because government controls things there and anything against the interest of bee-keepers is promptly brought to pun- ishment, " while over here hell-hounds can do these things [or attempt to, at least] and escape punishment." My reading has not brought me to any such view. Very much complaint is made in the German bee-journals as to adulteration of honey, and adulteration of beeswax is probably carried there to an ex- tent that has never been dreamed of in this country. Adulter- ated foundation is so common that the advice is given for each one to own his own press so as to be safe from adulteration, and more than 7,000 Rietsche presses are in use. Who is troubled with adulterated foundation in this country ? If there has been auy punishment for it in Germany it has es- caped my attention. Only lately, adulterated beeswax, under the name of "trade-wax," is boldly advertised in Germany. If these things are to be taken as deciding the matter, I see no good reason why we cannot combine business with pleasure here as well as in Germany. I think some of those who are so afraid of the corrupt in- fluence of the North American know very little about what its meetings are for. They have never perhaps been present at such a meeting, and have an impression apparently that the chief, if not the only object, is pleasure. I very much doubt yvhether any one ever attended with pleasure as the chief ob- ject. The thing that brings bee-keepers together at these meetings is profit. You couldn't get a corporal's guard to- gether if they didn't think they would learn something. Mr. Backensto wants to know what benefit those outside the United States would have from membership in the Union. Just the same as those inside. Mr. Backensto seems not to know that the Union is no more limited in its membership than the North American, and if he will just take the trouble to look at its list of members he will see that it takes in Cana- dians as well as members in the States. Like some others, Mr. Backensto persists in looking at things the wrong way, and in thinking that the only effort made is to increase the membership of the North American. On the other hand, will it not increase the membership of the Union if for the same dollar the additional advantage of mem- bership in the North American, whether that belittle or much, can be also had ? Mr. Backensto thinks that if nothing is hitched on to the Union, " it is bound to continue a grand success." Has Mr. Backensto not noticed that the Union is decreasing in num- bers ? It is with the hope that«additional members will be gained, and thus make the Union larger, that I advocate amal- gamation. Now what harm, Mr. Backensto, will the "hitch- ing on " do ? Suppose a man is ready to pay his dollar to join the Union, and you say to him, " We can now do a little better by you than heretofore, and when you've paid your dollar you will also be a member of the North American." Please give us the name of the man who will say in reply to that, " I want to join the Union, but if that also makes me a member of the North American I won't join the Union." Sweet Clover Hat. — In " Personal Mention," page 223, it is said Wm. Stolley has 200 tons of sweet clover hay. I saw the statement from which I suppose that is taken, and if you will look closely, Mr. Editor, I think you will find that he has 200 tons of hay, leaving it uncertain what proportion of it is sweet clover. I wish you'd find out just how much sweet clover hay he has. — [Will Mr. Stolley kindly help us out about this ?— Ed.] Rearing Queens. ^I've been much interested in reading the excellent report of what must have been an excellent con- vention— the Colorado one. I venture a few words to Mr. Aikin. On page 229, you say that if a colony has no brood at all except some fresh-laid eggs, " then you know there will be no building from old or advanced larvaj." That seems entirely reasonable, but after some considerable experience work- ing upon that theory and some careful observation, I am in- clined to say that if you want to make sure of having some queens reared from well-advanced larvte, just leave a strong colony queenless with nothing in the line of brood, but eggs. At first I couldn't understand how it was that when I left nothing but eggs I got not only some excellent queens but a few that were very poor. Bees seem to have a tendency to start fresh cells on successive days, and a few days after start- ing the first queen-cells, if you will watch closely, I think you will find, as I did, that they start queen-cells later from larvae that had been advanced as workers. I'm wondering why you think transferring larvae is a thing only for experts. If you try it once I think you will see that a novice would have no trouble with it. But transferring eggs that you speak of, I should think would be a very different thing. Since writing the above, I find Mr. Rauchfuss, farther on, made the same correction that I have, but it will do no harm to emphasize by repetition. Sometimes I have taken the trou- ble to destroy all the larvie that were not in queen-cells three days after hatching from the egg. That makes a pretty safe thing. That Assessment. — On page 237, Rev. E. T. Abbott pro- tests earnestly against a clause in the New Constitution pro- viding for an assessment. Right you are, Mr. Abbott, and with such a clause I'm sure you're not the only one who will simply stay out. Such a thing has never been practiced or needed in the Union in the past, and why should it be in the future ? Marengo, III. An Interesting Beginning — Numbering Hives. BV L. G. CASH. It may be remembered that I am the crank who took the bee-fever over a year ago, while attending a Farmers' Institute where Mr. E. T. Abbott gave a bee-lecture. It may also be remembered that I rushed into bees rather stronger than Mr. Abbott thought wise, as I was a green hand at the business. Well, here's my experience : "To start with, I bought and traded for 33 colonies of black and hybrid bees in every conceivable shape except in improved hives. There were six or eight log-gums, one or two 260 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 23, cracker-boxes, five in moth-pronf box-hives that were not quite as good as the gums, and the rest were a job-lot mixture. Some of the colonies were about to starve, and I fed thera during warm days in December. I got a supply of 8-frame dovetailed hives in the flat, and during the winter and early spring I put them in shape and painted them. I procured a copy of " Langstroth ou the Honey-Bee," "ABC of Bed-Culture," "Bees and Honey," and "Amateur Bee-Keeper," and took the "old reliable" American Bee Journal. When spring came I got a little impatient, and trans- ferred one colony one warm afternoon ; two days later they were gone — probably robbed. I then waited until fruit-bloom, and tried again, with better success. I transferred all of them, putting them back on the same stands. After I got my hand in, and my nerve up, I could take an old gum or bos- hive from a stand, take it to the honey-house, break it open, take all brood and straight Amb, fasten it in frames, drive in the bees, and have it back on the stand again, and all in -±0 minutes. Out of my 33 colonies I saved 27, spring count. I then sent South for six Italian queens. The first two were lost in introducing, the shipping-cages being the old style, and not self-introducing, t left the cages in two or three days, then opened them up and let the queens out, but the bees were mad, and made short work of them. The balance were in proper cages, but did not arrive until so late that it delayed my Italianizing, so I only got about half of them Italianized. I had but few early swarms, and the late ones I put back into the same hive after cutting out all queen-cells. My bees gathered some honey in June, but very little at any other time. May was a little too showery, and the latter part of the summer and fall were too dry. I got only about 500 pounds of comb honey, and had to feed about 200 pounds of sugar in the fall. One or two colo- nies stored about 50 pounds each in one-pound sections, and then I had to feed them in the fall. Cider-mills, cane-mills, and fruit rotting in the orchards played hob with bees in this section of country, and they went into winter quarters very weak in numbers, and with but little honey. Had I known what I do now regarding the sea- son, I should have taken ofif the supers early in August, and fed a little to stimulate breeding, regardless of the extra amount of sugar necessary for wintering. I began the winter with 31 colonies, and hoped to come out in the spring with about the same as I started in with, spring count. They were wintered on the summer stands, with one of Mr. Abbott's sugar-loaves over each colony, that covered with cloth, and the balance of the super packed with old cloths, carpet, straw, or anything that would hold heat and absorb moisture. If we had any warm, sunshiny days in winter or early spring, I expected to take the covers off the hives and allow the packing in the supers to dry as much as possible, without disturbing the bees. METHOD OF NUMBERING HIVES. My method of numbering hives is to take the nicest, smoothest pieces of broken sections, paint them dark red, then numbers in yellow. I iree patterns of the numbers cut out of oil-pasteboard. Little girls or boys make splendid painters at such work, and it keeps them out of mischief during the long winter evenings. I fasten the numbers onfrontof the hives, with four small wire-nails ()^ inch nails are about the right size), and they can be easily removed by slipping a knife blade under and prying it oflf. I have a small blank book which I carry in my pocket, and keep a record of each hive on a separate page, which helps me to select queen-cells from the beSt colonies, etc,; also to keep a record of the amount of honey taken from each colony, which enables me to place a proper value on any col- ony I may sell. In fact, I keep a record of almost everything connected with the work — things needed for the future as well as what has been done in the past. I leave the numbers on the hives. Although they get mixed up promiscuously in the yard, I can generally tell where any certain number is without hunting. Of course, if I had a large apiary I could not do so. Russellville, Mo. The BIcEvoy Foul Brood Xreatment is given in Dr. Howard's pamphlet ou " Foul Brood ; Its Natural History and Rational Treatment." It is the latest publication on the subject, and should be in the hands of every bee-keeper. Price, 25 cents ; or clubbed with the Bee Journal for one year —both for $1.10. Preservation of Comb and Rendering of Wax. BT HON. R. L. TAYLOB, SupeHnte7ideiit of the Michigaii J^^cpenment Apiary, (Continued from page 2 45.) After the preservation of all comb that promises to be of value as such, there will remain, as intimated at the outset, comb of different descriptions that is of value only for the wax it contains, and still of far too much value for that to excuse its neglect or loss. Conveniences should always be at hand in every apiary for the collection and preservation of all bits that may be trimmed from combs, frames or honey-boards. Such pieces are especially valuable for they are composed almost entirely of wax, and the rendering of them is easy. These and all other comb to be rendered should be kept away from moisture and light until that operation cau conveniently be at- tended to. The rendering of brace and burr combs, and of other comb in which no brood has been reared, since they contain nothing to prevent the wax readily separating from the residue, is a comparatively simple matter, but with that of a comb full of cocoons and bee-bread the case is different, and yet, when the proper course is understood, one knows what to expect, and the operation is not a trying one. For that class of comb from which cocoons are absent, almost any method (except the one often recommended, of tying it up in a bag and then boil- ing it to make the wax exude from the bag) will answer toler- ably well. If one is already provided with an ordinary wax- extractor or with a solar wax-extractor it may well be used, but if I were without both I should hardly be to the expense necessary to procure either. At best, the solar extractor is cumbersome, can be used only about two months in the year, and is of no practical utility in rendering comb containing co- coons. As to the ordinary wax-extractor, the best I can say for it after testing it thoroughly for 10 years or more, is that it does tolerably well what can be done much more quickly and easily with au open vessel. In the absence of extractors, if the comb to be rendered consists entirely of that without cocoons, it may be put on the stove in almost any kind of a vessel that will stand lire, one of tin or copper being preferable to one of iron, on account of the dark color which the latter imparts to the wax, and brought to a " boil," of course, putting in plenty of water before plac- ing the vessel over the fire. When the wax is all thoroughly melted, let it cool, either upon the stove or in as warm a place as possible off the stove. When the wax is cold it may be lift- ed off almost free of foreign matter, and afterwards treated by a further process described later to fit it for market. Everyone who has anything to do with the heating of wax on a stove should be thoroughly impressed with the fact that without unflagging watchfulness the operation is attended with a good deal of danger. Boiling wax is very liable to boil over, in which case it runs at once into the fire-box, takes fire, and almost at once the stove is a mass of flames, and, of course, unless prompt preventive measures are taken, the wax boils over faster and faster, and the house itself runs an extreme risk of destruction. Only a cool, careful person should have charge of such work, and he should never be out of sight of wax boiling, or likely to boil, at least, not until he so thor- oughly understands the details of the process that he knows what, within the possibilities, may happen while he is gone. Boiling wax may be kept from running over in most cases by lifting it with a dipper and pouring it back from a little height, but to meet all emergences adequately, plenty of cold water should always be at hand, with a dipper. Boiling wax is eas- ily controlled by adding cold water. For the rendering of combs containing cocoons, and that without cocoons need not be excluded, I think after trying every imaginable method, except that by the use of steam from a boiler, that there is no process for the average bee- keeper equal to that which I now use. It is as follows : I provide myself with utensils — a rendering-tank or ket- tle, a perforated-tin vessel, such as is used inside the ordinary wax-extractor, and a tin scoop, such as is used by grocers for the purpose of handling sugar, etc. For the first I use a cir- cular tin vessel, 20 inches in height and 24 inches in diame- ter, which is as large as the top of the stove I use in my honey- house will accommodate, but neither the shape nor size is ma- terial, except so far as the amount of work to be done requires. An old wash-boiler would answer well enough for most apia- ries. The utensil of perforated tin is eight inches high and ten in diameter. The scoop I use would hold about a pint, but its very important characteristic is its sharp edge at the mouth, of one thickness of unfolded tin. When ready for the operation, I place the tank, about one-quarter full of water, on the stove in which I make a good 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 261 fire, which, of course, is to be kept up as the necessities of the case may require. More water may be put into the tank at the start if the combs have not been prepared by soaking in water, which it is better to do, as that tends to prevent the cocoons taking up and retaining the wax I think it is an ad- vantage, also, to crumble the combs quite finely, which may be done readily if they have been stored where the tempera- ture is quite low. The comb is then put into the tank, which will accommodate that from about 100 Langstroth frames, or 170 Heddon frames. When the contents of the tank boil, and the wax is all thoroughly melted, it will be found that there is room in the tank for considerable more water. This is now added to the extent of about a pail full, which must be cold and handled with a dipper so that it may be done gently and somewhat gradually. At this point the boiling has ceased and the surface of the lately boiling comb somewhat hardened, so that it retains a considerable part of the added water on the surface. Now I watch it, keeping up a moderate fire. In a few minutes the pure was is seen oozing through the crust and floating away on the water. More water is added now in sufficient quanti- ties to make the rising wax harden so that it may be removed with the hand. This is not a very material part of the opera- tion, but it is utilized because in any case the water must be added. During the adding of the water, which must be to the convenient capacity of the tank, with a little care, about half the wax the comb contains may be removed in this way in an almost purecondition. When sufficient water has at length been added, I let the whole come again to the boiling-point. Then I put the perfor- ated vessel into the mass at the point where the wax appears to be gathering largely, turning it about and working it down until it contains a few inches in depth of the liquid, or I put a weight upon it aud let it settle and stand a few minutes for the wax to gather, then, with the scoop, which must be of a size to work freely inside the perforated-tin can, I dip off the melted wax from the liquid. This is best done by settling the back end of the scoop and letting the surface wax run in over the sharp edge in front, which is depressed so as to get the wax without too much of the water, which is dark, while the wax is transparent. The perforated can is operated in this way in five or six different places more or less according to cir- cumstances when most of the wax will have been removed. There is generally no particular object in working it too close- ly, for, at best, there will be a little of the wax that cannot well be removed. I now let the mass get cold, when the crust of the "ba- gasse" will be found to contain the wax which remains. This is carefully removed and laid aside, to be added to the next " batch" at about the time it first comes to the boiling-point. This process is repeated until all the comb is reduced. A cover is provided for the tank and put in use whenever desira- ble. After this is all accomplished comes the final process for clarifying the wax from the remaining impurities. For this purpose a smaller melting vessel is desirable. I make use of an old wash-boiler. I place the boiler, about half full of water, over the fire and add the wax, or as much thereof as I safely can, and let it melt and boil, Now, while it is very desirable not to let wax boil more than is necessary, on account of the injury done it thereby, yet some boiling is necessary in order to put the impurities in such condition that they will readily settle below the wax. The proper stage is known from the transparency of the wax which may be discovered by lifting a little from time to time in the scoop. When the wax thus raised is clear, I let the fire go down and out. In the mean- time the room is made as hot as possible and kept so. The wax is left on the stove and sometimes the vessel con- taining it is wrapped and covered with several thicknesses of paper. All this for the purpose of retaining the heat so that the wax may be in a liquid state as long as possible to give the impurities plenty of time to settle into the water below. On the same account I am careful not to agitate the wax in any way. If proper care has been taken the wax will remain liquid for several hours, but of course the length of time will vary according to the amount of wax, the size of the vessel and the warmth of the room. When the temperature of the wax falls to about 155^, or, in case no thermometer is at hand, when the first signs of its beginning to harden at the edges appear, I am prepared with tin milk-pans to receive it aud with the scoop to dip the wax. This is done with care, that the refuse below may not be un- necessarily disturbed, and yet, with speed, that the now rapid- ly falling temperature of the wax may not interfere with the completion of the work. All but from half an inch in depth of the wax may be dipped without greatly disturbing the set- tlings, and when it is seen that any of them adhere to the scoop, the dipping is stopped and the rest of the wax is left to harden where it is, when it is lifted out in a cake, and what little refuse adheres to the lower side may be readily scraped off and the whole batch be in good condition for market. In this process the skimming off of such impurities as rise to the surface just as the wax begins to boil should be at- tended to. If the course indicated be familiarized and practiced, it is confidently believed that the rendering of wax will no longer be considered a difficult or a disagreeable operation. — Review. Lapeer, Mich. Sizes and Kinds of Hives — Nou-Swarming Bees BY E. S. L0VK8Y. As so much has been written on the swarming us. non- swarming topic, aud also the best kind or size of hive to in- sure success, I presume many bee-keepers think what few good points obtainable, that would be of material benefit, have been already threshed out, so that there is little besides chaff left. One thing is certain, if all the good points on those questions have been brought out, many of our bee-keep- ers have not practically utilized them. Many have tried, or practiced, a little on an improved hive, or on the non-swarm- ing system, with a determination not to approve or believe in it unless they are compelled to do so. It is useless to expect success from any experiment unless it is followed up with thorough tests. If this is done with a determination to de- velop all the good points, the result will be a success, or proof that success is not obtainable. But some bee-keepers will experiment with one or two colonies of bees to try the non-swarming method, or to test some new hive, or one dif- ferent from what they have been using, then if they don't succeed they jump at the conclusion that there is nothing in it, when, in fact, this would be no test at all of the merits of any hive or any system of managenrent. Of course, we are all aware that location, or the amount of honey-flow, cuts a big figure in experiments of this kind ; in fact, this is more or less correct in experiments of any kind. Some bee-keepers here, the past season, tried what is called the Ferguson pattern of the Langstroth hive. A few bee-keepers got one or two just to try them, and when they happened to be located in t"he center of large lucern fields, as a rule they were a success, while others not so favorably located were not so favorably impressed. Now, as to the merits of different hives : Having used nearly all the different styles of hives in general use for the past ten years, I have about arrived at the conclusion that the best all-purpose hive, or the one that pays me the best, is the 10-frame Langstroth. The 8-frame is all right for comb honey, because in running for comb honey the bees keep the brood-chamber pretty well filled with honey, but in running for extracted honey with a two or three story hive, the queen often fills the bottom story so full of brood that there is not enough honey to winter on, and my bees winter best in a one- story hive. I prefer the 10-frame for an all-purpose hive, and when I get a three-story 10-frame Langstroth hive with 40,000 to 50,000 bees in it, run on the non-swarming method, then I have a colony of bees that pays. They give me greater re- turns for the amount of money invested than anything else would give for a like amount invested. When I went down to St. Louis and the World's Fair, three years ago, the profits from two of my best colonies paid my entire expenses for the trip. A PHENOMENAL COLONY OF BEES. The following is a record of my best colony the past sea- son : They filled up their hive with bees earlier than most of the others, so I took out three frames of brood from thera twice, which I put into empty hives ; these I filled up with frames of honey and foundation, then I moved two other strong colonies and put the two new hives in their place ; the bees returning from the field filled them. In a few days the old colony, A, was teeming over with bees again. I then took three other frames of brood as before, but I also moved the old colony A, and let them furnish the bees to make colony B, but in order not to weaken them too much, and as I owed them six frames of brood that, as I have stated, I took from them in the beginning, I gave them three frames of brood from another hive. A little later I repeated the operation, giving them back the other three frames, but this time I divided them about 11 o'clock, and got an overflow swarm; that is, I again moved the old colony A as before, and they filled the new hive C full. Of course, the bees in hive C started queen-cells, but on the fourth day I put in a queen-cell that 262 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 23, was about ready to hatch. The queen hatched out all right, but the bees would not let her tear down the cells that they were buildinpt, so she swarmed out, taking about half of the bees with her, thus forming swarm D. Later I divided the old colony A, taking out enough brood and bees to make swarm E; this swarm I exhibited at our County Fair, showing the process of building queen-cells. Still later (June 29) the old queen A had the hive full of bees and 14 frames of brood. I then took a new hive and put in it three frames of brood from swarm C ; this I put on the old stand A, and I shook the old queen and all her bees into It. I then divided the 1-t frames of brood belonging to the old queen, putting them into two new hives, and set them on the stands of B and D, letting those swarms furnish bees to the hatching brood, and forming colonies F and G. Now I have seven good, strong colonies of bees, and all of them built up entirely from the old colony A and her increase. I have taken a little over 500 pounds of honey from those seven hives, the old colony A furnishing more than double the amount of any of the others, and each of them gathered enough honey to winter on. Now, if any of our bee-keepers can beat this, or come near to it by natural swarming, they can do more than I can. For the past three years I have tried a few colonies on the natural-swarming plan, with very unsatisfactory results. Some of the new swarms do very well, but some of the old colonies do very little, and they never average half as much any season as the non-swarmers. I have practiced the non-swarming system 11 years with- out a single failure. I mean that the results each year have been satisfactory financially. Of course, we all have a few colonies every year that don't build up or do much. This seems to be one of the questions that we cannot account for. I generally requeen those poor ones by, or before, the last of June, with good results, as a rule. To make a success of dividing or non-swarming, requires some practice. By the non-swarming system we can rear all our queens from the very best stock. It will be seen that in every instance I have reared all the new queens from the old queen A, besides many others for other new swarms. This old queen is three years old, and they have never built a queen-cell in the old colony. Those bees are leather-colored and 4-banded. I have many others as good as those, and none of them ever swarm, as long as they have room or empty space in the hive. I divide as early as it is practicable, then I strengthen them up and give them room. In running for comb honey, I find the Ferguson-Lang- stroth hive, as a rule, easy to get the bees up into the sections before they get too crowded in the brood-chamber. When I want to get the bees into the sections, I smoke them up late in the afternoon, and close the slides from 12 to 24 hours, or until I get them working in the sections. THE 10-FRAME LANGSTBOTH HIVE. There are some points in favor of the old standard 10- frame Langstroth hive : First, it is a good winter hive, holding sufficient stores to last the bees through the winter, and if they are properly packed and ventilated, they will come through all right. In running for comb honey the hive is the right length, breadth and depth to hold 56 sections. I know of no hive with the boxes and frames all of the same size and shape, and that is so well adapted for comb honey as the Langstroth, and if we run out of sections, or if we wish to change and run for ex- tracted honey, the frames and hives will fit as they may be desired ; and if we have strong colonies and a good houoy-flow it Is the best adapted and the best paying hive to run three stories. A deeper hive would not be practicable, and if we use loose bottom-boards we can divide quickly, or Lave the brood and honey in any part of the hive that we may desire. BENEFITS OF COMB FOUNDATION. One reason why my bees always pay well, is because I use considerable fou:idation. I never put an empty frame into a hive. Too many of our bee-keepers do this, but to tell the truth I do not know but that a bee-keeper that never uses foundation should be called a "bee-owner" instead of a "bee- keeper." A long article could be written on the benefits of foundation to bee-keepers. It not only causes the bees to build straight combs, but by a liberal use of foundation the bees will never crowd out the queen, for she will always have room to lay eggs. If we take two colonies of equal strength, and use foundation on one and none on the other, the one having the foundation will gather more than twice as much honey as the other in the same time, as from 2,000 to 3,000 bees can work on a sheet of foundation easier than 200 can work on a bare top-bar. Salt Lake City, Utah. POISONOUS HONEY— DO BEES GATHER IT? "APISVIRUM" in all HONEY. Novice desires the readers of the Bee Journal, who keeps bees where mountain laurel grows, to speak as to the whole- someness of honey gathered from it. He gives a very good description of mountain laurel as it grows hereabouts. It grows in great abundance on the mountains of Pennsylvania ; and the bees work some on it, but not enough to get much surplus from it. I believe the honey has never been known to injure any one here, nor does it seem to have any deleterious effect on the bees. The leaves of the shrub are generally con- ceded to be poisonous. I never knew cows to eat it here, but sheep, left to their own resources too early in the spring, have been known to eat it, and it generally resulted in giving the owner a job of picking the wool off their dead carcasses, too. The blossoms are generally considered to be harmless. The boys, living near enough, gather and sell great quantities of them to the city folks, and I have never heard of any one being poisoned by them. Like Novice, I, too, am somewhat skeptical about poison- ous honey. I would like to see some of the so-called poisonous honey sent to a chemist for a chemical analysis. I have known horses to be made very sick .by being turned into a nice field of clover, and have heard of them even dying from the same cause, but that would not warrant any one in saying that green clover was poisonous. The danger was in the eating to excess of feed to which they were not accustomed. As a matter of fact, there is more or less poison in all honey, as in nearly everything else we eat. The mite of poison that the Author of Nature has compounded with the various things we eat, is as necessary and indispensable to our well-being as any of their other properties. All honey contains more or less Apis vinun, which, as a drug, is a powerful and deadly poison. If we consider the very small amount of this poison that is injected into the body by the sting of a bee, and note the effect on those that are not used to being stung, we may have an idea how powerful this poison really is. When I first began keeping .bees, a sting within two or three inches of the eye was sufficient to nearly close it, and the effect would last for a day or two, but now I am so inoculated with this poison that it has little or no effect. In those days, too, if I ate honey with any degree of excess, a violent pain in my stomach was sure to follow. This, too, passed gradually away on becoming used to honey. Now, if I had not been in- terested in bees, and had bought honey of uncertain source, and had been seized with violent cramps In the stomach shortly after eating it, I might well have been excused for saying and thinking that the honey was poisonous. It is owing to the presence of Apis vlrum in honey that so many people are benefited by its use. The Apis vinirrt makes honey really a medicine for sev- eral diseases. If more honey was used there would be less backache and kidney trouble ; so says Dr. J. M. Wallace, late of Cleveland, Ohio, but now of this city, for whom I have ex- tracted considerable Apis virum. He says it is one of the most potent of drugs in the treatment of kidney diseases and Bright's disease, and many others. He says that the virtue ot Apis virum is becoming better known and appreciated by the medical fraternity, day by day, and that it will be used in much larger quantities in the future than heretofore. I collected and sold considerable Apis virum last season, and have two orders standing now to be filled as soon as pos- sible. I intend to try to work up an extensive trade in Apis virum. I have invented a device for extracting it from the bees without injuring them, and by which I can extract as much in one hour as a small army can do with tweezers. If the readers of the Bee Journal are interested, and want to know more about this department of bee-culture, I will de- scribe it more fully some other time. Ed. Jollet. Franklin, Pa. [Yes, we all want to know how you manage to make the " tail " end of the bee more profitable than its tongue end. But, then, why shouldn't the " business end" be all that its name implies? — Ed.] POISONOUS HONEY FROM IVT. In reference to the article on page 146, about poisonous honey, I can't agree with Novice. Why ? Because I know that bees do collect honey and store surplus from ivy. Why do I call it ivy ? Because I want to make a distinction be- tween what we call mountain laurel and ivy — the bush that bees collect poisonous honey from. I would not have written this if it had not been called for, but bee-men ought not to sell such honey In any form what- 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 263 ever, because it is as sure to make a man sick as he eats it. The hooey in its purity is as clear as spring water, but its taste, when examined closely, will tell a man there is some- thing wrong. It has a strong, bitter taste, which makes it disagreeable. The symptoms of the poisoning are a sickmess in the stomach, a coldness in the top of the head, with cold and hot flashes in the face, and a general stupor ; the sight becomes dim, the skin on the hands, by rubbing, seems to be dead, with a tingling sensation. I want to say right here that this pois- oning is not dangerous in the least — it makes a man vomit well and freely, and when that is said all is said. This sickness doesn't last longer than an hour. The plant is well described in Novice's article, but we mountain people don't call it " laurel." We have laurel, but it is entirely different in its blooming from ivy, as laurel forms balls one year for its blooming the next, and ivy blooms on the new growth each year. I have never seen honey-bees working on laurel bloom. The ivy doesn't secrete nectar every year, nor does it every other year, but say once in ten years, and you will be close onto it. We don't have ivy here limited to 4U acres, but have it by the 1,000 acres. I am not writing this to get up a controversy, but if any reader disputes this, I will send him a sample in the como, if he will send me the cost of something to ship it in, and then pay the express charges ; and if he will eat it, and it doesn't make him think he is trying throw up his sock-heels, I will pay back all charges. My bees are all wintering on this poisonous honey now. We had a general flow of it last year. I extracted some 300 or 400 pounds of it, and just quit, knowing I did not want it, and knew that the bees would need it this winter. Mr. A. I. Root, in his " A B C of Bee-Culture," is correct. If he had come out plain, and said it was a fact, he would have been correct. Novice, in his second paragraph, seems to be solid in his opinion, and it may be true that ivy, in his place, doesn't secrete nectar, but I know it does here along the mountains of East Tennessee, but not often. In his third paragraph he says he doesn't know whether there are two varieties or not, and that cows will eat the leaves. That is correct, and it will poison them, too. I will say at a venture, there are two varieties, but we call your mountain laurel, "ivy," and have a "laurel" which is en- tirely different, only they are both evergreens. I don't want any one to believe a lie, and if any one doubts my statements, I will refer to Sam Wilson and R. A. Shultz, both of Crosby, Tenn. I will also send samples of honey as above stated. Wm. Webb. Sutton, Tenn., March 12. PARTICULARS OP THE CASE OF HONEY- POISONING. On page 825 (1895), under the heading of "Honey from Mountain Laurel," appears an item that I have anxiously hoped would be thoroughly discussed by some of our bright lights in bee-lore, as I think it one of vital importance to the honey-producer, especially in this section where the case oc- curred. It makes no difference to meat present, as I am only " in it" to have something to draw my mind from the cares and worries of office work, but in my dozen or more of hives I find a real enjoyment, that I can get nowhere else, and which I find very beneficial. But I could not let go unnoticed the harsh and unreasonable things said by the ignorant about the bees and their product. But I fear it has had a bad effect on the honey-business in this locality, almost every oue being afraid to use it unless they know it to be all right. I am personally acquainted with Mr. Chambers, and I can assure you that the case is not overdrawn by the imagina- tion of any one, as you will see from the enclosed letter from Dr. Elmer, the attending physician, which gives a clear state- ment of the case. I also send a clipping from the daily paper containing the report of Dr. Wormley, who analyzed a portion of the box of honey used, and if you can get any satisfaction as to just what kind of poison he found, I cannot; he claims to have found it in the solid part. Now that means the comb. Have we any record of the bees making poisonous comb '? He found uone in the honey proper; then how could it come from " mountain laurel ?" The honey came from Prof. A. J. Rider's cranberry farm — perhaps he could tell of some treatment the comb had been put to, to preserve it from the previous season. Strange to say, this is the only case. I tried to get a sample, but none would they let go. A dollar a box would get none. Had I obtained a sample, I should have forwarded it to Prof. Cook. I may be wrong, but I do not " go much " on that analysis as made by Dr. Wormley. I do not think him practical enough to analyze honey so as to do justice to the bees. Do any of our bee-keepers know of similar cases ? If so, let us have it talked over ; it will be of far more benefit than to know whether there will be non-swarming bees, or some other things that are sometimes discussed in our papers. Trenton, N. J. Geo. B. Hurley. [The letter from Dr. Elmer, referred to by Mr. Hurley in the foregoing, reads as follows : — Ed.] Mr. Geo. B. Hurley— .Vy D&ir Sir: — In reply to your request for the symptoms of the poisoning by honey in the cases of Mr. and Mrs. John S. Chambers, as alluded to in the American Bee Journal of Dec. 28, 1895, 1 would make the following satement : They were the only two persons who partook of the honey. All the rest of the family, and the servants, ate of each of the other articles served at breakfast, and were not in the least affected. Mr. and Mrs. Chambers took but a small quantity, yet each noticed a peculiar, pungent taste in the comb as soon as it passed their lips. In 15 or 20 minutes afterward, Mrs. C. was taken with nausea, abdominal pain and vomiting, soon followed by loss of consciousness, coldness of extremities, feebly acting heart, and complete collapse. While ministering to her, Mr. Chambers, who had also experi- enced the initiatory symptoms of pain and nausea, sud- denly exclaimed, 'I cannot see !" and soon sank in a state of syncope to the floor. In each case the symptoms were then similar. Retching, vomiting, purging, acute gastric and abdominal pains and cramps continued for some hours, with surface coldness, deadly pallor, delirium, and the general symptoms of collapse. No pulse could be detected at Mr. C.'s wrists for two hours, and the heart-sounds were extremely feeble and irregular — as they were also in Mrs. C, though her pulse was not entirely lost, yet for an hour or more was scarcely discernible. By the aid of restoratives, consciousness returned to Mrs. C. in about three hours, but the husband was not fully himself for 19 hours — until 4 o'clock the next morning — and had no recollection of anything that transpired in the interim, al- though he had at times conversed with the nurse and myself during the afternoon and night. The treatment consisted of brandy and hot drinks, swap- isms, and external applications of heat, hypodermatic injec- tions of morphia for pain — and of digitaline, until reaction was assured ; then rest, quiet, and a general supporting plan was adopted. Recovery took place gradually, and without any eventful symptoms, though the restoration to strength was very slow. An analysis of the remaining honey was made by Theo. G. Wormley — Professor of Chemistry in the University of Pennsylvania — who states : "Several experiments upon dogs, made in connection with Prof. Reichert, have shown that the honey contains a most prompt and potent poison, producing within a few minutes violent vomiting, followed by purging, great prostration, con- vulsions, coma and death within a few hours. It would ap- pear that the poison is present chiefly in the solid portions of the honey. " The symptoms showed in your cases very strongly re- sembled those observed in several reported cases of honey poisoning, in which the poisoning was attributed to honey collected from the Kalmia latifolia or Mountain laurel, which, I understand, is very abundant in your State. Although the plant has long been known to possess poisonous properties, yet repeated examinations, by different chemists, have thus far failed to separate the poisonous principle, or determine its chemical properties. " It may be some relief to the family to know that the poison was a substance inherent in the honey, and not to a substance added thereto maliciously or by accident. From my personal interest in the matter, I will continue the examina- tion of the honey, and make every endeavor to separate the poisonous principle." Trusting that this brief account may be of some service to you, I remain. Yours very truly, Trenton, N. J., Jan. 15, 1896. W. Elmer. [We wish to thank Mr. Hurley, and also Dr. Elmer, for their excellent letters. They are particularly interesting, as they come direct from the place where the honey-poisoning occurred, that has stirred up all the discussion on the subject which has appeared lately in the Bee Journal. We hardly think that the instances of poisoning from eating honey are sufficiently numerous, or serve to cause any great uneasiness among producers or consumers of this delicious sweet. At any rate, if the supposed poison was found only in the honey- comb, it will cause more extracted honey to be eaten. — Ed.] 264 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 28, iS ?r OLDEST eCE MPW <«>' ' " --cJ-**" Altif 1^ PUBLISHED WEEKLY BV GEORGE W. YORK & COMPANY, MS aficliig-an St., - CHICAGO, ILL. REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS : G. M. Doolittle, of New York. Prof. A. j. Cook, of California. Dr. C. C. Miller, of Illinois. Dr. J. P. H. Brown, of GeorRia. J. H. Martin, of California. Rev. E. T. Abbott, of Missouri. Barnett Taylor, of Minnesota. Mrs. L. C. Axtell, of Illinois. Chas. Dadant & Son, of niinois. $1.00 a Year — Sample Copy Sent Free. [Entered at the Poat-Offlce at Chicago as Second-Class Mail-Matter.] VoLinVL CHICA&O, ILL,, APR, 23, 1896, No. 17. Time to Advertise. — Wo have often been surprised that more of those who have bees, queens and bee-supplies to sell, do not patronize the advertising columns of the bee- papers. The next two or three mouths is just the time to let bee-keepers know what you have to offer them. Better get your advertisement going at once, and thus capture your share of the trade. The dealers who do the business, always advertise. If you would do likewise, be sure to let bee-keep- ers know what you have to sell, and where they can get it. We can make room for a few more reliable dealers in our ad- vertising columns. Give it a trial now. Xlie micigan State Convention.— We received the following notice too late to appear in last week'.s Bee Journal, and though it may not do much good to give it now, we do so for it may be in time for some to go the second day of the meeting : The illness of the President, and of the Secretary's daughter, has caused the holding of the Michigan State Bee- Keepers' Convention to be postponed. It has now been de- cided to hold it April 23 and 2-i, in Lansing, at the Van Dyne House, 411 South Washington Ave. Rates only $1.00 per day. Street cars pass the door. The first session will be held on the evening of April 23. The Hon. R. L. Taylor will talk about " Lessons in Win- tering." James Heddon, who is .just home from Florida, has been asked to tell us about bee-keeping in that " land of flowers." L. A. Aspinwall, of Jackson, will have an essay on "The Requisites of Success in Bee-Keeping." The Hon. Geo. 'E. Hilton has chosen for his subect, " The Crisis in Michigan Bee-Keeping." Dr. L, C. Whiting, of Saginaw, will have an essay showing that " Bee-Keepers Must Follow the Wild Flowers." Mr. T. F. Bingham will also have an essay on " Horizontal Prices." W. Z. Hutchinson, Sec Flint, Mich. We understand that there is no saloon in connection with the hotel where the convention is to be held. That's good. We believe in patronizing that kind of a place whenever pos- sible. The idea that a hotel must have a saloon attachment is the sheerest nonsense ; and is no credit to those who demand it; for the saloon would not be there were it not patronized. We are glad to believe that bee-keepers above all others have no use for the saloon — that modern abomination that does more to destroy the home and all that is pure and good in manhood and womanhood than all the other curses known to this world. But the verdict has been given — The saloon must go .' -^-—^ Commission Charges.— In the April Progressive Bee-Keeper, Mr. W. H. Pridgen, of Creek, N. C, has a criti- cism entitled, "Exorbitant Charges," in which he rather "goes for " almost all kinds of dealers, and also refers to our statement, made some time ago, when we said that we thought it all right for commission men to charge 10 per cent, for handling a small lot of honey (under §100), and a less per cent, (say 5) for selling over $100 worth, Mr. Pridgen thinks the commission should be the same, whether small or large lots, say 5 per cent. At least he says : " I know enough about the commission business to know that the commission should be the same per cent, regardless of amount, while freight and cartage is a different thing." Of course there's no law against Mr. Pridgen thinking he is correct, but if he should do business in Chicago awhile, we think he would change his opinion. Commission men have told us that often it is more work to dispose of a small lot of honey than a whole carload. One reason is, that there 's sel- dom any uniformity in quality of honey or style of package among a number of small lots of honey, and so perhaps such must await a purchaser who wants but a little honey, or one who is not particular as to what he buys. Think of a commis- sion man who pays $100 a month for rent alone, fooling away his time on a 5 per cent, commission of a $10 lot of honey that has had to take its chances in finding a purchaser ! Life is too short, and it costs too much to live in any city, to do business in that way. ■»-'-f .To Illinois Bee-Keepers Only.— The Secre- tary of the Illinois State Bee-Keepers' Association has sent us the following notice, which he wishes all bee-keepers in this State to read : At the annual meeting of the Illinois State Bee-Keepers' Association, held in the State House at Springfield, Nov. 19- 20, 1895, it was resolved to make an earnest effort to in- crease the membership and extend the Influence of the organi- zation. In order to enlist the co-operation of bee-keepers, it was arranged to present each member with a year's subscription to the American Bee Journal, which was adopted as the Offi- cial Organ of the Association, In addition to said annual subscription, members will be furnished with a copy of the Second Annual Report of the Illinois State Bee-Keepers' Association, which is a large and attractive volume containing a vast amount of useful informa- tion to bee-keepers. The Illinois State Bee-Keepers' Association is composed of able and experienced apiarists, second to none in their gen- eral information in all matters pertaining to bee-keeping, and said parties have resolved to keep the Association in the front rank among similar organizations in other States. On the receipt of $1.00, by the Secretary, he will take great pleasure in enrolling your name as a member of the As- sociation for one year, and will see that the Bee Journal and Report referred to above, are sent you, with any other matter of general interest that may be sent out by the Association. If already a subscriber to American Bee Journal, one year will be added, from date of expiration of your subscrip- tion. Yours truly, Jas. A. Stone, Sec. Bradfordton, 111. We hope that not only those who are now subscribers to the Bee Journal in this State will respond to the foregoing notice, but that they will tell their neighbor bee-keepers about it, and try to have them also become members of our State Association. There is now no reason why Illinois should not lead in the matter of membership, at least. Encourage our good Secretary Stone, by complying with his generous request. See " Bee-Keeper's Guide" offer on page 271. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 265 Spring Feeding of Bees. — In Gleanings for April 1, we find the following on "Spring feeding a la Boardman > how to get all the honey of the fields Into surplus :" In the first place, the syrup should be made by mixing sugar and water in equal proportions. You can use heat to dissolve the sugar if you prefer, but I do not think it is neces- sary. Pour the sugar and water, equal parts, into an extract- or-can, and turn vigorously for a few minutes. (If you haven't an extractor, use a tub and a stick.) In half an hour or so you will find a clear limpid syrup ready to draw off from the honey-gate of the extractor into those glass jars of the Board- man feeder. I believe it is unnecessary to explain this feeder, which I believe is the best adapted for this kind of feeding. It per- mits of the syrup being fed a little at a time, and when the feeders are empty they can be seen at a glance, without open- ing the hive or disturbing the bees. In almost a minute's time it is possible to tell what feeders are empty in an apiary of 75 or 100 colonies, just by glancing down the rows, and walking rapidly across one end of the yard. For spring feeding, at least, an entrance feeder, especially Boardman's, is altogether the best. A great many ask if it is necessary to feed, providing the hive is fairly well supplied with stores. Not so necessary ; but if you wish to carry out the Boardman idea as I understand it, it would bo advisable to feed all the colonies. Those that have a good supply already will be stimulated by the feeding, and, The Boardman E^itrance Feeder. as a consequence, commence rearing a lot of brood ; and that means a host of young bees and a lot of honey later on in the season, if there is any to be had. Even if the bees are fairly well supplied with stores, they won't rear brood anything as they do when a fresh supply is coming in every day. Of course, the colonies that are well supplied do not require as much syrup as the others that are running short. But suppose the combs are stored and the brood-nest will permit no more. Such combs of sealed stores taken out and set aside will come in play for winter. Perhaps you may argue, "What is the use of buying syrup to feed bees in the spring, when they have already enough to carry them through till the honey-flow ?" "Enough" — there's the point ! If they have just barely enough, the bees will scrimp and economize in some way, to make their stores last ; and the only way for them to econo- mize is to cut down brood-rearing — very poor ecomomy for you, certainly. " But " you say, " if I feed the bees a little every day, the hives will be crammed full of syrup, and I shall be out of pocket to the extent of several barrels of sugar." What of it ? You will be a gainer in the end by having a large force of bees to gather the honey if it does come ; and then when that time arrives, it will be shoved right into the supers, because there will be no room for it in the brood-nest. The honey from the fields will bring a higher price, and you have made a first-class trade — sugar for honey. More than all, your brood-combs will be filled with the very best of winter stores, and much cheaper. And suppose you are out of pocket several barrels of sugar. Suppose you have fed 1,000 lbs. of sugar syrup, costing you, say, 4 cts. per lb. (when ripened,) and suppose you get in exchange 1,000 lbs. of honey. The latter ought to bring, if clover or basswood, from 8 to 9 cts. Clearly, then, you have made a profit of at least 4 cts. per lb. on the syrup, or an aggregate of §40.00 on the trade, because the honey would have taken the place of the sugar syrup in the brood-nest. As Mr. Boardman well says, the farmer thinks nothing of feeding his stock, expecting to got returns. He who would say he could not afford to feed his hogs well because the grain that he would feed them would cost money, would be consid- ered a fool indeed. In view of the poor honey-years of late, and in view of the further fact that what little honey has come in has just about filled the brood-nest and no more, leaving little if any surplus, it would look as if Mr. Boardman's idea of substituting syrup for honey, and pocketing the big difference in price between the syrup and honey, was simply utilizing good business sense. One year when I called on Mr. Boardman, he had quite a crop of honey. He had been feeding, as I have explained. His neighbors round about him did not feed, and did not get any surplus honey. I firmly believe that many of our bee- keeping friends can just as well be getting a little surplus, and a little money for it, as to be going ahead on the old plan of getting no surplus, and nothing but bees in fair condition for winter. But suppose a big honey-flow does come, and you have followed Mr. Boardman's method of feeding ; your hives filled full of sugar stores, and capped over, are just fairly boil- ing over with bees. It is perfectly evident you are going to get a big crop of honey that year, and all of fluxt honey will be surplus. One of my warm friends in Canada has written me, earnest- ly protesting against feeding the bees as Mr. Boardman does, clear up to the time when honey is coming in. He insists that, as soon as bees begin to gather from natural sources, they will crowd some of the sugar syrup from the brood-nest up into the sections or surplus combs. I have talked with Mr. Boardman on this very point, and he is very certain that, as he practices feeding, it is not done. I have also talked with other promi- nent bee-keepers, and written for the private opinion of others. All seem to feel that there is but little danger to be appre- hended from that source. But we will suppose that my Ca- nadian friend's point is well taken. To be on the safe side, then, stop feeding within a week or two of the expected honey- flow. If the stores in the brood-nest are capped over, there certainly can be no danger of the syrup's being carried above. Taking the matter all in all, Mr. Boardman's idea of feed- ing offers the best solution of the problem as to what we are going to do with short honey seasons — in short, what will ena- ble us to get all the honey there is in the field into surplus without wasting any of it in brood-rearing. E. R. Root. ..^:/i0^ CONDnCTED BY DR. C. C. MJLLEie. AULRENGO, ILL. LQuestlonB may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. MlUer direct.l moTiiis Bees a Short Distance. I have a colony of bees that I wish to move, perhaps ^ mile, about May 1. There is another colony in the same yard that will remain. My colony is in a double 8-frame brood- chamber. Can I move them all right so short a distance by simply closing the entrance with wire-cloth, and carry them on a wheelbarrow ? Bee Ginnek. Lombard, III. Answer. — Yes, you can wheel them that distance without much trouble, providing you have muscle enough and are care- ful not to tip over your load. Of course you will give them a little smoke before shutting them up. Then within a day or two after moving them you will find that all the field-bees have gone back to the old place, and you will have left in your hive nothing but the young or nurse-bees. So that will leave your colony in much the same condition as though a swarm had issued. The bumping they get on the wheelbarrow will make some difference, for some of them will mark the new location that would not do so if they were set down very quietly in their new place. But most of the field-bees will go back to the old place, and after trying to find their hive there, will do the next best thing and join the colony that is left there. If you put up a board before the entrance for them to bump against when they fly out, that will help some, for it will confuse them to some extent, and make some of them mark the new location. But do the best you can, there will be a large number go back to the old place. So you may as well make up your mind the bees are going back, and act accordingly. Instead of moving the whole busi- ness all at once, take only one story, having in it all the bees you can get, the queen, and nearly all the brood. You will 266 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 23. leave on the old stand the one story with a little brood in it, say one frame, and then the returning bees will take up with that as their home. Or, instead of leaving one story, move both, and leave on the old stand another hive in which you put a frame of brood and a few bees. If the day is fine so that bees will fly well, there is no need to leave enough bees to take care of the brood, for enough returning bees will enter to take care of it. Two to four days after moving, you can take the bees that are on the old stand and add them to those first moved, with the hope that a much larger number will remain where they are put. Being queenless they are inclined to stay better wherever they are put, and especially if given to a laying queen. If you care to follow the matter up, you can again leave a frame of brood in a hive on the old stand to catch re- maining stragglers. Don't forget to make it as troublesome as you can for the bees to fly out of their hive, by putting something In front of the entrance. Baekivard Breeding —Oranulated Stores. We had a poor season last year, so the bees had to be fed on sugar syrup in the fall. I winter my bees on the summer stands. The last of March, on a warm, nice morming, I looked them over. Out of 17 colonies one died, 16 were all right in bees, very few brood in 11, and in the other 5 I found the queen but not any brood. The most stores was candied. I did not see any pollen-gathering yet, and working on flowers like other springs. 1. What can be the reason that the bees are breeding so slow this season ? Is it the candied stores that cannot be used for brood-rearing ? 2. Why did the stores candy more last winter than the years before, when the bees were fed the same way ? 3. Will I do right to feed my bees sugar syrup for brood- rearing now ? G. R. Bennet, Nebr. Answers. — 1. Hard to tell. Difference in season may have something to do with it. Granulated honey might be somewhat to blame. In rare cases bees fail to breed for lack of pollen in the hive. 2. Another hard question. Some kinds of honey granu- late sooner than others. Some years are worse than others. Some times honey is granulated before the weather is cold, sometimes hardly in all winter. These facts are known, but I'm not sure that any one pretends to tell why. One general principle is that severe cold favors granulation. Stirring or shaking the honey also favors granulation. I've seen it stated that honey was slow to granulate because of a wet season, the idea being that the thinner the honey the less inclined to granulate. I'm inclined to think that the reverse is the truth, for I've seen a crock of honey water on top and solid below, and I have seen it thick and stringy with not a granule. If you mean that the sugar syrup fed to the bees granu- lated, then the reason might be the difference in the lateness of feeding, difference in rapidity, or difference in thickness of syrup. If the food is given early, slowly, or quite thin, then It is less likely to granulate. Questions About Transferring, Etc. 1. I am just starting in the bee-business, having pur- chased 4 colonies of black bees last month, moved them home on a sleigh two miles, giving them a good shaking up. I bought bees, honey and comb for §2 per colony ; three of them are in "farmer" made 10-frame Langstroth hives, and one in an 8-frame Armstrong. They are very strong colonies, and I should judge that they have 25 pounds of honey to the hive. I don't care for the honey this year as much as for Increase. I have bought ten 8-frame dovetailed hives, and I am going to try the Heddon short method of transferring. Is that what you would do if you were in my place? 2. My bees are black. When I transfer, would you ad- vise me to kill the black queens and introduce eight Italian queens. 3. I live in the Sacandaga valley, which is 5 miles wide and 15 long. There are no bees kept here to amount to any- thing. One man to the east 4 miles, keeps 40 colonies. Do you think I haife pasturage for 100 colonies? Basswood grows on the mountains on each side of the valley, also plenty of buckwheat. I am going to run for comb honey only. 1 ex- pect to winter my bees in a cellar. I have a good one, 40x40- x8 feet. 4. Would May 1 be a good time to transfer ? 5. Suppose I move the old hive to a new stand, put a new one in its place, and transfer by Heddon's way, will not the balance of the bees in the old hive desert the brood and go to the new hive which is on the old stand before the 21 days are up ? or will they know enough to return to the brood after going out for a flight ? 6. Will there be enough brood to be advisable to transfer May 1 ? I examined my bees to-day, and they are doing finely. They cover both sides of four combs to each hive. The bottom-boards are on the hives, and no cloth over the brood-frames, only a top-story set on, the same as when I got them. P. 0. Northampton, N. Y. Answers. — 1. 1 hardly know whether I'd transfer them all. If the hives they are in are in good condition, it's possi- ble you might do as well to leave at least part of them right where they are. The swarms would go into new hives, of course, and after a year's experience you would be in better condition to know what to do about transferring them another year. 2. That depends a little upon whether you think more of fun or money You can have more fun, or more experience, by changing all the queens early in the season. But if the matter of economy is to be considered, it is hardly advisable to change queens till later. The queens themselves will cost less later in the season. There will be less danger of loss in introducing, and if a queen is lost in introducing early in the season, the damage done by having a colony left queenless for some time is much greater than in the time of harvest. At this later time queen-cells are generally plenty, or you can have a supply of young queens on hand. If you Italianize one of them early, then you will have a chance to rear queens for the others. Still, the expense of tour queens will not be so very heavy, and if you don't mind the expense you will the sooner have all black blood worked out. 3. I can only guess, but I should think 100 colonies might be well supported at your place. 4. Don't go by the almanac in the matter of transferring. Go by the season, and take the time of fruit-bloom. 5. Of course, you musn't "drive" too close, for if every last bee is taken from the hive there's nothing left for the brood to do but to die. All the field-bees that are left in the old hive will go back to the old stand, but the young bees — that is, the nurse-bees — those under 16 days old, will all stay where they are put, and at this time there are lots of young bees and more emerging every day. 6. Most likely. It isn't a question of how much brood they have so much as a question of the amount of bees. Still, the two go together generally, and if there isn't a good lot of brood it isn't likely there are many bees in fruit-bloom. Closed-End Standing Frame Hives, Etc. 1. I wish you would give your unbiased opinion about the closed-end standing-frame hive, especially about its merits over the other kinds. 2. Please inform me, if you think favorably, how to fix such a hive to fit under patter slat honey-boxes, a la the Root dovetail super. I think a 9-frame, standing-frame hive should fit nicely a 7-frame section super. L. D. Answers. — 1. I have had no personal experience with closed-end standing-frame hives. They have been in use for a long time, and are used by some of the leading bee-keepers in New York State. The one feature that seems to be most in their favor is that the closed ends make the hive more like a box-hive as to warmth, there being no open space for the air to circulate all around the ends of the frames. There's much in being used to a thing, and those who have always used them will prefer them, but taken all in all, I don't believe I should want them. 2. I don't know what " patter slat honey-boxes " are, but I suppose the point you are after is to know how to adjust a super to a hive when super aud hive are not of the same size. If the super is shorter than the hive — and some of them are half an inch or so shorter — nail a cleat or cleats on the end of the super to make the super cover the hive. The discrepancy is more likely to be in the width, and I have had hives with supers some three inches narrower. All I had to do was to put the super on the hive, and use a strip of wood to cover the part of the hive left uncovered. No need to fasten it on, just lay it on, and I never knew any harm from rain entering be- tween the strip and the super. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 267 Largest Factory ti°e West Go?d°^p^!7|dg^ces READ THIS— Mr. Keyes says: The 100 pounds of Extra-Thin Foundation you sent usUs superior to anything he ever saw; and I thinlj the same. R. L. Tucker, Wewahitchlsa, Fla. Dear Sirs:— The Sections came duly to hand. Indeed, they are very nice. Yes, sir; they are as good as the best. Charles H. Thies, SteeieviUe, Illinois. Leahy Mfg. Co. :— I have received the bill of goods. I must say they are the choicest lot of Hive-Stuff 1 have ever received from any place. I admire the smoothness of your work, and your close selection of lumber. Yours very truly. O. K. Oi.mstead. Orleans, Nebr. Dear Sirs:— The Sections arrived in due time, and are all O. K. so far as examined. They are simply perfection. 1 can't see how you can furnish such goods at such low prices. I hope you may live long and do well. Yours respectfully. Z. S. Weaver. Courtney, Tex. Gents:— I received the "Higglnsvllle Smolder " all O. K. It's a dandy; please find enclosed stamps for another. Yours truly. Otto En debs, Oswegathe, N. Y. Gentlemen: — i have bought Supplies from nearly all the large manufacturers by the car- load, and I must say yours are as good as the best. Indeed, in many lines they are the best. It is a pleasure to handle them. E. T. PLAN.ioAN, Belleville, Illinois. The above unsolicited testimonials are a fair sample of hundreds we receive. Our prices are reasonable and the *' Higginsville Goods " are the best. Tlie '* Higginsville " Goods are for sale by the following parties : Chas. H. Thies, Steelville, ill. B. T. Flanagan. Uelleviile. 111. Henry L. Miller. Topelia. Kans. B. A. Seeiey, Bloomer, Arkansas. J. W. House & Co.. Mexico, Mo. P. J. Thomas. Fredonla. Kans. Fulton & Gregg, Garden City, Kans. W. J. Finch, Jr., Springfield, III. If you need a Carload of Supplies, or only a Bee-Smoker, write to us. Remember, we are here to serve you, and will. If you give us a chance. A Beaatit'iil Catalogue Free. Address, LEAHY MANUFACTURING CO.. HIGGINSVILLE, MO. 4 9 A Mention the American Bee JournaL CHEAPER THAN EVER Hilton's Willie T Supers Chaff Polislied Foundation Hives Sections Smokers And everything needed in the apiary. 1896 Catalog of 36 pages free. OEO. E. IIILTOX, 13Atf FREMONT, MICH. Mention the American Bee JouniaL, Dadaiif s Foundation =^= in Cliicaa ! No other Goods kept here. Send for Prlce-List, CHAS, DADANT ^k; SON, 118 Michigan St., - CHICAGO, ILL. 13Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. ONE MAN WITH THE UNION <=°"^i;,':a^'°n t'au do the work of four men using hand tools, in Ripping, Cutting-ofl, Mi- tring, Raljbeting, Groov- ing, Gaining. Dadoing, Edging-up. Jointing Stuff, etc. Full Line of Foot and Hand Power Machinery Sold on Trial. Catalo^oe Free. SENECA FALLS IflFC. CO., 46 Water St., SENECA FALLS. N. Y 1 Aly Mention the Amerv'nn Bee JoumaX. $1.50 a M. 3 M, $4.25. These are not Seconds, but perfect Sections. As they are not up to our present high stan- dard, we wish to close them out. Sample free. Widths— 7-to-foot, 1 15-16 in., and 2 in. Catalog of Bees A: Supplies FREE. I. J. STRIIVOHAH, 105 Park Place. NEW YORK, N. Y. MOVED TO LARGER QUARTERS ! In order to take care of the business properly at this Branch, we have moved to 1 18 miclii- San St., [3rd Floor], within two blocks of the Northwestern Passenger station, where we've secured larger quarters, making ample room for a Full Assorlnient. Send along your or- ders, remembering that we guarantee satisfaction, and at prices as low as the best quality of Goods can be furnished for. Special Prices on a lot uf Stock we are closing out. Send for Catalog and a List of Goods at Special Prices. We also have a stock of Triangular Top Langstroth Frames at tliese Special prices: 100 for $1.00; 300, $2.70; 500, $4.00; 1000, $7.00. On all freight orders of $5 or less, at this Branch, please add 25c. for cartage. Catalogue Free. The A. I. ROOT CO., 118 Michigan SI., CHICAGO, II.I,, Please mention the American Bee Journal. Ceo. W. York, Mgr. MDTH'S HOITET EXTBACTOB PERFECTION Cold-Blast Smokers, Square Glass Honey Jars, Etc. For Circulars, apply to Chab. F. Muth & SON, Cor. Freeman & Central Aves., Cincinnati, O. Send 10c for Practical Hints to Bee-Keepers. TEXAS QUEENS. If you are in need of Queens, let me have your order. Price-List Free. 8A26t J, D. niVENS, lilsbon, Tex. Mention the American Bee journal. C^cr)cra\ Hcn}s^ Successful Wintering. On Nov. U and 13, 1895, I put 118 colonies of bees into my wintering-house, and to- day I have removed the last of them to the summer stands, not having lost a single colony of the number. I have two house- apiaries away from home, that have win- tered nearly as well. The brood-chambers in my home-apiary are 12 by 13 inches, in- side measure, and 10 inches high. W. J. Davis, 1st. Youngsville, Pa., March 38. An Experience with Bees. This is the third season that I have kept bees. I caught my first and second swarms in nail-kegs and transferred to frame hives, and wintered them on the summer stands. My frames are 13i,,'xll inches, 10 to a hive, and as yet I have no reason to change. Last winter I packed my six colonies on the summer stands with leaves — about 3 inches on the sides, and about T or 8 inches on top of the cover, and they are all alive now. From my two colonies, spring count, I ex- tracted .53 pounds of honey, and have about 40 nice extracting-frames with comb in them. My bees are blacks, hybrids, and I have one colony of Italians. S. K. LnTHER. OIneyville, R. I., March 30. Bees in Louisiana. My bees are doing finely. I have only 5 colonies left; two came out of winter quar- ters overflowing with bees, and the others are very poor, but I expect to make them tip-top this spring. White clover is in abundance here; the peach and plum have bloomed. Bees gathered lots of nectar from the peach. Honey locust is in bloom now. The South is in bloom with spring flowers of all kinds. Bees are working on everything. One thing we have here all the year around is— the infernal bee-moth. Indications show that we will have a good fall crop of golden-rod. Dewberry seems to be the favorite flower of the bees just now, as it furnishes both pollen and nectar. Willow and elm are in bloom also. I ex- pect to get lots of honey this year. I did not get much last year. New Orleans, La. James B. Drurt. Down with Adulteration. Mu. Editor;— I have just read J. H. Martin's article, entitled, "The Honey Competition Fallacy." It is right to the point. Are we not going to do something about it ? Have we any laws about it '! If not, are the difficulties so great in the way of getting some effective laws, such as some States, and Canada, have ? We want laws compelling all producers or manufacturers of articles of food to label truly the consti- tuents of everything offered for sale, with heavy penalties for violations. Let our "big guns " boom the alarm, and do so in such a way as to wake everybody up to their senses. You will remember I sent you a sample of honey, for your opinion on it. A man calling himself J. C. Hogarth, of California, has been on the line of the Rock Island railroad selling so-called California honey in .'"lO-pound cans, at whatever price he can get. An Ottawa firm, that had bought 100 pounds from him, found that their custo- mers, who were used to my honey, would not buy it; they had to dispose of it the best they could, and return to mine. It is some of that honey I sent you. Now, who is J. C. Hogarth ? Can somebody vouch tor him ? Some of our leaders, or would- be leaders, have advised us to keep still on the subject. I think it bad advice. We should never keep still until we have stilled the adulterators, or at least until we have 268 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 23, BUY "direct from FACTORY," BEST MIXED PAINTS At IVHOliESAIiE PRICES, Delivered FREE For Houses, Baras, Roofs, all colors, and SAVK Dealers profits. In use 54 years. Endorsed by Grange & Fanners' Alliance. Low prices will surprise you. Write for Samples. 0. W. INGERSOLL, ; 289 Plymouth St., Brooklyn, N. V, 12A13 MentUyii tne ^merUMn Bee Journal. We haye killed high prices. Give me a trial order and be convinced that good Queens can be reared for 50 cts. each. Untested, 50 cts. ; Tested, 75 cts. Golden Italians, 3-Banded I- talians, and Silver-Gray Carniolani, aU the same price. Best of References given. C. B. BAIVKSTOIV, 13Atf CHHIESMAN, Burleson Co., TEX. Mentwa Jh€ A.merican Bee JtM. xV xtx \U yV >t< >»x xtx >tx >>x >»/. K Bulletin No. 1— "The Honey-Bee." In regard to the Bulletin No. 1 on " The Honey-Bee," issued by the Agricultural Department, I wish to say there is no rea- son why all bee-keepers should not receive the same consideration from their congress- men that we do from ours (Lucien Baker). It is only a matter of writing to them. Or why not have a list of bee-keepers and others interested in the pursuit forwarded by the different State societies ? This is a chance in a thousand, to bring our industry before the Congress (and the world), then why not increase the demand for this Bul- letin to such an extent that another edi- tion wiU be necessary ? When such an edition is asked for, it will be necessary to »i,«i.hii\ fiAd eiNQHAM BoeSinokar Wonderful Record ! Have Lasted 17 Years. —BEST ON EARTH. Always Give Perfect Satisractlon. My cool Wire Handle and Bent Nose were patented 1892, are the original, my best Invention since my open or dl- g. rect draft Patent. 1878. that revolu- ix lionized Bee-Smokers. My Handle and Nose Patent bent all the other smoker noses. None but Bingham Smokers have all the best improvements. If you buy genuine Bingham Smo- kers and Houey-Kulves you will never regret it. The " Doctor," J^-lnch larger than any other smoker on the market— 3i4-lnch stove, by mail, $1.50 Conqueror, 3 '• " " 1.10 Large, 2^-ln. " " 1.00 Plain, 2-in. " " .70 Little Wonder, 2-in.. wt. 10 oz. .60 Bingham & HetberliiKtoii Honey-Kuives, 80 cents, T. F. BINGHAl^I, Farwell, niicb. 7Att Mention the Bee Journal. -TiTtKyiiytKyfKyiiyimiK-iiKTtiyfi: PATENT WIRED COMB FODNDATION Has No Sag iu Urood -Frames Thill Flat-t;ottom Foundation Has Ao Fishbone io the Sarplas Honflf. Being the cleaneat Ib usually worked the quickest of any Foundation made J. VAN DEUSEN & SONS, Sole Manufactarers, Sprout Brook MonlRomery Co., N. Y. BEGINNERS. Beginners should have a copy of the Amateur Bee-Keeper, a 70-page book by Prof. J. W. House. Price 25 cents: if sent by mall. 28c. The little book and the Progressive Bee-Keeper (a live, pro- gressive 28-page monthly iournal) one year, 65c. Address any flrstrclass dealer, or LEAHY MFG. CO., Higginsville, Mo. •uimiii titmiiiitiiitii, I successful; FRUIT fc .CROWERSt ^ SPRAY THEIR TREES. ^ 3THE DEMINC SPRAY PUMPSP 3 ARE THE "WORLD'S BEST" C 3 Send for complete catalogue and treatise on t 3 spraying. mailed FREE. The DEMINC CO. C ^ Henion AHubbell, ^alAiYi nhin E 3 Western Acts., Chicngo.IlJ^ __„_°"'' ___'°_-_C: •rnmTTTTTmnTTTTnnTmmmmmmTTm* M<,ntioH the American Dee JouninJ^ J. W. TAYLOR -HAS THE BEST- Italian flueens for Sale Untested, ready now, 75c. apiece: 6 for $4.25, or 12 for $8.00. Tested. $1.25. Select Tested, best, $2.00. Pay for Queens on arrival. I guarantee safe arrival and satisfaction. 14A0t OZAN, ARK. Sweet Clover I Canada. At the following prices : 5 lbs. 10 lbs. 25 lbs. 50 lbs. $1.00 $1.60 $3.75 $7.25. Also a quantity ot Motherwort and Catnip seed. Prices on application. EGGS for Hatclilng. Buff Leghorns. In- dian Games, & Light Brabmas. Choice Birds. A breeder for 30 years. Prices on application JOHN McARTHUR, 881 Yonge Street, - TORONTO, ONT. 15Atf iiaUUmtJie American Bee Journal, 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 269 Say, That The Please ■ \ ractical r^ ACIFIC JLF other Tumbo for Copy of eautiful I ocose Paper, EE ^ OURNAL. -BEE-KEEPING IN- CALIFOKNIA, OREGOW, WASHINGTON, NEVADA, IDAHO, UTAH, ARIZONA, COLORADO. All Easterners should keep in " touch " on the •• Land of Sunshine "—the COMING BEE-LAND. Address, PACIFIC BEE-aOlJRI^AI>, 365 East Second Street, LOS ANGELES, CALIF. 4 f 4 f 4 f Buys a "SX. JOE" hive during April only, made up, Sec- tions and Starters, no paint. One only, to new customers, to shoiv you the best hive iruide. Satisfaction guaranteed. Say how to ship, and send on your Golden Wyandotte Eggs for hatching, only $1.00 for 13. EMERSON T. ABBOTT, ST. JOSEPH, MO. That Q,ueen-Clipping Device Free ! PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING OFFER : We have arranged with the inventor of the new Queen-Clipping Device (Mr. Mon- ette), to offer it to our present subscribers as a Premium for getting new subscribers. Send us7«s( one new name for the American Bee Journal a year (with $1.00), and we will mail you the Queen-Clipping Device free of charge. Or, the Queen-Clipping Device will be sent postpaid for .50 cts. But why not get it as a Premium by the above offer ? You can't earn .50 cts. any easier. Almost every bee-keeper will want this Device. See page 130 (Feb. 37) for full description of it. Complete directions accompany each one sent out. It is a most ingenious and useful article. Address, GEORGE W. YORK & CO., 118 Michigan St., Chicago, 111. The Patent Wood-Veneer Foundation. Bee-beepers should ffive it a test, and my All- Wax Foundation. T will guarantee there is no better made, as six years ago I discarded the old way of dipping lor wax sheets, and a new Invention of my own was discovered, which enables me to make the toughest kind of Foundation; also, no acid used to purify the Beeswax, and it preserves the smell of honey, which Is more acceptable to the bees. Now is the the time to send, wax and have it worked up at low prices. Mend for San^.ples and Cata- log with low prices. "Wax wanted at 31c cash, or 33c trade, deliverea. AUG. WEISS, Hortonville, Wis. 12A13t Please mention the Bee Journal. ¥1 n I ■'^O Colonies of Bees, in Lang- widT \HW stroth 10-frame hives. Will E "1 Kjllilv deliver on cars here, at $3.50 each. J. ir. HOWELL, 15A7t KENTON. TENN. Honey-Clovers & Buckwheat SEED FOR SALE. We have made arrangements so that we can furnish seed of several of the Clovers and Japanese Buckwheat, by freight or ex- press, at the following prices, cash with order: otti lOR 25tti 501) AUIke Clover $.70 $1.25 $.3.00 $5.75 SweetClover 75 1.40 ,'?.25 6.00 WhiteClover 1.25 2.00 4.50 8.00 Alfalfa Clover 65 1.10 2.70 5.00 Crimson Clover 55 .90 2.00 .3.50 Jap. Buckwheat... .20 .35 .90 1.25 Prices subject to market changes. Add 25 cents to your order, lor cartage, if wanted by freight. Your orders are solicited. GEORGE W. YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS. -FIRST-CLASS BEE-SUPPLIES- at Hock-Bottom Prices. Send for Catalog to W. J. STAHMANIS, l-lA4t WEAVER, MINN. Extracted Honey for Sale ! ! The beautiful, white Willow-Herb Honey, in 60-lb. cane, f. o. b. Chicago, at 8 cents per pound. 2 cans (120 lbs,) In a box. Single can. 8^ cts. per pound. Sample of the honey mailed on receipt of 10 cts. This hoiicy will give entire satisfac- tion, and is guaranteed strictly pure Michigan WlUow-Herb honey. Better order at once, and begin to work up a trade before the new crop comes on. Address, GEORGE W. YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS W. H. BRIGHT'S CIRCULAR FOR 1896, describes everythinn- needed in the apiary. Bees, Queens, Hives, Sections, Spraying Pumps, and Brighfs Comb Foundation, sold at bottom prices. Send for one free. AVm. H. BRIGHT, 17D4t MAZEPPA, MINN. -liEADS THEIW AtL 8 to 24!/s % — See reports of experiments with Comb Foun- dation at the government station, Lapeer, Mich. FREE— large illustrated Catalog of everything needed in the apiar.v. Full of in- fo) mation. M. H. Hunt, Bell Branch, Mich. 5Dtf Please mention this Journal. explain why, and what has become of the previous edition. Thirty-five thousand families is what is represented by the pre- vious edition, and congressmen will nat- urally ask ; " Where are these people located, and who are they ? Will it pay me, and serve my interests, to countenance, or can I af- ford to lose their support by ignoring their rights and wishes ?" There is a difference of 70,000 in having and not having this support. Can we as bee-keepers then ignore the chance open be- fore us ? There never has been as favor- able an opportunity as now to put our- selves in position to ask for future favors. I am one of those who believe in getting all I can, and keeping all I get. I am not in position to apply for a pension, and I do not wish to go to the penitentiary, so the only thing I can get is good laws for my protection and the protection of my busi- ness ; and to get this favor I will not ask others to do what I am not doing. Come, bee-keepers, and show your band. Don't let the chance slip ? Herrington. Kans. F. W. Campbell. Bees in Good Condition. I have 10 colonies of bees in good condi- tion. I like the Bee Journal very much — could not get along without it. Hennepin, 111., April 6. F. P. Ham. Bees Doing Finely. Bees are doing finely here now. I have had two swarms already — March 38th and 30th. ERNE.ST W. Halstead. Ocean Springs, Miss., April 4. Failed to Breed Up Last Fall. My loss is 5 out of 11 colonies, for want of breeding up last fall. No surplus last year; too dry. Ezra Smith, M. D. Judd's Corners, Mich., April 1. Bees in Good Condition. Bees were carrying in pollen on March 31 — two weeks later than last spring. White and Alsike clovers are looking fine. I have 43 colonies of bees in good condition in 10- frame hives. Jacob Wirth. Rickel, 111., April 4. Bees Wintered Well. Bees have wintered well, and the pros- pect for a honey crop is flattering. My average per colony, spring count, was 43 pounds for last year. I have 13 colonies in very good condition. I would not be with- out the Bee Journal for twice its cost. W. E. Whittisgton. Benton, 111., April .3. Early Swarming. My one colony sent out a fine swarm to- day. Who can beat that ? As I wasn't " prepared," I had to house them in a box. I think I have a fine place for bees, as there is an abundance of flora of various kinds- prairie flowers, shrubs and trees. There has been a profusion of bloom for six weeks. Mrs. M. M. Dunnegan. Mathias, Tex., March 31. Thought All Would Die. I have been keeping from 10 to 30 colonies of bees for eight years, but last year was such a poor honey year that my bees barely made a living, and as I was not able to feed them in the fall, I expected they would all die, but a few have come through the hard winter, and I cannot find it in my heart to let them die now, though I am hardly able to fuss with them. Miss M. I. Millar. Lewistou. N. Y., March 37. 270 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 23, Question;) " Box^ In the multitude of counsellors there is safety.— Prov. 11-14. Sections, Supers and Separators. Query 10.— 1. What width sections do you prefer ? 2. Two or four slots ? 3. How do you fix sections in supers— by use of "section holders." T rests, or how ? 4. Would you use "7-to-the-foot" sections without separators ?— Africa. Chas. Dadant&SoD— 1. 1%. 2. Three slots. 3. Pattern slats or T tins. G. M. Doolittle— 1. X% inches. 2. Two. 3. Wide frames. 4. No, nor any other. Dr. J. P. H. Brown— 1. 1%. 2. Two slots. 3. By a support similar to the T. 4. I would. W. R. Graham--!. 1%. 2. Two slots. 3. In crates or section-holders. 4. I don't use separators. C. H. Dibbern— 1. 1% inches wide. 2. Two slots. 3. On the principle of sec- tion-holders. 4. No. E. France— 1. Two inch. 2. Two slots. 3. I use a super with slat bot- toms. 4. I always use separators. Allen Pringle— I. About Hi or IJ^ at corners. 2. Four. 3. Section "hol- ders." 4. I use separators mostly. Dr. C. C. Miller— 1. I don't know. Cer- tainly not more than 1%, and less might be better. 2. Two. 3. T rests. 4. No. Emerson T. Abbott— 1. 1% inches. 2. Four. 3. By use of pattern-slats and follower-boards. 4. I would not use separators with any sections. Prof. A. J. Cook— 1. I have generally used 7-to-the-foot. 3. Wide frames and T supers. 4. Yes, unless I always used separators, which I think is wise. B. Taylor— 1. 13^ inches. 2. I never tried 4 slots. 3. T rests. 4. I do with flat separators. A T-to-the foot section filled will weigh but % of a pound. R. L. Taylor— 1. T-to-the-foot. 2. I am satisfied with two. 3. Single-tier wide-frames with separators, or in the Heddon-case withoutseparators. 4. Yes. Jas. A. Stone— 1. 2 inches, or very little less, say 1 13/16. 2. Four slots. 3. By use of section-holders. 4. No. I would have separators between alternate sections. H. D. Cutting— 1. 1% and 1%. 2. Two, yet four works nicely with thick separators. 3. T rests, and I want them loose. 4. I never use sections without separators. P. H. Elwood— 1. 1%. 2. Two. 3. Mostly " how" — which means resting on slats in bottom of supers. 4. No, nor any other number to the foot without separators. J. E. Pond— 1. \% to ]% inches. 2. Two slots. 3. Section-holders or so- called broad-frames. 4. Yes. I think they would work fairly well, if care was taken in putting in the foundation. 6. W. Demaree — 1. I prefer sections 1% inches In width. 2. Two, all the time and decidedly. 3. Adjust them in T section-cases. 4. No need of just 7- to-the-foot. There cannot be any such thing practically, as 7-to-the-foot of soft wood sections that swell and shrink as the weather affects them. I produce comb honey with and without separators, and I have hardly decided — I prefer both ways. Eugene Secor — 1. 7-to-the-foot and 2 inch, with separators. 2. Two — top and bottom. 3. T rests, section-holders and wide frames. 4. I prefer not to, if I want cratable honey. J. M. Hambaugh— 1. 1% or 1%. 2. I have never used four slots. 3. I pre- fer the Miller T super. 4. The use of separators is preferable, when producing honey for the market. W. G. Larrabee — 1% inches. 2. Two. 3. I use a slatted-bottom super with separators that amounts to about the same as "section-holders," but I con- sider them handier. 4. No, I would al- ways use separators. Mrs. L. Harrison — 1. I am using 1% inch at present, and rather prefer it. 2. Four slots. 3. I use the Heddon-case. 4. I used 7-to-the-foot sections, in the Heddon-case formerly without separa- tors, and they gave very good satisfac- tion. Rev. M. Mahin — 1. If separators are used, 2 inches; withoutseparators, IJa. 2. Two. 3. The bottom of my section- case is made of slats 1)4 inches wide, with slots similar to those in the sec- tions. The ends of the sections rest on strips resting on the bottom of the case. I have no trouble with burr-combs. M. FULLERTON, 18 Gansevoort St., New York, N. V., Wholesale dealer Id Honey, Beeswax, Maple Sugar & Syrnp strictly Fresh Eggs a Specialty. My Trade being direct and only with the re- tail Grocers and Hotels, gives me a regular outlet at the very best prices obtainable. Mention tiva A.meHcan Bee Jonxm/Vj Promptness Is What Counts ! Honey-Jars. Shipping-Cases, and every- thing that bee-keepers use. Root's Goods at Root's Prices, and the best shipping point in the country. Dealer in Honey and Beeswax. Cata- iTrJa's^Ave. Walter S. Ponder INDIANAPOLIS. IND. Mention the American Bee Juumal. BEES & QUEENS. Strong, full Colonies of Italian-Hybrid Bees, in Langstroth 9-f rame blves, at $5,00 per col- ony; 5 to 10 colonies, $4.75 each. Special low price on larger orders. Bees are in good con- dition, and are fine honey-gatherers Italian Queens- after May 15— Dntested, $1.00 each; 6 tor $5.00; 12 tor $9.00. Safe arrival and satisfaction guaranteed. Reference— George W. York & Co. Address, F. GRABBE, LIBEETrVILLE. ILL., 32 ml. northwest of Chicago, on C. M. & St. P. MentUm Oic A.inerican Hee Journal. Bee-Keepers' Pliotog^rapli. — We have now on band a limited number of ex- cellent photographs of prominent bee-keep- ers— a number of pictures on one card. The likeness of 49 of them are shown on one of the photographs, and 131 on the other. We will send them, postpaid, for 50 cents each, mailing from the 131 kind first; then after they are all gone, we will send the 49 kind. So those who order first will get the most " faces'- for their money. Send orders to the Bee Journal office. Honey & Beeswai Market Qnotatlons. CAICAGO, III.. Apr. 11.— We quote: Fancy white comb, I5e. ; ordinary white, 12@13c. ; fancy amber, lOOllc; amber and dark. 7@ 9c. Extracted, white. 5@7c. ; amber and dark, 4@5c. Beeswax, yellow. 30e. The season for sale of comb honey is now at a close, and only a case or so will be taken for colds, and by enthusiasts on honey as a food (o£ whom there are too tew). K. A. B. & Co. CINCINNATL O.. Apr. 8.— Demand is good for choice white comb honey, at 12@14c., and slow for extracted, at 4@7c. on arrival. Beeswax is in good demand at 25@30c. for good to choice yellow. C. F. M. & 8. KANSAS CITY, Mo., Apr. 9.— The demand for comb and extracted is fair. We quote: No. 1 white, l-lbs.. I3@14c.; No. 2. ll@12e.i No. 1 amber, 10®12c.; No. 2. 8@10c. Ei- traoted, white, 6@6i^c.; amber, 5®5^c. Beeswax, 224x4Mx"^ 40,000 4;fx4Jixl 15/1.6 250,000 4}^x4iixl% 150,000 4Jix4}ixlM 80,000 4iix4Jix7-to-ft, Of our No. 2. One-Piece. Open-Top Sections, at the following IjOw Prices : 1,000 for $1.00 ; 3,000 for $2.50; 5,000 for $3.75. These Sections are all of good quality and manufacture, and prices will be maintained for a short time only. G. B. LEWIS CO., ■WATERXOWPf, ^VIS. ^P~ Be sure to mention the American Bee Journal when you write. _^ ^^^^ Dadant's Foundation ^^^'^ Year Year Is still in the lead, for we use all the latest improvements, including the ft NEW WEED PROCESS, ft and still make the best goods. Remember that we do not use any acid to purify our bees- wax, and that is why our Foundation preserves the smell of the honey and is more ac- ceptable to the bees, than any other. It is kept for sale by T. H. Strickler, Solomon City, Kansas. Q. K. Hubbard. Fort Wavne. Ind. L. Hanssen, Davenport, Iowa, C. Theilmann. Theilmanton, Minn. E. C. Eaglesfleld. Berlin. Wis. B. T. Abbot*, 8t. Joseph. Mo. J. M. Jenkins, Wetumpka, Alabama John Key, East Saginaw. Mich. Vickery Bros., Evansville, Ind. The Jennie Atchley Company. BeeTllle. Texas. C. F. Muth & Son, Cincinnati, Ohio B. Kretchmer. Red Oak, Iowa. Jos. Nysewander, Des Moines, lows. G. B. Lewis Co.. Watertown, Wis. James Reynolds Elevator Co.. Pouehkeepsle. N Y. Louisiana Bee-Keepers' Supply Manufactory, Donaldsonville, La. Page & Lyon. New London, Wis. and many other Dealers. All agree in saying that no goods are better than ours. Those of our customers who formerly bought through Thos. G. Newman can get our Foundation in Oliioag^o^ 111*, by addressing ii!$ at 118 iTIicliig'aa Sti*eet« We keep no other goods there. We make a specialty of Veils siii«l Veil Stiifts of best quality, cotton and silk. '* t,ANGSTROTH OPi THE HONEY-BEE "—Revised. Bee-Keepers' Supplies, Smokers. Sections, Tin Pails, etc. Samples ot I'^oiindatioii and Xiille l^RKE with Circular. Instructions to beginners with Circular. Send us your address. CHAS. DADANT & SON, saenticm the Ameriean Bee journa. H A TVTTT.TON, Hancock Co. , HiL. Xoroiito Convention Report has been issued in pamphlet form, and will be mailed from the Bee Journal office for 2.5 cents. Better have a copy, if you have not read it. Only a limited number of copies were bound. READERS or tills Journal who write to auy of our advertisers, either In ordering, or ashing about tlie Goods offered, \vill please state tliat they san tbe Advertisement In this papejr< BEAUTIFUL Transparent TOUGH and yet PLIABLE. NEW ■ PROCESS WEED F0UB1D.4TM ■ DELIGHTS ALL RECENT COMPARATIVE TESTS li\ FLORIDA show that the old-process dipped wax willsag or stretch In the hive nearly five times^as much as that by the new Weed process. REDUCED Our New Sanded and Polished Sections PRICES and Bee-Uive Material are the Finest Product that money and machinery can turn out. CATALOG FREE. THE A. I. ROOT CO., MEDINA, OHIO. 118 inicliig^aii St., Cliicago, III. Syracuse, N. Y. 1024 IHissisMppi St., St. Paul, ninii. ESTABLISHED -laei ^m) 'the OLDEST BEE-PAPER -AMER PubUsbed ^Veekly, at 9i-00 per anniiin. Sample Copy sent on Application, 36th Year. CHICAGO, ILL., APRIL 30, 1896. No. 18. How Houey- Producers Cau Help Themselves. BV EMERSON T. ABBOTT. Honey-producers, falling in with the general drift of things in these times, seem to have gotten the idea that there Is only one road to success, and that is by having the Govern- ment or some combination of men do for them what they con- fess by their theories they are not able to do for themselves — namely, make life a success in their chosen calling. I believe in organization, in unity of action, but I also be- lieve in individuality, in personal effort, and liberty. We are drifting very close to the danger-line, in this matter of or- ganization, it seems to me, when we begin to talk of combin- ing to " compel men " to do what we want done. It is a favorite saying of mine that all I want is health and to be let alone. The man who enjoys the privilege of these two God- given blessings, should be able to at least hold his own, and keep his head above water. If he is not, it will only be an application of the doctrine of the "survival of the fittest" to let him go under. Crutches and Government help should be reserved for invalids, cripples, and the constitutionally weak. A man who enjoys a fair degree of health, and has all the opportunities earth offers to obtain a livelihood, should hesi- tate a long time before he asks aid from any source. But this is not what I started to write about. I was impressed by a little incident which I read the other day, from the pen of Mr. Terry, under the head of " How to Increase Consumption." He and a friend sat down to dinner at a hotel. They found little dishes of very nice-appearing but- ter beside their plates, but when they put their knives into it, it was not fit to eat. They also discovered that they had made a mistake and gone to the wrong hotel. They left the butter on the dishes, and left the hotel as soon as they got up from the table. Mr. Terry said that they would have eaten all of the butter on the dishes and called for more, had it been of the best quality, and this' would have made a market for more butter ; but as it was, the butter was left to glut an overstocked market — overstocked, I presume, with that kind of butter. All the laws and help in the kingdom could not create a demand for goods of that quality. Probably the man who sold it went home complaining that the price of butter had gone down below the cost of production. Perhaps it had, but there is no possibility of building up a market with any such a product. Cannot the honey-producer learn something from this lit- tle incident? I saw an advertisement in one of our city papers stating that two pounds of comb honey could be had for 25 cents at a certain store. I stepped in to Investigate, and when I saw the honey I said, " Is that the stuff you sell two pounds for a quarter ?" Turning to another lot, I asked, " What for this ?" "Two pounds for 35 cents," was the answer. "This?" " 20 cents per pound. That is first-class. That came from the man in Colorado who knows how to put up honey. We got all he had. No trouble to sell that." Investigation proved that honey was not so cheap, after all, for the first lot was not fit to put on any market. You say that such honey is put on the market by farmer bee-keepers who do not know anything about the business. Not always : I remember ordering honey once from a leading producer, who has set himself up for a specialist for years, and it was such a poor quality of extracted honey when it came that I had not the face to offer it to my regular customers. I sold it M. Marvin — See page 277. to a man down in the country who was looking for some clieap honey. It did not bring very much, but I should have called It dear at any price. Now. for the other side : I ordered some extracted honey for my own use the other day from the alfalfa regions of Col- orado, and I took occasion to say to the party to whom I sent, that the last honey I got of him was very fine, and I wanted some more of the same kind. He wrote back thanking me for the good words I had said for his honey, as I had taken pains to recommend it to others, and then he wrote a sentence which I commend to all extracted honey-producers, viz.: "■ I liave no trouble notv in selling all the honey I can pro- duce, witlmut any advei-tising." The italics are mine, but I do not want the reader to fall to get the force of this statement. It is refreshing In these 274 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April SO, days when every other man you meet is complaining about how hard it Is to sell anything. If the reader could eat some of this man's honey, he would soon understand why he was able to write such a cheerful account of his honey-trade. I know times are close, and people are forced to economize, but I am quite sure that Mr. Terry was not entirely wrong when he said that a good way to increase consumption was to pro- duce only a first-class article. I am reminded of a remark made by a little fellow when his mother had placed upon the table some bread of the kind of which he was very fond, and had eaten an unusually large quantity : " It pays to make this kind of bread !" There may have been some doubt in his mother's mind as to just how she was to apply his statement, but there could be none, If she had been placing bread on the market for sale, and all who ate it had been of the same opinion as her son. It pays to make good goods, and when such goods are produced, the first place they should be offered is in the home market. No one should think of going elsewhere until he has worked this all it will possibly bear. The reader may think this advice Is becoming an old story, but there are very few home markets that will not stand a little more pushing, if the goods are of the vcrii best quality. If one has not done his utmost In this line, I am inclined to think that he will be a little surprised at the results, if he will go to work and push the sale of flrst-class honey In his own community. By all means do not waste any valuable time waiting for the coming of some great Honey Exchange to do for you what you may be able to do for yourself. There is entirely too much waiting for others to do the work these times. The Exchange may never come to you. If it does. It may not prove the ideal of perfection for which you have been looking. Most men are human, whether they belong to an Exchange or not. Another thing which many may do to advantage, is to write and talk up the honey-business In their own locality. Here Is a field which is bound to yield a bountiful crop, if properly cultivated. I do not mean by this that every bee- keeper should aspire to become a professional writer, and in due time attach " Prof." to his name. Such titles are very cheap. Every negro barber is a "Prof.," after the style of some would-be professors. There is a great opportunity, how- ever, for those who are willing to work, not for empty noto- riety, but for the real enlightment of the masses as to the great value of honey as a food product. Such work. If hon- estly and persistently done, is sure to bring good returns to the honey-producer. As productive employment always brings contentment, perhaps we may hear less complaint of close times, if the majority of producers can be prevailed upon to try these methods of helping themselves. I trust no one will misunderstand me. I believe in mutual help, but I take a deal of satisfaction in helping myself and asserting my Individuality, especially when I come to a really hard pull ; and I think others will do the same, if they try It. St. Joseph, Mo. Sports of Character in Bees— Longevity. BY F. L. THOMrSON. On page 67, Dr. Miller doubts whether honey-bees carry off lilac leaves into their hives. An instance was reported in the Bienen-Vater last year in which bees were observed car- rying the sticky scales of horse-chestnut buds into their hives, holding them in their mandibles. Another case was reported in the Leipziger Bienenzeitung, in which the scales of horse- chestnut buds were seen in the Inside of hives, serving to plas- ter up the cracks made by manipulations in spring. Query: Are not lilac leaves sticky ? Speaking of bees carrying things in their mandibles, I have observed bees carrying dry sugar out of the hives by means of their mandibles. But from Italy comes a report that some bees were observed trying to pack grains of granu- lated honey (which was outside) on their legs, after they had sucked out and carried away the liquid part. Of course they did not succeed, but they kept up the attempt day after day. The foregoing are not practical points, but to me they are interesting. Bees and ants, from an evolutionary point of view, have sometimes been referred to as possessing a Chinese sort of civilization — elaborate, but inelastic, with Its develop- ment all in the past. But such things show that bees at least are still capable of a "sport," and tend to establish the fact that evolution is continuing, which is difficult to realize in our short lives and epochs. Dr. Gallup's observations, on page 824 (1895) may also have a bearing on this point. Perhaps not every colony would act as did the two he referred to. Perhaps, too, this thought has a practical beariog. The Idiosyncrasies of different colonies in preparing themselves for winter may explain why otherwise similar colonies event- uate differently. One of my colonies builds very thin combs ; its sections do not average more than three-fourths of a pound. The strip of honey which it leaves above the brood, besides being thin, is also narrow. Last June I discovered, just in the nick of time, that it was entirely out of stores, though Its hive has a 10-Langstroth-frame capacity. Otherwise It is one of the best in the yard, having given me 78 completed sec- tions in the past poor season. Such points should be watched in breeding. Colonies of bees differ just as other animals do, and as persons do. Why may they not differ In their methods of work? Some people rush about In a nervous, flustered way, but do not seem to get much done, after all. Others get a good deal done without making much fuss about It. It seems to me quite possible that the bees of an excellent but non- prolific colony may not live any longer than others, and yet do a good deal more work. Again, field-bees may have many other differences of character besides that of a greater or less inclination to sport around the hive, so that I feel like saying that not only is It a difficult question to decide why some colonies are better than others, but that it cannot be decided at all, because behavior in the field may have as much, or more, to do with it than be- havior around the hives. This theory cannot be proved — but it cannot be disproved, either. About the best thing we can do in breeding, besides not- ing comb-building and other points which are visible, is, I think, to judge by results in surplus. There are too many chances of error in attempting to apply these unproved prin- ciples, though In most cases I think it all right to theorize. It is enough that we know a good queen chiefly by the propor- tion between the surplus honey of her colony and the amount of its brood. That is one good point that the discussion on longevity has emphasized, even though it should turn out that longevity may not account for all cases. I do not understand why a large size of thorax should make any difference. The big man is not necessarily the best fighter or the best runner. The main requirement is that he be well-proportioned. But we don't know enough about bee- gymnastics to judge when a queen is well proportioned, unless in exceptional .cases. Lots of good queens have been only medium in size. Arvada, Colo. The Care ofComb Honey — Fumigation. BY C. DAVENPORT. In producing comb honey in order to have it stored in the sections in such a way that they can be readily handled and crated without Injury, separators are with me a necessity, but I believe bees will work more readily and store a little more honey in the supers if no separators are used, but with me there Is always so many of the combs bulged and built out so far that it is Impossible to handle and crate them without breaking a good many of the combs, unless the sections are placed in the cases in the same order and exact position they occupied In the supers, and In handling a large amount this is not practicable. But if I was producing only a small amount of section honey, I would not use separators, for where only a small amount is produced such combs as cannot be readily crated can be used at home, or sold to neighbors. I remove the supers from the hives as soon as the combs in the sections are capped, and use supers to keep it stored In until ready to crate it for market. It is much less work to handle and keep it in supers than it is to take the sections out and set them on shelves, or to put them In boxes, etc. Mine is stored In a warm, dry room, ao^ two pieces of lath are put between each super in order to let the air circulate between them. If at the time the supers are removed from the hives we do not have time to scrape and grade the sections, we at least take the wedges out and loosen the sections so that they can be easily taken out of a super at any time, for moths are gen- erally very bad here for awhile during warm weather, and comb honey has to be watched pretty closely to keep it from being damaged by them ; but It Is only necessary to remove three or four sections from a super to find out whether It is or not. I used to sulphur honey In the room in which it was stored, by burning the sulphur in a kettle, and letting the fumes pervade the whole room, but there would always be some honey that on account of being removed later, or some other cause, did not need sulphuring, so I would have to carry this out- doors or remove it somewhere, for I do not care to 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 275 sulphur it any more than is necessary; so I made a box as wide as the widest super I use, and about 10 inches high. A piece of sheet-iron is nailed over the entire top of this box — I think tin would answer as well — and a small door Is cut out on one side. Then I have other boxes about 6 inches high without top or bottom, the size of the different supers I use, to set over the first box. A hole is cut out of each side of the top box, and a piece of glass fastened iu. When I wish to sulphur honey I set this iron-covered box right in the honey-room, put soraesulphur on the centerof the iron top, then take one of the top boxes, the size of the supers in which the honey is, and set it on top of this sheet-Iron, then set the supers on this, and tier them up ten or more high, as the case may be, and put a cover on. A small lighted lamp is put through the door in the side of the lower box, so that it will be right under the sulphur, and for awhile through the glass in the upper box one can see how the sulphur burns, and regulate the heat as needed. This is much the easiest and most effective way to sulphur honey that I have ever tried. By leaving the windows of the room open it will not affect the rest of the honey, and no one need be afraid but what they can kill the moths by this plan, even if the supers and cover do not fit very closely ; but it takes much less time and sulphur by this plan, and one has to be very careful not to use too much sulphur, or to leave the supers on too long, for if they do the honey will be colored. Last summer we got but very little white honey here, and while I was away from home an inexperienced hand undertook to sulphur some honey by this plan. He took 11 supers of choice white honey and colored the combs and also the wood of the sections nearly as green as grass. I did not know what to do with them, but I thought perhaps soaking them in water might remove the stain, so I took the gearing out of one of the extractors, then set as many of the sections in the can as I could, and then filled it up with cold water in the evening. The gate was opened, and this water allowed to run out. It was then filled up with fresh water, and in the morning every particle of the coloring was gone from the combs and wood also, but the water caused the wood to swell, and a good many of the combs were nearly detached from the sections. These were placed on the hives again, and the bees soon fastened them all right. But if any have to be returned to the bees to be fastened in this way, I found out that if it is at a time when no honey is coming in, one has to use care and select colonies that have the broodnest well filled, or else some of the honey in the sections will be carried below. If I had been careful about this, I would have saved all those sections with- out much loss. With one of those boxes that I have just described, it is very easy to kill moths in brood-combs. AH one has to do is to put some sulphur on the iron top, then pile on the hives and light the lamp, and no matter how big the worms, or how many there are, they can be killed in a very short time. If one prefers, such a box can be set out-doors while the sulphuring is being done, and if there is not much wind, there Is no need to put anything around the cracks between the hives, even if they do not fit very tight. A NEW KIND OF TRAP FOR SWARMS. In my next I will describe a new kind of trap to be used at swarming-time, which differs somewhat from those in gen- eral use. for while this trap when attached to a hive catches and confines a queen when a swarm issues, whether she is a laying queen or a virgin, it does not prevent the drones from leaving or re-entering the hive, for to do so neither they nor the workers have to pass through zinc. It appears that this trap will also allow a virgin queen to go out to mate, and then re-enter the hive. The trap is very simple in construction, and anybody can make it. Southern Minnesota. The House-Apiary — Eastern Shore Notes. BV " MORTON'S BROTHER-IN-LAW." Mr. J. H, Andre, on page 806 (1S95) asks if the house- apiary isn't more objectionable than the chaff hive, because the sun's heat cannot penetrate the house and two inches of shavings besides the single wall of the hive. I cannot see why there should be any difference. But why does Mr. Andre desire the sun's heat to affect the temperature of the interior of a hive? Isn't that one of the main causes of spring-dwind- ling ? It causes the bees to come out and fly when it is too cold to safely do so, and many never get home again. In this connection, an incident came under my notice last spring in northern Pennsylvania (I am something of a " Ram- bler " myself), which will bear telling. In visiting an apiary of about 25 colonies, I found the bees all fastened tightly in their hives by a cigar-box nailed over the entrance, with wire-cloth over one side of it. It was well along into warm weather, too, and the bees had been fly- ing freely on several occasions previous to my visit. The pro- prietor explained that he had noticed bees come out too early and died in the snow, so he " fixed 'em last fall that-a-way, and they are all snug and safe yet." That was a new way to me, and I urged him to release them right away, and give them a chance for life. To my surprise their long confine- ment had not injured them, as far as I could discover, and two weeks later those bees were working as well as you could ask them to — and he only lost two colonies, one of which was queenless. To the bee-crank, this " Eastern Shore" (as they call that part of Maryland lying east of the Chesapeake Bay) possesses some interesting features. Oysters is their main industry, and honey cuts a very little figure. In Easton (the county seat of Talbot county) I found three sections of white clover honey which the grocer informed me had been plenty of stock for his trade for a month (two for a quarter) — and no other man kept honey at all ! The town has about 5,000 inhabi- tants, and is a wealthy, stylish place surrounded by a fine country, where the majority of farms are on a water front, so Mr. Farmer can raise oysters, crabs, fish, terrapins, wild ducks, etc., as well as corn and wheat. There are a few up-to-date bee-keepers In this county, but lower down the peninsula, in Dorchester and Wicomico coun- ties, the great majority of bees are in " gums " — 12x 12x36 — (that's standard I) and they "rob " once or twice a year — that is, by taking ofif the top of the hive and digging out combs as far down as they wish. The wintering problem doesn't seem to bother any one down there. If that big bee-man from York State — who uses a 3-inch rim, a chaff hive, and a cellar just 45^ for 160 days — could see how bees will " paddle their own canoe," and come through the winter in fine condition — with perforated zinc for a cover (upward ventilation, you see), or the cJicJ of the hive so rotted out that it fell away, exposing combs and bees to the naked eye, and yet do well the following season — he might de- cide to emigrate to " de Eesten Sho'." Moths are the anxiety — not wintering— in this " neck of the woods." Mr. Radcliffe thinks his chickens have a check- ing influence with this pest. Morton seems to have a similar notion, for he turns his flock of Golden Wyandottes into his bee-yard every evening, and it is short on moths — very ! I was informed that there was " right smart o' bees' on " Hungry Neck," and went there to investigate. The first party interviewed had "right smart," but did not know ex- actly how many " gums" he did have, but "reckoned" less than 20. No. 2 was a woman; also had "right smart" — couldn't say how many. Mr. R. had seven or eight behind the house, and 10 or 12 over by the barn. He did not know just the number. My companion told me that it was considered unlucky to count the " gums," or to sell any. To buy bees on " Hungry Neck," you must make arrangements for the owner to go away from homo ; then you can go and take them, and leave the pay where it can be found. Another strange notion was to tell the bees {in a ivhisper) when a death occurred in the owner's family, or the bees would die, too I One bee-keeper told me that he thought a cross between bees and fireflies would result in a critter that would work night and day. That is "seeing" the Apis dorsata man, and going him "one better." St. Michaels, Talbot Co., Md. Comb Honey vs. Extracted, and Wintering. BY CHAS. DADANT & SON. We have received the following letter, desiring our experi- ence on the subject : Trinidad, Colo. To CnAS. Dadant & Son: — At the meeting of the Colorado Bee Keepers' Association, held in Denver, in January, one of the prominent honey-producers in the State advocated earnestly the production of comb honey instead of extracted, and asserted, as au objection to working for extracted honey, that the bees become so eager to store honey in the upper story that they neglected to pro- vide themselves with sufficient stores in the brood-chamber to last them over winter. I have not had much experience in producing extracted honey, while you have been working for it for years, so I ask that you will be kind enough to inform me, if you have such trouble, whether you have to feed the colonies from which you have extracted honey, every winter. If not too much trouble, please give me the benefit of your experience. P. O. Blaih. 