■ LIBRARY OF THE MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE N0..2 8 q s:_s___ D*TE..i..iap.i. Source. .CjDiLfi.^S-.—l-.urv.dL'S... T .4k PR 20 '* Be Journal _Mr,\ 46th Year. CHICAGO, ILL., JAN. 4, 190\ *» **■' >S nij83YS&* "The Parting" or Farewell to 1905 BY EUQENE SECOR Good-bye, Old Year ! I would that you could tarry here. My heart exclaims, " Old friends are best "- It holds them dear above the rest. Good-bye, Old Year ! I say the words with many a fear; When you are gone another one Of life's unraveled threads is gone. Good-bye, Old Year I Thus some we hold in life most dear Slip outward through the door, and stay. Heedless of tears, both jou and they. I'm older now than when you came— And wiser? Ah, how low my aim ! But wisdom comes through many a sigh- Old Year, good-bye 1 Good-bye, Old Year ! Your lusty rival standeth near; But I am loth to see you die — Old Year, good-bye ! good-bye ! ■«i !££'.*-«,. v'iM View of " Washington Apiary" from the North. One of the Government Apiari s at Washington, D. C. — (See page 6.) J«-tfj| THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 4, 1906 PUBLISHED WBESLS BY GEORGE W. YORK S COMPANY 334 Dearborn Street, Chicago, III. IMPORTANT NOTICES THE SUBSCRIPTION PRICE of this Journal ta fl.uo a year, la the United States, Canada, and Mexico; all other countries in ihe Postal Union. M cents a year extra for postage. Sample copy free. THE WRAPPER-LABEL DATE indicates the end of the month to which your subscriptio ■ ispni.i. For instance, "dec^fi" on your label shows that it is paid to the end of Dtcember. SUBSCRIPTION RECEIPTs.-We do not send a receipt for money sent us to pay subscription, but change the date on your wrapper-label, which snows that the money has been received and credited. ADVERTISING RATES will be given upon appli- cation. National Bee-Keepers' Association Objects of the Association 1st.— To promote the interests of its members. 2d.— To protect and delend Its members in their lawful rights. 3d.— To enforce laws against the adulteration of honey. Annual Membership Dues, $1.00 General Manager and Treasurer— N. E. Fkance, Platteville, Wis. ty If more convenient. Dues may be sent to the onhlishers of the American Bee Journal. The Honey-Producers' League (Incorporated) OBJECTS: 1. To create a larger demand for honey through advertising. 2. To publish facts about honey, and counteract misrepresentations of the same. MEMBERSHIP DUES 1. Any bee-keeper may become a member by pay- ing to the Manager an annual fee of $1.00 for each 20 (or fraction of 20) colonies of bees (spring count) he owns or operates. 2. Any honey-dealer, bee-supply dealer, bee-supply manufacturer, bee-paper publisher, or any other firm or individual, may become a member on the annual payment of a fee of $io, increased by one- flftb of one (l) percent of his or its capital used in the allied interests of bee-keeping. George W. York, Manager, 334 Dearborn St., CHICAGO, ILL. " The continuous advertiser gets the bulk of the business, because others are not adver- tising, and he is." YORK HONEY IBWE? CO. (?£) 141 Ontario Street, CHICAGO, ILL. CARRY A FULL LINE OF LEWIS' BEE-SUPPLIES - Cornell Incubators and Brooders And Poultry Supp'ie", at Factory Prices. Write for the 1906 Catalog of either or both. HONEY FOR SALE H. M. ARND, Mgr. BEESWAX WANTED— 26= cash, or 28c when taking Bee-Supplies in exchange— delivered here. 6 PERCENT DISCOUNT IN JANUARY on Bee-Supplies DITTMER'S FOUNDATION T,A!)EB!ST Retail, Wholesale and Jobbing. Owes its REPUTATION entirely to its MERITS, and our PERSISTENT EFFORTS to MAKE the BEST and KEEP it the BEST. It is TOUGH, CLEAR, and PERFECTLY TRANSPARENT, has the NATURAL SWEET ODOR of PURE WAX, and the COLOR of the BRIGHTEST and LIGHTEST LEMON and ORANGE. We make a SPECIALTY of WORKING WAX into FOUNDATION for CASH, by the TENS, HUNDREDS and THOUSANDS of POUNDS, and we are in the Best Shape to attend to all orders promptly, our capacity being 1500 pounds daily. FULL and COMPLETE LINE of SUPPLIES, and the BEST ONLY. Do not fail to write for SAMPLES of our Foundation, Dsscriptive Catalog, PRICES and DISCOUNTS, stating Quantity of Foundation wanted. Wax to be Worked, and List of other Supplies, and Prices will be accordingly. Beeswax always wanted. E. Grainger & Co., Toronto, Ontario .... Agents for Canada The Bee and Honey Co., Beeville, Texas . . " Texas E. H. Taylor, Welwyn, Herts, England ... " Great Britain W. D. Soper, Jackson, Michigan *l Michigan Mention Bee Journal when writing. QLIS D1TTMER, Augusta, Wis. BANTA Incubators*, Brooders Backed by 14 Years ■^■i of Successful Use by Soultrymen all over the world. [o guesswork. They are auto- matic in regulation and ventil- ation. Fully guaranteed to grive YOU satisfaction. Send for free book. B^XTTA -BENDER MFG. CO., Dept. 24 , Ligonier. Ind. Ir\ -SO F*r -6 200 Egq JNCU9ATOR Perfect in construction ana -et km. Hatches every fertil* (egg. Write for catalog to-day GEO. H. STAHL, Qulncy. III. Mention Bee Journal when Tvritlns. DOLLAR ORDERS OR CARLOAD ORDERS WILL PROMPT ATTENTION. RECEIVE We are manufacturers and sell direct to the bee-keeper. We are in the heart of the lumber district ; we buy our raw material as cheap, if not cheaper, than others ; we save freight ; we buy only the best select lumber, and contract for same a year in advance. We have the best shipping facilities of any concern in the country. We can save you nearly one-fourth the money you usually pay for Supplies, and guaran- tee to send you better goods than you have had before for the 6ame money. We still have some catalogs left that we would like to have you send for. It will cost you one cent, and the information contained therein is worth one thousand times that amount to you. Send postal to-day, or include request for catalog with order. JOHN DOLL & SON, Power Bide, Minneapolis, Minn. NOT IN THE TRUST For High-Grade Cans Prices Always the Lowest Write for Prices, Stating Quantity Wanted Friction Top Cans for Honey and Syrup Prompt shipment and careful attention given to all orders. Special prices to members of the Bee-Keepers' Associations. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Made by CANNERS CAN CO., 1035 W. 47th Street, CHICAGO, ILL . Jan. 4, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL I "DADMTS FOUNDATION" I AND • for the bee-keeper, we mean it. 1/^ JJ WOOD-WORKING DEPT. SI This department occupies the 3 tloors of the main building of the factory. It is equipped from top to bottom with the M r m> best machinery that brains can invent and money buy. Every detail in hive-making has been carefully figured out. Immense Umr X 6heds covering acres of ground protect the lumber piles so that shrinkage is reduced to almost nothing. This accounts for T "" ^J the accurate fitting and clearness of stock of Root's wooden wares. The entire factory, light, and machinery power, is fur- m Ml nished by a great, 400 horse-power engine, and a 100 horse-power dynamo. y^ \ WAX-WORKING DEPT. fr wV We are leaders in buying was and selling the famous Weed Process Foundation. Our Wax Department is furnished \ m^l with tanks for refining, machines for sheeting, all sizes of mills, automatic papering machines, etc. Over 150,000 pounds of 1* r m> foundation is made, boxed and shipped all over the world every year. ]/~ JJ TIN SHOP \ Mm Here are made the thousands of smokers that bear the Root trade-mark of excellence. Here are made the cans for ex- ^km r Mf tractors and uncapping-cans. Machines for cutting honey-boards; presses for stamping tin and iron into various forms. lIL 2j MACHINE SHOP \ ml Equipped with the most expensive machinery and manned by skillful employees. We make our own'metal parts and ^W rWf ' much machinery for other factories. Powerful iron presses, iron cutting and drilling machines are in evidence everywhere. M— ±J APIARIES \ Mm We have scattered in and around Medina 5 apiaries devoted exclusively to bee and queen rearing, supplemented by 5 J# ' W more in New York, Pennsylvania and Cuba, and we control the product of several other large queen-breeding establishments. §Mf >■ Our queens are bred with scientific care. We test every device we make before it is introduced to the public. ^ ^ft SHIPPING DEPT. ly r & >r/w0 raiiroads run their cars to our doors. From a dozen to 20 men are kept busy loading and packing the 1~5 to 200 Uw ^ carloads we ship every year, besides the thousands of less than carload shipments. Eight express trains a day. With large T ^5^ warehouse packed full and a great factory it is a little wonder that Roots have gained a reputation for promptness in filling A . mL orders for the hundreds of things in their catalog. W# \ PRINTING DEPT. r* ^*3J Two large cylinder presses; 3 platen presses; paper folder, trimming, cutting and stitching machines; skilled typeset- M j mm ters printers, book-binders— all help to turn out semi-monthly the large issues of Gleanings in Bee Culture; the five to ten WW W thousand ABC books every year; together with our 500,000 supply catalogs, not speaking of ithe numerous other Ifi^ j catalogs, booklets, labels and all varieties of printing. Two carloads of paper required for our annual catalog, a half carload V ■^if for our Christmas Gleanings alone. M^ 'L BRANCHES AND AGENTS jfr j Eight branches with large stock in all great centers. Numerous jobbing agencies and hundreds of smaller agents place V jfj our goods at your door at factory prices, with freight charges and time taken in shipment reduced to the lowest possible point. M\j mm. We wonder if the bee-keeper ever thinks of the many hands and brains that plan for him? Of the hundreds of thousands of WW W dollars, and the hours consumed to.make and deliver his supplies? r^ W OFFICE ^ MM. The office is the brain of the factory. Here are the executive, editoriai, advertising and book-keeping heads. Here the wW W thousands of details are eared for. Root's office is as modern as you can find anywhere. Six typewriters are kept busy ; add- r^ ^ ing machine, copying machine, vertical letter file6, card indexes, etc.— everything to care for the half million dollars worth of V ~fl business we do yearly. We have every interest of the bee-keeper at heart. We are working for your good, for your prosperity y\^ M—. means ours. ]JL * The Compliments of the Season to Our Friends All Over World. *r H ■ )/ Fm. Our Catalog for 1906 is ready. Write for a copy if you want it now. £m~ ft THE A. I. ROOT COMPANY, Medina, Ohio £ _v}V. ▼ ▼ (Entered at the Post-Offlce at Chicago as Second-Class Mail-Matter) Published Weekly at gt.OO a Tear by George W. York & Co., 334 bearborn St. QBORQB W. YORK, Editor CHICAGO, ILL, JANUARY 4, 1906 VoL XLVI-No. 1 ^ Cbitorial Hotes anb Comments Position of Winter Hive-Entrances At the present day nearly all entrances to hives in this country are directly upon the floor or bottom-board. For- merly entrances were higher up, and indeed such entrances are still by no means uncommon in other countries. It is likely that entrances were lowered not so much because bet- ter for the bees as because more convenient for the hive- maker. True, it is easier for the bees to carry out their dead through a low entrance, but it is equally true that it is easier for the low entrance to become clogged in winter. In view of the fact that the chief argument against small en- trances is the danger of clogging, may it not be in order to reconsider the advisability of having entrances so low down? Sugar Cakes for Winter Feeding of Bees In the Modern Farmer, Editor Emerson T. Abbott gives the following directions for making and feeding sugar cakes to bees in winter : We have had a number of inquiries about sugar cakes for bees We find by inquiry and observation that a great many colonies in this locality are short of stores. The same conditions may prevail elsewhere, and we advise all of our readers to examine their bees at once, as there is sure to be a great fatality among them this winter if they are not properly looked after. Do not try to feed them liquid feed now. If the bees have been left without looking after them, and making sure they have plenty of food, the best plan of procedure is as follows : Secure a high grade of granulated sugar. Dissolve the sugar in boiling water, put in as little water as possible, but enough to dissolve the sugar thoroughly and make a thick syrup. This syrup should be boiled, being very careful not to let it burn, as burnt sugar is injurious to bees. Boil the syrup until it will harden and mold into a small cake. By dropping a little of the hot syrup in cold water one can easily tell when it has boiled enough. When the. syrup solidifies quickly in the cold water, then proceed to mold it into cakes weighing from 5 to 8 pounds each. This can be done by pouring the syrup into a bread-pan or something of that kind. A cake of sugar that is 5 inches wide and 7 or 8 inches long is about the proper shape for use for winter. The cake should be at least 1,'i inches thick; 2 inches would probably be better. As soon as the weather turns cold and the bees have clustered, carefully remove the honey-board or hive-cover, and lay this cake of sugar directly over the cluster of bees. It is better to put a few short sticks, say y2 inch square, on the frames crosswise before the sugar is put on, and then lay the sugar on the sticks directly over the cluster. Now spread a piece of cloth over the top of the hive and sugar so that it will fit down snugly all around the sides — a piece of old gunny-sack is very good for this purpose. After the cloth is on this may be covered with several thicknesses of newspaper, or, if thought best, the super can be left on and this filled up with dry leaves, or the chaff from oat- straw. After the hive is prepared in this way shut it up and cover it if possible with a store-box or otherwise. It would seem that with such a simple process of feed- ing in cold weather, no bees should be allowed to starve during the winter. Often a fairly warm day comes during winter when the hives can be opened up and the sugar cakes put in as directed. It is better that the bees have too much food than not enough. So look well to their supplies, especially when wintered outdoors. Anti-Swarming Treatment Used by J. E. Crane On page 773 was given in brief Mr. Crane's plan for preventing swarming, and it is a pleasure to give the fol- lowing fuller particulars : You inquire in regard to the method I have adopted for many years to prevent, or rather control, swarming, as to how long after the old queen is removed before a virgin queen is introduced. I have found the best time to be 2 weeks. If introduced much earlier a swarm is liable to issue ; if much later, the queenless colony may not accept her. As a matter of practice, it is usually 16 or 17 days, as I expect and do go over each yard once in 8 days, except when the 8th day is Sunday, when it is 9. Perhaps I may as well say right here that I have practiced this method of controlling swarming for some 25 or 30 years. I can not give the number or the percent of swarms that issue with virgin queens in this way, but I think they would be few indeed if introduced in 14 or IS days from the time the colony was made queenless, and the queen was removed at about the time the colony would have swarmed if left to itself. I commenced giving virgin queens because I found it, with my bees, almost impossible to introduce a laying queen to a colony that had cast a swarm, or had its queen removed when it wa« preparing to swarm. I can not tell why this is so, as some of my friends seemed to do so with- out difficulty. I tried giving a queen-cell nearly ready to hatch, but found a colony receiving it much more inclined to swarm than when given a virgin queen. I have not been able to tell why this is so. I have read, over and over, that if after a colony has swarmed all cells were removed but one there will be no further swarming for that season. With me it seems to be no protection whatever. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 4, 1906 I introduce virgins of all ages, from those just hatched to those 2 weeks old, but prefer those 4 or S days old. I think a colony is less apt to accept a virgin when 10 days to 2 weeks old. Once I run short of virgin queens of right age and introduced some very old ones, I think 3 weeks old or more. Several of these became fertile and were of some value. Did you ask how I introduce these virgin queens ? Why, I just let them run in at the entrance, and usually all goes well. I have tried daubing them with honey, because some one recommended it, but it worked no better than letting them run in at the entrance. Now I will volunteer a few facts that may be of value to you and others. The colony is kept a long time queen- less, and there may be more pollen stored in the hive than is desirable, and sometimes it may be carried up into the sections, though I am not greatly troubled with it. The greatest objection to this method is the loss of the young virgin queens introduced. When I first adopted this way, some 20 or more years ago. I lost a few queens when intro- duced at the right age, but of late years the loss has been greater. When I first began, the loss, as I remember it, was not more than 2 or 3 to a yard, while this year in one yard I lost one-third of the virgin queens that I introduced, or 12 out of 36, while in my other yards the loss was light — I think 3 or 4 to the yard. If the young queen is not laying at my second visit after introducing, I give 2 or 3 combs of brood, and they soon have a queen. Of course, such colonies are not so strong the latter part of the summer, but as we have little for bees to do after July 20, it does not matter. I would not advise this method as best for all colonies, but for those having poor queens they do not wish to keep, or for those that are weak in numbers. For very strong colonies I prefer to shake on empty combs or foundation, using the brood for helping weak colonies or nuclei into profitable colonies. J. E Crane. Middlebury, Vt., Nov. 8. Some will undoubtedly question the desirability of hav- ing a colony remain queenless 2 weeks or longer. But it must not be forgotten that if bees are left to swarm nat- urally they are left queenless for a time, and the real loss of brood caused by natural swarming is greater than many have reckoned. That loss must not be reckoned from the date of the prime swarm, for the queen diminishes her lay- ing no little before that time. Then there is no brood emerging in the swarm for 3 full weeks, and in the old col- ony there is no laying for 10 days or 2 weeks. Mr. Crane's plan saves the expense of a watcher, and no doubt results in a larger harvest. Detecting Glucose in Honey In the January number of the Ladies' Home Journal appears an article on how the housekeeper may detect adul- terants in various foods, by A. G. Woodman. Referring to honey and some other sweets, he has this to say : A common adulterant of honey, table syrups, molasses, jellies and jams is commercial glucose, made on a very large scale by treating corn-starch with acid. . It may be detected quite easily by the peculiar precipitate it gives with alcohol. For this test it will be necessary to use strong alcohol— 95 percent. Take a clear glass or tumbler about a third full of the alcohol and slowly pour into it a table- spoonful of the honey or syrup to be tested. In the pres- ence of glucose a milky turbidity will be caused, and at the bottom of the glass will be formed a thick, gummy mass, which can be easily collected in a spoon. If glucose is not present a slight flocculent precipitate will be formed instead of the gummy mass, and there will be no turbidity after the test has stood a few moments. It should be borne in mind that the glucose is not to be considered necessarily harmful, but that its presence always indicates a cheaper or low- grade product. But, really, it isn't necessary in these days to buy honey that is not guaranteed free from glucose or other adultera- tion. There are many reliable dealers in honey, the purity of which can be relied on. Consumers should insist on get- ting only the pure article, as there is no excuse for grocers or other retailers buying adulterated food-supplies of any kind. XTIiscdloneous Heirs * 3 terns ^ j The National Convention of 1905 is now a matter of history. It was a good convention. There were about 200 present. In the absence of Pres. Harris, Vice-Pres. Dadant (the new President for 1906) presided, and he sur- prised even his best friends in the able way in which he handled the convention. A full report of the proceedings will appear in these columns in due time. Southern Beedom is a new department begun in this week's number of the American Bee Journal. It is in charge of Mr. Louis H. Scholl, late of the Texas Agricul- tural and Mechanical College. We trust that bee-keepers of the South will aid Mr. Scholl in making their department as helpful as possible to that splendid bee-keeping portion of our country. We desire that it shall be exclusively de- voted to the advancement of bee-keeping in the Sunny Southland. The Government and Apiculture.— On the first page this week is shown one of the apiaries of the Government at Washington, D. C. It shows almost all of the hives. It is located right in the park beside the main building of the DB. E. P. PHILLIPS. Department of Agriculture, which gives it the advantage of having the hives out where everybody who comes near the Department can see them, and also see that something practical is being done with the bees. In addition to this apiary there is a Caucasian mating yard at Arlington, where there are located 16 full colonies of bees of that race and 75 mating boxes. It has never had its picture taken as it is not a thing of beauty, but a place where the experimenters really get down and dig out results. We are pleased to present herewith a picture of Dr. E. F. Phillips, Acting in Charge of Apiculture during the absence of Prof. Benton, who, as most of our readers know, is spending a few months in the Orient, looking up new races of bees and also new honey-plants. Jan. 4, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL While Dr. Phillips was a student in the University of Pennsylvania he became interested in some of the scientific aspects of bees, and in order that he might do his work more intelligibly, he spent two seasons with The A. I. Root IS 'i-' ". . Ij 1 - J. • jj L 1 1 Birthplace of C. P. Dadant, in Langres, France. (It is the house on the wall, at the right, with a garden.) Co. During that time he became mdre and more interested in practical bee-work, and when the opportunity came he took the place in the Department of Agriculture, where he can do all the work he cares to do without having to think of doing any teaching or any other routine work except that connected with the running of the office. In addition to his contributions to some of the bee- periodicals, he has a paper on "Comparative Variability of Drones and Workers," in the Biological Bulletin ; " A Re- view of Parthenogenesis," in the Proceedings of the Ameri- can Philosophical Society ; " The Structure and Develop- ment of the Compound Eye of the Bee," in the Proceedings of the Philosophical Academy of Natural Sciences ; and a much larger paper on " Variation in Bees," which is not quite completed. Dr. Phillips belongs to some scientific societies, which is to be supposed in one who is so scien- tifically inclined. It was our good fortune to have the pleasure of meeting Dr. Phillips at the National convention here in Chicago week before last. He read one of the best papers ever pre- sented before the National Bee-Keepers' Association. Of course it will appear in due time in the proceedings of the convention, and will be read with great interest by bee- keepers. We think it is fortunate that the Department of Agri- culture was able to secure the services of Mr. Phillips, as he seems to be specially adapted to the kind of work that should be done for bee-keepers by the Government. It has been suggested that an effort be made to secure a grant from the Carnegie Institution or Research Fund. Dr. Phillips is not in favor of taking any steps toward getting such grant. He thinks that if everything goes well in the Department of Agriculture there will be plenty of money for breeding experiments. He believes that all that is nec- essary to get money for work in apiculture is that there should be something to show for it, and he hopes that in the future there will be no difficulty in producing results. He prefers that all breeding work shall be done under the supervision of the Bureau, and does not ask for any aid from the Carnegie people. Judging from the paper Dr. Phillips read at the Na- tional convention, and also from his general character and antecedents, he is the right man in the right place, and we believe that bee-keepers will hear from him in the future in a way that will be very satisfactory to them. It will be a pleasure for the American Bee Journal to co-operate with Dr. Phillips in the work he is endeavoring to do in the interests of bee-keepers at Washington. Its columns are open at all times for him to lay anything be- fore its readers that he may think of sufficient importance to present to them. Our congratulations are hereby ex- tended to Dr. Phillips upon the magnificent opportunity he has to do some excellent work for the benefit of the bee- keepers of the world, and similar congratulations are ex- tended to the Department of Agriculture upon its good for- tune in securing a man like Dr. Phillips to carry on the work begun by Prof. Benton, and which seems to be pro- gressing so favorably during his absence from this country. * (Eontributeb * Special Ctrttcles "N J 1— Dadant Methods of Honey-Production BY C. P. DADANT President of the National Bee-Keepers' Association. BEFORE I tell of our present methods in bee-culture, I must first acquaint you with the manner in which we became apiarists, and of our trials before success. Those who have always succeeded are hardly prepared to tell others how to avoid failure, and it is only those who have had ill sucess, or who have seen it close at hand, that can warn others against possible disaster. I believe, also, that he who finds obstacles in his path will become encouraged when he hears how others have met bad luck which they have finally overcome. My first recollection of bee-keeping is one of disaster. It was in the fifties; I was but a child, living in France, but I can yet clearly remember a dozen or so of Debeauvoy's hives, opened to the wind, and the combs scattered about on the grass. The season had been very early, the blossoms had come, the bees had bred plentifully, and then, in the latter part of May, a hard frost had destroyed the young growth and all the bloom, and my father's bees had starved and the brood had been chilled in the combs. His apiary was located in the country, several miles from the city where we lived, and, lacking in practical experience at that time, my father had not for a moment suspected the possible disaster to the bees, thinking them well provided with honey, so that, at his next visit, he found all dead— bees and brood. So the hives were thrown open and the brood-combs spread on the grass, that the chickens might eat the dead brood before the combs were rendered into wax. His early experiences with bees and the first movable frame hives are narrated in the first years of the American Bee Journal, Vols. III. and IV. It was in 1863 that we landed in America. I was then 12 years of age. My father's first start in bees was made with two box-hives of common bees, presented to him by a friend in the spring of 1864. He had come to America with nothing but a good education and willing hands, for he had lost all he had in a slump of values caused by the establishing of a rail- road which had refused to climb the high cliff on which my native city of Langres is perched— 600 feet above the neigh- boring country— and which built up neighboring towns at the expense of the old fortress city. The place was good for a View over the valley from the birthplace of C. P. Dadant. refuge against the feuds of the middle ages, but it was worth- less for the commerce of the Nineteenth Century. The place is now provided with an inclined plane railroad, and is re- covering some of its lost prestige. Pardon me if I go into 8 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 4 1906 details that have nothing to do with bee-culture. It is hard to refrain from reminiscences of old times. The first thing that my father met. on the subject of bees, after this, was a statement in the American Agriculturist that Moses Quinby had just harvested a crop of 22.000 pounds of comb honey which he had readily sold at 30 cents per pound. This was a revelation of possible success in a line of occupa- tion of wdiich he was fond. So he bought Quinbv's "Mysteries of Bee-Keeping Explained." and with the help of a dic- tionary— for you must remember that he did not know the English language at that time— he began an investigation of the best known methods of bee-culture. The Quinby hive, like the Langstroth hive, had a hanging frame with a bee-space all around, while the Debeauvoys hive had a tight-fitting frame, which it was impossible to" move, after 2 or 3 seasons, without tearing the walls apart, owing to the propolis used by the bees to fill up crevices everywhere. How many new and ingenious inventions in bee-culture have been tried and cast aside because of propolis, with which the inventor had not reckoned! And it is propolis vet to-day which causes us to condemn many useful implements that become almost entirely useless when once coated with it. The Quinby hive, then, was the one to adopt, hut my father was slow to give up the shape of the Debeauvovs hive which had a frame of about the same size as that of H \ Kmg—a square frame 12x13 inches— and we therefore made half of our hives with American frames, the other half with Quinby frames. We very soon had occasion to find what a mistake it is to keep several different kinds of frames in an apiary, espe- cially when that apiary is small, for you cannot exchange frames, hives, supers, or bottom-boards, as you may wish Let me then urge upon the novice who reads this, the necessity of using only one kind of frame, one size of hive, super, sec- tion, etc. The multiplicity of sizes is the curse of the apiary If you have two or more sizes, or wish to trv something new divide your apiary in two distinct parts, and be sure to have enough m each part to enable you to make exchanges without difficulty. The experimenter will never be a practical pro- ducer unless he keeps at least a goodlv number of hives of uniform size which have oeen tested and found practical. . The transferring of bees from the box-hives to the movable frames was a difficult task, and was gone over again and again, for the first seasons were seasons of success the crops being good, and we invested all the results of the bees' work in more bee-hives, containing common bees— mostly bee-gums of hollow trees that had been found in the woods". Ihe bees had to be transferred to be made profitable. u^hecSl,pers used at that time were wood and Slass boxes holding 5 or 6 pounds of comb honev. with just one auger- hole in the bottom of each box, and" 6 of these boxes werf arranged on the honey-board of a Quinby hive. The Quinby hive as made then had 8 frames, 10'/,xl8 inches inside measure. Swarming was plentiful and the apiary enlarged rapidly. At this time, or about 1867. we had one misfortune. We had tried wintering bees indoors, in a very crude cellar— a hole in the ground rather than a cellar— under the log-houss which was our home. This had proven satisfactory, but room was wanting and we tried silo wintering with a dozen colonies This succeeded so well that we buried the entire apiary the following season. But we made the mistake of not making a drain to our ditch. The former winters had been dry, cold, snowy, and such as could be satisfactory for indoor wintering; but that winter was mild and wet. Rain after rain came, the ground hardly froze at all. and when the bees were at last uncovered and taken out. a number of colonies had perished from dampness. In the cold climate of our Northern States I believe that I would not hesitate to practice silo wintering if I had no cellar. A ditch 3 feet deep, fairly well drained, a few poles over the top, after putting in the "hives on two timbers a foot or so from the ground; a lot of straw and earth, sloping enough to act as a roof and shed water, a few air-pipes made of narrow boards, half of them reaching near to the bottom of the pit. the others to the top of the air-space m tin- trench for ventilation, and tin bees may be trusted during a cold winter in a trench of this kind as well as in the best cellar. But in a moist country, where freezing and thawing alternate often, moisture is to by feared, and outdoor wintering should be given the preference. It took us but one season to recuperate from the losses of that winter. "I he cause of so prompt a recovery was in the empty combs we had on hand from those dead colonies. We read a great deal about the low cost of combs to the bees. After more or less accurate experiments some bee-keepers have held that 3 pounds of honey would produce one pound of comb. But let two bee-keepers begin again, after a hard winter loss, the one preserving all the good worker-comb, the other melting it into wax and neglecting or refusing to use comb foundation, and results will soon show that not less than 7 to 10 pounds of honey must be reckoned as the cost to the bees of a pound of comb. The cost of the comb lies not only in the actual consump- tion of honey to produce it. but also in the delay and loss of time to the bees in harvesting, as well as in breeding, when they have to produce the wax and build the comb. I ascribe a part of our success before the invention of comb foundation to the fact that my father often sent me to buy the combs of the colonies that had died during the winter in our vicinity. Very few people attached to those combs the value that we did, and very few people realize it even now. These combs were carefully sorted, as only the worker-comb was saved and fastened in the frames. ' Hamilton, 111. Preparing in Advance for Next Season BY G. M. D00LITTLE. TALKING with a bee-keeper of a few years' experience — one of those persons who is not so enthusiastic about bees as some of us are — he said that he had his honey all sent off to market and his bees ready for the winter, and then added, "I have bidden the bees good-bye for the next five months, as there is nothing further to do along the bee-line till spring opens in April." After he had gone I fell to thinking and wondering how many of the readers of the American Bee Journal were managing as this man was. The person who thus reasons and works will surely not make the greatest success in our pursuit. As soon as the honey is marketed and the bees in winter quarters, the successful man will begin to prepare for the next season, no matter whether that time is November 1. or a few weeks later. I do not mean that he will bend every energy, and work every hour, as hard as he did in June. July and August, but I do mean that he will be as much interested during the winter months as in the summer, and spend much of his time in storing his mind with something useful about the bees, by reading and planning, and at the same time work with his hands by getting ready all the paraphernalia neces- sary for a successful season, so that he need not have to stop during the hurry of the honey-gathering season to nail up hives, sections, or anything of the kind. In fact, if the mind is engaged through reading and posting up on apiculture, it will be almost impossible to keep the hands from going right to work in the matter. Get around the back volumes of the American Bee Jour- nal, and any other bee-papers, if you have them, and by the index look up all you can find on the subject of hives, sections, putting in foundation, swarming, artificial increase, prevention of swarming, etc.. studying by subjects, rather than a pro- miscuous reading, sticking to one subject till you have read everything you can find on that subject in all the papers and books you may have, and until you feel an enthusiasm in the matter that makes you "master of the situation." Now, if you take Hives as the first study, while you are studying on this matter, get around all the hives you may chance to have and repair them where necessary, and fix them all ready to use at a minute's warning when the season for increase is at hand. And if you do not have as many as you think you will need, make new ones till you are sure no more will be needed during the next summer. Thousands have lost swarms by their going to the woods while the owner was hurrying to get a hive made to put them in. or artificial in- crease has been delayed till the best part of the season was over, because the hives had to be made before the increase. Then when the frames are made, and the section matter studied up to your satisfaction and their completion, you will be ready to take up the comb foundation matter, and post yourself on that: finding out how much you will use in the frames, and also in the sections; deciding whether they are to be filled full or contain only starters; and. as you decide, go to work at getting these ready with the desired amount of foundation in each. I have been censured several times for advising the putting in of foundation during the winter months, those doing this claiming that the foundation should he put in only at the commencement of the season, and using that fresh from the mill, otherwise the bees would not work it to the best ad- vantage. I have put the matter to test again during the past season, using fresh foundation in part of the sections, and that Jan. 4 LyC6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 2. 4. and 5 years old in the others, and alternating these in the -anic surplus arrangements, and, as in former experiments, I cannot sec any difference. , ■ , , Before Wees have access to the sections, I admit that the old looks less inviting than the new. having a cold, hard look. while the new looks much more yellow and soft; hut hist as soon .is the bees cluster on each, the old comes hack to its neu appearance and pliableness, the bees drawing out and lilling each to an extent that, taking the average oi the colonies treated. I can see no difference in favor of either. 1 he only- old foundation that the bees seem disinclined to work is that which has keen on the hives, undrawn, during a period when propolis was being gathered in large quantities, at which times the untouched foundation is often smeared with thin, or almost liquid, propolis, to an extent which makes it look as if it had keen varnished. When any foundation has been so treated the bees are very loth to work it. and I have known sections containing such' to be left untouched, while those all iboul them, containing both old and new foundation, were nicely tilled. . in studying this matter of sections you will not fail to look up the matter of "bait" sections, for. if you are like me. you will want from 2 to 12 such hait-seetions in every surplus arrangement which will go on each hive at the commencement of the honey-How. I use these baits only to start the bees in the sections', so that one super to each colony you expect to run for comb honey will he sufficient; and thus you will know how many you can use to each hive by dividing your baits by the number of colonies you expect to use for section honey. If you failed to have the bees clean the honey out of these part-tilled sections last fall, and you do not wish to hold them for spring feeding, you can extract the honey out of them at any time during the winter, as the honey must be emptied out of them, for the reason that it will not be likely to correspond with the new wdiite honey that will be stored in them at the beginning of the harvest. To extract this honey best in cold weather, lix a shelf as near the ceiling of your room as possible (as the room is the warmest right up to the overhead wall), putting the part-filled sections on this shelf. Early in the morning start the fire, and keep it going all day. keeping temperature at this shelf as near 100 degrees a- possible. By 3 o'clock in the afternoon you will find the honey warm and thin, while the combs will be tough and pliable. You can now extract the sections by putting several in a close-fitting frame, and handling these frames of sections the same as you would a comb for extracted honey. When th. honey is out. then you are ready to fill the surplus arrange- ments ready to be set on the hives at a moment's notice when the honey harvest arrives. I have been censured for thus advising the use of bait- sections, the claim being made that if we do thus that the little honey left after extracting will granulate, and from this the "seed" for granulation will be left in the cells, so that the honey in baits thus used will granulate much sooner than would be the case were the sections cleaned by the bees in the fall before the honey had a chance to granulate. But after years of careful observation and experimenting. I can only think my critics are mistaken, for such does not hold true with me. I am confident that the bees always clean all cells in which they deposit honey absolutely clean before they store any honey therein, and by their so doing all this supposed "seed" is removed so that there are no granulating "germs" left to start granulating. And. as my experience says that the honey in such extracted sections does not granulate any quicker than that in any of the sections containing baits, cleaned by the bees in the fall, as is often recommended, I must be excused for thinking that the ideas of my critics are not well-founded. And so you will keep on studying and preparing every- thing you know you will need next year, till you are not only well versed in it all. but have all in readiness in which you are well versed, when you will be fully prepared to meet any and al.l that may come along during the season, whether that be an extra-good one. a medium, or a poor one. If the latter, being all in readiness will help you to secure much more than you otherwise would in a poor season, as I have proven during the past season in which many bee-keepers about here obtained very small results, while my colonies gave an average yield of 114 pounds of section honey per colony. If you have never tried preparing as above, this will be in tune for you to do so this winter, and in this way you can prove whether Doolittle is right or not. Borodino, N. Y. See Langstroth Book Offer on another page of this copy of the American Bee Journal. Cleaning Unfinished Sections— Black Bees- Finding Queens— Feeding Bees BY EDWIN BEVINS. WITH reference to Miss Wilson's inquiry as to why her bees are so plaguey mean about cleaning out unfinished sections, 1 shall have to reply in the words so familiar to all of the readers of the American Bee Journal in till lands — "I don't know." If I had a lot of bees showing such perversitj oi disposition I think I would have them hanged, drawn, and quartered. 1 will venture a guess, however, as to what is the trouble, lives will carry down unsealed honey at almost any time, but are very slow to remove the cappings from sealed honey when there is little or no room for storing in the brood-chamber. If, after Miss Wilson had put the first super of unfinished sections on hive No. 32, and had it occupied by the bees, she had taken it off and put on a super filled with empty combs, or combs only partly filled, and then placed the board on that. and the super with the bees on top of the board. I believe results would have been better. When bees are slow to uncap their honey I use the uncapping-knife. In all my experience, honey, after uncapping, has disappeared very rapidly, unless the weather had become too cool, or the brood-chamber happened to be too nearly filled. I have 4.000 or more of cleaned-out sections at this writing, and all were cleaned on the hives, without exposure to all of the bees of the yard, and with no great trouble on my part. My bees. I believe, are a good deal like Dr. Miller's, except in the matter of contrariness about cleaning out un- finished sections, ting with a few black bees about 14 years ago. I have been introducing more or less Italian queens and nuclei into the apiary every year since. The queens have all been from reputable breeders in many States. I have also some bees with queens reared in the yard in colonies doing the best work. The present fall I have purchased and intro- duced more Italian queens than in any one season before. Undesirability of Black Bees. Mr. Allen Latham quite recently made, in the American Bee Journal, a strong plea in behalf of the blacks. One cir- cumstance, observed this season, spoke eloquently to me of their undesirableness. The season was a poor one for honey. Starting the season with 140 colonies, and having an increase of 3 by swarming. I have only 120 colonies packed for winter. The lessened number is due to doubling up — doubling the weakest and lightest with stronger and heavier colonies. In doing this work I found almost invariably the colonies of blackest bees were the lightest in stores. The colonies having most stores had queens of the previous season's rear- ing, or were strong in Italian blood. My work of doubling and requeening began about Sept. 22. and did not end till the first of November. I began and ended feeding on the same dates. The feeding ought to have been finished earlier, but having a large number of colonies to feed, and there being a promise in early September of .a good fall flow. I delayed feeding in order to save expense. A change in weather conditions destroyed this hope, and it was then that I began an examination of the hives. In my examinations, whenever I found a hive with bees that showed they were very weak or altogether deficient in Italian blood, the queen was removed and an Italian queen given. There were but few colonies in this condition. The other colonies requeened were strongly hybrid, and the changes were made for various reasons. Finding Queexs in the Hives. Much has been written on the subject of finding black queens which is all thrown away on me. 1 cannot endure to spend much time in the search for a queen. My way is to nail a strip of perforated zinc across the entrance of an empty hive, and then set this empty hive in the place of the hive wdiere the queen is that I want to find. Care must be used in cutting the piece of zinc. It is necessary to cut so as to leave a mere thread of metal below the lower row of perforations, so that the metal between the ends of the per- forations may not be bent inward or outward. A strip thus prepared is better than an Alley trap, or a swarm-guard, as it makes no place for some of the bees to cluster and thus hinder the entrance of other bees. When the empty is put on the old stand. 1 put a wide board in front, propped up so as to be on a level with the top 10 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 4, 19(6 of the alighting-board. Then I have two pieces of board about 20 inches long and 2 or 3 inches wide, which reach out in fan shape from the two front corners of the hive. Then I shake the bees from every comb down on the wide board, knowing that the queen is outside of the prepared hive and cannot get inside without passing through the zinc. It is a short job to find a queen in this way. On some warm afternoons the past fall it was necessary for me to do the work so late that darkness prevented me from finding the queen until morning. Then I generally found her in a small cluster of bees. When a good many bees mass, and become motionless outside the hive, their entrance can be hastened by stirring them gently with a stick. I was surprised at the number of queenless colonies I found, and the entire absence of drones in all colonies. In only one colony have I seen any evidence of super- sedure of the queen. At the end of the white honey-flow this colony had brood in but two combs, and these were not full. It was my design to requeen at that time, but observing that there was but little unsealed brood in the combs, and that there was a light-colored queen-cell on the face of one of the combs, open at its lower end, I concluded to wait. Later I found a queen in the hive, and there was a good-sized colony at the end of the season. Feeding Bees for Winter. I had to feed about three-fourths of the colonies this fall. The feed was prepared in a common wash-boiler, by first putting in 30 pounds of water, and, when the water had come to a bod. stirring in 60 pounds of granulated sugar and 10 pounds of extracted honey, thus making 100 pounds of feed minus the loss by evaporation. I fed in atmospheric feeders, which are most satisfactory for me. 7 hey held one quart each, and as many as needed can be put on the hive at once. The feed was given quite warm, and in order to prevent escape of heat from the brood-chamber, I put an empty hive- body on it and then put a sack partly filled with chaff on top ot the feeder, making the cushion fit snugly to the sides and corners of the hive. Leon, Iowa. Contention Proceebmgs j> Report of the Worcester Co., Mass , Conventions IContinned from page 902.J Testing the Purity of Beeswax. "Some of you may ask, How can we detect adulterated Wa'Y ,Ch?m,cal analysis is the surest way, but as I said at the beginning, we are not all chemists; something easier can be used even if it is not absolutely correct. "There is the float test, or, speaking more exactly, the specific gravity test. Pure beeswax is lighter than water, and most of the' adulterants are lighter than beeswax. "We will first partly fill a jar with water, and in it place a piece of wax that I secured from some burr-comb. As you see, the wax floats. We will now pour into the jar alcohol until the wax just touches the bottom." He then took a piece of wax purchased at one of the department stores of the city, but this did not touch the bottom, showing that it was lighter than beeswax, and consequently adulterated? Several other samples were also tried. "Another test is the benzine test, as wax will dissolve m benzine almost as rapidly as sugar will in water. One authority described the test something as follows: 'If the wax is pure the benzine will appear nearly clear — color- less—but if there is an adulterant the benzine will appear cloudy, more or less as per the amount of adulteration, and particles of adulteration will be seen floating around." Meeting of December 9, 1905. An apiarian exhibition in Horticultural Hall is what the Worcester County Bee-Keepers' Association decided would be the proper thing. No association or society in the country has ever had an exhibition wholly devoted to bee supplies, appliances, literature, and the like, and the bee-keepers of Worcester County think that such an exhi- bition would not only be most novel, but one in which people in all sections of the country would be much interested. People seldom have an opportunity to learn or see anything of bees unless they own a colony, except the small exhibits in connection with agricultural fairs. Then only a few hives are shown, and those, with a few bottles and cakes of honey, comprise the whole exhibit. For some time bee-keepers have been considering such an exhibition. The matter was brought up, and a committee of five was appointed to find out just what can be done. It consists of Adin A. Hixon, Burton N. Gates, Charles R. Russell, Frank Drake, and Horace P. Jacobs. For the Worcester Horticultural Society, Secretary Adin A. Hixon offered the association the use of Horti- cultural Hall for the exhibition, for which the Horticul- tural Society received a vote of thanks from the bee- keepers. The exhibition will be on a large scale. Not only will every bee-keeper in Worcester County send every- thing of interest pertaining to bees that he has, but bee- keepers from all sections of the country, as well as supply houses, publishers of bee-literature and the like, will alt want to send an exhibit. Manufacturers, publishers of bee-books, etc., might find it to their profit to correspond with the secretary in reference to the apiarian exhibit next fall. The Association met for the first time this winter in Horticultural Hall at 2:30, with President Frank H. Drake in the chair. About 25 members of the Association were present. Secretary Charles R. Russell was not present, and Burton N. Gates acted as secretary pro tern. At the time that the Secretary sent out notices for the meeting he also asked for information about the num- ber of increase in colonies, average yield of honey per colony, total yield of honey for 1905, number of colonies to go into winter quarters, and whether the bee-keeper had seen any sign of bee-disease. Thirteen or 14 bee- keepers sent in reports, and the first part of the meeting was devoted to these. In one case one man extracted 200 pounds of honey from one colony, while 460 pounds was the greatest yield for 1905 for any one person. Mrs. Herbert A. Holmes- sent in that number of pounds for her total yield for the year, which was considerably above any of the yields re- ported by the other members. Several claimed 300 to 3501 pounds. From 10 to 30 colonies seemed to be the number to go into winter quarters. Arthur Monroe talked of his experience as a bee- keeper and how he happened to keep bees. His talk was followed by remarks b}' Harry C. Shepard, W. W. Jacobs, and Frank H. Drake. James Wheeler, manager of the White estate, was recommended as a suitable speaker for the Association. Arrangements will be made to secure him as speaker for one of the winter meetings. The Secretary also announced that Arthur C. Miller, who has spoken before the Association befoTe, had prom- ised to address some meeting. C. R. Russell, Sec. Worcester, Mass. The Illinois State Convention The 15th annual meeting of the Illinois State Bee-Keep- ers' Association met in the Supervisors' Room in the Court House at Springfield, Nov. 21 and 22, 1905. A fairly good attendance of our most active members was had. The first session was called to order at 10 a.m., with Pres. Smith in the chair. ^SD f"Z The regular order of business was taken up, and the reports of the several committees were read and accepted. C. P. Dadant moved that the report of the Legislative Committee be adopted and the committee continued. Carried. Mr. Baxter moved that the Premium List Committee be instructed to ask for a larger premium on designs in beeswax ; and Mr. Black amended by asking that the pre- mium on case of amber comb honey be restored. Carried. On motion of J. E. Johnson, which prevailed, it was ordered that the Executive Committee be instructed to have enough copies of the Sth Annual Report bound in cloth for Jan. 4, 19C6 THK AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 11 all the members of the Association. Mr. Dadant moved that 1000 copies of the next annual report be printed, and as many foul-brood pamphlets for circulation as the com- mittee thought could be used beneficially. Carried. The Auditing- Committee reported on finance, that the accounts of the Treasurer and Secretary balanced to the cent, and it was voted that the account be itemized and printed in the 5th Annual Report. The committee were, C. P. Dadant, S. N. Black and J. W. Bowen. The election of officers was held on the forenoon of the second day, with the following result : President, J. Q. Smith, of Lincoln, Vice-Presidents: 1st, S. N. Black, of Clayton ; 2d, James Poindexter, of Bloomington ; 3d, J. W. Bowen, of Jacksonville ; 4th, J. E. Johnson, of Williams- field ; 5th, Aaron Coppin, of Wenona ; Secretary, Jas. A. Stone, R. 4, Springfield; Treasurer, Chas. Becker, of Pleas- ant Plains ; State Foul Brood Inspector for 1 year, begin- ning July 1, 1906, J. Q. Smith, of Lincoln. On motion of Mr. Bowen, the Secretary was voted $50 for his services for the ensuing year, the amount to come out of the funds of the Association. The Secretary was elected a delegate to represent the State Association at the next meeting of the National, and also the Chicago-Northwestern, railroad fare to be borne by the State Association. On motion of C.P. Dadant, theExecutive Committee was authorized to pay the railroad fares of those who are asked to participate in our future program. The convention recommended sending out return pos- tals to secure names of bee-keepers, and at the proper time to send out notices of our next meeting to all of them. A shorthand report of the proceedings will go to make up our 5th Annual Repoit. Jas. A. Stone, Sec. \ Southern * 33eebom -f j Conducted by Louis H. Scholl, New Braunfels, Tex. A Department for the Southern Bee-Keeper. The bee-keepers of the South are to be favored with a special corner of their own in a weekly — the American Bee Journal. That means a visit ever}' week for them. Will they appreciate it? My bee-keeping friends. I have no lengthy remarks to make. This department is to be ours. Ours — all of us — and not mine only. Let's make it a valuable one to us. I shall endeavor to do my part. What will you do? Bees Carrying in Pollen. Our bees have been flying on warm days, with a roar that reminded one of the opening of spring. Some of them were carrying huge loads of new pollen. Mistletoe is our first yielder of both pollen in abundance and some honey. Now, really, I do not know whether to call it the first or the last of the season, but it is the 6rst because it stimulates the bees for the next season's work. Some Information- About Southwest Texas. Several letters ave been sent me with questions about Southwest Texas, and in regard to information for bee- keeping and other pursuits, and that I answer them through the columns of the American Bee Journal. A goodly number of Other letters, also, have been received asking for a personal reply, but as I am "at least quite a busy man," I cannot write to each cue separately, hence must refer them to the informa- tion given in my articles, in which such information can be imparted not only tor the benefit of the inquirers but to others who may be interested as well. First of all, I should like to refer such interested persons to a copy of the "Texas Almanac." It is gotten out by A. H. Belo & Co., of Dallas, Texas, and will be mailed for 31 cents, postpaid. It will give you more information than anything else I can refer you to just now. There are descriptions of each of the counties of Texas, their soils, water supply, climate, topography, resources, industries and products, and also information concerning population, schools, churches, transportation facilities, etc. Besides the county descriptions there is much other valuable information concerning the crop resources and industries of the State. Each of these is handled bj persons who arc authority on the subject in question There are articles on each of the industries and resources of the State of Texas written by those who know. These will give the reader a better idea and conception of what there really is in Texas, so that they can conclude for then whether they want to come or not. A Note of Warning. As some people need to be cautioned occasionally, I wish to say a word along this line here. It is not every person who should come, to Texas. In the first place, we do not want everybody, or anybody, here, for we can only need the better ones, those with brains and brawn, who will mean a lot of good by coming here ; and, then, we do not wish such persons to come here who have a good home, and are making i comfortable living, and if they have reasonable hopes of a prosperous future for their children, If such is the case they ought not to "pull up stakes" there and go to unknown lands. They would better adopt the old saying of "letting well enough alone, and not make it worse." But if climatic or apicultural conditions are unfavorable, and a change will be of advantage, then we would advise them to go to the new country. Or, if land cannot be bought satisfactorily near the old home to provide for the children's homes as they grow up. it would be wise to change to a location where land can be bought or otherwise obtained cheap, and Texas would offer many opportunities. But before concluding to move, be sure to investigate thoroughly, going over the ground carefully — in person, if possible. To Prospective Home-Seekers. Six million acres of school lands were placed on the market by the State of Texas Sept. 1, 1905, and other lands will come on the market from time to time as the leases on them expire. Lists of these tracts of lands, and others that will be published of additional lands that will be put on the market from time to time, can be obtained by applying to Hon. J. J. Terrell, Commissioner of the General Land Office, Austin, Texas. These will be supplied free of cost to appli- cants, and will also contain information and directions for applying for these lands. The prices generally range from $1 to $3 per acre; in some cases more. The terms are one- fortieth cash, the balance in 40 years, with interest at 3 percent. The lands may be held 40 years by making the original payment of one-fortieth down and paying the interest annually. Those who are seeking to locate in Texas would best write to the Land Commissioner for these lists. For informa- tion concerning the counties in which these lands arc located, reference should be made to the "Texas Almanac" referred to. In another issue some important questions will be an- swered that have been asked by several inquirers. r =x v (£cmabtan Conducted by Morley Pettit, Villa Nova, Ont. Getting Combs Built. Now as to getting combs built in frames, we need to use a great deal of patience and good judgment, An ideal comb for all purposes — brood-rearing and storing of honey for ex- tracting—is one which is as straight and even as a board, and completely fills every side and corner of the frame with worker-comb. Such combs, especially of the Langstroth size, are not easily obtained. For getting them we need good, tough foundation. I have not tried anything that says less than that made by the Weed process. The sheet of foundation should come very close to bot- tom and side bars, and if well wired and handled carefully it will not sag enough to buckle at the bottom. By " well wired," I mean three or four horizontal wires drawn tight. Some advocate a slack wire to allow the foun- dation to sag. I don't want it to sag, and with tight wires and good foundation, and proper management, it does not sag, or buckle, either. By " proper management," I refer to the main point in 12 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 4, 19C6 getting straight combs. Do not get the foundation in too hot a place. Have upward ventilation in all hives during the honey-flow, but particularly in those where foundation is being drawn out. New swarms are especially hot- blooded, and require more ventilation than others. In favorable springs we can get some combs built dur- ing sugar-maple bloom, by putting foundation in the center of the brood-nest of strong colonies. Of course, this is ex- ceptionally early ; but in a good flow from fruit-bloom a couple of frames of wired foundation can be put between sealed brood-combs, and will be built out and occupied by the queen. Later, during the main honey-flow, any number of new combs can be got in this way; but with this disad- vantage : The lower edge of the foundation is often gnawed away to leave a bee-space between the bottom-bar and the comb. This is especially the case in a slow flow. Founda- tion should never be left in the hive when there is no honey coming in. Combs built in the super when there is a brisk flow on, are much more apt to fill the frames nicely ; but here are other disadvantages : If a full super of foundation is put on at once it is very liable to induce swarming ; and if combs are mixed in with the foundation these are filled and bulged away over against the foundation. To overcome the bulging use a "foundation separator," which is like a fence separator grown to the size of a division-board. Some of my Canadian friends who object to dummies in comb-honey production will no doubt object to these on the same score — " too much truck ;" but it gives nice, straight combs on both sides, and also supports part of the weight of the bees, relieving the tendency to sag the foun- dation. Those who use wide spacing in the super will find it necessary to space foundation close until it is drawn out. ^v (Dur* Sister 23eelKeepers Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. The Bee and Honey Pedigree. The pedigree of honey Does not concern the bee ; A clover, any time, to her Is aristocracy. — Emily Dickinson. J Honey-Vinegar — Honey in Remedies. One of the good Wisconsin brothers, Elias Fox, sends the following on the uses of honey : Honey- Vinegar. — Two pounds of honey dissolved in one gallon of soft water. Set in a warm place until thor- oughly fermented. It makes the purest, the healthiest, and the best vinegar on earth. Honey for Dyspepsia. — Take a good glass of boiling hot water and stir in it 4 tablespoonfulsof honey, and drink while hot before retiring. It will promote sound sleep, good digestion, free action of the liver and kidneys, and cure nervousness. Hoeny in Cough Remedies.— Always use honey in all cough remedies instead of sugar. A Honey Salve that never fails to cure boils and car- buncles is made by mixing together pure honey and wheat flour. Make a stiff paste, spread on a piece of muslin, and press tightly on the sore. Remove and apply a new one every 12 hours. —^ Honey to Keep Lips Soft and Smooth. To a young lady anxious as to the condition of her lips, " Mme. Qui Vive," in the Chicago Record-Herald, replies : " To keep the lips soft and smooth apply honey or white vaseline." One can not help wondering why she should give vas- eline as an alternative. Surely, no one would hesitate to decide that the pure and delicious product of the busy bee is far and away ahead of any preparation of the disagreeable coal-oil to keep a young lady's lips in condition for any proper uses for which they were intended. Quite likely, however, " Mme. Qui Vive " thought that in a large number of cases, if not the great majority, vas- eline would be found more ready at hand than honey. Should it be so ? -^ — ■ "Bees Do Nothing Invariably." An Australian bee-paper credits the saying, " Bees do nothing invariably," to "the late Mr. L. Harrison." Good friends on the other side, you have things some- what mixed. That saying originated with one of the sis- ters, and when you wrote " the late Mr. Harrison " you probably had in mind " the late Mrs. Harrison," who wrote many a good thing. But neither should the credit for that saying be given to Mrs. Harrison, but to another of the sisters — Mrs. Ellen S. Tupper, who atone time edited a bee- paper in this country. A Bee-Story from Vermont. A friend from Elizabeth, N. J., sent me the enclosed clipping a few days ago. They knew all about me and my bees, and I really think they thought I had " bees in my bonnet" when I told them some things about the bees when they were visiting me during the past summer. I thought possibly some one could amuse themselves with the clipping. I am inclined to think that the queen- bee did not need to lead the workers to the place where the honey was, and so consequently the person who wrote the article was not "posted" on bees. Grand Rapids, Mich. (Miss) Elsie A. Cutter. The clipping referred to reads as follows : Shrewsbury, Vt., Sept. 30. — When Elmer White found a bee-tree last summer, which he figured would yield at least a bushel of honey, he was greatly pleased, for he needed a new shotgun for the fall hunting, and was a little short of ready cash. He estimated that the sweet would pay for half the cost at any rate, and visited the tree now and then until the hard-working bees had filled and sealed the combs preparatory to a long, cold winter. Then he cut the tree down, smoked off the indignant bees, and, with the help of his wife, carted the honey home. There was a little over a bushel, and it was finally decided to put it in the loft over the corn-crib. Here, Mrs. White said, it would keep dry and get air enough to prevent gran- ulation. As honey wasn't bringing much at the time, it was thought better to hold it until the first of September, when the price would advance. Along in August Mr. White went to Rutland and picked out a fine, breech-loading shotgun for $12, and told the store- keeper to put it aside and he would call for it before duck season. He paid $4 on deposit, and felt so pleased that he bought his wife a new poke sunbonnet for $3. Then he went home to farm it and wait for the rise in the price of honey. The rise came about Sept. 1, as he expected, and last week he drove to the village and met a traveling produce merchant by appointment. Together they journeyed back to the farm, and the pair, accompanied by Mrs. White, got a ladder and proceeded to the corn-crib. The merchant had brought some tin boxes and a pair of scales, and leav- ing the latter in the barn and swinging the former on a rope, he followed the farmer to the crib-loft. Mrs. White remained on the ground. The surprise of the pair when they found every parti- cle of the honey missing from the comb can scarcely be im- agined. Not a grain had been left. The comb itself re- mained intact, but the sweet had been taken to the last drop. " Wal, I'm jiggered, if that don't beat me clean holler," gasped Mr. White, gazing in dismay at the dry comb. The merchant, who had been examining one of the many small air-holes, laughed uproariously. " I guess this explains it," he said, pointing to a hole well stuck up around the edges. "Those bees were a little too smart for you, Captain. They've flown in and retrieved their losses." And so it turned out. The intelligent insects, under the leadership of the queen-bee, had followed the destroyers of their home to the farm, and, when the honey had been deposited within reach, had industriously taken it away a little at a time. It was useless looking for it now, as they had flown far with the sweet particles, and were now be- ginning their winter's feast. While this story may have fact for its foundation, the Jan. 4, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 13 material for its superstructure is evidently evolved in large measure from the brain of the imaginative reporter. The foundation facts probably are that Mr. While obtained 20 pounds of honey — possibly only 5— and that Mrs. White, desiring to keep it for a time, possibly for company, put it where the bees could reach it, and any beekeeper can guess the result. But let us not deny the imaginative reporter his due meed of praise. He who causes us to smile deserves our thanks, and the sister who can read the article through and not smile at some of the items evolved from the inner con- sciousness of that reporter — well, her smiling machinery must be in need of repairs. Pity that reporter did not tell just how Farmer White could estimate so closely the amount of honey to be con- tained in the tree just by looking at the outside of the tree. And why did Mrs. White remiinon the ground while the others went aloft with the tin boxes swung on a rope ? Let us not fail, in passing, to add toour catalog of facts for future guidance, that honey must be put where it will get air enough to prevent granulation until the rise in price always sure to come in September ! tflr. pasty's Ctftcrtfyougfyts j The " Old Reliable" as seen through New and Unreliable Glasses. By E. E. Hasty, Sta. B. Rural, Toledo, Ohio. Medical Demand for Bee-Stings. That medical writer on page 806, hardly meant what some will understand when he said the medical demand for bee-stings was far in advance of the supply. The visible supply is many thousands of millions— and the people of the U. S. are less than a hundred millions. Each man, woman and child can have more poison than they want to carry. Of course, what he meant was that the few bee-men now in that line of business were badly behind their orders. As to the modus operandi, one way, I believe, is to catch each bee in turn, pinch it a little until the sting protrudes, then seize the sting with suitable forceps and pull it away, poison-sac and all. Selser's new method I incline to register a mild protest against — making a whole colony mad until they will sting a rubber blanket at wholesale, and then picking the stings out of the blanket. Wastes the poison injected into the puncture for one thing ; be quite awhile before the last one could be pulled. And it don't seem quite the proper practice to infuriate bees, except for ends not to be secured in any other way, lest survivors remember it, and punish outsiders another day. Apparently it's not altogether necessary to make a colony or apiary more dangerous to a community than it already is in order to harvest poison for the doctors. Prices of Honey and Butter. According to Doolittle, page 807, honey for a long series of years trotted nicely with butter in even span. Sad to re- late, it had to be taken out at last and trot alone. Has been getting farther and farther behind on the course every year since. Very likely the identity of the prices of butter and honey did us good while it lasted ; and the approximation of honey and sugar is beginning to do us harm now. With butter at 22 and honey at 20, the seller could argue for 2 cents more ; but with honey at 7 and sugar at 6, the buyer can argue like mischief that honey ought to come down a cent. Those Wax-Honey Experiments. Delighted, as our President would say, to see my wax- honey experiments return to me after so many days, as they do on pages 808 and 809. 'Spects that is the best contribu- tion to apiculture I ever made. And I rather think the time is ripe now for a little plain talk. Who originated the wretched and egregious supersti- tion that there is any mysterious loss in the transformation of honey to wax ? Most superstitions came down from an- cient times ; but this one grew up in modern times — and sticks to apiculture like a lawyer-lamprey sticks to a big and unfortunate old fish. Honey has a large proportion of water, and wax none ; but otherwise there are the same in- gredients in the two, but the ingredients in very different proportions. It takes about 3 pounds of honey to afford materials for a pound of wax — and that's just what the ratio between the two is, neither less nor more. Let us shake off our last great superstition, and burn up our rotten old idol, as the Sandwich Islanders burned up theirs. Thanks to Adrian Getaz for showing that Huber, and Dumas, and Edwards, did not launch the 20 to 1 incubus, but were engaged in downing that ancient superstition, that wax was gathered from the flowers. Glad to see that others besides myself have reached the correct answer experi- mentally— and a different line from mine. About 82 parts carbon, 13 parts hydrogen, and 5 parts oxygen, in 100 of wax. About 28 parts carbon, 8 parts hydrogen, and 64 parts oxygen, in 100 of honey. Whether the honey is or is not supposed as entirely deprived of its water, I am not quite sure. The reason the chemists say about instead of using their usual precision, is that wax is a variable mixture. Three different waxes in varying proportions constitute beeswax. Honey is also a mixture of several different sugars in vary- ing proportions. The ratio between 28 and 82 is a little less than 3, to-wit : 2.9286. If we should add 15 percent to this for water, we would have a ratio of 3'3 — very nearly. It is not necessary to suppose that Bruner's experiments are anything else than correct. He fed on a large scale, and the bees had to have part for their own support, and also to rear brood right along. To get a pound of wax for each 7 pounds of honey, fed in this wholesale way, is doing tolerably well. At our prices for wax, it would be getting about 4 cents a pound for dark extracted honey. But if Mr. Getaz's " inspiration " can come true, and the product sup- plant foundation in sections, instead of being melted up, it would be getting 8,'i cents a pound for the honey. Nectar-Yielding Captiousness of Alfalfa. The captiousness of alfalfa yielding honey abundantly when its severe conditions are all satisfied, and not a drop otherwise— Prof. Cook thinks that fault can be bred out of it easier than the honey-yielding habit can be bred into— say corn, or the potato— easier than the too-long tubes can be bred off the red clover. He may be right, but I have my doubts. Captiousness is a pretty stubborn quality. The man who sometimes will do a wonderful day's work to brag on, but usually nothing at all, may be harder to reform than the savage who never did a day's work in his life. Page 807. ' _ \ Doctor miller's Question = Box j> Send questions either to the office of the American Bee Journal, or to Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, 111. Dr. Miller does not answer Questions by mail. Preventing Swarming When Running for Extracted Honey How do you prevent swarming when you are extracting the honey ? We had 80 colonies this year run for extracted honey. Of these probablv every one prepared to swarm. They all had good ventilation from the bottom of the hives, and probably every one swarmed, or prepared to do so. Can you give any reason for it ? VERMONT. Answer.— The truth is that I don't prevent swarming when extracting, for the simple reason that it has been many a year since I worked a colony for extracted honey. If, however, I were running for extracted honey, I think I should take advantage of some things that are barred out from comb-honey producers. First, however, I must confess that I don't know why your bees should want to swarm, and yet why shouldn't they ? You don't say that your treatment of them was any different from your treatment of comb-honey colonies. Of course they would be at least a little less inclined to swarm because of having combs ready-made in which to store, but that alone is hardly a sufficient deterrent. You say they had good ventilation from the bottom 0f the hives. Now that is one of the things to be tried differ- ent for extracted honey ; not only good ventilation below, 14 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 4, 19C6 but good ventilation above. With comb honey all must be closed above, but I don't believe it hinders work in the ex- tracting combs to have abundant ventilation above. If a current of air is allowed to pass through from bottom to top, it is easy to see that the cooling effect will be many times more than to have only the same amount of ventila- tion below, and I think we are all agreed that abundant opportunity to cool off on hot days is a strong factor in the way of preventing swarming. One of the things that gives me confidence in this kind of ventilation comes from my own experience. Every year I have one or several colonies that I call " piles " — combs piled up 3 to 5 stories high, and an opening to each storv, thus giving the air a " through ticket " from bottom to top, with chance for side excursions at each story. Not one of these piles has ever swarmed, and I think it is not so much because of abundant room as because of the through ventilation. And yet I can not be sure that another factor may not have had something to do in the case, for nearly always these " piles " were started from colonies weaker than the average, becoming extra- strong as the season advanced. Another thing I would try is the Demaree plan, which, as you probably know, consists in putting an empty story under the full one at the beginning of the harvest, the queen being held in the lower story by an excluder. Mating and Laying of Queens 1. Does the slaughter of drones from a nucleus in which a young queen is contained indicate that the queen is mated ? 2. How can I prevent the bees from building comb about the queen-cells on the stick in the prepared frame within the brood-nest ? 3. Will queens lay after being mated while confined nights and days to the dark room, or should they be left out- side when mated (not knowing whether they are mated or not), after they have flown say S or 6 evenings during quiet and sunny weather? I have carried 10 nuclei in and out for 12 days after cells have hatched, and I can not find an egg. England. Answers. — 1. Yes, it is quite satisfactory proof that drones are no longer needed. 2. I don't know how to prevent it, and turn the question over to Mr. Doolittle. I'm not sure that I should want to prevent it, for it seems to do no harm, and is proof of pros- perity that encourages such building. 3. I suppose you refer to the plan of keeping nuclei in the dark and carrying them out late in the day after drones have ceased to fly, stimulating the virgins to fly at this late hour by feeding, and also getting the desired drones to fly in the same way. At the proper time after mating the young queens should lay, even if kept in the dark most of the 24 hours. They would probably be sooner about laying if left out all day long, but in that case you could not be sure at all about their mating. It is nothing very strange that your young queens are not laying at 12 days old. Often queens do not lay sooner than that when left out all the time, and slower work may be expected when their days are made so short. Besides, it is hardly to be expected that queens will so promptly be fertilized when allowed to fly only at an abnormal time. Still further, there is the chance of failure in a large proportion of cases. Discouraging Honey Seasons— What Bees Do with Honey 1. Compared with last year this year is discouraging. In 190V I averaged about 40 marketable sections to the col- ony, spring count. This year about 4. Does this thing happen often ? 2. Can you tell me what the bees do with their honey ? Of course they eat it, but something else. North Carolina. Answers. — 1. Your first question set me to looking over the first pages of " Forty Years Among the Bees " (and I want to thank you heartily for your kind words about that book), and I think if you will look over the same ground you will see that my discouragements would fully match yours. I can't tell you just how often you may ex- pect years of failure, but you may as well be ready to shut your teeth together and meet them when they do come. I suspect there are not many places where there are not occa- sional years of failure. Some years ago the failures came so frequently in this region that it was a serious question whether really good years were not things of the past. There were those who said that the advancing cultivation of the land had killed off some of the sources of honey, and we need never again expect the good old seasons of big har- vests. But they did return. Year before last was the best year I ever had, and I think the last S years were better than any other consecutive 5 years in my experience. So, keep a stiff upper lip, and have your dish right side up when the "shower" comes. 2. Of course I know what bees do with their honey ; they eat it, just as you say, and they — they — well, now, I don't really know what else they do with it, unless they store it up for such vandals as you and me to steal away from them. If you know anything else they do with it, then tell. Investigate the Poultry Business Write for a copy of my book which describes the profit- able combinations of £gg, Broiler, and Roaster Farms. It gives the price'? paid forests and poultry week by week for the past three years. It tells how and when a natch taken off each week in the year could be most profltablv marketed. It shows how vou can make $2.00 on a large winter roaster. It tells what profits can be made with each of the popular breeds, and the costs of production. I have helped thousands to make money with poultry. My Model Incubators and Brooders are used on the money-making farms. It is my business to teach those who use them to do so profitably. Whether your needs are small or large, I will furnish, without charge, esti- mates and plans for a complete equipment that will insure success without your spend- ing a dollar uselessly. Send for my complete literature. GHAS. A. CYPHERS 3926 Henry Street, Buffalo, N. V. Please mention Bee Journa when writing Advertisers. ffii'.rrrf'rr'ri.'.rf'i'r'.rr.rt'rr'i'fTrt'i'f *!*<*)'(")' i*i' r.)'f")'("r("i'f*r("r("i'<*)'(*)'("i'('fii> 6 Percent Discount We will allow you the above Discount on all Orders accompanied by Cash during January. Send for our Catalog. PAGE & LYON MFG. CO., New London, Wis. Mention Bee Journal when writing. We Sell Root's Goods in Michigan Let ns quote you prices on Sections, Hives, Foundation, etc., as we can save you time and freight. Beeswax Wanted for Cash. M. H. HUNT & SON. Bbll Branch, Waynb Co., Mich 85c for 15 NAMES For names and P. O. of 15 farmers and 15c — stamps taken — we will send for 2 vrs. tbe Farmer's Call— rear. sub. price 50c a year, F. C. is a wklv., 25 vrs. old, 1,300 pages a yr. Sample free. Farmer's Call,Quincy, 111. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Wisconsin Basswood Sections And Prompt Shipments Is what we are making for our customers. — DOVETAILED HIVES AND SHIPPING-CASES — We carry a full line of SUPPLIES. Ask for Catalog. 3 HARSHFIELD HANUFACTURINQ CO., Harshfield, Wis. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Jan. 4. 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 15 Keports anb (Experiences Poop Season for Honey in 1905 I like the American Bee Journal; it is a splendid paper, I have 35 colonies of bees wintering on the summer stands with rooting- felt tacked around the hives and leaves on top in the super. I have wintered my bees successfully in this way for 3 winters. The past season was a poor one for honey in this locality. I had about a half crop. I lay with typhoid fever from May 18 to the last of August, and also 4 of my family had the same disease, so my bees had no attention until fall. We had nice fall weather here, and the bees went into winter in good condi- tion. They had a flight this week. Cloe, Pa., Dec. 34. E. E. Williams. Speeles of Bees— A Correction I have the American Bee Journal of Sept. ?, 1905 (page 631), and wish to correct some errors that crept into my article which was given to my typewriter in a room in Washing- ton where many were working. I fear I did not review it. The great bee of the Orient is Megapis dor- sata, not Macroapis. In the same article the common honey-bee is referred to as Aphis. This should be Apis, of course. Aphis is a genus of plant-lice. It is very important that we get these names correct. While Macroapis and Megapis mean the same thing — big bee — there is no call or excuse for Macroapis. Our best authority on bees (Prof, Ashmead) thinks the great bee of the East should be given a distinct generic name, and he is doubtless correct. In regard to the introduction of the sting- less bees, I did not gather that the Govern- ment planned to undertake the work. Would it not be well for it to do so? If we think so, let us ask the Department to undertake it. I certainly believe it would be a wise use of money on the part of the Department of Agri- culture. A. J. Cook. Berlin, Germany. Poor Year for Bees Bee6 did no good here this year. They got a little honey in June, but no fall crop. I think perhaps it was too wet, but I am going to stay here and build my apiary to 150 colo- nies or more. R. J. Roberts. Kennett, Mo., Dec. 18. Big Yield from Carniolans The editors are making a very commendable effort to find out how to obtain a large yield of honey. Some of my Carniolans did re- markably well, and I have tried to tell my neighbors how I happened to manage them. The big yield was luck, not science. Next year I will try to see if the yield is science instead of luck. Five or 6ix year6 ago one colony gave nearly five times the average yield of the colo- nies of the remainder of the apiary. I could not remember the particulars of the manage- ment, so the yield was a streak of luck — noth- ing more. This time I happened to remember how I managed the colonies that did so well. Thinking that you might be interested in reading the management, result, and infer- ences, I requested the editor of our local paper to send you a copy of his editorial. O. L. Abbott. Fresno Co., Calif., Dec. 4. The editorial from Mr. Abbott's local paper (Irrigator) reads as follows: A Big yiELD of Honey. During the season of 1905 a remarkable yield of honey was harvested from a Carniolan colony of bees in one of the apiaries belonging to O. L. Abbott. A big yield alone is of little consequence; but when the statement is accompanied by an enumeration of the facts showing the manage- ment of the colony during the period of the gathering of the harvest, it becomes of great importance. We will give the management, the result, and some inferences : Management — Just as the colony began to hang out in preparation for swarming, Mr. Abbott withdrew two frames of hatching brood with the adhering bees, formed a nucleus, commonly called a " shook swarm," and located it in another apiary. The colony required two full 10-frame supers, in each of which he put S empty combs. Every 3 weeks the honey-wagon made a round for extracting. It made 4 trips. During one interval 5 frames of honey had to be withdrawn to make room. The Result— Each trip the colony fur- nished 16 full, fat Langstroth frames of honey, making 69 all told. Estimating that each frame yielded 6 pounds, the colony pro- duced 414 pounds of honey. At 4 cents a pound it was worth $16.50. In addition it yielded one " shook swarm." Inferences — Withdrawing 2 frames of hatching brood just as the bees commenced hanging out preparatory to swarming, checked and held the fever until the main honey-flow absorbed their attention and pre- vented further effort in that direction. Extracting often enough to keep them fur- nished with plenty of storeroom kept them from having idlers to spread discontent. The wonderful fecundity of the Carniolan queen caused the colony to recover in a few days from the loss of the " shook swarm," and to become and remain strong for the re- mainder of the season. Mr. Abbott says that about two dozen other Carniolan colonies treated in the same man- ner did about two-thirds as well. He has 100 colonies of this race now, and intends to re- queen 400 more with this stock. In gentle- ness, 60 far as his knowledge extends, they are surpassed only by the Caucasians. CONVENTION NOTICES. Nebraska: — The annual meeting of the Nebraska State Bee-Keepers' Association will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 17, at 2 p.m., at the Experiment Station Building of the Ne- braska State Farm, at Lincoln, Neb. The meeting will be of interest to all bee-keepers. E. Kretchmer. of Iowa, will read a paper on "Bees and Fruit;" H. F. Smith, Assistant in Department of Entomology of the University of Nebraska, will read a paper entitled, " The Relation of Robber-flies and the Honey-Bee." A general discussion will give all present an opportunity to discuss subjects of interest. Lincoln, Neb. Lillian E. Trester, Sec. Colorado.— The Colorado State Bee- Keep- ers' annual convention will be held in the Chamber of Commerce Building, Denver, Jan. 30, 31, 1906. This will be during " Farmers' Week," when many farmers' organizations will be in the city holding conventions. We are assured of low railroad fares from all points of the State. We are planning for our usual good convention. R. C. Aikin, Sec. Loveland, Colo. Our Leader Modern Farmer $ .25 Cosmopolitan 1.00 Pearson's 1.00 Woman's Home Companion 1.00 Review of Reviews 3.00 Our price for all one year, $3.00. Gleanings in Bee Culture, The American Boy, or the Western Fruit Grower may be substituted for Pearson's, if desired. Write for other Clubs. Give us a list of what you want. We can save you money on almost any paper. THE riODERN FARHER, ST. JOSEPH, MO. J Langstroth »•> ^ «* Honey-Bee Revised by Dadant— Latest Edition. This is one of the standard books on bee-culture, and ought to be in the library of every bee-keeper. It is bound substantially in cloth, and contains over S00 pages, being revised by those large, practical bee-keepers, so weU- known to aU the readers of the Ameri- can Bee Journal — Chas. Dadant & Son. Each subject is clearly and thoroly ex- plained, so that by following the in- structions of this book one cannot fail to be wonderfully helped on the way to success with bees. The book we mail for $1 .20, or club it with the American Bee Journal for one year— both for S2.00 ; or, we will mail it as a premium for sending us THREE NEW subscribers to the Bee Journal for one year, with $3.00. GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, ILL Do You Want a South Dakota Paper? Tells of great land values, of business op- poitunitles, of a State where more railroad building is going on than in any other State union South Dakota Farmer S8J?" every week. Price, $1 per year. SPECIAL OFFER— Send this ad with 35 cents for a vear's subscription. Address. SOUTH DAKOTA FARMER, SlouxFalls.S.D. StAlOt Please mention the Bee Journal. w> sjboJ tS oi g mojj 5S13I pnw 5 laO °Q •"Aatf i — a ~ i ml «0 C> CO p«t>4i878,'8a, '»a & 11IU4' Otisvtllk, Pa., Jan. 18, 1904. Dear Sir:— I have tried almost everything in the smoker line; 3 in the last 3 years. In short If I want any more smokers your new style Is good enough for me. I thank the editor of Re- view for what he said of it. Those remarks in- duced me to get mine. Fred Fodner. The Rietsche Press Made of artificial stone. Practically Inde- structible, and giving entirely satisfactory re- sults. Comb foundation made easily and ?ulckly at less than half the cost of buying rom the dealers. Price of Press, $1.50— cash with order. Address, ADRIAN GETAZ, 45Atf KNOXVILLE, TENN. ITJ.G. Goodner, of this State, writes me that he "prefers to pay $25 for a Rietsche Press than do without it."— A. G. Mention Bee Journal when writing;. 16 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 4, 19C6 How A. D. Blocher MADE $750.00 IN TWO MONTHS WORKING FOR US A. D. Blocher of Davison, Mich., is a farmer. He believes in turning his spare time into money. He read the advertise- ments of the Co-operative Society of the National Supply Co., and was convinced that the Society was a good thing for himself and his friends. He believed in co-operation, and he saw that here was a Society which offered something tangible, safe and profitable, in that line. He wrote us and later joined the Society, became an active, enthusiastic worker, solicited his neighbors to join, distributed several hundred of our catalogues among them, and induced a great many of them to be- come members. His compensation for distributing the catalogues; the member- ship fees on the persons he induced to join the Society, and commissions on the goods purchased by them paid him the hand- some reward of $754.20— all done in his A. D. BLOCHER Davison, Mich. YOU CAN DO IT TOO spare time, and every member thanked him for getting them to join the Society. What Mr. Blocher did you can do. Hun- dreds of others — men and women — have done nearly as well and are doing it today. Write us and we will explain it all. We will show you just how and why you can do as well or better. This is the oppor- tunity of a lifetime and will only cost you the effort of writing us a postal card to learn all about it; and it will mean very little work on your part to make big money. Besides we will show you how you will profit by your membership in this Society every year as long as you live. Mr. Biocher made $754.20 in two months, but that was not all the benefits he re- ceived— his membership made him a partner in a business that is saving him severalhundred dollars every year. Write us a postal for full particulars. Do it now. How You Can Save 10 to 20 Per Cent on Everything You Buy To save 10 per cent to 20 per cent on the cost of your supplies, join the Co-operative Society of the National Supply Co. and buy every- thing you need to eat. wear or use on the farm or in the home, from the Society and you will save from $10 to $20 on every hundred dol- lars you spend for merchandise. The National Supply Co., of Lansing, Mich., and Chicago, 111., is one of the largest mail order houses in the world— its prices published in plain figures in its large, free 1,000 page catalogue are as low and on many articles a great deal lower than any other mail order concern. Anybody can buy anything from them and save money by doing it. Members ot the Co-operative Society get a special discount of 10 percent from the list on everything they buy through the Society, which in the course of a year means a saving to members of many hundreds of dollars. The average farmer can save from $100 to $250 a year on his supplies— all on an Investment of hut Sin for a fully paid up, non-assessable Life Membership in this Society. Can you invest $10.00 in any other way that will bring you even one-tenth the income that this will? Can yon buy your sup- plies as cheaply any other way? Co-operation alone makes such a thing possible. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose by becoming a member. If you join the Co-operative Society of the National Supply Co., and your savings in discounts on pur- chases should not amount to $10 during the year and you wish to with- draw, we will redeem your Membership Certificate by paying you back the difference between the amount of the discounts youbave received and the $10 membership fee, together with 6 per cent interest on the amount so paid back. Isn't this a fair offer, and doesn't it take away all risk from you? No other co-operative society ever made such a broad offer before. We Invite you to join and we make it easy and absolutely safe for you to do so. Write today for particulars and full explanation of how this Society is able to make these extraordinary offers. How We Can Sell this $47.50 Jump-Seat Buggy for $34.20 FREIGHT PAID Furnished with Shafts, Car- pets, Storm Apron, Wrench, etc. Our regular price for this $47.50 rig is $38.00. Price to Members Here is a clear saving of $3.80 to purchasers who are members of the Co-operative Society. This is but one item of many, but it shows what a membership in this Society is worth to you in dollars saved. This National Jamp-Seat Buggy is actually worth $47.50 and you cannot duplicate it for less anywhere else. It is built for two or four passengers, made of good hickory, anil is fully warranted in every particular— quickly changed from a single to a double seat without removing any parts. This is acknowledged to be the most convenient arrangement ever invented. It is very simple, making it possible to instantly change this rig from a two-seated buggy to a really desirable light market wagon— just what every farmer needs. Wheels are all hickory, Sarven or shell band, lxv.£ inch steel tire. Gear— Axle. 1 inch, dust-proof, and cemented to hickory wood, rear king bolt, fifth wheel and double perch reach. Oil-tempered, elliptic springs, strong enough to carry four passengers. Body— white wood and hickory, strongly ironed throughout, and full length body loops 60 inches long and 28 inches wide. Cushions — green cloth, whipcord or imitation leather. Painting— body black with dark green gear, narrow stripe, high-grade finish. We are only able to make this remarkable offer by taking the entire output of the factory, and saving all middlemen's profits — co-operation in this Society cuts out all needless expenses and profits between the factory and the member. Send us an order for a NatlonalJump-Seat Buggy at once— $38.00 is cheap for it. To make the bargain still better, send for an Application Blank, join the So- ciety, and save $3.80 extra — this extra saving will pay more than one-third the mem- bership fee. Hundreds of members have joined the So- ciety without it costing them a cent— the savings on their purchases paying the full fee and often leaving them a nice profit besides. We solicit you to join the Society now. 1,000 PAGE rri EC CATALOGUE I Rbb We want every familv in the United States to have one of our large, handsome 1.000-page catalogues. It is the greatest Buyers' Guide ever published. Is illustrated with thousands of beautiful cuts; every page is brimming full of genuine bargains not to be found anywhere else. We also want vou to read the article in the catalogue on' "Co-operation"— it'sa treatise on the practical workings of genu- ine co-operation. It shows how this Society, composed of farmers all over the country, is fighting trusts and combines, and how its members are improving their conditions through the force of co-op- eration. The Society is willing to pay well to have the catalogue placed in the hands of men who will join the Society and help us to extend still further the influence of our co-operation. If you want to make good money in ynur spare time, or if yon can devote vour whole time to the work, write us for catalogue— we'll 'send It free— and we'll tell you how A. D. Blocher made $754.20 in two months, and how you can do the same or better. Write today for the information, and begin the work at once. CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETY OF THE NATIONAL SUPPLY CO. LANSING, MICHIGAN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS Jan. 4, 1906 THfc AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 17 S66d-Tim6 and f arvest is an illustrated Monthly Journal for country homes. It is known everywhere as the Great 'Home Industry" Monthly. It is a "Peri- odical with a Purpose." Its mission is "Teach Independence Through Home Employment." Only 25 cents per year; none free. S66d-Tini6& Harvest Pub. Go. Dept. 208, Scranton, Pa. 45Ctf Please mention the Bee Journal. In Its Twenty-eighth Year The RuraTGalitornian 6 Months 25c. A large monthly magazine devoted to Agricul- tural, Horticultural and rural pursuits. 3howing the wonderful development of the Pacific Coast. Beau- tifully illustrated, well edited and artistically printed on fine book paper. An encyclopedia of in- formation for colonists. Address, THE RURAL CALIFORNIAN Rooms 6 and 7 Temple Block, lCtf LOS ANGELES. CALIF. Mention Dee Journal when writing. Successful Poultry Journal FRANK HECK, Edito-. Subscription Price so cents per Year. write for Advertising Rates. The most prominent and successful, practical poultrymen wriie for the Succes-ful Pou'try Jour nal, and tell how they build their houses, mate their fowls, manage their incubators, feed both young and old— and, in fact, tell how they succeed and make money. Send for sample copy. SUCCES-FOL POULTRY JOURNAL lCtf 355 Dearborn St., CHICAGO, ILL. BARNES' FOOT POWER MACHINERY Read what J. I. Parent^ Charlton, N. YM says: " We cut with one of your Com- bined Machines, last winter- 50 chaff hives with 7-in. cap, 100 honey racks, 500 brood, frames, 2,000 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 it with this Saw. It will do all yon say it will." Catalog and price-list free* Address, W. F. & John Barnes, 995 Ruby St., Rockford, 111. Mention Bee Journal when writing. 3PETS If you are interested in Pigeon?, Rabbits, Cavies, Dogs, Cats, Birds or Pet6 of any kind, you should send for a tree sample of PET STOCK, it's the Best Pub- lication of its kind in America. Has a national circulation, and it's only 50c a year. Address, PET STOCK, 40Ctf Box 20, YORK, PA. AH About the Southwest Homes and Prosperity for Everybody TEXAS produces more honey and other money crops than any other State. FARM AND RANCH is the home builders' guide, handsomely printed on good paper and beautifully illustrated. Contains clean, reliable, interesting and instructive reading for each member of the lamilv, 24 pages weekly, fi.oo per year. Send stamp for sample copy. FARM AND RANCH, Dallas, Tex. Mention Bee Journal when writing;* Have you Tried 'The Eioin Hive?" series fit it accurately. standard Supers, Frames and other acoes- Price Bach Lots of Five 8- Frame in-Frame 8-Frame 10-Frarae $1.55 2 05 2.51) $1.65 2.15 2.6) $ 7.no 9.50 1 Mill $ 7.10 12.00 Kither Flat or Gable Cover at above prices. i-PKCl AU-With every order for Ave or more hives received (lurlne January.we will sive FRBK vmir choice of • American Bee Journal." l year; revised edition •■ Langstrotb on the Honey-Bee," or "VortY Y ears Among the Bees, by Dr. c. C. Miller. r'u) We are installing special Section machinery. Get our prices. We will carry a full line of Supplies this season. A postcard will bring you our list. Try it. Monev back if dissatisfied o»ff">" mi» Mention Bee Journal THE NATIONAL SUPPLY CO., Elgin, III. when writing. MiGHiflrin Distributors FOR G. B. Lewis Co's BEEWARE Dadant's Foundation WITH an enormous stock, and the best ship- ping point in Michigan, we are in a posi- tion to give you the very best service. SPECIAL.— A quantity of Dovetail and Wis- consin Hives, slightly damaged by water, in packages of S at $1.25 per hive ior\'/2- story 8 frame ; 10-frame, $1.40 per hive. Satisfaction guaranteed. A. G. WOODMAN CO., Grand Rapids, Mich. Advanced Bee-Veil. (lord arrangement, absolutely bee-proof, best on earth. Made of imported French tulle veiling. Cotton, with silk face, 50 cents, postpaid. 49C7t Mention Bee Journal when writing. ( ( GET A DANDY the fastest cutting* bone cutter made, and double your efrg yield. Sol»Mlreet on 30 days trial. 85 up. Catalogue free. Strata Mfg. Co., Box 21 Erie, Pa. 40-Page Catalog Free! Full information regarding all ki Full information regarding all kinds of BEE- KEEPERS' SUPPLIES, Best goodB. Latest im- provements. Danzenbaker Hives and Fixtures. Prompt shipments. JOHNJ NKBEL & SON SrPPLY CO.. High Hill, Mo, 3Dtf I BEE-SUPPLIES We manufacture everything needed in the Apiary, and carry a large stock and greatest variety. We assure you the best goods at LOWEST PRICES and our excellent freight facilities enable us to make prompt shipments over 15 dif- ferent roads, thereby saving you excessive freight charges as well as time nnd worry in having goods transferred and damaged. We make the Alternating, Massie, Langstr oth and the Dovetail Hives Our prices are very reasonable, and to convince you of such we will mail you our free illustrated and descriptive catalog and price-list upon request. We want every bee-keeper to have our Catalog- SPECIAL DISCOUNTS now. Write to-day. Address, KRETGfi/WER MFG. GO., Gouncil Bluffs, Iowa. Catalogs issued in English or German. I 18 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 4, 1906 iftH'i EVERY FARMER NEEDS A GOOD TELEPHONE __. IT'S CHEAPER TO TALK THAN WALK A telephone on the farm is a "saver" in a great many ways. It increases the working force by decreasing the necessity for so many trips to town and to the neighbors. It adds security by providing means for quick communication in time of misfortune and distress. There is no question as to the telephone being a paying in- vestment for the farmer. The only question is, which telephone is the best for the farmer to buy? Stromberg- Carlson Telephones are built better than the ordinary telephone, so that they are especially adapted to the farmer's use. Every piece and part that go to make up a complete telephone are made by skilled specialists in our own plant — the largest inde- pendent telephone factory in the world — made with minute care and thoroughly tested before leaving our hands; that's why they give best service, that's why there are more of them in use than of all others combined, that's why it is the telephone to buy. Many other good reasons are contained in our new book, "How the Tele- phone Helps the Farmer," which will in- terest you if you are going to buy one or a hundred telephones. Write today — ask for book 80-L — we send it free. Stromhcrg-Cnrlson Tel. Mfg. Co. Rochester, N. Y. Chicago, III. ^IIIWM i. il ■■»!.» in ■ «,i sm — x»l liKrn , i"» »ir KOITM^f ,l|»«.l Mention Bee Journal when writing. BEE - SUPPLIES Everything the bee-keeper needs. Distributing house for Lewis' Goods at Factory Prices. Now is the time to buy for next season. Cash Orders for regular Supplies before February, 6 percent Discount. FINE EXTRACTED HONEY in cans or barrels. The best the world can produce Samples S cents, to pay postage and packing. How much can you use? Prices quoted quick on the quantity you mention. We buy BEESWAX at all times in the year. Send for our Catalog and "Special" — free. CM C^rtTT J? f*C\ 1004 east Wash. Street ■ lYI. OVSW I & L/V/. INDIANAPOLIS. IND. ** ** ** 0 WORTH OF SEEDS We will also send, if you write at once for our 1906' catalog, one packet of a Rare Variety and one Fine Rose Bush that will bear beautiful roses this year. Enclose with your request a dime or five two-cent stamps to pay packing and postage and all will be sent to your address prepaid. You can then select any packet seeds you wish from catalog to amount of due bill. You can also see the many new things we have catalogued this year in addition to our regulat high-grade, pure-bred Farm and Garden Seeds, which give universal satisfaction because they grow good crops. Sit down and write for catalog now — lest you forget. « A. A. BERRY SEED CO.. BOX 49. CLAR.INDA, IOWA Mention Bee Journal when writing. s2lre HONEY-JARS The No. 25 Hooey-Jar, Porcelain Cover, Metal Screw Cap, absolutely tight, holding One Pound of Honey, Net, in shipping-cases of one gross each: 1 gross lots $4.50 per gross 5 " " 4.00 " Also in strong RE-SHIPPING CASES of two dozen each, heavy corrugated partitions, sides, top and bottom— a perfect protection — 1 case lots $1.00 per case 5 " 95 " 10 " -90 " Eight-ounce Tumblers, tin caps, 3 dozen in re- shipping case: 5 case lots, per case, 3 doz 85c 10 " " " 80c 20 " " " 75c F.O.B. New York. Prompt shipment on re* ceipt of order. HILDRETH & SEQELKEN, 265 &. 267 GREENWICH ST., NEW YORK, N. Y. HAtf Please mention the Bee Journal. For Sale-2 5,000 Lbs. Si Spanish-needle Extracted Honey put up in new 60-lb. tin cans — 6c a pound for the lot, or 6}£c for less, F. J. GUNZEL, Weiner, Ark. 44Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. FOR SALE Until further notice, fineBt quality new crop California Water-White White Sage and Light Amber HONEY in 60-lb. tins, 2 in a case; new cans and new cases. Write for prices and sam pies, and state quantity you want. HILDRETH & SEGELKEN 265 & 267 Greenwich Street, New York, N.Y 34Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. WANTED Fancy White Comb Honey in Non-Drip Shipping-Cases; also White Clover Honey in cans and barrels. Please send samples and state your lowest price, delivered here. We pay spot cash upon receipt of goods. QRIOGS BROTHERS 521 Monroe Street. - TOLEDO, OHIO. ■UAH Please mention the Bee Journal. Big Discounts on Bee-Supplies The following discounts apply on all orders except honey- packages for current use: For cash orders before Oct. 1—10 percent Nov. 1 9 percent I Feb. 1 6 percent Dec. 1 8 " March 1.... 4 " Jan. 1 7 " | April 1 2- " We handle LEWIS' GOODS, and carry a large stock, which insures prompt shipment. Catalog free. Address, LOUIS HANSSEN'S SONS, 213 & 215 W. 2d Street, DAVENPORT, IOWA 38Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. Trees, Plants & Seeds yuQ THAT GROW Ss 4c; Plum and Cherry 12c: Peach 4e; all/ budded; Con- y^^ cord GrapeSv^fc^A1 2c; Fores tsC&S ' Freight paid s. Cal Tree lings ft 1000. .-...I- ■fas' on trees. Cata- logue, English or German, free, write for it todav. Address GERMAN NURSERIES. Box 30 Beatrice, Web. -PURE ALFALFA-* HONEY IN 60-POUND CANS We have a good supply of Pure Alfalfa HONEY in 60-pound cans that we can ship by return freight at these prices : 2 cans, boxed, at 8% cents a pound ; 4 or more cans at one time, 8 cents a pound — all f.o.b. Chi- cago. Cash with order. Sample, by mail, 8 in stamps, to cover package and postage. Address, YORK HONEYIK^CO. 141-H3 Ontario St., CHICAGO, ILL. Jan. 4, 19(6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 19 LowestPrici Big Discount for Early Orders On Cash Orders Before November 1 9 percent " December 1 8 " " January 1 7 " " February 1 6 " March 1 4 " " April 1 2 •• Bee = Supplies OF ALL KINDS Established Nearly 25 Years We have published THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER for IS years (monthly, 50c a year.) The largest and best il- lustrated magazine of its kind for the price published. Edited by two of the most experienced bee - keepers in America. Sample copy free. Our large, illustrated Price-List of Supplies free on application. Address, The W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co. JAHESTOWN, N. Y. Mention Bee Journal when writing. f)oney anb Chicago, Dec. 6.— The trade ia best grades of white comb honey has been fair, yet retailers taking only small quantities at a time. This honey brings 14@15c ; other grades are difficult to place at from l@3c per pound less. Extracted selling at 7@7>. Bee-Supplies Complete Stock for 1906 now on hand. FREIGHT- RATES FROM CINCINNATI are the LOWEST, ESPECIALLY for the SOUTH as 'mostall freight now goes through Cincinnati. Prompt Service is what I practice. You will Satisfaction Guaranteed. SAVE MONEY BUYING FROM ME. Catalog mailed free. Send for same. 6 Percent Discount for January Let me book your Order for I.A.XS, and CAUCASIANS. For prices, refer to my catalog QUEENS bred in separate apiaries, «^oi.i>i;> vii LOWS, CAK.NIO. C. H.W.WEBER™ Office and Salesrooms, 2146-48 Central Ave. Warehouses. Freeman and Central Aves. of honey arriving, but no one producer seems to have very great quantities to offer. I quote fancy white at 15@16c; No. I in poor demand at 12c, and amber dull atlOc. Best grade extracted brings 8@9c in 60-lb. cans; amber slow at 6c. Beeswax, 30@33c. Walter S. Pooder. Denver, Nov. 11.— No. 1 white comb honey, per case of 24 sections, $3.35; No. 1 light amber, I3.0J; No. 2, $2 50@3.00. Extracted honey, t% @7 cts. per pound. Supply is light and we coud make quick sales of consignments at above figures. We pay 24c for clean, yellow beeswax delivered here. The Colo. Honey-Producers' Assn. Cincinnati, Dec. 18. — The nice weather holds back the demand for comb honey. Crops seem to be exceedingly short and producers in the West keep the prices high. We quote as fol- lows: Fancy water-white and No. 1 white clo- ver, 14@16c; No. 2, 12@14c. Extracted seems to be more plentiful, and we quote same in barrels, light amber, 5/i@5,Hc; in cans, He more; white clover, 7@8c. Beeswax, 28@30c. C. H.W. Webek. " It is continuous advertising that impresses the public with the stability of a firm." Bee-Keepers' Early Discounts Now is the Time to send in your order for goods for use next season, and for all orders where cash accompa- nies we allow the following discounts : Before February 1 . . . deduct 6 percent " March 1 " 4 " " April 1 " 2 " • L Freight-Rates from Toledo are the lowest. Can take Honey and Beeswax in exchange for Supplies if you desire. Send for free illustrated Catalog. It de- scribes and illustrates everything for X both the Poultry and Bee Keepers. X GRIGGS BROS. X 521 Monroe St., TOLEDO, OHIO. 85c for 15 NAMES For names and P. O. of 15 farmers and 15e — stamps taken — we will send for -' yrs. the Farmer's Call— ree. snb. price 50c a year. F. C. is a wkly., 25 yrs.old, 1.300 pages a yr. Sample free. Farmer's Call.iQuincy, 111. Mention Bee Journal when writing. BEE SUPPLIES. We handle the finest bee supplies, made by the W. T. FALCONER MFG. CO., Jamestown, N. Y. Big Discounts on early orders, let us figure with you on your wants. "> _ MUTH SPECIAL DOVE TAIL HIVES, have a honoy board, warp- proof cover, and bottom board, think of it, same prlco as the regular styles. Send for Catalog. THE FRED. W. MUTH CO., 51 WALNUT ST., CINCINNATI, OHIO. FOR SALE Extracted Honey — Fancy white, 6K,c; fancy amber, 6c ; y4c less in 5-case lots or more. C. O. CLEMONS &. CO. 45itf KANSAS CITY, MO. HONEY AND BEESWAX When consigning baying or selling, consult R. A. BURNETT & CO., 199 South Watir St. Chicago. III. 20 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 4, 1906 A CARLOAD OF PAPER WAS USED IN PRINTING THE 1906 EDITIOI of the... LEWIS CATALOG 8W Send for One at Once IT IS FEEE Every Copy is a Work of Art. Better, Grander, Larger than Ever. JO" AGENTS WANTED For Lewis' Goods by the Carload MAINE NEW HAMPSHIRE VERMONT MASSACHUSETTS CONNECTICUT FOR RHODE ISLAND NORTH CAROLINA SOUTH CAROLINA MISSISSIPPI ALABAMA Liberal territory given. GEORGIA FLORIDA LOUISIANA SOUTHERN OHIO For further particulars address Home Office G. B. LEWIS CO. -SSr Watertown,Wis. XJ. S. A.. 22 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 11, 1906 PUBLISHED WEEKLY BV GEORGE W. YORK li COMPANY 334 Dearborn Street, Chicago, III. IMPORTANT NOTICES THE SUBSCRIPTION PRICE of this Journal 1b $1.00 a year. In the United States, Canada, and Mexico; all other countries in the Postal Union, 50 cents a year extra tot postage. Sample copy free. THE WRAPPER-LABEL, DATE indicates the end of the month to which your subscription is paid. For instance, "dec06" on your label Bhows that it is paid to the end of December. SUBSCRIPTION RECEIPTS.-We do not Bend a receipt for money sent us to pay subscription, but change the date on your wrapper-label, which shows that the money has been received and credited. ADVERTISING RATES will be given upon appli- cation. National Bee-Keepers' Association Objects of the Association 1st.— To promote the interests of its members. 2d.— To protect and defend its members in their lawful rights. 3d.— To enforce laws against the adulteration of honey. Annual Membership Dues, Si.oo General Manager and Treasurer — N. E. France, Platteville, Wla. |y If more convenient. Dues may be sent to the publishers of the American Bee Journal. The Honey-Producers' League ( Incorporated) OBJECTS: 1. To create a larger demand for honey through advertising. 2. To publish facts about honey, and counteract misrepresentations of the same. MEMBERSHIP DUES 1. Any bee-keeper may become a member by pay- ing to the Manager an annual fee of $1.00 for each 20 (or fraction of 20) colonies of bees (spring count) he owns or operates. 2. Any honey-dealer, bee-supply dealer, bee-supply manufacturer, bee-paper publisher, or any other Arm or individual, may become a member on the annual payment of a fee of $10, increased by one- fifth of one (l) percent of his or its capital used in the allied interests of bee-keepine. George W. Tore, Manager, 334 Dearborn St., CHICAGO, ILL. 4* The continuous advertiser gets the bulk of Die business, because others are not adver- tising, and he is." KEEPERS' SUPPLIES § POULTRY SUPPLIES LEWIS' BEEWARE is so well known it need no introduc- tion. 6 percent Discount on Bee= Supplies for January . Beeswax wanted — 26c cash, 28c when taking bee-sup- plies in exchange. Extracted Money for pale. Prices on application. Sample, 10c. CORNELL INCUBATORS PEEP 0" DAY BROODERS CORNELL CHICK MACHINERY are unexcelled. The 1906 Cornell Incubator is superior to anything heretofore put on the market. fl. M. ARND, Mgr. New 1906 Catalog for either line FREE If you want orders filled PROMPTLY AT FACTORY PRICES, send your order to YORK HONEY ffiWEr3 CO. CBS) 141 Ontario Street, CHICAGO, ILL. Long- Distance 'Phone, North 1559. DITTMER'S FOUNDATION Jadeb!st Retail, Wholesale and Jobbing. Owes its REPUTATION entirely to its MERITS, and our PERSISTENT EFFORTS to MAKE the BEST and KEEP it the BEST. It is TOUGH, CLEAR, and PERFECTLY TRANSPARENT, has the NATURAL SWEET ODOR of PURE WAX, and the COLOR of the BRIGHTEST and LIGHTEST LEMON and ORANGE. We make a SPECIALTY of WORKING WAX into FOUNDATION for CASH, by the TENS, HUNDREDS and THOUSANDS of POUNDS, and we are in the Best Shape to attend to all orders promptly, our capacity being- 1500 pounds daily. FULL and COMPLETE LINE of SUPPLIES, and the BEST ONLY. Do not fail to write for SAMPLES of our Foundation, Descriptive Catalog, PRICES and DISCOUNTS, stating Quantity of Foundation wanted. Wax to be Worked, and List of other Supplies, and Prices will be accordingly. Beeswax always wanted. E. Grainger & Co., Toronto, Ontario .... Agents for Canada The Beb and Honey Co., Beeville, Texas . . M Texas E. H. Taylor, Welwyn, Herts, England ... " Great Britain W. D. Soper, Jackson, Michigan ■■ Michigan Mention Bee Journal when writing. GUS D1TTMER, Augusta, Wis. 6 Percent Discount We will allow you the above Discount on all Orders accompanied by Cash during January. Send for our Catalog. PAGE & LYON MFG. CO., New London, Wis. Mention Bee Journal when writing. NOT IN THE TRUST For High-Grade Cans Prices Always the Lowest Write for Prices, Stating- Quantity- Wanted Friction Top Cans for Honey and Syrup Prompt shipment and careful attention given to all orders. Special prices to members of the Bee-Keepers' Associations. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Made by CANNERS CAN CO., 1035 W. 47th Street, CHICAGO, ILL. 11, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 23 I "DADMT'S FOUNDATION" ! -AND- •1®J* BEE=SUPPLIES •ft Revised Prices on Foundation IN LOTS OF Name of Grade 1-lb. 5-lbs. 10-lbs. 2S-lbs. SO lbs. Medium Brood SS S3 51 49 48 Light Brood 57 55 53 51 50 Thin Surplus 62 60 58 56 55 Extra Thin Surplus. . .65 63 61 59 58 DISCOUNTS for Early Cash Orders During September 10 percent " October 9 " November 8 " December 7 " January 6 " February .'. 4 " March 2 Beeswax Wanted at all Times. ##$h DADANT & SONS, Hamilton, 111. •ty ^^r^^^^^^^^^^r^^^^^^^^^^^^^ en BULBS JU».-, Cents. Will grow in the bouse or (.nit n! doors. Hy act ni lis, Tulips. Ultullolus, Crocnsi Fuchsias, i hcalis, Tuberoses, Begonia Jonquils, Daffodils, < 'hinese I.iiv. 1 lew •■:•' Lilj . nia, Lilies of t lie Valley— all postpaid. ?5i*. in stamps or coin. Asa premium with iiit-st- Bulbs we will send mil. i big collection of flower seeds— over203 kimls. HILLSIDE NURSERY, SOMERVILLE, MASS. FREE ROSES & SEEDS Hal^H 50c WORTH Free rosebush, due bill for 50c ! worth of free seeds, and a free packet of seed will be sent to all sending" for our hand- | some new catalog. Send 10c to pav postage. A. A. BERRY SEED CO., BOX 49, CLARINDA, IOWA I TELEPHONE s Facts for Farmers Send for free book so-A. It containa telephone facts that are monev-sa vers Stromberg - Carlson Tel.- Mfjf, Co., Rochester, N.Y., Chicago.lll. California All About The Pacific Rural Press has been a house- hold word throughout California for 35 years. It is authority on all matters regarding the soil or products of California. Weekly, illus- trated: Edited by practical specialists. Two Dollars per year. Send for sample copy. Pacific Rural Press, 130 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif. 50Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. SEE THE 1906 RELIABLE before you buy. Perfectly practical forpoul- trymen or beginners. Double heating system gives bigger hatches— saves one- «= — third the oil. Sold on a money lb back guarantee. Write for free t!=_^ catalog. ' Reliable Farm Pure-r-^rf-j Bred Birds and Eggs. Get prices. ]] !T"~-=' l Incubator and Brooder Co,, Q Reliablf .. BoxB-153 Quinry. Illinois, TJ. S. A. Mention ilee Journal wuen writing If you want the Bee-Book That covers the whole Apicultural Field more a completely than any other published, send $1.20 to Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont, Cal., FOR HIS 44 Bee = Keeper's Guide." Liberal Discounts to the Trade. Mention Bee Journal when writing. •:• ♦:• ♦;• V» ♦:• *:♦ ♦*♦ •'♦ *V ••*• •:• *:• •;• *:♦ ♦:♦ •:♦ *:♦ *:• *.♦ ♦:♦ ♦.•• *.♦ *-* ♦-• ♦.♦ * 7|r -,f » :*« :$+ '.$< si»' :l* -i$y -it* <♦*- nfft *•» >,$ ft *,•» -i* «;#* -#» *#:» i#.»' -<*> •<#.»• it* -.•* -.•» ^ » ' " If Goods are wanted Quick, send to Pouder " BEE-SUPPLIES Root's Goods at Root's Prices I I l & w i Everything used by Bee- Keepers. POUDER'S HONEY-JARS. Prompt Service. Low Freight Rates. .-. .-. .'. Catalog Free. It you wish to purchase finest quality of HONEY for your local trade, write for my free monthly price-list of honey. Why not secure your BEE-SUPPLIES NOW FOR NEXT SEASON'S USE, and avail yourself of the following yery liberal discounts? Goods all Root Quality. For cash orders before Feb. 1 6 percent For cash orders before Mar. 1 .4 percent For cash orders befoie Apr. 1.2 percent WALTER S. POUDER, 513-515 Massachusetts Ave., INDIANAPOLIS, IND. i 24 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. u. 19<6 . .. ... ... ... * ... ... ... ... _. 3 A Complete Establishment f \ We say that we can supply EVERYTHING for the bee-keeper. It IS a LITERAL fact. Anything from bees to W~l tmA books, or hives to honey-boards. The completeness of our factory is not realized by most bee-keepers. Below we give the ^ Af£ main Departments of our business. Read them over and then we are sure you will understand when we 6ay EVERYTHING li "^ for the bee-keeper, we mean it. Jiaw ±j WOOD-WORKING DEPT. C a/A This department occupies the 3 floors of the main building of the factory. It is equipped from top to bottom with the V^ r ^ best machinery that brains can invent and money buy. Every detail in hive-making has been carefully figured out. Immense gA^r X sheds covering acres of ground protect the lumber piles so that shrinkage is reduced to almost nothing. Thi6 accounts for f "" ^jt the accurate fitting and clearness of stock of Root's wooden wares. The entire factory, light, and machinery power, is fur- ^ mA nished by a great, 4110 horse-power engine, and a 100 horse-power dynamo. |^ \ WAX- WORKING DEPT. fr ±■4 We are leaders in buying wax and selling the famous Weed Process Foundation. Our Wax Department is furnished ^ ji with tanks for refining, machines for sheeting, all 6izes of mills, automatic papering machines, etc. Over 150,000 pounds of |a r V foundation is made, boxed and shipped all over the world every year. lAw Jj TIN SHOP \ mL Here are made the thousands of smokers that bear the Root trade-mark of excellence. Here are made the cans for ex- 1> ' W tractors and uncapping-cans. Machines for cutting honey- hoards; presses for stamping tin and iron into various forms. J/L ^1 MACHINE SHOP \ Ml Equipped with the most expensive machinery and manned by skillful employees. We make our own'metal parts and ^km ' W much machinery for other factories. Powerful iron presses, iron cutting and drilling machines are in evidence everywhere. l/^ j^ APIARIES \ mm We have scattered in and around Medina 5 apiaries devoted exclusively to bee and queen rearing, supplemented by 5 J# ' W more in New York, Pennsylvania and Cuba, and we control the product of several other large queen-breeding establishments. [rr ^ Our queens are bred with scientific care. We test every device we make before it is introduced to the public. £ _lt SHIPPING DEPT. \j r W Two railroads run their cars to our doors. From a dozen to 20 men are kept busy loading and packing the 175 to 200 UtW ^ carloads we ship every year, besides the thousands of less than carload shipments. Eight express trains a day. With large ^~ kf warehouse packed full and a great factory it is a little wonder that Roots have gained a reputation for promptness in filling A ML orders for the hundreds of things in their catalog. JV \ PRINTING DEPT. r* ^/ Two large cylinder presses; 3 platen presses; paper folder, trimming, cutting and stitching machines; skilled typeset- Aj ml ters, printers, book-binders— all help to turn out semi-monthly the large issues of Gleanings in Bee Culture; the five to ten WW \ thousand ABC books every year; together with our 500,000 supply catalogs, not speaking of ithe numerous other ffi't' _j catalogs, booklets, labels and all varieties of printing. Two carloads of paper required for our annual catalog, a half carload ^ ^7 for our Christmas Gleanings alone. -A . ^i BRANCHES AND AGENTS Jfa a Eight branches with large stock in all great centers. Numerous jobbing agencies and hundreds of smaller agents place V ^/ our goods at your door at factory prices, with freight charges and time taken in shipment reduced to the lowest possible point. *\ J 01 We wonder if the bee-keeper ever thinks of the many hands and brains that plan for him? Of the hundreds of thousands of WW \ dollars, and the hours consumed to make and deliver his supplies? r^ *{l OFFICE \. #A The office is the brain of the factory. Here are the executive, editorial, advertising and book-keeping heads. Here the WW \ thousands of details are cared for. Root's office is as modern as you can find anywhere. Six typewriters are kept busy ; add- f^^ A ing machine, copying machine, vertical letter files, card indexes, etc.— everything to care for the half million dollars worth of V jfl business we do yearly. We have every interest of the bee-keeper at heart. We are working for your good, for your prosperity ^^ **m. means ours. jF JC The Compliments of the Season to Our Friends All Over World. fr H — ■ — 1/ r m Our Catalog for 1906 is ready. Write for a copy if you want it now. J&mw ft THE A. I. ROOT COMPANY, Medina, Ohio j. SS^j^MslsSr ■▼ (Entered at the Po8t-OfBce at Chicago as Second-Class Mail-Matter) Published Weekly at ftl.OO a Tear by George W. York & Co., 334 bearborn St. QBORQE W. YORK, Editor CHICAGO, ILL, JANUARY 11, 1906 VoL XLVI-No. 2 =% (gbttortal Hotes anb Comments j A New Bee-Paper in Russia Those of our readers who are familiar with the Russian language may be interested to know that an apicultural and horticultural journal in that language has been launched at Reval Estland, Russia, the name of which is — non-Russians are advised to brace themselves firmly before pronouncing it aloud — the name is, " Wsjeobschtschi Ptschelowod und Sadowcd." No wonder there is trouble in Russia 1 Entrance-Closers for Hauling Bees For hauling bees not too great distances, the owner accompanying them, and with entrances not too deep, here's a bright plan of closing the entrances, given in the Bee- Keepers' Review : Cut a piece of wire-cloth 2 inches wide, and as long as the entrance is wide. Fold, or bend, it along the middle of the long way until, in looking at the end, it has the shape of the letter "V," or possibly the letter " U." Introduce the folded edge into the entrance, and crowd the wire-cloth back into the entrance until the outer edges are nearly or quite even, or " flush " with the front of the hive. The elasticity or " spring " of the wire keeps it in place, yet it can be very easily and quickly pulled out with the points of the finger and thumb. shipping Only the Younger Bees Editor Hutchinson intends next season to ship bees to the raspberry region at the beginning of the harvest, and his plan of sifting out the older bees may be new to some. He says : Two or three days before they are to be shipped they will be moved out of the apiary a short distance, and the flying or field bees allowed to return and join the weaker colonies that remain in the apiary. This course will be taken for two reasons. The full colonies that are to be shipped will stand the confinement and shipment much bet- ter for the removal of these old bees. It is these old bees that worry and make a fuss and die in the hive. The young bees that have never flown, bear the confinement exceed- ingly well. The old bees that return and join the weaker colonies will boom them, and they will soon be in a condi- tion for artificial increase, to which purpose they will be devoted. Feeding Bees in Winter Until lately it has generally been held that liquid feed can not be safely given in winter, but evidence is accumu- lating that although it is a bad practice to allow bees to go into winter quarters lacking sufficient stores, yet with proper precautions syrup may be safely given at any time. On this subject, R. F. Holtermann has the following in the Canadian Bee Journal : " If any one has bees with insufficient stores for winter under proper conditions, I feel sure bees can be fed during the winter and yet wintered with success. Now, remember, I do not advocate this. I am sure it would be very undesir- able to practice such bee-keeping, yet it can be done. Bees, however, as far as I know, can not be induced to take feed down, such feed must be put under the cluster, not over it. The hive can be raised from the bottom-board sufficiently to shove under the cluster some feeder open at the top, yet in which the bees will not perish. The feed can be given as occasion requires." A question may be raised as to the correctness of the statement that bees can not be induced to take feed down, and that it must always be given from below. Certainly, it is the natural thing for bees when storing to carry from below above, yet it is equally the natural thing in winter for the bees to go upward for stores. Whether, as a rule, bees will in winter take feed much more readily from below than above, is a question upon which it is desirable to have more light. Mr. Holtermanu's suggestion, however, is well worth considering on the score of convenience to the bee- keeper. In many cases it is much more convenient to give feed from below, whether it be in the comb or in a feeder, and especially for those who use bottom-boards of the Miller pattern, giving a 2-inch space under the bottom-bars. A brood-comb of sealed honey, a section of the same, or a shallow dish of syrup furnished with a cloth or other pro- vision against the bees drowning, may be quietly shoved under with little disturbance to the bees. It is well, however, to impress thoroughly upon the minds of beginners the fact that generally feed given to bees in winter will not be taken by them at all, no matter whether given above or below. Go to a colony in the open air, with its stores nearly or quite exhausted, and the ther- mometer down to zero, and no amount of stores given will avail to prevent starvation so long as the bees do not leave the cluster. This they will not do till there comes a warmer day. Possibly a good shaking up may stir them up enough to make them take the food — possibly not. At any rate, at such a time it would seem an easier thing to get them to go aloft to a cake of candy warmly covered up than to make their way down to into the much colder air below. But give 26 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 11, 19C6 the food on a day warm enough for the bees to fly, and they will be very active in carrying it either up or down to the cluster. In the cellar there is less difficulty, there being moder- ate weather there at all times. If there is a deep bottom- board, and the cluster of bees extends down below the bot- tom-bars, all that is necessary is to shove under the comb of honey or the feeder in such a way as to touch the cluster, and the bees will do the rest. In any case there is an advantage in giving liquid food hot, if liquid food must be used, and having combs of honey in a warm place for some time before being given. If the cluster of bees is not suffi- ciently down, blowing into the entrance may bring them down, but don't be satisfied until you know that the bees have reached the food. Caucasian Bees in England D. M. Macdonald, in the British Bee Journal, quotes the remark of an American editor, that these bees are "the most worthless race of bees that has ever been offered to the public," and adds : I think that is practically the finding arrived at in this country by our Mr. W. H. Brice eight years ago, after giving them a pretty exhaustive trial. His verdict was : " I consider them worthless for bee-keeping purposes in this country, and, in a word, I call them ' wasters.' Thus," he says, " Exit, 'Reines abeilles de la race Caucasienne gris et jaune de qualite eprouvee.' " They were quiet, too quiet, poor breeders, lazy as work- ers, and bad winterers. Americans are seemingly finding out something similar now. First Apiarian Exhibition We have received the following letter from Mr. C. R. Russell, Secretary of the Worcester County, Mass., Bee- Keepers' Association : Editor American Bee Journal — I would like to call your attention to the apiarian exhi- bition that is planned for the fall of 1906. As far as we have learned this will be the first strictly apiarian exhibi- tion ever held in this county. Pet animals, poultry, or any- thing else that does not belong to bee-.keeping and apiarian supplies will be barred out. The exhibition will not be a money-making affair, for we plan to make it a free exhibi- tion. The exhibition will be under the auspices of the Wor- cester County Bee-Keepers' Association. Manufacturers of supplies, publishers of literature bearing on the subject, honey-producers, queen -rearers, and all those interested in beekeeping will be asked to join with us in making this ex- hibition a perfect success. Correspondence is earnestly solicited, and all questions will be answered by the Secre- tary. C. R. Russell, Secretary Worcester County Bee-Keepers'' Association. Box 832, Worcester, Mass. We see no reason why the proposed apiarian exhibition shouldn't be a success. It ought certainly to be a good opportunity to inform a lot of people on the value of honey as a food, and so the best literature on the subject should be distributed. It would be a good thing to hold such exhibitions in every city of any size, as a means of educating the people as to just how honey is produced. Not for the purpose of inducing more people to go into bee-keeping, but to get the public to eat more honey, so as to make a better demand and price for that already produced. Please Send Us Names of Bee-Keepers who do not now get the American Bee Journal, and we will send them sample copies. Then you can very likely afterward get their subscriptions, for which work we offer valuable premiums in nearly every number of this Journal. You can aid much by sending in the names and addresses when writing us on othei matters. miscellaneous Hetps * 3 terns ^ j Exchange on Local Checks.— We wish to call the attention of our subscribers to the exchange now charged on local bank checks. Add IS cents to all such checks, or we will have to deduct it from the amount, or else hold the order till the extra exchange charge is received from the one sending the local check. But, better still, always get either a money order of some kind or a draft on Chicago or New York, then there will be no exchange charge. This is a very important matter. MP. Wm. A. SelseP and Family are spending the win- ter on the banks of the St. Lucie River, in Florida. Wri- ting us under date of Dec. 16, Mr. Selser said they expected' to remain there until about the first of February. There are some SO colonies of bees within a stone's throw of their kitchen door. Mr. S. is doing some experimenting, and making a study of the floral conditions of southern Florida. Bees were bringing in pollen every day, and some little nectar, at the time Mr. Selser wrote us. Hon. Eugene Seeor, of Forest City, Iowa, still very easily retains his right to be called the the " Poet-Laureate of Bee-Keeping," as is again proven by his poem on the 6£A A, :^-M&-v-*-y ^—i. &.*■•• •'"■i •"••*"- ^ **<*s y first page of last week's number. Mr. Secor also sent us the souvenir postal card with a touch of local interest illus- trated thereon, and also a rhythmic stanza, as shown by the engraving herewith. Some Bee Journal Co-operation.— We recently re- ceived the following : Editor York : — A short time ago, as you will remem- ber, it was proposed to raise the price of the American Bee Journal. You thought that a better way would be for every subscriber to send in the name of a new subscriber, and keep the price of the Journal the same. Upon reading your re- ply, I was of the same opinion, and went out and captured my new subscriber. Enclosed find his dollar, for which please send him the American Bee Journal for one year. Yours very truly, W. J. Young. We wish to thank Mr. Young for his promptness in acting upon our suggestion. It shows his appreciation of the American Bee Journal in a way that can not be doubted. Likely there are many other subscribers who could dupli- cate Mr. Young's success. If we could have just double our present list of readers it would make quite a difference, for, as we stated in the article referred to by Mr. Young, many of our fixed expenses, such as office-rent, typesetting, en- Jan. 11, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 27 graving, etc., are the same whether we print 1000 copies or 20,000 copies of the American Bee Journal. During the winter season, when work is a little slack for most bee-keepers, no doubt with but little effort they could go out among their neighbor bee-keepers and secure their subscriptions. In nearly every number of the Journal we offer very liberal premiums for securing new subscribers and sending in their dollars. It is not our aim to increase the number of bee-keepers throughout the country, but to get those who are already keeping bees to read the Ameri- can Bee Journal and profit by the information it contains. Our belief is that what is needed is better beekeepers rather than more bee-keepers. We wish here and now to thank all who have helped to extend the circulation of the American Bee Journal. It is only by co-operation that its influence can be spread, and thus lift up all who read it and are endeavoring to become more thorough and practical bee-keepers. It should always be borne in mind that the American Bee Journal is not a millionaire corporation, and also that in furnishing a weekly paper like it is, for less than 2 cents per week, there is not a large margin of profit. We hope that all our present readers will do their utmost to secure new subscriptions during the next few months, and thus put into the hands of their bee-keeping neighbors literature that will help them use better methods, and also prevent them from being injurious competitors on account of their not knowing the market value of honey. We desire that every one of our readers shall make the most out of his or her bees, and to that end we are using our every effort to fill the columns of the American Bee Journal with what we believe will be a benefit to all. Louis H. Seholl has resigned his position as Apiarist and Assistant in the Department of Entomology, of the Agricultural and Mechanical College, at College Station, Tex., to resume his college work in the Ohio State Univer- sity, at Columbus, Ohio, the coming year. So many great men having come from Ohio, we suppose Mr. Seholl desires to be further inoculated. He got a taste of it last winter, and evidently likes it. Rev. A. R. Seaman's Apiary of some 36 colonies, located at South Connellsville, Pa., was interfered with quite seriously by a wind-storm the night of Dec. 20. Some 9 hives on the summer stands were blown around consider- ably ; some of the hive-covers were blown so far away that they have not been found since. A strong wind can do a great deal of damage in an apiary in a very short time. We hope that Mr. Seaman will not suffer a very serious loss. The Apiary of L. M. Gulden.— When sending the picture reproduced on the front page, Mr. Gulden wrote thus : The apiary is located near the west shore of Lake Osakis, in Todd County, and consists of about 100 colonies. The regular 8-frame dovetailed and Jumbo hives are used ; also some Langstroths. The hives and supers are fitted with wooden thumb-screws for tightening. By the way, this thumbscrew arrangement is just the thing for the Hoffman frames, and, if they are always tightened properly, there is no trouble from the bees packing so much propolis between the frames that they finally become too wide for the hives. However, the loosening and tightening con- sumes some time, which amounts to considerable in the busy season. Where out-yards are moved, as is often the case, the Hoffman frame with thumb screw arrangement is certainly the arrangement par excellence, and not to be compared with the rattle-box, loose-frame contrivances. In the ordi- nary manipulation of bees in an extensive system of out- yards, put me down as a " standpatter " on the Hoffman frame with end-staple spacing. The hives in the apiary shown are not shaded, but when shade seems desirable boards are leaned up against the sunny side of the hives. The stands consist of old supers, or 2x4 inch studding set endwise at the front and back, and fastened together on top by two boards nailed fast. This allows the feet to be pushed underneath while manipulating the hive, thus lessening the strain on the body of the operator, and also facilitating proper ventila- tion. This being an out-yard, and visited only occasionally, stones are laid on the covers, as shown, to protect from wind, sun, and the rubbing of stock. A section of a bee-tree is shown sitting on end in the back-ground at the right. It is not now stocked, as the bees it contained died during the winter, apparently from lack of stores or cold. This yard together with two others— one consisting of about 160 colonies, and the other a lesser number — were managed by me alone the past season. The yards are about 8 miles apart — too far for economy in traveling to and fro. I use as a basis of management in the swarming season the shaken-swarm system formulated by myself at about the same time that others took an interest in shaken swarms. Both comb and extracted honey are produced in all the yards. The apiary shown, and one other, produced less than one-half a crop this year, while the third, and largest, yielded a full crop. This illustrates the variability of dif- ferent yards in the same season, and only a few miles apart. Two of the yards are accessible to both clover and bass- wood ; the third to clover only. Clover was practically a failure in the honey-line the past season. I might add that the photo work was done by myself, photography being pursued as a means of pleasure and recreation. L. M. Gulden. The Wisconsin State Convention will be held at Madison, Feb. 6 and 7, 1906. A more extended notice will be published later. The Wisconsin convention is one of the best of all the State conventions of bee-keepers, and is usually well attended. The next session should be the largest of all. Some of the most successful bee-keepers in all this country are located in Wisconsin. Their influence is always felt in the Chicago-Northwestern convention, and was much in evidence at the late meeting of the National here in Chicago. Their large experience and willingness to impart it to others make them very valuable convention members, as well as contributors to the columns of the various bee-papers. Thursday a Red-Letter Day.— Mr. A. L. Dupray, of Iowa, wrote thus when asking for .a missing copy of the American Bee Journal : " I think the American Bee Journal is indispensable to my business. I could not keep bees without it, and look for Thursday as a red-letter day because it brings the Ameri- can Bee Journal." A good way to help more bee-keepers to have " red-letter days " is to get them to be regular readers of the American Bee Journal. Only 2 cents for a red-letter day— and 52 of them in a year. Honey as a Health-Food. — This is a 16-page honey- pamphlet intended to help increase the demand for honey. The first part of it contains a short article on "Honey as Food,'" written by Dr. C. C. Miller. It tells where to keep honey, how to liquefy it, etc. The last part is devoted to "Honey-Cooking Recipes" and "Remedies Using Honey." It should be widely circulated by those selling honey. The more the people are educated on the value and uses of Honey, the more honey they will buy. Prices, prepaid — Sample cpv for a two-cent stamp; 5i> copies for 70 cts.; 100 for $1.25; 250 for $2.25; 500 for $4.00; or 1.000 for $7.50. Your business card printed free at the bottom of front page on all orders for 100 or more copies. Send all orders to the office of the American Bee Journal. Maple Sugar and the Sugar Bush, by Prof. A. J. Cook; 44 pages; price, postpaid, M) cents. This is by the same author as "The Bee-Keepers' Guide," and is most valuable to all who are interested in the product of our sugar-maples. No one who makes maple sugar or syrup should be without it. Order from the office of the American Bee Journal. 28 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 11, 19C6 (Contention Proceedings W Report of the Minnesota State Convention The Minnesota Bee-Keepers' Association held its 17th annual meeting in Minneapolis, Dec. 6 and 7, 1905.- It has been decided by the Executive Committee not to hold a meeting this year, as the date conflicted with that of the National Asso- ciation. When it was learned that the date of the National had been changed a program was hurriedly arranged. It was impossible for some who had been assigned papers to make preparation on so short a notice. Nevertheless, the meeting proved to be an interesting and helpful one. It was called to order by Pres. Dr. E. K. Jaques, followed by invocation by Chas. D. Blaker. The minutes were read by the secretary Mrs. W. S. Wingate. The financial report of the Executive Committee was read hy J. C. Acklin, chairman. Dr. Leonard made a report for the committee concerning the efforts made to secure better facilities at the State Fair grounds. Wm. Russell reported as to what the committee had done to secure the passage of a foul brood bill. It was moved that a vote of thanks be tendered to R P Brown. W. P. Roberts, M. J. O'Laughlin, and S. A. Stockwell. for their efforts to secure the passage of a Foul Brood Bill. It was voted that the Executive Committee continue to take such steps as it may think best toward securing a foul brood law. $-4QThe Treasurers rePort showed a balance on hand of Mr. Russell read the report of the Committee on Adultera- tion. The Minnesota Dairy and Food Commission has an- alyzed, since Jan. 1, 1905, 64 samples of honey, and but three were found illegal. It was voted that the Association extend its hearty thanks to the members of the Dairy and Food Commission for the service they have rendered to the bee-keepers of Minnesota and to the people in general. _ The afternoon session was opened by singing "America." with Mr. Levi Longfellow at the instrument. Dr. Jaques, in the President's annual address, gave a very full account of the work which had been accomplished during the year. s Scott LaMont read an article from the last Gleanings written by E. W. Alexander, entitled. '•Amount of Honev per Colony.' This led to a discussion which proved quite helpful. ,„, Mr- Levi Longfellow gave a very helpful address on Marketing Honey." Rev. J. H. Kimball, of Duluth, spoke on "Preparing Comb and Extracted Honey for the Market." Miss Mary Moeser read a paper on "The Uses of Honev in Cooking." The Executive Committee was authorized to publish Miss Moeser's paper so that it might be more generally circulated. The question-box brought out considerable discussion on various subjects, among them the following: Stimulative feeding in the spring; How to keep down increase; The mixture of different kinds of extracted honev; Is it advisable to use shallow frames above a 10-frame hive when working for extracted honey? etc. The Thursday morning session opened with instrumental music by Air. Smith, of the Metropolitan Music Co., followed by a song. "The King's Business," by Miss Ethel Acklin. Mr. Russell spoke to the question. "Shall we invite the National Convention to Minneapolis for 1906?" It was unanimously voted that we cordially invite the National Con- vention to meet with us in the Twin Cities at its annual meet- ing next year. Prof. F. L. Washburn, State Entomologist, pave a very interesting account of his experience with a Carniolan queen and a Caucasian queen, which had been received from the Agricultural Department at Washington Mr. J. M. Underwood, of- Lake City, Superintendent" of Agricultural, Horticultural and Honey Department of the Minnesota State Fair, related his early experience with bees, to the amusement of all. He then spoke on the matter of the State Fair exhibit, and of the possibility of securing better accommodations in the future. Mr. Russell gave an outline of his work as foul brood inspector. His commission went into effect August 1. Since then 67 apiaries containing 2,366 colonies had been visited. In 20 apiaries, containing 529 colonies, disease was found in all stages. On account of the lateness of the season and the presence of robber-bees, it was impossible to ascertain the exact number of diseased colonies. It was deemed best not to make a thorough investigation for fear of spreading the disease. Mr. Russell called attention to one case of a diseased apiary of 40 colonies where the owner absolutely refused to have the bees treated, giving as the reason for refusal, "They are going to be sold, anyway." Some of those diseased col- onies were sold. However, they were traced and some of them destroyed, with the consent of the owner. In closing, Mr. Russell expressed his appreciation of the kindness and courtesy which had been extended to him by nearly all the bee-keepers with whom he had come in contact. Piano solo by Miss Ethel Acklin. Dr. F. C. Spates, of St. Paul, read a paper on "Honey as a Food and Medicine." A vote of thanks was extended to Dr. Spates for his very instructive paper. The Thursday afernoon session was opened with a paper sent by W. K. Bates, on "Summer Feeding of New Swarms." Mr. Chas. Mondeng discussed "Adel Bees." Mrs. H. G. Acklin read a paper on "The Educational Value of Apicultural Exhibits, and How the Minnesota Bee- Keepers' Association Has Aided in Securing These Oppor- tunities for the Bee-Keepers of the State." By special request Dr. Jaques recited a poem which he wrote some years ago, giving a history of his regiment. The members of the Association expressed their appreciation in a hearty vote of thanks. Rev. J. H. Kimball moved that the members of the Executive Committee be elected, one for one year, one for two years, and one for three years, and that hereafter one be elected annually for the term of three years : and that the committee elect their own chairman. The motion was unan- imously carried. The following officers were elected for the ensuing year: President, Dr. L. D. Leonard, of Minneapolis ; First Vice- President, Scott LaMont; Second Vice-President. J. M. Doudna; Third Vice-President, J. W. Murray; Secretary, Chas. D. Blaker, of Minneapolis; Treasurer. Mrs. W. S. Win- gate; and the Executive Commmittee, J. C. Acklin for three years. Rev. J. H. Kimball for two years, and William Russell for one year. Scott LaMont and J. C. Acklin were appointed, with the President, as delegates to the next meeting of the State Agri- cultural Society. It was voted to express the thanks of the Association to the Metropolitan Music Co. for the use of the instrument and for the musical assistance rendered by the company. It was moved that the President be delegated to attend the National Convention and extend the invitation of this Association to the convention to meet in the Twin Cities for their next annual meeting. Adjourned to meet at the call of the Executive Committee. Chas. D. Blaker, Sec. -V (Contributeb * Special Clrticles ^ Bee-Keeping as a Recreation BY ROBERT R. M'CAIN. ONE of the most important considerations, after one's occu- pation and income for a livelihood have been attended to, is that of recreation. The average man, endowed with a fair measure of industry and thrift, thinks too little of the demands of his constitution for repairs and re-invigoratioh. The best rest is a change of work. Seven or 8 hours of good, sound, restful sleep out of every 24 furnishes ample time for the rebuilding of the tissues of muscles and nerves. To enjoy his best estate man should have a serious avocation to which he will devote himself by way of change from the more exacting duties of his business or profession. The nature of this avocation should be sufficiently at- tractive to lure his thoughts away from corroding cares £Jan. 11, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 29 incident to the main business of his life. It should furnish material for thought and speculation in such measure lead him on in the pursuit of answers to questions arising naturally in the course of his work gratifying his curiosity just enough to whet his appetite for deeper research. It should offer some pecuniary reward for his labor so that be would feel justified in continuing his work from an economic point of view. And above all other considerations, this ai oca- tion should be of such a nature as to entice him into God's out-of-doors, where he, whose daily occupation holds him in close, shaded rooms, may breathe in sunshine and breathe pure air. Few occupations can answer all these demands so thor- OUghly as bee-keeping. Gardening might do so if it were 1e to adapt it to the crowded conditions of city and suburban life. But gardening is an impossible consideration ousands who might easily employ bee-keeping as a means of recreation. Contrary to the popular notion, bee-keeping of the most adaptable of rural pursuits. The back yard, the house-top, the dining-room window, all furnish suitable locations for a hive of bees. The first and most necessary asset of bee-keeping, whether for profit or pleasure, is a fund of knowledge. This sugges- tion may have a dampening effect on the interest of one 1 suffering from "brain, fag." But the acquisition of this fund of knowledge ought to prove one of the most delightful and restful occupations for the long evenings of the winter months. Next to actual work with the bees, the perusal of books and papers on the subject of bee-keeping is a most helpful recreation. Many an hour will be relieved of its tedium, and many a necessary task will be the better per- formed, because the mind has been engaged in the wholesome occupation of delving into some of Nature's mysteries. With the first appearance of spring the knowledge thus acquired will verily demand demonstration in practice. A colony or two of bees in modern hives will be the first visible result of the winter's cogitations. As the season progresses things will begin and continue to happen among the bees and to the bee-keeper The bee-keeper's friends will fairly wear out the old joke about his having "a bee in his bonnet." In spite of the joke, however, his interest will increase rather than diminish, because at every step he is called upon to produce some portion of the knowledge stored away during the winter, and. if his eyes are open, it will be his pleasure to add to that fund from time to time. Finally, the day will come when his table will be adorned with the "first fruits" of his hives, and without the least twinge or compunction of conscience as to the possible cost of that pound of honey, he will eat of it, and have his family and friends to partake with him, in the firm conviction that it is an improvement on the nectar of the gods. When winter comes again and the parent colonies, with the increase which he has made during the season, are snugly tucked away, with ample stores close beside them, for their long confinement, the owner will view them with satisfaction as a most delightful acquisition to his life interests. His carefully kept account will reveal a goodly financial "income on investment." but better than all other profits of the season will be the clearing of the cobwebs from his brain in the pursuit of a healthful outdoor recreation. This garret-dusting process will have come about through the building up of muscular and nerve tissues as a result of bodily exercise in a most favorable environment. There will have come also mental re-invigoration in the pursuit and mastery of some of Nature's secrets to which there is no better introduction than the understanding of the economy of the bee-hive. Coal City, 111. it *»? Wintering Bees on Solid Combs of Honey BY DR. C. C. MILLER. J. I.. BYER, on page 744, says the plan is all right. C. P. Dadant, on page 791, says it's all wrong. Suppose we look at conditions with a hive containing solid sealed combs of honey. As explained by Mr. Dadant, they' are talking about two rather different things — Mr. Dadant about a colony in such condition that the queen has been crowded out early enough for the combs to be filled with honey, and Mr. Byer about a colony in which the bee-keeper has been meddling to have the brood-chamber filled solid. And yet. when they are all through, you can see that while they're trying to look good- natured about it, each thinks the other is wrong. Suppose we look at the conditions with every comb filled with honey and sealed down to the bottom-bar. When bees seal cells of honey they leave a space of just about a fourth of an inch between two adjoining combs. A bee gets through a perforation of 1-6 of an inch in excluder zinc, and it needs all of that space. If a layer of bees were to stand on each of the opposing faces of comb, back to back, they would need a space of 2-6 or 4-12. But the space is only %, or 3-12. So there's room for only one layer of bees between the two combs. Even suppose two layers should crowd in, could those two layers keep each other warm for a number of days of zero weather? But you say there are other seams of bees to help. Yes, but between this and the next seam there is, if the combs laced l'x mdies, a slab of solid honey 1% inches thick. Now. with one or two layers of bees in each seam, and the seams 1 ' s inches apart, do you believe any number of such seams of bee? can keep -; i other warm? J. L. Byer, backed up by all the Canucks he can trot out, couldn't make me believe it. "Then you're calling all those Canucks liars, are you? You wait a bit, and come down into the cellar with me. Look into the entrances of those hives. Y'ou see that there is a space of 2 inches between the bottom-bars and the floor of the hive, and you see that the cluster comes down so that a good part of it rests on the floor. By preference the bees cluster that way all winter long, food being passed down or else the bees changing places as they want to get at the honey. You can see from the size of the cluster that a good part of the colony is down below the bottom-bars. Now to that part of the colonv I don't suppose it makes a particle of difference whether the cells at the lower part of the comb are filled with honey or empty. In some hives you don't see any such cluster, but the more I see the better I feel. A large part of the bees under the bottom-bars shows two thing : Plenty of bees, and plentv of honey. . . Now take one of those Dadant hives with their immense combs tilled down solid, and only a little more than a bee- space below the bottom-bars, and there isn't chance for enough bees to get together to keep each other warm, and when the cold is severe enough, and continues long enough, they'll be sure to fr— Mr. Abbott says they'll starve— never mind which. they'll die. . . ' I wouldn't like to be dogmatic about it, but it looks at least possible that the difference in the views of the French- man and the Canuck lies in the fact that one allows space enough for a decent cluster below the bottom-bars, and the other doesn't. If it should happen that that Canuck should arise to remark that his bees have only a bee-space between floor and bottom-bars, then I can only meekly reply that I didn't know as much as I thought I did. Since the foregoing was written Mr. Hasty's comment appears on page 827, and. acute observer though he is, he seems to think that when there are no empty cells the cluster- ing must all be between and not under the combs. Give 'em room below, Mr. Hasty. Marengo, 111. 2— Dadant Methods of Honey-Production BY C. P. DADANT. THE next important step in bee-culture was the selec- tion of the colonies from which to breed, for it was very evident, in reasoning from the experience of the masters, that we must not depend upon natural swarming, but must select our breeders. It was then that the dif- ferent races of bees were brought to our notice. The Italian was the only race, outside of the common or black bee, that had been given a fair trial in America, and what had been reported about them was of a very favorable nature. So we bought a warranted untested queen for $5 from a Mr. Gray, of Butler County, Ohio, who had secured his stock from the very first importations of Father Lang- stroth. The bees were very line, of bright yellow color, and rather a little larger than the ordinary common bee. But they showed very plainly the natural traits of the Italian. They were unmistakably superior to the common bees. , t i Let me here establish the known facts about the Ital- ian bee. There has been too much in-breeding for color, and in many cases the original qualities of the bee have been neglected in order that the bee might show the very brightest tint of yellow rings and a display of bright color to the tip of the abdomen. The Italian bee in its native country shows three yellow rings, which vary from a bright orange yellow to a dull leather color. Occasion- 30 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 11, 1906 ally a few bees are found that do not display the third yellow ring, the one farthest from the thorax, until the bee is full of honey. But the most positive sign of purity is their adherence to the combs when properly handled and their quietness under the same circumstances. A hive of bees, when handled properly, may be taken entirely to pieces, and the combs may be carried about, without either causing the bees to fly or to run about or fall to the ground. In fact, Italian bees, if properly handled, and pure, always show themselves as docile as in a picture I saw lately, where were shown a couple dozen visitors each holding a comb covered with bees. In the exhibit they call these bees the "red-clover strain." but they are simply showing the characteristics of the pure Italian bees, which might all be appropriately called "red- clover" bees, for they often work on the second crop of red clover, probably when the dry weather causes the corolla to have become somewhat shorter than usual. There are times when the common bee can work on red-clover also, but these occurrences are very rare. There is a desire on the part of queen-breeders to secure, by selection, a race of bees that may be able to gather honey from red clover; that is, a race with. tongues long enough to reach to the bottom of the red clover corolla at all times. This desire is commendable, and is in the line of progress, but it will take a long time to get a fixed race with longer tongues, and thus far the selections have faded to secure anything permanent. The pure Italian bees can and do work on red clover oftener than the com- mon bee, which shows that their tongue is longer than that of the common bee, and a constant selection for this purpose wdl sooner or later bring the desired result. ■ On the question of greater productiveness in a com- parison between the common bee and the Italian, there has been a division of opinions, some people holding that the common bee does produce as much honey. -Yet the majority of opinions is in favor of the Italians." The facts are that the difference between the two races is accentu- ated by bad seasons. The Italian race is more saving than the black, and in a poor season the bees of an Italian colony may have a good supply of honey saved up for winter, while the black colonies will be almost destitute This was evidenced to us most forcibly early in the seven- ties. We had purchased a dozen colonies of bees in box- hives. Y\ e transferred all these bees in May to movable frames Seven of the colonies were exceedingly strong while the other 5 were comparatively weak and under average. \\ e concluded to Italianize the weak ones be- cause they would not produce honey anyhow, and they could _still recuperate and be good for winter. But the other /which had very fertile queens, we decided to leave until tall, for we disliked to destroy those queens at the opening of the crop. Queens were high in price at that time, and our method of Italianizing was by the introduc- tion of queen-eel s from a pure colony, which always re- tarded the growth of the colony thus Italianized. , ,, s°we left the 7 colonies with their black queens till hlli JlS feSUltxPf thtf \eaSOn was bad- Ma"y colonies had to be fed. But the S colonies which had been Ital- ianized early gathered enough to winter, while the 7 pow- Th;= ""A? .W.lth b'ack qUe,enS had to be fed for winter. Ihis settled the question of comparison between the races with us. Since that time we have often noticed the same „'ng_"w g*fateru Pr°pensity to economy in the Italian race. We then began rearing Italian bees, and tried the importation until we succeeded, and, to-day, I stronodv recommend to the beginners to breed from the ItaHaii race. There are other races of bees that have claimed the attention of bee-keepers— the Carniolan. which is onlv a very slight variation of the common bee; the Cvprian a very active and high-tempered bee; and the Caucasian None of these races has given a uniformity of results sufficient to recommend it, and the mild temper of the Italian is sufficient to give it the supremacy over all others. Besides, its markings (the yellow bands) enable bee-keepers to ascertain its purity, and for that reason I believe that I am right in recommending this bee to the beginner in apiculture. I ascribe a part, at least, of our success to the use of Italian bees. In many spots the Italians are almost the only race existing— in Colorado, for instance. I visited many apiaries in Colorado and saw no bees there but the Italian I believe this is a strong point in the success of Colorado bee-culture. Hamilton, 111. Italians vs. Black Bees BY E. W. DIEFENDORF. ON page 775 is an article by Allen Latham that greatly interested me. In the earlier days of our journalistic literature there was much battling over the respective merits and defects of the Italian-black bees, but the black went under, even though championed by such men as Lucas, Heddon, and Brown. After keeping the two side by side since early in the '60's, I finally discarded them about the year 1881. My experience that year was de- cisive. I entered that season with 25 straight Italians and 95 blacks and mongrels, and both races worked alike and for comb honey. By Sept. 1 the blacks and hybrids were all gone by dwindling, desertion, or death, except one colony, while the Italians were all populous and in prime condition except that some were too light to winter. I am not just certain of the date, but it was when A. I. Root was recommending grape-sugar as a bee-food, and I tried it that fall to my sorrow. My experience has not been that "Italians run so easily to the black condition"' — indeed, it seems to me after establishing these bees in four locations, widely apart and surrounded by nothing but blacks, that they scattered their yellow much faster than they took on the black. This has a bearing on that rapid-flight theory. In the case of Allen Latham's queens, there may have been a factor other than swiftness that caused two-thirds of his queens to mismate. Many years ago the elder Muth explained the suc- cessful mating of his queens in his house-top apiary in Cincinnati, by assuming that the wing-tone of both queens and drones was on a different pitch in the two races, and stated in the same article that Italian worker-bees main- tained their flight in the strong winds of that high situa- tion more easily than the blacks. He was a very close observer. In my own experience, queens of the lemon-banded strains (not goldens) are almost always purely mated, while of the orange-banded strains often from 3 to 5 percent are mismated, and it is a fact that the latter are the largest and coarser both in wing and body. Again, if I breed from a colony a part of whose workers show but two bands, I expect about 50 percent to mismate. They still more nearly approach the black in wing-tone. I do not remember that anyone has mentioned two traits peculiar to the blacks, that are of great practical value. They readily adopt any young queen just hatched (slipped quickly into the entrance), and allow her to kill the old queen at any time, provided a honey-flow is on. And when well-shaded, well-ventilated, with abundant super-room easily accessible, they are non-swarmers. New Lebanon, Mo. Report for the Season of 1905 BY WM. STOLLEY, SR. THE year is nearing its end, and here is my report for the season of 1905, now passed. Four years in suc- cession we have had wet seasons, but the summer of 1905 is on record with about 40 inches of rainfall within 6 months. While in times passed long ago drouth was the greatest drawback in central Nebraska, excessive mois- ture during the growing season seems to have taken its place. For the apiarist the year of 1905 stands out as the worst in the last 26 years, with us — i. c, as long as bees have been kept here. In the spring, and up to June 23. I fed my 36 colonies of bees 390 pounds of fall honey, and at that time they were in the best possible condition to take advantage of a copious honey-flow. Everything pre- sented a favorable outlook. From June 9 to the 13th I had 3 swarms out of New Heddon hives, but from the 3 colonies in my own large 14-frame (ll^Sxll^) hives, run for extracted honey, no swarms issued, although each and every colony was, dur- ing the entire season, exceedingly strong in bees. In the "decoy hives" on top of my bee-shed I captured 6 runaway hunger swarms, from some farmers keeping a few colonies of bees — all hybrids. All the surplus I took out of the supers was 640 pounds of extracted honey, leaving some colonies entirely without Jan. 11, 19(6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 31 any stores in the br I-chamber The 4 colonies in He* ,!,,„ hives have kept all they gathered* and were allowed to carrv it downstairs. [n September and up to October 1. I fed my bees (in- side the hives, by tipping them backward and vpwmg m the warn., somewfrat uiluted food) 480 pounds of tall honey From 1904; 200 pounds of cane-sugar, and mixed with IBB nounds of water. Total. 800 pounds fed in 3 days. 1 hus ,„> bees have, on an average, 35 pounds of winter storey and some of them 4ii pounds. They all were packed for winter on October IS. (1 winter them, as usual, in an open shed. I The fall has been delightful, and the bees could By dmost every day up to yesterday (Nov. 29), when the thermometer registered 8 degrees, Fahr., and this morning 4 degrees, above zero. So I suppose that Winter has made his firs! how to "-. and I have settled down in m chair -in front of my cherished fnend. "the old « 1 ." and say, "Go it. Gallagher!" You see. I had no swarms to shoot down when dangling away up in high trees; have no trouble in caring for my surplus crop of honey procured this year; got nd arly all the fall honey that would not sell readily, by feeding it to the bees; nor have I to compete with the irado Honey-Producers' Association, which of late years has been' raiding on us in our home markets in Nebraska. I had about 1,500 pounds of nice honey left over from last year, which I now sell to my old customers at a regu- lar price of 12' _• cents per pound, in 60-pound cans, and IS its o sold in 5 or 10 pound pails; and those Colorado co-operators cannot take these customers from me if they try ever so hard I would rather feed my honey to the hogs — if they would eat it — or I would give it away to poor people, or friend-, before I would sell at a ruinous price. When I come to think of it, I regret that I have not followed the advice of Editor Hutchinson, and started, years ago, a number of out-apiaries. Would that not have helped me out amazingly this year, since, as far as I know, not a single bee-keeper in Nebraska reports a fair crop honey? Xo crop, but heavy feeding for winter seems to be the general condition. Xext spring will find more empty bee-hives in Nebraska than ever before. I expect to winter my bees without serious loss. We will see if' my prediction comes true or not. Grand Island, Neb., Nov. 30, 190S. Oues -What is lumber worth ? ANS.-Lumber is high at present. The price is $22 to $24 per 1000 square feet. Dressed lumber is $30. Orms -Could I probably get work at house carpenter- in£r to help out a living while I would be getting an apiary on a paying "basis? ANS.-The location I have recom- mendedYs a^new settlement. New farm houses are built so I have no doubt that a carpenter can get some work ^"ouES.-About what wages do house carpenters get? Ans -A good carpenter can get $2 a day and board. OtiES —Is the land suitable for farming without irriga- tion?" ANS -I think so,for cotton and corn £*££.« wells are used there for irrigation, and then truck farming payObueESs'-About what wages would I have to pay laborers y oes. ADoui w 5 and southwest if I wanted to farm a uttie ; j^ms. i" =" v,^,„ *i tri en Texas are many Mexicans who work very cheap-$l to .50 cents per day, according to the season, whether much work is to be done or not. Conducted by Louis H. Scholl, New Braunfels, Tex. Beginning Bee-Keeping in Texas Mr. L,. Stachelhausen, of Texas, was asked some ques- tions which he has answered, and he has kindly sent both questions and answers as they may help others : Ques. — In what county of Texas would you start to make a living keeping bees ? Ans. — The whole southwest Texas is good for bees, but some counties are overstocked already, such as Bee, Karnes, Wilson, Bexar, and Uvalde. I would recommend a place south of Alice, between this town and Brownsville, where a new railroad is to be built. Other good places may be on the I. & G. N. railroad, be- tween San Antonio and Laredo. QuES. — How many colonies will it take, in an average year, to produce an income of say $500 ? Ans. — About 150. Ques. — What price would I probably have to pay for full colonies, or for nuclei? Ans. — I do not suppose you can buy full colonies for less than $5 each. Nuclei are the regular price, which you can find out from dealers and queen-breeders. Ques.— What is the price of unimproved land ? Ans. — I do not know exactly the price of such land in the location I recommended to you. It may be $5 to $10 per acre. Ques. — Is there any Government Jand that I could homestead in a favorable location for bee-keeping ? Ans. — We have no Government land in Texas. ©ur* Sister Beekeepers Conducted by Emma. M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. The Sisters at the National Convention t ■*» of ihe fact that the National convention met at a tiine 'S?-.^^ loLTkrr/olTfrilnd^w^Thrirwas a delight to ClaSCy!Srnrfees f^the^ention^I I™* artrcl:an?ofoTdpeoV1et0a"^-eWbea-epersgassembled here ! ,,„„,,. :„ meeting many whom I H^fflWSw^ were* our Canadian ^^ot delightful thing about ^ our .onver ition w« the Tine hall in which it was ho^'XnaUP has been too big and have had before. So .^.^l*™^ accommodate the -^ra-Te^tffSaf SS .aid could be heard dlSt ffifcv. that the sis ters usuaUyget the credi t tor -doUig the most talking. Not so at this coi uve deiightful epi- were the silent members, and ye .the most * ^ sode of the whole ^ent.on was the £ ^ , and the sisters. To each of the assoc.at ions £e«|d made from Chicago-North western-a gavel wa ^/Lan* stroth. These the wood of a tree planted ^.i^f^ J the mounting gavels were handsomely ™°™*f%r™£&j. Glessner- Ling done by the donor h "f-M- Job ^ ^KSt^^ Stf number d do such a beautiful thing. ^ , ,— Fitting of Super on Brood-Chamber nB,R Miss Wilson :-Must the super fit down tight DEAR JYiissj «"<»"" Tu,f is i<5 there any harm if ^f'ov^srf-^- *s» ^«- *-in *■ tOP iVaTe Hilton hives, and bought some extra supers ; last • „ J„,ia stranger told me that they did not ht tight, HHSSb f«BiJes = ass-* Grand Rapids, Mich. Tf the case is correctly understood, the super is not 32 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 11, 19C6 through above into the hive. There will be no trouble as to bees getting in, for the bees of the colony will fully guard any such opening against the entrance of any intruders. Neither will a small opening of that kind be any hindrance to the working of the colony if they are worked for ex- tracted honey ; but at least a little harm will result if they are worked for comb honey, for on cool nights the building of comb will be hindered by the entrance of cold air, and you will find the progress of the work retarded a little at that point. You can close up the entrance by laying a little strip of wood there. Better still, nail the strip on the super. Now it is possible that the case is not correctly under- stood, and if so don't fail to give further particulars, and it will be a pleasure to try again. Several Eggs in a Cell— Clipping Queens— Painting Hives— Moving Bees— Foul Brood Questions 1. What makes a queen lay as many as 6 eggs in a cell and yet plenty of empty ones in the brood-nest ? 2. Is cottonseed meal a good food for bees ? 3. Does it injure a queen to have a wing pulled off ? 4. Can I paint my hives after I have put bees into them? 5. Is it safe to move bees with the hive-entrance closed and a brood-chamber on top with empty extracting-combs ? Would they get air enough ? 6. Should a queen lay during winter, keeping a little brood on hand all the time ? 7. Is it a good idea to give a queen from a foul-broody colony to healthy bees ? 8. Is it a good idea to give foul-broody bees to a clean and healthy queen ? 9. What would be the result if foul-broody bees and queen were to enter a hive that was not strong with bees ? 10. Would they kill the queen of the weak colony, or would they kill the intruder, or both queens? Garrett, Tex. Mrs. Carrie Branch. 1. When more than one egg are found in a cell, laying workers are to be suspected. In rare cases, however, a good queen has been found laying two or more eggs in a cell while plenty of empty cells were present ; just why, no one seems to know. But she generally gives up that sort of foolishness after a time. 2. It will probably answer in place of pollen at a time when bees can fly freely but can find no pollen. Indeed, at such a time any kind of meal that cattle will eat seems to answer. 3. It would hurt you to have one of your finger-nails pulled off, but it wouldn't hurt to have it cut off. About the same with a queen's wing. Thousands of queens have their wings cut off. and are just as good as ever for laying ; only they can not fly with a swarm. 4. Yes. 5. That depends. With a very strong colony on a hot day, the colony might be ruined if confined long enough. In cold weather they would stand a long confinement without harm. 6. In the North a queen stops laying in the fall, some- times even in September, and does not begin again before the next February or March if outdoors, and likely not till April if kept in cellar. In the South the idle time is shorter. 7. It is generally claimed that the queen does not carry the disease. 8. No. 9. They would in all probability carry the disease with them, whether they entered a weak or a strong colony. 10. The intruding queen would likely be killed : possi- bly both. ' ' * A Queen-Bee Free as a Premium.— W'c arc now book- ins orders for Untested Italian Queens to be delivered in May or June. This is the premium offer: To a subscriber whose own subscription to the American lice Journal is paid at least to the end of 1906. we will mail an Untested Italian Queen for sending us one new subscription with $1.00 for the Bee Journal a year. Or, we will renew your subscription to the American Bee Journal for a year. "and -end a fine Untested Italian Queen— both for $1.50. Now b 1 time to get new subscribers. If you wish extra 61 tty Bee Journal for use as samples, let us know you want and we will mail them to you. Address all orders t.i the office of the American Bee Journal. =\ IViv. pasty's Afterthoughts j See Langstroth Book Offer on another page of this copy of the American Ike Journal. The " Old Reliable " as seen through New and Unreliable Glasses. By E. E. Hasty, Sta. B, Rural, Toledo, Ohio. Getting Partly-Filled Sections Cleaned. The woes of Miss Wilson and Dr. Miller trying to make bees clean up honey, interest me. Their bees seem to be very like my own bees in that contrariness. Here's a scheme that succeeds with me : Break the cappings, if there are any, and pile the sections on the alighting-board shortly before sundown. They'll take in part during the night; and next morning when bees from other hives begin to pes- ter them, they'll first stand them off and then proceed to take in the rest of the honey. Lean up a wide board to keep off a chance shower — and to give some air of private prop- erty to the pile. Scheme only to be used by skillful opera- tors on colonies well able to defend themselves. Page 810. Barb Wire for Apiary Fence. Glad to get so soon an experience of 5 years with hives next barb-wire fence for stock to graze the front. Verdict of T. P. Robinson favorable on the whole. Not a remedy for certain big weeds. Not very satisfactory if the amount of grass in the pasture is superabundant. Covers displaced sometimes. I should say put on some short lengths of extra wire adjacent the hives, and set the hives closer up. Page 812. Bees Produce "Tons" of Happiness. There, now ! That would have let me out nicely — that astonishing yield on page 812. A crop of 29 tons ; and often carried (doubtless) in a mere fraction of a single railroad car. Happiness. The Professor. He didn't get it all. Wade right in, gentlemen, and harvest a ton per hive for yourself. Suggestions for National Elections. Our Editor certainly gets in one heavy blow in the elec- tion controversy. Can't vote against a Secretary without shoving impoliteness right in his face. How would these additions do ? The Secretary shall designate some conven- ient and suitable person to receive and count the vote and destroy the ballots — except when he has refused to accept a reelection. Consecutive third terms shall not be allowed for any office. The latter would simply be taking a hint from the unwritten constitution of our Nation. If adopted, all questionable and aberrant devices to secure rotation might be dropped. Page 822. Question-Box at Conventions. As to what part of the convention time the question-box should take, of 28 experts 4 dodge the question. Those who name one-half (with those who apparently agree thereto) are 9 out of 24. Those who nameless than one-half are 5. Those who favor more than one-half are 10 out of 24. Page 822. Quality of Sweet Clover Honey. As to the quality of sweet clover honey the consensus at the Chicago-Northwestern seemed to be, A very excel- lent honey, but — . Had the goat been there he probably would have done so. Page 825. Mr Clarke's Apiary— Ripening Comb Honey. That picture of the Clarkes and their apiary, with which No. 49 opens, moves me once more (for the thousandth time) to wonder and thankfulness that we can have for our regu- lar journalistic diet such beautiful photographic reproduc- tions. Could almost shut my eyes and disbelieve the whole thing even now. Not only nice picture, but nice apiary. Mr. Clarke evidently believes in large entrances. Wonder why his hives have such big, projecting tops. I'll guess at random that these tops enclose some kind of packing in winter — and in summer are made to serve in lieu of shade- boards. If these bees never sting kindergarten children, when they come trotting in to see things, then what's the use of Caucasians? The other picture seems to show that at racking up sections to ripen them off Mr. Clarke leads the whole host. That's the way to do it. None of your Jan. 11, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 33 solid piles. No, sir. Twenty pages of print would not argue as strongly as that picture does. "Snuffs" at "Canadian Beedom." Aha ! A new department — and a new brother conduc- tor. A noted writer once wrote that when a new dog comes around the previous dogs always snuff him, and nip at him — and that men are just so, too. So just wait till I get a good chance unseen, while he is passing the canine " time o' day " with Dr. Miller. Ah, here ! Inadequate transportation, several months of summer starvation, ants of the raging lion persuasion, honey 2'- cents a pound, and average yield 25 pounds per colony — a pretty style to start in and give Canada away. Or wasn't it Canada? Jamaica, do I hear ? Well, it's un- der the same flag, anyhow. And there's a mighty bright and enthusiastic bee-writer down there. We might wait till he takes a nip at our tenderfoot's tender spots. But, say ! there was another ancient feller who said something about " Birds in their little nests agree." On the whole, seeing " We be brethren," perhaps little birds in their nests are better examples for us than the dogs at the back door. Page. 839. How the Skunk Works Around Hives. C. W. Dayton thinks a skunk works at the same colony nightly for several weeks — until it is too weak to send out a good force when he scratches — and then frequents another colony the same way. Possible. The ill-savored vendor of essences is mean enough to do so. Page 841. r \= ^ (£anabian *33ecbom-f Conducted by Morley Pettit, Villa Nova, Out. Size of Entrance for Outdoor Wintering of Bees J I have had some bitter experience with small entrances this fall, which goes to show one of the great disadvantages of being miles away from your bees. The hive-entrances in one yard were contracted to prevent robbing early in the fall. Later, when that danger was past, they were not en- larged. Result : Many bottom-boards choked with dead b;es at the time of putting them into the cellar, and indica- tions of bees not having had as good a flight recently as they might have had. I am free to endorse all that " York County Bee-Keeper " and the editor of the Canadian Bee Journal say below : " After experimenting with different sizes of entrances, I am thoroughly convinced that for our latitude, in outdoor wintering, a fair-sized entrance is necessary for best re- sults, and this winter nearly every one of my colonies will go into winter quarters with entrances equivalent to 5 square inches. " One of the disadvantages of small entrances, espe- cially for out-yards, is the liability of them getting clogged with dead bees, and when this happens with a strong col- ony for any length of time, mischief is pretty sure to follow. Aside from this, for reasons I can not explain, the colonies with large hive-entrances invariably winter best with me, provided, of course, they go into winter quarters strong in numbers. " [Last season we made some experiments with small entrances for outside wintering, and we do not wish to re- peat them. In our experience, small winter entrances are regular death-traps to populous colonies. Our best results have been with full-width entrances, 12x;'s, bridged over to meet the outer case. Probably a deeper entrance, con- tracted in width correspondingly, might be better. — Ed.] " Fastening Comb Foundation in Frames With reference to fastening comb foundation in frames by)means of a saw-kerf in the top-bar (page 838 — 1905), my father, S. T. Pettit, used a groove in the underside of the top-bar N inch deep and ', inch wide. Holding the frame upside down in the left hand, he would slide the upper (now ower) edge of the foundation into this groove, allowing the sheet to lie against a guide-board (the wires of the frame would do, but he did not use wires). With spoon bent at the point to a narrow spout, he poured melted wax along the top-bar to fill the groove and cement the foundation fast to the wood. When I got the Alpaugh hot-plate foundation fastener this groove was done away with, and since then my top- bars have been smooth underneath. We have, however, what is not a bad idea — a 'o-inch double bevel to the under- side of the top-bar to make it conform to the pitch of the cells when the comb is built. A ' s-inch strip down the middle is flat for fastening the foundation. So the cross- section of the top-bar is like this illustration. I consider the flat surface and the hot-plate fastener about the most economical arrangement for putting in foundation, as regards expense of frame, wax and time. It has also the great advantage over any other style of top- bar — a smooth surface, easily cleaned when poor combs are to be cut out of the frames and replaced by foundation or starters. If the edge of the foundation is not straight, the hot plate soon straightens it, the only difficulty being when the foundation has no width to spare. With Weed-process foundation, well wired, there is so little sag we like it to come within a quarter inch of the bottom-bar, and just to touch the end-bars. =\ Doctor filler's (Question ; Box Send questions either to the office of the American Bee Journal, or to Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, 111. Dr. Miller does not answer Questions by mail. J Smell of Tarred Paper and Bees I wrapped 28 colonies of bees in tarred paper, placing the hives in pairs and enclosing them entirely except the front, which is not covered at all. Do you think the smell of the tar would do any harm ? Wisconsin. Answer. — Not a bit. Queens by Mall vs. by Express in Nuclei 1. Having had bees for many years I often sent for queens to improve them. I received two queens — one a Cyprian and one a Carniolan. Later I received queens from others. After getting the bees well mixed up, about 1895 I sold some to a neighbor, l'/i or 2 miles distant. Since then I have had other queens from some other breeders, and of late I could not get a queen to go ahead of the ones I had. Only queens reared from larvae sent by express in nuclei from New York State went ahead of any queens I had. But none did that came through the mail. Now the man who bought my bees sent for no queens; bought no new stock, but just let them swarm, and for color, strength of colonies, storing honey, and wintering, they appear ahead of the bees I have and tried to improve. How do you account for this ? I looked at some of his queens this season and found them large and yellow, and, I thought, thicker in the abdo- men than generally found. 2. Do you think that queens that come through the mails are as good as those not caged? Pennsylvania. Answers. — 1. I know of no way to account for it ex- cept that the strainof bees your neighbor got from you were actually superior to any you received later. That might happen in more than one way. It might be that in one of the earliest purchases you got a queen superior to any queen you purchased later, and it might happen, even if it were only one chance in a thousand, that the direct progeny of this queen, unmixed with any other blood, was the stock your neighbor got. Again.it might happen that in the 34 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 11, 1906 various combinations or crosses occurring from the mixing of the different races, there was one particular queen that was an improvement over all predecessors, and that your neighbor happened to get that particular queen. No rule, however, can be based on such a supposition, for you might go on for a lifetime and not have such a thing happen again . 2. Certainly, it would not be safe to suppose that a queen will be improved by a journey through the mails. She may not be injured at all by such a journey, and the in- jury may be serious. Even in a case where a queen is greatly injured by being mailed, she may be a very profit- able investment. Suppose you have a strain of very poor bees, and you order a queen of a strain of bees that will store double as much as your bees. She is so badly injured in the mails that she is slow about beginning to lay, lays very sparingly, and gives up the ghost before you have had her a month. All the honey stored by her progeny, if sold at a high price, will not amount to as much as you paid for the queen. If you figure merely on the honey stored by the colony into which she was intioduced, the purchase of the queen was a losing operation. But that isn't the only thing to be considered. Even if she lays only a very few eggs, if you are lively about it, and from those few eggs rear enough queens to requeen all your colonies, that stock may be just as good as if the queen had never been injured in the mails at all, and as a consequence you have just doubled your future crops. In other words, the injury of a queen in the mails does not necessarily injure the stock reared from her. Preventing Honey from Candying- Do Bees Prefer New to Old Sections? 1. I have some extracted honey from colonies that were killed about Oct. IS. It candied right after extracting. What could I have done with it to prevent it from candying so soon ? 2. Some of it was put up in pint jars. It candied and became sour. It was kept in the kitchen cupboard. What was the cause of the souring ? 3. When putting on supers when the honey-flow com- mences, will the bees enter new sections sooner than some that were kept over from last year and daubed with propolis? Wisconsin. Answers. — 1. It is not always an easy thing. For some reason there is a difference in honey itself as to candy- ing. And yet the treatment may have something to do with it. Frequent stirring of honey hastens granulation, so everything in that line should be avoided if you want the honey to remain liquid. If you have 10 pieces of comb honey, and extract the honey from half of them, you will probably find that this extracted honey will candy sooner than that left in the comb, the agitation of extracting tend- ing to hasten the change. Possibly you might also help by keeping the honey at a temperature of 100 degrees or more, allowing free evaporation at the same time, so as to ripen it. 2. The thinness of the honey was enough, no doubt, to account for souring. You can make vinegar of honey any time by making it thin enough, exposing it to the air, and keeping it at the right temperature. But if the tempera- ture be high enough, instead of souring it will evaporate and ripen. 3. That depends altogether upon the condition of the sections. Not of the wood, but of the comb or foundation in the sections. The wood may be clean, or it may be well covered with bee-glue ; that doesn't matter either way. If the comb foundation be entirely clean, you will probably find that the bees will accept it as readily as that whichjias never been on. If the comb has been drawn out, partly filled, and then emptied, you will find that nice, clean combs of this kind will be accepted more readily than fresh foundation. But if any bee-glue has been put on the foun- dation or comb, the bees will not like it so well. I have known foundation in sections that had been left on in the fall to be so thoroughly varnished with bee-glue that the bees utterly refused to accept it. Reports anb (Sxpcrtcnccs Robber-Bees and Late Swarm The following experience with robber-bees is different from anything I have seen before, though it may not be out of the ordinary with others: During the first week of November I came across a colony of bees very weak, and I sub- pected they were queenless. I only 6topped long enough then to slip in a frame of sealed brood fairly well filled, which was handy. A few days later — perhaps the next week, some time— I went to loos at it, and found, as I suspected, that it was queenless and with very few bees except what had emerged from the frame I had given a few days before. I pre- pared a place to put in another frame of brood, and started to get it, but before I found one to suit me my attention was called off for a short time, and when I again looked at the hive I found it being robbed most furiously. I found I had not fitted the cover down tight, and the bees were pouring through a little crack I had left. I closed down the cover tight, and closed up the entrance so no bees could get in or out, and narrowed down the entrance of the near-by hives to a space for one or two bees at a time, and the furore wa6 soon over outside, but the hive was full of roaring bees. 1 then slipped the cover off, and as I did so I slipped on a skeleton frame covered with screen cloth, that would give air without allowing the bees to escape. On top of this I put an empty hive with a single frame of honey in it. On the last day of October I came into the yard and found a little swarm of less than a pint of bees settled on the side of a hive, and on poking them apart a little with my finger, I found a virgin queen in their midst, and (by the way, this is one better than is referred to by Mr. Hasty, on page 779) I hived them for the time being in a little baby-nucleus box with 2 frames one-sixth the normal size, not thinking just what I would do with them. I took this little box, and lifting off the cover to which the little frames were attached, and put in with the little box (detached from each other) in the empty hive with the single frame of honey, and over the screen, covering the hive full of bees below. I left them thus un- til just before it was too dark to see on the third day, when I found the little swarm almost all on the frame of honey, queen and all, a few bee6 crawling around on the screen. I lifted everything off the bees below and slipped the frame of honey, bees and all, down into the space I intended for the frame of brood, and shook the rest of the bees into the hive, opened the entrance and swept out a small double handful of smothered bees. The next day. or next but one, I looked in the hive and found a good, fair colony of bees, and a nice young queen, where a few day6 before there was only a little handful of bees and no queen, all seeming contented and at home. This was about Nov. 16 or 17. Again on the 24th I looked in and found the queen laying nicely. We are having more or less warm weather almost every day, and having plenty of honey they promise well. About 3 inches of rain the 5th, 6th, 7th, and part of the Sth of this month, has pushed mahogany blossoms out until the bees are working on them Lusardi, Calif., Nov. 27. A. J. Burns. A Beginner's Report I began keeping bees last spring, having purchased a colony the fall previous, but not getting them home till in February, I was not a bee-keeper in practice till that time. I in- creased with the advice and help of a neighbor bee-keeper to 2 colonies during the summer just past, by dividing; but in dividing we only divided the bees, and did not change the queen to the newly-made colony, and we did not wait till they had queen-cells started in preparation of swarming, so only gave them a frame of brood from which to rear a new queen, and of course got nothing from that colony, as by the time they had a new queen and enough bees to work any it was too late to gather anything. But I got perhaps 25 P XSeetf Seetf rBook FOR 1906 contains i 5 2 large- full from cov- er to cover of i I lustrations and descrip- tions of the best an J new- .est things ~£l '< n 0 w n i n horticulture. No market gardener, far- mer, or any- one interested in flowers can afford to be without this book, which will be sent free to all sending me their address on a postal. WM. HENRY MAULE 1720 Filbert St. Philadelphia, Pa^. Meulloii llee Jmirual n'livn ivrlllnR. The Emerson Binder . This Emerson stiff-board Binder with cloth back for the American Bee Jonrnal we mall for but 75 cents; or we will send it with the Bee Journal for one year— both for only $1.53. It it a fine thing to preserve the copies of the Jour- nal as fast as they are received. If yon have this " Emerson " no further binding is neces- sary. QEORQE W. YORK & CO.. 334 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, ILL Jan. 11. 19C6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 35 pounds of section hooey this year, it being a very poor year for honey, so the old bee-keep- ers say, perhaps one-third of a crop. I also found a bee-tree on a neighbor's farm, buying it for 75 cents and putting the bees in a frame hive, and then I bought another colony, making 4 in all, which I am wintering on the 6ummer stands, but I had to feed all of them, as they did not gather enough this fall to winter them. I decided when I began bee-keeping to adopt the Danzenbaker hive, but I have changed my mind, and will try the dovetailed, as I think the latter has the most good points in its favor. I am a subscriber to 7 bee-papers, and think a person can not get too many ; also I have a few bee-books, and intend to get the rest as soon as possible. This is not a very good bee-country, but I think I can do better next year by using bet- ter management. Honey usually sells in the grocery stores here for about 10 cents per pound or section, but it is in very poor shape, as the majority use no fences, and some sections of honey are big and some small, and 1 do not know of any extractor in the country. There are perhaps Ml colonies of bees within a circle of 5 miles of me. The chief source of honey is alfalfa, white clover perhaps next, and smartweed and corn. Joseph W.Jackson. Blaine, Kan , Nov. 27. Results of the Past Season Reading Prof. Bigelow's report encouraged me to send mine. I started last spring with 3 colonies, and found several bee-trees during the summer; these I cut down and transferred the bees. I bought a few colonies in box- hives, and had all together 13 colonies. At the close of the honey season I discovered some cf the colonies were short of stores, and some were too weak to winter, so I united down to 9 colonies. I procured quart cans with fric- tion tops (such as table syrup is sold in) , punctured the tops full of fine holes with a darning-needle, and had a very good home- made feeder. I fed the needy colonies sugar syrup in the proportion of half and half, just at nightfall. They would carry it down dur- ing the night, and in a few days would have it nicely sealed. Only 2 colonies gave any surplus. This surplus I placed over needy colonies, and by isolating it from the brood- chamber with a quilt with a small hole in one corner, I got them to carry it down into the brood-chamber. I think I got a few more stings than Prof. Bigelow, also I got 6cared so badly several Langstroth ™ the »* Honey-Bee Revised by Dadant— Latest Edition. This is one of the standard books on bee-culture, and ought to be in the library of every bee-keeper. It is bound substantially in cloth, and contains over 500 pages, being revised by those large, practical bee-keepers, so well- known to all the readers of the Ameri- can Bee Journal — Chas. Dadant & Son. Each subject is clearly and thoroly ex- plained, so that by following the in- structions of this book one cannot fail to be wonderfully helped on the way to success with bees. The book we mail for $1.20, or club It with the American Bee Journal for one year — both for $2.00 ; or, we will mail it as a premium for sending us THREE NEW subscribers to the Bee Journal for one year, with $3.00. This is a splendid chance to get a grand bee-book for a very little money oc work. GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, ILL American Bee Journal Novelty Pocket-Knife Gold Fountain Pen All for $2.75 Worker Queen (This cut is the full size of the Knife.) NOVELTY POCKET-KNIFE (Name and Address on one side — Three Bees on the other side.) Your Name on the Knife.— When ordering, 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 the name and residence of the owner, and on the other side pictures of a Queen, Drone, and Worker, as shown here. The Material entering into this celebrated knife is of the very best quality ; the blades are hand-forged out of the very finest English razor-steel, and we warrant every blade. It will last a life-time, with proper usage. Why Own the Novelty Knife?— 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. If traveling, and you meet with a serious accident, and are so fortunate as to have one of the " Novelties," your Pocket-Knife will serve as an identifier; and, in case of death, your relatives will at once be notified of the accident. How to Get.this Valuable Kniie.— We send it postpaid for $1.25, or club the Novelty Knife and the American Bee Journal for one year— both for $2.00. (Allow two weeks for Knife order to be filled.) SOLID GOLD FOUNTAIN PEN Finally, we have found a good Fountain Pen that is reasonable in price. The manufacturers of this pen say that if you pay more than $1.25 for other fountain pens, it's for the name. This pen is absolutely guaranteed to work perfectly, and give sat- isfaction. The' Gold Nibs are 14 kt., pointed with selected Iridium. The Holders are Para Rubber, handsomely finished. The simple feeder gives a uniform flow of ink. Each pen is packed in a neat box, with directions and Filler. % size We mail this Gold Fountain Pen for only §1.25, or for $2.00 we will mail it and the weekly American Bee Journal for a whole year. Ugp" Sample copy of the American Bee Journal free; trial trip of three months (13 copies) for 20c; regular yearly price, $1.00. Address all orders to GEORGE W. YORK S CO., 334 Dearborn St., Chicago, 111. Drone times that I don't think I will ever grow any more. The worst part of it is I am still hungry for honey. If I could have gotten a little for my injured feelings I could have overlooked the stings and scares. I think I feel something like the boy that put his fist into the bumble-bees' nest where there was no honey. However, I think I will " try, try again," and live in hopes if I do die in despair. I have the bees on the summer 6tands with cushions filled with forest leaves packed above the brood-frames. We are having delightful fall weather, and the bees are flying nearly every day. The wet fall we had has favored the white clover so it is going into the winter in prime condi- tion. The subsoil is stored full of water, so with anything like a favorable spring I look for a fine crop of clover next year, and, in- cidentally, some of my honey that I didn't get this year. Freeman Davis. Center, Mo., Nov. 26. CONVENTION NOTICES. Nebraska: — The annual meeting of the Nebraska State Bee-Keepers' Association will be held on Wednesday, Jan. IT, at 2 p.m., at the Experiment Station Building of the Ne- braska State Farm, at Lincoln, Neb. The meeting will be of interest to all bee-keeper6. E. Kretchmer. of Iowa, will read a paper on "Bees and Fruit;" H. F. Smith, Assistant in Department of Entomology of the University of Nebraska, will read a paper entitled, " The Relation of Robber-flies and the Honey-Bee." A general discussion will give all present an opportunity to discuss subjects of interest. Lincoln, Neb. Lillian E. Trester, Sec. Minnesota. — The 11th annual meeting of the Fillmore Co., Minn., Bee-Keepers' Asso- ciation will be held in the Court House at Boston, on Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 17 and 18, 1905, beginning at 1 o'clock p.m. Canton, Minn. P. B. Ramer, Sec. Colorado.— The Colorado State Bee- Keep- ers' annual convention will be held in the Chamber of Commerce Building, Denver, Jan. 30, 31, 1906. This will be during " Farmers' Week," when many farmers' organizations will be in the city holding conventions. We are assured of low railroad fares from all points of the State. We are planning for our usual good convention. R. C. Aikin, Sec. Loveland, Colo. 36 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 11, 1906 BEE-SUPPLIES i We manufacture everything needed in the Apiary, and carry a large stock and greatest variety. We assure you the best goods at LOWEST PRICES and our excellent freight facilities enable us to make prompt shipments over 15 dif- ferent roads, thereby saving you excessive freight charges as well as time nnd worry in having goods transferred and damaged. We make the Alternating, Massie, Langstroth and the Dovetail Hives Our prices are very reasonable, and to convince you of such we will mail you our free illustrated and descriptive catalog and price-list upon request. We waut every bee-keeper to have our Catalog' SPECIAL DISCOUNTS now. Write to-day. Address, 8 | 8 Catalogs issued in English or Herman. »» Q KRETGHMER MFG. GO., Council Bluffs, Iowa. »« Catalogs issued in English or German. mention Bee Journal when writing. I O.80 F«.r II A 200 Egq INCUBATOR Perfect in construction «.na action. Hatches every fertile I egg. Write for catalog to-day GEO. H. STAHL. Qulncy, III Please mention Bee Journal when writing Advertisers. some ooofl GinDDino oners A good many subscriptions to the American Bee Journal should be renewed at once. We wish to call special attention to the clubbing offers below, which we are sure will commend themselves. The American Bee Journal one year and your choice of one of the following: BOTH FOR No. 1 — Dr. Miller's " Forty Tears AmoDg the Bees" (book alone, $1.00) $1.75 No. 2— Prof. A. J. Cook's " Bee-Keeper's Guide,'' (book alone, $1.20) 2.00 No. 3— Dadant's " Langstroth on the Honey-Bee," (book alone, $1.20) 2.00 No. 4— Doolittle's " Scientific Queen- Rearing, "(cloth bound) bookalone, $1. 1.75 No. 5 — Doolittle's "Scientific Queen- Rearing" (leatherette bound) book alone, 7oc 1.50 No. 6— A Standard-Bred Untested Italian Queen, next May or June (Queen alone, 75c) 1.50 No. 7—" Novelty Poeket-Knife " with your Dame and address on it (knife alone,$1.25) 2.00 No. 8—" Wood Binder," for holding a year's numbers (binder alone, 20c) 1.10 No. 9—" Emerson Binder," (stiff board) binder alone, 75e ' 1.50 BOTH FOR No. 10 — Monette " Queen-ClippiDg De- vice," (Device alone, 25c) $1.10 No. 11 — Newman's " Bees and Honey," (cloth bound) book alone, 75c 1.50 No. 12 — Newman's "Bees and Honey," (paper bound) book alone, 50c 1.30 No. 13— Root's "A B C of Bee-Culture," (book alone, $1.20) 2.00 No. 14— A Gold Fountain Pen (Pen alone $1.25) 2.00 No. 15— " The Honey-Money Stories," (book alone, 25c) 1.10 No. 16 — Maeterlinck's "Life of the Bee," (cloth bound) book alone, $1.40 2.25 No. 17 — 3 Bee-Songs — " Hum of the Bees in the Apple-Tree Bloom," "Buck- wheat Cakes and Honey," and " The Bee-Keepers' Lullaby," (each 10c or 3 for 25c) 1.10 No. IS— 50 copies " Honey as a Health- Food," (alone, 70c) 1.50 Send all orders to GEORGE W. YORK & CO., 334 Dearborn St., CHICAGO, ILL. BEE=BOOKS SENT POSTPAID BY GEORGE W.YORK & CO., CHICAGO, ILL '" In eyery country tfte successful advertiser is the continuous advertiser. ' Forty Years Among the Bees, by Dr. C. C. Miller. — This book contains 328 pages, is pound in handsome cloth, with gold letters and design ; it is printed on best book-paper, and illustrated with 112 beautiful original half-tone pictures, taken by Dr. Miller him- self. It is unique in this regard. The first few pages are devoted to an interesting bio- graphical sketch of Dr. Miller, telliDg how he happened to get into bee-keeping. Seventeen years ago he wrote a small book, called "A Year Among the Bee6," but that little work has been out of print for a number of years. While some of the matter used in the former book is found in the new one, it all reads like a good new story of successful bee-keeping by one of the masters, and shows in minutest detail just how Dr. Miller does things with bees. Price, $1.00. Bee-Keeper's Guide, or Manual oi the Apiary, by Prof. A. J. Cook, of Pomona Col- lege, California. This book is not only in- structive and helpful as a guide in bee-keep- ing, but is interesting and thoroughly practi- cal and scientific. It contains a full delinea- tion of the anatomy and physiology of bees. 544 pages. 295 illustrations. Bound in cloth. 19th thousand. Price, $1.20. Langstroth on the Honey-Bee, revised i»y Dadant. — This classic in bee-culture has been entirely re-written, and is fully illus- trated. It treats of everything relating to bees and bee-keeping. No apiarian library is complete without this standard work by Rev. i,. L. Langstroth — the Father of American Bee-Culture. It has 520 pages, bound in cloth. Price, $1.20. AB C of Bee-Culture, by A. I. & E. R. Root. — A cyclopedia of over 500 pages, de- scribing everything pertaining to the care of the honey-bees. Contains about 400 en- gravings. It was written especially for begin- ners. Bound in cloth. Price, $1.20 • Scientific Queen-Rearing, as Practi- cally Applied, by G. M. Doolittle. — A method by which the very best of queen-bees are reared in perfect accord with Nature's way. "Sound in cloth and illustrated. Price, $1.00; iii leatherette binding, 60 cents. Bees and Honey, or Management of an Apiary for Pleasure and Profit, by Thomas G. Newman. — It is nicely illustrated, contains 160 pages. Price, in cloth, 75 cents; in paper, 50 cents. Advanced Bee-Culture, Its Methods and Management, by W. Z. Hutchinson. — The author of this work is a practical and enter- taining writer. You should read his book; 90 pages; bound in paper, and illustrated. Price, 50 cents. Bienen-Kultur, by Thomas G. Newman. — This is a German translation of the princi- pal portion of the book called "Bees and Honey." 100-page pamphlet. Price, 25 cents. Apiary Register, by Thomas G. New- man.— Devotes two pages to a colony. Leather binding. Price, for 50 colonies, $1.00. Dr. Howard's Book on Foul Brood. — Gives the McEvoy Treatment and reviews the experiments of others. Price, 25 cents. Winter Problem in Bee-Keeping, by G. R. Pierce. — Result of 25 years' experience Price, 30 cents. Please mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. Jan. 11. 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 37 *4 FOR THIS "ECONOMY" BOILER AND FEED COOKER PAID The "Economv" Fet-ii C"nkor is th«.* best built cooker oil _,__._. . — the market today. It is <_•> instructed so as to get the very F WEIGHT I "'-' results from the smallest amount of fuel possible. The kettle is well and strongly made of the smoothest cast iron, and lias a handle ou each side so that it can be removed From t lie easing instantly. Will last a lifetime. The casing, or jacket. Is one continuous sheet of cold rolled boiler steel, supported at the bottom by a heavy wrought iron band. This i ter has tlie largest tire door of any made, and is the strongest, nmst serviceable feed cooker ever sold at | such a price, freight paid. Made in seven sizes to suit every need; furnished with hinged cover, elbow and one length of pipe with damper. We guarantee this cooker for one year. Send money with order today, or write tor our large 1,000-page catalogue giving other sizes and thousands of money-saving bargains Tor the farmer and his family. If you want to save 10 per cent on everything you buy, we have a plan you should know about ; it will save you from $150 to $250 a year. Only costs a stamp to find out all about it. The object of this Society is to save money for its mem- bers. For full information let us tell you how we do it. Co-Operative Society of the National Supply Co. Lansing, Michigan Chicago, Illinois NO MORE LOST LETTERS If jou take advantage of the offer we make to furnish you beautifully Printed Stationery, which we will send you postpaid. The Farmers' Tribune One Year and 100 Note Heads and 100 Envelopes | AH for $i. ® The Farmers' Tribune is the leading Live Stock Journal of the Northwest. The stationery is really free. It is printed on nice paper with yonr name, address and name of farm or business. We guarantee to deliver in 10 days from receipt of order Ask yonr printer what he will charge for such stationery. This will prove the unparalleled offer we are making you. Address, FARMERS' TRIBUNE, Box 21, Sioux City, Iowa. Send tor tree sample copy of our great paper A HANDY TOOL-HOLDER ! Sent by Express, for $1.50 ; or with the Bee Journal one year — both for $2.00. Every Manufacturer, Miller, Carpenter. Cabinet Maker, Machinist. Wheelwright and Quarryman. Farmer, or any one using- a grind- stone, should have one of these Tool-Holders. One boy can do the work of two persons, and grind much faster, easier and with perfect accuracy. Will bold any kind of tool, from the smallest chisel 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 hand or steam power, is always ready for use, nothinif to get out of order, and is absolutely ■vorl li 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 the Holder. Directions.— The Tool is fas- tened securely in the Holder by a set-screw a ud 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. Forgrinding Round . Edge Tool», the holes in the stand- ard are used instead of the notches. GEORGE W. YORK & CO-, 334 Dearborn St., Chicago, 111. All About the Southwest Homes and Prosperity for Everybody TEXAS produces more honey and other monev crops than any other State. FARM AND KANCH is the home builders' guide, handsomely printed on good paper and bemitifullv illustrated. Contains clean, reliable, interesting and instructive reading for each member of the iamilv 24 pages weekly. $1.00 per year. Send stamp for sample copy. FARM AND RANCH, Dallas, Tex. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Engravings For Sale * We are accumulating quite a stock of engrav- ings that have been used in the American Bee Journal. No doubt many of them could be used again by bee-keepers in their local newspapers, on their stationery, or in other ways. Also, if we can sell some of them it would help us to pay for others that we are constantly having made and using in our columns. If there is any of our engravings that any one would like to have, just let us know and we will quote a very low price, postpaid. Address, GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, II.I, 1 SOOT 5? 86. '88. •818I».t» f bee- hives. A good house "endureth not for a day " but for a lifetime. The same with a good hive. The Elgin Hive is a Good Hive No dovetails*. No nailing. Patent corners. Quickly and easily assembled or taken apart at any time. All standard size Frames. Supers, and other assessories fit it perfectly. 1-story hive, complete l V?tory hive, for comb honey. _'-storv hive, for extracted _ Price Kacb -Frame SI. 55 2 05 2.50 2.15 2.60 Lots of Five 8-Frame | tu-Frame $ 7.110 9.50 11.00 $ 7.50 ll'.IO 12.00 Either Flat or Gable Cover at above prices. SPECIAL.— With every order for five or more hives received during January ,we will eive FREE vour choice of "' American Bee Journal." 1 year; revised edition '• Langstroth on the Honey-Bee;" Years Among the Beee," by Dr. C. C. Miller. ' Forty If you are contemplating the purchase of SUPPLIES for the coming season, it will pay you to write us for prices on what you will heed. We will be able to furnish you with anything needed in the business THE NATIONAL SUPPLY CO., Elgin, III. Wb Sell root's Goods in Michigan Let ns quote you prices on Sections, Hives, Foundation, etc, as we can save you time and freight. Beeswax Wanted for Cash. M. H. HUNT A SON. Bell Branch, Wayne Co., Mich WANTED The agency for Southern Iowa or the entire State, of some bee-supply manufacturer. Rail- road facilities— none better— 4 direct lines. Ex- perienced in this line as well as bees. Address 2A2t A. L. BARKER. Humeston, Iowa. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Wisconsin Basswood Sections I And Prompt Shipments Is what we are making for our customers. — DOVETAILED HIVES AND SHIPPING-CASES — We carry a full line of SUPPLIES. Ask for Catalog. 1E HARSHFIELD nANUFACTURINQ CO., Harshfield, Wis. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Stingless Bees Are worthless as honey-producers. Cau- casian Bees are not stingless, they are gentle. They produce honey. Try ihem next season. Have your queens, both Caucasians and Ital- ians, bred tv order, and then you will have what you want. Address, ROBERT B. McGfllN, Yorkville, III. R.f.d. 2 Mf Mention Bee Journal when writing. / Mended This frith "* a St. John's Utensil] Mender and a Match " J- >' a The greatest household convenience ever invented. With aid of a match, candle or lamp you can mend leaky pans, kettles, boilers, etc., in a second and save both utensils and tinners' bills. Mends anything— tin, copper, brass, iron and enamel ware per- manently'. Send 25 cents for package good | ■ for 100 mends. Money back if not satisfied. M. Pitts & St. John, 206 Schiller Bldg., Chicago ^E^|^^M AGENTS WANIfcDl Mention Bee Journal when writing. For Sale-2 5,000 Lbs.?^ Spanish-needle Extracted Honey put up in new 60-lb. tin can6— 6c a pound for the lot, or 6%c for less, F. J. GUNZEL, Weiner, Ark. 44Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. FOR SALE Until further notice,' finest quality new crop California Water- White White Sage and Light Amber HONEY in 60-lb. tins, 2 in a case; new cans and new cases Write for prices and sam pies, and state quantity you want. HlLDRETH & SEGELKEN 265 & 267 Greenwich Street, New York, N.Y 34Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. Big Discounts on Bee=5upplies The following discounts apply on all orders except honey- packages for current use: For cash orders before Oct. I — 10 percent Nov. 1 9 percent | Feb. 1 6 percent Dec. 1 8 " March 1.... 4 " Jan. 1 7 " I April 1 2 " We handle LEWIS' GOODS, and carry a large stock, which insures prompt shipment. Catalog free. Address, LOUIS HANSSEN'S SONS, 213 & 215 W. 2d Street, DAVENPORT, IOWA 38 Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. Trees, Plants •-PURE ALFALFA-* HONEY IN 60-POUND CANS We have a good supply of Pure Alfalfa IlO^iKV in 60-pound cans that we can ship by return freight at these prices : 2 cans, boxed, at 8% cents a pound ; 4 or more cans at one time, 8 cents a pound — all f.o.b. Chi- cago. Cash with order. Sample, by mail, 8 in stamps, to cover package and postage. Address, YORK HONEYITpp^CO. 141-143 Ontario St., CHICAGO, ILL. OC a Ia. IE IllllrC For names and P. O. 00C TOT IU NflHIto "f 15 farmers an. I 15c ,7 !. iwwnifcw -stamps taken- wa will send for 2yrs. the Farmer's Call— rep sub. price 50c a year. F. C. is a wklv., l'J yrs.OKl, 1.300 pages a yr. Sample tree. Farmer's Call.Quincv, 111. Jan. 11, 19C6 THh AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 39 Lowest Prici Big Discount for Early Orders On Cash Orders Before November 1 9 percent " December 1 8 " " January 1 ™ " " February 1 U " March 1 4 " April 1 2 " Bee = Supplies OF ALL KINDS Established Nearly 25 Years We have published THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER for IS years (monthly, 50c a year.) The largest and best il- lustrated magazine of its kind for the price published. Edited by two of the most experienced bee - keepers in America. Sample copy free. Our large, illustrated Price-List of Supplies free on application. Address, The W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co. JAHESTOWN, N.Y. Mention Bee Journal when writing. i)oney anb * 23eestpax* Chicago, Dec. 6.^The trade in best grades of white comb honey has been fair, yet retailers taking' only small quantities at a time. This honey brings 14@15c ; other grades are difficult to place at from l@3c per pound less. Extracted selling at 7(a7^c per pound for white; amber 6H@7c ; dark S^(gOc. Beeswax, when clean and of good color, 30c. R. A. Burnett & Co. Cincinnati, Dec. 29.— There is no demand for honey at the present time, on account of the holidays. However, prospects for the coming year are bright, and we are looking forward to a revival of trade about Jan. 15. The price of comb honey remains firm: we quote fancy white at 15@l6Ji cents. Extracted : amber in barrels at Stgii^c, according to the quality; fancy white in 60-lb. cans at 7}£@8c; amber in cans at 6ic higher. Beeswax in good demand, 26c cash, 28c trade. Griggs Bros. New York, Dec. 6.— The demand for comb honey continues to be fair for all grades. Prices practically remain the same. We quote fancy white at 14@i5c ; No. 1 at 13c ; No. 2 at 12c, and buckwheat at 10c per pound, Extracted honey Is in good demand, especially California honey with large supplies. We quote white at 6M^7c; light amber at 6c ; buckwheat, extracted, at 5Jii@6c per ponnd ; Southern at 50@60c per gal- lon. Beeswax firm and steady at 2'»(«i30c per pound. Hildreth & Sbgblken. Indianapolis, Dec. 15 —There is a tendency for higher prices on best grades of honey. The demand for strictly fancy white comb hooey exceeds the supply. Demand for lower grades of comb honey not good. Numerous shipments Headquarters for Bee-Supplies Complete Stock for 1906 now on hand. FREIGHT- RATES from; are the LOWEST, ESPECIALLY CINCINNATI for the SOUTH as 'most' all freight now goes through Cincinnati. Prompt Service is what I practice. You will Satisfaction Guaranteed. SAVE MONEY BUYING FROM ME. fflrB^ free- 6 Percent Discount for January Let me ^^ ■^^^r^^r^^^r^X bred in separate apiaries, bookyoui I J I K. r. I\l^ thefiOLDEN ¥EI. Order for ^Qfj \J AJJJX1 KJ LOWS, «JAK>IO- I. V >*, RED CLOVERS and CAUCASIANS. For prices, refer to my catalog, page 29. c. H.W.Weber CNs:r Office ind Salesrooms, 2146-48 Central Ave. Warehouses. Freeman and Central Aves. of honey arriving-, but no one producer seems to have very great quantities to offer. I quote fancy white at 15@f6c; No. I in poor demand at 12c, and amber dull atlOc. Best grade extracted brings 8@9c in 60-lb. cans; amber slow at 6c. Beeswax, 30@33c. Walter S. Pouder. Denver, Nov. 11.— No. 1 white comb honey, per case of 24 sections, $3.35; No. 1 light amber. J3.0J; No. 2, $2 50@3.00. Extracted honey, b% @7 cts. per pound. Supply is light and we coud make quick sales of consignments at above figures. We pay 24c for clean, yellow beeswax delivered here. The Colo. Honey-Producers' Assn. Cincinnati, Dec. IS. — The nice weather holds back the demand for comb honey. Crops seem to be exceedingly short and producers in the West keep the prices high. We quote as fol- lows: Fancy water-white and No. 1 white clo- ver, 14@16c; No. 2, 12(3'14c. Extracted seems to be more plentiful, and we quote same in barrels, light amber, 5%@5^c; in cans, He more; white clover, 7@Sc. Beeswax, 28@30c. C. H.W.Weber. " It is continuous advertising that impresses the public with the stability of a firm." Model Incubators and \ Brooders Manufactured by ChaS. A. Cyph- ers, and sold at his factory pri- ces. Freight rates from Toledo 0 will save you money. Do not be S humbugged into buying a cheap g) machine. The best is none too 0 good. Our illustrated Catalog 2 free to any address. Ask for it. GRIGGS BROS. S 521 Monroe Street, TOLEDO, OHIO, X 85c for 15 NAMES Fop names and P. O. of 15 farmers and 15c - stamps taken — we will send tor 2yrs. the Farmer's Call — reg. sub. price 50c a year. F. C. is a wklv., 25 yrs.oltf, 1,300 pages a yr. Sample free. Farmer's Call.iQuincy, 111. Mention Bee Journal when writing. FANCY WHITE EXTRACTED HONEY CRATES 2-60- LB. CANS; 8c TWO OR MORE CRATES; 7 % LARGER LOTS; WRITE FOR SPECIAL PRICES. ALL F. O. B. CINCINNATI. CASH WITH ORDER. SAMPLES 10c. TO PAY POSTAGE. THE FRED W. MUTH CO. No. 51 WALNUT STREET, CINCINNATI, OHIO. FOR SALE Extracted Honey — Fancy white, C'.c; fancy Bmber, 6c; y±c less in 5-case lots or more. CO. CLEMONS & CO. KANSAS CITY, MO. HONEY AND BEESWAX When consigning, buying or selling, consult R. A. BURNETT & CO., 199 South Watbr St. Chicago. III. Please Mention the American Bee Journal ffitiff 40 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. n, 1906 A CARLOAD OF PAPER WAS USED IN PRINTING THE FIRST EDITION of the im LEWIS CATALOG ST Send for One at Once IT IS FREE Every Copy is a Work of Art. Better, Grander, Larger than Ever. AGENTS WANTED For Lewis' Goods by the Carload MAINE NEW HAMPSHIRE VERMONT MASSACHUSETTS CONNECTICUT FOR, RHODE ISLAND NORTH CAROLINA SOUTH CAROLINA MISSISSIPPI ALABAMA Liberal territory given. GEORGIA FLORIDA LOUISIANA SOUTHERN OHIO For further particulars address Home Office G. B. LEWIS CO. "SSr Watertown,Wis. XJ. S. A.. Ee Jour CHICAGO, ILL., JAN. 18, 1906 Mrs. T. L. Siuwler's Apiary. Ai'iAsr of A. B. Giles, of Baltimore, Md. (One colony gave 72 pounds of comb honey in 1905.) a •jn« "^S t? A' - : ■ *%&■ 1 I 1 'j-.»-: :>: ' • IfiJgJ Bi& JMI .— v Apiary of Eugene U. Porter, of Waterloo, Wis. — (See page 46.) 42 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 18, 1906 PUBLISHED WEEKLY BT GEORGE W.YORK 8 COMPANY 334 Dearborn Street, Chicago, 111. IMPORTANT NOTICES THE SUBSCRIPTION PRICE of this Journal fa 8l.no a year, in the United States, Canada, and Mexico; all other countries in the Postal Union, 50 centB a year extra Xor postage. Sample copy free, THE WRAPPER-LABEL DATE indicates the end of the month to which your subscriptioi ispaid. For instance, "dec06" on your label shows that it is paid to the end of December. SUBSCRIPTION RECEIPTS.— We do not send a receipt for money sent us to pay subscription, but change the date on your wrapper-label, which shows that tne money has been received and credited. ADVERTISING RATES will be given upon appli- cation. National Bee-Keepers' Association Objects of the Association 1st.— To promote the interests of its members. 2d.— To protect and defend its members in their lawful rights. M 3d.— To enforce laws against the adulteration 01 honey. Annual Membership Dues, $1.00 General Manager and Treasurer — N. JfcC. Kkance, Platteville, Wla, %W If more convenient. Dues may be sent to the publishers of the American Bee Journal. The Honey-Producers' League (INCORPORATED) OBJECTS: 1. To create a larger demand for honey through advertising. 2. To publish facts about honey, and counteract misrepresentations of the same. MEMBERSHIP DUES 1. Any bee-beeper may become a member by pay- ing to the Manager an annual fee of $1.00 for each 20 (or fraction of 20) colonies of bees (spring count) he owns or operates. 2. Any hooey-dealer, bee-supply dealer, bee-supply manufacturer, bee-paper publisher, or any other Arm or individual, may become a member on the annual payment of a fee of $10, increased by one- fifth of one (l) percent of his or its capital used in the allied interests of bee-keeping. George W. Fork, Manager, 334 Dearborn St., Chicago, ill. "Xlie continuous advertiser gets the bull* of the business, because others are not adver- tising, and lie is.94 BEE-KEEPERS' SUPPLIES POULTRY SUPPLIES LEWIS' BEEWARE is so well known it need no introduc- tion. 6 percent Discount on Bee- Supplies for January. Beeswax wanted — 27c cash, 29o when taking bee-sup- plies in exchange. Extracted Honey for pale. Prices on application. Sample, 10c. CORNELL INCUBATORS PEEP 0' DAY BROODERS CORNELL CHICK MACHINERY are unexcelled. The 1906 Cornell Incubator is superior to anything heretofore put on the market. H. M. ARND, Mgr. New 1906 Catalog for either line FREE If you want orders filled PROMPTLY AT FACTORY PRICES, send your order to YORK HONEY laWSF CO. G£) 141 Ontario Street, CHICAGO, ILL. Long Distance 'Phone, North 1S59. DITTMER'S FOUNDATION J/A1EBEST Retail, Wholesale and Jobbing. Owes its REPUTATION entirely to its MERITS, and our PERSISTENT EFFORTS to MAKE ihe BEST and KEEP it the BEST. It is TOUGH, CLEAR, and PERFECTLY TRANSPARENT, has the NATURAL SWEET ODOR of PURE WAX, and the COLOR of the BRIGHTEST and LIGHTEST LEMON and ORANGE. We make a SPECIALTY of WORKING WAX into FOUNDATION for CASH, by the TENS, HUNDREDS and THOUSANDS of POUNDS, and we are in the Best Shape to attend to all orders promptly, nur capacity being1 15no pounds daily. FULL and COMPLETE LINE of SUPPLIES, and the BEST ONLY. Do not fail to write for SAMPLES of our Foundation, Descriptive Catalog, PRICES and DISCOUNTS, staling Quantity of Foundation wanted. Wax to be Worked, and List of other Supplies, and Prices will be accordingly. Beeswax always wanted. E. Ghainger & Co , Toronto, Ontario .... Agents for Canada The Bee and Honey Co., Beeville, Texas . . " Texas E. H. Taylor, Welwyn, Herts, England ... " Great Britain W. D. Soper, Jackson, Michigan " Michigan Mention Bee Journal when writing. QUS DITTMER, Augusta, Wis. 6 Percent Discount 8 We will allow you the above Discount on all Orders accompanied by B Cash during January. Send for our Catalog. I PAGE & LYON MFG. CO., New London, Wis. Mention Bee Journal when writing. NOT IN THE TRUST For High-Grade Cans Prices Always the Lowest Write for Prices, Stating- Quantity Wanted Friction Top Cans for Honey and Syrup Prompt shipment and careful attention given to all order mention Bee Journal when writing. Made by Special prices to members of the Bee-Keepers' Associations. CANNERS CAN CO., 1035 W. 47th Street, CHICAGO, ILL. Jan. 18, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 43 4N!MNlMMM^ t "DADANT'S FOUNDATION" -AND- BEE=SUPPLIES <§• Revised Prices on Foundation IN LOTS OF Name of Grade 1-lb. 5-lbs. 10-lbs 25-lbs. 50 lbs . .55.. ...53.. ....51. ....49... ...48 ..57... ...55.. ....51... ..62... ...60.. ....58. ....56... ...55 Extra Thin Surplus. ..65... ...63.. ....61. ....59... ...58 DISCOUNTS for Early Cash Orders During September 10 percent " October 9 " November 8 " December 7 " January 6 " February 4 March 2 Beeswax Wanted at all Times, H DADANT & SONS, Hamilton, 111. SEE THE 1906 RELIABLE before you buy. Perfectly practical for poul- trymen or beginners. Double heating system gives bigger hatches — saves one- third the oil. Sold on a money back guarantee. Write for free catalog. > Reliable Farm Pure- Bred Birds and Eggs. Get prices. Reliable Incubator and Brooder Co., Box B-153 Quincy, Illinois. TJ. S. A. Mention Bee Journal when writing. If you want the Bee-Book That covers the whole A pi cultural Field more completely than any other published, ' send $1.20 to Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont, Cal., << FOR HIS Bee=Keeper's Guide." Liberal Discounts to the Trade. Mention Bee Journal when writing. BEE-SUPPLIES If Goods are wanted Quick, send to Ponder " S •«♦■' £ -».♦.«- m if- =?*? Root's Goods at Root's Prices # m Everything used by Bee-Keepers. POUDER'S MONEY-JARS. Prompt Service. Low Freight Rates. .-. .•. .'. Catalog Free. If you wish to purchase finest quality of HONEY for your local trade, write for my free monthly price-list of honey. Why not secure your BEE-SUPPLIES NOW FOR NEXT SEASON'S USE. and avail yourself of the following very liberal discounts? Goods all Root Quality. For cash orders before Feb. 1.6 percent For cash orders before Mar. 1 . . 4 percent For cash orders before Apr. 1.2 percent WALTER S. POUDER, I •».♦.» I # 513-515 Massachusetts Ave., INDIANAPOLIS, IND. AAi'ii'ii'iAitii'ii'ii'ii'iiti'iAi'ii'iiti'ii'ii'ii'iAi'ii'ii'iAi'i [ Telephone Facts Facts are what the farmer wants, whether buying a team or a telephone. If you want lo know how others have built successful telephone lines write at once for our new free book 80-H, k "How the Telephone Helps the Farmer." It gives facts you ought to «know about telephones for farm fc^^^to^ use, and whether you buy STROMBERG- CARLSON TELEPHONES or not you will be in pos- session of information which will enable you to buy the right telephone, build the right line and save unnecessary exper- imenting. We send it free. Stromberg-Carlson Tel. Mfg. Co., Rochester, N. Y.t Chicago, III. I Mention Bee Journal when writing. California All About The Pacific Rural Press has been a house- hold word throughout California lor 35 years. It is authority on all matters regarding the soil or products of California. Weekly, illus- trated: Edited by practical specialists. Two Dollars per year. Send for sample copy. Pacific Rural Press, 330 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif. SOAtf Please mention the Bee Journal. 44 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 8. 19 6 3 A Complete Establishment \ H —— y V We say that we can supply EVERYTHING for the bee-keeper. It IS a LITERAL fact. Anything from bees to f^ ^J book6, or hives to honey-boards. The completeness of our factory is not realized by most bee-keepers. Below we give the "V ^gi main Departments of our business. Read them over and then we are sure you will understand when we say EVERYTHING ^ V *^ for the bee-keeper, we mean it. UmT W WOOD-WORKING DEPT. \ mL This department occupies the 3 floors of the main building of the factory. It is equipped from top to bottom with the ^km ' W best machinery that brains can invent and money buy. Every detail in hive-making has been carefully figured out. Immense £\r ^ sheds covering acres of ground protect the lumber piles so that shrinkage is reduced to almost nothing. This accounts for ^ _k pair of sparrows must be simply immense during a breeding SeaSThe sparrow is much better than is its reputation. Of all our birds he shows the most religious inclination or he does his level best to live up to the command of his Maker i being fruitful and replenishing the world all oter wit his kind. No other species of birds in this coun- trv can cone with the sparrow in this respect; and I think Pi esTdent Roosevelt will find no fault with the sparrow. After hfs ardent work (on this line) is done, and after he has destroyed so much of injurious nsect life, why of course he needs recuperation to fit himself for the next umme's6 "ampaign! ?A change of diet is ; very ^ naturally the next thing in order with him. And so he goes, open and above board' (but not as a miserable sneak-thief) to the fru£-patch, and partakes of what he has helped to pro- ^Wfy? tho^lnUtrblante the sparrow Jo, -taking Si^w^^?oreS^™1ot^^,^a^t\atIc^eSaid in favor 'of the sparrow, but I will say one or two things more, and be done: ... ■ . When the actual and mainly responsible miscreants— the thrushes and other birds named— have had their fill and settled their misdeeds on the comparatively innocent sparrow, they make up their minds (with the approach of cool weather) to go South. These weaklings cannot stand the r gor of our Northern winter. After they have stolen our fruit, they turn their back upon us, and soon our wood- lands are deserted. The sparrow on the contrary is of a different make-up. He does not desert country and home He faces the winter storm like a brave little man is always cheerful, and is the only bird of our own which enlivens our winter landscape with his merry twitter caroling in shrubs and trees, and around the house and barn, as well as in the streets of the city. In winter, when food is scarce and hard for him to get, he knows how to economize, and the fresh droppings of a horse go a great way with a whole lot of them. Now, why is it that the sparrow is abused and de- famed so unjustly, even by some professors of our State universities, whose reports sometimes are not_ worth the paper they are written on, when it comes to judging the Jan. 18 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 49 poor little sparrow? Is it that the sparrow is a foreigner? This seems to account for much of the abuse the sparrow is getting. But are all those who attack him not foreign- er- themselves? We all arc of foreign extraction, and dis- crimination on this account is simply silly. Our native birds, on account of their brilliant, showy and beautiful plumage, are adorning frequently the head- wear of silly women vanity prompts them to dis- grace themselves by covering their empty heads with the feathers of the charming songsters of our woodlands. Shame on them! The sparrow is exempt from this van- dalism, because he wears an unassuming, humble ward- robe. Let us all try to be just and inform ourselves before we make charges which cannot be substantiated. Grand Island, Neb., Nov. 30, 1905. ^ Contention Proceedings j> Report of the Ontario Convention The annual convention of the Ontario Bee-Keepers' Association was held partlv in Albert Hall and partly at the Albion Hotel, Toronto, Nov. 15, 16 and 17, 1905. Pres. H. G. Sibbald occupied the chair at all sessions. The minutes of last convention were read by Sec. Couse, and approved. Mr. Sibbald then delivered THE PRESIDENT'S ANNUAL ADDRESS I am pleased to have the honor of welcoming you to the 26th birthday of the Ontario Bee-Keepers' Association. Being at present a citizen of Toronto, I also bid you wel- come to the city. Enjoy yourselves in convention as much as possible, but be careful in the city to keep out of the way of street-cars, and don't blow out the gas! I read in a country paper the other day that people are always careful to give country visitors the above in- structions; but that a Hamilton man, while out at a Coun- try Fair, was actually run over by a load of hay! We meet in convention annually to talk about all per- taining to the little Bees, and the Honey they gather, and I venture to say that no one outside of our fraternity can understand the pleasure it is to exchange ideas, and, copy- H. G. SIBBALD. ing from our pets, give "pointers" to others. While we may be somewhat dogmatic, and think our own system — the hive we use, the bees we have, and the honey they gather — better than those possessed by others, still we learn much from these meetings, and, as a rule, you will find the members of our Association expert bee-keepers and better informed on all pertaining to apiculture than those who have not availed themselves of the opportunity lining with us and attending our meetings. Since our last convention a very fair honey crop has been realized, especially in the western half of our Province. Prices have been fair, and the demand good, so we meet under most favorable circumstances, and, like bees in a good honey-flow, arc good-natured. Our honey show, which was inaugurated last year, has now become an annual event, and the exhibition in the hall at present will do credit to our production, and should do much to bring honey more prominently before the people of this city and the Province, besides stimulating a worthy rivalry between bee-keepers to produce something better than has been produced. The holding of this convention in Toronto will tend to centralize our meetings, and it might be wise for us consider means whereby a number of first-class, successful bee-keepers might be sent, or be available to attend the local affiliated societies, thereby keeping these societies in closer touch with the parent society, and at the same time adding interest to their meetings. Apiculture is advancing. Bee-keepers are adopt short-cut methods, which make it possible for a man to attend 200 or 300 colonies, where a few years ago 100 would have been sufficient, producing from them from 20,000 to 30,000 pounds of honey, where 10,000 would have been considered big work. And while we are considering ways and means of cutting corners, we must not forget that a larger output will require a bigger market, else prices will go down. Our Association has here a field for work — to advertise and educate the public to eat more honey. If people only understood how deliciously whole- some, how cheap and economical honey really is, they would use it far more largely as an every-day food. How many people realize that 5 pounds of honey can be ob- tained for the same money that 2 pounds of butter costs; that many children would prefer it to butter spread on bread. Thirty cents will buy a quart of honey, and it will go farther than 2 or 3 quarts of fruit. We should all endeavor to create a better home market for honey. It can be done. Your program committee have done their best to provide a program including subjects of live interest and importance to bee-keepers at present, and it is the wish of your officers of 1905 that the most profitable convention that has been called will be the present one. H. G. Sibbald. Prof. F. C. Harrison, formerly of Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph, but now of Macdonald College, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, addressed the convention on Means of Diffusing Apicultural Knowledge. Prof. Harrison frankly told the members Ke considered the Association was not doing all it might do in this line. First, we have publications, which are mainly the Can- adian Bee Journal" and the "Annual Report." He thought the Canadian Bee Journal might profitably increase its size and give more of what is going on abroad. Of course, extracts from American journals should be first. But there are many good things in the European journals which might profitably be translated and published. There should also be many good points for beginners, as there are always beginners who need advice. Another point which Prof. Harrison emphasized was the holding of educational meetings. There should be "more than one annual meeting." The bee-keepers should work through the Agricultural Department to bring bee- keeping before the fruit-growers and the seed-growers. Both are benefited by bees, and should be led to see that benefit more fully. In the Fruit Growers' Association they have spring and summer orchard meetings. Bee- keepers should make it a point to send delegates to these meetings, who might strive to disabuse the farmers minds of the idea that bees are an injury to fruit and other crops. This might be the line of the first year's instructions. The second year some other definite line of instruction could be taken up. During the winter, representatives might be sent with the Farmers' Institute workers. The third year speakers could be sent from the Provincial association to address the local societies. By strengthen- ing the local associations you would strengthen the main one. In any case, send out the very best men possible, and the college at Guelph will render all assistance pos- sible to these men along technical lines. Pres. Sibbald commended Prof. Harrisons ideas, but thought we did not need to cultivate beginners so much as 50 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 18, 1906 to educate the bee-kepers we have, and promote the im- provement of the honey produced. R. F. Holtermann would emphasize the desirability of promoting the knowledge of foreign ideas. He had gotten some of his best ideas from German literature. In regard to the value of bees to seed, it would be wise to issue bulletins showing the value of bees, and also ask those who can to bring forward proofs to the contrary. In looking over the alsike clover report he had noticed a great variation in the yield this year, and in many cases where large yields were reported he knew bees to be kept in large numbers. What we are suffering from is that bee-keeping is not treated as a business. We should show people that it is a business, then they will be more careful about rushing into it without first counting the cost. J. D. Evans thought we should be very careful about urging an over-supply of honey, as there is very little foreign market for it. W. A. Chrysler — Education should start with the young. Every avocation should be presented in the public and high schools so that the child could choose what he likes best and go on with it. Nine out of ten make a failure of bee-keeping. Arthur Laing — We should do nothing to increase the production of honey. Many of us make our living out of bee-keeping, and it is small enough. What we need is to develop markets rather than bee-keepers. Mr. Holtermann — Fruit-growers, etc., send their spe- cialists over to work up the foreign market. Bee-keepers do not send representatives, therefore they do not get the market. (Continued next week.) Southern * Beebom -f =^ Conducted by Louis H. Scholl, New Braunfels, Tex. J Who Shall Keep Bees ? It is not so very long- since it was said that anybody can keep bees. That was true, but it is not now. Times and conditions have changed. The unfitted bee-keepers will have to yield and give way to the more fit, just as small manufacturing concerns, illy located and without the power, machinery, and the brains to run them, have to give way to the larger and stronger ones. The bee-keeper who gets out of the old ruts traveled by his grandfathers, and adjusts himself to present conditions, is wise. He must keep pace with the times, and to do this he must think, study, and read. He must adopt new methods and apply them. To such a bee-keeper success may be assured. Wintering Bees in the South It may be supposed by some perhaps that such a thing as wintering bees in the South does not exist. Yet we win- ter our bees. Cellars, of course, are entirely unnecessary, and when we read about the trouble of cellar-wintering we should appreciate our good fortune of not needing them. Chaff-hives protect bees nicely where they are in an exposed location where the bleak, cold winds strike them full-blast. But these are expensive, and have no advan- tages as a summer hive ; at least none were found while using several for experiment for 3 years. The brood-nest is kept at a more uniform temperature for early brood-rear- ing in spring, but the extra cost of the hives and the num- ber of disadvantages far overbalance the few advantages, and hence do not warrant their use. Mr. Stachelhausen gave them a thorough trial, but discarded them as worse than useless. Instead of using chaff-hives where bees are very much exposed, I would recommend the use of only temporary pro- tection. Old boards, straw, corn-stalks, sorghum, and the like, or old quilts and sacks, placed against the hives to protect them on the north side, This, of course, is to be applied in small apiaries. On a larger scale I would use cheap roofing-paper, simply tacking it on with a few large tacks that can be removed easily so the paper may be used again. The paper should also extend around the hive sides, leaving only the front of the hive free ; supposing, of course, that this has a southern exposure. In locating an apiary I have always paid much atten- tion to the matter of winter protection, so locating the yard that it is well protected on the north side by a hill or wood- land, or both, and having an open southern exposure. A hedge, or even a high board fence, will answer very well. An apiary in a cozy nook of this kind is well protected. In warmer localities of the South, of course, it is hardly considered necessary that any attention be paid to winter protection of this kind, yet there are years, sometimes, when cold spells late in spring mean much damage to young brood. But I remember one season when colonies were already preparing to swarm, a " cold snap " depleted them so by chilling the brood that they were in no condition for storing the crop of honey only a little later. Had the bees been protected in this case, it would have meant hundreds of dollars in the bee-keepers' pockets. One of the main and most important factors in winter- ing bees, however, is that the colonies are supplied with sufficient stores. Unless they are thus supplied all the other protection will mean naught. As this serves as so much fuel, a colony with a good supply of honey will sur- vive while others starve. This preparation, therefore, should begin in the fall, when the brood-nest should be arranged to the best possible shape for the welfare of the colony. Not only should this preparation suffice for the wintering, but the coming spring should be provided for. This consists of the proper ar- rangement of the combs and stores — honey and pollen — to provide ample room, and of the right kind, for the use of the queen when the season opens. To this end, straight, all-worker combs, not clogged with pollen, should occupy the middle of the hive. If there is nothing to hinder the queen — which, of course, should be a good one — a rousing colony will soon be the result. If the colonies are deficient in stores it will be well to keep a close watch over them, and if feeding is necessary then feed. Combs of sealed honey are my first preference, as they can be placed right in the brood-nest for the bees to cluster on. The next best, in my opinion, is the Doolittle division-board feeder for feeding syrup, sugar, honey, and water, as given in the text-books. Other methods can also be used, whichever is most practical. With our warm weather during many days it is possi- ble to examine the bees at almost any time during winter, but care should be taken not to disturb them unnecessarily. If, however, the proper attention was not given them last fall, they can still be attended to, by either feeding if short of stores, or arranging the brood-nest properly as soon as warm weather permits. It will be better still to do this in- stead of not paying any further attention to the matter at all and allowing the bees to suffer in consequence. For this reason, and for the purpose of answering a recent in- quiry, this discussion is given at this time. (Dur*Stster Beekeepers J Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. A Texas Sister's Experience With Bees I received a queen Oct. 9. She had lost one fore leg, but appeared to be in perfect condition, and her attendants were all right, so I at once made ready to introduce her at 10 a.m. I pressed the brood-frames apart and slipped the cage in and closed the hive. In 36 hours I gently exam- ined, and she was not released, and at exactly 48 hours, when she was due to be released, there came a swarm with full determination to go in. Being on watch, I at once closed the hive with a wet rag, which I find very handy to close a hive, as the bees won't push against it. They clus- tered on the front of the hive, and I very quickly found where they belonged. The ants had driven them out of their home. I quickly gave them their own house and a new stand, and then looked to see if my new queen had been released, but Hot yet. The next morning I took the cage Jan. 18, 19C6 FHK AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 51 out, as she was released and appeared in be in perfect con- dition. Just 10 days later I examined to see what she was doing-. She had just begun to lay. I waited 10 days and looked again, and found larva;, sealed brood, and eggs. I counted as many as 6 eggs in a single cell. So I just gave her a larger brood-nest, then closed the hive and went into the house; but just one hour later I thought I would step out and see what was going on, and, to my surprise, a ball of bees was lying just in front of the hive. I could not wait to get hat or veil, but just ran to them and picked them up with my bare hand and hastened to drop it and to pick it up again. I said to myself, " You will kill the queen!" Yet with my bare hand and a little stick I soon released the queen, took her in my hand, quickly ran in a room and turned her loose on the window, and, lo, she had all her legs and was a shade darker. At once I saw she was " a stray." Then I put her into a cage and went out to see if I had a missing queen, but no, mine were all right. I had one colony that was queenless, so I just introduced her there, and went to see if my new queen was all right, and found she was. I waited 10 days longer, and gently lifted the hive-cover and raised the frames. There was but little brood and larva;, and there were not many eggs, but as many as 6 to a cell, plenty of room, and plenty of bees and honey. What is the cause ? She is in an 8-frame standard hive. Will she be all right by spring ? She is a perfect beauty, and I shall report again when spring comes. I must also give my report for 1905, and some experi- ence. I had 47 colonies, spring count, and at present 79. All went into winter quarters in good condition, with the exception of 12 that I had to feed some. I think they did very well, as they did not get to store any surplus till September, at which time I generally have my honey crop gathered. Some colonies stored as high as 100 pounds each, while others much less, and some did nothing. I did not keep any account of my honey this year, as I was surprised to get any. Some of my colonies filled 4 large supers, some only 1, and some only a half super, while some got nothing. I just make a lump guess at about 500 or 600 pounds. I generally keep up with the best colonies, and the very best gave me 100 pounds. I have one colony that gave 300 pounds last year, and gathered it between the last of July and the last of September, and it was certainly nice. I sold all my honey last year for 10 cents a pound, while the past season I sold it for 12>< cents a pound, and some at 15 cents. I attended the Ellis County Fair, and exhibited my honey. I got all the honey premiums. I have a good de- mand here at home for honey. I haven't used sections yet. I work for comb honey, and pack it all myself. I made all my hives and frames myself until this year. My husband is a poor helpmate with handling supers or boxes ; I can't see why, but it must look to him as if they were wrong side up. He will turn them over in spite of me, and of course you know what the result is — a lot of spilt honey. I haven't any record of my apiary yet, though I shall get it soon, as I have several clipped queens, and they might get lost. Give me your best record idea. Does a fertile queen ever leave the hive, and all the bees go with her, and then return again to her brood ? I saw her, and know she was there. She and all her bees went out and circled all over my apiary, then returned to their hive. I went and looked in while they were out, and there was brood, larvae, eggs, and honey in plenty, and the last week in June she quit laying and did not lay any more until the first week in September. I just thought it was a lost queen, and I began giving them some brood, so they might rear another queen. But they would not, and once a week I would give them another frame, and so on until I began to get tired. I took all the frames out looking for her many times, but could not see her, so they would not even try to rear a queen. Being tired I left them without brood about 12 days, and they worked so hard storing lots of honey that I decided I would try once more, and after they failed I thought I would just let them fill their hive with honey. I was vexed at them, and thought I would just quit putting in larva: and eggs for about 10 days, and when I looked there was nothing but bees, and honey in plenty. I often looked for the queen, but could not tell her from any other bee. I know they did not rear any queen, as I kept a close watch, and after all the brood hatched I went there to put in another frame, and, lo, there were about 4 frames well supplied with nice eggs. I just closed it up, and to- day it is as nice a colony as I have, strong and heavy. What was the trouble? I thought perhaps they gathered honey too fast for her, or did they get a stray queen ? I know they did not rear one, for I looked every week to see. I bought some bees from a neighbor, and such a mess I never saw before. When I would raise some of the covers they would smell something like a dead cow, one that had been dead for about five days in real warm weather. Now this gave me great trouble, as I had no experience with any such thing, and it also gave me lots of experience. It would break out at any and all times of the year. Just as soon as I was sure it was foul brood I never would raise the cover from them so as to let any other bees enter the hive. I would close the entrance at once, and make ready for trans- ferring them. The first thing, I got the hive ready with about 3 combs, 2 of honey and 1 of brood, all clean and healthy. Then I would take the foul-broody colony 30 feet away, still keeping the hive closed tight. I put ashes on the old stand about 3 inches deep, covering the ground all in front, under, and around. Then I put the new hive there, closed the entrance about half, and then I was ready to transfer. With the smoker full of fuel, I fired it, and just opened the entrance enough to insert the nozzle of the smoker, then I begin pumping smoke, and just as soon as they were well smoked I slipped the cover to one side enough to give them about 1 inch to come out. I caught her and carefully clipped her wing, put her in the new hive by raising the cover and letting her run in on the combs, closed the lid tight, then just kept smoking as long as any bees would come out, and they would nearly all go to the queen, and what few clustered on the outside of the hive I just raked on a board, and then dumped them right in front of the new hive. I hastened back to close the old hive, chink the entrance with a wet rag, and see that the cover is put down tight. The first day when all the bees are compelled to stay in their hive, I attend to the burning of the contents of the old hive. I cut close and burn all combs. I do not even drop the smallest particle of comb honey or anything there- in, and boil the hive, frames, and bottom and top. I boil them about 20 minutes. Now that is my way, and I think it is good, as experi- ence is a good teacher. Now the transfer is quite easy, but the cleaning up is a job. I certainly do hope that the bee-law in Texas will have the inspectors inspect every apiary, even if they have only a small number of colonies. I have suffered for the want of protection. I have learned a great deal about foul brood, but it took me 3 years to get rid of the dreadful dis- ease. My apiary is all healthy and nice now. Hurrah for the American Bee Journal ! It and I are the same age. Mrs. Carrib Branch-. Garrett, Tex., Dec. 10, 1905. Next time you have a queen balled, don't try to pull the ball apart with a stick. It may make the bees sting the queen to death. Throw the ball into a dish of cold water, and the bees will loosen their hold to save themselves as best they can, and you can then rescue the queen from an unwilling bath. Another way is to blow smoke upon the ball. If you hold the nozzle of the smoker close to the bees, and blow hot smoke upon them, they will be sure to sting the queen. Hold the smoker so far off that blowing at the ball has no effect ; then gradually move the nozzle nearer and nearer until the outside bees begin to leave the ball ; then without moving the smoker nearer keep on blowing till all the bees have left the queen. The probability is that the laying of more than one egg in a cell is due to some temporary derangement as a result of travel and introduction, and that the queen will be laying all right in the spring. Thanks for your report. You are to be congratulated on doing so well when the bees did not store till so late. Replying to your question as to the best idea of keeping records, we like a blank book of the inexpensive sort, put- ting down the numbers in order, and allowing about 3 colo- nies on each page. Yes, a queen may leave the hive with her bees and re- turn, but it is not a frequent occurrence. It is hard to say just how it was that there was a time during the honey-flow when no eggs were laid, but it is en- tirely possible that the bees were queenless and that a stray queen entered later. Maple Sugar and the Sugar Bush, by Prof. A. J. Cook; 44 pages; price, postpaid, 30 cents. This is by the same author as "The Bee-Keepers' Guide," and is most valuable to all who are interested in the product of our sugar-maples. No "lie who makes maple sugar or syrup should be without it. Order from the office of the American Bee Journal. 52 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 18, 19C6 2Ht\ pasty's Ctftcrtfyougljts ^ j The " Old Reliable " as seen through New and Unreliable Glasses. By E. E. Hasty, Sta. B. Rural, Toledo, Ohio. Wiring Frames— Folding Sections. I do not wish to suggest any doubt that Adrian Getaz wires a frame in less than a minute ; but it looks as if it would be very easy for some other person to spend 5 min- utes doing it. About 16 little operations to be performed, if I figure right ; and they would have to average less than 4 seconds each to " make the riffles." Pleasantly surprised to see a method of dampening sec- tions so much like mine. I dampen 6 by 6, in a suitable tray, about 100 in a batch, and keep them snugly piled until they are folded, to prevent drying. But my dander rises a little to hear him say that the Parker machine is not very satisfactory. Might not be if you never learned how to wriggle it, and tried to use it in too awf ullv cold weather ; or if you tried to stick wax to a damp surface. All the same, Mr. Getaz has given us a grand article on pages 841- Individual Bees Leaving Hives in Winter. Bees will come out and die sometimes when the tem- perature is quite low. Nothing remarkable about that. But if they do so in December we say, I fear the late honey was pretty poor, and bees are going to die off badly. On the other hand, if they refrain from dying on the snow clear through January and beyond, we cheer up and hope to get through with few losses, and not very many colonies re- duced to weaklings. But what does it signify when, at quite low temperatures, they come out, now one and then one, and go looking around to see what they can find— evidently with no intention of dying ? I see the like this December in my yard, and Miss Wilson's remarks on page 844 show that the same thing appears at Marengo. 'Spects we'll have to say, " I don't know," and wait and see what it signifies. ignifies. Mixing Large Increase. I think Mr. Atchley, of the Texans, was all right in holding out a little for the excellence of his way of making large increase— wagon loads of 2-frame nuclei taken imme- diately out of reach of all other bees. The bothersome thing about it is that spots where open-air feeding can be kept up week after week, and no outside bees strike in, are pretty scarce over most of our territory. He that has such a spot in reach, let him use it and rejoice. Page 846. Making Two Kinds of Honey. Sad that alfalfa honey should so constantly impress the laity as being just sugar and water ! Undoubtedly right to satisfy the taste of customers by mixing two kinds of honey (as alfalfa and heartsease), but it is imaginable that in some cases suspicions might arise from it. And if one sets the example of shrewd mixing will not somebody else follow, and not stop just where he should ? Near by stands a close imitation to Satan, with a nice recipe that says, " Improve your dark and strong fall honeys by putting in just a little crystal glucose." It's nice to slide down the slope ; but it isn't nice to slide over the precipice. Some- times fear of the latter prevents our enjoying the former. Page 847. Cows and Other Farm Stock in the Apiary. It would seem from what Mr. France tells us that the canny cow, that so easily learned the true inwardness of barbed wire years agone, quite as easily learns the signiB- cation of barbed bees. Not so very wonderful. The won- derful part is that she learns to come softly and graze around the hives after nightfall. It appears that an apiary gets along nicely unprotected in an open pasture when once all the stock get to understand matters. But I should fear that there would be an unendurable lot of knocking over and damage done before the educational process was complete Page 847. Food of Larval Bees. That a scant percentage of nitrogen in their food when larvae, should alone, or even in the main, cause bees to die off at wholesale, I am scarcely able to believe. Might help along in that direction if joined with some other powerful cause. And the logic of Mr. Beuhne, on page 857, I am not sure that that will stand fire. Imagine a kind of young creatures that could eat hickory-nut meats only. Ten per- cent additional shell to the nuts would not be likely to affect them much. They are not fed the shells, but the meats. So here. The other 73 percent of pollen (taking the best) is largely shells — shells that can be seen with the microscope in the excrement of nurse-bees. Increased shell likely to decrease the number of larvae a hundred nurses could feed. Would hardly bring down the quality of the food much, one would say. Still it is possible that it might. Poorer food makes poorer milk ; but corn-fodder with 10 percent too heavy main stalks would not, if the quality of the eatable part was the same. The chemical fact is worth keeping, anyway. In best pollen 27 percent protein ; in poorest pollen only 17. S. ► Bat. Button, 10 Poppy, y 10- Weeks Stock, . Esehselioltzia, Sweet Alyssum, * Sweet Willam, FOR. KINDS. KINDS. 18 Portulaea, 20 E Candytuft, 10 Marigold, IS 6 Aster, 16 Pansy, 10 Zennia, 12 Sweet Peas. 8 Balsam, 12 Pinks, 10 Larkspur, 6 Petunia, 10 nasturtium, 10 Calhopsis, 8 Sweet Mignonette. All of the above sent to any address, post-paid, for lOc. silver or six two-cenl stamps. As a premium and to introduce our seeds every household, we \v " send a collection «» beautiful Lulus F K£ with Catalogue. Somerville Nursery, X SOMERVILLE, ■ MASS. + ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦»+♦♦♦»♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ Mention Bee Journal when writing. I ! i i i ill also ♦ .riin.- A it i i: J CARFFS NEW BOOH New from cover to cover, this handsome catalog overflows with valuable information for fruit- growers. Every grower should send for It before buying. It telle all about our immense stock of VALUABLE SMALL, FRUITS fruit ari'l rna'iu'ntal trees, farm and garden seeds; id general nursery stock- It Is free. Get it — te today- There's no profit tn watting. W.N.ScarfT, New Carlisle, Ohio. T Seeef FOR 1900 contains 152 large pages full from cov- er to cover of illustrations and descrip- tions of the best and new- est things known in horticulture. No market gardener, far- mer, or any- one interested in flowers can afford to be without this book, which will be sent free to all sending me their address on a postal. WM. HENRY MAIILE 1730 Filbert St. Philadelphia, Pa^, GEM INCUBATORS EL ITl AND BROODERS Time tested ond pr„een success: thousands ii use; .old direct to jon.t I got the maker's guaranti man's prints. The i&i and f/umry— a feature nu . nulOg It's/Wv. Write fu. Gem Incubator Co., Box 52, Trotwood, 0. i'/.'uk' prices. 10 Bd Save the middii ■atjle Chick Tra 7 I M — '.'..plairci i Mention Bee Journal when writing. BANTA Incubators&Brooders Backed by 14 Years ■■H of Successful Use by Soultrymcn all over the world, [o guesswork. They are auto- matic in regulation and ventil- ation. Fully guaranteed to give YOU satisfaction. Send for free book. BJf'TA - BENDER MFG. CO.. Dept. 24, Ligonier. Ind. Please mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. American Bee Journal Novelty Pocket-knife Gold Fountain Pen All for $2.75 HOWARD M. MELBEE, HONEYVILLE, O. Worker Queen (This cut is the full size of the Knife.) NOVELTY POCKET-KNIFE (Name and Address on one side — Three Bees on the other side.) Your Name on the Knife.— When ordering, 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 the name and residence of the owner, and on the other side pictures of a Queen, Drone, and Worker, as shown here. The Material entering into this celebrated knife is of the very best quality ; the blades are hand-forged out of the very finest English razor-steel, and we warrant every blade. It will last a life-time, with proper usage. Why Own the Novelty Knife?— 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. If traveling, and you meet with a serious accident, and are so fortunate as to have one of the " Novelties," your Pocket-Knife will serve as an identifier; and, in case of death, your relatives will at once be notified of the accident. How to Get this Valuable Knife.— We send it postpaid for $1.25, or club the Novelty Knife and the American Bee Journal for one year— both for $2.00. (Allow two weeks for Knife order to be filled. ) SOLID GOLD FOUNTAIN PEN Finally, we have found a good Fountain Pen that is reasonable in price. The manufacturers of this pen say that if you pay more than $1.25 for other fountain pens, it's for the name. This pen is absolutely guaranteed to work perfectly, and give sat- isfaction. The Gold Nib6 are 14 kt., pointed with selected Iridium. The Holders are Para Rubber, handsomely finished. The simple feeder gives a uniform flow of ink. Each pen is packed in a neat box, with directions and Filler. % size We mail this Gold Fountain Pen for only SI. 25, or for $2.00 we will mail it and the weekly American Bee Journal for a whole year. pjp Sample copy of the American Bee Journal free; trial trip of three months (13 copies) for 20c ; regular yearly price, $1.00. Address all orders to GEORGE W. YORK S CO., 334 Dearborn St., Chicago, 111. Drone Get Eggs in Winter.— One expert says: "There are several ways to secure eggs in winter. However, there is no cheaper way than Ity feeding green bone. Use a mash for an evening meal ; during the day feed wheat in litter, thus making hens work for it. Feed twice a week all the fresh ground-bone they will cleanup; give them comfortable quar- ters to roost in, and my word for it, you will get eggs when eggs are high." The Dandy Green Bone Cutter, made by the Stratton Manufacturing Co., of Erie, Pa., will help you to get eggs in winter. They send it on 15 days' free trial, also offer to send free a beau- tiful catalog full of valuable suggestions for feeding. It will pay you to write for it, and to order a machine on trial. Kindly mention the American Bee Journal paper when writing. 87 1 Percent Saved I In mortality to those insured in the TOTAL ABSTINENCE DEPARTMENT +2n Security Mutual Life Insurance Company ^ Each Poucy Holder is entitled to a Bond issued by the National Total Abstinence L,eague. YOU may hold a policy and BOND. General and special agents wanted. Address, 3D28t A. S. RENNIE, Mgr., 614 Marquette Bldg., Chicago, III. t Jan. 18. 1906 TH£ AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 57 14 60 FOR THIS "ECONOMY" BOILER AND FEED COOKER The "Economy" Feed Cooker is the best built cooker on mnwtm* ■•the market today. It is constructed bo as to g-et the very FriEIClHT,'t'sl reaultsfrom the smallest amount of fuel possible. The ■' kettle Is well and strongly made of the smoothest cast iron, | PXI I q and lias a handle on each Bide bo that it can be removed I from the casing Instantly, will last a lifetime. The casing, or jacket, [a one oontinnona sheet of cold rolled boiler steel, supported at the bottom by a heavy wrought iron band. This cooker has the largest Are door of «ny made, and is the strongest, most serviceable feed cooker ever sold at such a price, freight paid. Made in seven sizes to suit every need; furnished with hinged cover, elbow and one length I of pipe with damper. We guarantee this cooker for one year. Send money with order today, or write for our large 1,000-page catalogue giving other sizes and thousands of money-saving bargains Tor the farmer and his family. -:;*::*: ■*■".• If you want to save 10 per cent on everything vou buy, we have a plan you should know about ; "it will save you from $I"»0 to $l'o0 a year. Only costs a stamp to find out all about it. The objeot of this Society is to save money for its mem- bers. For full information let us tell you how we do it. Co-Operative Society of the National Supply Co. Lansing, Michigan Chicago, Illinois BEE-SUPPLIES We manufacture everything needed in the Apiary, and carry a large stock and greatest variety. We assure you the best goods at LOWEST PRICES and our excellent freight facilities enable us to make prompt shipments over 15 dif- ferent roads, thereby saving you excessive freight charges as well as time nnd worry in having goods transferred and damaged. We make the •*• Alternating, Massie, Langstr oth and the fc Dovetail Hives O I Our prices are very reasonable, and to convince you of such we will mail you ^^ our free illustrated and descriptive catalog and price-list upon request. We want «j every bee-keeper to have our Catalog- SPECIAL DISCOUNTS now. Write " to-day. Address, KRET6MER MFG. 60., Council Bluffs, Iowa Catalogs issued in English or German. A - FRESH HATCH EVERY DAY By a simple but effective me- chanical arrangement and a new application of nature's laws the *' CONTINUOUS " HATCHER makes it possible to keep up a continuous hatch- ing of chicks from one ma- chine—a fresh hatch EVERY- DAY. Removing: chicks from machine and replacing; them with fresh eggs does not inter- fere with or retard process of incubation. This is possible with no other incubator. One "CONTINUOUS" HATCHER will hatch as many chicks as several ordinary incu- bators. Simple, effective, sure. Free catalog tells how. Write for it today. Hacker Incubator & Mfg. Co. 3127 N. Jefferson Ave. St. Louis, Mo, That are Sure to FOREST TREES I have been growing- evergreens and forest trees for 31 years, al- ways with one idea— trees that satisfy. When you buy Hill's trees yon get honest value — highest quality. My catalogue is my salesman; it's free. Con- tains 48 pages Illustrated with * Satisfy beautiful pictures; describes *** ^" all kinds of nursery stock for all purposes— bedees. win'tbraaka and ornament. Also fruit Irces. Hhruha and vines. 50 Best Bargains ever offered— 11.00 to|10.00por HiO Prepaid. Everything first-ci8.Be, guaranteed exactly as represented. Write lor catalog today. D. HILL,, Evergreen Specialist Dundee, 111. r Wisconsin Basswood Sections And Prompt Shipments Is what we are making for our customers. — DOVETAILED HIVES AND SHIPPING-CASES — We carry a full line of SUPPLIES. Ask for Catalog-. THE HARSH FIELD HANUFACTURINQ CO., Harshfield, Wis. AH About the Southwest Homes and Prosperity for Everybody TEXAS produces morehoney and other money cropa than any other State. FARM AND KANCH is the home huilders' ^uide, bandBomely printed on good paper and beautifully illustrated, rontnins clean, reliable, interesting and instructive reading for each member i»f the family ■24 imges weekly. $1.00 per year. Send stamp for sample copy. FARM AND RANCH, Dallas, Tex. Mention Bee Journal when ■writing. Engravings For Sale — " ■ „■* We are accumulating' quite a stock of engrav- ings that have been used in the American Bee Journal. No doubt many of them could be used again by bee-keepers in their local newspapers, on their stationery, or in other ways. Also, if we can sell some of them it would help us to pay for others that we are constantly having made and using in our columns. If there is any of our engravings that any one would like te have, just let us know and we will quote a very low price, postpaid. Address, GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, - CHICAGO, ILI, tq ■ 80GI 5? SO, '58, "8J8I MM B — Never Go Out S" *t Ana last from 5 to 21 years da Otisvillb, Pa., Jan. 18, 1904. Dear Sir: — I have tried almost everything in the smoker line; 3 in the last 3 years. In short if I want any more smokers your new style is good enough for me. I thank the editor of Re- view for what he said of it. Those remarks in- duced me to get mine. Fred Fodner. Do You Want a South Dakota Paper? Tells of great land values, of business op- portunities, of a State where more railroad building is going on than in any other State unn,one South Dakota Farmer sued , every week. Price, $1 per year. SPECIAL OFFER— Send this ad with 35 cents for a vear's subscription. Address. I SOUTH DAKOTA FARMER. SlouvFalls.S D.j SlAlOt Please mention the Bee Journal. The Rietsche Press Made of artificial stone. Practically Inde- structible, and giving entirely satisfactory re- sults. Comb foundation made easily and ?uickly at less than half the cost of buying rom the dealers. Price of Press, $1.50— cash with order. Address, ADRIAN GETAZ, 45Atf KNOXVILLE, TENN. I*"J.G. Goodner, of this State, writes me that he "prefers to pay $25 for a Rietsche Press than do without it."— A. G. Mention Bee Journal when writing. 58 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 18, 1906 GROCERIES AT WHOLESALE PRICES FREE This catalogue will save you money on your grocery supplies. -FREIGHT PAID- What do your groceries cost you a year? Will you buy them of us if we can prove that we will save you from 10 per cent to 20 per cent ami pay the freights That certainly is an amount worth. saving; it is worth the trouble of asking for the proof. Get our large Grocery List and compare our prices with what you have been paying. Then put us to a greater test— send us a trial order and compare the goods and the prices. If we do not save you big money, send the goods back at our expense. The grocery bill is the biggest part of the family expenses. We will cut it almost in the middle and guarantee everything we sell. We can do this because we buy in immense quantities— carloads and trainloads— and we give you the benefit of our ability to buy cheap; in fact we can sell to you at just about the figure your local dealer would have to pay. We save you his profit and the freight besides. To save still another 10 per cent, become a member of the Co-operative Society of the National Supply Co. We 11 tell you how to get this extra 10 per cent discount, if you will write for full information. An easy way to make money. WlIST., P^-9S^S V jH-OLHALf / / I "Iect mow FXCTORV to CoksuheR- If you want to save money get our catalogue and learn just how cheap yon can buy groceries from us. Catalogue is ready and lists everything in the grocery line. We send it free. Co-operative Society of the National Supply Co., Lansing:, Mich, and Chicago, III. Mention Bee Journal when writing. PROFITABLE POULTRY You can raise it and make money with our free 64-page' poultry guide. It tells how to avoid mistakes and failures; tells what to breed for biggest profit; how to feed, rear and hatch successfully. Tells about Berry's "BIDDY" incubators and brooders, the kind that "run" themselves— the kind to buy. Contains plans for brooder, colony and poultry nouses, yards, poultry farms. Alsocutsof ourpure-bred poultry with prices of birds and eggs for hatching. It's a book that will be appreciated by everv one. A postal brinss it to your home. Berry's Gulden Bute Poultry Farm, Boi 72, Olorlndu, la. BEE - SUPPLIES Everything the beekeeper needs. Distributing house for Lewis' Goods at Factory Prices. Now is the time to buy for next season. Cash Orders for regular Supplies before February, 6 percent Discount. PINE EXTRACTED HONEY in cans or barrels. The best the world can produce Samples 8 cents, to pay postage and packing. How much can you use? Prices quoted quick on the quantity you mention. We buy BEESWAX at all times in the year. Send for our Catalog and "Special" CM fifiOTT Si, C*Ci 1004 EAST Wash. Street ■ ITI. OUU I I Ofc VU. INDIANAPOLIS. IND. -M- ** •$•+ This is "The Elgin" WE know it is a good hive. We want YOU to know it too. Here is a hive without dovetails. The cor- ners are not nailed. It can be as easily taken apart as put together— in a few moments. Sim- ple in its construction. We also have the Dovetailed and Langstroth Hives, Sections, Smokers, and everything used in the apiary. See our special offer in last week's issue of American Bee Journal. You'd better write us to day and order five of " THE ELGIN." A postal will bring you our price-1'st. The National Supply Co. ELGIN, ILL. Mention Bee Journal when writing. We Sell Root's Goods in Michigan Let us qnote you prices on Sections, Hives, Foundation, etc., as we can save you time and freight. Beeswax Wanted for Casta. M. H. HUNT & SON. Bell Branch, Wayne Co., Mich WANTED The agency for Southern Iowa or the entire State, of some bee-supply manufacturer. Rail- road facilities— none better— 4 direct lines. Ex- perienced in this line as well as bees. Address, 2A2t A. L. BARKER. Mumeston, Iowa. Mention Bee Journal when -writing. Please Mention the American Bee Journal fiRMS? Stingless Bees Are worthless as honey-producers. Cau- casian Bees are not stingless, they are gentle. They produce honey. Try them next season. Have your queens, both Caucasians and Ital- ians, bred to order, and then you will have what you want. Address. ROBERT B. McCAIN, Yorkville, 111. R.f.d. 2Atf Mention Bee Journal when writing". BUSHELS OF, EGGS follow the feeding of cut bone. Tne DANDY GreceJV,!?ne :fl the ■"mpleet. futeet and essleit bone cutter J made. Price *■>■'■" up. Sold on 15 dare trial. I Satisfaction or no sale. Send for price book I and ■•', teial Proposition. 1 Grafton Mfcr. Co.. Itoi 21, T?Hp, Pa. Mention Bee Journal when writing. For Sale-2 5,000 Lbs. „3 Spanish-needle Extracted Honey put up in new 60-lb. tin cans — 6c a pound for the lot, or 6%c for less, F. J. GUNZEL, AVeiner, Ark. 44A 1 1 Please mention the isee Journal. FOR SALE Until further notice, finest quality new crop California Water-White White Sage and Light Amber HONEY in 60-lb. tins, 2 in a case; new cans and. new cases Write for prices and sam pies, and state quantity you want. HlLDRETH & SEGELKEN 265 & 267 Greenwich Street, New York, N.Y 34Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. Big Discounts on Bee=Supplies The following discounts apply on all orders except honey- packages for current use: For cash orders before Oct. 1 — 10 percent Nov. 1 9 percent I Feb. 1 6 percent Dec. 1 8 " March 1.... 4 " Jan. 1 7 " | Aprill 2 We handle LEWIS' GOODS, and carry a large stock, which insures prompt .shipment. Catalog free. Address, LOUIS HANSSEN'S SONS, 213 & 215 W. 2d Street, DAVENPORT, IOWA 38A.tf Please mention the Bee Journal. it Trees, Plants & Seeds /<& ■> THAT GROW Zav;., Best quality. Good bear-^^x* *ov^Testea* * o* Ss> e e d s 7 cheap. ht paid ^ on trees. Cata- aST/' logue, English or ^German, free. Write for it todav. Address Cy<£\S GERMAN NURSERIES, * WyS Box 30 Beatrice, Neb. ers. Low prices. Apple/^Aj© $\ 4c; Plum and Cht-rrv/\%\"-X\,, 12e: Peach 4c; all /*»V ,«_«/ budded; Con- cord Grap " 2 c ; Forest Tree Seed' UngB f 1 ft 1000, -PURE ALFALFA^ HONEY IN 60-POUND CANS We have a good supply of Pure Alfalfa HOMEY in 60-pound cans that we can ship by return freight at these prices : 2 cans, boxed, at S}4 cents a pound ; 4 or more cans at one time, 8 cents a pound — all f.o.b. Chi- cago. Cash with order. Sample, by mail, 8 in stamps, to cover package and postage. Address, YORK H0NEYa5nudppbleveC0. 141-143 Ontario St., CHICAGO, ILL. DC. I_„ IF III UrC For names and P. O. OOC TOl 13 ilAHIto "' r farmers and 15c ,7 \. ««""fcw _ stamps taken -we will send for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Call — ree- sub price 50c a year. F. C. is a wklv., S5 vrs.oki, 1,300 pages a yr. Sample tree. Farmer's Call, fQnlnoy , 111. Please mention Bee Journal when writing Advertisers. Jan. 18 19(6 THK AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 59 Lowest Pric m Headquarters for Bee-Supplies Big Discount for Early Orders On Cash Orders Before November 1 9 percent " December 1 8 " " January 1 7 " February 1 li " March 1 4 " April 1 3 •• Bee = Supplies OF ALL KINDS Established Nearly 25 Years We have published THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER for 15 years (monthly, 50c a year.) The largest and best il- lustrated magazine of its kind for the price published. Edited by two of the most experienced bee - keepers in America. Sample copy free. Our large, illustrated Price-List of Supplies free on application. Address, The W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co. JAHESTOWN.N. Y. Mention Bee Journal when writing. I)oney anb * 33eestpctx-f Chicago, Jan. 3.— The market is steady with ahout the usnal demand; the prices range from 141915c for best grades of white comb honey. There is not an active demand for oS grades, which usually sell at l@3c per pound less. For extracted a steady demand exists for the best grades at 6^(^7c, but for sour or off flavors there is practically no sale. R. A. Burnett A; Co. Cincinnati, Dec. 2').— There is no demand for honey at the present time, on account of the holidays. However, prospects for the coming year are bright, and we are looking forward to a revival of trade about Jan. IS. The price of comb honey remains firm: wequote fancy white at 1S@16X cents. Extracted: amber in barrels at 5@6'ac, according to the quality; fancy white in6U-lb. cans at 7)l<». LANS, RED CLOVERS and CAUCASIANS. For prices, refer to my catalog, page 29. C. H.W.WEBER "ST Office and Salesrooms, 2146-48 Central Ave. Warehouses. Freeman and Central Aves. 6Jtf@7c; light amber, 6f"6J4c; amber, i_ buckwheat, 5^@6c; Southern, in barrels, not much demand, and rather hard to sell, at from 50@60 cents per gallon, according to quality. Beeswax firm and steady at 30c per pound. HlLDRETH & SEGELEEN. Denver, Nov. 11. — No. 1 white comb honey, per case of 24 sections, $3.35; No. 1 light amber, $3.(W; No. 2, $2 50@3.00. Extracted honey, 6% @7 cts. per pound. Supply is light and we coud make quick sales of consignments at above figures. We pay 24c for clean, yellow beeswax delivered here. The Colo. Honey-Producers' Assn. Cincinnati, Jan. S. — The nice weather holds back the demand for comb honey. Crops seem to be exceedingly short and producers in the West keep the prices high. We quote as fol- lows: Fancy water-white and No. 1 white clo- ver, 14@lbc; No. 2, 12(2; 14c. Extracted seems to be more plentiful, and we quote same in barrels, 5K@S^c; in cans, He more; white clover, 7@8c. Beeswax, 28@30c. C. H.W. Webbr. Model Incubators and I Brooders Manufactured by Chas. A. Cyph- £ ERS, and sold at his factory pri- g ces. Freight rates from Toledo § will save you money. Do not be humbugged into buying a cheap machine. The best is none too good. Our illustrated Catalog free to any address. Ask for it. GRIGGS BROS. 521 Monroe Street, TOLEDO, OHIO, ] Mention Bee Journal when writing. 1 BEE-SUPPLIES I 1^ We handle the finest Bee-Supplies, made by the W. T. Falconer i! ^5 Mfg. Co., Jamestown, N. Y. Big Discounts on early orders. Let us w- ^ figure with you on your wants. 5* •-^ Mtjth Special Dovetail Hives have a Honey-Board, Warp-Proof ^ ;^ Cover, and Bottom-Board. Think of it, same price as the regular styles. ^; ^B Send for Catalog. ^ If THE FRED W. MUTH CO. f 2 51 Walaut Street, CINCINNATI, OHIO. 5 FOR SALE Extrarcted Honey — Fancy white, ej-.c; fancy amber, Oe ; '4C 'ess m 5-case lots or more. C. C. CLEMONS & CO. KANSAS CITY, MO. MONEY AND BEESWAX When consigning, baying or selling, consult R. A. BURNETT & CO., 199 South Watbr St. Chicago. III. YOU CAN GET 50c WORTH OF also a Packet of a Rare Variety and a Beautiful Rose Bush in addition if you will send at once for our new laub seed catalog. Just enclose with your request a dime or rive 2c stamps to cover postage and packing, and we will do the rest. Our 1906 catalog will save you money, save you disap- pointment because our high-grade, pure-bred seeds always grow Many new varieties that will interest you this year— in garden, flower and field seeds. Don't wait — send today. A. A. BERRY SEED CO., BOX 49. CLARINDA, IOWA 60 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 18, 1906 Our New Catalog thousand copies pages - IS FREE X SEND NOW and you will receive the Handsomest and most Complete ®«1906 CATALOG PUBLISHED^® All Hives, Supers, and Other A.ppUancss are listed so] that any one can comprehend. Easy to understand. Our Goods are as flue as the Catalog. The Catalog Is as fine as the goods. G.B.LEWIS GO/ Watertowti, Wisconsin. The following are agents for Lewis' Goods : Emerson T. Abbott, St. Joseph, Mo. 2. Frank Rauchfuss, Mgr. Colo- rado Honey Producers' Asso- ciation, Denver, Colo. 3. Chas. H. Lilly, Pres. Ctaas. H. Lilly Co., Seattle, Portland, San Francisco. 4. E. H. Taylor, Welwyn, Herts, England. 5. Chas. B. Stevens, of C. B. Stevens & Co., Havana. Cuba. 6. A. G. Woodman, of A. G. Wood- man Co., Grand Rapids, Mich. 7. C. M. Soott, of C. M. Scott \- Co., Indianapolis, Ind. 8. A. I. Davis. Sec'y Southwestern Bee Co., San Antonio, Tex. Fred Foulger, of Fred Foulger & Sons, Ogden, Utah 10. F. R. Davis, Ass't Mgr. Grand Junction Fruit Growers' Asso- ciation, Grand Junction, Colo. 11. R. C. Aikin, Loveland, Colo. 13 and 13. Norris & Anspaeh, Ken- ton, Ohio. 14. H. M. Arnd, Mgr. York Honey & Bee Supply Co., Chicago, 111. 15. Adam A. Clarke, Le ; Mars, Iowa. 16. M. H. Silvemale, Mgr. Kenyon Yard, Wisconsin Lumber Co., Faribault, Minn. 1". Paul Bachert, Lancaster, Calif. 18. Chas. N. Greene, of Cleaver & Greene, Troy, Pa. 19. A. Lehman, Mgr. Arkansas Val- ley Honey Producers' Associa- tion, Rocky Ford, Colo. 20. B. C. Hanssen, of Louis Han- ssen's Sons, Davenport, Iowa. 21. Robert Halley, Montrose, Colo 22. L. C. Dadant. of Dadant&Sons Hamilton, 111. |,|WERie^ ee Journal 46th Year. CHICAGO, ILL., JAN. 25, 1906. No. 4. 8Jt^Jl^J4>^^^^tM^^^^^^Jt^Jl^J^^^^J^l^(^tJ^tO 3Tv. ■i J — •■ « APIARY OF WM. B. LOWE, OP COHOES, N. T. Wi 1 ' & w APIARY OF ALLEN LATHAM, OF NORWICH, CONN. 4 '\ (See page 79.) K THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 18, 1906 PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY GEORGE W. YORK 5 COMPANY 334 Dearborn Street, Chicago, III. IMPORTANT NOTICES THE SUBSCRIPTION PRICE of this Journal fa Sl.oo a year. In the United States, Canada, and Mexico; all other countries in the Postal Union,, .o cents a year extra lor postage. Sample copy free. THE WRAPPER-LABEL DATE Indicates the end of the month to which your subscription ispni •. For instance, "deCK?" on your label shows thai U is paid to the end, of December. SUBSCRIPTION RECEIPTS.— We do not send a receipt for money sent us to pay subscription. Out change the date on your wrapper-label, which shows that the money has been received and credited. ADVERTISING RATES will be given upon appli- cation. National Bee-Keepers' Association Objects of the Association 1st.— To promote the interests of its members. 2d.— To protect and defend its members In their lawful rights. 3d.— To enforce laws against the adulteration of honey. Annual Membership Dues, $1.00 General Manager and Treasurer — N. E. Fkance, Platteville, Wla, jy If more convenient. Dues may be sent to the publishers of the American Bee Journal. The Honey-Producers' League (INCORPORATED) OBJECTS: 1. To create a larger demand for honey through advertising. 2. To publish factB about honey, and counteract misrepresentations of the same. MEMBERSHIP DUES 1. Any bee-keeper may become a member by pay- ing to the Manager an annual fee of $1.00 for each 20 (or fraction of 20) colonies of beeB (spring count) he owns or operates. 2. Any honey-dealer, bee-supply dealer, bee-supply manufacturer, bee-paper publisher, or any other Arm or .individual, may become a member on the annual payment of a fee of $10, increased by one- flfth of one (1) percent of bis or its capital used in the allied interests of bee-keeping. George w. York, Manager, 334 Dearborn St., Chicago, ill. " The continuous advertiser gets Hie bulk: of Hie business, because others are not adver- tising, and lie Is." KEEPERS' SUPPLIES POULTRY SUPPLIES LEWIS' BEEWARE is so well known it need no introduc- tion. 6 percent Discount on Bee- Supplies for January. Beeswax wanted — 27c cash, 29j when taking bee-sup- plies in exchange. Extracted Honey for ■'ale. Prices on application. Sample, 10c. CORNELL INCUBATORS PEEP 0' DAY BROODERS CORNELL CHICK MACHINERY are unexcelled. The 19C6 Cornell Incubator is superior to anything heretofore put on the market. H. M. AKND, Mgr. New 1906 Catalog for either line FREE If you want orders filled PROMPTLY AT FACTORY PRICES, send your order to YORK HONEY ^WEF CO. (E) 141 Ontario Street, CHICAGO, ILL. hong Distance 'Phone, North 15£9. DITTMER'S FOUNDATION ZH%g*?r Retail, Wholesale and Jobbing. 0«es its REPUTATION entirely to its MERITS, and our PERSISTENT EFFORTS to MAKEihe BEST and KEEP it the BEST. It is TOUGH, CLEAR, and PERFECTLY TRANSPARENT, has the NATURAL SWEET ODOR of PURE WAX, and the COLOR of the BRIGHTEST and LIGHTEST LEMON and ORANGE. We make a SPECIALTY of WORKING WAX into FOUNDATION for CASH, by the TENS, HUNDREDS and THOUSANDS of POUNDS, and we are in the Best Shape to attend to all orders promptly, our capacity being 15^0 pounds daily. FULL and COMPLETE LINEof SUPPLIES, and the BEST ONLY. Do not fail to write for SAMPLES of our Foundation, Descriptive Catalog, "RICES and DISCOUNTS, stating Quantity of Foundation wanted. Wax to be Worked, and List of other Supplies, and Prices will be accordingly. Beeswax always wanted. E. Grainger & Co , Toronto, Ontario .... Agents for Canada The Bee and Honey Co., Beeville, Texas . . " Texas E. H. Taylor, Welwyn, Herts, England ... " Great Britain W. D. Soper, Jackson, Michigan M Michigan Mention Bee Journal when -writing. QUS DITTMER, Augusta, Wis. 6 Percent Discount We will allow you the above Discount on all Orders accompanied by Cash during January. Send for our Catalog. | PAGE & LYON MFG. CO., New London, Wis. Mention Dee Journal when writing. NOT IN THE TRUST For High-Grade Cans Prices Always the Lowest Write for Prices, Stating Quantity Wanted Friction Top Cans for Honey and Syrup Prompt shipment and careful attention given to all orders. Special prices to members of the Bee-Keepers' Associations. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Made by CANNERS CAN CO., 1035 W. 47th Street, CHICAGO, ILL. Jan. 25, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 63 "DADMTS FOUNDATION" -AND- BEE=SUPPLIES Revised Prices on Foundation IN LOTS OF Name of Grade 1-lb. S-lbs. 10-lbs. 25-lbs. SO lbs. Medium Brood 55 53 51 49 48 Light Brood 57 55 53 51 50 Thin Surplus 62 60 58 56 55 Extra Thin Surplus. . .65 63 61 59 58 DISCOUNTS for Early Cash Orders During September 10 percent " October 9 " " November 8 " " December 7 " " January 6 " " February 4 " March 2 " Beeswax Wanted at all Times. r### DADANT & SONS, Hamilton, 111. SEE THE 1906 RELIABLE before you buy. Perfectly practical forpoul- trymen or beginners.- Double heating system gives bigger hatches — saves one- third the oil. Sold on a money back guarantee. Write for free catalog. • Reliable Farm Pure- Bred Birds and Eggs. Get prices. Reliable Incubator and Brooder Co,, Box B-153 Quincy, Illinois, U. S, A, Mention Bee Journal when -writing. If you want the Bee-Book That covers the whole Apicultural Field more completely than any other published, send $1.20 to Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont, Cal ., FOR HIS " Bee=Keeper's Guide." Liberal Discount* to the Trade. Mention Bee Journal when writing. i " If Goods are wanted Quick, send to Pouder " BEE-SUPPLIES & i,T7»- Root's Goods at Root's frioes vfc Everything used by Bee- Keepers. POUDER'S HONEY-JARS. Prompt Service. Low Freight Rates. .-. .-. .'. Catalog Free. If yon wish to purchase finest quality of HONEY for your local trade, write for my free monthly price-list of honey. Why not secure your BEE-SUPPLIES NOW FOR NEXT SBASON'S USE, and avail yourself of the following very liberal discounts? Goods all Root Quality. For cash orders before Feb.1-6 percent For cash orders before Mar. 1. 4 percent For cash orders before Apr. 1. .2 percent WALTER S. FOLDER, 513-515 Massachusetts Ave., INDIANAPOLIS, IND. f ^..California The Pacific Rural Press has been a house- hold word throughout California for 35 years. It is authority on all matters regarding the soil or products of California. Weekly, illus- trated : Edited by practical specialists. Two Dollars per year. Send for sample copy. Pacific Rural Press, 330 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif. SOAtf Please mention the Bee Journal. THIS IS THE LOCK corner that we have told you about, and as you will see it can't warp nor 6plit off as it passes by and nails firm to the side. Prices right — quality right — workman- ship right. Our discount discounts everything. Postal gets a circular. The Wood Bee-Hive & Box Go. LANSING, MICH. 39Dtf Please mention the Bee Journal. For names and P. O. of 15 farmers and 15c — stamps taken — we the Farmer's Call — reg. sub. ra,« i,3oo 85c for 15 NAMES will send for Syrs. the Farm__ price 50c a year. F. C. is a wkly., 25 yrs.oul/- 1,301 pages a yr. Sample free. Farmer's Call.iQuiney, 111. " It Is continuous advertising that impresses the public with the stability of a firm." 64 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 25, 190 Do You Know These Peopl e; Chicago. 111. riiOF. E. 0. EXCELL, whose music is sung round the //lobe. The Epworth Piano I bought of you for my borne is a superior instrument. There i6 a clearness, depth, and richness in its tone which is particularly pleas- ing. 1 can safely recommend the Epworth to my friends. Chicago, 111. PROF. CHARLES H. GABKIEL, the well-known composer of Sunday-School music. For years I have used the Epworth in my studio; it is an exceptionally 6weet-toned instrument. I feel that I can strongly recommend these pianos, because I know them to be good, and believe them to be the best obtainable for the price. Chicago, 111. W. 11". HIXSHA TV, President of the Chicago Conser- vatory of Music, Auditorium Building. For the last 8 years I have used the Epworth piano in my studio, where it i6 subjected to the severest test and strain, being used on an average of 8 hours per day, but it stands the test and in a surprising way. Its tone is liquid and sympathetic, making it a splendid instrument to sing with. With this expe. rience 1 can recommend the Epworth without reserve. BUY Direct from Our FACTORY at Factory Price Epworth Pianos Are Extra- Sweet Toned In these days when competition in the piano business is so intense and the struggle for low price so fierce, it almost sounds unbusiness- like for us to acknowledge the truth about Epworth Pianos. Nevertheless here are the facts : — Epworth Pianos are expensively made. Yes, that's exactly what we mean — expensively. — And what is more, they are most expensively made in the very parts which do not show. — And more yet, if we ever feel compelled to cheapen any part we will begin on the parts which do show, and continue to make the hidden or musical parts the best they can be made. — Yes, we know that seems to be reversing the U6ual order of things. — But you just stop long enough to conjure up the names of say the half-dozen most famous " makes " of pianos. — And you will instantly recall the fact that in every piano tone quality is, and always has been, theflrst consideration, and no expense was spared to produce the finest tone results. — There may be several ways of making a. financial success in the piano-making business. — But there is only one way to make a piano which will command the respect of discriminating musicians. And it's the old-fashioned, conservative, painstaking way, and it is necessarily expensive. — And that's the way we make our Epworth Pianos; and that's why they will never be very popular with bargain hunters. — Nevertheless, they are worth every dollar they cost. Be Your Own Agent Save Agent's Profit There is something extra rich and sweet about the tone of these Epworth Pianos and Organs, and a manifest goodness in their general make-up, which comes of the highest grade of workmanship com- bined with the finest materials. Our method of selling Epworth Pianos and Orgnns direct from our factory to homes and churches at the factory price, is greatly ap- preciated by those desiring to get the best instrument possible for the money they pay. By this method the customer saves the middle dealer's expense and profits — a big item— saves it in the better instru- ment, or the lower price, or both. To make it easy and safe for our customers to buy the Epworth on this direct-from-factory plan, we ship Epworth Pianos and Organs on trial to responsible people anywhere in the United States, guarantee- ing 6ame to arrive without injury and to be found perfect and in every way satisfactory or returned to us at our expense of freight both ways. You may pay after trial, either all cash or on easy payments. By our safe, economical and satisfactory plan we have sold thou- sands of Epworth Instruments to homes and churches throughout the United States, and quite a number abroad. Our new Catalogs are now ready and are sent free on application- These Catalogs tell in a plain, straightforward way just what the pros- pective buyers want to know. In writing, please tell us whether it is a Piano Catalog, Church Organ or Parlor Organ Catalog you want. Write to-day and mention American Bee Journal. Send for Free Catalog-. Which— Piano or Organ ? Be sure to mention the American Bee Journal. Williams Organ and Piano Company MAKERS OF THE SWEET-TONED EPWORTH 57 WASHINGTON ST., CHICAGO, ILL. Jan. 25, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 65 BEE - BOOKS SENT POSTPAID BY QEORQE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, - CHICAtiO, ILL. Advanced Bee-Culture. Its Methods ami Mamisennnt, by \V. 'A. Hutchinson. — The author of this work la a prac- tical and helpful writer. fou should read his book; 33i> iuikos; Im.iiikI hi cloth, and beautifully illustrated. Price, J].20. \ B C of Bee-Culture, by A. I & E. K Root. — A cyclopedia of over 500 pages, describing everything pertaining to the care of the honey-bees. Contains about 400 engravings. It was written espe- cially for beginners. Bound in cloth. i Ice, $1.20. s.lcutiflc Queen-ReurlnR, as Practi- cally Applied, by G. M. Doolittle. — A method by which the very best of qi n-bees are reared in perfect accord Willi Nature's way. Bound in cloth and illustrated. Price, $1.00; in leatherette binding, 75 cents. Bee-Keeper's Guide, or Manual of the Apiary, bv Prof. A. J. Cook, of Pomona College, California. This book is not onl,v 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. 544 pages. 295 illustrations. Bound in cloth. 19th thousand. Price, $1.20. I.nngstrotli on the Honey-Bee, revised by Dadant. — This classic in bee-culture has been entirely re-written, and is fully illustrated. It treats of every- thing relating to bees and bee-keeping. Nil apiarian library is complete without this standard work by Rev. L. L. Lang- stroth — the Father of American Bee- c'ulture. It has 520 pages, bound in cloth. Price, $1.20. Honey as a Health Food — This is a 16-page honey-pamphlet intended to help increase the demand for honey. The first part of it contains a short article on "Honey as Food," written by Dr. C. C. Miller. It tells where to keep honey, how to liquefy it, etc. The last part is devoted to "Honey-Cooking Re- cipes" and "Remedies Using Honey." It should be widely circulated by those selling honey. The more the people are educated on the value and uses of honey the more honey they will buy. Prices; Sample copy for 2-cent stamp; 50 copies for 70 cents; 100 for $1.25; 250 for $2.25; 500 for $4.00; or 1000 for $7.50. Your business card printed free at the bottom of the front page on all orders for 100 or more copies. Forty Years Among the Bees, by Dr. C. C. Miller. — This book contains 328 pages, is bound in handsome cloth, with gold letters and design; it is printed on best book-paper, and illustrated with 112 beautiful original half-tone pic- tures, taken by Dr. Miller himself. It is unique in this regard. The first few pages are devoted to an interesting biographical sketch of Dr. Miller, tell- ing how he happened to get into bee- keeping. About 20 years ago he wrote a small book, called "A Year Among the Bees," but that little work has been out of print for a number of years. While some of the matter used in the former book is found in the new one, it all reads like a good new story of suc- cessful bee-keeping by one of the mas- ters, and shows in minutest detail just how Dr. Miller does things with bees. Price, $1.00. '•The Honey-Money Stories." — A 64- page-and-cover booklet, 5%xS% inches in size, printed on best quality paper. Many short, bright stories interspersed with facts and interesting items about honey and its use. The manufactured comb honey misrepresentation is con- tradicted in two items, each ocupying a full page, but in different parts of the booklet. It has in all 33 fine illus- trations, nearly all of them being of apiaries or apiarian scenes. It also contains 3 bee-songs, namely, "The Hum bf the Bees in the Apple-Tree Bloom," "Buckwheat Cakes and Honey," and "The Bee-Keepers' Lullaby." This booklet should be placed in the hands of everybody not familiar with the food-value of honey, for its main ob- Jeet is to interest people in honey as a daily table article. Price, 25 cents, or 3 copies for 50 cents. ^ 8 We manufacture everything needed in the Apiary, and carry a large stock and greatest variety. We assure you the best goods at LOWEST PRICES and our excellent freight facilities enable us to make prompt shipments over 15 dif- ferent roads, thereby saving you excessive freight charges as well as time nnd worry in having goods transferred and damaged. We make the Alternating, Massie, Langstroth and the Dovetail Hives Our prices are very reasonable, and to convince you of such we will mail you our free illustrated and descriptive catalog and price-list upon request. We want every bee-keeper to have our Catalog- SPECIAL DISCOUNTS now. Write to-day. Address, KRE T6HMER MFG. GO., Council Bluffs, Iowa, Catalogs issued in English or German. CHARLES MONDENG SECTION MACHINE Is covered by two Patents. With this wonderful inven- tion the cost of making Sections may be reduced to $1.15 per 1000. If such Machine will interest you, write for further information. Do not write about it unless you mean business. BEE-SUPPLIES ANDQUEENS My Catalog for 1906 is now ready for distribution. I am the Northern Headquarters for Adel Queens and Bees, and good, honest Bee-Keepers' Supplies. If you have not received my Catalog, write for it. Address, CHARLES MONDENG, ISO NEWTON AVE., N., MINNE-A-POT-iIS, MINN. BEE - SUPPLIES Everything the bee-keeper needs. Distributing house for Lewis' Goods at Factory Prices. Now is the time to buy for next season. Cash Orders for regular Supplies before February, 6 percent Discount. FINE EXTRACTED HONEY in cans or barrels. The best the world can produce Samples 8 cents, to pay postage and packing. How much can you use? Prices quoted quick on the quantity you mention. We buy BEESWAX at all times in the year. Send for our Catalog and "Special" —free. Ch* r>r\r\ i I o f*f\ 1004 east wash, street . M. SOU 1 Ot UU. INDIANAPOLIS. IND. ** ** ** r Wisconsin Basswood Sections And Prompt Shipments Is what we are making for our customers. — DOVETAILED HIVES AND SHIPPING-CASES - We carry a full line of SUPPLIES. Ask for Catalog. THE I1ARSHFIELD flANUFACTURINQ CO., Harshfield, Wis. '" In every country the successful advertiser is the continuous advertiser," 66 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 25, 1906 p »j* m I set P I IS Sit P I I I I i set i set K get Sit set St) The A- 1 _j? Medina ■a Root Co Ohio. q_ WHAT OUR TRADE-MARK STANDS FOR We have been at this business for over 40 years. This means a great deal. Not only are we intimate with every phase of bee-keeping, but we have an accu- mulation of knowledge that is invaluable. All these years we have been learning what the beekeeper really wants, and how to supply it down to the smallest detail. That means the goods you get bearing Root's trade-mark are the very latest and best known to date. All of these advantages cost you nothing over standard prices. Experience Quality ft Square Deal chance to prove what we say. Our motto has always been, " Not how much, but how good." By making our goods the best we have naturally become the largest manufacturers of bee-supplies in the world. The lumber, the workmanship, everything that enters into our goods is the best, and has passed the most exacting tests to prove it so. We believe in treating our customers right. Best goods and prompt- ness are our watch-words. Courteous treatment to our customers is de- manded from our employees and agents. Your interests are ours. Your welfare means ours. A satisfied customer is our aim, and we only ask a Discount for January Is 6 Percent. TESTIMONIALS We are always greatly pleased to see your new editions of your new catalog of Bee-Keepers' Sup- plies, etc. We shall certainly make ample mention of it in our paper. You are our best authority in regard to all matters of bee-keeping. Yours very truly. C. H. Howard, Editor, Farm, Field & Fireside. Dear Sirs : — The shipment of hives and bee- supplies wnich you sent me arrived in excellent condition, and every one who has seen them is de- lighted with the accuracy and precision of the workmanship of every detail, both of the goods and the manner in which the order was executed. Yours very truly, Cape Colony. Frederic T. Bioletti. I have just now unpacked and examined the goods sent by you, and am greatly pleased with the lot. W. H. Giia. Scottsville, Ariz. Gentlemen : — I am well pleased with your piompt way of doing business. The goods are just simply nice. Many thanks. Yours truly, John D. A. Fisher. I do not want anything set up, as I would rather set the hives up myself. Besides, it is a pleasure to put Root's hives and fixtures together. Tiffin, Ohio. John L. Fdnk. Your promptness and square dealing indeed make it a pleasure to do business with you, and I thank you. Harry H. Larkin, Buffalo, N. Y. Care Larkin Co. My bill of bee-supplies reached its destination in due time. I am under obligations to you for the kindness, for a delay would have been a loss to me. Please accept my thanks. Treadwell, Tenn. W. W. Waters, M D. I desire to thank you tor being so prompt in sending the sections I ordered from you. They came in less time than it takes to tell it. Kent, Ohio. L G. Rekd. The consignment of bee-material received to-day. Your promptness in filling orders is remarkable, especially when the circumstances are considered. I am very well satisfied with the goods and your dealing. I take pleasure in having introduced " ROOT'S GOODS " into this neighborhood. Fredericksburg, Iowa. Rev. Wm. Engle. Our Catalog for 1906 is ready. Write for a copy. THE A. I. ROOT COMPANY, MEDINA, OHIO. Branches: 144 E. Erie St., Chicago. 10 Vine St., Philadelphia. **. I 44 Vesey St., New York. (Entered at the Poat-Offlce at Chicago as Second-ClaBs Mail-Matter) Published Weekly at gl.OO a Year by Ueorge W. York & Co., 334 Dearborn St. GEORGE W. YORK, Editor CHICAGO, ILL, JANUARY 25, 1906 VoLXLVI-No,4 =\ Cbttorial Hotes anb Comments j A 32-Page Number Again It will be noticed that this is another 32-page number of the American Bee Journal. It was made so on account of the index for 1905, and also by reason of the length of the Ontario convention report. Iyike all its predecessors, this copy will repay a thorough reading. And its cost to the subscriber is less than 2 cents ! Can't you help to get other bee-keepers to read it regularly ? Convention Program — Question-Box Best Regarding the Colorado State convention, Jan. 30 and 31, R. C. Aikin says in Irrigation : "As yet no set program has been arranged. In fact, it seems some of our best conventions are the more informal ones." Probably not many would dissent from that opinion. The only wonder is that in so many cases live discussions arecrowed out by too many or too long papers. It is a rare case that will justify aDy paper at a convention, except one to open, but not to complete, a discussion. And with the right presiding officer generally a topic is better to be opened without the paper. Prices of Honey — Are They High Enough ? We have received the following from Mr. M. A. Gill, one of Colorado's leading comb-honey producers : Should the Price of Honey Go Higher? Friend York : — I have asked this question, and will answer it from my own view-point, and would like to read other opinions on the subject. I am not one who thinks the prices for comb and ex- tracted honey should be higher than the present market quotations. Neither do I believe that honey and butter should go hand in hand with regard to prices. Honey out- ranks butter as a luxury, but is not ihe equal of butter as a necessity ; neither does it cost as much to produce it, pound for pound. What the honey market needs is an increased consump- tion of the pure article upon the tables of the masses. And how best to do this is the question before the honey-pro- ducers of to-day. Unfortunately for the best interests of the honey-business, the great mass of retailers who place the honey of the country in the hands of consumers, are ignorant on the question of honey, and a large portion are unscrupulous in making sales. For many an ignorant clerk or salesman has represented that here is a pure article (of either comb or extracted) made by the bees, and here is an article that is manufactured ; when both are pure, but one grade may be granulated or amber-colored. Sometimes I think they do it to make a sale, and sometimes to appear wise. And 1 believe as much harm is done in this way as by the newspaper canards, for the actual consumer is given to understand that manufactured honey is on the open mar- ket, and the next time he buys he has to be shown again. We who produce honey, and sell in carload lots to the jobbers, can do but little in the great work that needs to be done, for when the car has gone forward we feel like taking a little rest, and then begin operations for the next crop. But what the consumer and producer %oth need is more men like Mr. Niver, who have eaten of the insane root "Ambition," who will cover the whole country, who know what pure honey is, and who will open a bureau of intelli- gence in every neighborhood, telling the glad news that honey is pure, and that it's cheap and healthful. And then consumption will increase, and prices will take care of them- selves. M. A. Giix, Well, there's a question for the debaters. Mr. Gill has given his sfde of the case very plainly and forcibly. He seems to think that honey prices are about high enough. Well, they probably are in some '• localities." But we be- lieve in some markets they are too low. Still, as Mr. Gill says, increase the consumption or demand and "prices will take care of themselves." What do you think about it ? Inspectors of Apiaries in Canada Heretofore the Province of Ontario has had an inspector and a sub-inspector. At the last meeting of the Ontario Association, it was decided to ask the Government to change this so as to have the Province divided into 3 dis- tricts, with an inspector for each. This will not only give a 50 percent stronger force, but it will save much travel on the part of the inspectors. Why is the Royal Cocoon Incomplete? Allen Latham is not satisfied with the old answer that it is " for the easy stinging of the occupant by a rival," and makes a guess which is possibly nearer the mark. He says in the American Bee-Keeper : "The cocoon is imperfect simply as a matter of con- venience and safety to the larva spinning it. The cell in which she lives is over-large, and if she once gets turned about in this cell she finds it extremely difficult to regai the normal position. In consequence of this condition sh spins a cocoon about that portion only of the cell which sh 68 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 25, 19C6 cau conveniently and safely reach without letting go from above. This answer has not been tested for its correctness to my complete satisfaction, but as a guess it is logical, and has not been founded upon the throw of a dice. In con- nection with this is seen why the larva does not spin the cocoon to the extreme apex of the cell, spinning down only so far as she can conveniently reach." ZTtisccUcmeous Heirs * 3 terns "\ J The Annual Index for 1905 will be found in the cen- tral 4 pages of this number of the American Bee Journal. Those pages can very easily be torn off the wire stitches and put in the proper place at the back of the last number for 1905, and then filed away, or bound, if so desired. We regretted very much not being able to get out this index so as to have it in the last issue of 1905 where it be- longed, but it was an utter impossibility to do so, owing to the National convention held here at that time. But it will be all right if it is transferred as directed. Mr. Orel L. HeFshiseP, of Buffalo, N. Y., reported Jan. 15 that he had been suffering from the grip most of the time since returning home from the National convention. He says that bees had the finest winter flight imaginable that day (Jan. 15). The temperature at 2 p.m. was 47 de- grees above zero, the wind hardly noticeable, no snow on the ground, the weather hazy, but the sun shining through it all day. Mr. Hershiser's article in this week's issue will be read with much interest, as his Combined Hive-Stand and Bottom-Board seems to be the thing, both for moving bees and for cellar- wintering. The Ontario Convention Report— a large part of which appears in this number — will doubtless be read with great interest, not only by our Canadian subscribers, but by all others. We regretted not to have a copy of Mr. Lowey's paper to appear in its proper place, but hope to get it in time to publish it with the balance of the report next week. Canadian bee-keepers always have good conventions ; they have some expert bee-folks over there, so there is no reason why they should not have fine meetings. They were well represented at the Chicago-Northwestern and National meetings in Chicago last month, as has been mentioned before. Hepshiser Hive-Stand and Bottom-Board.— Through the courtesy of Gleanings in Bee Culture we use the en- gravings in the article by Orel L. Hershiser, on pages 73 and 74. The descriptions of the several illustrations which appeared in Gleanings with the engravings, in January, 1905, are as follows : The salient objects of this combined hive-stand and bottom-board appear clearly after a careful study of the illustrations presented herewith. Referring to the lettered parts of the engravings, A is the bottom- board; B the front, or alighting-board; C the bail-like support of the front, and D the flexible wire support of the rear ends of the bottom- board when the same is in ordinary outdoor use; E the pins used to regulate the size of entrance to hive and depth of space under the bottom-bars of frames; F the upper inside rim which forms a shoulder against which the bottom-board rests snugly when held in its highest position by the bail-like support C and the flexible wire support D ; G is the hooks by means of which the alighting-board B is coupled to the bottom-board A — loops in the alighting-board B corresponding to the hooks in the bottom-board A; and H is the front sill. Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation through a vertical plane on a line between the two sides, which passes through one of the loops G, of a 'combined hive-stand and bottom-board, showing the re- lation of the various parts to the bottom and alighting-boards A and B respectively, in normal position for ordinary outdoor use. This figure, in connection with Figs. 2 and 3, clearly shows the manner of support- ing the bottom-board A by means of the flexible wire spring D and the bail-like support C. The bottom-board A is lowered, for the purpose of enlarging the entrance to the hive, by pushing the bail-like support B back until it engages the pins E. One or more of these adjustments may be provided as needed or desired. The front board B is here shown in its capacity as an alighting-board, it being coupled to the hooks G of bottom-board A, by means of the corresponding loops on the upper edge of the alighting-board. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the hive-stand and bottom-board detached, showing details of construction of the upper and under side of the bottom-board A and of the stand. It will be observed that the flexible wire spring D is self-adjusting to any angle of the bottom- board A required in enlarging or contracting the entrance to the hive, it being sufficiently yielding for this purpose, and at the same time rigid to the extent of holding the rear end of the bottom-board A firmly against the under 6ide of the rear portion of the upper inside rim F, Fig. 1. It will also be observed that the bail-like support C may be inclined at any desired angle for the purpose of lowering or raising the front end of bottom-board A to enlarge or contract the en- trance to hive, and that, when closing the hive and stand, the bail-like support C is pulled forward until its upper part drops into the rabbet of the front sill H (rabbet shows in Fig. 2, but is not lettered), thus permitting the bottom-board A to be dropped to lower position where it rests snugly upon the upper surface of the lower inside rim into which the bail-like support C hioges. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the combined hive-stand and bottom- board adjusted for ordinary outdoor or summer use, with bottom- board A in highest position, resting snugly against the shoulder formed by the upper inside rim F; the front board B in position as an alight- ing-board, and the flexible wire support D shown by dotted line. The separate view of the alighting-board B, Fig. 3, shows the loops by means of which it is coupled to the bottom-board A by engagement with the corresponding hooks G, Fig. 3. It will be observed that the front board (alighting-board) B is provided with a substantial cleat the full length of its under 6ide. joined in 6uch position as will sup- port it at the proper angle when in use as an alighting-board, and also to lock the bottom-board A securely in its lower position when used as a front board to confine the colony of bees within the hive and stand Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the bottom-board A lowered and the alighting-board B inserted as a front board, which closes up the hive and stand as used in i cellar-wintering or in the transporta- tion of bees. The bottom-board A is held securely in place by the cleat just beneath the flexible wire spring D and by the cleat on the front board B, shown on the under side thereof in Fig. 3. When so closed, the bottom-board A rests snugly on the cleats forming the lower in- side rim into which the bail-like support C is hinged at side6 of the stand, thus making it impossible for the bottom-board A to get shifted from its place while the front board B is inserted. A small ring fast- ened midway of the lower edge of the front board B. as shown in Figs. 1,3 and 4, is convenient in inserting and withdrawing it. The front board B may be held in place by means of a button, or by a wire key dropped through eyelets screwed into the front of the stand just above the upper and below the lower margins of the front board B. Devices for holding the front board B in place, when stand is closed, are not shown in the engravings. The wire-cloth screen at sides of stand, as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, is for the purpose of giving needed ventilation at all times when the colony of bees is enclosed. Referring to the engravings in a recent. letter from Mr. Hershiser, he adds the following : " Some important improvements have been made in the details of construction since the engravings were made. The stand is now made 14-s inches lower, which gives much greater strength, without detracting from any of its useful features. It also makes it cheaper to construct. The rear supporting device for the floor-board is now made of two flat springs, one at each side of the rear end of stand. The front supporting device which holds the floorboard in posi- tion is now hinged in the front sill or cross-piece instead of the lower side-cleats. All this makes the device neater in appearance, and the alighting-board is naturally in a more nearly horizontal position. Other minor improvements have also been incorporated." The Wood Binder (or Holder) for holding a year's copies of the American Bee Journal is a splendid thing for the purpose, and also for the little money asked for it. It is mailed for only 20 cents, or with the American Bee Journal a year — $1.10 for both. But we have run out of them lately, though we have an order in for a good supply which we ex- pect to receive and be able to mail about Feb. 1. The reason of delay is because of the factory making them is behind in its orders. So those who have ordered " Wood Binders " of us will now know why they have not received them. They will be mailed just as soon as we can get them our- selves. In the meantime we would advise others of our readers to order them, as they certainly are a very conve- nient thing for keeping together for ready reference the copies of the American Bee Journal as they are received from week to week. You Can Help Greatly— both us and the advertisers in the American Bee Journal — if you will not only patronize those who advertise in these columns, but if you will also not fail to mention having seen the advertisement in the American Bee Journal whenever you write to any of them. If it were not for the advertising patronage we receive the American Bee Journal could not be furnished at the low price of $ 1. 00 a year. So kindly help all concerned by doing business with our advertisers and mentioning that you saw their advertisement in the American Bee Journal. Jan. 25, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 69 r ^x K, (£anabicm j> Conducted by Moklet Pettit, Villa Nova, Out. A Rising Canadian Bee-Keeper— Contraction When Hiving Swarms Frank P. Adams, of Brantford, is one of our rising young Canadian bee-keepers, who, last season, managed a large apiary exclusively for comb honey and queens. In the December Canadian Bee Journal he has the audacity to rise up and criticise some of the old established ideas about comb-honey production. If he had not produced about 10,000 pounds of comb honey in his one yard last summer we might be tempted to advise him to " go away back and sit down." As it is, we shall proceed " to pick his bones." Mr. Adams criticises the method of contraction of biood-chambers when hiving swarms for the production of FRANK P. ADAMS comb honey. Strong swarms, he says, "instead of staying put in the little brood-nest, fool their time away in repeated attempts to change their quarters, and try the operator's strength and patience in an endeavor to get them back to work again." I have had little difficulty on this score where they were given the whole brood-chamber for 3 or 4 days, or even a week, then contracted. Aspinwall recommended, at the National, contracting in a different way by separating the combs with slatted dummies instead of crowding the combs to the center and dummies at the outside. That they fill this brood-chamber quickly and swarm again, as Mr. Adams says often happens, is a serious objec- tion to the contracted brood-chamber. But the next ob- jection I can not see how to avoid ; whatever will really in- crease the profits of the apiary I am prepared to do or hire done, if possible. I mean where he says : " There is another objection to the contracted brood-nest that becomes serious as the number of our colonies multiply, and that is the work of going through the recently-hived swarms for the purpose of taking out part of the frames and replacing them with dummies, and again after the honey-flow taking out the dummies and putting back frames in their place. The work in a fair-sized yard is enormously increased if we must be constantly tinkering with the brood- nest. In the spring, before the honey-flow is on, it is profit- able to go through the yard and make use of every little kink we know of in order to build up colonies to their maxi- mum strength, but when the flow commences there is plenty of work with the swarms and supers to keep our time fully occupied." By "swarms" in the last sentence, I think Mr. Adams can not mean natural swarms, but rather shaken or some other sort of artificial swarms. I look back on ray years of experience with natural swarming as on a dismal night- mare. Mr. Adams says further : " In many localities the flow shuts off as soon as the clover and basswood is through blooming, and it is only in favorable years that the fall flow is sufficient to keep the bees from drawing on their stores for late brood-rearing. With such conditions, it is evident that winter stores must be secured from the white honey-flow, and unless part of the yard has been put to filling frames to supply the rest in the fall, our only recourse is the sugar-barrel. Under these conditions we might just as well have a few frames filled out in the brood- chambers while the flow is on, so as to sup- ply them from supers." This reads well, and often works all right, but when the flow stops unexpectedly we have these brood-chamber combs filled and sections only partly filled. It would seem to me the more cautious plan to allow room for only brood in the brood-chamber, and when sections come off add combs of honey from elsewhere. Mr. Adams continues : "Big- swarms mean fast work in the supers, and we are unable to build up our colonies so that the hives are crowded with bees from top to bottom, then it is always possible to unite two weak colonies, so that their combined forces will hustle the honey into the supers much faster than they would have done had they been hived separately, and if our swarms are strong — very strong — it will be found that 8 Langstroth frames filled from top to bottom with founda- tion are none too many in the hive-body, and that a colony so fixed, and with a good queen, will go ahead with the work in the supers at a surprising rate, and, having plenty of room below, will go into winter quarters stronger in bees and require less feeding than one that has been con- tracted down." After all, Mr. Adams and I are not so far apart, for my idea of a contracted brood chamber is a 12-frame contracted to about 7 frames. All this goes to show the complications introduced, and corresponding skill needed, for successful comb-honey production. Paragraphic Comments To A. C. Miller's tar-paper- wrapped hives "York County Bee- Keeper" says, "No, siree," for an old-fashioned Cana- dian winter. Herbert Kirkham, Vladimir, Russia, writing in the Canadian Bee Journal, says their bees are practically in the cellar 6 months and outside 6 months. About 90 percent of the bees are in log hives. Their principal crop is from buckwheat, yielding 30 to 40 pounds per annum. He con- cludes by saying the principal foods of the Russian peas- ants are " salted cucumbers, rye-bread, sour cabbage, and buckwheat porridge." Is it any wonder they throw bombs at the Czar? The Farmer's Advocate, Montreal Witness, and Family Herald, each give reports of a column or more of the Na- tional convention held in Chicago last month. A Fraternal Greeting Welcome "Southern Beedom" to the columns of the "Old Reliable." "Canadian Beedom" extends to you a fraternal hand. (Aside in stage whisper.) Cheer up, Canadian beedom- ites ! Are we going to let any Southern department, or any other, for that matter, get ahead of OURS1 Send in your experiences and ideas. I know Canadians are full of them. Plenty of time for them to grow these long winter evenings. Put them down on paper, and while you are helping some one else you will be helping yourself by crystallizing your own thoughts. m i ^ Weather Forecasts In the Canadian Bee Journal R. F. Holtermann gives timely advice on studying weather signs. Our Lord, he says, who never made a mistake, nor spoke lightly, said, " Ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth." So we can by studying " the tenor of seasons, the result of winds from certain directions, the deductions we may draw 70 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 25 19 6 from certain clouds at certain times of the day, and the sug- gestions we get from certain sunrises and sunsets," learn to forecast the weather with a measure of certainty. This is particularly profitable to any agricultural pursuit. Honey Around Edges of Flight-Holes " Sister" Wilson (page 12) failed to note how bees carry honey away in small particles, some of which are liable to get stuck around the edges of any hole through which they fly- = — . VTlv. £)asty's Ctftertpougfyte j The " Old Reliable " as seen through New and Unreliable Glasses. By E. E. Hasty, Sta. B. Rural, Toledo, Ohio. For and Against Black Bees. Harry Lathrop against the black bees seems to be a temperate and reasonable opposer. Perhaps he's right, that those of us who keep a sort of lingering, half-way bias in their favor would be cured if we were obliged for a season to run a whole apiary of them. He is generous to say : "I fully agree that by proper care the black race might be made equal to any for honey-gathering qualities, and we all like the way they cap their comb honey, but they are so dis- agreeable to work with that I think very few having had ex- perience with them would wish to increase the stock." Hope the brother who scolded me so roundly in a recent number will note how nearly Mr. Lathrop comes to saying the same things as I. Page 860. Bees Spotting Hives in Early December. So Canadian bees were spotting things and showing signs of engorgement before the middle of December. Not as their owners would choose to have it. And the Canadian weather unusual in the direction of being sudden and un- expected. Apparently most climes can say, "Same here," if those strict words are adhered to. Page 861. Baby Nuclei and Queen-Rearing. Mr. Pharr and the other Texans have certainly got the mating of queens in baby nuclei down fine. Only one little comb, which is only one-sixth standard size. No brood at all. Only SO to 2i0 bees, according to weather. Say, I have an invention whereby a virgin and a couple of small horse- flies are baby-nucleied in a glass bottle. Cut the cork so the queen can get out and in, but her companions not. Facts are facts ; and the baby nucleus may be all right— afterthinkers to the contrary notwithstanding ; but I con- fess to feeling toward the little device somewhat as a porcu- pine feels when he sees a dog. To populate 300 mating- boxes with the bees of one colony, and practically throw them away when the queens are sold, is somewhat attractive, I grant. Per contra, making the required number of old- style, 3-frame nuclei must make ugly havoc with an apiary, any one can see. No wonder breeders wish to avoid this. Mr. Atchley's remark that orders for queens are mostly re- ceived when none can be mated successfully in the baby boxes is instructive in its way. One thing I didn't think of be- fore in this connection is that good, strong nuclei are liable to act like full colonies and resist the introduction of a vir- gin for a week or more. This wastes time sadly, besides sometimes killing a queen. Worse yet, they may leave her a damaged but not quite unsalable article at the end of the unpleasantness. The upshot is that the baby-farmers are not quite cannibals, nor yet fools; but still, it seems to me, that critics best serve the interests of apicul- ture (outside the breeder's yard) if they growl a good plenty. Pages 864, 865. Definitions and Standards of Honey. It rather seems to me that the official definition of honey is better than Prof. Eaton's amendment of it. The figures of the former are to be understood as outside figures, not average ones. No objection to honey having less than 25 percent of water ; but if it has more it is simply sweetened water. No objection to it having less .025 of ash ; but if it has more it is to be objected to as dirty. No objection to its having less than 8 percent of sucrose ; but if it has more it is a mixture of honey and sugar. States' Pure Food Laws. So when most States get pure- food laws — and well en- forced— the laggard States have to serve as dumping ground. Hope they'll reflect betimes. Page 867. What Destroys Basswood Bloom ? I think it was not the bug that Gustave Gross saw in the basswood bloom that did most of the mischief, but a widely spread fungous disease. Bug may have helped on somewhat. At my location basswood bloom has been more or less unhealthy for several years. Last year some of the blossom-buds were transformed into monstrosities — grew too large but never opened. Page 867. Additions to Nectar-Yielding Plants. A geranium with thorns like a blackberry ( were the same either wild or tame) would be quite a curiosity to me. Of course, all additions to the list of plants that produce nectar is plainly visible quantities are of some interest. Page 867. (Dur+Sister BecKccpers J Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. A Sister's Report for 1905 Dear Miss Wilson: — I had 10 colonies, spring count, last season, and increased to 21. I took off 400 pounds of white comb honey, 50 of dark, and about 6 pounds of ex- tracted honey, as I extracted some unfinished sections. Three Rivers, Mich. Mrs. L. Mack. Two Sisters Continue the Bee-Business I will let you know of our great loss, that our father, Mr. Peter Blunier, died in February, 1905. He was a bee- keeper and a reader of the American Bee Journal for years. So now my sister and I must take care of the bees and the business. Dina Blunier. Roanoke, 111. The hearty sympathy of the sisters is extended to you in your affliction. We are glad to welcome yourself acd sister to our corner, and hope to hear from you frequently. Getting Unfinished Sections Cleaned Out Miss Wilson :— I see on page 810 of 1905, some sister has a bad time getting the bees to take the honey out of un- finished sections. I find it very easy if it is worked right. Take the sections all out of the super that are wanted cleaned out, and set them promiscuously in the upper story of a colony you wish to feed. If any are capped over take a knife and uncap them, and then the bees will take it all out, but not otherwise. By arranging the sections as above described, the bees see that there is something radically wrong with the ar- rangement of the hive that they do not understand, and the best thing for them to do is to remove the honey, which they always do. Before putting the honey in the hive turn one corner of the glazed quilt back so the bees will have free access to the upper story. W. J. Young. Scotch Ridge, Ohio. It is quite true that bees will nearly always remove un- capped honey, although they are sometimes very, very slow about it, and arranging the sections as described by Mr. Young will hasten their doing so. But the uncapping is the very thing we want to avoid. It involves not only the labor of uncapping, but a whole lot of extra labor, taking the sec- tions out of the supers and putting them in again. When taken from the hives in the fall a good many supers may Jan. 25, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 71 have only a small amount of honey in them, and yet some of that honey may be sealed. Now we do cot think it worth while to disturb that super at all, only we want it emptied of all honey. When sorting our honey we like to have all sections to be emptied placed in the supers, separatored and wedged in tight, then thoroughly emptied of honey and packed away all ready to set on the hives the next season ; and so far we have found only one way that we can be sure of getting this done, and that is by letting the bees rob them. Mr. Bevins, on page 9, advises that No. 32 should have had empty combs. Although it was not mentioned on page 810 (1905), that was exactly what they had— 8 extra brood- combs nearly empty ; but even with this inducement the bees would not take the trouble to uncap the sections. A Letter from a Young Sister Dear Miss Wilson :— Papa said that he met you at the National convention, and that you said you were anxious for short articles from the sisters. I have been working with the bees ever since I was 13 years old, which has been 3 seasons. I will give you some of my experience. When I first commenced to take off comb honey I was some afraid, but as I worked on I became braver, until now I am not at all afraid. The first season I took off more than 100 pounds, and did not get many stings. After I had been working an hour or two, mamma came out to see if I was getting nervous. The next year I took off some more honey, and helped papa put up queens. Last year, as there was not very much comb honey, I did most of the extracting with the help of two neighbor girls. They did the work in the apiary house, which was to weigh, uncap, and extract the combs, while I took them off. I caught most of the queens to fill the orders, and my little brother, or another boy, would put the wires on the cages. I should have said that I just worked during the sum- mer, as I go to school 9 months of the year. Last fall I went into the high school. Elsie Strong. Clarinda, Iowa. P.S. — I write this for the benefit of timid girls who are afraid to work with the bees. E. S. We are very glad to have the benefit of Elsie's experi- ence, especially as her papa tells me that she is the very best help he ever had in the apiary. And here is a nice little letter from Kenneth ; I am sure he, also, will soon be a great help to his papa : Letter from a Little Brother. Dear Miss Wilson:— lam a little boy 7 years old. I help papa put up queens. I put 1 he screens on the mailing cages after Elsie catches the queens. I also split smoker- wood after papa has sawed off the blocks. Kenneth. =% Southern -V 23eebom -f Conducted by Louis H. Scholl, New Braunfels, Tex. =J Feeding Bees in Winter In the South, where the weather is more or less warm and sunny during the greater part of the winter and bees can fly, it would be safe to give feed in liquid form if col- onies are short of stores. In this case it would be better to heat the syrup, made of one part of best granulated sugar and one part of water. The sugar should be stirred into the boiling water and kept hot, but not boiling, stirring it con- tinually until all is a clear liquid. I would feed it slightly warm, but not hot. It is not a good idea, however, to feed liquid syrup when bees can not fly, as cleansing flights are necessary after handling the syrup. Warm weather, too, is necessary for a certain amount of evaporation of the syrup, but the heating before being fed helps it greatly in this re- spect. If the weather is so that syrup feeding is not advisable, and the bees must be supplied with stores, cakes of candy should be given. Be sure to use high-grade granulated sugar, dissolving it in boiling water. The ratio of sugar and water that suited me best for making these cakes is 4 pounds of sugar to a gallon of water. More sugar makes the cakes too dry. Boil this syrup carefully until it will harden to mold into cakes. If a little of the syrup dropped in cold water solidifies quickly it has boiled enough. Now pour the syrup into large shallow pans of some kind, or a shallow wooden trough lined with butter, or par- affin paper, to prevent sticking. The syrup should be about 7.)'z inches deep so that when it has hardened it can be broken into cakes weighing about 6 pounds each. Cakes 6 inches wide and 10 inches in length will average this weight, but it is not necessary to have them in this exact shape. Pieces broken off the cake in any form and averag- ing about 150 cubic inches will weigh near enough to 6 pounds. I have just made a number of oblong cakes for experi- ment, by pouring the hot syrup into paste board boxes of the right dimensions for a single cake ; the boxes first be- ing lined with a sheet of butter-paper. The paper was easily peeled off after the cakes had hardened sufficiently. The boxes can be used over again several times, relining them with paper by simply placing a sheet over them and roughly pressing it down with the fingers. In feeding, one of these cakes is to be laid carefully over the cluster of bees of each colony. If bur-combs ex- tend over the top bars, so much the better ; but if not, then a few sticks should be laid under the cakes to allow the bees freer access to the cake from below. If no supers are on the hives empty ones can t»e placed on and a piece of cloth or old gunny-sacking should be packed over the top-bars and the candy cake. Where deep covers are used the supers will not be needed. In the more southern parts of the South supers are kept on the hives the entire year. The question has been asked me several times, whether can syrup or molasses would be satisfactory for feeding purposes. I should not advocate it, not on an extensive scale, at least. It has been used by some of our farmer bee- keepers. One such case I remember last spring. The bees- were starving and needed food at once, but there was no other sweet in the house, except cane molasses. It was about 20 miles to the nearest town, and the roads were bad. To give relief to the starving bees at once, about a pint of the syrup was given, pouring it into the combs by laying them flat over the top-bars and allowing the surplus to drip off when the combs were replaced in the hive. Care should be taken in all feeding manipulations not to incite robbing. This molasses feeding was done later in the spring. Sugar syrup replaced the former as soon as sugar was obtained, as the molasses contains undesirable constit- uents that are harmful to bees. It can not be safely fed in a diluted state on account of the formation of acetic acid when thinned with water. The acid is injurious to bees and kills them. The same trouble obtains when feeding "pelloncillos. " This is an unrefined sugar manufactured in Mexico, and comes in the shape of small cones weighing about 13 ounces each. As a feed it is cheaper than cane-sugar, costing about Z% cents per pound. Cones of this sugar are placed above the brood-nest like the candy cakes mentioned before, and the bees help themselves. These "pelloncillos'- are often used by Southwest Texas bee-keepers for feeding in "off" years. It is claimed that this sugar does not stimu- late brood-rearing when fed in this way. It works all right for feeding in dry localities of the country, but in damp or moist locations the sugar takes up water and the formation of acetic acid results. If syrup is made from this sugar by adding water, fermentation takes place to a certain extent, and the amount of acetic acid is so great that bees fed upon the syrup will die by the thousands. Great care should therefore be taken when feeding " pelloncillos" when the weather is not absolutely dry. Please Send Us Names of Bee-Keepers who do not now get the American Bee Journal, and we will send them sample copies. Then you can very likely afterward get their subscriptions, for which work we offer valuable premiums in nearly every number of this Journal. You can aid much by sending in the names and addresses when writing us on other matters. 72 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 25, 19C6 * (Eontrtbuteb * Special Civticks =% Some Apiarian Comments and Experiments EV ADMAN GETAZ. IT IS not often that I enter into a controversy with some other writer. I think that when I have expressed my opinion, and given my reasons for such, and the "other fellow'' has done the same, that ought to be the end of it. That is. as a general rule ; but there are exceptions. Some- times a glaring error, or what may seem to be so, has been made, and should be corrected. This being understood, I wish in this contribution to correct what seems to me er- roneous, and also describe some experiments that may lead to very important results. Foul Brood and Adult Bees. In reading the report of a late convention, I was quite surprised at the assertion repeatedly made by several of our best bee-keepers, that adult bees do not contract foul brood. If the reader will turn to Cheshire's works, he will see that foul-brood bacilli have been found m the bodies of adult bees, workers and queens, chiefly in the blood. Not only Cheshire, but Prof. Harrison, and several other microscopists. have found them even in the ovaries of the queens. We may disagree with Cheshire's or anybody else's opinions, but when competent men tell us they have seen something, there is nothing to do but to accept their asser- tions, at least until positive proof that they are mistaken is given. On the other hand, it is incontestable that the disease is not transmitted by the adult bees, or at least very seldom, if at all. Cheshire explains it by saying that the disease de- velops rapidly, and that before any transmission can be made the diseased adult bees go out of the hive to die. It is certain that diseased bees usually leave and die away from the hives. When they do not, they are expelled. All those who have seen bee-paralysis are familiar with these facts. In connection with this, it must be remembered that as long as the infected bee or other animal lives, the bacilli will not leave its body, except what few may be carried out with its excrements. They multiply by division. Each bacillus grows in length, and. when sufficiently long, breaks in two or more portions, each one forming a new individual. The process continues as long as there is plenty to eat. When the infected animal dies, and there is no more to eat, the bacilli break into spores, which escape by the thousands and infect whatever suitable material with which they come in contact. As the diseased bees die outside, or are carried out immedi- ately, it is easy to see that they cannot be a serious source of infection. Glucose and Chlorydric Acid. In a recent issue. Prof. Eaton said that in the United States at least, glucose is no longer made with sulphuric acid, but with chlorydric acid. When the transformation is finished, carbonate of soda is added to neutralize the acid, with the result that chloride of sodium, or. to call it by its popular name, common salt, remains in the glucose. I am not in a position to confirm or contradict the Professor's statement, but it is certainly a puzzle to me. It seems to me that the salt remaining in the glucose would give it such an abominable taste that it would preclude its use, at least for eating purposes. Moths and Wax. In the last edition of his excellent bee-book, Prof. Cook savs that the moths do not attack the combs that have neither pollen nor dead bees, as the wax alone cannot furnish them the nitrogenous substances necessary for their development. I am sorry to contradict, but I have had combs which had neither dead bees n<>i- pollen, and where no brood had been reared, completely eaten up; and the moths therein grew to full size and completed their development. Moths fre- quentlv attack and ruin sections where nothing can be had hut wax; they do not seem to eat the honey. The Rietsche Comb Foundation Press. I have not the last edition of the "A B C of Bee Culture." A correspondent writes me that a German foundation press is mentioned there, but that the editor does not recommend it, because it makes foundation with flat bottoms. There must be a mistake somewhere. None of the presses or rolls made in Europe make flat-bottom foundation. I receive regularly several European bee-papers, but I never saw the flat-bottom mentioned. Young and Old Bees. • In one of the last numbers of the "late lamented" Western Bee Journal. Mr. Stachelhausen writes the following: "Mr. Getaz explains his success [in preventing swarming by caging the queen] in the following way : During the four days or more without unsealed brood, the young bees having no brood to feed, take to the field notwithstanding their age or rather youngness. I am sure this idea is not based on facts. It is proven by many experiments that under no cir- cumstances will a worker-bee fly out of the hive before she is 12 days old. If this were not so, and a young bee could become a field-bee, if not enough brood is present, the swarm- ing fever would never appear in any colony." There are two errors in the above. The first is the asser- tion that a bee under 12 days of age will not fly out. That may have been so in some cases, but experiments have been made where bees only 7, 5, and in one case 4 days old, have brought in nectar and pollen. On the other hand, bees several weeks old, and even several months old, when wintered over, do the work usually allotted to the young bees when none are present. It is therefore certain that while young bees do the inside work in preference, and the older ones the field-work, there is no absolute date or limit, all depending upon the circum- stances. The second error is the assertion that if so, the swarming fever would not appear, or, to put it in another shape, queen- cells would not be constructed. Because young bees can go to the field, there is absolutely no reason why this would prevent them from building queen-cells before taking to the field. If they don't build any when there is no unsealed brood, it is because they can't, and not because they won't. Flight-Hole Above Brood-Nest. Some years ago a Mr. Richard, a preacher at Amsterdam, took a notion to have a hive of bees. Not having any other place for them he put them in the garret. The shape of the roof was such that it became necessary to have the entrance at the top of the hive instead of the bottom. The following year the hive was taken to the country and another bought besides. The result was that the hive with the entrance at the top of the brood-nest gave three times as much surplus honey as the other. The same results were obtained the fol- lowing year. It is needless to say that a large number of apiarists be- gan to experiment on the question. The results as far as the reports I have seen stated, are an increase from 2 to 5 times and in one case 6 times the amount of surplus honey that would be obtained with the entrance at the usual place. Only one case is on record where no increase was obtained in the supers, but considerably more than usual was stored in the brood-chamber. The following points were ascertained : 1st. The brood-nest remains where it is; the queen does not go up in the supers. 2d. The bees manage to keep the hive, including the bottom-board, as clean as when the entrance is below. 3d. It is absolutely necessary that when the upper en- trance is open, the other should be closed, and no crack of appreciable size should be permitted below the upper entrance. These three points are correct. I have tried the system and found them to be so. I hesitated a long time before trying the process myself. I am working for comb honey, and the European bee-keepers work for extracted honey. I was under the impression that an opening above would interfere with the building of comb in the sections. I finally tried a few hives, but instead of having the entrance opening directly outside, I had a kind of passage-way leading down to the bottom-board just in front of the other entrance. This did not work very well. The ventilation was too imperfect. At least I thought so, but I have come to the conclusion that I may have been mistaken, and that the process deserves further trial. By that time I reflected that while Europeans work for extracted honey, they hardly ever give a full set of built combs, usually only a few. and the rest is with foundation, and Jan. 25, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 71 usually only starters at that. So, after all, there is not so much difference as one would think at first. So I decided to put the entrances above, opening directly outside. By that time the only flow we had last year, and a very poor one at that, came to an end, and of course that ended the experiment so far as the increase of surplus honey is concerned. I suppose that most, if not all, of the readers of this paper know that when there is no flow, more or less bees will (at least during the warm days) go into the supers, loaf, gnaw the foundation, chink propolis anywhere and every- where, and do more or less mischief. I soon discovered that while there was the usual number of bees in the supers of the hives with the entrances i there were none, or practically none, in those with the en- trances above. An inspection disclosed the fact that if there were no bees in the supers, there was, on the other hand, a big, compact cluster right at the entrance ; thai is, inside of it. That was quite a puzzle to me. The warm air contained in the hive has a strong tendency to go upward. To bring it down to the bottom through the combs and a mass of bees requires a large number of fanning bees and a large entrance. With the entrance above, the warm air will go out of itself, perhaps much faster than needed for the best results. Without thinking any further, I had made the upper entrances as big, or nearly as big, as I usually make them when at the bottom of the hives. I then realized, that for the reason just given, they were entirely too large, and that those big bunches of bees were there to prevent a too free escape of the warm air needed for the brood. What is the exact size for the best results, I do not know yet. Knoxville, Tenn. Cellar-Wintering — Hershiser Bottom -Board BY OREL L. HERSHISER. MR. MORLEY PETTIT. in 'Canadian Beedom" (page 904 — 1905), makes some criticisms of the Hershiser Combined Hive Stand and Bottom-Board, shown at the late Ontario Convention at Toronto, which should not stand unchallenged. Is it "too much machinery to be carried under the hive"? It is a device so simple that a one-armed man or a child can make every adjustment without the least difficulty. Its con- struction is such that the simplicity and ease of operating it cannot in the least be affected by moisture or swelling, and it is absolutely impossible for the bees to propolize its edges or hinder its easy working. It is very strong, although the device for the 10-frame dovetail hive weighs but 8 pounds. It enables the apiarist to have his bees practically prepared at all times for removal to or from out-apiaries, for confine- ment within the hive while in the cellar, or for shipment ; the simple adjustment to confine the bees or admit them to flight being made at the rate of 100 colonies in less than one-half hour. Added ventilation can be given in a moment, if needed, during a heavy honey-flow, or in hiving a large swarm ; and when combs are melting down, or likely to melt down, because of excessive heat, relief can be quickly afforded. Colonies being robbed can be instantly and perfectly pro- tected. In fact, the device is complete in itself for all pur- poses to which a bottom-board or a ventilating scheme below the hive-body may be put. There are no extra parts to be used for special purposes, such as blocks and wedges for Fig. 1.— Bottom-Board— Sectional View. giving ventilation ; and no bottom-boards to be left on the summer stand or stowed away, as is necessary with most hives and practiced by nearly all apiarists who winter bees in the cellar; all such objects being perfectly comprehended in this one device. It presents to me not a single disadvantage, but its advantages are manifold. Its use to me in cellar- wintering alone, to say nothing of its convenience in moving bees, has been highly profitable. Further and more careful observation and investigation. I believe, will convince my critic that he is all wrong in de- claring that "he finds it is not practical to confine bees to the hive while in the cellar." He is doubtful as to whether "weak colonies and nuclei may be confined without serious loss." I have no doubts on these points, having proven the prac- ticability of such wintering, in my own case, beyond any doubt. Ami. further, tl' 4 of strong colonies is as practical as it is with weak colonies or nuclei, as proven by my ex- perience. I desire to take an exception to the statement that "when strong colonies are so confined there are sure to be some bees that fly to the screen, try h> get out. and make noise enough Fig. 2.— Hershiser Hive-Stand— Bottom-Board Detached— Patent Applied For. to rouse the whole cellar.' Mr. Pettit's bees may behave in this unseemly fashion, i. e.. all want to go out because one or a few individual bees have asked that privilege. My bees be- have properly and attend strictly to the business of wintering quietly, and. if once in a while a stray bee leaves the cluster and buzzes a bit, very likely for some good and sufficient they do not all fall to and do the same. They are so accustomed to humming and buzzing that such sounds have ceased to irritate them. To be sure, they hum and buzz if they get too warm, and would undoubtedly go in search of cool air if allowed their liberty, but they become quiet and con- tented as soon as such need is supplied. If the temperature of the cellar becomes too warm, the more sensitive colonies will be the first to show it by their activity; and in case of such unsatisfactory conditions there is no doubt that the colonies first aroused would have a tendency to hasten the awakening of those in a deeper state of repose. In such an emergency, if the bees are properly confined to their hives, "it is a positive advantage, as otherwise many strong and vigorous bees would perish on the cellar floor, or at the windows, if there was a ray of light. But where temperature and ventilation are satisfactory the mere buzzing of a few restless bees, now and then, will not "rouse the whole cellar" or cause unusual activity. Disturbances occasioned by insufficient or impure air or high temperature, are not likely to occur in the cellar or repository specially constructed or fitted for the purpose of wintering bees; but, even in these, disastrous failure has some- times been the result. Such failures are probably more fre- quent than most of us imagine, for the reason that people take little pride in recounting mistakes or disasters, but oc- casionally one who has learned wisdom with passing years becomes reminiscent, as did Harry Lathrop, of Wisconsin, where he recalls a case in his own experience of 35 good, strong colonies placed in a specially built repository about Dec. 1, About Jan. 15 following, the door was opened, and in one of the upper front corners of the room was a bunch of bees about the size of a bushel basket, and upon the floor was about an inch in depth of dead bees. The live bees were divided as well as possible and their wintering was finished in clamps outside. Fifteen weak colonies in the spring was the result. Want of air was ascribed as the cause of the 74 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 25, 19C6 death of the bees. Possibly such was the case, but I am strongly of the opinion that, having deserted their hives, food was not within their reach, and starvation was the immediate cause of the death of such an unusual number of bees. If his visit to the bees had been delayed 2 or 3 days longer all would have been dead. If each colony had been confined within the limits of its own hive, with the proper amount of room be- neath th.e frames, well ventilated, there seems to me no reason why each colony should not have survived, just as did the large bunch of bees in one of the upper front corners of the room. The bottom-board under mention was made especially to meet my personal requirements. All my apiaries are a\va\ from home. There is a good cellar under my dwelling-house. but the constant use to which it is put during the winter months precludes keeping it dark, and it is impracticable to keep it at an even temperature. No difficult)' in keeping it fn 'in the freezing point, but in very cold weather a hot "fire must be kept in the furnace to heat the house. When mod- erate weather comes, especially if it comes suddenly, there is too much heat in the cellar for orthodox wintering. Barring the uneven temperature, the cellar is about ideal. The neces- sity of bringing the bees from out-apiaries at the very time they must be placed in the cellar, and the peculiar conditions of the latter, were the factors which called for correspond- ingly peculiar construction to confine the bees while in the cellar and in moving them. After the disastrous winter of 1903-4. in which I lost heavily, having wintered almost entirely outdoors. I determined not to risk all of them in that way again. Hence the evolution of a device to meet my require- ments. On Dec. 4. 1905, I commenced at 9 :30 o'clock in the fore- noon and by 12 o'clock I had closed the hives (by means of my bottom-boards) of 88 colonies of bees, and hauled them in two sleighloads a distance of 24 miles, carrying them a dis- tance of 75 feet to the cellar door. By 3 o'clock in the after- noon I had them safely placed in the cellar, all with the assistance of one man all the time and a boy teamster and his team in the forenoon. The weather was about at the freezing point, and a few live bees dropped on the floor-boards. After the bees were placed in the cellar a brisk fire in the furnace soon raised the temperature to a point which enabled every live bee to regain the cluster in its hive. Last winter I made my first experiment in wintering bees, in considerable numbers, confined in their hives, although I had tried it in a small way the winter previous. One hun- dred and thirty-five colonies were placed in the cellar, con- fined as described. Four-fifths or more of the colonies were nuclei, occupying from 3 to 5 Langstroth frames. They could not have been wintered outdoors. Many of them were de- ficient in stores, probably *4 °f them having less than 16 pounds each. They had been fed up late in the season on sugar syrup. The average loss in weight per colony, in win- tering, was a little in excess of 7 pounds for 4 months' confine- ment. My winter loss from this lot was 2 colonies wdiich died of 'starvation, and a few that swarmed out and joined other colonies, which was due to the folly of putting bees out when it is so warm as it was here on March 28, the ther- mometer registering 78 degrees. The strength of the weak as compared with the strong colonies in the spring was as nearly in proportion to their strength the fall previous as Fie. 3.— Hershiser's Bottom-Board and Hive as Prepared for Summer. could be estimated, the full colonies being correspondingly stronger than the nuclei. This lot of weak colonies wintered at least 15 percent, better than the strong colonies left out- doors, and consumed not more than half as much stores per colony. All colonies wintered outside were in first-class con- dition in the fall, with 25 pounds and upwards of stores per colony, and well packed and protected. While absent at the late Chicago convention the furnace became defective, and it was impossible to control the heat until repairs were made. The excessive heat, resulting from Fig. 4.— Hive-Stand as Adapted for Cellar Use. too strong a draft, caused the bees to roar and clamor for liberty as though it were summer, but all to no purpose : each colony was safely confined within its own hive. It can easily be guessed what the consequences would have been if the bees had been able to escape from their hives. My loss would have been practically 146 colonies of bees — the number in the cellar. After repairs had been made on the furnace and better con- ditions obtained, the bees quieted down to their normal con- dition, apparently none the worse for their unwonted activity, except 3 colonies which persisted in "keeping "up the music." A few bees in these, with distended abdomens, are running about the screen sides of the bottom-board, but the number diminishes daily, and I anticipate that when they have ex- pired, as they surely will in a few days, these colonies will also be in a normal condition, as they really are now. except the few restless bees. The colonies both above and below and all around the restless ones are perfectly normal, the quiet yellow cluster of bees hanging between and below the frames, telling the story of comfort and perfect wintering. The above observations, in my own experience, prove to me conclusively that if bees of one or more colonies should buzz about the wire-screen sides of the bottom-board, in an effort to escape, the noise will not materially disturb other ^ colonies, much less will it "rouse the whole cellar." That when bees are properly confined to their hives, having all needed ventilation, if, from a rise in the temperature all the colonies become aroused, they will return to their normal winter condition, when the proper temperature is restored, without serious consequences ; whereas, if not so confined, the loss of bees by becoming disengaged from the hive and lost on the cellar floor or otherwise, would be enormous. To me the carrying of so trifling an amount of machinery under the hive has been advantageous and profitable. To be without it would, in my case, be extravagance. Buffalo. N. Y. # A Successful Home-Made Hive BY ALLEN LATHAM. TOO often in making his own hives the bee-keeper tries to pattern them after those sold by the manufacturers, and consequently finds that it does not pay to buy good lumber, saw it by hand, and make a hive costing little less than a better one sold by the manufacturers. Nor does it pay to make that style of hive out of cheap lumber — a dressmaker might as well construct a dress from home-spun on a pattern designed for silk goods. Yet everyone knows that a good. serviceable dress can be made from home-spun, and one which is possibly even better for ordinary wear than the silk one. It is my purpose to tell the readers of the American Bee Journal how a bee-hive can be formed from the cheapest kind of lumber, and yet be a better hive for actual use than the factory-made hive. This hive wdiich I am about to describe is not handsome to look at. for its beauty lies deep and is the more appreciated the longer the hive is used. It is a hive excellent for winter as well as for summer. To construct this hive a good roofing paper is necessary. Having used with great success that brand known as "Paroid" — a paper wdiich is advertised in the American Bee Journal — I shall make occasional mention of that name and also shall Jan. 25, 1906 1HE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 79 speak of the other paper made by the same firm, a tough red paper called "Neponsel " This latter paper I use iii the in- terior of the hive, the "Paroid" being used externally. A roll of "Paroid." one of "Neponset," plenty <>f assorted nails, some good tack-, and a large quantity of grocer) boxes, shoe-cases, and hat-cases are the materials needed to con a score "i- mi in- of excellent hives — the tools required bi CrOSS-CUt saw (not Over -'•> inches long), a small rili-saw. a small plane, a try-square, a light hammer, a strong screw- driver "I- old chisel, a jack-knife, and a yard stick. Let the to,.]s he good ones, for il pays l- ■ use good tools. If one is fortunate enough to have a shop with work- bench, so much the better; but good work can be done with a large dry-goods box for a bench and a smaller box to do one's sawing on. The shoe-cases, etc., are taken apart with screw-driver and hammer (this hammer should be of the best grade with a claw which will pull a headless nail). The grocery-be. xes are not all taken apart, as some are to serve as the foundation structure for hive-bodies and supers. Careful selection of luxes, and thorough preparation go far toward assuring success in this hive-making undertaking. for one may otherwise become disgusted at the beginning and give up because of numerous though trifling difficulties. It is tiresome — that is. slow — work constructing the first hive: but one soon gets familiar with the different steps, and can turn out from 3 to S hives per day. according to his skill and energy. The numerous cereals sold nowadays furnish such a variety of boxes that one ought to find just what he needs at the various grocery stores After once deciding on a box he should persuade the different grocers to reserve that particular box for him. In this way one can get together a hundred or more boxes all of a size and shape. The Modus Operandi. Select a box which is 1.'4 inches longer and Xi/x wider than the inside measure of your hive-body. If just the right size box cannot be had. select that which will require the least cutting down. Remove the top and bottom of this box and cut down if necessary. It is not much of a task to cut a box down. In case it is too long the entire end is cut off and the end-piece again nailed in place, after, of course, removing the sawed-off bits of boards and the nails. If the box is too wide, one side is knocked off and the two end-pieces are sawed to the right length and the side again nailed in place. If the box is too deep, the rip-saw quickly takes off the right amount, care being- first taken that any obstructing nails are previously removed. A little planing completes the task. A trifle over 5 minutes will serve to cut down a box to the right size. You will then have a hive-body of thinner material and longer and wider than the regular hive-body. Cut out pieces of "Neponset" or other good sheathing paper to fit the inside walls of this body. Then get out four strips of half-inch stuff not less than one inch wide, of a length equal to the inside length of the hive- body. Xail these strips over the paper on the side-walls flush with the top and bottom edges. Then lay two more pieces of the "Neponset" over these strips. Previous to this you may have prepared a large number of pieces from your box- board materials of a length equalling the depth of the hive- body. Cover the second piece of paper with a sheathing of these boards, nailing near the ends so that the nails go through the strips between the papers, and with nails that will reach through to lie clinched. This clinching is absolutely necessary. You will then have a body with side-walls made up of two thicknesses of wood, two of paper, and one dead-air space. The ends are then to be finished like the sides, except that the upper strip is lowered away from the edge and the inner wall is made shorter to allow a rabbet on \s Inch ti > support the frames, [f cross-wise frames are used (a much better arrangement, by the way), the side-walls must be thus prepared instead of the ends. The varying thicknesses of the box-boards used will bring about .i variation in the inside measurements of the hive-bod) when completed. This difficult) is easily overcome b) laying | s * |l ( ' 1 ■ *■ / X 1 t--s-r>^-. W\Xn'^ \ lf, 1 1 — — -"— - ' 1- strips of the roofing paper on the board strips which border the air-spaces, or by selecting different thicknesses when these board strips are got out. If the original box is only a fraction of an inch out of the way in its measurements it is not neces- sary to cut it down, since the difficulty can be remedied in the manner just suggested. At this stage of construction you will have a hive-bod) of great strength and exceedingly warm and protecting in character, but it itself will require protection from the ele- ments. .You will now. measure the perimeter of the hive-body and cut from the "Paroid" roll a strip which will go around this body and lap 2 inches, and with a width about \l/z inches greater than the depth of the body. This strip is put on with the lap-seam well cemented, and with the upper edge project- ing Yz inch. This projecting edge is turned in over the edge of the hive-body and tacked vertically. This turning in is to allow the supers and covers to telescope on without tearing down the edge of the paper. The lower edge will also project and will thus overlap the joint between the hive-body and the bottom-board, except that it is to be cut away above the entrance. Nails and tins come with the rolls of paper, also a can of cement, and a row of tins should be closely nailed along the edge over the entrance. Two or three tins nailed along each of the remaining bottom edges, and along the seam, will he all the fastening the paper will require. It will naturally bulge slightly away from the walls and thus furnish another air-space. You will observe that the hive-body has been made with- out entrance, for the bottom-board will supply this. Make the bottom-board from the heavier stock which is found in the ends of the shoe-cases. Make it longer if you wish than the hive-body, but of just the width. Along the edges above nail two wedge-shaped pieces on the sides and a strip a bee- space thick along the hack. The side-pieces should be an inch thick in front and at the back the thickness of the back-piece. When the hive is placed on this bottom there will be an en- trance the width of the hive and one inch deep. All tilting forward of the hive will be done away with, since the bottom itself is tilted or slanting forward. The absurd custom of tilting hives forward should not lie tolerated in any upright bee-yard. For a cover one can use the cheapest and worst pieces in the whole lumber-pile. He will make the cover of two thick- nesses and preferably with an air-space, letting one layer of boards be parallel with the sides, another parallel with the ends. This cover should be made half an inch larger each way than the body, and a strip should he nailed all around and projecting so as to telescope over the hive-body. Then a piece of "Paroid" is cut about 6 inches larger each way than the cover, and this is laid over the cover, and the sides turned down. All nailing is done on the sides, leaving the lop a perfect roof. Such a cover is proof against wind. rain, and sun. For a super it is best to follow the plan of the hive-body except as to air-space. Leaving out the air-space will allow more room for the section-case. This plan admits of the use of light section-cases protected by an outer super, a method entirely up-to-date. The frequent moving of the super would soon destroy the paper projecting beyond the lower edge and the "Paroid" strip is therefore cut narrower. Strips of wood 80 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 25, 1906 are securely nailed about the lower edge of the super so that it will telescope after the manner of the cover. Strips of paper are laid under these u leu strips so that supers of the same size can be tiered up without too tight a lit. Cutting the Paper. Unless cme is used to cutting roofing or sheathing paper he will make a poor pass at it. I find the following plan excellent : Select several straight-edged wooden strips, two of which are over 3 feet long. Lay these two parallel and about % of an inch apart, and fasten them together securely by means of cleats put across the under side. Then from near' either end extend a strip at right angles and nail firmly, these strips being a trifle over 3 feet apart. Measure from the space be- tween the two first-mentioned strips and on the other two cut notches according to the widths which you wish to cut the paper. Unroll the paper and slip the contrivance under the paper so that it will lie between the two last-mentioned strips. and bring the end to the desired notch. Then flattening down the paper, run the small blade of a knife along the narrow- space between the two first-mentioned strips. It works to a charm. In the case of "Paroid" the knife is apt to "gum" up If the cutting space is made with bevelled edges so that the knife- blade can be leaned to one side, much easier cutting will result. This bevel cut seems to allow the cut paper to lift off the knife so that the knife runs with much greater ease; otherwise the knife will drag and make a ragged edge. Never attempt to cut these papers by laying them on a smooth sur- face and running a knife-point along a straight edge. Always cut with full blade while the paper overhangs the straight edge. It has not been easy to explain with sufficient clearness the full procedure in a single article, and I have supplied a few diagrams to make the whole matter perfectly clear. One can, if he has the use of a circular saw, make frames and full inside furniture for this hive, but without proper machinery he will do better to buy frames and section-cases in the flat ready to nail. I am fully persuaded that any one who will give this hive a trial will declare it highly satisfactory; and, even though the hive as a whole be not adopted, every one would do well to adopt the cover herein described. A cover pro- tected with either "Paroid" or "Neponset" is far and away ahead of an all-wood cover. With these hives one needs to do little to prepare his colonies for winter, for all that is necessary is to place an empty super on the hive and in this a bag of sawdust or other absorbent and leave the entrance wholly open, only shutting out mice by means of a wire-netting 3 meshes to the inch. An entrance thus large, one inch by the width of the hive, is perfectly safe, and is much better than a small one to insure good wintering. Finally, the dark paper, "Paroid," gets warm every sunny day in winter, and thus keeps the inside of the hive dry and sweet — a necessary factor in successful wintering of bees. The large entrance— there being no upward ventila- tion—gives ample opportunity for escape of foul air and moisture. Last but not least, the hive which I have described costs but 50 cents. Norwich, Conn. Maple Sugar and the Sugar Bush, by Prof. A. J. Cook; 44 pages; price, postpaid, 30 cents. This is by the same author as "The Bee-Keepers' Guide," and is most valuable to all who are interested in the product of our sugar-maples. No one who makes maple sugar or syrup should be without it. Order from the office of the American Bee Journal. See Langstroth Book Offer on another page of this copy of the American Bee Journal. (£onr>ention Proccebin^s ^ rJ Report of the Ontario Convention (Continued from page 50.J SYSTEMATIC ADVERTISING AND MARKETING OF HONEY The marketing of honey, like the marketing of any other kind of produce, is a simple matter once you have a certain line of customers, and the reputation for a good article; but for the beginner, or the producer who is a long distance from the principal markets, the question is often more troublesome than the production of the article. Of course, it is easy to sell honey if you put the price low enough, or take about any price that is offered, but selling a No. 1 article of honey in this way is very unsatisfactory, because it is unprofitable, and the producer should receive value for his time and labor. I may not be able to add very much to what is already known on this subject, but I want to emphasize a few points on "creating a market for honey" as they occur to me, and perhaps this may bring out a little discussion. To advertise honey one cannot go about it in the same way as to advertise any special food product, for the simple reason that honey or nectar is a name for a sweet gathered by bees from the nectaries of flowers. Of course, the bee-keeper might advertise clover, linden, buckwheat or other varieties of honey — these are general terms that any producer may use — but one cannot get up a fancy name for honey like the manufacturers of canned goods or breakfast foods. The best form of advertisement I have found is a pleased customer, and the best way. to get and keep the customer is to supply a No. 1 article of honey at a fair price, no matter whether at wholesale or retail. One might properly ask, How can we secure the customers? One plan is to canvass the surrounding coun- try, or, if you have not time for this, an assistant might be engaged who would sell on commission; but go your- self, if possible. It is wonderful how many farmers will buy honey when it is brought to their notice. Talk it up. A buyer likes to talk to a producer who can speak of the goods he has to sell as if he understood them. Many bee-keepers make the mistake of sending their goods to the large cities that are perhaps already over- stocked, when with a little inquiry there is already a market in the surrounding villages and country. Another plan is to make an exhibit at the township or county fair. It may be argued that the premiums offered do not make it worth while, but here is an oppor- tunity to become interested in the local agricultural so- ciety, attend their meetings, and give them pointers when revising the prize list for honey. I have found that the directors are generally willing to encourage an exhibitor who will put up an attractive exhibit of honey. The ordinary exhibit of honey at the local fairs only calls for 5 to 10 pounds, and attracts no more attention than a can of fruit or pickles. Just try what an effect it will have to put up 100 or 200 pounds of comb and extracted honey, in clean white cases, and clear glass jars, with a sign above it stating it was from the apiary of the local apiarist. Many who have never thought of honey will be attracted by its beautiful appearance, and remark that they would like some of it. Demonstrate your honey by giving samples to pro- spective buyers, and have a supply to draw from, put up in different sizes of cases, jars, and pails, neatly labeled, giving your name and address. Small packages may be disposed of in this way that will, if the honey is good, bring inquiries for larger quantities. If possible take a long and observatory hive of bees; it is a great attraction, and never fails to draw the atten- tion of the crowd to your exhibit of honey. Call on the local dealers at regular intervals with a Jan. 25. 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 81 supply of honey in packages of various sizes to suit their class of trade. Do not press too large a quantity on them at one time. No up-to-date grocer likes to see a quantity of fly-spotted packages on the shelves, but would rather buy in small quantities, and have them clean and fresh, If you have more than enough honey to supply the local demand, do not make the mistake of putting it up in what 1 have heard a wholesale grocer term "homespun pack- ages." See that the sections are free from propolis, prop- erly graded and cased, and the extracted honey put up in well-made cans. Nothing disgusts the commission man or dealer worse than to have a consignment of honey shipped to him with the sections unclean and ungraded, with perhaps both cases and cans leaking badly, to which dust will adhere and spoil its appearance, making it so much more difficult to obtain the best prices. By the accounts we read in the United States bee- papers, many of the markets there for honey are very dull, with slow sales and low prices. This is a discouraging state of affairs when nearly every other article of food has a good demand at higher prices, and this, too, at a time when the demand for luxuries was never so great. It is not that the people do not like or want honey, it is mainly owing to many silly stories published in the news- papers and magazines; they have, to some extent, lost con- fidence in honey as an article of food. Lax enforcement of the pure food laws is another cause for its decreased consumption. Happily, in Canada, we have comparatively little adulteration, and, although there is still room for improvement, the demand and use of honey have enormously increased during the past few years, and will continue to increase as its value becomes better known. R. H. Smith. G. A. Deadman — The market is limited in the country, but farmers buy in large quantities when they do buy. The best way to work up a retail market is to send out samples. Druggists sell patent medicines in large quan- tities that way. Distribute honey in small dishes and give a circular with each dish. They will eat the honey and read the circular. Then call next day for the dish and the order. Be sure to ask the retail price, not the wholesale, so the merchant will have a chance too. .Sampling a town is in the end cheaper and more satisfactory than adver- tising in the papers. Educate people as to the different qualities of honey. J. W. Sparling thought honey never could become a staple food like meat, because it is a sweet; and people tire of it. R. H. Smith — It is very important to see that the honey sold is always of the best quality, well ripened, etc. Bee-keepers should watch the groceries in their home towns all the time for adulterated honey. Send suspected samples and have them analyzed. The dealers are always glad to be informed when adulterated honey has been sold them, and by this means bee-keepers can keep it out of the market. Then we should teach people that honey is a concentrated food, and should not be eaten in large quantities. Mr. Pickett — Produce a good article, put your name on it, and have an honest man to handle it. Experiments ox Honey Granulation and Flavors, and Bleaching Wax. Prof. F. T. Shutt, of the Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, described experiments on the granulation of honey and in clarifying wax. He had raised samples of honey to temperatures of 122 degrees, F., and 158 degrees, F., and found that in either case they had remained liquid since Sept 1st, when the heating was done; while honey which had not been so heated was granulated quite hard. He found that keeping in light or darkness, or cold storage, seemed to have no effect on the granulation of honey. Also that agitation, or the addition of crystallization points did not seem to affect the granulation. This in spite of much evidence among practical bee-keepers to the con- trary, The honey kept in the light, whether granulated or liquid, was quite perceptibly bleached in color, and seemed to have lost in flavor. With reference to flavor, Prof. Shutt had learned that heating honey to a high temperature certainly injures the flavor. lie explained this by the fact that neither the levulose nor the glucose give honey its flavor, but certain minute quantities of, undetermined volatile oils which can and do at a high temperature escape. With reference to bleaching wax, Prof. Shutt had made exhaustive experiments, and found that 1 pei nitric acid gave best results. To bleach without chemicals, melt the wax in warm water, pour off the water, and repeat the operation several times. Then shred the wax and expose to a damp atmosphere and sunlight. Sulphuric acid should not be used more than 5 percent. St Hydrogen peroxidi gives wax a good color. The texture can be brought back to wax by heating and cooling slowly. It should nr\ er boil. Prof. Shutt gave two sources of honey-dew: 1. It exudes in drops from the leaves of trees in a moist atmosphere. 2. Aphides extract sweet from leaves, and it exudes from their bodies. .Mr. Holtermann— Granulation may be hastened by agitat n we stir the honey after it begins to granulate slightly. J. B. Hall— Honey taken to the exhibition and back granulates more quickly than that which was left at home. Production and Care of Comb Honey. Mr. R. Lowey read a paper on "Production and Care of Comb Honey." In opening the discussion, Morley Pettit said he found it a great advantage to hive on frames with foundation starters instead of drawn combs, for comb honey, for with the latter the colony was sure to swarm again in a short time. He found the principal danger from moths was caused by the presence of pollen in the sections. He had had experience in producing and handling comb honey covering IS years, and had never fumigated nor had any complaint from buyers on account of moths. This was due to care in excluding pollen from the sections. Any odd cells of exposed pollen were always daubed with fresh honey on the end of a match. W. Z. Hutchinson had experimented by hiving first a swarm on drawn combs, another on full sheets of founda- tion, and another on starters. The result was always in favor of hiving on starters. O. L. Hershiser always puts the new super on top of the one already on, and when the first is filled he takes it off. Mr. Hutchinson — When the bees in their building comb in the brood-chamber get ahead of the queen in her laying, they immediately start to build drone-comb. So if young, energetic queens are used, 80 percent, of the comb built from starters will be worker-comb Mr. Holtermann— Making the bees uncomfortable by contracting the brood-chamber induces the building of drone-comb. Best Smoker and Fuel. Ques. — What is the best smoker and fuel? W. J. Brown — The Corneil smoker. Mr. Holtermann — The R. H. Smith smoker gives best satisfaction. Have it made with extra-length barrel. Mr. Lowey— The best fuel is thin bark from second- growth pine, broken up. It makes very little ash. Mr. Pettit — Cedar-bark from the largest cedar-logs you can find. The bark is very thick and full of resin. Mr. Holtermann— Dampen the bark slightly. It will hold fire better, and not blaze up and burn out so quickly. Second Day — Thursday Morning. On the subject, "Are Amendments Needed to the Foul Brood Act?" Mr. F. J. Miller read the following: AnENDHENTS TO THE FOUL BROOD ACT. I fully hope that each one present will not expect much convincing proof from this short paper, and this will save disappointment. The subject, "Amendments to the Foul Brood Act," is one that has received considerable discussion at different times, and, generally speaking, I believe the meaning of the Act not to be far astray. As to one inspector being able to carry out the work to the best satisfaction of this Association, I am not so certain. It appears to me there should be three good men under the direction of this Association, each respon- sible for a given district, from which he would not be too far distant, so that the traveling expenses might be re- duced as much as possible; also this would enable more work to be done during the short period of our honey- flows. These are matters in which we are all interested, but each having somewhat different views on the subject. Some have advocated County inspection. This I be- lieve to be jumping to the extreme, and not to he in the 82 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 25, 1906 best interests of bee-keepers — in fact, to be impracticable, there are few counties baving well-organized associations that could carry on the work; others would suffer. Again, this Association would find it very difficult — 1 may say, impossible — to control the work through so many in- spectors. The funds at their disposal would not warrant opening the way for so many leakages as would occur. Therefore, 1 am of the opinion that three inspectors, each responsible direct to this Association for the work to be accomplished, would give better results than eithei the present system, or the one of the County inspection, bringing greater harmony into the work of the Associa- tion ____ F. J. Miller. Prof. Harrison — These are the two possible extremes. The one which we now have of only one inspector for the Province — a system entirely inadequate to the require- ments of the case; and the other of County inspectors, which is at present altogether too much to expect. The counties have not organizations, nor competent men, nor sufficient funds, nor would the Government grant the mi mey at present. One thing Prof. Harrison emphasized: That is, when an association is shown to be using to the best advantage the funds it has, the Government is more than willing to increase its grant. There is an impression in the depart- ment that this Association is not doing all it should do for the country. So we must go slowly in our requests until we are doing better work. Personally, he thought a well-organized county could help defray the expenses and have its own inspectors, in time; but for the present the three Provincial inspectors would be better. This was a step in the right direction, as the work would be done more reasonably than at present. J. D. Evans— In order to get rid of the disease every hive in the Province should be inspected. At present it costs seven or eight dollars per apiary. With local in- spectors much of the traveling expenses could be saved. It is a serious matter, as judging by the inspector's annual report there is no decrease in the number of infected apiaries. Prof. Harrison proposed, and after long discussion the convention adopted, amendments to the Foul Brood Act, by which the Province should be divided into three dis- tricts, with a competent inspector of apiaries for each. Sec. W. Couse, and others, thought each of the twelve districts should organize, and each have an inspector, and that twelve inspectors could inspect much more thor- oughly, and would save expense by working near home, and doing the work in fruit-bloom, when colonies of bees are not populous and are easily inspected. However, as Prof. Harrison pointed out, we could not hope to jump from the extreme of having one inspector, to the other extreme of having twelve inspectors. That might come later. EXPER1HENTS AT CENTRAL EXPERIHENT FARM, OTTAWA. Mr. Sibbald's Plan of Preventing Swarming. For the test 6 colonies of bees in 8-frame Langstroth hives were selected, weighing on an average 4&J/> pounds each. All were examined for swarming. June 10 there was no sign of swarming. At that date each colony had abundance of brood and a considerable amount of new honey. June 15 they were again examined; 3 colonies were found preparing to swarm. Those 3 colonies were set off their old stands a little to one side, and new hives were placed on the old stands thus left vacant. The new hives each contained 2 empty combs and 5 empty frames with 2-inch starters of foundation. The next operation, one frame of brood with queen- cells on it. is taken from the old colony that had been set to one side (making sure that we did not get the queen), and placed witli the adhering bees in the hive between the 2 empty combs. The extracting supers that had previously been removed from the old colony is placed, with all the bees it contains, on the new hive. June 19 a second examination was made. One more colonj was preparing to swarm; this one was treated the same as the former. The old colonies that had been manipulated were examined, and all queen-cells were found t,. be destroyed. The old colonies were then placed on their original stands, removing the one frame of brood from the new hive, destroying all queen-cells on it, and placing it in the old colony. Any bees that remained on the starters were transferred to the old colony. The ex- tracting super was then taken off, and the new hive was again placed on the old colony along with the bees it con- tained, making one very strong colony. The fourth colony that was found preparing to swarm was treated after 4 days the same as the 3 former colonies. The 2 other colonies did not swarm during the season. At the close of the season we had 6 very strong colonies, with plenty of stores for winter, and 468 pounds of ex- tracted honey. Forced or Shaken Swarms — Mr. Pettit's Plan. For this test 6 colonies of bees in 8-frame Langstroth hives were selected, weighing 49^4 pounds each. Examined on June 10, they showed no sign of swarming; there was abundance of brood and considerable new honey. June 15 a second examination was made; 4 colonies in this row were preparing to swarm. Hives previously prepared for swarms each contained in the order named — 2 dummies, one starter, one worker, 2 starters and 2 dummies — 8 in all. One of these brought and set on a stand directly behind the hive to be treated. The operator removes the 2 dummies from the right or further side of the new hive, and shoves over the remain- ing contents so as to leave the empty space next to the hive. The combs nearest to the operator are lifted from the brood-chamber, and shaken almost free of bees, and placed in the new hive next the left wall. The next comb has a double space for shaking off in the old hive. It takes its place beside the first, and the return motion of the hand carries the dummy from the new hive to the old one. Comb Xo. 3 is shaken, carried to the new hive, and dummy No. 2 is brought back. The fourth comb ex- changes with the first starter, and so on. When the 8th comb has been shaken in its own hive and transferred to the new, the old hive is filled out with the remaining dummies. We then put supers on again, close the hive, and the bees have been "swarmed." The 2 remaining colonies did not swarm during the season. On the 7th day after shaking, the 4 old colonies were removed to another location. Most of the bees that were flying went with the "shook" swarm, leaving the old colony so weak that it did not have any inclination to swarm, and only stored sufficient hone}' to carry them over winter. At the close of the season, from this test we had 10 colonies and 432 pounds of extracted hone}'. John Fixter. W. A. Chrysler said he had tried Mr. Sibbald's plan, and found it all right, if no increase is desired. He con- sidered Canada should have a text-book of bee-keeping, that the results of Mr. Fixter's experiments, along with the other useful information on bees, should be collected and bound. Morley Pettit considered he had outgrown the system described by Mr. Fixter. He would not use "shook" swarming for extracted honey at all, but by a system of prevention rather than cure hold the colonies together so they would not swarm but devote their energies to the production of honey. R H. Smith, from 167 colonies, spring count, took 25,000 sections of honey, and increased to 185 colonies. Ed Dickenson — Put empty combs, one comb with queen-cell and brood, in the new hive on the old stand, and set the old hive to one side. Then in a few days set the old hive to the other side, and all the cells will be destroyed. Then set the old hive back on the old stand and raise the honey stored in the new hive to the super. This gives no increase, and swarming is broken up. WHAT CAN BE DONE TO HAKE THE ASSOCIATION MORE USEFUL TO BEE-KEEPERS. Our Secretary has given me rather a difficult and delicate mission in asking me to take the pulse and tem- perature, as it were, and prescribe for this august Associa- tion. Xo doubt the patient will take the medicine kindly, and the members will suggest main other remedies which have not occurred to me. In forming and carrying on an association the first thing to consider is the aim of the association — its excuse for existence. While 1 have not seen in the by-laws the object of the Ontario Bee-Keepers' Association, I consider it is, or should be, broadly, "the advancement of the bee- Jan. 25, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 83 keeping interests of tins Province." This is effected, first, by an annual convention where the members meet, and, face to face, discuss and exchange ideas on both the prac- tical and the business side of bee-keeping. Second, by the continual and persistent effort of the directors and officers to develop bee-keeping as a business, and overcome the obstacles in its way. In the years that T have been a member of this Association, I find a certain lack of business methods, a failure on the part of members to take the Association and its mission seriously. The conventions are looked upon to,, much as social gather- ings, owing largely to the fact that, with many, bee-keeping is treated as a side-line, whose profits are very much of a bonus — almost clear profit. With them the convention is an outing, where acquaintances are formed which ripen into friendships, lasting and g 1. But the business-end of the convention, winch should be foremost, is overruled, sessions are delayed in starting by the non-appearance of officers and members. Discussions often become pro- longed and pointless so that the time of the convention, which, at a very low estimate on the expenses incurred by members, worth ten or fifteen dollars an hour, is ruthlessly wasted. Another point, which is more delicate to touch upon, yet is vital to the good work of the Association, is the lear which most of us have, to a greater or lesser degree, that some one's feelings may be hurt — either our own or those of some friend. Can we not rise above this, and as sensible business men drop bickerings and personal preferences, and petty animosities, and toughen up tender skins, and study what is best for the Association as a whole? What can this Association do for the advancement of bee-keeping in Ontario? Something has been done in the way of advertising Canadian honey at the great fairs and exhibitions. The Honey Exchange Committee is doing a g 1 work in collecting crop reports and giving a sort of weatherman's forecast prices. Good literature is provided the members in the form of the Canadian Bee Journal. The transportation committee is battling with the problem of better freight and express rates on honey, bees, etc. Something has been done in the way of legislation against the adulteration of honey, and for the checking of disease among bees. As to how the Foul Brood Act is being carried out, I shall leave to others on the program better versed in the subject than I. We have also an annual Government grant of money, but is there not room for more to be done in this line? Other branches of agriculture are re- ceiving strong Government support in the way of opening up markets, and the proper grading and distribution of products. How about honey markets, and the grading of honey? Fruit, dairy products, etc., must be inspected by a qualified Government official before going on the market. Honey can be shipped in any careless form, and the careful shipper must take a share of the consequences. Other lines are put to the front, bee-keeping is crowded back. Poultry-keeping, fruit-growing and flower-culture are con- sidered dignified occupations; bee-keeping is a joke. We are "bee-men" or "honey-men" — spoken with a smile. Why should this be? Wherein does the remedy lie? In our- selves. I find bee-keeping taken more seriously in some parts of the country than others. I attribute the difference to the attitude of the bee-keepers themselves. Self-con- fidence and ability inspire the confidence of others. But we need the help of the power that is helping others along — are we using the help we already have to the best advantage? We already receive a considerable amount of money from the Government. A large portion of it goes to de- fray the expenses of the directors while attending tin- regular conventions of the Association. More of it goes to the local associations, and is used by them to send delegates to the convention. Is this the best way in which the money can be used for the advancement of bee- keeping? If the directors work earnestly during the year to organize and enlighten the bee-keepers of their re- spective districts, and to increase the profits of our busi- ness, and come prepared to report progress at the con- vention; if the delegates seek to promote the interests of their respective associations while at the convention, and go home filled with practical ideas for the benefit of those who sent them, it is well. Hut why this double expense? Why not let the local associations be district associations, and let each district association appoint its delegate to the Provincial convention? This delegate being the repre sentative of his district should become the director for that district of the Ontario Association. He— if he truly and conscientiously represents the association sending him — should be entitled to his expenses at the annual conven- tion. I consider that this is the only way in which the districts can be truly represented, as we will all admit that the attendance at an annual convention, aside from those having expenses paid, is mostly local. Another plan for electing directors would lie that suggested by me in the Canadian Bee Journal some time ago. Supply each member with a list of members ar- ranged according to their districts, and let voting be done by ballot. The present system of open voting cannot, in my estimation, be too strongly condemned. MOKLEY Pf.TTIT. Mr. Byer said he thought the social side of the Con- ventions should not be disci united. He thought the Asso- ciation entitled to Government aid in marketing honey. Mr. Hall favored electing our neighbors, "because we know them." Voting should he done by ballot. Mr. Hutchinson thought we should have nominations by mail, as they do in the National Bee-Keepers' Asso ciation. Mr. Dickenson said if a man had been in office say ten years he should be superannuated. Offices should not be held forever by the same men; yet he positively re- fused to be nominated for office in the Association. Mr. Holtermann — It is contrary to the Agriculture and Arts Act for local associations to elect directors for the Provincial, but they might nominate. They should not trade and traffic in offices as honors, but put the best men in the best places. The Directors' Report recommended as Inspector of Apiaries James Armstrong, of Cheapside, and Assistant Inspector, Jacob Alpaugh. of Gait. The Secretary's report showed 155 members, and 11 affiliated societies. Inspector's Report — Officers for 1906. Inspector McEvoy gave a long verbal report, and agreed to send in his written report later. He was re- elected, pending the revision of the Act whereby three inspectors will be appointed. The election of officers for 1906 resulted as follows: President, H. G. Sibbald. of Claude: Vice-President. R. H. Smith, of St. Thomas; Second Vice-President, F. J. Miller, of London; Secretary. Wm. Couse, of Streetsville; and Treasurer. Martin Emigh, of Holbrook. Directors: Dis- trict No. 1, W. J. Brown, Pendleton; Xn. 2, J. K. Darling, Almonte; No. 3, M. B. Holmes, Athens; No. 4, R. Lowey, Cherry Valley; No. 5, John L. Gros Jean; No. 6. H. G. Sibbald, Claude; No. 7, J. Alpaugh, Gait; No. 8, Jas. Arm- strong, Cheapside; No. 9, R. H. Smith, St. Thomas: No. 10, G. A. Deadman, Brussels; No. 11, F. J. Miller. London; No. 12, Denis Nolan, Newton Robinson; and No. 13. Prof. Sherman, of O. A. College. Guelph. Auditors, J. L. Byer and E. Grainger. Revisers of Report, Morley Pettit and H. G. Sibbald. Representatives to Fairs: Toronto, E. Grainger; London, J. B. Hall; Ottawa, J. K. Darling. Inspector of Apiaries, Wm. McEvoy; Assistant. I . A. Gemmill. Bee-Keeping in Jamaica. Arthur Laing. who spent last winter in Jamaica, spoke of the advantages and disadvantages of bee-keeping in that island of the British West Indies. The advantages were a pleasant climate and cheap help. The disadvantages seemed to be many. The first was the difficulty of getting teaming" done. There the} team with carts of the roughest kind, which can only take eight or ten hives to the trip. The second, Mr. Laing called the wintering problem, a matter which Northern bee-keepers would expect to go South to escape. From the middle of October for two or three months the bees kept going down. There seemed to be just enough honey coming in to make them wear them- selves out living after it. but not enough to build them up. He mentioned also moths, which can breed all the year round, having no cold season to check them; and an many varieties which work havoc in the hives. With reference to marketing Jamaica honey, prices are very low anil sales unsatisfactory. It is stated by buyers who have handled it that Jamaica honey will not keep like other honey. Mr. Laing showed three samples of honey, Canadian 84 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 25, 1906 white clover honey; Jamaica logwood honey, which is two shades darker than white clover and of inferior value; and Jamaica Christina- Bells honey, which is very dark. He had, while there, an average yield of 25 pounds per colony. Suitable packages are very hard to get. Many salt-pork- barrels are used, to the disadvantage of the honey. All told, it is very difficult to keep expenses from eating up profits with honey at 2 to IVi cents per pound. Miscellaneous Remarks. Mr. Hershiser said he always learned something when he came to a Canadian convention. He found bee-keepers here averaged up very well with any in the States. Re- ferring to election of officers, he believed in keeping a good man in a good place, yet the office might be changed to another good man. sometimes: Speaking on his subject, "Beeswax Rendering,'' Mr. Hershiser estimated in Ontario about 200,000 colonies of bees, producing an annual surplus of say, one pound of wax. By the ordinary processes one- fifth 'of this wax. or about 40,000 pounds, is wasted in rendering. He claimed to have discovered a process whereby all the wax is saved but about one percent. The Hon. Nelson Monteith addressed the convention. He said he felt the efforts of bee-keepers in the Province were giving good results. We have a large Province, over all of which bees could be kept. At present the industry is only carried on in a small section of the Province, yet it represents an investment of about $1,200,000. The bee- keepers are turning out an excellent article, but are too modest to advertise properly. You haven't pushed your business enough, said Mr. Monteith. Honey, as one of the best natural foods, should be used much more by the people than it is. If every one knew that one pound of honey is equal in food-value to about five pounds of pork, much more of it would be substituted for pork. Also in the matter of varieties of bees it is well to be ambitious for something more than what we have. Whenever we think we have reached the ideal we begin to lose ground. Mr Monteith remarked, further, that the bee-business has a wider sphere than honey. It is of immense value to the fruit and seed-growers. He stated that it was for this reason he became a bee-keeper himself. Mr Hutchinson, who was judge in the Honey De- partment at the Fruit, Flower and Honey Show, gave some useful advice to exhibitors. He said that some few of the exhibits of honey reminded him of an overdressed person Simplicity should be the watchword in setting up exhibits Then the judges should have score cards, on which they could award a number of points for each feature of 'the exhibit. For instance, in extracted honey so many points could be given for flavor, so many for color, for body, etc. Then figure up the points and decide mathematically the awards. . Mr Holtermann remarked that a good judge would want to have a score card, and a poor judge should have one. The exhibit of honey was quite up to the usual high standards. . Mr. Hutchinson— In judging wax, I would give equal points to color, clearness, and texture. Mr. Hershiser— Which do you prefer, wax from cappings or from old combs? Mr. Pettit— Wax from cappings makes a harder comb foundation, which sags less. . Mr. Holtermann suggested, for experiment, the use of different kinds of wax in the brood-chamber. Bees Moving Eggs— Wax Rendering. Ques. — Will bees move eggs? Mr. Alpaugh— Yes. I had queen-cells built, eggs carried and put in them and queens reared. Mr. Holtermann and Mr. Pettit both endorsed this. Ques — What method does Mr. Hershiser follow in ren- dering wax? Mr. Hershiser— The principle is this: Fill a sponge with ink and squeeze it as hard as you like, and you cannot get out all the ink. Dip it in water and squeeze again, and you get more out. Repeat this a few times and the sponge is clean. Good Bee-Smoker Points. Ques.— What are the points of a good smoker? Mr. Alpaugh — It must work easily and throw a good volume of smoke. It must be easy to light, hold fire well, and not be clumsy. Brass in the barrel is a good point, but expensive. A pair of.bellows properly made and taken care of will last for 10 years. There should be a fine- wire-screen to keep sparks out of the bellows. Mr. Holtermann wants one that will not draw sparks out on the hands and clothing of the operator. He prefers a long, narrow barrel, because it burns more evenly. Mr, Miller prefers a smoker wide and long. When once filled it does not puff to a flame, gets a long draft of smoke, and the smoker is quiet. His smoker barrel is 4 by 8l/> inches, with a large bellows. Mr. Holtermann — Moisten the material slightly, then avoid giving violent puffs. Cedar-bark should be thick. Mr. Pettit — Get bark from a large cedar-log, and the bark will be several inches thick, and holds fire better than anything else. Mr. Miller holds his smoker between his knees, to be handy when not in use. Second-Swarms and Queenless Colonies. Ques. — Will a colony cast a second-swarm, leaving the colony hopelessly queenless? Mr. Alpaugh — Yes, sometimes when cells have been broken down. I cannot explain it, except that the bees had decided to swarm, and would swarm regardless of what the bee-keeper did. Keeping Pollen Out of Sections. Ques. — How best to keep pollen out of sections, and hive on starters? Mr. Alpaugh — If only foundation in sections, there is mi trouble. Mr. Pettit — Put a pollen-catching comb in the brood- chamber, and use a queen-excluder. Mr. Sibbald — Don't put the sections on for 24 hours. Formalin for Curing Foul Brood. Ques. — Can an apiary be cured of foul-brood with formalin? Mr. Sibbald — I tried this very thoroughly, and it was not a success. The combs are not fit to use again. The honey will taste of formalin for years. Mr. Laing has cured one colony, and is working on others. Sugar Syrup for Feeding — Dark Honey in Sections. Ques. — Is sugar syrup made by stirring sugar into cold water just as good for feeding as though boiled? Mr. Hall — Better than boiled, if fed early in Septem- ber. It never candies. Ques. — Is there danger of dark honey being carried from the brood-chamber to the sections? Mr. Alpaugh — Certainly, there is. Ques. — Is it wise for the bee-keeper to give a full report of his crop, so it gets into the hands of dealers? Mr. Holtermann — He should give facts just as they are. Mr. Sibbald — Dealers will not buy honey-, except at extremely low figures, until they know the situation. Appointment of Committees. Honey Exchange Committee, the same as last year. Transportation Committee — R. F. Holtermann, J. D. Evans, and Wm, Couse. Revising Committee — M. 'pettit and H. G. Sibbald. Committee to Fruit, Flower and Honey Show — The Executive Committee of the Association. (Continued next week.) A Queen-Bee Free as a Premium. — We are now book- ing orders for Untested Italian Queens to be delivered in May or June. This is the premium offer: To a subscriber whose own subscription to the American Bee Journal is paid at least to the end of 1906, we will mail an Untested Italian Queen for sending us one new subscription with $1.00 for the Bee Journal a year. Or, we will renew your subscription to the American Bee Journal for a year, and send a fine Untested Italian Queen — both for $1.50. Now is a good time to get new subscribers. If you wish extra copies of the Bee Journal for use as samples, let us know how many you want and we will mail them to you. Address all orders to the office of the American Bee Journal. The Premiums we offer are all well worth working for. 1 ook at them in this copy of the American Bee Journal. Jan. 25, 19C 6 IHh AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 85 =\ Doctor XTliUer's Question * Box j 8end questions either to the office of the American Bee Journal, or to Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, 111. Dr. Miller does nut answer Questions by mail. Size of Hive for Short Honey-Flow 1. I have come to the idea of putting my bees into big hives, as the honey-flow is short in this part of the country, and we have but a few honey-plants to depend upon. I will make my own hives this year, and I have been planning to make them to hold 12 Hoffman frames. What do you think about it ? Do you think they will be too big ? 2. I have 18 colonies of bees, all with Italian queens but S, and as queens are high in price in the spring of the year, I thought to let the requeening go till after July 1, or later, and keep the black drones from coming out and mating with any queens. I will put a zinc board at the bottom of the frames so as to keep the drones in the hive. Will this do ? Iowa. Answers. — 1. The size will be all right for extracted honey ; but for comb honey it depends upon the manage- ment whether you might not do better with smaller hives. By that I mean that the right kind of management with smaller hives might give better results, giving two stories to all colonies needing the room up to the time of harvest. You see you can have just as much room with small hives as with large ones, provided you have stories enough. But for extracted honey it will be less trouble to have the larger hives. 2. Yes, only it will be well occasionally to clean out the dead drones that will accumulate on the bottom. Of course it is not absolutely necessary to do this, only it will be bet- ter for the bees not to have a cemetery in the hive. Wintering In a Bee-Cave I have my bees in a cave in a clay hill. It is about 24 feet long, 10 feet deep, and 8 feet wide, with a ventilating tube 4 inches square in the back end of the cellar, and reaching within 2 feet of the bottom of the cellar and out at the top. The cellar has double doors. I have 115 colonies in it. The thermometer has stood at 52 degrees Fahr. for about 40 days, and the bees are still. I have kept the ven- tilator closed, as I am afraid of ventilation by the ventilat- ing tube. It seems to be damp in the cellar. I never had such high temperature in a bee-cellar before. What would you advise me to do ? Iowa. Answer. — The weather has been unusually warm, and that may account for the higher thermometer, although so long as the bees are still there can not be any great harm going on. The probability, however, is that in a damp, close cellar at 52 degrees the quietness will not continue. Try opening the ventilator. That will be likely to lower the temperature, and it may make the cellar less damp ; and most important of all it will give purer air. Wintering Packed Bees Outdoors- Ants In Honey- Scorched Honey for Spring Feeding - 1, Accompanying this you will find a sketch and de- scription of the way I have prepared my bees for wintering outdoors. How will the bees winter packed this way ? 2. After I put some comb honey in the shipping-cases and stored it away large black ants got in it. What would keep them out ? 3. I rendered up some honey which was in dark combs. I believe it got a little scorched. Would it do for spring feeding ? Iowa. Answers. — 1. Your plan of packing with hay and cov- ing all with boards so as to make the whole rain-proof will probably bring different results in different winters. When a warm day comes, the sun will not warm up the bees through the boards and packing nearly so soon as in a hive without any packing. So if there is a long and severe win- ter, and only one or two spells warm enough for bees to fly, if those spells occupy only a small part of the day, they might not be warmed up enough to fly, and so winter poorly. On the contrary, if each warm spell is long enough so the bees get warmed up enough for a good flight, they ought to come out in fine condition. It is a question, how- ever, whether in any case your chances might not be better with a good cellar. You are in about the same latitude as I, and if other conditions are the same with you, the cellar ought to be the best place. The trial of part of your bees wintered in, and part out, would help settle the question. 2. A good shipping-case ought to be tight enough to keep out large ants. One way to get the start of the ants would be to have the cases piled on a platform, the platform resting on legs, and the bottoms of the legs standing in old oyster cans or something of the kind containing carbolized oil. 3. It will be perfectly safe to feed it as soon as bees can fly every few days. *-*-*> Mice in Cellared Hives I put 6 good colonies in winter quarters last fall, and there are a lot of dead bees all over the front of the hive. They are not whole ones, but small parts, such as the legs, parts of bodies, and heads. Do you think that the other bees do this, or can it be mice? There is about one-half cupful in front of each hive. I am somewhat alarmed about it. They seem to have plenty of honey, and the rest of the bees seem to be very lively. What do you think is the trouble? Minnesota. Answer. — Mice, sure. It will not be a bad thing if you screen the entrance so the mice can not pass. Even if by that means you fasten a mouse in a hive, it will be better than to let it have free range of all the hives. It is most likely that the mangled remains are only those of bees that have died, and the mice gnawed them to pieces after their death. There would be no loss in that case, and the harm of the mice is not from their killing bees so much as gnaw- ing the combs. But when you bar the entrance against the mice, be sure not to fasten the bees in. Use wire-cloth with about 3 meshes to the inch. That leaves the bees free to pass, but bars Mr. Mouse. Honey as a Health-Food. — This is a 16-page honey- pamphlet intended to help increase the demand for honey. The first part of it contains a short article on "Honey as- Food,"' written by Dr. C. C. Miller. It tells where to keep- honey, how to liquefy it, etc. The last part is devoted to "Honey-Cooking Recipes" and "Remedies Using Honey." It should be widely circulated by those selling honey. The more the people are educated on the value and uses of honey, the more honey they will buy. Prices, prepaid — Sample copy for a two-cent stamp; 50 copies for 70 cts.; 100 for $1.25; 250 for $2.25; 500 for $4.00; or 1,000 for $7.50. Your business card printed free at the bottom of front page on all orders for 100 or more copies. Send all orders to the office of the American Bee Journal. *-»-»- Our Wood Binder (or Holder) is made to take all the copies of the American Bee Journal for a year. It is sent by mail for 20 cents. Full directions accompany. The Bee Journals can be inserted as soon as they are received, and thus preserved for future reference. Or we will send it with the American Bee Journal a year — both for $1.10. Address the office of the American Bee Journal. Amerikanische Bienenzucht, by Hans Buschbauer, is a bee-keeper's hand-book of 138 pages, which is just what our German friends will want. It is fully illustrated, and neatly bound in cloth. Price, postpaid, $1.00; or with the American Bee Journal one year — both for $1.75. Address. all orders to this office. ♦-•-*- Please Send Us Names of Bee-Keepers who do not now get the American Bee Journal, and we will send them sample copies. Then you can very likely afterward get their subscriptions, for which work we offer valuable premiums in nearly every number of this Journal. You. can aid much by sending in the names and addresses when writing us on other matters 66 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 25 19C6 TON TONSON" AND HIS MUSICAL DAUGHTERS. Translated into ordinary English, this is what "Ton Yonson" wrote us about the above picture : "Mae, the oldest daughter (16), plays the piano, and Stella (14) plays the mandolin. Minnie is the youngest (12), and plays the second violin. ' Yon ' plays the first fiddle, or any of the other instruments. We try to enjoy life as we go. We don't play for dances, but sometimes play for literary meetings. " We are all lover6 of music, and think that home is not complete without music and singing. Good music and singing make both parents and children happier and better, and smooth out many of the rough places in life. My wife is modest, and preferred to operate the camera, so she is not in the picture. The two little 'Tons,' 6 and 8 years old, do not play any of the instruments yet, but sing some. They could not keep from giggling, so were sent outdoors." Yon Yonson's Trip to the Moon in Search of New Races of Bees Vel, for long time ay hant vos bean rite to •das Merican Bee-paper, but ay just bean to das big N. B.-K. A. meeting in Chicago, so ay goan to tell bout my perience. Maw, she say she hoap ay hav good luck, cause she is kind of fraid da train might tip over, or some- ting Vel, it vos som plenty big crowd, an dom mak plenty big talking bout bees an bissness, an of course dom say lots of tings vot vos smart, but dom don't vos forgot to say some- tings bad bout each odder, too. Dom say about So percent of goot, an 5 percent of awful bad, an da odder 10 persent dident mount to so very much, but ay feel veil paid for dat S5 percent of good. Vel, ay stay tree days an den ay start for home on da fast night express. Ay felt kind of tierd and sleepy, but da train go awful fast, an first ting ay know ay vos sitting rite over da track, an ay don't kin hear or see anyting of da train, but a awful nice old man come to me, an he 6ay, " Hello, Yon Yonson ! Don't you vont to take some ride on my new air- ship." " Vot is your name?" ay say. " A. I. Gleanings," he say. "All rite," ay say. So ay git in da air-ship vid Mr. Gleanings, an he tak holt of da leaver, an up ve go. " Veryou bound for?" ay say. "Ay yust com from Cuba, an ay goan to da Nort Pole, an mebby to da Moon," he say; " to git some new race of bees vot got toungs long as your arm, an den ay goan to start big ■quveen yard in Cuba," he say. "Vel," ay say, "if you git bees vot got toungs as long as your arm, den mebby dom be abe! to lick da foul brood in Cuba," ay say. Vel, in about 45 minit ve landed at da Nort Pole, an den ve put on ours overcoat an mit- tens, an go out to tak a look at da Pole. Da Pole is made of sickamore, an is hollow on da inside, an da i6s a big not-hole about 6 feet up. Mr. Gleanings he say he tank it vos som bees inside, an den he go to da tool-box an git a Clark's cold-blast smoker an puff som smoke in da not-hole. An party soon ve hear somebody sneeze, an ven ve look up ve see Mr. Santa Clans sitting on top of da Pole, an he look kine of mad, an he say, " Vy for you mak so big smoking?" Den Mr. Gleanings he say he is " lookin for some new kine of bees, an he tank mebby da Nort Pole va6 a bee-tree " Mr. Santa Claus say he don't kept bees any more, cause bee-supplies is gittin' so high, an he is fraid Mrs. Santa Claus might git a bee in her bonnet; an Christmas trade is so big dat he all time bussy making yumpin jacks an all kine of toys for da kids, so he git all his honey from da Man in da Moon. Den he say dat Mrs. Santa Claus got da tooth-ake, so its better ve not stan too close to da not-hole, or she mite give us some les- son on shake swarming. So ve vish Santa an his family a Merry Christmas, an git in da air ship agin an start for da Moon. Veil, it tak 5 hours an 40 minit to git to da Moon, so ve land at Knicklasburg, da capital of da Moon, about 0 :80 in da morning. Da Man in da Moon vas gone to Jupiter on a vacation, but his private secretary say he be glad to show us around. Mr. Gleanings asked, " Kin you show us some bees?" " Yes, dom have several apiaries," da secre- tary say, " but dom is about 500 miles apart, cause in da Moon da bees Hy bout 250 miles for honey." Den ve asked, " Does da Man in da Moon have a home apiary?" "Yes, da home apiary vas about 50 miles out of town." So ve git in da air-Bhip, an da secretary git in da front seat vid Mr. Gleanings, an in bout tree minit ve come to da home apiary. Veil, da home apiary vos only von big hive, but it is yust 'bout so bigger as Montgomery Ward's big store in Chicago. An had a big elevator on da front side. Da bees vos yust bout so bigger as a yearling calf, and had 14 yellow bands, but dom don't got any vings a tall, but each bee got a little air-ship of his own, an a 5-gallon can an a dipper, an dom yust sail over to da basswood timber, 'bout 200 miles avay, an dip da honey rite out of da blossoms, an fill da can, an den pull for home. Ven dom got home dom yust exchange da full can for a empty von, an go agin. Da nurse-bees dom yust set buut 40 cans in da elevator, an den pull on a 6tring, an up she go. Dom store all ders honey in cans, and don't build comb cept for brood-rearing. Ven ve vos dare dom yust begin to fill da 17th story, but som time dom stop da eleva- tor at secont floor an leave 2 or 3 duzzen cans for brood-rearing. Veil, of course ay vos surprised, an ven ay seen som bees vid big packs on deirs back, ay asked vot for da bees carried dom big bundles. Da secretary he say dat vos pollen. Den I ask, " Ven did dom tack off der honey?" An he 6ay dom never steal da honey from da bees, but ven da bees bad any honey to spare, dom yust call up da Man in da Moon, an he come in his air-ship, an da bees carry out so many cans of honey dom kin spare, and put in da air-ship, an he tak it home an store it in da vare house. Da people in da Moon eat only honey, cause dat iss Nature's own food, an ven dom git da cans empty dom have to bring dom back. In da Moon dom don't have vinter an sum- mer like ve have, but ven it is Full Moon den it is summer, an ven it is New Moon den it is vinter. Dom have daylite all summer, an dark all vinter, so dom have 14 days daylite summer, an den 14 nites all winter. Ay tank dat komes purty handy. Da bee6 don't have any stings, an dom don't never fite or rob each odder, an dom mak deirs own cans and supplies — hive an every ting — an all da Mans in da Moon have to do is to go in da air-ship an git da honey an bring back da empty cans. Dom never have but von hive in da apiary, an dom don't never svarm, but ven da quveen vant to send out new colony she yust lay von quveen egg, an in about tree years it hatch, an ven da young quveens is 4 years old she yust tak half of every ting— cans, honey, air- ships, an ever ting — an half of da bees, an go an hunt for new home. Ven da quven raises a young quven dom raise von young drone, too, an dis young drone go avay mit his sister an by an by he trade sisters vid some odder drone from vay off ; but da drone have to move, an da quveens 6tay in deirs own home. It never is but von drone in a hive, an he is da boss of da can factory an yeneral 6uper- tendant of da air-ship department. Da quvens and drones liv fur bout 200 years, an is alvays hapy, an da mans never rob da bees, but da bees give da mans all dom have to spare. Da Man in da Moon tank lots of his bees, an da bees is in love vid da mans in di Moon. Den ay tank meself how different iss da Moon from da United State. Here da bees rob each odder, an da mans rob da bees, an da bees sting da mans, and da bee-mans quvarl an talk bad bout each odder. Den ay tank 'bout da Honey-Producers' League, vat try to help da bee-keepers, an da bee-keepers don't pre- date deir kindness, but call dom bad names, so dom have to feel bad; an ven dom offer to give all da League's money to da N. B.-K. A. da N. B.-K. A. vote to tak all deirs money, an not give anyting in return but hard vords, an dom don't even say " lank you." Den ay tank meself if all da members could lurn some lessons from da Man in da Moon an his bees, mebby dom vould lak each odder better, an do lots of good in das vorld. Den ay say to Mr. A. I. Gleanings, " I be- lieve its better ve not try to git bees vid longer tongues; but if da bee-keepers yust had a little shorter tongues; da common Italians is good nuff." Den ve all git in daair-ship agin an go back to Nicklasburg, an ve shake hans and tank da secretary, an he say ve moste com agin som time, an ve say ve shal be muchy glad to come. Ay felt lak ay should lak to invite da Man in da Moon to come to ours next N. B.-K. A. meeting, but ay vas 'fraid mebby he might not feel to home, so ve say good-by, an Mr. Jan. 25, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 87 Gleanings turn da lever an ve start tor da Unite State via da Nort Pole. i Yen ve got about half vay from da Moon to da Nort Pole ay lost my hat, an ven ay vas looking tor ma hat some von come an shake me, an say, " Vake up! You git off at da next station !" An den ay Had ay don't bean to da Nort Pole or da Moon a toll, but ay only vent to sleep on da train, and dreamed da whole ting. Yon Yonson. Reports anb (Sxperienccs Results of the Season of 1 905 I commenced the season of 1905 with 45 col- onies, and took 2300 pounds of comb honey and 200 pounds of extracted. I put 79 colo- nies into winter quarters apparently in fine condition. I have taken the American Bee Journal for nearly 30 years, and dare not drop it now. J. L. Anderson. Harvard, 111., Jan. 11. To Keep Beeswax from Cracking To keep beeswax from cracking, I run a thin-bladed knife about the time the wax forms a crust around the wax in the can. After thus loosening it, I find a solid cake of wax the next morning. I started with 27 colonies of bees when spring had fairly opened, or after all danger from spring dwindling had passed. They in- creased to 32 colonies, and I got 15S0 pounds of honey, about 200 pounds of it being comb honey in 1 pound sections. There was any amount of honey in the fields, but the weather was too cold and rainy for the bees to go and ■ get it. Fred Bechlt. Searsboro, Iowa, Dec. 17, 1905. Considerable Interest in Bees I began last spring with 3 colonies of bees, and by natural and artificial swarming I in- creased the number to 12, which I now have. There seems to be considerable interest shown in the bee-business in and about this city. Although the past season was not a profitable honey season, the bee6 stored a sufficient quantity to carry them through the winter. Philip Mohler. Lincoln, Neb., Dec. 22, 1905. First Failure in 5 Years For the first time in 5 years my bees were a failure the past season ; but as nearly all the bees in Kansas were in the same condition, I have no complaint to make. Geo. A. Reed. Assaria, Kan., Dec. IS, 1905. Bses Did Poorly Bees did very poorly this year. I had 22 colonies last spring, and my average was about 20 pounds per colony. I now have 27 colonies in fair condition. I hope tor better success next season. C. Job. Cloverdale, Ind., Dec. 29, 1905. Gasoline for Keeping Dry Combs I never saw any instructions in the book6 or papers tor keeping dry combs from moths by the use of gasoline. I had a set of combs that was badly affected — they seemed to be alive. I sprinkled some of them with gasoline and put them in a hive-body and shut them up tight. In a day or two I opened it to see how they were getting along. I fonnd every thing a6leep, and they stayed so ; the vapor of gasoline did the work. Now, in keeping combs over summer, put them in a tight box with a sponge or some- thing of the kind filled with gasoline. When it gets dry, wet it again. Before using, give them a good airing. I hived a swarm of bee6 on some last season, and they gave me over 40 pounds of surplus honey. Thomaston, Conn. r. 8. Guernsey. Crackless Wax-Cakes— Wiring Frames If the sides of the wax-mould were lined with a piece of hard, smooth paste- board, and the bottom was covered % inch or so with water there would be no more cracks, no mat- ter how rapidly one let it cool. The cause of the trouble is the adhesion of the wax to the sides of the mould, and not the unequal cool- ing. The contrivance of Mr. Getaz tor wiring frames (see page 842) is very neat, simple, and doubtless effective. Here is another method : Say the frame is ready for the wire. Fasten one upper corner of it securely in a vise; take one length of wire by each end and give it a good pull, makingit 2 to3 incheslonger. This will take all the kinkiness out of it. Fasten one end to a darning-needle and sew the wire into the frame as if it were thread. Holton, Kan. F. J. Reichert. 10° GOLDEN YELLOW CALLA LILY. 5 Bulbs. Cfl KINDS 0U FLOWER SEEDS Asters, Bulsam. Canna, Calliopsis, Nasturtium, Morning Ulory, Pansy, Larkspur, Joba Tears, Poppv, (iolden <_;low, Fnapdra irons, Cosmos. Pink. 2iin ia. Verbenia, Mm l,. v 1 liillt, Sweet Rot'kel. Primrose, I«e Plant. Peioi ia. Castor t'il Heans. Portulaca, Candytuft, Sweet Peas. CHAMPION BULBS. Tlie Summer Hyacinth, Golden Lily. Humming Bird, (lla'liolns, (liant Tulierosr. Jiuby Breath Oralis, all this beauti- ful collection of seeds and bulbs only 10c in silver or 5 2-<: stflnipsio pay the cost for packing and postage. Order quick" ana be sure of this grand offer — only lO cents. CHARLESTOWN NURSERY, - CHARLESTOWN, MASS. 5 CONVENTION NOTICES. FOR SALE-BEES AND HOME 44 colonies of bees in good condition; home, 9J£ acres of best laud near town, with plenty of water: strawben ies, raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries, and currants; also plum?, pears, apples and peaches. A nice home, adapted to bees, fruit, and chicken business. Possession given as soon as sod. Address, N. SANDERS, 4Alt GREENSBORO, Henry Co., IND. Berry's Golden Rule Poultry Farm. — This is the first season for this firm. It has assumed the poultry business recently eon- ducted by Mrs. Berry, in connection with the A. A. Berry Seed Co. It has been a breeder of thoroughbred poultry for a number of years, and heretofore has made Plymouth Rocks its specialty. Under the new manage- ment this company is offering stock and eggs from 18 of the leading yarieties of poultry. It also manufacturesand sells the new " Biddy " Incubators and Brooders, machines with some new features that are both labor and money savers. This company also carries a full line of poultry supplies. Orders for anything in the poultry-line will receive prompt and care- ful attention, and be filled to the entire satis- faction of the customer. All who are inter- ested in poultry and incubators should write for this firm's valuable book, " Profitable Poultry," which will be sent upon receipt of 3 cents in stamps to pay postage. It will pay you to read it. Address, Berry's Golden Rule Poultry Farm, Clarinda, Iowa, and kindly mention the American Bee Journal when writing. Please mention Bee Journal when writing Advertisers. Washington.— The annual meeting of the Washington State Bee-Keepers' Associa- tion will be held in the old M. E. Church, on Third Street. North Yakima, Wash, Feb. 14, 15 and 16. 1906. An interesting program is assured. One feature will be the illustrated lectures on bee-keeping. Let all bee-keepers in different parts of the State attend and make this an interesting and valuable convention. Virgil Sires, Sec. Wisconsin. — The Wisconsin State Bee- Keepers' Association will meet in annual con- vention at the Capitol, Madison, Feb. 6 and 7. An interesting program is being prepared. Several beekeepers of prominence are pre- paring papers on subjects of special and gen- eral interest, which will be discussed. The Question-Box will, however, be the main fea- ture. One and one-third rate round-trip on all Wisconsin railroads. Gus Dittmer, See. Augusta, Wis. Colorado. — The Colorado State Bee-Keep- ers' annual convention will be held in the Chamber of Commerce Building, Denver, Jan. 30, 31, 1906. This will be during " Farmers' Week," when many farmers' organizations will be in the city holding conventions. We are assured of low railroad fares from all points of the State. We are planning for our usual good convention. R. C. Aikin, Sec. Loveland, Colo. Michigan.— Michigan State Bee-Keepers' Association will hold its annual convention Feb. 1 and 2, 1906, in the parlors of the Black- man Hotel, at Jackson. The Michigan Dairy- men will hold their annual convention at the same time in Jackson, which secures sufficient attendance to allow the railroads to give re- duced rates — one and one-third fare, provid- ing your fare going to Jackson amounts to 75 cents. When buying your ticket ask for cer- tificate on account of Michigan State Dairy- men's convention, and when the Secretary of that Association signs your certificate, you can secure your return ticket for one-third fare. The first session of the convention will be held at 1 :30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1. A good crowd and a fine time are expected. Elmore M. Hunt, Bell Branch, Mich. Acting Secretary, WANTED The agency for Southern Iowa or the eutir- State, of some bee-supply manufacturer. Raile road facilities— none belter— 4 direct lines. Ex- perienced in this line as well as bees. Address, 2A2t A. L. BARKER, Humeston, Iowa. A Great Rose Offer by one of our ad- vertisers.^— It is not often that a seed-firm makes such a liberal offer as that of the A. A. Berry Seed Co., Clarinda, Iowa. They are sending to our readers a beautiful Rose Bush, a packet of vegetable seed, and their fine seed- book — all for 10 cents, which covers the cost of packing and postage. This firm is one of the big seed-firms of the country, and handles a very extensive line of field, garden and flower seeds. Tbey are seed-growers. Mr. Berry, who has always been a farmer, still lives on a farm, and some of their warehouses are lo- cated on their extensive farms. Send for their great offer, and mention the American Bee Journal when writing. Fruits, Plants and Vines. — We find upon our table a new catalog of fruits, plants and vines, also of ornamental trees, plants and vines, issued by Green's Nursery Com- pany. Rochester, N. Y. It has a fine litho- graph cover, embracing many of the rare fruits introduced by this firm. The fruit de- partment embraces nearly 112 illustrations. The ornamental catalog attached to the other contains S4 new photo-engravings, mostly taken by C. A. Green, of ornamental trees, plants and vines growing upon his own place. Mr. Green makes a special push this season of apple trees, standard and dwarf pear trees. Red Cross currant, London red raspberry and champion peach are leading specialties in this beautiful catalog, sent free to all on application. Please mention the American Bee Journal when writing. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 25, 1906 Everything for the Bee Keeper will be found in our Illustrated Catalogue No. 40. It contains a full line of Hives. Supers, Followers, Sections, Section Holders, Frames, Extractors, Smokers, etc. All these and many other essentials are manufactured by us. Everyth.ng is guarantee Ito ba right and of best quality. Our prices are so reasonable that any bee keeper may afford the best supplies. We cannot tell you here of all the good things in this book. Better send for a copy today. We mail it free, to- gether with a copy of the Progressive Bee Keeper, a splendid monthly publication devoted to bee intere ts. It will help you start right and keep you right after you are started. It is invaluable as an aid to every bee keeper. Ask for the paper and the book. We Sell the Best Incubators and Brooders. Delivered at your station, prices the lowest. Write us at once and save money. Address LEAHY MFG. CO., 10 Talmage St., Higginsville, Mo. Branches at Omaha, Neb. and East St. Louis, 111. Mention Bee Journal when writing. NO MORE LOST LETTERS If you take advantage of the offer we make to furnish you beautifully Printed Stationery, which we will send you postpaid. The Farmers' Tribune One Year and 100 Note Heads and 100 Envelopes | All for $i. The Farmers' Tribune ts the leading Live Stock Journal of the Northwest. The stationery is really free. It is printed on nice paper with yonr name, address and name of farm or business. We guarantee to deliver in 10 days from receipt of order Ask your printer what he will charge for such stationery. This will prove the unparalleled offer we are making you. Address, FARMERS' TRIBUNE, Box 21, Sioux City, Iowa. Send for free sample copy of our great paper "/ 91 ended This frith ] a St. John 's Utensil /lender and a Match " The greatest household convenience ever invented. With aid of a match, candle or lamp you can mend leaky pans, kettles boilers etc., in -> second and save both utensils and tinners' bills. Mends anv hole up to H inch in ! • tin, copper, brass, iron and enamel Send 25 cents for package good | for 100 mends. Money back if not satisfied. Pitta & St. John, 206 Schiller Bldg., Chicago IAGENTS WANTEPf TheRietsche Press Made of artificial stone. Practically inde- structible, and giving- entirely satisfactory re- sults. Comb foundation made easily and ?uickly at less than half the cost of buying rom the dealers. Price of Press, $1.50 — cash with order. Address, ADRIAN GETAZ, 4SAtf KNOXVILLE, TENN. O^J.G. Goodner, of this State, writes me that he "prefers to pay $25 for a Rletsche Press than do without it."— A. G. Mention Bee .Journal when writing. Perhaps Yon Think a cheap Hive is a money-saver. You wouldn't buy eggs with the same argu- ment swaying your judgment, wou'd you? Better have a dozen of the good kind than a full gross of the cheaper grade— (we mean the eggs, j But then— ifs the same with Hives. Good Hives are a source of pleasure and profit. "The Elgin " is a Good Hive The price is not too high considering the ex- cellency of material and workmanship. Write us before you order your Supplies for the coming season. A postal will bring you our Catalog. The National Supply Co. ELGIN, ILL. BEAUTIFUL ROSES FREE- Seeds Worth 50c You want to see our new. free catalog. #-. It's a beauty. To every one who ?/ writes for it and encloses a dime in / silver or five 2-cent stamps, to pay foi postage on rose bush, we send free th< following: A rose bush that will beai beautiful roses; a full-sized packet o: any seed you wish, and a due bill for 5C worth of any seeds in our catalog-a three FREE. Don't miss this wonderful offer. Write for this great cat high-grade, pure-bred, money-n flower, vegetable and field s A. A. Berry Seed Company, Box 49 m Clarinda, Iowa. Mention Bee Journal when writing. 1-3 J ItOei 3? Eg. *S8. *8!S' P.1M a ~ J Never Go Out g" n And last from 5 to 21 years Da Otisvillb, Pa., Jan. 18, 1904. Dear Sir:— I have tried almost everything In the smoker line; 3 In the last 3 years. In short If I want any more smokers your new style is good enough for me. I thank the editor of Re- view for what he said of it. Those remarks in- duced me to get mine. Fred Fodner. 10-80 For A 200 Egq INCUBATOR Perfect in construction ind .i-imn Hatches every fertile ■ egg. Write for catalog to-d*j GEO. H. STAHL, Qulncy, III Do You Want a South Dakota Paper? Tells of great land values, o. business op- portunities, of a State where more railroad building is going on than in any other State is is- sued union South Dakota Farmer everv week. Price, $1 per jear. SPECIAL OFFER— Send this ad with 35 cents for a year's subscriotioa. Add'ess. SOUTH DAKOTA FARMER. SlouxPalls,S.D. SlAlOt Please mention the Bee Journal. I WILL CLOSE OUT my stock of Bee Supplies at cost. Write quick and get prices before all are gone, if you want a bargain CHAS. OMLOFF, 3A2t POSTVILLE, IOWA. We Sell root's Goods in Michigan Let us quote you prices on Sections, Hives, Foundation, etc., as we can save you time and freight. Beeswax Wanted for Caah. M. H. HUNT* SON. Bell Branch, Wayne Co., Mich Jan. 25. 1906 vhk amkuicap keb .iohhival 89 How A. D. Blocher MADE $750.00 IN TWO MONTHS WORKING FOR US A. I). Blocher of Davison, Mich., is a farmer. He believes in turning his spare time into money. He read the advertise- ments of the Co-operative Society of the National Supply Co., and was convinced that the Society was a good thins for himself and his friends. He believed in co-operation, and he saw that here was a Society which offered somethingtangible, safe and profitable, in that line. He wrote us and later joined the Society, became an active, enthusiastic worker, solicited his neighbors to join, distributed several hundred of our catalogues among them, and induced a great many of them to be- come members. His compensation for distributing the catalogues; the member- ship fees on the persons he induced to join the Society, and commissions on the goods purchased by them paid him the hand- some reward of $754.20 — all done in his A. D. BLOCHLR Davison, Mich. YOU CAN DO IT TOO spare time, and every member thanked him for getting them to join the Society. What Mr. Blocher did you can do. Hun- dreds of others — men and women— have done nearly as well and are doing it today. Write us and we will explain it all. We will show you just how and why you can do as well or better. This is the oppor- tunity of a lifetime and will only cost you the effort of writing us a postal card to learn all about it; and it will mean very little work on your part to make big money. Besides we will show you how you will profit by your membership in this Society every year as long as you live. Mr Blocher made $754.20 in two months, but that was not all the benefits he re- ceived— his membership made him a partner in a business that is saving him several hundred dollars every year. Write us a postal for full particulars. Doit now. How You Can Save 10 to 20 Per Cent on Everything You Buy To save 10 per cent to 20 per cent on the cost of your supplies, join the Co-operative Society of the National Supply Co. and buy every- thing you need to eat, wear or use on the farm or in the home, from the Society and you will save from $10 to $20 on every hundred dol- lars you spend for merchandise. The NationalSupply Co.. of Lansing, Mich., and Chicago, 111., is one of ihe largest mail order houses in the world— its prices published in plain figures in its large, free 1.000 page catalogue are as low and on many articles a great deal lower than any otber mail order concern. Anybody can buy anything from them and save money by doing it. Members ot the Co-operative Society get a special discount of 10 percent from the list on everything they buy through the Society, which in the course of a year means a saving to members of many hundreds of dollars. The average farmer can save from $100 to $250 a year on his supplies — all on an investment of bnt $10 for a fully paid up. non-assessable Life Membership in this Society. Can you invest $10.00 in any other way that will bring you even one-tenth the income that this will? Can you buy your sup- plies as cheaply any other way? Co-operation alone makes such a thing possible. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose by becoming a member. If you join the Co-operative Society of the National Supply Co., and your savings in discounts on pur- chases should not amount to $10 during the year and you wish to with- draw, we will redeem your Membership Cert iflcate by paying you back the difference between the amount of the discounts you have received and the $10 membership fee, together with 6 per cent interest on the amount so paid back. Isn't this a fair offer, and doesn't it take away all risk from you? No other co-operative society ever made such abroad offer before. We invite you to join and we make it easy and absolutely safe for you to do so. Write today for particulars and full explanation of how this Society is able to make these extraordinary offers. How We Can Sell this $47.50 Jump-Seat Buggy for $34.20 FREIGHT PAID Furnished with Shafts, Car- pets, Storm Apron, Wrench, etc. Our regular price for this $47.50 rig is $38.00. Price to Members is Here is a clear saving of $3.80 to purchasers who are members of the Co-operative Society. This is but one item of many, but it shows what a membership in this Society is worth to you in dollars saved. f his National Jump-Seat Bnggy Is actually worth $47.50 and you cannot duplicate It for less anywhere else. It is built for two or four passengers, made of good hickory, and is fully warranted in every particular— quickly changed from a single to a double seat wfthout removing any parts. This is acknowledged to be the most convenient arrangement ever invented. It is very simple, making it possible to instantly change this rig from a two-seated buggy to a really desirable light market wagon— just what every farmer needs. Wheels are all hickory, Sarven or shell band, lx^ inch steel tire. Gear— Axle. 1 inch, dust-proof, and cemented to hickory wood, rear king bolt, fifth wheel and double perch reach. Oil-tempered, elliptic springs, strong enough to carry four passengers. Body— white wood and hickory, strongly ironed throughout, and full length body loops 60 inches long and 28 inches wide. Cushions — green cloth, whipcord or imitation leather. Painting— body black with dark green gear, narrow stripe, high-grade finish. We are only able to make this remarkable offer by taking the entire output of the factory, and saving all profits— co-operation in this Society cuts out all needless profits between the factory and the member. Send us NationalJump-Seat Buggy at once— $38.00 is cheap for the bargain still better, send for an Application Blank, ciety, and save $3.80 extra — this extra saving will pay more than one-third themem- bership fee. Hundreds of members have joined the So- ciety without it costing them a cent— the savings on their purchases paying the full fee and often leaving them a nice profit besides. We solicit you to join the Society now. middlemen's expenses and an order for a it. To make join the So- 1,000 page rnrp CATALOGUE rltCC We want every family in the United States to have one of our large, handsome 1.000-page catalogues. It is the greatest Buyers' Guide ever published. Is illustrated with thousands of beautiful cuts; every page is brimming full of genuine bargains not to be found anywhere else. We also want you to read the article in the catalogue on "Co-operation"— it's a treatise on the practical workings of genu- ine co-operation. It shows how this Society, composed of farmers all over the country, is fighting trusts and combines, and how its members are improving their conditions through the force of co-op- eration. The Society is willing to pay well to have the catalogue placed in the hands of men who will join the Society and help us to extend still further the influence of our co-operation. Ifyotiwantto make good money in your spare time, or if von can devote vour whole time to the work, write us for catalogue -we'll send it free— and we'll tell you how A. D. Blocher made $754.20 in two months, and how you can do the same or better. Write today for the information, and begin the work at once. CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETY OF THE NATIONAL SUPPLY CO. LANSING, MICHIGAN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 90 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 25, 19C6 4 PAROID ROOFING Wind, Water and Winter Proof < < < It is easy to make your own Hives with Paroid and Neponset. Many of the leading bee-keepers claim that they make better Hives at a less cost with our Roofings. Paroid and Neponset keep the hive warm and sweet in winter. Our method does away with cellaring the bees in winter. We cannot give details and specifications here, but will gladly send them with samples of Paroid and Neponset upon request. F. W. BIRD & SON, Makers, (Established 1817) East Walpole, flass. NEW YORK CHICAGO WASHINGTON Canadian Factory and Office — Hamilton, Out. t I I I Investigate the Poultry Business Write for a copy of my book which describes the profit- able combinations of tgg, Broiler, and Roaster Farms. It eives the price" paid for eggs and poultry week by week for the past three years, ft tells how and when a hatch taken off each week in the year could be most profitably marketed. It shows how you can make $2.00 on a large winter roaster. It tells what profits can be made with each of the popular breeds, and the costs of production. I have helped thousands to make money with poultry My Model Incubators and Brooders are used on the money-making farms. It is my business to teach those who use them to do so profitably. Whether your needs are small or large, I will furnish, without charge, esti- mates and plans for a complete equipment that will insure success without your spend- ing a dollar uselessly. Send for my complete literature. CHAS. A. CYPHERS 3926 Henry Street, Buffalo, N. Y. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Langstroth on the *** Honey-Bee Revised by Dadant— Latest Edition. This is one of the standard books on bee-culture, and ought to be in the library of every bee-keeper. It is bound substantially in cloth, and contains over 500 pages, being revised by those targe, practical bee-keepers, so well- known to all the readers of the Ameri- can Bee Journal — Chas. Dadant & Son. Each subject is clearly and thoroly ex- plained, so that by following the in- structions of this book one cannot fail to be wonderfully helped on the way to success with bees. The book we mail for 81.20, or club It with the American Bee Journal for one year — both for $2.00 ; or, we will mail it as a premium for sending us THREE NEW subscribers to the Bee Journal for one year, with 13.00. This is a splendid chance to get a grand bee-book for a very little money or work. GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, • CHICAGO, ILL APPLE TREES 7c POPLAR. TREES AND R.OSE BUSHES. TEN CENTS EACH ASl'AKAGl'rS the most popular vegetable, yields at the rate of $400 per acre, two year plants 75 cents per 100; $4.50 per 1,000. Grape vines and fruit plants at low prices. POPLAR TKEE8 for driveways, ehade and lawns. The most rapid growing trees, 10c to 17 cents each. ROSES. A large collection of hardy varieties, also our Live-for-Ever Pink Rose. 10c to 20c each. BUY DIRECT FROM GROWER -SAVE 35 EISt Let us price vour list of wants. Green's 1906 Catalogue .also copy of Green's Big Fruit Magazine free. Send postal card for them today. GREEN'S NURSERY COMPANY. WALL ST., ROCHESTER, N. Y. Stingless Bees Are worthless as honey-producers. Cau- casian Bees are not stingless, they are gentle. They produce honey. Try them next season. Have your queens, both Vancosiaws and Hal- ians, bred to order, and then you will have what you want. Address, ROBERT B. McGflIN, Yorkville, III. r.f.d. 2 A.tf Mention Bee Journal when writing. AH About the Southwest Homes and Prosperity for Everybody TEXAS produces more honey and other money crops than, any other State. FARM AND RANCH is the home builders' guide, bandsomelyprinted on good paper and beautifully illustrated. Contains clean, reliable, interesting and instructive reading for each member of the family* 24 pages weekly. $1.00 per year. Send stamp for sample copy. FARM AND RANCH, Dallas, Tex. Mention Bee Journal when writings For Sale-10,000 Lbs. S Spanish-needle Extracted Honey put up in new 60-lb. tin cans— 6c a pound for the lot, or 6%c for less, F. J. GUNZEL, Weiner, Ark. 44A16t Please mention ine Bee Journal. FOR SALE Until further notice, finest quality new crop California Water-White White Sage and Light Amber HONEY in 60-lb. tins, 2 in a case; new cans and new cases Write for prices and sam pies, and state quantity you want. HlLDRETH & SEGELKEN 265 & 267 Greenwich Street, New York, N.Y 34Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. Big Discounts on Bee-Supplies The following discounts apply on all orders except honey- packages for current use: For cash orders before Oct. 1 — 10 percent Nov. 1 9 percent I Feb. 1 6 percent Dec. 1 8 " March 1 . . . . 4 " Jan. 1 7 " | April 1 2 " We handle LEWIS' GOODS, and carry a large stock, which insures prompt shipment. Catalog free. Address, LOUIS HANSSEN'S SONS, 213 & 215 W. 2d Street, DAVENPORT, IOWA 38Alf Please mention the Bee Journal. Tested Trees, Plants & Seeds /2% ■> THAT GROW sC^(V9 ?\ — s e e d _ 4c ; Plum and Chemv.«*%< */ very cheap. 12c: Peach 4c; all yr t* ^tf.V'^ Freight paid budded; Con- s^^L o»T^ ~<\>/ German, free. Write s«a- >>V . Vy f°r it today. Address U;«;'1^>A<' »f 15 farmers and 15c — stamps taken — we will send for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Call — res sub price 50c a year. F. C. is a wklv., 25 vrs.nhi, 1,300 pages ayr. Sample free. Farmer's Call.Quincy, 111. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Jan. 25 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 91 Lowest Pric M Headquarters for Bee-Supplies Big Discount for Early Orders On Cash Orders Before November 1 9 percent " December 1 8 " " January 1 7 " " February 1 0 " March 1 4 " " April 1 2 " Bee = Supplies OF ALL KINDS Established (Nearly 25 Years We have published THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER for 15 years (monthly, 50c a year.) The largest and best il- lustrated magazine of its kind for the price published. Edited by two of the most experienced bee - keepers in America. Sample copy free. Our large, illustrated Price-List of Supplies free on application. Address, The W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co. JAnESTOWN.N. Y. Mention Bee Journal when writing. I)oney cmb 4- 23eestpax-f Chicago, Jan. 8.— The market is steady with about the usual demand; the prices range from 14(SH5c for best grades of white comb honey. There is not an active demand for off grades, which usually sell at l@3c per pound less. Fur extracted a steady demand exists for ihp best grades at 6M(»7c, but fur sour or off flavors there is practically no sale. R. A. Burnett &. Co. Cincinnati, Dec. 29. — There is no demand for honey at the present time, on account of the holidays. However, prospects for the coming year are bright, and we are looking forward tu a revival of trade about Jan. 15. The price of comb honey remains firm ; we quote fancy w hite at 15@16H cents. Extracted: amber in barrels at 5@6>^c, according to the quality; fancy white in60-lb. cans at 7>£@8c; amber in cans at 6 »> Tc, (The above are our selling prices of honey. ) We are paying 30c per pound delivered nere for choice yellow beeswax. The Fred W. Muth Co. Toledo, Oct. 17— The honey market remains firm, with good demand, and prices the same as last quotations. Fancy white comb brings 15c; No. 1, 14c; fancy amber, 13c; buckwheat, 13c. Extracted, white clover, in barrels, 6%@6J4c; amber, in barrels, 5@5J16c; No. I in poor demand at 12c, and amber dull atlOc. Best grade extracted brings 8@9c in 60-lb. cans; amber slow at 6c. Beeswax, 30@33c. Walter S. Pouder. New York, Jan. 10.— Comb honey pretty well cleaned up and there is still a fair demand. We quote fancy white at l4@15c; No. 1, at 13c; am- ber, at 12c; buckwheat, at 10@llc. Extracted in fair demand, especially California, with abundance of supply. We quote white at Complete Stock for 1906 now on hand. freight- rates FROM CINCINNATI are the LOWEST, ESPECIALLY for the SOUTH as 'mostlall freight now goes through Cincinnati. Prompt Service is what I practice. You will Satisfaction Guaranteed. Catalog mailed free. Send for same. SAVE MONEY BUYING FROM ME. 6 Percent Discount for January Let me ^^ TTTT^T^T^T^t bred in separate apiaries, fi I r.r.^S <.<>i.in;> iii Order for ^Cgi W lil JX1 KJ LOWS, < A K > lO- LANS, RED CLOVERS and CAUCASIANS. For prices, refer to my catalog, page 29. C. H.W.WEBER "J Office and Salesrooms, 2146-48 Central Ave. Warehouses. Freeman and Central Aves. 6J4&7C; light amber,6(S6Xc; amber, 5J<@5Kc; buckwheat, SHiS'bc; Southern, in barrels, not much demand, and rather hard to sell, at from 5u@60 cents per gallon, according to quality. Beeswax firm and steady at 30c per pound. HlLDRETH & SEGELEEN. Denver, Nov. 11.— No. 1 white comb honey, per case of 24 sections, $3.35; No. 1 light amber, $3.0j; No. 2, $2 S0@3.00. Extracted honey, 6% @7 cts. per pound. Supply is light and we coud make quick sales of consignments at above figures. We pay 24c for clean, yellow beeswax delivered here. The Colo. Honey-Producers' Assn. Cincinnati, Jan. 8. — The nice weather holds back the demand for comb honey. Crops seem to be exceedingly short and producers in the West keep the prices high. We quote as fol- lows: Fancy water-white and No. 1 white clo- ver, 14@16c; No. 2, 12@14c. Extracted seems to be more plentiful, and we quote same in barrels, S'4®SHc; in cans, He more; white clover, 7@Sc. Beeswax, 28@30c. C.H.W. Weber. Model Incubators and jj Brooders Manufactured by Chas. A. Cyph- a BRS, and sold at his factory pri- Jj ces. Freight rates from Toledo i will save you money. Do not be humbugged into buying a cheap machine. The best is none too 0 good. Our illustrated Catalog S free to any address. Ask for it. GRIGGS BROS. 52L Monroe Street, TOLEDO, OHIO, Mention Bee Journal when writing. FANCY WHITE EXTRACTED HONEY CRATES 2-60 LB. CANS; 8c TWO OR MORE CRATES; 7% LARGER LOTS; WRITE FOR SPECIAL PRICES. ALL F. O. B. CINCINNATI. CASH WITH ORDER. SAMPLES 1 Oc. TO PAY POSTAGE. THE FRED W. MUTH CO. No. 51 WALNUT STREET, CINCINNATI, OHIO. HONEY AND BEESWAX When consigning* baying1 or selling, consult R. A. BURNETT & CO., 199 South Watbr St. Chicago. III. TELEPHONE Facts for Farmers Send for free book SU-A. It containa telephone facts that are monev-savers Stromberg - Carlson Tel.* Mfer. Co.,' Rochester, N.Y., Chicago. 111. Mention Bee Journal when -writing'. Special Sale on HIVES AND SECTION'S Until March 15. Dovetail Hives, 8-frame, 1M- story, 1 25; tOframe, $1.40; No 1 bee-way Sec- tions, 3 .90; No. 2, $3.40; 24 lb. Shipping-Cases, 13c; Foundation, Smokers, etc., cheap. Send for 24 page Catalog free. W. D. SOPER, Rural Route 3, JACKSON. MICH. Please Mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. 92 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Jan. 25, 1906 A CARLOAD OF PAPER ■a—i^M^B^—— CTiiimi— i^^a^Bga5=- . ji sag WAS USED IN PRINTING THE FIRST EDITION OF THE 1906 LEWIS CALALOG NOW OUT Send for One at Once IT IS FEEE Every Copy is a Work of Art. Better, Grander, Larger than Ever. AGENTS WANTED For Lewis' Goods by the Carload MAINE NEW HAMPSHIRE VERMONT MASSACHUSETTS CONNECTICUT FOR RHODE ISLAND NORTH CAROLINA SOUTH CAROLINA MISSISSIPPI ALABAMA. Liberal territory given. GEORGIA FLORIDA LOUISIANA SOUTHERN OHIO For further particulars address Home Office G. B. LEWIS CO. w Watertown,Wis. XJ. S. A.. e Journal 46th Year. CHICAGO, ILL., FEB. 1, 1906 No. 5 Apiary of J. E. Johnson, Williamsfield, III. (See page 98.) *r\ I Home and Family of J. E. Johnson. Wi 94 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Feb. 1 , 1906 PUBLISHED WEEKLY BT GEORGE W.YORK S COMPANY 334 Dearborn Street, Ghicago, HI* IMPORTANT NOTICES THE SUBSCRIPTION PRICE of this Journal to 81. m* a year. In the United States, Canada, and Mexico; all other countries in ihe Postal Union, 60 cents a year extra lor postage. Sample copy free. THE WRAPPER-LABEL DATE indicates the end of the month to which your subscription ispai.i. For instance, " dec06" on your label shows that it ia paid to the end of December. SUBSCRIPTION RECEIPTS —We do not send a receipt for money sent us to pay subscription, but change the date on your wrapper-label, which shows that the money has been received and credited. ADVERTISING RATES will be given upon appli- cation. National Bee-Keepers' Association Objects of the Association 1st.— To promote the interests of its members. 2d.— To protect and defend its members in their lawful riahts. _ 3d.— To enforce laws against the adulteration of boney. Annual Membership Dues, $i.oo General Manager and Treasurer — N. E. Fkance, Platteville, Wl* tW If more convenient. Dues may be sent to the publishers of the American Bee Journal. The Honey-Producers' League (Incorporated) OBJECTS: 1. To create a larger demand for boney through advertising. 2. To publish facts about honey, and counteract misrepresentations of the same. MEMBERSHIP DUES 1. Any bee-keeper may become a member by pay- ing to the Manager an annual fee of $1.00 for each 20 (or fraction of 20) colonies of bees (spring count) he owns or operates. 2. Any hooey-dealer, bee-supply dealer, bee-supply manufacturer, bee-paper publisher, or any other firm or individual, may become a member on the annual payment of a fee of $10, increased by one- flfth of one (1) percent of his or its capital used in the allied interests of bee-keeping. George W. Fork, Manager, 334 Dearborn St., CHICAGO, ILL. " The continuous advertiser gets Hie bulk oi tlie business, because others are not adver- tising, and he is." BEE-KEEPERS' SUPPLIES POULTRY SUPPLIES LEWIS' BEEWARE is so well known it need no introduc- tion. 5 percent Discount on Bee-Sup- plies for February. Beeswax wanted — 27c cash, 29c when taking- bee-sup- plies in exchange. Extracted Honey for nale. Prices on application. Sample, 10c. CORNELL PEEP 0 DAY INCUBATORS ™mm CORNELL CHICK MACHINERY are unexcelled. The 1906 Cornell Incubator is superior to anything- heretofore put on the market. H. M. ARND, MgT. New 1906 Catalog for either line FPEE If you want orders filled PROMPTLY AT FACTORY PRICES, send your order to YORK HONEY 1&M3F CO. G£) 141 Ontario Street, CHICAGO, ILL. Long Distance 'Phone, North 15S9. DITTMER makes a SPECIALTY of WORKING Beeswax into Comb Foundation. Write for our Price-List, Samples, and early-order Discount. We would like to send them to you at our expense. Our Warehouse «T?T1 PI TTTlTtT TTIQ Jobbing is full of . . W* Fm fj-^ 1 I T~ r 1 A ■ F*J^ Wholesale ^ — ^ Retail BEESWAX ALWAYS WANTED GUS, DITTMER, Augusta, Wis, i '■.#r 5 Percent Discount We will allow you the above Discount on all Orders accompanied by Cash during February. Send for our Catalog. PAGE & LYON MFG. CO., New London, Wis. Mention Bee Journal when writing. NOT IN THE TRUST For High-Grade Cans Prices Always the Lowest Write for Prices, Stating Quantity Wanted Friction Top Cans for Honey and Syrup Prompt shipment and careful attention given to all orders. Mention Bee Jonrnal when writing. Made by Special prices to members of the Bee-Keepers' Associations. CANNERS CAN CO., 1035 W. 47*h Street, CHICAQO, ILL. Feb. 1, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 95 u DADANT'S FOUNDATION" IT EXCELS EVERY INCH equal to sample Beauty, Purity, Firmness, No Sagging, No Loss. Twenty-seven Years of Experience. We Guarantee Satisfaction. WAX WORKED INTO FOUNDATION BEE=SUPPLIES of all kinds. Beeswax Wanted £ DADANT & SONS, Hamilton, 111. SEND FOR OUR CATALOG at all mes SEE THE 1906 RELIABLE before you buy. Perfectly practical forpoul- trymen or beginners. Double heating system rives bigger hatches — saves one- third the oil. Sold on a money back guarantee. Write for free catalog. Reliable Farm Pure- Bred Birds and Eggs. Get prices. Reliable Incubator and Brooder Co., Box B-153 Quincy. Illinois. TJ. S. A. Meutlou Hoe Journal when writing. If you want the Bee-Book That c 'vers tbe whole Apicultural Field moie Lumpletely than any other published, send $1.20 to Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont, Cal., FOR HIS 44 Bee=Keeper's Guide." Liberal Discounts to tbe Trade, mention Bee Journal when writing. •»' 4*4 " If Goods are wanted Quick, setid to Ponder " BEE-SUPPLIES I -• ■ ■ * - Root's Goods at Root's Prices 4»*» Everything used by Bee- Keepers. POUOER'S HONEY-JARS. Prompt Service. Low Freight Rates. .-. .-. .'. Catalog Free. If you wish to purchase finest quality of HONEY f jr your local trade, write for my free monthly price-list of honey. Why not secure your BEE-SUPPLIES NOW FOR NEXT SEASON'S USE, and avail yourself of the following very liberal discounts? Goods all Root Quality. For cash orders tefore Feb. 1.6 percent For cash orders before Mar. 1 . .4 percent For cash orders befoi e Apr. 1 . . 2 percent WALTER S. rOUDER, 513-515 Massachusetts Ave., INDIANAPOLIS, IND. itw. .»■. dtk i,i. m- at itr m aii Mki itlri iHr"sffr ilfi afli flti if iiT^ sffsV stflfr sfft- sfsti- fltft sffff- iffr itfh im Rf) BULBS UU 35 Cents. or (*otn. A I'KKi: ;t ii Will grow in ti bouse or out of «l s. Hyacinths, Tulips, Gladiolus, Crociui Fuchsias, < ixalis, i uheroses. Begonia. Jonquils, Daffodils, Chinese Lily, Dewey Lily, < lloxfnia, Lilies of the Valley— all postpaid, 2Gc. m stamps n premium with these Bulbs we will send collection of Mower seeds- over £00 kinds. - ...... ,, ■ . , „ . IM,i . iivrn . r i HUHfl nCOUS* ■ I VI I .(J I I ! ||| I -. HILLSIDE NURSERY, SOMERVILLE, MASS. ^.California The Pacific Rural Press has been a house- hold word throughout California for 35 years. It is authority on all matters regarding the soil or products of California. Weekly, illus- trated: Edited by practical specialists. Two Dollars per year. Send for sample copy. Pacific Rural Press, 330 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif. 50Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. 65c for 12 Names JFfiSMfS^ r tamps taken— we will send for 2 yrs. tbe Fitrmer's Call— rep. sub. price 4<>c a year. P. C.ls ft wkly., 25 years old, 1,300 pages a year. Sample free. FAKMERS CALL., Quincy, 111. PROFITABLE. POULTRY Send 'Sc tor our 64,-page hook, finely illustrated, that tells how to make money raiding Jpoultry. Others are dning it; why not fyou? This book gives full information 'on breeding, feeding, rearing and hatching. Illustrates and iHls why Berry's *'BIddy" incubators and brood- ers hatch and raise the largest per rent of chicks— the kind to buy. Contains cuts of our tine pure-bred poultry with prices of birds and egcn for hatching. Berry's Golden Rule Poultry Farm. Box 72, Clarinda. la. 96 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Feb. 1, 1906 m «sw« j.^jb,a*.i^.u^A^ ■&>.*.■ • ■**.■& wm ».• - ».- - ».- - -a.- *• H *-*•». - f*£o j£h. is; •The A- 1 ^(P Medina, i @_& (858) f^h R Root Co Ohio. q_ # \^' detail date. WHAT OUR TRADE-MARK STANDS FOR We have been at this business for over 40 years. This means a great deal. Not only are we intimate with every phase of bee-keeping', but we have an accu- mulation of knowledge that is invaluable. All these years we have been learning what the beekeeper really wants, and how to supply it down to the smallest That means the goods you get bearing Root's trade-mark are the very latest and best known to All of these advantages cost you nothing over standard prices. Experience Quality fl Square Deal chance to prove what we say. Our motto has always been, " Not how much, but how good." By making our goods the best we have naturally become the largest manufacturers of bee-supplies in the world. The lumber, the workmanship, everything that enters into our goods is the best, and has passed the most exacting tests to prove it so. We believe in treating our customers right. Best goods and prompt- ness are our watch-words. Courteous treatment to our customers is de- manded from our employees and agents. Your interests are ours. Your welfare means ours. A satisfied customer is our aim, and we only ask a 'tis. *«, Discount for January is 6 Percent. TESTIMONIALS We are always greatly pleased to see your new editions of your new catalog of Bee-Keepers' Sup- plies, etc. We shall certainly make ample mention of it in our paper. You are our best authority in regard to all matters of bee-keeping. Yours very truly, C. H. Howard, Editor, Farm, Field & Fireside. Dear Sirs : — The shipment of hives and bee- supplies which you sent me arrived in excellent condition, and every one who has seen them is de- lighted with the accuracy and precision of the workmanship of every detail, both of the goods and the manner in which the order was executed. Yours very truly, Cape Colony. Frederic T. Bioletti. I have just now unpacked and examined the goods sent by you, and am greatly pleased with the lot. W. H. G11.1,. Scottsville, Ariz. Gentlemen : — I am well pleased with your ptompt way of doing business. The goods are just simply nice. Many thanks. Yours truly, John D. A. Fisher. I do not want anything set up, as I would rather set the hives up myself. Besides, it is a pleasure to put Root's hives and fixtures together. Tiffin, Ohio. John L. Funk. Your promptness and square dealing indeed make it a pleasure to do business with you, and I thank you. Harry H. Larkin, Buffalo, N. Y. Care Larkin Co. My bill of bee-supplies reached its destination in due time. I am under obligations to you for the kindness, for a delay would have been a loss to me. Please accept my thanks. Treadwell, Tenn. W. W. Waters, M D. I desire to thank you tor being so prompt in sending the sections I ordered from you. They came in less time than it takes to tell it. Kent, Ohio. E. G. Reed. The consignment of bee-material received to-day. Your promptness in filling orders is remarkable, especially when the circumstances are considered. I am very well satisfied with the goods and your dealing. I take pleasure in having introduced " ROOT'S GOODS " into this neighborhood. Fredericksburg, Iowa. Rev. Wm. Engle. Our Catalog for 1906 is ready. Write for a copy. THE A. T. EOOT COMPANY, MEDINA, OHIO. Branches: 144 E. Erie St., Chicago. 10 Vine St., Philadelphia. 44 Vesey St., New York »!s P m 9& m ¥2, m m (Entered at the Post-Office at Chicago as Second-Class Mail-Matter.) Published Weekly at $1.00 a Year, by George W. York & Co., 334 Dearborn St. QEORQE W. YORK, Editor CHICAGO, ILL, FEBRUARY 1, 1906 VoL XLVI-No. 5 =\ (Sbitortal Xloks anb (Eomments j Keep hive-Entrances Clear If your hives are so arranged that there is a space of some 2 inches under the bottom-bars, you are fortunate. If not, it may be worth while to consider a little whether you will not have them so arranged before another winter ; and, in the meantime, don't forget occasionally to clean the dead bees out of the entrances and from under the bottom-bars by means of a hooked wire or otherimplement. The admis- sion of fresh air is important, and, besides, it does bees no good to live over a cemetery. Dealing With Some Queen-Breeders. We have received the following from a bee-keeper in Montana : On page 33, "Pennsylvania" asks, " Do you think that queens that come through the mails are as good as those not caged ?" I, too, have had experience buying queens, and, as far as my experience goes, I can say that I have not found any honest queen-breeders. I hope that I have dealt with the only dishonest ones, and that all the rest are honest. Any one sending for queens is wholly at the mercy of the breeders, and if they are dishonest, and send us anything Caucasian Bees in France In a previous number of this Journal, commenting upon the conflicting views as to Caucasian bees, it was intimated that a possible explanation might be that more than one kind of Caucasians were in existence. The following letter from the well-known French queen-rearers, Giraud Broth- ers, is directly in point : I am very much interested in your paper. In the Ameri- can journals there is much said about Caucasian bees; but many do not know that there are two varieties, both very gentle. In the catalog of A. B. Postialko. the two varieties are specified as : Apis mellifera caucasica aurea and Apis mellifera nigra argentea. In my apiaries I have several of the variety aurea. It is a long distance to mail bees from Caucasus to the U. S. A. Like Prof. Benton, we are great admirers of Cyprians, the best honey-gatherers in the world. Mated with Italian or Carniolan drones, these bees are easily manipulated. Giraud frerks. If anything is to be judged by the names, the aurea variety should be somewhat golden, and nigra argentea silver and black. they like, how are we going to improve our stock unless it be bv accident ? I will mention two deals, and would give the names mighty quick, but I think my letter would find the waste- basket if I did : In June. 1905, I sent for an Adel queen, and wrote with the order, " If you can't fill this order within 5 days return it." In August I got a queen, but the flow had stopped, so I can not say whether she layed " a sitting of eggs " or not. In April my brother wrote to a fellow in Ohio, with whom he was slightly acquainted, and told him that we would take 6 Carniolan queens. Send him one, and that I would take the other 5. I wrote, "If you can't fill this order by May 10, return it." About May 20 I | countermanded my order, and asked for my money. In June I got 5 queens — one old black one didn't survive the trip, the others were Italians and mongrels, and though the nurse-bees were black, those queens never produced a black bee for me. They " fell down " on all the points where the Carniolans are said to excel, unless it be gentleness — there were so few of them that they were quite harmless. I have just had a letter from my brother. He writes, "My Carniolan was like yours — an Italian, and worthless at that." L,. A. Smith. We have heard of experiences similar to the above, but that does not prove that all queen breeders are di5honest. It only proves that there are some who do business in a very careless way, and don't care whether or not they give satis- faction to their customers. But, really, there is no excuse for not returning the money promptly, when instructed to do that if unable to send the queens ordered within a specfied number of days. We trust that the queen breeders who advertise in the American Bee Journal will be very particular about obeying the orders of their customers, and also as to sending out the the kind of queens they advertise. We don't feel called upon to help any dishonest or unbusinesslike queen-breeder or other dealer. Our subscribers must be treated right, or else our advertising columns will be closed to such adver- tisers who do otherwise. Some Objects of Some Bee-Papers It is natural that every bee-paper publisher should strive to secure as many subscribers as possible. The American Bee Journal confesses to such worthy and hon- orable desire. It seems to be the effort of at least one leading bee- paper to induce more people to keep bees— to go into the business — and thus produce more honey to put on the market. Another bee-paper urges more bee-keepers to keep more bees, and thus increase the output of honey annually. What the American Bee Journal would like to see is this : The name of every bee keeper now in the land on its list as a regular subscriber. There are perhaps plenty of bee-keepers in existence for the present. Then if all who 98 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Feb. 1, 19C6 now have bees would learn to care for them more intelli- gently, and also develop, so far as possible, their local honey markets, there would be less honey thrown on the city markets, and so the price of honey could the better be kept up. This would result in greater benefit to all concerned, we believe. But holding out the idea that there is big money in bees for everybody, is hardly the proper thing. It can be overdone. We do not advise all and sundry to keep bees. American Methods in Europe While there has been some sneering on the part of bee- keepers on the Eastern Continent as to plans and practices of bee-keepers on this side, there have not been wanting those who have been able to see good in the notions of the Yankees. Prominent among these has been A. Straeuli, pastor in Scherzingen (Thurgau, Switzerland), who has just launched a new bee-paper. His leaning toward American methods is not hidden in the name of his new paper, which is, "Die Europaeische Bienenzucht auf amerikanischer Grundlage"— European Bee-Culture on American Principles. More Testimony on Caucasian Bees The testimony so far leads to the conviction that there must be no little difference in Caucasians. In the Ameri- can Bee-Keeper, that highly esteemed Canadian veteran, J. B. Hall, testifies that he obtained 2 colonies of Caucasians in May, 1904 ; that they were the gentlest bees he ever pos- sessed, and the best winterers if given honey gathered by other bees to winter on. They started queen-cells in very large numbers, and capped their honey with concave in- stead of convex caps. As he is working for the production of honey, he says : " I have no use for such blood in my apiaries, and have been weeding it out for the last 22 years." In the same paper, Julius Hoffman says he imported Caucasians in 1880. They were very gentle, had very pro- lific queens, did little or no work on buckwheat, but he says " they are a very good bee for clover sections." Both Fair and Independent A bee-supply manufacturer asked a friend of ours why it was that the American Bee Journal published directions for home-made hives and other supplies, when the publish- ers of a certain other bee paper so adroitly avoided allowing such matter to appear in their columns. Well, it is easily answered. The American Bee Journal is both fair and independent. It believes in allowing its subscribers and advertisers a fair chance in its columns; and, further, it is not run in the interest of its own bee- supply factory, for it hasn't any, and never has had one. Neither does it weaken the force of a contributor's published ideas by adding a footnote or comment, but allows each writer's opinions to stand upon their merits. We have been complimented on this latter practise of ours. But it takes all kinds of bee-papers to suit all kinds of bee-keepers, so we have no quarrel with any of our contem- poraries— not even with the ones that misrepresent us. Our Wood Binder (or Holder) is made to take all the copies of the American Bee Journal for a year. It is sent by mail for 20 cents. Full directions accompany. The Bee Journals can be inserted as soon as they are received, and thus preserved for future reference. Or we will send it with the American Bee Journal a year — both for $1.10. Address the office of the American Bee Journal. The Premiums we offer are all well worth working for Look at them in this copy of the American Bee Journal, i Convention Postponed.— The annual meeting of the Fillmore County Bee-Keepers' Association, which was to have been held at Preston, Minn., Jan. 17 and 18, has been postponed on account of the stormy weather, until Thurs- day and Friday, Feb. 8 and 9, at the same place. The same program will be carried out. Copies of State Foul Brood Laws —The State of Min- nesota is about to prepare a Foul Brood Bill to be presented at the next session of the Legislature. The bee-keepers' committee in charge of it desires to have a copy of the foul brood law now in force in every State from which to prepare their own bill. Will those who are able to do so, kindly send a copy of such foul brood law to Wm. Russell, 4810, 38th Ave. S., Minneapolis, Minn. He will greatly appre- ciate the kindess, and at the same time those who will be kind enough to comply with this request will be aiding their fellow bee-keepers in Minnesota. A. G. Woodman, of Grand Rapids, Mich., sent us a clipping referring to Henry Decker, an aged Ohio bee-keeper, who claims to have hatched hen's eggs over a colony of bees. It is the same old story that has been going the rounds of the newspaper press for several years. This sub- ject was discussed in the American Bee Journal a year or two ago, and it was finally decided that it is not a practical thing at all. It may work occasionally, but can not be de- pended upon. The best way is to get an incubator if you want to do anything in the poultry business. There are some good incubators advertised in this Journal. It is not a sure thing to depend upon a colony of bees to do the hatching. Death of MPS. S. T. Pettit.— We have received the fol- lowing from Mr. Morley Pettit, telling of the death of his mother : Villa Nova, Ont , Jan. 20, 1906. Dbar Friend York:— I have to report the death of my mother, whoslept peacefully away just at midnight Monday, Jan. IS. She had been ailing for a long time, and was con- fined to her bed almost constantly for over 6 months, during which time she suffered a great deal, but so patiently Of course, a person has only one mother, and feels that loss more keenly than any other ; but all who knew her agree she was one of the most beautiful Christian characters ever met. Father is very, very lonely ; the tie of over 50 years' close companionship and love is not easily broken. Mother was in her 74th year, and father is in his 77th. Of the family, 6 of us were at her bedside ; 2 in Califor- nia and a sister in South Africa were unable to get home. I am the youngest, and there were 10 children originally— 6 girls and 4 boys. Yours truly. Morley Pettit. Our sympathy is extended to the bereaved husband and family. A good mother — who can estimate her value and influence in the world ? Her children can neverget beyond her teachings and life. Home and Apiary of J. E. Johnson.— Mr. Johnson has kindly furnished the following description of the pic- tures shown on the first page this week : Editor York : — The second picture shows myself, wife, two daughters, and two little sous. The other daughter snapped the camera, so she is not in the picture. The other picture shows our dwelling and honey-house, and all of the apiary but one row of hives. Our house was paid for with the proceeds of 12 colonies Feb. 1, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 99 of bees and '2 acre of strawberries for two years, with about $150 to spare, besides increasing from 12 to 66 colo- nies of bees. But, of course, those were good seasons. The season of 1905 was a poor one for honey here. I find strawberries very profitable, and go well with bees, except that it keeps me jumping when swarming and strawberry picking come together. I have sold as high as $18.75 worth of strawberries from one day's picking. I hire the neighbors' children to help pick berries, and pay them by the quart. I also pay my own children the same price. I have no trouble to sell the ber- ries, as I make a trip 5 or 6 miles with a buggy or spring- wagon load every afternoon when the berries are at their best. In this way I get lots of direct customers for berries, and I am able to furnish many of them with honey. My fruit-business helps me sell honey. I also have a pear orchard, which is yielding well. I have 1100 pear-trees ranging from 3 to 7 years old. The Kieffer and Tyson trees bore abundantly the past year. The April freeze killed nearly all the blossoms on the Duchess, Wilder and Anjou pear-trees, so I got only a few from those varieties. I am still master of the blight situa- tion. A large pear-orchard helps the bees, as they blossom about 5 days earlier than the apple, and, by the way, the bees hum among the blossoms. I think the pear yields at least as well, if not better, than the apple. My apiary at present contains 74 colonies — 12 colonies in the cellar and the rest on the summer stands. J. E. Johnson. Mr. Johnson is one of the most successful bee-keepers in Illinois. He is also a frequent contributor to current bee- literature, and has opinions of his own, as well as a nice little family, evidently. He has quite a number of businesses, which seem to combine in a way to keep himself and all his family em- ployed. And, judging from the foregoing, none, aside from the bees, seem to be "working for nothing and boarding themselves." Place to Be Robbed.— Petit Almanach des Abeilles gives the following as one of the signs at the entrance of a restaurant : " If you want good honey, don't go elsewhere to be robbed ; enter here." + (Lontnbuteb + Special Ctrticles j Wintering Bees on Solid Sealed Combs By J. In BVER A NICE position to be in, truly ! Either keep quiet after being cornered by figures, or else in attempting to squirm out of the trap run the risk of making our genial Dr. Miller confess that " he did not know as much as he thought he did." Not a fair shake, Doctor. And before going any farther you must pledge yourself not to make any such manifestly absurd confession. As to Mr. Dadant and myself trying to look good-natured over the matter, why, Doctor, it would be a libel to insinuate that it was possible to look or feel otherwise when debating any question with so courteous an opponent as Mr. D." Of course, I had the best of Mr. Dadant, in that he failed to "produce the goods." He and the Doctor simply gave the " why and wherefore," while I can trot out actual expe- rience of at least two of the most practical apiarists in On- tario to back up my position. Dr. Miller has laid down a proposition something like this: " Resolved, That bees in sealing cells leave about % of an inch between adjoining combs ; further, "Resolved, That not sufficient bees can congregate in so small a space to keep one another warm. Therefore, "Resolved, That all bees thus congregated during pro- tracted cold weather will die.1' I am reminded of the story of a good old Scotch Presby- terian, who, at a business meeting, said something like this : "Resolved, That the people of God shall inherit the earth. Be it further "Resolved, That we are the people." But we are not told that he produced evidence in defense of his proposition ; and just so Dr. Miller has not given evi- dence to substantiate his claims. I am free to confess that previous to this discussion I had not gone to the trouble to question why bees have win- tered so well on solid sealed combs, being quite content in feeling assured that they did winter well in that condition. However, for Dr. Miller's benefit, I will go into details a little. In the first place, only the ordinary space is left between the frames and bottom-boards, and, on examination, I find that the bees are not utilizing that to any extent. I use unspaced hanging frames, lJ4-inch spacing, but when giv- ing solid combs of honey in the fall I space them wider apart, crowding them together early in the spring again. I suppose the Doctor will see the solution of the mystery in this confession ; but hold hard ! When I used to feed solid with sugar syrup the combs were left with the ordinary ljs-inch spacing, and, further, Mr. McEvoy uses a self-spacing rabbet, so it will be impos- sible for him to practice wide spacing ; yet his bees don't die during cold spells of weather — on the contrary, they al- ways come through the winter warm enough to pile up a great big surplus of honey. While at the Ontario convention last November, I was talking to Mr. J. B. Hall again on this subject. Let me re- peat a practical illustration he gave me there : During the extraordinary cold winter of 1903-04, at one of Mr. Hall's yards he had quite a heavy loss — I forget just the percentage, but believe it was about 20 out of the 100 colonies there. Twenty of these colonies were wintered on solid sealed combs of the same size as Mr. Dadant uses. Not one of these 20 died, but, with the exception of 1 queenless, all were by all odds better in condition when the honey-flow came on than were those that survived after being wintered under " natural " conditions. As to how Mr. Hall spaces his combs I am not positive, but as he is very exact and particular, I have no doubt that he uses the orthodox l^i spacing. As to Mr. Dadant and myself " talking about two rather different things," I don't see it in that light. Mr. D. made the unqualified statement that " a colony will not winter well on combs that are entirely filled," saying noth- ing as to conditions. One cm hardly conceive of a colony filling all of the combs of the hive solid with honey, and wintering ; from the fact that such a condition would be well-nigh impossible with a queen in the hive. I remember once of a strong col- ony being hived on a full set of combs during a heavy honey-flow ; by some means the queen was lost and every comb was in this case filled solid. It is needless to say they did not winter; there were no bees left when the owner found the condition of affairs in October. If the Doctor will pardon the suggestion, I will say that possibly he is made to think that the bees would die between the combs, from the well-known fact that a few isolated bees to one side of the cluster always perish. With the con- tracted hive the spaces are filled from one end of the hive to the other, and from division-board to the side of the hive — an entirely different condition of affairs. In conclusion, as in the case of my reply to Mr. Dadant, I would ask Dr. Miller to test the matter, and then if he finds we are wrong, I, for one, will crawl off in the corner and attribute to "locality" the different results obtained here in Ontario. Markham, Ont. Time of Cellaring Bees BY F. L. DAY IN one of Dr. Miller's " Straws," in the Jan. 1st Glean- ings, he mentions putting his bees into the cellar Nov. 29. That was the very day I put mine in, here in north- ern Minnesota. As a rule, I should expect to get them in earlier, but this time circumstances were not favorable for so doing. In the first place, I use a combined stand and bottom- board, which I do not carry into the cellar. This makes it necessary to wait for a temperature as low as 15 to 20 de- grees above zero. Even then it is necessary to confine the bees, for I have to move them about 25 rods to the cellar in a gravel hillside. When a morning comes, which promises to be cold enough to suit me I go out about 6 a. m. to raise 100 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Feb. 1, 1906 up each hive body from its bottom-board. I put inch blocks under the two front corners. In over one-half of the hives I find the bees clustered right down on these bottom-boards, but the cold draft soon drives them up into the hive. • Then about 8 o'clock I begin to move them. I place an extra hive-stand beside a hive, with a large gunny-sack laid on top. Then I raise the hive to be moved and place it on the sack. Next I tie the sack about the hive with a cord having a heavy piece of elastic in the middle. This gener- ally keeps the bees in. Other years I used a common wheelbarrow, and took only one hive at a time. But this time there was a foot of snow, which made it necessary to use a horse and light sled, taking 3 hives at a trip. This was easier than the wheel- barrow, but setmed to rouse up the bees just the same. Of 30 hives put into the cellar, 29 were heavy with stores and strong in bees, to judge by the roar. The other one seemed light in both. It is interesting in this connection to note that all the 29 strong colonies had young queens of the past season's rearing, while the one weak colony had at the last examina- tion a clipped queen of the previous season. My queens live only one year, as a rule. In 4 years I have had but one that lived 2 years, and the result was not satisfactory in that case. The first season her colony gave me 210 pounds of extracted honey ; the second season only 65 pounds. This was about the poorest colony yield of that second season. My queens are either lost at swarming-time or superseded soon after. This gives a good chance to requeen from the best stock, which I have been doing the past season, and hope to reap returns next year. My bee-cellar, as now enlarged, is 16 feet long, 6 wide, and 6'i feet deep — just room for two rows of hives with a space in the middle. There are 2 pieces of 2x6 inch stuff for each row of hives to rest on. These are set edgewise about 11 inches apart, and fastened firmly together by cross- pieces. They are also blocked up 2 inches from the ground. There is room for 10 hives in each row, so that by putting in 3 or 4 tiers there would be room for 60 to 80 hives. The cellar has a board roof just above ground. On this, after the bees are put in, I place a good layer of forest leaves, and then a load of wheat-straw. There is a trap- door for ventilation. I put several gunny-sacks over the opening, and a few sacks filled with leaves on top. I have a thermometer hanging down by a string so that I can as- certain the temperature at any time. I can usually keep it within a range of 5 degrees all winter. So far this winter (Jan. 10) there has been only 1 degree's variation. It has been either 42 or 43 degrees all the time. This cellar cost $10 besides my own labor. Other years my bees have had sugar syrup almost en- tirely for winter stores, and have come through finely. This winter they have nearly all honey. It remains to be seen if they will winter as well as formerly. Detroit City, Minn. Work in the Apiary for February BY C. P. DADANT THERE is less work in the apiary during this and the previous month than in any other month of the year. Now is the time for the apiarist to prepare for another season by getting the hives, sections, etc., ready for sum- mer use. If all goes well we should be prepared for a honey harvest when it comes. The apiarist is usually a farmer or a gardener, or fruit-grower, and he is kept busy with his dif- ferent lines at the time when the bees store honey. There- fore, he will succeed best if he can save time during the winter. A good sunny basement, with plenty of light, is an ideal place to nail hives or sections. The more prosperous apiarists will have a heated room in some part of their house where they can do all the work, including folding sections and fastening the comb foundation. Painting hives is also a good thing to attend to at this time. Old hives that are accidentally unoccupied by bees should be overhauled. In painting hives, especially old ones, attention should be paid mainly to the corners and joints, as they are most apt to rot. The careless painter should be told what the good housekeeper tells a careless housemaid, " Clean the corners, and the middles will take care of themselves.'' So we will say to the hive painter, " Paint the angles and the joints, the middles will take care of themselves," for we paint hives fully as much to make them last as to make them look nice. Good roofs, for sheltering the hives against the sun and rain, are made very cheaply from old dry goods boxes, which you may be able to secure from the general store in your town. A fair size dry goods box will make six flat roofs. If you have artistic taste, these roofs may be made ornamental. But if you are working for profit without re- gard to the esthetic, a flat roof will be sufficient to secure the hive against the inclemencies of the weather, the soak- ing of the rains and the drying and warping action of the hot summer sun. A hive sheltered with the very roughest of roofs will last twice as long as one which is only painted and left to withstand the irregularities of the Siberian winters and African summers that are so often the portion of our so- called temperate countries. The bees will need attention only if the weather be- comes mild. A warm, sunny day, when the thermometer rises to 60 in the shade, is quite a boon to the bees, espe- cially if the ground is free from snow. On such a day we must make sure that nothing will prevent or disturb their flight. If the hive-entrance should be clogged with dead bees they should be removed. But, on the other hand, during the cold weather we must be very sure that nothing arouses our bees. Cattle or sheep in the bee yard will disturb them from time to time. When the hive is jarred some of the bees leave the cluster to ascertain the cause of the disturbance, and they are often chilled before they can return. Thus the colony will slowly dwindle, and when spring comes it is too weak to recuperate. So far (Jan. 10) we have had the finest winter that I have ever seen, and if it continues the bees will winter finely. But February is yet to come, and it is probably the most treacherous month in the year. Hamilton, 111. (£onr>ention Proceedings "^ J Report of the Ontario Convention [Continued from page 84.] PRODUCTION OF COMB HONEY In the production of comb honey colonies must be strong in bees and brood at the beginning of clover bloom. As soon as the first blossoms appear put on one super of clean or new sections ji tied with thin super foundation and with separators. As soon as this is about half filled, if well covered with bees, put another super under the first ; when these are about filled, and prospects are still good for some days, put a third super on top of these. When well started in this last super, the first two will likely be ready to take off, after which, if pros- pects are good for a continued flow, put another under: if likely to close before both are finished, and bees need room, put it on top. Should there still be prospects of continued flow from clover or basswood, continue as before — put a third on top. I do not think it advisable to put more than 3 supers on at any one time. Thus far it is assumed that bees have not swarmed. Where they swarm— and usually 5'J to 75 percent will do so in producing comb honey — hive them, 2 and sometimes more, swarms together on 4 drawn combs or full sheets of founda- tion ; fill up the balance of the hive with dummies on the old stand, first putting the supers from the old hive on the new, with a queen-excluder under. Turn the old hive around and set it a little way back. In the evenin? turn it around and set it along side the swarm on the right hand side. If in- crease is desired, move to a new stand the sixth day, and they will seldom swarm again during the season. In about 3 weeks examine them to see if they have a laying queen ; if so, and quite strong in bees, and prospects are good for a fall flow, give them an extracting super with 4 or 5 combs ; fill up the super with dummies, and they will, if the season is good, give cjuite a little surplus. Give the queen room below for brood. Where increase is not desired, in about 2 weeks after the swarms are hived, fill up the hives with bees and brood from colonies that have swarmed within 7 days, fint cutting out all queen-cells. If there are still more colonies than you want, double up by shaking off all the bees from any number of. colonies into one with a voting laying queen, until they are Feb. 1, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 101 strong in bees. You can then give them a super of sections or extracting combs, as you wish. Place the remaining combs of brood and honey in extracting supers over the colonies weakest in bees you have in the yard ; the young bees hatch- ing will strengthen them, and any honey stored in them, or already in, will come good for feeding in fall or spring. As soon as all, or nearly all, the sections in each super are capped they should be removed from the hive, by raising up and putting a board with a bee-escape under for a few hours — not more than about 12 hours — when most of the bees will have gone out. The supers should then be carried into a room with one window, to which any remaining bees will By, when the window maybe opened and the bees will return to their homes. Any bits of comb on the bottom of the supers should be scraped off. Now as to the care of comb honey: The supers should be piled up as high as convenient, say about 15 high, outside on the ground, with an empty super under. Place in a dish on top a few table spoonfuls of bisulphide of carbon. Cover up tight for about 12 hours, and it will be safe from any dam- age from the wax-moth. The honey should then be carried into a warm, dry room and piled so the air can circulate through it for 2 or 3 weeks, or until you are ready to clean it up and pack for market. R. Lowey. OUT-APIARIES AND THEIR HANAQEMENT. Tn dealing with this question it might be considered. by a meat many bee-keepers as one in which they had little interest, as such a small percentage of those who keep bees ever manage out-yards. However, I think if we look a little closer into the matter we will find that it i- of more or less importance in bee-keeping. I inly in rare instances do we find persons who are fortunate enough to have a locality, a strain of bees, or some superior system of management, which enables them to keep a sufficient number of colonies in one yard to allow them to be classed as specialists in bee-keeping, or large producers of honey. Bee-keepers who are almost solely depending upon their honey crop as their source of income, are desirous that their crop should be of such proportions as to furnish them ample funds for a com- fortable living, and find that under ordinary conditions such a quantity of honey cannot be produced in one apiary alone, By distributing our colonies in yards away from our home-yard we are enabled to allow our bees a much larger area to gather nectar from without their having to travel great distances. By doing this we can keep a large number of colonies, devote all our time and study to this one work, be a specialist in this particular line, be always looking for better things in management, produc- tion, and marketing of honey, etc., and we are accomplish- ing for the bee-keeping world something which cannot be overlooked. Besides, we are turning into a sole occupa- tion a profitable and pleasant .work, which in a great many instances is regarded as a mere side-line. From what I can learn from observation and other- wise, the fewer number of colonies kept in a given area the better the results secured. Taking this as a basis, we will have to determine to our own satisfaction what is going to be the limit of the number of colonies kept in one yard, according to our own management and locality. Speaking out of my own experience, I would suggest 100 good colonies in the spring, which might be increased to 150 during the season. To increase those numbers would mean that you reduce the yield per colony, increase the desire to swarm, and have a larger amount of bees and brood to sustain on the nectar of the field covered. To reduce the number means you reduce the income on some investments, viz.. cost of establishing the yard, cosi of maintaining the yard, attendance, etc. In establishing out-apiaries the first consideration should be locality. The area to be covered by the bees should furnish ample forage without traveling territory covered by bees from other yards, which would place it about 3 miles from any other large yard. See that the territory has some honey-and-pollen yielding trees and shrubs for spring stimulating, as well as a full quota of basswood. clover, and perhaps a little buckwheat. A locality can best be judged after a practical test of two seasons, as sometimes a half mile materially affects the yield secured. Xext locate the site for the yard, which is an all- important matter. If possible choose a sheltered spot if bees are to be wintered there outdoors, and have it shady if you desire trees. I prefer no live trees, but set out a half dozen tufty cedars by standing them in tiles set in the ground. You will see on your arrival in an instant if any swarms have clustered. One of our most satisfactory sites was in the center of a pasture-field about 15 rods from the highway. A good, tight house, bee-proof and dry. is a necessity, of course, but as out-apiaries are not permanent institu- tions we can do very well with any means of shelter for supers, empty hives, extracting outfit, etc., that sheds rain and storm. A small tent can be made of cheap cotton to extract in. if the building does not exclude robber- bees, when the season arrives, for undoubtedly you will have considerable extracting to do after the main honey- flow is over, if you are an out-yard man. Another ad- vantage the cotton tent has, it gets very warm with the rays of the sun, and honey that is very thick can be easily extracted in cool weather. "We like a good house al out own yards, where we can store the honey when it i^ extracted until we have time- to remove it to the railway station. This saves handling, especially when we are busy; but if such is not available the honey can be taken home in 60-pound tins as it is extracted, and can be strained from the extractor after taking it home. For wintering, if you do not wish to put the bees in cellars or repositories they can be successfully wintered outdoors, packed in suitable cases with 4 or 6 inches of good packing around the hives. Set the cases about S inches above the ground, and protect the yard with a tight fence on the west and north sides 6 feet high to break the force of the wind and keep out the snow. We now come to the most important question of all,' "managing the bees." In the fall and spring we find the bee-keeper (aided by what he can prepare during the winter months I is quite capable of attending to several apiaries, but when it comes to the busy summer season, when the bees swarm and gather honey, you will have to decide which plan of the many ways and means suits your individual tastes, your locality, and perhaps hives. Any plan that can be successfully applied to any yard can be applied to an out-yard. Only, thoroughness is more essential in your work at the out-yard than at the home yard, because the out-yard will be. for a great part of the time, without any attention, and many little things might get the benefit of your watch- fulness at home that the out-yard will not receive. The work must also be done systematically and seasonably, not putting off till to-morrow what you can do to-day. Dexis Nolan. Mr. Saunders said he did not count on a shady or sheltered place for the bees. The wind would keep the bees m wdien they ought not to fly. Mr. Deadman said when hoops of barrels are well driven, nails should be put behind them to keep them from sliding. As to wind, he preferred the bees sheltered and shaded. If the wind happens to blow the way the hives face, it does no good in keeping the bees in. Mr, Holtermann considered shade a very important consideration in the prevention of swarming. As to bar- rels, one should get good barrels which have not been weather-beaten. Have cooper-tools and attend to them properly. With his inside strainer in the extractor the extracted strained honey runs through a rubber-hose directly into the barrel. Mr. Holtermann can, and does, manage with very little Swarming, by using large hives, plenty of room, and ventilation in the super. Mr. Sibbald — Glucose barrels when emptied are steamed inside to get out the last bit of glucose. This melts off the original wax and makes it advisable to wax them inside before filling with honey, to prevent the staves taking up honey. Mr. McEvoy — When the barrels have not been steamed inside they are all right, but otherwise they should be waxed inside and painted outside. Mr. Holtermann — Leakage is intensified by change of weather. Mr. Pettit related his experience by which he learned to cooper barrels. They should be thoroughly dried, and the hoops driven with a good steel driver and 4-pound hammer. If the staves do not come well together at the ends loosen the hoops and flag the cracks with flags or even cotton cloth, then drive the hoops again. After the barrels have ben filled and left in a hot room a week or so, drive the hoops again. If they should persi-t in leak- 102 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Feb. 1, 1906 ing between the staves, tamp them by driving a hard cord into the crack with a suitable tamping iron. Air. Saunders — To prevent swarming equalize brood, then when the swarming impulse starts take out three combs of brood, putting in two frames of foundation and one comb. In the fall I generally find these two-thirds filled with honey. Mr. Holtermann — I don't succeed in having founda- tion put in in this way, filled with brood. Mr. Pettit — Take them early and put in only one frame of foundation at a time. Mr. Alpaugh — Add foundation at the outsides, but put drawn combs in the center. Mr. Nolan — For winter packing use leaves. Try to prevent swarming with super-room and ventilation. Remove some brood as soon as cell-cups are started. Remove larval brood, not hatching brood. Mr. Holtermann — As colonies come up to full strength draw brood from full colonies and give to the next strong- est— not to the weakest. When all are built up don't make a whole lot of nuclei, but build up by degrees. Mr. Byer — Add an extra brood-chamber to the strong ones. Mr. Hershiser recommended what Mr. Holtermann had said at Niagara Falls. He would go further and take frames of eggs from weak colonies and give to the medium. Mr. Holtermann — Increase the super-room until the hive equals the strength of the colony, holding the colony together till it reaches that point where the death-rate and birth-rate are equal. I favor not extracting until the end of the season. Mr. Dickenson thinks the second super should be taken off as soon as it is ready. Mr. Armstrong— It is a good point to let them alone till the end of the season, then extract. Mr. Lower— I should leave the honey with the bees till it will "hair." Mr. Bowen has not much trouble with swarming, running for extracted honey. He has a complete break between fruit-bloom and white clover. (The End). Southern * 33eebom -f =% Conducted by Louis H. Scholl, New Braunfels, Tex. Be Careful With Dead Colonies That warning of R. F. Holtermann, on page 861, is a timely one. He calls attention to the care of dead colonies in the spring on account of the dangers of foul brood. As it may not have been heeded, I should call special attention to this matter, especially in " Southern Beedom." Fortu- nately, the Southern States have had very little trouble with the dreaded disease, Bacillus alvei, or commonly called foul brood. For many years the majority of the beekeepers of Texas did not even pay any attention to articles on any such subject as foul brood, foul brood eradication, and foul brood laws. Recently, however, a number of very severe cases have made their appearance at different points, and the bee-keepers have been awakened. Foul brood received more attention, and protection from it was resorted to. A foul brood law for Texas was obtained, and put to work. As the disease has not spread to any extent, it can be con- trolled if properly taken in hand. The utmost care should be practiced by the beekeepers, however, to keep it from spreading, and to prevent any further introduction into other localities. In this connection our hints on taking care of dead colonies should be heeded. Especially the inexperienced or careless beekeeper may not know the cause from which colonies died, or dead colonies may be left uunoticed in any apiary. These may be robbed out by other colonies in the neighborhood. If diseased with foul brood it is then car- ried to these, and thus the disease spreads. I know from my experience as foul brood inspector that just such things exist sometimes. Out of an apiary of 32 colonies at one place, 28 were diseased with foul brood, and 24 of these were dead. They remained in the yard in this latter condition throughout the whole season, and were robbed out by other colonies. Is it a wonder, then, that foul brood is a dreaded scourge, especially since it takes only a single germ or a spore to infect a whole apiary, or the whole neighborhood ? Bee-keepers, if you are interested, first, in the welfare of your little workers, and, second, to the extent of having them make your " bread and butter," why don't you wake up and do your duty ? Foul brood is to be dreaded in the least, and should not be tolerated. Texas has a foul brood law, and if the bee-keepers do their part foul brood can be exterminated. The other States in the South should fall in line — the bee-keepers of these should do their part also. Why I Do Not Advocate Feeding Honey and Exchang- ing Honey-Combs In previous articles the feeding of sugar syrup or sugar candy only has been given, no mention being made of feed- ing honey, or syrup made of honey, or of exchanging combs of honey from strong colonies to weaker or needy ones. My reason for this — and a reason I make a strong one — is that of the danger of spreading bee-diseases. In the hands of the experienced apiarist there may be little danger in this respect, still it is at a great risk if practiced even by the ex- perienced sometimes. For the novice, or the careless, I would not advocate it. Several cases have come under my observation in recent years that have caused me to denounce the practice, unless a person is absolutely certain that there is no danger. In an apiary of an experienced bee-keeper the majority of colonies needed feeding, and were fed by giving combs of honey from the supers of several stronger ones. Later it was discovered that one of these latter had foul brood — from where, is not known to this day. Any way, the re- sult was that the disease broke out in about 20 of the others that had been fed honey from the foul-broody colony. In another, honey was bought and syrup made from it was used for feeding. Foul brood broke out so violently the next season, and the apiary being for the time in the hands of incompetent help, the whole number of colonies in it had to be burned later. It is dangerous, therefore, to use honey from an unknown source, and by using a high grade of granulated sugar this danger is overcome. (Dur+Sister Beekeepers j Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. A Canadian Sister's Report for 1905 On page 730 (1905) mention was made of the success of Miss Trevorrow, as reported in the Canadian Bee Journal, with the request that Editor Craig would give us a little more light on the subject. This he has kindly done in the following : Owing to our visit to Meadowvale being somewhat hur- ried, we missed much information that we would like to have had regarding Miss Trevorrow's management of her bees, but which we hope she will favor this Journal with in the near future. We regret to learn that just at present it is necessary for her to undergo a course of treatment for rheumatism at the Dr. Walters' Sanitarium, from where she kindly sends us the following in reply to Miss Wilson's enquiry : "Mr. Editor: — When I read the comment, in the American Bee Journal's latest issue, upon the reference you had made to my bee-keeping in the Canadian Bee Journal, it struck me as possible that you might not be possessed of the needed information to reply satisfactorily to the inter- ested enquiries of our American sister. I, therefore, sub- mit the following data, trusting that it may be of use to you in granting her reasonable request : " I had 33 colonies of bees last spring, all in good condi- tion. From these I extracted 4400 pounds of white honey, and about 300 pounds of dark honey. (We have no very Feb. 1, 19<6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 103 dark honey in this vicinity.) I had 93 sections of No. 1 comb honey, and about the same number partly -filled. I have not made a success of comb honey yet. " I might state here, in anticipation of a very pertiuent question in regard to fall feeding, that I fed 817 pounds of sugar this fall, the number of colonies having increased to 49 ; and also state in regard to locality that when this yard consisted of 5 first-class colonies they yielded 928 pounds of extracted honey, and increased the number of colonies to 15. Other apiaries are from 3 to 5 miles distant." M. B. Trevorrow. Feeding Bees In Winter- Getting Queens to Laying After Swarming My bees have not been profitable for several years, and I want to ask your advice about a scheme I have thought of. In this country they fly many, many days — sometimes for a week, or even two, continuously, during the winter — when it is warm enough for them to be out. I judge from my reading that this takes much more food than in a climate where they stay quietly all winter. I fear, as this winter has been so far unusually mild, and there is of course noth- ing for them to gather, that perhaps they don't have enough. Is it wise to feed during the winter ? If so, how ? Each February I made a gallon of syrup at a time and put in a shallow zinc pan in the sun. On this I put a thin board full of holes a quarter of an inch wide, the board large enough to float on the syrup and come almost to the edge of the pan. They used it up very speedily. It was at quite a distance from the hives, so they all used it together. As far as I can judge, it worked all right. Please tell me if there is a better way. My sole dependence for honey here is alfalfa. We are greatly troubled with grasshoppers that eat off the bloom, but I have always had some beautiful honey from the first crop which blooms from the 1st to the middle of May. My bees then are about ready to swarm, so I get only a part of which I might otherwise have. I have tried destroying queen-cells to delay swarming, but not very successfully. Could I hurry things up by stimulative feeding so that swarming would be over by May 1 ? Our springs are not very early. Fruit-bloom comes from April 1 to the middle — sometimes not until the last, because though we have warm, almost summer days, we are apt to have a late frost even up to May 1, and there is nothing else for them to build up on. If you think it practical to take them through swarm- ing so that I may take advantage of this first alfalfa crop by feeding them, will you kindly submit a plan for me? and would you advise me trying it on all my 12 colonies, or only a few of them ? Another difficulty seems to be in the getting to work of the young queens after swarming. For 3 years I have had to buy some new queens in July, finding that though work seems to start well, suddenly the queen disappears. Have you any solution to offer for that difficulty ? I shall be very grateful for your answers, which I know from experience will be helpful. (Miss) Helen Perry. Englewood, Kan., Jan. 5. No, it is not wise to feed during winter, but it is better than to let the bees starve. Your plan of feeding was doing for the bees the very thing you wished to avoid, as it was stimulating them to flying and brood -rearing. If bees must be fed during, winter it is better to give them all they will need at one time, and it is better to feed on or in the hive. As you have weather warm enough for them to take the feed in the open, there ought to be no trouble in getting them to take it in a Miller feeder, or any other feeder that may be preferred. Whether anything can be done to hurry up swarming depends. You say fruit blooms in April. If there is an utter dearth before fruit-bloom, or between fruit-bloom and alfalfa, and at the same time the weather is favorable for daily flight, then feed given almost any way, every day or every other day, may make quite a difference in the time of swarming. Another thing you can do : Two or three weeks before you would like to have them swarm, take frames of sealed brood from the weaker ones and give to the stronger, thus making them so populous that they will swarm earlier. In this way you can at least get part of them to swarm earlier. If they still fail to swarm early enough to suit you, you can take matters into your own hands by shaking swarms ; that is, taking away all brood from the colony and giving it empty combs, foundation or starters. Even if you let the bees alone, and they swarm when alfalfa is on, you can still manage so you will have a fair yield. When the bees swarm set the swarm on the old stand. Place the old colony close beside it. In a week put the old colony on a new stand, and that will throw all the flying force into the swarm, and from that you will get your surplus honey. The disappearance of young queens after swarming is probably due to loss during the wedding flight. There is nothing to do about it except to help the queens locate their own hives. Trees, vines, even a fence-post, will help them mark their own home. =———==— ^. ZHt\ pasty's dftcrtl^ougfyts j The " Old Reliable" as seen through New and Unreliable Gla66es. By E. E. Hasty, Sta. B. Rural, Toledo, Ohio. Preventing Honey Granulating by Heating. As to the scheme to prevent granulation by heating extracted honey in the solar wax-extractor, my first thought is that honey that I have seen come out of the solar has always been pretty black and strong. It is possible, how- ever, that clean, good honey, perfectly free from beeswax, might not be harmed by the treatment. Ought not to take a great while to find out. Pretty certain that contact with melted beeswax is a bad thing, whether it does all the mis- chief or not. Page 877. No Bee-Book a Bee-Keeper's Bible. All right to read Bible — and a bee-book, if the reader does not get them mixed. I fear we have no bee-book yet quite entitled to stand as Bee-Keeper's Bible. Glad to feel that we have several that can " file a claim." Page 879. Honey Absent from Hotel Tables. I think most of us will share the surprise of Prof. Cook, to find that in England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Belgium, Holland and Germany almost no hotels set honey before the guest, not even when he asks for it. All samee we'uns ! 'Spects the cause is the same on both sides of the pond. Retail price has been kept out of the reach of common folks ; and the habit of common folks has become in this case the habit of all. But no plan to remedy things by going back along that line will give universal satisfaction. Some of the brethren will kick pretty lively at Prof. Cook's proposed prices ; but nevertheless I guess he is right. No kick from me. I sell a large share of my (not very large) crops direct to consumers, and let them have best extracted at 7 cents and best comb for 14. And when the brethren try to buy me clean out and put a stop to it I won't let 'em. As a result, people in my locality eat honey. That only one person in Britain relies wholly on bee- products for support will be a still greater surprise, I imag- ine. Page 880. To Cellar or Not to Cellar Bees. Curved is the line of beauty ; straight is the line of duty— and 40 degrees is the line of keep your bees out of the cellar. I think C. P. Dadant has located said line about as well as it can be located. Page 880. Some Experimental Programs— Longevity of Bees. Also our professors seem to range themselves in the two classes of Has-dones and Is-doings. Prof. Scholl, of Texas, seems to threaten taking the place of chief of the Is-doings. Has an experimental program of 10 items, and 6 more up his sleeve. Somehow, I take special interest in the effort to determine comparative length of life as lived by the 6 or 7 different kinds of bees now " on the carpet." Not so impor- tant as some things ; but it strikes me as likely to result in something definite and settled. Too often our investiga- tions result merely in a chronic difference of opinion. This one will also if we " —Don't— Watch— Out." I take it that Prof. Scholl is quite capable of watching out, and hardly needs my reminders. Besides the things he mentions, it is in the highest degree necessary that two races tested side and side should be in equal degrees of activity ; and this is best attained by a good honey-flow. To illustrate what I 104 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Feb. 1, 1906 ' mean, if we test the life-terms of Italians beside blacks in August, when the honey-flow is very poor, but not entirely lacking, we may catch the Italians in nearly an average state of activity, and the blacks in a semi-dormant condi- tion. The result of this would be that the blacks would live very much the longer just then, and the conclusions drawn from the experiment would be enormously false. Page 882. Langstroth Hives and Others. Calling all frame hives after Langstroth (as Mr. Doo- little seems to suggest on page 881) has pretty good logic to support it, and is no more than justice to our grand old man — but, but, Language has laws of its own which mostly will conquer and enforce themselves in the end. The terms " Langstroth frame " and "Langstroth hive " are pretty well settled already, and are very unlikely to be changed much. Our multitudinous frame-hives seem to range them- selves mostly in three families — the Langstroths (which are intermediate in character), the square-frame hives, and the shallow-frame hives. If we make room for a fourth family it will probably be the "barns" — hives with extra-big frames, and plenty of them, but not altogether square. (T \= (Eanabtcm *23eebom-f ^ Conducted by Moblet Pettit, Villa Nova, Oot. J Barrels for Honey A little discussion on honey -barrels at the Ontario Bee- Keepers' Convention last November suggested to me the idea that some of the Canadian readers and others would be interested in my experience. The kind almost universally used in this country are emptied glucose barrels, obtained from biscuit and confectionery factories. They are made of comparatively soft wood, and contain from 600 to 700 pounds. The confectioners drain them, and sometimes steam them out to get the last bit of contents, then store them in basement, shed, or yard, ready for the buyer who gets them at a comparatively low price, and assumes most of the responsibility for their care. If storage is to be had at home, it is best to get them there as soon as possible, and have them ready early for the honey season. Bung plugs can be got at any well-ordered planing mill at a merely nominal price. No one can afford to make these with a pocket-knife while there are turning- lathes in the land. Plug the bungs tightly to keep out dust, and see that the barrel is in every other way ready for the honey. First plug the air-hole which the factory-man made with a chisel to let the glucose run freely from the bung. Be sure there is not more than one air-hole, because if you do not find all leaks before the honey is in the barrel you will afterward. Now for tightening the hoops. Having set the barrel on end, remove the first hoop, and make it smooth inside by flattening back with a hammer the points which were set into the stave with a punch. I find a hoop that is smooth inside is easy to drive, and never slips back enough to bother. Replace this hoop and fix the others the same in succession. For drivirg hoops we use a steel driver with straight handle 10 inches long. It is made to fit the edge of a hoop and hardened there, but just soft enough on the upper end so a steel hammer will not batter it. The hammer weighs Zl/2 pounds- An ordinary carpenter's hammer is entirely too light for the job. I always wear a leather glove on the left hand that holds the driver, then hammer the hoops till they fairly "sing." I have never bursted a hoop yet, but have done a great deal towards stopping leaks. Sometimes by rough handling of empties, staves get cracked across the middle ; a double thickness of cotton with a piece of tin well tacked over such will remove danger of leakage. Barrels for honey should be as dry as possible, for in- stead of taking moisture from the honey the staves give up moisture to the honey and shrink, if possible. They should therefore be stored in a dry place, and the hoops well driven. I remember hearing N. E. France say once that there was always a racket in his store-rooms on rainy days — the boys were driving hoops on the barrels. On this account the hoops should be tested a few days after the barrels are filled. I have had hoops that were tight before filling drive a half inch or more. This is always worse where the barrels have been left out in the weather. It is very injurious to them to get wet. The staves swell, and, being held by the iron hoops, something has to give so the cell-structure of the wood is crushed and the elasticity is gone out of it. It is very hard, after that, to keep them from leaking. I had all kinds of trouble with barrels like that last summer. They had been left out in the weather a great deal, and it seemed impossible to stop their leaking. The trouble was next to the heads. I could not draw the ends of the staves together till I hit upon a plan which, no doubt, a cooper would have known beforehand. I drove the hoops tight to see which cracks would not come together, marked those, loosened up the hoops, and put dried flags, and some- times cotton rags, in those cracks ; then drove the hoops tight. Where barrels persisted in leaking, a hard cord was driven into the crack with a hammer and blunt chisel. In my estimation, barrels of honey should be kept by the producer in as hot and dry a place as they are likely to get into after they leave his hands, and hoops all tested with heavy hammer just before shipping, unless the honey is granulated. M I » Various Weather Conditions in Canada We notice the revival in the American Bee Journal of the depart- ment entitled " Canadian Beedom." This time it is being conducted by our friend from Villa Nova, who is, by the way, I believe, the only " M.P.1' in our ranks. In a recent issue we find some complaint as to weather conditions this fall in Ontario; no chance for bees to have a cleansing flight before going into the cellar, etc. Surmise that friend P took his bees into the cellar a few days too soon if his locality was anything like in York County during the last few days of Novem- ber, when bees here had a thorough flight. Since then the weather has been quite mild most of the time, and the bees have had more flights. These are possibly conducive to best wintering. However, the chances are that they will be kept pretty quiet for the next two months. — York Countt Bee-Keeper. [Weather here, and, we presume, at Villa Nova, while fine and mild for the season, has not been warm enough for anything like a general flight. This old Ontario does give a great variety of climate. We have had scarcely any snow here so far this winter. Fifteen miles north they are having good sleighing. — Editor.] — Canadian Bee Journal. Thanks, Mr. Y. C. B.K. Of course, we should not over- look the Hon. Nelson Monteith, M. P. P., bee-keeper, fruit- grower, and Minister of Agriculture, though he has been a member for a comparatively short time, whereas the Villa Nova man has borne the title for about 30 years. As to weather, the last few days have broken all records, I think. Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Jan. 20, 21, 22, the temperature ranged between SO and f 8 degrees, Fahr., with south breeze and sunshine. The outdoor winterers are having their innings this year. Prejudice Against Bees on Alfalfa " York County Bee Keeper," speaking of the cattlemen's prejudice in Nevada against bees working on their alfalfa, says, "Happily, at present anyway, we have nothing to fear in Ontario from prejudice of this kind." Don't be too sure, Mr. "York County Bee-Keeper." I could take you to a neighborhood in Norfolk county where neighbors told a woman she would lose 200 bushels from her yield of buckwheat by having bees work on it. When the buckwheat was ripening, however, she was satisfied with her crop. The prejudice against bees on some crops which they actually benefit is alarming, and shows a wide field for mis- sion work by Farmers' Institute speakers. Shallow vs. Deep Supers Wm. L. Cooper, in the Canadian Bee Journal, speaking of shallow vs. deep supers, says in defense of the former : The deep super is far the best for general purposes, but the other has its uses, and I claim for it the following advantages: 1. It is best for a weak colony in a rapid flow. 2. It is best for any colony in a very light flow. 3. It is most useful to induce bees to work in sections. 4. It is good to use in spring when a colony has about tilled the lower story with brood and honey. If a full super be given at this time the strain of keeping the double story warm at nights is very severe. Feb. 1, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 105 ^ Doctor filler's Question * Box j Send questions either to the office of the American Bee Journal, or to Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, 111. ^ST Dr. Miller does not answer Questions by mail. Making Increase— Queen-Excluders and Comb Honey- Fastening Full Sheets of Foundation In Sections Our main flow here is from buckwheat, and is very short, often lasting- but a few days. I have some bees in 8- frame Gallup hives, and want to make all the increase I can up to the time buckwheat comes into bloom (about Aug. 1), and put the increase into dovetail hives, but leave the origi- nal colonies in the Gallup hives, to save the expense of buy- ing so many hives, then turn the whole force to storing' buckwheat honey, having all full colonies by Aug. 1. 1. What would be your plan for making the increase ? 2. Is it necessary to use queen-excluders with dovetailed hives in producing comb honey (I run for comb honey ex- clusively) ? Would you use bound, unbound, or wood-and- zinc ? 3. What is your method of fastening full sheets all around in the sections? I have had some trouble with them coming loose when fastened only at the top with a Parker fastener, and using bottom starters. Pennsylvania. Answers.— 1. It isn't easy to say what will be the best plan of increase for you. One's previous plans and experi- ences have much to do with it. If your increase up to this date has been entirely by natural swarming, that may be the best now. But in that case try to get your surplus honey chiefly from the swarms. Remember that 50,000 bees in one hive will store more than 2 colonies of 25,000 each. So when a colony swarms, put the swarm on the old stand, and set the old colony as close as you can beside it. Then a week later move the old colony to a new stand some distance away. That will make the swarm a rouser, and it will do fine work for you if there is any- thing to be done. The old colony will do little or nothing in supers, but having a young queen it ought to be a fine colony for the ensuing season. You will see that will leave all the old colonies in the Gallup hives, and the swarms in the new kind. If you do not want to wait for natural swarms, you can practise shaking swarms. That is, set an empty hive on the old stand and shake bees into it, leaving just enough bees in the old hive to keep the brood from chilling, setting it on a new stand and letting it rear a queen ; although it will be much better to give it a queen or a ripe queen cell. 2. I wouldn't use excluders for comb honey. 3. At our house we use the Daisy fastener, which has a hot metal plate. That melts the edge of the foundation, fastening it more securely than by mere pressure, and the work is a good deal easier. Feeding Bees In Early Spring I have 65 colonies of bees which I think I will have to feed in the spring. I think of putting a piece of muslin over the frames and an oilcloth and the cover over it, and then raise the oilcloth and cover when pouring the syrup over the muslin, and cover up again. I can feed them in a short time in this way. The syrup will be made of half honey and sugar-water. Will this daub the bees up too much ? When the muslin is on the hives a few days there will be little holes in it so the syrup will run through quite freely. Will it hurt the bees any to have the syrup run on them and be daubed up some- what with it. Wisconsin. Answer. — It depends upon how early in the spring you operate. If after it is warm enough for bees to fly freely it will be all right ; the bees will clean each other if they get daubed ; but if you attempt it at a time when too cool for bees to be on the move, it would be likely to do more harm than good. Reports anb (Experiences Good Season For Bees One year ago I put 11" colonies into winter quarters. I lost one last spring with paraly- sis. They did not increase any the past sea- son. I obtained 12,000 pounds of honey, over one-half of it comb honey in one-pound sec- tions, and the balance extracted. It is about all sold at prices ranging from 13 to 15 cents. I have sold about $1200 worth. Bees are in good condition for winter, and heavy with honey. B. W. Peck. Dorset, Ohio, Dec. 30, 1905. Bees Did Poorly in 1905 Bee6 did poorly last year. We started in the spring with 24 colonies; had one swarm, and got about 500 pounds of extracted honey. They were so weak this fall that we doubled them down to IS colonies. Nearly half of the bees throughout the surrounding country are already dead. We have had good weather this winter ; no snow, and the ground is dry and dusty — poor prospect for clover. Richard Chinn, Concord, Neb., Dec. 28, 1905. Light and Heavy Weight Sections I have my bees all packed well for winter. Some one stole 3 sections of honey off the hives, as I had 1 super left on last week. It was done while we were out selling honey. There is quite a good deal written about the weight of section honey. I have many different kinds, some produced with separa- tors and others with no separators. Many sections will weigh 19 or 20 ounces each, while some weigh 14 or 15 ounces. Perhaps 10 out of 28 will weigh 1 pound My wife and I go out with the horse and buggy and sometimes sell 30 or 40 sections a trip. When selling, I weigh every section, and then those that do not come close to a pound I put with those that weigh over a pound, and in this way a light one and a heavy one will weigh 2 pounds, which I sell for 25 cents; or 1 pound for 13 cents. We sell all our honey around town. Belmont, N. Y. Geo. Hodges. Poor Season for Bees The season of 1905 was rather poor for bees in this part of the State. I got 700 pounds of comb honey from 36 colonies, spring count. The flrst of the season was cold and wet, then the dry weather cut off the fall flow. I put my bees into a dry cellar under the dwelling house Dec. 1, in medium condition. I consider the American Bee Journal one of the best of its kind of literature. I read it with pleasure and profit every week. John Cline. Darlington, Wis., Dec. 15, 1905. Sweet Clover Honey I have been watching various statements by different people regarding sweet clover ; some do not think that it yields well. Nevertheless, I got about 20 pounds per colony from it, and neighbor bee-keepers averaged about the same this year, and it left our bees in very good shape for winter. The reason we happened to have such a plenty of sweet clover is because some one planted it along the banks of the Grand river, and the river distributed the seed everywhere. Well, as to taste of honey. Some have said it was poor and thin, and had a peculiar flavor ; also an odd smell of its own. That is all true, but the trouble is that that honey was ex- tracted too soon. One of my neighbors had a little of that kind of experience this year; he got the odd flavor and the smell, while another neighbor farther away, and myself, left our honey on the hives some weeks longer than our friend did, and got A No. 1 honey, clear and heavy, with a flrst class taste to it, and no smell whatever. Another thing about this plant is, it fur- nishes supplies for the bees until it is almost too cold for them to fly, where cattle get at it and keep it eaten down somewhat. Preston, Ont., Jan. 2, W. D. Harris. Foote's Swarm-Hiving Box I want to thank Mr. Hasty for his criticism of my "Swarm-Taking Box and Pole" (page 883). But he (rather HaBty-ly, I think) jumps at a conclusion and lands on the wrong side of the fence when he votes the "whole scheme a failure and a nuisance." After re- peated trials I have decided that " that style of doings" is a complete success. He is very decidedly still on the wrong side of the fence when he intimates that I " waste time hiving a. pari of a swarm." I have not kept bees, with very good success, for 20 yeirs to be sat- isfied without securing the "whole thing." But I see that I will have to reverse the order of things and make a short story long in order for himself and "some of the brethren" to un- derstand how I manage the affair. In the flrst place, I have a slim, light pole about 18 feet long, to the top of which a strong iron hook is securely fastened to operate as a shaker. When a swarm first be- gins to cluster, and I think it is necessary to U6e this pole, I hang it on the limb close to the cluster, then get the swarm-catcher, stand the pole under the cluster, steady it with one hand, run the box to the top and fasten it there by winding the cord around the bracket at the bottom. Then, with the other hand, I take hold of the " shaker" and shake the bees from the limb into the box. If a few persist in going back to the limb, I repeat the shak- ing until all of them cluster in, or on, the 106 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Feb. 1, 1906 Now BEEKEEPERS ^Mfi *° SUPPLIES Mail WRITE FOR IT TODAY My proposition is the best ODe yet. The Catalog will tell you all about it. Remember, I have beeo in the business over 20 years, arid carry the largest stock in the"West. sands of dollars worth of goods now on hand, ready for distribution. Why put up with inferior goods when you may as well have the best? They cost you no more Maoy thou- In many CAN SAVE YOU MONEY In all cases I GIVE THE MOST FOR THE MONEY, quality considered. My shipping facilities are unsurpassed. All points reached by direct lines, thus insuring the LOWEST FREIGHT RATES. A penny invested in a postal card will save you dollars and vexation. Liberal Discounts Now. Address JOS. NYSEWANDER, 565 and 567 West Seventh Street, Mention Bee Journal when writing. DES MOINES, IOWA. box, when they are easily lowered to the ground and carried to the hive. I don't take a spade, dig a hole in the ground and set the pole "stationary" as I would a fence-post, but handle as described above. A. F. Foote. Riceville, Iowa, Jan. 1. Retailing Honey I would report a fairly successful year with the bees, and tender my thanks to the Ameri- can Bee Journal for its valuable assistance. I wish to urge the pushing of the matter of advancing the price of retailed comb honey. I know from experience that 25 cents per sec- tion is as easily obtained as 15 cents, provided, of course, that the honey is first-class. My second-grade honey, which weighs 12 to 14 ounces, and is fully as good as the average '•farmer's honey." sells harder at 20 cents than the first-grade at 25 cents. I began years ago to sell at 20 cents, and so speak from ex- perience. But don't forget the matter of quality. Three times I have bought decent-looking "farmer's honey"' when short myself, but in every case 1 was obliged to take the honey back and refund the money, and so I shall never try it again. It is not a fair price, but a poor article, that maRes a good customer kick. Every 25-cent section bears this stamp : "Byfield." And the guarantee is followed up to the limit ; any defect being good for the money back on sight; but so far it has never happened with honey from my own hives. I wish we could hear again from the corres- pondent who advanced the theory of the more rapid flight of black drones. I have reason to believe there may be something in it. George W. Adams. Rowley, Mass., Jan. 12 Light and Heavy Weight Sections The honey crop was rather disappointing last season in Prowers and Bent counties ; in fact, the poorest I am told for the past 17 year6. The maximum returns were about 40 to 50 pounds per colony. The largest returns came from apiaries worked for extracted and comb honey. John S. Sbmmens. Lamar, Colo., Dec. 30, 1905. Two Queens in a Hive Dr. Bohrer, of Kansas, reported the case of two queens in the hive at the same time. I bought a fine queen in 1002, that I used as a breeder. As I was getting brood from her last July, I found a capped queen-cell, so I kept watch of them. They lived together, each laying eggs. I still think they are to- gether, for I looked to-day (Nov. 19), and found them both together; yet if they winter together I shall take the old queen out next spring and give her a nucleus to breed from. She has not had any wings in three years, as the bees gnawed them off, so she is easily known. J. G. Goodnee. Big Springs, Tenn. Thinks This Journal Necessary I am going out of the bee-business and so will not need the American Bee Journal any longer. But I will send you a new subscriber in my place. The Journal has been a great help to me, and I think it a necessary com- panion to all interested in the bee-busine6S. Ridge Farm, 111. Isaac Vaught. WANTED Jobbers' quotations on all Bee-Keepers' Sup- plies except Hives and Extracting Frames. 5A2t A. B. BROWN & CO , Dubuque, Iowa. , «06T 3? Mi "SS. *8J8IP.>«2 to 112 page magazine, beautifully illustrated; beBt printed and edited poultry journal, makes it easy to add $$ to your income by keeping a few hens on a town lot, or make a success on a large scale; covers everything. POULTRY SUCCESS, one year, 50c; large illustrated poultry book, free to an- nual subscribers. 3 months trial, luc. Poultry Success Co. Dept. 17, Springfield, Ohio. Feb. 1. 19C6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 107 Belgium, Holland, and Germany. Now, sir, while ibis undoubtedly is true across the water, yet the same state of affairs exists right in Southern California, for during my stay in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernar- dino, Pasadena, and along the Coast, I did not see even a taste of honey on any of the tables, and only saw it in two grocery windows in Los Angeles. Why is it so ? Let someone who knows please solve the problem. Per- haps the people in Europe are all sweet enough without having to eat honey ! Lest I should be considered an intruder on your valuable space, I would better call a halt for this time, as you know an uninvited guest sits on thorns. But, sir, invited or uninvited, I regretted very much not to be able to call on the Editor of the American Bee Journal when passing through Chicago. While I am at it, I must congratulate you on having secured the services of that brilliant young Canadian, Mr. Morley l'ettit, to con- duct "Canadian Beedom;" and also the ex- cellent portrait and poem of the late Father Langstroth. W. J. Brown. Chard, Ont., Dec. 23, 1905. Bee-Keeping in Missouri The honey crop the past year was rather poor in this locality. Too much rain I think was the cause. There was plenty of bloom, but little or no nectar. The people of this State are just beginning to wake up to the fact that we have a "bo- nanza" in the products of the "little bee." All that is wanting is to know how to handle them with profit and pleasure. The Bulletin lately issued by the Missouri State Board of Agriculture, prepared by Mr. R. A. Holekamp, will aid materially in awak- ening an interest in this now almost neglected industry. I have J>een a reader of the American Bee Journal for about 5 years, and I find much valuable information in each issue; in fact, it always contains just such information as every bee-keeper, in addition to the bee-books, needs, and just at the right time. H. A. SCEOI'PENHORST. Marthasville, Mo., Dec. 18, 1905. CONVENTION NOTICES. Salt fop Curing Bee-Paralysis Can bee-paralysis be cured? Certainly! First, kill off all old queens. Then send to some reliable breeder and get a breeding queen. Use the natural or scientific method and re- queen with strong, healthy queens. Place two frames of drone-comb in the center of brood-nest where the breeding queen is, so you will have large, strong drones. Second, take out all frames from each col- ony, one at a time. Fill the bottom of the hive >>, inch deep with fine table-salt; re adjust the frames and sprinkle salt down between the frames on the bees. Cover the top box of the frames with salt. When the heat from the bees melts the salt and the wood absorbs the brine, repeat this treatment. Cover the entrance and alighting-board with salt. Cleanse the ground in front of every hive and burn the dead bees. Cleanse the horse-trough, cover the slop-barrels, fill up the hog-wallows, and furnish fresh water for the bees near the apiary. Get some rotten wood and soak it in brine ; take it out of the brine and let it dry in the sunshine. Then use it for smoker-fuel. "Iowa" (page 862), don't put camphor in the hive. Try this old fogy's remedy and re- port the result. It costs but 5 cents to try it. The salt on the entrance will kill the bee- moth eggs, and is certain death to the wax- moth when placed on top of the frames. If this remedy will heip you, I am amply paid. Vanduser, Mo. W. Johnson. CARFFSSTRAWBERRIES crow millions of strawberry plants that yieltl lusL-iuun fruits. All true to name— full of life. They're money— L-iii n, -rs that will yield $300 PKOFIT PER ACRE y bandjoma. no cat.li* of ,„ll,il bulls, fruit d ornamental trrrs, farm ami cardan eeeds and neral norarrr Block sent frar Get 1 1— «rtt* t,.i»y. W. N.Scarff, New Carlisle. 0. Washington.— The annual meeting of the Washington State Bee-Keepers' Associa- tion will be held in the old M. E. Church, on Third Street. North Yakima, Wash, Feb. 14, 15 and 16, 1906 An interesting program is assured. One feature will be the illustrated lectures on bee-keeping. Let all bee-keepers in different parts of the State attend and make this an interesting and valuable convention. Virgil Sires, Sec. Wisconsin. — The Wisconsin State Bee- Keepers' Association will meet in annual con- vention at the Capitol, Madison, Feb. 6 and 7. An interesting program is being prepared. Several beekeepers of prominence are pre- paring papers on subjects of special and gen- eral interest, which will be discussed. The Question-Box will, however, be the main fea- ture. One and one-third rate round-trip on all Wisconsin railroads. Gus Dittmer, Sec, Augusta, Wis. OUR LEADER Modern Farmer S .25 Cosmopolitan 1.00 Pearson's 1.00 Woman's Home Companion 1.00 Review of Reviews 3 00 Our price for all one year, $3.00. Without Review of Reviews, $2.00; without Woman's Home Companion and Review of Re- views, $1.50. Gleanings in Bee Culture, The American Boy, or The Western Fruit Grocer, may be substitu- ted for Pearson's, if desired. Write foi other Clubs. Give us a list of what you want. We can save you money on almost any paper. THE flODERN FARHER, ST. JOSEPH, MO. Mention Bee Journal when writing. r^r-^-ji. .w-v^-^wirm-vr WORTH DOLLARS PER Mention Bee Journal when writing. Langstroth •■ the «* Honey-Bee Revised by Dadant— Latest Edition. This is one of the standard books on bee-culture, and ought to be in the library of every bee-keeper. It is bound substantiaUy in cloth, and contains over 500 pages, being- revised by those large, practical bee-keepers, so well- known to all the readers of the Ameri- can Bee Journal — Chas. Dadant & Son. Bach subject is clearly and thoroly ex- plained, so that by following the in- structions of this book one cannot fail to be wonderf uUy helped on the way to success with bees. The book we mail for $1 .20, or club It with the American Bee Journal for one year — both for $2.00 ; or, we will mail it as a premium for sending us THREE NEW subscribers to the Bee Journal for one year, with $3.00. This is a splendid chance to get a grand bee-book for a very little money or work. GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, ILL rSeed Seed *J$ooA FOR 1906 contains i ; 2 large pages full from cov- er to cover of illustrations and descrip- tions of the best and new- est things known in horticulture. No market gardener, far- mer, or any- one interesied in flowers can afford to be without this book-, which will be sent free to all sending me their address on a postal. WM. HENRY MAULE 1720 Filbert St. Philadelphia, Pa. Mention Bee Journal when writing. The Emerson Binder This Emerson stiff-board Binder with cloth bacV for the American Bee Journal we mall for but 75 cents; or we will send It with the Bee Journal for one year— both for only $1.50. It it a fine thing to preserve the copies of the Jour- nal as fast as they are received. If yon have this " Emerson " no further binding Is neces- sary. QEORGE W. YORK & CO., 334 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, ILL. Investigate the Poultry Business Write for a copy of my book which describes the profit- able com binations of E,gg, Broiler, and Roaster Farms. It gives the price" paid for eggs and poultry week by week for the past three years. It tells how and when a hatch taken off each week in the year could be most profitably marketed. It shows how you can make $2.00 on a large winter roaster. It tells what profits can be made with each of the popular breeds, and the costs of production. I have helped thousands to make money with poultry. My Model Incubators and Brooders are used on the monev-making farms. It is my business to teach those who use them to do so profitably. Whether your needs are small or large, I will furnish, without charge, esti- mates and plans for a complete equipment that will insure success without your spend- ing a dollar uselessly. Send for my complete literature. CHAS. A. CYPHERS 3926 Henry Street, Buffalo, N. Y. Mention Bee Journal when -writing. " It is continuous advertising that impresses the public with the stability of a firm." 108 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Feb. 1, 1906 How they Help the Farmer If the telephone really helps the farmer he is the man who ought to know the *'how" and "why." We have recently published a book full of telephone facts for farmers, which every farmer in the country ought to read, whether he intends to buy a telephone or not. It will be sent FREE to all those interested who will take the trouble to write for it. This book tells how and why the telephone helps the farmer and his fam- ily, and why the modern farm equipment is not complete without a telephone. The telephone is a time-saver — consequent ly a profit-maker. Simply reading this book, "How the Telephone Helps the Farmer," will certainly convince any farmer that he is missing much he ought to enjov if he is trying to do without a telephone in his home. It describes very inter- estingly the best tele- phone for the country home— Stromherg Carlson Telephones Tells just how each part from the case to the mostimportantpart is made; illustrates the various parts and shows by a very practical and complete descrip- tion and explanation the duty and requirements of each: tells why we make them with such care, and exposes the se- crets of the construction of cheap tele- phones; shows why they can be sold cheap, and why they should never be used on farm lines. It shows why Stromberg-Carlson telephones will outwear any other farm tele- phone made and how we produce an instru- ment that practically will never get out of order. Cheap telephones are invariably out of service just when you want them most; they quickly lose their talking qualities and are a constant source of annoyance and ex- pense, simply because they are not made right. The principle of operation is just the same in a cheap telephone as in a good one —the difference all lies in the construction, the better materials used, and the greater care and skill employed in the making. We would like to have you read this book. Simply drop us a postal card asking for 80 G, "How the Telephone Helps the Farm- er," and we will send it to you by return mail. Do it today before it slips your mind. STROMBERG-CARLSON TEL. MFG. CO. Rochester, H. Y. Chicago, III. For Queens Send to JOHN W.PHARR Berclair.Tex. He will furnish at the 6ame prices as last year: Tested, $1 ; Untested, 7oc; 5 for £3.25; 10 for §6; 15 for §8.25; 25 f or .?12.50 ; 100 for $45. He breeds Goldens, Carniolans, and 3- Band Italians. Also" 1. 2, and 3 frame Nuclei and full colonies. Prices given on applica- tion. Pharr pays the freight, and guarantees satisfaction od all Queens. To do justice and judgment is more acceptable with the Lord than sacrifice.— (Prov. 3:21.) 5Atf Please mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. THE ELGIN HIVE No Dovetails No Nailed Corners That's A1J, Except— That we will send you our Catalog and Circular fully describing- "The Elgin,'* if you will send us your address. We sell full line of SUPPLIES. The National Supply Co. ELGIN, ILL. WE WANT NAMES We want YOU to send us the names and addesses of from ten tc twenty-five farmers living in the United States, each one having five cows or more. Toucan send us the names from any number of different post-offices. If you will send us these names we will send you FOUR BEAUTIFUL PICTURES FREE. These pictures are reproductions of the most celebrated paintiDgs in the world, and they are of high quality, and we know that you will be pleased and delighted with them ; no pictures will be given for a list of less than ten farmers. We want to send a sample copy of the special dairy issue of the RURAL HOME to a lot of farmers who are not now taking our paper, and that is the reason we want these nameB. Send us immediately a list of at least ten farmers and we will send you, ABSOLUTELY FREE, FOUR REPRODUCTIONS OF THE WORLD'S FAMOUS PICTURES. Address The Rural Home, 20 North William St., New York, N. Y. Mention Bee Journal when -writing. Irt.80 F«r A 200 Egq INCUBATOR r Perfect in construction and >ctioo Datchea every fertile , egg. Write for catalog to-day J GEO. H. STAHL, Qutncy, III. Mention Bee Journal when writing:. Do You Want a South Dakota Paper? Tells of great land values, of business op- portunities, of a State where more railroad building is going on than in any other State union South Dakota Farmer 'Ur every week. Price, $1 per year. SPECIAL OFFER— Send this ad with 35 cents for a year's snbscriotion. Address. SOUTH DAKOTA FARMER. SlouxFalls.S.D. SlAlOt Please mention the Bee Journal. We Sell Root's Goods in Michigan Let ns qnote you prices on Sections, Hives, Foundation, etc., as we can save you time and freight. Beeswax Wanted for Cash. M. H. HUNT A SON. Bell Branch, Wayne Co., Mich The Rietsche Press Made of artificial stone. Practically inde- structible, and giving entirely satisfactory re- sults. Comb foundation made easily and ?uickly at less than half the cost of buying rom the dealers. Price of Press, $1.50 — cash with order. Address, ADRIAN GETAZ, 45Atf KNOXVILLE, TENN. lyj.G. Goodner, of this State, writes me that he "prefers to pay $25 for a Rietsche Press than do without it."— A. G. Mention Bee Journal when writing. BANTA Incubators&Brooders Backed by 14 Years HMi of Successful Use by poultryraen all over the world. No guesswork. They are auto- matic in regulation and ventil- ation. Fully guaranteed to give YOU satisfaction. Send for free book. B/^TA -BENDER MFG. CO.. Dept. 24, Ligonier, Ind. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Michigan Distributors FOR Q. B. Lewis Cos BEEWARE Dadant's Foundation WITH an enormous stock, and (he best ship- ping point in Michigan, we are in a posi- tion to give you the very best service. SPECIAL.— A quantity of Dovetail and Wis- consin Hives, slightly damaged by water, in packages of 5 at $1.25 per hive for \l/z- story 8 frame ; 10 frame, fl.40 per hive. Satisfaction guaranteed BEESWAX WANTED A. G. WOODMAN CO., Grand Rapids, Mich. Advanced Bee-Veil. Cord arrangement, absolutely nee-proof, best on earth. Made of imported French tulle veiling. Cotton, with silk face, 50 cents, postpaid. 49C"t Mention Bee Journal when writing;. ***imtev Feb. 1, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 109 *4 FOR THIS "ECONOMY" BOILER AND FEED COOKER The "Economy" Peed Cooker ia the best built cooker on — r%».i^Bi— the market today. It is constructed so as to get the very rHtlGrlT,,t'*t results from the smallest am-, nut of fuel possible. The " kettle is well and strongly madeol the smoothest cast iron, , PAln aod has a handle on each side so that it can be removed from the casing' instantly. Will last a lifetime. The casing;, | or jacket, is one continuous sheet of cold rolled boiler steel, supported at the bottom by a heavy wrought iron band. This cooker has the largest fire door of any made, and is the strongest, most serviceable t *-< ■< J cooker ever sold at I such a price, freight paid. Made in seven sizes to suit every need; furnished with hinged cover, elbow and one length of pipe with damper. We guarantee this cooker for one year. Send money with order to. lay, or write for our ] large 1,000-page catalogue giving ot her sizes and thousands of money-saving bargains Tor the farmer and his family. ■:*.■ : If yon want to save 10 per cent on everything yon buy, we have a plan you should know about; it will save you from iflriu to $260 a year. Only costs a stamp to find out all about it. The object of this Society is to save money for its mem- bers. For full information let us t*-ll you how we do it. Co-Operative Society of the National Supply Co. Lansing, Michigan Chicago, Illinois ^\l>\l/il/\l>\l/U>\l/\l>\l/il/%#/\#/\#/\#/\#>U/\li\l>\#/\#>il>\liUii#/\#><^ Everything1 for the Apiary Wholesale Agents for G.B. Lewis Co. Dadant's Foundation 3 BUY NOW— TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE DISCOUNT. £ if SEND US YOUR ORDERS. f: 1 LOUIS IHANSSEN'S SONS f 1 DAVENPORT, IOWA f SWe manufacture everything needed in the Apiary, and carry a large stock and %» greatest variety. We assure you the best goods at *% 0 LOWEST PRICES g Sand our excellent freight facilities enable us to make prompt shipments over 15 dif- jHk ferent roads, thereby saving you excessive freight charges as well as time nnd worry ^J in having goods transferred and damaged. We make the <•% x Alternating, Massie, Langstroth and the x 8 Dovetail Hives O Our prices are very reasonable, and to convince you of such we will mail vou \9 Our prices are very reasonable, and to convince you of such we will mail you our free illustrated and descripiive catalog and price-list upon request. We want every bee-keeper to have our Catalog- SPECIAL DISCOUNTS now. Write to-day. Address, KRETGttMER MFG. GO., Council Blutts, Iowa, Catalogs issued in English or German. ©ch EVERYBODY WANTS PUBLISHED WEEKLY FOR THE BREEDER AND FARMER. Recognized authority on Breeding, Feeding, Man- agement and the Improved Breeds of Stock. Special Departments for Draft and Coach Horses, The Beef and Dairy Breeds of Cattle, Sheep, Swine, Poultry and the Dairy, By able Live Stock Writers and Breeders, with the best from Home and Foreign papers of the world's progress in Live Stock Husbandry. Our Live Stock Market Report is unequaled. Handsomely printed and illustrated. No Stock Farmer can afford to do without It. Published weekly. Subscription price only $1.00. Agents wanted in every county. Write for sample copy. Address THE LIVE 394 E. STOCK JOURNAL 56th ST. CHICAGO S66d-Tini6 and Harvest is an illustrated Monthly Journal for country homes. It is known everywhere as the Great '■Home Industry " Monthly. It is a "Peri- odical with a Purpose." Its mission is "Teach Independence Through Home Employment." Only 25 cents per year; none free. Seed-Time & Harvest Pub. Go. Dept. 208, Scranton, Pa. 45Ctf Please mention the Bee Journal. In Its Twenty-eighth Year TH6 RnraTGallfornlan 6 Months 25c. A larne monthly magazine devoted to Agricul- tural, Horticultural and rural pursuits, showing the wonderful development of the Pacific Coast. Beau- tifully illustrated, well edited and artistically printed on fine book paper. An encyclopedia of in- formation for colonists. Address, THE RURAL CALIFORNIAN Rooms 6 and 7 Temnle Block, iCtf LOS ANGKLKS. CALIF. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Successful Poultry Journal FRANK HECK, Editor. Subscription Price 50 cents per Year. Write for Advertising Rates. The most prominent and successful, practica poultrynjen write for the Succes-ful Pou'try Jour nal. and tell how tbey build their houses, mate their fowls, manatre their incubators, feed both room! and old— and. in fact, tell how they succeed and make money. 8end for sample copy. SUCCESSFUL POULTRY JOURNAL ICtf 355 Dearborn St., CHICAGO, ILL. BARNES' FOOT POWER MACHINERY Read what J. I. Parent, of Charlton, N. Y., says: " We cut with one of your Com- bined Machines, last winter- 50 chaff hives with 7-in. cap, 100 honey racks, 500 brood, frames, 2,000 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 it with this Saw. It will do all yon say It will." Catalog and price-list free. Address, W. F. & John Barnes, 995 Ruby St., Rockford, 111. Bee Journal when writing. Mention 110 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Feb. 1, 1906 GROCERIES AT WHOLESALE PRICES FREE Tbis catalogue will save you money on your grocery supplies. -FREIGHT PAID- What do your groceries cost you a year? Will you buy them of us if we can prove that we will save you from 1U per cent to 20 per cent and pay the freight 1 That certainly is an amount worth saving; it is worth the trouble of asking for the proof. Get our large Grocery List and compare our prices with what you have been paying. Then put us to a greater test—send us a trial order and compare the goods and the prices. If we do not save you big money, send the goods back at our expense. The grocery bill is the biggest part of the family expenses. We will cut it almost in the middle and guarantee everything we sell. We can do this because we buy in immense quantities — carloads and trainloads— and we give you the benefit of our ability to buy cheap; in fact we can sell to you at just about the figure your local dealer would have to pay. We save you his profit and the freight besides. To save still another 10 per cent, become a member of the Co-operative Society of the National Supply Co. We'll tell you how to get this extra 10 per cent discount, if you will write for full information. An easy way to make money. *#?8SSfr5 If you want to save money get our catalogue and learn just from us. Catalogue is ready and lists everything in the how cheap you can buy groceries grocery line. We send it free. Co-operative Society of the National Supply Co., Lansing, Mich, and Chicago, III. CHARLES MONDENG SECTION MACHINE is covered by two Patents. With this wonderful inven- tion the cost of making Sections may be reduced to $1.15 per 1000. If such Machine will interest you, write for further information. Do not write about it unless you mean business. BEE-SUPPLIES^QUEENS My Catalog for 1906 is now ready for distribution. I am the Northern Headquarters for Adel Queens and Bees, and good, honest Bee-Keepers' Supplies. If you have not received my Catalog, write for it. Address, CHARLES MONDENG, ISO NEWTON A.VB., N"., MINNE-A-FOLiIS, MINN. BEE- SUPPLIES Everything the beekeeper needs. Distributing house for Lewis' Goods at Factory Trices. Now is the time to buy for next season. Cash Orders for regular Supplies before February, 6 percent Discount. FINE EXTRACTED HONEY in cans or barrels. The best the world can produce Samples 8 ceDts, to pay postage and packing. How much can you use? Prices quoted quick on the quantity you mention. We buy BEESWAX at all times in the year. Send for our Catalog and "Special" — free. Cii r/%«TT O r*r\ 1004. East Wash. Street . M. OUU I I OC L/W. INDIANAPOLIS. IND. -X- ** * + S END YOUR NAME IpMlsl 15 'lay trial proposition on lb© DANDY GREEN BONE CUTTER The fa ■< !•■ Ft and easiest running machine made. It . ubl« jour egg 7UI& Price*5up. StrattoiiMi'e. Co., Bx21,Erle» Pa, 65c for 12 Names r^^vr^-^ stamps taken— we will send for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Call— reg. sub. price 40c a year. F. C.is a wklv., 25 years old, 1,300 pages a year. Sample free. FARMER'S CALL, yuincy. 111. Mention Bee Journal when writing;. Wisconsin Basswood Sections And Prompt Shipments Is what we are making for our customers. DOVETAILED HIVES AND SHIPPING-CASES — We carry a full line of SUPPLIES. Ask for Catalog. THE HARSH FIELD HANUFACTURINQ CO., Harshfield, Wis. 'In eyery country tne successful adyertiser is the continuous advertiser.' Stingless Bees Are worthless as honey-producers. Cau- casian Bees are not stiDgless, they are gentle. They produce honey. Try them next season. Have your queens, both Caucasians and Ital- ians, bred to order, and then you will have what you want. Address, ROBERT B. McGfllN, Yorkville, 111. R.f.d. 2 itf Mention Bee Journal when writing-. All About the Southwest Homes and Prosperity for Everybody TEXAS produces more honey and other money crops than any other State. FARM AND RANCH is the home builders' guide, handsomely printed on good paper and beautifully illustrated. Contains clean, reliable, interesting and instructive reading for each member of the family, 24 pages weekly. $1.00 per year. Send stamp for sample copy. FARM AND RANCH, Dallas, Tex. Mention Bee Journal when writing. For Sale-10,000 Lbs. r%Ineea Spanish-needle Extracted Honey put up in new 60-lb. tin cans— 6c a pound for the lot, or 6%c for less, P. J. GUNZEL, Weiner, Ark. 44 A lot Please mention tne ±see Journal. FOR SALE Until further notice, fine*t quality new crop California Water White White Sage and Light Amber HONEY in 60-lb. tins, 2 in a case; new cans and new cases Write for prices and sam pies, and state quantity yon want. HlLDRETH & SEGELKEN 265 & 267 Greenwich Street, New York, N.Y 34Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. Trees, Plants & Seeds s$& J THAT GROW y^^Tested ers. Low prices. Apple/<*J9 ?>^3 e e d s 4c ; Plum and Cherry/loV-< ./'very cheap. 12c: Peach 4c; all>^ T^ rf«5-^ Freight paid budded; Con- /«V \e%?^on trees. Cata- ird Grapes/lfc^AeV' logue, English or !e: Forest SjjQsrrS^S German, free. Write ' •>« \%°/lor it today. Address •yjyy GERMAN nurseries, C>^ Box 30 Beatrice, Neb. ling, II S* f&b -PURE ALFALFA^ HONEY IN 60-POUND CANS We have a good supply of Pure Alfalfa, HOMEY in 60-pound cans that we can ship by return freight at these prices : 2 cans, boxed, at S}4 cents a pound ; 4 or more cans at one time, 8 cents a pound — all f.o.b. Chi- cago. Cash with order. Sample, by mail, 8 in stamps, to cover package and postage. A (iflrA^^ YORK H0NEYasnudppbleyeC0. 141-143 Ontario St., CHICAGO, ILL. The Fresh Air Incubator Fresh Air applied to Artificial Incubation in a new and effective way. "ink Ing possible higher per cent batches, brighter, healthier Stronger chicks. 5 FREE BOOKLETS ON ARTI- FICIAL POULTRY PRODUCTION 1st— The Standard Incubator. 2nd— An Incubator for Uepinneri. :ird— Universal Hover and Colony Brooders. 4th— Feeding Chicks. 5th— What D A PIANO BOX WILL DO Put the Universal Hover into it and make your nan brooder. The Uni- versal Hover may be attached to any size or form of Colony house, mushroom bouse, small portable plioo box and make about as gfod a brooder as money .;iii i. .iv Write for catalog and the Ave books FREE. Others to follow, you'll get them all if your name ia on our mail lilt Prairie State Incubator Co,, 351 Main St., Homer City, Pa. Please mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. Feb. 1. 19(6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 111 Lowest Prices Big Discount for Early Orders On Cash Orders Before November 1 9 percen " December 1 8 " " January 1 7 " February 1 6 " March 1 4 " April 1 2 " Bee = Supplies OF ALL KINDS Established Nearly 25 Years We have published THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER for IS years (monthly. 50c a year.) The largest and best il- lustrated magazine of its kind for the price published. Edited by two of the most experienced bee - keepers in America. Sample copy free. Our large, illustrated Price-List of Supplies free on application. Address, The W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co. JAnESTOWN, N.Y. Mention Bee Journal when writing. I)oucy anb * 23eestpax-f Chicago, Jan. 8.— The market is steady with about the usual demand; the prices range from 14(o,15c for best grades of white comb honey. There is not an active demand for off grades, which usually sell at l@3c per pound less. For extracted a steady demand exists for the best grades at 6H:@7c, but for sour or off flavors there is practically no sale. R. A. Burnett & Co. Toledo, Oct. 17— The honey market remains firm, with good demand, and prices the same as last quotations. Fancy white comb brings 15c; No. 1, 14c; fancy amber, 13c; buckwheat, 13c. Extracted, white clover, in barrels, b%@6Hc; amber, in barrels, 5@5%c; in cans, lc to 154c higher. Beeswax in good demand, 26c cash, 28c trade. Griggs Bros. Indianapolis, Dec. 15.— There is a tendency for higher prices on best grades of honey. The demand for strictly fancy white comb hooey exceeds the supply. Demand for lower grades of comb honey not good. Numerous shipments of honey arriving, but no one producer seems to have very great quantities to offer. I quote fancy white at 15@16c; No. I in poor demand at 12c, and amber dull atlOc. Best grade extracted brings 8@9c in bO-lb. cans; amber slow at 6c. Beeswax, 30@33c. Walter S. Podder. Denver, Nov. 11. — No. 1 white comb honey, per case of 24 sections, $3.35; No. 1 light amber. $3.(W; No. 2, $2 50@3.00. Extracted honey, 6Ji @7 cts. per pound. Supply is light and we cond make quick sales of consignments at above figures. We pay 24c for clean, yellow beeswax delivered here. The Colo. Honey-Prodocers' Assn. New York, Feb. 19.— The demand is fairly good for better grades of white, and while the near by crop is fairly well cleaned up, new arri- vals are now coming in from Cuba, besides several cars have been shipped on from Cali- fornia. We qpote fancy white at 15c; No. 1, 13@14c; No. I, 12c; amber, lie; buckwheat, 10@llc. Extracted in fairly good demand, es- pecially California, of which there is abundant supply. We qnote white sage, 6>£7)£c; light Headquarters >or Bee-Supplies Complete Stock for 1906 now on hand. CINCINNATI FREIGHT- RATES FROM are the LOWEST, ESPECIALLY for the SOUTH as 'mostlall freight now goes through Cincinnati. Prompt Service is what I practice. You will Satisfaction Guaranteed. Catalog mailed free. Send for same. SAVE MONEY BUYING FROM ME. 5 Percent Discount for February Let me » TTTITI^TCI bred in separate apiaries, bookyoui fjl H , K , ^ S the«OLOKS fill, Order for Vf, U li 1 JJ.1I KJ LOWS, CARKIO- LAMS, RED CLOVERS and CAUCASIANS. For prices, refer to my catalog, page 29. C. H.W.WEBER™ Office and Salesrooms, 2146-48 Central Ave. Warehouses. Freeman and Central Aves. amber at 6@7c, according" to quantity; buck- wheat at 6c per pound; Southern at 50@60c per gallon, according to quality. Beeswax steady at 29@31c. Hildreth & Segelken. Cincinnati, Jan. 20.— The honey market is quiet. We do not offer white clover extracted honey on account of its scarcity; instead offer a fancy water-white honey, equal to if not bet- ter than the white clover, in 60-lb. cans, two in a crate, at 7#fa8)£c; fancy light amber, 7^c; other grades of amber in barrels at 5M@6&c, according to the quality. Fancy comb honey, 16}^c. (Bee-keepers, please observe the above are our selling prices of honey, not what we are paying.) Beeswax. 30c, delivered here, for the choice, bright yellow grade. The Fred W. Muth Co. Kansas City, Jan. 22.— The market here on honey is very dnll now, as it always is this time of year; fancy white is selling at $3 00 per case; 24 section and amber is selling at $2.75. Extracted, 53^@6c. Beeswax, 25c per pound. C C.Clemons & Co. Cincinnati, Jan. 23. — The nice weather holds back the demand for comb honey. Crops seem to be exceedingly short and producers in the West keep the prices high. We quote as fol- lows: Fancy water-white and No. 1 white clo- ver, 14©16c; No. 2, 12@14c. Extracted seems to be more plentiful, and we quote same in barrels, 5H@SHc; in cans, He more; white clover, 7@8c. Beeswax, 28@30c. C. H.W. Weber. HONEY AND BEESWAX When consigning, buying or selling, consult R. A. BURNETT & CO., «99 South Watih St. Chicago. III. | Model Incubators and \ Brooders Manufactured by Chas. A. Cyph- ers, and sold at his factory pri- ces. Freight rates from Toledo will save you money. Do not be S humbugged into buying a cheap q machine. The best is none too 0 good. Our illustrated Catalog 8 free to any address. Ask for it. GRIGGS BROS. S 521 Monroe Street, TOLEDO, OHIO. | Mention Bee Journal when writing. 2irflliaiia Goinft Honey Very fine. Price depends upon how much yon can use. 0. M. SCOTT & CO. INDIANAPOLIS, IND. 5Atf Please mention the Bee Journal Please Mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. 1 BEE-SUPPLIES | '.X We handle the finest Bee-Supplies, made by the W. T. Falconer ^J. ^ Mfg. Co., Jamestown, N. Y. Big Discounts on early orders. Let us ^•• -3 figure with you on your wants. ffT £ Muth Special Dovetail Hives have a Honey-Board, Warp-Proof ^ '^ Cover, and Bottom-Board. Think of it, same price as the regular styles. ^ J5 Send for Catalog. ^ If THE FRED W. MUTH CO. g Z 51 Walnut Street, CINCINNATI, OHIO. g 112 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Feb. I, 11 6 B U A BEE-KEEPER? If so, you are entitled to the New 1906 Lewis Catalog. The 1906 LEWIS CATALOG contains nearly 100 pages devoted to bee-goods, including 7 pages of points to beginners. The 1906 LEWIS CATALOG contains 16 full-page cuts, which are reproductions of pen- and-ink drawings made from the original Hives and their parts. The 1906 LEWIS CATALOG completely and clearly describes all Hives, Supers, and other appliances, so that it is a handbook of Beeware readily understood and therefore easy to order from. The 1906 LEWIS CATALOG just fits your pocket, and while you are working about the apiary or in-doors it will serve as an excellent manual on bee-keeping. It is free for the asking. AGENTS WANTED For Lewis' Goods by the Carload MAINE NEW HAMPSHIRE VERMONT MASSACHUSETTS CONNECTICUT FOR. RHODE ISLAND NORTH CAROLINA SOUTH CAROLINA MISSISSIPPI ALABAMA. Liberal territory given. GEORGIA FLORIDA LOUISIANA SOUTHERN OHIO For further particulars address Home Office Q. B. LEWIS CO. *«- Supplies Watertown,Wis. XT. S. A. HQ fcs e Journal 46th Year CHICAGO. ILL., FEB. 8, 1906 No. 6 i s * 4: fe Gathering a Swarm from Mr. Mont-Jovet's Alpine Apiary. •^ ^ f^si Opening a Dadant Hive in Mr. Mont-Jovet'i Alpine Apiary. Let^ ■"" -'-XT ADiary of Dadant Hives belonging to Mr. Mont-Jovet, in the Alps; altitude, 3300 feet. H (See page 118J 114 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Feb. 8, 1906 PVBLISIIKD WEEKLY BY 6E0RGE W.YORK U COMPANY 334 Dearborn Street, Chicago, III. IMPORTANT NOTICES THE STTBSCRIPTION PRICE of this Journal is Si. 00 a year. In the United States, Canada, and Mexico; allotbercountries in the Postal Union, bo cents a year extra for postage. Sample copy free. THE WRAPPER-LAB ETj DATE indicates the end of the month to which your subscript to • Is paid. For instance, "deco6"on your label shows that it is paid to the end of December. SUBSCRIPTION RECEIPTS.— We do not send a receipt for money sent us to pay subscription, but change the date on your wrapper-label, which shows that the money has been received and credited. ADVERTISING RATES will be given upon appli- cation. National Bee-Keepers' Association Objects of the Association 1st.— To promote the interests of Its members. 2d.— To protect and defend its members in their lawful risthts. 3d.— To enforce laws against the adulteration of honey. Annual Membership Dues, $1.00 General Manager and Treasurer- N. E. Fuance, Plattevilie, Whfc pr if more convenient, Dnes may be sent to the oublishers of the American Bee Journal. The Honey-Producers' League (Incorporated) OBJECTS: 1. To create a larger demand for honey through advertising. 2. To publish facts about honey, and counteract misrepresentations of the same. MEMBERSHIP DUES 1. Any bee-keeper may become a member by pay- ing to the Manager an annual fee of $1.00 for each 20 (or fraction of: 20) colonies of bees (Bpring count) he owns or operates. 2. Any honey-dealer, bee-supply dealer, bee-supply manufacturer, bee-paper publisher, or any other firm or individual, may become a member on the annual payment of a fee of $10, increased by one- fifth of one (1) percent of his or its capital used in the allied interests of bee-keepins. George W. York, Manager, 334 Dearborn St.. Chicago, ill. "The continuous advertiser gets the bulk of Ihe business, because others are not adver- tising, and he is." BEE-KEEPERS' SUPPLIES § POULTRY SUPPLIES LEWIS' BEEWARE is so well known it need no introduc- tion. 5 percent Discount on Bee = Sup- plies for February. Beeswax wanted — 27c cash, 29c when taking bee-sup- plies in exchange. Extracted Honey for rale. Prices on application. Sample, 10c. CORNELL INCUBATORS PEEP 0' DAY BROODERS CORNELL CHICK MACHINERY are unexcelled. The 19C6 Cornell Incubator is superior to anything heretofore put on the market. New 1906 Catalog for either line FREE H. M. ARND, Mgr. If you want orders filled PROMPTLY AT FACTORY PRICES, send your order to YORK HONEY Tu0ppbleve CO. (3S) 141 Ontario Street, CHICAGO, ILL. Long Distance 'Phone, North 15£9. t DITTMER makes a SPECIALTY of WORKING ! iji Beeswax into Comb Foundation. jj, jjjjt Write for our Price-List, Samples, and early-order Discount. We would like to send jj§£ them to you at our expense. •J* Our Warehouse TT*>T^^1 £JTTOWT Tf C! Jobbing £»i>. is full of ' ... - . — BEE-SUPPLIES Wholesale Retail BEESWAX ALWAYS WANTED I GUS, DITTMER, Augusta, Wis, 5 Percent Discount We will allow you the above Discount on all Orders accompanied by Cash during February. Send for our Catalog. PAGE & LYON MFG. CO., New London, Wis. Mention Bee Journal when writing. NOT IN THE TRUST Fop High-Grade Cans Prices Always the Lowest Write for Prices, Stating- Quantity Wanted Friction Top Cans for Honey and Syrup Prompt shipment and careful attention given to all orders. Special prices to members of the Bee-Keepers' Associations. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Made by CANNERS CAN CO., 1035 W. 47th Street, CHICAGO, ILL. Feb. 8 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 115 DADMTS FOUNDATION" IT E3COE3L.S EVERY INCH equal to sample Beauty, Purity, Firmness. No Sagging, No Loss. Twenty-seven Years of Experience. We Guarantee Satisfaction. WAX WORKED INTO FOUNDATION BEE=SUPPLIES of all kinds. Beeswax Wanted at all times DADANT & SONS, Hamilton, 111. SEND FOR OUR CATALOG SEE THE 1906 RELIABLE before you buy. Perfectly practical for poul- try men or beginners. Double heating system gives bigger hatches — saves one- third the oil. Sold on a money back guarantee. Write for free catalog. » Reliable Farm Pure- Bred Birds and Eggs. Get prices. Reliable Incubator and Brooder Co., Box B-153 Quincy, Illinois, TJ. S. A. Mention Bee Journal when writing. If you want the Bee-Book That covers the whole Apicultural Field more completely than any other published, send $1.20 to Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont, Cal ., FOR HIS 44 Bee-Keeper's Guide." Liberal Discount, to the Trade. Mention Bee Journal when writing. HH* #####* Sh^##J&^ If Goods are wanted Quick, send to Ponder " BEE-SUPPLIES Root's Goods at Root's Prices Everything used by Bee-Keepers. POUDER'S HONEY-JARS. Prompt Service. Low Freight Rates. .*. .'. .\ Catalog Free. If you with to purchase finest quality of HONEY f^r your local trade, write for my free monthly price-list of honey. "Why not secure your BEE-SUPPLIES NOW FOR NEXT SEASON'S USE, and avail yourself of the following very liberal discounts? Goods all Root Quality. For cash orders before Feb. 1.6 percent For cash orders before Mar. 1.4 percent For cash orders before Apr. 1..2 percent WALTER S. TOUDER, 513-515 Massachusetts Ave., INDIANAPOLIS, IND. "/ Wended This Ivith a St. John 's Utensil Mender and a 'Hatch ' The greatest household convenience | ever invented. With aid of a match, candle or lamp you can mend leaky pans, kettles, boilers, etc-., in >\ second and save both utensils and tinners' bills. Mends any hole up to H inch in tin, copper, brass, iron and enamel ■ ware. Send 25 cents for package good ■ for 100 mends. Money hack if not satisfied. ^^ Pitts & St. John. 206 Schiller Bldg., Chicago 1.^^— I II I I II I I — Mention Bee Journal when writing1. ;, California The Pacific Rural Press has been a house- hold word throughout California for 35 years. It is authority on all matters regarding the soil or products of California. Weekly, illus- trated : Edited by practical specialists. Two Dollars per year. Send for sample copy. Pacific Rural Press, 330 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif. 50Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. DOC TOr \£ INuTlieS 12 farmers and' 15c- ►tanips taken— we will send for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Call— reg. sub. price 40c a year. F. C.isa wkly., 25 years old, 1.30O pages a year. Sample free. FARMER'S CALL, Quincy.lll. ROSES & SEEDS FRFF ■L^LBBS 50c WORTH l-fc--^ Free rose bush, due bill for 50c ! worth of free seeds, and a free packet. j6f | Seed will be sent to all sending for our hand- some new catalog. Send 10c to pav postage A. A. BERRY SEED CO., BOX 49, CLARINDA, IOWA I Mention Bee Journal when writing. 116 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Feb. 8, 1906 vfflffifflmmfflmmmffimmffiWMffimm^mvmm® «*S$ LwJfcJ J& The A- 1 ^j? Medina r& m & Root Co Ohio. q_ ^«rsS>v* WHAT OUR TRADE-MARK STANDS FOR We have been at this business for over 40 years. This means a great deal. Not only are we intimate with every phase of bee-keeping, but we have an accu- mulation of knowledge that is invaluable. All these years we have been learning what the bee keeper really wants, and how to supply it down to the smallest detail. That means the goods you get bearing Root's trade-mark are the very latest and best known to date. All of these advantages cost you nothing over standard prices. Our motto has always been, " Not how much, but how good." By making our goods the best we have naturally become the largest manufacturers of bee-supplies in the world. The lumber, the workmanship, everything that enters into our goods is the best, and has passed the most exacting tests to prove it so. We believe in treating our customers right. Best goods and prompt- ness are our watch-words. Courteous treatment to our customers is de- manded from our employees and agents. Your interests are ours. Your welfare means ours. A satisfied customer is our aim, and we only ask a chance to prove what we say. Experience detail. That me date. All of the Quality fl Square Deal Discount for January is 6 Percent. TESTIMONIALS We are always greatly pleased to see your new editions of your new catalog of Bee-Keepers' Sup- plies, etc. We shall certainly make ample mention of it in our paper. You are our best authority in regard to all matters of bee-keeping. Yours very truly, C. H. Howard, Editor, Farm, Field' & Fireside. Dear Sirs : — The shipment of hives and bee- supplies which you sent me arrived in excellent condition, and every one who has seen them is de- lighted with the accuracy and precision of the workmanship of every detail, both of the goods and the manner in which the order was executed. Yours very truly, Cape Colony. Frederic T. Bioletti. I have just now unpacked and examined the goods sent by you, and am greatly pleased with the lot. W. H. Giia. Scottsville, Ariz. Gentlemen . ■— I am well pleased with your ptompt way of doing business. The goods are just simply nice. Many thanks. Yours truly, John D. A. Fisher. I do not want anything set up, as I would rather set the hives up myself. Besides, it is a pleasure to put Root's hives and fixtures together. Tiffin, Ohio. John L. Funk. Your promptness and square dealing indeed make it a pleasure to do business with you, and I thank you. Harry H. Larkin, Buffalo, N. Y. Care Larkin Co. My bill of bee-supplies reached its destination in due time. I am under obligations to you for the kindness, for a delay would have been a loss to me. Please accept my thanks. Treadwell, Tenn. W. W. Waters, M D. I desire to thank you tor being so prompt in sending the sections I ordered from you. They came in less time than it takes to tell it. Kent, Ohio. h- G. Reed. The consignment of bee-material received to-day. Your promptness in filling orders is remarkable, especially when the circumstances are considered. I am very well satisfied with the goods and your dealing. I take pleasure in having introduced " ROOT'S GOODS " into this neighborhood. Fredericksburg, Iowa. Rev. Wm. Engle. Our Catalog for 1906 is ready. Write for a copy. . THE A. I. ROOT COMPANY, MEDINA, OHIO. Branches : 144 E. Erie St., Chicago. 10 Vine St., Philadelphia. 44 Vesey St., New York. P I m (Entered at the Post-Office at Chicago as Second-Class Mall-Matter.) Published Weekly at $1.00 a Year, by George W. York & Co., 334 Dearborn St. GEORGE W. YORK, Editor CHICAGO, ILL, FEBRUARY 8, 1906 VoL XLVI-No. 6 ^ (Ebttorial Hotes anb Comments j Repetition of Good Advice Good advice can hardly be repeated too often. The winter is the time to read over again the bee-papers of the preceding- year. In the hurry of the busy season many good things that appeared in the bee-papers were likely overlooked. But now is just the time to get the papers to- gether and go over them carefully. It will pay to do so. Some bee-keepers we have heard of say they haven't time to read bee-papers. Then they haven't time to keep bees, either. One doesn't need to spend more than say two hours a week in reading the American Bee Journal. There are probably very few who read all of any one paper when- ever it comes. But if an hour or two is spent on each copy, the best and most helpful of its contents can be gleaned. The great trouble with many is, they haven't learned to do thoroughly what they undertake. They do things by halves, or do only half of several things. It won't do to read a good bee-paper in a half-hearted or listless way, if one expects to profit by the reading. We are inclined to think that the reason some do not value a good bee-paper is because they don't read it carefully, and then profit by what they have learned. Simply subscribing for the paper will not add any honey to your crop. But by painstaking reading, and careful application of the instruction gained, there may result a surprising increase in both profit and pleasure from the bees. Inbreeding Among Bees Continued inbreeding has been blamed for the " run- ning out " of many an apiary — and rightly. On the other hand, some of the most noted achievements in the way of improvement of stock have been made by means of that same inbreeding. Do not be too much alarmed about in- breeding, if you always breed from the best ; but do not be surprised at deterioration if the selection is left to the bees. Alfalfa Hay and Honey in Colorado Irrigation gives the agricultural products of Colorado for 1905 as $46,990,000. A little more than a third of this is for hay. As a large part of the hay is from alfalfa, it does not seem strange that Colorado should produce quite a bit of alfalfa honey. " Advanced Bee Culture," by W. Z. Hutchinson A new edition of this work has appeared, so much en- larged and improved that without any great stretch it might be called a new book. Its author has given in it the results of his own study and experience as a bee-keeper, enriched by many a thought gleaned from his years of editing the Bee-Keepers' Review. Mr. Hutchinson is an enthusiast in matters pertaining to beautiful typography, and the book shows it. Its 230 pages are printed in clear type upon excellent paper, daint- ily bound in cloth. Photography is a hobby with Mr. Hutchinson, so it is not at all surprising that the more than 70 illustrations are mostly half-tone engravings from pho- tographs taken by the author himself, and of some of them he may well be proud. The book is written in Mr. Hutchinson's well-known easy style, and is practical throughout, the author declaring it to have been his purpose to describe in plain and simple language what he believes to be the most advanced methods of managing bees for profit, from the beginning of the sea- son throughout the entire year. Mr. Hutchinson is the arch apostle of "keeping more bees," and so the first chapter starts out with a plea for bee- keeping as a specialty, "dropping all other hampering pur- suits, and turning the whole capital, time and energies into bee-keeping." He was at one time an enthusiastic advocate of the Heddon hive, but now says : " Divisible brood-chamber hives cost consiberably more than any other styles of hives, and after using them for years by the side of the ordinary Langstroth hive, seeing them used by other persons in dif- ferent locations, and considering the new features that have recently sprung up in bee-keeping, I have gradually come to the decision that if I were now starting in the bee-busi- ness, I should not use the horizontally-divisible hive ;" and closes the chapter on the choice of a hive by saying, " In brief, my choice of a hive for Michigan is a simple, plain box with plain, all-wood hanging frames — and I would win- ter the bees in the cellar." The author favors the use of the Heddon honey-board, and says : " There have been more or less successful at- tempts to do away with the necessity for a honey-board by using wide, deep top-bars, accurately spaced ; and while such an arrangement does away with a large share of the bur-comb nuisance, I have yet to see a case in which there was not enough of it left to warrant the use of a honey- board." This sounds a bit strange in view of the fact that so many others have discarded the honey-board, but the preceding paragraph explains it. In that he gives Y% of an inch as the space over the tops of the frames, and no matter 118 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Feb. 8, 19C6 how accurate the spacing-, there will be comb galore built and honey stored in it. Others have reduced that space to % inch, and do not find the honey-board necessary. As to surplus arrangements for comb honey, he says : "My preference is for a tall, plain, 4-piece section of white poplar, used with fence separators." The chapter on " The Use and Abuse of Comb Founda- tion " is especially interesting, from the fact that the author has made a study of this and experimented largely. He thinks that under some circumstances comb foundation may be given in the brood-chamber at a loss in more ways than one- m ■ ■ As to swarming, he says : " The man who is raising comb honey as a business will find it to his advantage to allow each colony to swarm once, if it will (and no more), then make the most out of the swarm." There was a time when Mr. Hutchinson might have been said to make a business of exhibiting at Fairs ; so he may be said to speak with authority on that subject. The same may be said of the chapter on queen-rearing, and that on foul brood ; for he made a business of rearing queens for sale, and he has for some time been inspector of foul brood for the State of Michigan. The book may be heartily commended as an addition to the libraries of up-to-date bee-keepers. The postpaid price is $1.20 ; but we club it with the American Bee Journal for a year— both for $2.00. We have a good supply of the books on hand, and so can fill orders by return mail. L' Apiculture Nouvelle Mention was lately made of a new bee-paper printed in the German language, with the avowed purpose of advocat- ing bee-keeping according to American methods. Now comes the initial number of L'Apiculture Nouvelle (The New Bee-Culture), printed in the French language, and pub- lished in Paris by Emile Bondonneau, the agent of the A. I. Root Co. It is even more strongly American than the Ger- man journal mentioned, being made up almost entirely of articles from Gleanings translated into French. All of which is complimentary to the genius of Ameri- can bee-keeping ; but let us not forget that practise is based upon theory, and without the solid basis built up by patient investigators on the other side of the water, the superstruc- ture of American bee-keeping never could have been reared. So it is only fair that we should pay back to our trans- Atlantic brethren part of the debt we owe them. Metal-Spaced Hoffman Frames A modified Hoffman frame (if indeed it can be called a Hoffman after being modified so many times) has been put upon the market. Many have strongly objected to the Hoffman because of the shoulders of the end-bars, which invite the deposition of propolis, and too often split off. Instead of being made as heretofore, \2/% inches wide at the upper end, the end-bars are made 1 1-16 inches wide. Then a metal strap bent in the form of the letter U is slipped down over the top-bar, and extends down over the end-bar something like 3 inches. An embossed projection of 5-32 of an inch at the top, and another at the bottom of the strap on each side, serve to space the end-bars 5-16 of an inch apart, making the frames spaced \y% from center to center. This will be accepted as a great improvement by some, while some will think the same end might be attained by the simpler means of staples or nails as spacers. Amerikanische Bienenzucht, by Hans Buschbauer, is a bee-keeper's hand-book of 138 pages, which is just what our German friends will want. It is fully illustrated, and neatly bound in cloth. Price, postpaid, $1.00; or with the American Bee Journal one year — both for $1.75. Address all orders to this office. miscellaneous Hetps * 3 terns j Bee-Keeping in the Alps.— Mr. C. P. Dadanthas very kindly sent us the souvenir postal cards from which the en- gravings were made that appear on the first page this week. Mr. Mont-Jovet is a breeder of Caucasian queens, and a Dadant-hive bee-keeper. It is interesting to have apiarian scenes from foreign countries. Of course, it would be much nicer if each could personally visit apiaries in foreign coun- tries, but when that can not be done, the next best thing is to have pictures of them. What a wonderful thing photog- raphy is, anyway ; and also the process of engraving pic- tures, so that they can be reproduced with the printing press ! Surely, we are living in an advanced age ; great progress has been made along almost every line, bee-keep- ing not excepted. To Illinois Bee-Keepers .—Secretary Jas. A. Stone sends this notice : The Secretary has undertaken, through the instructions of the State Bee-Keepers' Association, to send out more than 2800 letters to bee-keepers of the State, and as he runs across the name of one who has paid his dues in the State Association — either direct or through one of the other asso- ciations that have joined in a body — he can not leave out such a name, for we desire their report, even if they have paid their dues. All who have paid their dues for 1906 are properly credited, and the Secretary positively can not an- swer the many questions personally that come back, asking, "Have you made a mistake?" etc. Those who joined through the other associations will each receive a cloth- bound copy of the Annual Report, the same as those who joined the State Association direct. But if the Secretary is compelled to spend all his time answering useless questions, the Report will not be out before midsummer. Route 4, Springfield, 111. Jas. A. Stonb, Sec. The Summerland of Florida is where Mr. Wm. A. Selser, of Philadelphia, is spending the winter. Here is what he says about the weather and the bees there : Most of your readers do not know that Dade county is the most extreme southern county of Florida, situated on the East Coast, with the Atlantic Ocean on the one side, with the warm Gulf Stream running near its borders, and the Everglades encircling it on the west and south. In whatever direction the wind blows it comes over a warm body of water. The situation is most ideal for a warm, winter climate. In 1890 it was said to the writer that kill- ing frost was unknown, but since that time there have been two or three years when the thermometer was below the freezing point. Last year, or in January, 1905, while I was in Boynton (this county), the thermometer one night sank to 28 degrees. Ice formed in a crust in the water-tub back of the house, and at 2 o'clock that same day I went into the Atlantic Ocean and had a good bath, with the water at 69 degrees — as warm as it often is in Atlantic City during August. Stuart — where the writer built a little cottage — is one mile from the village on the banks of the St. Lucie river. This river is one of the deepest in the State. It empties into the Ocean at St. Lucie Inlet, and a junction of the Indian river. This is the heart of the pineapple section. Twenty- five percent of all the pineapples of the State are loaded s.\ Stuart station. This 22d day of January the record thermometer on my porch, in the shade, registers at this moment within one degree of 90, and the bees at my back door are in a perfect roar, bringing in pollen and honey. On Saturday, the 20th, a large swarm came out and flew to the northeast. Its flight was continuous, and was lost sight of in the distance. Jan- uary is a very good honey-month in this county, if the weather is normal, but the last two years have been poor on account of so much of the prevailing high winds being from the northwest. This year is the most promising for many Feb. 8, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 119 years. About Dec. 20 the bees began to bring in a yellow pollen from a variety of little blossoms that did not seem to contain much else. About Jan. 1 the writer noticed the pollen on the bees' baskets turn white, on a close observa- tion. I saw the bees were getting it almost exclusively from pennyroyal, of which there are acres in bloom in all directions, and about Jan. 10 followed a light flow of nectar from the same source. On the 18th a very heavy flow set in. At this time the field-bees were not so strong as they should have been to get the best results, but the hives were fairly full of bees under IS days old. I carefully timed one colony, and found 105 bees ladened with nectar enter the hive in 30 seconds. In this time not one bee came out. All my hives are one story, containing 24 frames— Poppleton style, entrance in the center. Plac- ing my ear to a hive, I found it a delight to hear the bees evaporating the honey in every different part of the long hive, a fact quite new to me, as honey seemed to be stored in almost every one of the 24 frames. I notice that the bees here start to whiten the dark combs that have been in use 20 years just about the time they commence on the nectar in the North. Our flow is such that it comes in a rush, not giving much time to observe this practice. I will close to don my bathing suit for " a dip " in the St. Lucie, 40 feet from my house, the temperature of the water being 74 degrees. Wm. A. Selser. The Standard Committee of the National Association of the State, Dairy, and Food Deparments will hold a meet- ing in Chicago, Feb. 19 to Feb. 24, 1906. There will be re- duced rates on the railroads on account of the Nationa Dairy and Food Show, which is to be held here the same week. East of Chicago a rate of 1 ' j fare is made, and west of Chicago a rate of 1 fare plus $2. Certificates must be obtained with the ticket to Chicago, and tickets must be validated in Chicago for return. The afternoon session of Feb. 22, to be held in the Great Northern Hotel, will be devoted to a discussion of the fol- lowing : " Sugar, glucose, honey, vinegar, and food acces- sories— baking-powder, yeast, etc." An invitation is ex- tended to any bee-keepers who may desire to attend, and, in case it is impossible to be present, those interested are re- quested to submit in writing any evidence, facts and argu- ments they may desire to present to the meeting. For any further information, address E. N. Eaton, State Analyst, 1628 Manhattan Bldg., 315 Dearborn St., Chicago, Ills. Mr. James A. Stone, Secretary of the Illinois State Bee-Keepers' Association, is not only an extensive bee- keeper, but is a carload raiser of hogs. He brought a car to Chicago during the National convention, last month, and won two cash prizes, amounting to $175. The $100 prize was for the best carload of hogs numbering from 150 to 200. The breed was Berkshire, from spring pigs. The lots that Mr. Stone beat were of Poland, and also mixed hogs. Honey and hogs seem a strange combination ; but if they are not mixed too closely, perhaps the delicious flavor of the former will not be affected by the sometimes peculiar porky odors of the latter. Knowing Mr. Stone as well as we do, we have no fears of his ever becoming " hoggish," no matter how much he has to do with hogs. Binding Volumes of Bee-Papers.— On this page is an article from R. B. Ross, Jr., telling how to bind volumes of magazines in a way to preserve them in permanent and con- venient form. His method is also inexpensive. Almost anybody can follow his directions and do a good job. The details are described so carefully, in addition to the illus- trations, that it ought to be an easy matter to bind maga- zines like the American Bee Journal and others. Mr. Ross says that he has never had papers bound in that way loosen or break away, and that it is the cheapest method he knows of, consistent with good work. * (Eontributeb -f Special Ctrticles Binding Bee-Papers— Cheap, Effective Method BY R. B. ROSS, JR. IN looking over some old copies of the American Bee Jour- nal I find that the earliest volumes which I have (back as far as 1890) are still in as good condition as the day they were bound, making due allowance, of course, for wear and tear; for I might as well confess here and now that these old bee-papers have been a source of immense pleas- ure and satisfaction to me. My purpose is to urge all bee-keepers to preserve the various periodicals appertaining to their pursuit, as the winter evenings will give great opportunities for re-reading and digesting what perhaps they have been forced to lay aside, or merely skim through, during the busy rush of sum- mer work. In this way very many valuable suggestions are gleaned, which, if put into practise, will add to the prof- its as well as the pleasures of our work. One such idea (which I had missed previously) helped me to get a fair crop of honey the past season, while my neighbors had but indifferent success. There are doubtless some good binders on the market, and if one is disposed to use these they will answer the pur- pose very well ; but if you wish to put your papers into solid book form at a minimum of expense, nothing, it seems to me, can excel the following method for durability and cheapness : Remove, as far as practicable, all the creases which your papers have received in mailing, so as to get them to lie nearly flat. If the papers have been kept under a weight as fast as received and read, no trouble will be experienced on this score. Get together the following materials : A pot of good flour-paste; a ball of common cotton grocery- twine — (a strongertwine is, of course, better if not too large); a few small strips of old cotton or flannelette ; a putty-knife, or stick of soft wood whittled down to a similar shape — the end-bar of a Langstroth frame will furnish the material. Now get out two boards of 1 inch or % stuff ahout 8 inches wide, and 4 inches longer than the paper you wish to bind. Place one of the boards before you on a bench or table, and lay a year's papers on it, being sure that they are prop- erly arranged as to dates, and not upside down. Let the 120 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Feb. 8, 1906 backs project beyond the edge of the board about half an inch, the back of each number coming flush with its neigh- bors. Now place the second board on top directly over the first one, and with the help of a carpenter's vise or screw- clamps squeeze the boards tightly together, allowing the backs of the papers to project above the tops of the vise, as shown in the illustration. With a cross-cut saw make S or 6 saw-kerfs across the back of the papers, the end-kerfs being about ?4 of an inch from each end, the others dividing up the remaining space. It might be well to add a word of caution at this stage about removing the little wire clips with which the papers have been held together, wherever they interfere with the saw. Be careful not to get the kerfs too deep, about five- sixteenths of an inch being right. Blow away the paper sawdust and flood the saw-kerfs with the flour-paste, using the thin edge of the putty-knife or stick to work it in thor- oughly. Now bring the twine into use : Commencing atone end of the center section take a couple of turns around it through the kerfs and tie securely, making the knots come in one of the kerfs so as to be out of sight. Now wind the twine in and out, back and forth, being sure that you make a com- plete turn around each section before winding around the next. Tie securely again in one of the kerfs, put in some more paste, and with the putty-knife pack short pieces of old cloth into the cuts, on top of the string, until they are completely filled. The bound volume can now be taken out of the vise, and, after adding some more paste, put a piece of cloth or heavy wrapping-paper across the back and sides in such a manner as to cover the exposed portions of the twine where it runs along from section to section. If yon wish to add card covers it can easily be done, as you have a good, solid back on which to work. You can still further improve the appearance of the volumes by getting some friendly stationer to trim the edges for you in his large paper-cutter. In conclusion, don't forget — To have good flour or starch paste. To remove all possible creases from papers. To avoid the little wire clips when making saw-kerfs. To stop sawing before you get the kerfs too deep, or you will not be able to read the papers when bound. Clean up the kitchen if you have done your work there, and keep the " better half " sweet. Montreal, Que. •+'■ 3.— Dadant Methods of Honey-Production BY C. P. DADANT AS I said in a previous article, we began the breeding of Italian bees about 1867 with one untested queen, for which we had paid $5. This queen proved purely mated and a good breeder. So we began rearing young queens from her. We made a lot of little nuclei, much on the plan of the baby nuclei of to-day, only the combs were abont 6 inches square, and we gave each nucleus a good supply of bees. The queen -cells were produced by removing our breeder to another hive and allowing her former hive to re- main, queenless. By feeding the bees during the rearing of queen -cells we secured very good queens. At the end of the 10th day, when the queens were about to hatch, we introduced one queen-cell to each nucleus made the previous day. In this way we reared a sufficient num- ber of queens for all our colonies and a few to sell. I re- member that an old farmer of Iowa heard of our Italians, and came across the river and paid us $20 for queens. Until then I had thought my father rather extravagant to have paid $5 for a single queen, but I changed my mind from that day on. There was one trouble about our breeding, and we soon found it ont. I mention it that others may not fall into the same fault. It was the rearing of both queen and drones from the same mother. Within a few years some of our queens produced blind drones. It is quite probable that our bees had already been too much in-bred before we bought that queen, and we followed the mistake of our predecessor. As soon as we found this out we secured other Italians from another breeder, to mix the bees with fresh blood. It was then that my father formed the plan of beginning the im- portations of queens on a large scale. But disappointment after disappointment was in store. The Italian breeders (or rather dealers, for they did not do any breeding) were entirely ignorant of the necessary requirements of shipping, and literally drowned the bees by supplying them with too much honey. Then they insisted on furnishing them water. A little later it was the bee-moth which interfered, for moths are exceedingly plentiful in the warm climate of Italy, and the moths destroyed the combs and the bees during the trip from Europe. The boxes would arrive here alive with moths and filled with a mass of webs and cocoons. At last my father made a trip to Italy in partnership with Mrs. Ellen Tupper, whom the old bee-keepers will re- member. This trip was a failure, also, but from that time on the true methods of qneen-shipping were ascertained, and success at last crowned our efforts, after some five or six seasons of failure. We were able to secure new blood direct from the original source. The experience of those days prompts me to say to the beginner : Do not rear queens and drones from the same stock, but be as careful of the former as of the latter. If you do not care to breed queens by the new methods, you can still rear them in the old way, from strong colonies made queenless during a honey-flow, taking care to begin as early as possible. We always reared our queen-cells from the very best queen we had, taking the following things in consideration : Purity of race, prolificness and gentleness. When I say prolificness, I mean largest honey-production. These two things always go hand in hand. Our drones were reared from the next best colonies, by giving them a couple of drone-combs in the center of the brood-nest, and feeding them plentifully as early as conve- nient, so that they might breed drones early. The drones of good quality are as essential as the good queens, but we can not control the mating, and for that reason we are likely to lay more stress upon the queen's pedigree. But we can, to a great extent, secure pure mating by rearing both drones and queens early. We found it also very important to destroy the drone- combs and replace them with worker-combs, as much as pos- sible, in all the colonies from which we did not want any reproducers. I say, replace the drone-combs with worker-combs, be- cause we found that if the drone-combs were cut out and the space left empty, the bees would almost invariably re- build drone comb in the same spot. But they are averse to destroying comb, and if you insert worker-combs in the empty space, you will find that they rear drones only in the cells of accommodation, or in the corners that happen to be left. Every colony will rear a few drones, in spite of all we can do to prevent it, but it is the wholesale breeding of drones which we want to encourage in only one or two col- onies and prevent it in all the others. Not only your bees, but also your neighbor's bees, will become improved by this, and the benefit will sooner or later come back to you. Hamilton, 111. Mice With Bees in Summer or Winter BY G. M. DOOLITTI.E WINTER or summer— which ? That's the question. If it is summer you are asking about, let the mice go with the bees all they wish, for it means so many dead mice. I know whereof I affirm, for three times in my life I have known mice to run into bee-hives in summer, when the colonies in them were in a prosperous condition, and the mice were dispatched in 5 minutes unless they suc- ceeded in getting out of the hive very quickly. But if it is winter you are talking about, then I say, Don't. During winter the bees are in a semi-dormant state, and when in this condition they will not notice a mouse by way of killing it by stinging or in driving it from the hive. And if the mice are so annoying that they arouse the colony to activity, this dormant state is broken up, and through this the chances of good wintering are very much lessened. Then, as the bees do not drive the mice from their hives, the mice " have full sway," and the result is gnawed combs, with nests amongst them, and a general nasty mess is sure to follow. And when the bees get things cleaned up in the spring, if they live through all the worry and trouble, as soon as comb-building commences these damaged combs are sure to be repaired with comb of the drone-size of cell, so that our nice, straight, all-worker combs — combs which we have taken so much pains to secure, and looked upon with so much pride — are nearly ruined, as far as rearing worker-bees is concerned. There are four species of mice which are troublesome to Feb. 8, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 121 the bees and their keeper, and they are troublesome in this locality in the order named : 1. That innocent looking, fawn-colored-on-back-and- white-underneath mouse — which is called in these parts by the various names of "wood-mouse," deer-mouse," "dor- mouse" and " tree-climber" — cause more trouble than all the others put together. 2. Next, the house-mouse — the one our good house-wives so much abhor, on account of its getting into the pantry and feasting on the good things there. 3. The field-mouse — that chap that lives on our grasses and their roots, and the one so hated by the orchardists on account of its gnawing the bark off the young fruit-trees near the ground, or " girdling" them. 4. The little, soft-furred shrew. The dor-mouse lives, when in the hives, on the thorax part of the bee, and it is very easy to tell when he is around the hives, by finding the head, wings and abdomen of the bee scattered all about on the botttom-board of the hives. The house-mouse eats the honey, and does not touch the bees as food. The field-mouse eats nothing in the hive, but is pleased with the warm place he can enjoy at the bees' ex- pense ; while the shrew cares for nothing in the hives ex- cept the bees, which he greedily devours, all except the wings. Thus, the experienced eye can tell at a glance the kind of mice that are troubling the bees in any apiary, in this locality, during the winter months ; the only time in which mice are really troublesome in the apiary, and can work accordingly, when means are used to get rid of these pests. And now about keeping them from the bees, for I sup- pose that is what all are the most anxious to know : Where colonies are wintered outdoors, I know of but one reasona- ble plan, and that is to keep them out of the hives ; for mice do not annoy by running over the hives when the bees are wintered on the summer stands as they do where cellar- wintering is practiced. My plan has been to procure some of the galvanized wire-cloth, having }■'% mesh, and from this cut the right size strip so that it will fully cover the entrance to each hive, and, when in place, this will perfectly exclude the mice, and at the same time allow the bees as free a use of their " doorway " as if it were not there. And the time to put this on the hive is a little before the bees cease their activity in the fall ; for should you wait till later before putting on these mouse-excluders, you might fasten the mice in the hives, when it would be worse than an open en- trance would be. Where bees are wintered in the cellar, and especially where the bottom-boards are left on the summer stands, we must resort to traps or poisoning. As I dislike the poison- ing (on account of the liability that the poison may be used through accident or otherwise by something besides the mice ; and on account of the stench that will arise where many mice or rats are killed with poison) I adhere to the traps, and in 25 years of practice I have been enabled to keep the mice under perfect control with these traps. I use two kinds of traps — the " catch 'em-alive "and the "choker," though I much prefer the latter. However, there is now and then a field-mouse too large for the choker-trap, and you are sure of him with the other, and for this reason I use both where I am led to believe that the field-mice are present. For the dor-mouse and house-mouse, give me a good 4 or 5 hole, wood, choker-trap in preference to anything else, no matter whether these mice are in the bee-cellar, house or barn. Before you set these traps, drive a wire-nail down from the top over each hole, so the point will stick through the center of the top of the hole from ;s to 3-16 of an inch, this nail-point coming just in front of the wire that does the choking when the mouse springs the trap. When thus fixed, no mouse will ever pull out of the trap, even though he is caught just at the end of the nose. I use Y% or l/2 inch nails for this purpose, just according to the thickness of the wood in the trap. When the trap springs, the choker-wire forces the point of this nail through the skin on the back of the mouse's neck, and it is impossible for him to pull away, no matter how weak the spring to the trap may get. But this article would be incomplete without telling you about the bait to use. Cheese is the most common bait used by all when setting traps for mice, and if it is the house- mouse you are after, that is all right ; but for the others it is almost the poorest bait you could use. What is wanted is a bait suitable for all and every kind of mouse that comes along. After years of study and experimenting along this "mouse-bait " problem, I use corn on half the bait-rods, and pumpkin or squash seeds on the others. All kinds of mice eat both of these, and especially the seeds. Even the shrew, which is an insectivorous animal, is eager for squash-seed, especially those fresh from the squash. With these choker-traps and this bait, I have no trouble in ridding any bee-cellar of all mice within two days to a week from the time I commence. At the out-apiary I use the Dr. Miller bottom-boards, and before nailing up, the cleats for the wintering side have a saw-kerf cut in them at the right place, so that when the bottom-board is reversed (when the bees are being prepared for winter) a strip of this y% mesh wire-cloth is slipped into this kerf, the hive set up to it, so that when the crate sta- ples have been driven to secure the bottom-board to the hive, the whole thing is secure from any mice getting at the bees and combs ; for I do not go near this cellar after the bees are put in till they are taken out in the spring. In this way the bees and combs come out in perfect shape each spring now, while formerly many combs would be spoiled each winter, and whole colonies of bees ruined by the mice, tolerated in this farmer's cellar. Borodino, N. Y. =\ Southern * 23eebom -f Conducted by Louis H. Scholl, New Braunfels, Tex. Plan the Work The following, taken from Farm and Ranch (Texas), applies so well to bee-keeping that it was too good not to repeat it here. This is the age of better industries, and bee- keeping should follow in line. We are all interested in the betterment of the bee-keeper and his vocation. It is as fol- lows : " Seed-time and harvest must come year after year. In following this steady round we form certain habits with more or less thought worked in. Unless we take care the work of this new year will be done upon the plan and the plane of last year. Have a care. Devise plans. Adapt. Here is Improvement. Take fast hold upon her ; let her not go until you have lifted self from the ruts of weeks and months of labor. Better stand still for one week than to follow blindly the customs, the set-fasts of the former years. Recast it all. Do it now, before planning this year's crops. Get a system. Make it peculiar to yourself and to your surroundings. Let it have a color scheme, bordered 'round with some fun. Let in the light of mirth and joy, or the plan will be colorless — a sober grey. All work and no play may make Jack a dull boy, but it makes his father (and his mother) grumpy, dissatisfied or sodden. True in city as well as in country. Let in the light. " Drudging from 12 to 16 hours a day does not make truly great men or women — though it may make martyrs. The leaven of Thought is worth more than Muscle. Brute strength has been heavily discounted by science and inven- tion. Where are the well-balanced men, who, with trained minds in sound bodies are their own ' captains of indus- try ?' These are masters of self. Every day should have its hours of Toil, of Rest, of Thought. These are the trinity of daily balance in our lives. Plan to recognize Toil, Rest, Thought." Farm Bee-Keeping Does bee-keeping on the farm pay ? This is a question asked us by many farmers after their attention has been attracted by the busily working bees on the flowers — in the fields — or by the busy hum of the little workers near an api- ary of a large apiarist, or even when they see some of the nice, white product of the hive on display in a store win- dow, or in its place on the table ; or when, perchance, a copy of a bee-paper has fallen into their hands at some time. To these the answer is that in most places it pays, and in more ways than one. As diversification in crops on the farm has become to be the order of the day, bee-keeping should not be overlooked as one of the branches of a well-regulated farm. Many farmers should own a dozen or two colonies of bees, and these, if properly taken care of at the right time, would need 122 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Feb. 8, 1906 very little attention as compared with the time necessary for the care of poultry, stock, and truck gardening. Besides a good remuneration in honey for the table, and some to spare, the bees would do much good in fertilizing fruit-blossoms at the same time, for why did Nature place these little cups of nectar in the flowers to tempt the bees and butterflies? It was for no other reason or purpose than to have the little workers aid in pollenizing the fruit- blossoms to make the plant or vine more fruitful, besides furnishing man with so rare a dish of sweets, through the agency of the bees. For this reason I would recommend— encourage— farm bee-keeping. But I would impress also the fact that the bee-business is like any other occupation, and if only a half-dozen colonies are kept it pavs to have up-to-date hives, and use modern methods. Keepthem in a business-like way ; look after them at the right time ; give them the proper attention, and bees on the farm will pay well for their trouble. (Dur*Stster 23ceKeepers =^ J Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. A Beginner's Questions What is the price of a fertilized queen-bee ? Are the Carniolans better than the Italians ? I am a beginner. I bought 2 colonies ; one died 2 years ago, and last year they did nothing but swarm. I have IS colonies now, and I should think it was time they had new blood in the stock, if they are like all other farm stock. What would a baby nucleus cost by express ? and where can I get it ? Rock Co., Wis. Mrs. J. C. Plumb. You can get an untested laying queen for one dollar usually, and that is probably the best you can buy. Some people may think the Carniolan, but the majority will say the Italian. If your bees are doing good work as honey-gatherers they are probably not suffering for new blood. If there are bees anywhere within 2 miles or so from you your bees will cross with them, and you can not help it. So you see they may be getting the new blood all right without you know- ing it. Unless you intend to go into queen-rearing on a rather large scale it is hardly advisable to have anything to do with baby nuclei, as they are used only for the fertilization of queens. ^ Honey in Canning Fruit and in Candy Suppose we give Miss Wilson a little lift when we can, by sending to her a bit of our experiences. You know lift- ing only makes us stronger, and no one can tell the good that has been accomplished by just a word or sentence. Sometimes a mere accident or necessity may reveal a fact that, if known, would be of inestimable value as a basis of experiment, while the incident itself may be only a trifling thing, yet causing others to think and investigate. For instance, we have had a little experience in the use of honey, that may be interesting to some of the sisters. Having nearly one-half barrel of dark honey that we did not know just what to do with, because we could not use it for wintering bees, and to feed it in the spring meant either to damage our crop or be to the bother of extracting it ; so we concluded to try it in our canning, and, indeed, found it very satisfactory. We had small fruit to put up, such as cherries and ber- ries. After the cherries were pitted ready for canning, we put them on the same as we would for ordinary canning, only used honey in place of sugar, and found the color even deepened and the flavor improved. We then tried strawberries, and they were beautiful to look at, and as delicious ; while the same testimony may be given for black and red raspberries. We also found honey-hoarhound candy is delicious. Mr. Ferris brought a small package of hoarhound from the city. We took about one-fourth of the package and steeped it until the virtue was taken from the hoarhound, and strained, then put in 2^ cups of sugar, letting that boil a few mo- ments, or until most of the water had evaporated, if not all of it ; then we put in the same amount of honey — 2Ji cups — and let it boil (stirring almost constantly) until, when we tested it, it hardened quickly. Mrs. A. K. Fbrris. Madison, Wis. ^^M ■ ^^^ This Sister Delights in Bee-Keeping Dear Sister Wilson : — I will send you a report of my honey crop this year. My bees gathered 700 pounds of surplus honey, and I had to feed them 700 pounds of old honey, so they just made a living last year. They did not gather any honey after July to amount to anything, and so did not store any in the surplus boxes after that, but this doesn't discourage me, for I delight in bee-keeping. I took a trip to the Eastern States two years ago. I went to Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Virginia and Pennsylvania. I saw but very few bee-hives along the railroad where I traveled. Linden a Valuable Tree. The linden or basswood is "valuable in a great many ways. The best butter-bowls and butter-paddles are made of linden wood. The butter doesn't slick to linden wood. I have a linden butter-bowl aDd butter-paddle that are 54 years old, and they have worn well. Many a pound of but- ter I have paddled in a linden butter-bowl with a linden butter paddle. If the people of the State of Iowa had planted linden groves instead of maple groves that State would have been far wealthier, and also far healthier. Hur- rah for the bee-keeper that has a linden grove ! Propolis Very Valuable. Propolis is very useful in a great many ways. I have invented a new kind of picture-frame. It is made of propo- lis and all kinds of fancy broken dishes, glassware and old picture-frames. The frame, when finished, looks beautiful as well as ornamental. Some time I will tell how this pic- ture-frame is made. Crackless Cakes of Beeswax. If one doesn't want the cakes of beeswax to crack, ren- der the combs in the full of the moon, as the Germans call it ; or in the light of the moon, as the Yankees call it. Then the cakes of beeswax won't crack. Some of you may laugh at this idea. Mrs Catherine Wainwright. Sister Wainwright, suppose you try it in the dark of the, moon, and then in the light, and see if there is any differ- ence, and then report the difference. ^ VTlv. £)asty's Ctftertljougfyte j The " Old Reliable" as seen through New and Unreliable Glasses. By E. E. Hasty, Sta. B. Rural, Toledo, Ohio. Bees and Alsike Clover Seed. The experiences about bees and alsike seed which Mr. Pettit puts in on page 884 are striking. A few patches of alsike yield seed well usually. A large acreage, if near a big apiary, yields 6 to 9 bushels per acre. But \}& miles from an apiary, and beyond, the yield will be only 2 to 5 bushels per acre, with same soil and culture, if j, many acres are tried. Must have bees, it seems, to raise Lalsike seed profitably on a large scale. The Blessedness of Failure. The poem, " Blessed are Ye That Fail," is one of very great beauty and excellence. As it stands, the first line of the second stanza is a rather startling failure rhythmically considered ; but, perhaps, the printer is the one to blame on that. " For none [can] fail unless they first have striven " — would go all right ; or — " None fail unless they first [somewhat] have striven." Luke 6 : 21 comes very close to the wished-for beatitude — Blessed are je that weep now ; for ye shall laugh. ^Hard to Feb. 8, 19C6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 123 name many things which we weep over more frequently than over our failures. Page 885. Gubsses it to Be Poison. My timid guess at " Cuba's " sad case of bees dragging one another out until nearly all were gone would be poison. Between poisonous nectar and poison given by some ill- disposed person I would rather guess the latter. But, after all, it may be a disease — more or less akin to the one known as paralysis — perhaps still nearer to what has been called " Evaporation." Page 886. Witch-Hazel a Late Bloomer. One of the latest things to bloom is witch-hazel. Blooms are most conspicuous after its leaves have fallen off, and everything else is going into winter quarters. Lots of it around me ; although I do not remember ever seeing bees at it. Possibly they would go for it if weather allowed. Page 886. The Miller Wax-Extractor. For aught I can see, the removable cone cover of the Miller wax-extractor is expected to be water-tight at the bottom after it is put on. Beyond hoping for, and a fatal defect, it seems to me. May be I'm too faint-hearted. Nevertheless, the germ of a valuable new utensil may be there. Actual use rather than inspection of pictures must decide finally. Hope Mr. Miller, now he is in for it, will stick to his task, like a dog at a root, until he does get a satisfactory machine that will grind loose and float out the the wax instead of penning it in. Page 898. Cerasin and Beeswax. Some rogues are pretty sharp. It rather jars us up to be told by authority from Washington that pure cerasin — not a particle of beeswax in it — has been encountered look- ing and smelling very much like beeswax, and with the correct melting point, also. Correct melting point would not necessarily mean the proper amount of toughness when at 100°, Fahr. Page 902. Bisulphide of Carbon in Canada. 