276 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 30. ^ This is another instance of the inferiority of the shallow frames over the deeper style. A colony, which is located on 8 or 10 ordinary Langstroth frames, finds itself crowded for breeding-room in the brood-chamber, and when supplied with a large amount of empty combs, in the upper story, the bees naturally are quite prone to take advantage of the space thus furnished, by placing all of the honey in those upper combs. This leaves more breeding-room for the queen, as she remains in possession of all the space below ; but the result is that, for the winter, the brood-combs contain too little honey, unless the cooler weather, or the lessening of the yield, in a gradual manner, warns them sufficiently of the approach of cold weather to induce them to place the honey in close proximity to the brood. The Italian bees are more careful in this par- ticular than either the blacks or the hybrids, and are less likely to be caught unawares ; but with the shallow hives, in many cases, if only the lower story is left for winter, it will be found that, when extracted honey has been produced, in combs already built, and consequently of easy access, the bees have not enough honey to last them even through the cold weather. As a matter of course, in comb honey production, this hap- pens less often, for combs in sections are considered by them as too remote from the brood, and of uneasy access to the swarm, owing to the numerous partitions between the sections. Then, also, they have to build the combs ; and in the fall, as we all know, they build only as much as is absolutely needed on the spur of the moment, and it is filled as fast as built. When we consider the actions of the bees, in the compari- son between comb honey production and the production of ex- tracted honey, we must take one fact into consideration, to which the attention of the bee-keepers was first called by Oliver Foster. It is, that bees dislike to place their surplus in any part of the hive which is not of direct and easy access. In a state of nature, the bees harvest honey for themselves only, and they wish it where they can reach it, not a few at a time, but in a mass. They want this honey above the brood, and where they can at any time, in very cold weather, have it within the cluster, without having to move the cluster in other than an imperceptible motion upwards. The sections are not at all suited for this purpose — they are man's device, for his own convenience, but if the bees could talk they would surely give us to understand that they dislike these small cases which divide the colony, if they must go into them, into fractions that could not withstand the cold. Being unable to speak, they make it plain to us, by their reluctance in work- ing in sections. That is why they are so much more eager to use extracting-combs that seem to them only a continuation of their brood-combs upwards. There is, however, we think, a method by which one may produce extracted honey over shallow brood-chambers without fearing to have too small a quantity placed in the brood-combs. This consists in crowding the bees, towards the close of the honey crop, so as to compel them to reduce their breeding, and place the honey in all available cells. A knowledge of the climate and of the probable duration of the honey crop in the locality is necessary, of course. It is necessary in every case, if one expects to make the business a success. In an ordinary season, where the crop diminishes steadily, as the cold weather approaches, there is no necessity to give the bees any warning, for they, of their own accord, usually then crowd the queen out of her breeding-room ; neither is it likely to induce natural swarming, for at that time her fer- tility is lessened, and the need of laying does not impose itself upon her as it does in the beginning. She is also evidently tired of it herself, and does not resent the difficullties which she finds in the way, as she would in the beginning of the season. , With the deeper frames that we use, we have found no difficulty on this score — except in two or three extraordinary seasons, when the crop was cut off all of a sudden by a cold spell, early in the fall. Usually there is a full supply of honey in the upper portion of the brood-combs, when there is a crop at all. The combs that we use, being about two inches deeper than the regular Langstroth frames, this difference, it will be readily understood, is sufficient to make room for a plentiful supply. But we think it always advisable, in the fall, not to give the bees more room In the upper stories than they are likely to fill readily. In the Italian bees, the propensity is very much in the opposite extreme, and it is oftener the case that they crowd the honey so in their brood-combs that there is not enough room left to secure brood enough for a good winter population. Hamilton, III. Every Present Subscriber of the Bee Jou.ua> should be an agent for it, and get all others possible to au^. scribe for it. No. 3. — Producing Comb Honey in Michigan. BT W. Z. HCTCHINSON. (Continued from page 242.) In the production of comb honey the use and non-use of comb foundation is an important feature. When bees are handling honey, as they are in the working season, there is more or less of what might be called involuntary wax-secre- tion. Unless there is an opportunity to use this it is wasted. When honey comes in slowly it is quite likely that sufficient wax is secreted, and that there is abundant time in which to make it into comb, to furnish storage for the honey that is gathered. As the flow increases, honey must be consumed expressly for wax-secretion. Whether such consumption is profitable I am not able to say. The amount of honey con- sumed under favorabfe conditions in producing a pound of wax, is a difficult point to decide definitely, but there is no doubt that it is much less than many people suppose. Just how much of the honey consumed goes to support the life of the bees, and just how much is made into wax, is hard to find out. The old estimate of 20 pounds of honey producing one pound of wax is decidedly an error. Later estimates, that place it at five to seven pounds for one pound of wax, are probably much nearer the truth, and show that the consump- tion of honey even for wax-secretion is not so very expensive. As the flow of honey increases, a point is finally reached where wax cannot be secreted and combs built with sufficient rapid- ity to furnish storage for the honey. When this point is reached — possibly before — comb foundation can be used with profit. As a rule, I have never found it profitable to allow the bees to build their own combs in the sections. In a locality where there was only a slight flow, but one that lasted a long time, such a course mig/it be followed with profit, but, as a rule, the honey harvest of this locality is short but copious. The only place in which I have found it profitable to allow the bees to build their combs unaided is in the brood-nest of a newly-hived swarm. The profit here does not come so much from the saving in comb foundation, although that is quite an item, as it does from the conditions brought about whereby the bees are induced to store their honey in the supers instead of in the brood-nest. I would give away drawn combs before I would hive a swarm upon them when working for comb honey. The bees will do but little work in the sections until the combs in the brood-nest are filled, and sometimes they won't then. The combs are so full of honey that there is little room for brood. Newly-built comb is always ready for brood-rearing, but the cells of old comb must be cleaned and polished before the queen will lay in them. No such polishing is needed for storage purposes, and, if the yield is good, a large share of the brood-combs will be filled with honey before the queen fairly commences laying. When there are no combs in the brood-nest, simply starters of foundation, no honey can be stored in it until combs are built, and the honey must from necessity be stored in the sec- tions (set over from the old hive) until comb is built in the brood-nest. Just as soon as a few cells are completed, the queen, being kept out of the supers by an excluder, is ready with her eggs, and continues to follow up the comb-bulders. The result is that nearly all of the honey goes into the sec- tions, while the combs in the brood-nest become almost solid with brood. The hiving of the swarm upon the old stand, the contraction of the brood-nest, the Heddon method of prevent- ing after-swarming, compelling the bees to build their own combs in the brood-nest — all these combined throw a great mass of willing workers into the sections. These bees have swarmed. The fever is over and passed, and their whole en- ergies are now bent to the gathering and storing of honey. The foundation in the sections gives them an opportunity to store the honey as fast as they can gather it, the tiering-up of the supers allows them plenty of time in which to ripen and seal it, the building of comb in the brood-nest gratifies their natural desire for comb-building, and all goes as merry as the marriage bell. I am satisfied that for this locality no other system of management will give so large yields of surplus comb honey. Very excellent results may be secured by hiving swarms upon full sheets of foundation ; far superor to what may be secured by using drawn combs, but not equalling those that come when only starters are used in the brood-nest. There is more difference in this respect between combs and foundation than there is between foundation and starters only. Of course, the foundation can be drawn out into combs in two or three days, but during even that short time the bees have begun storing their honey in the supers, and, having made a begin- ning, they are inclined to continue the practice. ■To this plan of management there is just one objection, 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 277 viz.: that perfect combs are not always built in the brood-nest. They may be crooked, or bulged, or drone-comb may be built. The last is the greatest difficulty. When using the Langstroth hive and contracting to only five frames, I never had any diffi- culty in getting straight combs. The brood-nest was so nar- row at the top that all of the combs were commenced at once, grew at the same time, and were brought down to completion as straight as so many boards. With the new Hoddon hive the top of the brood-nest is wider, and the center combs are more liliely to be commenced some little in advance of the outer combs, and bulging is sometimes the result. Drone-comb is the result of either an old queen that can- not keep pace with the comb-builders, or that the bees are thinking, perhaps, of superseding, or of using a brood-nest so large that the bees hatch from the first-laid eggs in the center of the brood-nest, and the queen returns to re-HU the cells so emptied before the brood-nest is filled with comb, and when comb is built for store-comb (which would be the case if the queen were not at hand to fill it with eggs), it is quite likely to be drone-comb if honey is being brought in quite rapidly. As before mentioned, this system of management does not leave the swarm in the best condition for winter. If there is a fall flow, this condition can be easily remedied, simply by adding more combs and allowing the bees to breed and store honey to their heart's content. The same result can be ob- tained by feeding, and in those localities where natural stores do not always prove wholesome for winter, this lack of stores is really an advantage, as there is no extracting to be done — simply the feeding of sugar. To find bees short of stores in the fall simply because the white honey has been stored in the sections, is not objectionable, as the lack of honey can be sup- plied with sugar syrup costing only about one-third as much as the honey will sell for. What course to pursue after the white harvest is past will depend upon circumstances, such as whether there is a fall flow, whether it is suitable for winter stores, whether an increase of colonies is desirable, etc. I favor uniting the light colonies soon after the sections are off, as this gives an opportunity for discarding imperfect combs and poor queens, furnishes abundant combs and bees, and lessens the amount of feeding that must be done. In the next article, " feeding back " will be explained. Flint, Mich. MR. J. n. mARVIIV. James Monroe Marvin, the subject of this sketch, and whose photograph appears on the flrst pages of this issue of the American Bee Journal, was born at De Ruyter, Madison county, N. Y., July 4, 1830. In 1844 he, with his parents, moved from New York to St. Charles, Ills., and he has lived in or near this city from that time up to a recent date. In his early life Mr. M. followed the business of painting, but during that period he became greatly interested in both bees and flowers. During his earth-life few men enjoyed a wider or better circle of warm personal friends. In business matters he was highly respected for his sterling integrity. He was of a bright, cheerful and sunny disposition, and was always ready and willing to do anything in his power for the happiness or ad- vancement of his friends and acquaintances. He would strip the blossoms from his choicest plants for the friends of the departed, and without a thought of a pecuniary remunera- tion ; and, when necessary, would cheerfully divide the con- tents of his purse with the living. He was seldom known to speak an unkind word of any person, and, if treated ill, would simply say, and with a smile : " He couldn't help it '" During the entire period of his life it is not known that he had an enemy. As a practical, progressive bee-keeper he attained a very high position among the fraternity, and for many years his opinions on bee-culture were highly respected by all who knew him. Just before and during our Civil War Mr. Marvin was without doubt the most extensive bee-keeper in Illinois. At one time his home apiary contained nearly 600 colonies of bees. Up to 1862 all of his bees were natives, and in box- hives. In 1862 he adopted the Langstroth hive and the Ital- ian bee. In the course of two or three years his large apiary had undergone a radical change. For several years thereafter he secured each year many tons of comb honey. In 1868 he purchased a honey-extractor, and then for a number of years confined himself mainly to the production of extracted honey. Tons and tons of honey were thus secured each year. Finally foul brood made his apiary a visit, and as no attempt was made to fight the disease, his colonies began to disappear rap- idly, and soon all were destroyed. For the past few years Mr. M. had taken but little interest in bees, but instead he gave special attention to the growing of small fruits and the pro- duction of new varieties of seedling grapes. His vineyard at the present time contains a number of very promising seed- lings, but what will now become of them is one of the un- solved problems. For many years Mr. Marvin was firm in the belief that this earth-life is simply a preparatory state to a better and an unending existence, and he tried to live accordingly. He often said he was ready at a moment's notice to bid adieu to earth- life, and that when the time came for him to depart he was in hopes that he would not be afflicted with a long and painful illness. His desire in that respect was gratified, for he de- parted this life very suddenly on Friday, March 5, 1896. While eating supper, and apparently in his usual health, he was ta^fen with severe stomach pains, and in less than an hour thereafter he was in spirit-life. Mr. Marvin left no family —he being a bachelor — but he left one sister and three brothers, besides a multitude of friends and other relatives to mourn his unexpected exit to the mysterious beyond. M. M. Baldridge. St. Charles. 111. CONDUCTED BY , DR. C. C. MILLER. MARENGO. ILL. LQuestlons may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct.l To Tbosc Who Desire Answer§ by Mail. Notwithstanding I have more than once said in print that I cannot make answer by mail, I still get a good many re- quests of that kind, and there seems to be a feeling that a stamp enclosed puts one under obligation to send a written answer. A little thought ought to show the unreasonableness of this. If I answer one by mail there's no good reason why I should not answer another, and as in most cases it would be a little more desirable to have an answer by mail sooner than it could be had in print, very few would want answers in print, and a large part of my time would be taken up writing let- ters. I'm glad to answer as well as I can in print, for in that case I'm paid for it, and many others have the benefit of the answer, so when you ask for an answer please always say in what place you want the answer, and don't expect an excep- tion to be made in your case. I know it often seems as if a man must be very unaccom- modating who will not answer a question by mail that re- quires only a few words, but sometimes an answer of three words may require an hour of looking up the matter, and, even if it didn't, there's no reason why you should be treated any different from others. C. C. Miller. Large Hives and Swarming. I am troubled by my bees swarming too much every sea- son. 1 am using the 8-frauie hives as recommended by so many, and find by putting two together (making a 16-frame 278 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 30. hive) that my queens fill 12 to 14 frames solid with brood. Now will using this 16-frame (two-story) hive prevent swarm- ing ? and will I get as much comb honey per hive? What do you think of a 16-frame 2-story hive for a brood-chamber, if they average IS frames solid brood to the hive ? J. b; g. Answer. — You have struck on one of the unsettled ques- tions. Some will tell you that with 16 frames and 13 frames of brood you'll fiud the bees will not work much in supers. Others say they will. I haven't had a chance to settle the matter from my own experience, as there has been no crop here for the past two years, but if you keep 13 frames well filled with brood I'd at least let them have the chance to try what they'd do in supers with 16 brood-combs. The Dadants claim that with their large hives they don't have five colonies swarm in a hundred, and the probability is that you'll have very much less swarming with 14 or 16 frames than with 8. If you hive your swarms in a single story they'll give you more surplus from the early harvest, but whether hiving on two stories may not be more profitable in the long run is a ques- tion. Possibly you might do well to try a few cases of reduc- ing to one story after the early harvest had fairly begun, and then restoring the second story at the close of the early har- vest. But you would likely have more swarming by that. What Hivo to Use. What kind of hive do you use, or would you recommend ? J..B. W. Answer.— I'm trying to find out what hive I want myself, and have some 11-frame hives in use, besides the 8-frame hives I've had for a good while, but mostof the new hives I've got lately are the S-frame dovetail, and I'm in hopes they may be satisfactory by running them part or the whole of the year in two stories. The Liizard a Bec-Encmy in Brazil. I am now settled in Olinda, in Brazil, 8^ south of the equator. My bees have much to suffer from the lizunls that hide themselves under and near the hives, and snap the harm- less pets when striking near the ground to enter their homes. What is to be done to remove that enemy ? ME Olinda, Brazil, March 1, 1896. Answer.— I've looked over all the answers I have now in stock, and the only one that seems to fit the case is, " I don't know." Possibly setting the hives up on stakes a foot high with a good, wide entrance-board for the bees to alight on. Perhaps some one of successful experience will be kind enough to offer something to help out. Number of Bees in a Quart. How many pints or quarts of bees will it require to make 4 pounds? There is a man that wants some 2-frame nuclei and 4 pounds of bees. I have no way to weigh them, only by guess or measure. I want to give him plenty, and would rather give him }^ pound too much than not enough. J. H. S. Answer. — It isn't an easy thing to be sure about bees either by weight or measur* A good deal has been said and written as to the number of bees in' a pound, but I don't be- lieve any man living can tell how many bees are in a pound weighed out before him. It may vary all the way from 3,0U0 to 10,000. In the first place, there's a difference in the dif- ferent kinds of bees. Cheshire found that 7 Carniolan work- ers weighed as much as 10 Cyprians. So take the smallest and bring them down to the starving point, and you may h*ve 10,000 in a pound, while the largest well crammed with honey may go only 3,000 to the pound. For ordinary pur- poses, it is quite common to consider 5,000 a pound, when bees are not well filled. Less attention has been given to the number in a quart, and I don't believe you will find ai.ything on record that will give any very satisfactory answer. When you come to actual practice, it's'doubtful whether you'll want to know anything about the number of bees in a quart, or how much a given number of pounds will measure when meas- ured in a quart measure. The variation would probably be such as to make your measure very unreliable. Get the e.xact weight of a quart of bees, and in five minutes later it may weigh differently. If the bees are cold and quiet when first weighed, they will be elosely packed .together, and there will be a large number In a quart. Then as they become excited and warm up your quart will swell. As already said, you probably will find it a very difficult thing to get bees to stay in a quart measure long enough to be nieasured. After you try It I think you'll be glad to turn to the weighing. If you have no convenience for weighing, go to the nearest store and have them weigh whatever you intend to put the bees in. Then when you have your bees fastened in. have them weighed again. Then charge in proportion to the weight, or else fill in a few more if the weight is short. But every bee-keeper who sells honey would do well to have something with which he can weigh. Probably a Wild Bee. I send you an insect, of which I found hundreds in my bee-hives this spring. Please tell me what they are, their use, name, etc. L. C. Answer. — The specimen sent, as nearly as I can judge from its dried and crushed condition, is one of the small wild bees. I'm not entomologist enough to give you its correct name, if indeed I'm right as to its being a bee at all. If it's a bee, it probably came to get some chance at the sweets it smelt in the hive. ^ I w Hunting Wild Bees. 1. What is the best bait to be used in summer time when flowers are abundant, in lining or tracing wild bees to their home ? 2. What is the best method of hunting wild bees in sum- mer ? E. S. G. Answers. — 1. I don't suppose there's anything better than honey, and if I should venture a guess as to the kind of honey, I should say that with the strongest odor. Making a smudge by burning old comb is practiced by some to get the first attention of the bees. 2. I've no personal experience in hunting bees, except going with A. I. Root a short time one day, and I suspect he wished I was out of the way, but I suppose the orthodox way is to line and cross line. Establish a line by watching which way the bees fly after fairly at work, then go some distance in the same line and try another spot, and so on until you come upon the place. Or, after having one line established, start the bees to work at another spot outside your first line, and then try to find the place where the two lines cross. You'll probably find it a very difficult thing to get bees to work on bait when flowers are abundant. Using Old Combs — Cutting Out Queen-Cells. 1. There is a man in this place who had six colonies die for want of food. The boxes or hives are full of empty comb from one end to the other. Would any of this comb do to use? It seems to be all right. 2. Mr. Newman tells in his book how to prevent bees from swarming, by cutting out the queen-cells. I don't un- derstand it rightly. I don't know what time in the spring to do this, nor how often. It is very windy hero, and everything is fresh and green, but bees are working right along, rain or shine. We have had hardly any winter. R. W. Coal Gate, I. T., April 11. Answers. — 1. The old combs are all right to use again, and are valuable. Even if they're not entirely clean and nice, the bees will make a nice job cleaning them up, only if they're very bad don't give too many of them at a time to the bees. 2. Cutting out queen-cells will not usually prevent first swarms, although it may soineiiraos. But second swarms may be prevented by cutting out all the cells but one. Lift out the frames about 6 or T days after the swarm issues, and break off or cut out all the queen-cells but one, saving one of the largest and best looking. But you can generally prevent the issuing of second swarms in a way that has been many times given. When the swarm issues, hive it on the old stand, and set the old hive close beside it. In six or seven days move the old hive to a new place a rod or so away, and a large number of the field-bees will join the swarm, and this will weaken the old colony so much that it will in all probability give up all thought of swarming. You will make the matter more sure if you move the hiye at the time of day when the bees of the old hive are out for a play spell, just before the young bees begin to return to the hive. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 279 Question;) 'Box^ In the tnultitude of counsellors there is safety. — Prov. 11-14. Winter " Honey ".Produclion- Will Old.Tinie Honcy-!!!>ca. sons Return 'i Query 11.— 1. Could bees produce honey In January, if they were kept In a warm building and fed bountifully on sugar syrup ? I am told It is being done here in Ohio, and the honey sold for one-flfth the price of gen- uine comb honey. 2. Do 5-ou thinli the time will ever come again when bees will do as well as they did 10 or 12 years ago 1 I mean in the locality of Ohio.— CoLnMBtrs. G. M. Doolittle— 1. This is a " fake." 2. Possibly, if the same conditions exist. R. L. Taylor— 1. I guess not. One- fifth the price ! Poppycock. 2. Yes, surely. W. R. Graham— 1. Bees cannot mafce honey out of sugar. 2. I see no reason why they should not. Prof. A. J. Cook— 1. Not long. The bees would soon go where the wildwood twineth. 2. I do not. Man destroys more bloom than he adds. Rev. M. Mahin— 1. No. 2. I do not know how it may be in Ohio, but I do not expect them ever to do as well in Indiana as they did in earlier years. B. Taylor— 1. I don't believe they could. 2. I do not know. Here in Southern Minnesota I have but little hope of again reaping old-time honey- crops. Mrs. L. Harrison— 1. No ! Honey is the product of flowers. The Creator never intended bees to be fed like pigs. 2. Solomon says, " What has been will be again." W. G. Larrabee — 1. I don't know. I am afraid there is some mistake about this, for the sugar can't be bought for one-fifth the price of comb honey. 2. I don't know, but I am afraid not. J. M. Hambaugh — 1. No. It would simply be sugar syrup, and should re- ceive the condemnation of all honey- producers. 2. In some localities, yes ; others, no. Generally speaking, I fear not. E. Prance — 1. No. Bees do not make honey if you feed sugar syrup. The bees will store it the same as you give them. 2. No. The timber is cut off, the fields are cultivated, the old-time bee-pastures are destroyed. H. D. Cutting— 1. If you know Just "a little bit" about bees, does it look reasonable to you ? Don't believe it for a moment. 2. I will not venture an opinion, but I would like to see two wet seasons in succession. C. H. Dibbern — 1. I see no reason why " honey" could not be produced as suggested in January, but I am sure it would not te profitable at double the usual price. 2. Yes, the good years will surely come again. G. W. Demaree— 1. Certainly not. It would be out of " season " in the month of January for bees to build combs if the thing was possible at all. It is evident that that scientific " sugar-honey " idea — bees "making honey "out of sugar — will " bear fruit " for some time to come. 2. It will depend much upon the pecu- liar turn agriculture may take. I don't know about Ohio. But here in blue- grass Kentucky the tobacco crop is de- stroying bee-forage. Dr. J. P. H. Brown— 1. No. Sugar syrup would still be sugar syrup, though deposited in the comb. 2. I don't see why they shouldn't do as well if the same conditions could be restored. Here is a big field for bee-savants to explore. Dr. C. C. Miller- 1. I don't believe it. Even if I believed any one could get the honey produced they wouldn't be such fools as to sell for 3 cents a pound. Wouldn't need to, and would lose big money by it. 2. I don't know any rea- son why it may not come again. Emerson T. Abbott — 1. Bees cannot produce honey out of sugar syrup in January, nor at any other time. We hear a great many things in these days that are not so. A vast deal of the "honey" made out of sugar syrup is the result of an over-fertile imagination. 2. I do not know anything about the possibilities of honey in Ohio. Allen Pringle — 1. No. Neither in January nor in any other month can bees produce honey from sugar syrup. Don't try to do it, or advise anybody else to try. 2. The Ohio men must answer this question. T do not think bees will ever do as well again in any locality where the forests have disappeared, without special planting and sowing. P. H. Elwood — 1. This is as bad as the artificial comb''and glucose filling. The capacity of the average man for being humbugged is great, or such stories could never circulate. 2. Not if your forage has been destroyed. If not, old crops will return. However, we are apt to remember the large crops longer than the small ones or the failures. Not all sunshine years ago. Eugene Secor — 1. I advise you to try that yourself on one colony ; and when you have produced the first 10 pounds of honey, you will know that you can't believe all you hear or read. If it does not cost you 5 times the price of honey, I'll miss my guess. " Behold, we Isnow not anything; 1 can but trust that good shall fall At last— far off— at last, to all— And every winter change to spring." —Tennyson. J. E. Pond— 1. I don't think it would be practicable to do so. At any rate they can't produce honey from sugar syrup. 2. I do not know of any reason why they will not. Bee-keepers owe all the trouble there is in the matter to themselves. When they learn wisdom from sad experience, times will improve. It is just such matters as are involved in Part 1 of this question, that causes much of the trouble that now exists. James A. Stone — 1. I would not think the colony would be strong enough to gather any surplus syrup at that time. As to honey, they never can gather or produce it from sugar syrup. Keep your ears open and you can Itcar anything. But if a beekeeper is doing what " Co- lumbus " is told is being done, he ought to, and will be, boycotted. 2. Yes. When bee-keepers learn that their bees must have pasturage the same as their animals. Mr. L. D. Stilson, editor of the Nebraska Bee-Keeper, reported, April 17, that " Bees are doing Ijnely this spring." That's the general report up to this time — April 18. Hope it will continue. Dr. C. C. Miller, of Marengo, III., has been appointed a commissioner to the Pres- byterian General Assembly which meets for about 10 days at Saratoga, N. Y., May 31. It is the highest honor conferred on a layman in the Presbyterian church. And the Doctor well deserves it. Mr. Allen Pringle, of Selby, Ont., in the April Review, lets the daylight in upon the doings of the Ontario Bee-Keepers' As- sociation. Some things will hardly bear the light of day, and we'll be glad to see how the Ontario stands it. Mr. Pringle usually knows his ground before he stands upjn it. Editor HuTcmusoN, of the Review, ex- pects to attend the meeting of the Philadel- phia Bee-Keepers' Association, May 16. and read an essay on "The Production of Comb and Extracted Honey." Every bee-keeper within 100 miles of the " City of Brotherly Love," ought to be present to meet and hear Mr. Hutchinson. Mrs. J. M. Null, of Miami, Mo., we re- gret to learn, has been sick all the past winter, and under the doctor's tender care. Mrs. Null is one of Missouri's best bee-keep- ers, and could tell quite an experience it she were so inclined. We hope she may speedily recover, and be equal to her former self, when we had the pleasure of meeting her— at the World's Fair and St. Joseph conventions of the North American. Mr. Hasty, in Review, asks us what we would advise him to do, seeing he is over 200 pages in arrears in reviewing the Ameri- can Bee Journal. We would advise him to do just as be pleases, and we will promise to be satisfied. So now he can't go wrong. But if Mr. Hasty attempts to recapitulate all the good things some people say they find in the Bee Journal, he'll not run out of material for bis Review department very soon. Mrs. J. N. Heater, of Columbus, Nebr., spent the winter in the South with Mr. Heater, returning home about April 15. She found her bees in fine condition, not a single colony lost in wintering. Mrs. H. is probably the most prominent lady bee- keeper in Nebraska. Our readers know her by her replies in the " Question-Box " for several years past. We had the pleasure of meeting both Mrs. and Mr. Heater at the World's Fair convention. They are a jolly couple. Mr. Thomas G. Newman and wife, with their daughter (Mrs. F. H. Chenoweth) and her two children, all started for California last Thursday, April 23. They left the Union Depot at 2:40 p.m., where we went to ■■ see them off," and say good-bye. A number of their friends and relatives went to the station to see that Mr. Newman and family had safely begun their long journey toward the " Land of Sunshine." They ex- pected to reach Los Angeles on Tuesday, April 2S, where they were to spend a day or two, and then continue on their way to San Diego, where they will make their home. Mr. Newman's many bee-keeping friends will be glad to welcome him to California, and Chicago will hardly again ,seem the same to us without him. Our best wishes go with Mr. Newman and family, for many years of good health and happiness in their new home in the " Sunset State." 280 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 30, PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY GEORGE W. YORK & COMPANY, 118 Mlclilgaa St., - CHICAGO, ILL. REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS : G. M. Doolittle, Of New York. Prof. A. j. Cook, of California. Dr. C. C. Miller, of Illinois. Dr. J. P. H. Brown, of Georgia. J. H. Martin, of California. Key. E. T. Abbott, of Missouri. Barnett Taylor, of Minnesota. Mrs. L. C. Axtell, of Illinois. Chas. Dadant & Son, of Illinois. $1.00 a Year— Sample Copy Sent Free. (Entered at tbe Post-Offlce at ChlcaKO as Second-Class Mail-Matter.] VoLfflVI. CHICAGO, ILL, APR. 30, 1896. No. 18. The Annual Report of the convention of the Nebraska State Bee-Keepers' Association for 1895 is re- ceived. The meeting was held at Omaha, Sept. 17, 18 and 19, The Report contains 30 pages. Mr. E, Whitcomb, of Friend, and Mr. L. D. Stilson, of York, Nebr., are respectively President and Secretary of the Association. Nebraska is one of the very few States that issue a pamphlet report of the annual bee-convention. A Report in one of our late bee-exchanges reads as follows : " My bees were taken out of the cellar in fine shape March 20. Only 2 dead out of 157; but a lot more may die before June." We should presume that if the " shape " of the bees was all right last fall, when put into the cellar, their "shape" shouldn't change much during the winter. He probably meant their " condition " was fine. Then he lost " only 2 out of 157 " bees. Just think of it — only 2 bees lost ! But then, he says he put in only 157 bees ! He most likely meant that 2 colonies died out of 157. Why don't people say what they mean ? We "don't know." Xortb Carolina Experiment Station.— Some months ago we received the following letter from Mr. W. H. Pridgen, of Creek, N. C, but in some way it was mislaid, and " turned up " only a week or so ago : Mr. Editor: — Inclosed find a clipping which explains it- self. It is a step in the right direction, and I hope will be the means of educating the people of North Carolina in bee-keep- ing, that others who are now ignorant of. the pleasure and profit in the pursuit, maj learn to enjoy the sweets that go to waste. W. H. Pridgen. The clipping referred to in the foregoing letter reads thus : BEE-CULTURE AT THE EXPERIMENT STATION. The North Carolina Experiment Station has recently com- pleted arrangements for carrying on some work in bee-culture, both to disseminate information as to the best methods to fol- low in bee-keeping, as Well as to conduct tests to determine what plans should be adopted in North Carolina to make this parkifiular iudustry A'f> proPtttblS as pgeiilbU. Jtn mftny sec- tions of the State bee-culture now yields handsome returns when carefully managed. With proper use of the improved methods of late years this result might be largely increased. It will be the purpose of the Station to endeavor to aid in the extension of the industry, and with the possible improvement of the culture where it has now found a foothold. For this purpose the co-operation of two experienced bee-keepers has been secured — Dr. J. W. Hunter and Mr. W. H. Hall, both of Forsyth county. It is expected that results interesting to bee-keepers will be reached during the coming season. In the meantime, items of timely interest will be distributed upon the various phases of the subject. As the Station desires to enter into correspondence with every bee-keeper now in North Carolina, each one is cordially requested to send his name and address to Dr. H. B. Battle, Director, Raleigh, N. C. Any items as to the colonies, hives, etc., on hand, and the success or failure heretofore met with, will be gladly received. Doubtless the correspondence will be mutually helpful. We believe this is the first Southern State to recognize bee-culture in this way. We hope that much good may result, and that other States will imitate the good example set by North Carolina. We should be pleased to publish some of the apiarian reports issued by this Station. * ■ » Prof. Cook, in the Rural Californian for March, gives these three " Bits of Nectar," among others : Bees Not a Nuisance. — And now comes news of a suit in Europe to show that bees are a nuisance, and not to be tol- erated in certain precincts. The decision was with the bees ; that it is too late in the world's history to make, much more to enforce, such a claim. God has given us bees for a great purpose. There can be no greater folly than an attempt at their banishment. Any such an attempt must prove as fool- ish as it is vain. Bee-Sting Remedies. — Ammonia has long been recog- nized as one of the best antidotes for bee-sting poison. There is reason in this. The poison is acid, and the ammonia in neutralizing the acid, seems to neutralize the poison as well. In a late number of Nature it is suggested that an ammonia- cal extract of quinine is even more effective than ammonia alone. Bee-keepers who are much troubled with stings may well try this new remedy. Keep Cool with Bees. — There is a prevailing opinion that bees are especially cross to some people. As a teacher of apiculture, who has often had very large classes, number- ing at times from 30 to 50, I have had good opportunities to test this theory, but uever found any reasons for adopting it. If one is more susceptible to attack and stings than another, it is only because he is nervous and quick in his work and movements. Harsh behavior the bees resent, and usually at- tempt to punish. *-.-*. Importation of Apis Dorsata.— On page 217 we requested all who answer in the "Question-Box" depart- ment, to let us know their opinion as to the advisability of going to the expense of importing Apis dorsata. So far only three out of 25 have responded, and their replies follow : I am thoroughly convinced that a great deal more is being made out of the importation of Apis dorsata than the circum- stances warrant. It will cost but little to secure a few of these bees to test their merits, and I do not think that the Government should be asked to go to large expense in order to make any experiments along this line. There are other things of more importance to bee-keepers than the importa- tion of these bees, which should have attention first. This agitation seems to be mostly in the interest of one man, who seems to want the job of going after Apis dorsata. It would be better, it seems to me, to wait until he has shown a disposition to deal fairly and honestly with his fellow bee- keepers as to some matters he now has in hand before he re- ceives any new commissions. I for one do not think that under the circumstances these bees would prove to be a very valuable addition to the wealth of the bee-keepers of the United States. Ejierson T. Abbott. I must say I think it a little premature for a local society to attempt a thing of this kind. It should come before the North American at its next meeting, and it would have more Influence than a dozen local societies. Tbe petition says it la tbe wish of the majority of progrei* 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 281 sivfi bee-koepers of this country. I have my doubts about it, as I don't think the majority know one thing about it at the present time. Now, if the Apis dorsata is what we want, and it will be a benetit to this country, then I hold up both hands for it. But do we want the Apis dorsata? The Australians wanted the rabbits, but they don't want them now. We wanted the sparrows, but we don't want them now. We have the imported currant-worm, but we don't want it any )uore. We have the Cyprian bees, but how many want them now? We have many imported insects, birds, quadrupeds and bipeds that we wish we did not have. So I will suggest that all parties go slow, and know just what they are doing with them in their native home. If the drones from Apis dorsata only fly after sundown, how are we to use them for any benefit to our queens, if any benefit it will be ? I would like to hear from our good friend D. A. Jones, who spent thousands of dollars investigating the different varieties of foreign bees. Mr. Jones did a great work, and we should always hold him in grateful remembrance. H. D. Cutting. I hardly know how to reply to the request as to the mat- ter of importing the big Indian bee. Two men who have seen it in its native place are hopeful that it might be successfully and profitably introduced. Gravenhorst thinks there is no reason why it might not cross with the smaller bees. Others think differently. I think it is Baldensperger who says it is impossible to domesticate it, and the only attempts in that line that I ever read about were utter failure. Cheshire thinks its Introduction would not be valuable, and says: "Fortu- nately, it is in the very nature of things impracticable to ' hybridize ' our bees with dorsata." If it is thought advisable to make any effort with regard to it, it would be a good deal cheaper, I should think, to have the experiment made near or on its own ground. If it cannot be kept in a hive there, or if it cannot be crossed with other bees, it is not worth while to bring it here. The wording of the petition given on page 217, would have to be changed to get the signatures of well-informed bee- keepers. The statement, "It is believed that these bees would be of great advantage," etc., is probably the reverse of the truth, if the general belief is meant ; and it is equally far from correct to say that in desiring the introduction of dorsata, " we represent the sentiment of a majority of the progressive bee-keepers of the country." Probably the strongest argument in favor of dorsata, pro- viding it could be successfully introduced, is that on account of its size it could work on red clover. If .we want the Cov- ernment to help toward securing honey from red clover, why not work in a more certain direction? For a tithe of the ex- pense, we could get from France bees whose size has boon in- creased until the length of tongue is much beyond the average. Dr. J. P. Murdock has bees of such size that they are said to work freely on red clover. As to these bees, I know for cer- tain that they build worker-comb very nearly as large as drone-comb, their drone-comb being proportionately increased in size. On the whole, would it not be better to spend money in getting what is less problematical, or in first finding out whether dorsata is worth anything if it should be introduced ? C. C. MiLLEK. Comment from us on this subject is hardly necessary, even were we competent to speak on the subject. Prof. Cook has referred to the matter favorably, on page 227, so that makes four out of 25 who were asked to express their opinion. Three practically against the importation of Apis dorsata, and one for it — so far as heard from. Well, if that is any indication of the minds of the " progressive bee-keepers of the country," it would seem that they are not yet tumbling over each other in their rush to have the " big Indian bee" brought to our shores. ^-•-» The mesquite Tree.— Among the trees whose blossoms yield nectar may be named the mesquite, which grows in certain parts of the United States. In the Pacific Rural Press we find the following paragraphs concerning mesquite and its uses: As is well known to those familiar with this tree, it is useful in many ways to the people of Mexico and the south- western part of the United States. Its roots and wood are excellent for fuel ; the gum is used for dyeing, and also as a medicine \ the leaves and poda, or beans, aa they are usually called, are valuable forage for stock, and are also prized by Mexicans and Indians as food. These " beans " consist of an outer husk or pod, and of hard kernels. The pods are agree- able to the taste, and very nutritious. Their food-value largely depends upon the sugar contained, as high as 24 per cent, having been found in them. The kernels are exceed- ingly hard, and are not digestible by animals when swallowed. Analyses, however, show them to be very nutritious, and if a way could be found to utilize them the value of the " beans " for stock would be much increased. The flowers of the mesquite yield an excellent honey, and in this way the tree is of commercial importance to the bee- keepers of the regions where it grows. These many uses make it desirable to avoid needless de- struction of this tree, and although it is a slow grower, it would probable in the long run be of advantage to plant it, since it is especially adapted to arid surroundings, and will thrive in situations where most trees will perish. This tree and its products have been undergoing careful examination at the hands of Prof. Forbes, Chemist of the Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of Arizona. A Foul (Brood) Joke. — In the Canadian Bee Journal for April wo find that at the last Ontario convention a certain member raised this question, in all seriousness: " Should not the public be made acquainted with the fact that a pe»'so7!, has foul brood." (Italics ours.) The idea of a "per- son " having foul brood I Whenever that happens, no doubt the public will not need to be specially informed — they'll find it out soon enough. Of course the question had reference to a person's hees, though it was not so printed. Big Bees of Cochin China. In looking over an old volume of the American Bee Jour- nal, I came across the following under the title — A CHINESE BEE. "The Apicultural Section of the Entomological Society at its annual meeting in Paris, in August, 1874, made many in- teresting statements. M. Durand Saint Armand, a govern- ment officer in Cochin China, states that the country possesses a bee twice the size of ours, which, consequently, ought to ex- tract the honey from red clover which is known to be very abundant. This bee is found in great numbers all along the coast, in a wild state, in hollow trees, and the natives hunt them for their wax. The extensive forests of this country are leased for the product of wax which is to be sold to the Chi- nese." Here then would appear to be our bee twice the size of Apis mellifica and living like them in hollow trees. Can not our bee-keeping friends in France give us more information in regard to these bees? I believe a large portion, if not all, of Cochin China is now in the hands of France. I should not now have thought so much of this statement had I not in con- versation with a returned missionary learned of the same or a similar bee, under domestication by the Chinese in western China. As he was a young man, a native of this town, brought up on a farm, I felt that his statements were worthy of entire confidence. He said the bees of Western China were in size midway between our hive-bees and the bumble-bee, aud were, like our domestic bees, kept in hives ; and must be of gentle disposition as he had seen a colony clustered in a crowded street yet no one seemed afraid of them. I had hoped before this to have secured specimens of them, but owing perhaps to the unsettled condition of the country I have not as yet re- ceived them. I supposed when he first told me of them that they were the Apis dorsata which the Chinese had domestica- ted, but I now think they must belong to another species. — J. E. Ckane, in Review. Honey as Food an-\- prices. <'iit. i.r so |iat,'ps FREK. E. KRETCMER, RED OAK, IOWA. Mention the American Bee JuumcU. 12K8t Fruit ■ Plants Free ! ALIi CHOICE VARIETIES. No. 1— Eight Snyder Blackberry Plants. $1.00 No. 2— 50 Asparagus Roots 1.00 No. 3— 6 Fay Prolific Currants 1.00 No. 4—3 Snyder Blackhery, 20 Asparag's Roots and 3 Fay Prolific Currants 1 00 No. 5—3 Blackcap Oregg Raspberries. 3 Choice Ked Raspberries, 12 lo'a Beau- ty Strawberries and 2 Fay Pro. Cur.. 1.00 No. G— 4 Snyder Blackberry, 4 Golden Queen Raspberry. 12 Asparagus R'ts and 10 Erie Blackb'ry Root Cuttings. 1.00 No. 7—75 Blackberry Root Cuttings 1.00 VlnAAinl Alf'ui* —i'our choice of any ONE of iSptlldl IFIICl the above 7 Numbers for sending us olio new iniibseriber to the IJee Journal tor a year at $1.00, and 15 cts. to pay Postage on the Plants. GEORGE W. YORK & CO.. - CHICAGO, ILLS. Sweet Clover n Canada. At the following prices : 5 Ihs. 10 lbs. 25 lbs. 50 lbs. $1.00 $1.00 $3.75 $7.25. Also a quantity of Motherwort and Catnip seed. Prices on application. EfiiniS for Hateliliig. Buff Leghorns. In- dian Games, iV Ligiit Brahmas. Chulce Birds. A breeder for 30 years. Prices on application JOHN ITIcAKTIIIlK, 881 YoDRe Street. - TOKONTO, ONT. 15Atf Mmtion Ui£ American Bee Jourruu. Union is mostly to those who get into some kind of litigation, and to those who by their nearness to place of meeting can at- tend the conventions. Let a Union and Exchange be formed in one, so that it will benefit all members, and 1 would not long hesitate to pay the neces- sary .$10 to become a life member, and help create the necessary funds to buy that farmers' cheap honey. Buo. Ben. Mapleton, Iowa. [We might say for the benefit of those who have been mailing various things to "Bro. Ben," that be simply uses that title as a nom-de-plume. So whatever is mailed to " Bro. Ben " never reaches him or any one else.— Ed.] Bees Wintered Well. My bees have wintered well so far. Some have to be fed shortly if we do not get warm weather and fruit blooming soon. The American Bee Journal is a welcome visitor every week. Peteb Blunier. Roanoke, 111., April 8. Bees Appear in Good Condition. We had no honey last year. I have .55 colonies of bees in the cellar yet. They ap- pear to be very quiet, and I think they are in good condition. H. Pearson. Natural Dam, N. Y., April U. The Season of 1895. My report for IS'.B is as follows: Six hun- dred pounds of comb honey, and 200 pounds of extracted, from S colonies, spring count, and increased to 15. P.J.Klein. Greenwood, Wis., April U. A Good Report for 1895. Last year I bought one colony of bees, and got 300 one-pound boxes full of honey, and 8 swarms of bees, which, with the one I bought, made U colonies. I put them into the bee-cellar, and they are all right. I want to say to Mr. Snow, of Osakis. that the above is a true count, and I can gtt plenty to swear to it. I will say for Mr. J Z. Rhodes, that his report is not correct. I asked him why he didn't put it in correctly, and he replied that he was afraid people would think he was lying. Now, Mr. Snow, if Mr. Rhodes doesn't make out a correct statement, and swear to it, I will have him fined ! Mekiutt Osborn. Verndale, Minn. A Northern Bee-Man in Virginia. At the age of 50, and after about -10 years of honest toil and industry, and by practic- ing economy, without indulging iu vice, rum or tobacco, we found ourselves, with God's blessing, with what we considered enough of this world's goods to see our (that is, wife and I) way through to the end of life's journey. Therefore, I retired from business, and sought a winter's home in this place, to avoid the cold blasts and long winters of the North, which, to us, it seemed were threatening our physical ex- istence. And now. after nine winters' trial, we feel well repaid and pleased with the change. I think this cliumte has been a sort of strength restorer to us. and would not swap it for any squad of doctors, and drug-store nostrums by the ton, for persons in like condition of health. I have kept from 40 to GO colonies of bees for the last 30 years. I left over .50 up at my Northern home {Middletown, N. Y.) Inst fall, and have 17 here. I think there are about IIKI colonies kept within a radius of two miles from us. We bought the stock we have here, and it' appears to be a mix- ture of Italian, black, and perhaps some Cyprian blood, as the bees are prone to use 284 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 30, BUY "direct from FACTORY," BEST MIXED PAINTS At WHOErESAIiE PRICES, DeliveredFREE For Houses, Barns, Roofs, all colors, and SAVE Dealers profits. In use 54 years. Endorsed by Orange S Farmers' Alliance. Low prices will surprise you. Write for Samnleg. 0. W. INQERSOLL, 289 Plymoulh St., Brooklyn, N. V. 12 A13 Mention tne American Bee Jotmuji ^U] imm We have killed hiph prices. Give me a trial order and lie eonvluccd that good Queens can be reared lor 50 ets. each. Untested, 30 cts. ; Tested, 75 cts. Golden Italians. 3-Banded I- talians, and Sliver-Gray Carniolans, all the same price. Best of References given. C. B. BAIVKSTON, 13Atf CHRIESMAN, Burleson Co., TEX. Hcnuo^i the A.m/^ruM'n, Bee Jtrti/rruiAn «■ H 1 -I" • f ~.-~ , . _ _ _ ~ . 1^ ::;; :rr: riz: =: _ — ;l t» \n Li ts ^'.-io4 m ES S ^ &S s M *jsm y| la IT WILL DO TO TIE TO. This phrase expresses the frontierman's idea of security, and experience has taught him that a yielding limb or sapling makes a safer "hitch" than a solid rock. Some wire fences will safely hold even a pulling horse, hitched to the middle of a panel. The owner of that fence will tell you it was made by PAGE WOVEN WIRE FENCE CO., Adrian, Mich. When answering this advehtiseme'iT. Mention this Jouhnai. Comb Foimdatioii Made by Automatic inacliineryi Lotvest 111 Price. Falcon Polished SECTIONS. Finest Made. otherwise In stock a full line of Higgiusville :S W. J. FIKCIf, Jr., SUPPLIES. Cheapest Sold Seven K. K.'s and 4 E.\press Co.'e to ship over. Catalogue and Samples Free. SPUINGFlEliD ILLS. M*- i'nr .,'>r;i.;--t V Write now, Des Moines _ Incubntor Co. - £ox78UtisMoiAoe,la ' 11 A9t Mcuiion the A.mer lean Bcc Junmal. .SUCCESSFUL INCUBATOR [Our magnificent new catalogue giving fuU iu- — formation re- cording artificial Hatchine* Brooding and treatiee on poul- try raising sen t for 4c . stampH. Circular free. ^ ^ California If you care to know of Its Fruits, Flowers Climate or Resources, send for a Sample Copy of California's Favorite Paper— The Pacific Rural Press The leading Horticultural and Agricultural paper of the PaciBc Coast. Published weekly, handsomely illustrated, 12.00 per annum. Sample Copy Free. PACIFIC RURAL. PRESS, 220 Market St.. - SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. TEXAS QUEENS. It you are in need of Queens, let me have youi^jrder. Price-List Free. UAUm J. D. GIVENS, I.l«beu, Xez. their business-end quite freely, and also are great swarmers. Last spring I left them in April, gave every hive two sets of Langstroth frames, one above the other, except a few that had a set of frames six inches deep on top, but many- of them swarmed, so the people said, and decamped, us there was no one to look after them that understood the business, and the man that I expected to assist was sick. Now, some claim that bees will swarm here anyway you fix them, but I think not, and believe the same bee here, with like treatment and conditions as at the North, will perform the same, every time. At the North, 30 years ago, we were troubled beyond endurance with over- swarming, but after we got the Italian bee, and supplied different conditions, our trouble was at an end, and now we have to force our swarms if we get enough natural ones to supply or make up our usual winter losses. Bees winter here with but little loss, ex- cept from lack of stores. Last November I introduced 11 pure Italian queens. Some I divided into three colonies, and it is won- derful how these little colonies have pulled through. I now expect to ship some of these colonies North this spring, to rein- force the weak ones up there. Still, this will be useless unlessi we have a better sea- son up there than we did last year, for bees here gathered a surplus, while up there I had to feed to get them in a condition for winter. Chester Beloing. Claremont, Va., March 24. Clipping' the ftueens' Wings. There is a time to feed bees, and a time not to feed; a time to contract the brood- nest, and a time, again, to enlarge it; a time to put on section-cases, and a time to take them off; a time when bees will swarm, and I know there is a time when they will sting. There was a good deal said about clipping and non-clipping of the queens' wings, but I do not reruember seeing anything as to the proper or best time to clip them — ex- cept not to do so before the queen is fer- tilized. It is very nice and pleasant when a colony swarms, to go in front of the hive and pick up the clipped queen, place her in an empty hive, and let the bees do the rest while you wait. Last summer I found a clipped queen 10 feet from her hive, in the grass. They had swarmed two days before. The bees had balled her, and she had been out in the open air for two days and nights. Some man may say he would rather not have his queens clipped, for they are too liable to come out and get lost in the grass. Well, I would rather the queen would get lost, than to have the queen and whole col- ony come out and fly away, which they are liable to do if you are not on band at the time. You may lose the clipped queen, but the colony of bees will return if the queen is unable to go along. It has been my custom, whenever I found the queen (after she was fertilized), to clip her wings, but my experience from slight observation is, that if you have a colony that is doing well, and the queen is laying nicely, you had better let her alone, for fear the clippingof her wings will make her stop laying for a time. Will not some one with more experience tell me if this is not true, if there is not a proper time to clip the queens' wings, and just when that is ? Brooklyn, N. Y. I. N. Hoagland. How He Began Bee-Keeping. Thank you, Mr. Ball, for what you have to say on page '20'3. Your remarks are short and to the point, and come from my own State. If you will take notice, the most of the big honey and bee stories come from some far-away State or country, which seems strange, as I know of quite a number of bee-keepers in this State, there being no less than six within three miles of me. Now, is this State a poor pasture for Ijees, or don't we feel at liberty to tell what we know about bee-keeping, honey crops, ^ ^ ORICIIML BDIiJIIAM PATENT WIRED COMB FOUNDATIOll Has No Sag in Brood-Framea TIlin Fiat-Kottom Foundation flas Ko Fishbone in the Sorplas Hooef . Belns; the cleanest 1b nsually worked the quickest of any Foundation made J. VAN DEtSEN & SONS, Sole ManuracturerB, Sprout Brook Mootfctomery Co., N. T. BEGINNERS. Beginners should have a copy of the Amateur Bee-Keeper, a 70-page book by Prof. J. W. House. Price 25 cents; if sent by mall, 28c. The little book and the Progressive Bee-Keeper (a live, pro- gressive 28-page monthly journal) one year, fJSc. Address any flrst-class dealer, or T.EAHY MFG. CO., Higginsville, Mo. Wonderful Record ! \7 Have Lasted 17 Ye.ars. —BEST ON EARTH. Alnrays Give Perrect Satisfaction. My cool Wire Handle and Bent Nose were patented 189'J, are the original, my best Invention since my open or di- rect draft Patent. 1878. that revolu- tionized Bee-Smokers. My Handle and Nose Patent bent all the other smoker noses. None but Bingham Smokers have all the best improvements. If you buy genuine Bingliam Smo- lders and Honey-Knives you will never regret It. The " Doctor," !4-lnch larger than any other smoker on the market— 3!4-inch stove, by mall, $1.50 Conqueror, 3 ■• '• " 1.10 Large, 2y,-ln. •• " 1.00 Plain, 2-in. " " .70 Little Wonder, 2-in.. wt. 10 oz. .60 Biii|.'li»m & Hotherinpton Hoiipy-Kiiives, SO cents. T. F. BINGHAIfl, Fartvell, micli. 7Att Mention the Bee Journal. SSVPn ^'^"'UAIXY b7 fruit CROWERS nainel Demino SPRflYING Ouim» I Recommended by 1 e a d i n g Horticultnrjetfl. ^ ' 32r'a^eilluBtrat6d catatocue and treatise FREE r ; The Demirig Co., Mfgrs.. Salem, Ohio. , Henion i Hubbell, Gen 1 West. Ag Is, Chicaco. Mention the American Bee Jonnwi^ J. W. TAYLOR -HAS THE BEST- Italiaii ttueena for Sale Untested, ready now. 75c. apiece; 6 for $4.25, or 12 for$8.00. Tested. 11.25. Select Tested, best, $2,00. Pay for Queens on arrival. I guarantee safe arrival and satisfaction. 14Agt OZAN, ABK. Bee-Keepers" Photog-i-apli. — We have now on hand a limited number of ex- cellent photographs of prominent bee-keep- ers— a number of pictures on one card. The likeness of 49 of them are shown on one of the photographs, and 131 on the other. We will send them, postpaid, for 50 cents each, mailing from the 131 kind first; then after they are all gone, we will send the 49 kind. So those who order first will get the most •' faces" for their money. Send orders to the Bee Journal office. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 285 $8.00 Worth for $2.00 ! Until further notice, we propose to give you a chance to get some good reading-matter for the long winter evenings, al taair price. Send us $2.00, and we will mall you your choice of 83.00 worth of the following book- lets, and also credit your subscription to the American Bee Journal lor one year: Poultry for Market and Profit 25c Our Poultry Doctor 30c Turkeys for Market and Profit 25c Capons and Caponizlng 30c KuralLlfe 25c Preparation of Honey for the Market. .. 10c Bee-Pasturage a Necessity lOo Hive I Use, by Doolittle 5o Foul Brood, by Dr. Howard 25c Foul Brood, by Kohnke 25c Foul Brood, by Cheshire lOc Bee-Keeping for Profit, by Dr. Tinker 25c Kendall's Horse-Book— Eng. or German. . 25c SUo and Silage, by Prof. Cook 25c Hand- Book of Health, by Dr. Foote 25c Maple Sugar and the Sugar Bush 35c Potato Culture, by Terry 40e Carp Culture, by Root & Finney 40c Strawberry Culture, by Terry Jc Root 40c Bienen Kultur, by Newman [Gormanl 40c Winter Problem in Bee-Keeping [Pierce] . 50c Bee-Keepers' Directory, by Henry Alley. 50c Advanced Bee-Culture, by Hutchinson... 50c 5 Honey as Food and Medicine 25e GEOKOr, W. YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS. ITALIAN BEES. Untested Queens. 11.00. Tested, $1.25. Bees by the lb . $1.00. Nuclei— Two frame, with Queen, 12.50; one frame, $2.00. Also, Barred and White Plymouth Kock Bggs for setting; $1.00 for 15. inrs. A. /V. simpsoiv, 18E7t SwARTS, Pa. Mention the American ISeejounvaL Up to Guarantee ! ^|^ On June 1 I shall be prepared to ship Queens of my famous This strain of beautiful yellow-banded Bees is practically non-swarming and non-stinging Queens, each, $1.00. Special prices by the dozen. Everything guaranteed. Cat'l'g free. 18Etf WENHA M. Essex Co., MASS. Mention the American Dee Jmimal. BEES & QUEENS. Strong, full Colonies of Italian-Hybrid Bees In Langstroth 9-frame hives, at $5.00 per col- ony; 5 to 10 colonies, $4.75 each. Special low price on larger orders. Bees are in good con- dition, and are fine honey-gatherers .."JJ?""^ Queens— after May 15-CJntested, $1.00 each; 6 for $5.00; 13 for $9. 00. Safe arrival and satisfaction guaranteed Reference— George W. York la, Co. Address, F. GRABBE, „„ , ^^ LIBERTyVILLE. ILL.. ■i3 ml. northwest of Chicago, on C. M. & St. P. Mention the American Bee Jmimal. Honey-Clovers & Buckwheat SEED FOR SALE. We have made arrangements so that we can lurnish seed of several of the Clovers and Japanese Buckwheat, by freight or ex- press, at the following prices, cash with order: ,, „ „, 5tt. lOfli 2555 50m AlsikeClover $.70 $1.25 $;!.00 $5 75 bweetClover 75 1.40 3.25 6.00 White Clover 1.25 2.00 4.50 8 00 Alfalfa Clover 65 1.10 2.70 5 00 Crimson Clover 55 .90 2.00 3 50 Jap. Buckwheat... .20 .35 ,90 1.35 Prices subject to market changes. Add 25 cents to your order, for cartage, if wanted by freight. Vour orders are solicited. QEOKaE W. YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS. etc.? I hope some one else will speak out. I agree with you perfectly on the value of a good bee-paper to all who keep bees, even if they keep but a few colonies. I have so many papers that I don't get time to read all of them, but since I began with the American Bee Journal, I never yet have failed to look over every page of "The Old Reliable." My start in bee-keeping was small. Sev- eral years ago I found a swarm on a tree, and with the help of a neighbor, I took them home in a box-hive; after which I purchased a colony in an old-fashioned hive that would leak bees at every point, and I tell you it was hot work for us to get them home. We went at night and plugged up all the largest holes, and set the hive on a sheet, tied the corners of same over the top, strung it on a pole, and with this on our shoulders we started on the home trip of about one-fifth of a mile. Now, as the night was warm, by the time we were ready to start we were pretty well covered with bees from the leaks in the hive — you can well imagine what our experience would be. As my friend was dressed in thin, loose clothing, they had the best chance at him, and as he led the procession where I could see him, I think I had the best of it; and while it was sharp work, I, for one, got fun enough out of it to pay me for my trouble. After this, swarm No. 3 went over my bee- house, but after some persuasion on our part, it concluded to return, and settled on the body of a maple tree near the front of the lawn, and were hived without trouble. .Swarm No. 4 my friend H. managed to get in the woods about two miles from my place, and we took tbem home in a box about the same way we did No. 3, except that we had them fastened in this time, and our fun came in going over rough woodland in the night with this kind of a burden, and in the answers we gave to the ques- tions asked by people on the streets when we got near home. Number 5 I found in an apple-tree while taking one of my Sunday morning walks; and No. (> I purchased of a neighbor as it came from the hive, for .lO cents, on the wing. This will give you an idea of my start, some years ago, and I have since learned a little from experience, books, papers, and other bee-keepers, got into movable-frame hives, paid big prices for queens, and have a way of my own for wintering. If Editor York sees anything in this worth printing, I may tell you more about it later. O. M. Smith. Florence, Mass,, March 30. Bees Swarming. Bees are doing well here now, but great loss was sustained from spring dwindling. Swarming is now the order of the day. Howard Risher. Monroe, La., April 14. Iloi-IiokVx lYIsiltod Milk is made by Horlick's Food Co., of Racine, Wis. We have been trying some of it, and it is in- deed delicious. It is not a medicine, yet physicians frequently recommend its use for dyspepsia, indigestion, weak stomach, and as a luncheon when nourishment is re- quired between meals, or upon retiring. Its use as a table beverage, as a substitute for tea, coffee, cocoa, etc., can be participated in by all members of the family, of any age, with much benefit. It is so nutritious, and so easy to assimilate, that it is fre- quently given to growing children and babes with great success. Its use precludes all possibility of contracting the diseases induced by the use of impure or diseased milk, such as is often found in our cities. Full directions for using accompany every package. Pasre & Lyon Mfa:. Co., ^^Nbw London, Wis., operates two saw- mills that cut, annually, eight million feet of lumber, thus securing the l)est lumber at the lowest price for t he raauul'acture of bee-kci'pers' supplies. They have also j ust completed one of The Larg^est Factories, ^►and have the hilcHt and most improved machinery tor the mauulacture of Bee- Hives, Sections, etc., that there is in the State. The material is cut from patterns, by machinery, and is absolutely accurate. For Sections, the clearest and The Whitest Basswood ^^is used, and they are polished on both sides. Nearness to pine and basswood for- ests, and possession of mills and factory equipped with best machinery, all com- bine to enable this firm to furnish the best goods at The Lowest Prices, ft ^-For instance, it has a job lot of 200.00» No. 3 Sections that will be sold at 50 cts. per 1,000; or 2.000 Snow-White Sections will be sold for $4.00, and larger quanti- ties at still lower prices. Send for Circu- lar and see the prices on a full line of supplies. 16Atf Mention the Am,ertcan Bee JourvaZ, NEW MAMMOTH POULTRY GUIDE showiug colored plate of chickens in natural colors. Finest book ever pub- liflhed. Almost 10(1 naees. Tells all about Poultry for Profit or rleasnre. Price on ly 15c. JOHN BAUSGHER, JR.. Box S4 Freeport, Ills. Mention the A mcrican Bee JourndU 12A7t For Sale ITALIAN QUEENS and BEES. 1 Frame Nucleus, with Queen $1.75 2 *' ■* " . 2.25 Queens. 50c each; y, doz. $2.75; idoz. sioo Safe arrival and satisfaction guaranteed. References— Young & Hamilton, Bankers, Clssna Park, Ills.; W. Kaufman, Banker, "and Lewis Wolf, P. M., Claytonvtlle. F. J. OlTNXEI>, Claytonfille, Ills. Mention the American Bee Journal. A Bararain-EARLY QUEENS. 110 Colonies Italian Bees in Chafl" Hives: two acres land; good house; f.tcellent well. Early Queens— Tested. $1.50 ; Untested, 75c. E, L.. CMRKINCiTON, ISAtf PETTUS, Bee Co., TEX. Reference— 1st National Bank of BeevlUe. Mentinn the American Bee Journal. The Bee-Reepers' Guide: Or Manual of the Apiary, By Prof. A. J. Cook. This 15th and latest edition of Prof. Cook's magnificent book of 460 pages, in neat and substantial cloth binding, we propose to givo away to our present subscribers, for the work of getting NEW subscribers for the American Bee Journal. A description of the book here is quite un- necessary—It Is simply the most complete sci- entific and practical bee-book published to- day. Fully illustrated, and all written in the most fascinating style. The author is also too well-known to the whole bee-world to re- quire any introduction. No bee-keeper is fully equipped, or his library complete, with- out " The Bee-Keeper's Guide." Given Tor 2 New Subseribcrs. The following offer is made to prksent sub- scribers only, and no premium is also given to the two new subscrlbers-simply the Bee Journal (or one year ; Send us Two New Subscribers to the Bee Journal (wii.h $2.00), and we will mail rou a copy of Prof. Cook's book free as a premi- um. Prof. Cook's book alone sent lor $1.25, or we club it with the Bee Journal for a year —both together for only $1,75. But surely anybody can get only 2 new subscribers to the Bee Journal for a year, and thus get the book as a premium. Let everybody try for it. Win you have one 'i 286 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 30. CQlOFORTHEBESTJ llr*#i^ BRASS BUCKET SPRAY PUMP ^ on the market. It is fully described in t oiir SPRAY PUMP CATALOGUE. Another < kvahiable wortc is our handsome ILIUS- ( "tRATED book on ClOER PRESSES AND FRUIT < MACHINERY, r.ntli will be sent FREE. < DAVIS-JOHNSON CO. < 41 W. Randolph St. CHICAGO, ILL. ( id A4t Mention the American Bee Journal PURE BAERED PLYMOUTH ROCK Egrgs. 81. '25 per 14. Our F. Rocks are verj' large, with flue plumage. Also. BLACK MINORCA EGGS, a non-silting- and great hiyitifr breed. Both kinds raised upon our farm. Minorca Cock- erels, $1.00 each. Itlrs. li. C. AXTEl.!.. IGAtf ROSEVILLE. Warren Co., ILL. SAVE i MONEY 1 '^^^"i^lst's'^'ktll ITALIAN QUEENS Foundation at Wholesale Prices. Hives, suited for the South, or Sl'PI'LIKS, send for Price-Llst — to J. P. H. BROWN, ^-^^^^Z.^' ta^ IF YOU WANT THE BEE-BOOK That covers the whole Aplcultural Field more completely than any other published, send 11.25 to Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont, Calif., for his Bee-Keeper's Guide. Liberal Discounts to the Trade. Kansas Bee - Keepers ! —SAVE FREIGHT— ^MS^IOAI^J..^ *ioSdor " Iliggiiisville Bee-Supplies " just received. Get my Catalogde. HENRY L. MILT^ER. 355 Shawnee Ave , Topeka, Kan. WHEN Answering this AOVEHTtSEMENT. MENTION THI3 JOURNAL. UAIV'CV We have a large amount of Vuro nilllul No. 1 Alfalfa we will sell cheap. Wax Wanted. Rfttjo Iioo inionno Warranted the best, sim- 1>UAA iHjtJ"vi3l'il|ll' plest and quickest Escape on the market. Sent postpaid to any address for 30 cts. It can be returned at our expense if It Is not as represented, or we will send the Kscape on trial to any bee-keeper wishing to lest it in good faith. We are agents for the Ferguson Patent Hive r,','p'errd''\l,-c?l^ Gate Honey-Hoard, with the Escape. It Is the easiest, quickest hive to handle for the pro- duction of comb honey. Address, E. S. liOVESY ^k CO., 355 6th East St., SALT LAKE CITV, UTAH. Memion the American Ber Joumai. 9Att A Good Apiary for Sale. 150 Colonies (more or lessi of Italian and Hy- brid Bees in Langstroth hives, mostly double- story for e-xtracting, with the extra Combs as well; nearly 100 Empty Hives, complete ; good Honey-House, Extractor, Honey-Tanks, and all Fixtures. In a location where there has been a good surplus crop every year for the past 20 years, from Spanish-needle, clo- ver, etc. Will sell for part cash, and balance in extracted honey in September, at 0 cents per pound at the apiary. Price reasonable. Address, G. F., care Am. Bee Journal, 118 Michigan Street. - CHICAGO, ILL. Have become popular for — J, their superior qualitlesand the price is ivay down now. Be Hiire tii send for Circular. C. D. DUVAIiIi, Satsnma Heights, Fla. 18Ett Please mention this Journal. Duvall's Queens PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY GEORGE W. YORK & CO., At Ono Dollar a Year, 56 FiftH Avenne, CHICAGO, IIiIiS. Postage to all Countries In the Postal Union is SO cents extra. To all others. Sl.OO more than the subscription price. ^r- Hebblewhlte & Co.. 369 George Street. Sydney. New South Wales. Australia, are our authorized agents. Subscription price, 6 shil- lings per annum, postpaid Important to All Subscribers. Xlio Anierionii llee Journal is sent to subscribers until an order is received by the publishers for its discontinuance, and all arrearages are paid. AI«ays Stale the Post-Offlce to which vour paper is addressed, when writing. to us. A Sample <"«py of the Bee Journal will be sent FREE upon application. Ilo-w to SeiKl Money.— Remit by Express, Post-Offlce Money Order, or Bank Draft on New York or Chicago. If none of these can be had. Register your Letter, affixing Stamps both for postage and regis- try, and take a receipt for it. Money sent thus, IS AT OUR RISK; otherwise it is not. Do not send Checks on Local Banks— we have to pay 35 cents each, to get tbem cashed. I^ever Send Silver in letters. It will wear holes in the envelope, or may be stolen. Money Orders. — Make all Money Or- ders payable at Chicago, HI. — not at any sub-station of Chicago. Postage Stamps of any denomina- tion may be sent tor any fraction of a dol- lar; or where Money Orders cannot be obtained, stamps for any amount may be sent. Siibsrription 4'redits.— The receipt for money sent us will be given on the address-label of every paper. The subscrip- tion is paid to the end oi* the montli indicated. I>o not tVritc anything for publica- tion on the same sheet of paper with busi- ness matters, unless it can be torn apart without interfering with either part of the letter. LiOSt rVmnUers.— We carefully mail the Bee Journal to every subscriber, but should any be lost in the mails, we will re- place them if notified before all the edition is exhausted. Please don't wait a month or two, for then it may be too late to get another copy. Emerson Itinders, made especially for the American Bee Journal, are conven- ient for preserving each weekly Number, as fast as received. They will be sent, post- paid, for 75 cents, or clubbed with the Am- erican Bee Journal for one year— both to- gether for $1.60. They cannot be sent by mail to Canada. MUTH'S HONET EZTBACTOB PERFECTION Cold-Blast ^imokera. Square Glass Honey Jars, Etc, For Circulars, apply to Chab. F. Mcth & Son. Cor. Freeman & Central Aves., Cincinnati, O, Send 10c for Practical Hints to Bee-Keepers. Mention the American Bee Journal The Patent Wood- Veneer Foundation, Bee-keepers should plve it a test, aod my All- Wax Foundation. I wUl guarantee there is no better made, as six years ago I discarded the old way of dipping lor wax sheets, and a new invention of my own was discovered, which enables me to make the toughest kind of Foundation; also, no acid used to purify the Beeswax, and It preserves the smell of honey. which Is more acceptable to the bees. Now Is the the time to send wax and have it worked up at low prices. Bend for Samples and Cata- log with low prices. "Wax wanted at 31c cash, or 33c trade, delivered. AUG. WEISS, ilortonville. Wis. 12A13t Please mention the Bee Journal. Promptness Is What Counts ! Honey-Jars, Shipping-Cases, and every- I thing that bee-keepers use. Root's t.oods at Boot's Prices, and the best shipping point in the country. Dealer in Honey and Beeswax. Cata- liTrJlstA.e, Walter S. Pouder INDIANAPOLIS. IND. Mention the American Bee, Journal. Extracted Boney for Sale ! ! The beautiful, white Willow-Herb Honey, in 60-lb. cans, f. o. b. Chicago, at 8 cents per w ANTED to exchange— Watch and 22-eal. Rifle, for Queens, at once, B. W. Hopper. Garden City, Kan, pound, 2 cans (120 lbs.) In a box. Single can, 8^4 cts. per pound. Fine Bassivood honey at same prices. Sample of the honey mailed on receipt of 10 cts. This honey will give entire satisfac- tion, is gnaranteed strictly pureBasswood and WlUow-Herb honey. Better order at once, and begin to work up a trade before the new crop comes on. Address, GEOBGE W. YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS liist of Honey and Beeswax Dealers. Most of whom Quote In this Journal. CtalcaKo, Ilia. R. A. B0RNETT & Co.. 163 South Water Street. New York, N. Y. HlLDRETH BROS. & SEGELKEN, 120 & 122 West Broadway. Chas. Israel & Bros.. 486 Canal St. Kansas City, Mo, C. C. Clemoms & Co., 423 Walnut St. Bufialo, N. Y. Batterson & Co.. 167 & 169 Scott St. Hamilton, Ills. Chas. Dadant & Son. Pblladelplila, Pa. Wm. a. Selseb, 10 Vine St. Cincinnati, Oblo. C. P. MUTH & SON, cor. Freeman & Central av8. ConTention Notices. ILT.INOI9.— The spring meeting of the Nor- thern Illinois Bee-Keepers' Association will be held at the home of Mr. O. J. Cummings. in Guilford, on May 19. 1896. Come, and bring vour wives and friends Interested in bees. New Mllford, Ills. B. Kennedy, Sec, Bee-Keeper's Guide— see page £ 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 287 BEE-BOOKS SENT POSTPAID BY George W. York & Co., Chicago, IIU. Bee« and Honey, or Management of an Apiary for Pleasnre and Profit, by Thoiuaa G.Newman.— rbls edition has been largely re-written, thoroughly revised, and la " fully up with the times " In nil the tmproveiiients and Inventions lu tills rapldly-devel- Oping pursuit, and presents the apiarist with everything that can aid In the successful manage- ment of an apiary, and at the same time produce the moat honey la an attractive condition. It con- tains 250 pages, and 245 Illustrations — Is beautifully printed In the highest style of the art, and bound In clotb, gold-lettered. Price, $1.1)0. I^anKstroth on the BConey-Bee, revised by Dadant— This classic In bee-culture, has been entirely re- written, and Is fully Illustrated. It treats of everything relating to bees and bee-keep- ing. No apiarian library Is complete without this standard work by Rev. L. Ij. Jjnngstroth — the Father of American Bee-Culture. It has 520 pages; bound In cloth. Price, postpaid, $1.25. Bee-Kecpera* Onlde, or Manual of the Apiary, by Prof. A. J, Cook, of the Michigan Agri- cultural College. —This book Is not only Instructive and helpful as a guide In bee-keeplnt'. but Is Interesting and thoroughly practical and sclentlflc. Itcontalns a full delineation of the anatomy and physiology of bees. 4t;o pages ; bound In cloth and fully Illustrated. Price, postpaid, $1.25. Sclentlfle Qiieen-Kearlns, as Practically Applied, by G. M. Doollttle.--A method by which the very best of yueen-Bees are reared In perfect accord with Nature's way. ITtl pages, bound In cloth, and Illustrated. Price, $1.00. A B C of Bee-Cultnre, by A. I. Root.— A cyclopaedia of 400 pages, describing everything pertaining to the care of the honey-bees. It con- tains 300 engravings. It was written especially for beginners Bound In cloth. Price, $1.25. Advanced Bee-Cultare, Its Methods and Management, by \V. Z. Hutchinson.— The author of Mils work Is too well known to need further description of his book, lie Is a practical and entertaln#lg writer. You should read his book. 90 pages, bound In paper, and Illustrated. Price, 50 cts. Rational Bee-KeeplnKi by Dr. John Dzlerzon —This Is a translation of his latest German book on bee-culture, it has 350 pages; bound In cloth, $1.25; In paper covers, $1.00 Blenen-Kultur, by Thomas G. Newman,— This Is a German translation of the principal por- tion of the book called Bees of Honey. lOJ page pamphlet. Price. 40 cents. Convention Hand-Book, for Bee-Keepers, ^" Thomas G. Newman.— It contains the parliamen- tary law and rules of order for Bee-Conventions— also Constitution and By-Laws, with subjects for discussion, etc. Cloth, gold-lettered. Price, 25 cts. Amerikanisclie Bleneuzncht, by Hans Buschbauer.— Printed in German. A hand-book on bee-keeping, giving the methods in use by the best American and German apiarists. Illustrated; 138 pages. Price. $1.00. Thirty Years Among tlie Bees, by Henry Alley.— Gives the results of over a quarter- century's experience in rearing queen-bees. Very latestworkof thekind. Nearly loo pages. Price, 50c. IVhy Eat Honey ?-Tbis Leaflet is intend- ed for FREE distribution, to create a Local Market. ItX) copies, by mail, 40 cts.: 500 for$l.r)0; rhX), $-J.50. C^ If 500 or more are ordered at one time, your name and address will be printed on them FBEE. Hoiv to Keep Honey and preserve Its richness and flavor. Price same as Why Eat Honey. Apiary Register, by Tbos. G. Newman.— Devotes two pages to a colony. Leather binding. Price, for 50 colonies. ^I.OO; forlOo colonies, $1.25. Preparation of Honey for the Market, Including the production and care of comb and extracted honey. A chapter from Beks and HoNKV. Price. 10 cents. Bee-Puflturase a Neceaalty.— This book sug Rests what and how to plan Xl Is a chapter froii' Bees and Honev. Price, 10 cents. Tlie Hive I irse, by G. M. Doolittle. It details his management of bees, and methods of producing: comb honey. Price, 5 cents. f>r. Howard's Book on Fonl Brood. —Gives the McEvoy Treatment and reviews the ex- periments of others. Price. 25 cts. Dictionary of ApicuUore,by Prof. John Phin. Gives the correct meaning of nearly 500 api- cultural terms. Price, 50 cts. Winter Problem In Bee-Keeplnfi;. by G, K. Pierce. Besult of 25 years' experience. 50 cto. Handling: Beew, by Chas. Dadant & Son.— A Chapter from Langstroth Revised. Price, 8 cts. Bee-Keepers' Directory, by H. Alley.— Latest methods in Queen-Bearing, etc. Price, 5Uc. Foul Brood Treatment, by Prof. F. R. Cheshire.— Its Cause and Prevention. Price, 10 cts. Fonl Brood« by A. R. Koh nice.— Origin. Development and Cure. Price. 25 cts. History of Beo-Associations, and Brief Re- ports of the first 20 conventions. Price, 15 cts. Honey as Food and Medicine, by T. O. Newman.— A 32-p!ige pamphlet : just the thing to create a demand for honey at home. Should be scattered freely. Contains recipes for Honey-Cakes, Cookies, Puddings, Foam, Wines, and uses of honey for medicine. Prices, prepaid— Single copy, 5 cts.; 10 copies, 35 eta.; 5nfor$i.5n: HHifor $2.50; 250 for $5.50; 500 for$H).(H); or 1(«hi for $15.00. "When 25n or more :ire ordered, we will print the bee-keeper's card (free of cost) on the front cover page. Bee-Keepin<>: for Profit, by Dr. G. L. Tinker.— Revised and enlarged. It details the au- thor's " new system, or how to get the largest yields of comb or extracted honey." 8o p. ; illustrated. 25c. EnierKon Binders, made especially for the Bek Journal, are convenient for preserving each number as fast !i3 received. Not mailable to Canada. Price, 75 cts. Commercial Calculator, by C. Ropp.— A ready Calculator, Business Arithmetic and Ac- count-Book combined in one. Every farmer and businessman should have it. No. 1, bound in water proof leatherette, ciilf finish. Price, -Hi cts. No. 2 in fine artificial leather, with pocket, silicate slate, and accounl-buok. Price, 60 cts. Green's Four Books, by Chas. A. Green. —Devoted to, ist. Hnw We Made the Old Farm Pay; 2nd, Peach Culture; ;ird. How to Propagate Fruit- Plants, Vines and Trees; 4lh. General Fruit In- structor. Nearly 120 pages. Fully illustrated. 25 cts. Green's Six Books on Frult-Ciiltnre, by Chas. A. Green.— Devoted 1st, to Apple and Pear Culture; 2nd, Plum and Cherry Culture; 3rd, Rasp- berry and Blackberry Culture; 4th. Grape Culture; 5th, Strawberry Culture. 129 pp.; illustrated. 25 cts. Garden and Orchard, by Chas. A. Green. -Gives full instructions in Thinning and Marketing Fruits; Pruning, Planting and Cultivating; Spray- ing, Evaporation, Cold Storage, Etc. 94 pages, illus- trated. Price. 25 cts. Kendall's Horse-Book* — 35 pictures. showing positions ot sick horses, and treats on ali. their diseases. English or German. Price, 25 cts. Silo and Sllaj;!:e, by Prof. A. J. Cools.— It gives the method in operation at the Michigan Agri- cultural College. I*rice, 25 cts. liumber and Log-Book. — Gives meas- urements of lumber, logs planks; wages, etc. 25c. maple Sugar and the Supar Bush, by Prof. A. J. Cook.— Full instructions. Price, 35 cts. Grain Tables, for casting up the price of grain, produce, hay, etc. Price, 25 cts. Capons and Caponlzing, by Dr. Sawyer, Fanny Field, and others.— Illustrated. All about caponizing fowls, aim thus how to make the most money in poultry-raising. 64 pages. Price, 30 cts. Our Poultry Doctor, or Health In the Poultry Yard and How to Cure Sick Fowls, by Fanny Field,— Everything about Poultry Diseases and their Cure. 64 pages. Price, 30 cts. Poultry for Market and Poultry for Profit, by Fanny Field.— Tells everything about the Poultry Business. 64 pages. Price, 25 cts. Turkeys for Market and Turkeys for Profit, by Fanny Field.— All about Turkey-Raising. 64 pages. Price, 25 cts. Bural Ijife.— Bees. Poultry. Fruits, Vejre- tables, and Uousehuld Matters. lOO pages. 25 cts. Stravrberry Cultnre, by T. B. Terry and A. I. Root. For beginners. Price, 4(J cts. Potato Culture, by T. B. Terry.— It teils how to grow theui profitably. Price, 40 cts. Carp Culture, bv A. I. Root and Geo. Fin- ley.— Full directions. 70 pages. Price, 40 cts. Hand-Book of Health, by Dr. Foote.— Hints about eatinu. drinking, etc. Price, 25 cts. Alsike Clover Leaflet.— Full directions for growing. 5(» lor J.^ cts. ; 100 for 4i» cts.; 2(H). 7oc. llook Clubbing OlFcrs. (Read Carefully.) The following clubbing prices Include the American Bee Journal one year with each book namod. Iteniember, that only one book can be takcu lu each case with the Bee Jour- nal a year at the prices named. If more books are wanted, see postpaid prices given with the description of the books on this pa^e. Followlngls the clubbing-list; 1. Langstroth on the Honey-Bee $2.00 2. A B Cof Bee-Culture 2.00 3. Bee-Keeper's Guide 1.75 4. Bees and Honey [Cloth bound] 1.65 5. SclentlHcQueen-Kearlng 1.75 6. Dr. Howard's Foul Brood Book 1.10 7. Advanced Bee-Culture 1.30 8. Amerikanlsche Bieuenzucht [Germ.] 1.75 9. Blenen-Kultur [German] 1.25 10. Rational Bee-Keeplng [Cloth bound] 2.00 11. Rational Bce-Kceping [Paper bound] 1.75 1'^. Thirty Years Among the Bees 1.30 ]:i. Bee-Keepiug for Profit 1.15 14. Convention Hand-Book 1.15 15. Poultry for Market and Profit 1.10 16. Turkeys for Market and Profit 1.10 17. Capons and Caponizing 1.10 18. Our Poultry Doctor '1.10 19. Green's Four Books 1.15 20. Green's Six Books on Fruit-Culture-. 1.15 21. Garden and Orchard 1.15 23. Rural Life 1.10 24. Emerson Binder for the Bee Journal. 1.60 25. Commercial Calculator. No. 1 1.25 26. Comme-clal Calculator, No. 2 1.40 27. Kendall's Horse-Book 1.10 29. Strawberry Culture 1.20 30. Potato Culture .. 1.20 31. Carp Culture 1.20 32. Hand-Book of Health 1.10 33. Dictionary of Apiculture 1.35 34. Maple Sugar and the Sugar Bush 1.20 35. Silo and Silage 1.10 36. Winter Problem in Bee-Keeplng 1.30 37. Apiary Register (for 50 colonies) 1.75 38. Apiary Register (for 100 colonies) . 2.00 39. Bee-Keepers' Directory 1.30 Honey & Beeswax Market Quotations. The following rules for grading honey were adopted by the North American Bee-Keepers' Association, and, so far as possible, quota- tions, are made according to these rules: Fancy.— All sections to be well filled; combs straight, of even thickness, and firmly a.t- tached to all four sides; both wood and comb unsoiled by travel-stain, or otherwise: all tho cells sealed except the row of cells next the wood. No. 1.— All sections well filled, but combs uneven or crooked, detached at the bottom, or with but few cells unsealed: both wood and comb unaoUed by travel-stain or other- wise. In addition to this the honey is to be classi- fied according to color, using the terms white, amber and dark. That is, there will be "fancy white," "No. 1 dark," etc. CHICAGO. ILI-., Apr.23.— We quote: Fancy white. 15c.; No. 1 white. 12@13c.; fancy am- ber. 9(^1 Oc; No. 1 amber. 7@8c. ; fanry dark, 8(39c. ; No. 1 dark, 7c. Extracted, white, 51® 7c.; amber, 4@oc. ; dark, 4@4'/4c, Beeswax, 30c. The number of sales are tew, and prices are really nominal. The only activity shown Is lu a little fancy comb and beeswax. K. A. B. &Co. PHILADELPHIA, Pa., Apr. 22.— We quote: No. 1 white, 9@10c.; lancy amber, 8@9o.; fancy dark, 7(S.^c. Extr.acted, white clover, 10c. ; amber. o(^5Hc. ; dark, 4@4^c. Bees- wax, 25(gi26c. Comb honey is dull. Extracted in fair demand. Beeswax lower. W. A. S. KANSAS CITV. Mo , Apr. 18.— We quote: No. 1 white. 13®14c.: No. 1 amber, ll(ai2c.; No. 1 dark. 8®10o. Extracted, white, 5(a6c.; amber, 4M®3c. ; dark. 4@4!4e. Beeswax, 25c. 0. C. C. &CO. BUFFALO, N. Y., Apr. 20— Wo quote: Faucy white, l.")(a]ec.: No. 1 white, 13(ai4c.; fancy dark, 8@9c.; No. 1 dark. l&lVtC. Bees- wax. 25@28c. Trade very dull and honey not moving, except a few fancy lots; anything dark is hard to sell. B. « Co. NEW YORK. N. Y.. Apr. 20— We quote; Fancy while, 14c.; No. 1 white, 12c.; No. 1 amber, lie; No. 1 dark. 8c. Extracted, white, 5i4@6c. Beeswax, 29@30c. Market is quiet. Some demand for white comb, but buckwlieat not wanted. White is selling at from ll@l4c. and buckwheat at 8c. The market on ex- tracted is unusually tiulet. with large supplies of (California. Beeswax eteadi' at quotation. H. B. &S. CINCINNATI. O., Apr. 22 —There is no fan- cy white comb honey on our market. Best white sells at 12(S14c. in a jobbing way. with a fair demand. Demand Is good for extracted at 4@7c., according to quality. Beeswa.x is in good demand at 2.")®30c. for good to choice yellow. C. F. M. & S. 288 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April SO, 1896. Bottom Prices BRING lis BIO TRADE. GOOD GOODS KEEP IT. If you want the best supplies that can be made at a little less cost than you can buy the same goods for elsewhere, write to us for low prices. 1893 Hives and Sections. A full line Glllllk^ of Apiarian Supplies in stock to \f "IftJ fill orders promptly at lowest prifps fur Bfst (Jixitls, 3iJ-]iiii'p fjitiiln:rnp Free, JNO. NKBEL. A: »0!\, Higll Hill, mo. Jben/ion the Ameriain B'.r JmarnoO, 4A26t I AEISE T ^O SAY to the readers of the BEE JOURNAL that DOOLITTLE baa conclnded to sell -BEBS and yUKENB- In their seasun. during 1896, at the foUowlnK prices : One Colony of Italians on 9 Gallup frames, in light shipping-bol $6(.>0 Five Colonies 25 W Ten Colonies 45 lK) 1 untested queen, i 00 6 " queens 5 50 12 " " 10 00 1 tested Queen... $i 5't 3 " Queens . 3 50 1 select tested queen 2 iiL» 3 " " Queens 4 00 Select tested queen, previous season's rearing , 4 on Bxtra Selected for breedinR, the very best.. 6 00 About a Pound of BKBS in a Two-frame Nucleus, with any Queen, $2.00 extra. fW Circular free, glTing full particulars regard tUR the Bees and each class of Queens. Address 6. M, DOOLITTLE, 12A25t BORODINO, Onon. Co.. N. Y. Meniifyii tlic Aivjcrieaii Oee . ; ;>ooo, $10.00. Cream Sections of such widths as we have in stock at 23c per 1000 less than the white. The New Weed Process Comb Foundation ^ % is superior to all others in every way, showing, from recent tests in Florida, five times greater resistance to sagging, making it possible to use a lighter grade with more feet to the pound, with greater safety than with the old process. Owing to decline in wax we reduce price of Foundation 3 cts. a pound. Prices now are: Price per lb. in lots of 1 lb. 10 lbs, 23 lbs. 50 lbs. Heavy or Medium Brood Foundation 44c 43c 42c 40c Light Brood 47c 46c 45c 43c Thin Surplus 54e 53c .52c 50c Extra-Thin Surplu* 59c 5Sc 57c 55c Lower prices on 100-lb. lots, and dealers supplied at special prices. These wholesale dealers «^ho handle Root's Goods in carload lots unite with us in above prices: Walter S. Pouder, Indianapolis, Ind. ; John Nebel & Son, Hig^h Hill, Mo. Joseph Nysewander, Des Moines, Iowa; Wm. A. Selser, Philadelphia, Pa. M. H. Hunt, Bell Branch, Wayne Co., Mich. ; Geo, E. Hilton, Fremont, Mich. THE A. I. ROOT CO., MEDINA, OHIO. 118 nichigan St., Chicago, III. Syracuse, N. Y. 1024 Mississippi St., St. Paul, Itlinn. mechanic's Falls, Maine. ESTABLISHED -lae 'the OLDEST BEE-PAPER -AMER Publlsbed Weekly, at ^l.OO per annum. Sample Copy sent on Application. 36th Year. CHICAGO, ILL., MAY 7, 1896. No. 19. tickif! Hints OH Spring Management of Bees. TIY MRS. J. N. HEATER. As so much of the season's success depends upon the work done or undone at this time of the year, too much care cannot be exercised to avoid expensive blunders. Every colony should be put in such condition as to strength that it will have a large and eiiective force of foragers ready to take advantage of the first honey-yield. Every apiarist should, and is supposed to, know when to expect the first yield of nectar, and of course will act accordingly. Stimulative feeding should be practiced with prudence and judgment, if at all, and only diluted syrup or honey should be used. If the bees are stimulated beyond their strength, the intervention of two or three cold days and nights may chill the brood thus reared, owing to the colonies not being strong enough to cover it. Not only is the loss of the brood sustained, but there has been a heavy tax on the vital forces of the nurses which cannot be regained. As a rule, it is better for beginners to see that food enough is supplied for the wants of both bees and brood, cut off up- ward ventilation by laying a board or enameled cloth over the frames, and let them alone. If some of the colonies are light in bees, they may be strengthened by occasionally giving a frame of hatching brood from some strong colony which will suffer no injury from the loss of it. But this, even, must be done cautiously, and no old bees carried from one hive to another, as that is one of the easiest ways in the world to start robbing. The spreading of brood, like stimulative feeding, is more often a harm than a help ; although an experienced apiarist might be able to practice either to advantage, knowing to a nicety, as he does, just how and when to make such manipu- lations. While it is not advisable to bate the bees out too early, when the weather is unsettled, and there is danger of loss from cold winds, yet when the time comes that they will per- sist in searching for natural pollen, it is economy to furnish them with rye flour in convenient places sheltered from the wind. Little troughs of water in sunny locations complete their bill of fare, and they are content to take care of them- selves. Columbus, Nebr. Some Bee-Notes from California. BY PKOF. A. .1. COOK. The Bee-Keepers' Exchange. — It is unfortunate for the California Bee-Keepers' Exchange that the present season is so unpromising for a honey crop. As yet, we have received only about nine inches of rain, while, according to all reports, 15 inches is necessary for a good honey crop. True, we may get more, but bee-keepers or ranchmen do not expect much rain after this date. Thus, it looks very much at present as though the honey product of Southern California, the present season, would be like that of two years ago — nothing. Yet I do not believe the bee-keepers will be discouraged, or will give up the new organization. Those in the regions of orchards and alfalfa fields will doubtless get something of a crop ; and others have already reaped advantage in the lower prices which they have had to pay for supplies. I very much mis- take the temper and spirit of our bee-keepers if they let the ^ ..,:- -.fggrv^i ^ w 1" ^'■"-'w^'flKlBr^ . '' >v ■ Mrs. J. N. Seatcr, Columbus, Nebr. discouraging prospect discourage them. We will hang to The Bee-Keepers' Exchange, and be ready with the next harvest to secure a price that shall pay us for our labor in securing the crop. I quite agree with a recent writer in Gleanings, that every State in the country ought to follow the example of California, then we should have full control of the honey, and could de- 290 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. May i. mand remunerative prices. I believe this is a matter that should be talked up in all the associations, State and National, and we should not " cry quits " until the whole country was organized. This consummation will surely be realized in the not very distant future ; whether we shall reap the advantages depends upon whether we are ready to act with energy and effect. Foul Bkood.— The subject of foul brood is a very prac- tical one in many of our bee-keeping regions. I know a bee- keeper not very far from Claremont in whose apiary a year ago there were five or six colonies diseased with foul brood. At my suggestion, that those colonies should be treated, and certainly better be destroyed than to be left to spread the dis- ease, he remarked that he thought his bees had had it before, and they got well. He now reports very sadly that every colony in his apiary has the disease. He feels very badly, and has double reason for his condition. It seems to me that every bee-keeper in the country should be thoroughly informed regarding this malady, and that we should have such laws and inspection as would protect bee- keepers against this evil. Ontario, Canada, has given us a very wise example in this direction. Buckthorn as a Honey-Pi-ant. — One of the most com- mon group of plants in California is the buckthorn. There are many species of these shrubs, and all are very prolific of flowers. One, the California lilac, resembles quite closely the lilac of the East, and is very beautiful. Most of them, how- ever, are white, and as we go through the brush-wood, we are constantly running upon these plants. I am happy to say that they are very attractive to the bees. I find the shrubs alive with these little insects, bearing away their heavy load of pollen and honey. As they bloom in late March and early April, before the sage and buckwheat are in blossom, they are quite valuable as early bee-forage. This is especially true in out-apiaries away from the orchards. The genus of the buck- thorn is Ceanothus, of which genus there are a large number of species. Like nearly all of the bee-plants of California, these buckthorns are a long time in bloom, and are thus far more valuable as honey-plants than they would otherwise be. Orange-Bloom and Bees. — During the last few days the hum of the bees has been very constant and very loud in all the region about Claremont. The orange orchards are in full bloom, and the odor is not only very perceptible in the streets near by the orchards, but is borne by the winds to regions far distant, even to apiaries miles away ; thus swarms of bees are passing from the apiaries to the orange orchards in quest of the nectar. Appropos to the above, I would say that I know of no honey more delicious than that from the orange-bloom. As we might expect, the flavor reminds one decidedly of the odor. I have often secured enough fruit-blossom honey in Michigan, so that I could test its quality. I always found it very de- licious. There was a delicate reminder of fruit preserve which was altogether agreeable. Thus I was not surprised to learn how exquisite this orange-blossom honey is. Bee-Mabtin ok Kingbird. — It is a fact beyond question that the bee-bird, or bee-martin, or kingbird, Tyrannus tyran- nus, destroys bees, both drones and workers, in the Eastern States, often to quite an extent. We also have a bird said to destroy bees here in California. It belongs to the same genus as the one already mentioned. These birds sit on a perch, and as the bee comes towards the hive, darts after it, catches it in its bill and flies back to its perch. It is then seen to go through certain motions, after which the bee is swallowed, and it is ready to repeat the operation. I am very curious to know what becomes of the bee's stinger. From what we know, we should expect that the bird would certainly get stung in the throat as it swallows the bee. I have seen toads swallow bees, and, upon dissection, I found just as many stings in the toad's throat as there had been bees swallowed. In this case, of course, the toad is either callous against the stings, or else not sensitive to the poison. Is it possible that in the case of the kingbird the sting is extracted before the bee is swallowed ? True, this would require no little intelli- gence ; but I think many of our lower animals are brighter than we give them credit for being. We should suppose that an animal as highly organized as a bird, and especially as these fly-catchers, would be injured if stung so much in the throat, mouth, oesophagus or stomach. I wish those who have opportunity to observe this matter would kill and dissect a bird and find what is the truth in the matter. If, as is prob- able, the bees are found without their stingers, then the latter should be looked for in the anterior part of the alimentary canal of the bird. Years ago I dissected kingbirds and found worker-bees in their stomachs, but I regret to say that I never thought of the stingers, and so made no observations in ref- erence to this point. Claremont, Calif., April 21. United States Associatioii of Bee-Keepers' Societies. BY W. F. MARKS. Heartily approving Mr. Brodbeck's suggestion on page 195, to organize a National Bee-Keepers' Association, I should like to submit a few thoughts in connection with that subject. We have had in this State, for some time, an organization known as the New York State Association of County Agricul- tural Societies. Its object was "to secure by association and co-operation greater efficiency in the operation of the various county societies." It was a power that could dictate Legisla- tion and other matters, but about two years ago the town- agricultural societies organized an association that has proved more formidable and of greater influence than the assocfation of county societies. I mention this to show the importance and necessity of local organizations, however small, and the power they command when combined. " Little drops of water, little grrains of eand. Make the mighty ocean, and the pleasant land." This is the correct way to organize and maintain a Na- tional Bee-Keepers' Association. Let all the bee-keepers' societies in the United States combine and organize the United States Association of Bee-Keepers' Societies. This can be easily and satisfactorily accomplished by the selection and assemb- ling of an equal number of delegates elected for that purpose from each society. By this method you will have an organiza- tion that is representative, and will command the confidence and respect of all. In this case the small or local societies are the very roots of the organization — not the branches, as was the case under the old auxiliary or afiiliated system. And there would be an object in organizing and maintaining bee- keepers' societies in localities where at present none exist. There should be such a society in nearly every county, and we should insist upon having at least one in every congres- sional district. I sincerely believe that the plan suggested will be an in- ducement for the bee-keepers of every locality to form socie- ties that collectively will result in an organization of the bee- keepers of this country worthy of the name ; they will feel that their local society, however small, is an important link in a well-organized and successful National Association, where all members and all localities have an equal voice. Chapinville, N. Y. See " Bee-Keeper's Guide" offer on page 301. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 291 Bee-Keepers' Union — Honey Competition and Prices. BY DR. C. C. MILLER. Referring to page 242, I think Mr. Newman is not war- ranted in characterizing as an "unkind fling" what was a plain statement of fact, and I am sure it was given with no malice aforethought. He thinks my language misleading and unreasonable when I say, "There's no use blinking the fact that it is now on the down-grade as to members." He says it is no more on the down-grade than other institutions, but that has nothing to do with the case. 1 wasn't saying whether it was more or less sliccessful than other institutions. I was only saying it was on the down-grade as to numbers. He says, " Last year its decrease was only 20 per cent.;" and whenever I can see that a falling off of 20 per cent, isn't being on the down-grade as to numbers, I'll gladly retract. For I'm sure I want to see the Union on the up-grade, aad I'm sorry to see so many misunderstandings concerning its union with the North American. Witness the absurdity of the idea that amalgamation would oust the present Manager, and that amalgamation could not be effected because then it would be international, while the Union has always been in- ternational, and a Canadian had 16 votes at the last election. The latest is from G. A. Millard, on page 254. Like a good many others, he seems to think that the advocacy of amalgamation comes mainly from members of the North American who are not members of the Union. I wish he would take the trouble to look the matter up and give us the names of those who have advocated amalgamation who are not members of the Union. He wants the advocates of amal- gamation to " walk up and pay their $1.00 like the rest of us." Give us the names of those who haven't paid their §1.00. But there's nothing new about that error. The new part comes when he wants them not to "tack onto members who do not wish it, the expense of expensive meetings." Who ever dreadied of such a thing ? Each person has always paid his own expenses, and I don't know that any one has thought of anything different. It is just possible that Mr. Millard might mean the incidental expenses of the meeting, but hardly that, for he would hardly call an expensive meeting one whose ex- penses didn't reach a hundred dollars. REPLY TO G. M. DOOLITTLE. Mr. Doolittle, I don't — that is, I'm not entirely sure I can answer all your questions, but I'll make some effort in that direction, and as you refer to matters in preceding numbers, it's a pleasure to know that all the numbers of the "Old Re- liable" for this year are before me, safely anchored in a wood binder. If you haven't tried one of those binders, I'm pretty sure you ought to, for I think you would be pleased there- with. Tbe first question (on page 255) is, "Why do you object to California honey coming to the Chicago market?" Before I can answer that, I must ask you to show me the place or time when I made such objection. I don't quite dare to say I never said anything of the kind, for you're such a hand to re- member and refer to what has been said, that I don't want to run any risks. But I'll only go so far, just now, as to say that I have no present recollection of having objected to California honey coming to Chicago. And as all the rest of the questions in the same paragraph are on the same basis, I must ask to postpone the answers till I know what I said against Califor- nia competition. Your next question wants to know why so many mouths are watering for honey while you and I are growling at low prices. Say, Doolittle, between you and me don't you think it's a mean trick of you to take advantage of a fellow the way you do by barring him out from the use of the only available answer he has on hand by saying in advance, " Please do not say, ' I don't know ?'" Whatever other reasons there may be why so many people don't eat honey, I think one of the rea- sons is that they are ignorant and imagine that honey is a luxury they can't afford, when in reality it is a better and cheaper food than they suppose. I don't suppose many peo- ple know that children will be better satisfied and nourished with a pound of honey than with a pound of butter. You next ask why hardly as much honey is consumed now as when there were only half as many psople and honey three times as high. I didn't know that was so, but supposed there was more used now. If there's hardly as much used now, isn't the principal reason that it isn't produced ? For I have some doubt whether there would be such a wonderful sight more produced if the price was higher. Don't most bee-keepers produce all they can, and all they would if prices were higher ? I'm not sure that I'd produce a pound more if prices were doubled. Would you ? Then again I think, as I have already said, that more honey would be used if people knew its in- trinsic value. Mr. Martin may be right, that people prefer glucosed honey at a lower price, but that's again just the same ignorance on the part of the people. They don't know how much better the pure article is. You want to know why I'm growling over low prices when a pound of honey will buy just as much wheat, potatoes or land as ever. Well, maybe I've growled more than I ought to, and at first blush it looks as though I had no reasonable excuse for growling if relative values kept all the same, the honey of this year buying just as much as the honey of other years. But right there's the trouble. In spite of the way you've put it, the honey of last year wouldn't begin to buy as much as the honey of former years. At least it wouldn't with me. Very true, a pound of it might, but a crop of it wouldn't, and when a day's labor brings more wheat than formerly, and a day's labor brings less honey than formerly, you can hardly expect me to feel satisfied with as much wheat as I used to get for a pound of honey. See? If I could get the same crop of honey now for the same labor as formerly, then I ought not to complain at swapping for the same amount of wheat as formerly, but if I can only get one pound where I used to get two, then I don't feel that the price of honey ought to keep step with that of wheat and other things in their downward march. Now I'll not feel the least hurt if you'll fit a better answer to these questions, and while you're at it I'll give you another question to answer lest you fire it at me: Why is it that there's so little difference in the price of honey whether the crop is large or small ? Marengo, 111. Bees and Fruit— That Horticultural Fable. BY W. S. FULTZ. Mr. Editor: — On page 184, under the head of "A Horti- cultural Fable," you publish and then comment on an article from Meehan's Monthly for December, in which you say that a bee cannot puncture a grape in any part. Now, Mr. Editor, I have been a fruit-grower for 22 years, and I also have been a bee-keeper for over 40 years, and I do know that bees can and do puncture grapes and other fruit, and knowing it to be a positive certainty, I feel just like the writer of that article, that is, that bee-keepers must have some sinister motive in endeavoring to educate the public that bees cannot destroy fruit. I have had hundreds of boxes of berries destroyed by bees in a single season. I have seen bees work so thickly on rasp- berries and strawberries that from three to five bees were on every ripe berry in the patch. I have known bees to attack berry-patches with a fury that was irresistible, and drove the pickers entirely away. On such occasions I have looked in vain for the birds, wasps, and hornets, that bee-keepers and 292 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. May bee-editors tell us puncture the skin so that the bees can suck the juice. I have also had bees to work on my grapes to such an ex- tent that the damage was serious, and at such times I never could see the birds, wasps, and hornets, that so obliginsly came and punctured the skin for them. I also have watched the bees at such times, and have seen them alight on a whole grape, whose skin was unpunctured, and when the bee left the grape the puncture vyas visible. Now, Mr. Editor, you knew better than to make the as- sertion that a bee could not puncture the skin of a grape — for if such is the case, will you please tell us how they sometimes enlarge the entrances to their hives when too small ? Do they hire their second cousins — the wasps and •hornets — or do they get the birds to peck the wood away ? A few years ago, if I remember rightly, Dr. C. C. Miller and Mrs. L. Harrison had quite a controversy on this matter, of how the bees managed to enlarge the entrances to their hives when necessary. Dr. Miller said they had a biter and bit the wood away ; and Mrs. Harrison just as earnestly as- serted that they did not have a biter, but that they had a picker, and picked the wood away. Now, I am not quarrel- ing with the Doctor or the lady, but both are good authority among bee-keepers, and it doesn't make any difference whether the bees have a biter or a picker, the same instru- ment that enables them to cut away the hard wood of a hive will enable them to puncture the soft skin of a grape or other fruit. In the fall of 1S65, I purchased a copy of " Langstroth on the Honey-Bee," and studied it during the winter, and the next spring I transferred some of my bees from their box- hives into Langstroth hives, and, as recommended in the book, I tied the combs with cord, and the bees cut the cord to pieces, and carried it out before they had properly fastened the combs, and I had a sorry mess on my hands. I don't know whether the bees used a biter or a picker to tear that cord to pieces, but I firmly believe that they did not hire any wasps or hornets to do the work for them, and that the same instrument that enabled them to cut that cord to pieces could be used to cut the skin of any kind of fruit. Along about the summer of 1870, before sections came into use, we used 5-pound boxes in which our bees stored their surplus honey. It was an extraordinarily good season for honey, and I ran short of 5-pound boxes, and made boxes of thin lumber ; these boxes were 5 inches wide and 16 inches long, with a pasteboard bottom, in which were cut holes to fit the holes in the honey-boards on the hives. There were some 80 of those boxes, and the bees cut the pasteboard bottoms to pieces and carried them out of the hives, and I don't believe that they hired the wasps and hornets to help them do it, but that they did it with their biter or picker, and the same biter or picker that enabled them to tear that pasteboard to pieces, would enable them to tear open the soft skin of a grape, or any other fruit. Of later years, we have been using sections in the surplus arrangements on our hives, and we cover some of them with enameled cloth, placing the smooth side down, and we have had several of those covers eaten through by the bees, and I firmly believe that it would not be any more of a task for bees to eat through the smooth skin of a grape than for them to eat through the cloth. There are other points in that comment that I would like to notice, but it would require too much time and space, but I want to say that it is not to be wondered at that horticul- turists are gettiug disgusted at the patronizing manner in which bee-keepers seek to teach them about their own busi- ness, and insinuate that they (the horticulturists) lack the brains necessary to know their own business. [See page 296. — Ed.J Muscatine, Iowa. Working Weak Colouies for Comb Honey. BV G. M. DOOLITTLE. Soon after writing my last article for the American Bee Journal, I received a letter from a correspondent telling how glad he was that I was to write a few articles on working bees so as to secure comb honey, and desiring that I would give an article on how he could best work weak colonies so as to secure comb honey from them, as many of his colonies were coming out weak this year. After reading this letter I came to the conclusion that I had best give an article on this subject, although I had not intended so to do. In going over the apiary for the first time in the spring, as spoken of on page 194, I do so by beginning on one side of the yard and opening the first hive on the first row, and thus continuing, taking row by row, so that there may be system to the work, and should I not get over the yard in one day, or be called away from some cause, I may know just where I left off, etc. If the bees have not wintered well (as evidently our correspondent's bees have not, else they would not be weak), I may find this first colony has brood in only two frames, and only small patches at that, while the little honey there is in the frames is scattered throughout the hive. To best fix them, I take the two frames having the brood in and set them close to one side of the hive, and then take all the other combs (after brushing the bees off which may be straggling on them) to the shop. After getting a comb well filled with honey from the shoo, which was leftover from the previous season, I re- turn and place it close beside the other two combs having the brood, after which a division-board is nicely adjusted to suitthe requirements of the little colony, when the quilts are carefully tucked about them on top and down the side of the division- board, and the entrance to the hive is now regulated so but one or two bees can pass at a time, and is so fixed that it comes beyond the division-board, thus shutting off the cool outside air from coming directly upon the bees. I now place a small stone in such a position on the "cover that it tells me in the future at a glance that this is a weak colony and how it is fixed, when I pass on to the next. This colony proves a good one, and needs no fixing save as I have already given in the articles before this. The next one proves to be hardly a fair colony, and has brood in only three or four combs, hence should be treated similarly to the first, except that a frame of honey is placed on either side of the brood, for such colonies are often apt to get short of stores, as they have few bees to gather from the early flowers, and are feeding much brood in proportion to the number of old bees in the hive. In going over the yard the second lime, I commence at the same place I did when first looking the bees over, and upon opening the hive I look for the queen to see if her wings are clipped. This clipping part I forgot to speak of in the previous articles. In working for comb honey we are quite apt to have swarms, and if the queen has her wings in perfect condition she may go off with the swarm to the woods, or we be bothered with swarms uniting, or climbing high trees after swarms, etc. I know some do not favor queens with clipped wings, but after an experience with them both ways, I still adhere to the practice, and believe, all things considered, that it is one of the things which pays in the apiary. If I find the queen has not been clipped, I now cut her wing, which, being done, I observe the brood in the two frames, and if I find it near one end of the frames, I change ends with one of the frames, which causes the bees to fill the other ends with brood. If there is still plenty of honey the hive is closed, the stone put on another part of the cover to the hive to tell what was done there last, and a tnark made to show that the queen has her wing clipped. How tke next or full colony is treated, I told you about in my last article. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 293 The colony having brood in three or four combs is now looked after, the queen's wing clipped, if not already so, and the amount of brood noted, as well as the amount of honey. If they do not have honey enough, a frame of honey is set over beyond the division-board so they can run under and get as they want, for our object now is to keep this colony on the five frames they already have till they are literally full of brood. In this way we keep the strongest of the weak colo- nies till they have five frames of brood, when one frame is taken, which has the most mature brood in it, and given to some colony not quite as strong which has only four combs of brood. The next time over these weak colonies, a frame of as nearly mature brood as possible is taken from each of the colonies now having five frames of brood, while each time a frame of brood is thus taken from any colony a frame of honey is put in the place of it, the same as we did in the strong colony to stimulate brood-rearing. The next time frames are taken from each of the colonies having five frames of brood and given to those having only two frames, for by this time it has become warm weather, so there is no danger from chilling brood with the weakest we had at the beginning. Thus I keep working till all that are weak colonies in the spring contain five frames of brood, which should occur about June 20, in an average season in this locality. I now go to hive No. 1 and open it, looking the frames over till I find the one the queen is on, when it is set outside of the hive and the four remaining frames, with all the ad- hering bees, and taken to No. 2. I next spread apart the frames in No. 2, so as to set the four frames brought from No. 1 in each alternate space made by spreading the frames in No. 2, when the hive is closed. In a few days this colony will be equal to the very best in the yard, and if it does not store as much comb honey as any of the best colonies you had in the spring, it will turn out diflFerently with you than it does with me. In this way I get as much comb honey from two weak colonies in the spring as I do from one of the very best, and make a good nucleus out of the frame which had the queen on it, besides. I might tell what I do with this nucleus during the season, but it would make this article too long, and, besides, it is foreign to the production of comb honey. Borodino, N. Y. Timely Articles — Other Suggestions. BY WM. S. BABCLAY. I can conceive scarcely anything in the course of our labors which affords such a treat as a well-written article de- scriptive of some implement, or some particular manner of work, which will lead us to success, and at the same time save labor in the apiary and the workshop ; and to receive the instructions therein contained at a time when we can put them at once to a practical test, is still a greater pleasure. That we cannot have such a pleasure at all times is certainly our misfortune, but that such is the case, we all well know, as, for instance, it almost always happens that at the swarm- ing and honey-gathering season, many things happen which we would be glad to make known to our fellow bee-keepers, but by reason of weariness from work, and being pressed for time, we are deprived of giving the pleasure we are all so anxious to receive. Heating Honey. — Such an article as above referred to, was the one on page o6, on " Experiments in Heating Honey," by Hon. R. L. Taylor. At the time it came to hand, I was engaged in liquifying candied honey, and it may be imagined I perused it with much satisfaction, and although I have been using much the same process heretofore in restoring honey to its orignal state, there were implements described and sug- gestions thrown out as regards temperature, etc., which I shall hasten to put to practical use, and I cheerfully embrace the present occasion to heartily thank Mr. Taylor for his valuable suggestions. Bees Spokting. — I observed on page 34, that Dr. Miller (who with Doolittle is the first I look for when I get the Bee Journal) does not like my idea " that old, as well as young, bees sport before their hives." Well, I fear I cannot resist the conclusion I advanced when stating the above opinion, neither do I think the Doctor will if he observes carefully. It is certainly easy to distinguish between a young, fuzzy Italian and a smooth, aged one — the difference in color of both of these o?i ;/ic ioi?ig is plainly visible. Now keep your eyes on the darker ones (old bees) until they alight on the entrance- board, and you will soon learn whether the old bees engage in " sporting." If you do not reach the same opinion as myself, I must think that you are breeding a different strain of Ital- ians from those I have propagated with the greatest care since 1861, when I got my first Langstroth queen (Italian). Smoker-Fuel. — But what will our neat, cleanly lady bee- keepers say to the Doctor for his apparent endorsement of a smoker-fuel (on page 38), by his answer to a question on this point? While on this subject, let me say that probably the cleanest and most lasting smoker-fuel is fine chips from sugar- tree or maple. As a cheap fuel, I find to take old newspapers (thick carpet paper is better), put them in loose rolls about two inches in diameter, and soak them in pretty strong salt-petre water, and then thoroughly dry them. 1 find nothing cheaper or more convenient. Beaver, Pa. CONDUCTED BY DR. C. C. MLLLER. AIAJRENGO, ILL, [Questions may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct.] Honey or Sugar for Spring Feeding. Which is the cheaper for spring feeding of bees, dark ex- tracted honey at -i cents a pound, or granulated sugar at 6 cents a pound ? H. L. Ansvfer. — Now, look here, you can figure that as well as I can, and I'm just a little afraid you're trying to show how much I don't know. But let's figure it up together, and you watch whether the figuring is all right. About 2 pounds of water to 5 pounds of sugar will make, if I am not mistaken, a syrup about equivalent to honey in consistency. The 5 pounds of sugar cost 30 cents, and as the water is free, that makes 7 pounds of syrup at 30 cents, or 4 2/7 cents per pound. So the i-cent honey is the cheaper of the two, pro- viding figures don't lie, which they sometimes do. But it's possible that bees will consume more of the honey than of the sugar — R. L. Taylor found they used more honey than sugar in winter — and that might turn the scale to make the sugar cheaper. On the other hand, 5 pounds of sugar and 2 of water don't make 7 pounds of syrup, for there's some evap- oration, so that brings up the cost of the sugar again. Guess you'll spend less money to buy honey at 4 cents than sugar at 6 cents. Now I want to ask another question I'd like to have you answer. With honey at 4 cents and sugar at 6 cents, which had I better use for spring feeding? Por it may be that 294 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. May 7, what's cheapest isn't always best. Supposing the cost figures out exactly the same, and you have the honey on hand, I'll give some reasons why I'd prefer the honey. I have souie- thing of an idea that while sugar may be just as good for fuel, it may not be quite so good as honey to rear strong young bees. The honey is ou hand, all ready to use, unless it be adding some water, and using the honey avoids the trouble of making the exchange. If you use the honey, no prying neighbor will say you fed sugar to make honey, and there's more danger of harm from that kind of thing in spring than in fall. Using the honey is just so much help to the honey market. Now, what do you say ? ■ ^ Sections ^villi Comb Built by Foul-Broody Col- onies. Is there any danger in using sections that have been built full of combs by foul-broody colonies ? Would there beany danger of starting foul brood ? They would be fine "baits," as they are white, and no honey in them. Subscriber. Answer. — Very certainly. Don't think for a minute of using them. Melt up the wax and burn up the wood. If any honey is left by the melting, you can eat It yourself, but be very sure no bees can get hold of it. It's hard to be too care- ful about the dread disease. Bee-Diarrlica Prevention. I am looking for an article on bee-diarrhea or bee-paraly- sis. I have lost 40 colonies with it, mostly. Is there any- thing that can be done after it commences in a colony ? Tuttle's, N. Y. A. P. Answer. — By this titiie, without doubt, a perfect cure has been accomplished, for no better cure exists than a good flight. Indeed, it is somewhat doubtful whether there is any other cure, although some think that heating up the cel- lar in which bees are kept goes a long way toward a cure. At any rate, cases have been reported in which a temperature of 60° to SO- maintained for a short time seemed to leave the bees in much better condition. In general, attention must be given to prevention of diarrhea rather than to cure. This must be done in fall, by seeing that they have proper stores in good season, and by taking all care as to ventilation and pro- tection. ^ I ■ Tran§fcrring — Findings Black Queens, Etc. 1. I have four colonies of bees, two in dovetailed hives and two in odd-sized movable-frame hives. I desire to get the latter two into standard hives. I consulted " A B C of Bee- Culture," and about four weeks ago I put a new hive with frames filled with foundation on top of one of these old hives. The book says that after the queen has begun to lay in the new hive, the old hive can be removed, and the bees will be in the new hive. My bees have filled the new combs nearly full of honey, and left no room for the queen to lay in the new hive. Now, if I put on a super, will the bees carry the honey into the sections, and make room for the queen to lay, or what would you advise ? 2. The past week has been cold, windy weather, and I notice one of my hives has a large number of dead bees ou the ground around it. Does this denote anything serious? 3. My bees are common black ones. I would like to get Italians, but I am afraid if I should get new queens I would not be able to find the old queens to remove them. I have looked over my bees several times, and have never seen a queen but once. Can you give any good rules for finding a queen ? 4. After receiving a queen by mail, how long can she be kept before introducing ? C. E. D. California. Answers. — 1. Yes, you can put on a super and the bees will empty out cells for the queen, but you should uncap the cells in the central part where the queen is likely to lay. You can slice off the cappings with a knife, or scratch over the cappings with a three-tined fork having its tines wired to- gether so they will measure about % of an inch across, or per- haps you will like still better a wire hair brush to pound over the cappings. 2. Very likely it's all right. 3. There are no sure rules for finding a queen. It's some- what a matter of patience and practice. And yet attention to some things will help very much. Go at it as quietly as pos- sible, using very little smoke, as smoke and rough handling will alarm the bees and set them to running, and then you might as well give up the job till another time. If you anticipate trouble in finding a queen, try this plan : Have an empty hive at your side. Lift out the first frame nearest you, and after looking somewhat carefully for the queen, put it in the empty hive on the side next to you, but at a distance of an inch or so from the side of the hive. After looking over the next frame, put it close up to the one you took out first. Put the third one an inf h distant from the second, and the fourth one close up to the third. Put the fifth one an inch from the fourth, and the sixth close to the fifth. Then put the seventh about an inch from the side of the hive in the same hive where it was, and the eighth close up to it. Then the ninth an inch or so distant, and the tenth close to the ninth. Now you have the combs in pairs, three pairs in the empty hive, and two pairs in their own hive. The tendency of the queen is to get in out of sight, and so where she happens to be she will get in the middle between the two combs that form the pair. Commence then in the extra hive, lifting out the comb next to the one that is farthest from you. As you lift it out, glance over the surface of its mate to see whether the queen is there, then examine the one in your hand, place it beyond its mate, and after examining the mate put it farthest from you, but close up to its mate. In this way go over all the pairs. Take a look at the bees clinging to the sides of the hive. If by that time you don't find her, bet- ter give it up till half an hour later, or still better until next day. For some reason it does not seem to be of much use to keep on looking if you don't find the queen after looking over two or three times, but by waiting an hour or so you may find her first thing. Here's another way : Shake the bees off two or three frames and put them in an empty hive. Put a queen-exclud- ing honey-board over this hive, and over this another hive, making all close between the two hives. Now take the combs one after another and shake or brush off all the bees into this upper hive, keeping a watch for the queen. The bees will run down through the excluder — if they don't go down to suit you, use a little smoke to hurry them — and the queen not be- ing able to get through the excluder, will be seen. 4. They have been kept three weeks or more, I think, but they must be supplied with food and water. ITsins Combs of Candied Honey. I have about 40 brood-combs, and the honey in them is candied solid. Are they of any use to bees in the shape they are ? What would you do with such combs ? C. C. C. Answer. — Of course the combs can be melted up and the honey then used for feeding the bees, but I think I'd rather save the combs whole. If you give them to the bees they will clean out t^ie candied honey, but it will be a waste. You may, however, save it in this way: Seta hive filled with candied combs on the stand where a colony now is, and on top of the hive containing the colony. Close the entrance at the bottom of the lower hive, and the bees in emptying the cells will let the candied honey fall to the bottom, then you can collect it and melt it to feed. They may carry out some of the grains of honey, but nothing like as much as they would if the en- trance was opeu at the bottom. Of course the entrance must 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 295 be open to the upper hive. It will help matters if you will moisten the combs, unless they have been kept in a damp place. If no other bees are about, you can have the work done more rapidly by setting the hives filled with the combs a few rods away from the bees, having them properly arranged to catch the granules thrown out from the cells. Better clean out every evening after the bees stop flying. ^ I I AVhat AiU the Bees { There are lots of bees in the hive, but they don't work much, if any. They have lots of honey. I have been trying to feed them syrup made of granulated sugar and a little maple syrup. I put it inside the hive, and then outside, and they would hardly touch it. A colony by the side of it would take it fast enough. Once in a while a bee goes in with a load of pollen, while the colony beside it brings in lots. The combs are built from one frame to the other, so I can't take them out. C. C. Belleville, Mich. Answer. — Hard to tell what the trouble is. Maybe they're lazy bees, and maybe they're queenless. Unless the combs are too badly crossed, it would be a good plan to straighten them up, cutting loose the attachments, and getting them so they are movable. \sm^Mi^jM^^M^%, \%\L\mb "Oil-Can Frauds" in California. On page 2"20 of Gleanings for March 15 I find an item entitled " Coal-Oil Can Frauds," copied from the American Bee Journal, which strikes me very forcibly, and so I should like to ask a few questions for information. 1. What do new cans cost in the East ? 2. Is the American Bee Journal interested in a can-fac- tory ? 3. Is not a good, bright coal-oil can as good as any if thoroughly cleaned and deodorized ? I think we must use coil-oil cans in this part of California, as long as we can get them, while new cans cost 29>^ cents apiece. The strongest argument in favor of new cans is that they do not have to be cleaned. Some men are slovenly about anything they do, while others don't care so long as they can get their goods ofiE their hands. This class should suffer, and not those who do their work thoroughly. In this warm cli- mate it is an easy matter to make a coal-oil can as sweet as a rose. Perhaps you will not believe this unless T give the recipe for cleaning the can and removing the odor. It is this : Keep the cans prepared some two or three weeks ahead of the time they will be needed. To clean, first take off the oil-faucet; punch a small hole in one corner of the can ; drain out all the oil that will run ; expose in the sun for a few days the cans thus drained, then use hot water and gold-dust wash- ing-powder thoroughly. Follow this by rinsing till clean, and again place in the hot sun. In a few days it will be impossible to perceive the scent of oil in them. Cans must be left open while taking their sun-bath, and the open end up, to give the evaporating water a chance to escape. We need some cheaper method than we now have for put- ting up our extracted honey ; but what shall it be ? We have no honey-barrels on this coast — not to my knowledge, at least; and even if we had, they would not hold honey in this climate. [Mr. York is in no way interested in the sale of square cans; in fact, I do not believe he even knows what the cans can be bought for. It is true that second-hand oil-cans may be bought cheaply ; but when we come to figure the fuss of cleaning them up, and the risk of not getting them clean, I am very much of the opinion that they will not be found any cheaper than new cans, especially when bought in car lots by bee-keepers clubbing together. But now since the Exchange has come into existence, every member of it can buy at car- load rates. But there is one thing that you evidently do not count on; and that is, that dealers here are prejudiced against any California honey put up in old oil-cans, ox o\A cans of any sort. I have no doubt that ynu can make the cans clean and sweet; but I am a little afraid that some bee- keepers will make a bungle of it. Let a few cans of this oily honey get in with a lot of good honey, and the whole will be condemned. Dealers will, on the slightest pretext, knock the price down, and California bee-keepers cannot afford to take any chances. — Ed.]— Gleanin'gs. The Low Prices of Honey. I happen to know that, within less than 100 miles of San Francisco, amber extracted sold last summer at 15 cents per pound, or two pounds for a quarter, and comb honey is un_- known save at the holidays, when it brings from 20 to 2o cents. The grocers in Los Angeles to-day, February, lSfJ6, charge their customers from S to 10 cents per pound for honey that the producer receives only from 4 to iH cents for. Is the consumer benefited by the low prices the producer has to take? Certainly not. I believe a part of those profits belongs to the producer and a part to the consumer. The question is. How are we to obtain what justly belongs to us? It is possible that, in order to help ourselves, we may have to first help the consumer. I contend that the real remedy for low prices with us is an enlarged demand. It goes without saying, that a demand far in excess of the present supply can be created by placing honey before the consumer at a price that he can afford to pay. The consumer is the poor man ; the masses are poor, and the masses must have cheap food. It is said, that for every ill there is a remedy. I believe we have our remedy within our grasp. Let us establish, through our Exchange, selling- agencies for our honey in every town and city we can reach. Let the honey be packed by the Exchange to suit any market ; let it be covered by the Exchange guaranty, and he sold at Exchange prices. Make those prices such as will afford a fair price to the producer, a fair compensation to the agent, and it surely will be a much lower price than he now pays, to the consumer. When an agent tampers with Exchange goods or Exchange prices, bounce him. Sell no honey under any cir- cumstances to wholesalers to be repacked— glucosed. If they want honey in small packages we will pack it for them, and put our seal upon every package.— C. H. Clayton, in Glean- ings. An Object Lesson. I made up my mind that the people wanted educating, and I proposed to give them an object-lesson. I had some cards printed, saying that, if it was warm and pleasant Satur- day, I would give a free exhibition on the public square at 2:30. The next Saturday was a fine, warm day, and at the appointed time I drove up with a large farm-wagon, having on it an observatory hive, a three-frame nucleus, one large hive without bees, an extractor, oil-stove, tin pails to heat water in, uncapping-knife and box, ten supers with uncapped combs, water-pail, and the same old " barrel of molasses." Mounting the deck seat of the wagon, and taking an old fish-horn, I gave them a fish-horn and bell solo (it was not so low but that the whole village could hear it). Collecting my audience, I gave them a talk on bees and honey with a great deal of truth and information, and some nonsense mixed in, showing them the bees in the observatory hive, taking a frame from the nucleus aud then from the supers, explaining the mode of uncapping and throwing it from the combs. I got a boy in the crowd to turn the crank of the extractor, letting it run into the pail ; and when it was about half full I turned it into the barrel. Some of the combs I ran through the extractor five or six times, and it worked just as well. The result was I sold my barrel of honey and all I had in the combs, and could have sold more if I had had it, and con- vinced the public that honey could be in barrels and not be molasses. When 1 got home and counted up my cash, I found I had $79.75 for about 2)4 hours' work. As nearly as I could judge, I got about 20 cents per pound for the honey. A week after, I went to a town of about 7,000 inhabi- tants, about six miles from here. I had the same show, and two barrels of honey. The police saw that no one disturbed me. I sold all my honey, took .^HiS in cash, and never moved my wagon. Another community was educated. I go^ there now and supply the grocers, and have no trouble.— Geo. L. ViNAL, in Gleanings. 296 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. May 7, .^jffj^ PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY GEORGE W. YORK & COMPANY, 118 Atfoiig-an St., - CHICAGO, ILL. REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS : G. M. Doolittle, of New York. Prof. A. j. Cook, of California. Dr. C. U. Miller, of Illinois. Dr. J. P. H. Brown, of Georgia. J. H. Martin, of California. Rev. E. T. Abbott, of Missouri. Barnett Taylor, of Minnesota. Mrs. L. C. Axtell, of Illinois. Chas. Dadant & Son, of Illinois. $1.00 a Year — Sample Copy Sent Free. [Entered at the Pos^OfDce at Chicaeo as Second-Class Mail-Matter.J VoLinVI, CHIGA&O, ILL, MAY 1,1896, No. 19, The Micliig:an ConTCntion was held according to notice, April 23 and 24, but thf; attendance was not large, as it was a little out of seaso:i. and spring work had com- menced with the farmers. But a pleasant time was had. The report of the proceedings will appear in the Bee Journal shortly. ^^-•-p- Coutributions toy "Women.— We had hoped, in this number of the Bee Journal, to have all the "Contributed Articles " written by women, but we failed to get a sufficient number to respond to our invitation, so we must content our- selves with publishing the articles of those who did approve of our idea. Mrs. Heater's is the first (see first page), which will be followed by others in due time. 'Tis a pity that the majority of the few women bee-keep- ers are so modest, and backward in coming forward. But probably they can't help it, so we must be satisfied with what they feel inclined to do. I^ong-evity in Bees.— The April Review contained some articles on this subject taken from the columns of the American Bee Journal of 1 893, by Mr. J. R. Bellamy and Dr. C. C. Miller. In a foot-note. Editor Hutchinson says : I think that this subject of longevity among bees is a point that needs careful experiment. It would, perhaps, ex- plain why one colony does so much better work than another that is no more populous. Just notice if the colonies that do not have so very large quantities of brood, yet store the most honey, have queens that live to an unusual age. If they do, here is a starting point anyway, to breed from the queens of such colonies. Perhaps we will soon have queens offered for sale that are bred from " queens that are five years old." Here is a chance for the bee-e,\periment stations to try their hand. If Hon. R. h. Taylor "tackles" it, there's bound to be something found out. Crimson Clover was thus written about by Mr. A. I. Root, in Gleanings for April 1 : At this date (March 27) our crimson clover has stood the winter, and especially the intense hard freezing and alternate thawing of March, almost without injury. The piece that was put in with buckwheat in July is almost a perfect stand. It is the greenest and prettiest piece of clover I ever saw in my life at this time of the year. That sown among the early corn at the last time of cultivating, about the first of August, looks almost as well, but the stand is not as good, and so on clear up to that which was sown up into September. The earlier it was put into the ground, the better is the stand. All that we sowed during the month of August will probably make a fair crop ; but where it was sown as late as September it will hardly be worth bothering with. Of course, our extremely dry weather in the fall may have had something to do with it. We may rejoice in this: Crimson clover will stand the aver- age winter of northern Ohio when the seed is sown in July or early in August. When our patch gets to its best we propose to plow it un- der so as to get a place for our Thoroughbred potatoes. With the present high price of hay, it seems almost wicked to plow under such a crop of green feed. Of course, the great point is that you have a heavy stand of clover on your ground in nine or ten months after the seed was put in. We shall be glad to hear other reports about crimson clover, for it is also a fine honey-plant, and, when better known, will likely be grown more extensively wherever it will stand the climate. Xhe California Honey Outlook for 1896 is not at all encouraging for our friends on the Western Coast. One of the prominent bee-keepers, and an officer of the Ex- change, wrote us on April 22 : "The present outlook for a honey crop is very poor, and at our Director's meeting to-day the opinion was freely ex- pressed that there would be no production of honey this year in Southern California." Well, what may be California's loss may be a gain to other Slates that have a crop. Everything in this region, so far, points to a good honey crop. We'd like to see it once — just for a change. One or two good honey years would send the circulation of the American Bee Journal away ahead, we think. It might help the editor's circulation, also. Bees and Grapes.— On page 291 will be found a contribution from W. S. Fultz, one of the veterans in bee- keeping, whose views are entitled to respect on that account. Plainly he does not believe in the innocence of the bee as re- lated to fruit-tasting. The American Bee Journal has no de- sire that anything but the truth should come uppermost, how- ever strong the desire that the truth might run one way or another. If there is clear evidence that bees puncture grapes, by all means let us not insist that they never do so. At the same time, it is well to be careful that no mistake is made, and we have faith enough in bee-keepers to believe that they are not altogether blinded by prejudice. The late discussion as to bees fertilizing strawberries shows that pretty clearly, for a number of them were not slow to assert that they had had fair opportunity for observation without ever seeing a bee working on strawberries. Certainly, it would be to their interest, as bee-keepers, to keep quiet on that score. Neither have there been wanting those who insisted that their bees did injure fruit, among them those who would not be silenced if they believed they were right. If Mr. Fultz has good evidence that bees perforate grapes, he is right in mak- ing known his belief. He cites Dr. Miller as agreeing with him, and it is true that the Doctor stoutly insisted that he believed bees did pierce grapes, but he had no reply to make to C. P. Dadant, when the latter asked him whether he could stand up "before a wall and bite into its flat surface. Mr. Dadant's argument was that the jaws of the bee could no more grasp anything on the surface of the grape than the Doctor's teeth could on the surface of the wall. Later on, Dr. Miller admitted that when he found his grapes worked on by the bees, he found the berries were first pierced with a hole in the shape of a dumb-bell — a hole that would readily be made by the bill of a bird at one stroke. But a still stronger proof that his bees did not make the initial attack on the 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 297 grapes occurred in a subsequent year, when the bees were idle for want of pasturage, but the grapes were left entirely untouched, just because, for some reason, the birds were not on hand to prepare the way for the bees. Now, is it not possible that Mr. Fultz, like Dr. Miller, has been mistaken ? In each case there is circumstantial evi- dence, but no one has yet said that he has seen a bee pierce a grape. Strong inducements have been offered the bees to do so — tempting grapes have been placed before them, and they have been seen to run all over them apparently looking for a weak point of attack, but they were either too modest to pierce the skin of a grape while under the fire of observing eyes, or else they were unable to do so. After a hole is made in the grape, the bees have no trouble in sucking out the juice, and probably they could grasp and pull the torn skin just as they can grasp the splinter of wood. If bees pierce grapes, some one ought to be able to see them in the act. Mr. Fultz saw a bee alight upon a sound grape, and when the bee left the grape it was pierced. But he did not see the bee pierce the grape. That leaves room for the doubt that there may have been a hole unnoticed before the arrival of the bee. If bees actually pierce grapes, some ought to be able to say: "I saw a bee in the act of piercing a grape." Is any one ready to say this? Prof. Cook's Many Friends will be pained to hear of the death of Mrs. Cook, April 16. She was a great sufferer, and death was a welcome release. It is probably safe to say that the sympathies of the larger part of the Bee Journal family go out to the good man in his great bereave- men. When informing us of Mrs. Cook's death, the Professor wrote thus tenderly : Claeemont, Calif., April 20, 1896. Deab Mb. York : — It is with a great burden of sorrow that I have to report that on last Thursday evening Mrs. Cook went to her long home. This was not a surprise, for we had know for a long time that it must be ; and as the last hours of her life were filled with very severe suffering, we were almost rejoiced when the release came, sad and unbearable as it seems to feel that we shall never again have her with us. She had a fixed and abiding trust in Him who doeth all things well ; and we are all sure that what is our loss is her eternal gain, for now she is in the arms of Eternal Love. She went with no fear, but only sorrowed that she had to leave us behind to mourn her loss. A. J. Cook. *—-¥ The Season in minnesota. — In the Farm, Stock and Home for May 1, we find the following paragraph from the pen of the editor of the bee-department, Mr. B. Tay- lor, of Forestville, Minn.: We are having much rain here this spring, and the white clover is showing in every pasture and waste place; this is also basswood year here, and we expect a big honey crop in 1896, and shall leave no task undone to be ready for it. Now is the time to not only give colonies needed attention, but have hives, sections, foundation and other needed supplies ready before the main honey-flow and swarming-time come. In good years much honey is nearly always lost by the average bee- keeper by not being ready. To succeed in honey-production the necessary work must not only be done at the right time, but also in the right way, and the best way can be learned only by much study, and bringing mind as well as muscle into active play. : .^-.-^^ A Honey-Leaflet is being considered by Editor Hutchinson, of the Bee-Keepers' Review. He is looking the field over carefully, and then expects to prepare one himself. We shall await with interest the result, for Mr. H. is sure to get up a good leaflet when he starts on it. The Pacific North -west is getting to be quite a honey country. An exchange says: " The honey product of the entire Pacific Northwest last year was near the value of $75,000. The industry will increase very fast the coming season, markets for the product being very abundant." Mr. E. N. Draper, of Atchison, Kans., is in deep sorrow, caused by the drowning of his son, 14 years old, in the Missouri river. The Bee Journal extends its sympathy in our friend's bereavement. Prof, A. J, Cook, of Claremont, Calif,, at the late meeting of the British Bee-Keep- ers' Association, was made an honorary member in place of the Rev. L. L, Lang- stroth, who died last October. Mr. Ernest W. Halstead, of Mississippi, says: "The American Bee Journal is the queen of the colony of bee-papers, I could not do without it for a great deal more than it costs," We would like ten thousand more subscribers just like Mr, Halstead, Mr, J, H. Martix has been elected Secre- tary of the California Bee-Keepers' Ex- change, the former Secretary, Mr. Young- ken, having other business requiring his undivided attention, was forced to resign, Mr. Martin needs no introduction or com- mendation, as all know him as •• The Ram- bler," Success to him and the new Ex- change. Mr. C, F, MuTn, of Cincinnati, in a re- cent number of Gleanings, gave " the other side'' of the honey commission business; that is, his side. He tells how some honey- producers impose upon dealers when ship- ping. Verily, there are at least two sides to the question. No, bee-keepers are not all, and altogether, perfect .iust yet. Wings have not begun to sprout on them — neither upon some of the honey commission men. Mrs. H. Stiles, of the State of Washing- ton, wrote when renewing her subscrip- tion: "I have taken the American Bee Journal two years, and am much pleased with it, I find something in It every week that is worth the price of the journal to me," Mr. B, S, K. Bennett, of the Pacific Bee Journal, has made quite an improvement in the second quarterly number of his little paper. He says Editor Hutchinson "is just the nicest editor " he knows. Too bad he doesn't know all the editors. At least half of them are "the nicest" folks on earth ; the rest are — well, we're all trying hard to keep up with the others. Mr. a. I. Root is, and has been for a good many years, a good deal of a preacher, if we may judge from his sermonettes in Gleanings, It he practices all he preaches — that is, takes all of his own medicine— he must be a very busy man, and ought to be pretty healthy spiritually. Between good potatoes and better sermons, the readers of Gleanings ought to be well-kept in both body and soul, Mr. F. H. Jewhcrst, of Richmond, Va., some time ago, sent Gleanings a sample of crimson clover honey that Editor Root called " fully equal in every respect to any clover honey he ever saw," We think that is the first honey of the kind we have ever heard of , If it e(|uals sweet clover honey, it surely is fine. The more we eat of the sweet clover honey the better we like it. Shouldn't wonder it we'd soon say it's the best uf all houeii-i. It if- the Ijest «'<■ ever have eaten, and we've sampled quite a number of kinds, considering our youthfulness! Bee-Keeper's Guide— see page 301. Queens aii«l Queen-RearinsT. — If you want to know how to have queens fertilized in upper stories while the old queen is still laying below; how you may safely introduce any queen, at any time of the year when bees can fly ; all about the different races of bees; all about shipping queens, queen-cages, candy for queen- cages, etc, ; all about forming nuclei, mul- tiplying or uniting bees, or weak colonies, 3tc, ; or, in fact, everything about the queen-business which you may want to know— send for Doolittle's " Scientific Queen-Rearing" — a book of over 170 pages, which is as interesting as a story. Here are some good offers of this book: Bound in cloth, postpaid, .$1.00 ; or clubbed with the Bee Journal tor one year— both for only $1.T.t ; or given free as a premium tor sending us three new subscribers to the Bee Journal for a year at $1.00 each. " Facts ai»«l l''i8-iires"" is the title of a little book which" deals with the live stock and kindred statistics of the country in general and Chicago in particular. It is full of interesting records of great value to those interested in the live-stock industry. It is issued by Wood Brothers, of Chicago, III,, and South Omaha, Nebr, TUey send it free to live-stock men who write for it. Please Send Us the Names ol your neighbors who keep bees, and we will send them sample copies of the Bke Journal. Then please call upon them and get them to subscribe with you, and secure some of the premiums we offer. 298 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. May 7. Largest Factory tife West Go?d^ph!7|djT?^ces READ THIS— Mr. Keyes says: The 100 rot'Qds of Extra-Tuin Foundation you sent us is superior to anything- he ever saw; and I think the same. R. L. Tucker, Wewahitchlia. Fla. Dear Sirs:— The Sections came duly vo hand. Indeed, thev are very nice. Yes, sir; they are as good as the best. Charles H. Thies. Steelevllle, Illinois. Leahy Mlg. Co. : — I have received the bill o£ goods. I must say they are the choicest lot of Hive-Stuff 1 have ever received from any place. I admire the smoothness of your worls. and your close selection of lumber. Yours very truly. O. K. Ol.mstead, Orleans, Nebr. Dear Sirs:— The Sections arrived in due time, and are all O. K. so far as examined. They are simply perfection. 1 can't see how you can furnish such goods at such low prices. I hope you may live long and do well. Yours respectfully. Z. S. Weaver. Courtney, Tex. Gents:— I received the •■ HigglnsvlUe Smoker " all O. K. It's a dandv; please find enclosed stamps for another. Yours truly. Otto Enuers, Oswegathe, N. Y. Gentlemen:— 1 have bought Supplies from nearly all the large manufacttirers by the car- load, and 1 must say yours are as good as the best. Indeed, in many lines they are the best. It le a pleasure to handle them, , E. T. Flanagan. Belleville, Illinois. The above unsolicited testimonials are a fair sample of hundreds we receive. Our prices are reasonable and the " HlgginsviUe Goods " are the best. The " HiggiiiHVllle " HooAn are for sale by the following parties : Chas. H. Thies. Steelville, ill. E. T. Flanagan. Belleville, 111. Henry L. Miller. Topeka. Kans. E. A. Seelev, Bloomer, Arkansas. J. W. Kuuse & Co.. Mexico, Mo. P. J. Thomas. Fredonia. Kans. Fulton & Gregg. Garden City. Kans. W. J. Finch, Jr., Springfield. 111. If you need a Carload of Supplies, or only a Bee-Smoker, write to us. Kemember. we are here to serve you. and will, if you give us a chance. A Beauttl'iil Catalogue Free. Address, LEAHY MANUFACTURING CO.. HiGGINSVILLE. MO, 4 9A Mention the American Bee JrumaL CHEAPER THAN EVER Hilton's White T Super* Chaff Polished Foundation Hives Sections Siuoliers And everything needed in the apiary. 1896 Catalog of 36 pages free. GEO. E. HIETOIV, 13Atf FREMONT, MICH. MetiUmi the American Bee Jourtutt, Dadaut's Foiindatioii ill Cliicaao ! No other Goods kept here. Send for Prlce-List. CHAS. DADAINT *: SON, 118 Michigan St., - CHICAGO. ILL. 13Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. ONE MAN WITH THE UNION ^°''i'-^^^'°'^ ran do the work of four meu using- hand tools, in Kipping-. Cutting-off. Mi- tring. Rabbeting. Groov- ing, Gaining, Dadoing, Edging-up. Jointing Stutf, etc. Full Lineof Foot and Hand Power Machinery Sold fin Trial. ('at;ilo?Qe Free. SENECA FAL.1jS JTIFC;. CO., 46 Water St., SENECA FALLS. N. T 1 Aly Mention the American Bee Journals $1.50 a M. 3 M. $4.2.5. These are not Seconds, but perfect Sections. As they are not up to our present high stan- dard, we wish to close them out. Sample free. Widths— 7-to-loot. I 15-16 in., and 2 in. Catalog; of Bees & Supplies FREE. I. J. STRINGHAm, 105 Park Place. NEW YORK. N. Y. 41x41 Snow-white Sections $2.00 per 1,000. C=]I^1]^^L ^ For the purpose of introducing our One-Plece Section to the bee-keepers generally, we have concluded to make the price $2.00 per 1.000 for the month of April. Now is the time to get your Sections cheap. We have a choice lot of Section Lumber, gotten out of young tim- ber, and we can furnish you the nicest Section to be had. Write tor Sample Section Free. TmE; JMSRSMFIEl^® MFQ. ©@., May 1st, 1896. mARSHKIEL,D, Wood Co., WIS. 14 Ctf ^^'ntinn the American Bee Journal That dueen-Clipping Device Free ! PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING OFFER : We have arranged with the inventor o£ the new Queen-Clipping Device (Mr. Mon- ette), to offer it to our present subscribers as a Premium for getting new subscribers. Send us ,//(.»■( oHf «f 10 »n»if for the American Bee Journal a year (with •'?1. 00), and we will mail you the Queen-Clipping Device free of charge. Or, the Queen-Clipping Device will be sent postpaid for .50 cts. But why not get it as a Premium by the above offer ? You can't earn 50 cts. any easier. Almost every bee-keeper will want this Device. See page 130 (Feb. 37) for full description of it. Complete directions accompany each one sent out. It is a most ingenious and useful article. Address, GEORGE W. YORK & CO., 118 Michigan St., Chicago, lU. Qerjeral Iterrjs^ Wintered Well. Bees have wintered well around here. I have not heard of any losses at all. N. Richardson. Blooming Prairie, Minn., April 20. Fine Weather for Bees. We are having fine weather for bees now. and I never knew them to get more honey from the fruit-bloom than they are now. E.mebson T. Abbott. St. Joseph, Mo., April 23. Nailing Hoffman Frames. I notice in April 1 of Gleanings what Mr. C. Davenport says about nailing the Hoffman frames. I had some of the trouble which he describes when I first began to use them. If one would avoid this difficulty, he should commence nail- ing by slipping the first end-bar onto the top-bar with the square edge of the end-bar towards the body. Then change ends with the top-bar, and that will bring the square edge of the second end- bar in the same direction. By following this order of nailing, or reversing it, one will have no trouble so far as his own apiary is concerned. But if he should ever have occasion to get frames from some one who started nail- ing differently from him, he would have trouble. If one should nail with the square edges in the direction of the per- son, and another should nail with the V edges in the same direction, the V edges would not come against the square edges unless half of the frame were turned upside down, and the larger part of the frame held above the top of the hive. Bee-keepers should agree on which way they will nail, and then all nail alike. Edwin Bevins. Leon, Iowa. Extracted vs. Comb Honey. Occasionally I see something in the Bee Journal that is quite at variance with my ideas and experience. I noticed the discussion at the meeting of the Col- orado State Bee-Keepers' Association, about the advisability of doing away with the honey-extractor. Bee-keepers have always been told that it would pay them to have an extractor, if they pos- sessed only a few colonies of bees. If I am not mistaken some of those who took part in the discussion used to manu- facture and sell extractors; however, I am not sure of this. But what I started out to do, was to give some of my ex- perience in selling honey. Although I have not been a large honey-producer, I have always sold my entire surplus crop direct to the con- sumer— peddled it from a wagon. My experience dates back to 1872, when I commenced with five colonies, and have produced since that time from 300 or 400 pounds up to 5,000 or 6,000 in a season. I have always had the preju- dice to contend with against extracted honey, but now I am going to tell those Colorado comb-honey men something that they don't seem to know, and that is, that there is almost as strong a preju- dice against their nice Colorado comb honey as against extracted. There Is 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 299 A HANDY TOOL-HOLDER ! Sent by Expre§s, for $1.50 ; or with the Bee JournaS one year — both for $2.00. Every Manufacturer, Miller, Carpenter, Cabinet Maker, Machinist. Wheelwrigbt and Quarryman, Farmer, or any one using- a grind- stone, sliould have one of tlieso Tool-Holders. One boy can do the work of two persons, and grind much taster, easier and with perfect accuracy. Will hold any kind of tool, from the smallest chisel to a draw shave or ax. Extra attachment lor sharpening scythe blades included iu the above price. The work is done without weltinpr the hands or soiling the clothes, as the water flows from the opera- tor. It can be attached to any size stone for hand or steam power, is always ready fur use, nothing to get out of order, and is absolutely worth 100 times ils cost. No farm is well-equipped un- less it has a Tool-Holder. Pays 'or itself in a short time. How to Ise the Holder. Directions.— The Tool is fas- tened securely in the Holder b.v a set-screw and can be ground to any desired bevel by Insert- ing the arm of the Holder into a higher or lower notch of the standard. While turning the crank with the right hand, the left rests on an steadies the Holder ; the Tool is moved to the right or left across the stone, or examined while grind- ing, as readily and in the same way as if held in th') hands. For grinding Kouiid-EIdge Tools, the holes in the stand- ard are used instead of the notches. Address, GEOKGE W. YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILL. SECTIONS CHEAP! ^ ^ .^ In order to reduce stock we will sell 40,000 4i4x4>ix'2 40,000 4i-4'x4Kxl 15/16 250,000 4Mx4Mx1% 150,000 4^x41^x1% 80,000 4)ix4i4x7-to-ft, Of our No. 2. One-Piece. Open-Top Sections, at the following IjOW Prices : 1,000 for $1.00 ; 3,000 for $2.50; 5,000 for $3.75. These Sections are all of good quality and manufacture, and prices will be maintained for a short time only. G. B. LEW^IS CO., -WAXERXOWN, -WIS. ^^~ Be sure to mention the American Bee Journal when you write. _^i Fruit- Plants Fi'ee! ALL CHOICE VARIETIES. No. 1— Eight Snyder Blackberry Plants. $1.00 No. 2—50 Asparagus Roots 1.00 No. 3—6 Fay Pioliflc Currants 1.00 No. 4—3 Snyder Blackbery, 20 Asparag's Roots and 3 Fay Prolific Currants 1 00 No. .5—3 Blackcap Oregg Raspberries. 3 Choice Red Raspberries. 12 lo'a Beau- ty Strawberries and 2 Fay Pro. Cur.. 1.00 No. 6— 4 Snyder Blackberry, 4 Golden Queen Haspberrv. 12 Asparagus R'ts and 10 Erie Blackb'ry Root Cuttings. 1.00 No. 7—73 Blackberry Root Cuttings 1.00 Vno/'iil AIT'ur — ^our choice of any one of 0|ICliliU IfllCl the above 7 Numbers for sending us one new subscriber to the Bee Journal for a year at $1.00, and \o cts. to pay Postage on the Plants. GEORGE W. YORK & CO.. - CHICAGO, ILLS. Sweet Clover n Canada. At the following prices : 5 lbs. 10 lbs. 2.5 lbs. .50 lbs. $1.00 $1.00 $3.75 $7.25. Also a quantity of Motherwort and Catnip seed. Prices on application. EGGS lor Hatching. Buff Leghorns. In- dian Games, & Light Brabmas. Choice Birds. A breeder for 30 years. Prices on application jrOHN IflcAKTHUK, 881 Yonge Street. - TOKONTO, ONT. 1 3 A t f isitvUu/n the American Bee JuumOh For Sale "n'iE^Ui^^' !4 Block of ground, some fruit, GOOD 6-room dwelling, shop, stable, honey-house and poul- try-house [over 3.OO0 square feet of floor], 100 colonies of bees in chaff hives and fuU.v equipped for comb honey, all in town of 1000 population and good alfalfa range and good water. Price. $3,000. If unsold June 15th, will unqueen, and otfer 2 year clipped queens at 25c.: 1 year, undipped, at 50c. each. July loth and alter, young queens at 60c. each — all Italian and safe arrival iruaranteed. This is a rare bargain, but I must get my wife to a lower altitude. Book your orders at ouce If you want these queens. lOAtf K. C. AlKIN, Loveland, Colo. Promptness Is What Counts ! Honey-Jars. Shipping-Cases, and every- I tiling that bee-keepers use. Root's <.>; -x-^ ^:r f-'je. -VJ^*j^JW-.^.' « 5? S *4i< iJi. >tt iJi >tt >te >ti iK. >te. >te. >Jtli >; PATENT WIRED COMB FOUUDATIOB Has No Sag in Brood-Frames Thin Flat-Kottoni Fouudation Bas Ao Fishbone In the Sarplas Honef. Beine the cleanest is usually worked the quietest of any Foundation made J. VAN DEIJSEN & SONS, Sole Manufacturers, Bpront Brook MontKOmery Co.. N. T. BEGINNERS. Beginners should have a copy of the Amateur Bee-Keeper, a 70-page book by Prof. J. W. House. Price 25 cents; If sent by mail. 28c. The little book and the Progressive Bee-Keeper (a live, pro- gressive 28-iiage monthly journal) one year, Gbc. Address any first-class dealer, or LEAHY MFG. CO., Higglnsville, Mo. Have Lasted 1" Years. —BEST ON EARTH. Alivay«Give PerrectSaUsracUon. My cool Wire Handle and Bent Nose were patented 1892. are the original, my best invention since my open or di- rect draft Patent. 1878. that revolu- tionized Bee-Smokers. My Handle and Nose Patent bent all the other smoker noses. None but Bingham Smokers have all the best improvements. If you buy genuine Bingliam Smo- kers and Huney-Kuives you will never regret it. Tbe " Doctor," J4,-lnch larger than any other smoker on tbe market— 3H-inch stove, by mail, $1.50 Conqueror, 3 " '• " 1.10 Large. *2^-in. " ** 1.00 Plain, 2-in. " '' .70 Little Wonder. 2-iu.. wt. 10 oz. .60 Bingham & Hetherin^ton Honer^Kinves, 80 cents, T. F. BINGHAIfl, Farwell, Micb. 7Atf Mention the Bee Journal, Will Produce "^PERFECT FRUITi We tell you all about spraying and^ care of fruit in our 32-pg. illustratedi' book— free. Our Pumps and Nozzle^' vin hichest honors in every test. J The Oeming Cp.» Salem, O.* W.Aetfl..lI('nirTh& Hiihbell.Chicni-'o { The Patent Wdod-Veneer Foiiiidation. Bee-keepers should yrive it a test, and my All- Wax Foundation. I will guarantee there is no better made, as six years ago 1 d-scarded the old way of dipping lor wax sheets, and a new iuventiou of my own was discovered, which enables me to make the toiitrhest kind of Foundation; also, no acid used to purify the Beeswax, and It preserves the smell of honey, which is more acceptable to the bees. Now is the the time to send wax and have it worked up at low prices. Send for Saniples and Cata- log with low prices. Wax wanted at 31c cash, or 33c trade, delivereo. AlJCi. WKISS, Hortonville, Wis. 12 A13t Please mention the Bee Journal. I make a full Hue of Canada Up-to-date Bee-Supplies at rock-bottom pricen. Send for my an- nual Circular. A l-'-inch Root Fdn. Mill in good order, -iud hand, at a bargain for either \Va.Y or Cash Address. \V. A, CHRYSIiER, Cliatham, Ont. 19.\tt Mention the American Bee Journal. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 301 4 I Abbott's Space. Sections as low as the lowest for g-ood goods. Send for Circular and say what you want. Special Agent for G. B. Lewis Co.'s goods. Write for prices. E. T. Abbott, St. Joseph, Mo. The " St. Joe " stands at the TOP. Dovetailed Hives vehv cheap. Dadant's New Process Foundation at Dadant's prices, waoLESAiiK and retail. BEES & QUEENS. Strong, full Colonies of Italian-Hybrid Bees, In Langstroth 9-f rame blves. at $5.00 per col- ony; 5 to 10 colonies, $4.73 each. Special low price on larger orders. Bees are in good con- dition, and are fine honey-gatherers. Italian Queens— after May I.t— Pntested, $1.00 each; 6 for $3.00; 13 tor $9.00. Safe arrival and satisfaction guaranteed. Keference— George W. York & Co. Address, F. GRABBE, LIBERTY\TLLE, ILL., 32 mi. northwest of Chicago, on C. M. & St. P. Mention the American liceJoumoX. Houey-Clovers & Buckwheat SEED FOR SALE. We have made arrangements so that we can furnish seed of several of the Clovers and Japauese Buckwheat, by freight or ex- press, at the following prices, cash with order: oB) 105) 2otb oOft AlslkeClover $.70 $1.25 $3.00 $5.75 SweetClover 75 1.40 .1.25 6.00 WhiteClover 1.25 2.00 4.50 8.00 AUalfa Clover 65 1.10 2.70 5.00 Crimson Clover 55 .90 2.00 3.50 Jap. Buckwheat... .20 .35 .90 1.25 Prices subject to market changes. Add 25 cents to your order, for cartage, if wanted by freight. Your orders are solicited. GEORGE W. YOKK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS. For Sale ITALIAN QUEENS and BEES. 1 Frame Nucleus, with Queen $1.75 2 •• •' " 3.25 Queens. 50c each; M doz. $3.75; 1 doz. 5.00 Safe arrival and satisfaction guaranteed. References— Young & Hamilton. Bankers, Clssna Park, Ills.; W. Kaufman, Banker, '.and Lewis Wolf. P. M., Claytonville. F. J. OriNZEI/, Claytonville, Ills. Mention the American Bee Journal. Tlie Bee-Reepers' Guide: Or Manual of the Apiary, By Prof. A. J. Cook. This 15th and latest edition of Prof. Cook's magnificent book of 460 pag-es, in neat and BubstantUtl cloth binding, we propose to givo away to our present subscribers, for the work of getting NEW subscribers for the American Bee Journal. A description of the book here is quite un- necessary—it IS simply the most complete sci- entific and practical bee-book published to- day. Fully illustrated, and all written in the most fascinating style. The author Is also too well-known to the whole bee-world to re- quire any introduction. No bee-keeper is fully equipped, or his library complete, with- out *' The Bee-Keeper's Guide." Given For 2 ]Ve\v l^iubscribers. The following offer is made to fkesent sub- scribers only, and no premium is also given to the two new subscribers — simply the Bee Journal for one year : Send us Two New Subscribers to the Bee Journal (with $2.00), and we will mail you a copy of Prof. Cook's book free as a premi- um. Prof. Cook's book alone sent for$l.vJ5. or we club it with the Bee Journal for a year —both together for only $1.75. But surely anybody can get only 2 new subscribers to the Bee Journal for a year, and thus get the book as a premium. Let everybody try for it. Will you have one ? GEORGE W. 'iORK & CO., CHICAGO. ILLS. Extracted Honey for Sale ! ! The beautiful, white Willow-Herb Honey, in 60-lb. cans, f. o. b. Chicago, at 8 cents per pound, 2 cans (120 lbs,) in a box. Single can, 8^ cts. per pound. Fine Bass^vood honey at same prices. Sample of the honey mailed on receipt of 10 cts. This hoiiey will give entire satisfac- tion, is guaranteed strictly pure Basswood and WlUow-Herb honey. Better order at once, and begin to work up a trade before tlie new crop comes on. Address. GEORGE W. YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS A Barffain-EARLY QUEENS. 119 Colonies Italian Bees in Chaff Hives: two acres land; good house; excellent well. Early Queens— Tested. $1,50; Untested, 7oc. E. li. on the market. It is fully described in i our SPRAY PUMP CATALOGUE. Another < ^valuable work is our handsome ILLUS- < TRATED BOOK ON CIDER PRESSES AND FRUIT < MACHINERY. Both will bp sent FREE. DAVIS-JOHNSON CO. 41 W. Randolph St. CHICAGO, IL ILL. lt)A4t Mention Oie American Bee Journal PURE BARRED PLYMOUTH ROCK Eggs. $1.25 per 14. Our P. Rocks are very large, with flue plumage. Also. BLACK MINORCA EGGS, a non-silting and great laying breed. Both kinds raised upon our farm. Minorca Cock- erels. $1.00 each. Mrs. L. C. AXTEK.!., 16Atf HOSBVILLB. Warren Co., ILL. ^Sections & Foiindatioii Reduced.:^ I am now selling Hoot's best polished SEC- TIONS at $2.50 per 1.000: 2.000 forS4 50; .■5.000. $6.45; 5.000. $10.00. Tlie INew %Veed Process Comb Foundation reduced 3c. per pound. See prices on page 1 1 of our Cat- alogue, or The A. I. Root Co.'s. M. H. HUNT, 19D4t BELL BRANCH. MICH. New England Supply Depot ! You can get the most complete Bpe-Hlve, also other Supplies, at— H. ALIiEV'S. Boom 5, 82 Water St., - BOSTON, MASS. 1 3 Dt t Menticm the American Bee Journal, SAVE MONEY 1 i^^^-^^^^sS^^tl! ITALIAN QUEENS Foundation at Wholesale Prices. Hives, suited for the South, or SUPPLIES, send for Prlce-List — to -A-Xja-XTSTA., J. P. H. BROW.\, 8^" IF YOU WANT THE BEE-BOOK That covers the whole Aplcultural Field more completely than any other published, send 81.25 to Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont, Calif., for his Bee-Keeper's Guide. Liberal Discounts to the Trade. $3.00 Worth for $2.00 ! Until further notice, we propose to give you a chance to get some good reading-matter for the long winter evenings, at half price. Send us $2.00, ;ind we will mail you your choice of $2.00 worth of the following book- lets, and also credit your subscription to the American Bee Journal for one year: Poultry for Market and Profit 25o Our Poultry Doctor 30o Turkevs for Market and Profit 25c Capons and Caponizing 30c Rural Life 25c Preparation of Honey for the Market. .. 10c Bee-Pasturage a Necessity 10c Hive I Use, by Doolittle oo Foul Brood, by Dr. Howard 25o Foul Brood, by Kohnke 25e Foul Brood, by Cheshire 10c Bee-Keeplng tor ProBt, by Dr. Tinker 25o Kendall's Horse-Book— Eng. or German.. 25o Silo and Silage, by Prof. Cook 25c Hand-Bookof Health, by Dr. Foote 25c Maple Sugar and the Sugar Bush 35o Potato Culture, by Terry 40o Carp Culture, by Hoot & Finney 40c Strawberry Culture, by Terry & Hoot 40o Bleoen Kultur, by Newman [German] .... 40c Winter Problem in Bee-Keeplng LPierce] . oOo Bee-Keepers' Directory, by Henry Alley. 50c Advanced Bee-Culture, by Hutchinson... 50c 5 Honey as Food and Medicine 25o GEOKOr, W. TOBK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 303 BEE-BOOKS SENT POSTPAID BV GeorH:e W. York & Co., Chicago, Ills- Bees and Honey, or Management of an Apiary 'or Pleasnre and I'ruiJt, by Thomas G. Newman.— This edition has been lurt-'ely re-wrllteii. thoroughly revised, and Is " fully up with the times " In all the Improvemeuta and Invonttutis lu this rapldly-devel- oping pursuit, and presents the apiarist with everything that can aid In the successful manage- ment of an apiary, and at the same time produce the most honey In an attractive condition. ]t con- tains 231) pages, and 213 iilustrations— is beautifully printed In the higiiest style of tlie art, and bound In cloth, gold-lettered. Price, $1.0U. Iiaugstroth on the Honey-Bee, revised by Dadant— This classic In bee-culture, has been entirely re-wrltten, and Is fully Illustrated. It treats of everything relating to bees and bee-keep- ing. No apiarian library Is complete without this standard work bv Rev. L. L. Jjanestroth — the Father of American Bee-Culture. It has 520 pages; bound In cloth. Price, postpaid, SI. 25. Bee-Re'pers' Gtilde, or Manual of the Apiary, by Prof. A. J Cook, of the Michigan Agri- cultural College.— This book Is not only instructive and helpful as a guide In bee keeping, but Is Interesting and thoroughly practical and sclentlflc. It contains a full delineation of tlie anatomy and physiology of b?es. 4ii0 pages ; bound in cloth and fully Illustrated. Price, postpaid, $1.25. Sclentlflc Qiieen-Kearing, as Practically Applied, by G. M. Doolittle.— A metliod by wliich the very best of Queen-Bees are reared In perfect accord with Nature's way. I'll pages, bound In cloth, and Illustrated. Price, $1-00. A B C of Bee-Cnlture, by A. I. Boot.— A cyclo|i;cdla of 4U0 pages, describing everything pertaining to the care of the honey-bees. It con- tains IIUU engravings. It was written especially for beginners Bound In cloth. Price, SI. 25. Advanced Bee-Ciiltnre, Its Methods and Management, by W. Z. Uutchlnson.— The author Of this work Is too well known to need further description of his book. He Is a practical and entertaining writer. You should read his book. SI) pages, bound In paper, and Illustrated. Price, 50 cts. Rational Bee-Keeplnsc, by Dr. John Dzlerzon —Tills is a translation of his latest German book on bee-culture. It has 360 pages: bound In cloth, J1.2o; In paper covers, $1.00 Blenen-Kultur, by Thomas G. Newr-ian.- This Is a German translation of the prlncippi por- tion of the book called Bees of Honey. 10^ page pamphlet. Price. 4U cents. Convention Hand-Book, for Bee-Keepers. Thomas G. Newman.— It contains tiie parliamen- tary law and rules of order for Bee-Conventions— also Constitution and By-Laws, with subjects for discussion, etc. Cloth, gold-lettered. Price, 23 cts. Anierlkaiiisolie Bleiieiiziic-lil, by Hans Buschbauer.- Printed in German. A hand-book on bee-keeping, giving the methods in use by the best American and German apiarists. Illustrated; 138 pages. Price. Sl.no Tliirtj- Years Among tlie Bees, by Henry Alley.— Gives the results of over a quarter- century's experience in rearing queen-bees. Very latest work of the kind. Nearly luo pages. Price, 50c. AVliy Eat Honey ?— This Leaflet is intend- ed for FREE distribution, to create a Local Market, liiocopies, by mail, 40cts.: 500 lor$l.30; looa,$2..'50. B^^ If 5(Ki or more are ordered at one time, your name and address will be printed on them FREE. Honr to Keep Honey and preserve its richness and flavor. Price same as Why Eat Honey. Apiary Register, by Thos. G. Newman.— Devotes two pages to a colony. Leather binding. Price, for 5U colonies, ll.oij; for 100 colonies, $1.25. Frepur-ition of Honey for the Market, Including tlie production and care of comb and extracted liouey. A chapter from Bees axe HoXEY. Price, 10 cents. Bee-Pasturage a Necessity.- This book sug gests what and how to plan It Is a chapter fron Bees AND HoNEV. Price, 10 cents. The Hive I I'se, by G. M. Doolittle. It details his management of bees, and methods of produciQg comb honey. Price. 5 cents. Dr. Howard's Boole on Foul Brood. —Gives the McEvoy Treatment and reviews the ex- periments of others. Price, 25 cts. Dictionary of Apicnllure, by Prof. John Phin. Gives the correct meaning of nearly 500 api- cultural terms. Price, 50 cts- Wlnter Problem in Bee-KeepinR. byO, B. Pierce. Result of 25 years' experience. 50 cts. Handling Bees, bv Chas. Dadant & Son.— A Chapter from Langstriith Revised. Price, 8 cts. Bee-Keepers' Directory, by H. Alley.— Latest methods in Queen-Kearing, etc. Price, 5UC. Foul Brood Treatment, by Prof. F. R. Cheshire.— Its Cause and Prevention. Price, 10 cts. Foul Brood, by A. B, Kohnke.— Origin, Development and Cure. Price, 25 cts. History of Bee-Associations, and Brief Re- ports of the first 20 conventions. Price. 13 cts. Honey as Food and Medicine, by T. G. Newman.— A 32-pagc pamphlet : just the thing to create a demand for h.niey at home. Should be scattered freely. Contains recipes for Honey-Cakes, Cookies, Puddings, Foam, Wines, and uses of honey for medicine. Prices, prepaid— Single copy. Sets.; 10 copies, 3,0 cts.; .ioforSl.oO: HKifor $2.50; 250 for $5.50; 500 for $10.00; or 1000 tor Ji.-).!!!). When 250 or more are ordered, we will print the bee-keeper's card (free of cost) on the front cover page. Bee-Keeplng for Profit, by Dr. G. L. Tinker.— Revised and enlarged. It details the au- thor's •' new system, or how to get the largest yields of comb or extracted honey." 80 p.; illustrated. 25c. Emerson Binders, made especially for the Bee Journal, are convenient for preserving each number as fast as received. Not mailable to Canada. Price, 75 cts. Commercial Calculator, by C. Ropp.— A ready Calculator. Business Arithmetic and Ac- count-Book combined m one. Every farmer and businessman should have it. No. 1, bound in water proof leatherette, calf finish. Price. 40 cts. No. 2 in fine artificial leather, with pocket, silicate slate, and account-book. Price, 60 cts. Green's Four Books, by Chas. A. Green. -Devoted to, 1st, How We Made the Old Farm Pay; 2lid. Peach Culture; 3rd, How to Propagate Fruit- Plants, Vines and Trees; 4th, General Fruit In- structor. Nearly 120 pages. Fully illustrated. 2octs. Oreen's six Books on Frult-Cnltnre, by Chas. A. Green. -Devoted 1st, to Apple and Pear Culture; 2nd, Plum and Cherry Culture; 3rd, Rasp- berry and Blackberry Culture; 4th, Grape Culture; 5th, Strawberry Culture. 129 pp.; illustrated. 25 cts. Garden and Orchard, by Chas. A. Green. .^ : — „ *.,n ;„ot-.>i/>ti.,,ia in Thitinin,' and Marketing —Gives full instructi aU,A ,.!,.■, U.u, uj -.ju-io. -». v...^^-j. instructions in Thinning and Marketing Fruitsf Pruning. Planting and Cultivating: Spray- ing, Evaporation, Cold Storage, Etc. 94 pages. Illus- trated. Price, 25 cts. Kendall's Horse-Book. — .35 pictures, showing positions of sick horses, and treats on all their diseases. English or German. Price, 25 cts. Silo and Silage, by Prof. A J. Cook.— It gives the method in operation at the Michigan Agri- cultural College. Price. 25 cts. Lumber and I.og-Book. — Gives meas- urements of lumber, logs planks; wages, etc, 2oc. Iflaple Sugar and the Supar Bush, by Prof, A, J. Cook.— Full instructions. Price, 35 cts. Grain Tables, lor casting: up the price of grain, produce, hay. etc. Price, 25 cts. Capons and Caponizing, by Dr. Sawyer, Fanny Field, and .ithers,~Illustrated. All about caponizing fowls, ann tiius bow to make the most money in poultry-raising. e4pages. Price, 30 cts. Our Poultry Doctor, or Health in the Poultry Yard and How to Cure Sick Fowls, by Fanny Field.-Evervthing about Poultry Diseases and their Cure. 64 pages. Price, 30 cts. Poultry for market and Poultry for Profit by Fanny Field.-Telis everything about the Poultry Business. 64 pages. Price, 25 cts. Turkeys for market and Turkeys for Profit, by Fanny Field.— All about Turkey-Raising. 64 pages. Price, 25 cts. Bnral l.lfe.— Bees, Poultry. Fruits, 'Vege- tables, and Household Matters, 100 pages. 25 eta. Strawberry Culture, by T. B. Terry and A. I. Root. For beginners. Price, 40 cts. Potato Culture, by T. B. Terry .-It tells how to grow them profitably. Price, 40 cts. Carp Cultnre, bv A. I. Root and Geo. Fin- ley.-Fuli directions. 70 pages. Price, 40 cts. Hand-Book of Health, by Dr. Foote,— Hints about eating, drinking, etc. Price, 25 cts. Alslke Clover l.eaflet.— Full directions forgVowing. 50 for -25 cts.; 100 for 40 cts.; 200,70c. nal a year at the prices named. If more books are wanted, see postpaid prices given with the description of the books on this page, FollowlDgis the clubbing-list: Book I'liibbiiig Oilers. (Bead Carefully.) The following clubbing prices include the American Bee Journal one year with each book named. Remember, that only one liook can be taken in each case with the Bee Jour- 1. Langstroth on tbe Honey-Bee % A B Cof Bee-Culture Bee-Keeper's Guide Bees and Honey [Cloth bound] Scientific Queen-Hearing Dr. Howard's Foul Brood Book Advanced Bee-Culture Amerlkanische Bienenzucht [Germ.] Bienen-Kultur [German] Rational Hee-Keeping [Cloth bouQd] Rational Bee-Keeping [Paper toundl Thirty Years Among the Bees Bee-keeping for Profit Convention Hand-Book Poultry for Market and Profit Turkeys for Market and Profit Capons and Caponizing Our Poultry Doctor Green's Four Books Green's Si.x Books on Fruit-Culture.. Garden and Orchard Rural Life Emerson Binder for the Bee Journal. Commercial Calculator. No. I Commercial Calculator, No. 2.. Kendall's Horse-Book Strawberry Culture Potato Culture Carp Culture -- Hand-Book of Health Dictionary of Apiculture Maple Sugar and the Sugar Bush — Silo and Silage Winter Problem in Bee-Keeping Apiary Register (for .50 colonies). . . , Apiary Register (for 100 colonies) . Bee-Keepers' Directory i3.00 2.00 1.75 1.65 1,75 1.10 1.30 1.75 1.25 3.00 1.75 1.30 1.15 1.15 1.10 1.10 1.10 1.10 1.15 1.15 1.15 1.10 1.60 1.25 1.40 1.10 1.20 1.20 1.20 1.10 1.35 1.20 1.10 1.30 1.75 2.00 1.30 Honey & Beeswax Market Quotations. The following rules for grading honey were adopted by the North American Bee-Keepers' Association, and, so far as possible, quota- tions, are made according to these rules: Fancy,— All sections to be well filled ; combs straight, of even thickness, and firmly at- tached to all four sides; both wood and comb unsoiled by travel-stain, or otherwise; all the cells sealed except the row of cells next the wood. No. 1.— All sections well flUed, but combs uneven or crooked, detached at the bottom, or with but few cells unsealed; both wood and comb unsoiled by travel-stain or other- wise. la addition to this the honey is to be classi- fied according to color, using the terms white, amber and dark. That is. there will be "fancy white," "No. 1 dark," etc. CHICAGO. III., Apr. 23.— We quote: Pancy whitp. 15c.; No. 1 white. I2@13c.; fancy am- ber. 9@10c.; No. 1 amber. 7@8c.; fancy dark, 8@9c.; No. 1 dark. 7c. Exti'iicted, white, oi® 7c,; amber, 4(§>5c. ; dark, 4i34!4e, Beeswax, ,30c. The number of sales are few, and prices are really nominal. The only iictivity shown is In a little fancy comb and beeswax. R, A. B.&Co. PHILADELPHIA.Pa., Apr. 22.— Wequote: No. 1 white. 9@10c.; lancy amber, 8@9c. ; fancy dark, 7@Sc. Extracted, white clover. 10c, ; amber, 5@5V4c, ; dark. 4(a4'^c, Bees- wax. 25(®26o, Comb honey is dull. Extracted in fair demand. Beeswax lower, W. A, S. KANSAS CITT. Mo, Apr. 18.— We quote: No. 1 white. 13(§)14c.: No. I amber, ll(ial2c,; No, 1 dark, 8@10c. Extracted, white, 506c,; amber, 41-4(850,; dark. 4@4^4e. Beeswax, 23c. t'. C. C. & Co. BUFFALO, N. Y.. Apr. 20 —We quote: Faucy white, 15@I6c.: No. I white, 13(ai4c.; fancy dark, 8(39c,; No, 1 dark, 7(a7!4c. Bees- wax. 25@28c. Trade very dull and honey not moving, except a few faocy lots: anything dark is hard to sell. B. & Co. NEW YORK, N. Y., Apr. 20 —We quote: Fancy white, 14c.; No. 1 white, 12c.; No. 1 amber, lie; No. 1 dark. Sc. Exti-acted. white, 5i4@6c. Beeswax, 29@30c. Market is quiet. Some demand for white comb, but buckwheat not wanted. White is selling at from IKStlic. and buckwheat at 8c. The market on ex- tracted is unusually quiet, with large supplies of California, Beeswax steady at quotation, U. B. S:S. CINCINNATI. O., Apr. 22.— There is no fan- cy white comb honey on our market. Best white sells at 12iai4c. in a .jobbing way, with a fair demand. Demand Is good for extracted at 4(^70.. according to quality. Beeswax is in good demand at 25@30c. for good to choice yellow. C. F. M, & S. 304 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. May 7, 1896. Bottom Prices BRIKG IIS BIO TRADE. GOOD GOODS KEEP IT. It you want the best supplies that can be made at a little less cost than you can buy the same goods for elsewhere, write to us for low prices. 189«> Catalogue now ready —ask for It and a free copy ofTlie Ameri- can Bee-Keeper (36 pages). Address. THE W.T. FALCONER MFG. CO., JAMESTOWN, N. Y. Mention theA.merlcan Bee Journal, COMB FOUNDATION! Wax always wanted for Cash or in Exchangre for Fdn. or other Supplies, My trade is estab- lished on Loiv Prices and the merit of my Fouiidaiioii. Orders filled proiiiplly. I^i^WoRKisG Wax into Fdn. by the Lb. a Specialty. Wholesale prices to dealerN and lar^e consiiniers. Send for Prices and Sam- ples to-GliS DIXTMKK, AUGUSTA, WIS. Reference— Augusta Bank. lAtf Mentio'ii the A.incrican Bee Jouj^ijxl mi Prices Reduced on Dovetail Hives and Sections. A full line Glllllk^ of Apiarian Supplies in stock to \J \/ Vij flu orders promptly at liiwcsf prices for Bi'st (ioiiiis. .^ij.jia^'e Catalofriif Frcf. JNO. NEBEI. ic aoa. High Mill, lUo. SieTd'Um the American Bee Jottmo) , 4A26t I AEISE TO SAY to the readers L of the BEE JOURNAL that DOOLlTTIiE has concluded to sell -BKKS and gUEENS- In iheir seasun, during 1896, at the following prices : One Colony of Italians on 9 Gallup framee, in light shipping-box $6 (JO Five Colonies '25 00 Ten Colonies 45 00 1 untested queen. 1 00 6 " queens 5 50 12 " " !0U0 1 toeted Queen... <> 3 " Queens . 3 50 1 select testedqueen 2 ^i^i 3 " " Queens 4 ' 0 Selecttesied queen, previous season's rearing . 4'in Bitra Selected for breeding, the very best. . 50) About a Pound of BBBS in a Two-frame Nucleus, with any Queen, $2.00 extra. ^" Circular free, giving full particulars regard Ing the Bees and each class of Queens. Address G. M. DOOLITTLE, 12A25t BORODINO, Onon. Co.. N. Y. Heatkytx tne Amjenoa", Bee Jor/r-i- QUEENS Smokers. Sections , Comb Foundation, Aod all Apiairau Sn|ipliea rheap. Sf>n(l for FK££ atalugue. E. T. FLANAtiAN, Belletllle, III. 6A26t Please mention the Bee Journal. AWAY UP IN the air the current is strone and powerful. We have the miU that will utilize it to best advantiit;t', and our four cornered doublHi braced steel tower will hold it. there. Perfectly galvanized.! Many sizes. Only one nualitj-— THE BEST. Tanks. Shellers, Cutters, Pumps, ]Ior,se Powers, Ac, Write fori Uustr't'd catalogue, FRE: CHALLENGE WIND MILL & FEED MIL BATAVIA, ILLINOIS, ^^o. 18 Kiver Street. Mentiati the American Bee Journal, ^^^^ Dadant's Foundation ^^^^ Year Year Is still in the lead, for we use all the latest improvements, including the ff NEW WEED PROCESS, ft and still make the best goods. Remember that we do not use any acid to purify our bees- wax, and that is why our Foundation preserves the smell of the honey and is more ac- ceptable to the bees, than any other. It is kept for sale by T. H. Strickler, Solomon City, Kansas. G. K. Hubbard, Fort Wavne. Ina, L. Hanssen, Davenport, Iowa, C. Thei)mann,Theilmanton, Minn, E. C. Kaglesfleld, Berlin, Wis, B. T. Abbott, St. Joseph, Mo. J. M. Jenkins, Wetumpka, Alabama Jonn Rey, East SaKinaw, Mich. Vickerv Bros., Evansville, Ind. The Jennie Atchley Company, Beeville, Texas. C. F. Muth & Son, Cincinnati, Olilo E. Krelchmer. Red Oak, Iowa. Q. B. Lewis Co.. Watertown, Wis, James Reynolds Elevator Co., Pouetakeepsie. N Y. Louisiana Bee-Keepers' Supply Manufactory, Donaldsonville, La. Page & Lyon. New London, Wis, and many other Dealers, All agree in saying that no goods are better than ours. Those of our customers who formerly bought through Thos. G. Newman can get our Foundation in Cliicag^o, III., by addressing lis at 118 ^IK-Iiignn j^li-eet. We keep no other goods there. We make a specialty of Veils antl Veil Stuffs of best quality, cotton and silk. "LAIVGSXROXH ON THE HONEY-BEE "—Revised. Bee-Keepers' Supplies, Smokers, Sections, Tin Pails, etc. Samples ot Foundation anil Xiille FREE with Circular, Instructions to beginners with Circular. Send us your address. CHAS. DADANT & SON, MentmnOu, American Bee jouma, HAMTLTON, Hancock Co., ILIi. 26c Gash Paid for Beeswax! For all the g'ood, pure yello-w BEESWAX delivered to our office till further notice, we will pay 26 cents per pound, cash ; or 30 cents for whatever part is exchanged for the American Bee Journal, Books or Seed, that we offer. If you want casb promptly for wax, send it on at once. Dark or impure wax not taken at any price. Address plainly, Geoi-ge W. York & Co,, 118 lliciiigan St„ Chicago, 111. Lower Prices on sections & fmnMm Improved facilities, increased output, and competition, together with hard times, tend to lower prices. Root's No. 1 White Extra-Polished Sections ^ are superlative in quality, and are now offered for a short time at the following special prices for 4i4X-ti4 any stock width: lOOO, !i(3.50 ; -2000, itil.oO : :eOOO. !ii«.-15 ; oOOO. $10.00. Cream Sections of such widths as we have in stock at 25c per 1000 less than the white. The New Weed Process Comb Foundation ^ % is superior to all others in every way. showing, from recent tests in Florida, five times greater resistance to sagging, making it possible to use a lighter grade with more feet to the pound, with greater safety than with the old process. Owing to decline in wax we reduce price of Foundation 3 cts. a pound. Prices now are: Price per lb. in lots of 1 lb. 10 lbs. 25 lbs. 50 lbs. Heavy or Medium Brood Foundation 44c 4.3c 42c 40c Light Brood 47c 4ec 45c 43c Thin Surplus 54c 53c 52c 50c Extra-Thin Surplus 59c 58c 57c 55c Lower prices on 100-lb. lots, and dealers supplied at special prices. These wholesale dealers who handle Root's Goods In carload lots unite with us in above prices: Walter S. Pouder, Indianapolis, Ind.; John Nebel & Son, Hig-h Hill, Mo, Joseph Nysewander, Des Moines, Iowa; Wm, A. Selser, Philadelphia, Pa. M, H, Hunt, Bell Branch, Wayne Co,, Mich. ; Geo. E. Hilton, Fremont, Mich. THE A. I. ROOT CO., MEDINA, OHIO. 118 Michigan iSt., Chicago, III. Syracuse, K. Y. 1024 Mississippi St., St. Paul, Minn. Mechanic's Falls, Maine. J*al)7is2ie«i We&lcly, at ^1,00 per anntim. Sample Copy sent on j4.pp7ication. 36th Year. CHICAGO, ILL., MAY 14, 1896. No. 20. The Price of Honey — Some Good Advice. BY MRS. L. HARRISON. There is one thing that has been puzzling my brain a long tiaae, and that is the price of honey. When the " trusts " that control the manufacture of whisky, glucose, oil, etc., see that there is enough to supply the trade, they issue the order to shut down ; control the supply and demand. Overstock the market, and the price will go below the price of production. The bee, in her wisdom, controls the number of her offspring in ratio with her income, and four years ago she was com- pelled to shut down in the production of honey. Has this cutting down in the production of honey in- creased the price? This shortage ought to increase the price to one dollar per pound ; has it done so ? We would be laughed at if we demanded one quarter of that. In the market report of the American Bee Journal for April 2, white clover honey is quoted in Chicago and Philadel- phia at 15 cents per pound ; in New York, Cincinnati and Kansas City at 14 cents. Who is too blame in this matter ? Let each one ask the question, " Is it I '?" What are we going to do about it '! It is true we've been very benevolent. Who is there among us that has not hived swarms, transferred bees, intro- duced queens, and given freely all the information possible ? We felt well paid if our instructions were followed. With our conventions, and by pen and voice, we have increased the number of bee-keepers, and has this reduced the price of honey '? I think not, for it is yet scarce. From Illinois to Florida there is a wail, which is echoed back, " I can't sell my honey!" Is it true that a crop of honey cannot be disposed of as readily as corn, wheat or oats and butter ? This state of affairs, of the low price of honey, and want of a market, is due in a great measure to the pro- ducers. A bee-keeper is puffed up with pride when he can ship off to a large city, honey by the carload. These large markets are glutted, and prices rule low, governing the price elsewhere. Offer a groceryman honey, and he will turn to a price-list and see what it is in Chicago or New York, and want to deduct from the price of your honey the transportation, commission, etc., for taking your honey there. I've seen extracted honey selling at St. Andrews Bay, Fla., at retail for 10 cents per pound, that was shipped from Chicago, more than SCO miles distant, in a tin can ; while local bee-keepers were complaining, "Can't sell honey!" If producers would supply their own neighborhood, and all near towns, at a price a little in advance of what they can realize in a city market, and sell at home all bulged, discolored and unsightly sections, there would soon be a change for the bet- ter in the honey market. If you need a load of coal, drive to a coal-bank with honey enough to pay for it ; take your black- smith some. It need not be the choicest you have, for they will not look for an uncapped cell, or one with bee-bread. When a customer calls at you home for honey, show what you have for sale. If he prefers a fancy article, all right; but let him pay a fancy price. If you have honey fallen from the sections, or marred in some way, tell him that it is just as good, but not being in good marketable shape, you will sell it much lower. Many persons prefer to buy dark sections, if it is cheaper. I once saw at a first-class grocery a case of sec- tions with white honey next the glass, and the inside ones very dark. The buyer said that he had been deceived, and Mrs. L. Harrison, Peoria, III. he could not sell his dark honey to his class of customers, and he wanted me to buy it to feed my bees. Honey-producers, lot one and all try to improve the honey market by selling at home every pound possible at a'fair price, and shipping only cases of honey whose every section showing through the glass is a fair sample of those in the center. 306 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. May H, Effects of Bee-Stings on the Human System. Read hetore tJie Central Iowa Bee-Keepers^ C'onve?itio>i, BT HON. EUGENE SECOR. I am not a doctor. I can't read the human body like a book — especially if the book is easy to understand. I am not skilled in pathology or therapeutics. But if I may be allowed to express a humble opinion based on unprofessional observa- tion, I will say that one effect of bee-stings on the human sys- tem is in the nature of a stimulant. The virus introduced through the cuticle by the bee herself is exceedingly stimulat- ing, if not exhilarating. It beats tobacco or any narcotic. It is way ahead of intoxicants. I am led to this conclusion by effects produced on one of my visitors after one application of the medicine, hypodermi- cally administered. It doesn't seem to make much difference on what part of the anatomy the fluid is injected. It works just as effectually in one spot as another, and operates instan- taneously. If the patient would prefer the scar in his back hair, hidden from vulgar observation and irreverent remark, he will feel its effects, and respond to its influence with alac- rity. Whether administered behind the right ear, or on the ornamental appendage which sometimes obtrudes itself into other people's business, or "below the belt "under the trousers, it "gets there" just the same. The laziest man in America will get a hustle on him instanter after one dose. He can run through a troop and leap over a wall like a trained athlete. A ten-wire fence barbed to stop swine is no obstruc- tion to him when he gets under motion. He feels as if he could outrun a tornado or swim Lake Erie. He doesn't won- der that Samson twisted the jaw of the young lion or slew a regiment of Philistines. He could do it himself with another application of this formic acid preparation, administered from the " business end " of a lively bee. It is a little strange that any one should resist the appli- cation of an agent promising such wonderful results. But I suppose it is only another evidence of our depraved condition. I never knew a man, no matter what his profession might be, that wouldn't be willing to let the hired man experiment with the stuff rather than take it himself. Another effect produced on some human systems by the toxic action of this concentrated essence of Apis mellfica, is the respect for the eighth commandment — especially when the thing coveted happens to be honey, and the said honey hap- pens to be policed by a select company of trained and fearless guards, equipped for such service. An instance may be cited to show the respect for moral and statute law, which one application of our favorite remedy produced : One bright, moonlight night in the early part of Septem- ber, Anno Domini Eighteen-hundred and some odd years, a convivial company of young men thought to round out the festivities of the evening by a visit to a neighbor's bee-ranch for the purpose of appropriating the tempting morsels of for- bidden sweets — all the more sweet, as some think, because the moral code says, "Thou shalt not steal." One young man was posted to watch. One — more self- assured than the others — volunteered to go after the honey. Two timid ones waited in the edge of a sheltering corn-field to share the spoils. Young man No. 2 proceeded to his self- assigned task. Of course, he wasn't afraid ! He had robbed bumble-bees' nests, killed rattle-snakes, fought flying ants, and had swum in the pond where bloodsuckers scented a boy afar off. He went to a hive that happened to be the home of a colony of real healthy hybrids, but he didn't know it. He rapped on the hive to see whether it was " empty," or whether there was a prospect of plunder. Having satisfied himself they were all right, he attempted to remove the cover. It was glued fast with propolis. He couldn't budge it. As he hadn't any jack-knife to pry it off with, he picked up a stick and tried to loosen it. Finally, with a sudden jerk, the cover came off with a snap, and the enraged bees covered the young man as the locusts covered the land of Egypt in Pharaoh's time. He ran. Half a thousand bees kept him company. The other young men expressed their sympathy by trying to help him. Result : They beat a mad retreat covered with bees if not with glory. The next morning they were wiser, if not hand- somer. They gave it out that they had been to a " wake." From that time to this they have never appropriated their neighbor's pancake sweetener without permission. Forest City, Iowa. The Swarming Mania — Remedy Therefor. BY G. M. DOOLITTLE. A correspondent writes thus : " Will you please tell us in the American Bee Journal what causes excessive swarming, and how it can be prevented ? Last year my bees swarmed and swarmed till I became nearly disgusted with them, they doing little else during the season but swarm." From years of experience I believe that excessive swarm- ing in any locality comes only with certain conditions, and when these conditions are present we find excessive swarming is the result ; when not present, there is no more than the usual amount of swarming. The conditions requisite to ex- cessive swarming are a warm, favorable spring, with a warm, wet summer, thus giving just enough honey to keep brood- rearing at its best, and still not enough so the bees store any great quantity, so as to diminish the brood. The conditions which tend to keep swarming in check, are a copious yield of honey early in the season, or a season so adverse that the bees are compelled to retrench brood-rear- ing, in order to keep alive. With the first comes moderate swarming ; with the last, very few if any swarms. With such a very poor season as that last mentioned, I have found that the Italian and Cyprian bees will get more honey, and swarm more, than the hybrids or blacks, while in an extra- good season they swarm less. When the season is favorable to excessive swarming, the different races of bees are affected very nearly alike, though the Carniolan's seem to have a greater tendency to swarm than any other race of bees with which I am acquainted. With this exception, all of ray ex- perience goes to prove that no particular strain or variety of bees is given to a predisposition to swarm, more than any others, when viewing the matter as a whole, and covering a period of a quarter of a century. For instance, I find by referring to my diary, in 1871 and 1872, I had a certain strain that gave many swarms each of these two years; and as I was anxious at that time for in- crease, I was pleased with this strain of bees, and bred largely from them ; but during the next two years this strain of bees swarmed very little, and tny increase was solely from my hybrid colonies, as 1873 and 1874 were good honey-years as compared with 1871 and 1872. Again, in 1876, I was something like our correspondent — nearly disgusted with swarming — having nearly 350 swarms from 67 or 68 colonies in the spring. Everything swarmed and re-swarmed, till I was glad to have the season come to a close. Prime swarms sent out three or more swarms; second swarms divided up, 3-frame nuclei swarmed, and some nuclei swarmed without a queen, so that from five to ten swarms, all in one batch, was no uncommon thing ; while the record says that one day I had only 11 clustered in a hedge fence all to- gether, much to my annoyance. But with 1877, with the very same strain of bees, and nearly the same number of colonies, I had very few swarms, and secured the large yield of upwards of 11,000 pounds of honey, nearly all of which was comb honey. Since 1870 I have not had excessive swarming in my 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 307 apiary, yet I have very largely the same strain of bees which I then had. Will those who call excessive swarming an "in- herited mania," tell me why the excessive swarming of 1876 has not been kept up? Once more : A few years ago I had one queen which led out three prime swarms, completely filling her hive with bees and brood each time before they swarmed (a thing which never happened with me except in this one instance), and from the reasoning of those who claim such swarming an in- herited mania, they should have swarmed excessively the next year and since then, yet such has not been the case, for the next year not a single swarm issued from either of the five hives containing the original queen or the four young ones I'eared from her. The success or failure of all things pertaining to bee-cul- ture depends largely upon the season and surrounding in- fluences ; and the sooner we realize this fact the sooner we shall have greater charity for those who do not agree with us, and have a broader view of the possibilities of apiculture. Again, to form a correct conclusion we need an experience covering a term of years, for no two years are alike. What will work well one year, and in one locality, will not hold good in another, and I find more and more, each year, that I need a broader charity, so that I shall do no injustice to others who differ from me. It is said that the bee-doctors disagree the most of anybody, and more than in any other profession or calling in life ; but I mistrust that if any two of these dis- agreeing ones were to work in the same apiary during the same year, they would see " eye to eye." The only remedy I know of for swarming, excessive or otherwise, is the free use of the extractor during the swarm- ing season, and they who expect to work for comb honey without any extra manipulation, and not have swarms, will sooner or later be disappointed. In swarming, the bees but carry out the instinct implanted in them by Him who said, " Multiply and replenish the earth ;" and very many of our best bee-keepers believe that a judicious increase by natural swarming will secure the best results in comb honey. All non-swarming colonies, and all non-swarming strains of bees have, during the past, sooner or later become a dis- appointment to those who placed their affections upon them. In the above I have simply given my views, based upon practical experience, and if any disagree, I accord to all the rights which I enjoy. Borodino, N. Y. ^ Straight Worker-Comb Without FouHdatioH. BY I. W. BKCKWITH. G. M. Doolittle's method, as given on page 113, is a modi- fication of the way I practiced 25 years ago. He considers that it is the strength of the colony that gives the bees a de- sire to build drone-comb, which I think is a mistake, or partly so. I observed that a colony composed almost entirely of old field-bees were not inclined to swarm or rear drones, no matter how strong in numbers. So I took two straight combs, con- taining but little capped brood, with the queen and adhering bees, from a strong colony and put them into an empty hive, moving the old hive a considerable distance, and put the new one in its place, so as to catch the old workers from the old hive. If this did not make the new colony strong enough, I moved it a little every day till I had it by the side of a strong colony, which I moved and put the new one in its place. I put an empty frame between the two combs, and when this was nearly filled, I spread them and put in more empty frames. If the colony was strong enough to justify, I put in more combs and frames at first. I removed nearly all the brood as fast as capped, so that but few bees would hatch in the hive ; but kept up the re- quired strength by putting it in the place of strong colonies as above. If I did not wish an increase of colonies, I divided the old (now queenless) colony among such as needed their strength. In the high altitude of this State, where it is always cool during nights and cloudy weather, Mr. D. would find it difii- cult to get those weak colonies to build comb of any kind ; but with the plan described above, I got an abundance of worker- comb and no drone, unless I allowed too many young bees in the hive. The reader will notice that as long as Mr. Doolittle al- lowed but few bees to hatch in the hive he got worker-comb all right, and only got drone when the conditions which he described would give the colony an abundance of young bees. It may be said that swarms built drone-comb before they have hatched much brood. Very true ; but when in a normal condition they do not swarm till they have young bees to go with them. Since coming to this State I have been troubled a good deal by those combs not wired sagging, allowing the bees to rear drones near the top where the cells are now larger than first built. But this difficulty may be overcome by leaving the bottom-bar off till the frame is filled, when it will be found that the comb has been built low enough to be supported by the bottom-bar. If the combs between which the empty frames are put are not entirely filled with brood at the top, the bees are liable to attach the new comb to the old, making crooked, bad work, so 1 find a comb-guide a necessity. I prefer a wax guide M to M inch wide, with a thin, feathery edge to a two inch founda- tion starter, and I will tell you how I make it. I got a valua- ble hint from Mr. C. E. Mead, on page 178, of Vol. XXXIII: Have a board as long as the inside length of the frame, about two inches wide and a little thinner than % the width of the top-bar for a guide-stick. Take an old rifle cartridge shell, and make a ^j-inch hole near the lower or head end, and stick two bits of solder on the opposite sides at the upper end. On the table in front of you have a board a little larger than the frame. Near the back edge drive two nails about a foot apart, letting them project an inch or more. Raise the back edge of the board a little, lay the frame on the board with the top-bar toward you, and the bottom-bar over the projecting nails. Have the guide-stick well soaked, wipe it with a wet cloth, and lay it in the frame against the top-bar, and hold it in place with the left hand. Take the cartridge shell between two fingers of the right hand, just under the solder ears, dip it in the melted wax and put the thumb over the mouth to prevent the wax running out while you carry it to the work. Let the bottom rest on the guide-stick, with the hole next the top-bar, and pour a little stream the whole length of the bar. I use two table-boards and two guide-sticks, so as to give wax more time to cool. After using the stick two or three times, the wax may stick a little, then turn it over and use till it sticks ; then change ends and use two sides ; then scrape off all sticking wax, dip it in cold water and wipe again. The wax should not be much hotter than melting, or it will stick worse to the guide-stick. If you get a line of wax 1/16-inch wide it is enough. If the dipper holds too much, have less wax in the dish, or put a stick in the shell so it will hold less. By using a light wax-guide in sections you will avoid the objectionable "fish-bone" that foundation produces. Grover, Colo. No'w is the Time to work for new subscribers. Why not take advantage of the offer made on page 312 ? 308 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. May 14, Production and Marketing of Comb Honey. lii'ad at the Wlscoimn Bee-Keepers^ Convention BY F. L. MURRAY. The greatest essentials, according to my idea, are these : IsT, The Apiarist. — Without a good, practical man or woman to see to the proper manipulation of the bee-yard in general, and to see to all the minor details, and have the tub right side up before the honey-flow begins, I think there is a small chance of getting a paying crop at present prices. 2nd, The Location. — If we do not have a good location, and thoroughly understand its flora, our bees and knowledge would not count for much as a money-making industry, and I do not think there are many of us that keep bees for pleasure alone, although I can get more pleasure out of my bee-yard than any other occupation I ever tried, but I want a little profit also. 3rd, Bees and Appliances. — With the two former pro- vided, we can ne.xt get our bees. It does not make much dif- ference what kind they are (although I prefer Italians), so long as they are of a good working strain, and with the mod- ern improved appliances. There are so many different kinds of good hives and surplus arrangements, I will not try to enumerate them, but I think anybody ought to use his own judgment according to his own tastes and surroundings. We are now ready to get a crop of honey if there is any to get. I use the 8-frame dovetailed hive, and winter my bees in a cellar made purposely for them. It is made in the side of a hill, so I don't have to go down any steps in carrying bees in and out of the cellar. It is 8 feet high, 10 feet wide, and 16 feet long, and was made to accommodate 100 colonies. I take the bees out of the cellar about April 1 to 10, and examine them the first warm day to ascertain the strength of colony and amount of stores. Weak colonies I contract to about four frames, and those in need of stores I provide with sugar syrup food, or combs of honey if I have them. I then put on a quilt of burlap over the frames, then a super, and fill the super with chaff, and leave them. This is all the spring packing I ever use. It acts as an absorbing cushion over the cluster, and if they can be kept dry they will not be much hurt after being put out. They are thus left until about May 10 ; the chaff-filled super is then removed, and colonies looked over again to see in what condition they are. All last year's queens are clip- ped at this time, and an extra hive-body filled with drawn combs is put over each strong colony; that will give ample room for the queen when she gets crowded for room below. The weak colonies that were put on four frames are now given the other four empty frames. They are then left until just before the honey harvest, which begins here about June 10, from white clover. All the extra hive-bodies that were put on all strong colo- nies are now removed, and the hive proper is filled up with brood from the top story, and if there is more brood than will fill the lower story, I use it to strengthen weak colonies, or make increase. In this way I get all my bees in condition for the harvest. I then put on the surplus arrangement, which is a pattern bottom super that will hold 2i -fi'slJixlJ^-inch sections. I practice the tiering-up plan, putting supers either under or over, according to my judgment, in regard to length of flow. I hive the bees on full sheets of foundation, on the old stand, removing the old hive with brood to a new stand, after shaking out all young bees at the entrance of the new hive ; there will always be enough young bees left to take care of the brood. The seventh day I cut out all queen-cells but one ; 10 days from this time, if the honey-flow still continues, I put a super filled with full sheets of foundation on the old hive. and have had the bees fill a super in three days after the young queen begins to lay. I remove all comb honey as soon as it is fully capped over, to the honey house. It is then all scraped, graded and put into new basswood crates, with glass front, each crate holding 24 pounds. I make only two grades, 1st and 2nd — the 1st grade is nice, straight sections, fully capped over on both sides. The 2ud grade consists of all sections that have one side fully sealed over, the other side being full of honey, but not all sealed over. Prom all that do not come under these require- ments the honey is extracted, the sections are put back on the hive for bees to clean up, and they are then stored away with a paper put between each super, to keep all dust out, to be used the following season. When shipping honey I nail two 24-pound crates to- gether, one on top of the other, 'with pieces of lath, leaving the glass exposed so that the trainmen can see what it is, and handle it more carefully. I load it myself in the car, and ship to some good, reliable commission house in Chicago, or any other place where there is a good market, and I have always been able to get the top market price for it, as I always put it on the market in a clean, attractive condition, and have never had any broken in transit. I prefer this method to putting it on the home market, as I get my returns all together instead of 25-cent pieces, as is generally the way in the home market, and it is less trouble. Of course, I always supply my home market as long as it lasts, but I do not try to sell it all in the home market. This is a synopsis of my methods. There are quite a num- ber of things I would like to explain more fully, but I have cut it as short as possible, so as not too take up too much time. Calamine, Wis. Organization and Co-Operation Urged. BY W. D. FRENCH. We have now arrived at a period where men engaged in all branches of industry have united their respective forces, or supervisions, under one head. They have combined their various elements, and formed gigantic monopolies, in order to enhance the value of their product, and to establish a price thereon that may be scheduled throughout the United States. Then, why should not the bee-keeping fraternity join hands, and form one grand circle, stretching forth their en- closure from ocean to ocean ? Can it be possible, at this stage of events, that the api- arists of our country will continue to peacefully submit to a gang of unscrupulous beings, who have by their skill in lying, succeeded in fleecing to a finish those who have furnished the capital and stock, and then declare the incompetency of the bee-keeping fraternity to organize in their own behalf, and for their own protection ? The honey-industry of this country, consolidated and placed under the supervision of a General Manager, who should be located at Chicago, holding the reins over all the principal cities of the United States, which should also have their head-quarters for distribution, equalizing the product so as not to overstock one place, while others were destitute, would certainly place our industry in its proper position, and it would then be recognized as one of the leading pursuits of our country. If the California Bee-Keepers' Exchange would become an auxiliary to such an organization, its usefulness would be increased beyond measure. All other States would then fol- low the same line, and a complete organization would be con- summated. Local organizations, acting independently and upon their own resources, are in a measure beneficial; but their inability 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 309 to establish a market price for their product in other cities cannot be disputed. Where the product of one State is brought into direct competition with others, do organized effort of the one can adjust prices for either. Therefore, in order to accomplish the object which has hitherto been consummated by all other industries in this country, it will positively be necessary that all bee-keepers unite under one general management, which might be known as the "Bee-Keepers' Union of America." If there are any who may infer that I am antagonistic to the California Bee-Keepers' Exchange, they are not aware of the true sense of my feelings. I am strictly "in it," and trust every bee-keeper of this State will do likewise. Large bodies move slowly, and to interest the entire bee- keeping fraternity of the United States will take time, al- though we are " getting there," and " don't you forget it." Foster, Calif. Better Marketing of Honey — Adulteration. BV EDWIN BEVIN.S. Doubtless bee-keepers everywhere are profoundly grate- ful for the light they got from reading the answers to Query No. 7. They know now just how to get some more money for the crop of 1896 than they did for the crop of 1895. Of all the replies to this query, I like the first one the best. It leaves the bee-keeper at perfect liberty to market his honey in any way that his faucy or his reason may suggest. The majority of those making replies seem to think that working up the home market will do much towards getting us out of the woods. That will, doubtless, help to some extent, but there may be times and circumstances when it will cost as much to work up the home market as the difference between the price you will get in it and the price you will get when sold or con- signed to the wholesale dealer. I would like to know what Dr. Miller means when he says, " Perhaps a better quality of extracted honey." Does he mean that all extracted honey must be raised to a higher level ? Is there not sotub extracted honey that is just as good as it can be ? If he means by a better quality, unadulterated extracted honey, he would be quite right. But, unfortunately the suspicion of adulteration attaches to the whole extracted product. Were it not for this suspicion there is no sensible reason why pure extracted honey should not sell for as much as comb honey. If anybody wants to fill their stomachs partly full of something irritating and indigestible, they can mix their extracted honey with sawdust, and so save the bees a good deal of time and labor in comb-building. One man says in the American Bee Journal that some- body stole his extractor ten years ago, and that he was glad of it. I would keep an extractor if only to get honey for my own use. I will not eat honey-comb when I can get the honey without the comb. But to return to the subject of honey-adulteration. This damnable business is the greatest drawback to successful bee- keeping that the apiarist has to contend with. "But, gentle- men bee-keepers, what are you going to do about it?" An €cho answers, " What ?" There was some honey on sale here last winter, put up in glass tumblers, purporting to hold a pound, and having in them a strip of honey-comb. They also had a printed label telling how to liquefy the honey if it should happen to granu- late. This honey was retailed by the grocer at 10 cents a tumbler. I told the grocer that I did not believe it was pure honey. He said that he did not think it was, but that it would sell just as readily os if it was pure. The instructions bow to liquefy were superfluous. I would warrant it not to granu- late in 2^) years, even if kept on ice. The outlook for any immediate advance in the price of extracted honey, or any diminution of the supply while the glucose barrel is handy is not encouraging. Dr. Miller's answer leaves us still in the dark. Mr. Abbott seems to think he has found a panacea for all bee-keeping ills in the exercise of push, vim, energy, and other kindred virtues. I would respectfully ask Mr. Abbott of what avail are push, vim, energy, etc., against the small-pox? But, hold on, Mr. Abbott makes a provision that he is to be let alone. But we will suppose that he is not let alone. It is more than likely that he will not be let alone. It is quite likely that he will be overtaken by the small-pox, or, in other words, that the honey-adulterator, or his agent with push, vim, energy, etc., will get around on his territory and under- sell him. Mr. Abbott need not flatter himself that he is going to head off the adulterated article entirely by offering a nice article of nicely-put-up comb honey at a moderate price. I fancy that the sale of the nice hooey will suffer some by the competition. Is not the price of nice comb honey diminished and its sale restricted everywhere by this competition ? Mr. Abbott disclaims any need of law to aid him in the sale of his goods, and the above is written on the supposition that the other fellow has a free field for the exercise of his pluck, push, and energy. What did the man mean who said he thought he could see some advantage to bee-keepers in a change of Administra- tion ? Possibly, in my endeavor to probe this matter to the bottom I may be found trespassing on forbidden ground, and expose myself to a vote of censure. On this important subject — of how to get more money for the honey-product — I have no suggestions to make. Only this : I will say to comb-honey producers, that I have recently seen some section honey on sale that was very unattractive in ap- pearance. The sections were half to three-quarters filled, and the comb looked as if the bees had traveled over it a good deal after having waded through pools of tobacco-juice. The wood of the sections was of about the hue, and looked as if it might be as old, as an Egyptian mummy. It would be an ad- vantage, perhaps, if the bee-keeper would keep such stuff out of sight. If he is so unfortunate as to have it he would better feed it to his bees, if they will eat it. The remedy for this state of things is obvious, and the man who applies the remedy will no doubt find some financial advantage in doing so; Leon, Iowa. Swarming — Its Control and Management. BY PROF. A. J. COOK. The control and management of swarming has been a most difficult matter — a problem which as yet, no bee-keeper has been fully able to solve. The question is specially puzzling to the comb honey producer. To secure a bountiful harvest he must have very populous colonies, but when colonies are very populous they are disposed to swarm, and thus we have Charybdis and Scylla — either too weak colonies or too much swarming. This fact led the late Mr. Quinby to offer S50 for a queen that would produce bees void of the swarming impulse. Eight days after a swarm issues a new queen will emerge from the cell, and quite likely a second, and possibly a third, and rarely a fourth and fifth swarm will come forth. Of course, these last swarms will be weak, and almost if not quite worthless. This is another difficulty that confronts the bee- keeper. He desires no increase, or at most ouly one colony from each old one, and much study has been devoted to the accomplishment of this desire with the least labor. It has not been uncommon among bee-keepers in the past to practice artificial division — making new colonies to suit one's desires. This, however, is rarely done now-a-days, and I think I may safely say that it is the concensus of opinion among all our best bee-keepers that the best results are gained by permitting natural increase or swarming, aud controlling and limiting this as far as possible without too much labor, and never permitting a colony to swarm more than once. In case we work for extracted honey it is not difficult to control 310 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. May M, swarming almost at will. In this case we can give plenty of room, and, as Mr. Simmins, of England, has urged, bees are not likely to swarm with empty space at the front of the hive, nor are they hardly less so if plenty of room is provided for storing in the hive. Thus, by adding a second or third story to the hive, each with its quota of extracting-combs, we are likely to prevent swarming entirely. If we work for comb honey — and I must confess there is a pleasure in taking a full harvest of the white comb in neat one-pound sections that is hardly known to him who only produces extracted honey — then this question of swarming becomes a very practical one. The first thing we can do is to put our supers on the hives at the very dawn of the harvest. This may prevent the swarming instinct in case crowded quarters have not already incited the bees to commence prep- arations for swarming by making queen-cells, and beginning to rear queens, and so we may not have swarms, or any at- tempt to provide for them on the part of the bees. This means more surplus comb honey and more profit for the bee- keeper. If when the surplus cases are put on a few sections partially filled from last year are put in the center of the case the bees will, or may be inclined to, go to work at once in them, and when once at work in the sections, swarming will rarely take place, unless young queens are already being reared. Small pieces of white drone-comb containing brood, fastened in one or two central sections, removes this comb from the brood-chamber, where it is not wanted, and still more attracts the bees to work in the sections. If the bees swarm before the season opens, or if queen- cells are already formed and peopled when the section-cases are added so that swarming occurs, then it is best to proceed as follows : Put the new hive, containing combs if they are to be had, or frames filled with foundation, or at least with starters of the same on the old stand, exactly where the old hive stood, and in case the sections were on the old hive, put them on the new one. Put the old hive close beside the new one, with the entrance facing the opposite way. That is, if the hive, before swarming occurred, faced east, the new hive for the swarm will face east, and the old hive will stand close beside it, but will face west. Of course, if the queen's wing is clipped, she will be caught and caged, and as the swarm comes back she will be permitted to enter with them, and with almost no trouble or work the new swarm is hived, and will go right to work, and very likely in the sections. Soon, within a day or two, we gradually commence to turn the old hive around, and by the seventh day after the swarm left it, have the entrance east again close beside the entrance of the new hive. On the evening of the seventh day move this old hive to another part of the apiary. The next morning, as the bees go forth from this hive to work, they will nearly all return to the old place aid enter the other ^ hive, making that colony very strong, and in condition to store a great crop. The other colony will be so re- duced in numbers that the bees will not be moved to swarm again, and will fall in with the first queen that hatches, and destroy all the other queens, and while this colony will not probably give much surplus, it will make a good strong colony by the close of the season, and will very likely have more honey than it will need for the winter supply. This prevents after-swarms, with no pains to destroy queen-cells, and while it will not always prevent further swarming, it will be more likely to do so than will the method of destroying all the queen-cells but one, for it is very difficult to do this last; some cell in a corner or other concealed place will be missed when the third swarm is likely to issue. The above method was first given to the public by Mr. James Heddon, of Michigan, one of the brightest and most ingenious and progressive bee-keepers that the world has ever known. I have tried it thoroughly, and rarely failed to make it a success. Sometimes bee-keepers remove the queen at the dawn of the honey-harvest, and in about eight days destroy all queen- cells but one. The arguments for this course are : It pre- vents all chance of swarming, which is true in case no queen- cell is overlooked ; stops breeding, and so puts all energy towards the production of honey; and it is claimed that the season will not last so that the bees which would have been produced in case the queen was retained will be of any use for that season. This, of course, only follows in case that the season for storing lasts but four or five weeks, and that there is no later harvest. Such a course would certainly never be advocated in Southern California. Again, it is claimed that this course insures young, vigorous queens each year. This is objected to on the ground of labor — finding and removing the queen in very full, large colonies, not always an easy task — and the objection to the removal of queen and all cessation of breeding in the very heat of the season. I think few if any of our best bee-keepers recommend or practice it. I have known excellent bee-keepers who only produced comb honey, to practice killing all old queens when the swarms issue, and while the swarm is still out destroying all queen-cells but one. This gives only young queens to all col- onies, but I am sure few of our best apiarists would think it at all wise. 1 think most of our bee-keepers favor swarming once, if the swarming-fever cannot be kept down, and by use of the Heddon or other method cut short all further increase. — Rural Californian. Claremont, Calif. CONDUCTED BY DR. O. C. MILLBR, MAJREKGO. ILL, LQuestlons may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct.! Ciilliiis Out Dronc-Conib and Worker. Replacing witb I notice in bee-literature that writers recommend remov- ing drone-comb and placing in its stead worker brood-comb or comb foundation. Some times we find small patches of drone- comb in or near the center of frame. Now, how shall I fasten the foundation in where I remove the drone-combs ? I do not like to cut away the entire strip from top to bottom of the frame, to remove the drone-comb in the center. How shall I manage it? G. W. W. Answer. — You needn't cut away any of the comb except the drone. After you have out out the patch of drone-comb, cut away the cells on one side down to the midrib, so as to have a margin of '« to '-4 inch all around the hole. Now lay the piece of drone-comb that you cut out on a piece of founda- tion, and cut a patch of the foundation an eighth of an inch larger all round than the piece of drone-comb. Now put your patch in the hole, pressing the edge of the foundation on the midrib to which you cut down, warming the foundation if necessary. It may be better to use pieces of worker-comb instead of foundation. In that case, cut a patch of the worker-comb just about the same size as the pie ;e of drone-comb, laying the drone-comb on the worker to cut by, then crowd the patch of worker into the hole. Of course, with old worker-comb you needn't cut away any of the cells down to the midrib. lining Frainc§ of Capped and Partly Candied llunt-y — Keeping Bees in a [»lied. 1. I lost two colonies last winter with their hives full of honey, and only a small handful of dead bees — queenlessness, I think, was the cause. I use the lU-frame Langstroth hive, with supers for comb honey only. The honey in the combs has commenced to candy ; there is only about 5 or 6 inches square of brood-comb on each of only three frames of each hive, and they are partly filled with honey and bee-bread, and that seems to be dry and hard. Can I use these frames full of capped and partly candied honey to any advantage in the hives of my new swarms? Will they accept and use it? What position in the hive must I put it — outside or center ? How many frames shall I put into each hive? I intend to use foundation starters for my new swarms. Must I clean the bee- bread out of the combs, or can the bees use or clean it out? 2. I have a lot 60x125 feet, and it is built up all around me. Last summer, wheu I began to take off the honey, the bees got very cross and would sting the children in the alley, and prevented the neighbors from hanging out their washing. (The bees are a cross between blacks and Italians.) So this spring I put them into the shed (upper story). Itis 12x18 by IS feet high in front, 12 feet in the back, with a window in each end. I put one row on the floor, and one 4 feet above, on a shelf, and cut small openings in front of each hive ?fx5 inches, and put 6-inch alighting-boards the whole length out- side, and darkened the windows. They are working very fast. i8y6. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 311 but seem to be too warm. They are very strong and heavy, and act some like swarming already. If I uncover the win- dow the light is so much stronger than their little entrance, that they fly to them, otherwise they do not fly about in the house, and it is very nice to work about them, only a little too dark. Do you think they will do all right this way ? If not, how must I fix it to make it comfortable for both the bees and myself? They are very good-natured so far. I supposed it would be cooler inside when the sun did not strike the hives, but they keep a good many bees in front buzzing for ventila- lation ; seems to be too close and warm. C. O. Austin, 111. Answers. — 1. You can hardly go amiss in using those combs. Perhaps as good a way as any will be to divide them equally among the swarms. Count on a smaller number of swarms than you think likely to come, and then if the swarms don't come, you'll not have some of the combs left on your hands unused. If more swarms come than you had expected, it will be no harm to have the last ones without any of the combs. It doesn't matter greatly in what part of the hive you put thtm, only I'd put them together. The bees will take care of the pollen, but if any of the combs are chiefly filled with pollen, and it is dry, hard and moldy, you may save some work by soaking it up so it will be soft. If the bees don't swarm too soon, you might do better not to wait for swarms, but give the combs to old colonies, either in a second story or by swapping for combs that are nearly empty. It will be a little strange if you do not find some of colonies that have combs that are nearly empty, and ready for a swap. There is some danger that the combs on which the bees died will become wormy — indeed, they are pretty sure to become so. Keeping them in a cool place will delay the worms, but there's nothing like having them in care of the bees. A colony in a lO-frame hive, unless weak, can take care of two stories of idle frames and be none the worse, but rather the better for it. Put the idle combs under the colony so the bees in passing in and out must travel over the empty combs. When it comes to put on sections, of course the ex- tra stories can be taken away, but by that time they'll be in better condition for the swarms then if left unoccupied. 2. Probably your bees will do all right. Why can't you take the windows out entirely, so the air can pass through ? That would make it cooler for you and the bees, and I don't know that it would do any harm if the bees should prefer to go in and out at the windows. Of course, it won't do to have windows closed with glass and allow the bees the chance to wear themselves out on the glass. If the bees are too warm, it would be a good plan to make entrances larger. Instead of Kx5 inches, you could have 3x5, or 3x10. Possibly the entrance of the hive itself needs enlarging. If the bees make trouble by flying around in the shed, it ought not to be a great deal of trouble to make a passage-way to each hive so the bees could not get out the wrong way. M I m Introducing by Trans rcrring Frame ivilli Qncen, Bees and All. I want to know whether it is safe to introduce (or try to) % queen by taking the frame she is on from one hive and in- troduce it (queen and all) into the queenless hive ? If it will work, I want to follow this practice : Colony No. 1 has a very fine, prolific queen, and as I am intending dividing this spring to a considerable extent, I want the queens to come from this queen. Now, I contemplate making colony No. 2 queenless, and then take the frame upon which the queen is situated from colony No. 1 and in- sert it, queen and clustering bees, into No. 2. No. 1 will then build queen-cells, which I will cut out in about a week, and insert into divided colonies, and then take the queen from No. 2, on the frame as before, and place her with frame and clustering bees again in No. 1. This process I will repeat every week, or such a matter, until I have all my colonies supplied ? What do you think of the plan ? What effect will it have on the honey-producing of No. 1 and No. 2, which I will not divide ? Will it not have the same effect as caging the queen, that some advocate ? G. W. C. J. Wichita, Kan. Answer. — As a rule you will find a queen accepted in a queenless colony if taken with a frame of brood and bees from her own colony, especially in the honey season. But on the whole, I'm not sure you will like the contemplated plan. When you put such queen in a strong colony, and queen-cells are present, the bees may take a notion to swarm. You may think there are no queen-cells left, but it's a very hard thing to make sure that you've missed no cells. Not so very hard to find the cells after a colony has swarmed naturally, but it's a very difl'erent thing when the queen has been taken away and the bees have constructed after-cells. They'll be hidden in all sorts of places, and sometimes you'll look riaht on the middle of a comb and hardly detect it, for it will project very little from the surface. And If a queen-cell is left and the bees don't swarm, there is a chance tliat the young queen may be allowed to kill the old one. After all, you may like the plan better than I think. Suffering from Bcc-Paraly»i$. What is the matter with my bees? A strong, prime swarm from last spring, with a prolific queen this spring up to date are at war among themselves. Why, or from what cause, do bees continually wiggle on the alighting-board ? Why are some bees hatched out by the above colony, long, black and shining, abdomens slender, and no hair ovl them ? They are young bees, and seem to be afraid of the other bees. It is good for them to be, too, be- cause they are killed daily. Honey is coming in fast from white clover. Monroe, La., April 25. H. R. Answer. — From your description your bees have bee- paralysis. In the North it never seems to amount to much, but in the South it becomes very destructive. The worst of it is that there seems so far to be no cure known. True, a good many cures have been given, changing the queen, giving salt, etc., but whenever a cure is given the very next one that tries it reports it a failure. About the only comfort I can give you is the cold comfort of saying to you to wait patiently in hopes the disease will run its course in a short time. Selling Honey Direct, Without Soliciting or Peddling. Some years ago, when I began to produce honey by the ton, 1 relinquished the home market, leaving it to small pro- ducers, although I have still a considerable local demand. I have not offered a pound of honey to any one in this town of 8000 inhabitants for over 10 years, and I have never since been able to meet the demand without purchasing from others. How have I found my customers ? you may ask. This is how: I took up " Bradstreet's Report," and turned to Manitoba and the Canadian Northwest. In every city, town, and village I selected and listed the names of grocers, druggists, and fruit-dealers, taking great care to enter the names of none but those who were rated " good." To each of these I mailed a price-list (one of which I inclose, which you will notice is da- ted seven years ago, and is the last I needed to send out.) From that day to the present I have not had to seek a cus- tomer.— R. McKnight, in Gleanings. Poultry and Bees. I see in an article by Mr. Ashley that he combines poultry with bees. That is .just what I have been doing. In fact, I think that, without the poultry, I should give up bees. That large nursery I have told you about, with it I hatch chickens in the winter and queens in the summer ; so you see it is no dead property. The chickens (or chicks, rather), when taken from the incubator, are transferred to a brooder-house 20x60, which is heated by hot- water pipes under the brooder, where the little chicks go to get warm. The temperature is kept at from 95° to 100- ; and, in fact, tbese chicks do not get out- side of the building until ready for market, which is when they weigh about 1 '..< to 2 pounds each, when they are shipped to Chicago, where they command a ready sale until the middle of June, when they are shipped east instead of west. — H. G. QuiRiN, in Gleanings. Just Call It "Honey." Many people have been led to put up their honey in bot- tles marked "Extracted." Now, if such would only inquire among their city friends they would find out that "strained " is what people want. The " extracted " suggests machinery When 1 bought my "Cowan" I found a strainer attached to the machine. What was it for, Mr. Editor ? On a close in- quiry you will find that lots of people " like the good old strained honey." My advice is to put neither " strained " nor "extracted" on your packages. Sell it for honey. — W. K. Morrison, in Gleanings. See "Bee-Keeper's Guide" offer on page 318. 312 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. May 14, PCBLISHED WEEKLY BY GEORGE W. YORK & COMPANY, 118 Alicbigaa St., - CHICAGO, ILL. REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS : G. M. Doolittle, Of New York. Prof. A. j. Cook, of California. Dr. C. C. Miller, of Illinois. Dr. J. P. H. Brown, of Georgia. J, H. Martin, of California. Kev. E. T. Abbott, of Missouri. Barnett Taylor, of Minnesota. Mrs. L. C. A.\tell, of Illinois. Cbas. Dadant & Son, of Illinois. $1.00 a Year — Sample Copy Sent Free. [Entered at the Post-Office at CbicaKo as Second-Class Mall-Matter.] VoLinVI, CHICA&O, ILL,, MAY 14, m 1,20. dumber of Seeds to the Pound.— In the American Agriculturist we find the following honey-plants among a lot of others: Alfalfa, 225,000; nielilotiis alba (sweet clover), 248.000; esparcet, 24,000; Alsike clover, 723,000; crimson clover, 183,000; white clover, 750,000. These figures represent the average number of seeds to the pound of those named. Honey for Erysipelas.— The American Homeop- athist contains this paragraph about the use of honey in treat- ing erysipelas : Dr. Hayward, of Cropsey, III., calls attention to honey as a remedy for erysipelas. It is used locally by spreading on a suitable cloth and applying to the parts. The application is renewed every three or four hours. In all cases in which the remedy has been employed, entire relief from the pain fol- lowed immediately, and convalescence was brought about in three or four days. This certainly is " important, if true." We wish that Mrs. Thomas G. Newman, who has been a great sufferer from erysipelas, would try the honey remedy and report results. A Canipaig:n of Honey-Education should be begun at once by bee-keepers everywhere, before the new crop of honey comes on the market. It will pay, and pay well, to push the work of enlightening the public upon the value of honey as an every-day food. There are actually many people who think that honey is a real luxury, and only to be afforded by bankers and millionaires, or those who live in palaces and wear silk and broadcloth for common ; when the fact is, honey is the poor man's and the laboring man's food — or ought to be. For over 25 years of our life, we presume we did not eat five pounds of honey, all told ; now we feel that not a single meal of the day is'complete without honey as a part of it. And why didn't we eat more honey in those 25 years? Simply because the folks that run the table where we boarded were not acquainted with the real worth of honey as an article of food. They thought it was mainly to be used as a medicine, in small doses ! Three years ago, when we first met Dr. Peiro, he told us that he could not eat honey — it made him sick. He showed us a sample of the kind of extracted honey he had been trying to eat ! No wonder it gave him pain in the region of the belt, for it was simply some of the infernally adulterated stuff that so many grocers palm off on an unsuspecting public as "honey .'" We gave the Doctor a sample of our honey to take home with him, and from that day to this he can eat his share of honey, and enjoy it — not as some folks " enjoy poor health" — but really and truly eat it with a relish and pleas- ant after sensations. What bee keepers need to do, in our estimation, is to make a Mil effort to see that everybody has a chance to eat pure honey. Talk it up. Write it up for your local newspapers. Owe the editors of such papers liberal samples of honey. After being thus "sweetened," they'll help much in the campaign of honey-education. There are at least two men here in Chicago who are doing their share to see that grocers (and thus their customers, the people) are supplied with pure honey. Mr. Grabbe is one, and Mr. Walker the other. The former has a store here the whole year round, and the latter spends the winter months here; in fact, Mr. Walker is here yet, having come from Michigan last November. He has disposed of upwards of 50,000 pounds of mostly extracted honey in neatly-labeled tin pails. He thinks that another year he will be able to place 100,000 pounds. How do they do !t? Simply by personal ivork. They come here and work. They guarantee the purity of their honey ; solicit grocery orders themselves ; talk them into buying once, and then it is pretty much a "perpetual motion" business. Even a Chicago grocer "knows a good thing when he sees it" a few times. Some think that Chicago is the greatest honey market in the world. Probably it is. But it will be greater. The seed sown by Messrs. Grabbe and Walker is bound to result in great good, both to the producer and the consumer of honey. They are men who stand back of their goods every time, thus insuring satisfaction, and building up a trade that is bound to be more profitable to them as the years go on. Now, why not every city, town and hamlet be thus worked? No reason at all. There are plenty of bee-keepers wide- awake enough to "go up and possess the land" — the cities and towns, and push the honey-business, if they only thought so. It will pay to try, and try hard. What others have done, you can do. Go forth to win on this theme — Honey for the masses ! No, sir ! It is not over-production. It is under consump- tion— the kind of " consumption " that sorely needs a radical cure, and no encouragement. "Sanianttia at the "World's Fair."— We want to make our present readers one of the best offers ever made. All know the excellent books written by " Samantha, Jbsiah Allen's Wife." Well, " Samantha at the World's Pair " is probably her best, and we are enabled to offer tlus book a7id a year's sidjscriptlon to the New York "Voice" (the greatest SI. 00 weekly temperance paper published to-day), for sending us only three new subscribers to the American Bee Journal (with S3, 00), provided you are not now a subscriber to the "Voice." Think of it — a grand book and a grand weekly temperance newspaper given simply /oc sending us three new subscribers to the Bee Journal for a year ! The Samantha book is exactly the same as the S2.50 one, only the binding is of heavy manilla instead of cloth. It is a special 100,000- copy edition, aud when they are all gone, the offer will be withdrawn by the publishers. Of course, no premium will also be given to the new subscribers — simply the American Bee Journal for one year. We trust our readers will now go to work, get the three 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 313 new Bee Journal subscribers-, send them to us with the S3. 00, and we will order the " Voice " and the book mailed to you. This is the biggest and best offer we ever were able to make. We do hope you will take hold of it, and thus help increase the circulation ot the Bee Journal, and also get for yourselves some excellent reading-matter besides. Who will be the first to to send us the required three new subscribers ? Exporting' Honey. — Under " Subsidiary Farm Products," in a recent Report of the United States Department of Agriculture, we find the following: Honey. — The English honey market is supplied by the home product, from the United States, and from Chile. There is a large and steady demand, and, though sometimes ex- ceeded by the supply, this is an unusual occurrence. The English honey harvest has been very good this year, and it is selling upon the retailer's counter at from 20 cents to 25 cents per pound. Wholesale prices at the latest date obtain- able are as follows : English — Earthenware pots, finest, per doz -SI 4.5 Earthenware pots, finest, }o-poiind, per doz flO Flint glass jars, 17-ounee. per doz 1 70 Transparent honey, in glass jars, nickel-plated, screw top, per doz 1 57 United States — Thurber-Whyland's white sage, extracted, 1-pound jars. 2 dozen in a case, per doz. . 3 .3U Californian.in original cans, about 5C pounds per cwt.of 112 pounds f) 00 Chilean, in original cwt. kegs, per cwt S 7.5 The American white sage commands the top price. It is a delicious honey, and most attractively put up. All honeys sent to England are extracted except a nominal quantity that reaches there in the comb from California. California ship- ments of extracted honey are made in 56-pound tins, two tins in a case. Chilean usually comes in 60-pound kegs, but some- times in 112-pound barrels. It is not a matter of great im- portance as to size of packages, etc., though it would be well to conform to the California practice. It would be ruinous to send adulterated honey to England. Our agent in England has had several inquiries as to honey market this year, especially from Texas, and he has supplied inquirers with names of importers in England, and with information as to how to approach them, and this he will be pleased to do for all inquirers. The Department has knowledge that some years ago a large honey-producer in California found in China a profitable market for some 20 tons of honey annually. In this, as in every other branch of industry, only the best, most genuine products can secure a permanent, profit- able trade, creditable alike to tnemselves and their country, and they alone deserve to. Beginners and Bee-Literature.— Every bee- keeper— and especially every beginner — ought to have one or more of the standard works on bee-culture. If thoroughly read and studied, it would avoid the asking of many a simple question ; particularly if read in connection with a colony of bees. For instance, some one asked to have answered in a bee-paper, whether a queen lays eggs in empty cells, or in those full of honey 1 Think of taking up space in a paper to reply to such a question, when the querist could easily have found the answer to this question by reading even the small- est book devoted to bee-keeping. Now, the very best book on the sub.iect costs only SI. 25, and the best bee-paper published costs only SI. 00 a year. Both the book and the paper are necessary in order to get started rightly, and then to keep going straight. And both can be had together for only .S2.00. We believe that the be- ginner who can't afford to invest S2.00 in bee-literature when he starts, can't afford to fool with bees, any way, and would better let them alone altogether. Perhaps we ought to say that we are glad to have our question departments in the Bee Journal freely patronized, but they are not intended for primary questions that are fully an- swered in the bee-books. The fact is, the simple, primary questions have been answered so many, many times during the past 10 or 15 years, that the older readers of the bee- papers are heartily tired of them. And it is not fair to any subscriber to repeat over and over again what has been pub- lished, or what can so easily be found in the books. Let every one who aspires to being a bee-keeper, have at least one complete book on bees in his library. And then study it ! PEKSONAL MENTION. Mk. H. p. Joslin, of Ben Avon, Pa. — a suburb of Pittsburg— made us a very pleasant call May 6. Mr. J. is somewhat of a be- ginner in the bee-business, and is very enthusiastic about it. He will make a success of it. Such men do. Mr. C. B. Biglow, of Springfield. Mass.. besides having been a subscriber to the American Bee Journal in 18(31, when first started, also claims to have "introduced the first Italian queen-bee into southern Vermont, in the fall of IS'JU. from the Parson stock, of Flushing, L, 1." He still takes an interest in the honey-bees, and says he has not forgotten what he learned about them years ago. Mr. J. L. Terrell, of Macon Co., Mo., called at the Bee Jour- nal office last week. Mr. T. can report that with the exception of one year since keeping bees, he has made them pay an average profit of .S5.00 per colony. He has 4.'> colonies this spring, and says the prospects were never so encouraging in his locality as they are now. Mr. Terrell is an extensive young farmer, and also handles bee-supplies. He sold as high as 27 nailed hives in one day, by taking a samp[e and driving around to see the bee-keepers, and ex- plaining the workings of the hive. There is nothing like personal work, no matter what the business. Mr. W. K. Morrison, in Gleanings, proposes that a national bee and honey show be held in Washington, D. C, next September. That's altogether too far east. A North American convention was held there some years ago, and only about twenty-five bee-keep- ers attended. If it weren't for our modesty, we'd suggest that the proper place for holding such a show is in Chicago, where carloads upon carloads of honey are shipped annually, and surrounding which city there are thousands of bee-keepers. Besides, everybody wants to come to Chicago, while mostly politicians and office-seekers care to go to Washington '. Poor old Washington : What a tough time she must have I Better come to Chicago with that show. It can be a great success here. Report of the Utah Conventioti. BY " REPORTER." The Utah State Bee-Keepers' Association held their regu- lar semi-annual meeting here on April 6, with President Lovesy in the chair. The meeting was replete with interest to the bee-keepers. After recei.'ing the reports and reception of members the election of officers was proceeded with, and the following were elected for the ensuing year : President, E. S. Lovesy, of Salt Lake City; Vice-Presi- dent-at-large, Geo. Hone, of Benjamin ; Secretary and Treas- urer, Geo. E. Dudley, of Prove; Assistant Secretary, J. B. Fage, of East Mill Creek. The following County Vice-Presidents were also elected : Weber Co., R. T. Rhees, of View; Cache Co., Henry Bullock, of Providence ; Davis Co., T. B. Clark, of Farminglon ; Tooele Co., Geo. Craner, of Tooele ; Salt Lake Co., H. W. Dudley, of Mill Creek, and Wm. Philips, of Salt Lake City ; Utah Co., 0. B. Huntington, of Springville. and Wm. Peay, of Provo ; Wasatch Co., J. A. Smith, of Heber City ; Ranab Co., J. L. 314 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. May 14-, Bunting, of Ranab ; Morgan Co., T. R. G. Welch, of Morgan City; Washington Co., Mrs. Woodbury, of St. George ; Juab Co., Thos. Bilston, of Kephi. The E.\ecutlve Committee is as follows : Messrs. J. A. Smith, J. B. Fagg, and Geo. E. Dudley. Committee on foul brood law, Messrs. J. B. Fagg, Geo. E. Dudley, Henry Bullock, T. B. Clark and E. S. Lovesy. Xlie President's Address. Friends mid Bec-Keepers : — We greet you once more. Another year has rolled into space. Time, like an ever-run- ning stream, glides along, carrying us the same as so many bubbles on the surface uutll we reach the waterfall, or that bright shore we have heard of, but of which we know so little. Life at the best is but a brief span, then should we not improve each shining moment as it flies onward? And, above all, should we not cultivate a kind, generous, fraternal feeling towards each other? It is a known fact to some, and it has been observed by many, that the bee-keeping pursuit is productive of a kind, soothing feeling of peace and good-will, then why not adopt those promptings, and unite for the general good? If we would do this, we must more thoroughly organize for our own interest and self-preservation, not with a view to oppress, but to try to avoid being oppressed or crushed. When we note the powerful organizations that we have to contend with, does it not more than ever behoove us to organize for our own pro- tection ? There was a time in the history of Utah when our bee- keepers could get good prices for all that they could produce. This was when we lived within ourselves, and traded with our neighbors. But now all this is changed ; the consumers of our products are more remote, and while, as a rule, the con- sumer pays a fair price for what he receives, it often happens that the pioducer does not receive a fair figure. Instances have come to my notice of late, showing that the consumers have paid three tiaies the price received by the producer, and yet some of those blood-sucking leeches that live between the producer and the consumer, are not satisfied, for we have positive evidence that some of them have purchased pure honey at low rates, then mixed glucose with it, and then sold the stuff at a high price. They thus prevent the producers from selling their products at a living price, and as they must have all the profit, they prevent thousands of poor people from using honey. How long will our people be fooled in this way ? If they buy either honey or glucose, why should they pay those peo- ple such an enormous royalty for mixing it for them ? Now, if these statements are true, would not the bee-keepers be willing to sustain our Bee-Keepers' Union if it would analyze some of this suspected honey, and thus try to protect the bee- keepers and the public? It should be plain to all that not only should we still agi- tate the subject of cheaper transportation, but we should, if possible, do something to prevent the demoralization of our markets. Is it not self-evident that this glucose fraud is one reason for this depressed condition of the honey market ? We do not wish it understood that we condemn all our honey- dealers, because we know of many honest, honorable people in the honey-business, but could not our reliable dealers and some of our principal bee-keepers unite on, or adopt, some plan that will make it hot for those glucose frauds? It can be readily seen that if any person buys just enough honey to season glucose, a barrel of honey will go a long way. Now, could we not try to reach the consumer direct, or try to in- duce them to purchase only from reliable dealers? If we can do this, and then adopt the simplest and easiest method to produce our products and put it up in the most attractive form, then if properly organized we believe success will be obtainable. It is also evident that our national depression is partially the cause of the existing state of affairs. We might ask, What is the cause of this depression ? Is it not observable to the thinking mind that those great trusts and combinations between those two great communities — the producers and the consumers — is one of the causes ? If this be true, should not all classes of agriculture make a united effort for their own interest and self-preservation ? OUR FOOL BROOD LAW. As we were not able to get an amended law to the entire satisfaction of our bee-keepers, we preferred to have nothing rather than another inoperative make-shift. Quite an inter- est has been stirred up by agitating the matter, and the chances are favorable for something better in the near future. A campaign of education in this matter would be a good thing. Every bee-keeper should know what foul brood is. and the best method of treatment, and they should also study the many uses and benefits of foundation. THE LANGSTROTH MONUMENT. As the bee-keepers of the United States are contemplat- ing the erection of a monument to the memory of that great- est of all bee-keepers — the Rev. L. L. Langstroth — I sincerely hope the hee-keepers of Utah will take an interest in this matter, and send in their contributions to this laudable cause. Let us hope that such a thing as failure may not be known, but that success may be the speedy result of our efforts. E. S. Lovesy. Mr. Fagg offered a resolution which was adopted, asking our representative to Congress to try and procure 500 copies of Mr. Benton's book on bee-culture, lately published by the Department of Agriculture. This would give a copy to about one in 20 of our bee-keepers in Utah. The Langstroth Monument Fund was considered by the convention, many members favoring it. A resolution was passed, asking all the bee-keepers of the State to contribute to the fund, the money to be sent to Pres. E. S. Lovesy, who will forward it to the proper authorities. Mr. .T. A. Smith, of Wasatch county, gave an interesting description of his bee-house, the size of which is lOxLti feet, with 14 inch walls, packed with 12 inches of sa-vdust; floor 8 inches, and ceiling 12 inches of sawdust, with one 10-inch chimney. The house was dark the entire winter, with a loss of only - colonies out of 108. He made a fire in the house three times during the winter. He put the bees into the cel- lar in November, and took them out March 22. He uses the Langstroth hive, mostly the S-frame. The altitude where Mr, S. lives is nearly 3,000 feet higher than Salt Lake City. Mr. Schach, of Cottonwood, asked for information in re- gard to bees dwindling and dying out in certain localities, said to be caused by the smoke from the smelters. He said that himself and others had suffered serious loss, and this was supposed to be the cause. Mr. Cornwell said that his bees always put up immense quantities of honey in the summer, but they nearly all died every winter, and the smelter smoke was said to be the trouble. This smelter smoke question was discussed thor- oughly, and Prof. A. A. Kills, of the Agricultural College, suggested that the only method of determining the matter would be to analyze the bee or the blossoms. The various sizes and kinds of hives were discussed at length, by many members, without any particular result other than it depended somewhat upon the locality and the size of the honey-flow. The production of honey and the winter question received considerable attention. Interesting remarks were made, the burden of proof showing that to succeed in wintering the bees must be kept dry. Mr. E. S. Lovesy gave his method of win- tering with hay packed on top of the hives. Mr. Geo. Hone wintered his bees with a loss of only 2 per cent, on the summer stands ; he produced over 13,000 pounds of co'ub honey last year, besides extracted honey. He said one of the secrets of successful wintering is plenty of bees, a good queen, and plenty of honey in the hive. He uses full sheets of foundation in the sections and in the brood-chamber. Mr. J. B. Fagg gave an interesting address on the pro- duction and marketing of honey. The foul brood question was discussed at length, some of the members wanting all laws in regard to the matter repealed, but all agreed that we should have a good law passed that can be made operative, or they would prefer nothing. Mr. E. S. Lovesy, Foul Brood Inspector for Salt Lake county, said the present law requiring the inspector to visit every colony of bees once a year was a waste of time. He said there had been many cases where foul brood had devel- oped among the bees a few days after the inspector had made his rounds, and thus in some cases the bees have not been treated for the disease. The better way would be for all bee- keepers to carefully watch their bees, and if they find foul brood, or anything'they do not understand, they should notify the inspector at once. He said that he was willing to visit any bee-keeper in the county, at any time, if they would notify him. As delay often proves fatal, the bees should be treated at once. The convention adjourned, subject to the call of the President. ^ Every Present Subscriber of the Bee Journal should be an agent for it, and get all others possible to sub- scribe for it. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 315 Largest Factory tife West Go?«He J^^Al^ces READ THIS— Mr. Keyes sajs: The 100 rounds of Kxtra-Tuin Foundation you sent us is superior to anything- he ever saw; and I think the same. K. L. Tucker, Wewahitchlfa. Fla. Dear Sirs:— The Sections came duly to hand. Indeed, they are very -nice. Yes, sir; they are as good as the best. Chahles H. Thies, Steelevllle, Illinois. Leahy Mlg-. Co. ;— I have received the bill of poods, [must say they are the choicest lot of Hive-Stuff 1 have ever received from any place. I admire the smdoi bness of your work, and your close selection of lumber. Yours very truly. O. K. Olmstead, Orleans. Nebr. Dear Sirs:— The Sections arrived in due time, and are all 0. K. so far as examined. They are simply perfection. 1 can't see how you cau furnish such goods at such low prices. I hope you may live lonj? and do well. Yours respectfully. Z. S. Weaveh. Courtney, Tex. Gents:—! received the '■ Higginsvllle Smoker " all O. K. It's a dandy; please find enclosed stamps for another. Yours truly. Otto Enoehs, Uswegathe, N. Y. Gentlemen:— 1 have bought Supplies from nearly all the large unnufacturers by the car- load, and I must say yours are as good as the best. Indeed, in many lines they are the best. It is a pleasure to handle them. E. T. Flanagan, Belleville, Illinois. The above unsolicited testimonials are a fair sample of hundreds we receive. Our prices are reasonable and the " Higginsvllle Goods " are the best. The " HIggliisville " Goods are for sale by the following parties : Chas. H. ThIes, Steelville, 111. E. T. Flanagan. Belleville, 111. Henry L. Miller. Topeka. Kans. E. A. Seeley, Bloomer, Arkansas. J. W. Rouse & Co.. Mexico, Mo. P. J. Thomas. Fredonia. Kans. Fulton & Gregg, Garden City. Kans. W, J. Finch, Jr., Springfield, 111. If you need a Carload of Supplies, or only a Bee-Smoker, write to us. Remember, we are here to serve you. and will, if you give us a chance. A Bcaiitil'iil Catalogue Free. Address. LEAHY MANUFACTURING CO.. HIGGINSVIULE, MO. 4nA Mention the American BeeJ^urnaL CHEAPER THAN EVER T Super* Fotiiidalloii Smokers Hiltoii>ii 'IVIiite Cliaflr HoliMlied Hives ScetioiiK And everything needed in the apiary. 1896 Catalog of 36 pages free. GEO. E. HILTOiV, 13Atf FKEMONT, MICH. Mention the Amerlctui UeeJouma,r, Dadaiif s Foiiudation " in Chicago ! No other Goods kept here. Send for Price-List, CHAS, DADANT & SON, 118 Michigan St., - CHICAGO, ILL. ISAtf Please mention the Bee Journal. ONE MAN WITH THE UNION '=°«^|;':;-'°'^ I an do the work of four men using hand tools, in Kipping, Cutting-otf, Mi- tring. Kabbeting, Groov- ing. Gaining. Dadoing, Edging-up. Jointing Stutt, etc. Full Lineof Foot and Hand Power Machinery .Sold on Trial. Oatalosue Free. M^^K^;A fal.l« mfg. co., 46 Water M., SENECA FALLS, N. T lAly Mention the .4mert>«TJ, Bee Journal. BEES. QUEENS, and Several Carloads of APIA.RIAN SUPPLIES always on hand. Brood Found., -i'Jc lb.; Section. 50c lb. I. J. 8TRIi\GIIAIVI, 105 Park Place. NEW YOKK, N. Y. That Glueen-Clipping Device Free ! Works Like a Cliarin. Couldn't Do Without It. I have clipped lf> queens, and must say the Monette Queen-Clipping Device is by far tho best invention ever made, and will be wel- come to many beekeepers as it was tome. I could not do without one now. Dr. Geo. Lacke, Newburgh. Ind, The Monette Queen Clipping Device woiiKS LIKE A charm. With it I have clipped 30 queens, all in one day, when examining my bees. Wm. Stolley. Grand Island, Nebr. PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING OFFER : Send asjiini une new 'name for the American Bee Journal u year (with $1.00), and we ■will mail you the Queen-Clipping Device fkee of charge. Or, the Queen-Clipping Device will be sent postpaid for .50 cts. But why not get it as a Preuiiuoi by the above offer? You can't earn 50 cts. any easier. Almost every bee-keeper will want this Device. See page 130 (Feb. 27) for full description of it. Complete directions accompany each one ent out. It is a most ingenious and useful article. Address, GEORGE 'W. YORK & CO., 118 Michigan St., Chicago, 111. Qei;)eral Hcn)s^ ■Working in the Sections. Bees are doing finely. They have been working in the sections for 10 days. J. H. Haight. Fruitdale, Ala., April 24. Almost a Total Failure in 1895. My 75 colonies of bees have wintered with a loss of about 10 per cent., and are now in fairly good condition. Last year was almost a total failure with me. I secured about 400 pounds of honey, about 16 pounds of beeswax, and in- creased from 73 to 75 colonies. G. F. Tubes. Derrick City, Pa., April 24. Time of Blossoming. I have written down the dates of plants that bees work on when they are in bloom. They are in north Georgia and East Tennessee, and are as follows, for 1895: Alder, March 15; maple, March 20 ; willow and peach, April 1 ; redbud, sugar-tree, and beech, April S ; apple-tree, April 15 ; huckleberry, April IS ; white clover. May 2 ; poplar, May 4 to SO ; black gum. May 4; persim- mon, June 1 ; basswood, June 15 to 30 ; corn, July 1 ; sourwood, June 24 to July 30. B. A. Armor. Doogan, Ga. Beautiful 'Weather for Bees. We have beautiful weather now, and bees are making good use of it. 1 be- gan the winter with 77 colonies on the summer stands, all packed on top with chaff cushions, and 76 came through. I have lost one since, by robbing, and one is queenless, some are a little weak, but all are working nicely. The prospect now is for a heavy fruit-bloom. I hope the nice weather will continue, so that bees can use the bloom for all it is worth. Mine are about entirely caring for them- selves now. lam so allllcted with rheu- matism that I cannot attend to them. A. H. Snowbekger. Huntington, Ind., April 18. An Oregon Report. I cannot well do without the American Bee Journal, even if I have passed ray 75th milestone. I keep a few colonies to amuse myself with, and have them in a house, which, to my mind, is so much better than out- of-doors. One year ago I had six colo- nies of Italians; I divided them at the proper time, and had 12 to winter. A few weeks ago I noticed one colony was not flying. I examined them, and found nearly all had starvecl to death. I thought I had examined all in February to see if they had stores enough. About the middle of February* they were rust- ling for pollei.. Lately we have had a protracted spell of cold rain, and some snow, which is a very uncommon thing at this time of year, although some springs we have rain so as to cheat our bees out of much of the nectar from fruit-blossoms. My hives are of the 8-frame size, and all have a pane of glass in one side and end, and the supers have a 2-inch strip 316 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. May 14, BUY DIRECT FROM FACTORY," BEST MIXED PAINTS At WHOLESALE PRICES, Delivered FKKE For Houses, Barns, Roofs, all colors, and SA \ «■ Dealers profits. In use 54 years. Endorsed by Grange & Farmers' Alliance. Low prices will surprise you. Write lor Samples. 0. W. INOERSOLL, 289 Plymouth St., Brooklyn, N. V. 1 2 A 1 3 &ieniiGn iJu> Ajmcncai^ ti&c Jintniai mumSmmmS We have killed hitrh prices. GlTe me ii trial order and be convinced that good Queens can be reared tor 50 cts. each. Untested, 50 cts. : Tested, 75 cts. Golden Italians. 3-Banded I- tallans, and Silver-Gray Carniolans. all the same price. Best of Keferences given. C. B. BAlVIiSTOi\, 13Att CHHIESMAN, Burleson Co., TEX. Great Freshef m N. Y. State. When the papers reported "N. Y. Central tracks underwater, miles of fences swept away," we sent iwo trusty men to look after the 170 miles of Page on that line. Report was true, but the Pagfe didn't "sweep" and an order is Justin for 30 miles tnore. See April Hustler. PAGE WOVEN WIRE FENCE C0„, Adrian. Mich. WHEN ANSWERING THIS AOVERTIBEMENT. MENTION THI3 JOURNAU A New Method of refining- wa.\ without acid. Result Better Comb Foundation. My prices are also the lowest. A Job-Lot of No. 2 Polished Sections Equal in finish to any No. f 's. 1 M. $1.75; 2 M $3.40; 3 M, $4.80; 5 M, $7.50. Or I can furn- ish a cheaper quality. Also, a full line of HIOGINSVILLE SUPPLIES. See my List with prices. :5 W. J. FIMCH, Jr., ^^«\l'il?^''° Meiiiw'-'^ the Am/errlr^an B&s Jcv^VtrS.. t^" IF YOU WANT THE BEE-BOOK That covers the whole Aplcultural Field more completely than any other published, send 81. 2o to Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont. Calif., for his Bee-Keeper's Guide. liiberal Discounts to the Trade. California ^ ^ m If you care to know of Its Fruits, Flowers Climate or Resources, send for a Sample Copy of California's Favorite Paper— The Paciflc Rural Press The leading Horticultural and Agricultural paper of the Pacific Coast. Published weekly, handsomely lllusfrated, 83.00 per annum. Sample Copy Free. PACIFIC RURAL PRESS, 220 Market St., - SAN FRANCISCO. CAL. TEXAS QUEENS. It you are in need of Queens. let me have your.'order. Price-List Free. 8A36t J. D. GIVENS, I.lsbou, Tex. Meniion Ove j3.merican Bee Jovjrvtai^ of glass on each side. All have (Jark curtains. I like to see into their domes- tic relations without having to disturb them, and then it is a pleasure to show visitors what they are doing. Last season some of the colonies had too many drones early in the season, and when I found them flying strong I put a drone-trap at the entrance, and would catch from Ji to % or more full, and drown them. Where I live is not a good locality for bees to store much surplus honey from what they can get from white clover and other sources. Last season I had some buckwheat sowed for them, but Ihey did not seem to work much upon it. I have had some sweet clover sowed this spring, and shall sow some Alsike clover ne.xt month, with buckwheat. I have fed some of tuy bees this spring to stimulate them to brood-rearing. N. A. W. Howe. Creswell, Oreg., April 15. Poor Season in 1895. I began to keep bees in 189.5 with two colonies, and increased to four, and got only 60 pounds of comb honey. We had a poor season for honey, for we depend mostly upon golden-rod here, and we had a week of rainy weather, so the bees could not work. I use the 8-frame hive. I like bees, and like to take care of them. Mrs. Frank BERiiEv. Amiret, Minn. Wintering — Selling Honey — Hives. I finished putting my bees on the sum- mer stands yesterday. Some were put out last week. They were wintered in the cellar under the house, which is in two parts, one I use for vegetables where the temperature is too cool for bees to do well ; the other, which is much the warmest, I use for the bees. It also is the coolest when the warm days of spring come, which tend to make the bees restless and uneasy. I have win- tered bees in this cellar now nearly ten years, and usually they come through in good condition. I am fully satisfied that the quality of the honey which the bees have to eat has much to do with their health. Give bees a healthy diet, and a healthy place to live, and they will do well. I placed 76 colonies in the cellar about Nov. 15, and they have been in over five mouths without any interrup- tion ; 70 of them came out in appar- ently good condition. They seem to be in good condition with lots of bees, and they can go to work immediately, as there are in bloom soft maple, elm, pop- lar and moosewood, and some other small flowers. I have almost always made a specialty of producing extracted honey, as the crop is more certain, it handles better, and is less trouble, except the selling, which is usually slower with me. At the the present time I have nearly 1,000 pounds on hand, which is the most I ever had at this season of the year. The bulk of my crop is basswood and clover honey, which is very fine and light col- ored. Dark honey I seldom got any of. I have always succeeded in selling the best directly to the consumer. To send to city commission men generally has not paid very well. There is so much prejudice and distrust for extracted honey. If bee-keepers wish to have the >Ji >!i ife: .^ >Ji >Ji>te. >te >te. jli >ti sttti. OKIGIi\AL BL\GIIAA] Wonderful Record ! Have Lasted I'l Ye.irs. —BEST ON EARTH. Always Oive Perl'ect Satlsractlon. My cool Wire Handle and Bent Nose were patented 1892, are the original, m.v best invention since my open or di- rect draft Patent. 1878. that revolu- tionized Bee-Smokers. My Handle and Nose Patent bent all the other smoker noses. None but Bingham Smokers have all the best improvements. If you buy genuine Biiigliaiu iiiiuo- kers and Honey-Kutves you will never regret it. The " Doctor,'' ?i-lnch larger than any other smoker on the market— 3V4-inch stove, by mail, $1.50 Conqueror, 3 ' '• •• 1.10 Large, 2i4-in. " " 1.00 Plain, 2-in. " •• .70 Little Wonder, 2-in., wt. 10 oz. .60 Bingliaiu & Hetheriii^'tnn Hoiipy-Kiiivps, 80 rents. T. F. BINGHA7I, Farwell, ITIicli. 7Atf Mention the Bee Journal. PATENT WIRED COMB FOnJfDATION Has No Sag lu Brood-Frames Tliiii Flat-Kottom Fuiindation Has Sio Fishbone in the Sorplns Doney. Being the cleanest Is usually worked the quickest of any Fouudatlon made J. VAN I>EITSEN & SONS, Sole Manufacturers, aprouuBroob MontKomery Co., N. T. BEGINNERS. Beginners should have a copy of the Amateur Bee-Keeper, a 70-page book by Prof. J. W. Rouse. Price 25 cents; If sent by mail. 28c. The little book and the Progressive Bee-Keeper (a live, pro- gressive 28-page monthly journal) one year, 65c. Address any first-class dealer, or LEAHY MFG. CO., Higginsville, Mo. The Patent Wood-Veiieer FoiiiKJation. Bee-kpepers shoulfi jrive it a test, and my Ail- Wax FouDdaiion. I will guarantee there is no better made, as six years a^o I d scarded the old way of dipping- tor wax sheets, aud a new invention nl" my own was discovered, which enables me to make the toughest kind of Foundation; also, no acid used to purl ly ttie Beeswax, and It pres(.*i-ves the smell of honey, which is more acceptable to the bees Now is the the time to send wax aud have it worked up at low prices. Send tor San'.plps and Cata- log with low prices. Wax wanted at ;ilc cash, or 33c trade, deliverea. AIJO. XYEISS, Hortoiivllle, Wis. 12 A13t Please mention the Bee Journal. 0^ ■ I make a full line of rCinCirlO Up-to-date UCtllCllldi Bee-Siipplies at rock-bouoiii |>ri<-eH. Send for my an- nual Circular. A 1'2-inch Root Fdn. Mill in ^ood order. 2ud hand, at a bargain for either Wax or Cash. Address, \V. A, CHRYSLER, Cliatliam, Out. 1 9 A I f Mention the American Bee Journal, 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 817 :s^s: YOUNG QUEENS BY RETURN MAIL :sir From the South. Bred from our /lordy strai?! of GRAY CARNIOLANS aud GOL- DEN ITALIANS. Untested Queen, 75 cts.; Tested, -SI. 50. If you want a Fine Imported or a Select Tested Breeding-Queen, or Bees by the Pound, Nuclei and Full Colonies, we can furnish you aJ boftom prices. We never saw Foul Brood or Bee-Paralysis. Satisfaction rjuarantecd. Pkice-List Free. F. A. LOCKHART & CO., Lake George, N. Y. Please mention the American Ree Jourual. 16Btf 4 •J- f 4 ♦ Abbott's Space. Sections as low as the lowest for good goods. Send for Circular and say what you want. Special Agent for U. B. Lewis Co.'s goods. Write for prices. E. T. Abbott. St. Joseph, Mo. The " St. Joe " stands at the top. Dovetailed Hives very cheap. Dadant's New Process Foundation at Dadant's prices, wholesale and retail. short time only. SECTIONS CHEAP! ^ ^ ^ ^ In order to reduce stock we will sell 40,000 4}ix4k'xa 40,000 4i4x4J-4'xl 15/16 250,000 4«x4«xl% 150,000 4iix4Mxl% 80,000 4'.4'x4i4xT-to-ft, Of our No. 2. One-Piece. Open-Top Sections, at the following ITH,VN, 16Etf OTISVILLE. MICH. MenJiowi ihe Am/erican Bee Jourm:,, m Lnrg^fst Stock 'U'l Greatest 'ariot\ in the .\'e^.t. BEST > iood-at Low- FPT prices, fiit. of su ),ai:rs FREE. E. KRETCMtR, RED OAK, IOWA. Mention the Amet icmt Bee JnuniaU l^E8t Duvall's Qneeiis SiES qualities and the price is ivay down now. lie Mire to send fur Circular. C. D. DTTVAIiIi, Siitsuma Heiirlits, Tin. ISEtt Please mention this Journal. ITALIAN BEES. Untested Queens. SI. 00. Tested, 81.25. Bees by the lb . $1 00. Nuclei— Two frame, with Queen, «2. 50; one frame. $2.00. Also. Barred and White Plymouth Rock Eggs lor setting; $1.00 for 15. Mrs. A. *. SI.TIPSON, ISETt SwARTS. Pa. litention Vie American Tbeejoumo.l, Up to Guarantee ! il^ Oq June 1 I shall be prepared to ship Queens of my famous This strain of beautiful yellow-banded Bees is practically non-^ warming and non-stinging. Queens, each. $1.00. Special prices by the dozen. Everything guaranteed. Cit'l'gfree. HEMtY AL.LEV. ISElf WENHAM. Essex Co., MASS, iUTH'S' EOmT EXTBACTOB PEKFECTION k>ld-Bla«t Suiokers, Square GlaoK Honey Jars, Rtc. for Circulars, apply to Chas. F. Mdth & Son, Cor. Freeman & Central Aves., Cincinnati, O. Send lOe for Practical Hints to Beo-Keepers. SAVE MONEY U^liTJ'^^ii^s'. ITALIAN QUEENS Foiindaliun at Wholesale Prices. Hives, suited for the South, or SIIPF1.1ES, send for Prlce-List— to -O-A..- J. P. H. BROWSI, 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 319 Honey & Beeswax Market Quotations. The following rules for grading: honey were adopted by the North American Bee- Keepers' Association, and, so far as possible, quota- tions, are made according to these rules: Fancy.— All sections to be well flUed; combs straight, of even thickness, and firmly a,t- tached to all four sides; both wood and comb unsoiled by travel-stain, or otherwise: all the cells sealed except the row of cells next the wood. No. 1.— All sections well filled, but combs uneven or crooked, detached at the bottom, or with but fow cells unsealed: both wood and comi> uusoUed by travel-stain or other- wise. In addition to this the honey is to be classi- fied according to color, using the terms white, amber and dark. That is. there will be "fancy white," "No. 1 dark," etc. CHICAGO. III., Apr. 23.— We quote: Fancy white. I5c.; No. 1 white. 12@l.*ic.; fancy am- ber, 9@10c.; No. 1 amber. 7@8c.; fan' y dark. 8S,9c.; No. 1 dark. 7c. Extracted, white, 5® 7c.; amber. 4@5c. ; dark, i^iMc Beeswax. 30c. The number of sales are few. and prices are really nominal. The only activity shown is In a little fanc.v comb and beeswax. R. A. B. & Co. PHILADELPHIA,PA.,Apr. 23.— Wequote: No. 1 white, 9@10c. ; tancy amber, 8@9c. ; fancy dark, 7@Sc. Extracted, white clover, 10c. ; amber, 5®.5!4c.: dark. 4@4'/4c. Bees- wax. 25@26c. Comb honey is dull. Extracted In fair demand. Beeswax lower. W. A. S. KANSAS CITF, Mo., Apr. 18. -We quote: No. 1 white. l.'i@14c.: No. I amber, ll(ai2c.; No. 1 dark. 8@10c. Extracted, white. .5(960.; amber, 4^@.')C. ; dark. 4@t^e. Beeswax, 23c. C, C. C. & Co. BUFFALO, N. T.. Apr. 20— We quote: Fancy white. 15@16c.; No. 1 white, 13@14c.; fancy dark, 8@9c.; No. 1 dark. 7@7^4c. Bees- wax. 25@28o. Trade very dull and honey not moving, except a few fancy lots: anything dark is hard to sell. B. & Co. NEW YORK. N. Y., Apr. 20.— We quote: Fancy white, I4c. : No. 1 white, 12c.: No. 1 amber, lie. : No. 1 dark. Sc. Extracted, white. o^^@6c. Beeswax, 29@30c. Market is quiet. Some demand for white comb, but buckwheat not wanted. Wliite Is selling at from ll@14c. and buckwheat at 8c. The market on ex- tracted is unusually quiet, with large supplies of California. Beeswax steady at quotation. H. B. &S. CINCINNATI. O., Apr. 22.— There is no fan- cy white comb honey on our market. Best white sells at 12@14c. in a jobbing way. with a fair demand. Demand is good for extracted at 4@7c., according to quality. Beeswax Is in good demand at 23@30c. for good to choice yellow. C. F. M. nTentioii Notices. Questioi;)-Box^ In the multitude of counsellors there is safety.— Prov. 11-14. Effect of Cold and Heat Upon Foul-Brood Germs. Illinois.— The spring meeting of the Nor- thern Illinois Bee-Keepers' Association will be held at the home of Mr. O. J. Cummings. in Guilford, on May 19. 1896. Come, and bring your wives and friends interested in bees. New MUford. Ills. B. Kennedy, Sec. Query 13.— 1. Will the germs of foul brood be destroyed if the honey Is In a freez- ing temperature during the winter ? 2. To what degree of temperature will honey have to be heated to destroy the germs of foul brood ?— Vermont. G. M. Doolitlle— 1. Doubtful. 2. Boil it. P. H. Elwood— 1. No. 2. Quinby says boil it. Rev. M. Mahin— 1. I think not. 2. I do not know. W. R. Graham — I know nothing about foul brood nur the germs. James A. Stone — As I have never had any experience, I do not knovc. W. G. Larrabee — I have never had any experience with foul brood. J. M. HambauKh— 1 and 2. To both of these questions, I don'tknow. R. L. Taylor— 1. No, not at all. 2. Nothing less than the boiling point is safe. Chas. Dadant & Son — 1. I think not. 2. To the boiling point of water, or nearly. H. D. Cutting — 1. Prom past experi- ence I think it will. 2. 212-' for at least 60 minutes. Dr. J. P. H. Brown— 1. I should think not. 2. I do not know. Dr. Howard, of Texas, can tell. Mrs. L. Harrison — 1. I do not think that it would. 2. I never had experi- ence with foul brood. Allen Pringle — 1. No. You can't freeze the life out of the "varmints." 2. The boiling temperature. B. Taylor — 1. I have no experience. I never had, or saw, a colony aflflicted in that way. 2. I don't know. Eugene Secor--As I should have to answer this from the books, I respect- fully refer the querist to them. Dr. C. C. Miller— 1. I think not. 2. At least 194- for three hours. 212° will not kill them unless continued 214 hours. C. H. Dibbern — 1. I have had no ex- perience with foul brood, but I think not. 2. I think that the boiling point will do it. E. France — 1. I would be afraid to risk it. 2. 1 don't know. I should not risk anythinic less than the boiling point for an hour. r Emerson T. Abbott — 1. I do not know. Some germs are not affected by freezing. 2. I have never tested the matter. It is said that there are germs which will stand boiling. G. W. Demaree — 1. I don't know, practically, anything about foul brood, or foil! brood germs. If I were to guess at it, I would guess that protracted hard freezing would destroy the germs. J. E. Pond — 1. No, most decidedly not. 2. I don't know, and should not dare, with the experience I have had, to use either honey or comb that had once been contaminated with foul brood. Prof. A. J. Cook— 1. No. Cold does not destroy germs. 2. It ought to be boiled for some minutes. Boiling simply does not always destroy bacteria, it takes in many cases prolonged boiling. WANTED TO EXCHANGE — Some Fine Collie Shepherd Puppies for Bees or Hone.v. T jilso have one extra fine English Mastiff Slut, 10 months old, I will exchange. W. S. Bkili.iiart. .Millwood. Knox Co., Ohio. R-0°' I a ?j '^ — •( ■o — • re « •" '•^ -''TS ffl BERLIN FKTflT-BOX CO , Berlin Heights, Ohio. Mention the American Bee Jourtiai. •;• MONEY Saved is Money Gained. -:* THE ROYAL UiON life Insurance Company DES MOINES, IOWA. Th.e Iowa Policy Is one that definitely promises to keep an accurate account with you ; credit your premiums and interest, charge the actual expense and mortuary cost, and hold the remaining funds subject to your order. AgentN AVaiitcd. JOHN B. KING. General Agent. Suite 513 First Nat'l Bank Bld'g, 20Att CHICIGO, 11,1,. Mention the American Bee JoumaL 1,000 Teachers' Oxford Bibles Werebouirht lor spot cash by a Chicago firm from an Eastern iniiiUsher who was about to be driven to the wall lor the want of ready money. More than a million of these same Bibles, in every way like the illustration, h ive been sold dtiring the past few years at three times the money we ask for them. The.v are the genu- nine Teachers' Oxford Bibles, Divinity Clr- L lit, round corners, gilt edges, complete reachers' helps, maps, l,35U pasrcs, bound 1 I French seal, limp, with perfectly flexible backs. Sent prepaid. Millar price, $t..=iO; our price. $2 25. Or we club it with the Bee Journal for one year— both for only 12.75: or we will give this fine Bible free as a premium to anyone sending 4 iieiv subscribers to the Bee Journal one year (with }!i. 00). No additional premium is given the new subscriiiers— simply the Bee Journal one year to each of them. GEORGE W. YORK & CO.. - CHICAGO, ILLS. Please Send Us the Names of your neighbors who keep bees, and we will send them sample copies of the Bee Journal. Then please call upon them and get them to subscribe with you, and secure some of the premiums we offer. 320 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. May U, 1896. Bottom Prices BRIKG US BIO TRADE. GOOD GOODS KEEP IT. If you want the best supplies that can be made at a little less cost than you can buy the same goods for elsewhere, write to us for low prices. 1896 Catalogue now ready —ask for it and a free copy of Tlie Ameri- can Bee-Keeper (36 pages). Address. THE W.T. FALCONER MFG. CO., JAMESTOWN, N. Y. Mention the American Bee JoumaU COMB FOUNDATION! Wax always wanted for Cash or in Exchange for Fdn. or other Supplies. My trade is estab- lished on liOW Prices and the nterit of my Foiiiidatioii. Orders tilled proiuiXly. ^^WoKKiNC. Wax into Fdn. by the Lb. a Specialtv. Wholesale prices to dealers and large consumers. Send for Prices and Sam- ples to-GUS UITTMEK, AUGUSTA, WIS. Keference— Augusta Bank. lAtt Me^itiori, uit American Bee Joumnt, RAATV Prices Keduced on Dovetail III! Hives and Sections. A full line nlllllk^ of Apiarian Supplies in stock to UVvfl'iS fill orders promptly at lowfst friccs for Cfst (iooils. 36-|iaee CatHlomif Free. JNO. ISkBKIi &i »Otl, High Hill. Alo. H/kf^tA-n t.h', ■irr.-'.ri.yjn tKt '^tinvj. 4A2et I AEISE O SAY to the readers of the BEE JOURNAL tbM DOOL.ITTLE has concluded to sell — BKKS and QUEENS— In their season, during 1896, at thefollowlnK prices : One Colony of Italians on 9 Gallup frames, in lip:ht shipping-box $6 00 Five Colonies "2.5 00 Ten Colonies 45 00 1 untested queen. 1 oo 6 " queens 5 50 12 " " 1010 1 tested Queen... |i 5u 3 " Queens . 3 50 1 select testedqueena uo 3 " " Queens 4 CO Selecttesied queen, previous season's rearind 4 no Extra Selected for breedlnK. the very BsaT. . 50 » About a Pound of BEES In a Two-frame Nucleus, with any Queen, fi.oo extra. 1^ Circular free. rIvIuk full particulars redan - Ihk the Bees and each class of Queens. Address G. M. DOOLITTLE, 12A35t BORODINO, Onon. Co., N. V. WcUlon thcAtncrkvn Uce.lrnrmal T QUEENS Smokers. Sectiona , Comb Foundation, And all A|iiiiirun Snppties rheap. Send for tKEK atalogae. £. T. FLlNAtiAN, Bellerillp, III. 6A26t l^lease mention the Bee Journal. PURE BARRED PLYMOUTH ROCK Eggs, $1,25 per 14. Our P. Roclss are very large, with flne plumage. Also, BLACK MINORCA EGGS, a non-sitting and great laying breed. Both kinds raised upon our farm. Minorca Cock- erels, 11.00 each. Mrs. L.. C. AXXEl.!., 16Att ROSEVILLE. Warren Co., ILL. MeTiiUm the American Bee Joumai. ^^^^ Dadant's Foundation ^^^^ Year Year Is still in the lead, for we use all the latest improvements, including the ft NEW WEED PROCESS, ft and still make the best goods. Remember that we do not use any acid to purify our bees- wax, and that is why our Foundation preserves the smell of the honey and is more ac- ceptable to the bees, than any other. It is kept for sale by The Jennie Atehley Company. Beevilie, Texes. C. F. Muth & Son. Cincinnati, Ohio K. Kretchmer. Red Oak. Iowa. G. B. Lewis Co.. Watertown, Wis. James Reynolds Elevator Co., PouRhkeepsle. N Y, Louisiana Bee-Keepers' Supply Manufactory, Donaldsonville, La. Page & Lyon. New London, Wis. T. H. Strickler, Solomon City, Kansas. G. K. Hubbard. Fort Wayne, lod. L. Hanssen, Davenport, Iowa. C. Theilmann, Theilnianton, Minn. E. C. Eaglestield. Berlin. Wis. B. T. Abbott, St. Joseph, Mc. J. M. Jenkins. Wetumpka, Alabama Joan Rey, East Sapinaw, Mich. Vickerv Bros., EvansvlUe, Ind. and many other Dealers. All agree in saying that no goods are better than ours. Those of our customers who formerly bought through Thos. G. Newman can get our Foundation in Chicago, III., by addressing lis at 118 iUicIiig'au Street. We keep no other goods there. We make a specialty of Veils and Veil Stiifis of best quality, cotton and silk. "LAIVGSXROTH OX THE HONEY-BEE "—Revised. Bee-Keepers' Supplies, Smokers. Sections, Tin Pails, etc. Samples of Foundation auooo, $il«».00. Cream Sections of such widths as we have in stock at '35c per 1000 less than the white. The New Weed Process Comb Foundation ^ % is superior to all others in every way, showing, from recent tests in Florida, five times greater resistance to sagging, making it possible to use a lighter grade with more feet to the pound, with greater safety than with the old process. Owing to decline in wax we reduce price of Foundation 3 ets. a pound. Prices now are: Price per lb. in lots of 1 lb. 10 lbs. 25 lbs. 50 lbs. Heavy or Medium Brood Foundation 44c 43c 42c 40c Light Brood 47c 46c 45c 43c Thin Surplus 54c 53c 52c 50c Extra-Thin Surplus 59c 5Sc 57c 55c Lower prices on 100-lb. lots, and dealers supplied at special prices. These wholesale dealers who handle Root's Goods In carload lots unite with us in above prices: Walter S. Pouder, Indianapolis, Ind. ; John Nebel & Son, High Hill, Mo. Joseph Nysewander, Des Moines, Iowa; Wm. A. Selser, Philadelphia, Pa. M. H. Hunt, Bell Branch, Wayne Co., Mich. ; Geo. E. Hilton, Fremont, Mich. THE A. I. ROOT CO., MEDINA, OHIO. 118 Miclng^aii St., Chicago, III. Syracuse, N. V. 1024 Iflis§i§^ipi)i SI., St. Paiil^ ininn. mechanic's Falls, INaine. IRufylishe'cl WGGlcly, at Sl^OO per annum. San2i>lG Copy sent on Ap-pUcation, 36th Year. CHICAGO, ILL., MAY 21, 1896. No. 21. Bee-Keepiag for Women. BY MRS. L. C. AXTELL. Women living upon a farm, or in the outskirtsof a village, would find it a pleasure, and a profit, by keeping one or more colonies of bees, especially if they desire to have a few dollars all their own. Even though they may have their hands already full of other work, the little time that it takes to caro for bees out-of-doors would give renewed strength and energy, so that the time taken for the bees would not be missed. Bees and Sunshine. — In all cool and cloudy or rainy weather bees ought not be disturbed, so that we are not obliged to be out-of-doors caring for bees in weather that would bo injurious to our health. When the bees fly freely, and the wind is not blowing hard, any time during the warm part of the day is a good time to work with them. I prefer not before 9 o'clock in the forenoon, or after 4 in the after- noon, as I find it a little difficult to see the interior of the hive with my bee-hat on, owing to the sun being low down in the horizon. Bee- Work is Not Hard Work — at least I do not find it nearly so tiresome as most out-of-door work, or even com- mon housework ; washing, ironing, sweeping, mopping, I find much more tiresoiue. I suppose it is something as we take it ; if we like to do anything, it is more easily done. Of course, if we are already tired out before we go to work with the bees, we will grow more tired, and yet not so much more tired as if we had continued at work in the house, as it is a recreation to be out-of-doors in the glorious sunshine after being shut up in the house the most of the time perhaps for days. To feel and breathe the pure air, and hear the birds sing and the busy hum of the bee, and the eye to rest upon the green grass and trees, and bright flowers, and the beautiful blue sky, is restful, even to the tired body, if not continued too long. The Pear of Stings I think prevents many from not liking the work, and yet, when properly protected with a bee- hat or face-veil, and working only in the warm part of the day, and never when cloudy, rainy or cold, and with the use of a good smoker, one need rarely be stung, if we immediately extract the sting by scraping it off (not pinching it, as that squeezes the poison-sac, and causes more poison to enter the flesh), and then pay no attention to the pain, work all the harder for a few minutes, most people will soon get so they do not care much if they are stung ; but if we stop work and nurse the sting, and think about it, it seems almost unbear- able ; the mind being upon it makes it many times harder to bear. Bees for Young Women would be a delightful employ- ment, it seems to me. They could then remain at home where they could be helpful to their parents, and at the same time be making something for themselves. They, nor any one, should attempt to work with them without learning how. A dollar spent for a good book on bee-culture will teach any one a great deal. Possibly bees in the old box-hive, kept after the let-alone faihion, might be profitable, but I think it pays much better to read up and find out their needs, and get the gentle Italian bees, and give them a chance to do their best, by giv- ing them a warm, movable-frame hive where their wants can all be known and be supplied from time to time. Women can be just as successful with bees as men, and that is one kind of work they receive just as much pay for as do men. When we take our honey to market a pound of Mrs. L. C. Axtcll, RosevUle, III. honey that a woman gets from her bees brings just as much as her husband's or brother's honey. Honey Alway's Brings a Paying Price, at least we have always thought so. When there has been a great deal 322 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. May 21, of honey in one year, the price gets lower, but we can afford to sell lower because we have more to sell. There is no article of food that looks more attractive upon our table than honey in the comb, and it is always ready for Immediate use— we do not have to prepare it and cook it — it is always ready. Koseville, III. Bee-Keepers' Societies — Amalgamatiou, Pro- grams, Etc. BY PROF. A. J. COOK. Perhaps the most urgent reason given for the amalgama- tion of the National Bee-Keepers' Union and the North Ameri- can Bee-Keepers' Association is the fact that many regard the North American as a sort of a failure. This argument does not appeal to me at all. I have never regarded the American in any such light. I have attended several meetings of this society, notably the ones at Cleveland, Chicago, Toronto, Detroit, Cincinnati, Lexington and Chicago, and I regarded them as very important factors in the progress of apiculture in our country. Of course, we cannot expect a very general attendance upon such meetings, for our country is too large, and the time and expense required in going, for instance, from California to Toronto, is quite beyond the means of most of our bee-keepers. Thus, it is that the attendance will al- ways be in the main local, though, if I may judge by the meet- ings that I have attended, there will always be a good sprink- ing of our best apiarists from many of the States. There are also papers from other apiarists, men of marked ability and high standing among bee-keepers, which will be sent to the convention to be read, although the writers are unable to be present. Thus, each of these meetings be- comes a matter of great interest and importance to all our bee-keepers. The best of knowledge and method that our country knows is ver}' apt to come out at such gatherings. The discussions are apt to be of the highest order, and the social feature of the meetings will do very much to strengthen . the fraternal feeling without which no industry can reach to the best attainment. The editors of the various bee-papers will always be on hand, and thus those who are so unfortunate as to be unable to attend will get through the bee-papers all that is new and important in the bee-keeping art. It seems to me that the meetings should be migratory, and I think the past history of this society has been very fortunate in this respect, so that each State, where there is a strong desire for the meetings, should, in its turn, have the benefits accruing from the meeting of the Association in its limits. I would never have the Association go where there was not a strong invitation, and a promise that all local ex- penses, such as hall, local advertising, etc., should be borne by the State or town where the meeting is held. We may use sarcastic terms regarding the attendance and influence of the meetings of the past; but I feel very sure that a close study would show that the North American Bee-Keepers' Associa- tion has been a tremendous factor in the rapid development which has characterized the bee-keeping of America. I have had a large experience In organizing and carrying out such meetings as the ones in question, and after all the study and thought that I have been able to give, I would like to suggest what is my ideal in regard to State and National associations : In the first place, as already suggested, I would stoutly urge that all places be fairly used, that is, that the meetings be migratory, and that each section in the State or country receive its share of attention. I would, however, never go to a region where there was not sufficient interest to secure an urgent appeal for the meeting. I would also have prepared in advance a strong, meaty program, with papers from the strongest and most successful men in the State or country. These papers should be from men whose very names would awaken interest and secure a large attendance. I would have these papers short and to the point, and, best of all, each paper from a specialist in the line of thought which the paper takes. I know that In this respect my recommendation would be criticised by some of our very brightest and wisest bee- keepers, but I still believe I am right. I do not believe any meeting can do the best work without such a program. All experience of every kind of society In the past sustains this position, and as we stop and give the matter thought, it is easy to understand why this is so. It is expensive to gooff perhaps for miles, and possibly hundreds of miles, to attend the meeting, and few of us, especially in these hard times, will undertake such a journey unless we have some promise of a rich feast for our labor and pains. A program wisely prepared is just such a promise. Let me see a program where It was announced that Messrs. Hall, McKnIght and Priugle, of Ontario; Messrs. Doolittle, Hether- ington and Root, of New York ; Messrs. Bingham, Hutchin- son, Taylor and'Heddon, of Michigan ; Messrs. Root, Mason and Tinker, of Ohio; Messrs. Miller, Green and Stone, of Illinois, etc., were to be present, and give papers on the sub- jects which they had nearest to heart, and I would almost go clear from California to Boston to be present at the meeting. Again, few of us have the power to give extempore our views upon the subjects most familiar to us, in brief, terse form. But in the quiet of our study at home we can do just that thing, and thus we can save the time of the convention, every minute of which is precious. After each subject is presented by the person appointed upon the program, then there is a chance for full discussion by any one present who can throw additional light upon it. If it Is understood that 10 or 15 minutes is all that will be given to any speaker in Introducing a subject, there need be nothing prosy or tedious because of a pre-arranged program. I un- dertake to say that there is very much less danger of waste of time from long-winded articles, if arranged as suggested above, than from waiting for some one to introduce a subject, or to pre_j-o — One of our subscribers wishes to get some pure Cyprian queens. Who knows where they can be had in this country ? If any one can tell, will you please write us, and we will see that the information gets to the per- son desiring it. Ne-w Subscribers to Bee-Papers.— One of our Iowa subscribers wrote us in the following strain recently, when renewing his subscription, about our endeavor to in- crease the number of subscribers to the Bee Journal : Mr. Editor :— Just a word please. If you will quit giving premiums for getting new subscribers, I will give ."^LSO a year, or $2.00, for the American Bee Journal ; or if you de- crease the number of bee-keepers, and raise the price of the Bee Journal as you do so, I will pay it up to $10. I have hurt my pocket-book badly by giving information, and even showing others how to keep bees. We have nearly ruined the business. Now I am too old to take up something new. No, don't ask your patrons to send new subscribers, for it is their ruin. Send us a good journal, help us to keep our business paying, and make us pay you for it. Nary more new suhseHbers will I ever send for a bee-paper. Old Subscriber. The foregoing letter was shown to two bee-keepers with the question, "How's that?" After reading it over, the younger said, "That is all nonsense ?" The old man looked thoughtful for a minute, and then said, "I am not so sure of that. Why is it nonsense." "Because," said the younger, " it won't make much dif- ference, no matter how many new men go into the business." " Won't it, indeed?" said the elder. "If another man sits down beside me and divides the pasturage with me when I have already as many bees as the ground will support, why isn't that a damage to me ?" " Yes, but he won't keep at it long, for the experiment will be a failure, and in a year or two he'll get out of the way." " Very true, perhaps," said the elder, " but in the mean- time I have to pay the penalty for his foolishness, and duri:ig that year or more the loss will be more to me than the cost of all the bee-journals for a lifetime." Then he went un to say : "Bee-keepers as a rule are very liberal in their Ideas, and like to give information to others, and many of them would scoff at the idea of laying a straw in the way of any one going into the business, but after all, the man who wrote that letter has only said what many a man thinks, but perhaps hasn't the courage to say. I believe in bee-journals, and believe in increasing their circulation, but still, if their main effect is to increase the ranks of bee-keepers. I'd rather pay $5 or !$10 a year for a good paper and have it confined strictly to those who have 25 colonies of bees or more. That is nothing more than is done in other lines of business. There is a florists' paper published right in the city of Chicago, and if you send the subscription price for the paper, your money will be promptly returned to you, unless you furnish satisfactory proof that you are a professional florist. No matter bow val- uable the information contained in that journal might be to you as an amateur cultivator of flowers, you can't come in. Now, if that's all right, why isn't it right for those who make their bread and butter out of their bees to try all they can to keep out those who will do little more than make a failure and spoil the markets for others?" Evidently, like most other great questions, this one has two sides to it. With all the liberal-mindedness that bee- keepers in general possess, it is only human nature to look out for number one. But it does not necessarily follow that increase of subscribers means increase of dabblers in bee- keeping. There are thousands already in the business who take no paper on bee-keeping, and it is from this class that recruits are obtained, not one in a thousand subscribing for a bee-paper until after he has become a bee-keeper. Is it not a fact that more harm is done to the business by the ignorant than by the well-informed ? And when a man is already in the business, is it not better that he should take a bee-paper, so as to be shifted from the ranks of the ignorant to those of the well-informed ? Admitting for the sake of argument that "Old Subscriber" has the right view in thinking that it would be better to have a limited number of subscribers at a large price, the question is how that could be brought about. The man who should start a journal with a circulation of only 1,000, at a sub- scription price that would afford a living, would only invite certain failure. If our friend will yurtra?itce us a circulation of 1,000 at $10 each, or 4,000 at $2.50 each, we stand ready to make an agreement. But suppose that could be done, how much would be accomplished? For it would only make the difference of having other papers catch the new subscribers, and how much would be gained ? When our friend looks at the matter fairly, he will prob- ably see that beginners will continue to enter the ranks, and that they enter the ranks before they become subscribers, and the publisher who has at heart the best interests of his readers will do all he can to increase his circulation, that he may thereby afford to give them all a better paper. Xlie Position of Apiculture among other pur- suits is sometimes belittled by those who are not well-informed about its progress and development during the past half cen- tury. Mr. P. H. Elwood, in commenting on this subject in a recent issue of Gleanings, called attention to the fact that apiculture has a record and history of which no one need be ashamed. He said : The history of apiculture is a record we need not be ashamed of. " Langstroth on the Honey-Bee," written more than a third of a century ago, was the ablest and the best written hand-book that had appeared upon any rural pursuit, and there are very few works at the present time that will bear comparison with it. The first volume of the American Bee Journal occupies nearly the same position among rural journals. The invention of the honoy-extractor antedated by nearly a score of years the invention of the centrifugal cream- extractor ; and but for the former, the latter might never have been thought of. Comb foundation, zinc excluders, the bee-escape, smokers, etc., bear favorable comparison with agricultural inventions. The discovery of parthenogenesis, by the blind Huber, followed since by the unraveling of so many of the scientific mysteries of the bee-hive, makes a record not surpassed in any branch of husbandry. In litera- ture, in invention, in discovery, or oven in practical results, we do not fear comparison with any branch of agriculture. There is no need of belittling the pursuit because a few of us are not well posted. 330 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. May 21, Largest Factory ti°e West Gofd^phf^^djl^ces READ THIS— Mr. Keyes says: The 100 rounds of Bxtra-TiiiQ Foundation you sent us Is superior to anything he ever saw; and I tliink the same. R. L. Tucker, Wewahitchka, Fla. Dear Sirs:— The Sections came duly to hand. Indeed, they are very nice. Yes, sir; they are as g-ood as the best. Charles H. Thies. SteeieviUe, Illinois. Leahy Mfg. Co. :— I have received the bill of goods. I must say they are the choicest lot of Hive-Stuff 1 have ever received from any place. I admire the smoothness of your work, and your close selection of lumber. Tours very truly. O. K. Olmstead. Orleans. Nebr. Dear Sirs:— The Sections arrived in due time, and are all O. K. so far as examined. They are simply perfection. I can't see how you can furnish such goods at such low prices. I hope you may live long and do well. Yours respectfully. Z. S. Weaver. Courtney, Tex. Gents:— 1 received the " HigglnsvlUe Smoker " all O. K. It's a dandy: please find enclosed stamps for another. Yours truly. Otto Enders, Oswegathe, N. Y. Gentlemen:— 1 have bought Supplies from nearly all the large manufacturers by the car- load, and 1 must sa.v yours are as good as the best. Indeed, in many lines they are the best. It is a pleasure to handle them. E. T. FIjANagan, BellBVlUe, Illinois. The above unsolicited testimonials are a fair sample of hundreds we receive. Our prices are reasonable and the " Hlgginsvllle Goods " are the best. Tbe " Hi^ginsville " Goods are for sale by the following parties : Chas. H. Thies. Steelville, 111. E. T. Flanagan. Belleville, 111. Henry L. Miller, Topeka. Kans. E. A. Seeley, Bloomer, Arkansas. J. W. Rouse & Co.. Mexico, Mo. P. J. Thomas. Fredonia. Kans. Fulton & Gregg, Garden City. Kans. W. J. Finch, Jr., Springfield, 111. If you need a Carload of Supplies, or only a Bee-Smoker, write tons. Remember, we are here to serve you, and will, if you give us a chance. A Beautiful Catalogue Free. Address, LEAHY MANUFACTURING CO.. HlGGINSVILLE, MO. 49A Mention the American Bee Jiyurnal. PATENT WIRED COMB FOUNDATION Has No Sag In Brood-FrameH Thio Flat-Kottom Foundation Bas No Fisbbon« in the Sarplas Honey. BeinK the cleanest Is usually worked the quickest of any Foundation made J. VAN DEMSEN & SONS, Sole Manufacturers, Sprout Brook Monitromery Co., N. Y. Mention the Amertcan Bee Journal Dadaiit's Foiiiidation iu Cliica2:o ! No other Goods kept here. Send for Prlce-Liet, CHAS, DADANT &. SON, 118 Michigan St., - CHICAGO, ILL. 13Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. ONE MAN WITH THE UNION ^°^i-^^^°^ Can do the work of four men using hand tools, in Ripping, Cutting-off, Mi- tring, Rabbeting, Groov- ing. Gaining, Dadoing, Edglng-up. Jointing Stutf, etc. Full Line of Foot and Hand Power Machinery Sold on Trial. ('atiilo:;ue Free. SENECA FALLS MFG. CO., 46 Water St., SENECA FALLS. N. Y lAly Mention tlic American Bee Journal. BEES, QUEENS, and Several Carloads of APIA.RIAN SUPPLIES always on hand. Brood Found., 4'3c lb. ; Section, oOc lb. I. J. STRINGHAM, 105 Park Place. NEW YORK, N.Y. ^i^^^^^^^i t^^^^^^^^^^ ¥^^5^ That Glueen-Clipping Device Free ! Couldn't Do Witbout It. I have clipped IS queens, and must say the Monette Queen-Clipping Device is by far the best invention ever made, and will be wel- come to many bee-keepers as it was to me, I could not do without one now. Db. Geo. Lacke, Newburgh, Ind, Works Like a Charm. The Monette Queen-Clipping Device works LIKE A CHARM. With it I have clipped 30 queens, all in one day, when examining my bees. Wm. SiOLLEy, Grand Island, Nebr. PLEASE READ THIS OFFER TO PRESENT SUBSCRIBERS : Send us jnU o)w 7tew name for the American Bee Journal a year (with $1.00), and we will mail you the Queen-Clipping Device fkee of charge. Or, the Queen-Clipping Device will be sent postpaid for .50 cts. But why not get it as a Premium by the above offer ? You can't earn 50 cts. any easier. Almost every bee-keeper will want this Device. See page 130 (Feb. 37) for full description of it. Complete directions accompany each one sent out. It is a most ingenious and useful article. Address, GEORGE W. YORK & CO., llSiMichigan St., Chicago, 111. Qcj;)Gral \\crr)s^ Outlook for an Old-Time Honey- Year. Never in all my bee-keeping experi- ence have I seen the bees in as tine a condition as they are at this date. Hives are full of brood and young bees. Fruit- bloom has been immense. The bees have had a chance to work every day since spring commenced. I am sure I will have swarms the first week in May, and heretofore I never had a swarm be- fore May 30. The outlook is good for an old-time honey-year. Chauncey Reynolds. Fremont, Ohio, April 30. A Beginner's Report. I built a new bee-repository last fall, 10x10 feet, with 28 inches filled with sawdust. It is close to my shop, so the door into my repository opens Into the shop on the north side. Once a month I opened the door for 15 or 30 minutes for ventilation. I took the bottom-boards off all but one hive, and raised it one iDch ; its colony came out the best of all, but the rest are iu good condition. On Nov. 21, 1895, I put in 14 colo- nies, and April 10, 1896, I took out the 14, all in good condition. I have one colony of leather-colored Italians, five of 5-banded, three of 3- banded, and five of our own native bees. I started last year with five colonies; had two natural swarms, and divided the rest. I bought four queens, and reared four. I use the Langstroth hive. Cakl Taylok. Harrowsmith, Ont., April 23. A Robbing Experiment, Etc. The result of an experiment I have just completed is as follows : Two weeks ago yesterday, I opened the hive of a colony of bees that I knew were very weak, and found that there were not more than enough bees to cover a space six inches square, but as they had a very nice queen and a hive full of honey, I closed them up again to see if they would not build up in numbers as soon as the weather was warm enough for them to rear brood. There were eggs, but no brood in the hive. About five hours later I found the hive in an uproar with rob- bers. I gave them a good smoking, and as soon as the bees stopped coming out and started in again, I closed up the hive tight, and did not open it again for two days. In a very little while they were robbing as badly as before, and when I thought the hive had as many robber-bees in it as there were likely to be at any one time, I closed it up again, and kept it closed six days, until no bees were flying about the outside of the hive, and then opened it in the morning, and those robber-bees came quietly out, and went to work bringing in pollen, guarding the hive, and so on, just as though they were hatched and reared in that hive. This morning I found sealed brood and eggs, and brood in all stages, and three or four times as many bees as when I looked it through before. I have 23 colonies out of 28 last fall, 15 unusually strong, 5 of f»ir strength, and 3 weak. I wintered them by put- ting all the hives but three on the south side of a tight board-fence, with a can- 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 331 BUY "DIRECT FROM FACTORY," BEST M*IXED PAINTS At WHOlrESALE PRICES, Delivered FREE For Houses, Barns, Roofs, all colors, and SA\"K Dealers profits. In use ."i-t years. Endorsed by Orange & Farmers' Alliance. Low prices will surprise you. Write for Samples. 0. W. 1 NGERSOLL, 239 Plymouth St. , Brooklyn , N. V. 1 2 A 1 3 Mtntimi. uie American Bet Jourtuii We have killed hiph prices. Give me a trial order and be convinced that good Queens can be reared for 50 cts. each. Untested, 50 cts.; Tested, 75 cts. Golden Italians. 3-Banded I- talians, and Silver-Gray Carniolans, all the same price. Best of References given. C. B. BAIVK.STOIW, 13Atf CHRIESMAN, Burleson Co., TEX. Menuc'it ,'.»vf. A>vjf^'vcan Bee Jcv/rnal, ft - - _ -Mi H 7 ■ ^ \ ■ ( ■ ■ -: =; =: '■^ =^ =:: = ^ •J & fa fesi ^. fe bs S m 3K "^ te fe b^ y b BETTER TH^N 16 TO I. We are constructing 14 miles of fence for a Michi- gan railway. As an inducement to sell right of way. farmers were given choice of fences. All but ttVPO preferred the Page. . An elastic fence supported by such solid lat-ls is invincible. PAGE WOVEN WIRE FFNCE CO . Mrian.l^s'^^. When Answering this advertisement, Mention this JouRNAt- A New Method uf refining wax without acid. Result Better Comb Foundation. My prices are also the lowest. A Job-Lot of No. 2 Polislied Sections Equal in finish to anv No. I's. 1 M. $1.75; 2 M $3.40; :iM,.Jt.SO: 5 M, $7.50. Or I can furn- ish a cheaper quality. Also, a full line of HIOGIi\SVIL,L.E ISl!PPL,IES. See my List with prices. :5 W. J. FIMCH, Jr., ^''^^l^ilf^^" ^ IF YOU WANT THE BEE-BOOK That covers the whole Apicuitural Field more completely than any other published, send $1.25 to Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont, Calif., for his Bee-Keeper's Guide. Liberal Discounts to the Traiie. % California If you care to know of its Fruits, Flowers OUmate or Resources, send for a Sample Copy of California's Favorite Paper— The Pacific Rural Press The leading Horticultural and Agricultural paper of the Pacific Coast. Published weekly, handsomely illustrated, (3.00 per annum. Sample Copy Free. PACIFIC RURAL, PRESS, 220 Market St., - SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. TEXAS QUEENS. If you are in need of Queens, let me have your^order. Prlce-Llst Free. 8A26t J. D. GIVENS, Lisbon, Tex. litmmtm. the American Bee Jour%ak vas awning over it, as close together as they would go, and two rows deep, the lower row on the summer stand, which is two 2x4 scantings on posts 15 inches high ; no packing of any sort. The hives I left out are single-walled ; I made no change in them at all, and the bees in them came through as well as any. Those I lost were too weak to keep warm. By the way, the next day after the last cold snap this spring, I brushed all the bees, including the queen (of the hive referred to at the first of this letter), off the frames on the ground, thinking they were frozen to death, and then when the sun shone on them, and they began to crawl about, I gathered them up again and put them back into their hive. I think the bees are getting all the stores they are using, as I have had hard work to use up the frames of honey from the five hives from which the bees died, and in order to use the last two frames, I took out one frame of brood and shook all but two or three bees on each side of it off, and put it into one of the three weak colonies ; they at once killed and threw out their queen. What was the matter ? If I had left any bees on the frame, I should lay it to them. One of the colonies I lost was a case of foul brood ; they were of medium strength. I killed their queen, put the bees into another hive with a weak col- ony and no brood, extracted the wax, and made a bonfire of the frames, hive, top, bottom and all. The colony I united the bees with, have sealed brood now, with no sign of foul brood, and there is not a trace of it in any of my other hives. This spring is the most favorable for bees we have had here for at least six years. E. L. Ddnham. Greeley, Colo., May 2. A Stingless Joke. One of as old a bee-men as we have here was with mo looking at my bees, and one dabbed him on the cheek. He pulled out the sting, turned to me, and said : "That will he a drone ; it lost its sting." And I could not convince him that he was not right. Pollock, Mo. Andrew Cotton. The Wintering Problem. Having just passed my fifth experi- mental year in wintering bees, I will briefly rehearse my method of prepara- tion and report results. In the fall, about the time the brood is hatched, I examine every colony I in- tend to winter, taking out every frame, and making a careful estimate of the amount of honey. If any colony is short of. 30 pounds, I feed sugar syrup — not percolated — until they have fully that amount. This insures them honey enough till the flow commences in the spring. My observation teaches me that colonies with plenty of stores in the hive. In the spring, will build up faster and be stronger than colonies with scanty stores, and fed to stimulate them. I know I should have better courage for labor, with my cellar and granary filled with a competence, than I should to de- pend on small items coming in from un- certain and unknown sources. Is it not so with bees ? Living from hand to mouth is not Indicative of prosperity. My bees build up well and early, always ready for early fruit-bloom. They know nothing about spring dwindling, neither do I, except what I read in the journals. Before feeding in the fall, I see that every colony is strong in bees. This I secure by uniting. Last fall I reduced 43 to 20 colonies, thus saving all my bees. I winter them on the summer stands, putting an outside case over every hive, packing the enclosed space with planer- shavings, or some other dry, porous sub- stance. Over the frames I place a dry, porous cushion. I placed a sealed cover (that is, if the bees would seal it) over a few of the colonies ; I see but little dif- ference in their condition, but would give the preference to the porous cush- ions. I leave the entrances open, shaded by a board leaning against the hive. From the 12th to the 16th of this month I examined every colony, finding every one strong in bees, with ample stores, seeing either a queen or capped brood in every colony. My bees are now working finely, bringing in natural pol- len. As far as I learn, in this and adjoining towns, losses range from 25 to 100 per cent. J. P. Smith. Sunapee, N. H., April 25. Bees Have Done Well. Bees have done well the last two weeks, but it is getting dry now. I have 82 colonies, two being stolen about a month ago. I don't think they are doing very well. I got a little over 1,000 pounds of honey last year from 30 colo- nies— about one-third comb honey, and the balance extracted. L. V. MiLLIKAN. Spiceland, Ind., May 6. Poor Season in Australia. This season was a very poor one in Australia. The Australian Bee-Bulletin reports few bee-keepers doing first-rate. But I don't hear of anybody in Queens- land having much surplus this season, even our leading bee-keeper — H. L. Jones, inGoodna — wrote that he has had terrible trouble in queen-rearing this season. E. Hansen. Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. Sweet Clover Hay — A Correction. Owing to pressing business, I had lately somewhat neglected reading the American Bee Journal, and thus was not aware of the request to state as to the amount of sweet clover hay I had made, it being understood by some that I had 200 tons of it, and to tell how to treat sweet clover for hay. Dr. Miller, on page 259, has it right. I have never said that I had 200 tons of sweet clover in one year, but of hay of all kinds. The entire area I have in sweet clover is about 10 acres, of which but 6 acres were cut but once, giving me about 20 tons of hay. I think that I fully explained in my article on sweet clover, how it should be treated when used for hay. (See page 806, for 1895.) Also Mr. John Mc- Arthur, on page 243, describes cor- rectly how it should be treated, and those interested can read it there. I gather all my hay with a hayloader, which is the most economic way of securing it, particularly clover. So as not to lose the leaves, the cured melilot. 332 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. May 21, 4 f 4 •5- Abbott's Space. Sections as low as the lowest for good goods. Send for Circular and say what you want. Special Agent for G. B. Lewis Co.'s goods. Write for prices E. T. Abbott. St. Joseph, Mo. The " St. Joe " stands at the top. Dovetailed Hives very cheap. Dadant's New Process Foundation at Dadant's prices, wholesale and retail. SECTIONS CHEAP! ^ ^ ^ In order to reduce stock we will sell 40,000 4Jix4jfx'2 40,000 4}ix43€xl 15/16 250,000 4^x4^x1% 150,000 4Kx4}ixl% 80,000 4iix4Mx7-to-ft, Of our No. 2. One-Piece. Open-Top Sections, at the following liOW Prices: 1,000 for $1.00 ; 3,000 for $2.50; 5,000 for $3.75. These Sections are all of good quality and manufacture, and prices will be maintained for a short time only. G. B. LEW^IS CO., WATERXOWPf, WIS. ^P~ Be sure to mention the American Bee Journal when you write, _^ Sweet Clover n Canada. At the following prices : 5 lbs. 10 lbs. 2.5 lbs. 50 lbs. $1.00 $1.60 $.3.75 $7.25. Also a quantity of Motherwort and Catnip seed. Prices on application. EGOS for Hatching. Buff Leghorns. In- dian Games, Ix. Light Brahmas. Choice Birds. A breeder for 30 j*ears. Prices on application JOHN ITIcARTHUR, 881 Tonge Street. - TOKONTO, ONT. loAtt mtvtUynthe American Bee J mima^ J. W. TAYLOR -HAS THE BEST- Italiaii dueejis for Sale Untested, ready now, 75c. apiece: 6 for $4.25, or 12 for $8.00. Tested. $1 .25. Select Tested, best, $2.00. Pay for Queens on arrival. 1 guarantee safe arrival and satisfaction. 14A9t OZAN, ARK. WHEfi ANSWERING THI9 AOVERTISEMENT, MENTION THIS JOURNAL- Hoiiey-Clovers & Buckwheat SEED FOR SALE. We have made arransrements so that we can furnish seed of several of the Clovers and Japanese Buckwheat, by freight or e.T- press. at the following prices, cash with order: 5B) 101b 25a 50tti Alslke Clover $.70 $1.25 $3.00 $5.75 Sweet Clover 75 1.40 ,^.25 6.00 White Clover 1.25 2.00 4.50 8.00 Alfalfa Clover .65 1.10 2.70 5.00 Crimson Clover 55 .00 2.00 3.50 Jap. Buckwheat... .20 .35 .90 1.25 Prices subject to market changes. Add 25 cents to your ordei-, tor cartage, if wanted by freight. Your orders are solicited. GEORGE W. YORK & CO.. CHICAGO, ILLS. AWAY UP IN the air the cirrent is strong and powerful. We have the mill tha will utilize it to best advanta^f . and our four cornered double braced steel tower will hoM it* there. Perfe ct 1 y galvanized.^ Many sizes. Only one qualitv— ^ THE BEST. Tanks. Shelier-, Cutters. PiimpH, Horse Powers. ,Vr. - Write fo^iUu^tr't'dcataIogue,FREE --«, CHALLENGE WIND MILL & FEED MILLCOJ BATAVIA, ILLINOIS, No. 18 Kiver tStreet!// HenitUni tin: .-imcriotit [ice Joumjifi Fnr t^alD home, apiary, rui jaiK —QUEENS Yi Block of ground, some fruit, good 6-room dwelling, shop, stable, honey-house and poul- try-house [over 3.000 square feet of floor]. 100 colonies of bees in chaff hives and fully equipped for comb honey, all in town of 1000 population and g'ood alfalfa range and good water. Price. $3,000. If unsold' June 15th, will unqueen, and offer 2 year clipped queens at 25c.; 1 year, undipped, at 50c. each. July 15th and after, ynuNG queens at 60c. each- all Italian and safe arrival cuaranteed. This is a rare bargain, but I must g:et my wife to a lower altitude. Book your orders at once if you want these queens. 19Atf R. C. AIKIN, liovelaiid, Colo. Promptness Is What Counts ! Honey-Jars, Shipping-Cases, and every- thing: that bee-keepers use. Root's OoodH ac Root's Prices, and the best shipping point in the country. Dealer in Honey and Beeswax. Cata- tirLalA.e. Walter S. Ponder INDIANAPOLIS. IND. !U^e7ttion the American Bee Journal queens for Saleiir Italian Queens— after May 15— (Jntested, 75c. each; 6 for 14.00; 12 for $7.20. Safe arrival and satisfaction guaranteed. Reference — George W. York & Co. Address, F. GRABBE, LIBKRTYVILLE. ILL., Mention uie Am£rican Bee Jmvrnal. We have a large amount of Pure No. 1 Alfalfa we will sell cheap. Wax Wajited. RAtftt ho^ ^tt^Qno Warranted the best, sim- DUNO Uet;-tjSld[PC plest and quickest Escape on the market. Sent postpaid to any address lor 30 cts. It can be returned at our expense if it is not as represented, or we will send the Kscape on trial to any bee-keeper wishing- to test it in g-ood faith. We are agents for the Ferguson Patent Hive rul>'erlZ'l^[o?e'^ Gale Honey- Board, with the Escape. It is the easiest, quickest hive to handle for the pro- duction of comb honey. Address, K. S. I.OVESY Sl: CO., 355 6th East St., SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH. Wentton Wi« American Ber JowrHOi. 9Atf BEGINNERS. BesrinnerB should have a copy of the Amateur Bee-Keeper, a 70-page book by Prof. J. \V. House. Price 25 cents; if sent by mail, 28c. The little book and the Progressive Bee-Keeper (a live, pro- gressive 28-page monthly journal) one year, 65c. Address any flrst-class dealer, or LEAHT MFG. CO., HigginsviUe, Mo. I make a full line of to-date 'ies Canada "^ at rock-bottom prices. Send for mj- an- nual Circular. A 12-inch Koot Fdu. Mill in good order, 2nd hand, at a bargain for either Wax or Cash. Address, W, A. CHK¥!i>L.ER, Cbatham, Out. 19A4t Mention the American Bee JoumaL or sweet clover hay, must not be brittle when taken, and on hot days only part of the forenoon and the latter part of the afternoon is the proper time to work it. The more freely salt is used on each layer of hay, the better it will keep, and the better stock will relish it. We have had glorious rains thus far, fully 9 inches since March 23. I con- sider my bees now fully "out of the woods," and have no winter losses nor fatal spring dwindling to report. I have two extra combs with honey still in reserve for each colony, should a late frost kill fruit and other bloom. I have a considerable amount of motherwort, matrimony-vine and catnip growing, which is of great help to the bees. The hardest and most critical time for my bees comes in June, but ends as soon as alfalfa, and in particular sweet clover, begins to bloom. Wm. Stolley. Grand Island, Nebr., April 28. Not a Flattering Prospect. The prospect so far for a crop of honey is not flattering. The bees gath- ered but little honey from fruit-bloom, on account of the high winds that pre- vailed during the bloom, although they appear to be in a healthy condition. There is a fine prospect for white clover, and we may get some honey from that. Jas. W. Williams. Appleton City, Mo., May 1. Helping' the Honey Market, Etc. The excellent and sensible article of Mr. Abbott, on page 273, needs no comment from me, but some things will bear being said over and over again. One of the ideas that many bee-keepers need to get out of their heads as soon as possible, is that "honey is honey." Honey isn't honey by a long shot in the way that is meant generally by that ex- pression, that is, that all honey is alike, and that it makes very little difference what kind of stuff you put on the mar- ket as honey, only so you can honestly say it was stored by the bees. Particu- larly is this true of extracted honey. While it may be true that a large part of the public can't tell onekind of honey from another, and don't know when a poor article is palmed off upon them, yet they do know that they don't greatly relish it, and, thinking thai all honey is alike, they conclude they don't care for honey, and so don't buy any good or bad. If I may be allowed to judge from what I have seen at various times, I should say that three-fourths of the ex- tracted honey put on the market never should have been offered as an article for the table. But extracted honey thoroughly ripened and properly cared for will make a market for itself, with anything like a fair chance. That Report. — On page 280, the editor tries to lick into shape a report that some illiterate person had succeeded in getting into print. If the editor had stopped to consider how the feelings of the budding writer might be all torn up by such editorial criticism, the said edi- tor would have kindly taken the said writer by the hand and asked him whether he meant exactly what he said. Lest the youthful writer may be so utterly crushed by the remarks made, that he will make no attempt at reply, it may be a charitable act on my part to 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 333 The Bee-Reepers' Guide: Or Manual of the Apiary, By Prof. A. J. Cook. This 15th and latest edition of Prof. Cook's magnificent book of 460 pages, in neat and substantial cloth binding, we propose to give away to our present subscribers, for the work of getting NEW subscribers for the American Bee Journal. A description of the book here is quite un- necessary—it Is simply the most complete sci- entific and practical bee-book published to- day. Fully illustrated, and all written in the most fascinating style, The author is also too well-known to the whole bee-world to re- quire any introduction. No bee-keeper is fully equipped, or his library complete, with- out "The Bee-Keeper's Guide." Given For 2 "SeMi Siib§criber$. The following offer is made to present sub- scribers only, and no premium is also given to the two new subscribers -simply the Bee Journal for one year : Send us Two New Subscribers to the Bee Journal (wiih $t2.00), and we will mall yon a copy of Prof. Cook's book free as a premi- um.' Prof. Cook's book alone sent for$l.'.i5, or we club it with the Bee Journal for a year —both together for only $1.75. But surely anybody can get only 2 new subscribers to the Bee Journal for a year, and thus get the book as a premium. Let everybody try for It. Will you have one ? GEORGE W. "iOKK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS. A Bar?ain-EARLY QUEENS. 119 Colonies Italian Bees in Chall Hives: two acres land: good house: excellent well. Early Queens— Tested, $1.00 ; Untested, 50c. Meut by relurii mail. E. 1a. cakkington, 16Atf PETTUS. Bee Co., TEX. Reference— 1st National Bank of Beeville. Mention the A merican Bee Journal CARLOADS Of Bee-Hives. Sections, Ship- ping-Cases. Comb Foundation, and Everytliin^ used in the Bee-Industry. I want the name and address of every Bee-Keeper In Anier- ■ lea. No reason why you can- not do business with me. I have Cheap Lumber and Experienced Workmen ; a good Water- Power Factory and hnow how to run it. 1 am supplying Dealers as well as consumers. Why not you? Send for Cata- logues, Quotations, etc. IV. H. PUTNAM, IE Hiver Falls, Pierce Co.. Wis. Mtnitioii the jlinericoM Bcc Jounmi^ Pasre & Lyon Mfar. Co., ^►New London. Wis., operates two saw- mills that cut, annually, eight million feet of lumber, thus securing the best lumber at the lowest price for the manufacture of bee-keepers' supplies. Tiiey have also j ust completed one of The Largest Factories, ^^and have the latest and most improved machinery tor the manufacture of Bee- Hives, Sections, etc., that there is in the State. The material is cut from patterns, by m.aehlnery, and is absolutely accurate. For Sections, the clearest and The Whitest Basswood ^^l8 used, and they are polished on both sides. Nearness to pine and basswood for- ests, and possession of mills and factory equipped with best machinery, all com- bine to enable this firm to furnish the best goods at The Lowest Prices, ff ^^For instance, it has a job lot of 200. 00» No. 3 Sections that will be sold at 50 cts. per 1,000; or 3,000 Snow-White Sections will be sold for $4.00, and larger quanti- ties at still lower prices. Send for Circu- lar and see the prices on a full line of supplies. lOAtf Mention Vie A.mer1can lice Journal. make some attempt at explanation for him. Here is the item that drew the editorial fire : "My bees were taken out of the cellar in fine shape March 20. Only 2 dead out of 157 ; but a lot more may die be- fore June." Upon this the editor remarks: "We should presume their 'shape' shouldn't change much during the win- ter," It may not be amiss to remark to thg critical editor that it is well to do as proQiptly as possible anything that one " should " do, and if he felt any obliga- tion to presume why didn't he at once presume without saying he should do so. "He probably meant" "We pre- sume ;" and it is possible that instead of "shouldn't change," he meant " wouldn't change." " Why don't people say what they mean ?" As to the change of shape, experience shows too often that bees undergo a very decided change of shape in the course of the winter. They go into the cellar slender in for'n, but if they winter poorly, they come out with abdomens of aldermanic proportions, so whether their shape "should" change or not, as a matter of fact all too often it does change. If the statement had been made that the bee-keeper lost two out of three of his bees, the editor would probably have understood that two-thirds of his bees were dead, and in the same way he should understand that " 2 out of 157" means 2/157, or that 2 out of every 157 bees died. "But then, he says he put in only 157 bees." I think, Mr. Editor, he says nothing of the kind. Indeed, he says nothing about the number of bees he put in the cellar, whether he put them in at all, or whether they flew in of their own accord. He only says that for every 157 bees 2 died. Now, Mr. Editor, if there is anything that isn't entirely clear to you in this statement, don't hesitate to ask any questions you like. I'm used to answer- ing questions. It isn't necessary to en- close a stamp with questions. Marengo, 111. C. C, Miller. [Yes, there are two or three questions we'd like to ask, but we don't know whether it is entirely safe to do so. But we'll take our chances. Doctor, how does it come that you take such an in- terest in the feelings of the " Illiterate " "budding writer" you refer to? It seems to us that any "charitable act" you may feel like doing, could be more profit- ably placed. We'll not ask any more questions just now, but wait until we can "take you by the hand," and ask them, for then it will not be necessary for either of us to use stamps. By the way, the one question we have asked, you need not answer ; simply think it over, and have your answer ready to " hand " to us when we have you "by the hand." — Ed.] Xoroiito Convention Report has been issued in pamphlet form, and will be mailed from the Bee Journal office for 25 cents. Better have a copy, if you have not read it. Only a limited number of copies were bound. ; CUD ^^^ ZZJ — •i- Money Saved is Money Gained. <■• THE ROYAL MM Life Insurance Company DES MOINES, IOWA. The Iowa Policy Is one that definitely promises to keep an accurate account with you ; credit your premiums and interest, charge the actual expense and mortuary cost, and hold the remainingr funds subject to your order. AgeiitM AVaiited. JOHN B. KING, General Agent. Suite 513 First Nat'l Bank BId'g. 20Atf CHICilnO, II,!,. Mention tlie American Bee Journal.- ma ^ 90 Swo^l D X -*■ I— ■! en rn _H c o pro r •a '~^-a£es, bound lin French seal, limp, with perfectly flexible _ backs. Sent prepaid. Regular price. $1.50; our price, $2 25. Or we club It with the Bee Journal tor one year— both for only $.'.75; or we will give this fine Bible free as a premium to anyone sending 4 new8i[btirrlbers to the Bee Journal one year (with $4.00). No additional premium is given the new subscribers— simply the Bee Journal one year to each of them. GEOBGE W. YORK & CO., - CHICAGO, ILLS. Please Send TJs the Names of your neighbors who keep bees, and we will send them sample copies of the Bee JotJBNAL. Then please call upon them and get them to subscribe with you, and secure some of the premiums we oflfer. 334 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. May 21, FULL COLONIES Of Italian Bees for $4.00. Are worth twice the money. Queens bred from fine imported mother. Lang-stroth frames: 10-trame hives. All combs built on foundation in wired frames and perfect. Can't possibly break down in shipment. 1 have been lieeping- bees as a spe- cialty for man.v years, and wish to retire from business. A rare chance to get superior colo- nies cheap. No circular. Send the price and get your bees. See the followiog from Mr. T. C. Potter. Indianapolis, Ind. : "April 2l6t, 1896. Mr. T. H. Kloer. Dear Sir:— The colony of bees came last evening. It is perfectly satisfactory. In fact, I have bought bees off and on for 15 years, and do not know that I ever have ourchased a nicer colony at the time of year, or for such a moderate price 1 found the queen readi- ly. The bees were very gentle, not one offer- ing to sting. So I fancy I have a gentle strain —just what I wanted. Now I thank you very much for giving me ag-ood colony for so small a price, and for packing them so that they could be opened up so readily If any one wants recommendation, refer to me." Address, T. H. KL.OER, 426 Willow St., TEKRB HAUTE, IND. 20Atf Mtnllon the American Bee Joirnal. ^Sections & Foundation Reduced.:^ I am now selling Root's best polished SEC- TIONS at $2.50 per 1.000: 2,000 for 1450: 3,000. $6.4.5; .i.OOO. $10.00. The New Weed Process Coiub Foundation reduced 3c. per pound. See prices on page 1 1 of our Cat- alogue, or The A. I. Root Co.'s M. H. HVXT, 19D4t BELL BRANCH. MICH. Mention the American Bee Jouniai, Cheapest, Ist-Class, 60 cents Smoker, 2-inch flre-pot, bent nose, and all the new improvements— a genuine Bingham. Has pleased every one for 15 years. Per mail, 60 cts T. F. Bingham, Farwell, Ifllch. 230tf Mention the American Bee Journal. New England Supply Depot ! You can get the most complete Bee-Hive, also other Supplies, at— H. Al.IiGV'S, Room 3, 82 Water St., - BOSTON, MASS. ISDtt Mention the American Bee JowniM. W. H. BRIGHT'S CIRCULAR FOR 1896, describes everythinc needed In the apiary. Bees, Queens, Hives, Sections, Spraying Pumps, and Bright's Comb Foundation, sold at bottom prices. Send for one free. Wm. H. BRIGHT, 17D4t MAZEPPA, MINN. Mentkni the American Bee >pi/,T"i>;r. Hives & Combs For Sale. 45 10-frame Langstroth Hives, two-story, for extracting, as made and sold by T. G. New- man. These are empty— no frames— are well paicted. and have been kept in the bee-house. Price. 75 cents each. Also, 400 Brood or Extracting Combs for the above hives ; they have the triangular top-bar as made by Newman. They are clean and in good condition. Price, $15.00 per 100. I would take $85.00 for the whole lot of Hives and Combs. Reference— American Bee Journal. IV. C. I,YMAIV, 20Atf BOWNER'S GHOVE, ILL. When Answering thib Advehtisement, Mention this jouhwil. MUTH'S HONE'S' EXTRACTOB PERFECTION Cold-Blast Smokers, !« and Qiieen-ICearin;;. — If you want to know how to have queens fertilized in upper stories while the old queen is still laying below ; how you may safely introduce any queen, at any time of the year when bees can fly ; all about the different races of bees ; all about shipping queens, queen-cages, candy for queen- cages, etc. ; all about forming nuclei, mul- tiplying or uniting bees, or weak colonies, 3tc. ; or, in fact, everything about the queen-business which you may want to know — send for Doolittle's " Scientific Queen-Rearing " — a book of over 170 pages, which is as interesting as a story. Here are some good offers of this book: Bound in cloth, postpaid, $1.00 ; or clubbed with the Bee Journal for one year — both for only $1.75 ; or given free as a premium for sending us three new subscribers to the Bee Journai. for a year at $1.00 each. Bee-Keepers' Pliotogi-apli.— We have now on hand a limited number of ex- cellent photographs of prominent bee-keep- ers—a number of pictures on one card. The likeness of 49 of them are shown on one of the photographs, and 1'31 on the other. We will send them, postpaid, tor .50 cents each, mailing from the 1'31 kind first ; then after they are all gone, we will send the 49 kind. So those who order first will get the most " faces " for their money. Send orders to the Bee Journal office. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 335 Question;) -Box^ In the multitude of counsellors there is safety.— Prov. 11-14. Spacing Brood-Frames — The Bee-Space. Query 14.— 1. Isl?i inches preferable to IH for brood-frames ? 2. Has H inch for bee-space superseded the old Idea of 'a ?— AM.\TEnR. E. Frauce — 1. No. 2. Not as I know of. Chas. Dadant 2 from center to center, and a great many more 1% from center to center of the frames. I prefer the 1?^ spacing. 2. I prefer 5/ 16 for the "bee-space." $3.00 Worth for $2.00 ! Until further notice, we propose to give you a chance to get some good reading-matter for the long winter evenings, at ball' price. Send us $2.00. ind we will mail you your choice of $2.00 wortb of the following hook- lets, and also cre-lit. your subscription to the American Bee Journal for one year: Poultry for Market and Profit 25c Our Poultry Doctor 30c Turkeys tor Market and Profit 25c Capons and Caponizing _ 30c Ruralljife .• 25c Preparation of Honey for the Market. .. lOo Bee-Pasturage a Necessity 10c Hive I Use, by Doolittle 5c Foul Brood, by Dr. Howard 25c Foul Brood, by Kohnke 25o Foul Brood, by Cheshire 10c Bee-Keeplng lor Profit, by Dr. Tinker 25c Kendall's Horse-Book— Eng. or German.. 25c Silo and Silage, by Prof. Cook 25c Hand-Bookof Health, by Dr. Foote 25c Maple Sugar and the Sugar Bush 35c Potato Culture, by Terry 40c Carp Culture, by Root & Finney 40c Strawberry Culture, by Terry & Hoot 40c Blenen Kultur. by Newman [German] 40c Winter Problem in Bee-Keeping [Pierce] . 50c Bee-Keepers' Directory, by Henry Alley. 50c Advanced Bee-Culture, by Hutchinson... 50c 5 Honey as Food and Medicine 25c GEORGF, ■W. YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS. Book Clubbing Offers. (Read Carefully.) The following clubbing prices Include the American Bee Journal one year with each book named. Remember, that only one book can be taken in each case with the Bee Jour- nal a year at the prices named. If more books are wanted, see postpaid prices given with the description of the books on page 303 Following is the clubbing-list: 1. Langstroth on the Honey-Bee $2.00 2. A B C of Bee-Culture 2.00 3. Bee-Keeper's Guide 1.75 4. Bees and Honey [Cloth bound] 1.65 5. Scientific Queen-Kearlng 1.75 6. Dr. Howard's Foul Brood Book 1.10 7. Advanced Bee-Culture 1.30 8. Amerlkanlsche Hienenzucht [Germ.] 1.75 9. Bieneu-Kultur [German] 1.25 10. Rational Kee-Kceping [Cloth bound] 2.00 11. Rational Boe-Ki'eping[Paportound] 1.75 12. Thirty Years Among the Bees 1.30 13. Bee-Keeping lor Profit 1.15 14. Convention HamlBook. 1,15 15. Poultry for Market and Profit 1.10 16. Turkeys for Market and Profit 1.10 17. Capons and Caponizing l.io 18. Our Poultry Doctor l.io 19. Green's Four Books 1.15 20. Green's Sl.v Books on Frult-Oulture.. 1.15 21. Garden and Orchard 1.15 23. Rural Lite 1.10 24. Emerson Binder torthe Bee Journal. 1.60 25. Commercial Calculator. No. 1 1.25 26. Comme-clal Calculator, No. 2 1.40 27. Kendall's Horse-Book l.io 29. Strawberry Culture 1.20 30. Potato Culture .. 1.20 31. Carp Culture 1.20 .32. Hand-Bookof Health 1.10 33. Dictionary of Apiculture 1.35 34. Maple Sugar and the Sugar Bush 1.20 35. SUo and Silage 1.10 36. Winter Problem in Bee-Keeplng 1.30 37. Apiary Register (lor 50 colonies) 1.75 38. Apiary Register (for 100 colonies) . 2.00 39. Bee-Keepers' Directory 1.30 Honey & Beeswai Market Quotations. The following rules lor grading honey were adopted by the North American Bee-Keepers' Association, and, so far as possible, quota- tions, are made according to these rules: Fancy.— All sections to be well filled ; combs straight, of even thickness, and firmly a.t- tached to all four sides; both wood and comb unsolled by travel-stain, or otherwise; all the cells sealed except the row of cells next the wood. No. 1.— All sections well filled, but combs uneven or crooked, detached at the bottom, or with but few cells unsealed; both wood and comb unsolled by travel-stain or other- wise. In addition to this the honey is to he classi- fied according to color, using the terms white, amber and dark. That Is. there will be "fancy white," "No. 1 dark." etc. CHICAGO. III.. May 16.— We quote: Fancy white, 15c.; No. 1 white. 12(S13c. ; fancy am- ber. 9@J0c.; No. 1 amber. 7@8c. ; fancy dark, 8@i9c.; No. 1 dark. 7c. Extracted, white, 5® 7c.: amber, 4(S5c. : dark, 4(^4 i4c. Beeswax, 30c. The number of sales are tevf. and prices are really nominal. The only activity shown Is in a little fancy comb and beeswa.x. R. A. B. & Co. PHILADELPHIA, Pa., Apr. 22.— We quote: No. 1 white, 9@10c. ; fancy amber, 8(390.; fancy dark, 7@8c. Extracted, white clover, 10c. ; amber, 5(35S4c. ; dark, 4(S4(^c. Bees- wax. 25(^26c. Comb honey is dull. E.xtracted In fair demand. Beeswax lower. W. A. S. BUFFALO, N. Y.. Apr. 20.— We quote: Fancy white, 15@16c.; No. 1 white, 13@14c.; fancy dark, 8(39c.; No. 1 dark. 7@7!4c. Bees- wa.x. 25@2Sc. Trade very dull and honey not moving, except a few fancy lots; anything dark Is hard to sell. B. & Co. CINCINNATI. C. Apr. 22.— There is no fan- cy white comb honey on our market. Best white sells at 12(ai4c. in a jobbing way. with a lair demand. Demand Is good for extracted at 4(^70., according to quality. Beeswax Is in good demand at 25@30c. for good to choice yellow. C. F. M. & S. KANSAS CITY. Mo., May 9.