'Pears like the Canadian druggists have milder appe- tites for profit than ours if they sell bisulphide of carbon at 10 cents a pound. Page 90S. Valuable Man Who Defends the Sparrow. In the country the sparrow multiplies and displaces our native birds much better than he. I'll grant that in the cities there was a time when the small boy had the native birds driven out, and the sparrow had not come yet, leaving a dangerous vacancy for worms to breed in. I think proper public and police remedies should have been applied rather than the importation of a bad foreign bird. And, with all due apologies to Em Dee, the robin, as I see him, takes the perfect cherries and leaves the wormy ones. But the man who dares to defend the sparrow is an exceedingly valuable man. We'll look to realize much good from his David-and- Goliath performances some other time. Page 906. Farewell to the Old Year. Eugene Secor's farewell to the Old Year goes right to the heart of some of us old chaps, who love the old things and ways, and receive the rush of new ones with forebod- ings, and more or less of reluctance. Alas, we repeat the experiences of the dog tied to the hind "ex " under the wagon ! Our hanging back doesn't count. Barking and • howling occasionally is a little more to the purpose ; but even that avails very little. On goes the wagon. I can remember when for a country minister to take a fee for con- ducting a funeral service would bring about his ears an indignation meeting. Now the practise is general. On goes the wagon. I can remember when no one thought of such a thing as ordering people away from picking berries in his woods or uncultivated lands. If any one secretly desired it, wholesome fear of being called " a hog " re- strained him. Now that practise is general. On goes the wagon. And how much does my gentle howl avail ? Well, there are berries in my woods ; and while I live I guess the public will be free to come and pick. After then, who knows? It's not only " Good-bye, Old Year!" but Good- bye, Old Fraternity Times ! O Liberty, Equality and Fraternity 1 Equality has gone ; Fraternity is going ; how long will Liberty stay alone ? Page 1. See Langstroth Book Offer on another page of this copy of the American Bee Journal. =\ Doctor ZTTUler's (Question = Sox jp Send questions either to the office of the American Bee Journal, or to Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, 111. |3g° Dr. Miller does ?w( answer Questions by mail. Internal Hive Temperature 1. How many degrees of temperature is there in a bee- hive, in the brood-nest, or above the brood-nest ? Answer in S 2 If I place one hive on top of the other, what would be the temparature in the top hive ? Would this make any difference? . „ 3. How hot is it in a hive in the summer— in honey-flow, I mean ? . - 4. If a thermometer be placed between two combs or brood with bees on them as usual, at what figure would the thermometer stand ? Wisconsin. Answers.— 1. I can not give off-hand the temperature to be found in a brood-nest in summer-time, and rather strangely I do not find it by looking at the index in a num- ber of books, although it is well known. I think it is not very far below 100 degrees, although, of course, outside tem- perature and strength of colony will make a little variation. "Above the brood-nest" may be just the same as in the brood-nest, and it may be quite different, something, of course, depending upon how far above is meant. On a broil- ing hot day the temperature above would be about the same as in the brood-nest ; with the outside temperature at 60 degrees or lower, the temperature would fall, as the distance becomes greater above the brood-nest. 2. If both stories were occupied with bees, there would probably be no appreciable difference in temperature ; al- though on a cool day the temperature at the bottom of the lower hive would be lower than in any part of the upper 3. In the honey-flow the temperature of the brood-nest will be the same as before and after the honey-flow. 4 I don't know, but it would vary no little with the variation of the surrounding air. In a full colony there is very little such variation, for the strong force of bees is suf- ficient to keep up a uniform temperature with little regard to surrounding temperature ; but with only bees enough to cover two combs the case would be different. If the outside thermometer showed 100 in the shade, I should expect about 100 between the two combs ; but with the thermometer con- stantly falling in the surrounding air, it might be expected to fall also in the cluster, but not to so great a degree. Honey Dew-Late Winter ana Spring Feeding Wood Separators Cleaning The last season was the worst I experienced in several respects. The early part of the summer was wet and cold. White clover— our main source of honey— bloomed profusely, but furnished but little honey, and the cold, wet weather did not allow the bees to gather much of the time. Later the bees got busy for a time, but I could not see many work- ing on white clover, and, on examination, I found they were working on the leaves and small limbs of red-oak timber. The honey they gathered was thin, of a muddy-water color, and of poor quality. The season turned dry and the flow stopped all at once, and we got no more honey to speak of. Basswood was a failure, and we had no fall flow. I ex- amined my bees and found that out of over 50 colonies I would have to feed about half of them, which I did with sugar syrup until I considered I had them all in shape to winter. The fall was favorable for a late flight up to Nov. 20 ; I put my bees into the cellar the first of December, and I was surprised to find that they had consumed their stores until there was not more than a dozen that would winter, and several had already starved. I put them into the cellar and am feeding heavy sugar syrup. Some take it .Quite readily, and some take it slowly. They appear all right so 124 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Feb. 8, 19C6 far, and I will take them out as early as they can have a flight. 1. What, in your opinion, was the nature of the source of honey gathered from the red-oak timber ? 2. What was the cause of the stores disappearing be- tween feeding and putting into the cellar? 3. Please offer any suggestion that you think would be beneficial in getting my bees through the winter and spring, as I wish to save them, if possible, as the prospect for a good white clover crop the coming season is flattering. 4. I have noticed that in your book and other writings you advise throwing wood-separators away after they be- come coated with propolis, it being cheaper to buy new ones than to try to clean them. Now, I have never thrown one away until it was worn out or broken, and I don't miss the time it takes to clean them. I have a device of my own by which I clean a hundred per hour easily, and I am not quite certain but what bees enter a super more readily with sep- arators that have been used, as it appears to be natural for a bee to want to stick its nose around among fixtures that have been used in a bee-hive. I shall not attempt to explain my system, but if you feel interested I will make you an •outfit and send it to you to try, and I think you will quit discarding used separators, and throw your short-handled hatchet at a stray dog. After a test, if you find any merit in it, you can tell the folks about it. I find that to cut ex- pense in small things is what helps to add materially to the profit in bee-keeping. Iowa. Answers.— 1. It was the so-called honey-dew, probably "the production of the aphis or plant-louse. 2. It was probably nothing more than the unusual amount of continued warm weather, allowing the bees to fly without being able to gather anything, the continued ex- ertion obliging them to draw heavily on their stores. It is barely possible that the character of their stores may have had something to do with it, too. 3. There is probably nothing to be done better than you are doing, for so long as they have the sugar syrup conve- nient they will use that and let the honey-dew alone, and honey-dew is very generally not the best stuff for bees to winter on. 4. I don't know that I have ever advised that every one should throw away wood separators after having used them only once, and, indeed, last year I used some myself that had been used once, but were unusually clean. There are proba- bly localities where there is so little bee-glue that a separa- tor might not be very badly daubed with propolis after sev- eral years' use. Then there are other localities, especially at certain times of the year, where a separator would be unfit to use the second time without being cleaned. The choice between cleaning separators and buying new is a matter to be decided by the cost of cleaning as compared with the cost of buying new. You are quite right, I think, in believing that the bees would have at least a little pref- erence for separators that had been once used. That's be- cause of the bee-glue that's left on them, and the more heavily coated the better, to suit their notions. But the bee-keeper, rather than the bees, is to be considered in this case, and for this purpose the cleaner the betfer. At least for my own use I prefer them immaculately clean. So, unless they can be cleaned at a little less expense than the cost of new separators, the new will be preferred. Some are so situated that the time occupied in cleaning might be worth little or nothing for any other purpose, and such persons can make money by cleaning 100 separators an hour. In my own case it would be cheaper to buy new, especially as I have a preference for them, so it would hardly be worth while for me to try your arrangement, but it will be well worth while for you to publish your plan for the benefit of those to whom it might be a real saving. How About North Pacing of Hives? Is a lawn sloping to the north a good location for bees? The entrances to face the north, and no shade. Ohio. Answer. — You will probably find that it will not make very much difference whether the slope and the aspect are toward the north or the south during most of the year. Sometimes your north slope will be the better one, and sometimes the south. In cool days the southern exposure will generally be better, and in the hottest days the north- ern. In winter there will be days when soft snow is on the ground and the sun shining brightly to entice the bees out to a chilly tomb, and on such days the northern aspect will be better. There will be other days in winter when the weather and all conditions are favorable for a cleansing flight, and then the southern slope will be better. That cleansing flight is a matter of so much importance that on the whole it may be better to have the southern slope for wintering. This refers, of course, to locations far enough north to make a winter flight an infrequent occurrence. If your bees are wintered in the cellar, it will probably be a toss up which way is better. The Bee-Hive Clock We have originated and had made specially for our readers, a bronzed-metal Clock, called "The Bee-Hive Clook." It is 10% inches wide at the base, 9% inches high, and deep enough at the base to stand firmly on a man- tel or elsewhere. It is a beautiful piece of work, and would be both ornamental and very useful in any house, and particularly in a bee-keeper's home. The Clock part itself is warranted for 3 years to keep good time. So it is no play- thing, but a beautiful and needful article for everyday use. Clocks like "The Bee-Hive Clock " usually sell in the stores at from $4.00 to $5.00 each, but having them made for us in quantities enables us to offer ihem at $2.50 each by ex- press, or with the American Bee Journal a year— both for only $3 00. Either Clock or Journal would make an ideal gift. How to get "The Bee-Hive Clock" FREE Send us 5 New Subscribers to the Weekly American Bee Journal for one year, at $1.00 each, and we will send you this beau- tiful " Bee-Hive Clock " FREE (excepting express charges). Or, send us 4 New Sub- scribers (at $1.00 each) and 50 cents— $4.50 in all. Or, 3 New Subscribers (at $1.00 each) and $1.00— $4.00 in all. Or, S New Subscribers (at $1.00 each) and $1.50— $3.50 in all. Only $2.50. f.o.b. Chicago, by Express. Weight, with packing, about 4 pounds. What Dr. Miller Thinks of the Bee Hive Clock Busily ticking away, in the room where I am sitting, stands a genuine bee-keeper's clock (please understand that the word "gen- uine " belongs to the clock and not to the bee-keeper) .Jor, as the legend upon the clock has it, "The Bee-Hive Clock." I don't know A $4.00 CLOCK FOR $2.50 ... withthe American Bee Journal BoYthafor Only $3.00 whether the idea of getting up such a clock wa6 conceived in the brain of the Editor of the American Bee Journal, or whether he got it elsewhere, but the wonder is that such a thing was not thought of long before. Setting aside all idea of its association with the business of a bee-keeper, there is a pecu- liar appropriateness in having the minutes aud the hours " told off " in a case represent- ing the home of the busy little workers. The glance at the clock, with its ceaseless tick, tick, tick, tick, can not fail to remind one that the flying moments must be improved now or be forever lost, and that suggestion is reinforced by the thought of the never ceas- ing activity of the little denizens of the hive, always busy, busy, busy, working from morn till night and from night till morn, working unselfishly for the generations to come, and literally dying in the harness. Let us be thankful that the form of theold- fashioced straw hive or skep was adopted, and not that of any modern affair, patented or unpatented. The latter smacks of commer- cialism, but the former of solid comfort, for no other form of hive has ever been devised that contributes so fully to the comfort and welfare of a colony of bees as does the old- fashioned straw-hive. It appeals, too, to one's artistic sense as can no angular affair of more modern times. As an emblem of industry, artists have always U6ed — probably always will use — the old straw skep. Thanks, Mr. Editor, for furnishing us a time-keeper so appropriate for all, and espe- cially for bee-keepers. C. C. Miller. Address aii orders to GEORGE W. YORK & CO., 334 Dearborn St., CHICAGO, ILL. Feb. 8, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL '25 1 Reports anb (Sxpertences Mildest Winter Experienced DWe are having the mildest winter I ever experienced. Vp to date the thermometer has touched zero only twice; there has been no snow, aod if a severe cold snap comes it is likely to prove disastrous to the alsike clover. Bees appear to be wintering all right. Markbam. Ont.. Jan. 15. J. L. Bter 7^35 Summer in California r I have just come in from my home-apiary, and I never saw the like of bees in the air for Jan. 3. And what do you think? One of my very strong colonies, with a 1905 queen, had drones! This has been the dryest season I have yet seen in California — only a little over an inch of rain has fallen. No doubt the bees think it is summer yet. Cuaui.es Edson. Grafton, Calif. What One Nucleus Did I bought a 3-frame nucleus Junes, li)05. I gave it full frames of foundation in an 8-frame hive, and on July 10 it swarmed; on July 18 it swarmed again. Oct. 10 the parent colony weighed 58 pounds in an 8-frame hive; the prime swarm, 72 pounds in a 10-frame hive; and the other weighed 50 pounds in an 8- frame hive. I weighed them without the hive-covers. They are all in Wisconsin hives. I also got 24 pounds of honey, which I sold for 15 cents a pound. The foregoing is the very best way to get a 6tart with bees. I have some black bees, but they are not " in it" with the Italians. If I had known about the American Bee Journal 40 years ago I would have had it. James Gamash. Waukegan, 111., Dec. 26, 1905. Packing Bees for Winter Last July I embarked in the bee-business, and as I have owned bees since that time (5 months) I should be able to give some " val- uable advice I " The last of August I was taken sick and did not get out of the house until in October. When I did get able to be around I examined the bees and found two of the colonies about destroyed by the moth, and 3 or 4 with but very scanty provision for the winter. I brought them in from the country (46 col- onies in all), and placed them facing the east and south, along the fence and an out-building, placing the colonies 4 inches apart. After they had become used to their new quarters I packed them well with straw, filling in the space between the hives and fence, which is a 2-foot space, and in between the colonies and underneath. However, before I packed them I cleaned all the moth out and fed up the weak coionies, although it was late in the sea- son. December 1st I took tarred paper 3 feet wide, put one layer on and let it project over the front of the hives about 12 or 14 inches, then placed another one on, reaching back to the fence and lapping over the first one about a foot. This, I think, will help to keep the heat in, and the snow, rain, and cold out. After they had several good flights, the la6t one being December 26, I leaned some short boards against the hives at an angle of about 45 degrees, and on these I placed another sheet of the tarred paper, thus closing the bees up as completely as though they were in a, cellar. This will save the work of carrying the bees in in the fall and out in the spring. Besides, they will have the advantage of a •flight every warm day, as all that will be nec- essary will be to lay the last sheet of paper back on the gronnd and they will be out-of- j every bee keeper. Ask for the paper and the book. We Sell the Best Incubators and Brooders. Delivered at vour station, prices the lowest. Write us at once and save money. Address LEAHY MFG. CO., 10 Talmage St., Higginsville, Mo. Branrhea at Omaha, Neb. and East St. Louitt, lit. 126 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Feb. 8, 1906 should there be any on the ground, for a space of 3 feet in front of the hives. I forgot to say that on top of the first two sheets I placed some woven-wire netting that I use in the garden in the summer-time for the peas to run on. I placed this on top, and then weighted it down with old lumber to keep the wind from blowing it off. Packing these bees thus cost me not to ex- ceed 10 cents per colonv. Wm. G. Roberts. Panora, Iowa, Dec. 28, 1905. Results of the Season of 1905 I had (J colonies of bees laat spring, and in- creased to 8. Two of the weakest swarmed, and the rest gave 100 pounds of section honey, which I sold at IS to 20 cents per section. My bees are in good shape for winter, with plenty of honey to last until it comes again. I used T-supers on cases as soon as sections came into use. I sawed the T-strips with a foot-power saw, so I used them before I knew of Dr. Miller. Dr. Miller was the first to be- gin the use of top and bottom starters in sec- tions. My bees would build up through be- tween sections. Then 1 tried putting start- ers at the bottom of the sections, and it worked like a charm. I have used them that way ever since. Henry Best. Hibbetts, Ohio, Dec. 29, 1905. Did Fairly Well the Past Season I put my bees into the cellar Dec. 15, and they are in pretty fair condition, seeming to rest easy. The cellar is fresh and sweet, where the thermometer reaches 30 and 40 de grees above zero. All have plenty of stores for winter. They did fairly well the past sea- son, as I sold nearly 1000 pounds of honey, and have 500 left. I sell all my honey around home and in neighboring towns; comb honey from 10 to 15 cents, extracted 60 cents per half gallon jar, or SI 20 per gallon. I sell more extacted than comb honey. I extracted SO pounds of honey from each of some colonies, and from some "5 pounds of section honey. I think it pays better to run for comb honey, but one thing is certain, it does not sell as well here as does extracted. People 6ay it is too dear ; they say it is nice, but would rather take a jar of extracted. Sometimes I give them a section as a sample, and when I meet them again they ask me whether I have some more of that nice section honey, and they some- times buy 10 or 15 pounds at a time. I have a rubber stamp with my name and address, and every section is stamped, as it looks more neat. B. F. Schmidt. N. Buena Vista, Iowa. Dec. 28, 1905. Home-Made Hives and Frames Mr. J. E Johnson, on page (1905), wrote a splendid article on home-made hives, trusts, etc., which is worth the price of the Journal for a long time. I started the bee-business 23 years ago when it was next to impossible to get factory-made hives. I bought the "A B C of Bee-Culture," which contained directions for making hives by machinery, and from it I studied out a plan to make them by hand As Mr. Johnson said he did, I made several failures before I could make a good hive cheaply; but now, with the exception of the locked corners, I have as good a hive as 1 care for, with less work than Mr. Johnson did. I made a frame hive, Langstroth size, with bottoms and covers that I like better than any factory-made hive covers or bottoms I ever saw. For bottom-boards I simply used 1x14 inch boards cut 24 inches long, which is enough longer than the hive to make a nice alighting- board. I used 2x4 all-heart yellow pine for sills cut angling, or 14 inches on one edge and 18 on the other so as to give a wide founda- tion to prevent the wind blowing the hives over during a storm. These I set on thin Hat rocks or bricks, which keep the hive-bottoms off the ground, and by keeping them well painted they will last a life-time, as I have some I made in 1S82, and they are sound and good yet. In making the cover, I used boards a little wider, 1x16 inches, cut 20 !.,' inches long. I wet the heart side and laid them in the sun- shine on wet ground or grass, wet side down, and in half a day they were cupped to an oval shape sufficient to turn water. For end stuff I used 1x3, cut on one edge the shape of a wagon felloe, and the same length as the width of the cover. 60 the a>- inch stuff used on the sides of the cover will come up against the edge of the wide board and nail well. I then covered it with tin and put on iron handles, made in a blacksmith's shop, on the center of the cover, and painted the hive. In making the body of the hive I cut the lumber the proper length alter rabbeting the end-stuff for frames to rest on, and nailed together, with the heart side out to prevent cupping or pulling off at the corners, with four 8d nails to each corner. For an entrance to the hive I cut out, on the lower edge of the front end of the hive, a strip :,sx6 inches, or sometimes this strip maybe the full width of the hive. For frames, I proceed almost as Mr. John- son did, except the hand-ripping of good boxes. I went to the lumber-yard and se- lected all sap-fencing lumber 1x6 inches, and 12 or 14 feet long, and had it ripped at the planing-mill the sizes or thicknesses desired, and used the pattern or miter box for cutting. To prevent splitting in nailing, I put the ma- terial (after it had been cut into the proper lengths) into a tub of water for a few minutes, for, as you know, a sappy stick does not split easily. Now, for comb-guides ! I learned from Mr. Doolittle, in the American Bee Journal, how to make a wax comb guide and starter all in one. I will not tell here how that is done, but it's all right, for I have used it for years, even in section-boxes. D. F. Marrs. Lorena, Tex., Sept. 17, 1905. The Season of 1905 I had 70 colonies to start with in the spring of 1905, During the season I took 4130 pounds of choicest white honey. In the fall I sold 3 colonies, and put 115 into the cellar. Jacques Verret. Charlesbourg, Que., Jan. 23. Bee-Men and Bees— Large Sections I have often thought what a fraternal lot of fellows bee-men are ! I think I hear some one say, " Tou don't know them all or you would not say that," Well, I don't know all of them, or nearly all, and those I do know I have been introduced to through the bee papers, but I will say that the man who is out of this fra- ternal ring, and always has a bone of conten- tion or an axe to grind is not a bee-man, or much of a man of any kind. There seems to be something in the business from beginning to end which works benefit for all concerned. To start at the beginning, the bees benefit the flowers which they visit. The process of mixing the pollen from one flower with that of others, I suppose we all understand. While the bees are thus working good for the seed of the plant, and eventually the harvester, they are also supplying the colony with a subsis- tence from its sac of honey and basket of pollen. After a time the little workers have some of this treasure to 6pare, and it is placed up-stairs in the sections or extracting combs. They are thereby benefiting him who has sup- plied them with a home beat adapted to their needs. After a time the honey is harvested and 60ld, and I am not sure that he who purchases the precious sheet is not the most benefited. I must not forget the supply-dealers; they, in the course of events, must al60 be greatly helped, I have now something a little different which I would like to say. I noticed several articles lately in the differ- ent journals regarding a larger package for comb honey. Now, if you ask for a show of hands, mine goes up in favor of thi6. But I would add another clause: When that section grows large enough to weigh about 2 pounds, then sell it in the only way which honey should be sold — by weight. As it now stands, the same amount of work, package, and foun- dation is required to produce a 12-ounce sec- tion as one weighing 16 ounces, and can not, therefore, be sold profitably by weight. The cost of producing a larger section would not be in proportion to its size, and it could then be sold profitably by weight. I also believe the bees would start work much sooner in these larger sections than in the ones now used. They surely would sell a6 readily, so would we not get a crop of comb honey off our hands much soonerl I would like to hear what such men as Dr. Miller have to say on the subject. H. A. Smith. Palermo, Unt., Canada. Experience with Bees and Sparrows After reading on page 907 (1905) what Em Dee has to say about the sparrows and various other birds doing so much good, besides stick- ing up for our faithful, everlasting worker, the bee. I concluded to give some of my ex- perience. One day last summer, as I stood watching my bees, I noticed a sparrow alight on one of the hives and pick up a bee crawling on the hive-cover, then fly away, and after a few mo- ments' absence it came back with several others, and these, besides two or three king- birds, were playing havoc among my laborers, so. of course, I decided to stand it no longer, and went in for my Marlin repeater shot-gun, but on returning I was surprised to see noth- ing of the birds. However, I went over towards the orchard, when lo, and behold ! the sight there. They were at home eating June-bugs, which do much damage to this fruit-growing district by eating every leaf on the whole tree. But I would prove to my friends at once as to their value, and, taking aim, I brought down two sparrows and one king-bird, and drawing my knife, I opened their breasts and found in the two sparrows, 273 June-bugs, 13 bees, and some other small insects; in the king-bird were 3 bees and 62 June-bugs, 7 angle-worms, and a few half-digested insects like beetles. This shows that their harm-doing qualities are indeed very limited in proportion to all the good done by them. Tell the young hunter (I mean your boy) never to molest these song- sters, as this day we are enjoying the over- abundant big crop of fruit, vegetables and grain, also including the different varieties of flowers. All this would be practically useless to us if our faithful pets went back on us. " Spare the birds and such animals as do more good than harm," and think before you act. H. Petzold. Warren, Wis., Dec. 28, 1905. More About the Sparrow Like Mr. Stolley. I often read stuff which 6eems to require refutation, but what's the use? (Page 48. ) But when a defense is made on behalf of the English sparrow, then truth can not be repeated too often. It is not my desire to deny that the English 6parrow does a little good once in awhile, but the harm which he does in destroying the nests of other birds, such as martins, blue- birds, wrens, etc., fully justifies the employ- ment of any means tending towards his exter- mination. Mr. Stolley says: ''Of all the birds we have, the sparrow destroys more insects, worms and caterpillars than does any other kind of bird." Supposing that he had reference to the Eng- lish sparrow, I would like to remind him that our Government issues a pamphlet on the sparrow and its relation to agriculture, which, if he is interested in the truth of the matter, I would advise him to obtain. I had one of these pamphlets, but gave it away some time ago, so I have to draw on my memory for what I am to write. It describes perhaps 15 or more varieties of sparrows, all natives of America except one— the English or house-sparrow. All the native sparrows de- pend more or less upon insects for their living, and all destroy more injurious than beneficial insects; they eat but little grain, and conse- quently are not often seen in the neighbor- hood of houses or barns. Our friend, the English sparrow, however, is never found on meadows, etc., or any distance from houses or barns except in grain-fields ; he lives on grain mostly, takes a few insects occasionally for a change of diet, and of these he prefers such as not only do no harm, but which are really beneficial in destroying other injurious in- Feb. 8 19T6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 27 8eets,etc. HisyouDg likewise receive a worm or insect now and thea. This is about the result of thousands of ob- servations and experiments made in the field and the laboratory —not by university pro- fessors, but by experts who are maintained at Washington by the people of the United States, to find out the truth and telljit; and I would advise every friend of the English sparrow to obtain a copy of the pamphlet and be con- vinced. Referring to thrushes, catbirds, etc., Mr. Stolley says these miscreants can not stand our Northern winters, and go South when they have had their All, while the sparrow bravely faces the storm and cold. 1 would like to ask, What good does he do during this time; Any? And what good do these mis- creants referred to do while they are here? Have they not helped to protect the fruit- patch against the insect pest? and, when with them a change in diet is in order, can we justly blame them for taking simply their own! No, Mr. Stolley, don't try to put our friend ahead of all other birds — it will do him more harm than good. Aug. F. Koch. Middle Amana, Iowa. [We think the discussion of the sparrow has gone far enough in these columns, for a bee- paper. If it is necessary to say more, it will have to be done in a bird-paper, or elsewhere, so far as we are concerned. But it shows that bee-keepers are an ob- serving lot of people, and have other animal friends besides the bees. — Editor.] Colonies in Fine Condition Bees have had 3 summer days: it has been very warm. Not a colony is lost thus far, but all are strong and in fine condition. Henbt Alley. Wenham, Mass., Jan. 23. Bee Keeping in Arkansas The " old reliable" American Bee Journal continues to come regularly every Friday. May it continue so to come. May it live long and continue to spread out to every clime on the globe. To-day bees are working on what I do not know, and they are bringing in pollen. They have a flight here nearly every week during winter. The coldest I ever saw it here was 15° below zero, and that was for only two days. Last winter it was cold in January and Feb- ruary ; I lost one colony only, and the reason was the hive was made of ;\-inch stuff, with no protection, and the bees were weak anyway. I winter them on the summer stands in single- walled hives. I take off the supers after the honey-flow, put on a quilt and top-board and contract the entrance. That's all, and I have no trouble in wintering. I never saw any foul brood, or heard of it in this part of the country. I never saw any honey-dew here on any kind oi tree but hickory and black-gum ; that goes to prove to me that it falls just as any other dew falls. The propolis is gathered from the sweet-gum here. Why doe6 it take a drone longer to hatch than a worker, and a worker longer than a queen? Does it take the same temperature for all of them to hatch? By select and care- ful breeding I have one colony of bees that work at night. Next season I expect to rear all queens from this one queen. Arkansas has some mighty queer things. I have a golden queen that is 1 5-16 inches long — the largest queen I ever saw ; and lay — oh. my ! she simply piles out the eggs. She lays so fast I have to hatch the eggs in an incubator, and after they are hatched I rear the bees in a brooder ! That relieves the nurse-bees of a lot of unnecessary labor, so they can be gathering honey. Mr. Doolittle reports 63 pounds of honey in 3 days ; Mr. Root, 43. One man in Texas re- ported "00 pounds from one colony in one sea- son ; another one, 1000 pounds. That beats Arkansas. I handle my bees without gloves. I don't haul bees on a hay-rack, or pin down my veil. Mr. Root freezes his queens to make drone- layers. Last winter, when my bees froze, they did not thaw out. If they can be frozen and thawed out, it seems to me that would be the best way to winter them. Put them in honey- bags and hang them up and let them freeze, and, when spring comes, hang them out in the sun, and as they thaw tbey would return to their hives, and that would save feeding through the winter. Mr. Root might try it and see how it works. Poor is the rule that will not work both ways. W. C. Edgeworth. Pulaski Co., Ark., Nov. 19, 1905. CONVENTION NOTICE. Washington.— The annual meeting of the Washington State Bee-Keepers' Associa- tion will be held in the old M. E. Church, on Third Street. North Yakima, Wash, Feb. 14, 15 and 16, 1906. An interesting program is assured. One feature will be the illustrated lectures on bee-keeping. Let all bee-keepers in different parts of the State attend and make this an interesting and valuable convention. Virgil Sires, Sec. WANTED Jobbers' quotations on all Bee-Keepers' Sup- plies except Hives and Extracting Frames. 5A2t A. B BROWN & CO , Dubuque, Iowa. Coiled Spring Fence. — A few years ago the plan of selling goods direct to the user at wholesale prices, freight charges prepaid, was not thought of. One of the first large con- cerns to adopt this plan that we can now think of was the Coiled Spring Fence Company, of Winchester, Ind. Ten years ago they started with a small capital, small factory and small business. Now they employ 52 people in their office, 150 people in the fence factory, and 200 people in their wire-mill. They sell fence on 30 days' trial, freight charges prepaid. It can be returned if not satisfactory. They say they can save any one money on fence. It would be well for all fence-users to write for their free catalog, which fully describes their line, and manner of doing business. Please mention the American Bee Journal when writing. *3 / torn re r«, 'C8. *8t8I MM I Never Go Out a And last from 6 to 21 years *»*» *«. u..y^«»jo. shade and lawns. The most rapid growing trees, 10c to 17 cents each. ROSES. A large collection of hardv varieties, also our Live-for-Ever Pink Rose. 1" the most popular vegetable, yields at the rate of $400 per acre, two year plants 75 cents ■r 1,000. Grape vines and fruit plants at low prices. POPLAR TREES for driveways. . lOo to 20c each. BUY DIRECT FROM GROWER -SAVE 35 £15t Letns price your list of wants. Green's 1906 Catalogue, also copy of Green's BigPrnlt Magazine free. Bend postal card for them today. GREEN'S NURSERY COMPANY. WALL ST., ROCHESTER, N. T. "In every country the successful advertiser is the continnons advertiser." 5 MILLION S? Martha Washington Collection 40 as ioc. of Aster, Balsam, l'ansy, Sweet Tea, Pink, Salvia, Plilux Mysotia, Cosmos, Verbena, Petunia, .N asturtium . Cypress Vine, Heliotnrope, Mignoneite, with tlie following Bulbs FREE : One Dewey Lily (as above), 1 Begonia, 1 Freenias, 1 Tuberose, 1 Gladiolus. All of the above sent, postpaid, for lO cents in coin or stamps. Order early. Avoid the rush. MYSTIC VALLEY SEED CO., Medford, Mass. Special Sale on HIVES AND SECTIONS Until March IS. Dovetail Hives, 8-frame, IX- story, 1 25; 10-lrame, $1.40; No. 1 bee-way Sec- tions, 3 .90; No. 2, $3.40; 241b. Shipping-Cases, 13c; foundation. Smokers, etc., cheap. Send for 24 page Catalog free. W. D. SOPER, Rural Route 3, JACKSON. MICH. Our Little Booklet, Just out, tells all about Our beautiful Italian and Caucasian QUEENS X It also tells about the best BEE-HIVE, too; don't turn over another leaf until you have ad- dressed a postal to the The Wood Bee-fiive & Box 60. LANSING, MICH. For Queens Send to JOHN W.PHARR Berclair.Tex. He will furnish at the same prices as last year: Tested, ¥1; Untested, 75e; 5 for $3.25; 10 for $6; 15 for $8.25; 25 for $12.50; 100 for $45. He breeds Goldens, Carniolans, and 3- Band Italians. Also 1. 2, and 3 frame Nuclei and full colonies. Prices given on applica- tion. Pharr pays the freight, and guarantees satisfaction on all Queens. To do justice and judgment is more acceptable with the Lord than sacrifice.— (Prov. 3:21.) 5Atf FENCE fZSZE? Made of High Carbon colled wire. We have no agents. Sell direct to UBer at factory prices on 30 days free trial- We pay all freight. CataW "hows W stvles and heights of farm and poultry fence. I fs f ree. Buy direct Write today COILED SPRINC FENCE CO Box WINCHESTER, INDIANA. The Rietsche Press Made of artificial stone. Practically Inde- structible, and giving entirely satisfactory re- sults. Comb foundation made easily and ?ulckly at less than half the cost of buying rom the dealers. Price of Press, $1.50— casb with order. Address, ADRIAN GETAZ, 46Atf KNOXVI1.LE, TENN. r#-J.G. Goodner, of this State, writes me that he "prefers to pay $25 for a Rietsche Press than do without It,"— A. G. Feb. 8. 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 129 QUEENS Best 3-band Italian — 1 Untested Queen, 75c; 6 for*4; 1^ for S7.25. One 2 frame Nucleus with Queen, $2 25; 10 in one bunch, SIT 50. LUTHER PRESSWOOD, 6E7t RELIANCE, TENN. Get the Best Why put up with inferior goods when you may just as well hare I lie Best? They cost you no more. In many cases I can nnve j ou money. In all cases I give »lie most tor the money, qual- ity considered. Remember, I have been over 20 years in the business, and carry the largest stock of BEE-SUPPLIES IN THE WEST. Many thousands of dollars worth of goods now on hand, ready for distribution. Shipping facilities unsurpassed. All points reached by direct lines, thus insuring the lowest Freight-rates. Write for estimates and new Catalog. I>ib- eral discounts now. Address, JOS. NYSEWANDER, 565-567 W. 7th St. I ►!■:■>» HOI>IX IOWA Mention Bee Journal when writing. jbv A 40-page Catalog tree |1 f* fy g* The latest work on BKE- K|-1|-*X SI'PIM.IEM.Hives.Fix- lr V vO tures, Etc. Italian Bees and Queens. If interested in bees, do not fail to write us. John Nebel &Son Supply. Go., tlirjh Hill, Mo. 6Clf Please mention the Bee Journal. 65C TOr \i nanlCS 12 hrSefi and'lo'c- etamps taken— we will Bend for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Call— ree. sub. price 40c a year. F. C. is awkly., 25 years old, 1,300 pages a year. Sample free. FARMER'S CALL,, yuincy, 111. Mention Itee Journal when writing. \Tf^ m rJeeef BooJc ^^■iH JB| FOR 1906 ZPS0v I contains 1 5 2 wl W* rntm Hw larg e pages Si full from cov- Y&WMj \ \ Jl MB H er to cover of ^HI iBllfral IV illustrations s^aNKSiHiafK^oi ii JMHaiV ■psi, and descrip- r S| tions of the Ol £—-Z~*fj best and new- -~-C23! est things ■rjf known in HWr horticulture. ■f/ No market H gardener, far- v mer, or any- one interested in flowers can afford to be without this book, which will be sent free to < ill sending me their address on a postal. WM. HENRY MATJLE 1720 Filbert St. Philadelphia, Pa,, Mention Bee Journal when writing. ^\v/\*/V*/Vf V*/\v/W/\*/\*/l*/Vv/V*/\*/\4kF%js> Best quality. Good bear->XfiX»'Aj& «? V^3 © © d s 4c; Plum and Cherry/l^X* „<■ 12c; Peach 4c; aUv?T T^d»" budded; Con- very cheap. Freight paid s. Cata- on trees. cord Grapes JXlfc^"A©V^ logue, English or 2c; Forest sCj/y-*1 '-ww* rS^y^ German, free. Write B«d- ^^Wk>ft"/for it today. Address UlgB 'L/^H*"** ^ GERMAN NtJRSERIES, Box 30 Beatrice, Neb. -PURE ALFALFA^ HONEY IN 60-POUND CANS We have a good supply of Pore Alfalfa HOMEY in 60-pound cans that we can ship by return freight at these prices : 2 cans, boxed, at 8% cents a pound ; 4 or more cans at one time, 8 cents a pound — all f.o.b. Chi- cago. Cash with order. Sample, by mail, 8 in stamps, to cover package and postage. Address, YORK H0NEY25»ffC0. 141-143 Ontario St., CHICAGO, ILL. Cbloal. 6th— What Users The Fresh Air Incubator ibatloi Id * new and effective way, making possible higher per cent hatches, brighter, boaltL ler stronger chicks. 5 FREE BOOKLETS ON ARTI- FICIAL POULTRY PRODUCTION Ut— The Standard Incubator. 2nd — An Incubator for Beginner*. 3rd— Universal Hover and Colony Brooder*. 4th— Feeding >re Doing. A PIANO BOX WILL DO Put the Universal Hover into it and make jour own brooder. The Uni- versal Huver may be attached to anj site or form of Colony house, mushroom house, small portable building or piano box aDd make about as good a brooder as money can buy. Write for catalog and the five books FREE. Others to follow, you'll get tbem all If your name is on our mall list. Prairie Stats Incubator Co., 351 Main St., Homer City, Pi. Please mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. Feb. 8 1906 THK AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 131 Lowest Prici Headquarters for Bee-Supplies Big Discount for Early Orders Complete Stock for 190C now on band. On Cash Orders Before November 1 9 percen " December 1 8 " " January 1 7 " " February 1 6 " " March 1 4 " April 1 2 " FREIGHT- RATES FROM CINCINNATI are the LOWEST, ESPECIALLY for the SOUTH as 'mostlall freight now goes through Cincinnati. Prompt Service is what I practice. You will Satisfaction Guaranteed. SAVE MONEY BUYING FROM ME. Catalog mailed free. Send for same. BCC= SuppllCS E 5 Percent Discount for February OF ALL KINDS Established Nearly 25 Years We have published THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER for 15 years (monthly, SOc a year.) The largest and best il- lustrated magazine of its kind for the price published. Edited by two of the most experienced bee - keepers in America. Sample copy free. Our large, illustrated Price-List of Supplies free on application. Address, The W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co. JAriESTOWN, N.Y. Mention Bee Journal when writing. £)oney anb ^= Chicago, Jan. 8.— The market is steady with abont the usual demand; the prices range from 14®15c for best grades of white comb honey. There is not an active demand for off grades, which usually sell at l@3c per pound less. For extracted a steady demand exists for the best grades at t>Wa,7c, but for sour or off flavors there is practically no sale. R. A. Burnett & Co. Toledo, Oct. 17— The honey market remains firm, with good demand, and prices the same as last quotations. Fancy white comb brings 15c; No. 1, 14c; fancy amber, 13c; buckwheat, 13c. Extracted, white clover, in barrels, b}i@b%c; amber, tn barrels, 5@S%c; in cans, lc to \%c higher. Beeswax in good demand, 26c cash, 28c trade. Griggs Bros. Indianapolis, Feb. 2.— Fancy white clover comb brings 16c; No. 1, 14c; demand exceeds the supply; fancy white western comb brings 14m. 15c; amber grades in poor demand at 12c. Best grade of extracted honey brings 8H@9c ifl 60-pound caus; amber, 6c. Good average bees- wax sells here fot $33 per ICO pounds. Walter S. Poudbr. Denver, Nov. 11.— No. 1 white comb honey, per case of 24 sections, $3.35; No. 1 light amber. $3.0j; No. 2, $2 5O@3.0O, Extracted honey, 6% (a 7 cts. per pound. Supply is light and we coud make quick sales of consignments at above figures. We pay 24c for clean, yellow beeswax delivered here. The Colo. Honey-Producers' Assn. New York, Feb. 19.— The demand is fairly good for better grades of white, and while the near by crop is iairly well cleaned up, new arri- vals are now coming in from Cuba, tesides several cars have been shipped on from Cali- fornia. We quote fancy white at l£c; No. 1, 13@14c; No. 2, 12c; amber, lie; buckwheat, 10@llc Extracted in fairly good demand, es- pecially California, of which there is abundant supply. We quote white sage, r-H"' "Wc; light Let me ^^ ytT^YI^TCI ^re(^ *n separate apiaries, bookyour |J I Pi F i ^ IS the «OCi>EN VKK- Order for ^Cfj *J M J M J X^ K7 KOWS, < % K>IO- JLANS, ICKI» CLOVERS and CAUCASIANS. For prices, refer to my catalog, page 29. C. H.W.WEBER =T Office and Salesrooms, 2146-48 Central Ave. Warehouses. Freeman and Central Aves. amber at 6@7c, according to quantity; buck- wheat at 6c per pound; Southern at 50@60c per gallon, according to quality. Beeswax steady at 29@31c. Hildreth & Segelken. Cincinnati, Jan. 20.— The honey market is quiet. We do not offer white clover extracted honey on account of its scarcity: instead offer a fancy water-white honey, equal to if not bet- ter than the white clover, in 60 lb. cans, two in a crate, at 7&<§'SKc; fancy light amber, 7!^c; other grades of amber in barrels at 5J4@6Kc, according to the quality. Fancy comb honey, 16«c. (Bee-keepers, please observe the above are our selling prices of honey, not what we are paying.) Beeswax, 30c, delivered here, for the choice, bright yellow grade. The Fred W. Mtjth Co. Kansas City, Jan. 22.— The market here on honey is very dull now, as it always is this time of year; fancy white is selling at $3 00 per case; 24- section and amber is selling at $2.75. Extracted, 5H@6c. BeeBwax, 25c per pound. C. C. Clemons & Co. Cincinnati, Jan. 23. — The nice weather holds back the demand for comb honey. Crops seem to be exceedingly short and producers in the West keep the prices high. We quote as fol- lows: Fancy water-white and No. 1 white clo- ver, 14@16c; No. 2, 12@14c. Extracted seems to be more plentiful, and we quote same in barrels, 5%@5*4c\ in canB, *4c more; white clover, 7@8c. Beeswax, 28@30c. C. H.W. Weber. hurst-Y AND BEESWAX When consigning, baying or selling, consult R. A. BURNETT & CO., 199 South Watbr St. Chicago. Ill, Model Incubators and \ Brooders Manufactured by Chas. A. Cyph- ers, and sold at his factory pri- ces. Freight rates from Toledo will save you money. Do not be humbugged into buying a cheap machine. The best is none too good. Our illustrated Catalog I free to any address. Ask for it. GRIGGS BROS. 8 521 Monroe Street, TOLEDO, OHIO. Mention Bee Journal when writing. MtallaGomb Honey Very fine. Price depends upon how much you can use. C. M. SCOTT & CO. INDIANAPOLIS, IND. SAtf Please mention the Bee Journal Please Mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. FANCY WHITE EXTRACTED H0NE£ CRATES 2-60 LB. CANS; 8c TWO OR MORE CRATES; 1% LARGER LOTS; WRITE FOR SPECIAL PRICES. ALL F. O. B. CINCINNATI. CASH WITH ORDER. SAMPLES 10c. TO PAY POSTAGE. THE FRED W. MUTH CO. No. 51 WALNUT STREET, CINCINNATI, OHIO. UL DISCOUNT. 132 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Feb. 8 16 B U A BEE-KEEPER? If so, you are entitled to the New 1906 Lewis Catalog. The 1906 LEWIS CATALOG contains nearly 100 pages devoted to bee-goods, including 7 pages of points to beginners. The 1906 LEWIS CATALOG contains 16 full-page cuts, which are reproductions of pen- and-ink drawings made from the original Hives and their parts. The 1906 LEWIS CATALOG completely and clearly describes all Hives, Supers, and other appliances, so that it is a handbook of Beeware readily understood and therefore easy to order from. The 1906 LEWIS CATALOG just fits your pocket, and while you are working about the apiary or in-doors it will serve as an excellent manual on bee-keeping. It is free for the asking. AGENTS WANTED For Lewis' Goods by the Carload MAINE NEW HAMPSHIRE VERMONT MASS ACHUSETTS CONNECTICUT FOR. RHODE ISLAND NORTH CAROLINA SOUTH CAROLINA MISSISSIPPI ALABAMA. Liberal territory given. GEORG-IA FLORIDA LOUISIANA SOUTHERN OHIO For further particulars address Home Office G. B. LEWIS CO. * Manufacturers of ee- Keepers' Supplies Watertown,Wis. XJ. S. A.. » 't&L |H trW^S ^^^t^^^^^^i^-^f _■■ "j^i J ■ ^ --ir^ Tbf^ II Apiary of A. A. Brimmer, of Hoosiok, N. Y. (See page 138.) Apiary of Artnur Stanley, located in Clark Co . Wis. 134 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Feb. 15, 1906 PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY 6E0RGE W. YORK S COMPANY 334 Dearborn Street, Chicago, 111. IMPORTANT NOTICES THE SUBSCRIPTION PRICE of this Journal is fl-.oo a year, in the United States, Canada, and Mexico; all other countries in the Postal Union, 50 cents a year extra for postage. Sample copy free. THE WRAPPER-LABEL DATE indicates the end of the month to which your subscription tepaid. For instance, "dec) colonies of bees (spring count) he owns or operates. 2. Any honey-dealer, bee-supply dealer, bee-supply manufacturer, bee-paper publisher, or any other firm or individual, may become a member on the annual payment of a fee of $10, increased by one- flfth of one (l > percent of his or its capital used in the allied interests of bee-keepinu. George W. York, Manager, 384 Dearborn St., Chicago, ill. "The continuous advertiser gets the bulk of lite business, because others are not adver- tising;, and he is." BEE-KEEPERS' SUPPLIES I POULTRY SUPPLIES LEWIS' BEEWARE is so well known it need no introduc- tion. 4 percent Discount on BeeSup plies for February. Beeswax wanted — 27c cash, 29c when taking bee-sup- plies in exchange. Extracted Honey for rale. Prices on application. Sample, 10c. CORNELL INCUBATORS PEEP 0' DAY BROODERS CORNELL CHICK MACHINERY are unexcelled. The 1906 Cornell Incubator is superior to anything heretofore put on the market. H. M. aRND, Mgr. New 1906 Catalog for either line FREE If you want orders filled PROMPTLY AT FACTORY PRICES, send your order to YORK HONEY IMy3 CO. C) 141 Ontario Street, CHICAGO, ILL. Long Distance 'Phone, North 1559. * •».»v Aji ••♦v & jjfc. •I* ••*♦ **♦ ♦*• **♦ *V **♦ •:♦ «V •:• «V *:♦ •:• *:• ♦:♦ ♦;• •*• ♦:• *:♦ V* *.• *;• *>*• *V «•;• *V ♦*♦ '*.f J*" ''if *" 'if*' ''if.*' '"-f *" '^f * ''if.* ''if .*' 'W * ^f*' '*■$ *" "*f •*" "*f *" "If*" '*•*' "f *" ''if*' ^f *~ ^f F DITTMER makes a SPECIALTY of WORKING £ Beeswax into Comb Foundation. $ Write for our Price-List, Samples, and early-order Discount. We would like to send jjfc them to you at our expense. Our Warehouse ^T ill save you 8160 to Catalogue is now ready. Send for it today. Co-operative Society of the National Supply Co. Lansing, Mich. Chicago, 111. m ingthe hives. I found two bee-trees, and saved the bee6, and now have 24 colonies all in good shape as far as I can see. I bad over 800 pounds of comb honey last season, for which I got 17 cents at the store, and 20 cents for what I peddled. The American Bee Journal is my favorite paper. Harvey Clark. Sullivan, Ind., Jan. 30. CONVENTION NOTICE. California.— The California State Bee- Keepers' Association will hold its lfith an- nual convention in the Chamber of Com- merce, Los Angeles. Calif., Feb. 30 and 21, 1906. The meeting will be called to order at 1:30 p.m., on the 20th. Any one interested is invited-to attend. J. F. McInttrb, Sec.-Treas. L. L. Andrews, Pres. INVESTIGATE THE POULTRY BUSINESS Write for a free copy of my book describing Profitable Combinations of Egg9 Broiler and Roaster Farms It gives the prices paid for eggs and poultry week by week for the past three years. It tells how and when a hatch taken off each week in the year could be most profitably marketed. It shows how you can make 82.00 on a large winter roaster. It tells what profits can be made with each of the popu- lar breeds, and the costs of production. I have helped thousands to make money with poultry. My Model Incubators and Brooders are used on the money-making farms. It is my business to teach those who use them to do so profitably. Whether your needs are small or large, I will furnish with- out charge, estimates and plans for a com- plete equipment that will insure success without your spending a dollar uselessly. Send for my complete literature. GHAS. A. CYPHERS 3926HenrySI. Buffalo, N. Y. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Please Take Notice That we have purchased The Atchley Stteam Bee-Hive Factory, and are now putting in up- to-date machinery for making Dovetailed Bee- Hives and Supplies. We earnestly solicit a share of your patronage. We quote prices on two hives lor comparison: One 2 story 8-frame hive in the flat for ex- tracted honey, complete, ready to nail, $1.25; l^story hive in the flit, with sections, com- plete for comb honey, $1.25; self-spacing Hoff- man frames in the flat, $15 per thousand. Re- member, these are standard goods and Dove- tailed hives Get prices on large lots. D1TT- MER'S FOUNDATION AT DITTMER'S PRICES. We are headquarters in the Souih for Bees and Queens; Untested, $1 00 each; $9 perdoz.; Tested, $1.50. Full Colonies, Nuclei and Queens in large lots our specialty. Send for Catalog. LTHE BEE & HONEY COnPANY, (Will;Atchi.ey, Prop.) Beevllle, Bee.Co., Texas. Feb. 15. 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 147 EVERGREENS That are Sure to AND FOREST TREES I have been pro winy everpreens and forest, trees for :n years, al- ways with one idea— trees that satisfy. When you buy Hill's trees yoa pet honest value — highest emality. My catalogue is mv salesman; it's free. Con- tains ix papes illustrate] with Qatiefv beautiful pictures; describes 9dli9iy an kinds of nursery .stock for all purpose*— faadpta. windbreaks ml orownwt. Abo mul («M.«hruh«»ndTin«. &0 Beit B»rga[nB ever offered— »1 00 110.00 p«T 1irds and eggs for hatching. It's a book that will be appreciated by every one. oc in stamps brings it to your home. Berry's Golden Rule Poultry larm, box 7J}, Clarlndu, la. FARM phone: HOME ^"TT* A telephone V means more ^^^ to the far- mer than he reali- zes in a social way and in matters that have to do with the management of the farm home. But the real worth is in the ability of the farmer to do more business by doing it quicker, by making sales when he could not be informed other- wise, without a 'phone. For instance, the circus contractor wants to buy hay, 'Phone Brown, he's got hay, says a by- stander, so the contract goes to Brown. 'EACO" farm 'phones never miss. You can call up any sub- scriber no matter whether his re- ceiver i s on the hook or not, provi- ded all the 'phones on the line are equipped with our ="X. P. Condensers. Our book explains how this is done and many other good features of our farm 'phones. All ",EACOS" are handsomely made, compact, strong, and cannot t out of order if roperly used. Our new book "How to Buy a Farm 'Phone, will interest every farmer who wants to succeed. Write for it today, it's free. Electric Appliance Company Dept. A Chicago, Illinois Please mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. Feb. 15. 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 149 40 Kinds Tall 2 7 Kinds Dwarf NASTURTIUM SEEDS w We mail this flue collect 36 FREE Kinds ut Old Fashioned Flower SEEDS imported from Germany : Pluinopa, Celosljv, Cam- panula. Calaiirtiilia. By- ronopsis, Arabia, l.ily of the Valley, Alyssum.tloh'fl Tears. Cineraria, Colnm- bine, Fotirn'ClM.k. Hlbla- cns, Gilla, Swrt-l William, Anemone, Solannm, Kte- via, Bird of Paradise, Sedum, SHean,Blue Hells of Scotland, Smilax, Tiger Pink, Browallla, Storks, Margaret. Cyanus, Cow- Blip, Coreopsis, Clematis, Cypress Vine, M<'iiriiintf Cloak, Zinnia, Verbiiia, Violet. All the above sent you if you will send XO cents in silver or stamps to pay the cost of postage and pack- ing. GLENOALE NURSERY, Dept. Everett, Mass. Mentlun Bee Journal when writing. — MOORE'S LONO-TONQUES AND GOLDEN QUEENS Select Untested, $1: 6 for $5; 12 for $9. Tested, $1.50; 6 for $8. Best Breeders, $3.S0. Safe arri- val guaranteed. W. A. RAILS. 7D6t ORANGE, CALIF. W«J)C TOr 1/5 N9IHGS 12 farmers and' 15c- ptanips taken— we will Bend for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Call— reK. sub. price 4<>c a year. F. C. is a wkly., 25 years old, l,3oo pages a year. Sample free. FARMER'S CALL, (Juincy, 111. Mention Bee Journal when writing. T' il/U> \l> \l> \l/\l> \l/\l> \l> \l> Vl/\l> \l> \l> ili \#> \l> \i> \l/ \#/ %!/ \li Wi \l/\l/^ Everything- for the Apiary Wholesale Agents for G.B. Lewis Co. Dadant's Foundation BUY i\0W-TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE DISCOUNT. SEND US YOUR ORDERS. LOUIS HANSSEN'S SONS DAVENPORT, IOWA ^(f\(f>(tyff>(f\(f\ffy(f\(ty(9>i>(fyffy(fvt>(t\^\ff\^(f>(f>(ty(t>^(f>s^ THIS IS THE PHONE FO FARM FOLKS In selecting: a telephone for the farm line re- member that repairs and tinkering cost money and waste time. Use the same judgment that you would in buying a reaper. The cheap telephone, like the cheap harvester, is out of ser- vice most of the time. Its talking qualities are not lasting; it soon gets weak, and is liable to cause you trouble all of the time. Stromberg-Carlson Telephones are the standard make for rural lines. Other manufacturers claim their instruments are as good— they like to compare theirs with Strom- berg-Carlson— but TIME will not bear out their claims. To avoid trouble, expense and disappointment, pay the trifle more and get the telephone with a reputation. Buy the Stromberg-Carlson— vou buy satisfaction. Free book. 80-D, "How the Telephone Helps the Farmer." tells a lot of rea- sons why it's the phone to buy; gives full description of every part and piece of a telephone: tells how it's made and illustrates where it's made. Write for the book today. Address ROCHESTER, N. Y. STROMBERG-CARLSON TELEPHONE MFG. CO., CHICAGO, ILL. I I BEE-SUPPLIES We manufacture everything needed in the Apiary, and carry a large stock and greatest variety. We assure you the be6t goods at LOWEST PRICES and our excellent freight facilities enable us to make prompt shipments over 15 dif- ferent roads, thereby saving you excessive freight charges as well as time nnd worry in having goods transferred and damaged. We make the Alternating, Massie, Langstroth and the Dovetail Hives Our prices are very reasonable, and to convince you of such we will mail you our free illustrated and descriptive catalog and price-list upon request. We want every bee-keeper to have our Catalog- SPECIAL DISCOUNTS now. Write to-day. Address, KRET6MER MFG. 60., Council Bluffs, Iowa. Catalogs issued in English or German. 'In every country tne successful advertiser is toe continuous advertiser, " 150 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Feb. IS, 1906 GROCERIES AT WHOLESALE PRICES FREE This catalogue will save you money on y«»ur grocery supplies. -FREIGHT PAID- What do your groceries cost you a year? Will you buy them of us if we can prove that we will save you from 11) per cent to 20 per cent and pan the frtightl That certainly is an amount worth saving; it is worth the trouble of asking for the proof. Get our large Grocery List and compare our prices with what h you have been paving. Then put us to a greater test— send us a trial order and compare the goods and the prices. If we do not save you big money, send the goods bade at our expense. The grocery bill is the biggest part of the family expenses. We will cut it almost in the middle and guarantee everything we sell. We can do this because we buy in immense quantities— carloads and trainloads— and we give you the benefit of our ability to buy cheap; in fact we can sell to you at just about the figure your local dealer would have to pay. We save you his profit and thefrrioht besides. To save still another 10 per cent, become a member of the Co-operative Society of the National Supply Co. We'll tell you how to get this extra 10 per cent discount, if you will write for full information. An easy way to make money. If yon want to save money get our catalogue and learn just how cheap you can bay groceries from „.> r.italfKiie is ready and lists everything in the grocery line. We send it Jne. from us. Catalogue is ready and lists everything L Co-operative Society of the National Supply Co., Lansing, Mich, and Chicago, III. CHARLES MONDENG SECTION MACHINE ISO NSWTON AVE Is covered by two Patents. With this wonderful inven- tion the cost of making Sections may be reduced to $l.ls per 1000. If such Machine will interest you, write for further information. Do not write about it unless you mean business. BEE-SUPPLIES^ QUEENS My Catalog for 1906 is now ready for distribution. I am the Northlrn Headquarters for Adel Queens and Bees, and good, honest Bee-Keepers' Supplies. If you have not received my Catalog, write for it. Address, CHARLES MONDENG, IT., MINNES-A-FOLiIS, MINKT. ,J-mM INCUBATORS I till AND BROOC mc nested and pr. I UPe; Bold direct to you at whoiesaleprices. cei tbe maker's guarantee and save the middl _n'8 profits. The Removable Chick Tr" ■„,l .VurwM/— » feature no other hue— explained Trotwood, 0 ,.B$4SS UP IO-80 F«r <£ 200 Egq INCUBATOR Perfect in construction ana .action. Hatches every fertile I egg. Write for catalog to-day GEO. H. STAHL, Qulncy, III r Wisconsin Basswood Sections And Prompt Shipments Is what we are making for our customers. DOVETAILED HIVES AND SHIPPING-CASES — We carry a full line of SUPPLIES. Ask for Catalog. i HARSH FIELD HANUFACTURINQ CO., Harshileld, Wis. Stingless Bees Are worthless as honey-producers. Cau- casian Bees are not 6tingless, they are gentle. They produce honey. Try them next season. Have your queens, both Caucasians and Ital- ians, bred to order, and then you will have what you want. Address, ROBERT B. McGfllN, Yorkville, III. R.f.d. 2A-tf Mention Bee Journal when writing. i^DANDYcWeri will double your egg yield. Thous-] ands of poultry raiseisi say so. 1 1 costs less, turns easier, I f cuts fasterandlastslonger than | [any other. Price $r.M up. l»«ldonl6 Way*' Free Trial. Send for book and special proposition STRATTON MF'G. CO., Box 81, Erie, Pa. For Sale-10,000 Lbs. ^ Spanish-needle Extracted Honey put up in new 60-lb. tin cane— 6c a pound for the lot, or 6>$c for less, F. J. GUNZEL, Werner, Ark. 44A16t Please mention toe Bee Journal. BEE - SUPPLIES Everything the bee-keeper needs. Distributing house for Lewis' Goods at Factory Prices. Now is the time to buy for next season. Cash Orders for regular Supplies before February, 6 percent Discount. FINE EXTRACTED HONEY in cans or barrels. The best the world can produce Samples 8 cents, to pay postage and packing. How much can you use? Prices quoted quick on the quantity you mention. We buy BEESWAX at all times in the year. Send for our Catalog and "Special" — free. Cm- f>/-Nyvi I 0 /"*/^ 1004. East Wash. Street . M. SCOTT & UU. INDIANAPOLIS. IND. ++ ** + + METAL MOTHERS Complete Bre-proof hatching and brooding plant for $7.50. 2 qts. oil Hatches 50 eggs and raises chicks. Catalogue free. CYCLE HATCH- ER CO., Box 333, Salem, New York. FOR SALE Until further notice, fine>t quality new crop California Water-White White Sage and Light Amber HONEY in 60-lb. tins, 2 in a case; new cans and new cases Write for prices and sam oles, and state quantity you want. HlLDRETH & SEGELKEN 265 & 267 Greenwich Street, New York, N.Y 34Atf Please mention the Bee Jonrnai. Trees, Plants & Seeds - THAT GROW > Best quality. Good bear-^gj^ ers. Low prices. Apple/^J£3 V IV aP*s i.uun i)iiijw,«fi 4c; Plum and Cherry 12c; Peach 4c; all * budded; Con- cord Grapes 2c^, Forest V>ni Tree S«d- >VW "rested ^ e e d s very cheap, '--ight paid Fre -V on trees. Cata- * logue, English or <^y German, free. Write ftO/for it today. Address GERMAN NURSERIES. Box 30 Beatrice, Neb. •-PURE ALFALFA-* HONEY IN 60-POUND CANS We have a good supply of Pore Alfalfa HONEY in 60-pound cans that we can ship by return freight at these prices : 2 cans, boxed, at %% cents a pound ; 4 or more cans at one time, 8 cents a pound— all f.o.b. Chi- cago. Cash with order. Sample, by mail, 8 in stamps, to cover package and postage. Address, YORK HONEY^pp^CO. 141-143 Ontario St., CHICAGO, ILL. i The Fresh Air Incubator Fresh Air applied to Artificial Incubation in a new and .■Motive way, malting possible higher per cent batches, brighter, healthier stronger chicks. 5 FREE BOOKLETS ON ARTI- FICIAL POULTRY PRODUCTION l3t_TKe Standard It Ff Incubator fur Beginner*. 3rd— Unl' 1 Hover and Colony Brwdera. 4lh— Feeding Chlokl. 6th— What Users are Doing. A PIANO BOX WILL DO Put (be Universal Hover into It and make your own brooder. The Uni- versal Hover may be attached to any size or form of Colony house, mushroom home, small portable . building or piano box and make , about as good a brooder as money can buy. Write for catalog and the five hooks FREE. Others to follow, you'll get them all if your name ie on our mail list. Prairie Stale Incubator Co., 351 Main St., Homer City, P». Mention Bee Journal when writing Feb. 15. 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 151 Lowest Prices Headquarters for Bee-Supplies Big Discount for Early Orders Complete Stock for 1906 now on hand. On Cash Orders Before November 1 9 percen " December 1 8 " January 1 ~ " February 1 o " March 1 4 " April 1 2 " FREIUHT- RATES FROM are the LOWEST, ESPECIALLY CINCINNATI for the SOUTH as 'mostiall freight now goes through Cincinnati. Prompt Service is what I practice. You will Satisfaction Guaranteed. Catalog mailed free. Send for same. SAVE MONEY BUYING FROM ME. g^£= 3uppli€S|aI 5 Percent Discount for February OF ALL KINDS Established Nearly 25 Years We have published THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER for IS years (monthly. 50c a year.) The largest and best il- ustrated magazine of its kind for the price published. Edited by two of the most experienced bee - keepers in America. Sample copy free. Our large, illustrated Price-List of Supplies free on application. Address, The W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co. JAnESTOWN.N. Y. Mention Bee Journal when writing. £)oney ant) * 23eesir>ax-f Vs= Chicago, Feb. 7.— The demand is about nor- mal with sufficient stocks 10 meet all require- ments. The best grades of white comb honey bring 14@15c, with off grades at l@3c less, de- pending upon color, condition and shape. Ex- tracted, aside from white clover and basswood, (choice grades of which are practically unob- tainable), is in ample supply at 6K@7fcc; am- ber, 6H(3t"c, with off grades still lower. Bees- wax, 30c. R. A. Burnett & Co. Toledo, Feb. 5.— The market on comb honey at this writing is rather quiet, and prices have weakened somewhat. We are getting for fancy white comb, 14@15c; No. 1, 13(gH4c. Extracted white clover, in barrels, brings 6'-i(3»">4c; in cans, "H@s>$c, although the supply seems to be exhausted throughout the country. Beeswax, 28@30c. Griggs Bros. Indianapolis, Feb. 2.— Fancy white clover comb brings 16c; No. 1, 14c; demand exceeds the supply; fancy white western comb brings 14@15c; amber grades in poor demand at 12c Best grade of extracted honey brings 8&(§)9c in 60-pound cans; amber, 6c. Good average bees- wax sells here for $33 per 100 pounds. Walter S. Pouder. Denver, Feb. 5 —Owing to the mild weather the demand for honey ha6 not been as good as usual at this time of year. We are quoting strictly No. 1 white alfalfa comb bouey at 13.35 to $3.75 per case of 24 sections; off grade and light amber at $3 to $3.30. White extracted alfalfa in 60-pound cans. 7^(3s' ,c; light amber, 6K@"54c. Beeswax, 24c for clean yellow. The Colo. Honey-Prodocers' Assn. New York, Feb. 19.— The demand is fairly good for better grades of white, and while the near by crop is iairly well cleaned up, new arri- vals are now coming in from Cuba, besides several cars have been shipped on from Cali- fornia. We quote fancy white at 15c; No. 1, 13@14c; No. 2, 12c; amber, tic; buckwheat, 10@llc. Extracted in fairly good demand, es- pecially California, of xhich there is abundant supply. We quote white sage, bH@"}4c; light Let me ^^ TFT^^T^T^T^^I bred in separate apiaries, book your 11 I t P. |\| ^ the WOLDEN ¥EL- Order for ^Cfj U JJJJi>« KJ LOWS, CARNIO. LANS, REU CLOVERS and CAUCASIANS. For prices, refer to my catalog, page 29. C. H.W.WEBER °ST Office and Salesrooms, 2146-48 Central Ave. Warehouses. Freeman and Central Aves. amber at 6@7c, according to quantity; buck- wheat at 6c per pound: Southern at 50@60c per gallon, according to quality. Beeswax steady at 29@31c. Hildreth & Segelken. Cincinnati, Jan. 20.— The honey market is quiet. We do not offer white clover extracted honey on account of its scarcity; instead offer a fancy water white honey, in 60 lb. cans, 2 in a crate, at 7Jito8)4c; fancy light amber, 7«c; other grades of amber in barrels at S'A@i^c, according to the quality. Fancy comb honey, 16«c. (Bee-keepers, please observe the above are our selling prices of honey, not what we are paying.) Beeswax. 30c, delivered here, for the choice, bright yellow grade. The Fred W. Muth Co. Kansas City, Jan. 22.— The market here on honey is very dull now, as it always is this time of year; fancy white is selling at $3 00 per case; 24 section and amber is selling at $2.75. Extracted, S^@6c. Beeswax, 25c per pound. C C. Clemons & Co. Cincinnati, Jan. 23. — The nice weather holds back the demand for comb honey. Crops seem to be exceedingly short and producers in the West keep the prices high. We quote as fol- lows: Fancy water-white and No. 1 white clo- ver, 14@16c; No. 2, 12@14c. Extracted seems to be more plentiful, and we quote same in barrels, 5%@5^c; In cans, Hie more; white clover, 7(5iSc. Beeswax, 28@30c. C. H.W. Weber. MONEY AND BEESWAX When consigning, buying or selling, consult R. A. BURNETT & CO., 199 South Watbr St. Chicago. III. , Model Incubators and \ Brooders Manufactured by Chas. A. Cyph- ers, and sold at his factory pri- ces. Freight rates from Toledo will save you money. Do not be humbugged into buying a cheap machine. The best is none too good. Our illustrated Catalog : free to any address. Ask for it. GRIGGS BROS. 521 Monroe Street, TOLEDO, OHIO, Mention Bee Journal when writing. 20.000 lbs. Alfalfa COMB HONEY. Very fine. yon can use. Price depends upon how much 0. M. SCOTT & CO. 5Atf INDIANAPOLIS, IND. Please mention the Bee Journal Please Mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. I BEE-SUPPLIES I We handle the finest Bee-Supplies, made by the W. T. Falconer ^. 9 Mfg. Co., Jamestown, N. Y. Big Discounts on early orders. Let us w- -5 figure with you on your wants. ^: £ ' Muth Special Dovetail Hives have a Honey-Board, Warp-Proof i; '.X Cover, and Bottom -Board. Think of it, same price as the regular styles. ^\ i^ Send for Catalog. ^ ? THE FRED W. MUTH CO. % 51 Walnut Street, CINCINNATI, OHIO. 152 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Feb. 15 1906 R U A BEE-KEEPER? IF SO, YOU ARE ENTITLED TO THE HSEW 1906 LEWIS CATALOG* A;'; -&.& *•?*!? While it is desired that this Catalog shall be in the hands of every bee-keeper in the land, we beg to advise that the edition is limited and extra copies will soon be at a premium. If you desire the Lewis Catalog this year, send now to insure receiving a copy. The Lewis Catalog this season leads all the rest. You will find it the hand- somest handbook of Bee-Ware published, listing everything of use to the bee-keeper. The Lewis Catalog is acknowl- edgedithe plainest bee-catalog issued. Any one can under- stand it, so that it is easy to order from. Hives and Supers this year, as well as many other articles, are very clearly illustrated by handsome full-page cuts, which are reproductions of actual pen-and-ink drawings made from the goods themselves, showing plainly all details, which is much to be desired by the bee-keeper, whether he be a specialist, or a beginner with one colony. . . It is free for the asking, and can be had from any of the following : G. B. LEWIS COMPANY WATERTOWN, WIS., U.S.A. OR ANY OF ITS AQENTS ENGLAND— E. H. Taylor, Welwyn, Herts CUBA— C. B. Stevens & Co., Havana C. B. Stevens & Co., Manzanillo CALIFORNIA— Paul Bachert, Lancaster The Chas. H. Lilly Co., San Francisco COLORADO— R. C. Aikin, Loveland Arkansas Valley Honey-Producers' Associa- tion, Rocky Ford Colo. Honey-Producers' Assoc iation, Denver COLORADO — Fruit Growers' Association, Grand Junction Robert Halley, Montrose ILLINOIS-York Honey & Bee-Supply Co., Chicago 10 W A— Adam A. Clark, Le Mars Louis Hanssen's Sons, Davenport INDIANA— C. M. Scott & Co., Indianapolis MICHIGAN— A. G. Woodman & Co., Grand Rapids. MINNESOTA— Wis. Lumber Co., Faribault MISSOURI— E. T. Abbott, St. Joseph OHIO— Norris & Anspach, Kenton OREGON— The Chas. H. Lilly Co., Portland PENNSYLVANIA— Cleaver & Greene, Troy TEXAS— Southwestern Bee Co., San Antonio UTAH— Fred Foulger & Sons. Ogden WASHINGTON— The Chas. H. Lilly Co- Seattle e Journal 46th Year >m CHICAGO. ILL., FEB. 22, 1906 No. 8 f t+ Honey Exhibit of Chas. W. Sager, of Belma, Wash. Mr. Frank Stoflet and Apiary, of Auburndale, Wis. ^ %£% ,-.^- ••*&#"' . ; >v ^** ■*M Dadant-Hive Apiary of D. Pantchefe, of Orhanie, Bulgaria, in Turkey. ^ '/\^£&tfj| 154 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Feb. 22, 1906 PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY 6E0RGE W.YORK S COMPANY 334 Dearborn Street, GhiGago, 111. IMPORTANT NOTICES THE SUBSCRIPTION PRICE of this Journal Is fi.oo a year. In the United States, Canada, and Mexico; all other countries in the Postal Union, ;,o cents a year extra lor postage. Sample copy free. THE WRAPPER-LABEL DATE indicates the ©nd of the month to which yonr subscription is pat i. For instance, *'deco6"on your label shows that it is paid to the end of December. SUBSCRIPTION RECEIPTs.-We do not send a receipt for money sent us to pay subscription, but change the date on your wrapper-label, which shows that the money has been received and credited. ADVERTISING RATES will be given upon appli- cation. National Bee-Keepers' Association Objects of the Association 1st. — To promote the interests of Its members. 2d.— To protect and detend its members in their lawful rights. 3d.— To enforce laws against the adulteration of honey. Annual Membership Dues, $1.00 General Manager and Treasurer - N. E. Fuance, Platteville, Wli, ty If more convenient, D>ies may be sent to the oablishers of the American Bee JouxnaL. The Honey-Producers9 League (INCORPORATED) OBJECTS: 1. To create a larger demand for honey through advertising. 2. To publish facts about honey, and counteract misrepresentations of the same. MEMBERSHIP DUES 1. Any bee-keeper may become a member by pay- ing to the Manager an annual lee of $1.00 for each 20 (or fraction of 20) colonies of bees (spring count) he owns or operates. 2. Any honey-dealer, bee-supply dealer, bee-supply manufacturer, bee-paper publisher, or any other firm or individual, may become a member on the annual payment of a fee of $10, increased by one- fifth of one (l) percent of his or its capital used in the allied interests of bee-keeping. George W. York, Manager, 334 Dearborn St., CHICAGO, ILL. **Xlie continuous advertiser Sets the bulk of Hie business, because others are not adver- tising:, and he is." Contents of this Number Ifhistntfions — Dadant-Hive Apiary of D. Pantchefe, of Bulgaria 1st Page Honey Exhibit of Chas. W. Bager 1st Page P.trt of F. Greiner's 1905 Honey Crop 159 Stotiet ( Frank) and Apiary ist Pace Supers Used by F.Greiner jro White Sweet Clover iei Yellow Sweet Clover. ... 161 Editorial Notes and Comments — Alf at I'a-G rowing in New York 158 Government Bulletin on Queen-Kearing lr>7 Sweet Clover on the Farm 158 Miscellaneous X* »:s Items — A Mistake Abouttfubscription Price.. ... 158 Apiary of D. Pantchefe 158 Example Worth Copying 159 Frank Stotiet and Apiary 158 Honey Exhibit of Chas. W. Sager 158 National Nominations 15s Contributed Special Articles — Fences vs. Plain Separators 159 Sections, Separators, Supers and Section-^ Holders 159 Supers of Various Kinds 159 Southern Beedotn — improvement of Stock 162 Sweet Clover as Forage for Stock iri Sweet Clover < Mel i lotus alba) 161 Watch Your Colonies 162 ' -r/iadian Beedotn — Distributing the Caucasian Bees.. 162 Frame-Spacers and Spacing Frames 162 Our Sister Bee-Keepers — Breeding from the Best 162 Stimulative Feeding ]62 Mr, Hasty* 8 Afterthought — Catching the Prodigal Swarms 163 Didn't Like Nature's Hive 163 Difference in Percentage of Mismatings lb3 Late Swarms North and South.. 164 Lumber Prices in Texas 164 Mr. Scholl and Those Bee-Problems 163 Space Under Solid Combs in Winter 163 Dr. Miller^s Question-Box — Cutting Small Soft-Maple Limbs in Spring for Sap for Bees 164 Gravel to Keep Down Weeds 164 Shade Protection 164 To Use or Not to Use Queen-Excluding Zinc ?. 164 Two-Pound vs. One- Pound Sections 164 Reports a?id Experiences — About Half a Crop in 1905 165 Bee-Keeping in North Dakota 165 Bees Didn't Do Well i«5 Cellar- Wintering 165 Cutting Section Foundation 165 Dampening Sections for Folding 165 Dealing with Queen-Breeders 165 Do BeeBMoveEgpB ? 165 Favors a Shorter and Deeper Frame 1R6 Improving American-Italian Bees 165 Results of the Past Season 1^5 Results of the Season of f&)5. 165 Langs troth on the »* Honey-Bee Revised by Dadant— Latest Edition. This is one of the standard books on bee-culture, and ought to be in the library of every bee-keeper. It is bound substantially in cloth, and contains over 500 pages, being revised by those large, practical bee-keepers, so well- known to all the readers of the Ameri- can Bee Journal — Chas. Dadant & Son. Each subject is clearly and thoroly ex- plained, so that by following the in- structions of this book one cannot fail to be wonderfully helped on the way to success with bees. The book we mail for SI .20, or club it with the American Bee Journal for one year — both for $2.00 ; or, we wiU mail it as a premium for sending us THREE NEW subscribers to the Bee Journal for one year, with $3.00. This is a splendid chance to get a grand bee-book for a very little money or work. GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, ILL If you. want the Bee-Book That covers the whole Apicultural Field more completely than any other published, send $1.20 to Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont, Cal., FOR HIS 44 Bee=Keeper's Guide." Liberal Discounts to tbe Trade. The Rietsche Press Made of artificial stone. Practically Inde- structible, and giving entirely satisfactory re suits. Comb foundation made easily and quickly at less than half the cost of buying from the dealers. Price of Press, $1.50— cash with order. Address, ADRIAN GETAZ, 4SA.tf KNOXVILLE, TENN. WJ.G. Goodner, of this State, writes me that he "prefers to pay $25 for a Rietsche Press than do without it."— A. G. Mention Bee Journal when writing. " It Is continuous advertising that impresses the public with the stability of a firm." NOT IN THE TRUST For High-Grade Cans Prices Always the Lowest Write for Prices, Stating- Quantity Wanted Friction Top Cans for Honey and Syrup Prompt shipment and careful attention given to all orders. Special prices to members of the Bee-Keepers' Associations. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Made by CANNERS CAN CO., 1035 W. 47th Street, CHICAQO, ILL, Feb. 22, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 155 MDAIT'S FOUNDATION" IT EXCELS EVERY INCH equal to sample Beauty, Purity, Firmness. No Sagging, No Loss. Twenty-seven Years of Experience. We Guarantee Satisfaction. WAX WORKED INTO FOUNDATION BEE=SUPPLIES of all kinds. Beeswax Wanted ?.£. . . . DADANT & SONS, Hamilton, 111. SEND FOR OUR CATALOG SEE THE 1906 RELIABLE before you buy. Perfectly practical forpoul- trymen or beginners. Double heating system gives bigger hatches— saves one- third the oil. Sold on a money back guarantee. Write for free catalog. Reliable Farm Pure- Bred Birds and Eggs. Get prices. Reliable Incubator and Brooder Co., Box B-153 Quincy, Illinois, TJ. S. A. Mention Bee Journal when writing. TELEPHONE FACTS We publish a finely illustrated book that is full of telephone facts. It tells all about telephones for farms, the kind to use, how to organize a farm telephone company, bow to build the lines and where to buy tbe best telepbones. Free if you ask for Book 80-F. Strom berg-Carlson Tel. Mfg. Co., Chicago, Rochester, H.Y. Mention Bee Journal when writing. DITTMER makes a SPECIALTY of WORKING Beeswax into Comb Foundation. 7,7 Write for our Price-List, Samples, and early-order Discount. We would like to send i»i them to you at our expense. Our Warehouse lTiT'TC OTTTJTJT TTICI Jobbing Sy is full of . . W% fj M*j»^ \J T~ r I j I fj^ Wholesale ^ ^— — Retail «».• # BEESWAX ALWAYS WANTED GUS, DITTMER, * Augusta, Wis, j: Mention Bee Journal when writing:. Wisconsin Basswood Sections And Prompt Shipments Is what we are making' for our customers. — DOVETAILED HIVES AND SHIPPING-CASES — We carry a full line of SUPPLIES. Ask for Catalog. THE riARSHFIELD HANUFACTURINQ CO., Harshfield, Wis. Mention Bee Journal when writing. ^.California The Pacific Rural Press has been a house- hold word throughout California for 35 years. It is authority on all matters regarding the soil or products of California. Weekly, illus- trated: Edited by practical specialists. Two Dollars per year. Send for sample copy. Pacific Rural Press, 330 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif. 50Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. 65c for 12 Names f2orf^eTnadndp-a-c0i etanips taken— we will send for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Call— refc. sub. price 40c a year. F. C.is a wkly., 25 years old, 1,300 pages a year. Sample free. FARMER'S CALL, Quincy, 111. famous Cucumber For flavor, uniform size, color, and productiveness itisabsolutely unequaled. In addition to this it comes into bearing: very early, continuing: rigrht through the season until killed by frost. Always straight— never turning yellow . Best for the table, for market and for pickling:. Larg:e sam- ple packet foronly 6c orloz for 15c, Including: copy of our grand new • FREE BOOK "Northern Grown Seeds" Plants. Bulbs, Fruits and Trees. Contains all the good things for the Garden and Farm worth growing at the right prices. Don't fail to secure the Book. Write today. L. L. MAY, St. Paul, Minnesota Mention Bee Journal when writing. 156 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Feb. 22, 1906 % 1 I FEBBUARY Sun. Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. 25 26 27 28 22 23 24 I There are only 7 days left to take advantage of \ the Four percent discount offered on Root's Goods during February % If you have not already placed your order for Supplies which you will need this season, get a Root Catalog and make a list of the things you want at once. You will profit greatly by not waiting until the rush season is upon us. The quality of Root's Goods has been maintained by skillful and honest workmanship for more than 30 years. Read what one patron says : "I am now having a pleasant time in my workshop putting together and nailing those bee- supplies which I bought of you last September. I tell you, I enjoy this work, because everything fits so exact that it is just fun to put them together. You certainly have the finest machinery that money can buy, and keep it in the finest trim. The workmanship is simply perfect. Out of the whole 200 supers (which. I have nailed in the last few weeks,) not one piece failed to fit nicely. No wonder Root's Goods go ' round the world.' " J. P. Moore, Morgan, Ky. Your order may be sent direct to the Factory or given to any Root Agency. Act to=day and profit. THE A. I. ROOT COMPANY Factory and Main Office, IV^EIDIN J±, OHIO J BRANCHES t£ Chicago New York Philadelphia Washington Syracuse St. Paul and Mechanic Falls, Maine (Entered at the Post-Offlce at Chicago as Second-Class Mall-Matter.) Published Weekly at $1.00 a Year, by George W. York & Co., 334 Dearborn St. QEORQE W. YORK, Editor CHICAGO, ILL, FEBRUARY 22, 1906 VoL XLVI— No. 8 (Sbitorial ZXotes attb Comments j Government Bulletin on Queen-Rearing "The Rearing of Queen-Bees " is the title of Bulletin No. 55, issued by the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Entomology, Washington, D. C. (Price 5 cents.) It is written by E. F. Phillips, Ph. D., the man whose de- lightful personality made him so many friends at the late convention of the National at Chicago. It is gotten up in the usual excellent style of present-day Government docu- ments, and is illustrated by 17 fine photo-engravings, all of them original. In the nature of the case there is no great chance for originality, but it is a convenience to have given in com- pact form in these 32 pages, witten in easy style, the steps necessary to rear queens according to the latest methods, including the Doolittle and Alley plan, cell-cups, nuclei, etc. In the preface the author expresses the hope that the simplicity of the methods described will induce bee-keepers who have not already done so to adopt in the future the I plan of replacing all queens annually, saying : " It is held by the best bee-keepers that it is necessary to restock all colonies with new queens every year." That leaves out of the list of best bee-keepers such a man as G. M. Doolittle, who not only does not interfere]to change queens each year, but goes so far as to think it not worth his while to do so at all. Nor is Mr. Doolittle without company. Of those who think it best not to leave the work of superseding entirely to the bees, by far the larger part probably do so only every other year, and certainly some of them are successful men. Under the head of swarming, it is said, page 9, " When the queens are about ready to emerge from the cells, the old queen and part of the colony leave to establish a new one." Which puts something of a strain on the word *' about," as it is generally " about " a week from the issu- ing of the swarm till the emergence of the first queen. The correctness of the work, 'however, is proven by the fact that these two points are perhaps the only ones in the whole work likely to be challenged by the reader. There is just a possibility, however, that tradition has been held in too great veneration when under the head of superseding it is said, page 10, that when the first young queen emerges " an encounter ensues between the young queen and the old one, and almost invariably the latter is killed." The old belief was that no queen would ever tol- erate a rival, but of late years it has been found a not un- common thing for mother and daughter to be found lay- ing side by side. If a young queen may indulge her mother in a longer lease of life while that mother is still active enough to lay, is it not likely that cases are still more com- mon in which the failing mother is tolerated after she is past service ? Some might even have the temerity to ask, "Is there anything beyond tradition to support the belief that a queen ever kills her own mother?" Those who have felt anxious for the character of queens where a large number are started, as by Cyprians and some others, will be reassured by the following on page 15 : "No fear need be entertained by the queen-breeder that races producing large numbers of queens necessarily pro- duce poorer ones. Any one familiar with the prolificness of the queens of these races could not hold such an idea. There is no evidence that under these circumstances the larva? are less well fed." With regard to the second mating of queens, the follow- ing on page 28 is interesting : " Frequent cases have been reported of queens which have mated more than once, and this probably accounts for irregularity in the markings of the offspring of some queens. It is claimed by some that obviously the first mat- ing must have been unsuccessful, but there seems to be no ground for that view, and there is no reason to believe that both matings were not complete. There is no reason, what- ever, so far as is known, why a queen can not receive a sup- ply of spermatozoa from two drones, and some of the argu- ments to the contrary, with no basis of observation or knowledge of the anatomy, are not worthy of consideration." The following nugget of wisdom from page 30 should be heeded by every bee-keeper who desires to increase his take of honey : " The mere fact that mating takes place in the air, out of the control of the bee-keeper, is no reason why care should not be taken in the selection of drones which are allowed to fly in the yard. When breeding any race — Ital- ians for example — it is not enough that all the drones be Italians, they should be selected as to honey-production of the workers, prolificness of the queen, or any other quality which is considered in choosing a breeding queen." Pear-Blight and Bees In some parts of the country a rather vigorous warfare has taken place between fruit-men and bee-men because the former accuse the bees of spreading that foe — pear-blight — which causes such havoc in pear-orchards. Indeed, the hor- ticulturist looks upon pear-blight much the same as the bee- keeper looks upon foul brood. There is little doubt, at least in the minds of bee-keepers, that the bee is not so guilty in 158 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Feb. 22, 19C6 the spread of the disease as charged ; but, in any case, and especially as the pear is a honey-plant, it is of interest to know that there is an easy way by which the tree may be made more fit to resist the attack of the blight. A very able paper on the subject was read by Mr. J. E. Johnson before the Galva Farmers' Institute, and published in the Galesburg Evening Mail. It would be out of place to give the whole of the paper here, but the nub of it is that a liberal application of wood ashes supplies the tree with those elements that enable it to resist to a great extent, if not entirely, the attack of the blight. Simple, and easily within reach of every one. Mr. Johnson emphasizes his confidence in the remedy by his closing paragraph : " I have trees that blighted 6 years ago, but by giving liberally of wood ashes they have not shown a single twig of blight since, and have borne several crops of nice pears." Sweet Clover on the Farm One believes more easily what one wants to believe, so ■when bee-keepers speak favorably of sweet clover as a for- age-plant their testimony is likely to be received with a grain of salt. The following, from the National Stockman and Farmer, shows how it is viewed, not from the stand- point of a bee-keeper, but of a farmer : East summer there was some discussion of the value of sweet clover. Director F. E. Dawley, of the New York in- stitutes, tells me that he has been seeding sweet clover in his pear-orchard for 9 years, sowing in the summer, har- vesting the growth of hay in the fall, and plowing the ground in the spring. It is not palatable till cured into hay, but then it is eaten readily by his stock, and is nearly as rich in protein as alfalfa. There is a little more woody fiber in it. The variety used is the white sweet clover, the yellow making a ranker growth of less palatable feed. The growth should be harvested while tender, like alfalfa. The experience of Mr. Dawley confirms the belief of some others that sweet clover has a big feeding value, and live stock will learn to like it, and thrive upon it when properly cured. Some animals learn to eat this clover green, when the plants are young and tender, but this is unusual. Alfalfa-Growing in New York Alva Agee, the able correspondent of the National Stockman, tells in that paper about a miracle of man's making, which " consists in the doubling in value of many thousands of acres of land in an ordinary limestone blue- grass hilly country by seeding to alfalfa." Some pieces are of 40 years standing. It is in Onondaga Co., N. Y., the home of G. M. Doolittle and other prominent bee-keepers. In a region where 90 percent of the farmers are producing alfalfa, it ought not to be a hard thing to say whether the bees get any good from it. Until somewhat recently it was held that alfalfa yielded no honey east of the Mississippi. Will Mr. Doolittle, or some one else, kindly inform us how the matter stands in Onondaga County ? See Langstroth Book Offer on another page of this copy of the American Bee Journal. ■+-*-* — ■ A Queen-Bee Free as a Premium. — We are now book- ing orders for Untested Italian Queens to be delivered in May or June. This is the premium offer: To a subscriber whose own subscription to the American Bee Journal is paid at least to the end of 1906, we will mail an Untested Italian Queen for sending us one new subscription with $1.00 for the Bee Journal a year. Or, we will renew your subscription to the American Bee Journal for a year, and send a fine Untested Italian Queen— both for $1.50. Now is a good time to get new subscribers. If you wish extra copies of the Bee Journal for use as samples, let us know how many you want and we will mail them to you. Address all orders to the office of the American Bee Journal. miscellaneous Hetps * 3 terns ^\ J National Nominations.— The Fillmore Co., Minn., convention, met at Preston, Feb. 8 and 9. This Asso- ciation are also members of the National Bee-Keepers' Association. They passed the following resolution at their recent meeting, and instructed their secretary, Mr. P. B. Ramer, to send it in for publication : J?esolved, That the nomination for officers of the Na- tional Bee-Keepers' Association be made by a referendum vote, the man having the largest vote being considered the nominee of the Association. Honey Exhibit of Chas. W. Sager — This, as shown on the first page, was an attempt to engrave from a very poor photograph. It will be seen how unsatisfactory the result is. Accompanying the picture came the following : I send a picture of the exhibit made by Mr. Sager at the Inter-State Fair at Spokane, Wash., which lasted from Oct. 9 to 16, 1905. Mr. S. is standing by his exhibit. He was fortunate in winning the blue ribbons on both comb and extracted honey at the State Fair, and the blue ribbon on comb honey, and red ribbon on extracted, at the Inter- State Fair. Grace W. Sager. Frank Stoflet and Apiary.— When sending the pic- ture reproduced on the first page, Mr. Stoflet wrote as fol- lows : I send a picture of my apiary and myself. There are 85 colonies in it. I have another apiary of 50 colonies. The house seen in the picture is where I used to winter bees. It has double walls, with 2'/2 feet of planer-shavings between. Owing to the walls being too thin I could not maintain a high enough temperature, so I abandoned the use of it as a winter repository. I now winter the bees in a cellar, with far better results. The picture is some of my own photography. Frank Stoflet. The Apiary of D. Pantehefe, of Orhanie, Bulgaria, in Turkey, appears on the first page. Mr. C. P. Dadant met the owner of this apiary at the home of Mr. Bertrand, the well-known editor of the Revue Internationale D'Apicul- ture, during his trip to Europe a few years ago. Mr. Pantehefe was in Switzerland visiting one of his intimate friends— a student at the University of Lausanne. He then informed Mr. Dadant that the Dadant hive and methods were well known among the educated classes in Bulgaria, and that he himself has several apiaries of Dadant hives. The photograph was later sent by Mr. Pantehefe to Mr. Dadant. The hives shown in it are all Dadant hives. A Mistake, there appears to be, as some of our sub- scribers seem to understand that they can get the American Bee Journal through the National Bee-Keepers' Association at 75 cents a year. This is entirely wrong, as we have not made such price to the National. We do not know how the report was circulated, but it certainly is a mistake. One subscriber wrote that unless he could get the American Bee Journal at the 75-cent rate as offered by the National Asso- ciation, he should feel that we were discriminating against him. We publish this paragraph so that there may be no further misunderstanding concerning this matter. So far as we know, the National Association is not a subscription agency, and so does not handle subscriptions for any of the bee-papers. It has an entirely different field to work in. We do not think it has ever quoted any 75-cent rate for the Feb. 22 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 159 American Bee Journal ; if it did so, it was without any authority from us. We are satisfied, however, that there is a misunderstanding. We trust this explanation will be satisfactory. An Example Worth Copying.— Wm. Stolley, of Grand Island., Nebr., isoneof the staunch friends of the American Bee Journal. On Jan. 29 he sent us a new subscription, and among other things wrote as follows : Editor York :— I hope that every subscriber for the " old reliable " American Bee Journal will send you this year at least one new subscription, and thus show, practically, their appreciation of it. I have done this for a number of years, and wish I had been able to do more. Wm. Stolley. If every one of our present subscribers would follow Mr. Stolley's good example within the next 30 days, of course our list of readers would just be doubled. Then if another year it could be repeated, we would have the largest list of real bee-keepers to a real bee-paper that there is in the world. Surely this is worth striving for. But there may be some of our readers who could not possibly get even one new subscriber, and yet perhaps in such cases they might make a present of a year's subscrip- tion to some bee-keeper friend in some other locality or State. After the first year, very likely such new subscriber would renew, and perhaps himself secure another new sub- scription for the American Bee Journal. If it could be worked something like the chain-letter system that was in vogue a few years ago, and if it would prove as success- ful as was that plan of increase, it would be a great thing, not only for us, but for all the readers of the old American Bee Journal. For if we could have several times as large a list of regular subscribers as we have at present, we could add a number of new features and improvements that would be possible with the increased receipts received from sub- scriptions and advertising. In the meantime, however, we mean to give the biggest and best dollar's worth of bee- literature every year that we can possibly afford. Please don't forget Mr. Stolley's good work for the American Bee Journal. We hope as many as possible of our present subscribers will see if they can not " go and do likewise." 4- (£ontrtbuteb * Special CCrtrcles J Sections, Separators, Supers and Section- Holders BY F. GREINER WHILE we were casing our comb honey last fall, many things suggested themselves having close bearing on our pursuit, and it might be well, and of benefit to others, to jot these down on paper. Our attention was first drawn to the sections themselves. We had bought sections of an untried firm last season. We thought we were saving a few cents on a thousand, but found that we had made a very big mistake. In the first place, the lumber used for the sections must have been green, for they were minus that glossy finish which we have admired in sections bought of late years from the large manufacturers. The outside part of the sections was fuzzy, and it was impossible to touch them without leaving "finger- marks." Dust and dirt adhered to them very tenaciously, and a sandpapering machine would have come very handy to improve their appearance. After casing this honey and comparing it with honey in sections from the previous year, we have resolved not to be too saving again when purchasing our supply of sections. Before giving cur order to a new firm we should want to see their work, and insist on a guaranty that the sections sent us must be No. 1 in every respect. It is our aim to purchase our supplies early, in order to obtain the greatest discount, but I would not want to send the cash for the whole amount with the order, when order- ing from some new firm. Other faults of the sections I will not mention here at this time. I have two different kinds of sections in use— the 4x5 plain, and the 4x5 bee-way. In taking the honey out of the supers and scraping the sections, I found I could handle more of the no-bee-ways in a given time, other conditions being the same. Still, this difference did not amount to much. Generally speaking, I prefer the bee-ways, but have more of the no-bee-ways in use. I have decided not to in- crease my stock of no-bee-way supers. Fences vs. Plain Separators. I have failed to discover any difference in favor of fences, as against plain, solid separators when both are of wood. It is my opinion that if we wish to enjoy any bene- fits in this line we will have to adopt a separator that is all "hole" or practically so. The Betsinger wire-cloth sepa- rator, with ^-inch mesh, would perhaps fill the bill better Part of F. Qreiner's 1005 Honey Crop. than anything else in use. It is my opinion that this sep- arator will be tested and adopted by many comb-honey producers in the near future. It is more expensive than any other separator, but it is enough better to justify the extra expense. If any manufacturer had pushed this separator as other more inferior ones have been pushed of late years, I believe that it would take the lead to-day. A wholesale way of manufacturing it would, in all probability, reduce the cost very materially. I hope that time will soon be here. Supers of Various Kinds. Which super is the best, the most convenient, and gives the least trouble in the bee-yard and in the honey-house? This question has impressed me as one of very great impor- tance. It comes up again and again during the time of casing honey. It seems a matter difficult to explain, that bee-keepers use — continue to use — such unsatisfactory comb- honey supers as are sent out universally by the manufac- turers. I should think they would ■'bolt." I have numerous different supers in use, not only one or two of a kind, but 20, 30 or 50 of a kind. This gives me an opportunity to test each one's merits. We may divide the different supers into three classes. One class protects the section all around ; the second class leaves the tops unprotected ; the third class protects only the sides, but leaves the tops and bottoms exposed to the bees. Some of these classes may be subdivided again, for there may be a bee-space at the ends of the section-holders, or the sections may be close-fitting. Supers with the latter kind should be rejected to begin with, for that end of the section which touches the outside case is seldom as well fin- ished as the other end. The illustration shows one section which was taken from such a super, and any one can easily tell which part of the same came next to the outside of the section-holder and outside of the case. Had there been a. bee-space between the section-holder and super wall, this section would have been sealed clear to the wood, and all around. (See picture on next page). That super which gives us the cleanest sections when 160 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Feb. 22, 1906 filled, gives us the least trouble in removing- the filled sec- tions from it, andean not be easily disarranged when hand- ling it in the bee-yard before or after going on the hives — in other words, may be handled roughly without serious re- sults. That super suits us best, provided perfect honey is produced in it. Candidly, now, is there a super offered for sale by any of our manufacturers to-day that can make such claims ? Not that I know of! The very best of them have a section-holder with no top-bar — many have no bee-space at the ends and around the holders. Some use a section-holder which con- tains only 3 sections, going the short way of the hive. This latter arrangement brings one end of two-thirds of the sec- tions in close contact with the super walls. If the section- holder were the long way of the hive it would hold 4 sections. This arrangement brings one end of only half of the sec- tions in close proximity to the super-walls, and is the best we can do. With a bee-space at the end, and perhaps a double bee- space at the sides, we have a super that will be free from the defects mentioned above, and will give us sections uniformly filled and sealed. If in addition we give the section-holders a top-bar, and thus keep the tops of sections clean, it will seem to me that we need not seek for anything better. Such a super would be called a wide-frame super, and is the most practical of anything I have ever used or seen, or have seen described. Some bee-keepers who have had no experience with wide frames are afraid there maybe difficulty (?) in taking the filled sections out of them. If they had had any experience, they would have found it a great deal easier than to take the honey from T-supers, and just as easy as taking the sections out of the section-holders with no top-bars. There is no super on earth that gives us more trouble than the T-super. I find it impossible to " get the sections out" without set- ting a large percent to leaking. I have used them for 20 years, and have followed the instructions given by many on how to empty a super, but have not yet learned the trick, or a better way than carefully to remove one section after another with the super right side up and follower removed. The difficulty lies in loosening the section from the T-tin, which can not always be accomplished without cracking the honey. I can generally remove the honey from 4 wide-frame supers in less time than from one T-super, and do it with- out breaking or cracking a single section. The cleaning and scraping is equally more expeditious with sections from a wide-frame super.. Dr. Miller, some time ago, claimed in this Journal that the bottom-bars of wide frames were apt to sag slightly, and the bees then had a detestable way of crowding bee-glue into the space be- tween the top of the section and the top-bar of the wide frame. This shows that Dr. Miller has had some experience along this line. It must be he has used wide frames, and the wonder is that such an insignificant matter could induce him to abandon the wide frame for the most worthless super ever invented. If I were bound to use the T principle, I would at least abandon the long T tins, and, instead, rivet little x tins to the separators, as shown in the picture here- with. This arrangement makes the separator the supporter of the sections instead the T-tins, and reduces the bearing surface between the supporting tin and the wood of the sections to a minimum, and also reduces the number of pieces of the super. There is no difficulty whatever in re- moving filled sections from such a super. I have some 25 or 30 on hand, which I would sell cheap to Dr. Miller, or to any other man. together with that many more regular style T-supers, for I have decided not to use them again. They hold 24 no-bee-way 4x5 sections, and are well painted. I object to them because they are so frail, and have to be handled so very carefully or they are out of order before we know it. The regular T-super is still more objectionable on ac- count of the space between the rows of sections at the top of the super, caused by the T-tin at the bottom. To fix things right, thin strips of wood must be inserted to prevent an undue amount of propolis being run in between the ends of the sections. But as every one well knows, the principal drawback to these supers is that the tops and bottoms of the sections become very badly soiled. Only a sandpaper- ing-machine can ever make them presentable. The sections from such supers as have a bottom-bar for them to rest on, at least keeps the bottoms clean, and by casing bottomside up, our cased honey presents a tolerably fair appearance. But the T-super does not give us even this advantage. The tops and bottoms are both badly besmeared, and when the honey is cased, even after we have done a big lot of scrap- ing, it looks unsightly. Let Dr. Miller examine the two pieces of sections which I mail him to-day, and tell us which he would rather clean up — the one from the T-super, or the one from the wide- frame-super. All my sections from T-supers and open section-holders were as badly besmeared last year as the one I send him. The photograph shows how badly this is. The sections which come from the wide frame supers may have little ridges of bee-glue along their edges, but this may be removed very easily with a few strokes of a knife. The sagging of the bottom-bar of a wide frame holding 4 sections is of very little consequence, and may be almost Supers used by F. Grehter. wholly prevented by a heavy bottom-bar. Those I use are too thin, as they are only '+-inch thick. I should now make the top-bar and bottom-bar of equal thickness, but not more than 5-16 thick. I would not expect very serious trouble with such ; in fact, I don't experience very much trouble with them as I have them now. Occasionally I have to take off a bottom-bar and turn it over before nailing it on again. A serious fault of the fences is that they are not a per- manent fixture. Many a time the bees widen the spaces the first year to such an extent as to cause the finished honey to show that "wash-board" appearance. Fences should be made of beach or maple wood — hard wood, at any rate ; then they would last; I have fences in my rubbish heap which, were nearly eaten up by the bees. Many others have lost the little cleats. It seems the furniture-glue is not as strong as the bee-glue. These things do not tend to bring fences into greater favor with me. In constructing a wide-frame super, it is a question whether the separator should be nailed to the frame or should be a separate fixture. Each method has its advan- tages. If the wide frame can be filled with sections before putting in the foundation, it would be an advantage. Mr. Betsinger manages precisely as Mr. Getaz describes on page 843 (1905), filling the sections with foundation, but has the advantage of handling them in fours. Even should his sec- tions not fold exactly square, they are held in shape by the wide frame, and by having the 4 blocks of wood nailed down on a board just right, the wide frame with its sections may be laid on them, and the foundation adjusted and- fastened on by use of melted wax. This way of fastening foundation into sections may appear meritorious to some. I have, for the sake of the experiment, tried it, and luck would have it that the so-produced honey found its way into the culinary department of our house. A heavy hatchet was required to knock it out of the sections, and I don't doubt Mr. Getaz in the least when he says that such honey may be shipped any- where ; but I timidly ask, Do we produce honey for the Hot- tentots in South Africa, or for the civilized people of Amer- ica ? I advise those who can not produce an unobjectionable article for human food profitably, would better get out of the business. At present prices we can produce comb honey without comb foundation at a profit to ourselves, and it will not be necessary to depend upon the trade " among the gilded par- asites of high finance," as Mr. Atwater puts it in a Novem- ber bee-paper. If we can not supply all the comb honey that is wanted, extracted honey, I fancy, will come to our rescue, and the masses would only be the gainers. Let us produce a pure, wholesome article of comb honey, or not say any more about adulteration of syrups, honey, or other food products. Ontario Co., N. Y. Feb. 22, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 161 =\ Southern * 33eebom -f Conducted by Louis H. Scholl. New Braunfels, Tex. Sweet Clover (Melilotus alba). For years I have been interested in the matter of grow- ing sweet clover as a forage crop for bees. In many places of the South there are dearths of honey, and long ones, sometimes, and in some localities, between the spring and fall flows, which are very serious, the bees sometimes starv- ing during such dearths unless feeding is resorted to. There are serious objections to having to feed at these times, too, as unnecessary brood-rearing results, besides using up a large quantity of food. A good many different methods have been tried, but all are a great deal of trouble. If enough stores are left in the hive after the spring flows to last the bees through the dearth, it is all used up in breed- ing, and before the dearth is over the stores are gone. A practice that has worked quite well has been to save this amount of stores in combs away from the bees. That is, to keep combs of sealed honey from the spring flows stored away in the honey-house. These combs are then given one at a time at intervals during the dearth as needed. But this takes an immense amount of labor, and trouble from the •wax-moth to the stored combs is a serious one in our warm climates. Then, it is often a hard matter to give combs at the right time without stirring up robbing. After visiting some of these localities, , and consulting with j bee-keepers there, I have come to the con- clusion that it is very probable that this trouble of tiding the bees over these dearths can be accom- plished by planting suitable forage crops for them, that will come into bloom and yield nectar during the time when noth- ing else does. To take this matter up properly it was, of course, necessary to find when the spring season closes and the dearth begins, the length of the dearth, and the opening of the fall season. This differs somewhat in different sections, and in different States of the South, also depending very largely upon the ex- isting flora. For an average, however, I believe we would not go amiss very far if we take the following dates : The spring flows or season closes about June 1. Then the severer period for the bees sets in, and there is absolutely nothing for them to do. This lasts, in the cot- ton-growing belt, until cotton begins to yield nectar— about July IS to Aug. 1. From then on to frost cotton yields, sometimes giving a good surplus. Fall flowers also yield, especially if sufficient rains have prevailed. WHITE SWEET CLOVER. It will be seen from the foregoing that there is a period of about two months of absolute idleness, and this during the warmest part of the season when bees could be most active. The bees do not realize the danger of starvation ahead of them, and keep on breeding and use up all the stores long before the dearth is over and cotton begins to yield. In my calculations I found also that the blooming period of sweet clover just covered the above gap. It begins blooming about June 1 in most localities, a little earlier in others and more protected situations, and depending also upon the season and weather conditions. Yellow sweet clover (M. officinalis) is said to be earlier than the white variety, and I also got this information from M. A. Gill, of Colorado, while visiting his apiaries, where I saw it in full bloom. Either variety, however, would cover the period of the dearth, as the melilotus blooms until frost in favorable seasons, while it is in bloom during June, July and August in others. Sweet clover grows well after it has a start, and waste- places, even in the poorest soils, could be planted to such forage crops for bees, especially since there are thousands upon thousands of acres of just such waste land in our Southern States. Our fence- rows would be worth thousands of dollars to us if sweet clover grew w h e r e rank weeds of no use what- ever to us grow now. Besides, this would create a yield of nec- tar just at a time when it would be most valuable, and when nothing else is in bloom. Some people seem to fear it as a noxious weed, hard to kill out of a field, and that it spreads rapidly. This, however, I find not the case with all the plots planted at our Apiary Experimental fields. A single plow- ing killed it just as easily as any of the weeds that grew with it, and there is little danger of it spread- ing out of bounds. In fact, I could not get it to spread fast enough for me. The plant grows well in most of our black land sections, and has been tried at several places. I have seen it grow luxuriantly on dry, doby hills, too. Sweet clover honey is good, quite light in color, and of very good flavor. The bees work busily on the bloom from early till late. This matter should be taken up and studied by our Southern beekeepers. Our annual yield could be greatly increased. Swebt CtovER as Forage for Stock. It has often been repeated that stock and cattle disliked sweet clover, and that it was a worthless weed and not worth anvthing as a forage crop. In this the people were evi- dently mistaken or they "didn't know," for I have seen animals eat it quite readily, both in pasture and as hay. The following by J. A. Green, in Gleanings, is so well to the point that I give it here ; he seems to be criticising Prof. A. J. Cook for this same reason : " Prof. Cook's remarks on sweet clover, page 1121, should perhaps teach me to have a little ebarlty. In my own experience, those who have talked that way have generally been lacking in the faculty of observation, and I have usually been able to show them that they were mistaken. For instance, a cousin once came to visit us. The talk turned upon sweet clover, and she said: ' But it is such a perfectly worthless thing. Nothing will eat it.' I at once invited her out to tbe barn, where her horse was eating sweet clover hay with a very evident relish. He had never had any before, but he ate it greedily; and after he was hitched up to go away he paid his respects to a YELLOW SWEET CLOVER. 162 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Feb. 22, 1906 tempting wisp of sweet clover hay in a way that showed plainly what his sentiments were. I have never had a horse or cow that would not eat it readily without any teaching, especially when made into hay ; but I know that some stock do not take to it readily at first. This does not prove that it is not good forage. Cattle feeders tell us that stock just brought in from the range often refuse to eatcorn, and they sometimes have considerable trouble to get them to make a start on it ; yet I never heard any one argue from this that corn is distasteful to cattle, or that it is not good feed for them." Watch Your Colonies Keep your eyes or ears on your bees, or the colonies, anyway. It is a good time to watch your colonies for stores now, especially since brood-rearing- is under way. -^m — ^ Improvement of Stock Improvement of stock is a great thing. If our bee- keepers would only spend half as much time over this question as they do over some other things, the whole bee- keeping world would be better off. Better bees, with better bee-keepers, of course, will mean increased yields — larger returns, and greater profits. New blood should be procured and introduced into the yards. Some good breeders, and then some good breeding, would make it possible to produce honey-gathering strains that would be profitable to their keepers. a inches wide, winters a colony much better than a standard Langstroth, and with less honey. What honey the bees have i6 always within reach. I don't wish it to be understood that I con- demn the Langstroth hive for all conditions and circumstances. As I said before, it is a good hive for the specialist bee-keeper, but if this other hive is a good hive for the novice, it surely ought to be a better hive for the spe- cialist, according to the ability of the man using it. H. A. Smith. Palermo, Ont. WHAT YOU C ET FOR 50 cents. 1 large package Heet 1 large package Sonash i « » C:irrot 1 " " Cabbage 1 ■» " Cucumber 1 " " Pumpkin 1 •' " Lettuce 1 " " Pepper l » " Parsnip l pint Kinc's Wonder 1 " " Melon Early Peas 1 >' " Turnip 1 pint American Wax 1 " " Parsley Beans 1 " " Radish 1 pint Holmes* Early 1 " " onion Sweet Corn 1 " " Tomato What yon need for vour table all summer. Get your vegetables fresh out of the warden every day, and know what you are eating. This entire collection of seeds, best in the world, only 60 cents. Send your orders early and get your seeds on time to plant. GLENDALE NURSERY, EVERETT, MASS. Mention Bee Journal when writing. EngravjngsforSale "We are accumulating- quite a stock of engrav- ings that have been used in the American Bee Journal. No doubt many of them could be used again by bee-keepers in their local newspapers, on their stationery, or in other ways. Also, if we can sell some of them it would help us to pay for others that we are constantly having' made and using in our columns. If there is any of our engravings that any one would like tr have, just let us know and we will quote a very low price, postpaid. Address, GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, - CHICAGO, ILI« Please mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. Feb. 22, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 167 5 Percent Discount We will allow you the above Discount on all Orders accompanied by Cash during February. Send for our Catalog. PAGE & LYON MFG. CO., New London, Wis. Do You Want a South Dakota Paper? Tells of great land values, of business op- portunities, of a State where more railroad build inp is going on than in any other State union South Dakota Farmer L7 every week. Price, $1 per year. SPECIAL OFFER— Send this ad with 35 cents for a year's subscription. Address. SOUTH DAKOTA FARMER. SiouxFalls.S D. SlAlOt Please mention the Bee Journal. ' mr r ^T7vi»-« fr\w «-.n». ii ..Ti- I .i t . i , , 1 pppp Write for out new, beautiful rntt catalog of high grade seeda. Enclose live 2c stamps or a dime for mailing" bush. We send free due bill for 50c worth of seeds, packet of seeds and handsome rose bush. Do it to-day. A. A. Berry Seed Co., Box 49, - - Clarinda, Iowa. Mention Bee Journal when writing. American Bee Journal Novelty Pocket-Knife Gold Fountain Pen All for $2.75 HOWARD M. MELBEE, HONEYVILLE, O. W 'ST' Worker Queen (This cut is the full size of the Knife.) NOVELTY POCKET-KNIFE (Name and Address on one side — Three Bees on the other side Your Name on the Knife. — When ordering, 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 the name and residence of the owner, and on the other 6ide pictures of a Queen, Drone, and Worker, as shown here. The Material entering into this celebrated knife is of the very best quality ; the blades are hand-forged out of the very finest English razor-steel, and we warrant every blade. It will last a life-time, with proper usage. Why Own the Novelty Knile? — 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. If traveling, and you meet with a serious accident, and are so fortunate as to have one of the " Novelties," your Pocket-Knife will serve as an identifier; and, in case of death, your relatives will at once be notified of the accident. How to Get this Valuable Knife. — We send it postpaid for $1.25, or club the Novelty Knife and the American Bee Journal for one year — both for $2.00. (Allow two weeks for Knife order to be filled.) SOLID GOLD FOUNTAIN PEN Finally, we have found a good Fountain Pen that is reasonable in price. The manufacturers of thi6 pen say that if you pay more than $1.25 for other fountain pens, it's for the name. This pen is absolutely guaranteed to work perfectly, and give sat- isfaction. The Gold Nib6 are 14 kt., pointed with selected Iridium. Drone The Holders are Para Rubber, handsomely finished. The simple feeder eives a uniform flow of ink. Each pen is packed in a neat box, with directions and Filler. « 8ize We mail this Gold Fountain Pen for only $1.25, or for $2.00 we will mail it and the weekly American Bee Journal for a whole year. ^T Sample copy of the American Bee Journal free; trial trip of three months (13 copies) for 20c; regular yearly price, $1.00. Address all orders to GEORGE W. YORK S CO., 334 Dearborn St., Chicago, III. Please Mention the American Bee Journal SRafflffi? BARN MINT per gallon Freight Paid National Barn. Roof and Fence Paint is the best paint on the market for the price. A durable, weather- proof mineral paint, thoroughly ground and thinned with pure kettle-boiled Unseed oil. For barns, roofs, fences and every purpose where paint is exposed to the weather. Guaranteed to satisfy or money back. Made in t» shades. Write for pariiculars how we can sell National Barn Paint for 55c a gallon and pay the freight, and how we can sell all kinds of paints cheaper than any other house. Remember we sell "every- thing to everybody cheaper than anybody." Get our UHMj-page catalogue and compare prices— that's the proof. Ask us to tell you how to save 10 per cent from list prices on everything you buy— we nave a plan you ought I" know about— it will save you 8150 to 8250 a year. Catalogue is now ready. Send for it today. Co-operative Society of the National Supply Co. Lansing, Mich. Chicago, III. M We Sell Root's Goods in Michigan Let us quote yon prices on Sections, Hives, Foundation, etc, as we can save yon time and freight. Beeswax Wanttd for Cash. M. H. HUNT 4 SON. Bell Branch, Withe Co., Mich fTa .80 For 200 Egg INCUBATOR Perfect is construction ana ^ctiun. Batches every fertile . egg. Write for catalog to-day j oeo. h. stahl. putney, in Please Take Notice That we have purchased The Atchley Steam Bee-Hive Factory, and are now putting in up- to-date machinery for making Dovetailed Bee- Hives and Supplies. We earnestly solicit a share of your patronage. We quote prices on two hives for comparison: One 2 story 8-frame hive in the flat for ex- tracted honey, complete, ready to nail, $1.25; 1^-story hive in the flat, with sections, com- plete for comb honey, $1.25; self-spacing Hoff- man frames in the flat, $15 per thousand. Re- member, these are standard goods and Dove- tailed hives. Get prices on large lots. DITT- MERS FOUNDATION AT DITTMERS PRICES. We are headquarters in the South for Bees and Queens; Untested, $1.00 each; $9perdoz.- Tested, $1.50. Full Colonies, Nuclei and Queens in large lots onr specialty. Send for Catalog. THE BEE & HONEY COnPANY, (Will Atchley, Prop.) __^ Beevllle. Bee Co.. Texas. Italian ^Caucasian Bees Having bought an apiary of common bees and Italian- ized them last fall, we can furnish bees at reduced prices as iollows in April: 1 Comb Nucleus (no queen) $1.50 1 Tested Queen (Italian) 1.60 1 Select-Tested Queen " 2.25 1 Breeder Queen (Italian! 3.30 Can furnish CAUCASIAN QUEENS in May if ordered early. Will give 4 percent for orders In March. Send for Catalog. j L STRONG, 204 E. Logan St.. CLARINDA, IOWA. 8A3t Please mention the Bee Journal. 168 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Feb. 22, 1906 THE Seeef FOR 1906 contains 152 large pages full from cov- er to cover of i.llustrations and descrip- tions of the best and new- est things known in horticulture. No market gardener, far- mer, or any- one interested in flowers can afford to be without this book, which will be sent free to all sending me their address on a postal. WM. HENRY MAXJLE 1720 Filbert St. Philadelphia, Pa,, Mention Bee Journal when writing;. For Queens Send to JOHN W.PHARR Berclair, Tex. He will furnish at the same prices as last year: Tested, $1; Untested, Toe; 5 for $3.25; 10 for $6; 15 for $8.25; 25 for $12.50; 100 for $45. He breeds Goldens, Carniolans, and 3- Band Italians. Also 1, 2, and 3 frame Nuclei and full colonies. Prices given on applica- tion. Pharr pays the freight, and guarantees satisfaction on all Queens. To do justice and judgment is more acceptable with the Lord than sacrifice.— (Prov. 3:21.) 5Atf Mention Bee Journal when writing. J Never Go Out g" n "And last from 6 to 21 years \4/\./l,A./W/V*>\i/\*/V*/^ Everything for the" Apiary Wholesale Agents for G.B. Lewis Co. Dadant's Foundation BUY NOW— TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE DISCOUNT. $j SEND US YOUR ORDERS. f: LOUIS HANSSEN'S SONS f DAVENPORT, IOWA how much Will you use? If you will send us a list of the amount of SUPPLIES you will use during the coming season we will be pleased to make you an estimate on the cost of them. We can probably save you some money and will guarantee to send you goods which will prove entirely satisfactory. The " ELGIN HIVE" is an original idea with us. It is old in size and form, but so new in construction that you use no nails in putting it together, and it can at any time be taken apart. It has patent corners which look well, wear well, and prevent warping. Have you seen it ? If not, a postal containing your name and address will bring you full particulars. We sell everything needed in the apiary, and will make anything special that you may desire, if you can furnish an idea of what you wish. THE NATIONAL SUPPLY CO., Elgin, 111. BEE-SUPPLIES We manufacture everything needed in the Apiary, and carry a large stock and greatest variety. We assure you the best goods at LOWEST PRICES and our excellent freight facilities enable us to make prompt shipments over 15 dif- ferent roads, thereby saving you excessive freight charges as well as time nnd worry in having goods transferred and damaged. We make the Alternating, Massie, Langstroth and the Dovetail Hives l l Our prices are very reasonable, and to convince you of such we will mail you our free illustrated and descriptive catalog and price-list upon request. We want every bee-keeper to have our Catalog- SPECIAL/ DISCOUNTS now. Write to-day. Address, KRET6HMER MFG. 60., Council Bluffs, Iowa. Catalogs issued in English or German. ©^ "In every country tne successful advertiser is the continuous advertiser." Feb. 22 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 169 BEE-KEEPERS' AND POULTRY SUPPLI ES LEWIS' BEEWARE is so well known It Deeds do introduction. 4 percent Wiiicount on Hee-8upplies for February. Beeswax wanted— 27c cash, 29c when taking bee-supplies in exchange. Extracted Honey For dale. Prices on application. Sample, 10 cents. Cornell Incubators, Peep 0' Day Brooders and Cornell Chick Machinery 5"xCEllBd The 1906 Coroell Incubator is superior to anything heretofore put on the market. New lftOtt Catalog: tor either line Free. If you want orders filled PROMPTLY AT FACTORY PRICES, send your order to YORK HONEY SM!F CO. 141 Ontario Street, - CHICAGO, ILL. ^ Long Distance 'Phone, North 1559. Not \ Inc. / ■te ifm iti ate ifi ifi sfi ate ate tffc if i A A ilfc ifi ate ate ate if it ate if it dfc Ht ate ate .». " If Goods are wanted Quick, send to Pouder " 1 ^ BEE-SUPPLIES Root's Goods at Root's mces jitejite Everything' used by Bee- Keepers. POUDER'S HONEY-JARS. Prompt Service. Low Freight Rates. .'. .•. .•. Catalog Free. If you wish to purchase finest quality of HONEY for your local trade, write for my ifjL free monthly price-list of honey. ,', Why not secure your BEE-SUPPLIES NOW FOR NEXT SEASON'S USE. and avail "tjt yourself of the following very liberal discounts? Goods all Root Quality. ifjf For cash orders before Feb. 1. 6 percent For cash orders beforeMar.l.. 4 percent For cash orders befoie Apr. 1..2 percent WALTER 5. rOUDER, i 513-515 Massachusetts Ave., INDIANAPOLIS, IND. ] * NO MORE LOST LETTERS If you take advantage of the offer we make to furnish you beautifully Printed Stationery, which we will send you postpaid. The Farmers' Tribune One Year and 100 Note Heads and 100 Envelopes | All for $i. (8 The Farmers' Tribune Is the leading Live Stock Journal of the Northwest. The stationery is really free. It is printed on nice paper with your name, address and name of farm or business. We guarantee to deliver in 10 days from receipt of order. Ask your printer what he will charge for such stationery. This will prove the unparalleled offer we are making you. Address, FARMERS' TRIBUNE, Box 21, Sioux City, Iowa. Send tor tree sample copy of our great paper Grt the Best Why put up with inferior goods when you may ju6t as well hare the lle«l? They cost you no more. In many cases I can nave you money. In all cases I give tlie most tor the money, qual- ity considered. Remember, I have been over 20 years in the business, and carry the largest stock of BEE-SUPPLIES IN THE WEST. Many thousands of dollars worth of goods now on hand, ready for distribution. •Shipping facilities unsurpassed. All points reached by direct lines, thus insuring the lowest Freight-rates. Write for estimates and new Catalog. Lib- eral discounts now. Address, JOS. NYSEWANDER, 565-567 W. 7th St. 1)ES MOINES, IOWA Mention Bee Journal when writing;. Special Sale on HIVES AND SECTIONS Until March 15. Dovetail Hives, 8-frame, 1J4- story, 1 25; 10-frame, $1.40; No. 1 bee-way Sec- tions, 3 .90; No. 2,13.40; 241b. Shipping-Cases, 13c; Foundation, Smokers, etc., cheap. Send for 24-page Catalog free. W. D. SOPER, Rural Route 3, JACKSON. MICH. Our Little Booklet, Just out, tells all about Our beautiful Italian and Caucasian QUEENS 2£ It also tells about the best BEE-HIVE, too; don't turn over another leaf until you have ad- dressed a postal to the The Wood Bee-Hive & Box Go. LANSING, MICH. QUEENS Be6t 3-band Italian— 1 Untested Queen, 75c; 6 for $4; 12 for $7,125. One 2-frame Nucleus with Queen, S2.25; 10 in one bunch, -J17.50. LUTHER PRESSWOOD, 6E7t RELIANCE. TENN. Farm and Apiary For Sale In the Bass woe d Belt on the Wisconsin Rtver. Enquire, L. Box 37, Kllbourn, Wis. 8A3t Please mention the Bee Journal. The Emerson Binder This Emerson stiff-board Binder with cloth back for the American Bee Journal we mall for but 75 cents; or we will send It with the Bee Jonrnal for one year— both for only $1.50. It li a fine thing to preserve the copies of the Jour- nal as fast as they are received. If you have this " Emerson " no further binding Is neces- sary. QEORQE W. YORK & CO., 334 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, ILL. 170 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Feb. 22, 1906 Everything for the Bee Keeper will be found in our Illustrated Catalogue No. 40. It contains a full line of Hives, Supers, Followers, Sections, Section Holders, Frames, Extractors, Smokers, etc. All these and many other essentials are manufactured by us. Everything is guaranteed to be right and of best quality. Our prices are so reasonable that any bee keeper may afford the best supplies. We cannot tell you here of all the good things in this book. Better send for a copy today. We mail it free, to- gether with a copy of the Progressive Bee Keeper, a splendid monthly publication devoted to bee intere-ts. It will help vou start right and keep you right after you are started. It is invaluable as an aid to every bee keeper. Ask for the paper and the book. We Sell the Best Incubators and Brooders. Delivered at your station, prices the lowest. Write us at once and save money. Address LEAHY MFG. CO., 10 Talmage St., Higginsville, Mo. Branches at Omaha, Neb. and East St. Louis, III. CHARLES MONDENG SECTION MACHINE is covered by two Patents. With this wonderful inven- tion the cost of making Sections may be reduced to $1.15 per 1000. If such Machine will interest you, write for further information. Do not write about it unless you mean business. BEE-SUPPLIES^QUEENS My Catalog for 1906 is now ready for distribution. I am the Northern Headquarters for Adel Queens and Bees, and good, honest Bee-Keepers' Supplies. If you have not received my Catalog, write for it. Address, CHARLES MONDENG, MINNE-A-FOI-iIS, MINN. ISO N-ETWTON A.VE3., N. BEE - SUPPLIES Everything the bee-keeper needs. Distributing house for Lewis' Goods at Factory Prices. Now is the time to buy for next season. Cash Orders for regular Supplies before February, 6 percent Discount. FINE EXTRACTED HONEY in cans or barrels. The best the world can produce Samples 8 cents, to pay postage and packing. How much can you use? Prices quoted quick on the quantity you mention. We buy BEESWAX at all times in the year. Send for our Catalog and "Special" — free. Crm &r\r\ i i o r^f\ 1004. east wash, street . M. SCOT Ot \S\Jm INDIANAPOLIS. IND. ♦♦ ♦♦ ♦» APPLE TREES 7c BUSHES. Two Years Old 7c to 15c Each TEN CENTS EACH AH ^^ The Best Hardy Varieties POPLAR. TREES AND R.OSE ASPARAGCB, the most popular vegetable, yields at the rate of $400 per acre, two .year plants 75 cents Tiprlno- su "»o nor 1 000 Graou v nes and fruit plants at low prices.* POPLAK I«tt» tor qn\eways, BUY DIRECT FROM GROWER -SAVE 35 SIKt Let us price your list of wants. Green's 1906 Catalogue also .copy of Green's Bi^FrnitMaijazine free. Send postal card for them today. GREEN'S NURSERY COMPANY. 42 WALL Mention Bee Journal when writing. 3i(? Fruit Magazine free. . ST., ROCHESTER. N. Y. CAUCASIAN QUEENS! Caucasian Bees are very gentle. They are easy to handle and are, therefore, suited to be- ginners, timid bee-keepers and to those who keep bees in town. If you want to try this race, or if you want to improve the stock cf your Ital- ian Bees, write to ROBERT B. McCAIN, 2Atf YORK VILLE, ILL. R. F. D. Mention Bee Journal when writing;. PLOW REPAIRS Reversible Slip ^^ Point for fcbiSlsw Oliver Plow FREIGHT PAID We carry a large stock of plow repairs, for a)i the leading plows, and sell them freight paid cheaper than your local dealer can buy them. Write for catalog and buy your re- pairs by mail, save time, trouble and money. Ask for details of how we can save you 6150 to 8200 a year on your purchases— we have a plan it will pay you to know all about. Co-Operatlve Society of the National Supply Co.. Lansing, Mich. Chicago, III. Mention Bee Jonrnal when -writing. Trees, Plants & Seeds yU& ■> THAT GROW stx?^.^ Best quality. Good bear- .•eX.VoV^Tested era. Low prices. Apple^^aW 9/s e e d s 4c ; Plum and Cherry>\«*^ < «>, very cheap. 12c : Peach 4c ; all >^«kwA*e/ Freight paid budded; Con- /iX '.e^on trees. Cata- fcA^er/ logue, .English or s'^my-ff^s German, free. Write *Sv\ ^P/for it today. Address Uhb. il SiCt> *J>S GERMAN NURSERIES, 0>^ Box 30 Beatrice, Neb. cord Grapes, 2c ; Forest, Chlok*. 6th— Whmt Users The Fresh Air Incubator Fresh Air &ppti«d to Artificial Incubation In a. new and effective way, making possible higher percent hatches, brighter, healthier Stronger chicks. FREE BOOKLETS ON ARTI- FICIAL POULTRY PRODUCTION -The Standard Incubator. 2nd— An ibator for Beginners. 3rd— Universal er and Colony Briwderi. 4th— Feeding Doing. A PIANO BOX WILL DO Put tbe Universal Hover Into it and make jour own brooder. The Uni- versal Hover mar be attached to anj siie or form of Oolonj house, mushroom house, small portable building or piano boi and make about as good a brooder as money can buy. Write for catalog and the five books FREE. Others to follow, you'll get tbemallif your name is on our mall list. Prairie State Incubator Co., 351 Main St., Homer City, Pa, Mention Bee Journal when writing. FOR SALE Until further notice, finest qnality new crop California Water-White White Sage and Light Amber HONEY in 60-lb. tins, 2 in a case; new cans and new cases. Write for prices and sam pies, and state qnantity yon want. HILDRETH & SEGELKBN 265 & 267 Greenwich Street, New York, N.Y 34Atf Please mention the Bee Jonrnal. •-PURE ALFALFA** HONEY IN 60-POUND CANS We have a good supply of Pure AWalta HOMEY in 60-pound cans that we can ship by return freight at these prices : 2 cans, boxed, at 8% cents a pound ; 4 or more cans at one time, 8 cents a pound— all f.o.b. Chi- cago. Cash with order. Sample, by mail, 8 in stamps, to cover package and postage. Address, YORK HONEYW^CO. 141-143 Ontario St., CHICAGO, ILL. Feb. 22 19C6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 171 Lowest Prici Headquarters for Bee-Supplies Big Discount for Early Orders On Cash Orders Before November 1 9 percen " December 1 8 " January 1 1 " " February 1 6 " " March 1 4 •• April 1 2 Complete Stock for 1906 now on hand. FREIGHT- RATES FROM CINCINNATI are the LOWEST, ESPECIALLY for the SOUTH as 'mostlall freight now goes through Cincinnati. Prompt Service is what I practice. You will Satisfaction Guaranteed- Catalog mailed free. Send for same. SAVE MONEY BUYING FROM ME. BeC = Supplies E 5 Percent Discount for February OF ALL KINDS Established Nearly 25 Years We have published THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER for IS years (monthly, 50c a year.) The largest and best il- ustrated magazine of its kind for the price published. Edited by two of the most experienced bee - keepers in America. Sample copy free. Our large, illustrated Price-List of Supplies free on application. Address, The W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co. JAHESTOWN, N. Y. Mention Bee Journal when writing. f)oney anb Chicago, Feb. ".—The demand is about nor- mal with sufficient stocks 10 meet all require- ments. The best grades of white comb honey bring 14@lSc, with off grades at l@3c less, de- pending upon color, condition and shape. Ex- tracted, aside from white clover and basswoud, (choice grades of which are practically unob- tainable), is in ample supply at 6}i@~Hc; .am- ber, bh4 VKI, Order for ^Qfj %J MAM JA1 KJ LOWS, CARMO- I. » >•». REM CLOVERS and CAUCASIANS. For prices, refer to my catalog, page 29. C. H.W.WEBER " Office and Salesrooms, 2146-48 Central Ave. Warehouses. Freeman and Central Aves. amber at 6@7c, according to quantity; buck- wheat at 6c per pound; Southern at 50@60c per gallon, according to quality. Beeswax steady at 29@31c. Hildreth & Segelken. Cincinnati, Jan. 20.— The honey market is quiet. We do not offer white clover extracted honey on account of its scarcity; instead offer a fancy water-white honey, in 601b. cans, 2 in a crate, at ~%«; - THAT GROW SsSS?~., Best quality. Good bear- v'Vfe.Vov^Tested era. Low prices. Apple -^»,o THAT GROW S&? /fly V/s e e d s 4c; Plum and Cberry><«*V<./ very cheap. 12c; Peach 4c; all >^T^ ^A>^ Freight paid budded; Con->x*X ,05^ on trees. Cata- cord Grapes-^lfc^Aer/ log-ue, English or 2c; Forest^^L^fcV^VV^ German, free. Write Tr.. s.«i- >0«.\e>°/for it today. Address u:sJl,1v^ ■•.*'!#* <■#»'■#« "|» "f* if" Mention Bee Journal when writing. r Wisconsin Basswood Sections And Prompt Shipments Is what we are making for our customers. — DOVETAILED HIVES AND SHIPPING-CASES- We carry a full line of SUPPLIES. Ask for Catalog. THE riARSHFIELD HANUFACTURINQ CO., Harshfield, Wis. Mention Bee Journal when writing. ^..California The Pacific Rural Press has been a house- hold word throughout California for 35 years. It is authority on all matters regarding the soil or products of California. Weekly, illus- trated : Edited by practical specialists. Two Dollars per year. Send for sample copy. Pacific Rural Press, 330 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif. 50Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. 65c for 12 Names JTffl.'ttf-a^ stamps taken— we will send for 2 yrs. toe Farmer's Call -ret', sut). price 4f'c a year. F. C.isawkly., 25 years old, l,3O0 pages a year. Sample free. FARMERS CALL, Quincy, 111. P &WB* Cucumber For flavor, uniform size, color, and productiveness itisabsolutely unequaled. In addition to this it comes into bearing very early, continuing right through the season until killed by frost. Always straight — never turning yellow. Best for the table, for market and for pickling. Large sam- ple packet for only 5 c orloz for 15c. including copy of our grand new » FREE BOOK "Northern Grown Seeds" Plants, Bulbs, Fruits and Trees. Contains all the good things for the Garden and Farm worth growing at the right prias. Don't fail to secure the Book. Write today. L. L. MAY, St. Paul, Minnesota Mention Bee Journal when writing:. 176 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 1, 19(6 iOGLJE Now bee^keepTrs Ready to •supplies Mail WRITE FOR IT TO-DAY My proposition is the best one yet. The Catalog will tell you all about it. Remember, I have been in the business over 20 years, and carry the largest stock in the West. Many thou- sands of dollars worth of goods now on hand, ready for distribution. Why put up with inferior goods when you may as well have the be6t? They cost you no more. In many cases I CAN SAVE YOU MONEY In all cases I GIVE THE MOST FOR THE MONEY, quality considered. My shipping facilities are unsurpassed. All points reached by direct lines, thus insuring the LOWEST FREIGHT RATES. A penny invested in a postal card will save you dollars and vexation. Liberal Discounts Now. Address JOS. NYSEWANDER, 565 and 567 West Seventh Street, Mention Bee Journal DES MOINES, IOWA. when writing. Root's Bee-Supplies You know what this means. Four carloads of New Goods on hand. Our business increased last year 100 percent over 1904. This is a _ proof that we are saving our cus- g tomers money. Try us. Low X Freight Rates from Toledo. 0 Large Discounts— that tells the 0 I story; Our 80-page Catalog is g 0 sent free. 0 8 GRIGGS BROS. 8 0 521 Monroe Street, TOLEDO, OHIO, g PETS If you are interested in Pigeons, Rabbits, Cavies, Dogs, Cats, Birds or Pets of any kind, you should send for a free sample of PEX STOCK. It's tlie Best Pub- lication of its kind in America. Has a national circulation, and it's only 50c a year. Address, PET STOCK. ■lOCtf Box 20, YORK, PA. Do You Want a South Dakota Paper? Tells of great land values, ol business op- poitnnitles, of a State where more railroad building is going on than in any other State union South Dakota Farmer ."JT every week. Price, $1 per year. SPECIAL OFFER— Send this ad with 35 cents for a year's subscription. Addiess. SOUTH DAKOTA FARMER. SlouxPalls.S.D. 51A10t Please mention the Bee Journal. Successful Poultry Journal FRANK HECK, Editor. Subscription Price 50 cents per Year. Write for Advertising Rates. The most prominent and successful, practica poultrymen write for the Successful Poultry Jour nal, and tell how they build their houses, mate their fowls, manage their incubators, feed both young and old— and, in fact, tell how they succeed and make money. Send for sample copy. SUCCESSFUL POULTRY JOURNAL ICtf 355 Dearborn St., CHICAGO, ILL. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Poultry Dollars Come Easy Our large, r>2 to 112 page magazine, beautifully illustrated best printed and edited poultry journal, makes it easy to add $$ to your income by keeping a few hens on a town lot, or make a success on a large scale; covers everything. POULTRY SUCCESS, one year, 50c; large illustrated poultry book, free to an- nual subscribers. 3 months trial, 10c. Poultry Success Co. Dept. 17, Springfield, Ohio. BARNES' FOOT POWER MACHINERY Read what J. I. Parent, of Charlton, N. Y., says: " We cut with one of your Com- bined Machines, last winter- 50 chaff hives with 7-in. cap, 100 honey racks, 500 brood, frames, 2,000 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 it with this Saw. It will do all you say it win." Catalog and price-list free. Address, W. F. & John Barnes, 995 Ruby St., Rockford, 111. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Have YOU Taken the Time to write and tell us what you are going to use in the way of Supplies the coming season ? If you have failed to attend to this matter it may save you some money to do so at once. If you are not certain as to what you need, or just what we carry in the line, send us your address and we will send you our descriptive and illustrated price-list. We sell everything needed in the apiary. Don't overlook the many good points about the " Elgin Hive." Have you seen one ? If not, send us your name and you will get our literature explaining and describing it. Don't delay — write to-day. THE NATIONAL SUPPLY CO., Elgin, 111. Seefl-Time and Harvest is an illustrated Monthly Journal for country homes. It is known everywhere as the Great 'Home Industry" Monthly. It is a "Peri- odical with a Purpose." Its mission is "Teach Independence Through Home Employment." Only 25 cents per year ; none free. Seed-Time & Harvest Pub. 60. Dept. 208, Scranton, Pa. 45Ctf Please mention the Bee Journal. - In Its Twenty-eighth Year T»e RuraTGaHTornlan 6 Months 25c. A lame monthly magazine devoted to Agricul- tural, Horticultural and rural pursuits, showing the wonderful development of the Pacific Coast. Beau- tifully illustrated, well edited and artistically printed on fine book paper. An encyclopedia of in- formation for colonists. Address, THE RURAL CALIFORNIAN Rooms 6 and 7 Temple Block, ICtf LOS ANGBLES. CALIF. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Bees A 40-page Catalog- free The latest work on BEG> SUPPLIES, Hives,Fix- tures, Etc. Italian Bees and Queens. II interested in bees, do not fail to write us. John Nebel &Son Supply Co., High fliii, Mo. iiCif Please mention the Bee Journal. EngravingsForSale ■ • We are accumulating- qnite a stock of engrav* ings that have been used in the American Bee Journal. No doubt many of them could be used again by bee-keepers in their local newspapers, on their stationer j, or in other ways. Also, if we can sell some of them it would help us to pay for others that we are constantly having made and using* in our columns. If there is any of our engravings that any one would like tr have, just let us know and we will quote a very low price, postpaid. Address, ^ GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, ILL arch 1, 190 6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 177 FOR THIS "ECONOMY" BOILER AND FEED COOKER The "Eeonomv" Feed Cooker is the best built cooker on p»nfi«iii«t^ market today. II is const run.-il so as to get the very FREIGHTl»est results from the smallest amount of fuel possible. The | kettle is well and Strongly made of the smoothest cast iron P/X I O Mid has a handle on each Bide SO thi 1 ■* from the casing instantly. Will last a or jacket, is one continuous sheet ut c supported at the bottom by a heavy This cooker has the largest tire d 1 it can be removed lifetime. The casing, I dd rolled boiler steel, wrought iron band. f any made, and is the strongest, most serviceable feed cooker ever sold at such a price, freight paid. Madr in seven sizes to suit every need; furnished with hinged cover, elbow and one length of pipe with damper. We guarantee this cooker for one I fear. Send money with order today, or write for our arge 1,000-page catalogue giving other sizes and thousands of money -saving bargains tor the farmer and his family. If vou want to save 10 per cent on everything vu'u t-uv, we have a plan you should know about; it will save you from sir.u to $250 a year. Only costs a stamp to find out all about it. The object of this Society is to save money for its mem- bers. For full information let us tell you how we do it. Co-Operative Society of the National Supply Co. Lansing, Michigan Chicago, Illinois Queen Incubator and Brooder — Twin Nucleus=Box MAINLY FOR QUEEN-BREEDERS Incubator and Brooder allow the bees access to the cells and queens at all times. (Patented July 7, 1903.) Price, $5.00. Twin Nucleus and Mating Box has control of the queen by a 3-hole wheel on the outside, with one hole wire-screened, one hole covered with queen-exclud- ing ziuc, and the third hole to regulate the size of the entrance. (Patent applied for.) Price, SI. 00. Cylinder Cages, postpaid, each, 10 cents. Queen-Cells, 100 mounted, with sample of Cylinder Cage (sent postpaid,) for 75 cents. Breeding Queens, after May 1st — Italian, Imported and Golden Italian, and Carniolan — $2.50 each. Orders booked now and filled in rotation. Send for free Circulars. 7Dtf ARTHUR STANLEY, Dixon, Lee Co., III. Michigan Distributors FOR G. B. Lewis Co's BEEWARE Dadant's Foundation WITH an enormous stock, and the best ship- ping point in Michigan, we are in a posi- tion to give you the very best service. SPECIAL. — A quantity of Dovetail and Wis- consin Hives, slightly discolored by water, in packages of 5 at $1.25 per hive for 1J£ -story 8 frame ; 10-frame, $1.40 per hive. Satisfaction guaranteed. BEESWAX WANTED A. G. WOODMAN CO., Grand Rapids, Mich. Advanced Bee-Veil. Cord arrangement, absolutely bee-proof, best on earth. Made of imported French tulle veiling. Cotton, with silk face, 50 cents, postpaid. 49C7t WE WANT NAMES We want YOU to send us the names and addesses of from ten tc twenty-five farmers living in the United States, each one having five cows or more. You can send us the names from any number of different post-offices. If vou will send us these names we will send you FOUR BEAUTIFUL PICTURES FREE. These pictures are reproductions of the most celebrated paintings in the world, and they are of high quality, and we know that you will be pleased and delighted with them ; no pictures will be given for a list of less than ten farmers. We want to send a sample copy of the special dairy issue of the RURAL HOME to a lot of farmers who are not now taking our paper, and that is the reason we want these names. Send U6immediately a list of at least ten farmers and we will send vou. ABSOLUTELY FREE, FOUR REPRODUCTIONS OF THE WORLD'S FAMOUS PICTURES. Address TnE Rural Home, 20 North William St., New York, N. Y. YOU CAN GET 50c WORTH OF also a Packet of a Rare Variety and a Beautiful Rose Bush in addition if you will send at once for our new lyot5 seed catalog. Just enclose with your request a dime or live 2c stamps to cover postage and packing, and we will do the rest. Our 1906 catalog will save you money, save you disap- pointment because our high-grade, pure-bred seeds always grow. Many new varieties that will interest you this year— m garden, flower and field seeds. Don't wait — send today. A. A. BERRY SEEP CO., BOX 49. CLARINPA, IOWA JHE Seed FOR 1906 contains i 5 2 large pages full from cov- er to cover of illustrations and descrip- tions of the best and new- est things known in horticulture. No market gardener, far- mer, or any- one interested in flowers can afford to be without this book, which will be sent free to all sending me their address on a postal. WII, HENRY MADLE 1720 Filbert St. Philadelphia, Pa. Mention Bee Journal when writing. fe5C TOr \£ [N3II16S 12 farmers and 15c- ptaiups taken— we will Bend for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Call— ree. sub. price 4()c a year. F. C. is a wkly., 25 years old, 1.3UO pages a year. Sample free. FARMER'S CALL, Quincy, 111. Mention Bee Journal when writing. ^ . 80(11 g gd. *S8. *8iBI P.'M O v CO 3 8^2.2 35 I Never Go Out g" And last from 6 to 21 years oo Otisvtlle, Pa., Jan. la, 19U4. Dear Sir:— I have tried almost everything in the smoker line; 3 In the last 3 years. In short If I want any more smokers your new style is good enough for me. I thank the editor of Re- view for what he said of it. Those remarks in- duced me to get mine. Fred Fodner. Mention Bee Journal when writing:. For Queens Send to JOHN W.PHARR Berclair. Tex. He will furnish at the same prices as last year: Tested, $1; Untested, 75e; 5 for $3 25; 10forS6; 15 for $8.25; 25forS12.50; 100 for $45. He breeds Golden6, Carniolans, and 3- Band Italians. Also 1, 2, and 3 frame Nuclei and full colonies. Prices given on applica- tion. Pharr pays the freight, and guarantees satisfaction on all Queens. To do justice and judgment is more acceptable with the Lord than sacrifice. — (Prov. 3:21. ) 5Atf Mention Bee Journal when writing. 178 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 1, iyi.6 SPKIWS HERE March sees bee-activity in practically every portion of the United States. In the extreme South bees are already gathering honey. In the middle South the buds are swelling and pollen coming in. In the North the bees have occasional flights. EVERYWHERE bee-keepers are getting ready for the harvest. It is high time Supplies were ordered and made up. It does not pay to delay another day. Very soon our early-order discounts will be discontinued. And, too, if you are not ready for your bees it is ten to one you will lose bees and honey — money. March Discount is 2 Percent % % Now is the time. The Root system of Branch Houses and Agencies are the most apparent value to bee keepers. Nine out of ten bee-keepers in the United States are within 200 miles of some one of the Root agencies named below. Ninety-nine out of a hundred bee-keepers east of the Missouri and north of Mason [and Dixon's line, can mail a letter to one of these agents and it will be received within 24 hours. When you consider the many other dealers handling Root's Goods the average beekeeper is doubtless within a hundred-mile circle of one of them. Just think of the saving of freight and time this means to YOU. flake Out That Order To=Day '& Alabama i: Wetumpka J. M. Jenkins Canada Toronto E. Grainger & Co. California Fresno Madary Planing Mill :;Los Angeles California National Honey Producers' Association Colorado Denver The L. A. Watkins Mdse. Co. Fruita Fruita b'rnit and Produce Ass'n District <>« Columbia Washington The A. I. Root Co. Georgia Savannah Howkins & Rush 124 Liberty St. Illinois Chicago The A. I. Root Co. 144 East Erie Street. Indiana Indianapolis Walter S. Pouder Efansvllle Vickery Bros. Iowa Des Moines Joseph Nysewander *rhese dealers buy ou We have Catalog will be sent by Return Mail. Kansas Augusta Carl F. Buck Mississippi Brazelia George A. Hummer Massachusetts Bonon H. H. Jepson. 182 Friend Street Lyonsville W. W. Cary & Son Maine Mechanic Falls The A. I. Root Co. Maryland Baltimore Rawlins Implement Co. Michigan Bell Branch M. H. Hunt & Son Fremont George E. Hilton Minnesota St. Paul The A.I. Root Co. 1024 Mississippi Street. Missouri High Hill Jno Nebel & Son Supply Co. Springfield Springfield Seed Co. St. Louis BUnke & Hauk r%ew Mexico Carlsbad Edward Scoggin New York Syracuse The A. I. Root Co. New York City The A. I. Root Co. 44 Vesev Street. Ohio Columbus Grove McAdams Seed Co. Toledo Griggs Bros., 521 Monroe St. Zanesville E. W. Pierce Cincinnati C. H. W. Weber 2146 Central Avenue Oregon s Portland Portland Seed Co. Pennsylvania Dn Bois Prothero & Arnold Philadelphia The A. I. Root Co. 10 Vine Street Williamsport E. E. Pressler 633 Lycoming Street Texas Dallas Texas Seed and Floral Co. San Antonio Udo Toepperwein Uvalde D. M. Edwards Utah Ogden The Superior Honey Co. Virginia Spottswood W. E. Tribbett h r goods in carload lots but supplement them with local-made goods, also some 500 local dealers in all parts of the country. the a. l. root go., Medina, onto u.s.fl. 1 (Entered at the Post-Office at Chicago as Second-Class Mail-Matter.) Published Weekly at $1.00 a Year, by George W. York & Co., 334 Dearborn St. QEORGE W. YORK, Editor CHICAGO, ILL, MARCH 1, 1906 VoL XLVI— No. 9 (fbitortal Hotes anb Comments j First Study for Young Bee-Keepers Among the principal sources from which the beginner draws the information and inspiration that helps to make him a successful practitioner may be named, practice in the apiary, apiarian text-books, bee-papers, and conventions. It might not be the easiest thing to say in what order these should be placed, but it would not be far out of the way to advise somewhat as follows : Get at once, no matter what the time of year, a text- book, or book of instruction about bees ; when you have carefully read it through (but don't be satisfied with once reading) get a bee-paper; begin work at bees as soon as spring comes ; and attend bee-conventions whenever the opportunity offers. Then, as time passes, you will feel the need of more bee-books and bee-papers. Programs for Bee=Keepers' Conventions The following frank remarks in the Bee-Keepers' Re- view with regard to the National Convention at Chicago will bear attentive perusal, and perhaps a little discussion : From my point of view, the greatest criticism that can be brought against it is, that the program was a little too full, thus cutting short the question-box department. After I had it all arranged with one paper for each evening ses- sion, and two for each day session, other matter came up for consideration, and it was hard to say nay. I don't be- lieve in doing away with papers entirely, but I do think that one paper for an evening session, and two for the forenoon and the same for the afternoon, are sufficient ; then let the rest of the time be devoted to the question-box. There were several very important questions that had been sent to me by mail, and to the discussion of which the convention might have profitably devoted quite a litt'.e time, but the time spent upon the regular program was so great that the question-box received scant attention. It was not reached until the last evening, and when it was seen how many questions there were to be answered, it was voted that only two answers should be given to each question, which proved to be only a farce — a few questions can be properly and satisfactorily discussed by two persons speak- ing only once each in an audience of ISO to 200 persons. I feel the more free to criticise this point, as I am the man who made up the program. Well, I'll know better next time. It would be very interesting to know just what change of procedure Mr. Hutchinson has in mind when he says. " I'll know better next time." In other words, if he had it to do over again, what would he do differently ? Certainly, he would hardly hold to the theory that it was the right thing to arrange for " one paper for each evening session and two for each day session," for that was exactly the theory that did not work out satisfactorily in the case un- derconsideratioc. Would he modify that so as to have only one paper at each day session ? Would he have one or more sessions without any paper, devoting the whole of such one or more sessions to the question-box ? Mr. Hutchinson says, "I don't believe in doing away I with papers entirely." Perhaps not; and yet there might be worse things. It is probably not a very wild guess to guess that seven-eighths of those in attendance at the Na- tional Convention in Chicago would have vastly preferred to have had all the papers thrown out entirely rather than to have had the question-box thrown out entirely. Witness the replies on page 822 of the American Bee Journal for 1905, to the question, "What proportion of the time of a bee-convention do you think should be taken up with the question-box for the greatest benefit to the average bee- keeper attending ?" Answers vary all the way from one- fourth to the whole time. C. P. Dadant says : " I enjoy that part best, and learn more than from anything else." J. A. Green says : " At the best conventions I ever attended no papers were read." Others count the question-box the most interesting part of the convention. One trouble in this whole business is that in most con- ventions the question-box comes in at the tail-end of the program, and then when the program is too much crowded the question-box has to suffer. If it is the best thing on the track, why not give it the right of way ? Brood-Rearing in Winter R. C. Aikin says in Irrigation, the official organ of the Colorado Association : " I recall that a few years ago there was quite a discus- sion (I think it was in Gleanings, and principally by R. L. Taylor and G. M. Doolittle) as to the time of year bees be- gan to breed If I remember aright, some said in January, and others as stoutly affirmed that it was as late as March, and the disputants seemed a bit warm. It was amusing to read the discussion, and none of them seemed to know for sure." Your memory is at fault, Mr. Aikin. The controversy was between R. L. Taylor and Dr. Miller, and both " seemed to know for sure." But Dr. Miller said January and Feb- ruary breeding was not likely to occur in the cellar, only outdoors. Mr. Aikin discusses his own observations in a very in- 180 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 1, 1906 teresting manner. His deductions may or may not be en- tirely correct. He says : "When I was learning- about bees in that cold, bliz- zardy State of Iowa, I recall looking into some hives in January and found brood in a small circle about the size of a silver dollar in the center of the cluster. I do not know how often I did see brood in January and February in that country, but it must have been several times. In this coun- try you can find lots of brood in January most winters. If it should be intensely cold the latter part of December and on into January, there will not be many colonies breeding, but if it is pleasant any time during the month for about two or three weeks, or if the bees are in a warm, sunny, sheltered place, almost every strong colony will breed more or less. I have known them to breed a while and then stop, again starting in the last of February or the first of March. "Weak colonies that have all they can do to keep up heat for the maintaining of the cluster, do not breed so early. Then, too, it makes a difference whether they are in a warm or cold hive. I have both chaff and single-walled hives, and the single-walled hive gets brood earlier. I think the reason is the chaff-packing makes a sort of refrigerator, and while in it the temperature is more steady, it is at the same time a lower one, and the bees do not fly so frequently nor so long, hence remain more dormant — perhaps I should say semi-dormant, for I do not believe bees ever hibernate — and so are slower to start brood. In the single-walled hive, if exposed to the sun, the bees become active just about every clear day, even though they do not get outside the hive ; this hastens brood-rearing. They must breed to keep up the colony. "Many contend that January and February breeding is too early ; that if they could keep the bees till late in March or the first of April before any brood is reared, it would be better and save much stores. I have never agreed to this. I prefer to have a warm January and February, and have bees maturing in February and March. I do not know how it is in all parts of the State, but here we have little breed- ing in the fall after September, yet the bees fly often and hunt around all through the fall and by mid-winter are aged. I find it is often very hard to get a colony through spring at all if some young bees are not ready to take the place of the old ones by March 1, or nearly so. I count a colony practically safe to pull through the spring if there have been several square inches of brood hatched by March 1, with a few thousand more to hatch during the next few days ; but if they have rested until March 1 to start breed- ing, the old bees die off so rapidly that in a few days there are not enough of them left to maintain breeding tempera- ture, and they waste their strength and energies trying, but to no purpose, and are extinct by the time the weather does get warm enough to aid them. If they will breed in Jan- uary and February these young bees can hold out till April and May— even till June— and so keep the colony alive until the weather is warm enough to enable a few bees to mature brood." Beedom North and Beedom South It is pleasant to know that there are those who are suffi- ciently interested in the welfare of this Journal to be on the lookout for possible collisions, as witness the following : Mr. Editor :— Please watch carefully that " Southern Beedom " and " Canadian Beedom " are not made too close neighbors in the columns of the '' Old Reliable." That man Scholl is always putting a chip on his shoulder to be knocked off by some one fur- ther north, and there's no tell- ing- what might happen if he '' should succeed in getting the blood thawed out in the veins of that frozen Canuck. Betwixt & Between. Thanks for the caution, but have not the slightest fear. No matter how many chips are placed on the should- ers of the Southerner, if you watch closely you will always see them accompanied by a smile of the utmost good- nature ; and no heart beats more warmly for all men North and South than the heart of that same man whom you are pleased to style a " frozen Canuck." Miscellaneous Heips * 3 terns =\ j If Only It Were True!— The following paragraph has been sent us by S. G. Kilgore, of London, Ohio, he clip- ping it from the county newspaper : Profit in Bees. Dr. J. L. Gaudy, of Richardson Co., Nebr., gets as high as 400 pounds of honey from a single colony, and he has 3000 colonies of bees, constituting the largest apiary in the world. He owns 20,000 acres of valuable land, all of it rep- resenting the invested profits of bee-keeping. He once marketed 32,000 pounds of honey from 75 colonies, which was over 400 pounds each. He plants large quantities of catnip along the roadside and in other waste places, claim- ing that it provides abundant bee-pasturage for 3 months or longer. The foregoing is simply a condensation of a long arti- cle published in one of the bee-papers several years ago. Several months after its appearance a personal investiga- tion was made by the editor of the bee-paper containing the account, and he found that there was practically no founda- tion for most of the statements. Of course, almost any bee- keeper of experience would hardly believe that 32,000 pounds of honey would be stored by a single apiary of 75 colonies in one season. That has never been done, and probably never will be. As to the catnip statement, there was very little of it found in the locality mentioned. It is very unfortunate, indeed, that such paragraphs should continue to appear in the newspapers, as they are misleading. We fear that some people would be induced to go into bee-keeping, thinking that there is a great for- tune in it, only to be disappointed later. Mr. L. L. Andrews, of Corona, Calif., is the President of the California Bee-Keepers' Association. Recently he sent us two pictures of his apiaries. One of them produced 15 tons of honey in 1905. His total crop was 25 tons from 250 colonies, spring count. The honey was gathered from orange and sage blossoms. He has had populous colonies fill a 10-frame extracted super 3 times in 12 days during the height of the orange-flow. He often moves to this loca- tion in March, and keeps the bees there until about the last of June, and then moves to the buckwheat and gets 2 or 3 extractings from that source. From many colonies he ex- tracted 12 times, 5 years ago. His average for the season of 1905 was 200 pounds of extracted honey per colony. Wild Buckwheat. Orange and Sage. (APIARIES OF L. L. ANDREWS.) March 1, 1906 1HE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL I8l ^ Sketches of Beebomites REV. ROBERT B. McCAIN J The subject of this sketch was born in Washington Co., Ind., Nov. 16, 1869. His boyhood and youth were spent in Virginia and North Carolina. He is of Scotch-Irish ex- traction, having sprung from the descendants of that race who inhabit the mountain regions of the old Colonial South. At the age of 14 he returned with his parents to southern Indiana, where, in the course of a few years, he began the serious preparation for life work in obtaining a common school, academic and collegiate education. When the call to the gospel ministry was answered, in giving himself to that profession as a life work, Hanover College, in Jefferson Co., Ind., was chosen as the school in which collegiate preparation was to be obtained. After a four years' course Mr. McCain graduated from Hanover College in 1894, receiving the degree of Bachelor of Arts. The College has since conferred on him the de- gree of Master of Arts. A special professional course of three years was obtained at McCormick Theological Semi- nary, from which he graduated in 1897. Mr. McCain was ordained to the gospel ministry in the Presbyterian Church, June 3, 1897, and has continued actively in the ministry since that time, principally in Illinois. His present pas- torate is the Aux Sable Grove Presbyterian Church, in Ken- dall Co., Ills. This is a flourishing country church in the midst of one of the most attractive farming regions of the State. Of country life and rural pursuits, Mr. McCain Isays : I have deliberately chosen the country as the field of my ministry in the name of Christ, because I believe that it is among the people who live away from the abnormal and distracting conditions of city life that we find it possible to develop the highest and best in human nature. The youth of to-day who obtains preparation for his life work in the better classes of our country districts has, in my opinion, an immeasurable advantage over his less fortunate brother who must grow up in the city. The minister or teacher who will equip the mind and mold the characters of the youth of the country districts will, in so doing, aid greatly in bringing into action intellectual and moral forces which will tend to remedy the social and civic ills of our time. My interest extends to the pursuits of country life as well as to the people. I am intensely interested in gardening and fruit-growing, as well as in the study of soils and their proper use and enrichment. But my hobby in rural pursuits is bee-culture. I do not now remem- ber just how my interest in bees was awakened, but it began to mani- fest itself about four years ago. Having become thoroughly infected with the bee-fever, I sought to allay its cravings for knowledge with such offerings as " Langstroth on the Honey-Bee " (original work), " A B C of Bee-Culture," and " Forty Tears Among the Bees." I be- came, and still continue to be, a constant reader of the American Bee Journal and Gleanings in Bee-Culture, and all other available litera- ture on the subject of the honey-bee. To facilitate the understanding of what I read, I erected an observatory hive in my study window. This hive is full 10-frame size with a glass division-board. In it I saw with my own eyes the hidden mysteries. But this proved to be bad medicine for bee-fever. I tried a year of treatment after the method of Frank Cheshire, in his " Scientific Bee-Keeping," using a compound microscope of high power to verify bis statements, and still I am not well of the fever. In the meantime an apiary was growing in the back-yard, and the little workers of the colonies were paying all expenses for the equipment of their own homes as well a6 furnishing a delightful sweet for my table. My attention has been given more especially for the last two years to breeding high-grade queens. This. I believe, to be the crucial point in bee-culture. It is the work towards which I have been pre- paring myself with the most thorough scientific training and inves- tigation. I am rather proud of the fact that I have never lost a colony of bees from any cause since I have been a bee-keeper. I fear very much, however, that the record in this line will be broken this year. Re- cently, in the month of January, I moved my entire apiary to my present home. The bees came part of the way by railroad, but the last of the trip (8 miles) was made in wagons. It was during the thaw, and the gravel roads cut through to the large stones, making the travel very rough. My bees were badly shaken, but the warm weather was an advantage, and I am hoping that the damage will not be great. When sending the photographs from which the engrav- ings were made, Mr. McCain wrote : The picture of the apiary is my experimental apiary in a corner of a city lot where I had 30 colonies of bees in a space 15x40 feet. The apiary faces an alley which is used a great deal by both wagons and pedestrians, and yet I have never had a complaint. A few people who persisted in standing near the fence when I was manipulating the bees were etuDg. My best yield was in 1902, when, from 2 colo- nies, I took 500 pounds of comb honey aod 40 poundsof extracted. In addition to this yield I increased my apiary to 8 colonies, using the nucleus plan. I have never allowed anything but high grade queens to remain in the apiary. The bees that have giv^n best results in honey-gathering are Italians bred for work in comb honey rather than for color, though they are beautifully marked with yellow bands. Pure-blood Caucasian queens have given good results in this same apiary, though they do not equal the Italians in amount stored. The cappings of the honey stored by Caucasian bees was regular and as white as fancy honey need be. The other photograph is intended to show the best yield of comb honey that I have had from one colony in a single season. There are 14 of the shipping-cases with 30 plain 4x5 sections in each. All of the sections (280 in all) are finished " fancy." 1 took a few unfin- Mb. McCain and Crop of One Colony (Nearly 7 feet high.) ished sections from this colony, but they are not counted. I al60 drew on this colony to some extent in making my increase The large yield is accounted for, I think, by the fact that there wa6 an almost continuous honey-flow from May 15 to the middle of October, and that the bees were in prime condition to attack the work when it came. I do not hesitate to say that the strain of bees had a great deal to do with the yield. I have used that queen as a breeder, and her progeny have given uniformly good results. I have not yet been able to buy a queen whose bees equal the work of this one, and I have bought a good many since I have been keeping bees. Those of our readers who have attended the conven- tions of the Chicago-Northwestern Bee-Keepers' Associa- tion of late years know Mr. McCain. He is a very pleasant gentleman to meet, and whenever present has contributed 182 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 1, 1906 to the interest of the convention. We are glad to be able to present him through such good pictures to our readers. At the last Christmas time he distributed the following to his parishioners, which, we think, is a beautiful expres- sion : Yule Greeting To be glad for to-day— not cast down because of yesterday, nor yet proud; not waiting for greater opportunities to-morrow, but given wholly to the work and the joy of to-day ; To look with friendly eye upon God's out-of-door6; To read the best books, think the best thoughts, love that which is true and beautiful; To believe in men, to seek by kindness to bring them always good cheer; To spend time alone with God, that the peace of Christ may guard and the passion of the world Savior inspire; To pray for heaven in the heart, and to live for a home in heaven — Thus may God increase your Christmas joy and fulfill the hope of the New Year. With gratitude for what He has enabled you to do in the past, and with a prayer for the upbuilding of His church, which we love and serve, I am sincerely your friend— Robert B. McCain. (Dur* Sister Beekeepers =j Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. Bee-Keeping for Women- Poultry vs. Bees For some reason, the ambitious woman, especially on the farm, who desires to make a little extra money, almost invariably turns to poultry. This is possible because she knows something of the rudiments of poultry-raising, and partly because there is usually some stock on the farm with which to begin operations. I do not mean to infer that there is anything which will take the place of poultry, or which should, for that matter, but I do say that where it is practicable for her to do so the average woman could make more money from bee-culture, and make it more easily than from poultry, especially where poultry products must be sold in the general market. Moreover, she could do it with no greater outlay, and with more physical, mental and spiritual benefit to herself. The first barrier, which a woman who is contemplating going into some small enterprise of her own, sees in con- nection with bee-keeping, is her usual lack of knowledge concerning the management of bees. The next is, possibly, her instinctive fear of the "punishment" which she knows she must frequently receive. In regard to the first, I would say that a couple of dollars invested in bee-books, and another in a good journal, will soon scatter the shadows of ignorance from her mind, and enable her, even the first season, to manage her bees with a degree of intelligence that will insure her comparative success. Regarding the latter, I would say that the fear is usually much worse than the actual experience. Besides, it is possible so to dress that one need be stung very rarely. A bit of comforting knowledge is, that the oftener one is stung the less serious the consequences. Indeed, after the first season, bee-stings rarely cause any swelling or soreness of the parts stung. Now let us consider the work of caring for bees com- pared with that of caring for poultry. The active season in the apiary begins about the last of May, although an occa- sional day's work will be required previous to this time. From the first of May to the middle of July bee-work will probably push considerably, but nevertheless a healthy woman ought not to find it difficult to do this in addition to her ordinary housework. After the middle of July until extracting time there will be but little work in the apiary, although some little will be required now and then. From one to two weeks' work in September ought to take care of the honey, and put the bees into good shape again. One or two days later should be spent putting them into condition for winter, after which nothing more will be required until cellaring time. Then comes a long resting time, during which what honey re- mains on hand may be marketed, and preparations made for another season's work. I am considering here an api- ary of from 20 to 50 colonies. More than this it would not be advisable for a woman to undertake without help either indoors or out. To obtain any considerable income from poultry, from 100 to 200 hens must be kept, which will require consider- able care every day during the entire year. Beginning with April, when the chicks begin to hatch, the work is greatly increased, very exacting, and to some extent dirty and dis- agreeable as well. In rainy weather, as well as in fair, chicks must be fed and cared for, and during the worst win- ter weather, when bee-keepers may sit by the fire and rest, poultry-keepers must face the storms and wade through drifts to feed and care for their birds. This is one reason why I would advocate bee-keeping for frail women, in pref- erence to anything else in which she might engage. Now let us consider profits. Each colony of bees, in good seasons, ought to return from $4 to $6 in honey, be- sides the increase. This would make an apiary of 50 colo- nies bring in from $200 to$300 annually. From $1 to $2 per head is all that the average flock will return, even under good management, which would be an income of from $100 to $200 for a flock of 100 hens. A pretty neat little sum, I will admit, but considering the work and feed required to obtain it, not equal to what the bee-keeper may secure. Now a word about costs of production. Perhaps $40 to $50 would be sufficient to buy extra hives and all necessary supplies for 50 colonies. It will cost about the same to feed a good-sized flock one year. From this it may be seen that from an equal to a much greater income may be realized from an equal outlay, with less and more agreeable work in favor of the bees. Another thing in favor of bee-keeping in preference to poultry raising, where location and other things are favor- able is that an apiary of 50 colonies may be doubled to advantage, while up to 200 head of poultry are all that can be kept advantageously on any one farm. But it is not impracticable, with good management, to keep both poultry and bees, and make each return a very satisfactory profit. Mrs. MilmE Honaker. Viroqua, Wis. ^ 21lt\ pasty's Clftertl?ougfyts j The " Old Reliable" as seeo through New and Unreliable Glasses. By E. E. Hasty, Sta. B. Rural, Toledo, Ohio. The Government and Queen Rearing. We expect the child that learns A to proceed to learn B ; and yet there are some sequences that are not quite so in- evitable, although they may look so on heedless first eflance. I spoke very enthusiastically in favor of having the Depart- ment of Agriculture supervise the rearing of Caucasian queens ; but I suspect we had better not back up their super- vision of the whole queen-rearing business in too emphatic a way. Let us not make it necessary for any breeder to abandon his business just because his nose has gotten out of joint at some Government desk. The rearing of straight Italians is a long-established business. We already have some idea about who's who and what's what, and our con- ventions and journals can do something to post us still further. But as to the first proposition, on a new introduc- tion there is more dangerof getting hybrids, and very much more when the looks of the bees afford nothing positive as to purity — which same is the case with the Caucasians, I believe. Almost sorry Uncle Sam did not confine himself to the urgently needed service first proposed. In trying to do more he may not do any of it superlatively well. Page 45. Top and Bottom Frame Spacers. Yes, if you are going to use wire bottom-spacers, the way of fastening them, in which K. H. Wagner gives on page 47, is quite an improvement. Firm laterally, instead of being ready and waiting to swing over and crush down. (Bend bottom of first loop one way and next loop the other way, and so on across, stapling each one fast.) I don't use spacers at all, but sometimes think I would do so if begin- ning anew. For top spacing I think I should choose another kind, the ones with a metal rabbet having very small notches in which a wire or wire nail rests. This kind combines the accuracy of spacers with much of the freedom of going without them. By good chance this kind is illus- March 1, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 183 trated in the same number on page S3. For migratory- hives, however, Wagner's kind would be much better. Printer Got "Mixed" on "Making." In my department on page 52, there is a queer and rather unusual error. The first word of the third caption, " Making " played " pussy wants a corner " with the word " Mixing," which headed the fourth caption — failed to get back again, and went to press in that mixed condition. An adversary can accuse me now of making honey. Number Locations Instead of Hives. In the picture on page 61 we read the order of numerals 30, then 32, then 31. Nearly all apiary pictures with num- bers on the hives show the same higglety-pigglety-ness. Visible evidence of more or less effort on the part of the keeper to have things in mathematical order — and proof positive of failure. Give it up, brethren. The " way " is to have the numbers belong to the locations and not to the hives. Then have your system of arrangement so simple that you can readily keep the numbers in your head and need no visible ones. Empty Box-Hives — Roofing for Hives. The hives in Allen Latham's apiary look far too neat to be made out of empty boxes. Although the camera does flatter sometimes, this can hardly be all flattery. His pro- ceedings in making them, as detailed on pages 74-80, re- mind me of my own in making lath hives. In this matter it is decidedly "every one to his taste." Lots of us would say : "Whatever I do in this bothersome world, I'll never make hives out of empty boxes — not even if new lumber gets to $100 per thousand. " On the other hand, quite a good few of use just delight in that sort of thing — feel as if mak- ing something out of nothing, and so getting closer to the Omnipotent The latter class should linger over Mr. Latham's article — they don't see the like of it very often. Also information for everybody as to cutting roofing paper. Don't try to cut with the point of a knife along a rule. Get the middle of the blade to bear, at an angle less than 90 de- grees, so the severed paper on one side will be lifted as the knife passes along. Shouldn't wonder if he was nobly right in commending his roof (apart from his way of making the body of it, say) to the whole fraternity. I have long used tin-covered roofs — none of them too satisfactory, and many of mine very unsatisfactory. If roofing paper (on a foundation with cracks ad libitum) lasts years enough in actual practice it would seem very attractive to me. One naturally asks: Does it rot under bricks or big weights, used to keep a roof from eloping with the breezes ? And how about it when snow turns to ice on top, and one carelessly wrestles with the ice to get it off ? Toward spring we want ice off to let the sun strike it better. Moreover we read: "The absurd custom of tilting hives forward should not be tolerated in any upright bee- yard." Ahem ! Well, if we like a man we like him to be a human sort of man. A man could hardly be human unless he had now and then a whim. Behold how this one just fits Mr. L. out with angel wings. Pages 61, 74 and 79. "Expert," in the Journal of Agriculture and Horticul- ture, speaks strongly on the matter of early preparation for the honey season. He says : What is there to do now? would only be asked by the man who is accustomed to make preparations when there is little time in which to do them. There is more honey lost, I firmly believe, through lack of supers (either not procured at all or not ready when wanted ) than from any other cause, in apiaries that are supposed to be managed. I have seen hives in one garden with supers 2 and 3 stories high, and all full, while near-by other bee-keepers have plenty of hives, but some of them supered. What folly ! A swarm put into a box or ekep will consume honey sufficient to pay more than half, if not the whole, of a modern outtit. io elaborating wax and building combs, as well as in feeding thousands of larvie. This should not be lost sight of. Suppose a strong colony sends out a good swarm and two casts in due course; there will be in each hive at least 2000 hungry larviu daily to satisfy with food composed of honey and pollen. By proper management the three lots of bees might have been kept workiDg in supers over their original home, while below only one lot of larvse would be consuming honey. It is a well-known fact that one good colony will store more surplus than two or three small ones. Hence, it is most desirable to plan work in the apiary now, with the object of limiting the number of colonies, instead of increasing by immoderate swarming. This idea of the unnecessary amount of brood to be cared for has not been enlarged on in giving reasons why one colony held together will do better than though it swarmed once or twice. Mr. Edwin Trinder Mr. Edwin Trinder, of Norfolk Co., Ont., is one of the oldest and most experienced bee-keepers in that section. Both personally and officially he is well known to the pro- fession, and has filled the important position of President in the County Association for 4 years. His success may be attributed to his personal applica- tion, s udy, and attention to all branches of the work ; and, being a man of great energy and thoroughness in all his Edwin Trinder. undertakings, no detail is too unimportant not to receive proper care and attention at his hands. From small beginnings his interests have developed to SO colonies at this time, to all of which he gives personal attention on his own fruit-farm. His mechanical appli- ances are of the most approved types, as would be expected in a modern apiary like his. As a horticulturist in small fruits, he has always been successful, quality being the first incentive in all his efforts. For several years he assisted Mr Groff, the well-known Canadian gladiolus hybridist and specialist, as grower of that beautiful flower. During that time he had entire charge of the cultivation of millions of corms, which were shipped to all parts of the civilized world. Acting on the suggestion of Mr. Groff, he also under- took the improvement of the strawberry by hybridization. He used the pollen of our wild species on the best garden varieties available for that purpose, and secured as the re- sult types of increased vigor and constitution in the plant, through the revitalizing influence of this cross, as well as improved texture and flavor in the berry He feels that this is a work entitled to receive more attention from the strawberry-growers of Canada. Comb Foundation At the Brantford Dristrict Convention comb foundation was fully discussed. As to size of sheet it was agreed that the foundation should be attached to the top-bar and touch the side-bars of the frame so the bees will attach it there immediately. Then it should come to about % inch from- 184 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 1, 19C6 the bottom-bar. Weed-process foundation, made from good wax and well wired, will not sag enough to buckle at the bottom under these conditions. Mr. Alpaugh. of Gait, thinks more combs are sagged out of shape by shaking to get bees off, when they are full of honey and hot from the hive, than in any other way. It doesn't seem to me that theory will quite hold water, although Mr. Alpaugh is more careful and painstaking in many ways than I am. Chris Edmondson has the wires in the frame loose, then draws them down in the middle when embedding. Thus they act as a truss, and support the foundation from sagging. As to weight of foundation, many prefer it as light as possible without danger of sagging — about 7% to 8 sheets to the pound. R. H. Smith said with good wax the bees would thin the base of heavy foundation and use the wax in wall-building, so there, is no particular economy in using foundation extra-thin. But R. F. Holtermann contended that particularly in a heavy honey-flow the secretion of wax by the bees is partly involuntary, and if not used in comb building or capping it would be plastered on the in- sides of the hive and wasted. Hence note, incidentally, there is no economy in extracting uncapped honey, for the wax which the bees will secrete for capping anyway would be wasted. For fastening foundation in sections H. G. Sibbald rec- ommended a block to fit in the section just to the middle. He lays in a square of foundation which just fits the sec- tion, and with a quill stripping brush, such as carriage painters use, he brushes melted wax around, sticking the foundation fast to all four sides. By this means there are no openings except what the bees in a slow honey-flow might make. ^ i ^ Wintering Bees All the members of the Brantford Convention, who had bees in the cellar, were complaining of high temperature and noisy bees. Geo. Howard, of Lynden, put out his 64 colonies for a flight on Jan. 22, and put them back in when the weather turned cooler. He said they did not seem to be needing a flight very badly, and were very quiet when put back. Mr. Howard has promised to report in " Cana- dian Beedom " on the condition of these bees when they come out for good in the spring. An idea for getting bees into the cellar quietly came from Mr. Edmundson, of Brantford. He pries hives loose from the bottom-board the night before, and slips a fence- staple in flatwise to keep them from sticking together again. A nail would roll, and let the hive slip out of place on the bottom-board, but a staple will not do that. For outdoor wintering Mr. Alpaugh has an entrance ^'/z^Yi inch, and no projection of the bottom-board. Winter and summer his bottom-boards are exactly the same length as the hive. The outside entrance of the packing-box is lower than the entrance of the hive. This serves two pur- poses : It " breaks joints," so no cold wind or sunshine •can get directly into the hive, and it gives a place where the live bees can drop dead ones without going clear outside and getting chilled. Mr, Alpaugh believes in having his bottom-boards perfectly level. If they slope forward, bees falling from the cluster roll to the entrance in the death struggle. The "entrance soon becomes closed by dead bees ; but with a level floor they lie where they fall. For upward ventila- tion he cracks the honey-board loose late enough so that it will not be propolized fast again before winter sets in. See Langstroth Book Offer on another page of this copy of the American Bee Journal. Honey as a Health-Food.— This is a 16-page honey- pamphlet intended to help increase the demand for honey. The first part of it contains a short article on "Honey as Food "' written by Dr. C. C. Miller. It tells where to keep honey how to liquefy it, etc. The last part is devoted to "Honey-Cooking Recipes" and "Remedies Using Honey. It should be widely circulated by those selling honey. The more the people are educated on the value and uses of honey, the more honey they will buy. Prices prepaid— Sample copy for a two-cent stamp; 50 copies for 70 cts.; 100 for $1.25; 250 for $2.25; 500 for $4.00; or 1 000 for $7.50. Your business card printed free at the bottom of front page on all orders for 100 or more copies. Send all orders to the office of the American Bee Journal. * (£ontributeb * Special Ctrticles Conditions Affecting the Honey-Flow Matters Other BY H. S. PHILBROOK I WISH to give a few observations I have made relative to the honey-flow, and no flow. There are three known elements required to produce a good honey-flow, and a fourth unknown. The three are, in my part of the country — First, and most important, the bees must be in good condition, free from disease and strong in numbers. Second, we must have abundant rains before the season has advanced too far. Third, we must have warm, balmy sunshine, and not too much cloudy weather after the flow is on. And now for the fourth, and unknown condition and observations I have made in connection with this condition : In 1884, I think it was, I was located 14 miles north of Lom- pac, in Santa Barbara County. We were enjoying a plenti- ful flow of sage honey, when a thunder-storm of considera- ble force came on, accompanied with a slight rainfall, but a grand display of lightning. It lasted only part of the day and night, but our honey had vanished, and for nearly a week the bees were furious, and on the robbing order. At that time I thought the slight rain had washed the flowers free of honey, but this put me to observing the re- sults of rains since then during the flow, and I find, or seem to find, that clouds and an electrical display will always stop our flow for a time, even with no rain. I have been engaged in the culture of sugar-beets for the past 7 years, and we are paid according to the percent of sugar our beets contain, each load being tested by a sam- ple caught at random as the load is being dumped into the cars, and the same thing appears in the sweetness of the beet. No lain, with a grand electrical display, reduces the percent of sugar nearly as much as rainfall does. Our beets are very sweet here, frequently going 28, and sometimes over 30, percent sugar ; so such things are readily noticed. A Carload of Honey. And now a word for Mr. Hasty's carload of honey. Here on the Western Coast, a carload by water is 10 tons, and a carload by actual car, or by rail, is IS tons. Effect of Dark and Light Colors on Bees. W. W. McNeal, on page 728, asks for opinions regarding bees being angered by black objects. It is, in my opinion, a fact beyond dispute that bees have a great dislike for any- thing of a dark color; the lighter the color the less an angry bee will notice it, and, the darker, the more infuriated will she become. To illustrate : Take a black felt hat and stick it up in the apiary, say 6 feet high, on a stick some cool day, and at the same time place a light felt hat in a similar position. But, mind you, put them far enough apart so the angry bees from the black hat will not fool with the light one, and in the evening count the stings in the black one and compare with the light one. I mean this to be tried during a short- age of honey, when bees are naturally cross. Invariably the black one will out-reach the light one. I have seen a great deal written about two queens in one hive, and the writer always uses the " mother and daughter " theory. Now, as pretty as this sounds, I am in- clined to doubt the assertion. In my experience, and I have found many of them, it has always been two young queens — I don't mean virgin queens, but both young fertile queens — of about the same age, and invariably one will seem rather deformed about the sting, she being very thick and blunt at the end, and, if taken and introduced to a queenless col- ony, she will do very poor service for a time, and finally be superseded by the bees themselves ; while the other will be a very nice, neat-shaped queen, and do as well as any may be expected to do. Building Comb on Tree-Limbs. As to a swarm building comb outside on a limb, that is avery common thing here in California. If one is located March 1, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 185 too far from timber or rocks to form convenient shelter, I have even known them to stay in a large weed where the sun beats direct on them, and build combs and rear brood, if located close to the coast where the sun does not melt the combs from excessive heat. Why Bees Don't Store Honey. I notice a good many questions as to why bees do not store honey. I am of the opinion that there are generally two factors to blame in most cases, though not acting simul- taneously in all cases. To begin with, I think in many cases the bees have a slight trace of paralysis, though per- haps not perceptible to most men. And, in connection with this, I wish to ask. Would it not be wisdom to keep a supply of sulphur about the entrance, and throw it in at the en- trance on the bottom-board ? It invigorates healthy colo- nies, and is a sure "quietus" to paralysis. Next to this comes weather conditions, and I will explain some observa- tions I have made in this regard in my next. Oxnard, Calif. Bee-Stings as a Remedy— Other Comments BY L. H. SODDITH WHILE I take and read with profit, as well as pleasure, every article in the American Bee Journal, yet on page 806 (1905) was one on the subject of "Bee-Sting Remedy " which was of most interest to me, because of the following experience : For over 10 years I was a great sufferer from stomach trouble and lumbago, until I was completely unable to attend to my duties, having been for 20 years in the pastorate of Baptist churches. All my life I have had a dread of bees, and that because of their stinging propensities always giv- ing them a wide birth. Some two years ago an old Baptist preacher moved into our city, and with him came his bees. Hearing much said about them and the modern manner in which he handled them, I was impressed to go over and talk bees, with no in- tention of going near the hives. When I called, he and another gentleman were working with them. I ventured out some distance from where they were working, and asked if he thought I was in any danger, and he answered, " No." I soon became so much interested that I ventured up, and escaped without a single bee-sting. In short, I became so interested that I began to help him. I soon began to love the bee to that extent that I secured from him several col- onies and took them home, and in a few days I secured a severe sting. The pain was not so bad as I had expected, but it caused such an itching that it seemed almost unendur- able— in fact, it was so severe that I felt that I would have to give up the bee-business. However, I persisted until the itching sensation entirely disappeared, and with it went my lumbago. This so encouraged me that I returned to my first love for bees, and, as soon as I could secure them, I increased my stock to 12 instead of 2 colonies. It was not long before I found my stomach trouble was gone with the lumbago. For many years I had taken many purgatives prescribed by my physician, besides many patent remedies, but not one that I had ever taken had had the effect upon me that the sting of a bee had. It acted quickly and painlessly. Some may say, "Well, it is nothing more than a mental delusion," but, to me, it has been of all others the real thing. I do not intend by ttgis to advise those who have rheu- matism, lumbago, or stomach trouble, to rush away and get stung by bees, but I am of the opinion that it would be much cheaper to have a few colonies of bees, and get a few stings, and some of the sweets, than to buy patent medicines or to rush away to many of the springs that claim to be an infallible remedy for the above diseases. I am at present taking the American Bee Journal and another bee-paper, and feel that I have missed much of the good reading matter by not having taken them sooner. Both are excellent periodicals, but I must say I am partial to the American Bee Journal. My main reason for this claim is its weekly visits to my home. I look forward with much anxiety for its coming ; I read and re-read it, and wish for Friday to come, for on that day each week I have a visit from the American Bee Journal. If I had no bees, and had the price of the Journal, I would not be without it. In fact, I don't see how any preacher can be without it on his study- table, for from it he can gather many of the best of illus- trations from the most active and industrious families in animated creation, to be used in sermon-making. The past season has been the poorest for many years in this section, say many of the old bee-keepers. It was caused by too much rain. The honey secured in the spring was from poplar and milkweed, the latter being very destructive to bees, as its pollen accumulates on their feet. The older bees are often found fastened to the flower, but the younger bees do not seem so seriously hindered by it. I have noticed strings of this pollen % of an inch long on their feet. No sooner do they come in with their load and deposit it than several bees meet them at the entrance and work like jockeys after a horse has run a race, and remove it. I have noticed in the morning that the alighting-board was com- pletely covered with it. The fall honey was secured from the goldenrod and stickweed, which, I suppose, is of the aster family. The two flowers would have given us an abundant crop had it not been that our nights were too cool for comb-making. How- ever, the bees gathered enough to go into winter quarters in good shape. For two years past we have had an abun- dance of white clover bloom, but it was a rare thing to see a bee on it. Does this often happen ? Sweet clover is making its appearance in this section — - quite a sprinkling in this neighborhood for the first time. It is found along the railroad, principally. I suppose the trains have brought the seed from other sections. Some 15 years ago this portion of the State had much linden, but it has nearly all been cut out. However, many young trees are growing, and we hope by interesting the farmers in bee- culture that they will spare the young growth, and in a few more years there will be good pasturage for bees. Most of the bees in this section that are kept are in box- hives, the same as were in use a hundred years ago. Those of us who have adopted the new method are awakening some interest along the line. Taking West Virginia as a whole, I am of the opinion it would be a good honey-produc- ing State, especially in the interior, if we could teach the farmer that he would succeed if he would study the modern methods and apply them. Some of us would like to have a State bee-keepers' convention, and shall work to that end. I am trying to induce some of my former friends to take the American Bee Journal — those who have a few bees. How- ever, it is no easy matter to get many of the West Virginians out of the same old rut that their fathers ran in. I just noticed the question has been asked, " Does it pay to take more than one good bee-periodical?" My answer is, Yes, as many as one is able to pay for; for outside of bee-culture they are educators, and that is what we need. We go this way but once, and let us get all the good we can out of it. Those of us who expect it, and are urging others to the same expectancy of joy in the future life, should get all the joy and sweets of this life that do not require com- promise with evil. So, then, let us take, read, and pay for all the papers we can that tell us of the sweet family. Huntington, W. Va. Shaken Swarms and Non-Swarming Methods BY C. DAVENPORT. SOME 10 or 12 years ago I introduced, as you might say, brushed or shaken swarming to modern bee-keeping. 1 had practiced it for years before I wrote anything in regard to it. This method of artificial swarming, by which all the brood is removed, was original with me, but after I described it many others claimed to have practiced it, and I believe it was even traced back to the dim past. Ever since I first commenced bee-keeping — many more years ago than 1 like to remember — artificial swarm- ing, or the prevention of swarming, has been one of the problems to which I believe I have given more thought and study than has any other person now living, or that ever lived, and I have finally solved it in a way that I never thought or even dreamed possible. I expect few will believe the facts I shall state in regard to this matter. I. who have spent practically all my life among bees, could not believe it if 1 had not practised it. A description of the different ways I have treated or artificially swarmed colonies, and the devices, non-swarm- ing hives, self-hivers, swarm-controllers and the like, would make a large book; but the shaken-swarm method was, up to 3 years ago the past season, the most practical method I had discovered, hough I was very far from being satisfied with it. for in this locality it does not work as well in all cases as it dues in others, as described by some. 186 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 1, 1906 Here, a colony that is not shaken until the bees have one or more sealed queen-cells, will invariably swarm out or desert the new hive in a day or two, and if they are get back all right they may try it again. Some colonies act in the same way if they are swarriied before they have cells very far under way; and again, some colonies that do not swarm out. sulk or refuse to work for a number of days, and others work in a listless, half-hearted way that does not accomplish much. These are some of the disadvantages of brushed swarms here. Still, in large yards, this method of artificial swarming is far ahead of natural swarming, for while the natural swarms from a small yard are easily handled, it is many times impossible, here, for one or even two men to handle them in a yard of ISO to 200 colonies. Large hives, ventilation, and shade will not here prevent a strong colony, if the' bees are of a vigorous strain, from swarming. They are almost certain to swarm if nothing besides is done to prevent, and, after a few rainy days, few who have not had actual experience in the matter would believe the number of natural swarms that might issue the first fair, hot day from a yard of 200 or more colonies. I know, for I allowed natural swarming one season in a yard of 225 colonies, spring count, and handled the swarms alone, or what I could of them. Of course, clipped queens give one a great advantage when natural swarming is allowed, but in a large yard it is a pretty hard matter to keep track of the exact con- dition of each colony, and there is always liable to be one or more young queens out to lead a swarm (or a number of them in one bunch) to the woods, for it very often happens here that a strong colony supersedes its queen in the swarming season, and swarms when the first young queen is old enough to accompany it. Then if that hap- pens to be "swarming day" in a large yard, that one young queen may lead off half a dozen or more swarms all together, or, what is sometimes about as bad, they may stay clustered all right, and swarm after swarm come out and keep joining them, and all that can be done is to keep dipping and dumping them in front of empty hives. One of the clipped queens has to be given to each colony right away or the bees will soon come out again. Of course, the bees are all mixed up and some queens will be balled or killed. I soon found, though, that there is no need of having any queens balled or killed under these conditions, for if she is caged and laid on the bottom- board under the frames, the bees will stay in the hive just as well as if she were free, and then the next day she can be released without any danger. After being "all through the mill," as I have, it is hard for me even yet to realize that I now have absolute control of the swarming problem. Three years ago I treated a colony in a certain way, that had sealed queen- cells and was about ready to swarm. I expected they would swarm out within the next day or two, but, instead of doing so, they went to work with a vim and vigor that astonished me. I was too familiar with the vagaries of bees, though, to let my hopes run too high over the actions of one colony. This occurred when the swarming season was about over, but among my bees and those in the surrounding country I found about 30 colonies that were preparing to swarm. Some of these had sealed queen-cells. All were treated in the same way, and none of them offered to swarm, or swarm out. The next year I treated a number of hundred colonies in this way, treating the bees of others for nothing in order to test the plan. Hundreds more were treated the past season (190S), and now what I do not expect many to believe, and what I can hardly realize as possible myself, is the fact that in the hundreds treated the last three seasons, not a single colony offered to swarm out or failed to work with all the vim and vigor of a natural swarm! This method is as much ahead of brushed or shook swarming as a modern express train is ahead of an ox- team. It means simply this: An operation requiring 3 or 4 minutes to a colony— though I have frequently performed it m less than 2 minutes; then the next day, or at any time within 15 days, another operation requiring less time. Two minutes is ample time for this second operation. This not only solves the swarming problem but secures more honey than by natural swarming, or if the colonies had not offered to swarm. This is another, thing I do not expect any one to believe, but after the treatment is understood it would be easy to understand why it might be so. There is no searching for queens by this method, no jumping of hives around; no possibility of any eggs or brood being chilled or lost; no possibility of afterswarms; and, unless it is desired'to breed from a certain queen, artificial queen-rearing need not be practised, for with this method each colony can, if desired, be allowed to requeen themselves with a queen reared under the swarm- ing impulse. In fact, there are possibilities about this method that I do not yet fully know myself, but what 1 do know is, that when it becomes known to the bee-keep- ing world it will revolutionize our pursuit. I would rather produce honey, either comb or extracted, for 10 cents a pound and practice this method, than for 20 cents a pound and have either to practice natural or "shook" swarming. I have not decided yet whether it would be best for me to give this to the bee-keeping world or not. Southern Minnesota. [We wish to invite Mr. Davenport to describe his latest method of preventing swarming, which' he mentions in the foregoing article, for the benefit of our readers and the bee-keeping public in general. If he does not do so, in all probability some one else will, and then Mr. Davenport will get neither the credit nor honor that he would if he were to publish it now. — Editob.] Queen-Breeders and Their Difficulties BY HENRY ALLEY. ON page 97 L. A. Smith complains of the bad treatment he received from two queen-dealers. I plead guilty to one of those complaints, as I find on referring to my book that Mr. Smith ordered a queen from me June 27. 1905. As I cannot now place my hand on his letter, I cannot say more about his order. Presumably he is correct in his statement. Had I so understood it. he surely would have had his money by return mail, as at that time of the season it is impossible for me to fill an order inside of a week. My wife records all or- ders and keeps my books and it is more than probable that she mentioned the fact to me, but as the queen was sent much later, and accepted, it seems to me he had no very great rea- son to complain. It was his duty to have returned the queen and demanded his money. I intend, in all cases when such orders are sent in. to return the money at once, as I cannot carry such business in my head, and I know of no other way to keep a record of orders of that kind. In all my experience of 45 years in queen-rearing, I have never been able to fill all orders sent me for queens; but when a man wants a queen at once, as did Mr. Smith. I try to accommodate him ; and as his order was out of the usual course, it brought me trouble. Last fall I returned several hundred dollars sent me for queens, as I could not begin to fill the orders. In many cases I wrote thus : "I have queens, but the weather is unfavorable, and I will ship queen on certain date or return the money." More than one hundred readers of the American Bee Journal can testify to the truthfulness of this statement. I have had no complaint from any one — not even from Mr. Smith. The principal part of Mr. Smith's complaint was the loss of the honey-flow, which he says was over when he received the queen. Now let us see about that part of it. I received Mr. Smith's order June 27: he gave 5 days to fill it in — that would haye been on July 2. Had the queen been mailed on that date, it would have required 5 or 6 days, at least, to have reached him at that far off part of the coun- try (Montana) — that would have been July 7. Now, had he made a good job of introducing the queen, she would have commenced to lay in about 3 days more — say July 10. In 21 days more the young bees would have commenced to appear. That would be Aug. 1 or 2. In about a week more a few of the young bees would fly out. and in 10 days more would commence work. That would bring the bees working on the fall honey-flow about Aug. 15. But Mr. Smith says his flow of honey was over when he received the queen, which was Aug. 10, as the queen was mailed Aug. 4. So it will be seen that the bees from the "Adel" could not have been any good to him had she been mailed to him just as he requested. What does this show? I will add a few words more and close. I do not plead guilty to "carelessness," by any means. On the other hand, I assert that I work hard every day to fill all orders promptly, and I believe all queen-dealers do the same. Experience has shown that only 3 dealers in queens and other supplies have March 1, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 187 been found dishonest in this country. I am going to s., that 2 of them were women. The late Samuel Wagner— the pioneer of bee-joun. once said to me that a man attacked about the same as \ r. Smith attacks certain queen-breeders, loses nothing as the careful reader can see that there is something back oi it. It any one desires to attack me. by all means give in- \\\ I ask i- give me a chance to show ray side ot the qu i put ui) no jol - to cheat any one. I work 18 hours a the queen-rearing season to fill all orders promptly. I clear conscience, even if I cannot lake care of all orders sent me I am human, and shall continue to make mistakes, but J think 99 per cent of all my customers are well satisfied with the treatment they receive from me. 4— Dadant Methods of Honey-Production BY C. P. DADANT. I SAID, m a previous article, that after a disastrous winter, we soon recuperated from our losses, owing to the large number of empty combs that we had to use. Some of my readers, however, may have read in "Advanced Bee-culture," by W. Z. Hutchinson, that in his experience with swarms hived upon drawn combs, "the loss has always been so great that it seems like folly to repeat it." This would apparently contradict my experience, but it does not, in fact. It has never been our method to depend upon natural swarming for in- crease, so that we do not usually practice hiving swarms upon drawn combs. But let us see how it is possible that swarms hived upon drawn combs may lose by it. When the bees swarm, the honey crop is usually at its best or at least opening. As soon as the bees are hived, if they are supplied with full-built combs from colonies that have died, they at once unload their honey-sacs and start for the fields, and within two or three days — sometimes less — the combs are all filled with fresh honey. They may not be filled to overflowing, but as the honey is thin and watery when freshly harvested, the bees scatter it all over the hive and put some in almost every cell. The result is an entire lack of room for the queen to lay. and the colony soon dwindles, unless the honey has been extracted. Should the season stop suddenly, the queen will find room to lay, but in a locality where there may be no second crop, perhaps too many bees are reared at once which will find no occupation and will only help consume the stores before winter. Our method is to make our increase artificially, as we then can get all the advantage there is in the saving of comb- building. Besides, there is a much more important point, and that is, we have noticed that the strongest colonies — those that are most likely to furnish increase in natural circumstances — are also the ones which will produce the most honey; while the weaker ones will rear bees a little late for the crop, and will be only fit for increase; but if they are left to their own devices, they will not swarm, and the result will be either no swarms or a decreased production of honey. But if we can make things' comfortable enough for our best colonies, so that they will not get the swarming fever, except in rare instances; and if we manage to divide our poorer colonies, which are just becoming strong near the end of the crop, we will get both increase and honey. But when we make our increase from the poorer colonies (mind, I do not say the poorest ones), we must be sure not to rear our queens from them, for we would fail in the most important matter. The queens must be reared from our best breeders, and supplied to divisions made from such colonies as will not be likely to produce a surplus crop. But we aim to keep whole our best colonies, for it is from them that the harvest is to come. When the young queens are laying, they are supplied judiciously, from time to time, with combs already built secured from dead colonies, if we have them, or, with comb foundation, if no already built combs are found on hand and we have thus secured the very best results; for it is only the strongest colonies, supplied with a great field harvest, that can build comb to any advantage, and this is always done at great cost, in honey, for it takes them fully as long to build the combs as it would take to fill them, if they were given to them already built. Artificial divisions or increase are made in a number of different ways, and this is left to the judgment of the apiarist, but the young queens must be reared from the best stock at as low a cost as possible, and furnished to the bees so as to have as little loss of time as possible, if we want to secure the neatest results. One swarm or division maybe made from onies by taking br 1 from the one and bees from the Xr or a colony may be split into three or .our pieces and each separat di< helped bj placing tt on the tand oi anlthlr colony. During a g 1 hqney-fTow, we can manipu- I a r bee and mix them n» many ways, for although they flv realize that strangers are introduced into their home, Aose^rWers never come empty handed if the crop is *d thej are as welcome among them as a strange, comes among men with a gift or offer to pay hts w We not only secure a larger crop o honej n w< take the greater part of our increase from colonies which would -heru.se produce no surplus, bu1 we do away with the un- certain vof the expectation of increase by swarming. have of I card apiarists express their disappointment athaymg had no natural swarms I ™ disappointment m tins | . the crop has been an entire failure, tor an absence of Sal swarms is what I want. If 1 want increase it can always be produced, especially if there are plenty ... built Tlf theXtsions, made from colonies that are under aver- age with breeders from the best stock, should prove to be fnsuffiriently strong towards the end ot the honey crop, they may be easfly helped out with combs of brood and honey from the colonies' that have produced a surplus, and such help, taken towards the end of the crop, will not perceptibly weaken he strong colon.es, and will yet help the increase enough to make good colonies of them before the winter comes. In all these matters, some knowledge of the conditions of the annual crop are necessary, and one must be guided to a great extent by the prospects and appearances of the honey crop But we should bear m mind what I think is very im- portant that a colony that may not be sufficiently populous to fill its supers, will easily produce bees enough to build up an additional colony, if queen and combs are supplied as the queen and the combs are the most expensive parts of the colony's resources. Much of our success depends upon due consideration of this matter. Hamilton, 111. Clipping and Filing Apiarian Oddities BY W. A. PRYAL. DID vou ever know that a modern newspaper— the yellow kind, if you will— has a clipping and filing department that gathers all the items and articles concerning the various walks of life-all the biographies of men of any im- portance even in remote villages of our country, all the in- ventions discoveries, all the freak happenings of man or beast and-well, everything that may be used for an article sooner or later with what pictures that may be obtained bearing on the same-and files them away under a vvell- arra./ed index system? All that is interesting about bee, and all that are jokes, even to the lies that crop up from time to time (for the filing department is not supposed to have an editor who knows everything), are hied under the general head of "Bees." When a racy article with suitable art embellishments is demanded by the ed.tonal manager the "Clipping Encyclopedia," if I may so name it, is brought forth and the reporter's "stew-pan" evolves an 'interesting (sic!) article on the bee. The Encyclopedia Bntanmca or the Cen- tury or not even one of the numerous up-to-date bee-books is consulted for authoritative lore on the little honey-gatherer Then is it any wonder that we have such a hodge-podge lot • of information thrown pell-mell at the public now and then? I have been led to make these remarks by several telegraphic news items I have seen in the daily papers of San Francisco during the past month. . . I have been something of a clipping establishment my- self—finger-nails have oftener received my attention in this direction than anything else. Queens' wings used to be a fascinating source of amusement for my proclivities a few- years back, and it was a delicate operation, yet I remember "that once or twice in my hustle 1 took off the royalty's ground propeller instead of her fairy air-movers. It was cruel, and it just pained me when the mishap occurred. It was almost as bad as if a dentist pulled off a man's leg when he intended to yank out an aching molar. But I am drifting from what I was going to write about. This has been a "freak" year in California. \\ e have bad "freak" weather and we have been treated to "freak- crops. But then there is no place like California for all that. Mo sun-strokes, no one frozen to death, no thunder-storms, and seldom any lightning to peal of. Among the things I nave seen in the papers the past month was one where a bee-keeper 188 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 1, 1906 sacrificed his apiary to save the property of a neighbor. This may not be called freakish; heroism. I suppose, is the right name for it. This was in Southern California. One item from up north- a bit was where a swarm of bees lit on an Indian child and stung him to death. I suppose if the youngster was of the white race, and was not so rankishly odorous as the little redskin must have been, the bees would have spared the urchin. The result of the insult to the tribe of diggers was that the council held to settle the matter, issued a proclamation of war. Thereupon every Indian squaw, buck and papoose sallied forth and waged war upon the kingdom of the bees. The slaughter of the bees in that county was ruthless ; honey flowed upon the ground, dead -bees lay upon the sod, and many a lusty buck Indian writhed in the mud from the numerous stings hurled about his eyelids. I have not learned if the war is ended. Perhaps President Roosevelt might arrange for a Peace Commission to settle the trouble at our National Capital. Here is another from upper California — in Lake County — and I hope the unfortunate gentleman referred to is no rela- tive of the editor c>f the "Old Reliable." I might hint that Hie "House of York" should not have been vanquished by so small a fighter as a bee. I give the telegram in full : "Santa Rosa. Calif.. July 11.— Ed York, a resident of Upper Lake, returned to his home from this city on the evening train minus one of his" legs. This is the result of the sting of a honey-bee and is one of the few cases on record where the sting of a bee has caused the loss of a leg. It is believed that the sting. of the insect carried infectious matter into the man's system when it stung him, and that the result was blood-poisoning. Amputation was necessary to save the man's life. York was stung after he had left his home, and it was necessary to have the operation performed here before he could be removed to his home in the northern county. York suffered excruciating pains after blood-poisoning set in." Did the man lose his leg through the sting of a bee? and where did the telegraphic writer, or the originator of the story, get his information that this "is one of the few cases on record where the sting of a bee has caused the loss of a leg? I have never heard of such a case before; neither do I believe there is any record at all of such a case. It is very seldom, indeed, that a person is stung on the leg. There are other places where a sting might cause more serious trouble. In a case like the one reported, it may not be infectious mat- ter that the bee injected into Mr. York's system, but, perhaps, the unfortunate victim's system was in bad condition, and the poison of the sting may have brought about a condition where the combination of several poisons brought on a third and dangerous. The statement that he was stung after he left his home, and had his leg amputated on his return, seems strong. I believe the report must be incorrect, unless the man had been away some time. I have heard of persons being blood-poisoned when away from home, but never by the sting of a bee. From Southern California comes the record of a true hero, and his name should find a place in all apicultural records. The pity is that the brave bov gave up his life in his endeavor to save his sister. I give this clipping as it appeared in our daily papers of Aug. 10, 1905: ,n "San, JBernardino- Calif, Aug. 9.— Cecil Sharpless. the lU-year-old son of C. W. Sharpless, a prominent apiarist who resides at Whittier, died this evening at 7:30 o'clock after suffering since this morning from a. rattlesnake bite With his sister he had gone to an apiarv in Little Creek 16 miles from here, and while the children were playing about the honey-house a rattler crawled from under the buildin^ in front of the girl. ° "Cecil quickly seized the snake to save his sister when the reptile buried its fangs in his right hand between the thumb and first linger. The little girl ran a quarter of a mile to where the father was working, screaming that her brother was being bitten by a snake. "The father found the little boy in terrible agony and sought an ammonia bottle which had been kept on hand for such emergencies, but the bottle was empty, and, tying a rope about the child's arm, he hurried with him to Glen' Helen ranch, where the manager cut open the wound and, witli his lips, tried to suck out the poison. The swelling of the arm continued, and tin- boy was hurried to town in a wagon The horses ran away and the boy had his foot crushed. His hand is as black as coal to the wrist and the arm is swollen to twice its normal size." San Francisco, Calif. Ihe Premiums we offer are all well worth working for Look at them in this copy of the American Bee Joi'maL What I Do With a Crop of Honey BY C. W. DAYTON. IT is 32 miles from our place here to Los Angeles, and 6 miles farther to Florence, in the southeast part of the city, where our other place is located. At Florence there is a completely furnished 7-room house, shops, honey-house, barn and wagon shed, and usually a fair-sized apiary amongst grape-vines and numerous fruit-trees. We own both places — no rents, no debts. We produce our honey at Chatsworth, and take it to Florence to sell it. If the distance was 500 miles the same tactics would be followed. When we bought, at Florence, 9 years ago, it was in the country, but it is now thickly settled — houses and stores all around. Then land was $150 per acre; now $2,000, or more. When I get ready to sell some honey I put it on the train here at Chatsworth, so that I can get it from the freight depot as I pass through Los Angeles. I pay 15 cents per 100 pounds to ship it rather than haul it over the 32 miles of rough and dusty roads. I choose a time when the roads are good, and the moon lights the way. I retire at 7 in the even- ing; and awake at 12 or 1 o'clock; hitch up and start out. coming into the city at 10 or 11 o'clock in the forenoon, and go to my brother-in-law's for dinner. After dinner, of this trip, I took a stroll around amongst the commission and wholesale houses with a quart jar of honey in hand. I took this time 48 quart jars of honey to the city by wagon. The best that was mentioned was 4^4 cents for water-white, and they were not disposed to buy at that price. Everybody seemed to have plenty of honey on hand. As my friends urged me to remain till morning before •proceeding to Florence, I set out to devise some way to "while awav" the afternoon, so I unloaded most of the cases of honey and started from near the center of the city to peddle out the four dozen quart jars and six 60-pound cans in cases. These last I took along to make my load "show up." The city is "lousy" with truck-wagons carrying vegetables, fruit and a large share honey also. Everybody knows the contents of these wagons, but mine was different, and drew some curiosity. I want no letters — let them come and see what my wagon contains. They recognize the cases as "orig- inal packages" as honey comes in from the mountains, and if it is allowed to pass their houses and reach the dealers' hands there will be several middle-mens' profits to pay. My wagon-box is small and low-down, so that a few cases of honey appear like considerable of a load. These trucksters buy only a case or a single can at a time ; keep it at home, from which they pour out from two to six jars full of honey, sufficient for a day on the wagon. It was 2:10 when I started and 5:45 when I returned in the evening. Entirely new territory. I sold 39 quart jars at 25 cents each for the honey they contained, and one 5-gallon can divided among three families at 7 cents a pound, by the gallon. I received $13.95, net, for all. If I had sold that 177 pounds at the wholesalers' it would have brought $7.08, net, after deducting the cost of cans and cases — a difference of $6.87. Besides, I was paid 5 cents each for a number of jars for which I paid only 3 cents each. It has been pretty well settled that it costs 4 cents a pound to produce honey, yet 4 to 5 cents are amongst the high figures which have been prevailing here! Now, if I keep on selling 177 pounds a day. and working only 3I<2 hours a day, my 12 tons will all be gone in less than 6 months, and will have rendered a profit of more than equal to a crop of 50 tons at 5 cents a pound. It takes hired help to handle 50 tons and about five times as many bees to produce 50 tons as to produce 12 tons. It used to be said that "bees work for nothing and board themselves.'' When that was true the woods swarmed with venison, the pasture on the clearings was free to anybody's cattle which could find it, and fences were built with walnut rails. I waited in a new store 40 minutes while the store-keeper waited on several customers, hoping that I could sell him 10 jars, which would entirely clear up my four dozen; but he took only one jar for his own family, and said that his trade seemed to demand nothing larger than a 10-ounce tumbler, a few of which he already had. To procure, wash and fill three dozen jars to replace those sold kept me till 9 o'clock the next morning. On the way to Florence I sold $9 worth, arriving about 11:30 a. m. ; but 'I went to two boarding houses where I sold 5-gallon cans last April. At one there was about one-fourth of the can unused. The landlady said they got down to the sugar it was March 1, 1916 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 189 adulterated with, and stopped using it! I offered to buy it at the same price they paid me. While she went to ask the landlord about selling it, the hired girl said they would not sell it— the man told her to leave it off the table because the boarders ate it so greedily! When the landlady returned she talked about anything but selling their can of honey, and asked me to come again in a week or two, when thej would probably want another can. But 1 am tired of the 5-gallon-can deals. If they had bought it by quarts they would have used three times 20 quarts by this time, and I would have $5 per can instead of $4.20 ana the loss of my can; better satisfaction, and especiallx. no granulation. I ached to build up a market there by my brother-in-law's. It would be my delight to stay and sell out a nice little load of honey every day. Mow it pleased those people to get something wholesome! Nearly every one warmly invited me to come again. 1 gave them much logic along the lines of apiculture and health, which they freely grasped and looked forward to learn more. After a man 1 ought a jar I was more courteous to him than ever. The longer you can cause a purchaser to stand around your wagon with a jar of honey, under his arm the better. Remember that people like to buy honey, but do not like to have it sold to them. It is hard to be obliged to forsake people after such delightful chance acquaintance -hip. But I must do it. Los Angeles is too large a citv. 1 have my market at Florence awaiting the delivery of the same goods. Although at my brother-in-law's I sold enough to make wages, still 1 drove from 10th to 28th Streets (Florence is 80th Street), a distance of l'i miles and return. It was like Mr. Root going to Xenia — "hit the road in the high place-." So I hit the demand for honey only in the high places. 1 could have sold it within a distance of a few blocks. In fact, there are 150 houses in the same block in which my brother- in-law lives. In a few.years' time I could induce every family in that block to use honey regularly. We sold to every family at Florence. It took four or live years to "fetch" some of them We did not give up because a family refused honey once We kept the stone a-tuming, and in time the COI grind wore away all obstructions. We laid our nlans for a long job. __ . One of the apparently hopeless cases at Florence consisted of the old people and three sons-in-law, living separately. They moved there from a pan of the United Slate- where there wa- not much honey produced, but much pork and molasses. Honey went particularly against their "grain." I'h, \ -aw us -elf to. others until they got a hired man from a honey-eating family. This hired man would have honey if he had' to pay for it' out of hi- own purse. So they bought honey for the' "hired man." The 5-year-old boj took a liking to the "hired man's honey"; and when the hired man went away the child begged for honey. The mother also began to suspicion that honev was good. We got them all. Honey is easv of digestion, and better digestion improved the tone of their 'stomachs. A healthy stomach reviles sugar, glucose, meat, grease and pastry sooner than a stomach which is not so health v. It may not receive so much injury as a poor stomach, but it gives more pain, and pain is what the consumer is most likelv to iudge by. The longer they con- tinue on the nutritious food, the farther they get from being able to return to the less nutritious, and the butcher, the baker and candvman all seem to be striving to get the con- sumer into his coffin. Any bee-man who half understands his job can see that he has the consuming public at his mercy. It is simple "come to honey, or go on dragging out your miserable lives." Gab and appearance count for a whole lot, but quality is the "drawing card." Take the cap off the jar, and while they are tasting with a lead-pencil, tooth-pick or knife-blade, lay the open jar down on the step and roll it over once or twice and take it up again before the honev runs out. If you waste no time and make no fumbles you may learn to do it with quite thin honey. But I did not need to hurry, and purposely made a few fumbles, and they took me for a very ordinary sort of "mossback," and needing a Utile money. Chatsworth, Calif. Preliminary List of Honey-Yielding Plants of Texas It is well known that a successful bee-keeper must know his honey-yielding flora upon which he depends. The bee- keepers' attention has been called to this, time and again, so much so that it is hardly necessary for me to dwell upon that subject. It is a fact, however, that, to be successful, a bee- keeper must know something about botany as well as keeping bees. Entirely too many bee-keepers are not botanist enough. Below will be found a list of plants of Texas, of which I have collected specimens for an herbarium of Texas honey- yielding flora, since 1899. Every specimen was taken upon seeing bees visiting it, and my observations upon most of the plants extend over a period of several years. Besides those given in the list there are about 80 specimens of my collection which have not yet been identified. As soon as this has been done, these, and new ones, will be added. It is also my inten- tion to give, every month, as far as possible, a more complete list, with fuller descriptions, and the value and distribution of the plants blooming in each month. By following these references the bee-keeper should be enabled to acquaint him- self quite well with the honey-yielding plants that may come within his range. For convenience, the list has been largely arranged after Coulter's arrangement of Families in his "Botany of Western Texas," as this was mainly used for reference. My thanks are due Prof. Hilje Ness, formerly Professor of Botany, and Mr. Wilmon Newell, formerly Apiarist, of Texas A. and M. College ; and Prof. John H. Schaffner, Associate-Professor of Botany, Ohio State University, for valuable help received. Honey-Yielding Flora of Texas— with the Family to which they belong, their Botanical and Common Name, their Importance and Time of Blooming. BBRBRRID.E. Barberry Family. Berber!* trifoliata — Moric. Triple-leafed Barberry. Honey and abundant pollen; very early in the season; good for early brood-rearing. January, February. PAPAVERACE.E. Poppy Family. Argemone platyeeras — Link and Otto. Prickly Poppy. Unimportant for honey, but an abund- ance of pollen during- the dearth of summer. May, July. Pupaver rhoeas — L. Poppy. Cultivated in flower-gardens; not im- portant. • CRUCIFER.E. Mustard Family. Brassiea nigra — (L. ) Koch. Black .Mustard. Bees sometimes busy on it. June, July. Brassiea rapa — L. Common Turnip. Bees gather honey and pollen from the blossoms. Juno, July. Greggia camporiuni — Gray. Greggia. Very early, but not abundant; honey and pollen; helps early brood-rearing. February. Lepicliiian virgin icum — L. Pepperwort. Pepper Grass. Not important; some pollen. Summer. RESEDACE.E. Mignonette Family. Reseda odorata — L. Mignonette. Honey-yield good, but plants not plentiful; pollen. Cultivated. June, July. PORTII.ACACE.E. Purslane Family. Portulaea grnndiflorn — Hook. Portulaca. Honey-yield good, as it comes in the dearth when few others are in bloom; also an abundance of pollen. Cultivated. June to frost. TAMAHISCIM: E. Tamarix Family. Taiuurix gallioa — L. Tamarisk. Salt cedar. Bees work on it, but scarce. Culti- vated. May, June. MALVACEi:. Mallow Family. Calllrhoe digita — Nutt. Fringed Poppy Mallow. Honey-yield not Important ; some pol- len. May, .i Gossypinm herbai ■ — L. Cotton. One of the main sources for surplus in the State, throughout the "cotton belt"; honey-yield good, and white honey of good quality; white pollen. Also nectar-glands on ribs of the leaves, and on bracts of the buds, blooms and bolls. Cultivated extenT sively. June to frost. Hibiscus syriaciis — L. Shrubby Althea. Rose-of-Sharon. Bees work busily on it sometimes, but unimportant; honey and pollen; Cultivated, but few. May, September. Malvavtsous drunimnndii — Torr and Gray. Spanish Apple. Unimportant. Summer to fall. Slda angustifolia — Lam. Bees found on it; pollen. Spring to fall. Sida spiuosa — L. Some honey and pollen. Xot Import- ant. Summer. TILIACK E. Linden Family. Tllla americana — I.. in Linden. Basswood. Vields large quantities of excellent "din source in the tim- of east Texas. May, June. 190 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Marcn 1, 19C6 ZIGOPHILI.E.E. Bean-caper Family. Kallstrocmla maxima — (L. ) T. and G. Greater Caltrop. Honey-yield good in the mornings, blossoms closing by noon except in cool and damp weather; an abundance of pollen. Good, as ii comes in dearth of summer. TrilMilus cistoldes — L. Large-flowered Caltrop. Honey-yield as above. April, August. GERAM\li:i:. Geranium Family. OxallH Btricta — L. Yt-llow Wood-Sorrel. Not plentiful for bee-forage. Summer. RITACE.K. Hue Family. Citrus nil.. Mala — L. Hardy Orange. Honey-yield fair for early brood- rearing. Cultivated and scarce. March. Ptelia trifoliata — L. Hop-Tree. Honey-yield good; very good in favorable seasons where abundant. May, July. Xanthoxyluni clava-hereulis — L. Prickly Ash. Toothache Tree. Sea Ash. Pepper Wood. Good honey-yield; bees work busily on it. April, June. SIJIAHliBAC U.K. Quassia Family. Ailauthus glaadulosa — Desf. Tree- of -Heaven. Honey-yield fair in favorable sea- sons; pollen. Also nectar-glands on leaf blades. April. MELIACE.E. Melia Family. Melia azedaraeh — L. Umbrella China Tree. Honey-yield early, and helps early brood-rearing. Cultivated and escaped. February, March. ILICHVE-E. Holly Family. Ilex caroliuiana — Trel. Youpon. Not important. March, April. Ilex dieidua — Walt. Possum Haw. Bearberry. Youpon. Honey-yield good, but short. In warm seasons earlier, and good for early brood-rearing. March, May. RHAMNE.E. Buckthorn Family. Berclieniia scandens — Trel. Rattan Vine. Honey-yield good, giving surplus in favorable seasons, but dark amber, and used by manufacturing houses. April. Colubrina .texensis — Gray. Honey-yield good, but no surplus; some pollen. April. Coudalia obovata — Hook. Brazil Wood. Logwood. Not very important, but comes well in dearth of summer. July, August. AMPELIDACE.E. Vine Family. < issus iueisa — Desmond. Cow Itch Vine. Keeps bees out of mischief during dearth; surplus where plentiful. April, August. A'itis moutieola — Benkley. Mountain Grape. Valuable for brood-rearing. March. Yitis (Varieties?) Cultivated Wine Grapes. Good for pollen. April, May. SAPINDACE.«. Soapberry Family. Cardiospernuiu halieseabum — L. Balloon Vine. Honey-yield fair, but plants not abundant. April, July. Sapindus marginata — Willd. Soapberry. Wild China. Homy-yield good; heavy flow in favorable seasons; gives surplus. June. t "- li.i speeiosa — Kndle. Mexican Buckeye. Honey-yield good in dearth, but not plentiful. July. AN AC'ARDIACE.E. Sumac Family. Rhus capoliua — L. Sumach. Good, giving surplus in favorable seasons, depending upon rains. August. Rhus vireus — Lindl. Green Sumach. LEGUMINOSE. Pulse Family. Acacia aruieutacea — D. C. Of no importance; bees gather pollen from it occasionally. Early summer. Acacia herlandierii — Benth. Huajilla. Honey»-yield heavy, and one of the main surplus yielders in Southwest Texas. Honey of fine quality, white, and considered the best quality honey in Texas. April. Aeaeea I'arneeiaua — Willd. Huisache. Good for stimulating early brood- rearing; honey and pollen. February, April. Acacia greggil — Gray. Cat'sclaw. Devil's Claw. Paradise Flower. Abundant honey-yield, and a main yielder of fine quality surplus honey of Southwest Texas. April, again in June. Aeaeia roeiueriutia — Schlecht. Round-flowered Cat'sclaw. Honey-yield heavy, and of tine qual- ity, but plants not abundant. April, May. Aeaeia wriKlitii — Benth. Texas Cat'sclaw. Honey-yield very abundant; a main surplus yielder of fine quality honey of Southwest Texas. April. Albizzia Juliforissiu — Durazz. Fair yielder of honey and pollen, but trees scarce. Cultivated. May, July. Astragalus uiexieauus — A. DC. Mexican Ground Plum. Honey-yield abundant when season is favorable; drouth injures it. Cereis canadensis — L. Red Bud. Juda's Tree. Honey-yield fair, aiding in early brood-rearing. March, April. Daubeutonia longifolin — (Car.) D. C. . Mem. Commonly called "Cassia." Bees on it frequently, but apparently of little value. July, September. Doliehos labial, — L. Japanese Delchos. Unimportant; no bees on it when others in bloom. Cultivated. June, August. Eyseuhardtia ainorphoiiles — H. B. K. Eysenhardtia. Rock Brush. Honey-yield abundant, of fine quality honey; blooms after heavy rains sev- eral times in a season. March, May. Gleditsehia triacanthos — L. Honey Locust. Very heavy honey-yield, but of short duration. April 15-25. Lupiuus suhearposus — Hook. Blue Lupine. Blue Bonnet. Honey-yield good, and pollen of very bright and orange colors. March, April. Medicngo dentieulata — Willd. Medick. Burr Clover. Honey-yield sparingly in summer; some pollen. Not important. Medicago sativa — L. Alfalfa or Lucerne. Honey-yield fair; better in irrigated regions. Cultivated for hay crops. Early summer and fall. Melilotus alba — Desv. Sweet Clover. Good honey-yield, of fine quality honey. Not abundant in Texas, and should be planted for honey in waste lands. June, September. Melilotus officinalis — (L.) Lam. Yellow Sweet Clover. Claimed to be superior to and earlier than M. alba. May, September. Neptunia lutea — (Leavenw.) Benth. Not plentiful; bees rarely found on it; some pollen. May. Parkinsouia aeuleata — L. Retama. Bees work on it more or less all summer. May, September. Pisuin sativum — L. Garden Pea. Unimportant; some pollen; not vis- ited much by bees. March, April. Prosopis juliflorn — D. C. Mesquite Tree. Screw Bean. The chief woody plant throughout the Southwest Texas prairies. Honey- yield abundant, and one of the main sources of the State, of good, light honey. April, again in June. Robiuia pseudaeaeia — L. Black Locust. Honey-yield early, and good if no cold weather strikes it; not abundant, and a cultivated tree sometimes. March, April. Sebraukia angustata — Torr. and Gray Sensil ive Briar. Not important for honey; some pol- len. Plants scarce. April, September. Trlloliinii prateuse — L. Red Clover. Not important here in the South; rarely cultivated, and deep corolla tubes'. .Summer. Trifoliuai repens — L. White Clover. Not important in the South; condi- tions for these clovers are unfavorable. Vigna siaensis — (L.) Endl. Cow Pea. Honev-vield good, fair quality and light color. Cultivated. June, August. ROSACE.E. Rose Family. Ainygdalus persiea — L. Peach. Honey-yield good, and with "fruit- bloom" builds up colonies in spring. Cultivated. February, April. Crataegus arbore seeas — Ell. Hawthorn. White Thorn. Honey and pollen; bees found busy on it. April. Crataegus spatulata — Mx. Hawthorn. White Thorn. Another species same as the above. April. Mains malus — (L.) Britt. Apple. Honey-yield early; helps in brood- rearing; good where abundant. Culti- vated. March, April. Pruaus domestiea — L. Cultivated Plum. Early, and good honey-yield; helps to stimulate early brood-rearing. Cul- tivated. February. Rosa. Rose. Unimportant, but bees gather pollen from it sometimes. Cultivated. Early spring to late fall. Rubus trevialts — Mx. Dewberry. Honey and pollen; bees on it busily. April. Spiraea virgiaiea — Britt. Bridal Wreath. Unimportant; bees sometimes on it. Cultivated ornamental shrub. March. 1,VTHRARIE.E. Loose-strife Family. Lagerstroemia indiea — L. Crepe Myrtle. Honey-yield occasionallv good, and visited much by bees. Cultivated orna- mental shrub. June, October. ONAGRARIE.E. Evening Primrose Family. i. aura filifornius — Small. Honey-yield sometimes good, and yielding surplus in spurts when favor- able seasons and rains prevail. June, October. Jussirea diffusa — Forskl. Jussiee. Honey-yield good, but not abundant; good during dearth in summer, as it grows in edge of waters and not af- fected by drouth, but better with rains. June, August. C'UCURBITACE.E. Gourd Family. t'itrulus eitrulus — (L.) Karst. Watermelon. Honey-yield abundant during dewy mornings; also pollen. Cultivated. Early summer to late autumn. Cueuuiis nielo — L. Muskmelon. Good honey-yield in dewy mornings; also pollen. Cultivated. July, Septem- ber. Cueumis pepo — L. Common Pumpkin. Not important for honey, but abund- ant pollen. Cultivated. May, June. Cueumis sativus. Cucumber. Honey-yield good, but of short dura- tion; also pollen. April, July. Cueurbita tfoetidissima — H. B. K. Wild Gourd. Not important; good for pollen, but plants not abundant. April, July. El.AEAGlVACE.E. Oleaster Family. Elaeaguus angustifolia — L. Sweet Olive. Honey-yield good, but plants scarce. Cultivated ornamental shrub. April. Elaeaguus argeutia — Pursh. Silver Berry. Honey-yield abundant, but plants scarce. Cultivated. October, November. CACTACE^E. Cactus Family. Opuntia englemaanii — Salm. Dyk. Common Cactus or Prickly Pear. Abundant honey-yield; sometimes surplus, but rank Havor. May, June. March 1, 1906 1HE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 191 COBXACEJE. Dogwood Family. Cornus asperit'olia — Mx. Dogwood. Bees roam over blossoms, and honey- yield g i. inn species no1 plentiful, March, April. CAPRIFOI.I K'H.K. Honeysuckle Family. 1 loera albiflora. White-flowered honeysuckle. Honey-yield good, but tew plants. Cultivated. May. July. Lonicera fragrnntissima — Lindl. Bush Honeysuckle. Honey-yield extremely early, ami val- uable i" stimulate bees if weather is favorable: also pollen; but plants tew, Cultivate. i. January. Snmhuciis canadensis — L. Elder. Honey-yield good, but not plentiful. April, May. Symphorienrpos syniphoricnrpos — (L.) McM. Coral Berry. Honey-yield good, and of long dura- tion, but not abundant. July, Septem- ber. Viburnum rufotomentosuin — Small. Black Haw. Honey-yield early; valuable for brood- rearing. • RVDIACE.E. Madder Family. Cephnlanthus occidentals — I . Butti-m Willow. Bees work on it. July. Dlodea teres — Walt. Button-weed. Honey-yield good, and valuable, as it comes during dearth. No surplus. July, August. Houstonin nngustifolia — Mx. Houstonia. Bees work on it well, but plants not abundant. May, July. COMPOSITE. Composite Family. Ambrosia aptern — D. C. Tall Ragweed. Some honey; more pollen, of a resin- ous nature. July, August. Ambrosia artemisirefoliu — L. Roman Wormwood. Probably pollen only. June, October. Ambrosia trifidn — L,. Great Ragweed. Honey-yield not important, but yields pollen. July, August. Centaura auicricnnn — Nutt. American Knapweed. Not important. July, August. Ciiicus altissimuM — Wrilld. Blue Thistle. Honey-yield unimportant; some pol- len. July, August. Galllardla pulchella — Fang. Marigold. Honey-yield good: a main vielder of surplus, of good quality, but dark, am- ber honey. .May, June. Guttlerezia texann — Torr. and Gray. Broomwccl. Honey-yield good in the fall for win- ter stores; dark amber, and strong in flavor. August, October. Helen jinn tenuifolium — Nutt. Sneezeweed. Bitterweed. Honey-yield good in favorable sea- sons, and surplus sometimes, of rich golden-colored honey of heavy body, but very bitter as if 50 percent, of quinine and some pepper was added to it; also pollen. East Texas. June to frost. I Iclianthus annua — L. Common Sunflower. Honey-yield sometimes good in the fall, but strong in flavor; much propolis gathered from the large composite heads of the flower and the stems and leaves of the plant. May, September. Pnrthersiuin hysteraphorus — L. Honey good in favorable seasons, otherwise not of much importance; white pollen. April to frost. Rudheckia hlrta — L. Conetlower. Xisgerhead. Of no importance; bees gather propolis from the resinous heads sometimes. Rndbeekia bicolor — Nutt. Coneflower. Indianhead. Of no importance; propolis from the resinous heads, sometimes. May, June. Solidngo. Goldenrods. There are several species, and bees work on the (lowers sometimes, but not of much importance. September. Tagetes pataliis — L. Marigold. Bees only occasionally visit it. Not abundant. Cultivated flower. Summer. Taraxacum officinalis — Weber. I 'andelion. N'ot important. Verbeslna vlrglnica — 1>. Virginian Crownbeard. I Ion, i.l.l very abundant, depend- ing upon seasons; fine quality honey; surplus in good seasons. October, November. \:i n I bin in canadense — Mill. Cockle-burr. Clot-burr. Not important; furnishes some pollen late in the fall. September, October. SAPOTACELE. Sapodilla Family. Bunielin angustifolia — Nutt. Xa i row -leafed Iron wood. A specimen sent from West Texas. Rumelia lanuginosa — Pers. Gum -elastic. Shi ttim- wood. Honey-yield abundant, but of very short duration. June 25-30. EBENACEJE. Ebony Family. Dlospyros texana — Scheele. Texas Persimmon. Honey-yield abundant; not harmed l,\ showers on account of bell-shape, 1 Bowers. April. Dlospyros virginiana — L,. Common Persimmon. Honey-yield good, but short, and trees not very abundant. April. OLEACE.K. Olive Family. Ligustrum vulgare — Li. Privet. Honey-yield good, but flowering plants scarce, as it is an ornamental shrub, kept trimmed in various shapes and in hedges. April, May. ASCLEPIADE.E. Milkweed Family. Aselepias. Milkweed. Silkweed. Honey-yield good, but pollen attaches to bees' feet and cripples them. March. HYDROPHYLIACEE. Waterleaf Family. Phacelia conjesta — Hook. Dense-flowered Phacelia. Honey-yield sparingly. April, June. Phacelia glabra — Nutt. Phacelia. On prairies of East Texas. March, April. BORAGINEiE. Borage Family. Borago officinalis — L. Borage. Bees work busily on it during sum- mer, but scarce. Cultivated. June, Au- gust. CONVOI.VU, WE.K. Convolvulus Family. Ipomea carolininna — Pursh. Morning-Glory. Honey-yield light; some pollen. Sum- mer. SOLAJTACE.E. Nightshade Family. Solnnum rostratum — Dumal. Nightshade. Very little honey; some pollen. May, October. BIGNONIACE.E. Bignonia Family. Campsis radioans — (L. ) Seem. Trumpet creeper. Trumpet flower... Honey-yield of little importance; external nectar-glands; pollen from stamens of the flowers. Summer and fall. VERBENA CE.K. Vervain Family. Callienrpa americana — L,. French Mulberry. Honey-yield only fair. May. Lantana enmara — L. Lantana. Bees seldom on it. April, October. I.ippia ligustrina — Britt. White Brush. Honey- j i heavy, of fine qual- ity honey, bul of very short duration. only a f.w days. Blooms several times after rains daring the season. May, November. Lippia nodiflora — (L.) Mx. Spatnlate-leafed Fog-fruit. Iloney-yi.ld very light and of little importance, .inly. Salvia axuren — Larn. Blue Sage. Deep corollas, and visited much more frequently by bumble-bees. April, Oc- Lober. Salvl nirriaiia — Sch< i L< Roemer"s Sagi Unimportam as a honey-plai abund int, ind dei p corollas. Sum; \ erbena nrtfcMolla i flowered Vei b \ erbena xntha — Lehm. Blue Vervain Honey-yield sparingly, and scatter- ing i hrou^houl l he season. April gust. 1, Mil VIM-:. Mint Family. Southwest Ti 192 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 1, 1906 Toxylon iiomiforuni — Raf. Osage Orange. Scarce, and not important. April. I I - americnna — L. American or White Elm. Honey-yield good, but species not very plentiful. August. Ulmus nlata — Mx. Winged Elm or Wahoo. Honey-yield good, giving surplus where abundant; much pollen. Honey of amber color, and strong, character- istic aroma. August, September. Jl'GLANDE.E. Walnut Family. Hicoria alba — (L.) Britt. Mockernut. White-heart Hickory. Some honey and pollen. March. Hicoria pecan — (Marsh) Britt Pecan-Nut. Honey-yield where plentiful; valuable for brood-rearing on account of its pol- len. March. Juglans nigra — L. Black Walnut. Some honey; more pollen; good to stimulate bees. March. CUPULIPER.B. Oak Family. Quercus aquatica — Walt. Water-Oak. Bees obtain pollen. March. Quercus minor — (Marsh) Sarg. Post-Dak. Iron-Oak. Honey-yield only fair, of inferior quality; abundant pollen for early brood-rearing'. March, April. Quercus nigra — L. Black Jack or Barren Oak. Early pollen. March, April. ttuereiis palustris — Du Roi. Swamp. Spanish or Pin Oak. Honey-yield good; and pollen for brood-rearing. March, April. Quercus rubra — L. R.-d Oak. Pollen. March, April. QuereuN virginiana — Mill. Live Oak. Honey-yield good, of poor quality, dark, but with abundant pollen; valua- ble for early brood-rearing. March. SALICI1VEJE. Willow Family. Populus monHifera? — Ait. Cottonwood. Necklace Poplar. Some honey, but more pollen; val- uable for early brood-rearing. March. Salix nigra — Marsh. Black Willow. Honey and abundance of pollen: val- uable for early brood-rearing. Febru- ary, April. I.ILLIACE.E. Lily Family. Asparagus officinalis — L. Asparagus. Not important for honey, but good for pollen. March, April. Smilax bonn-nox — L. Green-briar. Cat-briar. Honey-yield fair, but of short dura- tion. April. COM1EL1NACE.E. Spiderwort Family. Conimelina virginien — L. Virginian Spiderwort. Honey-yield unimportant; valuable for pollen. April, May. Trndescantin giganten — Rose. Spiderwort. Unimportant for honey, but good for pollen. Spring and summer. CHAMI\.E. Grass Family. Sorghum vulgare — Pers. Sorghum. Some honey, but an abundance of pollen. Cultivated. June, August. Zea mays — L. Indian Corn. Not positively known if maize yields honey, but abundant pollen. Cultivated. May, June. Cotuvntton Procccbinois ^ J Chicago-Northwestern Convention Report The annual meeting of the Chicago-Northwestern Bee- Keepers' Association was held in Chicago, Dec. 19, 1905. The meeting was called to order by Pres. George W. York at 11 :30 a. m. Invocation by Rev. Robert B. McCain. Pres. York stated the purpose of the present session was intended to be largely social, and the business session for the election of officers and other matters would be held in the afternoon. He called for suggestions for the present session which might make the occasion one of profit and pleasure. By way of introduction, each person present was re- quested to rise and announce his name, if not already known by the President. Pres. York — I am ready for any suggestions for this meeting. Rev. McCain — I do not know whether I speak for any one but myself or not, but I have observed that the question- box is always interesting, and if there is no better suggestion, I would suggest that the questions be prepared, and that we discuss them. Comb Honey or Extracted — Which? "Which has the most promising future before it, comb honey or extracted?" Pres. York — I think I know how Dr. Bohrer would answer this question, but I am not going to call on him first. We will let him talk after a while. What do you think, Mr. Hilton? _ Geo. E. Hilton — So much depends upon circumstances. It is rather a hard question to answer, in my opinion. Of course, if we restrict ourselves to any particular territory, we could say comb honey in one place and extracted honey in another place. But taking the whole territory represented by the National Association, the possibilities are that extracted honey will predominate in the future. While comb honey is a fancy article, it perhaps will remain a fancy article and not remain so much an article of commerce, perhaps, as extracted honey will. Our large producers are producing extracted honey. You are well aware that my specialty is comb honey, but I do believe that the large aggregate of honey that is going to be produced in future will be extracted honey, from the standard of tuns and carloads. Pres. York — I wanted Mr. Hilton to speak first, be. he is now Vice-President of the National Association. Has anyone else anything to offer on this subject? I know Dr. Bohrer wants to talk, and so we will hear from him now. Dr. G. Bohrer — I did not know I had acquired a reputa tion for being a talker. I have always tried to be modest. My wife took that in hand some time ago. She is my senior by four years, and said she "took a boy to raise." Mr. Hilton has voiced my sentiments, even if it does not amount to what • he thinks it will. That is, extracted honey will predominate in the future. It most unquestionably ought to, because more honey can be produced by that method. It can be put upon the market cheaper than in any other form, and, besides, it is a more wholesome article of food in that shape. Beeswax is no more digestible than diamond stone, and if it has any effect at all. it is positively an irritant to the stomach. I have witnessed that in my practice of medicine. A number of cases of cancer of the stomach and other digestive organs have come under my care. For those patients, I have found extracted honey better than any other article of diet, while the patient could not bear at all honey containing wax. While honey is a little more enticing and attractive in the comb. I have learned not to want to eat everything that looks nice. There are people who will argue that there is such a thing as - "artificial comb." and that bee-keepers all around are buying glucose by the carload and filling the comb that is constructed artificially, sealing it over and offering it for sale. Last winter, in Topeka. I got up before an audience of many more people than are here to-day, and offered $500 for. a section 454x4^4 filled with artificial comb and with artificial honey. A man offered to bring in the combs. I appointed a com- mittee to examine the combs, and asked him if he were satisfied with the committee. He said he wanted them to be skilled bee-keepers. I selected three men, and they pointed out to him at once that the sections were not alike. I said, "You can see, my friend, if they were made by machinery, they both would be alike, and they are not. Here is one section filled out to the edge of the comb and is capped over; here is another that the cells are not filled out, they are not fully constructed, and not filled with honey." He said he could see the point to that, but he still wanted to get his $500, and he said. "I think they have a machine for each section." I asked if that would not require a large amount of ma- chinery. He was finally convinced that the thing is simply impossible. Here is a sheet of wax ; you can stamp cell- foundations on both sides of it, but it is not artificial comb- only artificial comb foundation, until the bees draw out the cells. We can go that far, but no farther. If we could pull out the cells, the walls would be so delicate that they would soon be broken down. We have to disabuse people's minds in regard to this matter. They don't understand it; it is hard to get them to believe it. They think they are being imposed upon there. They are being imposed upon. Some people declare glucose is superseding honey! A. K. Ferris — I would say it depends upon the man more than anything else, and, in explanation, I would say, when I started selling honey in our locality, I could get but 7 cents a pound for extracted honey, and it was hard work to sell it at that. But as soon as people found I was putting a good article on the market, and they found out what a good quality of well-ripened honey it was. when I had nearly 2,200 pounds to sell, I sold nearly all of it to one store — nearly 5 barrels to one store — and two weeks later I could have sold the same amount in addition, to that same store, at 10 cents a pound. The reason was, I put out a good article, well ripened. Some March 1. 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 193 bee-keepers put unripened honey upon the market, and il is done untold damage. If a man puts out a g 1 <|iial well-ripened honey, he can make more money out of ex- tracted honey than out of comb honey. Dr. Bohrer — Mr. Ferris, do the people of your part of the country ever question the extracted article' Mr. Ferris — People said I was feeding extracted honey, glucose and sugar. I made no reply whatever to the charge, but told the people I did feed my bees sugar, a half ton and my honey has sold higher this year than ever before. The people found my honey was good. They did not care whether it was adulterated or not, but I put it out under special seal, and they know, under the laws of Wisconsin, that no honey could be put out under the labels such as 1 use without us being pure. Dr. Bohrer — I would understand, then, that what you fed them was the article that you put on the market? Mr. Ferris — No; according to the statements made, the people thought I did put it on the market. That was not the case. I fed to winter my bees. I feed entirely sugar. I use no honey whatever in wintering my bees. But it had the same effect on the people, as though it had been adulterated. Yet, on the other hand, honey never sold better with me than it did this year. In fact, I could have sold four crops if I had had them, and would have had it all sold by this time. J. E. Johnson — Speaking from my own experience, if I had my way, it would be extracted honey. I suppose if most bee-keepers had their way, it would be the same thing, but we have to do the way people demand that buy the honey. The people want something nice, and just as long as they want something nice, we have to furnish something nice. I have no doubt but there will always be a good future for both comb and extracted honey. Wm. M. Whitney — May I ask wdiat the question is? Mr. York read the question, when Mr. Whitney re- sponded, "I don't know." Thos. Chantry — I would just like to say I agree with Mr. Johnson. If we want people to eat honey, we must give them wdiat they want. If I had both to sell, I would sell two carloads of extracted honey to one of comb. Nevertheless, those who wanted comb honey would not buy the extracted. Mr. Whitney — To whom would you sell the extracted honey — to the ordinary consumer, or to some jobber? Mr. Chantry — I am speaking of retailing to consumers entirely, both comb and extracted honey. Mr. Fletcher — My experience is that the comb honey has the most brilliant future before it. for two reasons: First, people of intelligence are ascertaining that it cannot be adulterated. They are coming to that conclusion ; there has been so much light thrown upon that subject. In the second place, they are satisfied that extracted honey can be adulterated. As to feeding sugar to bees, that would be unprofitable. Mr. Moore — I have been doing some very heavy thinking here. You see. I have been selling honey to families for about 20 years, and, naturally, have some opinions. The hard job is to convince the public of these things you have been speak- ing about. My opinion is, there is only one way to do it, and that is by personal acquaintance. People buy of me because they like me. The illustration is, you have got to convince people by your personality, that you are dealing fairly with them, and that is the only way there is any future to this family trade. Of course, when you are selling to the whole- sale dealer by carloads, you have another purpose altogether. I do believe that the solution of the honey question for the average bee-keeper in our land is in supplying evet within 5 or 10 miles of his home. Get a personal acquaintance with them. After a while they will learn that your honey is good, and will demand it. Or. Bohrer — What effect would a national pure food law have upon this subject of adulteration of honey? Would not a national pure food law convince the people, if it were rigidly enforced ? Would not that go to quite an extent towards convincing the people that there was no such thing as glucose or sugar and wax sold to the public for honey? I think that is one of the things we must have. Mr. Moore — It seems to me that the only effect these pure food laws have is advertising. They do not convince anybody of anything, but make people more particular to inquire if your honey is pure. I do not believe there is any other effect. The more advertising there is, the more particular people are; but as to their faith in the purity of the article, it is less than before, because there is so much said about it. It increases their faith in the individual, perhaps. Mr. McCain — I am not an authority on bee-keeping, but I have listened to this discussion, and I have tried to think what I would gather from it if I did not know anything about a bee-hive. Men have admitted here that they feed i sugar. What impression rs thai likely to make on a man's mind? He is inclined to think sugar is fed for perceptible purposes. Oh, yes! I told you sol The conclusion I come to is this: We cannot expect the public to believe that hi in the comb is absolutely an unadulterated article until we can make them understand how the section is made in the hive, and something of the character of the work done by the bees. It is a matter of education. If I tell a man I fed my bees 500 pounds of sugar, he does not know where that sugar goes. He does not know anything about it at all. The im- pression would be made in his mind that it goes into the hive, and that I take it out in the comb form and sell it. Mr. Ferris— One point I want to speak about that has caused the most trouble, and that is, the bee-keepers them- selves are putting on the market an inferior article. When I made the statement that I feed tons of sugar— which I do— it was to impress the fact that though I do feed tons of sugar, when people get hold of a good batch of honey, it settles the question with them. That is why I wanted to impress upon the bee-keepers to stop putting unripe honey on the market. I hat is doing more against the bee-keepers' interests than anything else I know. When people get bad honey— extracted too green— they do not forget it, and it takes a good while to get them to be willing to try again. Honey that has no flavor is not well ripened, or has been injured bv storing in a cellar, if put upon the market always works an injury to the bee-keeper's interests. If people would work to that end- putting a good article on the market— it would cover the question. While my feeding tons of sugar may have had some effect on the people in one way, in another way the superior article I have put out has more than counterbalanced that, so that the output has more than doubled. Mr. Whitney— On this matter of feeding bees for winter stores, I have come to the conclusion that I would sooner pay 7 cents a pound for extracted honey than 5 cents a pound for granulated sugar. I have had a little experience that has satisfied me that honey is really cheaper at that price than granulated sugar at 5 cents a pound to feed. And if we would stop feeding sugar entirely, and feed a cheaper Iioney that we can buy at wholesale at 7 cents a pound, we can get rid of all this talk about feeding bees sugar to go into the sections. Mr. Moore— How about the dissemination of foul brood? Mr. Whitne) — Buy from a good, honest man that would not sell foul brood. Member— Where would you find such a man ? Mr. Whitney — I would not need to go out of this room to find honest men. -Mr. Johnson— At Galesburg, 111., we have been pretty careful to look after the market, so that there is no adulterated honey on the market. Years ago a good deal of it was shipped in, before we had a pure food law. This year honey was scarce, and some merchants thought they would bring in some of it. As a result, two grocers were arrested for selling adulterated honey, and fined $25 each. They would not have gotten off as easily as that if they had not pleaded guilty, and said they did not know it was adulterated honey. As I understand it. there is very little adulterated honey sold in this State. These fellows tried it by getting it from" traveling salesmen from another State. Mr. Hutchinson— I think it is a good deal like asking which has the most promising future, a man or a woman. I think there is no difference in honey; both comb and extracted have a place and will continue to have a place in the market. Mr. Muth— They both ha\e a place. In the cities, there is a big demand for comb honey The demand for the con- sumption of extracted honey is not as large as people have an idea. However, there are other ways in which extracted honey is used. In manufacturing lines the demand is growing larger every year. However, fancy \:o. 1 comb honey is easily- sold. The more fancy hone} there is on the market, the greater the consumption. When honey does not grade nice, the bee-keepers soon notice a fall in honey. It decreases the consumption of honey, because people buy it thinking it is comb honey, and they do not want any more comb honey. On the other hand, the consumption of extracted honey is very much on the increase. You will notice in the far West and the South they prefer to produce the extracted honey, and a great many people produce carloads and carload- where they do not produce any comb honey at all. It always finds a market. It is just like wheat on the market, it has a price. Dr. Bohrer — Is not the lack of uniformity in the weight of the section affecting its sale among the people? For instance, it is called "a pound section," sometimes weighing 12, 14, 15, but seldom over 16 ounces. If I am buying a majority of sections that don't weigh a pound. I want to buy 194 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Mareh 1, 19C6 something that does weigh a pound, and more than a pound, to even up. Mr. Muth — That cuts no figure in the sale of honey at all, because the retailers adjust the prices. They sell by the piece and not by the pound. The retail grocers do not want full sections. They want to make money. Dr. Bohrer — People sometimes tell me. "I would buy the section honey, but it is called a pound, and it does not weigh a pound. I will not buy it." And they give it a seven "letting alone.'' That is another reason why I say extracted honey will come to the front when people learn it is absolutely pure. Pres. York — Personally, I have never heard anybody say these things. I would like an expression on this point. Have you actually heard people object to light-weight sections? I have never heard that complaint. Mr. McCain — Ever since I have been bee-keeping, I have used the Danzenbaker section, and you know that is light weight. I believe it is really true that there is some objection to it. I have been asked repeatedly, "Does it weigh a pound?" "No," I would say, "it weighs about 14 ounces;" and they hesitate whether they will take it or not. Mr. Muth — You asked the consumer, didn't you, or the consumer asked you? I believe if you go around and sell to a lot of grocers, they want short-weight sections. Mr. McCain — I never had that trouble in Chicago. I never was questioned about it in that way here, but at home, in a town of about 5,000. the general impression is that a section of honey should weigh a pound. Dr. Bohrer — The only reason the grocer wants it that way is because he buys by the pound and sells by the pie'ee. Mr. Whitney — I had an order last fall for some honey in sections, and the groceryman wrote me to be sure not to have the cases weigh over 22 pounds net. Pres. York — How many sections to the case? Mr. Whitney — Twenty-four. I had sent him short sec- tions, and they just exactly suited him. Pres. York — We will go on to the next question. Late Feeding of Bees. "Should your bees be short of stores at this date, what would you feed them?" Rev. McCain — Full frames of honey. .Mr. Johnson — My impression is that in feeding bees at this time of year, you cannot, because you cannot separate the cluster; it is usually too cold for that if they cluster at all. I have wintered colonies that had hardly any honey in the hives at all, by merely laying sections flat down, right over the frames. The bees will always take honey from above and pass it down, but it seems they will not take it from below and pass it up. In this way, I have wintered bees almost entirely. You may have to look in a little in the winter, and probably give them some more sections. Member — Do you mean in a cellar? Mr. Johnson — No; out-of-doors. Mr. Hutchinson — You can feed candy. Make a sheet of candy that you can lay over the tops of the frames, and cover up with a cloth, and you can feed them out-of-doors very well. Or you can feed syrup in the cellar if you wish. It is more trouble. I was with a bee-keeper last spring at Manistee, Mich., who did not have money to buy sugar with, and he kept feeding them (sugar) syrup all winter long. He took a Mason fruit-jar and had a hole cut in the cover large enough so that the jar would just fit that hole. The bees came through in fine shape, feeding on the syrup all winter long, having very little honey in the combs. I would prefer candy, if I had it to do, but that shows what can be done. Mr. Ferris — I took 10 2-frame nuclei, put them in cellar in mid-winter, for experiment. I took a 2-quart Mason jar full of syrup, 10 pounds of syrup to 1 pound honey, and fed them. All of the nuclei made me full colonies, averaging 100 pounds of honey each the next year. I did not lose one of the 10. They all came through in good shape. I did that only as an experiment. Mr. Whitney — As an experiment, I have carried colonies through from February with a 2-pound cake of maple sugar. That is better than anything else I ever saw to feed bees, and I think it is about as handy as anything. AFTERNOON SESSION. A discussion of the question regarding a continuance of the committee in the interests of legislation for bee-keepers in Illinois was first taken up. Importance of Foul Brood Legislation. Mr. Wilcox — If you do not have a compulsory foul- brood law, you will have no foul-brood law at all. No foul- brood law can be effective for the purpose intended without power to treat or destroy the bees ; or, I will say, with the power to enter upon the premises of any bee-keeper for the purpose -of inspecting, treating or destroying the bees, we can exterminate foul brood. We know that in Wisconsin. Experience has demonstrated it. It is necessary to have the power; it is not necessary to use it very often. There will be very few instances in the history of any State where it will lie necessarv to use all the power which the law ought to give you. That is the essential fact in the case? Mr. France has been inspector for many years, and he was thwarted at every corner when he first started out. by want of authority ; but when authority was written in the law. and he showed them he had authority to enter upon premises and treat or destroy bees, they surrendered peaceably, and thanked him afterward for what he had done. To-day, in that State, there is no one, to my knowledge, who objects. They are convinced that it is for their interest, and we are glad we have the law just as it is. I do not see how we could improve it. Mr. Dadant — A little while ago Mr. Wheeler made the statement that in his opinion some bee-keepers do not want a foul-brood law, and that it was in contradiction to my state- ment. I did not say there were no bee-keepers who do not want a foul-brood law, but my belief is that those who oppose it are in the minority. The fact is, I am sure of it. Mr. J. Q. Smith told us he did not think it was necessary, but when we told him if he happened across a man whose bees had foul brood, and he refused to have it attended to, we ought to have some method by which he could be compelled to have it attended to. he admitted it was so. People who have good judgment will not object to it. When they find a doctor ready to treat their colonies, and do it kindly, they will certainly be willing to have their bees treated. But the man who does not care whether people succeed or not, who cares nothing for his bees or his neighbors' interests, if that man's bees have foul brood, and we have a foul-brood law, the inspector ought to have the right to exercise full authority in the case. Mr. Russell — There are bee-keepers probably in Illinois as well as in Minnesota who object to a compulsory foul- brood law. I want to tell this convention that those are the very people for whom we need a foul-brood law. We have them who will not allow an inspector to inspect their hives. They sell bees and scatter the disease throughout the State. It is for these people that we need a foul-brood law — for the obstinate ones that we need a compulsory law. Air. Wheeler — The convention probably did not under- stand me exactly in regard to the foul-brood law. The fact is, this Chicago-Northwestern convention has talked for years, and so strongly, that it is an absolute fact that wc can cure foul brood. You people take that for granted in all your argument. Now', I will take the ground that you do not cure it; that your methods are not up to the point of curing it. You want to go to work and pass laws obliging us to allow an inspector to come into our apiaries and experiment. We take the ground that you cannot cure the disease. You may cure it apparently for two or three years, but it will come back if you have genuine foul brood. Now, what good does an inspector do? What good does destroying the hive do? It reminds me of a time about 20 years ago when the potato- bug made its appearance. My father went out and hired boys to pick bugs, and many other people did the same. There were a few neighbors, however, who would not pick bugs, for they said the cost would be more than double the value of the potatoes. We wanted to pass a State law com- pelling people to burn up the bugs, to burn up their potato patches. That is exactly the ground you are taking in this foul-brood law. We can experiment. Go ahead and experi- ment and learn a cure; find out exactly what will be a cure. I know it can be cured, apparently; for a year or two it will disappear almost entirely— no sign of it ; but almost as sure as the sun is to rise, the next season it will make its appear- ance. Bee-keepers say, "My neighbors have it." That is not the fact. I can prove it. I have experimented along all sort of lines with fumigating, putting combs into an air-tight lank, and fumigating with formaldehyde. 1 bought two big tanks, put in combs, fumigated the bee-hives as the California man said — everything that had ever been tried and written about I experimented with. And you can for all practical purposes take care of your bees, shake them out of the hives, give them empty combs and empty frames, and for a few years your bees are clean. But invariably it shows itself again. Before it makes its appearance to the human eye. the germ is there in the combs, and a bee-inspector might come along and declare those bees free from all disease, and in a few months there would be a few more cells and the next year it would appear. Dr. Bohrer — Do 'I understand Mr. Wheeler to say that March 1. 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 195 for that reason there should not be a foul-brood law pass' d? Mr. Wheeler — Yes; and for the reason that a gi I 01 a man who has a pull would probably get the place of in- spector. Mr. Holtermann — Seriously speaking, I am a little sur- prised to hear a discussion of this kind here. If it had beefi in England where they were discussing the advisability oi a foul-brood law, one would attribute it to their conservatism; But I am surprised that we can be seriously discussin question in the United States. We know that foul br 1 cajp be cured. Mr. Wheeler may not have succeeded in curing it. and we may have some sympathy with him in his trouble* but there are too many of us who can say we know foul brood can be cured. And even if it could not be cured, it would need an inspector to see where the disease was, and stamp it out. We are certainly not prepared to admit that it cannot be cured. And I think Mr. Wheeler hardly means to make the accusation that every foul-brood inspector is a grafter or one who has a "pull." I think that is a little too strong. There are good men among the inspectors. If I may be allowed to say so. I wrould be much in sympathy with seeing that you get a foul-brood law passed. Dr. Bohrer — I do not know that a law will stamp out foul brood, but as was just remarked, if we cannot afford a permanent cure, if we can only check it, we should have the law. I am satisfied that foul brood can be cured. I never saw but one case in my life, and I cured it. I will tell you how I did it, and the experience I had with it, and for that reason, if no other. I would recommend a law upon that subject. A neighbor of mine had only one colony of bees, and he told me there was something wrong with it. lie asked me if I would stop and inspect his hive. I did so, and the most terrible stench that ever came to my nostrils came out of that hive! I said, "My friend, I cannot imagine anything that would be fouler than this, and we will call it foul brood, anyway." There were very few bees hatching. I said. "If you have some corral foundation, and a new, clean hive, we will fit it into the frames, shake these bees all off and drive them into it, then take this bee-hive, combs, honey, frames and everything and conceal them somewhere until after night, and then put it all somewhere and burn it." I had 20 or 30 colonies of bees at home, and I slipped into the house as quickly as possible. I took off every particle of clothing, and told my wife to go and boil them. Everything I had about me was thoroughly cooked. I tell you, no foul brood will ever start up where you adopt such measures as that. You want your foul-brood law to give your in- spector full authority. Do not tolerate or accept any half-way legislation upon that subject. We have a law in my State (Kansas), but I do not exactly like it. The law provides for a county inspector, but it does not pay him sufficiently to justify a man in leaving his home — only $2.00 a day. You cannot get a man to do very much work on that account. In our county they want me to take hold of it and inspect the bees. I said, "I will tell you how to cure it, and when the legislature meets again, let them understand it is not graft at all. Frame your law so the fact can be established that the disease exists and is doing mischief. Then clothe your inspector with authority to go and effect a cure." When you come to pass a State law. be careful how you shape it. I am not sure bu1 a law that will provide for a county inspector will cost the people the least money. It is not very expensive for the County Commissioners to appoint an inspector of that kind and pay a competent man. But to say we don'i want any law because somebody has made a failure — that won't do! We might just as well say we don't want laws upon the statute books prohibiting murder or robbery because these things go on, and the law does nm > them. But if you can check the disease, it will paj to have a law for that purpose, if no other. Mr. Kimmey — I would like, first, to know if Mr. Wheeler was giving us his experience with foul brood? Mr. Wheeler — Ask any question you like. When you get through talking, I will talk. Mr. Kimmey — That is what I wanted to know — whether you were speaking from your own experience. Mr. Wheeler — In regard to the insinuation I made about grafters and all that, we know what Mr. France is. We all love him, I may say. He is a man, every inch of him. What Wisconsin has had in Mr. France is ni n of what Illinois may have. We must look ahead to that. Xot only that, but to neonle who have thousands o ca i ire in a great deal mori danger of the disease continuing and staying than if he has only one or two hues to put into a furnace and burn up. He is only a few dollars out. Of course the bei hive manufacturers want it. But if we can get along and keep our hives, we arc going to do it. We can scour them, burn them out. and all that, and I have no doubt but The A. I. Root Co. cured the disease when they had it. They could burn up their hives, foundation and all, and get new suoplies out at their factory without much cost to them. We cannot do that. You cannot do that. The point is. there is so much stuff around. And these gen- tlemen are satisfied to burn up the hives. I saw that done once, and the next day after the hives were burned the bees swarmed over that pile, licked up the honey they found and carried it home. Dr. Bohrer — That honey was not burned. Mr. Wilcox — You cannot burn up honey in that way. I have seen the disease carried back to the hives in that way. Mr. Wheeler — I consider myself just as careful as any man can be. I have experimented just as carefully as any man in the United States can, and I believe it is absolutely impossible, unless bees are destroyed and the hives burned up, to eradicate that disease if you get the genuine thing. It has no terror to me. I do not believe any man needs to be afraid of it. I do not believe there is anything in it to be so much afraid of. It is simply a question of taking care of your bees. Don't allow them to get any diseased honey. But so far as absolutely cur- ing it. I do not think it can be done. Mr. McEvoy — I cannot quite agree with Mr. Wheeler. I will not stake my life that I can cure it every time, but when you are going on the theory that it cannot be cured, you are making a mistake. Mr. Dadant — I would like to give you one instance where it would have been good to have had a foul-brood law in Illinois. A person died near East St. Louis wdio owned some bees that had foul brood. The administrator was told the bees had foul brood, and he hastened to sell them as quickly as possible to get rid of them. If we had had a compulsory law. it would have been a criminal matter to have so disposed of those bees. Mr. Kimmey — I asked Mr. Wheeler the question in good faith, whether he was talking from his own experi- ence. I expected to ask him if he believed the disease to be contagious. I am talking about something I know nothing about. I never have had foul brood in my apiary. I am an amateur bee-keeper. It seems to me if you have had foul brood and stamped it out, and it is contagious, it had come from some place else. That is what I was trying to get at. He might have gotten it from his neigh- bors' bees. Mr. Wilcox — There is just one feature of this case that has not been touched upon yet that is important. The fact is, you want to create an office. The inspector must be a State officer, and you cannot have it unless you prepare for it, and pass a law authorizing it. You must have a fixed appropriation for this purpose and not de- pend upon the Legislature to make an annual or biennial appropriation for this purpose. It must be an appropria- tion that will come, year after year, and to get that you must proceed as we have done and make it a State office. Make it a fixed appropriation after the manner of Wis- consin. It is necessary to have such an officer. He may be appointed by the Governor, or by some State board after some civil service examination, perhaps. It is not a matter for us to discuss as to the best method of having him appointed. In Wisconsin we are satisfied to have him appointed by the Governor, upon recommendation of the bee-keepers. Mr. McCain — It seems to me we ought to bear in mind that we are not legislating against ourselves. The bee-keepers of this Association and of the National are. in the majority, intelligent men, who can cure cases of foul brood if they have it. 1 am no expert, but I have cured two cases — not in my own yard, but in my neighbor's yard. We are not legislating aginst ourselves. We ought to go in heartily and support such a resolution as this in that those who do not care may feel the force of the law. Mr. Kluck — I am in favor of a foul-brood law wl we can force our neighbor, ivho does not care whether his bees have foul brood or not, t • ► have the disease ti and a compulsory law is tin only one that will do any good in Illinois. The man who has 6, 8, 10 or 15 colonies, 196 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 1, 1906 and his bees are only a side issue, lets them stand. If they live, they live; if they die, they die. The neighbor's bees carry the disease home, and that is where you get foul brood. Then we want a law so that when we know a man has foul brood in his apiary we can have an inspector go and- visit the yard and stamp it out. I do not believe it is necessary to destroy the hives, or anything of that kind. I believe my friend here, Mr. McEvoy, has de- stroyed many cases where he never destroyed a hive. Mr. McEvoy — I never destroyed a hive in my life. Mr. Kannenberg — Mr. France, in Wisconsin, has treated foul brood many times without destroying the hive. I shall hand in my name here to help along a foul- brood law down at Springfield. When we are working against a foul-brood law, we are working against our own interests. Mr. McEvoy — A good many are acting on the propo- sition that we are trying to do something that we would have to force, which is not the case. Mr. Holtermann — If you have a competent man you will have very little trouble. There may be a little oppo- sition to him at first, but if he will take it right, it will end right, as a rule. I think you had better get a law passed; it will be to the interest of every man in the business, and the men who opnose it will be all right if you take them right. Whatever you do in your law, make the inspector the sole judge. No appeal! If an appeal can be made from the decision of the inspector, while that is going on the mischief will be done. Make the inspector the sole judge, and see that he does his duty. Mr. Kannenberg — I should think a man who has a lot of bees, and makes his living out of them, would be only too glad if there is a compulsory law to keep out foul brood. Those who have only a few bees would not care whether they had it or not, but the man who makes his living out of bees should care whether his neighbors bring in foul brood. Mr. Wheeler — That all comes along the line of abso- lute cure. When you convince the fellows in Illinois that you can cure that disease, then is the time to talk, and not until then. And another thing, we want absolutely straight, honorable men for our inspectors if we have to have them. We want men that we can trust. Our fortunes are at stake; our whole interests, our life's work, are at stake. We want men who will not go in and destroy our property for some notion or whim. We want prooerty preserved. That is the law first taught in the Declaration of Independence — preservation of life, liberty and prop- erty. And I hope we may sometime get a law that will work along that same line. When that day comes, I am in for it. But until you can prove that the disease is curable, I will not consent to it. Not only that, but this convention does not represent the bee-keepers of Illinois. Don't for one moment forget that. Don't forget that Illi- nois bee-keepers represent people all over the State, and about-nine-tenths of them never darken these doors— never come inside of this convention hall. They have their interests as well as we do, and I have heard nothing from them. Mr. Baxter — I would like to ask Mr. Wheeler one question. Have you ever had foul brood in your own apiary? Mr. Wheeler — I have not said anything at all of that kind. I have experimented in all sorts of ways, but I do not know that I am to be picked out individually here to answer any questions. I am not afraid to have anybody ask me outside. We do not know what the future has in store for any of us. You all talk about the question just as I do. I have had experience with it — a great deal of experience. I have tried these experiments, and I have followed directions, and I believe the time will come when you will all, every one of you, say that Wheeler is right. I expect I may not live to see it. Mr. Ferris — There is a point in Mr. Wheeler's argu- ment I sec some light in. A man who is a would-be inspector, who went in and inspected some hives and pro- nounced them foul-broody, and afterward another inspec- tor went in and told them it was pickled brood, there would be trouble. Unless we have a thoroughly compe- tent man, a man's whole apiary might be destroyed under a compulsory law. And that is a point we must look after, so that a man does not go forth and destroy in the wrong place. We should have not only a man who can enforce the law, but have the right kind of a man when he is going to enforce it. Mr. Whitney — I don't understand why we should ap- point a man as inspector until after we get the law! A motion was made and seconded that the Committee on Legislation be instructed to co-operate with the State Bee-Keepers' Association to secure a foul-brood law. Motion carried almost unanimously. Baby Nuclei in Queen-Rearing. "What is the testimony in regard to the value of baby nuclei in queen-rearing?" Ernest R. Root — There is no question but what baby nuclei will fertilize queens, small or large. The trouble is to get the bees to stay in the little boxes, so as not to keep renewing them all the time. We have been exprimenting with the small boxes and find that it works, and fertilizes the queens, depending upon how many bees we get into the boxes. Instead of having very thick partitions, we have very thin ones. The frames are the same as in an ordinary hive. The advantage in using b_by nuclei is to keep from using smoke. We never use a smoker in handling baby nuclei. The fact about the matter is that the first brood will be reared right against the thin par- tition on both sides, showing that the additional warmth of the two clusters means a great deal. Instead of having six to the Langstroth frame, we now have three to that size frame, and we can run the baby nuclei in pairs clear up into the month of November. Dr. Bohrer — How many frames do you have? Mr. Root — Four; 2 to each division. Dr. Miller — Mr. Root says these are renewed about once a month, but I think Mr. Laws and some other dyed- in-the-wool baby-nuclei men say they have a fresh lot of bees for each queen. Mr. Root — That plan is all right, but it involves too much work for us down at Medina. As I understand it, he forms a baby nucleus every time he wants to carry the bees to the out yard. We have found it less work to use the baby nuclei to run through the entire season, like an ordinary colony. Mr. Hutchinson — There is one point on which Mr. Ferris lays considerable emphasis, and that is the distance apart of the frames — that is, placing them wide apart. He says if there is a large space between them, more bees can crowd in there than can rear bees successfully. Dr. Miller — May I emphasize the point that Mr. Hutchinson made right here as to the room that is there. A good many years ago, when I first commenced working with bees, I devised a nucleus hive, using a common 10- frame Langstroth hive, taking 6 nuclei, one in each frame, and it worked very well. Years after I tried to repeat the same thing, and I found what a great many authorities said, that the nuclei would be deserted; that the bees would desert them. When I made my second attempt at it, I was wiser then — knew more about bees, and rather smiled at my former ignorance in using 6 of them in that 10-frame hive, which gave a space of nearly 2 inches to each. I gave them, this time, only a reasonable amount, only about Yz inch at the side of each one, and the bees flew out and would not stay in there! I concluded my first crude attempt was the better one. Another point: I do not think, after trying all these years and experiment- ing with baby nuclei, that this thing is quite as modern as some of us are likely to think. About 40 years ago I visited Adam Grimm, and I think about all of his hives were just about the size of the present baby-nucleus hives. And I remember his pulling them apart without any smoke. The things would fly at him, and he would say, "We must wait a little and then go at them again." That is about the size of Adam Grimm's nucleus hive [referring to a model]. Mr. Dadant — Mr. Gray, of Ohio, made baby nuclei. We reared our queens from the larvae instead of doing as you do to-day, but we did have some very good nuclei, and the question was to keep the combs well separated, so as to have a large amount of bees between. When the honey would come, they would spread out. Dr. Bohrer — Mr. Langstroth used 4 frames. I have been in his apiary a good many times. I never reinforce them. When they have filled every available space I remove the queen. Mr. Stanley described at some length his method and baby-nucleus hive. His hive is a little larger than the "rdinary baby-nucleus hives. It has 3 frames, 4x5 inches. He started with 6 combs in the spring, and then divided them later on. Mr. Holtermann — Have you introduced a large num- ber of virgin queens? March 1, 19C6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 197 Mr. Stanley— Probably 1,200 to 1,500 the past season. Mr. McCain — I wish I had the experience and ability to write a book entitled, "Forty Years Among the Bees." I do not Lelieve this is right; I believe the system should be condemned. I think it is all wrong. I think it is un- natural, abnormal, forced from beginning to end. My experience is limited, but that is the way it looks to me. Mr. Dadant — I do not believe we should condemn a system because it is forced. There are a great many things done by domesticating. We have changed the na- ture of a good many animals. I think the argument that the thing is not right because it is forced has no weight. I can see no reason why the queen should suffer, and I can see a saving in expense to the bee-keeper. I believe the boxes should be made so that none of the bees need be lost. Mr. Root — Perhaps I can harmonize the differences of opinion. I do believe they are all right so far as mating the queens is concerned. We were moving on wrong lines. We had too few bees. It was said 100 would be enough. I believe it was wrong there. After we had prepared the article, in order to make the thing work, we went to 400. When we had about 400 it worked. Putting the frames further anart commends itself as being very good. When you get a ball of bees, it will be just as warm, whether large or small, up to a certain extent. The Pratt baby nucleus is, perhaps, no larger than those two boxes there. We can make it work by having one comb and putting more bees in it. I think if we should try it over again, we could do it. It is my belief that with a tin box, the results would be all right. I believe cells are liable to be chilled out in a box where a pasteboard cover is used. We make it just as warm as we can. The baby nucleus Pratt rec- ommended had 8 frames to the Langstroth frame. That makes it too small. The frames we are now using give better results with 3 to the Langstroth frame. The virgin queens themselves should be reared in strong colonies, then when they have arrived at the right age we introduce them. We have to modify some of the th"ngs we thought we knew last year. The new President of the National Bee-Keepers' Asso- ciation, Mr. C. P. Dadant, was introduced to the conven- tion, and responded. Mr. Dadant — Mr. President, I will have to make an extempore speech, but I have not prepared it! I simply wish to thank the bee-keepers for my election. I am afraid I will turn out to be a very poor presiding officer, but I will do the best I can. I am not a speaker, therefore, you will not expect a speech from me. I leave speaking to better men than myself. Mr. George E. Hilton, the newly elected Vice-Presi- dent of the National Association, was called for, but had left the hall. Mr. W. Z. Hutchinson, Secretary of the National, was introduced to the convention and responded: Mr. President, there seems to be a lot of poor talkers. I can only say as my brother has said, I thank the bee- keepers for the honor. The General Manager, Mr. N. E. France, was also introduced. Mr. France — As Mr. Dadant has said, I thank the bee-keepers for the honor. I have tried to do what is right for them, and hope to continue so doing. There are some things connected with the work that are pleasant. Again, there are some parts of it that I wish somebody else had. But put it all together, we are progressing, and we are accomplishing much of good. I hope you will all feel it is your part to help. One officer cannot do it alone. Pres. York — We have with us Dr. Eaton, analyst of the Illinois State Food Commission. Dr. Eaton — As I expect to read a paper before the National Association, I will not have anything to say at the present time, except to congratulate the bee-keepers on the market for honey as regards adulteration; especially as regards extracted honey, because we have hardly found a sample of adulterated honey in Illinois this year. Pres. York — I have not succeeded in getting anyone to talk very much, and so will call on Dr. Miller. Dr. Miller — I am not an officer, and I can talk. Pres. York — You are still a Director of the National, and will be until January 1st. Dr. Miller — Well, I can talk until January 1st, then. The convention then adjourned to meet at the call of the Executive Committee. =% Southern * 23eebom * j Conducted by Louis H. Scholw New Braunlels, Tex. Early Spring Work in the Apiary It is not too early in the South to begin our spring work in the apiary in February if sufficiently warm weather ob- tains. Our seasons differ very much in different years, however, sometimes being a whole month earlier, and again a whole month later, than in ordinary years. With an early season brood-rearing begins well in January, and swarming may be expected in the month of February. In a late season these periods may come fully two months later, but ordinarily February is our opening month. Brood- rearing begins, and new pollen and some honey from the early willows, water-elm, and our very early spring flowers stimulate the bees to activity, in which they soon build up to rousing colonies. Our First Work. It is at this time that our first inspection of the colonies for the year should be made. We should see that all colo- nies are well supplied with stores. Bees short of honey in early spring will not breed up and become strong in num- bers as will those well supplied with honey. Such colonies will " hang back " throughout the entire season; having had a " bad start," it is impossible f them to keep up the race. . It is surprising, also, how fast the bees use up their stores when brood-rearing has begun in earnest, and all colonies not well supplied with sufficient stores are likely to run out, and either starve outright or become so re- duced in numbers that they will be worthless as a colony the rest of the season. Record the Conditions. An examination of each colony should be made and the exact condition of each noted. To do this it is not neces- sary to spend much time on each colony, but the following procedure is practised : Selecting the warmer part of the day, the hive is opened and just enough smoke used to keep the bees from flying at the operator, as they will be found to be quite cross yet. Our object should be to disturb the colony as little as pos- sible, and yet gain our purpose. The combs are now spread apart at the center of the main cluster, and the center comb from it is removed to note the egg-laying and condition of the brood-nest. If eggs and brood are present, and in such condition as, in your judgment, it should be, and a glance and rough estimate shows at a guess about 15 to 20 pounds of honey in the hive, then the colony is marked "O. K.," whether the queen is seen or not. The eggs and brood, and the condition of the brood-nest, are sure signs of the pres- ence, and shows the prolificness, of the queen at this time of the year. If no eggs or brood are found on the first comb, it might be well to remove a second one. If no brood or eggs are found, and the colony has sufficient stores, it is marked " Doubtful," which is indicated by a simple cross or X on the hive and in the record book, and the colony is to be visited again two weeks later. All colonies short of stores are marked in some way on top of the hive, simply by placing some object, stone, or piece of wood upon the cover so it can be easily seen from any part of the yard. The strong colonies with a surplus amount of stores are marked in the same way, only that the objects are placed in a different position from the " short" colonies, to indicate which is which. Providing Stores for Weak Colonies. After the whole apiary has been examined, and all the colonies short of stores, and those with a surplus, have been marked, the next step will be to equalize the stores of these colonies. A comb or two of honey is taken from the " rich " colonies and given to the " poor," empty combs from the poor colonies replacing those taken from the strong ones.' This is undoubtedly the best, easiest, and cheapest way to feed bees to supply necessary stores that I have tried, but there is some danger connected with the 198 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. March 1, 1906 practise of interchanging combs, that has played such sad havoc and destruction of whole apiaries that I would not advise it unless the bee-keeper is absolutely sure that there is no danger. Reference is made to the spreading of bee-diseases. Unless it is certain that no trouble might result, it would be better to resort to feeding the weaker and needy colonies with good, clean sugar syrup, and supply them with stores in this way. The weather conditions will have to be considered, and also the number of colonies needing stores, as to whether outside feeding should be practised, or whether the syrup should be given in feeders inside of the hives. The latter would be the better during cool weather, and if only a part of the yard needs to be fed. If a larger number of colonies in the apiary need feeding, and the weather is warm enough for the bees to store it rapidly, outside feeding could be done with less labor. The syrup stored by the already " rich " — if these are not too many — would only stimulate them the more, and make stronger, booming colonies of them for the harvest later on. The syrup stored and used by them would not be considered as a loss. Of course, if all need feeding it is an easy matter to decide which would be the most practical for the apiarist to follow. It is best to feed enough to last them for from 10 days to 2 weeks at a feeding, depending largely, of course, from the time natural sources will step in. A Visit Two Weeks Later. After this examination and equalizing, or feeding of stores, etc., it is best, and not necessary, to disturb the bees any more until settled warm weather, except a visit about 2 weeks or so after the first to look after the "Doubtful" colonies, or those marked with an X a* the first examina- tion. Arriving at such a colony we proceed with the examina- tion just as previously, using smoke only sufficient to keep the bees back, taking out the center comb to examine for brood, and marking the colony " O. K.," if it is so. If queenless, the simplest and quickest way to get rid of them is to place them on top of another colony, or to place a weak colony, with a queen, from some other stand, on top of the queenless one, and leave them to unite and cluster in the chamber containing the brood-nest. This I have found to be the most satisfactory method for disposing of the queen- less colonies at this time of the year. The season is quite early in which to have queens to give to the queenless colo- nies— at least for the average bee-keeper — and it is also too early for such colonies, or any others, to rear queens that would be worth keeping in the apiary. I believe in rearing queens — good queens — in strong, rousing colonies, and under none other than favorable con- ditions for such work. If left to rear a queen from brood given them they are slow to build up to profitable colonies for lhat season, unless a very favorable season prevails from the start, and combs of hatching brood are given them during the beginning to strengthen and encourage the col- ony. By uniting 2, however, shorter work is made of them, and the combined forces result in a strong colony in a short length of time, and will store its share of surplus, while the 2, separately, would perhaps only build up strong enough, and store sufficient, to go into winter quarters next fall. Spreading Brood and Other "Fussing." There are many minor manipulations that might be, and are, practised by the apiarist in the apiary during Feb- ruary. Among these are the spreading of. brood, stimula- tive feeding, and trying to help the bees in other ways in early spring; but I have come to the conclusion — and that after having tried all manner of such things — that there is more to be lost by them than gained, especially in the hands of the inexperienced or the careless. With the large bee-keeper, who numbers his apiaries by the dozen, and who keeps bees for a " bread and butter" purpose, all these "tinkerings" are considered as so much unnecessary "fussing;" besides, he has not the time to practise them. For this reason no further mention of these methods will be made at this time, but, instead, it should be our purpose so to manage our apiaries throughout the year as to consume the minimum amount of labor and expense, and yet yield the largest possible returns for our pocket-book. Amerikanische Bienenzucht, by Hans Buschbauer, is a bee-keeper's hand-book of 138 pages, which is just what our German friends will want. It is fully illustrated, and neatly bound in cloth. Price, postpaid, $1.00; or with the American Bee Journal one year — both for $1.75. Address all orders to this office. ^ Doctor Ittiller's Question -> 33ox J Send questions either to the office of the American Bee Journal, or to Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, 111. |^~ Dr. Miller does not answer Questions' by mail. Shipping Bees a Long Distance— Advertising Honey 1. How would you advise packing a colony of bees which is to be shipped by freight to New York from Texas ? 2. Do you think they will arrive safely, if well packed ? 3. When do you think is the best time ? 4. A publisher in New York offers me advertising space in exchange for a good colony of bees. Do you think this might prove profitable, or do you think that it does not pay to advertise honey in a journal of science? Texas. Answers. — 1. There must be good ventilation, and everything as firm as possible. You can make sure of the first by having a cover entirely of wire-cloth. Under this it may be well to have a sponge filled with water. If the frames are loose-hanging they must be made secure, either by nails driven down through the ends of the top-bars or by spacing with sticks. Put on written instructions for the hive to ride so the frames shall be parallel with the rails, a hand or an arrow to point toward the engine. 2. They should, although some roads will not accept less than a carload of bees to go by freight. 3. If sent when too cold there is danger of the combs breaking because brittle, if sent when too warm the bees will suffer from the heat. Probably it will not be too cold to send any time now. 4. Advertising in such a journal ought to help, but whether you would get the benefit thereof directly yourself depends altogether upon how it is managed. Pacing Hives Toward Pasture-Alsike Clover— Foul Brood-Wintering— Shade for Bees 1. Are linn and basswood the same ? 2. Should bee-hives be set so they would face the bee- pasture, or, if my bees face the east and the bee-pasture is west of them, will they go to it if there is pasture in the east, too ? 3. Is the queen-bee given as a premium by the American Bee Journal from a good, reliable breeder ? and is safe deliv- ery guaranteed ? 4. Did you ever raise any alsike clover ? and did it do any good ? 5. Where could I get some seed ? 6. I had one colony of bees that had a strong smell all summer. It didn't smell like anything dead. They were strong in bees and had lots of brood. There was none of the capped brood dead that I could see. The bottom-board outside in front would have dead larva dragged out on it in the morning. I took the brood out and it didn't have any smell to it ; it wasUhe honey that smelled so strong. I was very careful not to let any other bees get to it. At last I transferred it after the Baldridge plan (page 469-1905). I called it pickled brood. Now, what do you think it was ? 7. Does the United States have any free reading matter on foul brood ? If they do, I would like to know where to get it. 8. Is honey from a foul-broody colony fit for table use ? I never heard of any foul brood in this neighborhood, and there are lots of bees here. 9. This is the way I put my bees away for winter : I made a shed 20 inches high at the back, and 3 feet high in front, with sloping roof, and facing the east. I put the hives in about 6 inches apart, packed hay behind them and between, and put hay on top. What do you think of it ? 10. January 20 my bees had a good flight, from early in the morning until after sundown. They don't come out every little warm spell like bees that are left on the summer stand. How long can bees stay in and do well without having a flight ? Could they stay in until March, or longer ? 11. How would it do to make an arbor over my bees so March 1. 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 199 I could walk under it, and cover it with morning-glory vines and other flowering vines to shade it in the summer ? Illinois. Answers. — 1. Lynn, linn, lin, linden, basswood, and Tilia Americana, are all one and the same. 2. The direction the hives face will not make a particle of difference as to the bees finding the pasturage. If a hive faces east, the bees will find the pasture both east and west. 3. I have nothing to do with the premiums given, and do not know what the queens are, any more than to say I believe so thoroughly in the Editor that I don't believe he would knowingly send out anything he didn't think was all right. It is not usual to guarantee safe delivery unless it is specially mentioned, but the Editor is of age and can speak for himself. [The queens we send out are as good as can be reared, and safe delivery and satisfaction are guar- anteed.— Editor.] 4. I sowed alsike once or twice with no great success. But I have also failed with red clover sometimes, and upon another trial alsike might do better. 5. Toward spring you will usually find it advertised in the bee-papers. 6. As nearly as I can understand, the only thiug wrong was that the honey smelled bad and some brood was thrown out. There may have been no disease at all. It is possible that the brood thrown out was drone-brood. 7. I think not. 8. If nice and clean in appearance it is all right. Foul- broody honey that is death to bees is entirely wholesome for human beings. 9. In your latitude (about 39 degrees) bees prepared in that way ought to winter nicely. 10. The length of confinement that bees can endure without suffering varies with conditions. There is a point of temperature, somewhere about 45 degrees, at which bees are almost entirely dormant, and if kept constantly at that temperature they can stand 5 or 6 months' confinement. In your case, however, there is hardly need of such a question, for although well packed there will no doubt be more than one day between now and March when they will fly. Their not flying now when other bees fly is partly owing to the fact that they do not feel the need of a flight. 11. The morning-glories will give immediate results; but it might be well to plant something at the same time for future permanence, as Virginian-creeper (Ampelopsis quinquefolia), grape, etc. At the same time it must be men- tioned that some think the bees do better without shade in some localities. Yet the shade is a nice thing for the operator. Black or White for Painting Hives What do you think of the claim presented by Allen Latham recently, that black is a better color than white to paint bee-hives? Subscriber. Answer. — Mr. Latham gives some very interesting arguments, and they are not easily pooh poohed out of the way. He starts out with the law that good absorbers are good radiators — which can not be disputed — and argues from that, that while black is wamer than white in the sun, because of its radiating power, it is cooler than white in the shade. From that it would appear that black hives are cooler in winter than white, because there is more dark than sunshine during the 2V hours of each winter day. But he brings in another important item : When the sun shines brightly on a winter day when bees can fly, it is of the ut- most importance that the hive should have all the benefit of that heat, this importance being so great that the benefit of the black on these few occasions overbalances all the harm it does during the rest of the winter. His conclusion is that hives should be black, in the shade during summer and in the sun in winter, this to be obtained by the use os deciduous trees. If one can live up to the conditions, it if pretty hard to get away from his arguments. Please Send Us Names of Bee-Keepers who do not now get the American Bee Journal, and we will send them sample copies. Then you can very likely afterward get their subscriptions, for which work we offer valuable premiums in nearly every number of this Journal. You can aid much by sending in the names and addresses when writing us on other matters { 4 Percent Discount » We will allow you the above Discount on all Orders accompanied by |f Cash during March. Send for our Catalog. 1 PAGE & LYON MFG. CO., New London, Wis. 8 I BEE-SUPPLIES We manufacture everything needed in the Apiary, and carry a large stock and greatest variety. We assure you the best goods at LOWEST PRICES and our excellent freight facilities enable us to make prompt shipments over 15 dif- ferent roads, thereby saving you excessive freight charges as well as time nnd worry in having goods transferred and damaged. We make the Alternating, Massie, Langstroth and the Dovetail Hives Our prices are very reasonable, and to convince you of such we will mail you our free illustrated and descriptive catalog and price-list upon request. We want every bee-keeper to have our Catalog- SPECIAL DISCOUNTS now. Write to-day. Address, KRETGHMER MFG. GO., Council Bluffs. Iowa. Catalogs issued in English or German. Queen-Clipping Device Free! The Monbtte Queen-Clipping Device is a fine thing for use in catching and clipping Queens' wings. It is used by many bee- keepers. Full printed directions sent with each one. We mnil it for 25 cents; or will send it PRE K as a premium for sending us One New subscriber to the Bee Journal for a year at $1.00; or for SI. 10 we will mail the Bee Journal one year the Clipping Device. Address, flEORQE W. YORK & CO., - CHICAGO, ILL. mention Bee Journal when writing. The "Continuous" Hatcher is the name of an incubator which its makers claim will hatch chicks continuously every day. This idea they have very cleverly illustrated on the front cover of their catalog, which shows a bucketful of the brighest, liveliest chicks you ever saw. They look as if they were glad they were alive, and are singing the praise of their wooden mother. Besides listing the various machines and poultry ap- pliances made by The Hacker Incubator & Mfg. Co., St. Louis. Mo., the catalog contains a very complete and exhaustive article on the Bubjectof artificial incubation, showing how the principles which Nature employs to hatch fowls in a natural way must be observed if success is to crown your attempts to hatch them artifically. Every incubator owner and every poultry man and beginner in the chicken business is vitally interested in this most im- portant subject, and 6hould read the article published only in this catalog, which will be sent free to all those interested who will write for it. Mention the American Bee Journal when writing. Please mention Bee Journal when writing; advertisers. 200 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 1, 1906 Reports cmb (Experiences Fine Winter for Bees We are having a fine winter for bees that have plenty of stores, as 2 degrees above zero is the coldest this winter. E. G. Guthrey. Malta Bend, Mo., Feb. 11. A Discouraging Season Last spring was apparently a most promis- ing one for a bee-keeper. I don't remember any other spring when my bees were in a more promising condition. White and alsike clovers were most abundant and promising on all sides. But a cold, wet spell at the time of the height of the honey-flow changed com- pletely the outlook. Fifty-6even colonies, spring count, and about 2000 pounds of honey is the story— 1200 pounds of comb honey and 800 pounds of extracted. I don't remember the bees, on the whole, swarming so hastily. They commenced early for this section— May 22. Some of the first colonies insisted on swarming again as soon as they could rear brood and queen-cells in hives of mere foundation. H. H. Moe. Woodford, Wis , Feb. 8. Winter Well in the Cellar My bees are very quiet in the cellar. I do not meddle with them after putting them in. The hive-bottoms are all tight, with only a 38- inch opening in front, so that mice can not enter the hives, and there is practically no ventilation. My losse6 have been very light in the la6t 20 years that I have been keeping bees. I had more honey than any one else in this county last year. We had no fall honey. put 5 colonies in the cellar, and will re- port again after I get them out and examine them to 6ee how they are. In publishing my account last season, an error wa6 made in stating that I was getting 24 cents for honey, instead of having had 2400 pounds for the season. I am now getting 11 cent6 at the store, and 12}2' cents when I ped- dle it. My honey is of very fine quality. Algona, Iowa, Feb. 12. Wii. Cleart. Poorest Year for Honey Last year was the poorest for honey in my recollection. A great many bees starved during the fall of the year, and more will perish before spring. I started in the spring with 35 colonies, and did not get a pound of honey. A. T. Mull. Cleveland Mills, N. C, Feb. 1. hive-stand, which allows no harm from swell- ing of the boards. The boards for the bottom are all common % stuff, except that the front end has a '..-inch board nailed on, that pro- jects V. an inch. 1 find this style of bottom- board is ever so much better to keep snow and ice from shutting off the ventilation of the hive. I hope this style of bottom-board will be tried, and those that use it report to the Amer- ican Bee Journal. C. A. Bunch. St. Joseph Co., Ind. Wax from Bur-Comb for Testing For once Mr. Hasty was too hasty and jumped at conclusions. On page 143 he criti- cises the report of wax-test on page 10. Mr. Hasty says: "Look a little out how you use bur-comb pinched up into a lump as a standard," etc. If he will take the trouble to read it once again, he will find I said, '"A piece of wax that I secured from some bur-comb." Tbe wax was extracted from the comb as carefully— in fact, more so— than any regular extracting. I think Mr. Hasty's " specs " are too young for him. He would better get a pair more suited to his age. C. R. Russell. Worcester, Mass. Hive-Covers and Bottom-Boards I have 75 hive-covers for 75 12-frame Lang- stroth hives that are made thus: I always U6e common matched flooring white pine), I 6aw off the boards the right length, turn them upside down and nail a cleat on each end. Then turn the board right side up and tack on some newspapers or building-paper. Then nail a sheet of galva- nized iron along the edge with about 5 six- penny nails on each side. The ends of the metal sheet should project over each end about l.1 .j inches. It is now complete except the painting of the end cleats. The paper tacked on the top of the board before the metal is put on is to keep the hive cool in summer. I began making this style of top-board 14 years ago, and for my purpose it is nearly per- fect. These top-boards are somewhat expen- sive, but I expect them to outlast almost any other style of hive-cover that I know of. My bottom boards are made thus: I take 2 ->ieces of 2x4 and cut them 2 inches longer than the hive, so they will form a projection in front of the hive of 2 inches. I take floor- cng and cut it to be nailed crosswise of the Fears Bees Will Starve I started last spring with 50 colonies, in- creased to 66, and got only 700 pounds of comb honey. About July 15 the honey-flow ceased. On Sept. 1 I examined the apiary to see how the bees were fixed for winter, and found about 20 light colonies. To these I fed about 150 pounds of sugar, and thought I had them in good condition, but, to my surprise, I found them very light by Dec. 1. I fear I will have a heavy loss from starvation. I moved away from the place where they are in winter quarters, consequently can not feed them in winter. I make my own frames, and use a cover that I think is all right. It is simply a board-cover covered wiih asphalt roofing. I have used these covers for several years; they never leak, and with reasonable care will last a long time. I expect to move to northern Minnesota in March, and intend to try to take my bees in an emigrant car. How well I succeed I will write later. Dr. W. H. Ellis. Lohrville, Iowa, Feb. 8. Story of a Happy Life," which is well worth reading by any one desiring a moral, mental, or spiritual uplift in life. Harrison Co., Mo. T. A. Welden. Here is a Winner r One I ■ U^K •*♦»• -«.»«• -*#.»■ -*.» 'i»» -',«!•' 'i»i> -^^^7(7^T?(TT»•T»T^f71!^l^15^T^♦^, " If Goods are wanted Quick, send to Pouder " BEE-SUPPLIES Root's Goods at Root's Prices Everything used by Bee Keepers. POUDER'S HONEY-JARS. Prompt Service. i/ow Freight Rates. .-. .•. .'. Catalog Free. If you wish to purchase finest quality of HONEY for your local trade, write for my j free monthly pi ice-list of honey. Why not secure your BEE-SUPPLIES NOW FOR NEXT SEASON'S USE. and avail i yourself of the following very liberal discounts? Goods all Root Quality. f For cash orders before Feb. 1.. 6 percent For cash orders beforeMar.l.. 4 percent For cash orders before Apr. 1..2 percent WALTER S. fOUDER, . 513-515 Massachusetts Ave., INDIANAPOLIS, IND. A A A i'i i'i i'i A i'i A A ;*i i'i A i'i i(i it A A i'i i'i i'i i'i i'. Mention Bee Journal when writing. BEE-KEEPERS' AND POULTRY SUPPLIES LEWIS' BEEWARE is so well known it needs no introduction. 3 percent Discount on Bee- Supplies lor Jlarch. Beeswax wanted— 27c cash, 39c when taking bee-supplies in exchange. Extracted Honey For Sale. Prices on application. Sample, 10 cents. Cornell Incubators, Peep 0' Day Brooders and Cornell Chick Machinery SSIxcelled The 1906 Cornell Incubator is superior to anything heretofore put on the market. New 190C Catalog; tor either line Free. If you want orders filled PROMPTLY AT FACTORY PRICES, send your order to YORK HONEY AND BEE SUPPLY CO. ' Not' , Inc. , 141 Ontario Street, - CHICAGO, ILL. ( Long Distance 'Phone, North 1559. BEE- SUPPLIES Everything the beekeeper needs. Distributing house for Lewis' Goods at Factory Prices. Now i6 the time to buy for next season. Cash Orders for regular Supplies before April, 3 percent Discount. PINE EXTRACTED HONEY in cans or barrels. The best the world can produce Samples 8 cents, to pay postage and packing. How much can you use? Prices quoted quick on the quantity you mention. We buy BEESWAX at all times in the year. Send for our Catalog and "Special" — free. C. M. SCOTT & CO. itt*-*"-**"-*"" gDIANAPOLIS. IND. •}••{• +* * + "In every country tne successful advertiser is toe continuous advertiser.' March 1. 19C6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 203 LowestPrices Big Discount for Early Orders On Cash Orders Before November 1 9 percen " December 1 8 " " January 1 7 " " February 1 6 " " March 1 4 " " April 1 2 " Headquarters for Bee-Supplies Complete Stock for 1906 now on hand. CINCINNATI FREIGHT- RATES FROM are the LOWEST, ESPECIALLY for the SOUTH as 'mostiall freight now goes through Cincinnati. Prompt Service is what I practice. You will Satisfaction Guaranteed- Catalog mailed free. Send for same. SAVE MONEY BUYING FROM ME. Bee = Sup pi ieS E 4 Percent Discount for March OF ALL KINDS Established Nearly 25 Years We have published THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER for IS years (monthly, 50c a year.) The largest and best il- ustrated magazine of its kind for the price published. Edited by two of the most experienced bee - keepers in America. Sample copy free. Our large, illustrated Price-List of Supplies free on application. Address, The W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co. JAHESTOWN, N.Y. £)oney anb * 23eestpax-f Chicago, Feb. ".—The demand is about nor- mal with sufficient stocks to meet all require- ments. The best grades of white comb honey bring 14® 15c, with off grades at l@3c less, de- pending upon color, condition and shape. Ex- tracted, aside from white clover and basswood, ;choice grades of which are practically unob- tainable), is in ample supply at 6H@7»c; am- ber, 6^(3i7c, with off grades still lower. Bees- wax, 30c. R- A. Burnett & Co. Toledo, Feb. 19.— The market for comb honey has been better for the past two weeks than at any time during the past season. Prices are firm on account of the scarcity. We are getting la@16c for fancy white clover; i4@15c lor No. 1, and 13©14c for amber. Buckwheat, 13c. Extracted honey is in good demand at following prices: While clover in barrels brings 6S4ic; light amber, (>%@>7%c. Beeswax. 24c for clean yellow. The Colo. Honey-Producers' Assn. Kansas City, Feb. 19.— The supply of comb honey is faiily large, also extracted. We quote fancy No. 1 white 24-section honey at $3 00 per case; amber, {2.75. White extracted 6J4c, and light amber 6c. Beeswax, 25@30c. C C. Clbmons & Co. Cincinnati, Jan. 23. — The nice weather holds back the demand for comb honey. Crops seem to be exceedingly short and producers in the West keep the prices high. We quote as fol- lows: Fancy water-white and No. 1 white clo- ver, 14@i6c; No. 2, 12@14c. Extracted seems to be more plentiful, and we quote same in barrels, 5K@5^c; in c*ns, He more; white clover, 7@8c. Beeswax, 28@30c. C. H. W. Webbr. ONE TON White Clover Honey Candied — a 60-pound can, $6. Cash and instructions sent to Farmers' Bank. JOHN C. STEWART 8Atf HOPKINS, MO. FOR SALE Until further notice, fine t quality new crop California Water White White Sage and Light Amber HONEY in 60-lb. tins, 2 in a case; new cans and new cases Write for prices and sam pies, and state quantity you want. HILDRETH & SEGELKEN 265 & 267 Greenwich Street, New York, N.Y 34Atf Please meniion the Bee Journal. MONEY AND BEESWAX When consigning, buying or selling, consult R. A. BURNETT & CO., 199 South Watbr St. Chicago. III. Wi Sell root's Goods in Michigan Let us quote you prices on Sections, Hives, Foundation, etc., as we can save you time and freight. Beeswax Wanted for Cash. M. H. HUNT & SON. Bell Branch, Wayhb Co., Mich 1 BEE-SUPPLIES I !^ We handle the finest Bee-Supplies, made by the W. T. Falconer ^>\ ^ Mfg. Co., Jamestown, N. Y. Big Discounts on early orders. Let us S^ ^3 figure with you on your wants. g» ■^ Muth Special Dovetail Hives have a Honey-Board, Warp-Proof ^ /* Cover, and Bottom Board. Think of it, same price as the regular styles. ^; f$ Send for Catalog. ^ ? THE FRED W. MUTH CO. f < 51 Walnut Street, CINCINNATI, OHIO. 204 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 1 1906 'fitted! >xamsuy L.CWIS t>ee= Ware always fits. Every part meets every other part accurately. It goes together like a watch. This means something, does it not ? All parts can be assembled in a jiffy. no loss of patience ! Why ? Because they fit. No loss of material, no loss of time, LeWIS Dee= HiveS are made from clear, white Wisconsin pine. No knots or other imperfections. Therefore different from other makes of hives. Absolutely clear, and when we say clear, we mean exactly what we say. LeWiS Sections are made from white Wisconsin basswood — the finest in the world. Lewis Sections are the best in the world. They ought to be. They are the most carefully selected and the most carefully made. Insist on Lewis Goods. Accept no substitutes. Look for the brand. Send for Catalog to-day, if you haven't one. There are a score of our agents besides ourselves who can furnish you with LEWIS GOODS at factory prices. They are : ENGLAND— E. H. Taylor, Welwyn, Herts CUBA— C. B. Stevens & Co., Havana C. B. Stevens & Co., Manzanlllo CALIFORNIA— The Chas. H. Lilly Co., San Francisco SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA— Paul Bachert, Lancaster Fletcher-Doyle Co., San Diego Fallbrook Co-operative Ass'n, Fallbrook COLORADO— R. C. Aikin, Loveland Arkansas Valley Honey-Prodncers' Associa- tion, Rocky Ford COLORADO-(Continued.) Colorado Honey-Producers' Association Colorado Fruit-Growers' Association, Grand Junction Robert Halley, Montrose ILLINOIS-York Honey & Bee-Supply Co., Chicago IOWA— Adam A. Clarke, Le Mars Louis Hanssen's Sons, Davenport INDIANA— C. M. Scolt & Co., Indianapolis MICHIGAN— A. Rapids G. Woodman & Co., Gracd MINNESOTA— Wis. Lumber Co., Faribault MISSOURI— E. T. Abbott, St. Joseph OHIO— Norris & Anspach, Kenton OREGON— The Chas. H. Lilly Co., Portland PENNSYLVANIA— Cleaver & Greene, Troy TEXAS— Southwestern Bee Co., San Antonio UTAH— Fred Foulger & Sons. Ogden WASHINGTON— The Chas. H. Lilly Co.. Seattle G. B. LEWIS COMPANY WATERTOWN, WIS., U.S.A. E JOURN 46th Year CHICAGO. ILL., MARCH 8, 1906 No. 10 <£f «£ T. Sr i 0 Home and Apiary of C. H. Harlan, of Mora, Minn. (See page 210. ) <'\ m 206 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 8, 19C6 PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY GEORGE W.YORK S COMPANY 334 Dearborn Street, Chicago, 111. IMPORTANT NOTICES THE SUBSCRIPTION PRICE of this Journal Is BjniVml the United States, Canada, and &xco/a"dtner countries in the Postal Union .M cents a year extra for postage. Sample copy free. THE WRAPPER-LABEL. DATE Indicates the end of the month to which your subscript." i is paid. For i nstance. " dec()6" on your label shows that it is paid to the end of Dtcember. SUBSCRIPTION RECEIPTS.- We do not send a receipt for money sent us to pay subscription but change the date on your wrapper-label, which shows that the money has been received and credited. ADVERTISING RATES will be given upon appll- oation. . National Bee Keepers' Association Objects of the Association 1st -To promote the interests of its members. . 2d.— To protect and defend its members in their '"sd'-To'enforce laws against the adulteration of honey. Anmia, Membership Dues, Si.oo General Manager an^Tn^surer -^ ^^^ ^ or If more convenient. Dues may be sent to the oubUsherB of the American Bee Journal. Contents of this Number The Honey-Producers' League (INCORPORATED) OBJECTS: 1. To create a larger demand for honey through * 2! To publish facts about honey, and counteract misrepresentations of the same. MEMBERSHIP DUES 1 Any bee-keeper may become a member by pay- ing to the Manager an annual fee of $1.00 for each 20 (or fraction of 20) colonies of bees (spring count) he owns or operates. 2 Any honey-dealer, bee-supply dealer, bee-supply manufacturer, bee-paper publisher, or any other Arm or Individual, may become a member on the annual payment of a fee of $10, increased by one- fifth of one (1) percent of his or its capital used in the allied interests of bee-keeping. qboroe W. York, Manager, 334 Dearborn St., CHICAGO, ILL. JUustraUons — Home aDd Apiary of C. U.Harlan 1st Page KandratiefT, G -1" Editorial Notes and Comments— Propolized Quilts for Smoker-Fuel 208 Kidding One or More Bee-Papers -'!" Will Very Young Bees Work Afield * 209 Miser!/, meous Neivs Item* — Bee-Keeper's Home Burned 210 Deatu of G Kandratieff 2Jo Home and Apiary of C. U.Harlan 210 National Association 210 Northern Michigan Convention 210 Officers of Colorado Association 210 Contributed Special Articles— Beeswax— Its Origin, Composition, Etc 211 Color of Wax 211 Composition of Wax .. — ■ 21:- Dadant Methods of Honey-Production (No. 5) 212 Refining Wax 2JJ Wax Preparation.. 211 Canadian Seedom — Dead Bees on the Alighting-Board 213 Expensive Carelessness 213 Pure Seed Special Train 212 Ripening Honey 2J3 '" Whipped Honev " 212 Winter Bee-Repository AboveGround 213 Wintering Bees— Wrung Conclusons* 213 Our Sister Bee- Keepers — Langstroth'ntne *** Honey-Bee Revised by Dadant— Latest Edition. 214 "Xlie continuous advertiser gets the bulk ot Hie business, because others are not adver- tising, and he is.". "Glucose a Blessing" "Gluiose Harmless" ■ " Glucose and Its Uses— The Honest Label Mr. Baxty,» Afterthoughts— Adult Bees and Foul Brood Uershiser Bottom-Board 214 How the Celled Queen develops 214 Position of Hive-Entrance 2i4 Wax-Moth 214 Southern Beedom — Baby Nuclei and Queen-Rearing 215 " The Rearing of Queen-Bees " 215 Dr. Miller's Question- Bux— Amount of Stores Used in Wintering 217 Cleaning Out Old Combs and Unfinished sec- tions Cracker-Box H i ves . Kail Feeding of Sugar Syrup for Winter Stores Folding Faulty Sections Increase by Swarming or Buying Italianizing and Caucasianizing Bees Large Hives. Etc -'" Moving Colonies a short Distance 21b Swarm-Catching Devi.e 216 ( 'onvention Proceedings — Control of Increase ...: •■•■■ 2J7 Proper Retail and Wholesale Prices of Honey 218 Wisconsin State Convention 217 Reports and Experiences — Bees Do Move Eggs 2IP i hanging Queens ->>» Frames *'° Handling Hives, Not Frames 2l« MildWeatber 2is Rendering Combs into Beeswax. sis This is one of the standard books on bee-culture, and ought to be in the library of every bee-keeper. It is bound substantially in cloth, and contains over 500 pages, being revised by those large, practical bee-keepers, so well- known to all the readers of the Ameri- can Bee Journal — Chas. Dadant & Son. Bach subject is clearly and thoroly ex- plained, so that by following the in- structions of this book one cannot fail to be wonderfully helped on the way to success with bees. The book we mail for $1 .20, or club It with the American Bee Journal for one year— both for $2.00 ; or, we will mail it as a premium for sending us THREE NEW subscribers to the Bee Journal for one year, with $3.00. This is a splendid chance to get a grand bee-book for a very little money or work. GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, ILL 2 6 216 21« 216 216 FREE ROSES & SEEDS 50c WORTH Free rosebush, due bill for 50c ' — worth of free seeds, and a free packet of seed will be sent to all sending for our hand- ' some new catalog. Send 10c to pay postage. A. A. BERRY SEED CO.. BOX 49, CLARINOA, IOWA | If you want the Bee-Book That covers the whole Aplcultural Field more completely than any other published, send $1.20 to Prof. A. J. Cook, Clarentont, Cal ., FOR HIS "Bee-Keeper's Guide." Liberal Discounts to the Trade. The Rietsche Press Made of artificial stone. Practically inde- structible, and giving entirely satisfactory re- sults. Comb foundation made easily and quickly at less than half the cost of buying from the dealers. Price of Press, $1.50— cash with order. Address, ADRIAN GETAZ, 45Atf KNOXVILLE, TENN. tyj.G. Goodner, of this State, writes me that he "prefers to pay $2S for a Rietsche Press than do without it." — A. G. Mention Bee Journal when writing. " It Is continuous advertising that impresses the public with the stability of a firm." NOT IN THE TRUST For High-Grade Cans Prices Always the Lowest Write for Prices, Stating Quantity Wanted Friction lop Cans for Honey and Syrup , , ...__.: , ._ „,, „.j„.„ a.„>„ioi ™\™<: m momhers of the Bee-Keepers' Assoc Prompt shipment and careful attention given to all orders mention Bee Journal when writing;. Made by Special prices to members of the Bee-Keepers' Ass°°*tj°nf/^ CANNERS CAN CO.. 1035 W. 47th Street, CHICAGO, ILL. March 8, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 207 « MDANT'S FOUNDATION" IT EXCELS EVERY INCH equal to sample Beauty, Purity, Firmness. No Sagging, No Loss. Twenty-seven Years of Experience. We Guarantee Satisfaction. WAX WORKED INTO FOUNDATION BEE=SUPPLIES of all kinds. Beeswax Wanted at all times DADANT & SONS, Hamilton, 111. SEND FOR OUR CATALOG I " m r r \A7 rita fni* nni« no tit hoinr if)] I rpcc Write for ournew, beautiful rntL catalog; of high grade seeds. Enclose Ave 2c stamps or a dime formailingbush. We send free due bill for 50c worth of seeds, packet of seeds and handsome ruse hush. Do it to-day. A, A. Berry Seed Co., Box 49, - - Clarinda, Iowa. Mention Bee Journal when writing- SEE THE I906 RELIABLE before you buy. Perfectly practical for poul- trymen or beginners. Double heating system gives bigger hatches— saves one- third the oil. Sold on a money back guarantee. Write fot free catalog. Reliable Farm Pure- Bred Birds and Eggs. Get prices. Reliable Incubator and Brooder Co., Box B-15S Quincy, Illinois, U. S. A. Mention lli>e Journal wheu wrltlui*. *:♦ *;• *!• *;♦ *«*• *;♦ ♦.♦ •*!• •!• •;♦ *I* •I* *!•■ •*!• *!• *:♦ •:•- *■:• •:• «;♦ ♦ • ♦ ♦ **•» i'i iV «,*« J DITTMER makes a SPECIALTY of WORKING S Beeswax into Comb Foundation. Write for our Price-Li6t, Samples, and early-order Discount. We would like to send them to you at our expense. prr »*- .a. Mention Bee Journal when writing;. '•7 Wisconsin Basswood Sections And Prompt Shipments Is what we are making for our customers. — DOVETAILED HIVES AND SHIPPING-CASES - We carry a full line of SUPPLIES. A k for Catalog. i riARSHFIELD HANUFACTURINQ CO., "larshfield, Wis. Mention Bee Journal when wrU'ag. California All About The PaciBe Rural Press has been a house- hold word throughout California for 35 years. It is authority on all matters regarding the soil or products of California. Weekly, illus- trated : Edited by practical specialists. Two Dollars per year. Send for sample copy. Pacific Rural Press, 330 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif. SOAtf Please mention the Bee Journal. 65c for 12 Names ^SSSSTSS-^ stamps taken— we will send for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Cull— reg. bud. price 41 Ho»« may ba attached to BllV |U< oi ( fii, of Colony houae, naghroom bouto, *oiall portable budding or plana box and make about as y ■■■) a brooder as money can I. >it ffrlta for catalog and tot) At* i ka PRBE. Others 10 follow, you'll t-et tbem all If your name li uii our mall list. Prairie Slats Incubator Co., 351 Main St., Homer City. Pa. Please mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. 208 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 8, 1906 SPRIIG'S HERE m l~*~- "'- March sees [bee-activity in practically every portion of the United States. In the extreme South bees are & already gathering honey. In the middle South the buds are swelling- and pollen coming in. In the North the 9 bees have occasional flights. EVERYWHERE bee-keepers are getting ready for the harvest. It is high time ff Supplies were ordered and made up. It does not pay to delay another day. Very soon our early-order discounts 9 will be discontinued. And, too, if you are not ready for your bees it is ten to one you will lose bees and honey — ff money. g£g3 |» March Discount is 2 Percent § Now is the time. The Root system of Branch Houses and Agencies are the most apparent value to bee W keepers. Nine out of ten bee-keepers in the United States are within 200 miles of some one of the Root agencies «K' named below. Ninety-nine out of a hundred bee-keepers east of the Missouri and north of Mason'Jand Dixon's fline, can mail a letter to one of these agents and it will be received within 24 hours. When you consider the many other dealers handling Root's Goods the average bee-keeper is doubtless within a hundred-mile circle of one *? of them. Just think of the saving of freight and time this means to YOU. i flake Out That Order To=Day &> Alabama *Wetumpka J. M. Jenkins Canada. Toronto E. Grainger & Co. California *Fresno Madary Planing Mill *Los Angeles California National Honey Producers' Association Colorado Denver The L. A. Watkins Mdse. Cr. Fruita Fruita bruit and Produce Ass'n District ol Columbia Washington The A. I. Root Co. Georgia Savannah Howkins & Rush 124 Liberty St. Illinois Chicago The A. I. Root Co. 144 East Erie Street. Indiana Indianapolis Waller S. Pouder Evansvllle Vickery Bros. Iowa Des Moines Joseph Nyse wander Catalog will be sent by Return Mail. Kansas Augusta Carl F. Buck Mississippi Brazelia George A. Hummer Massachusetts Boston H. H. Jepson. 182 Friend Street Lyonsville W. W. Cary & Son Maine M echanic Falls The A. I. Root Co . Maryland Baltimore Rawlins Implement Co. Michigan Bell Branch M. H. Hunt & Son Fremont George E. Hiltou Minnesota St. Paul The A.I. Root Co. 1024 Mississippi Street. Missouri High Hill Jno Nebel & Son Supply Co. Springfield Spring field Seed Co. St. Louis 1 11 .ui ke <£ Hauk New Mexico Carlsbad Ed ward Scoggin New York Syracuse The A. I. Root Co. New York City The A. I. Root Co. 44 Vesey Street. Ohio Columbus Grove McAdams Seed Co. Toledo Griggs Bros., 521 Monroe St. Zanesville E. W. Pierce Cincinnati C. H. W. Weber 2146 Central Avenue Oregon ♦Portland Portland Seed Co. Pennsylvania Du Bois Prothero & Arnold Philadelphia The A. I. Root Co. 10 Vine Street Williamsport E. E. Pressler 633 Lycoming Street Texas Dallas Texas Seed and Floral Co. San Antonio Udo Toepperwein Uvalde D. M. Edwards Utah Ogden The Superior Honey Co. Virginia Spottswood W. E. Tribbett 1% p ''These dealers buy our goods in carload lots but supplement them with local-made goods. We have also some 500 local dealers in all parts of the country. « THE ft. I. ROOT GO., , Ohio U.S.A. (Entered at the Post-Offlce at Chicago as Second-Class Mall-Matter.) Published Weekly at $1.00 a Tear-, by George W. Vork & Co., 334 Dearborn St. QBORQB W. YORK, Editor CHICAGO, ILL, MARCH 8, 1906 VoL XLVI— No, 10 ^ (Sbttortal Hotes anb Comments j Propollzed Quilts for Smoker-Fuel On page 137 was given a clipping from the British Bee Journal recommending the use of old bee-quilts as a good thing to subdue bees of unusual viciousness. In a later number of the same journal, "J. G." reports a case in which he used this article to subdue the bees, and the more he smoked them the more it seemed to infuriate them ; and finally he had to beat an inglorious retreat from the en- raged little creatures. Will Very Young Bees Work Afield? It is well known that division of labor prevails in the economy of the bee-hive, and it is pretty generally under- stood that in the normal course of affairs in the busy season a young bee performs household duties until something like 16 days old, and for the remaining 26 days of its life it is a " field hand." It is also well understood that there are ex- ceptions to the first part of this rule. When, after the win- ter's nap, the queen first begins to lay eggs, and, indeed, during the first 3 weeks of her laying, there is not a bee in the hive under 16 days old. Not only are all the workers more than 16 days old, but the youngest one has already lived somewhere from 2 to S months. And yet, with noth- ing but these old bees in the hive, there seems to be no trouble in having the eggs and brood properly cared for. To this it may be replied that although these bees may have come into existence months before doing duty as nurse-bees, yet that existence has been so nearly in a dor- mant condition that they are to all intents and purposes still young bees — a view further substantiated by the fact that their span of life at this time of year covers months as against weeks of the busy season. The question is not whether a worker can act as a nurse after it has spent more than 16 days in a dormant condition, but whether it is still fit as a nurse after having already faithfully served its full 16 days at the business. To this comes the reply that the fact has been estab- lished, and may again be established, in the following man- ner : Quietly remove from its stand a hive containing a full colony at a time of day when no bees are at play, or early in the morning before any bees have left the hive, and set it some distance away upon a new stand. Upon the old stand place a hive of combs containing a little honey but no brood. As soon as the bees from the old hive, upon returning from the fields, begin to assemble at the new hive upon the old stand, take the queen from the old hive and put it into the new. There will be in this hive no bees except fielders, and yet the queen will lay and brood will be reared in a normal manner. That seems to prove conclu- sively that although under normal conditions a worker does only field-work after passing the age of " sweet sixteen," yet when necessity arises it may again turn to housework. It would seem not altogether unnatural to believe that if, when the necessity arises, a bee past the usual nursing age may again take up that duty, a very young bee might in its turn, conditions demanding it, turn to field-work. What about that ? On page 139, L,. Stachelhausen cites so good an authority as Baron Berlepsch to prove that bees not more than 11 days old are not competent to gather honey and pollen, saying : " Another experiment proves that the bees of a colony, in which no actual field-bees are present, and no brood were to be fed, when 11 days old could not gather any pollen or honey, and were in a starving condition when the experi- ments were ceased to save the bees. Baron Berlepsch con- cludes from this that the beescan't become field-bees earlier than at the regular age, even under the most pressing con- ditions." But now comes this note from Dr. C. C. Miller on this subject : That's a very pretty fight between Messrs. Getaz and Stachelhausen. Both men are able and candid, and I hope they may continue sparring until we have some additional light upon the very important matter of the cause and pre- vention of swarming. But I am constrained to say that one of the foundation stones upon which Mr. Stachelhausen builds is not as reliable as it might be. He quotes an ex- periment of Berlepsch, as proving that bees under 11 days old will starve rather than do field-work. Some years ago, upon receiving an imported queen, I put her in a hive with several frames of ripe brood, being very careful that not a single bee was allowed to remain on the combs. The hive was closed bee-tight, and not opened until 5 days had expired Not long after the entrance was opened bees were seen returning to the hive with loads of pollen. They could not have been more than 5 days old, and their appearance did not belie their age. It would not be difficult for Mr. Stachelhausen to repeat the experiment. I think others have had a like experience. C. C. Miller. "When doctors differ," etc. It is at least a supposable thing that there were some special conditions in the experi- ment of Berlepsch of such nature that no field-work would have been done, even if bees much beyond the requisite 16 days of age had been present ; and, in any case, if there was no mistake in Dr. Miller's experiment, the fact that he had seen bees not more than 5 days old go afield would 210 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 8, 1906 hardly be nullified by the fact that one, or several others, had not seen a like occurrence. All the same, it would be a good thing to have the testimony of others upon this mooted point. Reading One or More Bee-Papers D. M. Macdouald, the very intelligent Scotch contribu- tor to the British Bee Journal, quotes W. L. Coggshall as saying: " I can not afford not to take all the bee-papers pub- lished in the United States, and, moreover, I can not afford not to scan every page after they come to hand." And then adds : " I read a round dozen, and rarely miss a single para- graph of any one of them. In every issue I get new matter well worth the price of the paper. My opinion is that no investment in bee-keeping pays better than the money spent in bee-literature. Several good text-books are indis- pensable, and two or more bee-papers are equally so." Miscellaneous Hetps * 3 terns =J The Naiioal Association is doing business right along. General Manager France says $275 in dues have been received since Nov. 1, 1905, $104 of it being at $1.00 per member. He also says many letters received lately re- port bees wintering nicely. A. Y. Baldwin, of DeKalb, 111., one of the oldest read- ers of the American Bee Journal, died Feb. 20, 1906, with pneumonia, after about 10 days' illness. He was one of this Journal's best friends, sending in one or more new sub- scribers every year. He was born in Oneida Co., N. Y., Sept. 29, 1831. The Officers of the Colorado Association, elected at their meeting in January, are as follows : President, W. P. Collins, of Boulder ; Vice-President, F. Rauchf uss, of Denver ; Secretary, G. Tomlin, of Ft. Collins ; Treasurer, Mrs. R. A. Rhodes, of Platteville ; and member of Execu- tive Committee, Oliver Foster, of Boulder. A Bee-Keeper's House Burned.— D. E. Barker, of Oklahoma City, Okla., was building a fine new house, and on Feb. 9, at 6 a.m., it caught fire from the flue, and was burned. All of his furnishings, and some of his bees, were also burned. There was no insurance, and he is unable to rebuild. Besides all the foregoing, Mr. Barker has been sick nearly all winter, so not able to do much. Surely he has been unfortunate. " No insurance " should serve as a warning to all. See to it that your property is properly in- sured now. The Home and Apiary of C. H. Harlan are pictured on the first page. When sending the photographs, Mr. Harlan wrote as follows : The picture of my apiary was taken from the north end of the porch of the dwelling-house. The bee-hives are fac- ing the south. The end of the house shown in the picture of the apiary is the bee-house. My bees are north and west of this house, which has 2 full-size windows — one in the end and one in the side close to the northwest corner. These windows are put in horizontally, or right opposite to what they are in a dwelling-house. I have a work-table in this corner of the building, and by having the windows as I have mentioned, I have a full view of the whole bee-yard without leaving the work-table. As to the residence and other buildings, I can truthfully say that it is a home the bees built. C. H. Harlan. Leroy Highbarger, of Leaf River, 111., is one of the older readers of the American Bee Journal. For several years he has been in ill health. On May 15, 1905, he was stricken with paralysis, and lost the use of his left arm ; it also affected his sight, so that he can not see to read, but he can get around with the use of a cane, and says he has a good appetite. He would like to see all of his old friends again. Through his affliction he has not been able to at- tend to his bees, and reports a very light crop of honey for the last season. Surely, all of us will sympathize with Mr. Highbarger in his affliction, and hope that he may entirely recover. Death of G. Kandratieff.— L'Apicoltore, of Milan, Italy, announces the death of the eminent Russian apiarist, Mr. G. Kandratieff, who is known to the readers of the American Bee Journal as the translator of the Eangstroth- Dadant book, " TheHive and Honey-Bee," into the Russian G. KANDRATIEFF. language. It was through his efforts that progressive api- culture was brought to the notice of Russian bee-keepers. He was 72 years old, and was manager of the Theatre- Marie, in St. Petersburg. We published a biographical sketch of Mr. K. on page 260 of the American Bee Journal for 1901. The Northern Michigan Bee-Keepers' Association will hold its next annual meeting at Kalkaska, Mich., Wednesday and Thursday, April 5 and 6, 1906. Generous prizes are offered for certain exhibits. W. Z. Hutchinson, E. D. Townsend and Geo. H. Kirkpatrick, the President, will read papers. Special hotel rates are given by the Manning House. Send to the Secretary, Ira D. Bartlett, East Jordan, Mich., for a copy of the announcement, list of prizes offered, etc. Then attend the convention if you pos- sibly can do so. Amerikanische Bienenzucht, by Hans Buschbauer, is a bee-keeper's hand-book of 138 pages, which is just what our German friends will want. It is fully illustrated, and neatly bound in cloth. Price, postpaid, $1.00; or with the American Bee Journal one year — both for $1.75. Address all orders to this office. March 8, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 211 4- (£ontrtbutcb * Special Clrticles ^ j Beeswax— Its Origin, Composition, Etc. BY ADRIAN CETAZ. FOR a long time it was thought that the bees were gathering the wax on the plants; in fact, the pollen was taken to be the crude wax thus gathered. Later on it was discovered that the wax is produced by the bees in a way similar to that by which a cow produces milk. It comes out of their bodies under the rings of the abdo- men at eight different places, four on each side. It is then of a pearly white color, and in the shape of flat pellets. These pellets are taken up and put together in building the combs. When new the comb is nearly white, but to me it seems to be not quite as white as the pellets of wax with which it has been made. It seems to me more yellow. Evidently some of the bees' saliva and other mouth excre- tions must get more or less mixed with the wax, and per- haps contribute toward giving it the yellow tinge. The mixture of saliva may also explain why the moth-worms can live and grow on wax alone, or rather the combs. It is impossible for any animal — insect or worm — to grow without what is termed "nitrogenous substances." Now the wax is not a nitrogenous substance, but the saliva of the bees, or the product of some of the mouth-glands, is. So, if any is mixed with the wax forming the combs, there would be some nitrogenous matter for the use and growth of Mr. Moth-worm. It has been frequently noted that a sheet of comb foundation is tough and leathery compared with the nat- ural comb built by the bees. _This is chiefly due to the compactness of the foundation, caused by the pressure of the rolls, or. worse yet, the Weed machines. The lightness of the natural comb may possibly be due partly to a mix- ture of the saliva. In analyzing the wax, the comb is always melted, and the bees' saliva, if there is any, goes off in the water. It would be well to investigate again in some way to retain and study the saliva, or whatever mix- ture, if any, may be with the wax. Color of Wax. The color of the wax has not been fully investigated. The pellets of wax fresh from the abdomen are certainly white, or very nearly white. The freshly built comb is certainly a little more yellow, or at least it seems so to me. Later on it becomes dark yellow, then brown, and finally so dark as to be practically black. What are the causes of this darkening? One is unquestionably the rearing of brood. Every bee-keeper has seen new combs that were yet very light in color except where some brood had been reared. There the comb had already assumed a pretty dark-brown color, due to the excrement left by the hatching brood. But even where no brood has been reared, the comb will eventually assume that dark-brown color, but of much more slowly. I am at a loss to account for it. Xone of the text-books and papers that I have examined u;ive any clue to it except, of course, what concerns the brood. Every one knows that the common flies, when running over the glass of the windows or pictures, leave mail, round, dark specks. What every one does not know is that these specks are made by their feet. Thes vided with a kind of sponge that secretes a so That glue enables them to stick to any surface on they walk, even on the ceiling of a room. If the It j will turn to his text-1 ks, he will find that the . • of the bees are provided with the same kind of an And I suppose that the sticky substance that enabh eta In walk anywhere is mi the causes of the >' IQg of the combs. Xot only the combs, but the exposed wood on which they walk, walls of hive, frames, secti ■ tc, ami especially the entranci 3 of the line-. Thi - I me. in course of time, as dark as any comb. Yet that d not fully explain all the particularities. Wax Preparation. To prepare the wax. the combs are usually melted with some water; the wax rises to the top, and most of the impurities, brood-cocoons and brood-excrements, also rise to the top. Usually a layer of pure wax is found first, then a layer of impurities mixed with wax, then some impurities in the water, ami finally pure water strongly colored by the combs, if they are old and dark. In that last case the wax will also be very (Jal"k. Cheshire says that water containing lime or other alkaline substances damage the wax. Some European writers claim that water containing iron will color the wax. In either case, the trouble could be avoided by add- ing a little sulphuric acid — one teaspoonful for a gallon of water would be sufficient for the worst cases. The trouble comes wdien an attempt is made to sepa- rate the wax from the impurities that are below the layer of pure wax. With very old combs, or combs containing pollen, dead brood, etc., there is no layer of pure wax— the whole top is a mixture of wax and impurities. It is claimed that the press alone can separate the wax from the impurities — the slumgum, as they are called. I have not had sufficient experience with the press to be positive in my assertions, but I do not think that the wax can all be pressed out of the pores of the slumgum, unless water is made to take its place. And if such is really the case, it is better to dispense with the press altogether. Several processes and apparatus to extract the wax from the slumgum with the aid of boiling water have been described. I described one in this paper a few years ago. I have since made a change in it. The cheapest is to use a wash-boiler, with a partition of fine wire-cloth placed at five or six inches from one end. The combs to melt and the water are put into the large compartment. Of course the water goes also into the other through the wire-cloth. So does the melted wax. In fact, this small compartment is for the purpose of dipping out the wax without being bothered by the slumgum. As the large compartment is open, the slumgum can easily be stirred, punched and mashed, until every particle of wax is out. It is best to have the fire rather low until the wax is all melted and dipped out. That is, as much as possible, for it takes quite a boiling to get it all. The reason for it is because the wax just melted is of a much brighter color, not being yet tainted by the excrements of the brood and other coloring substances that may be in the combs. In fact, these coloring substances are first dis- solved by the water and then absorbed from the water by the wax. For that reason the wax should be dipped out as fast as it melts. While the first dipped is quite bright, the last may be almost black through long contact with the water. As much salt as the water can dissolve should be added to it. It helps the separation of the wax consid- erably, partly by raising the heat to the boiling point, partly by increasing the density of the water, and, there- fore, the tendency of the wax to rise above it. The wash- boiler, or any vessel in which the operation is done, should be tinned. Galvanized iron and copper may give the wax a kind of green color. Refining Wax. The wax thus prepared is often too dark for commer- cial purposes, or for surplus comb foundation.- But it can be brought to a bright color by treating it with sulphuric acid. The best way to do it on a small scale is to melt the wax with about the same quantity of water in a tin vessel. A tin bucket will do. It should not be quite full, as there will be some foaming. When the water is boil- ing, or nearly so, and the wax quite warm, the vessel is taken from the fire. The acid is then poured in very slowly, the wax being stirred well all the time. As the acid does not act at once, it is well, when a spoonful or so has been poured in. to wait a minute or two before pouring more. The action of the acid causes a foaming, and if it was poured in ( ast the wax might run over. Be sure not to drop any acid on your hands or clothes, ami to pour it in the mixture very slowly, otherwise there will be serious trouble Keep stirring the wax all the time. When the foam is white, and the wax under appears of an orange color, the operation is done. The . cssel is put back on the fire; the wax. or rather the wati r, brought to a i I then the vessel is taken out and left to cool. The slower it cools the better. I usually put it on several thickrt of old newspapers; put over and around quite a number; 212 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 8, 1906 tie them with a string so that no portion of the vessel is exposed, and when thus fixed the wax does not get com- pletely cold in less than 36 hours. Composition of Wax. Just now the question of adulteration threatens to become very serious, and the tests that can be used to de- tect the adulterating substances may well be examined. Unfortunately the determination of the purity of a sample of beeswax is quite difficult, nearly as much so as that of honey adulterated with glucose. To begin with, the wax is not, as generally supposed, a single substance, but a mixture of three different ones, which do not respond alike to the tests that may be applied. The first one is the cerine. sometimes called cerotic acid. It dissolves easily in boiling alcohol, and melts at 172 degrees Fahrenheit. It crystallizes from its dissolu- tion in delicate needles. The second is the myricine. This dissolves in boiling alcohol with much difficulty; it takes at least 200 times its weight of alcohol and a prolonged boiling. Boiled with a potash lye, it is transformed into a kind of soap. It melts at 127 degrees. It is of a greyish white color, and does not crystallize. The third substance is the ceroleine. It is quite soft, very soluble in alcohol, and melts at about 60 degrees. There is only 4 or 5 per cent of it in the wax. One of the text-books I have before -me gives the proportion of cerine in the wax at 14j^ per cent, and an- other at 22 per cent. A third one merely states that the proportion is quite variable. While the myricine is easily transformed into a soap, the other two substances are transformed only with a very strong lye in large quantities and with a prolonged boiling. Eventually the whole wax is transformed into a soap, or rather a mixture of several kinds of soap. These differ from the soaps formed with vegetable oils and animal fats, in that they do not contain any glycerine. It has been said that this transformation of the wax into soap might be used to detect the presence of any mineral wax or other similar substance mixed with the wax. I doubt it. I have not before me enough informa- tion to decide the question, but a strong, boiling potash lye will decompose almost anything in that line. Knoxville, Tenn. 5— Dadant Methods of Honey-Production BY C. P. DADANT. I WISH to digress a little from the task of describing our methods, to speak to you on two subjects which I have seen discussed lately, and on which I cannot 'agfee with some other apiarists. The first of these subjects is the age of combs. It has been held by some bee-keepers that the old-time bee-masters were right when they practiced the changing of the combs every few years; that worker-combs 10 or IS years old are altogether too old for any use; that the queen will not lay eggs in such combs, and that if she does, the worker-bees hatched in them will be dwarfed in size and unable to perform their duties. We have combs in our apiary which were old combs when I was a boy, and which are good yet. I do not mean to say by this that all combs may be kept until they are 40 years old, and that they will prove as good then as when new; but I insist that many worker-combs are as good when they are 20 to 30 years old as when first built, and in some cases better, because when they have some age they are tougher, and consequently better able to stand the strain of hot summer days. The greatest damage to worker-combs is done by the soiling of them by drones, or by the travel of workers, so that those combs, or part of combs, which are nearest the entrance will be most likely to become unfit for use in the course of 25 or 30 years. As I said before, we have some in use which were old when I was yet a boy. Some 5 or 6 years ago we had had such a succession of had seasons that I began to wonder whether we were not overdoing the old-comb business, for I must tell you that we have never destroyed an old worker- comb until it was plain and evident that the queen would refuse to lay eggs in it. I had about come to the conclusion that we must change the combs in some of our hives, because these combs were altogether too old. Just then came the season of 1903. Every one of those colonies that had good laying queens, in hives which had stood so long that the hive-body had to he replaced with a new box — every one of those colonies filled from 2 to S supers twice during the season. There was not a bit of difference in results between those colonies in combs the most of which were 30 years old. and the colonies on combs 3 to 4 years old. So much for old combs in a good colony during a good season. The other question is that of shade. I notice in another bee-paper, that Mr. Alexander, of New York, thinks that shade is injurious to the bees, and that colonies that are in the shade yield less than those which are in the open. I must say that we have part of an apiary which is shaded rather to excess, and I had wondered whether we were not at fault in letting such a thick growth of trees and shrubbery surround our bees. The season of 1903 settled this point also, for the colonies that were in the thickest shade yielded just as much as the others — a tremendous crop. There is perhaps one item to consider in the shade around an apiary. If the shade is low down, and very dense, so that the rays of the early summer sun are entirely intercepted, there may be a short delay in the awakening of the bees, and they may lose a little time in the early morning hours by the existence of this thick shade which delays the arrival of day- light. But if the shade is overhead, and the morning sun's rays are not altogether intercepted, there is no loss in the existence of that shade. I do not know but that even a slight delay to the bees may be beneficial, for it will prevent them from starting out when the weather is still cool. With a very early start, some of the bees may find themselves chilled, and may perish or become so numbed that they are compelled to alight and remain inactive until the sun warms them. So, after all, even a little delay may be beneficial. There are some advantages to shade which certainly help make up for the possible disadvantage. There is less suffer- ing from the heat of the sun during the hot part of the day, the bees are less likely to hang out, and the hive is less likely to become warped or to check under the sun's rays. Climate has some influence on these points. In a very hot climate, such as that of the Mississippi valley, where the sun is powerful and the nights exceedingly warm in summer, shade is beneficial, without a doubt. In more temperate climes, where the cornstalk is not known to grow up 2 inches in a single night, as it often does in Illinois hot nights, the useful- ness of shade-trees may be less advantageous. Hamilton, 111. (T \= (Eanabtcm *33eebom-f =\ Conducted by Morley Pettit, Villa Nova, Ont. J "Whipped Honey" A returned missionary from Turkey, now resident in Massachusetts, writes asking where candied honey can be obtained. In Turkey it is beaten while candying, and is sold as " Whipped Honey." A Pure Seed Special Train Tremendous is the interest taken in agriculture by the Canadian Government. Witness the following clipping from the Farming World and Canadian Farm and Home : The Pure Seed Special. Great interest is being taken in the West id the " Seed Special " train now journeying through the West in the interest of clean seed and the eradication of weeds. The train consists of two auditorium cars and a living ear for sleeping and dining accommodation for the lecturers. In addition, the private car of the freight department of the C. P. R., for the accommodation of railway otricials who will dis- cuss with the farmers present any matters of mutual interest. The train will remain one hour at the stations previously announced by a schedule. A score of lecturers, including Dr. Fletcher, Ottawa; G. H. Clark, Seed Commissioner; Prof. Black, Winnipeg; Angus McKay, Indian March 8, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 213 Head ; S. A. Bedford, Brandon ; James Murray and W. C. Mclllican. of the Dominion Seed Division, and Mr. John A. Mooney, Valley River, Man., will address the farmers at the various stops. Samples of all kinds of grain grown in the Northwest, samples from unclean or inferior seed, and samples from weed-invested crops, are shown. The movement has the co-operation and support of every agricultural organization in the West, including the various provincial depart- ments of agriculture. Dead Bees on the Alighting-Board— Ripening Honey The appearance of numerous bees on the alighting- board at this time of the year need not be the signal for alarm respecting the condition of the colony. The ordinary mortality of an average colony will at times block the en- trance of a hive, an accumulation of as many as two or three handfuls of dead bees being found on the floor-board. During cold weather these bees fall to the floor inside the hive, where they are not visible to the bee-keeper, and while the cold spell lasts are of little harm, as the colony is inac- tive ; but if the temperature is such as to enable the bees to leave the cluster, they will do their best to rid the hive of them, which accounts for their consequent appearance on the alighting-board in such apparently appalling numbers. Instead, however, of being a sign of unhealthfulness or dis- ease in a colony, this may be taken as quite a reverse indi- cation, for the strongest and most active colonies will have the board more thickly covered with such refuse. — E. W., in Journal of Horticulture and Home Farmer. Speaking of the ripening of honey by the bees, " E. W." says, " It is possible that the bees assist in reducing the moisture by extracting the watery portion of the honey for brood-rearing and for their own use." Is there anything in this? I have never seen or heard the idea brought out before. Wintering Bees— Wrong Conclusions Experiments amounting to nothing when the observer fails to draw logical conclusions from the results. Ida M. Stephen, in The Epitomist, copied in the Montreal Wit- ness, has this to say about wintering bees : Expensive Carelessness. When the winter sets in freezing cold and you wrap up the bee- hives with old quilts, comforts, etc., don't forget to take them off when the weather moderates. More damage is done by covering bees up too warmly than by not covering at all. A friend of mine did this last winter— piled much stuff about his bees, and forgot to take it off when a warm day or two set in. Consequence was, the bees got a good sweating out, and water ran everywhere in the hive, the honey came uncapped, the bees were all stuck up and helpless, a big breeze set in and froze up the water in the hive, bees and all. The conditions may be truly observed so tar as they are observed, but the conclusions are wild. At least it is news to me that bees ever " sweat." The probable explanation is the ventilation was nil, the entrance probably closed, the hive ran with moisture from the breath of the bees ; they died from dampness and poor ventilation — not warmth. Incidentally the dampness caused the honey to swell, burst the cappings, and run down over the combs and poor, smothered bees. ^ Winter Bee-Repository Above Ground My " bee-cellar " above ground was a small frame of 4x4 inch scantling about 14x18 feet. I first boarded up out- side and inside which left a 4-inch space in the wall. Then I put up 2x4 inch studding outside and inside, and boarded it up, using matched siding outside. Then I filled the in- side and outside spaces with sawdust, giving two 4-inch walls of sawdust with a 4-inch air-space between. The floor overhead is covered with 4 inches of sawdust. I then put a lean-to on the south side, 8 feet wide with a 4-inch wall filled with sawdust, and sawdust overhead. The door is open between it and the main part most of the time. The whole has a double floor of lumber. I have about 64 hives in the lean-to. R. Lowey. The Maritime Farmer, published in New Brunswick, has an Apiary Department conducted by E. L. Colpitts, Petitcodiac, N. B. xhe Premiums we offer are all well worth working for. Look at them in this copy of the American Bee Journal. =^ (Dur* Sister Beekeepers J Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. 'Glucose and Its Uses- The Honest Label" The reading of an article in the January number of The Delineator will very likely cause some to ask, " Is it possible that money from the overflowing coffers of the glucose interest has been used to secure the insertion of an article making a special plea for glucose in this ingeniously covert manner 7" The high character of the publication forbids any such belief ; and yet if space had been bought for the advancement of the glucose interest it could hardly have been used to better effect. It is the women of the land who decide mainly what shall come upon the table ; it is a woman who writes the article, and it is published in a woman's journal of highest standing and widest circulation. It is one of a serious of articles under the general head- ing, " Safe Foods and How to Get Them," the sub-head of this special article of more than three pages, by Mary Hin- man Abel, being "Glucose and Its Uses — The Honest Label." It is a well written article, making the general reader likely to say, " Here is the whole truth about glucose, the decep- tion used in its vending told in the most frank and uncom- promising manner, and yet when all is told it is not such a bad thing as I had supposed." And yet if Mrs. Abel had been a little less superficial in her investigations the con- clusion of the whole matter could hardly have been as it now stands. Throughout the article are items pro and con, ingenu- ously, let us say, rather than ingeniously, intermingled, a few of which may be quoted, confining the quotations to those of special interest to the sisters who are engaged in bee-keeping : There is no fairer row on the grocer's shelves than that which ex- hibits glass bottles of extracted honey, table syrups and transparent jel!ie6. But doubt seems to hover over this goodly array, as you learn from the grocer himself when he finds that you really want to know the truth. Here is a 14-ounce bottle of maple syrup, price 40 cents. It is "undoubtedly genuine," he tells us, and we wonder if such a high price must really be paid for the surety. Here is a bottle of the same size for 25 cents, still a good price, but the dealer is not sure that the label is a truthful one, although bright-colored maple leaves surround the name, and it is a " good seller." On a can of table syrup is a picture of a cane-field, and if you look closely you will see in the thick underbrush the mysterious word "Compound." And here is one instance of the truthful label from a State with strict laws. It reads, "80 percent corn syrup, 20 percent sugar-cane." Half a million tons of this substitute for sugar are manufactured in this country every year, but you would hardly find it sold as glu- cose, unless, perhaps, by the apothecary. I once succeeded in buying some glucose at a candy-kitchen. The proprietor 6eemed displeased that I should know it was in his possession, and evidently feared that his use of it would be condemned. In the glucose factories of the United States 35,000,000 bushels of corn are used, and the output, as estimated by Rolfe & Dufren a few years ago, amounted to a thousand million pounds. Fifteen to 20 per- cent is exported, about as much is used by brewers as a substitute for barley malt, and the remainder finds a ready market with the canners, the confectioners and the mixers of table syrups, molasses and ex- tracted honey. Next to maple syrup, the dainty, most popular with our national breakfast cake is honey. And we buy honey in the comb when we would much prefer to buy extracted, because we feel that man's in- genuity in making substitutions is here batlled. The making of those wonderful cells has never been achieved by man, nor can he work as cheaply as the busy bee, which never strikes — except in self-defen6e— and never takes a holiday. Nor can this intelligent insect be induced to eat glucose, though thousands of dollars have been spent on the experiment. But extracted honey 1 That is another story. Regard- ing the adulteration of extracted honey, the truth seems to be as sen- sational as any one could wish. There are a few firms that sell an undoubtedly pure honey. But here, as with maple sugar, we have a high flavor that will " carry " a large admixture of what is comparatively tasteless. The temptation to mix glucose with honey is great, and it is not resisted. With glu- cose at 1 or 2 cents a pound, and pureliquid honey at 7 and 8 cents, as quoted a few years ago by Mr. George W. York, editor of the American Bee Journal, the reason is evident Mr. York says that he himself can tell by the taste an admixture of 25 percent glucose, but most of us would be easily deceived by 50 percent. Even as high as 80 or 90 percent glucose is used in these mixtures. Quite an arraignment, is it not ? Think of a billion 214 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 8, 1906 pounds of glucose consumed in a year, 12^ pounds for every man, woman and child ; more than a pound a week in the average family of 5 members, and yet all of it masquerad- ing under some other than its true name ! Should an hon- est product act in that skulking manner? But let us have some further quotations from the same article, and let us not fail to notice the conspicuous side- heads : "Glucose Harmless" — '■ Glucose a Blessing." Is it, then, a dangerous or poisonous food? It is, on the con- trary, perfectly harmless. It belongs to the sugar family ; it is a true food like sugar and starch, and of about the same nutritive value. In 1886, some 10 years after the establishment of the industry in this country, a committee of eminent scientific men, members of the Na- tional Academy of Science, made to the United States Government a report on the process of manufacture. They reported that glucose contained no injurious substances. " That, though having at best only about two-thirds the sweetening power of cane-sugar, yet starch- sugar is in no way inferior to cane-sugar in healthfulness, there being no evidence before the committee that maize starch-sugar, either in its normal condition or fermented, has any deleterious effect on the sys- tem even when taken in large quantities." That this report is also true of present conditions we find by reference to any modern treatise on hygiene Before the Senate committee three years ago it was asserted that "the great concern in Chicago that controls its manufacture i6 con- ducted on scientific principles, and its goods are perfectly healthful and clean." The fact is that glucose is a partially digested starch, the dilute acid effecting the same change in it as do certain ferments in our own digestive tract. Our meal may be of potato and bread, but the very action of the saliva on the starch of these foods begins to turn it into this kind of sugar even before the food is swallowed. Very recently the tendency to call these syrups by their right name — "corn syrup " — is very marked. Sold at a low price, and un- der an honest name, this new product is a blessing. To quote the advertisement, it is " the greut spread for daily bread." Cane syrup and molasses sell for 60 cents a gallon, corn syrup for 30 cents or less. An addition to our list of cheap and wholesome condiments is always to be welcomed. The exclusive grocer who " will have nothing to do with it " can be likened to a dry goods-mer- chant who would sell only high-priced silks and wools and disdain cotton fabrics. As we have seen, there is at present no ground for the assumption that glucose is any other than a healthful food; even when taken in excessive quantities, it would probably be neither more nor less harm- ful than cane-sugar. But it should be remembered that, as found in Nature, this glucose sugar is either chemically found with other sugars, as with levulose to form cane-sugar, or it is found in company with them as with fruit-sugar in grapes; and investigations of recent years made by scientists have shown that these different sugars exer- cise a favorable influence on each other's utilization by the organs and tissues of the body. It is, therefore, quite possible that further investigation and longer practical experience with its use may 6how that it would not be en- tirely advantageous for the sugar of our diet to be furnished solely by this one variety, which is a derivative of starches and compound sugars, unbalanced, as it were, by any of the counterpart sugars with which it is found associated in Nature. It is not harmful, according to the evidence now available. What is needed is honest labeling wherever it is an ingredient, in order that the purchasers may know what they are buying. Let us hear now the conclusion of the whole matter in the closing paragraph : This, then, is the truth about glucose. It is a wholesoome food, although less sweet and highly flavored than our older sweets. It is cheap; it ought to be openly sold on its own merits. The ignorance and prejudice of the buyer are largely responsible for the present situation. A few States require the honest label, fewer execute the law. The remedv is more intelligence on the part of the consumer. Ash for tlie Honest Label. Well, what of it ? Isn't it all true? Let us turn our attention to that in a succeeding number of The Delineator next week. Honey as a Health-Food. — This is a 16-page honey- pamphlet intended to help increase the demand for honey. The first part of it contains a short article on "Honey as Food,"' written by Dr. C. C. Miller. It tells where to keep honey, how to liquefy it, etc. The last part is devoted to "Honey-Cooking Recipes" and "Remedies Using Honey." It should be widely circulated by those selling honey. The more the people are educated on the value and uses of honey, the more honey they will buy. Prices, prepaid — Sample copy for a two-cent stamp; SO copies for 70 cts.; 100 for $1.25; 250 for $2.25; 500 for $4.00; or 1,000 for $7.50. Your business card printed free at the bottom of front page on all orders for 100 or more copies. Send all orders to the office of the American Bee Journal. See Langstroth Book Offer on another page of this copy of the American Bee Journal. "\ 21tt\ pasty's Ctftcrtl?ouc$ts j The " Old Reliable" as seen through New and Unreliable Glasses. By E. E. Hasty, Sta. B. Rural, Toledo, Ohio. How the Celled Queen Develops. Very improbable, I should say, that the incipient queen puts no silk armor around the base of her chamber for the definite purpose of having it easier for her rival to kill her. That looks like a self-refuting absurdity — at least we want to see some such self-injurious device in Nature fully proved up before taking stock in one. The view advanced by Allen Latham looks reasonable. Has to remain immovable pos- terially, else she would drop into the point of the cell and die there. Having only partial freedom she simply spins, the silk on up as far as she can reach, and lets it go at that. Page 67. The Hershiser Bottom-Board. Hershisers bottom-board is " high and mighty " — and there is chance to say so much for it, and chance to say so much against it, that purely theoretical reasoning about it may not be the best thing. Let's wait till we hear from a sufficient number of those who have used it and continue to like it. Apparently saved Mr. H.'s bees when the furnace went on a tear in his absence. But an adversary would be sure to say : " Put your bees out of reach of runaway fur- naces." Pages 68, 73 and 74. Adult Bees And Foul Brood— Wax-Moth. Scientists say adult bees have foul brood, and practical men say they don't. Well, that, after all, need not trouble us much. Probably both are substantially right from their own point of view. No very serious significance to the dis- ease except among the larva? — but still findable when a sharp observer goes for it with a microscope. Between Adrian Getaz and Prof. Cook I guess the lat- ter got wrong this one time. The young of the wax-moth prefer comb that has had brood reared in it ; but, on a pinch, they can eat themselves to maturity on the other kind. Of course if fed nothing but absolutely pure beeswax they would starve for want of nitrogen ; but no comb is pure beeswax ; and Prof. Cook happened to let slip the memory of that fact. Weigh out a few ounces of the purest virgin comb you can get, render it into wax, and you will be sur- prised to see how much less it weighs. As a guess, I'll guess that the substance which rendering removes is partly dust and partly dried saliva of bees — both substances on which we can imagine a larva as subsisting. At any rate, visible evidence that extracting combs which never contained brood do get eaten up sometimes will have to stand. Mr. Stachelhausen stands well up in the first rank of writers — yet in the one paragraph quoted by Mr. Getaz, we find him apparently very badly off his base. H'm— what's the name of that man who does always have his foot on the bag ? Page 72. Position of Hive-Entrance. The capacity of being stampeded pertains specially to horses and cattle — but liable to extend to man once in awhile. We should not allow ourselves to be stampeded into moving all our front doors to the roof of the house, in advance of preparatory experiments of our own. But we should be opinionated know-it-alls of a bad grade if we ignored, or tried to poh-poh out of consideration, a new plan which shows so much evidence. I'll guess that the great increase of surplus was really owing to better wintering. Given a locality where the winter climate is mild and damp, and the surplus nearly all gathered very early in the season , and these things, as below, might show up with two com- parison colonies. Colony A, old-style entrance, might come out in spring tolerably strong in numbers. Colony B, en- trance at top, not very much stronger. Casual glance sees not much difference in their working. But, on careful scrutiny, it appears that there is more vigor and vim at B ; more bees per minute go out and in when you count them — and the bees there have on the average more days of life remaining to them. At A dampness ard discomfort wore them out badly, although not many died outright. The March 8, 19C6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 215 style of ventilation at B resulted in dryness, and that in turn resulted in comfort. Time, according- to book, " slept on flowers and lent his glass to hope." Next result was that B was ready for the early and only harvest while A was not. For A to get only 20 pounds of surplus while B was getting 80 would not be remarkable under those condi- tions. (Colony A splendidly strong and eager and ready a few weeks later; but it's no use then.) Very improbable, I should say, that mere position of entrance would make any material difference with an August or September harvest. Bee-trees, I understand, often have the entrances above the combs. Were it gen- erally true that colonies so situated gather twice as much, bee-hunters ought long ago to have noted and reported it. Page 72. Southern * 23ccbom * j Conducted by Louis H. Scholl. New Braunfels, Tex. They Say that so many beekeepers are behind the times. Which should they do — push or pull ? The Trouble with a good many persons is, they want to start in the bee-business at the boss end of the job. To Know how to do a thing is a main point towards success, and the cheapest way to learn it is the best. An excellent plan is to get all the information and experience possible from others, and in the columns of the bee-papers is where this can be found. Of course, you should be equally willing to impart knowledge and experience. Some people seem to be possessed with the idea that the way to learn is by personal experience, but in this only too many times can be applied Josh Billings' old saying, that "experience is a mighty dear school." Only too many of us have found this to be only too true, so let it be a warning to the inexperi- enced who are after experience. Baby Nuclei and Queen-Rearing Right along the line of queen-rearing comes an enquiry just to hand : Id the last American Bee Journal I have read with a good deal of interest an article in " Southern Beedom " about •' baby nuclei." You use the6e words, " A double screen is used over the brood-nest." What do you mean by a " double screen?" Do you mean a sheet of perforated zinc to prevent the queen from passing, or do you mean a screen made of close-woven wire-cloth? Why should it be double? Would not one thickness of wire-cloth answer? In placing the parti- tions in the hive-body, of course you place them in the long way, and not across the hive. I believe this plan of rearing and inating.queens will work all right, and I intend to give it a trial. Akthuk Ott. As I think Mr. Laws' method of mating queens, as re- ferred to on page 140, one of the best, if not the best, cheap- est, and most practical for the honey-producer, I shall de- scribe it more in detail. While with Mr. Laws in his api- aries last fall, he described his methods right on the hives in the yards, and I must say that I rather like the plan, and I am now preparing to give it a thorough trial. The double screens used are made in *he following way : A rim, the exact size and outside dimensions as the top of the hive, is made of !+ -inch square stuff. In the middle, between the side pieces of the rim and running: crosswise of this, is nailed another piece of the same Vinch stuff, to keep the wire-cloth from sagging and coming together. Both sides of the partitioned rim are now covered with com- mon screen wire-cloth. This is tacked on with a few tacks, and on top of its edges all around are tacked strips % -inch thick and ;4 -inch wide, forming a shallow rim to allow a bee-space between the screen and the frames. At the same time it makes a stronger screen by holding the edges of the wire-cloth down, and as the U -inch side-pieces of the main rim are cut full length, and the end-cleats only the inside length between these, the pieces of the '+-inch rims are cut just in the opposite way. The end-cleats of these are cut full length, while the side-cleats are shorter. This forms a sort of dovetailed, or, rather, a lock corner, which strength- ens the screen and keeps it true. The reason for having the screen double is that the bees above and below are cut off more from communication, put- ting them in a queenless condition better, which makes it easier to introduce cells or virgins to the partitioned nuclei. Another important factor is, that if only a single wire- screen is used the bees from below tantalize the virgin queens above to such an extent that many queens are not successfully mated. This trouble is obviated by having the communication cut off by two screens with a \i -inch space between them. The partitions in the hive-bodies run the long way, and are simply solid board walls. Each of the partitions will therefore admit the use of any standard frame from any hive in the yard, and does not necessitate any special frame. This is an important factor for the honey-producer. A 10 frame hive-body is divided into 3 parts, which allows 3 nuclei of 3 combs each— generally one of honey, one brood, and one of foundation. Such a body is placed above one of the double screens over a brood-chamber con- taining a colony of bees. Ripe queen-cells are introduced, or virgins, and the queens allowed to mate, entrances being provided to each partition for this by auger-holes through the outside walls at different parts. A second screen and another body thus partitioned can be used above. If the brood-chamber below is made queenless this makes 7 nuclei all in one, and a queen can be mated successfully in each. The same combs can be used again for a second lot, but Mr. Laws thinks it is better to start with a new lot of bees. After the queens are mated and removed, the whole lot of nuclei are united into one colony. A new hive is placed on the stand, after having removed the " nuclei colony," and all the bees are shaken from the different partitions in front of this new hive, and allowed to run in as a swarm. During this the bees are handled rather roughly, and a good deal of smoke is used, which permits of a queen being dropped among them and allowed to enter the hive. It is not necessary to remove the queen from the lower chamber, as queens are mated just the same above such a colony, as there is no communication between the different parts. This makes it valuable for the honey-producer, as he can have his queens mated on any colony in the yard, with very little trouble and expense. "The Rearing of Queen-Bees" Bulletin No. 55, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Entomology, Washington, D. C, on "The Rear- ing of Queen-Bees," has been read with much interest by me. A delay in receiving a copy of this Bulletin was caused by its being sent to my old address at College Sta- tion, or mention of it would have been made of it ere this in "Southern Beedom." It is something that I have long wished for, namely, a bulletin giving in compact form the latest methods and modus operandi for rearing queens. A bulletin of this kind affords a most easy way of answering- enquiries where the questioner asks a dozen, or sometimes even more, questions that would consume much time to an- swer. In the case of experiment station workers, who are always more or less " kept busy " by being asked just such questions, it is an easy matter to refer the enquirer to " Bulletin No. so-and-so, which will give you the informa- tion desired." Of many and more common subjects, a large number of bulletins are kept on file of each in the different depart- ments, and enquiries are answered simply by mailing one of the bulletins giving the information. Hence, the reader can easily understand the value of a bulletin containing in- formation on queen-rearing, all in compact form, for the enquirer of such information. Dr. E. F. Phillips, the writer of this Bulletin, has been devoting much time and study to the subject of queen-rear- ing, and he covers the subject quite thoroughly, aud in such style that it is especially helpful to those bee-keepers who wish to rear queens for their own use, and who are not acquainted with the better methods of procedure in queen- rearing. For this class this kind of bulletin is mainly in- tended. The methods given have been tested, and success has been obtained with them. To the advanced queen- breeder there will be very little " new," yet there are often points brought out in practical works of this kind that even gray heads had not thought .iduut, or that were overlooked or perhaps forgotten by them. The price of this Bulletin is 5 cents. 216 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. March 8, 1906 =\ Doctor miller's Question * Box j Send questions either to the office of the American Bee Journal, or to Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, 111. Dr. Miller does not answer Questions by mail. Cracker-Box Hives-Large Hives, Etc. 1. Can I make a good hive from a cracker-box covered outside with weather boarding- ? I have a fair supply of each. 2. In the practise of using large hives and taking out all frames not in use during the super-storing season, and putting in a division-board, have the bees free access to the space thus created ? 3. Do bees winter well in observation hives ? _ 4. Which is the best to put over the frames in winter a solid board, a chaff cushion or a cloth, packing the super with leaves ? Illinois. Answers.— 1. It would make a good box-hive, and I see no reason why a good frame hive might not be made of the same material, with care in measurements. 2. No, the space must be filled with dummies or in some other way to prevent the bees from building comb in it. If, however, the colony is queenless the bees are not likely to build comb in the empty space in the brood-chamber. It may be well to mention that bees do not work so well in that part of the super which is over the part not occupied with combs in the brood-chamber— a matter of some conse- quence in working for comb honey, but not when working for extracted. 3. No; although an observation hive might be con- structed, and perhaps some are, so as to be all right for win- tering. 4. The last, for outdoor wintering ; in a cellar it mat- ters little which, if the cellar is aU right and the hive has a large entrance. •» « » Pall Feeding of Sugar Syrup for Winter Stores For outdoor wintering how would it do to feed every colony up full of sugar syrup in the early fall ? Nebraska. Answer. — You can winter bees very successfully in that way ; and it is certainly much better than to let bees starve or winter on unwholesome stores as are some kinds of honey-dew. Yet there are those, especially in Europe, who hold that continued feeding of sugar will lead to less vitality on the part of the bees. Certain it is that they can not rear brood on sugar alone. But, then, neither can they on honey alone ; they must have the nitrogenous ma- terial contained in pollen. Italianizing or Caucasianlzlng Bees- Sections Folding Faulty 1. I have an apiary of . 25 colonies of hybrid and brown bees. I wish to rear queens and requeen them this summer. Would you advise Italians or Caucasians? 2. Do you know of a better plan than you give on pages 237-8-9 of " Forty Years Among the Bees ?" 3. Sometimes we get sections that will not stand square when folded. My way to handle such is to press one corner having the acute angle (not the joint corner) against the table on which I am working until the crease opens. Then with the point of a pocket-knife, or one corner of a hive- scraper, I rub into the crease some propolis or wax which will hold the section square so that the foundation will keep the proper position. This is quickly done, for one or two strokes are all that is necessary. This saved a case of sec- tions for me, for they were almost useless without some sort of tinkering. Indiana. Answers.— 1. Certainly Italians until Caucasians are better known ; although it is all right to experiment with Caucasians. Some speak very highly of Caucasians, and some think them the worst ever. So while it would not be wise to start with them entirely, it would be well to try them side by side, but on a small scale. 2. Yes, I don't know of any better way for me — and I should think also for you. For those who rear queens on a larger scale, other plans may be better ; but I'm not so sure of that. You notice that the breeding queen is kept in a 2-frame nucleus. I don' know that there is any advantage in this, except that the queen will last longer when laying so few eggs. And the brood taken from this queen to start queen-cells may be given to any strong colony that is con- scious of its queenlessness. 3. Sections rightly made ought to be square ; but your plan seems to work with the faulty ones. In this locality we pay no attention to the matter; for when they are wedged up in the super they must become square and stay square. *-•-» Swarm-Catching Device— Increase 6y Swarming or Buying? 1. What kind of a device can I use to put on an 8-frame Langstroth hive to catch the bees when they swarm, with- out interfering with the work of the workers ? I am just starting into the bee-business and have 8 colonies, but wish to increase the number of colonies rather than to obtain a large amount of surplus honey. I work in an office during the day, so I do not have time to catch the swarms that come off. 2. Would this be the cheapest way to increase, or would it be cheaper to keep my bees from swarming as much as possible, thus getting a large amount of surplus honey, and buying the extra colonies? They can be had for$1.00 to SI. SO per colony in box-hives. California. Answers. — 1. A queen-trap at the entrance will serve your purpose. Then when you come home in the evening and look at the trap, you will see when the queen is in the trap by the unusual number of bees. The same evening, or next morning, take away all the brood with plenty of bees to take care of it, fill the hive with frames of foundation and liberate the queen, and you have very much the same condition as if you had been at home to hive the swarm. 2. I don't know ; perhaps a little of both. When you take away the brood and bees, as indicated in the previous answer, you can divide it into two parts, making sure that neither part is without one or more good queen-cells, and that will make your number trebled. If you want to in- crease at a more rapid rate instead of dividing in two parts, put all the brood into one hive, shaking off very few of the bees into the old hive, but leaving a good lot of bees with the brood. From this brood, bees will be hatching out all the time, and in 6 or 7 days you can divide, making a nucleus for each 2 frames of brood, making sure that each nucleus has one or more good cells centrally located where there is no danger of their being chilled. Of course, one of the nuclei will be left on the stand where the brood and bees have been standing for the past 6 or 7 days, but this nucleus may be left with fewer bees than the others ; for there will be a return of a good many field-bees to the old location. You may ask, Why wait 6 or 7 days before dividing ? One reason is that at the time of swarming there is more or less unsealed brood, and this will be better cared for if all are kept together. Another reason is that if the bees are divided up in the first place, there will be more tendency to discouragement and desertion than after waiting for more bees to emerge. m • » Cleaning Out Old Combs and Unfinished Sections- Moving Colonies a Short Distance 1. I have some old combs containing quite a good deal of honey in frames of odd sizes, none of which will fit my hives. Will it be safe to place these combs in boxes a few rods from the hives, giving a very small entrance — for one bee at a time — on a bright day after the bees commence col- lecting pollen from the soft maples ? Or would I better cut out these combs and put in supers on top of the hives ? I would like to have these combs cleaned out so I can melt them up into wax ; but, of course, I want to be careful not to get my bees into the habit of robbing, 2. I also have some unfinished sections from last year. I had intended to put these on the hives as soon as it gets warm enough to remove the chaff, and let the bees clean them out at their leisure. Will this be a good plan ? 3. Will it be safe to move a colony now on a high stand March 8. 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 217 facing1 the east to a low stand 6 feet away and facing- the southeast? Will many of the bees get lost when they fly out ? Indiana. Answers. — 1. It will be quite safe to feed in the way you outline. Neither do you need to fear as to robbing:, even if the entrance is not left so very small. The bees that empty these combs will take to the flowers when they bloom. 2. Yes, if the bees can be induced to empty them. But they are not so sure to empty them when placed on the hives as they are when the sections are placed some distance away, say 2 rods or more. But if placed away from the hives you must leave entrance for only one bee at a time, or the bees will tear the tender combs. 3. Something: depends upon the weather. If, after the moving:, the weather is cold enoug-h to confine the bees to the hive for a few days, or if the bees have not been flying for a few days — say a week or so — there will be little trouble about moving bees any distance, great or small. In the particular case you mention there will be no trouble, even if the bees are flying every day, provided no other colony stands within 6 feet of where the colony in question now stands. *-•-* Amount of Stores Used in Wintering 1. Last winter I weighed 3 hives to see how much they would fall short per month, and for January I found 2 went 3^2 pounds each, and 1, ^y^. In February 2 went about 3'2 to 4 pounds, and the other went 6. The weather was cold. The ones that used 4}< and 6 pounds died in April, leaving honey. This winter I weighed again, thinking perhaps it might be a good way to tell how they were doing, and what ones might die. They are in a shed made purposely for them, 30 inches wide, 14 feet long, and one tier or row. On the other the floor is about 10 inches above the ground. Both ends and back are closed with a good roof, and their backs turned to the north. The front is all open. The weights of some are as follows : Dec. 1. Jan. 1. No. Frames. Lbs. Lbs. 1 10 52% 40 2 8 41 35 3 10 50^ 47 S 10 S7/2 S3 6 8 47'A 44 9 10 48 46 10 8 46 42 11 10 SO 45 12 8 47 43 13 10 56 52 IS 10 51 47 16 10 51^ 47 17 10 55 51 The rest are too heavy for my scales, as they weigh only 62 pounds. To look at them on the outside of the hive they all seem to be alike — only a few dead bees, and the rest run about alike, and turn out about the same. The hives are the dovetail. The 8-frame hive-bottoms are the same thickness as the sides, "s I suppose. The 10-frames have reversible bottoms, which are much thinner than the 8-frames, making them of about equal weight. I will say that an empty hive and combs would weigh about 25 pounds. The thermometer has shown for the coldest 12 degrees be- low zero. 1. How cold has it been with you ? Do you think it might be best to put the bees into the cellar where it would be warmer? 2. What about those using the most — Nos. 1, 2 and 11 ? They fly only when it warms up to about 55 or 60 degrees. Illinois. Answers. — 1. I think it has been no lower than zero here up to Feb. 1. You are about 150 miles further south, and it has no doubt been quite a bit warmer there than here, only it has just happened that you have had a very cold spell. You speak of the bees flying at 55 or 60 degrees. We've had no weather here so warm since November. 2. It is doubtful that it would be well to cellar your bees. You are in latitude 40 degrees, and in ordinary winters it is best to leave bees out so far south. The usual consumption of stores this winter is not because it is colder than usual, but because it is warmer. I suspect that your bees have had several flights, and the more numerous flights stir them up and make them consume more. In so mild a winter they would probably have suffered if they had been in the cellar. 3. For some reason, perhaps not easily understood, these have used more stores than others. That does not say that they may not be wintering as well as others, only they must be watched and fed if there is any danger of their starving. Your bees, very likely, are getting along all right, and need nothing more than watching to see that they do not run short of stores. But it would be no harm to try the experiment of cellaring two or three colonies to see how they would compare with others — cellaring them not more than a day or two after their having a flight. (£onr>entton Proceedings A J Report of the Wisconsin State Convention BY HARRY LATHROP. The Wisconsin State Bee-Keepers' Association met at Madison, February 6 and 7, 1906. There were between 40 and SO present, nearly all men. The weather was cold, and doubtless deterred some of the ladies from attending. We want them to know that we missed them, and hope all will make an effort to attend next year. It is also true that none of the bee-paper editors were present, and only one bee-supply firm was represented, that of the G. B. Lewis Company, by Mr. Bacon, who is also a bee-keeper. We missed the editors and want to remind them that it will be our turn to entertain them next year. On the whole, we had a good showing, considering the weather and the fact that a good many of our members had attended the National Convention at Chicago, and doubtless thought they could not afford to go to Madison. To my mind, one of the most important features of the meeting was the following paper by C. A. Hatch, on CONTROL OF INCREASE There comes a time to every successful bee-keeper when he has all the bees he wants, and would like less swarming and more working of bees — less work in hiving increase he does not want, and more work taking off surplus. He reads all the literature on the subject, and every article in the papers on control of increase is sure of his careful attention. He reads essay after essay telling the cause of swarming. One says too many bees, another too much brood, another too many nurse-bees, another too much honey, another too much larval food — until, almost distracted, he comes to the wise conclusion that it is simply their nature, and therefore cannot be entirely stopped, but is something that needs direc- tion rather than suppression. It is the expression of force, surplus energy of the colony, the legitimate result of unused power and strength. All the efforts of the bee-keeper since early spring has been to get and increase this surplus force, for, from this, comes his honey crop; the surplus of force that is not required to support and carry on the regular demands of the hive give the surplus honey for which the bee-keeper labors. Up to a certain point all the strength of the bees is used to support the legitimate wants of themselves. The tem- perature must be kept at a proper point, larvae must be fed, comb must be built or cleaned and polished to receive eggs, etc. ; and it is only after all these wants are provided for that the attendant bee-keeper can hope for any increase of stores for his share; but to get each colony above this condition of self-support is his constant aim — even part of the honey stored goes to support the colony. Let us compare a colony to an engine. In the spring the fire is low and no steam can be used, but the bee-man keeps adding more fuel (honey), and I" June 1st he has steam up so he hopes to overcome the inertia of the engine and do some work. He looks well to each leak} pipe, sees that the safety valve is set at the righl notch so i Mow-off would not spoil all his effort to keep up a working power of steam. The swarm is the safj the hive. We force our bees up to a high pressun nig force, but mil. look at this natural outlet— just as we turn on our steam to run our machinery (surplus)— away goes our safety-valve; a swarm issues, and we have to begin again to get up steam. As far as I know, there are three means of absolutely 218 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 8, 1906 preventing increase by swarming: First, caging the queen; second, removal of brood; third, removal of bees. Any or all of these are open to objection, for the reason that they destroy the very conditions toward the accomplishment of which our whole effort has been directed. What Would you think of an engineer who would pull the escape-valve wide open as soon • as he had a working pressure of steam? And yet that is just what mam of our bee-men are doing in principle. Rather let us do as the engineer does; if he has surplus of steam he puts on more machinery. and directs the force at his command to some useful purpose. The swarm is our working power; let us seek to use it as such; direct rather than destroy; con- centrate rather than scatter. Keep them with the home colony as long as we can, by giving large storage capacity, shade and proper ventilation, and, when the swarm does come, hive it back on the old stand, and give them all the bees, and see how they will pile up the surplus. Use the brood to build up weak colonies. The whole problem would be very simple if keeping down increase was all of it, but all "increase of colonies at the expense of the honey crop" is an axiom that cannot be ignored, and to control the increase and keep the honey coming in right along is a difficult matter. Taking away part of the bees strikes at surplus. Taking away part of the brood is only deferring the same result ; but when the honey season is short, and would be over before this brood would be added to the working force, it is correct in theory. Caging or removing the queen cuts at surplus in two ways — by de- moralizing the domestic arrangement of the colony, and" also cutting off the working force later on. Some think they have solved the problem, but I am free to confess that after trying all that seems to me plausible I have found none I could recommend as a labor-saver or a "sure thing." The keeper of a large apiary in Arizona said to me. "It is not so much a question of keeping down increase as keeping down the desire to swarm." In considering this question it was with me more of what not to say than what to say. It is so large a subject, and one of so much interest to all bee-men, that a whole dav of our convention could be profitably spent in its consideration. Any plan of control that lessens the working energy of the colony. or requires costly C. A. Hatch. makes more work for the bee-keeper, fixtures, is objectionable. Proper Retail and Wholesale Prices of Honey. Another important discussion followed the question. "What should be the uniform retail price of extracted honey to consumers in Wisconsin? and what should be the uniform wholesale price to producers in this State?" It was brought out that prices differed considerably in different locations, some who sold to consumers in small packages obtaining as much as 12 cents per pound for good, ripe extracted light or dark honey. The result of the discussion showed that it would prob- ably be a difficult matter to establish uniform prices over the State, but it seems very clear to a lot of us that it is desirable that honey should become a staple to a much greater extent than it is. and that the difference between the wholesale and retail prices should be small. It does not help the producers much to have some man, who happens to be. a good salesman, pay them about 5 cents per pound and sell to consumers for 12 to IS cents. It does not create a steady and reliable de- mand for honey. People can not afford to use much honey at those prices. It comes into competition with a lot of things — sugar and syrups of various sorts — that are of a uni- form price. These sugars are sold at a very small margin of profit bv the retail storekeepers. What we want is retailers who will pay the producer a fair price — say at least 8 cents — and sell to consumers for a small margin. When this is done we may look for an increase in honey consumption. Many storekeepers will not handle honey at all. and some are afraid to buy over 60 pounds at a time for fear of being over- stocked. If we could establish uniform prices on our honey the same as we have on sorghum molasses and on eggs, it would be the greatest boon to producers of anything that could hap- pen. There is doubtless some gain to be made by adopting small tin packages and placing them in the retail stores. It was established in this discussion that bee-keepers could have the same price for their dark honey that they got for the fancy white, if they would ask it. and if it was good, ripe honey. A great many people prefer amber or dark honey to any other. It is all honey, and should be sold as such. (Continued next week.) Reports cmb (Experiences Mild Weather— Frames We are having mild weather here, as the temperature is generally rising and falling be- tween 40 and 60 degrees, but the la6t two days I have been lost to know whether it is sum- mer or winter. The bees are roaring around just as they do in June. I went to look at the thermometer, which was in the coldest place, and lo ! it was 70 degrees ! Well, 1 am sorry for Yon Yonson. I won- der where he spent the night before he started home from Chicago. It surely must have been a dream; but, never mind, Yon, come again. I have missed you very much, and was glad to 6ee you back. After testing frames pretty well last sum- mer, if I could have done so, I would have exchanged the Langstroth-Hoffman frame for one with :'H or7-16iuch top-bar like the closed end-bar frame. Those that I have fit 60 close that propolis doesn't bother a bit. The top and bottom bars are all right, but the Hoff- man end-bar i6 just made for propolis, and the V edge is the worst of all, for it is almost impossible to keep it eiean. Bees have plenty of stores, the weather is fair, and nothing to do. O. K. Rice. Grays River, Wash., Feb. 1. Bees Do Move Eggs— Changing Queens Allow me to add my testimony to that of Messrs. Alpaugh, Holtermann and Pettit, re- garding the question of whether bees do move eggs, in reply to the challenge of Mr. Diefen- dorf, on page 165. I have seen 2 queen-cells reared on a comb that had been in the honey- house all winter, and that was introduced op- posite a comb of brood at the time of removal of the queen. The bees had evidently re- moved some of the eggs to enlarge some cells for queens, and had seen fit to place two of these in the opposite comb. It is true I saw this only once, and I may live never to see it again ; but it is conclusive proof to my mind that bees do move eggs, though not often. You may count me, also, with Mr. Doo- little, among those who do not think it right or profitable to change queens every year, or even every other year. The older I get the less need of it I see. C. P. Dadant. Hamilton, 111. Handling Hives, Not Frames I have received the following from a Cana- dian reader: "On page 54 of the American Bee Journal, you say: 'I want a divisible brood-chamber, etc' Again, 'as I want to handle hives, and not frames.' Please ex- plain through the Journal, as a little reflec- tion should show you that not one person in ten thousand can understand the statements." In saying " I want to handle hives and not frames," I supposed that most bee-keepers knew that the deeper the frame the more bulging combs they would have, while with a very shallow frame, like the shallow extract- ing-frame, even a careless hand would have very few bulging combs. Now suppose you wanted to take off 20 or 30 supers filled with those straight, shallow frames. All you have to do is to pick up a super, frames and all, and jounce them a few times about as hard as they will stand on an empty box with the edges sharp and the bot- tom out, and you have the bees all out ready to extract without any brushing or handling of combs. ■ Now for operation N'o. 2— Increase: Should you wish to make two new swarms besides the prime, or parent colony, all you have to do is to hive the prime swarm on the old stand and separate the two halves of the old colony, putting each half on a new 6tand, and they won't swarm again even if they have a dozen queen-cells. Operation No. 3. — Putting on supers: To get bees to enter a super with a divisible brood-chamber, all you have to do is to put the bottom half of the brood-chamber on top of the top half, then the super on top of all, and that puts the brood up close to the super and sends the bees above to store. Operation No. 4: Contraction is accom- plished by simply removing the lower half of the brood-chamber about 48 hours after hiv- ing the prime swarm, and putting on more supers above the excluder. It will be seen in each of these opera- tions I handle hives, not frames ; and, further- more, with a shallow frame like this, you can see every queen-cell from the bottom without taking it apart. Geo. B. Whitcomb. Foster, Oreg. Rendering Combs into Beeswax Use a 50-gallon caldron kettle and a large- size metal wash-tub, into the bottom of which drill 20 or more '.,-ineh holes. Then make a cover to fit into the top of the tub, like a hub, with a l1 ,-inch hole through it — 4 spokes and a rim made out of a barrel-hoop. Cover the wheel with fine wire except the hole in the center. Now make a stirring-shaft to go in the tub under the cover with 4 arms to ex- tend above the cover 18 or 20 inches, and long enough to rest on the bottom of the tub, with the arms long enough to reach almost to the sides of the tub. Then you are ready to fill the tub with comb. Set the stirring-post in the tub, fill around the arms with comb, and fill the tub full to the cover. Pack it as hard as you can, then put on the cover, pushing it down hard on the comb. Put a stick through the handles of the tub over the circular cover; that will hold the cover in the tub. Now set the tub March 8 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 219 containing the wax into the kettle; weight it down, put in water eDough to cover as deep as the kettle will allow, but it must be under water. Then tire and let it boil. After it gets almost boiling hot you can turn the stir- ring-shaft easily. Turn it frequently to stir up the slum-gum so the wax can rise, and af- ter one hour's boiling let it stand until it "cools, as the tub can not be lifted out of the melted wax without filling the whole mass with wax again. I tried a funnel-shaped skimmer and used it the same as for skim- ming a can of milk, but it does not take off all the wax, so I found it best not to try to render more than one tubful a day. Now for results: If boiled long and stirred frequently, there will not be 5 percent of the wax left in the old comb the next day after boiling. I will now tell its faults: Instead of a tight tub there should be a wire receptacle to hold the wax, shaped like a tub, then it would be almost perfect, I think, as the tub does not allow a free circulation of the water. The wire on the cover should go on the un- derside of the cover. C. W. Cooler. Eagle Grove, Iowa. TfooA FOR 1906 contains 152 large pages full from cov- er to cover of illustrations and descrip- tions of the best and new est things known in horticulture. No market gardener, far- mer, or any- one interested in flowers can afford to be without this book, which will be sent free to all sending me their address on a postal. WM. HENRY MAULE 1730 Filbert St. Philadelphia, Pa 65c for 12 Names ^.fSl^no'-?^ damps taken— we will send for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Call— ree. sub. price 40c a year. F. C. is a wkly., 25 years old. 1,300 pages a year. Sample free. FARMER'S CALL,, guincy, 111. Please Take Notice That we have purchased The Atchley Steam Bee-Hive Factory, and are now putting in up- to-date machinery for making Dovetailed Bee- Hives and Supplies. We earnestly solicit a share of your patronage. We quote prices on two hives for comparison: One 2 story 8-frame hive in the flat for ex- tracted honey, complete, ready to nail, $1.25; lH-story hive in the flat, with sections, com- plete for comb honey, $1.25; self-spacing Hoff- man frames in the flat, $15 per thousand. Re- member, these are standard goods and Dove- tailed hives Get prices on large lots. DITT- MER'S FOUNDATION AT D1TTMERS PRICES. We are headquarters in the South for Bees and Queens; Untested, $1.00 each; $9perdoz.; Tested, $1.50. Full Colonies, Nuclei and Queens in large lots our specialtv. Send for Catalog. THE BEE & HONEY COI1PANY, (Will Atchlev, Prop.) Beevllle. Bee Co., Texas. Farm and Apiary For Sale In the Basswocd Belt on the Wisconsin River. Enquire, L. Box 37, Kilbourn, Wis. 8A3t Please mention the Bee Journal. ■ KflnHL * THERE IS MORE MONEY IN YOUR The trick is^ '<-> Set it out. **' lul"1 Wise breeders, fatteners, STfJf'K il.'irvmen, horsemen, etc, are be- *-" M VVJI1 inir taught each month how to compel their stock to bring them in bigger prohts by reading that well known paper— BLOODED STOCK It is edited by authorities on feeding, breeding, selling, etc. Its columns are brimful of facts red-hot from the experiences of men who have made and are making money by following the samecounsel which theygiveothers. Subscribe for this lively paper, 12 months 25c. You can afford 25c. Now's the time. Write for free copy. BLOODED STOCK. Box 881. Oxford. Pa. ^ 1 .' iftfe. J ■ \~\ ?W .** SEE THE BLUE RIBBONS! A hamlsome fellow; the pride of his owner ant] a prize winner. Mention Bee Journal when writing. i . ? 'X s Everything- for the Apiary Wholesale Agents for G.B. Lewis Co. Dadant's Foundation i| BUY NOW— TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE DISCOUNT. g !t SEND US YOUR ORDERS. . £■ * i I LOUIS HANSSEN'S SONS f 1 DAVENPORT, IOWA I | | Mention Bee Journal when writing. CHARLES MONDENG SECTION MACHINE is covered by two Patents. With this wonderful inven- tion the cost of making Sections may be reduced to $1.15 per 1000. If such Machine will interest you, write for further information. Do not write about it unless you mean business. BEE-SUPPLIES ANDQUEENS My Catalog- for 1906 is now ready for distribution. I am the Northern Headquarters for Adel Queens and Bees, and good, honest Bee-Keepers' Supplies. If you have not received my Catalog, write for it. Address, CHARLES MONDENG, ISO NEWTON A.VE3., N., MINNEAPOLIS, MINN, BEE-KEEPERS Send for our 1906 Free Illustrated Catalog, Good Goods, Low Prices and Prompt Shipments are what you get if you send your orders to — PAGE & LYON MFG. CO. New London, Wis. Mention Bee Journal wheu writing. 220 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Mareh 8, 1906 APPLE TREKS 7c Two Years Old 7c to 15c Each POPLAR. TREES AND R.OSE BUSHES. TEN CENTS EACH ASPARAGUS, the most popular vegetable, yields at the rate of $400 per acre, two year plants 75 cents per 100; $4.50 per 1,000. Grape vines and fruit plants at low prices. POPLAR TREES for driveways. Bhade and lawns. The most .rapid growing- trees. 10c to 17 cents each. ROSES. A large collection of hardy varieties, also our Live-for-Ever Pink Rose. 10c to liuc each. BUY DIRECT FROM GROWER — SAVE 35 £18. Let ns price your list of wants. Green's 1906 Catalogue^a-lso copy of Green's Big Fruit Magazine free. Send postal card for them today. GREEN'S NURSERY COMPANY. 42 WALL ST.. ROCHESTER, N. Y. NO WORE LOST LETTERS If you take advantage of the offer we make to furnish you beautifully Printed Stationery, which we will send you postpaid. The Farmers' Tribune One Year and 100 Note Heads and 100 Envelopes I AH for $1. The Farmers' Tribune Is the leading JUive Stock Journal of the Northwest. The stationery is really free. It is printed on uice paper with your name, address and name of farm or business. We guarantee to deliver in 10 days from receipt of order Ask your printer what he will charge for such stationery. This will prove the unparalleled offer we are making you. Address, FARMERS' TRIBUNE, Box 21, Sioux City, Iowa. Send for free sample copy of our great paper 14 FOR THIS "ECONOMY" BOILER AND FEED COOKER The "Economy" Feed Cooker is the best built cooker on rrirtr i_t»tne market today. It is constructed so as to get the very rHEIQMTDe9t results from the smallest amount of fuel possible. The | kettle is well and strongly made of the smoothest cast iron, Di\| n and has a handle on each side so that it can be removed from the casing instantly. Will last a lifetime. The casing, or jacket, is one continuous sheet of cold rolled boiler steel, supported at the bottom by a heavy wrought iron band. This cooker has the largest fire door of any made, and is the strongest, most serviceable feed cooker ever sold at such a price, freight paid. Made in seven sizes to suit every need; furnished with hinged cover, elbow and one length of pipe with damper. We guarantee this cooker for one year. Send money with order today, or write for our large 1,000-page catalogue giving other sizes and thousands of money-saving bargains Tor the farmer and his family. If you want to save 10 per cent on everything you buy, we have a plan you should know about; it will save you from $160 to $250 a year. Only costs a stamp to find out all about it. The object of this Society is to save money for its mem- bers. For full information let us tell you how we do it. Co-Operative Society of the National Supply Co. Lansing, Michigan Chicago, Illinois Have YOU Taken the Time to write and tell us what you are going- to use in the way of Supplies the coming season? If you have failed to attend to this matter it may save you some money to do so at once. If you are not certain as to what you need, or just what we carry in the line, send us your address and we will send you our descriptive and illustrated price-list. We sell everything needed in the apiary. Don't overlook the many good points about the " Elgin Hive." Have you seen one ? If not, send us your name and you will get our literature explaining and describing it. Don't delay — write to-day. THE NATIONAL SUPPLY CO., Elgin, 111. oofs Bee-Supplies" You know what this means. Four carloads of Mew Goods on hand. S Our business increased last year If 100 percent over 1904. This is a (9 proof that we are saving our cus- X tomers money. Try us. Low 0 Freight Rates from Toledo. 0 Large Discounts— that tells the 2 story. Our 80-page Catalog is 0 sent free. S GRIGGS BROS. 0 521 Monroe Street, TOLEDO, OHIO. Mention Bee Journal when writing. ' soei w m, ■ra, *sj8i prih Having; it is worth the trouble of asking fur the proof. Get our large Grocery List and compare our prices with what you have been paying. Then put us to a greater test— send us a trial order and compare the goods and the prices. If we do not save you big money, send the goods back at our expense. The grocery bill is the biggest part of the family expenses. We will cut it almost in the middle and guarantee everything we sell. We can do this because we buy In Immense quantities — carloads and trainloads — and we give you the benefit of our ability to buy cheap; infactwecan sell to you at just about the figure your local dealer would bave to pay. We save you his profit and the freight besides. To save still another 10 per cent, become a member of the Co-operative Society of the National Supply Co. We'll tell you how to get this extra 10 per cent discount, if you will write for full information. An easy way to make money. DlfTt'lurMJ Of , CUEftYTItlM* fon EVEKYB' gro©») fXcroRv to consumer- If you want to save money get our catalogue and learn Just how cheap you can buy groceries from us. Catalogue is ready and lists everything in the grocery line. We send it free. Co-operative Society of the National Supply Co., Lansing, Mich, and Chicago, III. BEE-SUPPLIES We rranufacture everything needed in the Apiary, and carry a large stock and greatest variety. We assure you the best goods at LOWEST PRICES and our excellent freight facilities enable us to make prompt shipments over 15 dif- ferent roads, thereby saving you excessive freight charges as well as time and worry in having goods transferred and damaged. We make the Alternating, Massie, Langstroth and the Dovetail Hives Our prices are very reasonable, and to convince you of such we will mail you our free illustrated and descriptive catalog and price-list upon request. We want every bee keeper to have our Catalog. SPECIAL DISCOUNTS now. Write to-day. Address, KRETGHMER MFG. GO., Council Bluffs. Iowa. I I Muscatine Produce Co., Muscatine, Iowa. Trester Supply Co., 103 S. 11th Street, Lincoln, Neb. Shugart-Ouran Seed Co., Council Bluffs, Iowa. T. B. Vallette & Son, Salina, Kau. Catalogs issued in English or German. I Everything for the Bee Keeper will be found in our Illustrated Catalogue No. 40. It contains a full line of Hives, Supers, Followers, Sections, Section Holders, Frames, Extractors, Smokers, etc. All these and many other essentials are manufactured by us. Everything is guaranteed to be right and of best quality. Our prices are may afford the best supplies. We cannot tell you here of all the good things in this book. Better send for a copy today. We mail it free, to- gether with a copy of the Progressive Bee Keeper, a splendid monthly publication devoted to bee intere-ts. It will help you start right and keep you right after you are started. It is invaluable as an aid to every bee keeper. Ask for the paper and the book. We Sell the Best Incubators and Brooders. Delivered at your station, prices the lowest. Write us at once and save money. Address LEAHY MFG. CO., 10 Talmage St., Higginsville, Mo. Bramhes at Omaha, Neb. and East St. Louia, 111. reasonable that any bee keeper FENCE S^ Made of High Carbon colled wire. We have no agents. Sell direct to user at. factory prices on 30 days tree trial. We pay all freight. Catalog shows .17 si , irM and heights of farm and poultry fence It's! ree. Buy direct. Write today rfllLED SPRING FENCE CO. BOJ 80 WINCHESTER, INDIANA. Mention Itee Journal when >vrltlim- IA.80 F*r •t 2 00 Egq •INCUBATOR Perfect la i-ou* traction ana ) *ction, Iiatehes every fertile Iegg. Write for catalog tfr-daj GEO. H. STAHL, Qolncy Mention Bee Journal wheo writing. m w "Ste ~5> *SP 40 Kinds Tall 2 7 Kinds Dwarf NASTURTIUM SEEDS W° We mail thia _ One collection 90 CD EC with 00 rnLC Kinds of Old Fashioned Flower SEEDS imported from Germany : riumosa, CeloBfa, Cam- panula, Calandulia, By- ronopsis, Arahis, Lily of the Valley, Alyssun i, Job's Tears, Cineraria, Colum- bine, Four o'Clock. Hibis- cus, Gilla, Sweet William, Anemone, Solamim, Me- via. Bird of Parariisf, Sedum, Si'.ean.Blue Bells of Scotland, Smilax,TiKer Pint, Browallia, Stocks, Margaret, Cyanns, Cow- Blip, Coreopsis, Clematis, Cypress Vine, Mourning Cloak, Zinnia, Verbina, Violet. All the ahove sent you if you will send 10 cents in silver or stamps to pay the cost of postage and pack- ing. GLENDALE NURSERY, Dept. Everett, Mass. Italian ^Caucasian Bees Haying bought an apiary of common bees and Italian, ized them last fall, we can furnish bees at reduced prices as follows in April: 1 Comb Nucleus (no queen) $|.S0 1 Tested Queen (Italian) 1.60 1 Select-Tested Queen " 2.25 1 Breeder Queen (Italian) 3.30 Can furnish CAUCASIAN QUEENS in May if ordered early. Will give 4 percent for orders in March. Send for Catalog. J. L. STRONG, 204 E. Logan St.. CLARINDA, IOWA. 8A3t Please mention the Bee Journal. Mention Ilee Journal when writing;. GEORGIA and all Southern bee-keepers call on me for free information regarding the best methods. PRACTICAL, APICULTURE is my specialty. Bee-Keepers' Supplies, Bees, Queens. J. J. WILDER, Cordele, Ga. 10A2t Please mention the Bee Journal. 222 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 8, 1906 'i ifi. " If Goods are wanted Quick, send to Pouder " BEE-SUPPLIES Root's Goods at Root's Prices Everything' used by Bee Keepers. POUDER'S HONEY-JARS. Prompt Service. Low Freight Rates. .•. .•. .•. Catalog Free. If you with to purchase finest quality of HONEY f :>r your local trade, write for my free monthly pi ice-list of honey. Why dot secure your BEE SUPPLIES NOW FOR NEXT SEASON'S USB and avail yonr&elf of the following -tery liberal discounts? Goods all Root Quality. For cash orders tefore Feb. 1-. 6 percent For cash orders before Mar. 1.. 4 percent For cash orders befoi e Apr. 1 . . 2 percent WALTER S. rOUDER, 513-515 Massachusetts Ave., INDIANAPOLIS, IND. Mention Bee Journal when writing. BEE-KEEPERS' AND POULTRY SUPPLIES LEWIS' BEEWARE is so well known It needs no introduction. 2 percent Discount on Bee- Supplies dor March. Beeswax wanted — 27c ca6h, 29c when taking bee-supplies in exchange. Extracted Honey For Sale. Prices on application. Sample, 10 cents. Cornell Incubators, Peep 0' Day Brooders and Cornell Chick Machinery SSIxcelled The 1906 Cornell Incubator is superior to anything heretofore put on the market. New l»OC Catalog; ibr either line Free. If you want orders filled PROMPTLY AT FACTORY PRICES, send your order to YORKHONEYl^CO.-' H. M. ARND, MGR. 141 Ontario Street, - CHICAGO, ILL. \ Long Distance 'Phone, North 1559. BEE - SUPPLIES Everything the bee-keeper needs. Distributing house for Lewis' Goods at Factory Prices. Now is the time to buy for next season. Discount for Early Orders FINE EXTRACTED HONEY in cans or barrels. The best the world can produce Samples 8 cents, to pay postage and packing. How much can you use? Prices quoted quick on the quantity you mention. We buy BEESWAX at all times in the year. Send for our Catalog and "Special" — free. C- Ma SCOT & CO. INDIAN^APOUS^IND . Street •J-* •i"^ <•<• "In every eonnlry tie swessM advertiser is tne continuous advertiser.' Grt the K«t Why put up with inferior goods when you may just as well have the Itest? They cost you no more. In many cases I can save yon money. In all cases I give the must lor the money, qual- ity considered. Remember. I have been over 20 years in the business, and carry the largest stock ©t BEE-SUPPLIES IN THE WEST. Many thousands of dollars worth of goods now on hand, ready for distribution. Shipping facilities unsurpassed. All points reached by direct lines, thus insuring the lowest Freight-rates. Write for estimates and new Catalog. Eih* eral discounts now. Address, JOS. NYSEWANDER, 565-56" W. 7th St. I>ES MOINES, IOWA Mention Bee Journal when writing. Special Sale on HIVES AND SECTIONS Until March IS. Dovetail Hives, 8-frame, l%- story, 125; 10-frame, S1.40: No. 1 bee-way Sec- tions, 3 .90: No. 2, $3.40; 241b. Shipping-Cases, 13c; Inundation, Smokers, etc., cheap. Send for 24 page Catalog free. W. D. SO PER, Rural Route3, JACKSON. MICH. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Our Little Booklet, Just out, tells all about Our beautiful Italian and Caucasian QUEENS X It also tells about the best BEE-HIVE, too; don't turn over another leaf until you have ad- dressed a postal to the The Wood Bee-Hive & Box 60. LANSING, MICH. Hentlon Bee Journal when writing. CAUCASIAN QUEENS! Caucasian Bees are very gentle. They are easy to handle and are, therefore, suited io be- ginners, timid bee-keepers and to ihose who keep bees in town. If you want to try this race, or if you want to improve the stock if your Ital- ian Bees, write to ROBERT B. McCAIN, 2Atf YORKVILLE. ILL. R. F. D. Mention Bee Journal when writing. QUEENS~ Best 3-band Italian— 1 Untested Queen, 75c; 6 for $4; 12 for $7.25. One 2 frame Nucleus with Queen, $2.25; 10 in one bunch, $17.50. LUTHER PRESSWOOD, 6E7t RELIANCE, TENN. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Please mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. March 8, 1916 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 223 Lowest Prici Big Discount for Early Orders Headquarters for Bee-Supplies Complete Stock for 1906 now on hand. On Cash Orders Before November 1 9 percen " December 1 8 " " January 1 7 " " February 1 6 " " March 1 4 " " April 1 2 " FREIGHT- RATES FROM CINCINNATI are the LOWEST, ESPECIALLY for the SOUTH as 'mostlall freight now goes through Cincinnati. Prompt Service is what I practice. You will Satisfaction Guaranteed- Catalog mailed free. Send for same. SAVE MONEY BUYING FROM ME. Bee = Sup pi ieS E 4 Percent Discount for March OF ALL, KINDS Established Nearly 25 Years We have published THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER for 15 years (monthly, 50c a year.) The largest and best il- lustrated magazine of its kind for the price published. Edited by two of the most experienced bee - keepers in America. Sample copy free. Our large, illustrated Price-Last of Supplies free on application. Address, The W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co. JAflESTOWN.N.Y. £)oncy anb * 33eestDax-f Chicago, Feb. 7.— The demand is about nor- mal with sufficient stocks to meet all require- ments. The best grades of white comb honey bring 14@15c, with off grades at l@3c less, de- pending upon color, condition and shape. Ex* tracted, aside from white clover and basswoud, (choice grades of which are practically unob- tainable), is in ample supply at 6M@7>fcc; am- ber, 6^@7c, with off grades still lower. Bees- wax, 30c. R. A. Burnett & Co. Toledo, Feb. 19.— The market for comb honey has been better for the past two weeks than at any time during the past season. Prices are firm on account of the scarcity. We are getting 15@16c for fancy white clover; 14@15c for No. 1, and 13@14c for amber. Buckwheat, 13c. Extracted honey is in good demand at following prices: White clover in barrels brings 6^1@7c; amber, 5J4<§5J6c; in cane every grade from l@l^c higher. Beeswax is firm and in good demand at 28 and 30c. The above are our selling prices, not what we pay. Griggs Bros. Indianapolis, Feb. 2.— Fancy white clover comb brings 16c; No. 1, 14c; demand exceeds the supply; fancy white western comb brings 14@15c; amber grades in poor demand at 12c Best grade of extracted honey brings 8>69c in 60-pound cans; amber, 6c. Good average bees- wax sells here for $33 per 100 pounds. Walter S. Pouder. Philadelphia, Feb. 19— The condition of the honey market is much more firm than it was a year ago at this lime, with much less on the market. Usually at this time of the year bee-men wake up to realize that they may carry their honey over and send it to the market to be sold at any price rather than hold it. At the present tirus the market is fairly well cleaned up. We quote: Fancy white comb honey, 16@l7c; amber, 13@i4c; extracted white clover, 7(«j8c; amber, 6@7c. Beeswax firm. We are producers of honey and do not handle on commission. Wm, A. Sblser. New York, Feb. 19.— The demand is fairly good for better grades of white, and while the near by crop is fairly well cleaned up, new arri- vals are now coming in from Cuba, besides several cars have been shipped on from Cali- fornia. We quote fancy white at 15c; No. 1, Let me ^^^ ^■PT^-^^^T^T^^I ^)re{^ i° separate apiaries, book your fj I H Bo' |\| ^ the ^OI,I>i:> ¥Kt Order for Vf, KJ lii dJLM hj LOWS, CARNIO- LANS, RED CX.OVERS and CAUCASIANS. For prices, refer to my catalog, page 29. C. H.W.WEBER ™AT1 Office and Salesrooms, 2146-48 Central Ave. Warehouses. Freeman and Central Aves. I3@14c; No. 2. 12c; amber, lie; buckwheat, 10@llc. Extracted in fairly good demand, es- pecially California, of which there is abundant supply. We quote white sage, o%ui ~%c\ light amber at 6(&7c, according to quantity; buck- wheat at 6c per pound; Southern at 50@60c per gallon, according to quality. Beeswax steady at 29@31c. Hildreth & Segelken. Cincinnati, Feb. 19.— At the present time the demand for honey is quiet; however, we fully believe the near future will bring better re- ports, since all indications point to a prosper- ous season. We continue to quote amber ex- tracted honey in barrels at 5K@6c; fancy white extracted, l%ms%c, in crates of two 60 pound cans. Comb honey is moving slowly at 13M@- 15c, according to the quality. (Bee-keepers, please observe the above are our selling prices —not what we are paying.} Beeswax, choice, bright yellow, 30c delivered here. The Fred W. Muth Co. Denver, Feb. 5 —Owing to the mild weather the demand for honey has not been as good as usual at this time of year. We are quoting strictly No, 1 white alfalfa comb honey at $3.35 to 13.75 per case of 24 sections: off grade and light amber at $3 to $3.30. White extracted alfalfa in 60-pound cans, 7H@8J3c; light amber, 6%@7#c. Beeswax, 24c for clean yellow. The Colo. Honey-Producers' Assn. Kansas City, Feb. 19.— The supply of comb honey is fairly large, also extracted. We quote fancy No. 1 white 24-section honey at $3.00 per case; amber, $2.75. White extracted 6}£c, and light amber t-c. Beeswax, 25@30c. C. C. Cl.KMd.NS & CO. Cincinnati, Jan. 23. — The nice weather holds back the demand for comb honey. Crops seem to be exceedingly short and producers in the West keep the prices high. We quote as fol- lows: Fancy water-white and No. 1 white clo- ser, 14@loc; No. 2, 12@14c. Extracted seemB to be more plentiful, and we quote same in barrels, 5#@5^c; in cans, He more; white clover, 7@8c. Beeswax, 28@30c. C. H.W. Weber. ONE TON White Clover Honey Candied — a 60-poufld can, $6. Cash and instructions sent to Farmers' Bank. JOHN C. STEWART 8Atf HOPKINS, MO. FOR SALE Until further notice, finest quality new crop California Water- White White Sage and L,ight Amber HONEY ia 60-lb. tins, 2 in a case; new cans and new cases Write for prices and sam pies, and state quantity you want. Hildreth & Segelken 265 & 267 Greenwich Street, New York, N.Y) 34Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. nuiNtv AND BtbiWAA When consigning, baying or selling, consult R. A. BURNETT & CO., ?#* I A .IAS. A. STONE. i m AI'IAKT OP W. H. DI< KINSON, OF MIDDLETOWN, CONN. i See page 230) 226 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 15, 1906 PUBLISHED WEEKI/7 BY GEORGE W. YORK S COMPANY 334 Dearborn Street, Chicago, III. IMPORTANT NOTICES THE SUBSCRIPTION PRICE of this Journal is $1.00 a year, in the United States, Canada, and Mexico; all other countries in the Postal Union, i>o cents a year extra for postage. Sample copy free. THE WRAPPER-LABEL DATE Indicates the end of the month to which your subscriutio" ispai.i. For instance, "decofi" on your label Bhows that it is paid to the end of December. SUBSCRIPTION RECEIPTS— We do not send a receipt for money sent us to pay subscription, but change the date on your wrapper-label, which shows that the money has been received and credited. ADVERTISING RATES will be given upon appli- cation. National Bee-Keepers' Association Objects of the Association 1st.— To promote the interests of its members. 2d.— To protect and defend its members in their lawful rishts. 3d,— To enforce laws against the adulteration of boney. Annual Membership Dues, $1.00 General Manager and Treasurer — N. E. Fkamce, Platteville, Wle, yy If more convenient. Dues may be sent to tte publishers of the American Bee Journal. The Honey-Producers' League (Incorporated) OBJECTS: 1. To create a larger demand for honey through advertising. 2. To publish facts about honey, and counteract misrepresentations of the same. MEMBERSHIP DUES 1 . Any bee-keeper may become a member by pav- ing to the Manager an annual tee of $1.00 for each 20 (or fraction of 2i>) colonies of bees (spring count; he owns or operates. 2. Any honey-dealer, bee-supply dealer, bee-supply manufacturer, bee-paper publisher, or any other Arm or individual, may become a member on the annual payment of a fee of $10, increased by one- fifth of one (I) percent of his or its capital used in the allied interests of bee-keeping. George W. York, Manager, 334 Dearborn St., CHICAGO, ILL. ** The continuous advertiser Kets the bulk of the business, because others are not adver- tising, and he is." Contents of this Number Illustrations — A Mistake 039 Apiary of W. H. Dickinson .. Jst Page Divisible Brood-Frame 232 Mendleson. M. H " i si Pace Stone, Jas.A ]st Pace Editorial Notes and Comments — Bee's Instinct of Self-Sacrifice 229 More Comb Honey Misrepresentation 22y Miscellaneous Jfews Iteins — Apiary of W. H. Dickinson 230 Bees Starved in Italv 230 "Got the Best" nf Europe '230 Mendleson, M. H 230 National Convention Keport 230 New Edition of "Forty Years" 23" Stone, Jas.A 230 Contributed Special Articles- America, to the Front -»3i Among the Bees in the Spring 231 Dadant Methods of Honey-Production 1 No. hi 2:i2 b ruits in Germany 231 Honey-Plants 231 Rains in California .'.' e3I Mr. JECasijfs Afterthoughts — Bee-Keeping and Fru it-Growing 233 Concave Capping of Comb Honey , 233 Formalin and Its Taste on Combs -'33 Rogues in Other Trades Besides Queen-Trade. 233 Shade and Swarm-Holder— Swarming 233 Short-Lived Queens 233 Our Sister Bee- Keepers — Cocoamel 234 " Glucose and its Uses— The Honest Label"".' .'! 234 March Comes Like a Lion 234 Canadian Beedom — Bees an Interesting Subject 234 Running a Wax-Press 234 Swarming Habit ! "'34 Wax-Rendering Processes ." 234 Southern Beedom — Melilotus for Pasturage— Free Seed 235 More About Sweet Clover for the South 235 Spring Management of BeeB 235 Sweet Clover as a Forage and Honey-Plant 23 3 Dr. Miller1 s Question-Box — Age of Nectar- Yielding Basswood-Trees 23R Dequeened Colonies 23R Feeding Hon^y from Dead Colonies 23fi Italianizing Black Bees 236 Keeping Queens a Few Days 236 Stimulative Spring Feeding 236 When to Do Spring Feed ing ■. 236 i 'otiventiott Proceedings — Choosing a Location 237 Report of Wisconsin Convention 267 Studies in Bee-Nature 2:57 Reports and Experiences — A Mistake (Poem) 239 Bees f 'arry Ecgs s>38 Bees Wintering Well 238 Bees Working on Maple Sap sah ('lover Seems to Be Injured 23H Feeding Iron-Rusted Honey 238 Late Fall Feeding 238 Long Honey-Corn h 23* Q'leen-Eees that Wouldn't Hatch 2H8 Why Did the Bees Die off? 239 Wintering Quietly 238 Wintering Well 238 Langstroth °n «* Honey-Bee »3p as «: Revised by Dadant— Latest Edition. This is one of the standard books on bee-culture, and ought to be in the library of every bee-keeper. It is bound substantially in cloth, and contains over 500 pages, being revised by those large, practical bee-keepers, so well- known to all the readers of the Ameri- can Bee Journal — Chas. Dadant & Son. Each subject is clearly and thoroly ex- plained, so that by following the in- structions of this book one cannot fail to be wonderfully helped on the way to success with bees. The book we mail for $1 .20, or club It with the American Bee Journal for one year — both for $2.00 ; or, we will mail it as a premium for sending us THREE NEW subscribers to the Bee Journal for one year, with $3.00. This is a splendid chance to get a grand bee-book for a very little money or work. GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, ILL If you want the Bee-Book That covers the whole Apicultnral Field more completely than any other published, send $1.30 to Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont, Cal.. for his " Bee-Keeper's Guide." Liberal Discounts to the Trade. Mention Bee Journal when writing. The Rietsche Press Made of artificial stone. Practically Inde- structible, and giving entirely satisfactory re- sults. Comb foundation made easily and quickly at less than half the cost of buying from the dealers. Price of Press, $1.50— cash with order. Address, ADRIAN GETAZ, 45Atf KNOXVILLE, TENN. t*"J.G. Goodner, of this State, writes me that he " prefers to pay $25.00 for a Rietsche Press rather than do without it."— A. G. Mention Bee Journal when writing:. " It is continuous advertising that impresses the public with the stability of a firm." NOT IN THE TRUST For High-Grade Cans Prices Always the Lowest Write for Prices, Stating- Quantity Wanted Friction 1 op Cans for Honey and Syrup Prompt shipment and oareful attention given to all orders. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Made by Special prices to members of the Bee-Keepers' Associations. CANNERS CAN CO.. 1035 W. 47th Street, CHICAGO, ILL. March IS, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 227 "DADANT'S F(MDATM " IT E2COE3L.S EVERY INCH equal to sample Beauty, Purity, Firmness. No Sagging, No Loss. Twenty-seven Years of Experience. We Guarantee Satisfaction. WAX WORKED INTO FOUNDATION BEE=SUPPLIES of all kinds. Beeswax Wanted &£... DADANT & SONS, Hamilton, 111. SEND FOR OUR CATALOG Trees, Plants* Seeds /&> THAT GROW Best quality. Good bear ers. Low prices. Apple 4c;PlumandCherry^'o 12c; Peach 4c; all J^ T* budded; Con->/^sjV < cord Grapes>^fckV a' 2c; ForestX.f^A^ Tested .ds very cheap. Freight paid on trees. Cata- . logne, English op German, free. Write m T7tl^t£~s^4&cPflSrfor it today. Address GERMAN NURSERIES! Box 30 Beatrice, Neb. Mention Bee Journal when writing. SEE THE 1906 RELIABLE before you buy. Perfectly practical forpoul- trymen or beginners. Double heating system gives bigger hatches— saves one- third the oil. Sold on a money back guarantee. Write for free catalog. Reliable Farm Pure- Bred Birds and Eggs. Get prices. Reliable Incubator and Brooder Co., Box B-16S Quincv, Illinois, TJ. S. A, Mention Bee Journal when writing. DON'T WAIT for the season to start before you order your Bee-Supplies DITTMER'S FOUNDATION IS THE BEST MADE We make a specialty of working wax for Cash. Retail — Wholesale — Jobbing BEESWAX ALWAYS WANTED Write for our Price- List and samples ; we would like to send them to you at our expense. GUS D1TTMER, Augusta, Wis. Wisconsin Basswood Sections And Prompt Shipments Is what we are making for our customers. DOVETAILED HIVES AND SHIPPING-CASES — We carry a full line of SUPPLIES. Ask for Catalog. \RSHFIELD HANUFACTURINQ CO., riarshfield, Wis. Mention Bee Journal when writing. ^California The Pacific Rural Press has been a house- hold word throughout California for 35 years. It is authority on all matters regarding the soil or products of California. Weekly, illus- trated : Edited by practical specialists. Two Dollars per year. Send for sample copy. Pacific Rural Press, 330 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif. 50Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. OJC Tot 12 NameS 12 farmers and'lj'c- namps taken— we will send for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Call— reE. sub. price 40c a year. F. C. is a wkly., 25 years old, 1,300 pages a year. Sample free. FAKMER'S CALL,, Quincy, 111. Mention Bee Journal when writing. The Fresh Air Incubator Fresh Air applied to Artl6clal Incubation Id a new and effective waj, making pi>silble higher per cent hatches, brighter, healthier stronger chicks. 5 FREE BOOKLETS ON ARTI- FICIAL POULTRY PRODUCTION i ■'. !'..■ Standard Incubator. 2nd — An Incubator for Beginner-.. 3rd— Universal Hover and Colonj Brooders,, ith— Feeding Chicks. 6th— What Users us Doing. A PIANO BOX WILL DO PutttaeUnlvern.! H^verlnto Itand mnkr poi own brooder. The Unl- ii.iv bo attached to anj site or f' lace, and the burlap to hold the melted combs between them, plug up the spout of the pan, and then pour your boiling water slowly into the press. Don't forget to give the corners their share, and let it stand long enough for everything to get thoroughly hot and wet. Now let out the water, and remove the follower, open up the burlap, dip in the melted combs (you will soon learn how much you can handle at a lime), fold the burlap over the wax, put in the follower, and screw it down slowly. Be sure the. screw presses fairly in the middle of the follower, or it will not press evenly. When it is down nearly as far as von can turn it, and you think all the wax is out, ease it up a little, n.nd then turn it down as far as it will go. Give it time to run out;, then turn it down some more, and give it more time to run out. Tou will be surprised how much wax will come out after you think it must March IS, 19C6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 235 be all out. Don' be afraid of breaking the machine, but 6quee/.e it down for all you are worth. If it bursts, get a new one — stronger. When you can not persuade any more wax to come out, release the screw, take out the follower, remove the burlap, and dump the re- fuse (and burn your fingers, until you discover how hot it if). Then repeat the process until you are done. Have the boiler for melting the combs on the stove boiling, and have a kettle of water boiling to replace what is dipped out with the boiling wax; and have a pail of cold water handy in case your boiler takes a notion to boil over; and have a few dozen old newspapers spread around on the floor; and have your press right up close to the 6tove for convenience ; and have a tap in the vessel into which the wax and water from the press How, so that the water may be drawn off as the vessel fills up. When you have finished, run some boiling water through the press to remove any little bits of wax that may be in it. It is generally advisable to melt the wax again after it comes from the press to get it into a solid, clean cake before selling it, or sending it away to be made up into comb foundation. To prevent wax crack- ing when cooling, wrap an old piece of carpet, or something, around and over the vessel to make it cool as slowly as possible. It is cooling too rapidly that causes it to crack. — E. G. H. Bees an Interesting Subject— Swarming Habit Reading agricultural exchanges has this broadening effect — that it introduces one to writers on bees not often met in the strictly bee-keeping periodicals. Sometimes they hide behind initials — and wisely so. Then, again, they come out boldly. F. G. Herman, in the Agricultural Epitomist, says : The subject of bees has always been of great interest to me, not only because I started in the business of honey-producing several years ago, and learned from so many different sources that the bee-industry i6 not so well understood as other branches of farming, consequently there is a lack of this necessary knowledge, and the investments usually made in bees are not profitable. When we undertake such a business, even on a small scale, we should study it in its details, so as to be able to overcome difficulties. I think the reader will agree with me that where any special line of farming, whether it be horse-breed- ing, dairying, or sheep husbandry, is undertaken as a special pursuit on a large scale, it very often is a failure financially. I am not going to discuss why this is so, but that it is a fact no one can deny. True it is there are plenty who succeed in all these many branches, but they are exceptions to the general rule. With bees, unless it i6 undertaken first on a small scale and gradually increased, learning as we go and studying and planning, difficulties are sure to arise which are too hard to overcome. Probably the thing most annoying to the bee-keeper is the swarm- ing habit. If the bees did not persist in dividing their forces so fre- quently much more surplus honey could be obtained, and the bee- keeper himself would feel more easy about his bees. In producing comb honey in 1-pound boxes it is necessary actually to crowd the bees into the section-boxes, for they seem loath to begin work in such small divisions, and this crowding is one of the initiatives which creates the swarming fever. When producing extracted honey abundant room can be given, and the swarming impulse is greatly checked. There- fore, if bees are to be kept fir from the house, and can not be given much attention, it is advisable to produce only extracted honey, which is done by giving the bee6 large combs and plenty of room, for it matters not whether the combs are entirely completed or not, as the honey is taken from them and the combs retained to be used again. =\ Southern 4- 23eebom -f Conducted by Louis H. Scholl. New Braunfels, Tex. More About Sweet Clover for the South J Before leaving the matter of sweet clover as a forage and honey-plant, I shall wish to ask for information con- cerning its growth and its value from those who have given it a trial, or have had experience with it in some way or other. I should be very glad to have reports from all who have grown sweet clover anywhere in the South. Who has succeeded with it, and who failed ? How was it planted and grown, and on what kind of soil ? How much was planted, and what about the yield ? How was the honey as to color, flavor and body ? Did stock eat the clover, green or as hay ? Any and all such information will be greatly appreciated, and will help in getting up valuable informa- tion for our department, which should be an information bureau on just such topics. Sweet Clover as a Forage and Honey-Plant "We often see in the bee-papers writers stating that stock will not eat sweet clover. Such is not the case in Central Texas. A few years ago we procured sweet clover seed to scatter along the roadside so we could get it started growing for a honey-plant for our bees, and it came up to a good stand, and as soon as it grew large enough the stock kept it eaten down so close that it died. But where it was kept from the stock it grew to a fine growth, and makes a fine honey-plant."— Dr. C. S. Phillips, in The Apiarist. ^m i ^ Melilotus for Pasturage— Free Seed As I have just run across a letter from Prof. W. J. Spill- man, Agrostologist of the United States Department of Agriculture, on the subject of sweet clover, it will be repro- duced herewith, as it contains some good points of informa- tion. He says : "Doubtless many of your readers are more or less familiar with sweet clover, also called melilotus or Bokhara clover. This plant is a common weed over most of the east- ern half of the United States, and is not uncommon on the Pacific Coast. It is generally reported that stock will not eat it either green or cured as hay, but on the black prairie soils of Alabama and Mississippi— soils which are prac- tically identical with the black, waxy soils of Texas— meli- lotus is grown quite extensively, both as a pasture and hay crop and as a soil renovator, and it is quite highly prized in that section for all these purposes. Farmers there state that stock nol accustomed to melilotus at first refuse to eat it, but when they once acquire a liking for it, they do very well upon it. "The plant is a legume, very closely resembling alfalfa when it is young, and is undoubtedly a splendid soil-reno- vator. It is also exceedingly hardy. It has occurred to me that on account of its value on the black prairie soils of the Middle South, it is worth testing on the similar black, waxy soils of Texas. We are arranging to secure a quan- tity of seed, and will gladly send a package of seed of this plant to any of the readers who may be located on the black, waxy soil, who will agree to report to us the results of their test of it. We will send these seeds to applicants comply- ing with these conditions as long as the supply lasts. " Melilotus is a biennial. It may be sown either in spring or in fall. If sown in the spring it makes consid- erable growth that year, but does not head out. The next year it makes a very large growth, and makes seed in the fall of the year, unless it is cut for hay, and then dies root and branch. It is said to make very good pasture for hogs and other stock, and it makes a good yield of hay. Farmers should remember, however, what has has been said above about stock not liking it at first. Being a legume much like alfalfa and clover in many respects, it is probable that there would be some danger from bloat when pasturing cat- tle or sheep on melilotus."— W. J. Spillman, Agrostologist U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. ^^^ « ^^^ Spring Management of Bees Perhaps at the beginning of the season we have all noticed the vigor of any colony that has its stores of honey and brood in a compact form— that is to say, a colony that has honey and brood in all combs occupied by the bees. Colonies in this condition may generally be depended upon to do far better work than others that are poorly supplied with honey. This will apply to the nucleus as well as to the powerful colony. To get all colonies in this prime condition, the bee- keeper in most years will be forced to resort to feeding. Naturally this brings forth the question of whether feeding is profitable or not. I think all, or nearly all, will agree that it does not pay to feed the colony that has win- tered well and has enough to enable it to reach the flow. Some even go so far as to say that all feeding is use- less, and is time and money thrown away. This may be so if there is always an abundant flow of nectar, but should there be 3 or 4 months with little or nothing for the bees to gather, these same people will be found feeding their bees— that is, if they want to keep them alive. It pays all the time to feed bees to keep them from starving, and if it pays to keep them alive, it will pay more to keep them in good condition. For the colony that goes through the season in poor condition will more than likely 236 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. March IS, 1906 prove to be a failure, so far as gathering honey is concerned. To make a profit on every colony of bees fed should be the object sought for. To do this the bee-keeper will have to exercise considerable judgment, and will have to take into consideration the condition of each colony to be fed. Suppose, for example, we take 100 colonies at the be- ginning of the season. In going through these colonies we find 25 of them in prime condition. Fifty of them we find are only average. Twenty-five of them we find to be in very poor condition. The first 25, if fed at all, would be fed at a loss. The second 50 have bees enough to cover all their combs ; so we feed them until all combs occupied by the bees are filled. This puts them in as good condition as the first 25. Thus we have 75 colonies in prime condition. In the next 25 in poor condition we find some have bees enough to cover only half of their combs, while some have enough to cover only 2 combs. In preparing these for feed- ing we remove from every hive all combs the bees do not occupy ; next, a division-board is placed close up to the combs and the bees that remain. The object in doing this is to force the bees to store the feed in as compact a form as possible. They are then fed as rapidly as they will take the feed until all empty cells are filled. The division-board is then removed, and the empty combs that were taken from them are replaced. In replacing the empty combs put them all to one side of the cluster. Do not attempt to spread brood in these last colonies, but let them manage their own affairs, and if there is nec- tar in the fields they will soon make fine colonies for busi- ness. All colonies should be fed separately bv the use of feeders, or some method suitable for feeding within the hive. For only in this way can we be sure that the feed will be placed exactly where it is needed. In this way I find feeding profitable ; therefore, I always feed when nec- essary. E. L. Bussey. Cleburne, Tex. =% Doctor miller's Question * 33ox =j Send questions either to the office of the American Bee Journal, or to Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, 111. Dr. Miller does not answer Questions by mail. When to Do Spring Feeding When will be the proper time to feed sugar syrup this spring, in Southern Missouri? Our bees are short of anything to eat just now. We are giving them candy; that is, part of them. I think all will need feed soon. I am afraid it is too cold to feed syrup yet. Our bees did not store enough honey for winter stores last fall. Missouri. Answer. — There is little danger in feeding syrup any time now, as it is getting so late that there is no probability that the bees will be confined in the hive very long after being fed. But to be entirely on the safe side, keep the candy going till the weather i6 warm enough for the bees to fly nearly every day, and then give them a full feed of syrup. * • » Italianizing Black Bees 1. I would like to Italianize some colonies of black bees in the spring, and thought the following plan might suit: Remove the queens from the colonies of black bees and give them a frame of brood from a colony of Italians. Will one frame of brood be sufficient for each colony of blacK bees? 2. As black queens are sometimes hard to find, how would it do to get the hive ready, put on an entrance-guard, shake the bees in front of the hive, and capture the black queen as she tries to enter? 3. About what time in the season 6hould the work be done? 4. Can I take Italian brood something like 2 miles without danger of it being chilled and injured? 5. Will the frames of a 10-frame hive fit an 8-frame hive? Virginia. Answers.— 1. If you mean that you will take away one frame of black brood, replacing it with a frame of Italian brood, there would not be any assurance of success, for with several frames of black brood to one of Italian, there would be several chances to get a young black queen to one of getting an Italian queen. If you take away all of the black brood, then you will be sure of an Italian queen, and one frame of brood will be sufficient for that purpose, only the colony would of course not be so strong afterward with so much brood removed. You can manage, however, to get along without taking away so much brood. One way is to remove a black queen from its colony, and then swap all its frames of brood for those of an Italian colony. All the cells started would then be of Italian stock, and a week later you could take away all but one or two of the sealed cells to be used elsewhere. Here's another way : From an Italian colony take 2 or 3 of its central combs (giving them to some other colony), and replace with frames containing only small 6tarters. A week later you will find these frames partly filled with fresh-built comb containing eggs and brood. Put one of these frames in the center of a black colony from which the queen has been removed. The bees will be pretty sure to start a number of cells on this new and tender comb, to the neglect of the others, and a week later you can use these cells as you wish ; or, if you prefer, you can leave them where they are at the disposal of the bees. In the latter case, however, you should make sure against any chance by opening the hive 4 or 5 days after giving the brood, and destroying any cell that might be found on the black brood. 2. That will be all right. 3. Not till bee6 are doing good work at gathering. 4. Yes, in summer weather. Even in rather cool weather you can do it by wrapping a frame in blankets previously warmed. 5. All 10-frame hives have not the same frames, neither have all 8- frame hives. But take 2 hives alike as to everything except size, as for instance dovetailed hives, and the frames of the 10-frame hive are the same as the frames of an 8-frame hive. Feeding Honey from Dead Colonies Two years ago I bought 2 colonies of bees, and the fir6t year they increased to 5 colonies. I lost 1 colony the spring of 1905, and last fall I had 6 put away in good condition with plenty of honey for win- ter, of which I just now lost one colony. I examined the hive and found the honey somewhat watery, running a little out of the hive. What is the cause of this? Can I feed the honey if other bees clean out the comb? Indiana. Answer. — If you had examined closely you might have found that it was mostly water that wa6 running out of the hive. Water may be found running out of a hive containing a colony in good con- dition, the vapor from the bees settling on the cold walls of the hive as water, aDd running out of the entrance. It may also settle on the unsealed honey in the combs, making the honey thin, sometimes 60 thin as to run out. There is nothing unusual in all this, and you need not fear to feed this honey to the bees when the weather gets warm. #-•-» Keeping Queens a Few Days— Dequeened Colonies- Stimulative Spring Feeding— Age of Nectar- Yielding Basswood Trees 1. What is the best way in which to keep one or more queens a few days — a week or more — to be used to requeen other colonies? 2. I see different bee-keepers advocate leaving colonies queenless for 4 or 5 days after returning them to their old hive by destroying or caging the queen (in the production of comb honey), thereby stop- ping further swarming. Will not the bees rear another queen during that time of their own accord? If 60, how can it be prevented? 3. What would be the best way to introduce a queen into a colony after their being queenless as above described? 4. What i6 the safest and best plan to pursue in stimulating brood- rearing in weak colonies in the spring, and how long before the honey-flow should one commence? 5. How old does a basswood-tree usually get before it yields nec- tar? Wisconsin. Answers. — 1. In a nucleus if to be kept a considerable time. If only for a week or so, she will be all right in a provisioned queen-cage in any full colony. 2. If I understand you correctly, you mean that when a prime swarm issues the queen is removed, the swarm returned, and the col- ony left queenless 4 or 5 days. I wonder if you haven't got that a little mixed. Most surely that would seldom stop further swarming, for when the prime swarm i66ues there will be generally several sealed queen-cells present, and a swarm will issue with the first virgin that emerges. To prevent further swarming destroy all cells but one 6 or 7 days after the issuing of the prime swarm. Still better, go to the hive 6 or 7 days after swarming, in the still evening, and listen for the piping of the young queen, listening each evening until you do hear her. Then go the next morning and destroy all celle remaining. 3. At the time of destroying all queen-cells, give the queen in a provisioned queen-cage, allowing the bees to release her. A surer plan will be to give the caged queen earlier, either as soon as the old queen is removed, or any time within a week after the removal of the old queen, only have the cage so the bees can not eat into the candy to release her. Then at the time of destroying the cells uncover the candy so the bees can get at it to release the queen. 4. In your locality probably the safest and best thing is to see that the bees have abundance of provisious, and let them entirely aloue, for more harm thao good may be done by frequent feeding in catchy weather. But in localities where there is nice warm weather for bees to fly, and nothing to get for a week or more, then it may be a good thing to feed a pound or so every other day. 5. I don't know ; perhaps about 10 years if it come6 from the 6eed, 'jut 4 or 5 if sprouts spring up from a stump. -he Premiums we offer are all well worUi working for. Look at them in this copy of the American Bee Journal. March 15. 1<«6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 237 Report of the Wisconsin State Convention BY HARRY LATHROP. [Continued on page 218.] Mr. II. II. Moe read a very good paper on STUDIES IN BEE-NATURE A writer on the subject of bee-culture in the Wisconsin Farmer states as fact that bees deposit from the point of the Sting a drop of poison into honey-cells just before sealing — this for the purpose of preserving the honey. In view of this u is nothing strange that some people are prejudiced against the finest of all health-foods. Even bee-keepers 1 have known to be as ignorant as to suppose the pollen carried by the bees was what they built the wax out of. These thoughts started this paper. All training, and particularly educational training, has for its aim some development. Especially interesting is the development of the eyes and ears. The organs of seeing and hearing are two of the most important by which we are in communication with this world. It has been the writer's spe- cial privilege to spend many profitable years in school, both as a student and a teacher. Honey has always had an attrac- tion for me, ever since I can remember, and I am sure I have not as yet lost my "honey-tooth," nor need I add that the dollars and cent's are undervalued by me, any more than the average of us. But what I wanted to emphasize is the value and interest of Nature study. In this line bee-keeping fur- nishes a most interesting field. I well remember in my younger days, how, after a little study of botany, a wholly new world seemed to open up. Likewise, bee-study has brought me in contact with some of the most wonderful and interesting things in this wonderful world in which we are living. Possibly some may here draw a heavy sigh, intimating that this is of no interest as it is not concerned with how to make more dollars and cents. Permit me here to digress suf- ficiently to show how it may mean dollars and cents. For instance, a neighboring bee-keeper, perhaps as suc- cessful as the average bee-keeper, had read somewhere that the average life of the worker-bee, during the busy season, was only 6 weeks. The question he propounded to me was : "Is this really so?" The intelligent bee-keeper will readily see how it must be exceedingly difficult for such a bee-keeper to make intelligent preparation and management for a honey harvest. Again, last summer a gentleman who has kept bees a good many years wished to know how to prevent swarming. He said he wished to try a plan given him by a bee-keeper who recommended it as working very successfully. This man said he was advised to "kill all the queens," whatever this meant. that were issuing with a swarm. A few questions elicited the fact that this gentleman was most blissfully ignorant of the life history of the queen-bee or the worker-bee. Such bee-keepers can, and do, follow simple rules for bee- keepers as laid down in all of our books and periodicals on bee-keeping. Such a mechanical process may be successful enough, but it does not belong to that intelligent class of bee- keepers for which I am pleading. But he who has not seen the beauty of structure in our "pets" has not as yet become interested in one of the most interesting and beautiful phases of apiculture. That this subject is important must further appear from the statement of the case. as. in a measure, presented 1>\ our inimitable ex-Gox. Hoard. The argument came to me with much force, as I live in an important dairy district. Some one asked him if brains were necessary to milking? It one could turn one's brains out to milk? Promptly the gentle- man replied that he had never seen any milking "done without the use of brains. It is because of thi value of brains that I have selected this subject. Bee-keeping is most excellent for the cultivation of sharp eyes and a keen hearing. In bee-keeping it is im- portant to cultivate hearing and seeing. The angry hum of the bee. as contrasted with the musical call, so to Speak, a Swarm entering a new hive; the peep of the queen, etc., must he familiar to all bee-keepers who have had some experience. The beautiful and wonderful structures revealed by a micro- scope are such that they must be seen to be appreciated. [Here some illustrations and verbal descriptions were given.] After this you will be prepared to take ,,p some of the most won- derful facts and theories found anywhere in natural history. What is the value of all this Some time ago I saw a copj of a famous painting. The original had been sold for a fabulous sum. I looked! I wondered. 1 could see nothing. I was looking at a copj of Millet's "Angelus." Two simple and hard-working persons, A common every-day rural scene. A very, very common everj da) sight. But 'ere 1 left, a beau tif ill thought dawned. In a busy life, a few minutes of rest. A few moments to think of something higher. A few mo- ments for a higher life. What a wonderful thought! What beauty! The Twenty-third Psalm is simple— very simple! Yet a great king constructed no work grander. Nothing more beautiful; no monument ever constructed more grand or enduring. This would he more fully appreciated by seeing some of the beauties and wonders revealed by the microscope. (Interesting work for "long winter evenings." so as to get acquainted jvith the bee.) You will discover that truth is "stranger than fiction." and be impressed with the idea so forcibly put by Shakespeare: "There are more wonders m heaven and earth (and me) than were ever dreamed of." And what of the result? Get acquainted with your fellow bee-keepers and you will, as a rule, notice a clean, intelligent class of men, much superior, in my way of thinking, to what one generally meets with. It is well-known how one's occu- pation influences one, and leaves its characteristics upon one's individuality. Contrast, if you will, the burly and besotted saloon-keeper, void of all soul and intelligence, with the clean and intelligent bee-keeper, and there can be no question as to the profession we ought to choose. I think it was Dr. C. C. Miller wdio. in answer to a ques- tion, advised one to "live with his bees." This is a good sug- gestion. You will solve many hard problems, and unravel many wonderful mysteries by so doing. In addition you will come to love your profession and enjoy your work. Those who have read G. M. Doolittle's "Scientific Queen-Rearing" will remember that it was by "lying awake nights," as he puts it. that the interesting and wonderful principles under- lying queen-rearing were evolved. [Dr. Bigelow and Prof. Cook's work were here spoken of, bee-books discussed, and bee-exhibits mentioned.] H. H. Moe. CHOOSING A LOCATION To many, about the only thought considered in choos- ing a location would be that of a sunny spot on the south side of a hill. But a much broader view of the matter should be considered in order to insure enjoyment in our work and financial success. Therefore, it is of the greatest importance that the man who engages in the business of bee-keeping considers well all points bearing upon this first step, that no unpleasantness may afterward arise which might make his occupation unenjoyable or unprofit- able. It would be well for him to go to an apiarist of say 20 to 40 years' experience in keeping bees in different locali- ties and under varying conditions — one who has main- tained out-apiaries, and produced both comb and extracted honey, and practised outdoor and cellar wintering, and counsel with him in regard to the matter. I am writing from the standpoint of one who wishes to build up a home market for his product by retailing his honey from house to house at regular intervals, and at a living price; in other words, one who intends to get out of the business all the enjoyment and money there is in it for him. Such an one will have two or three ques- tions to settle, of a different nature than the man who in- tends to ship all his product. < >f course, his first question will be — 1. Is it a honey-producing locality? Take plenty of time to decide this. I would choose a place where there is more than one kind of pasturage to depend upon. Maple, willows and orchards are desirable in spring, with clover and basswood following, and heartsease and buck- wheat for the fall flow. Then 1 would be quite sure of something each year. It would not be a bad plan to te the prospective place by placing a half-dozen col there two or three years, and note results. 2. Is the field already occupied by other bee-keepers? If it is. another apiary mighl ■ /erstock the place so that neither would make anything; and if there is evidence that it is not overstocked, we should at least have a friendly 238 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 15, 1906 talk with any who may have bees there, to learn if our coming would be congenial to him, for we should observe the Golden Rule in this as well as in other matters. 3. Are the people being supplied with honey? And if so, at what price — wholesale or retail? If they are sell- ing to their neighbors for the same price that they could get were they to sell to the commission merchant or any large buyer, then it \\ ould be of little use to locate there, unless the bee-keepers could be gotten together, and a price and plan of work agreed upon the same as dairy- men do. 4. Are they selling bees to their neighbors? I would not want them to produce their honey — I should want to sell hone}' to them; besides, there is more danger of disease when there are a lot of small bee-keepers who are, as a rule, not as careful as the specialist. 5. Is there any foul brood in the neighborhood? Though this one is not of as much importance as the other questions, to the one who knows how to handle it should it appear. 6. Can I find a desirable spot upon which to locate my apiary? Very much more depends upon this»than many are aware, which often explains the secret of one man getting better crops than his near neighbor. The apiary should be located on a level with, or below, a good portion of the surrounding country, that the heav- ily laden bee may have an easy flight homeward, and, if possible, in a direction from your home (if it is an out- yard) having a good road leading to it. • Avoid a windy place. The advice usually given is to locate near water, but experience has taught me that judgment should be exer- cised in this matter. I have at the present time two api- aries located on the banks of the Wisconsin River — one at Portage, which is about 20 rods, and the other 8 miles south and 10 rods distant from the river, which is quite wide at both places, and I am sure that many times, when the bees have been crossing the river on windy days large numbers of them have been blown into the water and lost. Fishermen have told me that a mile below one of these yards they have seen hundreds of dead bees floating on the water, and if such numbers are observed at such a distance from the yard, there is no telling what the loss may be. So it is best not to locate too near such a body of water. My other yard is located near the Baraboo River, in a timbered, hilly place, well protected from wind, and I am sure no bees are lost there. I have had apiaries protected from all quarters, and those not protected at all, and my choice is a spot on a north slope, well protected from all other sides. A yard so placed is out of the reach of the prevailing south winds of summer. Many times I have driven 7 miles to an out-yard, starting on a beautiful, still morning, and when I had worked but a short time the wind was blowing at such a rate from the south that I could not work without a wind- break, and sometimes not then. Although this yard was on a south slope, and in a good clover country, I had to move it, for the wind not only caused me much loss of time, but the bees did not do well there. My yards are now on north slopes, and the wind can blow a gale from any quarter and still I can work opening hives, and no shade is needed for hives that are painted white. I believe that in most townships a place can be found where bees may be kept at a profit, if rightly managed, and having found a place with all conditions as satisfac- tory as desired, buy an acre or two, if possible, and if you can't, rent it; place a telephone in a box attached to a post in the center of the yard, especially if you employ help — go to work, be hopeful, make money, do good with your money, and be happy. A. C. Allen. (Continued next week.) Heports cmb I (Experiences Bees Wintering Well Bees are wintering well— 10 colonies all right. Prospects are good tor another year. James H. Fisher. Cementon, Pa., March 5. Wintering Quietly Bees are wintering quietly in the cellar, but the condition of the floor seems to indicate that there were a larger number of old bees than usual with which to commence the winter. R. B. Ross, Jr. Montreal, Que., March 5. A Long Honey-Comb— Wintering Well I noticed on page 138, an account of the night-working bees in the jungles of India, and how long and wide they make their combs. That is nothing to brag of, for we can beat that right out here in Colorado. I do not mean the night-working bees, but the long combs. I took a swarm of bees out of a house for a friend of mine 2 years ago, and I found one continuous comb 9>^ feet long by i2 to 14 inches wide, and it was perfectly straight and smooth on the front 6ide, not a spur or brace- comb attached to it, and it was all sealed or capped over from the top down to within about 2 feet of the floor ; that had some brood in it! I was very sorry afterward that 1 did not have a photograph taken of it, for it was a very beautiful sight to behold. Who can beat it? I got 2 wash-tubs of honey out of it and what was n behind, and 2 large swarms of bees — at least I made 2 out of it, for I think there was a wa6h-tubful of bees altogether. Behind the front comb f found one comb 5 feet long full of brood. Bees have wintered well in this section as far as I know. My bees did not make expenses last year, which was the poorest season that was ever known in this part of the State. Two years ago I had colonies that stored $25 worth of honey each. The honey-flow was so great that they just kept me busy piling on supers in order to keep them at work. It was a grand sight to see the busy little workers tumbling in and out of the hive. I used to keep bees and supplies at Jersey- ville, ill., but I am now located out here amongst the alfalfa fields of Western Colo- rado, and I think this is one of the finest cli- mates in the world. E. S. Armstrong. Olathe, Colo., Feb. 22. Bees Carry Eggs Mr. Diefendorf, on page 165, asks for proof that bees carry eggs. I have no proof to offer, for I have never seen a bee running around with a bone in her mouth, but I have evidence that is very convincing that bees do carry eggs. One day I took a frame and the queen out of a strong colony and put it in a new hive. Then i took a frame out of a nucleus, where the queen was too young to lay. On the empty frame was a queen-cell about the cen- ter which was nicely polished, but had never been used. I put this frame in where the queen and bees were taken out, and in 6 days there was a queen-cell nearly ready to 'seal over. I have often seen two eggs in a cell, but the extra bees are always removed before they hatch. I think the workers carry these eggs to other cells, though I have never seen it done. L. A. Smith. Columbia Falls, Mont. Late Fall Feeding— Bees Working on Maple Sap Last fall I bought 3 colonies of bees in box- hives. As near as I could tell, they seemed fairly strong in bees and very light in stores. I thought it too late to feed 6yrup, so with a brace and bit I cut out a hole 6 inches square in the covers. I made boxes about 6 inches high with the same outside dimensions as the top of the hives. I laid sticks acros6 the holes in the hive-tops and placed cakes of candy over them. With a piece of old carpet I covered it up snugly. Over this I placed a piece of oil-cloth large enough to fold down and tie about the hive. Over this was placed the box weighted down with a stone. I took a peep at them yesterday. One col- ony had finished their candy all but a little rim around the outside. I gave them some more and covered them up again. The others still had some candy left. I thought it would be safer to try to winter them thus than to transfer after it was too late to feed syrup. All the bees were flying yesterday and work- ing on the sap of the maple-trees, but to-day it is snowing and blowing. Many bees about here will perish this spring on account of lack of stores. Freeman Davis. Center, Mo., Feb. 28. Clover Seems to Be Iojured Bees seem to be wintering very nicely injthe cellars thus far. We have had practically no snow here this winter, and that, with our many thaws followed by hard freezing, has injured the clover badly. But it may come out better than it looks now. _j G. M. DOOLITTLE. Borodino. N. Y., Feb. 28. Feeding Iron-Rusted Honey— Queen- Eggs that Wouldn't Hatch I noticed on page 187 a remedy given Jfor bee-paralysis, of sulphur and molasses, and also to cleanse the blood. Now I have no fight to make on the treatment, but want to say that iron rust will not cleanse the blocd. I have just tried that. I had some honey in a rusty can that had granulated, and I placed it in a vessel of water on the stove, liquefying it in the can, and all the loose rust mixed up in the honey. I fed it to the bees. The re- sult was that it killed them at once. I could not believe that the honey containing rust was the cause at first, so I took honey from another can which had no rust, and fed the two side by side, and now I am 6ure that the honey containing the rust wa6 the cause of the death of the bees. There was enough of the rust to cause the honey to be very dark. If any one else has had like experience, I would like to hear it, or if my conclusions are not correct, will some one please tell what was the cause? _ i A question for the sages: I have had in March IS 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 239 my apiary 9 or 3 queens that were as fine lay- ers as any, but not one egg would hatch, and I have moved frames of eggs to colonies where everything was perfectly reasonable for a hatch, but not an egg hatched. I know that the eggs of a queen that has never been per- mitted to mate will hatch, and so will laying- -workers' eggs hatch, so why not these! Berelair, Tex., Feb. 1". John W. Pharr. Why Did the Bees Die Off? This has been a very mild winter so far; bees were gathering pollen in January from maple, I think, as it was in bloom, but there came a cold spell for a couple of weeks and stopped all work on the bees' part, Feb. 14 was very warm for that time of year, and when I came home at 5 p.m. the bees were rolling in the pollen ; the next morning it was freez- ing, but to-day bees are working nicely. Last season I carried 4 colonies out into the country about 8 miles to see how they would do. Two of them did nothing, and two stored 10 pounds of honey each. I brought them in in the fall, and the two that stored the honey commenced to die, and they keep it up. It seems to me that enough have died to depop- ulate the colony, but there are still bees in the hive working nicely. Why have those two died off so much more than the rest of the bees? The other colonies haven't died to amount to anything at all. I do not under- stand it. Any information will be appreciated. I read the bee-papers with much interest. I can get more practical information out of them than I cau out of any of the bee-books that I have. Still the books are all right. The index to the American Bee Journal is fine. The one in another bee-paper is not as plain as yours, but they are both all right. W. C. Edoeworth. Little Rock, Ark., Feb. 18. (Courtesy EpworthlHerald. ) A .Mistake. Some people passed in back ob me, a-talkin', ef yo' please; I beerd one isper to her friend " Is dat a hive fo' bees ?" I looked up from man book rieht then (it sut'nly struck me [funny >; "Mah lan's !" I said, " I aint no hive ; l's jus a li'P honey." —St. Nicholas. ^ • MfcJ ■'i '0 Prepaid. Ererjtbing Brat-olase, guaranteed eiaotlT as represented. Write for catalog today. D. If I LL, Evergreen Specialist Dundee, 111. Mention Bee Journal when writing. BANTA Incubators & Brooders Backed by 14 Years mmima of Successful Use by poultrymen all over the world. No guesswork. They are auto- matic in regulation and ventil- ation. Fully guaranteed to give YOU satisfaction. Send for free book. B/WTA -BENDER MFG. CO., Dept. 24, Ligonier. Ind. How to Organize A Farmers* Telephone Co. We have published a very in- structive telephone book espec- clally for the man who wants to know ALL about telephone matters. It tells how to organ- ize, how to build the lines; about different types of 'phones, construction; gives by-laws, and constitutions; in fact it is a tele- phone encyclopedia every farm- er should have. We send it free if you mention this paper. Ask for Book 80L\ "flow the Tele- phone Helps the Farmer." You willKet It by return mail. Address nearest office. Stromberg-Carlson Tel. Mfg. Co. Rochester, N. Y.— Chicago, HI. Mention Bee Journal when writing;. Engravings ForSale * . ■ * We are accumulating quite a stock of engrav. lngs that have been used in the American Bee Journal. No doubt many of them could be used again by bee-keepers in their local newspapers, on their stationery, or in other ways. Also, if we can sell some of them it would help us to pay for others that we are constantly having made and using in our columns. If there is ac y of our engravings that any one would like to have, just let us know and we will quote a very low price, postpaid. Address, GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, - CHICAGO, ILL HOSES & SEEDS FREE ■MHB 50c WORTH I Free rosebush, due bill for 50o I _ I worth of free seeds, and a free packet of I seed will be sent to all sending1 for our hand- ■ I some new catalog. Send 10c to pay postage. | A. A. BERRY SEED CO., BOX 49, CLARINDA, IOWA | Mention Bee Journal when writing. CAUCASIAN QUEENS! Caucasian Bees are very gentle. They are easy to handle and are, therefore, suited to be- ginners, timid bee-keepers and to those who keep bees in town. If you want to try this race, or if you want to improve the stock of your Ital- ian Bees, write to ROBERT B. McCAIN, 2Atf YORKVILLE. ILL. R. F. D. Mention Bee Journal when writing* CM INCUBATORS jtlfB AND GCIfl AND BROODERS Time tested »nd proven success; thousands In use; sold direct to you at wholesale prices. You get tbe maker'* guarantee and sare the middle- I man's profits. The J£smot>a6!« Chick Tray and Nunxrii — a feature no other has — explained In catalog. It's/rcc. Write for it today. Gem Incubator Co., Boi 52, Ttotwood, 0. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Wi Sbll Root's Goods in Michigan Let ns quote yon prices on Sections, Hives, Foundation, etc., as we can save you time and freight. Beeswax Wanted for Cash. M. H. HUNT & SON. Bell Branch. Waynb Co., Mich CONVENTION NOTICE. Utah.— The Utah Bee-Keepers' Association will hold their spring convention in the Mayor's oltice, in the City and County Build- ing, April 6, at 10 a.m. Among other ques- tions of interest to be considered will be the best approved methods for producing and dis- posing of bee-products. All are cordially in- vited to tome and bring their friends. (,. E. Garbett, Sec. E. S. Lovesy, Pres. Please mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. 240 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Mareh IS, 1906 oofs 5ee Supplies I You know what this means. Four Jj carloads of New Goods on hand. 0 Our business increased last year § 100 percent over 1904. This is a 0 proof that we are saving- our cus- tomers money. Try us. Low Freight Rates from Toledo. Large Discounts— that tells the 2 story. Our 80-page Catalog is 0 sent free. « GRIGGS BROS. 8 521 Monroe Street, TOLEDO, OHIO. C Mention Bee Journal when writing. / HOOT 5? Ed. *S8. ■9I8IP.JM I Never Go Out p ■i And last from 5 to 21 years no Otisville, Pa., Jan. 18, 1904. Dear Sir:— I have tried almost everything in the smoker line; 3 in the last 3 years. In short If I want any more smokers your new style is good enough for me. I thank the editor of Re- view for what he said of it. Those remarks in- duced me to get mine. Fred Fodner. Mention Bee Journal when writing. FENCE V££g^ Made of High Carbon colled wire. We have no agents. Sell direct to user at factory prices on 30 days free trial. We pay all freight. Catalog shows 37 Styles and heights of farm and poultry fence. I t'sfree. Buy direct. Write today COILED SPRING FENCE CO Box 89 WINCHESTER, INDIANA. Bee Journal when writing. Mention WANTED Young man to take care of an apiary of 300 colonies, and care'ully pack bee supplies for shipping. TRESTER SUPPLY CO. ojuf LINCOLN, NEB. AT MUSKOGEE. IND. TER. An Apiary For Sale in a first-class district. One chance in a thousand to secure an up-to- date business on a home market. Address. W. S. MITCHELL, 9A4t Natiosil Soldiers' Home, Ton. For Queens Send to JOHN W.PHARR Berclair, Tex. He will furnish at the same prices as last year- Tested, $1; Untested, 7ne; 5 for $3.25; 10 for $6; 15 for $8.25; 25 for $12.50; 100 for $45. He breeds Goldens, Carniolans, and 3- Band Italians. Also 1. 2, and 3 frame Nuclei and full colonies. Prices given on applica- tion. Pharr pays the freight, and guarantees satisfaction on all Queens. To do justice and judgment is more acceptable with the Lord than sacrifice.— (Prov. 3:21.) 5Atf Mention Bee Journal when wrltlnc INVESTIGATE THE POULTRY BUSINESS Write Tor a free copy of my book describing Profitable Combinations of Egg, Broiler and Roaster Farms It gives the prices paid for eggrs and poultry week by week for the past three years. It tells how and when a hatch taken off each week in the year could be most profitably marketed. It shows how you can make $2.00 on a large winter roaster. It tells what profits can be made with each of the popu- lar breeds, and the costs of production. I have helped thousands to make money with poultry. My Model Incubators and Brooders are used on the money-making farms. It is my business to teach those who use them to do so profitably. Whether your needs are small or large, I will furnish with- out charge, estimates and plans for a com- plete equipment that will insure success without your spending a dollar uselessly. Send for my complete literature. CHAS. A. CYPHERS 3926HenrySt. Buffalo, N. Y. A Commendable Incubator Idea. — Those of our readers who have had any expe- rience with incubators will appreciate the novel idea embodied in the Gem Incubator Removable Chick-Tray and Nursery. It has a great many commendable features both as regards advantages favorable to the chicks as well as the care of the eggs and the ma- chine during the hatching period. This Chick Tray and Nursery is so made that it can be re- moved from the incubator combined or sepa- rately ; that is, the egg-tray can be removed without disturbing the nursery. The nursery is large and roomy, and affords a desirable place for the chicks as they come from the egg-shells, and avoids the crowding and trampling so objectionable in many incuba- tors. Its heating 6ystem is different from other machines, and is so arranged that it is impossible for the machine to become over- heated. The ventilation and moisture are controlled in the Gem Incubator automati- cally— a feature which should appeal to the buyer of incubators with more than ordinary force. This machine will hatch duck, tur- key, goose or pheasant eggs just as success- fully as it does chicken eggs. Send for illus- trated catalog which explains these machines in detail, and which can be had on request to the Gem Incubator Co., Trotwood, Ohio, if you mention the American Bee Journal. WHAT YOU C ET FOR cents. 1 larpe package Heel C:UT<>t Cue 1 mber l 1 large package Squash l.ettnn_ Pnrsnip Melon 'l'n r nip Parsley Ha.lish Dill Cabtiane 11 " Pumpkin 11 " Penper pint King's WonUer Early I*eas American Wax Beans Holmes' Early Sweet Corn pint pint i »» " Tomato What von neeil for vout table all sanimpr. Gel yoni vegetables fresh out of the garden every day, and know what yon arc eating, 1'liis entire eoHf-i ioti ol seeds, best in the world, only 50 cents. Semi your orders early and get your srois on time to plant. 3LENDALE NURSERY, EVERETT, MASS. t\ \ \ rBooJc yjsgJBtj \ - 1 m FOR 1906 kWwLw v.v'JM iH contains I 5 2 ■HPT'rUft"^ Iffif large pages gg full from cov- mhkmMM ny er to cover of ^ illustrations *»\\^ ^^ttjgJX £j^ and descrip- th|| tions of the best and new- ^5' est things ~-J§ known in 1=?/ horticulture. P No market -~"i ' ■* ■mmTl gardener, far- mer, or any- one interested in flowers can afford to be without this book, which will be sent free to all sending me their address on a postal. WM. HENRY MATJLE 1T20 Filbert St. Philadelphia, Pa_>. THE BEST HAND ^7T The best fl hand on ^aJi»-^ the farm is one that accomplishes the most in the short- est time. The farm telephone sends mes- sages instantly over the miles your team would have to trot for hours. The work is half done when you have delivered the order. A dozen times a day the telephone will be useful and any one, particular call may pay for the entire cost of putting in and maintaining the line for a year. £7T A veterinary sursreon may come out HI! and save your best horse. The doctor ^""i may be had in the nick of time to save your lite or some member of 5 our family. FARM No man can know the exact worth of a 'phone on the farm until he uses one. We show* here- with the best tele- phi .nelmade for farm use, the "EACO," a special farm type tel- ephone with special 5-magnet generator anri jlHOO ohm ringer. Will ring1 more bells than any other and is constructed in the best Ipossible man- ner. Takes little wall space, • handsome from every point of view and low in price. For all -round practi- cal use there is none better. Fitted with, our X. P. Condenser, which makes it pos- sible to call up any bscriber when eceivers are off. Send today for our free book "How to Buv the Right 'Phone." It tells all about the "EACO" phone, how made and why you should buy it. ELECTRIC APPLIANCE COMPANY Oept. A Chicago, III* March IS, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 24 FOR SALE 8-room, 2-story frame house, bee-cellar, coal-cellar, soft water, 3 lots; also 85 colonies bees, in lOfratne Jumbo hives; 141 10-frame and 25 8-frame Langstroth supers; 1250 clean Langstroth extractingcombs; 9x4 feet Solar wax-extractor, pans holding 500 pounds; one reversible extractor, and 2 other kinds; stor- ing cans; 100 excludiog-zincs, enough flxiogs for 100 colonies, with good honey-business. Will sell bees separate or with the property. Apply to W. BOWLING. Louise Street, Stratford, Ont., Canada. METAL MOTHERS Complete lire-proof batching anr brooalnjE plant for J7.50. 2 qts. ni hatches 50eegs and raises chicks Catalogue free. CYCLE HATCH- ER CO., Box 333, Salem, New York. Bees, Queens and Bee-Supplies We manufacture standard dovetailed bee- hives and supplies, cheaper than you ever bought before. Our Queens and Bees stand at the head in quality. Untested, ~5c each ; 14.25 for 6, or $8 per doz. Tested. $1.25 each ; $12 per doz. Select Tested, $1 50. Special prices to dealers in large lots on application. State Agent6 for Dittmer's Foundation. Catalog free. THE BEE & HONEY COMPANY (Will Atchley, Prop.) Beeville. Bee Co., Texas. PROFITABLE POULTRY Is a 64-pm,'e book tellinp how to make big money raising poultry ; how to breed, hatou, and rear the best payinn varieties. Fully de- scribes and illustrates Berry's "Biddy" incu- bator and pure-bred poultry sent for 3c. Bern/'s Golden Rule Poultry Farm.Boi 72 .Clnrinda.la. CALIFORNIA Improvtmeut of bees by selection is simply the rejection of the poorest. When any real advance is made, locality or the blossoms the bees work upon is to blame for it. If you care to learn more particulars respecting onr local- ity drop us a postal card. C. W. DAYTON, 9D2t CHATS WORTH, CALIF. rrr ^P ■ ist a hen's natural work. Cut ■ bone is the raw material she H needs to make her .AA K_fl lay an egg a day. A ' ■VPI ^01 CROWN BONE CUT- TER will prepare ■ the food from scrap ; bones quickly, easily. Write for catalog— tells about the Crown. Wilson Bros,, Box b 18, Eastern, Pa. CHARLES MONDENG SECTION MACHINE is covered by two Patents. With this wonderful inven- tion the cost of making Sections may be reduced to $1.15 per 1000. If such Machine will interest you, write for further information. Do not write about it unless you mean business. BEE-SUPPLIES AND QUEENS My Catalog for 1906 is now ready for distribution. I am the Northern Headquarters for Adel Queens and Bees, and good, honest Bee-Keepers' Supplies. If you have not received my Catalog, write for it. Address, CHARLES MONDENG, ISO NE^WTON AVE., N., MINNEAPOLIS, IMINN. Mention Bee Journal when writing. MAKING SS Send for our 1906 Free Illustrated Catalog. Good Goods, Low Prices f£u and Prompt Shipments are what you get if vou send your orders to — PAGE & LYON MFG. CO. New London, "Wis. Mention Bee Journal when writing. This is "The Elgin" WE know it is a good hive. We want YOU to know it, too. Here is a hive without dovetails. The cor- ners are not nailed. It can be as easily taken apart as put together — in a few moments. Simple in construction. We also have the Dovetailed and Lang- stroth Hives, Sections, Smokers, and every- thing used in the apiary. See our special offer in last week's issue of American Bee Journal. You'd better write us today and order five of " THE ELGIN." A postal will bring you our price-list. The National Supply Co. ELGIN, ILL. MOORE'S LONO-TONQUES AND GOLDEN QUEENS Select Untested, Jl: 6. for $5; 12 for $9. Tested, $1.50; 6 for $8. Best Breeders, $3 50. Safe arri- val guaranteed. W. A. RAILS. 7D6t ORANGE, CALIF. An Kvergreen Specialist. — In these days it pays to be a specialist. No matter what line or profession in which one is en- gaged it pays to master thoroughly every de- tail, and to know that one thing perfectly from A to Z. Mr. D. Hill, of Dundee, 111., has long been known as an evergreen spe- cialist. Mr. Hill has given the subject of transplanting and transporting these trees special attention, and his method of digging and packing is such that there is seldom any loss caused by the operation, and the trees thrive and do well in their new locations even though they may have to travel many hun- dred of miles before being placed where they are to remain permanently. The Dundee Nurseries also include deciduous trees, shrubs, and other plants usually found in a well- stocked nursery. Any one contemplating the planting of evergreens, or the other sorts will do well to secure a copy of Mr. Hill's catalog, recently from the press, beautifully illustrated, and contains full information of value to any one in need of nursery stock. It will be sent free on request. Address D. Hill, Dundee Nurseries, Dundee, 111. Mention the American Bee Journal when writing. I We manufacture everything needed in the Apiary, and carry a large stock greatest variety. We assure you the best goods at LOWEST PRICES and our excellent freight facilities enable us to make prompt 6hipment6 over 15 dif- ferent roads, thereby saving you excessive freight charges as well as time and worry in having goods transferred and damaged. We make the Alternating, Massie, Langstroth and the Dovetail Hives Our prices are very reasonable, and to convince you of such we will mail you our free illustrated and descriptive catalog and price list upon request. We want every bee keeper to have our Catalog. SPECIAL DISCOUNTS now. Write to-day. Address, KRET6HMER MFG. GO., Council Bluffs, Iowa. Muscatine Produce Co., Muscatine, Iowa. Trester Supply Co., 103 S. 11th Street. Lincoln, Neb. Shugart Ouran Seed Co., Council Bluffs, Iowa. T. B. Yallette & Son, Salina, Kaj. Catalogs issued in English or German. m — V^aiaiOgS 1SSUCU 111 r.lIgl-O-- Ul i_itiu.au. sw Mention Bee Journal when writing:. 242 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 15, 1906 " If Goods are wanted Quick, send to Ponder " BEE-SUPPLIES Root's Goods at Root's Prices Everything used by Bee- Keepers. POUDER'S HONEY-JARS. Prompt Service. Low Freight Rates. .-. .•. .'. Catalog Free. tlf you wish to purchase finest quality of HONEY for your local trade, write for my free monthly price-list of honey. Why not secure your BEE-SUPPLIES NOW FOR NEXT SEASON'S USE, and avail isjf yourself of the following very liberal discounts? Goods all Root Quality. i'i For cash orders before Feb. 1. 6 percent For cash orders before Mar. 1. 4 percent For cash orders before Apr. 1 . . 2 percent * WALTER S. POUDER, ' 513-515 Massachusetts Ave., INDIANAPOLIS, IND. Sr ?f? Tf?TfV TfiTTf? T#.*" '*•.* "if? TfF ^F Tffjt *.9? *!#.* Tf? *#■ >#» >♦.• ^?f? "!f.» *!#.• T?fr -»•.* ^I^^l? '^I." Mention Bee Journal when writing. BEE-KEEPERS' AND POULTRY SUPPLIES LEWIS' BEEWARE is so well known It need6 no introduction. 2 percent ■Hscount on Bee- Supplies for March. Beeswax wanted— 27c cash, 29c when taking bee-supplies in exchange. Extracted Honey For Sale. Prices on application. Sample, 10 cents. Cornell Incubators, Peep 0' Day Brooders and Cornell Chick Machinery unSxcelud The 1906 Cornell Incubator is superior to anything heretofore put on the market. New 190C Catalog for either line Free. If you want orders filled PROMPTLY AT FACTORY PRICES, send your order to YORK HONEY AND BEE SUPPLY CO. Not' Inc. i H. M. ARND, MGR. 141 Ontario Street, - CHICAGO, ILL. (^ Long Distance 'Phone, North 1559. BEE - SUPPLIES Everything the beekeeper needs. Distributing house for Lewis' Goods at Factory Prices. Now is the time to buy for next season. Discount for Early Orders FINE EXTRACTED HONEY in cans or barrels. The best the world can produce Samples 8 cents, to pay postage and packing. How much can you use? Prices quoted quick on the quantity you mention. "We buy BEESWAX at all times in the year. Send for our Catalog and "Special" —free. G. M> SCOT & GO. INDIANA8POLis"'|ND Street •5.* •J**!* .;..{. "In eyery country the successful advertiser is the continuous advertiser." Get the Best Why put up with inferior goods when you may ju6t as well nave tlie Best? They cost you no more. In many cases I can save you money. In all cases ■ give the most tor the money, qual- ity considered. Remember, I have been over 20 years in the business, and carry the largest stock ot BEE-SUPPLIES IN THE WEST. Many thousands of dollars worth of goods now on hand, ready for distribution. Shipping facilities unsurpassed. All points reached by direct lines, thus insuring ihe lowest Freight-rates. Write for estimates and new Catalog. Lib- eral discounts now. Address, JOS. NYSEWANDER, 565-567 W. 7th St. I>ES MOINES, IOWA Mention Bee Journal when writing. -PURE ALFALFA^ HONEY IN 60-POUND CANS We have a good supply of Pure Alfalfa HONEY in 60-pound cans that we can ship by return freight at these prices : 2 cans, boxed, at S}{ cents a pound ; 4 or more cans at one time, 8 cents a pound — all f.o.b. Chi- cago. Cash with order. Sample, by mail, 8 in stamps, to cover package and postage. A (\ fi rfl ^ ^ YORK H0NEYasnudppbleveC0. 141-143 Ontario St., CHICAGO, ILL. The Fruit Grower, published at St. Joseph, Mo., is an exceedingly handsome journal. The March issue consists of 64 pages, with beautiful cover design in two colors, and i6 the regular Gardening Annual of this publication. Prize gardening articles are submitted from various parts of the country, which cover the subject of the man- agement of the home garden in a very effect- ive manner. These articles are well illus- trated. Another feature is an illustrated ar- ticle on the subject of spraying fruit-trees, with suggestions for making and applying the spray mixtures needed in the spring. The illustrations show a number of spraying out- fits, with mixing tanks, elevated platforms, etc. The paper is a credit to its publishers, and is full of live, fresh matter of value to every one interested in growing fruit or who desires to make the home garden more of a success. IO -80 For «200 Egg INCUBATOR I Perfect In construction ana ' action. Batchea every fertile I egg. Write for catalog to-daj QEO. H. STAHU Qulncy Mention Bee Journal when writing. GEORGIA and all Southern bee-keepers call on me for free information regarding the best methods. PRACTICAL APICULTURE is my specialty. Bee-Keepers' Supplies, Bees, Queens. J. J. WILDER, Cordele, Ga. 10A2t Please mention the Bee Journal. 65c for 12 Names fi"I^Seer8sanandp-a-c°i ftarapa taken— we will send for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Ca.ll— reg. sub. price 40c a year. P. C. is a wkly., 25 years old, 1,300 pages a year. Sample free. FAKMBRS CALL, yuincy, III. March 15. 19C6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 243 Lowest Prices Big Discount for Early Orders Headquarters for Bee-Supplies Complete Stock for 1906 now on hand. On Cash Orders Before November 1 9 pereen " December 1 8 " " January 1 7 " " February 1 6 " " March 1 4 " April 1 2 " FREIGHT- RATES FROM CINCINNATI are the LOWEST, ESPECIALLY for the SOUTH as 'mostiall freight now goes through Cincinnati. Prompt Service is what I practice. You will Satisfaction Guaranteed. SAVE MONEY BUYING FROM ME. zTJZ™™ tTee- Bee= Supplies E 4 Percent Discount for March OF ALL KINDS Established Nearly 25 Years We have published THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER for IS years (monthly, 50c a year.) The largest and best il- lustrated magazine of its kind for the price published. Edited by two of the most experienced bee - keepers in America. Sample copy free. Our large, illustrated Price-List of Supplies free on application. Address, The W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co. JAflESTOWN, N.Y. I)oney axxb 4- 23eestrax^ Chicago, March 7— Choice white comb honey is not plentiful, and it sells upon arrival at 15c per pound Other grades of comb are not in de- mand and sell at uncertain prices of 10@14c per pound. Choice white extracted, 6)4 @7}4c; am- ber grades, 5J4@6Kc. Beeswax, 30c per pound. R. A. Burnett & Co. Toledo, Feb. 19.— The market for comb honey has been better for the past two weeks than at any time during the past season. Prices are firm on account of the scarcity. We are getting 15@ 16c for fancy white clover; 14@15c for No. 1, and 13@14c for amber. Buckwheat, 13c. Extracted honey is in good demand at following prices: While clover in barrels brings 6Ml@7c: amber, 5%iS 554c; in cans every grade from lgilHc higher. Beeswax is firm and in good demand at 28 and 30c. The above are our selling prices, not what we pay. Griggs Bros. Indianapolis, Feb. 2.— Fancy white clover comb brings 16c; No. 1, 14c; demand exceeds the supply; fancy white western comb brings 14(§H5c; amber grades in poor demand at 12c Best grade of extracted honey brings 8&(§9c in 60-pound cans; amber, 6c. Good average bees- wax sells here for $33 per 100 pounds. Walter S. Potjder. Philadelphia, Feb. 19.— The condit'on of the honey market is much more firm than it was a year ago at this time, with much less on the market. Usually at this time of the year bee-men wake up to realize that they may carry their honey over and send it to the market to be soid at any price rather than hold it. At the present time the market is fairly well cleaned up. We quote: Fancy white comb honey, 16@17c; amber, 13@14c; extracted white clover, 7(S>8c; amber, 6@7c. Beeswax firm. We are producers of honey and do not handle on commission. Wm. A. Selser. New York, Feb. 19.— The demand is fairly good for better grades of white, and while the near by crop is fairly well cleaned up, new arri- vals are now coming in from Cuba, besides several cars have been shipped on from Cali- fornia. We quote fancy white at 15c; No. 1, 13@14c; No. 2. 12c; amber, lie; buckwheat, 10@llc. Extracted in fairly good demand, es- pecially California, of which there is abundant Let me ^v VTTlTl^Td bred in separate apiaries, book your |J I K P. I\I ^ the «<>I.I>E* VEL Order for ^Cf, \J *i MAl^k hJ LOWS, CAR^IO- LA:\S, RED CLOVERS and CAUCASIANS. For prices, refer to my catalog, page 29. C. H.W.WEBER™ Office and Salesrooms, 2146-48 Central Ave. Warehouses. Freeman and Central Aves. supply. We quote white sage, 6J6@7J6c; light amber at 6@7c, according' to quantity; buck* wheat at 6c per pound; Southern at 50@60c per gallon, according to quality. Beeswax steady at 29@31c. Hildreth & Segelken. Cincinnati, March 8.— The demand for comb honey has brightened considerably since we last reported; in all probability, by the close of April, the market will be bare of comb honey. This will be encouraging to the bee-keeper. Nevertheless, to advance the price is out of the question; therefore, we continue to quote fancy white comb honey at 14@15c. The demand for extracted honey does not come up to our expec- tations; we quote amber at from 5J4@6V6c, ac- cording to the quality; fancy white, in 601b. cans, 8c. Choice bright, yellow beeswax, 30c. Thb Fred W. Muth Co. Denver, Feb. 5 —Owing to the mild weather the demand for honey has not been as good as usual at this time of year. We are quoting strictly No. 1 white alfalfa comb honey at $3.35 to 13.75 per case of 24 sections; off grade and light amber at $3 to $3.30. White extracted alfalfa in 60-pound cans, 7H@8|ic; light amber, 6^@7#c. Beeswax, 24c for clean yellow. The Colo. Honey-Producers1 Assn. Kansas City, Feb. 19. — The supply of comb honey is fairly large, also extracted. We quote fancy No. 1 white 24-section honey at $3.00 per case'; amber, $2.15. White extracted b^c, and light amber 6c. Keeswax, 25@30c. C. C.Clemons & Co. Cincinnati, March 7.— -The demand for comb honey is slow, prises obtained are the same. Stock od hand seems tc be sufficient to supply the wants. Quote fency white, 14@16c Amber extracted in barrels, 5K@5J£c; in causae more; fancy white clover in 60-lb. cans, 7K@3!-6 cents; Southern, equal to white clover in clover, from 6J"£@7c. Bright yellow beeswax, 30c. C. H.W. Webbr. HONEY AND BEESWAX When consigning, buying or selling, consult *| R. A. BURNETT & CO. 199 South Water St. Chicago, III. Mention Bee Journal "lien writing. ONE TON White Clover Honey Candied— a 60-pou/id can, $6. Cash and instructions sent to Farmers' Bank. JOHN C. STEWART 8Atf HOPKINS, MO. FOR SALE Until further notice, finest quality new crop California Water-White White Sage and Light Amber HONEY in 60-lb. tins, 2 in a case; new cans and new cases. Write for prices and sam- ples, and state quantity you want. Hildreth & Segelken 265 & 267 Greenwich Street, New York, N.Y. 34Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. Cash for Beeswax Highest market price paid promptly all the time for good wax. Frank G.Clark, 147 E.KinzieSt.Ghicago.lll. HAtf Please mention the Bee Journal. Please Mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. I BEE-SUPPLIES !< We handle the finest Bee-Supplies, made by the W. T. Falconer ^ Mfg. Co., Jamestown, N. Y. Big Discounts on early orders. Let us 'S figure with you on your wants. £ ° Muth Special Dovetail Hives have a Honey-Board, Warp-Proof ; i^ Cover, and Bottom-Board. Think of it, same price as the regular styles. | ?5 Send for Catalog. ? THE FRED W. MUTH CO. ^ 51 Walnut Street, CINCINNATI, OHIO. ^wtvtvtywf^ BEWARE WHERE VOU BUY YOUR BEEWARE MAKES THE FINEST BEWARE where: you buy your BEEWARE WISI I WATER TO WN}_ MAKES THE FINEST BEWARE WHERE YOU BUY YOUR BEEWARE WIS I fWATCRTOWN, MAKES THE FINEST BEWARE WHERE YOU BUY YOUR BEEWARE WISI n [ J WATER TO WN, MAKES THE FINEST 246 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 22, 1906 PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY GEORGE W. YORK 8 COMPANY 334 Dearborn Street, Chicago, III. IMPORTANT NOTICES. THE SUBSCRIPTION PRICE of this Journal is $1.00 a year, in the United States, Canada, and Mexico; all other countries in the Postal Union, 60 cents a year extra for postage. Sample copy free. THE WRAPPER-LABEL DATE indicates tbe end of the month to which your subscription is pa-.d. For instance, "dec06" on your label shows that it is paid to the end of December, 19U6. SUBSCRIPTION RECEIPTS.-We do not send a receipt for money sent us to pay subscription, but change the date on your wrapper-label, which shows that the money has been received and credited. Advertising, Rate, per Agate Line, 10c. 14 lines make one inch. Nothing- less than lA inch accepted. Time Discounts. 4 times 5 per cent 13 " ....10 " 26 " ....20 '• 52 " ...30 " Space Discounts. 100 lines... 5 per cent 500 " ...10 " 1000 " ...20 " 2000 " ...30 " These rates are subject to either time or space discounts, at choice, but not both. Reading Notices, 25 cents, count line, subject to the above discounts. Goes to press Monday morning-. National Bee Keepers' Association Objects of the Association. 1st.— To promote the interests of its members. 2d.— To protect and defend its members in their lawful rights. 3d.— To enforce laws against the adulteration of honey. Annual Membership Dues, $1.00. General Manager and Treasurer — N. E. France, Plattevilie, Wis. jy If more convenient. Dues may be sent to the ublishers of the American Bee Journal. Contents of this Number Illustrations — Apiary of H. A.Doty iM.~> Ferris (A. K.) at Work 245 Hall. J. B 255 Part of Apiary of A. K. Ferris 245 Editorial J\rotes and Comments — Caucasian Bees— Something Favorable, 249 Concerning Caucasians — Characteristics and Markings 250 How About Your Bees' Stores? 249 Mild Winters and Locality 249 What and How to Feed Bees in Spring 249 Miscellaneous Netos Jtej/is — Apiary of H. A.Doty 250 Contributed Special Articles — Disinfecting Introducing Queens 252 Experience in Buying Queens 252 Full-Weight vb. Short-Weight Section Honey . 252 How Can We Rear Better Queens ? "251 Methods of Feeding Bees 252 Odors Among Bees— Some Observations 253 Quick Queen-Finder 252 Mr. JSasty's Afterthoughts — Apiarian Readers and Reading 254 Binding Volumes of Paoers 253 Proliflcness and Honey-Production 253 Somewhat High Bee-Keeping 253 Something More About "Mouses" 253 Southern Beedotn — What Line of Work Shall We Take Up 1 254 Canadian Beedoni — J. B. Hall— One of Canada's Foremost Bee- Keepers 255 Our Sister Bee-Keepers — Bees Wintered Well 256 Honey for Freckles and Liver Spots 256 Thinks She Wants Large Hives 256 Dr. Miller's Question-Box — Drone Comb in Upper Hive-Stories 257 Drones and Brood in Hives in February 256 Formalin for Foul Brood 256 Increase by Dividing 257 Making Combined Comb-Guide and Starter 2Srt Sweet Clover 257 Temperature in Center of Winter Bee-Cluster 256 Use of the Bee's Sting 257 Wiring Frames With Starters Only 257 Reports a?id Experiences — Fine Prospects for Honey 257 Good Prospects in Utah 257 He's "Agin" the Japanese 257 Indications for a Honey Crop 257 Not a Heavy Rainfal 257 FURNITURE FROM THE ST. LOUIS WORLD'S FAIR &rv<&S8 250 Dressers, finished in golden oak and mahogany, 84.00 to llfi.00 each. 20 Princess Dressers, 8». 50 each. 250 Hotel Commodes, 81.25 to 88 75. 75 Combination Dressers and Commodes in golden oak finish, 85. T5 each. 15 beautifully carved and decorated Sideboards. 87.00 to 885.00 each. 500 well constructed, saddle seat, Arm Rockers, spindled backs, 81.85 each. 250 fine Couches, tufted and plain tops, hardwood frames, carved legs, open spring work construction, in three lots. 84.50. 87.00 and 8H.50. Beauti. (u I. genuine leather Couches, deep diamond tufted tops, 30 inches wide, 80 inches , long, oak frames, new stvleopen spring work construction. Worth 840; each 822. 5 Ask for our Free 500-poce Catalog No. 2900 on Furniture, Household I Goods, Harware, Rooflntr and everything for the home and the farm. We buy ' our poods at Sheriff's and Receiver's Sales. CHICAGO HOUSE WRECKING CO. - 35th and Iron Sts , CHICAGO Langstrothontne Honey-Bee «x» «jk? ac« Revised by Dadant— Latest Edition. This is one of the standard books on' bee-culture, and ought to be in the library of every bee-keeper. It is bound substantially in cloth, and contains over 500 pages, being revised by those large, practical bee-keepers, so well- known to all the readers of the Ameri- can Bee Journal — Chas. Dadant & Son. Each subject is clearly and thbroly ex- plained, so that by following the in- structions of this book one cannot fail to be wonderfully helped on the way to guccess with bees. The book we mail for $1.20, or club It with the American Bee Journal for one year — both for $2.00 ; or, we wiU mail it as a premium for sending us THREE NEW subscribers to the Bee Journal for one year, with $3.00. This is a splendid chance to get a grand bee-book for a very little money or work. GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, ILL If you want the Bee-Book That covers the whole Aplcaltnral Field more completely than any other published, send $1.20 to Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont, Cal ., FOR HIS "Bee-Keeper's Guide." Liberal Discount* to tbe Trade. Mention Bee Journal when -writing. The Rietsche Press Made of artificial stone. Practically Inde- structible, and giving entirely satisfactory re- sults. Comb foundation made easily and ?uickly at less than half the cost of buying rom the dealers. Price of Press, $1.50 — cash with order. Address, ADRIAN GETAZ, 45Atf KNOXVILLE, TENN. %T3.G. Goodner, of this State, writes me that he " prefers to pay $25.00 for a Rietsche Press rather than do without it."— A. G. Mention Bee Journal when writing. " It Is continuous advertising that Impresses the public with the stability of a firm." NOT IN THE TRUST For High-Grade Cans Prices Always the Lowest Write for Prices, Stating1 Quantity Wanted Friction Top Cans for Honey and Syrup Prompt shipment and careful attention given to ail orders. Special prices to members of the Bee-Keepers' Associations. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Made by CANNERS CAN CO., 1035 W. 47th Street, CHICAQO, ILL. March 22, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 247 DADAIT'S F0FOATM" IT EXCELS EVERY INCH equal to sample Beauty, Purity, Firmness. No Sagging, No Loss. Twenty-seven Years of Experience. We Guarantee Satisfaction. WAX WORKED INTO FOUNDATION BEE=SUPPLIES of all kinds. Beeswax Wanted *•£. . . . DADANT & SONS, Hamilton, 111. SEND FOR OUR CATALOG Special Sale on HIVES AND SECTIONS Until March IS. Dovetail Hives, 8-frame, l%- story, 1 2S; 10-frame, $1.40; No. 1 bee-way Sec- tions, 3 .90; No. 2, $3.40; 241b. Shipping-Cases, 13c; Foundation, Smokers, etc., cheap. Send for 24 page Catalog free. w. D. SO^R, Rnral Route 3, Jacks, ^n. MICH. Mention Bee Journal when wrltlne. QUEENS Best 3-band Italian — 1 Untested Queen, 75c; 6 for $4; 12 for S7.25. One 2 frame Nucleus with Queen, $2.25; 10 in one bunch, $17.50. LUTHER PRESSWOOD, 6E7t RELIANCE, TENN. Mention Bee Journal when writing. DON'T WAIT for the season to start before you order your Bee=Supplies DITTMER'S FOUNDATION IS THE BEST MADE We make a specialty of working wax for Cash. Retail — Wholesale — Jobbing BEESWAX ALWAYS WANTED Write for our Price-List and samples ; we would like to send them to you at our expense. QUS DITTMER, Augusta, Wis. Wisconsin Basswood Sections W And Prompt Shipments H Is what we are making for our customers. W — DOVETAILED HIVES AND SHIPPING-CASES — Jyl We carry a full line of SUPPLIES. Ask for Catalog. THE flARSHFIELD HANUFACTURINQ CO., Harshfield, Wis. Mention Bee Journal when writing. iL,California The Pacific Rural Press has been a house- hold word throughout California for 35 years. It is authority on all matters regarding the soil or products of California. Weekly, illus- trated: Edited by practical specialists. Two. Dollars per year. Send for sample copy. Pacific Rural Press, 330 Market Street, San Fbancisco, Cali^_ SOAtf Please mention the Bee Journal. 65c for 12 Names For namee and P. O. OC ptampa taken— we will send for 2 yrs. tbe Farmer's1 Call— ree. sub. price 40c a year. F. C. is a wkly., 2& years old, i,3tni pagen a year. Sample free. FAKMEKS CALL, QulDCy,lll. Mention Bee Journal when writing. The Fresh Air Incubator Freeh Air applied to Artificial Incubation In a new amleftectiTe way, making possible higher per cent batches, brighter, hoalthltr itronger chicks. 5 FREE BOOKLETS ON ARTI- FICIAL POULTRY PRODUCTION lit— The Standard Incubator, '.'ad— An Incubator for Beginner*. 3rd— Universal Ho?er and Colony Brooder!, ith— Feeding th— What Users are Doing. A PIANO BOX WILL DO Put tbe Universal 11 make your own biot ' Into It and The Qnl- ittr lie attached to dj house, B, small portable no box arid make brooder as money le for catalon and „_. FREE. Others «o follow, you'll ;e« tbfin all If your name U on our mall list. Prairie State Incubator Co., 351 Main St., Homer City, Pa. can bn Please mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. 248 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 22, 19C6 's*, percent 111 days There is just 10 days left in which you can obtain our discount of 2%. After April 1st, we allow no more early-order discounts on our Supplies at Catalog prices. By placing your order NOW, you make a saving equivalent to 72fo per annum on money at common interest rates. You surely cannot afford to lose this amount no matter how small your order. -»£» ••£«• -mfyr You can get Root's Goods with a saving of time and freight by placing your order with one of our agents named below. They all carry large stocks of goods, sell at factory prices, and allow 2% discount for cash with order on order bearing a postmark before April 1st. Delay is dangerous now. Bees are already swarming in the South. .Alabama Wetumpka J- M. Jenkins Canada, Toronto E. Grainger & Co. Caliioraia Fresno Madary Planing Mill JLos Angeles California National Honey-Producers' Association Colorado Denver The L. A. Watkins Mdse. Co. Fraita Fruita h rult and Produce Ass'n District ot Columbia Washington The A. I. Root Co. Georgia Savannah Howkins & Rush 124 Liberty St. Illinois Chicago The A. I. Root Co. 144 East Erie Street. Indiana Indianapolis Walter S. Pouder Evansvllle Vickery Bros. Iowa Des Moines Joseph Nysewander Kansas Augusta Carl F. Buck Mississippi Brazelia George A. Hummer Massachusetts Boston H. H. Jepson. 182 Friend Street Lyonsville W. W. Cary & Son Maine Mechanic Falls The A. I. Root Co . Maryland Baltimore Rawlins Implement Co. Michigan Bell Branch M. H. Hunt & Son Fremont George E. Hilton Minnesota St. Paul The A. I. Root Co. 1024 Mississippi Street. Missouri High Hill Jno Nebel & Son Supply Co. Springfield Springfield Seed Co. St. Louis Blanke & Hauk New Mexico Carlsbad Edward Scoggin New York Syracuse The A. I. Root Co. New York City The A. I. Root Co. 44 Vesey Sireet. Ohio Columbus Grove McAdams Seed Co. Toledo Griggs Bros., 521 Monroe St. Zanesville E. W. Pierce Cincinnati C. H. W. Weber 2146 Central Avenue Oregon Portland Portland Seed Co. I' 'nnsylvania Dn Bois Prothero & Arnold Philadelphia The A. I. Root Co. 10 Vine Street Williamsport E. E. Pressler 633 Lycoming Street Xexas Dallas Texas Seed and Floral Co. San Antonio Udo Toepperwein Uvalde D. M. Edwards Utah Ogden The Superior Honey Co. Virginia Spottswood W. E. Tribbett Washington Spokane Portland Seed Co. Hundreds of local dealers all. over the country handle our goods. Insist on getting them. THE A. I. ROOT COMPANY IMIIEIDIISr-A., OHIO (Entered at the Post-Office at Chicago as Second-Class Mail-Matter.) Published Weekly at $1.00 a Year, by George W. York & Co., 334 Dearborn St. GEORGE W. YORK, Editor CHICAGO, ILL, MARCH 22, 1906 VoL XLVI-No. 12 ^ (Sbttortal Hotes anb Comments j Mild Winters and Locality Jones says: "Last winter my bees used up an un- usually small amount of stores, just as might be expected, for they always need the least stores in the mildest winters." Smith says : "Last winter my bees drew heavily on stores, and I've always noticed that the warmer the winter the heavier the consumption of stores." Jones is right ; so is Smith. Jones lives far enough north so that the bees have very few winter flights, and even in the mildest winters they would be better off if they could fly oftener ; so the amount of stores they need is measured by the amount of cold they must endure ; the more cold the more fuel to keep them warm. Smith lives far enough south so the bees can always fly enough for their needs even in the severest winters. The winters always being mild, and the cold never severe, it doesn't take such a great deal of fuel to keep up the necessary heat, but when the bees get to flying it takes a good deal to make up the waste caused by so much motion, and so the milder the winters the more flying and the more stores used. Just where is the line south of which Jones can not be found, and north of which Smith can not be found is a thing not easy to determine with accuracy ; but taking the central and eastern part of the United States, it may probably be found somewhere between the 35th and the 40th parallel. How About Your Bees' Stores? " About this time of year," as the almanacs used to say, it becomes necessary to suggest to beginners, as well as to some others, that it would be a good thing to take an inven- tory of the bees' larders to see whether there is any danger of their running short. Especially in northern locations the thought is likely to be : " The severe cold is now letting up, it is warm enough for the bees to fly every day, and con- sumption of stores must be a good deal less than when it was cold enough to keep them in their hives all the time ;" and it takes years to get over that thought. The fact is that the consumption is greatly increased, and for two rea- sons : One is that the bees are now active, and activity can only be at the expense of stores ; the other is that it takes a very large quantity of stores to feed the brood that is com- ing on in increasing numbers. If your hives are 10-frame, or larger, and you know that they were heavy with honey in the fall, it may not be worth while to bother your head about them — the less they are dis- turbed the better. But if you are uncertain about it, and especially if you have 8-frame hives, better look into the hives the first day warm enough for bees to fly, and find out for certain. If far enough south, you may be surprised to find that the mild winter has caused more than the usual consumption. What and How to Feed Bees in Spring The best time to feed for spring needs, if feeding is necessary, is the previous fall. Unfortunately beginners are likely to be remiss in this matter, and when they dis- cover in the spring that starvation is imminent, they begin franctically to inquire as to the what and how of feeding. The best thing, Mr. Beginner, is to have on hand from the previous year a stock of combs filled with sealed honey, ready to give to any colony that is lacking. Then give liberally, so that there will be more than enough to last till the fields offer a bountiful supply. But of course you haven't the sealed combs, and it isn't worth while to exas- perate you by mentioning them, only it may help a little to make you look out for them the coming season. Perhaps you may hive on hand some candied honey. C. P. Dadant advises its use in this way : Smear it over the top-bars of the brood-frames, above the cluster of bees, and back of them. If put too far forward, it may drip down near the entrance, and favor robbing. Take pains to get at least one or two bees started on it 'by putting a little of it down within reach. If you have no honey of any kind, then you must resort to sugar. Make it into candy, and lay it in thin cakes over the frames. It may also be fed in the form of syrup, and fed with Doolittle's division-board feeder or otherwise. Caucasian Bees — Something Favorable So far we believe we have published almost wholly un- favorable opinions concerning Caucasian bees — the new race that is being much lauded by some bee-keepers just now. We wish always to be entirely fair, and so now we propose to give somewhat of the other side — the favorable side — of these bees. We may say that we have not the slightest personal interest in them either way. They will have to stand or fall strictly on their merits, so far as we are concerned. We have no Caucasian bees or queens for sale, and if we had, we certainly should advise caution in 250 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 22, 1906 introducing them with a view to having them displace the " old and tried " Italian bees in this country. Of course, bee-keepers, like progressive farmers, horti- culturists, etc., who are ever on the lookout for new and better varieties of animals and plants than they now have, are looking for a better bee. And this is commendable. But it is always well, in such matters, to " make haste slowly," lest after expense and experiment only disappoint- ment result. What the American Bee Journal desires to do is to place before its readers both the pro and con information on this subject, and then they* after due care and consideration, must decide for themselves as to what they think best to do concerning the matter. We wish here to reproduce something about Caucasian bees that appeared in Gleanings in Bee Culture recently, written by Messrs. D. E. Lyon and Frank Benton, both of whom seem to be entitled to speak with some degree of au- thority on the subject. It reads as follows : Concerning Caucasians — Characteristics, Markings. For some time the writer has been much interested in reading various criticisms concerning the new Caucasian bees. A careful reading of the testimony thus far offered convinces me that a number of writers have expressed themselves on the basis of hybrids and purely-mated Cau- casians. My visit to Washington last spring convinced me that in the above-named race we have a valuable acquisi- tion to the present races of bees. My experience with them the past season has but confirmed me in the estimate of them then formed. I can not but believe, and I have good reason for so doing, that a number of adverse critics of this race have not had the Caucasians in theirpurity ; and yet, in spite of this, the testimony as to their gentleness has been of universal character, showing that a dash of Caucasian blood in other races is a boon of inestimable value. If this be true of a hybrid with just a trace of Caucasian blood, how much more gentle can we not expect the pure stock to be ? The first objection we hear raised against Caucasians is that they are so gentle that they allow themselves to be robbed, and do not repel their enemies with vigor. In an- swer to this I would say that such has not been the case with the strain of Caucasians I possess, for by several try- ing tests I have proved them to be good defenders of their homes. In the early fall I purposely opened a colony of Caucasians, and in a little while about SO robber-bees were flying over the frames ; and when they would fly too near, the Caucasians would repeatedly jump up to them and try to catch them ; and when they would succeed in getting one, the way they would ball and try to sting it was a cau- tion. And yet, while all this was going on I was constantly lifting out the frames without veil, gloves, or smoke, and not the first Caucasian attempted to sting me, even though they appeared quite vicious toward their enemies. To test them further I caught a grasshopper and held it on the top of their frames, and immediately they covered it ; and in order to save its life I shook the bees off and sent the grasshopper on its way. I can not think of any other test that would prove their ability to defend their homes. The other objection we hear is that they are so much like the black bees that even an expert often can not dis- tinguish them ; and in answer to this I would say it is a question of being absolutely certain of having the real thing The three bands which, in my strain of Caucasians are so distinct, are of the pronounced light gray, which, with the slight shade of orange on the abdomen, make it easy to tell these bees from the blacks. I think I have fairly met the only objections against this race, and would reiterate what I have often said — namely, don't condemn them without really knowing them ; for the real Caucasians, purely mated, are just the reverse of what their opponents charge them with being. They are a trfle smaller than the Italians, and have the oriental type form of the Cyprians ; and as honey-gatherers they have with me done just as well as the Italians, and much better than many colonies of that race. If Mr. Frank Benton were in this country he would have something to say in defense of this race, adding his testimony to that already given by Dr. Phillips, to the good qualities of this noble race. Just before he sailed abroad he sent the following letter to the writer concerning the qualities and markings of the Caucasians, and in his ab- sence I submit it as his estimate and defense of them : U. S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Apiculture. Washington, I). C, March 25, 1905. Rev. D. Everett Lyon : — I have your letter of March 21, asking about Caucasian bees. I can give only the main points in the charac- ter of this race, having had it under test on a comparatively small scale for two year6 past. I knew the race, however, by general rep- utation while I was in Europe and the East. The reports in the European journals at that time were just as may be noted regarding Carniolan6 in this country — quite contradictory; and as I had numer- ous other races under test in those years, I did not undertake a prac- tical test of these bees until year before last. As I obtained in the autumn of 1902 three Caucasian queen6, I had full colonies of the race with which to begin the season of 1903. Through additional im- portations of queens direct from the Caucasus, in Russia, I have fur- ther verified the observations which were made on the first lots ob- tained. The most striking quality possessed by these bees is their remark- able gentleness. It is not equaled by any other race with which it ha6 been my good fortune to meet. As a rule, no smoke will be needed at all in their manipulation, or, at most, a single whiff passed over the' tops of the frames is quite sufficient to take away all sign of resent- ment. Under ordinary conditions the hives may be opened in any manner one chooses, at any time of the day, and the frames even roughly removed, and all manner of manipulations made without the necessity of resorting to smoke, and with no protection to hands or face; nor will a single bee offer to sting. The only time that pure Caucasians resent intrusion is when robbing has taken place and the hive is rudely jarred on a cool morning. At least such has thus far been my experience with them. I can not say that they have shown remarkable qualities as honey- producers, but have thus far merely held their own fairly with the average of Italians and Carniolans. The same differences exist be- tween individual colonies, as is the case with Carniolans and Italians, so that a selection in breeding as rigid a6that to which the Italians have been subjected, would undoubtedly give strains of Caucasians that would fully equal or exceed the best Italians or Carniolans. The race is not very uniform in its markings. In this respect, in fact, it hardly equals the Carniolans, the yellow or rusty red bands cropping out constantly. There i6, however, a peculiar marking which enables one to recognize Caucasian blood quite readily after he has acquired some skill in the matter. The dark color is of a peculiar dull leaden gray, and gives the bees a very ringed appearance. You have doubt- less noticed Carniolans or blacks which have fallen into water-troughs, crept out, and become partially dried. These might be taken to re- semble in color the Caucasian workers, as you will notice that the dark rings around the body show more distinctly when the fuzz is dampened. True Caucasians are slightly smaller-bodied than Italians or Carniolans — in fact, have the type form of the oriental races. The queens vary somewhat, as do the Carniolans, from a golden orange yellow to a black color, inclining, however, more to the dark type — dark bronze being rather typical. The drones are very black, and considerably smaller than Carniolan drones. The race is a very pro- lific one, and the workers seem active and evidently keen-scentedr since they find sweet6 that are left exposed quite as soon as do bees of any race. I have formed a very excellent opinion of these bees, and believe particularly that they will form excellent crossing material with the Cyprian race. We need males of a gentle race to mate with the queens of any or all of the oriental types ; and I think in the Cau- casians we have a type that will coalesce with the Eastern races. Frank Benton, In Charge of Apiculture. Miscellaneous Hetps * 3 terns ^ Mr. C. P. Dadant, President of the National Bee-Keep- ers' Association, made this office a pleasant call on March 9, when in Chicago on business. Mr. Dadant has the un- usual distinction of being one of the leaders in bee-keeping in both America and Europe. And it might be difficult to tell on which side of the Atlantic the name of Dadant is best known among bee-keepers. Apiary of H. A. Doty.— When sending the picture, Mr. Doty wrote thus : The photograph of my apiary was taken from the cham- ber window of the dwelling-house looking northwest. This apiary has quite a little history connected with it. The bees have been kept near here for the last 10 years. About March 22, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 251 6 years ago I purchased the land where they now are. Be- fore moving the bees I built the board-fence seen in the picture, to protect my neighbors and a public street on the north side of the lot, as it is a well-known fact that bees flying over any obstruction are less liable to come in con- tact with teams or pedestrians. But some of my neighbors took exception to that high board-fence and tried to have it removed. Like all good doctors, the first remedy was to remove the cause — the bees. A petition was sent to the Board of Health that said bees were detrimental to the pub- lic health ; to have them removed ; also that high board- fence. Our local "doctor," the Board of Health, looked the grounds over and weighed every point pro and con, and decided he could see nothing that would injure the health of anybody. The bees were neat and clean, and the fence was neither dangerous nor vicious. But this decision did not suit my neighbor on the other side of the fence. More stringent measures must be taken. Our village council was induced to pass an ordinance to prohibit the keeping of bees in the village of Central Lake in any form, for any purpose whatever, and imposing a penalty of a fine of not less than $2.00 nor more than $20 for every colony of bees kept in violation of this Act. I have always tried to live as a law-abiding citizen, but this law brought me within its toils. I was arrested and brought before a local Justice for keeping bees in violation of this ordinance. I secured counsel and met my opponents in battle array. The Justice decided that such a law was unconstitutional, as it deprived a citizen of carrying on an honorable industry in any lawful manner whatever. This decision did not suit the complainant in this suit. It was but a short time before the second warrant was issued, and I was brought before another Justice, who, being a near relative of the complainant, and not knowing the facts, we had reason to believe the decision was rendered before the warrant was issued. We decided that any argument before this court was of but little use. The Justice acknowledged his inability to decide the constitutionality of the question involved, and for the violation of said ordinance I was fined $20 ; but I did not pay said fine, and carried the case to the Circuit Court. Here it hung fire for over one year, but finally the case was brought to trial. The Circuit Judge decided in accord with the first Justice, that the law was invalid. Now the battle is over, the victory is ours, and the bees still hold the fort. I am afraid it is not fought to a finish, however — For he who tights and runs away Will live to fight another day. My bees are my main support now in my old age. For the last three years I have been living upon borrowed time. I have climbed the mountain, passed the summit, and now am going down almost to the bottom on the shady side ; but with the help of my good wife I hope to live and eare for my bees a few years longer. H. A. Doty. Surely, persistency is one of the strong points in Mr. Doty"s make-up. And it seems to have won, at least for a time. It is surprising how some neighbors can be so can- tankerous— so utterly unreasonable. We hope Mr. Doty may live yet many years, and finally completely overcome all opposition to his keeping bees so long as they are not real disturbers of the peace and quiet of the neighborhood. Mf. Alson SecOF, son of Hon. Eugene Secor, of Iowa, called on us recently. " Alson " is assistant editor of that great farm monthly, Successful Farming, published in Des Moines. A small part of his work is to look after the bee- department of the paper, which, of course, he knows how to do — that is, if he profited by his father's apiarian instruc- tion when at home, and no doubt he did that, and along other lines also. Successful Farming is to be congratulated on having been successful in securing Mr. Secor as one of its editors. '"' Crofts & Reed are new advertiers in the American Bee Journal. They are all right, as are all others advertising with us, else we would not advertise for them. Give Crofts & Reed a trial order, and also our other advertisers. Kindly mention the American Bee Journal when writing advertisers. The Wisconsin Convention Report is crowded out this week. We expect to continue it next week. * (£ontributeb * Special CCrttcles How Can We Rear Better Queens? DY A. K. FERRIS. THE answering of this question should be the study of every queen-breeder and honey-producer who wishes success. The first thing we will consider is the selection of the queen from which to breed. In this we will select 2 or more queens, whose bees excel the others in amount of honey pro- duced, prolificness, whiteness of capping (if comb honey be our object), and vigor — a point too often overlooked. Do not breed from a queen whose bees will allow brood to starve with capped honey in the hive. Often a large percent of the brood is only half fed during the slack between fruit-bloom and clover, and what is the result? Some are starved to death, and a still larger amount never have that vigor necessary to good honey-production. After having considered the good as well as the objection- able points in selecting breeders, then rear a few queens from the one selected to be the queen-mother, and a batch of drones from the one to be the drone-mother. Mate the queens to these drones, having them isolated from other bees at least 3 or 4 miles, or having entrance-guards on all other colonies. Carefully keep tab on all hives containing these queens, and if those reared excel the others in honey-production and other desirable points, the choice of breeders has been a good one, and the whole apiary should be requeened from these two breeders. , , When we find a queen-breeding queen and a drone-breed- ing queen, whose offspring, when mated, reproduce the desir- able qualities, they are of great value, for such queens have to be at least V/2 years old before they are thoroughly tested, and it is hard to find breeders that reproduce the good points. Often the queens reared from an apparently excellent queen and mated to drones of another equally good will not reproduce the good qualities of the parents in a single partic- ular Therefore, when we find two breeding queens that re- produce their excellent qualities, they are too valuable to be disposed of. . Tjr The next question that naturally presents itself is, How to rear these queens? I have tried all known methods, and have found none to produce so large a percent of good queens as the Doolittle svstem described in "Scientific Queen-Rearing. I find, however, some still argue that queenless bees rear just as good queens as any, and for the benefit of those who are interested. I will give my experience: * I purchased from a breeder who emphatically urges the use of queenless bees for cell-building, a $5.00 queen, also the booklet on "Improved Queen-Rearing," and after thoroughly studying it I reared a large number of queens, and as I had made some 35 colonies queenless all the same day, I gave each a cell that would hatch in a couple of days. Twenty-one ot these cells were from the Alley method, and the rest from the Doolittle method. All had been made queenless the day pre- vious to giving the cells; but. to my surprise, all the Alley cells were torn down, while all the Doolittle-reared cells were accepted. This set me to thinking, and I determined to know tlic secret So I selected an extra strong colony 3 stories high, and after fixing a solid division in the center. I divided the bees equally and operated one-half on the Doolittle system and the other half on the Alley system, and while it was the bees from the same queen, and all in the same hive, the difference in the cells was apparent, and as these were hatched in cages 1 found that the difference in the queens was noticeable enough to be detected by people who were strangers to bee-keeping. I have never had. as a rule, as good queens when reared by queenless bees, and I have had two $5 queens as breeders, and neither thev nor their offspring (when reared by the Alley method) ever occupied over 8 Langstroth frames of brood while queens reared by the Doolittle system from these same two queens occupied from 9 to 14 Langstroth frames witli brood. , . . . ., In making artificial cell-cups there is a point frequently overlooked, and that is the inside diameter. Three-eighths of an inch I find to be about right, and in these cells I invariably 252 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 22, 1906 find a large lump of royal food remaining after the queen has emerged. In operating the Doolittle method I" prefer from 20 to 30 Langstroth frames of brood, with a large share of it hatching for cell-building. In the two accompanying cuts you can see a part of my cell-building colonies as "in operation June 17. 190a. [See cuts on first page.— Ed.] From past experience I am prepared to sav that with bet- ter queens our yield of honey per colony can be greatly in- creased. Wisconsin. A Quick Queen-Finder— Methods of Feeding Bees BY C. DAVENPORT. THE past season. I also solved another problem that I have thought, worked, and studied over ever since I have kept bees. • This is a queen-finder. With this device I can find a queen quicker than one could believe possible. Last summer in the presence of three reliable witnesses I found the queens in 4 very strong colonies in the following time: First hive. 87 seconds; 2d. 64 seconds; 3d. 109 sec- onds; 4th. 96 seconds. This did not include moving from one hive to the other, and of course. I worked faster than I usually would; but instead of being about the worst drudgery con- nected with our pursuit, it is a pleasure to find queens with this device. It becomes one of the things we would not sell for money if we could. No matter whether the queen is black or yellow, this device gets her. and gets her quick. It will find a queen in a strong colony just as quickly as it will in a weak one. The frames are not taken out or distributed in any way and it is impossible to lose or injure a queen. But my intention was. in this article, to describe a method of early spring feeding that I have practiced the last 4 seasons Ut feeders and ways of feeding, there are about as many as there are bee-keepers. Although this method is very simple 1 do not remember ever seeing it described. Where early spring feeding is necessary, it has. aside from sealed combs given better results than any method I have ever practiced. I use a cheap grade of extracted honey if I have it on hand; if not granulated sugar and water." mixed half and Halt After the sugar has thoroughly dissolved, I take half- depth extracting combs and fill them with this food by pouring it on the combs from a height of 2 or 3 feet. I have a tank- tor this purpose large enough to hold a number of combs at once. Two or 3. or as many of these filled combs as are deemed necessary for a colony, are then placed in a super and this super is put under the hive. The entrance can then be contracted as desired. If extracted honey is used in place of sugar it is warmed up and thinned or reduced with water. I put in about a third water if the honey used is thick. The great advantage of this method of early feeding is that the colony is not disturbed, and no heat is lost, as there is with any kind of overhead feeder. In fact, often when I deem it necessary to feed a colony soon after it is removed trom the cellar, and I have sealed combs on hand, if the weather is not favorable, instead of taking out and inserting another comb. I place it underneath the colonv, in a hive or super. And now I am going to write something in regard to early spring feeding, or late fall feeding, that I have no doubt will be a great surprise to many, and that, in my opinion, will be worth their time in reading this, for some" who may in the future have to feed early or late ; and it is a surprise to me that with as many closely observing men as we have in our ranks, nothing much has been said about it before The way 1 came to observe the matter was this: A few years ago I purchased a few colonies of a neighbor who was moving away. This was late in the fall, and most ot these colonies were very light in stores. They were fed up on buckwheat extracted honey. In order not to excite the Whole yard they were fed about 5 pounds each evening towards sundown. They took the feed quite readily, but after some of them had been fed IS pounds or more they did not semi much heavier than before feeding. Upon investigating the matter. J found that a large percent of the bees that took the feed new out and never returned. The nights were unit, Cool, and probably many were chilled, but many also came out and flew such a distance from their hives after" it was so dark that 1 do not believe tiny would have gotten back that night am way, ii" matter how warm it was. Since then, when feeding early or late. T always close the hive so t.iat no bees can get out. They will take and store the feed just as well, and by the next day they are all over their excitement. They will worry some after the hive is first closed, but soon get over it. In my mind there is no question that the reason so many colonies that have to be fed in early spring perish, or dwindle away, is that a large percent of the bees that take the food fly out and perish before they are able to return. Southern Minnesota. [Mr. Davenport is hereby requested to describe his quick queen-tinder, for the benefit of the readers of the American Bee Journal. — Editor.] Experience in Buying Queens — Disinfecting Introducing-Cages BY _T. E. JOHNSON. ON page 97. Mr. L. A. Smith says he has had experience in buying queens, and has not as yet found an honest queen-breeder. My experience has been just the reverse. For about 20 years I have bought queens occasionally, and have always received fairly good queens, but during that time 1 have bought only one tested queen. I get untested queens, as I think a young queen that has only begun laying is less liable to be injured in the mail. However, I got a tested, purely mated queen from England last summer, and she proved to be all right. She came in a fairly large cage, and bad a retinue of 20 or 25 bees, and was 14 days on the way. I always aim to get my queens in June or July, as I think better queens are produced during that time of year I never order queens of a man who advertises untested, and also "select" untested, as I think no queen-breeder should send out an "unselect" queen, so I "cut out" that kind of a man entirely, because I want to get a queen from a man who values his rep- utation better than to send out two grades of untested queens, which means Door, and not so poor. Last year I got 12 queens from one man at 50 cents each, and every one proved good, and although all were untested queens they all proved to be purely mated ; but I don't think I ever had an order for queens filled right away until last year. Then my order was filled the day it was received, except 4, which were sent 2 days after the order was received. The breeder I sent to advertised in the American Bee Journal that he could fill orders "by return mail." Now. I believe we should have a little patience, and expect 5 or 10 days' delay unless the breeder advertises to send by return mail, as the orders may chance to come in too fast just at that time; but if a breeder is thoughtless enough to delay the order 30 days, or oyer, without giving notice and offering to send the money back, he ought to be exposed. However. I think in the end it will cost the queen-breeder more to be dishonest and careless than to deal as he would be dealt by. I have queen-cages that are disinfected that I use for in- troducing, and no matter who the queen is from, she is placed in the disinfected cage for introduction. To disinfect a cage, take 40 parts water and 1 part car- bolic acid. Lay the cage in this solution for 1 hour, and it will be safe from all disease. Of course, the cage should be thoroughly aired and dried. I believe we should give more attention to having young queens, as I find that often the colony that spring dwindles has an old queen. The bees don't seem to supersede their queens until the old queen is failing pretty fast, and that is often not soon enough to suit me; but I believe we can rear longer-lived queens in a 3-frame nucleus than in a baby nucleus. It would, no doubt, be quite profitable for every bee- keeper to rear his own queens, and thus he would get valuable experience, and probably good queens. Williamsfield. 111. Full Weight vs. Short Weight Section Honey BY 1.. v. RICKETTS. SO, Mr. Hasty, on page 794 (1905). thinks that I am work- ing at a good matter, yet he can not fall into my pro- cession. 1 am sorry for that, for 1 like good company. I think I will have to go it alone, then, for awhile, at least. What I am advocating is right, and right will always win in the course of time. Mr. Hasty seems to convey the impression that 1 am March 22, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 253 trying to have each and every section weigh exactl} <>ne pound. I am only advocating a change from the present siifl — ir.jx4T4xl7s section, which, when fairly well filled with separatored honey weighs (on an average) only 142-3 ottnee^j or 22 pounds per case of 24 sections — to one enough larger sa that when filled as above, it will weigh (on an average) 16 ounces, or 24 pounds per ea^e of 24 sections. These sections may range in weight from IS to 17 ounces each, but should average 1<> ounces, or not less than 24 pounds net ( weight of sections included) per case of 24 sections, for "No. 1." m'p- aratored honey. Sections weighing From 13 to nearly IS ounces should be graded as "No. 2." as to weight, and should average 14 ounces per section or not less than 21 pound-, per case. Sections weighing from 11 to nearly 13 ounces should be graded as "No. 3" as to weight, and should average 12 ounces, or not less than IS pounds per case. Mr. Hasty says that with him occasional ones arc over one pound weight now. Those occasional ones are the sticking point; how easily our conscience will permit us to sell hun- dreds of sections weighing only 14 or IS ounces as pound sec- tions, but when it comes to an occasional one weighing 16J4 or 17 ounces it pinches us, and we squirm. He says that it is hardly right to balance off extra-weight ones against scant-weight ones in the same case, and so push the difficulty onward to the grocer. Is it not better than to balance off scanty weight ones against scantier weight ones, as is being done at present? If all were like Mr. Hasty — who prefers to sell by weight instead of by the section, and even deducts the weight of the wood in the section — there would have been no use of writing this article. For many reasons (some of which are stated on page 695 (1905). I consider the 4,_tx4\sxl^j bee-way section by far the best size to use. An ideal outfit for the production of comb, extracted, or chunk honey, or all in the same apiary, is either the 8 or 10 frame Langstroth hive (according to locality, etc.), with supers of the same length and width as the hive, and 5% inches in depth. A super of this depth is just right for the 45/g-inch tall section when used with section- holders having bottom-bars % inch thick, and allowing a 54- inch bee-space above the section. This super will hold frames 4~ The following sketch of Mr. J. B. Hall is kindly fur- nished by one who is most intimately acquainted with him — Mr. Hall's daughter : J. B. Hall, Apiarist, Woodstock, Ont., is a native of Norfolk, Eng- land, born in Yarmouth, in 1833. He never saw a honey-bee until he arrived in America, in 1856. During a period of indoor employment his health failed, and in 1872 he invested in one colony of bees. In the hands of a beginner the bees died, but Mr. Hall, who, to use his own words, hai lost the color from his cheeks, the flesh off his bones, and the sweet out of his temper, regained the color, and increased in weight from 132 pounds to IS" ; of the temper he remains 6ilent, but the bees must have improved it in proportion to his flesh. This venture went so well with him that the next year he pur- chased 3 colonies, and with an enthusiastic friend bought an extractor. .1. B. HALL. They extracted so energetically that the bees were left no winter sup- ply, much to the surprise of their owners. The bees died of starvation, for these deluded men thought, like their fellow mortals, that honey flowed all summer long. H£» But to follow the old motto, Mr. Hall tried a third time in the next year with S colonies. Kepeated failures had purchased wisdom, and all went well until the next summer, when the apiary was invaded by foul brood. A neighbor had unwittingly purchased it along with a 420 colony of Italian bees. Mr. Hall knew no cure, so he destroyed the apiary utterly. However, he was not to be beaten, and in 1876 he made a fresh start with 4 colonies. From this on all went splendidly, and Fate no more intervened to prevent his becoming an apiarist. Three years later he^quit his business and devoted all his time to the production of honey. Since then he has won his bread and butter solely by the busi- ness of the apiary. In 1888 the North American Bee-Keepers' Association held their annual meeting in Toronto. Mr. Hall had a feeling that our friends to the south of the international line were abused of the idea that Ontario produced nothing but snow, Indians and bears. For the pur- pose of their enlightment, he proceeded to Toronto with 22,000 pounds of his year's crop. The United States visitors were exceedingly sur- prised, and accordingly delighted with the great Ontario exhibit of splendid honey. Dr. C. C. Miller and A. I. Root were there and saw Mr. Hall's thick top-bar. They reported to the bee-papers, and it caused a great laugh. Some said Mr. Hall must live in a wooden country to get so much to put in his comb-frames. Now they all see the utility of the method, and Mr. Hall is satisfied. He uses two kinds of hives. One is the New Heddon, the other is an 8-frame hive, the inside measure of the frame being 1S'„ inches long and lO1^ deep. He much prefers the larger frame. You wish to know his hobby? Well.it is flowering plants, and the neighbors say if J. B. Hall touches a plant, it is sure to prosper. H, L. H. J. B. Hall— The Thorodgh Bee-Keeper. The following tribute is from Mr. H. E. Hill, editor of the American Bee-Keeper, who at one time was a student of J. B. Hall : Mr. Morlet Pettit— Dear Sir .—In 1885 I had the honor and extreme pleasure to spend the season with Mr. Hall, in his " Woodstock " apiary, and had cul- tivated a degree of acquaintance bordering on friendship for several years previous to this more intimate association. It is, I think, noteworthy in this connection that Mr. Hall should have lived to the age of 23 years, and then have to cross the Atlantic to see a honey-bee ; but, if I remember correctly, he saw his first bees in Canada. It must have been a case of ardent love at first sight, for his interest seems to have been constant ever since. In 1876 he be- came a specialist in bee-culture, and has confined himself exclusively to the pursuit of his chosen vocation. Should you ask me as to Mr. Hall's dominant trait as displayed in business, I should unhesitatingly reply, " fhonmglmess." There is but one way in which to execute any task that Mr. Hall may have in hand, and that is exactly as, in his opinion, it should be done. Slip- shod, half-hearted, slovenly methods are not tolerated. He knows no middle ground in the performance of his work. There is the beginning and the finish ; and when he has finished it is safe to bank that the job is done. As I recall this painstaking care of my venerable and esteemed friend, I doubt not that this inherent characteristic is largely respon- sible for the successful apiarian career now to his credit. From the leveling of every hive-stand with a spirit-level in the spring prepara- tory to putting out the bees, to scraping and crating the crop in the fall, as well as the loading of cars with his product, every detail had the nicest attention. Although jovial in manner socially, kind-hearted and affectionate in his home, and a firm believer in hours for ample recreation and rest both for himself and his employees, during business hours nonsense and carelessness are relegated into exile, and strenuous business ethics are observed throughout. Since the opportunity is available, I am inclined to note some of Mr. Hall's shortcomings also, for, in common with other mortals as I see it, he is not without his faults, the most regrettable of which is his almost morbid modesty. Were it not for this unfortunate charac- teristic, the realm of beedom might profit by his writings. This con- dition, however, is one for which Mr. Hall can not he held entirely accountable, as he "swore off" writing for the press years ago, largely because of the habit of some editors in so closely editing every- thing that the substance was sacrificed upon the altar of syntax and diction. Mr. Hall is a great admirer of flowers— in fact, floriculture is his one great hobby. Like other florists, he has two names for about every kind of flower that grows— one that we have all heard, and one nobody outside of the business ever heard of or would attempt to pronounce. I believe Mr. Hall was first to introduce the thick top-bar, and also the inventor of the zinc-wood honey-board. He is a gentleman whom it is a real pleasure to know, and an honor to count as a personal friend. H. E. Hill. Ft. Pierce, Fla. A Queen-Bee Free as a Premium. — We are now book- ing orders for Untested Italian Queens to be delivered in May or June. This is the premium offer: To a subscriber whose own subscription to the American Bee Journal is paid at least to the end of 1906, we will mail an Untested Italian Queen for sending us one new subscription with $1.00 for the Bee Journal a year. Or, we will renew your subscription to the American Bee Journal for a year, and send a fine Untested Italian Queen— both for $1.50. Now is a good time to get new subscribers. If you wish extra copies of the Bee Journal for use as samples, let us know how many you want and we will mail them to you. Address all orders to the office of the American Bee Journal. See Langstroth Book Offer on another page of this copy of the American Bee Journal. 256 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. March 22, 1906 ^ (Dur*Sister Beekeepers J Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. Bees Wintered Well I have just returned from my winter sojourn in Cuba and Florida, and find my bees have wintered well — not hav- ing lost a single colony. My sister bee-keeper visited me to-day — Mrs. A. h. Amos — and tells me her bees are in fine shape, so I think, as a whole, the bees have wintered well on the summer stands in Central Nebraska. f> c"1 , — ' Westerville, Nebr., March 9. Jennie". Booknau. Honey for Freckles and Liver Spots For freckles and liver spots : Eight ounces of pure ex- tracted honey, 2 ounces of glycerin, 2 ounces of alcohol, 6 drams of citric acid, IS drops of essence of ambergris. Ap- ply night and morning. If this does not remove them, you will probably be obliged to use some good proprietary bleach. There are bleaches that are perfectly harmless. — Mme. Qui Vive, in Chicago Record-Herald. Lest the supply of honey should not suffice for all the freckles in existence, it may be well to add that in the same column Mue. Qui Vive says : "Genuine beauty is never shadowed by a freckle any more than the sun is eclipsed by a candle." Thinks She Wants Large Hives My Dear Miss Wilson :— I am thinking of buying a new hive and don't know just what I want. My idea is to run one colony only for extracted honey the coming sum- mer. I do not care much for increase. My idea is a larger hive and a " rousing " big colony. Do you recommend a 2- story dovetail hive for this purpose ? If so, how do you manipulate such a colony when you have 2 brood-chambers, in looking for queen-cells, etc.? If you do not recommend such a hive can you recommend a good one for the purpose above mentioned ? Also, are the 2-story hives both for comb or extracted honey made in the double-walled chaff-filled ? In a catalog I have, all the hives described seem to be single-walled, and would require much more careful packing than the double- walled hives in winter. The frames in my 8-frame Hilton hives are Hoffman frames, and I shall continue to use the same in whatever hive I buy. Also, for extracted honey, do you recommend the deep or shallow frames ? My reason for changing hives is to get a larger colony than an 8-frame hive can accommodate, and also more honey per colony. I shall run mainly for comb honey, but want one colony for extracted honey for medicinal uses. In case I like the larger hives better after a trial, I shall buy enough to take all my bees. Also, are the large hives better than the smaller ones in a city ? Things which apply in the country are some- times quite wrong in a city. The fall and winter up to last Friday have been un- usually mild, and the bees have been out some nearly every week. Two weeks ago last Saturday the thermometer was somewhat above 50 degrees, and the bees were all out for a good flight. Since then the thermometer has been down as low as 6 degrees below zero, and the bees are " sleeping." Grand Rapids, Mich., Feb. 1. Elsie A. Cutter. The decision of the question as to what is the best hive for you depends a whole lot upon what you are going to do. If you do not intend to give the bees a great deal of atten- tion, but expect to leave them a good deal to their own de- vices, then the larger hive, by all means. It allows a larger stock of provisions on hand at all times, with less danger of starvation. But if you expect to give the bees all the atten- tion they need, then the smaller hive may be the better, especially for comb honey. By the addition of another story you can have all the advantages of the larger hive, using only one story when it may seem best. With 2 stories you have room for even stronger colonies than with one story of the larger hive, and then, when the harvest comes, you can reduce to one story, throwing the bees largely into the supers. If only one colony is to be run for extracted honey, bet- ter have the brood-chamber the same as the rest, for the sake of uniformity, even if not just the best for extracted honey. And for so small an amount of extracting, you may as well have extracting-frames the same as the brood- frames. City or country would hardly make any difference as to the kind of hive. When brood is in 2 stories, you must lift off the upper story to find queen-cells in the lower story. But you will not have much of that do, for there will not be much hunt- ing for queen-cells before reducing to one story for giving supers. You will find the single-walled hives easier to handle ; and the packing for winter is not a very serious matter. You will probably not find chaff hives made so as to be used part of the time single story and part of the time double story. It may not be out of place to say that we often have colonies so strong that a 10-frame hive would not accommo- date them, but with the 8-frame 2-story they can run up to 12 or 15 frames if they want to. Doctor filler's Question = 33ox =\ Send questions either to the office of the American Bee Journal, or to Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, 111. Dr. Miller does not answer Questions by mail. Formalin for Foul Brood What became of the formalin treatment for foul brood, that was so popular a year or two ago? I have not seen it mentioned for some time. Did it prove unreliable? California. Answer. — Formalin, or formaldehyde, could hardly be considered as a cure for foul brood, for it would kill all bees and brood submitted to it. Its proposed use was to save the combs of foul-broody colonies from being melted up. Some reported that combs thoroughly fumi- gated with the drug would have no trace of foul brood left, and could be given with sifety to healthy colonies, and others were not so suc- cessful.' The probability is that if rightly used it may disinfect diseased combs; at least that is the belief of some good authorities. Drones and Brood In Hives in February It is now Feb. 25 — a very warm day — and my nephew looked at his 3 colonies, and found 2 of them with lots of sealed and hatching brood. They are Italians, and have drones hatched out, 2 queen-cells capped over. One cell was just hatched out, and he found the young queen, but forgot to look for the old one. Will the young queen be of any account! Were they superseding the old queen in February, or will they be likely to swarm, as the maple-buds are swelling? The colony is extra-strong for this time of the year, and the old queen was very prolific. I have been keeping bees about 10 years, and never heard of such a thing. 1 am taking 3 bee-papers, and do not remem- ber having read about it. Illinois. Answer.— There is nothing unusual in finding brood in the last week in February, but it is very unusual for a young queen to be reared so early. It was probably a sort of forced superseding, the bees recognizing that the queen had so far failed that they must imme- diately take steps to supersede her. A queen reared so early is not likely to prove of great value, and it will be well to keep an eye on the colony lest it be found queenless in April. Swarming is not at all likely in February in Central Illinois, no matter how strong the colony. Temperature in Center of Winter Bee-Cluster- Combined Comb-Guide and Starter Making 1. In Gleanings for April 1, 1896, page 307, Mr. Doolittle gives 92 degrees as the lowest temperature the bees will allow in the center of the cluster even on frosty nights, and from actual tests he has con- cluded that 92 to 9S degrees is the usual heat in the center of the clus- ter of bees. CZ1 2. I had no thought of asking questions when I started toiwrite, March 22, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 257 but a Texas man recently said that Doolittle taught him how to make a wax comb-guide and starter combined that had been satisfactory to him for years, but said he would not tell how it was made. Can you not tell us how! Canada. Answers. — 1. Thanks for information as to temperature, and from so reliable a source. 2. One way to make a starter and guide is to nail on the underside of the top-bar a thin strip coming down to a sharp edge, half an inch or so deep, and by the aid of a small brush paint it with hot wax. Another way is to hold irmly, or else tack lightly to the underside of the top-bar a square strip which is kept so thoroughly wet that wax will not stick to it;. then pour into the angle or trough thus made melted wax, holding it in such position that when slightly cooled and the strip removed there will be a thin starter of wax hanging down from the center of the top-bar a half inch or 60. One trouble with any arrangement of this kind is that there is nothing to hinder the bees from starting drone-comb if they feel so in inclined. Much more sat- isfactory is a 6tarter of worker foundation. Wiring Frames With Starters Only— Sweet Clover 1. 16 it of any benefit to wire frames when using only starters? 2. Will the bees build straight combs from starters i 3. Will sweet clover grow here in Wisconsin 1 or, does it grow here? 4. If so, where can I get sweet clover seed ? 5. Is it tender or hardy? Will it freeze as easily as does corn? Wisconsin. Answers. — I. Yes, the wires will strengthen the combs, although there is the objection that you can not count on the bees following the wire with the septum, whereas when full sheets of foundation are used the wire is always fastened in the septum, or the middle wall of the comb. 2. Ye— es, at least pretty straight. They will start straight at the top, and if the hive stands perfectly true from 6ide to side you can count on their following that general direction, only toward the bottom they will build the comb more or less corrugated, or waving. They seem to do that for the sake of greater strength. But for all practical purposes you can get combs straight enough without full sheets of foundation. But you will have too much drone-comb with it. 3. I think it is scattered all over Wisconsin. 4. Watch the advertising columns of this Journal. Or, address some of the supply-dealers. Perhaps they can furnish it. 5. Hardy — very hardy Sweet clover would only laugh at a freeze that would kill corn. I think I've known it to be killed only in two ways. One year I prepared a piece of ground in fine 6hape, sowed sweet clover with oats, and it made a fine stand. Next spring there wasn't a spear left. The ground was so nice and soft that it heaved and pulled up all the 6weet clover by the roots. In the solid ground of the roadside I never knew it to winter-kill. Another year I had a piece mowed close to the ground when it had started from the seed and was nearly a foot high, and it finished it. business than I have been. Would it make any difference to the bees whether they had drone or worder comb to store surplus in, in an upper story, said upper story being a full hive-body, and the queen confined to the lower story? Indiana. Answer. — There ought not to be a particle of difference generally, provided the only difference was in the size of cells. A difference might be in this way: If a drone-comb aDd a worker-comb were put side by side in the same super, earn of them having been in use the 6ame number of years, and there were any noticeable difference (doubtful whether there would be), I should expect the one most promptly accepted to be the worker; because most brood would have been reared in it if both were in the brood-chamber, and when bees show any preference it is for comb with a good stock of cocoons. A difference might be shown in another way : Have none but worker- comb in the brood-chamber, a small amount of drone-comb in the second story, and an excluder between the two stories. In such a case I have known the bees to fill the worker-combs in the super and keep the drone-comb empty, probably because they wanted the queen to lay in it. But in general practise you'll find drone-comb in a super filled as promptly as worker-comb. Use of the Bee's Sting— Increase by Dividing Drone-Comb in Upper Hlve-Storles 1 have quite a lot of nice, straight drone-comb. I used some last season in upper stories for extracting, but the bees did not seem to fill it as readily as they did worker-comb in the same hive; but I know one season is not sufficient to test anything in bee-keeping, hence I would like to have the experience or opinions of others longer in the 1. I am sending a clipping from the Minneapolis Journal, in re- gard to the real use of the bee's sting. If you know anything more about it I would be pleased to hear it. [The clipping referred to is as follows:— Editor.] Real Use of the Bee's Sting. " The bee's sting is a trowel, not a rapier," said a Nature student as he helped himself to honey. " It is an exquisitely delicate little trowel with which the bee finishes off the honey-cell, injects a little preservative inside and seals it up. " With its trowel-like sting the bee puts the final touches on its dainty and wonderful work. With this sting it pats and shapes the honey-cell as a mason pats and shapes a row of brick. Before sealing up the cell it drops a wee bit of poison into the honey. This is formic acid; without it honey would spoil. "Most of us think the bee's sting, with its poison, is a weapon only. It is a weapon secondarily, but primarily it is a magic trowel, a trowel from whose end, as the honey-cells are built up, a wonderful preserving fluid drips." 2. My brother and I started with 2 colonies, and now we have 7 in winter quarters, all strong and in good shape. They did very poorly here last year, it being too cold and rainy. We took off about 10(i pounds of honey. We wish to increase our number of colonies to 15 in the spring, by dividing. What is the best way for us to do it? Would Mr. W. W. Someford's method be all right? Iowa. Answers. — 1. — good many years ago Rev. W. F. Clarke, a Cana- dian bee-keeper, announced as facts the ideas contained in the clip- ping, namely, that bees use their stings as trowels to work wax, and before sealing up each cell of honey drop into it poison from the sting. He never gave any proof for such belief, and when remonstrated with, replied, " Well, I see the bee6 busy in the cells, what else can they be doing?" The whole thing is silly foolishness. 2. Yes, but in working any plan of increase successfully it will be worth much to be thoroughly familiar with the principles you will learn from your text-book on bee-culture. Reports anb (Sxperiences Good Prospects in Utah. The American Bee Journal is still a welcome visitor and I hope, as it de- serves, that more of its many friends will become subscribers. While tile bee-keepers in the greater portion of this state enjoyed a fairly prosperous season last year, the pros- pects for the coming season are even more encouraging, especially in the lower altitudes, some of which were a little too dry; but the unusually heavy precipitation of snow and rain insures an abundance of irriga water, which in turn will insure a good honev-llow. E. S. Lovesy. Salt Lake City, Utah, March 5. Indications for a Honey Troll. The indications for a honey crop Mi. pn sent season are very fine for this portion of California. We have had steady, soaking rains and vegetation is farthei advaneed at the present time than it usually is a month later. The bees are gathering some hi y and much pollen from the early flowers, and brood-rearing is going on rapidly. seine colonies having 7 or S frames of brood, aini 301 ie are already making preparations to swarm, having queen- cells built. 'riie crop I isi season was fairly good, but the price, as usual, was very low. After the long, dry year of 1904, the colonies ware weak, but they soon built UP, and my crop averaged 110 pounds of extracted li y per colony. There is a good deal being written about gentle I s, non-stingers, etc., but, with my present location, give me the i,,e with the hot b u s i a ess - e n d . As long as tin > protect themselves from iIm depredations of thieves and looters, I can stand a few jabs from their little sabers while thej are keeping in prac- tice. Although I am one of the "boys of 61," and am 65 years of age, I have worked nearly every day during what we eaii winter. F. C. Wiggins. San 1 liego, I 'alif., Feb. 20. He's "\iiin" the Japanese. On page' 138 mention is made of Jap- i ma- to Texas to engage in bee-farming ilk-culture. I do not approve of thai class of people coming to this country, I live in California, right among them, and 1 know what they ate, I'll are good workers, but totalis uniili ole. Besides, they live in any kind ol hovels and live on the most meager kind of food, so they can afford to work cheap, and the whites are either driven out or compelled to live likewise. We want a class of peo- ple that will raise our standards, not lower them. Last, but not least, they are .a class by themselves, and will never mingle and intermarry to build up a future race of Americans as some other foreigners have. I., i us draw our colonists for Texas l'ro in another source. There are enough to spare from our crowded cities to till tin- whole of that State. They would inn have to learn the language, and. therefore, you would get subscrip- tions t" your paper sooner! M. D. Price. Arroyo Grande, Calif., Feb. 19. Pine Prospects for Honey. Prospeets for a honey crop are !' ire in good shape, and are get- ting new pollen. Grant Anderson. Sabinal, Tex. Vul a Heavy Rainfall. Bees are in good shape, and for the present seem to he getting eoi nectar t the flowers now i but the weal her is such as to i ep tin bee ' ■■ pers guessing on the ful as th" rain I'a II has not be.-n I" enough to afford much hoi . rep, Th ei a re stron g n p will i hlj begin to sw wi tl 258 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 22, 1906 month on the strength of last year's stores and what honey they can get afield: but unless there is considerable rain during the next two months, they "will slacken up about the time the sur- plus should hegin to come in. J. B. Whitaker. Fallbrook, Calif., Feb. 19. CONVENTION NOTICES. Utah. — The Utah Bee-Keepers' Association will hold their spring convention in the Mayor's office, in the City aDd County Build- ing, April 6, at 10 a.m. Among other ques- tions of interest to be considered will be the best approved methods for producing and dis- posing of bee-products. All are cordially in- vited to come and bring their friends. G. E. Garrett, Sec. E. S. Lovesy, Pres. Michigan. — The Northern Michigan Bee- Keepers' Association will hold its next an- nual meeting at Kalkaska, Mich., Wednesday and Thursday, April 4 and 5, 1906. Generous prizes are offered for certain exhibits. W. Z. Hutchinson, E. D. Townsend and Geo. H. Kirkpatriek, the President, will read papers. Special hotel rates are given by the Manning House. Send to the Secretary for a copy of the announcement, list of prizes offered, etc. Then attend the convention if you possibly can do so. Ira D. Bartlett, Sec. East Jordan, Mich. North Texas. — The annual meeting of the North Texas Bee- Keepers' Association will be held at Blossom, Tex., Wednesday and Thursday, April 4 and 5, to which all bee- keepers are invited. There will be no hotel bills to pay. On the program are the follow- ing: " Best Races of Bees," W. H. Laws and Dr. R. P. Davie6; "Foul Brood," Lotiis H. Scholl ; " Which is the Best for North Texas, The Production of Section or Bulk Comb Honey?" R. C. Abernathy and Dr. R. P. Davies; "Extracted vs. Comb Honey for North Texas," R. C. Abernathy and Dr. R. P. Davies; "Is a Bee-Keepers' Association a Necessity?" W. H. White; "Is the Combin- ing of Bee-Keeping with Poultry-Raising Profitable?" L. C. Lancaster; " Best Honey- Plants of North Texas," J. M. Haygood; " Best Hive for North Texas— 8, 10 or 12 Frame," W.H.White; " How Best to Man- age Our Bees for the Greatest Profit," Ques- tion-Box. W. H. White, See. Pennsylvania.— All beekeepers and other persons interested are invited to meet in the second annual convention of the Pennsylva- nia State Bee-Keepers' Association, at State College, in Centre Co., Pa., March 29 and 30. The first session will be on the evening of the 28th, and on the 30th there will be two ses- sions. Among the persons who will be pres- ent and address the meetings on one or more topics are the following: Prof. E. F. Phil- lips, in charge of Apiculture, of the U. S. De- partment of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. ; E. R. Root, E. L. Pratt, R. D. Barclay, L. R. White, of the Division of Zoology, Harris- burg, Pa.; Prof. H. A. Surface, President Pennsylvania Bee-Keepers' Association, and Pennsylvania State Zoologist, Harrisburg and State College, Pa. ; Rev. D. L. Woods, and others. You are invited to come, ask questions, take part in the discussions, and propose topics for discussion. A detailed program is being prepared and will be pub- lished soon. There will be an exhibition of bee-keepers' supplies and appliances, different kinds of hives, honey and honey products, and different races of bees. In the apiary of the President, at the State College, there are all races of honey-bees kept on the American continent. Manufacturers of supplies or dealers are invited to send material for exhi- bition, and all room needed for this will be given free of charge. The College will give free rooms for meetings and also for lodging, and the expense while there need not be over $1.00 per day. The railroad companies have given excursion rates upon two plans: 1st, East of Oil City and Pittsburg, Pa., a fare of one and one-third for the round trip will be given to persons presenting card orders for excursion rates at the time of buying their tickets. These card orders will be sent free immediately by addressing either the Secre- tary or the President. Write at once. One must be used for each railroad system over which the excursionist is to travel, and West of Oil City and Pittsburg, Pa., the rates are to be given by certificate plan — the purchaser paying full fare for his ticket in going, and at the 6ame time asking for a certificate (not a receipt) which will be " O.K.'d " upon pres- entation to the President at State College, and will then be good for purchasing return pas- sage at one-third the regular fare. There will be at least 2 illustrated lectures, one of which will be the President's annual address on Thursday evening, the 29th, which will also be the session for the election of officers, and the other illustrated lecture will be that of Dr. Phillips, from Washington, probably Fri- day forenoon, the 30th. An interesting fea- ture will be a demonstration of practical methods of handling bees before audiences by E. R. Root. All interested persons are invited to attend and bring their friends. Write at once to the undersigned for free card orders for excursion rates. H. A. Surface, State College, or Harrisburg, Pa., or Muncy, Pa. D. L. Woods, Sec. THS SSeecT Seeef FOR 1906 contains 152 large pages full from cov- er to cover of ill U s trations and descrip- tions of the best and new- est things known in horticulture. No market gardener, far- mer, or any- one interested in flowers can afford to be without this book, which will be sent free to all sending me their address on a postal. WJH. HENRY MAULE 1730 Filbert St. Philadelphia, Paj, Mention Bee Journal when writing. CAUCASIAN QUEENS! Caucasian Bees are very gentle. They are easy to handle and are, therefore, suited to be- ginners, timid bee-keepers and to those who keep bees in town. If you want to try this race, or if you want to improve the stock cf your Ital- ian Bees, write to ROBERT B. McCAIN, 2Atf YORK VILLE. ILL. R. F. D. Mention Bee Journal when writing. 42 Plants $2.50 10 Currant Bushes 10 Gooseberry Bushes 10 Raspberry Bushes 10 Blackberry Bushes 1 Concord Grape Vine 1 Niagara Grape Vine Greatest Barpain yet, 43 plants, all grown, ready to bear fruit, for only $3..tO. Every one should have these lovely fruits growing in their garden. Now is your chance. Order early, and be sure of them. BAY STATE PLANT CO., Boston, Mass. Wa Sell root's Goods in Michigan Let us quote you prices on Sections, Hives, Foundation, etc., as we can save you time and freight. Beeswax Wanted for Cash. M. H. HUNT A SON. Bell Branch, Watui Co., Mich SEE THE 1906 RELIABLE before you buy. Perfectly practical forpoul- trymen or beginners. Double heating: system gives bigger hatches — saves one- third the oil. Sold on a money back guarantee. Write for free catalog. Reliable Farm Pure- Bred Birds andEggs. Get prices. Reliable Incubator and Brooder Co,, Box B-153 Quincy, Illinois, TJ. S. A, Bees and Outfit For Sale In good location, near city. Albert Richter, 1135 N. Maplewood Avenue CHICAGO, ILL. The Head of the family is the money - getter. If our Queens head your colo- nies they will give you more money. The largest queen-rearing apiary in the North. The gent- lest and best Italian and Caucasian. Pri- ces for a postal. BEE- SUPPLIES. Trie Wood Bee-Hive Gompanu LANSING, MICH. Mention Bee Journal -when -writing. Make Your Home Attractive WITHOUT COST You «-an get these nice, useful things for the home without a pennv of extra cost. stop paving the jobber's profit, the wholesaler's profit and the dealer's profit on your every day froceries and hegin buying them direct from the makers. his way you can get both groceries and these beautiful ar- ticles for the same money yon are now paying for groceries alone Buving direct means a big saving to you— more than you imagine. It cuts off all middlemen's profits and you get the benefit. We give a premium equal in value to your pur- chase. With $2. $r» or $10 worth of supplies we give a £.*, $.> or $10 premium. This Fine Ladies Writing Desk we give with $10 worth of goods or this Beautiful Morris Chair. Hundreds more to select from. If you don't wish premiums we (five $10 worth of groceries for $5.* Goods and premiums sent on 30 days trial. Our large Furniture Catalog and Style Book sent free. 916 Austin Avenue, Chicago CROFTS & REED. March 22. 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 259 M- PRICES **■ and Quality are the things that sell goods. We are in the heart of the lumber country where we get lumber at first hands without freight. We have the cheapest known water-power. We make goods that are the equal of any in quality and workmanship. In some instances they are superior. Our Sections are made from tough wood that will bend without breaking, even if you don't wet them. How many Sections did you break in putting together the last thousand ? Think of it. Send for our Catalog and get prices that will surprise and please you. All we ask is a trial order, and there will be no trouble in hold- ing your custom. Minnesota Bee-Supply Go., Nic Island No. 33. JOHN DOLL & SON. PROPRIETORS MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. TELEPHONE Facts for Farmers Send for free book 8U-A. It contains telephone facts that aremonev-savers Stromberg - Carlson Tel. Mr Everything for the Bee Keeper will be found in our Illustrated Catalogue No. 40. It contains a full line of Hives, Supers, Followers, Sections, Section Holders, Frames, Extractors, Smokers, etc. All these and many other essentials are manufactured by us. Everything >s guaranteed to be right and of best quality. Our prices are so reasonable that any bee keeper may afford the best supplies- We cannot tell you here of all the good tilings in this book. Better send for a copy today. We mail it fre-, to- gether with a copy of the Progressive Bee Keeper, a splendid monthly publication devoted to bee interests. It will help y< our station, prices the lowest. Write us at once and save money. Address LEAHY MFG. CO., 10 Talmage St., Higginsville, Mo. Braii'hea at Omaha, Neb. and East St. Louis, 111. 262 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 22, 1906 « If Goods are wanted Quick, send to Ponder" BEE-SUPPLIES Root's Goods at Root's Prices 1ST!!? Everything used by Bee-Keepers. POUDER'S HONEY-JARS. Prompt Service. Low Freight Rates. .-. .•. .'. Catalog Free. If you wish to purchase finest quality of HONEY f or your local trade, write for my free monthly price-list of honey. Why not secure your BEE-SUPPLIES NOW FOR NEXT SEASON'S USE. and avail yourself of the following very liberal discounts? Goods all Root Quality. For cash orders before Feb. 1.. 6 percent For cash orders beforeMar.l.. 4 percent For cash orders before Apr. 1. 2 percent WALTER S. POUDER, 513-515 Massachusetts Ave., INDIANAPOLIS, IND. Tjjft ijjp iff? ^F$? '*$•' "*f»" ^?f»" "7»f5"'^f«F Tfy^^ff Mention Bee Journal when writing BEE-KEEPERS' -AND- POULTRY SUPPLIES LEWIS' BEEWARE is so well known it needs no introduction. 2 percent IKscount on Bee- Supplies tor March. Beeswax wanted — 28c cash, 30c when taking bee-supplies in exchange. Extracted Honey For Sale. Prices on application. Sample, 10 cents. Cornell Incubators, Peep 0' Day Brooders and Cornell Chick Machinery CSIxcelled The 1906 Cornell Incubator is superior to anything heretofore put on the market. Mew 190C Catalog for either line Free. If you want orders filled PROMPTLY AT FACTORY PRICES, send your order to YORK HONEY CO.<22) AND BEE SUPPLY H. M. ARND, MGR. 141 Ontario Street, - CHICAGO, ILL. (£ Long Distance 'Phone, North 1559. BEE - SUPPLIES Everything the bee-keeper need6. Distributing house for Lewis' Goods at Factory Prices. Now is the time to buy for next season. Discount for Early Orders PINE EXTRACTED HONEY in cans or barrels. The best the world can produce Samples 8 cents, to pay postage and packing. How much can you use? Prices quoted quick on the quantity you mention. We buy BEESWAX at all times in the year. Send for our Catalog and "Special" — free. Can OAATT O f^f\ 1004 East Wash. Street ■ M. OUU I I & VU> INDIANAPOLIS. IND. <~i •$•♦ +* +* "In every country toe successful advertiser is toe continuous advertiser.' Get the Best Why put up with inferior goods when you may just as well have the Best? They cost you no more. In many cases I can wave you money. In all cases I give the most lor the money, qual- ity considered. Remember, I have been over 20 years in the business, and carry the largest stock o t BEE-SUPPLIES IN THE WEST. Many thousands of dollars worth of goods now on hand, ready for distribution. Shipping facilities unsurpassed. All points reached by direct lines, thus insuring the lowest Freight-rates. Write for estimates and new Catalog. Lib- eral discounts now. Address, JOS. NYSEWANDER, 565-567 W. 7th St. I>ES MOINES, IOWA Mention Bee Journal when writing. =PURE ALFALFA^ HONEY IN 60-POUND CANS We have a good supply of Pure Altai! a HONEY in 60-pound cans that we can ship by return freight at these prices : 2 cans, boxed, at 8% cents a pound ; 4 or more cans at one time, 8 cents a pound — all f.o.b. Chi- cago. Cash with order. Sample, by mail, 8 in stamps, to cover package and postage. YORK H0NEY1ncdppbleveC0. 141-143 Ontario St., CHICAGO, ILL. JS~ Passengers east from Buffalo to Fort Wayne, Findlay, Fostoria, Cleve- land, Erie, Buffalo, New York City, Boston, and all points east, will con- sult their interests and find advantage in selecting the Nickel Plate Road east from Chicago. Three through trains are run daily, with through day coaches to New York City, and modern Pullman sleeping-cars to destination. Rates always the lowest, and no excess fares are charged on any train, for any part of the journey. Modern dining- car service, with individual club meals, ranging in price from 35 cents to one dollar ; also meals a la carte. Ask for tickets via the Nickel Plate Road. Chicago depot, La Salle and Van Bureu Sts., the only station in Chicago on the Elevated Loop. Chicago City Ticket Office, 111 Adams St. Detailed information may be secured by address- ing John Y. Calahan. General Agent, 113 Adams St., room 298, Chicago. 1— 12A6t ■ rt .80 r»t I £ 200 Egg INCUBATOR t Perfect Id construction tna *• notion. Hatches every fertile . egg. Write for catalog to-daj (GEO. H. STAHL, Qulncy, III. Mention Bee Journal when writing. 65c for 12 Names fraE^?-?^ ptamps taken— we will send for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Call— res. sub. price 400 a year. F. C. is a wkly., 2;> years old, 1,300 panes a year. Sample free. ' FARMER'S CALL, yuincy, 111. Mention Bee Journal wuen writing. March 22, 19C6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 263 Lowest Prici Big Discount for Early Orders On Cash Orders Before November 1 9 per cent " December 1 8 " " January 1 7 " " February 1 6 " " March 1 4 " " April 1 2 " Headquarters for Bee-Supplies Complete Stock for 1906 now on hand. FREIGHT- RATES FROM CINCINNATI are the LOWEST, ESPECIALLY for the SOUTH as 'mostlall freight now goes through Cincinnati. Prompt Service is what I practice. You will Satisfaction Guaranteed. SAVE MONEY BUYING FROM ME. Catalog mailed free. Send for same. Bee = Supplies E 4 Percent Discount for March OF ALL KINDS Established Nearly 25 Years We have published THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER for IS years (monthly, SOc a year.) The largest and best il- lustrated magazine of its kind for the price published. Edited by two of the most experienced bee - keepers in America. Sample copy free. Our large, illustrated Price-List of Supplies free on application. Address, The W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co. JAHESTOWN, N. Y. Mention Bee Journal when writing. f^oney atib Chicago, March 7— Choice white comb honey is not plentiful, and it sells upon arrival at 15c per pound Other grades of comb are not in de- mand and sell at uncertain prices of 10@14c per pound. Choice white extracted, 65«@7}4c; am- ber grades, 5}i@b%c. Beeswax, 30c per pound. R. A. Burnett & Co. Toledo, Feb. 19.— The market for comb honey has been better for the past two weeks than at any time during the past season. Prices are firm on account of the scarcity. We are getting 15@16c for fancy white clover; 14@15c tor No. 1, and 13@14c for amber. Buckwheat, 13c. Extracted honey is in good demand at following prices: White clover in barrels brings 6M@7c; amber,5KiS5}*c; in cans every grade from l@l!^c higher. Beeswax is firm and in good demand at 28 and 30c. The above are our selling prices, not what we pay. Griggs Bros. Indianapolis, Feb. 2.— Fancy white clover comb brings 16c; No. 1, 14c; demand exceeds the supply; fancy white western comb brings 1415c; amber grades in poor demand at 12c Best grade of extracted honey brings 8H<&9c in 60-pound cans; amber, 6c. Good average bees- wax sells here for $33 per 10O pounds. Walter S. Pohder. PHiLADELPHiA,March 10— The call for honey is falling off, and while the supply is not abun- dant, yet it equals the demand. We quote fancy white, 16@17c; amber, 13@14c. Extracted, white clover, 7@8c; amber, 6@7c. Beeswax firm, 28c. We are producers of honey and do not handle on commission. Wm. A. Selser, New York, Feb. 19.— The demand is fairly good for better grades of white, and while the nearby crop is fairly well cleaned up, new arri- vals are now coming in from Cuba, besides several cars have been shipped on from Cali- fornia. We quote fancy white at 15c; No. 1, 13@14c; No. 2. 12c; amber, lie; buckwheat, 10@llc. Extracted in fairly good demand, es- pecially California, of /thick there is abundant supply. We quote white sage, 6}i<&~}ic; light Let me ^^ ^TT^^^^T^T^?! bred in separate apiaries, bookyour II I §■ P , |\J ^ 4. Ol ,l>l'> 1 II . Order for ^Ufj !■/ UUll KJ LOWS, VA IS "> IO- L4fll§, RED CLOVERS and CAUCASIANS. For prices, refer to my catalog, page 29. c. H.W.Weber ,Ns:r Office and Salesrooms, 2146-48 Central Ave. Warehouses. Freeman and Central Aves. amber at 6@7c, according to quantity; buck- wheat at 6c per pound; Southern at 50@60c per gallon, according to quality. Beeswax steady at 29@31c. Hildreth & Segelken. Cincinnati, March 8.— The demand for comb honey has brightened considerably since we last reported; in all probability, by the close of April, the market will be bare of comb honey. This will be encouraging to the bee-keeper. Nevertheless, to advance the price is out of the question; therefore, we continue to quote fancy white comb honey at 14@15c. The demand for extracted honey does not come up to our expec- tations; we quote amber at from 5%@6^c, ac- cording to the quality; fancy white, in 60 lb. cans, 8c. Choice bright, yellow beeswax, 30c. Tee Fred W. Moth Co. Denver, Feb. 5 —Owing to the mild weather the demand for honey has not been as good as usual at this time of year. We are quoting strictly No. 1 white alfalfa comb honey at $3.35 to 13.75 per case of 24 sections: off grade and light amber at $3 to $3.30. White extracted alfalfa in 60-pound cans, TH@S'Ac; light amber, 6%@7Jic. Beeswax, 24c for clean yellow. The Colo. Honey-Producers* Assn. Kansas City, March 16— The supply of comb honey is not very large. Demand is light, best 24 section white selling at 3.25 per case, amber at 25@50c per case less. Extracted, white, 6^c per pound; amber, 6c. Beeswax, 25@30c. We look for an increased demand in the near future. C. C. Clemons & Co. Cincinnati, March 7.— The demand for comb honey is slow, prioes obtained are the same. Stock od hand seems tc be sufficient to supply the wants. Quote fency white, 14@i6c Amber extracted in barrels, 55£@5J£c; in causae more; fancy white clover in 60-lb. cans, 7J4(58J^ cents; Southern, equal to white clover in color, from 6H@7c. Bright yellow beeswax, 30c. C, H.W. Weber. HONEY AND BEESWAX When consigning, buying or selling, consult R. A. BURNETT & CO. 199 South Water St. Chicago. III. ONE TON White Clover Honey Candied — a 60-pou/id can, $6. Cash and instructions sent to Farmers' Bank. JOHN C. STEWART 8Atf HOPKINS, MO. Mention Bee Journal when writing. „ , FOR SALE Until further notice, finest quality new crop California V^ter- White White Sa.ge and Light Amber HONEY in 60-lb. tins, 2 in a case; new cans and new cases. Write for prices and sam- ples, and state quantity you want. Hildreth &, Segelken 265 & 267 Greenwich Street, New York, N.Y. 34Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. Gash for Beeswax Highest market price paid promptly all the time for good wax. Frank G. Clark, 147 E.KinzieSt.Ghicago.lll. Please Mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. FANCY WHITE EXTRACTED HONEY, CRATES 2-60 LB. CANS; 8c TWO OR MORE CRATES; 7 # LARGER LOTS; WRITE FOR SPECIAL PRICES. ALL t F. O. B. CINCINNATI. CASH WITH ORDER. SAMPLES 10c TO PAY POSTAGE. THE FRED W. MUTH CO. WALNUT STREET, CINCINNATI, OHIO. |R CATALOG OF BEESUPf 264 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 22, 1906 The supply-dealer, if honest, has a difficult position. As I said at the Chicago Convention, so I say now, with too few exceptions he has to deal with men in an industry, comparatively few of whom realize the value of the very best of equipments. He has to cater to a trade which is looking over catalogs or to other sources for the hive, which can be bought not for the lowest price, but for the least momentary outlay, even if it is a gross extravagance to use them from year to year. Speaking in a general way right here, special factories may sometimes make goods rough, inaccurate, and not uniform; but home-made and local factory goods are always that way. Hives and all their equipments require accuracy and smoothness, as fixtures in connection with no other stock do. If the interiors of hives are not smooth the bees keep propolizing them ; if bee-spaces are not accurate, propolis and comb- building lead to constant inconvenience in handling, and loss of time and loss of temper to those about. I therefore decided on factory-made goods, and willingness to allow a fair profit after paying the expense of having good machines operated by skilled hands. — R. F. Holtbrmann, Brantford, Canada. — March 1st " Gleanings in Bee- Culture." AT THE LEWIS FACTOKY the greatest pains are taken to see that all goods are made scientifically correct. Lewis goods go together right. Why ? Because they are right. Every part is made to fit every other part just like a watch. Perfect matching, necessary bee-spacing, accurate dovetailing, correct grooving, careful polishing, be- sides a thousand and one other details of manufacture are all brought to bear as a re- sult of the 30 years' of experience of the Lewis Beeware specialists. This has brought about the manufacture of a smooth, clear, clean, white hive which strikes joy to the bee-keeper's heart. Lewis Sections are made from white Wisconsin basswood, the finest in the world. Lewis Sections are the best in the world ; they ought to be, they are the most care- fully selected, and accurately made. Insist on Lewis Goods ; accept no substitute. Look for the brand ; send for Cat- alog to-day if you haven't one. There are a score of our agents who can furnish you with Lewis' Goods at factory prices. They are : ENGLAND— E. H. Taylor, Welwyn, Herts CUBA— C. B. Stevens & Co., Havana C. B. Stevens & Co., Manzanlllo CALIFORNIA— The Chae. H. Lilly Co., San Francisco SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA— Paul Bachert, Lancaster Fletcher-Doyle Co., San Diego Fallbrook Co-operative Ass'n, Fallbrook COLORADO— R. C. Aikin, Loveland Arkansas Valley Honey-Producers' Associa- tion, Rocky Ford COLORADO— (Continued.) Colorado Honey-Producers' Association Colorado Fruit-Growers' Association, Grand Junction Robert Halley, Montrose ILLINOIS— York Honey & Bee-Supply Co., Chicago Dadant & Sons, Hamilton, 111. IOWA— Adam A. Clarke, Le Mars Louis Hanssen's Sons, Davenport W. J. McCarty, Emmelsburg-. INDIANA— C. M. Scott & Co., Indianapolis MICHIGAN— A. G. Woodman & Co., Grand Rapids MINNESOTA— Wis. Lumber Co., Faribault MISSOURI— E. T. Abbott, St. Joseph OHIO— Norris & Anspach, Kenton OREGON— The Chas. H. Lilly Co., Portland PENNSYLVANIA— Cleaver & Greene, Troy TEXAS— Southwestern Bee Co., San Antonio UTAH— Fred Foulger & Sons. Ogden WASHINGTON— The Chas. H. Lilly Co., Seattle G. B. LEWIS COMPANY WATERTOWN, WIS., U.S.A. jpjAERie^j e Journal 46th Year CHICAGO, ILL., MARCH 29, 1906 No. 13 DR. MILLER PISHING SECTIONS OUT OF A T-SUPER APIART OF O. K. RICE, OF GRAY'S RIVER, WASH. W L. SMITH, OF RICHMOND, VA. DR. MILLER LIFTING OFF THE (See pages 270 aDd 271.) T-Super. 't\ 266 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 29, 19C6 PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY GEORGE W.YORK 8 COMPANY 334 Dearborn Street, Chicago, 111. IMPORTANT NOTICES. THE SUBSCRIPTION PRICE of this Journal is $l.uo a year, in the United Stales, Canada, and Mexico; all other countries in the Postal Union, 60 cents a year extra for postage. Sample copy free. THE WRAPPER-LABEL DATE indicates the end of the month to which your subscription is pa'.u. For instance, "decoe" on your label shows that it is paid to the end of December, I9vt>. SUBSCRIPTION RECEIPTS.-We do not send a receipt fur money sent us to pay subscription, but change the date on your wrapper-label, which showB that the money haB been received and credited. Advertising Rate, per Agate Line, 10c. 14 lines make one inch. Nothing less than % inch accepted. Time Discounts. 4 times — 5 per cent 13 " ....10 " 26 " ....20 " 52 " ■•••30 " Space Discounts. 100 lines. 500 " . 1000 " . 2000 " . . 5 per cent .10 " .20 " .30 " These rates are subject to either time or space discounts, at choice, but not both. Reading Notices, 25 cents, count line, subject to the above discounts. Goes to press Monday morning. National Bee Keepers' Association Objects of the Association. 1st.— To promote the interests of its members. 2d.— To protect and defend its members in their lawful riKbts. 3d.— To enforce laws against the adulteration of honey. Annual Membership Dues, $1.00. General Manager and Treasurer — N. E. France, Platteville, Wis. J39" If more convenient. Dues may be sent to the ublishers of the American Bee Journal. The Emerson Binder. This Emerson stiff-board Binder wan clutb back for the American Bee Journal we mail for but 75 cents; or we will send it with the Bee J ournal f or one year— both for only $1.50. It li a fine thing to preserve the copies of the Jour- nal as fast as they are received. If you have this " Emerson " no further binding is necet- 8"T' OEOROE W. YORK & CO., 334 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, ILL. Contents of this Number Illustrations — Apiary of O. K. Rice let Page Apiary of W. L. Smith l-;u "Big Bill" and "Little Bill" — Two Bee-In- spectors 275 Dr. Miller Lifting Off a T-Super 1st Page Dr. Miller Pushing SectionB Out of a T- 8uper 1st Page Smith, W. L .- 1st Page Souvenir Postal Card from Frank Benton 270 Editorial Notes and Comments — Care of Empty Combs Left by Dead Colonies. . ?69 Hives in Which Bees Have Died 2^9 Honey Lett by Dead Colonies 2fiH Newspaper Declines to Correct Apiarian Errors 269 Miscellaneous News Items — Apiary of O. K. Rice 270 Apiary of W. L. Smith 270 Benton Souvenir Postal Card 270 Illinois Bee-Keeping 270 Contributed Special Articles — Dadant Methods of Honey-Production (No. 7) 271 Right Kind of T-Super All Right 271 Temperature Inside the Winter Cluster of Bees 272 Mr, Hastv^s Afterthoughts — Canadian Smoker-Fuel 273 Check on Swarming 273 Feeding Mulberries 273 First W ork of Bees . . 273 German Chunk Honev 273 New Table of Contents 273 Sister's Experiences 273 Soft-Wood Fences 273 Unsettled Bee-Brush Question 273 When Bees Get Short of Winter Stores 273 Wide Frames vs. T-Supers 273 Our Sister Bee-Keepers Bees in Fine Condition Bees Seize and Hold a Village Died Several Years After Being Stung Discouraging Season With the Bees.. . Sister's Greeting and Clippings Canadian Beedom — Detecting GlucoBe in Honey More About Mr. Lowey's Winter Bee-Reposi- tory Report for Season of 1905 Southern Beedom — Preventing the Introduction of Foul Brood. "Those Bee- Problems" Two Foul-Brood Inspectors 275 27=. 275 Dr. Miller* 8 Question-Box — Best Bee-Bnok and Comb-Honey Hive. . Caucasian Bees Changing Queens Color of Comb Honey Feeding Bees Getting Kid of Ants in Hives Mice in Hives , Moving Bees , Preventing More Than One Swarm Sweet Clover Seed Taking Out Cellared Bees for a Flight., Throwing Out Bee Larva? and Pupas T ransf erring Bees When to Take Out Cellared Bees Convention Proceedings — Good Bee-Cellar , Wisconsin State Convention Reports and Experiences — Few Dead Bees So Far Likes the Right Kind of T-Super Value ot Bees to Alfalfa L'74 275 27fi 276 276 276 . 276 27K 276 276 276 277 276 276 . 276 . 276 277 277 Langs troth ™ the Honey-Bee .• -X' a& Revised by Dadant— Latest Edition. This is one of the standard books on bee-culture, and ought to be in the library of every bee-keeper. It is bound substantially in cloth, and contains over 500 pages, being revised by those large, practical bee-keepers, so well- known to all the readers of the Ameri- can Bee Journal — Chas. Dadant & Son, Each subject is clearly and thoroly ex- plained, so that by following the in- structions of this book one cannot fail to be wonderfully helped on the way to success with bees. The book we mail for $ 1 .20, or club It with the American Bee Journal for one year — both for $2.00 ; or, we will mail it as a premium for sending us THREE NEW subscribers to the Bee Journal for one year, with $3.00. This is a splendid chance to get a grand bee-book for a very little money or work. GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, ILL NOT IN THE TRUST For High-Grade Cans Prices Always the Lowest Write for Prices, Stating Quantity- Wanted Friction lop Cans for Honey and Syrup Prompt shipment and careful attention given to all orders. Special prices to members of the Bee-Keepers' Associations. Mention Bee journal when writing. Made by CANNERS CAN CO., 1035 W. 47th Street, CHICAGO, ILL , March 29, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 267 i®i "DADANT'S FOUNDATION" IT EXCELS EVERY INCH equal to sample Beauty, Purity, Firmness. No Sagging, No Loss. Twenty-seven Years of Experience. We Guarantee Satisfaction. WAX WORKED INTO FOUNDATION BEE=SUPPLIES of all kinds. Beeswax Wanted at all times . . . DADANT & SONS, Hamilton, 111. SEND FOR OUR CATALOG SEE THE 1906 RELIABLE before you buy. Perfectly practical for poul- try men or beginners. Double heating system gives bigger hatches — saves one- third the oil. Sold on a money back guarantee. Write for free catalog;. * Reliable Farm Pure- Bred Birds and Eggs. Get prices. Reliable Incubator and Brooder Co., Box B-153 Quincv, Illinois, P. 8. A, CAUCASIAN QUEENS! Caucasian Bees are very gentle. They are easy to handle and are, therefore, suited to be- ginners, timid bee-keepers and to those who keep bees in town. If you want to try this race, or if you want to improve the stock cf your Ital- ian Bees, write to ROBERT B. McCAIN, 2Atf YORKVILLE. ILL. R. F. D. DON'T WAIT for the season to start before you order your Bee-Supplies DITTMERS FOUNDATION IS THE BEST MADE We make a specialty of working wax for Cash. Retail — Wholesale — Jobbing BEESWAX ALWAYS WANTED Write for our Price-List and samples ; we would like to send them to you at our expense. GUS DITTMER, Augusta, Wis. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Wisconsin Basswood Sections fi And Prompt Shipments H Is what we are making for our cusU mers. W — DOVETAILED HIVES AND SHIPPING-CASES ffl We carry a full line of SUPPLIES. Ask for Catalog. THE riARSHFIELD HANUFACTURINQ CO., Harshiield, Wis Mention Bee Journnl vrhen writing. ^.California The PaciBc Rural Press has been a house- hold word throughout California for 35 years. It is authority on all matters regarding the soil or products of California. Weekly, illus- trated: Edited by practical specialists. Two Dollars per year. Send for sample copy. Pacific Rural Press, 330 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif. SOAtf Please mention the Bee Journal. 65c for 12 Names fr,S?SeerssanadnaRS,-c0i ptamps taken— we will send for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Call— rett. aub. price 40c a year. F. C. is a wkly., 25 years old, 1.800 pa^es a year. Sample free. FAKMER'S CALL, Quincy.IU. Mention Bee Journal when writing. The Fresh Air Incubator Chloko. 6th— What Users Fresh Air applied to Artlflclt Id a new and effective way, making possible higher per cent hatches, brighter, healthier stronger chicks. BOOKLETS ON ARTI- FICIAL POUURV PRODUCTION Ut— The Sttnd.rd Inoub.tor. 2nd — An Incubntor for Beginner.. 3rd— TJolvere.1 lIorer.ndCelonjBruvderf. ith— Feeding ire Doing. 5 FREE I A PIANO BOX WILL DO Put the Universal Hover Into It and make jour own brooder. The Uni- versal Hover may be attached to ant site or form <»f Colony bouse, mushroom house, email portable building or piano biz and make about as good a brooder as money can buy Write for catalog end the Ave books FKEE. Others to follow, you'll get them all If your name Is on our mall list. Prairie State Incubator Co., 351 Main St., Homer City. Pa, Please mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. 268 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 29, 1906 2 percent ^ days There is just 2 days left in which you can obtain our discount of 2%. After April 1st, we allow no more early-order discounts on our Supplies at Catalog prices. By placing your order NOW, you make a saving equivalent to 72$ per annum on money at common interest rates. You surely cannot afford to lose this amount no matter how small your order. •*fy* ••£•• -«£»• You can get Root's Goods with a saving of time and freight by placing your order with one of our agents named below. They all carry large stocks of o-oods, sell at factory prices, and allow 2% discount for cash with order on order bearing a postmark before April 1st. Delay is dangerous now. Bees are already swarming in the South. Alabama Wetumpka J.M.Jenkins Canada. Toronto E. Grainger & Co. California Fresno Madary Planing Mill Los Angeles California National Honey Producers' Association Colorado Denver The L. A. Watkins Mdse. Cc. Fruita Frnita fruit and Produce Ass'n District ot Columbia Washington The A. I. Root Co. Georgia Savannah Howkins & Rush 124 Liberty St. Illinois Chicago The A. I. Root Co. 144 East Erie Street. Indiana Indianapolis Wal ter S. Pouder Evansvllle Vickery Bros. Iowa Des Moines J oseph Nysewander Kansas Augusta Carl F. Buck Mississippi Brazelia George A. Hummer Massachusetts Boston H. H. Jepson. 182 Friend Street Lyousville W. W. Cary & Son Maine Mechanic Falls The A. I. Root Co. Maryland Baltimore Rawlins Implement Co. Michigan Bell Branch M. H. Hunt & Son Fremont George E. Hilton Minnesota St. Paul The A. I. Root Co. 1024 Mississippi Street. Missouri High Hill Jno Nebel & Son Supply Co. Springfield Springfield Seed Co. St. Louis Blanke & Hauk New Mexico Carlsbad Edward Scoggin New lfork Syracuse The A. I. Root Co. New York City The A. I. Root Co. 44 Vesey Street. Ohio Columbus Grove Mc Adams Seed Co. Toledo Griggs Bros., 521 Monroe St. Zanesvllle E. W. Pierce Cincinnati C. H. W. Weber 2146 Central Avenue Oregon Portland Portland Seed Co. I* ^nnsylvania Dn Bois Prothero & Arnold Philadelphia The A. I. Root Co. 10 Vine Street Williamsport E. E. Pressler 633 Lycoming Street Texas Dallas Texas Seed and Floral Co. San Antonio Udo Toepperwein Uvalde D. M. Edwards Utah Ogden The Superior Honey Co. Virginia Spottswood W. E. Tribbett Washington Spokane Portland Seed Co. Hundreds of local dealers all over the country handle our goods. Insist on getting them. THE A. I. ROOT COMPANY ^tEiDinsr^., ohio (Entered at the Post-Office at Chicago as Second-Class Mall-Matter.) Published Weekly at $1.00 a Year, by George W. York & Co., 334 Dearborn St. GEORGE W. YORK, Editor CHICAGO, ILL, MARCH 29, 1906 VoL XLVI-No. 13 (fbttonal Hotes anb Comments Hives in Which Bees Have Died Every spring finds all over the land hives in which bees have died. Some colonies have died of diarrhea, some have been queenless, some have had drone-laying queens. Whatever the cause of death, the hives have value, and can be used to receive swarms. If they have movable frames, the combs have a cash value for future use. The combs in box-hives can at least be melted to obtain the wax, and should not be left a prey to the wax-moth. Don't add to the loss of bees by allowing anything that is left to be lost. Honey Left by Dead Colonies " Is it safe to feed to the bees honey that is in combs left by colonies that have died?" This question is sure to be asked by a number of anxious beginners. When the weather becomes warm enough for bees to fly daily, it is safe to feed anything in the line of sweets short of actual poison, unless the honey comes from colonies that had foul brood, and honey left by dead bees is all right at any time. Very often the honey is robbed out by the bees before the bee-keeper discovers what is going on, and this method of disposal is not a bad one. It has at least the merit of re- quiring no labor on the part of the bee-keeper. Another way, and a good one, is to leave the honey in the combs till they are given to a swarm. Care of Empty Combs Left by Dead Colonies The combs left by colonies that failed to pull through the winter should not be left uncared for until swarming- time. A swarm is pretty sure to desert if put into a hive containing a lot of dead bees in a wet mass on moldy combs, but is attracted by an outfit of empty combs in good condi- tion. The first thing to be done — and the sooner it is done the better — is to get out of the hive all the dead bees. One way is to sweep the bees off the combs with a common house-broom. One person handle^ the combs, and another the broom. A comb is laid flat on the ground and swept, turned over and swept on the other side, and then put into a hive which has been carefully cleaned out, and then the other combs are cleaned the same way. So long as the weather remains cool, such combs may be left safely outdoors, but when the weather becomes warm enough wax-worms will appear, and if left long enough un- disturbed they will utterly destroy the combs. Closing the hives up tight will do no good, for the eggs or young larva?, are there from the previous season. If the combs are left in a dry cellar, it will be too cool for the worms to make much headway. But there is no place where these combs, are so safe as in the care of the bees themselves. As soon as the weather warms up and colonies become strong, each strong colony can take care of a hiveful of empty combs. Put a hiveful of combs under the hive con. taining the strong colony, so that the bees must pass through the combs upon leaving or returning to their home. Of course, this presupposes that the bottom-boards or floors of your hives are removable, and if they are not you will do well to make them so. It may surprise you to see how nicely the bees will clean up dirty, moldy combs. If some honey is in the combs, all the better. When the combs are well cleaned, a second hiveful of combs may be given. Put this second hiveful on top of the one already cleaned, and then set the colony over all. These combs can then be left thus till needed for swarms. Newspaper Declines to Correct Apiarian Errors A February issue of the Chicago Record-Herald con- tained some misstatements of facts regarding bees and honey, and several of our readers called our attention to them. We at once wrote a courteous correction, and here is the reply we received from the Record-Herald : Chicago, Feb. 23, 1906. Mr. George W. York, Editor American Bee Journal — Dear Sir : — The editor directs me to acknowledge re- ceipt of your favor of the 22d inst., to thank you for it, and to explain to you that he regrets he can not see his way clear to devoting space to making suggested corrections. The published matter to which you call attention was a reprint from the New York Sun. The errors, therefore, were the New York Sun's errors. And if the Record-Her- ald started out to correct all material errors in other news- papers, it would have to abandon, necessarily, its proper function — the publication of news. Thanks again for your letter. Yours very truly, Managing Editor. Isn't it a little strange that the great Chicago Record- Herald could find room for the misrepresentations, and yet could not allow space to correct them ? As we look at it, when the American Bee Journal copies errors from other sources, those errors in a measure become its own, and we feel in duty bound to correct them in the American Bee Journal so far as possible. We suppose if 270 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 29, 1906 the New York Sun published as a news item that President Roosevelt was dead (when he wasn't), and the Chicago Record-Herald then copied the statement, it would not cor- rect it just because it was an error of the New York Sun ! And that is modern newspaper procedure. Well, we are glad we don't have to run the American Bee Journal in that way. miscellaneous Hetrs * 3 terns =\ j Editor Ernest R. Root, of Gleanings in Bee Culture, made us a brief office-call when in Chicago last week. The 1906 Convention of the National Bee-Keepers' Association will be held in Texas, Nov. 8, 9 and 10. The exact place will be announced later. We hope that nothing will arise to change it again, as was the case last year. the small Apiary Of 0. K. Rice.— When forwarding photograph, Mr. Rice wrote as follows : I am sending you a picture of myself and wife, taken by my oldest daughter last summer, just as I was working with the bees. It shows only a few of the 30 hives in the orchard, with the winter-cases still on, but the roof does not go down to them, as they are 2 stories high. O. K. Rich. Apiary of W. L. Smith.— On the first page appears a picture of Mr. Smith, and below is one of his apiary. He wrote us as follows when sending the photographs : The picture herewith is of my " Virginia Apiary," which is on a porch about 9 feet from the ground. I am standing about the middle. To my right is Arthur Smith, and at the left is Purcie Smith, my nephews. You see I am an old bachelor, and have to borrow my brother's boys to help ffle out. At the rear is my residence. There is a bridge extending across to a workshop, which has a porch along the back, with bees on that also. There is also a platform extending around the house with 7 hives. I have been handling bees in modern hives about 11 years. Before that time I made cabinet hives with glass to look through, and glass-top drawers above. I have 22 colo- nies of bees, mostly Italians. I have 1 Carniolan, 1 Albino, 1 Holy Ivand, and 2 Cyprian colonies, but I do not find much difference in their tempers. I can handle one kind as well as the other. We sleep on the platform with the bees any night in summer. My honey crop varies. Some years I get 60 pounds per colony. Last year the frost killed the early blooms, and I did not get more than about 25 pounds to the colony. I have been making my own hives the Eangstroth pat- tern excepting that mine are 16 '4x16 % inches, and 10 inches deep outside. I use sections 3;sx5xl'+. But lumber has gone up so high here that I have bought hives in the flat for less than the lumber would cost me. W. L. Smith. Mr. Frank Benton, Apicultaral Investigator of the United States Department of Agriculture, as most of our readers know, is on a journey to Europe and Asia for the purpose of looking up new races of bees, and also honey- -r**^ ■*>..*/ ^~-™.i f£ vtt >~-r£rr'< *-<. plants. The reproduction herewith is from a souvenir pos- tal card sent to Mr. C. P. Dadant, President of the National Bee-Keepers' Association. The scene shown is nearly 1000 miles east of the Caspian Sea. No doubt Mr. Benton finds his journey quite frequently perilous. He will have an interesting story to tell when he returns to this country. Illinois Bee-Keeping.