— We quote: No. 1 white, 13c.; No. lamber, lie. ; No. 1 dark, 8c. Extracted, white, 6c.; amber, oc; dark, 4c. Beeswax, 25c. C. C. C. & Co. NEW YORK, N. Y., May 9.— There is some demand for white comb honey at unchanged prices. No market for buckwheat. Extracted remains quiet. New Southern is now arriv- ing and selling at 5@6c. lor fine grades and 50@55c. a gallon for f al? to common. Beeswax easy at 28@29c. H. B. & S. List of Uoney and Beeswax Dealers. Most of whom Quote in this Journal. Cblcago. Ills. R. A. Burnett & Co.. 163 South Water Street. New Vork, N. Y. HiIjDreth Bros. & Segelken, 120 & 122 West Broadway. Chas. Israel & Bros., 486 Canal St. Kansas City, Mo. C. C. Clemoms & Co.. 423 Walnut St. Buffalo, N. ¥. BATTERSON & Co.. 167 & 169 Scott St. Hamilton, Ills. Chas. dadant & Son. Plilladelplila, Pa. Wm. a. Sei-ser, 10 Vine St. Cincinnati, Oblo. C. F. MCTH & Son. cor. Freeman & Central aya. 1 SAVE MONEY '^^^''^l.Ts^^'iUkl ITALIAN QUEENS Fouudatiou at Wholesale Prices, Hives, suited for the South, or SliPPliIES, send for Prlce-List — to J. P. H. mm, ^^cg^sTA, 336 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. May 21, 1896. Bottom Prices BRIKO US BIG TRADE. GOOD GOODS KEEP IT. It you want the best supplies that can be made at a little less cost than you can buy the same goods for elsewhere, write to us for low prices. 1896 Catalogue now ready —ask tor it and a free copy of The Ameri- can Bee-Keeper (36 pages). Address, THE W.T. FALCONER MFG. CO, JAMESTOWN, N. Y. Meiitioti theA.merlcan Bee Journal, COMB FOUNDATION! Wax always wanted for Cash or in Exchange for Fdn. or other Supplies. My trade is estab- lished on Lotv Prices and the merit of my Foundation. Ordetii. filled promptly. ^"WuHKiNG Wax into Fdn. bv thb Lb. a Specialty. Wholesale prices to dealers and larise consumers. Send for Prices and Sam- ples to-«t'S DITTIMEK, AUGUSTA. WIS. Keference— Augusta Bank. lAtf Mention 'he American Bee Jauj-nal. K/kAT^ Prices Reduced wlf vWS fill ofdpr on Dovetail Hives and Sections. A full line of Apiarian Supplies in stock to pi'omptly at lowest prices for Best tJomls. .3 Donaldsonville, La. Paee & Lyon. New London. Wis. John Nebel 4 Son, High Hill. Mo. and many other Dealers. All agree in saying that no goods are better than ours. Those of our customers who formerly bought through Thos. G. Newman can get our Foundation in Chicago, III., by addressing iis at 118 iVIicIiigan Street. We keep no other goods there. We make a specialty of Veils and Veil Stiills of best quality, cotton and silk. " I.A1SGSXROTH OI>J THE HONEY-BEE "—RCTised. Bee-Keepers' Supplies, Smokers, Sections, Tin Pails, etc. Samples of Foundation and Xulle FREK with Circular. Instructions to ^ beginners with Circular. Send us your address. CHAS. DADANT & SON, Mattwn the. American Bte Joumai. HAMILTON, Hancock Co. , HiL. 25c Gash Paid for Beeswax! For all the good, pure yellow BEES'WAX delivered to our office till further notice, we will pay 25 cents per pound, cash ; or 28 cents^for whatever part is exchanged for the American Bee Journal, Books or Seed, that we offer. If you want cash promptly for wax, send it on at once. Dark or impure wax not taken at any price. Address plainly, George W. York & Co., IIS llieliigan St„ Chicago, III. Lower Prices on sectious & M\Mm Improved facilities, increased output, and competition, together with hard times, tend to lower prices. Root's No. 1 White Extra-Polished Sections ^ are superlative in quality, and are now offered for a short time at the following special prices for 4I4X4I4 any stock width: lOOO, «i3.50 ; 3000, !«1.50; SOOO, $0.45; 5000, $il0.4M». Cream Sections of such widths as we have in stock at 2oc per 1000 less than the white. The New Weed Process Comb Foundation ^]% is superior to all others in every way, showing, from recent tests in Florida, five times greater resistance to sagging, making it possible to use a lighter grade with more feet to the pound, with greater safety than with the old process. Owing to decline in wax we reduce price of Foundation 3 cts. a pound. Prices now are: Price per lb. in lots of 1 lb. 10 lbs, 25 lbs. 30 lbs. Heavy or Medium Brood Foundation 44c 43c 42c 40c Light Brood 47c 4tJc 45c 43c Thin Surplus 54e 53c 52c 50c Extra-Thin Surplus 59c 5Sc 57c 55c Lower prices on 100-lb. lots, and dealers supplied at special prices. These wholesale dealers tyho handle Root's Goods In carload lots unite with us in above prices: Walter S. Pouder, Indianapolis, Ind. ; John Nebel & Son, Hig-h Hill, Mo. Joseph. Nysewander, Des Moines, Iowa; Wm. A. Selser, Philadelphia, Pa. M. H. Hunt, Bell Branch, Wayne Co., Blich. ; Geo. E. Hilton, Fremont, Mich. THE A. I. ROOT CO., MEDINA, OHIO. lis micliig^an St., Chicago, III. Syracuse, N. Y. 1024 inis8i§»ippl SI., St. Paul, minn. Itleclianlc's Falls, Maine.. T^uttlisJied Weelilyt at ^1,00 per annum. SampJ© Copy sent on -AppJicaffon, 36tli Year. CHICAG-O, ILL., MAY 28, 1896. No. 22. Cutting Foundation for Sections. BY F. L. THOMPSON. Recently, at the apiary of Rauchfuss Bros., I learned the following plan, "by which I cut 500 full sheets and as many starters as soon as I got home, and think it the best of any I have heard or read of. If any one has a better plan, trot it out. A board t, of % or }i inch lumber, is nailed on the edges of two similar pieces, s s. The resulting space between s and s should be of such a width that the block b just fits it, and the width of this block should be the same as the width of the foundation. The length of the boards and block should not be less than the length of the foundation. Before nailing, lines are drawn across the top board, square with its edges, at intervals equal to the depth of foundation wanted. The figure shows what would be necessary to cut a sheet into five equal parts. These lines are a guide to the proper position for the nails, as shown in the figure. After nailing, saw-cuts are made where the lines are, through the top board and part way down the side boards. The distance down to be sawed is determined by the number of sheets one finds by trial that he can cut through at once. Care should be taken to make the cuts in the side boards at right angles with the level of the top. To use, a number of sheets (f) are laid on the block n, and over them is put the box s s t, which might be called a mitre- box. The left hand presses down the box on the foundation, holding it immovable, while the right hand draws a thin, sharp knife, lubricated with honey, or honey and water, quickly through each of the saw-cuts, employing a single stroke for each cut. One may have, if he wishes, two sets of saw-cuts in the same mitre-box, one set for one depth of sheet, and one for another ; or he may make the cuts closer together, for starters. The advantages are the great rapidity with which the work is done; the cleanness of the cuts, the edges never being torn and ragged ; and the squareness of the sheets or starters. Arvada, Colo. Interesting Experiences in Marketing Honey. BY MRS. BRITTANIA J. LIVINGSTON. What I-know about marketing honey? "That powder has been shot." It made quite a noise, too. My report in Farm, Stock and Home, of finding the whole honey-trade of a large retail store blocked by a few unsightly sections was quoted quite extensively. "I can't sell honey," said the merchant plaintively point- ing to the article that had ornamented (?) his window for months. There were crushed bees still imbedded in the pro- polis that freely stuck to the cholera-spotted sections. The honey itself was of fair quality — the untidy wood surrounding it was repelling. After showing a sample of honey put up on scientific principles, I offered to take his honey off his hands at half price, in exchange for mine. He gladly accepted my offer, and is one of my best customers to-day, being especially partial to honey of a fancy grade. My sales are mostly made to merchants in the little towns within 20 miles. It does not always bring cash, but we never have trouble in exchanging it for family supplies. Many are very successful in traveling with a sample case, and taking orders to be delivered on a certain date, but I think few lady bee-keepers have time for that. The most of us have many other duties, which compel us to market our honey in the most expeditious manner. There is none of us so far from market as they who have nothing to sell. With the most of us there must be months of planning, of sewing, canning and home-making, in order to have the time to give to the bees just when it will tell the best, for honey to market. First, get your honey. Heard something like that before, haven't you ? After you get you honey, then get acquainted with the store-keepers, or rather, make them acquainted with your honey. I can't see where any difficulty should arise against working up a fine home trade. At least I have ne^er found any trouble except from one cause. One year I had several hundred pouuds of dark honey. It was in fine shape, in white, clean sections, and sold on sight at all the stores. But I had not then kept bees long enough to know anything about a black-strap sort of honey. I never saw anything like 338 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. May 28, it until large flax fields were grown here. So we call it " flax- honey." If I am wrong, I beg Flax's pardon. It took two years to outgrow the result of putting that poor stirff on the market. I give this experience to put newcomers on guard, that they may not take this step backward. Another mistake I made was in sending away a sled load of cases, that were just as they came off the hive. The man who settles my bills, when the honey fails— in return for which I settle many of his when it don't — he offered to take a load to W. city to see what he could do with it. We carefully chose full supers of white, even sections, and both believed that they would carry better in the sleigh if we left them just as the bees had fastened them. One merchant took $50 worth, half store pay, the balance to be cash, paid as soon as he had sold .?25 worth. The merchant wished them left in the supers, as they " took up less room." So the sections were sold by count after he had examined them carefully. Afterward, when pay day came, this gentleman claimed that some of the sections were unfinished — " a few had noth- ing in them." Now, as you cannot afford to quarrel with the the country merchants, or have them dissatisfied in any way with your dealings, never trust a super out of your hands until it is repacked, cleaned, and the honey graded. These are all stumbling-blocks. If you have your honey well in hand I cannot imagine a pleasanter duty than soliciting orders at retail stores or busi- ness houses. No matter what my need may be, from a wheel- barrow to a set of store teeth, I have been able to obtain it with honey, and the other party always acts as if he was get- ting the favor. I seldom meet with unpleasantness in my sales. I re- member one case where I offended a merchant, and he let his displeasure make itself manifest. I had tried to sell him some fine section honey for 15 cents a pound. I had sold several cases readily at that price in other parts of town. He offered me 10 cents a pound. When I refuse.d, he triumphantly brought around a large platter with an immense piece of honey that had been taken from the largest frame I ever saw — or perhaps broken from a barrel. " There," said he, " I can get all the honey I want as nice as that for 10 cents !" It was nice looking honey, sealed over with white cap- pings. While he was talking, customers gathered around, and one man said, "I'll take 25 cents worth of that." I wailed, for I wanted to see the comb under the cappings. As I expected, when the light honey run out, the comb was old brood-comb. "What makes the comb so dark?" said the customer. " Oh, I don't know ; honey is 'most always like that," said the salesman. " Beg pardon," said I, " section-honey is not." The customer asked me why section-honey did not have black comb. " Because the bees never use it to hatch young bees in," said I. I pointed to the broken comb on the platter, and proved it by bee-bread and pollen in some of the cells. I said, " There have been several generations of bees hatched in that comb. I am very fond of eggs, but I never eat a hen's nest. Neither do I fancy bees' nest." An old gentleman, who stood near the plate of honey, be- gan to laugh and joke the merchant about his purchase of bees' nest, while I went to make some purchases in another part of the store, but that merchant has not forgiven me yet. A farm paper, long ago, advised farmers to have a post in a conspicuous place on the road near the house on which to advertise anything they have to sell. We long ago adopted that plan, and "Honey to Sell "leads all the rest. This method brings cash, and has but one objection. It has to be taken in over Sunday, as this country is getting to be quite a famous summer resort, and people "resort" more Sunday than all the rest of the week. And my kind of bees don't gather honey to sell on the Sabbath day. Centre Chain, Minn. Uader-Consumptiou of Honey, Not Over-Pro- ductiou. BY S. B. SMITH. I was very much interested in the communication on page 163, from G. M. Doolittle, entitled, "The Past and Present of Bee-Keeping." Mr. Doolittle has evidently given an honest opinion as he views the situation or condition of the honey market from his stand-point, but we in the West, having a different stand-point, view things quite differently. Mr. Doolittle's mind seems to be burdened with the over-pro- duction theory, that has been so much written upon for the last few years. Let us look at this subject candidly, and with all fairness, and see if over-production is the true cause of the low price of honey. I claim that the word " over-production " is a misnomer. A better word would be " under-consump- tion." Let us look at some of the other products of the soil and see if I am wrong in that opinion. A few years ago, about the beginning of what is called the " hard times," our Minnesota wheat dropped in price be- low the cost of raising It. We were told that the cause of the low price was over-production. At the same time there were not only thousands, but hundreds of thousands, in the United States that were so near starvation that they were fed from soup-houses and bread-counters. A large portion of these destitute people were willing to work for something to eat, but could find no employment. Over-production with hundreds of thousands of people nearly starving — bosh ! Last year, Minnesota had a large crop of wheat, and the price was the lowest that has ever been known in the State. Over-production was again the cry, as the cause of the low price ; at the same time the world's crop of wheat was over 100,000,000 bushels short. Was over-production the cause of the low price? Nay, verily. The price of cotton has declined steadily for some years, but there has been no over-production to cause the deprecia- tion in value. Over-production is not the cause of the low price of the products of the soil, incUidin'g honey, but the scarcity of money in circulation. The farmer is not paid for anything he produces a sufficient amount to pay the cost of producing it. A majority of tradesmen are paid starvation wages; they do not receive sufficient pay to purchase the necessaries of life. Put more money into circulation, so the farmer can receive for his products what it costs to produce them, and pay the laborer a fair compensation for his labor, and this over-production theory will disappear like dew before the sun. Mr. Doolittle says he commenced bee-keeping 27 years ago, and compares prices then and now. I commenced bee- keeping more than 40 years ago, and sold many hundred pounds of honey in those 'o-pound boxes that Mr. D. speaks of, at 25 cents per pound, and now honey put up in much better shape will hardly sell for half of that amount ; but over-pro- duction is not the cause of the decline of price, but under- consumption. Early in life I lived in New Hampshire, and I remember the time when a barrel of flour would last a family one year, and now a family of the same number will consume six or eight barrels. If the laboring class were receiving a fair com- pensation for their labor the consumption of honey would in- crease in the same ratio. Bread is something a man must have ; honey is something he can do without. Honey has not depreciated in value any more than all other products of the soil. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 339 If there is one thinR needed in this country more than another it is a greater degree of brotherhood. Each one of us ought to try to elevate our fellowmen, to raise him to a higher standard. We ought to try to better his condition. Let us discard that over-production theory, and fill the Ameri- can Bee Journal with the sweetness of honey from the honey- comb. Keeville, Minn. Perfection in Wintering Bees. BY C. E. MEAD. I have written on this subject several times before. One man im Minnesota took a colony of bees out of a black-oak root three feet below the ground. A wash-out had exposed and killed that portion in the gully which had rotted off, and the bees had entered the root in the gully, and were a month in advance of bees in hives, their condition always above freezing, and they could fly when the weather would admit. Another man found a colony in a woodchuck or skunk hole. The condition is equally good. Now, these two colonies had all the advantages of cellar wintering and wintering on the summer stands above freezing, and a flight when the weather permitted. I induced a friend, Mr. Crego, of Cook county, Illinois, to make a 3-foot bottom-board with strips extending from the front to the rear. The bees have an exit under the cellar- window, and the hive (which was a 4-frame nucleus) is in the cellar. The strips between the hive and the window are cov- ered with a board 14 inches long, so there is a short tunnel for them to travel to the exit. A drawer under the hive showed when they began to breed, also the amount of dead bees. Mr. Crego says that they began to breed in February, as he found brood-cell cappings at that time. Not a teacupful of dead bees were found during the whole winter. On April 15 there were more bees and honey than in the fall; on May 15, bees and honey in 18 Langstroth frames, and so much honey that it ought to have been extracted. Now, paste this in your hat : Winter your Zjecs in the cellar or under ground, well packed, with an out-door exit. My packed colonies did not use 5 pounds of honey till brood-rearing began, but they have consumed much since then. HOW DO YOU PREVENT SWABMING ? Rear, or buy, young queens, as many as you wish to in- crease. With two-story 8 and 10 frame hives, and 4 or 5 cases of sections on top, hives open all around at the bottom, and ?^-inch thick blocks under each corner, and well shaded, they do not often wish to swarm. But if I think they do, I remove the old hive and place an empty hive with frames full of foun- dation. Into this one-story brood-hive I run all but about two quarts of bees from the two-story old hive, including the old queen. Cut out all queen-cells, and if you have a nucleus with your young queen, in 24 hours take out frames of honey and put her and her bees in, after first breaking the cappings on two or three frames, so the bees will be compelled to fill themselves. Smoke them a little, and place all the section- cases on the new hive. Your swarming is done for the season. Your young queen will fill every empty cell, and an immense amount of young bees will soon fill the hive, and as they have no place to store honey, they will fill two or^ three^^cases of sections in a sweet-clover range. If you wish to increase fast, divide your two-story colony and introduce a young queen to each, giving cases of sections to each. This practice succeeds because of the known fact — o young queen seldom swarms the first year. You gain just 20 days in brood and bees. Ten days is the average time of a queen emerging; ten more before she lays. Now your young laying queen in the other case is laying eggs at the rate of 2,000 per day— a difference of 38,000 bees in favor of division and a laying queen. Now, if you are running single-story 8 or 10 frame hives, and wish to increase double, take the same plan. If but one- half, put two brood-bodies on top of each other, and put in a young queen. If but one-third increase is wanted, place the three brood-bodies on top of each other. If one-fourth in- crease, tier up the four brood-bodies. I clip all of my queens' wings, on one side only, about one- half of the two wings. GETTING BEES INTO THE SECTIONS EARLY. To get your bees into the section-cases early, I find noth- ing like wide frames holding 8 sections 4ji Total consumption 53Ji Average 8.875 which show a consumption of less than one-half by those win- tered in the cellar as compared with those wintered outside, effecting a saving of more than 9 pounds per colony, the ex- act amount saved being 9.175 on each colony. This with the much greater security afforded would seem a sufficiently strong incentive for the housing of bees during winter. Six other colonies wintered in the cellar were weighed in like manner, but are not used for comparison because they were below the average in strength, having been treated for foul brood rather late last season, but as they wintered excel- lently, I give the results here to show how small an amount of honey colonies may require during the winter if well housed. The first two were in two-story Heddon hives, and the others were each in a single story. Wt. Nov. 26, Apr. 14. Loss in wt. 37 Ji 35% 30M 26K 29 Ji 30 Ji 29 J^ 80 24 20 M 25 23K 7% 5% 6M 6Ji 6% Total consumption 37j^ Average 6M The bees in my cellar wintered exceptionally well — better, I think, than they ever did before except when they had sugar stores. Out of about 120 I lost three, apparently from dysen- tery, all the rest except one or two being in excellent heart. They were unusually quiet during the winter, as well as while they were being carried out. I cannot be certain of the exact cause of this, but I surmise that it was the manner in which they were treated. Contrary to what had been the case before, during the past winter the cistern in the cellar was allowed to contain no water, but the hygrometer kept in the cellar indicated the same degree of moisture as during the preceding winter — about 25 per cent, almost complete saturation, but I do not think now any of these conditions had anything at all to do with the well-being of the bees. This raises the question of the agency of moisture in causing dysentery, but when bees winter almost perfectly in an atmosphere well-nigh sur- charged with moisture, it furnishes very satisfactory evidence to me that moisture in itself is not the cause of ill-wintering. Another point in which the bees received somewhat dif- ferent treatment, was in the amount of disturbance they were subject to from frequent visits with a light. Previously they had been visited freely without any compunctions, and dis- turbed by lifting covers, etc., while during the past winter visits were as infrequent and as brief as the requirements of my experiments permitted. I have always been persuaded that such visits and consequent disturbances were not spe- cially harmful, and I am not as yet disturbed in that opinion by this last experience. Still another point is that in former winters I had clung to a habit which took its rise when my cellar was overcharged with bees, which had a tendency to cause the temperature to raise to a higher point than was to my liking, on account of which I fell into the practice at such times of opening a door or window of a night to let the temperature of the cellar run down, and as this seemed to have a quieting effect, I naturally thought it was a good one, but on considering the debilitated state in which many of the weaker colonies came out of win- ter quart&fSi I began to question it, and during the past winter no outside door or window was opened from the time the last of the bees were put into the cellar till the day the first were taken out, and the inner door only when it was absolutely necessary for the purposes already suggested. It was the re- sult of this, as I am now inclined to think, that the weaker colonies — and a few were decidedly weak — wintered as well as the stronger ones. Of course it must not be forgotten that, in an effort to at- tain success in the wintering of bees in a cellar, scarcely less important than sound stores is the temperature of the cellar, and the weaker the colonies, and the raoister the atmosphere, the higher is the temperature required to be to insure success. During the last winter, in my cellar, the temperature was maintained almost uniformly at 45-, running down a degree or two during the coldest periods. For a cellar so damp as that, I now think 45^ best. For a very dry one, 400 might do very well. R. L. Taylor. L. A. Aspinwall — Isn't it possible that the exhalations from the bees, when there were so many, had something to do with the wintering of the bees ? Too many cellars are simply " holes in the ground," from which there is no exit for the carbonic acid gas. Mr. Taylor — The bottom of my cellar is but little below the general level. If the door should be opened, the gas could run out. W. Z. Hutchinson — How about the law of the diffusion of gases ? Mr. Aspinwall — Carbonic acid gas is heavy, and will sink to the bottom of a cellar and lie there as water lies at the bot- tom of a depression in the ground. If there is some opening where it can run out, and the winds drive it about, it becomes mixed with the air, and in that way there is a diffusion. W. Z. Hutchinson — I have often noticed that the bees near the cellar bottom did not winter so well as those that were near the top of the cellar, but I supposed that it was the mat- ter of temperature rather than that of an accumulation of gas. Those at the top are warmer. Mr. Taylor — I am done with out-door wintering, except as a matter of experiment. I have better success in out-door wintering with hives of thin walls than I have with chaff hives. The latter become damp. W. Z. Hutchinson — I have seen bees wintered out-of-doors with the most perfect success. There are two ladies up near Farwell, of whom I have several times bought bees, and they winter their bees out-of-doors with the most perfect success. They pack the hives thickly in chaff, and on top, over the brood-nest, is an opening several inches square, cut through the cover of the packing box, and covered with wire-cloth to keep out mice. Over all is a roof to keep out the storms. They are particular to keep the entrances from becoming blocked up with snow. It seems more pleasant to winter bees out-of-doors. There are some disagreeable features connected with in-door wintering, but, like Mr. Taylor, I have been more successful in wintering bees in the cellar than I have out-of-doors. Mr. Taylor — To what unpleasant features do you refer ? W. Z. Hutchinson — Well, it isn't very pleasant work car- rying them into the cellar and out again. Mr. Taylor — I think I have gotten rid of most of the un- pleasant features. W. Z. Hutchinson — Please tell us about it. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 343 Mr. Taylor — The matter of temperature has much to do with the ease with which bees can be carried into or out of a cellar. If the weather is too cool, it is just as bad as though it were too hot. What might be termed a cool, cloudy day is best. I have the hives pried loose from the bottom-boards, and a block put under the edge of each hive to hold it up. This is done sometime previous, so that the bees may be quiet at the time they are carried down. Tn the cellar the hives are stacked up in single piles. That is, one hive is first set down, then another on top of that, then another, etc. Then, in carrying them out, only the ones in one pile are disturbed at the same time. Sticks are placed on top of the first hive, then the next hive set on these sticks, then sticks put on top of the next hive, and the next hive on top of these sticks. In carrying them out a hive is set down upon a bottom-board, and if the bees show any disposition to leave the hive, the en- trance is closed until the hive is placed upon its summer stand. There is no necessity of rushing all of the bees out at one time, and in that exhausting the strength of the one who does the work. A few may be carried out in the morning, then a few in the evening. The next suitable day, a few more may be carried out, and this can be continued until they are all out. Mr. Aspinwall — With me the loss in weight in wintering bees has been greater in the cellar than in the open air. In open air wintering there is always a chance for the bees to fly if there comes a suitable day. (Concluded next week.) CONDUCTED BY OK. C. C. MILLER, AtARMIfGO, ILL. LQuestions may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct.l Candied Comb Honey — Keeping Ilouey from Candying;. 1. I have some comb honey that is candied, and unfit for table use. How can I best prepare it for fall feeding ? If by heating, how shall I separate the wax from the honey ? 2. How can I keep honey from candying? H. M. S. Answers. — 1. Melt it very slowly. One way is to set it on the reservoir of a cook-stove where it can never reach the boiling-point. Another way is to set it in a pan of water on the back of the stove where the water won't boil, having pieces of shingle, or something of the kind, in the dish of water under the vessel of honey. No matter if it takes sev- eral days to melt it. When cold, remove the cake of wax, and there's your honey. Of course, it will candy again if left long enough. 2. Hardly in any way to be recommended. You can heat it to 1600, and seal ,it while hot in fruit-jars. But if you heat it too much, you'll spoil it. W^et Inside tiic Hive — Couib.L.cvcier. 1. I have had bees only three years, have read up consid- erable, made a great many mistakes, and kniiiv that I have yet to learn a great deal, so I ask for information. I must say that some of your answers, and a great deal of information from the American Bee Journal, have saved me many a dol- lar. About two months ago we bad several weeks of very fine weather, so that the bees reared brood at a fine rate ; for the last month it has been raining most of the time. I now have a hive full of bees, but no brood or honey, so I am feeding several colonies. I have 7 colonies in dovetailed hives with flat covers, and I find part of them very wet inside, so bad that I can scrape the paint off the bottom-boards with a knife. Have you any way to manage to avoid this ? I have one hive shellac-varnished, and the others painted inside. If I can afford it, I will shellac all I make hereafter, and will surely shellac the bottom-boards, and by keeping the hives well slanted to the front, I know that the water will not soak into the wood, but will run out at the entrance. I don't allow any water to get in from the outside, or the bees would have all been drowned long ago. I use a movable shingle roof to each hive. 2. I have seen mention made of a comb-Ieveler made by Mr. B. Taylor. Can you describe it to me, or inform, me the easiest way to get it '? Lbaeneb. Oregon. Answers. — 1. The matter of having trouble from having too much wet from the outside working into a hive is some- thing that has not come within my own experience. At least not from working through the wood, although I've had trouble with cracks in covers, and have found nothing that would so effectually keep wet from coming through cracks as a cover- ing of tin. I wonder if it isn't possible that at least some of the wet that troubled you came from the inside instead of the outside. After I commenced using tin covers I sometimes found the inside of the cover soaked, and great drops standing over it, the moisture coming from the bees themselves. The only remedy I know of for this is to have a fair slant to the hive, and to have a good-sized entrance. 2. It is an arrangement of sheet iron, kept hot by a lamp standing under it, and a section placed upon it is melted down to a certain point determined by a stop. The work is done with great rapidity and with great perfection. Having used it, I can heartily recommend it. Transferring; Bees. Last winter I bought two colonies of bees in box-hives. They are eight miles from my place, so naturally swarming is out of the question. Now, I would like to do one of two ways, viz: 1st. Drive the bees out, a la Heddon, on frames with nar- row starters, with sections on top. Set the boxes alongside, and put the entrances at right angles to the new hives. Turn gradually the old boxes around until the entrances are close to the front of the new hives, and in about a week or ten days remove both old boxes to a new stand, and set one on top of the other. Twenty-one days from the driving transfer to a new hive. 2nd. Drive the bees in box No. 1 on narrow starters, with sections on top, and set new hive on the stand of No. 1. Re- move the good combs to a second new hive, and fill up with foundation. Move box No. 2 to a new stand ; put the second new hive filled with combs and foundation on the stand of No. 2, and furnish a queen for this hive. I could set box No. 2 alongside of this last new hive, but in such a way that the entrance is at right angles to the other, turning the box around gradually until the entrances of both the box and No. 2 are together, then in about a week remove the box to a new stand. After two or three weeks I could transfer the combs and all to a new hive. Which do you think is best ■? Or is there a better plan? I could work all for comb honey, or one for comb and the other for extracting. I will not drive till about the first of June. H. A. Oregon. Answer. — The first thing I should want to do would be to get those bees just about eight miles nearer home. For by the plans laid out, a number of visits will be needed, making much travel. However, there may be special reasons why it is not desirable, and perhaps not possible to move them now, and it may be that other business frequently takes you where the bees are. Either way you mention can be carried out, only it is not a very good plan to transfer a colony late in June with the combs full of brood and honey. Better leave the last job of transferring till next year in fruit-bloom. But you can avoid either way by adopting the first plan, which, on the whole, will probably bo most satisfactory. Tlie Names and Addresses of all your bee- friends, who are not now taking the Bee Journal, are wanted at this office. Send them in, please, when sample copies will be mailed to them. Then you can secure their subscriptions, and earn some of the premiums we have offered. The next few months will be just the time to easily get new sub- scribers. Try it earnestly, at least. 344 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. May 28, PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY GEORGE W. YORK & COMPANY, lis JMfoiig-an St., - CHICAGO, ZLX,. REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS : G. M. Doolittle, of New York. Prof. A. J. Cook, of California. Dr. C. C. Miller, of Illinois. Dr. J. P. H. Brown, of Georgia. J. H. Martin, of California. Rev. B. T. Abbott, of Missouri. Barnett Taylor, of Minnesota. Mrs. L. C. Axtell, of Illinois. Cbas. Dadant & Son, of Illinois. $1.00 a Year— Sample Copy Sent Free. [Entered at the Post-office at ChicaRO as Second-Class Mail-Matter.] VoLfflVL CHICAGO, ILL,, MAY 28, 1896. No. 22. AdTantasfe of a Long Xongue.— The value of tlie bee lies in its tongue, and, as the usefulness of this mem- ber as a honey extractor is supposed to vary with its length, efforts are being made in Prance to develop an improved, or long-tongued, race of bees. The tongue is measured by two methods, says one of our exchanges. M. Charton uses a box having a cover of wire-netting and a slightly inclined bottom ; the bees which reach through the netting and suck sweets from the bottom farthest down the incline being those with the longest tongues. The apparatus of M. Legros is a vessel of sweetened liquid, with a perforated tin-plate cover, which can be adjusted at any desired height above the liquid. Ordi nary bees are found to have tongues with a length of 6.5 millimeters (about one-fourth of an inch), while those of the black French bees reach 9.2 millimeters, and those of the best American bees have a maximum length of 8.73 millime- ters. The colonies whose bees extract syrup from the greatest depths are preserved as stock for reproduction. Apis Dorsata.— Both Gleanings and the Review have recently spoken out quite plainly in regard to the importation of Apis dorsata. Editor Root says this : In view of what some of the correspondents of the Ameri- can Bee Journal have said, a sample of which we give in this issue, and in view of the further fact that Ai)ls dorsata would be of but little or no use to us for the purpose of fertilizing the flora of this country. Gleanings is opposed to any action on the part of the general government for importing these bees to our country. It would involve considerable expense, and very little if any good would result, even if the expedition were successful. Moreover, if money is to be used by the general goverment for the benefit of bee-keeping, it can be much more wisely expended in other ways — for instance, the United States Experiment Station, under the wing of the De- partment of Agriculture ; or a national honey and bee show at Washington would be more acceptable to the mass of bee- keepers. Editor Hutchinson has this paragraph in the May number of his paper : Apis dorsata and its importation has received some atten- tion of late in the bee-journals. A York State Association, seconded by Prof. Cook, is in favor of asking the government to try to import these bees. E. T. Abbott, Dr. C. C. Miller, and H. D. Cutting, in the American Bee Journal, oppose their Importation. It is evident that there is a little prejudice in the matter — some think Mr. Benton is after the job, and they don't want him to get it, as he has not proved himself to be a true man. The only real, fair opposition against the scheme is that we don't know but their importation maybe a mistake. The Australians wanted the rabbits, but they don't want them now. We wanted the English sparrows, but don't want them DOW, neither do we want any more Cyprian bees. The sug- gestion that they be thoroughly tested in their own country before being brought here, strikes me as reasonable. We agree fully with Editor Root, that if the general gov- ernment has any money to spend for bee-keeping, it can do so much more profitably in the directions indicated in the closing part of his editorial paragraph quoted. California Bee-Keepers. — Rambler says in Gleaning.-! that there are over 1,000 bee-keepers in Southern California alone. We have seen the estimate somewhere that there are 3,000 bee-keepers in the whole of that great State. If such is the case, we think we are safe in saying that not one in three of them read bee-papers. We often wonder why they, as well as bee-keepers elsewhere, do not more generally read the bee-papers. Surely, any bee-keeper can well afford one dollar a year — about 8 cents a month — for bee-literature, no matter where he lives. Again, we are often surprised that what is sometimes called the " Bee-Keepers' Paradise " — the wonderful South — takes so little interest in reading literature devoted to bee- culture. But the very portion of our country where one would naturally expect to find the largest proportion of bee-peepers, it seems right there are the fewest readers of bee-literature. Hence it is that scarcely can a bee-paper be successfully pub- lished in that region. They fail to give sufficient support. But with the continual migration of Northern people south- ward, in time that defect will be remedied, and the South will become, as it should be, the greatest bee-couatry in the world, and its apiarists will then read, as do their more northern friends. *-—*■ "California 'Strained' Honey."— Accompa- nying two samples of what was sold for "honey," came thi» letter from Mr. J. H. Wing, of Syracuse, Kans., dated May 14: Mr. Editor : — I send you samples of " California strained honey " that is sold and laid down in our market at a price somewhat less than will buy a good article of pure honey on the Pacific Coast by the carload. Two parties or firms in St. Joseph, Mo., appear to be en- gaged in this business. I take it the article is not honey at all, but glucose brightened with chloride of zinc. The dark sample is several years old, and grows darker with age. The light-colored sample is fresh, and is warranted "not to granulate," and to keep several months. I have sent samples to several persons for the purpose of getting their opinion of the stufif, and assistance in getting suitable laws passed for the protection of producers and con- sumers of honey from competition of such counterfeits. Would you mind giving it a write-up in the " Old Relia- ble," and telling us what you think of it ? I think I will also send samples to some of my friends who are producers and dealers in honey, and reside in California and Colorado, that they may see what is selling on the reputa- tion they have so successfully established for first-class honey. How long will it take to ruin our markets for extracted honey if consumers are supplied with stuff like the samples I send you ? James H. Wing. The samples were received and simply sampled — that was quite enough. We doubt very much if they ever were within ten miles of a bee-hive. Surely, bees would not be guilty of putting up such vile stuff. The dark sample looks more like ordinary cough medi- cine, and tastes much worse. The light colored sample tastes 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 345 pretty much as if it had been "strained " through a dish-cloth — judging from its odor, also. No, sir, Mr. Wing, we don't " mind " giving our opinion of such things in a very plain manner. But what's the good of " opinions" when you have no law to help stop the evil? It does about as much good as a church convention "resolut- ing" against the diabolical saloon, and the members failing to vote against it at every opportunity. What is first needed in both cases — against adulteration and saloons — are prohihitive laws. Then full enforcement. With such procedure, we'll guarantee that both evils would be "cured." And we are ready to help secure both the laws and their proper enforce- ment. We believe right here is a fine opportunity for the Na- tional Bee-Keepers' Union to get in some good work for hon- est honey-producers. It should worli with State and National law-making bodies looking toward the passing of the neces- sary laws against adulteration. Once having the laws, then it could turn its attention and money along the line of their strict enforcement. Every bee-keeper would aid in this work. It is something practical. It 7)iu.sf come before bee-keepers can hope to make the success of honey-production that they are fairly entitled to. Let our watch-word be, Down with honey-adulteritiion '. And every bee-keeper help in the fight to put the tamperers with pure honey where they belong — behind iron bars ! Bee-Keeping and Fruit-Raising:.— Mr. R. Touchton delivered an address on this subject before the California Bee-Keepers' convention held at Los Angeles, in which he said : Yes, I think the honey-bee is a friend to fruit-growers. Some trees and plants require the agency of bees or other in- sects to fertilize and make them fruitful. In fact, I believe that they are a benefit to all flowering trees and plants. I have been informed by good authority that the cherry or- chards of this State became unfruitful after the bees were re- moved from the vicinity, and that they became fruitful again after the bees were brought back for that purpose, and I have read of similar instances East. Where the bees were removed out of a fruit-growing belt, the trees became unfruitful, and the orchardists were glad to get the bees back again. There are some varieties of strawberries that are not self-fertilizing, and require the agency of either the wind or bees to transmit the pollen from those that are self-fertilizing. If they were depending solely on the wind, a great deal of the pollen would waste its sweetness on the desert air. The foot-hills that skirt the valleys of Southern California from Santa Barbara to San Diego — and I presume in many other portions of the State also (but I am only acquainted with Southern California) — should be the homes of bee-keep- ers and fruit-raisers, living together in harmony. Or, what would be still better, every such fruit-raiser should be a bee- keeper, and vice versa. "There are a great many practical bee-keepers who would like to engage in the business if they could live in society and have the ordinary home couiforts, such as they could have along the foot-hills of our valleys, but if they have to go back into the mountains and away from society, they beg to be excused. I have had numerous letters from Eastern bee-keepers inquiring about the business and a chance for investing in it. But when I wrote them the true facts in regard to the business as carried on here now, they were satisfied to stay at home. Therefore, in the face of the existing facts, it is time to come to the front and defend their interests as against the .encroachment and opposition to the fruit-raiser, and adjust the differences existing between tlu'iii if we hope to maintain our position as the banner honey Slate of the Union. " Extra Pages" in one some of the bee-papers that corao to our desk have been such a regular thing lately that we ♦vender that particular attention is called to it. Especially when it occurs that the "extra pages" are caused by putting in a whole lot that either has no bearing on bee-keeping or else has the appearance Of simply filling up. It would be very easy to fill up extra pages in the Bee Journal with good matter, but we believe we give in each number all that can be profitably read. Bee-papers are not to be read like story-papers — simply to pass away the time; but each article should be read slowly and digested, else the time would be wasted, at least for some readers. Then there has been some talk about what color of cover shall be used on some of the bee-papers. Happily the Bee Journal is not troubled with that question. Its " cover " sel- dom changes, so its friends are able to recognize it at all times. But tinted covers are hardly expected on weekly publications. They are an expensive luxury, any way. Natural Stores Preferred, For several years I have kept a record of sugar-fed colo- nies, and I have been slowly forced to the conclusion that, under present conditions, natural stores are the best. Occa- sionally, when honey is of poor quality, sugar stores are the safest ; but such years have lately beeu the rare exception, and our best results, on the average, come from hives heavy with natural stores in the fall. With small brood-chambers a larger proportion of the honey will be stored for market ; but where will be the gain it sugar has to be returned for winter? Even if we grant that it can be fed so early as to promote a sufficient brood-rearing to maintain the normal strength of the colony, the extra amount consumed will more than coun- terbalance the difference in price per pound. The hundreds of tons of honey thus yearly thrown upon the market by the exchange of sugar tor honey must make some difference in present prices— quite likely more than any of us surmise.— P. H. Elwood, in Gleanings. The Mating of Queens. Question.— Do queens of second swarms " mate " before or after they lead out a swarm ? I see one of our " bee-lights " says that " perhaps they may mate before going out with the swarm." Answer.- It any bee-keeper of any prominence puts forth the claim that any queen leading out any after-swarm may mate the drone, or become fertile, before she leads the swarms, it is something I should not expect, and shows that he or she cannot have looked into the matter very thoroughly. I have made swarming and queen-rearing a study for the past 20 years, spending hours, days and weeks upon it; and if any queen was ever fertilized, or even flew out to meet the drone while there were other young queens in the cells, it is some- thing I have never noticed, and something that all of my experiments go to prove never happens. All know that after- swarming comes only from a plurality of queens in the hive, and these queens are always those which have never been out of hive at all, except as they may have gone out with an after- swarm, and been returned by the apiarist. As a rule, during after-swarming, all young queens which would naturally emerge from the cells, except the flrst hatched, are kept in the cells by a guard of bees which feed them through a small opening in the cell, made by the young queen trying to bite the cover off; aand these queens are constantly quawking be- cause they are kept prisoners; and the one which has her liberty is piping back in her enraged sondition— enraged be- cause the bees keep her from destroying these quawking in- mates of the cells. While such a state of things as this is kept up in the hive, no queen has any desire to mate, and no after-swarming is ever conducted except under just such a state of affairs. In one or two instances, where after-swarms had been kept back for several days by unfavorable weather, and where only one queen went with the after-swarm, I have had every evidence to believe that said queens were fertilized while out with the swarm, as I saw them entering with the drone-organs attached to them, and they were laying two days afterward. But the rule is, that all queens accompanying after-swarms wait about their wedding-trip until thev are established in their new home, when, in two to tour days after hiving, on some pleasant afternoon, the bees will come out for a playspell, and the queen be seen to leave the hive to mate.— G. M. Dog- little, in Gleanings. The McEvov Foul Brood Treatment is given in Dr. Howard's pamphlet on " Foul Brood ; Us Natural History and Rational Treatment." It is the latest publication on the subject, and should be in the hands of every bee-keeper. Price, 25 cents ;' or clubbed with the Bee Journal for one year —both for $1.10. 346 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. May 28, H Irl 1 1 1 1 1 1 niiiiiK Bj LEAHY MFC 1 a SI M iff'.- %. Largest Factory t\fo West Go?d°^ph!7|£LTf^ces READ THIS— Mr. Keyes says: The 100 pounds of Extra-Thin Foundation you sent us is superior to anything- he ever saw; aud I thint the same. R. L. Tucker, Wewahitchka. Fla. Dear Sirs:— The Sections came dulj- "co hand. Indeed, they are very nice. Yes, sir; they are as g-ood as the best. Charles H. Thies, Steeleville. Illinois. Leahy Mlg. Co. :— I have received the bill of goods. I must say they are the choicest lot of Hive-Stuff 1 have ever received from any place. I admire the smoothness of your worls, and your close selection of lumber. Yours very truly. O. K. Ol.mstead. Orleans, Nebr. Dear Sirs:— The Sections arrived in due time, and are all O. K. so far as examined. They are simply perfection. 1 cau't see how you can furnish such goods at such low prices. 1 hope you may live long and do well. Yours respectfully. Z. S. Weaver, Courtney, Tex. Gents:—! received the " Higginsvllle Smoker " all O, K. It's a dandy; please find enclosed stamps for another. Yours truly. Otto Enders, Osweyathe, N. Y. Gentlemen:—! have bought Supplies from nearly all the large manufacturers by the car- load, and 1 must say yours are as good as the best. Indeed, in many lines they are the best. It is a pleasure to handle them, E. T. Flanagan, Belleville, Illinois. The above unsolicited testimonials are a fair sample of hundreds we receive. Our prices are reasonable and the " Higginsville Goods '* are the best. Tlie ^* HI»;giii»ville " Goods are for sale bj' the following parties : Chas. H. Thies, Steelville, ill. E. T. Flanagan. Belleville, III. Henry L. Miller. Topeka. Kans. E. A. Seeley, Bloomer, Arkansas. J. W. Rciuse & Co.. Mexico. Mo. P. J. Thomas. Fredonia. Kans. Fulton & Gregg, Garden City. Kans. W. J. Finch. Jr., Springfield, 111. If you need a Carload of Supplies, or only a Bee-Smoker, write to us. Remember, we are here to serve you. aud will, if you give us a chance. A BeaiiUriil Catalogue Free. Address. LEAHY MANUFACTURING CO.. HIGGINSVILLE, MO. 49A Mention the American Bee Journal. PATENT WIRED COMB FODNDATIOH Has No Sag lu Urood-Franiea Tliiii Flat-Kottom FoundatioD Has So Fishbone iu the Sorplas Hooey. BeiDR the cleanest ts aeually workeo the quickest of any Foundation made J. VAN DEUSEN & SONS, Sole Manufacturere, Sprout Brook Montuomery Co.. N. T. Mention the American Bee Journal Dadaiit's Foiiiidation in Chicago ! No other Goods kept here. Seud for Price-List, CHAS. D,1DANT & SON, 118 Michigan St., - CHICAGO, ILL. 13Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. ONE MAN WITH THE UNION =°-|;,':;t'°n Can do th% worli of lour men using hand tools, in Kipping, Cutting-off, Mi- triag. Kabbeting. Groov- ing. Gaining. Dadoing, Edglng-up. Jointing Stuff, etc. Full Line of Foot and Hand Power Machinery Sold on Trial. Calalosnt Free, SENECA FAl,liS I?IFG. CO., 46 Water St., SKNECA FALLS. N. T 1 Aly Mention the Amerirnn Bee Journal. BEES. QUEENS, and Several Carloads of APIARIAN SUPPLIES alwajs on hand. Brood Found., 4Cc lb. ; Section, 30c lb. I. J. STRIMGHAItt, 105 Park Place. NEW YORK, N. T. >VvV>VxU \V xV xVxV xtix**- xV xV xV \*i xV x*< xV xt»- xVxtt xV xv xV «t»- xV «ti. ■Sl?>K'!^>4?'?«» '^'5|x r;x5K'5^">K5}?rK'^'^'^ -'♦'* '♦^■•«x A?? That Q,ueen-Clipping Device Free ! Couldn't Do Witboiit It. I have clipped 19 queens, and must say the Monette Queen-Clipping Device is by far the best invention ever made, and will be wel- come to many bee-keepers as it was to me. I could not do without one now. Db. Geo. Lacke, Newburgh, Ind. Works Like a Cliariu. The Monette Queen-Clipping Device works LIKE A CHAR.\i. With it I have clipped 30 queens, all in one day. when examining my bees. Wm. Stollev, Grand Island, Nebr. PLEASE READ THIS OFFER TO PRESENT SUBSCRIBERS : Seud us just one neio name for the American Bee Journal a year (with SI. 00), and we will mail you the Queen-Clipping Device free of charge. Or, the Queen-Clipping Device will be sent postpaid tor 50 cts. But why notiget it as a Premium by the above offer ? You can't earn 50 cts. any easier. Almost every bee-keeper will want this Device. See page 130 (Feb. 2T) for full description of it. Complete directions accompany each one sent out. It is a most ingenious and useful article. Address, GEORGE W. YORK & CO., 118 Michigan St., Chicago, 111. Questioi;)'Box> In the multitude of counsellors there is safety. — Prov. 11-14. Forcing the Bees into tiie Sec- tions. Query 15. — Which is the most ecomomical and all around the best way to force bees into the sections, etc.. viz.: The Heddon uivisible brood-chamber method, or by feeding the brood-chamber full of sugar syrup early in the season, or by contraction ?— Wisconsin. Rev. M. Mahin— Contraction. Prof. A. J. Cook— The first and third are best. J. M. Hambaugh — Of this I am not sure. All these methods are practiced. C. H. Dibbern — I don't know, but I think judicious feeding is the most prac- ticable. Chas. Dadant & Son — Let the bees go up naturally, by allowing them to breed plentifully. Mrs. L. Harrison — They need no forc- ing when honey is abundant. Feeding, if anything. Dr. C. C. Miller — Neither one is neces- sary. Put a bait section in the super, if anything is necessary. \V. R. trraham--Get the hive chock- full of bees until there is no room for them in the brood-chamber. Allen Pringle — Keep out the syrup. Contraction of the brood-chamber, or other methods, as the circumstances may require. G. M. Doolittle — Use a suitable hive and sections, and the bees will enter them without "force" when there is nectar iu the flowers. W. G. Larrabee — I have never used any of the above methods. A good honey-flow will force them into the sec- tions soon enough for the good of the colony. R. L. Taylor — If you will have a mix- ture of black or German blood in your bees, they will need no "forcing " — they will be in the sections when the honey- flow comes. Eugene Secor — I don't know — I never tried the feeding method. But the con- traction method, either by the Ileddon plan or otherwise, will put about all the honey in the supers, if you want it there. B. Taylor — A moderately small hive crammed full of bees, and the supers at least half filled with drawn comb. This ends all doubt about getting the bees into the supers, provided there is any honey in the flowers. E. France— I don't know. I will tell you what 1 have done, and it worked well : When the bees were strong, and about to swarm, destroy the queen-cells, and then cage the queen in a section- box in the center of the super. Dr. J. P. H. Brown— The "best way" depends much upon the character of the colony to be operated on. Strong col- onies, and supers placed on early, will do the work iu most of cases. With some, the plans you name may work well. 1 P. H. Elwood— I am inclined to think that expansion of the bees is better than contraction of the bee-hive for forcing bees into sections. As a rule, our colo- nies in hives containing S frames com- menced first In the boxes and produced 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 347 BUY "direct from FACTORY," BEST M'lXED PAINTS At WHOL,KSAL,E PRICES, Delivered FREE For Houses, Barns, Roofs, all colors, and SAVI', Dealers profits. In use <'»4 years. Endorsed by Grange & Farmers' Alliance. Low prices will surprise you. Write for Samples. 0. W. INQERSOLL, 269 Plymouth St., Brooklyn, N. V. 12A13 Mentimi C'le ^mencan xset. Jimriuii. We have killed hip-h prices. Give me a trial order and be convinced that good Queens can be reared lor 50 cts. each. Untested, 50 cts. : Tested, 75 cts. Golden Italians. :i-Banded I- lalians, and Silver-Gray Carniolans, all tbe same price. Best of Keferences given. €. B. BANKSTON, 13Att CHRIESMAN, Burleson Co., TEX. ""-J— -T n n ■y- 1 — ri r-( r t n^ ■ \ ^ — [_- - — Lr - .t ^L :.4-- — 1 ~- •r ^^^kt ^^^^ *« 5^^^ «=a 5Sf Ki3 AiiS? ^ ALEXANDER WEPT For other worlds to conquer. Ale.x should have changed his name, got a new tin sword and taken another whack at this same old world. That's the way some fence men do, but the IPAOK conquests cause no weeping on either side and a "return en- gagement" is always welcome. PAGE WOVEN WIRE FENCE CO., Adrian, Mich. When amswering this advertisemeht. Mention this Jouhnau A New Method of lefiaing wax without acid. Result Better Comb Fouudatioii. My prices are also the lowest. A Job-Lot of No. 2 Polished Sections Equal in finish to any No. I's. 1 M, $1.75; 2 M $3.40; 3 M. $4. SO; 5 M, $7.50. Or I can furn- ish a cheaper quality. Also, a full line of HIGGIKSVILLE SUPPLIES. See my List with prices. -Z W. J. FINCH, Jr., ^^«'il*L?f"''" 1^S~ IF YOU WANT THE ■^ ^ BEE-BOOK That covers the whole Apicultural Field more completely than any other published, send 11.25 to Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont, Calif., for hlB Bee-Keeper's Guide. Liberal Discounts to the Trade. California If you care to know of its Fruits, Flowers Climate or Resources, send for a Sample Copy of California's Favorite Paper— The Pacific Rural Press The leading Horticultural and Agricultural paper of the Pacific Coast. Published weekly, hand.somely Illustrated, $2.00 per annum. Sample Copy Free. PACIFIC RURAL PRESS, 220 Market St., - SAN FRANCISCO, CAL, TEXAS QUEENS. ^It you are in need of Queens, let me have your;order. Price-List Free. 8A26t J. D. GIVEKS, Lisbon, Tex. Mernilan, Uie American Bee JvvjifKA, the most honey the past season. Had we contracted these to seven or six frames, they would have swarmed and stored but little honey. A weaker col- ony can often be forced into boxes by contraction. Feeding syrup at that time is not to be thought of. Emerson T. Abbott — I would not use the Heddon divisible brood-chamber, feed the brood-chamber full of .sugar syrup, nor contract. I would use an ordinary 8-frame hive, put the super on at the proper time, and let the bees have their own way about it. J. E. Pond — Neither plan would oper- ate in my own locality. Force the bees to till the top of the frames close up to the top-bar with brood, and there will be no trouble in getting them into the sections. Exact close spacing will do this, or does it with myself. James A. Stone — I think the best way is by having no more than separators between alternate sections, and then ventilate the upper part of hive, and I have found no trouble in their going to work above as soon as they ought, with- out neglecting the lower partof the hive. H. D. Cutting — If your bees are in good spring condition, you will not have to resort to a Heddon brood-chamber. If you fill your brood-chamber with syrup, you will defeat just what you are trying to accomplish ; and just at this time contraction is bad, unless you want more swarms. G. W. Demaree — The best way to in- duce bees to enter the surplus depart- ment of the hive is to put on your sur- plus cases a little ahead of the honey- flow, then be sure you have plenty of bees to spare from the breeding depart- ment, and above all, order a good, rich and deep honey-How. All the rest is "rot." Queens ami Queen-ISeai-ins:.— If you want to know how to have queens fertilized in upper stories while the old queen is still laying below; how you may safely iidrodiicv any queen, at any time of the year when bees can fly ; all about the diJferent races of bees ; all about shipping queens, queen-cages, candy for queen- cages, etc. ; all about forming nuclei, mul- tiplying or uniting bees, or weak colonies, 3tc. ; or, in fact, everything about the queen-business which you may want to know— send for Doolittle's ■•Scientific Queen-Rearing" — a book of over 170 pages, which is as interesting as a story. Here are some good offers of this book : Bound in cloth, postpaid, $1 .00 ; or clubbed with the Bee Journal for one year — both for only $1.75 ; or given free as a premium for sending us three new subscribers to the Bee Journal for a year at $1.00 each. Kce-Keepci's' Pliotog'i-:(|>Ii. — We have now on hand a limited number of ex- cellent photographs of prominent bee-keep- ers— a number of pictures on one card. The likeness of ■11) of them are shown on one of the photograplis, and 121 on the other. We will send them, postpaid, for RO cents each, mailing from the Vil kind first; then after they are all gone, we will send the 49 kind. So those who order first will get the most " faces'- for their money. Send orders to the Bee Journal office. The Bee-Keepers' Guide: Or Manual of the Apiary, By Prof. A. J. Cook. This loth and latest edition of Prof. Cook's magnificent bools of 460 pages, in neat and substantial cloth binding, we propose to glvo away to our present subscribers, for the work of getting NEW subscribers for the American Bee Journal. A description of the book here is quite un- necessary—it is simply the most complete sci- entific and practical bee-book published to- day. Fully illustrated, and all written in the most faeeinating style, The author is also too well-known to the whole bee-world to re- quire any introduction. No bee-keeper is fully equipped, or his library complete, with- out ** The Bee-Keeper's Guide." Given For 2 ^ew Subscribers, The following offer is made to present sub- scribers only, and no premium is also given to the two new subscribers— simply the Bee Journal for one year : Send us Two New Subscribers to the Bee Journal (wiih $^!. 00). and we will mail you a copy of Prof. Cook's book free as a premi- um. Prof. Cook's book alone sent for$1.35, or we club it with the Bee Journal for a year —both together for only $1.75. But surely anybody can get only 3 new subscribers to the Bee Journal for a year, and thus get the book as a premium. Let everybody try for it. Will you have one ? GEORGE W. ^ORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS. A Bararain-EARLY QUEENS. 119 Colonies Italian Bees in Chatf Hives: two acres land; good house; e.\celleut well. Early Queens— Tested. .SI. 00 ; Untested, 50c. Scut by return mall. E. li. CAKUI,\GTON, 16Atf PETfUS. BeeCo., TEX. Reference— 1st National Bank of BeevlUe. T^'ntion the American Bee Journal CARLOADS Of Bee-Hives, Sections, Ship- ping-Cases. Comb Foundation, and Everything used in the Bee-Industry. I want the name and address I of every Bee-Keeper in Amer- ■' ica. No reason why you can- not do business with me. I have Cheap Lumber and E.Yi>erienced Workmen : a good Water-Power Factory and hnow how to run it. I am supplying Dealers as well as consumers. Why not you ? Send for Cata- logues, Quotations, etc. W. II. Piri'N*I?I, IE River Falls, Pierce Co.. Wis. MfMtion the jlinerican Bee Jountr.i^ PaffB & Lyon Mfar. Co., ^►New London, Wis., operates two saw- mills that cut, annually, eight million feet of lumber, thus securing the best lumber at the lowest price for the manufacture of bee-keepers' supplies. They have also just completed one of The Largest Factories, ^►and have the latest and most improved machinery lor tbe manufacture of Bee- Hives, Sections, etc, that there is in the State. The material is cut fi-om patterns, by machinery, and is absolutely accurate, Por Sections, the clearest and The Whitest Basswood ^^is used, and .thej- are polished on both sides. Nearness to pine and basswood for- ests, and possession of mills and factory equipped with best machinery, all com- bine to enable this firm to furnish the best goods at The Lowest Prices, f? ^►For instance, it has a joli lot. of '200. OOo No. 'J Sections that will be sold at 50 cts. per 1,000: or ■2,000 Suow-White Sections will be sold for $4.00. and larger quanti- ties at still lower prices. Send for Circu- lar and see the prices on a full line of supplies. lOAtf Mention tlie American Bee Journal. 348 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. May 28. 4 : f Abbott's Space. Sections as low as the lowest for good goods Send for Circular and say what you want. Special Agent for (j. B. Lewis Co.'s goods. Write for prices, E. T. Abbott. St. Joseph, Mo. The " St. Joe " stands at the top. Dovetailed Hives very cheap. Dadant's New Process Foundation at Dadant's prices, wholesale and retail. SECTIONS CHEAP! ^i ^ ^ In order to reduce stock we will sell 40,000 4;ix4?4x'2 40,000 4Jix4}ixl 15/16 250,000 4?.fx4;l Oil KartU and Cheapest. Doctor. 'AYi-in. stove, by mail, $1.50 ; Conqueror, 3-in,. $1.10 ; Large, 214, $1 ; Plain. 2, 70c: LitUe Wouder. 2. wt 10 02. 60 Birit:liiim & Il'tlifriiiirloii Ili)UPV*Klliu-s, so n'lits. ^1 T. F. BIM^HA.n, * 23Dtf Farivell, iriicii. QUEENS. Vi Ulnc'k of firound, some fruit, good fi-room dwelling, shop, stable, honey-bouse and poul- try-house [over 3.000 square feet of tioor], 100 colonies of bees in cbaflt hives and fully equipped for comb honey, all in town of 1 000 population and good alfalfa range and srood water. Price. $:5,000. If unsold June 15th, will unqueen, and otter 2 year clipped queens at 25c. : 1 year, undipped, at oOc. each. July 15th and after, young queens at 60e. each- all Italian and safe arrival guaranteed. This is a rare bargain, but I must get my wife to a lower altitude. Bouk your orders at once If you want these queens. 19Atf R. C. AIKIN, lioveland, Colo. Promptness Is What Counts ! Honey-Jars. Shipping-Cases, and every- thing that bee-keepers use. Root's Goods at Iioot'8 Prices, and the best shipping point in the country. Dealer in Honey and Beeswax. Cata- T^Tmllj^... Walter S. Ponder INDIANAPOLIS. IND. Mtntion the American Bee JoumciL Queens for Saler:r Italian Queens— after May 15— Untested, 75c. each; 6 for $4.00; 12 for $T. 20. Safe arrival and satisfaction guaranteed. Reference— George W. York & Co. Address, F. CRABBX;, LIBERTYVILLE. ILL., Mention the A^'iierlcan Bee Joiuniai. We have a large amount of Pure No. 1 Alfalfa we will sell cheap. Wax WajitBd. RAt'O l\aa i^&i/iQna Warranted the best, sim- DUaS UCC-CfttapC plest and quickest Escape on the market. Sent postpaid to any address lor 30 cts. It can be returned at our expense if it is not as represented, or we will send the Kscape on trial to any bee-keeper wishing to test it in good faith. We are agents for the Ferguson Patent Hive Ceri°nd^\^,"c'ifl,^ Gate Honey-Board, with the Escape. It is the easiest, quickest hive to handle tor the pro- duction of comb honey. Address, E. S. I.OVESY A: CO., 355 6th East St.. SALT LAKE CITY. UTAH. I Mention £h« American Be Journal. 9Atf BEGINNERS. Beginners should have a copy of the Amateur Bee-Keeper, a 70-page hook by Prof. J. W. Kouse. Price 25 cents; if sent by mail. 28c. The little book and the Progressive Bee-Keeper (a live, pro- gressive 28-page monthly journal) one year, 65c. Address any first-cla^s dealer, or LEAHY MFG. CO., HigginsviUe, Mo. Canada I make a full Hue of Up-to-date Kee-Supplies at rock-boltoui prices. Send for my an- nual Circular. A 12-inch Root Fdu. Mi'll in good order, 2nd hand, at a bargain for either Wax or Cash . Add ress, W. A. CHKVSL.ER, Chatham, Out. 19A4t Mention the American Bee JoumaU Mb. R. McKnight, we regret to see by the May Review, has lost his wife by death. , Mrs. Effie Brown, of Eau Claire, Wis., is the wide-awake editor of the department of "Bees and Honey" in the Northwestern Agriculturist. She makes it very interesting. Knows how. Mr. p. a. Snell, of Milledgeville, 111., is one of our oldest readers. In a recent letter he says : "I have all the num- bers since 1867 of the "Old Reliable." Long may its banner wave. My bees are in good condition." Mr. W. J. Farr, of Los Angeles county, Calif., wrote thus in a letter dated May 14: "You need not fear that California will glut the Eastern market with honey this year, unless from honey held over from last year. I am feeding my o-tO colonies at this date. No swarming." Mr. F. L. THOMrsoN, of Arvada, Colo,, is fast becoming one of the few volum- inous writers on apiculture. In the last Bee-Keepers' Review he fathers no less than three different contributions. He is well known to Bee .Journal readers also. But probably the two Americans who write the most on the subject of bees are Mr. Doolittle, of New York, and Dr. Miller, of Illinois. Mr. W. T. Richardson, President of the California Bee-Keepers' Exchange, while stepping from a moving train at Santa Paula, on the evening of April 10, was thrown so violently to the ground as to be rendered unconscious for several minutes. His condition has been extremely critical for several days, and at this writing he is not considered wholly out of danger. — Gleanings. Dr. a. B. Mason, of Toledo, Ohio, Secretary of the North American Bee- Keepers' Association, has been suffering with a severe attack of sciatica for nearly four weeks. In a letter he writes, " Don't talk to me about pain — llinowhliii, rERSONAi.LT, and WELL." We are glad to know Dr. M. is recover- ing from the attack, and is hard at work on the program and arrangements for the next meeting of the North Amer- ican, to be held at (?). Quite likely it will be Lincoln, Nebr. Rev. Emerson T. Abbott, of St. Jo- seph, Mo,, has written a very interesting article on " Missouri Bee-Keeping : Its Extent, Pleasures, Profits and Possibili- ities," which was recently published in 50 county papers in Missouri. It was illustrated with seven engravings, and should do much to place bee-keeping in its proper light before Missouri readers. Seems to us others might well follow Mr. Abbott's example. It would help much to get people interested in the product of the hive. And that migh,t aid in creating a larger demand for it. Mr. Abbott has done a good thing for the honey-producers of his State. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 349 Qerjeral Iten^s^ Good Season in Texas. I am well pleased with the Bee Jour- nal, and don't want to be without it. My bees are doing splendidly. We are hav- ing good seasons in Texas, and prospects are very flattering for a good honey crop this year. S. F. Ozburn. . Meridian, Tex., May 18. Bees Came Out in Good Condition. I have SO colonies of bees that came out in good condition this spring. I have been keeping bees for about 85 years. We are getting plenty of rain here now, so it is not so good for bees. William Fleming. Emerald, Wis., May 14. Number of Eggs in a Queen-Bee. I would like to have this question an- swered in the Bee Journal : How many have ever examined a queen-bee after pinching her head off, and in so doing estimated the number of eggs found in her, at any time ? Later I will give my reason, in the Bee Journal, for asking this question, which may seem strange to many. Pollock, Mo. Andrew Cotton. Has the Black Bees. I keep the common black bee, but think I shall change them to Italians. Last year I had only three swarms from 25 colonies, but I had about 500 pounds of comb honey. I winter my bees on the summer stands, and have very good suc- cess in wintering. I lost but two colo- nies the past winter. My bees were so cross and ugly last year that I had about decided to give up the bee-business entirely ; but they have come out so well this spring, that I think I will keep them on trial this one year yet, and see If they will do better this time. I am a farmer, and run a market garden. I can sell all of my honey in my own market, with but little expense. D. L. Chukcher. Big Flats, N. Y., May 19. An Old Bee-Keeper's Report. Feeling it a duty to report, and seeing it is a rainy day, I take the opportunity to write. Thia being my TSth birthday you cannot expect much. As you all know, 1895 was a very poor season for honey. I commenced the season with 38 or 39 colonies ; they commenced to swarm the forepart of July, and by Aug. 10 they had finished their labors. The last swarms had prac- tically no honey at all. What to do I did not know. A friend living 10 or 11 miles away, said there was lots of buck- wheat around his place, and advised me to bring some out there. He said his bees were doing well. Finally, about the middle of August, I moved 30 colo- nies—three one-horse loads. About Sept. 20 I went after them, and it was a sorry looking mess. A good many hives were empty, all but moths and worms. I loaded them all on, and brought them at one load with one horse. No use telling the pleasure (?) I had in cleaning up my hives. I then put two together, one top BEE-SUPPLIES! We have the best equipped Fac- tory In the West. Capacity— one carload a day; and carry the larg-est stock and prreatest variety of every thinjr needed in the apiary, assur- ing BEST goods at the LOWEST prices, and prompt shipment. Illustrated Catalog. 80 pages. Free. 2E8t Address, E, ERETGHMER, Red Oak, Iowa. :3iS YOUNG QUEENS BY RETURN MAIL :3;S: From the South. Bred from onv }iardij strain ot GRAY CARNIOLANS and GOL- DEN ITALIANS. Untested Queen, 75 cts.; Tested, $1.50. If you want a Fine Imported or a Select Tested Breeding-Queen, or Bees by the Poond, Nuclei and Full Colonies, we can furnish you ot boHoni prfee.s. We never saw Foul Brood or Bee-Paralysis. Satisfaction guaranteed. Pkicb-List Free. F. A. LOCKHART & CO., Lake George, N. Y. Please mention the American Bee Journal. 16Etf Beaiitifii! Golden (jueeiis Kan. Let me tell you why my Golden Italians are better for comb honey than the a-baoders. Simply this— they cap their honey white like the blacks, and are splendid workers. 1 Untested Queen. T.j cents or .3 for $2.00 1 Tested Queen. $1 00 Breeders 2.50 1 Breedei which T h;ive bred from and found tobethebest 4.00 1 Frame Nuclei with Queen 1.75 2 " *' '' ... 2.2.5 a •■ ■• •• .'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.' 2.75 All orders filled promptly. Safe delivery guaranteed. P. J. THOMAS, 22A8t FREDONIA, KAN. Mention tlie American Dee Journal. Agent's ]:irofits per month. Will prove )it or i)ay tortrit New articles just out. A SI. 50 sarnpli- and terms free. Try us. 22A8t Chiuesteh & Son, 28 Bond St., N. T. WHEN ANSWERING TMlS ADVERTISEMENT. MENTION THIS JOURNAL- Hives & Combs For Sale. 45 lO-frame Langstioth Hives, two-story, for extracting, as made and sold by T. G. New- man. These are empty— no frames- are well paicted. and have been kept in the bee-house. Price, 75 cents each. Also, 400 Brood or Extracting Combs for the above hives ; they have the triangular top-bar as made by Newman. They are clean and in good condition. Price. $15.00 per 100. I would take IS5.00 for the whole lot of Hives and Combs. Eefereuce— American Bee Journal. 21Atf W. C. liYMAN, DOWNER'S GROVE, ILL. MUTH'S HOITEY EXTBACTOB PERFECTION Cold-Blast Smokers, Square Glass Honey Jars, Etc. For Circulars, apply to CHA8. F. MUTH & SON. Cor. Freeman iS Central Ayes,, Cincinnati, O. Send 10c tor Practical Hints to Bee-Keepers. Mention thcAiiicriean Hce journal. BERLIN FRXnr-BOX CO , IJEHLIN Heights, Ohio. Address, 28A8t Mention the Aiiicrloan Dee Journal. WOVEN ME FENCE Over50 StyleSiThe bestonEartli. Horsehigh, ^-'Eull strong, Pig and Chicken tight. You can make from 40 to 60 rods per day for from 14 to 22c. a Rod. niu.'^trated Catalo^'vie Free. KITSELMAN BROS., Ridgeville, - Indiana. '^ 48Etf MemtionthKAvencanBetJcmmaL TWO APIARIES! 500 Nuclei devoted to Queen-Rearing. Prices for May will be as follows : Untested. 75o. ; Vi doz., $1.00: Tested. $1.00. June — Untested, 65c.: !4 doz., $3.60; Tested. 85c. All Queens promptly sent by return mail. LEININGEK BROS., 6Etf Ft. Jennings, Ohio. I have one of the choicest flocks of BROWN LEGHORNS IN THE STATE Keep no other kind. Eggs, 75c. per 13; $1.25 per 30. B. G. SCOTHAN, 16Etf OTISVILLE. MICH Mention the Amjertoan Bee Jourwtj. Diivall's Oiieeiis ra-J become liar for — - - ^ „„^ir superior qualities and the price is way down now. Be Hure to send lor Circular. C. D. DUVAIiL, Satstima Heig'hts, Fla. 18Etf Please mention this Journal. ITALIAN BEES. Untested Queens. $1.00. Tested, $1.25. Bees by the lb . $1.00. Nuclei— Two frame, with Queen, $2.50; one frame. $2.00. Also. Barred and White Plymouth Rock Eggs for setting; $1.00 for 15. Mrs. A. A. SI.MPSON, 18E7t Sw.tKTS, Pa. Mention the American Bee Journal. Up to Guarautee ! 3lr On June 1 I shall be prepared to ship Queens of my famous This strain of beautiful yellow-banded Bees Is practlcall.vnon-swarmlng and non-stinging. Queens, each. $1.00. Special prices by the dozen. Everything guaranteed. Cat'l'g free. HEISKY ALLEY, 18Ett WENHAM, Essex Co., MASS. Bee-Keeper's Guide— see page 347. 350 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. May 28, FULL COLONIES Of Italian Bees for $4.00. Are worth twice the money. Queens bred from fine imported mother. Lang"Stroth frames: 10-frame hives. All combs built on foundaiion in wired frames and perfect. Can't possibly break down in sl^ipment. I have been keeping bees as a spe- cialty for man.y years, and wish to retire from business. A rare chance to get superior colo- nies cheap. No circular. Send the price and get your bees. See the following from Mr. T. C. Potter. Indianapolis, Ind.: "April 21st, 1896. Mr. T. H. Kloer. Dear Sir:— The colony of bees came last evenins-. It is perfectly satisfactory. In fact, I have bought bees off and on for Vh years, and do n-ot know that I ever have ourchased a nicer colnny at the time of year, or for such a moderate price 1 found thequeen readi- ly. The bees were very gentle, not one offer- ing to sting. So I fancy 1 have a gentle strain —just what I wanted. Now I thank you very much for giving me a good colony for so small a price, and for packing them so that they could be opened up so readily If any one wants recommendation, refer to me." Address. T. H. KLOEK, 426 Willow St., TEKKE HAUTE. IND. 20Atr Mtntion the American Bee Juumal. •:• Money Saved is Money Gained, -5- THE ROYAL MM Life Insurance Company DES MOINES, IOWA. The Iowa Policy Is one that definitely promises to keep an accurate account with you; credit your premiums and interest, charge tbe actual expense and mortuary cost, and hold the remaining- funds subject to your order. Agents \^'aiited. JOHN B. K*ING, General Agent, Suite 513 First Nat'l Bank Bld'^. t^OAtf CHICAGO, ILL. 3Iention the Amcriain DeeJowniai. The Patent Wood-Veneer Foundation. Bee-keepers should ^ive it a test, and my All- Wax Foundation. I will g-uarantee there is no better made, as six years ag-o I discarded the old way of dipping: lor wax sheets, and a new invention of my own was discovered, which enables me to make the toushest kind of Foundation; also, no acid used to purify the Beeswax, and it preserves the smell of honey, which is more acceptable to the bees. Now "is the the time to send wax and have it worked up at low prices. Send for Samples and Cata- log with low prices. Wax wanted at 31c cash, or 33c trade, delivered. AUG. WEISS, Hortonville, AVis. 12A13t Please mention the Bee Journal. Mention The Amcrictm BceJoiiinial. i,000 Teachers' Oxford Bibles Were bought for spot cash b.v a ChicaBO lirm frn-Ti -n r--t"rn ri'^"~lier who was about to he driveii to the wail lor the want of ready money. More than a million ot these same Bibles, in every way lilie the illustration, liave been sold during the past few years at three times the money we ask for them. The.v are the prenu- nine Teachers' Oxford Bibles, Uivinity Cir- cuit, round corners, gilt edges, complete ^ Teachers' helps, maps, \l,350 pases, bound lin French seal, limp, 'with perfectly flexible backs. Sent prepaid. Kegular price. $t..50; our price, $2 25. Or we club it with the Bee Journal for one year— both for only $2.75; or we will give this fine Bible free as a premium to any one sending 4 new subscribers to the Bee Journal one year (with $1.00). No additional premium is given the new subscribers-simply the Bee Journal one year to each of them. GEORGE W. YORK & CO.. - CHICAGO, ILLS. of the other, until I lessened the number materially. I then went to feeding them, having a quantity of the " Golden " feed- ers, thanks to Mr. G. for the description of his feeder, and also the American Bee Journal for the notice of the feeder that I received in it. By the way, the Ameri- can Bee Journal has been a great help to me. Well, I got the bees put away for win- ter by Thanksgiving Day — o.o packed out-doors, with the feeder and hive cover combined. Nearly all seemed to winter well, but I lost a number in the spring, of old age and short of stores. Of the 16 in the cellar, some of them with scarcely any honey at all, I fed them all winter once a week, and 1.5 came out all right, the strongest in numbers of any I have, I am expecting them to commence to swarm soon. The Golden combined feeder and hive-cover is the thing for wintering bees. It was feared that the combs would get moldy, but I saw only a very little, and that in the bottom of the lower hive where one hive was under the other, with the lower entrance closed. The prospects now look very encour- aging for a honey crop this season. Bees are breeding up fast, and the young bees are out making the air hum. White clover is springing up thick, and every- thing is very forward for the time of year. There are but a few bees around here. The people will not feed them or read about them. A. F. Crosby. Sheffield. Iowa, May 14. Sweet Harp of Bee-Keeping. The sweet harp of bee-keeping hangs low on the willow tree. Bees did not, last season, gather honey enough to board themselves in this section of coun- try ; consequently, the colonies are few and weak at this time. But the old Bee Journal is not weak, and it is interest- ing to note therein the ups and downs along the honey line, from Main to Cali- fornia, and from Washington to Florida; and may it never weaken, but ever grow strong in the sweet cause to which it is devoted, J. L. Sexton. Elkhart, Wis., May 19. Water-Hyacinths for Bees. A great many bee-keepers are troubled with their bees going into water buck- ets, troughs for watering stock, and other places, where they are in the way, seeking water, and in the warm, dry weather we all know they consume a great deal. I want to give a plan that will do away with all this annoyance. Take a whisky barrel, saw in two in the center, and locate it in a position to suit, no matter if in the hottest of sun. Fill half full of well-rotted manure or rich soil, then procure some bulbs of the water-hyacinth (Pontederia erassipes) ; place them in the tubs, and fill with water. In three weeks the top of the tubs will be covered with the foliage of the plants, and under the foliage the bees crawl and sip water without let or hindrance, never a bee getting drowned. The whisky barrel, if sawed down (after being sawed in two), say 6 inches off the top of each would do better, the roots would strike the water sooner. In the absence of the barrel, any good, stout box will do. It is best to start the plants where you have only two or three bulbs, in a smaller vessel, and transplant to the larger vessel as they grow larger. To keep through the winter, keep the roots always moist. They should be put into a green house and kept moist during the winter, or they can be taken to the cellar, the tub inverted on the ground, and they will come out all right in the spring. Remember when you put the plants in, the water they are planted, the roots will find the soil below in due time, and when the long, full spikes of superla- tively beautiful flowers appear, no praise can be too high for them. After they begin blooming you can get half a dozen fine spikes any time you go for them. When the tub gets too full, they must be thinned out, or they will quit bloom- ing. Keep the tub full of water, as it evaporates rapidly. R. P. Johnson. Lee Co., Georgia. Not a Flattering Outlook. I put into winter quarters 45 colonies of bees, and I now have 33. They died of starvation mostly. The outlook here for honey this season is not flattering. We will have no white clover, and have had none for two years past. There is less clover in the fields this year than common. The basswood looks as if it would be full of bloom, which will be our only source for honey. All the honey I got last year^ was from basswood, and that from 2.5 colonies, in all 200 pounds. If I get that much this season 1 will feel satisfied. I have bought no supplies this season, as I have enough left over, unless the season is better than I think it will be. I sold my honey at home and realized 16 cents per pound for it. Ira Adamson. Winchester, Ind., May 20. Hard for Bees to Live. I have 33 colonies now, the same as I had last year minus one. Bees did not swarm any in 1895. There was a good deal of white clover last year, but bees worked on it scarcely any. There is scarcely any white clover this year. I don't see how the bees will make a liv- ing, as we have no basswood and not much clover of any kind. Noah Thomas. Horatio, Ohio, May 18, List or Honey and Beeswax Dealers. Most of whom Quote In this Journal, Cblcaeo, Ills. R, A. BlTBNETT & Co., 163 South Water Street. New York, N. V. HiLDRETH Bros. & Seoelken, 120 & 1'22 West Broadway. Chas. Israel & Bros., 486 Canal St. Kansas Cltr, IHo. 0. C. Clemoms Si Co., 423 Walnut St. Bnfialo, N. If. BATTERSON & CO., 167 & 169 SCOtt St. Hamilton. Ills. Cbas. Dadant & Son, Ftalladelphta, Fa. Wm. a. Selser, 10 Vine St. Cincinnati, Ohio. C. F. MUTH & Son. cor. Freeman & Central avB. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 351 BEE-BOOKS SEXT POSTPAID BY Geor£:e W. York & Co., Cbicatfo, Ills. Bees and Honey, or Management of an Apiary for Pleasure and Profit, by Thoiiiuy G. Newman.— This edltlun bus been largely re-writtLii. tboruughly revised, and Is " fully up with the tlmus " In nil the Improvemeuls and Inventions In tliis rur)ldly-devel- oplD? pursuit, and presents tlie aiilarlst with everythlut; that cau aid In the suLcesslul manag:e- ment of an nphiry, and at the same tlrwe produce the most honey In an attractive condition. It con- tains 250 paues. and 245 Illustrations— is beautifully printed In the hl^-^lieststvle of tliu art, and bound In cloth, gold-lettered. Price, ?1.UU. I^anKstroth on the Honey-lSee, revised by Dadaut— This classic la bee-eutLure. has been entirely re- written, and Is fully Illustrated. It treats of everything relating to K^pb and bee-keep- ing. No apiarian library Is complete without this standard work by Rev. L. li. J-,aTiC3troth — the Father of American Bee-Culture. It has 5:,'0 pages; bound In cloth. Price, postpaid, $1:25.' Bee-Rerpers' Gnlde, or Manual of the Apiary, by Prof A. J. Cook, of the Michigan Agri- cultural College.— This book Is not onlv Instructive and helpful as a guide In buu keui'ln^, but Is Interesting and thoroughly practical and sclentlflc. Itcontalns a full delineation of the anatomy and physiology of bees. 4(i0 pages ; bound in cloth and fully illustrated. Price, postpaid, $1.25. Scientific Qiieen-Rearlng^, as Practically Applied, by G. :M. Doolittle.— A method by which the very best of gueen-Bees are reared in perfect accord with Nature's way. ITi". pages, bound In cloth, and Illustrated. Price, $1.00. A B C of Bee-Culture, by A. I. Root.— A cyclopaHila of 4U0 pa^-es. descrlblnK everything pertaining to the care of the honey-bees. It con- tains 'AW engravtntrs. It was written especially for beginners Bound In cloth. Price, J1.25, Advanced Bee-Culture, Its Methods and Management, by W. Z. Hutchinson.— The author of tills work is too well known to need further description of his book. He Is a practical and entertaining writer. Vou should read his book. 90 pages, bound In paper, and Illustrated. Price, 50 cts. Rational Bee-KeeplnsT, by Dr. .Tohn Dzlerzon —This Is a translation of his latest (ierman boob on bee-culture. It has ^50 pages: bound In cloth, $1.25; In paper covers, $1.U0 Bienen-Kultur, by Thomas G. Newman.— This is a German translation of theprlncipp' por- tion of the book called Bees OF UoSEV. 10 J page pamphlet. Price. 4U cents- Convention Hand-Book, for Bee-Keepers. Thomas G. Newman.— It contains the parliamen- tary law and rules of order for Bee-Conventions— also Constitution and Bv-Laws, with subjects for discussion, etc. Cloth, gold-lettered. Price, 25 cts. Ainerikaiiisclie Bieneiizuclit^ by Hans Buschbauer.— Printed in German. A hand-book on bee-keeping, giving the methods in use bv the best American and German apiarists. Illustrated; 138 pages. Price. Si.ou, Tbiriy Years Amou^ the Bees, by Henry Alley.— Gives the results oi over a quarter- century's experience in rearing queen-bees. Very latest wurk ot the kind. Nearly luu pages. Price, 50c. Why Fat Honey?— This Leaflet is intend- ed for FREE distribution, to create a Local Market. 100 copies, by mail. 40 cts.: 500 lor.5i..>i'; lUOO, :f2.oO. tW If 5O0 or more are ordered at one time, your name and addreas will be printed on them FREE. How to Keep Houey and preserve its richness and Havor. Price same as "Why Eat Honey. Apiary Regrister, by Thos. G. Newman.— Devotes two pages to a colony. Leather binding. Price, for 50 colonies. 11.00; for kk) colonies, $1.25. Preparation of Honey for the Markat, iDcludiug the production and care of comb and extracted huney. A chapter Irom BEES ANC HoxEV. Price. 10 cents. Bee-Pasturage a Necessity.— This book 8Ug gesta what and how to plan U Is a chapter fron BEES AXjj UoxEv. Price. 10 cents. The Hive I Use, by G. M. Dooltttle. It details his manag-ement of bees, and methods of producing comb honey. Price. 5 cents. I>r. Howard's Book on Foiil Brood. —Gives the McEvoy Treatment and reviews the ex- periments of others. Price. 25 cts. Dictionary of Apicultnre, by Prof. John Phin. Gives the correct meaning of nearly 500 apl* cultural terms. Price. 50 cts. Winter Problem in Bee-KeepinR. by G. R. Pierce. Result of 25 years' experience. 50 eta. Handling Bees, by Chas Dadaut & Son.— A Chapter from Lang^troth Revised. Price, 8 cts. Bee-Keepers' Directory, by H. Alley.— Latest methods in Queen-Uearing, etc. Price, 50c. Foul Brood Xreatiueut, by Prof. F. R. Cheshire.— Its Cause and Prevention. Price, 10 cts. Foul Brood, by A. K. Kohnke.— Orig-ln. Development and Cure. Price, 25 cts. History of Bee- Associations, and Brief Re- ports of the first 20 conventions. Price. 15 cts. Honey as Food and medicine, bv T. G. Newman.— A 32-page pamphlet : just the thing to create a demand for honey at borne. Should" be scattered freely. Contains recipes for Honey-Cakes, Cookies, Puddings, Foam, Wines, and uses of honey for medicine. Price.'', prepaid— Single copy. Sets.; 10 copies. 35 cts.: .^>' I lor SI. 50: UKifor $2.50; 250 for $5.50; 500 forSKi.oit; or 1000 for $15.00. when 2.5' I or more are ordered, we will print the bee-keeper's card (.free of cost) on the front cover page. Bee-Keepins for Profit, by Dr. G. L. Tinker.— Revised and enlarged. It details the au- thor's " new system, nr huw to get the largest yields of comb or extracted honey." 80 p.; illustrated. 2oc. Emerson Binders, made especially for the BEE JOURNAL, Ore Convenient for preserving each number as last as received. Not mailable to Canada. Price. 75 cts. Commercial Calculator, by C. Ropp.— A ready Calculator. Business Arithmetic and Ac- count-Book combined in one. Everv farmer and business man should have it. No. 1 , bound in water proof leatherette, calf finish. Price. 4ii cts. No. 2 in fine artificial leather, with pocket, silicate slate, and account-book. Price, 60 cts. Oreen's Four Books, by Chas. A. Green. —Devoted to, 1st, How We Made the Old Farm Pay; 2nd, Peach Culture: 3rd, Uow to Propagate Fruit- Plants. Vines and Trees; 4lh. General Fruit In- structor. Nearly 120 pages. Fully illustrated. 25 cts. Green's Six Books on Fruit-Cultnre, by Chas. A. Green. -Dev<-ted 1st, to Apple and Pear Culture; 2nd, Plum ami Cherry Culture; 3rd. Rasp- berry and Blackberry Culture; 4th, Grape Culture; 5th, Strawberry Culture. 129 pp.; illustrated. 25 cts. Garden and Orchard, by Chas. A. Green. —Gives full instructions in Thinning and Marketing Fruits; Pruning, Plfintini^ and Cultivating: Spray- ing, Evaporation. Cold Sturage, Etc. 94 pages, illus- trated. Price. 25 cts. Kendall's Horse-Book. — .35 pictures, showiPK positions ot sick horses, and treats on all their diseases. English or German. Price, 25 cts. Silo and Sila»;e, by Prof. A, J. Cook.— It gives the method in operation at the Michigan Agri- cultural College. Price, 2.^ cts. liuniber and Lo:i-Book. — Gives meas- urements of lumber, lo^'^ planks; wages, etc. 25c. I?Iaple Sugar and the Sug-ar Bush, by Prof. A. J. Cook.— Full instructions. Price, 35 cts. Grain Tables, for casting- up the price of grain, produce, bay, etc. Price, 25 cts. Capons and Caponlzln^, by Dr. Sawyer, P'anny Field, and others.— Illustrated. All about caponizinK fowls, ana thus how to make the most money in poultry-raisin-. 64pages. Price. 30 cts. Our Poultry Doctor, or Health in the Poultry Yard and Huw to Cure Sick Fowls, by Fanny Field,— Everything about Poultry Diseases and their Cure. 64 pages. Price, 3o cts. Poultry for ITIarket and Poultry for Profit, by Fanny Field.— Tells everything aboutthe Poultry Business. 64 payes. Price, 25 cts. Turkeys lor Ularket and Turkeys for Profit, by Fanny Field.— All about Turkey-Raising. 64 pages. Price. 25 cts. Rural liife.- Bees. Poultry. Fruits, Vege- tables, and Uousehold Mattera, loo pages. 25 cts. Strawberry Culture, by T. B. Terry and A. I. Root. For beginners. Price, 40 cts. Potato Culture, by T. B. Terry.— It tells how to grow them profitably. Price, 40 cts. Carp Culture, by A. I. Root and Geo. Fin- ley.— Full directions, "n pages. Price, 40 cts. Hand-Book of If ealth, by Dr. Foot e — llintsabout eating, drinking, etc. Price, 25 cts. Alsike Clover Leaflet.- Full directions for growing. 50 for 25 els.; 100 for 40 cts.; 2(X), 70c. Book Clubbing Offers. (Kead Carefully.) The followlog clubbing prices Include the American Bee Journal one year with each book named. Remember, ihat only one book can be taken In each ease with the Bee Jour- nal a year at the prices named. If more books are wanted, see postpaid prices given with the description of the books on this paffe. FoUowlngis the clubbing-list: 1. Langstroth on the Honey-Bee $2.00 2. A B C of Bee-Culture 2.00 3. Bee-Keeper's Guide 1.75 4. Bees and Honey [Cloth bound] 1.65 5. Scientific Queen-Kearing 1.75 6. Dr. Howard's Foul Brood Book 1,10 V. Advanced Bee-Culture 1.30 8. Amerikanische Bienenzucht [Germ.] 1.75 9. Dlenen-Kultur [German] 1.25 10. Kational Bee-Keeping LCloth bound] 2.00 11. Rational Bee-Keeplng [Paper tound] 1.75 12. Thirty Years Among the Bees 1.30 13. Bee-Keeping tor Profit 1.15 14. Convention Hand-Book. 1,15 15. Poultry for Market and Profit 1.10 16. Turkeys for Market and Proflt 1.10 17. Capons and Caponiziug 1.10 IS. Our Poultry Doctor 1.10 19. Green'sFour Books 1.15 20. Green's Six Books on Fruit-Culture.. 1.15 21. Garden and Orchard 1.15 23. Rural Life l.io 24. Emerson Binder for the Bee Journal. 1.60 25. Commercial Calculator. No. L 1.25 26. Commercial Calculator, No. 2.. 1.40 27. Kendall's Horse-Book 1.10 29. Strawberry Culture 1.20 30. Potato Culture 1.20 31. Carp Culture 1.20 32. Hand-Book ot Health 1.10 33. Dictionary of Apiculture 1.35 34. Maple Sug-ar and the Sugar Bush 1,20 35. Silo and Silage 1.10 36. Winter Problem in Bee-Keeping 1.30 37. Apiary Register (for 50 colonies) 1.75 38. Apiary Register (for 100 colonies) . 2.00 39. Bee-Keepers' Directory l.ao Honey & Keeswai Market Quotations. The following rules for grading honey were adopted by the North American Bee-Keepers' Association, and, so tar as possible, quota- tions, are made according to these rules: F.\NCY.— All sections to be well filled; combs •straight, of even thickness, and (Irmly at- tached to all four sides; both wood and comb unsoiled by travel-stain, or otherwise; all the cells sealed except the row of cells next the wood. No. 1,— All sections well filled, but combs uneven or crooked, detached at the bottom, or with but few cells unsealed: both wood and comb unsoiled by travel-stain or other- wise. 1 n addition to this the honey is to be classi- fied according to color, using the terms white, amber aud dark. That is. there will be "fancy white," "No 1 dark," etc. CHICAGO. III.. May 19.— We quote: Fancy while, t4(ai5c. ; No. 1, 12@13e. ; fancy amber, H@10c.; No. 1, 8@8^c.: fancy dark, 8@9c.: No. 1, 8c. Extracted, white, b®1c.; amber^ 4(gi5c. Beeswax, 28(a30c. It continues to sell well and there is no accumulation of shipments. We consider it a good time to sell. E. A. B. & Co. PHILADELPHIA, Pa., Apr. 22.— We quote: No. 1 white. 9@10c. ; tanoy amber, 8(390.; fancy dark, 7(38c. Extracted, white clover, 10c. ; amber. 5@5'4c. ; dark, 4(a4Hc. Bees- wax. 25@26c. Comb houey is dull. Extracted in fair demand. Beeswax lower. W. A. S. BUFFALO, N. T.. Apr. 20.— We quote: Fancy white. 15@16c.; No. 1 white, 13(ai4c.; fancy dark, 8(89c.; No. 1 dark. 7(^7^40. Bees- wax. 25@2Sc. Trade very dull and honey not moving, except a few fancy lots; anything dark is hard to sell. B. & Co. CINCINNATI. O., Apr. 22.-There is no fan- cy white comb honey on our market. Best white sells at 12(ai4c. in a .iobbing way, with a fair demand. Demand is good for extracted at 4(^7c.. according to quality. Beeswax is in good demand at 25(a30o. for good to choice yellow. C. F. M. & S. riKANSAS CITY, Mo.. May 20.-We quote; No. 1 white, 13@14c.; No. 1 amber, 10(i»12c ; No. 1. dark, 8@10c. Extracted, white, 6c.; amber. 5c. ; dark, 4c. Beeswax, 22c. C. C. C. & Co. NEW YORK. N. T., May 9.-Thore Is some demand for white comb honey at unchanged prices. No market for buckwheat. Extracted remains quiet. New Southern is now arriv- ing and selling at .5@6c. for fine grades and 50((t.">oc. a gallon for fait to common. Beeswax easy at 28a29c. H.B. iSiS. 352 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. May 28. 1896. Bottom Prices BRINO US BIO TRADE. OOOD GOOD!^ KEEP IT. It you want the best supplies that can he made at a little less cost than you can buy the same goods for elsewhere, write to us for low prices. 1896 Catalogue now ready —ask for it and a free copy of Tlie Ameri- can Bee-Keeper (36 pages). Address, THE W.T. FALCONER MFG. CO., JAMESTOWN, N. Y. Mention the American Bee Journal. COMB FOUNDATION! Wax always wanted for Cash or in Exchange for Fdn. or other Supplies. My trade is estab- lished on l.o»v Prices and the merit of my Foundation. Orders fliled proutiuly. ^^WORKixG Wax into Fdn. by thk Lb. a Specialty. Wholesale prices to dealers and larKe consumers. Send for Prices and Sam- ples to-GUS DITTMKK, AUGUSTA. WIS. Reference— Augusta Bank. lAtt Mention the American Bee Journal, Dovetail Hives and Sections. A full line of Apiarian Supplies in stock to for Best (iooils.' 3ti-iiaK« Cataloirin" FrHe. JNO. NKBEL A: ^SON, UIgU Hill, Mo. JhuiiJimi i:fi« ^meniesn Bes JoitTTMi/j, 4A2Bt DA /\T^ Prices Keduced on W V vUS fill orders proiiiptly at lowest prices I AEISE TO SAY to the readers of the BEE JOURNAL that DOOLlTTliK has concluded to aell -BEES and QUKBN9- In iheir aeaeon, during 1896, at tHe following prices ; One Colony of Italians on 9 Gallup frames, in li(;ht shipping-box $6 00 Five Colonies 25 00 Ten Colonies 45 00 I untested queen, l 00 6 " queens 5 50 12 " " looo 1 tested Queen... f i so 3 " Queens. 3 50 I8electte8tedqueen2 to 3 " " Queens 4 00 Selecttesied queen, previous season's rearins . 4 on Bxtra Selected forbreediUK. the very best. . 5 0J About a Pound of BBB8 in a Two-frame Nucleus, with any Queen, $2.00 extra. BT" Circular free, giving full particulars regarC- Ing the Bees and each class of Qaeens. Address G. M. DOOLITTLE, 12A25t BORODINO, Onon. Co., N. Y. Mention the American BceJoumnl. 6a; QUEENS Smokers. Sections . Comb Foundation, Aod all ApiiiiruD Sup^liea rhpap. Seinl f»r FllEE ululugue. E, T. FLANAiiAN, Bellertlle, HI. :6t Please meutiou the Bee Journal. PURE BARRED PLYMOUTH ROCK Eggs. 81.25 per 14. Our P. Rocks are very large, with fine plumage. Also, BLACK MINORCA EGGS, a non-sitting and great laying breed. Both kinds raised upon our farm. Minorca Cock- erels, $1.00 each. Mrs. I.. C. AXXEI-l., 16Atf KOSEVILLE, Warren Co., ILL. Mention the American Bee Journal. Ye?r Dadant's Foundation S Is still in the lead, for we use all the latest improvements, including the f? NEW WEED PROCESS, ft and stOl make the best goods. Remember that we do not use any acid to purify our bees- wax, and that is why our Foundation preserves the smell of the honey and isj more ac- ceptable to the bees, than any other. It is kept for sale by T. H. Strickler, Solomon City, Kansas. G. K. Hubbard. Fort WaTne. Ind. L. Hanssen, Davenport, Iowa. C. Theilmann. Tbeilmunton. Minn. E.C.Baglesfleld, Berlin, Wis. B. T. Abbott, 8t. Joseph, Mo. J. M. Jenkins, Weluiupka. Alabama Jonn Key, East Saciuiiw. Mich. Vickerv Bros., Evansville, Ind. The Jennie Atchley Company. Beeville, Texas. C. F. Muth & Son, l 'incinnati, Ohio E. Kretchmer. Red Oak. Iowa. a. B. Lewis Co.. Watertown, Wis. James Reynolds Elevator Co.. Pnuahkeepsle. N Y. Louisiana Bee-Keepers' Supply Mimufactory, DonaUlsonville. La. Page & Lvon. New London. Wis. John Nebel & Son, High Hill, Mo. and many other Dealers. All agree in saying that no goods are better than ours. Those of our customers who formerly bought through Tbos. G. Newman can get our Foundation in Cliicago, III., by addressing us at IIS ]VIi<.-Iiig'aii Street. We keep no other goods there. We make a specialty of Veils and Veil Stiifis of best quality, cotton and silk. " LAI«GSXR.OTH ON THE HONEY-BEE "—ReTised. Bee-Keepers' Supplies, Smokers. Sections, Tin Pails, etc. Samples of ■"oiindation and Xiille FREE with Circular. Instructions to beginners with Circular. Send us your address. CHAS. DADANT & SON, lilevtwn the, vlmerican Bee Jouma,., HAMILTON, Hancock Co. , Ilili. 25c Gash Paid for Beeswax! For all the g:ood, pure yello-w BEES"WAX delivered to our office till further notice, we will pay 25 cents per pound, cash ; or 28 centsofor whatever part is exchanged for the American Bee Journal, Books or Seed, that we offer. If you want casb promptly for wax, send it on at once. Dark or impure wax not taken at any price. Address plainly, George W. York & Co., 118 Michigan St., Chicago, III. Gorneil Bee-Smokers. Cheap, strong, serviceable. We have sold a good many of these, and so far there has been no complaint ; but, on the other hand, there have been scores of letters in their praise. Price, 85 cts. Prepaid, .SI. 10. Cowan and Novice Extractors. These are the best. We are prepared to furn- ish, on short notice, from any of our sev- eral Branches, 2, 4, and 6 frame Cowans and 2-frame Novices. Porter Honey-House Bee-Escape Have you seen it? Just the thing to put on the doors or windows of your bee-rooms. Indispensable, you'll say, after you have tried it. If you want the genuine, see that they bear our name. A 36-page Catalog sent Free on Application^ THE A. I. ROOT CO., MEDINA, OHIO. 11§ IVIiciiigan St.. Chicago, III. Syraciiise, IV. Y. 1024 ]TIU8i§i.ip|>i St., St. Paul, Minn. Mechanic's Falls, Maine. J*ab7is22etJ Weekly, at ^1,00 per anntim* Sample Copy sent on Applioatlon, 36th Year. CHICAGO, ILL., JUNE 4, 1896. No. 23 fii(5£ New Kind of Oueeu-Trap — FiMdiug Queens. BT C. DAVENPOKT. As mentioned in my last article, I will describe a trap that catches a queen, but does not prevent the drones from leaving or re-entering the hive. But before I do so, perhaps it v^ould be of interest to some for me to explain how I came to think about making it. I was in the yard one day last summer when a swarm issued from a box-hive. I was busy at the time, and as there was a trap attached to the hive, I did not pay any attention to them until soon after the swarm had all issued, when I stepped over to the hive and saw that the trap was out of place, and lacked about a quarter of an inch from being close up against the hive. I supposed, of course, that the queen had escaped, but upon looking closely I saw that she was still down in the lower part trying to get through the zinc in front. Soon after, I made a number of traps 8 inches long, S thick, and as wide as the hives to which they were to be at- tached. The front end and the entire top, except }^ inch next to the hive, was covered with ordinary queen-excluding zinc. The sides were made out of thin boards, and the bottoms of tin. On the inside, about 2>^ inches from the end next to the hive, a piece of zinc was fastened across this strip, which reaches clear across. The trap was made out of three pieces. The two end pieces were ordinary zinc but the center piece. which is about 5 Inches long, is zinc, which will exclude drones, but allow queens to pass through. A wire cone of such a size and shape that it will entirely cover this center piece is attached to it in front, so that If a queen passes through this piece of drone-excluding zinc at any place, she will be in the wire cone, and if she follows the cone and passes out at the small hole in the end, she will be confined in the chamber in front instead of overhead, as in an ordinary trap. Now, if I have made this description plain, the reader will understand that the trap, when attached to a hive, pro- jects out in front, instead of up and down, and that there is a space Ji inch wide clear across on the top of the trap next to the hive, which is not covered with zinc, but there is no space left at the sides. Last summer I had three of these traps attached to hives from which swarms issued ; in each case they caught the queen. Two of these swarms were accompanied by laying queens ; the other was an after-swarm, and I found three virgin queens in the trap. Another one was also discovered with the swarm ; this one might not have gone through the cone into the chamber in front, or she may have done so, and then got through the zinc. I have had virgin queens escape in this way when using common traps. Now, when one of these traps is attached to a hive when a swarm issues, of course there is nothing to prevent the queen from walking up the front of the hive and escaping through the open space there, but it seems that instead of doing so they go straight ahead, and when they meet with some obstruction in front, instead of turning back they try to get through it. Whether they will do so invariably remains to be seen. One of these traps was also attached to a hive, the bees of which superseded their queen. While the trap was there this queen got out, mated, and returned all right. The only way I can account for this is, that a virgin queen, when she comes out to mate, does so in a more leisurely manner, and instead of rushiug through the cone, escapes through the open space overhead. When one of these traps is attached to a hive it is hardly any hindrance whatever to the bees, for they soon use the top for an alighting-board, and then pass through the open space into the hive. It bothers the drones some to get out, but it does not bother them any to re-enter the hive. If I had all frame hives, it is very little interest I would have in any kind of trap, for I much prefer clipped queens; and although I practice dividing, or artificial swarming mostly, with colo- nies that are in frame hives, I keep these queens clipped, for with me an artificial swarm sometimes tries to abscond. It used to be a good deal of bother for me to find queens in populous colonies, sometimes, but it is not much now, for I can find a laying queen in an S or 10 frame hive with 4 or 5 minutes' work, no matter how populous the colony, or what kind of a queen it is ; and although the method I practice has been described before, perhaps it might be of interest to some beginners for me to give it again. As I remove the frames from the hives I look them over for the queen, and if she is not found readily (and with me it is seldom) the frames with the bees are all placed in an empty hive close by, or hung on a low rack made for this purpose. If there are many bees left in the hive, they are shaken out in front; an entrance-guard is now placed at the entrance, and the bees on the frames are all shaken off in front of the hive. As the bees on each comb are shaken off, the comb is placed back in the hive, and when all are in, the cover Is put on, and the next hive containing a queen to be found is treated the same. If one has a number of queens to find, by the time the last hive has been gone over, the queens of the first hives 354 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. June A, treated can be readily found in front of their hive among the few bees that have not gone in. I have never as yet lost a queen by this method, but I will say for the benefit of beginners, that this method should not be practiced during cool weather in the spring, or late in the fall, after queens have stopped laying. Southern Minnesota. % Benefits of a Foul Brood Law. Head iefore the Wiscojisin State Convention BY N. E. FRANCE. Perhaps this subject can as well be answered by answer- ing some of the questions I so often hear. I am sorry to say there are too many keeping bees who seem to talk and act as if too wise to learn from our valuable bee papers or books. They ask, What is this disease ? Is it contagious ? Is it near us ? Has any State a foul brood law '? Foul brood is a very fatal and contagious disease, doing its work by killing the bees in the grub or worm stage of life. As it takes only a few days from the egg to the hatched bee, you can see how short a time it' would take to destroy the colony after once exposed. This dreaded disease became serious in Canada so that the industry seemed doomed ; those wide-awake neighbors and members of the Ontario Bee-Keep- ers' Association could not be content to give up so valuable an industry, and on April 7, 1890, had a law passed providing for an inspector, and heavy fines to any one to sell or expose any diseased bees or appliances. Wm. McEvoy, as inspector, has so carefully and thoroughly done his duty that the dis- ease can scarcely be found. I am often asked, " How near is the disease to my bee- yard ?" As long as the disease is in this country, and no law to control it with our mail service carrying bees and supplies, I consider we are all in danger. Allow me to illustrate: A bee-keeper told me he wanted a choice Italian queen, so sent to one of our Eastern States for it. The queen with a few bees came, and were introduced with the cage as in- structed. He felt proud of his pretty queen, and after a time he opened the hive to find by some means the colony had foul brood. Not being the honey harvest season, the disease spread very fast, causing a loss of over 100 colonies. California, for several years, has had a foul brood law, and their inspector (J. F. Mclntyre) has done great good there, so that now that State is noted for her train loads of honey shipped to various places. Colorado also has a foul brood law. Last winter Illinois and Minnesota, and at the same time I, as Wisconsin delegate, tried to get a foul brood law. Why did we fail to get it? Simply because the bee-keepers of the State did not do their duty. How careful we require by law a case of small-pox, or other contagious disease, to be quarantined and doctored. Likewise diseases among farm stock. Why not have a similar law to protect our bees ? If you want such a law, you can have it, if you will only ask for it. As delegate to appear before our legislature last winter, I soon learned that very few members of either House had been called on by bee-keepers of their district, and did not know one thing about the disease, or whether they wanted a law or not. I did all I could, but failed simply because I did not have backing. At least a dozen members of the legislature told me they would vote for the Bill if bee-men from their district would request it. A stitch in time, brother bee-keep- ers, will accomplish it. I repeat. Do you want the protection of the law ? Platteville, Wis. ^ PiO'w is tlie Xime to work for new subscribers. Why not take advantage of the offer made on page 364 ? Enlargement of the Bee-Keepers* Union. BY W. D. FRENCH. Several correspondents request me to again set forth, in detail, the proposition bearing upon the subject of an enlarge- ment of the Bee-Keepers' Union, wherein all bee-keepers may be benefited. This subject, to me, seems of vital importance, and will, at no distant day, be carried into execution. The object of a union should be for the protection of all apiarists, not only those who may be harassed by malicious individuals, but ex- tend aid to all who produce honey. The proposition I desire to discuss, which tends to accom- plish this feat, may appear to the minds of some to be beyond consummation ; but when we consider the fact that all indus- tries in our land have combined, either to rob or for protec- tion, must we look upon each other with fear and trembling timidity, and allow others to combine upon our product, and with less capital ? Where there is a determination there is a a way. Those who keep bees, but do not produce honey, may be loath to combine ; but the great producing class will join together, and form one vast association, not for the purpose of robbery, but to protect themselves from being robbed. A person in his first experience will be advised to begin with a small number of colonies, and in a few years he may possess a large apiary ; beginning with caution and care, ac- quiring knowledge and information, and, as time rolls on, he becomes well versed in the pursuit; and it may be true with reference to the marketing of our product by the formation of a protective bee-keepers' union. It would undoubtedly re- quire two or three years to place such an organization in full and complete operation, although in the first year of its use- fulness it would be heard, seen and felt. I do not wish to be understood as advocating a scheme that would in any manner deprive a single member of the present Bee-Keepers' Union from any part or fraction of bene- fits to which he may now be entitled ; my sole object in present- ing this proposition is to enhance the value and elevate the pursuit which we follow, classifying our industry in the cate- gory of those that are honorable, legitimate and profitable. There is not a person who dares take issue with me upon this subject, basing his argument on the impracticability of co-operation in the marketing of honey. I may be in error upon different points of my proposition, but I believe in the main it is the only solution to be arrived at. To illustrate my views in detail, which I am again re- quested to present, I would first say that every State bee- keepers' association should inaugurate a system of warehouses in every city where it might be deemed necessary, or where honey is produced in large quantities, or in amounts sufBcient to warrant it, and the same be the distributing point for said city and locality ; each point of distribution, however, should not carry more than the consumption of said city, or district, and all surplus be shipped to the great head center to be located in Chicago, which would constitute the distributing point for America. It should be operated by the same system as at present, although necessitating and requiring the full time and attention of its manager. A commission should be charged sufficiently large to meet all operating expenses, and to establish a fund in which to pay freight bills, advances on consignments, etc.; and eventu- ally paying the producer his cash upon arrival. By the aid of what cash there is now in the treasury, and one dollar from each new member, a sufficient sum could be realized to estab- lish aud maintain a bureau of distribution in Chicago. Should State associations be negligent in the matter of establishing warehouses in their respective States or cities, theu the same should be performed by the Board of Trustees, or officers of the Union. I have no desire to formulate a method for electing offi- 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 355 cers, or dealing with a constitution or by-laws, but simply to outline its general principles and predict its usefulness. The article by Prof. Cook, beariug upon the subject of the California Bee-Keepers' Exchange, on page 81, speaks cor- rectly of grievances manifested by the honey-producers of California, and the article produced. He says: "They see no reason why they should not have a voice in determining prices on their own product. Could they but work in concert, act as one man, something after the manner of the Standard Oil Company, then they could adjust prices of their honey according to the amount and cost of production." I would like Prof. Cook to tell me how the Standard Oil Company could maintain their price on oil without the co- operation of at least a majority of producers. And, also, how could the California Bee-Keepers' Exchange maintain a fixed price upon their product without the co-operation of bee- keepers outside of their State ? It must be borne in mind that honey is not only produced in California, but in every other State, and to co-operate on the principle of the Standard Oil Company, it must extend throughout the United States. The California Bee-Keepers' Exchange cannot fix the price of honey in New York, Chicago or Boston. It can only stimulate the price at home. It must be remembered also that citrus fruits are pro- duced only in certain States, hence the advantage the Citrus Fruit Exchange must have over the Bee-Keepers' Exchange where the product of every State comes into competition. It is to be hoped that every State will now organize some- thing on the principle of the California Bee-Keepers' Ex- change, and when that has been accomplished, a National or- ganization will be sure to follow, which will be indispensable in order that the product of the bees be properly distributed, and a uniform price be maintained throughout the United States. In other words, it will be necessary for each State to combine under one general management. As time passes on in its various events, and people becoming more convinced of the necessity of organization, it is apparent that a system based upon such a method would be more easily consummated. There cannot be a shadow of doubt against the consis- tency of a National combination, neither should there be any serious controversy over the manner in which it could be matured ; but in order to complete its usefulness, and bring to bear the object sought, every State should be united. Now that the first link has been welded, it is the duty of other States to act in like manner, and form one great and powerful chain that cannot be broken. When that has been accomplished, bee-keepers can justly feel their independence, and show the world their ability to regulate and dispose of their own product. While it is true there are honest men in the commission business, it is safe to assert that bee-keepers can manipulate their own business satisfactorily to themselves, and by proper distribution, adjust their own product to the various points as desired. It is not the object of bee-keepers to corner the product of the bees, and compel the innocent consumer to pay an exorbitant price for the sweetest of all sweets, but to main- tain a uniform price much in advance of what they now re- ceive, without extra cost to those who buy for their own con- sumption. I would respectfully urge every State bee-association to move in this matter, and when that has been accomplished, a new era will dawn upon those who follow the pursuit of bee- keeping. Poster, Calif. The McEvoy Foul Brood Xreatment is given in Dr. Howard's pamphlet on " Foul Brood ; Its Natural History and Rational Treatment." It is the latest publication on the subject, and should be in the hands of every bee-keeper. Price, 25 cents ; or clubbed with the Bee Journal for one year —both for $1.10. The Slotted Separator— Experiments. BY B. TAYLOR. In reply to a request, I give the following description of my handy separators : They are made of two strips of wood M inch thick. For 4^ sections these strips are 2 inches wide; they are fastened together by cleats 4}^ long and % by J^. The cleats are nailed across the wide strips in four places, 4}f inches apart, so the edges of the sections strike the cleats, leaving one-half bee-space in the separators. This brings the honey in the sections to within % inch of the edge of the section, and the bees, for causes I will not try to explain here, will seal the honey smooth and level, right up to the wood of the sections, in a uniform, beautiful way that they never will do with plain- surface separators where the bee-space Is all in the section. The two 2-inch strips that make the finished separator, when cleated to 4^% wide, leaves an open slot Ji inch wide lengthwise, in the center of each separator ; through these slots the bees can pass freely from section to section, right in the center of the super. These separators can be used in any style of super. In the T super the edges are slotted where the T tins come, for these separators go clear to the top and bottom of the sec- tions, leaving no chance for the bees to bulge the combs above and below the separators, as they often do with the old-style separators. The question is often asked — Do not these thick separa- tors occupy much space, and diminish the pounds of honey in a super? No, they increase the honey in any given sized super. They do lessen the number of sections in a super, but each section is enough heavier to more than make the differ- ence, so there is a saving of four sections with their founda- tion in each super. "But they are too costly," I hear some one say. They are in the final end cheaper than any thin wood separators, for but three of them are required in a 24-section super, and with care they will last a lifetime, and will help a novice to produce perfect-finished sections for shipping or show. Dr. E. K. Jaques, of Crystal, Minn., exhibited two 24- section supers of honey at the Minnesota State Fair in 1895, which drew $28 in three 1st Premiums for perfection in finish and shipping qualities. EXPERIMENTS IN BEE-KEEPING. In a recent number of the American Bee Journal I find the following paragraph, taken from the Farm, Stock and Home : I am wintering some 40 colonies in two-story hives of 2,000 inches of comb space, and at least 50 pounds of honey per colony. 