— Secretary Stone, of the Illinois State Bee-Keepers' Association, sends us the following: I sent out 360 letters to as many of the Crop Reporters of the State, and through their kindness received back from about 200 of them the names of 1131 bee-keepers. The number of colonies of bees reported with 873 names was 20,361, or an average of 23' 3 colonies per name. With the same average for all the names received through the Reporters, and by the kindness of the Editor of the American Bee Journal — viz., 2222, after deducting 9+ names duplicated — we would have a total of 51,106 colonies ; and if these should produce a common average of 40 pounds per colony, we would have a total of 2,055,520 pounds of honey annually. The remarkable fact that in getting together all these names from about 200 different persons, and only 94 dupli- cated names, goes to prove that we have only a small pro- portion of them ; and, further, we were told at our last con- vention by a member, that he had counted 100 bee-keepers in his county, and he was sure he could count that many more ; and yet we have only 5 or 6 given by the Reporter from that county. So we must conclude that we are not able even to guess at the number of colonies or bee-keepers in our State. Jas. A. Stone, Sec. The March Number of Irrigation— the official organ of the Colorado Bee-Keepers' Association — contains no bee- matter except a short note of greeting from the new Secre- tary, G. J. Tomlin. If he is as good a man as the old Sec- retary, the Association is to be congratulated. See Langstroth Book Offer on another page of this copy of the American Bee Journal. March 29, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 271 * (Contrtbutcb * Special Ctrticles ^ Right Kind of T-Super All Right BY DR. C. C. MILLER. OX page 160, F. Greiner mentions my calling attention to the slight sagging of bottom-bars in wide frames, and says: "This shows that Dr. Miller has had some experience along this line. It must be he has used wide frames, and the wonder is that such an insignificant matter could induce him to abandon the wide frame for the most worthless supei invented." When so bright a man, and so good a bee-keeper as F. Greiner. puts me down as doing what evidently appears to him a very stupid thing, I can but attempt to give my reasons for thus doing, in hopes to reinstate myself in his good opinion. In the first place. Mr. Greiner, let me plead not guilty to the charge of abandoning the wide frames on account of the sagging of the bottom-bars. I don't think I would ever have abandoned them for that reason. You are right in supposing that I have had experience with wide frames. I used them by the thousand, used them for years, used them with much satisfaction, and only aban- doned them when I found something I could use with more satisfaction. According to your arraignment of the T-super, I don't see how you could do other than to discard it. You say: "Some bee-keepers who have had no experience with wide frames are afraid there may be difficulty (?) in taking the filled sections out of them. If they had'had any experience, they would have found it a great deal easier than to take the honey from T-supers. and just as easy as taking the sections out of the section-holders with no top-bars." Well, there is experience and experience. Whatever the quality of my experience. I'm s'jre it has not been lacking in quantity, both with the wide frame and T-super. I've taken tons of sections from each. In the years that I used wide frames I made advancement in method's of taking sections out of them, but at best could not take them out as safely or as rapidly as I can out of T-Supers. Mind you, I don't say yon can't work more rapidly With wide frames than you can with T-supers— I'm only saying how things ;.re in my localitv. You say : "There is no sur,er on earth that gives us more trouble than the T-super. I find it impossible to 'get the sections out' without setting a large percent to leaking." If I should se'c to leaking a single section in taking 10.000 sections out of T-.SUpers. I should think I had been extremely careless. Neither is that because of expertness gained from long experience. Tn the course of the past few years, three different raw h;lnds have been set to work taking out sections, each of them taking out thousands, and not a section was set to leaking by father of them, except in one case, when one of them let a whole super fall to the floor, and then there was leaking by the wholesale. Speaking of T-supers. you say: "I have ii!;ed them for 20 years, and have followed the instructions given by many on how to empty a super, but have not yet learned the trick, or a better way than carefully to remove one section after another with the super right side up and follower removed. The difficulty lies in loosening the section from \he T-tin. which can not always be accomplished without crackjng the honey." I never Undertook to empty a whole super in the way you indicate, t3Ut occasionally have taken out a section or two, and if that's vhe best way in your localitv, I don't wonder at your rejecting the T-sup"er. I think I could work twice as fast with wid<; frames. It's a ticklish thing to loosen the tion from the T-tin. and no matter how slowly I work.. I I should expect to crack a lot of sections. But I don't loosen the section frCm the T-tin. I turn the super upside down, with a push-beard over the sections I push the sections dov n, after having ptished down the follower, and lift off the sup r, leaving the sections in a block, T-tins and all. Then, in d of loosening the. sections from the T-tin. the T-tin? an d off the sections. Five seconds is sufficient time to lift o 3 T-tins. and the greenest hand can not crack a section a doing. In the worst cases of gluing, it takes a little o to lift off the T-tin, but there is no danger of cracking the sections. You speak of the trouble with bee-glue, and of sending me a sample. I didn't know till reading your article from whom the sample came, but the piece from the T-super was bad beyond anything, I think. I ever had. Now listen: With me there is more glue in wide frames than in T- supers. I can easily believe it is just the reverse with you, and I think I understand why. 1 think you are a buckwheater, and when buckwheat is on, glue is so plenty that the bees not only fill all cracks with it. but plaster it plentifully on any exposed surface. My surplus is practically all from white clover, and at that season, although I'm counted to be in a gluey region, the bees have no more glue than they can use in filling cracks; so there is no glue deposited on the exposed top-bars and bottom-bars. The earliest supers scarcely need scraping, with T-supers, while with ide frames there will be lines of glue packed in, top ->,.., Dottom, because there are cracks there that are not it i'-supers. Yet even if glue were worse with T-supers. that would not counterbalance the advantages, especially the advantages of filling and emptying. Now, Mr. Greiner. I've tried to clear my position, and you'll not any longer think that, for me, the T-super is "the most worthless super ever invented." will you? Marengo, 111. **• 7— Dadant Methods of Honey-Production BY C. P. DADANT. IF the reader has noted what I have previously written on our method of artificial increase, he will readily under- stand that we had no desire for natural swarms. We have several reasons for this. In the first place, as stated before, the natural swarms, if they come at all. will be from those colonies which would be most likely to produce the largest amount of honey. We have no control over the time of issue or over their number. They may issue at a time when we are very busy— they usually do. for the honey season is always a busy season. Neither are we alone in this matter. Many apiarists are also farmers or business men and must be away from the house during the greater part of the day, and would surely prefer to decide for themselves as to the num- ber of colonies of increase, and the time to make that in- crease. Besides, there comes a time when we think we have enough colonies of bees, and want only honey. Thus, if a method may be devised by which we can almost entirely avoid natural swarming — avoid it so that the number of swarms issuing in average seasons will be too small to make it worth while to watch the bees— we have gained an immense point. No one has so far been able to claim an absolutely infallible method, neither is there any such thing as an absolutely non- swarming hive, but with a certain management the number of swarms is reduced to the minimum. In two seasons, some years ago, an out-apiary of 87 colonies, at the home of a friend (Mr. P. Champeaul. har- vested 13,000 and 12.500 pounds of honey, or a total of 25.500 pounds in the two seasons; and in the same length of time the number of swarms was only 5, Three colonies having died during the winter between those two seasons, the total increase was only 2 colonies. I trust the reader will not take this as an average of results, for we have many bad seasons, but it shows what may be done in the way of large crops and reduced swarming when all is favorable. Connected with the prevention of swarming is the use of large hives, both in the brood-chamber and the supers. This has been our hobby for over 30 years, but it is a hobby which is well sustained by facts. The manner in which we became convinced of the supe- riority of large hives has been mentioned by me in the bee- papers in years past, but good things will bear repeating. We began with comparatively small hives, mainly the 8-frame Quinby and the American. Then we began to manu- facture 12-frame hives, for the purpose of trying side-storage, which, by the way, was discarded. A friend of ours made some 16-frame Quinby hives, in which he had planned hiving three swarms each, but his pet scheme was not practical and he failed and sold us the hives. We used them 10 or 12 years for single colonies. Then we had an apiary in charge for several seasons, Of about a hundred 10-frame Lang-troth hives. We finall tied on a 9-frame Quinby hive with 2 divisions-board, which was later changed to 10 frames, with one division-board. By trial, side by side, of large hives with wide super-, and small hives with narrow supers, we were convinced that the large 272 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 29, 1906 hive was the better. Why? Because the large colonies filled their large supers just as quickly as the small colonies filled their small supers. Or, in other words, a colony having 10 frames and a dummy or division-board filled a super 16 inches wide as quickly as a colony with 8 frames filled a super cov- ering the 8 frames, or 12 inches wide. . Now, please bear in mind that this does not take place in every instance. But when we have good, prolific queens in our colonies, this will prove true in the majority of instances during good seasons. Our trials were not made on 8 or 10 hives of a kind, but on hundreds of each kind. I see, in some European papers — I will not name them for fear of hinting some feelings — that experiments are conducted and conclusions reached with 2 colonics. Some of those ex- periments would give an entirely different result, if they were conducted on fron. 20 to 50 colonies ; and they would be still more conclusive if tu-- were conducted in different apiaries located at spots giving a liiilrrent crop. I have stated that large hivtr give large crops. Now here is our explanation of the cause; rllow me to quote Mr. Langstroth, for I cannot put my meaning in better words, and it was his ideas which prompted us to try different sizes of hives: "Many hives cannot hold one-quarter of the bees, comb and honey which, in a good season, may be found in large ones; while their owners wonder that they obtain so little profit from their bees. A good swarm of bees, put into a diminutive hive, may be compared to a powerful team of horses harnessed to a baby wagon, or a noble fall of water wasted in turning a petty water-wheel. As the harvest of honey is always in proportion to the number of bees in the hive, and as a large colony requires no more labor from the apiarist than a small one, the hive should afford the queen sufficient space to deposit all the eggs which she is able to lay during 21 days — the average time for an egg to be trans- formed into a worker. Besides, it should contain a certain amount of food, honey and pollen." The size of the hive must, therefore, be figured accord- ing to the abilitiy of the queen to fill the cells with eggs. It was upon this that my father based the experiments which practice confirmed. He was not content with experimenting with Quinby and Langstroth hives of from 8 to 16 frames — he even tried hives with frames 18x18 inches, which, I will hasten to say, proved a complete failure. They were too large. Although many leading apiarists disagree with us upon the question of large and small hives, they do not disagree upon the idea evolved. All those who have investigated agree that, in many instances, the queens can fill with eggs as large hives as we use, and that in those instances large hives are good ; but they insist that the hive to be used must be small enough to accommodate only average queens, preferring to crowd the best queens rather than give too much room to the poorer ones. That is all the difference. We belieive in plac- ing our aim at the best, trying to achieve a result allowing the development of the best, which in most cases secures the best, as we have proven to our heart's content, by constant success. Hamilton, 111 # Temperature Inside the Winter Cluster of Bees BY G. M. DOOLITTLE. ON page 123 will be found some questions asked by "Wis- consin." regarding the temperature inside the "brood- nest," and answers by Dr. Miller, all of which are very interesting to me. As I have conducted some experiments along this line, I will give "Wisconsin" the benefit of the same, and I think others will be interested in the matter also. Dr. Miller thinks it strange that he cannot find this mat- ter indexed in his bee-books, and I think it strange also; but as far as I remember none of the books treat on this matter, although I think it one of exceeding interest, and one of con- siderable importance also. Some years ago I looked for this matter through all the literature on bees which I had, and all I could find on the subject was where Quinby in his "Mysteries of Bee-Keeping Explained" declared that the bees in the inside of the cluster during winter are as lively as in summer, while tlir.se on the outside were somewhat stiffened with the cold. This I found to be a fact. It was at the time the subject of bees hiber- nating during winter was under discussion, some claiming that they did hibernate, while I, and others, did not believe it. So, to prove that Quinby and myself were correct. I went to a colony one morning when the mercury was at IS degrees below zero, and suddenly jerked up one of the frames which went down through the middle of the cluster, when I was met by a teacupful or less of bees that took wing and darted at me to sting. Of course I lowered the frame back as soon as possible, exclaiming to myself as I did so, "Quinby was right ! No hibernation there !" And I would say the same to those who are now talking of resurrecting that old idea of bees hibernating. Nothing can be said to hibernate that is able to get a "summer motion' on so quickly as can the bees in a cluster in mid-winter. Of course, the bees at the outside of the crust forming the cluster were off, and slow to move, as Quinby said, but as soon as this crust was passed the rest were lively enough to "make it hot" for me in short order, even on a 15-degrees- below-zero morning. A little later on I found these words in one of the bee papers : "Now, when bees are massed together in a cluster during winter thev keep up an animal heat that keeps the whole" cluster from freezing." And in another paper I found these words : "Not one of our entomologists can tell us any- thing reliable about the winter temperature of a bee-hive, or the inside of the cluster of bees." This last made me resolve that if such was the case, it was time that some one found out. so I purchased, at a high price, a spirit thermometer said to be perfectly correct in its readings. This I slipped down into the center of a good colony of bees which occupied a sphere about 10 inches in diameter. This thermometer regis- tered cold as well as heat by having two spirit balls and two steel bars or registers, one on the heat side and one on the cold side. These registers were set at the time of placing it in the cluster at the point where it stood when taking from my coat-pocket, which was about 48 degrees. The thermom- eter was placed in the cluster at about 3 p. m., and left over night, during which time the mercury outside sunk to nearly T°Upon taking it out the next morning I found that a tem- perature of 27 degrees had been registered of the heat side, this showing that through the disturbance caused by putting the thermometer in, a temperature of that amount had been reached at the highest point, while I had nothing satisfactory as to the lowest point reached during the night. I then took the thermometer to the house and put it near the stove till a temperature of 110 degrees was reached, when the steel registering bar on the cold side was drawn down so as to register accordingly. I then put a piece of iron on the stove till it was fully as warm as the 110 degrees, when this iron was placed in a box, and one end of a piece of flannel cloth was tucked down over and about this warm iron. Then I laid the thermometer on the flannel, when the other end was brought up over this, and the box closed I then had it fixed so that I could ascertain just how cold it got while the thermometer was in the cluster, as I would now obtain the coldest register, instead of the warmest, as before. During the afternoon the weather became severe, and continued so for 5 days, during which time the mercury out- side went as low as 16 below zero When the storm abated the thermometer was taken out, and I found that the coldest point reached inside the cluster during those 5 severe days was 63 degrees above zero. In this way I experimented on several colonies until I found that the ave-age temperature of a good colony of bees in the middle of the cluster is 64 degrees when the mercury is at zero outside the hive; ana that for every 15 degrees of change from the zero point out- side the change in the cluster would vary one degree, or very nearly that. Thus 16 degrees below zero outside gave 63 degrees in the cluster; 30 degrees below gave 62 degrees in the cluster. Zero outside gave 64 degrees in cluster; lb de- grees above gave 65 degrees, and 28 degrees above (the high- est it was during the time I was conducting my experiments) gave 66 degrees in the cluster. All of the colonies were in double-walled hives with pack- ing at the sides and on top. All know that bees can readily fly° in a temperature of 45 degrees in the shade, and yet this flying temperature was exceeded by 18 to 20 degrees in the cluster of bees at all times, with a temperature as low as we rarelv ever have. But I see that "Wisconsin" wants to know what the tem- perature will he "above" the brood-nest. This was what 1 next proceeded to find out. All who have looked at a cluster of bees in cold weather know that if we open the hive so carefully that the bees are not disturbed, we will see only the pointed ends of the abdomens standing out from the center in all directions, something like the spokes of a wheel stand out. only that these abdomens are packed together as closelv as it is possible for them to be. according to the number of bees that can squeeze together between the ranges of comb. Ma 29, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 273 Now by placing the thermometer as close to these abdomens as I could and not hit them, I found that with a temperature of zero outside I had a temperature of 40 degrees about J4 of an inch away from the cluster ; and a temperature of 45 degrees' when the mercury outside stood at 28 degrees above zero. From this it will be seen that this crust of bees really forms the hive proper, or the walls which confine the heat inside the cluster; which makes the bees really independ- ent of the hive for their existence, only so far as it keeps the winds and storms from them. This part is one of the greatest mysteries to me there is about a colony of bees. I cannot understand how this crust of bees is able to hold the temper- ature inside it, so as to keep a summer heat inside, with a zero temperature outside; when it looks to me that there must be sufficient holes between the adbdomens in this crust to let the air out through them, something as water would run through the holes in a sieve. But for some reason the heat does not so go out, and, furthermore, the bees seem able to control this matter so perfectly that they can raise the heat inside this crust of bees to nearly 100 degrees above, when it is zero outside the hive, and with frost forming on the combs and cover to the hive less than 2 inches from the cluster. Where the cluster of bees touches the hive in any place, then, of course, the hive, at that place, holds the heat in ; but I have seen scores and hundreds of colonies carrying on brood-rearing successfully inside the crust of bees, during March and April, with snow on the ground, when this crust of bees did not touch the hive in any place. And another thing which has always been a mystery to me is. that the bees at the bottom of the cluster appear to be always warmer than at the top. On the principle that heat rises, and that the top of the hive is the warmest, the bees at the top of the cluster should be the warmest and most active. But such is not the case, as I have found by many carefully conducted experi- ments. Raise a hive up from the bottom, and the first bees will break through the crust right where you are looking. Open the hive at the top, and unless the bees at the top touch the cover of the hive, the first flying bees will come up around the cluster from the bottom, the cluster remaining in perfect order all along between the top-bars of the frames, and down at the sides as far as you can see. In fact, the very topmost bees in the crust are the last ones to start into activity, while those at the bottom are the very first. Borodino, N. Y. = " =~ \ Wit. pasty's Ctftertfyougfyts j The " Old Reliable " as seen through New and Unreliable Glasses. By E. E. Hasty, Sta. B. Rural, Toledo, Ohio. German Chunk Honey. So the German idea of apicultural how-to-do is chunk honey at 25 cents a pound I Page 139. First Work of Bees — Check on Swarming. I think our books and papers very generally say that the young bee's first work is at nursing. On page 140, Stachelhausen indorses another view, to the effect that the first work done is cleaning out cells — several days being spent at it. That the current view is assumed, instead of being proved up, is imaginable, to say the least. Some of us would wish to hear what is the nature of the proof for the new view before accepting it as a finality. Mr. S. also thinks that the renewed demand for larval food, coming after it had been stopped once, is what checks the swarming impulse, rather than premature field-work on the part of young bees with nothing else to do. The latter seemed rather plausible to me. What's to hinder giving some credit to both ? Unsettled Bee-Brush Question. Not to be expected that the bee-brush question would be settled by the Canadians at Brantford. any more than by the rest of our folks. That point is likely to remain lcng in an every-man-to-his-notion state. Wings and feathers held up their end well. Page 142. Canadian Smoker-Fuel. Another unsettleable question was — not settled — but illu- minated quite a bit at Brantford — the smoker-fuel question. Jacob Alpaugh has a mixed fuel, gotten up on the principle of that famous drink which comprised — " A little lemon to make it sour, A little suj*ar to make it sweet, A little brandy to make it strong, A little water to make it weak." This fuel hath planer shavings for bulk, cheapness and solidity ; some rotten wood to keep it from being too solid ; some bits of maple bark to hold fire and keep the thing from going out ; some water sprinkled on just right to keep the fire from burning its own smoke. He says the dampening and maple bark are specially important. Some of us will still be liable to say : " The kind I use " is good enough; but perhaps some will vote it of great value to themselves, as compared with their previous fuel. Page 142. When Bees Get Short of Winter Stores. If your bees get out of grub in winter-time you'll have to feed 'em a man. One man, it appears from page 145, brought a September swarm through in extra order by feed- ing in a large flight-box, in which bees brought home their supplies on the wing (none of your " gittin up stairs " for it). Very likely one colony saved was not enough to pay for the hours spent ; but probably the experience did pay for it richly. New Table of Contents. Hello ! Here's a new table of contents — minutely itemized, so you can find everything you want right in one spot. As I did not discover it for three weeks maybe my " Eureka " will direct some other wayfarer to it who other- wise would languish without it. Page 154. Wide Frames vs. T-Supers— Soft-Wood Fences. F. Greiner says he can empty 4 wide-frame supers in less time than one T-super. If we should say, " Dr. Miller, can you beat that?" we should surely have our genial men- tor in a corner where his heart would forbid him to say, " I don't know." The experience that soft-wood fences get almost en- tirely eaten up in the course of years should be valuable to those who contemplate going into fences. Page 160. A Sister's Experiences— Feeding Mulberries. The Colorado sister who reports on page 162, gives sev- eral worth-repeating experiences. On a very slender har- vest 6 colonies of goldens averaged 4 times as much surplus as the hybrid colonies did — the latter numbering 25. She finds her hybrids even worse than those recently reported about cleaning up combs and sections in the fall. Very generally refuse to take feed from inside feeders, and that, too, when they urgently need it for the coming winter's supply. And feeding crushed white mulberries, a la Dr. Peiro, wouldn't run with her bees. If Dr. Peiro would only give us a variety of mulberries ripening in the fall, I'm pretty sure any strain of bees could be made to take them (not upstairs, perhaps) ; but in ordinary mulberry season bees mostly have their ideas raised above fruit-juice. And in the fall, who would laboriously pick mulberries when slicing up watermelons is so much easier? (Dur*Sister Beekeepers j Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Mareego, 111. A Discouraging Season With the Bees Dear Miss Wilson : — I promised you once that I'd write you about my bee-keeping, but you see I had such a very unsatisfactory season last year that I felt as though I had nothing good to report. We like to report good things, do we not ? But failures have iu them an element of defeat, and we would rather not speak of our defeat. I wouldn't. Up to last season I had always had pretty good success with my bees — nothing to boast of, but just fairly good ; but the past summer I got very little honey, and had to feed part back and about 800 pounds of sugar besides. That's something new to me. I always used to congratulate my- I self when I read of others feeding their bees, on my good 274 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 29, 1906 fortune in living- so near the Mississippi River, where the bottom-lands always supplied enough pasture to provide the bees with sufficient stores; now I know how to sympathize with the sugar feeders ; especially with those having no regular feeders, but who have to go around and hunt up all sorts of kettles and pans, and borrow them of the neighbors and farmers, and then have to lug them back ! For, un- fortunately, I have no horse ; I use the train to take me to and from my out-yard. I prepared something over 185 colonies for winter. I work for comb honey during the white honey season, and then put on an extra brood-chamber, which I leave on until the beginning of the white honey-flow, when I put on the supers with sections. The past season, however, I worked quite a few colonies for extracted honey, but I do not like it as well as working for comb honey, and if I could manage a team better I'd get some horses to haul the comb honey home, and work almost wholly for comb honey. The extracted honey I leave at the out-yard, and ship it to market from there. I want to wish you success in your wintering and a good honey season, you and Dr. Miller. I suppose you are nearly through with your winter work and almost ready for spring. Cordially yours, Cassville, Wis., Feb. IS. Mathilde Candler. We are exceedingly obliged to you, Miss Candler, for so good a letter, even if it is so largely occupied with recording failures. We all have " ups and downs," but it is ever so much pleasanter to tell of the " ups." You have now given us the "downs ;" we shall hope for the " ups " from your pen in the near future. Bees In Pine Condition We have 8 colonies of bees in fine condition. We had 10 colonies last summer, but one died from being queenless, and one the Hallowe'en sports stole and emptied the bees out on the road. They got about 25 pounds of honey. Last year was the worst for honey since we have been keeping bees. I have been intending to write to the Sisters' depart- ment for a long time, but have neglected to do so. I always turn to that page first. Mrs. Otto C. Hotze. Fleener, Ind., March 12. A Sister's Greeting and Clippings Dear Miss Wilson :— Thank you very much for get- ting in my chat with the Sister's in such nice shape. Also, for sending us all so lovely a New Year greeting. As the day happens to be my birthday, I intend to appropriate an extra share of the good wishes. I enclose a couple of clippings that may be of interest to you. With kindliest appreciation of your efforts on behalf of " we sisters," and assuring you of very hearty co-operation on my part, and affectionate greeting for the New Year, which I trust will be blessed to us all— those who win and those who fail— and particularly thanking you for " Sister Ruth's " beautiful poem, I am, Cordially your friend, Frances E. Wheeler. The clippings sent by Miss Wheeler are as follows, both taken from the Stock Farmer : Bees Seize and Hold a Village. A great 6warm of bees attacked, seized and held until late in the afternoon the village of Weston-on-Trent, England. An attempt to occupy some tenanted hives having failed, the defeated party made matters lively throughout the remainder of the day. The villagers were compelled to close their doors and windows, as the bees went for everything within reach. Six fowls were stung to death. Died Several Years After Being Stung. Mrs. George Danner, wife of a prominent pump manufacturer of Allentown, Pa., and a bee-culturist, died suddenly at Hecktown, of blood-poisioniDg last week. Several years ago she went to the yard to pick some flowers, when a bee stung her on the wrist. Shortly afterward her hand and arm swelled to enormous proportions, and she suffered great agony. Her case attracted the attention of medical ex- perts from all over the country ; but in spite of every recognized treat- ment, the swelling wa6 only occasionally partially reduced, and finally the poison reached the heart, and death resulted. She was 53 years old, and one of her sons, Norman, was a soldier in the Philippines where he was seriously wounded. Sudden death from blood-poisoning, caused by a bee- sting received several years previously, seems rather far- fetched. Query : Was there any real connection between the sting and the death ? IT X* (Eanabtcm 4-33eebom-f ^ Conducted by Morlet Pettit, Villa Nova, Ont. More About Mr. Lowey's Winter Bee-Repository J> Friend Pettit : — I have had no experience in cellar wintering. I built my repository in 1885 (I think it was), and put about 6 colonies in — all I had then. It was damp, as it was late, and the sawdust was wet. They did not do very well. I then built the lean-to, and put a stove in, with some fire in very cold weather, and raised the temperature. But I soon increased to a hundred or more colonies. The sawdust became perfectly dry, and has remained so since. I did not need any artificial heat, so I tore down the chim- ney and let the 8-inch pipe through the end near the roof of the lean-to, out and down with two elbows, for a dark ven- tilator. The main part has a box about a foot square up through the ceiling, with a cover on top. On the underside of the cover is a notched stick hinged on, by which it can be raised or lowered. The doors between the two parts are open most of the time in mild weather, so by raising the cover on the ventilator there is fresh air coming in. In very cold weather I shut down the cover, and put something over the stovepipe, outside and inside. You ask if I have wintered bees many winters in this. Yes, about 20, with, I think, good success. I lose a few bees every year, but I don't think it is the fault of the re- pository. I often have put in some that I did not expect to come out all right — neglected in the fall to see that they all had queens, etc. I found in the spring they had been queen- less. I am going to do better. If I have more than I want to winter, I will double them up ; look after them early in the fall, etc. Now, as to the two methods : Having never wintered bees in the cellar I can not say which is the better. I have always thought I would like underground best, on account of controlling the temperature in the spring. I have had bees hang out so the clusters on two hives would meet, and yet they seem to come out all right — usually about April 10. One thing about it, it is dry. The space under the floor is about one foot, with a poor wall which lets in fresh air. However, I wouldn't want that different. Before putting bees in, I put a thin layer of sawdust on the floor. After the bees are put out I sweep up, and all is clean. (I have put very wet sawdust in sometimes, but it soon dries out.) Up till the latter part of March, usually, I can keep the tem- perature at 45 to 50 degrees, Fahr. I put the bees in last fall on Monday after the conven- tion at Toronto ; the temperature went up to 50 degrees in 24 hours, and remained so until the warm weather in Jan- uary. The bees were very quiet ; they then woke up and got very noisy. The temperature was 60 degrees. I then opened the outside door until it went down so the bees were quiet. I left the door open all night on two nights so far this season. Of course, I shut the door at daybreak. I don't believe in keeping bees in a temperature in winter quarters that they stay in hives in the light. I will be glad when I get the bees outside again. I am a little uneasy about them. I suppose the weather is much the same with you as it is here — very changeable. The prospects are poor for clover. It was muddy to-day, and freezing pretty sharp to-night. R. Lowey. Cherry Valley, Ont., Feb. 5. ^ i » Detecting Glucose in Honey In the January number of the Ladies' Home Journal appears an article in which A. W. Woodman describes methods of detecting adulterants in various food stuffs. Referring to honey and other sweets, he says : A common adulterant of honey, table syrups, molasses, jellies and jams is commercial glucose, made on a very large scale by treating corn-starch with acid. It may be detected quite easily by the peculiar precipitate it gives with alcohol. For this test it will be necessary to March 29, 19C6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 275 use strong alcohol — 95 percent. Take a clear glass or tumbler about a third full of the honey or syrup to be tested. In the presence of glu- cose a milky turbidity will be caused, and at the bottom of the glass will be formed a thick, gummy mass, which can be easily collected in a spoon. If glucose is not present a slight lloeculent precipitate will be formed instead of the gummy mass, and there will be no turbidity after the te6t has stood a few moments. It should be borne in mind that the glucose is not to be considered necessarily harmful, but that its presence always indicates a cheaper or low-grade product. By a simple mistake I got two explanations of the above test from Prof. Frank T. Shutt, Chemist, Central Ex- perimental Farm, Ottawa. The following letter will ex- plain : Alcohol and Barium Chloride Tests for Glucose in Honey. Dear Mr. Pettit: — Personally I can not speak of the validity of the test in the presence of small quantities of glucose. It is no doubt indicative when the proportion of glucose is at all considerable. Leach, in his recent work on 'Food Analysis," writes as follows: " The presence of commercial glucose is strongly indicated if, on the addition of 3 or 4 volumes of strong alcohol to the honey, a pre- cipitate of dextrin is found. Pure honey should show only a slight milkiness and no actual precipitate when thus treated." I may add that I do not think there is any simple test which a layman could use with certainty for the detection of glucose in honey, though a precipitate in the diluted honey on adding a solution of barium chloride would indicate traces of sulphuric acid, which very frequently accompanies glucose. The absence, however, of such a precipitate would not in itself necessarily imply freedom from glucose. Tours truly, Frank T. Suutt, ChemUt. Report for Season of 1905 Mr. MorlEY PETTIT : — From 3 colonies we got over 200 pounds of honey and 4 swarms. I have also a large amount of new combs for another year. I lost one colony from being queenless, and did not find it out till too late ; it was my own fault. I tried to stop swarming by killing most of the queens (as a man had advised me), and I sup- pose the cells I left turned out " no good." Oh, I learned a lot last summer. I am wintering 6 colonies. They were all out to-day, and I think they are doing well. The neighbor I spoke of as having foul brood in his apiary, lost all his bees. I have heard of no others with foul brood. I kept the Richardson 10-frame hive that I started with, made the hives myself and bought the frames. I wanted to go slow at first. The clover and fall wheat are all right at present. Greenock, Ont., Feb. 20. Joseph Condy. Southern + 23eebom -fr Conducted by Louis H. Scholl. New Braunfels, Tex. J 'Those Bee-Problems" don't, I can already imagine that "Hasty " man jumping up with, "I told you so !" Two Foul-Brood Inspectors That man with those " unreliable glasses " says some- thing about a little dog that " died or run away" — I don't just recollect which the dog did. He also heaves a big sigh as if he feared that " those bee-problems " would never be solved now ; but, Mr. Hasty, had you not thought about it that there might be others who might do it ? Then, too, we'uns have been wondering whether the Ohio State University would be so much interested in us if we went there, as some evidently suppose we did, especially in the heart of snowy winter, when it was proposed to ven- ture there. Since then a kind of hankering toward wanting to stay at home and among my own bees has kept me tied down to it, and here I am. Yes, I am a "sure enough " bee- keeper again, with several hundred colonies, to run them all by my little self (only 6—3 tall). Of these doings, some may prove good enough for publication some time sooner or later, depending upon when they happen to happen — even if they are only good for some " wit and humor " page. And, again, in my dabblings with bees, sure enough bees, it is to be supposed that some of the stumbles might happen to be across something of — well — er — of value. It may also happen to happen that some of "those toothsome bee-problems " to which Mr. Hasty refers, and which he would like to see solved (I suppose) might happen. If they As assistant in the Department of Entomology and Apiarist at the State A. and M. College, the duty of foul brood inspection fell on the shoulders of the writer at vari- ous times since the foul brood law was placed in the hands of the State Entomologist. This gave me a lot of varied experiences, some of them as serious as others were comical. It was during my inspection work in Southwest Texas, however, that I was aided by a young bee-keeping friend, who, by his services, through his kindness, his good-will and "BIO bill" and "little BILl^"— two bee-inspectors. his generosity, enabled much work to be accomplished in a short time, than if the labors had fallen to one man. This same young man was none other than Willie Atchley, whom almost every reader knows, and whose picture will be seen here. Willie is the leetle fellow in the " rig," while " ye humble bigger fellow " towers up on the left of him. Indeed, this couple was not known by their right names, for 'twas "Big Bill" and "Little Bill" that they were called. Everybody in Beeville knew them by these names. But in showing the picture of Mr. Atchley, the bee- keepers of Southwest Texas have before them a young man who has been very helpful and instrumental in the work of inspecting the apiaries there, and in locating the diseased apiaries that were destroyed and thus rid of the dreaded foul brood. He is the person who has only lately been appointed as inspector for that section. Preventing the Introduction of Foul Brood As foul brood inspector for Southwest Texas, Mr. Willie Atchley, of Beeville, was appointed by Prof. Albert F. Con- radi, State Entomologist at the A. and M. College, under whose supervision the Texas foul brood law is. Mr. Atch- ley should make a good officer. He is a thorough bee-man, and well acquainted among the bee-men of his section of the State. We are hoping that there will not be very much for him to do in the inspection work, however ; not that we wish to see him spend his life in idleness, for he is one of those fellows who would find— and, in his case, already has— enough to do ; but I am sure that I voice the sentiments of the bee-keepers of the entire Southwest Texas in my wishes. Foul brood is not a much-desired thing, and the less there is to do for the inspector the better for the bee-keepers. A word of explanation concerning the situation of foul brood in the above-alluded-to section is due the bee-keepers of that part of the State, especially since it seemed neces- sarv to appoint an inspector. Those who are not familiar with the facts of the case, and the situation of the subject, may draw conclusions from the fact of this appointment that are not at all warranted. Although there is no foul brood there now, there has been trouble at two different times, of bees being imported into that section that were diseased. As the matter has been properly taken care of, and the destruction of the dis- 276 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. March 29, 1906 eased apiaries resorted to, it practically leaves, as above mentioned, very little to do for the inspector for the present. One of the main and most important objects of having an inspector at the most important bee-keeping centers, espe- cially where new comers may bring bees with them, is to guard against any further introduction of foul brood or other diseases as in the previous cases. This can be accom- plished much better by having a man at such a place who is thoroughly able to keep up with the information regarding the shipping in, and other movements of bees. tZD As soon as it is learned that bees are to be brought into this section, arrangements for having them inspected are made, and the bees will not be allowed to be brought until a certificate showing that they are in healthy condition can be obtained. Such is the duty of a district inspector, be- sides that of inspecting apiaries that may be reported to him for inspection for any reasons sufficient to warrant him to do so ; and the bee-keepers should all go hand in hand in this matter and aid this work. In this way they will receive protection, and help protect others. " ^ doctor 2TItUer's (Question ; Box 8end questions either to the office of the American Bee Journal, or to Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, 111. Dr. Miller does not answer Questions by mail. When to Take Out Cellared Bees J When in the spring is the right time to take bees out of the cellar? I can't find it in any of the bee-books? Missouri. Answer. — It isn't an easy thing to say when is the right time to take bees out of the cellar, and I'd give a pretty penny to any one who could tell me with certainty the best time to take mine out this spring. There has been a6 much as a month difference between the earliest and the latest of my taking out, there being that difference in seasons. There must be more or less guessing about it so long as one never knows in advance just what the weather is going to be. So long as they are in good condition in the cellar, and there is nothing for them to do outdoors, there's no hurry about taking them out. If you will watch the blooming of red maples, willows, or other trees upon which they work in your neighborhood, you will generally find it best to take them out at the time of such bloom, but not even then if the weather appears unfavorable. So far south as you are — in Missouri, 39 degrees— areljou 6ure it is advisable to cellar bees at all? Transferring Bees- Best Bee- Book and Comb-Honey Hive 1. I have 3 colonies to transfer in the spring. When and how would you transfer them? 2. What is the best bee-book for a beginner? 3. What kind of hive do you think is the best for comb honey? Minnesota. Answers. — 1. A very satisfactory way is to wait till the first swarm issues, hive it and set it on the old stand, set the old hive close beside it; a week later move the old hive to a new place, and 2 weeks later still— or 3 weeks from the time of swarming — transfer in the manner directed in your bee-book. 2. All of those advertised in the American Bee Journal are good. After you get familiar with one, if you mean to do much with bees it will pay you to get another. 3. The S-frame hive is good if you pay a lot of attention to the bees, but unless you expect to give them very close attention take the 10-frame bive. Any plain hive with frames 17;'ijX%', outside measure, is good whether dovetailed or not. ThrowlnglOuCBee Larvae or Pupae— Caucasian Bees, Etc. 1. I commenced last spring with 2 colonies, increased to S, and got 150 sections of nice honey, which, I think, is good for a beginner. Three of my increase I caught. I had one destroyed by moths, and one lost its queen, which 1 doubled with another, so I have (3 left. 2. Last summer all of my bees threw out a good many bees in the larval stage. The only way 1 could explain it was the moth destroyed some of the brood, for, on examination, I found holes in the brood- combs as though something had been eating them. Am I right? 3. I see a good deal of late about the Caucasian bees, some claim- ing they won't sting and are good; others claim they are no good. What is the truth about these bees? 4. Bees usually go to work here in March after a few warm days, as we have lots of maple and willow trees, and some wild gooseberry. Do bees get honey from those trees, or is it all pollen? 5. Does it do any harm to open a hive in the winter, on a warm day, if you don't disturb any of the frames or bees, but simply look at the top of the frames? 6. Is it best to winter bees on the summer stands in this locality — about 55 miles south of Chicago? I have a nice place, sheltered on the east, north and west 6ides, and open on the south to the sun. Illinois. Answers. — 1. You certainly did well; but you must not feel dis- couraged if you do not repeat the experience. Other seasons may not be so good. A few colonies in a locality ought to average better than when you increase to a larger number. 2. When bees are starving, they suck out the juices of the larva? and throw out the skins. I suspect, however, that in your case it was the pupa? instead of the larva; that were thrown out, and that you are right in blaming the wax-worm for the trouble. 3. The truth is about as you state it, and we must wait for further information before we know which is right. It looks a little as if there was quite a variation in Caucasians. 4. Both pollen and honey. 5. Yes, it is a bad thing to disturb bees unnecessarily; and I wouldn't even uncover the frames at a time when bees can not fly, un- less there was danger of starvation. 6. They ought to winter well in the cellar, and yet sheltered as you say they are they may also do well outside. It would not be a bad plan to try some each way, and then you could decide better than any one else. *-*-» Taking Out Cellared Bees for a Plight— Mice in Hives 1. I am now wintering 35 colonies in what I call a very good cel- lar— concrete walls all around and concrete bottom, with good circu- lation. Is it the right thing to put colonies outdoors on a nice, warm, sunshiny day, and then put them back in the evening? I see some advocate keeping bees as quiet a6 possible — don't disturb them until spring open6. But, on the other hand, don't you think it is a very good plan to give them a flight on such a day? They will cleanse themselves and be nearly as good as when first put in. 2. I have been troubled somewhat with mice. They are bad when they get started. I have lost one colony by their work. They did not eat much honey, as it was one-half full, but they ate the bees, leaving heads and wings — not a live bee in the hive when I found it. The entrance was stopped up, and a nice ne6t of 5 young mice in it. Of course I fixed them, killing an old one, and 3 got away. What shall I do in such a case? I am afraid they will kill all the rest. Michigan. Answers. — 1. As you intimate, opinions are divided. I've tried both ways, and I can't decide which is best. The objection urged against taking out for a flight and returning is that it starts to breed- ing and makes the bees uneasy. On the whole, if they are doing well in the cellar, it may be as well to leave them until taken out for good ; but if they are suffering from confinement, as shown by diarrhea, give them a flight, and then return them. 2. Don't be too sure the mice killed those bees. It is just possible the mice only ate them after they were dead. Neither is it likely the mice will kill all the rest. You can close entrances with coarse wire- cloth, three me6hes to the inch. That will allow the passage of bees, but not mice. Even if you fasten a mouse into one of the hives, that's better than to let it have free run. Moving Bees— Preventing More Than One Swarm— Feed- ing Bees— Changing Queens— Color of Comb Honey-Getting Rid of Ants in Hives 1. As I want to move my bees this spring, would 2 feet apart be too close for each hive? 2. What is an effective way to keep my bees from giving more than one swarm per colony? 3. One of my colonies gave more honey last year than the rest of them. Should I save these drones and kill out those that are in the other colonies? 4. What time next month can I open the hives to 6ee if the bees are well supplied with honey? and about how much should eaoh col- ony have? If they have none, what should I feed them, and how much? 5. I would like to better my bees by giving them Italian queens. Could I do this at any time in the summer? If not, when? 6. How can I see, by looking into the hives, when a swarm is ready to come out, as I would like to use the Alley trap? 7. How can I tell by looking at comb honey whether it is light, amber or dark? What are the shades of the cappings? 8. How can I Keep the little red ants out of the hives in the sum- mer-time? I have tried sulphur with no good results. Do they do any harm in the hives? Wisconsin. Answers.— 1. That depends. If there are plenty of trees or other objects to help mark their locations it will be all right. If the ground is perfectly level, and nothing to help to locate the hives, there will be mistakes in entering hives. If you want to save room, instead of putting them regularly 2 feet apart, put the first two close together, leave a space of 3 feet, then two more hives, and so on, putting the hives in pairs, with 3 feet between each two pairs. With that arrange- ment you'll get more bees on the same ground, and at the same time there will be less mixing. 2. When the prime swarm issues, hive^it and setj it on the old March 29. 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 277 •stand, setting the old hive close beside it. A week later move the old hive to a new location some distance away. 3. It will be an excellent plan. 4. Unless you are very much afraid some of them are now starv- ing, don't open a hive until a day when the bees are Hying. If you think a colony is starving, go at it right away — may as well kill some of the bees by disturbance as to have all starve. Better see that each colony has 10 pounds of honey, or more, to carry them through till they are gathering. If they haven't that much, feed to make up the deficiency. Give them combs of sealed honey. Probably you haven't any. Then feed candy. Perhaps still better, take C. P. Uadant's plan : Smear candied honey over the top-bars back of the cluster, pushing some of it close to the cluster and making sure that the bees get started on it. 5. You can do it at any time, but it will be as well not to be too early. (Queens reared too early are not so good, and prices are higher «arly. 6. You can make a pretty safe guess by looking for queen-cells. A swarm is likely to issue as soon as the first cell is sealed. 7. You can't tell by the cappings. The lightest honey may have dark cappings if long enough in the care of the bees, and the darkest honey may have light cappings. Hold the comb up to the light of the window and look through it, and you can tell pretty well the color of the honey contained. Of course, you must make some allowance for the comb. If it is badly discolored it will make white honey look darker than it is. 8. They probably do little harm beyond annoying the bees, and the bees are competent to take care of them. They go to the hives and make their nests there chiefly for the warmth afforded. Some say borax sprinkled over the places they stay will drive them away. If you allow no lurking places over the hives where a bee can not go as well as an ant, the bees will keep them away. You are a good questioner, and your questions show intelligence, only some of them show that you have no text-book of instruction «bout bees, or else that you have not studied it very carefully. This department is intended to supplement the text-book, not to replace it, and it is hardly fair to occupy room with matters fully given in the books. If you will get a text-book, and study it carefully, I'm sure you will thank me for advising you to do so, for it will be money in your pocket. *-•-•- Sweet Clover Seed I would like to get some 6weet clover seed. Can you tell me where to find it? Kentucky. Answer. — I don't know where you can get sweet clover seed, but about this time of year you ought to find it advertised in this and other bee-papers. It is reported unusually scarce this spring, and that seems a little strange, seeing the great quantity of seed each stalk produces. One reason, probably, is that while there is a great quan- tity of 6weet clover throughout the country, it is so scattered that the seed would have to be gathered by hand. Still, there are a good many patches thick enough to be mowed. Contention Proceebtngs ^ J Report'oHhe Wisconsin State Convention BY HARRY LATHROP. [Continued from page 218.] The writer read the following paper on A aOOD BEE-CELLAR In this Northern climate there are two ways of wintering bees successfully. One is by having self-protecting hives (and they would be all right if it were not for the expense) ; but it is not my purpose to treat of them but of the other, and, I believe most reliable method of wintering, a good cellar. It has been customary with a good many to use any sort of cellar, be it ever so damp, ill-smelling and unfit, as a wintering-place for the bees. I think this has been a great mistake, and that bee-keepers at large have lost heavily in bees, and consequently in money, by not going to the expense of providing the very best accommodations that could be produced. A great deal of effort has been made to improve the ' s and to get them into good working shape after the ! n commenced; but a quart of bees in a hive that contain, a much larger bunch of dead ones, and mouldy, damp com' - is a poor start. And yet the colony wintered, did it? On! I of it. Better winter quarters would have brought n? through in line shape. There would have been a strong •e of bees — dry, sleek, healthy, able before they died off, to leave a rousing colony of younger workers. I have lost enough from poor-wintering quarters to appreciate the gravity of this question. It is one of life and death, and means much to the man who is to make his living, or any part of it, from honey- production in Wisconsin. What we want in a cellar is purity of air, measurable dryness, and an even temperature which will remain at 40 to 45 degrees above, never going below 40 nor above 50. The labor and expense required to secure such a cellar depends greatly upon the character of the soil and location in which it is to be built. Some locations are very much better adapted than others. In a bank of pure dry sand, such as may often be found along the river valleys of this State, it is an easy matter to make a good cellar. The room may simply be boarded up inside; the loose sand will make an excellent floor, and. with a couple of doors and a wooden tube for a ventilator, one has a cellar that is all right. But if it is desirable to locate a cellar where the ground is a damp, heavy clay or muck, and where there is no rising ground to aid drainage, the task of providing a suitable win- tering-place is not so easy. But if the ultimate object is kept constantly in view, that is, the requirements of a good cellar, I think all obstacles can be overcome, but it will take more work and better material. I have a cellar which I built in a side hill the past season. The hill is composed of loose layers of limestone, and we got more than enough good building stone out of the pit to make all the walls. The floor of this cellar is the natural rock, and the drainage is perfect without any special arrangement. The cellar proper is entirely under the ground, but the ante-room by which entrance is had through double doors, is only partially under ground. The path into the cellar is on a level with the floor, so as to avoid going up and down steps with the hives. This is a desirable feature, but not a necessary one. For packing overhead I used dry leaves on the floor, and over all a good shingle roof. The upper part of the ante- room is packed with leaves also, as I wish it to be a good protection to the main cellar. Were I to locate a cellar in level, damp ground, I think I would only sink it down about half way below the general level of the ground, then bank up around the walls to make a mound. It would require only a few steps to get down to the cellar bottom, and would be much easier to drain. I would lay tile under the bottom and along the sides of the walls and arrange to carry off all water from the eaves. Such a cellar, if properly constructed, would be dry and warm, even if located in a damp place. Two feet of dry earth makes a good absorbent covering for a cellar, the earth to be protected by a good roof; but it has a tendency to rot out the ceiling, and in a certain number of years will break down and the upper part of the cellar will have to be rebuilt. I have therefore conceived the idea of using lighter material. Dry sawdust, leaves, or clover- hulls, would be all right, I think; but I have not had sufficient experience to be able to judge of the comparative merits of different materials. I think, though, that an absorbent pack- ing is better than an ordinary room overhead having tight floors, which would not facilitate the moisture escaping. My only ventilator is a small wooden chimney leading from near the cellar floor up through the roof; although, in the last cellar I built. I have an arrangement for letting warm air in at the top of the inner door and drawing out the cooler air at the bottom. This is intended to be used in case the cellar should get too cold during some very severe and con- tinued cold weather, at which time I could place a small stove in the ante-room and change ami warm the air in the cellar. I do not expect to do this in any ordinary winter, and perhaps not at all. I am somewhat opposed to the practise of letting in air directly from the outside, and think that air enough will come in through the stone walls. If the bees are wintering per- fectly, they are quiet and do not consume much air. Don't think, though, that they cannot be smothered. I once placed 50 colonies in a small, double-walled room without sufficient ventilation; the weather changed, the temperature of the room went up to 60 degrees, and before I knew it over half the bees were out of the hives, some dead on the floor, and bushels clustered in the upper corners of the room. (That was nearly 20 years ago.) I took the colonies out of that place and managed to get 25 through in a weak condition. I made $400 from the 25 nuclei that splendid honey-year. What would I have made from 50 properly wintered colonies? If those bees had been in a cellar, somewhat larger than the pile of hives containing the bees, a temperature of 60 degrees 278 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 29, 1906 would have done no harm. So you see, they can be smothered under certain conditions. As this paper will invite discussion. I think it is unneces- sary for me to prolong it or try to say all that could be said regarding the construction of a good bee-cellar. (Concluded next week ) Harry LATHROP. Reports anb (Experiences Few Dead Bees So Far. I put most of my bees on their sum- mer stands yesterday. There were very few dead bees, and the hives were almost as heavy as "when they were put into the cellar in December. It was a fine day and they had a good flight. I would put out the balance of only 6 colonies, but the wind has shifted to the northwest so they could | not fly out if put on the outdoorstands. Lyons, Kas., Feb. 20. G. Bohrer. Likes the Right Kind of T- Super. On page 159 is an article written by F. Greiner, on supers, section-holders, etc. But all that I object to in par- ticular in his well-written article is in regard to his not very well-founded opinion in regard to the T-super. I have used in the production of comb- honey several different kinds of supers, and, so far as my experience goes, I have never used any supers that gave better results than the T-super. It is simple in construction, easily filled, and also convenient to empty. Before removing the honey from the super, take a curved-bladed knife, not too sharp, and scrape all the bee-glue and wax from both the top and bottom of the sections, which can be easily done while the sections are firmly held in .the super. Then remove the fol- lower and take a screwdriver, or some suitable tool, place it between the sec- tions and outside case, tapping gently with a light hammer both along the side and ends, so, if this is properly done, all you then have to do is to place a board about the same size of the super on the upper side. Then in- vert the whole, lift the super off, give each T-tin a light tap or two with the hammer and the work is done, except removing a little propolis that may be under the tins. This can better be acomplished by scraping while the sec- tions are still in a group. I have never been annoyed with leaking sections after this manner of procedure. Now, if you are provided with a super-filler, as described in Dr. Miller's book, "Forty Years Among the Bees," you would not exchange the T-super for any other make on the market. If these few thoughts, hastily jotted down, will be of anv interest to any one, I will be very glad. Although the pursuit of apiculture for the last two seasons has been very discouraging, yet I have not altogether lost all hope that there is a better day dawning for bee-keepers in this local- ity. I have 95 colonies in the cellar, but I fear they will not come out in very good condition. Samuel H. Hitt. Elizabeth, 111., Feb. 22. Value of Bees to Alfalfa. I am a beginner in the bee-business, although years ago I had considerable experience with bees, but never with movable-frame hives. I bought one colony last May, increased to 3 by fall, and then I cut 3 bee-trees and saved the bees, which gave me 6, all in dove- tailed hives; 3 of them had to be fed, which I did in October. About the middle of November, 1905, I bought 10 colonies of black bees at a sale. When I got them home I found that 2 of them did not have stores suf- ficient to feed them till Christmas. The weather being warm, I soon fed them, using a Miller feeder. I packed my bees by making boxes about 4 inches longer and wider than the hives, having no top or bottom, and set this over the hive, and filled the space with old papers, about an inch thick on all sides. I then laid about the- same number on top of the hive, and over all I put a cover made to turn water. The bees are wintering in fine condition; they were flying nearly every day last week. We had rather a poor season for honey last year on account of the ex- treme drouth the latter part of the summer. Alfalfa practically produced no honey after July 1. We had quite a striking example, in this county, of the value of bees to alfalfa. Our creek bottoms are espe- cially adapted to alfalfa culture, and a larger acreage is sown on one of the the creek bottoms, where large quan- tities of alfalfa seed is raised. On one farm where no bees were kept the yield of seed, in 1905, was two bushels to the acre. On another farm, on the same bottom, one mile from the first, where only 3 colonies of bees were kept, the yield of alfalfa seed was between 4 and 5 bushels to the acre. On still another farm, where about 20 colonies of bees are kept, the yield was between 7 and S bushels per acre; and 2 miles below, without bees, the yield again dropped to 2 bushels. H. F. Hillebrandt. Osborne, Kan., Feb. 14. CONVENTION NOTICES. Utah. — The Utah Bee-Keepers' Association will hold their spring convention in the Mayor's office, in the City and County Build- ing, April 6, at 10 a.m. Among other ques- tions of interest to be considered will be the best approved methods for producing and dis- posing of bee-products. All are cordially in- vited to come and bring their friends. G. E. Garrett, Sec. E. S. Lovesy, Pres. Jiichigan. — The Northern Michigan Bee- Keepers' Association will hold its next an- nual meeting at Kalkaska, Mich., Wednesday and Thursday, April 4 and 5, 1906. Generous prizes are offered for certain exhibits. W. Z. Hutchinson, E. D. Townsend and Geo. H. Kirkpatrick, the President, will read papers. Special hotel rates are given by the Manning House. Send to the Secretary for a copy of the announcement, list of prizes offered, etc. Then attend the convention it you possibly can do so. Ira D. Bartlett, Sec. East Jordan, Mich. North Texas. — The annual meeting of the North Texas Bee-Keepers' Association will be held at Blossom, Tex., Wednesday and Thursday, April 4 and 5, to which all bee- keepers are invited. There will be no hotel bills to pay. On the program are the follow- ing: " Best Races of Bees," W. H. Laws and Dr. R. P. Davies; "Foul Brood," Louis H. Scholl ; " Which is the Best for North Texas, The Production of Section or Bulk Comb Honey?" R. C. Abernathy and Dr. R. P. Davies; "Extracted vs. Comb Honey for North Texas," R. C. Abernathy and Dr. R. P. Davies; "Is a Bee-Keepers' Association a Necessity?" W. H. White; " Is the Combin- ing of Bee-Keeping with Poultry-Raising Profitable?" L. C. Lancaster; " Best Honey- Plants of North Texas," J. M. Hagood; " Best Hive for North Texas— 8, 10 or 12 Frame," W.H.White; " How Best to Man- age Our Bees for the Greatest Profit," E. A. Ribble. Question-Box. W. H. White, Sec. Connecticut. — The loth annual meeting of the Connecticut Bee-Keepers' Association will be held in the Capitol, Hartford, Room 50, Wednesday, April 11, 1906, at W:30 a.m. All bee-keepers should make an extra effort to attend this meeting. Try to bring a friend also. Topics for discussion : The best method for putting starters in sections. Your best way to prevent swarming. Swarming devices, pro and con. Large and small hives com- pared. What is the best way to increase? Best use to make of second swarms. How did your bees winter? How many colonies have you? What do you do with sections after re- moving them from the hive? Handling the divisible brood-chamber vs. single frames. How do you manage the colony after the first swarm has left? How do you ripen or thicken extracted honey? Can new combs be made out of old ones by cutting them to one-half inch thick or les6? and would they be as good as new ones? Please bring something for the exhibition table, or a question for the question-box. Mrs. E. E. Smith, Sec. Watertown, Conn. The Rietsche Press. — Those who have bought Rietsche Presses from me have proba- bly found out that by following the directions given it i6 easy to make heavy foundation, but rather difficult (though not impossible) to make foundation thin enough for sections. The directions given as to the kind of lubri- cant to be used were not very definite. Many kinds of lubricants are recommended by the European writers ; but all the best con- tain alcohol. The best two are a mixture of alcohol and whey (from the cheese factory) half and half, and a mixture of water, honey and alcohol, about equal parts. For obvious reasons, I did not care to advise the use of al- cohol, so I have from time to time tried every thing else that I could think of, but without success. What puzzles me most is the assertion that the making of foundation with the Rietsche press is so easy, and the foundation as fine and as thin as any made with rollers, even by the Weed process. At fairs, the Rietsche foundation has often carried the first prizes against all others. I finally realized that to make thin founda- tion easily and rapidly, the use of alcohol as a lubricant is indispensable. But a trial soon showed me that wood-alcohol would do just as well as any other. I think water, alcohol and honey, about equal parts, will do; per- haps a little more alcohol and a little less water. The wood-alcohol is cheap, and can be bought from any dealer in paints and var- nishes. As it evaporates rapidly, only a little should be mixed at a time. In comparing the comb foundation made with the Rietsche press, with the Weed foun- dation, two things must be taken into consid- eration. One is, that the transparency of the Weed foundation makes it look much thinner than it is. The other is, a piece of foundation made on the Rietsche press may be, and in fact is, thicker than a piece made by the Weed process, and yet is fully as light. This is due to the fact that the thinness of the Weed foundation is due largely to the enormous pressure to which it is subjected. I intended to try the Rietsche foundation in sections extensively last summer, but the fail- ure in the honey-flow prevented me from doing it. A little was done, and, as far as it goes, it shows that the bees take the Rietsche foundation in preference — probably because it is much softer. The few sections that were completed seem to show that the bottom of the cells had been thinned down ; at any rate, the comb was not any harder than the natural comb; while the Weed foundation, no matter how thin it is, is somewhat tougher. It mu6t be admitted, however, that the difference is not considerable. — Adrian Getaz, Knoxville, Tenn.— (Adv.) EflD CAI C 100 colonies of Pure Italian BEES lUn OnLX in8 or 10 frame New Dov. Hives with Hoffman Frames; Tested Queen in each colony. Price, $6 each. In lots ot 10— }5 each. F. ft. GRAY, Redwood Falls, Minru 13A3t Please mention the Bee Journal. SIMPLEX BEE-HIVE-New Principle Plain. Perfect. Tested. Adapted to every cli- mate. Obviates spring-dwindling and, bee- moths. Guarantees 3 times greater increase of brood and honey; is 5J percent cheaper than Langstroth hive. Patented, fartneiship or royalty agreement with manufacturers desired. CARL LUDLOFF 13A2t 302 Texas Est., Kl^ PaSO, TEXAS. Mention Bee Journal when writing1. March 29 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 279 * PRICES ** and Quality are the thing's that sell goods. We are in the heart of the lumber country where we get lumber at first hands without freight. We have the cheapest known water-power. We make goods that are the equal of any in quality and workmanship. In some instances they are superior. Our Sections are made from tough wood that will bend without breaking, even if you don't wet them. How many Sections did you break in putting together the last thousand ? Think of it. Send for our Catalog and get prices that will surprise and please you. All we ask is a trial order, and there will be no trouble in hold- ing your custom. Minnesota Dee-Supply Co., Nic Island No. 33. JOHN DOLL & SON, PROPRIETORS MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. ROOT'S GOODS AT FACTORY PRICES Finest and largest stuck of supplies la Illinois. Italian Bees and Queens in season. Catalog free. 15 eggs of Pure Barred Plymouth Rocks, $1.00. Incubators and Brooders always on band. 12A,13t H S. DUBV. St. Anne. III. Please mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. 400 Queens Cheap Owing to dequeening my bees to prevent in- crease, I will have 400 Queens to dispose of be- tween April 1 and IS, at *3 per doz Address all orders to R. M. SPENCER. l2A2t NORDHOFF, CALIF. Mention Bee Journal when writing. The Easu Way to Manage Swarming Use the NEW D'BBERN Queen-Trap No Climbing. No Absconding. Order to-day. Prices, by m a i 1,70c 5 or more (freight) each, 40c G.fl.Dlbbern& Son, Milan, 111. 13A4t Please mention the Bee Journal. WANTED WEN TO LEARN BEE-KEEPING We can take live young men who really want to become expert bee-keepers, give them em- ployment in our apiaries, and teach them as much as they can learn in one season, In ap- plying state aee, height, weight, and previous occupation None but those of srood moral habitR need aoply. MORLEY PETTIT, 13A4t Villa Nova, Ontario, Canada. Mention Bee Journal rvlien writing*. mm you NEED QUEENS And want your order filled by return mail with the best Queens that money can buy, we can serve you. Queens are healthy and prolific; bees the best of workers. Try our fine strain of 3-band Italians. Tested, $1.00 each. Untested, 75c ; $8.00 per dozen. J. W. K. SHflW & 60. 13A2t LOREAUVILLE, Iberia Par., LA. Mention Bee Journal when writing. FURNITURE FREIGHT PAID We want to demonstrate in this advertise- ment how you can make money by buying furniture direct from us and saving all middle profits. Compare these prices with what your dealer asks you and remember — we pay the freight. You cannot match our qualities or our prices anywhere else. This beautiful full angle steel Bed, substantially made, finished in White Enamel with polished brass knobs, in four sizes— will gfve you complete satisfaction. At $2.98 it is a wonder and is cheaper than your home dealer can buy it. If This steel Sanitary Bed Couch is an ornament to any room— cannot be told from an ordinary couch; can be quickly converted into a comfortable sani- tary bed; finished in gold and aluminum. $4.00 makes this a bar- gain you should not miss. It will practically add another bed room to your home. IT This solid oak Extension Table is a real bar- gain. Never before has there been offered so large and handsome a table for so small a price. You must see it to appreciate its true value. Finished in golden oak and is the best dining table for the price you ever saw. Send $4.98— if it don't please you we take it back and refund your money. 11 This handsome, well-built 3-section Book Case will put your library on a new system. Can add to it at small expense, as the number of your books increase. Comes in quartered oak, mahogany or plain oak finish— all hand rubbed and polished. Complete with three sections, base, cap and dust-proof glass doors— $11.85 fThis Refrigerator is made of ash, with quar- ter sawed oak panels, golden finish, solid bronze hinges and lock, zinc lined, removable galvanized iron ice rack and flues, with slide adjustable provision shelves. A beauty and a bargain for $7 .90. f This high grade, high arm, 3-drawer. ball bearing, drop head Sew- ing Machine, guaranteed for twenty-five years, is the biggest sewing machine bargain ever offered at our price, freight paid— $15.25— t Order any article listed in this advertisement on our positive guar- antee of satisfaction or money back. We stand back of every sale and every article we ship out. They must be exactly as we repre- sent them or no sale. Write today for complete furniture and sew- ing machine catalogs — see how we save yoa money all along the line. Co-Opcrntfve Society of the National Supply Co. Lansing, Mich. Chicago, 111. Ask about our Special Plan which will save you 8150. to $250. a year as long as you live. SOLID OAK EXTENSION ^3 w^m\ St*1' BOOH CASE mn0«m DROP HEAD 280 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Mareh 29, 1906 Via Saved on Your Groceries Stop paying double prices for groceries— you are throwing money away. Our "Factory to Fam- ily* plan of buying everyday groceries such as tea, coflee. soap, flavoring extracts baking and washing powders, etc., makes it possible for you to save half on vonr grocer v bill. Bv buying direct from us— the makers— you save the wholesaler's, jobber's and dealer's profits and that'sthe reason why we can give you a 25 cent can of guaranteed Pure Cream Tartar Baking Powder for 12*3 cents; or good Laundry Soap at 8*3 cents a bar for which yon now pay 5 cents, and so on everything else we make we save you half regular dealer's price. Isn't this big saving worth taking advantage of? We guarantee the uuality of our goods, in fact, let you use them 30 days and refund your money if not satisfactory. If you *^_ prefer Premiums our catalog contains a fine line of SK* Our beautiful things for the home which you can get with **•. Half Price Price uUt extra cost, suchas Morris Chairs. Coaches, Rock- ' ers, Book Cases, etc.— evervthing in the wav of nouse- hold turnishings. If you order $2, $5 or $10 worth of 10 a groceries at list prices (same as you now pay your l£3w home dealer) we give you a premium of equal value to your order. In this way you can furnish vour home without extra cost. Ask about our "Club of 10 Plan"-and also for our large free Furniture Catalog and Style Book. CROFTS & REED, 916 Austin Avenue, Chicago 21c Mention Bee Journal when writing. Ten nessee= Bred Queens All from Extra-Select Mothers 3-band from Imported Dark Leather, Moore's Long-Tongue, or my own. Goldens from Laws, Doolittle's or my own. Caucasians and Carniolans from direct Imported. After April 15th. Italians Before July 1st After J iily 1st GflRMOLflNS CAUCASIANS 1 6 12 i 6 12 l 6 12 l « 12 Untested Select Untested Tested Select Tested . . $ .75 1.00 1.50 2.00 $ 4.00 5 00 8 00 1000 $ 7.50 9.00 15.00 18 00 $ .60 .75 1.25 1.50 $3.25 4.25 6.50 8.00 $ 6.00 8.00 12.00 15.00 $ .85 1.10 1.60 2 10 $ 4.50 5.50 8.50 19.50 $S.OO 9.50 15.50 18.50 $ .95 1.20 1.70 2.20 $ 5.00 6.00 9.00 11.00 8.50 10.00 16.00 19.00 Straight 5-band Golden Breeders $10.00 Select Golden Breeders 3.00 " 3-band " 3.00 " Carniolan " 3.10 " Caucasian" 3.25 1-frame Nucleus (no queen) $1.50 2-frame " " 2.00 3-frame " " 2.50 4-frame " " 3.00 1 full colony without queen in 8-frame dovetailed hive 6.00 Bees by the pound in light shipping-boxes, $1.00 per pound. Select the Queen wanted, and add the price to the above prices Discounts on large orders, been in this section. 13Dtf Contracts with dealers a specialty. No bee-disease has ever JOHN M. DAVIS, Spring Hill, Tenn. Have You Passed the Experimental Stage? Most bee-keepers have been convinced that when time and material are figured, it pays to buy hives, and the best is not only as cheap, but — The Best is the Cheapest ! The Elgin Hive excels in many ways — no nails to drive — no dovetails— can be taken apart at any time. Many are using them. You should be. Write to-day for catalog, etc. We sell full line oi SUPPLIES. The National Supply Co. ELGIN, ILL. WANTED Young man to take care of an apiary of 300 colonies, and care'ully pack bee supplies for shipping. TRESTER SUPPLY CO. 9Atf LINCOLN, NEB. Wb Sell root's Goods in Michigan Let us quote you prices on Sections, Hives, Foundation, etc, as we can save you time and freight. Beeswax Wanted for Cash. M. H. HUNT A80N. Bell Branch, Watne Co., Mich Queen Incubator and Brooder — Twin Nucleus=Box MAINLY FOR QUEEN-BREEDERS Incubator and Brooder allow the bees access to the cells and queens at all times. (Patented July 7, 1903.) Price, $5.00. Twin Nucleus and Mating Box has control of the queen by a 3-hole wheel on the outside, with one hole wire-screened, one hole covered with queen-exclud- ing zinc, and the third hole to regulate the size of the entrance. (Patent applied for.) Price, $1.00. Cylinder Cages postpaid, each, 10 cents. Quebn-Cells, 100 mounted, with sample of Cylinder Cage (sent postpaid,) for 75 cents. Breeding Queens, after May 1st — Italian, Imported and Golden Italian, and Carniolan — $2 50 each. Orders booked now and filled in rotation. Send for free Circulars. 7Dtf ARTHUR STANLEY, Dixon, Lee Co., 111. oot'sBee-SupDlies You know what this means. Four carloads of New Goods on hand. Our business increased last year 100 percent over 1904. This is a proof that we are saving our cus- tomers money. Try us. Low Freight Rates from Toledo. Large Discounts— that tells the story. Our 80-page Catalog is 0 sent free. S GRIGGS BROS. 0 521 Monroe 8treet, TOLEDO, OHIO. Mention Bee Journal when writing-. J tOSt f M, *S8. "SCSI MM J Never Go Out « And last from 6 to 21 years oo. Otisvu-lk, Pa., Jan. 18, 1904. Dear Sir: — I have tried almost everything In the smoker line; 3 in the last 3 years. In short if I want any more smokers your new style it good enough for me. I thank the editor of Re- view for what he said of it. Those remarks In- duced me to get mine. Fred Fodnkr. Mention Bee Journal when writing. FENCE fSSZZZ Made of High Carbon colled wire. We> have no agents- Sell direct to user at factory price* on 30 days free trial. We pay all freight. Catalog shows 37 styles and heights of farm and poultry- fence. It's free. Buy direct. Write today COILED SPRING FENCE CO. Box 89 WINCHESTER, INDIANA. Bee Journal whtn writing. Mention If you want the Bee-Book That covers the whole Apicultural Field more completely than any other published, send $1.20 to Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont, Cal., FOR HIS " Bee-Keeper's Guide." Liberal Discounts to the Trade. For Queens Send to i 1 JOHN W.PHARR Berclair, Tex. He will furnish at the same prices as Hast year: Tested, $1; Untested, 75c; 5 for $3.25; 10 for $6; 15 for $8.25; 25 for $12.50; 100 for $45. He breeds Golden6, Carniolans, and 3- Band Italians. Also 1. 2, and 3 frame Nuclei and full colonies. Prices given on applica- tion. Pharr pajs the freight, and guarantees satisfaction on all Queens. To do justice and judgment is more acceptable with the Lord than sacrifice.— (Prov. 3:21.) 5Atf Mention Bee Journal when writing. March 29 . 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 281 ^m ir* Every farmer knows the U, value of a farm tele- I x phone, but he is not in ^^JX"^ a position to know ™ which is the'best 'phone to buy. It's a good deal like buy- ing a watch. The outward appear- ance of all telephones are very si- milar. But how about the works inside ? That's the part you want to know all about before you buy. We have published a book about telephones. £TT It tells "How to Buy the Right ■ 'Phone." This book tells the rea- ^^*"* sons why the "EACO" 'phones have clearer, stronger talking qualities than others. It tells why "EACO" 'phones are better adapted to the use o£ farmer's than others. It tells how to organize a Farmer's Telephone Com- pany and how to build a practical efficient working line that will be a source of pleas- ure and profit every day in the year. ^TT "EACO" 'Phones are the favorite far- I N mer's telephone because they are made ^""» handsome, strong and durable. Sub- scribers can be called up whether the re- ceiver is on the hook or not. provided all the phones are fitted with our X. P. Condensers. "EACO" farm 'phones are especially made for heavy work on crowded lines and aside from being substantially made are low in price. Get our book mentioned above and read how to start and build a farm line. Telephones are a necessity to every farmer, and every live farmer is getting in line as fast as possible. Write today. ELECTRIC APPLIANCE COMPANY Dept. A Chicago, III. Bees, Queens and Bee-Supplies We manufacture standard dovetailed bee- hives and supplies, cheaper than you ever bought before. Our Queens and Bees stand at the head in quality. UDtested, 75c each; $4.25 for 6. or 88 per doz. Tested. $1.25 each ; $12 per doz. Select Tested, $1.50. Special prices to dealers in large lot6 on application. State Agents for Dittmer's Foundation. Catalog free. THE BEE & HONEV COMPANY (Will Atchley, Prop.) Beevllle. Bee Co., Texas. Please mention Bee Journal when writing Advertisers. CHARLES MONDENG SECTION MACHINE is covered by two Patents. With this wonderful inven- tion the cost of making Sections may be reduced to $1 IS per 1000. If such Machine will interest you, write for further information. Do not write about it unless vou mean business. J BEE-SUPPLIES^FQUEENS My Catalog for 1906 is now ready for distribution I am the Northern Headquarters for Adel Queens and Bees, and good, honest Bee-Keepers' Supplies. If vou have not received my Catalog, write for it. Addressf CHARLES MONDENG, ISO NBWTON A.VH!., N., MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Send for our 1906 Free Illustrated Catalog. Good Goods, Low Prices and Prompt Shipments are what you get if you send your orders to— PAGE & LYON MFG. CO. New London, Wis. Mention Bee Journal MmwmM when writing. r^ Let Us Send You ^ Our Book. abont pood wheels and pood wagons that will sare you a lot of work and make you a lot ot money— the ELECTRIC STEEL WHEELS and the ELECTRIC HANDY WAGON. By every test, they are the best. More than one and a quarter millions sold. 6pokes united to the hub. Can't work loose. A set of our wheels will make your old wagon new. Catalogue free. ELECTRIC WHEEL CO., Box 16, Qulncy, Ills. ELECTRIC Mention Bee Journal when vrrltlnjr BANTA Incubators & Brooders Backed by 14 Years -MM of Successful Use by Soultrymen all over the world. \o guesswork. They are auto- matic in regulation and ventil- ation. Fully guaranteed to g-ive YOU satisfaction. Send for tree book. BA »TA - BENDER MFO. CO.. Dept. 24 Ligonier, Ind Trees, Plants & Seeds J THAT GROW ^, Best quality. Good bear- v^ife,»0Oi^"Te8ted ers. Low prices. Apple>^Vkj& ^V/s e e d a 4c;PlnmandCherry>'Cw^«<*^^very cheap. 12c: Peach 4c ; all >^kv ^e^Freieht paid budded; Con- /^V \e%?'on trees. Cata- eord Grapes^^ »»>-.»•/ logue, English or °;c; Forest^,^^,^*^ German, free. Write xfor it today. Address GERMAN NURSERIES, Box 30 Beatrice, Neb. Tree Seed- j/O^^ I BEE-SUPPLIES We manufacture everything needed in the Apiary, and carry a large stock and greatest variety. We assure you the best goods at LOWEST PRICES and our excellent freight facilities enable us to make prompt shipments over 15 dif- ferent roads, thereby saving you excessive freight charges as well as time and worry in having goods transferred and damaged. We make the Alternating, Massie, Langstroth and the Dovetail Hives Our prices are very reasonable, and to convince you of such we will mail you our free illustrated and descriptive catalog and price-list upon request We want every bee keeper to have our Catalog. SPECIAL, DISCOUNTS now. Write to-day. Address, KRETGHMER MFG. GO., Council Bluffs, Iowa. Muscatinn Produce Co., Muscatine, Iowa. Trester .-apply Co., 103 S. 11th Street, Lincoln, Neb. Shugart Ouran Seed Co., Council Bluffs, Iowa. T. B. Valletta & Son, Salina, Kau. Catalogs issued in English or German. Mention Bee Journal when writing. 1 282 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 29, 1906 " If Goods are wanted Quick, send to Pouder " BEE-SUPPLIES I Root's Goods at Root's Prices Everything- used by Bee-Keepers. POUDER'S HONEY-JARS. Prompt Service. Low Freight Rates. .-. .•. .'. Catalog Free. BEESWAX WANTED I pay highest market price for beeswax, delivered here, at any time, cash or trade. Make small shipments by express; large shipments by freight, always being sure to attach your came to the package. My large illustrated catalog is free. I shall be glad to send it to you. WALTER S. POUDER, 513-515 Massachusetts Ave., INDIANAPOLIS, IND. Mention Bee Journal when writing. BEE-KEEPERS' AND POULTRY SUPPLIES LEWIS' BEEWARE is so well known it needs no introduction. 2 percent Discount on Bee>Snpplies for March. Beeswax wanted — 28c cash, 30c when taking bee-supplies in exchange. Extracted Honey For Sale. Prices on application. Sample, 10 cents. ARE EXCELLED Cornell Incubators, Peep 0' Day Brooders and Cornell Chick Machinery CS The 1906 Cornell Incubator is superior to anything heretofore put on the market. New l!MM» Catalog- lor either line Free. If you want orders filled PROMPTLY AT FACTORY PRICES, send your order to YORK HONEY V1.1 CO. H. M. ARND. MSB. 141 Ontario Street, - CHICAGO, ILL. i Long Distance 'Phone, North 1559. ITALIAN BEES in modern hives for sale, f.o.b. Chicago. BEE - SUPPLIES Everything the beekeeper needs. Distributing house for Lewis' Goods at Factory Prices. Now is the time to buy for next season. Discount for Early Orders FINE EXTRACTED HONEY in cans or barrels. The best the world can produce Samples 8 cents, to pay postage and packing. How much can you use? Prices quoted quick on the quantity you mention. We buy BEESWAX at all times in the year. Send for our Catalog and "Special" — free. O* Ma SCOT & CO. INDIANASPOUs"'|ND REST . •$••?• •{•<• <•+ •'•60i* Beautiful Flowers FREE OCn to paythe cost of packinc and postage. You LUUi^' i^'eive this Grand Collection of Beau- t''"l Flowers, and our New Seed List, the only liberal oiler ever made, and a Coupon Check that will give you one of the finest Farm Papers published, by sending fur this grand offer: 25 Packages Seed 1 pkt. Morning Glory. 1 pkt. Mixed Calliopsis. 1 pkt. Mixed Calendula. 1 pkt. Mixed Nigelia. l pkt. Mixed Phlox. 1 pkt. Sunflower. l pkt. Sweet Rocket. l pkt. Carnation Pink. l pkt. Mixed Four o'Clk. l pkt. Mixed Marigold. 1 pkt. Mixed Petunia. 1 pkt. Mixed Zinnia. l pkt. Mixed Verbenia. 3i» ISulttH, a Beautiful Collection, sent with this order, including Hyacinths, Tulips, Crocus, Tube- roses, Gladiolus, Caladium, Oxalis, if you will send at once 25 cents in silver or stamps. Address E. C. HOLMES, SomerviMe, Mass. l pkt. Snowball Ast_.. 1 pkt.AppleJSlos.Balsam 1 pkt. Mixed Portulaca. l pkt. Mixed Sweet Pea. 1 pkt. Sweet Mignonette 1 pkt. Sweet Alyssum. 1 pkt. Sweet William. 1 pkt. Mixed Poppy. 1 pkt. Mixed Candytuft. 1 pkt. Mixed larkspur. 1 pkt. Mixed Pansy. 1 pkt. Mixed Nasturtium MOORE'S LONG-TONGUES AND GOLDEN QUEENS Select Untested, $1: 6 for $5; 12 for $9. Tested, $1.50; 6 for $8. Best Breeders, $3.50. Safe arri- val guaranteed. W. A. RAILS. 7D6t ORANGE, CALIF. The Rietsche Press Made of artificial stone. Practically inde- structible, and giving entirely satisfactory re- sults. Comb foundation made easily and ?uickly at less than half the cost of bnylng rom the dealers. Price of Press, $1.50— cash with order. Address, ADRIAN GETAZ, 4SAtf KNOXVILLE, TENN. WJ.G. Goodner, of this State, writes me that he " prefers to pay $25.00 for a Rietsche Press rather than do without it." — A. G. Mention Bee Journal when writing. J0£~ Passengers east from Buffalo to Fort Wayne, Findlay, Fostoria, Cleve- land, Erie, Buffalo, New York City, Boston, and all points east, will con- sult their interests and find advantage in selecting the Nickel Plate Road east from Chicago. Three through trains are run daily, with through day coaches to New York City, and modern Pullman sleeping-cars to destination. Rates always the lowest, and no excess fares are charged on any train, for any part of the journey. Modern dining- car service, with individual club meals, ranging in price from 35 cents to one dollar ; also meals a la carte. Ask for tickets via the Nickel Plate Road. Chicago depot. La Salle and Van Bureu Sts., the only station in Chicago on the Elevated Loop. Chicago City Ticket Office, 111 Adams St. Detailed information may be secured by address- ing John Y. Calahan, General Agent, 113 Adams St., room 298, Chicago. 1— 12A6t "In eyery country trie successful advertiser is trie continuous advertiser. ' 10-80 For 4 200 Egg < INCUBATOR Perfect In cons traction ana motion. Hatches every fertile egg. Write for catalog to-day GEO. H. STAHL. Qutncy ti5c for 12 Names friS?SSMa1?-&£ stamps taken— we will send for 2 yrs. the Farmer'B Call— reg. sub. price 40c a year. F. C. is a wkly., 25 years old, l ,300 pages a year. Sample free. FAKMKK'S CALL, Quincy.IU. Mention Bee Journal when writing. March 29, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 283 Lowest Prici Big Discount for Early Orders On Cash Orders Before November 1 9 per cent " December 1 8 " " January 1 7 " " February 1 6 " " March 1 4 " " April 1 2 " OF ALL KINDS Established Nearly 25 Years We have published THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER for IS years (monthly. 50c a year.) The largest and best il- lustrated magazine of its kind for the price published. Edited by two of the most experienced bee - keepers in. America. Sample copy free. Our large, illustrated Price-L,ist of Supplies free on application. Address, The W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co. JAflESTOWN, N. Y. Mention Bee Journal when writing. £)oney anb * 23eestr>ax* Chicago, March 7— Choice white comb honey is not plentiful, and it sells upon arrival at 15c per pound Other grades of comb are not in de- mand and sell at uncertain prices of 10(Sil4c per pound. Choice white extracted, 6fc@7j$c; am- ber grades, 5M@6)£c. Beeswax, 30c per pound. R. A. Burnett & Co. Toledo, Feb. 19.— The market for comb bonev has been better for the past two weeks than at any time during tbe pastseason. Prices are firm on account of the scarcity. We are getting 15@16c for fancy white clover; I4@15c tor No 1, and 13 §> 14c for amber. Buckwheat, 13c. Extracted honey is in good demand at following prices: White clover in barrels brings 6fc(S*7c: amber, 5%(aS%c\ in cans every grade from l@l^c higher. Beeswax is firm and in good demand at 28 and 30c. The above are our selling prices, not what we pay. Griggs Bros. Indianapolis, March 24— Fancy white clover comb brings 16c; No. 1, 14c; demand exceeds the supply; fancy white western comb brings 14m 15c; amber grades in poor demand at 12c Best grade of extracted honey brings 8&€ 9c in 60-pound cans; amber, 6c. Good average bees- wax sells here for $33 per 100 pounds. Walter S. Pouder. PHiLADELPHiA,March20— The call for honey is falling off, and while the supply is not abun- dant, yet it equals the demand. We quote fancy white, 16(&17c; amber, 13@l4c. Extracted, white clover, 7@8c; amber, 6@7c. Beeswax, 28c. We are producers of honey and do not handle on commission. Wm. A. Selser. New York, March 19.— Demand for comb honey is fair, especially for the better grades, and fancy white is selling at from 14(c. Beeswax, 25@30c. We look for an increased demand in the near future. C C. Clemons & Co. Cincinnati, March ".—The demand for comb honey is slow, prises obtained are the same. Stock od hand seems tc be sufficient to supply the wants. Quote feucy white, 14@16c Amber extracted in barrels, 5^@5Mc; in causae more; fancy white clover in t0-lb. cans, 7M@SX cents; Southern, equal to white clover in color, from 6>6@7c. Bright yellow beeswax, 30c. C. H.W. Weber. Please Mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. HONEY AND BEESWAX When consigning, buying or selling, consult R. A. BURNETT & CO. 199 South Water St. Chicago. III. Mention Bee Journal when writing. ONE TON White Clover Honey Candied — a 60-pou/id can, $6. Cash and instructions sent to Farmers' Bank. JOHN C. STEWART 8Atf HOPKINS, MO. Mention Bee Journnl when writing. FOR SALE Until further notice, finest quality new crop California Vater-White White Sage and Light Amber HONEY in 60-lb. tins, 2 in a case; new cans and new cases. Write for prices and sam- ples, and state quantity yon want. HlLDRETH & SEQELKEN 265 & 267 Greenwich Street, New York, N.Y. 34Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. Gash for Beeswax Highest market price paid promptly all the time for good wax. Frank G. Clark, 147 LKinzieSt.GhiGago.lll. Mention Bee Journal when writing. ^A*A*AlA*AMA*AtA*^ | BEE-SUPPLIES I • ^ We handle the finest Bee-Supplies, made by the W. T. Falconer i' •^ Mfg. Co., Jamestown, N. Y. Big- Discounts on early orders. Let us ^ ■^ figure with you on your wants. 2, ^ Muth Special Dovetail Hives have a Honey-Board, Warp-Proof ^ [^ Cover, and Bottom -Board. Think of it, same price as the regular styles. ' ^ Send for Catalog. . ^j 3 THE FRED W. MUTH CO. ^ 51 Walnut Street, CINCINNATI, OHIO. ?r",Mtwv,v* ivt>^\(f>(t>^(fy^(fy(ty(fytMfy(fy|ff>|ffy(fMty'ff\(f>s^ 284 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL March 29 1906 EXTRAVAGANCE IN THE GUISE OF ECONOMY When you Order Bee-Supplies Don't sit down and write to a dozen or more concerns for prices, pick out the cheapest dealer, order your goods from him, and then think you are being economical. If you do You Only Fool Yourself Some bee-keepers think a " bee-hive is a bee-hive " — others know better. The Lewis Hive Has been on the market for 30 years. It ought to be nearly perfect by this time, and so it is. All parts accurately fitted, smoothly planed, going together like the parts of a watch ; made of fine, clear, clean, white, Wisconsin pine. When you Order Lewis Goods You pay no more than they are wortn. You get just what you pay for, and ycu know before the goods are even shipped that they will be right, or we will make them right. LEWIS is only another word for the best. Don't waste your money. Don't waste your time. Don't try your patience by experimenting. Experience Teaches a Hard School You are through going to school, so order LEWIS goods today. They bring the best results. Twenty-six Distributing Points in the United States. Here ttiey are : ENGLAND— E. H. Taylor, Welwyn, Herts CUBA— C. B. Stevens & Co., Havana C. B. Stevens & Co., Manzanillj CALIFORNIA-The Chas. H. Lilly Co., San Francisco SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA— Paul Bachert, Lancaster Fletcher-Doyle Co., San Diego Fallbrook Co-operative Ass'n, Fallbrook COLORADO— R. C. Aikin, Loveland Arkansas Valley Honey-Producers' Associa- tion, Rocky Ford COLORADO— (Continued.) Colorado Honey-Producers' Association Grand Junction Fruit-Growers' Association^ Grand Junction Robert Halley, Montrose ILLINOIS-York Honey & Bee-Supply Co., Chicago Dadant & Sons, Hamilton, 111. 10 WA— A dam A. Clarke, Le Mars Louis Hanssen's Sons, Davenport W. J. McCarty, Emmetsburg. INDIANA— C. M. Scoit & Co., Indianapolis MICHIGAN — A. G. Woodman Co., Grand Rapids MINNESOTA— Wisconsin Lumber Co., 432 Lumber Exchange, Minneapolis, Minn. MISSOURI— E. T. Abbott, St. Joseph OHIO— Norris & Anspach, Kenton OREGON— The Chas. H. Lilly Co., Portland PENNSYLVANIA— Cleaver & Greene, Troy TEXAS— Southwestern Bee Co., San Antonio UTAH— Fred Fonlger & Sons. Ogden WASHINGTON— The Chas. H. Lilly Co- Seattle G. B. LEWIS COMPANY WATERTOWN, WIS., U.S.A. p m E JOURNAI CHICAGO, ILL.. APRIL 5, 1906 No. 14 S i In the Spring^Time Apple blossoms in the orchard, Singing birds in every tree; Grass a-growing in the meadows Just as green as green can be. Violets in shady places, Sweetest Bowers were ever seen ! Hosts of starry dandelions, " Drops of gold among the green. BEE-HIVE STRUCK RT LIGHTNING. (See page 392) an armful of bees. — (See page 292) Pale arbutus, fairy wind-flowers. Innueents in smiling flocks; Coolest ferns within the hollows. Columbines among the rocks. Dripping streams, delicious mosses, Tassels on the maple trees; Drowsy insects, humming, humming — Golden butterflies and bees. Daffodils in garden borders, Fiery tulips dashed with dew, Crocus flowers; and through the greenness, Snowdrops looking out at you. — Selected. & THIRI \ TWO PAGES 286 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 5, 1906 PUBLISHED "WEEKLY BY GEORGE W. YORK S COMPANY 334 Dearborn Street, Chicago, 111. IMPORTANT NOTICES. THE SUBSCRIPTION PRICE of this Journal ig $1.00 a year, in the United Stales, Canada, and Mexico; all other countries in the Postal Union, 50 cents a year extra for postage. Sample copy free. THE WRAPPER-ISABEL DATE indicates tbe end of the month to which your subscription ispa'ld. For instance, "dec06" on your label shows that it is paid to the end of December, 19u6. SUBSCRIPTION RECEIPTS— We do not send a receipt for money sent us to pay subscription, but change the date on your wrapper-label, which shows that the money has been received and credited. Advertising Rate, per flgate Line, 10c 14 lines make one inch. Nothing- less than % inch accepted. Time Discounts. 4 times. 13 " . 26 " . 52 " . . . 5 per cent ..JO " . . 20 " ..30 " 5pace Discounts. 100 lines. 500 " . 1000 " . 2000 " . . 5 per cent .10 .20 .30 " These rates are subject to either time or space discounts, at choice, but not both. Reading Notices, 25 cents, count line, subject to the above discounts. Goes to press Monday morning. National Bee Keepers' Association Objects of the Association. 1st.— To promote the interests of its members. 2d.— To protect and defend its members in their lawful rights. 3d.— To enforce laws against the adulteration of honey. Annual Membership Dues, $1.00, General Manager and Treasurer- N. E. France, Platteville, Wis. PT If more convenient. Dues may be sent to the ublishers of the American Bee Journal. The Emerson Binder. This Emerson stiff-board Binder with cloth back for the American Bee Journal we mall for but 75 cents; or we will send It with the Bee Journal for one year — both for only $1.50. It la a fine thing to preserve the copies of the Jour- nal as fast as they are received. If yon have this " Emerson " no further binding is neces- 8"7" OEOROE W. YORK & CO., 334 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, ILL. Contents of this Number Illustrations — An Armful of Bee? 1st Page Bee-Hive Struck by Lightning ist Page Krame-^pacing Arrangement 2y8 Editorial Notes and Comments— Hon^y Advertising and the National Associa- tion 291 How to Provide Water for Bee> 2h1 Need of Water for Bees 2U1 Miscellaneous Neivs Items — An Armful of Bees 292 Bee-Hive Struck by Lightning 292 National Convention 292 Contributed Special Articles — Baby Nuclei 297 Beeswax — Origin, Composition, Adulteration Tests, Etc 295 Beginning Bee-Keeping— Good Advice 266 Cleaning Oil-Cans 297 Dadant Methods of Honey-Production (No. 8) 298 Family Apidae 294 Feeding Eees 297 Hive Colors. Etc 298 Hives and Frame-Spacers 298 Home-Made Hives 299 Honey that TU'kles PalateB 293 Plea for a Better General Education 294 Reading Bee-Literature 287 Shipping and Selling Section Honey 294 Convention Proceedings — A Non-Swarming Hive 302 Bee-Keeping— Ancient and Modern 301 Dysentery Among Bees 305 Ecunomy in Bee-Keeping 299 FeediDg Back to Get Partly-Filled Sections Completed at Close of Honey Season 303 Foul-Brood Inspection 304 Harvesting of Extracted Honey 304 Management of Out- Apiaries 3(12 Michigan State Convention 302 Performing Bee-Men at Fairs 303 Pollen in Sections 303 Queen-Excluders 303 Races of Bees. 304 Size of Sections 304 Uncapping Machine ... . 3()4 Wisconsin State Convention 9 Southern Beedom — Attend Bee-Keepers' Conventions 305 Invitation to the National 305 Nueces Valley Convention 305 Oar Sister Bee-Keepers — New England Sister Looks On 306 Some Intemperate Bees 306 Very Old (?t English BeeB 306 Mr. Hasty's Afterthoughts — Bees Moving Eggs or Larvae 307 Caucasian Bees 307 Causes of Honey Flow and Suppression 3"7 Cutting Foundation 306 Dampening Sections 306 Growing a Quick Wind-Break 306 Sulphur for Bee-Paralysis 307 Two Queens in a Hive 307 Canadian Beedom — How to "Sample " a Town With Honey 307 Losing Its Honey Flavor 307 Relation of RipeneBsof Honey to Granulation :*i7 Streaky Granulation in Honey 307 Dr. Miller's Question-Box — An Injured Finger 3CN Buying Bees in the Spring 309 Changing Queens 309 Equalizing Brood Among Colonies 309 Extracted-Honey Retail Packages and for Storage 308 Italianizing Black Bees 308 Keeping Queens 309 Making Sections at Home 3U9 Mice as Honey-Eaters 308 Miller Frame 309 Number of Comb-Honey Supers Per Colony... 309- Old Combs for Beeswax 309- Preventing Bess Hanging Out 309 Pure-Blond Italians 398 Rearing Queens 308 Ripening Basswood Honey 308 Several Eggs in a Cell 309 Shallow Hives 308 stretching Comb Foundation 309 Uniting Weak Colonies 308 Ventilation Space Below Brood-Frames When Moving Bjes 309 Wax-WormB and Combs 30# Reports and Experiences — Bees Wintered Well 80 Far 310 Honey Scarce Last Season 310 Keeping Bees on Shares 310 Not Expecting a Great Crop 310 Season Earlier Than Usual 310 White Clover All Right 310- Langs troth ©n «.* »* Honey-Bee Revised by Dadant— Latest Edition. This is one of the standard books on bee-culture, and ought to be in the library of every bee-keeper. It is bound substantially in cloth, and contains over 500 pages, being revised by those large, practical bee-keepers, so well- known to all the readers of the Ameri- can Bee Journal — Chas. Dadant & Son. Each subject is clearly and thoroly ex- plained, so that by following the in- structions of this book one cannot fail to be wonderfully helped on the way to success with bees. The book we mail for $i .20, or club it with the American Bee Journal for one year — both for $2.00 ; or, we will mail it as a premium for sending us THREE NEW subscribers to the Bee Journal for one year, with $3.00. This is a splendid chance to get a grand bee-book for a very little money or work. GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, ILL FENCE S3ES' Made of High Carbon colled wire. We have no agents. Sell direetto user at factory prices on 30 days free trial. We pay all freight. Catalog shows 37 styles and heights of farm and poultry fence. It's free. Buy direct. Write today COILED SPRINC FENCE CO. Box go WINCHESTER, INDIANA. "The continuous advertiser gets the bulk of the business, because others are not adver- tising, and he is." NOT IN THE TRUST Fop High-Grade Cans Prices Always the Lowest Write for Prices, Stating- Quantity Wanted Friction lop Cans for Honey and Syrup Prompt shipment and careful attention given to all orders. Special prices to members of the Bee-Keepers' Associations. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Made by CANNERS CAN CO., 1035 W. 47th Street, CHICAGO, ILL . April S, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 287 1 "DADANT'S FOUNDATION" I IT EXCELS M EVERY INCH equal to sample | Beauty, Purity, Firmness. No Sagging, No Loss. Twenty-seven Years of Experience. We Guarantee Satisfaction. WAX WORKED INTO FOUNDATION BEE=SUPPLI ES of all kinds. Beeswax Wanted DADANT & SONS, Hamilton, 111. SEND FOR OUR CATALOG at all times . . If you want the Bee-Book That covers the whole Apicultural Field more completely than any other published, send $1.20 to Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont, Cal., FOR HIS "Bee-Keeper's Guide." Liberal Discount* to the Trade. CAUCASIAN QUEENS! Caucasian Bees are very gentle. They are easy to handle and are, therefore, suited to be- ginners, timid bee-keepers and to those who keep bees in town. If you want to try this race, or if you want to improve the stock of your Ital- ian Bees, write to ROBERT B. McCAIN, 2Atf YORKVILLE. ILL. R. F. D. DON'T WAIT for the season to start before you order your Bee=Supplies DITTMER'S FOUNDATION IS THE BEST MADE We make a specialty of working wax for Cash. Retail — Wholesale — Jobbing BEESWAX ALWAYS WANTED Write for our Price-List and samples ; we would like to send them to you at our expense. QUS DITTMER, Augusta, Wis. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Wisconsin Basswood Sections And Prompt Shipments Is what we are making for our customers. — DOVETAILED HIVES AND SHIPPING-CASES - We carry a full line of SUPPLIES. Ask for Catalog. 3 riARSHFIELD HANUFACTUR1NQ CO., Harshfield, Wis. Mention Bee Journal when writing;. ^.California The Pacific Rural Press has been a house- hold word throughout California for 35 years. It is authority on all matters regarding the soil or products of California. Weekly, illus- trated: Edited by practical specialists. Two Dollars per year. Send for sample copy. Pacific Rural Press, 330 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif. SOAtf Please mention the Bee Journal. 65c for 12 Names frfSran?eersanandpac°i stamps taken— we will send for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Call— ree. sub. price 4nc a year. F. C. is a wkly., 25 yearB old, l .300 pages a year. Sample free. FARMERS CALJb, Qulncy,IU. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Root's Bee-Supplies You know what this means. Four carloads of New Goods on hand. Our business increased last year 100 percent over 1904. This is a proof that we are saving our cus- C tomers money. Try us. Low H Freight Rates from Toledo. 0 Large Discounts— that tells the 0 story. Our 80-page Catalog is a sent free. « GRIGGS BROS. 8 521 Monroe Street, TOLEDO, OHIO. Please mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. 288 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 5, 19(6 PRICES **■ and Quality are the things that sell goods. We are in the heart of the lumber country where we get lumber at first hands without freight. We have the cheapest known water-power. We make goods that are the equal of any in quality and workmanship. In some instances they are superior. Our Sections are made from tough wood that will bend without breaking, even if you don't wet them. How many Sections did you break in putting together the last thousand ? Think of it. Send for our Catalog and get prices that will surprise and please you. All we ask is a trial order, and there will be no trouble in hold- ing your custom. Minnesota Bee-Supply Go., Nic Island No. 33. JOHN DOLL & SON, PROPRIETORS MINNEAPOLIS, MINN ROOT'S GOODS AT FACTORY PRICES Finest and largest stock of Supplies in Illinois. Italian Bees and Queens in season. Catalog free. 15 eggs of Pure Barred Plymouth Rocks, $1.00. Incubators and Brooders alwavs on hand. 12A13t H S. DUBY. St. Anne. 111. Please mention Bee Journal when writing; advertisers. SwJI ASS SIMPLEX BEE-HIVE-New Principle Plain. Perfect. Tested. Adapted to every cli- mate. Obviates spring-dwindling and bee- motns. Guarantees 3 times greater increase of brood and honey; is 50 percent cheaper than Ivangstroth hive. Patented. Partnership or royalty agreemant with manufacturers desired. CARL LUDLOFF 13A2t 202 Texas St , EL PASO, TEXAS. The Easy Way to Manage Swarming Use the NEW DIBBBRN ((new-Trap Mo Climbing. Nci Absconding. Order to-day. Prices, by mail, 70c 5 or more ifreight) each, 40c 6. «. Dlbbern & Son, Milan. 111. 13A4t Please mention the Bee Journal. WANTED MEN TO LEARN BEE-KEEPING We can take live young- men who really want to become expert bee-keepers, give them em- ployment in our apiaries, and teach them as much as they can learn in one season, In ap- plying- state age, height, weight, and previous occupation None but those of good moral habits need apply. MORLEY PETTIT, 13A4t Villa Nova, Ontario, Canada. Mention Bee Journal when writing. WHEN YOU NEED QUEENS And want your order filled by return mail with the best Queens that money can buy, we can serve you. Queens are healthy and prolific; bees the best of workers. Try our tine strain of 3-band Italians. Tested, $1.00 each. Untested, 75c; 88.00 per dozen. J. W. K. SHflW & GO. 13A2t LOREAUV1LLE, Iberia Par.. LA. Mention Bee Journal when writing. An Italian Queen Free In May or June, 1906, To Regular Paid=in=Advance Subscribers Only. We wish to make a liberal offer to those of our regular readers whose subscriptions are paid in advance. It is this : We will send you FREE by mail, in May or June, 1906, an Untested Italian Queen for sending- us $1.00 and the name and address of a NEW subscriber to the American Bee Jour- nal for a year. Or, to yourself, a Queen and Bee Journal a year — both for $1.50. We are booking Queen orders for next May and June delivery. Will you have one or more ? These offers ought to bring in many orders. Oui Queens are reared by the best queen-breeders, and give satisfaction. GEORGE W.YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn St., Chicago. 111. April 5, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 289 " If Goods are wanted Quick, send to Pouder " BEE-SUPPLIES Root's Goods at Root's rrioes &&* Everything- used by Bee-Keepers. POUDER'S HONEY-JARS. Prompt Service. Low Freight Rates. .-. .•. .•. Catalog Free. BEESWAX WANTED * I pay highest market price for beeswax, delivered here, at any time, cash or i trade. Make small shipments by express; large shipments by freight, always being , sure to attach your name to the package. My large illustrated catalog is free. I ', shall be glad to send it to you. 4 WALTER 5. POUDER, « 513-515 Massachusetts Ave., INDIANAPOLIS, IND. . Mention Bee Journal when writing-. #«M* BEE-KEEPERS' ANI> POULTRY SUPPLIES LEWIS' BEEWARE is so well known it need6 no introduction. 2 percent Discount on Bee-Supplies for March. Beeswax wanted— 28c ca6h, 30c when taking bee-supplies in exchange. Extracted Honey For Sale. Prices on application. Sample, 10 cent6. Cornell Incubators, Peep 0' Day Brooders and Cornell Chick Machinery The 1906 Cornell Incubator is superior to anything heretofore put on the market. Sew l»OC Catalog- tor either line Free. If you want orders filled PROMPTLY AT FACTORY PRICES, send your order to ARE UNEXCELLED YORK HONEY aBM? CO.-) H. M. ARND. NIGR. 141 Ontario Street, - CHICAGO, ILL. ( Long Distance 'Phone, North 1559. ITALIAN BEES in modern hives for sale, f.o.b. Chicago. BEE - SUPPLIES Everything the bee-keeper needs. Distributing house for Lewis' Goods at Factory Prices. Now is the time to buy for next season. Discount for Early Orders PINE EXTRACTED HONEY in cans or barrels. The best the world can produce Samples S cents, to pay postage and packing. How much can you use? Prices quoted quick on the quantity you mention. We buy BEESWAX at all times in the year. Send for our Catalog and "Special" — free. Cmm 0/"^»*^TT O f*r\ 1004 East Wash. Street . M. OV/U I I OC \mt\J' INDIANAPOLIS. IND. ** ** *+ "In every country tue successful advertiser is the continuous advertiser." The Head of the family is the money - getter. If our Queens head your colo- nies they will give you more money. The largest queen-rearing apiary in the North. The gent- lest and best Italian and Caucasian. Pri- ces for a postal. BEE- SCPPLIE8. TH6 Wood Bee-Hive Company LANSING, MICH. Mention Bee Journal when writing. QUEENS~ Best 3-band Italian— 1 Untested Queen, 75c; 6 for $4; 12 for $7.25. One 2-frame Nucleus with Queen, $2.25; 10 in one bunch, $17.50. LUTHER PRESSWOOD, 6E7t Mention RELIANCE, TENN. Bee Journal when writing;. CflD CAI r. 100 colonies of Pure Italian BEES rUn oALL in 8 or 10 frame New Dov. Hives with Hoffman Frames; Tested Queen in each colony. Price, $6 each. In lots ot 10— $5 each. F. ft. GRAY, Redwood Falls, Minn. 13A3t Please mention the Bee Journal. The Rietsche Press Made of artificial stone. Practically Inde- structible, and giving entirely satisfactory re- sults. Comb foundation made easily and quickly at less than half the cost of buying from the dealers. Price of Press, $1.50— cash with order. Address, ADRIAN GETAZ, 45Atf KNOXVILLE, TENN. |»-J.G. Goodner, of this State, writes me that he " prefers to pay $25.00 for a Rietsche Press rather than do without it." — A. G. Mention Bee Journal when writing. y^- Passengers east from Buffalo to Fort Wayne, Findlay, Fostoria, Cleve- land, Erie, Buffalo, New York City, Boston, and all points east, will con- sult their interests and find advantage in selecting the Nickel Plate Road east from Chicago. Three through trains are run daily, with through day coaches to New York City, and modern Pullman sleeping-cars to destination. Rates always the lowest, and no excess fares are charged on any train, for any part of the journey. Modern dining- car service, with individual club meals, ranging in price from 35 cents to one dollar ; also meals a la carte. Ask for tickets via the Nickel Plate Road. Chicago depot, La Salle and Van Bureu Sts., the only station in Chicago on the Elevated Eoop. Chicago City Ticket Office, 111 Adams St. Detailed information may be secured by address- ing John Y. Calahan, General Agent, 113 Adams St., room 298, Chicago. 1— 12A6t j I A.80 F«r I Z 200 Egq INCUBATOR ' Perfect in construction urn action. Hatches every fert±l» egg. Writ* for catalog to-day GEO. H STAHL, Qulncy. Ill o5c for 12 Names f^r^rnadnaR &£ namps taken— we will Bend for -2 yrs. the Fwrmer's Call— ree. suu. price 40c a year. W. C. is a wkly., 25 years old, I. auo pages a year. Sample tree. ' FARMER'S CALL,, Quincy, III. 290 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 5, iyn6 @® PERFECTION IN SECTIONS W1 s=sa Inspector's Certificate The contents of this crate were inspected by Sorter No. 175 Packed by 155 Date MafXh 21, 1906 If you find any occasion for criticism, in the way of defective material or inaccurate workmanship, return this slip, with a sample of the work complained of, to the manufacturer, THE A. I. ROOT CO., Medina, Ohio. a== =■£ A Guarantee of Workmanship We have spent thousands of dollars in building- and improving- our Section Machinery. Our equipment is the best that brains can produce. We use only the best basswood lumber that can be ob- tained. Now to insure the third feature in the trinity of perfection — inspection. The human quality Is harder to regulate than either machinery or material. How can the correct grading of our sections be insured ? We have a system that solves the question. In every crate of Root sections made in 1906 you will find an inspection card like the one illustrated above. The Sorter, when he finishes his work, stamps his number on this card — likewise the Packer. In case of careless grading or packing the matter can be traced to its source. The Sorter and Packer are anxious to keep their posi- tions and ambitious for better wages. Naturally the best possible work is done by each. Root's Sections for 1906 are better than ever. Last season we made 23,000,000. This season we will doubtless exceed that mark. Prices of Sections e® Per 100 Per 250 Per 500 Per 1000 5.00 4.50 No. 1. ..* .75. 150. 2.50. No. 2. ..$ .65 .. 1.25 .. 2.25 No. 1. Per 2000 8 9.75. Per 3000 14.25. Per 4000 18.50. Per 5000 22 50. No. 2. .8 8.75 . 12 75 . 16 50 . 20.00 Plain, DO-beeway sections, 4)^x4^xl>2, l-\', or 13„ ; 3\x5xl>^, 4x5x1% or l1.,, in lots of 1000 or more will be 25 cents per 1000 less tban prices named above. Catalog on application. THE A. I. ROOT COMPANY :m::e:di:n\a., ohio Branch Offices in the United States The A. I. Root Co., 44 Vesey St., New York City. The A. I. Root Co., 10 Vine St., Philadelphia, Pa. The A. I. Root Co., 1035 Genesee St., Syracuse, N. Y. The A. I. Root Co., Mechanic Falls, Maine. The A. I. Root Co., 1100 Maryland Avenue, S. W., Washington, D. C. The A. I. Root Co., 144 E. Erie St., Chicago, 111. The A. I. Root Co., 1024 Mississippi St., St. Paul, Minn. (Entered at the Post-Offlce at Chicago as Second-Class Mail-Matter.) Published Weekly at $1.00 a Year, l>y George XV. York & Co., 334, Dearborn St. aeoRUE W. YORK, Editor CHICAGO, ILL, APRIL 5, 1906 VoL XLVI— No. 14 =\ (Sbttortal Hotes anb Comments j The Need of Water for Bees The bee-keeper looks out that his bees are supplied with food, giving little thought generally to their need of water ; but if the bees themselves were consulted they would be likely to say that in the spring they are more con- cerned about drink than food. If they are in the care of a provident owner, enough food is in the hive so that there is no need to go outside for it unless the weather is entirely favorable ; but when brood-rearing is begun water is in constant demand, and no supply has been stored up from the previous fall, hence many is the day when they are forced out to skirmish for water when the weather is so in- clement that thousands of the wee creatures never reach home with their icy burdens. How many bee-keepers, prob- ably, are there who pay the slightest attention to the mat- ter of providing their bees with water ? Humanity alone should urge that which will pay in dollars and cents. How to Provide Water for Bees In some cases it will be an advantage to the bees if water is provided for them in any way whatever, only so it is near enough to prevent their going off a half mile or more for it. Still more important than to save such travel is to furnish them water in a sheltered place. For a bee will chill much more quickly sitting still in a chilly place loading up with water than while in active exercise on the wing. So let their watering-place be sheltered, protected from cold winds and open toward the sun. A bee will be three times as long loading up with cold water as with warm. So there will be a gain to give toler- ably hot water as early in the day as bees begin to fly ; and the oftener it is renewed the better. If you are willing to take the trouble, you may arrange so that the water shall be kept throughout the day at a uniform degree of warmth. Take a box 2 or 3 inches higher than a lamp to be set in it. Over this set a tin pan large enough to cover the box. Put in the pan some cork chips to prevent the bees from drown- ing, and fill up with water. The cork chips can be got at any grocery which sells Southern grapes. Lacking cork chips, a floating board well filled with holes, or some other means, may be used to prevent drowning. A lamp is set in the center of the box, and kept turned up enough to keep the water at blood heat or warmer. For ventilation make a half-inch hole at the bottom of the box at one side, and a similar hole at the top on the opposite side. Make a door on one side through which to regulate the lamp. Some sort of roof or covering should protect rain during showers. When rain is falling one would think the bees should take the drops falling at the entrance of the hive ; but they don't, they fly through the rain to their usual watering-place. Some trouble to do all this ; but if you will find the places where bees, left to themselves, obtain their supply of water in spring from icy streams or puddles, and count the dead bees that have been lost thereby, you may think the plan suggested none too much trouble. Of course, those who live far enough South may thank their stars that they are saved all anxious thought on this score. Honey Advertising and the National Association We have received the following contribution from Hon. Eugene Secor, of Forest City, Iowa, who was at one time General Manager of the National Bee-Keepers' Association : A Bureau of Publicity. Editor American Bee Journal: — You may remember the friendly correspondence we had after the Honey-Producers' League was organized. You will recall that I was not very enthusiastic as to the bene- ficial results sought to be obtained through the means proposed. Without looking up the old files of the American Bee Journal to see just what the purposes of the League were, it was, and is, my im- pression that it was proposed to advenise honey in the leading papers and magazines, asserting its purity, its healthfulne66, etc. If the impression then received was wrong it was chiefly due, per- haps, to the fact that the sum of $501)0 was called for before beginning business. It occurred to me that if ?5000 were needed to maintain a few 6mall advertisements in a few of the leading literary and political journals for the first year, it would require other equally large sums every year to keep alive the interest awakened if any impressions on the public were produced. So I say this plan did not appeal to me, because I thought the bee- keepers, or the manufacturers even, could not afford the expense. If, however, I was mistaken in my ideas of the League's purposed work, and if it (the League) meant to maintain a " Bureau of Pub- licity," working through the reading columns of such newspapers as could be interested, then I am heartily in favor of the plan. If the League could be merged into the National Association, and the latter take up this work of publicity in addition to its other duties, it would open a wide field of usefulness. I suggest the formation of a Literary Bureau by the National Directory. This Bureau, composed of two or three competent mem- bers, could prepare matter for the secular press pertaining to bees, honey, comb foundation, etc., which would not only be admitted to the reading columns of hundreds of papers, but would be welcomed and sought after. f believe that publishers, as a rule, want correct information on all technical subjects, and their greatest trouble is to find some one who is competent to furnish it. The " ready print " companies that furnish plates or " insides " for most of the country weeklies, sometimes pay specialists under contract by the year to prepare matter for them. It seems to me that it would not be difficult to get access to the columns of these country weeklies through the Newspaper Unions. Other papers might be interested if the proper methods were pursued. I think I could name at least two men who are wise enough, and capable enough, to bring about such publicity. The present Secretary of the National and the General Manager of the League know how to gain admission to the editorial rooms of the press. I wish to state here that I am aware of some of the labors per- formed by you, Mr. York, along the lines above suggested. I know that you have been admitted to the columns of some of the Chicago dailies in the interest of apicultural truth. This is an assurance that more might be done by the same ellicient means if it were thought wise to keep it up. I believe 60ine discussion was iaJulged in at the last meeting of 292 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 5, 1906 the National relative to uniting the two societies, but I am not sure what action was authorized. It seems to me that duplication of work that could be accomplished by one association is not wise. I see no reason why the National could not take up this work of publicity un- der its present constitution, and if prosecuted as before suggested, the expense would not be greater than the present receipts warrant. A small committee, untrammeled by red tape, could do a lot of advertising in the course of a year with small outlay. Perhaps this subject isn't timely. It may be ill-advised, but knowing what other organizations are attempting in their own inter- ests, and how they are going about it, leads me to suggest the method briefly alluded to above. Eugene Secor. We are glad Mr. Secor has written the foregoing. It gives us the opportunity to say that in addition to advertis- ing honey extensively in the newspaper and magazine press direct, it was The Honey-Producers' League's intention to do much along the lines mentioned by Mr. Secor. Nat- urally, when the advertising columns of a publication were being patronized, their managers would more readily accept contributions along the same line, but of a more general character, and which often would contain appropriate api- arian illustrations. The proposition made by the League at the late Na- tional convention (subject later to the approval of the League's membership), was that the funds now in the League's treasury be turned over to the National, to be ex- pended in the same manner as proposed by the League's constitution. Up to this time the League has not been notified of the action of the National's Board of Directors on the proposition, although it has been over three months since it was made. Mr. Secor's suggestion is all right, being in line with what we proposed for the National some time ago. But perhaps now that it comes from Mr. Secor it will be con- sidered. We hope so, at least. We may say further, that if it is expected to " get some- thing for nothing" along the advertising line, bee-keepers might as well stop before starting. What is $5000 or $20,- 000 a year among say 100,000 bee-keepers? Why, many single concerns think nothing of spending such sums every year, and they are not the largest firms, either. Bee-keep- ers must get over the idea of doing a penny advertising business if they wish to develop a more general demand for honey. It can't be done with a few free reading notices in papers of small circulation , and with several hundred dollars. But if the National had the League's funds in addition to its own, an effort could be made that might result in creating enough interest to induce more bee-keepers to con- tribute to the advertising fund. "\ Miscellaneous Hetps * 3 terns j Well, How Do You Like It ?— We mean this 32-page number of the American Bee Journal. Why not show it to your bee-keeping neighbors and request them to subscribe for a year ? We offer many fine premiums in this issue for the work of getting and sending in new subscriptions. Judging from the way in which new readers are being added to our list every week, it must be a real pleasure to a non-subscriber to be asked to take the American Bee Jour- nal. Try it and see. We feel very grateful to those who are helping to in- crease our list of regular readers. If you have not secured any new subscribers lately, who not go out and ask a few bee-keepers to let you send in their dollars? If you have been sending in new subscriptions lately, "do it some more." We have room for a lot more of them 1 The National Convention.— In these strenuous times there is not always the consideration there might be for those who do not act with lightning speed ; as instance the following : Mr. Editor: — Why don't you announce the time and place of the next meeting of the National Association ? What's a bee-journal for if it can not keep us posted? Or is the Board of Directors 60 slow it hasn't decided yet? Sometimes it makes a decided difference with making one's arrangements whether he knows the date six weeks or six months in advance. Why wouldn't it be a good thing to have it an understood tb in g that the meeting is always to be at the time and place of the G. A. R. Encampment, and then there would never be any uncertainty about it? You can't get the attendance without cheap transportation, and the G. A. R. meeting makes sure of that. The Grand Army contains some good bee-keepers, and they will attend both meetings when they would not attend the National alone. If the matter is not already decided, it ought not to take long to decide it. Unless San Antonio can get better rates than St. Paul, the thing ought to be considered settled. National Member. This Journal pleads not guilty to the charge of failure to keep its readers fully informed as to matters of general interest. But it has no powers of prophetic vision, and would not dare to say in advance what may be the decision of the powers that be. Neither does the responsibility lie with the Board of Directors, but with the Executive Com- mittee of the National. Last week we announced that it had been decided to hold the convention in Texas this year. In all probability it will be San Antonio, though of this we have no authority to speak definitely as yet. We certainly are in favor of making it a rule for the National Bee-Keepers' Association to follow the Grand Army. It would save any feeling on the part of some when the National doesn't meet where they desire, and, as men- tioned by our correspondent, the low railroad rate is always assured. We hope that the Executive Committee of the National will, after this year, make it a rule to hold the bee-keepers' convention wherever the G. A. R. meets. We also make this as a suggestion, in conjunction with some other humble members of the National. An Armful of Bees, appearing on the first page, was sent us by Carl Opsata, of Bemidji, Minn., who writes thus interestingly about his experience : I send a picture of myself and my first swarm of bees taken July 17, 1904, by my father. It happened tnis way : The swarm came out and wanted to settle on the little birch-tree shown in the picture; I did not want them to settle there, so I rolled up my shirt sleeve to the shoulder, took the queen in a cage in my hand, and shook them off the tree and let them settle on the queen- cage and my bare arm. It was a big swarm, the weight of it being too much for one arm, so I had to brace it up with the other. I got just 7 stings, and that in spite of the fact that they were hybrids. The feel- ing that all the thousands of little claws created was something won- derful. After the picture was taken I wanted to get the bees off, and then the trouble commenced. When I began to shake them off the shirt- sleeve rolled down on them, and they crawled up my arm under the shirt, and on my body. Oh, I tell you it was fun ! With the aid of a little 6moke 1 got them out and off into a new hive,- where they soon fixed up a home, and are there still. Carl Opsata. Bee-Hive Struck by Lightning.— When sending the picture shown on the first page, F. A. Meise, of Coats- burg, 111., wrote thus : I send you a photograph taken Sept. 1, 1905, of a bee-hive struck by lightning during a storm at midnight. There is an apple-tree 6tump on the opposite side close by. The lightning must have made a shot for the stump, but missed and hit the bee-hive. Some of the wires in the frame6 were burnt, combs slightly melted, and dead and benumbed bees scattered all around the hive. Some of the bees stood around benumbed, or as if they were sick, for several days afterward. I changed the combs and bees that were all right into another hive, and they went to work again, but I do not know if they will winter all right, as they were reduced in numbers. The photograph was taken by myself. F. A. Meise. Marian Hepshiser, a little daughter of Orel L. Her- shiser, of Buffalo, N. Y., was accidentally burned some time ago. Mr. H. wrote us about it March 26, as follows : Dear Mr. York:— Our little daughter, Marian (31., years old), had the misfortune to set her clothes on fire S weeks ago. She was badly burned, aDd is still under the doctor's care. She is just getting so she can walk again. Her right arm, face, neck and ear were burned, but there will be no disfigurement of the features. Yours truly, Orel L. Hershiser. We will all rejoice with Mr. and Mrs. Hershiser that " Marian " will recover so completely from her unfortunate accident. Mope Good Photographs we can use in the American Bee Journal. If you nave any of apiaries, or of things apiarian, we would be pleased to receive them. If they can not be used we will return them, and if we can use them we will so report, and also request some discriptive matter to accompany them. Who has one or more suitable photo- graphs for our use ? -he Premiums we offer are all well wor.h working for. » Look at them in this copy of the American Bee Journal. April 5, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 293 * (£ontributcb * Special Ctrticks The Honey That Tickles Palates *\ Ape We Supplying What the People Want, or Are We Trying to Educate Them to What We Want In Honey Supplied? BY R. C. A I KIN. THERE will be found in most parts of the country two classes of people — those who buy for show, and those who buy for service. If for show, the special require- ment is that which pleases the eye; but if for service it is quality that is wanted. There is a great amount of effort put forth these days to make our honey look nice — both comb and extracted. I be- lieve in nice goods, but I also believe there is an overdoing in trying to make and keep our extracted honey looking nice. We sometimes sacrifice quality for looks, and thereby cut off our noses to spite our faces. Perhaps I can make clear what I mean by relating some experiences. Experience is a good teacher. Last year was a failure with us — no crop. I had accumu- lations of dark and otherwise off-grade honeys that we thought we could not sell when we had a nice, clear grade of virgin goods. But with the failure I found myself with- out honey to supply my trade, and as people came inquiring I would tell them we were out, except some off-grade stock that was not up to our usual grade. 1 would get inquiries by mail from old customers in other States, and now and then would get an order with cash accompanying it. Now. when a fellow has the cash in his fist, and needs it so very much as one naturally will after a failure, he hates to be obliged to return the money. I wanted the money, and the other fellow wanted honey. Those customers who came with a pocket-full of cash, and looked so disappointed in not being able to exchange it for sweets, I would take to the honey-house and show them some cans of the dark goods that we had been ashamed to offer before. Don't get it into your heads that this was trash — it was pure honey; much of it had been through the solar extractor or otherwise darkened — often a can of what we call "over- heated." Nearly every bit of this was very thick, some of it almost to a taffy. Often when candied (and nearly all was so) it would look like brown sugar when dug out. I would get a stick and fish out some of the brown goods and let the people sample it, and at the same time quote a lower price than standard white goods were selling at. Standard white, of course, is high this vear. Well, if there was a dark look on the face when the color only appeared, that cloud vanished when the sample reached the palate. I want to tell you that a blind man will be pleased with a thing that tastes good, if it is as black as your old wool hat. I found these customers soon began to look off into space and smack their lips, and reach for another bite; some wanted the third and fourth bite, and some just wanted to "load up." That honey sold. I have sold lots of it that was not a bit bet- ter than I have often made into vinegar or fed to the bees. If I had some that was not off any in flavor, but just a little dark, it went as first grade. That which was both dark and a little off in flavor was void as amber honey is usually sold. Other that was quite dark and also off flavor, but very rich and thick nevertheless, was sold at a price that would easily replace it with sugar for feed purposes if needed later. I have for several years been melting cappings in the solar extractor, also candied sections and broken combs — yes, even clean burr and brace combs. The honey from all these when run through the solar would be more or less darkened, was also downright thick and waxy in body. Such honey will please most customers who want the goods for service, and will cause customers to come again. They like it. Comb-honey is recognized almost everywhere as a luxury, and when it sells as such must look nice; but. then, it sell- t a price that makes its use more nearly that of a staple, .in 1 is so used the appearance does not count so much as does the quality that reaches and tickles the palate. The sale of chunk- honey proves this, and we can most of us test this in our own localities. I have known these thing oars, and have been teach- ing and practising them, bul tin- past year's experience lias >hown me more forcibly than ever that it is quality and not I, inks that sells almost any kind of article of diet. In cases I was afraid to ship my dark honey, which we call "solar honey," and ordered some good virgin new extracted, only to have the complaint come back, "We do not like that substitute honey as well as yours." In some cases I wrote to old customer-, saying I had some of the dark honey, but thick and rich ; a few said, "Send a can or two and we will try it." After trying it another order would come, saying, "That honey was line." or "was good enough for us," or some like expression. "Send us more if you have it." This winter I had the pleasure of a trip with some of the experts in various lines in institute work among the farmers in this State. One man who is a farmer and stockman told us something about potatoes. There were many markets de- manding potatoes of first quality, and willing to pay well for them. They did not want a little bit of a thing that would be half gone w'hen the peeling was off. For the same reason they did not want one what was so rough, either from scab or such defects, or from natural roughness, that it, too, wasted a very large percent in the preparation for the table. Neither did they want a big, overgrown one that lacked quality. The speaker said, "When you pack your potatoes put in the very smoothest and even ones, leaving out every single poor one and they will sell for more money than the whole lot would have done with the poor ones left in, and you have the poor ones to feed, to boot." . It is the potato that serves well in preparation and edible quality that is in demand. This man had proved his state- ments by so doing, and had contracts with certain heavy buyers for 5 years in advance, at just about double the price received for ordinary stock, poorly graded. He claimed that if the qualitv was brought up to a high standard, and only perfect goods put out, the price would be four or five times as high, and willingly paid by those who did not care what they paid if they got quality. What has been said of potatoes was also true ot apples. Never put an inferior apple in a box. Better throw away all damaged ones than to allow one to get in. I heard the fruit- men in several places discussing this very thing. Right here at home, where raspberry growing and shipping is a large industry, it often happens that there is a lot of soft fruit that will not carry to its destination in good shape. The fruit- men say, "Better dump all the poor fruit into the ditch than to allow any of it on the market— it would spoil the market for the better." , . , ... Unripe honey is not good, though it may be water-white. A red potato may taste better than a white one. and a green- colored apple be'better than a bright red one. If looks and qualitv can go together it is well— he who has such a combina- tion is fortunate; but he who has the looks but not quality won't sell the second time to the same customer. Better, every time, put out ripe, thick, rich honey than to strain one of these points to gain in looks. Wre have been and are put- ting too much stress on looks; we are making it a hobby to our own injury. No. I am not arguing that poor staff that looks bad mav be sold, and satisfv: but get quality, that will serve well, and then fix it neatly, and it will please, and put monev into the purse. We have also been making altogether too much of looks in packages. How often have I seen people hold up a clear- glass bottle or jar of honev and comment on its clearness- could just look right through and scarcely know that there was anything within except air. It is just about like the little potato— when the peeling is off it leaves just about a taste; the customer does not want many of them. Such goods have altogether too much "peeling" on them. That same honey, made thicker, even though it becomes so dark that it can be seen bv moonlight, when it reaches the palate will cause scales to come over the eater's eyes, and he says I must have some more of it if it takes the hide off my lingers to earn the dollars for it. Yes it will do to have some honey fixed up to attract the attention when it is simply a matter of show; but when you fix it for eating, look out for quality first, last and all the time. Yes, quality, and not too costly a peeling We eat the kernel and not the bull or shuck. And about honev that ha- been darkened by heal, even li the flavor has been somewhat damaged— that is changed. Slightly overheated honev is thoroughly ripened and thick: after it has stood quite a while, often for several month-, it will taste better than just after the application ot heat have many times thought a can of honey so overheated would 294 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 5, 1906 not do to offer for sale, and it was set aside, but after months when sampled was found to be most excellent in flavor and body. Thin honey deteriorates, but thick, well-ripened honey gets better with months of age. Most readers will recall that I am the man who has said so much about eliminating the cost that comes between the harvesting of the cro™ and the time the consumer gets his fist on it. There is very much honey that, after it is off the hive and extracted, is doubled, and even trebled, in price, be- fore the consumer gets it; this ought not to be, and must not be, if we are to be satisfied as prodvicers. Let your extracted honey remain on the hive until thoroughly ripened, then when extracted put it up neatly, but cheaply, and in most con- venient shape to reach the consumer without too expensive a "peeling," and it will be in demand. Divide the cost of that thick "peeling" between yourself and the man who eats your honey, and you will be a benefactor. This world is so full of vain show and display at the sacrifice of quality that it makes one sick at heart, and afraid to trust even his nearest neighbor and friend until dissected and proved. Loveland, Colo. # Shipping and Selling Section Honey BY G. C. CREIXEK. AFTER so much has been said and written on the sale of our products, it seems almost like a useless repetition to discuss that subject again. At the same time, late ob- servations convince me that the subject is by no means ex- hausted yet, but is still open to continued considerations and investigations. If the few remarks I intend to make in this article should happen to "strike home" occasionally, I wish to have it plainly understood that it is not my intention to reflect upon anybody's mismanagement, or criticise other bee-keepers' affairs, but rather point out some mistakes, which, if corrected, will not only benefit the individual, but be a benefit to all of us, by improving the honey-market in general. A short time ago I made a flying visit to one of Buffalo's main markets. I had no honey to sell — simply walked up and down the street for the purpose of making observations. After spending some time in taking in the various displays in the line of household necessities, I came across several lots of section-honey in 24-pound cases stacked up on the side- walk, the sight of which, to express it mildly, made me heart- sick. No wonder we hear complaints of slow and unsatis- factory sales. The outside appearance of those cases was anything but inviting; they were most awfully dirty and dusty, and reminded me very forcibly of some cast-away shipping-boxes that had been stored for months in some out- of-the-way coal-shed. This point alone is a great drawback in trying to make sales. At the present day we are all accus- tomed to find everything in the line of eatables neat and tasty in appearance. Our up-to-date groceries are full of fancy goods, and I would blame no proprietor for objecting to have packages like the above take a place among his care- fully selected stock. When I deliver section-honey to the retailer, every case is done up in paper; it is clean before it is done up, and after carrying it in a dust-proof wagon, it is, when placed on the counter of the grocery, as clean as a new-laid egg. The same is the case when 1 deliver direct to the consumer. Every package — be it one, two, or more sections — is neatly wrapped up in white paper, with card-board protections on the face sides and nicely labeled. All this may seem like a waste of time and expense, and I admit it looks so at first, but does it not pay in the end. if I can thereby establish and maintain a ready market for all I can produce at the highest market price, while the slip-shod producer would have to be satisfied with slow sales, at lower prices, and perhaps no sales at all ? After satisfying myself in taking an outside view, 1 stepped a little closer to examine the contents and found a most poorly sorted lot. As near as I could tell by looking through the glass, no pains had been taken to keep the differ- ent grades separate or to sort by general appearance. Some of the sections were all finished, with bordering cells all capped, while others had all open cells on the outside, and still others were not even all built out. The nacker had over- looked the fact that, next to cleanliness, uniform appearance is the most essential feature in casing honey. It pleases the eye and attracts the attention of the would-be purchaser To cap the climax, the honey was exposed to the outside temperature, which was at the time of my visit 28 deg.,Fahr., during noon hours, and undoubtedly had been considerably lower in the morning, or when the honey was first set out. Consequently it was Ladly cracked. Those cakes, that were well fastened to the frame, had cracks through the middle, or from corner to corner, and those with fastenings not strong enough to resist the contraction, were cracked loose on three sides. Now what would be the consequences if a retailer should be tempted by the low price the dealer would have to ask to find a buyer at all, to purchase this inferior and dam- aged lot? By the time the honey had been carted to the re- tailer's establishment over the rough city pavement many of the combs, already frail and brittle from the cold, would have been broken from their last support, bruising one another without anything to prevent it. Then, after the honey had been placed in the warm store and had time to regain its natural fluidity, what a nice, leaky muss it all would make! The whole affair would be a detriment to the honey-market; the retailer would not handle such mussy stuff a second timer and the consumer would not buy it again. It is a fact, that after comb-honey has left the hands of the experienced producer, not one man out of 50 knows how to handle it properly, and it is therefore to the producer's own interest to manage in such a way that the chance of breakage is reduced as much as possible, and that his ship- ments arrive at destination in prime condition. Too eager to make the most of our crops, we frequently put up honey that is not fit for shipping, and it is not the novice alone who fails to exercise sufficient care in this direction, but we older ones are quite liable to make the same mistake. Only such combs as are well attached to the wood, that we know will stand the rough handling of shipping, should be selected for distant markets. Anything frail or the least doubtful might better be kept at home and sold for whatever it may bring. To prevent damage by freezing, comb honey should be shipped early. It is a great mistake to wait for higher prices (which we generally don't get), and hang on to our crops until cold weather sets in. The proper time for shipping is, as a rule. September and October. This gives the commission house or the wholesale dealer, as the case may be, a chance to dispose of their stock during November, so that by the time settled winter weather sets in, about the first of Decem- ber, it may all be in the hands of the retailer, where it gen- erally is out of the way of frost. The finest honey that would be a pleasure and comfort to handle will make an unsightly, dauby mess, if exposed to freezing weather. I always make it a point to move all my comb honey, that I may have left late in the season, to warmer quarters, where frost is positively excluded. Next to the production of the crop, early and quick sales, the natural results of timely and attractively-put-up goods. should be the main aim of the honey-producer, if he expects to make his occupation profitable. La Salle, N. Y. Plea for a Better General Education— Family "Apidae." BY PROF. A. J. COOK. IT is now recognized by business men, no less than by pro- fessional men. that in any department of industry one can not know too much. Carnegie once decried education for the mechanic and business men as really a handicap. But in these latter years our educational methods, and the real results of higher education, have greatly changed, so that to- day our captains of industry value education as highly as do even the college men themselves. Few men are giving so generously, or helping so energetically, as is Mr. Carnegie, to foster higher education. He notices that business is greatly indebted to the educated men for its push forward, and he now sees clearlv that even in the shop and office it is the thor- oughly educated man that first reaches the goal, or, in other words, who captures the large prizes. One reason that agriculture has not kept pace with other businesses is because, as a class, farmers are not educated. Yet the farmer has need of as thorough an education as any class of workers, whether brain or brawn counts in results. If I may be personal. I have one son. I early urged upon him the advantages of farm life to one educated for it. He. as a boy— a mere lad, in truth — elected to be a farmer. His col- lege course was selected accordingly. He has now been on the farm 12 years and neither he nor I have ever regretted his choice. I know of few men more enamored of their work. Culture not only brings a larger measure of success, but it makes all practical activities more pleasurable. I have often felt that were I a ditcher I should wish an education. I could dig better ditches, at less expenditure of time and April 5, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 295 muscle; could get more of satisfaction in the digging mil would have, other things being equal, a far better chair to dig out a higher realm for my life and energy. In the late Ws 1 was first inducted into the fasci- nating field of apiculture. I visited such noted apiari that day as Messrs. J. II. Townley and John Davis, wl leaders among Michigan bee-men. I was no less surprised than gratified to find that these men had made collections of our wild bees. This, of course, gave to them better obsi rva tion. nti. re thoughtful study into the things of nature, anffi indeed, made them broader men. I have no doubt but such stm \\ made them more successful as bee-keepers. In this article I wish to call attention to our wild bees. We are perforce interested in them as they are related to our pets hi' the hive; in their study, we arc made more, or better, acquainted with our hive-bees; and, best of all, we shall find much in their life economy and habits that is intensely inter- esting In the first place, let us see how we may know the bee- famiU \pnla? — from all others of this great order. All bees feed their young on pollen, raw or digested, and thus must gather this natural flour. This is always gathered on the hind legs, and held by hairs. Thus all bees have broad pos- terior legs covered densely with hairs. Two parts of these legs are very much broadened — the 4th and 5th joints or parts — the tibia and basal tarsus. Again, bees can be divided into two great groups on length of the tongue. In one group the tongue is short : in the other, as noted in our honey-bees, and more exaggerated in the Bombus or bumble-bees, the tongue is very long. Smile authors make a separate family of the short-tongue bees — the Andrenida?. Once more, bees are "Solitary" — that is. each female is isolated and works by herself; or "Social," where many bees pool their labors, so to speak. The honey-bee is the most wonderful of these social species, though the bumble-bees and the carpenter-bees — Xylocopa — which form their nests by boring in wood — are really quite wonderful in their life habits. While most bees are gray or black, and of sober colors, yet some, like the Italian honey-bees, are beautifully banded. Others, like many species of the Bombus, are resplendent in gold, or often in gold and shining black; while others are brilliant red. green and blue. Thus a fine collection of bees in almost any region will present a most attractive exhibi- tion. Again, all bees, in common with wasps and ants, and a few others of the order, have larvre that are utterly helpless, and so. of course, they must have a nest or cradle for them. Some of the solitary bees tunnel in the earth for a nest. Some make mud cells — mason-bees — others cut circular and oblong pieces from leaves of flowers or plants, and glue these into cartridge-like cells where the pollen is stored and the eggs laid. Many use hollow plants for a nest, and. to my sorrow, I have found that some use key-holes as a place for their mud ne^ts. As already stated, the carpenter-bees bore in wood for nests. They often mutilate the doors, window-sills and cor- nices of our houses. These bees are large, and resemble bum- ble-bees, but are usually less hairy and more black. One com- mon species in California has black females and light-yellow males. I have found that these can be driven off by use of kerosene and lard. The bumble-bees nest in old mice-nests under clods. The queens alone survive the winters. In the spring the queen selects the nest, gathers pollen, and deposits the eggs. As the footless, helpless larva; eat out cavities, these are waxed, and thus we see the big thimble-like cells for honey and young bees. The queens are large, and thus in the early spring we see only the large queens. Later the small workers abound. when the queen remains in the nest and gives herself solely to egg-laying. Later in the summer, queens and drones — male bees— appear. As with the honey-bees, the males come from unimpregnated eggs. I suppose the queens result from a more hearty diet of richer food. The queens and drones fly forth to mate, as do our common bees. I once saw two bumble-bees mate. While yet in copulo they came to the earth, and the act was fatal to the male. The value of all bees in pollinating plants is inconceivably great. Of course, the social bees, because of their exceeding numbers, are most in evidence in this important role. The bumble-bees, because of their very long tongues, are the chief pollinators of red clover. As is well known, they had to be taken to Australia and Xew Zealand before the seed of red clover could be produced. 30 Heilbronner Strassc. Berlin. Germany. Beeswax— Its Origin, Composition, Adulter- ation Tests, Etc. BY MIRIAM CETAZ. WE can see by the article on page 211, how one difficulty in detecting adulteration arises from the very com- position of beeswax itself. For instance, a test with an insufficient quantity of alcohol, or at a too-low tempera- ture, would leave a portion of the myricine undissolved, and convej the impression that the wax was not pure. Another and un ne serious difficulty is that the chemical agents em- ployed to test the wax acts on many other substances also. For example, the soda and potash form soaps with nearly all the oils and fatty substances as well as with the wax. Home Adulterations. We can distinguish two classes of adulterations — those made by the farmers and bee-keepers themselves, and those made by skillful dealers and manufacturers. The first ones are usually very crude and easy to recognize. The substances usually employed are tallow, rosin, paraffin, and any kind of entirely foreign substances like flour, sand, etc. Melting the wax will separate at once such things as flour or sand. Pure beeswax has a slight but agreeable taste— a slight aromatic odor. It becomes plastic in the warm hand, with- out oiling or coating the skin, and is, under pressure, de- cidedly adhesive, with the separated parts welding together perfectly. When broken, the surfaces are granular, with a drv, unpolished aspect. When cut. they showa glossy, waxy lustre. When chewed, the wax does not stick to the teeth, hut crumbles in the mouth. A small percentage of adulter- ation will often cause it to clog. Rosin makes the fracture smooth and shining. As cold alcohol dissolves the rosin better than the wax, it is possible to- have the rosin all dis- solved before the wax is much altered. The dissolved rosin can be separated by evaporating the alcohol. Tallow gives the wax a soft, dull appearance. It's taste and smell can be recognized when chewing the wax. The paraffin is harder to detect. Like the tallow and other hard fats, it causes the wax to melt at a lower temper- ature. It can be detected by the aid of strong sulphuric acid \ piece of the suspected wax is put in the acid. The acicl destroys the wax completely, forming a black, carbonized paste, 'while the paraffin rises on the top untouched. The acid should be as concentrated as possible, as the addition of water prevents its action on the wax. There should be plenty of it, as the resulting black paste should be liquid enough to permit the paraffin to separate. Only about four-fifths of the paraffin is separated by that process even at the best. General Tests. The first general test that can be applied is that of density. Procure a piece of wax known to be pure, make it in a small ball, and put it in a glass of water. Add gradually some alcohol until the wax barely floats, and when pushed down remains about where it is without going up or down, or very slowly. Try a piece of the suspected wax ; it should behave the same" way. If it does not, it is adulterated and no further test is necessary. If it does, it might be adulter- ated if the substances added are of the same density as the wax. Be sure that no bubble of air is left in the ball, or adheres to the outside. The second test is the melting point. Pure wax melts at 144 degrees, Fahrenheit, when fresh, and about 2 degrees higher when old. If no apparatus is at hand the test may be made approximately by putting a small piece of pure beeswax and one of suspected wax on a piece of tin, and holding the tin over a lamp. The two pieces should melt at the same time. It is necessary that they should be of the same size and shape, and that the tin should be kept moving over the lamp so that its whole surface is at the same temperature. The third and fourth tests are by dissolving the wax in benzine, and also another sample in pure spirits of turpentine. In both cases the wax should dissolve completely, and the solutions should be perfectly clear. Needless to say that these tests, like the preceding, are nut always final, because other substances than wax dissolve in benzine and turpentine Mr. Gaille's Test. Mr. Gaille, a chemist of Switzerland, gives the following as the best known general process: In the first place the wax should be tested as to its density and solution in pure spirits of turpentine. If neither of these tests detects any adulteration the following is to be done: A small piece of the suspected wax is placed in a glass of 296 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 5, 19C6 concentrated alcohol, and heated until the wax is dissolved. If anything fails to dissolve it is evidently an adulteration. If the dissolution is complete the glass is laid aside to cool for at least half an hour. The liquid,* which is more or less cloudy, is filtered and added to about the same amount of filtered or rain water. A small piece of litmus paper (the druggist will tell you what it is) blued with a little ammonia is then placed in the mixture and the whole shaken together. After a quarter of an hour the paper should have remained blue. If it has become red, the wax is adulterated. If it has not changed, the liquid is then filtered and must be clear after the filtration. It is claimed that a wax that has stood all these tests is pure, as any of the known adulterants would have shown at one time or another during these operations. Manufactured Wax. I use the title "manufactured wax" purposely. There are "waxes" or mixtures called wax of almost every color, degree of hardness, or melting point, that may be desired; some of them without any particle of real beeswax whatever. But do not suppose that these are frauds altogether. In a great mam cases they answer the purposes far better than real, pure bees- wax would do. Needless to say that when any such is used for making comb foundation, it is an unmitigated fraud of the worst kind. Such "waxes" are obtained by mixing together in vary- ing proportions all or parts of the following substances: Bees- wax, paraffin, ceresine or mineral wax, stearin, and different kinds of animal and vegetable waxes. One of the text-books I have mentions several kinds of mineral wax. The best known, and by far the most used, is the ozokerite. When purified it is called ceresine, or natural paraffin. It looks more like paraffin than like beeswax and can be separated from beeswax by the use of concentrated sulphuric acid, as described above for the paraffin. It dis- solves entirely in spirits of turpentine, but little in boiling alcohol. Among the animal waxes there is the Andaguies wax, produced by the different kinds of stingless bees of South America, and gathered by the Indians with more or less dirt of all sorts. It is different from that of our bees. The Chinese wax is much whiter and finer than the bees- wax. It is the product of another kind of insects which lives on a tree or bush called there the "wax-tree." It is an ever- green with white flowers similar to those of the cherry or plum trees. These insects, by biting or otherwise attacking the leaves of the trees, cause the formation of balls similar to those that we often see on the leaves of oaks and other trees, only they are larger and of a purple color. They contain the insect's eggs in large numbers. They are gathered in the fall and kept in a secure place through the winter. In the snring they are hung on the trees. Soon the eggs hatch out and the insects attach themselves to the leaves. The liquid they pro- duce rapidly transforms itself into a white wax which covers the leaves and twigs until they look as if they were covered with snow. The wax is scraped off with a thin, sharp, flat piece of bamboo. There are also bees and real beeswax in China. The vegetable waxes are not due to any insect but are a product of the plants themselves. The white powder-like substances seen on plums or figs is something of that sort. It is found on the leaves of some plants or trees, on the berries ■of some others, and even in the bark of the cork trees. Each kind is somewhat different from the others, but all are too brittle to be used alone. Stearin. The stearin has another origin altogether. It is white. almost transparent, much harder than beeswax, does not burn quite as fast, and for some purposes is far superior. It is pre- pared by heating tallow and dissolving it in boiling ether sev- eral times until the stearin is pure. A French bee-keeper. Mr. Butet, says that by putting a little of the suspected wax previously melted in a boiling solu- tion of soda, the pure wax will form a beautiful white soap, while the ceresin, if there is any, will remain untouched. Bt-EACHED Wax. The wax to lie bleached is melted with some water and a little cream-of-tartar. The whole is kept on the fire and con- stantly stirred a while. Then the melted wax is poured in a trough having several rows of holes in the bottom. Under the trough is a cylinder revolving with the lower part plunging in iced water. The streams of melted wax are carried around by the cylinder and solidify in the water in the form of threads or ribbons. These ribbons are placed on large cloths stretched on wooden frames, and exposed during several days to the action of the sun and the dews. They are then put in sacks and piled in a room for two or three weeks. A kind of fermentation occurs and the ribbons weld together. They are then melted again and the same operation carried through one or more times, if necessary. At the last melting. 5 per cent of tallow is added, otherwise the bleached wax would be too brittle. It is now quite white, somewhat translucent, and much harder than the unbleached wax. A slight chemical change has also taken place. Knoxville, Tenn. Some Good Advice for Beginners BY C. M. DOOLITTLE. A CORRESPONDENT writes that he began taking the American Bee Journal last summer, through the influ- ence of a friend who wished to interest him in bees ; and that the reading of the same has caused him to think of buy- ing some bees this spring. Therefore, he wishes that I would tell him something as to how he should begin, in this, to him, a new business. He says he is not very well off in this world's goods, so does not want to lay out more than is nec- essary to make a good start. My advice to this man, and all others who contemplate going into the apicultural field, would be, Do not pay out any large sum in making a start; $40 to $50 should be all that is needed for what I should call a good start. Three or 4 col- onies is all any beginner should buy, unless he has had con- siderable knowledge in handling bees in working with some well-informed apiarist. Twenty dollars should buy three or four good colonies in good Langstroth hives. Then, if the correspondent is at all good with carpenters' tools, I would advise him to make 4 more hives as nearly like those the bees are in as he is able to. Not but what he can buy hives, prob- ably as cheap as he can get the lumber and make them, if he counts his time as anything; but this making of his first hives will be a good schooling to him, and "rivet" his interest to the bees so he will be more likely to make a success of the undertaking than he would if he bought everything ready made. The lumber and comb foundation necessary for these hives should not cost more than $10 or $12, so that he will now have an outlay not to exceed $32 for his bees, and hives suf- ficient for making 4 new colonies, which is increase enough. To the ambitious beginner, this will seem like a small in- crease; but I wish to say that the doubling of our number each year increases our bees as fast as our knowledge of the art will increase. Then listen: 8 the first year, 16 the second year, 32 the third. 64 the fourth, 128 the fifth, 256 the sixth, and 512 at the end of the seventh; and the latter number is all one man can profitably work to advantage, unless he hires help, or has members in his own family to help him. Do not get crazy over reports of some keeping thousands of colonies, nor over the puffs of wares by those having said wares for sale, and pay out your hard-earned dollars (earned in some other business) more than just to get a start. Hun- dreds of thousands of dollars have been squandered in this way on bees, and the only "show" that could be made for it a few years later was a lot of hives piled in fence-corners, con- taining a lot of moth-eaten combs. Make your bees and yourself self-sustaining, after you start, not paying out on the bees more than the bees bring you in. remembering that if you cannot make 4 colonies pay, you can- not 400. Then if you happen to make a failure of the busi- ness, you will have the consolation of knowing that von have sunken but $40 or $50, instead of from $400 to $500. or per- haps as many thousand, as some have. Besides your hives and bees, you will want a smoker, a bee-veil and a screwdriver or chisel, to use in opening hives. This part of the outfit should be gotten for about $2.50. de- livered at your post-office. Then, you want, most of all, one or two good bee-books to teach you the fundamental and first principles of the bee- keeping art. Right here is where more beginners fail than anywhere else. The $30 or $40 required for bees and hives conies easy enough; but $2.00 for two bee-books looks as big as all the rest ; yes, and often bigger, so they are not pur- chased, and. not Being purchased, they are not read; and the result generally is about the same as we used to read in our old school-boo^s, "For the want of a horseshoe nail the shot- was lost; for the want of a shoe, the horse was lost; for the want of a horse the rider was lost; and all for the want of a little horse-shoe nail." So. many and many a beginner has been lost, and also lost much of his worldly possessions, because he would insist in entering the bee-keeping ranks April 5, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 297 without a good book on bees, not costing more than $1.25 to $1.50. After you have the book, or books, and have read them until tlu\ are 2s familiar to you as a "nursery rhyme.'' then you arc ready to subscribe !"< >r one, two. or three of i1 papers; and as you wain in knowledge, 1 would advise taking them all. But, hark! Don't make the mistake in substituting the papers for the books. You must read the books in ordei to comprehend and digest what is found in the papers, other? wise it is like feeding the thtee-months'-old babe on meat and potatoes instead of milk. Don't forget that you are a babe in the bee-business when you first commence, and that you want the "sincere milk of the word" for a while. In the above you will have all that is really necessary for the first year, or at least all 1 hail when the start was made. Thirty-live dollars was the outlay I made, and I have never paid out one cent since on the bees hut what they have earned for me. And from that $35 beginning, the bees have built the buildings for my home; purchased the farm here and in the State of Arkansas; given me as good a living as heart could wish ; helped me to support the church. Sunday-school and missions; and make others happy, who through misfor- tune and physical disability have a "hard row to hoe" through life; besides something laid away for a "rainy day" or old age. And. lastly. 1 must tell you, if you wish to succeed, that you must be enough interested in the bees to look after them often, to see that "no stone is left unturned" that will make them profitable to themselves, tor when they are thus profit- able, they will nearly or quite always be profitable to you. You must be so interested in them that what you do with them will be as play. You cannot succeed in any business where all you do is done grudgingly, or where you are watching the sun all the forenoon t" see if it is not "most dinner-time," and, at 2 o'clock, arc thinking when it will be supper-time. No. no! After having been in the business ever since the spring of 1868. there is nothing so fascinating to me as work with the bees. Even in the mid-winter it is a pleasure almost beyond measure to go into the bee-cellar and satisfy my long- ing eyes on the almost motionless cluster of bees as they hang below the frames in their quiet repose, waiting for the "breath of spring" to start them into life and activity again. And, remember that the getting of honey, and from that money, is not all there is of bee-keeping. The life and health you can get out of the work done in an apiary is of far move value than all the millions of dollars accumulated by those . who have sacrificed their life and health in their getting. Borodino, N. Y. # Baby Nuclei— Feeding Bees- Reading Bee- Literature— Cleaning Oil-Cans— Hives and Spacers BY C. W. DAYTON. REPLYING to Mr. Doolittle, on page 46, I wish to say that although that second paragraph sounds rather harsh, it was written in a spirit of admiration rather than censure. I remembered Mr. Doolittle's article on "Drift- ing From Our Moorings," and in studying Dr. Miller's book I was surprised to see that he has been so conservative as not to be drawn after the later methods we read so much about, especially those relating to queen-rearing. It is my belief that the whole business has progressed entirely too rapidly for its own good. I tried from 50 to 75 baby nuclei the oast season and I have given it up. and gone all the way back to the plan that was in use in 1880. I shall continue to operate a few in coming seasons in order to be sure my decision is a wise one, and also to test any new ideas wdiich may come up. I have been obliged to do the same in respect to hives and selling honey or else my business would have "run aground" long ago. I have seen bee-men sink thousands of dollars during the past ten years simply by following the prevailing methods of doing business. Or, to put it in a nut-shell, let some one else do their contriving at two ends of their business. There are several apiaries about here where the bee- fed in the open air as mine were. Thy sustained heav\ But I have doubts if the owners have a faint dream of what caused their losses. I knew there had been warnings that in feeding in the open air there should be an evening up of the stores, but I fail to call to mind when there was a « i that colonies will become so indifferent or dormant as nol to take enough to prevent starvation when they have acc< tfl the feed every day. It is said of man that one hour of sleep before midnight ts worth several after midnight. Man will put his nerves in a tension and go without thi earlj sleep. But bees do not imi- tate man They obej Nature. I have consulted with neigh boring bee-men who did not know, or else gave tea which, if they had given fair attention, thej would hav' known could not be SO. There are some 20 bee-men at Chats worth, and I am the only one I can find who takes a De paper 1 look to the bee-papers for verification of m tions. These bee-men must be oblivious as to what is agog in thC inlets' so there is not enough profit in the bees they turn their attention toward grain stock or wood, andwhen bees are profitable it is becau I the abundance 0 flowers and honey rather than management. If there is not skill in production there is sure to be lack of skill in selling the prod- uct And the time has arrived when the sale of the P^ s greatly hampered. Lack of love for the bees and 1 study of their ways and implements for their managemeu t «* the causes of the business not attaining to the height . should. I do several other kinds of work, but these help ith = bees to °f thMo^PeSo&Thtc^uct two lines of bus^s cause -h shed business (the bees) stands. The other way Jt^w the foundation by taking away our profits and merest : ol mind in the bees. Mind is one of the important '"g^ents , he foundation. We should choose such lines as will con- tribute to ?he success of the bees. Change prevents the mind lettmg into ruts and staying there. Getting into ruts is nar- ?°Wieamna &£ffio 6 bee-papers, 3 ^1™****% papers. 3 iron and woodworking journals. 2 health Journals several religious papers and 2 popular magaz-nes After studying some of the other papers for awhile and then coming back to bees, I find the mind rested and clear, and thiT study often brings ideas ,n«o the bee-line which are «m- monly used in these outs.de operations, but were never thought of as being applied to bees. . Every evening I engage in an interesting chat m some of these papers. But when it comes to work. I depend almost entirely on books. Not papers. Papers I give away. In the books I expect to find the cream. Everything sorted out and boYled down in better shape than I could spare time to provide the ability to do. Of course, different compi ers have differ- ent views or systems, but I soon see which is best suited to my needs, and I know exactly in which book to lo°k *or the nlan I liken the bee-papers to crucibles in the assayer s workshop, but books should be the store-chests for the fine gold-or the summing up of the whole matter For illustration: In rearing queens . I of ten use Alleys method but at some times of the year it is almost ,mpossible to get long tows of larva, of the right age. so I change to the Doolittle method In this it is difficult to see the very small hrvx I Take the comb containing the larvae inside a budd- ing close by a window, but in the shade. ^ hen I get the wax and am readv to lift the larva I move the comb out into the sunlight for about a second and the smallest larva can be as easilv seen as if it were under a microscope. Keeping the eyes in the shadows causes the pupils of the eyes to. enlarge ', that the rays of light pass through a larger opemng and more rays of light strike on the retina of the eye-ball and consequently a picture of the larva is perceived by a greater number of optic nerves. This magnifies the object. To Clean Kerosene Oil Cans. I first fill them with water and let them stand a day or two This removes the loose oil. Some of them will be c ean with water only. If you happen to put hot soapsuds nto a can containing "a quantity of loose oil the next can it is put "to mav be almost clean' already, and the oily suds i W make it worse than it was. The soapsuds should clean all but three or tour out o a dozen. Those which still smell of kerosene I put over a fire which is as hot as possible without melting the solder. Kerosene is a volatile oil, and dry heat can re- move what soapv water cannot reach. . After the oil has been driven out the ««* which has collected in the seams of the cans will be dried down and smell musty. In such cans drop a hal ounce of beeswax Keep the can hoi to melt the wax. Tilt the can to make the melted wax follow the seams down the corners and around the bottom, and up the opposite seam to the top seams of the can, and it is easy to coat the inside seams and remove the last particle of smell. 298 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 5, 1906 Now in order to see just where the wax is going we should stand within an open door. Rays of white light (from the clear sky) must pass in at the cap and strike the inside of the can and be reflected back out the cap or we cannot see anything within the can. Rays of skylight passing in from many directions as it would out-of-doors or before two or more windows will criss-cross one another and obstruct the fainter rays coming from within the can. The one who understands this can clean cans twice as well, and twice as rapidly, and earn four times as much as 'the one who thinks it all depends upon elbow-grease and soap. Even in simple matters we have need of photography and chemistry. Even those who would ignore these if shown where to hold a can would soon wobble out of the right position, and not be able to find it again. Hives and Frame-Spacers. Again, let us take a 10-frame hive with frames spaced \y> inches apart, and allowing y2 inch for the extra space, we have the width of the hive as 15^ inches. This is for loose frames. If the frames are spaced by spacers they will work equally well spaced lfg inches apart. Allowing Ys inch for the extra outside space we get 14}^ inches for 10 frames — a difference in the width of the two hives of l^j inches. The Langstroth hive is 18 inches long and 10 inches deep; \y& off one side equals 246 cubic inches. This 246 cubic inches means bees. This amount of bees would fill 14 pound sec- tions entirely full or 28 sections half full — more than a super. It shows that the advantage of close spacing is one super quite fairly tilled with bees. Do you think it would pay to put 10 cents' worth of spacers in a hive? The spacer shown here is simply a strip of 28-gauge galvanized-iron cut out one- inch wide and as long as the rabbet of the hive. The notches can be chopped out rapidly with a die costing about $10, or a pattern can be laid on and marks made and then snipped out with the tinner's shears. Then the leaves can be bent over and pounded down flat in a vise. But the spacer should be so arranged that the bees can travel under the ends of the top-bars in the rabbet behind the spacer. The spacer shown on page 53 is a good one where bees are not moved. But in moving, the spacer would jump out of the notches and travel, and the combs would soon get to- gether and crush bees. Then there would be a smell of stings and crushed bees, and other colonies will get scared and be- come overheated, etc. It is easy to tell by scent how the bees are standing the ride, by walking behind the load. That spacer is simple, but it will be found considerable labor or else requiring expensive machines to make it. The spacer on page 47, Fig. 2, allows the frames to rest flat on the rabbet where they would be glued fast. Conse- quently plain staples driven into the rabbet would be of equal service. I use plain staples in the upper stories where ac- curate spacing is less consequence than in the brood-chamber. Another thing, where we use close, accurate spacing, the frames are more difficult to be gotten out of the hive, and should not rest upon a rabbet that will permit them to be glued down. Chatsworth, Calif. 8— Dadant Methods of Honey-Production BY C. F. DADANT. FOR the successful prevention of swarming, it is not suffi- cient to have large hives. Other things are necessary. One of them has been already mentioned by me, in article No. 3. that is. the removal of drone-comb and replac- ing it with worker-comb, in colonies that we do not wish to use as reproducers. The production of a large number of drones tends to the increase of natural swarming. Some of the experienced bee-keepers who read this will think that this rule works also from the other end, that is, that a ten- dency to natural swarming causes the production of a large number of drones. That is true. When the queen has been breeding largely and the sexual organs are fatigued by too constant laying, she seeks rest by laying eggs in drone-cells, for the eggs that she lays in drone- cells are not impregnated from the spermatheca, and there is a very probable change of sensations to her that gives her rest. This is the only explanation that has been advanced of the reason why she seeks for drone-cells at times. So an old queen will lay drone-eggs more readily than a young and vigorous one. But we find that when a hive is overcrowded with drones, when already well supplied with worker-bees, there is a feeling of unrest. The workers are compelled to hang out at night, and sometimes in the daytime for those burly and noisy fellows stay, closely at home, except for a couple hours of the day, and they are very much in the way of the workers. It does not take much of an effort to picture to ourselves the discomfort which they must create, and the con- sequent propensity to sallying forth to establish another colony. In a good harvest, the bees feel too good-natured to de- stroy the drones — evidently the requirements of nature are followed according to circumstances — and it is only when a disappointment in the crop follows that the bees begin to ex- terminate them, angered by their laziness and gluttony. So the result of a surplus of drones is a tendency to swarming. It is. therefore, a very good policy to remove all we can of the drone-combs. Some of our teachers in apiculture hold that we must leave a little drone-comb, or the bees will tear down worker-comb in order to be able to rear drones. I con- fess I have often tried to test this, but have never found an instance where it had taken place. A friend bee-keeper once said to me triumphantly that the bees did change the worker-combs to drone-comb ; that he had a sheet changed to drone-comb in one of his hives. I asserted that it must be a mistake. "No," said he, "that hive had every frame filled with foundation." We opened the hive in question and in the meantime he told me how he fastened foundation and said that he always put in three wires whenever he used foundation. On exam- ination, the sheet in question had no wires, and he waS forced to acknowledge that there must have been a mistake. Sometimes, ,'f full sheets of foundation are overlooked with bees when n -st given to the colony, some of the cells will be changed to drone-cells by stretching; this is easily detected. At other times, W'Hcer-comb may break down from heat and drone-comb will i__ built in its place. But whether the bees do change worker-comb into drone-comb, in case we leave them no drone-ccib at all, there is very little danger of this, for I have never yet been able to remove positively every cell of drone-comb from a hive. There will be cells of "accom- modation," little patches in the corners, and occasionally a few stretched cells. But a few-hundred drones are not to be considered. It is the big sheets of drone-comb, especially when they are in the center of the brood-nest, as they are sometimes placed during manipulation by a beginner who does not take notice of little things. It is the big sheets, I repeat, that make trouble. Have you ever figured how many drones may be hatched in a piece of drone-comb a foot square? Let us calculate this together. A square inch of drone-comb contains 18 drone- cells on each side, or 36 cells. In a square foot there are 144 square inches — 144 times 36 makes 5,184 drone-cells. Not only will those over 5,000 drones be in the way and induce swarming, if the season is at all good, but you must bear in mind that they have cost the bees about as much to rear as a patch of the same size of worker-brood, which would contain about 7,800 worker-bees. I do not mean to say that there would be 7.800 workers reared in the same space, for the queen might not fill that space with worker-eggs, and conhl not fill it in the same time, but there would be a chance 'for more workers and less drones, and it would be better to have the queen idle, or losing eggs, rather than laying such a quantity of drone-eggs. Those drones cost you a great deal to rear. and. after they are reared, thej are in the way, and are expensive, for they always eat at home. L'abbe Collin, who was very accurate in these matters, states that in their out-door flights the drones lose about 8 percent of their weight, which is very probably ■ inly a portion of the loss, and evidences how much food they must consume. We have, oyer and over, ascertained that the colonies that had few drones were less likely to swarm than those which, other things being equal, had many drones. April S 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 299 Another matter is ventilation and comfort. If the hives are exposed to the heat of the noon sun, its direct rays shining on the alighting board and the entrance, we know the bees will swarm more readily. If the space allowed for entering the hive is too small, there will be discomfort from that cause. Some may remark that, in a state of nature, the entrance to the hive is the same — exactly the same — summer and winter. That is true, but we have the bees in domesticity. We want to get a larger yield from them than they would produce if left to themselves, and we must look after small details if we wish to succeed. My aim is never to allow a colony to cluster on the out- side, while the crop lasts. I want to see every bee at work. When the crop is over, it is a different thing. They must be hanging somewhere then, and whether on the outside or the matters but little ; but when the crop is on, we not only must keep them at work, but we must make things comfort- able for them, so that every bee will be at work, either inside the hive or outside in the fields. A bee-keeper who long ago dropped out of the list of con- tributors— James Heddon — said. "Our business is a business of details." This is emphatically true, and the apiarist who does not bother himself about details will sooner or later fail. Hamilton, 111. Home-Made Hives— Hive-Colors, Etc. BY ALLEN LATHAM. THE chief pleasure to me from writing on bee-keeping is de- rived from reading the occasional comments which the articles call forth. To know what another thinks of one's ideas, whether there be commendation or censure, must always afford interest. The columns of the American Bee Journal are too valuable to be used in reciting the numerous foibles and conceits which, though interesting us hugely, have little to offer for the entertainment of the other fellow. When, however, points are raised which relate to the true welfare of the bee and of the bee-keeper, then an exchange of opinion can become of great value. Accordingly, I am going to de- part from mv usual custom of keeping silent. On pages 183 and 199 Mr. Hasty and Dr. Miller raise points which I feel constrained to consider further. Mr. Hasty suggests strawberries to me. Why? Oh, be- cause the best strawberries are those which have enough acidity to make the sweetness all the sweeter. If Mr. Hasty occasionally drops a little acid, he quickly seeks to mollify the effects by an oozing of honeyed sweetness that can scarcely fail to appease all hurt. I suppose, Mr. Hasty, that you or the printer let the hyphen slip in on the wrong side of "box." My hives are not box-hives, though many boxes go into their construction. I wish that Mr. Hasty would tell just what he has in mind when he says : "Apart from his way of making the body of it. say." Does Mr. Hasty still lift heavy stones whenever he opens a hive? My covers never blow off, though there is nothing but cover above the hive. Let the cover be made with a deep rim, and nothing short of a hurricane will blow it off. No. the paper will not rot under bricks or stones, for all water quickly evaporates from these dark-colored covers, unless, indeed, the shade be rather dense. No trouble at all about ice in spring. The dark color of the paper will cause the ice to melt so that it is always out of the way long before any sane bee-keeper is monkeying with his bees. I am not sane, and so I simply slide the ice off after the sun has loosened it, as it will invariably do every day fit to take a peep at the bee^. Will Mr. Hasty kindly name any advantages to be gained by tilting hives forward? I'd like nothing better than to have him stand his advantages up in a row so that I could snow- ball them. Dr. Miller's genial way of "saying his piece" is no less thawing than Mr. Hasty's is melting. I sometimes wonder what the good "Old Reliable" would be were these two gen- tlemen to lie taken away. It would be an awful example in subtraction for me. Dr. Miller, it would be hard to convince a skeptical per- son that a dark hive can be cooler in summer, but warmer in winter. Had I not found it true by my own observation I think that I should be an unbeliever. Though a dark hive will cool off more rapidly than the white one in summer, it will get no cooler in winter. Both hives are as cold in winter, on the outside, as they can be ; that is, they are as cold as the surrounding air. approximately. The white hive seldom gains much heat from the outer w-orld, the black hive frequently gets it. The extra heat of the black hive may become lost readily, but after it is lost tin Mark is as well off as the white. Let it be written in red letters that I do not advocate black for single-walled hives. I advocate black for double- walled hives only, and should hesitate to paint single-walled hives black. I should fear that such hives would get too much heat if in the sun. and would o« .1 off too much if in the shade. For winter, however, they would be excellent. I wish to say here, too, that in some locations hives can not be kept in the shade wisely. I find that, unless the shade is broken — not dense — and there is free chance for the winds under the trees, the honey is poorly ripened. If one has well- pruned fruit-trees on high ground, or shade such as they would furnish, he can expect good results with hives set in the shade. But if his hives are set in a shady nook where the winds gain little access, and where the dew is wont to linger well into the forenoon, he will find his honey to be of light body and inferior flavor. On page 185, Mr. Davenport treats us to another of those irritating mustard plasters such as he put upon us a year or so ago. As I read this latest article I glanced around for a brick, but realizing that I could not throw it so far I chose another weapon. , . , , It is difficult to understand Mr. Davenports attitude, and probably mv thought is the same as that of hosts of other readers." What is he after? I have a happy thought! Per- haps he is waiting to be "called!" So here goes! Mr. C. Davenport. / don't believe it!!! Norwich, Conn. (£onr>ention Proceedings "\ =J Report of the Wisconsin State Convention BY HARRY LATHROP. [Continued from page 27S.] A good paper was read from Mrs. Millie Honaker (who was not present), on ECONOMY IN BEE-KEEPINQ Like everything else, bee-keeping demands the ex- penditure of a certain amount of money, labor, and time, before satisfactory results can be obtained. More, how- ever, than is necessary to provide all things needful is not called for, and is actual extravagance. True economy is judicious saving— simply another name for good manage- ment. It does not mean doing without a necessarv article to save its cost, but reducing cost, if possible, and using to the best advantage afterwards. Nor does saving labor and time mean leaving a thing undone which it would be profit- able to do, but, instead, finding a shorter and easier method of doing it. How to economize in a monetary way will be our first consideration. After this we will study a little into ways and means of saving labor and time. Hives are the bee-keeper's first and greatest essential. Unfortunately, they are also his most expensive, even when obtained as cheaply as possible. To buy them ready to use at retail is to pay an almost prohibitive price for them. To buy in- small quantities in the flat, of retailers, is also to pay too much. If they must be had already cut, they should be bought enough at a time to enable one to take advantage of quantity prices. In 50 to 100 lots they may be obtained for about two-thirds what they would cost a few at a time, especially if bought already nailed and painted. To be sure, none except the most extensive bee- keepers ever need so many hives in any one season, but a number could order together, and in this way all obtain the same advantage. This not only applies to hives, but to other supplies as well. But a still further saving may be accomplished in many instances by ordering from wholesale lists, gladly furnished to small retailers by manufacturers and their head agents. Turning to one such, recently sent me, I find that I can obtain quite a reduction from regular cata- log prices, especially on quantity lots. There are always a number of small bee-keepers in every neighborhood who are glad to buy what little they need at home, tin abling one to dispose of enough to take advantage of both quantity and wholesale price- These wholesale prices are 300 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 5, 1906 not granted to every one, of course, but usually to one in every community— as a rule, to the nmst extensive and wide-awake bee-keeper who applies for them. Besides what may be saved in this way, there is always a consider- able discount allowed on out-of-season orders, and all this is, to my mind, economy which may be profitably prac- tised. But returning to hives once more. If the bee-keeper has upwards of 40 colonies, especially if he expects to increase to any great extent, it will pav him to put in such machinery as is necessary to cut down his own hives Par- ticularly is this true if he has already some kind of avail- able power with which to run it. Cutting machinery alone costs but little, and. if many hives are needed, will easily pay for itself several times over in a single season. We have used a home-made hive-cutting machine ever since we began keeping bees, and have found it in every respect perfectly satisfactory. Even if one has no power of any kind, it might pay to buy one, especially on the farm, where it could be used for many other kinds of work. A gasoline engine of from one to three horse power is now comparatively inexpen- sive, and one of the coming essentials on the farm. But there are other ways of managing. One extensive bee-keeper whom I know solves the hive-making problem to his satisfaction by hauling his material to a lumber- hmshing null and hiring it cut up into hive parts. A few days extra work and a small cash outlay enable him to get his hives at a figure considerably below factory prices. Again, in most high-class carpenter shops there are small power-saws, and, as a rule, the owners are glad to do, for a reasonable sum, such work as may be had during the slack winter season. If many hives are wanted, it will be found cheaper to hire them cut than to buy them so. But, as said before, the better way is to put in such machinery as is needed, if some kind of suitable power may be had. Our little machine cost us, all told, something less than $12 for material, the work being done at home by the master himself. Any good carpenter, however, could put up one equally as good in a couple or three days, so that cost of building need hardly be considered. Up till last summer it was run with a light horse-power, but is now attached to a little gasoline engine, used for pumping Wat-!nr and ot,ler li&'lt work. With one operator from 20 to 30 complete hives may be cut in a day. With an assis- tant the number may be easily doubled. We have never done a whole day's cutting at any one time, but I am sure 1 have not over-estimated its capacity. Hoffman frames either square or beveled; hive rabbets, even hand-holes' are neatly and rapidly cut out. It does not, of course, cut a dove-tailed corner, but instead we make what we con- sider just as good, which is a halved corner. Besides cutting hives, we use this machine for many other kinds of particular work— window and door frames", anything, in fact, which ordinarily requires the use of the miter-box, is cut out here. It is really surprising how often, and for what a variety oT work, it is used. Start the engine, throw on the belt, and it is ready at a moment's notice. We are often asked what our home-made hives cost us. We do not use a standard hive ourselves (which is one more argument in favor of the machine, since special- sized factory-made hives always cost extra), but we fre- quently make it for others. Estimating 15 feet of $40 lum- ber to the 8-frame. IK'-story hive, I find, including labor they cost about 65 cents each. This is an over-estimate' if anything as it takes hardly IS feet of lumber and some parts may be made of narrower and less expensive ma- terial. But hives, while tTie most important, are not all the bee-keeper must have. Comb foundation is another im- portant item. No up-to-date bee-keeper would consider it economy to do without a generous amount of founda- tion, even if it cost much more than it does. But while it would still pay to use it at a considerable advance over present prices, this does not mean that we should pav more for it than is absolutely necessary. All of us produce niore or less wax. Could not something be saved by send- ing it to some reliable manufacturer to be made int.. foundation for our own use? I am offered 28 cents for clean wax. Cannot I have this made up for less than the difference between the price of the wax and the cost of foundation? 1 think I can. Any way, I am going to try There are, however, various other- things which we must have and which we cannot make ourselves, or hire made nr own material. Sections are perhaps the most expensive of these, and about which we hear the most I complaint. Like hives, they should be bought in quantity, at least as many as can be used and disposed of in any one' season. Even if a few are left over, if properly cared for they will be just as good another year. But while I would advise buying as cheaply as possi- ble, I would not advise using a poorer quality or restricting the quantity. It is no economy to use rough, discolored sections and take less for our honey on account of them. Nor is it economy ever to buy or use a cheap article be- cause it is cheap, or to do without a needed article to save its cost. We should not hesitate to buy what is needed, and, as a rule, the best is the cheapest. True economy, to my mind, lies in buying wisely rather than cheaply, al- though as cheaply, certainly, as is consistent with quality. But, as said before, it is no economy to do without what is needful. For instance, to get along forever with- out a change of stock. A few queens each season are ordi- narily an economical investment, since it is only in this way that vitality and vigor of stock can be kept up to the highest standard. I know Dr. Phillips says improvement can be best brought about by in-breeding, but not promis- cuous in-breeding, such as necessarily happens in the ordi- nary apiary. There is no practice more disastrous in its results that this, let it be where it will. A single requeened colony will often produce enough more honey to pay for two or three queens, while the value of one new queen's influence in the yard is beyond estimation. Economy of time and labor come next. Both have a considerable money value, especially on the farm where hard-to-get and high-priced help must be employed to do that which the master cannot get to do himself. As a rule, to save labor is to save time, and therefore money, which means to increase profits. But even when to save labor is not to save time, it is still worth while to spare one's self as much as possible. We are not likely ever to suffer for exercise, and it is something to escape exhaustion whenever we may. Me- chanical power is always cheaper than physical, and should be employed when available. Here is where our little engine comes in handy again. The engine-room is tight and well built, so we do our extracting here. It is also large and commodious, and adjoining the original honey- house, so it is convenient to use in this way. We have always before run the extractor by hand, and many a time with a tired arm, but this is now a thing of the past. By the way, both cream-separator and washing machine will also be operated in this way during the major portion of the year, thus saving a considerable amount of other hard work. This plant cost us quite a neat little sum, but as we look at it. it is a good investment. Convenience is always economy, so everything need- ful to do the work expeditiously and well should be pro- vided. Anything which will save labor and time to a greater value than its cost is an economical investment. In this list may be included numerous small articles and many large ones. Foundation cutters and fasteners, tanks with faucets, strainers, and all such, are worth much more to the bee-keeper than they cost him. An efficient smoker, good veil and gloves, and several other things, might also be mentioned. Along this same line I would say that any machine or other labor-saving device which will do the work required of it enough better or faster to save in labor or time the difference in cost between that and another, is the cheaper in the end. Xo bee-keeper of any consequence ever made a greater mistake than to buy a one or two frame ex- tractor. It is like a 50-egg incubator — little more than an aggravation to the soul. A large machine will do a little work just as well as a little machine, and whenever more is required it is not found wanting. It is also economy of labor and time to keep every- thing in and about the honey-house and apiary in readi- ness and in good condition. Time, for instance, occa- sionally to sharpen the uncapping knife — but being a woman. I have to own to sometimes using mine dull. Still a little spice, judiciously administered, usually results in a speedy improvement. Attention, we are told, is the cheapest element in the apiary. To do a thing when it should be done takes no longer than to do it out of season, and may mean the dif- ference between profit and great loss. It is not economy often to put off a thing beyond the time when it should be done to save the cost of a little help. There has lately been quite a discussion in one of our most prominent bee- papers along this same line. One man claimed to have lost 50 colonies because he could not find time to give them needed attention at the proper season. A few dollars April 5, I1" 6 IHE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 301 spent for help would have been economically invested is probable that most of us have had a similar experii though perhaps not so disastrous a one. It takes n time to feed needy colonies in September than it does November, though perhaps time to do it early might be so available. In thai case a little help, !e1 it cosl w it would, would be wise economy. In conclusion, let nic repeat what was said in the ginning, that true economy is judicious saving — anot name for good management, and another for wise spend as well. MRS. Millie Honakei It ice, re : in not hat be- her ing BEE-KEEPING— ANCIENT AND MODERN It is a frequent expression of Scripture and secular writing, that a land where milk and honey flows is highly prosperous. Honey was used as a great luxury, as food and as medicine. Jacob, when sorely afflicted, sent his sons to Egypt to buy grain, and to appease the governor (Joseph) said to his sons who were to start for the second trip: "If it must be so now, do this: take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels and carry down the man a present, a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts and almonds." The Lord God said to Moses: "I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters: for I know their sorrows. And I am come down to deliver them out of the hands of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land into a good land and a large, into a land flowing with milk and honey." The Lord God said unto Moses : "We came unto the land, whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey." Deuteronomy 6, 3 : "Hear, therefore, O Israel, and ob- serve to do it : it may be well with thee, and that you may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath prom- ised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey." Joshua 1, 6: "For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war. which came out of Egypt, were consumed because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord; unto whom the Lord sware that he would not shew them the land, wdiich the Lord sware unto their fathers, he would give us a land that floweth with milk and honey." Jer. 11, 5: "That I may perform the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers to give them a land flowing with milk and honey as it is this day. Then answered I and said: So be it. O Lord." Jer. 32. 22: "And hast given them this land, which thou did jt swear to their fathers to give them a land, flowing with milk and honey." Ezekiel 20, 6: "In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I have espied for them flowing with milk and honey which is the glory of all lands." Exodus 16, 31 : "And the house of Israel called the name thereof manna, and it was like coriander seed, wdiite, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey." Levit. 2, 11: "No meat offering which you shall bring to the Lord shall be made with leaven, for ye shall burn no leaven nor any honey in any offering of the Lord made by fire." Dent. 8. 8: "A land of wheat and barley and vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olives and honey." Levit. 32, 13: "He made him ride on the high places of the earth that he may eat the increase of the fields: and he made them to suck honey out of the rock and oil out of the flintv rock." Judges 14. 8: "And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion, and behold there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcass of the lion." Judges 14, 18: "And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down: What is sweeter than honey, and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them: If you had not plowed with my heifer, you had not found out my riddle." 1 Sam. 14, 25: "And' all they of the land came to a w 1. and there was honey upon the ground. The honey dropp.d " 2 Sam. 17, 29: "And they brought honey and butter and sheep and cheese for David and the people who were with him." 1 Kings 14, 3: "And take with the ten loaves, and cracknels, and a cruse of honey, and go to him: he shall ti II thee what shall become of the child." 2 Kings 18, 22: "Until I come and take you away t.. a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land "I bread and vineyard, a land "i oil and of honey. 2 Chron. 31, 55: "And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abundance the first fruits of corn, wine and .at and honey." Job 20. 17: "He shall not see the rivers, the floods, the brooks of honey and butter." Psalms 19. 10: "More to he desired arc they than gold, yea than line gold; sweeter than honey and honcy-o unb." Prov. 24. 13: "My son. eat thou honey, because it is good, and the honey-comb, which is sweet to thy taste." Prov. 25, 16: "Hast thou found honey? Eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith and vomit it." , , Isa. 7, 15: "Butter and honey shall he eat that he may know to refuse evil and choose the good." jer. 41, 8: "But ten men were found among them that said to Ishmael : Slav us not, for we have treasures in the field of wheat, and barley, and of oil and of honey." Ezek 3. 3: "And he said unto me: Son of men. cause thy belly to eat. and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it, and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness." Ezek. 16, 13: "Thv raiment was of line linen and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour and honey and Math. 3. 4: "And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair and a leathern girdle about his loins, and his meat was locust and wild honey." Psa. 19, 10: "More to be desired arc they than gold, yea than much line gold; sweeter than honey and honey- comb." , Prov. 5. 3: "For the lips of a strange woman drop as a honey-comb and her mouth is smoother than oil." Prov. 16, 24: "Pleasant words are as honey-comb, sweet to the soul and health to the bones." Prov. 27. 7: "The full soul loatheth a honey-comb, but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet." The ancients had plenty of honey from the beginning of time. Honey and wax were ised in great quantities. But the means of obtaining honev and wax were cruel, rude and primitive. Very little literature, if any. exists to tell the story. The importance of the honey industry would justify research in the old history, and some wise men might dig in the old, dusty libraries to" find the sweet truth about the home industry of our ancestors. Bee-keeping is an important industry, especially with the help of modern inventions— the modern hive in place of hollow trees, or cracks in the rocks; the movable frame, comb foundation, the honey-extractor. To get honey and wax from bees now, we need no fire and brimstone; we simplv shake the bees off and let them live. We need not fear cross bees any longer, but make them well-behaved by intro- ducing gentle" queens or queen-cells. We need not fear any longer that fell destroyer, "foul brood," but follow the counsel of the foul-brood inspector. , Bee-keeping is nothing mean, hut elevates the mind. The bee gathers honey only and no poison — never; and is clean alwavs. Bee-keeping will last as long as Time will last. It is an industry now more than ever. The ancients had their annual sheep-shearing and made holidays, calling on the sheep- breeding fraternity for mutual help and feasting. So we have our love-feast in mid-winter, meditating about the sweet harvest in summer. There are untold millions of acres of nectar for bees to collect. The number of consumers is in- creasing. Freight trains loaded with honey tell of enormous harvests and profits. The outlook, all in all, encourages bee- keeping. Horace Greeley recommended, "Go West, young man. go West." We as well say: Keep bees, young man (and woman, too), keep bees! Rev. II. A. Winter, Octogenarian. Quite a little was said in favor of placing bees on the summer stands so early in the spring that they would not fly out for a week or more after being taken out. This is new to a good many, but I think more will try it. The election of officers for the ensuing year resulted as follows: President. N. E. France, of Plaittevjlle ; Vice- President, Jacob Huffman; Secretary. Gus Dittmer, of Au- gusta ; and Treasurer, A. C. Allen. I will close by saying that we had as good a convention as would be possible without the ladies and the editors; but, dear ladies, and twice dear editors, don't let it occur again. You must come with us next time. Bridgeport. Wis. 302 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April S, 1906 Report of the Michigan State Convention BY MORI.EY PETTIT. The Michigan State Bee-Keepers' Association held its annual convention at Jackson, Feb. 1 and 2, 1906. The sessions were well attended by bee-keepers from all parts of the State, as well as from adjoining States and Ontario. The latter Province was represented by R. F. Holtermann, W. A. Chrysler, N. Smith, Mr. Stewart, and Morley Pettit. Mr. E. R. Root, editor of Gleanings in Bee Culture, con- tributed one of the most entertaining parts of the pro- gram. These outsiders were very cordially received, and tendered a hearty vote of thanks for their presence and help in the program and discussions. Pres. W. Z. Hutchinson occupied the chair, and together with Secretary Elmore M. Hunt, who had so energetically advertised the convention, conducted one of the livest conventions it has been the writer's privilege to attend. A NON-SWARMING HlVE. One of the features of the convention was a non- swarming hive shown by L. A. Aspinwall. He has been carefully experimenting with this hive for 17 years, and was persuaded to make it public, although there are fei- tures about it with which he is not quite satisfied yet. The principle involved is that the cause of swarming is bees. The ordinary hive becomes overcrowded with bees, and the result is swarming. To overcome this, more space must be given for the bees to cluster while producing wax, etc. Like any other, Mr. Aspinwall's hive has the combs together for winter and spring, but as soon as the swarming season approaches he removes the combs con- taining the least brood, and spreads the remaining combs by alternating them with slatted dummies, which give wide spaces between the combs for the bees to cluster in, but so divide these spaces that nowhere is there more than a bee-space, and no comb will be built. The comb- honey supers are arranged in the same way. Slatted sepa- rators are used, with the slats turned crosswise of the separator, so that the spaces between sections are much wider than in ordinary supers, and the bees can cluster these spaces practically full. He uses drone foundation in a part of his sections. It is thought that with this hive even Carniolan bees could be used for comb-honey production with large re- sults, and practically no desire to swarm. Mr. Aspinwall attaches great importance to strong colonies, held together throughout the whole year with no swarming. Any increase desired can be made by nuclei. He detailed results he had had from this hive which showed quite decidedly that it is worth at least the serious consideration of all progressive bee-keepers. Along the line of non-swarming, R. F. Holtermann advocated a large brood-chamber, and correspondingly large storage capacity. He considered swarming a mis- fortune. Some bee-keepers want increase to replace win- ter losses, but, as a rule, bees can be bought cheaper than they can be produced by swarming. The first symptom of the swarming impulse is the production of drone-brood. The second is the starting of cell-cups. The factors which induce swarming are a crowded condition of the hive, high temperature, bad air in the supers due to lack of ventila- tion. To prevent swarming, put wedges between the bot- tom-board and the hive, giving a large entrance; use a 12-frame Langstroth hive, and a good queen will fill it just as well as she will an 8-frame brood-chamber. Use at least two supers on each hive, so as to get a hive capacity in proportion to the production of bees and honey. As to race of bees, Mr. Holtermann prefers a hybrid of about three-quarters Italian and one-quarter black. A ventilator slide in each extracting super gives fresh air directly into the super without its having to pass through the brood-chamber and up. When bees are kept together without swarming throughout the season, the}' go into winter quarters in a more uniformly good condi- tion, and cfiine out in the same way in the spring. Mr. Aspinwall here referred to the chapter on swarm- ing in Mr. Hitchinson's new book, where he says swarming is a thing of the past. This is a luxury, a comfort; to be able to produce good crops of honey without the worry of swarming. One can get all the white honey without swarming, then make increase of nuclei in the fall season. Al nrley Pettit endorsed what Mr. Aspinwall and Mr. Holtermann had said about the advantage of holding bees together without swarming. The wedges for large en- trance; the divider, to allow for a double layer of bees around the outside of the sections in the super; and the upward ventilation he had learned from his father. Mr. S. T. Pettit, and had always used. Upward ventilation is essential to the most successful production of extracted honey; it is equally good in comb-honey production, with this difference, that it should be closed as soon as the sec- tions are filled and capping begins. Many who admitted that the large brood-chamber and the Aspinwall hive were a good thing, objected that they had their supply of hives, and it would be expensive to change. Mr. Pettit replied that it paid farmers to throw away their cradles and buy reapers; then their reapers were discarded for self-binders, etc. Hundreds of dollars were spent on farm implements which are of no more practical value to farmers than are the improved hives and machinery to bee-keepers. Messrs. Hutchinson, Root, Aspinwall, Holtermann, and others, spoke along the same line — that the secret of success in any business is to hold oneself always ready to adopt the very latest improvements. No matter how much is invested in a machine, be prepared to discard it for a better if by so doing the cost of production can be ulti- mately lowered. Business principles must be followed to insure success. Mr. Bingham, of smoker fame, referring to super ven- tilation, said the draft is always downward. This is the bees' patent way of ventilating, to blow air out at the entrance. Instead of an opening in the super, he would accomplish the same result by sliding one super slightly forward and the next one back. Bees will build honey right up to the ventilator. E. R. Root, speaking of bees coming into a large en- trance, said he had often watched them fly right in and alight in the under side of the cluster. Mr. Holtermann said the bees never use the super ven- tilator for an entrance except when by any accident the queen gets up, and they are using the super for a brood- chamber. Morley Pettit said some object, that cross bees come from these ventilators to sting people going along behind the hives. The ventilators should be narrow, about fjj-inch by 4 inches long, then have them open only in the honey- flow. As soon as robber-bees begin to hunt around, the bees of the hives are on the defensive at the ventilators, but not at other times. The following paper was read from C. P. Dadant, on the MANAGEMENT OF OUT-APIARIES I believe it is a mistake to write long essays for bee-con- ventions. The greatest gain derived from a convention is in the discussions of the subjects by the members present. A slight introduction of the subjects by papers is sufficient, in my estimation, and I trust that for this reason you will' ex- cuse the shortness of my essay. Just now the tendency seems to be towards larger apiaries at home and a less number of out-apiaries. It is quite prob- able that in a case of most extraordinary and favorable condi- tions it may be advisable to keep as many colonies in one spot as lately reported from a noted New York State bee-keeper, but in many instances the keeping of over 100 colonies in one spot would prove unprofitable. This, at least, was our expe- rience. It is not so much during the heaviest flow that a large number of bees in one spot is objectionable, for the large crops seem to produce flowers enough for an incredible num- ber of colonies, but it is during inferior seasons, and especially in the early and late part of the season that a large number of colonies in one spot is unadvoidable in my experience. The fruit-bloom of a number of orchards may prove quite beneficial to an apiary of 100 colonies, if there are not too many other small apiaries in the immediate vicinity, but with 300 or 400, it is quite probable that the bees would not gather enough even to keep up breeding without some help from the apiarist. We. therefore, have considered it advisable to keep not more than from 80 to 100 colonies in one spot. It is necessary for me to say that we use large hives, anil as these hives give full scope to the breeding of prolific queens, it is possible that a larger number of colonies in small hives could be kept profitably in the same space. Our first attempt at keeping out-apiaries was made in 1872, with the production of both comb and extracted limn \ We soon ascertained that unless we produced extracted honey altogether, in large hives, it would be out of the question to control swarming entirely, and with an out-apiary we think swarming is still more of a nuisance than it is in the home yard. Swarming may be acceptable to those who wish to in- April 5, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 303 crease the number of their colonies and do not desire I to the trouble of making artificial swarms or divisions, but to the man who has enough bees and wl nlj desires in- crease enough to make up for winter losses, swarming is objectionable, for it is usually the hives that would ~roduce the greatest quantity of honey that do swarm, and what we want from our fees is honey, not more 1 ei For the above-mentioned reasons, it has been our aim to fit our out-apiaries with the necessary implements for the pro- duction "i extracted honey. We have at each place two sets of supers with full combs for each hive. There are colonies which require only one super, but there are some that n 3 and even 4, and an average of -' supers full of combs for each colony is about right. If the season is above average, the Crop is usually protracted enough to enable the honey to ripen before the end, and we extract all that is ripe, to make room for more. We keep a few hives ready for swarms, in case some should escape; but in an experience with out-apiaries of more than .1(1 years, we have so few swarms that in many cases it has been found unprofitable to watch for the few that might escape. When colonies get a good start in large supers already filled with combs, and are kept supplied with a suffi- cient amount of empty comb, there is very little propensity to the swarming fever, except in such colonies as may be making preparations for superseding their queen. We have usually secured the increase by rearing queens from our best colonies and building up nuclei containing them into full colonies by supplying them with combs of brood from time to time. We never haul the bees back home, unless it is for a radi- cal change from one spot to another. We never haul the combs home to do the extracting, but we do all the manipula- tions on the spot, thus saving time and annoyance in hauling things back and forth. I have seen apiaries where the work was done by taking the full supers home and bringing them back again, but I am satisfied that our method is more prac- tical and expeditious. With well-supplied apiaries, less than a dozen trips are needed to do the most important work in an out-apiary: One trip in early spring to investigate the after-winter conditions, and clean out the dead bees; two trips during the spring to look after queenless colonies and feed the needy ones; one trip to put on the supers ; two visits during the harvest to add room or equalize supers ; two trips for extracting ; about three visits more for the late crop, and one for putting the bees in winter quarters. If artificial increase is wanted, it will require probably four additional visits. In very bad seasons, extraordinary circumstances may make more fre- quent visits needed, but in those bad years, no extracting will be done, and some economy of time will be secured thus. though much to the regret of the apiarist. This method of management, is. in my experience, the most economical for the keeping of out-apiaries. C. P. Dadant. There followed a discussion on drawing home combs of honey to extract. Many good bee-keepers advocate hav- ing a central establishment fitted with storage-tanks, power for running the extractor, etc., then haul home the supers to extract, and haul the empty combs back to the yard again. They claim that the trip must be made morning and night anyway, and it is just as well to take a load of empty supers and bring a load of full ones. Then the honey is home without further hauling. Often there are iiitalde buildings at out-yards for extracting. Mr. Manley overcomes the honey-house difficulty by setting up stakes and covering with canvas to make a tent. This is a very hot place to work, but it keeps the bees out, and the honev strains well feu- being warm. Morley Pettit said he had tried the plan of hauling combs home to extract and found it very objectionable. There is the extra teaming; supers and combs have to be drawn home and back again; the difficulty of keeping rob- ber-bees out of the supers while so many are exposed at once on the wagon; and some bees are sure to lie around making it dangerous to take a team to the wagon. The honey is all cold when it gets home, and must be heated artificially — a slow and expensive process — else extracted and strained cold, which is disagreeable and unsatisfactory, to say the least. All this work has to be done at a time when moments are dollars, and when often even the honey is not wanted at home. Most of Mr. Pettit's honey never comes home, but goes direct to the station, probably in an opposite direc- tion. E. D. Townsend quite agreed with Mr. Pettit, and i .me yard in Northern Michigan where the honey does M(li even need to be loaded on wagons, but goes direct [rom ill,, hom ) house to the car, placed on a convenient siding l^r the purpose. Quei \ f -., i i in rs Pollen in t HE Sections. Almost every one voted to use queen-excluders in the production of extracted honey, lor many reasons wi do not want the queen nor the drones in the super-combs. In the production of comb honej they are good to keep pollen out of the sections, but increase the tendency to swarm. With reference to pollen in sections, Mr. Aspinwall men- tioned his .Iron,, foundation. Bees very seldom store pol- len in it, and as it is the natural size for storing honey, they seem better satisfied with it in sections than the other. If some drone-comb is allowed in the brood-chamber, the queen almost never goes up to lay in it. Performing Bee-Men at Fairs. One of the features of the convention was a talk by E. R. Root, on showing bees in a tent at county fairs and other public gatherings, and performing feats in handling them with bare hands and arms, which, to the uninitiated, are on a par with lion-taming and snake-charming. This attracts great crowds, advertises the bee-keeper and his honey, and sells large quantities of honey at the time. Mr. Root said he had this idea from Mr. S. D. House, of New York State. Mr. Holtermann complimented Mr. Root as his "grand- son" in this idea, for he had exhibited bees in a tent at the Toronto exhibition 11 years ago, and Mr. House learned it from him. A discussion on obtaining better profits on honey fol- lowed. Mr. Aspinwall showed that profits depend largely on decreasing cost of production, by improved hives and machinery. .Mr. Soper brought out the disadvantage of offering small packages of honey. Mr. Chrysler said, always keep your dealer safe. Never let him lose on your honey, and he will feel safe to buy from you at any time. The main point in the sale of honey is to produce and market a good quality of honey. Show dealers that you have perfect confidence in your honey and so inspire their confidence. The following paper was read by E. D. Townsend: FEEDING BACK TO GET PARTLY-FILLED SECTIONS COMPLETED, AT CLOSE OF MONEY SEASON In discussing the subject of feeding back to get all of the part-full sections in a good, marketable shape, we have a sub- ject of verv great importance, for with the Barber, as the comb and extracted honey from the same super plans, as with any system known, even if we try to get the last super of the season in the extracted form, we still have the season to con- tend with, for next season may be only half as long as last, and there you are, with sections in all stages of completion, and the only alternative is to feed up these half-full sections for the market, and the object of this paper is to tell the members of this convention how to do it in a satisfactory manner. Now, I am going to tell you what all practical comb honey producers know, as by this way I can better illustrate the main point. It is this : As the honey season begins to draw to a close, usually, with a gradual falling off of the honey-flow, the bees begin to cap the sections a little thinner each day, until S or 6 days after the flow fails, when the capping will cease entirely for want of honev to work with. Now, at this point, we mo the sections from the hives, no matter in what stage oi pletion they are. Thcv are all liken to the honey-house and those that are in marketable shape are cased up, and all the part-full sections are put back into the supers to be fed for completion, selecting sections that are as near alike as ble for each super; that is, the fullest sections are put in one super, then the medium in the next, then those with only a little honev in. in another. The object of selecting section, that are in the same stage oi completion is so each super will be finished in a more uniform manner. I told you above, as tin draws to a close, sections were capped over thinner and thinner until a few days after the season closes, then capping ceases entirely. While the sections finished during the main flow might weigh 15 to I0/2 ounces, these later ones likely would not weigh over 11 to \l ounces; while the 15-ounce section will have the regular bee- 304 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 5, 1906 space between the section and separator, the light-weight sec- tion would have much more space than usual. Now, the part- full sections that we are going to feed to get finished for market, are all the way from very little or none at all capped, to nearly all capped ; and what openings there are, are some- what travel-stained. Now, when we commence to feed, the unsealed portion of the section is drawn out to the regular thickness, or a little thicker than the 15-ounce section mentioned above. This makes an ugly-looking, patched capping job. with part thin. travel-stained surface, and part plump and flat, with brand new mappings — an unsatisfactory job, and honev that will bring only a little better than No. 2 price. Now the remedy is so simple that it is a wonder that all haven't practiced it before. It is to uncap the sections we are going to feed, and let the bees draw them out to the regular thickness of comb, and cap them over anew. The results were more than satisfactory, as the sections were the best filled and the heaviest weight of any we produced last year. But the main point is, it sold with our fancv and No. "l. at 15 cents on the car. while if fed in the usual way it must have gone in a grade by itself at a lower price. Then if one produces comb-honey without separators, this idea is even more valuable. You "simplv uncap the fat, crooked surfaces deep; or, in other words, level up the sec- tions with the uncapping knife before feeding, by thinning up the thick combs, and uncapping the thin combs by just taking barely the cappings off, then grading them as to weight, etc., when putting them into the super, as I told above. Anyone who has never tried, cannot imagine what a job it is to match up partly filled sections from different supers to feed back, but in this new method the uncapping-knife does the matching, as all are trimmed smooth and even, and will fit in any place equally as well as if separators had been used. E. D. Townsend. Uncapping Machine. A labor-saver which has long been desired seems now to be an accomplished fact. Pres. Hutchinson read a letter from a New York State bee-keeper asking how many mem- bers would be willing to pay $35 for an uncapping ma- chine. He was not at liberty to describe the machine, or give the man's name. Then E. R. Root described a ma- chine made and used by a California man, who has proved it to be a success. In principle it is two rollers about 7 or 8 inches in diameter, which turn at a rate of 1,000 to 1,500 revolutions per minute. Thousands of fine points on these rollers pick the cappings off the combs as it passes down between the rollers. R. F. Holtermann said he was working on the same idea independently, so we have the uncapping machine coming from three different sources, and can feel assured that it will be a sucess. Foul-Brood Inspection. A prolonged discussion on foul-brood inspection brought out the views of many of the members on this important question. It was agreed by all that the work of controlling or doing anything towards eradicating the disease was entirely too great for one inspector, and the meager Government grant. Morley Pettit said the discussion reminded him of similar discussions .n the Ontario convention. The same conditions and the same needs prevail there. At the last Ontario convention it was decided to divide the Province into three divisions, with three inspectors. This was a step in the right direction. Mr. Root moved that a committee of Mr. Hutchinson, the present inspector, Mr. Hilton and Sec. E. M. Hunt, be appointed to consult the Legislature and endeavor to get a larger grant and more thorough inspection. Carried. Size of Sections. Mr. Root, when called upon to speak on this subject, said at present in the United States sections sell in this order: The l"s bee-way 4%x4H sections sell best; the 4^xi<; plain sections sell next in order; and the 4x5 plain sections come last in the list. Plain sections do not grow- in preference as rapidly as when they were first intro- duced, but they are steadily making headway. Mr. Aspinwall showed a shipping-case for comb honey without glass in the front, and with a new device for hold- ing the slats in place in the bottom. Mr. E. D. Townsend read the following paper: THE HARVESTING OF EXTRACTED HONEY Our practice in producing extracted honey is to furnish surplus combs enough to hold the whole crop of white honey, being careful towards the close of the season not to give any more room than is necessary to hold the crop, for it is just as necessary that extracted honey should be sealed and fin- ished, as it is that comb-honey should be sealed and finished before taking from the hive. Then. 10 days or 2 weeks after the season closes, when the bees art- all through capping and curing their honey, we are ready to extract. At this stage, if we have made a good guess, and have not given unnecessary room. 90 percent of all the honey in the hives ought to be capped. Before getting to the kink I am about to explain, we used to go over the 3'ard and select all the full, all-sealed upper stories, and extract them by themselves ; then the part- full and unsealed upper stories were extracted by themselves. Then when drawing off from the tanks into 60-pound cans, the last can or two drawn from the best grade — that is, the thin honey that always rises to the top — was kept separate, and went with the No. 2 mentioned above. Now with the ordinary way of supplying abundance of store-combs, without any regard as to how they are sealed and finished, it will be seen how easy it is to get as much as one-third of one's crop of this No. 2 grade. This large amount of No. 2 honey on our hands, that had to be sold at quite a little less price, got to be a serious matter from a financial standpoint. Then we take quite a good deal of pride in producing a superior article of extracted honey, and we did not quite relish the idea of having so large a percent of this inferior honey to sell, that we had just as lief our customers would think some one else produced. Similar ex- periences as these set us to thinking, and we "got onto" the kink I will explain. It is as follows: We set two extractors near together for convenience. We use, for this method, a 2-frame and a 4-frame extractor. Now as part of the combs to be extracted are brought in from the hives, they are sorted over, and any that are not all sealed, are run through one extractor before uncapping. Then the combs go to the uncapping tank and are uncapped and extracted in the other extractor. And right here is where the benefit of the second machine comes in; and that is. everything is finished, as we go, before the honey gets too cool to extract well, as it surely would do if we should try to do all the work with one extractor. This is the only practical way of getting nil-sealed ex- tracted honey that we know of, and I assure you this best grade is a fine article, and we get our pay in a ready market at from 1 to 2 cents a pound above the market price for our honey. This No. 2 honey is used to "feed back" to get the part- full sections of comb-honey completed, that I told about yes- terday. Those who feed bees honey for winter stores, can use this thin honey to feed up light colonies for winter. We sold what we had left at a less price than the better grade, and bought sugar to feed our light colonies, as we like sugar best for winter stores. While the best grade of honey pro- duced with this system is of a rich, oily body, with a very fine flavor and aroma, the No. 2 is thin, and "off" in everything that goes to make good honey. I have a sample of each grade at this convention, extracted at the same time, from the same colonies, for inspection. E. D. Townsend. While honey can be ripened after it is extracted, the general opinion was that it is better to have it practically all capped in the comb and left with the bees as long as possible before it is extracted. O. H. Townsend said that to ripen honey off the hive it must be kept in a room at a temperature of 80 to 100 degrees. There are sometimes damp summers, with a very slow flow, when bees do not ripen honey well. In such circumstances artificial heat should be used. Mr. Holtermann suggested that Government tests should be made to ascertain the best methods of ripening honey. E. R. Root said this matter was tested last season at the Medina yards, and it was found that the longer the honey was on the hive the more it was chemically changed, and even after it is capped this change goes on. Races of Bees. Mr. Aspinwall said, if the non-swarming hive is an assured success, he prefers Carniolans. The Manleys, R. F. Holtermann, Morley Pettit, and others, agreed with this. April 5, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 305 Mr. Holtermann had tried them S or 10 years ago and condemned them, but when he tried them recently wth large hives he found them more successful. Mr. Pettit found them gentle to handle, energetic to gather honey, and warm-blooded to build up brood early in spring; but on account of their warm blood they are inveterate swarmers. However, he has a decided strain of Carniolan blood in his bees. O. H. Townsend prefers Carniolans. Dysentery A mum, Bees. The question was asked. "Can bees have dysentery without pollen?" Mr. Aspinwall said, "Yes." There are two causes oi dysentery pollen and watery honey. Bees wintering on pure, ripe honey assimilate it nearly all. The hull of the pollen, or the water of thin honey, have to be avoided. E. R. Root said that one great cause of dysentery is cold, which causes over-eating. R. F. Holtermann said it is largely due to nervousness. Vim can close a hive in summer, shutting the bees in. and bring on dysentery through their worry at being shut in. Officers and Exhibits. The officers for the ensuing year are: President, W. Z. Hutchinson; Secretary-Treasurer, . Elmore M. Hunt, of Bell Branch. Morley Pettit was appointed to judge the exhibits, and awarded prizes as follows: Best 10 pounds of Comb-Honey — E. D. Townsend. Best 10 pounds of Extracted — Oscar Smith. Best 10 pounds of Beeswax— W. H. Every. Most Practical New Invention — Mr. Aspinwall's non- swarming hive. Best pound Section of Hone} — Oscar Smith. Southern * 23eebom -fr Conducted by Louis H. Scholl, New Braunfels, Tex. An Invitation to the National J This resolution was adopted, extending a cordial invi- tation to the National Bee-Keepers' Association to meet in Texas this year : Whereas, The National Bee-Keepers' Association promises to hold its next annual convention in Texas; therefore, be it Resolved, That the Nueces Valley Bee-Keepers' Association will welcome and appreciate the holding of such convention in our State, and we invite the several bee-keepers' associations in Texas to keep that event in view, and make the occasion one worthy of our great State. The election of officers takes place at the next meeting, on the first Monday in April, having been postponed as a larger attendance of the members is then expected. The Apiarist was adopted as the official organ of the Association. ^ — ■ Nueces Valley Bee-Keepers' Convention An interesting meeting of this Association of South- west Texas was held in regular session in Beeville, Feb. 5. Not a large number of the members were present, owing to unfavorable weather. The veteran bee-keeper, Mr. L. Stachelhausen, was a welcome attendant, and the bee keepers were indeed glad to have him among them. Prof. Albert F. Conradi, State Entomologist, and in charge of the apicultural work at the Texas Experiment Station, addressed the convention upon some important matters connected with the work at the State Experimental Apiary. He offered some valuable suggestions, and asked the hearty co-operation of the bee-keepers over the State by offering suggestions as to the most profitable line of experi- ments that are desired. He also stated that the money set apart for this work was limited, and that for this reason not all such experiments could likely be carried on in one season. Mr. Conradi asked for the appointment of a committee, by the Association, to outline such experiments as they would like to have carried out at the experimental apiary. This committee are : J. W. Taylor, Will Atchley, C. A. Butts, G. W. Hufstedler, and W. H. Eaws. Prices on honey cans were discussed, and a purchasing committee to confer with can dealers was appointed, as fol- lows : Will Atchley, J. W. Taylor, and W. C. Nutt. Dr. C. S. Phillips offered suggestions as to making ex- hibits at different places in the State. Attend Bee-Keepers' Conventions Conventions of bee keepers are good things, and should be more largely attended by our bee-keepers. If we take into consideration the large number of bee-men who keep bees — and most of them keeping them for a livelihood — and then look at the small number generally in attendance at local and district — yea, and even the State and National — meetings, it makes one wonder why it is that not more at- tend such gatherings. I have always said, " Attend the bee-keepers' conven- tions. They are of the utmost importance, for much is learned at such meetings that can not be obtained else- where." The more experienced and older members of the the craft are thoroughly familiar with the changes that are brought about in a man who attends such conventions. Take a man who stays at home, who has his own notions, his own views about things; he is generally down in " a rut " — (sometimes quite a narrow one). His views and no- tions border on that of narrow-mindedness. In his mind his apiary is the only one, his methods are better, and his ideas are only worth considering. For just such persons the bee-keepers' conventions are a good place. By rubbing up against some of the better bee-keepers much of this is worn off — the otherwise square corners soon round off — and a change is brought about that makes a better bee-man — better for himself and for the others of the craft. Instead of being a " dread " to his fellowmen — for such these men often are, who will dump their crops on the market and cause the "slump " that so much talk is made about, be- sides doing the many things not quite in accord with the better ideas of the older members — such bee-keepers soon " learn something at the convention that they had never dreamed about." For weeks afterward, after that convention, the brain will fairly buzz as " the many things that were talked about at the meeting " are turned over and considered and thought about. " Why, Smith said so and so. Jones told us about such and such. Then there was Brown who gave one of the best talks I ever heard on that subject. And / never knew what the ' Question-Box ' meant. Why, I could have listened to them answering those questions all day. Then that big bee-man I roomed with — he could surely talk bees to perfection. He told me how to keep bees, and how to make money out oj them ! " I know that I could do about as well if I would only study the subject like some of those fellows do that I met. I never could see the use of all these things — bee books, bee-papers, and such things as bee-conventions. Now I wouldn't take a hundred dollars for my trip and what I learned, and I am surely going to try to have the nicest apiary in this section, and make some money so I can have a ' say ' at the next meeting. " Yes, sir ; I am bound to attend next year's meeting, because what would be missed could not be paid in dollars and cents. "Why, I had almost forgotten about our ride home on the train. There were eight of us, and how we did talk ! Even I could tell them something by this time, for I was not afraid any more — in fact, I couldn't keep quiet any longer. It was surely a surprise to me, when I explained my way of doing when I don't want any swarms, and they told me that was indeed the easiest and most practical way out. Of course, they had not tried it, but as it seemed so easy, and because I haven't had a swarm for six years, as I did not want too many bees to keep me out of the field, and I still got a whole lot of honey, they thought my idea worth try- ing, anyway. I surely was proud that I could give even some of those fellows they called 'big lights' a little light on a subject, which they seemed to think was the hardest problem for them to solve. " Yes, I surely learned lots, and I'm going to make use of it, too, now. I can hardly wait until the proceedings come out in print. " And then we had our picture taken, too. I am won- 306 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURINAL April 5, 1906 dering how I will look among' all those real bee-keepers — and I must hurry and become one of them as quick as I can." Such are the thoughts of one who has returned from his first bee-meeting — yea, and from many more. He returns not only having learned something himself, and to become a better bee-keeper, but he has been instrumental in drop- ping a little hint here and there, perhaps, in his own rude way, that may lead to the development of some useful meth- ods for which bee-keepers have longed. Well do I remember my first bee keepers' convention. My experience was not very different from that just out- lined. Everybody thought I could not be induced to say anything, and this was only confirmed by my dissenting when asked to have a say, or give my opinion. No, I did not say anything, but how much and what I heard ! My head was crammed. Once more at home, and in the bee- yards, and how my head buzzed. Al". there was to do was at least to try some of those things I " learned at the bee- meeting." Although they seemed to be good, they were not exactly like mine. After a trial they were better — and better for me. Next year I had to attend again ; not only that, but (so I heard) one of the best papers that had been before the convention at any time was read by that young fellow who could not be induced to say a word the last year. Even in the discussions a part was taken. And how easy it was ! Attend the bee-keepers' conventions whenever it is practical for you to so, is my advice. It will be good for you. If you have been once you'll go again, for it does not take long for a person to find out that it is of much value to him. (Dur+Sister Beekeepers j Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111.. Very Old (?) English Bees ! Here is an amusing item from one of our English sis- ters in the British Bee Journal: This is my first season of bee-keeping : I had 3D pounds of section honey from one colony, and a large swarm from the other; my third consists of two lots of driven bees, secured from an old country- woman in the autumn. Her daughter-in-law told me that she did not think that her mother's bees would be worth having, as she was quite sure they were too old to gather honey! " Why," she said, " they must be nearly 30 years old I She has kept them in the same place ever 6ince she had them, and I am quite sure they must be nearly worn out — poor things. Why, last year they hardly gathered any honey at all, so I don't think it much use your trying them." Surely, Devon- shire bees are very long lived. — " Heather," Sidmouth. A New England Sister Looks On Dear Miss Wilson : — I have been absent from the Sis- ters' corner a long time, so long that you may have forgot- ten that I ever was there. However, I have kept that cor- ner in sight all the time, and watched what the sisters were doing and saying. As a result of my observation I can see that women bee-keepers are doing more independent work than formerly ; testing methods for themselves instead of depending entirely upon the experience of others. I can assure them that I have learned some wonderful things about bees since I left my old home in New York State, nearly two years ago, when I came to New England to share Henry Alley's labors in queen-rearing. His work possesses a great fascination for me, as I watch each de- tail. I wish you could see him at work among the bees, with no protection except a large red-bandana handkerchief thrown over his head, under his hat, to protect the' back of his neck. I really believe the bees get to know that ban- dana, and think it an immense flower, by the way they hover over it, but seldom under it. I have watched this work from the time that an empty comb was given to a choice queen to fill with eggs till the beautiful golden queens were put into cages, and sent all over the world, ready to reproduce their kind in distant lands. The work looks easy and simple, and the results seem almost magic ; but let me tell you, that it has taken 40 years out of the best part of a man's life to perfect that sys- tem. It all looks simple because Nature's methods have been studied, and her work is always simple. No artificial cell-cups are used, but the bees draw out the cells in a nat- ural way. I know of no more beautiful sight than a row of those queen-cells, perfectly formed, just ready to hatch those golden queens. I would like to tell the sisters the whole process, as it has unfolded before my observation, if they would care to hear a^out it. Should any of them visit New England, we would be glad to have them visit the " Bay State Apiary." Mrs. Henry Alley, Essex Co., Mass. (Formerly Mrs. C. A. Ball.) Some Intemperate Bees Sister J. W. Sagendorf, of Brookfleld Center, Conn., sends the following clipping : It would seem that it is among the humble-bees that temperance reform is most needed. The temptation is offered in the 6hape of honey supplied by certain composite plants of the thistle and century tribes. Whether this honey is specially and naturally intoxicating, or only occasionally so, is an open question ; but Mr. J. L. Williams tells us that when the bees partake of it, tbey imitate the maudliD human very closely, in that they roll on their backs, kick their legs in the air, and show the utter helpless state of the chronic inebriate. As in ether drinking, however, the intoxication is very brief in its effects; but, sad to relate, the bees return to the honey after recovery with renewed zest, although Mr. Williams relates that one bee which had been coDtined for a night in a botanical box with some of the special flowers, 6bowed signs of remorse on being set free. Possibly a sur- feit over night acted, as usual, in inducing a decided, if transitory, fit of virtue next morning. Upon reading the foregoing some will be inclined to think that Mr. Williams has himself been partaking of something not to be classed strictly among " soft drinks," and so has been " seeing things." Yet there is probably foundation for all he has said, and no very active imagina- tion was probably needed to see all he saw. When the craze for the Chapman honey-plant was on, we had quite a patch of it. It was not an uncommon thing to see a number of bees sitting on the blossoms in a sort of stupid condition, perhaps remaining in that way over night. It looks as if the nectar obtained from those plants brought on that con- dition, and although these were hive-bees no doubt bumble- bees might be served the same way. These groggy bees, when touched, would throw their hind legs in the air as if to ward off attack, and if far enough gone it is not impos- sible they might roll over on their backs. 2Ttr. pasty's Ctftertl?ouc$ts j The " Old Reliable " as seen through New and Unreliable Glasses. By E. E. Hasty, Sta. JB. Rural, Toledo, Ohio. Dampening Sections— Cutting Foundation. Both the section-dampening plan and the foundation- cutting device, given by C. H. Harlan, on page 165, are likely to be splendid, if you can only make them work. As he makes them work it ought not to prove impossible to the rest of us. (Damp cellar for sections, and a saw-cut path for the end of the foundation-knife.) Growing A Quick Wind-Break. Anent Dr. Miller's answer about quick wind-breaks, on page 164, there's no doubt about Cottonwood making the most growth ; but seems to me young cottonwoods incline to grow too much like bare poles. For the first 5 years I kind o' guess one might do better. How would it do to set quite thickly poles 10 feet high of white willow or weeping willow ? They take root and grow. I think soft maple will do the same thing if the ground is not too dry. Localities differ some as to which trees come to the front. Here wild cherry distances pretty much everything it grows beside. If one chose that, I think he would have to set rooted trees instead of poles. Doubtless cottonwoods could be branched out by cutting tops off — but don't they incline to sulk in- i stead of growing their prettiest when you do that ? Possi- April S, 1906 l'HE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 307 bly I'm slandering the Cottonwood, after all, from seeing it grow among other brush. If perfectly in the open, and in a windy place, its style might be O. K. Poplars which used to be very abundant and rapid of growth here are now nearly extinct from some microbic disease. And the dis- ease will be likely to visit you all when it gets a good ready. Bees Moving Eggs or Lakv.ic. If E. W. Diefendorf gets the cold facts which he calls upon three eminent Canadians to give, I surmise that they will turn out to be cases of queens being reared where no queen could have laid an egg in the cell — that is proof that bees moved something, and they assumed that it was eggs rather than larvre. So far as the moving is concerned, bees are probably capable enough of moving either one. Appar- ently the crucial point is that larva; stay where they are put, while eggs will not. Page 165. Caucasian Bees. The findings of Rev. Robert B. McCain about Cauca- sians are to be noted. He finds them good. But Italians, in the important matter of storing surplus, are somewhat better. Well, to live up to their reputation as non-stingers, and do fairly good work at storing, is all they need to do to hold an important place in certain locations. More than that I guess we must not expect of them. Page 181. Causes of Honey Flow and Suppression. The mysterious part of the varied causes of honey-flow and suppression calls pretty loudly for investigation. That the percent of sugar in beets varies greatly — a]s0 mysteri- ously— and to a certain extent parallel with the variation of the honey -flow, is a choice item to work into our going-to- come solution. Many thanks to Mr. H. S. Philbrook for it. His observation is that thunder-showers with great electri- cal violence and small precipitation are very bad for the nectar-secretion, and also bad for beet sweetness. I think we seldom have just such conditions here I believe our usual thunder-showery weather for the most part favors the nectar-secretion, except so far as the rain washes the secre- tion away. Of course, we wouldn't expect that form of thunder shower that clears up with a north wind and much colder weaiher to be favorable. Page 184. Two Queens in a Hive. We see. Everything has to be challenged. And now the mother-and-daughter theory of two queens in one hive catches it. Always two sisters, one of them a poor one, is the new theory proposed. That is, I suppose, the poor one hasn't vim enough about her to bring on a fight, and not enough of the scent of fertility to provoke much attention of any kind from the real queen of the hive. Guess the new theory is not so absurd as some of the new things we hear. At worst, we can thank Mr. Philbrook for setting us to thinking. Page 184. Sulphur for Bee Paralysis. To have a powder-gun loaded with sulphur, and shoot all the entrances semi-occasionally, as Mr. Philbrook sug- gests, is not costly, and need not take much time. In locali- ties where bee-paralysis often amounts to something seri- ous— well, the keeper would thus soon come to have an idea whether it was worth while or whether he was merely mak- ing a monkey of himself. Page 185. Conducted by Morlet Pettit, Villa Nova, Out. Relation of Ripeness of Honey to Granulation Replying to an enquiry with reference to ripeness of honey to granulation, I have the following from Prof. Shutt: Mr. Morley Pettit: — In normal, ripe honey it is claimed that the dextrose and levulose are present in approximately equal propor- tions. We have no Canadian data on this point. Of course, the run- nings from honey that have granulated, either in the comb or subse- quently, will contain an excess of levulose. In well-ripened honey the water will be from, say 15.5 to 17 5 per- cent, and the dextrose and levulose together in the neighborhood of SO percent. Possibly honey more or less unripe will not granulate, owing to its larger proportion of water. Unfortunately, I can not find any state- ment as to thi6, and it is a matter which we have not yet investigated. The proportion of water can be determined from the specitie gravity, and if it could be shown that unripe honey with its larger percentage of water did not solidify, it might be possible to establish a relationship between specitie gravity and granulation. Yours truly, Frank T. Shutt, OhemUt. How to "Sample" a Town With Honey At the Ontario Convention many good points on " samp- ling " a town with honey by a house-to-house canvass were given. The Canadian Grocer has the following item along the same line : The Art of Sampling. It is remarkable the results which will accrue by judicious samp- ling of a given district. First and foremost, the store-keeper must be certain of his article. It should be the best of its kind— no secoad-grade goods. The giving of a poor article will kill trade, not make it. Second, it should be neatly and attractively gotten up. The first impression is the lasting one. Given an attractive sample, the recipient expects a good thing — the first move in the direction of success. Third, do not fail to have the name, address, and price clearly upon it. Suppose you try this with your confectionery. A good corner of the street at the busiest time of the day; a neat, tasty confection handed to the passer-by by an equally neat and well-dressed boy with a well-worded notice of the fact in your usual advertisement space in the local journal, and you will welcome the result. A successful candy-dealer in the United States has built up a large business in this way. ^m ■ ^^' Streaky Granulation in Honey— Losing Its Honey Flavor Amid the con fusion of information regarding the honey- bee and its products, it is singular how little there is about the treatment of honey after it has been harvested. It is true that honey, extracted after being sealed over, should require no treatment at all beyond straining, but if the moisture has not been evaporated, and the honey sealed over, some treatment is necessary. The method advocated by some, of using the extractor to empty the upper tier of frames in doubled hives so fre- quently that the bees are unable at any time to build it up completely, must of necessity compel the apiarist to remove some honey which is unsealed, and therefore unripe. Un- der such circumstances half or more of the extracted honey will remain perfectly liquid and the remainder will become granulated, and if it is then put in bottles the combination of the two honeys is anything but satisfactory to the pur- chaser. The explanation of this fact is, after all, simple enough. Honey is composed of dextrose and levulose in certain proportions, and water to the extent of about 25 per- cent ; if the former predominates it granulates, and if the levulose it remains liquid. The only method by which this state of things can be avoided is by allowing the whole of the honey to remain on the hive until properly ripened, or keep the honey in a warm place (about 100 degrees) until the excessive moisture has been gotten rid of. This can be accomplished and the virgin delicacy not be impaired. If honey is heated to the boiling point it will lose its flavor, but as stored by the bees it is seldom suojected to a temperature higher than 100 degrees, which is sufficient to evaporate the moisture from the crudest honey within a few days. A colony of bees will build, evaporate, and seal over a 30-pound super in a week to a fortnight in the height of the season, but it is possible that the bees assist in re- ducing the moisture by extracting the watery portion of the honey for brood-rearing and for their own use. The most exacting taste will not be able to discriminate between the granular and non-granular honey, but the expert can tell by the specific gravity whether it will eventually gran- ulate satisfactorily. Nothing is more worthy of attention by bee-keepers than the placing of their product before the public in the best manner. To be able to improve, refine, and heighten its qualities is to earn the gratitude of all the fraternity. — Weekly Mail and Empire. Amerikanische Bienenzucht, by Hans Buschbauer, is a bee-keeper's hand-book of 138 pages, which is just what our German friends will want. It is fully illustrated, and neatly bound in cloth. Price, postpaid, $1.00; or with the American Bee Journal one year — both for $1.75. Address all orders to this office. 308 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 5, 1906 =\ Doctor miller's Question * 23ox j Send questions either to the office of the American Bee Journal, or to Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, 111. Dr. Miller does not answer Questions by mail. Mice as Honey-Eaters There seems a difference of opinion between Messrs. Doolittle and Hasty as to mice eating honey. Please tell us what you think about it. Illinois. Answer. — If I may be allowed to paraphrase, I will say that a certain gentleman whom I hold in high e6teem is usually accurate, but lam unreasonable enough to entertain some doubts whether he is perfectly sound on mouse diet. I wish Mr. Hasty would try this experiment : In a place where mice are wont to congregate, let him place food in abundance, but nothing sweet except a new comb containing a little honey, none of it sealed, and none of the cells well tilled, and then let him report to us whether the mice have torn down any of the cells to get at the boney, and whether they have torn down for mischief any of the cells that do not contain honey. An Injured Finger Ripening Basswood Honey 1. Last November I got my finger hurt so it was inflamed. I worked a few days after this with the bees, and they stung my bands a great deal. Before long the finger commenced to fester. The doc- tor lanced it, and did so almost every other day for 40 days, as it seemed to be honey-combed through and through, and each lancing only opened a small pocket. By this time I got too weak to walk. The doctors then cut it off above the first joint, and still the infection continued, and it had to be lanced a good many times after this. I still have it done up, but the inflammation is about gone, and I think it is about well — only one little 6pot. Now the four finger joints seem to be larger and stiff next to the hand. By getting stung on this finger, or hand, will it be more apt to poison it again? 2. I am liable to have about 2 tons of basswood honey. How would it do to extract it a little green, put it into large barrels with one head out, aDd leave it in the honey-house to ripen? Do you think this would do about as well as to leave it on the hives? Iowa. Answers. — 1. I don't think the stings were the cause of the trouble, but in the condition of that hand irritation from any source whatever is to be avoided, and I would be to no little trouble to avoid stings on it. I don't like gloves at all, but in your case I think I should wear at least one glove when working with bees. 2. Don't try it. It will be very likely to result in a lot of honey not fit to put upon the market. Unless you have special facilities for ripening honey, such as no one in your climate is likely to have, don't extract honey till it is well ripened. You can easily spoil your market by one lot of unfit honey, and it will take years to overcome the harm. Wax-Worms and Combs— Extracted-Honey Retail Packages and for Storage 1. How early in spring will the wax-worm begin its destructive work on combs stored in the honey-house? 2. How can I keep the frames from being injured? Last year I hung some on racks in the light where I occasionally looked at them, but after catching one here and one there I soon had the comb broken up more or less. 3. What would you advise me to use to store extracted honey in ? I strain it right from the extractor. Last fall I put it immediately in retail packages. This year I will probably get more honey. I expect to put some in retail packages (pound jars) as 60on as extracted, to supply my local trade. I may also 6ell some in larger packages. Now, what should one have on hand in the extracting-house, where I store it, to facilitate the handling of say 1500 to 2000 pounds of honey? and would the method you give be all right for larger quantities? 4. Is it necessary that honey be kept in an air-tight receptacle? 5. Is tin objectionable as a retail package for storing? Pennsylvania. Answers. — 1. Something depends upon the character of the honey- house. It needs considerable warmth for the favorable development of the miscreants, and if your honey-house is a warm place you may expect them to flourish by the first of May. Otherwise not till the last of the month. In a cool cellar there will be little trouble before the combs are needed for swarms. Of course, if the weather is warm their work will be earlier than when there is a cool spring. 2. Keep the combs in a cool place, as in a cellar, till needed for swarms. Still tetter, a6 soon as colonies become strong put under each strong colony a story of combs to take care of. You mny keep them almost anywhere if you look them over every 10 days, and when you find any signs of their work take Miss Wilson's plan, and with an oil-can squirt a little gasoline upon them. 3. Nothing is better than glass or stoneware. Sixty-pound tin cans would probably answer your purpose. 4. No; although too long exposure allows escape of aroma. 5. Not if the tin i6 of goud quality. Italianizing Black Bees 1. On page 236 is a question about Italianizing black bees by giving them brood from Italian bees; but how about the mating of the queens — wouldn't they be mated from the black drones, and not be of pure blood? 2. If this would work all right, how early could this be done? 3. If early in the season will the bees rear drones to mate these queens? Iowa. Answers — 1 As the mating of queens takes place outside the hive, a virgin reared from the best Italian 6tock is likely to meet a black drone so long as blacks are greatly in excess. But by breeding only from those which do succeed in being purely mated, and occa- sionally buying a pure queen if necessary, one may hope in time to work out black blood to a large extent. But it is by no means an easy thing to keep pure Italian stock so long as impure blood is within 2 miles of you. 2 and 3 LTnless you are an expert you will be likely to fail in securing either good queens or drones much before the time when bees naturally begin to make preparations for swarmiog; and when you become an expert you are not likely to try it. If you want to take some steps to have Italian virgins meet only Italian drones, in- stead of trying to have them earlier in the spring than other drones, you might try to have them fly later in the day than black drones are flying, by keeping in the cellar colonies or nuclei with the proper vir- gins and drones, and bringing them out in the afternoon after black drones have ceased to fly. A little thin feed will start them to flying. Shallow Hlves-Unltlng Weak Colonies 1. I am making some new hives with shallow frames, h% inches. I intend to use 2 shallow supers for a brood-chamber, 8 or 10 frames in each. 2. Will shallow frames cause less drone-rearing if I use full sheets of worker foundation? 3. I have some big hives with 18 frames in the brood-chamber. Are they as good as 8 or 10 frame hives for extracted honey? 4. I have some weak colonies. Would I do better to unite them, making one out of two? Would I have to kill the queen in one be- fore uniting! Wisconsin. Answers.— 1. The majority of bee-keepers seem to prefer the deeper frames, but there is more in the management than in the frames. 2. The depth of the frame will make no difference as to drone- rearing. With full sheets of worker-comb you ought to have little trouble with drones in either case. 3. You can probably get as much honey from one as the other. The smaller hives are more convenient to move; but that may not be important in your case. On the whole, while it may be well to use hives with IS Langstroth frames, if you have them already on hand, until you And them preferable in your hands it may not be advisable to make more of them. 4. If each colony has a good queen it may be best to try to keep them separate. Neither should you judge of the value of a queen by what she does in a very weak colony. The best queen in the world will not do the best work with only a small number of bees. You might try the plan of putting a weak colony over a strong one, with a queen-excluder between. If you unite 2 colonies it is not necessary to kill one of the queens. Pure-Blood Italians-Rearing Queens 1. I purchased an untested queen last fall of 5-banded stock, and only the workers show 3 full yellow bands. Is she a full blooded Ital- ian queen? 2. Will a full-blooded Italian queen always produce yellow queens, or will some be black? 3. Say a queen of 5-banded stock would be mated with a black drone, what percent of Italian blood would her bees contain? and how many yellow bands will they have? 4. How many generations would it take, by having an Italian queen mated with a black drone every time, until there would be more black blood than Italian? 5. Would fresh-laid eggs be all right for rearing queens, by put- ting them in compressed cups without royal jelly? or must larvte be hatched before being moved or used? Ohio. Answers.— 1. I don't know. It used to be the rule that if all the worker-bees showed 3 yellow bands the stock was counted pure Ital- ian, and I suppose that is still the test; but since the evolution of 5- banded bees I'm not sure the rule will hold. Suppose we have 5- bander6, and a virgin of that stock meets a hybrid drone. It is easy to conceive that the result might be 3-banded workers, with some 4- banded and some 5-banded, and yet there would be some black blood present. The possibility, if not the probability, is that your queen is not purely mated. 2. No; some of the purely-imported Italian queens are quite dark April 5, l ;06 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 309 and the royal progeny of a pure Italian queen are likely to show no little variation In color. You can not judge by the looks of an Italian queen, but from her worker progeny. 8. If the mother is pure Italian, and the father pure black, there will be just half black blood in the queen or worker olTspring, but the drones will be pure Italian. There will be no uniformity as to the number of bands on the workers; some of them may have o, and some may have none. ■4. I suppose you mean that you would each time use a pure black drone to mate with the cross already obtained. In that case, the first cross would be half black, and the second cros6 three-fourths black. 5. I don't suppose you would succeed by moving eggs. 1 don't remember hearing that any one ever did. Buying Bees In the Spring 1. When would you advise to buy bees? 2. What would you call a good colony ? 3. What would you pay for a mixed colony, but good in every other way i Nebraska. Answers.— 1. Rather late in spring, say about the beginning of fruit-bloom, is a very good time. The troubles resulting from winter- ing are likely to be oyer then, with nothing to hinder a prosperous career. 2. A colony that at that time has brood in 5 frames, Langstroth size (lT^xQ's), each frame being % or more filled with brood, would be a fairly good colony ; with 6 or 7 brood it would be a very good colony. 3. There is no rule about prices. They may be twice as much in one place as in another, varying from $4 or less to 8S or more. Ventilation Space Below Brood Frames When Moving Bees You are familiar with the Holtermann portico and screen for moving bees, but to attach such an apparatus to all our hive6 would destroy the interchangeability of extracting supers and brood-cham- bers, besides several other disadvantages. My idea is to use your deep bottom-boards — say 2% inches deep instead of the usual 2 inches — then when necessary to move bees iu any kind of weather, just pull out the false bottom and insert a screen-covered rim, say 12x19',, , into the entrance, giving then a clustering space of at least 2 inches under the frames, and wire-cloth surface for ventilation about lO^xlT1., — greater than the ventilating surface of the screen used with Holter- mann's portico. 1. How deep do you think the bottom-board should be to be used as above? 2. As all the air must come in at the front of the entrance, and mostly under the 6creen, in the J^-inoh space under the screen above the floor, will the ventilation be sufficient for the strongest colonies? 3. What do you think of the idea ! Any improvements ! Idaho. Answers. — 1. It seems to me 21., would be enough, and possibly 2, but you'll have to wait and try it in red-hot weather before you can be sure. 2. Not sure about it, but it seems to me % inch under the screen would be better, even at the expense of less clustering room between screen and bottom-bars. 3. If I had originated the idea I should say it was just the thing. Seeing it's your baby, I'll 6ay you can't tell how it will work till you try it. How would it do to have the screen within 1{ inch of the floor at the back end, and within 1 inch of the floor at the entrance? Not so easy to make a close fit, but it would put the bees at the back end more on a par with those at the front end as to chance for pure air. In fact, wouldn't less than J^j inch do at the back end if the air that reached that point was fresh? I think you'll see what I'm getting at, that if the space is the same thronghout, and there's any suffering for lack of fresh air, the bees at the back end would be the ones to 6uffer most. ■» • > Old Combs for Beeswax- Making Sections at Home- Changing Queens— Number or Comb-Honey Supers Per Colony- Equalizing Brood Among Colonies 1. Are old combs with dead bees in them fit for beeswax? If so. how is the best way to get it out of them? I have no extractor. 2. As the price of sections is very high, and section lumber very cheap in my neighborhood, do you think it would pay me to buy a machine to make sections > 3. I clip my queens and hive the swarms on the old stand. Would it do to change queens when tbey swarm, by giving them a queen-cell or a young queen just hatched ? Would they store as much honey by changing the queen ? 4. I run my apiary for comb honey, using the 8-frame dovetailed hive with T-supers. How many supers should I have for each hive I 5. On April 22, 1905, my colonies had 3 to 7 frames of brood each. Would it pay to take from and give to until each colony had the same amount of brood? Iowa. Answers. — 1. Yes, a large part of the wax of commerce is ob- tained from hives in which bees died in winter. One way to get the wax out of a small quantity of combs is to use a dripping-pan. Split open one corner. Put the pan in the oven of a cook-stove, the split end projecting outside the oven-door, and the diagonally opposite cor- ner of the pan slightly raised. Set any vessel containing a little water under the outer corner to catch the dripping wax. But this will not get the wax out as clean as a wax-press. 2. No, there is probably not a man in the country that makes sec- tions only for his own use. A complete outfit of section machinery would cost several thousand dollars, probably. 3. No, when a swarm is hived it doesn't take a great deal to make the bees desert their new habitation, and if theirold queen were taken away they would not be satisfied with a cell or a virgin, but would re- turn to their old home. 4. That depends. Decide as nearly as you can the average num- ber of supers your colonies mill fill in the very best season. That's the number you need, together with one extra super for each hive. For instance, if in the very best season the number of filled supers averages 5 for each hive, then you should have 6 ready. You understand that it will be a rare thing for you to need so many, but an old saw runs, " It's better to be ready and not go than to go and not be ready;" and the extra supers not needed will be all right for another year. 5. It's not a bad plan. But let me give you a hint: Don't take from the strongest and give to the weakest, but give to those not quite strong enough. Take a frame from those having 6 or 7 frames, re- ducing them to 5; that is, from a colony having 6 frames you will take one frame, and from a colony having 7 frames you will take 2 frames of brood. Now give one or two frames to each colony having only 4 frames. When these are brought up, then give 2 or 3 frames to each colony having only 3. __ Several Eggs in a Cell-Preventing Bees Hanging Out- Keeping Queens 1 What causes a queen to lay a number of eggs in each cell? This was done by the queen in the colony that died, and they had mostly drone-comb. . 2 What can be done to stop bees from hanging out • 3 What is the best way to keep queens taken from colonies i Nebraska. Answers— 1. I don't know. It is a very rare thing ; and gen- erally a queen that does that sort of thing is no good; but I have known a queen to do it for a time, and then behave herself with enure propriety during the rest of her life. It is, however, not such a rare thing to find more than one egg in a cell ; but in nearly every case such eggs are not laid by a queen, but by laying workers. Unless you know positively that a queen laid the eggs in the case you mention, 1 should suspect laying workers. 2 Give them abundance of room, shade and ventilation. Some- times, however, they are hanging out because there is nothing to be done in the field, and in that case they are not to blame for hanging Z In a nucleus. For a few days, however, they may be kept caged in a colony that has its own queen, and some good-natured bees are generally willing to feed them. To make entirely sure against starvation, a provisioned queen-case may be used. Stretching Comb Foundation -Miller Frame 1 How do you make 7', -inch wide brood foundation reach to the saw-kerf in the top of the trame and between the two pieces of the bottom-bar? The total distance 8Ji- . _. . . .. „ _ 2 Where can I get the Miller frame? I have been using the Hoff- man, but don't like it any better than you do. Kansas. Answers— 1. You mustn't ask such hard questions. I don't know of any way to make comb foundation longer except by stretch- ing it, and that isn't a good way. My foundation is made half an inch more than the space between the top and the bottom-bars; that makes the foundation «% inches. You probably have foundation 1%, and want to know how you can use it. I'll tell you: Cut some of the sheets into strips % of an inch wide. Put a full sheet into the upper part of the frame, and a % strip into the lower part. It may not be easy to make an exact fit where the two parts come together, but it doesn't matter if they are % or }4 of an inch apart. The bees will make it all right. 2. From theO. B. Lewis Co., Watertown, Wis., and probably any manufacturer will make them to order. Honey as a Health-Food.— This is a 16-page honey- pamphlet intended to help increase the demand for honey. The first part of it contains a short article on Honey as Food '" written by Dr. C. C. Miller. It tells where to keep honey, how to liquefy it, etc. The last part is devoted to "Honey-Cooking Recipes" and "Remedies Using Honey. It should be widely circulated by those selling honey. I he more the people are educated on the value and uses of honey, the more honey they will buy. Prices prepaid— Sample copy for a two-cent stamp; Ml copies for 70 cts ; 100 for $1.25; 250 for $2.25; 500 for $4.00; or 1 000 for $7.50. Your business card printed free at the bottom of front page on all orders for 100 or more copies. Send all orders to the office of the American Bee Journal. See Langstroth Book Offer on another page of this copy of the American Ree Journal. 310 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 5, 1906 Reports cmb (Experiences White Clover All Right. I can not do without the American Bee Journal while I keep bees. I have 60 colonies in good condition. They had a cleansing flight to-day — the first since March 8. We have had very stormy, wintry weather the past two weeks. The prospects for honey are favorable so far, as the white clover — •our main honey-plant — is all right. L. W. Elmore. Fairfield, Iowa. .March 26. Bees Wintered Well So Far. Bees are wintering well so far. I hope we will have a good year for "honey. Last year we had only a quar- ter of a crop. I put 102 colonies in the cellar last fall. I am now looking for warmer weather very soon so as to put them out. C. Eggenberger. Theilman, Minn., March 26. Honey Searee Last Season. Last fall I packed 6 colonies of bees snug and tight for winter. The honey was scarce last season, so I fed SO pounds of sugar and then they were in fair condition to winter, excepting one colony. I lost this one, doubled up two this spring, and I now have 4 good colonies. I have had bees 2 years and have gotten only 20 pounds of honey. This does not discourage me, as many have lost all their bees this winter. Cecil H. Neuman. Wymore, Neb., March 5. Season Earlier Than Usual. Our season is earlier than usual. The fruit-trees are just in bloom. Bees are in fine condition, and swarming will soon be the order of the day. J. W. K. Shaw & Co. Loreauville, La., March 11. Not Expecting a Great Crop. We can report a very fine rain, 4 or 5 inches, just now. If we get as much toward the last of March, we shall get some honey this season, unless it turns very dry from now until that rain of the last of March. But even without it, a rain of 2 inches in the middle of April would make a honey-yield. But I have not known 2 honey crops in suc- cession since I have been in California. The prospects hang bv a thread, as it were. C. W. Dayton. Chatsworth, Calif., Feb. 15. Keeping Bees on Shares. I have been in the bee-business for S years. A man asked permission 3 years ago to set his bees on my place on shares. I was to get half the swarms and half the honey, but had to furnish my own hives. We had at that time 26 colonies, but did not have very good luck that year, as the man had some enemies that poisoned the bees. It must have been paris-green that was used, as handfuls could be scooped up in front of each hive. In the fall when we divided I got s colonies, but little or no honey. My trouble in keeping bees is. they want to swarm too much, and the hives arc so high in price, al- though I got mine second-hand for $2.25 for the hive and 2 supers. The first prime swarms I hive, but when the swarms get smaller I double them up with a weak and late swarm. Of course there is some trouble at first, hut they soon quiet down. I find the dead queen in front of the hive in the morning, which I expect. I have had some swarms come, out with 2 and 3 queens, and have had swarms come out together, and they have done well. Last year I cut out all the queen- cells, which I think I ought not to have done, for I soon found I had a 1 many queenless colonies, which dwindled I died. I gave them combs of brood, thinking they would rear a queen, but it did not help. I have now 35 colonies in good con- dition. Last year they averaged 2 supers of honey to the hive. I am a farmer by occupation, and it takes most of my time to attend to other business, but I love to work with bees. I never put on veil or gloves, but go right amongst the bees. My family are also good bee-keepers. Noack Soderlund. Tudor, Calif., Feb. 15. EVERYBODY WANTS PUBLISHED WEEKLY FOR THE BREEDER AND FARMER. Recognized authority on Breeding, Feeding, Man- agement and the Improved Breeds of Stock. Special Departments for Draft and Coach Horses, The Beef and Dairy Breeds of Cattle, Sheep, Swine, Poultry and the Dairy, By able Live Stock Writers and Breeders, with the best from Home and Foreign papers of the world's progress in Live Stock Husbandry. Our Live Stock Market Report is unequaled. Handsomely printed and illustrated. No Stock Farmer can afford to do without it. Published weekly. Subscription price only $1.00. Agents wanted in every county. Write for sample copy. Address THE LIVE STOCK JOURNAL 394 E. 56th ST. CHICAGO This Is the Season when the poultry- men's interest centers in his incuba- tors. With the approach of spring he anticipates the advent of a large num- ber of fluffy little balls of down, which are later to be developed into the profits he must make in. order to carry on his business successfully. Any fail- ure on the part of the machine at this critical juncture means serious loss, not only of money invested in eggs, but time wasted in producing a poor hatch — not that hatching is such a dif- ficult matter, because there are many devices which will hatch chickens, but the point to be considered is to get the machine which will unquestionably hatch the largest number of strong, vigorous chicks, with the least ex- penditure of time, labor and money. As a standard of excellence in these respects, the Reliable Incubator will meet every requirement. The system of heating and ventilation employed in the 1906 Reliable so perfectly controls the temperature and moisture that, pro- viding the eggs used are of the proper fertility, results can be guaranteed al- most to a certainty. While the system employed embraces the most advanced and practical ideas in the principles of incubation, it is extremely simple in operation, requiring little care to run the machine, and relieving the opera- tor of all unnecessary labor. No arti- ficial moisture is required, and as the lamp, burners and chimneys are made entirely of metal, and so constructed as to be perfectly safe from explosion or catching fire, this machine is an ideal one for the poultry-raiser. The many vears which the Reliable Incuba- tor & Brooder Co. have been before the public have established their reputa- tion for producing a most excellent line of poultry appliances. The machines they offer the present season are fully up to their previous standard of ex- i . Hence, besides embodying further im- provements. A complete description of their incubators and brooders will be found in their catalog, which they will be pleased to mail free of cost to any one who will address The Reliable In- cubator & Brooder Co., Quincy. 111., re- questing a copy of same. When writ- ing kindly mention the American Bee Journal. WANTED Young man to take care of an apiary of 300 colonies, and carefully pack bee supplies for shipping. TRESTER S^PPLYO^ Widen The Circle There is no better way for the farm- er to widen the circle of his influence than to join with his neighbors in build- ing a telephone line. It extends the neigh- borhood circle and enables each one to receive advantages that cannot be had in any other way. The cost is meager com- pared with the benefits of a good tele- phone line, and progressive farmers, who are awake to their own interests, are building many such lines. Stromberg-Carlson Telephones are used on nearly all farmers' lines because they have been found to be the most suitable tele- phones for that purpose. It don't pay to experi- ment when you can get Stromberg-Carlson Telephones and be sure of good service. Start off with the best and your line will always work satisfactorily. You will also avoid the expense of changing instruments in a few months. Book 80 I, "How the Tele- phone Helps the Farmer," tells how to or- ganize, build, and operate a farmer's line. It's free, and every farmer should have a copy. Address Nearest Office Write For Book Today STROMBERG-CARLSON TELEPHONE MFG CO. ROCHESTER, N. Y. CHICAGO. ILL. April 5. 19C6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 311 Seea-Time and Harvest is au illustrated Monthly Journal for country home6. It is known everywhere as the Great '•Home Industry " Monthly. It is a "Peri- odical with a Purpose." Its mission is "Teach Independence Through Home Employment." Only 25 cents per year; none free. Seed-Time. & Harvest Pub. Go. 4SCtf Dept. 208, Scranton, Pa. Please mention the Bee Journal. m^ CACTUS CULTURE for amateurs, 80 pages pro- fusely illust*. and describing 500 varieties cf rarest Cacti and Succulents. t Just pub. price 25 cents. Living Rock Cactus, 25c. Old Man Cactus (genuine) 50c. E. Mulleri (like cut) 10c. 10 nice Cacti, SI. 00, postpaid. 40-page catalogue of 500 var7 and a nice little sample Cactus, 10c. Circular free. The Callander Cactus Co., Dept. 43. Springfield, Ohio. BARNES' FOOT POWER MACHINERY Read what J. I. PARENT,of Charlton, N. Y., says: " We cut with one of your Com- bined Machines, last winter- 50 chaff hives with 7-in. cap, 100 honey racks, 500 brood, frames, 2,000 honey boxes, and a erreat 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. It will do all you say it will." Catalog and price-list free. Address, W. F. & John Barnes, 995 Ruby St., Rockford, 111. Mention Bee Journal when writing:. Successful Poultry Journal FRANK HECK, Editor. Subscription Price so cents per Year. Write for Advertising Rates. Tbe most prominent and successful, practica poultrymen write for tbe Successful Poultry Jour rial, and tell how they build tbeir houses, mate their fowls, manage their incubators, feed both young and old— and, in fact, tell bow they succeed and make money. Send for sample copy. SUCCESSFUL POULTRY JOURNAL ICtf 355 Dearborn St., CHICAGO. ILL. PETS If you are interested in Pigeons, Rabbits, Cavies, Dogs, Cats, Birds or Pei6 of any kind, you should send for a tree sample of PET H'l'OCN. It's tilt* Itest I*u 1>- litiilioii ot its kind in America. Has a national circulation, and it's only 50c a year. Addrefs. PUT STOCK, 40-Ctf Box 20. YORK, PA. Here is a Winner ih,< Tear The Modern Farmer and Busy 15ee.$ .50 Gleanings in Bee-Culture 1.00 The ABC of Bee-Culture, postpaid . 1.20 For a Short Time Only, all three, $1.70 Do Not Send Private Chicks You can substitute either Pearson's, Cosmopolitan, American Boy, or West- ern Fruit-Grower for Gleanings, or Lang- stroth for A BC, if you wish. Act quickly, and address THE HODERN FARHER, ST. JOSEPH, MO. ! Sections ■:■ Sections ■:■ Sections I -AT- Anti-Trust Prices H $3.25 for No. I's In Lots of 1,000 and up $2.25 for No. 2's SB Quality and Quantity Guaranteed And the price— CAN IT BE BEAT? Order Now. Columbia Manufacturing Co. Antigo, Wisconsin. HEAD OFFICE— APPLETON, WIS. In Its Twenty-eighth Year The RuralGaiifornian 6 Months 25c. A large monthly magazine devoted to Agricul- tural, Horticultural and rural pursuits, showing the wonderful development of the Pacific Coast. Beau- tifully Illustrated, well edited and artistically printed on fine bonk paper. An encyclopedia ot in- formation for colonists. Address, THE RURAL CALIFORNIAN Rooms 6 and 7 Temple Block, ,ctf LOS ANGELES. CALIF. CONVENTION NOTICE. p. A 4U-page Catalog: Iree fl ^ ^ 0^ The latest work on Itlli;- KUPC SliPPI-lEM.Hives.Fix MJ Wj UJ \f tu res, Etc. Italian Bees and ^^ Queens. If interested in bees, do not fail to write us. John Nebel &Son Supplij Go., High flill, Mo. 6C1 f Please mention the Bee Journal. We Sell root's Goods in Michigan Let us quote you prices on Sections, Hives, Foundation, etc., as we can save you time and (relent. Beeswax WanUd for Cash. B M. H.HUNT A SON. Bell Branch, Waynb Co., Mich Connecticut.— The 15th annual meeting of the Connecticut Bee-Keepers' Association will be held in the Capitol, Hartford, Room 50, Wednesday, April 11, 1906, at 10:30 a.m. All bee-keepers should make an extra effort to attend this meeting. Try to bring a friend also. Topics for discussion : The best method for putting starters in sections. Your best way to prevent swarming. Swarming devices, pro and con. Large and small hives com- pared. What is the best way to increase? Best use to make of second swarms. How did your bees winter? How many colonies have you? What do you do with sections after re- moving them from the hive? Handling the divisible brood-chamber vs. single frames. How do you manage the colony after the first swarm has left? How do you ripen or thicken extracted honey? Can new combs be made out of old ones by cutting them to one-half inch thick or less? and would they be as good as new ones? Please bring something for the exhibition table, or a question for the question-box. Mrs. E. E. Smith, Sec. Watertown, Conn. GROCERIES AT WHOLESALE PRICES FREE This catalogue will save you money on your grocery supplies. -FREIGHT PAID- What do your grc of us if we can pi 20 per cent ami p< WOrt h saving; it. [q Get our large Groc you have been pa us a trial order : we do not save you expense. The pro expenses. We n > everything we BC immense qnant it i you tbe benefli sell to you at ju have to pay. We icerles cost you a year? Will you huy them uve that we will save you from 10 per cent to // the freight! That certainly Is an amount w nil h the trouble of asking for the proofs - ry List and compare our prices with what ving. Then put us to a greater test— send ml compare the goods and the prices. If big money, send the goods back at our eery bill is'the biggest pan of the family 1 cut it almost in the middle and guarantee 11. We can do this because we buy in •s — carloads and tralnloads— and we give l our ability to buy cheap; Ln fact we can about the figure your local dealer would tve yon his profit and the freight besides. To save *iill another 10 per cent, become B member of the Co-operative Society <>f the National Supply Co. We'll tell you how to get this extra it) per cent discount, if you will write for full information. An easy way to make money. l«nQSAL§0PPLYCT2, /,, LUX If you want to save money get our catalogue and learn just how cheap you can buy groceries from us. Catalogue is ready and lists everything in the grocery line. We send it free. Co-operative Society of the National Supply Co., Lansing, Mich, and Chicago, Ml. 312 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 5, 1906 GREAT SALE OF Hives, Sections, Etc. To reduce my stock 1 will sell No. 1 White Polished Sections at $3 90; No. 2, $3.40- all sizes; plaio, 25e less per 1000. Best White Pine Dovetail Hives, 8-frame, 1%-Story, $1.30; 10-frame, $1.45. Great reduction in Smokers, Foundation, and all Apiarian Supplies. 24-lb. Shipping Cases, very nice, 13c; Quart Berry Baskets, $2.75 per 1000. Send for free Catalog. W.D.SOPER, RF.D3.JACK&3N. Mich. 1 4Etf Please mention the Be* Journal. Etablissement d'apiculture Mont-Jovet ALBERTVILI.E. FRANCE. Official purveyor of the U. S. Government. We supply also Imported Caucasian Queens. Safe arri- val guaranteed. CAUCASIAN QCEENS. 1 fi 12 Select Untested Queens #\no $li.no $20.00 Select Tested Queens 2.50 14.00 25.00 Italian Queens. l 6 12 Select Untested Queens $1.00 $5.50 $m.O0 Select Tested Queens 1.50 7.00 12.50 Full rates on application. English correspondence. 14C4t Please mention the Bee Journal. Bees, Queens and Bee-Supplies We manufacture standard dovetailed bee- hives aDd supplies, cheaper than you ever bought before. Oar Queens and Bees stand at the head in quality. Untested, 75c each ; $4.25 for 6, or $8 per doz. Tested, $1.25 each ; $12 per doz. Select Tested, $1.50. Special prices to dealers in large lots on application. State Agents for Dittmer's Foundation. Catalog free. THE BEE & HONEV COMPANY (Will Atchley, Prop.* Beeville, Bee Co., Texas. Mention Bee Journal when writing. , B06I 5? B«. *S8. *9£8I P.rM 3 5 ^ a ._-• Go Out a "And last from 6 to 21 years oo Otisville, Pa., Jan. Is, 19U4. Dear Sir: — I have tried almost everything in the smoker line; 3 in the last 3 years. In short If I want any more smokers your new style is good enough for me. I thank the editor oi Re- view for what he said of it. Those remarks In- duced me to get mine. Fred Kodnkr, Mention Dee Journal when writing. For Queens Send to JOHN W.PriARR Berclalr, Tex. He will furnish at the same prices as last year: Tested, $1; Untested, 7nu; 5 for $3 25; 10 for $6; 15 for $8.25; 25 for $12.50; 100 for $45. He breeds Goldens, Carniolans, and 3- Band Italians. Also 1. 2, and 3 frame Nuclei and full colonies. Prices given on applica- tion. Pharr pays the freight, and guarantees satisfaction on all Queens. To do justice and judgment is more acceptable with the Lord than sacrifice. — (Prov. 3:21.) 5Atf Mention Bee Journal when writing. .V»j Everything for the Bee Keeper • will be found in our Illustrated Catalogue No. 40. It contains a full line of Hives. Supers, Followers, Sections, Section Holders, Frames, Extractors, Smokers, etc. All these and many other essentials are manufactured by us. Everything is guaranteed to be right and of best quality. Our prices are so reasonable that any bee keeper may afford the best supplies. We cannot tell you here of all the good things in this book. Better send for a copy today. We mail it free, to- gether with a copy of the Progressive Bee Keeper, a splendid monthly publication devoted to bee interests. It will help you start right and keep you right after you are started. It is invaluable as an aid to every bee keeper. Ask for the paper and the book. We Sell the Best Incubators and Brooders. Delivered at your station, prices the lowest. Write us at once and save money. Address LEAHY MFG. CO., 10 Talmage St., Higginsville, Mo. Branches at Omaha, Neb. and East St. Louis, 111. ^H*/V*/V*/V*/\l/\*>\lAl/Vi/V./V*/\i/Vv/V*/\*/Vl/\*/V*>V*/V*A*/Vi/\v/\*/Vl/^ Everything for the Apiary Wholesale Agents for G.B. Lewis Co. Dadant's Foundation 3 BUY NOW— TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE DISCOUNT. & :f SEND US YOUR ORDERS. f": LOUIS HANSSEN'S SONS DAVENPORT, IOWA Mictiioan Distributors FOR G. B. Lewis Cos BEEWARE Dadant's Foundation WITH an enormous stock, and the best ship- ping point in Michigan, we are in a posi- tion to give you the very best service. SPECIAL. — A quantity of Dovetail and Wis- consin Hives, slightly discolored by water, in packages of 5 at $1.25 per hive for 1# -story 8 frame ; 10-frame, $1.40 per hive. Satisfaction guaranteed. BEESWAX WANTED A. G. WOODMAN CO., Grand Rapids, Mich. Advanced Ree-Veil. Cord arrangement, absolutely bee-proof, best on earth. Made of imported French tulle veiling. Cotton, with silk face, 50 cents, postpaid. 49C~t April 5, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 313 &/>e Lion Engine is sold direct from FACTORY to USER Acting on the theory that "tent In* la ItrovlUK*1 wo will acm! nny ro^ponrdblo noraon, on certain wry ciiay condl- lluni*, one ofourlhree h. p. |fnn orK«** ollne en^fnoa mi IDdn.NH tent trliil. TIiIh riiK'lno I* lii> ei |htI hi fill , hut. h»« l»ocn proved hy Hi'iuitl Ukc t<> do »ny*\vitrk (where tin- rated anvmnt iif power 1m ri'ijiilrfMlt In tin- ni"M practi- cal. relluMe, unfe iiint proiiitnilfnJ whv. tIiIm iMiKlnu la on in* r< in n- yrli- type. While the engine In iiitl" iittrtiml noced the i-x )" iu-i vnl\ <> Ih field open, iillow- It\k Tnw circulation of frewii nlr In thp cylinder. Tin* lirnitersnd Intuit vnlvi1 art* nt rc»t, therefore lire nut usln*c f^BMiiIInt* or the Imllerlea, Our lent! or mill mixer are of the tooHt Mmi'lr hihI ri-lhihh' rliiiriK'tcr. The jrnanllnc taulw-itv* properly vapor- ized nnd the lirnltor point never eomes tijirrtli'T unli'^.i ft Nimrk I* required. The lly linn tyiiuo? jrovernor iauaed, which uutomntrcnllv coniroin the ex- haunt, lumiuT nmi iiio inifutHno: It nl»o allow**- i bo Kpocii to Ik» iiitiiik'od frnin loo (u «M revolutlonapor minute while the engine tn In motion— a wry auperlor feature, LION GAS OR GASOLINE ENGINES are simple in construction and EASY TO OPERATE They arouaod for all purpose* whero power Ih required lor iu< oiht'r purpose*. ■ WRITE US A UTTER UKE THIS: Lyons Esoinr Co., Lyoim, Mk ti. ')»'.' "V'» 1 am al-ovl 1" I'W' ■JIm •t>fl(w* tm _ • lib f*W 1. M»d Bf fall |*Hld f i-i»l oeTer u ».lfin!i'l )• JidihL Your* • •»• i.e.* ■ *•»» "t pm- r. .t-ui irun »!■■ latnicu iw« mil. When wrltlnc, •plon*"* atnte ilcf.- nltely for what purpoto yntl wind to unu tula ontclno and whether ku* "f rimollne I* to he unim) for fnel. Thla nformntlon Uviry Itnportiint to ua. Ploaao romemlicr we hcihI the «*DtflDu. not the engine nuoni. LYONS ENGINE CO. Lyons, Mich. Have You Passed the Experimental Stage? r Most bce-kcepcrs have been convinced thai when time and material are figured, It pays to buy hives, and the l)C«t la not only at cheap, but— The Best Is the Cheapest 1 The .. Elgin IIIvu excoli In many ways— no nails to drlvu— no dovetails— can be -taken apart at any time. Many nm using them. You should lie. Write to-day for catalog, etc. We sell nil] lino ol SUPPMKS. The National Supply Co. ELGIN, ILL. American Bee Journal Novelty Pocket-Knife Gold Fountain Pen All for $2.75 Worker Qi n (This cut Is tho full size of the Kntfe.) NOVELTY POCKET-KNIFE {r.'"ime and Address on one aide— Three Beet on the otfcer Hide .1 Vonr Niuiic oil tlir; Krrirc— When ordering. I* sure to any just what name and address.you wish put on the Kuife. Tlio Novelty KnllV- Is Indeed a ndvclty. The novelty llos In the bundle. It is made beautifully of Indeatrucllble celluloid, wblch Is ae transparent as glass. Underneath the celluloid, on one side of the handle Is placed the name and residence of the owner, and on the other side-pictures of a Queen, Drone, and Worker, as shown here. Tho Mntorlnl entering Into this celebrated knife la of the very licst iiualltyv ihe blades are hand-forged oat of the very finest Engl eh iBzorsteel. and we warrant every blade. It will last a llfe-tlmo, with proper u>Hgu. , Why Own tho Novelty Knlid?-»-In case a good kolfe Is lost, lliiMlmuees are the ow nor will never recover It; but Jf the " Novelty is lost, having name and address of owne!*, -toe finder will return It. If traveling, and you meet with a serious accident, and are so fortunate, as U have one of the " Novelties," your I'ocxkt-Knife will serve as an Identifier;' and, In cirse of death.your relatives will at once be notified of the accident. How to Get this Valuable Knlle.— We send It postpaid for *1.2.V or club tho Novelty Knife and the American Be* Journal for one year— both for*2.00, (Allow two weeks for Knlfttorder to be filled.) taoa* Drone SOLID GOLD FpUNTA.N PEN Finally weliave found a good Fountain Ten that Is reasonablo In prlco. The manufacturers of this pen aay that If you pay more than f 1.2o for other fountain pens, It's for the pame. This pen Is absolutely guaranteed to work perfectly, and give sat-' isfactloo. The (lold Nibs are 14 kt., polo led with selected Iridium. The Holders are l'ara Rubber, haodsomely finished. The simple feeder gives a uniform flow of iok. Each peo Is packed In a , neat box, with directions and Filler, « alia It and the . We mall this Gold Fountain Pen lor only $1.25, or for 12.00 we will mall weekly American Bee Journal for a whole year. • ■ ,:•' ....'•' . £2T Simple copy of tho American Bee Journal free; trial trip of three months (18 copies) lor 2t)c; regular yearly prloe, »1.00. Addreas all orders to 0-; .,, GEORGE W. YORK 6 CO., 334 Dearborn St.. Chlcaflo, III. How to Get the Knife or Peri F^ce ; f -y ".''gjSjjSflSg ... .' ■-.';-.■ '■ ■.•:r.-'4.\sM5?BB 314 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 5, 1906 BEE - BOOKS chables mondeng section machine SENT rOSTPilD BT OEOROE W. YORK & CO. 334 IllAKDOKM Sthbet, - CUICAGO, ILL. Advanced TIcr-CnHiirr. Its Molhods mid Mniiiitroiuciil, by W. '/,. lltituhtiiHon. — The iiuihnr of tlifH work l.i a prac- tical and helpful writer. You .should rend III* hook; 3,1a Iiiikcm; hound In .L'lulli, and hi'iiutlfully illiiHlrnted, 'I'rlco. f I. -'ii. A II C nt nrr-Cnltnrc, hy A. I. (k IC. Tt. Root. — A cyclopedia of over fidO paKOM, describing everything periiilnlnK to ihc rapn of the honey-been. Contains about ■1 '•" cnurnvlliRS. It was written e.ipe- ihilly for bcKlnncrs. Hound In cloth. l'rlic, $1.20. Nclenflflo Qiircn-ttciirlnir. as Practl- r.-illy Applied, hy U. ,\[. Doollttlc. — A inelhoil hy .which the very best of "liicin-hi'cs arc retired In perfect accord wild Nnturo's way. Hound In cloth nnd Illustrated. I'rlco, $1.0(1; In leatherette binding, "5 cents. !!<■<— Keeper'* Cubic, or. Manual of the Apiary, by 1'rof. A. J. Cook, <.f I'oinuna ■folli'Ke, I'nllfornln. This bonk Is urn ■ inly Instriicilvi. ami helpful ;t* a irillde In hcp-lcccpliiir. but Is lnlcr-sl InR and llioioujrhly practical and sclentlllc, it ciiutalns n full dellncnllon or the anatomy and physiology of bees. 51 J panes, i' or. Ill list mi Ions, liouiid In cloth. Huh thousand. Price, $1,211. I.nnscatrath nn Mir llonry-llrr, revised by Umlaut. — This classic In beu-culture has been entirely rc-wrllten, and Ih rally Illustrated. It (reals of evcrv- ililnir rehilhiK in lines ami I keepln'i- Xn iipliirlnn library Is complele wlihmii ibis standard work by ltev. I,. I,, Ldiritf- siroth — the Father of American llee- fulture It has 520 p.-iKes. hound In elutlt. Trice, $1.20. Honey nn n llenllli Komi. — This Is ri 1R-p,'iK|, iHiney-puuiphlot intended to help Increase the demand for hnnev, The first part of It contains a short article on "Honey ns Pood," written by I>r. C. <:. Miller. It tells where to keep honey, how lo liquefy It, etc. The last pari Is devoied in "llnwy-Ciiiikltiir Ilo- elpes'" and "Iteiuedles WhIiik Honey" II should he widely circulated by those selliui; honey. The more the "people are educated nn the value and uses of honey (he more honev thev will buy Hrlces: Sample ropy for "-cent stamp: ■ ■" eo|iies for TO cents; 'ion for $l".r,- ;:nr'orJ2"T'- r,fln for %*.M: or 1000 for *i.»*i A our hvislness can! printed free nt I ho bottom of the front papc on till orders for 100 or more copies. Forty Yrnrx Amane the neon, by Pr • • «.. Miller. — This hook contains 328 paitcs. In bound In hnmlsomc cloth, with [fold letters and design; it Is printed on best book-paper, and Illustrated with IIJ beautiful original hnlf-tnno pic- tures taken by Dr. Miller himself. It Is unique In this regard. The first few paifos are devoted to an Interesting ■loBrnphlenl sketch of Dr. Miller, tell- IIK how he happened to Ket into hoe- kceplnjr. About 20 yenrs iign he wrote a. small bonk, called "A .Year Amonit Hie Hees. .but that Utile work has been Vv .i prllU for a number of years. While some of the mutter used In the former book Is found In the new one. It all reads like a (,-ood new .story of sue- ','',„ '" '"'e-lieeplim- by one <.r the mas- ...» i," ?.,?,"'* '" "''""lest detail just nice $'i no " th,n»rt wlt" b(,es. f'Tlic Honey-Money Storlrx." — A C4- pai.e-and-eovcr booklet. & v. xsiz |„ehes In slue printed on best quality paper ulV,',VrHl7r,• ''Vf'" "•"'■ImJ Inlerspersed I o ...J,."! ','.'"' "ntcrt-nllimr Items about ,?,., yi l"< I"""- n"> manufactured r , ll'ei. '',!' 'V,V (""ar7nr"»cntatlo„ Is con- ir.ii Irted It, two Items, each oonpylnR a n II pnire, but In different part's of I." booklet. U'hr,N |„ ,,| M flnS IllUH- trallons. nearly all of them brine of ^nlnln"- °( ;'"lnrl,ln "•"« « "'«» Tliim nf 7L if" »»imely. "The 1 1 um of lite Hee« In tho Annle-Tren anVr»T„- 7,',uck«r"«"»t Cakes an.'l IIonVyC" ?". . . 'ho."ee-Keeper8' I.ullnhv." Th s booklet Should bo placed in ,L hams ?LS'iol,!I v.not '"nilllnr with the w. "i-".1"0. ".' hnr,ey, for Its main ob- ivfiiJ »iKi!ntc.W nc"Ple In honoy aB a l &««! njyclo. Price, 2D cents, or 3 copies, for r.o cents. leo ISTHrWTON" AVHl Mention1 Bee Journal Is covered by two Patents. ..Tjrjth this wonderful inven- tion the cost of making Section* may be rednced to $1.15 per 1000. If auch Machine will Interest you, write for further information. Do not write about it unless you mean business. J BEE-SUPPLIES^LD QUEENS My Catalog for 1906 is flow ready for distribution. I am the Northern Headquarters for Adel Queens and Bees, and good, honest Bee-Keepers' Supplies. If you have not received my Catalog, write for it. Address, CHARLES MONDENG, lST., MINNHAPOLIS, MINN. when writing. BEE-KEEPERS Send for our 1906 Free Illustrated Catalog. Good Goods, Low Prices and Prompt Shipments are what you get if you send your orders to — PAGE & LYON MFG. CO. New London, Wis. 1900 rnrri Washer Hit t! Any worthy pnrnon run hum "IW0* ' (in.vliy WiihIkt f r*H< in try four wrukM )u*t hy writlni* f(»r 11, Wh puy Ll.n f rrltfhi rind Uko nil liHk. Yon don'l rl-k n i.t-nny. l>ft It four wiM>kM nt our «■ Ifhiimo. If ymi 1 1 hi- Mm Wu^luir, implt on thn ••|U«-** pltin, willed wm wllli*xii|iiin to ymi. J If vi>u don't like It return It At our c JiM-riHi-, nn you ure noihinir out. Wi.-iien a tub full of dirty clotlira clenn In SUMInutes. Ht N. Y., or 3S5 Ynngft HtrftPt, Tappntp. Can timmfJ fiiil 50 BULBS 2rt IV bin. will irfow in the Iioum- nr out i.r ihKirw. If yfi.-ijri),*, Tlihi'H, Uiulltittin, (,'infiivs Kiirln>lim, OXAlli, 'I nlt-r..w-«, Itf>KT<)nln..fomiiiih>, Il.tlTu'lll-. Cliint-FH) l.lly. hewer I.Hy. UllMlllt.A, l.fllfM Of I lii* Vnilcy— nil p4mtii Aid ,•.•&!•. in»tAmr» nr ••nln, ,\ » a '.r.-inhnii will* llifn« JIiiIIm wn will win I rttKK || I ''ii fi.M.-.tl.iu nr il(.«.T«tHlii-orrr'Ai' ktn POSTAGE. THE FRED W. MUTH CO. No. 51 WALNUT STREET, CINCINNATI, OHIO. mO^ATii a. . r MSCOllNT. 316 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Aprils 19 6 Boss Sections from the Section Bosses We Have Section Bosses— Not the kind you find on the Railroad ; but genuine, capable honey-section over- seers. They are mechanics who have spent a score of years just learning how to make the best Sections— Lewis Sections. Years of Study and Constant Vigilance Over the delicate, intricate machinery means that every crate of Lewis Sections is perfect. Each day and each hour these section specialists personally inspect our machines and ex- amine the output. This keeps Lewis Sections uniformly perfect. Ah, That's the Secret ! Now you have it. That's the reason Lewis Sections are the Same the World Over What the Bee= Keepers Say: G. B. Lewis Co., Watertown, Wis. Paullina, Iowa. Gentlemen:— Received my sections in fine shape and am well pleased with them. They are the best sections I have ever put together. Yours truly, Arthur Strampe. G. B. Lewis Co., Watertown, Wis. Smithville, Ga. Gentlemen:—! am anxious to use your sections, for I consider them the best sections made, at any rate they are good enough for me. Yours truly, s R. P. Johnson. B. Lewis Co , Watertown, Wis. Rome, Pa. Gentlemen:— I think the sections the best I ever saw. Yours truly, W. J. Hill. G. B. Lewis Co., Watertown, Wis. Oakland, Mo. Gentlemen:— Your hives fit perfectly and your sections are simply superb. Robt. Wilson. G. B. Lewis Co., Watertown, Wis. Deerfield, Iowa. Gentlemen: — I want to say that I consider your make of sections the nearest perfect of any I have ever had. I have folded packages of 500 without breaking one, and I cannot say that of others I have used. Yours Iruly, George Brown. G. B. Lewis Co., Watertown, Wis. Grand View, Iowa. Gentlemen: — I have received those sections in good shape and I am well pleased with same. They are all right in every way. I shall recommend your bee-supplies toother bee-keepers. I think you make better goods than any other firm in the world. Accept my thanks. Yours truly, Geo. B. McDaniels. G. B. Lewis Co., Watertown, Wis. Kenton, Ohio. Gentlemen: — The goods are simply fine in every re- spect. We have compared a few of the No. 1 sections bought of another firm which we carried over from last season , with your No. 2, and find that the No. 2 are superior. Yours truly, Norris & Anspach. B. Lewis Co Gent/emen:- , Watertown, Wis. Centralia, Kan. -Everybody wants Lewis sections. Yours truly, A. W. Swan. g. b. lewis GO., watertown, wis. AGENTS EVERYWHERE e Journal 46th Year CHICAGO, ILL., APRIL 12, 1906 No. 15 ' APIARY OF ORPHEUS DILLER IN WINTER. (See page 322) REV. A. R. SEAMAN AND SON. QUADRUPLE CHAFF-HIVE APIART OF C. N. SEWARD. S^ m 318 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 12, 1906 PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY GEORGE W. YORK S COMPANY 334 Dearborn Street, Chicago, 111. IMPORTANT NOTICES. THE SUBSCRIPTION PRICE of this Journal is $l.uo a year, in the United States, Canada, and Mexico; all other countries in the Postal Union, 50 cents a year extra for postage. Sample copy free. THE WRAPPER-LABEL DATE indicates tbe end of the month to which your subscription ispa'.d. For instance, " dec<>6 " on your label shows that it is paid to the end of December, 19^6. SUBSCRIPTION RECEIPTS.-We do not send a receipt for money sent us to pay subscription, but change the date on your wrapper-label, which shows that the money has been received and credited. Advertising Rate, per Agate Line, 10c 14 lines make one inch. Nothing- less than % inch accepted. Time Discounts. 4 times. . . 13 " ... 26 " ... 52 " ... 5 per cent 10 " 20 » 30 » Space Discounts. 100 lines... 5 per cent 500 " ...10 " 1000 " ...20 " 2000 " ...30 " These rates are subject to either time or space discounts, at choice, but not both. Reading Notices, 25 cents, count line, subject to the above discounts. Goes to press Monday morning'. National Bee Keepers' Association Objects of the Association. 1st.— To promote the interests of its members. 2d.— To protect and defend its members in their lawful riahtB. 3d.— To enforce lawB against the adulteration of honey. Annual Membership Dues, $i.oo. General Manager and Treasurer — N. E. France, Platteville, Wis. tW If more convenient. Dues may be sent to the ublishers of the American Bee Journal. The Emerson Binder. This Emerson stiff-board Binder with cloth back for the American Bee Journal we mall for but 75 cents; or we will send It with the Bee Journal for one year— both for only $1.50. It 1* a fine thing to preserve the copies of the Jour- nal as fast as they are received. If you have this " Emerson " no further binding Is neces- sary. OEORQE W. YORK & CO., 334 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, ILL. Contents of this Number Illustrations — Apiary of Ornheus Diller in "Winter 1st Page Byer (J. L. > and Family 3^7 Quadruple Chaff Hive Apiary of C. N. Seward ] at Page Seaman iRev. A. K. > and Son 1st Page Editorial Notes and Comments — Forecasting the Weather a Month Ahead 321 Honey Prices and Quantities ;jui How to increase the Prices of Honey H2i More Bee-Inspectors for Ontario 321 Something About Cuban Bee-Keeping 322 Miscellaneous News Items — Apiary of Orpheus Diller 322 Dzierzon, Dr 322 Notes from the National 322 Quadruple Chaff-Hive Apiary 322 Seaman (Rev. A. Kj and oon 322 Contributed Special Articles — How to Breed the Bee of the Future 324 Price of "Quality" Honey Not High Enough.. 325 Something About Prevention of Swarming 323 When Young Bees Became Field-Bees 324 Southern Beedom — Order of the Brood-Nest 325 Prospects for the Season of ihok 325 Southern Bee-Keepers Awakening 325 Texas Horsemint in Georgia 325 Canadian Beedom — Always Preparing in Bee- Work 327 Byer (J. L ) and Family 327 •• Had It In for Him " 32tf Hershiser Bottom-Board 326 Propolized Rags as Smoker-Fuel 327 To Make Us Think 327 _Two " Notes" from The Globe 327 Our Sister Bee-Keepers — Keeping Dry Combs from Moths With Gaso- line 328 No Winter Losses 328 Turpentine to Get Rid of Ants 32rf Mr. Hasty^s Afterthoughts — Buying. Selling, and Bating Honey 328 Helpful Bees— Milkweed Pollen 328 Honey- Yielding Plants of Texas 328 Control of Swarming ? 328 Crowding Out the Queen 328 Dr. Miller^s Question.- Box — "Appendix" to "Forty Years" 329 Cpmb Honey and Excluders 32a Controlling Swarming and Increase. 329 Doubtless a Case of Bee-Diarrhea 329 Eight-Frame and 10-Frame Hives 330 Hives in Long Rows and Sunflower Shade 329 Increasing a Nucleus 329 Natural Swarming 330 Placing a Doolittle Feeder 329 Starting With Bees 329 Sweet (Mover 329 Tar-Paper for Hi ve*Covering 329 Reports and Experiences — Bees Wintered Fine Outdoors 331 Land of Potatoes— and Some Honey 331 More Than Enough Rain 331 Outdoor Bees Have Suffered 33 1 Outdoor Bees "Wintered Fine 331 Wintered Well— Late Spring 331 "Winter Loss Nearly One-Fourth 331 Root'9 Goods at Factory Prices Finest and largest stock of Supplies In Illinois. Italian Bees and Queens in season. Catalog1 free. IS egg's of Pure Barred Plymouth Rocks, $1.00. Incubators and Brooders always on hand. 12 A13t H 5. DUBY, St. Anne, 111. Langs troth «• ^ Honey-Bee ?-e&-e& Revised by Dadant— Latest Edition. This is one of the standard books on bee-culture, and ought to be in the library of every bee-keeper. It is bound substantially in cloth, and contains over 500 pages, being revised by those large, practical bee-keepers, so well- known to all the readers of the Ameri- can Bee Journal — Chas. Dadant & Son. Each subject is clearly and thoroly ex- plained, so that by following th^ in- structions of this book on'e cannot fail to be wonderfully helped on the way to success with bees. The book we mail for $1 .20, or club it with the American Bee Journal for one year — both for $2.00 ; or, we will mail it as a premium for sending us THREE NEW subscribers to the Bee Journal for one year, with S3. 00. This is a splendid chance to get a grand bee-book for a very little money or work. GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, ILL- NOT IN THE TRUST We will stamp your Cans "PURE Extracted Honey"— FREE Our prices for 1906 are the lowest to the National Bee-Keepers' Association. Write us. Now is the time TO BUY FRICTION TOP CANS FOR HONEY AND SYRUP Canners Can Co. 1035 W. 47th St., CHICAGO, ILL. April 12, 1906 THt AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 319 H "DADANT'S FOUNDATION" IT EXCELS EVERY INCH equal to sample Beauty, Purity, Firmness. No Sagging, No Loss. Twenty-seven Years of Experience. We Guarantee Satisfaction. WAX WORKED INTO FOUNDATION BEE=SUPPLI ES of all kinds. Beeswax Wanted at all times DADANT & SONS, Hamilton, 111. SEND FOR OUR CATALOG If you want the Bee-Book That covers the whole Apicultnral Field more completely than any other published, send $1.20 to Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont, Cal., FOR HIS " Bee-Keeper's Guide." Liberal Discounts to the Trade. CAUCASIAN QUEENS ! Caucasian Bees are very gentle. They are easy to handle and are, therefore, suited to be- ginners, timid bee-keepers and to those who keep bees in town. If you want to try this race, or if you want to improve the stock of your Ital- ian Bees, write to ROBERT B. McCAIN, 2Atf YORKVILLE. ILL. R. F. D. DON'T WAIT for the season to start before you order your Bee=Supplies DITTMER'S FOUNDATION IS THE BEST MADE We make a specialty of working was for Cash. Retail — Wholesale — Jobbing BEESWAX ALWAYS WANTED Write for our Price-List and samples ; we would like to send them to you at our expense. QUS DITTMER, Augusta, Wis. Mention Bee Journal when writing-. r Wisconsin Basswood Sections And Prompt Shipments Is what we are making for our customers. — DOVETAILED HIVES AND SHIPPING-CASES — We carry a full line of SUPPLIES. Ask for Catalog, s HARSHFIELD HANUFACTURINQ CO., Tlarshfield, Wis. Mention Bee Journal when writing. ^.California The Pacific Rural Press has been a house- hold word throughout California for 35 years. It is authority on all matters regarding the soil or products of California. Weekly, illus- trated: Edited by practical specialists. Two Dollars per year. Send for sample copy. Pacific Rural Press, 330 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif. 50Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. Oi3C TOr id PlnnieS 12 farmers and 15c— ptainps taken— we will send for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Call— ree. sub. price 40c a year. F. C. is a wkly., 25 yearB old, 1 ,3U0 pages a year. Sample free. FABMBB'S CALL,, Quincy, 111. Mention Bee Journal when writing. " Root's Bee-Supplies You know what this means. Four carloads of New Goods on hand. Our business increased last year 100 percent over 1904. This is a O proof that we are saving our cus- S tomers money. Try us. Low a Freight Rates from Toledo. <9 Large Discounts— that tells the X story. Our 80-page Catalog is 0 sent free. 8 GRIGGS BROS. 0 521 Monroe Street, TOLEDO, OHIO. Please mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. 3.0 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 12, 1906 && PERFECTION IN SECTIONS S*= ==w Inspector's Certificate The contents of this crate were inspected by Sorter No. 175 Packed by 155 Date I*latXh 21, 1906 If you find any occasion for criticism, in the way of defective material or inaccurate workmanship, return this slip, with a sample of the work complained of, to the manufacturer, THE A. I. ROOT CO., Medina, Ohio. a== ==M A Guarantee of Workmanship We have spent thousands of dollars in building- and improving- our Section Machinery. Our equipment is the best that brains can produce. We use only the best basswood lumber that can be ob- tafned! No^tVinsureThTthird feature in the trinity of perfection— inspection. The human quality in harder to regulate than either machinery or material. How can the correct grading of our sections be insured ? We have a system that solves the question. In every crate of Root sections made in 1906 you will find an inspection card like the one illustrated above. The Sorter, when he finishes his work, stamps his number on this card — likewise the Packer. In case of careless grading or packing the matter can be traced to its source. The Sorter and Packer are anxious to keep their posi- tions and ambitious for better wages. Naturally the best possible work is done by each. Root's Sections for 1906 are better than ever. Last season we made 23,000,000. This season we will doubtless exceed that mark. Prices of Sections e« Per 100 Per 250 Per 500 Per 1000 No. 1. No. 2. S .65 2.25 ... 5.00 4.50 Plain, no-beeway sections, i}is.il4i.\lA 1\, OX\% . be 25cenis per 1000 less than prices named above. Catalog on application. Per 2000 Per 3000 No. 1. $ 9.75.... 14.25... No. 2. * 8.75 12 75 Per 4000 18.50... 16 50 Per 5000 22 50.. 20.00 xSxlK, 4x5x1'' ( or li. , in lots of 1000 or more will THE A. I. ROOT COMPANY IMIEIDinSTJ^, OHIO ifi. Branch Offices in the United States The A I. Root Co., 44 Vesey St., New York City. The A I. Root Co., 10 Vine St., Philadelphia, Pa. The A I. Root Co., 1635 Genesee St., Syracuse, N. Y. The A. I. Root Co., Mechanic Falls, Maine. The A. I. Root Co., 1100 Maryland Avenue, S. \\\, Washington, D. C. The A. I. Root Co., 144 E Erie St., Chicago. 111. The A. I. Root Co., 1024 Mississippi St., St. Paul, Minn. (Entered at the Post-OfBce at Chicago as Second-Class Mail-Matter.) Published "Weekly at $1.00 a Year, by George W. York & Co., 334 Dearborn St. QEORUB W. YORK, Editor CHICAGO, ILL, APRIL 12, 1906 VoLXLVI— No. 15 ^ Cbttorial Xloks anb Comments j Honey Prices and Quantities Have you ever thought of it, that if you can get $10 for 100 pounds of honey it is nearly double the price per pound net that you receive if you sell 150 for ?10? First, it does not cost as much labor on the part of the bees and the bee-keeper to produce the 100 pound6. It does not cost as much for packages to contain it. The freight is less on it; and, finally, it does not go so far toward overstocking the mar- ket as would 150 pounds. Figure it out yourself and see if I am not nearly right. Thus says Editor S. E. Miller in the Progressive Bee- Keeper. Not every one would accept his opinion off-hand, but the more those who object to it figure upon it, the more likely they will be to think it not far out of the way. Put- ting the idea into another form, a rise of SO percent in the price per pound is equivalent to doubling the net profit. As a practical matter, however, most bee-keepers would be inclined to discount the net result to some extent, saying they do not care to lessen either their own labor or that of the bees, if thereby the gross intake may be increased. Yet when the square question is put before the bee-keeper, " Which do you prefer, to get $10 for 100 pounds or $10 for 150 pounds ?" he will not hesitate to say he prefers the first part of the proposition. The question then arises as to what can be done, if anything, thus to reduce the amount of outlay without reducing the income. But that's another story. How to Increase Prices of Honey Most bee-keepers are probably producing honey for the money that is in it, and have a vital interest in the question as to how the profits may be increased. Anything that can be done to reduce expenses means to just that extent an in- crease of profits. Increase of knowledge, so as to use bet- ter plans and secure larger crops means increase of profit, at least on the part of the individual bee-keeper. But the thing that appeals most directly to the bee-keeper in gen- eral as the great thing to be desired is a higher price for his product. How is that desideratum to be attained? How are bet- ter prices for other commodities attained? In some cases, and perhaps to a larger extent than generally supposed, by limiting the output. Manufactories are shut down, no mat- ter at what inconvenience to the thousands thrown out of employment, when the state of the market seems to require it. Where it is a matter of crops, part of the crop is delib- erately destroyed that the price may be upheld on the re- mainder. But a right-minded person revolts at such a pro- ceeding. If it were followed in all departments, it would merely mean a scarcity in all departments, with want and suffering. Besides, it is not at all certain that suppressing half the crop of honey would double the price of the re- mainder. Indeed, it seems quite certain that it would not, for in a year when there is less than half a crop there is very little elevation of price. Following the lead of dealers in other commodities, a better way, and a way entirely free from objection, is to increase demand, using all legitimate means, but chiefly by means of printed matter. Publicity, advertising — that's the thing. Advertising, however, is by no means limited to that which goes through the printer's hands. The man who discourses to his neighbor upon the merits of honey is doing effective advertising, although he may advertise more largely by saying the same thing through the local press. The man who, Alexander-like, gives away a pound of honey to each of a number of prospective customers, is doing advertising of a very effective kind. After all, whatever else may be done in a local way, thoughtful minds appear to view as the one thing desirable above all others some general scheme of advertising on an extensive scale that shall cover a very large field, if not the whole field, which shall help in a permanent way to place honey as an article of daily consumption alike upon the table of the rich and the poor. How this may be brought about, or indeed whether it ever may be brought about, is a serious question. Forecasting the Weather a Month Ahead Long distance weather forecasts whereby the public may be in- formed of meteorological conditions for the month to come may be established by the Weather Bureau soon. Willis S. Moore, chief of the Bureau, made the announcement Tuesday night at a banquet of the Maritime Association in New York. At present forecasts are made only for 4S hours. The Bureau has been studying the possibilities of long-range forecasts for some time, and the system is nearly completed for the work. The foregoing, from the Chicago Record-Herald, seems to hold possibilities of interest to bee-keepers as well as others. To make a jump all at once from a forecast of two days to that of a month looks just a little like romance, but we shall see what we shall see. To mention just a single example, many a man who cellars his bees would give no small sum for a fair guess at the weather two weeks ahead at the time when he is trying to decide whether the bees should go into the cellar or not ; and still more would he like to know the probabilities about the time of taking out in the spring. More Bee-Inspectors for Ontario We have received the following, which will be of special interest to our Canadian readers : More efficient inspection of apiaries, by the appointment of addi- tional inspectors, is a probability. At the last annual meeting of the Ontario Bee-Keepers' Association, the Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Mr. Monteith, was asked to increase the number from one to three. At present the one is appointed by the Association, paid by the Depart- ment of Agriculture, and between the two masters is rather hindered in hi6 work. Hon. Mr. Monteith called in the officers of the Association to dis- cuss the matter fully, and this morning they saw him. Those present were Messrs. H. G. Sibbald, President of the Association ; Wm. Couse, Secretary ; J.B.Hall, F. A. Cemmill and J. D. Evans— all prominent and experienced apiarists. The advantages to the industry 322 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 12, 19C6 and to the public from better inspection were urged upon the Minister, who is thoroughly in accord with the Association on that point. As a result, it is likely that legislation will be enacted this session to provide tor three, or perhaps more, inspectors. These will be en- tirely under the control of the Department. The members of the deputation went away quite satisfied with what is to be done. One of them remarked that the present inspector had been appointed on the suggestion of the Association years ago, and that it has taken the Association all the time ever since to secure recognition of the need for more. This is right in line, we believe, with the action taken at the last meeting of the Ontario Bee-Keepers' Association. Something About Cuban Bee-Keeping A document printed in the Spanish language (all but the 30 pictures), entitled, La Apicultura en Cuba, has been received at this office. Although the Spanish language is "a sealed book " in this "locality," yet it is not a hard mat- ter to guess from the ear-marks that it is a circular issued by the government of our young sister republic, and written by E. W. Halstead. Fortunately, by the courtesy of Mr. Halstead, a copy of the Havana Post— the only English daily published on the island— has also been received, containing a very interest- ing article entitled, "Raising Bees Here in Cuba," and comparison of the two leaves little doubt that the long newspaper article is a literal translation of the bulletin. Some excerpts can not fail to be of interest to readers of this Journal : Black bees were introduced from Florida in 1774 ; Italians only The latest available statistics (1902) give over S2.000 colonies of bees on the island ; this number has probably been largely increased in the la6t three years. The exports of honey and wax in 1904 were valued at more than $1,100,000. More than 80 percent of the bees in Cuba are in log-gums or in corchas. Corchas are simply rough boxes about a foot square and 4 feet long, without ends. The honey is gathered by cutting it out in chunks from the open ends of the boxes. Sometimes the comb is built out so that it protrudes from the box and is completely in the The best time to transfer is just at the beginning of a good honey- flow In the vicinity of Santiago de las Vegas, October is a good month for the combs are almost empty of honey, and do not break as easily as when full, and, as the honey-flow comes on at this time, the colonies build up quickly and are soon ready to have the supers put in. Where wax is desired it is usual to space the frames wide apart so that only 7 or 8 frames are put in a 10-frame, and only 5 or 6 in an 8-f rame hive. When uncapping these combs before extracting, they are shaved down to the regular thickness, so that a great deal more wax is ob- tained than when the regular number of frames is put in the hive. miscellaneous Hetps * 3 terns =j Dr. Dzierzon— the " grand old man " of German bee- dom— Die Biene, a German bee-paper, reports was 95 years old Jan. 16, 1906. For the past IS months the weakness of his legs has compelled him to keep to his bed. He tried to get up alone once, and fell to the floor, but without injuring himself. His mind is in better condition than his body, and he regrets to see the void made around him by the death of the friends of his younger days. Rev. A. R. Seaman and Son are bee-keepers in South Connellsville, Pa. The son is the assistant. Mr. Seaman made us a brief call when in Chicago, and tells about it and some other experiences in the following : When I left Pennsylvania I had business in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan, and I thought, for a " tid-bit," that I would treat myself to a touch of Chicago, just to say that I had seen the place; for I had no other business there except to see, for the first time, the Editor of the American Bee Journal. A long ways before reaching Chicago, on the Wabash line, Illinois is low and swampy, where little lakes and marshes are so extensively mixed among the beautiful prairie homes that one wonders whether to call it landscape or waterscape, for one can step out almost anywhere and gather water-lilies in their season. When the train-men called out " Chicago," I checked my suitcase in the package-office, but kept my umbrella, as every discreet (?) coun- tryman will do in the city with which to battle his way through the crowd ! I then looked up the office of the American Bee Journal. Now, there are plenty of names, no doubt, of the streets at their corners in Chicago, but I didn't happen to see one while I was there; but they should be prominent at points where strangers are likely to arrive, and the law should require it. And I saw but very few num- bers along the streets, where every place of business has a right to be numbered and named conspicuously. But I saw that I was getting there, for the few numbers visible had an increasing ratio. Finally, I met a stranger in the city of whom I asked, as he stood watching, waiting and wondering, " Kind sir, can you tell me where this city keeps the names of its streets and the numbers of its buildings displayed for the benefit of the public?" " Indeed, I can not," he answered, "for that is just what I am trying to find my6elf, for I am also a stranger in these parts." Finally I saw " 334" over an entrance to a sky-scraper, and I looked all over the front of that great building to find the name that my longing heart was aching to see; but "nary "a mark did I dis- cover. This rigid economy in names and numbers in Chicago may have the tendency to give the cabmen, and guides and guzzlers a bet- ter chance for their respective business; but enough names and num- bers would be better than placards of caution. Then I went into a cigar stand and said, " The Directory gives me 334 Dearborn Street as the place where the American Bee Journal is published, can it be found in this building ?" " Just step back in the hall to the elevator man and he will show you up to it." I did so, and Mr. York received me kindly, in the upper regions. I didn't hang on to consume his valuable time, and make him glad to see me, and more glad to get rid of me ; for the first moment with the hand-touch were the golden points that I went to get, and after I got them, and the exchange of a few social words, I was ready to say "Good-bye." I took a circuitous route through the city on my return without any further regard to street, names and numbers, but counted the squares this way and that as I passed, and finally fetched around to the Dearborn depot without asking a question of anybody. It was a mere glimpse of the city taken in my hurry to leaye it on the first train that should go my way ; and I wa9 soon on my return trip among the little lakes and water-lilies, without staying to see the beet and the worst things in Chicago, or its many good people. A. R. Seaman. We hope Mr. Seaman will tell us about his bee-keeping experience, some time. Notes from the National.— General Manager France reports that $469.50 in annual dues have been received since the last report was sent to the printer. This shows that funds are still coming in to carry on the good work of the National. Mr. France also added the following : As soon as the cold weather lets up there will be trouble by bees spotting clothes, which should be avoided by the bee-keeper. Then poisonous spraying will be next. This, also, can largely be avoided by the local bee-keeper. There are many inquiries from those who wish to buy bees and also honey. This latter will show there is no danger of old honey be- ' ing in the market when the 1906 crop is ready. The following letter is from an Illinois mayor, replying to my in- quiry as to a petition being circulated in his city for the purpose of prohibiting the keeping of bees in that city: Mr. N. E. France, Platteville, Wis.— Dear Sir .—Replying to your favor of the 14th inst., I will say that the petition presented to the Council for the passage of an ordi- nance prohibiting the keeping of bees in the city limits was ridiculed by the councilmen, and no action was taken towards passing such an ordinance. The request is so ridiculous that I do not think it neces- sary for any one to be alarmed at such an ordinance being passed. The Council realizes that the petition was circulated by an enemy of some party who was keeping bees. Thanking you for the interest you take in this matter, I am, Yours truly, Mayor. I have thanked the mayor for his reply and for the wise action of that Council. ««««, N- E' France- Apiary Of Orpheus Diller.— Whea sending the picture shown on the first page, Orpheus Diller, of York Springs, Pa., wrote thus : I enclose a picture of my 30 colonies of bees kept in a town gar- den. I always take pleasure in seeing pictures of other apiaries in the American Bee Journal. I have been interested in bees for some time, but being a merchant have little time to devote to them. The first two in the front row, covered with snow, are Danzenbaker hives with outer cases made of store-box boards. The third hive is a Danzen- baker hive also, with a Mrs. Cottou hive used as a ease over it. Orpheus Diller. Quadruple Chaff-Hive Apiary of C. N. Seward, of Silver Creek, Nebr., is pictured on the first page. This is what its owner says of it : I send a photograph of my apiary which contains 116 colonies of bees, all in chaff hives, most of them being quadruple tenement hives. In winter the 4 colonies cluster near the center of the quadruple hive ; they are able to retain considerable of the animal heat, which, I think, is a great advantage, both in good wintering and protecting the early brood against the changes of the weather. If you will notice you will see the "Boss" (my 2-year-old grand- daughter) sitting on one of the hives. In the fall of 1904 I had 109 colonies, and in the 6pring of 1905 April 12, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 323 * (Eontributeb -fr Special CCrttcles there was one queenless and two with drone-laying queens, ami 106 good, 6trong colonies. I am told it was a hard winter on bees in Nebraska. I use the standard Hoffman frame wired and filled with full sheets of foundation. I make my own foundation on a 10-inch mill, which pays me big. I think the 10-frame bive is small enough. I keep my queens clipped, and worn for both comb and extracted honey. 1 think I shipped the first bees to this part of the State (Polk Co., Nebr.) from Rock Island Co., Ill , in May, 1877. If lam not mis- taken, I bought my first bees in 1862 or 1863, and we have had bees in the family ever since. So I commenced my bee-keeping 43 or 44 years ago. C. N. Seward. Mf. W. J. Davis, 1st, of Youngsville, Pa., could write a book on " Sixty Years Among the Bees," but he probably ] will not undertake it. He has also read all the volumes of the American Bee Journal, and when renewing his sub- scription for this year, wrote thus : I will not say as some of your subscribers, that " I could not get along without the Journal," for, after 60 years' experience in hand- ling bees and reading 45 volumes of your paper, I think I could. But I do not think I m'ff, as it is worth more than it costs, to me. W. J. Davis, 1st. We value very highly such a generous testimonial, that comes entirely unsolicited. It is a great encouragement to us. And yet, we also like to get honest, sensible criticisms and suggestions for the improvement of the American Bee Journal, for we desire to make it increasingly valuable to its readers. Our interests are mutual, and the larger success of the readers should result in greater success for the Bee Journal, and vice versa. Something About Prevention of Swarming —When Young Bees Become Field-Bees BY L. STACHELHAUSEN. IN the Western Bee Journal for 1905, page 139, Adrian Getaz published an article on "Prevention of Swarming," in which he recommends the caging of the queen for this purpose. This is successful if the queen is not released until the colony has been at least 4 days without unsealed brood. To explain this Mr. Getaz said : "Exactly .how it works, I could not tell positively. I think it is in this way: During these 4 days or more with- out unsealed brood, the young bees, having no brood to feed, take to the field, and become actually field-bees." ■ In an article in the same paper, page 181, I explained why this is not correct, and gave another more probable and satis- factory answer. Now Mr. Getaz, in the American Bee Jour- nal, page 72, says I had made two "errors" in criticising his guesses. I said that young bees are the nourishing bees, prepare the larval food, and can't do any kind of field-work before they are at least 12 days old. Mr. Getaz says this is an error, and continues : "Experiments had been made where bees only 7, 5 and in one case only 4 days old, have brought in nectar and pollen." I have read a number of bee-papers during more than 40 years, and I do not remember that any reliable man had such an experience as Mr. Getaz says. Sometimes somebody not used to close, scientific observation may have published a similar assertion, but it was clearly seen where he had made the mistake. The question itself is not difficult to settle, if we intro- duce an Italian queen to a black colony, or if we give to black colony a comb with eggs laid by an Italian queen, observe closely afterward- 1 did this years ago, many times, and found the young bees have a play-spell when aboul days old, but I have not seen a single case where a young bee had gathered pollen, nectar or water before she was IS d old. It is true that at sonic times and under some circum- stances the young bees leave the hive for a play-spell when only 5 or 4 days old, but this has no bearing at all on our question. The question is. At what age do bees gather pollen or nectar, and so become actual field-bees? and can they, under pressing circumstances, becomi - Id-bees sooner than in a normal condition ? Observations with similar n nits were made by von Berlepscli. Hopf, Graf, Stosch. Vogel, Donhof. and many others; this was some time before 1866. Only a few reported that in some cases they had seen bees 12 days old gathering pollen. In Langstroth Revised, Dr. Donhofs experiments are reported cntirelv. The other books in the English language are not as detailed in this respect. In Cheshire's book I can't find anything. A. J. Cook, in his "Manual." says: ". . . . usually about 2 weeks if the colony is in a normal condition, id. mgh if all the bees are very young it may be only one week these young bees do not leave the hive at all ' "A B C of Bee-Culture" says: "The first load of pollen is usually brought in, when the young bee is about two weeks old." T. \\ . Cowan says: "The bee leaves the hive to fly on the 14th daw" So far all experiments and 1 ks teach that a young bee will be more than 12 days old before she becomes a field-bee. Xow there are some, like Mr. Getaz, who are of the opinion that under some pressing circumstances a young bee may go to the field at a younger age. Baron Berlepscli made an ex- periment in the year 1865 ; he formed a colony of young bees only. As soon as the oldest bees were 8 days old they held a play-spell. At a date when no bee could be older than 11 days, all honey and oollen was taken from the colony, to force the bees into the held; but no bee gathered anything, and the other dav the colony was in a starving condition. This proves that no bee younger than 12 days can gather pollen or nectar ever under most pressing circumstances. Quite different is the fact that older bees, if necessary, can nurse the larvae. This has no bearing on our question. In view of these many experiments, made by most promi- nent bee-keepers, I will still stick to the opinion that bees younger than 12 days (very probably 16 days) can't gather pollen, honey or water, even under the most pressing circum- stances. The simple assertion of Mr. Getaz that it is an "error" can't change this opinion. The second error Mr. Getaz said I had made by the asser- tion that if the young bees could become field-bees at any age, if none or not enough brood is present in the hive, the swarm- ing fever could never appear in any colony. He says : "Because young bees can go to the field, there is abso- lutely no reason why this would prevent them from building queen-cells before taking to the field. If they don't build any when there is no unsealed brood, it is because they can't, and not because they won't." It seems to me Mr. Getaz did not understand my reason- ing, so I will explain. In the article mentioned above, Mr. Getaz says : , "As long as the nurse-bees have all the brood to feed that they can attend to, they will not build queen-cells, but as soon as there is an insufficient amount of brood to consume all the food they can prepare, queen-cells are started and queens reared. And usually swarming follows." This is exactly my opinion, only I go a step farther : it is a surplus of larval food prepared by the young bees in- stinctively, that produces the swarming impulse, which influ- ences all" the impulses of the bees. The question is not whether we see a reason why the bees could build queen- cells, or rather queen-cups, or not, but it is. Are the circum- stances that way, that the impulses of the bees are driving to this cell-building? It is easy to see, if a worker-bee of any age could change from a nurse-bee to a field-bee. such a sur- plus of nurse-bees, or rather of larval food, could never ap- pear, and consequently no swarming impulse. It is true these voting bees, before becoming field-bees, could build queen- cells, but as no surplus of nurse-bets could come up in a sufficient degree, the impulse for this cell-building will not appear. If the young bee could change her occupation, if she can't find employment in her regular one, such a state of un- employed nurses were impossible, consequently no swarming impulse would appear. Now a few words in reply to another assertion of Mr. Getaz. He says: "If they [the bees] don't build any [queen- cells] when there is no unsealed brood, it is because they can't, and not because they won't." If we talk about regular swarming, the bees build queen- cups and the queen will lav eggs in them. These queen-cups can be built whether unsealed brood is in the hive or not. But the caged queen can't lay eggs in them, consequently swarm- ing is prevented. Further, the bees won't build queen-cells over larvae, if they were present, because the queen, too, is present. They would do it if the queen were removed entirely and such cells must be cut out at proper time, if such a plan is used for preventing swarming. When I said the swarming 324 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 12, 1906 impuhe could not appear if the young bees of any age could become field-bees to their liking,' I had not in mind Mr. G.'s colony with the caged queen, but any regular colony which is strong enough for swarming under favorable circumstances, consequently the above assertion of Mr. Getaz is entirely out of place. The fact is. that swarming is actually prevented if the queen is caged so many days that the colony is without un- sealed brood for at least 4 days; and that this manipulation is not as successful if the queen is released sooner, I explain in another way. As long as the queen is caged the bees can't swarm; probably the swarming impulse is incited already and the bees will build queen-cups, but the queen can't lay eggs in them. The desire to swarm is increasing in the colony all the time; on the 10th day all the brood will be sealed and a large num- ber of nurse-bees and many empty cells are present. On the 14th day the queen is released and will lay eggs in these empty cells; this will soon give the nurse-bees some employ- ment, nevertheless the queen may lay eggs in queen-cups. A swarm would follow in this case, as soon as the first queen- cell is nearly sealed, but this can't be earlier than 8 or 9 days after the queen is released. When the queen was released the youngest larva was 14 days old; now, 8 or 9 days later this same bee has been out of the cell 1 or 2 days, and no more young bees are gnawing out, but many larva? are to be fed. Such circumstances are just contrary to that which causes the swarming impulse, consequently all swarming is given up, if it is not so a few days earlier. On the contrary, if the queen is released earlier, young bees are still gnawing out of the cells in the regular number at a time when a queen-cell is advanced enough for swarm- ing, consequently a surplus of larval food may still be pro- duced under some circumstances, and a swarm is the conse- quence. Under What Circumstances Can Very Young Bees Work Afield ? The editorial note, and the note of Dr. C. C. Miller, on page 209, induce me to say a few words more in my con- troversy with Mr. Getaz about explaining the swarming im- pulse, or rather, the fact that a colony of bees will not swarm if the queen is caged or removed during such a length of time that the colony is without unsealed brood at least 4 days Mr. Getaz thinks that during these 4 days the young bees, having no brood to nurse, will become field-bees. My opinion is that this is an error, and I explain the fact in an other way. Now, Dr. C. C. Miller, F. Greiner, and others, have found by experiments that bees much less than 16 days old can be- come field-bees, if in a colony no old bees are present at all, but some brood to be fed. I know that such cases were observed, and H. von Buttel-Reepen in Germany, too, reports such cases. But these are exceptional variations of the in- stinct, and not the rule. Any animals in defending their young will do some things which they never would do under any other circumstances. A hen with young chickens, for instance, will attack a dog or a cat, and even men, if they come near her. I have seen a cock attacking a buzzard for defense of the young chickens. These cases reported by Dr. Miller and others seem to me are similar ones— are exceptions, which are very interesting, but do not prove very much against the rule. If we accept this conception of Dr. "Miller's observation we see that he as well as Baron Berlepsch may be correct. In Berlepsch's experiment no brood was present, and therefore no variation of the inherited instinct. I will mention another fact. If we remove a colony to another stand in the same apiary it will lose all the field- bees; young bees of all ages, honey and pollen are present. nevertheless in some cases the eggs and the youngest larvae are destroyed by the bees in such colonies, especially if the colony held a play-spell a short time before its stand was changed. I have known this for many years, and Mr. Alex- ander mentioned this fact in the bee-papers a short time ago, and has, for this reason, recommended another way of in- crease. The reason is that such colonies having no field-bees can get no water, and can not prepare larval-food without water. The proper remedy is to give a comb filled with water to such colonies. If it would be the rule, or so very easy, that young bees of any age can become field-bees, we should think the oldest at least would fly out at once and would gather this necessary water, but they do not. Now, granted that under some exceptional circumstances, if young larva are to be nursed, young bees can become field- bees, this surely will not be so in the case considered in our controversy. Here are conditions just contrary to those in Dr. Miller's case — plenty of old field-bees are present, and no brood to be fed at all ; nothing could induce the young bees to go to the field except the fact that they have no occasion to fulfill a part of their regular duties. If the instinctively prepared chyle or larval-food can't be consumed by young larvae, this chyle is changed into wax ; the young bees will build combs, but they will not become field-bees. Cibolo, Tex. How to Breed the Bee of the Future BY A. W. YATES. TO obtain the best results with poultry, horses, cattle, sheep, etc.. one must be very careful in the selection of the breeding stock, none but the best are used — those that come the nearest to the ideal only, and then "sorts and varia- tions" sometimes occur which, with good breeders, are always sent direct to the slaughter. So with bees. If we would have the best we must breed from the best — those that we get the best results from, that are gentle, whose queen is prolific and the bees industrious, to let nothing escape their search, and at the same time of singular beauty to attract the eye of the fancier; and to the building of a strain as near the ideal as it is possible to get- To accomplish this we must select the best queens, and the best drones, to breed from to the sacri- fice of all others. Many breeders are working for long tongues, and to this end may have accomplished something by crossing with the Cyprians, but they being an irritable race generally, and given to the laying-worker nuisance, are met with disfavor. Prof. Cook's numerous microscopical measurements of the tongues of the Syrians and Cyprians, which he finds to be .006 of an inch longer than those of the Italian, would be so much in their favor, if it were not for their temper, but the apiarist dislikes, when opening a hive, to have a small swarm seem to race to see which one will get at him first. The Italian, by constant care and choice along this line, may be so bred, and, I think, has, to a certain extent; but the difference is so small that it is scarcely perceptible ; yet by- diligence and care we hope in time to achieve the end sought after, and if we can produce a strain of bees that will work as well on red clover as on white, it will increase the honey- production to a great extent. They combine more good points and fewer faults than all others, and American breeders are working wonders by careful selection as to color, gentleness, and industry. At present our own pure-bred Italian is much better than the ordinary bee, in that it is more prolific and gentle, and defends itself better against its enemies, such as robbers, moth-worms, etc. One man says, "By the way, whoever saw bees work on red clover?" I have, and many others have. The time is coming when we will see plenty of them that do. Domestic animals are bred by strain, and by selecting such animals as show the most points in the line sought after. Race-horses are bred from dam and sire that are both fleet of foot; draft horses accordingly from heavy dam and sire; cattle the same — if for beef, or butter, or color, or whatever other point is sought after, they will after a time be brought about, and I have faith in the long-tongued bee being secured after a time. We cannot expect it all at once, but we have one great advantage over other breeders, in that we can pro- duce several generations in one season. We must be careful to conform as nearly as possible to nature's way in rearing the queen to obtain the best results and long life. And, by the way, I heard a man say a short time ago that he bought a queen that lived 6 years, as he did not clip her wings. I wonder how many daughters were reared in the same hive before he found it out! Of 7 queens that I know of being purchased of the same breeder tun years ago, only two survived till the next year, and one of them proved to be a drone-layer the next spring; the other died in July. This breeder is rearing "long-lived queens with queenless colonies." Nature's ways are by swarming or supersedure. Is it, then, natural that good "long-lived queens" can be reared in queenless colonies? Observe a cell from a colony that has cast a natural swarm. See the shape and thickness of it, and then tear it open and see royal jelly in it — enough to feed 2 or 3 such infants. Then try one from your queenless colony and see how they compare. This will tell you why 7 queens died before they were a year old. Queens are easy to get. Simply a few eggs, a queenless colony, and a couple of weeks' time, and there they are. But what will they be good for? Much depends upon their feed and care. If we simply want to rear a few queens, all April 12, 19C6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 325 well and good, but if we wish to give each one a chan develop to the best advantage, and equal, or excel, either parent, we must nourish this young opportunity to thi of our ability, and in so doing we shall make a distim I I in tins branch of our pursuit. We must solicit Dame ture's help, for we must first of all follow her line, o is shipwrecked before we are out of the harbor. And by so doing we shall have the bee of the future. Hartford, Conn. m Price of "Quality" Honey Not High Enough BY GRANT STANLEY. ON page 67 appears a very interesting letter from the pen of M. A. Gill, of Colorado, on the price of honey. He seems inclined to the belief that present prices are high enough. I believe if Mr. Gill will study the question thorough- ly on all sides he will take entirely different views of the matter. One very important question in regard to the pro- duction of honey "he has entirely overlooked, or has failed to mention — a question which adjusts the price of every com- modity produced in this country, or in fact any other — and that is the amount of thought and effort placed in its produc- tion necessary to put it upon the market above every manner of reproach. We have been clamoring for honey of higher quality, and rightly so, as only by this means will we ever be able to in- crease its consumption. It must, indeed, be of such high quality that when bought even as Mr. Gill says, as a mere luxury, that future purchases will be made a matter of neces- sity. But to do this certainly costs considerable thought and effort on the part of the bee-keeper, and the honey must be sold at a higher price or the producer is at a loss. Ts it not true that the producers of every known com- modity are continually exhausting every effort in the matter of quality and attractiveness in order to increase the sales of their product, and consequently enhance the price? I believe this is an inflexible rule among honest producers of all kinds, and if honey is to be brought before the public as it rightly deserves, the producers must do the same. I am afraid that if we should be content with present prices, and made no effort to better them or our product, it would not he long until honey would he a glut on the market; one thing is almost certain, it would furnish a good loop-hole for the bee-keeper who produces honey simply to sell, with no thought of neat- ness or quality, to dispose of his honey at the same price as the producer who has catered to the wants of the consumer. It is about time for the bee-keeper to place on the market that which it demands, and stop talking about educating the public to the use of honey. It is well to remember that it is all wrong to try to educate the public in the use of an in- ferior article. Place your product on the market in the most attractive way. combined with as high a degree of quality as is possible to obtain, and sales will rapidly increase and the price advance, Mr. Gill rightly says. "What the honey market needs' is an increased consumption of the pure article upon the tables of the masses." What hinders it from being as in the days of the old patriarchs, a staple article of the world? Solomon tells us. "Eat thou honey because it is good." There is no one to blame hut the bee-keepers themselves; if we can put a little quality into the producer we will get it back in the product. We read in the papers of bee-keepers having sale for their honey as soon as off the hives, and in many insi . prices considerably above the market. Why is this? Of course many will put up the old cry. "Locality." hut if you will investigate it you will find that it is only conditions « the bee-keeper himself has brought about, and can with a little energy be brought about in a great many places. No, sir; the present prices of honey as listed are not high enough ; we must place honey on the market of high lality, or it will not meet with ready sale, and an article of oi quality cannot be offered for sale without an increa price. The selling price of any commodity is always accord- ing to the quality. Let us remember that quality is an im- pro\ i I i and improvement costs something. I have n heard of any market being overstocked with a strictly first- class .article at any price. Nisbet, Pa. -he Premiums we offer are all well wor.h working for. Look at them in this copy of the American Be. Journal. Southern * 23eebom * =j Conducted by Louis H. Scholu New Braunfels, Tex. Southern Bee-Keepers Awakening It is gratifying to know that our " bee-folks in the South " are taking an interest in " Southern Beedom." I learn this from the many kind and interesting letters re- ceived lately. Many thanks to you, brethren, and I hope you will write me such letters often, giving, as many of them received, "something you know about bees," and what you are doing. I would be glad to hear from all our " Southern Beedom " readers. Several have sent some nice suggestions and offered to co-operate in making this depart- ment a good one. To these / wish very much to express my feelings of gratitude, and hope that I may also be able to help in return. __ _ __ Texas Horsemint for Georgia Mr. Louis H. Scholl:— On page 141, I notice that you invite correspondence from all Southern bee-keepers. I am especially inter- ested in what you have to say about sowing seeds of honey-producing plants in waste places at the right time to keep the bee6 busy during our summer dearths. In 1904, Prof. Wilmon Newell (State Ento- mologist of Georgia at that time) came to this county (Tattnall) to a Farmers' Institute. Knowing that he was vor had been) a bee-keeper in Texa6, I attended the Institute especially to meet him. I asked him how he thought Texas horsemint would do in this section. He thought it ought to do well here, and he gave me your address and told me to write to you to send me some of the seed. I was corres- ponding with W. H. Laws a little later, and I asked him about the horsemint seed. He replied that it was too late for him to save me any that season (then July), and so I did not write to you then. Last spring (1905) I again wrote to Mr. Laws about the horsemint seed. He replied that he would save me some, but I haven't heard from him yet. I again wrote to him a few days ago. Do you have any of the seed on hand now? If not, do you know who has? I would very much like to try the horsemint here. I have tried other "cultivated" honey-plants here, but with very, very poor success. Bur and crimson clover do very well ; alfalfa and sweet clover yet to be "heard " from. We need some honey-plant here that can " tough it out " with the ragweed and other weeds in the fence " jams," ditch-banks, etc. Our spring surplus honey-flow ends about May 15. I have often wished that it began and ended a month later, then the colonies would have more time to build up strong before the first of the flow. I think horsemint would prolong the spring surplus flow if it would yield honey and the bees worked on it here. But immediately after the spring flow ends we generally have a " plague " of mosquito hawks and some bee-paralysis to depopulate our hives, so if the flow were prolonged it might not be of much benefit. The mosquito hawk "plague" lasts about a month, when the " hawks" suddenly disap- pear H. C. Barnard. Glennville, Ga., March 8. Horsemint has not been as plentiful of late years in the greater portion of our State as in former years. The dry- ness of our fall seasons is accountable for this, as the plant comes up in the fall and blooms next year in May. Hence, it is not very easy to obtain seed, especially out of season, as the plant soon dies down in summer. The seed would have to be gathered before this time. I know of no place where some of the seed could be obtained. As the seed should be planted in the fall I would procure it this summer. I could not say whether horsemint would do well in Georgia for the purpose mentioned. It will have to be tried. To me, at least, it seems that sweet clover would be better. But we should be glad to have you make the experi- ment and report later. . — m m Prospects for the Season of 1906 Our bees, in most of the Southern localities, have win- tered well. The winter was a mild one with only occasional blusters— a few cold spells coming quite late this spring, but not doing any harm to bees south of Central Texas, and no reports have at this writing been received from parts further north. An abundance of bloom has prevailed. Mistletoe was the beginning for the bees for both honey and pollen— a 326 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 12, 1906 species of Ilex or Youpon following it early in and continu- ing throughout January. " Agherita," or triple-leafed bar- berry, came in before either of the foregoing had ceased blooming, and continued through February and March. Fruit-bloom in galore, and the wild dewberry, or a common blackberry-vine, bloomed in profusion for nearly three months, and is still in bloom at this writing. The willows and water-elms, box-elders, the pecan-nut and walnut-trees along the streams with the cotton woods and hackberry- trees, have all been yielding their share of pollen and some nectar. The oaks are just thinking it's their time to come out, too. Redbud, or Judas-tree, has been in full bloom for several weeks, and several cultivated shrubs also. Our State flower — the Texas blue-bonnet, or blue-lupine — is now in full bloom, and the bees are bringing in loads of brightest red pollen from these beautiful blooms. A large number of other trees, shrubs and plants are going to come out in a short time. The bees are generally in good condition, especially where sufficient stores were left for them last fall. Several apiaries I have seen where the colonies were running short early in spring. There is quite a difference in these colo- nies, and those that were not held back in breeding on ac- count of lack of stores. As I have been buying bees in various sections this winter and early spring, I have had occasion to examine the brood-nests of many colonies. Brood-rearing was going on in December, and in some yards strong colonies had as many as 8 combs of brood in January. In two yards visited in February it was not uncommon to find brood (sealed) in the upper stories, and new drones were plentiful. I have been rearing queens since two months ago. The prospects in most parts of the South are quite favorable for a good season, although it is too early to know yet. It is somewhat dry in some localities, and some good rains are needed. Dry weather, however, is much more preferred in March and April, as the mesquite-tree — our main source — comes into bloom, and rain injures it very easily. It yields better in a dry season also, provided a good season is in the ground from the fall and winter rains, as these trees live upon the sap stored up in their trunks. Consequently rain now, and followed by dry weather during our mesquite yield, is to be wished for. The Order of the Brood-Nest If we examine a regular brood- nest in spring we shall observe that it has a globular form, or nearly so, altered only by outside influences. Around this brood of all ages we see cells filled with pollen, forming a shell, as it were, about the brood, and outside of this pollen-shell the honey is stored. This arrangement is maintained under all cir- cumstances as long as possible, and is according to the nature of the bees. The brood-nest, with the queen in it, is the all-attracting magnet. All the food gathered outside by the field-bees is stored as near as possible to the brood- nest. As the pollen is the. material from which the body of the bee is built up, and as it is the material most needed for nourishing the brood, it is placed next to the brood, where the young bees, which are the nurses, can always take it ; and this is of much importance for the development of the colony. If pollen is far away from the brood-nest, quite often it is not used at all, and the bees are bound to remove it afterward when it is spoiled and unfit for consumption. If the bee-keeper knows the purpose and importance of this order he will not destroy it to the disadvantage of the bees and of his own success. Nevertheless, some hives are con- structed in such a way that this order can not be preserved. With small frames the growing brood-nest crowds out the honey and the pollen from the center combs, and some bee- keepers think they have gained thereby a great advantage, while, in fact, a part of the brood, at least, is not sufficiently nourished for want of pollen, and on the ends of the brood- nest the pollen accumulates in cells which would be used for brood. This pollen in the outside combs means so much vitality and energy robbed from the coming generation of bees. This order gives some hints as to the surplus arrange- ments. If a colony of bees could expand the combs in every direction the honey would be stored around the brood- nest, and the bee-keeper would have to take the honey from all four sides and from the top. For practical purposes we put the supers on top ; and to force the honey into them we have to squeeze the brood-nest from the other sides. If all the honey gathered should go into the supers, the brood- chamber would have to be of such a size that every cell would be occupied with brood. That this is an arrange- ment quite contrary to the nature of the bees, the bees themselves show apparently. In such a small brood-cham- ber they rather diminish the brood, but store some honey in it, nevertheless. The smart bee-keeper then says, "My queens do not lay more than so and so much," and contracts the brood-nest still more. The small brood-chambers have the disadvantage that the colonies will not develop to such a strength as they would in large brood-chambers. On the other hand, we know that the bees are slow in commencing work in the supers if they have already stored some honey in the brood-chamber. The comb-honey producer chooses, of two evils, the lesser one. For this reason I invented my method of comb-honey production, by which this dilemma is avoided, and which I described in Gleanings 6 years ago. Cibolo, Tex. L. Stachelhausen. r =\ \= (Eanabtcm j Conducted by Morley Pettit, Villa Nova, Ont. " Had It In for Him "— Hershiser Bottom-Board The Afterthinker has " snuffed " (page 33), the Buffalo bottom-board man has " sniffed " (page 73), the " Southern Beedomite " has challenged (page 140), and "Betwixt & Between " has issued warning notes of caution. Wonder if it isn't time for the " Frozen Canuck " to thaw out a bit and eat some of them. " Betwixt & Be- tween " would do for breakfast if ye editor had not so sooth- ingly patted the bear on the head (page 180). The South- erner's kindly smile has rendered him invulnerable, and the Afterthinker has already brought in the soup (page 214), so we shall proceed to dine on a Hershiser Bottom-Board— (See page 73). Yes, I see many advantages in the Hershiser bottom- board, and see what a long article we got from Mr. H. by picking holes in it. But no matter how highly I esteem any implement or method, I can never say with Mr. H., " It presents to me not a single disadvantage." The Pettit sys- tem of ventilating with wedges between hive and bottom- board, and openings at top of super certainly has wedges which are " extra parts," but it does not have a bulky box un- der the hive. In my system of tiering up Hike the hives near the ground, so that I can work comfortably over the top of a 3-story or 4-story extracting-hive. I understand that the Hershiser bottom-board is a " stand" as well, but rather too expensive to rest flat on the damp ground. The Holter- mann portico is equally useful in checking robbing, and has the further advantage of holding a storm-door in spring. In the cellar the Hershiser bottom-board has the marked disadvantage of taking up enough extra room to cut out about one hive in every pile. As regards confining bees to the hive in the cellar, I recognize a point of differ- ence which may, or may not, bear on the case. Mine were confined to the portico with " wedged " entrance, but no other opening to allow a possible current of air across the bottom-board, and the space underneath the combs is greater in the Hershiser hive than in mine. Whether these factors would alter the result is worth testing. Where mine were thus confined with portico screens, there were always some bees on the screen trying to get out, and making enough noise to be heard all over the cel- lar. I did not say they all wanted to go out, because some had asked that privilege; but "the school " was so quiet otherwise that such a request from a few disturbed the thoughts of the others. They were cot like Mr. Hershiser's "school children " — " so accustomed to humming and buzz- ing that such sounds have ceased to irritate them." To be sure, where bees are reported to be successfully wintered under machine shops ; in cellars where the tem- perature runs away up or away down ; in above-ground re- positories, and other places quite unorthodox, one must broaden one's views on the requirements of good wintering. But it seems to me a great many of us are too easily satis- fied, and it might pay to buy, dig or rent a cellar where the April 12, 19(6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 327 hives could be moved in from the out-yards, set down a few weeks to be sure the bees get a good flight, then carried down and quietly piled up and kept cool and quiet all win- ter. Have a good system of ventilation — a stove for severe weather; and why not a " cold storage " arrangement for ice when necessary to keep temperature below 45 degrees ? For those who can not see their way to provide a spe- cially arranged cellar, and there is danger of "runaway furnaces," etc., it might be worth while trying Mr. Her- shiser's bottom-boards ; but as his bees have had such a severe test this winter, it will be interesting to hear from him when they come to the commencement of the honey- flow, as to their condition. J. L. Byer and Family Canadian Beedom has often clipped with interest and profit from the writings of " York County Bee-Keeper," in the Canadian Bee Journal. We have much pleasure now in presenting a group picture of himself and family, and in- troducing them to our readers. In the front row are Mrs. *^ ] ■B * T k.» Ms. - \ B*t*l Hvp< »- jk. U* ■ 1 | »Ci ^^r-. . iff. 1 J. L. BYER AND FAMILY Byer, Baby Walter, age 1 year; Annie, 7 years ; and Mary, 9 years. The two " boys " in the back row are Edwin, 11 years, and Mr. J. L. Byer (age not given). In response to a request for the photograph shown here- with, Mr. Byer wrote : Dear Friend Pettit:— Your letter just to hand' Honestly, in re- gard to a sketch of my bee-keeping life, lean think of nothing of im- portance more than what I sent Mr. Craig. As to " fads " or " hobbies," why, I used to have hundreds of them, but, bless you, they have disappeared, one by one, until now I can hardly think of anything worthy those names. While I have learned to distinguish the queen-bee from the workers, as well as to master other minor but necessary details of bee-keeping, yet, as I look back over my bee-keeping life, one fact above all others stands out pre-eminently, and it is this: That after rubbing up against other bee-keepers through the medium of conventions and bee-papers, I find at the present time that I do not know half as much about bee-keepiug as I thought I knew 10 years ago, when 1 first contemplated taking up the business for a living. J. L. Bter. Markham, Ont. We copy the following from the Canadian Bee Journal : Friend Craig: — Replying to your request for a brief outline of my bee-keeping experience, I would say that I was brought up on the farm, and with the exception of time spent in learning telegraphy when about 19 years of age, have followed no other pursuit but bee- keeping. Disliking indoor work, I gave up the notion of telegraphy and returned to the work on the farm. While my grandfather and my great unele. who lived near us, were successful bee-keepers, and I had the benefit of their experience, yet I never contemplated taking up bee-keeping for a living until about 10 years ago, when I came into possession of a swarm of bees. I immediately contracted " bee-fever " in its most virulent form, and that fall bought 25 colonies, giving my note for 12 months. Visible assets: A No. 1 wife; baby boy of same quality; and 25 colonies of bees (to be paid for from proceeds of the honey they would gather the next season). As the most of you know, I depend solely upon bee-keeping for a living. As to how we have succeeded, I can best illustrate by the following : An Englishman, who lived near us for a number of years, in speaking of the advantages of Canada over the " Old Sod," used to say that " he had done remarkably well since coming to Canada. He had nothing when he landed here 40 years ago, and he had held his own ; he had the same yet." Yet I believe, on looking at the picture, the most skeptical will agree with me, that in some respects, at least, we have more than "held our own." In fact, it is with pardonable pride that I venture to say we have " done remarkably well." We produce extracted honey almost exclusively. I have no space to give methods, and suspect the fraternity are better without tbem, anyway. As to hives I use, least said about them the better. Cana- dian Bee Journal readers would only laugh at me if I told them, and you know, Mr. Editor, I am awfully sensitive! Just a word more and I must close in order to catch the mail. I would call special attention, of our friend of " Canadian Beedom," as well as some others, that in using the pronoun " we," I refer to my " best half " and myself. Mrs. Byer is an adept in the use of the honey-knife, and can take the " peelings " off a comb of honey as quickly and neatly as anyone whoever came under my notice. "A word to the wise is sufficient." J. L. Bter. Propolized Rags as Smoker-Fuel When I see old propolis rags, dead grass, or other pow- erful smoker-producers suggested for dealing with vicious bees, as on page 137, it makes me think how easy it is to quarrel with the dumb animals, or insects, we have under us. They must be controlled, of course, but in order to con- trol them to the best advantage one must control oneself first. After writing the above, I noticed the sequel (page 209), and am more convinced than ever that "J. G." must have really quarreled with those bees. m i m Always Preparing in Bee-Work The work in the apiary is a constant round of prepara- tory work for future results, and it is with bees as with every other kind of stock, to-morrrow never comes. For some unaccountable reason the idea prevails that tees need little attention and no thought. It is true there is nothing in the animal kingdom that gives a greater re- turn for the effort expended than the honey-bee, but that effort must be well, intelligently and timely applied. — E. H. Dewey, in the Prairie Farmer. Two " Notes " from The Globe The Globe has "Notes on Bees," of which the following are two : If there is white bread being carried out of the hive something is wrong. I would suspect that conditions were not normal. In rearing drones, full frames of drone-comb can be had by filling the frame with drone-foundation. Insert a frame of this in the brood- nest of any colony. It will readily be occupied by the queen. Plenty of drone-comb is usually present without going to that expense. To Make Us Think We submit the following just to make us all think : He — Wise men hesitate— only fools are certain. She — Are you sure? He — "I am quite certain of it.'' Then she laughed— Kansas City Independent. 328 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 12, 1906 (Dur+Stster Beekeepers =\ Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. Keeping Dry Combs from Moths With (iasoline On page 87, C. S. Guernsey says, " I never saw any in- structions in the books or papers for keeping dry combs from moths by the use of gasoline." If he will look on page 437 (1902), under " Bee-Keeping for Women," he will find something about it. As he may not have this number, and as additional light is there given, it may be well to reproduce the follow- ing : Dr. Miller had been reading to me about the fumes of gasoline being effectual. I did not have much faith in the fumes of gasoline, but I did have a good deal of faith in the gasoline itself. So, without consulting Dr. Miller. I concluded to experiment a little. I had about 50 combs that were wormy. Some of them had full-grown worms, some about half -size, and some just commencing work, so I felt I had a good chance to experiment. I took a bottle of gasoline and a small oil-can, such as is usually used about a sewing machine, as my outfit. I filled the oil-can with gasoline and was ready for work. I inspected each comb carefully, and whenever I saw the least suspicion of worms I squirted the cells full of gasoline from the oil-can. It was very quickly and easily done, and was most effectual even on the very large worms. I treated the whole 50 combs, and was sorry afterwards that I had not kept track of the time it took me, as I was surprised to see how quickly it was done. I felt sure it was a success as far as killing the worms was con- cerned, but I had a little misgiving as to the effect the gasoline might have upon the combs, and as to what the bees would have to say about accepting them after they had been so treated. I am happy to say that the combs were not injured in the least by the gasoline, and the bees made no objection to accepting them, so I am inclined to think it a pretty good way to treat them. Of course, one must be very careful not to use gasoline anywhere near a fire, as it is very inflammable. When wax-worms are full-grown they are very hard to kill. The fumes of burning sulphur, even when very strong, seem to leave them in good health. It is a question how large a worm might be killed by being enclosed in the fumes of gasoline. But when the gasoline itself is squirted upon them there is no question in the case. We are sometimes instructed to dig the larger worms out of their burrows with a wire-nail. It is much easier to squirt the gasoline upon them, and it does the work just as thoroughly. No Winter Losses— Turpentine to Qet Rid of Ants As this is the first day of March, and we now feel quite secure from winter losses, I thought I would report our suc- cessful wintering. Out of 75 colonies (with 10 rather light in stores in the fall) we, so far, have lost but 1 colony. There have been very few dead bees carried out of the hives the present winter, and I verily believe that some colonies have bred and reared young bees throughout the winter months, as the weather has been very mild at times, and young bees seemed to be trying their wings in front of the hives. On pleasant days I have fed the bees by distributing canaille (coarse flour) on top of the hives, and they rolled it up like pollen on their busy little legs, and carried it off quite greedily. We now find them going to the woods to work on Cottonwood and elm buds. Please tell the gentleman who mentioned having caught 6 swarms of bees in decoy hives, that here is a gentle-woman (?) who, with the aid of mascule climbers, caught 26 abscond- ing swarms from the neighboring vicinity, and we have them yet. Many of them proved to be prime swarms and great honey-gatherers. Some were 5-banded Italians, and others a kind of black bee. One colony in particular gave us 4 supers of fine honey in 1904. We had very little sur- plus honey last season. I read somewhere about the ants being such a menace to bees in the South, as they also are in Nebraska. A good remedy is to apply turpentine along the seams and in their run-ways (with a common stiff feather). One application proves effectual in most cases. They don't wait to be told to pack up and go ; they simply just " get up and git," and take their larva;- with them. The bees pay little or no atten- tion to the turpentine, unless it happens to touch them. Williams, Nebr., March 1. Mrs. Jas. Lamb. You are to be congratulated on your successful winter- ing. Lookout, however, that they have plenty of stores until your main harvest comes. Caught 26 stray swarms I That, alone, is a good sum- mer's work. The brother with his 6 will please take a back seat. *% 21lt\ pasty's Ctftertljougfyte The " Old Reliable" as seen through New and Unreliable Glasses. By E. E. Hasty, Sta. B. Rural, Toledo, Ohio. Helpful Bees— Milkweed Pollen That was an interesting observation of Mr. Suddith's, when he saw the guards on the alighting-board acting like jockeys grooming a horse in pulling off the milkweed pollen from the feet of incoming bees. That's just so as it ought to be — make themselves useful, as well as " sassy " and in- quisitorial. If there was only a kind of domestic dog for a guard at our thresholds that would clean off the feet of " we'uns " when we come in, how swift all the sisters would be to purchase a pup ! Page 185. Control of Swarming ? Absolute-control-of-the-swarming problem, is it now ? And yet most of us are not shouting or dancing around in glee ! Strange creatures, we ! Still I guess we are waiting with a tolerable amount of interest to hear the particulars from Mr. Davenport. Shall we realize upon our newly- born hopes — or have we been listening to the claims of a patent medicine ? Page 186. Crowding Out the Queen C. P. Dadant mentions again a difficulty which we often read of. Bees put some new honey in nearly every cell and the queen has nowhere to lay. Now, I am not by any means saying that the brethren need not look out for this — let them be duly careful — but in my location, with my strain of bees, it is an empty bug-a-boo, I am well convinced. My bees are well settled German-Italian hybrids. They will clear room for the queen if she wants it — and if the brood- nest is too small it's, the queen that's to blame. With a strain of bees more inclined to disregard the queen's wishes naturally the trouble would be worse — and also worse in heavy and long-continued honey-flows than in the short and moderate ones of a none-too-good location. Yes, if you buy a tremendous lot of hives, and very earnestly want a lot of bees to swarm, they may improve that occasion to say, " This is our off year." If you want to be sure of increase you must of course make it artificially. And Mr. D. is shrewd and wise to use for artificial increase those colonies that would not have yielded much surplus anyway — and especially wise in insisting that they have queens given them of the best parentage instead of being allowed to rear their own. Page 187. Buying, Selling, and Eating Honey That was a wise saying of C. W. Dayton's, where he said : " People like to buy honey, but do not like to have it sold to them." Nice to take that saying in the opposite direction, too. I don't like to sell honey, but I like to have people come and buy it of me. And so the landlady and the hired girl didn't agree. Fear of adulteration with sugar — else the boarders' eating it too fast — stopped the consumption of honey at one board- ing house. Page 188. Honey-Yielding Plants of Texas Mr. Scholl did a good job for Texas (and how much we all need the same for our own localities) in that botanical list of honey-yielding plants. Represents the observations of six years, it seems. It does not claim to be complete. Should have the color and appearance of each kind of pol- len. Desirable to have the color and quality of each kind of honey ; but that is such a difficult, problem when minor April 12, 19C6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 329 supplies are considered that for a long time to come we may have to be content with knowing- about the honey of the the species that yield large surplus. Guesses are somewhat better than nothing in that particular matter. If the visits of other insects show that there is nectar, and the bees pay no attention to it, we have pretty good indication that the quality is not first-class. Take for example the northern plant, Scrophnlaria nodosa, carpenter's square. Abundant nectar can usually be seen in its cups ; and sometimes bees gather it, but quite often they let it entirely alone. In this case the amount of nectar visible is so large that it can not be that they can get ahead faster at something else — must be that (according to their judgment) it is pretty poor. Get- ting every last one of the honey-plants of any locality is not nearly so important as full and reliable information about those you do get. Several of the bits of information collected are of spe- cial interest. Not true that lindens fail to yield in Texas. Sorry to see that the goldenrods are no better there than they are here. Sad that an abundant plant of national dis- tribution should be of special value in such limited locali- ties. And the prickly pear gets a black eye for yielding abundant honey of rank, flavor. Glad to see that my old and departed friend, the blue lupine, gets a good honey- mark. The surprise of the list is the prominence of the oaks. I had supposed the oaks to be of practically no ac- count for honey, except an occasional big yield from frozen leaves under the stimulus of succeeding warm weather. Wonder if Mr. Scholl could have been deceived by that. I have seen oat-stubble, after the oats were cut, exude enor- mous quantities of sweet juice ; but it would be hardly fair to class the oat as a honey-plant on that account. I think it might be well to have an addendum list also in which all should be named in the order of flowering. One name, and that the commonest one, might suffice in such a list. Pages 189-192. =\ Doctor filler's (Question * Box j 8end questions either to the office of the American Bee Journal, or to Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, 111. Dr. Miller does not answer Questions by mail. Doubtless a Case of Bee-Diarrhea I send you a piece of comb from a colony that died in the cellar the past week (March 26). The piece of comb is from a colony that I transferred last summer from a box-hive, and the biggest part of the combs looked like this piece. Is this comb diseased? This colony has had more dead bees in front of their hive this winter than any other colony in the cellar, and lust fall they acted as if they were affected with paralysis. Do you think it is dangerous to U6e the hive and combs for bee6 again this spring? Iowa. Answer. — There is no appearance of disease about the comb, and you need have no hesitation about using the hive and combs again. The disease of which bees generally die in winter is diarrhea, but that is not a disease that will be conveyed by the comb to a colony placed, the following season, in hives or on combs left by a colony killed by it. It is nothing strange that more dead bees were found in front of this hive, because more of the bees in that hive were dying, and most likely dying of diarrhea. Controlling: Swarming and Increase-Comb Honey and Excluders— "Appendix" to 'Forty Years" 1. What method have you used for controlling swarming and in- crease during the past two seasons? 2. In working for comb honey without queen-excluders, are you not troubled whh pollen in the sections? 3. When you write the " Appendix " to the forthcoming edition of your " Forty Years Among the Bees," will it be sold separately to those who have the old edition? West Virginia. Answers.— 1. This has been the program generally : As 60on as the possibility of 6warming is suspected, a few of the strongest colo- nies are examined to see if cells are started. If none are found in these strongest ones, then it isn't necessary to examine the rest. As soon as any are found, then all colonies are examined for cells every 10 days or so. If only eggs are found in queen-cells, they are destroyed, and nothing more, for sometimes it happens that when these egg6 are destroyed the colony gives up further attempt at swarming. Ind.'.d, it sometimes happens that eggs may be found every 10 days for 2 or 3 times, and then the bees give it up fur the season. Generally, how- ever, the next visit will show larvae half-grown in cells. When any- thing more than eggs or very young larvae are found, they are de- stroyed, then the queen is removed, and the colony is left queenless for about 10 says. Then there is given to the colony a queen, and if it is a laying queen of the current season's rearing, there is no thought of further swarming for the 6eason. It isn't quite so sure if an older queen is given, although the chances for swarming are so few that it is hardly worth while to pay further attention. If a queen is better than the average, that queen will probably be kept in a nucleus during the 10 days her colony i6 queenle6S, and then returned. Sometimes a colony swarms when no one is by, and in that case the colony is found queenless at next visit, and a queen is given to it, as nearly as can be judged, 10 days after it has become queenless. Of course, all queen- cells are destroyed at the end, as well as at the beginning, of the 10 days queenlessness in all cases. This plan is more troublesome than merely shaking swarms, but it yields more honey per colony, and I think more for the amount of labor. 2. No; but I might be troubled that way if I didn't fill sections with foundation. If there isn't plenty of drone-comb in the brood- chamber, and only small starters in the sections, then the queen is likely to go up to lay in drone-cells in sections, and that will bring pollen in the sections. I don't mean that I never have pollen or brood in sections, but that it is so rare that it wouldn't be worth while to U6e excluders. 3. I don't know; that's a matter with the publisher. [Yes, we will be able to furnish the " Appendix " for 10 cents, postpaid.— Ed.] Hives in Long Rows and Sunflower Shade— Tar-Paper for Hlve-Coverlng 1. I have a bee-yard where I can put hives in long rows, with no shade. How would it do to have the hive-rows 15 feet apart, and plant a mammoth sunflower about a foot south of the entrance of the hive for shade, and keep the bottom leaves trimmed off? Clipped queens could climb up the sunflowers. 2. Would you advise covering the hives with tar- paper for spring protection? Iowa. Answers.— 1. It wouldn't make the very best shade, but it would be better than none. Better not do very much clipping of leaves. At any rate, wait till the plants are well grown before you trim up any, for those lower leaves help to make strong growth. 2. Likely tarred paper i6 as good as anything else. Starting With Bees-Sweet Clover I have been taking the American Bee Journal something over a year, and I am getting in the bee-notion. Perhaps the Italian bee- fever would be nearer the real thing. I am going to begin with the 8- frame dovetailed hive. Now, like all beginners, I want to ask a lot of questions that likely have been answered three or four times the last year. I haven't had anything to do with the honey-bee for over 30 years, and then I was about 0 years old, but I remember that warm summer day yet ! There is no one near here that keeps bees, so I will have to get them from a distance. 1. I am in Northern Minnesota. Does it make any difference whether I get bees from the Southern States, or would it be better to get them as near home as possible? 2. What is the best to start with, a colony, or less* 3. I see a good many seem to think sweet clover is a good honey- plant. Where can 1 get the seed? Minnesota. Answers.— 1. Better get them as near home as possible. Trans- portation from any distance south would be more than the cost of the bees. If you can't do any better, get black bee6 in box-hives, and then you can transfer and Italianize. 2. It will be better to start with two full colonies. Of course you can start with less than a colony, by getting a 3-frame nucleus, but it will take more time for it to build up. 3. You ought to find it advertised in this Journal. Increasing a Nucleus— Placing a Doollttle Feeder 1. I have purchased a 3-frame nucleus. Will you tell me just how I must proceed to increase this two or three fold the coming season. Please give me the method in detail. Do not refer me to some standard work, but give me the process step by step. 2. I wish to feed some colonies I have bought and which are light in stores. In using the Doolittle feeder where in the hive shall I put it — as an outside frame, or in the center of the hive? Iowa. Answers.— 1. My good friend, I'm afraid you misapprehend the purpose and scope of this department. It is intended to supplement, not to supplant, the teachings of the text-books. Every little while a fresh set of beginners enters the American Bee Journal family, and each of them needs to know all that he would get from a good book of instruction in bee-keeping. If he is not to be referred to any standard work, but is told in this department all he needs to know, several numbers of the Journal will be filled. Then when another fresh set starts in the same thing must be told over again, and after you have been a subscriber for several years you'll be likely to object to so much repetition, won't you? Of course it would be a nice thing for each be- ginner so long as he is a beginner, but after he has been a beginner 330 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 12, 1906 for some time it will not be profitable to find his favorite journal tilled with old stuff that he already knows all about, while there i6 so much that is fresh and new. So I am sure you will pardon me if I do not go into detail so fully as under other circumstances I might be glad to do, and answer in a few lines what might occupy page6. The first thing you will probably need to do after establishing your nucleus in a full-sized hive, will be to exercise no little patience to keep from meddling with it too much. It simply needs to grow, and if you have furnished it with frames filled with worker-foundation and abundance of food till a bountiful supply is offered in the fields, that's all it will ask of you. Very likely, after the population has doubled, you will begin to think it is time to be doing something by way of making a start in another hive. Don't you do it. Wait till you have brood in at least 6 frames, the hive well filled with bees. For by the time 0 frames are filled with brood the population will have a good deal more than doubled. More than one way may now be followed. The quickest way will be to make two 2-frame nuclei, and give to each a laying queen. But as you may not want to buy the queens, and especially as it will give you more practise, I'll give a way that will be very likely to suit: Take 2 of the frames that contain brood and 1 of the outside frames that contains little or no brood together with the adhering bees and the queen. Put these in a hive on a new stand, and plug up the en- trance with grass or leaves. Open the entrance in about two days, if the bees have not already dug it open. A week later let the hives swap places. That's all, if you only want to double. If you think the 6eason sufficiently favorable to warrant further increase, divide the queenless colony in two parts, putting one part in a new hive on a new stand, and fastening the bees in for 2 or 3 days. See that each part has a good queen-cell, located where it will be well protected by the bees. Of course, the vacant space in each hive must be filled out with frames filled with foundation. 2. Don't think of dividing the brood-nest, but put it next to the first frame that contains brood at one side. Natural Swarming— 8-Prame and 10-Prame Hives lam just reading your book, entitled " Forty Tears Among the Bees," and have never been so interested in a book before, although I have read a great many from Jules Verne to Thackeray. I am a beginner in bee-cultre, and am very much interested. I notice you dislike natural swarming, yet use and recommend S-frame hives. Set the " A B C of Bee Culture " says large hives are apt to be non-swarmers. I am in a section of the country where it is profit- able, if at all, to run for comb honey instead of extracted. Connecticut. Answer. — It is true that large hives are less given to swarming than small ones, and it is certainly true that I dislike natural swarm- ing. In effect, however, I'm limited to an 8-frame hive. You will understand the matter better if you again refer to " Forty Years Among the Bees," page 113, also last paragraph of page 130. Before surplus receptacles are given, no queen is ever limited as to room. She has even more room than a 10-frame hive. When she has filled all the room in 8 frames, she is given a second story, and it is nothing strange for her to occupy 10 or more frames — in rare cases 15 frames. So she isn't much crowded, is she? When it comes time to put on supers, one story is taken away, and 8 of the best frames of brood are left. That limits the room of the queen, but the bees are not limited for room, for super-room is given in abundance. I think I can do better at producing comb honey by this means than I would if I allowed 10 brood-frames all the time. Then there'6 the advantage — no small one — of the lighter hives and supers to handle. But no one should adopt the S-frame hive unless he knows he will give close attention to his bees. For a very large number of bee-keepers a 10-frame hive is much safer — less danger of starvation in winter. And it is only right to say that for years I used 10-frame hives and harvested good crops of comb honey. Nail Order Banking Under our banking system, business men everywhere find it to their advan- tage to make remittances by checks, rather than by bank drafts, postoffice or express money orders. There are several good reasons for this, but the two principal ones are these: First — The convenience in paying a bill by simply writing out a check, thus making it a great time-saver as well. making expenditures for things that many times he does not want, he has brought to his home the great mail order catalogues, and when he wants to make his selection, which is usually done in conference with the "whole fam- ily on a rainy day, or in the evening, he simply writes his order, encloses a check, and the mail order merchant does the rest. A recent difficulty has arisen with reference to personal checks, because of the excessive exchange charge im- posed by local banks. The local banker LOUIS P. SCOVILLE President Second — It gives the most satisfac- tory form of receipt for the payment made. The farmer has become a business man. In the progress he has made within tin- past ten years he has found it necessary and greatly to his profit and convenience to handle his own fi- nancial affairs, rather than trust them to the local banker, lawyer or mer- chant. Our agricultural colleges, farm institutes, and great conventions, that relate to agriculture in various forms, have all advocated the importance "i the farmer paying more attention to tiie financial end of his business. In- stead of being Isolated from the great commercial centers, as was the case in the earlier days, lie lias, through the means of modern transportation facili ties, rural mail routes, telephones and interurban railwaj -. become very close- ly identified with these great centers. His home is his business office, and in- stead of spending time driving consid- erable distances to his local town and is usually biased in favor of the local an rchant, because he is his best cus- tomer. The farmer who wants to save from twenty-five to fifty per cent on his purchases — which he can do through the modern mail order method of buy- ing— finds his local bank a bank of deposit only. How much better it would be for the farmer to make his deposits in a bank in a great mail order i enter like Chicago. Banking by mail has become an established fact, and to keep progress with the great mail order movement, the Ravenswood Ex- change Bank of Chicago, 111., has ar- ranged to carry farmers' accounts, al- ii,wing them to draw their checks on this bank for their purchases, which will be accepted anywhere without ex- change. This will be a great conven- ience to farmers everywhere. Mail order merchandising is con- ducted in the city of Chicago to the amount of $200, 000,00m annually. Chicago is the greatest live stock market in the world. Many of our farmers make direct shipments to com- mission houses at the Union Stock Yards and receive checks in return. It can be arranged to have these checks sent to this bank for deposit to the account of the farmer without ex- change charges. Chicago is likewise the great prod- uce center, and commission houses here are remitting millions of dollars an- nually to the farmers direct. By the plan proposed, the farmer can have this placed to his deposit and receive the credit notice from the bank. . Chicago is also the great grain mar- ket and the same rule applies in that case. This mail order banking proposition is best explained through the litera- ture the Ravenswood Exchange Bank, of Chicago, 111., which will be sent to anyone asking for it. The Ravenswood Exchange Bank is composed of men who have had agri- cultural experience and are familiar with the requirements of the farmer along banking lines. The president, Mr. Louis P. Scoville. under whose di- rect supervision the mail order busi- ness is conducted, has had a wide busi- ness experience; he is also a careful lawyer, all of which insures proper handling of not only the accounts, but the loans made by this bank. We are personally acquainted with all the bank's stockholders, directors and offi- cers. In fact, we have done our own banking at the Ravenswood Exchange Bank ever since its organization, and all our experience with it has been en- tirely satisfactory. If you want to do business with a city bank that will safeguard your in- terests and treat you right, you can do no better than to connect yourself with the Ravenswood Exchange Bank. If you are interested, don't fail to write at once for their literature, which ex- plains fully their proposition, methods, etc. Address, Ravenswood Exchange Bank, Chicago, 111., and kindly mention the American Bee Journal when writ- ing. . - Queen-Clipping Device Free! The Monette Queen-Clipping Device is a fine thing for use in catching and clipping Queens' wings. It is U6ed by many bee- keepers. Full printed directions sent with each one. We mail it for 25cent6; or will send it FREE as a premium for sending us One New subscriber to the Bee Journal \ for a year at $1.00; or for $1.10 we will mail the Bee Journal one year and the Clipping Device. Address, (1EORQE W. YORK & CO., . . - CHICAGO, ILL. April 12, 1906 THE AMERiCAN BEE JOURNAL 331 Reports anb (Experiences Outdoor Bees Wintered Fine My bees in a warm house this winter be- came diseased, and one-fourth of them died, there being 4 bushel6 of dead bees on the floor. Bees wintered outdoors are fine. March was a terror. J. C. Stewart. St. Joseph, Mo., April 2. Winter Loss Nearly One-Fourth Reports from bee-keepers in this part of the country are not flattering. We winter bees here on the summer stands. There was not a day in March that bees could fly. More of them will have to be fed, and should have been fed in March, but the weather was too cold, some mornings it being at the zero mark. The loss here will be nearly one- fourth. C. Zoll. Vermont, 111., April 5. like California in quantity, but when it come6 to quality the Californians are entirely out-classed. This is the land of potatoes, buckwheat cakes and honey. O. B. Griffin. Caribou, Maine, March 6. Wintered Well— Late Spring Bees have wintered well, and seem to be in very good condition. We are having a very late spring, and 1 am afraid It will injure our prospect for honey if it continues much longer. W. S. Fbeback. Carlisle, Ky., April 2. More Than Enough Rain We have had more than enough rain here; it will be a big year for the farmer and horti- culturist. There will be lots of bee-food, but the honey-flow is to be determined by the mildness of the weather later. W. A. Prtal. San Francisco, Calif., March 2S. Bees Wintered Fine Outdoors I commenced the season of 1905 with 45 col- onies of bees in fair condition, taking about 2000 pounds of honey all told. Bees went into winter quarters in fine condition, and are wintering the finest I ever saw so far, on the summer stands, with plenty of stores to last them until June. I look for a prosperous season in 1906, as there has been no zero weather yet. A. J. McBride. Mast, N. C, Feb. 2". Land of Potatoes— and Some Honey We have had a beautiful winter up here in this cold north country. Bees so far are win- tering well, and the prospects for another sea- son are fairly promising. Not many are in- terested in bees here. It is nearly all pota- toes. We grow more potatoes than any other county in the world. The last season's crop was about 11,000,000 bushel6. With an area equal to the State of Massachusetts, but with only about one-seventh cleared land, this is not a bad record. We can not produce honey Outdoor Bees Have Suffered Our bees in the cellar seem exceptionally quiet for the time of the year. The outdoor wintered bees have suffered some for the last month. It seems we had all of our winter in March. Examining 3 colonies this morning, headed by tested queens, they appear to be in good shape. On removing the cushion carefully I found 1 in 5 spaces, 2 in 6 spaces, and each forming a compact cluster with the temperature at or near the freezing point. Naples, N. Y., April 2. F. Greiner. Rose Lawn Queens Italians — Caucasians— Carniolans Line bred from individual types for color, gentleness and honey-producing. A scientific queen-rearing plant; standard prices and fair dealing. Our " Pure Gold " strain of Ital- ians are unsurpassed for gentleness and fer- tility. We otter best facilities for prompt shipment to the Middle West. Send for cat- alog. ROSE LAWN APIARIES, Frank G. Odell, Proprietor, 1335 North 24th Street, OMAHA, NEB. 15Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. :1- PRICES *$ and Quality are the things that sell goods. We are in the heart of the lumber country where we get lumber at first hands without freight. We have the cheapest known water-power. We make goods that are the equal of any in quality and workmanship. In some instances they are superior. Our Sections are made from tough wood that will bend without breaking, even if you don't wet them. How many Sections did you break in putting together the last thousand ? Think of it. Send for our Catalog and get prices that will surprise and please you. All we ask is a trial order, and there will be no trouble in hold- ing your custom. Minnesota Bee-Supply Go., Nic Island No. :$». JOHN DOLL &-SON PROPRIETORS MINNEAPOLIS, MINN BEE -BOOKS SENT POSTPAID BY GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearbokn Street, - CHICAGO, ILL. Advanced Bee-Culture. Its Methods and Management, by W. Z. Hutchinson. — The author of this work is a prac- tical and helpful writer. You should read In.-; i>.»>k; 330 pages; bound in cloth, ami beautifully illustrated. Price, $1.20. A II € of Bee-Culture, by A. I. & E. R. Root. — A cyclopedia of over 500 pages, describing everything pertaining to the care of the honey-bees. Contains about 400 engravings. It was written espe- cially for beginners. Bound in cloth. Price, $1.20. Scientific Queen-Rearing, as Practi- cally Applied, by G. M. Doolittle. — A method by which the very best of queen-bees are reared in perfect accord with Nature's way. Bound in cloth and illustrated. Price, $1.00; in leatherette binding, 75 cents. Bee-Keeper's Guide, or Manual of the Apiary, by Prof. A. J. Cook, of Pomona College, California. 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. 544 pages. 295 illustrations. Bound in cloth. 19th thousand. Price, $1.20. I.nngstroth on the Honey-Bee, revised by Dadant. — This classic in bee-culture has been entirely re-written, and is fully illustrated. It treats of every- thing relating to bees and bee-keeping. No apiarian library is complete without this standard work by Rev. L. L. Lang- stroth — the Father of American Bee- Culture. It has 520 pages, bound in cloth. Price, $1.20. Honey ns a Health Food — This is a 16-page honey-pamphlet intended to help increase the demand for honey. The first part of it contains a short article on "Honey as Food," written by Dr. C. C. Miller. It tells where to keep honey, how to liquefy it, etc. The last pari is devoted to "Honey-Cooking Re- cipes" and "Remedies Using Honey." It should be widely circulated by those selling honey. The more the people are educated on the value and uses of honey the more honey they will buy. Prices: Sample copy for 2-cent stamp; SO copies for 70 cents; 100 for $1.25; 250 for $2.25; 500 for $4.00; or 1000 for $7.50. Your business card printed free at the bottom of the front page on all orders for 100 or more copies. Forty Years Anions: the Bees, by Dr. C. C. Miller. — This book contains 328 pages, is bound in handsome cloth, with gold letters and design; it is printed on best book-paper, and illustrated with 112 beautiful original half-tone pic- tures, taken by Dr. Miller himself. It is unique in this regard. The first few pages are devoted to an interesting biographical sketch of Dr. Miller, tell- ing how he happened to get into bee- keeping. About 20 years ago he wrote a small book, called "A Year Among the Bees," but that little work has been out of print for a number of years. While some of the matter used in the former book is found in the new one, it all reads like a good new story of suc- i essful bee-keeping by one of the mas- ters, and shows in minutest detail just how Dr. Miller does things with bees. I'll, e, $1.00. ••The Honey-Money Stories." — A 64- page-and-cover booklet, 5%x8% inches in size, printed on best quality paper. Many short, bright stories interspersed with facts and interesting items about honey and its use. The manufactured comb honey misrepresentation is con- ti'i in two items, each ocupying a full page, but in different parts of the booklet. It has in all 33 fine illus- >ns, nearly all of them being of' apiaries or apiarian scenes. It also tins 3 bee-songs, namelv, "The Hum of the Bees in the Apple-Tree Bl n," 'Buckwheat Cakes and Honey," ami "The Bee-Keepers' Lullaby." This booklet should be placed in the hands ..I everybody not familiar with the food-value of honey, for its main ob- ject Is to interest people in honey as a daily taMe article. Price, 25 cents, or 3 copies for 50 cents. 332 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 12, 1906 Tennessee=Bred Queens All from Extra-Select Mothers 3-band from Imported Dark Leather, Moore's Long-Tongue, or my own. Goldens from Laws, Doolittle's or my own. Caucasians and Carniolans from direct Imported. After April 15th. Italians Before dull) 1st After Julij 1st GflRNlOLflNS CAUCASIANS 1 * .75 1.00 1.50 2.00 6 12 i 6 12 l 6 12 l O 12 Untested Select Untested Tested Select Tested .. $ 4.00 5.00 8.00 10.00 $ 7.50 9.00 15.00 18 00 * .60 .75 1.25 1.50 $3.25 4.25 6.50 8.00 $ 6.00 8.00 12.00 15.00 $ .85 1.10 1.60 2.10 $ 4.50 5.50 8.50 10.50 $8.00 9.50 15.50 18.50 $ .95 1.20 1.70 2.20 $ 5.00 6.00 9.00 11.00 8.50 10.00 16.00 19.00 Straight 5-band Golden Breeders $10.00 I 1-frame Nucleus (no queen) $1.50 Select Golden Breeders 3.00 " 3-band " 3.00 " Carniolan " 3.10 " Caucasian" 3.25 2-frame " " 2.00 3-frame " " 2.50 4-frame " " 3.00 1 full colony without queen in 8-frame dovetailed hive 6 00 Bees by the pound in light shipping-boxes, $1.00 per pound. Select the Queen wanted, and add the price to the above prices. Discounts on large orders. Contracts with dealers a specialty. No bee-disease has ever been in this section. _. _ nDtf JOHN M. DAVIS, Spring Hill, Tenn. I Sections ■:■ Sections ■:■ Sections 1 -AT- Anti-Trust Prices M $3.25 for No. 1's 1 In Lots of 1,000 and up $2.25 for No. 2's Quality and Quantity Guaranteed And the price-CAN IT BE BEAT? Order Now. Columbia Manufacturing Co. Antigo, Wisconsin. For Queens Send to JOHN W.PHARR Berclair, Tex. He will furnish at the same prices as last year- Tested, $1 ; Untested, 75c; 5 for $3.25; 10 for $6; 15 for $8.25; 25 for $12.50; 100 for $45 He breeds Goldens, Carniolans, and 3- Band Italians. Also 1. 2, and 3 frame Nuclei and full colonies. Prices given on applica- tion Pharr pays the freight, and guarantees satisfaction on all Queens. To do justice and judgment is more acceptable with the Lord than sacrifice.— (Prov. 3:21.) 5Atf FENCE 8HK? Made of High Carbon colled -wire. We have no agents. Sell direct to user at factory prices on 30 days free trial. We uay all freight. Catalog Bbows 37 stvles and heights of farm and poultry fence. It'sfree. Buy direct. Write today COILED SPRINC FENCE CO. mj> Box rq WINCHESTER, INDIANA. Please mention Bee Journal when writing Advertisers. Bees, Queens and Bee-Supplies We manufacture standard dovetailed bee- hives and supplies, cheaper than you ever bought before. Our Queens and Bees stand at the head in quality. Untested, 75c each; $4.25 for 6, or $8 per doz. Tested, $1.25 each ; $12 per doz. Select Tested, $1.50. Special prices to dealers in large lots on application. State Agents for Dittmer's Foundation. Catalog free. THE BEE & HONEY COMPANY (Will Atchley, Prop.) Beeville, Bee Co., Texas. Mention Bee Journal when writing. > SOOt 5? r.8, tS. *8I8t MM I Never Go Out g" And last from 5 to 21 years oo Otisville, Pa., Jan. 18, 1904. Dear Sir:— I have tried almost everything In the smoker line; 3 in the last 3 years. In short If I want any more smokers your new style Is good enough for me. I thank the editor of Re- view for what he said of it. Those remarks In- duced me to get mine. Fred Fodner. Mention Bee Journal -when writing. Irt-80 F«r •fi 200 Egg •INCUBATOR Perfect in const motion ana r action. Hatches every fertile egg. Write for catalog to-day GEO. H. STAHL, Qulncy Queen Incubator and Brooder— Twin Nucleus=Box MAINLY FOR QUEEN-BREEDERS Incubator and Brooder allow the bees access to the cells and queens at all times. (Patented July 7, 1903.) Price, $5.00. Twin Nucleus and Mating Box has control of the queen by a 3-hole wheel on the outside, with one hole wire-screened, one hole covered with queen-exclud- ing zinc, and the third hole to regulate the size of the entrance. (Patent applied for.) Price, $1.00. . , Cylinder Cages postpaid, each, 10 cents. Qtjeen-Cells, 100 mounted, with sample of Cylinder Cage (sent postpaid,) for 75 cents. Breeding Queens, after May 1st— Italian, Imported and Golden Italian, a nrl Carniolan— $2 50 each. Orders booked now and filled in rotation. Send for free Circulars. 7Dtf ARTHUR STANLEY, Dixon, Lee Co., 111. MOORE'S LONO-TONQUES AND OOLDEN QUEENS Select Untested, $1: 6 for $5; 12 for $9. Tested, $1.50; 6 for $8. Best Breeders, $3.50. Safe arri- val guaranteed. W. A. RAILS, 7D6t ORANGE, CALIF. We Sell Root's Goods in Michigan Let us quote you prices on Sections, Hives, Foundation, etc., as we can save yon time and freight. Beeswax Wanted for Cash. M. H. HUNT A SON. Bell Branch, Wayne Co., Mich E. E. LAWRENCE Breeder of Fine Italian Queen-Bees Send for Price-List. O ?er 30 years'1 experience. 15-19 DONIPHAN, MO. Engravings for Sale * * We are accumulating quite a stock of engrav- ings that have been used in the American Bee Journal. No doubt many of them could be used again by bee-keepers in their local newspapers, on their stationery, or in other ways. Also, if we can sell some of them it would help us_ to pay for others that we are constantly having made and using In our columns. If there is any of our engravings that any one would like tc have, just let us know and we will quote a very low price, postpaid. Address, GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, ILL, April 12, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 333 " If Goods are wanted Quick, send to Ponder " BEE-SUPPLIES ~^»T Root's Goods at Root's rrioes i Everything used by Bee-Keepers. POUDER'S HONEY-JARS. Prompt Service. Low Freight Rates. .-. .'. .'. Catalog Free. BEESWAX WANTED I pay highest market price for beeswax, delivered here, at any time, cash or trade. Make email shipments by express; large shipments by freight, alwayslbeing sure to attach your name to the package. My large illustrated catalog is free. I shall be glad to send it to you. WALTER S. POUDER, 513-515 Massachusetts Ave., INDIANAPOLIS, IND. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Kilrav BEE-KEEPERS' AND POULTRY SUPPLIES LEWIS' BEEWARE is so well known it needs no introduction. 2 percent Miscount on Itee* Supplies lor Hiircli. Beeswax wanted — 28c cash, 30c when taking bee-supplies in exchange. ted Honey For Sale. Prices on application. Sample, 10 cents. Cornell Incubators, Peep 0' Day Brooders and Cornell Chick Machinery £SI> The 1906 Cornell Incubator is superior to anything heretofore ^^—g^^, put on the market. >«-M I !><><> Catalog for either line Free. If you want orders filled PROMPTLY AT FACTORY PRICES, send your order to YORK HONEY CO. Not- AND BEE SUPPLY H RND. MGR. 141 Ontario Street, - CHICAGO, ILL. ^ Long Distance 'Phone, North 1559. ITALIAN BEES in modern hives for sale, f.o.b. Chicago. BEE - SUPPLIES Everything the bee-keeper needs. Distributing house for Lewis' Goods at Factory Prices. Now is the time to buy for next season. Discount for Early Orders FINE EXTRACTED HONEY in cans or barrels. The best the world can produce Samples S cents, to pay postage and packing. How much can you use? Prices quoted quick on the quantity you mention. We buy BEESWAX at all times in the year. Send for our Catalog and "Special" — free. CM CPOTT St. C*C\ 1004 East Wash. Street • IVI. wOU I I OC \S\J* INDIANAPOLIS IND. -fr* •M* •5,,5* •J"r "In eyery country tne successful advertiser is the commous advertiser,1 FREIGHT PAID A Kitchen Cabinet la the handiest piece of fur- niture in the house. Think of the steps it will save the woman ©very day to have all her cooking materials the things ah© nsea most right at hand, within easy reach, without moving away from the kitchen table. This handsome Cabinet is an ornament to any home. It Is made of hardwood with an- tique finish. The cut will give you a good Idea of its many conveniences. Height of top from table la 46 in.— full height "« in., 8 In. deep. To the left is a apace for tea, cof- feepot or clock, etc., underneath are four epk-e boxes made of wood, for pepper, all- epice, cloves, nutmegs; size of each 6x3x34 In. Underneath the shelf are two tilting re- ceptacles for salt and sugar, which fit nice- ly to side and back as shown in cut. The Cabinet or top has two shelves 7h in. wide, 24 in. lnng with glass door. Underneath are three brass hooka to hang utensils on. The base has an evenly balanced Hour bin, holding half a barrel, easily cleaned. A tin lined bread box with automatic self-clos- ing door. On the end are two sugar or meal boxes, also one ex- tension drop shelf with aut omatio bracket. Other draw- ers for other pur- poses also a bread board and many other conveniences. Order one today, if It don't suit you in every way, we pay freignt back and re- turn your money. We save you money on everything for the home o r the farm. Our 1000 page cata- log shows you how to save. Co-Operative Society of the National Supply Co., Lansing, Mich, Chicago. Ill Ask us about our plan which will save you $150 to $250 a year. $KS5 y Mention Bee Journal when writing. FOR SALE 50 colonies of Italian BEES in S-frame L. hives. GUST AVE GKOSS, 14Alt Lake Mills, Wis, Mention Bee Journal when writing:. The Easu Wau to Manage Swarming Use the NEW DIBBERN Queen-Trap No Climbing-. ■ ) No Absconding. Order to-day. •5**:* !. JkV Prices, by mail, 70c 5 or more Ifreig-ht) each, 40c G. H. Dibbern & Son, Milan, III. 13A4t Please mention the Bee Journal. WANTED MEN TO LEARN BEE-KEEPING We can take live young men who reallv want to become expert bee-keepers, give them em- ployment in our apiaries, and teach them as much as they can learn in one season, In ap- plying- state age, height, weight, and previous occupation None but those of good moral habits need apply. MORLEY PETTIT, 13A4t Villa Nova, Ontario. Canada. Mention Bee Journal when writing. 334 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 12, 1906 CHARLES MONDENG SECTION MACHINE is covered by two Patents. With this wonderful inven- tion the cost of making Sections may be reduced to $1.15 per 1000. If such Machine will interest you, write for further information. Do not write about it unless you mean business. BEE-SUPPLIES^? QUEENS My Catalog for 1906 is now ready for distribution. I am the Northern Headquarters for Adel Queens and Bees, and good, honest Bee-Keepers' Supplies. If you have not received my Catalog, write for it. Address, CHARLES MONDENG, ISO NEWTON ATVE., N., MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. Mention Bee Journal when writing. BEE-KEEPERS Send for our 1906 Free Illustrated Catalog. Good Goods, Low Prices and Prompt Shipments are what you get if you send your orders to— PAGE & LYON MFG. CO. { New London, Wis. Mention Bee Journal wlien writing. Have You Passed the Experimental Stage? f Most bee-keepers have been convinced that when time and material are figured, it pays to buy hives, and the best is not only as cheap, but — The Best islthe Cheapest ! The Elgin Hive excels in many ways— no nails to drive— no dovetails— can be taken apart at any time. Many are usiog them. You should be. Write to-day for catalog, etc. We sell full line of SUPPLIES. The National Supply Co. ELGIN, ILL. 1 BEE-SUPPLIES We manufacture everything needed in the Apiary, and carry a large stock and greatest variety. We assure you the best goods at LOWEST PRICES and our excellent freight facilities enable us to make prompt shipments over 15 dif- ferent roads, thereby saving you excessive freight charges as well as time and worry in having goods transferred and damaged. We make the Alternating, Massie, Langstroth and the Dovetail Hives Our prices are very reasonable, and to convince you of such we will mail you our free illustrated and descriptive catalog and price-list upon request. We want every beekeeper to have our Catalog. SPECIAL DISCOUNTS now. Write to-day. Address, KRETGflMER MFG. 60., Council Bluffs, Iowa. Muscatine Produce Co., Muscatine, Iowa. Trester Supply Co., 103 S. 11th Street, LincolD, Neb. Shugart-Ouran Seed Co., Council Bluffs, Iowa. T. B. Vallette & Son. Salina, Kau. Catalogs issued in English or German. BANTA Incubators A-Brooders Backed by 14 Years I of Successful Use by Soultrymen all over the world, [o guesswork. They are auto- matic in regulation and ventil- ation. Fully guaranteed to give YOU satisfaction. Send for free book. B^WTA -BENDER MFG. CO., Dept. 24, Ligotiier, Ind. Mention Bee Journal when writing* Mention Bee Journal when writing. rnn Q*| C IOO colonies of Pure Italian BEES lUn OMLCioSorlO frame New Dov. Hives with Hoffman Frames; Tested Queen in each colony. Price, $6 each. In lots of 10— $5 each. F. ft. GRAY, Redwood Falls, Winn. 13A3t Please mention the Bee Journal. TELEPHONE Facts for Farmers Send for free book 80-A. It contains telephone facts that are monev-savers Stromberg - Carlson Tel.»Mf(r. Co., Rochester, N.Y., Chicago, 111. Mention Bee Journal when writing. The Rietsche Press Made of artificial stone. Practically Inde- structible, and giving entirely satisfactory re- sults. Comb foundation made easily and ?ulckly at less than half the cost of buying rom the dealers. Price of Press, $1.50 — casb with order. Address, ADRIAN GETAZ, 45Atf KNOXVILLE, TENN. pr~J.G. Goodner, of this State, writes me that he " prefers to pay $25.00 for a Rietsche Press rather than do without it."— A. G. Mention Bee Journal when writing- ^S" Passengers east from Buffalo to Fort Wayne, Findlay, Fostoria, Cleve- land, Erie, Buffalo, New York City, Boston, and all points east, will con- sult their interests and find advantage in selecting the Nickel Plate Road east from Chicago. Three through trains are run daily, with through day coaches to New York City, and modern Pullman sleeping-cars to destination. Rates always the lowest, and no excess fares are charged on any train, for any part of the journey. Modern dining- car service, with individual club meals, ranging in price from 35 cents to one dollar ; also meals a la carte. Ask for tickets via the Nickel Plate Road. Chicago depot, La Salle and Van Bureu Sts., the only station in Chicago on the Elevated Loop. Chicago City Ticket Office, 111 Adams St. Detailed information may be secured by address- ing John Y. Calahan, General Agent, 113 Adams St., room 298, Chicago. 1— 12A6t •►PURE ALFALFA** HONEY IN 60-POUND CANS We have a good supply of Piare Alfalfa HONEY in 60-pound cans that we can ship by return freight at these prices : 2 cans, boxed, at S}4 cents a pound ; 4 or more cans at one time, 8 cents a pound — all f.o.b. Chi- cago. Cash with order. Sample, by mail, 8 in stamps, to cover package and postage. YORK H0n1yasn.dppbueveC0. 141-143 Ontario St., CHICAGO, ILL. " It is continuous advertising that impresses the public with the stability of a firm." April 12. 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 335 Excellent Goods Lowest Prices Headquarters & Bee-Supplies Complete Stock for 1906 now on hand. Bee- Supplies H FREIGHT- RATES FROM OF ALL KINDS ESTABLISHED 25 YEARS We have published THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER for 16 years (monthly, 50c a year.) The largest and best il- lustrated magazine of its kind for the price published. Edited by two of the most experienced bee - keepers in America. Sample copy free. Our large, illustrated Price-List of Supplies free on application. Address, The W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co. JAMESTOWN, N. Y. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Ijoney anb Chicago, March 7— Choice white comb honey is not plentiful, and it sells upon arrival at 15c per pound Other grades of comb are not in de- mand and sell at uncertain prices of 10@14c per pound. Choice white extracted, 6X@7)4c; am- ber grades, SH@6)ic. Beeswax, 30c per pound. R. A. Burnett & Co. Toledo, Feb. 19.— The market for comb honey has been better for the past two weeks than at any time during the past season. Prices are firm on account of the scarcity. We are getting 15@16c for fancy white clover; I4@15c for No. 1, and 13@14c for amber. Buckwheat, 13c. Extracted honey is in good demand at following prices: White clover in barrelB brings 6tf@7c; amber, 55*@55*c; in cans every grade from l@l&c higher. Beeswax is firm and in good demand at 28 and 30c. The above are onr selling prices, not what we pay. Griggs Bros. Indianapolis, March 24— Fancy white clover comb brings 16c; No. 1, 14c; demand exceeds the supply; fancy white western comb brings 14@15c; amber grades in poor demand at 12c Best grade of extracted honey brings Bii@9c in 60-pound cans; amber, 6c. Good average bees- wax sells here for $33 per 100 pounds. Walter S. Pooder. PHiLADELPHiA,March20— The call for honey is falling off, and while the supply is not abun- dant, yet it equals the demand. We quote fancy white, 16@17c; amber, 13@14c. Extracted, white clover, 7@8c; amber, 6@7c. Beeswax, 28c. We are producers of honey and do not handle on commission. Wm. A. Selser. New York, March 19.— Demand for comb honey is fair, especially for the better grades, and fancy white is selling at from 14@15c; No. 1, 13c; light amber, U@i2c; no more demand for dark comb honey. Extracted is in good de- mand, mostly California, at unchanged prices. Beeswax is firm at from 29@31c, according to quality. Hildreth& Sbgblken. CINCINNATI are the LOWEST, ESPECIALLY for the SOUTH as 'most all freight now goes through Cincinnati. Prompt Service is what I practice. You will Satisfaction Guaranteed. SAVE MONEY BUYING FROM ME. MoVST free' Let me ^^ TT1 HI mTCI bred in separate apiaries, bookyour fjl Ki>Sl\|j*% the OOL1M3N 1TEJL- Order for ^dj%J MJJU±MhJ LOWS, CAK^IIO- EANS, RG» CLOVERS and CAUCASIANS. For prices, refer to my catalog, page 29. C. H.W.WEBER =T Office »nd Salesrooms, 2146-48 Central Ave. Warehouses. Freeman and Central Aves. Cincinnati, April 4 —There is no material change in the honey market since onr last re- port. The demand does not come up to expec- tations, which, in all probability, is due to the inclement weather of the past month. We con- tinue to quote amber in barrels at Sl4@bHc. Fancy white in crates of two 601b. cans at 6J4@8Hc. Choice yellow beeswax 30c. delivered here. The Frbd W. Moth Co. Denver, Feb. 5— Owing to the mild weather the demand for honey has not been as good as usual at this time of year. We are quoting strictly No. 1 white alfalfa comb honey at $3.35 to 13.75 per case of 24 sections; off grade and light amber at $3 to $3.30. White extracted alfalfa in 60-pound cans, 7X@8%c; light amber, 63/i@7}ic. Beeswax, 24c for clean yellow. The Colo. Honey-Producers' Assn. Kansas City, March 16— The supply of comb honey is not very large. Demand is light, best 24 section white selling at 3.25 per case, amber at 25@50c per case less. Extracted, white, 6^c per pound; amber, 6c. Beeswax, 25@30c. We look for an increased demand in the near future. C C Clbmons & Co. Cincinnati, March 7. — The demand for comb honey is slow, prices obtained are the same. Stock od hand seems to be sufficient to supply the wants. Quote funcy white, 14@16c Amber extracted in barrels, S}i@S%c; in cans.Hsc more; fancy white clover in 60-lb. cans, 7J£@8>4 cents; Southern, equal to white clover in color, from 6Xi@7c. Bright yellow beeswax, 30c. C. H.W. Webbr. Please Mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. HONEY AND BEESWAX When consigning, buying or selling-, consult R. A. BURNETT & CO. 199 South Water St. Chicago. III. Gash for Beeswax Highest market price paid promptly all the time for good wax. Frank G. Clark, 147 E.KinzieSt.Chlcaoo.lir. FOR SALE Until further notice, finest quality new crop California Water-White White Sage and Light Amber HONEY in 60-lb. tins, 2 in a case; new cans and new cases. Write for prices and sam- ples, and state quantity yon want. HlLDRETH & SEQELKEN 265 & 267 Greenwich Street, New York, N.Y; 34Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. FOR SALE 20 cases of comb honey — mostly white clover, in non-drip cases. LOUIS WERNER, 15A3t Edwardsville, Ili>. 65c for 12 Names frfa?Seer.aDa„dp-?5c°i ptamps taken— we will send for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Call— red. sub. price 40c a year. F. C. is a wkly., 25 years old, i,30u pages a year. Sample free. FARMER'S CALL,, yuincy.Ill. Mention Bee Journal when writing* -j^ V*> \*> il> \*> \*/ \*> \*> \*> \l> V*/ x*> \*/ Vl> \*i i*> v*/ \i/ \*> U> V*/ \l> \l> \*> \*/ il/ ^ 3 BEE-SUPPLIES We handle the finest Bee-Supplies, made by the W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co., Jamestown, N. Y. Big Discounts on early orders. Let us figure with you on your wants. Muth Special Dovetail Hives have a Honey-Board, Warp-Proof Cover, and Bottom-Board. Think of it, same price as the regular styles. Send for Catalog. THE FRED W. MUTH CO. 51 Walnut Street, CINCINNATI, OHIO. S Mention Bee Journal when writing. 336 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 12, 1906 '1 Will Never Make Any More Goods by Hand " "So says one of our customers," states a Lewis agent to the G. B. Lewis Co., in a letter recently received and now on file at our Watertown office. The Agent writes as follows : ->© G. B. Lewis Co., Watertown, Wis. March 28, 1906. Gentlemen: — We note that the Lewis Goods this season are finer than ever. No. 2 sections are fine. Hives and all hive parts are without any knots. In fact, they are so nice that we are very much surprised, as we supposed that as lumber gets scarcer and higher, necessarily poorer grades of lumber would have to be used. We are receiving many compliments on the goods we are shipping out. The largest producer in Michigan says: "They are the finest I have ever received." Another customer says: "Goods are so satisfactory that I want more." The purchaser of a $165 order writes: "I will never make any more goods by hand; goods are fine." We wish to ask, Did we get an extra-good lot, and will they continue superb ? Words cannot express the satisfac- tion at seeing such stock. Referring to the above, the G. B. Lewis Co. wishes to state that the Agent referred to did not get a shipment of goods from us which was picked out especially for him or anyone else, but that he was shipped our regular line of goods taken from our regular enormous stock which we now have on hand, and which we are adding to every day, and which we shall continue to ship to each and every cus- tomer whoever he may be. G. B. LEWIS COMPANY = Manufacturers of Bee^Keepers' Supplies ^= WATERTOWN, WIS., U.S.A. e Journal 46th Year CHICAGO. ILL., APRIL 19, 1906 No. 16 C .vV ,» flpiaru of Schaftner Bros., near Los Angeles, GaliT. (Formerly owned by the late John H. Martin, well known to many bee-keepers as 'Rambler.'') 338 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 19, 1906 PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY GEORGE W.YORK & COMPANY 334 Dearborn Street, Chicago, 111. IMPORTANT NOTICES. THE SUBSCRIPTION PRICE of this Journal is $1.00 a year, in the United Stales, Canada, and Mexico; all other countries in the Postal Union. 50 cents a year extra for postage. Sample copy free. THE WRAPPER-LABEL DATE indicates the end of the month to which your subscription is pa'.u. For instance, "dec06" on your label shows that it is paid to the end of December, 19^6. SUBSCRIPTION RECEIPTS.-We do not send a receipt for money sent us to pay subscription, but change the date on your wrapper-label, which shows that the money haB been received and credited. Advertising Rate, per Agate Line, 10c. 14 lines make one inch. Nothing less than % inch accepted. Time Discounts. 4 times .. 13 " .. 26 " .. £2 " .. . 5 per cent .10 " .20 " .30 " Space Discounts. 100 lines... 5 per cent 500 " ...10 1000 " ... 20 " 2000 " ...30 " These rates are subject to either time or space discounts, at choice, bat not both. Reading Notices, 25 cents, count line, subject to the above discounts. Goes to press Monday morning1. National Bee Keepers' Association Objects of the Association. 1st.— To promote the interests of its members. 2d.— To protect and defend its members in their lawful ritrhts. 3d.— To enforce laws against the adulteration of honey. Annual Membership Dues, $1.00. General Manager and Treasurer- N. E. France, Platteville, Wis. %W If more convenient. Dues may be sent to the ublisbers of the American Bee Journal. ROOT'S GOODS AT FACTORY PRICES Finest and largest stock of buppl.es in Illinois. Italian Bees and Queens in season. Catalog- free. 15 eggs of Pnre Barred Plymouth Recks, $1.00. Incubators and Brooders atwavs on band. 12 Al3t H 5. DUBY, St. Anne* III. Mention Bee Journal when writing Please mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. American Bee Journal Novelty Pocket-Knife Gold Fountain Pen All for $2.75 Queen HOWARD M. MELBEE, HONEYVILLE, O. (This cut is the full size of the KDife.) NOVELTY POCKET-KNIFE (Name and Address on one side— Three Bees on the other side.) Your Name on the Knife. — When ordering, 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 the name and residence of the owner, and on the other side pictures of a Queen, Drone, and Worker, as shown here. The Material entering into this celebrated knife is of the very best quality ; the blade6 are hand-forged out of the very finest English razor-6teel, and we warrant every blade. It will last a life-time, with proper usage. Why Own the Novelty Knife?— 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. If traveling, and you meet with a serious accident, and are so fortunate as to have one of the " Novelties," your Pocket-Knife will serve as an identifier; and, in case of death, your relatives will at once be notified of the accident. How to Get this Valuable Knile.— We send it postpaid for $1.25, or club the Novelty Knife and the American Bee Journal for one year — both for $2.00. (Allow two weeks for Knife order to be filled.) Drone SOLID GOLD FOUNTAIN PEN Finally we have found a good Fountain Pen that is reasonable in price. The manufacturers of thi6 pen say that if you pay more than $1.25 for other fountain pens, it's for the name. This pen is absolutely guaranteed to work perfectly, and give sat- isfaction. The Gold Nibs are 14 kt., pointed with selected Iridium. The Holders are Para Rubber, handsomely finished. The simple feeder gives a uniform flow of ink. Each pen is packed in a neat box, with directions and Filler. We mail this Gold Fountain Pen for only $1.25, or for $2.00 we will mail it and the weekly American Bee Journal for a whole year. J3J~ Sample copy of the American Bee Journal free; trial trip of three months (13 copies) tor 20c ; regular yearly price, $1.00. Address all orders to (, GEORGE W. YORK & CO., 334 Dearborn St., Chicago, 111. Please Mention the American Bee Journal MveVrffi8 % size NOT IN THE TRUST We will stamp your Cans "PURE Extracted Honey"— FREE Our prices for 1906 are the lowest to the National Bee-Keepers' Association. Write us. Now is the time TO BUY FRICTION TOP CANS FOR HONEY AND SYRUP Canners Can Co. 1035 W. 47th St., CHICAGO, ILL. April 19, 1906 THfc AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 339 "MDANT'S FOUNDATION" IT EXCE3LS EVERY INCH equal to sample Beauty, Purity, Firmness. No Sagging, No Loss. Twenty-seven Years of Experience. We Guarantee Satisfaction. WAX WORKED INTO FOUNDATION at all BEE=SUPPLIES of all kinds. Beeswax Wanted times DADANT & SONS, Hamilton, 111. SEND FOR OUR CATALOG ffiH FENCE fSSXS Made of High Carbon colled wire. We have no agents. Sell direct to user at factory prices on 30 days free trial. We pay all freight. CataloK shows 37 styles and heights of farm and poultry fence. It's free. Buy direct. Write today COILED SPRING FENCE CO. Box 89 WINCHESTER, INDIANA. Mention Bee Journal when writing. If you want the Bee-Book That covers the whole Apicultnral Field more a completely than any other published, send $1.20 to Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont, Cal., FOR HIS " Bee-Keeper's Guide." Liberal Discounts to the Trade. DON'T WAIT for the season to start before you order your Bee=Supplies DITTMER'S FOUNDATION IS THE BEST MADE We make a specialty of working wax for Cash. Retail — Wholesale — Jobbing BEESWAX ALVNZAYS WANTED Write for our Price-List and samples ; we would like to send them to you at our expense. QUS DITTMER, Augusta, Wis. Mention Bee Journal when writing. r Wisconsin Basswood Sections And Prompt Shipments Is what we are making for our customers. — DOVETAILED HIVES AND SHIPPING-CASES - We carry a full line of SUPPLIES. Ask for Catalog-. • JTARSHFIELD HANUFACTURINQ CO., Tlarshfield, Wis. Mention Bee Journal when writing. iSoXalifornia The Pacific Rural Press has been a house- hold word throughout California for 35 years. It is authority on all matters regarding the soil or products of California. Weekly, illus- trated : Edited by practical specialists. Two Dollars per year. Send for sample copy. Pacific Rural Press, 330 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif. SOAtf Please mention the Bee Journal. 65c for 12 Names J2Y™haTS?^ f tamps taken— we wilt send for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Call— reg. sub. price 40c a year. F. C.is a wkly., 25 years old, 1 ,3m > pages a year. Sample free. FARMERS CALL, Quincy, 111. Mention Bee Journal when writing. " Root's Dee-SoDDiles You know what this means. Four carloads of New Goods on hand. Our business increased last year 100 percent over 1904. This is a proof that we are saving our cus- tomers money. Try us. Low Freight Rates from Toledo. Large Discounts— that tells the S story. Our 80-page Catalog is 0 sent free. 8 GRIGGS BROS. 0 521 Monroe Street, TOLEDO, OHIO. Please mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. 340 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 19, 1906 ACCURACY IN SECTIONS Were you ever annoyed by receiving poor Sections ? Sections that were rough, bad color, inaccu- rately cut ? Then you know what it means. The Root System of making and grading their Sections insures perfection. With the best possible machinery and lumber, together with a scheme of insuring best grading, the Root output of Sections is the largest in the world, and they are used by bee-keepers everywhere with the best of satisfaction. When you buy Sections this year see that the box bears the trade-mark that makes Root's Goods Famous. mji-iiisywrzrz'rzrrtefm IN HIVES THE A. I. ROOT COMPANY nv^TEIDIlSr^L, OHIO Branch Offices in the United States The A. I. Root Co., 44 Vesey St., New York City. The A. I. Root Co., 10 Vine St., Philadelphia, Pa. The A. I. Root Co., 1635 Genesee St., Syracuse, N. T. The A. I. Root Co., Mechanic Falls, Maine. The A. I. Root Co., 1100 Maryland Avenue, S. W., Washington, D. C. The A. I. Root Co., 144 E. Erie St., Chicago, 111. The A. I. Root Co., 1024 Mississippi St., St. Paul, Minn. ltt3R There is no need of going into details why a Hive should be made with the greatest possible accu- «?gft» racy. If the work is not done very near perfect the bees will glue up the Hive with propolis and then 7ft«) your trouble begins. There's a satisfaction of putting up Root's Hives that more than pays for their t?\2 slightly extra cost over the cheap-made kinds. Read what Mr. Dobson says : S^ The Experience of Two Bee/Keepers SJ H CHAPTER I H fttjfl The A' *' KooT Co-' Medina- Minnetonka, Minn., March 28, 1906. T/M jSUil Gentlemen : — I am writing you in regard to some goods I bought of your agent, Mr. J. C. Acklin, iwL ?/(ifi !°24 Miss. St., St. Paul. I purchased five Dauzenbaker hives with full sheets of foundation in brood- [ttxR •*»**• chamber and super. I will say this much for Root's Goods : I never saw nicer or cleaner stock, no JJ«J WW cracked or broken pieces, and everything fitted to perfection. Everything full count, including nails, etc. ||n 7/jjffi CHAPTBR II. K$ JflfR To-day I was over to a neighbor's helping him assemble some newly purchased hives made by a ((u)j J***Jj firm jn . I was tempted to ask him why he didn't get Root's Goods. I wish you could have SuS WW seen the difference. When I went there he had not uncrated them. I said to him, " Have you got all (Wh £*%* you need?" He said, " Oh, yes." Well, we found out differently. They had sent only half enough V\t WW foundation, no small tacks for fastening wire, and not half enough nails, and sixteen top-bars short. I VJSii If V guess we said something to ourselves about that shipping clerk. WM. V. DOBSON. WM (Entered at the Post-Offlce at Chicago as Second-Class Mail-Matter.) Published Weekly at $1.00 a Year, by George W. York & Co., 334 Dearborn St. O.BORUE W. YORK, Editor CHICAGO, ILL, APRIL 19, 1906 VoLXLVI— No, 16 ^ (£bttonal Hotcs anb (Comments J Apiarian Experiments in Canada Prof. H. R. Rowsome, Lecturer in Apiculture, Ontario Agricultural College, in his reports gives an account of three experiments, none of which was a howling success : Simmins' Plan for Prevention of Swarming, which consists in keeping constantly unfinished combs be- tween the brood-nest and the entrance, was tried with S colonies. All 5 swarmed, although there was partial excuse in the fact that it was a bad season for swarming. In speaking of the plan, Prof. Rowsome says : The inference is that a colony (the queen being young) will not swarm when the parent colony can not be easily protected against robbing, and a colony can not be easily defended when there is a large empty space at the entrance of a hive, as is the case when the first 4 or 5 frames contain starters merely and not combs. Is this not a new theory ? The Townsend Super-Plan, having both sections and extracting-combs in the same super, was tried with separators over 3 hives, and without separators over 3 others : The honey-flow was extremely good. Where there were no sep- arators some sections were not touched at all, the sections and combs on either side of them being built out into these sections. Those sec- tions that were built out unduly were apparently nearly V ., inches thick in the middle, and were badly filled at the edges. The bees were very slow in working on the sections, doing so only when they had filled the extracting combs. Painting Travel-Stained Sections. With regard to these. Prof. Rowsome reports : I had hopes that a very thin coating of wax applied to the surface of dirty comb honey would improve its appearance. I tried painting hot wax with a varnish-brush upon comb honey, but the wax, instead of leaving an equal coat upon all the indentations of the cappings filled up the hollows and left a smooth surface, which also looked mus6y and more unmarketable, but it certainly did cover up the travel- 6 tains. Queenless Colonies in Spring If you are a beginner, anxious to increase the number of your colonies, you will be distressed to find that one or more are queenless. Perhaps you may find one of your very best coloDies contains no brood at the opening of spring, when all other colonies contain brood, and after watching and waiting in vain for any appearance of eggs or brood, the unwelcome truth is finally forced in upon you that the colony is hopelessly queenless. It is a moral certainty that to such a colony you will give a frame of brood from some other colony, so that the queenless bees may rear therefrom a queen. Left to your own experience, it will take years for you to learn any better, if indeed you ever learn better. But if you trust to the ex- perience of others, you will not fool away time trying to have that colony rear a queen. It may do later in the sea- son, but not in spring. Of course you can keep up the strength of the colony by giving it brood from time to time ; but that's robbing Peter to pay Paul. The loss of brood will do more harm to the other colonies than the gain to the unfortunate. At so early a time the chances of suc- cess in rearing a queen are not the most brilliant. The attempt to rear a queen from the first brood given may be an utter failure ; a queen may be reared only to disappear in some mysterious way ; and if you are as successful as to get a young queen to laying, it will be only to find later on that she is practically worthless. A good queen may be reared early in spring ; but a good queen rarely is reared in spring. If you are wise, the first hard work you do when you find a colony queenless in spring is remorselessly to break up the colony and distribute its parts to other colonies. The words " hard work " are used advisedly, for it is hard work for the beginner to reduce by one the number of his colo- nies ; but it is the profitable thing to do. He may have one less colony ; but he will have more bees ; and at the close of the season more colonies. Don't fool with a queenless colony in spring ; break it up. The Sting-Trowel Theory After slumbering more or less quietly for a few years, the romantic tale that the bees drop into each cell of honey a small drop of poison from the sting before sealing up the cell, using the sting as a trowel to work the wax, seems to have started anew its round of the public press. To any who have sent in clippings of the kind, possibly wondering what foundation there may be for the yarn, it may be said that it is all a work of imagination, its originator appar- ently seeming to think it true, but never offering a particle of proof. Of course, none of the papers that give it cur- rency will bother themselves with a contradiction, and the only thing that can be done is patiently to allow it to run its course and die out, only to be resurrected 7 years later by some penny-a-liner who has nothing else sensational on hand. Wouldn't Call an Italian-Black a Hybrid We have received the following from R. F. Holtermann, who attended the Michigan Convention, the report of which began on page 302 : Friend York: — After reading the report of the Michigan State Convention, I felt as if I had just grounds for having some one up, or some Journal up, for defamation of character. It says: "As to race of bees, Mr. Holtermann prefers a hybrid of about three-quarters Italian and one-quarter black." It seems to me it was made pretty clear (very clear) that it was a itoss between Italian and Carniolan. If that is the " black " blood referred to, it would be all right, but by •' hybrid " we generally un- derstand something else. By the way, would it not be well to have all bee-keepers and the publishers of bee-literature (who can watch and control the matter) 342 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 19, 1906 make a firm resolve not to call a cross between the common black and Italian a hybrid any longer? We have been using this term knowing better, and a person not a bee-keeper, reading our literature, mu6t be perplexed, and then amused, at our use of the term. Bees have consumed an unusual amount of 6tores in the cellars, no doubt owing to high and changeable temperature. I lost 9 colo- nies out of 338, and 1 starved since putting out. I consider outside winterers have the best of us this year. But, of course, the winter was exceptional. JR. F. Holtermann. Brantford, Ont., April 6. miscellaneous Hetps * 3 terns ^ J Death of Hon. J. M. Hambaugh.— Since the last num- ber went to press, we have received notice from Mr. G. F. Merriam, of California, saying that Hon. J. M. Hambaugh, a late Director of the National Bee-Keepers' Association, died the afternoon of April 5, in Escondido, Calif., from a cancer on the neck. . Three weeks before, Mr. Hambaugh went to a hospital in Los Angeles to have the cancer re- moved, but he was told that nothing could be done for him. Mr. Hambaugh was one of the leading bee-keepers of Illinois for many years before going to California. He, with Jas. A. Stone, installed the apiarian exhibit of this State at the Columbian Exposition, in 1903. Very soon after the Chicago World's Fair Mr. Ham- baugh moved to Southern California, where he has con- tinued his reputation as a bee-keeper. His loss will be keenly felt. His going seems like a personal loss to us, and will be so to many who knew him best. We will soon publish a biographical sketch of Mr. Ham- baugh. National Convention of 1906.— We have received the following from Mr. C. P. Dadant, the President of the Na- tional Bee-Keepers' Association : Mr. Editor : — I see that some of our friends are getting impa- tient to hear of the next place of meeting and date of the National Convention. Let them not think that the Executive Committee have been asleep. There was never a time when so much correspondence was required. The Texas folks had the promise of the meeting at San Antonio for two years, or at least they were given encouragement three years ago, and the meeting was set for Texas for 1905. The appearance of yellow fever in the South made it advisable to change it to Chicago. The members of the committee felt that the Texans were entitled to it this year, if they could secure railroad rates. On the other hand, there was a strong sentiment in favor of St. Paul and the G. A. K. The Texas folks have at last secured the rates, and the only thing to fix is the date of the meeting, which will be put as late as possible, so that another yellow fever epidemic in New Orleans need not make any difference since it is always stopped at the open- ing of cool weather. Just as soon as the date is set it will be an- nounced. As to meeting evary season with the G. A. R., if the National wishes it thus hereafter, they can have it. But I fear many times the G. A. R. comes too early for our busy honey crops. The bee-keeper usually wants to harvest his crop before he attends the convention. The Executive Committee would exceed their authority if they were to dictate such a course. The convention has power to settle it if it so chooses. C. P. Dadant, President. Hamilton, 111., April 6. New Edition of "Forty Years. "— We have just issued a new cloth-bound edition of Dr. C. C. Miller's book — " Forty Years Among the Bees." There has been added to this edition an "Appendix," which consists of comments on the previous edition, and experiences that the past three years have developed, and also Dr. Miller's latest photograph, taken expressly for this book. It is the best likeness we ever saw of the Doctor. The "Appendix" (with the Doctor's picture) is also printed in a separate form, so that all who have the first edition can send for it (10 cents) and put it in the volume they have already. Thus they will have as complete a volume as the new one just issued. The price of the new edition remains the same as the former one, which is $1.00, postpaid ; or with the weekly American Bee Journal one year— both for $/.So (instead of $1.75 as heretofore). Every bee-keeper should have this book. It describes in detail the experiences and results of nearly 45 years of successful bee-keeping. The story is told in Dr. Miller's original and very entertaining manner. The first few pages give an account of his boyhood days, his early strug- gles to get an education, and then follows the rest of the book devoted exclusively to telling in detail just how he manages to produce large crops of honey. Over 100 pictures in the book were taken by Dr. Miller himself. They help wonderfully to make the reading matter plainer. If you haven't a copy of this book, better send us $1.00 for it at once ; or forward $ 1.80, and we will credit your subscription to the American Bee Journal for one year and mail you the book. An Unfortunate, But Determined, Californian is Delos Wood, of Soldiers' Home. He wrote us as follows on March 16 : Having lost by the mountain fire last fall all I had of this world's goods — house and contents, barn and hay, bees and fixtures, in all amounting to nearly $3000—1 decided to quit business and live at the National Home for disabled volunteer soldiers. I lost over 50 colonies of bees and many extra hives, etc. Spring is now here, and with the merry hum of the bees the old fever has struck me, and I have taken up the work again and expect to be in the business on a larger scale than ever in one of the moun- tain canyons near the Soldiers' Home, in Los Angeles Co., Calif., and I must have the American Bee Journal. Delos Wood. Surely, Mr. Wood has lots of determination when after all his misfortunes he will re-enter the " bee-business on a larger scale than ever. " We wish him every success, and trust that he may soon recover from his heavy fire losses. As an indication of Mr. Wood's " never-give-upness," he has sent us the following poem, the author of which seems to be unknown : Never Give Up " Never give up " in a cause that is just, But labor with power and will. " Never give up " be your motto and trust, And your aims you'll surely fulfill. " Never give up " — it's a meaning that's true; It's a power, tho' silent, that's dear. " Never give up " — it's plain to your view, In the end it will give you good cheer. " Never give up " to trouble and care You may meet in the pathway of life ; " Never give up " to the gloom of despair, But conquer its sorrow and strife. " Never give up " in the efforts of right, Whatever your calling may be. " Never give up;" you'll win in the fight, And your mind will be happy and free. Only the "Square Deal" Pays.— One of the most successful queen-breeders in the United States says this : Orders are coming in fast now. I booked 100 untested Italian queens for a former customer to-day, to be used in building up an out-apiary. I have furnished him many queens, all for his own use, during the last 4 years. Repeated orders tell the tale. When a man gets what he wants he knows where to get the same again ; but if he gets beat, he wants no more of that medicine. An Appreciation comes to us from Wm. H. K. Eagerty, of Kansas, in these words : You are doing your part to make bee-keeping a success. Your Journal is as regular as clock-work. You deserve great praise for getting the American Bee Journal up in such fine shape. Honey as a Health-Food. — This is a 16-page honey- pamphlet intended to help increase the demand for honey. The first part of it contains a short article on "Honey as Food,"' written by Dr. C. C. Miller. It tells where to keep honey, how to liquefy it, etc. The last part is devoted to "Honey-Cooking Recipes" and "Remedies Using Honey." It should be widely circulated by those selling honey. The more the people are educated on the value and uses of honey, the more honey they will buy. Prices, prepaid — Sample copy for a two-cent stamp; 50 copies for 70 cts.; 100 for $1.25; 250 for $2.25; 500 for $4.00; or J,000 for $7.50. Your business card printed free at the bottom of front page on all orders for 100 or more copies. Send all orders to the office of the American Bee Journal. Amerikanische Bienenzucht, by Hans Buschbauer, is a bee-keeper's hand-book of 138 pages, which is just what our German friends will want. It is fully illustrated, and neatly bound in cloth. Price, postpaid, $1.00; or with the American Bee Journal one year — both for $1.75. Address all orders to this office. April 19, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 343 * Contrtbuteb * Special Ctrttcles 1 Nucleus Method of Queen-Rearing BY F. GREINER. THIS branch of apiculture is one of the most interesting ami. to me. most fascinating branches of our pursuit. Tins h due in a great measure to the progress we have made in late years. Our forefathers were not ignorant of certain fundamental facts in regard to rearing queens, and applied this knowledge in their way; but not until American bee-masters took up this work, giving it their undivided atten- tion, that methods were brought out which put everything previously known "in the shade." The discovery that larvae could be transferred from one cell to another without harm to the developing insect was made by a German bee-master during the first years of my bee-keeping — about 30 years ago, if I remember rightly. It seemed to be a frequently occurring trouble that colonies re- fused to rear queens or start cells over given brood, and the advice given at that time m order to outwit these obstinate- bees was to remove the larva: from the cells which they had started over their own brood, and substitute selected larvae from the desired type. It was found that this plan worked every time, and it is my opinion that this procedure will produce queens second to none. Priming artificial cells with royal food does verv well. and if we do our work well we can usually succeed in getting the large majority of cells accepted. After the bees have once accepted a cell and supplied it abundantly with suitajble food, according to their fashion, we can then do almost anything with it, and the bees will continue taking care of the inmate. It stands to reason that the larva which we transfer will find more suitable surroundings in that queen-cell from which a royal larva has just been removed than in an artificial cell clumsily prepared by man's fingers. A larva placed in the warm bed of another will probably not notice the change, and receive not the slightest setback, but go right on and develop into a most perfect queen-bee. I am well aware that the above is as yet largely theory. It needs careful testing whether or not thus produced queen- bees are any better for it. But it is quite certain that we can- not make a mistake if we let our bees accept a lot of stocked- up cells first, allow them to take care of the young larvae for about 24 hours, then remove them and replace with just- hatched larvae from our best mother-bee. I look upon this method with so much favor that I have adopted it as the lust plan. In all our operations with bees we must remain as close to nature as possible and consistent with the object to be accomplished. If it were possible and practical to obtain our queen- cells from our best colonies, having them start the ells naturally and under the swarming impulse when the honey- season is on, that would be the ideal, and we will do well to make the very best use of all queen-cells that are so built in our apiaries by our breeding colonics ; but the quantity is too limited, and we do not often have them at the time when we need them most; consequently we are depending upon other more prolific methods, and the one outlined is a good one. As to the matter of mating the queens, the baby-nucleus plan is all the go at present — at any rate among the queen- breeders. I have tested the Pratt nucleus boxes and have been successful with them, still I do not keep them in use. I fear they do not take care of themselves as larger and more populous nucleus colonies would do. With a larger nucleus colony feeding is seldom necessary. This is an item in favor of it. although the larger the more expensive. A few years ago I made a lot of small frames of which 4 fill a regular brood-frame. I can use them thus in my regular hives, or I can use them separately in a small hive by attaching a top-bar to each. The way I do use them is by means of a sort of long-ideal hive holding 18 or 20 of them. By means of division-boards, close-fitting, I can divide the long-ideal hive into 4 compartments, a small entrance to each. When I first made this small frame, my idea was to use them in a small hive during the summer, and unite a number of them, putting 4 frames into one large brood-frame. In practice this uniting and putting on large frames did not work to my satisfaction. It was unpleasant work, and took too much time. I conceived the idea that perhaps I might winter these nuclei on the small frame and thus have nucleus hives ready and stocked up early in the season and at any time. This worked well. A few days before the queen-cells are ready I slip in the division-boards, letting the queen go where she will. On the third day cells are given to the queenless parts ; when these queens are laying they are removed, and if we desire to increase the number of our nuclei the hive is moved to another place and an empty one like the one moved away is put in its place. Each compart- ment is fitted out with honey-combs, and at least one comb of brood and bees. The flying bees or field-bees from the moved hive make pretty fair nuclei and we are thus doubling the number to start with. With these hives it is an easy matter to have what nuclei we want to use. The uniting in the fall is also easy. In fact, the whole matter becomes so easy that it almost runs itself. The feeding can be done by giving combs heavy with honey instead of liquid feed. There is no trouble in getting any of the regular colonies to clean up such combs and fill them with honey during the early part of the season. It goes without saying that these hives do not winter on their summer stands, but have to be taken into the cellar; but 4 of the nuclei, when they are united in the fall by re- moving the division-boards, make a large enough body of bees to guarantee the wintering indoors. I have used some empty shipping boxes obtainable at the grocery store and made these long-ideal hives from them, but I don't like this sort of economy. It is more agreeable to have all hives uniform — nucleus hives as well as standard- size hives and winter-cases— and I become more and more disgusted with those I have in use. I believe we fare better by using new lumber in hive-making all the way through, if it does cost a little more. The illustration shows the little nucleus frame full of comb with top-bar attached; also one frame without top-bar and 3 of the top-bars lying by the side. The little staples, bent over, arc the means to hold frame and bar together; the reader will observe the notches cut out of the frame which admit slipping the staples in place. The frame is reversible, i. e., the top-bar may be attached to either side. The illustration also shows that 4 nucleus frames may be slipped into a regular brood-frame. This feature is of value, as by doing so we may have these frames filled with honey, pollen and brood by any of our regular colonies, thus giving us an opportunity to help and build up the nuclei when it seems necessary. However, I want to say that a 4 or 5 frame nucleus of this kind is in pretty good shape to hold its own all through the season except winter. The credit for the staple-device clasping frame and top- bar together belongs to Mr. Pratt, of baby-nucleus fame. Naples, N. Y. 9— Dadant Methods of Honey- Production BY C. P. DADANT. THE first crops of honey that we produced with two or more apiaries were of honey in small glass boxes or in the Adair section-box. This Adair box was the fore- runner of the "pound" section. The sections held about 3 pounds of honey each and were clamped together in the shape 344 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 19, 1906 of a box, with a glass at each end. As this was before the invention of comb foundation, or rather before the practical use and manufacture of it, we had to fasten small pieces of comb to each section to secure straight combs, and even with that help the combs were not always straight. In addition to that difficulty, we had a number of inferior seasons in suc- cession, and many of our cases would become stale before they were filled. It was then that we tried a hanging frame in a shallow super for extracting. The difference in results confirmed our previous views on the great difference between allowing the bees to build all the combs, and furnishing to them sets of combs already built from previous years. We tried the extracting super-frames side by side with the comb-honey sections; we tried also sections in wide frames side by side with extracting frames, and at once also recog- nized the difference in results between allowing the bees to produce honey in large receptacles, and compelling them to build in small sections. When we gave our bees full super- frames in half-story supers, and placed bv the side of these a number of one-pound sections, all equally supplied with starters, we ascertained that the bees would almost invariably begin work in. the large frames in preference to the sections, even when the sections were placed nearer to the brood- combs and in the center of the brood-nest. This fact is ex- plained by Oliver Foster better than by any one else: "When we take in consideration that the object on the part of the bees, in storing up honey in summer, is to have it ■i'l>- for winter consumption, and that, in winter, the bees collect in a round ball, as nearly as possible, in a semi- torpid state— with but little if any motion, except that gradual moving of bees from the center'to the surface and from the surface to the center of this ball— we may imagine how unwelcome it is to them to be obliged to divide their stores between 4 separate apartments, each of which is 4 inches square and 12 inches long, with no communication between these apartments." The above quotation makes it plain, and in very few words, why bees dislike to build in small receptacles, and why the producers of "chunk" honey produce such large crops. Add to this the great gain secured by extracting the honey and returning the combs to the bees to be filled again, and you will readily understand how it was that, after trying extracting supers, with the hive-bodj in close communication with the supers, we no longer cared for any other method of production. We had used a honey-board over the frames We dis- carded it. We tried a skeleton honey-board, to break joints- scarded it. also. An oilcloth laid ovei the brood-combs and placed over the super during the harvest was all the cover we used under the hive-cap. Later, we ad ed the sti iw mat, winch no om uses but our-. Ivi as Ear as we can learn and which yet deserves strong commendation, for it is good to keep the heat in the brood-chamber in winter, and to keep the heat of the sun off in the summer. We keep these mats on the hive at all times with the best of results. Thev are an old European implement, which gardeners use for all sorts of purposes, and of many sizes, for covering hotbeds, shelter- ing early plants in cool nights, and even as a shelter to valuable "espaliers" — fruit-trees trained to a wall or a trellis — - that form an adornment to many a country or cottage garden. The super, with its frames hanging right over the brood- frames, and filled with combs from the previous season, gives our bees such ample room, and of so free an access, that they go up into it without hesitancy; and if we carefully calculate the probability of a large crop, and provide them with enough empty comb in good time — the other requirements being also provided for — we need not be afraid of many natural swarms. It is only when the bees desire to change their queen, owing to old age or failing prolificness. or when a strange queen has been unwillingly accepted by them, that we may expect an occasional swarm. Besides, if we keep our surplus combs sufficiently numerous to provide for storing-room, we secure immense results. The assertion made by some, that bees are compelled to produce beeswax, whether they will or not, and that this wax is lost when combs are provided already built, is entirely erroneous. The bees do produce a little wax naturally during a heavy Mow. but the quantity thus produced is barely sufficient to repair damaged cells that have been run through the extractor; to lengthen the combs, and seal them as the honey ripens. On the other hand, when no comb is furnished, or not enough to keep the bees at work, they must, in many instances, remain idle until wax enough is produced by diges- tion to build the storing-combs. As an instance of what may be achieved during a very heavy flow. I will mention the results secured at one time: We had been extracting the honev in an apiary of 87 colonies. It took 3 days to go through this apiary. The flow of honey- was very heavy, the honey harvested being quite dense and needed less evaporating than usual. At the end of the third day — as I knew that the bees had been working very busily — I examined the first hives from which we had extracted the honey 3 days before, and found all the supers with honey in every cell — the supers probably half filled. Such quick re- sults I have never seen since. It was in 1884. I do not be- lieve that half as much honey could have been secured if the bees had had to build the combs. Hamilton. 111. W Time a Queenless Swarm Will Remain Clustered BY F. L. DAY. FROM my own experience I had formerly supposed that a swarm of bees would not remain clustered more than 10 or 15 minutes without its queen, or at least a queen of some kind. I had also understood, from the reading of bee-literature, that such was the case. But last season I had a notable exception to this rule. I had a very fine swarm of Golden Italians, which had been the upper story of one of my 4 colonies treated by the Alexander plan. This colony remained 6 days after being placed on a new stand. The colony from which it was taken had itself sent out a swarm on the same day that I removed the upper story. This upper story was removed on the tenth day from the first preparation of the colony, and not on the thirty-ninth day. as Mr. Alex- ander mistakenly states in his scathing criticism of the report of my test of his plan of increase. If Gleanings ever finds room to publish the reply which I sent in 7 months ago, I hope to be set right before the readers of that paper. But to return to the swarm question; I got them back in their own hive when they had swarmed 6 days after being separated from the mother colony. They had reared a fine queen from the cells started before separating, and now settled down to business, soon becoming one of my most promising colonies. I em one super for extracting, and soon added a second. The queen soon had the 10 frames in the brood-chamber packed full of brood. It was of no avail to give an abundance of room as a preventive of swarming. The first swarm had come out June 7. By July 1 they had a great number of queen-cells, which 1 cut out 1 also removed cells agi 'ii July 11. 18, 24 and 30. This was quite often (for a non-swarming plan)— five times in one month, after a colony had been divided once, besides. On July 31 the swarm came out. While I had been April 19. 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 345 •cutting queen-cells all through July, the queen had kept the 10 frames packed full of brood, and the colony had become very populous. I have a few small trees or shrubs among my hives, not for shade, but to help the bees mark the location of their hives. They are also convenient for swarms to cluster on. ' Mm of these trees gets most of the swarms. Under tin- tree I had a box to set a hive on when shaking a swarm off. The swarm in question had a clipped queen which I caught as she came out of the hive. The swarm settled on the favorite tree, in three clusters, several feet apart, each cluster being a fair-sized one. Although I had the queen all right, I wished to get the swarm back in its hive. I shook the tree and smoked the bees, but they were extremely obstinate. Having tried to swarm for a month, they did not like to be balked in their purpose. As I shook them off the tree, time and again, a portion of them kept falling on the box below. I used the smoker on these, but only a few would take wing. •The most of the bees crawded down the sides of the box on the grass or small bushes in the rear. After a time I man aged to get a fair portion of them in the air and saw many of them going into their own hive. Then T went to the house for a short time. and. on coming back. I took a brief survey of the yard and went into the shop to work. About an hour afterward I heard a sound of swarming. I found bees going into the hive which had swarmed. I went out to the tree where the swarm had clustered, and found a good part of the swarm still in the box. where they had been feu- fully l'j hours. On smoking them again they went back to their hive at once. Detroit City, Minn. (Eomxmtton Proceedings Report of the Northern Michigan Convention BY IRA D. BARTLETT. The Northern Michigan Bee-Keepers' Association' met at Kalkaska. April 4 and 5. 1906. Pres. Geo. H. Kirkpatrick called the convention to order at 2 p. m., on April 4. The Secretary's report and also the Treasurer's report were read and approved. Mr. Hutchinson moved that we pay $1.00 and join the National Association in a body. Motion was withdrawn Mr. Irish — Shall we he entitled to the rebate if we do not all pay in $1.00, but only those who do not belong? Mr. Beacham made a motion and it was seconded, that we who do not belong to the National pay $1.00 tor National and local. Carried. Management of Out-Apiaries. E. D. Townsend, of Remus, then read a paper on the management of out-yards. Mr. Townsend said that one per- son with one good, efficient helper, could manage any number of yards. He feeds in the fall about 25 pounds to each colony if needed; puts his bees in clamps, and leaves them until early spring; supplies plenty of combs and keeps down increase; advises a system so simple that you can advise your assistant and he can understand and go on with the work without your ice. Ten days after the flow stops he extracts. Each yard is supplied with a complete outfit, saying that it doe. not pay to move implements from one yard to another. Mr. Kitson — How many stories high docs Mr. Townsend tier I Mr. Townsend — One to live stories. Mr. Beacham says that he would have to extract tv> a year, as he could not distinguish the strong-flavored from the light-mild honey. Mr. Townsend meant that he extracted after each flow. Elmer Hutchinson asked what success he had with bee- escap Mr. Townsend replied that he did no extracted honey. Mr. Hutchinson then read a letter from a dealer ol barrels, advising the use of them, bul to dry them ighly. Mr. Beacham said, "i do not want' any barn Mr. Kirkpatrick asked Mr. Townsend how he kept the queen out of the surplus receptacle. He applies all receptacles on top instead of raising up supers and putting under. Mr. Chapman always uses excluders to keep the queen below, but raises brood from brood-nesl I per, and destroys queen- cells in time. Mr. Smith says be always uses excluders. Mr. Beacham uses queen-excluders, but does not raise any brood- combs out of broi id-nest. Mr. Kitson — Does Mr. Townsend clip his queens? Mr. Townsend — No. Mr. Coveyou asked if it would be advisable to put an excluder under the brood-nest. "Very few have tried it." The National Association and Northern Michigan. The Secretary then read a letter from N. E. France, who asked that this question be discussed: "How can the National Association be of more value to Northern Michigan mem- bers?" and asked that a reply be sent him. Mr. Townsend — Reduce the transportation rate on bees. Mr. Beacham — The rate on honey is too high. Mr. Bartlett — First class rate on beeswax. Mr. Beacham said that he considered the National report as highly instructive, and that the Secretary deserves great credit for his efforts. Mr. Coveyou expressed the same opinion. Mr. Beacham asked the chair to appoint a committee of three to draft resolutions to be sent to the National. Messrs. Hutchinson, Townsend and Chapman were appointed. Mr. Coveyou — How can the Northern Michigan Bee- Keeper.' Association be of more value to its members? If we could get together we might buy supplies cheaper. Marketing Honey. Mr. Chapman said, "Give away samples to prospective customers, and you will be well repaid" — at least that has been bis experience, as he received many nice orders later on after doing so. Mr. Smith said. "Take a 60-pound can of honey with a honev-gate. and step into a kitchen and say, 'I want to give you a sample of honey-.' and draw out a little and let them taste it;" and his experience is tli at you will sell them a quantity right there, providing your honey is the best. Mr. Kirkpatrick said, "Do not sell to the consumer at the same price you would to the wholesale trade." He sells only in $1.00 or more quantities. Mr. Kitson sells in quart jars. Mr. Beacham sells in quart jars at 35 cents. Mrs. Morrow- says that her trade demands small packages. Mr. Smith thinks it pays to pick up cans previously delivered with honey, as it pays the expense of the trip. Mr. Root said. "Try to educate your customers to use granulated honey, and to know that it is pure;" he also said that he had samples which be would be glad to eive to those wanting them. Mr. Root has used paper oyster pails very satisfactorily as a package to sell honey in. At the evening session Pres. Kirkoatrick, in the absence of Rev. Gray, showed some lantern slides of the A. I. Root Co.. after which he showed some of his own making. The light of the machine not being very bright, the effect was not the best. He concluded by showing a slide of live bees, which was very amusing and interesting. Extracted Honey and Its Quality. Pres. Kirkpatrick then read a paper entitled, "Extracted Honey and Its Quality." He said. "Place colonies in a loca- tion sheltered from wind, and in a good white honey locality. He prefers the shallow hives, and has over 200 of them at inr,, in. i!e tiers up when the hives are full of bees and brood, and raises the frames from brood-nest to super above to get strong colonies. He says his bees cap more readily, and he gets more uniform quality of honey. He can keep different varieties of honey separate more easily with the shallow super. Tie believes that the red raspberry yields the very best honey, ami says that the honey not capped should never he sold to the consumer or put on market for sale to such. He urged that quality makes the difference between success and failure of a bee-kc per; that is. produce only the very best, and your succi ured. A Member— If 1 had not heard Mr. Kirkpatrick read that paper, I should have said, "That was Mr Chap Mr. Beacham also advocates the shallow frames for the production ol \ No. 1 extra. he gets ; ripened honey. Mr. Chapman has had frames and Si awn out, tilled, and capped in 7 days, and believes that if th 346 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 19, 1906 very strong the honey will be ripened in one-half the time that is required by a weak colony. Mr. Kirkpatrick leaves his extracting combs on as long as possible before extracting. Spring Management of Bees. Mr. Hilton — First note the condition of the bees — see if they have a queen and stores. To feed for stimulating you get the best results by feeding from the outside. Use the Simplicity feeder. We should be very careful in the spread- ing of brood. A little honey fed early saves much early brood, as the bees can reach it without having to go to the outside combs to get it. Mr. Kirkpatrick does not feed unless the bees need the honey. Mr. Chapman would not feed very early, but would advise feeding when the bees are breeding very fast in May. Pres. Kirkpatrick then appointed Messrs. Hubert Root, W. Z. Hutchinson, and Geo. E. Hilton, to act as judges on the honey displayed, and to award the nrizes. (Continued next week.) 4 inch or less of the inside edge of the super. That, you will see, allows a projection of •'<„ of an inch to support the T-tins. A few of the latest have wire staples for supports. The staples are of the square form, about an inch wide, are driven in about a quarter of an inch from the inner edge of the super (of course they are driven into the bottom of the super). They are driven in deep enough so that when bent over at right angles there will be a support of \i inch. I'm not sure which are better, but perhaps the staples. I think you will like the T-tins loose better than fastened. It is much easier with the loose tins to fill sections into the super and to take them out. It is ten times as easy to clean the loose tins than the fa6t ones. The loose ones can be cleaned by the hundred by dumping them in a kettle of boiling lye, and the fast ones must be scraped. Transferring Bees I have a colony of bees in a box 19x19x26 inches. I would like to transfer them into a hive. " A B C of Bee-Culture," page 353, says that fruit-bloom is the best time. If I should happen to smear and kill the queen when transferring, will the bees rear another? What do you consider best for me to do? Wisconsin. Answer.— If the queen should be killed, the bees will have plenty of young brood from which to rear another. But there isn't very much danger of your killing her. If the colony would swarm at the usual time of swarming, it would be better for you to wait for that, hiving the swarm in a mov- able-frame hive, and then transferring 3 weeks later. But in a box holding more than 4 bushels there is no certainty that they will swarm at all. If the box is in such shape that you can cut it down to about one-fourth of its size without disturbing any of the combs that contain brood, that maybe your best course. Otherwise transfer in fruit-bloom. •+-+-+ Thin Bottom-Boards— Hive-Cover for Comb Honey 1. Are thin bottom-boards (3 inch) considered as good as thick one6 (jg') for wintering bees outdoors? 2. What cover do you consider best for the production of comb honey, where a part of the hives must be in the sun \ I would like a description of the ones you use. Pennsylvania. Answers.— 1. So far as the bees are concerned, yes. Of course there's more danger of breakage when so thin. 2. Almost any cover will do in the sun, if some kind of protection 350 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 19, 1906 is over them. Any sort of boards or shingles will do for thi6, or you may put on top an armful of long grass weighted down with two or three sticks of firewood. Neater and more convenient is a cover with an air-space ; that is, a double cover. My oldest covers are plain board covers, just one thickness of % lumber. The next are made of two layers of % stuff, the grain of the upper layer running lengthwise, and the grain of the lower cross- wise. A dead-airspace of :'s of an inch is between the two layers. This dead-air space makes it cooler in the hot sun, and warmer when the day is cold. The cover is covered with tin, painted white. The latest covers I have are made the same way, only covered with zinc, unpainted. They would be still better painted white when in the sun. These are satisfactory covers, only too expensive — about 30 cents each. I have two or three covers covered with Neponset paper, and painted, that have been in use several years, and seem to last well. If I were not so crowded all the time, I think I should make a few covers after Arthur C. Miller's plan; covered with cloth pasted like trunk-covers, and painted. It might be worth while, also, to try rubberoid or some form of roofing. Reports cmb (Experiences Good Year for Bees. Last year was a very good one for bees in this part of the country, but we do not have much of anything for them to gather honey from except white clover; and in the fall, white asters. They do not store any surplus honey in the fall, but they do gather enough for winter stores. A. Cutlip. Frametown, W. V. Swarming Too Much. My bees are just filling their hives with nice honey, but are swarming too much. It keeps me busy making hives for them. R. L. McColley., Sorrento, Fla., March 20. them just on the verge of starvation, with the hives full of bees and brood- rearing nicely started. I fed them by putting combs of honey in the hives, that I had saved from last summer for that purpose, thanks to Dr. Miller's advice. Our fine weather and promise of an early spring changed yesterday morn- ing when it began to snow, and this evening there is somewhere between S and 12 inches of snow on the ground. So we may have some winter yet, al- though it has not turned very cold I yet, but it is still snowing. I have just received my copy of the Annual Report of the National Bee- Keepers' Association, and am reading it with much interest. I wish we could have it in a more substantial binding, for it deserves a place in every bee- keepers' library. John Stotts. Dallas, Iowa, March 15. Keeps Bees and Poultry. The Bee Journal is an old friend of mine. I have 12 colonies of bees, and I think they will winter all right. I have only a small farm of 15 acres, and keep poultry. I have it very easy and nice, as my wife and I are the only ones in the family. I love bees very much. I had about 1,000 pounds of honey last year. Wm. Schultz. Zeeland, Mich., March 6. Bees Short of Stores — National Report. Many bees in this section are short of stores, and will receive but little attention from their owners, as most of the bee-keepers are farmers who keep a few bees to produce their honey at home. There was but very little honey gathered after July 15, 1905, and by the beginning of winter the bees had eaten much of their stores and went into winter very short of feed. This has been an extra ■warm winter, and the bees have eaten more than usual. On February 21 my bees were flying like they do in spring. I opened the lightest hives and found "ome of Wintered Well — Fair Prospects. The year 1905 was not a very good one for bees in the central part of Ne- braska. -I started with 11 colonies in the spring, increased to 18, lost two prime swarms, and got somewhat over 300 pounds of section-honey. Bees so far have wintered fine on the summer stands, packed in oat- chaff. March so far has been a stormy month, with plenty of snow and rain. The prospects are fair, and the farm- ers around me intend putting in large- ly of alfalfa seed this spring. Sweet clover is spreading, but not fast enough to suit me. Henry Hansen. Ashton, Neb., March 26. Everything for the Bee Keeper . will be found in our Illustrated Catalogue No. 40. It contains a full line of Hives, Supers, Followers, Sections, Section Holders, Frames, Extractors, Smokers, etc. All these and many other essentials are manufactured by us. Everything is guaranteed to be right and of best quality. Our prices are so reasonable that any bee keeper may afford the best supplies. We cannot tell you here of all the good things in this book. Better send for a copy today. We mail it free, to- gether with a copy of the Progressive Bee Keeper, a splendid monthly publication devoted to bee iutere-ts. It will help you start right and keep you right after you are started. It is invaluable as au aid to every bee keeper. Ask for the paper and the book. We Sell the Best Incubators and Brooders. Delivered at your station, prices the lowest. Write us at once and save money. Address LEAHY MFG. CO., 10 Talmage St., Higginsville, Mo. Branches at Omaha, Neb. and East St. Louis, 111. Wintered Nicely — Poor Season in 1905. I put 51 colonies into the cellar last fall, and they are all alive yet, except 1. I am waiting for a nice day to put them out. All bees wintered nicely here this -winter, even those that were left outdoors, that had honey enough. I am running for comb honey, and got some 10-frame hives last spring, but I think I made a mistake. I will try them one more summer, and if I do not get better results I will make them all smaller. The S-frame I think is the hive for comb-honey in this local- ity. I had 29 colonies last spring and got 1,200 pounds of comb honey. I let them swarm once, and then cut out all the queen-cells but one 6 days after they swarmed. Last year was a bad one for bees here. A. H. Timmerman. Prior Lake, Minn., March 28. Bees Wintering Well. I am wintering IS colonies of bees, all from what I shipped into this coun- try last year. All are doing well so far. Some are in the cellar, some in chaff hives, and some on the summer stands. I sold what honey I had last fall at 30 cents per pound. I. M. Beatty. Lewistown, Mont., March 12. WANTED To hire a young" man who understands Bee- Supplies. Or will sell half interest to good man. Too much work. Write quick. E. T. ABBOTT, St, Joseph, Mo. Mention Bee .lonrnnl when wrltJnc FOR SALE 50 colonies of Italian BEES in 8-frame L. hives. GU8TAVE GKOSS, 16Alt Lake Mills, Wis, 10-80 Far 4& 200 Epa "INCUBATOR Perfect in construction tod * action. Hatches everr fertile I egg. Write for catalog to -da; GEO. H. STAHL. Oulecy Mention Bee Journal when writing ' S06I 5» SB. *S8. *8t81 P.1M I Never Go Out y 3 "And last from 5 to 21 years so. Otisville, Pa., Jan. 18, 1904. Dear Sir:— I have tried almost everything In the smoker line; 3 In the last 3 years. In short If I want any more smokers your new style la good enough for me, I thank the editor of Re- view for what he said of It. Those remarks In- duced me to get mine. Fred Fodner. Mention Bee Jonrnnl when writing. " Xhe continuous advertiser gets the bulk of the business, because others are not adver- tising, and he is." April 19, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 351 fammmmmmmmmmammrnKmBm^ Sections ■:■ Sections -:- Sections -AT- Anti-Trust Prices && $3.25 for No. I's Id Lots of 1,000 and up $2.25 for No. 2's SB && Quality and Quantity Guaranteed And the price— CAN IT BE BEAT? Order Now. Columbia Manufacturing Co. Antigo, Wisconsin. HEAD OFFICE— APPLETON, WIS. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Wi Sell Root's Goods in Michigan Let as quote you prices on Sections, Hives, Foundation, etc, as we can save you time and freight. Beeswax Wanted for Cash. M. H. HUNT A SON, Bell Branch, Wayne Co., Mich CONVENTION NOTICE. Western Illinois— The semi-annual meet- ing of the Western Illinois Bee-Keepers' As- sociation will be held in the County Court Room, in Galesburg, on Wednesday, May Hi, commencing- at 9 a.m. and lasting all day. Messrs. C. P. Dadant and J. Q. Smith have promised to be present and contribute to the success of the meeting. Our meetings have been good, but we hope to make this one bet- ter, (ialesburg has good train-service, and all bee-keepers in this part of the State should not fail to come. Come, and bring your wives with you. E. D. Woods, Sec. Galesburg, 111. How to Organize A Farmers* Telephone Co. We have published a very in- structive telephone book espec- ially for the man who wants to know ALL about telephone matters. It tells how to organ- ize, how to build the lines; about different types of 'phones, construction; gives by-laws, and constitutions; in fact it is a tele- phone encyclopedia every farm- er should have. We send it free if you mention this paper. Ask for Book 80C, "How the Tele- phone Helps the Farmer." You will get it by return mail. Address nearest office. Strom berg -Carlson Tel. Mfg. Co. Rochester, N. Y.— Chicago, III. Mention Bee Journal when writing. ^S^/\*/\*/\,/\*/\i/V*/\*/\*/\v/\v/\*/Vv/\v>Vv/\*/Vv/\i/\./\*>lv/\.Av>\v/\v/^ Everything- for the Apiary Wholesale Agents for G.B. Lewis Co. Dadant's Foundation £ BUY NOW— TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE DISCOUNT, g; IS SEND US YOUR ORDERS. f- % t | LOUIS HANSSEN'S SONS | 1 DAVENPORT, IOWA I S I Lion Engine is sold direct from FACTORY to USER Act Ing <>n the theory that "testing is proving'' we will send any responsible person, on certain very easy condi- tions, one of our three h. p. gas or gas- oline engines on 10 days test trial. This engine is no experiment, out has been proved by actual use to do any work (where the rated amount of power is required) in the most practi- cal, reliable, safe and economical way. This engine is of the fourcycle type. While the engine is up to normal speed the exhaust valve is held open, allow- ing free circulation of fresh air in the cylinder. The igniterand intake valve are at rest, therefore are not using" gasoline or the batteries. Our igniter and miser are of the most simple and reliable character. The gasuhne is always properly vapor- ized and the igniter point never comes together unless a spark is required. The fly ball type of governor isused, which automatically controls the ex- haust, igniter and the gasoline; it also allows the speed to be changed from ltm to 600 revolutions per minute while the engine is in motion— a very superior feature. LION GAS OR GASOLINE ENGINES are simple in construction and EASY TO OPERATE They are used for all purposes where power is required for operating pri- vate electric-lighting plants, small factories, printing- offices; farm ma- chinery, such as cream separators, feed -grinders, corn shelters, wood- sawing machines, etc., and for a thou- sand and one other purposes. WRITE US A LETTER LIKE THIS: Lyons Engine Co., Lyons, Mich. Gentlemen: I am about to purchase a gas or ras- I'Uoe enfine for purposes and irlsh T'.u to eend me full particulars about jour ap- proml offer aj advertised In American Bee Journal. Tours very truly, When writing, please state defi- nitely for what purpose you wish to use this engine and whether gas or gasoline is to be used for fuel. This information is very important to us. Please remember we send the engine, not the engine agent. LYONS ENGINE CO. |ir~Ti I Ly°ns> M,ch- 352 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 19, 1906 A GOOD BEE-HIVE Is made of the best grade of White Pine, accurately cut, so it will go together without the use of tools, except a hammer. Such is the kind of Hives we make, and such is the kind you get when you buy from us. " It is a cinch " that we make lower prices than you can get from any dealer, as you save the middleman's profit when you buy direct from the manufacturer. We are Manufacturers, and sell direct to the consumer. Send us a list of your wants, and let us make you prices. We guarantee everything we sell to be satisfactory, or refund the money. We have large stocks of Dovetailed Hives, Sections, Shipping-Cases, Foun. dation, Veils, Smokers, etc., on hand, and can ship promptly. Minnesota Bee-Sunpiu Go., Power Bids., No. 33 JOHN DOLL & SON, PROPRIETORS MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. FARM Tools FREIGHT PAID ^2Z* COMPLETE 14- TOOTH HARROW. Ask for our plan which will save you $150 to $350 a year ou your supplies. your pocket— we sell body." A trial order will be but the beginning. 15-TEETH COMPLETE LOW DOWN HARROW Co-Operative Society of the National Supply Co., Lansing, Mich. Chicago, III. i m i m i Here are just a few Farm Tools taken from our immense stock to show you, in a practical way, how you can save money by buying your supplies direct and cut out the middlemen's profits. We manu- facture every tool shown here, that's why we can sell you a 60-tooth Adjustable Spike Tooth Harrow, complete in every way, for $7.60. U A Walking Weeder, 7+ ft. wide— a machine for surface cultivation that every modern farmer needs— complete, for $4.46. You need one. H A Michigan Cultivator— a first-class cultivator, well-made: for $2.98. If A 14-tooth Harrow — a complete tool and combines a field cultivator, garden harrow and pulverizer — just what you need for the garden when the big cultivator is busy in the field, complete, for $2.75. HA 15-tooth, 2-section.Low Down Harrow— the strongest built machine of its kind made, complete, for $9.45 U A steel rim, 2-section, Land Roller, made in a thorough manner of best materials, will give give you good service and satisfaction, for $15.30. You can- not buy these tools from your home merchant for any where near these prices. We pay the freltfht. Order any tool in this advertisement on our positive guarantee that it will give you entire satisfac- tion, and be the best bargain you ever saw for the price: if it isn't, ship it back at our expense. and we will refund your money. We will also send with your order free, our large 1,000 page catalog of everything you need on the farm and in your home at prices that leave a profit in everything for everybody cheaper than any- Write today. 28 Years a QaeeD-Bretder Have shipped Queens to nearly all countries on the globe. Italian and Cau- casian, both in sepa- rate yards. Circular free. THe Wood Bee-Hive Gompanu LANSING, MICH. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Italian Bees for Sale We can furnish Nuclei and full colonies of Italian Bees ff.o.b. 100 miles west of Chicago by express.) at these prices: FULL COLONIES in K-frame hives,$5.E0each; in lots of 5 or more at one time. $5.25 each. Full colonies in 10-frame hives, $6 each; in lots of 5 or more at one time, $5.75 each. Nuclei (3 frame) with Tested Queen, $3.25 each; in lots of 5 or more at onetime, $3 each. (Nuclei ready for delivery about May 10; Full Colonies any time now.' Orders filled in rota- tion. Address, GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, • CHICAGO, ILL. FOR 5ALE 50 Colonies of Italian and Carniolan Bees in 8-frame hives, all nearly new and all in good condition. One colODy, *5.50; from 5 to 10 colonies, S5 each. WM. J. HEALY, 16A5t Minebal Point, Wisconsin. The Easu Way to Manage Swarmino Use the NEW DIBBERN Queen-Trap No Climbing'. No Absconding-. Order to-day. Prices, by mai 1,70c 5 or more (freight) each, 40c G. ft. Dibbern & Son, Milan, III. 13A4t Please mention the Bee Journal. GREAT SALE OF Hives, Sections, Etc. To reduce my stock 1 will sell No. 1 White Polished Sections at *3 90; No. 2, S3.40-all sizes; plain, 25c less per 1000. Best White Pine Dovetail Hives, S-frame, l'o-story, $1.30; 10-frame, $1.45. Great reduction in Smokers, Foundation, and all Apiarian Supplies. 24-lb. Shipping Cases, very nice. 13c ; Quart Berry Baskets, §2.75 per 1000. Send for free Catalog. W. D. SOPER. R.F.D3. JACK&ON, MICH. 14Etf Please mention the Bee Journal. MAKE YOUR OWN CUT ' GREEN BONE i a very y, sim- ple operation with a CROWN Bone Cutter. Green bono makes eggs, and stimulates the hen's product- a organs. Cut bone fresh erv 'lav. The Crown does it klv with no Ix'tii.-rormuss uuic... , \ building cutters. Write for free oataloj V WILSON BROS.. Box 618, EASTON, P, t April 19, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 353 Italian and Caucasian BEES, QUEENS, AND NUCLEi Choice home-bred and Im- ported stock. All Queens reared in full colonies. Prices of Italians In April : One Untested Queen $1.10 " Tested Queen 1.65 " Select Tested Queen 2 20 14 Breeding Queen 3 30 1-comb nucleus (noqueen) 1.50 2 " •' " 2 60 3 " " " 3.20 Untested in May; all others ready now from last season's rearing. Safe arrival guar- anteed. For prices on Caucasians and larger quanti- ties, and description of each grade of queens, send for free catalog. J. L. STRONG 16Atf 204 E. Logan St., Clarinda, Iowa. Mention Bee Jonrnal when writing. CAUCASIAN QUEENS ! Caucasian Bees are very gentle. They are easy to handle and are, therefore, suited 10 be- ginners, timid bee-keepers and to those who keep bees in town. If you want to try this race, or if you want to improve the stock of your Ital- ian Bees, write to ROBERT B. McCAIN, 2Atf VORKVILLE. ILL. R- F. P. Bees, Queens and Bee-Supplies We manufacture standard dovetailed bee- hives and supplies, cheaper than you ever bought before. Our Queens and Bees stand at the head in quality. Untested, ~5c each ; $4.25 for 6, or $8 per doz. Tested, $1.25 each ; $12 per doz. Select Tested, $1.50. Special prices to dealers in large lots on application. State Agents for Dittmer's Foundation. Catalog free. THE BEE & HONEY COMPANY (Will Atchlev, Prop.) Beeville, Bee Co.. Texas. Mention Bee Jonrnal when wrltlnit. For Queens -«Efe"» He will furnish at the same prices as last year: Tested, $1 ; Untested, 75c ; 5 for $3.25; 10 for $6; 15 for $8.25; 25 for $12.50; 100 for $45. He breeds Goldens, Carniolans, and 3- Band Italians. Also 1, 2, and 3 frame Nuclei and full colonies. Prices given on applica- tion. Pharr pays the freight, and guarantees satisfaction on all Queens. To do justice and judgment is more acceptable with the Lord than sacrifice.— (Prov. 3:21.) 5Atf — MOORE'S — LONG-TONGUES AND GOLDEN QUEENS Select Untested, $1: 6 for $5; 12 for $9. Tested, $1.50; 6 for $8. Best Breeders, $3.50. Safe arri- val guaranteed. W. A. RAILS. 7D6t ORANGE, CALIF. QUEENS~ Best 3-band Italian — 1 Untested Queen, 75c; 6 for $4; 12 for $7.25. One 2- frame Nucleus with Queen, $2.25; 10 in one bunch, $17.50. LUTHER PRESSWOOD, 6E7t RELIANCE, TENN. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Rose Lawn Queens Italians— Caucasians— Carniolans Line bred from individual types for color, gentleness and honey-producing. A scientific queen-rearing plant; standard prices and fair dealing. Our " Pure Gold " strain of Ital- ians are unsurpassed for gentleness and fer- tility. We offer best facilities for prompt shipment to the Middle West. Send for cat- alog. ROSE LAWN APIARIES, Frank G. Odell, Proprietor, 1335 North 24th St., LINCOLN, NEB. 15Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. ♦*- *♦■- •♦• ■ t* »i If Goods are wanted Quick, send to Pouder " ^bee-supplTes 1 Root's Goods at Root's Prices t wm Everything used by Bee-Keepers. POUDER'S HONEY-JARS. Prompt Service. Low Freight Rates. .-. .-. .•. Catalog Free. BEESWAX WANTED I pay highest market price for beeswax, delivered here, at any time, ca6h or trade. Make 6mall shipments by express; large shipments by freight, always being sure to attach your name to the package. My large illustrated catalog is free. I S shall be glad to send it to you. WALTER S. POUDER, I 513-515 Massachusetts Ave., INDIANAPOLIS, IND. i!»??l?>irTi*7»TT»77|P^.»'7|!FTt" '*?? *♦." i»." **■■ <►* Supplies for ";u-ih. Beeswax wanted — 28c cash, 30c when taking bee-supplies in exchange. i:\ii;ii'li'ax-f Chicago, April 7.— The best grades of comb hooey are scarce and sell at ISc per pound; off lots are of uncertain value, ranging in price from 10@14c. Extracted meets with fair sale at 6H@7c for white, and 6m 6'iic for amber, with off flavors about lc per pound less. Beeswax sells at 30c on arrival. R. A. Burnett & Co. Toledo, Feb. 19.— The market for comb honey has been better for the past two weeks than at any time during the past season. Prices are firm on account of the scarcity. We are getting 15@16c for fancy white clover; 14®15c for No. 1, and 13@14c for amber. Buckwheat, 13c. Extracted honey is in good demand at following prices: White clover in barrels brings 6S4@"c: amber, S%@Slic; in cans every grade from l@lHc higher. Beeswax is firm and in good demand at 28 and 30c. The above are our selling prices, not what we paT, Griggs Bros. Indianapolis, March 24— Fancy white clover comb brings 16c; No. 1, 14c; demand exceeds the supply; fancy white western comb brings 14 7c. Beeswax, 28c. We are producers of honey and do not handle on commission. Wm. A. Selser. New York, March 19. — Demand for comb honey is fair, especially for the better grades, and fancy white is selling at from 14igil5c; No. 1, 13c; light amber, ll@12c; no more demand for dark comb honey. Extracted is in good de- mand, mostly California, at unchanged prices. Beeswax is firm at from 29@31c, according to quality. HILDRETH& Segelken. Headquarters for Bee-Supplies Complete Stock for 1906 now on hand. Bee -Supplies! FREIGHT- RATES FROM CINCINNATI are the LOWEST, ESPECIALLY for the SOUTH as 'most all freight now goes through Cincinnati. Prompt Service is what I practice. You will Satisfaction Guaranteed. SAVE MONEY BUYING FROM ME. LTd'S™ ,ree' Let me ^% ^TT^^^^^TfcTA^I bred in separate apiaries, book your 111 P . P . I\l ^ ttu (.OU>i:> 11)1, Order for Vf, \J Mil 4J.M KJ LOWS, (AKMO- !.»■>«. i:i:i> CLOVERS and CAUCASIANS. For prices, refer to my catalog, page 29. C. H.W.WEBER "."ST Office and Salesrooms, 2146-48 Central Ave. Warehouses. Freeman and Central Aves. Cincinnati, April 4— There is no material change in the honey market since our last re- port. The demand does not come up to expec- tations, which, in all probability, Is due to the inclement weather of the past month. We con- tinue to quote amber In barrels at 5J<@6Hc. Fancy white in crates of two 60 lb. cans at 6S£@8Hc. Choice yellow beeswax 30c. delivered here. The Fred W. Muth Co. Denver, Feb. 5.— Owing- to the mild weather the demand for honey has not been as good as usual at this time of year. We are quoting strictly No. 1 white alfalfa comb honey at $3.35 to 13.75 per case of 24 sections; off grade and light amber at $3 to $3.30. White extracted alfalfa in 60-pound cans, 7^@S'3c; light amber, 6&@7#c Beeswax, 24c for clean yellow. The Colo. Honey-Producers' Assn. Kansas City, March 16— The supply of comb honey is not very large. Demand is light, best 24 section white selling at 3.25 per case, amber at 25@£0c per case less. Extracted, white, 6^c per pound; amber, 6c. Beeswax, 25@30c. We look for an Increased demand In the near future. C. C. Clemons & Co. Cincinnati, March 7.— The demand for comb honey is slow, prices obtained are the same. Stock od hand seems to be sufficient to supply the wants. Quote funcy white, 14@16c Amber extracted in barrels, 5%@5%c; in cans, He more; fancy white clover in o0-lb. cans, 7H@3H cents; Southern, equal to white clover in color, from 6M@7c. Bright yellow beeswax, 30c. C.H.W. Weber. Please Mention Bee Journal when writing: advertisers. HONEY AND BEESWAX When consigning, buying or selling, consult R. A. BURNETT & CO. 199 South Water St. Chicago. III. Gash for Beeswax Highest market price paid promptly all the time for good wax. Frank C. Clark, 147 E.KinzieSt. Chicago,!!!. FOR SALE Until further notice, finest quality new crop California Water-White White Sage and Light Amber HONEY in 60-lb. tins, 2 in a case; new cans and new cases. Write for prices and sam- ples, and state quantity yon want. Hildreth & Segelken * 265 & 267 Greenwich Street, New York, N.Y. 34Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. FOR SALE 20 cases of comb honey — mostly white clover, in non-drip cases. LOCIS WERNER, 15A3t Edwardsville, III. 65c for 12 Names Msa*. »«*■&£ stamps taken— we will send for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Call— reg. sub. price 40c a year. F. C. is a wkly., 2& years old, i .'.'■> * • pageB a year. Sample free. FARMER'S CALL, Quincy.IH. Mention Bee Journal when writing. FANCY WHITE EXTRACTED HONEY, CRATES 2-60 LB. CANS; 8c TWO OR MORE CRATES; 1% LARGER LOTS; WRITE FOR SPECIAL PRICES. ALL F. O. B. CINCINNATI. CASH WITH ORDER. SAMPLES 1 Oe. TO PAY POSTAGE. THE FRED W. MUTH CO. No. 51 WALNUT STREET, CINCINNATI, OHIO. Mention Ore Journal when writing. 356 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 19, 1906 One Hundred Cents on the Dollar If You buy Lewis Beeware ESTABLISHED 30 YEARS SECTIONS Received my Sections in fine shape, and am well pleased with them. They are the best Sections 1 ever put together. Arthur Stampe. Paullina. Iowa. I want to say that I consider your make of Sections the nearest perfect I have ever had. I have folded packages of 500 without break- ing one, and I can not say that of others I have used. Geo. Brown. Deerfield, Iowa. During the last four years I have bought 10,000 Sections from three other firms. Be- fore I had used yours for several years, but have decided after a thorough trial that yours are the best and most perfect Sections in every ■way that I have ever used. David Foote. Riceville, Iowa. I used your supplies exclusively for almost fourteen years, especially the Sections, and I don't want any other kind. C. H. Harlan. Mora, Minn. I have received those Sections in good shape, and I am well pleased with same. Thej are all right in every way. I shall recommend your bee-supplies to other bee-keepers. 1 think you make better goods than any other firm in the world. Accept my thanks. Geo. B. McDaniels. Grand View, Iowa. HIVES We note that the Lewis Goods for the sea- son of 1906 are finer than ever. Hives and Hive-parts are without any knots. In fact, they are 60 nice that we are very much sur- prised, as we supposed that as lumber gets scarcer and higher necessarily poorer grades of lumber would have to be used. We are receiving many compliments on the Lewis Goods we are shipping out. A. G. Woodman Co. Grand Rapids, Mich. About two months ago I bought 25 of your S-frame Dovetailed Hives, and I put these to- gether without losing a single piece. I find these Hives to be better than any other I have ever used. Although I have a gas engine and good tools, I can buy your Hives cheaper and more accurately made. E. K. Meredith. Batavia. 111. Your Hives look as if they had been sand- papered after they are nailed up. I havi just finished nailing up 40 2-6tory hives, and they .are as nice as could be. L. B. Smith. Rescue, Tex. ' I received the 50 Bee-Hives, and I can say that they are the very nicest, finest and best Hives I have ever seen. Tofield Lehman. Elgin, Iowa. The Hives are a model of perfection both as to material and workmanship. It is a pleas- ure to have material to go together as yours does. E. W. Ltles. Charlotte, N. C. - I received the Hives I ordered in good con- dition. Same are fine hives. They look like better lumber than any 1 have bought before ; also fit better than any Hives I have ever put together. Harry West. Morrison, 111. ANNUAL OUTPUT- 20 MILLION SECTIONS 100,000 HIVES FRAMES The Frames you sent me were duly received, and they are the best, finest and nicest Frames I have ever had. H. P. Willson. Bathgate, N. D. Received my 100 Brood-Frames in tine shape, and I am well pleased with them. They are the best I have ever put together. D. S. Haao. Rock City, 111. I find Frames, Fences, Covers, Hive-Bodies and Bottoms perfect, and made of the finest lumber I ever saw supplies made of. D. M. Laudenslayer. Mackeyville, Pa. PROMPTNESS I would like to thank you for your prompt way of doing business in such a season as this when every one is excited. E. W. Coe. Aug., 1903, Clarence, Iowa. I wish to acknowledge receipt of the goods ordered from you, and thank you for your promptness in sending them. Claude L. Madison. Alden, 111. RESPONSIBILITY Remembering how well you did with me over 22 years ago on some Hives I bought, I hope we may come together again on a small deal. Leopold Moller. Fremont, Nebr. I thank you for thirty years of friendly dealings. C Theilmans. Theilman, Minn. Don't worry about us not handling your Goods. I have used and sold your goods for 15 years, and consider them the finest Bee- ware made. J. E. Entart it Son. McFall, Mo. 1 am well pleased with your way of doing business, and satisfied with all Goods received from your factory. Can say that they are much better than 1 can get any place else. J. F. Nolte. Redfield, Iowa. I received goods O K. It deal with a firm like yours. is a pleasure to H. LU°KE. Burlington. Wis. PACKING- We think your policy of packing Goods in first-class shape, and a specfied number to the crate, is the winning card. The Chas. H. Lilly Co. Seattle, Wash. I consider your freedom from mistakes quite wonderful, considering the number and variety of pieces in the various lines of goods your carry. W. C. Gibson. National Home, Milwaukee, Wis. LEWIS CO, •VSr-A.TEPLTO^ATN', "V^IS. jMAERieAjy Dee Journal 45th Year CHICAGO, ILL., APFIL 26, 1905 No. 17 i'i i'i Ji i'i i'i i'i i'i i'; i'i i'i i'i i'i i'i i'i i'i i'i i'i i'i A i'i i'l i'i i(i iJi i'i i'i i'i i'i i'i i'i i'; i'i i'i i*i i'i i*i i*i i'i i'i i'i i'i # m IS? # it i«i it Minnesota Bee-Supply Go., or John Doll and Sons ( See page 362. ) J * JOHN DOLL. H J. DOLL. MATT DOLL. m # •».♦.» ••.».«■ S ft BERNARD DOLL. 8ERYAS DOLL. #^##^##^#^^^####0#^###########^########^# 358 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 26, 1906 PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY GEORGE W. YORK & COMPANY 334 Dearborn Street, Chicago, III. IMPORTANT NOTICES. THE SUBSCRIPTION PRICE of this Journal is $1.00 a year, in the United Stales, Canada, and Mexico; all other countries in ihe Postal Union, 50 cents a year extra for postage. Sample copy free. THE WRAPPER-LABEL DATE indicates toe end of the month to which your subscription is paid. For instance, "deco6" on your label shows that it is paid to the end of December, 19U0. SUBSCRIPTION RECEIPTS.-We do not send a receipt for money sent us to pay subscription, but change the date on your wrapper-label, which shows that the money has been received and credited. Advertising Rate, per ngate Line, JOg. 14 lines make one inch. Nothing less than % inch accepted. Time Discounts. 4 times — 5 per cent 13 " ....10 " 26 lt ....20 52 M ..-.30 tl Space Discounts. lOOUnes... 5percent 500 " ...10 1000 " ...20 " 2000 " ...30 These rates are subject to either time or space discounts, at choice, but not both. Reading- Notices, 25 cents, count line, subject to the above discounts. Goes to press Monday morning. National Bee Keepers' Association Objects of the Association. 1st.— To promote the interests of its members. 2d.—To protect and defend its members in their lawful riflrhts. 3d.— To enforce laws against the adulteration of honey. Annual Membership Dues, $i.oo. General Manager and Treasurer — N. E. France, Platteville, Wis. B^~ I f more convenient, Dues may be sent to the ublishers of the American Bee Journal. ROOT'S GOODS AT FACTORY PRICES Finest and largest stock of Supplies in Illinois. Italian Bees and Queens in season. Cat? k g free. 15 eggs of Pure Barred Plymouth Rocks, $1.00. Incubators and Brooders alwavs on band. 12A13t H 5. DUBY, St. Anne, III. Mention Bee Jonrnnl when writing- Please mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. Contents of this Number III 'utif rattans — Doll and Sors. and Interior Factory Views 1st Page yueen-Rearintr Nucleus Hive of J. L. strong. 3H3 Editorial Notes and Comments — Alsike and Sweet Clover in Canada 3fil Giving Empty Stories Below Queen-Excluders 361 Honny and Herb-Tea for Bee-Paralysis 361 Hurrying Up Queen-Rearing 361 ohin Foul-Brood Law— One Cent Per Colony Tax 361 Miscellaneous News Items — rtees in Spring < Poem) 363 Doll (John) and Sons 362 Notes from the National.. 362 Contributed Special Articles — Feeding Syrup in Winter 363 Forming Nuclei in Twin-Hives 363 Internal Hive Temperature 363 Management for Big Yields of Honey 364 Methods of Rearing Queen-Bees 363 Convention Proceedings — Bees Conversing 363 Comb and Ex' rated Honey in Same Hive 363 Crossness in Bees. 3*3 Fifty Years frum Now— A Prophecy 363 Migratory Bee-Keeping 363 Northern Michigan Convention Report 363 Reduction of Freight-Rates 363 Shaking Queen-Cel Is 363 Sn pe reeding Queens 363 "Wire-Cloth Separators 366 Wiring Frames 353 .Southern Beedo/n — Improvement of Our Bees 366 National As>ociation to Meet in Texas 366 Our Sister Bee-Keepers — Clipping Queens 367 Danger of Bees Starving— Short of Stores 367 Bister's Report 367 Canadian Beedom — Bees Moving Eggs 36* Followers in Brood-Chambers 367 Gentler Bees Hardly Necessary 368 Items of Interest 367 Metal-Spaced Hoffman Frames 368 Northern and Southern " Longfellows" 368 Reports On Wintering Wanted 3*7 Spring Management of Bees 368 Wintered Fairly Well 368 Mr. Ifastt^s Afterthoughts — Bees that are Slow to Uncap Stores 3Q9 Finding Queens -A6& Introducing Queens 369 Spring Dwindling 368 Sweet Clovers, Cow-peas and Jap. Buckwheat. 369 " Untested" and "Selftrt Untested " Queens. .. 368 What Mice Like and Dislike in Food 368 Br. Miller's Question-Box — Comb-Foundation Treatment for Swarms 369 Finding Queens 369 Foul Brood 370 Honey from Wild Mustard or Turnip and Fruit-Bloom 369 I ncrease 369 Knowing Different Combs 369 Largest Honey Crop 369 Making Increase With Home-Made or Box Hives 370 Painting Hives 369 Planting Willow 36» Preparing Bees for Winter 369 Putting a Weak Colony Over a Strong One. ... 3*9 Using Combs with Honey from Dead Lolonie-t 37tl When to Use the Queen-Trap 3 ;9 Heports and Experiences — Brood-Rearing in Winter 370 Entrance at Top of Brood-Chamber 3711 Favors the Full-Weight Section 370 High or Low Hive-Entrance 37o Packing Bees for Winter 371 Rendering Beeswax in a Small Way :i7*l Suit to Protect Against Bees 371 Langs troth on the *** Honey-Bee Revised by Dadant— Latest Edition. This is one of the standard books on bee-culture, and ought to be in the library of every bee-keeper. It is bound substantially in cloth, and contains over 500 pages, being revised by those large, practical bee-keepers, so well- known to all the readers of the Ameri- can Bee Journal — Chas. Dadant & Son. Each subject is clearly and thoroly ex- plained, so that by following the in- structions of this book one cannot fail to be wonderfully helped on the way to> success with bees. The book we mail for $i .20, or club It with the American Bee Journal for one year — both for $2.00 ; or, we will mail it as a premium for sending us THREE NEW subscribers to the Bee Journal for one year, with $3.00. This is a splendid chance to get a grand bee-book for a very little money or work. GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn. Street, CHICAGO, ILL- NOT IN THE TRUST We will stamp your Cans "PURE- KXTRACTED Honey"— FREE Our prices for 1906 are the lowest to the National Bee-Keepers" Association. Write us. Now Is the time TO BUY FRICTION TOP CANS FOR HONEY AND SYRUP Canners Can Co. 1035 W. 47th St., CHICAGO, ILL. April 26, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 359 xm « DADANT'S FOUNDATION" IT EXCELS EVERY INCH equal to sample Beauty, Purity, Firmness. No Sagging, No Loss. Twenty-seven Years of Experience. We Guarantee Satisfaction. WAX WORKED INTO FOUNDATION BEE=SUPPLI ES of all kinds. Beeswax Wanted ££!... <^%m DADANT & SONS, Hamilton, 111. SEND FOR OUR CATALOG I FENCE S2S£2' Made of High Carbon coiled wire. We have ii" agents. Sell direct to user at factory prices on 30 days free trial. We pay all freight. Catalog shows 37 styles and heights of farm and poultry fence. It's free. Buy direct. "Write today COILED SPRINC FENCE CO. Box 89 WINCHESTER, INDIANA. Mention Bee Journal when writing. If you want the Bee-Book That covers the whole Aplcultural Field more completely than any other published, k send $1.20 to Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont, Cal., FOR HIS " Bee-Keeper's Guide." Liberal Discounts to the Trade. DON'T WAIT for the season to start before you order your Bee=Supplies DITTMER S FOUNDATION IS THE BEST MADE We make a specialty of working wax for Cash. Retail— Wholesale — Jobbing BEESWAX ALWAYS WANTED Write for our Price- List and samples ; we would like to send them to you at our expense. GUS DITTMER, Augusta, Wis. Mention Bee Journal when writing. r Wisconsin Basswood Sections And Prompt Shipments Is what we are making for our customers. — DOVETAILED HIVES AND SHIPPING-CASES — We carry a full line of SUPPLIES. Ask for Catalog. THE JTARSHFIELD HANUFACTURINQ CO., Harshfield, Wis. Mention Uee Journal when writing. ^.California The Pacific Rural Press has been a house- hold word throughout California for 35 years. It is authority on all matters regarding the soil or products of California. Weekly, illus- trated : Edited by practical specialists. Two Dollars per year. Send for sample copy. Pacific Rural Press, 330 Market Street, San Fkancisco, Calif. 50Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. 05C TOr l/C NtimeS 12 farmers and 'lo'c- stamps taken— we will send for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Call— red. sub. price 4oc a year. F. C. is a wkly., 25 years old, 1,300 pages a year. Sample free. FARMER'S CALL, Quincy, 111. Mention Bee Journal when writing. I Root's Bee-Supplies | (S You know what this means. Four g carloads of New Goods on hand. W Our business increased last year S 100 percent over 1904. This is a S proof that we are saving our cus- tomers money. Try us. Low Freight Rates from Toledo. Large Discounts— that tells the K story. Our 80-page Catalog is 0 sent free. $ GRIGGS BROS. 521 Monroe Street, TOLEDO, OHIO. O Please mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. 360 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 26, 1906 ACCURACY IN SECTIONS Were you ever annoyed by receiving poor Sections ? Sections that were rough, bad color, inaccu- rately cut ? Then you know what it means. The Root System of making and grading their Sections insures perfection. With the best possible machinery and lumber, together with a scheme of insuring best grading, the Root output of Sections is the largest in the world, and they are used by bee-keepers everywhere with the best of satisfaction. When you buy Sections this year see that the box bears the trade-mark that makes Root's Goods Famous. IN HIVES THE A. I. ROOT COMPANY UUCEIDIUST^, OHIO Branch Offices in the United States The A. I. Root Co., 44 Vesey St., New York City. The A. I. Root Co., 10 Vine St., Philadelphia, Pa. The A. I. Root Co., 1635 Genesee St., Syracuse, N. T. The A. I. Root Co., Mechanic Falls, Maine. The A. I. Root Co., 1100 Maryland Avenue, S. W., Washington, D. C. The A. I. Root Co., 144 E. Erie St., Chicago, 111. The A. I. Root Co., 1024 Mississippi St., St. Paul, Minn. There is no need of going- into details why a Hive should be made with the greatest possible accu- ((til) racy. If the work is not done very near perfect the bees will glue up the Hive with propolis and then «*B°» your trouble begins. There's a satisfaction of putting up Root's Hives that more than pays for their fraM slightly extra cost over the cheap-made kinds. Read what Mr. Dobson says : V%ff The Experience of Two Bee/Keeper s S^ CHAPTER I SOK THBaA. I. Root Co., Medina. Minnetonka, Minn., March 28, 1906. f^SK Gentlemen : — I am writing you in regard to some goods I bought of your agent, Mr. J. C. Acklin, SSK 1024 Miss. St., St. Paul. I purchased five Danzenbaker hives with full sheets of foundation in brood- |y| chamber and super. I will say this much for Root's Goods : I never saw nicer or cleaner stock, no «J>5 cracked or broken pieces, and everything fitted to perfection. Everything full count, including nails, etc. Km) OHAPTBR II. Wyjij To-day I was over to a neighbor's helping him assemble some newly purchased hives made by a mh) firm in . I was tempted to ask him why he didn't get Root's Goods. I wish you could have £»» seen the difference. When I went there he had not uncrated them. I said to him, " Have you got all (fel) you need?" He said, " Oh, yes." Well, we found out differently. They had sent only half enough V\T foundation, no small tacks for fastening wire, and not half enough nails, and sixteen top-bars short. I VjgjJ guess we said something to ourselves about that shipping clerk. WM. V. DOBSON. V*T (Entered at the Post-Office at Chicago as Second-Class Mall-Matter.) Published Weekly at $1.00 a Year, by George W. York & Co., 334 Dearborn St. QBORQE W. YORK, Editor CHICAGO, ILL, APRIL 26, 1906 VoL XLVI— No. 17 (gbttorial Hotes anb (£omments j Honey and Herb-Tea for Bee-Paralysis I/Apicoltore, of Milan, has opened its columns to the discussion of what we usually call " bee-paralysis," which is called by the Italians " Mai Di Maggio " or May disease. It appears that there has been a great deal of May disease in the Province of Ancona during the past three years. An apiarist by the name of Belluci has succeeded in preventing the spread of the disease by feeding his bees with a tonic preparation made of honey mixed with a tea of aromatic herbs, and a small proportion of salicylic acid. The March number of IVApicoltore contains a lengthy article from the pen of Mr. C. P. Dadant, in which he gives his views on the subject, describing the disease as it has appeared in different countries, and commending Belluci's treatment. Hurrying Up Queen-Rearing Editor Root is interested in the experiment of trying to " steal a march on Nature of a whole month " in the matter of getting queens fertilized in the spring. The hives and nuclei are kept in a warm room, but with the entrances opening outdoors, so that whenever the weather favors they can fly out freely. It will not be a surprise if the scheme should fail, for the trouble in early spring queen-rearing is not in getting things done in the hive, but in getting the right kind of weather, and keeping hives in a warm room will not help the weather outdoors. It seems consummate folly to waste good brains in ex- periments that are predestined to failure ; but now and then something that we were cock-sure was all wrong turns out to be all right, and then we are all glad to have the benefit of it. Alsike and Sweet Clover in Canada A correspondent in Ontario writes as follows concern- ing alsike and sweet clover : I see there is an excitement over alsike clover. Even Editor Root talks of sowing it for bees and for hay. Locality may make all the difference, but every farmer here says nothing thrives upon it; and it was only grown here for seed till our new Seed Adulteration Act came into force, and now it is not being sown because the seed of a wild trefoil here prevalent can not be separated from it; but, oh! that alsike is the honey-plant above all others here, and farm lands are being abandoned through that accursed sweet clover. Ontario. There is no doubt that in many places alsike is a valuable forage-plant, and this is perhaps the first report of any locality in which farmers say " nothing thrives upon it." Certainly there must have been demand for the seed that could hardly have originated if the plant had been generally worthless. Is not the locality exceptional, too, with regard to sweet clover? Not many bee-keepers count it " accursed." But it is surprising how some people howl about sweet clover. It is very easy to eradicate if not wanted. Why not get ex- cited over the Canada thistle and some other really villain- ous " weeds and things," and give sweet clover a rest ? All that is necessary to destroy sweet clover is to mow it just before it blooms. It is a biennial, and so, unlike the miserable Canada thistle, there will soon be an end to sweet clover. But where farmers are becoming better educated they no longer oppose the spread of sweet clover, for it is val- uable for hay and as a forage-plant aside from its excellent nectar-yielding qualities. If the hay and forage-plant values of sweet clover are doubted, ask Wm. Stolley, of Grand Island, Nebr. He has made hay of sweet clover for years, and has written about it for the American Bee Jour- nal several times during the past few years. (Jiving Empty Stories Below Queen-Excluders To prevent swarming, G. W. Demaree gives a lower story containing empty combs or foundation under the brood-chamber, a queen-excluder between the two, putting the queen below. With some this has succeeded perfectly, while others have reported failure. Something similar is reported as the practise of Herr A. Straeuli, editor of Die Europaeische Bienenzucht— the new German journal that advocates American methods. But with Herr Straeuli it is a treatment of swarms rather than prevention of swarming. He does nothing to prevent swarming except to repress drone-comb and favor bees little given to swarming. Then when a prime swarm issues he hives it in a hive containing empty comb or foundation, sets it on the old stand, puts an excluder over it, and sets the old hive over that. This plan is worth considering by those who allow natural swarming but desire no increase. A matter of some importance is the question whether it is not necessary to destroy queen-cells. Of course, neither the Demaree nor the Straeuli plan is avaiable for those who work for comb honey. Ohio Foul-Brood Law— One Cent Per Colony Tax According to Gleanings, this law has been signed by the Governor, and has gone into effect. Editor Root says : In brief, the law now provides that, on the complaint of three persons, residents of the county, to the county commissioners, setting forth that the disease known as foul brood actually exists within said county, the county commissioners shall (not may, as it was in the old law) appoint a competent person as foul-brood inspector, clothed with necessary authority to inspect colonies, and treat the 6ame according to the most up-to-date methods. The expense of such inspection will be paid out of the funds secured from the special tax of one cent per colony, as I understand it. As there are 150,000 colonies in Ohio, ac- cording to the last census, this will give us a fund of $1500— more than enough, I should say, to do the work thoroughly throughout the whole State. Ohio is to be congratulated on having a law with the vitally important compulsory part. There may, however, be a question whether something is not still left to be de- sired. An important duty of an inspector often consists in inspecting a suspected apiary to decide whether foul brood 362 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 26, 1906 is present or not. In Ohio there is no compulsion to appoint an inspector until the disease is actually proven to be pres- ent. Even when the disease is actually present in a number of apiaries, it may not be an easy thing to get three per- sons to testify to its presence. A man may have an apiary rotten with foul brood, and a neighboring bee-keeper may be morally certain of the fact, but he is helpless. The owner of the diseased colonies forbids an examination, and how can any three persons testify to disease where no col- ony is examined ? No inspector can help in the case, for no inspector can be appointed until three persons shall testify to the presence of a disease of which they are not allowed to have any positive proof, even if there were three persons competent to diagnose. It may be, however, that in some way the law provides for the contingency. Referring to this same subject, comes the following from Mr. Henry Reddert, Secretary of the Southwestern Ohio and Hamilton County Bee-Keepers' Association : Editor York : — This Association has made every effort since the new Legislature met to make the Ohio Foul Brood Law mandatory, which finally ended in a grand success, due to the hard work of the Committee on Law of this society, consisting of Messrs. John H. Kroeger, John Sommers, John Hoffman, Jr., J. G. Creighton, and C. H. W. Weber, all practical bee-keepers of Hamilton county. The Hon. Thomas Hunt, Senator of Hamilton county, presented the Bill in the Senate, and it is due to this gentleman, who took a deep interest in its passage, that it passed the House of Representatives. Mr. Henry T. Hunt, a brother of the Senator, and Mr. Eugene Adler, both Representatives of Hamilton Co., in conjunction with their colleagues, deserve all credit this Association can give them for their moral support. Attorney G. R Werner, an honorable member of this Association, revised the Bill in its present form, and bent every effort to call the attention of the Ohio lawmakers to the necessity of its passage. Though not a practical bee-keeper, Mr. Werner takes a deep interest in everything pertaining to the welfare of the honey-bee. In fact, the day may come when he will find sufficient time to spare from his legal duties to keep several colonies to make a thorough study of the won- derful doings of Nature. This is the opiDion of his well wishers. Now that the law is passed by both Houses, this society being a State Bee-Keepers' Association, urges every County in Ohio to organ- ize a bee-keepers' 6oeiety, for the promotion of fraternity among all men and women who keep bee6. The Ohio Foul Brood Law does not pertain to this dreaded disease only, but to other diseases of the honey-bee also. Further, it provides for an appointment of an inspector for these diseases in every county where bees are kept, whose duty it is to see that all bees are kept in movable-comb hives, which is a great stride toward the improvement of the honey-bee in every particular. Henri Reddert, Sec. Cincinnati, Ohio. miscellaneous Hetps v 3 terns =J Notes from the National.— General Manager France has received 173 new members for the National Bee-Keepers' Association since the Annual Report for 1905 was published. If there is a reader of the American Bee Journal who is not yet a member, he should send his dollar at once for a year's dues. If sent to this office we will be pleased to forward it, and the receipt will be mailed by Mr. France. Recently Mr. France visited an apiary in Wisconsin with honey harvests as follows : 6500 pounds in 1902 ; 4000 in 1903 ; 400 in 1904 ; and in 1905 only 110 pounds, and all the bees died before cold weather in the fall. This is the experience of a bee-keeper who has had bees 30 years. Foul brood destroyed his bees. One of Mr. France's neigh oors ikilled 100 colonies last fall rather than try to winter them. In general, bees have wintered well in Wisconsin, and honey-plants look all right, with no old honey in the mar- ket. This ought to give the bee-keepers of that State a great advantage for their next crop of honey. We hope it may be a large one, and bring good prices. Mr. John Doll and Sons, with several interior views of their factory, appear on the first page. While this bee- supply manufacturing concern has not been in existence many years, it has come to the front very rapidly. It is a case of "the whole family in the business" — away that thrifty Germans have of compelling success. Besides the five sons mentioned there are two daugh- ters that work in the factory, and still two more daughters at home "which are not on the pay-roll, but are working for the interest of the concern just the same," so writes one of the sons. It seems to be a sort of ' ■ Roosevelt Family " — a regular " baseball nine " besides the father and mother, who, no doubt, unite in " umpiring " the " business game." Mr. John Doll, the father, and senior member of the firm, has been a resident of Minneapolis for many years, is well known, and a thorough mechanic. He represents the money interest in the concern. P. J. Doll, one of the younger members of the firm, is thoroughly familiar with wood-working in all its branches, having been employed in this line for many years previous to going into the bee-supply business. He has made a thor- ough study of bee-supples, and is the life and soul of the concern, having charge of the entire factory as well as the sales-end of the same. Bernard Doll is a thorough workman, carefully trained and familiar with every detail that goes to make a good hive. As manager of the hive department, he has made good progress in efficiency and better service. The section department is in charge of Servas Doll, who is an active member of the firm, and a capable and wide- awake young man, full of push and energy, and quick to see any chance for improvement. H. J. Doll is one of the younger members of the family and firm, and has charge of the office, book-keeping and correspondence department. Matt Doll has charge of the packing and shipping de- partment, which has to do with railroad and express rates, shipping points, localities, etc. He is an expert in all this. John Doll & Son are among our regular advertisers, and are endeavoring to build up an honorable and substantial bee-supply business, as we believe are all our other adver- tising patrons. We wish all of them as large a measure of success as they merit. And such is our desire for all our readers. The bee-business, from start to finish (including bee-paper publishing), is a co-operative effort — each depart- ment needs the help of all other departments in order to achieve the largest success. And so we must all rise or fall together. We bee-brethren should indeed be able always to say, as did the prophet of old, " We be brethren." Mr. Allen Latham, President of the Connecticut Bee- Keepers' Association, sends us the following : Bees in Spring When March his blustering days gives to the past : And April's showers bid the month of May, " Come greet the sun with colors bright and gay !" And buds on tree and bush do grow so fast That all do burst, and eyes about them cast, And green with envy grow, when, by a day, The race is won by other buds than they. Then wakes the little bee from winter's fast To breezy life. And I by hive take seat And watch the busy workers go to field. Red maples' bloom gives this one honey sweet, While willow catkins yellow pollen yield To that, whose load so large doth hurt her flight. Yet all eome out, go in, with all their might. Allen Latham. S. D. Chapman, of Mancelona, Mich., wrote April 17, that bees in Northern Michigan have wintered in good con- dition ; but that there would be no pollen for a week yet. The Wood Binder.— Finally we have all orders filled, and have on hand a good supply, so that hereafter we can mail them promptly. Price, postpaid, 20 cents, or with the American Bee Journal one year — both for $1.10. Here is what Dr. Miller says of our Wood Binder for holding a year's numbers (52) of the American Bee Journal : Mr. Editor: — Seeing your recommendation of the "Wood Binder," I desire to have my say. In the course of the years I tried different ready-made binders, as also two or three plans of binding of my own devising. I liked the latter better than any of the patent arrangements, but that might be partly attributed to the fact that one is likely to be partial to anything of one's " own git-up." However, that may be. since I have had the " Wood Binders" — I wonder how many years that is — I've gone back on " my own git-up," and have no hankering for anything better than the " Wood Binder." I count you are doing a favor to your subscribers to recommend its use to them. C. C. Miller. Amerikanische Bienenzucht, by Hans Buschbauer, is a bee-keeper's hand-book of 138 pages, which is just what our German friends will want. It is fully illustrated, and neatly bound in cloth. Price, postpaid, $1.00; or with the American Bee Journal one year — both for $1.75. Address all orders to this office. April 26, 06 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 363 * Contributed -f Special Ctrttcles 1 ^ Methods of Rearing Queen-Bees BY J. L. STROM.. IN 186S mi a farm in Henry County, towa, my father bought his firsi colony of bees, in compliance with my request. We knew but little about hers then, but being anxious to learn. I began hunting for articles on bees m hack numbers of the American Apiculturist, in which M. Quinbj had an article every month. He spoke of the Italians as being fai superior to the common bees, and being anxious to secure the best, 1 bought a colons the following season and began to stud) queen-rearing. About this time Quinby's "Mysteries ol Bee-Keeping Explained" fell into my hands. This book had a fascination for me that no novel ever possessed. This author said that just as good queens could be produced in small boxes 3 or 4 inches square as in full-sized hives. So I made a few of the ho.xes and began queen-rearing. It is needless to say that in\ first efforts were failures, from want of experience, and from using too small boxes. Not being inclined to give up here, 1 made some larger hives as described by the Rev. E. L. Briggs in our local paper, who was afterward my partner in queen-rearing. This hive wa 7J4 inches deep and 13 inches long inside, and held 8 or 10 combs, with just one-half the comb surface of the standard Langstroth. and was designed to he used in connection with one that held 3 combs for a mating-box. With this outfit I was more successful and reared a few nice queens, as I then thought. Untested queens were then selling at $10 each, warranted purely mated. A year or two later I wanted more mating-boxes. and conceived the idea of dividing these 8-conih hives with a hoard, with an entrance for one part on the south and the other on the east side. This was my first experience with twin mating-boxes. 1 have reared queens in this way ever since, and see no need of a change. I now use hives large enough for 6 combs and a division-hoard, and when I want to close up in the fall 1 dispose of the surplus queens, draw out the division board, and unite two or more of these colonies until there are hers enough for winter; then supply the necessary honey. I usually winter these colonies in the cellar one story, hut have wintered them successfully on the summer stands two stories high. I now have about 60 of these hives in the cellar on top of a pile of 10-frame Langstroth hives, and thej usually come out in good condition in the spring, and arc quite handy to furnish tested queens early in the spring, and also to divide up for queen-rearing nuclei. I do not want less than 3 combs in a hive, so that I can have one empty comb or sheet of foundation for the bees to fill. This makes thrui better satisfied and less inclined to abscond; and I fee! better when 1 know each colony in the yard has room enough to st., re what honey they can gather for a few days. I find that when a queen begins to lay in One of tl twin-hives, if the weather is cool, she often lays in the comli next to the division first. This diows that the cluster on the other side helps to maintain thi requisite heat. \ Ill-frame Langstroth hivc-bodj can be easily changed to take these combs bj fitting ' inch hoards 7 inches wid< in ,, long -ides to form the rabbets; tlten hang the combs crosswise Make 3 entrances, in each of the 3 sides . i west and south. Hive a .warm in this, and it the bees work from each of the entrance about equal until thei J combs with brood, remove the queen. Make -3 divisions with a comb of brood in each, and give each part a ripe cell or virgin queen to become fertile. Forming Ni - lei in T\a ix-lh Go to a stron when the bees are flying freely from 10 a m to 2 p. m. hirst find the queen, put her comb and all into a comb-baskel Now take out the combs one after another, shake and brush the bees into this twm-hive until there are enough to stock both sides; then close up this hive so that no bees can get out or pass from one side to the other; for if they can there will be but one queen; the other side will be used for surplus honey. Now set this hive in the cellar or m some other cool place for 4 to 6 hours, when the bees will be ready to accept any queen that may he yiven to them. I usually give a virgin at 'this time, and with better success than when I give a virgin where a hiving queen has been removed. This hive must be furnished with combs and honey, hut no brood. I have had some experience with baby nuclei the past two seasons, hut they have not been a success with me. Thev do very well during the hot months, hut for the season through I think more work is required to produce queens with them than with the permanent nuclei. Feeding Syrup in Winter. This can be done, but it is not advisable. I will give my experience. , ., , , \ few years ago there was a failure in the honey crop. and I had 2 queen-rearing colonies without honey enough to last until time to put them into the cellar. I had not intended to try to winter them, as I had no combs of sealed honey to give "them, but as there appeared to be plenty of bees, I con- cluded to try feeding sugar syrup. So I. tilled a fruit-) ar with syrup, put on a perforated cover, and inverted it above the cluster These colonies were wintered in the cellar, and had nothing but sugar syrup and came out in fairly good condition in the spring They had soiled their hives a little, but not as badlv as I have seen those do that were wintered on natural stor4 ~ Clar.nda, Iowa. Internal Hive Temperature- Some Experi- ments BY G. M. DOOL1TTI.K. ON page 123 "Wisconsin" asks Dr. Miller some questions regarding the 'internal hive temperature" that may be expected inside the brood-nest, and above the same. These questions, together with Dr. Miller's answers, led me to think of some of the experiments I have conducted, and as Dr Miller does not seem to have the exact figures at hand, to fully answer "Wisconsin's" query, I trust he will excuse me for giving the results of the experiments which I con-, ducted, and in trying to answer his ("Wisconsin's ) ques- tions, as well. The first question is, "How many degrees of temperature is there in a bee-hive, in the brood-nest, or above the brood- nest?" I found that, with my self-registering spirit ther- mometer, it was very easy to get the highest temperature ever obtained in the brood-nest; but not so easy to ascertain the very lowest. From repeated trials during several years, I find that 98 degrees is the greatest heat that is ever allowed by the bees while rearing brood, unless the outside temperature is so hot that the bees are all driven out from the hive, which is never the case in this locality. And this was proven by an experiment conducted on a day in which the mercury rose to 97 degrees in the shade, and 130 degrees in the sun, with the hives all standing in the sun. Just how it was possible for the bees to keep the temperature down to the brood-rearing point is something I can only guess at; but I know that they did it. My guess is, thai h was done through their ventilating the hive from the entrance, with fanning wings, and the evaporation or making of moisture through "boiling down" thin nectar or water, or both, which, was brought in. I hardly think it could have been done by ventilation alone, for on a day when the air outside is within one degree of the limit 364 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 26, 1906 of heat inside, with the sun pouring right down on the hive, it seems hardly possible that such a thing could be done. On such a day as this, I once put a sitting hen under an old bee-hive, till I could fix a permanent place for her, and before I had the place fixed, a neighbor called and hindered me a couple of hours, when, on my return. I found the hen dead, and apparently nearly roasted from the sun shining on the hive; and it did not fit the ground so but what there were more open cracks under it than the entrance to a bee-hive, as ordinarily used. All are well aware that through evaporation a lower temperature can be obtained than in a perfectly dry air Dr Miller thinks that on a "broiling hot day" the temperature above the brood-nest might be about the same as in the nest, but 1 found at that time the temperature in the supers was from 110 to 113, with only 98 in the brood-nest, the crust of oees keeping the heat above from going below. Haying ascertained that 98 degrees was the highest ever obtained m the brood-nest, I next went about finding out the lowest temperature that could be allowed. To ascertain this point the thermometer was kept hot by putting a heated iron in a box and covering it with a cloth, when the thermometer was placed on the cloth, another cloth tucked down over it and the box closed. In this way I could have the registering bar on the cold side up to 115 when placed in the center of the cluster of bees forming the brood-nest, for it is the cluster or crust" of bees which forms the brood-nest proper not the hive. Imagine my surprise to find that the coldest point I ever obtained in the brood-nest of a strong colonv of bees was Vo degrees, and that on a night when the ground was frozen in the morning, and ice formed one-half inch thick I tried the same experiment with weak colonies, and in one case with a colony so weak that it could onlv hold brood in two combs about as large as the hand in "each comb, and the lowest temperature I obtained in this weak colony was 92 degrees, and that during a night so cold that the ground was white with frost in the morning. In this there is a mystery almost as great as the keeping of the heat- down, on a hot t lu TnT 'S V055'516 ,fo!".a pint of bees' in the center of a lull lU-frame Langstroth hive, to keep a temperature of 92 &9Q I" ™!ir httle br9°d-nest, with the temperature at from 28 to 30 degrees outside for hours, and sometimes days at a time? Can any one tell? I can't. Yea more: I have seen brood perfected with less than a teacupful of bees between two combs, and this brood onlv on the sides of the comb next to these bees, with the opposite sides of the combs entirely bare of bees; yet by carefully watching I ascertained that said 'brood emerged into bee's within one-half day of the regulation 21 days of time. All my experiments go to show that all brood-rearing is done at ^ temperature varying only about 6 degrees, namely, between 92 and 98. When it is colder than this outside, the bees are supposed to warm it up to the needed point bv burning honey as "fuel." and if it is warmer than this out- side, through the rays of the hot sun. thev keep it down to VS, or the needed point, through ventilation and the evapora- lon of water into moisture. Surely they are a wonderful little animal. But how about the hive-temperature outside of the brood- nest.'' there is nothing definite about this matter. When the ev're it fw Z . ^ *£• brood-"«t, expand to such an extent that they touch the hive at any or all points, then the temperature of the hive may. and will, be from 92 to 98 degrees ; but when the brood-nest is confined within the crust of bees they not touching the hive at anv point, as is very often the case in cold or cool spring weather, then that tem'- perature will vary according to the varying changes outside In one case where I experimented, I found it only 45 degrees at the top of the cluster of bees, and within an inch of them while brood-rearing was going on nicelv only 3 inches below' with a temperature of 96. And how this crust of bees hat seems almost as open as a sieve, to me. can confine the hea so effectually within itself, is another of the mysteries know, only to our pets. The second question asked by "Wisconsin" is. "If I nlace one hive on top of the other, what would be the temperature in the top hive? Would this make any difference?" I hardly understand what is wanted in this question. If it is asked \l k wllI,make .anv, difference as regards the temperature in the brood-nest in the hive below. I say no. The crust bees will keep that at the 92 to 98 degrees, just the same And right here I suppose I shall be considered a "heretic" by the masses, when I say, that from all I can see bv way of my experiments, they will keep that temperature of from 9? to 98 degrees in the brood-nest, just as easily as they did, or could, before that upper hive was put on, as the heat is confined within the cluster or crust of bees, not in the hive. The bees are almost independent of the hive (until they touch its walls, by way of the compact cluster), only so far as it gives them protection from their enemies, and the winds and storms. And any one can ascertain about this matter without a thermometer, where the hive used has a quilt, and a cushion above this, at the top. On a cold morning in early spring, just put your hand under the cushion, and over the quilt or cloth, immediately on top of the frames, and if the cluster does not come up so as to touch this cloth, you will find it nearly as cold as the outside air; but if the cluster touches the cloth, you will find that just so far as it touches the same it will feel almost like putting your hand in an oven, while outside of this the cloth is cold. I have often located the size of the cluster, and where and how much brood the colony had. where the colonies were strong enough to come up to the cloth above the frames, in just this way. No, the heat from the cluster is not allowed to pass up into an upper hive, at any time when that heat is needed for the brood within the cluster of bees, and no one could tell what the temperature in the top hive would be, further than to say that it would vary just in accord to the weather outside. "Wisconsin's" third and fourth questions have been an- swered in what has already been said. And by these answers, Dr. Miller will see that either my experiments have been at fault or else his answer to question 4 is incorrect; for in that answer he says that the temperature in a small cluster of bees might be expected to fall somewhat in proportion to that in the surrounding air. This was just my idea until I made the experiments. But those experiments told me that where there was a cluster of bees large enough to cover the spirit bulbs of the thermometer, that in no case was brood-rearing carried on with a less temperature than 92 degrees. Borodino. N. Y. Management for Big Yields of Honey BY T. L. SHAWLER. I WILL try to tell how I got those big yields of honey three years in succession without any natural swarming, mentioned on page 46. In the first place, I have a fine , location. I don't see how it could be improved as to honey- yielding plants. I use the 8-frame dovetail hive. The 10- frame hive would be better for extracted honey, but I started with the 8-frame. and it is hard to change. I must always have my colonies 4 and 5 stories high, all full-story depth. The next thing, have a good queen of the leather-colored Italian stock. See that one of them is in every hive in the fall, for you have no time to requeen in the spring, and get a big crop of honey. I winter my bees in a cave and they always come out strong. The first thing, when I put them out, is to see that they have enough honey to take them through the cool days : if not. I feed them. Then a little later on I feed granulated sugar made into a syrup, to crowd brood-rearing. Don't let them get scant of stores before the honey-flow ; it will stop brood-rearing. When the spring is favorable, we have an early honey- flow from dandelion, willow and fruit-bloom ; then it takes no feeding. The bee-keeper must watch these little things ; he can tell when the bees are in need. I forgot to mention that when I take the bees out of the cave in the spring I put a cushion over them. This is a wonderful help in the early spring. When it gets settled warm weather I take a frame of brood from the strongest and give to the weakest colonies. When the honey-flow comes I have all strong and ready to bring in the honey. Then I begin to add stories as fast as they need them. Keep close watch and don't let the bees get out of room the first of the season. I begin to extract when the honey is about one-third or less capped over. I keep that up through the season. I put the honey in open tanks, with cheese-cloth over them, in a hot. dry room, and I don't believe anybody has better extracted honey than I have. I get about \y2 cents more per pound than the market price. I know that some bee-keepers advise letting the bees cap the honey all over, and senile advise wait- ing until the white honey-flow is over. I could not do that. I never could get enough stories to hold the honey and give the bees room. I believe T extract about every 10" days in a good honey-flow. I could never get anything "like the' honey April 26 19(6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 365 that T do get. if I left it until it was all capped, and I would have the air full of swarms. To prevent swarming, when the weather begins to ,,-m. raise tin- hives up from the bottom-board so that the bees can get plenty of air. It makes no difference if thej work .u,t Erom the sides. Raise the top so that the Jso lay a -hade-board over the top the hive. Have a good hive-stand, one where the bei crawl uo from the ground into their hive when they come m heavily loaded and fall on the ground. I think this is a great help in a heavj (low I also believe that some strain- of bees are worse swarmers than others, and I have tried for years to weed out. I think I have succeeded. My advice I he. if you have time, get the best queen you possibly can. and rear your own queens. My wife rears all my queens, and -he delights in the work. When I want to increase the just draw a frame or two of brood from each hive and them a ripe queen-cell. You must use judgment and not extract the honej too it the end of the season. I want to say to the bee-keepers, don't think that you cannot afford a bee-paper, but take 3 or 4 and read them - . and then keep close watch of the bees and do the little things, for it is the little things that we neglect. Mills Co., Iowa. (£onr>entton Proceedings J Report of the Northern Michigan Convention BY IRA D. BARTLETT. [Continued from page 346.] SECOND DAY. The morning session opened at 8:50 o'clock. Mr. Hilton read the report of the awarding committee, as follows : Class A. — Best 10 pounds of red raspberry comb honey. 1st prize. Observatory Hive, won by E. D. Townsend. 2d prize, a year's subscription to American Bee Journal, won by Geo. H. Kirkpatrick. Class B. — Best 10 pounds of comb honey, any variety. 1st prize. 500 No. 1 Lewis sections, won by E. E. Coveyou. Class C. — Best 10 pounds of extracted red raspberry honey. 1st prize, 500 No. 1 Lewis sections, won by E. D. Townsend. 2d prize, a year's subscription to the Bee-Keeper's Review, won by Mr. Kirkpatrick. Class D. — Best 10 pounds of extracted honey, any variety. 1st prize, a year's subscription to the American Bee Journal, won by Geo. H. Kirkpatrick. Class E. — Best single section of honey. 1st prize, one Standard Cornell Smoker, won by Mr. Kirkpatrick. Class F. — Best 10 pounds of beeswax. 1st prize, a Bing- ham Smoke Engine, won by Mr. Kirkpatrick. 2d prize, won by E. D. Townsend. Reduction of Freight Rates. Mr. \Y. Z. Hutchinson read the report drafted by the Committee on Resolutions, which was adopted, as follows : Whereas, The freight-rates on beeswax are higher than on similar substances, and the rates on extracted honey are higher than on syrups, the rates on bees are almost pro- hibitive, even though shipped at owner's risk, therefore be it Resolved, That the Northern Michigan Bee-Keepers' As- sociation ask the National Association to make all possible efforts to procure more equitable rates on their products. W. Z. Hutchinson, E. D. TOWNSEM'. S. D. Chapman, Committee. Mr. Hilton then gave hi- opinion, saving that he believed we were taking the right steps, and that he believed the National could and would help us in the matter suggested The election of officers resulted as follows: President. George H. Kirkpatrick, of Rapid City; Vice-President, E. D. Townsend, of Remus; Secretary and Treasurer, Ira D. Bart- lett. of East Jordan. It was decided to hold the next meeting at Ka-t Jordan. the time of meeting to be left to the executive hoard. Fifty Years From Now— A Prophecy. Mr. Hutchinson then gave its a short talk on the pros- pects of a honev crop 50 years h :nce. He spoke about the sage of California, believing that it would be there, and secreting honey, but in general thought it was merely a prophecy. Mr. Chapman said that he was sure of one thing, and that was that we could be sure of milkweed and Canada thistles 50 years hence. Mr. Hilton said that in his locality the red raspberry, the willow-herb, and other nlants that were there in his locality ill years ago. have disappeared somewhat, but that other plants are now taking their places; and that he believed we need have no fear, for surely Nature will provide some other plants. _ Mr. Chapman said that if it were not for the forest fires we would have red raspberry plants longer. Superseding Queens. Do you supersede queens, or do you allow the bees to do it? ' . , , , Mr. Kirkpatrick— I supersede queens during the month ot Mr. Chanman also practises killing the queens at this time. Mr. Hilton asked if the practise caused excessive swarm- ing. Mr. Chapman— No; if the bees have not the swarming fever. Mr. Smith never has bees swarm late, so he could super- sede without trouble from swarming. Crossness in Bees. Are bees crosser some seasons than others, or is cross- ness a sign of degeneracy? Mr. Coveyou says that shortly after a honey-flow bees are cross, but "he thinks that as a rule they average about the same, i Mr. Chapman says that bees in shade are crosser. Migratory Bee-Keeping. Huber Root asked if migratory bee-keeping pays. Mr. Hilton thought that conditions make the difference. If you have nothing much at home, move them to another field where the flow is on, and he believes that you will be well paid. A change of locality, he says, inspires the colony. Mr. Coveyou said that he moved some bees to his home yard from another yard and they did much better. Mr. Smith had the same experience. Mr. Hutchinson said that it was the opinion of those at the Chicago convention that the moving seemed to inspire, hut that in most places it seemed that the bees were placed in the front of the yard, and that it was possible that many bees from the back hives entered those hives, causing the apparent difference. Bees Conversing— Shaking Queen-Cells. Mr. Chapman asked how bees converse with each other. Different opinions were given; decided that Nature provides. Mr. Bartlett asked if shaking combs with queen-cells on them would hurt the queen in the larval state. Mr. Hutchin- son said that it would ; that he had lost a great many queens in that way, before he knew what was wrong. Mr. Chapman had a similar experience. Wiring Frames. The question of wiring frames was then brought up. Messrs. Hutchinson. Kirkpatrick. Smith, Coveyou, and others, told how they wired; most wanted the foundation warm. Mr. Bartlett Wanted his cold, and heated the embedder Huber Root said that embedding by electricity is the best way if you have access to the right current. Mr. Kitson wished to know the best way of wiring— horizontally, perpendicularly, or diagonally. Mr. Hilton said that the horizontal wiring seemed to be recognized as the best way. Comb and Extracted Honey in Same Hive. Mr. Kirkpatrick asked for the experience of those pro- ducing comb and extracted honej :n the same hive. Mr. Townsend uses a piece of wood in the center of the extracting combs, so that he can kej up in the outside center. Mr. Kirkpatrick uses for the first super, one extracting comb in the center and one on eai h and on others put on uses only a comb on each side. 366 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 26, 1906 Wire-Cloth Separators. Ah Kitson asked if any one used wire-cloth for sep- arators. .Mr. Kirkpatrick had used them. Air. Root did not think they were a success in general, but that there were bee- keepers in Xew York State who use them successfully. Mr. Smith asked how much more we should get for comb than for extracted honey. Answer — Twice as much. Mr. Coveyou asked how we could get people not to break sections in handling. Nothing definite given. Adjourned to meet in East Jordan some time in April. 1907 Ira D. Bartlett, Sec. Southern * 23eeboni * Conducted by Louis H. Scholu New Braunfels, Tex. The Improvement of Our Bees Time and again our attention has been called to the improvement of stock in bees, and just as often have our eyes met in print such terms as " Improved Races," " Im- proved Honey-Gatherers," " Superior Stock," etc. We are — most of us, at least — well aware of the fact that such im- proved stock, as the above terms would mean to imply, would be just what is wanted for the betterment of our in- dustry and an increase in honey-yield, to swell our pocket- books. It remains to be seen, however, whether in reality quite as much improvement has been made as is claimed by many of the bee-keeping craft. I have always been just a little afraid that more claim is made for such a thing as "improvement of stock of the honey-bee " than is really warranted. It is true that there are a Jew intelligent bee-keepers who have given much time, study and attention to the breeding part of their apiaries for the production of such queens as will really be superior to the "common run." This can be done by careful selection, keeping a close record of the breeding queens, both from which to rear the daugh- ters and those that are selected for the production of the male sex. This part of the matter in question will be taken up a little later. At present the question confronting us is whether any great improvement of stock of the honey-bee has been made by man in the length of time his attention has been paid to bee-keeping, and with the opportunities he has had for doing so. My opinions are so much in accord with those of J. A. Green, in Gleanings in Bee Culture, that it is given here. It is a criticism on some statements made regarding the extent of improvement made by man with the honey-bee : Improvement of Bees. Is the optimistic tone of the article by R. B. McCain, page 1236, entirely warranted? Is it true that " the 6tock of the honey-bee has been wonderfully improved by man's management in the application of the principles of scientific bee-culture?" It is true, indeed, that there is a great difference in the working qualities of different strains of bee6, and that in some cases we may, perhaps, fairly claim to have accomplished improvement by intelligent selection; but, as a whole, I must say that the results have been pitifully small and inadequate, considering our opportunities. We have frequently had our attention called to the fact that we have exceptional opportunities for improve- ment by breeding and selection on account of the shortness of the generation of the bee ; but have we really made as much improvement in bees as has been made in other domestic animals in the same time? It is true that most of us believe that the Italian bee is better than the German-brown or black bee it has superseded in nearly all locali- ties, and that there can be found those who express a preference for each of the other races that have been brought to this country, but the importation of these races is not to be considered as improvements in bees due to man's management or the application of principles of scientific culture. The only thing that can be considered in that light is the change that has been made by breeding and selection since they have come to this country. How much real improvement has there been? I think there has been some; but leaving out the claims of advertisers, many of which are not substantiated by results, and re- membering how many there are who believe that bees from newly imported stock are superior, it does not really seem that anything verv wonderful has been done. Too much of our breeding has been done hap-hazard, and without any intelligent system or direction other than the production of yellow bees and nice-looking queens. Will Mr. McCain, or any one else, point out where bees have been produced which are better adapted to ptrticular localities, or to particular kinds of work, or where the quality of the honey, other than an improvement in appearance, has been affected by improvement in the stock? We must remember that many people have bees that, from one cause or another, are very inferior. W hen one of these gets new stock, no matter where, he is quite sure to get something superior to what he has had. Accordingly he writes a glowing testimonial, which the queen-breeder publishes, and plumes himself on having something really superior, whereas his stock maybe quite ordinary. My own experience with some of this so-called superior stock has been very disappointing. My experience has been very much like that of Mr. Green's. Referring to the changing of queens from one country to another, or from one locality to another, yea, even if a queen is taken and introduced into another colony from one in the same yard, it causes a certain stimulus that very frequently results in that the colony with such a change of queens outstrips, or at least does better, than the others. And the consequence is " one of those glowing tes- timonials " for the queen-breeder whence the queen came, no matter who he may be. I also agree with Mr. Green when he says that a bee- keeper may have very inferior stock in his apiary. By in- troducing stock of only average quality it may far surpass the old stock. Another testimonial for the queen-breeder, and yet that same queen-breeder has only such stock as be- longs to the common run, or it may even be inferior. Many queen-rearing apiaries have heen visited by me in my travels, some of these belonging to some of our largest and foremost queen-breeders (?). The result has been a feeling of disgust whenever the glowing advertisements of some of these chanced to meet the eyes of ye reader. 'Tis true that there are able men among the craft who spend much study upon the subject of queen-rearing, and also to that of breeding, but entirely too many of them, I fear (at least out of the number I have visited), leave off the very important part — that of breeding, and pay all their atten- tion, or too much of it, to the methods of rearing and mat- ing the queens and getting them off for the money. Such could hardly be called queen- breeders t Queen-rearers would be more appropriate for this class, and there should be a distinction between the two. A queen-breeder who merely selects a nice-looking mother-queen, that produces nice looking honey-gatherers, even if they are better than the rest in the apiary, and rears his daughter from her to be mated to any drones in the yard, can hardly be held up as a breeder. Queen-breeding and queen-rearing are two things, in my mind, at least. This also brings us to the fact that " too much of our breeding has been done hap-hazard, and without any intelli- gent system or direction other than the production of yel- low bees and nice-looking queens." These many, of course, have a record as honey-gatherers. Selection of the queen- mothers receives its share of attention by many breeders, perhaps, but the breeding part of this matter could be much advanced. Is even this much attention given the subject of drone-mothers — mothers that will produce drones of the desired qualities ? This matter of drone-breeding (?) and their control for mating the selected-bred queens should re- ceive more attention. I am of the opinion that great results could be obtained if the right and proper steps are taken in the breeding of both our queens and the drones for mating them. Just what the procedure should be will have to be studied out. With the help of discussions on this subject, from the many able bee-men throughout the country, it should be possible to arrive at conclusions that would be valuable. Improved stock would mean a great deal ; it would be worth dollars and cents to the bee-keeper, hence it should be considered thoroughly. National Association to Meet in Texas San Antonio, Tex., March 24. — The National Bee-Keepers' Asso- ciation will hold its 1906 session in San Antonio. The low rates offered by many railroads for the annual Grand Army of the Republic convention to be held in Minneapolis almost succeeded in inducing the Executive Board of the bee-keepers to hold the session for this year in the North. A former promise made to Texas, however, led the Board to decide upon San Antonio for the place of meeting, the time to be Nov. 8, 1906. This was the first notice of the time and place of the next National Convention that I received. It appeared in Dallas (Tex.) Semi-Weekly News. There will be a three- days' session extending to the 10th. More particulars will be given out from time to time as soon as we learn of them. We Southerners are hoping that a good meeting will be April 26, 19C6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 367 held this year— the third time we " tried " for the conven- tion at San Antonio. And to the bee-keepers of the South : The National will now come, and we must do our part. Your help and assistance will be looked forward to for making- this meet- ing- a good one. And remember, please, that all bee keep- ers of the South should take a hearty interest in this, for the Texans do not mean to exclude those from other States. (Dur* Sister Beekeepers =\ j? Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. Danger of Bees Starving— Short of Stores One would think that enough had been said in all con- science about the danger of starving, but the danger is such an insidious one, and the results so disastrous that a spe- cial word of warning to the sisters who have lately joined our ranks may not be out of place. It takes»years of expe- rience for one to have a full realization of the rapidity with which stores melt away at this time of year in localities where breeding is at its height and little is being gathered. The bees are flying every day, and the novice feels perfectly at ease as to their gathering enough for daily needs, when really they are living on short rations, and a few days of unfavorable weather may mean starvation of the whole colony. Even one of year's experience may not realize the harm that is quietly going on. No bees may starve, no brood may be destroyed, there may be stores in the hive, and yet the bees realize that the larder is not very full, and there will not be as much brood reared as if an abundance were in sight. Neither is vigilance to be relaxed when the harvest is on. In white clover regions the fields may be white with bloom, and the ground in front of the hives also white with the skins of the larvae from which the starving bees have sucked out the juices. Such starvation in June does not often occur ; but it does occur at times ; and although none of the mature bees may die, it is a terrible set-back to have laying cease and all the unsealed brood destroyed. One would be horrified to go out some fine morning and see a pile of 10.000 dead bees lying in front of a hive ; yet the loss would be no greater, although more plainly visible, than in the case mentioned. A Sister's Report— Clipping Queens Dear Miss Wilson: — I have worked with bees a number of years and enjoy it. Our house is 30x40, a cellar under one-half of it, the other half used to winter the bees, and I find it a good place to winter them. It has always been a hard place to get them in and out, until last season my son-in-law. who is a railroad man, put in a track 2x4, and 42 feet long, reaching under the floor of the woodhou6e to the outside. The truck has flanges to the little wheels, and holds one or two hives, and is very easy to draw back and forth with a rope. It took four persons about one hour to put 39 colonies in this winter re- ceptacle; they have wintered nicely, too. Last season was much better than the three preceding ones. From one colony with a clipped queen I took part of the brood and gave a queen-cell, and from the parent colony I took 76 sections of honey. They swarmed, but went back each time. I intend to clip all queens this spring, as I had 6ome climbing to do last summer.. i >! course, 1 would not know how to get along without the " old Reliable," and enjoy the sisters' corner; and as it is impossible to visit the Bay State Apiary, I should very much like to hear about the " whole process " of queen-rearing by the New England sister. At the breakfast table we were talking about Doctors of Divinity, Doctors of Law, and Doctors of Medicine, and wondered to which class Dr. C. C. Miller belonged. Some of us don't know as much as others do. Mrs. D. W. Brown. Cherry Hlil, Pa. You are very wise to clip all queens, and any sister who has not a special fondness for climbing will do well to fol- low your example. It is not a very hard thing to catch a queen, and with a pair of scissors cut off the two wings on one side. But be sure never to clip a queen before she has begun laying. If you clip a virgin queen she can never produce anything but drones. Some object to clipping a queen because she may some time come out with a swarm when no one is watching, and be lost ; but if she were not clipped she would go off with the swarm, in which case she would be just as badly lost. It is better to lose the queen alone than to lose both queen and swarm. Generally, however, a clipped queen goes back into the hive when the swarm returns ; and that's the beauty of the whole thing, that when a swarm finds it has no queen with it there is not the slighest danger of its ab- sconding. It is sure to return to its own hive, except in some cases it may enter some other hive from which a swarm has issued within the previous hour. Dr. Miller was graduated from the University of Michi- gan with the degree of M. D. He practised medicine only a year or so, his own health not being good enough properly to care for the health of others. If he had not become a bee keeper he would likely have been dead years ago. /T =\ \= (£anabtan 4-Seebom-f Conducted by Morlet Pettit, Villa Nova, Ont. Reports On Wintering Wanted It is the aim of the present management to make " Canadian Beedom " as valuable as possible to the Cana- dian readers of the American Bee Journal. To this end we would like to publish reports on wintering from our readers in all parls of the country. It will be necessary to answer only a few questions on a postal card, address it to Morley Pettit, Villa Nova, Ont., and mail it. We will do the rest. It will only take a few minutes. If you can not answer all the questions answer the ones you can. Do it now. Questions to Be Answered. 1. How many colonies of bees had you in the spring of 1905 ? Fall of 1905 ? Spring of 19C6 ? 2 If any died in winter what was the cause ? 3. What is the condition of those remaining, as to aver age number of combs occupied by bees on a cool morning and average number of combs of brood and eggs in eac would fill? . , 4. What are the prospects for clover in your section t For fruit-bloom ? ^ Items of Interest •' A little farm well tilled and and a little barn well filled," with a happy home, is the most valuable earthly possession.— Farm, Field and Fireside. The Maritime Farmer for March 20 has an article on " Early Spring Work in the Apiary," copied from the American Bee Journal. The Slmcoe Reformer copies Edwin Trinder's sketch from the American Bee Journal. Followers in Brood-Chambers Now see me go at Dr. Miller. He says in Gleanings, page 343 : R F. Holtermann, page 290, says that with comb foundation and accurate spacing " there is no need of a follower or the space for a follower " and this as I understand it with self-spacing frames. I wonder, I wonder what there is about his locality or management that makes it so. I would not do without followers for money. Now, Mr. Holtermann uses exactly the same frame that I do. I think I can call it the Langstroth frame of S. T. Pettit pattern. We do not have wax built between the top- bars, because the frames are accurately spaced, and because the top-bars are only % inch deep— a depth which with the timber we get here we find deep enough to keep straight without sagging. Unless the hive is too large by a half inch, and needs filling out, the only use I see for a follower is to facilitate removing combs by allowing the self-spaced combs to be spread apart. A Pettit comb can be lifted up in any part 368 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. April 26, 1906 of a brood-chamber without removing any follower, for the following reasons : 1. No wax built to fasten top-bars to their neighbors. 2. No long shoulder of Hoffman frame to pull loose from the shoulder of its neighbor. The spacer is a staple which touches the next top-bar by a rounded point only. 3. While the top-bars are 9-8 wide, the bottom-bars are only 6-8 inch, so the whole comb is wedge-shaped, end-bars and all slip out freely when once started. 4. The top-bars are just even with the top of the brood- chamber, so the excluder rim rests flat on their ends, and keeps them clean so they do not need to be cut short to pre- vent their being built in solid to the rabbet. 5. The Ferry Hive-Tool, which I carry hanging on my little finger all the time I am operating on brood-chambers, is all that is necessary to give a comb a little pry loose, then hook in the staple to lift one end and get the first comb started. Did Dr. Miller just go round a corner ? I only wanted to say before he gets out of hearing : I would not use fol- lowers for money. Bees Moving Egg's I have been waiting for the more able ones of the trio to bring forward their proof that bees sometimes move eggs (page 165). My experience, as I recollect it definitely now, is this : 1. A comb containing eggs, larva;, etc., moved into the extracting super (by the bee-keeper, not the bees). In a day or two queen-cells containing eggs started on the ad- joining combs, showing the bees had moved these eggs across the space to the next comb where no queen had been. 2. Queen-cells on the lower edge of the super-combs when I felt positive no queen had been up. It does not seem probable that bees could move larva?, as Mr. Hasty hints (page 307), without injuring them. Wintered Fairly Well Mr. Frank P. Adams, of Brantford, writes on March 22 of his bees in the cellar : They seem to be coming through fairly well. Those that I put out in January for a flight are sweet and clean yet — no spotting whatever; but whether the flight has proved a benefit in other respects of course will only show when brood-rearing is well under way. There is some spotting among the other colonies in the cellar, possibly 5 or 6 out of 200 odd. Frank P. Adams. Spring Management of Bees Mrs. E. H. Dewey, in the Prairie Farmer, has an article on spriDg management, from which we quote a few terse sentences : Every effort of the bee-keeper should be exerted to build up these small colonies, and at the same time it never pays to rob Peter to pay Paul, especially if Peter is going to be seriously inconvenienced thereby. Too much protection can not be given the bees in the spring, es- pecially weak colonies. Spreading brood is a dangerous move in changeable climates, and needless work in others. Gentler Bees Hardly Necessary Speaking of gentle bees, Farm, Stock and Home says : The ordinary bee-keeper is willing to endure a few stings and get along with plainer lookiug bees if dollars and cents are what he is after. He is also willing to have his out-yards protected from possible marauders. If the word went out that we had "stingless" bees, that anybody could handle without fear, we might give up bee-keeping as a business. For the honey in our hives would be as free as melons in the " patch," and so many who are only deterred from bee-keeping by the fear of stings would launch out in the business that the country would soon be greatly overstocked. Metal-Spaced Hoffman Frames used regular Hoffman frames, and do not want to do so. I have used rcazV-spaced frames, and consider them an abomi- nation. I use staple spacers entirely, and like them well, but I see this disadvantage that the metal spacer described will overcome : When a staple is driven into the side of a top-bar the latter's tendency to split is increased so that in shaking a heavy comb to get the bees off, the lug sometimes comes off, too. The metal spacer described comes up over the top-bar, and strengthens the lug instead of weaken- ing it. Northern and Southern " Longfellows " Six feet three ! (Page 175 ) My friends and acquaint- ances tell me I am tall, but I can not come up to Mr. Louis Scholl of " Southern Beedom." I was harboring a sort of sneaking feeling that I was the tallest man on the staff, but I am only 6-1 '2. Now, see, Mr. Scholl, with the South and the North united we could have things our own way, and ye Editor-in-Chief would have to call in all the rest of the family to prevent it. Unless it be Mr. Hasty. I don't remember having met him, to know what he looks like. *% 2Hr, pasty's j A metal spacer for Hoffman frames is mentioned on age 118, which, I think, is a good thing. Now I have not The " Old Reliable " as seen through New and Unreliable Glasses. By E. E. Hasty, Sta. B. Rural, Toledo, Ohio. Bees that are Slow to Dncap Stores There is one point in favor of the bees that A. K. Ferris condemns on page 251 — bees that are slow to uncap their last slender stores of honey even if brood is starving — they are safer against winter starvation. If you insist on bees that rear brood and fill sections with that reckless enthu- siasm that some choice strains of bees will, you must not let alone in the fall and say, " Guess they're all right." (I've tried that.) Spring Dwindling— Finding Queens I'll agree that bees, when filled with feed, are much in- clined to get out of the hive and fly with it — yes, might even do so when the case was such that some would perish before getting back. Hardly think that would happen so often and to such an extent as to be a valid explanation of such a big curse as spring dwindling. C. Davenport seems to think it does. That queen-finding of Mr. D.'s was a triumph. Four successive queens of strong colonies found in the number of seconds he names— 87, 64, 109, 96. We are "all ears " to hear how it was done. Page 252. "Untested" and "Selected Untested" Queens So J. E. Johnson thinks that " untested queen," when in company with " select untested queen," means poor queen. Might be looked at in that way, I guess. One can not select without there being some culls. If I was to order a dozen untested queens I think that I also would rather not send to the man who offers to cull the nice ones all out first. Page 252. What Mice Like and Dislike as Food The matter of what mice like and what they don't like is not going to add one to the insoluble questions. If it is thought of enough importance to pay expenses we can of course go to work and clear it up. The experiment that Dr. Miller suggests for me, on page 308, I'll try to bear in mind ; but may not have a convenient chance to try it. In such a trial mice must also be supplied with water — and that item is of considerable importance. The mouse is somewhat unique in that he will live and breed (as his cousin, the rat, will not) in situations where there is no water, and no chance to go to any. Doubtless gets desperately thirsty between driving showers and chance supplies, but succeeds in living through it, somewhat as the sheep also does. Just as the last extremities of hunger might make him eat honey, though disliking it, so raging thirst might make him swal- low honey because there is considerable water in it. The sort of honey Dr. Miller mentions is just the sort to furnish April 26, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 369 the largest percent of water. Suspect Dr. M. has a place intended to be mouse-proof where the rodents get carried in — and, once in, frequent the half-ripe sections as regular ■drink. Watch out also lest mere digging through honey to get at the bee-bread which is underneath it misled you. Years ago I kept several stacks of sections a long time in a mousy garret ; and, being surprised that so little damage was done, the subject has been more or less on my mind since. And the result is that I get confirmation, and not contradiction, out of year-by-year experience. Still, 1 won't deny that I'm a fellow pretty often mistaken. White mice, I understand, are no more than a casral variety of the universal mouse. Tastes likely to be the same (though they might differ). Quite possibly some readers of our Journal have white mice as pets — if so, will they not try them with honey and report ? At worst, any of us can offer a prize to the boys for a nest of young miceold enough to wean, rear them in a tame state, and find out all about their likes and dislikes as to food. Do us good to divide the work and test each prevalent species. The cow and the sheep are both ruminants, and so near related, yet the sheep is fond of beans while the cow will have none of them. Beans are a much more perfect food than honey, and yet many animals refuse them. So we might find that the deer-mouse rather likes honey, while the universal mouse abominates it. The red squirrel and the chipmunk oft get in at the bee-man's treasures. May be mistaken about them also, but incline to give them credit for stand- ing next to the bear in fondness for honey. Introducing Queens I mildly object to Arthur C. Miller's style of language on page 253. He has a right to say that in his experience as many queens are killed on being released from cages as when run in direct. Hardly has a right to say that that is a " f act " falling under his observation. You see, his ex- perience might be a little scanty, and mostly (perhaps un- noticed by himself) abnormal in some respect. Sweet Clovers, Cow-peas and Jap. Buckwheat It was quite a simmer when 30-odd bee-plants of reputa- tion simmered down so near to none at the Texas Experi- ment Station. Only the two sweet clovers for waste land, and cow-peas and Japanese buckwheat for cultivation, could get a favorable mention. Well to remember that the cow-pea has numerous varieties, varying greatly in nectar- value. If the " whip-poor-will " is best then hurrah for whip-poor-will. But I suppose we Northern folks are " not in it " when cow-peas are to be raised. Page 254. =\ Doctor lUtHer's (Question « Box j 8end questions either lo the office of the American Bee Journal, or to Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, 111. Dr. Miller does not answer Questions by mail. Knowing Different Comtjs-Pindlng Queens— Increase 1. How can I know the different kinds of combs? 2. How can I find queeDS? 3. My hives have crooked combs. Should I change the bees to other hives; If so, how? Or should we put on supers aDd let the combs remain as they are? We have 3 colonies and wish to increase them. What is the best way ? We are working for comb honey. Maine. Answers.— 1. The greater part of the combs in a hive you will find to be worker comb, made up of cells that measure 5 to the inch. Drone-comb is made up of cells that measure 4 to the inch. Generally you will Bnd drone-comb in the same sheet with worker-comb, and where the change is made from one kind to the other there will be a few irregular celis, called transition cells. Then there is also the queen-cell, still larger than either of the other kinds, measuring 3 to the inch. More nearly correct it is to say that a queen-cell is a third of an inch in diameter; for you can never find a piece of comb made up entirely of queen-cells Generally each queen-cell is by itself; and even if you find several queen-cells apparently close in a group, you will not find 3 such cells in the compass of an inch. (But now I must apologize to the readers of this Journal for o u- pying space in answering such a question, for it should be learned from a bee book, and the space here 6hould be occupied in telling things that are not plainly given in bee-books. You are doing yourself a real wrong in trying to get along without a good bee-book. If you can not have both, give up the journal for a time and get the bee- book.) 2. There is no patent method, .lust take out the combs and look, and you will soon learn to spot the one bee in the whole colony that looks longer than any other. To be sure, you will learn through practise some little kink6 that will help you; but the main thing is to lift out the combs and lool< over the bees. If you have never tried it, it looks like a very difficult thing to pick out a single bee among 10 or 20 thousand, but after you've tried it you'll probably think it no great trick. 3. As you seem to be entirely without experience, very likely your best way for this year is to depend upon natural swarming for in- crease, especially as that will help in the matter of getting better combs. Leave your hives and combs as they are until the bees swarm ; hive them on movable frames provided with worker-foundation, and 3 weeks later transfer as directed in your book. Comb Foundation Treatment for Swarms— Putting a Weak Colony Over a Strong One— Largest Honey Crop 1. Do you still use the foundation treatment mentioned on page 186 of " Forty Years Among the Bees?" If so, has it proved more successful since 1902? 2. Have you ever tried putting a weak colony over a strong one, with a queen-excluder between? If so, with what success? 3. How many pounds of honey were there in the biegest crop you ever had? What year was it? Michigan. Answers.— 1. I haven't tried it much since then; but I think I shall give it another chance this year. I think the failures that occurred were from the disappearance of the queen while confined to the lower story, and it is possible that the queen deserted because there was too little inducement for her to stay there, the foundation being hard. I think I'll try it again with foundation that has not been weather-beaten, and possibly give one frame filled, or partly filled, with comb. 2. I tried it in only a few cases, and with not the best success. Possibly it would work better on further trial. 3 In the year 1903, from 124 colonies I took 18,150 pounds of sec- tion honey, and increased to 284 colonies. Do you think you can beat that* If you can, maybe you think you can beat this: Another year I took not a pound of surplus, and had to feed a lot of sugar to keep my bees from starving. *-•-*. Honey from Wild Mustard or Turnip and Pruit-Bloom- When to Use the Queen-Trap 1. Is there much honey to be gotten from the wild mustard or turnip? What color is it? 2 Is there much from fruit-bloom (principally apples) ? 3 What month do you think that I should put queen-traps on the hives to catch the queens during swarming? Some of my colonies are working (March 31) in the sections in spite of the fact that it has rained almost continuously all this month. California. Answers.— It is counted a good honey-plant, but I don't know what the honey is like. 2. I am in a region of abundant fruit-broom, but I never had a pound of surplus from it. It is all used up in rearing brood. If it came in the middle of June I should probably have had tons of honey from it. Yet I wouldn't for many dollars have it in June. The bees reared from fruit-bloom are what gather the surplus later on, and so fruit-bloom is of the highest value. In this region apple is worth all the rest put together, for it lasts two to four weeks, there being that difference between earliest and latest varieties. 3 Better not put on traps till the first swarm issues, or until you think there is danger of its issuing. That may not be the same month this year that it was last. Hardly seems you and I are living in the same country, does it? March 31 your bees are working in sections and mine were yet in the tellar. Painting Hives Planting Willow Winter -Preparing Bees for I have 46 colonies of bees, and winter them on the summer stands. I use all chaff hives— 18 9-frame and the rest 11 -frame. I had decided to paint the hives black until to-day 1 am in doubt whether I should, as I have 12 9-frame hives painted dark and the rest are all painted white, and in the hives that are dark 1 found the chaff cushions were all wet and the bees suffered more or less, while the rest were all dry and the bees in better shape. I thought the dark color was better in winter, as it absorbs more heat. , ,. t, , . A. 1. Would you advise me to paint the hives black, or is the white better in winter? 2. I have Italian bees in those 9-frame hives. Does that make any difference? , . . 3. The chaff cushions 1 use are pretty thick, about 31. to 4 inches, with corn-cobs across the brood-frames. Are they all right? 4. I would like to plant iotsof willow trees, of the yellow-brush kind. Bees work on them very much. Do they yield honey I 5 In preparing bees for winter, if I remove 5 frames from the rood-chamber of a 10-frame hive that contain the most honey, and 370 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 26, 1906 place them directly over the remaining frames, and fill that space on the side with chaff cushions, and al60 a cushion on the top, which would bring it pretty near in shape like the old-style box-hive, in which it is claimed bees wintered best, how would that do? Wisconsin. Answers.— 1. I must confess I don't know what to advise. It has been ihe general custom to paint hives white, but of late it has been advised to have double-wall (not single-wall) hives painted black, so as to get more heat from the wiDter sun. I don't understand why your black hives should have fared worse than the white ones; but facts are stubborn things, and I rather lean to the opinion that your better plan is to paint white. 2. I hardly think so. 3. Yes. 4. G. M. Doolittle is the man that knows all about willows, and somewhere he has told us about the different kinds, but I don't re- member where. If I remember correctly, some of them yield honey, some pollen, and some both. Perhaps he will be kind enough to tell us briefly again. 5. I hardly think you would gain anything by it, but I don't feel any too sure. I wish you would try the experiment and report the result. Foul Brood I send under separate cover a sample of brood-comb. Please let me know what it is, foul, chilled or black brood. I have seen foul brood exhibited by Mr. N. E. France, but the smell got away from me, so I can not tell what this is. This sample is taken from a culony that died the past winter. If this is foul brocd, let me know when I should cure it; also if I can use the frames when there is no foul brood in other hives? Illinois. Answer. — I am not an expert in foul-brood matters, but there can be little doubt that you have the real thing. Being a member of the Northwestern Association, you are thereby a member of the Na- tional, and so entitled to consult its General Manager N. E. France, of Platteville, Wis., who is a foul-brood expert. He will probably not advise you to undertake a cure until there is plenty for the bees afield. In the meantime take every precaution not to let bees of healthy colo- nies get at the combs left by any dead colony that had foul brood. That would be to spread the disease. Hives that have had foul- broody colonies may be used again, but don't think of using the frames. The safe thing is to burn them. Using Combs With Honey from Dead Colonies I have a number of nice, straight combs wired in Langstroth frames, that are considerably filled with honey. The honey in some of them is partially candied; in others whollv granulated; and in still others the honey is yet in a liquid state. These comb6 are from colonies lost a year ago and two years ago. 1. Would these be suitable to give to colonies for feeding young bee6 this spring, or for use in hiving swarms or in forming nuclei.' 2. Will the bees use the candied honey? 3. How can these combs be cleared of the candied honey without loss? 4. Would it be advisable to strain out this honey and melt up the combs? New York. Answers.— 1. Yes. 2. Yes, but they may throw out some of the grains. 3. Take a sprinkler and sprinkle water on each side of a comb be- fore giving it to the bees, and that will help them use up the granules. A few days later, if dry granules seem to be present, sprinkle again. 4. No, it will be much better to save the combs in the manner in- dicated in the previous answer. Indeed, if the combs are not sprin- kled at all, and some of the grains thrown out, that will be better than the mussy and wasteful plan of melting. Making Increase With Home-Made or Box Hives How can I get increase by dividing when I have only home-made- hives, without any frames or anything in them? Minnesota. Answer. — I don't know of a satisfactory way belter than to drum out a swarm. Possibly you might succeed in this way: In the busiest time of day — preferably when the young bees are in the midst of a play-spell — remove a hive from its stand and put an empty hive in its place, having a caged queen in this hive. Break out a piece of comb from 6ome hive to put in the empty hive, as an inducement for the bees to stay, the bees entering the hive as they return from the field. Although it is not very practicable to divide with box-hives, there is a way by which you can make sure of other swarms after the first swarm issues. It is simply to take the old colony, as often as it swarms, and put it in place of another strong colony, always setting the 6warm in the place of the old colony that has swarmed. Reports anb (Experiences High or Low Hive-Entrance. I notice the question of a high-en- trance with reference to bee-trees. I have been a bee-hunter for 30 years, ami must say it is not what t In-' bees' will go into you need to worry about but what they won't go in. 'When I found bees in a tree that were obliged to work below the entrance I got very little honey, and of a poor quality and below the bees was rotten wood, dead bees, and other filth which would have a bad effect on the bees. yet where their work was above the entrance I found things in a far better condition bo I should favor a low entrance, with plenty of ventilation. I have an apiary of 60 colonies. I did not get any surplus in 1905. It was the poorest season ever known in this part of the state. Bees are wintering in good shape so far. We put them in the cellar. G. S. Blackmail, North Freedom. Wis., March S Entrance at Top of Brood-Chamber. It is claimed that an entrance at the top of the brood-chamber has the effect of increasing the yield of honey. This may lie true. An old fellow, while looking over my hives in 1S72, said. If you'd bore a lot of holes just iimb-i your top boxes, you'd get a lot more honey." I was one of the know-all- about-bees fellows, and it went out at the other ear. But I don't know so much as I used to, and now suspect there is something in it. But why? Mr. Hasty, on page 214, has his guess, and here is mine: It's in the relief of the ventilators. Excessive labor is at the expense of strength and life. It takes a large force .a hoes ami a g I deal of hard work to force a continu- ous stream of air. night ami day, from i bottom entrance up through the whole circuit of hives and supers, and out again at the bottom. You see, they must overcome gravity both ways. Let them use those little wings to carry them from the hive to the clover blos- soms. Possibly, too, the air may be a little drier at night at 14 inches from the ground than at 4 inches. Ripening, you know. .My guess does not look big enough all by itself, and if Mr. Hasty is not afraid of getting into bad company, we will just combine and "take the whole cheese." E. W. Diefendorf. New Lebanon, Mo. Rendering Beeswax in a Small May. I take a wash-tub 2 feet in diameter, with a %-inch hole close to the bottom and a long plug to stop it up; then raise the tub a few inches from the ground. Bring the wax and slumgum to the boiling point, cover the tub with wire window-screening with a frame around it; then dip the. wax and boil- ing water on the framed screen, and the hot water carries the wax through. I repeat this three times, using 5 gal- lons of water to 1 of slumgum. When I ho tuli is nearly full, draw the water i. t'f near the bottom. F. M. Wagner. Quincy. 111.. March 29. Favors the Full-Weight Section. I have read with interest the arti- cled of Dr. Bohrer. L. V. Ricketts, and others, advocating a full-weight sec- tion. I endorse all they have said against the use of light-weight sec- tions. I si. that .Mr. Ricketts thinks (page I'".!' i that because Mr. Hasty won't join his procession he will have to go alone. It seems that he doesn't consider Dr. Bohrer. myself, and the others, who sec ihis matter in the same light he 'lies, "good company." Pray, can't we then set up a little company of our own — a kind of a side-show, so to speak" I think I was the first one publicly to condemn the use of light-weight sections. In my book, published in 1903, page 53, I sounded the alarm on this subject. But when Mr. Ricketts proposes to adopt a section 1% inches thick, I emphatically object. There an- to., mans objections to combs over 1% inches thick to adopt the thick ones he proposes. Why not make our sections i'iX.ixl^s? Such a section will hold (average) a full pound. I know he will say that such a sec- tion cannot well be used in the hives now in use. Then change the hives. "Two wrongs do not make one right." No use to go on to all eternity with wrong size hives and sections simply to accommodate the "standards" that are now in use. Make them over. Re- model them to suit up-to-date condi- tions, and let all future hives be made right. Yes, "right will win." T. K. Massie. Tophet. W. Ya. Brood-Rearing in "Winter. On page 179 it speaks of brood- rearing in winter. This year Jan. 20 was very warm; in fact, it was 70 de- grees, the thermometer hanging on the north side of the bouse. As the bees were flying freely we examined, several hives and found considerable brood in all of them, and some of the stronger ones had as much as half of the comb full, with a few cells in the center that had hatched out, so those eggs surely were laid the last days of December. Last year we had a very cold winter, with a warm spell about the first of February. In examining the bees to see how they were getting along, I found considerable brood, some of it capped over, showing that the eggs were laid in the bitter cold weather of the month before. My bees are wintered on the sum- mer stands, and while I have been a bee-keeper only' a few years. I have never lost a colony of bees from any cause. Wintering holds no terrors for us, and this is how we do it: We put some extra hive-bodies on the strongest colonies, with full sheets of comb foundation, and when these an- capped over, take them off and save them for late or weak colonies that have not stored enough to winter on. Last year we saved som lbs of clover honey, and the bees on them are doing better than those wintering on fall honey. We put an empty super on with a Hill device over the frames, and a heavy burlap blanket over that. i ml a cushion as large as the super April 26 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 371 ■will hold full of planer-shavings on tor. and we And if the cover is raised the least hit it keeps the moisture from condensing in the cushion, Our ir, col- onies taken through this \\M \ are In splendid shape now, though they have consumed more stores than last winter, i older. Berl Gri Worthington, Ind.. March 3. Packing Bees for Winter. 1 notice that some bee-keepers keep bees in cellars, and some in regular I t hink I nave jusl t he pla n In this part of the country. 1 pack them tight In dry-goods cases about 2% feet square, as near as I can get them, and put an empty super on top and quilt them with thin burlap. I put 2% -inch strips across the top, follow with pa- pers on top Of them, and then till up with forest leaves, and cover up. My bees had two flights in February. They cam. out tine and strong", with young bees. I have 17 colonies. I realized a pretty fair crop of honey. One colony stored 64 pounds of section honey, which 1 sold for 20 cents per pound. All told. I had 311 pounds. I am look- ing for a fair crop next summer. C. A. Mangus. All ia. Pa., March 9. Suit to Protect Agaiust Bees. As the time is close at hand when those who are afraid of bee-stings will need some protection, I have a plan that will keep the bees at bay, so that they cannot sting any one. Take hoop-skirt steels and form a union suit, by commencing" at the throat and making the collar around the neck. Leave it open in front and Widen to the shoulder around the back and breast and down to the waist, grad- ually drawing in the shape of the body. Then widen out over the hips, and then form the legs on to the ankles, with arms so that it can be slipped over a light union suit, being open in front and fastened with a clasp similar to children's overshoes. Then, by wear- ing a shirt-waist or work-shirt and a pair of overalls over the steel suit, the bees cannot get at you, with veil and gloves on. If some manufacturers would make a few wire suits and send them to the supply houses, they could be had by those "who need them, who can then handle the crossest bees and not get stung by them. None would know whether they were men or "wom- en, and whose odds is it if they attend to their own business? I am a constant reader of the Amer- ican Bee Journal, and like it very much. W. P. B. CONVENTION NOTICE. Western Illinois— The semiannual meet- ing of the Western Illinois Bee-Keepers' As- sociation will be held in the County Court Room, in Galesburg, on Wednesday, May 16, commencing at 9 am. and lasting all day. Messrs. C. P. Dadant and J. Q, Smith have promised to be present and contrihute to the success of the meeting. Our meetings have been srood, but we hope to make this oae bet- ter, (ialesburg has good train-service, and all bee-keepers in this part of the State should not fail to come. Come, and bring your wives with you. E. D. Woods, Sec. Galesburg, 111. Queens Free ! To the first 50 persons sending us the names and post-oftice addresses of 10 or more bee- keepers of their acquaintance, we will give one Select Untested Italian Queen absolutely free. Queens to be delivered after June 1st, and only 50 on this offer. Send on your names. We want bee-keepers to know about •' Rose Lawn Queens." Address, ROSE LAWN APIARIES, 1335 N. 24th Street, - LINCOLN, NEB. Please mention Bee Journal when writing Advertisers. Sections ■:■ Sections ■:■ Sections | AT Anti-Trust Prices W* $3.25 for No. 1's ■££ In Lots of 1,000 and up $2.25 for No. 2's Quality and Quantity Guaranteed And the price-CAN IT BE BEAT? Order Now. Columbia Manufacturing Co. Antigo, Wisconsin. HEAD OFFICE— APPLETON, WIS. LOW DOWN FARM WAGONS FREIGHT PAID 'Arikmi Every f arm er needs a good low down wagon —it saves the back-breaking labor of loading and unloading a high wheeled wagon. Saves half the high lifting— the top half —easier to load and unload: easier on the team. These two wagons are without doubt the best low down wagons ever offered at such low prices— freight paid, and will save you money every day on the farm. They are built for hard work and to stand the wear— guaranteed for five years with a strong, binding guarantee. Order the wagon that suits your purpose best and if it is not the best low down wagon bargain you ever saw, we will take it back and refund every cent you paid for it. Our wagon catalog gives a full and complete description of these wagons and many other wagon and buggy bargains— we save you money on everything in the vehicle line. Write today for catalog and full infor- mation about these two low down wa- gons. Don't buy until you get it. Our 1,000 page catalog and buyers guide ought to be in every farmer's home. Our original plan of co-operation saves ynu an extra lu per cent on everything you buy. Ask us t«» explain our plan to you and tell yi.u how it \vrks. MICHIGAN WMffi Co-operative Society of the National Supply Go. Lansing, Mich. Chicago, III Tennessee=Bred Queens All from Extra=Select Mothers 3-band from Imported Dark Leather, Moore's Long-Tongue, or my own. Goldens from Laws, Doolittle's or my own. Caucasians and Carniolans from direct Imported. After April 15th. Italians Before July 1st After July 1st GflRNIOLflNS CAUCASIANS 1 6 12 i 6 12 l 6 12 l 6 12 Untested Select Untested Tested Select Tested . . - .75 1.00 1.50 2.00 $ 4.00 5 00 800 10 00 $ 7.50 9.00 15.00 18 00 $ .60 .75 1.25 1.50 $3.25 4.25 6.50 8.00 $ 6.00 8 00 12.00 15.00 * .85 1.10 1.60 2 10 S 4.50 5.50 8 50 10 50 88 00 9.50 15.50 18 50 t .95 1.20 1.70 2.20 $5 00 6.00 9.00 11.00 8.50 10 00 16.00 19.00 Straight 5-band llolden Breeders $10.00 Select Golden Bleeders 3.00 " 3-band " 3.00 " Carniolan " 3.10 Caucasian" 3 25 1-frame Nucleus (no queeD) $1.50 2-fraine " " 2 00 3-frame " 2.50 4-frame " " 3.00 1 full colony without queen in 8-frame dovetailed hive 6 00 Bees bv the pound in light shipping-boxes, $1.00 per pound. Select the Queen wanted, and add the price to the above prices. Discounts on large orders. Contracts with dealers a specialty. No bee-disease has ever been in this sect ion. i3Dtf JOHN" M. DAVIS, Spring Hill, Tenn. 372 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 26, 1906 Increased Business Compels Larger Space So we have just doubled our capacity in the building at 141 Ontario Street, where we carry a full line of POULTRY SUPPLIES and LEWIS POPULAR BEEWARE=^= Catalogs on application. Orders filled promptly at Factory Prices. Beeswax wanted — 2Sc cash or 30c in trade. Italian Bees in modern hives with select Queens for sale. Also Pure Italian Queens. YORK HONEY AND BEE fl|l SUPPLY UUi H. M. ARND, MGR. (Not Inc. 141 Ontario St., CHICAGO, ILL. (Phone North 1559.) Queen Incubator and Brooder — Twin Nucleus=Box MAINLY FOR QUEEN-BREEDERS Incubator and Brooder allow the bees access to the cells and queens at all times. (Patented July 7, 1903.) Price, $5.00. Twin Nucleus and Mating Box has control of the queen by a 3-hole wheel on the outside, with one hole wire-screened, one hole covered with queen-exclud- ing zinc, and the third hole to regulate the size of the entrance. (Patent applied for.) Price. $1.00. Cylinder Cages postpaid, each, 10 cents. Oueen-Cklls, 100 mounted, with sample of Cylinder Cage (sent postpaid,) for 75 cents. Breeding Queens, after May 1st— Italian, Imported and Golden Italian, and Carniolan — $2 50 each. Orders booked now and filled in rotation. Send for free Circulars. 7Dtf ARTHUR STANLEY, Dixon, Lee Co., 111. Mention Bee Journal when writing:. An Italian Queen Free In May or June, 1906, To Regular Paid=in=Advance Subscribers Only. We wish to make a liberal offer to those of our regular readers whose subscriptions are paid in advance. It is this : V/e will send you FREE by mail, in May or June, 1906, an Untested Italian ^ueen for sending us $1.00 and the name and address of a NEW subscriber to the American Bee Jour- nal for a year. Or, to yourself, a Queen and Bee Journal a year — both for $1.50. We are booking Queen orders for Ma; and June delivery. Will you have one or more ? These offers ought t > bring in many orders. Oui Queens are reared by the best queen-breederr , and give satisfaction. Address, GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 D* jrborn St., Chicago, 111. BANTA Incubators & Brooders Backed by 14 Years ^■M of Successful Use by Soultrynaen all over the world. fo guesswork. They are auto- matic in regulation and ventil- ation. Fully guaranteed to give YOU satisfaction. Send for tree book. B^XTTA -BENDER MFG. CO.. Dept. 24 , Ligoiiier, Iud. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Wi Sell Root's Goods in Michigan Let us quote yon prices on Sections, Hives, Foundation, etc, as we can save yon time and freight. Beeswax Wanted for Cub. M. H. HUNT A SON. Bell Branch. Watoj Co.. Mich FOR SALE 2 Colonies of Bees— Hybrids — both strong — price reasonable. Address. CZ2 C. W. CHANDLER, cr.zi 550 South 42d Avenue, Chicago, Ill.G I A. 80 F+t <*fi 200 Eg p "INCUBATOR Perfeot Id conatmotion mj action. lifttobes every fertile egg. Wri U for catalog to-d»y GEO. H. STAHL, Qulncy "In every country toe successful aflvertisjr is the continuous advertiser.' — Never Go Out n St 'And last from 5 to 21 years do. Otisville, Pa., Jan. 18, 1904. Dear Sir: — I have tried almost everything in the smoker line; 3 In the last 3 years. In short if 1 want any more smokers yonr new style is good enough for me. I thank the editor of Re- view for what he said of It. Those remarks in- duced me to get mine. Fred Fodnek. Mention Bee Journal when writing. DOOLITTLE & CLARK Are now booking orders for QUEENS. Prices: Untested— 1, $1; 3, $2.50; 12, $9. Select Tesied— 1, $1 SO; 3. 14; 12, $14. 1905 Breeders, $2.50. Select Breeders, $5. Extra-Se- lect Breeders, $10. Two- frame Nuclei (wllhout queen) $2.50;[3, $7; 12, $25. 17Dtf Borodino, Onondaga Co., N. Y. Please mention the Bee Journal. AllPPtie A- fine Honey-Gathering Strain of VlU.r.llS Italians and Carniolans, at 75 cents each; 3 for $2; 6 for $3.50; or $6.50 per dozen, for Untested. Tested, $1 each, or $10 a dozen. GEORGE W. BARNES. 17A26t 138 N. Pleasant St., Norwalk, Ohio April 26, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 373 Italian and Caucasian BEES, QUEENS, AND NlCLEi Choice home-bred and Im- ported stock. All Oueens reared in full colonies. Prices of Italians In April : One Untested Queen $1.10 M Tested Queen 1.65 M Select Tested Queen 2 20 " Breeding Queen 3 30 1-comb nucleus (no queen) 1.50 2 u ** " 2 60 3 H " " 3.20 Untested in May; all others ready now from last season's rearing. Safe arrival guar- anteed. For prices on Caucasians and larger quanti- ties* and description of each grade of queens, send for free catalog. J. L. STRONG 16Atf 204 E. Logan St., Clarlnda, Iowa. Mention Bee Journal when writing;. CAUCASIAN QUEENS! Caucasian Bees are very gentle. They are easy to handle and are, therefore, suited to be- ginners, timid bee-keepers and to those who keep bees in town. If you want to try this race, or If you want to improve the stock of your Ital- ian Bees, write to ROBERT B. McCAIN. 2Atf YORKVILLE, ILL. R. F. D. Bees, Queens and Bee-Supplies We manufacture standard dovetailed bee- hives and supplies, cheaper than you ever bought before. Our Queens and Bees stand at the head in quality. Untested, 75c each ; $4.25 for 6, or $8 per doz. Tested, $1.25 each ; *12 per doz. Select Tested, $1.50. Special prices to dealers in large lots on application. State Agents for Ditt mer's Foundation. Catalog free. THE BEE & HONEY COMPANY (Will Atchley, Prop.) Beeville, Bee Co., Texas. Mention Bee Journal when writing:. Send to JOHN W.PHARR Berclalr, Tex. He will furnish at the same prices as last year : Tested, $1 ; Untested, 7r>e ; 5 for $3.25 ; 10 for $6; 15 for $8.25; 25 for $12.50; 100 for $45. He breeds Goldens, Carniolans, and 3- Band Italians. Also 1, 2, and 3 frame Nuclei and full colonies. Prices given on applica- tion. Pharr pays the freight, and guarantees satisfaction on all Queens. To do justice and judgment is more acceptable with the Lord than sacrifice.— (Prov. 3:21.) 5Atf For Queens MOORE'S LONO-TONQUES AND GOLDEN QUEENS Select Untested, $1: 6 for $5; 12 for $9. Tested, 11.50; 6 for $8. Best Breeders, S3. 50. Safe arri- val guaranteed. W. A. RAILS. 7D6t ORANGE, CALIF. Rose Lawn Queens Italians— Caucasians— Carniolans Line bred from individual types for color, gentleness and honey-producing. A scientific queen-rearing plant; standard prices and fair dealing. Our " Pure Gold " 6train of Ital- ians are unsurpassed for gentleness and fer- tility. We offer best facilities for prompt shipment to the Middle West. Send for cat- alog. ROSE LAWN APIARIES, Frank G. Odell, Proprietor, 1335 North 24th St., LINCOLN, NEB. 15Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. TELEPHONE FACTS We publish a finely illustrated book that is full of telephone facts. It tells all about telephones for farms, the kind to use, bow to organize a farm telephone company, how to build the lines and where to buy the best telephones. Free if you ask for Book 80-F. Stromberg-Carlson Tel. Mfg. Co., Chicago, Rochester, K.Y. Mention Bee Journal when writing. If Goods are wanted Quick, send to Pouder ' BEE-SUPPLIES Root's Goods at Root's Prices Everything used by Bee-Keepers. POUDER'S HONEY-JARS. Prompt Service. Low Freight Rates. .-. .•. .•. Catalog Free. BEESWAX WANTED I pay highest market price for beeswax, delivered here, at any time, cash or trade. Make small shipments by express ; large shipments by freight, always being sure to attach your name to the package. My large illustrated catalog is free. I shall be glad to send it to you. WALTER S. POUDER, 513-515 Massachusetts Ave., INDIANAPOLIS, IND. Mention Bee Journal when writing. A GOOD BEE-HIVE Is made of the best grade of White Pine, accurately cut, 60 it will go together without the use of tools, except a hammer. Such is the kind of Hives we make, and such is the kind you get when you buy from us. " It is a cinch " that we make lower prices than you can get from any dealer, as you save the middleman's profit when you buy direct from the manufacturer. We are Manufacturers, and sell direct to the consumer. Send us a list of your wants, and let U6 make you prices. We guarantee everything we sell to be satisfactory, or refund the money. We have large stocks of Dovetailed Hives, Sections, Shipping-Cases, Foun. dation, Veils, Smokers, etc., on hand, and can ship promptly. Minnesota Bee-Supply Go., Power Bldg., No. 33. JOHN DOLL & SON, Proprietors MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. Bee-Keepers' Supplies Lewis' Famous Bee-Hives and Sections, Root's Smokers and Extractors Dadant's Comb Foundation, Etc., Queen-Bees and Nuclei in Season! Large and complete stock, prompt service. We meet all competition who will furnish first-class goods. INCUBATORS AND BROODERS We carry a complete stock of " Mandy Lee " Incubators and Brooders. Don't fail to investigate these machines. The more you know about incubation the more you will like the "Mandy Lee" Incubator. The "Mandy Lee Brooder " is a complete old hen, all but the "cluck." Our free incubator cat- alog de^:ribes them. CM Qi^nTT SL C*C\ 1004 EAST Wash. Street ■ IVI. v9VV I I OC \J\J* INDIANAPOLIS. IND. -J--5- ** .}.+ Mention Bee Journal when writing. 374 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 26 1906 CHARLES MONDENG SECTION MACHINE is covered by two Patents. With this wonderful inven- tion the cost of making Sections may be reduced to $1.15 per 1000. If such Machine will interest you, write for further information. Do not write about it unless you mean business. BEE-SUPPLIES^EQUEENS My Catalog- for 1906 is now ready for distribution. I am the Northern Headquarters for Adel Queens and Bees, and good, honest Bee-Keepers' Supplies. If you have not received my Catalog, write for it. Address, CHARLES MONDENG, ISO NEWTON AVE,, N"., MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. Mention Bee Journal when writing. BEE-KEEPERS Send for our 1906 Free Illustrated Catalog. Good Goods, Low Prices and Prompt Shipments are what you get if you send your orders to — PAGE & LYON MFG. CO. New London, Wis w den writing. Have You Passed the Experimental Stage? T Most bee-keepers have been convinced that when time anii material are figured, it pays to buy hives, and the best is not only as cheap, but — The Best is the. Cheapest ! The Elgin Hive excels in many ways— no nails to drive — no dovetails— can be taken apart at any time. Many are using them. You should be. Write to-day for catalog, etc We sell full line of SUPPLIES. The National Supply Co. ELGIN, ILL. BEE-SUPPLIES We rranufacture everything needed in the Apiary, greatest variety. We assure you the best goods at and carry a large stock and LOWEST PRICES and our excellent freight facilities enable us to make prompt shipments over 15 dif- ferent roads, thereby saving you excessive freight charges as well as time and worry in having goods transferred and damaged. We make the Alternating, Massie, Langstroth and the Dovetail Hives Our prices are very reasonable, and to convince you of such we will mail you our free illustrated and descriptive catalog and price-list upon request. We want every bee keeper to have our Catalog. SPECIAL DISCOUNTS now. Write to-day. Address, KRET6HMER MFG. 60., Council Bluffs, Iowa. Muscatine Produce Co., Muscatine, Iowa. Trester Supply Co., 103 S. 11th Street, Lincoln, Neb. Shugart-Ouran Seed Co., Council Bluffs, Iowa. T. B. Vallette & Son, Salina, Kaa. \ 1m Catalogs issued in English or German. £Hfe Mention Bee Journal tvtieu writing. Presern Bros. & Alex. Toman -IMPORTERS OF- Prime Original Carniolau Alpine Bees 571 Throop St., CHICAGO, ILL. All our Bees are imported directlv from our own apiary, situated among the Julian Alps in Carniola, Austria. Orders will be hooked in rotation. l~A2t Mention Bee Journal when writing. FOR SALE 50 Colonies of Italian and Carniolan Bees in 8-frame hives, all nearly new and all in good condition. One coloDy, £5.50; from 5 to 10 colonies, $5 each. WM. J. HEALY, 16A5t Mineral Point, Wisconsin Mention Bee Journal when writing. Italian Bees for Sale We can furnish Nuclei and full colonies of Italian Bees (f.o.b. 100 miles west of Chicago by express) at these prices: FULL COLONIES in 8 frame hives, $5 SOeach; iu lots of 5 or more at one time, $5.25 each. Full colonies in 10-frame hives, $6 each; in lots of 5 or more at one time, $5.75 each. Nuclei (3 frame) with Tested Queen, $3.25 each; in lots ot 5 or more at onetime,$3 each. (Nuclei ready for delivery about May 10; Full Colonies any time now.' Orders filled in iota- tion. Address, GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 3* Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, ILL. The Rietsche Press Made of artificial 6tone. Practically inde- structible, and giving entirely satisfactory re- sults. Comb foundation made easily and quickly at less than half the cost of buying from the dealers. Price of Press, $1.50— cash with order. Address, ADRIAN GETAZ, 45Atf KNOXVILLE, TENN. BPM.G. Goodner.of this State, writes me that he " prrfers to pay $25.00 for a Rietsche Press rather than do without it." — A. G. Mention Bee Journal when writing. J&~ Passengers east from Buffalo to Fort Wayne, Findlay, Fostoria, Cleve- land, Erie, Buffalo, New York City, Boston, and all points east, will con- sult their interests and find advantage in selecting the Nickel Plate Road east from Chicago. Three through trains are run daily, with through day coaches to New York City, and modern Pullman sleeping-cars to destination. Rates always the lowest, and no excess fares are charged on any train, for any part of the journey. Modern dining- car service, with individual club meals, ranging in price from 35 cents to one dollar ; also meals a la carte. Ask for tickets via the Nickel Plate Road. Chicago depot, La Salle and Van Bureu Sts., the only station in Chicago on the Elevated Loop. Chicago City Ticket Office, 111 Adams St. Detailed information may be secured by address- ing John Y. Calahan. General Agent. 113 Adams St., room 298, Chicago. 1— 12A6t ••I'lio continuous advertiser gets the bulk of the business, because others are not adver- tising, and he is." April 26. 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 375 Excellent Goods Lowest Prices OF ALL KINDS ESTABLISHED 25 YEARS We have published THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER for 16 years (monthly, 50c a year.) The largest and best il- lustrated magazine of its kind for the price published. Edited by two of the most experienced bee - keepers in America. Sample copy free. Our large, illustrated Price-List of Supplies free on application. Address, The W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co. JAHESTOWN.N.Y. I)oney anb * 23eestt>ax^ Chicago, April 20.— There is very little comb honey on the market, and as usual at this sea- son of the year the demand is very limited. There is no change in the prices obtainable from recent qnotations. Choice white comb will bring1 15c when wanted; other grades are of uncertain value, ranging from 10@14c per pound. Choice white extracted, 6!u@7c; amber grades, S!^@6^c. Beeswax, 30c per pound. R. A. Burnett & Co. Toledo, Feb. 19.— The market for comb honey has been better for the past two weeks than at any time during the past season. Prices are firm on account of the scarcity. We are getting 15@16c for fancy white clover; 14@15c for No. 1, and 13@14c for amber. Buckwheat, 13c. Extracted honey is in good demand at following prices: White clover in barrels brings 6&@7c; amber, 5%@5J6c; in cans every grade from l@l^c higher. Beeswax is firm and in good demand at 28 and 30c. The above are our selling prices, not what we pay. Griggs Bros. Indianapolis, March 24— Fancy white clover comb brings 16c; No. 1, 14c; demand exceeds the supply; fancy white western comb brings 14@15c; amber grades in poor demand at 12c Best grade of extracted honey brings 8J^@9c in 60-pound cans; amber, 6c. Good average bees- wax sells here for $33 per 100 pounds. Walter S. Pouder. Philadelphia, April 10.— The season is now well advanced. There is very little call for comb honey. Almost all the choice grades have been cleaned up. The prices range a little firmer for what small quantities of the fancy grades are still held over. The other grades of comb honey are still a drug on the market. We quote: Fancy white comb, 16@l7c; amber, 12@13c; daik, 10 VEL Order for ^flf, \J UJJ11 KJ LOWS, CARNIO- l,A^S, RED CLOVERS and CAUCASIANS. For prices, refer to my catalog, page 29. C. H.W.WEBER "ST Office and Salesrooms, 2146-48 Central Ave. Warehouses. Freeman and Central Aves. Cincinnati, April 4 —There is no material change in the honey market since our last re- port. The demand does not come up to expec- tations, which, in all probability, is due to the inclement weather of the past month. We con- tinue to quote amber in barrels at 5%@6Hc. Fancy white in crates of two 60-lb. cans at (y%@§H,c. Choice yellow beeswax 30c. delivered here. Thb Fred W. Muth Co. Denver, Feb. 5.— Owing to the mild weather the demand for honey has not been as good as usual at this time of year. We are quoting strictly No. 1 white alfalfa comb honey at $3.35 to $3.75 per case of 24 sections; off grade and light amber at $3 to $3.30. White extracted alfalfa in 60-pound cans, 7H@8^c; light amber, 6K@'7J£c. Beeswax, 24c for clean yellow. The Colo. Honey-Producers' Assn. Kansas City, March 16— The supply of comb honey is not very large. Demand is light, best 24 section white selling at 3.25 per case, amber at 25@£0c per case less. Extracted, white, 6^c per pound; amber, be. Beeswax, 25@30c. We look for an increased demand in the near future. C. C. Clemons & Co. Cincinnati, March ".—The demand for comb honey is slow, prices obtained are the same. Stock od hand seems to be sufficient to supply the wants. Quote fency white, 14@16c. Amber extracted in barrels, 5Ji@5J^c; in cans,^c more; fancy white clover in 60-lb. cans, 7#@S>6 cents; Southern, equal to white clover in color, from 6H@7c. Bright yellow beeswax, 30c. C. H.W.Weber. Please Mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. HONEY AND BEESWAX When consigning, buying or selling, consult R. A. BURNETT & CO. 199 South Water St. Chicago. III. Gash for Beeswax Highest market price paid promptly all the time for good wax. Frank G. Clark, 147 E.KinzieSt.Ghicaao.lll. FOR SALE Until further notice, finest quality new crop California Vater-White White Sage and Light Amber HONEY in 60-lb. tins, 2 in a case; new cans and new cases. Write for prices and sam- ples, and state quantity you want. HlLDRETH & SEGELKEN _ 265 & 267 Greenwich Street, New York, N.T. 34Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. FOR SALE 20 cases of comb honey — mostly white clover, in non-drip cases. LOUIS WERNER, 15A3t Edwardsville, III. 65c for 12 Names fSY^Zh*0^?^ ptamps taken— we will send for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Call— reg. sub. price 40c a year. F. C. is a wkly., 25 years old, l ,300 panes a year. Sample free. ' FARMER'S CALL, QuLncy. IU. Mention Dee Journal when writing- ^N i*/ \*> \*> \*/ \*/ \*> \li \*/ \*/\l/ x*/ i*/ V*/ \*> \^/ \*/ v*/ \*> \l> \*> \*> V*> i*> vii \*> ^ I BEE-SUPPLIES ; : !^ We handle the finest Bee-Supplies, made by the W. T. Falconer , 9 Mfg. Co., Jamestown, N. Y. Big Discounts on early orders. Let us ^ figure with you on your wants. i •^ Muth Special Dovetail Hives have a Honey-Board, Warp-Proof : ;^ Cover, and Bottom-Board. Think of it, same price as the regular styles. [ ^ Send for Catalog. THE FRED W. MUTH CO. ^ 51 Walnut Street, CINCINNATI, OHIO. Mention Bee Jeurnnl when writing. 376 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL April 26, 1906 One Hundred Cents on the Dollar Is what you get when you order Lewis Goods Send in your Order for 1906 Lewis Beeware Lewis Beeware Always fits. Every part meets every other part accurately. It goes together like a watch. This means something, does it not? All parts can be assembled in a jiffy. Why? Because they fit. No loss of material ; no loss of time ; no loss of patience. Lewis Bee-Hives Are made from clear white Wisconsin pine. No knots or other imperfections. Therefore different from other makes of hives. Abso- lutely clear, and when we say CLEAR we mean exactly what we say. Lewis Sections Are made from white Wisconsin basswood — the finest in the world. Lewis Sections are the best in the world. They ought to be. They are the most carefully selected and the most carefully made. Insist oji Lewis Goods Accept no substitutes. Look for the brand. Send for catalog to-day, if you haven't one. There are a score of our agents besides our- selves who can furnish you with LEWIS GOODS at factory prices. Agents Everywhere Here they are: ENGLAND— E. H. Taylor, Welwyn, Herts FRANCE— Raymoud Gariel, 2 ter Quai de la Megisserie, Paris. CUBA— C. B. Stevens & Co., Havana C. B. Stevens & Co., Manzanillo CALIFORNIA— The Chas. H. Lilly Co., San Francisco SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA— Paul Bachert, Lancaster Fletcher-Doyle Co., San Diego Fallbrook Co-operative Ass'n, Fallbrook COLORADO— R. C. Aikin, Loveland Arkansas Valley Honey-Producers' Associa- tion, Rocky Ford COLORADO— (Continued.) Colorado Honey-Producers' Association Grand Junction Fruit-Growers' Association Grand Junction Robert Halley, Montrose ILLINOIS— York Honey & Bee-Supply Co., Chicago Dadant & Sons, Hamilton, 111. IOWA— Adam A. Clarke, Le Mars Louis Hanssen's Sons, Davenport W. J. McCarty, Emmetsburg. C. M. Scott & Co., Indianapolis G. Woodman Co., Grand INDIANA MICHIGAN — A Rapids MINNESOTA— Wisconsin Lumber Co., 432 Lumber Exchange, Minneapolis, Minn. MISSOURI— E. T. Abbott, St. Joseph OHIO— Norris & Anspach, Kenton OREGON— The Chas. H. Lilly Co., Portland PENNSYLVANIA— Cleaver & Greene, Troy TEXAS— Southwestern Bee Co., San Antonio UTAH— Fred Foulger & Sons, Ogden WASHINGTON— The Chas. H. Lilly Co., Seattle C3-. IB. LEWIS CO, ^WATERTOWN, "WIS. iJAERICStti e Journal ^ 46th Year CHICAGO, ILL., MAY 3, 1906 No. 18 S. T. Pettit, A Leading Canadian Bee-Keeper. J. E. Johnson, President, Western Illinois Bee-Keepers' Association. & a. b- Apiart of 8. L. Mottingbr, Plainfield, III. (See page 382) 378 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 3, 1906 PUBLISHED WEEKLVBY GEORGE W.YORK S COMPANY 334 Dearborn Street, Chicago, UK IMPORTANT NOTICES. THE SUBSCRIPTION PRICE of this Journal is $1.ihj a year, in the United States, Canada, and Mexico; all other countries in the Postal Union, 50 cents a year extra for postage. Sample copy free. THE WRAPPER-LABEL DATE indicates tbe end of the month to which your subscription ispa'^d. For instance, "dec<>6" on your label shows that it is paid to the end of December, I9u6. SUBSCRIPTION RECEIPTS— We do not send a receipt fur money sent us to pay subscription, but change the date on your wrapper-label, which shows that the money has been received and credited. Advertising Rate, per ftgate Line, 10c. 14 lines make one inch. Nothing- less than % inch accepted. Time Discounts. 4 times — 5 per cent 13 " ....10 " 26 " .-..20 " 52 M ....30 " Space Discounts. 100 lines... 5 per cent 500 " ...10 ** 1000 " ...20 " 2000 " ...30 " These rates are subject to either time or space discounts, at choice, but not both. Reading- Notices, 25 cents, count line, subject to the above discounts. Goes to press Monday morning-. National Bee Keepers' Association Objects of the Association. 1st.— To promote the interests of its members. 2d.— To protect and defend its members in their lawful rights. 3d.— To enforce laws against the adulteration of honey. Annual Membership Dues, $i.oo. General Manager and Treasurer — N. E. France, Platteville, Wis. Contents of this Number ZW If more convenient. Dues may be sent to the ublishera of the American Bee Journal. Root's Goods at Factory Prices Finest and largest stock of Supplies In Illinois. Italian Bees and Queens in season. Catalog- free. 15 eggs of Pure Barred Plymouth Rocks, $1.00. Incubators and Brooders always on hand. 12A.13t H 5. DUBY, St. Anne, 111. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Please mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. Illustrations — Apiary of S. L. Mottinger 1st Page Johnson, J. B .*... 1st Page Pettit, S. T 1st Page Dempsey Super i3> ah> " Marble Apiary " of S. T. Pettit... 388 Editorial Notes and Comments — Brood to the Top-Bar .isi chilled Brood Not :i Cause of Foul Brood :isi Improvements m the American Bee Journal. . 3"*1 Queen- Breeders 8R1 Heading the Bee-Papers 381 Miscellaneous News Items — "Apiary of S. L. Mottinger 3*2 Dempsev Super 3*2 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire 382 Yon Yonson and the North Pole 382 Contributed Special Articles — Brown-tail Moth 3«4 Controlling Increase 38i Great Moth Fight-" Good Candy " 3«3 Gypsy Moth — 384 How to Control the Swarming of Bees 383 Insect Quarantine , 38-1 Para sites to the Rescue 3*4 Rearing Queens hs.t Set n Iz (tar .') and His Candy 384 Sections, Separators, Supers and Section- Holders 384 Our Sister Bee-Keepers — How " We" Introduced a Queen 385 Keeping Bees With Poultry 386 8oulhern Beedom — Nourishment of Bees 38R Weather and the Honey-Flows 387 Mr. Hasti/s Afterthoughts — Caucasian Bees in West-Central Asia. 387 Dadant's Few Swarms 387 Large Frames 3K7 Lubricant for Rietsche Foundation Press 388 Miller ( Dr. > vs. F. Greiner on T-Supers :>7 Temperature Inside Winter CluBter of Bees. . . 387 When Bees father Propolis 388 Winter Space Too Crowded With Bees 388 Canadian Beedom — Emptying T-Supers by Gravitation 388 Fastening Hives Together for Moving 38t* Pettit. S. T 388 Value of Bees as Fertilizers of Blossoms 388 Wintered Fairly Well— Late Season 389 Work in Harmony With the Farmers 388 Dr. Miller's Question-Box — Danzenbaker Hive 3«9 la Smartweed Honey Peppery ? 390 Italianizing Bees 3*9 Italianizing Colonies 389 Rendering Wax 389 Shaken Swarms. 