1 had intended to stop experimenting, but there are yet many unsettled things in bee-keeping, and I shall go on testing methods hereafter with more care than ever. I will set three large double hives, with their rich stores, on the summer stands, treat all as nearly alike as possible, and then keep a strict record of which gives the earliest and largest swarms, which class gives the most salable honey during the season, and then figure the comparative profit of each. B. Taylor. The editor copied the paragraph correctly, but the Farm, Stock and Home did not report me correctly. Where it reads, " I will set t?ircc large double hives," it should read, " I will set tUcse, large double hives," for I shall use all of them, and as many more of my small Handy hives of 1,000 inches of comb space, for the same purpose, viz.: which will under the same treatment, and in the same yard, give the most profitable re- sults— hives of large or small size, in either comb or extracted honey ? I will feed part of these colonies in both sizes of hives a few ounces of syrup each day without regard to their having a plenty of stores in the hives, tO' prove whether stim- ulative feeding pays. I will run a part of these colonies for comb and part for 356 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jimt i. extracted honey, and note which gives the most dollars and cents. There are 38 colonies in two house-apiaries, part will be run for comb and part for extracted honey. I will also make careful comparison between the house and open yard, as to greatest profit. The colonies I am using are the best lot of bees I ever owned — rich in bees and stores — and I expect to settle facts by proved conclusions, and not guesses based on prejudice. Mr. Editor, you perhaps remember that I, last fall, re- ported my bees to be in fine condition for winter — plenty of stores and plenty of young bees. Well, out of 113 colonies I lost two queenless ones. I put them out April 12, and they were carrying pollen in one hour, and on April l*i they were working like in midsummer. Forestville, Minn. Transferring— Something for Beginners. BY J. A. GOLDEN. I have many letters of inquiry in regard to the wintering features of my combined feeder and hive cover, from the va- rious States, and I am frequently asked to give information on several items in apiculture by letter, which I gladly re- spond to in short sketches, referring the questioners to text- books and Dr. Miller's department — Questions and Answers. But here lies a letter before me which says: "I have bought several colonies of bees in box-hives, and I want to transfer them into movable-frame hives. Will you please tell me the best time, and how to do it? I take the American Bee Journal now, but it doesn't tell much about it." I will give my plan and practices, hoping that it may meet the wants of many new readers of the American Bee Journal. Having chosen the kind and style of hive we wish, the next is the tools requisite, viz.: A good smoker, a long-blade honey-knife, IJa inches wide, square point, ground sharp: a board 2 feet long, 15 or 20 inches wide, dressed smooth, with saw-kerfs one inch apart across the board on one side ; a ball of wrapping-yarn, and an old, thin-blade case-knife, square point, ground sharp ; a small box with a hand-lamp set inside, that the knife-blade can be quickly heated by holding over the flue; a nail-cutter and hatchet ; a light, bottomless box, 10 or 12 inches square. The best time to transfer combs and bees is, in my experi- ence (and I have done quite a little at that branch of apicul- ture), in this latitude, from April 15 to May 1. At this time the combs are light and free of new honey, and brood-rearing Is but fairly started, consequently the work is quickly accom- plished, without the loss of brood and a dauby mess of wasting honey, as is the case when combs become filled with new honey, and brood-rearing is in an advanced stage. I use a table or bench to work on, and with everything ready, I cut enough wrapping-cord in lengths to put one strand in each saw-kerf of the transfer-boards. With the smoker give two or three puffs of smoke at the entrance of the box or hive to be transferred, and then carry the hive to the transfer-table, turn it upside down, and by the time I cut the nails off the side to be taken off, and with the long-bladed knife cut the combs carefully from the side to be removed, the bees will have filled themselves with honey. I set the bottomless bos on top of the hive, and with the smoker smoke is applied at the bottom, and the queen and bees hastily scamper up into the bottomless box, which may be fastened in its place or set to one side. Now, the long knife pushed end-wise under the bottom of the combs, severs them, and they can be lifted out, placing them on the board, and the edges straightened and squeezed close together. A frame is placed over the combs, pressing the top-bar against the top or thick edge, and with the left hand press the frame down on the combs; with the right hand heat the case-knife over the lamp, and cut clear round the ends and bottom on the inside of the frame, holding the knife so as to cut a little under the frame. Slip out the cut- tings, and press the frame down over the comb, draw the frame to the edge of the board, bring over a string and tie it; by turning the point around twice in tying the first knot, it won't slip. Some frames will require four or five strings, three usually. Clip off the points of strings, pull the frame from the board, at the same time raise it up and see that all is straight before placing in the hive close by. Thus proceed, placing the honey part of the combs at the top of the frames, and the brood below, being careful to save all the brood ; also putting the brood In as compact form as possible in the middle combs. If there are not combs enough to fill the frames desired, take strips of comb one inch wide, lay against the top-bar, heat the case-knife quite hot, and slide between the top-bar and strip of comb, then with the hot knife cut the strip to an edge, and the bees will do the rest. After placing the hive on its stand, and the frames prop- erly placed, raise the front of the hive one-half inch by a wedge or block, then dump the bees down at the entrance, and see that the queen goes in and not under the hive. Don't use smoke to drive the bees in — it's bad policy ; use a small broom. When all the bees are in, let the hive down, and close the entrance to two or three inches for a day or two. In two or three days uncover, and with a sharp knife cut the strings and slowly pull them from the combs, and the transfer is com- plete. Thus, one can transfer very speedily, and do it nicely. Yes, we often wonder why the bee-papers don't give the transfer formula once a year — say in the January issue — knowing that now bee-keepers are yearly added to their readers. Eeinersville, Ohio. [As no one should think of starting in bee-keeping with- out one of the standard bee-books (which give full directions for transferring), it is hardly necessary to repeat the same things every year in the bee-papers. There is quite enough repetition, we think, without publishing over and over what is so clearly told in the books, and upon which there is now scarcely any difference of opinion. — Editor.] Report of the Michigan State Convention. BY W. Z. HUTCHINSON. (Continued from page 34.3.) Mr. Aspinwall then read a paper entitled, Tlie Requisites for Success in Bee-Keeping^. With the advancement of civilization various Individual and local enterprises have, at times, been seriously hampered. The condition thus produced has in turn been a stimulus to further progress, and overcoming difficulties which were scarcely apparent at times when success was attainable in the hands of the unskilled. The plow and lumberman's axe have greatly affected the interests of bee-culture. Climatic changes have also tended to intensify the situation. However, Nature is very compensating, and men, whose trust is in the Divine, will see developments that can be attributed to her workings. Necessity is a great stimulus to progress. Many of the old and abandoned gold-mines are again being worked by Im- proved methods, yielding a profit fully equal to the first work- 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 357 ings. I might cite numerous illustrations ol similar progress. I very well recollect when bee-keeping was not a profitable pursuit, although the sources of honey were abundant, and not until Mr. Quinby gave his system to the public was it otherwise ; and with the advent of the Langstroth frame came still greater profits, attended with a wonderful degree of progress. Notwithstanding the loss sustained by drainage of marsh lands, and clearing of the forests of basswood, also the pro- duction of crops which yield no honey, we have forage from shade-trees, fruit-blooin, the clovers, buckwheat, etc., in lieu of the primitive sources. With changed conditions bee-keeping in many portions of the country has ceased to be a paying pursuit. Bee-paralysis has also tended to reduce the profits in many localities. Dry seasons have proved an equivalent to overstocking, resulting in the storage of much poor honey, which is unfavorable to successful wintering. These discouragements, intensified by a lack of control in swarming, tend to make the profits still less. With these conditions relative to bee-keeping, what shall be the remedy ? What will enable the bee-keeper to obtain a reasonable profit when the seasons are unfavorable '? It re- quires no great skill to secure a crop of honey where the for- age is abundant, with weather favorable to the secretion of nectar. I have met men who, with favorable seasons and Rood yields of honey, flattered themselves that they were bee- keepers, when really the bees were their keepers. He only is a bee-keeper who can secure surplus under unfavorable cir- cumstances. To accomplish this, several requisites are nec- essary. First, we should possess a thorough knowledge of bee- keeping to its latest developments. The bee-keeper should also possess a natural adaptability to the profession. Pre- suming the knowledge has been acquired, there still remains certain requisites not contained in the volumes of the bee- keeper's library. The numerous experiences of the past five years are sufficient evidence in support of such a statement. How few in Michigan have been able to show a balance in favor of bee-keeping. However, these seasons and conditions, already mentioned, have served as a school of necessity. Never was there known such an effort to lessen manipulation as of late ; never so much experimenting to prevent swarming, and never so great a desire to winter bees successfully with in- ferior stores. Let us consider some of the requisites for success in bee- keeping: 1st. A thorough knowledge of the up-to-date methods. 2nd. An easy and successful method of wintering. 3rd. Management with less than half the present manipu- lation. 4th. Complete control and prevention of swarming. 5th. A thorough and complete remedy for all diseases. I refer especially to foul brood and bee-paralysis. 6th. And lastly, we should include a good feeder. In considering the method of wintering I will simply refer to it as a necessity. It is not within the scope of this article to treat the subject. I will merely allude to a statement made by Mr. Quinby, in which he said that "colonies well wintered were the only ones from which surplus could be expected." The third requisite — requiring less manipulation— is con- tingent upon the methods employed throughout the year, win- tering included, which must be simple and easy in manage- ment. It certainly should include a non-swarming'system or hive. Every bee-keeper knows something of the labor and annoyance during the swarming season. This must be done away with, if possible, and comb honey produced exclu- sively. But an objection may be raised. Unless some ex- tracted is obtained, we fail to realize the maximum profit from our bees. This objection will hold good if manipulation is not taken into consideration. I have come to believe that bee-culture must be so man- aged that, if desirable, it may be followed by a side-issue, or in connection with another occupation. With lessened ma- nipulation, which implies no swarming or extracting of honey, larger holdings will be possible, also greater assurance of suc- cess. It is unnecessary for me to state that comb honey does, and always will, occupy a higher place than extracted, which, if secured at less expense, is a point gained. Lessened manipulation in itself calls for a non-swarmer. The demands of the times call for an advance in these lines, and they must and will be forthcoming. In alluding to non-swarmers — the fourth requisite — I will state for the benefit of all concerned, that I have no small de- gree of confidence in their ultimate success. Two seasons of experiment upon a large scale demonstrated that but one col- ony in 20 non-swarming hives cast swarms, while all without the attachments swarmed. The non-swarmers gave a sur- plus, while the swarmers were almost destitute of stores. This season's experiments will be more complete, having gained by the experience of the past two years. The fifth calls for a positive remedy for foul brood and bee-paralysis. The former is sufficiently understood by in- telligent bee-keepers to be thoroughly under control, although it is liable to spread through carelessness and ignorance. As regards bee-paralysis, but little Is understood as yet. Cer- tainly the disease is such as to seriously affect the yield of honey. The sixth requisite is a good feeder, without which the preparation for successful wintering cannot be accomplished. The use of comb foundation in the sections as a bait, together with the tiering system leaves the brood-nest depleted in stores at the close of the season. I am speaking relative to the un- favorable conditions already mentioned, hence the great ne- cessity of feeding. To prepare for extreme winters, each col- ony should contain not less than 40 pounds of food. L. A. ASPINWALL. W. Z. Hutchinson — Bees don't need so much honey for the winter as the amount mentioned by Mr. Aspinwall, but they may use it in the spring. M. H. Hunt — Mr. Aspinwall's paper is something to set inventors to thinking. Mr. Aspinwall — Yes, that was what it was intended to do, and what I have set forth in that paper is what we must come to. W. Z. Hutchinson — There is no question but what a safe method of wintering and a remedy for swarming would work almost a revolution iu bee-keeping, as a man could scatter his apiaries about the country, and care for them with but little labor, and the result would be the production of honey at less expense. Mr. Aspinwall — Out of 20 colonies in my non-swarming hive, only one swarmed, and all gave a fair surplus, while those in ordinary hives swarmed, and stored no surplus, and had to be fed in the fall. The Secretary now read a paper from Mr. T. F. Bingham, entitled, Horizontal Prices. The only real satisfaction to be gained by a careful sur- vey of our industry, is that bee-keeping, like other industries, is suffering from restricted consumption — in common phrase, " over-production." We read that over-production is impossible. This may be true, and to prove that this belief is reasonable, we are told that the last five years have been light in the amount of honey produced. Yet this supposed short crop has not only held at former prices, but actually fallen in price. This is used as 358 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. June 4, evidence corroborative, that the production of honey, unlike other produce, is not subject to the laws that govern supply and demand. Some have claimed that because the production of honey was not entirely In the hands of so-called specialists, the mar- kets have been demoralized by small producers, who have sold their product for what they could get, regardless of the large producers. Much has been written about houey exchanges and unions as a means to better prices. While many bee-keepers are loud on the various trusts and combines in other avocations, combines for the same purpose — namely, to secure better profits, and freeze out small producers — no slur is ever cast on any legal means of doing the same thing in the honey in- dustry. The honey industry, while in many respects governed by the immediate local conditions, is widely diffused, and there- fore in a broad sense independent, comparatively, of other than general and widespread results. Like the production of eggs and butter, there does not at present appear any method of producing honey so cheaply and surely as when produced by those same small, widely-distributed methods. We read of the financial results of immense crops of honey produced in localities where people prefer sour fruits to cheap honey, even ; of no home market, and combines, etc. What does it all mean ? Simply this, that honey, like other articles of food, is governed by the laws of demand and supply. Should the time ever come (and it is striding that way, when a few colonies of bees will be kept by all classes of peo- ple, as hens and cats are now kept — not because there is much money in them, but because they pay as well in money and comfort as anything else on a small scale and in a limited way), the consumption of honey will be greatly increased as its price is reduced, and its supply augmented. It is not necessary that specialists should be consulted. They have told over and over, and put it in different shapes in different books, till they have no more to offer ; in fact, we have had efforts made to increase competition, and reduce the price of honey and books by petitioning the much-abused paternalism of the Government for aid in the free distribution of a very worthy and excellent manual of the apiary prepared under the auspices of the Department of Agriculture. Such petitions do not favor combines and honey exchanges. The laws of nature— vanity or interest — stand ever ready to teach school for a consideration. It may be a bee-convention, a Sunday school, a missionary meeting, or Salvation Army. It is safe to say that until the arrival of the age of miracles it will pay in direct, or indirect, ways to produce honey and eggs and butter at rates at which they will be con- sumed. T. P. Bingham. W. Z. Hutchinson — I fear that Mr. Bingham forgets that honey is a luxury, and the price does not respond to the law of supply and demand as it does in the case of staples. People will pay .^1.00 a bushel for potatoes rather than do without them, but as soon as the price of honey begins to go up, its use is dropped by many. Next came a paper by Dr. L. C. Whiting, of Saginaw, en- titled : Bee-Keepers must Follow the "Wild Flowers. The failure in the crop of honey produced in any part of the country where the fields are all cultivated, must be met by emigration to pastures new, where the plow cannot disturb the wild flowers. When the timber has just been cleared from the land, flowers spring up in variety and abundance. The ashes of the clearing are hardly cooled before fireweed, boneset and asters make their appearance. Raspberries and blackberries soon folllow, and many other honey-producing plants cover the land. The forest, if at hand, furnishes another abundant source of honey. White clover soon comes in, and the bees and bee-keepers are happy in the abundance of the stores. Should the land be so broken and rough that it cannot be cul- tivated, this condition of affairs may last many years. As soon as the farmer puts his plow into the field, a large portion of these blooms disappear, and little remains except fruit-blossoms and white clover. The lumberman soon clears the basswood from the forest, and the bee-keeper wonders what is the matter with the honey season. What are we going to do about it ? Sit down and see our bees die out, or seek more favorable locations? This condition is facing many bee-keepers in Michigan to-day. Some of our prominent honey-producers have already taken this step, and are following the honey-flow into the new clearings, and success has proved the wisdom of their course. There are many locations in the northern and western parts of the State which furnish the right conditions for profit- able bee-keeping, to suit the most capricious bee-keeper. Keep up your courage and follow the advice of Horace Greeley, and— "Go west." L. C. Whiting. R. L. Taylor — How about Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Illinois and New York? These are old, cleared-up States, and have been for years, yet they have had good crops of honey since they were cleared and cultivated. Mr. Hunt — In my locality we had good crops of honey for 11 years in succession. Then there was a change. It was abrupt. The floral conditions are the same in my locality now that they were in those 11 years of plenty. Mr. Taylor — What we need is rain. Mr. Aspinwall — You are right ; and I believe that we will, in a measure, have an old-fashioned season this coming sum- mer. There was more rain and snow the past winter than we have had in some time. W. Z. Hutchinson was appointed to look after the matter of conferring with the State Board of Agriculture regarding the continuance of the Apicultural Experiment Station. OfiScers were elected as follows : President, L. A. Aspin- wall, of Jackson ; Vice-President, Geo. E. Hilton, of Fremont; Secretary, W. Z. Hutchinson, of Flint; and Treasurer, M. H. Hunt, of Bell Branch. The place for holding the next meeting was not definitely decided upon, it being left with the officers, but the talk was in favor of going more towards the northern part of the State. No meeting has been held very far north, and in that part of the State honey crops have been good the past year or two, and a larger attendance may be secured by going to a portion of the State where the bee-keepers have not had so many op- portunities for attending a convention. Mt. Pleasant was mentioned as the probable place for holding the meeting. W. Z. Hutchinson, Sec. "Samantlia at the "World's Fair."— We want to make our present readers one of the best offers ever made. All know the excellent books written by " Samantha, Josiah Allen's Wife." Well, "Samantha at the World's Fair" is probably her best, and we are enabled to offer this book and a year's subscription to the New York "Voice" (the greatest $1.00 weekly temperance paper published to-day), for sending us only three new subscribers to the American Bee Journal (with $3,00), provided you are not now a subscriber to the ""Voice." Think of it— a grand book and a grand weekly temperance newspaper given simply for saiding us three new subscribers to the Bee Journal for a year 1 The Samantha book is exactly the same as the $2.50 one, only the binding is of heavy manilla instead of cloth. It is a special 100,000- copy edition, and when they are all gone, the offer will be withdrawn by the publishers. Of course, no premium will also be given to the new subscribers — simply the American Bee Journal for one year. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 359 8 CONDHCTED BY DR. C C. mrLLBR, MAJRENGO, ILL. IQuestlons may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct.! milkireetl Pollen-ltlasses on the Feet of Bee§. I send two black bees for examination. Their feet are covered with a yellow, fuzz-like hair. It is something new to me. G. F. Y. Central City, 111. Answer. — If you will look closely you will see that the little bodies attached to the bees' feet are hardly fuzzy or hairy, but more like flat, solid affairs. They are pollen-masses from milkweed, and are each year the cause of a good deal of alarm to those unacquainted with them. Looking something like a diseased growth on the foot, it is no wonder anxiety may be felt lest similar growths take place on the feet of all the bees. It is unusually early in the season to be troubled with them, but this year doesn't seem to follow rules. You will find some of the bees'so loaded with these pollen-masses as to lose the use of their feet, and to be driven out of the hives. As the milkweed is a good honey-plant, possibly the damage done to the bees is made up by the amount of nectar secured. —^ — ' — ■ Bees Working Only in the morning. What is the matter with my bees ? I have three strong colonies in a cool, shady place, and they work vigorously in the morning, but cluster on the front of the hive in the even - ing. I have had the supers on about three weeks, but they have not started any surplus yet. I first thought they were " fixing to swarm," but they have had time to rear a queen since they began to cluster. I also thought the honey-flow was coming to a close, as they killed out the drones, but they seem to have plenty to do in the morning. I live in a forest country, where we have wild grape-vines, ratan and many others ; also pine, oak, hickory, black walnut, sweet gum, etc. Delroy, Tex. J. T. E. Answer. — It is nothing unusual at times for bees to work busily in the forepart of the day and then lie idle in the after- noon for lack of anything to do. Very likely that's the case with your bees. Many plants seem to get ready through the night to offer the bees a feast in the morning, and when that's used up the bees know enough to stay at home. Even if nectar flows all day, If the number of flowers is very small, the bees may have nothing to do after the morning hours. Action§ of Wild Bees — Bailed Queen, Etc. 1". What makes wild bees, after their tree is cut down, drink at their watering place stronger than they did before they were cut down, and the honey taken from them? Is it the overdose of honey they had eaten, or not? 2. What makes wild bees, after the tree Is cut, work to the bait where they were first coursed from, and the honey all around where the tree was bursted? It seems that they were somewhat greedy. 3. On May S one colony of my bees swarmed. On May 4 I opened the old hive to pick out my choice in color of queens, and killed the rest of them. As my bees are very much mixed up, I want the best. Some of the cells were not open, and I opened three of them ; to my surprise the queen was poking her tongue out. I helped her to get the door open, and saw a worker in the cell with her. The worker was turned head to tail with the queen, was dead, and appeared dry. I closed the cell-door, and thought that I would kill the queen and send it to you. This may be very common, but not to me. Do you think when the cell was near being capped, the worker went in to see to the young queen, and some of the workers capped the cell ? If not, how was it ? 4. The other day I clipped one of my best, and put her back, and they balled her and killed her. I clip all of my queens, and this is the first to have been hurt when put back. I do not know why they did it. G. W. B. Answers. — 1. I don't know. 2. It seems certainly that they would be foolish to go off a long distance when honey is so near at hand, and I suppose most of them do work on the honey at hand, but the ones that have been working on the bait may start where they already know there is honey without noticing there is some nearer. 3. When several young queens are in a hive and the bees Intend to swarm again, it is the common thing for all but one to remain in the cell, although the capping may be 3ut nearly around. You will often see the young queens stick out their tongues to be fed by the workers, and sometimes a queen will push her head out and dodge back. Again, you will see the queen try to get out and the bees drive her back. A worker- bee might enter a cell after the queen had gnawed the cap- ping open, and the other workers might keep her there till she died. 4. In rare instances a queen will be balled on being re- turned, but if you close the hive at once and leave them, the bees will usually release the queen. Sprayed Trees may Have Caused It. I had four colonies of bees that died. They had plenty of honey to eat, and there were no moths, and no foul brood. I would like to know what was the matter. They died the flrst of May. They had been working nicely. G. E. L. Morocco, Ind. Answer. — I don't know. Possibly a case of poisoning. Fruit-bloom may have been visited by them about that time, and some one may have been so unwise as to have sprayed his fruit-trees with poisonous chemicals. If so, it was no doubt a case of ignorance, for spraying fruit-trees when in bloom is a damage to the trees, and can do no possible good. Only One Cent a Copy for copies of the American Bee Journal before April 1, 1896. We have them running back for about 10 years. But you must let us select them, as we cannot furnish them in regular order, and probably not any particular copies. Just send us as many one-cent stamps as you may want old copies, and we will mail them to you. Tbe Names and Addresses of all your bee- friends, who are not now taking the Bee Journal, are wanted at this office. Send them in, please, when sample copies will be mailed to them. Then you can secure their subscriptions, and earn some of the premiums we have offered. The next few months will be just the time to easily get new sub- scribers. Try it earnestly, at least. The AlsiUe Clover Leaflet consists of 2 pages, with illustrations, showing the value of Alsike clover, and telling how to grow It. This Leaflet is just the thing to hand to every farmer in your neighborhood. Send to the Bee Jour- nal office for a quantity of them, and see that they are dis- tributed where they will do the most good. Prices, postpaid, are as follows : 50 for 25 cents ; 100 for 40 cents ; or 200 for 70 cents. ■*-—¥ A BJew Binder for holding a year's numbers of the American Bee Journal, we propose to mail, postpaid, to every subscriber who sends us 15 cents. It is called "The Wood Binder," is patented, and is an entirely new and very simple arrangement. Full printed directions accompany each Binder. Every reader should get it, and preserve the copies of the Bee Journal as fast as they are received. They are invaluable for reference, and at the low price of the Binder you can afford to get it yearly. 360 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. June i. <^ T. OLDEST BEE PAPER fij' PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY GEORGE W. YORK & COMPANY, 118 Micblgaa St., - CHICAGO, ILL. REGULAR COXTRIBUTORS : G. M. Doolittle, of New York. Prof. A. J. Cook, of California. Dr. C. C. Miller, of Illinois. Dr. J. P. H. Brown, of Georgia. J, H. Martin, of California. Rev. E. T. Abbott, of Missouri. Barnett Taylor, of Minnesota. Mrs. L. C. Axtell, of Illinois. Chas. Dadant & Son, of Illinois. $1.00 a Year— Sample Copy Sent Free. [Entered at tbe Post-Office at Cbicajiro as Second-Class Mail-Matter.] VoLinVI. CHICAGO, ILL, JUNE 4, 1896. No. 23, Many Disappointments will have to be endured the next few weeks by those who failed to order their supplies in time to have them on hand when needed. Probably some honey will be lost on account of it. Nearly all dealers will likely be very busy for some time yet, and do the best they can, they just cannot fill all orders promptly. So be patient with them, for in all probability the blame is yours for not ordering earlier, or before the great rush that we have kuown at this time of the year to almost overwhelm some dealers in years gone by. ■*-•-♦ Removing' Honey-Boards. — In a recent number of the Bee Journal, Dr. Miller asked Mr. Hutchinson to ex- plain a point mentioned in one of his recent articles in this paper. In reply, Mr. H. said in the last Review: Dr. Miller wants me to explain how I can unite weak colonies with those that are stronger, if I do not take oH the honey-boards oftener than once in three years, on the average. As a rule, not more than one-fourth of my colonies each year need such treatment. To be honest, I don't believe very much in the uniting of colonies of bees at any time. Much depends, however, on circumstances, and what we wish to accomplish. Ttie Medals and Diplomas awarded at the World's Fair, in 1893, we understand have been finally pre- sented to those who were so fortunate as to win them. Mr. W. C. Lyman, of Downer's Grove, III., wrote us on May 25, that he had received his medal and diploma, and that " they are beauties." We presume others have theirs. We hope our Canadian friends are now happy, for only recently they were casting reflections upon the United States for being so slow about issuing the awarded signs of honors. Being "slow" can be forgiven, if one is only "sure." And 'tis said, "All things come to him who waits." ^*~-*-^ Tlie Fifth Year of the present management of the American Bee Journal is begun with this number. Four years' work is completed. We have tried to make advance- ment in the contents and general make-up of the Bee Journal, from time to time, and sometimes we think that we have suc- ceeded, at least in a small degree. We wish to take this opportunity to return sincere thanks to the many who have encouraged us in our work by prompt payment of subscription, kind words, and various other ways. We hope always to merit them, and shall endeavor in the future, as in the past, to do the very best we can for our readers. Judging from general reports as to the prospects for a good honey season this year, we feel that better days are in store for bee-keepers. We shall be glad to rejoice with them, if after so many years of failure in various localities this year shall prove to be a good one. Let all strive to make the very best of whatever comes, and then if success is not attained the fault will not be at their door. State Appropriations for Bee-Keeping is asked about in the "Question-Box" department this week. The answers are varied and interesting. They show but very little agreement in the minds of leading bee-keepers as to just what is the most needed aid for apiculture by the State. We had thought for some time that experiment stations would be the best investment for the State to make, but re- cently we have come to the conclusion that there are other lines that need and deserve help most. The suggestion that it be used in distributing tracts and pamphlets telling about the many valuable and interesting uses of honey is a good one. This would aid all. It would help create a larger demand for honey. It seems to us that just now bee-keepers know pretty well hoiv to produce the honey — and the next thing is to be able to get some cash out of it. While there is considerable fun in keeping bees, still most folks don't live entirely on fun. There must be some real financial profit connected with it, or it will likely soon be dropped. The idea of using a State appropriation in circulating bee-papers of course would at least appeal to publishers, and that would indeed help bee-keepers themselves. But for the best all-around help, we believe it would better be invested in literature that will educate the general public as to the uses of pure honey, and thus finally aid in overthrowing all kinds of glucose mixtures which so compete with the real bees' honey. .*-•-*' Apicultural Experiments.— The 21st Annual Report of the Ontario Agricultural College, located at Guelph, Ontario, Can., has been received. But the part that particu- larly interests bee-keepers is the report of the apiculturist, Mr. R. F. Holtermann, covering an interesting series of ex- periments. Not having space to go over this report in detail, I shall have to go over most subjects briefly. FEEDING THE BEES. A number of colonies were fed sugar syrup, with the Boardman entrance-feeder, and the feed was given a little above blood heat. The results are tabulated, and the experi- menter observes that " there is a considerable difference be- tween the first weight of the hive, plus the syrup, and the actual weight six days after the last syrup was stored. The difference in weight may be attributed to evaporation, the con- sumption of stores which goes on all the time under natural conditions, and the increased consumption likely to go on whenever the bees are under the excitement or stimulus of storing." The conclusion is thus stated : 1. That there is a greater difference between the weight of stores supplied to the bees in the feeders, and the increase in the weight of the hive. There is a loss which cannot be explained in any satisfactory way. 2. That it will not pay to extract the honey with a view to making a profit, and supply the bees with sugar syrup for winter. 3. That, when feeding has to be resorted to, the strong colonies should be given sufficient comb and stores to cover 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 361 their own wants, and, in addition, supply the weaker colonies with combs of sealed stores. SEALED COVERS OK UPWARD VENTILATION. I haven't the space to go into details ; but the experiment of wintering two sets of colonies of ten each in clamps showed that the set having sealed covers did not winter"nearly asjwell In our experiments, observations were taken along vari- ous lines — first, as to what extent, if any, the bees thin the base and side wall of the various thicknesses and kinds of comb foundation. Measurements were made, whenever pos- sible, of the weight of foundation compared with the number of square feet, and the thickness of the base of foundation. Measurements were taken of the comb at the base, the side wall close to the hive, and half an inch up the side wall. The Fig. 1.— Giving aside view of comb foundation, 15 sq. ft. to the pound, and above the same after the comb has been completed and capped by the bees. The honey has been extracted and washed away from the comb, which, after a thorough drj^ing, has been filled with plaster of Paris and a section cut down. as those having upward ventilation. ports of two years ago. This agrees with the re- COMB FODNDATION. Under this heading the experimenter gives some interest- ing results; and, so far as I know, he proceeds upon methods new and original. I can do no better than to quote nearly all he has to say on this subject : The use of comb foundation has become general ; in fact, few, if any, keeping bees in the movable-frame hive, attempt to do without it. At present, comb honey, owing to the quality of the comb foundation, is not generally of a kind satisfactory to the consumer. Although it is desirable to get a foundation which, when utilized and added to by the bees, gives a comb as thin as the natural one, many claim that comb a trifle heavier is not noticed by consumers. When, however, the base and bottoms of side walls are materially thickened, and the comb has an artificial appearance, and the wax does Fio. 3.— Giving a side view ot comb foundation, flat-bottomed, 13 sq. ft. to the pound. This shows a continuous piece ot foundation. One half of the foundation was covered over, the other half exposed and worked out by the bees. comb was put on ice to harden it for the purpose of more ac- curate measurement ; and three measurements were taken in this case. Again, to see just how the bees utilized the comb founda- tion, three tanks of melted wax were prepared. Oije was col- ored with a preparation of alkanet, another with a prepara- tion ot carbon, and the third was pure beeswax, uncolored. The various stages in the manufacture of comb foundation were carried out, giving comb foundation from each tank 10, 12, and 15 feet square to the pound. These were placed side by side, and drawn out in the upper stories by the bees. It was manifested in various ways that the bees objected to the alkanet, so this kind was discarded. To the foundation, colored black with the preparation of carbon, the bees did not object. The object in placing foundation made of ordinary wax alongside of the colored, was to make measurements of each kind when drawn out by the bees The measurements of the colored and uncolored being identical, gave us a basis for the statement that the bees did not object to this preparation; and the method of drawing this out was O^ yi-Y-v*^.^MY>s-^ Fig. 2.— Giving a side view ot comb foundation, 12 sq. ft. to the pound, and above the same after the comb has been completed and capped by the bees. The honey has beeu extracted and washed away from the comb, which, after a thorough drying, has been filled with plaster of Paris, and a section cut down. not crumble when the comb is broken, the result is that the consumer objects, and the objection is intensified by the com- paratively harmless nature of the change. Again, comb foun- dation and wax was wasted in the extra thickness ; and this is no small item, as it is generally worth 50 or 60 cents per pound. Fig. 4.— Giving a side view of comb foundation, flat-bottomed. 4 sq. ft. to the pound. This shows a continuous piece of foundation. One halt of the foundation was covered over, the other half exposed and worked out by the bees, identical with that ot ordinary foundation. The base and lower part of the comb were not, as we might expect, of a black color, and the fresh and added wax white. Instead, there is a regular graduation from black at the base to white at the top of the cell. The heavier the foundation, the darker the base and adjoining side wall. From the above it would appear reasonable to expect that 362 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. JuJit A, the bees kept adding scales of tiewly secreted wax and then pulling the side wall, thus decreasing gradually the percen- tage of colored wax. We also conclude that the quality of wax used in the foundation has an influence, not only on the base, but, to a certain extent, in almost the entire wall of the cell. The heavier the foundation, the greater the influence on the side wall. Again, notes were taken daily when the bees were beginning to draw the foundation ; and although the heavier foundation was scattered about in various parts of the upper stories, they gave the preference to the heavier foundation, working on it first. Great caution must, of course, be observed in coming to conclusions. The bees, if the heavier foundation had been taken away, might have been almost as willing to go to work at once upon the lighter grade. At present no way appears open for conducting a satisfactory experiment to prove auything in this direction. The measurements taken at the base of the wall, and half an inch from the base, all tend to show that the wall is thicker at the base, and tapers, becoming thinner at the mouth. So far as I am aware, no one has ever made such measurements. The " Vandeusen " is a flat-bottom (unnatural) founda- tion. The various specimens of this kind which were put into the sections were partially covered to prevent the bees from touching the covered portion. The remainder was left to the bees. In every case the bees changed the base from flat-bot- tom to natural. I have adopted a new method. EXPEKIMENTS WITH FIVE-BANDED ITALIAN BEES. This is summed up in the following deductions : 1st. They are below the average as to wintering qualties. 2nd. They are short-lived, probably because of a high- strung temperament. 3rd. They are prolific. 4th. They are gentle, unless when queenless. 5th. They are inclined to rob. In conclusion, I might say that the Ontario Agricultural and Experimental Union also conducted co-operative experi- ments with these bees. Nine successful experiments were made, and, with the exception of one experiment, the above results were indorsed. [The foregoing is taken from Gleanings. We, also, re- ceived the Report referred to, which in all is a volume of over 400 large pages, about 10 pages being devoted to the " Re- port of the Apiculturist," by Mr. Holtermann.— Editor.] Every Subscribek is invited to send us anything that would be appropriate for this or any other department of the American Bee Journal. Mr. T. F. Bingham (of bee-smoker fame), Parwell, Mich., wrote us May 16, as follows: "We have the most delightful spring — just as nice as Cali- fornia." That's the general report. Mr. H. E. Hill, of Spruce Bluff, Fla., has been writing some interesting letters to the Aylmer Sun, of Oat., Canada, about his travels in Cuba and the southern part of North America. Mr. Hill is a bee-keeper and writes occasion- ally for the bee-papers. Mr. B. Taylor, in his article on page 855, tells how the slotted separators are made. Any one interested, can have a sample separator mailed him by sending to Mr. Taylor (addressing him at Forest- ville, Minn.) 15 cents in stamps to pay postage and packing. Having a sample you will then know just how to make them yourself. Mrs. L. C. Axtell, of Roseville, III., wrote on May 23 : " Bees have been for three or six days making a living from white clover, which now promises to give us a better crop of honey than we have had for several years. We have had several heavy rains the past week." White clover seems to be reviv- ing in various localities. Hope it will keep on till " the old-time honey crops " are here again. Mrs. B. J. Livingston, of Martin Co., Minn., is one of the busiest women we ever heard of. Referring to her active life, she says : " I have too many irons in the fire. Myself and grown-up daughter are do- ing the work for three families — our own home with hired help to cook for; two (youngest) children who keep a room in town and are attending the Fairmount High School ; and a bachelor son who has a farm two miles away. Then we are raising and shipping fancy poultry and eggs — mostly white Holland turkeys and Light Brahma chickens. We also have 30 colonies of bees and the post-office, with reporting for two weekly papers, and making garden — but I'll stop." Now, if the foregoing isn't enough for a small regiment to attend to, then we are away off. Where is the 77ia?i that would undertake to successfully manage all that business? And yet some pompous individuals delight in referring to woman as the "weaker sex!" Not much. We know better, for our own dear mother is one of the " Livingston kind." All honor to the toiling, loving and never-despairing women ! Mrs. M. Louise Thomas, of Philadel- phia, at the last meeting of the Ameri- can Institute Farmers' Club, delivered an address on bee-keeping, in which she is reported to have said she knew of " two women who have incomes of ■S5,000 each, annually, selling queens." Of course we don't like to doubt Louise's word, but in plain language we can only say we don't believe it. At least we won't until we have some proof for it. We did hear, some time ago, that there was a noted (?) bee-woman somewhere that sold 5,000 queens in one season, but since learning that in reality the husband was doing business in his wife's name, we have put only about one-fifth as ranch confidence (if not less) in the 5,000 report. As Mrs. Thomas was reported in the Country Gentleman, we call upon the publishers of that excellent paper to re- quest her to furnish proof of her state- ment about those two "incomes of ■So, 000 each, annually." We want to help crown somebody — either as the queen of bee-women or the princess of prevaricators. Bee-Keepers" Pliotogi-apli.— We have now on hand a limited number of ex- cellent photographs of prominent bee-keep- ers— a number of pictures on one card. The likeness of 49 of them are shown on one of the photographs, and 121 on the other. We will send them, postpaid, for 50 cents each, mailing from the 131 kind first; then after they are all gone, we will send the 49 kind. So those who order first will get the most " faces' for their money. Send orders to the Bee Journal office. COgHB Sk-O^I a) a> ^ra lllp a.SC0H=2 a> o wo r BERLIN FEUIT-BOX CO , Berlin Heights, Ohio. MenXXoix the American Bee Journal- $5255 ' Ag-ent's profits per month. Will prove Jit or pay forfeit New article3 just out. A $1.50 sample and terms free. Try us. 22 A8t Chidesteh \- SON, 28 Bond St., N. Y. When Answering THrs Advertisement, Mention this Journai_ Hives & Combs For Sale. 45 lO-frame LaoKStroth Hives, two-story, for extracting, as made and sold by T. G. New- man. These are empty— no frames— are well paicted. and have been kept in the bee-house. Price, 75 cents each. Also, 400 Brood or Extracting Combs for the above hlvee : they have the triangular top-bar as made by Newman. They are clean and in good condltiou. Price. $15.00 per 100. I would take $85.00 for the whole lot of Hives and Combs. Reference- American Bee Journal. 21Atf W. €. liYMAN, DOWNER'S GROVE, ILL. MUTH'S HONET EZTBACTOB PERFECTIOK Cold-Blaet Smokers, Sqoare Glass Houey Jars, Etc. For Circulars, apply to Chas. F. Muth & Son. Cor, Freeman & Central Ayes., Cincinnati, O. Send lOo tor Practical Hints to Bee-Keepers. Mention the .A)nerica7i BceJOumaL Beautiful Golden (jueens uan. Let me tell you why my Golden Italians are better for comb honey than the 3-banders. Simply this— they cap their honey white like the blacks, and are splendid workers. 1 Untested Queen. 75 cents or 3 for $3,00 1 Tested Queen, $1 00 Breeders 2.50 1 Breeder wh'ch I have bred from and found to be I hp best 4.00 1 Frame Nuclei with Queen 1.75 2 •■ ■• ■• 2.25 .3 " •' •' 2.75 All orders filled promptly. Safe delivery guaranteed. r. J. THOMAS, 22A8t FREDONIA. KAN. Mention the American Bee Joumai. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 363 A HANDY TOOL-HOLBER ! Sent by Express, for $1.50 ; or with the Bee Joiirna!! one year — both Tor $2.00. Every Manufacturer, Miller, Carpenter, Cabinet Maker, Machinist. Wlieelwright and Quarryman, Farmer, or any one using a grind- stone, should have one of these Tool-Holders. One boy can do the worlc of two persoiis, and grind much faster, easier and with perfect accuracy. Will bold any kind of tool, from the smallest chieel to a draw shave or ax. Extra attachment for sharpening scythe blades included in the above price. The work Is done without wetting the hands or soiling the clothes, as the water flows from the opera- tor. It can be attached to any size stone for baud or steam power, is always ready for use, nothing to get out of order, and is absolutely worth 100 times Its cost. No farm is well-equipped un- less it has a Tool-Holder. Pays "or itself in a short time. How to Use tlie Holder. Directions.— The Tool is fas- tened securely In the Holder by a set-screw and can be ground to any desired bevel by insert- ing the arm of the Holder into a higher or lower notch of the standard. While turning the crank with the right hand, the left rests on an steadies the Holder : the Tool is moved to the right or left across the stone, or examined while grind- ing, as readily and in the same way as if held in ih's hands. For grinding Round -Edge Tools, the holes in the stand- ard are used instead of the notches. Address, GEORGE W. YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILL. PATENT WIRED COMB FOUNDATION Has No Sag in Brood-Frames Tliin Fiat-Bottom FoundatioD Has lio Fisbbone in tlie Sarplns Hooey. Beinf; the cleanest is usaally worked the quickest of any Foundation made J. VAN DEUSEN ii SONS, Sole Manufacrnrera, Bpront Brook Monmomery Co., N. Y. Mention the American Bee Journal Dadaiit's Foundation in Chicago ! No other Goods kept here. Send for Price-List, CHAS. DADANT &. SON, 118 Michigan St., - CHICAGO, ILL. 13Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. ONE MAN WITH THE UNION «o«"|;~„'^^'°'>' Cun do the work of four men using hand tools, in Ki p ping-, Cutting-off , M i- tring, Rabbeting', Groov- ing. Gaining. Dadoing, Edging-'Up. Jointing Stuff, etc. Full Line of Foot and Hand Power Machinery Soli] ou Trial. Catalosroe Free. SENECA FALLS MFG. CO., 46 Water St., SENECA FALLS. N. T lAly Mention the Amerimii BeeJtyumaL BEES. QUEENS, and Several Curloade of APIA-RIAN SUPPLIES always on hand. Brood Found., 42c lb. ; Section. 50c lb. I. J. •»TR|]yOHAin, 105 Park Place. NEW YORK, N. T. That Queen-Clipping Device Free ! Couldn't Do Without It. I have clipped 1*> queens, and must say the Monette Queen-Clipping Device is by far the best invention ever made, and will be wel- come to manj' l)ee- keepers as it was to me. I could not do without one now. Dk. Geo. L.^cke, Newburgh, Ind, Works Iitke a Charm. The Monette Queen-Clipping Device works LIKE A CHARM. With it I havc clipped 30 queens, all in one day, when examining my bees. Wm. Stollev, Grand Island, Nebr. PLEASE READ THIS OFFER TO PRESENT SUBSCRIBERS : Send us just one /ww name for the American Bee •lournal a year (with SI. 00), and vpe will mail you the Queen-ClippioK Device free of charge. Or, the Queen-Clipping Device will be sent postpaid for 50 cts. But why not 'get it as a Premium by the above offer ? You can't earn 50 cts. any easier. Almost every bee-keeper will want this Device. See page 130 (Feb. 27) for full description of it. Complete directions accompany each one sent out. It is a most ingenious and useful article. Address, GEOKGE W. YORK & CO., 118 Michigan St., Chicago, 111. Qcj;)eral Iten^s^ A TT. S. Bee-Association Urged. The time is here when bee-keepers must organize so as to help themselves in every way possible. I very heartily approve of the plan given by Mr. VV. P. Marks, on page 290, for organizing the "United States Association of Bee-Keep- ers' Societies " — (rather a long name, but 1 think it very e.\'pressive). The plan is a good one, and it seems to me that it Is one that could be carried out easily. I think, though, that the county and district societies should be subordi- nate to their respective State societies; the county and district societies appoint- ing delegates to the State meetings, and the State meeting appointing one dele- gate to the United States meeting from each congressional district. Thus, the bee-keepers of the entire United States would be represented in a great conven- tion of bee-keepers, and the entire brotherhood would gain respect, and their rights would be observed by all. And also the various and separate States would be thoroughly organized, and proper and needed legislation could be more easily secured. Last winter the Central Iowa Bee- Keepers' Association appointed Mr. Jos, Nysewander, of Des Moines, and myself, as delegates to represent the bee-keep- ers' association, and present a petition before the Iowa legislature, asking that an experimental apiary be established at the Agricultural College at Ames, Iowa. The petition was presented, and all the assistance that could be given it was given, and I firmly believe that the rea- son the result was not more satisfactory was because of a lack of organization among the bee-keepers of the State. (I hope that this obstacle will be removed before another general assembly, and every bee-keeper in the State will be en- listed in the fight.) This is a matter of great importance to every bee-keeperof the United States, and I believe that before we have gained all there is for us, we must take this step forward. We are having abundance of rain, and everything is looking as if this would be a good honey-year. The bees all win- tered well in this section, as a rule, last winter. I hope bee-keepers will be encouraged enough to attend the bee-convention next fall at Marshalltown, Sept. 16 and 17. I will send further announcement later. W. E. Bryan. New Sharon, Iowa, May IT. Bee-Notes from Western Iowa. Bees wintered well here last winter, for it was an extra open, mild winter. There are not as many bees as there were some years ago, on account of the recent drouthy seasons. Bees have been pretty poor property for the last three years, but it looks as if better days were dawning. We have had more than the average amount of rainfall since April first. We have just had (yesterday eve and to-day) the biggest rain we ha;e had in a good many years. The past dry winter killed about one-half of the white clover, but the half that is left looks like the "better half," sure. If we escape frost, basswood may give us some honey again, and a wet spring 364 THf AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. June 4, BUY DIRECT FROM FACTORY," BEST M-IXED PAINTS AfWHOL,ESAl,E PRICES, Delivered FREE For Houses, Barns, Roofs, all colors, and SAVK Dealers profits. In use 54 years. Endorsed by Grange & Farmers' Alliance. Low prices will surprise you. Write for Samples. 0. W. I NQERSOLL, o s ci Plymoulli St. , Brooklyn , N. V. 12A13 fj.'.eniicm.ic ^niertcau ri'.,; f.anto- MUMKMM] We have killed high prices. Give me a trial order and be convinced that, good Queens can be reared for 50 cts. each. Untested. 50 cts.; Tested, 75 cts. Golden Italians. 3-Bauded I- talians, and Silver-Gray Carniolans. all the same price. Best of Heferences given. C. B. BANKSTON, 13Atf CHEIESMAN, Burleson Co., TEX. Wentimi the Ame^i-cc^'r, Bes /cti'^ooW CM '- ^ _ Si ■^ \ , _ ___^ ' _ ; 2 i^ '^ H!! ^ ■^ 1 /^ — :r; s = 9=^ =; :=. :j P^^^i /v'.'i eai § &it :Sij«. K KM ^ Sg M j^ Is REFERENCES REQUIRED. Before hiring a man you want to Know where and how well he has worked. Just so with fences. Plenty of careful, thrifty farmers have had ours in use eight or ten years. Can you do better than ask their opinion. Send for our monthly paper free. PAGE WOVEN WIRE FENCE CO., Adrian, Mich. When answering this ADVEnTISEMENT, MENTION THIS JOURNAL. A New Method of refining wax without acid. Result Better Comb Foundation. My prices are also the lowest. A Job-Lot of No. 2 Polished Sections Equal in finish to any No. I's. 1 M, Jl.To; 2 M S3.40; 3 M. JJ.SO: 5 M, J7.50. Or 1 can furn- ish a cheaper quality. Also, a full line of HIGGIIKSVIL,LS~ Of Bee-Hives, Sections, Ship- ping-Cases, Comb Foundation, and E\'erytliiug used in the Bee-Industrj'. I want the name and address of every Bee-Keeper in Amer- ica. No reason why you can- not do business with me. I have Cheap Lumber and Experienced Workmen ; a good Water-Power Factory and hnow how to run it. I am supplying Dealers as well as consumers. Why not you? Send tor Cata- logues. Quotations, etc. "W. II. PUTNAM, IK River Falls, Pierce Co.. Wis. Mtrtition the A.merican Bee Jount/is,. Pasre & Lyon Mfa:. Co., ^^New London, Wis., operates two saw- mills that cut, annually, eight million feet of lumber, thus securing tbe best lumber at the lowest price for the manufacture of bee-keepers' supplies. They have also j ust completed one of The Largest Factories, ^►and have tbe latest and most improved machinery for tbe mauuiacture of Bee- Hives, Sections, etc., that there is in the State. The material is cut from patterns, by machinery, and is absolutely accurate. For Sections, the clearest and The Whitest Basswood ^^is used, and they are polished on both sides. Nearness to pine and basswood for- ests, and possession of mills and factory equipped with best m;iohiuery. all com- bine to enable this Arm to furnish the best 0:00 ds at The Lowest Prices, f? ^►For instance, it has a job lot of '200.00ty No. '2 Sections ihat will be sold at .50 cts. per 1,000; or '.'.OOO Snow-Wbite sections will be s 'Id for $4.00. and larger quanti- ties at still lower prices. Send for Circu- lar and see tbe priced on a fuU line of supplies. 16Atf Mention the A.nierican Bee Joum^j^ 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 365 DO NOT ORDER UNTIL YOU HAVE "IVRITTEN US FOR PRICES ON The "Boss" Oiie-Piece Section [=1^g]E D Also D. T. Hives, Shippings-Crates and Other Supplies. We have completed a large addition to our Factory, which doubles our tioor room; we are therefore in better shape than ever to fill orders on short notice. Send for Frice-Iiist J. FORNCROOK, Watertown, Jeff. Co., Wis., Jan. 1st, 1896. Barnes' Foot-Power Machinery. Read what J , I. Parent, o Charlton. N.Y.,8a78— "We cut with one of your Com- bined Machines, last winter 50 chaff hives with 7-ln. cap, 100 honey-racks, 500 broad frames, 2,000 honey-boxes and a Kreat deal of other work. Thiswiuter we have double the amount of bee- hives, etc., to make and we expect todo ilwiththisSaw. Itwiil do all you say it will. Catalogue and Price - J^ist Free. Address, W. F. & JOHN BARNES, 45Ctf No. 995 RubySt.. Rocbford. III. Tlie RURAL CALIFORNIAN Tells all about Bees in California. The Yields and Price of Honey; the Pastur- ape and Nectar - Producing- Plants; the Bee- Kanches and bow they are conducted. In fact the entire field Is fully covered by and expert bee-man. Besides this, the paper also tells you all about Oaliroriila Asriciilture and Horllciiliure. $1.50 per Year; Six Months, 75 cents. Sample Free. THE RURAL CALIFORNIAN, 218 N. Main St., - Los Angeles, Calif. BeeSiipplies Largest Stock ind Greatest ^'arletv In the ■Vest, 'best Liood-at Low- est prices. Cat. iifSU puses FREE. . KRETCMER, RED OAK, IOWA. Mention tlie American Bee Journal. 33 D9t ^Sections & Fonndation Reduced.:^ I am now selling Root's best polished SEC- TIONS at Sa.oO per 1,000: 2,000 forMoO; 3.000, $6.4.3; .'i.OOO. $10.00. Tlie New Weed Procesii Comb Foundation reduced 3c. per pound. See prices on page 14 of our Cat- alogue, or The A. I. Root Co.'s. M. H. HUNT, 19D4t BELL BRANCH, MICH. Wenition the Americmi Bee Journal, New England Supply Depot ! Toucaujiet the most complete Boe-Hive, also other Supplies, at— H. ALLEY'S, Room 5, 8-2 Water St., - BOSTON, MASS. ISDtf itention the American Bee Jcvmai. W. H. BRIGHT'S CIRCULAR FOR 1896, describes everythinr needed In the apiary. Bees, Queens, Hives, Sections, Spraying Pumps, and Brigbt's Comb Foundation, sold at bottom prices. Send for one free. VVni. H. BRIGHT, 17D4t MAZBPPA, MINN. Pull CalhllU'V "^ Italian Bees for $4.00. 1 uii v<»lullHjv5 H'or particulars see larger ad. on page :i.iO of this paper. Tested Queens, after June lOlb. 75 cts. each; 2 for $1.25. :uj Address. T. H. KLOER, 426 Willow St., TEKKE HAUTE, IND. 2 3 A4 1 Mention the American Bee Journal. May 18. I try, by changing hives, to equalize the bees, and forming new colo- nies to prevent swarming as much as I can ; still, they will swarm in spite of me, once in awhile, especially those in 8-frame hives. Our bees wintered In excellent condi- tion on fall honey. We did not have to feed any sugar, and they were appar- ently as strong when brought out this spring as when put, into the cave last fall. We have fed no sugar this spring, but before flowers were plenty we sup- plied them with artificial pollen, and equalized the stores so that all had a plenty. During the breeding season, in early spring, I disturb the interior of the hive as little as possible, managing to do most of the work without tearing the brood-nest all to pieces. When our hives are brought out of the cellar they are placed in pairs on the stands. A glance tells their condition with regard to stores, and brood or eggs indicates the presence of the queen. When they get so full of bees they be- gin to hang outside, and show symptoms of swarming, I fill a hive with brood and honey by taking one or two frames from several hives that can spare them, put- ting in empty combs or full sheets of foundation in their places, move two of the strong colonies from their stands to a new place, and set the hive in the middle of the stand where they stood. They can be given a queen or cell nearly ready to hatch, or be allowed to rear a queen for themselves. Having all the flying bees from the two hives moved away, they are very strong in bees, and ready for business right away ; while the colonies moved will not swarm for awhile, and it disturbs them less than to tear the hive all to pieces hunt- ing for queen-cells, which is no pleasant job at the best. Mrs. a. L. Hallenbeck. Millard, Nebr., May 21. One of the Old-Timers Expected. Bees are just rolling in the honey here. I look for one of those old-timers thi.« year. Prospects were never better. A. Cabdeb. Tracy City, Tenn., May 28. Why Fumigate Honey ? — Outlook. While reading " Fumigation of Comb Honey," by C. Davenport, on page 274, the query arose in my mind, Why is it necessary for him to fumigate his honey? My experience in handling comb honey is this : When we first produced honey we used a box extending across the hive with glass in the ends and holes in the bottom for the bees to enter; later, we used a box composed of two-pound sections nailed together, and glass in the ends. When these boxes were removed from the hive, and free from bees, paper was pasted over the bottoms so nothing could enter. We never were bothered with moth-grubs in any honey kept in this way, but one box ; and on examining it, found that there was asmallhole broken in the glass, and we inferred that the moth entered through this and deposited her eggs. Since using the one-pound sections, as soon as the cases are removed and free from bees, they are piled one upon another, leaving no aperture for moths, ants or bees to enter, and the uppermost 'i- Money Saved is Money Gained. •> THE ROYAL UMON Life Insurance Company DES MOINES, IOWA. The Iowa Policy Is one that definitely promises to keep an accurate account with you ; credit your premiums and interest, charge the actual expense and mortuary cost, and hold the remaining funds subject to your order." a Agents Wanted. JOHN B. KING. General AGENT. Suite 513 First Nat'l Bank Bld'g, 20Atf CHICAGO, ILL. Mention the jlmericaii Bee JournaL The Patent Wood-Veneer Foundation. Bee-keepers should (rive it a test, and my All- Wax Foundation. I will guarantee there is no better made, as six years agro I discarded the old way of dipping for wax sheets, and a new invention of my own was discovered, which enables me to make the toughest kind ot Foundation; also, no acid used to purify the Beeswax, and It preserves the smell ot honey, which Is more acceptable to the bees. Now Is the the time to send wax and have it worked up at low prices. Send for Samples and Cata- log with low prices. Wax wanted at 31c cash, or 33c trade, delivered. AUG. WEISS, HortonvUIe. Wis. 12A13t Please mention the Bee Journal. 1,000 Teachers' Oxford Bibles Were bought lor spot cash by a Chicago firm from an Eastern publisher who was about to be driven to the wall for the want of ready money. More than a million of these same Bibles, in every way like the illustration, have been sold during the past few years at three times the money we ask for them. They are the genu- nine Teachers' Oxford Bibles, Divinity Cir- cuit, round corners, gilt edges, complete teachers' helps, maps, l1,35<> pas;es, bound kin French seal, limp, 'with perfectly flexible backs. Sent prepaid. Kegular price. $4.50; our price. $2 25. Or we club it with the Bee Journal for one year— both for only $'-'.75; or we will give this fine Bible free as a premium to anyone sending 4 ne«r subscribers to the Bee Journal one year (with $i. 00;. No additional premium is given the new subscribers— simply the Bee Journal one year to each of them. GEORGE W. YORK & CO., - CHICAGO, ILL& BEGINNERS. Beginners should have a copy of the Amateur Bee-Keeper, a 70-page book by Prof. J. W. Rouse. Price 25 cents; it sent by mail, 28c. The little book and the Progressive Bee-Keeper fa live, pro- gressive 28-page monthly journal) one year, 05c. Address any flrstrclass dealer, or LEAHY MFG. CO., Higginsville, Mo. Fnr QalD HOME, APIARY, rui jgiK —QUEENS.— Yz Block ot t^round, some (rult, good G-room dwelling-, shop, stable, honey-house and poul- try-house [over 3.000 square feet of floor], 100 colonies of bees in chaff hives and fully equipped for comb honey, all in town of 1000 population and proodalfalta range and g-ood water. Price. $;i,000. If unsold June 15th. will unqueen, and offer 2 year clipped queens at 25c.; 1 year, undipped, at 50c. each. July 15th and alter, yhung queens at fiOc. each — all Italian and safe arrival guaranteed. This Is a rare har^'alu. but I must get my wife to a lower altitude. Uouk your orders iit ouce If you want these queens. lOAtr K. V. AIKIN, Lovoland, Colo. WHEN Answering this Aovertibement, mention this Journal. 366 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. June A, one c)osely covered, and we have never found a moth-grub in a section yet, and Vfe have never fumigated. Where Italian bees are kept the moths have never an opportunity to deposit their eggs in the sections. Where Ital- ian bees are kept, and an old hen with a lively brood have their freedom, the moths stand a poor show. I've been amused many a time by seeing an old hen giving a moth a lively chase, and catching him, too. Hives of Comb. — In early spring, if we discover a hive with a dead colony we take out the combs, trim oft queen-cells, and cutout undesirable comb, scrub the hive with hot soap-suds, rinse with boil- ing water, and as soon as it is dry, re- turn the combs and store it in the cellar. It is a pleasure during swarming-time to bring up these hives without a grub in them. OoTLOOK FOR HoNET. — In OUT experi- ence in Illinois for half a century, we have never known so delightful a spring. The season up to April 5 appeared to be two weeks late, but since then vegeta- tion has come forward on the double- quick; the leaves all made at once so new and fresh. There is the best pros- pect for white clover that there has been in five years, and sweet clover is very rank and abundant. May-day finds vegetation ahead of average seasons. Mrs. L. Harrison. Peoria, III., May 1. Xlie diamiing' I'line ot S^varm- in&r-'l'iiiie. BY ED JOLLET. I seldom hear a dinner-bell But thoughts arise like these — Of how in yore it clattered At the swarming of the bees. We used to hear it often In the months of May or June; When the bees began their swarming, Then we played our charming tune. Grandma rang the dinner-bell, Our aunt did beat a pan ; Brother Tom, he thumped the boiler, While I hammered on a can. When the swarm had all flown out. And far around had spread, •' Just thump a little louder now," Our grandpa wisely said. The way we beat that boiler, then, 'Twould make you smile to hear, As the bees began to settle On the lilac bushes near. Then grandpa got tbe skep. And with catnip nibbed it well, So the bees would like tbeir home For its nice, perfumery smell. When the work was all done up. Did our grandpa smiling say: " 'Twas by your lusty music, boys, That you have saved the day!" We smile to think it over now, 'Twas earnest business then With grandpa, as well as us. And nearly all the men. But the work is different now— The order's seen a change ; Things we used to think our duty Are now thought very strange. Yet I seldom hear a dinner-bell. If the day is nice and warm, But I seem to hear the boiler And the tune that charmed the swarm. Franklin, Pa. Blr«l-Drtft PirtW BINGHAM BeeSmoker mmm smokers Best oil Fartli and Clieappf^t. Doctor, 3V4-in. stove. Ijj- mail. $1.50 ; Comiueror, :i in,. $1,10 ; Large. -'Vt. 5 $1 : Plain, 2, 70c: Little I Woniier, 2, wt 10 oz. 60c I BJri<.-haiii A Hctheriii^ton Honey-Knivt's, 8U (■ents. SJT. F. BIINGHA!fI, (Dtf Fartvell, Mi Bee-Keeper's Guide— see page 364. Honey-Clovers & Buckwheat SEED FOR SALE. We have made arrangements so that we can furnish seed of several ot the Clovers and Japanese Buckwheat, by freight or ex- press, at the following prices, cash with order: .515 10ft 25ft 50ft AlslkeClover $.70 $1.25 $3.00 $5.75 Sweet Clover 75 1.40 3.25 6.00 White Clover 1.25 2.00 4.50 8 00 Alfalfa Clover 65 1.10 2.70 5.00 Crimson Clover 55 .90 2.00 3.50 Jap. Buckwheat... .20 .33 .90 1.25 Prices subject to market changes. Add 25 cents to your order, tor cartage, if wanted by freight. Your orders are solicited. GEORGE "W. YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS. Sweet Clover \ Canada. At the following prices : 5 lbs. 10 lbs. 25 lbs. 50 lbs. $1.00 $1.80 $3.75 $7.25. Also a quantity of Motherwort and Catnip seed. Prices on application. EGGS for Halcliing. Buff Leghorns. In- dian Games, & Light Brahmas. Choice Birds. A breeder tor 30 years. Prices on application JOHN ITIcARTHUR, 881 Tonge Street, - TOKONTO, ONT. 1 5 A t f itfswtton Oi&A meriean Bee Jimmai. gf Promptness Is What Counts ! Honey-Jars. Shipping-Cases, and every- thing that hee-keepers use. Root's Goods at Root's Prices, and the best shipping point in the country. Dealer in Honey and Beeswax. Cata- lerLr.Ave. Walter S. Ponder INDIANAPOLIS. IND. J\lention the American Bee JoumaX' ijneeiisWSaierr Italian Queens— after May 15— Untested, 73c. each; 6 for $4. 00; 12 for $7.20. Safe arrival and satisfaction guaranteed. Reference— George W. York & Co. Address, V. GRABBE, LIBERTYVILLE. ILL., Mention the American Bee Jowmai„ IIAl'FV ^e have a large amount ot Pure I1VL1LI No. 1 Alfalfa we will sell cheap. Wax Waiited. Ra«« hdP A«<>!]n0 Warranted the best, sim- UU»» MCt;-C»tll)IC plest and quickest Escape on the market. Sent postpaid to any address for 30 cts. It can be returned at our expense If it is not as represented, or we will send the Kscape on trial to any bee-keeper wishing to test it in good faith. We are agents for the Ferguson Patent Hive I',Sl''erta"d''l^,"c?e'^ Gate Honey-Board, with the Escape. It is the easiest, quickest hive to handle for the pro- duction of comb honev. Address, K. S. 1.6VESV A: CO., 355 6th East St.. SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH. ^erwion trw. Atr/erir/in B"^ ^net-r^wi , 9Atf HEADERS or tbis Jonmal wlio write to any of oai advertisers, eltber io ordering, or asking aboat tbe Good? offered, will please state tbat tbejr aaxs '■be AdTerUaement in tbis paper. QuGstiot)'Box> In the multitude ot counsellors there is safety.— Prov. 11-14. Stale Appropriation for Api- arian Uses. Query 16.— What are the best uses to be made of a $500 State appropriation for the benefit of the bee-keeping interest ?— Colo. C. H. Dibbern — I give it up. Rev. M. Mahin — I give it up. W. R. Graham — I don't know. H. D. Cutting — Experimental pur- poses in certain Hues. Chas. Dadant & Son — Scatter publica- tions over the country. E. France— Use it for the prevention aud cure of foul brood. Eugene Secor — Get a law passed pun- ishing adulteration, and use the money to enforce it. W. G. Larrabee — Prevent adultera- tion, and help to distribute the seeds of honey-producing plants. Dr. C. C. Miller— I don't know. Per- haps to help establish a big State society or an experimental station. R. L. Taylor — Those interested and acquainted with the situation there should be able to answer that. Emerson T. Abbott — That depends entirely upon circumstances. All money raised by taxation should be used in a way that will benelit the general public. Prof. A. J. Cook — It is best to dis- courage any such appropriation. Such legislation for the very few is very ques- tionable, and the more if in a question- able cause. Dr. J. P. H. Brown — In my judgment, the very best use it could be put to would be the dissemination of tracts, booklets, etc., teaching the people the uses of honey. J. E. Pond — That depends so much upon localities, that each State should answer for itself. For my own State, it would require too much space to attempt to answer here. B. Taylor — Give premiums for the greatest yields of honey from at least 25 colonies, with the method of pro- ducing it. Divide the $500 into 20 or more premiums. J. M. Hambaugh — By publishing the proceedings, conventions and other mat- ters, of public interest, and placing it in the hands of the members of the bee- keeping pursuit. P. H. Elwood — Spend it showing up the unhealthfulness of commercial glu- cose as food. It is much more objection- able than oleomargarine, and the popu- lar recognition of this fact would enable us to outlaw it. Mrs. L. Harrison — Invest it in the seed of the different varieties of clover, and distribute it gratuitously to all parts of the State, to those who would be likely to be interested in forage plants. He that hath grass, hath meat, milk and honey. James A. Stone — Publishing reports of the associations, or expend it in liter- ature (bee-papers) to circulate among those who will interest themselves 'n 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 367 Mo. 1 41x41 Snow-white Sections $2.00 per 1,000. ^ I^ 1 For the purpose of introducing: our One-Piece Section to tlie bee-lieepers generally, we have concluded to make the price S2. 00 per 1.000 for the season. Now is the time to get your Sections cheap. We have a choice lot of Section Lumber, gotten out of young timber, and we can furnish you the nicest Section to be had. Write for Sample Section Free. June let, 1896, TTH® MffiMSHFIBI^EI MFG. C©., lfIAK$HFIE:L,D, Wood Co. enough to become members of the or- ganizatious that work In the interests of bee-keepers. Farther than this we think an appropriation useless. G. W. Deraaree — Leave it in the State treasury. Thousands of people of our times who have a dread horror of modern " Socialism," are willing to prac- tice the modern doctrine in an exclusive way. Universality, or not at all, is sim- ple honesty. G. M. Doolittle — Use it for reform lit- erature to agitate so thatafJ bee-keepers may not come to a state of serfdom. The high-priced (gold) dollar costs three times as much of our product to buy as formerly, and bee-keepers are fast be- coming a race of slaves. Allen Pringle — If the appropriation is an annual grant, a thoroughly organ- ized State association ought to take charge of aud expend the money in the interests of bee-culture in that State — by promoting the organization and afiBli- ation of local societies to itself, etc. Queens and Queen-Rearinsr.— If you want to know how to have queens fertilized in upper stories while the old queen is stiU laying below ; how you may safely introduce any queen, at any time of the year when bees can fly ; all about the diflferent races of bees ; all about shipping queens, queen-cages, candy for queen- cages, etc. ; all about forming nuclei, mul- tiplying or uniting bees, or weak colonies, 3tc. ; or, in fact, everything about the queen-business which you may want to know — send for Doolittle's '-Scientific Queen-Rearing " — a book of over 170 pages, which is as interesting as a story. Here are some good offers of this book: Bound in cloth, postpaid, $1.00 ; or clubbed with the Bee Journal for one year — both for only $1.7.t ; or given free as a premium for sending us three new subscribers to the Bee Journal for a year at Sl.OO each. No. 1 Sections— Cheap. We offer for a few weeks, a surplus stock of our one-piece No. ] Cream Sections at the following very low prices: 1000 for $1.50. 3000 for $4.00. 5000 for $6.00. These Sections are finely finished ana No. 1 in all respects save color, being, as their name indicates, of a cream color. The stock consists of a quantity each of the loUowlng sizes: 4^x2, open 2 sides 4!4xl 15-16, open 2 sides 4!ixl 7-8, open 2 sides 4!43tl?i, open 2 sides 4!4x7-to-ft.. open 2 sides WATERTOWN, WIS. Mention the American Bee Journal. Honey & Beeswax Market Quotations. The following rules for grading honey were adopted by the North American Bee-Keepers' Association, and, so far as possible, quota- tions, are made according to these rules: Fancy.— All sections to be well filled : combs straight, of even thickness, and firmly at- tached to all four sides; both wood and comb unsoiled by travel-stain, or otherwise; all the cells sealed except the row of cells next the wood. No. 1.— All sections well filled, but combs uneven or crooked, detached at the bottom, or with but few cells unsealed: both wood and comb unsoiled by travel-stain or other- wise. In addition to this the honey is to be classi- fied according to color, using the terms white, amber and dark. That is. there will be "fancy white," "No. 1 dark." etc. CHICAGO, III., May 19.— We quote: Fancy white, 14@15c.: No. 1, 12@13c.; fancy amber, 9@10c.: No. 1, 8@8'/ic.; fancy dark. 8@9c.; No. 1, 8c. Extracted, white, 6@7c. ; amber. 4@3c. Beeswax. 28@30c. It continues to sell well and there is no accumulation of shipments, We consider it a good time to sell. K. A. B. & Co. PHILADELPHIA, Pa., Apr. 22.— We quote: No. 1 white. 9@10c.; lancy amber, 8@9c. ; fancy dark, 7@8c. Extracted, white clover, 10c. ; amber, 5@.5Hc.; dark, 4@4V4c. Bees- wax. 25@26c. Comb honey is dull. E.xtracted in fair demand. Beeswax lower. W. A. S. BUFFALO, N. T.. Apr. 20.— We quote: Fancy white, lo@10c.; No. 1 white, 13@14c. : fancy dark, 8@9c. ; No. 1 dark. 7(37 !4c. Bees- wax. 25@28c. Trade very dull and honey not moving, except a few fancy lots; anything dark is hard to sell. B. & Co. CINCINNATI. 0., Apr. 22.— There is no fan- cy white comb honey on our market. Best white sells at 12@14i_'. in a jobbing way. with a fair demand. Demand is good for extracted at 4@7c.. according to quality. Beeswax is in good demand at 2.5@30c. for good to choice yellow. C. F. M. & S. PKANSAS CITY, Mo., May 20.— We quote: No. 1 white, 13@14e.; No. 1 amber, 10iai2c.; No. 1. dark, 8(81 Oc. Extracted, white, 6c.; amber. 5c. ; dark, 4c. Beeswax. 32c. C. C. C. & Co. NEW YORK. N. Y., May 9.— There is some demand for white comb honey at unchanged prices. No market for buckwheat. Extracted remains quiet. New Southern is now arriv- ing and .selling at 5@6e. for fine grades and 50@55c. a gallon for fah to common. Beeswax easy at 28@29e. H. B. & S. List of Honey and Beeswax Dealers. Most of whom Quote In this Journal. Cblcago, Ills. R. A. Burnett & Co.. 163 South Water Street. New Vork, N. Y. HiLDBETH Bros. & Segelken. 120 & 122 West Broadway. Chas. Israel & Bros., 486 Canal St. Kansas City, mo. 0. C. Clemoms & Co., 423 Walnut St. Biifialo.N. Y. Battebson & Co.. 167 & 169 Scott St, Hamilton, Ills. Chas. Dadant & Son. Philadelphia, Pa. Wm. a. Selser, 10 Vine St. Cincinnati, Oltio. C. F, M0TH & Son, cor. Freeman & Central avs. ^,.-^^A3^^^^®A PUBLISHED WEEKLY BV GEORGE W. YORK & CO., A.t One Dollar a Year, 56 Fifth Avenne, CHICAGO, IIiIiS. Postage to all Countries In the Postal Union is 50 cents extra. To all others, 91.00 more than the subscription price . i^~ Hebblewhlte & Co., 369 George Street. Sydney, New South Wales. Australia, are our authorized agents. Subscription price, 6 shil- lings per annum, postpaid Important to All Subscribers. Xlie American Bee Journal is sent to subscribers until an order is received by the publishers for its discontinuance, and all arrearages are paid. Al«'aj's Niate the Post-OfHce to which your paper is addressed, when writing to us. A (Sample <'«py of the Bee Journal will be sent FREE upon application. Ilo^v to Send Money.— Remit by Express, Post-Ofiice Money Order, or Bank Draft on New York or Chicago. If none of these can be had. Register your Letter, affixing Stamps both for postage and regis- try, and take a receipt for it. Money sent thus, IS AT OUR RISK: otherwise it is not. Do not send Checks on Local Banks — w» have to pay 35 cents each, to get them :ashed. i^ever Send Silver in letters. It will wear holes in the envelope, or may be stolen. Money Or«lers. — Make all Money Or- ders payable at Chicago, 111. — not at any sub-station of Chicago. Postage Stamps of any denomina- tion may be sent for any fraction of a dol- lar; or where Money Orders cannot be obtained, stamps for any amount may be sent. Subscription Credits. — The receipt for money sent us will be given on the address-label of every paper. The subscrip- tion is paid to the end of tlie montli indicated. no not Write anything for publica- tion on the same sheet of paper with busi- ness matters, xmless it can be torn apart without interfering with either part of the letter. ■.lOst I\unil»ers. — We carefully mail the Bee Journal to every subscriber, but should any be lost in the mails, we will re- place them if notifled before all the edition is exhausted. Please don't wait a month or two, for then it may be too late to get another copy. Emer.son Hinders, made especially for the American Bee Journal, are conven- ient for preserving each weekly Number, as fast as received. They will be sent, post- paid, for 75 cents, or clubbed with the Am- erican Bee Journal for one year — both to- gether for $l.(iO. They cannot be sent by mail to Canada. WARRANTED GOLDEN ITALIAN QUEENS ^a'^^j^^^i tested by Doullttic out of 1.000 Queens for his own use, and valued at $50. Queens, 50c ; 5 for $2.75 : or $5.00 per dozen. Iieatlier Colored Queens from Boot's best imported st0( k same price. Bees from my Queens are excellent workers on red clover. 1 guarantee safe delivery. N. B.— I sent more than 300 Queens safely to California last sea- sou, H. U. atJIRIN, Belleviie, Ohio. 23A16 Mention the American Bee JonmaL 368 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. June 4, 1896. Bottom Prices BRING 1JS BIG TRADE. GOOD GOODS KEEP IT. It you want the best supplies that can he made at a little less cost than you can buy the same goods for elsewhere, write to us for low prices. 189B Calalogrte now ready —ask for It and a free copy of Tlie Ameri- can Bee-Keeper (36 pages). Address, THEW.T.FALCOmMFG.CO., JAMESTOWN, N. T. Mention the American Bee Journal, COMB FOUNDATION! Wax always wanted for Cash or in Exchange for Fdn. or other Supplies. My trade is estab- lished on liOiv Prices and the merit of my Foniidation. Orders filled proiiiplly. I^^WoHKiNG Wax into Fdn. by thb Lb. a Specialty. Wholesale prices to dealers and large consumers. Send for Prices and Sam- ples to— GUS niTTMEK, AUGUSTA, WIS. Reference — Augusta Bank. lAtf Mention the American Bee Journal. U Years' Experience in breeding- Italian Queens. CJOOU Untested Queens. 75c, 3 for $2.00. CHOICE Tested, youns-, 11 each by return mall. A. 1. Root Co.'s Supplies kept In stock at bottom prices. 36-pap:e Catalog free. JNO. NKBEL, tc SON, HlgU Hill, Mo. IkicnZion file American Bet JouriMV 4A20t I AEISE To SAT to the readers of the BEE JOURNAL that DOOliITTLE has concladed to sell — BBBS and QUBKN8- In Ihelr season, darlne 1896, at the following prices : ' One Colony of Italians on 9 Gallup frames, in light shippinK-boi $6 00 5 50 10 CO tl 50 3 50 Five Colonies :2500 Ten Colonies 45 00 1 untested queen. 6 " queens 12 1 tested Queen... 3 " Queens . 1 select tested queen 2 (..0 3 " " Queens 4 00 Selecttested queen, previous season's rearing . 4 oo Hitra Selected for breeding, the veht best. . 5 00 About a Pound of BKES in a Two-frame Nucleus, with any Queen, »2.00 extra. ^" circular free, giving full particulars regard- ing the Bees and each class of Queens. Address 6. M. DOOLITTLE, 12A25t BORODINO. Onon. Co., N. Y. Meratlon the American Hce Jourtvil QUEENS Smokers, Sections , Comb Foundation, And all A[ilalran fiiipiities rheap. 8<>i](l for t KEE alalogae. E. T. FLANAUAN, Bclleiillp, III. 6Al26t Please meutiuu the Bee Juuriial. PURE BARRED PLYMOUTH ROCK Eggs. $1.25 per 14. Our P. Kooks are very- large, with flue plumage. Also. BLACK MINORCA EGGS, a non-sitting and great laying breed. Both kinds raised upon our farm. Minorca Cock- erels, Jl.OO each. Mrs. I.. C. AXTEl.li. 16Atf ROSEVILLB. Warren Co., ILL. MeniUyn the American Bee Journal. S Dadant's Foundation ffi Is still in the lead, for we use all the latest improvements, including the ft NEW WEED PROCESS, ft and still make the best goods. Remember that we do not use any acid to purify our bees- wax, and that is why our Foundation preserves the smell of the honey and is^ more ac- ceptable to the bees, than any other. It is kept for sale by T. H. Strickler, Solomon City, Kansas. G. K. Hubbard. Fort Wayne. Ind. Ij. Hanssen, Davenport, Iowa. C. Theilmann, Theilmanton. Minn. B. C. Baglesfleld. Berlin, Wis. B. T. Abbott, St. Joseph, Mo. J. M. Jenkins. Wetumpka, Alabama John Rey, East Saginaw. Mich. Vickerv Bros., BvansviUe, Ind. The Jennie Atchley Company. BeevlUe, Texas. C. F. Muth & Son. i'incinnati. Ohio B. Kretchmer. Red Oak. Iowa. G. B. Lewis Co.. Watertown, Wis. James Reynolds Elevator Co.. Pougbkeepsie. N Y. Louisiana Bee-Keepers' Supply Manufactory, Donaldsonville, La, Page & Lyon. New London, Wis. John Nebel & Son, High Hill, Mo. and many other Dealers. All agree in saying that no goods are better than ours. Those of our customers who formerly bought through Tbos. G. Newman can get our Foundation in (.'Iiicago, III., by addressing us at 118 JMicIiigan Street. We keep no other goods there. We make a specialty of Veils smA VeilStiifls of best quality, cotton and silk. "LAPJGSXROTH OBJ THE HONEY-BEE "—Revised. Bee-Keepers' Supplies, Smokers. Sections, Tin Pails, etc. Samples ot Foundation an' sent on -Application, 36th Year. CHICAGO, ILL., JUNE 11, 1896. No. 24. Working for Comb Honey — Swarming, By G. M. DOOLITTLE. In my last article on working for comb honey, I spoke in brief about swarming, told something of when it should be done, how after-sw^rming could be prevented, and something about putting on sections. In this I will tell more minutely about how I manage swarms and swarming, and also how I often make an artificial increase with those which do not swarm up to the latest date that would make natural swarm- ing profitable. If we have worked along the lines given in previous arti- cles, our hives will be well filled with bees in time for the honey harvest, and in order to meet with the best success swarming must be done up before the height of the season arrives, as I have already hinted at. Some seem to think that a larger amount of section honey can be secured where bees are not allowed to swarm, but I think this a mistaken idea, for the swarm and old colony, if rightly managed, will do as much separately as they would kept together, and, beside, if we tried to keep them together by cutting out queen-cells, etc., we would only delay swarming so it would come during the last half of the honey harvest, when it would be the most detrimental to our interests. AH of my early swarms are hived singly In a hive having five empty combs in it, as I usually have plenty of such on hand, and the sections transferred from the parent colony to the new swarm. At the end of 21 to 24 days, these five combs are spread apart and four empty combs put in each alternate space, so that there is no danger of these early swarms swarming again, and thus room is also given for the storing of sufficient honey for wintering. My hive holds nine frames, and the insertion of these four combs fills out the hive. If I used any other number of combs I would insert a number to make the full capacity of the hive, at this time. By early swarms, as spoken of above, I mean those which come from 10 to 15 days before the honey harvest. Those coming from 5 to 8 days later are united so two are placed in a hive filled with comb foundation, the sections being set from the old colony which Is moved away, on the doubled swarm. In this case one of the hives casting a swarm is taken to a new location, and the old queen belonging thereto Is put back, hiving the double swarm on the stand it previously occupied. The hive furnishing the queen for the doubled swarms, is not disturbed in eight days, when it is treated as I gave In my last article on this subject. All that have not swarmed at the commencement of the honey harvest are made to swarm in this manner : A hive is filled with frames of empty combs and placed upon the stand of one of the colonies which have not swarmed, and all the sections are taken off and placed thereon ; then all the bees are shaken and brushed off their combs of brood and honey in front of this prepared hive. Thus, we have the queen, bees, partly-filled sections, etc., which makes a colony ready for business at once. Previous to this, nuclei have been formed, so that I have plenty of laying queens to use as I may need them. I now take all the combs from which the bees were brushed except one, and arrange them back in the hive, car- rying it to the stand of another colony which has not swarmed. I next take the comb of brood which was left out, and go to a nucleus, taking out the frame having the laying queen on it, and put the comb of brood in its place. I now take the frame, bees, queen and all, and set it in the place left vacant for it when arranging the combs of brood. I next put on the proper amount of sections, and when all is complete move the colony not having swarmed to a new stand and set the prepared hive in its place. Thus I have a laying queen and enough of her own bees to protect her, combs full of brood, and all of the field or old bees from the removed colony, which makes a colony which is ready to go into the sections In a few days. The removed colony has simply lost the old or field bees, so as to stop the swarming impulse, and in a week will be ready for work in the sections again. All colonies allowed to swarm naturally rear their own queens, contrary to the advice generally given, "that no col- ony should be allowed to go queenless at this season of the »year by waiting for queen-cells to hatch," for, after repeated trials, I have come to the conclusion that better results can be secured by allowing the old colonies to rear their own queen than by giving them a laying queen immediately after swarming. As there is plenty of room given for storing in the brood-chamber as fast as the young bees hatch out, the honey Is mostly stored below till the queen is fertilized, when it is at once removed to the sections to give her room to deposit eggs. In such cases I have frequently had a whole set of sections (60 pounds) filled and completed in 12 days. As there is little honey secured in this locality after Aug. 10, if a laying queen was kept in the hive all of the time, the bees from her eggs would hatch in a time to only swell the number of consumers without being any profit, and much honey would be used in feeding the larvae for these useless consumers; besides, such a colony usually takes the swarm- 370 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. June 11, ing-fever again so as to thwart the plans we have made. Where a person has a continuous honey harvest, then it is well to rear bees in abundance all of the season, but if I am well-informed, very few have such a locality. All agree that it is a waste of time, honey and vitality, for bees to rear a lot of non-producing drones, and many articles have been given showing how this may be avoided, and I be- lieve it is equally as absurd to rear a host of consuming work- ers out of season, and I have given in the above some of the things which give me this belief. Borodino, N. Y. Bee-Keepers Not Sufferiag from Over-Produc- tiou of the Honey Product. BY H. P. COLEMAN. I have read with much interest the article of Mr. Doo- little on page 163, with reference to over-production, but I cannot say that I was greatly surprised at the range of prices of honey from the year 1874 to the present — a period of 22 years. It is true that the difference between 28 to 30 cents per pound obtained in 1874, and 13 to 15 cents per pound obtained at present, is very large, but in my opinion the trouble is not in the over-production of honey, but in the in- creased production of other luxuries and necessaries of life, combined with a contraction of the currency of the country. It is perhaps true that there is more honey produced now than in the year 1874, but not to a greater extent than the in- crease in the population of the country, and this being true, everything else being equal, there should be no very great difference in the prices or demand for honey. But everything else is not equal. There has been a great increase in the pro- duction of the fruits and sugars, and these combined, at their present low prices, to a great extent, have supplanted honey, and form the principal table-luxuries of the people. It is a rule, founded in economy, that the human family will use and subsist upon the cheaper commodities, if the cheaper commodities will meet the ends in view. And this rule applies with unusual force at a time like this, when there is a stringency in money matters. If Mr. Doolittle will reflect for a moment, he will remem- ber that there has been a gradual decline in prices, of nearly all kinds of products, since 1874. Wheat, corn, pork, beef, potatoes and other farm products have declined to an extent that is almost alarming, and we should not be surprised to see honey in the wake. And there is still another rule, founded in econony, that has its influence on the prices of honey. Honey is a luxury, and when men are in the straits, financially, they curtail ex- penses, and the luxuries are the first to be dispensed with. It is not my purpose in this article to say anything with reference to my views as to the causes of the present financial depression, but we can see that it is very desirable to bee- keepers that we have an era of prosperity — an era that will place within the reach of all the real luxuries of life. When this time comes, honey will again be sought after as an article of consumption, and the good old days of the long ago will in a measure be restored. I say in a measure, for I do not be- lieve with the increased production of sugar and fruits, which are so easily turned into marmalades, jellies, and other lux- uries, that honey will ever again be in as good demand for table use as in days gone by. I usually sell my honey at home and in neighboring towns, and the demand is always graded by the supply of fruit, and the ability of my friends to buy. A few years ago (188.5) my crop was the largest I ever had, but the fruit crop in my sec- tion was a failure, and the entire honey crop went off at fine prices before cold weather. Last year my crop was medium, but the fruit crop was large, and the result is, I have several hundred pounds of nice white honey still on hand. Notwithstanding the low prices and comparatively small demand for honey, I do not mean to give up bee-keeping! Neither do I believe that Mr. Doolittle will give it up. The value of a product is not measured alone by the dollars and cents it will bring, but by the buying capacity of what it does bring. Twenty years ago, when we were getting fancy prices for our honey, we were paying the same kind of prices for what we bought. At that time we paid at least one dollar per bushel for wheat, and other things in proportion, and now it will not take a greater number of pounds of honey to buy a bushel of wheat than then. Of course, I mean generally speaking. From what has been seen (from the above), we as bee. keepers should not bemoan our fate alone, as to low prices, but should exercise that broad sympathy that will extend to all classes suffering from the same cause. Sneedville, Tenn. Wax Experiments — Methods of Rendering: Quantity and Quality. Br R. C. AIKIN. How shall we render wax ? How much can I get from a given number of combs, and what will be the quality? We do stick to old methods with wonderful tenacity, even when there are ways that are better. I have rendered wax with wat^ and with steam, using several different ways of apply- ing the heat. I have also used the solar way for 10 or 15 years. I have made at least five solar extractors, ranging in size from 18x30 inches to 6x6 feet. I have made them mov- able and stationary ; built two of brick, the last one of which is built against the south side of my shop, and is 6x6 feet, all openings into it being in the shop. A furnace is also beneath to apply fire when needed. Last year I had occasion to melt a lot of extracting- combs. I thought this a good opportunity to test the yield of wax from a given number of combs. I remember reading years ago (I think in Kretchmer's " Bee-Eeepers' Guide") that an ordinary brood-chamber required about two pounds of wax to build the comb to fill it. The combs I had to melt were in part almost new, both natural base and foundation combs. Part had been used for brood, some quite black. I first put 100 bright combs into the solar, average Langstroth size combs, and got 20 pounds of wax. Two other lots of 100 each were melted separately, the least yield being 17 pounds. The 100 brighter combs yielded 20 pounds after having been extracted from a few times ; I would expect almost as good a yield from strictly new combs — probably a little less wax but a little whiter. The dark combs, I am sure, have as much wax in them, but the mass of cocoons carry with them probably about 1/10. The grade of wax from these three lots was almost the same, being a bright yellow. The wax left with the refuse is not entirely lost, for it makes fine fuel and kindling, thus making the dark combs almost if not quite as valuable as the brighter ones. Some seem to think there is no better way to render than the submerged-sack method ; but all things considered, the solar is far ahead of this method. The first saving is in time. I save all odds and ends, burr-combs, hive-scrapings and bot- tom-board litter, and put all in the solar. The very blackest old comb you may have — though not yielding as much wax as the meltings before-mentioned — will give a bright wax from the solar ; but if put through water it will be very dark. Of the afore-mentioned meltings I took about a half- bushel of the refuse and put it into a sack and submerged it in a can of water, boiled, stirred, punched and twisted the stuff, and yet I could not get enough wax to rise to make a I 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 371 scum on the water. I then took the bag out and put it under the pressure of my own weight, and squeezed out l-i poiind of wax — wax that was blacker than any I ever saw in the dark- est brood-foundation. A few years ago I tried a similar plan on a lot of refuse, and got about 10 per cent, more wax that was quite dark, but in this case the solar work was rushed through, and the stuff not left to drain as it should, for I knew I was going to treat it again, and I wanted to get the wax out as quickly as possible. I suppose in the last 15 years I have produced 3,000 or 4,000 pounds of wax, the most of It going through the solar. Another important point is the honey saved. Here and there are bits of candied honey, covered cells and bits that usually would be unnoticed, yet turn out quite a lot of honey that is saved for feeding. No care is needed in picking out patches of honey, for it will not be lost in the solar, but would be by the water method. I always accumulate from the solar more honey than wax. I always put a little water into the pan, for the evaporation would make the honey into taffy — too thick to pour. The first mistake with apiarists is to make their solar wax- extractor too small. The next mistake is to make the box and sash of wood. Wood will not stand the extremes of heat, wet and dry. The putty will loosen and cracks open. I have a sash part wood and part iron. The iron stays all right, but the wood part is always more or less loose. The walls are of brick built upon the ground, and the inner parts of tin. It is 6 feet square, and fronts south. Were I to build again, I would make it longer east and west, or, what I think still better, build with the corners pointing north, east, west and south, making a hip roof with a southeast and southwest slope, and so get the sun all day. Large glass is not neces- sary. I have glass in mine that is not over 4 inches by 16. I use straight-edge glass and oil the joints, the glass butted — not lapped. A large solar will also serve as a liquefying concern. Once in the month of March I liquefled a thousand pounds in two days. The honey was in three and five pound lard-pails, and all put in at one time. Fire was used beneath in this case, but where the cans of honey are spread over the solar so that the sun shines on each pail or can direct, the sun alone will do the work, any ordinary clear summer day. Should I continue to produce extracted honey, and have to liquefy the same, I would not do it with water or steam. An appliance for the use of hot air — much on the plan of an oven — will do the work just as well, and much cheaper, and any kind of a vessel can be put iu. I have been using pails lacquered and stenciled, and it is no little satisfaction to be able to melt honey right in the pails when it has become can- died in them. To set these pails in water would spoil the paint and lettering, but the dry hot air does no damage what- ever. Loveland, Colo. Plaatiug for Honey Aloae — Lindens. nY B. S. EUSSELL. In reply to Dr. Miller (see page 486, of the Bee Journal for 1895) on the above topic, I would say that he demands the proof that it will pay, and admits that he may have been led astray in joining the crusade against planting for honey, or making any effort to perpetuate or improve our great honey-plants. He says he is ready to recant, provided the proofs ars given that he is wrong. Now, it seems to me we should have some evidence to prove that the Creator of the bee did not understand the proper food required for its sus- tenance before admitting so mischievous a theory to con- troversy. Who will come forward and prove that it will not pay to plant 'or honey alone ? I wish to see this evidence. Let's see. The field of this locality contains at least 100 square miles for 100 colonies, and is growing larger as the flora decreases. This decrease has been so rapid in the last 40 years as to be utterly beyond computation, yet it is safe to say that for each acre of this field sown to honey-plants, 1,000 have been rendered as barren as any desert for honey. And for each honey-producing tree planted in the field, more than 1,000 of the very finest have been destroyed. Our honey industry has kept in line with the general destruction of the native flora, and the result is now visible to our people. In this once famous honey-belt where dearths were un- known, with its countless numbers of prosperous colonies in skeps, boxes and logs of all sizes and varieties, and the hollow trees breaking down with their loads of honey, and bees on a parity with gold and silver, may now be seen a lot of old pat- ent hives of all kinds piled up in fence-corners, with now and then a diminutive colony labeled "For Sale," or trade, and, like the poor tramp, they are looking for a job. But with this great object lesson before our eyes, who is there yet to still declare that it will not pay to plant for honey, for they have tried it 1 How many square miles of honey-plants has he placed in the field to substitute for the thousands of acres of corn, wheat, oats, potatoes, rye, barley, timothy, blue-grass, sorghum and tobacco raised in his field annually ? How many lindens, poplars, honey-locusts, sour- woods, willows, etc., did he use in the experiment to substi- tute for the thousands destroyed in his field annually ? How many years were required for the experiment? These are factors that will bring the question to a point. It is seen that sowing a few acres in buckwheat, or a small field of clover, or planting a few lindens, is no test what- ever, and the fact remains that we must sow or we cannot reap. 1 am asked to point to a successful case of planting for honey alone. I answer, the wise Creator gave us a most beautiful example in North America, where each locality was supplied with honey-plants suitable to its latitude before in- troducing the honey-bee, and that he designed they should be perpetuated there can be no doubt, as he supplied each variety with an abundance of seed, so constituted as to admit of almost endless improvement, which, unlike other plants, have been wholly neglected, and are now mostly destroyed, causing most disastrous results to the honey industry. The situation is not only strange, but alarming, as many bee-keep- ers now admit that the goose that layed the golden egg has been killed. The Doctor asks, What shall we plant? I answer for our latitude : First of all, lindens, for the following reasons : They are long-lived, native trees, very hardy, and originally produced more honey than all other plants and trees combined, and by proper selection of varieties they will give a steady flow for two months, with rare failure. 2nd. They are the most beautiful shade or ornamental tree on the earth, and require no trimming or pruning; but maintain a most beautiful form until death, when their bodies would again doubly repay the expense for rearing them, aside from the honey and shade. Perhaps in other localities some other tree might be more suitable for the purpose. We have 1,000 miles of public roads on each 100 miles square — sufiBcient room for 650,000 lindens, or 2,000,000 to each county, or 182,000,000 in our State; and it is thought our Legislature, at its next session, will pass a law compelling all land-owners to plant suitable shade-trees on said roads, and if so, why can we not have the lindens ? Surely we can, if we make proper effort. I, for one, am sure that no man need fear a failure of honey with 250,000 nice lindens in reach of his bees. The Indiana State Bee-Keepers' Association, at Its last session, 372 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. June 11, passed a ringing resolution endorsing planting for honey alone, also urging our Legislature and various park commis- sioners, and all citizens of our State, to use their entire in- fluence in propagating our most beautiful and useful lindens. Prof. Cook, on page 177, has given some very fine sug- gestions, and it is hoped others may follow. I think Mr. Doolittle, on page 188, gave about the correct answer to Query No. 7, in bee-parlance : The National hive is over- stocked with drones, and they are devouring all the honey. Zionsville, Ind. POISONOUS HONEY— DO BEES GATHER IT? SKEPTICAL ABOUT POISONOUS HONEY. I have been much interested in the articles which have appeared in the American Bee Journal of late respecting pois- onous honey. It is a subject in which I have been much in- terested for many years, and to which I have given no little attention. I have also received from time to time specimens of the so-called poisonous honey, and so have had good oppor- tunity to examine and test it. I must say that I am very skeptical in regard to the matter. It is so easy to see how reports of poisonous honey would get abroad without any real facts to support them, that I think that we may all be cau- tious in coming to conclusions in this matter. Probably what gave rise to this opinion more than any other one thing was the old account from Xenophon, I think, of soldiers in the old days eating poisinous honey and becom- ing very sick. I much question if this account should have the least influence in forming the opinion of any careful in- vestigator. I can very readily understand how soldiers might be very generally and very seriously ill by eatiug even the best of honey. I know of an excellent case in point : At the Michigan Agricultural College the students have always been required to labor upon the farm. In the early days, I think it was in the winter of 1858, the students were so fortunate, or perhaps unfortunate, as to cut a bee-tree well filled with honey. It was just before noon, and as is generally the case of young men. all were very hungry. It was needless to say that the honey tasted very good, and that the students iu- dulged their appetites without let or hindrance. It is just as true that at the recitation that afternoon there were very few students. There were, however, two or three score of very sick young men ; many of them thought surely their last days had come. Had there been some Xenophon present, we should no doubt have had a thrilling account of poisonous honey. Another reason that has had its influence in giving cur- rency to the opinion that honey from certain flowers is pois- onous, comes from the fact that certain plants are poisonous ; thus people would easily reason that if the foliage was pois- ons to animals eating it, or if it poisoned those who rubbed against it, why, of course, the honey or the pollen would be poisonous to bees ! Thus, with no fact to support the theory, the theory is set afloat to be copied annually or oftener into some paper, and thus the view becomes established in our lit- erature as a fact. There is as little ground for the conclu- sion in this case as in the other. We can well see how that in the development of any plant poisonous qualities would be of service, and through the prin- ciple of " natural selection" might be secured by the plant. We see just such developments in the poisonous hairs and secretion of insects which serve to protect them from their enemies. Thus it would be of advantage to plants to secrete poisonous substances within the substance of their leaves or branches. This, however, would not be at all true in case of the pollen or nectar. It is an advantage, not a disadvantage, for the bees and other insects to come and gather the pollen or the nectar. Thus, while a plant might secrete poison in its leaves and foliage, it could never do so on the principle of " natural selection " in its pollen and nectar. The flower wants to attract the sweet-loving insects and foster their visits in quest of nectar or pollen, and so we should never ex- pect to find either the nectar or the pollen poisonous, at least to insects, whose friendly visits are always of service to the flowers. We see, then, that in the physiology of plants we can easily explain the presence of poison in twig and foliage, but to fiud it in nectar and pollen would be entirely excep- tional and inexplicable. Another argument in favor of the poisonous qualities of some honey comes from actual cases often reported by physi- cians and the press. These cases are generally from regions where the mountain laurel or kalmia latifolia grows. The fact that this plant is said to be poisonous to stock might naturally lead to the opinion that the honey from it would be poisonous as explained above. There are very good reasons to doubt the accuracy of these observations and reports. It is an unquestioned fact that in many regions along the Alle- ghany Mountains this mountain laurel is very abundant, and is visited profusely by the bees. Yet there is never any trouble from poisonous honey. As we have already seen, even the best of honey, especially if eaten in undue quantities, may make any person sick, and often will make some people always sick. So we see it is easy to account for the sickness without deciding that the honey is necessarily poisonous. I have often, myself, known of cases where people have been made deathly sick by taking only a few teaspoonfuls of honey, and that of the best quality — honey that I could eat ad Ubilum without the least injurious effect. Suppose, then, that a person should eat heartily of honey in the region of the mountain laurel bloom ; it is easy to see how some not over-scrupulous or over-cautious physician might start a first-class sensational report regarding poisonous honey. But I have other evidence which to me is more conclusive than any yet offered. While in Michigan I received a large number of samples of the so-called poisonous honey ; some of them were as white and beautiful as the white clover honey, and as agreeable to the taste ; while others were bitter, and some of it dark as well as ill-flavored. In every case I ate freely of this honey, and according to reports am alive yet. I even went farther than this. I took the great risk to ask my friends to eat of this honey, and in no case was there the least ill effects from it. I have thus had honey from Pennsyl- vania, Eastern Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina, all of which was reported to be poisonous, and all of which, to my certain knowledge, was as wholesome as any honey. Of course, we ought not to be dogmatic in any such mat- ter. It is very easy for any of us to be mistaken, but from the facts given above, I have come to the conclusion that we need more and better evidence than we have yet had before we de- cide positively that the flowers secrete poisonous nectar. To sum up : It is easy to see how reports of poisonous honey have become current from the very nature of honey, and without any basis of fact. It is also easy to see how that people given to theorizing might conclude that honey from certain flowers was poisonous without any real reason for doing so. Again, the fact that many of the so-called poison- ous plants abound in regions where poisonous honey is never reported, gives a "black eye" to this theory. Lastly, actual tests of the very honey pronounced poisonous have failed to show the presence of poison. A. J. Cook. Claremont, Calif. PROBABLY POISONOUS POLLEN. The communication from A. D. Watson, on page 220, on the subject of mountain laurel, was read with great interest. I have just learned from an old resident of this county, who is a close observer, of a case of poisoning from eating honey 1896. THE AME RIC^N BEE JOURNAL. 373 taken from a bee-tree cut in the month of August, many years ago, about 50 miles south of this place. Two of the party died, but the third man recovered, and himself related the in- cident to my informant. He said that there was very little honey found in the tree, and that in eating it, they necessarily consumed a good deal of " bee-bread." Perhaps in the above incident lies material for a reconcil- liation of conflicting theories as to poisonous honey. My own observation convinces me that honey gathered from ountain laurel is not poisonous. But history and many well-attested cases support the view that persons have been made sick while eating honey. Now, it the pollen gathered from plants oi a toxic nature is poisonous, it would account for the effects said to be produced, and afford an opportunity for harmonizing opposing experiences. I have seen some people eating comb honey from box- hives in which there were occasional cells filled with pollen and capped over. Though the taste in such cases is nauseous to my own palate, some persons are not much inconvenienced by the presence of a few cells of pollen. The soldiers of Xenophon, who came upon the bee-hives — perhaps after a long day's march, when they were tired and hungry to the last degree, probably in the scramble of each man for a morsel of honey-comb — did not stop to get rid of a cell of pollen here and there, and so numbers of them fell sick, and the poison which prostrated them may have been in the pollen and not in the honey. My own firm belief is, that the Creator, who made the honey-bee for man's use, has so arranged the order of Nature that man will find in the use of the honey gathered by this insect nothing to destroy life. Pollen was not intended to be eaten. Its unpleasant taste under ordinary circumstances would cause it to be Instantly rejected. It is to be hoped that the editor will invite those of his readers who have had any experience "along this line," or who know of well-authenticated cases of poisoning from the use of honey, to make inquiries whether it was from eating comb or extracted honey, and if comb honey was consumed, whether pollen was not present in the honey eaten ; and to report cases and compare notes in the American Bee Journal. The occasional report of " death from eating poisonous honey" is not calculated to advance the market quotations. If the result of this investigation should crystallize into a con- viction in the public mind that the only avenue of danger in any case is through consumption of honey in the comb when cells of pollen are present, it might be to the advantage of all. Columbus, Miss. , Novice. NOT POSSIBLE FOR BEES TO STORE POISONOUS HONEY. Like Novice, on page 146, I was for a long time skeptical concerning the theory of poisonous honey. Notwithstanding a few eminent ones have, all along, asserted that bees gather poisonous honey, and a few instances are recorded where per- sons have apparently been poisoned by it, I must assert that I do not believe it possible for a bee to store poisonous honey in her hive. The bee was created for at least a two-fold purpose, viz.: First, for the transmission of pollen from one flower to another. Second, for gathering nectar from the flowers and storing it in combs for food for man. While the instinct of the bee borders very closely upon reason, the possibility of her furnishing man with a poisonous diet was not left to instinct alone, but she was so constituted that any substance that would be poisonous to man would be poisonous to her. And the poisonous nectar (if there be such a product) taken into the honey-sac would affect the tissues and kill the bee before she could store it in the hive. I have arrived at this conclusion after experimenting with several poisons, feeding them to bees by dissolving them in honey. In every instance the bee has been affected by the poison to that extent that she was not able to return to her hive, and in most cases died within the fatal limit of the poison used. A bee is more easily affected by a poison than is a man. A solution of alcohol so weak that a man could not hold enough of it to make him dizzy, will make a bee so drunk that she cannot get home. Try it, ye Doubting Thomases, and doubt no longer. Don't drink it yourself, but give it to the bee ! The mountain laurel and yellow jasmine (Gelsemium sempervirens) are thought by many to produce poisonous nec- tar, simply because their leaves and bark contain a poison. There is a great deal of mountain laurel near one of my api- aries, and the yellow jasmine is seen on every hillside, and along the creeks and branches all around. On their return home it is not easy to tell which 'lee has visited the laurel, but every one that has been in the jasmine blossom is known by her yellow coat. The laurel yields honey, and is visited by many bees from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Yellow jasmine blooms here from April 10 to the 20th, while several other honey-yielding trees are in bloom, and the bees seem to prefer it to any other. During this time the bees usually store some honey. This is the first honey we get, and as soon as the children find OaC that there is honey coming in, they want some new honey ; and every year we extract some of this half-ripe, watery stuff, and we all eat of it very freely. (We didn't know it was poison.) We sell several tons of honey to our neighbors every year, but never heard of it making any one sick. Is it not likely that Dr. Brown has mistaken a case of paralysis for gelsemium poisoning? (See page ISO, Vol. XXXIV.} The symptoms are very much the same. Really, I believe that in his diagnosis of the case under consideration, he gives one symptom that is always present in paralysis, and very rarely, if ever, present in gelsemium poisoning. Bessemer, Ala. J C. C. Parsons. ACRES OF MOUNTAIN LAUREL. Last season I had the care of 45 colonies of bees here which increased to 52. Mountain laurel is everywhere pres- ent, and I presume there was enough in the range of my bees to cover more than 50 acres solid. The bees worked freely on it for two or three weeks in June, at the same time that clover and many other blossoms were at hand. The weather was such that but little honey was secreted in the blossoms, and no surplus was stored in the hives. There was no^evidence of poisonous honey, and I do not learn that there ever^ has been any complaint of poisonous honey here. The bees gathered some honey from early blossoms and poplar trees ; then all at once the weather changed, and but little honey was gathered for several weeks, and the bees did not breed very fast until the sourwood blossomed in July. Then in two or three weeks the bees filled up the hives and 600 sections. This was my first season here. A good many had told me what fine honey the sourwood was, but I felt somewhat skeptical, having always been used to clover and basswood honey. However, I found it very fine, and, Mr. Editor, if you have missed getting a taste of sourwood honey you have missed a fine treat. I believe it is as good as clover honey, and as fine looking. As it comes in warm weather in July, the comb is very delicate. It is also very light in color. The fall flow commenced about the first of September, and continued during the month, when a frost put a sudden stop to operations. A large part of this was gathered from Spanish-needles, golden-rod, asters and heart's-ease. There was 900 pounds of this which was quite dark. Part of it was extracted. One of our dealers said he thought it was richer and better than the white honey, and I was willing to have him think so. It seems to give satisfaction, but in some Northern markets it would go begging. The Southern markets are poor, and it would be dilBcult 374 THE AMERICAN B^E JOURNAL. June 11, to sell a large amount here. I did not come here to carry on the bee-business, but on account of my health. On April 19 bees were working lively, and had brood in from five to seven frames, and looked as if they would be ready to swarm in three or four weeks. J. L. Hubbard. Hendersonville, N. C. A SAMPLE OP HONEY-POISONING (?) Apropos of poisonous honey which has lately become an interesting subject, I wish to say that our doctor called to see me professionally some time ago, and brought some of the news of the neighborhood. " I had a case of honey-poisoning on the mountains a few days ago," he said. As we are surrounded here by thousands of acres of moun- tain laurel, which is given a bad name by some people, I was Interested. " Yes," he continued, "it was a very bad case. He ate honey for breakfast, and in a couple of hours he showed most pronounced symptoms, violent purging and vomiting. He has gotten over it now, but ho is weak." I am a little acquainted with mountaineers, so I said : " Doctor, how much did he eat ?" " Something over a pint 1" Jimson. [It seems to us that we have now had quite a good deal of experience reported as to poisonous honey. Still, if any one can throw any new light upon the subject, we will be pleased to publish it. — Editor.] % The Bee-Industry iu Utah. BY JOHN B. FAGG. There are very few who know the extent of the bee-indus- try in Utah. Although it is carried on nearly all over the State, still there is not over one-fourth the honey produced that there should be. I am often asked where I sell my honey, and what I can do with it when I have a good crop. I have kept bees for 16 or 17 years, and have had honey to sell most of the time, and have not had too much. I would like to be troubled that way for once. We cannot expect to get a dollar for the same amount of honey that we could 15 years ago, neither can we get the same price for a great deal of other produce. There is plenty of room for bee-keepers yet, for in a State like ours, where we irrigate, we are sure of a crop of honey if the farmer raises anything, and it will get better for some time to come, for every year large areas of new land are brought under cultivation, and many thousands of trees are set out every year, which helps the honey crop. We have not given the attention to bee-culture that it should have. Many of our wives and daughters might try the bee-business and make a good living out of it, if they felt so disposed, for with our improved methods of keeping bees, and movable-frame hives and bee-escapes, they could look after a few colonies, and they would find as much profit in them as they do in poul- try or cows, and bees do not take as much work and attention. If I were starting in the bee-business again, J would try to commence right. I would adopt some standard hive, and stay with it until I found something better. I would work for comb honey, for the most of it, and would only extract for the home market, or as much as I thought I could sell. The greatest secret about bee-keeping is to keep your col- onies strong ; watch them in the spring, and don't let them die for the want of a little attention. Sometimes you can help a dwindling colony by taking them in time and giving them a little assistance from other colonies. Don't try to increase too fast, and don't think that be- cause you see queens advertised as such wonderful breeders, there are not just as good at home ; and sometimes you will find them better. Where a person has 20 or 30 colonies, there must be as much difference as there is in that many cows in regard to profit. You would raise your best calves, so you must rear your queens from your best colonies. I am not afraid of producing too much honey, if we get it in the right shape, and of good quality, for we can find a market for a good article. Utah should export several million pounds annually, and we shall do it yet, and in the near future, I believe. I believe in dividing rather than natural swarming, for I am not always there to watch them at the proper time, and before I am around they may be gone, although I have had some swarms come out and stay, and I always catch them if I can, and they do well as a general thing. If any are contemplating starting to keep bees for a busi- ness, I would advise them to select some good location, and not get too near large apiaries, but get plenty of room, for bees are like sheep — the more pasture they have the larger will be the profit. If the pasture is short, there will not be much profit in keeping bees. Some times you can get a fair crop from 100 colonies, where if you had 200 colonies there would be no surplus. I think we should have about 100 colonies at our Agricul- tural College for the students to play with. I think some of the students would be interested in them, and gain much in- formation, and I don't think it would be all loss, either. In regard to laws for the protection of bee-keepers, we should have them as simple as possible, and be made effective. I do not think any one should "kick" if their bees have foul brood to have them inspected, and a remedy prescribed for it, if it is no other than to destroy them, and in very bad cases that would be the cheapest in the long run. I know that most bee-men will see to it that they will not have diseased bees, for they know there is no money in them. I don't care how much people spray, so that they do not spray while the trees are in bloom. I want to say one thing, and that is, I do not believe that any one ever got any benefit whatever, but it was in the opposite direction. In Utah they wear out the material used, and their time, and washed the pollen from their trees if they sprayed while the trees were in full bloom, and lost fruit by the operation. I congratulate the bee-keepers on their success in the past, and the prospect for the future, for I think they are right, and they will yet be classed among the great producers of the State. Utah honey is very little known in the East, but what is known is that our honey compares very favorably with any thaf is produced in the country. To be on the safe side, I would advise every bee-keeper to have a label or a stamp with his name and address, for you will find that good quality and neat packages will advertise you, and if you follow this plan, the market will seek you in- stead of you having to seek the market. East Mill Creek, Utah. Honey as Food auimcU« »-K^ ■"■~*1 ' "^ ■ ■ 1 ■ t 1 ■ " . . [— — , „ ~ . ■'i %4^ = s ^~. ^ :' 3vE? i-.ft /id § s S- ^ E» eii »«s. !^ mA d A MODEL TESTIMONIAL It comes to us this 18th day of M.y. 1S96. from one of the must prosperous railways, the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern. They have hundreds of miles in use, but spend no time in praising it. Simply order 75 3-3 miles shipped at once, to nine points in four states. Actions speak louder than words. Nextl PAGE WOVEN WIRE FEWCE CO., Adrian, Mich. When ANSWEniNG this ADVERTI5EMEr«T. MENTION THIS JOURNAU A New Metliod of refining wax without acid. Result Better Comb Foundation. My prices are also the lowest. A Job-Lot of No. 2 Polislied Sections Equal in finish to any No. I's. 1 M. $1.73-, 2 M $.3.40; ;i M, $t..SO: 5 M, $7.50. (1r I can furn- ish a cheaper quality. Also, a full line of IlIGGli\SVILL,E SUPPLIES. See mj' List with prices. w. J. mm, Jr., SPRINOFIEIiD ILLS. m~ IF YOU WANT THE BEE-BOOK That covers the whole Apicultural Field more completely than any other published, send J1.25 to Prof. A.J. Cook. Claremont, Calif., for his Bee-Keeper's Guide. Liberal Discounts to the Trade. * California If you care to know of its Fruits, Flowers Climate or Resources, send for a Sample Copy of California's Favorite Paper— The Pacific Rural Press The leading Horticultural and Agricultural paper of the Pacific Coast. Published weekly, handsomely illustrated, $2.00 per annum. Sample Copy Free. PACIFIC RURAL. PRESS, 220 Market St., - SAN FRANCISCO. CAL. TEXAS QUEENS. If you are in need of Queens, let me have your^order. Prlce-Llst Free. 8A36t J. D. GIVENS, Lisbon, Tex. Mention, the American Bee jQVff'/Uf^ up to date, since the season opened. We had a light frost last week. Alfalfa and other vegetation is very backward. One case of bee-paralysis was discovered last week. Alfalfa does not secrete honey until it is in bloom about ten days, when, by that time, a great deal of it is cut for hay, then the chances for honey are gone. Prospects for a good season are encouraging. March and April were the hardest months on the bees in this locality. SiGEL Beautigam. Cliff, New Mex., May 18. Rolling in the Sweets. What bees are kept here are just roll- ing in the sweets. S. H. Clark. Elwood, Iowa, June 4. Just Kolled in the Honey. Bees have just rolled Id the honey in this section this season, and we have white clover, basswood, sourwood, and the fall flowers yet to hear from ; and the best part of all — the bees are not swarming- -too busy, I reckon. I don't think it economy for any bee- keeper to do without the American Bee Journal, for I have tried it six months. M. D. Andes. Bristol, Tenn., June 4. Bountiful Crops Expected. We have had no crops for two years here, but the prospects are now for a bountiful crop this year. We have had more rain already this spring than we have bad since 1891. Bees wintered well, coming through without loss. In the spring of 1S95 we had adust and snow storm that drowned all but one colony, which I divided July 4, and made three out of it; two swarms came to me, so I have five to commence with this year. I winter them on the summer stands, boxed up and packed with chaff, facing the east. J. A. Hogg. Shelton, Nebr., May 23. Bright Prospects. Everything looks bright for a good honey season, but I would have to throw up my hand without the American Bee Journal. Henry R. Elmslie. Richmond Hill, N. Y., May 26. Bees Poorly Cared For. Last winter and the early spring months of this year were very bad for bees about the country near here, judg- ing by the number of colonies that died. I have been to several apiaries within six miles of here, and have talked with several bee-keepers whose apiaries I have not visited, and all have lost — some only a few, others all, and at one apiary that I visited lo colonies had died out of 18. In this last apiary, the colonies were left on the summer stands in single- walled hives, and the only protection (?) was a 2.5 or ^0 pound stone right on top of the %-inch cover; 2 or 3 colonies had been in double-walled hives and packed with leaves, so the owner said, but there were about enough leaves in the whole hive to pack one side. One hive had the entrance-blocks contracted so that only about IX inches of an en- trance remained for the bees. The dead bees in this hive had blocked up the •:• Money Saved is Money Gained. •^ THE ROYAL INM Life Insurance Company DES MOINES, IOWA. Th.e Iowa Policy- is one that definitely promises to keep an accurate account with you ; credit your premiums and interest, charge the actual expense and mortuary cost, and hold the remaining funds subject to your order. , lj Agents Wauled. JOHN B. KING. General Agent. Suite 513 First Nat'l Bank Bld'g, 20Atf CHICieO, ILL. Mention the American Bee Journals The Patent Wood-Veneer Foundation. Bee-keepers should give it a test, and my All- Wax Foundation. I will guarantee there Is no better made, as six years ago I discarded the old way of dipping lor wax sheets, and a new invention of my own was discovered, which enables me to make the toughest kind of Foundation; also, no acid used to purify the Beeswa.\, and It preserves the smell of honey, which is more acceptable to the bees- Now Is the the time to send wax and have it worked up at low prices. Send for Samples and Cata- log with low prices. Wax wanted at 31c cash, or 33c trade, dellvereu. AUG. \f EISS, Hortonvllle, Wis. 12A13t Please mention the Bee Journal. 1,000 Teacliers' Oxford Bibles Were bought for spot cash by a Chicago firm from an Eastern publisher who was about to be driven to the wall for the want of ready money. More than a million of these same Bibles, in every way like the Illustration, have been sold dtiring the past few years at three times the money we ask for them. They are the genu- uine Teachers' Oxford Bibles, Divinity Cir- cuit, round corners, gilt edges, complete teachers' helps, maps, ,1,350 i>a£es, bound |in French seal, limp, 'with perfectly tlexlbie backs. Sent prepaid. Kegular price, $t.. 50; our price. $2 25. Or we club it with the Bee Journal for one year— both for only K. 75; or we will give this fine Bible free as a premium to any one sending 4 newoiibseribers to the Bee Journal one year (with $1.00). No additional premium is given the new subscribers— simply the Bee Journal one year to each of them. GEORGE W. YORK & CO., - CHICAGO, ILL& BEGINNERS. Beginners should have a copy of the Amateur Bee-Keeper, a 70-page book by Prof. J. W. Rouse. Price 25 cents; it sent by mail, 28c. The little book and the Progressive Bee-Keeper (a live, pro- gressive 28-page monthly journal) one year, OSc. Address any first-class dealer, LEAHY MFG.' CO., Higginsville, Mo, For Sale "r^j^^^- Vi Block of ground, some fruit, good 0-room dwelling, shop, stable, honey-house and poul- try-house [over 3.000 square feet of floor]. 100 colonies of bees in chaff hives and fully equipped for comb honey, all in town of 1000 population and good alfalfa range and good water. Price. $3,000. If unsold June 15th, will unqueen, and ofl'er 2 year clipped queens at 25c.; 1 year, undipped, at 50o. each. July 15th and after, YOUNO queens at tiOc. each- all Italian and safe arrival guaranteed. This Is a rare bargain, but I must get my wife to a lower altitude. Book your orders at ouce If you want these queens. lOAtf K. C. AIKIN, Loveland, Colo. When Answering this Advertisement, mention this jouhnal. 380 THE AMERICAN bEE JOURNAL. June 11, The Bee-Keepers' Guide: Or Manual of the Apiary, By Prof, A. J. Cook. This 15th and latest edition of Prof. Cook's magnificent book of 460 pages, in neat and substantial cloth binding, we propose to give away to our present subscribers, for the work of getting NEW subscribers for the American Bee Journal. A description of the book here is quite un- necessary—it is simply the most complete sci- entific and practical bee-booii published to- day. Fully illustrated, and all written in the most fascinating style. The author Is also too well-known to the whole bee-world to re- ?uire any introduction. No bee-keeper is ully equipped, or his library complete, with- out "The Bee-Keeper's Guide." Ciiven For 2 New Subscribers. The following offer is made to present sub- scribers only, and no premium is also given to the two new subscribers— simply the Bee Journal for one year : Send us Two New Subscribers to the Bee Journal (with S2.00). and we will mail you a copy of Prof. Cook's book free as a premi- um. Prof. Cook's book alone sent for $1. 'Jo, or we club it with the Bee Journal for a year — both together for only $1.75. But surely anybody can get only 3 new subscribers to the Bee Journal for a year, and thus get the book as a premium. Let everybody try for it. Will you have one f GEORGE VT. "iORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS. A Barafain-EARLY QUEENS. 119 Colonies Italian Bees in Chaff Hives: two acres land; good house; excellent well. Early Queens— Tested. $1.00 ; Untested, 60c. Sent by return mall. E. Ii. C4KKINGTON, 16Atf PKTTUS, BeeCo., TEX. Heference— 1st National Bank of Beeville. "'•Tifion the American Bee Journal CARLOADS Of Bee-Hives. Sections, Ship- ping-Cases. Comb Foundation, and Everything used in the Bee-Industry. I want the name and address ;l-;( of every BeeKeeper in Aiuer- t»" lea. No reason why you can- not do business with me. I have Cheap Lumber and E.xperienced Workmen ; a good Water-Power Factory and hnow how to run it. I am Supplying Dealers as well as consumers. Whv not you ? Send for Cata- logues, Quotations, etc. W. H. PtJ'l'NAIH, IE BivER Falls, Pierce Co., Wis. MiMtlon the A-merican Bee Jourti/^i^ Paffe & Lyon Mfa:. Co., ^►New London. Wis., operates two saw- mills that cut, annually, eijrht million feet of lumber, thus securing the Uest lumber at the lowest price tor ihe manufacture of bee-keepers' supplies. They have also just completed one of The Largest Factories, ^►and have the latest and most improved machinery for the manufacture of Bee- Hives, Sections, etc.. that there is in the State. The material is cut from patterns. by machinery, and is absolutely accurate. For Sections, the clearest snd The Whitest Basswood ^^is used, and they are polished on both sides. Nearness to pine and basswood for- ests, and possession of mills and factory equipped with best machinery, all com- bine to enable this Arm to furnish the best goods at The Lowest Prices, t? ^^For instance, it has a ,iob lot of 200, OOo No. 2 Sections that will be sold at 50 cts. per 1,000; or 2,000 Snow- White sections will be sold for $-1.00, and larger quanti- ties at still lower prices. Send for Circu- lar and see the prices on a full line of supplies. 16Atf MentUyn the Arnerican Bee Journal. entrance, and what few bees were alive could not get out. Is it a wonder that they died ? In all of the apiaries vis- ited but very few colonies were packed. On page 267, it tells how I packed my bees and the result. Apple trees bloomed fuller this year than they have before in a number of years. I put extracting frames or combs on one of my colonies April 18, which had lots of honey and bees in the brood- chamber ; on May 13 a large swarm came from this hive. This is the first swarm I have had this year, I was sur- prised, when looking into the old hive, to find the 10 super combs about full of honey. Three colonies stored, I should think, about 45 pounds of honey during apple- bloom. S. K. Luther. Olneyville, R. I., May 18. Gathering Honey. Bees are gathering honey now, and planning to swarm. T. P. Bingham. Farwell, Mich., June 3. Bright Prospects Failed. The spring opened with great promise, but has signally failed to fulfill. Out of 80 colonies of bees only three have swarmed, and work in supers has but barely commenced. I work for comb honey. Alvin L. Heim. Chandler, Ind., May 27, A Woman Bee-Keeper's Report. I should not like to do without the Bee Journal. I began the spring of 1895 with 6 colonies of bees, and increased to 23, harvesting 50O pounds of comb honey. I put the 23 colonies in an out-door.cel- lar; they had an abundance of honey, and March 30 X brought them out. They were a little moldy, and as soon as we had a warm day I cleaned the bot- tom-boards. They all had sealed brood April 10, and to-day they are in fine condition, the weakest colony having five frames of brood. My queens are all clipped, I use both 8 and 10 frame hives. Mrs. M. L. Williams. Nimrod, Minn., May 20. Experience with a Queen-Bee. To-day I have had what I believe to be an unusual e-\perience with a queen- bee. Two or three days ago I got two queens from Mississippi, and having a place for only one of them, I concluded to keep the other in the cage until the weather should get warm enough for me to make a nucleus to receive her. This morning I made the nucleus by means of the nucleus-bo.x, and this afternoon between 2 and o o'clock I gave the queen. I took the cage to a window and opened it, when the queen flew out against the glass and I caught her easily by the wings. Then I started for the bo,x, but when I got out-of-doors I seemed to have hold of but one wing, and in an endeavor to shift her to the other hand, she got away. She circled around me leisurely a few times, and seemed very reluctant to go away. Two or three times she seemed about to alight, and I thought I had lost a queen. Then I went into the house and got the cage, with the escort still in it, and No. 1 Sections— Cheap. We offer for a few weeks, a surplus stock ot our one-piece No. I Cream Sections at the following very low prices: 1000 for $1.50. 3000 for $4.00. 5000 for $6.00. These Sections are finely finished and No. 1 in all respects save color, being, as their name indicates, of a cream color. The stock consists ot a quantity each of the following sizes: 4)^x2, open 2 sides ii-^xl 15-16, open 2 sides 4i4xl 7-8, open 2 sides iUxlU, open 2 sides 4fix7-to-ft.. open 2 sides WATERTOWN, WIS. Menticni theAmcri.cnn Bee Journal. ili2 Address, BERLIN FRUIT-BOX CO., 20A8t Behlin Heights, Ohio. Me:)iUon flieA.mcri.can Ilee JourticU. 'Agent's profits per month. Will prove lit or pay forteit New articles just out. A $1.50 sample and terms free. Try us. ;-:A8t Chidester A: S(i.\, 28 Bond St.. N. T. WMEr, Answering THIS advertisement, mention this journal Hives & Coiiil)s For Sale. 45 10-trame Langstroth Hives, twostor.v, for extracting, as made and sold by T. G. New- man. These are empty— no frames— are well paicted. and have been kept in the bee-house. Price, 75 cents each. Also, 400 Brood or Extracting Combs for the above hives : they have the triantrular top-bar as made by Newman. They are clean and in good condition. Price, $15.00 per 100. I would take $85.00 tor the whole lot of Hives and Combs. Reference— American Bee Journal. 21Atf XV. r. liYMAN, DOWNER'S GROVE, ILL. PTH'S HONES' EXTBACTOS PERFECTION Cold-Blaot Smokers. Square Glass Honey Jars. Etc. For Circulars, apply to Chas. F. Mhth & Son. Cor. Freeman & Central Aves., Cincinnati, O. Send lOo tor Practical Hints to Bee-Eeepers, Mention the American Bee jou.i'nay, Beautiful Golden (jueeiiSuan. Let me tell you why my Golden Italians are better for comb honey than the :i-banders. Simply this— they cap their honey white like the blacks, and are splendid workers. 1 Untested Queen, 75 cents or .'3 for .$2.00 1 Tested Queen, $1 00 Breeders 2.50 1 Breeder which I have bred from and found to be the best 4.00 1 Frame Nuclei with Queen 1.75 2 " •• ■' 2.25 ■J ■■ •• '■ 2.75 All orders filled promptly. Safe delivery guaranteed. P. J. THOIflAS, 22A8t FKEDONIA, KAN. Me^itimi Vie American Bee Journal. n r^ 1 Tif^T) CI ^^ tills Journal who AWUXim/UAUKJ advertisers, eitlier Id ordering, or asking about the Goods offered, will please state that they saw the Advertisement in this papers 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 381 Honey-Clovers & Buckwheat SEED FOR SALE. We have made arrangements so that we can furnish seed of several of the Clovers and Japanese Buckwheat, bj freight or ex- press, at the following prices, cash with order: 51b lot) 25* 501b Alslke Clover J .70 81.25 $3.00 $5.75 Sweet Clover 75 1.40 3.25 6.00 WhiteClover 1.25 2.00 4.50 8.00 Alfalfa Clover 65 1.10 2.70 5.00 Crimson Clover 55 .00 2.00 3.50 Jap. Buckwheat... .20 .35 .90 1.25 Prices subject to market changes. Add 25 cents to your order, for cartage, if wanted by freight. Tour orders are solicited. GEOKGE "W. YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS. Sweet Clover n Canada. At the following prices : 5 lbs. 10 lbs. 25 lbs. 50 lbs. $1.00 $1.00 $3.75 $7.25. Also a quantity of Motherwort and Catnip seed. Prices on application. EGGS for HaU-liing;. Buff Leghorns. In- dian Games, & Light Brabmas. Choice Birds. A breeder for 30 years. Prices on application JOHN McAKTHUK, 881 Yonge Street, - TOKONTO, ONT. 1 5 A t f M'Mwn tile A merican Bee Joumch, Promptness Is Wliat Counts ! Honey-Jars, Shipping-Cases, and every- I tiling that bee-keepers use. Root's IIIIHlli *"*'•"'** '•' Koot's Prices, and the Ift^^l best shipping point in the country. JWSkJ| Dealer in Honey and Beeswax. Cata- I Slill I'^e"" Free. c. n i iii6.Mass.Ave. Walters. Ponder INDIANAPOLIS. IND. Mention Uie American Bee Journal (Jueeiis for Sale:::r Italian Queens— after May 15— Dntested, 75c. each; 6 for $4.00; 12 for $7.20. Safe arrival and satisfaction guaranteed. Keference— George W. York & Co. Address, F. GRABBE, LTBERTi'VILLE. ILL.. Mention the A.''iierica/n Bee Jour'iiai,. liniVfV We have a large amount of Pure Ill/llEil No. 1 Alfalfa we will sell cheap. Wax Wanted. Ra«« h^O QnA Warranted the best, sim- V\}!S!i WCC"t»ld|?C piest and quickest Escape on the market. Sent postpaid to any address for 30 cts. It can be returned at our expense if it is not as represented, or we will send the Escape on trial to any bee-keeper wishing- to teat it in good faith. We are agents for the Fergnson Patent Hive i;l*p''eri°nd"w,"c'ife'^ Gate Honey-Hoard, with the Escape. It is the easiest, quickest hive to handle for the pro- duction of comb honey. Address, E. S. I.OVESY &- CO., 355 6th East St., SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, Metitionthe American Be' Jouma. 9Atf Sections ''o^^iSr Cheap Send for prices. J. F. ITIICHAEL, 24A2t Greenville, O. X'rtv CnlA Having disposed of most of X or OdlC my Bees, 1 will sell about 150 Bimpllcily Combs for extracting, at $10 f)er hundred. All in good condition. Would ike a fewgood Queens in exchange for Queen Excluders, standard size Address. C. A. IflEADE, Brookside, ITIicIi. ordering, or asking abont tbe Goods ofi^red, will please state that they saw *be AdTertiaement la this paper. carried it out where the queen took flight. The bees in the cage might have flown away if they had been disposed, but they stuck to the cage. In a few minutes the queen returned, and lit on the cage, when I caught her again, and this time I carried her to the box. This is the first time I have tried to handle a queen. After this I think I will be more careful, as I do not believe that queens will always come back to my hands after they have once made their escape. We are just at the end of more than a week of rainy weather. This isthe first sunshiny day since a week ago last Monday. The prospect is good for a good deal of white clover bloom this sea- son. Edwin Bevins. Leon, Iowa, May 21. Good Honey Crop Promised. Bees have wintered well in this sec- tion, and a good honey crop is promised for this year. F. G. Wilke. Wilcox, Nebr., June 1. Honey Outlook Not Promising. The honey outlook here is not promis- ing. One may, however, learn something from a paper like the American Bee Journal in times of failure as well as in times of success. Bbcno Nickel. Acton, Calif., May 25. Bees Booming'. Bees are just booming here now. I expect to get over 100 pounds to the colony, spring count. Linden and sour- wood, and also sumac, are to bloom yet. I will probably report when the season is over. A. Carder. Tracy City, Tenn.. May 29. A Successful Season Expected. Bees have not done anything here for the last two years. I have 20 colonies, wintered the best that I ever had any in the cellar, with empty supers on the hive, and only a board cover over them. They are booming now, having just be- gun to work on white clover. I am look- ing for better success this year. List of Honey and Beeswax Dealers. Most of whom Quote In this Journal. OblcaKo, Ills. R. A. BtmNETT & Co.. 163 South Water Street. New York, N. Y. HiLDRETB Bros. & Segelken, 120 & 122 West Broadway. Chas. Israel & Bros., 486 Canal St, Kansas City, Mo. 0. C. Clemoms & Co.. 423 Walnut St. Buffalo, N. Y. Battebson & Co.. 167 & 169 Scott St. Hamilton, Ills. Chab. Dadant & Son. Philadelphia, Fa. Wm. a. Selser, 10 Vine St. Cincinnati, Ohio. C. F. MUTH & Son. cor. Freeman & Central ave. Xoronio 4'onventioi> Report has been Issued in pamphlet form, and will be mailed from the Bee Journal office for 35 cents. Better have a copy, it you have not read it. Only a limited number of copies were bound. _• 3RIOai^.,.,^ iiijDiiNii PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY GEORGE W. YORK & CO., Ji^f One Dollnr a Year, 56 Fifth Avenue, CHICAGO, II.I.S. Postage to all Countries In the Postal Union is 50 cents e.xtra. To all others, $1.00 more than the subscription price. ^r^ Hebblewhlte & Co.. 369 George Street, Sydney, New South Wales. Australia, are our authorized agents. Subscription price, 6 shil- lings per annum, postpaid Important to All Subscribers. XI«e American Ilec .Toiirnal is sent to subscribers until an order is received by the publishers for its discontinuance, and all arrearages are paid. Al'wa.ys State the Post-Office to which your paper is addressed, when writing to us. A Sample 4^«pj' of the Bee Journal will be sent FREE \ipon application. ■low to Send Money.— Remit by Express, Post-OfDce Money Order, or Bank Draft on New York or Chicago. If none of these can be had. Register your Letter, affixing Stamps both for postage and regis- try, and take a receipt for it. Money sent thus, IS AT OUR RISK; otherwise it is not. Do not send Checks on Local Banks— we have to pay 35 cents each, to get them cashed. Never Seiirt Silver in letters. It will wear holes in the envelope, or may be stolen. Money t»r«lers.— Make all Money Or- ders payable at Chicago, UI. — not at any sub-station of Chicago. Postage Stamp!;! of any denomina- tion may be sent for any fraction of a dol- lar; or where Money Orders cannot be obtained, stamps for any amount may be sent. Subscription : the Bees, by Henry Alley.— Gives the results of over a quarter- century's experience in rearing queen-bees. Very latest work of the kind. Nearly luu pages. Price, 5Uc. Wliy Eat Houey l-Tbis Leaflet is intend- ed for FREE distribution, to create a Local Market. lOOcopies. by mail, 40ct8.: 5(X) for^l.ou; 1000,$2 50. B^" If 501.1 or more are ordered at one time, your name and address will be printed on them t'KEE. Honr to Keep Honey and preserve its richness and flavor. Price same as Why Eat Honey. Apiary Register, by Thos. G. Newman.— Devotes two pages to a colony. Leather binding. Price, for SU colonies, 11.00; for 100 colonies, $1.25. Preparation of Houey for the Market, Including the production and care of comb and extracted liuney. A chapter from Bees and Honey. Price, 10 cents. Bee-Pastura-ffe a K^ecesslty.— This book sug geats wiiat and how to plan it is a chapter froo Bees and Honey. Price. 10 cents. Tlie Hive I Use, by G. M. Doollttle. It details his management of bees, and methods of producing comb honey. Price, 5 cents. fir. Howard's Book on Fool Brood. —Gives the McEvoy Treatment and reviews the ex- periments of others. Price, '2^ cts. Bictlonary of Apiculture, by Prof. Jobn Phin. Gives the correct meaning of nearly 500 api- cultural terms. Price, 50 cts. Winter Problem In Bee-Keepinjr. byG. K. Pierce. Result of 25 years' experience. 50 cts. Handlin» Bees, by Chas- Dadant & Son.— A Chapter from Langstroth Revised. Price, 8 eta. Bee-Keepers' Directory, by H, Alley.— Latest methods In Queen-Rearing, etc. Price, Sue. Fowl Brood Treatment, by Prof. F. R. Cheshire.- Its Cause and Prevention. Price, 10 cts. Foul Brood, by A. R. Kohnke,— Orig-ln. Development and Cure. Price. 25 cts. History of Bee-Associations, and Brief Re- ports of the first 20 conventions. Price, 15 cts. Honey as Food and ITIedieine, by T. G. Newman.— A 32-pa«e pamphlet : just the thing to create a demand for honey at home. Should be scattered freely. Contains recipes for Honey-Cakes, Cookies. Puddings, Foam, Wines, and uses of honey for medicine. Prices, prepaid— Single copy, 5 cts.; 10copies,35 cts.; 50 forSl. .00; inn fur $2.50; 250 for $5.50; 500 for$10.oo; or lOOO for $15.00. When 2.oO or more are ordered, we will print the bee-keeper's card (free of cost) on the front cover page. Bee-Keeping for Profit, by Dr. G. L. Tinker.- Revised and enlarged. It details the au- thor's " new system, or how to get the largest yields of comb or extracted honey." 80 p.; illustrated. 25c. Emerson Binders, made especially for the Bee Journal, are convenient for preserving each number as fast as received. Not mailable to Canada, Price. 75 cts. Commercial Calculator, by C. Ropp.— A ready Calculator, Business Arithmetic and Ac- count-Book combined in one. Every farmer and businessman should have it. No. 1, bound in water proof leatherette, calf hnieh. Price. 40 cts. No. 2 in tine artificial leather, with pocket, silicate slate, and account-book. Price, 60 cts. Green's Four Books, by Chas. A. Green. —Devoted to, 1st, How We Made the Old Farm Pay; 2nd, Peach Culture; 3rd, How to Propagate Fruit- Plants. Vines and Trees; 4th, General Fruit In- structor. Nearly 120 pages. Fully illustrated. 25 cts. Green's Six Books on Fruit-Cultnre, by Chas. A. Green.— Devoted 1st, to Apple and Pear Culture; 2nd. Plum and Cherry Culture; 3rd. Rasp- berry and Blackberry Culture; 4th, Grape Culture; 5th, Strawberry Culture. I29pp.; illustrated. 25 cts. Garden and Orchard, by Chas. A. Green. —Gives full instructions in Thinning and Marketing Fruits; Pruning, Planting and Cultivating; Spray- ing, Evaporation. Culd Storage, Etc. 94 pages, illus- trated. Price, 25 cts. Kendall's Horse-Book. — 35 pictures, showing positions ot sick horses, and treats on all their diseases. English or German. Price, 25 cts. Silo and Silage, by Prof. A J. Cook.— It gives the method in operation at the Michigan Agri- cultural College. Price. 25 cts, Lumber and Losi-Book. — Gives meas- urements of lumber, logs planks; wages, etc. 25c. maple Sngjar and the Supar Bush, by Prof. A. J. Cook.— Full instructions. Price, 35 cts. price of Grain Tables, for casting up the grain, produce, hay, etc. Price, 25 cts. Capons and Caponizlns:^ by Dr. Sawyer* Fanny Field, and others.— Illustrated, All about caponizing fowls, ana thus how to make the most money in poultry-raising. 64 pages. Price, 30 cts. Otir Poultry Doctor, or Realth In the Poultry Yard and How to Cure Sick Fowls, by Fanny Field.— Everything about Poultry Diseases and their Cure. 64 pages. Price, 3o cts. Poultry for ITIarket and Poultry for Proflt, by Fanny Field.— Tells everything about the Poultry Business. G4 pages. Price, 25 cts. Turkeys for ITIarket and Turkeys for Proflt, by Fanny Field.— All about Turkey-Raising. 64 pages. Price. 25 cts. R%iral Life.— Bees. Poultry. Fruits, Vege- tables, and Household Matters. 100 pages. 25 cts. Strawberry Culture, by T. B. Terry and A. I. Koot. For beginners. Price, 40 cts. Potato Culture, by T. R. Terry.— It tells how to grow thera prohtably. Price, 40 cts. Carp Culture, by A. I. Root and Geo. Fin- ley. —Full directions. 70 pages. Price, 40 cts. Hand-Book of Health, by Dr. Foote.— Hints about eating, drinking, etc. Price, 25 cts. Alslke Clover liCaflet.— Full directions for growing. 50 for 25 cts.; 100 for 40 cts.; 200, 70c. Book Chibbiiig Offers. (Bead Carefully) The following clubbing prices Include the American Bee Journal one year with each book named. Uemember, that only one book can be taken In each case with the Bee Jour- nal a year at the prices named. It more books are wanted see postpaid prices given ^^^th the description cit the books on this pajte. Following is the clubbing-list: 1. Langstroth on the Honey-Bee $2.00 3. A B C of Bee-Culture 2.00 3. Bee-I\eeper'sGuide 1.75 4. Bees and Honey [Cloth bound] 1.65 5. ScientitlcQueea-Kearlng 1.75 6. Dr. Howard's Foul Brood Book 1.10 7. Advanced Bee-Culture 1.30 8. Amerikanische Bienenzucht [Germ.] 1.75 9. Bleneu-Kiiltur [German] 1.25 10. Katioual Bce-Keeping [Cloth bound) 2.00 11. Kational Bce-Keeping [Paper touud] 1.75 12. Thirty Years Among the Bees 1.30 13. Bee-Keeping for Profit 1.15 14. Convention HacdBook 1.15 15. Poultry fur Market and Profit 1.10 16. Turkeys for Market and Proflt 1.10 17. Capons and Caponizing 1.10 IS. Our Poultry Doctor 1.10 19. Green's Four Books 1.15 20. Green's Six Books on Fruit-Culture.. 1.15 21. Garden and Orchard 1.15 23. Rural Life 1.10 24. Emerson Binder for the Bee Journal. 1.60 25. Commercial Calculator. No. 1 1.25 36. Comme-clalCalculator, No. 2 1.40 27. Kendall's Horse-Book 1.10 29. Strawberry Culture 1.20 30. Potato Culture .. 1.30 31. Carp Culture 1.20 32. Hand-Book of Health 1.10 33. Dictionary of Apiculture X.35 34. Maple Sugar and the Sugar Bush 1.20 35. Silo and Silage 1.10 36. Winter Problem in Bee-Keeplng 1.30 37. Apiary Register (for 50 colonies) 1.75 38. Apiary Register (for 100 colonies) . 2.00 39. Bee-Keepers' Directory 1.30 Honey & Beeswax Market ^notations. The following rules for grading honey were adopted by the North American Bee-Keepers' Association, and, so far as possible, quota- tions, are made according to tliese rules: Fancy.— All sections to be well filled ; combs straight, of even thickness, and firmly a,t- tached to all four sides: botb wood and comb unsoiled by travel-stain, or otherwise: all the cells sealed except the row of cells next the wood. No. 1.— All sections well filled, but combs uneven or crooked, detached at the bottom, or with but few cells unsealed: both wood and comb unsoiled by travel-stain or other- wise. In addition to this the honey is to be classi- fied according to color, using the terms white, amber and dark. That is. there will be "fancy white," "No 1 dark." etc. CHICAGO, \IA, , June 6.— We quote: Fancy white. 14@I5c.: No. 1, 12@13c.: fancy amber, flOlOc: No. I, 8@8'/2C.; fancy dark, 8@9c.: No. 1, 8o. Extracted, white, 5@7c. : amber, 4@5c. Beeswax. 27@28c. It continues to sell well and there Is no accumulation of shipments. We consider it a good time to sell. K. A. B. & Co. PHILADELPHIA, PA., Apr. 22.— We quote: No. 1 white. 9@10c. ; fancy amber, 8@9o. ; fancy dark, 7(S8c. Extracted, white clover. 10c. ; amber, 5@5Hc.; dark, 4@4Wc. Bees- wax. 25@26c. Comb honey is dull. Extracted In fair demand. Beeswax lower. W. A. S. BUFFALO. N. T., Apr. 20— We quote: Fancy white. 15@16c.; No. I white. 13Q)14c.; fancy dark. 839c.; No. 1 dark. 7@7(4c. Bees- wax. 25@28c. Trade very dull and honey not moving, except a few fancy lots: anything dark is hard to sell. B. & Co. CINCINNATI. O., Apr. 22 —There is no fan- cy white comb lioney on our market. Best white sells at 12@14c. in a jobbing way. with a fair demand. Demand Is good for extracted at 4@7c.. according to quality. Beeswax is In good demaud at 25@30o. for good to choice yellow. C. F. M. & S. PKANSAS CITV, Mo.. May 20.— We quote: No. 1 white. i:i@14c.; No. 1 amber. 10(ia>12c ; No. 1. dark, SiaiOc. Extracted, white, 6c.; amber. 5c.: dark, 4c. Beeswax, 22c. C. C. C. & Co. NEW TOEK. N. T., May 9 —There is some demand for white comb honey at unchanged prices. No market for buckwheat. Extracted remains quiet. New Southern Is now arriv- ing and selling at 5@6c. for fine grades and 50@55c. a gallon for fail to common. Beeswax easy at 28a29c. H. B. & S. 384 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. June 11, 1896. Bottom Prices BRIKO IIS BIG TRADE. GOOD GOODS KEEP IT. If you want the best supplies that can be made at a little less cost than you can buy the same goods for elsewhere, write to us for low prices. 1896 Catalogue now ready —ask for it and a free copy of Tlie Auieri- can Bee-Keeper (36 pages). Address, THEW.T.FALCOmMFG.CO., JAMESTOWN, N. Y. Mention the American Bee Journal. COMB FOUNDATION! Wax always wanted for Cash or in Exchange for Fdn. or other Supplies. My trade is estab- lished on LoiT Prices and the merit of my Foi'indatioii. Orders filled proniplly. ^^WoRKiNG Wax into Fdn. by this Lb. a Specialty. Wholesale prices to dealers and large consumers. Send for Prices and Sam- ples to-GHS BIXTMEK, AUGUSTA, WIS. Keference— Augusta Bank. lAtf Mention the American Bee Jounial, U Years' Experience in breeding Italian Queens. CJOOD Untested Queens, 75c, y for $2,00. CHOICE Tested, young, if! each by return mall, A. I. Root Co.'s Supplies kept In stock at bottom prices. 36-page Catalog free. JNO. INKBEL. e Honey Am Comiii' in «le I>oah. BY MKS. E. R. B. Dere's a cabin dat's a buildin' 'long de basswood trees — O de honey am comin' in de doah ; For I 'clare dose gums hoi' a mighty sight o' bees — O de honey am comin' in de doah. Watch out, you darkeys, for de gran' log roUin', Hab ebry banjo strung for de all-night thummin', For we's in for de fun while de bees am swahmin', And de honey am comin' in de doah. Dere's a mockin'-bird singin' by de garden gate — O de honey am comin' in de doah ; And I feared he tell dat dis niggab out late— O de honey am comin' in de doah. Watch out, you darkeys, for to hunt dat 'possum, Down to yonda where the 'simmon swamp blossom, For we'll roas' dat meat, and we'll carve him handsome, While de honey am comin' in de doah. Dere's a weddin' a fixin' for de middle of June— O de honey am comin' in de doah ; An I tote my darlin' to de little cabin soon — O de honey am comin' in de doah. Watch out, you^arkeys, get ebry han' workin', Ready for d'day when parson do de talkin". Ready for de hive dats chock-full for swahmin'. And de honey am comin' in de doah. Nunda, N. Y. Vermont Bee-Keepers' Coaventioti Report. BT O. J. LOWBEY. The 21st amnual convention of the Vermont State Bee- Keepers' Association was held at Burlington, Jan. 29 and SO, 1896. The convention was called to order by President H. W. Scott, prayer was offered by H. L. Leonard, and the minutes of the last meeting were read and approved, after which came roll-call of members. The Treasurer's report showed the Association to be in good condition financially. LARGE OR SMALL HIVES. M. A. Everest opened the subject of " Large or small hives; which are best for bee-keepers ?" He thinks for his work a hive with space enough for 10 frames 14x8}-.^ inches large enough ; he likes a long entrance on the side instead of from below, as in the Bristol hive, because the wind does not blow in as much. H. L. Leonard — I think the size of the hive very impor- tant to the successful production of honey. I like a medium- sized hive measuring about 2,000 cubic inches, and having usually 10 frames 10x13 inches, inside measure. The ad- vantages of this hive, to me, are, thai I can extend the size by moving the division-board ; can get a large colony not want- ing to swarm early ; never have to feed much — often place a comb of honey back of the division-board. I have used other sized hives. O. J. Lowrey uses a hive for 9 or 12 frames, Hj^xllJi inches ; he thinks this is as large as most queens can fill ; only about five in 100 will fill over 10 frames. In his location 8- frame Langstroth hives are large enough. He thinks the amount of honey in the fall is usually as much in the 8 as in the 10 frame hives. M. F. Cram thinks 9-frame hives best, as smaller ones cause too early swarming. R.H.Holmes uses Langstroth hives with from 4 to 11 frames, and division-board. He thinks it beneficial to con- tract in the fall, often to 7 frames or less. In the spring he expands slowly as they need ; he thinks the gradual expansion keeps off the idea of swarming. Large hives, less feeding, less surplus ; small hives," more feeding, more surplus. The apiarist and the location make much difference as to the size of hive needed, and results obtained. COMB vs. EXTBACTED HONEY. A paper from W. G. Larrabeg was read, on "Comparative Cost of Producing the Two Honeys — Comb and Extracted." In his experience some years extracted paid the best, while in others comb honey was the most profitable. In starting an apiary for extracted honey, the expense is more in getting supplies than for comb honey, but it can be produced much cheaper. The labor required to produce extracted honey is very'much less. Two hours of good, hard work will do all that is necessary for a colony in a good year. If one desires to get the most profit from the least labor, run for extracted honey, but if one is looking for the pleasure that is to be found, he would by all means produce comb honey. In the discussion that followed it was decided that condi- tions and seasons differed much as to the comparative profit. H. W. Scott thinks extracted honey much cheaper and most profitable. He uses 10-frame Langstroth hives, two stories until the honey-flow, then keeps the queen below with an excluder. He says they do not swarm as much. He leaves the honey on until half sealed. Ques. — " If honey comes slowly why do they use more in producing comb honey than in extracted?" Ans. — "In building comb slowly they make heavy comb ; this requires much more honey." H. L. Leonard prefers to produce both honeys together. Reports of members for the season of 1895 showed that the crop of honey was very light, giving an average of 19.2 pounds per colony, spring count, and a very small increase in colonies. The question-box was next opened. PREVENTION OF DRONES FLYING. 1st. "Is it practicable to prevent drones flying from all colonies that are not above medium in working qualities? If so, what is the best method ?" O. J. Lowrey— The apiarist should breed only from the best stock, keeping back poor drones by shaving the cells. A queen-breeder should take every precaution against poor drones by using drone-traps all the time. I do not think the traps interfere with the working of colonies. BREEDING FROM THE LIGHTEST-COLORED QUEENS. 2nd. "Is there danger of deterioration by continually breeding from the lightest-colored queens?" H. W. Scott— Yes. R. H. Holmes — That depends upon whether the lightest- colored bees are the best; many times they are not. As a rule, I prefer the leather-colored bees. GOLDEN-ROD HONEY FOR MARKET. 3rd. " Will it pay Vermont bee-keepers to put honey on the market as poor as the golden-rod at any price ?" A Member — No ; do not sell poor honey at any price. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 389 THE EVENING SESSION— Spraying Fruit-Teees. At the evening session Prof. L. R. Jones, of the Experi- ment Station, read a very interesting paper on spraying. After some remarks upon the general subject of spraying and Its growing importance to the horticulturist and fruit-grower, he passed at once to the main topic of the paper — the danger of poisoning bees by the use of arsenical sprays on fruit-trees. He gave a history of the controversy on spraying, speaking of the experiments by Prof. A. J. Cook, of California, and Prof. F. M. Webster, of Wooster, Ohio. None of the experiments were accepted by the Association of Economic Entomologists as conclusive evidence that bees were killed by arsenical sprays until Prof. Webster's report at Rochester, N. Y., in 1894. These last experiments ended the controversy. Prof. Jones sent seven questions to the following, who are considered as among the leading entomologists of the country : L. 0. Howard, Entomologist United States Department of Agriculture; Dr. J. A. Lintner, State Entomologist, Albany, N. Y.; Prof. P. M. Webster, Wooster, Ohio; Prof. M. V. Slingerland, Assistant Entomologist, Cornell Experiment Sta- tion, Ithaca, N. Y.; Prof. S. A. Beach, Horticulturist, Geneva Experiment Station, Geneva, N. Y.; Prof. J. A. Fletcher, En- tomologist Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, Canada. The following are the questions sent and a summary of the answers received : 1. Do you consider it a demonstrated fact that honey- bees may be poisoned by arsenical or other sprays applied to fruit-trees when iu blossom ? Lintner (Aug., 1893)— No. Webster (Aug., 1892)— No. (Aug., 1894). Yes. Bees are liable to be poisoned. Howard— No. (Considers further experimentation neces- sary.) Fletcher — Yes. Slingerland — I consider the fact fully demonstrated by Webster. Ques. 2. — Do you consider it a demonstrated fact that bees visiting such sprayed trees may convey the poison to the hive and contaminate the comb of honey with it in such a manner as to render this unfit for human food ? Lintner — No. Webster, (Aug., 1894)— Brood evidently killed by the arsenic brought. Howard — No. (Considers further experimentation neces- sary.) Fletcher — Yes (?). (Cites poisoning of brood by arsenic.) Slingerland —Webster's experiment would indicate it, but the fact not fully demonstrated. Ques. 3. — Do you consider that spraying apple or pear trees with arsenical poisons during the blossoming period gives appreciably better protection to the tree than can be gained from spraying before and after the blossoming period? Prof. Lintner makes no positive statement, but considers it probable. Prof. Howard uniformly recommends spraying before and after; never during blossom. Fletcher — I am sure there is no advantage in spraying when in blossom. Slingerland— No. The insects can be as effectually reached by spraying before and after. Ques. 4.— Do you consider that spraying fruit-trees during the blossoming period is liable to be injurious to the tree in any way ? and especially in the way of interfering with ferti- lization of the blossoms? Fletcher— Yes. Prof. Beach is of the opinion that the fertilization of the flower might be interfered with. Slingerland — Yes, a liquid spray of any kind would be injurious. Ques. 5. — Do you find fruit-growers In your State or locality spraying during the blossoming period? Fletcher— No. Beach — No. Slingerland— No ; I know of no New York fruit-grower who sprays when the fruit is in bloom. Ques 6. — Do you favor any attempt to forbid by legisla- tive measures the spraying of fruit-trees during the blossom- ing season ? Lintner — Decidedly opposed to it. Slingerland — No. (Considers it both unnecessary and impracticable.) Ques. 7. — Are you at present using, or recommending for use in spraying, any compounds or solutions containing sugar or other sweet substances which might induce bees to eat it ? Howard — Not for fruit trees. Glucose with arsenate of lead for elms, shade-trees, etc. Fletcher — No. Sugars, etc., are unnecessary. Use lime instead. Beach — No. Slingerland — No. REPORT ON EXPERIMENTS CONDUCTED. The report of work done at the Experiment Station for the previous season was given by D. D. Howe, Farm Superin- tendent, and O. J. Lowrey, of Jericho. Experiment No. 3 was with different-sized frames, shallow brood-chambers, and wintering bees in the same. No percep- tible difference has yet been noticed. No. 7. — To see if bees would use yellow wax in building comb and finishing the capping of the honey. It has been proven that they will, by the mottled appearance of the comb honey finished during said feeding. No. 8. — Experiment with the Langdon non-swarmer. Proved not satisfactory in the production of honey or preven- tion of swarming. No. 9. — The experiment of cutting out drone-brood once in ten days to prevent swarming. It did not prove a success. No. 10. — Three samples of comb foundation, one made on Given press and two made on roller mills, and given the bees to fill under like conditions. It was exhibited and sampled by members of the convention. The examination proved that they conld not distinguish honey stored on the roller founda- tion from that stored on the press foundation. The committee on nomination of officers for the Associa- tion for the ensuing year gave their report, recommending that the old officers be re-elected. This was done with the exception that C. W. Fisher resigned, and O. J. Lowrey, of Jericho, was elected Secretary. The committee on resolutions submitted their report, which was unanimously adopted as follows : Resolved, That our thanks are tendered to the proprietor of the Van Ness House for favors shown us during the meet- ing. Resolved, That the thanks of the members of this associa- tion be tendered to the Central Vermont railroad for reduced rates during this session. Resolved, That we express our hearty thanks to Prof. L. R. Jones for his painstaking effort in procuring reliable in- formation from the best authorities in the country on the sub- ject of spraying of fruit-trees, showing the uselessness of spraying while in bloom, thus protecting the interests of the bee-keepers as well as producing the best results to the fruit- grower. Resolved, That we highly appreciate the interest shown by the Board of Control and Director of the Vermont Experi- ment Station, as well as the labor performed by the Farm Superintendent iu the work of the apiary. Committee. The committee to confer with the Board of Control at the Experiment Station in regard to work to be done there the coming season are, 0. J. Lowrey, R. H. Holmes and M. F. Cram. REMOVING CHAFF CUSHIONS IN SPRING. Ques. — " How early in the spring should the chaff cush- ions be removed ?" M. A. Everest — Locations and colonies vary greatly in regard to the time the cushions should be removed. Much judgment is needed. I remove from strong colonies about May 20. R. H. Holmes — I remove chaff cushions at about the same time, but question if it is advisable to leave them on so long. H. L. Leonard keeps the cushion on until he puts on sec- tions, unless they need feeding. He has raspberry honey, so 390 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. June 18, he has to put cases on early. Sometimes he puts the cushions on over the section-cases. OUTLOOK FOE HONEY-PBODUCTION. The future outlook for honey-production in this State was discussed. Some thought the outlook rather poor, but gen- erally there was hopes of better crops in the future. V. N. Forbes said : " I have practiced furnishing Alsike clover seed to neighbors at cost price, and think this is the best way to get a crop of honey. I advise mixing mammoth clover with the Alsike." As there was no unBnished business, it was voted to hold the next meeting at Vergennes, in January, 1897. The con- vention then adjourned. 0. .J. Lowbet, Sec. CONDUCTED BY DJt. C. C. M1X.I.ER. AIAJiETfGO. ILL. LQuestions may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct/) Why Did the Bees Leave the Hive ? I had only one colony of bees last year, increased to four, and all seemed to be in good condition, but all at once one took a notion to leave the hive and go into a neighboring colony. I examined the hive, and could not see a thing the matter. I had a good supply of honey. I kept putting the queen back, but the bees would fly oft and stay sometimes 15 to 30 min- utes. I kept them in for two months. What was the matter ? What could I do for them to quiet them ? E. M. T. Answer. — Hard to tell, unless it was the desertion that occurs a good many times in spring when a colony is not yery strong. It occurs, I think, generally, if not always, when a colony has more brood than it can cover. Just why the bees desert I don't know, unless they become discouraged because they can't cover all the brood. Various Kinds of Smolcer.Fncl. How do you keep the smoker lighted '? I use the Clark, but find it difficult to keep it going long enough. What kind of fuel is best to use in it ? C. M. M. Answer. — If the door of a Clark smoker fits very closely there is not draft enough to keep it going. In that case open the door jast a little. Stand the smoker with the nozzle upper- most, and It will burn better than to lay the smoker down. Of course, the kind of fuel makes a great difference. If you use punk, you will have no trouble about the fire going out, no matter how the smoker stands. I have had great satisfac- tion in using the soft, white, rotten wood from apple-trees. If you want to make it extra-good, dissolve saltpeter in water, soak the rotten v/qoA in that, then dry it. The least spark of fire touched to it will burn, and you will have hard work to put it out. Some use cheap paper rolled together and soaked in saltpeter. A great many different things are recommended for smoker fuel, some calling one thing best, some another. The thing a man finds out for himself is likely to be thought best by him. There's a good deal in being used to a thing. Then it makes a difference as to what is most easily obtained. I have used planer-shavings more than anything else, not be- cause they are better than anything else, but because I can go to the planing mill any time and get all I want. Pine shavings are perhaps used more than anything else, because most readily got, but they're not the best. Basswood shavings are good, especially if you can get those that are a sort of compromise between shavings and sawdust. Some use corn- cobs chopped up. Pine needles are not bad. Old cotton rags are excellent, and not inclined to go out. Cowdung has been used, but I've never tried it. It has been objected to on the score of cleanliness. Cotton-waste — that which has been used on the journals of railroad cars and thrown away — is good. Dry twigs of hard wood broken up are good. If you are blow- ing hard and keeping up a big fire, you can use green twigs a fourth to half an inch thick, and you'll have a dense, sharp smoke. In fact, you can use almost anything that will burn, and that you can get into a smoker, if the pieces are not too large. Rearing^ 4t>icci>s — Clipping — Bee-Zinc. • 1. Are queens reared from queen-cells during swarming- time, with a good queen in the hive, fully developed in all cases except where cramped or injured ? 2. Do the bees sometimes use larviB too old to make good queens, during the swarming-fever period '? 3. Do you think it pays to keep all queens' wings clipped, with the bees in large hives ? I like the idea, but my, what a job it is ! I try to keep my hives as populous as possible, and even in the early spring I find it a long task to search for the queens among such multitudes of bees. Where one can give but limited time to the bees, as with me, I am more and more beginning to favor excluding-zinc to prevent swarms from ab- sconding. After all, do you think the zinc hinders the bees very much, especially if it is placed as in one of the cuts on page 99 of the " A B C of Bee-Culture," so the bees do not have to climb up any, but simply walk through on the bottom- board ? E. M. Answers. — 1. I'm not sure that they are. Certainly there's a difference in the appearance of the cells and a differ- ence in the queens, and if some queens are different from others it seems reasonable to infer that there may be so much difference that some of them will hardly be considered fully developed, but it may not go so far as that. 2. When the bees start preparations for swarming I don't believe they ever start with a larva, but always with an egg in a queen-cell. Queens are started from larvas only in cases where the queen has been removed. 3. I think it pays me. The looking over and clipping can be done before the busy tfme comes. I hardly think the hindrance of perforated zinc is a very serious matter. Of course, however, there must be no zinc in the way when a young queen wants to leave the hive on her wedding tour. ^ Honey from Motherwort. What is the quality, color, etc., of honey stored from motherwort? I had hundreds of pounds last summer of dark, cloudy honey, that had a very peculiar taste (not a very pleas- ant one, either), and 1 am anxious to know whether it was from motherwort or honey-dew. My bees worked on both? Pugh, Ohio. S. B. Answer.— I don't know. Who can tell ? I suspect the dark and cloudy honey was more likely honey-dew. Drone-Trap Questions. 1. My two colonies of bees came through the winter in fine condition, packed with dry leaves on the summer stands. They are boiling over with bees now, and I think they will swarm as soon as it stops raining long enough. Thinking they might come out while I was at church yesterday, I put on the drone-trap, and it was a grand success, for it was packed full of drones, when I got home, with many of them dead. Now, what did so many drones coming out indicate ? 2. What ought I to have done with the drones? (I let them go back into the hive.) 3. What would have become of my queen if they had 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 891 tried to swarm ? I have a neighbor who claims to be author- ity on bees ; I might ask him, but I prefer to ask the " Old Reliable." He introduces a queen by turning her loose in front, and spends his extra time in picking the surplus eggs out of the cells of one colony (whose " layer" seems bound to put three or four eggs in every cell) with a pin. A. B. GiNNEK. Answer. — 1. I hardly think it indicated anything more than that the day was warm enough so the drones wanted to come out to play. 2. Very likely it would have been economy to have killed the most of them, as it is a matter of some expense to keep a big lot of drones. 3. Probably the queen would have been caught in the trap the same as the drones were. If left long enough in the trap she would probably perish, but at the time of swarming the bees are supposed to have one or more young queens ready to emerge from their cells about eight days later. That young queen would have to be allowed to leave the hive for fecunda- tion or the colony would perish. If a trap is placed in front of a hive, it will not do to leave it unnoticed throughout the season. ^ I ^ Will They Carry Up the Syrup? I feed my bees until the hive is full, of syrup made of sugar ; then when the honey-flow comes (if it does), will the bees carry this syrup above and deposit it in the surplus case, or will they put the nectar in the surplus boxes, and leave the syrup below '? I want a square answer to this, if you please. J. M. Answer. — I'll try to give you a square answer, and tell you at least what I think. If you feed enough so that every cell in the hive not occupied with brood is crammed, and the queen has not enough room to lay, and supers are put on im- mediately after feeding, I think the bees will be likely to carry up some of the syrup to make room for the queen to lay. If the feeding is done some time before the harvest, I don't think there is much likelihood that anything but newly-gath- ered honey will be carried above. But I don't know anything about it from actual trial. Two Grubs in a Queen-Cell. On May 20 my first swarm issued, and to prevent after- swarms I proceeded to cut out the queen-cells. On the first frame I picked up there was the biggest cell I ever saw. In length it was' about two inches, and not more than M inch in circumference. You can imagine my surprise when, on cutting it open, two well-developed grubs tumbled out. What was the cause of it ? Is this a phenomenon, or do you older chaps see these things often '? L. E. H. Answer. — No, X don't think we old chaps often find two grubs in a queen-cell, although it does sometimes happen. TUe BJanies and Addresses of all your bee- friends, who are not now taking the Bee Journal, are wanted at this office. Send them in, please, when sample copies will be mailed to them. Then you can secure their subscriptions, and earn some of the premiums we have oilered. The next few months will be just the time to easily get new sub- scribers. Try it earnestly, at least. The Alsike Clover Leaflet consists of 2 pages, with illustrations, showing the value of Alsike clover, and telling how to grow it. This Leaflet is just the thing to hand to every farmer in your neighborhood. Send to the Bee Jour- nal office for a quantity of them, and see that they are dis- tributed where they will do the most good. Prices, postpaid, are as follows : 50 for 25 cents ; 100 for 40 cents ; or 200 for 70 cents. .^-^-^ Every Present Subscrit»er of the Bee Journal should be an agent for it, and get all others possible to sub- scribe for it. Sell Only Good Honey. Only last season, or 1894, I got a rather limited supply of sweet honey. Yes, it tasted sweet, all right, but somehow the little basswood and no white clover honey was mixed with something that made it slightly off in color ; also it did not have jnst the right taste ; but it was up to standard in weight. Now, I believe a majority of us would have called this honey good enough to offer to our best customers. We would not expect at least any serious harm ; but let me tell you about it. I wanted some of those greenbacks and silver dollars. I had my doubts about it, but I rather reluctantly loaded up and went to town. I commenced right on the start to tell my customers that honey this season was not quite as good as usual. Those who wanted 50 pounds or more, I would per- suade them to cut down their usual supply. In one instance a 50-pound customer wanted their own way ; the whole family tasted while I talked. I finally got them down 10 pounds ^they took 40. Now for the result. This season (1895) ray honey was never better. When I called at this place with the usual good morning, I told them I was around with honey again. The little children playing in the front yard didn't even look up. " Well," says the good woman, "somehow we don't like honey as we used to. We have kept putting it on the table every day, but we have quite a bit left that we got of you last season." I referred to what I said the season befdre. " Now," said I, " you bring out that old honey and I will trade you new honey even up for it." The trade was made. " Now, I want you to take enough more to make your usual 50 pounds." She hardly thought it best, but finally let me have my way." Just a few days ago the man of this house called out from the other side of the street: "Say, White, we are about out of honey; can we get about 20 pounds more?" "No, sir," said I, " we are all sold out." "That's too bad. We will see we get more than 50 pounds next season." — Dan White, in Gleanings. Small Hives. In this matter of small hives some seem to think that Doolittle is not helping the bee-fraternity much, for, say they, " better results can be secured with large brood-chambers." Well, if such as say this are right, I made a mistake in those trials made years ago, and many others are making the same mistake to-day, for the larger part of our successful comb- honey producers are to-day using small brood-chambers; some even smaller than I use. But as the reports of those using these small brood-chambers are always larger, on an average, than those who recommend laige hives, I conclude that I have not made a mistake. What is a brood-chamber for ? My answer would be, for the purpose of rearing as many bees as possible for working in the honey season, and as few at all other times of year as consistent with accomplishing this object. The main secret of successful comb-honey production is the getting of the combs in the brood-chamber literally full of brood before the honey harvest, thus securing a full force of workers ready for the field just when they are needed. What man is there who hires a lot of hands to hoe potatoes before the potatoes are up ? Not one : but they wait till the potatoes are ready to hoe, and then hire the help. Just so, we want our bees at the right time to have them profitable. A hive full of bees in March is of no more use than a field full of men to hoe pota- toes would be at that season of the year ; for May and June is the time we hoe potatoes in this latitude. Again, if we do not have the brood and bees in time for the honey harvest, all the extra powers of the queen are spent in vain, for it would be like employing a lot of hands to hoe potatoes in October, after they were all ripe and dug.— G. M. Doolittle, in Progressive Bee-Keeper. See " Bee-Keeper's Guide" offer on page 396. 392 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. June 18, PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY GEORGE W. YORK & COMPANY, 118 Afioiig-an St., - CniCAGO, ILL. KEOnLAR CONTRIBUTORS : G. M. Doolittle, of New York. Prof. A. J. Cook, of California. Dr. C. C. Miller, of Illinois. Dr. J, P. H. Brown, of Georgia. J. H. Martin, of California. Rev. E. T. Abbott, of Missouri. Barnett Taylor, of Minnesota. Mrs. L. C. Axtell, of Illinois. Cbas. Dadant & Son, of Illinois. $1.00 a Year — Sample Copy Sent Free. [Bnlered at the Post-Office at CbicaKO as Second-Class Mall-Matter.] VoLfflVI. CHICA&O, ILL, ME 18, m No. 25. The Amalgfamatioii Question seems to have taken a rest. It has received some opposition, we know, but perhaps the best thing now is to have a vote on it, in order to discover just where those interested stand. The objections and favoring ideas having been advanced, and possibly about all being in, we should like now to see where the majority are on the question. Why not have the vote ? A Foreig-n Leaflet on Honey, recently pub- lished in the Review, contains these sentences : "I know parents, who, in times of epidemics give to their children as an antiseptic, honey in abundance, and with com- plete success, these children having invariably escaped the illness." "The Creator seems to have united every property in this remedy. Honey is not only sweet and wholesome, but also a food, a blood-producer of the highest order." " Whoever takes regularly this bee honey will not only be much better nourished, but will also be spared under ordi- nary conditions, a heavy medicine bill, and will in any case increase his individual capacity." Tare on Hone^'-Packages. — There doesn't seem to be much uniformity on the part of dealers, in the matter of tare deducted for the weight of five-gallon cans and the cases holding them. A California bee-keeper reports in the Pacific Rural Press that last year he was defrauded out of over 900 pounds of honey on account of too high tare on what was sold for 15 tons. In Gleanings for June 1, Elitor Root, in commenting upon this subject, said : "There is too great a variety in allowances made for tare. The only fair and correct way is to allow for actual tare, whatever that is. In round numbers a square can weighs SJ^ pounds; and it is customary to estimate that a pair of cans weighs 5 pounds. In round numbers, a box for holding two square cans, without partition, weighs about 15 pounds, although some of the boxes from basswood run slightly under this, some going as low as 12 pounds. "When we receive a carload of honey in square cans we weigh the whole package, and then weigh the box separately. As the weight of the cans is nearly invariable we get at the weight of the honey. It is a little more work to weigh the boxes one at a time ; but, as you see, it is the only fair way of getting at the tare. It should te stated that, when the boxes are made of hard wood, and have an inside partition, they will weigh some more ; but it seems to me that every commis- sion firm, if it wishes to hold its trade, should get at the actual tare by weighing the boxes one by one, all of them. It is too much guess work to estimate a certain amount for boxes ; and, moreover, the temptation is pretty strong to put the esti- mate high enough so that the buyer will be on the safe side. I do not see how we can have exact uniformity ; but what we do need most of all is actual tare. Let the bee-keepers and commission men buy and sell honey at its actual weight." "From Our Pieigliljors' Fields" is the head- ing of a new department recently started in Gleanings. It gives promise of being exceedingly good. It ought to be, when most of the " neighbors' fields" are generally teeming with luxuriance and richness. Anything that the gleaner of Gleanings can glean in our fields he will be more than welcome to — even to the gleaning of full sheaves. A. Handy HiTe-Carrier is described in Gleanings by N. Young, of Iowa, as follows : " I have of late been rigging up a contrivance or device which I think can be used in many apiaries to good advantage in moving light loads about the apiary ; and as the cost of it is so trifling I think almost any one can afford to give it a trial. Get a large-sized fence-wire, say 100 or 200 feet long. Tie one end to the corner of the honey-house or bee-cellar ; perhaps a good solid post near by, well braced, would be bet- ter. Then tie the other end to something solid out in the bee- yard, or wherever you think you want it; then stretch it tight with a wire-stretcher. I make a car by getting a dry- goods box, or make one large enough to receive a bee-hive. Knock off the sides, then take two pieces, 2x4, about 20 inches long. Nail them edgewise to the end of the box; then get two roller hinges and fasten on to each end of the box or car, hang it on the wire, and you have the outfit." California Notes. — Prof. Cook recently sent us the following paragraphs: Little Honey for 1896. — California will get very little honey this season. There was some storing from the early orange-bloom, and something maybe expected from the alfalfa fields, especially where irrigation is practiced. However, it is safe to say that the honey crop of California for 1896 will be practically nil. The above should make all California bee-keepers alive to the probable necessity of feeding bees to prevent starvation. It is a curious fact that we get no honey in Southern Califor- nia after winters of scant rainfall. Yet we do get often quantities of flowers. Does this not come from the fact of the lack of vigor in the plants which causes a failure to secrete nectar ? Might we not safely conclude from the above that it would be better to irrigate orchards, when possible, quite lib- erally during winters of extreme drouth ? North American in Nebraska. — We learn that the North American Bee-Keepers' Association meets this year at Lincoln, Nebr., the seat of the State University. We are pleased that it is so. Valuable aid will be secured from such able scientists as Dr. C. E. Bessey and Prof. Lawrence Bruner. These meetings are very valuable. We hope that many will gather at Lincoln, and that there will be a strong program. Surely, much will be expected from the able bee-keepers of 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 393 Nebraska, in which State the Association meets for the first time. Nebraslia has a wide-awake apiarian fraternity which will surely be heard from at Lincoln. Dbep-Blue Pollen. — One of the curiosities which the observer notices in California is the presence of deep-blue pol- len on the legs of the honey-bees. I never saw colored pollen in Michigan. Such pollen is secured from flowers of plants belonging to the family Polemoniaceaj, of which there are many species in this region. I have seen at least three spe- cies of Gilia with pollen of this color. A. J. Cook. •Claremont, Calif. 'Wiring' Frames for natural comb-building is thus told about by B. F. Averill, of Virginia, in the Review for May : " The present high price of foundation in connection with the depression of the times, may make it desirable for some to know, that very perfect wired combs may be obtained in frames fitted only with comb guides or starters. I experi- mented last year with about 20 colonies, and, with little trouble, secured wired combs in all the frames. I used, alto- gether, less than two pounds of foundation. I wired the frames with three horizontal wires, and in the majority of instances the bees built the septum along the wires with sur- prising accuracy. "I found the best plan for attaching the foundation, to use a narrow strip the length of the top-bar, and imbed it firmly to the top wire; or else use three narrow, triangular strips a suitable distance apart for Langstroth frames. Per- fect wired combs may be in this manner obtained with very little attention. The hives must be as level as possible cross- wise of the frames, to obtain the best results." PERSONAL MENTION. Col. W. F. Codt (Buffalo Bill) is reported having about 700 acres of alfalfa on his large farm adjoining the city of North Platte, Nebr. He ought to have a large apiary to gather the nectar that his many acres of alfalfa must yield. Mb. N. E. France, of Platteville, Wis., is the delegate of the State Bee-Keepers' Association to make another effort to get a foul brood law through the Legislature. He desires, and should have, the hearty co-operation of every bee-keeper in Wisconsin. Write. him for instructions as to what each individual bee-keeper can and should do. It is a very impor- tant matter. Dk. Gallup, of Santa Ana, Calif., is " Galluping " back into the bee-business at a lively rate for a man 75 years old. In a letter dated June 4 he reports having 13 colonies, and intimates that he may later on give his "experience in start- ing an apiary in Southern California without bees and needing no capital." Dr. G. thinks his (Orange) county the finest in the State. His bees are within '4 mile of 20 acres of Lima beans, which are good honey-yielders there. It may seem funny that beans and honey bring the money out there. Me. F. a. Gemmill, of Stratford, Out. — the Assistant Foul Brood Inspector of the Province — wrote us thus encour- agingly of the prospects in his locality : "The bees here are doing well — as well, if not a little bet- ter, than any previous year for some time past. Things at present look very promising for a good flow from both clover and basswood ; in fact, I have already extracted a few hun- dred pounds of choice honey to satisfy some of my customers." On almost all sides there are reports similar to Mr. Gora- mlll's. It does begin to look as if we were going to have a "regular old-timer " this year. Should such be the fact, bee- keeping will be greatly revived in many parts of the country, and all connected with the industry, in whatever way, will feel the joyful thrill of prosperity and renewed hopefulness that would accompany a bounteous honey crop. Mr. Ed. Strong, of Kalamazoo, Mich., wrote as follows on Dec. 30, 1895 : "The American Bee Journal is the most perfect of its kind now published. The outside departments are wonderfully well prepared. The freedom of their expres- sion, each in his own way, is a rest to the weary." Mr. E. J. Atchlet, of Texas — referring to the queen- selling item in this department on page 362 — says that one year they reared 3,000 queens and bought 2,000 more, to supply their orders ; that the net income from the 5,000 queens was not over $750. That's quite different from $5,000, that Mrs. M. Louise Thomas reported. But we want the names of the " too womeJi who have incomes of $5,000 each, annually, selling queens." We want to gi^e them a big, free advertisement. Mr. E. Whitcomb, of Friend, Nebr. — our big-hearted bee- brother — we learn is being proposed for State Senator. With a few men like him in the Nebraska Legislature, bee-keeping would stand a good chance to get a hearing there. We often think that if some of our grand bee-keepers had an oppor- tunity to help make the laws of the land there would soon be a big improvement in many directions. Some time we hope the conscienceless politicians will be elected to stay at home, and the sensible, righteous and incorruptible sons of toil sent to the legislative halls. Mr. T. P. Evans, of Little Cedar, Iowa, writes: "The American Bee Journal is No. 1. Everything in it is good. Any one keeping but one colony of bees should take it. He would gain twice the amount of its cost." Db. Miller, when writing to us on June 9, said : "Oh, but the bees are piling in the honey ! A number of my colonies have the second super, and other years at this date supers were not yet needed. Everything seems favor- able for a good year." That's good. If there is any one among all the thousands that we would like to see get a big crop of honey this year, it is Dr. Miller. Two years ago he had to feed .$75 worth of sugar to get his bees through the winter, and last year he again got no honey, though the bees did gather plenty last fall for the winter. We think he could stand an average of say 100 pounds of comb honey per colony this year. The Root Family and Ancestors were gone into at some length in Gleanings for June 1. It seems some one of the family, in order to " get at the Root of the matter," pub- lished a book of 533 pages, giving the Root genealogy. One sentence in that big book reads thus : "The whole line have been characterized for shrewdness, and noted especially for a strong anti-humbugativeness." Some of thera are also noted for their " honey-bugative- ness," too, though we are not informed whether the book said so or not. We have never been much interested in genealo- gies, though to some people they are very fascinating. Honey »>« Food a.n«l Medicine. — A new and revised edition of this 32-page pamphlet is now issued. It has 5 blank Fages on which to write or paste recipes taken from other sources, t is just what its name indicates, and should be liberally dis- tributed among the people every wtiere to create a demand for honey. It contains a number of recipes on the use of hopey as food and as medicine, besides much other interesting and vhiuable information. Prices, postpaid, are ; Single copy, 5 cts. ; 10 copies 30 cts. ; 50 for $1.00; 100 for $1.7.5. Better give them a trial. Send all orders to the Bee Journal office. 394 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. June 18, Qet;)eral Iterr^s* Some "Learned" (?) Bee-Notes. The season is somewhat advanced, and most of the " big guns " among the bee- writers have exploded. To be sure, some of them have gone off on the half- cock ; however, they have made about as much smoke and gas as they other- wise would. New and luminous lights are springing up in the ranks of the honest and virtuous bee-keepers and extracted honey-producers ; with little or no glucose in the samples. One of these bright and shining lights would "sit down " on all one-horse bee-keepers and freeze them out with ignorance, by running up the price of bee-papers to $10 and onward. This benevolent and kind-hearted gentleman would make a sweet and juicy missionary to the canni- bal islands ; he has the right spirit and plenty of gall, and if he is fat, he would be acceptable. The season here is good and promis- ing. The fruit-bloom was immense, and the weather favorable for the bees. If the few bee-keepers hereabouts do not spend more than half their time in fuss- ing with their bees, killing queens and introducing others not half as good, and puffing in smoke every day, and lifting out the frames, and changing ends, and tormenting the bees with division-boards and queen-excluders, and turning the hive to the right, and the left, and rear, and dividing the colonies and then unit- ing them again, and tracing up the pedi- gree of the great and only white-headed drone ever known, and pumping out un- ripe nectar together with young bees and grub-gravy, and bottling it up and labeling it " pure extracted honey from the apiary of John Do Lack Sense" — it is possible that a few pounds of comb honey may be obtained in the fall, otherwise a sweet substitute can be made with sugar syrup boiled with empty comb and a drop of mint oil and two drops of glucose to smooth it up. This stuff cannot be known from the ex- tracted honey on the market after it has passed through the hands of the honest retailers, and is good enough for the pancake harvest. Great are the won- ders of modern bee-scientists! C. W. Learned. Dearborn, Mich., June 3. Losses in Winter. Etc. I commenced with 5 colonies of bees. I have devoted most of my time in this pursuit since that time. I have at pres- ent 34 colonies, having lost three the past winter — one by diarrhea and two by starvation, although there was plenty of honey in the hive. Last year I got no honey. The past six years have been rather poor years, save one, but last year was a tough one. When 1 saw bass- wood fall I took off all surplus arrange- ments and commenced feeding for dear life. I said, " Dead bees or sugar. I choose the latter." I asked a neighbor, who had IS or 20 colonies, " How are your bees faring ?" This was in September. "0 1 do not know," was the reply. I said to myself, " Dead bees next spring." He wintered them in a very nice cellar, and has not a live bee to-day. I put my bees in outside cases ou Oct. 3, and on Jan. 9 I put in the packing of THE "NOVELTY" POCKET-KNIFE! GEO. W. YORK, CHICAGO, ILLS. Yonr Name on the Knife.— When orderinir, be sure to say just what Name and Address you wish put on the Knife. The Novelty Knife is Indeed a novelty. The novelty lies In the handle. It Is made beautifully of indestructible celluloid, which is as transparent as glass. Underneath the celluloid, on one side of the handle is placed an American Bee JonRNAL reminder, and on the other side, name and residence of the Subscriber. The material entering Into this celebrated knife Is of the very beet quality; the blades are handforged out of the very finest English razor-steel, and we warrant every blade. The holsters are made of German silver, and will never rust or corrode. The rivets are hardened German silver wire; the linings are plate brass; the back springs of Sheffield spring steel, and the finish of handle as described above. It will last a lifetime, with proper usage. AVliy purchase the IVovelty Knifel In case a good knife is lost, the chances are, the owner will never recover it; but if the Novelty is lost, having name and address of owner, the finder will return it; otherwise to try to destroy the name and address, would destroy the knife. It traveling, and you meet with a serious accident, and are to fortunate as to have one of the Novelties, your pocket knife will serve as as an identifier; and in case of death, your relatives will at once be apprised of the accident. How appropriate this knife is for a Christmas. New Tear or birthday present 1 What more lasting memento could a mother give to a son. a wife to a husband, a sister to a brother, a lady to a gentleman, or vice versa, a son to a mother, a husband tn a wife, a brother to a sister OT a gentleman to a lady— the knife having the name of the recipient on one side ? The accompanying cut gives a faint idea, but cannot fully convey an exact representa- tion of this beautiful knife, as the " Novelty " must be seen to be appreciated. HoTtr to Get this Valuable Knife.— We send it postpaid, forSl. .or give It as a Premium to the one sending us three new Subscribers to the Bee JotJRNAL (wilh $3.00), and we will also send to each new name a copy of the Premium Edition of the book " Bees and Hone- " We club the Novelty Knife with the Bee Journal for one year, both for SI .90. GEORGE W. YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS. iny Wanie and Address Put on the Knife. Allo'W about t'wo weeks for your order to toe filled. PATENT WIRED COMB FODBfDATIOR Has No Sag in Brood-Frames Thin Flat-Bottom Foundation Has No Fishbone io tbe Sarplas Honey. Betniz the oleaneat is neaally worked the qnickest of any Foundation made J. VAN OEUSEN A: SONS, Sole Manufacturers, Sprout Brook Montstomery Co.. N. T. Mention the American Bee Jownal Dadaiif s Foimdatioii in Chicago ! No other Goods kept here. Send for Price-List, CHAS. DADANT & SON, 118 Michigan St., - CHICAGO. ILL. 13Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. ONE MAN WITH THE UNION «o"^|;'-^*-'°'- Can do the work of four men using hand tools, in Kipping, Cuttlng-off, Mi- tring, Rabbeting, Groov- ing. Gaining, Dadoing, Edglng-up. Jointing Stuff, etc. Full Line of Foot and Hand Power Machinery Sold on Trial. I'atalosoe Free. SENEC.V FAL,L.S MFG. CO., 46 Water St., SENECA FALLS. N. T 1 Aly Mention the Amerimn Bee Journal, 3-Frame Nucleus and Italian Queen, after July 1st, $3.60. Untested Queens. 75c each. Discount on quantities. A Catalogue of Practical Apiarlau Sup- pliei^, Free. Address, I. J. STRI]yOIIA]H, 105 Park Place. NEW YOKE, N. T. That Q,ueen-Clipping Device Free ! Couldn't Do Without It. I have clipped 19 queens, and must say the Monette Queen-Clipping- Device is by far the best invention ever made, and will be wel- come to many bee-keepers as it was tome. I could not do without- one now. Dr. Geo. L.\cke, Newburgh, Ind, Works liike a Cliarni. The Monette Queen Clipping Device works LIKE A CHARM. With it I have clipped 30 queens, all in one day, when examining my bees. Wm. Stollev, Grand Island, Nebr. PLEASE READ THIS OFFER TO PRESENT SUBSCRIBERS : Send us just one jteui name for tbe American Bee Journal a year (with .$1.00), and we will mail you the Queen-Clipping Device free of charge. Or, the Queen-Clipping Device will be sent postpaid for .50 cts. But why notn.get it as a Premium by the above ofifer ? You can't earn 50 cts. any easier. Almost every bee-keeper will want this Device. See page 130 (Feb. 2T) for full description of it. Complete directions accompany each one sent out. It is a most ingenious and useful article. Address, GEORGE W. YORK & CO., 118 Michigan St., Chicago, 111. 1S96. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 395 •:< MONEY Saved is money Gained. •^ THE ROYAL ffllON Life Insurance Company DES MOINES, IOWA. Tlxe Iowa Policy Is one that definitely promises to keep an accurate account with you ; credit your premiums and interest, charge the actual expense and mortuary cost, and hold the remaining: funds subject to your order. Agents TVauted. JOHN B. KING, General Agent, Suite 513 First Nat'l Bank Bld'g-, 20Atf CHICAGO, ILL. 3/entio?i Hie American Bee Jotimal- WARRANTED GOLDEN ITALIAN QUEENS ^.'^^i^^^i tested by DooUttle out of 1.000 Queens for his own use, and valued at $50. Queens, oOc ; 6 for $2.75 ; or S5.00 per dozen. LeatUer Colored Queens from Root's best imported stock same price. Bees from my Queens are excellent workers on red clover. 1 g-uarantee safe delivery. N. B.— I sent more than 200 Queens safely to California last sea- son. H. G. QUIRIN, Belleviie, Ohio. 23A16 Mention the Amvrican Bee JotimoL "OVER THE FENCE IS OyT" This rule was unquestioned in the days when "two old cat" was the favorite ball game. Applying: the same rule to farm stock, we raised fhe standard height to five feet. Through the fence is as bad as over. So with abundant ELASTICITY and double strength wire, we "shut them out" (or in) and rule the world on fence. PAGE WOVEN WIRE FENCE CO., Adrian, Mich. WHEN ANSWERING THIS AOVEftTlSEMEHT. MENTION THIS JOURNAU m~ IF YOU WANT THE BEE-BOOK That covers the whole Apicultural Field more completely than any other published, send S1.25 to Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont, Calif., for his Bee-Keeper's Guide. Ia£es, bound _.„ French seal. limp, 'with perfectly flexible _ backs. Sent prepaid. Regular price, $4.50; our price, $2,25. Or we club it with the Bee Journal for one year- both for only $2.75; or we will give this fine Bible free as a premium to any one sending 4 new subscribers to the Bee Journal one year (with St.OO). No additional premiuni is given the new subscribers— simply the Bee Journal one year to each of them. GEORGE W. YORK & CO.. - CHICAGO, ILLS. BEGINNERS. Beginners should have a copy of the Amateur Bee-Keeper, a 70-page book by Prof. J. W. Rouse. Price 25 cents; If sent by mail. 28c. The little book and the Progressive Bee-Keeper (a live, pro- gressive 28-page monthly journal) one year, 65c. Address any flrst-class dealer, or LEAHY MFG. CO., Higgrinsville, Mo. Me.'i^W"."^ tj\e Ameriryat-% Bee JtAvnval For Sale "n-VJE^S^^^' ■4 Block of ground, some fruit, GOOD 6-rooni dwelling, shop, stable, honey-house and poul- try-house Lover 3.000 square feet of floor], 100 colonies of bees in chaff hives and fully equipped for comb honey, all in town of 1000 population and good alfalfa range and good water. Price. $3,000. If unsold June 15th, will unqueen. and ofl'er 2 year clioped queens at 25c.: 1 year, undipped, at 50c. each. July 15th and after, YonNG queens at fiOc. each- all Italian and safe arrival guaranteed. Ihis is a rare bargain, but I must get my wife to a lower altitude. Book your orders at ouce if you want these queens. ., .r^ .„ 19Atf R. O. AIKIN, lioveland, Colo. AHEN ANSWERHlS THIS ADVERTISEMENT, MEMIOK THIS JOUIOUt. $3.00 Worth for $2.00 ! Until further notice, we propose to give you a chance to get some good reading-matter for the long winter evenings, at half price. Send us $2.00, and we will mail you your choice of $2.00 w.)rth of the following book- lets, and also ere lit your subscription to the American Bee Journal for one year: Poultry for Market and Profit 25c Our Poultry Doctor. JUO Turkeys lor Market and Profit ioo Capons and Caponizing J«C KuralLife ........... ■•■-6° Preparation of Honey lor the Market. .. lOo Bee-Pasturage a Necessity lOo Hive I Use, by lloolittle gc Foul Brood, by Dr. Howard -oo Foul Brood, by Kohnke ■'^ Foul Brood, by Cheshire IOC Bee- Keeping lor Profit, by Dr. Tinker .... 25o Kendall's HorsoBook— Eng. or German. . i5c Silo and Silage, hy Prof. Cook . . ~gC Hand-BookoY Health, by Dr. Foote 35c Maple Sugar .md the Sugar Bush J50 Potato Culture, by Terry 400 Carp Culture, by Koot & Finney. 40c Strawberry Culture, by Terry & Root .... 400 Bienen Kultur. by Newman [Oerman] . . . 40c Winter Problem in Bee-Keepiug LPierceJ . 500 Bee-Keepers' Directory, by Henry Alley. oOo Advanced Beo-Culture. by Hutchinson... 50o 5 Honey as Food and Medicine -50 GEORGF. W. YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLa 396 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. June 18, The Bee-Keepers' Guide: Or Manual of the Apiary, By Prof. A. J. Cook. Tbis loth and latest edition of Prof. Cook's magnificent booli of 460 pages, in neat and substantial clotii binding, we propose to give away to our present subscribers, for the work of getting NEW subscribers for the American Bee Journal. A description of the book here is quite un- necessary—It is simply the most complete sci- entific and practical bee-book published to- day. Fully illustrated, and all written in the most fascinating style, The author is also too well-known to the whole bee-world to re- quire any introduction. No bee-keeper is fully equipped, or his library complete, with- out "The Bee-Keeper's Guide." Ciiven For 2 IVew Subscribers. The following offer is made to present sub- scribers only, and no premium is also given to the two new subscribers— simply the Bee Journal for one year : Send us Two New Subscribers to the Bee Journal (with S2,00), and we will mail you a copy of Prof. Cook's book free as a premi- um. Prof. Cook's book alone sent for $1. '25, or we club it with the Bee Journal for a year —both together for only $1.75. But surely anybody can get only *2 new subscribers to the Bee Journal for a year, and thus get the book as a premium. Let everybody try for It. Win you have one ? GEORGE ■W. VORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS, A Barffain-EARLY QUEENS. 119 Colonies Italian Bees in Chaff Hives: two acres land: good house; excellent well. Early Queens— Tested, $1.00 ; Untested, SOc. Sent by return mall. E. li. CARKINGTON, leAtf PETTUS, Bee Co.. TEX. Kcference— 1st National Bank of BeevlUe. ^'ntinn the American Bee Journal CARLOADS Of Bee-Hives, Sections, Ship- ping-Cases, Comb Foundation, and Everything used in the Bee-Industry. I want the name and address ^ Of every Bee-Keeper in Amer- * lea. No reason why you can- not do business with me. I have Cheap Lumber and Experienced Workmen ; a good Water-Power Factory and hnow how to run it. I am supplying Dealers as well as consumers. Why not you '? Send for Cata- logues, Quotations, etc. W. H. PUTNAM, IE KivER Falls, Pierce Co., Wis. Moiticyii tlie Arneiican Bee Journn:„ Paare & Lyon Mfa:. Co., ^►New London, Wis., operates two saw- mills that cut, annually, el^ht million feet of lumber, thus securing: tbe best, lumber at the lowest price for the manufacture of bee-keepers' supplies. They have also just completed one of The Largest Factories, ^^and have the latest and most Improved machinery for the manufacture of Bee- , Hives, Sections, etc., that there is in the State. The material is cut from patterns, by machinery, and Is absolutely accurate. Tor Sections, tbe clearest and The Whitest Basswood ^^is used, and they are polished on both sides. Nearness to pine and basswood for- ests, and possession of mills and factory equipped with best machinery, all com- bine to enable this firm to furnish the best goods at The Lowest Prices, ft ^►ror Instance, it has a job lot of 200,00t> No. 2 Sections that will be sold at 50 cts. per 1,000; or 2,000 Snow-White Sections will be sold for $4.00, and larger quanti- ties at still lower prices. Send for Circu- lar and see the prices on a full line of supplies. IBAtf Mentixm the A.viencan Bee Jouniai, m m any honey. We have several basswood trees that are hanging full of clusters of bloom that will be opened in a few days, but we get honey from that source only about once in five years. Our bees are strong in numbers, and with their drones killed off, they are in splendid condition to take advantage of the basswood, pro- vided there is any honey in the bloom. We have considerable white clover, but our bees have not worked on it to any extent for over 10 years ; as a honey-producing plant it has got to be a failure with us. Altogether, the outlook for bee-keep- ing is dismal, indeed. Our bees have died off, from one cause or another, un- til there is not more than 10 per cent, of them remaining. The most extensive bee-keeper in the county told me a day or two ago that his losses in the past three years had reduced his colonies to 20 per cent, of the original number, and that at present there was not an aver- age of one pound of honey in each hive ; that he has had no surplus honey in three years, and doesn't expect any this season, or in the seasons to follow. The woodman's axe has cleaned up all the timberland, and it has become set in blue grass, and is pastured. No young trees are allowed to grow up, and there are no wild flowers to furnish honey. When the present growth of trees are cut off there will be none to take its place, and wood will be a scarce article. Land that is worth from $60 to .filOO per acre is too valuable to be allowed to go without making immediate returns, hence it must be either cultivated or else pastured. W. S. Fultz, Muscatine, Iowa, June 8. No Nectar in the Blossoms. We have had more rain so far this year than for the past two years put to- gether. It seems we had so much rain that there was no nectar in the blos- soms all spring. I have about 30 locust trees that were just as full of bloom as could be, but never could I see a bee on or near them. In May, 1894, they were in full bloom, and the bees just swarmed on them, and one could smell the aroma all over the place, but it lasted only one or two days, then a heavy frost killed them. Last year they didn't bloom at all. This year one could not smell the aroma if he held the blos- som right up to his nose, because there was no nectar in it. I have fed my bees all spring, and haven't stopped yet. I live about 6 miles north of Kearney. I have alfalfa in bloom, but I fail to see my bees go near it. On the outskirts of Kearney there is quite a lot of alfalfa, and the bees there are doing finely, and seem to be getting all their honey from alfalfa. I have one acre of sweet clover that is budding now, and I expect it will bloom in a few days, and if they don't get any- thing from that I will have to wait till the buckwheat blooms. J. 0. Knoll. Kearney, Nebr., June 8. Alfalfa and Sweet Clover Honey. One member of the Denver Bee-Keep- ers' Association, who has handled as much honey as any one in Colorado, said he never had aiij/comb honey candy before Jan. 1. He has done much ship- ping, and heard no complaints. In some seasons it candies sooner than in others. No. 1 Sections— Cheap. We offer for a few weeks, a surplus stock of our one-piece No. 1 Cream Sections at the following- very low prices: 1000 for $1.50. 3000 for $4.00. 5000 for $6.00. These Sections are finely finished and No. 1 In all respects save color, tielng, as their name indicates, of a cream color. The stock consists of a quantity each of the following sizes: 4!ix2, open 2 sides 4!4xl 15-16, open 2 sides 4J4xl 7-8, open 2 sides 4J4sl^. open 2 sides 4i4x7-to-ft., open 2 sides WATERTOWN, WIS. Menttcni tlic America7i Bee Journal. ill? BERLIN FKUIT-BOX CO., Beklin Heights, Ohio. Mention the American Bee Jotmiai. ffirftP Ag-ent's profits p VVUU^ $1.50 sample a ' Ag-ent's profits per month. Will prove rtelt New articles just out. iple and terms free. Try us. 32A8t Chidesteh & Son, 28 Bond St., N. Y. WHEN AnSWEHING THIS ADVERTISEMENT. MENTION THI9 JOURNAL. Hives & Combs For Sale. 45 10-frame Lang-stroth Hives, two-story, for extracting, as made and sold by T. G. New- man. These are empty— no frames — are well paicted. and have been kept in the bee-house. Price, 75 cents each. Also, 400 Brood or Extracting Combs for the above hives : they have the triangular top-bar as made by Newman. They are clean and in good condition. Price, $15.00 per 100. I would take $.S5.00 for the whole lot of Hives and Combs, Kef erence— American Bee Journal. W. O. liVrWAN, 21Atf DOWNER'S GROVE, ILL. fflUTH'S HONET EXTBACTOB PERFECTION Cold-Blast Smoker*, Square Glass Honey Jars, Etc. For Circulars, apply to Chas. F. Muth & Son. Cor. Freeman & Central Aves., Cincinnati, O. Send 10c for Practical Hints to Bee-Keepers, Mention the American Bee journal. Beautiful Goldeu (jueeus Kan. Let me tell you why my Golden Italians are better for comb honey than the 3-bander8. Simply this— they cap their honey white like the blacks, and are splendid workers. 1 Untested Queen, 73 cents or 3 for $2.00 1 Tested Queen, $1 .00 Breeders 2.50 1 Breeder which I have bred from and found to be the best 4.00 1 Frame Nuclei with Queen 1.75 2 •■ ■• ■' 2.26 3 " •• •■ 2.75 All orders filled promptly. Safe delivery guaranteed. P. J. THOMAS, 22A8t FREDONIA, KAN. Meriiicm the American Bee Journal W^\\l fifin £1 Of *'»•* Journal vrbo KliAllrin>l\ write to any of our IDLiXll/UlDM advertisers, cltber In ordering, or asking about tbe Goods offered, will please state tUat tbey saw tbe Advertisement in tbis paper. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. ;9T Honey-Clovers & Buckwheat SEED FOR SALE. We have made arrangements 8o that we can furnish seed of several of the Clovers and Japanese Buckwheat, by freight or ex- press, at the following prices, cash with order: 50) lOft 25ft oOft Alslke Clover J .70 $1.25 $3.00 $5.75 Sweet Clover 75 1.40 3.25 6.00 White Clover 1.25 2.00 4.50 8.00 Alfalfa Clover 65 1.10 2.70 5.00 Crimson Clover 55 .90 2.00 3.50 Jap. Buckwheat... .20 .35 .90 1.25 Prices subject to market changes. Add 25 cents to your order, for cartage, if wanted by freight. Your orders are solicited. GEORGE W. YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS. Sweet Clover \ Canada. At the following: prices : 5 lbs. 10 lbs. 25 lbs. 50 lbs. $1.00 $1.60 $3.75 $7.25. Also a quantity of Motherwort and Catnip seed. Prices on application. EGGS lor Hatcblng. Buff Leghorns. In- dian Games, & Light Brabmas. Choice Birds. A breeder for 30 years. Prices on application JOHN mcARTHVR, 881 Tonge Street, - TOKONTO, ONT. 15Atf 'W««tion tfte .o not Write anything for publica- tion on the same sheet of paper with busi- ness matters, unless it can be torn apart without interfering with either part of the letter. L.ost ]>'iiml»ers. — We carefully mail the Bee Journal to every subscriber, but should any be lost in the mails, we will re- place them it notified before all the edition is exhausted. Please don't wait a month or two, for then it may be too late to get another copy. Emerson Rinders, made especially for the American Bee Journal, are conven- ient for preserving each weekly Number, as fast as received. They will be sent, post- paid, for 75 cents, or clubbed with the Am- erican Bee Journal for one year— both to- gether for $1.60. They cannot be sent by mail to Canada. Please Send XJs the Names of your neighbors who keep bees, and we will send them sample copies of the Bee JouBNAL. Then please call upon them and get them to subscribe with you, and secure some of the premiums we offer. Bee-Keeper's Guide— see page 396. Questioi;)'Box^ In the multitude of counsellors there is safety. — Prov. 11-14. Open.Cornercd Sections vs. the Ordinary Kind. Query 18.— Are open-cornered sections, standard size, likely to be better than the ordinary Idnd in producing high grade honey? E. L. Taylor— No. James A. Stone — No. E. Prance — I don't know. W. R. Graham — I think not. Prof A. J. Cook— I doubt it. J. M. Hambaugh — I don't know. 6. M. Doolittle — I don't think so. Mrs. L. Harrison — I do not know. Allen Pringle — I have not used them. B. Taylor — I never used them, and do not know. J. E. Pond — I don't see why they should be. Chas. Dadant & Son — We have never tried them. W. G. Larrabee — Perhaps no better, but just as good. G. W. Demaree — I can't see why they possibly could be. Try them. C. H. Dlbbern— I think not. The plainer the section the better. Dr. J. P. H. Brown — One kind will work quite as well as the other. Dr. C. C. Miller — I don't see why there should be an difference in the honey. Emerson T. Abbott — I have never tested them ; therefore, am not prepared to say. P. H. Elwood — I have not tried them. I should judge there would not be very much difference. Rev. M. Mahin — I never saw open- cornered sections, and did not know that any such existed. H. D. Cutting — I don't know as I un- derstand the question. If you mean the 4-piece section, 1 say yes. Eugene Secor— Do you mean 4-piece sections ? Yes. I like them better, much better. 1. They are made of whiter wood. 2. They are stronger. List of Honey and Beeswax Dealers. Most of whom Quote In this Journal, Chicago. Ills. B. A. BnBKETT & Co.. 163 South Water Street. New York, N. IT. HiLDBETH Bros. & segelken, 120 & 122 West Broadway. Chab. Israel & Bros., 486 Canal St. Kansas City, Mo. 0. C. Clbmoms & Co., 423 Walnut St. Bnflalo, N. Y. Batterson & Co.. 167 & 169 Scott St. Hamilton, Ills. Chas. Dadant & Son. Pliiladelpbka, Fa. Wm. a. Selseb, 10 Vine St. Cincinnati, Obio. C. F, MUTH & SON, cor. Freeman & Central a ve. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 399 BEE-BOOKS SENT POSTPAID EV Georffe W. York & Co., Chicago, Ills. Bees and Honey, or ManagemeDt of au Apiary for Pleaanre and Profit, by Thomas G.Newman.— rWs edition has been largely rewritten, thorougbly revlaed, and Is " fully up with the times " In all the Improvements and Inventions In this rapldly-devel- Oplng pursuit, and presents the ajjlarlst with everything that can aid In the successful manage- ment of an apiary, and at the same time produce themost huney In an attractive condition. It con- tains 2.')0 pages, and 245 illustrations— is beautifully printed In tlio highest style of the art, and bound In cloth, gold-lettered. Price. $1.00. JLan^stroth on the Soney-Bee* revised by Dadant— This classic In bee-culture, has been entirely re- written, and 1b fully lllustruted. It treats of everything relating to bees and bee-keep- ing. No apiarian library la complete without this standard worit by Rev. L. L. Jjungstroth — the Father of American Bee-Culture. It iias 520 pages; bound in elotb. Price, postpaid, $1.25. Bee-K.ecpers* Guide, or Manual of the Apiary, by Prof. A. J. Cook, of the Michigan Agrl- cultural College.— This book is nut only Instructive and helpful as a guide In bee keeping, but is Interesting and thoroughly practical and sclentlflc. It contains a full delineation of the anatomy and physiology of bees. 460 pages ; bound in cloth and fully Illustrated. Price, postpaid, $1,25. Scientific Queen-Kearlnar, as Practically Applied, by G. M. DooUttle.— A method by which the very best of tjueen- Bees are reared in perfect accord with Nature's way, 176 pages, bound la cloth, and Illustrated. Price, 81.00. .A. B C or Bee-Calture, by A. I. Root.— A cyclopjedla of 400 pages, describing everything pertaining to the care of the honey-bees. It con- tains 30U engravings. It was written especially for beginners Bound In cloth. Price, $1.25. Advanced Bee-Caltnre, Its Methods and Management, by W. Z. Hutchinson.— The author of this work Is too well known to need further description of his book. He Is a practical and entertaining writer. You should read his book. 90 pages, bound in paper, and Illustrated, Price, 50 cts. Katlonal Bee-Keeplnsr, by Dr. John Dzlerzon —This Is a translation of his latest German book on bee-culture. It has 350 pages; bound in cloth, $1.25; In paper covers, $1.00 Blenen-K.ii1tnr, by Thomas G. Newnan.— This Is a German translation of the principal por- tion of the book called Bees of honey. lOjpage pamphlet. Price, 40 cents. Conventton Band-Book, for Bee-Koepers. ,- - Thomas G. Newman.— It contains tlie parliamen- tary law and rules of order for Bee Conventions— also Constitution and By-Laws, with subjects for discussion, etc. Cloth, gold-lettered. Price, 25 cts. Amerikaiiiselie Bieneiizuolkt« by Hane Buschbauer.— Printed in German. A hand-book on bee-keeping, giving the methods in use by the best American and German apiarists. Illustrated; 138 pages. Price. $1.00. Tliirty Years Among: the Bees, by Henry Alley.— Gives the results of over a quarter- century's experience in rearing queen-bees. Very latest work ol thekind. Nearly luo pages. Price, 50c. "Wliy Eat Honey 1— This Leaflet is intend- ed for FREE distribution, to create a Local Market. 100 copies, by mail. 40 cts.: 500 for$l.r.o; i(.)00, $i>.50. jy If 500 or more are ordered at one time, your Dame and address will be printed on them FREE. How to Keep Honey and preserve its richness and flavor. Price same as Why Eat Honey. Apiary Register, by Thos. G. Newman.— Devotes two pages to a colony. Leather binding. Price, for 50 colonies. $1.00; for IW colonies, $1.25. Preparation of Honey for the Market^ Including the production and care of comb and extracted honey. A chapter from BEES AND Honey. Price, 10 cents. Bee-Pasturagre a XeccMlty.— This book sug gests what and how to plan U is a chapter fron Bees and Honey. Price, 10 cents. Tlie Hive I Tse, by G. M. T)oolittle. It details hie management of bees, and methods of producing: comb honey. Price. 5 cents. Dr. Howard'^ Book on Foul Brood. —Gives the McEvoy Treatment and reviews the ex- periments of others. Price. 25 cts. Dictionary of Apicultnrc^by Prof. John Phin. Gives the correct meaning of nearly 500 api- cultural terms. Price, 50 cts. Winter Problem in Bee-Keepinjr. byO. R. Pierce. Result of 25 years' experience. 50 ctB. Handling BeeN^ by Cbas. Badant & Son.— A Chapter from Langstroth Revised. Price, 8 cts. Bee-Keepers' Directory^ by H. Alley.— Latest methods in Queen-Rearing, etc. Price, 500. Foul Brood Treatment, by Prof. F. R. Cheshire.- Its Cause and Prevention. Price, 10 cts. Foul Brood, by A. R. Kotinke.— Origin. Development and Cure. Price. 25 cts. HiMtory of Bee-Associations, and Brief Re- ports of the first 20 conventions. Price, 15 cts. Honey as Food and ITIedicine, by T. G. Newman.— A 32-pa(^e pamphlet : just the thing to create a demand for honey at home. Should be scattered freely. Contains recipes for Honey-Cakes, Cookies, Puddings, Foam, Wines, and uses of honey for medicine. Prices, prepaid— Single copy, 5 cts.; 10 copies, 35 cts.; 50 for $1.50: 100 for $2.50; 250 for $5.50; 500 for $10.00; or KXKt for $15.00. When 250 or more are ordered, we will print the bee-keeper's card (free of cost) on the front cover page. Bee-Keeping for Profit, by Dr. G. L. Tinker.— Revised and enlarged. It details the au- thor's " new system, ov how to get thelargest yields of comb or extracted honey." 80 p.; illustrated. 25c. Fnierson Binders, made especially for the BEE Journal, are convenient for preserving each number as fast as received. Not mailable to Canada. Price, 75 cts. Commercial Calculator, by C. Ropp.— A ready Calculator. Business Arithmetic and Ac- count-Book combined in one. Every farmer and business man should have it. No. 1 , bound in water proof leatherette, calf finish. Price, 40 cts. No. 2 in fine artificial leather, with pocket, silicate slate, and account-book. Price, 60 cts. Green's Four Books, by Cbas. A. Green. —Devoted to, 1st. How We Made the Old Farm Pay; 2nd, Peach Culture; 3rd, How to Propagate Fruit- Plants, Vines and Trees; 4th, General Fruit In- structor. Nearly 120 pages. Fully illustrated. 25ct8. Green's Six Boolis on Fruit-Cnltnre, by Chas. A. Green.— Devoted 1st, to Apple and Pear Culture; 2nd. Plum and Cherry Culture; 3rd. Rasp- berry and Blackberry Culture; 4th, Grape Culture; 5th, Strawberry Culture. 129 pp.; illustrated. 25 cts. Garden and Orchard, by Chas. A. Green. —Gives full instructions in Thinning and Marketing Fruits; Pruning, Planting and Cultivating; Spray- ing, Evaporation, Cold Storage, Etc. 94 pages, illus- trated. Price. 