389 Sweet Clover on Blue-Grass Ground 3-*9 Tan-Bark for Bee- Yard and Walks 390 Use of Queen-Excluding Zinc 300 What Determines Kind and Sex of Bees? 389 Reports and Experiences — Away Dnwn in Florida 390 Awful Winter nn Bees 3ho Bees Making Things Hum. 390 Bees Not in Good Condition 390 Clover Seems All Right 390 Good Results in ^v intering 399 Heavv Loss in Wintering 390 Poor Crop in 1905 390 Variable Spring 3y0 Langstroth on the *** Honey-Bee Revised by Da da nt— Latest Edition. This is one of the standard books on bee-culture, and ought to be in the library of every bee-keeper. It is bound substantially in cloth, and contains over 500 pages, being revised by those large, practical bee-keepers, so well- known to all the readers of the Ameri- can Bee Journal — Chas. Dadant & Son. Each subject is clearly and thoroly ex- plained, so that by following the in- structions of this book one cannot faU to be wonderfully helped on the way to success with bees. The book we mail for $1 .20, or club it with the American Bee Journal for one year — both for $2.00 ; or, we will mail it as a premium for sending us THREE NEW subscribers to the Bee Journal for one year, with $3.00. This is a splendid chance to get a grand bee-book for a very little money or work. GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, CHICAOO. ILt. NOT IN THE TRUST We. will stamp your Cans "Pure Extracted Honey"— FREE Our prices for 1906 are the lowest to the National Bee-Keepers' Association. Write us. Now is the time TO BUY FRICTION TOP CANS FOR HONEY AND SYRUP Canners Can Co. 1035 W. 47th St., CHICAGO, ILL. May 3 1906 Tilt AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 379 a ma m DADANT'S FOUNDATION" IT EZOELS EVERY INCH equal to sample Beauty, Purity, Firmness. No Sagging, No Loss. Twenty-seven Years of Experience. We Guarantee Satisfaction. WAX WORKED INTO FOUNDATION BEE=SUPPLIES of all kinds. Beeswax Wanted at all times . . . 'itT^THf^ a DADANT & SONS, Hamilton, 111. fm SEND FOR OUR CATALOG mwmmmmmmmm If you want the Bee-Book That covers the whole Apicultural Fi**id ruoie completely than any other published, send $1.20 to Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont, Cal., FOR HIS " Bee-Keeper's Guide." Liberal Discounts to the Trade. Big Profits in Capons [CAPON TOOLS . P. Pilling & Son, Ja pom zing is easy— soon teamed. Complete outfit with free instructions postpaid $2.50. J,Gape Worm Extractor 25c , Poultry Mark< r 25c \ B'rench Killing Knife50c I Capon Hook Free. Philadelphia, Pa. DON'T WAIT for the season to start before you order your Bee=SuppIies DITTMER'S FOUNDATION IS THE BEST MADE We make a specialty of working wax for Cash. Retail — Wholesale — Jobbing BEESWAX ALWAYS WANTED Write for our Price List and samples ; we would like to send them to you at our expense. GU5 DITTMER. Augusta, Wis. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Wisconsin Basswood Sections And Prompt Shipments Is what we are making for our customers. — DOVETAILED HIVES AND SHIPPING-CASES — We carry a full line of SUPPLIES. Ask for Catalog-. 3 ITARSHFIELD HANUFACTURINQ CO., Harshfield, Wis. Mention Bee Journul when writing. California All About The Pacific Rural Press has been a house- hold word throughout California for 35 years. It is authority on all matters regarding the soil or products of California. Weekly, illus- trated: Edited by practical specialists. Two Dollars per year. Send for sample copy. • Pacific Rural Press, 330 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif. 50Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. 65C TOr 12 NameS l^faTSerV"^^'^'^ ptampft taken— we will send for 2 yrs. the Fnrmer'B Call— re?, sub. price 40c a year. F. C.is a wkly., 25 years old, 1,300 pases a year. Sample free. FARMER'S CALL,, Quincy, 111. Mention Bee Journal when wrltlug. I Root's Bee-Supplies' s You know what this means. Four carloads of New Goods on hand. Our business increased last year X 100 percent over 1904. This is a S proof that we are saving our cus- 4? tomers money. Try us. Low S Freight Rates from Toledo. A Large Discounts— that tells the g Story. Our 80-page Catalog is J sent free. 0 GRIGGS BROS. S 521 Monroe Street, TOLEDO, OHIO. Please mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. 380 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 3, 1906 OUE &® BRANCHES Axe for your benefit. They are ma'titaioed to place Root's Go^ds at Root's prices at your door with ihe greatest possible saving1 of freight and time. Our service is unequalled. Fur no more than standard prices you get cur goods to your depot anywhere in the United States with greatest ease. Study 3 our map and then place your order with our nearest branch AT NEW YORK Mr. L. W. Bnyden, formerly with Chicago House, con- ducts our New York b amh. Through this branch parses much ol our large export trade Mr. H. M. Selser is the able assistant of Mr Boyden in this branch. Calling at our branch at 44 Vesey Street yiu will find Mr. B05 den ready to supply you wiin anything you may need. The Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company. Hartford, conn., July 21, 1905., Mr. L. W. Bovden, Manager. The A. I. Root Co.. New York, N. Y. Dear SiH:— The Danzenbaker super came duly to hand yester- day, and your promptness impels me to acknowledge its receipt with thanks. It is prettv fine to be able to drop a letter into the mailinfc- tube here in the office, and then in a few hours have hive parts placed along fide or my desk. "It is tine to be able to get the RootGoods in New York, for I like to trade with your company. Heretofore I have usually sent to agents farther off. My orders have not been very large, so far, but it is well nigh impossible not to take a lively interest in bees if one happens to read "Gleanings," as I do, and I expect to keep rnaDy more colonies than 1 do now." JA8, A. SMITH. AT CHICAGO No one needs to be told of the advantages of Chicago as a shippinifroint to the Central States. With its many com- peting freight and express lines rates are very low. Mr. Ralpa Bojd n, assisted by Mr. E. W. Pease, v.ith i ffice and warehouse at 144 E. Erie Street, are entirely competent to an- swer any questions regarding bees or Root's Goods. When in Chicago be sure to call and you will find a hearty welcome North 1484. AT PHILADELPHIA Mr. Wm. A. Selser, the manager of our bran h at 10 Vine Street, is one of the best known bee men ia the United States. Our customers will find bim an exceedingly agreeable man to deal with. Combining h;s knowledge "f conditions and Root^s Goods and staff of competent a land A ve., S. W., is a beekeeper of considerable experience. He is also a graduate of one ot the be-t business colleges in Ohtr, and is prepared toconauit this branch on up to date principles and in a perfectly satis fact oiy manner. AT MECHANIC FALLS For the New England States, Portland ranks among the class as a shipping-point. Mechanic Falls is but a few miles from Portland, so New England bee-keepers are fortunate in having a depot from which i^> get Root's Gjods at Rtot's pri- ces with low freight. Mr. J. B. Mason, our manager, needs no introduction. He has been 1 ng connected wiih the Root Company and is well known to all Ne* England bee keepers. AT ST. PAUL Making bee-supplies is one thing and distributing them is another. One is as important as the other. Mr. J. C. Acklin, at 1024 Mississippi Street, carries a complete line of our stock; gives prompt shipment and full satisfaction. Mr. Acklin is a practical bee-keeper, and you will find him very pleasant to deal with. RALPH W. BOYDEN. L. W. BOYDEN. 'Phone gg WM. A. SELSER. H. G. LA RUB. AT SYRACUSE, N. Y. Bee keeping in New York State has reached a degree of perfection that if in other States it was as general and as advanced, there would be little to desire, In the center of the State we have a large branch house fully equipped to care for the business naturally centering there. Our manager, Mr. F. A. Salisbury , is widely noted among bee keepers, and will serve you to your com- plete satisfaction. A complete list of Agents will be sent on application. THE A. I. ROOT COMPANY Factory and Executive Office, :m:eidi*tj^, ohio (Entered at the Post-OfBee at Chicago as Second-Class Mall-Matter.) Published Weekly at $1.00 a Year, by George W. York & Co., 334 Dearborn St. GEORGE W. YORK, Editor CHICAGO, ILL, MAY 3,1906 VoLXLVI— No. 18 (Sbttorial Hotes anb Comments J Chilled Brood Not a Cause of Foul Brood In the Swiss Bulletin, a Mr. Fleury has advanced the theory that foul brood is caused by the bad habit of some apiarists of spreading the brood in spring and causing it to die of cold. He thinks this is an inducement to the produc- tion of foul brood, which he calls " le cauchemar des api- culteurs " — "the bee-keeper's nightmare." This has caused a general protest among the better informed, who assert that it is out of the question to hold that foul brood may be caused by the accidental death of the brood. This is right. Foul brood has for its origin bacillus alvei, and where there is no bacillus there is no foul brood. Brood to the Top-Bar Some time ago Editor Root claimed as a great advan- tage for shallow frames that the combs would be filled with brood clear to the top-bar, while with deeper frames there would be one or two inches of honey next to the top-bar. Dr. Miller said his Langstroth frames often had brood to the top-bar. The following Stray Straw of Gleanings seems to show why the observation of the two men should be so different : E. F. Atwater, in the Review, has given, pertaap6, the key to some- thing that has been a puzzle to me. Editor Root said that, with Lang- stroth frames, there was an amount of honey in the upper part of the combs that I knew was not to be found in mine; for often my combs have brood clear up to the top-bar. Mr. Atwater say6 that foundation sags in the deep frames, at the upper part, " to such an extent that there was very little brood reared within perhaps 2 inches or more of the top-bar." With horizontal wiring I can easily believe that would be so. With vertical foundation splints in my own frames there is no more sagging at the top than bottom, giving me, in that respect, the advantage of shallower frames. — [Score a point in favor of splints in place of horizontal wires; and I am not sure now but it was a mistake to change from vertical to horizontal wire6, for which I was largely responsible, if I mistake not. — Editor.] Improvements in the American Bee Journal It is a desirable thing at any time to have suggestions from members of the American Bee Journal family looking toward improvements. " What will make the Journal bet- ter ?" is a live question at this end of the line, and much thought is given to it, sometimes in "the wee sma' hours " of the night. One trouble in the case is that there are so many view-points to be considered. One correspondent has written that when the volume is bound at the end of the year a smaller page would make a more convenient volume to handle. That is true. It would also be more convenient to handle if there were a smaller number of pages. But who wants less of it in the year ? If the size of the page were less, and the number of pages increased, the thickness of the annual volume would be still more objectionable than at present. The more im- portant consideration, however, is that with the page of present size the subscriber gets more Journal for his money than he would with a smaller page. A number of the most popular magazines — Ladies' Home Journal, Success, and others — have a larger page than this Journal, a thing that would not be without weighty reasons. Then, it spoils- uniformity for library purposes, if the size of page is- changed. A correspondent has written that he would like to have all the advertisements on separate pages, so they might be left out in binding. On the other hand, here comes the fol- lowing note : Mr. Editor: — I am not a publisher, but I know enough about the publishing business to know that it is to the interest of the readers of the "Old Reliable" to have its advertising department in as flourish- ing a condition as possible, and I have wondered why you continue to have your advertisements segregated so much as you have. Some of the best magazines have advertisements on the reading pages, and, of course, an advertiser would in general prefer an advertisement so placed. But 1 am more interested in the reading than the advertising, so I ought not to complain, especially so long as you are giving us so good a paper. Subscriber. Is it really a desirable thing to have the advertisements left out in binding? Certainly not all bee-keepers would think so. Frequently it is desirable to look up some matter of the past upon which light may be found in the advertise- ments rather than in the reading matter. No little of the history of bee-keeping is contained in the advertisements. It is a matter for congratulation that at the present day there is no longer any complaint that the Journal is not entirely occupied with reading matter. Intelligent readers understand that in the long run more advertising means more reading. While this Journal has more advertising space than formerly, it also has more extra pages than ever. Reading the Bee- Papers— Queen -Breeders Editor York gives us some good advice on page 117, relative to reading the bee-papers. As I notice occasionally where some sub- scriber orders his paper stopped because he ha6 no time to read it, I always draw on my imagination that there must be something decid- edly wrong. How a subscriber can order his paper stopped simply for this reason is more than I can understand. A few years ago we heard so much about the book farmer, and it wa6 said that the farmer who sought knowledge through literary sources, and did not follow the steps of his ancestors, would turn out a failure. But all this has passed, and the time has arrived when if we want to get anywhere near all out of our business we must read about it. It has been said that " the man who reads is the man who suc- ceeds," and I honestly believe there is a lot of truth in it. One thing about it is almost certain : that the reading man is the thinking man, and it is the thought put into a business that brings success. There is nothing that will start us thinking so much as reading, and for this reason beekeepers should read as much as pos- sible. Whether you believe it or not, I am of the opinion that a great deal of the inferior honey found on our markets to-day can be traced! to bee-keepers who do not read. By all means, subscribe for the bee- papers, read them, think over what you read, put your thinking into> practise, and success can not be held back. On page 97 mention is made relative to dishonest queen-breeders. On examination of a colony of bees during the month of September, last year, I discovered the colony queenless and much dwindled in bees. I sent an order for a queen to a regular advertiser in this Jour- 382 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 3, 19C6 nal. and asked that the queen be shipped as soon as possible, and in 4S hours after I sent the order I received the queen. The colony con- taining this queen is as strong as any in the apiary. I mention this fact to show that there are some honest queen-breeders. It is well to remember, as we go along, that there are good and bad in all kinds of business, and it is certainly all wrong to imagine that there are no honest men engaged in the business. Grant Stanley. Nisbet, Pa. This is, indeed, an age of reading. Mr. Stanley has put the matter in a most clear and convincing way. There is nothing to be compared with reading and thinking for the improvement and uplift of any business or industry. And, then, good reading is so marvelously cheap these days. There is really no excuse for any bee-keeper not having a sufficient quantity, and of the right sort of read- ing, when he can get a copy like this for less than a 2-cent postage stamp ! Yes, of course, there are honest and reliable queen- breeders. The fact is, practically all of them who adver- tise are so. We feel that we can say that any whose offers are found in our columns are all right. If not, we want to know it. But we have received complaints before the queen- breeder was given an opportunity to make things right. We do not think such procedure fair. Everybody makes mistakes, and those who have made them, when discovered, should be notified, so that they can rectify them. Then if a satisfactory adjustment is not promptly forthcoming, it will be time enough to complain to the publishers. ZTjttsceUoneous Hetps * 2 terns ^ j The San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, of course, have been known to everybody throughout the country long before now. The first word we had direct from any one we know in that locality was received on April 25, from Mr. W. A. Pryal, who lives in Oakland, Calif., but was doing busi- ness in San Francisco. From what he says on a postal card dated April 21, we take the following : Three-fourths of the city is burned. The fire was hell. The ■earthquake's damage could have been repaired in a mouth or less, ex- cept, perhaps, in a few cases. Our home here did not suffer — no •chimneys down, no glass broken, nor walls cracked, and we are less than 10 miles from San Francisco. The city will be rebuilt, but of smaller buildings. W. A. Pryal. Oakland, Calif., April 31. The Dempsey Super.— This is a super invented by W. W. Dempsey, of Osceola Co., Iowa, and its claimed points of superiority are these : 1. Ventilation. Owing to the manner in which it is made it can be ventilated better than any other super. 2. Honey-sections can be removed at any time when filled without disturbing the bees. 3. Honey-sections can be removed without exposing the operator to the bees. 4. By letting down side doors the operator can see the bees at work, and is not exposed to the bees in any manner. 5. It is not necessary to use a smoker in removing honey-sections. 6. Bees will store from one-third to one-half more in a super of this kind than in the old style, for this reason : There is a bee open- ing in front of the super which permits bees to go direct to the honey- sections instead of coming in at the bottom of the hive, and coming up through the brood-frames and then to the honey-sections as in the old style. It is claimed by the inventor that this super was thor- oughly tested by bee-keepers last season, and that it proved successful in every respect. No doubt Mr. Dempsey will offer to sell his super to bee-keepers. Yon Yonson and the North Pole.— A correspondent complains that this Journal should allow Yon Yonson " to hold up to ridicule the proprietors of Gleanings by taking them to the North Pole in search of new races of bees.'' Pity that Yon Yonson's quaint humor should so miscarry. Our correspondent may rest assured that no unkindness was intended, and the probability is that no one smiled more broadly over the good-natured hits than did the Glean- ings people themselves. Corrections. — On page 256, in a question signed " Canada," it is said that Mr. Doolittle gives 92 degrees as the lowest temperature in the brood-nest, having said so in Gleanings for April 1,1896, page 307. " Canada " writes that there is a printer's error, the reference having been given " April 1, 190,, page 368." No real name having been given, it is not likely that any one's reputation for veracity has suffered, yet it is better to have such things correct. Also, two queer and yet very humiliating errors ap- peared on the first page of the Journal last week. In the date line appeared " 4jth Year " and " April 26, 1905," when it should have been " 46th Year " and " April 26, 1906." It came from taking the heading that had not been used since the last issue of 1905, and changing only the No. at the right end of the line, and the date of the month — the only two changes necessary each week after beginning a new year. But the dates, etc , were all right on the inside of last week's Journal. The Apiary of S. L. Mottinger is shown on the first page. He is a beginner with bees, and tells his experience in the following interesting paragraphs : Editor York : — I send a picture of the apiary that I started last May as a beginner in the bee-business. It is not that I care to boast of my success, but rather that my experience might perhaps encourage others who contemplate going into the business. The greatest obstacle in my way as a bee-keeper is poor eyesight. I am an ex-soldier of the Civil War, 6? years old. I was wounded twice on the field of battle, lost the sight of one eye entirely, and can't see very well with the other. I retired 5 years ago as a farmer. Not being contented with doing nothing, I decided to go into the bee-busi- ness partly to occupy my time. As I had no experience with bees, I subscribed for the American Bee Journal, ordered Dr. Miller's " Forty Tears Among the Bees," " A B C of Bee Culture," and a modern hive in the flat. With these " instruments" I made the subject a study for one year before I ventured to handle bees with any prospects of success. I have since added another bee-paper and some pamphlets to my bee-literature. In April, 1905, 1 bought 2 colonies of bees in box-hives — one in a 10-frame Langstroth hive without any frames in it, and the other in a box 16 inches square and 18 inches deep. These 2 colonies stood out all the previous winter with no protection excepting a barbed wire fence on the north and west, with one hive split open from the en- trance to the top, so that the bees passed in and out the whole length of the hive. I got them home May 1, and as it was increase I wanted, and a6 I The Dempsey Super in Proper Position on the Hive. • Side Door Dropped Down Showing the Honey-Sections in Positions. Super Lying on the Side Showing Bottom of Super and Entrance for Bees from Hive. May 3, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 383 had no experience in transferring, I decided to operate on one only, and let the other swarm naturally. I made Cj 8-frame hives and filled them with full sheets of comb foundation, and on May (J I proceeded to transfer the one according to directions. I succeeded in gettiug about one-half or two-thirds of the bees and the queen into the new hive, and placed them on the old stand. I intended, on the 21st day afterward, to drive out the remaining bees and form another colony by giving them a queen; but the bees got the 6tart of me by turning out a swarm on the ISth day after transferring. I hived this swarm and placed it on a new stand. I decided then to drive out the remain- ing bees on the 21st day, unite them with one of the new colonies, and break up the old one, but to my surprise, on that very day, and while I was getting the smoker ready, the old colony turned out another swarm. I hived it and placed it also on a new stand. With the swarm I forced on May 6 this was the third one, and only May 27. I sup- posed that now the old colony was "done for;" but to my surprise that evening, when I looked into it, I found quite a few bees remain- ing in the old hive, and brood, both capped and uncapped. There is no mistake about these 2 swarms issuing from the old colony. I saw them coming out of the hive in both instances. I now moved the old colony to a new stand several rods to one side. It grew in strength rapidly, so that on June 22 I forced another swarm from it, placed the new swarm on the old etand, and removed the old box-hive still further to one side. The colony in the old Langstroth hive which I let swarm naturally, turned out its prime swarm June 23. It was a large swarm that com- pletely tilled an 8-frame hive. It filled 4 supers of 24 sections each in 4 successive weeks, and altogether Ills sections. I made an exhibit of this prime swarm's surplus honey at the Fair, and took the 1st premium on comb honey. This old colony turned out 2 after-swarms which I hived on full sheets of foundation. I increased from 2 colonies to 9. and got 350 pounds of surplus honey. I got all the surplus from the new colonies excepting 24 sec- tions from the colony I let swarm naturally. My new hives weigh 26 pounds each without the supers. On the first day of December I weighed all the colonies and put the youDg colonies into the cellar, and wintered the 2 old ones on the summer stands. The young colonies weighed from 05 to 75 pounds each with- out the supers on, and the old colony that I tried to break up weighed 110, and the other 00 pounds. I prepared them for winter by wrapping old carpets about them and setting a large shock of bundles of cornfodder around them, well tied together at the top. They have wintered *rell, both outdoors and in the cellar. Estimating my surplus and increase on the spring count, which seems to be the rule, 1 got an average of 175 pounds per colony, and 350 percent increase. I didn't feed a drop in the fall, nor do I need to do so this spring, unless it is to stimulate brood rearing. The person in the picture is myself, and the hive next to me is the colony I let swarm naturally. The second colony from the left is the one 1 tried all summer to break up. I made 25 hives the past winter, and put the new metal spacer on 200 frames. S. L. Mottinger. Plaintield. Ills * (£ontrtbuteb * Special Ctrticles 1 How to Control the Swarming of Bees BY H. S. PHILBROOK. ON page 299, Mr. Allen Latham criticised Mr. Davenport's article on page 1S5 pretty severely, and closes with say- ing, "I don't believe it." Now, 1 . ay 1 I elieve every word of it, and why I belieye it is because of the many allusions to his discovery. He has outlined a plan which I have been working on for 2 years, and which is so simple and effectual that it is simply astounding it has not been practiced before. I do not know what manner of "nan Mr. Davenport is, and can not make out just why he did not publish his dis- covery instead of alluding to it. and not allow people to say, "What does he want?" My views on the subject are simply these: If a man profits by reading the experiences of others in any journal. and should make any discovery that might help others in the pursuit, it immediately becomes his duty, and should be a great pleasure to be able, to return those profits by publish- ing his own discoveries. Now, the reason I have not written of this system of control of swarming sooner is, that I do not believe in rush- ing anything into print until one is sure of what he says; hut it is working so beautifully again this year that I feel free to give the plan to the bee-keeping world, and let them pull it to pieces and commend or condemn it, as only circum- stances and time will tell which. First, and most important, I will say wc all know what causes swarming is an ■ 1-chamber. and this is what suggested my plan i It is simply this: Start a m d with the old one and yet separated by a queen-excluding inc horn y-board. To do this, place a hive full of frames wi lation, or emp beneath the old brood-chamber, and either put the queen below on the empties, or lal i the entire lot of bees out of the old bt 1 chamber on thi ground and let them, together with the queen, crawl back into careful to place the honey-board neatly between the new and the old chamber. Thus there is no chilled brood, as the main lot of bees will go through the honey-hoard and attend to it. while the sur- plus bees will attend to matters in the new one, and they old with the vim and vigor of a new swarm. Now, if cells an- :ealed in thi >d chamber, they must be re moved before the young queen emerges, or you are liable to get a drone-laying queen in the super, unless it has an open entrance. The bees will not disturb the qmcn-cells themselves, as we all know the cells are readily accepted above a honey- board. Yet they do not mind in the least if those cells are removed, and it is just so with bees treated in the manner I speak of. Now. when the lower chamber is full of brood, the upper one will almi and they can he exchanged, always keeping the queen below. It has « beautifully with me. and ' n me absolute control of swarming, and always kept up vim and vigor in the colonj This also admits oi to make it. by taking away tli i 1 brood-ch mb . and sup- plying a young laying queen, or a virgin, or allow them to hatch their own cells. And now, connected with this tern, it becomes very convenient to be able to find "her highness." and thus bother of -baking out the swarm. I have a little device for this trick, which wil her in 2 minuti -. no diffi n i i how large and p ipulous the is, or whether she is black, Italian, or Cyprian, or what her make-up. she can not resist going where she is wanted, and readily becomes a captive. I will > in my next article. My bees have a very strong strain of Cyp i; I. and yet this system of controlling swarming has never failed me, which speaks well for it. Now, for those wdio do not use the honey-boards, on account of not liking them. I will explain a little trick to ■ all drones either in tl e egg or larva, or in of unsealed form, although pur b xl books all say, "Let them alone until sealed and then cut them off." My trick is just to sprinkle a little sulphur on them in the cell, and in 20 minutes the bees will have them all out in the front door- yard and scattered far and near. A large -alt-cellar is very convenient for this purpose. If Mr. Davenport has a better system for controlling swarming, I am sure we will all be glad to hear from him, and through the columns of tl m rican Bee Journal let us give as well as receive. I know the Journal is a very great help to any bee-keeper, and any and .very bee-keeper should try to be a help to his chosen journals. But let us not write of things we are not sure of. And let me say here, that I have no! yel seen any more of bee-paralysis this year, and believe I am entirely free of it. Oxnard. Calif. April IS. 0 A Great Moth Fight-" Good Candy" BY. PROF. V J. COOK. THERE is now going on in the eastern half of the Bay State a momentous battle, the outcome of which con- cerns not only Massachusetts people, but all of us. The bee-keeper is specially interested, for the fate of the parks, forests, shade trees, and orchards is pending, and with these wiped out our bee-forage would be materially lessened. This is most serious, for unless the threatening evil is stayed in its onward march, the whole State of Masachusetts and other States will soon be invaded, greatly to our country's loss. The Enemy — Two Moths. This alarming evil is caused by two moths — one the Gypsy, of which we have heard for several yeai and the other the Brown-tail, so-called, as the tip of the body is red or brown, though the moth is pure white. Both of these moths come from Europe, and are recent importations. The first devastates all kinds of trees, even evergreens or conifers, and stops not at garden vegetables. Its devastations are often absolute, and so the threatened mischief is enormous in ex- 384 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 3, 1906 tent. The other feeds on Rosaceous plants like the rose, apple, pear, cherry and plum, and also on the oak. The Gypsy Moth. This moth was introduced at Medford, near Boston, up- wards of SO years ago, by a scientist who most unfortunately allowed it to escape. The female cannot fly, and so it spreads very slowly. Yet a habit of the larva or caterpillar hastens its distribution, especially in these days of the automobile. Like the canker-worm, it is a drop-worm, or more properly a ■drop-caterpillar. Thus in the summer when the thousands •and millions of caterpillars are feeding, they, spider-like, spin •a silken thread from which they suspend, and thus the passing •carriage or automobile may catch them up and hurl them :away for miles, and so forming a new center of attack. The :serious defoliation of the parks and shade trees in eastern Massachusetts, as also the ruin of the beautiful roadside trees, attracted wide attention and created alarm in the early '90s. Legislation was sought, and well nigh a million dollars were appropriated to exterminate the moth. The work was put iin able hands, and good progress made. Indeed, so well was the effort appreciated that the Legislature paused in its at- tempt, but the Gypsy moth did not; but in 1904 it was found as bad as ever, and much extended. Fully a third of the State is now involved, and the evil is spread" to Rhode Island ■on the south, and to New Hamoshire on the north. "Put not thine hand to the plow and look back" applies to insect attack, and should have been remembered in the grand old Bay State. The Brown-Tail Moth. This moth, though smaller, is a far more destructive one in Germany, they tell me, than is the Gypsy moth. It was brought to the United States later than the other, but is strong on the wing, and so spreads much more rapidlv. It is be- lieved now that at least half of Masachusetts is attacked, and it has spread to Maine on the north. At least 5 States are invaded. It is supposed to have been introduced on roses brought from Europe in the winter months. This moth has a unique way of nesting in the winter Most moths winter either as eggs or pupa?. This one passes the winter in the larval or caterpillar stage. The eggs hatch in autumn; the tiny caterpillars commence to feed and are yet quite small when the foliage dies and the cold comes. Ihey then spin a dense web in which they pass the winter It is said that the number in one of these nests is about 250 These nests are conspicuous objects in the oaks, orchard trees and hawthorn hedges in the winter months after the leaves fall. I have seen here in Berlin as manv as SO in a n0i Ton™ rge pea,r or PIum tree- We see that this means over 12.000 caterpillars to commence an onslaught as soon as u y?ung /oIlage bursts forth in spring. We readily see that the oak. apple, pear or plum that harbors such a" host is surely doomed. As I have said, the female Gvpsv moth does not fly. This Brown-tail is a strong flier, and this with the ease of conveying the caterpillars in the nests in winter on nursery stock, gives to this subject a serious import to us all. The last Legislature of Massachusetts voted a third of a million dollars to fight these two nests. The commission into whose hands the work of extermination is put is a very able one, and we may hope for results. The Matter of National Importance. I have written so fully, as this contest concerns all of us not only bee-keepers, but every one who loves a tree We know that our trees are not only beautiful, but absolutely necessary to our comfort and prosperity as a nation If these pests are permitted to invade all the States, which they wi 1 do. if allowed our very life as a people will call for extermination, which is so difficult that it would require an expenditure of milhons, yes, billions of dollars. The im- ported cabbage butterfly. Picris m/w. was imported from StT'oMhe T°TUebeC- T," ab°Ut 5° yearS h had reached S u £ t? n'°"; ™,ere ,s no reason' so far as T can see why the Brown-tail might not spread as rapidlv. Massachu- setts must extirpate these evils. It is a colossal work The whole country is deeply interested. Whv should not the Gen- eral Government aid in the matter? To'let these pests spread further would be an enormous blunder P ^f f^Vefiryw"e °J i'S 5h0Vld wake "P t0 the serio"s importance of this fight and demand that the Government sees to it that this threatening evil be not permitted to spread any further. Insect Quarantine. California has a very efficient quarantine officer, whose duty it is to see that injurious insects, or plants infested by them, be not permitted to enter the State. This officer has been very prompt, and efficient, and has doubtless saved mil- lions of dollars to the State. It would have been wondrous economy could we have had the officer earlier. Then the destructive scale insects, codling moth, etc., would have been kept out to the saving of untold millions of dollars. This moth invasion in Masachusetts shows how every State needs such a quarantine. Parasites to the Rescue. As I have before stated, these, pests are not so alarmingly destructive in Europe. This is owing to their predaceous and parasitic enemies, that hold them in check. It is known that the nesting caterpillars, in the winter nests of the Brown- tail larvae, harbor the parasites that will devour them. It is hoped that by introducing these into Massachusetts the evil may be cheaply overcome, just as the Vedalia killed off the white scale in the orange orchards of California. I have col- lected and shipped to Boston from Berlin 9,500 nests of the Brown-tail moth the present winter. From what I have said, it will be seen that I have sent about 2l/2 million of cater- pillars. As a single caterpillar often harbors several para- sites, I can only hope that I have sent millions of the little saviors as well. We shall all watch the results of this ex- periment with the keenest interest. As it is in charge of Dr. L. O. Howard, of the Entomological Department at Wash- ington, we can be sure that success will come, if it is possible. Mr. Schulz and His Candy. We all remember that the "Good candy" was made in Germany by a Air. Schulz before it was produced in America by either Mr. Viallon or Mr. Good. Air. Schulz now lives near Berlin, at Buckow, where he has 500 colonies of bees. He also has the largest honey emporium in Berlin, where he has 4 kinds of honey candy, all of which are delicious. He sells 1-pound jars of extracted honey for one and one-fifth marks — about 28 cents. Although he has the largest shop in the city devoted to honey, yet he has no fine comb honev at all. Surely the trade relations between Germany and the United States might be greatly improved, vastly to the gain of both countries. I believe Germany would not hold back from a fair and most serviceable reciprocity. Why should not America meet her half way? I have arranged to visit Mr. Schulz at Buchow in early May. Berlin, Germany. " Sections, Separators, Supers and Section- Holders" BY E» F. ATWATER. I CONSIDER the article on the above subject (on page 159), by F. Greiner, to be one of the soundest and best ever written. Mr. Greiner has decided not to increase his stock of no-bee-way supers. That's my decision also, and I am changing mine into regular hives by nailing under each a rim of such depth as to give the right dimensions for standard Hoffman frames. Not only was my experience the same as his, in finding no considerable advantage in the plain 4x5 section and fence-separator, but several serious disad- vantages made themselves so manifest that I want no more of either until the details of each are worked out satisfac- torily. With the Betsinger wire-cloth separator I have had no experience, but can see that it may prove to be the omega of the separator list, if.it can be used with general satisfaction. That's rirtit, hit the T-super acain. and let me jump on it while it is down, for anv locality like yours or mine. We put into use last year fiOO new wide-frame supers for 4I4x4I4xl''s bee-way sections. The scalloped bottom-bar is ■^-s-inch thick, and top-bar ^J-inch thick. The heavy bottom- bar does away with the sag. "In constructing a wide-frame super it is a question whether the separator should be nailed to the frame, or should be a senarate fixture." Yes. that's why we fitted 500 of the above 600 supers with loose wooden separators, and the bal- ance with tin separators nailed to the wide frame. In regard to filling sections with full sheets of founda- tion fastened on 3 or 4 sides. I suppose Mr. Greiner was jok- ing when he told of using a hatchet "to knock it out of the sections." For several seasons I have produced more or less comb honey on full sheets so fastened, and never found it difficult to cut out the honey. . Perhaps Mr. Greiner used "Columbia" foundation with a tin base, or a remnant of the late unlamented wood-base foundation, in those sections! May 3 14< 6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 385 Mr Greiner and I seem to agree on the super question, but my full sheets of foundation do not seem to agree with him, though my customers never object to my honey, and, as M. \ Gill says, "That is all I am producing it for." Meridian, Idaho. Controlling Increase — Rearing Queens, Etc. BY WM. STOLLEY, SR. I DESIRE to describe my way of controlling the increase in my little apiary of about 30 colonies of bees, as well as to' outline my way of rearing choice queens. I am well aware that this is of no interest whatever to the apiarist who counts his colonies of bees by the hundreds, or even thousands, but I think it a very good and practical way of managing for bee-keepers who want to keep hist so many colonies of bees, and no more, principally for their own use, or recreation, but Who are often at a loss to solve this ques- tion of increase with satisfactory results. 1 keep my bees in an open shed, which has 2 tiers of hives. one above the other. The posts in front are 8 feet apart, and the shed itself is 8 feet wide, with an overhanging roof of 2 feet in front. My regular double-walled hive (for extracted honey') carries 14 American frames. W/zxWA inches. Thus 30 colonies find room on the ground tier of hives — two in each space between the posts. The upper tier of hives are not intended to be occupied by bees in winter, but serve as a receptacle for empty brood- combs, or combs partly filled with honey and pollen to be used at the proper time in the early spring, or later when hees are swarming, and when I rear the choice queens for my own use. All hives in the upper tier are "single-walled." and smaller in size, and carry only from 8 to 10 frames each. I keep all queens clipped, taking about 1-3 of a right wing off. which disfigures the queen but very little, and the "Mo- nette Queen-Clipping Device" I find to be the most prac- tical implement for that mirpose. Now. when a colony swarms, all I have to do is to watch for the queen and cage her as soon as she leaves the hive. As soon as the swarm is in the air I remove the hive from which it issued, and lower the hive from the upper tier right above, filled with emptv comb, and place it on the stand from which the swarm came. After this is done. I ooen the hive from which the swarm issued and take all combs con- taining brood, with all adhering bees and sufficient honev for the voung bees left "out. and put them into another hive. "This is generally so quickly done that almost always the bees are still circbng in the air, or are clustering somewhere on a branch of a tree. When this is the case. I put the hive right back on its 2 i / • , ;"]. " up w,rh nice,v drawn comb, or frames tilled with full sheets of comb foundation, and await the re- turn of the swarm, when the queen is allowed to run in with the bees. But the hive containing all the brood taken away is placed right above the hive below, in which the swarm 'has hived itself. Of course, all field-bees return to their old home, and brood and young bees are all that is left in the hive in the upper row. About a week later I shake nearlv all young bees hatched in the upper-tier hive in front of the hive con- taining queen and swarm below, and this I repeat once everv week until the last young bee has hatched and the combs are dear of brood.. Thus I mass all bees on the original stand, and the result is more honey" instead of increase. If I desire to rear queens from a favorite queen to re place queens marked for supersedure. I form nuclei of 2 combs of hatching brood and 1 comb of honev (if possible from the colony which is to get a new queen), about 2 davs before the choice queen-cells are ready for hatching. The'colonv from which I want to breed is forced to swarm by crowding the bees, since with my large hives swarming is reduced to a minimum anyway, and after I have thus taken a lot of ma- tured queen-cells for the nuclei, I shake the bees and unite them with the mother colonv on the old stand, as above stated. As soon as the young queens are mated and well on the way. their hives are lowered and placed on the hive wherein is the queen to be superseded. After the field-bees have learned to follow the lowered hive, the old nueen is killed or removed, both colony and nucleus are dosed with a few of onions, and the nucleus with the young queen on the center-comb is placed in the center of the brood-nest from which the old queen has been removed. Jn this way I p undesirable increase and rear choice queens. The methods, as explained in the foregoing, may be of some service to those who wish to restrict their limited num- ber of colonies, particularly when they are beginners in bee- keeping. Colonies kept in the open and not in a bee-shed like mine, of course, should be treated in a modified way, accomplish- ing in the end the same result. I must add a word of caution : When swarming takes place, almost always the supers are on the hive, and it fre- quently happens, even with my large hives, that some brood and queen-cells are to be found in the suner, and if so, they must be removed, as the brood removed from the brood- chamber prevents repeated swarming, or possibly the killing of the old queen. Grand Island, Nebr. (Dur*Stster Bee-Keepers j> Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. How " We" Introduced a Queen I am wondering if all beginners have the gay time we have had in trying to introduce a queen to a hybrid colony. By we, I mean my husband and myself ; and here let me say 'tis the same old case as " me and Betty killed a bar," I playing the part of me ever since about a dozen bees got under my veil in helping hunt for queen-cells ; so he has had the " work " to do while I stand off a safe distance and cheer him up. But I'm ahead of my " tale of woe." We sent away for a 5-banded Italian queen, thinking how we would love some little yellow bees. Well, after 9 or 10 days of anxious waiting we one noon received her " royal highness." She was a queer amber-yellow color, and, as my husband remarked, " No great shucks to look at." The directions we had read and re-read for introducing queens said, " Make your colony queenless ;" be sure your colony is queenless," etc. So we made sure by veiling our- selves and sallying forth and picking old Mrs. Queen and a small family of slaves out, and putting them in a box with a piece of screen over one side and a big slice of comb honey in one end. Then we patiently (?) waited two days, with the new queen in her cage in the cupboard, then we followed to a dot the directions that came with her, except, as Mr. Root preferred leaving the cardboard over the candy- hole, we left it there instead of taking it off as directed. We laid the cage, wire side down, over the top of the brood- frames and shut up the hive. We left it five days, as directed, although it was a great strain on the nerves, and at the end of that time our curiosity was at the bursting point. We hustled into veils, gloves, jackets, etc., and rushed out to the hive about 9 o'clock one morning. My faithful " pardner " cautiously lifted the hive-cover, and I stealthily lifted out the cage, and, lo ! our queen was still therein, and not more than three or four bees paying any attention to her, and not even the pasteboard over the candy-hole was nibbled a bit. Such hateful bees ! I felt that I despised them. I commanded my husband to put the cage back and come away, which he did somewhat sulkily, for, be it known, he has a great fondness for poking around in and out of a hive (not shared by me). We retired and meditated over the contrariness of bees, and finally my husband said, "Let's takeout our new queen and see if the bees have started queen-cells." I hooted the idea, with this qneen practically in the hive, but consented, and we removed the "Dago," as we called our new queen, and waded in. We found and cut out one queen-cell unsealed, and then the bees got so wrathy we retired to give them time to cool off. After an hour or so we went at them again, and cut out five more queen-cells. One was sealed over. That did disgust us, and the bees seemed to go crazy, and a dozen, more or less, got up under my veil, and by the way I moved and felt, I am convinced bee-stings will cure rheumatism, old age, or any old thing. I haven't moved so lively, nor, I may say, so gracefully, in all my life before — went over pea-fences, potatoes, straw- berry-beds, and raspberry-vines like a bird. They stung me in my hair, on my neck, chin, hands, wherever they could get a toe-grip, and wept because I wasn't larger. I nearly lifted my scalp in my haste to shed veil and hat. My " pardner " nobly stayed with them, and got everything in 386 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 3, 1906 ship-shape before he left ; but, then, he wasn't being stung. After cutting out the queen-cells we waited until night, and, putting some long wires around the queen-cage, we spread two brood-frames and lowered the cage down among the brood This was the night of the sixth day since we started to " introduce " her. We waited two days more, and then attacked the fort again to see what had been done. On drawing out the cage we found it covered with and as full of bees as it could stick ; and after brushing off, there was the queen yet in the cage ! Is she a hoodoo? I almost believe so. I advised my long-suffering husband to pry off the screen and let the poor thing out, even if they ate her up. He did so, and she flew against tBe inside of the hive and hopped on a partly- empty foundation and hid from our view. Only two or three bees took after her, and none acted as if they meant to hurt her. Can it be she is finally introduced ? or is there more agony in store for her ? My husband said she looked larger, and thicker and yellower. But isn't " introducing," as practised by us, ex- citing work ? When I get my colony (we have engaged 2 swarms from a neighbor) I think I will buy a nice, young 3-banded Ital- ian (if there are any warranted to feed out of my hand, and her bees never bite, here's a sale), pick out the old queen, wait half an hour, and then just open the hive and let my new queen run out of her cage into the hive. If they ball her, I'll put them to soak in a tub of water ; and if they let her alone, well and good. It is not so harrowing on the nerves. My husband disapproves of my frivolous attitude re- garding bee-keeping ; but when one is such a favorite with them as I, I must have some fun to repay me for a stiff neck (worse than rheumatism), and a large, aggressive jaw that causes my most intimate friends to look apprehensively at me, and the good man himself to keep a wary eye on me. My appearance is fierce with it, and, all together, I am a very swell affair. I've written this yard or two of letter merely to ask if some kind bee-keeper won't tell me how old larva? can be and the bees yet create a queen from it. I'd like to know, for our warriors may yet have a queen of their own making up their sleeve. Nothing would surprise me in these bees. They even enthusiastically fly indoors for one nip more at me. In three days more, if I am nerved up to it, I will hint to " my wayward pardner " that we take a still hunt for the Dago. I think I'll get more nibbles, but it's all in a life- time. (Mrs.) W. M. Burke. [When younger larva: are not available the bees may take anything unsealed and try to make a queen out of it. — Editor ]— Gleanings in Bee Culture. Keeping Bees With Poultry As said in a previous article, it is possible to keep both bees and poultry and make both return a handsome profit. But to do this, a little extra and unusual management must be resorted to. I have done this for a number of years, and do not find my bees any in the way of my poultry operations. Many women who are succeeding moderately well with poultry are loth to give it up, while the same time alive to the greater profits possible from bee-keeping. To such I would say, " You have advanced far enough with poultry to put you into position to run that business for special rather than for general results, which, if you can do so, you will still have time at the right season for your bee-work." For the benefit of those I will tell how I manage both enterprises. From the middle of January to the middle of February, according to the season, I prepare to start the poultry busi- ness by putting an incubator into operation. This gives me the first lot of chicks early in February to early in March. With good outdoor, center-heat brooders I manage to rear a large percent of these early-hatched chicks. After the third week they are much less work to care for than at first. By this time I then have another hatch out, and by the time I have taken off the third hatch I have about all the early chicks I want. When 10 weeks old I sort out the cockerels and less de- sirable pullets and push them off on the broiler market, realizing for these from the first two hatches from $5 to $6 per dozen. The pullets I push along as rapidly as possible, and by the first of June, when swarming begins, my young poultry requires very little exacting work. During the active season in the apiary my principal poultry work consists of filling orders for eggs and in car- ing for my breeding pens. By July 10 the shipping season is over, as is also the rush in the apiary. Then for the next summer's breeders I usually take off an extra hatch. The cockerels from these, together with the choicest from the last of the early hatches, are sufficient to supply my fall and winter trade for breeding stock, while the early pullets make my winter layers. But it will be noted that I do not sell in the general market anything except culls and broil- ers, and these bring me an extra price. Managed in this way my poultry yields me an income far ahead of that esti- mated for the general poultry keeper, and my bees fall nothing short of that obtained by others. Such a combination of these two industries would be particularly suitable for the woman without a family, and for the man who desires to make a living from rural pur- suits without incumbering himself with the management of a large farm. For one with 10 to 20 acres of land on the outskirts of some lively city, there would be no better com- bination than bees and poultry. Of course, a woman, to do all this, and do it with profit, must have some help now and then, but with the income from her enterprises at her com- mand she can well afford to hire such help as she needs, either outdoors or indoors, if she can get it. Viroqua, Wis. Mrs. Millie Honaker. Southern * 33eebom * Conducted by Lotus H. Scholi- New Braunfels, Tex. J Nourishment of Bees Some years ago Schoenfeld explained, by many micro- scopic researches and careful experiments, the way in which the different bees and parts of the colony are nour- ished, and Dr. von Planta has assisted him by his difficult chemical analyses. What these two scientists have found is so peculiar to the bees, and so important that we can truly say no dis- covery has been made, since the proof of the parthenogene- tic procreation of the drones, of more importance to bee-cul- ture. Nevertheless, this is nearly all neglected by the bee- keepers of our country ; and the worst of all is, bee-keepers generally dislike to read scientific articles. No doubt prog- ress in bee-culture can take place only as we understand the nature of the bee, and base our manipulations on this knowledge. As in other industries, a bee-keeper may gain practical results by following advice which is given like recipes in a cook-book ; but he can never make progress if he does not know why, and for what purpose, he manipu- lates in this and no other way. In searching for new ways he will be entirely in the dark, and will wander in many paths leading in the wrong direction. Good luck only may bring him success ; but with the light of proper knowledge at our disposal we shall easily see the proper way to attain success. I will now give the most important parts of Schoen- feld's discoveries. The nitrogenous food of the bees is pollen. By the young bees pollen and water are taken into the true stomach, in which digestion takes place. When the digestion is finished the indigestible parts of the food, such as pollen-shells, etc., are squeezed out of the true stomach by its own peculiar movement into the small intes- tine ; and in the true stomach remains the fully digested food— the chyle. This chyle has a white, milky appearance which is caused by a great number of small cells that origi- nate from the inner skin of the stomach, called " intima," and are identical with the blood-corpuscles of other animals. This chyle has now two ways for assimilation : It either passes the wall of the true stomach by diffusion, and is mixed with the blood, which, in the body of the bee, flows around all organs, nourishing the same, and from which every organ can take just those parts that are needed ; or it is regurgitated and fed to larva?, queen, drones, and even to older sisters under certain circumstances, and is assimi- lated in the same way in their body. The blood and the chyle are fully identical— the only difference is that blood surrounds the true stomach, and chyle is inside of it. So May 3, 191 6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 387 it is quite correct to say that the queen, for instance, is nourished by the blood of the worker-bees. If the contents of the stomach are regurgitated when the digestion is nearly completed, but when the pollen- shells are not separated as yet, we call this food "chyme." For the anatomy of all the organs necessary for digestion I refer to Cowan's " The Honey-Bee," the most complete ook we have as yet on these matters. When the pollen is gathered by the field-bees it is mixed with saliva, which soon causes some fermentation, and so the old field-bees take part in preparing the food for the whole colony. The second food of the bees is the honey (carbo-hydrate). It is prepared from the nectar of the plants in the honey- stomach, as here the acids of the saliva (which is mixed with the nectar when the bee sucks it from the corolla of the flower or from the cell in the mouth) change the cane- sugar of the nectar to invert sugar, which can readily be assimilated without further change. In the honey a small quantity of formic acid is found. This originates from the saliva, too, as the glands form it out of the blood. Some bee-keepers have believed that this formic acid is added to the honey by the bees purposely from the sting, but that is a mistake. Further, we know that the queen and the drones are for nitrogenous food entirely dependent upon the workers, which feed chyle to them in large quantities. Both are even unable to digest pollen at all. The drones, as is proven by experiment, if not fed by the worker-bees will get very weak, and will die in 3 days. The queen, too, can not live very long if net nourished by the workers. The queen and drones take honey out of the cells. The chyle is fed to larva; the first 3 days ; afterward chyme is fed to the worker- larvae ; but queen larva; are eutirely nourished by an abun- dance of chyle. The chyle and blood are composed of albumen — fat like substances — and sugar ; but the proportion of the composi- tion is somewhat different according to circumstances. This is a very important point for our later consideration. L. STACHBI.HAUSKN. ' Note. — I explained Schoenfeld's researches and dis- coveries more in detail in Gleanings for 1888, pages i45, 379, 388, and Prof. A. J. Cook added remarks to my article. I was the first one who made known these important facts to bee-keepers. L,. S. The above is only one of a series of articles to follow by our well-known Mr. L. Stachelhausen. In these he gives our readers, in his easy style, some important and interest- ing matter which they perhaps would not obtain if they had to " dig it out " of the scientific works in question. It is only too true that most of us bee-keepers do not like to read scientific articles. And even if some of us did, we could hardly do so with a clear understanding. There are too many "long words" and "scientific terms." There- fore, it should be highly appreciated if those who can do these things give it to us in such language as we can un- derstand. Such knowledge as is given in articles of this kind can be a great deal of help to bee-keepers. It will help them to go further than along the same ruts traveled by their an- cestors. Mr. Stachelhausen is right in saying that progress can not be made unless we know why we do things in cer- tain ways, except it comes by mere chance, or we stumble on it. The Weather and the Honey-Flows It is interesting to note how the weather, and other at- mospheric conditions, will influence the honey-flow or the secretion of nectar of different blooms. It would be still more interesting if we understood these matters better, then we could discuss them with better understanding. Those who have studied botany are well aware of what effect dif- ferent kinds of weather, heat or cold, dryness or moisture, etc., have upon the nectar-secreting glands of the flower of a plant. This is another reason why bee-keepers should be botanists more than they are. There are some things in connection with this subject that seem like a mystery to some of us. One of these has caused this question to be asked many times, " Why does cotton yield nectar some seasons and not in others, although the seasons seem to be as favorable in one as the other?" The same has been said about other honey-yielding plants. I have seen hundreds of acres of fine horsemint in full bloom, yet not a single bee could be found on it. In South- west Texas, where .huajilla (Acacia berlandieri Benth.) abounds, I have been told that in some seasons, and in cer- tain localities, it does not yield nectar, although covered with a profusion of bloom, and when the weather seemed favorable for the secretion of nectar. A little more infor- mation on such subjects as these would, I am sure, be of much interest. Who can tell us— who knows — something ] about these things ? Right along this line is a letter from Mr. H. C. Barnard, of Georgia, in which he says : I was much interested in what J. .1. Wilder said about the way the weather influences the honey-llow, on page 141. More observations and study on this subject would not be amiss. It would certainly be interesting to know why these thiogs happen, even if our knowing the " why " will have no effect on the honey-tlow. In this connection I wish to state that I am a Co-operative Ob- server of the U. S. Weather Bureau at this place, and it is easy for me to look over the records and see what kind of weather it was during a certain honey-now. The Co-operative observer gets no "money'' pay, but the records are of value to many, and the Weather Bureau sends him free several valuable publications. I have often wondered how many (if any) of the 3000 or more Co-operative Observers are bee-keepers. The Weather Bureau desires to have one Co-operative Observer in each county in the United States that has railroad facili- ties; so, brother bee-keepers (or sisters, either), if your county has no Co-operative Observer in it, and has railroad facilities, apply for the office and be of service to the Government and to yourselves, and help us learn some of the " whys " of bee-keeping. In those counties that already have Co-operative Observers (as Mr. Wilder's has) any one can examine the records by asking the Observer. =\ 2Ttr. pasty's Ctftcrtfyoiigfyts j The " Old Reliable" as seen through New and Unreliable Glasses. By E. E. Hasty, Sta. B. Rural, Toledo, Ohio. Caucasian Bees in West-Central Asia So West-Central Asia, 1000 miles in, has no bees of value except Caucasians, which have been brought there — probably not so very long ago. I don't wonder that Benton put in a (!) when he found modern frame hives there. Sus- pect that the beautiful view, " he mont Elbrous— Vues de Caucase," is not germane to Samarcand. where Mr. Benton penned the border, but simply Mount Elburz in the Cau- casus. A very saintly looking white mountain, anyway. Page 270. Dr. Miller vs. F. Greiner on T-Supers Dr. Miller takes out 10.C00 sections from the T-super without setting one to leaking. F. Greiner fails to take out 100 except a dozen or so leak. Why is this thus? May it not all result from Mr. G. having a super with the tins im- movable— all'ee same everlasting hills? Good plan to avoid loose pieces ; but some good plans get carried a vast distance too far. Page 271. Dadant's Few Swarms— Large Frames Getting over 6 tons of honey a year for two successive years, with only 5 swarms [seen] in all that time — at an out-apiary at that— was indeed a grand triumph for the Dadants. A skeptical chap might say that there were a dozen swarms that they didn't see; but what of it? We can well afford to let Dame Nature devour a dozen swarms plus S in return for such a splendid crop. Grant that a thousand swarms went to the woods, and still the 25,500 pounds of honey sell for precisely the same sum in cold cash. We are interested in knowing — " About the natur' of the place Ten miles beyond the end of space;'' and so we are glad to hear that the elder Dadant experi- mented with a frame 18 inches long and 18 inches high. A past-master of bee-art, full of enthusiasm for big frames, found it too big. So I guess we may consider that 18x18 is the end of space in that direction. How about the other direction ? Wonder if 10x5 would serve for Ultima Thule ? Page 271. Temperature Inside Winter Cluster of Bees Queer that the high-class bee-books which try to be ex- haustive all skip the temperature of the inside of the winter cluster. Mr. Doolittle fills the gap very ably indeed. 388 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. May 3, 1906 Varies from 62 to 66 degrees according to temperature out- side. Within those limits a change of IS degrees outside makes a change of 1 degree inside the cluster. Meantime the air adjacent the cluster, as near as the bulb can be held, is about 40 degrees — and less than 2 inches away depositing frost at 32 degrees. Shortly after being disturbed the in- side temperature runs right up from 60-odd to 87 degrees. The puzzle with which Mr. D. closes I'll guess off thus : The liveliest bees are of course well inside. When they hear a racket and think that duty calls them, they push to get out in all directions, and of course find it pretty hard pushing ; but (equally of course) those that push down find less resistance than do those that push sidewise and up- ward, and succeed better. Page 272. When Bees Gather Propolis Dr. Miller didn't accuse bees of bringing propolis from buckwheat while working on it; but a heedless beginner might, perhaps, infer that. My idea is that when a heavy honey-flow prevails propolis is scarcely brought in at all from any source. Warm weather and idleness conduce to propolis — and I suppose that buds secrete it more plenti- fully as the winter draws near. Presumably the only thing the buckwheat can be held to blame for is not furnishing nectar the latter half of the afternoon. That would leave our busy-bodies several unoccupied hours to hunt for stick- em-up. " Satan finds," etc. Still, I doubt a little whether they change their kinds of work so readily as that. Page 271. Winter Space Too Crowded With Bees So Harry Lathrop confesses (20 years after date) to fill- ing a little wintering space so nearly solid with SO hives of bees that bushels of bees came out and clustered in the upper corners. Some of the boys can better afford to note how this particular thing works than to try it themselves. " Eggsperiunce good skule tewishum hi." — Josh B. Page 277. Lubricant for Rietsche Foundation Press And alcohol 4 parts, water 3 parts, honey 3 parts, is about the formula for a lubricant to put on the Rietsche press, which makes foundation from melted wax. Wood alcohol is so very poisonous that I fear we would better not assume without proof that its use will do no harm. Or do the chemists assure us that it leaves nothing whatever be- hind when it evaporates? Adrian Getaz, page 278. (Ecmabtcm 4-Beebom-f =% Conducted by Morley Pettit, Villa Nova, Ont. J S. T. PETTIT Born in 1829, S. T. Pettit became a public school- teacher, a farmer, then a bee-keeper. In 1873 he founded " The Marble Apiaries " by purchasing a few hives of bees. About IS years later he leased his farms and became a spe- cialist bee-keeper. Throughout he made a hobby of some special line of his regular business. While farming it was prize Southdown sheep ; and as a bee-keeper it was fancy comb honey. While producing mostly extracted honey he developed the Pettit system of comb-honey production, based on ventilation, shade, packed cover to secure uniform temperature in the super, wedges, dividers, perforated sep- arators, etc. His many pet ideas could hardly be enume- rated, such as shade and upward ventilation to retard swarming ; wide top-bars ^-inch thick and accurately spaced to prevent bur-combs ; honey ripened by the bees before extracting ; special watering-place for bees with fresh water every day, etc., are only a few. Mr. Pettit spared no expense in securing the best build- ings and appliances. His honey-house, as well as his bee- cellar and work-shop, were perhaps the best built for the purpose in the Province at that time. Wintering bees commanded his most careful study. It was not enough that every hive should contain live bees in the spring, but the colonies must be strong enough to be ready for the extracting supers and to store a good surplus in fruit-bloom. He allowed natural swarming, considering the good first-swarms as best for comb honey. While actively engaged in bee-keeping, Mr. Pettit at- tended conventions, and read and contributed to bee-papers largely. He was at one time President of the Ontario Bee- Keepers' Association, and was delegated with 3 others to take a large consignment of honey from that Association to the Colonial and Indian Exhibition at London, England, in 1886. This was the beginning of the series of successful exhibits of honey which Ontario bee-keepers have sent to World's Fairs. He was also largely instrumental in secur- ing the first Dominion Pure Honey Law, about 12 years ago. In 1899 he sold his bees to his son, Morley Pettit, and removed to the town of Aylmer, Ont., where he now resides, devoting his attention to his latest hobby — fruit-growing and gardening. For a man of his age, Mr. Pettit is re- markably energetic, and enjoys riding his bicycle almost as much as he did 10 years ago. " Marble Apiary," near Belmont, when under the management of S. T. Pettit. The honey-house is in the center background. To the left is the shop nearly hidden by trees. The cellar i6 under the shop. The residence is to the right, and not shown in the picture. About one-third of the colonies were run for comb honey, and the balance for extracted honey. ^ i ^ Emptying: T-Supers by Gravitation On pages 160 and 271 may be found an interesting discussion be- tween Mr. GreiDer and Dr. Miller, and the merits and demerits of wide frames and T-supers. The Doctor's pictures on page 265, and description on page 271, make his way of emptying a T-super very clear. Allow me to say that is just the way I used to do it a good many years ago, but I found a better way — one thac saves the hard pushing process, and time. When you have a number of supers ready for pushing, as the Doctor describee, just go about something else for a time and let gravitation do the pushing. Bee-glue puts up a strong resistance to a quick motion, but to a steady pull it slackens, yields, and lets go, and the sections drop. Allow them to drop about % to % inch at first. Aylmer, Ont. S. T. Pettit. Father tells me I knocked over a super once upon a time, and when the sections fell out on the floor it taught him this wrinkle. Work in Harmony With the Farmers The following letter and editorial reply are copied from The Maple Leaf — a weekly newspaper published at Port Dover, in one of the best alsike regions in Canada : Value of Bees as Fertilizers of Blossoms. Mr. Editor: — At the last annual meeting of the Ontario Bee" Keepers' Association I introduced a resolution, which was carried, asking the Ontario Government to conduct experiments as to the value, or otherwise, of bees in fertilizing blossoms, such as large and small fruits, clover and buckwheat. Also for them to publish results and any information any one has to the effect that bee6 injure bloB- soms by working on them. Our Government official has expressed himself to the effect that there are already many experimer ts to show the great value of bees for this purpose, and that they have never been known to injure crops. I am anxious that these experiments should be conducted in Nor- folk, to demonstrate to the farmers the value, or otherwise, of bees. May 3, 1906 THE AME«ICAN BEE JOURNAL 389 Heretofore bees have largely been in the hands of people with whom it has been a side-issue, and who hare been more or less successful in wintering, and the number of bees for fertilizing proportionately un- certain. I want to work in harmony with the farmers, and they can depend upon bees for clover in the vicinities where they were last year, if there is any clover left. If they are satisfied of the value of bees for fertilizing their blossoms, they can put in more clover, etc., and if in other vicinities which are convenient, they want an apiary where there is not already an abundance of bees (for it takes many bees properly to fertilize the many blossoms) , they can write me and we may arrange. I would also like every interested person in Norfolk to write either to their representative in the Local House, or to the Hon. Nelson Monteith, Minister of Agriculture, Toronto, and ask that the above experiments be conducted in Norfolk county; that is, experiments showing the value, or otherwise, of bees in fertilizing blossoms. We want to know what will be the greatest good to the greatest number in this matter. R. F. Holtermann. Brantford, Ont., March 12. We fully endorse the remarks of our correspondent. Any farmer ■who has any claim to be up-to-date in his business should know that there is no better fertilizer of clover than the bees, and no better or cheaper fertilizer for the land than clover. Not only that, but with- out the bees we can not have anything like the crop of fruit the trees and land would produce with their aid. Many fruit-growers complain that growing fruit does not pay, whereas if they had a few colonies of bees in the orchard they would be surprised at the result. Instead of every farmer having them, the fact is very few, comparatively speak- ing, ever had them, or perhaps dropped out because some animal was stung, or one cold winter the bees, not being properly cared for, died. Every farmer and fruit-grower should keep them, even if he cares nothing about the bees or honey, simply because it would pay well to do so. We hope the suggestions of our correspondent will be carried out, and that the Agricultural College will soon issue an authoritative cir- cular on the matter. m — ^»- Fastening- Hives Tog-ether for Moving Mr. Holtermann has asked me to reply to the editorial comment (page 137) on crate staples for fastening bottom- boards. For my part, I would prefer some means of fastening bottom-boards without driving holes in them with staples or nails. When moving without supers I use the staples regularly because I know of nothing better. Mr. Holter- mann fastens bottom-boards at the back with a pair of hinges. These may have benefits which counteract their disadvantages, but I will not be real sure till I try them. In moving with supers on, I know of nothing safe but a lath fsxl'2 inches nailed up each side of the hive close to the front, and one up the middle of the back — 3 laths on each hive. Use 1^-inch nails, light weight, with flat head, and drive 2 in the bottom-board, 2 in the brood-chamber, and 2 in the super. I have seen the crate staples tried on supers, and con- sider them decidedly unsafe ; but with the lath and ordi- nary handling on wagons, or in freight or express cars, the bees go perfectly safe. Wintered Fairly Well— Late Season Bees have wintered fairly well. Clover, while badly injured by heaving, with good weather will yet be a medium crop. The season is late, the first pollen being gathered on April 17. J. L. Byer. Markham, Ont., April 19. Honey as a Health-Food. — This is a 16-page honey- pamphlet intended to help increase the demand for honey. The first part of it contains a short article on "Honey as Fcjod,'" written by Dr. C. C. Miller. It tells where to keep honey, how to liquefy it, etc. The last part is devoted to "Honey-Cooking Recipes" and "Remedies Using Honey." It should be widely circulated by those selling honey. The more the people are educated on the value and uses of honey, the more honey they will buy. Prices, prepaid — Sample copy for a two-cent stamp; 50 copies for 70 cts.; 100 for $1.25; 250 for $2.25; 500 for $4.00; or 1,000 for $7.50. Your business card printed free at the bottom of front page on all orders for 100 or more copies. Send all orders to the office of the American Bee Journal. =% Doctor miller's Question -> Box =j Send questions either to the office of the American Bee Journal, or to Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, 111. Dr. Miller does not answer Questions by mail. Italianizing Bees— Sweet Clover on Blue-Grass Ground 1. I have 5 colonies of hybrids whioh I intend to Italianize soon. Should I get 5-banded or clover queens? 2. Do you think that sweet clover will do well where the ground not under cultivation is covered with a thick stand of blue-grass and white clover? Indiana. Answers. — 1. That's a hard question to answer. There are 5- banded or golden queens that are excellent, and there are others not worth the powder to blow them up. Neither are all that are called red-clover queens alike, by any means. If you have plenty of red clover, and if you can get stock that has distinguished itself by work- ing on red clover, it will be to your advantage to get that kind, whether it is 3-band or 5-band stock. In general, perhaps there is as food chance of success with the 3-band stock— the kind that comes from Italy— as with any other kind. 2. Tee, if it once gets a start; but you'll find it hard to get a start in such a sod. If you sow when the ground is wet and soft, and then get a lot of cows or horses to tramp in the seed, you will be pretty sure to get a catch. Looks like pretty poor culture, but sweet clover seems to thrive on abuse. *-•-•- What Determines Kind and Sex of Bees? Does the 6ize and shape of the cell in which the bee is reared have anything to do with the kind and 6ex of the bee! or is it the food on which the larva is fed that determines the sex and kind of bee, as the eggs that bring forth the three kinds of bees are all laid by the one queen? West Virginia. Answer.— The sex of the bee depends upon whether the egg is fertilized or not. An unfertilized egg produces a drone, a fertilized egg a queen or worker. An unfertilized egg in a worker-cell can pro- duce only a drone; a fertilized egg in a drone-cell can produce only a worker or a queen. Under normal conditions only unfertilized eggs are found in drone-cells, and fertilized eggs in worker and quenn cells. The egg that produces a queen is precisely the same as one which pro- duces a worker ; only the cell is enlarged, and the bees feed it through- out its larval existence the richer food that is given to the worker larva during its first 3 days. Danzenbaker Hive-Shaken Swarms-ltallanlzlng Colo- nies—Rendering Wax See Langstroth Book Offer on another page of this copy of the American Bee Journal. 1. What do you think of the Danzenbaker hive? 2. Which smoker will suit me best— the Bingham or 20th Century ? 3. What is the shake-swarming method? 4. If I would get an Italian queen could I Italianize the re6t of my colonies with her? If so, how? 5. Does poultry catch bees? 6. Will combs in sections or frames drain thoroughly if un- capped? 7. What is the best way to render wax if no extractor is at hand? 8. Of the different styles of sections, with which do the bees store the most surplus, if any difference? I mean the narrow and tall, or the standard. Pennsylvania. Answers.— 1. I do not think it is as good as it is sometimes claimed to be. I do not like it as well as the dovetailed. 2. I don't know. 3. Here's the way to shake a swarm: Set the hive off its stand and put in its place a hive containing empty combs or frames filled with foundation. Take the frames of brood and bees one after another out of the hive, and shake the bees into the new hive. Thus you have a 6haken swarm. As to the disposal of the frames of brood, you may leave enough bees on them to take care of the brood, setting the hive on a new stand and giving it a queen or queen-cell; or you may brush the combs clean of bees and distribute them to colonies in need of them. 4. Xes; get the queen introduced and established in a full colony, and a week after she has begun to lay, weather and harvest being favorable, j ou are ready to begin operations looking toward the Ital- ianization of your remaining colonies. There are different way6 of proceeding. One is to rear queens, as described in your bee-book, allowing each nucleus to have a queen and then building up each nucleus to a full colony. One of the easiest ways to do this is to take from your Italian colony 2 or 3 frames of brood and bees with its queen, putting the same in an empty hive and setting it on a new stand, with its entrance plugged with leaves or grass, to be opened 2 390 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 3. 19(6 or 3 days later. (Don't think of doing this till the season has fairly opened, the colony strong, and bees gathering well from the flowers everyday.) A week later let the 2 hives swap places. In the queen- less hive you ought now to find a lot of queen-cells, each cell contain- ing a young princess of the desired blood. You may reasonably ex- pect at least 5 to 10 such cells, and 2 or 3 day6 prior to this time you may have removed the queens from perhaps 5 colonies. To each one of these 5 colonies you may how give one of the cells in question, with' the reasonable expectation of its maturing into a queen of superior' blood. Whether it shall produce worker progeny of pure blood or hybrids depends upon whether the young queen mates with an Italian or a black drone, the chances being largely in favor of its being a black drone if black bees predominate in the neighborhood. An easier way can be used, if you are satisfied to Italianize only half a dozen or so colonies. Give your Italian colony sealed brood from other colonies, swapping these frames of sealed brood for frames not so well tilled. This for the purpose of making the colony so strong- that it shall be the first to swarm. When it swarms, set the swarm on' the old stand, and put the stump (or mother colony) in place of the next strongest colony in the yard, setting this strongest colony in a new place. When the stump swarms again, which it will do' in 8- days or so, set the swarm in its place, and put it in place of the next strongest colony, and continue doing this as long as it continues send- ing out a swarm. 5. The general testimony is that poultry will eat drones but not workers. 6. No. T. One of the easiest ways for a small amount is to put the pieces of comb to be melted into a dripping-pan and.putit in the oven of a cook-stove. Keep the oven-door open, have one corner of the pan split open, and have this corner project outside, with a dish under it to catch the melted wax. A little stone, or something of the kind, should be under the pan at the. corner farthest inside, so the wax will run down-hill to the open corner. 8. Probably no difference. Use of Queen-Excluding Zinc Tan Bark for Bee-Yard and Walks 1. We have a flve-sixteenths bee-space above the frames, and do not allow the zinc to ' sag " as you suggest. We split slivers of lath and lay 2 or 3 small pieces across the tops of the frames to hold the zinc- excluder up. Of course, the zinc costs high when used the full size if the hive „ cm,*,. H][vc? .i».iv« iuc tops ui tne irames to noia tne zin< r up. Of course, the zinc costs high when used the full size i }■, but I want to give the bees all the chance there is. ^. .riend of mine, who, I .judge, economizes at the wrong ent uses on some of his hives only one-third of perforated zinc, aud oilier two-thirds of cheap unperforated tin. 1 think this is ba< g end, tne bad for honey-production, and I could not be induced to use it on a hive of mine, and should like to know what you thick of it. Don't be afraid to tell all you know, and even what you think may bring out what some one else knows. 2. Does not the continued passing of the bees through the zinc tend to wear out their wings and thus shorten their lives? I 6aw something in your answers about gravel for walks. About as nice a thing as I remember for the purpose, was long ago when this was a country for tanning with hemlock bark, and in a bee-yard the walks and hive-stands were of " spent " or used tan-bark. I suppose there were no " smokers " in those days to 6et it on fire with a spark, which might happen in a dry time. Whether it kept down the grass mechanically like the gravel, or whether there remained anything in it chemically injurious to vegetation, I could not say. Ontario. Answers.— 1. So far as concerns passing back and forth, one- third of the space is more than sufficient; but bees de better to be, so far as possible, all in one compartment, their inclination being to form a single cluster, and the separation made by having so much as two- thirds of the brood-chamber covered either by wood or tin is certainly objectionable. The objection is greater when working for comb honey, the difference in the work being plainly seen in the Parts thus cut off from direct communication with the brood-chamber. The full sheet of zinc, as used by you, offers the least obstruction possible in the use of an excluder. 2. I hardly think the weiring of the wings by the zinc is a serious matter. But even if it was, it isn't a matter of any consequence to producers of comb honey, for in their regular work they have no need of excluders ; and so good a bee-keeper as C. P. Dadant says he has no use fcr an excluder for a colony producing extracted honey. Is Smartweed Honey Peppery? Will honey gathered from smartweed be strong in taste like pep- per? Last year the honey gathered in the fall was so strong after be- ing swallowed that it would burn the throat for 2 or 3 hours. Smart- weed was plentiful. Texas. Answer — The general run of what is called smartweed honey will not smart your mouth at all. But the plant from which it is gathered hardly ought to be called smartweed, for if you chew the leaves it will not smart ynur mouth any more than to chew so much lettuce. It also goes by the name of heartsease — the better name; the botanical name being Persicaria mite. Persiearia punctatum is the real smartweed, and if you chew a leaf of that you'll wish you had let it alone. I don't know about the honey from this, whether it is acrid or not. but it is possible. Will some one who knows please tell us about it; l| Keporis anb | (Experiences I Awful Winter on Bees. This has been an awful winter on bees, some losing all they bad. I saved all of mine, thanks to the American Bee Journal. |.\ p. Daum. Clinton, Mo., April 16. Clover Seems All It is lit. I have 32 colonies of bees, having put 35 into the .■■•liar. I united 3 with stronger ones this spring. Clover seems to have wintered all right in this part of the state. Will Arbuthnot. Woodman, Wis., April 11. Poor Crop In 1003. I have- in colonies and bought 11 more, making 27 in all. By putting the weak colbfiies on top of the strong ones I lost halt' of my queens. I had 200 pounds of honey from 16 colonies, spring count, ami no increase. The crop was poor here. It was too cold and wet. A. L. Oliver. Ronncby, Minn., April s. Heavy Loss in Wintering. You may put in "blasted hopes," but I shall not stay there long, for this is not the first lime in my experience. I had So colonies last fall. I now have 30. They are very weak. I am feeding them every day. So you see I lost 55 colonies during the winter, from star- vation. Nearly all the bees in this neighborhood have died. I will buy some bees in box-hives and try it again. I don't know how Mr. Stone's bees wintered, but I think they did better than mine, for he had some sweet clover in his neighborhood. C. Becker. Pleasant Plains, 111., April 12. Eees Not in Good Condition. Bees in this locality are not in very good condition this spring, caused mainly from lack of sufficient honey ood quality to winter on. I would place iho loss up to this time at from 1" to 50 per cent. The prospect for white clover is from fair to good. H. G. Wykoff. Norwalk, Iowa, April 13. A Variable Spring. Wintry April — then a little taste of sultry, hot summer — now blowing cold again. The present prospect is that I shall lose some colonies of bees, but that the loss will not be great. Quite a number, however, will not be as strong as they should be. B. E. Hasty. Toledo, Ohio, April 14. colonies and have always wintered - them on the summer stands, and have not had any freeze or starve since we have had them. The last three years have been poor for honey, as it has been too wet. But, thanks to the American Bee Journal, by following its advice we have had more honey than tin- bee-keepers who let the bees take- ran- of thems i es. 10. L. McClaskey. Girard, Kan., April 6. Away Down in Florida. The climate here is fine, and it is a great bee-rountry. Bees are doing well here; they are storing some honey. We had frost one morning last week ami one this week. The first swarm issued on .Match 16. We have had 5 till together so far. I am working in i lie apiary of S. S. Alderman, of We- wahltohka. We have had considerable rain. Peaches are as big as the end of your finger. L. A. Cameron. Dalkieth, Fla., April 4. Dees Making Tilings Hum. This is about the first real nice day we have had this spring. The bees ar. making tilings hum. We have 14 Good Results in Wintering. On November _::, l!ti.ir>, I put 96 colo- nies into the cellar and 47 in an out- shed. I lost only 2 in the shed, and those I knew would not winter. I took them out last week, and they are all in good condition and strong' in bees. After I put them in I never looked at them until I took them out. They were piled up on top of each other in both places, with bottom-boards and honey-boards on the same as they are out for summer, and I believe that is good wintering. We tire having a backward spring here. Out I hope it will open up soon, and that the bee-keepers will have a S'ood season Wm. J. Healy. Mineral Point, Wis., April 9. CONVENTION NOTICE. Western Illinois — The semi-annual meet- ing of the Western Illinois Bee-Keepers' As- sociation will be held in the County Court Room, in Galesburg, on Wednesday, May Ifi, commencing at 9 am. and lastiog all day. Messrs. C. P. Dadant and J. Q Smith have promised to be present and contribute to the success of the meeting. .Our meetings have been good, but we hope to make this one bet- ter. Galesburg has good train-service, and all bee-keepers in this part of the State should not fail to come. Come, and bring your wives- with you. E. D. Woods, Sec. Galesburg, 111. May 3, '.'-i 6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 391 We Have a -Plan That Will SAVE YOU FROM $50 TO $250 EVERY YEAR Do you want to save from 10 per cent to JO per cent on everything you buy tor the farm an I home:' Then write today for our piano! co-o] tive buying. Hundreds oi farmer's families are saving from $50 to $250 a year on their supplii s since they began buy ing this way. Co-operation is the poor man's friend-it's the only way thai he can overcome trusts and combines which to control everything he uses. By our plan you become independent of all trusts -you bin i save all middlemen's profitsand share in the profits of the business by getting your supplies at cost. md a letter to learn all about ilan if you like the plan, join with us and b"t;in to get benefits I ou cannot lose a cent. It is only as we i I vergetahead. today- take the first step by writing for this plan. Add Co-operative Society of the National Supply Co. Lansing, Mien. Chicago, III. Etablissement d'apiculture Mont-Jovet Ai.itEKTvir.i.E. Prance. Official purveyor <>t the U.S. Government. We snpply also Imported Caucasian Queens. Sale arri- val gnarante .'ASIAN CM-KENS. 1 C 1 L> Select Untested Queens $>.O0 fll Select Tested Vneens 2.50 U.C0 25.00 Italian yrEENS. l 6 12 Select Untesti a Queens tun - i.50 flU.un Select Tested ne i.-^.a 7. an 12.S0 Full rates mi application. Blngllsh correspondence. 14C4t Please mention the Bee Journal. In Its Twenty-eighth Year The RuraTGailtornlan 6 Months 25c. A large monthly magazine devoted to Agricul- tural, Horticultural and rural pursuits, showing the ■wonderful development of the Pacific Coast. Beau- tit ully illustrated, well edited and artisth ally printed on fine book paper. An encyclopedia of in- formation for colonists. Address, THE RURAL CALIF0RNIAN Rooms 6 and 7 Temple Block, ICtf LOS ANGBLBS, CALIF. Please mention Bee Journal when wrttlne Advertisers. The Rietsche Press Made of artificial stone. Practically inde- structible, and (riving entirely satisfactory re- sults. Comb foundation mads easily aud qui-.kly at lesstbau half the cost of buying from tb- dealers. Price of Press, $1.50 — casb with order Address, ADRIAN GETAZ, 4SAtf KNOXVILLE, TF.NN. B"].G. Gooduer, of this State, writes me that he M pr. fers to pay $25 CO for a Rietsche Press raiher than do without it." — A. G. Queen-Clipping Device Free! The Monette Queen-Clipping Device is a fine thing for use ia catching and clipping Queens' wings. It is used by many bee- keepers. Full printed directions sent with each one. We mail it for 35cents; or will send it FREE as a premium for sending us One New subscriber to the Bee Journal Ifor a year at $1.00; or for 81.10 we will mail the Bee Journal one year and the Clipping Device. Address, CIEORUE W. YORK & CO., - CHICAGO, ILL. Everything1 for the Apiary Wholesale Agents for G.B. Lewis Co. Dadant's Foundation BUY NOW— TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE DISCOUNT. SEND US YOUR ORDERS. LOUIS HANSSEN'S SONS DAVENPORT, IOWA Seed-Time and Harvest) is an illustrated Monthly Journal for country homes. It is known everywhere as the Great '•Home Industry" Monthly. It is a "Peri- odical with a I'urpose." Its mission is "Teach Independence Through Home Employment." Only 25 cents per year ; none free. Seed-Time & Harvest PuD. 60. Dept. 208, Scranton, Pa. 45Ctf Please mention the Bee Journal. BARNES' FOOT POWER MACHINERY Read what J. I. PARENT,of ' Charlton, N. Y., says: " We cut with one of your Com- bined Machines, last wiuter- 50 chaff hives with 7-in. cap, 100 honey racks, 500 brood, frames, 2,000 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 it with this Saw. It will do all you say it will." Catalog and price-list free. Address, W. F. & John Barnes, 995 Ruby St., Rockford, 111. Mention Dee Journal when writing. A 40-page Catalog' li-ee The latest work on ltl-:i-> SfIPM.IKN.Hives,Fix- tures, Etc. Italian Bees and Queens. If interested in bees, do not fail to write us. John Nebel &Son Supply Co., hirjh Hill, Mo. 6Ctf Please mention the Bee Journal. We Sell Root's Goods in Michigan Let us quote you prices on Sections, Uives, Foundation, etc., as we can save you time and freight. Beeswax Wanted for Cash M. H. HUNT & SON, Bell Branch, Waynb lo., Mich 1-3 ' 60(11 3? tin, "S8, *S£8I P.1M B ' — Never Go Out 5" 3 'And last from 6 to 21 years oo Otisville, Pa., Jan. 18, 1904. Dear Sir:— I have tried almost everything in the smoker line; 3 in the last 3 years. In short If I want any more smokers your new style 1b good enough for me. I thank the editor of Re- view for what he said of it. Those remarks In. dnced me to get mine. Frbd Fodner. Mention Dee Journal when writing. "The < oiilinuous advertiser gets the bulk of the business, because others are not adver- tising, and he is." 392 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 3, 1906 Increased Business Compels Larger Space So we have just doubled our capacity in the buildiog at 141 Ontario Street, where we carry a full line of POULTRY SUPPLIES and I CUIIC POPULAR Lb If ID BEEWARE Catalogs on application. Orders tilled promptly at Factory Prices. Beeswax wanted — 2Sc cash or 30c in trade. Italian Bees in modern hives with select Queens for sale. Also Pure Italian Queens. SPECIAL OFFER ON BEE-SUPPLY ORDERS Until June 1, 1906, we will give free, on each order for bee-supplies amounting to $10 or over, a choice of one of the following: A Bingham Doctor Smoker; a Bingham Honey-Knife; or a year's subscription to the Weekly American Bee Journal. AND BEE flfl SUPPLY UUi H. M. ARND, MSR. (Not Inc. 141 Ontario St., CHICAGO, ILL. (Phone North 1559.) YORK HONEY Michigan Distributors FOR Q. B. Lewis Cos BEEWARE Dadant's Foundation WITH an enormous stock, and the best ship- ping point in Michigan, we are in a posi- tion to give you the very best service. Advanced Bee-Veil. (lord arrangement, abso- lutely bee-proof, best on earth. Made of im- ported French tulle veiling. Cotton, with silk face, 50 cents, postpaid. Platteville. Wis., April 14, 19T6. A. G. Woodman G> and Rii^ids, Mich. Dear Sir: — Your Advanced bee-veil just received, and is as advertised— the best on the market. Find enclosure for 10 more veils. Yours truly, N. E. France. BEESWAX WANTED A. G. WOODMAN CO., Grand Rapids, Mich. Everything for the Bee Keeper will be found in our Illustrated Catalogue No. 40. It contains a full line of Hives, Supers, Followers, Sections, Section Holders, Frames, Extractors, Smokers, etc. All these and many other essentials are manufactured by us. Everything; is guaranteed to be right and of best quality. Our prices are so reasonable that any bee keeper may afford the best supplies. We cannot tell you here of all the good things in this book. Better send for a copy today. We mail it free, to- gether with a copy of the Progressive Bee Keeper, a splendid monthly publication devoted to bee interns. It will help you start right and keep you right after you are started. It is invaluable as an aid to every bee keeper. Ask for the paper and the book. We Sell the Best Incubators and Brooders. Delivered at your station, prices the lowest. Write us at once and save money. Address LEAHY MFG. CO., 10 Talmage St., Higginsville, Mo. Branches at Omaha, Neb. and East St. Louis, I1L Mention Bee Journal when writing. Last Chance Your choice of any two of the following and the Modern Farmer 1 Year for only $ .25: Pearson's, Cosmopolitan, Gleanings in Bee- Culture, Western Fruit Grower, American Boy, or Kansas Farmer. For $1.30, Woman's Home Companion. Bryan's Commoner, or American Bee Journal (New only). Write for Other Clubs. You will need to do this QUICKLY. THE flODERN FARHER, ST. JOSEPH, MO. GREAT SALE OF Hives, Sections, Etc. To reduce my stock 1 will sell No. 1 White Polished Sections at S3 90; No. 2, $3 40- all sizes; plain. 25c less per 1000. Best White Pine Dovetail Hives, S-frame, 1%-story, $1.30; 10-frame, $L45. Great reduction in Smokers, Foundation, and all Apiarian Supplies. 24-lb. Shipping Cases, very nice, 13c; Quart Berry Baskets, $2.75 per 1000. Send for free Catalog. W. D. SOPER. H.F.D3. Jacks on. MICH. 14Etf Please mention the Bee Journal. 28 Years a (Jncen-Breeiler Have shipped Queens to nearly all countries on the globe. Italian and Cau- casian, both in sepa- rate yards. Circular free. The Wood Bee-Hive Company LANSING, MICH. Mention Bee Journal when writing. fc CACTUS CULTURE for amateurs, 80 pagespro- fusely illust*. and describing 500 varieties cf rarest Cacti and Succulents. < Just pub. price 25 cents. Living Rock Cactus, 25c. Old Man Cactus (genuine) 50c. E. Mulleri (like cut) 10c. 10 nice Cacti, $1.00, postpaid. 40-page catalogue of 500 var* and a nice little sample Cactus, 10c. Circular free. The Callander Cactus Co., Dept. 4 . Springfield, Ohio. Successful Poultry Journal FRANK HECK. Editor. Subscription Price so cents per Year. Write for Advertising Rates. The most prominent and successful, practica poultrymen write for the Successful Poultry Jour nal, and tell how they build their houses, mate their fowls, manage their incubators, feed both young and old— and, in fact, tell how they succeed and make money. Send for sample copy. SUCCESSFUL POULTRY JOURNAL lCtf 355 Dearborn St., CHICAGO, ILL. PETS If you are interested In Pigeons, Rabbits, Cavies, Dogs, Cats, Birds or Pets of any kind, you should send for a tree sample of PET STOCK. It's the Best Pub- lication ot its kind in America. Has a national circulation, and it's only 50c a year. Address, PET STOCK, 40Ctf Box 20, YORK, PA. May 3, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 393 Italian and Caucasian BEES, QUEENS, AND INUCLEi Choice hi me-bred add Im- ported stock. AM Queens reared in full colonies. Prices of Italians In MAY : Oje Untested Oueen $1.10 •• Tested Quern ISO " Select le&led Queen 165 ** Bn edinp Queeu 2.75 1-comb nucleus (no queen) 1.15 I •■ •* M 2 00 3 " " " 3 03 Untested in Mav; all otheis ready now from last season's rearing. Safe arrival guar- anteed. For prices on Caucasians and 1 irger quanti- ties, and description of each gra^** of queeos, send for free catalog. J. L. STRONG IbAtf 204 E. Logan St., Clarlnda, Iowa. Mention Bee Journal when writing- CAUCASIAN QUEENS! Caucasian Bees are very gentle. They are easy to handle and are, therefore, suited 10 be- ginners, timid bee-keepers and to those who keep bees in town. If you want to try this race, or if you want to imp-ove the stock « f your Ital- ian Bees, write to ROBERT B. McCAIN, 2Atf YORKVILLE. ILL. R. F. D. Bees, Queens and Bee-Supplies We manufacture standard dovetailed bee- hives and supplies, cheaper than you ever bought before. Our Queens and Bees stand at the head in quality. Untested, "5c each ; $4.25 for 6, or $8 per doz Tested. $1.25 each ; $12 per doz. Select Tested, $1 50. Special prices to dealers in large lots on application. State Agents for Dittmer's Foundation. Catalog free. THE BEE & HONEY COMPANY (Will Atchley, Prop.) Beevllle. Bee Co., Texas. Mention Bee Journal when wrltlns. For Queens -££fe- He will furnish at the same, prices as last year: Tested, $1; Untested, 7r>e ; 5 for $3.25; 10 for $6; 15 for $8.25; 25 for $12.50; 100 for $45. He breeds Goldens, Carniolans, and 3- Band Italians. Also 1. 2, and 3 frame Nuclei and full colonies. Prices given on applica- tion. Pharr pays the freight, and guarantees satisfaction on all Queens. To do justice and judgment is more acceptable with the Lord than sacrifice. — (Prov. 3:21.) 5Atf Rose Lawn Queens Italians— Caucasians— Carniolans Line bred from individual types for color, gentleness and huney-producing. A scientific queen-rearing plant; standard prices and fair dealing. Our " Pure Gold " strain of Ital- ians are unsurpassed for gentleness and fer- tility. We offer be6l facilities for prompt shipment to the Middle West. Send for cat- alog. ROSE LAWN APIARIES, Frank G. Odbll, Proprietor, 1335 North 24th St., LINCOLN, NEB. 15Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. QUEENS- Be6t 3-band Italian— 1 Untested Queen, 75c; 6 for $4; 12 for $7.25. One 2 frame Nucleus with Queen, $2.25; 10 in one bunch, $17 50. LUTHER PRESSWOOD, 6E7t RELIANCE, TENN. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Aiiftiine A fioe Honey-Gathering Strain of wutibiKX Italians and Carniolans, at 75 cents each; 3 for $2; 6 for $3.50; or $6.50 per dozen, for Untested. Tested, $1 each, or $10 a dozen. GEORGE W. BARNES. 17A26t 138 N. Pleasant St., Norwalk, Ohio. "If Goods are wanted Quick, send to Pouder " BEE-SUPPLIES gufc Root's Goods at Root's rrioes Everything- used by Bee-Keepers. POUDER'S HONEY-JARS. Prompt Service. Low Freight Rates. .-. .-. .•. Catalog Free. i BEESWAX WANTED • I pay highest market price for beeswax, delivered here, at any time, cash or , trade. Make small shipments by express; large shipments by freight, always being l sure to attach your Dame to the package. My large illustrated catalog is free. I [ shall be glad to send it to you. WALTER S. POIIDER, . 513-515 Massachusetts Ave., INDIANAPOLIS, IND. Mention Bee Journal when writing:. A GOOD BEE-HIVE Is made of the best grade of White Pine, accurately cut, so it will go together without the uee of tools, except a hammer. Such is the kind of Hives we make, at d such is the kind you get when you buy from us. " It is a cinch " that we make lower prices than you can get from any dealer, as you save the middleman's profit when you buy direct from the manufacturer. We are Manufacturers, and sell direct to the consumer. Send us a list of your wants, and let us make you prices. We guarantee everything we sell to be satisfactory, or refund the money. We have large stocks of Dovetailed Hives, Sections, Shipping-Cases, Foun- dation, Veils, Smokers, etc., on hand, and can ship promptly. Minnesota Bee-Supply 60., Power Blilff., No. 33. JOHN DOLL & SON. PROPRIETORS MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. i^^^MM^W^rM^rM-^^^^^^IMffil^^^jS Bee-Keepers' Supplies Lewis' Famous Bee-Hives and Sections, Root's Smokers and Extractors Dadant's Comb Foundation, Etc., Queen Bees and Nuclei in Season! Large and complete stock, prompt service. We meet all competition who will furnish first-class goods. INCUBATORS AND BROODERS We carry a complete stock of " Mandy Lee " Incubators and Brooders. Don't fail to investigate these machines. The more you know about incubation the more you will like the "Mandy Lee" Incubator. The "Mandy Lee Brooder " is a complete old hen, all but the "cluck." Our free incubator cat- alog describes them. C. M. SCOTT & CO. ISgfA^A9PToLflH„?r5REi; ** +* Mention Bee Journal when writing. 394 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, May 3 1 >r>6 CHARLES MONDENG SECTION MACHINE is covered by two Patents. With this wonderful inven- tion the cost of making Sections may be reduced to $1.15 per 1000. If such Machine will interest you, write for further information. Do not write about it unless you mean business. BEE-SUPPLIES^£QUEENS My Catalog for 1906 is now ready for distribution. I am the Northern Headquarters for Adel Queens and Bees, and good, honest Bee-Keepers' Supplies. If you have not received my Catalog, write for it. Address, CHARLES MONDENG, ISO NEWTON AVE., N., MINNEAPOLIS, 3WTIN1ST. Mention Bee Journal when writlnc. I . BEE-KEEPERS W& Send for our 1906 Free Illustrated Catalog. Good Goods, Low Prices ww and Prompt Shipments are what you get if \ ou send your orders to— £t PAGE & LYON MFG. CO. |$ New London, Wis Mention Bee Journal when writing. l mi m § Hi Have You Passed the Experimental Stage? PMost bee-keepers have been convinced that when time an J material are figured, it pays to buy hives, and the best is not only as cheap, but— The Best is the Cheapest ! The Elgin Hive excels in many ways— no Dails to drive— no dovetails— can be taken apart at any time. Many are using them. You should be. Write to-day for catalog, etc. We sell full line of SUPPLIES. The National Supply Co. ELGIN, ILL. fc2»*. BEE-SUPPLIES I KRET6HMER MFG. 60., Council Bluffs, Iowa, g We rranufacture everything needed in the Apiary, and carry a large stock and greatest variety. We assure you the best goods at LOWEST PRICES and our excellent freight facilities enable us to make prompt shipments over 15 dif- ferent roads, thereby saving you excessive freight charges as well as time and worry in having goods transferred and damaged. We make the Alternating, Massie, Langstroth and the Dovetail Hives Our prices are very reasonable, and to convince you of such we will mail you our free illustrated and descriptive catalog and price-li6t upon request. We want every bee keeper to have our Catalog. SPECIAL DISCOUNTS now. Write to-day. Address, Muscatine Produce Co., Muscatine, Iowa. Truster Supply Co., 103 S. 11th Street, Lincoln, Neb. Shugart-Ouran Seed Co., Council Bluffs, Iowa. T. B. Vallette & Son, Salina, Kau. Catalogs issued in English or German. Mention Bee Journal when wrldiit Present Bros. & Alex. Toman IMPORTERS OF Prime Original Carniolan Alpine Bees 571 Throop St., CHICAGO, ILL. All our Bees are imported directlv from our own apiary, situated among the Julian Alps in Carniola, Austria. Orders will be hooked in rotation. 17A2t FOR SALE 50 Colonies of Italian and Carniolan Bees in 8-fram'e hive6. all nearly new and all in good condition Ooe colony, $5.50; from 5 to 10 colonies, *5 each. WM. J. HEALT, ltiAot Mineral Point, Wisconsin Mention Bee Journal when writing. Italian Bm»s for Sale We can furnish Nuclei and full colonies of Italian Kees (f.o.b. 100 miles west of Chicago by express-) at these prices: FULL COLONIES in 8 frame hives, $5 £0eacb; ia lois «f 5 t in .re at one time, iS.ZS each . bull colonies in 10 frame hives, $6 each; in ljts of 5 or mute at one time, $5.75 ea.h. Nuclei 3 fram?) with Tested Queen, $>.:.- each; iul^isoi 5ortU'jieat one time, J3 each. (Nuclei ready forrelivery about May 10; Full Colonies any time now.) Orders filled in lota- , lion. Address, GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 33* Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, ILL. 3Fra«e Mri ifl MAY, Strong with brood and bees, with a good Queen— S3 50 each. G. W. GATES, 18A3t BAKTLETT, TENN. For Sale— 15 Colonies c f bees, and eotire fixtures, in 8 and 10 frame hives. Cheap. Reas. n for selling, o:d age. H. SCHOFF. 223 Ontario Street, OaK PARK, ILL. Bees For Sale 100 colonies of Bees for sale cheap in 10-frama L. hives. All frames are worked out on full sheets of hsavy foundation. 100 all zinc queen- excluding Honey-Boards. Queen and Drone Traps, Smokers, 1 and 2 pound Section?, Heft" man self-spacing Frames, etc. Address, G. PROCMNOW, l8A6t MAYVILLB, WIS. EVERYBODY WANTS PUBLISHED WEEKLY FOR TME BREEDER AND FARMER. Recognized authority on Breeding, Feeding, Man- agement and the Improved Breeds of Stock. Spcci.il Departments for Draft and Coach Horses, The Beef and Dairy Breeds of Cattle, Sheep, Swine, Poultry and the Dairy, By able Live Stoc't Writers and Breeders, with the best trora Home and Foreign papers of the world's progress in Live Stock Husbandry. Our Live Stoi-k Market Report is unequaled. II indfomely printed and illustrated. No Stock Farmer can nfford to do without It. Published weekly. Subscription price only $1.00. Agents wanted in every county. Write for sample copy. Address THE LIVE 394 E. STOCK JOURNAL 65th ST. CHICAGO May 3, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 395 Excellent) Goods Lowest Prices OF ALL KINDS ESTABLISHED 25 YEARS We have published THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER for 16 years (monthly, 50c a year.) The largest and best il- lustrated magazine of its kind for the price published. Edited by two of the most experienced bee - keepers in America. Sample copy free. Our large, illustrated Price-List of Supplies free on application. Address, The W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co. JAHESTOWN, N. Y. Mention Bee Journal when writing. f)oney cmb Chicago, April 20.— There is very little comb honey on the market, and as usual at this sea- son of the year the demand is very limited. There is nu change in the prices obtainable from recent quotations. Choice white comb will bring 15c when wanted; other grades are of uncertain value, ranging from I0@14c per pound. Choice white extracted, 6^>@7c; amoer grades, 5!^@6!^c. Beeswax, 30c per pound. R. A. Burnett & Co. Toledo, Feb. 19.— The market for comb honey has been better for the past two weeks than at any time during tbe past season. Prices are firm on account of the. scarcity. We are getting 15@16c for fancy white clover; 14@15c tor No. 1, and 13314c lor amber. Buckwheat, 13c. Extracted honey is in good demand at following prices: Whiie clover in barrels brings b%@~c. amber, 5}£@5$6c; in cane every grade from l@lHc higher. Beeswax is firm and in good demand at 2S and 30c. The above are onr selling prices, not w hat we pay. Griggs Bros. Indianapolis, March 24— Fancy white clover comb brings 16c; No. 1, 14c; demand exceeds the supply; fancy white western comb brings 14h.j 15c; amber grades in poor demand at 12c Best grade of extracted honey brings %hi<&9c in 60-pound cans; amber, 6c. Good average bees- wax sells here for $33 per ICO pounds. Walter S. Pouder. Philadelphia. April 23.— The season is now so far advanced that there is very little call for comb honey; not enough sales to fix a price. Some little' odd lots, parties are selling at the best offers they can get. Extracted honey, for fancy grades, is also low. Medium and low grades are in abundance. We quote: Fancy white, 7@8c; amber, 6@7c; dark, 5c 6c. We are producers of honey and do not handle on commission. Wm. A. Selsek. New York, March 1°,— Demand for comb honey is fair, especially for the better grades, and fancy white is selling at from 14(a>l5c; No. l. 13c; light amber, ll@12c; no more demand for dark comb honey. Extracted is in good de- mand, mostly California, at unchanged prices. Beeswax is firm a* from 29@31c, according to in' ty HildrethMc Srgelken. Headquarters for Bee-Supplies Complete Stock for 1906 now on hand. Bee- Supplies g FREIGHT- RATES FROM CINCINNATI are the LOWEST, ESPECIALLY for the SOUTH as 'most all freight now goes through Cincinnati. Prompt Service is what I practice. You will Satisfaction Guaranteed. SAVE MOREY BUYING FROM ME. SEfoVSSSS? free' Let me ^^ ^TT^^TT^T^T^?! bred in separate apiaries, book your II I I- ' B" . |\l ^ the tiOLDEN ITER. Order for Vf, \J UUll KJ LOWS, < A K\IO- ■.A.TiS, RED CLOVERS and CAUCASIANS. For prices, refer to my catalog, page 29. C. H.W.WEBER C=T Office and Salesrooms, 2146-48 Central Ave. Warehouses. Freeman and Central Aves. Cincinnati, April 4— There is no material change in the honey market since onr last re- port. The demand does not come up to expec- tations, which, in all probability, is due to the inclement weather of the past month. Wecon- tinue to quote amber in barrels at 5J4@t»J^c. Fancy white in crates of two 601b. cans at 65£@8MjC Choice jellow beeswax 30c. delivered here. The Fred W. Muth Co. Denver, Feb. 5 —Owing to the mild weather the demand for honey has not been as good as usual at this time of year. We are quoting strictly No. 1 white alfalfa comb boney at $3.35 to $3.75 per case of 24 sections: off grade and light amber at $3 to ?3.30. White extracted alfalfa in 60-pound cans, T^itgSSc; light amber, 6^@7J£c. Beeswax. 24c for clean yellow. The Colo. Honey-Producers' Assn. Kansas City, April 21.— Receipts of comb honey are light, as is also the demand on both comb and extracted. We quote fancy white, 24- section cases at$3to$3.25: No. 2,24 section, $2 75. Extracted, amber, 5(a5Hc; white, 6@6Jic. Bees- wax, 25c per pound. C C.Clbmons & Co. Cincinnati, March 7.— The demand for comb honey is slow, prices obtained are the same. Stock od hand seems to be sufficient to supply the wants. Quote fency white, 14@16c Amber extracted in barrels, 5Ji@5J^c; in cans,!^c more; fancy white clover in 601b. cans, 7J£@8^ cents; Southern, equal to white clover in color, from 6^@7c. Bright yellow beeswax, 30c. C. H.W.Weber. Please Mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. HONEY AND BEESWAX When consigning, buying or selling, consult R. A. BURNETT & CO. 199 South Water St. Chicago. III. Gash for Beeswax Highest market price paid promptly all the time for good wax. Frank G. Clark, 147 E. Kinzie St. Ghicago, HI. FOR SALE Until further notice, finest quality new crop California Vater-White White Sage and Light Amber HONEY in 60-lb. tins, 2 in a case; new cans and new cases. Write for prices and sam- ples, and state quantity yon want. HlLDRETH & SEGELKEN 265 & 267 Greenwich Street, New York, N.T. 34Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. 05C fOr 12 NaniCS l 2 farmer/ and 'loo- t-tamps taken— we will send for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Oll-ree. sub. price 4<>c a year. F. C. is a wkly., 25 years old, 1,300 pages a year. Sample free. KAKMER'S CALL,, (Juiney, 111. Mention Bee Journal when writing. rnr p-1. 1¥ colonies of Italian Bees in- rOl OdlC n^ood condition, in S and 10' frame hives. Address, M. E MUELLER, Winfield, Dupage Co., III. Mention Bee Journal when -writing. FANCY WHITE EXTRACTED H0NE£ CRATES 2-60 LB\ CANS; 8c TWO OR MORE CRATESj 7% LARGER LOTS; WRITE FOR SPECIAL PRICES. ALL F. O. B. CINCINNATI. CASH WITH ORDER. SAMPLES 10c. TO PAY POSTAGE. THE FRED W. MUTH CO. No. Sf WALNUT STREET, CINCINNATI, OHIO. 396 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 3, 1906 One Hundred Cents on the Dollar If You buy Lewis Beeware ESTABLISHED 30 YEARS SECTIONS Received my sections in fine shape, and am well pleased with them. They are the best sections I ever put together. Arthur Stampe. Paulhna, Iowa. I want to say that I consider your make of sections the nearest perfect I have ever had. I have folded packages of 500 without break- ing one, and I can not say that of others I have used. Geo. Brown. Deerfield, Iowa. During the last four years I have bought 10,000 sections from three other firms. Be- fore I had used yours for several years, but have decided after a thorough trial that yours are the best and most perfect sections in every way that I have ever used. David Foote. Riceville, Iowa. I used your supplies exclusively for almost 14 years, especially the sections, and I don't want any other kind. C. H. Harlan. Mora, Minn. I have received those sections in good 6hape, and I am well pleased with same. They are all right in every way. I shall recommend your bee-supplies to other bee-keepers. 1 think you make better goods than any other firm in the world. Accept my thanks. Geo. B. McDanibls. Grand View, Iowa. HIVES We note that the Lewis Goods for the season of 1900 are finer than ever. Hives and hive- parts are without any knots at all. In fact they are so nice that we are very much surprised, as we supposed that as lumber gets scarcer and higher necessarily poorer grades of lumber would have to be used. We are receiving many compliments on the Lewis Goods we are shipping out. A. G. Woodman Co. Grand Rapids, Mich. About two months ago I bought 25 of your ■8-frame dovetailed hives, and I put these to- gether without losing a 6ingle piece. I find these hives to be better than any other I have ever used. Although I have a gas engine and good tools, I can buy your hives cheaper and more accurately made. E. K. Meredith. Batavia, 111. Your hives look as if they had been sand- papared after they are nailed up. I have just finished nailing up 40 two-story hives, and they are as nice as could be. L. B. Smith. Re6cue, Tex. I received the 50 bee-hives, and I can say that they are the very nicest, finest and best hives I have ever 6een. Tofield Lehman. Elgin, Iowa. The hives are a model of perfection both as to material and workmanship. It is a pleas- ure to have material to go together as yours does. E. W. Ltles. Charlotte, N. C. I received the hives I ordered in good con- dition. Same are fine hives. They look like better lumber than any I have bought before ; also fit better than hive9 I have ever put to- gether. Harry West. Morrison, 111. ANNUAL OUTPUT- 20 MILLION SECTIONS 100,000 HIVES FRAMES The frames you sent me were duly received, and they are the best, finest and nicest frames I have ever had. H. P. Willson. Bathgate, N. D. Received my 100 brood-frames in fine shape, and I am well pleased with them. They are the best I have ever put together. D. S. Haag. Rock City, 111. I find frames, Fences, covers, hive-bodies and bottoms perfect, and made of the finest lumber I ever saw supplies made of. D. M. Laudenslater. Mackeyville, Pa. PROMPTNESS I would like to thank you for your prompt way of doing business in such a season as this when every one is excited. E. W. Coe. Aug., 1903, Clarence, Iowa. I wish to acknowledge receipt of the goods ordered from you, and thank you for your promptness in sending them. Claude L. Madison. Alden, 111. RESPONSIBILITY Remembering how well you did with me over 22 years ago on some hives I bought, I hope we may come together again on a 6mall deal, Leopold Moller. Fremont, Nebr. I thank you for 30 dealings. C Theilmann. years of friendly Theilman, Minn. Don't worry about us not handling your goods. I have used and sold your goods for 15 years, and consider them the finest beeware made. J. E. Entart & Son. McFall, Mo. I am well pleased with your way of doing business, and satisfied with all goods received from your factory. Can say that they are much better than I can get any place else. J. F. Nolte. Redfield, Iowa. I received goods O.K. It is a pleasure to deal with a firm like yours. H. Luke. Burlington, Wis. PACKING We think your policy of packing goods in first-class shape, and a specified number to the crate, is the winning card. The Chas. H. Lilly Co. Seattle, Wash. I consider your freedom from mistakes quite wonderful, considering the number and variety of pieces in the various lines of goods vou carry. National Home, W. C Gibson. Milwaukee, Wis. Q-. B. LEWIS CO, -W^TEZR-TO^ATIsr, "WIS. pjAERI&l^. Bee 46th Year CHICAGO, ILL., MAY 10, 1906 No. 19 The Humming of the Bees. Solo and Chorus. J. R. James Roat. ^S ^ S ; s 1. When I was just a lit - tie boy, And lived out on the farm, I used to have such 2. My grand-pa said, "Those lit-tle bees Will in the mon-ey roll;" So I went down to 3. As I was pok - ing in the hole, A - look-ing for the gold, There came out nine-ty- 4. If that's the way I must get rich Then you may have the gold; If that's the way I 4 j i4 £ ^i~i- : ii EE s- J m m± • ^m jol - ly times A - play-ing in the barn, get some out Right thro' the lit-tle hole sev-en bees, And on the ground I rolled must get warm I'll stay out in the cold. 85 H & PS And then, down in the orch-ard cool, Be- Where they were fiy-ing in and out As For one came down up - on my ear, An- 1*11 go and be a sail -or bold, And If EEEE J-H-t ■t=t & i g±ife£ =P--f^F i^ neath the ap - ple-trees,There were some funny boxes where They kept the honey - bees, hap - py as you please, A-rak-ingin the hon-ey from The fragrant ap-ple - trees, oth - er on my nose, And for- ty- sev - en oth-ers were A-buzz-ingin my clothes, ride the storm-y seas, For there the varmints never come — And you may keep the bees. d* : Mk Chorus. j£& rt z^z^z=^-T- i~t=i=ir mE^^M »— * List -en to the hon - ey - bees, Humming in the ap- pie-trees, List -en to the * -S- * ■*■ m *=15: I) bus - sy lit - tie bees; List - en to the fun - ny hon - ey - bees. hum,hum,hum,hum; hum,hum,hum. y, C g=f=? |> 0 f=^=^=^^^-^jJ^-^=5^—0 * J) r r i i Coryrieht, 1906, by Geo. W. York. i— t— r 398 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 10, 1906 PUBLISHED WEEKLY BT GEORGE W.YORK 8 COMPANY 334 Dearborn Street, OhiGago, UK IMPORTANT NOTICES. THE SUBSCRIPTION PRICE of this Journal is $1.00 a year, in the United Staves, Canada, and Mexico; all other countries in the Postal Union, 60 cents a year extra for postage. Sample copy free. THE WRAPPER-IjABEL DATE indicates tbe end of the month to which your subscription ispa;.d. For instance, *"deco6" on your label shows that it is paid to the end of December, I9u6. SUBSCRIPTION RECEIPTS.-We do not send a receipt for money sent us to pay subscription, but change the date on your wrapper-label, which shows that the money haB been received and credited. Advertising Rate, per Agate Line, IOg. 14 lines make one inch. Nothing less than }A inch accepted. Time Discounts. 4 times. 13 " . 26 " . £2 " . . 5 per cent .10 " .20 " .30 " Space Discounts. 100 lines. 500 " . 1000 " . 2000 " . . 5 per cent .10 .20 " .30 " These rates are subject to either time or space discounts, at choice, but not both. Reading Notices, 25 cents, count line, subject to the above discounts. Goes to press Monday morning. National Bee Keepers' Association Objects of the Association. 1st.— To promote the interests of its members. 2d.— To protect and defend its members in their lawful riahts. 3d.— To enforce laws against the adulteration of honey. * Annual Membership Dues, $1.00. General Manager and Treasurer - N. E. France, Platteville, Wis. %W If more convenient, Dues may be sent to the ublisbers of the American Bee Journal. ROOT'S GOODS AT FACTORY PRICES Finest and largest stock of Supplies in Illinois. Italian. Bees and Queens in season. Catalog- free. 15 eggs of Pure Barred Plymouth Rocks, $L.00. Incubators and Brooders always on hand. 12&13t H. 5. DUBY, St. Anne, 111. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Please mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. Contents of this Number Illustrations — Dummy or Division- Board 405 Feeder for Spring Feeding 402 Jlfusic — The Humming of the Bees 397 Editorial yotes and Comments — Davenport's Control of Swarming 401 Look Out for Nectar-Dearth After Fruit-Blootu 401 National Convention at San Antonio 401 Perhaps a Valuable Reminder 401 Prospects Good " In this Locality " 401 Miscellaneous News Items — Feeder for Spring Feeding..., 402 San FranciBco Earthquake and Fire 402 Contributed Special Articles — Dadant Methods of Honey-Production (No. 10 1 405 Mice, Rats, Chipmucks, Squirrels, and Honey 4( 3 Turity of Yellow-Banded Bees 404 Cayiadian Beedom — Bees Gather Honey in Winter 406 Conditions Conducive to Success 406 Elementary Diremions in Bee-Keeping 406 Good Advice for Beginners 406 "Wood-Binder" for Bee Journals 406 Southern Beedom — n Chyle and Impulses 406 Order of Bees in the Cluster 41 6 Our Sister Bee-Keepers — Br. Colom^an's Honey-Cakes 408 Green Hellebore 408 Honey Good for Discolored Neck 4'iy Planting Flowers lor Beauty and Bees 408 Weak and Qiieenless Colonies in Spring 407 Mr. Hasty^s Afterthoughts — Marketing Comb Honey 408 Preparing "Watering Places for Bees 4o. Ascertain your rights. Understand vour lia- bilities Overcome your difficulties. Safeguard your oroperty. Avert disaster. Avoid litigation. Secure your interests. Protect your family. I? rfect your title. Insure your heritance. Rel eve your mind 4£^ Bank and cuurup J of.worry.etc. references ASSOC! Albl) LAWYERS COMPANY Old South Muhding, Boston, viass. Big Profits in Capons [CAPON TOOtS , P.PilUng & Son, (Japonizini^ is easy — soon learned. Complete outfit with free instructions postpaid $3.50. iGape Worm Extractor 25c Poultry Marker 25c French Killing KnifeSOC [Capon Book Free. Philadelphia. Pa. DO YOU KNOW THAT THE SALE OF DITTMER'S FOUNDATION Has increased so much that we were forced to double our melting capacity in order to fill orders promptly? There is a Reason for This— It is because Dittmer's Foundation is tough, clear, and transparent, and has the natural odor of beeswax. W. D. SOPER, Bee A: Honey Co., Agents for Dittmer's Foundation : Jackson, Mich. I E. H Taylor, Welwyn Station, Herts, Enr. Beeville, Tex. I E. 1»rain<;er & Co., Toronto, Ont , Canada. Our warehouse is well stocked with all kinds of Bee-Keepers' Supplies. Beeswax always wanted. QUS DITTMER, Augusta, Wis. Wisconsin Basswood Sections It fB And Prompt Shipments H Is what we are making for our customers. W — DOVETAILED HIVES AND SHIPPING-CASES — jfC We carry a full line of.SUPPLIES. Ask for Catalog. THE JTARSHFIELD HANUFACTURINQ CO., Harshfield, Wis. Mention Bee Journal when writing* ^.California The Pacific Rural Press has been a house- hold word throughout California for 35 years. It is authority on all matters regarding the soil or products of California. Weekly, illus- trated: Edited by practical specialists. Two Dollars per year. Send for sample copy. Pacific Rural Press, 330 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif. 50Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. 65c for 12 Names frfaraSeersanadndp-a-c°- ptampa taken— we will send for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Call— reg. sub. price 40c a year. F. C. is a wkly., 25 years old 1,300 pages a year. Sample free. FARMER'S CALL, Quincy.Ill. Mention Bee Journal when writing. I Root's Bee Supplies You know what this means. Four carloads of New Goods on hand. Our business increased last year 100 percent over 1904. This is a proof that we are saving our cus- 6 tomers money. Try us. Low X Freight Rates from Toledo. 0 Large Discounts— that tells the 0 2 story. Our 80-page Catalog is S 0 sent free. 0 g GRIGGS BROS. 3 5 621 Monroe Street, TOLEDO, OHIO. 0 Please mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. 400 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 10, 1906 k© 1 1 Swarming Done Away With In addition to continuing the several interesting articles by Alexander, and other noted contributors, which are running in GLEANINGS IN BEE CUL- TURE, the publishers announce as a special feature for the remaining issues of the year, a series of articles on the CONTROL OF SWARMING FOR COMB- HONEY PRODUCTION. These by bee-keepers who have experimented to the point where experimenting is done, and the crown of success has been awarded. If you have not seen the first installment of this series, send in your name for a three-number trial subscription, which will be given free of charge. The April 15th, May 1st, and May 15th numbers will be mailed to you, and by June you will undoubtedly be so interested you will want to take a six months' subscription at least. The special price of which will be 25 cents. If you choose to remit at once, make your request for the above numbers in ad- dition to the regular issues for six months beginning June 1st, and we will send them free. GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE MEDINA, OHIO GOODS IN A HURRY When the bees are flying, some colonies preparing to swarm, and the honey beginning to come in, supplies when needed are always wanted at once. Then, is when the ROOT SYSTEM of distribution shows its good points to the best advantage. Seven branch houses — in all large centers, with complete stocks on hand for either retail or wholesale trade. Numerous job- bing agencies, and hundreds of smaller agencies scattered throughout the United States. Send in your order to-day, and your goods will be on the way in a very short time. Insist on getting ROOT'S GOODS. We are leaders. Our prices are right. You get a square deal and satisfaction in trading with us. WAX WANTED. — We are paying 29 cents cash or 31 cents per pound in trade for pure, average beeswax delivered at any of our branches or at Medina. rCDUiN DEC RDIICU Some months ago Mr. R. F. Holtermann called our attention to a bee-brush which he received llfcKnlAN l5tfc"ijI\U5ll from Germany, made of genuine bristle or horsehair. He had used cne a whole season, washing it out often, and it appeared to be a6 good at the end of the season as at the be- ginning. He considered it so far ahead of any thing he had ever seen or used that he wanted no other. We are now provided with a stock which we offer at 25 cents each; by mail, 30 cents. The bristles are black, about two inches long, extending eight inches on the handle. ALEXANDER FEEDER inches long, so they be used with either an 8 or 111 frame hive. With a 10 frame hive ihey will project 3 inches beyond the hive for feeding, and the block may be laid crosswise of the feeder or be cut off as pieferred. With the 8-frame hive the feeder projects 5 inches, and the block lies lengthwise. We soak the feeders in oil to preserve them, and fill the pores to prevent the feed from soaking in. Price, finished, including block, 25 cents each; 10 for $2.00; 50 for $9.00. The A. I. ROOT CO. We are now prepared to furnish the Alexander Feeder We make them 19 Medina, Ohio THi A. tXlNUER FEEDER BR.A.N-CH EDS - Medina, New York City, Chicago, 111. Philadnlpbia, Pa. Washington, D.C. Ohio. Box 1037 144 E. Erie. 10 Vine St. 1100 Md. Ave. St Paul, Minn. Syracuse, N.Y. Mechanic Falls, 10.»4 Miss. St. 1631 W. Gen. St. Maine. (Entered at the Post-Offlce at Chicago as Second-Class Mall-Matter.) Published Weekly at $1.00 a Year, by George W. York & Co., 334 Dearborn St. OBORQB W. YORK, Editor CHICAGO, ILL, MAY 10, 1906 VoL XLVI-No. 19 " ^ Cbttonal Hotes anb Comments j Prospects Good " In This Locality " In the region round about Chicago — and that may take in a radius of many miles — there is nothing in the horo- scope to make bee keepers feel blue. The mild character of the winter has left the roots of white clover unharmed, and nothing short of a killing drouth will prevent a carpet of white when time comes for the bloom. Of course, there is always the possibility of a poor yield even when there is the carpet of white, as it was last year, but bee-keepers are an optimistic lot, and will have the pleasure of expecting the best at least, so long as there is any chance for ex- pectation. The weather in March was severe, but bees were mostly in the cellar during that month, and since then the weather has been of the most favorable character. Perhaps a Valuable Reminder "Along about this time," as the almanacs used to say, look out for reminders to order early whatever may be needed in the bee-supply line. We will never forget the awful rush for hives, sections, etc., during the season of 1903. We were then in the bee- supply business, and at the same time acquired some val- uable experience. And, fortunately or unfortunately, sur- vived to tell the tale. The frantic rush for bee-supplies that season, which began early and continued late, was something not soon to be forgotten by all concerned. Even the factories could not turn out the goods fast enough. And those bee-keepers who delayed ordering until just about the time they actually needed the hives, etc., must have lost much honey, and some bees. In view of the annual rush for bee-supplies that comes almost every year during May and June, we wish to remind our readers that it is better to order early, and thus have the supplies on hand before they are needed, rather than not to have them in time, or be compelled to wait until the dealer can reach your order and the railroad train bring them to your station. Be wise and also forehanded, by ordering your bee-sup- plies at once if you have not done so already. Look Out for Nectar-Dearth After Fruit-Bloom While fruit is in bloom there is generally enough com- ing in for daily needs, yet daily needs are great, and it is wise to make sure that abundant stores are in the hive. In some places in the North there is no break between fruit- bloom and white clover, but in most places there is a decided gap. At this time stores are melting away rapidly, owing to the large amount of brood to be fed, and if there is no overplus when the dearth after fruit-bloom comes there is great danger that the queen will cease laying. Let the dearth continue long enough and not only will laying cease but all the unsealed brood will be destroyed. -5 Suppose a colony has nothing ahead during fruit- bloom— just living from hand to mouth — and fruit-bloom closes with nothing in the larder. Figure up what it will mean if laying ceases entirely for only a week, and only unsealed brood is destroyed. It is probably a very moderate estimate to say that it will make a difference of 10,000 bees to work upon clover. The moral of all this is to make sure that plenty of stores are in sight at the close of the fruit bloom. If the break is long enough, it may even be advisable to feed a liitle every other day, so the bees may not take into consid- eration the necessity for retrenchment. Abundance of stores in the hive will be sufficient for a short dearth with- out any feeding, but not if the dearth be sufficiently long. Davenport's Control of Swarming We have written to Mr. C. Davenport, of Southern Min- nesota, several times, trying to induce him to describe his method of controlling the swarming of bees, but have not succeeded in persuading him to do so. In reply to our last request, he wrote as follows, under date of May 2 : Mr. George W. York — Dear Sir :— I have decided not to give my method for the control of swarming free to all the bee-keeping world. For, as I have said, if it becomes known to all it will most sdrelt greatly increase the amountof honey produced. And for this reason I think it, would prove a curse instead of a benefit. I much regret if anything I have written will cause the American Bee Journal to suffer as you intimate. Surely nothing of the kind was intended. Bees have wintered exceptionally well, but the spring so far has been about the most unfavorable 1 have ever known. There have been but a very few days fit for the bees to fly. This morning it is nearly down to the freezing point, with a fierce north wind, heavy, low-hanging clouds, and it looks and feels as if there might be a snow- storm. C. Davenport. We trust the foregoing will satisfy those who have written to us, asking that we induce Mr. Davenport to tell his secret as to the control of swarming. However, we have no doubt there will be others who will discover it, and give it to the world, and thus be entitled to the honor. Mr. Davenport will then be the loser. But he must decide for himself in the matter, and has decreed to withhold his secret. National Convention at San Antonio The National Bee-Keepers' Association will hold its annual con- vention Nov. 8, 9 and 10, 1906, in San Antonio, Tex. These dates occur at a time when the Texas Fair is in progress, and low rales will be in force, locally, for several hundreds of mil>-s out of San Antonio, aod, at the same time, there will be home-seekers' rates available from other parts of the country. W. Z. Hutchinson, Sec. We are glad that the time and placeof the next National Convention have been settled. Now all can begin to plan to attend. It will be the National's first meeting in the far South, and it will be a splendid opportunity for Northern bee-keepers to visit that interesting portion of our great country. There should be no difficulty in getting a big car- 402 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 10, 19C6 load of bee keepers from North and East to take the trip together from Chicago, as the round-trip rate will be only $25, leaving here on Tuesday, Nov. 6. There will be home- seekers' rates every Tuesday until the end of November. miscellaneous Hctps * 3 terns ^ J The Progressive Bee-Keeper, published for many years by the Leahy Mfg. Co. at Higginsville, Mo., has been purchased by The Helpful Hen, of Topeka, Kans. — a new monthly publication devoted to poultry, bees and pigeons. Mr. R. B. Leahy, founder of the Leahy Mfg. Co., recently passed away, also. The Humming of the Bees— words and music by Mr. James Roat, of Canandaigua, N Y. — is very appropriate just now. By placing it on our first page it will doubtless be sung by thousands of bee-keepers, and also enjoyed by them. We can furnish extra copies of the song, oo single sheets, for 10 cents each, postpaid ; or 3 copies for 20 cents wax ~°- w -iwk }y \\'\ , ii (H TNi \n yr\ ' k CM —° -Hi t\s -„ \i M ttwmh~- ^xMWr^l\\\hW\^{ milPun Sir\^Wl?\$^pl^i' v \ yC\\ WwiM^m^m- \ IT 'X'x/ !Mlmri'ftT\rU' - • vie v Jt filf y \fkj iFlil \ ^llv/ \J/T\ — ° 4~- '\1/' v l>\ 1 IJn \ 1 irl I \ ' \ N ,-T^ t- UN ■-- d£.>J>| k /N *, m \ 1 y\ s -■ ■ T I rvJ . ■* mi Wtb-rwmam fi >k| Vn ^ *P«H^nn£p^n^^^ss=szs i H^r 1 N in trJI W' ■■g^to* ,■ .Vj u: J-^aif ^^P*^ ' ' .prtftfijPff jjtl ufl t-H \ —1 — &§&fflg$iit wm 1 J of Rfl I- /\ "1 \4>; mm V I-- Xx keep the bees warm, place a cloth of some kind over the feeder. When you wish to feed, simply raise the quilt, pour in the feed, and cover up the feeder, and your bees are not disturbed. And no bees fly in your face. A. W. Swan. A hole is cut in oilcloth a little smaller than the feeder, 4x11 inches; and then the oilcloth is tacked to the bottom edges of the feeder. A wire-cloth is tacked on top of the feeder, through which the feed is poured. As will be seen from the picture, the bees can come up from below and get to the feed, but can not get out anywhere, as the oilcloth and feeder cover all the top of the brood-frames. For feed- ing small quantities it is a fine arrangement. Of course, an empty super must be on the hive, in order to have room for the feeder and packing. In fact, the oilcloth and feeder could be put in place in the fall, when preparing the bees for winter. Then it will be ready to feed at any time in the spring. Mr. T. F. Bingham, of Farwell, Mich. — the well-known Bingham bee-smoker man — reports a fine trade so far, and that it promises to continue. He also writes, under date of April 30, that his bees have wintered well. May 10, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 403 * Contrtbuteb -f Special (Articles Mice, Rats, Chipmucks, Squirrels, and Honey EV G. M. DOOLITTLE. I SEE bj the American Bee Journal that both Mr Hasty and Dr. Miller "entertain some doubts'' about mice eat- ing honey. 1 looked carefully for some proofs regard- ing those d( mlits, for something to show that 1 was wrong, and for some reasons which led them to doubt, but neither of them give any proof or reasons for their doubting my statement that, "The house-mouse eats the honey, and does not touch the bee as food." Mr. Hasty says. "I think the house-mouse rarely eats honey except when near to starvation — but sometimes peels the cappings off for pastime, when time hangs heavily on his hands. However, poor mousie does face starvation at close range pretty often, in which condition he naturally has to eat anything he can get." After admitting that much, I cannot see why Mr. Hasty "entertains some doubts" that the house-mouse eats honey, for he virtually admits that it does, though he qualifies it by saying that it is only when "near starvation" that it does so. But when not near star- vation it "peels the cappings off for pastime, when time hangs heavily on his hands." Glad to learn this. But you will note that Mr. Hasty is very guarded in what he says. Instead of giving any proof for any of this, he prefaces it with "I think." Well, nearly all of us think good thoughts sometimes; and sometimes those which are not well- grounded. But it will be noticed that the good Dr. Miller is still more guarded and shrewd about his "some doubts," for he does not even venture an "I think." He proposes that Mr. Hasty conduct an experiment to prove that his doubts are correct. Then he takes all the "thunder" away from Mr. Hasty's "I think the house-mouse rarely eats honey except when near starvation," and wants that gentleman in conduct- ing the Doctor's proposed experiments, to pile corn, oats, wheat, barley, grass-seed, pumpkin and squash seeds, etc., mountain high all about the mouse, the only exception made in this epicure diet being that it shall have no sweet except honey. This makes me think of the way resorted to, to prove that an old soldier would not eat "hard-tack." They piled pork and beans, roast beef, sausage, pie, doughnuts and cake all about him, and then put two or three of the hard-tack down deep in a bucket where he could just squeeze his hand in if he got it, and then sat down to watch him behind some bushes. Soon he tried all the goodies — goodies to this sol- dier— and ate of all till he needed nothing more, except exer- cise, when he went for the bucket, fished out the hard-tack, and went to throwing them at a mark he had set up. So Dr. Miller wants Mr. Hasty to provide the mice with all they can possibly eat, and besides give them " a new coma containing a little honey, none of ii sealed, and nunc of the cells well filled, and then let him report to us whether the mice have torn down any of the cells to get at the hone™ and whether they have torn down for mischief any of the cells that do not contain honey." Oh! Doctor! Mice are not like an old soldier. When they have eaten till they are full, they generally lie down and go to sleep. And then, the places where they congregate are not apt to have "food in abund- ance" therein. As Mr. Hasty says, the majority of the time the mouse faces starvation: and at such times it eats honey, as Mr. H. allows. My article on page uo. which called out this matter, was written about mice troubling bees in winter by getting into the hives, and therefore carries with it the idea that the mouse must live in the cellar with the bees, or in the out-door hive with them. We do not put an "abundance" of mouse food in such places here in York State, whatever they may do in Illinois. But now to the reasons for what I said regarding the house-mouse eating honey : I supposed that my honey-room was mouse-proof, till one day I looked at some fancy section- honey I bad standing on a platform therein, when, to my sor- row, I found several places where the capping had been peeled off the surface of the combs in these nice, fancy sec- tions, just as Mr. Hasty says the house-mouse will do "foi pastime when time hangs heavily on his hands." I took these sections .Mid placed them on the hives again, leaving those that were all right just where they were. As some children had been in the shop and honey-room the day he- fore, 1 thought the work was done by them; yet I did not see why children should do work in that way. I left the door of the hone} room open while I went into the room where \ write articles, for something, which I did not readily find, leaving the door Of this room open also. I was de- tained longer than I expected, and upon turning around to go out, 1 saw a mouse run across the shop floor and through a small bole in one corner, which apparently led into the honey-room. 'I hinking I might catch him I tip- toed to the other corner of the shop, where J could look into this honey-room through the open door. Nothing was in sight for several minutes, when the mouse carefully came Up on the platform where the honey was. I was all interest now, for I believed that here was the culprit, instead of the children. The mouse came up to the comb in the section, smelled of it a moment, when with an upward motion of bis head he chipped off the capping to two or three cells, when he put out the tongue and went to lapping and eating the honey. This he continued to do till the honey was lowered enough in the cells so that the wax in the sides of the cells touched bis mouth, when be went a little to one side and chipped off some more of the cappings, beginning to sip the honey again. I did not wait longer, but drove that mouse out in a hurry, stopped the hole and set a trap near it, baited with squash seeds, and the next morning I found that mouse in the choker-trap, having passed beyond the condition of wanting honey i ir anything else. A year or two later I left some frames of sealed honey standing on the shop floor over night, and the next morning I found many larger places with the capping off and the honey licked off from under where the capping was. I said, "More mice." Still it seemed as if there must have been a lot of them to do so much work in one night. I went into the writing room, leaving the door open, as it was warm weather, and sat down to write an article for one of the bee- papers. When nearly half through, I heard a little noise on the shop floor, so I kept still and watched. Soon a big rat appeared, and cautiously went up to the frames of honey, smelled of the comb, and then began chipping off the cap- pings the same as the mouse did, only taking off much more at each bite, when he began to sip the honey. I watched him till he had taken the capping off in several places, sipping honey from each place, as soon as the cappings were off; when a little stir from me caused him to "scoot" in a hurry for his hole (which he had dug under the wall). This rat was more cunning than the mouse, for it took me a week to catch him, which I finally did by putting a cloth over a steel trap, and putting some honey, in bits of comb, on the cloth. Then, we bad a chipmuck — sometimes called striped squir- rel and ground squirrel — that came to live in the bank near the bouse, as our home is near the woods. We thought much of him, and he soon got so he would climb all over me, take corn out of my hand, let me stroke him, etc. One day a friend of mine and myself were in the shop when he came in the door. The friend said. "See that chipmuck." I said, "Yes, he is our pet." While we were talking the chipmuck went up to a comb of honey I had brought into the shop a short time previously, ami began gnawing off the cappings and eating the honey. This pleased my friend immensely, so I let him eat what honey he wished, when he vent out. But that was almost the spoiling of that chipmuck for me, for he would dodge into the shop every chance he could get, and finally dug holes under the wall, and became a great nuisance, till one day a neighboring cat got him. My wife was very sorry, but I did not know whether to be sorry or glad. Then we had a red squirrel that came down to us from the woods, and he became a pet. In fact, several came, and we bad all sorts of shows when the little ones were old enough to play. They would climb the screen-doors, chase each other about the porch, climb into my pockets and all over me to get things 1 carried about in my coat and pants' pockets for them. I hej finally found out there was hone] in the shop, and gnawed holes to get in, and became a worse nuisance than any of the rest, one even getting drowned in the tank of extracted honey. My wife declared that the honey had to be thrown away, but I told her that I did not think it would hurt the bees any if we used it for feeding them. Now, Messrs. Hasty and Miller, I have given y.ou the 404 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 10, 1906 reasons and grounds for my knowing that the house-mouse, rats, chipmucks and red squirrels all eat honey, and unless you have some positive proof that they do not do so in your locality (?), your confidence need not be shaken in the mat- ter that "Doolittle is usually accurate." Borodino, N. Y. Purity of Yellow-Banded Bees BY HENRY ALLEY. JUST what constitutes purity in the yellow races of bees but few bee-keepers seem to know. When the late S. B. Parsons, of New York, imported the first yellow-banded bees from Italy, the inexperienced bee-keeper supposed that the bees were very yellow, and that all queens and bees bred from imported queens would be handsomely marked. But we were all disappointed, and queen-breeders were not alone in discovering that the so-called Italian bees were hybrids, and only a race of black and yellow bees crossed or in some way mixed in blood, and it was found impossible to rear clear- yellow queens, or uniformly marked worker-bees from any queen imported from Italy. This fact alone was enough to condemn them as hybrids. The young queens were marked from a solid black to striped and a rich leather color. Very few bee-keepers of the present dav know to what extent we poor queen-breeders were abused by our customers, and yet we were doing the best we could with the stock we had. When a customer had received a queen, all went well until the time arrived for the yellow bees to appear, and then the trouble commenced. The voung bees were found to be marked with anywhere from 1 to 3 bands. We were accused of having our queens mated to black drones, etc. The fact was, all our young queens were mated by drones from the same mother the young queens were reared from The drones were black enough, I assure you. Not even this in- breeding process improved the color or markings of the bees American queen-breeders were not long in "catching on" to a way to improve the uniform markings and color of both Italian queens and bees, and it was the American queen- breeder who fixed the standard of purity of the Italian bee _ American queen-breeders soon commenced to select the brightest queens and drones for breeders. In the course of a few years thereafter the Italian bees were more uniform in markings, and thus was the standard of purity fixed, and much yellower queens and bees were produced. American bee- keepers are not indebted to the bee-keepers of Italy for the beautiful yellow bees we have. It is a fact that the bee- keepers of Italy continue in the same old rut. and will not or wl fi°M if a?\ an/thin,g from the American queen-breeders. We find that to-day the imported queens from Sunny Italy are no improvement on those sent to America 45 years ago It does seem to me that the Italian bee-keeper, who some is years ago copied and printed my entire book of 180 oases br\i?1UeaeVeanng a"d S0ld jt as-the P^ucHon of his own ram, and really forgot to mention in connection therewith my name, ought to have found some points in the work That would have led him to produce better queens and bees than those that are sent from Italy to America We got the 5-banded bees by inbreeding, but that orocess been0cVaerdriede Z^T °' ^ beeS' Jhf S"ba"ded ^sinLs h thefr sorrow Th/%r\aS^many be,e-keeP"s have found to tier sorrow The 5-banders are beautiful to look at and ™ f / watUre comPris« their only good quality I have contended for many years that the yellow bees of Italy are not native of that country.- Like the gypsy and bro vnHil moths now spreading out over New England, ad which -ire reaching out each year farther and covering more territory all the time, so did the yellow races of bees of other countries reach out and take n the countrv of Ttalv ti,„ , countries mixed with the black andXHs thfwe JetVnlvTbrid queens and bees from Italy. Here is a poin I Vought into this country the hrst Carniolan queens. I commenced at once to rear queens from this stock. I noticed that manv of the young queens had a decided coppery color, parn'cXry on the under side of the body. Many of the beef fro, the young queens were marked by one or two yellow bands I Xw tha-t.the tf?de"Cy of the color of these "bee was to vellow, with each successive generation. Every batch of young queens were more yellow than the previous ones thev did /of S°H,eH T1 S°' m'Xe,d with the Ita,ia"'' No, they did not. Had any one queen been mismated and met an Italian drone, one-half at least of the bees so crossed would have been marked by yellow bands. I am sure none of the Bo h cff rL"17 yard Wer to have some sort of cozy cornet where they can huddle to- gether and keep warm. The ordinary dummy is made free from all sides, so that the bees may not glue it last. We don't want our dum- mies to allow the heat to ]uss off around each end, for, in that case, they are only equal to an ordinary comb in a frame. We think there is loss of heat in this space on the ends, and so we devised an end to our dummies that may fit without ever being tight, and without ever being glued fast in a way that would cause a jerk and a jar when the dummy is moved. This is achieved by nailing a strip of oilcloth or enamel cloth on the end of the dummy, so that it may make a soft half-circle, which rests well against the end of the hive, but which gives, and gets loose, at the least exer- tion. In this way we have a dummy that effectually en- closes the colony of bees within the limits we desire. The bottom of the dummy might be fixed in the same way, but heat never goes down — it rises — so there is no deperdition of heat at the bottom, and we find it advisable to leave a bee-space at the bottom, so that the most active bees make the police of the empty room at the side. When a small swarm or a nucleus is confined to, say about half the usual number of combs, until it gains strength, when combs are added to suit its need, the dummy is placed up against the last comb and there remains until more combs are added. A small colony may winter on six of our combs. The space behind the dummy is then filled with dry leaves. There is no necessity of explaining to the- reader the ad- vantage of such a wall of warmth-keeping material. The hive always faces south, with us, so that this heavy wall is on the most windy side, which is always west or northwest here. The hive being double on the back, the bees are very well protected against the high winds, and we ascribe a good part of our success in wintering to this method. We may say all we please about a cluster of bees keeping warm anywhere if they have enough to eat. We all know that there is a limit to their endurance, and we know, also, that the colder they are the more they consume. So it is a good plan to shelter them as much as possible in out-of-door wintering. The space behind the dummy, when the colony is reduced in number of combs, may be used for feeding. Sections partly emptied or a saucer full of feed, or any kind of feeder maybe put down behind the dummy in easy reach of the bees. They soon find it, and if the entrance is reduced so as to leave only the opposite side open, there is no danger of robbers. We make our dummies of 7s lumber. We find that they are stronger than thin ones, and there is but little expense to them, as they are made of refuse or knotty lumber, and are cleated on the ends to prevent splitting. We. leave a full-frame space for the dummy, and this gives us a good, big space when it is removed. In another article or two, I will describe our method of producing extracted honey. Hamilton, 111. A Queen-Bee Free as a Premium. — We are now book- ing orders for Untested Italian Queens to be delivered in May or June. This is the premium offer: To a subscriber whose own subscription to the American Bee Journal is paid at least to the end of 1906, we will mail an Untested Italian Queen for sending us one new subscription with $1.00 for the Bee Journal a year. Or, we will renew your subscription to the American Bee Journal for a year, and send a fine Untested Italian Queen — both for $1.50. Now is a good time to get new subscribers. If you wish extra copies of the Bee Journal for use as samples, let us know how many you want and we will mail them to you. Address all orders to the office of the American Bee Journal. 406 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 10, 1906 (T V (Ecmabtan *23ecbom-f ^ Conducted by Morley Pettit, Villa Nova, Ont Good Advice for Beginners Writing: to beginners in Farmers' Advocate, E. G. H. has the following' good advice : The first hives should be bought from a regular manufacturer of bee-supplies, and for a beginner it might be advisable to have one of them made up at the factory, so he can see just exactly how the pieces should go together. After he learns how to handle the hives and frames, and realizes the importance of absolute accuracy and uni- formity, he may make the hives himself, if he is a fairly handy man with a saw and plane. The Langstroth hive is generally recognized as the standard, and is a safe hive for any beginner to adopt. There is no patent on this hive or any of its parts, so that any one is at liberty to make it if he wants to do so. Bees in this style of hive will sell from 10 to 30 per- cent higher than in any other size hives. E G. H. After so many clippings from Canadian papers I have no doubt our readers in the United States will be glad to see something from their own press. We have the follow- ing from the Detroit Free Press : Bees Gather Honey in Winter. People who visited St. John'6 cemetery, Sandwich, Friday, tell of a strange sight which they viewed at a newly-made grave. An abun- dance of cut flowers were laid on the grave, and within a few minutes the blossoms were almost covered with honey-bees. The bees were as active as in July or August, and hummed about the blossoms while sucking out the honey in as business-like manner as they do when flying around r06e blossoms in gardens in the summer- time. When the bees secured their fill of the sweet nectar from the plants they flew away to the hive, and were coming and going until the sun began to sink in the west. The bees deserted the flowers when the air became chilly, but yesterday they returned to the attack, and their hum could be heard through the cemetery until the rain started in the afternoon. Those who witnessed it are unable to understand the phenomenon unless it be that the warm weather has caused the bees to awake from their winter's nap, and they think that the spring has come. At last the question, "Do Bees Hibernate ?" has been solved. The Free Press reporter has demonstrated that it is possible for bees to "awake from their winter's nap!" But what we would like to know is where to secure such cut flowers. Would be glad to set a vase of them in front of each hive in the spring to make sure of a good honey crop 1 Elementary Directions in Bee-Keeping- E. L. Colpitts, in the Maritime Farmer, quotes elemen- tary directions to beginners from Leaflet 128, of the British Board of Agriculture. Besides the usual advice, he men- tions among useful articles for a beginner to have '• a straw skep for taking swarms," and "a super-clearer for clearing bees from section-rack or supers." I must confess my ignorance as to what a super clearer is like. [It is what your cousins in England call our " bee-escape." — Editor.] The Hive. There are many patterns of hives, all made to take the one British standard frame. A simple one should be chosen possessing accuracy of workmanship and soundness of material, so as to stand exposure to weather for years. The outside of the hive should be thoroughly painted, to keep it rain and damp proof. It must be placed on its stand in a spot sheltered, if possible, from the cold north and east winds, and with a free flight for the bees in front. Space should be left behind it for easy access, so that all manipulations can be carried on from the back ; this avoids irritating the home-coming bees. These points are so good as to bear repetition. The hives to be "simple," "standard," " accurate," " painted." The location to be " sheltered ;" clear in front for flight of bees, and clear behind for work. I do not know when I have seen beginners advised to keep away from the front of the hive. They are supposed to know that— but visitors do not, and why should beginners? The beginner is advised to buy a first or "head" swarm, and bring it home in a box to be placed in a new hive. By this means be will avoid all the pitfalls of disease or lack of condition, which only a practised eye can detect, but which beset the purchaser of second-hand colonies. Directions are given for hiving the swarm then : If the swarm has been a long time on its journey, or if the weather is bad on its arrival, the bees, will be greatly benefited by being sup- plied with half a pint of warm, thin syrup, given through an opening in the quilt, and by means of the bottle-feeder. Conditions Conducive to Success. It is important that the beginner should clearly understand the principles that underlie successful bee-keeping. A colony of bees con- sists of a queen, a large number of worker-bees, and (during summer) a certain proportion of drones. The strength of a healthy colony depends upon the vigor and laying power of the queen, which is at her best in her second season, i. e., a queen hatchd in June, 1905, will be at her best in May, 1906, and should be replaced by a young one in 1907, either by natural swarming or by re-queening. Queens may be purchased or reared by the methods described in text books. The economy of a hive depends, first, on the keeping up of the warmth of the brood-nest (by means of the heit evolved from the bodies of the clustering bees) to such a point as will stimulate the queen to lay eggs, and enable young bees to be reared ; secondly, on the feeding of toe queen, the nursing of the brood, and the cleansing of the cells for the queen's use; thirdly, on the collection of pollen, water and nectar for the brood ; lastly, on the building of storage combs and collecting nectar for the future supplies of honey. The first three of these conditions must be fulfilled before the last can be begun; therefore, it is only by means of a large and vigorous surplus population that a colony can gather enough stores for its future use, and provide also for the bee-keeper. The aim of the bee- keeper is to keep his colonies 6trong, for a weak colony is always un profitable. The next consideration is, that the crowded condition of the hive should be secured at the right time, i. e., at the honey-flow. Those who propose to keep a few colonies of bees ooly, may pro- ceed in the manner outlined above; anyone intending to keep a large number of colonies is advised to get a season's instruction in a well- managed apiary before laying out capital in the business. The "Wood Binder" for Bee Journals One scarcely appreciates little conveniences before giving them an actual test. The Wood Binder is one of the handiest things I have on my table. It keeps the year's numbers of the American Bee Journal right at hand, and in order for immediate reference. And the cost is onlv 20 cents ! — [Send for it to the American Bee Journal office. — Editor ] Southern 4* 23eebom -fr Conducted by Louis H. Scholu New Braunfels, Tex. Order of Bees in the Cluster J Hardly any bee-keeper will think that the bees of dif- ferent age will have to occupy a certain place in the hive ; nevertheless we can prove that in this respect, too, a certain order is necessary, and that it prevails in the hive. This order corresponds with the order of the brood. The young- est bees prepare the food for the queen and for the youngest larva?, as the queen with every new brood period lays eggs near the oldest capped brood, and just in those cells from which young bees had gnawed out. She is always near these young bees, and receives the necessary chyle or blood from them. So we see the queen surrounded by young bees (as shown in the " A B C of Bee Culture " under " Queen ") which feed her. But the queen does not remain there in the same place. She moves around in circles from comb to comb, and everywhere she meets young bees of just the proper age on the empty cells, which have cleared and warmed their own cradles, and so prepared for a new baby. The young bee, which has just fed the queen, remains in the same place with the eggs and keeps them warm ; and after 3 days, when the small larva; are out of the " egg- shell," they are fed by the same bees in the same way as a short time before the queen was fed. These larva? grow and need more food every day ; finally the food is not May 10, 19(6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 407 digested any more, and chyme is fed. With the larva; the young bee is growing older, too. From a chyle-producing bee it has changed to a chyme-producing one ; and now, when the larva; are old enough, the bee secretes wax and builds cappings over the cells. It becomes a building-bee now, and may find employment in building combs outside of the brood-nest, or for transporting and ripening honey until it is old enough for gathering water, pollen and nectar. As we have seen, the young bee is held back at first to the place of its birth, till, with the larva;, it grows older ; and if these larva; do not need it any more it strives to come to the surface of the cluster, at first working as comb- builder, etc. In about 3 or 4 weeks it dies, worn out by hard work, when another bee is found on the alighting- board ready to take its place. As the material for nourish- ment flows from the outside to the center, going from one bee's body to another till it is consumed by the queen or by the larva;, so the young bees, not necessary in the brood- nest, are striving to get to the surface or to the outside to find other employment, generation after generation, till they find an honorable death in the fields. Chyle and Impulses. We know that the different organs of the bee will take different parts from the blood for nourishment. In this way all the organs get their proper nourishment, and the blood is used up. The products of this process are either breathed out by the trachea; or removed from the blood by the malpighian vessels. A certain organ may especially need fat ; then the re- maining blood will be richer in albumen and sugar-like substances; if not, other organs will use up this surplus. In this way the composition of the blood of the bee may vary according to circumstances. As long as the bees are close together in the winter cluster, and feed themselves on the winter stores of honey, and probably very little pollen, all the blood produced is used up to preserve the life of the colony and to produce the necessary heat. As soon as a great activity takes place, probably caused by the first flight in spring, induced by a warm day (1), every member of the colony will produce more chyle or blood than is necessary for the preservation of its own body, and hereby the progressing impulses are incited. The young bees especially are the producers of heat, and for this purpose fat and sugar in the blood are used up in larger quantities than albumen ; consequently the blood will get richer in albumen. According to the laws of diffusion, the blood will now take more sugar and fat from the chyle in the stomach than albumen, because the tendency is to equalize the two fluids. So the chyle, too, will get richer in albumen, and this rich chyle, if fed to the queen, will excite the ovaries, and egg-laying will commence soon afterward. In this way the breeding impulse is aroused in the whole colony. The queen needs more nitrogenous food to produce the necessary chyle ; the few young bees will have plenty of consumers for the produced chyle, and the queen will lay a small patch of eggs only in the first brood-period, and all the produced chyle is consumed by the larva; and the queen. As soon as young bees gnaw out of the cells they will produce chyle, too, if pollen is present or gathered by the field bees ; but a single bee can feed perhaps 5 or 10 larva;, and may be more. The first 3 weeks we may have 100 young or nurse-bees ; and then it will be easy for the queen to lay 1000 eggs during these 3 weeks, which will be afierward, as larvae, consumers of the chyle produced by the 100 young nurse-bees. Inside of the next 3 weeks we shall have 10i0 nurse-bees, and they need 10,(00 eggs. In the third brood- period 100,000 eggs or larva; would be necessary ; and as we know that no queen is able to lay so many eggs, necessarily an increase of the blood takes place. The young bees get surcharged with blood ; and we can observe this, as we see their abdomen generally more distended than with field-bees of the same colony. The next result of this condition is that the wax-glands are excited. It is proven by Schoenfeld that much blood is necessary for the secretion of wax, and this is one of the reasons why bees can not and do not always build combs. As for wax secretion and comb-building, if fat and sugar are used, albumen will get to be still more diffused through the blood, and hereby another impulse is aroused — the drone impulse. We can always observe whether comb-building is going on in connection with a surplus of albumen, for then drone-combs will be built by the colony. This is the explanation why swarms will build worker-combs as long as the queen can lay a sufficient number of eggs for the young bees accompanying the swarm ; and why the same swarm commences to build drone-cells where the queen can not lay enough eggs, or when young queens are gnawing out of the cells. It is the explanation why small colonies or nuclei generally build worker-combs. They do not have enough young bees so that a surplus of albumen can be present in the blood. As the chyle has always the same composition as the blood, or nearly so, the queen, too, receives a chyle very rich in albumen, and so the same impulse is aroused in her body, and she will lay drone-eggs in the drone-cells, which, if other conditions prevailed, she would neglect entirely (2). The young drone-larva: need a food very rich in albu- men, and so the increase of blood is diminished for some time by comb-building and by rearing drones. Further, we know that a drone needs 24 days for devel- opment, and in the last 2 weeks the cell is capped and will need no food at all. Meantime the number of young bees has increased every day, and the increase of blood will be greater and stronger. As in early spring, the surplus of albumen was trans- ferred to the ovaries, so this surplus causes at that time, and at that state of development, a desire for more ovaries, as the old queen and the larva- are yet unable to consume all the chyle produced by the many young nurse-bees. Quite a number of queen-cells are built, and the youug larva; in them are good customers for the albuminous chyle. So we see the abundance of food causes an ever increasing number of food-producers. The contradiction between the multiplied supply of nourishment and the limit of egg-lay- ing power of the queen is finally solved by the swarming By this theory we can explain many mysteries in bees. This theory explains why and how swarming can be pre- vented, if we in some way avoid a surplus of albumen, or, as we said, the increase of the blood. The more a theory can explain the facts we have observed, the greater will be the probability of its correctness. This theory does more : By reasoning from it we can incite and retain certain im- pulses to our liking by certain manipulations; and if we make use of them correctly we shall succeed. This fact makes it nearly certain that the theory is correct. Many problems remain to be solved as yet ; and in some points later investigations and closer observations may cor- rect some parts of the theory ; but that it is correct in the main points I am fully convinced, if I consider in what an easy way it gives us an insight into the very life of the honey-bee to such an extent as we never had before. Cibolo, Tex. L. Stachelhausen. fl 1 Other circumstances, too. may cause a larger consumption ; for in- stance if the colon "is much disturbed or exposed to cold. Under such circnm- staSceVl found in strong colonies large patches of brood, even in January, in a ""'If' This winded a correction or completion as it does not explain why a queen will lay a few eggs in drone-cells, and right from them go over to the next worker cell and lav an impregnated egg in it. It is not probable that the tamilBeschanie s,, quickly. Possil.ly the size of the cell has something to do. after all, in fertilizing or not fertilizing the egg. (Dur* Sister Beekeepers Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. Weak and Queenless Colonies In Spring By this time it ought to be an easy thing to tell which colonies have normal queens and which have not. If combs of good worker-brood are not present a colony is doomed. To be sure, a queen might be sent for and given to it, but that is not what the average sister will do, especially if she is a beginner. The first thing she most likely will think of doing is to give it some brood to let it rear a queen of its own, and it will probably take her years to learn that that is just the thing she ought not to do. It is a bad thing to do for more than one reason. One thing that is enough to condemn it, if there were nothing else, is that the queen reared in such a case will be very poor ; generally so poor that she is not only worthless, but worse than worthless, because she will keep a lot of bees dancing attendance upon her only to fail in the end. Another thing just about as bad is the real damage to the colony from which the brood is taken. To this the re- ply is likely to be, " Taking one frame of brood from a col- 408 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. May 10, 1906 ony is not going to hurt it very much." Very likely, too, this may be said by some one of many years' experience. Unless one has given especial attention to the matter one is not likely to realize the harm. Early in the season, while more or less cool weather prevails, a weakling, with only bees enough to cover 2 or 3 frames of brood, will be at a stand-still until warmer weather comes, if, indeed, it does not grow weaker. On the other hand, a colony covering 4 or more frames of brood will walk right along. So the frame of brood given to the queenless colony must be re- newed from time to time, and will not be increasing ; whereas, if left in the stronger colony, it will be doubling up all the while. The right thing, then, is to break up all colonies that do not have good laying queens early in the season. That will make less hives containing bees, but there will be more bees, and at the end of the season more colonies. Honey Good for a Discolored Neck A yellow, discolored neck is anything but adorable, particularly when a woman wishes to appear in a decollete frock. A simple home-made remedy is made thus : Take 1 ounce of honey, 1 teaspoonful of lemou-juice, 6 drops of oil of bitter almonds, the whites of 2 eggs, and enough fine oatmeal to make a smooth paste. Apply this at night, covering with a bit of old, thin, soft linen. Three or four applications will bleach the surface to a beautiful satin whiteness. — Chicago Record Herald. Planting Flowers for Beauty and the Bees Planting flowers for bees is not likely to amount to very much, unless planted by the acre. Yet when the sisters are planning their posy beds they may as well give some Hi tie precedence to the flowers that yield nectar. It is at least a pleasure to see the busy little visitors working on them. Mignonette is a prime favorite. A good-sized bed of crim- son clover is a beautiful sight. The crocus is one of the earliest favorites. Phacelia is considered a great honey- plant in some localities, and its modest purple blossoms make it worthy a place in the flower-bed. Green Hellebore What is the common and botanical name of the en- closed plant ? The root is fibrous. The bees were thick about it when first in bloom, but now they seem to have deserted it. No one here seems to be acquainted with the plant, and we are curious to know its name. It has been in bloom for several weeks, and the same flowers continue for a long time. It is a perennial plant, and hardy. Centerville, Ind., April 25. Kate V. Aostin. [The plant is the Green Hellebore— Helleborus viridis— which was introduced from Europe some years ago and is gradually spreading westward. The juice of the plant is somewhat poisonous, but the bees seem to get something good from the blossoms.— C. L. Walton.] Br. Colomban's Honey-Cakes Ingredients.— Three pounds of honey, 3 pounds of flour, 1 ounce of powdered ammonia, a small teaspoonful of ground cinnamon, '< teaspoonful of ground cloves, 6 ounces of orange-peel cut very small, and 4 ounces of sweet almonds cut small. Directions.— Pour the honey in a copper or enameled pan, and set on a stove or quick fire. When it boils, draw it aside and remove the scum (as honey boils up very quickly, great care must be taken not to let it boil over). Then pour the honey into the vessel in which the paste is to be made; leave it to cool, then add flour and other in- gredients except the ammonia, which latter must not be added until the flour and honey have been mixed up, and the paste has become quite cold. In preparing for use, place the ammonia in a cup, pour a few drops of cold water and stir it well, so as to form a thick paste, then mix it up with the rest. Then take a piece of the paste, roll it out into a cake not over ,'4-inch thick, and cut up into convenient sizes as desired. This done, put the cakes on a flat tin (which must be greased before- hand) and bake from 12 to 15 minutes in a hot oven. — British Bee Journal. 2Ttr. pasty's j The " Old Reliable" as seen through New and Unreliable Glasses. By E. E. Hasty, Sta. B. Rural, Toledo, Ohio. Preparing Watering Places for Bees A water pan under shelter, and covered with floating cork-chips, and kept warm by a lamp underneath. Surely, that ought to be satisfactory — and there's no denying that the end in view is important, quite important enough to justify the time and cash laid out. The rock on which you will split (if you do split) may, perchance, be a catechism gourd that may spring up over your Jonah booth. How many bees am I getting to come here ? Lots of them. How many still go elsewhere? Don't know — I'll try to find out. Yes, and when you find out that three-quarters of them still persist in going elsewhere, in spite of everything you can think of to draw them, will you not let a natural indigna- tion have play, and throw the whole thing overboard? Otherwise you may incline to keep adding inducements from time to time. A little salt helps. Hard to get the proper amount just right. Too much drives them away instead of attracting them. Willow twigs in the water have a recom- mendation 2000 years old, and theoretically ought to be beneficial. Bees feel severely the battle all living creatures have to fight — the life or death struggle with septic microbes. Need all the antiseptic they can secrete, and all they can collect also. The water they choose very generally has second- hand antiseptics in it, secreted by the digestive organs of cow or pig, and cast out with the excrement after serving its original purpose. Whether we can follow this hint in preparing water to tempt them I hardly know. Looks pos- sible. Imaginable that water kept warm day after day might breed microbes at such a rate as to be unfit for the purpose. As to the willows, they contain the original of salicine, which is related to quinine, having similar prop- erties in a less degree — power to repress microbes being one of them, I think. Strikes me that solid bunches of willows the size of one's wrist might be cut short off into very short lengths; then keep several sections in the watering pan standing on end. Page 291. That Hive of Bees Struck by Lightning The " brood of chickens struck with lightning " serves a more or less useful turn as popular proverb. Hardly think that " hive of bees struck with lightning " would be any improvement. Interesting, however, to hear that a stroke heavy enough to produce the wreck shown on page 285 left enough of the bees alive that the colony went on. Say, somebody get up a dynamo that will just kill Bacillus alvei and not quite kill the bees. Selling Honey Thanks to R. C. Aikin for his reasonings in letting the same common-sense, which is best in selling fruits and vegetables, have free course in selling honey also. But I eat a grain of salt with this claim that most customers will be pleased with the taste of honey that has been through the solar extractor. Say, rather, that some will. And even that " some," I guess we would better educate their blunt tastes than take advantage of them. Page 293. Marketing Comb Honey And now Mr. Greiner advises us to wrap our cases of honey in nice-looking paper I Might we not stick on a few chrysanthemums here and there outside the paper ? and some little sponges wet in perfume? But one of the state- ments he makes I haven't the heart to poke small fun at — too sad, and too hopeless of adequate remedy. " Not one man in 50 knows how to handle honey properly." What are we going to do about it ? Just hand our honey over to the market, and the market will hand it over to them — and let them cellar it, and freeze it, and bang it, and ram their fingers through it, and pile it corner to face in a round bas- ket— and all the other capers at pleasure. Page 294. May 10, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 409 ^ Doctor ZTTillcr's (Question * Box j Send questions either lo the office of the American Bee Journal, or to Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, 111. iy Dr. Miller does not answer Questions by mail. Buckwheat Honey in Brood-Chamber Darkening Surplus Honey What would you do with buckwheat honey that has been in the hives all winter and up till the time white clover bloom6? I had some in the hives last year aDd the bees carried it up to the top story and it darkened a lot o( my surplus honey. Ontario. Answer. — The circumstances must have been exceptional that would have allowed buckwheat honey to remain in the hive over win- ter and then to be carried up into the surplus apartment. It could only be where the combs were so crowded with honey that not enough was used up before harvest to allow the queen room to lay. In that case I would take out a frame or two of the heaviest, and give it to the lighter colonies. If all were too heavy, I'd extract some of the heaviest combs. Albino, Banat, and Cyprian Bees Will you kindly publish all you know about the Albino and Banat bees, good qualities and bad, markings, color, etc.? I see them ad- vertised, and I have heard of them. Are they a new bee in this coun- try? 1 would like to know what you think of the Cyprians, as I have one queen this spring, and if good I will breed from her. Wisconsin. Answer. — Albino people are those who have very light hair, skin and eyes, the coloring matter being lacking, and it is generally the case that an Albino, whether man, animal or bee Is more or less lack- ing in physical vigor. That does not make it impossible, however, that there might be exceptions to the general rule. Banat bees I know knothing about. I don't suppose it is a new variety introduced, but merely a name that has been given, for any one can call his bees by almost any name he pleases. I could call my bees " Miller " bees, but that wouldn't make them a new variety. Cyprian bees are favored by some for crossing, but not many seem to care for them in their purity. They have a reputation for vicious temper, for starting laying workers on very short notice, and for the very large number of queen-cells they start when queenless or preparing to swarm. •» • » Getting a Honey Crop and Then Transferring the Bees Can I safely run my bees for honey till the middle of July and then put them into new hives with new foundation? Would that give them plenty of time to build up for winter? Don't say, "Get a book," for I can't just now; but I shall send to you for one later on. Maine. Answer. — No, I'll not say get a book in order to find an answer to that question, for I doubt that you would find a direct answer to it in any book, and your question is one that fairly belongs in this de- partment. If you put a colony on foundation the middle of July, and leave it entirely to itself, and if there is nothing yielding honey after that time, you may feel pretty sure there will be nothing but dead bees in the hive the following spring. But you can make it a success by feeding to make up the deficiency. Feed enough every other day to keep up brood-rearing, and enough in September for winter. C No, don't send to me for a book. I don't have books to sell. The reason I constantly urge the buyingof a bee-book is not to sell one, but because I know the bee-keeper who has none i6 standing in his own light. I wouldn't be a good friend of yours if I didn't insist on it. Stopping Swarming— Finding Queens- Best Book On Bees-Scented Water to Throw on Bees 1. What do you think is the be6t method to use to stop bees in the act of swarming? I — 1 3. I would like to clip the wings of the queens, but don't know how to go at it. What is the best way to find a queen? 3. As there are so many books written on bees, I would like to know which one you think is best. 4. I have heard that bee-keepers have some stuff they put in the water they throw at bees, which has a peculiar smell that makes the bees slop. If this is so, what is the name of it* Iowa, r ' CT~ Answers. — 1. When a colony nas really'started to swarm, it isn't an!easy thing to stop the_bees. Perhaps thei I best is to smoke vigor- ously or to 6hower heavily with water. But that will not hinder their trying it another time. 2. In this locality we generally look over the frames, one after another, till we find the queen. Care 6hould be taken not to give enough smoke to start the bees running. It they begin once running, the best thing is to close the hive and let them quiet down, not open- ing the hive until after an hour or more, or trying it the next day. Another way is to lift all the frames out of the hive carefully, putting them in another hive, then look carefully to see that the queen is not left in some corner of the hive; then having a queen-excluder at the entrance of the old hive shake or brush from one of the frames all the bees in front of the entrance, then put the frame in the hive, and pro- ceed in the same way with all the frames. The queen, not being able to get through the excluder, will be found at the entrance. 3. That's rather an unfair question to answer, and a difficult one if not unfair, for any of the leading bee-books are good. If you are going to do much with bees, it will pay you well to get any one of them, and then get others afterward. 4. I don't understand to what you refer. Possibly to throwing water on bees to stop their robbing. In that case, the water will be more effective if carbolic acid is put in it. Changing Bees from Old to New Hives I sent for some improved Lang6troth-Simplicity hives, and have some bees that 1 would like to put into the new hives. How would you put them in? Iillinois. Answer — I think I would wait till they swarm, then hive the swarms in the new hive, then 21 days later cut up the box-hives, and if you think best cut out the best combs and fasten them in frames to put in the new hives. It may make less bees in the way if you drum out the bees before cutting up the hives and cutting out the combs. Using Wood Splints Instead of Wire in Combs 1. Can brood-combs be drawn out during a heavy honey-flow and not sag when using splints on light-brood foundation? 2. What do you think of using splints on wired foundation for extracting and brood combs? Or, do you recommend only medium brood when using splintB? 3. I would like to try splints, but I am at a loss where to get some. Do you have them made to order, or do you make them yourself? What kind of lumber? Would Louisiana cypress do? 1 guess you will smile a little at my ignorance. Texas. Answers —1. Having never tried it I can not say positively. But I should hardly expect any sagging with light brood foundation, and if there should be any sagging with splints the usual distance apart (about 3)4 inches), one or two additional splints in a frame ought to make all right. 2. For extracting there would be a little advantage so long as the combs were new, in having both splints and wires; whether the ad- vantage would be sufficient to pay is another question. For brood- frames the addition of wires could hardly be any better than the splints alone. But if I had the wires in, I should still think it would pay to add the splints. 3. My splints have been made to order, but they can be made at slight expense at any manufactory of bee-supplies or berry boxes where they have machinery for slicing wood. They are made of bass- wood, but I suppose almost any kind of wood would answer. A wood somewhat tough i6 probably better than one very brittle. I am not acquainted with Louisiana cypress, but should have little fear as to using it. Yes, I might smile at your ignorance, only I have a good memory, and have a very vivid recollection of the time when I was more ignor- ant than you are. And if you'll promise not to tell, I'll just whisper in your year that I have on hand at the present moment a big stock of ignorance about bees. _ Raising the Hive for More Ventilation I see on page 370, E. W. Deifendorf advocates the putting of holes or an entrance above the brood-chamber and between the supers. Also T. L. Shawler, on page 365, recommends raising the hive at the bottom when the weather gets warm, to prevent swarming. I can readily see the need of plenty of air and ventilation in hot weather, but would not these many entrances promote robbing? Which would be the better, to raise the hive from the bottom or to raise the super, leaving }4' inch between the hive and super? Kansas. Answer.— Contrary to what you might expect, there is little danger of robbing being started when large openings are given in harvest time. I've tried it very thoroughly, and don't think I ever had a case of robbing from that cause. Better raise the hive if work- ing for comb honey, although I have practised also shoving the super forward. For extracted, do both. Amerikanische Bienenzucht, by Hans Buschbauer, is a bee-keeper's hand-book of 138 pages, which is just what our German friends will want. It is fully illustrated, and neatly bound in cloth. Price, postpaid, $1.00; or with the American Bee Journal one year — both for $1.75. Address all orders to this office. 410 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 10, 1906 Reports anb (Experiences Last Season Not a Good One. I wintered 5 colonies of bees out- doors and 32 in the cellar. The out- door bees did better than those in the cellar. The past mild winter made the cellar too damp. I lost 2 colonies in the cellar on account of being queen- less, so I had to double them up. I have 3d colonics left in good condition. The year 1905 was not a good one for honey here, although I had 2,000 pounds of honey from 20 colonies, spring count. I would have had more, but ran 6 colonies for comb honey, which gave me only 87 pounds of capped sections. The fields out here ■were covered with white clover last summer, and there will be a great deal of it the coming summer, as it looks well now. I have no trouble to sell ray honey at 24 cents a quart and 13 cents a pint. That is the way I put it on the market each year, with a nice label. Herman Hearkens. Green Bay, Wis., April 9. A>ry Early Swarm — Good Prosneets. Did you ever see a swarm of bees in April? I saw one last Friday i April 13), when a large swarm passed over my head near where I was at work in the apiary. Tiny were, no doubt, wild bees, from some tree in the near- by forest, and were on the lookout for a suitable hollow tree as a home. This is something unusual, and my theory of it is that we have had such a mild winter the bees have reared brood and young bees every month. Therefore, when the first honey and pollen came in from the soft maple, they swav. 1 My own bees are very strong for the time of year. The young bees arc oul playing every day, and I think we are going to have an old-fashioned honey crop, like we had in the 'SOs. I notice there is an abundance of young clover, and if we have a wet spring it will surely yield a big crop of honey. „, . S. G. Kilgore. London, Ohio, April 17. Apienltnre in California. I think it is generally conceded that California is the largest honey-pro- ducing State in the Union. I am not far wrong in saying that 9-10 of this honey is extracted. Possibly the short season we have had of late i's the cause of so little comb honey produced. In this locality one should use nothing less than a 10-frame Langstroth hive. The entrance in summer should be 1 inch deep clear across the end of the hive. For ventilation I prefer this plan. On hot clays raise the lid or cover a lit- tle by placing a thin strip of wood about 's-ineh t hick between the cover and the hive, taking it out at night, as the nights are rather cool in nearly all parts of California. This plan I think, gives better results in this lo- cality than having ventilators at- tached permanently to (lie hives. Last year was a very good one for honey, anil the outlook at the present time for a good season is better than it has been Cor years. Rains have been very plentiful all spring, and at the present time wild Hewers of all de- scriptions cover the hills, and it will be only a few days until black sage will be blooming. Last year i he early honey-flow was stopped at its height by strong, hot winds co, .king the flowers, and drying the nectar. These winds were largely caused by oil-wells a few miles north of here catching Are. M. D. Whitehe, Los Olives. Calif., April 19. Temperature of a Bee-Cluster. That article of Mr. Doolittle which appeared in the American Bee Jour- nal two or three weeks ago was i,,\ interesting, and shows a great deal of painstaking to arrive at the truth. It is certainly an eye-opener to little fel- lows like me to know that bees will hold the temperature in the cluster to 63 and 64 degrees when the mercury falls to 32 degrees below zero outside. One of his observations, however, seemed to puzzle him, and he seemed to be at a loss for an explanation as to why the bees at the bottom of the cluster seemed to be livelier and warmer than those at the top. Tell Mr. Doolittle not to be puzzled at that. I have frequently observed that phe- nomenon. The explanation is easy, and is as follows: It is a well-known fact that air, when warmed, ascends. Consequently the strata immediately over the clus- ter is constantly leaving the bees to the higher parts of the hive, and a good deal of it percolating through to the outside, while the strata immedi- ately under the cluster in its effort to ascend is arrested by the bees them- selves and is constantly hugging them with the warmth they have generated. This explains why top packing is the all-important feature of winter pro- tection. W. T. Cary. Wakenda, Mo., April 10. Colonies AVeak — Feeding. The last of March I put the bees out of the cave on the summer stands. I found 7 dead colonies out of 25 put away the latter part of last November, and found some colonies rather light. 1 put those by themselves, and in Jan- uary, 1906, I put frames of honey over the brood-nest, which brought them through all right, but I have to feed now, and will have to do so until fruit- bloom comes. Those left are doing very "well, and there is brood in all colonies. Since putting them out the weather has been pretty favorable for bees to have flights. They are now bringing in pollen. Last season bees had only 3 weeks to gather honey in — the last 2 weeks in July and the first week in August — from the white clover and basswood. Bees did well those three weeks. We had no fall bloom. I took the supers off the first of Sep- tember, overhauled the brood-cham- bers, and fed those that needed feed- ing enough to carry them through until spring, but up to the time I "caved" them the weather was so nice and warm that they were out almost • very day. As there was no honey to get, they consumed the honey out of the brood-nest, which cut them short of winter stores, and this was also the report of bee-men around here last fall. Walter Irvine, Sr. Clayworks, Iowa, April 11. Wintered Fairly Well. My bees were taken out of the cel- lar and placed on the summer stands April 7. On taking an inventory I find them as follows: SO strong colonies, 40 medium, 10 weak, and 3 dead. I consider they came through the winter in quite good condition. Bees are now more energetic than they usually are in the spring. This is noticed by the way they tumble out and into their hives — just as if they were in a race to see which one could carry in the most pollen and honey. This, with their loud hum, is an indi- cation that they came through the win- ter in a healthy condition. I am now making preparations for nut-apiaries. I will make 300 10-frame hives this fall, and self-spacing frames for all of them; I will run the out- apiaries entirely for extracted honey. If we have a good year my plans will hold good, and I will be prepared to build a large bee-cellar another year, with a "cage" over it! Then I will open the door, for a "bird" to fly in. Frank Stoflet. Auburndale, Wis., April 16. Not a Good Bee-Country. I have- been keeping bees for the last 50 years and have always taken a deep interest in them and have usu- ally had fair success, although not al- ways. I have taken the American Bee Journal a good many years, how long I do not know, but ever since I knew there was such a journal printed, and to its teachings I owe the greater part of my success. This is not a good bee-country, but it is getting better every year. I came here in 1S6S. and at that time the peo- ple thought bees could not live here, but I was bound to try, and for the first 10 years they gave me no sur- plus, except one year, and then only very little. However, they do quite well some years, as I think the largest yield I ever had was 72 sections full — I called it 72 pounds. I have Italian bees, and try to keep them pure and strong, but I never have yet seen more than 5 frames full of brood at one time in any one hive. I use the 8-frame hive. I wonder if I always have poor queens. I have An Italian Queen Free In May or June, 1906, To Regular Paid=in=Advance Subscribers Only. We wish to make a liberal offer to those of our regular readers whose subscriptions are paid in advance. It is this : We will send you FREE by mail, in May or June, 1906, an Untested Italian Queen for sending' us $1.00 and the name and address of a NEW subscriber to the American Bee Jour- nal for a year. Or, to yourself, a Queen and Bee Journal a year — both for $1.50. We are booking Queen orders for May and June delivery. Will you have one or more ? These offers ought to bring in many orders. Oui Queens are reared by the best queen-breeders, and give satisfaction. GEORGE W.YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn St., Chicago, 111. May 10, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 411 Tennessee=Bred Queens All from Extra-Select Mothers 3-band from Imported Dark Leather, Moore's Long-Tongue, or my own. Goldens from Laws, Doolittle's or my own. Caucasians and Carniolans from direct Imported. Aftek April 15th. Italians Before duly 1st After July 1st GflRNIOLflNS CAUCASIANS 1 t .75 1.00 1.50 2.00 6 12 i 6 lii l 6 112 1 6 12 Untested Select Untested Tested Select Tested . . * 4.00 5 00 8.00 10 00 8 7.50 9.00 15 00 18 00 $ .00 .75 1.25 1.50 (3.25 4.25 6.50 8.00 $ 6.00 8 00 12.00 15.00 * .85 1.10 1.60 2.10 { 4.50 5.50 8.50 10.50 .-? S ( 10 9.50 15.50 18.50 1 s .'.if, 1.20 1.70 2.20 $ 5 00 6.00 9.00 11.00 8.50 10 00 16.00 19.00 Straight 5-band Golden Breeders $10.00 Select Golden Breeders 3.00 " 3-band " 3.00 " Carniolan " 3 10 " Caucasian " C 3.25 I 1-frame Nucleus (no queen) $1.50 2-frame " " 2 00 3-frame " " 2.50 4-frame " " 3.00 1 full colony without queen in 8-frame dovetailed hive 6.00 Bees by the pound in light shipping-boxes, $1.00 per pound. Select the Queen wanted, and add the price to the above prices. Discounts on large orders. Contracts with dealers a specialty. No bee-disease has ever been in this section. i3Dtf JOHN M. DAVIS, Spring Hill, Term. Italian and Caucasian BEES, QUEENS, AND NllCLEi Choice h> me*bred and im- ported stock. All Queens reared in full colonies. Prices of Italians in MAY : One Untested Queen $1.10 " Tested Queen 1.50 " Select Tested Queen 1 65 " Breeding' Queen 2.75 1 -comb nucleus (no queen) 1.15 2 » " " 2 00 3 " M M 3.00 Untested in May; all others ready now from last season's rearing-. Safe arrival guar- anteed. For prices on Caucasians and larger quanti- ties, and description of each grade of queens, send for free catalog. J. L. STRONG 16Atf 204 E. Logan St., Clarinda, Iowa. Mention Bee Journal when writing. E. E. LAWRENCE Breeder of F.ne Italian Queen-Bees Send for Price Lis'. O 'er 30 years- experience. 15-19 DONIPHAN. MO. ROSE LAWN QUEENS ANOTHER GREAT OFFER We wish to mail our new 8-page catalog to 1000 more progressive bee-keepers in the United States and ^ anada in the next 10 days. This catalog is full of valuable information for bee keepers, and is the finest ever issued by a Queen-Rearing Concern. Here's pay for y.>ur help: The first 100 per- sons sending us 10 addresses of bee-keepers with $1.00 cash, will receive one of our very finest Select Tested "Pure Gt- ld"Italiau Queens. We sell them for $2.00 each; they are worth $5; every queen a breeder of the highest type of color, gentleness and fertility, line bred to the Rose Lawn standard. If the queen does not suit you, Bend her back and get your money. That's a fair offer. This is purely an advertising proposition, and only 100 Select Tested Queens will be fur- nished at tbis pn e. Send on the names and a dollar. ROSE LAWN APIARIES. lOAtf Sta. C. LINCOLN, NEB. CAUCASIAN QUEENS! Caucasian Bees are very gentle. They are easy to handle and are, therefore, suited to be- ginners, timid bee-keepers and to those who keep bees in town. If you want to try this race, or if you want to improve the stock i f your Ital- ian Bees, write to ROBERT B. McCAIN, 2At£ YORKVILLE. ILL. R. F. D. The Choicest of Tested Queens By Return Mail— $1.00 Each, From our fine strain of 3-band Italians, that are unsurpassed as honey-gatherers. Try them ; they will not disappoint you. Send for price-list. J. W. K SHAW & CO. 19Atf LORE AUVILLE, Iberia Co., LA. Bees, Queens and Bee-Supplies We manufacture standard dovetailed bee- hives and supplies, cheaper than you ever bought before. Our Queens and Bees stand at the head in quality. Untested, 75c each ; $4.25 for 6, or $8 per doz. Tested. 11.25 each ; $12 per doz. Select Tested, $1.50. Special prices to dealers in large lots on application. State Agents for Dittmer's Foundation. Catalog free. THE BEE & HONEY COMPANY (Will Atchley, Prop.) Beevllle. Bee Co.. Texas. Send to JOHN W.PHARR Berclair, Tex. He will furnish at the same prices as last year: Te6ted, $1 ; Untested, 75c; 5 for $3.25; 10 for $6; 15 for $8 25; 25 for $12.50; 100 for $45. He breeds Goldens, Carniolans, and 3- Band Iialians. Al60 1. 2, and 3 frame Nuclei and full colonies. Prices given on applica- tion. Pharr pays the freight, and guarantees satisfaction on all Queens. To do justice and judgment is more acceptable with the Lord than sacrifice.— (Prov. 3:21.) 5Atf For Queens Queen Incubator and Brooder — Twin Nucleus=Box MAINLY FOR QUEEN-BREEDERS Incubator and Brooder allow the bees access to the cells and queens at all times. (Patented July 7, 1903.) Price, $5.00. Twin Nucleus and Mating Box has control of the queen by a 3-hole wheel on the outside, with one hole wire-screened, one hole covered with queen-exclud- ing zinc, and the third hole to regulate the size of the entrance. (Patent applied for.) Price. $1 00. Cylinder Cages postpaid, each, 10 cents. Queen-Cells, 100 mounted, with sample of Cylinder Cage (sent postpaid,) for 75 cents. Breeding Queens, after May 1st — Italian, Imported and Golden Italian, and Carniolan— $2.50 each. Orders booked now and filled in rotation. Send for free Circulars. 7Dtf ARTHUR STANLEY, Dixon, Lee Co., III. bought quiti :i number, and when I read of a queen filling 2 hives full of brood. I wondered why mine can't nil one br 1-nest. 11. u. Black. Fairbui \. X. ■ 1 .1-., April 1 ::. Putting » Weilk Colony Over n Strong One. My bees - i hrouffh the winl er alive, :iii imi in,,, nucleus. I put 9 col- onies into the cellar and took out 8 on April in. i found -I quite weak, so I thought i would try K. \v. Alexander's plan "[' putting them over a strong colony, wiiii ;m excluder ntween the two brood-chambers, only I didn't wait until they had uncapped brood, as he advises doing, hut 1 put them over a strong colonj as soon as I took them out of the cellar, and saw that thev had queens, but it may not work. However, I don't see Why they won't do as well as if they had uncapped brood, as tin- queens had started to lay. There were a very few eggs in the brood-combs. I will write later and tell how they rime through. My bees are bringing in pollen in fine shape to-day. I am farther north than most el' He- bee-keepers, but bees do pretty well here; but our springs are later here in northern Wisconsin. Irma, Wis., April 16. V. Goodnow. CONVENTION NOTICE. Western Illinois — The semi-annual meet- ing of the Western Illinois Bee-Keepers' As- sociation will be held in the County Court Room, in Galesburg, on Wednesday, May lfi, commencing at 9 am. and lasting all day. Messrs. C. P. Dadant and J. Q Smith have promised to be present and contribute to the success of the meeting. Our meetings have been good, but we hope to make this one bet- ter. Galesburg has good train-6ervice, and all bee-keepers in this part of the State should not fail to come. Come, and bring your wives with you. E. D. Woods, Sec. Galesburg, 111. DOOLITTLE & CLARK Are now booking orders for QUEENS. Pkices: Untested— 1, II; 3, $2.50; 12, $9. Select Tes ed— 1, $1 SO; 3. $4: 12, $14. 1905 Breeders, $2.50. Select Breeders, $5. Extra-Se- lect Breeders, $10. Two- frame Nuclei (without queen)$2.50;[3, $7; 12, $25. Borodino, Onondaga Co., N. Y. Please mention the Bee Journal. AllPPrlC A fi"e Honey Gathering Strain of UUGCI13 Italians and Carniolans, at 75 cents eicta; 3 f ir $2; 6 for $3.50; or $6 50 per dozen, for Untested. Tested, $1 each, nr $10 a dozen. GEORGE W. BARNES. 17A26t 13S N. Pleasant St., Norwalk, Ohio. Queen-BnttoDMUee-Ftilks This is a very pretty thing for a bee-keeper or honey- seller to wear on his coat- lapel. It often serves to in- troduce the subject of honey, and frequently leads to a sale. The picture 6hown here- with is a reproduction of a motto queen-button that we are furnishing to bee-keepers It has a pin on the underside to fasten it, Price, by mail, 6 cents ; two for 10c ; or six for 25c. The American Bee Journal one year and 4 buttons for $1.10. Address all orders to GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, - CHICAGO, ILL. " It is continuous advertising that impresses the public with the stability of a firm." 412 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 10, 1906 " If Goods are wanted Quick, send to Ponder" BEE-SUPPLIES Root's Goods at Root's Prices 0 Everything used by Bee Keepers. POUDER'S HONEY-JARS. Prompt Service. Low Freight Rates. .-. .\ .'. Catalog Free. BEESWAX WANTED > I pay highest market price for beeswax, delivered here, at any time, cash or i trade. Make 6mall shipments by express; large shipments by freight, always being , sure to attach your Dame to the package. My large illustrated catalog is free. I • shall be glad to send it to you. < WALTER S. rOUDER, 513-515 Massachusetts Ave., INDIANAPOLIS, IND. Mention Bee Journal when wrltlnK. A GOOD BEE-HIVE Is made of the best grade of White Pine, ace rately cut, so it will go together without the use of tools, except a hammer. Such is the kind of Hives we make, at d such is the kind you get when you buy from U6. " It is a cinch " that we make lower prices than you can get from any dealer, as you save the middleman's profit when you buy direct from the manufacturer. We are Manufacturers, and sell direct to the consumer. Send us a list of your wants, and let us make you prices. We guarantee everything we sell to be satisfactory, or refund the money. We have large stocks of Dovetailed Hives, Sections, Shipping-Cases, Foun- dation, Veils, Smokers, etc., on hand, and can ship promptly. Minnesota Bee-Supply Go., Power Bldg., No. 33. JOHN DOLL & SON, PROPRIETORS MINNEAPOLIS, MlNN. B66-K66pers' supplies Lewis' Famous Bee Hives and Sections. Root's Smokers and Extractors, Dadant's Comb Foundation, Etc., Queen Bees and Nuclei in Season. Larpe and complete stock, prompt service. We meet all competition who wl.l furnish first-class goods. INCUBATORS AND BROODEBS We carry a complete stock of " Mandy Lee" Incubators and Brooders. Don't fail to investigate these machines. The more you know about incubation, the more you will like the "Mandy Lee" Incubator. The "Mandy Lee Brooder " is a complete old hen, all but the "cluck." Our free incubator cat- alog describes them. C_- r> /■%/»> | | O f*C\ 1004 East Wash. Street • M. OOVJ I I Ot \J\J' INDIANAPOLIS. IND. ** Mention Bee Journal when writing. How to Build a Telephone Line to Your Farm ' ppec We have jnst published rn le several new books, which ^^«-» we will send free to parties i interested. Tbey tell vou just / how to proceed to build a tele- ' phone line t«> your farm ; how toin- J terest your neighbors; now to or- f g-anize the company, and how easily 1 and cheaply such a line can be built. One of the books describes Stromberg-Carlson Telephones the kind that makes rural lines suc- cessful. Write for book 80- J, "How the Telephone Helps the Farmer." and also for the book, "How to Build a Rural Telephone Line." They will furnish you valuable information vou can get in no other way. Simply drop ns a postal card asking for them, and for any other facts you may desire. Do it tod ay an d s ave delay. S trom berg- Car IsonTeL, Mfg. Co., Rochester, I N. Y. Chicago, 111. Mention Bee Juurnal when writings A. H. REEVES DISTRJBTJTOR OF SOOT'S GOODS FOR NORTHERN NEW YORK Perch River, Jefferson Co., N. Y. 19A4t Please mention the Bee Journal. ++ ++ Queen-Clipping Device Freer The Monettb Queen-Clipping Device is a fine thing for use in catching and clipping Queens' wing6. It is used by many bee- keepers. Full printed directions- sent with each one. We mail it for 25 cents; or will send it FREE as a premium for sending us One- New subscriber to the Bee Journal ifor a year at $1.00; or for 11.10 we- will mail the Bee Journal one year and the Clipping Device. Address, OEOROE W. YORK & CO., - CHICAGO, ILL. The Rietsche Press Made of artificial stone. Practically Inde- structible, and giving entirely satisfactory re- sults. Comb foundation made easily and quickly at less than half the cost of buying', from the dealers. Price of Press, $1.50— cash with order. Address, ADRIAN GETAZ, 45Atf KNOXVIL.LE, TENN. \M~l .G. Goodner, of this State, writes me that he " prrfers to pay $25 00 for a Rietsche Press rather than do without it."— A. G. BANTA ! ncuba tors & Brooders Backed by 14 Years ■■ana of Successful Use by poultrymen all over the world. No guesswork. They are auto- matic in regulation and ventil- ation. Fully guaranteed to give YOU satisfaction. Send for free book. BJ> "TA - BENDER MFG. CO.. Dept. 24 Ligonier. Ind. Oleulluu Uvrn iuurual »uen »>rniiA*. " The continuous advertiser gets the bulk of the business, because others are not adver- tising, and he is." May 10, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 413 M ENGINES 75he Lion Engine is sold direct from FACTORY to USER Acting on the theory that "testing: is proving ' we will send any responsible f>erson, on certain very easy condl- ions, one of our three h. p. gas or gas- oline engines on 10 days test trial. This engine is no experiment, but has been proved by actual use to do any work (where the rated amount of power is required) in the most practi- cal, reliable, safe and economical wav. This engine is of thefourcvcle type. While theengine isuptonormalspeed the exhaust valve is held open, allow- ing free circulation of fresh air in the cylinder. The igniterand intake valve are at rest, therefore are not using gasoline or the batteries. Our igniter and mixer are of the most simple and reliable character. The gasoline is always properly vapor- ized and the igniter point never cornea together unless a spark is required. The fly ball type of governor isused, which automatically controls the ex- haust, igniter ami the gasoline ; it also allows the speed to be changed from 100 to 600 revolutions per minute while the engine is in motion— a very superior feature. LION GAS OR GASOLINE ENGINES are simple In construction and EASY TO OPERATE They are used fur all purposes where power is required for operating pri- vate electric-lighting plants, small factories, printing offices; farm ma- chinery, such as cream separators, feed -grinders, corn shellers, wood- sawing machines, etc., and fora thou- sand and one other purposes. Lyons Engine Co., Lyons, Mich. Gentlemen: I am about to purcbtae & gas or gas- oline enjine for purposes and *lah jou to send mo full parti ou Urn about jour ap- rtj ofl urnal. advertised In American Bee Yours »ery truly. Street No. < R. P. D When writing, please state defi- nitely for what purpose you wish to use this engine and whether gas or gasoline is to be used for fuel. This information is very important to ns. Please remember we send the engine, not the engine agent. LYONS ENGINE CO. Lyons, Mich. LEWIS Increased Business Compels Larger Space So we have just doubled our capacity in the building at 141 Ontario Street, where we carry a full line of POULTRY SUPPLIES and POPULAR BEEWARE Catalogs on application. Orders filled promptly at Factory Prices. Beeswax wanted — 28c cash or SOo in trade. Italian Bees in modern hives with select Queens for sale. Also Pure Italian Queens. SPECIAL OFFER ON BrE-SUPPLY ORDERS Until June 1, 1906, we will give free, on each order for bee-supplies amounting to $10 or over, a choice of one of the following: A Bingham Doctor Smoker; a Bingham Honey-Knife; or a year's subscription to the Weekly American Bee Journal. YORK HONEY EM? CO. H. M. ARND, MGR. (Not Inc. 141 Ontario St., CHICAGO, ILL. (Phone North 1559.) THIS KITCMENji, CABINET }J FREIGHT PAID A Kitchen Cabinet is the handiest piece of fur- niture in the house. Think ' of the steps [1 will save the woma every day to hav^ all her "" cooking materials t he things she uses most right at hand, within easy reach, without moving away from the kitchen table. This handsome Cabinet is an ornament to any home. It Is made of hardwood with an- tique finish. The cut will give you a good Idea of Its many conveniences. Height of top from table is 46 in.— full height in in., 8 In. deep. To the left is a space for tea, cof- fee pot or clock, etc., underneath are four spice boxes mane of wood, for pepper, all- spice, cloves, nutmegs; size of eacntjxSxS1* In. Underneath the shelf are two tilting re- ceptacles for salt and sugar, which fit nice- ly to side and hack as shown in cut. The Cabinet or top has two shelves 7^ in. wide, 24 in. long with glass door. Underneath are three brass honks to hang utensils on. The base has an evenly balanced Hour bin, holding half a barrel, easily cleaned. A tin lineel bread box with automatic self-clos- ing door. On the end are two sugar or meal boxes, also one ex- tension drop shelf with automat i o bracket. Other draw- ers for other pur- poses also a bread board and many other conveniences. Order one todav, if it don't suit you in every way, we pay freignt back and re- rn your money. We save you money on everything for the home o r the farm. Our louo page cata- log shows you how to save. Co-operative Society of thi National Supply Co., Lansing, Mich. Chicago. III. ^* ft sk us ab mt tur p 1 a n which will .ve you |1W] to *- ou a year $CS5 This uj Freight one ^ P-AI » Furniture Catalog Mtuuuu Alee journal nlien wrlllujc. Last Chance Your choice of any two of the following and the Modern Farmer 1 Year for only $1.25: Pearson's, Cosmopolitan, Gleanings in Bee- Culture, Western Fruit Grower, American Boy, or Kansas Farmer. For $1.30, Woman's Home Companion, Bryan's Commoner, or American Bee Journal (New only). Write for Other Clubs. You will need to do this QUICKLY. THE HODERN FARflER, ST. JOSEPH, MO. Mention Bee Journal when writing. J W1BI 5? SCI. *?8. *818I MM I Never Go Out g Aod last from 6 to 21 years no Otisviixb, Pa., Jan. 18, 1904. Dear Sir:— I have tried almost everything in the smoker line; 3 in the last 3 years. In short If I want any more smokers yonr new style Is good enough for me. I thank the editor of Re- view for v.- . ae said of It. Those remarks in- duced me 10 get mine. Frbd Fodner. Mention Bee Journal when writing. 414 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, May 10 1 "6 CHARLES MONDENG SECTION MACHINE is covered by two Patents. With this wonderful inven- tion the cost of making Sections may be reduced to $1.15 per 1000. If such Machine will interest you, write for further information. Do not write about it unless you mean business. BEE-SUPPLIES^QUEENS My Catalog for 1906 is now ready for distribution. I am the Northern Headquarters for Adel Queens and Bees, and good, honest Bee-Keepers' Supplies. If you have not received my Catalog, write for it. Address, CHARLES MONDENG, ISO NEWTON A.VE3., N., MINNE-A-FOLiIS MINN. Mention Bee Journal when writing- W§- Send for our 1906 Free Illustrated Catalog. Good Goods, Low Prices ~2 and Prompt Shipments are what you get if you send your orders to— PAGE & LYON MFG. CO. New London, Wis. Have You Passed the Experimental Stage? PMost bee-keepers have been convinced that when time and material are figured, it pay6 to buy hives, and the best is not only as cheap, but — The Best is the Cheapest ! The Elgin Hive excels in many ways— no nails to drive — no dovetails— can be taken apart at any time. Many are using them. You should be. Write to-day for catalog, etc. We sell full line oi SUPPLIES. The National Supply Co. ELGIN, ILL. Mention Bee Journal when writing. I BEE-SUPPLIES We manufacture everything needed in the Apiary, and carry a large stock and greatest variety. We assure you the best goods at LOWEST PRICES and our excellent freight facilities enable us to make prompt shipments over 15 dif- ferent roads, thereby saving you excessive freight charges as well as time and worry in having goods transferred and damaged. We make the Alternating, Massie, Langstroth and the Dovetail Hives Our prices are very reasonable, and to convince you of such we will mail you our free illustrated and descriptive catalog and price-list upon request. We want every beekeeper to have our Catalog. SPECIAL DISCOUNTS now. Write to-day. Address, KRET6HMER MFG. GO., Council Bluffs, Iowa. Muscatine Produce Co., Muscatine, Iowa. Trester Supply Co., 103 S. 11th Street, Lincoln, Neb. Shugart-Ouran Seed Co., Council Bluffs, Iowa. T. B. Vallette & Son, Salina, Kau. Catalogs issued in English or German. Mention Bee Journal when J- writing. FOR SALE 50 Colonies of Italian andCarniolan Bees in S-frame hives, all nearly new and all in good condition. One colony, $5.50; from 5 to 10 colonies, So each. WM. J. HEALY, 16A5t Mineral Point, Wisconsin. Italian Bees for Sale We can furnish Nuclei and full colonies of Italian Bees ff.o.b. 100 miles west of Chicago by express) at these prices, on Langstroth frames: FULL COLONIES in s. frame hives, $5 50each; in lots of 5or more at one time, $5.25 each. Full colonies in in-frame hives, $6 each; in lots of 5 or more at one time, $5.75 each. Nuclei {3 frame) with Tested Queen, $3.25 each; in lots of 5 or more at onetime, S3 each. Nuclei ready for delivery about May 10; Full Colonies any time now.) Orders filled in rota- tion. Add re? s, GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, - CHICAGO, ILL,. 3-Frame Wlu in NAY, Strong with brood and bees, with a good Queen— S3. 50 each. G. "W. GATES, 18A2t BAKTLETT, TENN. Bees For Sale 100 colonies of Bees for sale cheap in 10- frame L. hives. All frames are worked out on full sheets of heavy foundation. 100 all-zinc queen- excluding Honey-Boards. Queen and Drone Traps, Smokers, 1 and 2 pound Sections, Hoff- man self-spacing Frames, etc. Address, G. PROCHNOW, 18A6t MAVVILLE, WIS. For Sale Cheap 25 Colonies of «»es. Address, T. O'DONNELL, 546 S. 43d Av., near Colorado A v., Chicago, III. Profit in Capons.— The wise farmer, looking to profit, sees more weight in the 6teer than the bull. Poultrymen are finding that it pays. well to raise capons instead of cockerels. What to do with the cockerels has been a problem, as they are hard to fatten. On the market the capon always finds a quicker sale and at nearly double prices than ordinary chickens. A very instructive book on raising capons has just been published by George P. Pilling & Son, of Philadelphia, Pa. It shows how farmers and poultrymen can easily make a big increase in the revenue of the poultry yard by caponizing. There are instructive chapters on feeding and dressing capons. Readers of the American Bee Jour- nal can obtain a copy of this interesting book by sending to George P. Pilling & Son, Phil- adelphia, Pa., enclosing a stamp for postage. A full set of capon tools are sold by the above firm for S3 50. They will send you a set with full directions including book on receipt of price. Please mention the American Bee Journal when writing. Please mention Bee Journal when writing Advertisers. May 10, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 415 Excellent Goods Lowest Prices OF ALL KINDS ESTABLISHED 25 YEARS We' have published THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER for 16 years (monthly, 50c a year.) The largest and best il- lustrated magazine of its kind for the price published. Edited by two of the most experienced bee - keepers in America. Sample copy free. Our large, illustrated Price-List of Supplies free on application. Address, The W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co. JAHESTOWN, N. Y. Mention Bee Journal when writing:. f)oney anb * 33eestr>ax* Chicago, April 20.— There is very little comb honey on the market, and as usual at this sea- son of the year the demand is very limited. There is no change in the prices obtainable from recent quotations. Choice while comb will bring 15c when wanted; other grades are of uncertain value, ranging from I0@14c per pound. Choice white extracted, 6&@7c; amber grades, 5^@6Hic. Beeswax, 30c per pound. R. A. Burnett & Co. Toledo, Feb. 19.— The market for comb honey has been better for the past two weeks than at any time during the past season. Prices are firm on account of the scarcity. "We are getting 15@16c for fancy white clover; 14@15c for No. 1, and 13@14c for amber. Buckwheat, 13c Extracted honey is in good demand at following prices: While clover in barrels brings 6&@7c; ambeisSKf&S^c; in canB every grade from l@lj^c higher. Beeswax is firm and in good demand at 28 and 30c. The above are our selling prices, not what we pay. Griggs Bros. Indianapolis, March 24— Fancy white clover comb brings 16c; No. 1, 14c; demand exceeds the supply; fancy white western comb brings I4';il5c; amber grades in poor demand at 12c Best grade of extracted honey brings 9H<3 ,Jc in 60-pound cans; amber, 6c. Good average bees- wax sells here for $33 per 100 pounds. Walter S. Pouder. Philadelphia, April 23.— The season is now so far advanced that there is very little call for comb honey; not enough sales to fix a price. Some little" odd lots, parties are selling at the best offers they can get. Extracted honey, for fancy grades, is also low. Medium and low grades are in abundance. We quote: Fancy white, 7@8c; amber, 6@7c; dark, 5@6c We are producers of honey and do not handle on commission. Wm. A. Selser. New York, March 19.— Demand for comb honey is fair, especially for the better grades, and fancy white is selling at from 14tol5c; No. 1, 13c; light amber, ll@l2c; no more demand for dark comb honey. Extracted is in good de- mand, mostly California, at unchanged prices. Beeswax is firm a* from 29@3lc, according to quality. HiLDRETHfcfc Srghlken. Headquarters for Bee-Supplies Complete Stock for 1906 now on hand. Bee- Supplies! FREIGHT- RATES FROM CINCINNATI are the LOWEST, ESPECIALLY for the SOUTH as 'most all freight now goes through Cincinnati. Prompt Service is what I practice. You will Satisfaction Guaranteed. SAVE MONEY BUYING FROM ME. Catalog mailed free. Send for same. Let me /^ TTTIT^XTCI bred in separate apiaries, book your fjl K. I". I\la^ theGOLDGK YEL Order for ^Cf, \J JJAJ11 KJ LOWS, CA K > l<>- LANS, RED CLOVERS and CAUCASIANS. For prices, refer to my catalog, page 29. c. h.w.weber CNs:r Office and Salesrooms,' 2146-48 Central Ave. Warehouses. Freeman and Central Aves. Cincinnati, April 4 —There is no material change in the honey market since our last re- port. The demand does not come np to expec- tations, which, in all probability, is due to the inclement weather of the past month. We con- tinue to quote amber In barrels at 5%@bHc. Fancy white in crates of two 601b. cans at 6Ji@SMc. Choice yellow beeswax 30c. delivered here. The Fred W. Muth Co. Denver, Feb. 5 —Owing to the mild weather the demand for honey has not been as good as usual at this time of year. We are quoting strictly No. 1 white alfalfa comb honey at $3.35 to J3.75 per case of 24 sections; off grade and light amber at $3 to $3.30. White extracted alfalfa in 60-pound cans, 7K@8%c; light amber, tyi@7%c. Beeswax, 24c for clean yellow. The Colo. Honey-Producers' Assn. Kansas City, May 5.— Our market is about cleaned up on old comb honey. What there is now left is selling at 13.25 per case for fancy white. It looks as if there would be a good de- mand for nev honey just as soon as it comes to market. There will be very little comb honey left over this season in this city. Extracted is moving rather slowly at $\&%bc. Beeswax, 25c per pound. C. C. Clemons & CO. Cincinnati, March 7.— The demand for comb honey is slow, prices obtained are the same. Stock od hand seems to be sufficient to supply the wants. Quote ftncy white, 14@16c Amber extracted in barrels, 5#@5J£c; in cans.^c more; fancy white clover in 60-lb. cans, 7j£@8^ cents; Southern, equal to white clover in color, from 6>6@7c. Bright yellow beeswax, 30c. C H.W. Weber. Please Mention Bee Journal when writing; advertisers. HONEY AND BEESWAX When consigning, buying or selling, consult R. A. BURNETT & CO. 199 South Water St. Chicago. III. Gash for Beeswax Highest market price paid promptly all the time for good wax. Frank C. Clark, 147 E.KinzieSt. Chlcago.lll. FOR SALE Until further notice, finest quality new crop California Water-White White Sage and Light Amber HONEY in 60-lb. tins, 2 in a case; new cans and new cases. Write for prices and sam- ples, and state quantity yon want. HILDRETH & SEGELKEN _ 265 & 267 Greenwich Street, New York, N.T. 34Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. 65c for 12 Names ftrf!£ST,Sir&£ flumps taken— we will send for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Cull— res*, sub. price 40c a year. F. C is a wkly., 25 years old, l.auo pages a year. Sample free. FARMER'S CAL1,, Uuincy, 111. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Wi Sell Root's Goods in Michigan Let us quote yon prices on Sections, Hives, Foundation, etc, as we can save yon time and freight. Beeswax Wanted for Casta. M. H. HUNT A SON, Bell Branch, Wayne Co., Mich* Mention Bee Journal ivlieo writing. wik -ii. •■* .i*. »♦- ■ '• ■#■». ..#*. ."♦«. »•». ■#. ••«. ••- ..#« 'i' ••'■•'■*■ ■*ii*iiv±i*±i*i i*i ••£ 't it m m FOR SALE Second Hand Empty 60- pound HONEY=CANS— two in a crate. In lots of 10, 40c per crate; 25 or more crates, at 35c per crate. THE FRED W. MUTH CO. 0 51 Walnut Street, CINCINNATI, OHIO Mention Bee Journal when -rritina;. 416 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 10, 1906 Boss Sections from the Section Bosses We Have Section Bosses— Not the kind you find on the Railroad ; but genuine, capable honey-section over- seers. They are mechanics who have spent a score of years just learning how to make* the best Sections— Lewis Sections. Years of Study and Constant Vigilance Over the delicate, intricate machinery means that every crate of Lewis Sections is perfect. Each day and each hour these section specialists personally inspect our machines and ex- amine the output. This keeps Lewis Sections uniformly perfect. Ah, That's the Secret ! Now you have it. That's the reason Lewis Sections are the Same the World Over What the Bee=Keepers Say : G. B. Lewis Co., Watertown, Wis. Paullina, Iowa. Gentlemen:— Received my sections in fine shape and am well pleased with them. They are the best sections I have ever put together. Yours truly, Arthur Strampe. G. B. Lewis Co., Watertown, Wis. Smithville, Ga. Gentlemen:- -I am anxious to use your sections, for I consider them the best sections made, at any rate they are good enough for me. Yours truly, R. P. Johnson. G. B. Lewis Co., Watertown, Wis. Rome, Pa. Gentlemen:- -I think the sections the best I ever saw. Yours truly, W. J. Hill. O. B. Lewis Co., Watertown, Wis. Oakland, Mo. Gentlemen:— Your hives fit perfectly and your sections ate simply superb. Robt Wilson. G. B. Lewis Cg., Watertown, Wis. Deerfield, Iowa. Gentlemen:—! want to say that I consider your make of sections the nearest perfect of any I have ever had. I have folked packages of 500 without breaking one, and I cannot say that of others I have used. Yours truly, George Brown. G. B. Lewis Co.. Watertown, Wis. Grand View, Iowa. Gentlemen: — I have received those sections in good shape and I am well pleased with same. They are all right in every way. I shall recommend your bee-supplies to other bee-keepers. I think you make better goods than any other firm in the world. Accept my thanks. Yours truly, Geo. B. McDaniels. G. B. Lewis Co., Watertown, Wis. Kenton, Ohio. Gentlemen: — The goods are simply fine in every re- spect. We have compared a few of the No. 1 sections bought of another firm which we carried over from last season, with your No. 2, and find that the No. 2 are superior. Yours truly, Norris & Anspach. B. Lewis Co , Watertown, Wis. Centralia, Kan. Gentlemen: — Everybody wants Lewis sections. Yours truly, A. W. Swan. g. B. lewis GO., watertown, Wis. AGENTS EVERYWHERE i e Jour 46th Year. CHICAGO, ILL., MAY 17, 1906 No. 20 Officers of the Connecticut Bee=Keepers' Association ■ v- Allen Latham, President. Rev. D. D. Marsh, Vice-President. J. Arthur Smith, Secretary. 1% flj HBP^™ House-Apiary and Apiary of Frank Kittinger, of Caledonia, Wis.— (See page 423.) ^ 418 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 17, 1906 PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY GEORGE W.YORK 8 COMPANY 334 Dearborn Street, Chicago, HI. IMPORTANT NOTICES. THE SUBSCRIPTION PRICE of this Journal i; $1.00 a year, in the United States. Canada, and Mexico; all other countries in the Postal Union, 50 cents a year extra for postage. Sample copy free. THE WRAPPER-LABEL DATE indicates the end of the month to which your subscription is pa'.d. For instance. " deco6" on your label shows that it is paid to the end of December. 1906. SUBSCRIPTION RECEIPTS.-We do not send a receipt for money sent us to pay subscription, but change the date on your wrapper-label, wbich Bhows that the money has been received and credited. Advertising Rate, per Agate Line, 10c 14 lines make one inch. Nothing- less than % inch accepted. These rates are subject to either time or space discounts, at choice, bat not both. Reading Notices, 25 cents, count line, subject to the above discounts. Goes to press Monday morning. National Bee Keepers' Association Objects of the Association. ]st —To promote the interests of its members. 2d.— To protect and defend its members in their lawful rights. , _,,... « 3d.— To enforce laws against the adulteration of honey. _ Annual Membership Dues, Ji.oo. General Manager and Treasurer- N. E. France, Platteville, Wn. tW If more convenient, Dues may be sent to the ublisbers of the American Bee Journal. ROOT'S GOODS AT FACTORY PRICES Finest and largest stock of Supplies in Illinois. Italian Bees and Queens in season. Catalog free. 15 eggs of Pure Barred Plymouth Rocks, $1.00. Incubators and Brooders always on hand. 12A13t H S. DUBY, St. Anne. 111. Hentlon Bee Journal when writing. Please mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. Contents of this Number Illustratio?is — House-Apiary and Apiary of Frank Klt- tinger 1st Page Latham. Allen 1st Page Marsh. Rev. D. D 1st Page Smith. J.Arthur 1st Page Editorial Xotes and Comments — Defluition of Honey 421 DrODes Fly Farther Than Workers 421 Putting Weak i 'olonies Over Strong Ones 421 Spreading the Brood 421 Temperature of the Brood-Nest 421 Miscellaneous Jfews Items — Aoiaries of Frank Kittinger 422 Dzierzon (Dr.) Failing 422 Officers of the Connecticut Association- Messrs. Latham. Marsh and Smith 422 Root.HuberH 422 Contributed Special Articles— Annual Renewing of Queens 423 Changing Queens Yearly 424 Dadant Methods of Honey-Production ( No. 1 1 > 423 Facing and Shading Hives '. 423 Localities that Differ 424 Producing Extracted Honey ■• 424 Shade for Hives 423 Convention Proceedings — Connecticut Convention 426 Extracted Honey and Its Quality 424 Worcester Co., Mass., Convention 425 Southern Beedom — Caucasian Bees 42fi Checking Early Brood-Rearing 426 How to Put Supers on Hives 42R Moving an Apiary a ShortDistance 427 NotBreedingfrom LargestProducingColomes 427 Putting Comb Foundation in Frames in Winter 427 Our Sister Bee-Keepers — non't Meddle With the Bees Unnecessarily. . . 427 Michigan Sister's Experience With Bees 427 Moving BeesNights and Letting Them Work in the Daytime :•••;•■; 1?„ Troubles With Bruin in the Apiary 427 Mr. ffasty's Afterthoughts— Is Cuban Bee-Keeping So Pro Itable ? 42R Less Honey and More Price 42H Prof. Cook's Insect-Tester 4-'» Sunflowers for Hive-Shade *'-» Testing Beeswax for Adulteration 428 Canadian Beedom — Natural Disinfectants in Colonies of Bees 428 Ontario Foul Brood Act and Inspectors 428 Sorting and Overhauling Combs 429 Working Intelligently With Bees 428 Dr. Miller's Question-Box— Clipping Queens 429 Dempsey super •"" Dividing Colonies for Increase **> Fence Separators *r» Prevention of Swarming «;» States Having No Foul Brood 429 T-Supers and Quilts .. *-= Weak Colony Over a Strong One 429 Reports and Experiences — Keeping Mice and Ants Out of Hives 430 " It Is continuous advertising that impresses the public with the stability of a firm." LanSstroth on the Honey-Bee ♦» »x» •: Revised by Dadant— Latest Edition. This is one of the standard books on bee-culture, and ought to be in the library of every bee-keeper. It is bound substantially in cloth, and contains over 500 pages, being revised by those large, practical bee-keepers, so well- known to all the readers of the Ameri- can Bee Journal — Chas. Dadant & Son. Each subject is clearly and thoroly ex- plained, so that by following the in- structions of this book one cannot fail to be wonderfully helped on the way to success with bees. The book we mail for'fl .20, or club It with the American Bee Journal for one year— both for $2.00 ; or, we will mail it as a premium for sending us THREE NEW subscribers to the Bee Journal for one year, with $3.00. This is a splendid chance to get a grand bee-book for a very little money ocwork. GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, ILL, Cheap Rates to Boston $19.00 for round-trip from Chicago (plus $1.00) via the Nickel Plate Road, May 31st to June 9th, inclusive, with privi- lege of extension of return limit to July 15th. $24.00 via New York City, all rail, or $23.00 via New York City and steamer in both directions between New York and Boston. Stop-over at Niagara Falls and Chautauqua Lake points, if desired, within limit of ticket. Tickets good on any train on above dates. No excess fare charged on any train on Nickel Plate Road. Meals in Nickel Plate dining-cars, on American Club Meal Plan, ranging in price from 35 cents to $1.00, Mid-day Luncheon 50 cents ; also a la carte. Three through trains daily, with mod- ern Pullman sleeping cars to Fort Wayne, Findlay, Fostoria, Cleveland, Erie, Buffalo, New York City and New England points. Trains depart from La Salle St. Station, Chicago, the only Depot on the Elevated Loop. Write John Y. Calahan, General Agent, Room 298, 113 Adams St., Chicago, for reser- vation of berths, in through standard and tourist sleepers, and full particu- lars. 2-4t NOT IN THE TRUST We will stamp your Cans "PURE Extracted Honey"— FREE Our prices for 1906 are the lowest to the National Bee-Keepers' Association. Write us. Now is the time TO BUY FRICTION TOP CANS FOR HONEY AND SYRUP Canners Can Co. 1035 W. 47th St., CHICAGO, ILL. May 17, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 419 « DADANT'S FOUNDATION" IT E2COE3LiS EVERY INCH equal to sample Beauty, Purity, Firmness. No Sagging, No Loss. Twenty-seven Years of Experience. We Guarantee Satisfaction. WAX WORKED INTO FOUNDATION BEE=SUPPLIES of all kinds. Beeswax Wanted m DADANT & SONS, Hamilton, 111. SEND FOR OUR CATALOG at all times $■8.60 to New Haven, Conn., and Return plus $1.00, from Chicago, via Nickel Plate Road, June 2d, 3d, 4th and Sth ; also via New York City at excursion rates. Return limit June 30th by ar- ranging- for extension. Nickel Plate office, Room 298, 115 Adams St., Chi- cago. 5— 3t Big Profits in Capons [CAPON TOOLS , P. Pilling & Son, Capomzing is easy— soon learned. Complete outfit with free instructions postpaid $2.50. iGape Worm Extractor 25c Poultry Marker 25c i French Killing KnifeSOC [Capon Book Free. Philadelphia, Pa. DO YOU KNOW THAT THE SALE OF DITTMER'S FOUNDATION Has increased so much that we were forced to double our melting capacity in order to fill orders promptly >. There is a Reason for This — It is because Dittmer's Foundation is tough, clear, and transparent, and has the natural odor of beeswax. Agents for Dittmer's Foundation : W. D. Soper, Bee & Honey Co., Jackson, Mich. Beeville, Tex. E. H. Taylor, Welwyn Station, Herts, Ene. E. Grainger & Co., Toronto, Ont., Canada. Our warehouse is well stocked with all kinds of Bee-Keepers' Supplies. Beeswax always wanted. GUS D1TTMER, Augusta, Wis. Mention Bee Journal when writing. r Wisconsin Basswood Sections And Prompt Shipments Is what we are making for our customers. — DOVETAILED HIVES AND SHIPPING-CASES — We carry a full line of SUPPLIES. Ask for Catalog. THE flARSHFIELD HANUFACTURINQ CO., Tlarshfield, Wis. Mention Bee Journal when writing. If you want the Bee-Book That covers the whole Apicaltnral Field more completely than any other published, Bend $1.20 to Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont, Cal., FOR his " Bee- Keeper's Guide." Liberal Discount* to the Trade. ROOt'S B66-50DDH6S You know what this means. Four carloads of New Goods on hand. Our business increased last year 100 percent over 1904. This is a proof that we are saving our cus- tomers money. Try us. Low Freight Rates from Toledo. Large Discounts— that tells the K story. Our 80-page Catalog is 0 sent free. 2 GRIGGS BROS. 0 521 Monroe Street, TOLEDO, OHIO. Mention Bee Journal when writing. 65c for 12 Names ErfSE£^dnJ-?5o°i stamps taken— we will send for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Call— reg. sub. price 4oc a year. F. C. is a wkly., 23 years old, l,ym i panes a year. Sample free. t'AKMEK'S CALL,, yuincy.Ill. Cheap Rates to New Haven, Conn., from Chicago direct and via New York City, June 2d, 3d, 4th and Sth. Extended return limit June 30th. Write Nickel Plate Road, Room 298, 113 Adams St., Chicago, for particulars. 6 — 3t 420 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 17, 1906 Swarming Done Away With In addition to continuing the several interesting articles by Alexander, and other noted contributors, which are running in GLEANINGS IN BEE CUL- TURE, the publishers announce as a special feature for the remaining issues of the year, a series of articles on the CONTROL OF SWARMING FOR COMB- HONEY PRODUCTION. These by bee-keepers who have experimented to the point where experimenting is done, and the crown of success has been awarded. If you have not seen the first installment of this series, send in your name for a three-number trial subscription, which will be given free of charge. The April 15th, May 1st, and May 15th numbers will be mailed to you, and by June you will undoubtedly be so interested you will want to take a six months' subscription at least. The special price of which will be 25 cents. If you choose to remit at once, make your request for the above numbers in ad- dition to the regular issues for six months beginning June 1st, and we will send them free. GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE MEDINA, OHIO GOODS IN A HURRY When the bee6 are flying, some colonies preparing to swarm, and the honey beginning to come in, supplies when needed are always wanted at once. Then, is when the ROOT SYSTEM of distribution shows its good points to the best advantage. Seven branch houses— in all large centers, with complete stocks on hand for either retail or wholesale trade. Numerous job- bing agencies, and hundreds of smaller agencies scattered throughout the United States. Send in your order to-day, and your goods will be on the way in a very short time. Insist on getting BOOT'S GOODS. We are leaders. Our prices are right. You get a square deal and satisfaction in WAX WANTED.— We are paying 29 cents cash or 31 cents per pound in trade for pure, average beeswax delivered at any of our branches or at Medina. /-^rrnuiW DEC DDIICU S°me months ago Mr. R. F. Holtermann called our attention to a bee-brush which he received GERMAN IStt"lSI\U&n from Germany, made of genuine bristle or horsehair. He had used cne a whole season, washing it out often, and it appeared to be as good at the end of the season as at the be- ginning. He considered it so far ahead of any thing he had ever seen or used that he wanted no other. We are now provided with a stock which we offer at 25 cents each ; by mail, 30 cents. The bristles are black, about two inches long, extending eight inches on the handle. ilCViNnCD rCChCD We are now prepared to furnish the ALfcAANUEIT rEXUER Alexander Feeder. We make them 19 inches long, bo they be used with either an 8 or 10 frame hive. With a 10 frame hive they will project 3 inches beyond the hive for feeding, and the block may be laid crosswise of the feeder or be cut off as preferred. With the 8-frame hive the feeder projects 5 inches, and the block lies lengthwise. We soak the feeders in oil to preserve them, and fill the pores to prevent the feed from soaking in. Price, finished, including block, 25 cents each; 10 for 82.00; 50 for $9.00. The A. I. ROOT CO. Medina, Ohio THn AbtX*NI»ER FKKDER BRANCH H3S Medina, New York City, Chicago, 111. Philadelphia, Pa. Washington, D.C. St Paul, Minn. Syracuse, N.Y. Mechanic Fall6, Ohio. Box 1037 144 E. Erie. 10 Vine St. 1100 Md. Ave. 1024 Miss. St. 1631 W. Gen. St. Maine. (Entered at the Post-Office at Chicago as Second-Class Mail-Matter.) Published Weekly at $1.00 a Year, by George W. York & Co., 334 Dearborn St. QBORGE W. YORK, Editor CHICAGO, ILL, MAY 17, 1906 VoL XLVI— No. 20" =^ (gbttortal Hotes anb Comments j> Definition of Honey Germans, as well as Americans, are struggling with the question as to a proper definition of honey. Praktischer Wegweiser quotes Dr. Kautzler as saying : "The public understands by the term pure bees' honey only that honey obtained by the bees from the flowers of plants." But the well-recognized authority, Dr. Haenle, is quoted with approbation as saying : " By pure honey is understood the sweet juices that bees have gathered from plants in forest and plain, and have elaborated in their hives into honey." The latter is, without doubt, a good definition, while practical bee-keepers can not fail to object to the former. Putting Weak Colonies Over Strong Ones Reports are contradictory of the plan of putting a weak colony over a strong one in spring. Some report it as a great success, the weak colony becoming in time equal to the stronger one, with no apparent damage to the stronger one. Others report loss of queens. It is quite possible that a slight difference in execution of the plan may make all the difference between success and failure, and it is to be desired that those who have given the plan further trial — and the probability is that it has been practised much more extensively this year than last — would give any information they may have obtained as to causes of failure. Even if nothing more can be done, let there be reports giving information as to just what success or failure occurred. Temperature of the Brood-Nest Mr. Editor: — I have read with very great interest the article on hive temperature, page 363, and although much of it has been given before by the same writer, there are some things that bear repetition. Mr. Doolittle has done a real service in enabling us to say, "The tem- perature of the brood-nest is pretty nearly a constant quantity, rang- ing from 92 to 98 degrees," I wish he might have gone still farther, and told us at what temperature the crust of bees is kept. I think European authorities have given it at 50 degrees. With thanks for emendations to my answers from one so compe- tent on these points, I may be permitted to ask, not with any spirit of captiousness, but with a sincere desire to know the truth, whether the testimony given is sufficient to warrant his apparent conclusion that the crust of bees is almost a perfect non-conductor of heat. The im- portant bearing this may have upon practical bee-keeping can easily be seen, so it is important to be very sure what is the truth with regard to it. C. C. Miller. Dr. Miller might have specified particularly as to what important bearing upon practical bee-keeping he had ref- erence, but some points of bearing are not hard to find. The acceptance of Mr. Doolittle's views, these views being so radically different from those generally entertained, would lead to a radical difference in practise in more than one respect. At first thought, the question may occur whether Mr. Doolittle has gone so far as to say that the crust of bees is " almost a perfect non-conductor of heat." But a careful reading shows a warrant for that interpretation in the sen- tence which, speaking of the temperature in a hive placed over the hive containing the brood-nest, it is said, " They will keep that temperature of from 92 to 98 degrees in the brood-nest just as easily as they did, or could, before that upper hive was put on, as the heat is confined within the cluster or crust of bees, not in the hive." That "just as easily " could not be unless the crust of bees were not only almost, but altogether, a non-conductor. If the non-conductivity of the crust of bees be an estab- lished fact, a great saving of time and labor would result. The great care that some take to close up all cracks about the hive in the spring would be avoided. Packing for win- ter would be unnecessary. Indeed, there has not been lack- ing repeated testimony that colonies have been successfully wintered in hives so split and cracked that winter winds could have full play through them. Yet, on the other hand, a very large number have earnestly urged the importance of keeping everything about the hive as warm as possible. If these latter be wrong, and if all that extra trouble may just as well be saved, it is well to know it. But before acting entirely on the new teaching, it will be at least prudent to have tests more or less decisive. Drones Fly Farther Than Workers So says a writer in Praktischer Wegweiser. As proof he recites that he moved a colony of bees quite a long dis- tance, and the next day a crowd of drones returned to the old stand, but not a single worker-bee. Spreading the Brood While there is a divergence as to views on this subject, one bit of advice is assuredly safe : Never spread brood when there is already present all the brood the bees can cover. Spreading brood at such a time can only result in loss. Honey as a Health-Food. — This is a 16-page honey- pamphlet intended to help increase the demand for honey. The first part of it contains a short article on "Honey as Food,'" written by Dr. C. C. Miller. It tells where to keep honey, how to liquefy it, etc. The last part is devoted to "Honey-Cooking Recipes" and "Remedies Using Honey." It should be widely circulated by those selling honey. The more the people are educated on the value and uses of honey, the more honey they will buy. Prices, prepaid — Sample copy for a two-cent stamp; SO copies for 70 cts.; 100 for $1.25; 250 for $2.25; 500 for $4.00; or 1,000 for $7.50. Your business card printed free at the bottom of front page on all orders for 100 or more copies. Send all orders to the office of the American Bee Journal. 422 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 17, 1906 "\ miscellaneous Zletrs * 3tems ==/ Officers of the Connecticut Association are shown on the first page this week. We have the further pleasure of presenting the brief biographical sketches that follow : Allen Latham, President. Allen Latham was born in Thetford, Vt., Oct. 31, 1868 ; parents, Henry M. Latham and Harriet A. (born Closson) Latham. Parents and 8 children moved to Lancaster, Mass., in 1880. After a common school education " Allen " •went from the farm to Harvard College in the fall of 1888, and graduated with the class of 1892. He took up teaching as a profession, and taught school in the towns of Deerfield, Andover, and Walpole, Mass. In the fall of 1902 he moved his family to Norwich, Conn., where he is still teaching in the Norwich Free Academy, having charge of the Science Department. Mr. Latham married Caroline L. Walker, of Lancaster, Mass., in the summer of 1893, and 4 children have been iborn of that union— Paul, Barbara, Emily and William. Such is the non-bee-life of Allen Latham. His bee-life, rtold briefly in his own words, is as follows : I can not remember when bees did not interest me, and I was not •over S years of age when I caught bees from the flowers and shut them •into a miniature hive in hopes that I might start a colony. Some told -oie that they would not stay unless I had a queen, and surely enough •they always left, never to return. It was not till June, 1884, that my interest in bees was restored in full force. At that time I was in the High School, and our teacher in Bota-uy had taken the class out to study flowers. While analyzing flowers we restless boys discovered a swarm of bees high in an elm- tree Some one said something about a swarm beiDg worth S20. (Had he even heard of " Lizzie?") Well, I was filled with a desire for the S-X) if not for the bees. So about dusk I went for those bees, with legs doubly protected with overalls tied at the ankles, and with arms and hands encased in stocking-legs and buckskin-gloves. Over my head I had 2 butterfly-nets, for I was a butterfly collector. I climbed the tree, having to shin 16 feet to the first branch, and as it was a warm June day, and I was excited, I was more than ready to rest awhile in the crotch of that first limb. The cluster was only 2 •feet away, and as I was preparing to bag it, I heard a voice say: ■" What in are you doing up in that tree?" And it was hot up there for I can still remember how the sweat trickled down my back. I'bagged those bees, and I have kept bees ever since. That first swarm filled its hive, and then died in the winter from excessive med- dling on my part. But on the day they died I bought another colony. In the course of 3 years I had nearly a score of colonies. I should have said that after I bagged the swarm I went that even- ing to the town library and took out " The Hive and the Honey-Bee," by that grand old man, L. L. Langstroth. I read the book nearly through that night, and by morning a bee-fever had set in that has waxed hot most of the time ever since. Like every bee-keeper, I could tell many interesting experiences I •have had with bees, but space should not be taken for that. I will •simply 9ay that 1 have moved independently in all my work with bees; have never bought a factory-hive for my own use, and though bee- keeping is my avocation, I have always made it pay for itself, and often known it to help me very materially. Allen Latham. Mr. Latham has been an occasional contributor to bee- literature for many years, as the most of our readers know. D. D. Marsh, Vice-President. Rev. David Dana Marsh has been an enthusiastic bee- keeper for 27 years. In his first 20 years' pastorate at Georgetown, Mass., he bought a box-hive of black bees, of a farmer, transferred it to a frame hive made by himself, and they produced SO pounds of comb honey that season. On moving to Unionville, Conn., in 1888, his few hives were in the car with furniture an entire week, yet brought in pollen in less than half an hour after being released in October in the Nutmeg State. After a pastorate of 11 years he moved to a church in Hartford, Conn., taking along a few hives, in January, and one of them stored SO pounds of comb honey the following season. After pastorates of 35 years he bought a pleasant home in West Hartford, Conn., well adapted, among other things, to bee-culture, and his interest in bees is unabated. From a few colonies of blacks, which he prefers for fancy comb honey his average crop was 81 sections last season. He has been a member of the Connecticut Bee-Keepers' Association from its beginning, and has found a few colo- nies of bees a delightful diversion in the busy years of the pastorate. J. Arthur Smith, Secretary. J. Arthur Smith is employed in the office of the Con- necticut Mutual Life Insurance Co., at Hartford. He is an ardent lover of Nature in all its phases, and his enthusiasm for bee-culture has not waned, but increased since he pur- chased his first colony, 3 years ago. When quite young, while sitting in a tree eating a sweet pear, he discovered that bees were not such dreadful little creatures, after all, for they would lodge on his face, crawl around his mouth, and fly away. His love for bees might be characterized as sentimental rather than mercantile ; however, he is anxious that some of the tons of honey that go to waste each season in Connnecticut may be saved, and will labor to that end. Of all the periodicals he takes, including Harper's Weekly, he enjoys the American Bee Journal and Gleanings the most. The Apiaries of Frank Kittinger.— When sending the photograph reproduced on the first page, Mr. Kittinger wrote thus, under date of April 11 : The photograph I send gives only a partial view of my apiary, which contains 60 colonies, of which 20 are in the house-apiary shown. The hives in the house-apiary are all open to the south, and as will be noticed, the ends of the brood-chambers are exposed to the sun, which, I think, is a great help in successfully wintering bees on the summer stands. All my bees are wintered on the summer stands. I first put on a comb-honey super containing about 3 inches of dry sawdust, and then put from 4 to 6 inches of forest leaves on all sides of the hives; also over the top. The ends of the brood-chambers are all exposed to the sun, and hive-entrances left open the full width of the hives. The hives outside the house-apiary are wintered in cases holding 3 or 4 hives each. 1 have always been very successful in wintering in this way, never having lost a colony that went into winter quarters with plenty of honey and bees, and a good queen. I suppose some will wonder if I don't lose several queens in the colonies in the house-apiary by having them enter the wrong hives when returning from mating. I do not have any queens mated in this house-apiary, as I allow natural swarming, and hive the new swarm on the old stand. The old hive is then moved to a new stand outside. Besides, I do not have nearly as much swarming from the colonies in the house-apiary as from those outside. I use the 10-frame Langstroth hive, with Hoffman frames. I also have a few 8-frame hives, but I do not like them as well as the 10- frame. I run my bees for both comb and extracted honey. Since the photograph was taken, I have built a honey-house, 10x16 feet, to the right of the house-apiary. I could not get along without the American Bee Journal, as I find several articles that are worth the price of a year's subscription. Frank Kittinger. Mr. HubeF H. Root has recently been installed as Assistant Editor of Gleanings in Bee Culture. His latest portrait graces the front cover of the May 1st issue, from which we take the following paragraph : Our editorial staff has been increased by the addition of new and younger blood in the person of Huber H. Root, named after the great Huber of a century ago. The younger Huber, like his great name- sake, is of an investigating turn of mind, and an enthusiast on bees. He is fresh from college, and now has thrown his whole heart and soul into the general subject of bee-keeping. Like his father, he is a geniu6 in getting up new contrivances. Indeed, several patents and useful inventions used by the Root Co., are the product of the brain of the youngest member of The A. I. Root Co. We congratulate both "Huber" and the readers of Gleanings upon this new combination. Few young men have the wonderful opportunity for usefulness placed before them that has Huber; and few are so fortunate to have such an able assistant as he will be to his brother " Ernest," who for so many years has been editor of Gleanings. They will pull together nicely, even if there is a difference of 21 years in their ages. And it's "all in the family." Df. Dzierzon Failing.— The great German bee-master is reported as being in feeble health, confined to his bed for the past year and a half on account of weakness in his feet. No longer able to read, and too deaf easily to hear others read, his 96th year, which began Jan. 16, is rather a lonely Amerikanische Bienenzucht, by Hans Buschbauer, is a bee-keeper's hand-book of 138 pages, which is just what our German friends will want. It is fully illustrated, and neatly bound in cloth. Price, postpaid, $1.00; or with the American Bee Journal one year — both for $1.75. Address all orders to this office. Ma 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 423 * Contributeb + Special Ctrttcles 1 =^ 11— Dadant Methods of Honey-Production BY C. P. DADANT. BEFORE I pass to the details of management with large hives, I desire to take notice of an acknowledgment that helps my cause — the cause of large hives. In the April number of the Bee-Keepers' Review, Mrs. F. W. Frey asks how to keep bees from wanting to swarm, while producing comb honey. That question cannot be answered in an abso- lute way. * That is, there is not yet a method devised by which we can keep our bees entirely from wanting to swarm, most especially when they have to build their surplus combs. But 3 pages further on, I find a partial answer to the ques- tion asked. Permit me to quote from the editorial : "Size of hives, as it affects the tendency of the bees to swarm is well illustrated by the experience of Mr. C. F. Smith, of Cheboygan, Mich. He writes that he has bees in 7, 8, 9, io and 12- frame hives, respectively, and, of the colo- nies in the "-frame hives, 95 percent swarmed ; of the 8- frames, 85 percent swarmed ; of those on 9 frames, 70 percent swarmed; of the 10-frame style, 55 percent swarmed; while only 33 percent of those on 13 frames cast swarms." From all sides we can hear the same thing. If we wish to avoid natural swarming, we must give our bees enough room to accommodate the most prolific queens. It is one of the principal steps in the direction of control of swarms. But this is not all. If we have large brood-chambers, we will rear powerful colonies, whenever our queens are very prolific. These powerful colonies will need more room in every way, for it is out of the question to have a powerful colony satisfied with a super such as would be ample for a small one. So if we expect the large hives to help towards prevention of swarming, we must expect to give them addi- tional surplus room in proportion to the larger size of the colony. Dr. C. C. Miller tried 2 Jumbo hives, in the hope of securing a non-swarming hive. One of these was the first colony in his apiary to swarm. Evidently the colony was able to fill this hive to overflowing, because it had a very prolific queen. Is it not most likely that these bees would have swarmed still sooner had they had but an 8-frame hive to fill, instead of one equivalent to 12 frames? But Dr. Miller succeeds in securing large colonies with small hives. How does he do it? He adds another hive on top of the 8-frame body, whenever the brood-chamber is full of brood, and allows the queen to go up into this addi- tional hive and breed until the honey crop has begun, when he again reduces it and puts on supers, leaving a body full of combs of brood in only one story. The surplus combs of brood which cannot find place in that one story go to help other colonies. In this way, Dr. Miller avoids the loss caused by the cramping of queens for room to lay, and gets his tremendous crops. It is more labor than by our method, but it is probably the best way to secure a large force of bees with small hives, and to get as much honey as possible stored into the sections. The apiarist who uses 8-frame Langstroth hives will get a great deal of valuable information by reading the Doc- tor's book, "Forty Years Among the Bees." I had read it, but did not realize the most valuable points until I had sev- eral personal talks with the author. I am very fond of my own methods, and I feel very sure that others can succeed where we have succeeded, but I am also aware that bee-keepers — no matter how pro- gressive they are — will not throw away their small hives just for the sake of trying my ways. I therefore urge those who have small hives and do not expect to change, to give the method of Dr. Miller a thorough trial. I acknowledge that there is much in the management described in "Forty Years" that will scare a novice, owing to the numerous manipulations performed, but the ideas evolved are to be found nowhere else. Perhaps not enough attention has been paid to the Doctor's methods. Few men have his long ex- perience, his knowledge of the habits of the bee, and few men succeed as he does in producing very large crops regularly. He has both the theory and the practice at his fingers' ends. But I am running away from my subject. I started to talk about the Dadant methods, and I am falling into the Miller methods. I only wish to emphasize the fact that the Miller methods for comb honey with small hives, and the Dadant methods for extracted honey with large hives, are not antagonistic — they corroborate one another. There is no method by which we may entirely prevent swarming. Such a method may be devised later, but it will very probably have to be by artificial means and manipula- tions. But a spacious hive-body in which to rear brood, a thoroughly ventilated hive in which communication from top to bottom is easy; a well-shaded spot; a reduced produc- tion of drones; and plenty of surplus-room, will secure most desirable results. Hamilton, 111. [A new edition of Dr. Miller's "Forty Years Among the Bees" has just been issued. It contains an Appendix which brings the Doctor's experience down to date. The book, containing 344 pages, we mail for $1.00, or club it with the American Bee Journal, one year, both for $1.80. The ap- pendix alone is 10 cents. Send all orders to the office of the American Bee Journal. — Editor.] Facing and Shading Hives-Other Comments BY ADRIAN GETAZ. Some time ago a French apiarist reported that all his hives but one were facing east. And that one, facing south, has given him more surplus honey than any of the others. He added that it was shaded by a tree during a part of the dav. My first impression was that this colony had a better queen than the others, or something of that sort; but the context, while not saying so positively, seems to imply that the superiority of that colony had existed for a number of years during which there may have been a number of differ- ent queens. It is not likely that they would all have been better than the others. Then I thought that perhaps the shade given by that tree was the cause. But the climate of western Europeis totally different from ours. It is considerably milder in win- ter, and very much cooler in summer. So it would be hard to say whether the extra surplus honey was due to the extra warmth of the south exposure, or to the shading of the tree. Perhaps both, if the tree was shading in the middle of the day and letting the sun shine on the hive early in the morning and late in the evening. The incident in itself is insignificant, but I quote it here to show how hard it is sometimes to give the right kind of an explanation, and how careful we should be when criticising other people's assertions. SHADE FOR HIVES. Mr. Alexander, of New York, doesn't want his hives- shaded. He says that the extra work the bees do early and late in the day when the sun warms up the hives adds con- siderably to his surplus. It has been stated already that it is largely a question of locality. Shade might be a nuisance in some parts of the State of New York, an advantage in east Tennessee, and an absolute necessity in Arizona. And that is true but there is another fact that has been overlooked. Mr. Alexander's surplus honey is altogether from buckwheat, and therefore is gathered at a time of the year when the weather is already quite cool. If it was gathered in July, he might, even in his present locality, find the shade a decided advan- tage. ANNUAL RENEWING OF QUEENS. I was the first one, some 8 or 9 years ago, to advocate a yearly renewing of the queens. I have always said that it was especially an advantage when working for comb honey, and in poor localities like mine. A colony with a young queen is not likely to swarm, and in a poor locality a colony that has swarmed, and its swarm, are not going to give much surplus honey, if any at all. I think Mr. Aspinwall is about right when he says that the colonies which do not swarm give twice the surplus of those that do. Another thing in favor of young queens (those reared late in the preceding year) is that they keep the bees from crowding honey in the brood-nest better than the older ones. And that is an im- portant item. Less honey in the brood-nest means more in the supers. Less honey in the brood-nest means more brood reared and more bees later on, which, where the honey season lasts several months, is an important item. 424 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 17, 1906 PRODUCING EXTRACTED HONEY. There are honest differences of opinion on this subject, and they are fully justified by the difference in localities and managements. The first we find is that of the Dadants, who have always insisted that unless the apiarist wishes to im- prove his stock by giving selected queens, it is just as well to let the bees renew their queens themselves, when they think best to do it. And this is easily understood. The Da- dants are working for extracted honey, use very large hives, and give their bees all the built combs they need, both in the brood-nest and in the supers. With plenty of empty comb in the supers, bees will never crowd the brood-nest with honey, and with plenty of room in the brood-nest the brood-rear- ing will not be curtailed, and swarming will rarely take place. So the two reasons for wanting young queens when working for_ comb honey do not exist when working for extracted. It is -hardly necessary to say here that in producing comb honey, the difficulty is because the bees are not able to build comb in the sections fast enough to accommodate the honey that they can bring in, hence their disposition to put it in the brood-nest. CHANGING QUEENS YEARLY. And now comes Mr. Doolittle, who says that he produces comb honey, but does not think it necessary to change queens every year. Hm! Doolittle is a bigger man than I am in more ways than one. Perhaps the "locality" may explain the difference of opinion. If I understand his writing correctly, he has only one flow of honey, from basswood and white "clover. Before that flow he has several weeks, in which to build up his colonies. During that time there is enough nectar coming in to keep up brood-rearing, but not enough to furnish any surplus honey. So he can- winter only medium colonies, having suffi- cient time to build them up for the white clover and bass- wood. During the main flow he doesn't want too much brood. In fact he doesn't want a queen too prolific at that time. He prefers to have in the sections the honey that the brood would have consumed and have the bees busy in the supers, rather than busy at brood-rearing. As the flow lasts only a few weeks, the bees reared at that time would mature too late to be of any advantage. Others have gone even further in that direction. Heddon, Hutchinson, etc., contract the brood- nest severely at that time. Elwood and Hetherington cage the queens or remove them entirely, partly for the same reason and partly to prevent swarming. After the main flow is over, there is nothing, or practi- cally nothing, to gather outside, and the extra bees reared during the flow would simply be what has been termed "use- less consumers." Evidently with such management a young queen that would persist in laying as much as possible during the main flow is not wanted. That the system is good under such circumstances is not to be doubted. The splendid crops obtained bv Doolittle tell the tale. The tree is known by its fruits. If I have made any mistake, or misunderstood something, I shall be glad to be corrected. In fact, I would like to have, from Doolittle a full article on the subject. OTHER LOCALITIES. But it does not follow that the same system of manage- ment would work well everywhere. i. In some localites in northern Michigan, for instance, a good surplus can be obtained from wild raspberries early in the spring. Everywhere, now and then, somebody brings forth a super full of sections built and filled during apple- blossom time, showing that in some places, at least, surplus honey could be obtained from that source. Evidently to take advantage of such surplus it is necessary to go into winter quarters with strong colonies, as there would not be time enough in the spring to build them up. 2. Some localities have two flows. For instance, the alfalfa regions have two flows corresponding to the two crops of alfalfa. Some years ago, after having written an article similar to this, I received several" letters complaining that during the first flow of alfalfa the bees were crowding the brood-nest and rearing but little brood, with the result that when the second flow came there was not enough field-bees to take care of it, and inquiring if I knew a remedy. Other localities have a second flow of buckwheat or fall" flowers, and if the brood-rearing is curtailed during the first flow' what is gamed then will be lost later, besides having the bees go into winter quarters in a weaker condition. 3. The trouble mentioned in the case of two flows exists in the case of a long flow, say two months or more, even more rather than less. 4. Sometimes, after the main flow is over, there is dur- ing the balance of summer and the fall enough nectar to be had to keep up the colonies and provide with ample provisions for the winter. In such cases the weakening of the colonies during the flow might be a disadvantage. True, more honey might be had as surplus, but after that the colonies would be weaker. And in a very light flow a weak colony might dwindle, a medium one barely keeps up, and a strong One in- creases, gets full provisions for winter and early spring, and is sure to winter all right and give good account of itself the following year. 5. In my locality, and all over the South, it is still worse. There we have not exactly a long flow, but a long honey season consisting of a succession of usually weak flows, of different duration, and separated by longer or shorter in- tervals. No two years are alike. Some flows are sometimes longer, sometimes shorter, sometimes heavy, sometimes light, or missing entirely. The sources of flows are not the same everywhere, and the length of the season also vary with the different localities. What makes it worse yet, is that the spring begins early, but cold, raw, and sometimes freez- ing weather comes back often, and stops the work in the sections entirely. This of course makes the clogging of the honey in the brood-nest worse. By ample protection of the supers, all possible inducements to the bees to take up work in them, renewing the queens every fall, the evil can be greatly mitigated, but not entirely, by any means ; and I am still ex- perimenting in the line of improvements in that direction. Knoxville, Tenn. (£onr>entton Proceebings ~> J Extracted Honey and Its Quality Read at the Northern Michigan Convention BY GEO. H. KIRKPATRICK. HOW we may produce a better quality of extracted honey than is being produced to-day by the average bee-keeper is a subject of much importance to the average bee- keeper, for fully three-fourths of the annual crop is extracted honey. I shall not point out any iron-clad rules, though I shall attempt to give a few practical points. Perhaps the most im- portant feature is the location. We should seek a location where the bees will be sheltered from the chilly winds in early spring; a location that will place our bees within easy reach of a very large acreage of honey-producing plants such as yield a quantity of light honey. The practical bee-keeper in a good location will secure a fair crop of honey from any of the different styles of hives now in use. Twenty-three years have passed since I began bee-keep- ing. I commenced with the Standard 10-frame Langstroth hive." I have used the Langstroth hive more or less during these 23 years. Having tested pretty thoroughly the Danzen- baker and the Heddon hives, I have proved to my own satis- faction, by repeated tests, that a much better quality of honey can be produced in shallow extracting supers than in deep ones. During the past five years I have built all new hives only eight inches deep. We now have more than 200 colonies in these shallow hives, and we shall continue to build and to use this hive. Note the results : With this shallow hive we have one suited to the size of the colony in early spring; a brood- frame that the queen will occupy close up to the top-bar. True, a single story of this hive is too small to rear such colonies as we must have to store large crops of real good honey. This hive is suited to the storifying principle — a prin- ciple of much importance to the extracted-honey producer. 1 begin to tier up when the single-story brood-chamber is filled with brood and bees. When the colonies arrive at this stage I put on the first super, placing between it and the brood-chamber a queen-excluder. At this time I lift two combs of hatching brood from the brood-chamber into the May 17, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 425 super. This I repeat every 7 or 8 days. By this method i am able to increase largely the strength of the colonies. By the date of the beginning of the honey harvest ill colonies should be filling a 2-story hive, and be ready for a second super. This second super, and all others added from time to time, should be placed right next to the brood-cham- ber. Always keep the oldest honey at the top of the hive — it is the first to be ripened and capped. By the use ot these shallow hives the queen will fill the comb with brood plump up to the top-bar; and practically all honey will then be stored in the supers. During a good flow of honey all good colonies will re- quire an empty super added every 4 to 6 days. With these small supers, only holding 35 to 40 pounds, they are filled quickly, evaporated, and capped. The honey is thus more uniform in body, flavor and color. They are not so apt to contain uncapped honey, and honey from two or more sources, as are the large supers. > It sometimes happens that there comes a change in the kind of honey; it may be a change from raspberry or clover to sumac or milk-weed and then with the large super contain- ing 8 or 10 Langstroth frames, we are much more liable to get the honey mixed. I believe we should be careful to keep the different kinds of honey separate, especially raspberry. I think raspberry is the very best honey with which to build up a trade. It is a winner to make customers. We should never extract a pound of uncapped honey and sell it for table use. For example, we will say that honey must all be capped before extracting in order to be classed as No. 1 honey. This we will rate at 100 percent. Honey extracted when only three-fourths capped we will class at 75 percent, or 25 percent below the standard. We will now give a more practical test. We will make a canvass and sell, direct to consumers 500 pounds of No. 1 honey, classed at 100 percent. In 30 days we will make a second canvass and find almost every individual who bought at the time of the first canvass is ready and anxious for a second pail of honey, and the entire community will have learned of the good quality of the honey and 1,000 pounds will be sold, increasing the sales 100 percent more than those of the first canvass. Had we made the first canvass with the honey classed at 75 percent, the chances are that our sales would have fallen below those of the first can- vass. When we know that quality makes the difference be- tween success and failure we should readily see- how impor- tant it is to produce only No. I honey. If you are producing honey of a high standard, you are on the right road to suc- cess; if not, it's high time you were putting forth your best efforts to produce the verv best quality. Rapid City, Mich. Mass. Report of the Worcester County Convention (Sext by C. R. Russell, Secretary.) The Worcester County Bee-Keepers' Association has become a New England affair, although an attempt to have the name changed to New England Bee-Keepers' Association failed. Some of the members objected to drop- ping the name, "Worcester County," although they are not averse to allowing others outside of the county to join the society, and for that purpose amended Art. 3 of the Constitution, which provided that all members of the Asso- ciation should be residents of Worcester County, now making anybody interested eligible to membership. As a result of this act, 16 members were admitted to the Association from Vermont, Rhode Island and Con- necticut. The institute meeting and convention of the Wor- cester County Bee-Keepers' Association and Massa- chusetts Agricultural Society, said to be the first of its kind in Massachusetts, was held in Horticultural Hall. The attendance was much larger than anybody expi I, and included prominent apiarists from Boston and differ- ent sections of New England. The meeting consisted of two sessions, morning id afternoon, with a banquet between, and an exhib apiarian articles. The lectures were in the library in t he hall, which in the afteWoon proved much too small for the accommodation of t'aose who wished to attend the meeting, and about 50 people were turned away b< there were not seats enough. The banquet and exhibits were in the main hall. The exhibits were arranged on tables, and included wax, shown by Charles R. Russell, honey-candy by F. A. Farmer, honey by R. H. Holmes, and bee-appliances by F. H. Drake. The morning speaker was Prof. James B. Paige of Amherst College, who talked on "Bee-Diseases." Prof. Paige devoted most of his talk to the new bee-disease which was discovered by a member of the Worcester County Bee-Keepers' Association, James Wood. Mr. Paige stated that the disease had been found in bees in Bondville, Enfield, Ware, Greenwich, Hardwick, Prescott, North Dana, New Salem, Belchertown and Amherst. The total area covered by it does not exceed more than 25 or 30 miles in length, and 8 or 10 miles in width. Nothing has appeared in print describing any disease just like it, and it is probably confined to this State. Prof. Paige stated that it was supposed to have started in Ludlow, but in the discussion that followed, one of the audience stated that he knew of it in Monson and Brim- field, before it got to Ludlow. It was discovered in the summer of 1901. Prof. Paige was asked what Amherst College was doing for the bee-keepers, and stated that a course was opened in apiculture, and for the past two years had been very successful. This course opens the last Wednesday of May and continues two weeks. There are lectures and scientific and practical work. Prof. Paige was asked if there are less bee-diseases to-day than there were 25 years ago. "I do not think so," said he, "but if I were to answer jokingly I should say 'No,' because there are less bees than there were then, and for the same reason that they say black sheep eat less than the white, because there are fewer of them." In the afternoon Arthur C. Miller of Providence gave a general talk on bees, and answered the question put in the question-box. In his talk, Mr. Miller dwelt on what has been called the "Wiley Lie," the report spread among the people of the country regarding the sale of manu- factured comb honey. "The public need never be afraid of getting manufactured comb honey," said Mr. Miller. Allen Latham of Connecticut and Pres. O. B. Hadwen also spoke in the afternoon. The convention was called to order at 10:30 o'clock, with Pres. Burton N. Gates of the Worcester County Bee- Keepers' Association in the chair. After a few words of welcome Pres. Gates introduced Prof. Paige of Amherst as the morning speaker, and he took up practically all of the morning session, with his lecture and the discussion that followed. There was a brief discussion, after which Secretary Charles R. Russell read the constitution of the Associa- tion, and invited those present who were not already mem- bers of the society to join. Immediately after this dinner was served. Over 70 persons sat down to it. Mr. Farmer gave a short talk immediately after dinner, on his honey-comb candy, after which the exhibits were examined. Pres. Gates called the afternoon session to order at 2:30 o'clock. At this session, many more people came than were expected, and a large number were forced to leave on account of an inability to accommodate them. Mr. Gates announced that the president of the Wor- cester County Horticultural Society was present, and at this time expressed the thanks of his Association for the kindness and courtesy shown by the Horticultural Society in entertaining them, and said he thought it was fitting at this time to ask Pres. O. B. Hadwen to say a few words, which he did, giving his experiences with bees, and stating that the Society was always glad to receive such an or- ganization as the bee-keepers. On a motion made by Mr. Russell, the bee-keepers gave Mr. Hadwen, as representing the Worcester County Horticultural Society, a vote of thanks for its courtesy and kindness. Mr. Gates then introduced Arthur C. Miller, of Prov- idence, as the afternoon speaker. Mr. Miller began by stating that Worcester county had one thing they were to be congratulated on, and that was a county paper, The Telegram, which was willing to yive space to bee-culture and agricultural matters in general, which was a point farther than most papers had reached, and added that thanks should be given the press. Referring to comments heard regarding the scientific treatment of the subject, in the morning, Mr. Miller said: 426 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 17, 1906 If we are going to advance in bee-culture, we must have a thorough knowledge of the bee, not only of its life his- tory, but we have got to try and learn what influences the bee reacts to. We are learning that excessive moisture in the hive reacts unfavorably, and other facts, but we have to know much more about them. "One question which has been asked me is, 'What chance is there m Massachusetts to make money keeping bees? With a few exceptions, I think bees are kept for the honey they produce or for the fun a person gets out "The capital invested and the time expended are the first two things to be considered. With a person having one two or three colonies of bees, the outfit need not be much. Counting the combs, hives, bees and so on $15 ought to cover it. In favorable locations, a couple of colonies of bees intelligently handled will yield from 40 to ZUU pounds of honey per annum. ♦■ "A wu the, be?s' i4 dePends upon atmospheric condi- tions. What the farmers call good corn weather is good honey weather. thJ'll a P.erS°? 'S g°irlg into keeping more bees than that, the ratio of cost is less; but if a man wants to make PvtlS="eSS , bee-kee,Plng or go into the business on an extensive scale, he will do much the best thing if he hires out for nothing with some experienced bee-keeper, if he so into h? T t0 W2rk f-?r Him-, Ab0Ve a» thi"gs don't go into bee-keeping heavily at the start, because I don't know of anything ,n which you can lose your money much quicker, unless, possibly, it's the stock exchange " Mr. Miller talked on the bees he had kept in an H^okT^ anSWered ,many questions asked him He spoke of the existing harmony in the Worcester County Horticultural Society, which seems to belackin" in most horticultural societies! racing whic"hU soclftles m gh ue iormea later on, to meet once a year, probablv in Wnr oldtenramWehlCh " ^ ^ b«l *™™i2&&™?& Report of the Connecticut Convention BY J. ARTHUR SMITH. ers' ILo^nn T,?' ™™ting 0f the Connecticut Bee-Keep- meetings. But the President, with a few others held „ with the result that the 15th annual mseTing wa, it N ,a°d' the largest and most enthusiastic in the "history of' the Asso a \TZ fan 'tot nd,' M/- gU««*»'* desire t0toystefpoeneAd°; ss &aksdto sas&ssr among those who'rec- was a surprise to him, but he considered it his duty to accept »«ntP «fi d°Verhjs first meeti"g with ease, and by Intent gent questions and criticisms, at the same time holding the speaker to the po.nt under discussion, much interesting and profitable information was brought out. We believe that under his leadership there is a bright future for the Connecti- cut Bee-Keepers' Association. Rev. D. D. Marsh, of West Hartford, was elected Vice- President Mrs. Edwin E. Smith, who faithfully served the Associa- tion for three years as its Secretary and Treasurer, declined a re-election, and was succeeded by the writer. It was at the home of Edwin E. Smith, of Watertown, that the Connecticut Bee-Keepers' Association was organized, in May, 1891, and Mr. Smith has had the interests of the Association at heart since that date, and the members recognize his fidelity, and that of his wife's, with a sense of gratitude. The following Executive Committee was appointed : Geo. W. Smith, S. .T. Griffin, and Edwin D. Barton. Some interesting articles were brought to the meeting for exhibition. E. II. Dewey, of Massachusetts, brought a section foundation fastener of his own invention, which was tried by many present, and believed to possess merit. S. J. Griffin exhibited a neat contrivance for holding four 4x5 sections while the full sheets of foundation, also held in- position, are waxed on three sides with a glass-tube and rub- ber bulb. He also brought a device for enabling one to wire brood-frames without cutting or hurting the hands. Mr. Latham brought one of his home-made hives, covered with " Paroid " paper, which, I believe, has been fully de- scribed in the American Bee Journal. The hive was an ob- ject of genuine interest, and an apiarist present who repre- sented more colonies of bees than the rest combined, arranged to have the hive sent to his home. Mr. Latham is of a scien- tific turn of mind, and gives careful study to a subject before making a claim that may strike some of the veterans as too- original to be accepted as truth. I believe that Mr. Latham's theory in regard to placing certain kinds of dark-colored hives, well ventilated, in properly shaded spots, virtually to elimi- nate the desire for swarming, has not yet been disproved when all the conditions have been complied with. J. Arthur Smith, Sec. Southern * 33eebom -f j Conducted by Louis H. Scholi. New Braunfels, Tex. Newsy Notes of Current Topics, With Some Comments How to Put Supers on Hives. I notice most bee-books and bee-papers, in speaking of the proper way to add supers (when working for extracted honey) is, when the one is full raise it and set the super of empty combs underneath. My experience is, if the super is put under the brood-chamber that the combs will be filled with pollen, and but few if any of the combs used for brood or honey. We always put our supers on top, and work the brood below as fast as possible. Checking Eari,y Brood-Rearing. In almost all the Northern States bee-keepers are anx- ious to have their bees start brood-rearing early so as to have strong colouies when the first honey-flow comes. But such is not the case with the Texas apiarist. Most of us would be pleased to know of some practical method to hold our bees in check on breeding. Most of my bees at the end of March were at the swarming point, and we expect no surplus honey before May 1, or perhaps June. Caucasian Bees, Wonder what they look like. One writer will say, " We are favorably impressed with the Caucasian bees so far as tried, but they so closely resemble our native black bees in color that it would be difficult to tell when they were crossed with them, so we could tell when we were breeding them in their purity." Another writer will say, " Caucasian bees are beauti- fully striped with yellow bands, closjly resembling our Ital- ian bees, except they are a trifle smaller, and more slender than Italians." Still another says, "Caucasiai. bees look very much like Carniolan, only they have a little more of an ashy color, May 17, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 427 with more or less red, rusty bands around them, and very much smaller than Carniolans." Are Caucasian bees like Joseph's coat — of many colors ? Not Breeding from the Largest Producing Colonies. Some of the most scientific writers on apiculture advise not to breed from the queen whose colony produced the very largest yield of honey, but to breed from those that average a little better each year, claiming the former is only a sport, and not so apt to reproduce those qualities, and also claim- ing the latter more of a fixed type, and thus more apt to re- produce their kind. That sounds reasonable. I confess, though, it's hard for me to keep from breeding from the queen whose colony has produced the largest yield of honey ; other things being favorable, to use such queen. I don't do it, either. Moving an Apiary a Short Distance. It became necessary for a neighbor to move an apiary of 35 colonies of bees about 100 yards. We selected a cool time when the bees were not flying. We used the usual precautions to prevent the bees returning to the old loca- tion, but more or less bees returned to the old location from every colony but one. Of this one colony every bee stayed just where they were put — not a single bee returned. That co'.ony was smothered ! Good way to keep any of the bees from returning to old location. Can't say, though, that I like it. Who will give us a more practical way of moving bees a short distance, without any returning ? Putting Comb Foundation in Frames in Winter. Nearly all writers on apiculture advise nailing up hives and frames and putting in the comb foundation in the win- ter and early spring, so as to have everything ready for the bees at a moment's notice when the busy season comes. That's all good advice, except putting in the foundation. I don't know how it is in other States, but in this very changeable Texas climate of ours, foundation has a fashion of warping, twisting, and making very unsatisfactory combs when put in the frames some months before being used. I get the best results by wiring the frames in ad- vance, and putting in the foundation as needed. Rescue, Tex. L,. B. Smith. When sending me the above for " Southern Beedom," Mr. Smith requested me to use it, criticise and comment on what he said ; and, in fact, he told me to do with it what / pleased. (Not exactly in these words, but it is being taken for granted that this is what was meant.) Mr. Smith will send us news items often, and I am glad to know that we shall have such helpers for " Southern Beedom." Right here I once more want to ask some of our other readers to send us news items concerning our indus- try. Send me reports of prospects, etc., so we can form an idea as to what our crop may be. All other bee-news will be appreciated also. Now, Mr. Smith, is this matter of early brood-rearing to obtain strong colonies for the first honey-flow not a mat- ter of " locality ?" It is with me, at least. In a few places where some of my apiaries are located, the seasons much like yours prevail; but in others, again, our early April flows require that early brood-rearing be pushed rapidly. A good remedy to check this early breeding was discovered in several apiaries I bought this year. It was simply this : The colonies were "robbed "of their fall crop so closely that they were very short of stores during the spring. Re- sult : Colonies did not breed up, and are not yet (in May) at the swarming point. Another way is to keep the colonies in several stories of empty combs, and just enough honey near the brood-nest to prevent them from starving. When the proper time comes, resort to simulative feeding to bring your colonies up strong for the honey-flow. But would this be economical aDd practical ? That's a pretty good way to keep bees where you want them to stay when moving them, but how about obtaining a crop of surplus with such bees that will stay where they have been put? Many experiments were conducted by the writer while at the Texas Experiment Station, in moving bees. The distances ranged from a few rods to many miles. For short- distance moving, close the entrances early in the morning — preferably with screen wire-cloth in warm weather— and move to the new stands about noon. Smoke the entrances after all have been placed on the stands, and loosen the en- trance-closer a little way, give a few puffs of smoke, and the bees will mark the location. A few may go back, but they will return to their hive. Handling the hives roughly while moving will help to cause them to stay when they are released. (Dur*Stster BccKeepers Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. =J Don't Meddle With the Bees Unnecessarily About this time of year there is one thing exceedingly hard to do for the sister who has her first colony of bees in a movable-frame hive. But it must be done if the best suc- cess is to be attained. It is to let the bees entirely alone when no meddling is needed. A Michigan Sister's Experience With Bees About 35 years ago my father-in-law got some bees in box-hives. He took care of them in this way until 19 years ago, when my husband and I moved upon a new farm. He was tired of taking care of them in that rude manner, without veil or 6moker. I learned what my husband knew about bees, and then I took care of them alone until we had 25 colonies. Since that I have usually hired a woman to Help me through the busy season. Some years I hire a boy that is large enough to lift the heavy supers. My daughter, Daisy, is 17, and she and Harold (21 in the spring) have helped me do the shop-work ever since they were old enough to fold sections or drive nails. Troubles With Bruin in the Apiart. I think it was 14 years ago that we had our first out-yard 2 miles north of our home. We kept it there 2 seasons, and an old bear and her family visited the yard several times and destroyed 7 or S colonies during the 2 seasons. Then, one night about 2 o'clock, when my 2 brothers were watching from a scaffold in the bee-yard (and one had fallen asleep), the brother that was awake saw an old bear and 6 cubs coming for another meal of honey. He shot the old bear and one cub, killing them with 2 shots, and the other 2 got away. Ttie second winter three-quarters of the bees in the out-yard died, and we brought home what were left. Nine years ago we started 2 more out-yards. We kept from 5 to 75 colonies in them during the winter. We took up one at the end of 2 years, as the location did not prove to be a good one. One yard was 4 miles north and one 4 miles west. Moving Bees Nights and Letting Them Work in the Daytime. Then 7 years ago, we moved 50 colonies to Tustin, over some of the Wiliest roads in Michigan. We put 13 single-walled hives in the box and 13 in chaff hives on a rack on each wagon. We traveled nights and rested daytimes, and let the bees fly from the wagons every day. They had such a small amount of honey that we knew thev would perish on the road if they did not fiy. I drove ahead of the teamsters with a horse and buggy, in order to warn them of any dangerous places on the road. We sometimes had to drive until 9 or 10 o'clock in the morning before we could find a camping place. ' The weather was extremely hot, and we had the hardest rain- storm I ever saw fall while we camped the afternoon of the fourth day It wet us all through, and poured in torrents down over the bees and brood in the single-walled hives. The chaff hives on the top all had on covers. , __- A few hives in the boxes worked loose, so that the bees swarmed around the wagons the last two mornings when the teams were towing up the hills, and the bees on the wagon, that was standing still, would be bringing in honey and pollen before the teamsters would return. We had our 2 children with us; were 5 nights on the road; traveled 4 nights and put up one night to sleep and dry our wet clothes. When we had kept bees 4 years at Tustin, our little boy Harry was born We thought then our work was too much divided, so that fall my husband went up and killed 100 colonies and moved every- "°W6 r^ow have 200 colonies in winter quarters. We killed 100 col- onies last fall and stored the honey for building-up purposes The bees are in 3 yards 3 and 4 miles, respectively, from our home-yard. Our 2 out-yards produced more comb honey than the home yard^ We do not watch any of them in swarming time. For the past, years my children have helped in the yards when we were dividing and hiving My husband usually farms while I keep bees, although he can do his part in the bee-yard when he is needed. The part he likes the best is drawing home the honey and helping to upend the honey- money .' My little 3-year-old Harry is also a bee-keeper He does all the work he can around the shop-and bothers the rest of the time. I think Mr Frey has done one thing with bees that few have ever accomplished. Three years ago last June he went to the Marion yard, 4 miles west, to get 2 loads of bees for the purpose of starting an out- yard at Sand Lake, 9 miles east of our home. ...:,. „„M. It was a dark night; and when 3 miles on the road, as they were 428 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. May 17, 1906 crossing over a corduroy, his teamster, while driving behind with a load of 18 large chaff hives on his wagon, drove off the end of the corduroy and turned wagon, bees and all bottom side up. They were all large colonies working in 45-pound supers, and the supers were on. They loaded 11 of them again, and then Mr. Frey had to go home for lights and other things to use, as it was raining by this time, and he had to fish a part of the remaining hives out of a water-hole with poles. This yard proved a failure that summer, so he brought the bees home in the fall. In all the moving of bees we have done, tipping over included, we never had a comb break out of its frame. You see we U6e the right style of frames. On the whole, out-yards have paid us well. We often get our best crop from the out-yards. If you want experience that counts, keep out-yards. Sand Lake, Mich., Jan. 30. Mrs. F. Wilbur Fret. The foregoing- very interesting- letter is taken from the Bee-Keepers' Review. Mrs. Frey is evidently one of the sisters who does things. Not every one would enjoy pilot- ing two loads of bees through 4 nights of travel over the best of roads, to say nothing of roads with dangerous places in them. But, oh ! Mrs. Frey, how could you have the heart to kill 100 colonies of bees after the busy little creatures had spent their summer storing honey for you? Evidently, however, you didn't have the heart to do it with your own hands, but got a man to do it for you. VTlt. pasty's ■% j The " Old Reliable " as seen through New and Unreliable Glasses. By E. E. Hasty, Sta. B. Rural, Toledo, Ohio. Prof. Cook's Insect-Tester Prof. Cook gives on page 294 a good insect-tester to keep in mind. All the bees (hundreds of species) feed their young on pollen, all carry pollen on their hinder legs — and so can be recognized, even when not carrying any, by the broad leg-joints set about with bristles on which it is wont to be carried. Little fellows barely visible, and big fellows big as your thumb all'ee same. But some digest the pollen and feed the concentrated nutriment, while some simply knead up the pollen in a well-tempered mass, and lay the eggs in the mass. Less Honey and More Price To round out the view of less honey and more price, given in the first editorial comment, page 321, there needs to be one more question : When people who ate ISO pounds decrease their eating to 100 pounds (with signs of still further decrease), is that a movement that is to our notion or to our profit ? Is Cuban Bee-Keeping So Profitable? If Cuba's 82,000 colonies counted in 1902 increased to 100,000 in 1904, then that $1,100,000 of exported honey and wax was $11 per colony. Good. Too good to be probable. 'Spects the statisticians fail to catch all the colonies, all the same as in U. S. Page 322. Testing Beeswax for Adulteration Never thought of it in just that way before, but profes- sional adulteration of wax and backwoods adulteration are indeed two different styles of that bad art. Recognizing this may help us a trifle in judging the purity of the article when we know whose hands it has come through. Rather awkward for a non-expert to tell if suspect is or is not just 146 degrees when it melts. The excellent dodge proposed by Adrian Getaz is much simpler for green hands. Put a shaving of the suspected and just such a shaving of un- doubtedly genuine side by side on the same warm plate, and gradually raise the temperature. May occur to some one to inquire, if a sample feels right to the hand, and looks right, and smells right, and tastes right, and melts at the right temperature, why pursue the game any further? The most important and crucial point is lacking yet. Will it stand as much pull at ioo degrees, Fahr.? That's the spot where adulterated wax fails if comb foundation is made of it. But I guess the grand test could be managed, too. Not so very hard to shave and press two ribbons of wax about the thickness of foundation. On one end of each clip a loop of thick paper into which little weights could be piled. Get them heated right in a hot box or oven. Hold them ver- tically. Then see how many ounces it takes to pull each ribbon asunder. Page 295. Sunflowers for Hive-Shade Dr. Miller's conclusion about sunflowers for shade is not very favorable. I have tried them some and rather like them. Unless hives are quite close together, put 3 plants in a little row instead of one. Need not be afraid to remove a few bottom leaves, provided there are a plenty of big ones left. Greatest fault is that the foliage perishes too early in the fall ; and you can prevent that by keeping all the blos- som-buds picked. I had some that would indulge in but one blossom anyhow ; and when that one was removed there was no more fuss. But you must have mellow, good, rich ground if you want big leaves reaching well over. Page 329. 23ox Send questions either to the office of the American Bee Journal, or to Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, 111. Dr. Miller does not answer Questions by mail. Clipping Queens-States Having No Foul Brood I want to clip my queens' wings this spring. I have not clipped any before. 1. Is May 1 about the best time? 2. How much of the wing should be clipped off — ]4 or J^? 3. Ought all the colonies to have brood or eggs now, that have good queen6? 4. Which States are without foul brood? 1 want to get some queens this year. Minnesota. Answers.— 1. That's a very good time. It doesn't matter a great deal about the time, only it's easier to find a queen before a colony gets to its largest numbers. 2. No great matter just how much. Some cut off half or more of the large wing on one side. That spoils the looks of a queen less than to cut off both wings on one side; but others prefer to cut off about half of both wings on one side, because it makes it easier to recognize the queen when looking for her. Some cut the wings differently in different years, perhaps cutting the right wing in odd years, and the left in even years. Others keep a record of queens in a book, clipping each year alike. 3. Yes. . , M . 4. I don't know; it is doubtful that any State is entirely free from foul brood. But there is not much risk in getting a queen from any- where, for if the queen be run into another cage, and the attendant bees be burned with their cage, no disease will be carried. T-Supers and Quilts-Weak Colony Over a Strong One- Fence Separators I always winter my bees on the summer 6tands, and am always afraid to look into them after they are or have sealed up in the fall until warm weather the next spring, because I do not want to let in the cold, as they could not very well seal up again. So I let the hive stay closed. I use 8-frame hives, and work for comb honey only. 1. Do you use supers that are flat on the bottom and top, or are they 6hip-lapped a little, like the Wisconsin? 2. Is it necessary to have a quilt over the honey-board? 3. Do you use a honey-board or division-board, or both i 4. Would a T-super work on a Wisconsin hive? 5. In putting a weak colony of bees over a strong one in the spring, is it necessary to have a queen-excluder between them? I have done so without an excluder, and never lost but one queen out of several times— probably 10 or 12 different times— doing it. 6. Do you use slats or fences between sections? Nebraska. Answers.— 1. I use T-supers which are flat, the bottom of the sections coming down flush with the bottom of the super, and within 14-inch of the top of the super, making the bee-space at the top of the super. 2. I use neither quilt nor honey-board. 3. No honey-board, and, strictly speaking, no division-board, but I use a dummy, which some call a division-board. The inside width of the hive is 12V, aDl1 lhe frames beiDg spaced 138 that leaves quite a space, which the dummy fills up at one side. The dummy is 5-16 thick, and by first lifting out the dummy it makes it easier to get out the frames. , _, 4. With a little adjustment it ought to work on any hive. Of course a T-super can be made of such size as to fit exactly a hive of anv size. . _ . ' . 5. If you had not given your experience, I should have said an excluder was absolutely necessary; but I suppose it will work all right without excluder so long as the upper colony is so weak that the clusters of the two stories do not come together. 6. I have used both, but now use only plain wood separators, 1-16 inch thick. •+ • » — ■ Prevention of Swarming Not long ago a writer in the American Bee Journal said he pre- vented his bees from swarming without shaking the combs or looking for queens. Can you tell us how that can be done? Illinois. Answer.— About 20 years ago 1 gave to the public a plan for the management of a colon; alter swarming, which, with a little modifica- tion, might fulfill the conditions. If you want to try it, proceed thus: Set off the super or supers, and set the hive off its stand. Put on the stand a hive containing a frame of brood in all stages ( ibis frame may be obtained wherever it is most convenient), and 2 or 3 frames containing comb, foundation, or starters. On this put the super or 430 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 17, 1906 supers, and tne cover. On top of this cover set the old hive with its contents, and put a cover on. Ten days later put the old hive down in its place, taking away the other hive. You will see that the queen has not been searched for, and that the hive has not been opened at all, only lifted back and forth at the two times of operating. Tou may want to know whether the bees will not build crooked comb in the place left vacant during the 10 days. No, these queenless bees are little given to comb- building. In hundreds of cases I have had no trouble, but I have always put a dummy next to the combs. You may also want to know what to do with the 3 or 4 frames taken away at the end of the 10 days. They can be given to any colony that needs building up, or they may be used to start new colonies, although only one frame will contain brood. If the frame of brood was taken from a choice queen, you will have some queen-cells of the best sort. If you set the hive and its contents on a new stand, in about two weeks you will have a nice nucleus with a laying queen. No need to fasten the bees in the hive when you put it on a new stand. These queenless bees will stick to their frame of brood with its queen-cells. Not having tried it, I can not guarantee that there will be no swarming. Certainly not for some time. Possibly not at all, and possibly in a few case6. It would be a pleasure to have you report the outcome if you should try the plan. The later the operation, the greater the assurance of success. Dividing Colonies for Increase I started last year with 3 colonies of bees and increased to 8, but I find most of them starved to death during the winter. 1. If I place a hive-body with empty combs on top of a strong colony, is it likely they will put brood in the upper story? If so, couldn't I make increase simply by taking the two stories apart and placing them side by side? 2. What is the best way to make increase when more is desired than can be had by natural swarming? Iowa. Answers.— 1. Nothing certain about it. The queen might go up into the upper story and she might not. You know that the instinct of the bee is to store honey above the brood-nest, keeping the brood below. So you can make a more sure thing of it by putting the empty hive under instead of over. Then as the bees fill in honey above, it will crowd the brood-nest down into the lower story. Then you can set the upper story on a new stand, and sometimes it would work all right and sometimes it wouldn't. 2. More ways than one can be used, and if you are well informed! as to the contents of a good bee-book, you can tell better than any one else what will be best for you. Here's one way by which you can in- crease more rapidly than by natural swarming: Take away the queen with one frame of brood and the adhering bees and put it in a new hive on a new stand. Ten days later there will be queen-cells well matured, and you can then put each frame of brood with its bees and a queen-cell in a new hive. You will see that in that way you will have from each colony 6, if there are 6 frames in the hive. But if you do that way nearly all will be pretty sure to die the next winter, and you will be no farther ahead than you are now. You would probably be farther ahead now if last year there had not been so much increase. So instead of starting a nucleus with only one frame of brood and bees, take 2 or 3, make sure that a good cell is located in the center of the cluster where there is no danger of its being chilled, and fasten the bees in the hive for a day or two. If the season is good, you may possibly repeat the process, after all have built up good and strong; only this time start your nucleus with 3 or 4 frames of brood, drawing some of them from colonies that are strong enough to spare them. « ■ » The Dempsey Super Have you ever tried the Dempsey super, described on page 382? and i6 it all that it is there represented to be? Iowa. Answer. — I have never seen it, but on the face of it I should not expect such extravagant claims to prove true. 7QPER IOO fO POUNDS ^^™^^^" For Immediate Orders we can sell you an anti-trust No. 1 Stand- ard Twine, guaranteed to average 500 ft. to the pound for $8.78. Don't delay order- ing:, supply is limited— if you want to save money write today for free sam- ple, we will explain this low price. CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETY OF THE NATIONAL, SUPPLY CO. Lansing, Mich. Chicago, 111, CIllPPII^ ^ ,loe H°neT'Cratheriag Strain of MUGGII3 Italians and Carniolans, at 75 cents each; 3 for $2; 6 for $3.50; or $6.50 per dozen, for Untested. Tested, $1 each, or $10 a dozen. GEORGE W. BARNES. 17A26t 138 N. Pleasant St., Nobwalj, Ohio. <>5c for 12 Names ^Y»ZeJ*aT™^l ftamps taken— we will send for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Call-res. sub. price 40c a year. F. C.is a wkly., 25 years old, 1,300 pages a year. Sample free. 1 FARMER'S CALL,, «uincy, 111. Everything- for the Apiary Wholesale Agents for G.B. Lewis Co. Dadant's Foundation 5 BUY N0W-TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE DISCOUNT. !t SEND US YOUR ORDERS. I LOUIS HANSSEN'S SONS I DAVENPORT, IOWA Reports cmb (fxpertences Mention Bee Journal when writing. Keeping Mice and Ants Out of Hive*. Since I began keeping bees 13 years ago it has been to me the most fasci- nating of all pursuits. It seems to me that some of us become magnetized or fascinated to a very remarkable degree in the work of the apiary — bee-fever. I became inoculated with this at the putset. I could hardly see any plank or box of wood but what I wondered to what use it could be turned in the bee-yard. Really, it was so enchant- ing, and appealed to the ideality to watch the bees coming and going at the hive. I imagined, thought, planned and dreamed bees. I procured many books like "A B C of Bee Culture," "Langstroth's on the Honey-Bee," etc.; also bee-papers, which I read with great interest. I find that a few simple but neces- sary principles enter into all success in "bee-keeping. First is preparing bees for winter and spring. This un- derlies the golden rule: "Keep your colonies strong." The best time to feed is in the fall. I tried different kinds of feeders, but after all I found as simple and successful as any was to feed in tin pans that hold about % gallon. I experienced some trouble at first to get the bees to come into the pans, but using pieces of comb bent across the edges of the pans, they would readily come over such ladders and rapidlv carry the food to the brood-chambers. The supers not hav- ing been removed in the fall, were helpful in feeding, for they are then fastened on by the bees and prevent trouble with robbers. Of course, the feeding must be done near nightfall. Another point: Put plenty of straw in the pans, and no bees will be drowned. Bees now fed, arrange strips inside the One Fare for Round Trip plus $1.00 from Chicago to Boston and return, via Nickel Plate Road, May 31st to June 9th, inclusive. Also ex- cursion rates via New York City. Ex- tended return limit July 15th. John Y. Calahan, General Agent, Room 298, 113 Adams St., Chicago. 3— 4t May 17, 1906 THE AMERJ^AN BEE JOURNAL 431 super so els to give them space for j. over the top of the brood- frames. Now, a cloth — muslin, duck, ■or gunny-burlap — should be placed over strips tucked down snugly all around, the rest of the super filled with chaff, the hive top put over this, and all made rain-proof. Next, make the hives so that mice •can find no entrance. Some do this by narrowing the entrance to the hive so it will 1 nly >,-inch deep. This will answer, but I have found a device Which excludes both mice and ants at once. This consists of a hive-stand or bench to insulate the hives. Put down four posts a foot or so deep, and bore holes in their tops. In the holes put iron rods, say 14-inch in diameter and ■9 inches long-. On top of the rods put pieces 16x3x4 inches, making in them hobs to fit the rods so there will be about 6 inches of rods between the posts and pieces. Use cans with coal- oil wicks. Capillary attraction will carry the coal-oil and feed it to the wicks, which should encircle the rods. Now. no ant can pass from the earth to the hives without going over the rods, and the oil from the cans pass- ing through the wicks encircling the rods will prevent ants. Also, on top of the rods place tins — pie-plates will do. These will shelter the cans of oil and also prevent mice from having access to the hives. J. H. Collins. Bardwell, Ky., March 15. $10.00 to Boston and Return $19.00 plus $1. from Chicago, via Nickel Plate Road, May 31st to June 9th, inclusive ; also via New York City at excursion rates. Return limit of July 15th by extension of ticket. Folders, rates and all information furnished by applying to John Y. Calahan, General Agent, Room 298, 113 Adams St., Chicago. 4— 4t The Emerson Binder. This Emerson stiff-board Binder with cloth back for the American Bee Journal we mall for bwt 75 cents; or we will send It with the Bee Journal for one year — both for only $1-50. It Is a fine thing to preserve the copies of the Jour- nal as fast as they are received. If you have this " Emerson " no further binding Is neces* QEOROE W. YORK & CO.. .334 Dearborn Street. CHICAGO, ILL >3 > torn a? 88. 'ss. *8isi y.'M co a rr, Never Go Out g" 3 'And last from 5 to 21 years 00. OTISVH.I.E, Pa., Jan. 18, 1904. DDear Sir:— I have tried almost everything in the smoker line; 3 in the last 3 years. In short If I want any more smokers your new style is good enough for me. I thank the editor of Re- view for what he said of it. Those remarks in- duced me to get mine. Fred Fodner. Mention Bee Journal nku writing. I and carry a large stock and We miQufacture everything needed in the Apiary, greatest variety. We assure you the best goods at LOWEST PRICES and our excellent freight facilities enable us to make prompt shipments over 15 dif- ferent roaiK thereby saving you excessive freight charges as well as time and worry in having goods transferred and damaged. We make the Alternating, Massie, Langstroth and the Dovetail Hives Our prices are very reasonable, and to convince you of such we will mail you our free illustrated and descriptive catalojrjind price-list upon .request. We want every beekeeper to have our Catalog, to-day. SPECIAL DISCOUNTS now. Address, Write KRETGHMER MFG. GO., Council Bluffs, Iowa. Muscatine Produce Co., Muscatine, Iowa. Trester Supply Co., 103 S. 11th Street, Lincoln, Neb. Shugart-Ouran Seed Co., Council Bluffs, Iowa. T. B. Vallette & Son, Salina, Kau. Catalogs issued in English or German. Mention Bee Journal when writings Bee-Keepers' Supplies Lewis' Famous Bee-Hives and Sections, Root's Smokers and Extractors, Dadant's Comb Foundation, Etc., Queen-Bees and Nuclei in Season. Large and complete stock, prompt service. We meet all competition who will furnish first-class goods. INCUBATORS AND BROODERS We carry a complete stock of " Mandy Lee " Incubators and Brooders. Don't fail to investigate these machines. The more you know about incubation, the more you will like the "Mandy Lee" Incubator. The "Mandy Lee Brooder " is a complete old hen, all but the "cluck." Our free incubator cat- alog describes them. Ci M. SCOT & CO. ind!ana'polish'ind Street •5-f **■ *+ Mention Bee Journal when writing. GOOD BEE-HIVE Is made of the best grade of White Pine, ace rately cut, so it will go together without the use of tools, except a hammer. Such is the kind of Hives we make, at d such is the kind you get when you buy from us. " It is a cinch " that we make lower prices than you can get from any dealer, as you save the middleman's profit when you buy direct from the manufacturer. We are Manufacturers, and sell direct to the consumer. Send us a list of your wants, and let us make you prices. We guarantee everything we sell to be satisfactory, or refund the money. We have large stocks of Dovetailed Hives, Sections, Shipping-Cases, Foun- dation, Veils, Smokers, etc., on hand, and can ship promptly. Minnesota Bee-Supply Go., Power Bldg., No. 33. JOHN DOLL & SON. Proprietors MINNEAPOLIS, 3IINN. Mention Bee Journal when writing. 432 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 17, 1906 A7$mm LOW DOWN FARM WAGONS FREIGHT PAID Every farmer needs a good low down wagon —it saves the back-breaking labor of loading and unloading a high wheeled wagon. Saves half the nigh lifting— the top half— easier to load and unload; easier on the team. These two wagons are without doubt the best low down wagons ever offered at such low prices— freight paid, and will save you money every day on the farm. They are built for hard work and to stand the wear— guaranteed for five years with a strong, binding guarantee. Order the wagon that suits your purpose best and if it is not the best low down wagon bargain you ever saw, we will take it back and refund every cent you paid for it. Our wagon catalog gives a full and complete description of these 1 wagons and many other wagon and buggy bargains— we save you money on everything in the vehicle line. Write today for catalog and full infor- mation about these two low down wa- gons. Don't buy until you get it. Our 1.000 page catalog and buyers guide ought to be in every farmer's home. Co-operative Society of the National Supply Co. Lansing, Mich. Chicago, III Our original plan of co-operation saves you an extra 10 per cent on everything you buy. Ask us to explain our plan to you and tell you how it works. MICHIGAN mum 2m " If Goods are wanted Quick, send to Ponder " BEE-SUPPLIES Root's Goods at Root's Prices Everything- used by Bee-Keepers. POUDER'S MONEY-JARS. Prompt Service. Low Freight Rates. .-. .-. .'