25 cts. Kendall's Horse-Book* — 35 pictures, showing positions of sick horses, and treats on all their diseases. English or German. Price, 25 cts. Silo and Silage, by Prof. A. J. Coob.— It gives the method in operation at the Michigan Agri- cultural College. Price, 25 cts. I^uiuber and Iiog-Book. — Gives meas- urements of lumber, logs planks; wages, etc. 25c. ITIapIe Sngar and the Suprar Bush, by Prof. A. J. Cook.— Full instructions. Price, 35 cts. Grain Tables, for casting up the price of grain, produce, hay, etc. Price, 25 cts. Capons and Caponizlug, by Dr. Sawyer, Fanny Field, and others.— Illustrated. All about caponizing fowls, and thus how to make the most money in poultry-raising. 64 pages. Price, 30 cts. Our Poultry Doctor, or Health in the Poultry Yard and How to Cure Sick Fowls, by Fanny Field.— Everything about Poultry Diseases and their Cure. 64 pages. Price, 30 cts. Poultry for Market and Poultry for Profit, by Fanny Field.— Tells everything about the Poultry Business. 64 pages. Price, 25 cts. • Turkeys for Market and Turkeys for Profit, by Fanny Field.— All about Turkey-Raising. 64 pages. Price. 25 cts. Rural I^ife,— Bees. Poultry. Fruits, Vege- tables, and Household Matters. 100 pages. 25 eta. Strawberry Culture, by T. B. Terry and A. I. Root. For beginners. Price, 40 cts. Potato Culture, by T. B. Terry.— It tells how to grow them profitably. Price, 40 cts. Hand-Book of Healtb, by Dr. Foote.— Hints about eating, drinking, etc. Price, 25 cts. Alsike Clover Leaflet.— Full directions for growing. 50 for 25 cts. ; 100 for 40 cts. ; 200, 70c. Book Clubbing Oilers. (Bead Carefully.) The following clubbing prices Include the American Bee Journal one year with each book named. Remember, that only one book can be taken In each case with the Bee Jour- nal a year at the prices named. If more books are wanted, see postpaid prices given with the description of the books on this page. Following is the clubblng-llst: 1. Langstroth on the Honey-Bee $2.00 2. A B 0 of Bee-Culture 2.00 3. Bee-Keeper's Guide 1.75 4. Bees and Honey [Cloth bound] 1.65 5. Sclentlflc Queen-Kearlng 1.75 6. Dr. Howard's Foul Brood Book 1.10 7. Advanced Bee-Culture 1.30 8. Amerlkanlsche Bienenzucht [Germ.] 1.75 9. Bienen-Kultur [German] 1.25 10. Katlonal Bee-Keeplng [Cloth bound] 2.00 11. Rational Bee-Keeping [Paper bound] 1.75 VI. Thirty Years Among the Bees 1.30 13. Bee-Keeping for Profit 1.15 14. Convention Hand-Book.. 1,15 15. Poultry for Market and Profit 1.10 16. Turkeys lor Market and Profit 1.10 17. Capons and Caponizing 1.10 IS. Our Poultry Doctor 1.10 19. Green's Four Books 1.15 20. Green's Six Books on Fruit-Culture.. 1.15 21. Garden and Orchard 1.15 23. Rural Life 1.10 24. Emerson Binder for the Bee Journal. 1.60 25. Commercial Calculator. No. 1 1.25 26. Comme-cial Calculator, No. 2 1.48 27. Kendall's Horse-Book 1.10 29. Strawberry Culture 1.20 30. Potato Culture 1.20 32. Hand-Book of Health 1.10 33. Dictionary of Apiculture 1.35 34. Maple Sugar and the Sugar Bush 1.20 35. Silo and Silage 1.10 36. Winter Problem in Bee-Keeping 1.30 37. Apiary Register (for 50 colonies) 1.75 38. Apiary Register (for 100 colonies) . 2.00 39. Bee-Keepers' Directory 1.30 Honey & Beeswax Market Quotations. The following rules for grading honey were adopted by the North American Bee-Keepers* Association, and, so far as possible, quota- tions, are made according to these rules: Fancy.— All sections to be well filled ; combs straight, of even thickness, and firmly at- tached to all four sides: both wood and comb unsoiled by travel-stain, or otherwise; all the cells sealed except the row of cells next the wood. No. 1.— All sections well filled, but combs uneven or crooked, detached at the bottom, or with but few cells unsealed; both wood and comb unsoiled by travel-stain or other- wise. In addition to this the honey Is to be classi- fied according to color, using the terms white, amber and dark. That Is. there will be "fancy white," " No. 1 dark." etc. CHICAGO. III., June 6.— We quote: Fancy white, 14@15c. ; No. 1, 12®13c. ; fancy amber, 9(g>10c.; No. 1, 8@8!4c.; fancy dark, 8@9o.; No. 1, 8c. Extracted, white, b&Tc; amber, 4@5c. Beeswax. 27@28c. It continues to sell well and there is no accumulation of shipments. We consider it a good time to sell. K. A. B. & Co, PHILADELPHIA, Pa., Apr. 22.— We quote: No. 1 white. 9(ai0c.; fancy amber, 8@9c.; fancy dark, 7(3Sc. Extracted, white clover, 10c. ; amber, 5@5i4c. ; dark, i@fiy,c. Bees- wax, 25@26c, Comb honey is dull. Extracted In fair demand. Beeswax lower. W. A. S. BUFFALO, N. T., Apr. 20.— We quote: Fancy white, 15(ai6c.; No. 1 white, 13(ai4c.; fancy dark, 8@9c. ; No. 1 dark. 7@7^^c, Bees- wax. 25@28c. Trade very dull and honey not moving, except a few fancy lots; anything dark is hard to sell. B. it Co. CINCINNATI, 0„ Apr, 22.— There is no fan- cy white comb honey on our market. Best white sells at 12@14c. in a jobbing way. with a fair demand. Demand is good for extracted at 4(^70,, according to quality. Beeswax is In good demand at 25@30o. for good to choice yellow. C. F. M. & S. NEW YORK. N, Y„ May 9.— There is some demand for white comb honey at unchanged prices. No market for buckwheat. Extracted remains qnlet. New Southern Is now arriv- ing and selling at 5@6c. for fine grades and 50@55c. a gallon for fal? to common. Beeswax easy at 28@29c. H. B. & S. KANSAS CITY, Mo„ June 13.— Wo quote: No. 1 white comb, 14c.; No. 1 amber, 12c,; No, 1 dark, 10c, Extracted, white, 6V4c,; amber, oc, ; dark, 4>4c, Beeswax, 25c. C. C C, & Co, 400 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. June 18, 1896. Bottom Prices BRIl^rO US BIO TRADE. OOOD OOODS KEEP IT. It you want the best supplies that can be made at a little less cost than you can buy the same goods for elsewhere, write to us for low prices. 1896 Catalogue now ready —ask for it and a free copy of Tbe Amerl- ean Bee-Keeper (36 pages). Address, THEW.T.FALCOMMFG.CO., JAMESTOWN, N. Y. Mention the American Bee Journal, COMB FOUNDATION! Wax always wanted for Cash or in Kxchanp:e for Fdn. or other Supplies. My trade is estab- lished on tow Prltes and the merit of my Fonudatloii. Orders filled promptly. ^P~WORKiNG Wax into Fdn, by the Lb. a Specialty. Wholesale prices to dealers and large consumers. Send for Prices and Sam- ples to— GUS UITTMEK, AUGUSTA, WIS. Reference — Augusta Bank. lAtf Mention the American Bee Jous^ial U Years' Experience in breeding Italian Queens. GOOD Untested Queens. 75c, S for $2.00. CHOICE Tested, young, $1 each by return mall. A. I. Root Co.'s Supplies kept In stock at bottom prices. 36-page Catalog free. JNO. INEBEL. OIition tlie American Bee Jounw.l. QUEENS SmokerSiSections , Comb Foundation, And all Aplniran Supplies (heap. Send for FKEE atalogae. E. T. FLANAUAN, Belleville. III. 6A26t Please mention the Bee Journal. PURE BARRED PLYMOUTH ROCK Eggs. $1.'25 \>GV 14. Our P. Rocks are very large, with fine plumage. Also, BLACK MINORCA EGGS, a non-sitting: and great laying breed. Both Kinds raised upon our farm. Minorca Cock- erels, $1.00 each. Mrs. I,. C. AXXEE.1«, 16Atf ROSEVILLE, Warren Co., ILL. Mentiwi the American Bee Journal. '''^ Dadant's Foundation S Year Is still in the lead, for we use all the latest improvements, including the f? NEW WEED PROCESS, f? and still make the best goods. Remember that we do not use any acid to purify our bees- wax, and that is why our Foundation preserves the smell of the honey and isj more ac- ceptable to the bees, than any other. It is kept for sale by T. H. Strickler, Solomon City, Kansas. G. K. Hubbard. Fort Wavne. Infl. L. Hanssen, Davenport, Iowa. C. Theilmann.Theilmanton, Minn. B. C, Baglesfleld, Berlin, Wis. B. T. Abbott, St. Joseph, Mo. J. M. Jenkins, Wetumpka, Alabama Joan Rey, Bast Saginaw, Mich. Vickery Bros., EvansTille, Ind. The Jennie Atchley Company. BeeTille, Texas. C. F. Muth * Son, rincinnati. Ohio E. Kretchmer, Red Oak. Iowa. G. B. Lewis Co.. Watertown, Wis. James Reynolds Elevator Co., PouKbkeepsle. N 7, Louisiana Bee-Keepers' Supply Manufactory, Donaldsonville, La. Pace & Lyon. New London. Wis. John Nebel & Son, High Hill, Mo. and many other Dealers. All agree in saying that no goods are better than ours. Those of our customers who formerly bought through Thos. G. Newman can get our Foundation in Cliioago, III., by addressing ii!!* at 118 JMicliigan Street. We keep no other goods there. We make a specialty of Veils and Veil Stitils of best quality, cotton and silk. "LANGSXROXH OP«i THE HONEY-BEE "—Revised. Bee-Keepers' Supplies, Smokers. Sections, Tin Fails, etc. Samples of Foundation and XuIIe FREE with Circular. Instructions to beginners with Circular. Send us your address. CHAS. DADANT & SON, Mevtionffie American Bae Journal, HATVrTTjTON. Hancock Co., HjL. 25c Gash Paid for Beeswax ! For all the g:ood, pure yello-w BEESWAX delivered to our office till further notice, we will pay 25 cents per pound, cash ; or '.28 cents for whatever part is exchanged for the American Bee Journa], Books or Seed, that we offer. If you want casb promptly for wax, send it on at once. Dark or impure wax not taken at any price. Address plainly, George W. York & Co., 118 Michigan St., Chicago, III. Porter Honey-House Bee-Escape Have you seen it? Just the thing. to put on the doors or windows of your bee-rooms. Indispensable, you'll say after you have tried it. Cornell Bee-Smokers. Cheap, strong, serviceable. We have sold a good many of these, and so far there has been no complaint ; but, on the other hand, there have been scores of letters in their praise. Price, 85 cts. Prepaid, $1.10. Cowan and Novice Extractors. These are the best. We are prepared to furn- ish, on short notice, from any of our sev- eral Branches, 2, 4, and 6 frame Cowans COWAN. and 2-frame Novices. If you want the genuine, see that they bear our name. A jG-page Catalogs sent Free on Application. THE A. I. ROOT CO., MEDINA, OHIO. BK-A-KTCH OFFICES A.T : 11§ michisaii St., Chicago, 111. Syracuse, IV. Y. 1024 missU^iippI St., St. Paul, 9Iinn. mecliaiilc's Falls, 9laiiic. ESTABLISHED -166 :0LDE5T BEE-PAPER -AMER jRut>lisliey sent on J\.j>-plicatioD. 36th Year. CHICAaO, ILL., JUNE 25, 1896. No. 26. M for a MIoDtli Campaign Please Read All of this Page. A Few of the Oood Tilings to Appear in the Bee Journal the 'Sext Six Months : Fifteen Year's Experience in Kee-Keeping. Mrs. Sallie E. Sherman will begin, in the first number for July, a full account of her 15 years of bee- keeping in Texas. An article from her will appear each week for a number of weeks. They will be of much inter- est to all, and especially so to Southern bee-keepers. A Dozen Articles by " The Dadants." Chas. Dadant «& Son, of Illinois, are the leading extracted honey producers of this part of the country. One year they had 48,000 pounds. They will contribute during the next six months, at least a dozen articles, drawn from their experience of a third of a century of bee-keeping. A Dozen Articles by Mr. Doolittle. G. M. Doolittle is unquestionably one of the very ablest bee-keepers in this country, and his writings on practical bee-culture have made him famous. With his 27 years' experience, he is well equipped to write profitably for the beginner or even the expert bee-keeper. A Half-Dozen Articles by Prof. Cook. Prof. A. J. Cook, of California, author of "The Bee-Keep- ers' Guide," will contribute at least six good articles be- fore Jan. 1, 1897. He is always interesting and helpful. A Full Report of the North American Convention will be published in this paper immediately after the annual meeting, which will be held in September or Octo- ber next, at Lincoln, Nebr. The Secretary — Dr. A. B. Mason — is now at work on the program, which promises to be the best ever gotten up by the Association. Every American bee-keeper will be interested in the many valu- able essays and discussions found in the proceedings of their great annual convention. A Variety of Contributions by Many Others, who are well qualified to teach modern bee-culture, will also appear during the next six months. All the fore- going in addition to the Several Special or Regular Departments will make the American Bee Journal almost priceless to the man or woman who desires to make a genuine success of bee-culture, and keep informed about the doings of the apiarian world. Some Liberal Premiums to Regular Subscribers. We want every regular reader of the American Bee Jour- nal to go to work to secure new subscribers, which we will accept at 40 Gents for the Next Six Months. Yes, sir; we will mail the American Bee Journal from July 1, 1896, to Jan. 1, 1897--26 numbers in all— to any one not now a subscriber, for just 40 cents. And to those of our present subscribers who will work to get the new names, we make these Generous Premium Offers : For sending us One New Six-Months' Snbseription (with 40 cents), we will mail the sender his or her choice of oiie of the following list of pamphlets : Foul Brood, by Dr. Howard. Kendall's Horse-Book. Rural Life. SUo and Sllajre, by Prof. Cook. Foul Brood, by Kohnke. Dr. Foote's Hand-Book of Health. Poultry lor Market and Profit. Our Poultry Doctor. Turkeys for Market and Profit. Capons and Caponizing. For sending Two New Six-Months' Subscriptions (with 80 cents), your choice of one of the following ; Monette Queen-Cltpplng Device. Bienen-Kultur. Bees and Honey (paper cover). Winter Problem, by Pierce. Alley's 30 Years Among the Bees. Queenie Jeanette (a Song.) For sending Six New Six-Months' Subscriptions (with ^2.40), your choice of one of the following : Novelty Pocket-Knlfe (with name). Prof. Cook's Bee-Keeper's Guide $25.00 Cash, i" Addition to the Above. Besides all the foregoing premiums, we will distribute, on Sept. 1, 1896, $25.00 in cash to the nine having sent in the highest number of new 40-cent subscriptions before that date, (but only those having sent 10 or more new sub- scriptions can compete for the extra cash premiums) in these amounts : To the one sending the highest number, $10.00. The 2nd highest, .55.00; 3rd, 4th and 5th highest, .$2.00 each ; and to the 6th, 7th, Sth and 9th highest, $1.00 each. Let Every One Begin aiOW to Work. We will be glad to mail free sample copies, upon re- quest, either to a club-raiser, or direct to those you desire to solicit, if you will send in the names and addresses. If You Get Two Copies of This Number of the Bee Journal, kindly hand one of them to a neighbor bee-keeper, whom you probably can get to subscribe for it on the 40-cent offer. I®* All subscriptions will begin with the first number in July. Yoxirs for a two-montlis' campaign, GEO. W. YORK & CO., 118 Mich. St., Chicago. Special to Tiiose Not Now Subscribers, ^o''p°yot''^BJI''!!,Tfrn'ai? By sending- us 40 cts.. we will enter your name as a regular sub- scriber lor the six mouths ending- Jau. 1, 1897, and then you will be entitled to take advautatre of the olTers made above, by going to work and getting other new subscribers. Please remember, no premium. will also be sent to a new subscriber— only to those who are regular subscribers, and who go to work to get the names of others. CTiTi 402 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. June 25, Lt*^ -i'^^y^ The Spraying of Fruit-Trees vs. Bees. BT PROF. A. J. COOK. As is well-known to the bee-keepers, I have urged for many years the danger to bees of spraying fruit-trees while in bloom. I have been the only entomologist in the country that has done so. Indeed, some entomologists in the country, not- ably Prof. F. M. Webster, of the Ohio Experiment Station (formerly of the Indiana Experiment Station), urged the op- posite view ; or, at least, questioned the truth that spraying our fruit-trees while in bloom ever did injury to bees. He has several times intimated that the assertion was made with no experimental facts or convincing observations back of it. He has referred to my opinion as based on nothing couclusive; and takes upon himself great unction as the one to settle this matter. I am very glad that Prof. Webster has made the in- vestigations that he has, although I think they do not add in the least to the certainty of the matter. All scientific re- search is desirable, and we all should welcome any and all if made with care, wisdom and conscientious caution. I am glad to repeat the evidence that came to me years ago, and which, to my mind, was just as conclusive and abso- lute as could be needed, and so I repeat that in my opinion Prof. Webster iias not made this matter any more certain. We all know that bees never die wholesale except through starvation, or long confinement during the extreme rigors of our severe northern winters. True, bees do succumb to "foul brood ;" but in such cases gradually perish, and by a disease now well understood by all intelligent bee-keepers. The same may be said of " bee-paralysis," and of the new malady which attacks the brood. After years of experience, our many stu- dents of bee-culture — men of great intelligence and culture — know of no other fatality among bees other than those men- tioned above. Now, all at once, such men discovered sudden and terribly devastating mortality among bees, where both mature bees and brood suddenly perished in exceeding num- bers. There was plenty of honey in the hives, and so starva- tion was ruled out. It was during the genial warmth of May, and so winter's rigors could not be held responsible. There was no " foul brood " in the apiary, and often none in the en- tire region : and so foul brood could not be accused as the enemy. In those first years the later bee-diseases were un- known, and, besides, their methods of destruction are so dif- ferent that they could not have been the cause of this new fatality. Plainly then some new evil or cause was at work to produce this great mortality among the bees. In every case the bees were in the close vicinity of large orchards. In every case the weather was propitious so that the fruit-bloom was full of nectar and crowded with bees. In every case the orchards were liberally sprayed with the arsenite while still in blossom, and before the extensive visits by the bees. In every case the adult bees and broods per- ished alike and in great numbers. This last condition was unknown in all bee-keeping experience until spraying came into vogue ; and is never witnessed except the bees visit or- chards sprayed with the arsenite while in bloom. Was it then presumption to say that the bees were poisoned with the arsenite ? Was it necessary to make a chemical analysis of the bees or the contents of their stomachs in order to speak ex-cathedra on this subject ? Years ago I discovered that by spraying our fruit-trees just after the blossoms had fallen, I destroyed the coddling- moth larvfe. As a consequence of this discovery, I sent abroad the statements far and near to all our fruit-growers, that the so-called apple-worm could be destroyed by spraying the trees at this time. Yet I did not think it necessary to make a chemical analysis to see yhether there was poison in the alimentary canal of the little caterpillars. Prof. Webster has also said the same thing. Did he make analysis or think it necessary in order to announce this fact ? Why not, if this course was necessary in regard to the bees ? How many ento- mologists have stated that Paris green was sure death to the potato beetle, elm-leaf beetles, etc.? We all said so because we sprayed the vines or foliage and the insects died. We thought it proof enough, and did not analyze the contents of the various insect stomachs. Did not Prof. Webster do just this very thing ? If he did not — and I am very sure this is the case — would it be quite fair for me to state that he was giving advice without any sufficient reason that he was cor- rect, or his advice necessarily good '? I have known flour mixed with Paris green to be left in the field with cattle over night. The next morning the Paris green and flour was all gone, and there were several very sick or dead cattle lying around in the meadow. I reported that the cattle had died from eating the Paris green. Was that a piece of great pre- sumption because I did not have the stomachs of the cattle analyzed ? Prof. Webster (see Insect Life, Vol. V, page 121) gives an article upon this subject, in which be says : " Although ranch has been said with regard to the effect upon bees of spraying fruit-trees with arsenites while in bloom, there seems to have been no careful experiment made for the purpose of securing exact proof, and therefore all as- sertions were necessarily very largely opinionated. Bee-keep- ers were, as a rule, of the opinion that bees would be killed by spraying the bloom, some because their bees had died, others because some one else said such results would follow. Most entomologists did not care to express an opinion based on the very little accurate information on hand, while others, including the writer, doubted the fatality of the measure, be- cause it was thought that the poison thus applied would either blast the bloom, and thus render it distasteful, or the poison would not reach the nectar, and, being insoluble, otherwise would not affect the bees." Prof. Webster then goes on to give an account of his ex- periments. His first experiment shows conclusively that he was no bee-keeper, and knew very little about bees. After spraying the tree, he enclosed the same, including the hive of bees, with brown sheeting. Of course, no one with any knowledge of bees need be told that the bees would at once attempt to escape upon finding themselves enclosed, and would soon worry themselves to death. Such a course would be poison to the bees, but they wouldn't get any of the poison. Subsequent experiments, where the trees were sprayed when in bloom, and bees secured which had worked upon the flowers, were more satisfactory. The bees were washed so as to be sure to wash off all the poison, and then by analysis poison was found, showing that bees had taken it. , In the same magazine. Vol. VII, page 132, Mr. Webster gives another article upon the same subject, and with very similar results. He concludes as follows ; "In summing up the matter, then, I can see no other con- clusion that can be drawn from the results of my experiments, than that bees are liable to be poisoned by spraying the bloom of fruit-trees, the liability increasing in proportion as the weather is favorable for the activity of the bees, and that all bloom must have fallen from the trees before the danger will have ceased." To the person familiar with bees, the fact that they are known to die extensively, and in a way in which they are never known to die under other circumstances, after working upon trees which have been sprayed while in blossom, is much better proof than that secured by Prof. Webster. In most of 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 403 the cases he describes, he could not know that the bees cer- tainly died because of the poison, while in the other cases there would be no chance to avoid this conclusion. As I have already suggested, Prof. Webster is not so careful in regard to other insects, and with good reason. It seems strange to me that he should have required so much more testimony in the case of bees. It is well-known to all bee-keepers that in many seasons bees hardly visit fruit- bloom at all, owing either to cold, damp weather, or possibly absence of nectar. Thus, it is easy to see why in such cases spraying trees while in bloom is not injurious to bees. The same condition prevents cross-pollination, and often accounts for failure of a fruit crop, because of the lack of cross-pollin- ation by bees. I was positive, years ago, from the evidence given above, that spraying trees while in bloom, with the arsenites, was always fatal to bees if they worked at all ex- tensively on the bloom. It also may destroy the brood as well. I am no more positive now that I have the results of Prof. Webster's experiments. If Prof. Webster had owned a large apiary, and had he witnessed the utter extermination of his bees, as many bee- keepers have done, after seeing the bees work on sprayed bloom, he would not have been so exacting in his call for proofs ; no more exacting than in the case with other insects. But it is fortunate that he is at last convinced, and will not longer throw his influence on the side of error and mischief. Claremont, Calif. Apis Dorsata — The Queen-Business. BY W. P. FAYLOB. For one, I am sorry to learn of some of our bee-keepers using their influence against the good-will and earnest wishes of those who desire the importation of the "giant bees " from the East. And now, Mr. Editor, have you not given your in- fluence somewhat in the same direction ? Should the intro- duction of new races or species of bees add nothing better to what we have, we will still be as well off as before ; and should we gain by another importation, then, surely, all bee-keepers will have reason for rejoicing. The absconding nature of Apis dorsata is the worst fea- ture urged against them ; but I think this is due largely be- cause of their building their combs so frequently in the open air. Our bees will do the same thing under similar circum- stances ; and when mice or any pestilence annoy them, or when starvation stares them in the face, the tamest bees in the world will abscond in search of better surroundings. The best description I ever saw of this race was that re- ported by Mr. Henry Alley, and published in the American Apiculturist some years ago, by a man who kept a colony of the " giant bees " for a good part of a hot summer. Here, where the heat is less intense, and our summers shorter, and the honey-flow more frequent, even Apis dorsata would be less inclined to abandonment. But our greatest hope is in obtaining a cross with some of the bees we have. Because the queens of this large bee are supposed to mate at about suudown or dusk, many have concluded that Apis dorsata could never be crossed with other bees ; but is this not mere presumption? My observatiou has been that the queen goes out on her wedding tour only when the bees of her colony urgently request her to go. Then, again, in a very hot climate and a dry atmosphere drones fly much later in the day than when bees are gathering nectar freely. During a hot, dry spell of weather, our own domesti- cated drones will fly most thickly between 3 and S^o'clock in the afternoon ; and when the weather is cooler, in May or June, they are seen most thickly at about 1 p.m. May not climatic influences have much to do with varying traits of bees? For one, I should like to see Apis dorsata given a fair trial in a fair country for honey-flows. The importation of fresh blood of some of the same races we now have might also be an improvement to our bees. We have reason to believe that the best bees from Italy at present are not being im- ported to our country. About all the queens now imported are reared by the artificial method, and are not so large nor prolific as those that come by Nature's method. I am quite sure we dropped the "Syrians" and the "Cyprians" too soon. By careful selection a better Cyprian and Syrian type might also be introduced than what has already been tried. Poultry men search the world for the best hen to lay eggs, and why not let the earth be searched for the best bee to gather honey ? Now, my brother bee-keeper, if you have no faith m the importation of new races ot bees, in the name of reason and judgment do not throw a stumbling-block in the way of those who wish to give this matter one fair trial. SENDING QUEENS PKOMPTLY'. It seems to me that those who engage in the business of rearing queens for the market should go into the business on a large enough scale to meet the market demands promjstJj/. Nearly a month ago I sent an order to Texas for two queens ; one arrived a few days ago, the other has not come yet. This queen-breeder never sent any statement as to whether the order had been received or not. It would seem like business, to me, that when a queen cannot be sent promptly, a state- ment ought to be sent, saying when a queen, or queens, will be sent. ADVERTISE THE PRICES OF THINGS. Every one who advertises things for sale should give the prices for which they can be had. For instance, some one ad- vertises in the American Bee Journal (a splendid medium for advertising) " Queens by return mail. Write for price-list." Perhaps the bee-keeper wants a queen within a day or two, and does not desire to spend time and a postal to get prices. Do not withhold the price because some one else adver- tises cheaper than you can sell. Some one who advertises queens for one dollar may get an order as soon as the one who sells queens for half that price. Hansen, Iowa, May 26. One Way to Hunt for Bee-Trees. BY' PETER STEINEBACH. E. S. G. asks, on page 278, how to hunt bees. I will give my way. I enclose a picture of a hunting-box in three parts, marked No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3. No. 1 has a part soldered to the bottom so that it will set on a stick. I use an old hoe-handle, cutting the hoe off. I sharpen the iron so that I can run it in the ground, or, if need be, in wood, or in the road, and have it set solid. The ferrule of box No. 1 should just fit over the other end of the hoe- handle. Box No. 2 must fit over box No. 1, where you see the beeswax. Box No. 3 must fit in box No. 2 on the under side. These boxes can be made small so that they can be carried in the coat-pocket. Now, to hunt bees, select some time when bees cannot get anything, or when they will rob. I go where I think a bee- tree might be. Have prepared the box and honey. For bait I use honey and water — % water, ;» honey. Put both into a bottle, and shake until it is well mixed. When it gets sour take new. When I get where I want to begin, I run the hoe-handle in the ground ; take box No. 1 and fill it from^the honey in the bottle, and carefully lick off with the tongue all the honey that does not run into the cells. Now set the box on the hoe- handle. You can catch bees with box No. 2 or No. 3, but I like a 404 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. June 25, small tumbler best. Take the tumbler in one hand, holding the other hand over, and get both as near as can be to the bee you want to catch; bring the tuojbler and hand together quick, with the bee between. If you have the flower on your hand you can let the flower slip out while the bee is buzzing on the other end of the tumbler. Now, keep your hand on the tumbler so that the bee can- not get out; go to box No. 1, bring the tumbler as near the wax as you can, and while the bee is trying to get out of the upper end of the tumbler, drop it on the wax — not hard, but as lightly as you can, so as not to settle it in the wax. Now hold around the box and all, an old felt hat, so as to make it dark, when the bee will see the honey, and load up. Now, when she stops buzzing, take the hat off carefully ; also take it off so the sun will not throw a shadow over the box, or the bee may leave, and you would have to get another. Now while she takes her load, get out your watch, and lie down on your back so that your feet will be near the stick that box No. 1 is on, and watch the box. If your bee did not daub, she will come out on the wing. If she daubs, she will crawl out, and hang on the outside of may be too nearly loaded to be of use to you to move. When a bee comes back, bring up box No. 2, which should fit over box No. 1, and as quick as you can get the bee up shove the slide, and all the bees on the box are shut up in box No. 2. Now take box No. 3, set that on box No. 2, the glass of both boxes outside. Open both slides, darken No. 2, and the bees will go into box No. 3, and your bees are all in box No. 3. Now lay down No. 3, take No. 2, catch more until you have about six hungry bees, not counting the bees that were in box No. 1 when you caught the first bee. Now you might think that box No. 3 is not necessary, but when you put box No. 2 on box No. 1 to catch another bee, the bee you have will run down, nine times out of ten, and she will get so much honey in her that she would not locate well when you move the box. To get your cross-line, you should, while running the first line, watch for an open spot or field, where you can set the box ; it should be 20 rods or more one side of first line. Hav- ing such a spot, set box No. 1 just as before, lie on your back and get this line just as you did the first one, and when you come to the cross-line, you are very near the tree. No. 3. No. 1. No. 2. the box. Waste no time on her, but catch another, and try again. Now, when the bee comes out on the wing, keep your eye on her, and if you are quick, and keep her between you and the sky, you are all right. Now mark some object the bee flies over (in your mind), that is, when the bee has stopped circling. Look at your watch, and if the bee gets back in 15 minutes, the tree is within half a mile. Now catch another bee and put her in the box as before. You can generally catch about three bees, and put in the box before the first one gets back. But as soon as one comes back, and buzzes around the box, get out of the way and let her load, and you need catch no more. But while she loads, lie down as before, and watch to see which way she goes. Now that you have bees to work, you must get an exact line. To do this, you must be patient, and lie on your back, and watch every bee that leaves the box, and as she flies home she will fly over something that you can take for your line. To know you have a line, there must be a number of bees flying over the exact spot. Set your compass, and run that line out just as exact as if you were surveying land worth $100 per acre. When you are running out the first line, and judging by the time the bees were gone home — for you must run the line, also — you must mark the line so you will know it, when you get to it with your cross-line. You should have left box No. 1 right where it was, well loaded with the sweet, so the bees were working all the time. Now go back and take box No. 2 and stand close to box No. 1, and watch. Don't catch the bees in the box, as they Don't think that the tree you see is just the right one for a bee-tree, for they will surprise you very much. Look at every thing, big and little. Also, don't look as you would look for a grizzly bear. They may be so high that by looking a long time in one place you may see just a streak ; or they may be so slow that the first you will know is a whack on the side of the head. In hunting the bees in box No. 1, you can set box No. 2 right over box No. 1, darken it, and they will go down, or you can put them into the tumbler. If bees are getting honey off the flowers, they may not come back ; if they don't get back in two hours, set box No. 1 where you had it the first time, and go it all over again, ex- cept running the line. If they do not come back the second time, let them work one day, so that they will get thoroughly aroused. As said before, for bait I use honey and water, about one-third water, in a bottle ; mix well. Don't use it if it gets sour. If you can't get honey take granulated sugar, and make a thin syrup. Don't let any one bother you by telling you oil of anise. If no bees can be caught when you wish to set your box, take a fire-shovel, or tin plate, and burn some pieces of old wax until they come. When burning wax set the box handy, and may be the first bee that comes will jump right in the box. Also have the box or tumbler handy, so you can trap one of them over the bee before she gets in the fire or burning wax. Colby, Wis. Every Present Subscriber of the Bee Journal should be an agent for it, and get all others possible to sub- scribe for it. isye. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 405 FloM'ery Montli of June. BT ROSE SEELTK-MILLER. A breath of fragrance stirs the air, And life and beauty everywhere; The birds sing songs within the trees, Amidst the flowers the hum of bees. And life is sweet, and love is dear, When June shows skies of azure clear. A distant sound of rippling brook. That bends and curves like shepherd's crook, And in its depths the minnows swim. Their shining sides like silver dim. And life is sweet, and love more dear. When June shows skies of azure clear. We see a field and grazing kine, We breathe the air like mild, sweet wine. And dream of life when love was young, And Eden's flowers eternal sprung; For lite is joy in sweet June time. All Nature sings in rythmic chime. IlOve is the key that makes life sweet, A love so strong, so broad, complete, That we can scarcely understand The waving of the mystic wand ; For God is Love, and love is sweet, 'Tis this that makes life's June complete. -Selected. ^ Beeswax and Its Adulterants. Head before the Phihvlelphia Bee- Keepers^ Axsoclalion, Feb. 10, lS9f>. BY LYMAN F. KBBLEB, PH. C, B. S. Considerable controversy has arisen from time to time as regards the exact manner of the production of beeswax. For a long time it was the received opinion that beeswax was noth- ing more or less than a simple modification of the pollen-grains, and that the pollens required for such a conversion a simple pressure and a kind of kneading by the bees' feet. When we consider the chemical composition of this commodity only su- perficially, the erroneonsness of the idea and the crudeness of the opinion are at once made manifest. In process of time another theory was advanced, viz., that the wax was precontained in the pollen and nectar, serving as food for the bees ; that the bees isolated the wax contained in the pollen and nectar by digesting away and otherwise remov- ing constituents not wax. This view carries with it a certain amount of weight, insomuch that whec bees are fed upon su- gar alone they appear to be incapable of developing wax to any extent. On the other hand it must be admitted that the character of the food necessarily varies much in different quarters of the globe, yet the chemical composition of beeswax does not vary to any notable extent. Samples of this article obtained in various localities in Europe, Asia, South America, Australia, all possess a similar composition. This fact is barely compatible with the idea that the wax pre-existed as such in the pollen and nectar of the great variety of flowers contributing to the sustenance of bees. The third and most probable theory is that beeswax is a product peculiar to the special life action of the bee, wasp and allied species of insects ; that the wax is not collected fr%pi flowers as wax, but is secreted by special glands situated be- neath the rings of the abdomen of the neuter or working-bee. Huber claims to have proven, by a series of well-conducted ex- periments, that the quantity of wax secreted is proportioned to the honey consumed, and if the bees are fed on a solution of sugar and water even greater quantities are produced. Whatever may be the true theory regarding the produc- tion of beeswax, thase three facts stand paramount: 1. That genuine beeswax has yet to be produced in which the special life action of the bee or allied insects has not taken a part. 2. No considerable quantity of beeswax has ever been pro- duced by bees that have not had access to flowers. 3. Prom whatever quarter of the globe a beeswax may be accumulated, and whatever may have been its environments, the chemical composition is always approximately uniform. The first and third statements are intimately correlated. No definite chemical compound can be produced or exist with- out the action of certain definite forces. Unscrupulous individuals are continually calling into play certain unprincipled forces designedly intended to defraud their fellowman. After having succeeded in a measure in hoodwinking the public, they endeavor to brush away the last shadow of a doubt by applying fanciful names to their inferior products. How often do we meet these euphonic names dis- played in these days of advertisements. Even our most patri- otic sentiments are not spared, as is exemplified in the follow- ing : " First in war, first in peace and first iu the hearts of his countrymen." — Washington. "First in purity, first in nu- tritiousness and in palatability." Enshrine the falsified pro- ducts in words ever so flowery, in sentiments ever so patriotic, dishonesty will manifest itself in due time. The old adage — -"There are tricks in all trades" — has place in the calling of a bee-keeper. These tricks have in many instances increased to an alarming extent; especially is this true with beeswax. In some cases the adulterations are so cleverly adjusted that a thorough trial of the most approved methods of analysis is requested before even an opinion of rea- sonable assurance can be expressed. The chemist seldom en- counters a product that presents more analytical difficulties than beeswax. The true friend of the bee-keeper is not he who shuts his eyes to the adulterations of beeswax — unpleasant facts though they are — but, rather, he who having seen the enormous ex- tent of the sophistications, supports the labors of those who seek to detect and endeavor to prevent this degrading business, and with every instance of exposed fraud are stimulated to re- newed energy, determined to bring into disrepute the goods of deliberate deceivers. There are cases where the producer is entirely innocent. For example, Mr. A purchases comb foundation of Mr. B, who represents it to be pure, yet when Mr. A's beeswax is ex- ■ amined it is pronounced adulterated. Where is the difficulty ? An examination of the comb foundation discloses definitely the source of the adulteration. Mr. A suffers. Is he guilty of an offense ? You say, and rightly, certainly not. Is Mr. B guilty? Probably. Yet Mr. B might have purchased his was of Mr. C, etc., ad infinitum. The writer holds that Mr. B has transgressed. He must have realized that unless he exer- cised extreme care and eternal vigilance his inferior comb foundation would become the center of a most distressing evil. It was his duty to examine, or to have some one examine, every purchase of beeswax made which was made for the purpose of making comb foundation. Several writers appear to think that it is not possible to employ ceresin as an adulterant of beeswax, intended for comb foundation. They argue that its melting point is too low. It may have been the case a number of years ago, but today we can secure ceresin with a melting point much higher than that of beeswax. In 1892, Dr. Wiley reported that the United States De- partment of Agriculture had comb foundation purchased from every available source, but was unable to find any adulterated product. In order to secure analytical data on adulterated comb foundation to be incorporated in the chemical examina- tion then in progress, it was necessary to import the product from Canada, where it appears to have been amply adultera- ted. Would that such were the case now. Of the limited number examined by the writer, one-half were adulterated. In purchasing beeswax, it is quite essential to specify bees- wax and not simply wax, for wax is a general term and covers a multitude of sins. Beeswax has been the cause of consider- able litigation in England of late. The following is an extract of one of the proceedings : " What color is it?" " Dirty white." " Well, it is white ; don't put the dirty in." "Is that a piece of white wax or is it not?" " I don't know ; I am not an analyst." " Does the certificate say it is wax?" "It says it is com- posed of oO parts of beeswax and 7() parts of paralBn wax." "Well, is that wax ?" Yes, I will take it for what it is on the certificate." "That is, wax ?" "Yes." " And it is white ?" "Yes." " And that is all you asked for ?" "Yes." " And that is a piece of wax, and you say it is white ? It is absolutely what you asked for, is it not ?" It is needless to say that the bench upheld the defendant's contention. Within the last few years the writer has examined a good- ly number of samples of beeswax. Nearly two years ago he reported that about one-half of the beeswax in the market was adulterated. Many samples have been examined since then, and not until recently have spurious goods again come into my hands. 406 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. June 25, It has frequently been asserted that beeswax is often adulterated with such substances as brick-meal, pea-meal, 'heavy spar, sypsum, kaolin, chrome yellow, litharge, yellow ochre and sulphur. The writer had come to the conclusion that the days of such gross sophistications had passed away, but the examination of several samples lately convinced him that this nefarious business had again been awakened from the slumber-room of time, if it has been asleep. Inorganic substances are chiefly added to weight the wax- A few, like chrome yellow, litharge and yellow ochre, are added to give color as well as weight. These adulterants can occasionally be detected by scraping the wax on the side cor- responding to the bottom of the vessel in which the wax was molded. On examining the freshly cut surface with a hand- lens, or even with the naked eye, minute particles of the for- eign substances are revealed. They may also be detected by melting the wax and cooling slowly, whereby these heavy sub- stances separate and settle to the bottom. We will now briefly consider the properties of waxes and wax-like substances used as substitutes for and adulterants of beeswax. SUBSTANCES USED AS BEESWAX ADULTERANTS. Artificial Wax. — A patent has been granted in France for manufacturing a wax consisting of two parts of resin and one part of paraffin melted together. An alternative process consists in extracting three partsof resin and one part of soap, or stearic acid, or vegetable wax, with potash. One of our pharmaceutical editors, in commenting on the debased condition of beeswax in London, supposes that none of his readers will find artificial beeswax in this country. How fortunate if such were the case. The writer with reluctance announces that he has in his possession two samples of wax that are decided infringements on the bees' rights, to the ex- tent of at least 300 pounds. This wax has never been near an apiary. It consists entirely of resin and paraffin, colored with chrome yellow. Carnauba or Brazil Wax. — This is a secretion of the carnauba palm-tree which grows along the rivers of Brazil. The wax has a dirty, grayish yellow to greenish color, is taste- less, hard and brittle. When fresh it has the odor of new- mown hay, but later it becomes inodorous. It is seldom used as an adulterant of beeswax at the present time. Ceresin or Cerite. — Ceresin is also called artificial wax. This substance in the crude state is known by various names — as mineral wax, earth wax and ozokerite. Probably no other single substance is so extensively employed in adulterating beeswax as ceresin. None is more easily detected. It varies in color, according to the method of purification, from a white to a yellow or brown. Not infrequently gamboge, turmeric, dragon's-blood, or one of the various analine dyes, soluble in fats, are employed to produce a desirable tint. According to the degree of purity, ozokerite often has an agreeable wax-like odor. The consistency of ceresin varies from soft and pliable to hard and brittle, the latter showing a conchoidal fracture on breaking. The general term " paraffin" frequently includes ceresin. Chinese Wax. — This is known as China wax, China vege- table wax, insect wax, insect white wax, pela wax, tree wax and vegetable spermaceti. As several of the names imply, China wax is distinctly the secretion of an insect. It is a se- cretion from the body of the female and young insects growing on trees in China. As the insects develop, the surface of the branches gradually becomes coated with a white substance, or the wax crust in which these little organisms become imbed- ded. The wax is of a white or slightly yellowish color, odor- less, tasteless, lustrous, crystalline, hard and brittle. Japan Wax.^ — China wax is frequently confused with Japan wax. The latter is distinctly a vegetable wax, while the former is an insect secretion. The melting points also differ greatly. Japan wax has a somewhat resinous, tallowy, rancid odor and taste ; is also quite hard and brittle. It is largely used in this country. Paraffin or Paraffin-Wax. — This is a solid, white translucent substance resembling wax. It is prepared by dis- tilling the residuum obtained in the preparation of petroleum. The distillate is collected and purified for the market. It was formerly obtained from ozokerite, and in the destructive distil- lation of shale, etc. Paraffin is a generic name and properly includes ceresin. It is very extensively used in adulterating beeswax, but is very readily detected. Rosin. — Common rosin or colophony is the residuum left after distilling off the volatile oil from crude turpentine. Rosin is a transparent or translucent resin having a faint terebin- thinate odor, and is nearly tasteless, but some varieties have a nauseous and highly characteristic aftertaste. It varies in color from pale amber to a dark reddish brown, and is very brittle. Stearic Acid. — This is prepared by treating tallow with caustic soda or potash, decomposing the resulting soap with a dilute acid and purifying the resulting fatty acid. The com- mercial product is commonly known as "stearino" and is really a mi.\ture of stearic and palmitic acids. Its quality va- ries greatly. The color is white to yellowish white. It has been used as an adulterant of beeswax on several occasions. Tallow. — Is a time-honored adulterant of beeswax and does not need any comments here as it is very little used now. Vegetable Wax. — This name, which formerly included palm, carnauba, myrtle and Japan waxes, is now used to sig- nify a kind of wax produced in India. methods of detecting adulterated beeswax. We will now briefly consider the methods employed in de- tecting adulterated beeswax. The methods used for detecting the presence of weighting substances has been spoken of above. Pure beeswax has either a straight or convex upper surface, never a concave surface. A concave surface indicates the presence of ceresin or allied bodies. When pure beeswax is melted in a smooth, flat-bottomed, shallow vessel and al- lowed to congeal the wax invariably shrinks awa.y from the sides of the vessel. Ceresin and allied products will not do this. A wax containing a small per cent, of ceresin will shrink away, while a large per cent, prevents thi! phenome- non. A beeswax containing an appreciable amount of paraffin can be readily masticated. Beeswax always becomes brittle when chewed. Having examined the wax externally the specific gravity is next ascertained. The writer has found the following the most satisfactory and expeditious method : Melt a sample of the wax in a small vessel and pour the wax upon a moist plate in such a manner as to form little pel- lets of wax. Allow these pellets to cool thoroughly. In a cyl- indrical vessel make a mixture of one part of alcohol and two parts of water. Allow the air bubbles to escape, then add the pellets of wax to the mixture. If they rise add more alcohol ; if they sink add more water. Continue this until l^e wax floats indifferently in the liquid. The speciflc gravity of the liquid now corresponds to that of the wax and can easily be as- certained by a specific gravity spindle or a specific gravity bot- tle. In case the specific gravity bottle is employed, the deter- mination must be made at 153 c. The specific gravity of beeswax at 15- C. is about 0.960. The melting point is a telling factor in the analysis of beeswax and is easily obtained as follows : Dip the bulb of the thermometer into the sample of bees- wax an instant ; on removing and cooling, the bulb will be covered with a fine film of the beeswax. Introduce the ther- mometer into a large test-tube, through its perforated stopple. The stopple must have a second perforation or other device for equalizing the pressure. The test-tube is now introduced into warm water, the temperature and the film carefully watched, and the instant a hanging drop is formed, the tem- perature noted and the melting point recorded. The acid and the ether numbers are valuable factors in the analysis of beeswax. The process of the acid number is as follows : Heat 3 or 4 grams of the wax with 20 cubic centimeters of neutral 95 per cent, alcohol ; while hot titrate with a semi- normal alcoholic solution of potash, using phenolphthalein as indicator. ^ For estimating the ether number, add 20 cubic centime- ters more of the alkaline solution, and saponify by boiling the solution briskly in a reflux condenser for one hour, then titrate back the excess of alkaline solution with a semi-normal acid. The number of milligrams of potassium hydroxide required to saturate the free acids of one grain of wax is called the " acid number." The number of milligrams of potassium hydroxide required to decompose the wax ethers of one gram of the wax is called the " ether number." The acid number varies from 19 to 2 1, while the ether number varies from 73 to 76. Scientific investigation has made it possible to prepare a mixture that will comply to the constants of beeswax in all of the above tests. For this reason it is necessary to resort to several specific tests, which will eliminate the substances that can be so employed. StAMrm acid can readily be detected by Febling's process, which will indicate the presence of one per cent, of this sub- stance, and is executed thus: Boil one grain of the wax to be tested with 10 cubic centimeters of 80 per cent, alcohol, for a few minutes; cool to 18 or 20^ C, filter; to the filtrate add 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 407 water and shake. If stearic acid is present it will separate in Paratfliior Ceresin. — Add o grains of the wax to 30 cubic flock on the surface, leaving the underlyiag liquid nearly centimeters of strong sulphuric acid, heat to 1 60 ' C. for one clear. half hour, allow the charred mass to cool somewhat and add Rosin is best detected by the following method : Placing water; if a wax-like body separates on the top of the liquid, 5 grains of the wax into a flask, add 20 cubic centimeters of paraffin or ceresin is present. -3 commercial nitric acid (sp. gr. 1.32) ; heat the mixture to The reader undoubtedly has queried in his mind why the boiling, and retain at this temperature for one minute. Add, melting-points, specific gravities, etc., were not given in the while still warm, an equal bulk of cold water, then an excess descriptions above. This was not done simply because the of ammonia water. With pure wax the alkaline fluid is col- writer desired to embody all common properties in a table for ored yellow only, but the presence of rosin renders the liquid convenient reference. The table appears herewith under the deep brown. title of A Table of Constants for Beeswax and Its Adulterants. Substance Melting Point. Sp. Gr. at 15° G. Acid Number. Ether Number. Ratio.* Total. Yellow Beeswax 62—64 0.955—964 19—21 73—76 3.5—3.8 9 L— 97 White Beeswax (33—64 0.960—973 19—24 T6— 84.3 3.5-3.8 93—107.3 30—34.5 83—84 0.945—982 0.990—999 0-3 4-6 192—204 75—76 18.7—12.6 192—207 Carnauba Wax 79-82 Ceresin or Mineral Wax 60—84 0.018-952 0 0 0 0 China Wax 81—83 0.970 0 63 68 Japan Wax 47—54 0.968— 984 18—28 194 200 10.7-7.8 212—228 Paraffin Wax 38—74 0.913—914 0 0 0 0 Resin 5S.5 1.104—1108 146-173 10—21 ■ 156—194 Spermaceti 40-50 0.905-96 0—5 125—138 125—143 Stearic Acid 53—69.2 40—50.5 47—55.6 0.901—1000 0.982—96 0.947 204-209 275—5 17—19 4 5 193-208 200-210 11.7—11 208—214 Tallow 195.75—213 Vegetable Wax 218-220 * Ratio of acid number to ether number. In closing the writer desires to leave for the reader's perusal a table embodying the analytical data of a number of samples of adulterated beeswax, interspersed with data from a few genuine samples, by way of contrast : Results of Analysis of 21 Specimens of Yellow Beeswax. Serial Number. Melting Point. Sp. Gr. at 15° C. Acid Number. Ether Number. Ratio. Total. Adulterants. 1 63.80 0.9640 19.60 75.60 3.85 95.20 2 62.81 0.9608 29.40 70.00 2.48 99.40 Stearic acid. 3 48.00 0.9250 25.13 48.30 1.12 73.43 Chrome yellow, rosin and paraffin. 4 63.20 0.9602 18.20 65.80 3.61 84.00 Some ceresin. 5 52.00 0.9100 4.20 12.60 8.00 16.80 Yellow ochre, earthy matter and paraffin. 6 63.80 0.9624 20.30 77.00 3.78 97.30 7 54.42 0.9120 14.70 45.59 8.10 60.29 Paraffin. 8 55.00 0.9250 4.61 16.10 8.49 20.71 Earthy matter, Hcematite and paraffin. 9 60.00 0.9420 26.20 59.50 2.26 85.70 Paraffin and stearic acid. 10 49.00 0.9400 43.58 0.00 ? 49.58 Chrome yellow, rosin and paraffin. 11 63.00 0.9620 18.04 74.49 4.13 92.58 12 50.00 0.9410 18.57 0.00 ? 18.57 Chrome yellow, rosin and paraffin. 13 66.00 0.9459 16.80 56.00 3.33 72.80 Ceresin. 14 65.00 0.9550 16.20 75.58 3.60 93.78 15 66.00 0.9350 11.20 37.61 3.35 48.81 Mineral wax. 16 63.10 0.9581 29.40 71.40 2.48 100.80 Stearic acid. 17 59.00 0.9431 17.50 71.35 4.01 88.85 Paraffin. 18 74.00 0.9210 10.50 19.60 1.86 30.10 Mineral wax. 19 64.41 0.9581 17.50 67.20 3.84 84.70 Paraffin and rosin. 20 62.81 0.9690 21.70 81.90 3.77 103.61 21 62.45 0.9501 18.91 71.51 3.77 90.42 Paraffin. Philadelphia, Pa. Xbe Tornado in St. L,ouis a few weeks ago was a terrible destroyer of both life and property. In the last Progressive Bee-Keeper (which is published in Missouri), Edi- tor Leahy says : "The tornado which visited St. Louis last week is without parallel in the history of our country. Hundreds of lives were lost, and millions of dollars' worth of property destroyed ; homes laid waste, and hearths made desolate, while sad-eyed mourners watch and wait in vain for those who never come. In a recent card, Mr. E. T. Flanagan, of Belleville, III., states that the report of the storm was not in the least exaggerated, and that the destruction of life and property is simply awful. He also informs us that the tornado destroyed over ."j^SOO worth of fruit for him, but his bees escaped, and he is thank- ful that the lives of his family and himself were spared." Chicago, as well as other cities, have done much to aid in relieving the suffering in East St. Louis and St. Louis, caused by the devastating tornado. How quickly suffering levels all, and calls out generous sympathy. Sacaline. — In reply to several inquiries, Mr. A. I. Root, in Gleanings for June 15, has this to say about the plant called sacaline, which was mentioned a year or so ago as a honey-plant : "Sacaline, at the present writing, even in our rich plant- beds, is only 4 or 5 feet high. I thought if it grew 17 feet, as the catalogues claim, on ordinary ground, possibly it might grow 25 or 30, or possibly as tall as the giant bamboo In Florida, if I put it in the rich plant-beds. Of course, it did not do much last season, but I supposed it was getting rooted ; but the present indications are that it will not do much better this year. Perhaps I gave it too good a chance. A plant that I put in hard ground near a slop-drain seems to be of a little healthier color ; but none of them so far come anywhere near what the catalogues represent." See " Bee-Keeper's Guide" offer on page 412. 408 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. June 25, ) .'.OLDEST an PAPER -rWAMERICA - m PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY GEORGE W. YORK & COMPANY, 118 aiic2iig-an St., - CHICAGO, ILL, REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS : Q. M. Doolittle, of New York. Prof. A. j. Cook, of California. Dr. C. C. Miller, of Illinois. Dr. J. P. H. Brown, of Georgia. J. H. Martin, of California. Rev. E. T. Abbott, of Missouri. Barnett Taylor, of Minnesota. Mrs. L. C. Axtell, of Illinois. Chas. Dadant & Son, of Illinois. $1.00 a Year — Sample Copy Sent Free. (Entered at the PostOfflce at Chicago ae Second-Class Mail-Matter.] VoLfflVI. CHICAGO, ILL, JUNE 25, 1896. No. 26, Distributing^ Honey-Pamplilets. — The Buf- falo County Bee-Keepers' Association, of Nebraska, at its last meeting, resolved to purchase 100 copies of " Honey as Food and Medicine," to be distributed by the members to their friends, for the purpose of increasing the demand and con- sumption of honey. This is a good move, surely. It is the kind of work that will pay every member of that Association. Others should " go and do likewise." We will supply the above pamphlet, by express, for §1.50 per 100 copies. Now is the time to "sow the seed" — just be- fore the honey is ready to market. Sbippiug Queens Promptly.— Mr. W. P. Fay- lor, on page 403 of this number, calls attention to what sooie- times is an unbearable as well as wholly inexcusable evil on the part of queen-dealers. This thing of not notifying the customer when the dealer cannot send a queen promjMy, is the cause of much annoyance, and often loss. About a week ago a Colorado subscriber complained to us about two queen-dealers who advertised in the Bee Journal about two months ago. One of them waited until the cus- tomer^wrote to him, and wanted either the queen or his money back. In a few days he got the money, but not a word why the queen was not sent. From the other he has not yet had even his money returned, let alone the queen. At least so he reports to us. The result of the above experience was, that our Colorado friend lost a colony of bees valued at So. 00. Of course, the negligent queen-dealers should stand the loss, as it was en- tirely their fault. For if they had answered promptly, that they could not supply the queens, the buyer could have gotten one elsewhere, and thus have saved his colony. We hope all queen-dealers who read this will be very careful to see that they cause their customers no unnecessary worry and perhaps needless loss. Beeswax and Its Aulterants— the article by Prof. Kebler, on page 405 — is well worth a careful reading. True, it is rather lengthy, but it is a big subject, and one that needs attention. It is really alarming, the extent to which beeswax is adulterated in cities, especially in Chicago. We know of at least two firms here that make a business of adul- terating pure beeswax with cheap ceresin, and then placing it on the market simply as " beeswax." When attempting to get laws against honey-adulteration, we may as well include beeswax. We would like to see the Bee-Keepers' Union try its heretofore invincible hand at get- ting some anti-adulteration laws in the interest of the pro- ducers of pure honey and pure beeswax. If only Illinois had a good law on the subject, the American Bee Journal would enjoy helping to see that it is enforced. So long as the adul- teration business Is allowed to go on without any check what- ever, just so long will the prices of honey and beeswax con- tinue to decline. If our Government wishes to do something really helpful to honest bee-culture, it probably could do no better than to give us some good anti-adulteration laws, with severe enough penalties attached so that one good enforcement would last awhile. ^ I ■ L,ysol and Foul Brood.— In the May Review, Editor Hutchinson says this about lysol as a cure for foul brood : " Lysol and its value in cases of foul brood appears to me in a different light after reading the article of F. L. Thomp- son on that subject. It seems that the feeding of lysol may cure foul brood ; but if there is infected honey in the hive, the use of that honey at some future time will again bring in the disease. In other words, foul brood can never be permanently eradicated from a colony so long as its old combs of honey are left in the hive. The use of lysol iu a region of country where there are colonies of bees infected with foul brood may be a good thing — it certainly would be if its use would prevent the contraction of the dread disease, and Mr. Thompson seems sure that it will. For this purpose I can see that the use of some drug might be valuable. I suppose the philosophy of the matter is that, if all of the honey is brought into the hive in times of scarcity, at times when bees will rob, is tinctured with lysol, any germs of disease that are brought in will come in contact with the lysol, and thereby be killed." Honey Crop for 1896. — The American Bee-Keeper for this month says : "It looks now as if the honey crop of 1896 will be the largest for several years. The weather since spring opened has, in this locality, been all that the bee-keeper could ask for." Another editorial in the same paper, reads as follows : " The bee-industry in the Eastern States is pretty ' dead ' this season, as is shown by the letters and small number of orders received." Gleanings for June 15 starts off with this hopeful edi- torial item : "The reports of the good times we hope arecomiug,or per- haps already here, are just beginning to come in. Here is a sample :" We are in the midst of the heaviest honey-flow I ever saw— rasp- berry and other wild flowers. A. '^McKiBBEN. Morrill. Minn., June 8. ^ " Our bees are just starting on the basswoods, and by the myriads of buds now opening, we anticipate a good flow of honey." Nearly all bee-keepers around Chicago report bees hard at work now. Basswood is in bloom, and sweet clover soon will be. We have heard it said that there is no better locality for bees anywhere than right around this big city. So far as we know, there is scarcely ever a crop failure. We have been surprised this year, to find that there are so many keeping bees either in Chicago, or just outside of It. It seems to us that there might be a fine Chicago bee-keepers' association organized. Philadelphia has one. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 409 PERSONAL MENTION. Mr. C. H. Dibbern, of Milan, 111., in a letter dated June 17, said : "Bees are now booming on basswood, and are gathering honey freely." Chas. Dadant & Son, of Hamilton, 111., in a letter dated June 15, say: "We have been looking for a clover honey crop, and may get it yet. We have a fine prospect for grapes." Editor E. E. Root, in Gleanings for June 1, has this appreciated sentence : " The department of ' Personal Men- tion,' in the American Bee Journal, is an interesting feature of that periodical." Mrs. E. G. Bradford, of Hagley, Del., wrote on June 17: " I find the American Bee Journal a great help, and I am much interested in it. I have fine Italian bees, which give me a great deal of pleasure ; and also a great deal of honey." Mr. E. T. Careington, of Pettus, Bee Co., Tex., reported on June 10, that he had averaged 100 pounds of honey per colony so far this year. He says he never saw such a good place for honey as where he lives. Mr. C. is running a small advertisement in our columns. Better look it up. Mr. L. Stlvester, of Aurora, 111., called on us last week. He reported that bees were working on sweet clover bloom, which was nearly one month earlier than usual. Last year from that source he secured^ some 1,600 pounds of comb honey. Mr. S. is a contractor and builder, but finds time to take good care of his bees. Mr. Geo. W. Bkodbeck, of Los Angeles, Calif., reports very discouragingjy about the prospects for a honey crop this year in that State. He says it was a fortunate thing for him- self that he left his bees last year with an abundance of stores, for otherwise he would have been forced to feed to preserve them. This makes it very unfortunate for the new Bee-Keepers' Exchange, but its members purpose holding to- gether and wait for better times. Surely, all will be interested in the success of the Exchange, and will regret it if anything interferes. Mr. James B. Drury, of New Orleans, La., writing on June 13, kindly said : " I do not know how I would get along without the 'Old Reliable.' I take several papers, and I am always most anxious when Saturday comes to get it as soon as possible. I have all the copies, and have a pile of the last year's before me. It_is,a wonder how you can afford to send such a vast mass of reading-matter for the trivial sum of one dollar. Why, Mr. Editor, in some things, if not]all, it is even better than a copy of ' Langstroth Revised,' or ' Bees and Honey,' as they are becoming old, while the American Bee Journal is always up to date." Db. Miller, writing on June 17, said this about his bee- work these days : " We've had a busy time of it with the bees. Been getting up at 4 o'clock — this morning 4:15 — and working till dark. One evening we didn't get home to supper till 8:30. One trouble has been so much bad weather when we couldn't work. Oh, for some hot weather." Seems to us the Doctor is getting out pretty early for a man over 65 years of age. Sixteen hours a day is rather long, though we have often put it in, both on the farm and since being in the city. But then, we are only about half his age. Better take things easier. Doctor, or you won't live to be 100 — the length of life your many friends hope you will attain unto, at least. CONDUCTED BY DR. C. C. MILLER. AlARMNGO, ILL. [Questions may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Ur. Miller direct. 1 What Ail$ the Bees ? On April 24 the bees were all in fairly good condition, and from that time on to June first they fell off gradually ; in order to build them up I united them all, two and two together, but that did not do any apparent good, for at the present time the strongest colony has not a pint of bees. What can be the cause ■? There were very few bees dead around the hives, showing that they must have died in the fields. I saw lots of them come out of the hive, and would try four or five times to fly before they would make it, each trial making only about two or three feet, and then drop to the ground. I also ob- served dead brood in them all, with the brood-nest at the pres- ent time not more than 4 square inches on each side of one frame, with some of the cells having as high as four and five eggs in them. They have lots of honey in the hives. Is it foul brood or bee-paralysis, or were they poisoned from spray- ing the fruit-bloom ? J. S. Denver, Colo. Answer. — I'm sorry to say I don't know what the trouble is, but it looks a good deal like a case of some kind of poison- ing. If any one has any light to shed upon the case, let him rise. ^ I — ^ Getting Bees Into Supers — Controlling Robbing. Early in the spring I divided one black and one Italian colony (all I had), thus making four. The blacks reared a queen of their own, the other also, but the latter disappeared on her mating trip. So I got a choice yellow queen from a breeder at San Mateo. We had a long, dry spell, and the bees will not go into the super, although the palmetto is in full bloom, and the lower department is crowded with honey. Also, the yellow ones have developed to be arrant robbers of the two old mother colonies. Now, how shall I break them of that, and how shall 1 make them go above? T. D. Pabor Lake, Fla. Answers. — If the super is placed directly over the brood- nest, so there is direct and ready entrance, the bees will usually go to work in the super when they have plenty of honey to store there. But sometimes they are slow about it, and something may be done to make them commence work in the super sooner than they otherwise would. If working for extracted honey, put a frame of brood in the super until they commence storing there, although that can be necessary only when there is nothing but foundation in the super. If work- ing for comb honey, put in the super a section containing comb at least partly drawn out. If the comb is fully drawn out, all the better. Such a bait section will be commenced on very promptly, and if the yield is very light, you may have the bait section filled and sealed and not another section touched. But if there is honey enough, the bees will extend their attentions to the other sections. If you have no bait sections, cut a piece of brood out of a brood-frame— drone- brood is as good as any — put it in a section, and put in the super, and if there's any honey to store you will find the bees carrying it into the super. Controlling the robbers is not so easy a matter. You can't do anything with the robbers themselves unless you brimstone them or kill them in some other way, so your whole attention must be directed to the bees that arc being robbed. And it's very much harder to break up robbing when once started 410 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jwne 25, than to prevent it in the first place. Some bees will protect themselves better than others, blacks, as a rule, making a less defence than Italians. If a colony pf moderate strength will allow itself to be robbed, better change the stock for some- thing of better blood. If a weak colony has trouble defend- ing itself, help it by closing the entrance partly. In some cases it may be necessary to allow an entrance only large enough for one bee to pass at a time. In a bad case of rob- bing, pile hay or straw in front of the hive and around it, and keep the hay well wetted by pouring or spraying water upon it. A weak queenless colony will sometimes give up to rob- bers, and nothing you can do seems to be of any use. The only thing is to break it up. But be careful about taking out of the way a hive upon which the robbers have been at work. If you take the hive away bodily, the robbers will not under- stand it, and will suppose it is somewhere in the neighbor- hood, and will make a desperate assault upon one of the nearest colonies. But if you leave it until the robbers have emptied it, the neighboring colonies will likely not be dis- turbed. If, however, you leave a similar hive in place of the one removed, the bees will work upon that. Leave a comb, or piece of comb, in the hive with a little honey in it, and when the robbers finish that they will be satisfied without at- tacking neighboring colonies. Several Questions About Carniolan Bees. 1. What is a silver-gray Carniolan ? 2. Are they more prolific than Italians ? 3. Are they better nectar-gatherers? 4. Are they any better than Italians ? 5. Are they any hardier than Italians ? 6. Are they proof against the bee-moth? 7. Are they any larger or smaller than the Italians? 8. Which is the better, in your opinion, Italian or Car- niolan ? 9. Would a cross between them be of any value ? 10. Do they rob as much as Italians or blacks ? 11. Will they work in the supers earlier than Italians ? Any other information that you can furnish through the " Old Reliable " will be very thankfully received by the un- dersigned. J. B. D. Answers. — 1. Carniolans are sometimes called silver-gray Carniolans to distinguish them from those that are more or less mixed with other races, so silver-gray Carniolans are simply Carniolans. They come from Carniola, Austria, and at a hasty glance might be called common black bees. In- deed, so close is the resemblance that some good authorities have said the difference could be easily distinguished, but could not be described. I think, however, that you will have no difficulty in distinguishing them at sight by noticing the distinct white rings on the abdomen, that the common black bee does not possess. 2. From all the testimony given, they are fully as prolific as, Italians ; hardly more so. 3. I think not. 4. Yes, they are the gentlest of all races, according to the testimony of those who have handled them much, while others say they are very savage. These conflicting statements probably come from the fact that some which have been sent out as pure were not so, or else that a very great difference exists in different colonies. 5. The claim has been made that they are hardier, and as they come from a comparatively cool climate one would expect them to be hardy. 6. I have never seen such claim made, neither have I seen the objection made that they succumb readily to the moth, so I suppose in that respect they do not diiJer from Italians. 7. The workers are said to be larger than Italians. I have never seen but a few specimens, and I think you would not readily notice any difference in size. 8. From the fact that I have never kept Carniolans, my personal opinion would be of little value. Some speak very highly of them, but after being introduced into this country a number of years, they do not seem to grow in popularity. In- deed, the statement has been repeatedly made that no pure Carniolans can now be found in this country, and their great swarming propensities form an undesirable trait. In their favor is the whiteness of their cappings. 9. With proper selection a desirable cross might be ob- tained. 10 and 11. I do not know that there is any difference. If you have Italians, you may do well not to change for Carnio- lans till you have tried the latter on a small scale. Questioj;)'Box> In the multitude of counsellors there is safety. — Prov. 11-14. Section Folding and Foundation Fastening in One Machine. Query 19.— What obiections. It' any, are there to the combination of section-folding and foundation-fasteniug: in one machine? — Colorado. E. France — I have no objections. G. M. Doolittle — I never tried the com- bination. R. L. Taylor — None, if the machine works well. P. H. Elwood — I have never used a folding-section. W. R. Graham — I have no objections to such a machine. Chas. Dadant & Son — There are sev- eral of these machines made. Dr. J. P. H. Brown — I have no experi- ence with the "combination." C. H. Dibbern — None at all, if the machine will do both equally well. H. D. Cutting — No objection if the machine does its work satisfactorily. Eugene Secor — None that I know of, if the combined machine does the work well. Dr. C. C. Miller — I don't know of any if the work is done as well and as quickly. James A. Stone — I cannot see any, though on trial I do not know how it might be. Allen Pringle — If the machine will do both efficiently and expeditiously, I can see no objections. W. G. Larrabee — I do not see what objection there can be if the work is done just as well. Prof. A. J. Cook — The more good work any machine does, the better. I have used no such machine. J. M. Hambaugh— If such a machine can be made to work aerfectly, it would be an acquisition to honey-producing paraphernalia. Rev. M. Mahin — If such a machine can be made, I do not know of any ob- jection against it. All would depend upon the machine. B. Taylor — I never used one, and do not know. As a general principle, I do not favor combination machines. In my shop, each class of work is done on a special machine. Mrs. L. Harrison — I never used a ma- chine in folding sections. Too much pleasure in doing it the old way ; it's a long time since I've had the pleasure. Emerson T. Abbott — None, if the work is done as effectively and as rapidly. Generallyspeaking, "combinations " are not the most desirable things in the world. J. E. Pond — None whatever, that I can see. Economy both of time and expense is the point to be provided for, and should be the end sought after in ex- perimental apiculture. G. W. Oemaree — Nobody objects, I presume. But the combination is im- practicable, nevertheless. I use a little machine devised by John Reese, of this State, that squares the sections by sim- ply pressing a little treadle with the foot; and I fix the "starters" in place by a little machine of my own devising, that does the work by a slight pressure of one hand. Bee-Keeper's Gaide— see page 412. 1S96. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 411 Qei;)Gral Itenjs. The Dadant Hive. I would like to receive, through these columus, an expression of how the Da- dant hive compares with others, from any who have them. Having nearly de- cided to use a number of those hives'the ensuing year, I await a reply. Sound Beach, Conn. E. MuNSON. Bees Doin^ Fairly Well. We had a failure here with bees last season, and this spring was too wet. Bees have been doing fairly well lately ; some are building in sections. I have 75 colonies, aH in good cedar hives. John Uphouse. Sedro, Wash., May 31. Honey Will Soon Boll In. The American Bee Journal reaches me promptly every week, and is well read and noticed. The "Personal Men- tion " department is good; lots of truth in it. It takes a No. 1 expert queen- breeder to rear and sell 5,U00 queens in one season. Alfalfa is just commenc- ing to bloom in this locality, and the honey will soon roll in. SlGEL Brautigam. Cliff, New Mex., June 10. The Spring Problem. As I lately wrote under " the winter- ing problem," giving some of my experi- ence in wintering, I would like to extend the account of my experience to the present date. After the examination of my colonies about the middle of April, I let them "severely alone" until May 27, when they commenced to swarm. At this time just about half of my colonies have cast swarms, and the other half appar- ently are ready to swarm. Considering that I am located in latitude 433^ de- grees, on the hills of New Hampshire, and that we have had a very dry spring, it seems to me that these /acts show the wisdom of my management. J. P. Smith. Sunapee, N. H., June 5. Annanias and Sapphira Stories. Dear, me ' Why couldn't I have had that sweet plum (mentioned on page 362) to put in my essay — "Bee-Culture for Women" — delivered at Atlanta: "two women who have incomes of $5,000 each, annually, selling queens ?" While these women have been making big money I've been fooling away my time in a land of drouths and repeated failures of honey crops ; while these women live in an El Dorado for bee- keepers, where there is a demand for queens " annually." I'm getting to be very credulous about women who report such golden eggs as the bees lay for them. I've been reliably informed that they never crimp or bang their hair, wear big sleeves, or gored skirts. Mrs. Lizzie or Jennie are better drawing cards than Johnnie or Jimmie. When I was a child I went to Sunday- school, and read the story of Annanias, and Sapphira, his wife ; it was so im- pressed upon my young, plastic mind THE "NOVELTY" POCKET-KNIFE! GEO. W. YORK, CHICAGO, ILLS. Yonr Name on the Knife.— When ordering, be sure to say just what Name and Address you wish put on the Knife. ,. , ^i. ,. j, t* i .. The Novelty Knife Is Indeed a novelty. The novelty lies in the handle. It Is made beautifully of indestruitible celluloid, which is as transparent as glass. Underneath the celluloid, on one side ot the handle is placed an American Bee Journal reminder, and on the other side, nime and residence of the Subscriber. The material enterino- into this celebrated knife Is of the very best quality; the blades are handforsted out of the verv finest Entrlish razor-steel, and we warrant every blade. The holsters are made of aerman silver, and will never rust or corrode. The rivets are hardened German silver wire- tiie llninfrs are plate br-iss; the back springs of Sheffield spring steel, ana the finish of handle as describt'd above. It will last a lifetime, with proper usage. WliFPurcliase the Novelty Knife? In case a enod knife is lost, the chances are, the owner will never recover it; but If the Novelty is lost, havintr name and address of owner, the finder will return it; otherwise to try to destroy the name and address, would destroy the knife If traveling, and vou meet with a serious accident, and are so fortunate as to have one of the Novelties, your pocket knife will serve as as an Identifier; and In case or death, your relatives will at once be apprised of the accident. How appropriate this knife is for a Christmas. New Tear or birthday present I What more lasting memento could a mother give to a sou, a wife to a husband, a sister to a brother, a lady to a gentlema u, or vice versa, a son to a mother, a husband to a wife, a brotherto asister OT a gentleman to a ladv— the knife having the name of the recipient on one side ? The accompanying cut gives a faint idea, but cannot fully convey an exact representa- tion of this beautiful knife, as the " Novelty " must be seen to be appreciated. How to Get this Valuable Knife.— We send itpostpalJ. for$l. , or give It as a Premium to the one sending us three neiT Subscribers to the Bee Journal (with $3.00^ and we will also send to each new name a copy of the Premium Edition of the book " Bees anil Hone^ " We club the Novelty Knife with the Bee Journal for one year, both for 81.90. Any Wame and Address Put on the Knife. GEOBGE W. YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILL& Allow about two weeks for your order to be filled. PATENT WIRED COMB FOUNDATIOiS Has No Sag in Brood-Frameo Thin Flat-Bottom Foundation Qas Ko Fishbone in the SarplBS Boaey. Beiafi the cleanest 1b ueuaUy wor^eo tbe quicbest of any Fonndatlon made J. VAN UEUSEN & SONS, Sole Mannfactarere. Spront Broofc MoniKomery Co.. N. Y. Mention the American Bee Journal Dadaut's Foimdation ' in Chicaao ! No other Goods kept here. Send for Price-List, CHAS, DAD.4NT & SON, 118 Michigan St., - CHICAGO, ILL. 13Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. ONE MAN WITH THE UNION COMBINATION SAW Can do the work of four men using hand tools, in Kipping, Cutting-off, Mi- tring. Rabbeting, Groov- ing, Gaining, Dadoing, Edglng-up. Jointing Stuff, etc. Full Line ot Foot and Hand Power Machinery Sold on Trial. CaUlogoe Freft. SENECA FA1..I,S MFG. CO., 46 Water St., SENECA FALLS. N. T lAly Mention Ihs Amerirmi Bie Journal, 3-Frame Nucleus and Italian Queen, after July let, $2.50. Untested Queens, 75c each. , Discount on quantities. A Catalogue of Practical Apiarian Sup- plies, Free. Address, STRIIVGHAM, I. J. 105 Park Place. NEW YORK, N. T. That Queen-Clipping Device Free I Works lilke a Cliarm. The Monette Queen-Clipping Device WORKS Couldn't Do Wittaont It. I have clipped 13 queens, and must say the Monette Queen-Clipping Device is by far the best invention ever made, and will be wel- come to many bee-keepers as it was to me. 1 could not do without one now. Dk. Geo, Lacke, Newburgh, Ind, I.IKE A charm. With It I have clipped 30 queens, all in one day, when e.xamlning my bees. Wm. Stolley, Grand Island, Nebr. PLEASE READ THIS OFFER TO PRESENT SUBSCRIBERS ; Send us jnxl one iiew name for the American Bee Journal a year (with .$1.00), and we will mail you the Queen-ClippinK Device fkee of charge. Or, the.Queen-Clipping Device will be sent postpaid for 30 cts. But why notnget it as a Premium by the above ofifer ? You can't earn 110 cts. any easier. Almost every bee-keeper will want this Device. See page 130 (Feb. 37) for full description of it. Complete directions accompany each one sent out. It is a most ingenious and useful article. Address, GEORGE W. YORK & CO., 118 Michigan St., Chicago, III. 412 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. June 25, ■fy Money Saved is Money Gained. '^ THE ROYAL UMOJf Life Insurance Company DES MOINES, IOWA. The Iowa Policy Is one that definitely promises to keep an accurate account witli you ; credit your premiums and interest, charge the actual expense and mortuary cost, and hold the remaining funds subject to your order. AgentH Wauted. JOHN B. KING, General Agent, Suite 513 First Nat'l Bank Bld'g, SOAtt CHICAGO, IIili. Mention the American Bee Journal- WARRANTED GOLDEN ITALIAN QUEENS By return mall ; bred from a Breeder tested by Doolittle out of 1.000 Queens for his own use, and valued at $50. Queens, 50c ; 6 for 12. 75 ; orSS.OO per dozen. Leatlier Colored Queens from Hoot's best imported stock same price. Bees from my Queens are excellent workers on red clover. 1 guarantee safe delivery. N. B.— I sent more than 200 Queens safely to California last sea- son. H. G.QCIRI>, Bellevne., Ohio. 23A16 Mention the Aviffrican Bee Journal A SOFT ANSWER Works on the same r!''n as ebsticitv, but besides "turning away wrnih". ELASTICITY turns away do- mestic and \vi;j animals, practically insurinjj the iarmer against loss. The PAGE is full of ELASTIC- ITY, and like the soft answer, has such a winning way. It makes friends wherever it j^oes. PAGE WJVEfJ WIRE FENCE CO., Adrian. Mich. WMEN answering this ADVERTISEMEfiT, MENTION TMIS JOURNAU ET- IF YOU WANT THE BEE-BOOK Tbat covers the whole Apicultural Field more completely than auv other published, send J1.25 to Pr '■''■■ - . ^ ... lor bis ?rof. A. J. Cook. Claremont. Calif., Bee-Keeper's Guide. laberal Discounts to the Trade. %ife California If you care to know of Its Fruits, Flowers Ciimate or Resources, send for a Sanaple Copy of California's Favorite Paper— The Pacific Rural Press The leading Horticultural and Agricultural paper of the Paciflc Coast. Published weekly, handsomely illustrated, $2.00 per annum. Sample Copy Free. PACIFIC RURAL, PRESS, 220 Market St„ • SAN FRANCISCO. CAL. TEXAS QUEENS. If you are in need of Queens, let me have your^order. Price-List Free. SA26t J. D. GIVENS, Usbon, Tex. *re?Uto»i £/>.« American Bee JovirwiA, Pnll ralimi(i« of Italian Bees for $4.00. full vlllUlllt'S I- or particulars see larger ad. on page lioO of this paper. Tested Queens, after June 10th. 75 cts. each; 3 for $1.25. Address. T. H. KL.0E:K, 426 Willow St., TEKKE HAUTE, IND. 23A4t Mention the American Bee Journal. that I'm a poor person to write flowery articles on bee-culture. While attending school I read the fable of the hen that laid a golden egg every day, and her owner killed her, thinking to get the gold all in a lump, and he was surprised to find only what was in other hens. And that is just my experience with bee-culture — the same as in other hens. If a person has a good soil, works it well, plants good seed, and he is blessed with a grcnviiig season, he will harvest a good crop, be it potatoes, corn or beans. I'm not the favored per- son who harvests a crop of honey whether there is nectar secreted in the flowers or not. Mks. L. Harrison. Peoria, 111. Working Well. Bees are working well. I have had one swarm so far. Success to the Ameri- can Bee Journal. It never misses to get here. I hope it will have a prosperous year for 1896. Hknby W. Brown. Scottville, Mich., June 5. Basswood Promises Extra-Good. I had 21 colonies of bees, spring count. They are al! in good condition now, with considerable white clover and mustard in bloom. Basswood promises to be extra-good this year. P. G. Abbott. Mt. Auburn, Iowa, June 11. Best Prospects in Several Years. The prospects for a good yield of honey this year are the best in several years. I started in the spring with 8 colonies, having lost 3 out of 11, which were queenless. I have had 4 new swarms — one in May, three the first of June. The bees are doing well, consid- ering the amount of windy and rainy weather, for it rains most of the time. The fruit-trees are loaded down with blossoms, and raspberries, too. The bees have commenced killing off the drones, but there are plenty left yet. I winter my bees on the summer stands, in 10-frame Langstroth chaff hives. Ira D. Hyde. Worden, Mich., June S. Several Bee-Notes. While there is always much of interest in the Bee Journal, the June 4th num- ber seems unusually good. Mr. Daven- port's and Mrs. Harrison's letters are helpful, especially to beginners. I have for several years been buying queens, watching the Bee Journal ad- vertisements for "snaps;" never buying more than two queens of one man, and I can say 1 have never failed in but oue instance to get good value for my money, and I believe the Bee Journal adver- tisers are men who will do as they agree. The single instance mentioned was for a g!1.50 tested queen that was fine colored, but an " old lady " that should have been laid on the shelf. She was almost be- yond laying, and had I not reared a young queen from her, she would have been a total loss, as she died the next winter, and 1 lost the colony in the spring. The honey business must be about as far down the toboggan slide as it can get. I have sold nice white honey The P>ee-Keepers' Guide: Or Manual of the Apiary, By Prof. A. J. CoOK. This 15th and latest edition of Prof . Cook's magnificent hook of 460 pages, in neat and substantial cloth binding, we propose to give away to our present subscribers, for the work of getting NEW subscribers for the American Bee Journal. A description of the book here is quite un- necessary—it Is simply the most complete sci- entific and practical bee-book published to- day. Fully Illustrated, and all written in the most fascinating style. The author is also too well-known to the whole bee-world to re- quire any introduction. No bee-keeper is fully equipped, or his library complete, with- out " The Bee-Keeper's Guide." Given For 2 New Subscribers. The following offer is made to present sub- scribers only, and no premium is also given to the two new subscribers— simply the Bee Journal for one year : Send us Two New Subscribers to the Bee Journal (with $2.00). and we will mail YOU a copy of Prof. Cook's book free as a preini- um. Prof. Cook's book alone sent for $1.35, or we club it with the Bee Journal for a year —both together for only $1.75. But surely anybody can get only 2 new subscribers to the Bee Journal for a year, and thus get the book as a premium. Let everybody try for it. Will .vou have one ? GEORGE W. -iORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS. A Barffain-EARLY QUEENS. 119 Colonics Italian Bees in Chaff Hives: two acres land: good house: excellent well. Early Queens- Tested. $1.00 ; Untested, 50c. ^ent by return mall. E. L. CARKINGXON, 16Atf PKTTUS. Bee Co., TEX. Reference— Isl National Bank of Bceville. ""nti'yn the American Bee Journal CARLOADS~ Of Bee-Hives. Sections, Ship- ping-Cases. Comb Foundation, and Everylliing used in the Bee-Industry. I want the name and address r of every Bee-Keeper in Amer- ' lea. No reason why you can- not do business with me. I have Cheap Lumber and E-itperieneed Workmen i a good Water-Power Factory and hnow how to run it. I am supplying Dealers as well as consumers. Why not you? Send for Cata- logues. Quotations, etc. W. H. PUTNAM, IE River Falls. Pierce Co.. Wis. MiMtion the American Bee Jourtinir Paffe & Lyon Mfff. Co., ^►New London, Wis., operates two saw- mills that cut, annually, eight million feet of lumber, thus securing tbe best lumber at the lowest price for the manufacture of bee-keepers' supplies. They have also just completed one of The Largest Factories, ^-and have the latest and most improved machinery for the manufacture of Bee- Hives, Sections, etc., that there is in the State. The material is cut from patterns, by machinery, and is absolutely accurate. For Sections, the clearest and The Whitest Basswood ^^is used, and they are polished on both sides. Nearness to pine and basswood for- ests, and possession of mills and factory equipped with best machinery, all com- bine to enable this firm to furnish the best goods at The Lowest Prices, ft ^►For instance, it has a job lot of 200, OOo No. '2 Sections that will be sold at 50 cts. per 1,000; or'i,000 Snow-white Sections will be sold for $4.00, and larger quanti- ties at still lower prices. Send for Circu- lar and see the prices on a full line of supplies. lOAtf Mentimx the American Bee Jounuxl, 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 413 Honey-Clovers & Buckwheat SEED FOR SALE. We have made arrangements so that we can furnish seed of several of the Clovers and Japanese Buckwheat, hy freight or ex- press, at the following prices, cash with order: ofl) 101) 25K> oOtti AlslkeClover $.70 81.25 S3.00 $3,75 Sweet Clover 75 1.40 3.25 6.00 WhiteClover 1.23 2.00 4.50 8.00 Alfalfa Clover 65 1.10 2.70 3.00 Crimson Clover 55 .90 2.00 3.30 Jap. Buckwheat... .20 .35 .90 1.25 Prices subject to market changes. Add 25 cents to your order, for cartage, if wanted by freight. Tour orders are solicited. GEORGE W. YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS. Sweet Clover \ Canada. At the following prices : 3 lbs. 10 lbs. 23 lbs. 50 lbs. $1.00 $1.60 $3.73 $7.25. Also a quantity of Motherwort and Catnip seed. Prices on application. EGGS for Hatching. BuflE Leghorns. In- dian Games, & Light Brahmas. Choice Birds. A breeder for 30 years. Prices on application JOHN mcARTHUR, 881 Yonge Street, - TOKONTO, ONT. 1 5 A t f »' rviinn tiw A merican Bee Jowmiu^ Promptness Is What Counts ! Honey-Jars. Shipping-Cases, and every- thing that bee-keepers use. Root's Goods at Root's Prices, and the best shipping point in the country. Dealer in Honey and Beeswax. Cata- ilrMast Ave. Waltei" S. Poudcr INDIANAPOLIS. IND. We have a large amount of Pure No. 1 Alfalfa we will sell cheap. Wax Wanted. Rn«« hdO 0V/»inD Warranted the best, sim- DUSS WCC-CSUipC plest and quickest Escape on the market. Sent postpaid to any address for 30 cts. It can be returned at our expense if It Is not as represented, or we will send the Rscape on trial to any bee-keeper wishing to test It In good faith. We are agents for the Ferguson Patent Hive ^,l'p*^.r1°n"d"wi"c'ife^ Gate Honey-Board, with the Escape. It is the easiest, quickest hive to handle for the pro- duction of comb honey. Address, E. S. liOVESV & CO., 355 6th East St., SALT LAKE CITT, UTAH, "/.truism, itie American BefJ(M,Tstix7-to-ft., open 2 sides ©. m. i^M'wi^ e@. WATERTOWN, WIS. Mention the American Bee Jminial. D p ert- — ^ O E» O M O O K-O P S's:a?' 3i CD CD 7 Address, BERLIN FKUIT-BOX CO , 20A8t Berlin Heights, Ohio. Mention the American Bee Journal, Agent's profits per month. Will prove jitorpay forfeit Newarticles just out. A $1.50 sample and terms free. Try us. 22 A8t Chidestek & SON, 28 Bond St.. N. Y". )VHEN Answering this advertisement, mention this journm. Hives & Combs For Sale. 45 10-frame Langstroth Hives, two-story, for extracting, as made and sold by T. G.New- man. These are empty— no frames — are well paicted. and have been kept in the bee-house. Price, 75 cents each. Also, 400 Brood or E.xtracting Combs for the above hives : they have the triangular top-bar as made by Newman. They are clean and in good condition. Price, $15.00 per 100. I would take $85.00 for the whole lot of Hives and Combs. Reference— American Bee Journal. W. r. LYIWAN, 21Atf DOWNER'S GROVE, ILL. iflU A U BJ (^old-BlaMl Smokera, Square Glass Honey Jars. Etc. For Circulars, apply to Chas. F. Mcth & Sow. Cor. Freeman & Central Aves., Cincinnati, 0. Send lOo for Practical Hints to Bee-Keepers. Beautiful Golden (jueeiis Kan. Let me tell you why my Golden Italians are better for comb honey than the 3-banders. Simply this— they cap their honey white like the blacks, and are splendid workers. 1 Untested Queen, 75 cents or 3 for $2.00 1 Tested Queen, SI 00 Breeders 2.50 1 Breeder whtch I have bred from and found to he the best 4.00 1 Frame Nuclei with Queen 1.75 2 '■ •• ■' 2.25 '■i ■■ " " 2,75 All orders filled promptly. Safe delivery guaranteed. P. J. THOHIAS, 22A8t FREDONIA. KAN. Mriition theAmcricim Dee Jouma' Warranted Queens isv Ki':xi;is:>' mail. Either Golden or Ijeatlier-Oolorcd, at $5.00 per doz. Choice Tested Oueens at $1.00 each. I guarantee safe delivery. F. A. — If you want to know how to have queens fertilized in upper stories while the old queen is still laying below; how you may iafely iiUroduve any queen, at any time of the year when bees can fly ; all about the different races of bees; all about shipping queens, queen-cages, candy for queen- cages, etc. ; all about forming nuclei, mul- tiplying or uniting bees, or weak colonies, 9tc. ; or, in fact, everything about the queen-business which you may want to know — send for Doolittle's " Scieutific Queen-Rearing" — a book of over 170 pages, which is as interesting as a story. Here are some good offers of this book: Bound in cloth, postpaid, ¥1.00 ; or clubbed with the Bee Journal for one year — both for only $1.75 ; or given free as a premium for sending us three new subscribers to the Bee Jouknal for a year at $1.00 each. Please Send TTs the Names of your neighbors who keep bees, and we will send them sample copies of ^he Bee JotTKNAL. Then please call upon them and get them to subscribe with you, and secure some of the premiums we offer. List of Honey and Beeswax Dealers. Most of whom Quote in this Journal. CblcagOt Ills. R. A. Burnett & Co.. 163 South Water Street. New Vork, N. Y. Hn-DBETH Bros. & Segelkbn. 120 & 122 West BroadWHLj . CBAg. Israel & Bros., 486 Canal St. Kansas Cltf, Mo. C. C. CLEMOM8 & Co., 423 Walnut St BoSalo, N. Y. BATTER80N & Co., 167 & 169 Scott St Hamilton, III*. Chab. Dadant & Son. Ptailadelphla, Pa. Wm. a. Selser. 10 Vine St. Cincinnati, Oblo. C. F. MnTH & Son. cor. Freeman * Central a vs. YinpAf! UlVTll. FURTHER NOTICE, we will allow 28 cents per pound for Good Yel- low Beeswax, delivered at our office— in ex- clian^e £or Subscription to the Bee Journal, lor Books, or anything that '»we offer for sale In the Bee Jodrnal. Or, 24 cts. casta. GEORGE W. YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS yiMMm Ei^iijYED m EVERY TIME, .SAY BUYERS OF THE IsTXJnVwdlBEP^ SIX ^^^^^^^ REMINGTON ^ STANDARD TYPEWRITER. ^ Value in Work Done — in Time Saved — in Couvenience. Always Ready, In Service, Always Reliable llt^° Send for lHustrated Booklets. WYCKOFF, SEAMANS & BENEDICT, 169 La Salle Street, - CHICAGO, ILL. MenlUm the American Bee Journal. BEE-SUPPLIES! We have the best equipped Fac- tory in the West. Capacity— one carload a day; and carry the larg:est stock aud greatest variety of every ■ thing needed in the apiary, assur- ing BEST goods at the LOWEST prices, and prompt shipment. Illustrated Catalog. 80 pages. Free. 22E8t E. KRETCHMER, Red Oak, Iowa. ITALIAN BEES. Untested Queens, $1.00. Tested, $1.25. Bees by the lb . $1.00. Nuclei— Two frame, with Queen, »2.50; one frame, $2.00. Also. Barred and White Plymouth Rook Eggs lor setting; $1.00 for 15. Mrs. A. *• SIMPSON, 18K7t SWARTS, Pa. Mention the American Bee, Journal. 5 per ct. Off to Reduce Stoek on all kinds of SXJPPXjIE3S. —COMB FOUKDATIOIV- which will be sold in lots of 10 lbs. or more as follows: Medium. 38 cts.; Light, 40 ets.; Thin Surplus. 45 cts.; Extra Thin, 50 cts. Queens— Untested. 75c.; Tested, $1.00. :5 W. J. ?m% Jr., ^''"^I'i^f^^" WOVEN WjBI FENCE OverSOStyles The best on Earth. Horse high, I EuU strong, Fig and Chiclcen I tight. Toucan make from 401 to 60 rods per day for from I 14 to 22c. a Rod. lUustijited Catalogue Free. KITSELMAN BROS., Ridgeville, - Indiana. 48Etf Mention th", Ayierican Bee journal. Down Go the Prices ! lam having such good luck in queen-rear- iug 1 shall the balance of the season sell our fine ADEIi Ql'EKSIS at the following prices —One Queen. $100; three. $2.50; six. $4.50; or one dozen for $8.00. Safe arrival and qual- ity guaranteed. Cat. free. HENRV AI.1iE:V, 25A.tf WENHAM. Essex Co.. MASS. 1896. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 415 BEE-BOOKS SEXT POSTPAID BV Geore:e W. York «Sc Co., Chicag^Ot Ills. Bees and Honey, or Management of an Apiary for Pleasure and Protit. by Tlioiiias G. Newman, — This edition has been largely rewritten, thoroughly revised, and Is " fully up with the times " in all the Improvements and Inventions In this rapidly-devel- Oplng pursuit, and presents the ajtlarist with everything; that can aid in the successful manage- ment of an apiary, aud at the same time produce the most honey in an attractive condition. It con- tains 2J0 pajies, and 245 Illustrations— -is beautifully printed In tliehi^'iiest style of the art, and bound Id cloth, gold-lettered. Price. Sl.UO. l^angstroth on the Honey-Bee, revised by Dadant— This classic In bee-culture, has been entirely rewritten, and is fully Illustrated. It treats of everytliin^ relating to bees and bee-lieep- ing. No apiarian library Is complete withoutthls standard work by Rev. L. L. J^angstrotli — the Father of American Bee-Culture. It has 520 pages; bound In cloth. Price, postpaid, $1.25. Bee-Keoperg* Onlde* or Manual of the Apiary, by Prof A. J Cook, of the Michigan Agrl* cultural College.— This book Is nut only Instructive and helpful us a guide In bee keeping, but Is Interesting aud thoroughly practical and sclentlflc. It contains a lull delineation of the anatomy and physiology of bees. 4(10 pages ; bound In cloth and fully Illustrated. Price, postpaid, $1.25. Scientific Queen-Kearing, as Practlcallv Applied, by G. iM. Duollttle."A method by which the very best of (^»neen-Bees are reared In perfect accord with Nature's wav. ITfi pages, bound Id Cloth, and Illustrated. Price. $1.00. A B C of Bee-Culture, by A. I. Root.— A cycIo|)!edia of 400 pages, describing everything pertaining to tlie care of the honey-bees. It con- tains yoo engravings. It was written especially for beginners Bouud In cloth. Price, $1.25. AdTanceil Bee-Culture, Its Methods aod Management, by W. Z. Hutchinson.— The author of tills work Is too well known to need further description of his book. He Is a practical and entertaining writer. You should read his book. 9Q pages, bound In paper, and Illustrated. Price, 60 cts. Rational Bee-Keeping* by Dr. John Dzlerzon —This is a translation of his latest German book on bee-culture. It has 350 pages: bound In cloth, $1.25; Id paper covers, $1.00 Blenen-Kultur, by Thomas G. Newnan.— This Is a German translation of the prlnclpfi por- tion of the book called Bees of Hoxev. 10; page pamphlet. Price, i^ cents. Convention Hand-Book, for BeeKeepers. Thomas G. Newman.— It contains the parliamen- tary law and rules of order for BeeCoDventions— also Constitution and By-Laws, with subjects for discussion, etc. Cloth, gold-lettered. Price, 25 cts. AmerikaiiUclie Bieneuziioht. by Hans Buschbauer.— Printed in German. A hand-book on bee-keeping, piving the methods in use by the best American and German apiarists. Illustrated; V6>i pages. Price. Sl.OU. Tliirly Years Anioug tlie Bees, by Henry Alley.— Gives the results of over a quarter- century's experience In rearing queen-bees. Very laiestwtrtrkof thekind. Nearly 100 pages. Price, 50c. Wliy Eat Honey?— This Leaflet is intend- ed for FRKE distribution, to create a Local Market. 100 copies, by mail. 40 cts.: 500 lor£l..:jU; HXHj, $2.50. %W If .500 or more are ordered at one time, your name and address will be printed on them FKEE. HoYv to Keep Honey and preserve its richness and flavor. Price same as Why Eat Honey. Apiary Resimter, by Thos. G. Newman.— Devotes two pages to a colony. Leather binding. Price, for 50 colonies. ♦i.O(j; for 100 colonies, ¥l.L'5. Frepurntlon of Honey for the Market, Including tlie production and care of comb and extracted lioney. A chapter from BEES ANE Ho.N'EV. Price, 10 cents. Bee-Pueturage a Necessity.— This book sug gests what and how to plan it Is a chapter froo Bees and Huxev. Price, 10 cents. The Hive I lise, by G. M. OooUttle. It details his manag-ement of bees, and methods of producing comb honey. Price. 5 cents. Wr. Hoivard's Book on Foul Brood. —Gives the McEvoy Treatment and reviews the ex- periments of others. Price. liS cts. Dictionary of Aplculmre, by Prof. John Phin. Gives the correct meaning of nearly 500 api- cultural terms. Price. 50 cts. liV'inter Problem in Bee-Keepinjr. by G. R. Pierce. Result of 25 years' experience. 50 cts. Handling Bees, by Chas. Dadant & Son.— A Chapter from Langstroth Revised. Price, 8 cts. Bee-Keepers' Directory, by H. Alley.— Latest methods in Queen-Rearing, etc. Price, 50c. Foul Brood Treatment* by Prof. F. R. Cheshire.— Its Cause and Prevention. Price, lucis. Foul Brood* by A. R. Kohnke.— Origin. Development and Cure. Price, 25 cts. History of Bee-Associations, and Brief Re- ports of the first 20 conventions. Price, 15 cts. Honey as Food and ITIediciue, by T. G. Newman.— A 32-page pamphlet : just the thing to create a demand for honey at home. Should be scattered freely. Contains recipesf or Honey-Cakes, Cookies. Puddings, Foum, Wines, and uses of honey for medicine. Prices, prepaid— Single copy, 5 cts.; 10 copies, 35 cts.: 5oforSl.5n: lonfor $2.50; 2.50 for $5.50; 500 for$in.oO; or 1000 for$i5.no. When 250 or more are ordered, we will print the bee-keeper's card (free of cost) on the front cover page. Bee-Keepin«; for Profit, by Dr. G. L. Tinker.--Revised and enlarged. It details the au- thor's " new system, or how to get thelargest yields of comb or extracted honey." 80 p.; illustrated. 25c. Emerson Binders, made especially for the Bee Journal, are convenient for preserving each number as fast as received. Not mailable to Canada. Price. 75 cts. C'ommercial Calculator, by C. Ropp.— A ready Calculator, Business Arithmetic and Ac- count-Book combined in one. Every farmer and business man should have it. No. 1, bound in water proof leatherette, call finish. Price. 4i) cts. No. 2 in line artitlcial leather, with pocket, silicate slate, and account-book. Price, 60 cts. Green's Four Books, by Chas. A. Green. -Devoted to, l st. How We Made the Old Farm Pay ; 2nd, Peach Culture; .'ird. How to Propagate Fruit- Plants, Vines and Trees; 4th, General Fruit In- structor. Nearly I20payes. Fully illustrated. 25 cts. Greenes Six Books on Fruit-Culture, by Chas. A. Green.— Devoted 1st, to Apple and Pear Culture; 2nd. Plum and Cherry Culture; 3rd, Rasp- berry and Blackberry Culture; 4th, Grape Culture; 5th, Strawberry Culture. 129 pp.; illustrated. 25 cts. Garden and Oroliard, by Chas. A. Green. —Gives full instructions in Thinning and Marketing Fruits; Pruning, Planting and Cultivating; Spray- ing. Evaporation. Cold Storage, Etc. y4 pages, illus- trated. Price. 25 cts. Kendall's Horse-Book. — .35 pictures, showing positions of sick horses, and treats on all their diseases. English or German. Price. 25 cts. Silo and Silage, by Prof. A. J. Cook.— It gives the method in operation at the Michigan Agri- cultural College. Price, 25 cts. Ijumber and Log-Book. — Gives meas- urements of lumber, logs planks; wages, etc. 25c. lYIaple Sug:ar and tbe Sug-ar Bush, by Prof. A. J. Cook.— Full instructions. Price, 35 cts. Grain Tables, for casting- up the price of grain, produce, hay. etc. Price, 25 cts. Capons and Caponizing, by Dr. Sawyer* Fanny Field, and others.— Illustrated. All about caponizing fowls, ana thus how to make the most money in poultry-raising. 64 pages. Price, 30 cts. Our Poultry Doctor, or Health in the Poultry Yard and How to Cure Sick Fowls, by Fanny Field, —Everything about Poultry Diseases and their Cure. 64 pages. Price. 30 cts. Poultry lor Iflarket and Poultry for Profit, by Fanny Field.— Tells everything aboutthe Poultry Business. 64 pages. Price, 25 cts. Turkeys for Market and Turkeys for Profit, by Fanny Field.— All about Turkey-Raising. 64 pages. Price, 25 cts. Rural liife.— Bees. Poultry. Fruits, Vege- tables, and Household Matters. lOO pages. 25 cts. Strawberry CuUnre, by T. B. Terry and A. I. Root. For beginners. Price, 40 cts. Potato Culture, by T. B. Terry.— It tells how to grow them profitably. Price, 40 cts. Hand-Book of Health, by Dr. Foots.— Hints about eating, drinking, etc. Price. 25 cts. Alsike Clover Leaflet.— Full directions for growing. ,50 for 2."> cts. ; lOO for 40 cts. ; 200, 70c. Book iHiibbing Oflers. (Bead Carefully.) Tbe following clubbing prices iuclude the American Bee Journal one year with each book named. Remember, that only one book can be taken in each case with the Bee Jour- nal a year at the prices named. If more books are wanted, see postpaid prices given with the description of tlae books on this page. Following is the clubbing-list: 1. Langstroth on the Honey-Bee $2.00 2. A BCof Beo-Culture 3.00 3. Bee-Keeper's Guide 1.75 4. Bees and Honey [Cloth bound] 1.65 5. ScientiflcQueen-Kearlng 1.75 6. Dr. Howard's Foul Brood Book 1.10 7. Advanced Bee-Culture 1.30 8. Amerikanlsche BienenzuGht [Germ.] 1.75 9. Bieneu-Kultur [German] 1.25 10. Rational Bee-Keeping [Cloth bound] 2.00 11. Rational Bee-Keeping [Paper tound] 1.75 12. Thirty Years Among the Bees 1.30 13. Bee-Keeping for Profit 1.15 14. Convention Hand-Book. 1,15 15. Poultry for Market and Profit 1.10 IG. Turkeys for Market and Profit 1.10 17. Capons and Caponizing 1.10 18. Our Poultry Doctor 1.10 19. Green's Four Books 1.15 20. Green's Si.x Books on Fruit-Culture.. 1.15 21. Garden and Orchard 1.15 2:i. Rural Lite 1.10 24. Bmerson Binder for the Bee Journal. 1.60 25. Commercial Calculator. No. 1 1.25 26. Comme-cial Calculator, No. 3.. 1.40 27. Kendall's Horse-Book 1.10 29. Strawberry Culture 1.20 30. Potato Culture 1.20 32. Hand-Book of Health 1.10 3:i. Dictionary of Apiculture 1.35 34. Maple Sugar and the Sugar Bush 1 .20 35. Silo and Silage 1.10 36. Winter Problem in Bee-Keeping 1.30 37. Apiary Register (for 50 colonies) 1.75 38. Apiary Register (for 100 colonies) . 2.00 39. Bee-Keepers' Directory 1.30 Honey & Beeswax Alarket Quotations. The following rules for grading honey were adopted by the North American Bee-Keepers' Association, and, so far as possible, quota- tions, are made according to these rules: Fancv.— All sections to be well filled; combs straight, of even thickness, and firmly at- tached to all four sides; both wood and comb unsoiled by travel-stain, or otherwise; all the ceils sealed except the row of cells next the wood. No. 1.— All sections well filled, but combs uneven or crooked, detached at the bottom, or with but few cells unsealed: both wood and comb unsoiled b.y travel-stain or other- wise. In addition to this the honey is to be classi- fied according to color, using the terms white, amber and dark. That is. there will be "fancy white," "No. 1 dark," etc. CHICAGO.;iLL., June 20.— We quote: Fancy white, 14@15c.; No. 1, 12@13c.; fancy amber, 9@10c.; No. 1, 8@8!4c.: fancy dark, S@9c.: No. 1, 8c. Extracted, white, 5(a7c. ; amber. 4@5c. Beeswax. 25@27c. It continues to sell well and there is no accumulation of shipments. We consider it a good time to sell. R. A. B. & Co. BUFFALO, N. Y.. Apr. 20.— We quote: Fancy white. I.i(ai6c.; No. 1 white. 13(ai4c.; fancy dark, Saitc. ; No. 1 dark. 7(^7(^0. Bees- wax. 25(a28c. Trade very dull and honev not moving, except a few fancy lots: anything dark is hard to sell. B. &Co. CINCINNATI. O., Apr. 22.— There is no fan- cy white comb honey on our market. Best white sells at 12@14c. in a jobbing way. with a fair demand. Demand is good for extracted at 4@7c.. according to quality. Beeswax is in good demand at 25@30c. for good to choice yellow. C. F. M. & S. NEW YORK. N. Y., May 9. -There is some demand for white comb honey at unchanged prices. No market for buckwheat. Extracted remains (lulet. New Southern is now arriv- ing and selling at 5(86c. for fine grades and 50(!i5.")C. a gallon for falj to common. Beeswax easy at 28329c. H. B. & S. KANSASCITY. Mo.. June 20. -We quote: No. 1 white comb, 1-lbs., 13(^140.; No. i. 11® 32c.: No. 1 amber, ll(ai2c.; No. 2, SfiJlOc. Extracted, white, 5H®6c.; amber. .5(a.j^c.; dark, 4@4^c. Beeswax. 22@25o. C. C. C. & Co. 416 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. June 25, 1896. Bottom Prices BRING lis BIG TRADE. GOOD GOODS KEEP IT. TO X RAYS. If you want the best supplies that can he made at a little less cost than you can buy the same goods for elsewhere, write to us for low prices. 1896 Catalogue now ready —ask for it and a free copy of Tbe Ameri- can Bee-Keeper (36 pages). Address. THE W.T. FALCONER MFG. CO., JAMESTOWN, N. Y. Mention the American Bee Journal. COMB FOUNDATION! Wax always wanted for Cash or in Exchanffe for Fdn. or other Supplies. My trade is estab- lished on IjOW Prices and the merit of my Fonudatiou. Orders Ailed promptly. ^^WoHKiNG Wax into Fdn, by the Lb. a Specialty. Wholesale prices to dealers and large eoiisniiicrs. Send for Prices and Sam- ples to— GUS BIXTMEK, AUGUSTA, WIS. Keterence— Augusta Bank. lAtt Mention the American Dec Jour>ial. Our strain of Italians pene- "trate red clover blossoms. Choice Un- tested Queens, 70c ; 3 for 12— by return mail. A full line of A. I. Root A; Co.'s Ooods on band. 36-pafre Catalogue Free. JINO. NKBEl. A: SON, Hlgb Hill, Mo. Sicrtlion the Ameriran Bee Journal 4A26t I AEISE fyo SAT to the readers X of the BEE JOURNAL that DOOLlTTLtie: bas conclnded to sell -BEKS and QUEENS— In their season, durina 1896, at thefoUowtnt; prices : One Colony of Italians on 9 Gallup frames, in light shipping-box $6 00 Five Colonies 25 00 Ten Colonies 45 00 1 untested queen, i oo 6 " queens 5 50 12 " " 10 uo 1 teste'l Queen ... $ i 5u S " Queens . 3 so 1 select tested queen 2 > o 3 " " Queens 4 uu Select tested queen, previous season's reariuK 4 no Extra Selected for breeding, the vert best. . 5 00 About a Pound of BKBS in a Two-frame Nucleua, with any Queen, 12.00 extra. ^gW Circular free. KlvinK full paniculara reKart'- Inji the Bees and each class of Queens. Address 6. M, DOOLITTLE, 12A25t BOKODINO. Onon. Co.. N. V. Mention Vic American Hce.lfurnn,. QUEENS Smokers, Sections . Comb Foundation, And all Aplairao Supplies «npap. Send for FLAMtiAN, Bellerllle, 111. 11 1 tnr hff JourUiii, PORE BARRED PLYMOUTH ROCK Eggs. J1.25 per 14. Our P. Kocl£S are yery large, with fine plumage. Also, BLACK MINORCA EGGS, a non-sitting and great laying breed. Both Kinds raised upon our farm. Minorca Cocls;- erels, il.OO each. Mrs. L,. C. AXTElil., 16Atf KOSEVILLE, Warren Co., ILL. MentUm the Ameriycan Bee Xcurnnu Z Dadant's Foundation S Is still in the lead, for we use all the latest improvements, including the ft NEW WEED PROCESS, f? and still make the best goods. Remember that we do not use any acid to purify our bees- wax, and that is why our Foundation preserves the smell of the honey and is more ac- ceptable to the bees, than any other. It is kept for sale by T. H. Strickler, Solomon City, Kansas. G. K. Hubbard. Fort Wayne. Ind. L. Hanssen, Davenport, Iowa. C. Theilmann, Theilmanton, Minn. B. C, Kaglesfleld, Berlin, Wis. B, T. Abbott, St. Joseph, Mo. J. M. JenbinB, Wetumpka, Alabama Jobn Rey, East Sajiinaw, Micb. Vickery Bros,, Evansyille, Ind. The Jennie Atchley Company, Beeville, Texas. C. F. Muth & Son, Cincinnati, Ohio E. Kretchmer, Red Oak, Iowa. G. B. Lewis Co., Watertown, Wis. James Reynolds Elevator Co.. Pousibkeepsle. N r. Louisiana Bee-Keepers' Supply Manufactory, Donaldsonyille, La. Pate & Lyon. New London, Wis. John Nebel & Son, High Hill, Mo. and many other Dealers, All agree in saying that no goods are better than ours. Those of our customers who formerly bought through Thos. G. Newman can get our Foundation in Chicago, III., by addressing lis at 118 Mioliigan Street. We keep no other goods there. We make a specialty of Veils and Veil^Stiifts of best quality, cotton and silk. "LANGSXROTH OX THE HONEY-BEE "—Revised. Bee-Keepers' Supplies, Smokers. Sections, Tin Pails, etc. Samples of Foiindatioii and Xnlle FRKE with Circular. Instructions to beginners with Circular. Send us your address. CHAS. DADANT & SON, Mentionthe American Bee Journal. HAMILTON, Hancock Co., HiL. Williams' Automatic Reversible Houe) -Extractor. Has no sprocket gear or chain at bottom of reel to get daubed with honey and corrode and streak it. The reversinpr arrangement of the Williams is at the top of the comb- baskets. "The best extractor on the market "—so says the veteran bee-keeper, Mr. N. E. France, of Platteville. Wis. Bright Yellow or Leather-Colored. Queens of either strain— Untested, 60 cents each; two. $1.00. Select, 75c. Tested, $1.00. Full Colonies cheap. No foul brood or bee- paralysis. Hemit by Express Money Order, payable at Barnum, Wis. Many custom- ers send $1.00 and $2.00 bills, which are very convenient. Stamps taken for less than $1.00. Prlce-liisit Free. VAN ALLEN & WILLIAMS, BARNUM, WIS. 26Atf Please mention the American Bee Journal. Porter Honey-House Bee-Escape Have you seen it? Just thething'to put on the doors or windows of your bee-rooms. Indispensable, you'll say after you have tried it. Gornail Bee-Smokers. Cheap, strong, serviceable. We have sold a good many of these, and so far there has been no complaint; but, on the other hand, there have been scores of letters in their praise. Price, 85 cts. Prepaid, ^1.10. Cowan and Novice Extractors. These are the best. We are prepared to furn- ish, on short notice, jtfrom any of our sev- ^:eral Branches, 2, 4, and 6 frame Cowans and 2-frame Novices. If you want the genuine, see that they bear our name. A sB-pagfe Catalog: sent Free on Application. THE A. I. ROOT CO., MEDINA, OHIO. BK-AlSrCK OFFICES A.T : 118 niicliigan St., Chicago, III. Syracuse, N. Y. 1024 ItIi§§i§Mppi St., St. Paul, Minn. Meclianic's Falls, mainc. CUU AN. ESTABLISHED -1661 : OLDEST BEE-PAPER -AMER F*ut>lislie