. Catalog Free. *Jf BEESWAX WANTED pay highest market price for beeswax, delivered here, at any time, cash or . Make small shipments by express ; large shipments by freight, always being to attach your name to the package. My large illustrated catalog is free. I I trade sure shall be glad to send it to you WALTER S. P0UDER, 513-515 Massachusetts Ave., INDIANAPOLIS, IND. Everything for the Bee Keeper will be found in our Illustrated Catalogue No. 40. It contains a full line of Hives, Supers, Followers, Sections, Section Holders, Frames, Extractors, Smokers, etc. All these and many other essentials are manufactured by us. Everything is guaranteed to be right and of best quality. Our prices are so reasonable that any bee keeper may afford the best supplies. We cannot tell you here of all the good things in this book. Better send for a copy today. We mail it free, to- gether with a copy of the Progressive Bee Keeper, a splendid monthly publication devoted to bee interests. It will help you start right and keep you right after you are started. It is invaluable as an aid to every bee keeper. Ask for the paper and the book. We Sell the Best Incubators and Brooders. Delivered at your station, prices the lowest. Write us at once and save money. Address LEAHY MFG. CO., 10 Talmage St., Higginsville, Mo. Branches at Omaha, Neb. and East St. Louis, 111. CAUCASIAN QUEENS! Caucasian Bees are very gentle. They are easy to handle and are, therefore, suited 10 be- ginners, timid bee-keepers and to those who keep bees in town. If you want to try this race, or if you want to improve the stock of yonr Ital- ian Bees, wrfte to ROBERT B. McCAIN, 2Atf YORKVILLE. ILL. R. F. D. The Choicest of Tested Queens By Return Mail— $i.oo Each, From our fine strain of 3-band Italians, that are unsurpassed as honey-gatherers. Try them; they will not disappoint you. Send for price-list. J. W. K SHAW & CO. 19Atf LOREAUVILLE, Iberia Co., LA. Queen-Clipping Device Free! The Monbttb Queen-Clipping Device Is a fine thing for use in catching and clipping Queens' wings. It is used by many bee- keepers. Full printed directions sent with each one. We mail it for 25 cents; or will send it FREE as a premium for sending us One New subscriber to the Bee Journal I for a year at $1.00; or for $1.10 we will mail the Bee Journal one year and the Clipping Device. Address, fiEORCIE W. YORK & CO., - CHICAGO, ILL. Bees, Queens and Bee-Supplies We manufacture standard dovetailed bee- hives and supplies, cheaper than you ever bought before. Our Queens and Bees stand at the head in quality. Untested, 75c each ; $4.25 for 6, or $8 per doz. Tested, $1.25 each ; $12 per doz. Select Tested, $1.50. Special prices to dealers in large lots on application. State Agents for Dittmer's Foundation. Catalog free. THE BEE & HONEY COMPANY (Will Atchley, Prop.) Beeville, Bee Co., Texas. Italian and Caucasian BEES, QUEENS, AND NUCLEI Choice home-bred and im- ported stock. All Queens reared in fall colonies. Prices of Italians in MAY : One Untested Qneen $1.10 " Tested Queen 1.50 " Select Tested Queen 1 65 11 Breeding Queen 2.75 1-comb nucleus (no queen] 1.15 2 •' " " 2 00 3 " " " 3.00 Untested in May; all others ready now from last season's rearing. Safe arrival guar- anteed. For prices on Caucasians and larger quanti- ties, and description of each grade of queens, send for free catalog. d. L. STRONG 16Atf 204 E. Logan St., Clarinda, Iowa. Mention Bee Journal when writing. ROSE LAWN QUEENS ANOTHER GREAT OFFER We wish to mail our new 8 page catalog to 1000 more progressive bee-keepers in the United States and canada in the next 10 days. This catalog is full of valuable information for bee- keepers, and is the finest ever issued by a Queen-Rearing Concern. Here's pay for your help: The first 100 per- sons sending us 10 addresses of bee-keepers with J1.C0 cash, will receive one of our very finest Select Tested "Pure Oold"Italian Queens. We sell them for $2.00 each; they are worth $5; every queen a breeder of the highest type of color, gentleness and fertility, line bred to the Rose Lawn standard. If the qneen does not suit you, send her back and get your money. That's a fair offer. This is purely an advertising proposition, and only 100 Select Tested Queens will he fur- nished at this price. Send on the names and a 3°E "OSB UN? ^ncoYn^neb. Mention Bee Journal when writing. May 17, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 433 Increased Business Compels Larger Space So we have just doubled our capacity in the building at 141 Ontario Street, where we carry a full line of POULTRY SUPPLIES and i cuiic popular LLVtiO beeware Catalogs on application. Orders filled promptly at Factory Prices. Beeswax wanted — 2Sc cash or 30c in trade. Italian Bees in modern hives with select Queens for sale. Also Pure Italian Queens. SPECIAL OFFER ON BEE-SUPPLY ORDERS Until June 1, 1906, we will give free, on each order for bee-supplies amounting to $10 or over, a choice of one of the following : A Bingham Doctor Smoker; a Bingham Honey-Knife; or a year's subscription to the Weekly American Bee Journal. YORK HONEY AND BEE SUPPLY GO. H. M. ARND, MGH. (Not Inc. 141 Ontario St., CHICAGO, ILL. (Phone North 1559.) GREAT SALE OF Hives, Sections, Etc. To reduce my stock 1 will sell No. 1 White Polished Sections at $3 90; No. 2, $3.40— all sizes; plain, 25c less per 1000. Best White Pine Dovetail Hives, 8-frame, 1%-story, $1.30; 10-frame, $1.45. Great reduction in Smokers, Foundation, and all Apiarian Supplies. 24-lb. Shipping Cases, very nice, 13c; Quart Berry Baskets, $2.75 per 1000. Send for free Catalog. W.D. SO PER, R.F.D3.JACKOON. MICH. 14Etf Please mention the Bee Journal. Queens Now Ready to Mail None better at any price. Untested at 50c ; Warranted at 75c; Tested at $1.00. Discount on quantity. GRANT ANDERSON, 20Atf SABINAL, TEXAS. Wanted To sell lot of 300 empty 60-lb. capacity Honey- Cans. All in one lot, or less quantities. Cans are in first-class condition. We are also in the market for Fancy Comb and Extracted Honey. Correspondence solicited 'in II1M\ WHITE CLOVER HOIVEY CO., Detroit, Mich. 20A13t Please mention tbe Bee Journal QUEENS Be6t 3-band Italian — 1 Untested Queen, 75c ; 6 for $4; 12 for $7.25. One 2-frame Nucleus with Queen, $2.25; 10 in one bunch, $17.50. LUTHER PRESSWOOD, 6E7t RELIANCE, TENN. Mention Bee Journal when writing:. 28 Years a Queen-Breedtr Have shipped Queens to nearly all countries on the globe. Italian and Cau- casian, both in sepa- rate yards. Circular free. The Wood Bee-Hive 6ompanu LANSING, MICH. Mention Bee Journal when writing. A/VCLE STEEL BED FURNITURE FREIGHT PAID We want to demonstrate in this advertise- ment how you can make money by buying furniture direct from us and saving all middle profits. Compare these prices with what vour dealer asks you and remember— we pay the freight. You cannot match our qualities or our prices anywhere else. STEEL SAfSITAflY BED COVCi This beautiful full angle steel Bed, substantially made, finished in White Enamel with polished brass knobs, in four sizes— will give you complete satisfaction. At $9.98 it is a wonder and is cheaper than your home dealer can buy it. IF This steel Sanitary Bed Couch is an ornament to any room— cannot be told from an ordinary couch; can be quickly converted into a comfortable sani- tary bed; finished in gold and aluminum. $4.00 makes this a bar- gain you should not miss. It will practically add another bed room to your home. IF This solid oak Extension Table is a real bar- gain. Never before has there been offered so large and handsome a table for so small a price. You must see it to appreciate its true value. Finished in golden oak and is the best dining table for the price you ever saw. Send $4.98-if it don't please you we take it back and refund your monev. II This handsome, well-built 3-section Book Case will put your librarv on a new system. Can add to it at small expense, as the number of your books increase. Comes m quartered oak, mahogany or plain oak finish— all band rubbed and polished. Complete with three sections, base, cap and dust-proof glass doors-$11.85 IT This Refrigeratoris made of ash, with quar- ter sawed oak panels, golden finish, solid bronze hinges and lock, zinc lined, removable galvanized iron ice rack and flues, with slide adjustable provision shelves. A beauty and a bargain for $7 .90. II This high grade, high arm. 3-drawer. ballbearing, drop head Sew- ing Machine, guaranteed for twenty-five years, is the biggest sewing machine bargain ever offered at our price, freight paid— $15.25— ^1 Order any article listed in this advertisement on our positive guar- antee of satisfaction or money back. We stand back of every sale and every article we ship out. They must be exactly as we repre- sent them or no sale. Write today for complete furniture and sew- ing machine catalogs — see how we save you money all along the line. Co-Operailve Society of the National Supply Co. Lansing. Mich. Chicago, 111. Ask about our Special Plan which will save you 5150. to 5250. a year as long as you live. SOLID OAK EXTENSION ^^p^Ote *lfKi<**ao* g~m 434 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 17, 19C6 CHARLES MONDENG SECTION MACHINE is covered by two Patents. With this wonderful inven- tion the cost of makitig Sections may be reduced to $1.15 per 1000. If such Machine will interest you, write for further information. Do not write about it unless you mean business. BEE-SUPPLIES^° QUEENS My Catalog for 1906 is now ready for distribution. I am the Northern Headquarters for Adel Queens and Bees, and good, honest Bee-Keepers' Supplies. If you have not received my Catalog, write for it. Address, CHARLES MONDENG, ISO NEWTON" -A.VE3., N., MINNE-A-FOLiIS, MINN. Have YoulPassed the Experimental Stage? Most bee-keepers have been convinced that when time and material are figured, it pays to buy hives, and the best is not only as cheap, but — The Best is the Cheapest ! The Elgin Hive excels in many ways— no nails to drive— no dovetails— can be taken apart at any time. Many are using them. You should be. Write to-day for catalog, etc. We sell full line of SUPPLIES. The National Supply Co. ELGIN, ILL. Mention Bee Journal when writing. *4& BEE-KEEPERS Send for our 1906 Free Illustrated Catalog. Good Goods, Low Prices and Prompt Shipments are what you get if vou send your orders to— %/&. PAGE & LYON MFG. CO. New London, Wis Mention Bee Journal when writinc A. M. REEVES DISTRIBUTOR OF ROOT'S GOODS FOR NORTHERN NEW YORK Perch River, Jefferson Co., N. Y. 19A4t Please mention the Bee Journal. Bee-Keepers If you want Sections that you can put a full sheet of foundation in 4 sections at once; or any other Bee-Supplies, send for Catalog to 20Atf A. COPPIN, Wenona, III. GROCERIES AT WHOLESALE PRICES This catalogue will save you money on yijur grocery supplies. -FREIGHT PAID- What do your groceries cost you a year? Will you buy them of us if we can prove t hat we will save you from 1U per cent to 20 per cent and pay the freight? That certainly is an amount worth saving; it is worth the trouble of asking for the proof. Get our large Grocery List and compare our prices with what you have been paying. Then put us to a greater test— send us a trial order and compare the goods and the prices. If we do not save you big money, send the goods back at onr expense. The grocery bill is the biggest part of the family expenses. We will cut it almost in the middle and guarantee everything we sell. We can do this because we buy in immense quantities— carloads and trainluads — and we give you the benefit of our ability to buy cheap; in fact we can sell to you at just about the figure your local dealer would have to pay. We save you his profit and the freight besides. To save still another 10 per cent, become a member of the Co-operative Society of the National Supply Co. Well tell you how to get this extra 10 per cent discount, if you will write for full information. An easy way to make money. If you want to save money get our catalogue and learn just h< w cheap you can buy groceries from us. Catalogue is ready and lists everything in the rocery line. We send it free. Co-operative Society of the National Supply Co., Lansing, Mich, and Chicago, III. FOR SALE 50 Colonies of Italian and Carniolan Bees in 8-frame hives, all nearly new and all in good condition. One colony, ¥5.50; from 5 to 10 colonies, So each. WM. J. HEALY, 16A5t Mineral Point, Wisconsin. Italian Bees for Sale We can furnish Nuclei and full colonies of Italian Bees ff.o.b. 100 miles west of Chicago by express) at these prices, on Langstroth frames: FULL COLONIES in s-frame hives, $5.50each; in lots of 5 or more at one time, J5.25 each. Full colonies in 10-frame hives, $6 each; in lots of 5 or more at one time, $5.75 each. Nuclei (3frame) with Tested Queen, $3.25 each; in lots of 5 or more at one time, $3 each. Nuclei ready for delivery about May 10; Full Colonies any time now.) Orders filled in iota- tion. Address, GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 33t Dearborn Street, ■ CHICAGO, ILL. Bees For Sale 100 colonies of Bees for sale cheap in 10-frame L. hives. All frames are worked out on full sheets of heavy foundation. 100 all-zinc queen- excluding Honey-Boards. Queen and Drone Traps, Smokers, 1 and 2 pound Sections, Hoff- man self-spacing Frames, etc. Address, G. PROCHNOW, lSA6t MAY VILLE, WIS. Nuclei For Sale 25 or 30 choice 3-frame Nuclei on L. frames, $2 50 each. No foul brood in our county. W. T. LEWIS, Lewisburg, Miss. M. O. Office, Olive Branch, Miss. Mention Bee Journal when writing. FOR SALE One car-load of Italian Bees in 10-frame dovetailed hives, in excellent condition. $3.75 per colony. Address, 20A.lt THE HYDE BEE CO., Roresvllle.Tex. Mention Bee Journal when writing. MAKING rrr ^P ■ ■ is a ht-n's natural work. Cut ■ 1 ■ ■ Iiooe is the raw material she ■ needs to make her _m_fl Kfl lay day. A ■ VPl VP| CROWN BONE CUT- TER will prepare the food from scrap 3 bones quickly, easily. Write for ' catalog — tells about the Crown. Wilson Bros., Box 618, Easton, Pa. The Rietsche Press Made of artificial stone. Practically Inde- structible, and giving entirely satisfactory re- sults. Comb foundation made easily and ?uickly at less than half the cost of buying rom the dealers. Price of Press, $1.50 — casta with order. Address, ADRIAN GETAZ, 45Atf KNOXVILLE, 'TENN. EWJ.G. Goodner, of this State, writes me that he " prefers to pay $25.00 for a Rietsche Press rather than do without it." — A. G. For Queens Send to JOHN W.PHARR Berclalr, Tex. He will furnish at the same prices as last year : Tested, $1 ; Untested, "5c ; 5 for $3.25 ; 10 for $6; 15 for $8.25; 25 for $12.50; 100 for $45. He breeds Goldens, Carniolans, and 3- Band Italians. Also 1. 2, and 3 frame Nuclei aDd full colonies. Prices given on applica- tion. Pharr pays the freight, and guarantees satisfaction on all Queens. To do justice and judgment is more acceptable with the Lord than sacrifice.— (Prov. 3:21.) 5Atf Mention Bee Journal when writing. May 17, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 435 Excellent Goods Lowest Prices OF ALL KINDS ESTABLISHED 25 YEARS We have published THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER for 16 years (monthly, 50c a year.) The largest and best il- lustrated magazine of its kind for the price published. Edited by two of the most experienced bee - keepers in America. Sample copy free. Our large, illustrated Price-List of Supplies free on application. Address, The W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co. JAHESTOWN.N.Y. * 23eestpax* Chicago, May S.— The supply ot comb honey is small, and only choice is being asked for, which brings 15c per pound; No. 1, 14c; off grades about 10c. While extracted, 6H@7c; amber, 5V6@6c per pound. Beeswax, 30c. R. A. Burnett & Co. Toledo, Feb. 19.— The market for comb honey has been better for the past two weeks than at any time during tbe past season. Prices are firm on account of the scarcity. We are getting 15@16c for fancy white clover; 14@15c tor No. 1, and 13@14c for amber. Buckwheat, 13c. Extracted honey is in good demand at following prices: White clover in barrels brings6^@7c; amber, 5K@5)4c; in cans every grade from l@l^c higher. Beeswax is firm and in good demand at 28 and 30c. The above are our selling prices, not what we pay. Griggs Bros. Indianapolis, March 24— Fancy white clover comb brings 16c; No. 1, 14c; demand exceeds the supply; fancy white western comb brings 14@15c; amber grades in poor demand at 12c Best grade of extracted honey brings 8^(5'9c in 60-pound cans; am^er, 6c. Good average bees- wax sells here foi $33 per 100 pounds. Walter S. Podder. Philadelphia, May 9. — The season is so far advanced that there is not enough call for comb honey to fix a price. Some few lots are being sold at th : best offers. We quote: Extracted h^nev. fancy white, 7c; amber, 5^@'>c. Bees- wax, 29c. We are producers of honey and do not handle on commission. Wm. A. Selser. New York, May 8 —There is still some de- mand for comb honey, mostly for fancy grades, which are selling at from 14@15c per pound; off grades in no demand and prices are irregular, ranging from 8(5 12c, according to quality ; suf- ficient supply to meet demand. Extracted is in fair demand, mostly from California, of which there seems to be abundant supply of all grades. We quote: White, 6H@7c; light amber, 6c; dark, 5@5>$c, according to quality and quan- tity. Beeswax scarce and firm at 29@30c. HlLDRETH & SkGKLKEN. Headquarters for Bee-Supplies Complete Stock for 1906 now on hand. Bee -Supplies! FREIGHT- RATES FROM CINCINNATI are the LOWEST, ESPECIALLY for the SOUTH as 'most all freight now goes through Cincinnati. Prompt Service is what I practice. You will Satisfaction Guaranteed. SAVE MONEY BUYING FROM ME. ^ZZ™ free' Let me ^^^ TTT^P^^^T^T^I bred in separate apiaries, book your I J I P. P. I\l ^ <. VII, Order for Vfj U M J M AA.M KJ LOWS, CAKNIO- I. A >S. RED CLOVERS and CAUCASIANS. For prices, refer to my catalog, page 29. C. H.W.WEBER =T Office ind Salesrooms, 2146-48 Central Ave. Warehouses. Freeman and Central Aves. Cincinnati, March 8.— The conditions of the market, at the prpseni time, are not encourag- ing-. Honey is offered from all sides, at prices utterly legardless of the value of the article. At the same time, all indications point to an unusually good honey crop, which adds in making it a drag on the market. Amber ex- tracted honey in barrels, 5@6^c; fancy white, in cans, 6H@8Jic. Choice yellow beeswax, 30c, delivered here. The Fred W. Mute Co. Denver, Feb. 5 —Owing to the mild weather the demand for honey has not been as good as usual at this time of year. We are quoting strictly No. 1 white alfalfa comb honey at $3.35 to «3.75 per case of 24 sections: off grade and light amber at $3 to $3.30. White extracted alfalfa in 60-pound cans, 7K@8^3c; light amber, 6%@7#c. Beeswax. 24c for clean yellow. The Colo. Honey-Producers' Assn. Kansas City, May 5.— Our market is about cleaned up on old comb honey. What there is now left is selling at J3.2S per cas2 for fancy white. It looks as if there would be a good de- mand for nev honey just as soon as it conies to market. There will be very little comb honey left over this season in this city. Extracted is moving rather slowly at 5H'?6c. Beeswax, 25c per pound. C C Clemons & Co. Cincinnati, March 7.— The demand for comb honey is slow, prices obtained are the same. Stock od, hand seems to be sufficient to supply the wants. Quote fBncy white, 14@16c A ruber extracted in barrels, 5K@5$£c; ia cans, S>c more; fancy white clover in 60-lb. cans, 7J-£@8J^ cents; Southern, equal to white clover in color, from 6H@7c. Bright yellow beeswax, 30c. C H.W.Weber. Please Mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. HONEY AND BEESWAX When consigning, buying or selling, consult R. A. BURNETT & CO. 199 South Water St. Chicago. III. Gash for Beeswax Highest market price paid promptly all the time for good wax. Frank G. Clark, 147 E.KinzieSt.Ghlcago.lll. FOR SALE Until further notice, finest quality new crop California Vater-White White Sage and Light Amber HONEY in 60-lb. tins, 2 in a case; new cans and new cases. Write for prices and sam- ples, and state quantity you want. HlLDRETH & SEGELKEN _ 265 & 267 Greenwich Street, New York, N.Y. 34Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. FOR. SA-LiES Second Hand Empty 60-pound HONEY-CANS —two in a crate. In lots of 10, 40c per crate; 25 or more crates, at 35c per crate. THE FRED W. MUTH CO. 20Atf 51 Walnut St., Cincinnati, Ohio. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Wb Sell ROOT'S GOODS IN MICHIGAN Let us quote you prices on Sections, Hives, Foundation, etc., as we can save you time and freight. Beeswax Wanted for Cash. M. H. HUNT & SON. Bell Branch, Wayne Co., Mich Mention Bee Journal when writing. 1 BEE-SUPPLIES * !< We handle the finest Bee-Supplies, made by the W. T. Falconer , ^ Mfg. Co., Jamestown, N. Y. Big Discounts on early orders. Let us -S figure with you on your wants. ^ Moth Spawn, Dovetail, Hives have a Honey-Board, Warp-Proof | ;X. Cover, and Bottom-Board. Think of it, same price as the regular styles. ?5 Send for Catalog. !f THE FRED W. MUTH CO. g 51 Walnut Street, CINCINNATI, OHIO. ^ Tt> ft> ^ ft> ft>,mft> jft^ ftyfo ff > ff > ff > ^ ft> ^f> ft >ff >ft> f t> ft > ^>ft ^^- 436 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 17, C6 Eba At the Drop of the Hat! MILLIONS^ LEWIS SECTIONS Thousands of LEWIS HIVES Now in the warehouses of our Agents ready to be shipped you at a moment's notice. Twenty different distributing points. Wherever you are you can't get away from Lewis Goods. 1. Emerson T. Abbott, St. Joseph, Mo. 2. Frank Rauchfuss, Mgr. Colo- rado Honey-Producers' Asso- ciation, Denver, Colo. 3. Chas. H. Lilly, Pres. Chas. H. Lilly Co., Seattle, Portland, San Francisco. 4. E. H. Taylor, Welwyn, Herts, England. 5. Chas. B. Stevens, of C. B. Stevens & Co., Havana, Cuba. 6. A. G. Woodman, of A. G. Wood- man Co., Grand Rapids, Mich. 7. C. M. Scott, of C. M. Scott & Co., Indianapolis, Ind. 8. A. I. Davis, Sec'y Southwestern Bee Co., San Antonio, Tex. 9. Fred Foulger, of Fred Foulger & Sons, Ogden, Utah, 10. F. R. Davis, Ass't Mgr. Grand Junction Fruit Growers' Asso- ciation,Grand Junction, Colo. 11. R. C. Aikin, Loveland, Colo. 12 and 13. Norris & Anspach, Ken- ton, Ohio. 14. H. M. Arnd, Mgr. York Honey it Bee Supply Co. , Chicago, 111. 15. Adam A. Clarke, Le Mars, Iowa. 16. M. H. Silvernale, Mgr. Kenyon Yard, Wisconsin Lumber Co., Faribault, Wis. 17. Paul Bachert, Lancaster, Calif. 18. Chas. N. Greene, of Cleaver & Greene, Troy, Pa. 19. A. Lehman, Mgr. Arkansas Val- ley Honey Producers'Associa- tion. Rocky Ford, Colo. 20. B. C. Hanssen, of Louis Hanssen's Sons, Davenport, Iowa. 21. Robert Halley, Montrose, Colo, 22. L. C. Dadant, of DadantifcSons Hamilton, 111. G.B.LEWIS CO. Manufacturer* Bee-Keepers' Supplies Officer, Factories, and Warehouses WATERTOWN, WIS., U.S.A. Established 30 Years. Annual Oiitoiit Tw6nlu mm S6Gtions milium vuupud 0n6 ttundr6d Th0llsand HiV6S *** -~ 438 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 24, 1906 PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY GEORGE W.YORK 8 COMPANY 334 Dearborn Street, Chicago, 111. IMPORTANT NOTICES. THE SUBSCRIPTION PRICE of this Journal is $1.00 a year, in the United States, Canada, and Mexico; all other countries in the Postal Union, 50 cents a year extra for postage. Sample copy free. THE WRAPPER-LABEL DATE indicates the end of the month to which your subscription is pa'.d. For instance, " dec06 " on your label shows that it is paid to the end of December, 19U6. SUBSCRIPTION RECEIPTS.— We do not send a receipt for money sent us to pay subscription, but change the date on your wrapper-label, which shows that the money has been received and credited. Advertising Rate, per ftgate Line, 10c 14 lines make one inch. Nothing less than % inch accepted. Time Discounts. 4 times 5 percent 13 " ...10 " 26 " ....20 " 52 " ....30 " Space Discounts. 100 lines... S per cent 500 " ...10 1000 " ...20 " 2000 " ...30 " These rates are subject to either time or space discounts, at choice, but not both. Reading Notices, 25 cents, count line, subject to the above discounts. Goes to press Monday morning. National Bee-Keepers' Association Objects of the Association. 1st.— To promote the interests of its members. 2d.— To protect and defend its members in their lawful rights. 3d.— To enforce laws against the adulteration of honey. Annual Membership Dues, $1.00. General Manager and Treasurer— N. E. France, Platteville, Wis. J3T" If more convenient, Dues may be sent to the ublishers of the American Bee Journal. The Emerson Binder. This Emerson stiff-board Binder with clotb back for the American Bee Journal we mall for bat 75 cents; or we will send It with the Bee Journal for one year— both for only tl.50. It U a fine thing to preserve the copies of the Jour* nal as fast as they are received. If yon have this " Emerson " no further binding is neces- sary. QEOROE W. YORK & CO.. 334 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, ILL Contents of this Number Illustrations — Apiary and Feeding Arrangement of F. M. Wagner 1st Page Apiary of C. G. Chevalier 1st Page Division-Board Finished 443 Frame Cushioned for Division-Board 443 Wood, James F 1st Page Editorial Notes and Comments — Claims of Advertisers and Subscribers 442 Good Early Brood 442 Retention of Heat in the Brood-Nest Again... 442 Miscellaneous News Items — Apiary of C. G. Chevalier 442 Good Kind of Complaint 442 Wagner Feeding Arrangement 442 Sketches of Beedotnites Wood, James Fitts 442 Contributed Special Articles — Plain and Chaff Division-Boards 443 Queenless Beew in Queen-Uearing 444 Using UnOnished Sections as "Baits" 444 Canadian Beedom — Giving Cellared Bees a Winter Flight 446 ' 'ntario's Foul Brood Law 446 Prospects Good 80 Far 446 Our Sister Bee-Keepers — Black an lrritator 447 Outlook for a Good Crop 447 Protection Against Bee-Stings 447 Sweet Clover— White and Yellow 447 Mr. Ifastj^s Afterthoughts — Advices to Bee-Keeping Beginners 447 Baby Nuclei 448 Covers of the Latham Home-Made Hive 447 Drones and Swarming 447 aad that So Few Bead Bee-Papers 418 Southern Beedom — Bee-Keeper's Fun 448 '• Crosses" and " Hybrid " Bees 448 Holy Land or Palestine Bees 448 Texas Mesquite (poem) 448 Dr. Miller's Question-Box — All-Zinc or Wood-Zinc Excluders ? 449 Best Comb-Honey Hive 449 Best Queen-Excluding Honey-Board 449 Corkdust Cushions 449 Dark and Lightc<.>l»»red Clothingfor Bee-Work 449 Frames of Buckwheat Honey for Spring Feed- ing 449 Gasoline Treatment for Wax-Worms 449 Introducing Queens 449 Mold in Hives in Winter 449 Painting Bottom-Boards 449 Preventing Increase 449 Preventing Swarming 449 Removing Queen-Cells 449 Werradeila as a Honey-Plant 449 When to Do Spring Bee-Work 449 Will Bees Swarm Under These Conditions?.... 449 Wiring Frames 449 Reports and Experiences Bee-Business— Wintering 450 Frame-SpacerB 450 How the Bees Wintered 450 Lots of Timber for Sections, Frames, Etc 450 Some Experiences with Bees 450 Wintered Well-Ready for Work 450 ROOT'S GOODS AT FACTORY PRICES Finest and largest stock of Supplies in Illinois. Italian Bees and Queens in season. Catalog free. 15 eggs of Pure Barred Plymouth Rocks, $1.00. Incubators and Brooders always on hand. 12A.131 H S. DUBY, St. Anne, III. HI ration Bee Journal when writing;. New Edition of Dr. Miller's 40 Years Among the Bees (With Appendix Just Ailded.) FREE as a Premium for Sending Two New Subscribers The book contains 344 pages, bound in handsome cloth, with gold letters and bees, and illustrated with over 100 beautiful origi- nal half-tone pictures, taken by Dr. Miller himself. The first few pages tell how Dr. Miller got into bee-keeping. 20 years ago he wrote a small book, called " A Tear Among the Bees." But "Forty Years" shows in minutest detail how he does things with bees and gets large crops of honey. How to Get a Copy of Dr. Miller's "Forty Years Among the Bees" It is sent postpaid for $1.00, or with the Weekly American Bee Journal for one year, both for $1.80. Or, any present regular subscriber to the American Bee Journal whose subscription is paid in advance, can have a copy of Dr. Mil- ler's new book/?r« as a premium for sending us Two New Subscribers to the Bee Jour- nal for one year with $2 00. This is a mag- nificent offer, and should be taken advantage of at once. Address all orders to QEORQE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, - CHICAGO. ILL. Please mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. NOT IN THE TRUST We will stamp your Cans "Pure Extracted Honey"— FREE Our prices for 1906 are the lowest to the National Bee-Keepers' Association. Write us. Now is the time TO BUY FRICTION TOP CANS FOR HONEY AND SYRUP Canners Can Co. 1035 W. 47th St., CHICAGO. ILL. May 24, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 439 DADANT'S FOUNDATION" IT EXCELS EVERY INCH equal to sample Beauty, Purity, Firmness. No Sagging, No Loss. Twenty-seven Years of Experience. We Guarantee Satisfaction. WAX WORKED INTO FOUNDATION BEE=SUPPLIES of all kinds. Beeswax Wanted at all times DADANT & SONS, Hamilton, 111. SEND FOR OUR CATALOG $18.60 to New Haven, Conn., and Return plus $1.00, from Chicago, via Nickel Plate Road, June 2d, 3d, 4th and 5th ; ■also via New York City at excursion rates. Return limit June 30th by ar- ranging for extension. Nickel Plate office, Room 298, 115 Adams St., Chi- cago. 5 — 3t Big Profits in Capons CAPON TOOLS G. P. Pilling & Son. Caponizing is easy— soon learned. Complete outfit with free instructions postpaid $2.50. iGape Worm Extractor 25c I Poultry Marker 250 1 French Killing KnifeSOC |Capon Book Free. Philadelphia, Pa, DO YOU KNOW THAT THE SALE OF DITTMERS FOUNDATION Has increased so much that we were forced to double our melting capacity in order to fill orders promptly? There is a Reason for This — It is because Dittmer's Foundation is tough, clear, and transparent, and has the natural odor of beeswax. Agents for Dittmer's Foundation : "W. D. Soper, Bee & Honey Co., Jackson, Mich. Beeville, Tex. E. H. Taylor, Welwyn Station, Herts, En*. E. Grainger & Co., Toronto, Ont., Canada. Our warehouse is well stocked with all kinds of Bee-Keepers' Supplies. Beeswax always wanted. GUS DITTMER, Augusta, Wis. mention Bee Journal when writing. Wisconsin Basswood Sections jt And Prompt Shipments B Is what we are making for our customers. W — DOVETAILED H1YES AND SHIPPING-CASES — ffl We carry a full line of SUPPLIES. Ask for Catalog. THE JTARSHFIELD HANUFACTURINQ CO., Harshfield, Wis. Mention Bee Journal when writing. If you want the Bee-Book That covers the whole Apicultaral Field more completely than any other published, send $1.20 to Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont, Cal., for his 44 Bee-Keeper's Guide." Liberal Discount* to the Trade. Root's Bee-Supplies | You know what this means. Four carloads of New Goods on hand. Our business increased last year 100 percent over 1904. This is a proof that we are saving our cus- tomers money. Try us. Low Freight Rates from Toledo. Large Discounts— that tells the story. Our 80-page Catalog is sent free. GRIGGS BROS. 521 Monroe Street, TOLEDO, OHIO. Mention Bee Journal when writing. 65c for 12 Names fr(araSeers8aDandp-ilc^ ptamps taken— we will send for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Call— reK. sub. price 40c a year. F. C. is a wkly., 25 years old, 1.3UU pages a year. Sample free. FARMER'S CALL,, yuincy, 111. Cheap Rates to New Haven, Conn., from Chicago direct and via New York City, June 2d, 3d, 4th and 5th. Extended return limit June 30th. Write Nickel Plate Road, Room 298, 113 Adams St., Chicago, for particulars. 6 — 3t 440 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 24, 1906 Swarming Done Away With In addition to continuing the several interesting articles by Alexander, and other noted contributors, which are running in GLEANINGS IN BEE CUL- TURE, the publishers announce as a special feature for the remaining issues of the year, a series of articles on the CONTROL OF SWARMING FOR COMB- HONEY PRODUCTION. These by bee-keepers who have experimented to the point where experimenting is done, and the crown of success has been awarded. If you have not seen the first installment of this series, send in your name for a three-number trial subscription, which will be given free of charge. The April 15th, May 1st, and May 15th numbers will be mailed to you, and by June you will undoubtedly be so interested you will want to take a six months' subscription at least. The special price of which will be 25 cents. If you choose to remit at once, make your request for the above numbers in ad- dition to the regular issues for six months beginning June 1st, and we will send them free. GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE MEDINA, OHIO GOODS IN A HURRY When the bee6 are flying, some colonies preparing to swarm, and the honey beginning to come in, supplies when needed are always wanted at once. Then, is when the ROOT SYSTEM of distribution shows its good points to the best adyantage. Seven branch houses— in all large centers, with complete stocks on hand for either retail or wholesale trade. Numerous job- bing agencies, and hundreds of smaller agencies scattered throughout the United States. Send in your order to-day, and your goods will be on the way in a very short time. Insist on getting ROOT'S GOODS. We are leaders. Our prices are right. You get a square deal and satisfaction in tra ln^^lXu^-ANTED__-w-e are paying 29 cents cash or 31 cents per pound in trade for pure, average beeswax delivered at any of our branches or at Medina. „__u , .. DCC DDIICU Some months ago Mr. R. F. Holtermann called our attention to a bee-brush which he received GERMAN BtbrDKUoll from Germany, made of genuine bristle or horsehair. He had used cne a whole season, washing it out often, and it appeared to be as good at the end of the season as at the be- ginning. He considered it so far ahead of any thing he had ever seen or used that he wanted no other. We are now provided with a stock which we offer at 25 cents each; by mail, 30 cents. The bristles are black, about two inches long, extending eight inches on the handle. We are now prepared to furnish the Alexander Feeder. We make them 19 ALEXANDER FEEDER inches long, so they be used with either an 8 or 10 frame hive. With a 10 frame hive they will project 3 inches beyond the hive for feeding, and the block may be laid crosswise of the feeder or be cut off as preferred. With the 8-frame hive the feeder projects 5 inches, and the block lies lengthwise. We soak the feeders in oil to preserve them, and fill the pores to prevent the feed from 60aking in. Price, finished, including block, 25 cents each; 10 for $2.00; 50 for $9.00. The A. I. ROOT CO. Medina, Ohio THE ALfcXftNDER FEEDER BRANCHES -^~- Medina New York City, Chicago, 111. Philadelphia, Pa. Washington, D.C. St. Paul, Minn. Syracuse, N.Y. Mechanic Falls, Ohio. ' Box 1037 144 E. Erie. 10 Vine St. 1100 Md. Ave. 1024 Miss. St. 1631 W. Gen. St. Maine. (Entered at the Post-OfBce at Chicago as Second-Class Mall-Matter.) Published Weekly at $1.00 a Year, by George AV. York & Co., 334 Dearborn St. QBORQB W. YORK, Editor CHICAGO, ILL, MAY 24,1906 VoL XLVI— No, 21 An Independent Bee=Paper The American Bee .Journal is absolutely an independent publica- tion, and neither is it nor its editor connected in any way with any bee-supply business whatsoever. It stands entirely upon its merits as an educative force in the held of bee-keeping, and as a medium for legitimate advertisers in Apicultural or other lines. It is the oldest, and only weekly, journal of its kind in America. Its publishers believe that it deserves to be in the hands of every would-be progressive, successful bee-keeper in the land. It is in its 46th year, and to-day is acknowledged to be better in every way than at any time during its long and honorable history. ^ (gbitonai Hotes anb Comments jf Retention of Heat in the Brood-Nest Again In the interesting article by G. M. Doolittle, page 363, he tells us that when an upper story is put over a colony of bees, the crust of bees prevents the heat from escaping into the upper hive, and that the temperature in this upper hive will vary just in accord with the weather outside. It seems to have occurred to Dr. Miller that it would not be a difficult thing to put the matter to an actual test. He put an empty hive-body over a strong colony, and on the inside of the cover, over this upper story, he fastened a thermometer, and compared its readings with those of another thermome- ter outside, making corrections for the difference in the two thermometers. He thus reports : The experiment was made May 7 (a cool day), but early fruit-blossoms were a strong attraction, and as the day advanced bees worked busily in spite of the fact that the temperature never went above 58 degrees. About an hour after the upper story was given in the morning, the tem- perature in the hive was 21 degrees higher than the outside air, which was 47 degrees. Observations taken at other hours in the day showed the following results : At 9 : 35 the difference between the tem- perature outside and the temperature inside was 17 degrees ; at 11: 15, 21; at 12 : IS, 22 ; at 1 : 40 p.m., 13 ; and at 5 : 10, 9 degrees. It will be noticed that it was warmer in the hive at the first observation than at the second. That may have been because the bees were stirred up before the first obser- vation, and cooled down before the second. Plainly there is a conflict of opinion, but not neces- sarily a conflict of facts; as observed by the two men. One fact is that it was warmer in the upper hive than in the open air. The other fact is, that the temperature in the brood-nest was practically constant, that constancy resulted from the supposed fact that the crust of bees prevented the escape of heat, hence there could be no increased heat above as a result from the cluster below. The observations of Dr. Miller seem to show that this deduction is incorrect, and the reason for the uniformity of temperature in the brood-nest must be sought elsewhere. May it not be from the increased consumption of stores, and the consequently increased production of heat, accord- ing to the exigencies of the case ? In this may also lie the answer to the question that Mr. Doolittle asks, when he asks whether any one can tell why a little cluster can keep up to 92 degrees continuously. It is because they consume more to make the increased heat. A little stove may keep a room warm enough, but it is only by keeping a fiercer fire than would be needed in a larger stove. Good Early Brood A valued Wisconsin correspondent, in a communication, says this among other things : By reports there must have been a heavy loss of bees over a wide area. Mine came out in very good condition. I have a colony with a great grand-daughter of the much-talked-of "$200 queen," which, on examination on April 15, had in the second story 7 frames two-thirds full of larvie and hatching brood. I never saw anything to equal that in my experience before with bees wintered outside, as mine always are. I did not examine the first story. Prospects seem good for a crop of white clover. But you know bee-keepers are a hopeful set of fellows, anyhow. The sight of 7 frames two-thirds full of brood April 15, especially after so severe a March, must have been enough to make one take notice. The remark that the like had not been experienced before with bees wintered outdoors sounds a little as if it would be less remarkable should such a thing occur with cellared bees. It is nothing very strange if it should be found the general impression that brood-rearing begins earlier in the cellar than outdoors. Certainly it is warmer in the cellar, why should not brood-rearing begin there at an earlier date than in the colder situation ? Yet observation shows the reverse to be the case. Very many, if not most colonies, will be found to have no sealed brood at the time of taking out of the cellar, while it is nothing strange for outdoor bees in the North to start brood-rearing in February, or even in January. The explanation may lie in the fact that bees are pretty nearly dormant at a temperature in the neighborhood of 45 degrees, while they are roused to activity by a higher or lower temperature. So the severer cold of the outer air, instead of preventing brood-rearing, may be the very thing that starts it. Claims of Advertisers and Subscribers Mr. Editor:— Can you allow me space to " hold you up to view " to " see yoursels as ithers see ye?'' I consider you publishers do not give subscribers a chance — the advertiser gets it all. Of course, he pays for our paper to a large extent, the same as the whiskey sucker pays for the temperance man's hotel accommodation, and we are willing to let him. Suppose there was one of your queen-bee advertisers sending out queens worth double those of your other advertisers; you know you dare not say so if we made enquiries, so we have to go on buying trash, year after year, till we find the right man to deal with. An advertisement that crept into your paper a month ago is responsible; for the above; and on page 251, referring to a new advertiser, you say, "They are all right, as are all others advertising with us. else we would not advertise for them." Now, what kind of queen is to be expected from that advertiser 442 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 24, 1906 ■who told us he " bought an apiary of common bees and Italianized them la6t fall?" There are other advertisers who do not always act up to their promises. Canada. Evidently " Canada " is under the impression that last fall an apiary of common bees was Italianized, and from this a start is to be made in selling queens the present sea- son. Well, suppose this supposition be correct. Could not the queens be all right ? If the colonies were Italianized last fall, the eggs laid by the queens will be the same as if the hives had been occupied by Italians for 10 years, the queens reared from them should be the same, and the drones the same ; what is to hinder the queens being all right? Looking, however, at the advertisement itself, it will be seen that such a supposition is hardly warranted. The statement is made that an apiary of common bees having been purchased and Italianized, bees (not queens) can be furnished at reduced prices. That does not preclude the possibility of other bees being used for queen-rearing, even if other bees were any better. As a matter of fact, the pur- chase of that apiary last fall was by no means a point of beginning with that advertiser. He has been in the field for years in the queen-rearing business, as his advertise- ments in this Journal in past years testify. As to the general charge of unfairness to subscribers, our correspondent seems to think it an unfairness that among a number advertising queens for sale — Smith, Brown, Jones, and others — the best of the. lot is not sorted out, and subscribers told, " Jones rears the best queens of the'lot." Let us see how that would work. Jones could stand it all right, but how about the others ? What good would it do them to advertise if their advertisements were nullified by an editorial statement that their queens were inferior to those of Jones ? Would they not be forced to cease advertising and leave the field entirely to Jones ? Certainly they would if the readers could put faith in the editorial statement. There would then be the temptation for each one to secure editorial endorsement with the possibility of finan- cial argument in the way of offering an inducement of so many dollars to have it said editorially that this man's goods were better than others. The American Bee Journal hardly desires to be put in the way of such a temptation. But, really, would it be a good thing for readers gen- erally that one man should have a monopoly of that kind ? Nowadays there is not a favorable sentiment in the mind of the public toward monopolies. Besides, it would be a very difficult thing, among a number of good men, to say which is best. After all, is not the better way to follow the present custom of all reputable periodicals, to give a fair field and no favors to advertisers, only looking out that no one is admitted to the editorial columns who is known to be un- worthy ? Miscellaneous Hetps * 3 terns J Mr. and MPS. C. P. Dadant, of Hamilton, 111., were visitors to Chicago last week. Mr. D. reports good pros- pects for the season with bees, and so far a satisfactory trade in comb foundation, etc. He has practically retired from active business, preferring to leave it in the compe- tent hands of his sons, who are conducting it in an able and conscientious manner. The Dadants — both father and sons — are experts in their various lines. They are not dreamers or theorists, but practical, successful doers of apicultural things. ......... The Apiary of C. G. Chevalier is thus described by its owner : I send a photograph of my little apiary, located in the yard of my home at Forest Park, Baltimore, Md. I have 4 hives, 3 of them Dan- zenbaker and one home-made, double-walled hive. The hive in the foreground, just back of the tree, ha6 a large double case covered with tar-paper The other 2 Danzenbaker hives simply have the winter covers packed with newspapers. I was much afraid the colonies in the latter hives would not survive the winter, but I am glad to say they came through in good shape. This picture was taken the morn- ing of March 16, after the storm of snow and ice. The trees and hedges are covered with a coating of ice, which was sparkling like fairyland in the early morning 6un. The path I made to the hives when I went to clean the snow from the entrances can be seen. The houses in the background are those of neighbors. Three of my colonies are hybrids, and the fourth a red clover Italian. The first 8 I intend to re-queen this spring. C. G. Chevalier. The Wagner Feeding Arrangement, shown on the first page, is described thus by Mr. Wagner : I send a photograph of the " Stream Bee-Feeder " that I have used several year6. It consists of %x% inch grooves in one inch boards, with a 5-gallon can with a screw faucet to thin the stream to suit the number of bees feeding. The 5-gallon jug at the bottom sets in the ground to catch what passes by the bees. I feed as early as the bees gather pollen. Some carry syrup and some gather pollen, while some carry both. Of course, there is some robbing, and it results in the " survival of the fittest." F. M. Wagner. A Good Kind of Complaint.— Here is what a reader of this Journal wrote us after getting the 32-page number for April 5, 1906 : Mr. Editor: — Have you no consideration for my feelings? Here comes the American Bee Journal with so many pages that I haven't time to read it all, but filled with such interesting matter that when I get started I can not stop till I have finished it. When I subscribed I expected to get only 16 pages in each number; don't you think it is a little unreasonable to require me to read from 20 to 32 pages? A Bust Bee-Keeper. Well, yes, it is a rather large amount of reading, but no one is compelled to read it all — unless he just can't help it. But your complaint is a good one. It is an encourage- ment to us, even if it does seem " a little unreasonable " to expect any one to read so much good bee-literature. Sketches of Beebomites *\ j> JAMES FITTS WOOD James F. Wood, widely known as an expert on bees, is dead at his home in North Dana, having been confined to his bed barely one week by pernicious anemia — a disease from which he had long been ailing, and in spite of which he continued his earnest work till near the end. He was born in Leverett, Mass., the son of John and Elizabeth Wood. He was a farmer and bee-keeper, known as an expert on the latter subject. He was for several years a lecturer and demonstrator on bees at the State Agricultural College, Amher6t, Mass. The above item appeared in a Massachusetts paper Feb. 17, 1906, two days after the passing away of a most excel- lent and esteemed citizen. Born Jan. 11, 1862, his parents removed to Prescott when he was a small boy, and there he lived till 19 years of age, returning thither after a sojourn of some years in Colerain. He was educated in the public schools and in New Salem Academy. The bent of his mind was early shown. His first bees was a colony of bumble-bees, when he was but 12 years old. Next he "lined " bees with a schoolmate, bringing home an occasional swarm from a hollow tree in the woods. And from that time on he was never without at least a few colo- nies, which he handled without veil or gloves, and some- times barefooted, for thus he went, like the boy celebrated in Whittier's verses. June 26, 1895, this lover of bees and flowers, and all Nature, married the sweet, intelligent woman who survives him — Nettie F. J. Wood. They went to Dana, where he built a good house — a not unsuitable monument to his good judgment and painstaking industry. Last winter their appreciative neighbors, in large numbers, surprised them on the tenth anniversary of their marriage, with numerous little and valued gifts, and a speech to which both responded with ability and grace. Into the sacredness of their family life I will enter only far enough to say that its loveliness was daily growing more and more lovely. Up to the last of his life Mr. Wood was planning his future work, including the lecture course which he was engaged to give next season at the college, where he had appreciative friends, among them Professors Brooks and Paige, whom I mention as more known to me. He studied and experimented with soils and plants, and was greatly interested in the work of that plant magician — Luther Burbank. Minds may be classified as scientific and traditional, May 24, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 443 may I say ecclesiastical? His was naturally and easily scientific. In traditionalism, metaphysics, ecclesiasticism, and in romance, there is room for mental jugglery ; but to know Science the mind must act honestly with itself and with the facts. So science cultivates honest habits of thought, and will have nothing to do with dishonesty, or with tricky thinking. Mr. Wood was naturally adapted to hear and heed her voice, and she loved to speak her secret thoughts to him. He loved the fields and loved the woods — everything that was Nature — and his open mind absorbed ; he knew much more than his friends were aware, imbibing every- where, and eagerly, new thought. He would listen care- fully to those he modestly thought wiser than himself, and learned a thousand times when others would have drawn nothing from the presence of intelligence. It is much to be a good listener, and to winnow well what we hear. This not only stores the mind, but it makes friends. And Mr. Wood made many friends. They crowded his house at the funeral. He was liberal and progressive in politics and in re- ligion, differing as generously as he did honestly with the more conservative in both. As to the future, he believed no force is lost, it continues in the world, whether in the identical individual or not is less certain, while some say certainly not. The following poem I have written with him in mind : The flrmanent of life may be obscured, Its stars be hidden by the damp of death ; Malarial mists, by time too long endured, Shall change and flee before Night's changing breath. Cloud6 may eclipse the splendor of man's skie6, But life and love are not extinguished so; Their beauty not with pause and sunset dies, Though wide diffused in evening's after-glow. The stars of thought to their high places climb. The mightier orbs of love, by night or day, Do beam through all the phases of dark time. By clouds obscured, but passing not away. Cloud-shadows fleeing o'er the moon-lit snow, Untracked by searching morn their noiseless feet, Or by unfettered winds, which seem to know The scent of shadow-steps unseen and Meet, Will pass away with the all-passing dark and night ; Love walks upon the wind above the storms, in light. New Salem, Mass. Perry Marshall. ^ (£ontrtbuteb -f Special Ctrttclcs J Plain and Chaff Division-Boards BY G. C. GRE1NER. THE easiest and cheapest way to make a division-board is to take a plain board, put a cleat on each end to keep it from warping, and nail a strip of proper di- mensions with the necessary projections to rest on the rabbet on top, and it is done. I have quite a number of this kind in use, and for certain purposes they are all that is necessary. But their undesirable features are as follows: They are hard to remove when once glued fast by the bees ; when trying to loosen them, they always detach with a hive-jarring crack; as a rule, they do not fit the hive per- fectly ; if they fit close, they do not go into the hive freelj . but bind and crowd, and if they go in easily, they do not fit tight enough, and in this case, if not handled very carefully, they go down with that detestable "kerchuck" (if I am allowed the expression) which always irritates bees, even the most gentle colonies; and they are not of the right thickness for the purpose a division-board is often used, unless it is made of thick lumber, which is not desirable for various reasons. To overcome all these objections, I have used for many years, what I call a "Main-frame-chaff-division-board." A the name indicates, its foundation is the main-frame. The bee-spaces on each side are taken up by cushioning the out- side of the end-bars. This is done by tacking two or three strips of some thick material (felt-cloth of some worn-out couch-cover is excellent for this purpose), lengthwise on the outside, the first strip being the width of the bar — I inch; the next a little narrower, say -34 ; and the last about V2 inch. The whole is covered with bed-ticking; a strip the length of the end-bar and wide enough to reach around, being wrapped Fiij. 1. — Frame GuiMened. around it and sewed on the inside with a darning-needle and wrapping-twine, as shown in Fig. I. The sides of the frame are then covered with lumber of such thickness that the aggregate thickness is equal or nearly so (a little scant is better), to the distance of the brood-combs from center to center. I use separator-stuff on one side and J4-inch lumber on the other, making ifjj inches in all. To prevent bending or springing out of this thin lum- ber when the frame is being filled, an extra end-bar is nailed between the top and bottom-bar, about half way between the end-bars. Before the lumber is nailed to the second side of the frame, the bottom-bar is taken off, which is necessary to leave an opening for the filling. For the latter I use oat or clover chaff, if available; saw-dust will answer, but I think cither of the former is better. After the filling is com- pleted, replacing and nailing the bottom-bar finishes the job. It may seem like a tedious job to make division-boards of this kind, but the advantages in using them are so many, and the satisfaction so enjoyable, that I would not keep bees without them. If the cushioning is made of just the right thickness, the division-board will slide into the hive with verv little pressure, and fit perfectly tight. If it should be desirable to move it, alter the bees have glued it to the ends of the hive, it does not snap and crack when loosened, like a solid board. The flexibility of the cloth will cause it to loosen gradually with very little prying, and when drawn out of the hive or moved sidewise, as is the case when used as a follower, it does not jar the hive to speak of. In reducing the capacity of the hive it is more than convenient. Any number of brood-combs can be taken Fig. 2. — Division- li ird Finished. from a hive, and the same number of division-boa n1 just fill that space again. It is sometimes desirable to re- duce a hive one or more combs for wintering; to substi- tute one of these division-boards on each side has the same 444 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 24, 1906 beneficial effect as chaff-packing— in fact, it makes a half- chaff-hive of any single-wall structure. In queen-rearing time, when starting nuclei, the chaff- division-board forms a very desirable adjunct to the hive. I always use full-sized hives for this purpose, and by the use of this division-board I am enabled to divide a hive into almost air-tight compartments of any size. La Salle, N. Y. # Using Unfinished Sections as " Baits " BY G. M. DOOLITTLE. A CORRESPONDENT writes me thus: "Sav, Mr. Doo- httle, will you tell us through the columns of the Ameri- can Bee Journal something about using unfinished sec- tions? I have a lot that are from one-fourth to two-thirds full of honey, partially capped and somewhat candied. Would it be right to p' these sections in the supers as 'baits,' at this time of the \i_ar, now when I am preparing for next season, then put them on the hives next summer when the bees need them? Would the bees eat it out, or would they fill in the new honey on top of that which was candied, and then cap the whole over?" The above brings up one of the debatable questions in apiculture, and one where the majority would be on the side of not giving those sections to the bees unless the combs of candied honey were cut out and these replaced with starters or filled with new foundation. And even to this many would object, claiming that it were better to throw away the old sections and begin anew. But it is evident that the correspondent wishes to use those sections with the comb in them, and that he wishes to prepare his surplus arrange- ments at this time of the year, so he will be in readiness for the season when it comes next June. And as his mind and desires run along the same path that I travel in, I am going to take the minority side in this matter and tell him just how I use such bait-sections, and, as far as I have ever been able to see, with perfect success. In the first place, I count up the number of these unfin- ished sections I may happen to have at the time I begin pre- paring my supers for the next season, which is generally from the first to the middle of January. My supers, as I use them at present, hold 44 one-pound sections, there being II rows of 4 sections each in each super. I now divide the number of unfinished sections I have, by 4, and that will tell me how many rows I will have to use. I then divide the number of rows, which this first division shows, by the number of colonies I expect to have to run for comb honey the coming season (as I wish the first super on each colony to contain bait-sections, that the bees may be enticed into the super as speedily as possible) ; when this last division will tell me how many of these rows I will have for each colony. To make the matter a little plainer: Say, I have 600 unfinished sections similar to those told about by the correspondent. I divide these by 4, which gives me 150 rows of 4 each to use. I have, or expect to have, 50 colonies to run for comb honey at the beginning of the honey season for 1906. I now divide the 150 rows by the 50 colonies I expect to have for working in sections, and this tells me that I will have 3 rows of 4 sections each for each of the 50 colonies. I can now go to work intelli- gently at preparing my supers for the coming season. In filling up the super, I place one row of 4 of these bait-sections next the side of the super, then 4 rows of 4 sections each having starters of foundation in them ; or what I prefer still more, these sections filled with extra thin foundation; then another row of 4 of the bait-sections; then 4 rows more of the sections filled with foundation ; and lastly. at the opposite side of the super from where we com- menced, the last 4 bait-sections. In this way I secure the outside sections finished as quickly as any, except the mid- dle row, which are baits, and the whole super is all fin- ished when the time comes to take it from the hive. If I have less sections with baits, so that only 2 rows of 4 each can be used for each hive, then I place these rows thus: Put in first, next to one side of the super, 3 rows of 4 each, of sections with foundation, then one row of the baits ; then 3 rows having foundation ; one row of baits ; and the last 3 rows with foundation. In this way I coax the bees to work as nearly equal all through the super as is pos- sible, and have the earliest possible start made at the work. If this division of bait-sections gives me only one row of 4 sections each, for each colony worked for section honey, then I put that row in the center of the super, so as to en- tice the bees to work in the super as soon as may be ; but with only so few baits as 4 sections, the outside rows of sections will be slower in their completion than where we have enough so that either 2 or 3 rows can be used. Now about the honey which is in those sections: Where the cells are capped it is absolutely necessary that this cap- ping be broken, if we wish the bees to remove it from the comb. And we certainly wish it removed, especially where it is candied, or of a different color from that which the bees will bring in from the fields in summer. And all of my experience proves that where honey is capped and the cappings broken from any cause, the bees will always re- move all the honey the cell contains before any more honey is placed in that cell, whether the honey is candied or other- wise. I used to think differently, but the score of trials try- ing to have the bees recap a few cells on any sections which I had chanced to mar or break the cappings in preparing such finished sections for market, have convinced me that they will not repair such carelessness of mine, till the cells are emptied, cleaned, and refilled again. And the reason is not long sought for. The cell must be dry and polished in order that the honey placed therein be made to assume that concave shape necessary for keeping it in place, and anything that happens to cause any other shape will start the honey to running to an extent which makes it impossible for the bees to overcome, the disaster short of its entire removal, and a beginning anew, again, with that cell. Hence, it will be seen at once, that whether it be the bee-keeper, the candying of the honey in the cells, or any other cause, which brings to pass any other position of the liquid in the cell except the one necessary for it to stay in place, the whole must be removed, the cell cleaned and dried, and work commenced anew, before the cell will hold honey again in the position which the bees desire. Therefore, I claim that all this talk about a few grains of candied honey sticking to cells, being the sowing of seed to produce the further candying of any honey that is placed in that cell, cannot be aught but fallacious. And I practice what I preach, each year getting my supers ready, baits and all (the same being partially filled with honey, just as the bees left them at the end of the past season), with no other precaution, save the knowledge that the capping to all sealed cells are broken ; and I have yet to see wherein this mode of procedure is not as good as having these combs emptied in the fall, except the dripping of the honey to a certain ex- tent, from the cells having the broken cappings. Where the honey is candied in these cells there is scarcely any leakage, and no great amount, in any case, if broken as slightly as possible, by passing a knife flatwise over the cappings. But it is best to put a sheet of paper between each super having such baits in them, so that all drip, if there happens to be any, is held on this paper rather than running down over the sections below. Borodino, N. Y. [This article was received and should have appeared several months ago. But on account of a press of other mat- ter it has been deferred. We trust that it is still in time to be of some use for the coming honey season. — Editor.] A*± Queenless Bees in Queen-Rearing BY HENRY ALLEY. ON page 251, and under the head, "How Can We Rear Better Queens?" is an article from A. K. Ferris. I read this article with much interest, as all such questions have attracted my attention for the past 45 years. The first point that Mr. Ferris tries to make, namely, the selection of the breeding queen, is not new to me, as I had that very thing under consideration more that 40 years ago. But here is something new : "Do not breed from a queen whose bees will allow brood to starve with capped honey in the hive." Can any reader of this paper say that he ever had an experience of that kind? I not only would not use such a mother for a breeder, but would quickly pinch the head of such a worthless queen. If Mr. Ferris has had such a queen as that in his apiary, would it not interest all the readers to know whether she was reared in a colony that had cast a swarm, or by queen- less bees, or what the conditions were that could produce such a queen? I have been a bee-keeper nearly half a century, but May 24, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 445 never knew such a state of things to exist as Mr. Ferris mentions in his article. The idea of brood starving when bees had plenty of stores, and in a normal condition, is amazing, if true. Mr. Ferris presents some good things in his article, but they are not new to the readers of the American Bee Journal, as all these things can be found in back numbers many, many years ago, and written by the person whose method of queen-rearing he criticises. Mr. Ferris gives his experience in rearing queens by two methods. One of the methods employed was that of rearing them by queenless bees. He says he failed to save even i queen out of 35 cells he gave to as many queenless colonies; and that the queen-cells reared by another method were all accepted. What does this show? There is nothing to indicate that the destruction of the cells was caused by the way they were built. If anything is proven, it is the fact that Mr. F. does not understand the queenless method of producing queen-cells. His failure to rear good queens should not be attributed to the method used. Up to within 10 years, all the queens reared the world over were reared by queenless bees, and such queens were always satisfactory. We can give accounts of hundreds of queens whose bees stored as much honey as queens reared by any process known to experienced bee-keepers. We have had queens reared by queenless bees that filled many combs with brood, but none ever filled 14 Langstroth frames, as Mr. F. says his queens will do. Such queens can not be found in my yard. I want to inform the bee-keepers of the world that no bees, queenless or otherwise, ever destroy, or tear down queen-cells that contain live queens. A colony having a queen (either a virgin or fertile one) will not destroy a queen-cell until a queen first stings the imprisoned or em- bryo queen ; then the worker-bees complete the destruction of the cell. The 35 cells, which Mr. F. says were not ac- cepted, did not contain one live queen when given to the bees. There must have been something decidedly wrong in the way that those cells were built, or were handled when introduced to bees. Can't rear good queens by queenless bees ! They can be so reared. Mr. Doolittle will say the same ; and any prac- tical bee-keeper on earth will say that the best of queens are reared by queenless bees. By the way, what is the Doolittle system of rearing queens? A few years ago when writing E. R. Root, I re- marked that I could not get such good and satisfactory queens as Mr. D. does by rearing them in or over a colony while a queen is present. The next time I heard from Mr. Root, he said Mr. D. did not rear queens in that way. Now, Mr. F. says he uses the Doolittle plan, as he does not like the queenless method. Well, where are we? It really seems to me that bees must be used to rear queens by any method. I said in this Journal a long time ago that good queens can be reared in a colony while a fertile queen is present, only when the bees are gathering honey from natural sources, . but at no other time, can as good queens be reared as by the queenless process. As a matter of fact, I first gave to the public through the columns of this paper a method for rearing queens in a colonv having a laying queen. After I had made it public, I found that G. M. Doolittle, of New York, and Dr. G. L. Tinker, of Ohio, had been experimenting along the same lines. I have stated in these columns how queens can be reared in the brood-chamber while a queen was present and the cells unprotected from the attack of the queen. I have also shown how the same thing can be done by protecting the cells from being attacked and destroyed by the queen while the bees were completing them. All of these things, and many others, I have published in years past and given to the public. But not till Mr. Ferris' article appeared had I ever seen the queenless method of rearing queens criti- cised by any one. It seems that Mr. F. did have some queens reared by the queenless or cell-cup process; even though the 35 cells were destroyed, and that queens reared by the Alley plan and the Doolittle plan, all in the same hive, when shown strangers to bees they saw the difference. Let me tell Mr. F. what some experts with bees have said of queens they have seen when visiting my apiary. A. C. Miller, of Rhode Island, has made an annual visit to my apiary for many years. I always show him queen-cells in all stages, and processes of construction, as I do all who come here. Mr. Miller always says that the virgin queens are very large, and as fine as he ever saw. F. H. Farmer, one of the largest bee-owners in Massachusetts, is another caller here who admires the size and beauty of the queens shown him. and says that my virgin queens are as large as most of the laying queens sent out by some dealers. When queenless bees are used for cell-building they should be supplied with eggs within 6 or 8 hours there- after. My method for rearing queens by queenless bees, or rather for having queen-cells built from cell-cups, is this : I select the strongest colony in the yard — one having a prolific queen and at least 8 frames of brood. (A colony having an old queen is always preferred, as bees from such a queen build (he finest cells.) Ibis colony is taken into the operating roc 'in. and 1 then treat the bees to tobacco- smoke in small doses, and drum on the hives to cause the bees to fill their honey-sacs, and when they have done so, and show that the tobacco has completely subdued them, I remove the cover from the hive; then take out each frame separately, brushing the bees from the combs into a box having plenty of ventilation. The queen is found and caged, and the bees left queenless for 6 or 8 hours. The combs are replaced in the hive they were taken from, and other bees (queenless ones, if at hand) are put into the hive and a fertile queen introduced. The colony just made queenless has from 60,000 to 75,000 bees, mostly young ones. Twelve days after the eggs are given the bees, I have as fine a batch of large, golden queens as Mr. F. could desire to see. The eggs given the bees from which to construct cell-cups had been deposited in drawn foundation 3 days, or 72 hours before the colony was made queenless. If Mr. Ferris had proceeded in the above way, he would have had completed queen-cells that can not be equalled by any other method of rearing queens. The one point I wish to emphasize, is, that bees, long in a queenless condition, will not rear good queens. This seems to have been the trouble with Mr. F.'s cells. The right thing must be done at the right moment. It is also evident that Mr. F. failed by not strictly following the method which I have given for rearing queens. Permit me to give just one illustration as to whether queens reared by queenless bees are of any value or not. In 1901, Mrs. M. M. Ball, of New York, purchased a queen from me. The queen was shipped as hundreds of others are sent, and I never expected to hear anything from the transaction. The next year Mrs. B. wrote me this: "I owe you a debt of gratitude for the fine queen you sent me. Had it not been for that queen I would have had no honey. This one colony stored 125 pounds in sections, while no other bees in town stored any surplus at all." Now here comes the best part of that testimonial: In trying to purchase that queen from Mrs. B. we got pretty well acquainted, and the result was that Mrs. Ball is now Mrs. Alley. Now, was not that a good queen? I leave it to Mr. Ferris to say. Finally, I must say that Mr. Ferris has not made out a good case. Considering the fact that we all have had nearly as good queens as Mr. Ferris has described, I must say that the question, "How to rear better queens," is still unsolved, so far as Mr. F. is concerned. I have claimed that I can rear better queens by the queenless process than can be reared by natural swarming. Editor Hutchinson says just as good queens can be reared by queenless bees as natural ones, but he hardly thinks better queens can be so reared. I still assert that I can rear better queens by queenless bees than can be obtained by the natural process. At any rate, I shall continue to rear queens in the same way that I have since the year i860, so long as I have good suc- cess. Mr. F. asserts that he can rear queens that will fill 14 Langstroth frames with brood! Did Mr. F. stop to con- sider this statement before he made it? Let us see what a queen must do in order to fill the combs in 14 Langstroth frames in 21 days. A Langstroth frame 9x17 inches, inside measurement, contains 153 inches. There are 5 J cells to the inch of comb. In 14 frames there would be 111,384 cells. Sixty thousand to 75,000 bees is considered a very large colony. To fill 14 frames, a queen must deposit 5,304 eggs each 24 hours for 21 days. Does any one suppose that a queen can be found that will lay so many eggs in one day? I will pay $25 for a pure Italian queen that will fill onlv 12 frames with brood in 21 days, and give an order for 446 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 24, 1906 25 more queens at $io each. This offer is open to anyone who can supply queens of the kind Mr. F. says he has. I will not take the statement made by Mr. F. as he makes it. We all know that only a few of the combs in the middle of the brood-chamber are filled solid with brood, while the combs on either side of the brood-nest are never full. I do not appear in defense of my methods of queen- rearing. They do not need it. Those methods have been employed over so years, and have stood the test well, and thousands of bee-keepers have made them a success. Essex Co., Mass. tr \^ (£anabtcm 4-2$eebom-f "\ J Conducted by Morley Pettit, Villa Nova, Ont. Ontario's Foul Brood Law It will be seen by the enclosed " Bill " that the in- spection of apiaries is given entirely into the hands of the Minister of Agriculture. This does away with the see-saw work we have had so much of for years, and is, I think, a good move. Formerly, the President of the Ontario Bee- Keepers' Association was supposed to direct the inspector, but had no control over his pay, which came from the De- partment. It was the sense of the last convention that more inspectors were needed, and now the Minister, who keeps in close touch with the bee-keepers, will appoint, direct and pay what are needed. Note that Section 4 pro- vides for transfer of box-hive colonies. The following is a copy of the Act referred to above : BILL An Act for the Suppression of Foul Brood Among Bees. His Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, enacts as follows : 1. This Act may be known as " The Foul Brootl Act." u " »T^e Lieutenant-Governor, in Council upon the recommendation of the Minister of Agriculture, may from time to time appoint one of more Inspectors of Apiaries to enforce this Act, and the Inspector shall if so required, produce the certificate of his appointment on entering upon any premises in the discharge of his duties. And the Minister shall instruct and control each Inspector in the carrying out of the provisions of this Act. The remuneration to be paid to any Inspector under this Act shall be determined by order of the Lieutenant-Gover- nor m Council. 3. The Inspector shall, whenever so directed by the Minister of Agriculture, visit without unnecessary delay any locality in the Prov- 1D^ ?f Ontario, and there examine any apiary or apiaries to which the said Minister may direct him, and ascertain whether or not the disease known as "foul brood" exists in such apiary or apiaries, and wherever the said Inspector is satisfied of the existence of foul brood in its viru- lent or malignant type, it shall be the duty of the Inspector to order all colonies so affected, together with the hives occupied by them, and the contents of such hives, and all tainted appurtenances that can not be disinfected, to be immediately destroyed by fire under the per- sonal direction and superintendence of the said Inspector ; but where the Inspector, who shall be the sole judge thereof, is satisfied that the disease exists, but only in milder types and in its incipient stages, and is being or may be treated successfully, and the Inspector has reason to believe that it may be entirely cured, then the Inspector may, in his discretion, omit to destroy, or order the destruction, of the colonies and hives in which the disease exists. 53 V., c. 66, s. 3. 4. The Inspector shall have full power, in his discretion, to order any owner or possessor of bees dwelling in box-hives, in apiaries where the disease exists (being mere boxes without frames), to transfer such bees to movable-frame hives within a specified time, and in default of such transfer, the Inspector may destroy, or order the destruction of such box-hives and the bees dwelling therein. 53 V., o. 66, s. 4. 5. Any owner or possesor of diseased colonies of bees, or of any infested appliances for bee-keeping, who knowingly sells or barters or gives away such diseased colonies or infected appliances, shall on con- viction thereof, before any Justice of the Peace, be liable to a fine of not less than $50, or more than $400, or to imprisonment for any term not exceeding two months. 53 V., c. 66, s. 5. 6. Any person whose bees have been destroyed or treated for foul brood, who sells or offers for sale any bees, hives or appurtenances of any kind, after such destruction or treatment, and before being au- thorized by the Inspector so to do, or who exposes in his bee-yard or elsewhere, any infected comb, honey, or other infected thing, or con- ceals the fact that said disease exists among his bees, shall, on con- viction before a Justice of the Peace, be liable to a fine of not less than $20, and not more than §50, or to imprisonment for a term not exceed- ng two months, and not less than one month. 53 V., c. 66, s. 6. 7. Any owner or possessor or bees who refuses to allow the In- spector to freely examine said bees, or the premises in which they are kept, or who refuses to destroy the infected bees and appurtenances, or to permit them to be destroyed when so directed by the Inspector, may, on the complaint of the Inspector, be summoned before a Justice- of the Peace, and, on conviction, shall be liable to a fine of not less than $25, and not more than $50, for the first offence, and not less than $50, and not more than $100, for the second and any subsequent offence, and the said Justice of the Peace shall make an order directing the said owner and possessor forthwith to carry out the directions of the Inspector. 53 V., c. 66, s. 7. 8. Where an owner or possessor of bees disobeys the directions of the said Inspector, or offers resistance to, or obstructs the said In- spector, a Justice of the Peace may, upon the complaint of the 6aid Inspector, cause a sufficient number of special constables to be sworn in, and such special constables shall, under the directions of the In- spector, proceed to the premises of such owner or possessor and assist the Inspector to seize all the diseased colonies and infected appurte- nances and burn them forthwith, and if necessary the said Inspector or constables may arrest the said owner or possessor and bring him before a Justice of the Peace to be dealt with according to the pro- visions of the preceding section of this Act. 53 V., c. 66, s. 8. 9. Before proceeding against any person before a Justice of the Peace, the said Inspector shall read over to such person the provisions of this Act, or shall causea copy thereof to be delivered to such person. 53 V., c. 66, s. 9. 10. Every bee-keeper or other person who is aware of the existence of foul brood, either in his own apiary or elsewhere, shall immediately notify the Minister of the existence of such disease, and in default of so doing shall, on summary conviction before a Justice of the Peace, be liable to a fine of $5 and costs. 53 V., c. 66, s. 10. 11. Each Inspector shall report to the Minister as to the inspection of any apiary in such form and manner as the Minister may direct, and all reports shall be filed in the Department of Agriculture, and shall be made public as the Minister may direct, or upon order of the Legislative Assembly. 12. Chapter 283 of the Revised Statutes of Ontario, 1S97, entitled. An Act for the Suppression of Foul Brood Among Bees is repealed. Giving1 Cellared Bees a Winter Flight Mr. Pettit : — The last time I saw you we were talking on putting bees from the cellar on the summer stands on a warm day for a cleansing flight during the winter time, which I did about the middle of February. Up till the time we put our colonies out for a flight they seemed particularly restless. The fault was, undoubtedly, in the temperature being too warm for them in the cellar, and it was impos- sible to lower it on account of the warm winter. When we took the bees from the cellar in February none had spotted their hives. We left them out for only one day, and then returned them to the cellar, where they remained in about the same restless condition up till April 1, and then none had spotted their hives. As soon as they quited down I ex- amined them, and, quite to my surprise, they had come through the winter in good, average condition, with the loss of one colony. They had just commenced brood-rearing. I never had a larger consumption of stores. I gave them more honey per colony last season than ever before, and so'me would have died from starvation had I not sup- plied them. Now, would that not indicate that if they had consumed so much honey through the winter without the flight, they would have contracted dysentery and brood- rearing? I don't think it would do any good to give them a winter flight unless they were particularly uneasy in the cellar, and then get them back into the cellar again as soon as they cluster well. It might be a damage to allow them a second day's flight, for the first would give them a chance to clean up, and that is all they need ; while the second day would be a tax on their vitality, and would cause brood- rearing, etc. Chas. E. Arnold. Bealton, Ont., May 10. Prospects Good So Far I had S colonies in the spring of 1905, and in the fall 10, but I doubled back to 7, with which I began the winter. I lost one in winter, as it was short of stores. The remaining 6 are in good condition. Prospects are good so far. Wroxeter, Ont., Mayl. J. Brbthaukr. Handy Tool-Holder.— We find we are short of the part of this Tool-Holder which has on it the cogs or ratchet by which the blade is raised or lowered when grinding. We need to have some castings made of that part. If any one of our readers who have one of these Tool-Holders will kindly write us, so we can learn who has one of them, we will consider it a very great favor. Address the office of the American Bee Journal. May 24, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 447 (Dur+Stster Beekeepers =\ Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. Protection Against Bee-Stings— Black an Irritator J A lady was calling- on me this week, and as she owns quite a number of colonies of bees, we naturally began talk- ing about bees. These same bees were left to her by a favorite nephew at his death. They having been a source of profit to him, doing much towards helping him through college, he hoped they might do as much for her. Now, the only knowledge she has of bees is the knowledge gained by the slight help she gave her nephew with them during his lifetime. The only things she tries to do with them is to hive the swarms and take care of the honey. She said, " I am afraid I will never make a success of bee-keeping, as I can never quite overcome my fear of them. Sometimes while I am working with them I get so interested in my work that I forget to be nervous about their stinging, and really get along nicely. In fact, as a usual thing I do not get very many stings." I said, " Why don't you protect yourself against stings by dressing so that they can't get a chance to sting you, until you get over your feeling of nervousness while work- ing with them ?" She gave a little laugh, and said, "I always wear a veil, but the only time I ever tried to protect my hands I did not succeed very well. I had always worked with my hands bare, but, one day, feeling particularly timid about taking off some honey that must be taken off, I drew a pair of stocking legs on my arms, letting them come well down over my hands, leaving just the tips of my fingers ex- posed, and went to the apiary feeling much braver. But, alas, those stocking legs seemed to make those bees just furious. They covered my hands and arms, burrowing themselves into the stockings, and stinging — well, I never had so many stings before in my life. I can't imagine what made them act so, for I had handled them just as care- fully as I ever did, but I have not tried to wear anything on my hands since." I said, " What color were those stockings ?" She looked a little surprised, but replied that they were black. She looked still more surprised when I told her that because they were black was the reason the bees were so furious at them, and had they been woolen they would have been still more furious. I advised her to try some white stockings and see if results were not different. (This in spite of the fact that some people think it all nonsense that bees do not like black.) One thing that surprised me was that she entertained the idea that a cool day was much better than a warm one to work with bees, and she attributed the temper of those bees to the fact that it was a very warm day when she took off that honey ! m — ■ Sweet Clover — White and Yellow And so Dr. Miller tells another inquirer that sweet clover ought to be advertised in the American Bee Journal ! Surely it should be, but that is poor comfort for those who want it — if it is not so advertised. For myself, it gives me a sort of guilty feeling — in that I have sweet clover in abundance, yet fail to gather the seed. The trouble is, there is so much to be done ; then that securing of the seed in any considerable quantity is neglected. It yields a lavish lot of seed, but if it is not gathered at the right time this soon falls to the ground. I have, at times, cut patches of it with a scythe, and piled it up to be thrashed with a broom, but I have none on hand a this writing. Bushels of it were permitted to fall to the ground last year. I would like to promise to have seed on hand by another spring, but I can't be sure of that now. "There is a time for everything that is done under the sun," but I try in vain, sometimes, to get time for the things I don't get done. But, no doubt, if there is a demand for sweet clover seed, some one will cater to it. There are many with a greater acreage of it than I have. I would like to say that those who want it would do well to get in mind what variety they want. I had the white kind for several years before I got the yellow, but the latter is the greatest boon to me here, as I need something for the bees to work on through June. This I find in yel- low sweet clover. The white does not bloom until July. All this has been said before, but it will bear repeating. Custer Co., Nebr. (Mrs.) A. L. Amos. In Northern Illinois it is doubtful whether there would often be any advantage in the yellow sweet clover over the white, as the white sweet clover is usually in bloom before the white clover ceases to yield, so there is generally no dearth. But in other localities where there is likely to be a dearth, the yellow sweet clover would be a boon. The following is what A. I. Root says in Gleanings : The constant call for 6Weet clover seed of every kind is coming in from every direction in a way we never knew it before. It seems that the world generally is beginning to discover that none of the clovers should ever be called noxious weeds. If there are horses or cattle anywhere that have not learned to eat tender sweet clover when it first comes up, they are certainly lacking in education. Outlook for a Good Crop My bees wintered fairly well, losing about IS percent of the colonies. The outlook is for a good honey crop here. Mrs. Fannie J. Randall. Ft. Collins, Colo., May 14. % Zttr. pasty's Ctftcrtqongfyts The " Old Reliable" as seen through New and Unreliable Glasses. By E. E. Hasty, Sta. B. Rural, Toledo, Ohio. Drones and Swarming Do drones, when in extra numbers, cause more swarm- ing ? Does excessive swarming cause the rearing of more drones ? Is a colony that is dreadfully overrun with drones tolerably sure not to swarm ? Queer if we should have to answer all three questions in the affirmative. Without wishing to drive any stake or say anything " sassy," I have my doubts about the first question. As to the third ques- tion, it may be mainly a matter of location and honey-flow. Might always feel too poor to rear young queens when bur- dened with such a lot of non-paying boarders— except in a good location with strong and steady flows. With the pop- ulation nearly half drones I shouldn't feel quite sure that the best and longest flows would start swarms. This anent C. P. Dadant, on page 298. Covers of the Latham Home-Made Hives I don't put in the sub-heads in the Afterthoughts, Mr. Latham. Go for the Boss about that naughty hyphen that contrived to tell a depreciatory lie about your hives. As to the inquiry, I suppose I must have been thinking that lots of roof-cracks, made good by good paper, was the point that was up, and that it might allow large variation in other respects. Yes, some of my roofs are dreadfully weighted down with bricks and stones (and army-pans filled with fragments). Every winter they go in loaded heavier than before ; and every winter a lot of them get away. On the other hand, half my roofs are scarcely ever known to fly away, and those I trust without any weights. Then there's another lot that are " mighty onsartin," and I honor the doubt to the extent of a couple of bricks. Page 299. Advices to Bee-Keeping Beginners In directions to those who are going to fail, Doolittle, in his article for beginners, gets in a pretty good one. Much nicer to sink $40 than $400. So say we all of us. And quite a bit of fun can be had in throwing away $40 if you scatter it right. . . . And so for the beginner to skip the bee-books and read 448 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. May 24, 1906 the bee-papers is like feeding the baby corned beef and fried potatoes — dead baby very soon : Sacred to the Mem- ory of Billy Beeman, who took the fever and — got well. To make sure that the patient won't get well, Mr. D. sagely advises the bee-babe to make the hives for his first year's swarms. May not be any great amount of cash profit in it, but the practical wisdom of the thing struck me decidedly — do him piles of good, confirm him in his chosen craft, and "build him up." But an awful " per contra " dawns upon me just now, however. It may also set him to inventing a brand-new hive, long before he knows the dif- ference between pennies and pounds in the ends to be secured. That is one of the direst of " complications " which the disease known as bee-fever is wont to develop. Page 296. Sad that So Few Read Bee-Papers— Baby Nuclei Twenty bee-men in Chatsworth, Calif., and only one takes a bee-paper. Sad — and the saddest of it is that it's not much worse than other places. What shall we say to these 19 men ? Good to be self-reliant ; good to lay your own plans and conquer your own difficulties ; but not good for one man to cut entirely loose from the accumulated wis- dom of mankind. The most brilliant and self contained man in the world needs to know when he is in the beaten track and when he is out of it. He can not well know this unless he reads what the rest of the world is doing. If he didn't adopt one single idea from the paper, the paper would pay him by helping him direct and judge himself. And I note with interest that C. W. Dayton abandons the use of the baby nucleus after having used SO of them for a season. Page 297. Southern * 23eebom * Conducted by Louis H. Schou» New Braunfels, Tex. J The Texas Mesquite Through the cool, gentle breeze, this fine April morning, I hear quite distinctly the bees humming sweet, And find that the bloom is hastily adorning The long, thorny limbs of the Texas Mesquite, With her mantle of gold bemixed with green foliage That swings in the wind our coming to greet ; Our far-away cousins have no worthy knowledge Of the exquisite beauty of the Texas Mesquite. While the bees in the North are yet in their cellars, Or perhaps even worse — all buried in 6leet — Our busy little bees are hiding their smellers In the sweat, golden bloom of the Texas Mesquite. In the warm month of June we again will be favored With another bloom crop that can not be beat; And the warm, gentle breeze will be then highly flavored With the bloom we admire on the Texas Mesquite. Sabinal, Tex. Grant Anderson. Holy Land of Palestine Bees Mr. Louis H. Scholl — Dear Sir:— I am a New York bee-keeper, but at present am keep- ing bees here in the South. I have a notion to try the Holy Land or Palestine bees here, but do not care to bother with them unless they are decidedly superior to the Italians for extracted honey. I think, perhaps, you have seen them in other yards, and I wish you would give me your opinion and advice about them. Also, where to get the best stock of queen6. I think you are ju6t the one to advise me about this, and I will appreciate it. I will also be glad to have you inform me if you know of anyone haviDg an extra prolific and good strain of Italians. I do not want to get cheap-reared queens from any one. My experience with buying " baby nucleus " queens is, that I would scarcely take them as a gift. In this section the bees gather some pollen in January, and the honey season is from about March 10 until June. After that I think the bees get little more than enough for a living, usually. Wayne Co., Ga., April 14. Chas. L. Todd. After trying, during my 15 years of bee-keeping, nearly every race of bees — the common Germans or blacks, 3- banded Italians (both imported and American-bred stock), golden or S-banded Italians, Holy Lands or Palestines, Cyprians, Carniolans and Caucasians, in their purity, and many crosses of different races — I have almost decided upon the " good, old 3-banded Italians," of a good honey-gathering strain, for all my yards. I say " almost," because I am not sure but there might possibly be some suitable cross, or, better still, a hybrid, that would prove superior to the Ital- ians in their purity. Holy Lands have many g-ood qualities, but the " sting- ing qualities " of most of the strains that have come under my observation have been disagreeable enough to over- balance their good qualities that they possess over some other races. It is true that some of our foremost bee-keep- ers are very successful with them, in securing large crops of surplus honey. And some of these claim this race to be very gentle, and that very few stings are received in hand- ling them. Yet these apiaries, where only Holy Land bees are kept, are few, and the race of bees does not seem ever to become popular. This much is certain : In the hive manipulations with Holy Lands much more care must be exercised than with most other races. Less smoke must be used, and the opera- tor must work " gently " and carefully. Jars and sudden jolts, and also the use of too much smoke, will result in " a volley of live bullets " from the hive as if shot from — well, a wide-mouthed cannon. And once these bees become irri- tated in this way, it is hard to do anything with them. The use of more smoke only makes matters worse, and it results, sometimes, in all the bees of the colony taking wing and filling the air — and other things — with infuriated, stinging bees. These are, of course, rather extreme cases, still such have been quite numerous under my observations. While, if carefully and quietly handled, and with little smoke, they are very peaceable, yet, as a usual thing, they are so " nervous " that the least jar, or the dropping of a frame or the hive-tool, etc., will send them out on warfare. Several crosses have been tried in my yards of Holy Land bees The Holy Land queens are very prolific in egg- laying, and, used as mothers of a colony, mated to golden Italian drones, good results were obtained in several cases. The cross resulted in larger bees than the Holy Land bees — more the size of the Italians — and these proved to be good honey-gatherers. I believe that by careful breeding a hybrid might be produced that would be better than the Holy Lands, or Italians either, in their purity. A simple cross between two races does not seem, in my mind, to be efficient enough. A well-bred hybrid would result in a more stable reproduction of their type. The off-spring would not vary so much as with simple crosses. There are several queen-breeders who advertise good strains of Italian queens, and there are some of these who use the " baby-nucleus-box method," and produce as good queens as can be produced by any method. lean not see why there should be any objection to mating queens in such boxes, provided, of course, that the queens are not left in these small boxes too long. A young laying queen should be able to " expand " herself in her egg-laying, and thus develop herself in it. " Crosses " and " Hybrid " Bees Here is another fellow in favor of using the terms "cross" and "hybrid" in the right sense, as per R. F. Holtermann, page 341. It will be well to bear this in mind, and to begin a reform at once. The bee-paper editors can do much in this matter, and so also our careful writers of beedom. The Bee-Keeper's Fun Are you having a " good time," and are you enjoying yourself ? The bee-keeper, with his outdoor work, his sun- shine, bees, flowers, and good exercise during the sunny, balmy days when one longs to be out-of-doors, should be a happy creature indeed. During rainy and unfavorable weather for out-of-door work, he can have and enjoy com- forts of home life, read his bee-papers, magazines and other papers; or, if it is during the busy season, his shop will be his favorite retreat. Compare the bee-keeper's life with that of the trudging mass who are " on the go " from early morning until late at night, rain or shine ! This may not be writing " about bees " exactly, but it seems well to be reminded of our good fortunes sometimes, May 24, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 449 because we forget, you know. If you are not enjoying a bee-keeper's life, find out why you are not and try to remedy the matter. There are some who make it their busi- ness to smile, and such smiles make them more successful and happy. Did you ever notice how a jolly fellow always seems to get along pretty well ? I have, and have tried it myself. Now you try it ! ==^—= =\ Doctor Itliller's Question * Box j 8end questions either to the office of the American Bee Journal, or to Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, 111. Dr. Miller does nol answer Questions by mail. Will Bees Swarm Under These Conditions: Will bees swarm when a young queen goes out to mate in a honey- flow, the old queen having been taken away and all queen-eell6 cut out but one" Iowa. Asswkr.— I don't know. G. M. Doolittle says no ; others say yes. All-Zinc or Wood-Zinc Excluder? Which is the better excluder to use in extracting — all-zinc or wood-zinc? Nbw York. Answer. — Opinions differ. All-zinc gives larger opening be- tween the two stories, but either seems to give abundant passage for the bees. The wood-zinc keeps proper spaces above and below it more rigidly, but one or more J^-inoh strips laid on top-bars seems to answer with the other. The all zinc is not so fragile as the other. Serradella as a Honey-Plant Is serradella a good Jhoney-plant? If once sown in waste-places will it seed itself afterwards? Is there any danger of it becoming a troublesome weed ? When should the seed be sown? Penn. Answer. — I can not answer your questions. 1 have seen serra- della mentioned as a honey-plant in bee-papers from across the sea, but J think never in any published on this 6ide. It is " a Portuguese species of bird's-foot clover (Ornithopus sativus), cultivated for fodder in Britain and on the continent." Wiring Frames— When to Do Spring Bee-Work 1. What do you think of using wire from baled hay or straw in place of your wooden splints in brood-frames? Pierce the bottom-bar with 4 holes, slip the wire through into the groove in the top-bar, and fasten with melted wax from a Van Deusen wax-tube? i 2. My bees rob so now that I have not overhauled them yet. What time in the spring do you work with yours? Iowa. Answers. — 1. Such heavy wire would be objectionable. Only very fine wire is used in wiring frames. 2. The first day that is warm enough for bees to fly freely after they have been long enough out of the cellar to have brood-rearing well started, an examination is made to see that each colony has a good queen, judging by the brood, and generally the queen is found at the same time to see that she is clipped. This examination may be in April, or it may be in May. Earlier than this, in this latitude, it is not best to open a hive unless there is suspicion that something is wrong, as a shortage of stores. Preventing Swarming— Removing Queen-Cells— Intro- ducing Queens-Mold in Hives in Winter 1. Which is the easiest way to prevent bees from swarming? 2. Which is the easiest way to takeout the queen-cells, by taking them right out of the combs, or by using a queen-trap? 3. If I buy an Italian queen, do 1 have to destroy the old queen before I put the new one in * 4. What makes the hives mold inside in the winter? Minnesota. Answers.— 1. I don't know. I wish I did. The way that, is probably at present practised more thin any other is shaking swarms; that is, taking away all brood a little before swarming is likely to occur. G. M. Doolittle says he has discovered a way that he seems to think is better, and he will shortly publish it. C. Davenport says he has a successful plan that requires no shaking of combs nor finding of queens. He has not yet made it known, but doubtless will do so in time for this season's work, for if we may judge by his previous writ- ings, he is not the kind of man publicly to mention 6uch a thing only to keep it a secret. 3. I suppose you mean to ask whether it is easier to cut out queen- cells or to leave them untouched, and then trap the young queens when they attempt to fly out. The trap i6 the easier of the two, but neither way is a reliable way of preventing swarming. The trap, how- ever, is used by some to catch the old queen when she issues with a prime swarm, and the plan works well for those who allow their bees to swarm, but do not wish to be all the time on the watch for swarms. 3. Usually the old queen is removed at the time the new queen is given, the latter being given in a cage so arranged that the bees will liberate the queen by eating through the plug of candy. There is probably greater safety in the Abbott plan of putting the caged queen into the hive 2 or 3 days before the old one is removed, not allowing the bees to liberate the new one till after the removal of the old one. 4. The same that makes mold anywhere— a sort of vegetable growth favored by dampness and darkness. Painting Bottom-Boards-Corkdust Cushions— Best Comb-Honey Hive-Best Queen Excluding Honey Board 1. Is it a good idea to paint both the inside and outside of bottom- boards? T 2. I want to make some cushions for winter protection. 16 the cork sawdust that usually comes with California grapes good for the purpose? If so, how thick 6hall I make them? 3. Which would be the best way to make them, by sewing the top and bottom together, or sewing a strip 2 or 3 inches wide between the two, so that when they are stulf ed they will look like small mattresses? 4. Which do you think would produce the most comb honey, the 10-frame or the 8-frame Hoffman, or the Danzenbaker, all of them using Danzenbaker supers? 5. In producing extracted honey, which queen-excluding honey- board do you consider the best? Ohio. Answers. — 1. It is not a common practise, but it ought to make them last longer. 2. Corkdust is one of the best. A thickness of l,1., or 2 inches is probably enough. 3. Likely the mattress plan is the better. 4. With colonies of the same strength, you would not be likely to find any difference. 5. There is little choice as to the kind of excluders. Although most producers of extracted honey use queen-excluders, it is only fair to say that so good bee-keepers as the Dadants do not use them. Gasoline Treatment for Wax-Worms- Dark and Light Colored Clothing for Bee-Work 1. I have S5 brood-frames that I did not use last season. I had them in a corncrib all last summer in the dry, strung on a frame. In September I put them in the workshop, overhead on frames, and was away from home 3 months, and when 1 returned I found the wax- worm had worked on them all through this time. I had them 1>£ inches apart. I do not want to lose them. I saw in the Bee Journal, some time ago, where some one used gasoline, and it put the worms to sleep, never to wake up. Do you think the scent of gasoline in combs will annoy the bees so they won't accept them when 1 hive bees on those combs? 2. What is there about the color of clothes to make the bees quiet when handling them? Iowa. Answers.— 1. Unless you have a special brand of wax-worms different from all others, you may rely upon the gasoline treatment. Look the combs over, and wherever you see the least show of their webs, give a little squirt, and that ends it. In a very short time the gasoline evaporates so it will be safe to give the comb6 to bees.— [See page 328 for full directions for giving the gasoline treatment.— Editor. J 2 I don't know why it is; I only know the fact, that cross bees are not so likely to sting one with light as with dark clothing. I have worn a good many different pairs of mason's or painter's white over- alls for the sake of avoiding stings. I don't think white clothing particularly appropriate to my style of beauty, and in going through town to the out-apiary, I'm not fond of appearing on the streets arrayed in white, but I'd rather do that than to take the increased number of stings with dark clothing. But, mind you, I get all the stings I care for, even with white clothing. If bees are cross enough, they'll sting through the whitest clothing. Frames of Buckwheat Honey for Spring Feeding- Preventing Increase I U6e the Danzenbaker hive, and run for comb honey. I winter my bees in a single brood-body out-of-doors. 1 Now how would it be next fall, when the buckwheat honey - llow is on, to let the bees fill a lot of shallow frames such as are used in the Danzenbaker super, then put them away until next spring, and when it warms up, and the bees begin to carry in pollen (or before, it they need it), put a super filled with shallow frames of honey on each colony— strong and weak alike— and leave it thereuntil a heavy honey- flow sets in, then raise it up. put a super filled with sections and foun- dation under, put on a bee-escape get the bees all down out ot the shallow frames, and put tbem away until next year, if they are more 450 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 24, 1906- than half full; if not, let the bees fill them again with dark or mixed honey for the next year? I would do this to do away with spring feeding, and still keep brood-rearing on the move. 2. Can you suggest a better way, or anything further concerning this plan, or do you think it would be better to put the frames of honey on in the fall, before packing for winter? 3. I want to let my bees swarm naturally this year, hive them on the old stand, and get the bees from the parent colony into the new swarm as fast as they hatch out, so I will have no increase. How is this done? I have heard something about setting the old hive close to the new swarm and turning it in a different direction, but never have had it explained to me. Nor do my bee-books explain it. I would like very much to know the best way to do this, and what to do with young queens or queen-cells, in the parent coIod.v, in the meantime. Pennsylvania. Answers.— 1. Your plan ought to work well. 2. It would be less trouble to leave the frames of honey on through the winter, just as they were when the bees closed up their storing, and it is possible it might be better. It would make a sure thing of having abundant winter stores, and save your disturbing the bees in early spring. The only question in the case would be whether there would not be a disadvantage in obliging the bees to keep warm the extra space overhead, but the advantages might easily overbalance that. Possibly you may run against a little snag when it comes to keep- ing these frames from the time the early harvest begins till buckwheat comes. Unless special care is given, you may rely on worms doing their work on unprotected combs during the hot season. In a place cool enough there may be little or no trouble, but it isn't always easy to have such a place. You may keep the combs closed so as to be proof against the entrance of the moth ; but that will not save them, for pretty certainly there will be present the seeds of the evil planted there the previous fall. One way to do is to fumigate the combs with sulphur, or, better still, with bisulphide of carbon or formaldehyde, and repeat at intervals of 2 or 3 weeks. There will be no need of repetition if, after all the eggs and larvas present are destroyed, the combs are enclosed in some moth-proof place. 3. The thing you probably have reference to i6 a plan of moving- the hive several times so as to face in different directions, finally mov- ing it away and thus getting all the bees up to a certain age to join the swarm. But this is to prevent a second swarm, and not to prevent in- crease entirely. Latterly the plan is simplified by omitting a number of the movings, and the result seems to be just as good. It is very simple. When a colony swarms put the swarm in place of the old colony, setting the old colony as close as possible beside it, facing the same way. A week later move the old hive to a new location. That's all the bee-keeper has to do, for the bees themselves, if moved in the way mentioned, will destroy all queens or queen-cells but the one. What you 6eem to want, however, is to have no increase, and possibly this variation of the plan might, suit you : Set the swarm in place of the parent colony, as already mentioned, and the old colony beside the swarm. At the end of a week set the old colony on top of the swarm (of course, with no communication between them), and two weeks later still, or three weeks from the time the swarm issued, take out the frames of the upper hive aril brush the bees down on the ground in front of the swarm, and then dispose of these combs in any way you like. The bees will dispose of one of the queens to their own liking, and you will have a strong col- ony with no increase. I'll tell you another way you can get along without increase, if you care to take the trouble: When the colony swarms, return the swarm and kill or remove the old queen. A week later begin listening each evening to hear the pipingof the young queen. When you hear it, go to the hive the next morning and destroy all queen cells. If it should happen that you have missed any cells, a swarm will issue, in which case you will return the swarm. In olden times a plan was used that was effective, although troublesome. It was simply to return the swarm as often as a swarm issued. It sometimes meant returning a good many times. Reports anb (fxpertences Some Experiences With Bees. An article on page 1S7, by C. P. Da- dant, on honey-production, has induced me to give my experience, and in so doing- I do not wish to be understood as advocating any theory or method. It is useless to advocate any particular theory or method of handling bees as being infallible, for different localities and conditions necessitate different methods. I am not an apiarist, I am only an old farmer that has kept bees more than 60 years. I have never kept more than 40 colonies, and sometimes much less than 4 0. I have always worked for comb honey, and have never had those large yields that manv bee- keepers report. One of my best vears was $60 from 6 colonies. None of my bees swarmed that year. Another year I had 12 colonies in the spring, in- creased to 27, and obtained 900 pounds of honey. I have not become a million- aire by keeping bees, but have found it profitable and very pleasant labor. Many bee-keepers meet with winter losses and spring dwindling, and I am no exception to this loss, and I always save the frames of comb when such losses occur, for future use. For many years I have practiced hiving swarm's in hives full of cornb, and I have never had an instance where the bees filled the cells with honey to the detriment of breeding: but my trouble is in the opposite direction — thev breed too much. "With all prime swarms within 3 or 4 days after hiving on full combs. I commence putting on supers with foundation in sections. I always en- deavor to give young swarms plentv of super-room, and yet they will some- times cast a swarm. For instanc. . las season I had a prime swarm issue- June 15. I hived them as described above, and gave them 2 supers, con- taining 28 sections each. In about 2 weeks they commenced to work in the supers and filled one super full and the others about 2-3 full, and on Aug. 10 they cast a swarm. I was very much surprised, as I was not expect- ing them to swarm. This is only one of several instances of the same kind that I have had in past years. No, I have never had any trouble with young swarms filling old comb with honey instead of brood. I have not heard from any of the bee-keepers in this vicinity, so I don't know how bees have wintered. I put 18 colonies into bee-cellars and they are all right now, but it will be 4 or 6 weeks before bees can be placed on the summer stands. W'e have had 3 years that it was too wet and cold for a good and long flow of honey. Last fall was a little better than the two preceding years, and bees were able to feed later and fill up with honey, and they went into winter quarters well supplied with honey and young bees, so they ought to come out strong this spring. We have had a large quantity of snow here this winter, but the cold has not been severe, although we had a few days that the temperature went from 24 to 32 degrees below zero. We have just had a young blizzard, but to-day the sun is shining warm and it is 36 degrees above zero. S. B. Smith. Foreston, Minn., March 5. The Bee-Business — Wintering. I'm a busy man, to say the least. I attend to 100 colonies of bees, rear a large number of queens, etc., and yet I always find plenty of time to read bee- papers and bee-books. I can say, like Dr. Miller, that I enjoy the work not only for the money there is in it, but for its many interesting points and its educational features that make bee- keeping indeed very pleasant and fas- cinating. I have been in the bee-business sev- eral years, and still I know practically very little about it. And as I look into the future I find by experience that it pays to do the work well, and do it on time. Bees have their own peculiar ways of working, and no amount of persuasion on our part will change their habits one iota. We could help them a great deal if we only had the knowledge of what is required in the manipulation, and bees will accept readily what we have to offer if it suits their purpose. Bees have no whims or fancies, as some are in- '■linr-d to believe. They have but one instinct, and that's business. Thus one nf the real pleasures in bee-keeping is the fascination which inspires us with that point in view, relating to that "something" which will increase the facilities of bees for the purpose we have. One of the problems I've been trying to solve during the past few years is wintering bees safely. Heretofore my loss has been from 5 to 20 per cent. The past winter not one was lost, and yt I wintered a large number of 2 and 3 frame nuclei. By this I under- stand that there are lots of things we ran do if we only knew how to do them. To accomplish this we must work and study; no matter if we fail the first time, we must not be discour- aged. "Faint heart never won fair lady," and the keeper will not be suc- cessful unless he acquires the knowl- edge which is essential in his line. Thus I believe that the experience of others is indeed worth while to con- sider very carefully. H. S. Duby. St. Anne, 111. Wintered Well — Ready for Work. Last winter we had 54 colonies in. the cellar and only 1 was queenless. We had 96 outdoors, which is a loss of only 1 queen'out of 150 colonies. All the rest came out nice and strong, and in fine shape. We did not have to feed any of them, as they all had plenty of honey. Those that were outside were mostly 2% stories high. There was one left outside which had only the winter-case around it, and 1% inches of chaff on top of the cloth, and the bees are as strong as any of the others, but they would not have come out so- nice if it had not been an open win- ter. Many of the strongest colonies reared a lot of brood in February when we had a nice spell of spring weather. So some of the colonies have young bees to go to work now. The soft maple and May flowers are in bloom now, from which the bees are getting some honey and pollen. The elms, box-elder and blood-roots will be in bloom in a few days, if it stays nice -weather. Last year we got about 13,000 pounds of honey, mostly extracted, except about 2,000 pounds of comb honey, which we sold for 12 cents, and the ex- tracted for 5, 7 and 8 cents per pound. We sold all of it around home, and could have sold more if we had had it. If we have a good honey season this year, we will get a good deal more honey, as our bees are in far better shape this spring than last. We get most of our honey from white clover and basswood. Fred Banker. Sleepy Eye, Minn., April 16. Lots of Timber for Sections, Frames, Etc. Some time ago I noticed something written about the scarcity of suitable timber with which to make sections, frames, etc., which I suppose meant linden or basswood and white pine, but principally the former, out of which, I suppose, most if not all sections are made. I would make this suggestion: In this part of the South, not over 10 miles from Natchez, Miss., across the Mississippi River in the State of Louis- May 24, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 451 1ana, there Is an Inexhaustible quan- tity of tupelo-gum, cottonwood, wil- low, and some cypress, that can be bought at one's own prices. An en- terprising man could come here and start a factory of bee-supplies and make a success of it, so far as the material is concerned. Tupelo-gum Is not used here for anything, and I am certain no better timber could be found for sections, and It could be bought so cheaply. The ■writer believes willow would also an- swer the purpose. Cottonwood would also be fine, if it would not warp, but it would do for frames. Then there is any quantity of red-gum, but the cy- ipress has been culled over. Never- theless, there is enough of the kind not used for the general purpose of building to supply the world in bee- supplies for years and years. Rail- roads are convenient now, running through the timber lands, and no trou- ble would be met with in transporting the timber to convenient points The writer has no "ax to grind " and does not own any of this timber but he is a bee-man and interested .needed"1 settlngr bee-supplies when Besides, no better bee-pasture can :?1mwn*" average, my bees consumed about 15 pounds of their winter stores per colony, from October 1, 1905 to April i, 1906— six months. Last win- ter, up to March 1, it was compara- tively warm and open, and but once l-J^*?11 J7* the thermomete? regis! zero degrees, Fahrenheit, below In all we had in January 2 zero days— 2 degrees below; in February 3 l^gre^^efow.610"1 ta MarCh' 3 *™ «r,BoeJ had- flifnts in December, 1905, ?^ £dv.ays; ln January, 1906, on 9 days: on ?eday|ry °" dayS' and in March Considering the precarious and des- titute condition my bees were in at the end of the month of September last Usui 7v,hen X, f.ed them Plentifully I think they wintered remarkably well Reports come in from all sides that pnrt h°0S,f,eS 0f bee1 are 1u'te general f^ur htea^5, m^ny. 1i>sin^r aU they had. ??lLrh2Sf^hoJeA wel1 in time, and prepared their bees properly for win- tering, sustained but light 'losses. The months of March, and April so far also, forebode another wet summer ^aS,°,n' ^hJch of course would mean another bad season for our bees But then, "what can not be cured must £f ,X1a,ur-ed- ^ MJ, bees remain winter- packed in double-walled hives until supers are put on, and they begin to be cramped for room in the brood- chamber Wm. Stolley, Sr. Grand Island, Neb., April 15. Frame-Spacers. I wish to tell Mr. Hasty, in answer t0 "'s reference to bottom spacers, on page 182, that I used the Wagner bot- tom-spacer several years before adopt- ing the present spacer, which he pro- nounces too weak and liable to crush down. This crushing down is theory. The necessity of a stout spacer is theory also. Of course, if the hive- bottoms are loose, there would be no danger; but, then, I do not use loose bottoms, and do not think any one should. Some use them in their in- crease methods, but I think there are better increase methods than those This Offer Good Until July 1st Only ! DOOLITTLE'S QUEEN- REARING BOOK For Only «J5 Cents When taken with the Weekly American Bee Journal for One Year at $1 — making $1.25 for both. (Book bound in Leatherette cover, otherwise same as the cloth-bound book, which is $1.) * This offer is open to any body, either new or old subscribers, but the latter when accept- ing it must send enough to pay their subscriptions a year in advance, if they are in arrears now. Mr. Doolittle's book tells in detail just how he rears the best queens possible; also gives His Methods ol Comb Honey Production. Every bee-keeper should have this book (126 pages.) Our Standard-Bred Italian ftueejis are unexcelled. Reared by best queen-breeders. Prices— 1 Untested, 75c; 3 for $2.10; or 6 for *4.00. Orders filled in rotation. Better get your orders in NOW for June delivery. The Weekly American Bee Journal one year with Untested Italian Queen — both for $1.50. Or, if your own subscription is paid to the end of 1906 or beyond, send us $1.00 and the name and address of a new subscriber for the Bee Journal a year, and we will mail to you a Standard-Rred Queen FREE. Sample copy of the Weekly Bee Journal free on request, or a Trial Trip of 3 months (13 copies) for only 20 cents, to a new reader. Better order now, as there are lots of good things appearing in its columns every week. Address, GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, ILL. where loose bottoms are used in con- nection with the upper stories. I build my hives for honey-production, not in- crease of colonies. I strive to keep down increase. There should be a sidewise pressure on the bottom-bars of the frames, and this cannot be had with the Wagner. The spacer should be soldered in a permanent position before it is re- moved from the form. If it is removed from the form, the spacer is no more stable or exact than a piece of wire, and cannot be nailed to the bottom- board in an exact position. The spacer must be bent right; the right kind and size of wire used. Then soldered fast in position so that it will never move. If it moves, it will spring back again. It requires exactness in a perfect spacer, but exactness is easy to get when a form is used on which to bend and solder the wires. We want the spacer that works best in the hive, and the hive full of bees, and under the management of a skill- ful operator, rather than -with the hive empty or carelessly or ignorantly handled. If hives are intended to be used in hauling rock, they would want spacers stouter than cast iron. I am willing to forego some of my rough- ness if it brings an increase in util- ity. No one can appreciate a good bottom-spacer until he has used them and then become accustomed to them. C. W. Dayton. Chatsworth, Calif., April 4. BANTA Incubators&Brooders Backed by 14 Years s of Successful Use by oultrymen all over the world. .'o guesswork. They are auto- matic in regulation and ventil- ation. Fully guaranteed to give YOU satisfaction. Send for free book. BA*>TA - BENDER MFO. CO., Dept. 24 , tigonier, Ind. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Gonsult Your Lawyers Ihj Mail Legal Consultation. $l.no. Ascertain your rigbts. Understand vour lia. bilities Overcome your difficulties- Safeguard your property. Avert disaster. Avoid litigation. Secure your interests. Protect your family. Perfect your title. Insure your beritance. Relieve yourmind 01 *vorry,etc. Bank and court renees. Our book free. ASSOCIATE) LAWYERS COMPANY Old South Building, Boston, Mass. t«h" Mention Be* Journal when writing. Cheap Rates to Boston $19.00 for round-trip from Chicago (plus $1.00) via the Nickel Plate Road, May 31st to June 9th, inclusive, with privi- lege of extension of return limit to July ISth. S24.00 via New York City, all rail, or $23.00 via New York City and steamer in both directions between New York and Boston. Stop-over at Niagara Falls and Chautauqua Lake points, if desired, within limit of ticket. Tickets good on any train on above dates. No excess fare charged on any train on Nickel Plate Road. Meals in Nickel Plate dining-cars, on American Club Meal Plan, ranging in price from 35 cents to $1.00, Mid-day Luncheon SO cents ; also a la carte. Three through trains daily, with mod- ern Pullman sleeping cars to Fort Wayne, Findlay, Fostoria, Cleveland, Erie, Buffalo, New York City and New England points. Trains depart from La Salle St. Station, Chicago, the only Depot on the Elevated Loop. Write John Y. Calahan, General Agent, Room 298, 113 Adams St., Chicago, for reser- vation of berths, in through standard and tourist sleepers, and full particu- lars. 2 4t Queen-Clipping Device Free! The Monbttb Queen-Clipping Device is a fine thing for use in catching and clipping Queens' wings. It is used by many bee- keepers. Full printed directions 6ent with each one. We mail it for 25 cents ; or will send it FREE as a premium for sending us One New subscriber to the Bee Journal Ifor a year at $1.00: or for $1.10 we will mail the Bee Journal one year and the Clipping Device. Address, i GEORGE W. YORK & CO., ■>k v. - CBICAGO, ILL. Please mention Bee Journal when writing Advertisers. 452 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 24, 1906 Italian Bees for Sale We can furnish Nuclei and full colonies of Italian Bees ff.o.b. 100 miles west of Chicago by express) at these prices, on Lang-stroth frames: FULL COLONIES in 8 frame hives, $S.£0each; in lots of 5 or more at one time, J5.Z5 each . Full colonies in 10-frame hives, $6 each; in lots of 5 or more at one time, $5.75 each. Nuclei (3 frame) with Tested Queen, $3.25 each; in lots of 5 or more at onetime, $3 each. Nuclei ready for delivery about May 10; Full Colonies any time now.) Orders filled in rota- tion. Address, GEORGE W. 334 Dearborn Street, YORK & CO. CHICAGO, 11,1,. Bees For Sale 100 colonies of Bees for sale cheap in 10*frame L. hives. All frames are worked out on full sheets of heavy foundation. 100 all-zinc queen- excluding Honey-Boards. Queen and Drone Traps, Smokers, 1 and 2 pound Sections, Hoff- man self-spacing- Frames, etc. Address, G. PROCHNOW, l8A6t MAVVILLE, WIS. The Rietsche Press Made of artificial stone. Practically Inde- structible, and giving entirely satisfactory re- suits. Comb foundation made easily and ?nlckly at less than half the cost of buying rom the dealers. Price of Press, $1.50— cash with order. Address, ADRIAN GETAZ, 4SAtf KNOXVILLE, TENN. IVJ.G. Goodner, of this State, writes me that he " prefers to pay $25 00 for a Rietsche Press rather than do without it." — A. G. Mention Bee Journal when writing. $19.00 to Boston and Return $19.00 plus $1. from Chicago, via Nickel Plate Road, May 31st to June 9th, inclusive ; also via New York City at excursion rates. Return limit of July ISth by extension of ticket. Folders, rates and all information furnished by applying to John Y. Calahan, General Agent, Room 298, 113 Adams St., Chicago. 4— 4t 1-9 ' 80«I 3? E8. *S8. *8t8IP.»M g S ~ — Never Go Out g" 1 "Ana last from 5 to 21 years 00. Otisville, Pa., Jan. 18, 1904. DDear Sir: — I have tried almost everything in the smoker line; 3 In the last 3 years. In short if I want any more smokers your new style Is good enough for me. I thank the editor of Re- view for what he said of it. Those remarks in- duced me to get mine. Fred Fodner. Mention Bee Journal nkn writing. ■Mfab "If Goods are wanted Quick, send to Pouder " BEE-SUPPLIES Root's Goods at Root's Frioes Everything used by Bee-Keepers. POUDER'S MONEY-JARS. Prompt Service. Low Freight Rates. .•. .•. .'. Catalog Free. BEESWAX WANTED I pay highest market price for beeswax, delivered here, at any time, cash or trade. Make small shipments by express; large shipments by freight, always beiDg sure to attach your name to the package. My large illustrated catalog is free. I shall be glad to send it to you. 1 WALTER S. POUDER, X 513-515 Massachusetts Ave., INDIANAPOLIS, IND. ] Fine Italian Queens BY RETURN MAIL Select Queens, purely mated, at $1.00 each. Your satisfaction is my desire. I guarantee Queens to arrive safely, and will gladly replace any not satisfactory. No disease. Order what you want at the above price. Queens go by re- turn mail, or your money refunded, unless otherwise instructed. This ad. may not appear again, but prices are good for the season. So send your orders here at any time. CHAS. M. D ARROW, 21AU R. F. D. 1. MILO, MO. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Queens Now Ready to Mail None better at any price. Untested at 50c ; Warranted at 75c ; Tested at $1.00. Discount on quantity. GRANT ANDERSON, 20Atf SABINAL, TEXAS. Mention Bee Journal when writing. f*M.H.Hil 17Dt£ DOOLITTLE & CLARK Are now booking1 orders for QUEENS. Pikes: Untested— I, $1; 3, $2.50; 12, $9. Select Tesied— 1, $1 SO; 3. $4: 12, $14. 1905 Breeders, $2.50. Select Breeders, $5. Extra-Se- lect Breeders, $10. Two- frame Nuclei (without queen)$2.S0;[3, $7; 12, $25. Borodino, Onondaga Co., N. X. Please mention the Bee Journal. FREE Send 25c for 3-months sub- scription to the weekly AMERICAN FANCIER and fret beautiful color pict- ure sxioofthe noted BufFPly- mouth Rock that cost $750 AMERICAN FANCIER. 313 Havemeyer Bldg., New York. Mention Bee Journal when writing. " The continuous advertiser gets the bulk of tUe business, because others are not adver- tising, and he is." A. H. REEVES DISTRIBUTOR OF ROOT'S GOODS FOR NORTHERN NEW YORK Perch River, Jefferson Co., N. Y. 19A4t Please mention the Bee Journal. Bee-Keepers If you want Sections that you can put a full sheet of foundation in 4 sections at once; or any other Bee-Supplies, send for Catalog to 20Atf A. COPPIN, Wenona, III. One Fare for Round Trip plus $1.00 from Chicago to Boston and return, via Nickel Plate Road, May 31st to June 9th, inclusive. Also ex- cursion rates via New York City. Ex- tended return limit July 15th. John Y. Calahan, General Agent, Room 298, 113 Adams St., Chicago. 3— 4t BEE-KEEPERS Send for our 1906 Free Illustrated Catalog. Good Goods, Low Prices igSjJ and Prompt Shipments are what you get if you send your orders to — PAGE .95 1.20 1.70 2.20 I 5.00 6.00 9.00 11.00 12 8.50 10.00 16.00 19.00 Straight 5-band Golden Breeders S'0.00 Select Golden Breeders g-00 " 3-band " 3.00 " Carniolan " |-*° " Caucasian " A-^ I 1-frame Nucleus (no queen) $1.50 2-frame " " 2.00 3-frame " " 2.50 4-frame " " 3-00 1 full colony without queen in 8-frame dovetailed hive 6.00 Bees by the pound in light shipping-boxes, $1.00 per pound. Select the Queen wanted, and add the price to the above prices. Discounts on large orders. Contracts with dealers a specialty. No bee-disease has ever been* this section. j ^^ ^ ^ ^^ ^ .^ ^ ^^ 65c tor 12 Names frasa".^-?^ "amps taken-we will send lor 2 yrs. the Farmer a Cannes, sub. price 40c a year. F.C.isa wkly., 2o &"r. ofi. 1.300 pages a Te.r,aS.»^e frag. Mention FARMER'S CALL,, «uincy,Ill. Bee Journal when writing. HIIM,nc A fine Honey-Gathering Strain of WUUGIIS Italians and Carniolans, at 75 cents each; 3 for $2; 6 for $3.50; or $6.50 per dozen, for Untested. Tested, $1 each, or $10 a dozen. GEORGE W. BARNES. 17A26t 138 N. Pleasant St., Norwalk, Ohio. Oueen Incubator and Brooder— Twin Nucleus-Box MAINLY FOR QUEEN-BREEDERS Incubator and Brooder allow the bees access to the cells and queens at all *:*,*>= iPatcntpd Julv 7. 1903.) Price, $5.00. t,mTw n NucSus and Mating Box has control of the queen by a 3-hole wheel on the outside with one hole wire-screened, one hole covered with queen-exclud- ingsine and the third hole to regulate the size of the entrance. (Patent applied ^"cvSSeKges. postpaid, each, 10 cents. Queen-Cells, 100 mounted, with sam pie of Cylinder Cage (sent postpaid,) for 75 cents. Ho^wTuvr OmtBNS after May 1st— Italian, Imported and Golden Italian, a ?»S?K S™each. Orders booked now and filled in rotation. Send for f ™ cKars VDtf ARTHUR STANLEY, Dixon, Lee Co., 111. free Circulars. Mentlon Bee Journal when writing CAUCASIAN QUEENS! Caucasian Bees are very gentle. They are easy to handle and are, therefore, suited to be- ginners, timid bee-keepers and to those who keep bees in town. If you want to try this race, or if you want to improve the stock of your Ital- ian Bees, write to ROBERT B. McCAIN, 2Atf YORKVILLE. ILL. R. F. D. The Choicest of Tested Queens By Return Mail— $i.oo Each, From our fine strain of 3-band Italians, that are unsurpassed as honey-gatherers. Try them ; they will not disappoint you. Send for price-list. J. W. K. SHAW & CO. 19Atf LOREAU VILLE, Iberia Co., LA. To sell lot of 300 empty 60-lb. capacity Honey- Cans. All in one lot, or less quantities. Cans are in first-class condition. We are also in the market for Fancy Comb and Extracted Honey. Correspondence solicited Michigan White Clover Honey Co. AGENCIES: DETROIT, MICH. 35 So. Delaware Street. Indianapolis, Ind. 150 E. JefEerson Street, Louisville, Ky. 643 Broadway S.E., Cleveland, Ohio. 20 A13t Please mention the Bee Journal Bees, Queens and Bee-Supplies We manufacture standard dovetailed bee- hives and supplies, cheaper than you ever bought before. Our Queens and Bees stand at the head in quality. Untested, 75c each ; $4.25 for 6, or $8 per doz. Tested, $1.25 each ; $12 per doz. Select Tested, $1.50. Special prices to dealers in large lots on application. State Agents for Dittmer's Foundation. Catalog free. THE BEE & HONEY COMPANY (Will Atchley, Prop.) Beevllle, Bee Co., Texas. Italian and Caucasian BEES, QUEENS, AND ISlCLEi Choice home-bred and im- ported stock. All Queens reared in full colonies. Prices of Italians in MAY : One Untested Queen $1.10 " Tested Queen 1.50 " Select Tested Queen 1 65 " Breeding Queen 2.75 1-comb nucleus (no queen) 1.15 2 " " 'r 2.00 3 " " " 3.00 Untested in May; all others ready now from last season's rearing. Safe arrival guar- anteed. For prices on Caucasians and larger quanti- ties, and description of each grade of queens, send for free catalog. J. L. STRONG l6Atf 204 E. Logan St., Clarinda, Iowa. Mention Bee Journal wken writing. ROSE LAWN QUEENS ANOTHER GREAT OFFER We wish to mail our new 8-page catalog to 1000 more progressive bee-keepers in the United States and Canada in the next 10 days. This catalog is full of valuable information for bee- keepers, and is the finest ever Issued by a Queen-Rearing Concern. Here's pay for your help: The first 100 per- sons sending us 10 addresses of bee-keepers with $1.00 cash, will receive one of our very finest Select Tested "Pure Gold"Italian Queens. We sell them for $2.00 each; they are worth $5; every queen a breeder of the highest type of color, gentleness and fertility, line bred to the Rose Lawn standard. If the queen does not suit you, send her back and get your money. That's a fair offer. . This is purely an advertising proposition, and only 100 Select Tested Queens will be fur- nished at this price. Send on the names and a dollar. ROSE LAWN APIARIES. „ 19Atf Sta. C. LINCOLN. NEB. Mention Bee Journal when writing. May 24, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 455 Excellent Goods Lowest Prices Bee - Supplies OF ALL KINDS ESTABLISHED 25 YEARS We have published THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER for 16 years (monthly, 50c a year.) The largest and best il- lustrated magazine of its kind for the price published. Edited by two of the most experienced bee - keepers in America. Sample copy free. Our large, illustrated Price-List of Supplies free on application. Address, The W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co. JAnESTOWN, N.Y. Mention Bee Journal when writing. J^oney cmb * 23eestpax* Chicago, May 18.— We are having very little call for honey, either comb or extracted. Fancy comb is bringing 15c; other grades from 10@14c. Extracted, white, 6Ji@7c; amber, 5@6c. Bees- wax, 30c. R. A. Burnett & Co. Toledo, Feb. 19.— The market for comb honey has been better for the past two weeks than at any time during the past season. Prices are firm on account of the scarcity. We are getting 15@16c for fancy white clover; I4#15c for No. 1, and 13@14c for amber. Buckwheat, 13c. Extracted honey is in good demand at following prices: While clover in barrels brings 6&@7c; amber, 5K@5^c; in cans every grade from l@lHc higher. Beeswax is firm and in good demand at 28 and 30c. The above are our selling prices, not what we pay. Griggs Bros. Indianapolis, May 12— Fancy white clover comb brings 16c; No. 1, 14c; demand exceeds the supply; fancy white western comb brings 14@15c; amber grades in poor demand at 12c Best grade of extracted honey brings 8^@9c in 60-pound cans; amber, 6c. Good average bees- wax sells here for $33 per 100 pounds. Walter S. Pouder. Philadelphia, May 18.— The old lots of comb honey are about cleaned up in this mar- ket, and the market is ready for new goods. There are not enough sales to give quotations. Some old extracted honey is selling at, white, 6@7c; amber, 5'" 6c. Beeswax firm, 29c. We are producers of honey and do not handle on commission. Wm. A. Sblser. New York, May 8.— There is still some de- mand for comb honey, mostly for fancy grades, which are selling at from 14@15c per pound; off grades in no demand and prices are irregular, ranging from S(&12c, accoiding to quality; suf- ficient supply to meet demand. Extracted is in fair demand, mostly from California, of which there seems to be abundant supply of all grades. We quote: White,6H@7c; light amber, 6c; dark, 5@SJ4c, according to quality and quan- tity. Beeswax scarce and firm at 29@30c. Hildreth & Skgblken. Headquarters & Bee-Supplies Complete Stock for 1906 now on hand. FREIGHT- RATES FROM CINCINNATI are the LOWEST, ESPECIALLY for the SOUTH as 'most all freight now goes through Cincinnati. Prompt Service is what I practice. You will Satisfaction Guaranteed. SAVE MOHEY BUYING FROM ME. Catalog mailed free. Send for same. Let me ^^ TTT^^^T^V^I bred in separate apiarie6, ill K.r.lXI^ theGOLDEN ¥EL Order for Vf, %J *i BAJL% Y*J LOWS, IO- I.A "NS. RED CLOVERS and CAUCASIANS. For prices, refer to my catalog, page 29. C.H.W. WEBER ""' Office and Salesrooms, 2146-48 Central Ave. Warehouses. Freeman and Central Aves. Cincinnati, March 8.— The conditions of the market, at the present time, are not encourag- ing. Honey is offered from all sides, at prices utterly regardless of the value of the article. At the same time, all indications point to an unusually good honey crop, which adds in .making it a drag on the market. Amber ex- racted honey in barrels, £@6Hc; fancy white, in cans,6H@8Mc. Choice yellow beeswax, 30c, delivered here. The Fred W. Muth Co. Denver, Feb. 5.— Owing to the mild weather the demand for honey has not been as good as usual at this time of year. We are quoting strictly No. 1 white alfalfa comb honey at $3.35 to S3.75 per case of 24 sections; off grade and light amber at $3 to $3.30. White extracted alfalfa in 60-pound cans, 7H@Syic; light amber, 624@7$£c. Beeswax, 24c for clean yellow. The Colo. Honey-Producers* Assn. Kansas City, May 5.— Our market is about cleaned up on old comb honey. What there is now left is selling at $3.25 per case for fancy white. It looks as if there would be a good de- mand for ner honey just as soon as it comes to market. There will be very little comb honey left over this season in this city. Extracted is moving rather slowly at SH<& 6c. Beeswax, 25c per pound. C. C. Clkmons & Co. Cincinnati, March ?.— The demand for comb honey is slow, prices obtained are the same. Stock od hand seems to be sufficient to supply the wants. Quote fsncy white, 14@16c. Amber extracted in barrels, S%@S%c; in causae more; fancy white clover in oO-lb. cans, 7^@8J^ cents; Southern, equal to white clover in color, from 6H@7c. Bright yellow beeswax, 30c. C. H.W.Weber. Please Mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. HONEY AND BEESWAX When consigning, buying or selling, consult R. A. BURNETT & CO. 199 South Water St. Chicago. III. Gash for Beeswax Highest market price paid promptly all the time for good wax. Frank G.Clark, 147 E.KinzieSt.Ghlcago.lll. FOR SALE Until further notice, finest quality new crop California Water- White White Sage and Light Amber HONEY in 60-lb. tins, 2 In a case; new cans and new cases. Write for prices and sam- ples, and state quantity you want. Hildreth & Seqelken 265 & 267 Greenwich Street, New York, N.Y. 34Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. FOR, SA.L.E Second Hand Empty 60-pouud HONEY-CANS — two in a crate. In lots of 10, 40c per crate; 25 or more crates, at 35c per crate. THE FRED W. MUTH CO. 20Atf 51 Walnut St., Cincinnati, Ohio. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Wb Sell Root's Goods in Michigan Let us quote yon prices on Sections, Hives, Foundation, etc., as we can save you time and freight Beeswax Wanted for Cash. M. H. HUNT A SON, Bell Branch, Wayne Co., Mich Mention Bee Journal when writing. I BEE-SUPPLIES I We handle the finest Bee-Supplies, made by the W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co., Jamestown, N. Y. Big Discounts on early orders. Let us figure with you on your wants. Muth Special Dovetail Hives have a Honey-Board, Warp-Proof Cover, and Bottom-Board. Think of it, same price as the regular styles. Send for Catalog. THE FRED W. MUTH CO. CINCINNATI, OHIO. S £ ^ 51 Walnut Street, Mention Bee Journal when writing. 456 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 24, 1906 PROMPT SHIPMENTS PERFECT GOODS REASONABLE PEICES LOW FKEIGHT-MTES Our Agents, scattered all over the globe, are all heavily stocked. They can ship you anything you may need in the bee-supply line the day your order is received. Our Chicago House has had such an enormous demand this year for Lewis Goods that larger quarters at their original location have been necessary. # Lewis Goods are the best your money can buy. They are better than other goods because they are the most carefully made and the most accurately fitted. They are known the world over, and we invite you to inquire regarding them from any old bee- keeper who is familiar with the brand " Lewis." "When you consider the fine quality of Lewis Hives and hive parts, Lewis Sections and other Goods, you will marvel that they can be sold for the money. On account of our many distributing points the bee-keeper of to-day is able to se- cure Lewis Goods almost freight prepaid ; in fact, they are at your very door. Don't Wait. Order Now. G. B. LEWIS COMPANY Manufacturers of Bee-Keepers' Supplies WATERTOWN, WIS., U. S. A. £§•**' f * \ ^ • ***\ e Journal 46th Year CHICAGO, ILL., MAY 31, 1906 No. 22 Honey Exhibit of P. H. Smith, at Toronto, Ontario, Canada (See page466.) W' 458 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 31, 1906 Contents of this Number PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY GEORGE W.YORK 8 COMPANY 334 Dearborn Street, Chicago, 111. IMPORTANT NOTICES. THE SUBSCRIPTION PRICE of this Journal is $1.00 a year, in tbe United States, Canada, and Mexico; all other countries in ihe Postal Union, 50 cents a year extra tor postage. Sample copy free. THE WRAPPER-LABEL DATE indicates tbe end of the month to which your subscription is paid. For instance, "dec06" on your label shows that it is paid to the end of December, l9ot>. SUBSCRIPTION RECEIPTS.-We do not send a receipt for money sent us tQ pay subscription, but change the date on your wrapper-label, which showB that the money has been received and credited. Advertising Rate, per Agate Line, 10c 14 lines make one inch. Nothing less than % inch accepted. Time Discounts. 4 times — 5 per cent 13 " ....10 " 26 " ...-20 " 52 " ...30 " Space Discounts. 100 lines... 5 per cent 500 " ...10 4* 1000 " ...20 " 2000 " ...30 " These rates are subject to either time or space discounts, at choice, but not both. Reading1 Notices, 25 cents, count line, subject to the above discounts. Goes to press Monday morning. National Bee Keepers' Association Objects of the Association. 1st.— To promote the interests of its members. 2d.— To protect and defend its members in their lawful rights. 3d.— To enforce laws against the adulteration of honey. Annual Membership Dues, $i.oo. General Manager and Treasurer - N. E. France, Platteville, Wii. %W If more convenient, Dues may be sent to the ublishers of the American Bee Journal. The Emerson Binder. This Emerson stiff-board Binder with cloth back for the American Bee Journal we mail for but 75 cents; or we will send It with the Bee Journal for one year— both for only $1.50. It it a fine thing to preserve the copies of the Jour* nal as fast as they are received. If you have this " Emerson " no further binding is neces- sary. GEORGE W. YORK & CO., 334 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, ILL Illustrations — Honey Exhibit of R.H.Smith 1st Page Editorial Notes and Comments — Doolittle's Out- Apiary Management.. 461 Followers in Brood-Chambers , 461 Taxing Bees in Wisconsin 46 1 .Miscellaneous Nev)s Items — City Ordinance Against Bee-Keeping 462 How to Treat Lies 462 Inexcusable Carelessness 462 Photographs for the Bee Journal 462 Contributed Special Articles — Color of Honey 464 Dadant Methods of Honey-Production < No. 12) 464 Feeding Bees in Spring 463 Increase of Colonies 463 Natural or "Shook" Swarming 463 Offers of Proof of Machine-Made Comb Honey 464 Stimulative Feeding 463 Southern Beedom — Next Texas Bee-Keepers' Convention 465 Removing Sections from T-Supers 465 Canadian Beedom — Brood to the Top-Bar in Combs 466 Middlesex County Convention 466 Visit to K. H. Smith— Honey Exhibit 466 Our Sister Bee-Keepers — Honey for Anemia and Baby Food 466 Smartweed and Goldenrod 467 SDiders in Folded Sections 4«7 Women Bee-Keepers Not Trouble-Makers .... 466 Mr, Hasty's Afterthoughts- Aspinwall Non-Swarming Hive 467 Bible References to Honey 468 Experiments on Preventing Swarming 467 Extracting Combs Taken Right from Hive 467 Mountain and Rambler's Apiary .... 467 Plain Sections Gaining in Circulation 467 Roller Machine for Uncapping 467 Dr. Miller's Question-Box — " Beginner Improving Stock " 46r. Best Honey-Producing Bees and Queens 46H Emptying T-Supers by Gravitation 468 Patented Hives 468 Queenless Bees Gathering Pollen 468 Hearing Queens 4«8 Requeentng 468 Wiring Shallow Extracting Frames 468 Zinc-Excluders 468 Reports and Experiences April Favorable fer Bees 469 Bees Never Wintered Better. 469 Bees Short of Stores 469 Bees Wintered Well 469 BuryiDg Bees 469 Fastening Starters 469 Feeding Bees to Prevent Starving 469 Flattering Prospect 469 Gallberry Honey 469 Good Prospects- 469 Good Prospects for White Clover 469 Heavy Loss from Starvation 469 Hiving Swarms 469 Poor Season for Bees in 1905 469 Pure-Blooded Be*>s 469 Value of Bees to Blossoms 4H9 Vetch Honey 469 White Clover Thick 46t* Root's Goods at Factory Prices Finest and largest stock of Supplies in Illinois. Italian Bees and Queens in season. Catalog free. 15 eggs of Pure Barred Plymouth Rocks, $1.00. Incubators and Brooders alwavs on hand. 12Al3t H S. DUBY, St. Anne. III. Mention Bee Journal when writing:- New Edition of Dr. Miller's 40 Years AniODg the Bees (With Appendix Just Added.) FREE as a Premium for Sending Two New Subscribers The book contains 344 pages, bound in handsome cloth, with gold letters and bees, and illustrated with over 100 beautiful origi- nal half-tone pictures, taken by Dr. Miller himself. The first few pages tell how Dr. Miller got into bee-keeping. 20 years ago he wrote a small book, called " A Year Among the Bees." But "Forty Years" shows in minutest detail how he does things with bees and gets large crops of honey. How to Get a Copy of Dr. Miller's "Forty Years Among the Bees" It is sent postpaid for $1.00, or with the Weekly American Bee Journal for one year, both for $1.80. Or, any present regular subscriber to the American Bee Journal whose subscription is paid in advance, can have a copy of Dr. Mil- ler's new book free as a premium for sending us Two New Subscribers to the Bee Jour- nal for one year with $2 00. This is a mag- nificent offer, and should be taken advantage of at once. Address all orders to GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, - CHICAGO, ILL. Please mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. NOT IN THE TRUST We will stamp your Cans "Pure Extracted Honey"— FREE Our prices for 1906 are the lowest to the National Bee-Keepers' Association. Write us. Now is the time TO BUY FRICTION TOP CANS FOR HONEY AND SYRUP Canners Can Co. 1035 W. 47th St., CHICAGO. ILL. May 31, 1906 THfc AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 459 DADMTS FOUNDATION" IT EXCELS EVERY INCH equal to sample g Beauty, Purity, Firmness. No Sagging, No Loss. Twenty-seven Years of Experience. We Guarantee Satisfaction. WAX WORKED INTO FOUNDATION BEE=SUPPLI ES of all kinds. Beeswax Wanted -*>• •!#!>■ Hi*' -*!■■ DADANT & SONS, Hamilton, 111. SEND FOR OUR CATALOG at all times . . $i8. oo to New Haven, Conn., and Return plus $1.00, from Chicago, via Nickel Plate Road, June 2d, 3d, 4th and Sth ; also via New York City at excursion rates. Return limit June 30th by ar- ranging for extension. Nickel Plate office,Room298, 115 Adams St., Chicago. 5— 20A3t Big Profits in Capons CAPON TOOLS . P. Pilling & Son, Caponizing is easy — soon earned. Complete outfit with free Instructions postpaid 82.50. jGape Worm Extractor 25c i Poultry Marker 25c [French Killing KnifeoOc [Capon Book Free. Philadelphia, Pa. DO YOU KNOW THAT THE SALE OF DITTMERS FOUNDATION Has increased so much that we were forced to double our melting capacity in order to fill orders promptly? There is a Reason for This — It is because Dittmer'8 Foundation is tough, clear, and transparent, and has the natural odor of beeswax. W. D. Soper, Bee & Honey Co., Agents for Dittmer's Foundation : Jackson, Mich. I E. H. Taylor, Welwyn Station, Herts, Enjr. Beeville, Tex. | E. Grainger & Co., Toronto, Ont., Canada. Our warehouse is well stocked with all kinds of Bee-Keepers' Supplies. Beeswax always wanted. QUS DITTMER, Augusta, Wis. Mention Bee Journal when writing. r Wisconsin Basswood Sections And Prompt Shipments Is what we are making for our customers. — DOVETAILED HIVES AND SHIPPING-CASES — We carry a full line of SUPPLIES. Ask for Catalog. THE JIARSMFIELD HANUFACTURINQ CO., Harshfield, Wis. Mention Bee Journal when writing If you want the Bee-Book That covers the whole Aplcnltnral Field more , completely than any other published, send $1.20 to Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont, Cal., FOR HIS "Bee-Keeper's Guide." Liberal Discount* to the Trade. GSGQ SSQQQSQQQSQQBSQQQG8 i Root's Dee-Supplies You know what this means. Four carloads of New Goods on hand. S Our business increased last year 0 100 percent over 1904. This is a 8 proof that we are saving our cus- X tomers money. Try us. Low 8 Freight Rates from Toledo. 0 Large Discounts — that tells the 8 story. Our 80-page Catalog is 0 sent free. 8 GRIGGS BROS. 521 Monroe Street, TOLEDO, OHIO. Mention Bee Journal when writing. 65c for 12 Names frf2£S."°.nF?:£ ptaiups taken— we will send for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Call— ree. sub. price 4nc a year. F. C.is a wkly., 25 yeurs old, 1,300 pa^es a year. Sample free. FARMER'S CALL, Quincy, 111. Cheap Rates to New Haven, Conn., from Chicago direct and via New York City, June 2d, 3d, 4th and Sth. Extended return limit June 30th. Write Nickel Plate Road, Room 298, 113 Adams St., Chicago, for particulars. 6— 20A3t 460 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 31, 1906 k® Swarming Done Away With In addition to continuing the several interesting articles by Alexander, and other noted contributors, which are running in GLEANINGS IN BEE CUL- TURE, the publishers announce as a special feature for the remaining issues of the year, a series of articles on the CONTROL OF SWARMING EOR COMB- HONEY PRODUCTION. These by bee-keepers who have experimented to the point where experimenting is done, and the crown of success has been awarded. If you have not seen the first installment of this series, send in your name for a three-number trial subscription, which will be given free of charge. The April 15th, May 1st, and May 15th numbers will be mailed to you, and by June you will undoubtedly be so interested you will want to take a six months' subscription at least. The special price of which will be 25 cents. If you choose to remit at once, make your request for the above numbers in ad- dition to the regular issues for six months beginning June 1st, and we will send them free. GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE MEDINA, OHIO GOODS IN A HURRY When the bees are flying, some colonies preparing to swarm, and the honey beginning to come in, supplies when needed are always wanted at once. Then, is when the ROOT SYSTEM, of distribution shows its good points to the best advantage. Seven branch houses— in all large centers, with complete stocks on hand for either retail or wholesale trade. Numerous job- bing agencies, and hundreds of smaller agencies scattered throughout the United States. Send in your order to-day, and your goods wilf be on the way in a very short time. Insist on getting ROOT'S GOODS. We are leaders. Our prices are right. You get a square deal and satisfaction in trading with us. WAX WANTED.— We are paying 29 cents cash or 31 cents per pound in trade for pure, average beeswax delivered at any of our branches or at Medina. rCDM 1 N DEC RPIIQH Some months ago Mr. R. F. Holtermann called our attention to a bee-brush which he received llfcKlYlAPt Dtt-DnUotl from Germany, made of genuine bristle or horsehair. He had used cne a whole season, washing it out often, and it appeared to be as good at the end of the 6eason as at the be- ginning. He considered it so far ahead of any thing he had ever seen or used that he wanted no other. We are now provided with a stock which we offer at 25 cents each; by mail, 30 cents. The bristles are black, about two inches long, extending eight inches on the handle. ALEXANDER FEEDER inches long, so they be used with either an 8 or 10 frame hive. With a 10 frame hive they will project 3 inches beyond the hive for feeding, and the block may be laid crosswise of the feeder or be cut off as preferred. With the 8-frame hive the feeder projects 5 inches, and the block lies lengthwise. We soak the feeders in oil to preserve them, and fill the pore6 to prevent the feed from soaking in. Price, finished, including block, 25 cents each; 10 for $2.00; 50 for $9.00. The A. I. ROOT CO. We are now prepared to furnish the Alexander Feeder. We make them 19 Medina, Ohio THE ALEXANDER FEEDER BK.A.3STCHH3S ■ Medina, New York City, Chicago, 111. Philadelphia, Pa. Washington, D.C. St. Paul, Minn. Syracuse, N.Y. Mechanic Falls' Ohio. Box 1037 144 E. Erie. 10 Vine St. 1100 Md. Ave. 1024 Miss. St. 1631 W. Gen. St. Maine. I CEntered at the Post-Offlce at Chicago as Second-Class Mall-Matter.) Published Weekly at $1.00 a Year, by George W. York & Co., 334 Dearborn St. QBORQB W. YORK, Editor CHICAGO, ILL, MAY 31, 1906 VoL XLVI— No. 22 =\ Cbitoriai Hotes anb Comments j Doolittle's Out-Apiary Management Mr. G. M. Doolittle, in a series of articles in Gleanings, gives in detail the plans he used in 1905, in the management of an out-apiary of 19 colonies in 10-frame hives, by which he secured an average of 114^2 pounds of section honey in a poor season. He practised shaking swarms, but with some modifications that he considers of the utmost importance. April 14 the hives were put on the summer stands. There were 11 good colonies, 5 fair, and 3 weak. April 24 a visit was made, and any colony not having 20 or more pounds of honey had the deficiency supplied. May 20 a frame of the most nearly matured brood was taken from each colony having only 6. This made 13 of the 19 colonies with 7 brood each, and to each of these 13 colonies an upper story was given over an excluder. This upper story contained 10 of what Mr. Doolittle calls reserve combs, saved over from the previous season, with more or less honey in each. Before putting on this upper story, however, the 2 outside combs of the lower story exchanged places with the 2 reserve combs that were the third from each side in the upper story. The fourth visit was made June 16, when black locust was out of bloom, many heads of white clover were in full bloom, and two neighbors reported that swarming had be- gun. Each upper story was found to contain SO pounds of honey or more, and this upper story was placed on the stand, the lower story having been removed. In the center of this broodless story, now on the stand, was put a comb half or two-thirds filled with brood, most of the remaining cells in the comb being empty. This comb would allow the queen to continue laying without interruption. If neces- sary, such a comb was obtained from one of the weaker colonies. Two supers of 44 sections each were placed over the lower super containing 12 bait-sections, the cover put on, and then the bees shaken and brushed from the brood- combs in front of the stand. Care was taken not to handle the combs so violently as to shake the nectar out of them, and they were held low so that the queen might not be in- jured in falling. Excluders were put over the 6 weaker col- onies, and over these were piled the 13 stories of brood, some of them having, of course, as many as 3 stories of brood over the excluder. It will be noted that Mr. Doolittle does not wait to see whether a colony has begun to make preparation for swarm- ing, but begins operations at his own convenience, taking all at the same time, paying no attention to the matter of queen-cells till the bees are off the combs, when any cells that are found present are destroyed. For many it will not yet be too late to put in practise the most important parts of Mr. Doolittle's plans, which have much to commend them. The National Bee-Keepers' Association We understand that in two or three of the States certain would-be leaders among the bee-keepers are attempting to induce members of the National Association to drop their memberships, or at least have tried to prevent local associa- tions from rejoining in a body at the SO-cent rate. We trust that in all such cases bee-keepers will continue their individual memberships, by renewing direct to the General Manager, N. E. France, of Platteville, Wis., even if it does cost each one dollar. It is worth it for the defense feature alone. There is no telling when a member may get into trouble with some jealous or spiteful neighbor, and so will need the help of the National. The National Association has done, and is doing, too much good work for bee-keepers, to allow a few dissatisfied members to interfere either with its membership or success- ful efforts. There will always be a certain few among large memberships of organizations, who, if they can not rule, will try to ruin. But such can not do much damage, for their true motives are soon discovered, and so their in- fluence counts for little. Taxing Bees In Wisconsin We have received the following concerning the taxing of bees : Must bee-keepers pay taxes on bees here in Wisconsin? If so, how much should a colony be assessed — what valuation ; I enclose an assessor's blank, on the back of which it says 5 colo- nies are exempted. Peter Vanish. We referred the above to Mr. France, of Platteville, Wis., General Manager of the National Bee-Keepers' Asso- ciation, who answers thus : All other personal property except such as is exempt from taxa tion in Wisconsin is subject to assessment and taxes. This will in- clude bees, except 5 colonies kept for the use of the owner and his family. About two-thirds of the Wisconsin bees are not assessed. Valuations vary with assessors, all the way from 50 cents to $3 per strong colony. Generally it is $1 a colony. My home apiary has been taxed for 25 years, and as many years some of my out-apiaries have not been taxed. Live poultry, not ex- ceeding $25 worth, is also assessable, but no poultry in Wisconsin is assessed, as I know of, or in any other State. N. E. France. Followers in Brood-Chambers Referring to what is said by Mr. Pettit on this subject on page 367, Dr. Miller says : I am glad of Mr. Morley Pettit's views, and although still left with some degree of wonder why he 6hould so dislike a dummy, he has given light that I am glad to get. I know now why he prefers staples to nails for spacing. With the room given by the removal of the dummy, I have no trouble with nails catching. If I had no dummy, I am pretty sure I should prefer staples, as he does. The point, however, which most earnestly excites my interest, is his first " reason :" " No wax built to fasten top-bars to their neigh- bors." Now, my lengthy friend, how could you be so viciously tanta- lizing as to leave that bald statement without a word of explanation as to how you accomplish the feat. I have decidedly more building between top-bars than I like, and if you will give me the secret of pre- venting it, I'm ready to be on speaking terms with you aL'ain. I've studied carefully what you say, and and two things having a direct bearing: One is that you have exact spacing, and the other that your 462 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 31, 1906 top-bars are 9-S wide. Exactly what I have. Your top-bars are i »•„ deep; mine %. I wonder if that could make any difference. My spacin" is 138' from center to center, and I think you have the same, making the space between top-bars \i inch. Please give me the secret of the difference if you can. C. C. Miller. It might be to the interest of bee-keeping in general if these two men could meet in person without the privilege of separating until they had come to an agreement as to whether a dummy in a brood-chamber is worth while or not. Possibly, under such restrictions, the conference might be a lifelong one. It is not likely that any one would claim for a dummy any advantage beyond that of making it easier to take out the first frame. There can be no doubt that it is easier to lift out a frame when a vacant space of something like % of an inch has been made. But there is the objection of an extra piece to handle, and it certainly takes at least a little time to take out a dummy, which time would be saved if the first frame could be lifted out just as easily before taking out the dummy as afterward. But taking out a frame of comb can hardly be as easy as taking out a dummy, unless the surface of the comb can be just as true as the surface of the dummy Any irregularity of combs threatens injury to the bees when no vacant space is provided, and the question is whether such very true combs can be secured. Mr. Holtermann's proviso, " with comb foundation and accu- rate spacing," points to at least two things that favor per- fectly true combs. Mr. Pettit says, "Unless the hive is too large by a half inch " etc. With so small a space as a half inch, a dummy would seem to be very objectionable, and if Mr. Pettit's trial of the dummy was in such a space, he could hardly view it with any favor. There should be at the very least a space of % of an inch between the dummy and the wall of the hive, and the same space between the dummy and the adjoining frame. With a thickness of '{ inch for the dummy that would make U of an inch as the minimum space. Less than that would cause the bees to fasten the dummy with glue so that a frame would first have to be withdrawn to make it possible to get out the dummy ! =\ Miscellaneous Hetps * 3 terns =j Inexcusable Carelessness.— We quite frequently get correspondence that bears no name or post-office, so that we can do nothing with it whatever. It seems too bad that any one should be so forgetful as to omit the most important part of a letter. It would be a good thing if everybody who does any business at all would use printed stationery. It costs very little, and would be a great thing for careless people, and a nice thing for all other folks. Photographs for the Bee Journal.— As the most beautiful time of all the year is at hand in many localities, we would like to suggest that our readers make good use of the camera in taking pictures of their apiaries. We can use quite a number of such pictures during the year in the American Bee Journal. We always stand the expense of engraving whenever we use a picture in our columns. It is very important that the photographs be very plain and dis- tinct. Any that are dim or blurred in any way do not make good engravings. The majority of the pictures of apiaries are larger horizontally— much wider than high ; we could use a few quite tall. We have had several pictures in the past, especially where there were tall trees in the apiaries, that were just the thing. It may be that some of ourreaders have their apiaries near nice, tall trees that would make beautiful pictures. We would suggest that all who can do so have photo- graphs taken of their apiaries, including their residences, also (in the same picture), where it is possible, and forward them to this office. Be careful to put your name and address on the back of the picture, so we will know whose it is. On its receipt we will notify the sender whether or not we can use it, and if it is suitable we will request descriptive mat- ter to accompany it when publishing. If any picture should not be considered usable by us we will be pleased to return it. We will also return any after using if so requested. We would further like to request those of our readers who have any improvements in bee-keeping in the way of fixtures, implements, etc., to send us drawings or pic- tures of same for reproduction, with descriptive matter, in our columns. It is our aim to make the American Bee Jour- nal as helpful as possible to all its readers. In order to do this we need the co-operation of all who are able to lend a hand. As practically all of our readers have been greatly aided through reading what has been published herein, it would seem to be no more than fair that those who have discovered or invented good things should share them with others. There are only a very few things gotten up in bee- keeping that are worth the expense of patenting and adver- tising. Besides, it has become almost a custom in the bee- keeping industry to be unselfish, and to give to fellow bee- keepers whatever good thing any one has discovered in working with bees. In this way bee-culture has been able to make the great progress which it has done in the past score of years. City Ordinance Against Bee-Keeping.— The Grand Rapids (Mich.) Herald, of May 19, announces that Alderman George Owen has introduced an ordinance against bee-keep- ing within the city limits, to which he expects to add the keeping of monkeys and pets. It seems from the report that one day Mr. Owen's business trip carried him into an outlying district of the city where he came in sharp contact with a bee. So the following Monday night he introduced a resolutiou into the Council, calling for the prohibition of bee-keeping within the city limits, on the ground that they are " dangerous animals/" The report says that the Ordi- nance Committee could not decide whether bees were ani- mals, birds or fowls, so the ordinance had been lying quietly in its pigeonhole awaiting decision. Now, Alderman Owen, it says, is thinking of going a step further and adding to it a section making it necessary for persons desiring to keep monkeys, to exercise proper care that they do not escape. We do not see that there is any objection to mixing bees and monkeys, except that if Mr. Owen is not careful he will make a fine " monkey " of himself. He needs to read some of the literature published by the National Bee-Keep- ers' Association. Such ordinances against bee-keeping do not hold, as they are generally pronounced unconstitutional when tested in the proper courts. We are indebted to Mr. H. F. Moore, Secretary of the Chicago-Northwestern Bee-Keepers' Association for a copy of the Grand Rapids Herald, containing the marked item from which the above is taken. How to Treat Lies. — Were you ever lied about ? We have been, and when we were younger it used to be some- what annoying, but not so any more. The following advises very nicely how to treat personal lies : When a person tells a lie about you, pay no attention to it. If you make a lot of explanations those who want to believe ill of you will believe the worst. Simply say the statement is untrue, and talk about the weather. The greater a man is, the less is he disturbed by what others do or say against him, without cause. Mean natures are provoked to anger by lies. Let your life and acts be at such variance with a lie that untruthful statements concerning you will fall like a broken shaft, when it strikes your armor of truth. You can never stop people from lying about you, but you can re- duce the number of opportunities for them to tell truths about you that would be harmful. Lies don't hurt much. It's truth that does the damage. — Star Monthly. A bee-paper recently misrepresented The Honey-Pro- ducers' League. Then in its next monthly issue it " took it back," and said the League was " Exonerated." Now, how foolish it would have been for any of the other bee-papers to have taken up that misrepresentation, denied the charge, etc. It was better simply to ignore it, and leave it where it started. A bee-paper makes its own reputation just the same as does a person. If it desires to go into the misrepresentation business, that is its privilege. But we doubt if many bee- keepers would " stand for it " very long. "Be sure your sin will find you out." Mr. J. W. Rouse, President of the Missouri State Bee- Keepers' Association, will speak on " The Relation of Bees to Horticulture," before the Missouri State Horticultural Society, at its semi-annual meeting at Moberly, Mo., June 12, 13 and 14, 1906. See Langstroth Book Offer on another page of this copy of the American Bee Journal. May 31, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 463 * (£ontnbuteb * Special (Articles J Feeding Bees in Spring— Swarming BY G. M. DOOLITTLE. A CORRESPONDENT writes me that he reads my arti- cles in the American Bee Journal with much interest, and especially the one entitled, "Among the Bees in Spring." Then he tells that he and others may not have the combs of honey to set in colonies not having stores enough, and wishes to know what I would do did I find my- self thus situated. In reply, I would say that I should not let another season pass till I did have some of these reserved combs set away for use the next spring. I cannot see the policy of running a bee-yard so close that more or less of the colonies come out near the verge of starvation in the spring; nor of the policy of extracting all the honey out of combs to sell in the fall, and then depend upon "any old way" of getting the bees through the spring. Do things up in a workmanlike way with the bees as well as with other things, and always re- serve enough of those combs of honey from extracting so that you will be sure of carrying the bees safely through the spring. In this way, both you and the bees will be in a great measure independent of what the spring proves to be regarding a yield of nectar. But I realize this does not help over the present, when the bees must be fed or starve. There are two ways of feed- ing inside the hive which I have used successfully. Where I wish to feed weak colonies or nuclei for any special pur- pose, or for an occasional feeding in the spring, to coax a col- ony to build queen-cells or rear drones early, I use a division- board feeder, which is simply a feeder made by nailing a thin board to the side-bars of a frame of the same size the combs are built in. These thin boards should lack one-half inch of coming to the top, thus providing a ready access to the in- side of the feeder by the bees. Then a hole should be bored through the top-bar to the frame or feeder, near one end, in which a funnel can be inserted for pouring in the feed, which should be a little more than blood-warm for early spring use, so the bees can carry it, without being chilled, no matter what the weather is outside. The other plan is to take a common milk-pan, or any of the cheap tin-pans which are sold for io cents or so, and punch the bottom full of holes, punching from the inside out, so that each hole will form a small separate stream when the pan is filled with sugar syrup. Place this pan in a board having a hole cut out of it so that the pan will "hang" in the hole, and nail the board to a suitable height table or bench. Put a washtub on the floor under the pan to catch any drip, when you will hold an empty comb about 12 to l6 inches under the pan, while an assistant pours the syrup in the pan. The falling streams of syrup will drive the air from the cells which will fill rapidly, and by moving the comb around a little, all the cells will soon be full, when the comb is turned over, and the other side filled. If you have a third person to hand you the combs and take away the filled ones, you can fill them almost as fast as he can handle them. These filled combs can then be used in any spot and place where a frame of honey could be, but they are not nearly so pleasant to handle, on account of their being daubed up with sweet, and should be given the bees just at night so that robbing will not be started. NATURAL OR "SHOOK" SWARMING. The other question he wants answered is relative to swarming, he wishing to know which I prefer, natural or "shook" swarming. Well, unless I except wintering and foul brood, swarming is the greatest bane of bee-keep- ing. Of course, when a person has only 2 or 3 colonies, there comes an excitement and pleasure to natural swarm- ing that is a keen enjoyment to the novice in bee-keeping ; but to the one with his scores or hundreds of colonies, natu- ral swarming is one of the most vexatious things to the bee-keeper. Consequently, when the proper time comes I make all colonies swarm on the "shook" plan, holding the strongest ones back till the proper time has arrived, by giving them lots of room by way of an upper story filled with combs, onto which they are shaken when the time for swarming ar- rives. The queens do not have access to these upper combs, they being kept confined below by means of a queen-excluder. The time for doing this shook swarming is when our first harvest for surplus arrives, when all colonies which are strong enough are shaken, and the frames of beeless brood are placed over any not quite strong enough for this time over in shaking. A week later, the colonies to which we gave this brood, will be fairly running over with young bees, when these are shaken, and all combs of beeless brood piled on others which were still weaker at the time of the first shaking. If I have none of these quite weak colonies, or not enough to take 3 or 4 hives of this beeless brood each, small colonies are formed in advance to receive it, till I have the proper number. It would hardly seem possible that such little colonies, with the addition of these 3 or 4 hives of bee- less brood would so build up that in the fall these hives on each colony would be filled with honey ; but such is usually the case, where the queen is kept in her own hive by means of an excluder. And these hives of honey are just the thing needed to carry the bees through the spring in "great shape," without any fussing with feeding or feeders, save the setting in of the combs where any colony is needy, fry it Borodino, N. Y. ■•'♦*- Stimulative Feeding, Increase, Etc. BY PROF. A. J. COOK. I HAVE been much interested of late to note how general the feeling prevails among even our most successful and wide-awake bee-keepers, that great benefit is sure to come with stimulative feeding. When such authorities as Alex- ander and Holtermann give to this practice a certain regular place in their apiarian management, it has a significance that should not fail to attract attention. This stimulative reed- ing as its name indicates, is not to furnish food to the bees, as they may be well supplied, but is rather to insure activity on the part of the worker-bees, as this is the most aosolute necessity if we would secure the fullest activity of the queen. Storing by the workers, wheresoever the source of the sup- plies, means rapid egg-laying and abundant brood in the hive Of course, populous colonies follow as a necessary re- sult and we have one condition imperative to a large honey harvest We find that the amount fed daily need not be large, and, of course, the time is early in the season before the bees can secure nectar from the flowers. The failure to gather may arise from lack of flowers, or such cold that no nectar is secreted, or from the fact that the season forbids flight, either from cold or rains. I am peculiarly gratified at this expression of opinion, as emphasized by practice, as I have been a strong advo- cate of this stimulative feeding for many years, as I have known positively that, wisely practiced, it would pay large re- turns for time and money expended, as I say m my Manual of the Apiary" on page 264: "Hence, if we would achieve the best success, we must keep the workers active, even before gathering commences, and to do this we must feed sparingly before the advent of bloom in the spring. For a number of years I have tried ex- periments in this direction by feeding a portion of my colo- nies early in the season, and always with marked results in favor of the practice." The old-time readers of this Journal will remember m> account of these experiments away back m the '80s. Colo- nies equally strong were selected, and some were fed a little daily, while an equal number were fed none at all, though they had abundant honey in the hive for their needs 1 he result invariably was a substantial increase of the brood in the hives where the colonies were fed, and, of course, more bees and more honev as the season advanced. I am sure that the wise apiarist will not neglect this among the other details, the regular and faithful performance of which means suc- cess, and the neglect a certain failure. INCREASE OF COLONIES. E. W Alexander is one of our bee-keepers that we may all be proud to honor. I am pleased with his method to in- crease his number of colonies. He would never permit natu- ral swarming. To build up nuclei is too expensive in time. To transfer queen and bees to a new hive, set on the old stand on frames of foundation, and remove the old hive to a 464 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 31, 1906 new place, so weakens the old colony that eggs and brood are destroyed at a serious loss. Hence, the following, which surely will meet favorable opinion from all experienced bee- men : In this case all but the central frame has foundation, as before. Here a frame of brood with the old queen, but with no queen-cell or cup with egg or larva, which if present must be destroyed. Set this on the old stand, put a queen- excluding honey-board on it, and the old hive on top of this. In 5 days examine the old hive for incipient queen-cells with larvae, which, unless from a superior queen, destroy at once and separate the hives. If no queen-cups with larvae are found, leave the old hive 6 days longer, then separate, and in 24 hours introduce a good queen. In this case no brood is destroyed, no eggs are lost, and 2 good colonies are the result. This method commends itself to my judgment, and I question if a better method has ever been suggested. To those who have studied bees so as to understand their habits, I feel sure Mr. Alexander's plan will receive more than a passing notice. The fact that it is the plan of one so able and so successful is also much in its favor. COLOR OF HONEY. One of our ablest and most conservative writers on apicultural topics feels sure that he has evidence that honey from the same plant may vary in color, owing to season or locality. I should say, "Interesting, if true." How can we be sure in such case that no other honey is present? One year I noticed a decidedly red hue to our clover honey. I wondered at it. I sought hard for the cause. I found it in a smattering of juice from very ripe red rasp- berries. As the bees got but little of this juice it was no in- jury, except its tint. But it was deep red, and a little went very far to affect the color of the other honey of the hive. I believe we should look very thoroughly, then look again, before we conclude that honey from flowers of a plant varies in color. Offers for Proof of Machine-Made Comb Honey BY DR. G. BOHRER. I received the following letter, to which I wish to reply in the American Bee Journal : Dr. G. Bohrer: — I have been told that you made a stand- ing offer of $500 for comb honey made by hand or machinery. Is this offer yet before the public? and for what time will it be held open by you? I would be pleased to have you specify particularly what is covered by the bounds of your offer, in the way of the number of combs, how made and appearance of same. If this meets your pleasure, I would be glad to receive an early reply. — W. A. Webb. Mr. Webb, in reply to your letter of inquiry as to the conditions of my offer to pay $500 for two 4J4x4;4xlj4 sec- tions of artificial comb honey (built or constructed bv human hands with the aid of machinery, and entirely without the aid of the honey-bee), the same to be filled with artificial honey, so-called, and capped over in the cells of said combs without the aid of bees, I will state that I did not make such an offer, because I never expected to pay the same, for the rea- son that I know that no such work has ever been done. I only made the proposition to set the masses to thinking and making the inquiry as to where and by whom artificial comb honey had ever been constructed, if at all, and where a fac- tory producing such comb, together with the machinery used, could be found, which most certainly could, and would, have been dune long before this if there were any, as the offer I made is not a new one by any means, the same offer in substance having been made years ago, but probably was not so publicly and extensively advertised as my proposition. If the people, who have been led to believe that such a feat as that of manufacturing comb honey by artificial means, can be induced to search for such factory, they will soon put the matter of having been deceived to rest permanently, and for the betterment of themselves as well as the bee-keep- ing public. For many people will not buy comb honey, owing to the belief that much of it is produced by artificial means, and wholly without the aid of bees, both comb and honey. Artificial honey, so-called, has been manufactured and sold in nicely ornamented receptacles for years, and is an old fraud; but artificial comb honey has not been produced up to 1906, and probably never will be; yet I am not sufficiently egotis- tical to declare flatly that it will not be produced. I believe, however, that if a perfect imitation of honey is ever manufac- tured by artificial means, and put on exhibition at any of our National bee-keepers' conventions, the bee-keepers would glad- ly make up and pay to the producer the sum I have offered. I will pay my share of it at any time, should it occur while I still live. And I hope, Mr. Webb, that you will persevere in your fforts to find such a sample of artificial comb honey as I have described, until you fully convince yourself that nothing of the kind now exists, and publish the results of your search to the world in order that many may become convinced that they have been deceived by a straight-out falsehood. And after all this, if you still entertain the belief that such comb honey can be produced, use your utmost endeavors in trying to produce it, and I have no doubt that at the end of your efforts you at least will be wiser than you are now. Lyons, Kans. 12— Dadant Methods of Honey-Production BY C. P. DADANT. IF the reader has followed me, in previous articles, he is aware that we use from 1 to 2, and sometimes 4 supers. We aim to have enough for 2 to each colony. This may seem a small number to those who are accustomed to the 454 super for 8-frame hives, but they must bear in mind that their super will hold a scant 24 pounds of comb honey, while my large super will average about 40 pounds, net, of liquid honey. In an extraordinary season, I weighed an extra- well-filled super and found it to weigh 68 pounds gross. We usually figure on a net yield of 40 pounds of liquid honey from each super. In an ordinary season we put the supers on at the open- ing of white clover. We are not in a very favored loca- tion as far as honey-yield is concerned. A friend of mine said to me once, "Illinois is the best State in the Union, and we are in the best part of Illinois." Even if this were literally true, the crops of this most excellent productive country are corn, oats, wheat and timothy. There is not much honey in any of these. So we do not expect much outside of our pasture-lands. The orchard blossoms are not numerous enough, and, if they were more numerous, the bees are hardly numerous enough during the very short apple and peach bloom to secure surplus. So the bees hardly ever whiten their combs until the clover crop is on, and we find it unadvisable to wait, as some of our bee-friends do, until the combs are being whitened at the top before putting on the supers. If the colonies are as they should be, strong in numbers, they will need watching and attention until the very eve of the crop, for they may be short in food just before the beginning of a strong flow, especially if a few rainy days should come. The more powerful the colonies, the more brood they rear, and the more important is their need of sustenance. Yet it is at this very time that we put on the supers. If perchance a good fruit-bloom should cause them to whiten the combs in May, we at once put on the supers. I have seen this only twice in all my experience. It is of very great importance to get the supers on before there is any crowding in the brood-chamber. We must pre- vent our bees from wanting to swarm, for if they once want to swarm, it is not likely that we will take this notion out of their heads. Occasionally, our bees get ahead of us, either because we are deceived as to the appearances of the crop and it comes more promptly than we anticipate, or because after it has begun we delay too long in adding supers. In such cases we have quite a number of swarms, but the quan- tity has never exceeded 25 to 30 percent. If we keep ahead of the bees, the number of swarms that issue is not worth considering. If the colonies are very strong, and the prospect good, we often put on 2 supers at once. If we are short of built combs, we usually put a few sheets of foundation in empty frames mixed in among the already built combs, but we never give a super with foundation only, for two reasons : In the first place, the bees will occupy a super much less will- ingly if it does not contain any already built combs. On the other hand, it is not advisable to let them load the foundation down, for they may break it loose with their May 31, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 465 weight. Take notice of how they build their combs, when left to themselves. As fast as they add to the bottom of the comb they widen and strengthen the top. But if they are given full sheets of foundation, they will sometimes build out tin- center cells. Laving the top as weak as when in- serted by tlu- apiarist. If only erne or two sheets of founda- tion are given, or if they are placed alternately with built combs, the foundation is occupied more slowly, and is well strengthened before it is heavily loaded. From time to time we examine the colonies to see how the crop proceeds. There is usually some irregularity in the yield. Some strong colonies seem able to fill the supers you "may pile on, while others work slowly at their first super. When we see the end of the crop approaching, we cease adding supers, and, instead of this, we equalize, taking from a well-filled super a few heavy combs to exchange with some slow colony which is not likely to fill all its combs. Some- times we make the equalization in a still more radical way. Take two colonies side by side, one of which has two or three nearly full supers, and the other barely beginning in its one super. We exchange one of these nearly filled supers, bees and all, for the super of the weaker colony. The latter will be just able to ripen the honey, add a little to the supply, and seal the remaining cells ; while the other will at once proceed to finish the almost empty super. In this way, at the end of the crop we will have uniformly filled combs, and there will be no handling of unprofitable empty combs. A young bee-keeper would perhaps fear a battle when thus exchanging supers from one hive to another. Fear noth- ing of the kind, if this is done when the bees are harvest- ing honey, for at such times they are peaceable and pleas- antly disposed towards one another. Like the human race, they are hospitable when the larder is well filled, but are otherwise when in want, or when they know that it is diffi- cult to replace what is spent. That is why they tolerate the drones, or the manipulations of the apiarist during a good crop, while they will prove churlish and sour if the weather is bad and the harvest over. I must say, however, that it is not necessary thus to exchange bees as well as supers. The bees may be removed before making the exchange, and we would do it, by all means, if we thought there would be any danger of ex- changing queens, or of giving both queens to one colony. But the queens are so rarely in the supers that we have little fear of this. The only reason w.hy we exchange the supers, with the bees as they are, is to save labor. At the time when these exchanges are made, we usually have our hands full, and need to be as expeditious as possible in all tin: manipulations. Our aim is to produce the largest possi- ble amount of honey with the least possible expense in labor or material. Hamilton, 111. =\ Southern 4- 23eebom -f Conducted by Louis H. Schoix. New Braunfels, Tex. Removing1 Sections from T-Supers J Dr. Miller, very few of us Southern Beedomites have had occasion to use T-supers, nevertheless we would " like to know." /always had the idea thatthe board with which to push the sections out, was placed up on some object the depth cf the super, but with outside dimensions somewhat smaller than the ioside of it. On top of this set the super with sections to be removed, and push the super down, leav- ing the sections up on the " object." In thepictures on the front cover page of March 29th number, showing " the way you do it," it seems you push the sections down, eh ? No, you pull the super up. Is there not a greater strain on your thumb and fingers in pulling the supers off over the sec- tions ? Perhaps you will tell us why it is done in just such a way. m i m Using Lighter Grades of Comb Foundation sheets to the pound. Many bee-keepers are using medium brood foundation, only 6 sheets to the pound, and that with wires in the frames. This has always seemed a great waste. Light brood foundation, 8 sheets to the pound with wires, as commonly used in brood-frames, is much better. Still, / have had a hankering toward something still lighter ; hence the above light-weight foundation was given a trial. Using the 10-frame hive, there is more uniformity as re- gards the number of pounds to fill a certain number of brood-chambers. With 10 sheets to the pound, a saving of a pound of foundation is made every time S bodies are filled — yea, a little more, or \% pounds — than if an average of 8 sheets of light brood were used. This, at say an aver- age price of 50 cents per pound, would mean a saving of about 62,'? cents on every 5 hives, or a neat little sum of $62.50 on 500 bodies. The extra-light brood foundation I used did not cost me any more than the other. I found, however, that this light foundation had a greater tendency to break away at the wires when these were embedded in it. To overcome this, I simply hung the sheets between wires, one alternating with the other, so 2 would be one side and 2 on the other when 4 wires were used in a frame. On this comes Mr. L. B. Smith with a question : I notice Mr. Scholl advises usirg thin brood foundation in place of medium brood, and not press the wires in, but let the sheet hang be- tween the wires. It seems to us the bees would be more inclined to gnaw around the wires used in that way, though I've had no practical experience in the use of comb foundation in that way. How is it, Mr. Scholl? L. B. Smith. Rescue, Tex. There might, perhaps, be trouble if the frames of foun- dation fixed in this way were given during a dearth of honey, but as I gave them when comb-building was going well, and I had my hives all level, so the sheets hung close to the wires, and the bees drew them out in fine shape. I would be glad to have others write if they have had any experience of this kind. I now have a good many hive-bodies that I intend to try in this way, and I have been thinking that some im- provement might be obtained by the use of a few of Dr. Miller's splints embedded vertically, with melted wax, on the side of the foundation. These would hold the founda- tion close to the wires, and, in case the sheets should have a tendency to sag at the top as some makes of foundation sometimes do, the splints would help much in this re- spect, also. The extra cost of the splints, it seems to me, would be slight, indeed, compared with the saving obtained in using the lighter 10-sheets-to-pound foundation. Dr. Miller, what can you tell us on this subject ? Please don't say, "I don't know." The Next Texas Bee-Keepers' Convention For some time I have advocated the use of very light brood foundation, running from 10 to 11 Langstroth-size The 6th annual meeting of the Texas Bee Keepers' Association will be held at College Station, July 10, 11 and 12, 1906. The time of the next annual Farmers' Congress, on the Texas Agricultural and Mechanical College grounds, has been set for July 10, 11 and 12, the sessions beginning at 9 a.m. on the 10th, and adjournment is provided for at 10 p.m. July 12. The program of the bee-keepers will be as follows : Opening Prayer. The Annual Address by the President. Reading of Minutes of Last Meeting. Report of the Secretary-Treasurer. Business of the Association. Discussions : "How Can this Association be Made More Effective in Its Work ?" "Arrangements and Entertain- ment of the National Bee-Keepers' Association at San An- tonio, Nov. 8, 9 and 10. Question-Box. The " Question-Box" is to be one of the main features of the convention, and all bee-keepers are invited to ask such questions as are of most importance to them. Let us hope for a large gathering of bee-keepers, and that the meeting will be a valuable one to all. Accommodations for taking care of the several thou- sand delegates to the Farmers' Congress will be more ade- quate this year than heretofore, as preparations for this have already begun. Besides the large Mess Hall, where meals will be supplied at the usual rate heretofore given — three meals for $1.00 — there will be an adequate lunch-stand and restaurant operated by College authorities to receive the overflow. A new hotel has recently been built by pri- vate individuals, where meals can be had at 50 cents each, and, with these provisions, there will probably be no trouble to care for all the delegates. Lodging in the rooms of the college dormitories will be without charge. Arrangements have been made to accommodate the delegates who wish rooms reserved for them, and their re- 466 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 31, 1906 quests can be sent to the Secretary of the Congress, Mr. C. Hansom, of Rockdale, Tex., who will receive them. But for this to "hold good" the delegates must claim their rooms in person on the first day. Special quarters in the south section of Foster Hall have been reserved for the ladies, and the same rules for reserved rooms for lady dele- gates will hold as above. For any other information in re- gard to this convention, letters may be addressed to me, and I will gladly give it, if I can do so. Louis H. Scholl, Committee on Program, Secretary-Treasurer Texas Bee- Keepers' Association. Conducted by Morlbt Pettit, Villa Nova, Ont. Visit to R. H. Smith— Honey Exhibit I spent a very pleasant half day at the home of R. H. hmith, of St. Thomas, recently. He is situated in a closely populated residential section of the city, and has besides his 100 or so colonies of bees there, a workshop and honey- house, where supplies are made and honey is put up for his trade, which not only supplies the city of St. Thomas, but extends to customers all over the Dominion. In this way Mr. Smith not only disposes of the product of his home and out apiaries, but he also handles a considerable quantity of his neighbors' honey. A good idea in advertising is the material turned out by a hand-printing press, operated by his son Henry. He prints their own letter-heads and envelops, postal cards, colored labels, etc. I enclose sample of blotter which is useful enough for the grocer to keep on his desk as a constant re- minder of Smith's honey. Mr. and Mrs. Smith gave me a very interesting account or their trip to Jamaica last winter. They engaged in bee- keeping while there, but saw no prospect of its being an especially profitable business. Canadians will be glad to learn that Mr. Smith has found where the German bee-brush, described by Mr. Hol- termann at the Brantford convention, is "made in Canada." Referring to the picture on the front page, Mr. Smith It is our 19th annual exhibit of honey and beeswax at the Cana- dian National Exhibition at Toronto, September, 1905. This exhibit (which was awarded First Prize for best display) was 25 feet long but owing to the limited space in front, the picture could only be taken irom the one end, and, consequently, does not fully show up the gen- eral design. It is made up of 11 entries in comb and extracted honev aggregating about 2000 pounds. Some original features are shown Un the table in front, at the right, was an observatory hive of bees [not shown in the engraving] with sections above, in different stages completion, from comb foundation to the finished comb- litho- graphed tin packages— the first of the kind to be put upon the'market fiere; a small section of comb honey that retails for 5 cents is on top of the pail. This is a lively seller. A dish of cut comb honey (the famous honey on a stick for 5 cents), which has created a good mar- ket tor honey, appears at the corner. Two large fish-globes filled witfi comb honey by the bees, are shown as curiosities inthe'back- ground- R. H. Smith. Report of the Middlesex Co., Ont., Convention This Association held its spring meeting in London Ont., May 5, 1906. The beekeeping fraternity of the County was well represented, and in addition were H G Sibbald Wm. Couse, W. J. Craig, R. H. Smith, and Morley Pettit, from other counties. The reports in wintering showed a considerable loss among cellar-wintered bees, owing to cellars having been too warm ; but that outdoor bees had come through in good condition. & s««" The program took the form of a Question Drawer, when the usual questions were brought forward and thrashed out The bees preferred for white capping in comb honey were those of a cross between Italians and blacks. Some pre- ferred the Italian-Carniolan cross, but did not want much Carniolan blood on account of theirswarming propensities. As to how many colonies can safely be kept in one yard, Mr. Sibbald thought, all considered, 100 is the right num- ber. F. A. Gemmill had kept bees successfully where there were 350 in the one locality. The conclusion was that all depends upon the locality. All kinds of separators were recommended for comb honey, but the preference was given to those through which the bees can pass freely. Spring feeding received quite a bit of attention. Many said, " Be sure the bees have sufficient in the fall, then let them alone in the spring." Others recommended feeding to keep up brood-rearing between fruit-bloom and clover. The idea advanced by the present writer was to place in open feeders in the yard, thin syrup made of nearly 2 parts water to 1 of sugar, and in this way produce the conditions of a natural honey-flow. The Alexander plan of helping weak colonies by placing them over strong ones with a queen-excluder between, was mentioned as having been tried by a few with a fair amount of success. Mr. Brainard uses 2 queen-excluders between to prevent the possibility of queens getting in touch with each other. Then when they are separated again the strong colony is moved to a new stand, and the weak one left to get the benefit of the returning bees. The new Foul Brood Act was up for discussion, and seemed to meet the approval of most of the members present. The convention adjourned to meet again the first Satur- day in November, 1906. ^ ♦— -^^^ Brood to the Top-Bar in Combs Dr. Miller and E. R. Root have overlooked a very im- portant point (page 381). The sagging of the foundation is not due to the fact that wires are horizontal, but that they are not taut. We are taught to leave the wires a little slack, to allow the foundation to sag a little ; then cry be- cause the enlarged cells produce drones 1 Oh, " consistency thou art a jewel !" Horizontal wiring is all right, provided it is done right. ©ur* Sister 23eeKcepers Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. Honey for Anemia and Baby Food J A French journal relates that a young woman suffering from severe anemia was told by an eminent physician that he could not cure her, but advised a trial of diet of milk and honey, aided by strolls in the woods. This simple treat- ment, in a few months, restored her exhausted body. Another case is mentioned in which honey saved the life of a babe. Obliged to resort to the bottle, it was fed on cow's milk sweetened with sugar. But soon obstinate con- stipation required the constant use of laxatives. This abnormal condition was finally radically modified by the use of honey in place of sugar in the milk. It would be for the health and happiness of many a family if the sisters would see to it that honey and sub-acid fruits, instead of being only occasionally used, were put on the daily bill of fare. ^ i — ■ Women Bee-Keepers Not Trouble-Makers As the number of women engaged in bee-keeping is small compared with the number of men, it is only natural that a proportionately smaller number should get into trouble with their neighbors on account of the bees, and so it is not to be expected that Mr. France, General Manager of the National, should have much trouble from the sisters. It is gratifying, however, to know that so far Mr. France has had no complaints from any of the sisters. Are women less quarrelsome than men, or is there so much native gal- lantry in men that they refuse to get into trouble with a bee-keeper who is a woman ? But Mr. France is not without his troubles with women who are not bee-keepers. He has a grievance against " Aunt Harriet," because she says in the Farm Journal that May 31, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 467 not only is honey manufactured, but the comb is also imi- tated, so that if you buy comb honey you are likely to get glucose. A Missouri washer-woman complains that her neighbor's bees " walk on the clean clothes on each wash- day with dirty feet, and asks the court to restrain the bees from wandering on her wash-days." The sympathies of the sisters are likely to be with the washer-woman. To look at a line full of clothes so white as to awaken feelings of pride in the heart of any lover of cleanliness, and then to see the bees spot them so that they must go back into the tub again — well, there are times when lauguage fails. Of course, the woman was wrong in think- ing that the bees spotted her clothes each wash-day, the probability being that the offense was committed only on the day of their cleansing flight, and a little diplomacy on the part of the bee-keeper might have saved the wash being put out on that particular day, and so avoided all trouble. An interesting case is reported, in which for a year a widow would not speak to a bee-keeper's family, the bees being within 50 feet of her back door, with an 8 foot fence between. Query : Was it the bees or the high fence that prevented a free exchange of thought ? Spiders in Folded Sections — Smartweed and Goldenrod Dear Miss Wilson : — I have worked with bees a num- ber of years, and enjoy it. I wintered 42 colonies on the summer stands well packed in dry leaves, and plenty of sugar candy over the frames. I have 31 now in good shape, losing 11. Some bee-keepers around here have lost half. March was a very bad month on the bees — most of mine died then. The last few weeks have been very good. We are having a cold spell now, just at fruit-blooming time, which is quite a drawback to the bees. I don't think it will be very long before white clover will be in bloom ; then putting on sections will be the order of the day. I have over 1000 that did not get filled, as last year was not a good honey year here. Some have starters, and most have comb built in them. The spider has built webs in them, and if I don't get them out the bees get hung and die. I have taken a feather and cleaned them out, but it takes so long. I wonder if any one knows of a quicker way. I would be glad to hear through the American Bee Journal. I see on page 390, something about smartweed honey. Smartweed and goldenrod grow here, but do not furnish any honey. I never saw a bee on them. Heartsease, or "heartweed," as it is called by many, grows here, and the bees work on it. The honey is not peppery. (Mrs.) Inez J. Henry. Braddyville, Iowa, March 7. We have never had any trouble with spiders in sections, but spiders are very scarce in our shop where they are stored. We have had thousands of sections stored and never yet had to clean any spider-webs out of them. I won- der if putting a cover over your supers would not help to keep out the spiders. Goldenrod is also plentiful here, but the bees do not seem to care for it. A Queen-Bee Free as a Premium. — We are now book- ing orders for Untested Italian Queens to be delivered in May or June. This is the premium offer: To a subscriber whose own subscription to the American Bee Journal is paid at least to the end of 1906, we will mail an Untested Italian Queen for sending us one new subscription with $1.00 for the Bee Journal a year. Or, we will renew your subscription to the American Bee Journal for a year, and send a fine Untested Italian Queen — both for $1.50. Now is a good time to get new subscribers. If you wish extra copies of the Bee Journal for use as samples, let us know how many you want and we will mail them to you. Address all orders to the office of the American Bee Journal. Appendix to Dp. Miller's "Forty Years."— All who have the first edition of " Forty Years Among the Bees " should also have the Appendix which appears in the new edition, issued in April. The complete new 344-page book, bound in cloth, is sent postpaid for $1.00 ; the Appendix one for 10 cents. Or, the book and the American Bee ournal a year — both for SI. 80; the Appendix and the American Bee Journal a year in advance, SI. 00. Send all orders to the American Bee Journal office. ^ 211 r. pasty's Ctftcrtfyougfyts j> The " Old Reliable " as seen through New and Unreliable Glasses. By E. E. Hasty, Sta. B. Rural, Toledo, Ohio. Extracting Combs Taken Right from the Hive Honey right from the hive extracts much better than it does left over till next day — and that's rather a deadener to the plan of hauling combs home to extract. Page 303. Plain Sections Gaining in "Circulation" Certainly the maufacturer is just the one to know what kind of sections are called for. And he says that the plain section is still gaining currency, but not as fast as it did when it was a new broom, threatening to sweep all before it. Page 304. The Mountain and Rambler's Apiary That's a grand mountain on the front of No. 16, up to which an apiary nestles, or staggers in an inebriated sort of way. We look at the apiary the second time for the mountain's sake — and then the third time for Rambler's sake. Gone I Never to return — never until the end of these present things shall be. Roller Machine for Uncapping The rapid rotation of the rollers of the uncapping ma- chine is needful, I suppose, to throw the wax and honey clear. The agitation of this subject is a cheerful sign that combs in the future are going to need some uncapping. So long as honey is taken with only a little strip sealed along the top there is not much room for a machine. Presumably the rotating-roller machines will get into practical success if there is demand enough for them. And I kind o' imagine that the hot plate could be made a success, also — with some possibility for the jet of hot steam. Page 304. Experiments on Preventing Swarming, Etc. I think the Rowsome experiments are somewhat val- uable in their way — the way of showing us how not to do it. Not to expect much of mere empty space for discouraging the swarming impulse. Not to expect smooth, level work if we offer the chance and temptation to bulge things. And painting discolored sections with melted wax — 'pears^like we should have known better than that, anyhow. (_ — D That the fear of not being able to defend premises against enemies at some future time is a factor in the swarming impulse — I guess that theory will hardly hold water. Requires too long a train of reasoning on the part of the bees. Bees and ants, and elephants and dogs, reason, but not in the " fourthly " and " fifthly " and "Therefore " style of reasoning. Page 341. Aspinwall Non-Swarming Hive The discussion about the Aspinwall hive seemed to me to run too much on the expense and practicability of adopt- ing it, and too little on the problem whether it is worth adopting— whether it is likely that in all seasons and con- ditions and locations it will prevent swarming. Perhaps those on the ground were told, but we are not, how exten- sive and how long a success it has had in its inventor's hands. That a few hives for a year or two did not swarm should not be allowed to weigh very much. We can afford considerable in the line of increased size of hive, and in- creased expense for new inside fixtures, if we can be sure of the desired result. Until we are somewhere near sure of that result much discussion of labor and cost looks a little premature. We read, " Strong colonies held together the whole year without swarming " — desirable certainly, awfully certainly. And that they will " go into winter quarters iu a more uniformly good condition, and come out in the same " Can other people learn to fly it ?" One man walks a rope ; 468 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. May 31, 1906 but the generality of us never will, on account of the enor- mous amount of practise and skill called for. The working idea of this hive, you understand, is to put the brood-combs far apart, and so to divide up the intervening space that bees can harbor there freely but not build comb. Ingenious idea. And, "How does it work?" is the question most legitimately on the carpet. Manifestly the idea can't be tried much on a weak colony in spring weather of the windy and cold sort. Ruinous to the colony. And, perchance, the colony which is, early in spring, perfectly suitable for the trial wouldn't have swarmed, anyhow. Page 302. Bible References to Honey Mr. Winter has done a good work for us in collecting into one all the Bible texts that speak of honey. But he certainly should have put in also the three additional texts that speak of bees without using the word "honey." (Deut. 1 : 44, Psalms 118 : 12, and Isa. 7 : 18.) The first and second of these are good evidence that the ancient bee of Palestine was not always gentle ; while the ease with which Samson seems to have gotten the honey, as an off-hand incident on his journey, when he must have been unprepared, is good evidence that gentleness during a heavy honey-flow was not unknown. One of the texts given shows that honey was used to sweeten pastry. The next text is the puzzle. Cakes were often burned on the altar of the Lord ; but no honey must be put into any cakes used for that purpose ; and leaven was also barred. Why should so good a thing, and so highly spoken of a thing, as honey be forbidden on the altar ? Symbolism, most likely. Leaven a symbol of sin, in its capacity of spreading from heart to heart ; and honey a symbol of fleshly indulgence. Page 301. Doctor miller's Question * Box j Send questions either to the office of the American Bee Journal, or to Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, 111. Dr. Miller doe6 not answer Questions by mail. Emptying T Supers by Gravitation On page 288, my good friend, 8. T. Pettit, whose picture I was very glad to see on page 377, commend6 the plan of taking sections out of supers by giving them time and letting gravitation do the work. Just as his letter reads, a beginner would be likely to think that the whole work of getting sections out of T-supers is done in this way, which I hardly think Mr. Pettit would advocate— certainly not, if conditions are the same with him as with me. For many years I have taken advantage of gravitation whenever circumstances favor it, as may be seen by reference to " Forty Tears Among the Bees," page 205, where it is said: "If there is a lot of glue, and if it is warm, stringy and sticky, it must be humored a little. It can hardly be jerked loose suddenly any more than if it was nailed ; but if it is allowed time enough the weight of the sections may be enough to bring them down." Generally, however, at the time when sections are taken out the glue is so hard as to resist entirely the effect of gravitation. Even when glue is so soft or so little of it that the sections drop immediately upon being turned over, it is advisable to use the push-board, as the super is not likely to be lifted off without some of the sections catch- ing and making trouble. C. C. M. « * » Best Honey Producing Bees and Queens The following questions have been sent in with the request that they be placed before the readers of the American Bee Journal, and that experienced bee-keepers should send in answers: 1. What race of bees are the best honey-producers! 2. Please recommend the queen-breeder whom you think has the best honey-producing queens for sale. 3. Can you get more honey by crossing 2 races of bee6? Indiana. Answers.— The evident intent is to get an answer from a number of different persons, 60 as to have the fullest light possible. If dis- interested information could be obtained, it would no doubt be a desirable thing, as not a few would like to know just what bees to get, and where to get them. But the attempt would not succeed to the satisfaction of all parties, and possibly to the entire satisfaction of none. It would be opening the columns of this Journal to an un- limited amount of free advertising, which would be unfair to those who pay regular rates, and at the same time the information would be anythiog but disinterested. Some one who has less modesty than others would be likely to make the strongest claims, and those who are most reliable would be more likely to hold aloof from tooting th«ir own horns. See editorial on page 441, on " Claims of Advertisers and Subscribers." I will, however, do the best I can at answering your questions. 1. The majority of bee-keepers probably favor Italians, yet opin- ions are by no means a unit, and if you will look over the back num- bers of this and other bee-papers, you will get the opinions of those who prefer other kinds with probably as much satisfaction as if you got a lot of fresh opinions — possibly more. 2. You will find a reply to this question in the editorial, page 441. 3. That question can not be answered by a word of one syllable. A fir&t cross is likely to result in increased vigor, but there is a loss of fixed type, and without intelligent care in selection there is likely to be deterioration in future generations. The expert breeder may suc- ceed in fixing the type of a cross profitably, but the average bee- keeper will do well enough to continue something already estab- lished— if he can. The probability is, however, that in nearly all case6 there will be a gain by introducing occasionally fresh blood of the kind already in use, and it may not be amiss to do 6ome experi- menting with other kinds. A safe piece of advice for all bee-keepers is to breed not from the poorest, but from the best. Rearing aueens-Patented Hives 1. In " Modern Queen-Rearing" it says, on page 21, the larva is removed from the comb and placed on the royal jelly in the wooden cell-cup, and then placed on the frame and given to the colony. Now, won't the larva drop out of the cell-cup when placed in position, which is with the opening down* 2. Would it be as good to put a thin coating of hot wax in the cell-cups instead of buying the wax-cells, if only a few queens are to be reared ? 3. As I understand it, the Danzenbaker hive is patented; there- fore, is a person liable to get into trouble by making this hive for his own use? If you don't known, please tell me who does know. 4. How would it do to take — well, I 6ee those more experienced bee-men are laughing at my ignorance, so I will sit down. Illinois. Answers. — 1. No, there is no danger of the larva falling out; the adhesiveness of the jelly holds it. 2. I'm not sure whether I understand you. The wooden cell-cups are never used without a coating of wax, and if you have cell6 of wax they don't need a coating. 3. That's one of the things I happen to know without asking any one else. If you make and sell a thousand of any patented article, you are liable to prosecution for infringement; if you make a single one for your own use, you are just as liable. 4. After you've been sitting long enough to think up some more questions, get up and ask them. I've a lot of answers on hand I'd just as soon use as not. Wiring Shallow Extracting Frames— Queenless Bees Gathering Pollen— Zinc Excluders 1. Is there any need of wiring extracting frames 5J£ inches deep? 2. Will bees in a queenless colony gather pollen? 4. Is the zinc board supposed to lie on the brood-frames, or is it meant to have strips of wood between the zinc and the frames so as to make a space between the zinc and the brood-frames? Iowa. Answers. — 1. Not nearly so much need as for deeper frames, but while these shallow frames are new it would be better to have the strengthening of the wires. But with sufficiently careful handling you can manage them while new without wiring, and as they become older they grow tougher. 2. Yes, you will generally find an extra amount of pollen in a queenless colony, because they keep on gathering when they are not U6ing much pollen ; but after a colony is queenless long enough you will see very little pollen carried in, the bees seeming to have sense enough to know that they already have pollen enough on hand. 3. If all-zinc excluders are used, strips are generally placed 60 as to keep the zinc J^ inch above the top-bars; wood-zinc excluders are rigid and stay up themselves. Requeening— " Beginner Improving Stock" In the appendix to " Forty fears Among the Bees," under the heading, " Beginner Improving Stock," you say, " Put this prepared frame in the center of any strong colony after taking away its queen and one of its frames." 1. Do you give this prepared frame immediately after removing the queen? 2. Would the bees from which a prime swarm had issued swarm if all the queen-cells were cut away but two ?■ In others words, would it be as well, or better, to leave only 2 cells instead of 1? 3. How soon after a queen is removed do the bees become con- scious of their queenlessness and commence to 6tart queen-cells in case they have brood young enough from which to start them? Minnesota. Answers. — 1. Yes, have your prepared frame ready, go to the strong colony and take out a frame of brood with its adhering bees and queen — you can take away 2 or 3 such frames if you want to, the May 31, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 469 ODly essential point being that the queen be taken away, and that at least one frame be taken out to make room— and then before you close the hive put in the prepared frame. 3. It would be about as well to leave lOas to leave 2, I think; that is, the bees would be as likely to swarm again with 2 cells as with 10. Most positively you must cut away all cells but one. if you are trying to prevent a second swarm by cutting out queen-cells. 3. I can not give you an exact answer and be positive about it. The time will not always be the same. If the queen be removed very quietly, 1 thitik the time will be longer than if the bees are thoroughly aroused at the time of the queen's removal. I think that under like conditions a weak colony will discover its queenlessness sooner than a strong one. Probably it will not be fur out of the way to say that a colony will generally discover its quueiilessne68 in about 24 hours. Reports anb (Experiences A Flattering Prospect The prospect for the coming season so far is very flattering. Bees have wintered un- commonly well. I have lost only 3 queenless colonies, and if a good honey season should fall to our lot, a good crop may be expected. May the American Bee Journal prosper. G. C. Greiner. La Salle, N. Y., April 21. Good Prospects for White Clover All my bees, except 9 colonies, died during the winter. I put 36 into the cellar last fall. Last year was the poorest for honey in this part of the State in 25 years. I got less than j 100 pound6. I think prospects are as good now as they were in 1903 for white clover. It will be in bloom in about 2 weeks. Maquoketa, Iowa, May 19. F. P. Juel. weeks, then every colony would have starved. Feeding is a niussy job at best, but a bee- keeper can not afford to let bees siarve; and there is a world of satisfaction in the thought that such a disaster can so easily be avoided. If it does cost some money, each colony fed at such a critical time, when their natural stores are fast being used up in brood-rearing, may pay its owner a handsome profit many times over the investment a short time after- ward. Otto Sueltenfuss. San Antonio, Tex., April 24. Bees Never Wintered Better I have ju6t come back from putting out my bees in Vernon County. They never wintered better. In one yard all came out alive. I fed them heavy last fall, and wintered them in 2- story hives. I know this last 16 the main rea- son of my success. There wa6 very little brood reared after Sept. 1, so lots of bees died during the winter, in some cases filling the lower stories half full. The top story gave the bees plenty of room and air. Most bee keepers in Vernon county, and also in Jefferson county, lost the greater part of their bees. Some lost all. They extracted as usual, and put their bees up for winter ju6t as they happened to be. They could not expect anything else as the result. Gcstave Gross. Lake Mills, Wis., April 21. April Favorable for Bees April has been most favorable for the bees. Many colonies are strong enough to swarm. I fed them to stimulate breeding, and it worked like a charm. The weather has been cold the past few days. Henry Alley. Wenham, Mas6., April 26. White Clover Thick— Burying Bees I have 36 colonies of bees in fine shape. I never saw while clover thicker than it is this spring, roadsides being a perfect mat of it, and wheie there was none last year the ground is covered now. For 2 years I have been burying my bees. I learned it from a man here who has always practised it. I like the results very much. Bellevue, Mich., April 30. C. H. Benson. [Mr. Benson is invited to send a detailed description of the method he uses in burying his bees in winter, and we will be pleased to publish it for the benefit of our other readers. —Editor.] Feeding Bees to Prevent Starving The bees have had a late spring here in Southwest Texas. I had to feed until a few days ago, when the first honey came in to support brood-rearing. I had fed sugar syrup la6t fall, but did not calculate on such a late spring, and had I not fed the last month or 6 Gallberry Honey Honey report up to Easter Sunday : Two supers, 538 inches deep on an average, all gathered from gallberry in 10 days; all comb honey, although very little sealed to-day. D. J. Pawletta. Ft. White, Fla., May 3. Bees Short of Stores Bees run short of winter stores here — one man having only 10 colonies left out of 116; another having only 8 left out of 4S. That was outdoor wintering. I always run about 20 colonies for extracted honey, but knowing the bees were short of stores, instead of ex- tracting the honey they stored I gave it to them in the fall. I wintered 160 colonies in the cellar; all came out alive, but a few have died since. A. Coppin. Wenona, 111., May 8. Poor Season for Bees in 1905 Last season was a poor one for tbe bees around here, but I increased from 7 colonies to 15, all of which wintered in good condition. I feel sorry that I did not get the American Bee Journal 10 years ago instead of 1 year ago. It is the best bee-paper I read. Quincy, Mass., May 8. John Ahlen. Heavy Loss from Starvation There is a heavy loss in bees in this part of the country this spring— dying of starvation. While I have only lost 8 out of 117. I would have lost more if I had not looked after them very closely. A. W. Swan. Centralia, Kan., April 9. Bees Wintered Well My bees came out well. I lost 4 out of 50 colonies. They are working on plum blooms and dandelions uow, and are in good condi- tion. They were in 5 months just as they stood outside when the supers were off; no south side ventilation and no disturbing dur- ing the time. Wm. Cleary. Algona, Iowa, May 8. Vetch Honey— Good Prospects I took off 47 pounds of native vetch honey to-day from 1 hive— 1 super of 27 pounds, and 20 pounds in another super. I left 7 pounds, not quite sealed, in the super from which I took 20 pouads. They are good, heavy, filled sections, and good, thick honey. Most of the sections weigh mure than a pound. Prospects show for a good crop of honey. Augusta, (la.. May 9. J. L. Patterson. Value of Bees to Blossoms Not long ago a Connecticut bee-keeper in- quired in regard to pollination effected by bees in an orchard. Here are some figures; On the 6ecoud day of April, 1863, a bee- keeper in Germany counted 50,400 bees heav- ily loaded with pollen come to the hive of a colony of black bees; on April 19, 1863, 54,870 Italians. Huber says that each worker-bee vi6its 50 blossoms before she has a load. Another German paper gives a statement of 17,000 colonies owned by a Bociety. They averaged 40,000 loads from each colony for 100 days, or 68,000,000,000 loads. Suppose each bee had visited 50 blossoms, if only one- tenth of these visits effected pollination, they would have pollinated 340,000,000,000 blos- soms. So the benefit, if only 7 out of 50 blos- soms visited would be put at 1 cent, would be worth to farmers, gardeners and orchards 1194,295.91; or per colony it would be £11.42. So our bees not only give us honey, but they perform other work worth more than the honey. Julius Prikster. Oregon City, Oreg., April 24. Fastening starters— Hiving Swarms — Pure-Blooded Bees This is how I fasten starters in sec- tions: I cut the section foundation across so I get 27 starters from one sheet of section foundation, and S start- ers from one sheet of brood founda- tion. Now take a board M>-inch thick and 17 inches long-, straight edge on one side, and fasten this piece so the straight edge is right to set the starter on edge against it. Now get a board y2-inch wide and as long and Bush with the outside of each end-bar. Now cut a notch in each end so the straight edge will come to the center of the under edge of the top-bar of the frame, and draw a pencil line in the center of the frame. Put the notched board against the straight board. Drop the starter in between the two pieces; press close (not to mar the founda- tion); with a table-knife turn the edge of foundation above the two boards on the one with the notches; set the frame, and run hot wax on the pencil mark. Then take the notched board with the starter and place it between the end-bars and press down tight. Push the notched board endwise; loosen, then press the second time and it will be firm and solid. I fasten the section starters as de- scribed above. My bees fill the sec- tions, top, sides and bottom solid, and 1 have no fault to find; so with brood- frames — straight combs and true. This is the way I got down swarms in the summer of 1905. Every one of the swarms settled high, so I had to contrive how to get them down. I made a swarming-box that will hold 5 stand- ard Langstroth frames. Take out the 2 outside, also the center frames, which leaves 2 frames, a space in the center and at each wall. Drive a nail in each end of the frame-rest, cut a saw-kerf in each end of the frame, and hang both frames on the nails. (The frames must have old combs, or are no good.) Make the box and cover of Vs-inch lumber; let the cover come flush with the sides and ends of the box. Drive 2 nails in the upper edge on one side of the box in place of hinges; then rut a saw-kerf so the cover can slide under the nail-heads; on the other side drive a small staple. Cut a hole in the cover and let the staple come up through the cover so that a nail will close it tight. Nail „n each end of the cover two- strips of wood to hold the frames in their places, when the cover is put in its place. Get two strips of pine 2x1 inch nail an inch-strip in the center of the 2-inch strip — T-pole 16 feet, or any other length you wish. Put on windlass rope and relay pin so you can raise or lower it in place. Place the swarming-box in the tree just above the swarm, and if the bees don't go into it fast enough, smoke them wiili woolen rags fastened on a pole wiili line wire. Don't let the smoke get into the box where you have the bulk of the bees. Put the smoke where the bees settled. This is Hi- best plan I have found yet to hive bees. Indiana wants to know if bis 7 red- clover queens are pure Italian. I say thev are not. A pure Italian queen is 470 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 31, 1906 known by her progeny. Every worker should be marked with 3 bright bands, and the whole of the bee must be of a light shade. Every bee should be alike in color, and every drone should be marked alike — not any dark drones, as such show the impurity. Where a dark drone mates with a queen it begets a mongrel stock, and where the workers take an egg that would be a dark worker and rear a queen from it, the queen is black, and here we get more mongrel blood. I say, take a full-blood queen and go on an island where there is no other race of bees, and the queen will breed both workers and drones that would be marked alike, and no person could see any difference. Do stockmen use mon- grel sires to rear blooded stock? No. They take the purest and best of any race of animals for breeding; yet our queen-breeders are breeding with mon- grel drones. I have two queens whose drones are bright yellow to the tip of the abdo- men, and I have one whose workers would be called 5-banded. This queen's drones are 1-3 dark. Her mother did not produce one dark drone in a hun- dred, yet they were there. If queen- breeders are not more careful about their drone progeny, soon there will not be any pure stock of bees in Amer- ica. E. Tucker. Bergen, N. T., March 3. Rose Lawn Queens Money for Honey We offer to the person producing- the largest nnmber of sections No. 1 comb honey from a colony headed by one of our "Pure Gold" Queens before Sept. 15th, 1906 $10.00 cash For 2nd largest number of sections.. 7.50 " For 3d " '• " .. 5.00 ii For 4th " •' " .. 2.50 " Total cash prizes S25.0U In addition to this offer we will pay 20 cents per pound for all prize honey for exhibition purposes. We ship 200 " Pure Gold " Queens to a single customer in June, a well-known beekeeper who knows our breeding stock. Select Untested "Pure Gold" Queens I1.C0 Select Tested " « 2.00 Select Breeding Queens " 6loo Our very finest Extra-Select Tested Breeders in 2-frame Nucleus f.o b. Lincoln, Neb., $10. Ask for our new Catalog. ROSE LAWN APIARIES, 1335 North 24th St., LINCOLN, NEB. 22Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. FOR SALE 50 Colonies of Pure Italian Bees in up-to- date hives. Purchaser can have use of bee- house and yard for rest of season, if desired. For information, write or call on CHAS. CLARKE, 9720 Logan Ave., Washington Heights, 31Alt CHICAGO, ILL. GREAT SALE OF Hives, Sections, Etc. To reduce my stock 1 will sell No. 1 White Polished Sections at S3 90; No. 2, $3.40-all sizes; plain, 25c less per 1000. Best White Fine Dovetail Hives, S-frame, lK-story, SI. 30; 10-frame, SI. 45. Great reduction in Smokers, Foundation, and all Apiarian Supplies. 24-lb. Shipping Cases, very nice, 13c; Quart Berry Baskets, S2. 75 per 1000. Send for free Catalog. W.D.SOPER. RF.D3. Jackson, Mich. 14Etf Please mention the Bee Journal. Chicago to Buffalo, N.Y., and return, via Nickel Plate Road, at one fare plus 25 cents for the round- trip. Tickets will be sold from Chicago June 9th, ICth and 11th. with return limit of June 25th. Particulars at Nickel Plate Office, 113 Adams Street, room 298, Chicago, 111. 10— 22A2t American Bee Journal Novelty Pocket-Knife Gold Fountain Pen All for $2.75 Worker Queen HOWARD M. MELBEE, HONEYVILLE, O. (This cut is the full size of the Knife.) NOVELTY POCKET-KNIFE (Name and Address on one side— Three Bees on the other side.) Your Name on the Knife. — When ordering, 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 the name and residence of the owner, and on the other side pictures of a Queen, Drone, and Worker, as shown here. The Material entering into this celebrated knife is of the very best quality ; the blades are hand-forged out of the very finest English razor-steel, and we warrant every blade. It will last a life-time, with proper usage. Why Own the Novelty Knife? — In case a good knife is l06t, 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. If traveling, and you meet with a serious accident, and are so fortunate as to have one of the "Novelties," your Pocket-Knife will serve as an identifier; and, in case of death, your relatives will at once be notified of the accident. How to Get this Valuable Knife.— We send it postpaid for $1.25, or club the Novelty Knife and the American Bee Journal for one year — both for $2.00. (Allow two weeks for Knife order to be filled.) Drone SOLID GOLD FOUNTAIN PEN Finally we have found a good Fountain Pen that is reasonable in price. The manufacturers of this pen say that if you pay more than $1.25 for other fountain pens,' it's for the name. This pen is absolutely guaranteed to work perfectly, and give sat- isfaction. The Gold Nibs are 14 kt., pointed with selected Iridium. The Holders are Para Rubber, handsomely finished. The simple feeder gives a uniform flow of ink. Each pen is packed in a neat box, with directions and Filler. % size We mail this Gold Fountain Pen for only $1.25, or for $2.00 we will mail it and the weekly American Bee Journal for a whole year. pjg° Sample copy of the American Bee Journal free; trial trip of three months (13 copies) for 20o ; regular yearly price, $1.00. Address all orders to ^ GEORGE W. YORK 8 CO., 334 Dearborn St., Chicago, 111. Everything for the Bee Keeper will be found in our Illustrated Catalogue No. 40. It contains a full line of Hives. Supers, Followers, Sections, Section Holders, Frames, Extractors, Smokers, etc. All these and many other essentials are manufactured by us. Everything is guaranteed to be right and of best quality. Our prices are so reasonable that any bee keeper may afford the best supplies. We cannot tell you here of all the good things in this book. CSSSfff* - -j-Jff'Sj Better send for a copy today. We mail it free, to- gether with a copy of the Progressive Bee Keeper, a splendid monthly publication devoted to bee interests. It will help you start right and keep you right after you are started. It is invaluable as an aid to every bee keeper. Ask for the paper and the book. We Sell the Best Incubators and Brooders. Delivered at your station, prices the lowest. Write us at once and save money. Address LEAHY MFG. CO., 10 Talmage St., Higginsville, Mo. Branches at Omaha, Neb. and East St. Louis, 11L t* May 31, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 471 BEE -BOOKS SENT POSTPAID BY GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, - CHICAGO, ILL. Advanced Bee-Culture. Its Methods and Management, by W. Z. Hutchinson. — The author of this work is a prac- tical and helpful writer. You should read his book; 330 pages; bound in cloth, and beautifully illustrated. Price, $1.20. A B C of Bee-Culture, by A. I. & K. R. Root. — A cyclopedia of over 500 pages, describing everything pertaining to the care of the honey-bees. Contains about 400 engravings. It was written espe- eiallv for beginners. Bound in cloth. Price, $1.20. Scientific dueen-Rearlne, as Practi- cally Applied, by G. M. Doolittle. — A method by which the very best of queen-bees are reared in perfect accord with Nature's way. Bound in cloth and illustrated. Price, $1.00; in leatherette binding, 75 cents. Bee-Keeper's Guide, or Manual of the Apiary, by Prof. A. J. Cook, of Pomona College, California.' 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. 544 pages. 295 illustrations. Bound in cloth. 19th thousand. Price, $1.20. I.nnestmtli on the Honey-Bee, revised by Dadant. — This classic in bee-culture has been entirely re-written, and is fully illustrated. It treats of every- thing relating to bees and bee-keeping. No apiarian library is complete without this standard work by Rev. L. L. Lang- stroth — the Father of American Bee- Culture. It has 520 pages, bound in cloth. Price, $1.20. Honey as a Health Food — This is a 16-page honey-pamphlet intended to help increase the demand for honey. The first part of it contains a short article on "Honey as Food," written by Dr. C. C. Miller. It tells where to keep honey, how to liquefy it, etc. The last part is devoted to "Honey-Cooking Re- cipes" and "Remedies Using Honey." It should be widely circulated by those soiling honey. The more the people are educated on the value and uses of honey the more honey they will buy. Prices: Sample copy for 2-cent stamp; 50 copies for 70 cents; 100 for $1.25; 250 for $2.25; 500 for $4.00; or 1000 for 1 Your business card printed free at the bottom of the front page on all orders for 100 or more copies. Forty Years Among the Bees, by Dr. C. C. Miller. — This book contains 328 pages, is bound in handsome cloth, with gold letters and design; it is printed on best book-paper, and illustrated with 112 beautiful original half-tone pic- tures, taken by Dr. Miller himself. It is unique in this regard. The first few pages are devoted to an interesting biographical sketch of Dr. Miller, tell- ing how he happened to get into bee- keeping. About 20 years ago he wrote a small book, called "A Year Among the Bees," but that little work has been out of print for a number of years. While some of the matter used in the former book is found in the new one, it all reads like a good new story of suc- cessful bee-keeping by one of the mas- ters, and shows in minutest detail just how Dr. Miller does things with bees. Price, $1.00. "The Honey-Money Stories." — A 64- page-and-cover booklet, 53ix8V4 inches in size, printed on best quality paper. Many short, bright stories interspersed with facts and interesting items about honey and its use. The manufactured comb honey misrepresentation is con- tradicted in two items, each ocupying a full page, but in different parts of the booklet. It has in all 33 fine illus- trations, nearly all of them being of apiaries or apiarian scenes. It also contains 3 bee-songs, namely, "The Hum of the Bees in the Apple-Tree Bloom." "Buckwheat Cakes and Honey," and "The Bee-Keepers' Lullaby." This booklet should be placed in the hands of everybody not familiar with the food-value of honey, for its main ob- ject is to interest people in honey as a daily table article. Price, 25 cents, or 3 copies for 50 cents. Increased Business Compels Larger Space So we have just doubled our capacity in the building at 141 Ontario Street, where we carry a full line of POULTRY SUPPLIES and LEWIS POPULAR BEEWSRE Catalogs on application. Orders filled promptly at Factory Prices. Beeswax wanted — 28c cash or 30c in trade. Italian Bees in modern hives with select Queens for sale. Also Pure Italian Queens. YORK HONEY SSE CO. H. M. ARND. MGH. (Not Inc. 141 Ontario St., CHICAGO, ILL. (Phone North 1559.) Mention Bee Journal when writing. B66-K66pers' supplies Lewis' Famous Bee-Hives and Sections, Root's Smokers and Extractors, Dadant's Comb Foundation, Etc., Queen-Bees and Nuclei in Season. Large and complete stock, prompt service. We meet all competition who will furnish first-class goods. INCUBATORS AND BROODERS We carry a complete stock of " Mandy Lee " Incubators and Brooders. Don't fail to investigate these machines. The more you know about incubation, the more you will like the "Mandy Lee" Incubator. The "Mandy Lee Brooder " is a complete old hen, all but the "cluck." Our free incubator cat- alog describes them. CUM &r\f\ I I O f*f\ 1004. East Wash. Street ■ Mi SOU I I OC \S\J. INDIANAPOLIS. IND. ** ** *+ Mention Bee Journal when writing. BEE-SUPPLIES We manufacture everything needed in the Apiary, and carry a large stock and greatest variety. We assure you the best goods at LOWEST PRICES and our excellent freight facilities enable us to make prompt shipments over 15 dif- ferent roads, thereby saving you excessive freight charges as well as time and worry in having goods transferred and damaged. We make the Alternating, Massie, Langstroth and the Dovetail Hives Our prices are very reasonable, and to convince you of such we will mail you our free illustrated and descriptive catalog and price-list upon request. We want every beekeeper to have our Catalog. SPECIAL DISCOUNTS now. Write to-day. Address, KRET6MER MFG. 60., Council Bluffs, Iowa. Muscatine Produce Co., Muscatine, Iowa. Trester Supply Co., 103 S. 11th Street, Lincoln, Neb. Shugart-Ouran Seed Co., Council Bluffs, Iowa. T. B. Vallette & Son, Salina, Kan. Catalogs issued in English or German. 1 'In every country tne successful advertiser is the continuous advertiser.5 472 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 31, 1906 " If Goods are wanted Oulck, send to Pouder " BEE-SUPPLIES Root's Goods at Root's rrioes $ Everything used by Bee-Keepers. 3ji POUDER'S HONEY-JARS. Prompt Service. * Low Freight Rates. .-. .•. .'. Catalog Free. <*» BEESWAX WANTED I pay highest market price for beeswax, delivered here, at any time, cash or trade. Make small shipments by express; large shipments by freight, always being sure to attach your name to the package. My large illustrated catalog is free. I 6hall be glad to send it to you. WALTER S. POUDER, 513-515 Massachusetts Ave., INDIANAPOLIS, IND. ^\*/\*/\*/W/\i/l*n*/\*>\*/\*>\*/\*>^/V*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\i/^/\*i\i/\*/\*/^ Everything1 for the Apiary Wholesale Agents for G.B. Lewis Co. Dadant's Foundation BUY NOW— TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE DISCOUNT. SEND US YOUR ORDERS. LOUIS HANSSEN'S SONS DAVENPORT, IOWA CAUCASIAN QUEENS! Caucasian Bees are very gentle. They are easy to handle and are, therefore, suited 10 be- ginners, timid bee-keepers and to those who keep bees in town. If you want to try this race, or if you want to improve the stock cf your Ital- ian Bees, write to ROBERT B. McCAIN, 2Atf YORKVILLE. ILL. R. F. D. The Choicest of Tested Queens By Return Mail— $i.oo Each, From our fine strain of 3-band Italians, that are unsurpassed as honey-gatherers. Try them ; they will not disappoint you. Send for price-list. J. W. K. SHAW & CO. 19Atf LOREAUVILLE, Iberia Co., LA. BEE-KEEPERS HU Send for our 1906 Free Illustrated Catalog. Good Goods, Low Prices and Prompt Shipments are what you get if you send your orders to — l? Summit Reached 4 Prices of Queens, Italian and Caucasian: Untested in June, SI each; dozen, $9. Tested in June, $1.25 each; dozen, $12. Selected Queens of any grade, 25 cents extra. Prices of Nuclei on application. The Wood Bee-Hive Company LANSING, MICH. 22Etf Please mention the Bee Journal. $12.25 to Buffalo, N.Y., and return, from Chicago, via Nickel Plate Road, June 9th, 10th and 11th, with return limit of June 25th. Nickel Plate Office, room 298, 113 Adams St., Chicago. 8— 22A2t QUEENS" Be6t 3-band Italian— 1 Untested Queen, "5c ; 6 for 84; 12 for $7.25. One 2-f rame Nucleus with Queen, $2.25; 10 in one bunch, $17.50. LUTHER PRESSWOOD, 6E7t RELIANCE, TENN. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Queens Now Ready to Mail None better at any price. Untested at 50c ; Warranted at 75c; Tested at $1.00. Discount on quantity. GRANT ANDERSON, 20Atf SABINAL, TEXAS. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Bees, Queens and Bee-Supplies We manufacture standard dovetailed bee- hives and supplies, cheaper than you ever bought before. Our Queens and Bees stand at the head in quality. Untested, 75c each; $4.25 for 6, or $8 per doz. Tested, $1.25 each ; $12 per doz. Select Tested, $1.50. Special prices to dealers in large lots on application. State Agent6 for Dittmer's Foundation. Catalog free. THE BEE & HONEY COMPANY (Will Atchley, Prop.) Beeville. Bee Co., Texas. Italian and Caucasian BEES, QUEENS, AND NDCLEi Choice home-bred and Im- ported stock. All Queens reared in full colonies. Prices of Italians in MAY : One Untested Queen $ .90 " Tested Queen 1.10 " Select Tested Queen 1 40 " Breeding Queen 2.20 1-comb nucleus (no queen) .95 2 " •' " 1.60 3 " " " 2.40 Untested in May; all others ready now from last season's rearing. Safe arrival guar- anteed. For prices on Caucasians and larger quanti- ties, and description of each grade of queens, send for free catalog. J. L. STRONG IGAtf 204 E- Logan St., Clarinda, Iowa. May 31, 1906 1HE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 473 0 $3.25 Per Thousand for No. 1 SeCtJORS $275 Per Thousand for No. 2 SeCtlOHS F.O.B. Antigo, Wis. PROMPT SHIPMENTS. Above close prices because we have discontinued the manufacture of Sections, and are anxious to close them out. We guarantee them to be first-class in every respect — equal to any on the market to-day. ORDER QUICK, while the assortment of sizes lasts. Cash must accompany order. COLUMBIA MFG. COMPANY APPLETON, WIS. 65c for 12 names ffisssW-SK! ptamps taken— we will send for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Call— reg. Bub. price 40c a year. F. C. is a wkly., 25 years old, 1,300 pages a year. Sample free. FAHMBR'S CALL, Quincy.Ill. Mention Bee Journal when writing. AllPPIK A liue Honey -Gathering- Strain o1 \AlM.l.ll? Italians and Carniolans, at 75 cents each ; 3 for $2; 6 for $3.50; or $6.50 per dozen, for Untested. Tested, $1 each, or $10 a dozen. GEORGE W, BARNES, 17A26t 138 N. Pleasant St., Norwalk, Ohio. This Offer Good Until July 1st Only ! DOOLITTLE'S QUEEN- REARING BOOK For Only 25 Cents When taken with the Weekly American Bee Journal lor One Year at $1 — making $1.25 for both. (Book bound in Leatherette cover, otherwise same as the cloth-bound book, which is $1.) This offer is open to any body, either new or old subscribers, but the latter when accept- ing it must send enough to pay their subscriptions a year in advance, if they are in arrears now. Mr. Doolittle's book tells in detail just how he rears the best queens possible; also gives His Methods ol Comb Honey Production. Every beekeeper should have this book. (126 pages.) Our Standard-Bred Italian dueens are unexcelled. Reared by best queen-breeders. Prices— 1 Untested, 75c; 3 for $2.10; or 6 for ■S4.00. Orders filled in rotation. Better get your orders in \< >W for June delivery. The Weekly American Bee Journal one year with Untested Italian Queen — both for $1.50. Or, if your own subscription is paid to the eud of lflOG or beyond, send us SI. 00 and the name and address of a new subscriber for the Bee Journal a year, and we will mail to you a Standard-Bred Queen FREE. Sample copy of the Weekly Bee Journal free on request, or a Trial Trip of 3 months (13 copies) for only 20 cents, to a new reader. Better order now, as there are lots of good things appearing in its columns every week. Address, GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, ILL. Cheap Rates to Boston $19.00 for round-trip from Chicago (plus $1.00) via the Nickel Plate Road, May 31st to June 9th, inclusive, with privi- lege of extension of return limit to July 15th. $24 00 via New York City, all rail, or $23.00 via New York City and steamer in both directions between New York and Boston. Stopover at Niagara Falls and Chautauqua Lake points, if desired, within limit of ticket. Tickets good on any train on above dates. No excess fare charged on any train on Nickel Plate Road. Meals in Nickel Plate dining-cars, on American Club Meal Plan, ranging in price from 35 cents to SI. 00, Mid-day Luncheon 50 cents ; also a la carte. Three through trains daily, with mod- ern Pullman sleeping cars to Fort Wayne, Findlay, Fostoria. Cleveland, Erie, Buffalo, New York City and New England points. Trains depart from La Salle St. Station, Chicago, the only Depot on the Elevated Loop. Write John Y. Calahan, General Agent, Room 298, 113 Adams St., Chicago, for reserva- tion of berths, in through standard and tourist sleepers, and full particulars. 2~20A4t Bees For Sale 100 colonies of Bees for sale cheap in 10-frame h. hives. All frames are worked out on full sheets of heavy fouudatlon. 100 all-zinc uueen- exclttding Honey-Boards. Queen and Drone Traps, Smokers, 1 and 2 pound Sections, Hoff- man self-spacing Frames, etc. Address, G. PROCHNOW, 18A"' MAYVILLE. WI8. Please mention Bee Journal when writing Advertisers. 474 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL May 31 1906 CHARLES MONDENG SECTION MACHINE Is covered by two Patents. With this wonderful inven- tion the cost of making Sections may be reduced to $1.15 per 1000. If such Machine will interest you, write for further information. Do not write about it unless you mean business. BEE-SUPPLIES t2? QUEENS My Catalog for 1906 is now ready for distribution. I am the Northern Headquarters for Adel Queens and Bees, and good, honest Bee-Keepers' Supplies. If you have not received my Catalog, write for it. Address, ISO NEWTON -A.-VE. CHARLES MONDENG, , N., MINNEA-FOI-iIS, MINN. Have You Passed the Experimental Stage? Most bee-keepers have been convinced that when time and material are figured, it pays to buy hires, and the best i6 not only as cheap, but — The Best is the Cheapest ! The Elgin Hive excels in many ways — no nails to drive — no dovetails — can be taken apart at any time. Many are using them. You should be. Write to-day for catalog, etc. We sell full line of SUPPLIES. The National Supply Co. ELGIN, ILL. Mention Bee Journal when writing. To sell lot of 300 empty 60-lb. capacity Honey- Cans. All in one lot, or less quantities. Cans are in first-class condition. We are also in the market for Fancy Comb and Extracted Honey. Correspondence solicited Michigan White Clover Honey Co. AOENC1ES: DETROIT. MICH. 35 So. Delaware Street, Indianapolis, Ind. 150 E. Jefferson Street, Louisville, Ky. 643 Broadway S.E., Cleveland, Ohio. 20A13t Please mention the Bee Journal Queen-Clipping Device Free! The Monette Queen-Clipping Device is a fine thing for use in catching and clipping Queens' wings. It is used by many bee- keepers. Full printed directions sent with each one. We mail it for 35 cents; or will send it FREE as a premium for sending us One New subscriber to the Bee Journal ifor a year at $1.00; or for 81.10 we will mail the Bee Journal one year and the Clipping Device. Address, OEOROE W. YORK & CO., - CHICAGO, ILL. Is made of the best grade of White Pine, ace rately cut, so it will go together without the use of tools, except a hammer. Such is the kind of Hives we make, at d such is the kind you get when you buy from us. " It is a cinch " that we make lower prices than you can get from any dealer, as you save the middleman's profit when you buy direct from the manufacturer. We are Manufacturers, and sell direct to the consumer. Send us a list of your wants, and let us make you prices. We guarantee everything we sell to be satisfactory, or refund the money. We have large stocks of Dovetailed Hives, Sections, Shipping-Cases, Foun. dation, Veils, Smokers, etc., on hand, and can ship promptly. Minnesota Bee-Supply Go., Power Bldg., No. 33. JOHN DOLL & SON. PROPRIETORS MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. Bee-Keepers If you want Sections that you can put a full sheet of foundation in 4 sections at once; or any other Bee-Supplies, send for Catalog to 20Atf A. COPPIN, Wenona, III. Mention Bee Journal when writing;. One Fare for Round Trip plus $1.00 from Chicago to Boston and return, via Nickel Plate Road, May 31st to June 9th, inclusive. Also ex- cursion rates via New York City. Ex- tended return limit July 15th. John Y. Calahan, General Agent, Room 298, 113 Adams St., Chicago. 3— 20A4t A. H. REEVES DISTRIBUTOR OF ROOT'S GOODS FOR NORTHERN NEW YORK Perch River, Jefferson Co., N. Y. 19A4t Please mention the Bee Journal. i «oei 2? BS. *S«. *8£SI P.»M And last from 5 to 21 years Otisville, Pa., Jan. 18, 1904. HDear Sir: — I have tried almost everything in the smoker line; 3 In the last 3 years. In short If I want any more smokers your new style ia good enongh for me. I thank the editor of Re- view for what he said of It. Those remarks in- duced me to get mine. Feed Fodner. Mention Bee Journal when writing. The Rietsche Press Made of artificial stone. Practically Inde- structible, and giving entirely satisfactory re- sults. Comb foundation made easily and quickly at less than half the cost of buying from the dealers. Price of Press, $1. 50 — cash with order. Address, ADRIAN GETAZ, 45Atf KNOXVILLE, TENN. WJ.G. Goodner, of this State, writes me that he " prefers to pay $25.00 for a Rietsche Press rather than do without it."— A. G. Mention Bee Journal when writing. $19.00 to Boston and Return $19.00 plus $1. from Chicago, via Nickel Plate Road, May 31st to June 9th, inclusive ; also via New York City at excursion rates. Return limit of July ISth by extension of ticket. Folders, rates and all information furnished by applying to John Y. Calahan, General Agenti Room 298, 113 Adams St., Chicago. 4— 20A4t Please mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. May 31, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 475 Excellent Goods Lowest FriGes Bee - Supplies OF ALL KINDS ESTABLISHED 25 YEARS We have published THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER for 16 years (monthly, 50c a year.) The largest and best il- lustrated magazine of its kind for the price published. Edited by two of the most experienced bee - keepers in America. Sample copy free. Our large, illustrated Price-List of Supplies free on application. Address, The W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co. JAflESTOWN, N.Y. Mention Bee Journal when writing. £)oney ant) * 23eestpax* ^= Chicago, May 18.— We are having very Utile call for honey, either comb or extracted. Fancy comb is bringing 15c; other grades from 10@14c. Extracted, white, 6H@7c; amber, 5@6c. Bees- wax, 30c. R. A. BtJRNKTT & Co. Toledo, Feb. 19.— The market for comb honey has been better for the past two weeks than at any time during the past season. Prices are firm on account of the scarcity. We are getting 15@16c for fancy white clover; 14@15c for No. 1, and 13@14c for amber. Buckwheat, 13c. Extracted honey is in good demand at following prices: White clover in barrels brings 6^i@7c; amber, 5K@5>£c; in cans every grade from l@l!^c higher. Beeswax is firm and in good demand at 28 and 30c. The above are our selling prices, not what we pay. Griggs Bros. Indianapolis, May 12— Fancy white clover comb brings 16c; No. 1, 14c; demand exceeds the supply; fancy white western comb brings 14@15c; amber grades in poor demand at 12c Best grade of extracted honey brings 8&<&9c in 60-pound cans; amber, 6c. Good average bees- wax sells here for $33 per 100 pounds. Walter S. Poudbr. Philadelphia, May 18.— The old lots of comb honey are abont cleaned up in this mar- ket, and the market is ready for new goods. There are not enough sales to give quotations. Some old extracted honey is selling at, white, 6@7c; amber, S§ 6c. Beeswax firm, 29c. We are producers of honey and do not handle on commission. Wm. A. Sklser. New York, May S. — There is still some de- mand for comb honey, mostly for fancy grades, which are selling at from 14@15c per pound; off grades in no demand and prices are irregular, ranging from $(a 12c, according to quality; suf- ficient supply to meet demand. Extracted is in fair demand, mostly from California, of which there seems to be abundant supply of all grades. Wequote: White, 6K@7c; light amber, 6c; dark, 5@5J£c, according to quality and quan- tity. Beeswax scarce and firm at 29@30c. HlLDRETH &. SkOSIEEN. Headquarters for Bee-Supplies Complete Stock for 1906 now on hand. FREIGHT- RATES FROM CINCINNATI are the LOWEST, ESPECIALLY for the SOUTH as 'most all freight now goes through Cincinnati. Prompt Service is what I practice. You will Satisfaction Guaranteed. SAVE MONEY BUYING FROM ME. ££&"£„£ ^ Let me ^^ vTT^ITl^TCi bred in separate apiaries, book your ill W] Kl l\l ^ theGOLBEN VEI, Order for Vf, %J Mi rjll KJ LOWS, CARNIO- LANS, RED CLOVERS and CAUCASIANS. For prices, refer to my catalog, page 29. C. H.W.WEBER™11 Office and Salesrooms, 2146-48 Central Ave. Warehouses. Freeman and Central Aves. Cincinnati, March 8.— The conditions of the market, at the present time, are not encourag- ing. Honey is offered from all sides, at prices utterly regardless of the value of the article. At the same time, all indications point to an unusually good honey crop, which adds in t making it a drag on the market. Amber ex- racted honey in barrels, £@6Hc; fancy white, in cans, (>H@H%c. Choice yellow beeswax, 30c, delivered here. The Fred W. Muth Co. Denver, Feb. S— Owing to the mild weather the demand for honey has not been as good as usual at this time of year. We are quoting strictly No. 1 white alfalfa comb honey at $3.35 to 13.75 per case of 24 sections: off grade and light amber at }3 to $3.30. White extracted alfalfa in 60-pound cans, 7J^@8J^c; light amber, t}i@1%c. Beeswax, 24c for clean yellow. The Colo. Honey-Producers' Assn. Kansas City, May 5,— Our market is about cleaned up on old comb honey. What there is now left is selling at $3.25 per case for fancy white. It looks as if there would be a good de- mand for nev honey just as soon as it comes to market. There will be very little comb honey left over this season in this city. Extracted is moving rather slowly at 5^-<§6c. Beeswax, 25c per ponnd. C. C Clbmons & Co. Cincinnati, March ".—The demand for comb honey is slow, prices obtained are the same. Stock od hand seems to be sufficient to supply the wants. Quote f^ncy white, 14@l6c Amber extracted in barrels, 5%@S%c\ in cans,HjC more; fancy white clover in 60-lb. cans, 7>6@8>6 cents; Southern, equal to white clover in color, from 6H@7c. Bright yellow beeswax, 30c. C H.W, Weber. Please Mention Bee Journal when writing; advertisers. HONEY AND BEESWAX When consigning, buying or selling, consult R. A. BURNETT & CO. 199 South Water St. Chicago. III. Gash for Beeswax Highest market price paid promptly all the time for good wax. Frank G.Glark, 147 E.KinzieSt.Ghicago,lll. FOR SALE Until further notice, finest quality new crop California Water-White White Sage and Light Amber HONEY in 60-lb. tins, 2 in a case; new cans and new cases. Write for prices and sam- ples, and state quantity you want. HlLDRETH & SEGELKEN 265 & 267 Greenwich Street, New York, N.Y. 34Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. FOR, SALE Second Hand Empty 60-pouud MONEV-CANS — two in a crate. In lots of 10, 40c per crate; 25 or more crates, at 35c per crate. THE FRED W. MUTH CO. 20Atf 51 Walnut St., Cincinnati, Ohio. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Wb Sell Root's Goods in Michigan Let us quote you prices on Sections, Hives, Foundation, etc, as we can save you time and freight. Beeswax Wanted for Cash. M. H. HUNT 4 SON. Bell Branch, Wayne Co., Mich Mention Bee Journal when writing. 1 BEE-SUPPLIES I !C We handle the finest Bee-Supplies, made by the W. T. Falconer g\ ^% Mfg. Co., Jamestown, N. Y. Big Discounts on early orders. Let us ^> "•^ figure with you on your wants. ^r ^ Muth Special Dovetail Hives have a Honey-Board, Warp-Proof g^ \£ Cover, and Bottom-Board. Think of it, same price as the regular styles. ^; ^5 Send for Catalog. ■ ".. State Fair Honey Exhibit of Aaron Coppin. The Late Hon. J. M. Hambaugh. (See page 482 ) 3? Rev. W. I. Brooks and Apiary, of Superior, Nebr. 478 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL June 7, 1906 PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY GEORGE W.YORK S COMPANY 334 Dearborn Street, Chicago, 111. IMPORTANT NOTICES. THE SUBSCRIPTION PRICE of this Journal is $l.oo a year, in the United States, Canada, and Mexico; all other countries in the Postal Union, 50 cents a year extra for postage. Sample copy free. THE WRAPPER-LABEL DATE indicates the end of the month to which your subscription is pa'.d. For instance, " dec<)6 " on your label shows that it is paid to the end of December, 19^6. SUBSCRIPTION RECEIPTS.-We do not send a receipt for money sent us to pay subscription, but change the date on your wrapper-label, which shows that the money has been received and credited. Advertising Rate, per Agate Line, 10c 14 lines make one inch. Nothing less than % inch accepted. Time Discounts. 4 times — 5 per cent 13 " ....10 " 26 " ....20 " 52 " ...-30 t; .Space Discounts. lOOlines. 500 " . 1CO0 " . 2000 " . . 5 per cent .10 .20 " .30 " These rates are subject to either time or space discounts, at choice, but not both. Reading- Notices, 25 cents, count line, subject to the above discounts. Goes to press Monday morning. National Bee Keepers' Association Objects of the Association. 1st.— To promote the interests of its members. 2d.— To protect and defend its members in their lawful rights. 3d.— To enforce laws against the adulteration of honey. Annual Membership Dues, $i.oo. General Manager and Treasurer — N. E. France, Platteville, Wig. PT" If more convenient. Dues may be sent to the ublishers of the American Bee Journal. The Emerson Binder. This Emerson stiff-board Binder with cloth back for the American Bee Journal we mall for but 75 cents; or we will send It with the Bee Journal for one year— both for only $1.50. It la a fine thing to preserve the copies of the Jour- nal as fast as they are received. If yon have this " Emerson " no further binding is neces- sary. QEORaE W. YORK & CO.. 334 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, ILX Contents of this Number Illustrations — Apiary of Rev. W. I. Brooks ist Paee HambauRh. J. M i8t i»ftKe State Fair Honey Exhibitof Aaron Coppin.lst Page Editorial Notes and Comments — Bee- Keeping in the Public Press.. 481 Bees Building Comb Over Wires "' 481 Deep Bottom-Boards for Wintering 481 Does Heat Escape from the Bee-('luster ? 4S2 Exposing to Air Hastening Granulation.. 482 Mire, Honey. Doolittle, Hasty and Miller.. . 4*1 femartweed Honey 48l Miscellaneous News Items — Apiary of Kev. W. I. Brooks... 482 Best "Swarm of B's " 4M Honey Exhibit of Aaron Coppin!"! 4«-> Honey- Producers' League " 482 National Bee-Keepers' Association.!.'.!'.'."!'.".!! 482 Sketches of Beedomites — Hambaugh,J.M 483 Contributed Special Articles— Breeding Queens-How and When to Select Them 4g4 Comb Honey and Natural Swarming 485 Queen-RearingandthePreventionof Increase 485 Rearing Queens-Dangers of Mixing Races.... 483 Rendering Beeswax and Bee-Glue 485 Southern Beedom — Bee-Paralysis and "Cures" 48fl Progeny of Golden Queen and Black Drone (?) 486 To Rid a Colony of Laying Workers 486 Canadian Beedom — Agricultural Associations Act 4*7 Educate the PubUc on Honey.... 48« Spring Notes on Bees 437 World Value of Clover , ..... 4*6 Our Sister Bee-Keepers — Clipping Queens' "Wings— Why and How 487 Number of Colonies and the Location 487 Mr. Hastes Afterthoughts— Another Tall Assistant Editor 488 Cow-peas in the North 488 Formaldehyde in Molasses 488 Honey Above the Hive-Entrance 488 Larger Baby-Nucleus MethodB 488 Ohio Foul Brood Law.. 488 Properly speaking of Hybrid Bees 488 That Firm of "Doll-ies" 488 Dr. Millers Question-Box — Albino, Punic and Holy Land Bees 488 Best Hive-Cover 488 Bitter Honey 48y Comb-Honey Management 489 Italianizing Black Colonies 489 Perhaps a Laying Worker 488 Preventing Bee-Moths. Worms and Ro iches.. . 488 Putting on Supers 488 Requ-'ening 488 Transferring 488 Reports and Experiences Getting the Honey Now 489 Good Queen 489 Honey-Flow Has Begun 489 Iowa Pure Food Law 4-9 Late and Backward Season 489 Lost from Lack of Stores 49 1 Moving Bees 489 Prospects for a Good Season 4*9 Season Late in California 489 That Method of Swarm Control 490 Too Cool for Bee- Work 489 Wiring to Prevent Sagging of Comb Founda- tion 490 Working in Supers 489 Langstroth on u,e *» Honey-Bee Revised by Dadant— Latest Edition. This is one of the standard books on bee-culture, and ought to be in the library of every bee-keeper. It is bound substantially in cloth, and contains over 500 pages, being revised by those large, practical bee-keepers, so well- known to all the readers of the Ameri- can Bee Journal — Chas. Dadant & Son. Each subject is clearly and thoroly ex- plained, so that by following the in- structions of this book one cannot fail to be wonderfully helped on the way to success with bees. The book we mail for" $1.20, or club It with the American Bee Journal for one year — both for $2.00 ; or, we will mail it as a premium for sending us THREE NEW subscribers to the Bee Journal for one year, with $3.00. This is a splendid chance to get a grand bee-book for a very little money or work. GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, 11,1, NOT IN THE TRUST We will stamp your Cans "PURE Extracted Honey"— FREE Our prices for 1906 are the lowest to the National Bee-Keepers' Association. Write us. Now Is the time TO BUY FRICTION TOP CANS FOR HONEY AND SYRUP Canners Can Co. 1035 W. 47th St., CHICAGO. ILL. June 7, 1906 THt AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 479 u DADAHT'S FOUNDATION" IT EXCELS EVERY INCH equal to sample Beauty, Purity, Firmness. No Sagging, No Loss. Twenty-seven Years of Experience. We Guarantee Satisfaction. WAX WORKED INTO FOUNDATION BEE=SUPPLIES of all kinds. Beeswax Wanted at all times DADANT & SONS, Hamilton, 111. SEND FOR OUR CATALOG [FREE Send 25c for 3-months sub- scription to the weekly AMERICAN FANCIER and gret beautiful colorpict- uretelO of the noted BuffPb'- mouth Rock that cost $750 AMERICAN FANCIER. 313Havemeyer Bldg., New York, Big Profits in Capons [CAPON TOOLS G. P. Pilling & Son, dponizing is easy— soon learned. Complete outfit with free instructions \ postpaid $2.50. BGape Worm Extractor 25c Poultry Marker 25c i French Killing Knife50c | Capon Book Free. Philadelphia, Pa, DO YOU KNOW THAT THE SALE OF DITTMER'S FOUNDATION Has increased so much that we were forced to double our melting capacity in order to fill orders promptly? There is a Reason for This — It is because Dittmer's Foundation is tough, clear, and transparent, and has the natural odor of beeswax. Agents for Dittmer's Foundation : W. D. Soper, Bee Ai Honey Co., Jackson, Mich. Beeville, Tex. E. H. Taylor, Welwyu Station, Herts, Eng. E. Grainger & Co., Toronto, Ont., Canada. Our warehouse is well stocked with all kinds of Bee-Keepers' Supplies. Beeswax always wanted. QUS DITTMER, Augusta, Wis. on Bee Journal when writing. r Wisconsin Basswood Sections And Prompt Shipments Is what we are making for our customers. — DOVETAILED HIVES AND SHIPPING-CASES - We carry a full line of SUPPLIES. Ask for Catalog. IE HARSHFIELD HANUFACTURINQ CO., Harshfleld, Wis. Mention Bee Journal when wTlrtnjr- Root's Bee=Supplies You know what this means. FOUR CAR- LOADS OP NEW GOODS ON HAND. Our business increased last year 100 percent over 1904. This is a proof that we are saving our customers monev. Try us. LOW FREIGHT RATES FROM TOLEDO. LARGE DIS. COUNTS — THAT TELLS THE STORY. Our 80-page Catalog is sent free. GRIGGS BROS. 521 Monroe Street, TOLEDO, OHIO. Mention Bee Journal when writing. FOR_SALE About 300 perfect Worker Combs, mostly in Hoffman wired frames of the size used in the dovetail hives. Some are in loose-hang- ing frames. All frames have the thick top- bars. Price, 15 cents each. EDWIN BEVINS, Leon, Iowa. 23A4t Please mention the Bee Journal. Best Northern Wisconsin, per thousand. No. 1, $4.20; and No. 2, $3.70; 24 lb. no drip Shipping-Case, 14c Root's Dovetail and Danz. Comb-Honey Hives. Italian Qneens, etc. 12A13t M. S. DUBY, St. Anne, III. Mention Bee Journal when writing. If you want the Bee-Book That covers the whole Apicnltural Field more completely than any other published, send $1.20 to Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont, Cal., FOR his 11 Bee-Keeper's Guide." Liberal Discounts to the Trade. 65c for 12 Names f^?SeTnadndP^;c- stamps taken— we will send for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Call— reir. sub. price 40fl a year. F. C. is a wkly., 25 years old, 1,300 j a^esa year. Sample free. FARMER'S CALL. Quincy, 111. Sections 480 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL June 7, 1906 NO. 2 SECTIONS Different Styles of Sections Style / Beeway, commonly called closed top. m Style 2 Beeway, open top and bottom. This style is sent when no other is specified. Style. 1 Bee-way, open three sides lr ** ,; Style 4 Beeway, open on all four sides. 5 P Style 5 Plain, do beeways. Used with fences. Most people seem to think that No. 2 sections are worthless, but in looking into the question, you will see they are the same as No. 1 except color. We have an unusually large stock of all standard sizes both Beeway and Plain that we have graded No. 2, and the quality is far above the average for No. 2 grade. Indeed, we believe they are superior to many so-called No. 1 grade on the market to-day. The great majority are perfect in all respects except that they are some- what creamy in color. The wood is as 6trong, and the workmanship fully equal to the No. 1 grade. Our surplus stock of No. 1 grade is exhausted, and we may have difficulty in making them fast enough to supply all orders promptly. In many cases, it may be an advantage to get No. 2 grade promptly rather than have orders delayed waiting for No. 1. Your honey will look a6 well, and sell as well in No. 2 sec- tions as in No. 1. Let us have your orders for a larger proportion of the No. 2 grade. We are running overtime on both Sections and Comb Foundation in an effort to supply them as fast as needed. Price List of Sections i}i by 4J-4 by any width 1% to 2. Widths of style 2 Beeway sections generally kept in stock are 1 15-16, \%, 1%, 7-to-ft., while 2, 1%, and 1% can also be furnished : plain sections l1.,', I'1*, 1\, and IJ4. When you do nqt specify style or width we will send style 2 Beeway, 1% inches wide. In style 5, l).2-inch will be sent if width is not specified. 5M Style •"> M, 4x5xl38 plain, no beeway. No. 1 No. 2 Per 100 $ .75 $ .65 Per 250 1.50 1.25 Per 500 2.50 2 25 Per 1000 5.00 4.50 I No. 1 No. 2 Per2000 $975 $8.75 Per3000 14.25 12.75 Per4000 1850 16.50 Per5003 22.50 20.00 German Bee-Brush Plain, no-bee-way sections, l^xl^'xl}^, \%, or 1%, 3;5 breed from if her colony were bound to sting June 7, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 485 every time one went into the bee-yard. Such colonics spend their time in hunting up some one to sting. I have had a few black bees that seemed always on the wing, ready to "go for" the first person who entered the apiary. The yellow races of bees do not, as a rule, use their stiiii^ so freely and vigorously as black bees. But who cares for black bees? No one wants them, but the 'way-back bee- man — the fellow who doesn't read the bee-papers. To give further evidence that the peculiarity of a race of bees is transmitted to future generations through, or by, the drone, 1 will relate my experience with a few drones T bought from a distant apiary to mate a few queens. I found these drones and bees 20 miles from my apiary. I took home about too drones. The color of drones and bees was nearly an albino — in fact, the drones seemed to be covered with white hair. When the bees hatched from the Italian queens mated to these drones, I found them a clear albino bee, and very handsome. It will be seen by this that it requires as much care in selecting a drone-mother as it does the queen- mother. A. I. Root once told his readers not to pay any atten- tion to color of drones. That was all right if it was neces- sary only to rear bees. But I have an idea that his re- marks related to color only. If we are looking for the best results in breeding bees, the selection of the drone-bee must be looked after sharply. Essex Co., Mass. # Rendering Beeswax and Bee-Glue BY F. GREINER. DURING a recent long-continued storm I have looked over a lot of extracting combs, culled out the poorest and rendered them with other scraps, etc., into wax. TIk- conclusions I have formed are these: I am getting pretty fair pay for my time when making wax, but I am getting very little for the combs treated. In other words, the wax I am able to make only just about pays fi.r the time it takes to get it. I can make but about three runs with the German steam wax-extractor, and the amount of wax at the end of the day will be about 15 pounds. It is a mussy job and I would gladly give any man half or more of the wax that he might be able to boil, squeeze, extract or get in any way out of the stuff, providing I had nothing to do about it. It is detestable work, anyhow. Such scraps as can be rendered by the solar machine I am willing to work over, but this old-comb business I would like to get rid of. I think I shall build a large solar extractor and make my wax so in the future. I don't expect to obtain very much that way, but it will be nice, and there will be less disagreeable work and waste of time. By way of suggestion, there are just a few men who know how to make beeswax at a profit. They obtain all the wax there is "in it." They even work slumgum over at a profit, and assure us that it contains ]/^ or more of its weight in wax. Now, I don't question the veracity of these gentle- men, but it seems to me that they are just the men to go into the business of making up our wax. I would take a very small share of what they could squeeze or get otherwise out of my combs. They ought to be able to make money out of such a business ; besides, they would render the bee-keepers a valuable service. An establishment of this kind run on a large scale could be run much more economically than we bee-keepers are doing it. If this thing should materialize, I should be glad enough. It is not my intention or desire to advocate wasteful methods. On the other hand, I feel that the bee-keepers must be saving. Wax is a valuable and indispensable prod- uct, and we ought to produce more of it. A few pounds of wax per year mean very little to each bee-keeper individually, but in the aggregate it means thou- sands of pounds and dollars. Can we save them? In the matter of wax-making, the often accumulating propolis has apparently received no attention. It contains quite a little nice wax. I have known instances where the propolizing of sections, etc., was done with pure wax. In fitting our section-honey for crating — which means scraping the sections with the knife — a great deal of propolis accumu- lates on the work-bench and on the floor. Then again dur- ing the winter, when we clean section-holders, fences, supi etc., from the sticky stuff, a number of gallons are swept up from the floor and work- table. Formerly this was burned up just to dispose of it. In examining some of this material the past winter it appeared to me as containing quite a percent of wax. and for the sake of the experiment I filled an old iron-kettle with it, placing it on my shop-stove. I was attending to some other work at the time. When the stuff had melted I kept dipping off the clear beeswax. Then 1 discovered 1 could just pour the wax off. Propolis is very heavy. It will sink in water. Wax is lighter than either propolis or water, consequently these sub- stances could be separated by their specific gravity if they could be brought all together to the fluid state. Unfortu- nately, propolis does not melt at the boiling point of water, and it is therefore not practical to bring the propolis to the melting point while in water. When propolis is in powder form the wax which it contains will, to a great extent, sep- arate from it in the hot water bath, and if left to cool the wax will about all be on top of the water, the propolis being found at the bottom. From a mess of saved-up scrapings, such as always ac- cumulate while getting section honey ready for crating, I obtained fully 25 percent, by weight, of beeswax of a beau- tiful color. If there should be among the 500,000 or 600,000 bee-keepers only 1,000 of them who are similarly situated as I am, and will save the scrapings spoken of, with very little trouble they each may obtain 5 or 6 lbs of nice wax, worth $1.50 — the price of several good bee-papers — and not be out one red cent. This would mean the saving of $1,500, or possibly an enlarged number of readers of the American Bee Journal or other bee-periodicals. What pleased me most was not the saving of a few pounds of wax, but the discovery that beeswax and bee- slue could be separated easilv from each other. Naples, N. Y. # Comb Honey and Natural Swarming— Queen-Rearing and the Pre- vention of Increase BY "BLOOM FIELD." THIS article is intended for beginners who have but a home apiary, and that with a limited number of colo- nies, and who operate for comb honey. Under the con- ditions named, the best results will be obtained by natural swarming, for while it has some disadvantages, the advan- tages predominate. The golden rule of bee-keeping is to "Keep your colonies strong" and undivided as much as possible. Under natural swarming, some colonies will not swarm at all, and these are precisely the colonies that give the great- est yield of surplus honey. This is a distinct and important advantage, for increase of colonies is always obtained at the expense of surplus honey. This is so nearly universally true that the exceptions need not be considered. To keep down increase of colonies, and rear the best queens from select stock, is the next thing to be aimed at. To accomplish this double purpose, proceed as follows: Early in the spring practice stimulative feeding with one or more colonies, that contain the best strain of bees. Use judgment as to the number of young queens you will re- quire under the circumstances. When one of the best colonies swarms, which you have stimulated and induced to swarm early, hive it on the old stand. This swarm contains an old queen, but as she is one of your very best, she deserves to live another year, unless her bees supersede her. We are now done with this swarm, and will not again refer to it. Open the hive of the parent colony and see how many good queen-cells it contains, and how many nuclei you can safelv break it up into. Use judgment. These queen- cells have been reared under the impulse of natural swarm- ing, in full colonies, from select stock, and they will produce the very best of queens, long-lived and prolific. Move the nuclei thus started to other locations. In each, hang a Doolittle feeder of sweetened water or weak syrup. close the entrance with wire-cloth, and confine the bees for ;, days, and give them only a limited amount of ventilation. Later in the reason, when one of your common stock swarms, hive it on the old stand on starters, with a _ queen- excluder above, and the supers over all. Give plenty of super- room. Open the hive of the pa nl colony and brush off all the bees in front of the swarm. This swarm is now a "hum- mer," and should produce large quantities of surplus honey in the supers. If you are afraid they will swarm out and de- camp, give them plenty of ventilation, and put a queen-guard at the entrance for 3 or 4 days. Take the combs from the 486 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL June 7, 1906 parent colony, and distribute to the nuclei, putting all, or nearly all, sheets of sealed brood into one nucleus, and thus make sure it will rapidly become a strong colony. As you have these frames of comb from common stock in your hands, before putting them into a nucleus, you would better destroy all queen-cells found on the combs; and thus save the young queen in the nucleus the trouble of doing so. When the young bees begin to hatch out in the strong nucleus, move it beside the "swarm" that I have designated the hummer, and face the same wav. Now wait and watch. As the old field-bees begin to die off, the swarm will rapidly grow weaker, as it has no hatching bees to take their place and in the meantime the nucleus has become a strong colony. When the proper time comes, (use judgment), take the supers off the swarm, and transfer them to the nucleus- having previously given both colonies the same scent A sliced onion, or camphor-gum, shoved under the brood- frames of each will do it. Move the swarm to the opposite side of the nucleus, facing swarm to rear. In 2 or i, days brin<* die swarm around so it will face the same wav as\he nucleus! Now open the swarm, and kill the old que'en; she will be readily found, as she will not have many bees with her • brush whatever bees she has in front of the nucleus, and take away the hive that contained the swarm. If the starters that were in the swarm have been drawn out to any extent, use them to replace the frames of sealed honey that you take from colonies for winter feeding- or rather for spring feeding. Repeat as other swarms issue.' Thus we have the greatest yield of honey per colony, and have reared the best of queens from select stock, and have prevented increase, or reduced it to a minimum. Davis Countv, Iowa. Southern 4* 23eebom -f Conducted by Lodis H. Scholu New Braunfels, Tex. Progeny of a Golden Queen and a Black Drone (?) Is it possible for a 5-banded queen, mated to a black drone to produce all 3-banded workers? I think I have such a case Glennville, Ga. H. C. Barnard. Yes, in some cases. In one of my yards of blacks golden queens were used to improve the stock of this api- ary. Daughters of these goldens were mated to black drones, and in several cases the resulting progeny were the most evenly marked 3-banded Italians. The majority showed a great variation, however, some of the bees being almost golden or S-banded, while others of the same colony were as black as their black ancestors on the male side, and variations all the way between. Another thing that came to my notice was this : If the mating of a queen does not affect the drone progeny, how does it come about that drones from a pure golden queen will vary if mated to a black drone ? They should all be golden drones, but they were not. To Rid a Colony of Laying- Workers Will you ylease tell me your plan of ridding a colony of layine- workers, and getting a queen in their stead? In some way 2 of my colonies, about 16 or 18 days ago, lost their queens, and before I had discovered the loss they both had layine workers. I have given them 2 different combs containing eggs and larvae, but they refuse to build queen-cells and rear a queen In fact, I have tried all the plans I ever heard of, including those given in the book " A B C of Bee Culture," but with no success. If you can give me any assistance or advice, I will certainly aDnre- Clate "• J. W. Simmons Quite a number of hives were used in experimenting with colonies of laying workers at the Texas A. and M. College apiary several years ago, and many " remedies " were tried with the result that it was finally concluded that the best thing to do with such colonies is to break them up and distribute the combs among other colonies, then to build up a new colony in place of the one that contained the laying workers. In most cases such colonies are, or have, become rather weak, hence of not much value, and still decreasing in bees until a new queen can be introduced, unless hatching brood is given. If the colony is still populous when laying work- ers are discovered, it may be proceeded with as follows : Cover the top of the hive with wire-screen, and over this place an upper story. Place in this a comb with brood, honey, a laying queen and the adhering bees taken from a queen-right colony. Let them remain over the screen 2 or 3 days, when the screen is to be removed and the colony will have a laying queen. Sometimes we have trouble with obstinate colonies that persist in destroying queen-cells or virgin queens when trying to introduce them. These may be treated as the above for laying workers. Old or mismated queens that can generally be found in an apiary are splendid for this method, and if the plan should fail to work no valuable queens would be lost. Bee-Paralysis and "Cures" Mr. L. B. Smith, of Rescue, Tex., advocates the follow- ing for this disease, supposing, of course, that the bees are in movable- frame hives : Most of the complaints about this disease have come from bee-keepers of North Texas, who keep bees in box- hives, or those with frame hives who are not classed with the experienced bee-keeper. He lifts out the combs of brood and honey, bees and all, and sets them in a clean, new hive ; notes the condition of the queen, and if she is feeble or failing he destroys her and introduces a new queen. What will be better is to exchange the brood-combs of the diseased bees for those from healthy colonies, espe- cially if the diseased colony is to be allowed to rear their own queen, as he has reasons to believe that the disease is inherited, and not contagious, hence it would reappear if a new queen were reared from brood of the diseased colony. Mr. Smith then also feeds the bees about a pint of warm sugar syrup at night, with a little less than a teaspoonf ul of table salt well mixed in the syrup. Salt is sprinkled over the top of the frames and on the bottom-board of the hive. The feeding should be kept up for at least 10 days. Many remedies have been given as a sure cure for this disease, but as the disease often disappears without any special treatment from the apiarist, he seriously doubts any of the remedies being of much value, and especially so after having tried most of the remedies with varied results. In our more southern localities this disease generally appears only occasionally in a few colonies, disappearing as soon as new honey and pollen come in. paid at least one week in advance of the an- nual meeting. This, in some cases, might be a wise pro- vision. — » — ■ Spring Notes on Bees Don't " spread brood " until you have been keeping bees and working with them for 10 years. There is not much likelihood of your doing a great deal of it after that time. It is a mistake to try to run more hives than you have bees and good queens for. Don't try to rear queens in May unless yon are an ex- pert. An expert knows better than to try — in this climate. A colony with brood on 6 frames at the middle of May this year is a good one. A 5-frame brood-nest is pretty good; a 4-frame one is ■ fair. Anything smaller will prob- ably require help to get ready for clover. Don't waste time fiddling with very weak colonies. — E. G. H., in Farmers' Advocate. See Langstroth Book Offer on another page of this copy of the American Bee Journal. ^ (Dur* Sister Beekeepers Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, II Clipping Queens' Wings— Why and How There are several good reasons why a man who keeps bees should have his queens clipped. One of these reasons is intensified in the case of a woman, for it's a harder job for a woman to climb after swarms than it is for a man. The one sufficient reason for clipping queens, if there were no other, is that when a swarm issues with a clipped queen the swarm can not go off. It is trne that sometimes the queen may be lost — although not generally — but it is better to lose the queen alone than it is to lose both queen and swarm. It is not a difficult thing to clip a queen, and a woman is better than a man at doing a piece of delicate work with a pair of scissors. More used to handling scissors. " The right time to clip a queen ?" Any time when it suits your convenience. Early in the season, before a col- ony becomes very strong, there are not so many bees in a colony to look through. Still, it is a fact that for some mysterious reason a queen will sometimes elude observation when a colony or nucleus is so weak that it seems you can not fail to notice each individual bee. Even when a colony becomes very strong, it is not so very hard to find a queen at any time during the day when a large portion or the population is afield. Just hold your queen in the thumb and fingers of the left hand, her head pointing to your left, and with a pair of embroidery scissors (although almost anything short of a pair of shears will do) cut off half or more of the two wings on one side. You will wonder to find how easy it is to do, and you will never again want any but clipped queens ; but be sure never to clip a queen before she begins laying. Number of Colonies and the Location Most of the sisters keep only a small number of colo- nies, and, no doubt, many a regret is felt at this fact. Yet keeping a small number, provided that no other bees are near by, is not without its compensations. It is well known that in the majority of places the harvest is limited to only a few weeks, sometimes to only a few days. Indeed, the bee-keeper who can be assured of not more than 10 days of heavy flow each year is not so badly off. Not that there is an absolute dearth throughout the whole season, except on the favored 10 days ; but that so little comes at any other time in the year, that where a large number of bees covers the field all that is gathered at any other time is used up by the bees for their daily needs, and often they must draw on their reserve stores to eke out the daily allowance. Although it may not be known certainly just what is that daily allow- ance, it is no doubt far under the mark to say that during the flying season a colony consumes for its own needs SO pounds of honey. For the sake of illustration, let it be assumed that the daily bill of fare for each colony during the summer is a half pound of honey. Suppose 100 colonies in one location are just enough to keep the nectar cleaned up each day, and that it is also cleaned up in the hive by the " old folks " and the " babies," so that nothing is left over for storing. At a half pound of honey for each colony, that would make 50 pounds of honey daily. Now suppose, instead of 100, there are only 10 colonies in the same yard, and that they are still able to keep the field cleaned, gathering the 50 pounds daily; that would be 5 pounds for each colony, and after deducting half a pound for the family table, there would be left \VZ pounds as daily surplus. Continue that for 100 days, and the colony would have 450 pounds of surplus as its sea- son's work. Of course, it is not fair to assume that the 10 colonies could always keep the nectar cleaned up, but it might come close to it, and the illustration is sufficient to show that a small number may lay up a surplus in a location where a large number would face a dearth So if you haven't as 488 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. June 7, 1906 many colonies as you would like, while working up to the desired number, take comfort in the special advantages you have because of small numbers. 21It\ pasty's (Xftetufougfyts =% j The " Old Reliable" as seen through New and Unreliable Glasses. By E. E. Hasty, Sta. B. Rural, Toledo, Ohio. Larger Baby-Nucleus Methods So F. Greiner, at work on a somewhat larger baby nucleus, of quarter-sized frames, found out that he could winter them (in the cellar) just as they were— and that he liked it better that way. Four nuclei together— 20 frames, Long-Ideal style. For winter just take out the three divi- sions. For increase move the whole establishment, and put a newly-made-up one on the same stand to catch the flying bees. He seems to have struck an excellent set of manipulations. Page 343. Formaldehyde in Molasses This strikes one as a needless piece of wickedness. They think it needs a little, it seems, to make sure of good keeping qualities in hot weather— and then the care and attention required to get in just the minimum amount is too great, and they find it cheaper to douse in a large excess. All these perverse naughtinesses should help some in build- ing up the honey market. Page 347. That Firm of "Doll-ies" " Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them " (arrows), but in this case they seem to be dolls. The most practical and do-things sort of dolls ever heard of. Only to be excelled by this kind of dolls— ($$), if, indeed, even by them. Head of the establishment also a Doll— and 5 more dolls not in the picture. Pages 357 and 362. Ohio Foul Brood Law Ohio's new foul brood law is hailed by some as a good thing. Hope so. Imaginable that it may anon be looked back to as the beginning of a bad thing. First recognition of the idea that bees may be subjected to special taxation- like sheep-killing dogs and such. I poked up our Assessor on the subject, and he said he had no orders to levy any special tax. The dilatoriness of red-tape, most likely. Get around to it in a year or two. Page 361. Another Tall Assistant Editor _ And is it feet and inches the staff are chattering about ? which to look up to, and which to look down to ? Well, Hasty used to be just a shaving short of 6 feet. With age and general cast-downness probably more than a shaving short now. Page 368. Cow-peas in the North When cow-peas were last up, page 369, I spoke of them as not suited to the North. Fred May, a bee-brother in Illi- nois (about the latitude of the State capital), says they are extensively raised in his location. By means of them farm- ers get as much hay on poor land as with timothy on rich land. The soil is generally sandy in that vicinity. Honey Above the Hive-Entrance Yes, here's a black eye already for the honey-doubling, up-above entrance. G. S. Blackman, from 30 years of bee- hunting experience, testifies that the good "finds " mostly have the honey above the entrance — and that most of those with the comb below the entrance had but little honey. Page 370. Properly Speaking of "Hybrid" Bees We have to call them something, Mr. Holtermann ; and that's what makes us so persistent in the wickedness of calling them "hybrid bees." We love our bees, and to mal- suggestively call them "cross bees " — we'll be "bowled to death with turnips " before we'll submit to that. We might, to be sure, call them " grade bees;" but no one likes to start out first in the use of new terms when it is so sure that a great part of our readers will fail to comprehend what we mean. Page 341. fr — \ Doctor Utiller's Question * 33ox j 8end questions either to the office of the American Bee Journal, or to Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, 111. ISF° Dr. Miller does not answer Questions by mail. Preventing Bee-Moths, Worms and Roaches What can you suggest as a preventive for bee-moth, worms and roaches? I have lost several colonies of bees through them. Mississippi. As a preliminary caution in the way of prevention, be careful not to have pieces of comb lying around in comfortable places, as a breed- ing-ground for the moth. Especially avoid having one piece of comb lying upon another. I don't know how it is as far south a6 Mississippi, but in northern Illinois a piece of comb may be left lying in the api- ary all summer long, and there is little chance that a moth will touch it if it is alone, but let another piece be lying close upon it, and it will soon be alive with worms. Having taken this precaution, the only thing needed in the way of a preventive is to keep strong colonies. Italians are better to keep the moth at bay than blacks, and a weak colony of Italians will put up a good fight where blacks would sur- render. Neither need you feel troubled as to roaches doing any par- ticular damage to a strong colony. Are you sure that you lost those oolonies through worms and roaches? Was it not more through queenlessness and weakness, the worms getting in at the finish? Perhaps a Laying Worker Of the 17 colonies of bees that I carried through the winter I find 2 not doing well. One is full of drone-cells ready to hatch ; the other has plenty of honey and a fair supply of bees, but no queen, eggs or young bees to be found in the hive. Are they queenless! Missouri. Answer. — The one filled with drone-brood is likely to have a drone-laying queen. The best thing is to breakup the colony, dis- tributing the bees on their combs to other colonies. The one with no queen or brood may possibly have a virgin queen, such queen being sometimes very hard to find. Give it a frame of brood containing eggs and unsealed brood. Two or 3 days later, if you find queen-cells started, you may decide it is queenles6, and break up the colony. In rare cases, however, queen-cells may be started when a virgin is pres- ent, and if you are anxious to preserve the colony, it might be well to wait a week, or even 10 days after giving the brood before pronounc- ing condemnation. It is believed that the presence of unsealed brood helps to hurry up the laying of the young queen, if one is present. Albino, Punic and Holy Land Bees — Transferring- Put- ting on Supers— Best Hive-Cover— Requeening I have not been very successful with my bees. Last spring all of the Italian and hybrid colonies died, but a Carniolan colony came through all right; it swarmed 3 times, and I caught the second and third swarms. The old colony stored 72 sections of honey, the second swarm 48, but the third swarm stored none. They all wintered well, and my grandpa gave me a swarm last year that stored 24 sections. 1. What do you think of the albino and Punic bees? Also the Caucasians? 2. When is the best time to transfer bees? 3. When is it time to put on the supers? Is it all right to put them on when the hive is full of bees, but not full of honey? 4. Are the Holy Land bee6 cross? Are they good honey -gatherers? 5. Does white clover, in a dry season, produce as much nectar as in a wet season? 6. Does blackberry yield much honey? 7. What is the best kind of hive-cover? 8. When is the best time to requeen, and what is the best method? 9. Is the second edition of " Forty Years Among the Bees " any different from the first edition, or is it re-written? Indiana. Answers. — 1. Whether it be of the human race or the lower orders of the animal creation, the rule is that an albino is of weaker constitution than others. It is possible that an albino bee might be superior, but, if 60, it is in spite of being albino and not because of it. The little experience I had with Punics makes me think them hardy and industrious, not with the sweetest tempers, the worst gluers I June 7, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 489 ever knew, and capping honey so watery -looking that they are lit for extracted honey only. Caucasians are yet an unknown quantity ; the best according to some; worthless according to others. 2. During fruit-bloom has been a favorite time, but of late the tendency is toward waiting till they swarm, and then breaking up the old box-hive 3 weeks after swarming. 3. The old rule is to put on supers when bits of white wax are seen along the upper parts of the comb and frame That's probably a little late, for the white wax is an indication of crowding. If your first harvest comes from white clover, put on supers just as soon as you see the tirst blossom opened out. No harm to put them on a little before time, even if the brood-chamber is not yet filled. 4. I don't know much about them, and it might not be easy to find them pure in this country. See what Louis Seholl 6ays about them, page 446. 5. That depends upon how dry and how wet. Better results are obtained when a little too dry than when a little too wet. In a wet season the bees lose some time when they can not be at work on ac- count of showers, and when they do work they must bring in more water with the nectar, so, although they may bring in the same volume in a wet as in a dry day, there will be more honey in a dry- day's gathering. 6. Blackberry is not generally in sufficient number to count much. I don't know for certain, but I think it might be important where there are large fields of it. In any case, whatever it does yield is of importance because it comes early enough to fill in the gap between fruit-tree bloom and clover. 7. Probably a flat one perfectly rain-proof and double, so as to have a dead-air space. I have some with a space of % inch between the upper and lower parts, and covered with zinc. They are excellent, but expensive, costing something like 30 cents each. 8. A good time to requeen is any time when you have the queens when honey is yielding well. It's largely a matter of convenience. Other things being equal, there is perhaps no better time than well along in the honey-harvest. It is easier to have good queens then than earlier. But if you are getting a queen to breed from, it may be better to do so right away if you want the benefit of her this season. You will perhaps do best to use the plan for introduction that will accompany the queen you buy. Don't make your colony queenless in advance of getting your queen. 9. There is no difference except that the latest edition has the Appendix. If you have the old edition all you need to do is to send 10 cents to the American Bee Journal office for the Appendix. Italianizing Black Colonies 1. I have 3 colonies of black bees. Can I keep them from swarm- ing and from mixing with some choice Italians I have by using en- trance-guards on the blacks? 2. Do you think I could form colonies with the Swarthmore method, by taking bees from the black colonies and a frame of young brood from a select-tested Italian queen? and will they rear a queen from that brood? I want to get them all Italianized. New York. Answers. — 1. No, entrance-guards will not prevent swarming. If there is any difference at all, a colony will be just a little more sure to swarm with an entrance-guard than without it. The only thing ac- complished by an entrance-guard is to prevent the passage of queens and drones. An entrance-guard, in the way of a trap at the entrance, will allow you to trap the drones of your black colonies, and so pre- vent these drones from meeting your Italian virgins. You may ac- complish the same thing by keeping all drone-comb out of the black colonies. But this will avail little if there are other black bees within a mile or so. Possibly I don't exactly understand your question, and if so I'll be glad to have you ask again, for I don't see what difference it will make to have your blacks swarm, nor even if some of the black bees should enter the hives of your Italians. It's the black drones you are to fear. If you allow natural swarming, there's one way that you can work it nicely. Draw brood from the strongest of your blacks and give to the Italians, so the Italians shall be stronger than the others and swarm first. Suppose we call the Italian No. 1, the strongest black No. 2, the next strongest No. 3, and the weakest No. 4. When No. 1 swanii6, set the swarm on the stand of No. 1, set No. 1 on the stand of No. 2, and set No. 2 in a new place. In a little more than a week No. 1 will be pretty sure to swarm again. Set the swarm in place of No. 1, set No. 1 in place of No. 3, and set No. 3 in a new place. A day or so later No. 1 will swarm again. Set the swarm in place of No. 1, 6et No. 1 in place of No. 4, and set No. 4 in a new place. When No. 1 swarms next, set the swarm in place of No. 1, and set No. 1 in a new place. You will have black and yellow bees mixed up in all your hives but No. 1, but the queens will be just the same as if no black bees had mixed in. 2. Yes, your black bees will rear just as yellow queens as will your yellow bees. But don't think of having queen-cell6 started by only a few bees. Bitter Honey— Comb-Honey Management 1. My honey is bitter this spring. What makes it so? What must I do to remedy it? 2. Give the best method of working for comb honey where the principal, and you might say all the honey-flow, comes between May 1 and 15. Arkansas. Answers. — 1. I don't know of anythinglikely to make the honey bitter except the source from which it is obtained, and I don't know of any remedy for that. You can not control the bees so that they will not visit flowers that yield bitter honey, and after they have gath- ered it there is no way that you can take the bitterness out of the honey. The only thing you can do is to see that it does not get mixed in with good honey. It will be all right to let the bees have such honey for their own use, probably, and the honey is all right for mechanical purposes. 2. The only special thing in such a case is to do your best to have all colonies strong early enough for the harvest. You will find that early in the season some colonies will be much stronger than others, and that the weaker colonies will be very slow about building up. Suppose you have some colonies with 8 frames of brood, some 7, some 6, some 5, some 4, and others weaker still. You can take brood from any colony that has more than 5 frames, enough to reduce it to 5 frames of brood. Now, don't bestow that brood indiscriminately to the weaker colonies, but let the weakest wait till the last. Give a frame to each colony that has only 4, and when these are all supplied. then help those that have only 3, and so on. If all can not be brought up in time, let it be the weakest ones that are neglected. Reports cmb (Experiences Gatting the Honey Now In my apiary in Southern California the bees are gathering what seems to be unlimited amounts of honey. Two of 6 colonies have 4 supers. 3 have 2 supers, and the remaining 1 has 1 super. Moreover, they are the standard 10-frame supers. Two other colonies I in- creased to 8, and am waiting the results with much interest. They are rearing their own queens, having been made by a modification of the nucleus method. E. E. Richter. Belmont, Calif., May 22. Too Cool for Bee-Work Clover is in bloom and bees are busy, but it is rather too cool so that but little opening of hives can be done. There is some swarming. John M. Davis. Springhill, Tenn., May 8. Prospects for a Good Season I have 5 colonies of bees. I would not know how to manage them without the " Old Reliable." I wintered them in the cellar, and put them out April 1". They had brood hatching when put out. The prospects are for a good season. Mr. C. Davenport's method of swarm control (on page 185), also hi6 queen-finder (on page 252), are wonderful dis- coveries. He should describe them before some one else does, and take the credit from him. If I were to make any discoveries of value I would not be able to contain them. I would have to make all haste to inform "ye brethren." G. A. McDonald. Cambria, Wis., May 7. Working in the Supers Bees are doing well, and are working nicely in the 6upers. It is quite dry, and has been cool and cloudy for 2 or 3 days. Milo, Mo., May 2H. Chas. M. D arrow. Season Late in California The season in California is very late. Southern California has had abundant rain, but so far it has been too cool for honey. The sages here do not promise well, the flower- buds not being well developed. Swarming is very light. However, the bees have been at it for 6 weeks when it was warm enough. G. F. Merriam. San Marcos, Calif., April 17. Late and Backward Season We are having cloudy and cool weather here now. My bar eter registered at 20.20, and it has always ruined the past winter when at this point. Kees have used much of their stores, and some I have to feed until good, clear weather comes. The season is very late and backward. Bees are swarming with no honey. The sages look fine. M. H. Mendleson. Piru, Calif., April 14. Iowa Pure Honey-Flow Has Begun- Food Law The honey-fiow has ju6t begun here. I have been feeding about 100 colonies since April 1. I have gotten most of them in tolerably strong condition, and began supering day before yesterday. I packed 120 colonies last fall and have lost about a dozen of them, mostly due to loss of queens. The weather has been quite cool yesterday and to-day. Iowa now has a pure food law which will be in force after July 1. Edwin Bevins. Leon, Iowa, May 28. A Good Queen— Moving Bees In 1904 I got a queen as a premium just in time to prevent a colony from becoming hope- lessly queenless. She brought that colony up into good shape that season, and has been my pet ever since. I divided her force several times in 1905, in order to rear queens from her, and eaeh one of those divisions did at least as well as a good prime swarm, besides giving me a goodly number of queens for Italianizing. So far this 6eason I have one swarm and 2 "divisions" from her direct, besides half a dozen fine specimens of her progeny — I mean young queens which I in 490 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL June 7, 1906 tend to give to some queenless colonies or nuclei. I have been in the bee-business the last 10 years. After lots of small setbacks, for various reasons, I had 63 colonies in first-class shape the spring of 1904. I bought a lot of 24 and an estate of 113 colonies that 6pring, and prepared them for transportation on an island some 30 or 40 miles from their location. Then came the high water of the spring, flooding the locations of part of the bees, and cut off the road to the others. I could not get them together (as I wanted to put them on board ship) for some time, and when I finally got to it I could not get competent help, so that I had to do it single-handed. After getting them moved I had to hire help to clean the boxes from the dead bees id order to save the hives from becoming worthless, as the bees of the estate had foul brood, which I could not very well detect before, for the reason that the frames could not be removed without breaking and smashing the combs, what I wanted to prevent before mov- ing. After a sorrowful season of untold labor, and trouble and expense, I had left 32 colonies. With a purchase of 19 colonies since, and 3 or 4 which I had kept at home, the increase of 1905, and so far in 1906, I count to-day 152 colonies in fine trim, located in 2 different places about 14 miles apart, both yards prom- ising good returns, as the season so far has been the best I ever experienced. Sebastian Iselin. San Joaquin Co., Calif., May 22. Lost from Lack of Stores My bees have wintered well, and are in fine shape to-day. About 75 percent of the bees in this county are dead. The honey-flow stopped short in June of last year, and the bee-keepers failed to feed, and so the bees suffered. J. E. Young. Webster City, Iowa, May 29. Wiring to Prevent Sagging of Comb Foundation There seem to be many complaints of foun- dation sagging when fastened in brood- frames. While the following will not prevent sagging, it prevents warping and buckling after the wires are embedded : The wires are not drawn tight. I use a 95- cell battery and a home-made arrangement to conduct the electricity to the wires. My frames are solid on the under side, and fast- ened there with wax and rosin. When ready to fasten the wire6 the frame is placed on a board a little smaller than the inside of the frame. A match is placed in the center of the upper wire, and the wire is forced toward the top-bar as the current is applied. Founda- tion fastened in this manner may sag, but it will not warp. It i6 safer to use foundation that will not nag. E. H. Dewey. Berkshire Co., Ma66. That Method of Swarm Control I beg space to give a more complete de- scription of the modus operandi of my method of swarm control, as described on page 383, in hopes it will put a quietus on letters of in- quiry, as I am a very busy man, and yet I do not like to let some go unanswered. First, take away the super and set it in front, or nearly in front, of the stand. Leave the cover on the super and use no smoke. Sep- arate above the queen-excluder, and now smoke the brood-chamber some to quiet them. Take a comb of as young brood as possible from the old brood-chamber, and place it in the center of the box of combs or foundation designed to be the new brood-chamber, fill in the space in the old brood-chamber with combs or foundation frame, then place the new brood-chamber above the old one and close the hive. Smoke vigorously at the old entrance, and but little time is required for most of the bees and queens to get upstairs. Now place the new brood-chamber on the bottom-board, and carefully place the honey- board above it; then shake the remaining few bees that are in the old brood-chamber in front to make sure the queen is out, and put it on above the honey-board. Tear down any queen-cells that may be formed, and in 8 or 10 days tear the cells out again. Of course, the super goes on again, makiDg it a 3-story hive in place of a 2-story. This generally settles swarming for that colony for the season. 1 never allow any drone-comb where the queen can get at it, but, if it is allowed, one can remove the larvse with my sulphur treatment, being very care- ful not to use sulphur above the worker- brood, as in cleaning it out some will sprinkle down on the worker-brood, and it also will be removed and combs rendered unfit for the queen's use for some time. To those asking a description of my queen- trap, I would say that I am not altogether satisfied with the way it has acted since men- tioning it before. But I think I can perfect it in time, and will freely give a description as soon as I do. At first it worked perfectly, and then came a failure or two which I think I can overcome ; but it can only be used with satisfaction in connection with my method of swarm control. H, S. Philbrook. Oxnard, Calif., May 22. EVERYBODY WANTS PUBLISHED WEEKLY FOR THE BREEDER AND FARMER. Recognized authority on Breeding, Feeding, Man- agement and the Improved Breeds of Stock. Special Departments for Draft and Coach Horses, The Beef and Dairy Breeds of Cattle, Sheep, Swine, Poultry and the Dairy, By able Live Stock Writers and Breeders, with the best from Home and Foreign papers of the world's progress in Live Stock Husbandry. Our Live Stock Market Report is unequaled. Handsomely printed and illustrated. No Stock Farmer can afford to do without it. Published weekly. Subscription price only $1.00* Agents wanted in every county. Write for sample copy. Address THE LIVE STOCK JOURNAL 394 E. 65th ST. CHICAGO Mention Bee Journal when wriiii.^- Chicago to Buffalo, N.Y., and return, via Nickel Plate Road, at one fare plus 25 cents for the round- trip. Tickets will be sold from Chicago June 9th, 10th and 11th, with return limit of June 25th. Particulars at Nickel Plate Office, 113 Adams Street, room 298, Chicago, 111. 10— 22A2t iHrSBE^EEPEjS^ I @S Send for our 1906 Free Illustrated Catalog. Good Goods, Low Prices !&j§ f£»j and Prompt Shipments are what you get if you sen x your orders to — Spa PAGE & LYON MFG. CO. m New London, Wis . m seea-Time and Harvest is an illustrated Monthly Journal for country homes. It is 'known everywhere as the Great 'Home Industry'' Monthly. It is a "Peri- odical with a Purpose." Its mission is "Teach Independence Through Home Employment." Only 25 cents per year ; none free. Seed-Time & Harvest Fud.60. 45Ctf Dept. 208, Scranton, Pa. Please mention the Bee Journal. Consult Your Lawyers by Mail Legal Consultation, $l.no. Ascertain your rights. Understand vour Ha. bilities Overcome your difficulties- Safe«uard your property. Avert disaster. Avoid litigation. Secure your interests. Protect your family. Perfect vour title. Insure your in- heritance. Relieve your mind <£^ — of worry, etc. Bank and court M* | rences. Our book free. ASSOCIATED LAWYERS COMPANY ■*■ Old South Building, Boston, Mass. Last Chance Tour choice of any two of the following and the Modern Farmer 1 Year for only $1.25: Pearson's, Cosmopolitan, Gleanings in Bee- Culture, Western Fruit Grower, American Boy, or Kansas Farmer. For $1.30, Woman's Home Companion, Bryan's Commoner, or American Bee Journal (New only). "Write for Other Clubs. You will need to do this QUICKLY. THE flODERN FARI1ER, ST. JOSEPH, MO. The American Institute ®&®&&® of Phrenology Incorporated 1866. Session opens the first Wednesday in Septem- ber. Subjects : Phrenology ; the Art of Character Reading ; Anatomy ; Physiology ; Physiognomy ; Heredity; Hygiene; etc. Address, 24 East 22nd Street, Care of Fowler & Wells Co., 23C3t New York City. Etablissement d'apiculture Mont-Jovet ALBERTVII.LE. FRANCE, Official purveyor of the U. S. Government. We supply also Imported Caucasian Queens. Safe arri- val guaranteed. CAUCASIAN QUEENS. 1 6 12 Select Untested Queens $9.00 $11.00 $20.00 Select Tested Queens 2.50 14.00 25.00 Italian Queens. l 6 12 Select Untested Queens $1.00 $5.50 $10.00 Select Tested Queens 1.50 7.00 12.50 Full rates on application. English correspondence. 14C4t Please mention the Bee Journal. BARNES' FOOT POWER MACHINERY Read what J. I. PARENTjOf Charlton, N. Y., says: " We cut with one of yoar Com- bined Machines, last winter- 50 chaff hives with 7-in. cap, 100 honey racks, 500 brood, frames, 2,000 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 it with this Saw. It will do all yon say it will." Catalog and price-list free. Address, W. F. & John Barnes, 995 Ruby St., Rockford, 111. Mention Bee Journal when writing-. June 7, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 491 «« If Goods are wanted Quick, send to Ponder " BEE-SUPPLIES Root's Goods at Root's Prices t mm $ Everything used by Bee-Keepers. Jfe POUDER'S HONEY-JARS. Prompt Service. " Low Freight Rates. .-. .-. Catalog Free. *8& BEESWAX WANTED % I pay highest market price for beeswax, delivered here, at any time, cash or Jj& trade. Make small shipments by express; large shipments by freight, always being sure to attach your name to the package. My large illustrated catalog is free. I tJ* S shall be glad to send it to you. jjjk m WALTER S. POUDER, f ,. 513-515 Massachusetts Ave., INDIANAPOLIS, IND. '' Tennessee=Bred Queens All from Extra=Select Mothers 3-band from Imported Dark Leather, Moore's Long-Tongue, or my own. Goldens from Laws, Doolittle'6 or my own. Caucasians and Carniolans from direct Imported. After April 15th. Italians Before July 1st After Julij 1st CflRNIOLflNS CAUCASIANS 1 6 12 i 6 12 l 0 1 12 l e 12 Select Untested Tested Select Tested .. t .55 1.00 1.50 2.00 * 4.00 5 00 8.00 10.00 * 7.50 9.00 15.00 18.001 $ .60 .75 1.25 1.50 S3. 25 4.25 6.50 8.00 $ 6.00 8.00 12.00 15.00 $ .85 1.10 1.60 2.10 $ 4. 50. -5 8.00 5.50 fl.50 S.50 15.50 10.50, 18.50 * .95 1.20 1.70 2.20 $ 5.00 6.00 9.00 11.00 8.50 1000 16.00 19.00 Straight 5-band Golden Breeders S10.00 Select Golden Breeders 3.00 " 3-band " 3.00 " Carniolan " 3.10 " Caucasian" 3.25 1-frame Nucleus (no queen) ¥1.50 2-frame " " 2.00 3-frame " " 2.50 4-frame " " 3.00 1 full colony without queen in 8-frame dovetailed hive 6.00 Bees by the pound in light shipping-boxes, $1.00 per pound. Select the Queen wanted, and add the price to the above prices. Discounts on large orders. Contracts with dealers a specialty. No bee-disease has ever been in this section. 13Dtf JOHN M. DAVIS, Spring Hill. Tenn. CAUCASIAN QUEENS! Caucasian B^es arc very gentle. They are easy to handle and are, therefore, suited 10 be- ginners, timid bee-keepers and to those who keep bees in town. If you want to try this race, or if you want to improve the stock of your Ital- ian Bees, write to ROBERT B. McCAIN, 2Atf YORKVILLE. ILL. R. F. D. The Choicest of Tested Queens By Return Mail— $i.oo Each, From our fine strain of 3-band Italians, that are unsurpassed as honey-gatherers. Try them ; they will not disappoint you. Send for price-list. J. W. K. SHAW & CO. 19Atf LOREAUVILLE, Iberia Co., LA. Queen Incubator and Brooder — Twin Nucleus=Box MAINLY FOR QUEEN-BREEDERS Incubator and Brooder allow the bees access to the cells and queens at all times. (Patented July 7, 1903.) Price, $5.00. Twin Nucleus and Mating Box has control of the queen by a 3-hole wheel on the outside, with one hole wire-screened, one hole covered with queen-exclud- ing zinc, and the third hole to regulate the size of the eu trance. (Patent applied for.) Price, $1.00. Cylinder Cages postpaid, each, 10 cents. Qubbn-Cells, 100 mounted, with sample of Cylinder Cage (sent postpaid,) for 75 cents. Breeding Queens, after May 1st — Italian, Imported and Golden Italian, and Carniolan — $2.50 each. Orders booked now and rilled in rotation. Send for free Circulars. 7Dtf ARTHUR STANLEY, Dixon, Lee Co., III. Please Mention the American Bee Journal AdvJrTffi8 Rose Lawn Queens Money for Honey We offer to the person producing the largest number of sections No. 1 comb honey from a colony headed by one of our "Pure Gold" Queens before Sept. 15th, 1906 $10.00 cash For 2nd largest number of sections.. 7.50 " For 3d •' " ■ " . . s.00 .. For 4th " •' " . . 2.5Q «> Total cash prizes $25.00 In addition to this offer we will pay 20 cents per pound for all prize honey for exhibition purposes. We ship 200 " Pure Gold " Queens to a single customer in June, a well-known bee keeper who knows our breeding- stock. Select Untested "Pure Gold" Queens . . $1 00 Select Tested " " ...... 100 Select Breeding Qneens 5^00 Our very finest Extra-Select Tested Breeders in 2-frame Nucleus f.o b. Lincoln, Neb., $10. Ask for our new Catalog. ROSE LAWN APIARIES, 1335 North 24th St., LINCOLN, NEB. 22Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. Italian and Caucasian BEES, QUEENS, AND NUCLEI Choice home-bred and im- ported stock. All Queens reared in full colonies. Prices of Italians In MAY : One Untested Queen $ .90 " Tested Queen 1.10 " Select Tested Queen 1 40 " Breeding Queen 2.20 1-comb nucleus (noqueen) .95 2 " " " 1.60 3 " " 2.40 Untested in May; all others ready now from last season's rearing. Safe arrival guar- anteed. For prices on Caucasians and larger quanti- ties, and description of each grade of queens, send for free catalog. J. L. STRONG 16Atf 204 E. Logan St., Clarlnda, Iowa. $12.25 to Buffalo, N.Y., and return, from Chicago, via Nickel Plate Road, June 9th, 10th and 11th, with return limit of June 25th. Nickel Plate Office, room 298, 113 Adams St., Chicago. 8 — 22A2t Queens Now Ready to Mail Noue better at any price. Untested at 50c ; Warranted at 75c; Tested at $1.00. Discount on quantity. GRANT ANDERSON, 20Atf SABINAL, TEXAS. Bees, Queens and Bee-Supplies We manufacture standard dovetailed bee- hives and supplies, cheaper than you ever bought before. Our Queens and Bees stand at the head in quality. Untested, 75c each ; $4.25 for 6, or $8 per doz. Tested, $1.25 each : $12 per doz. Select Tested, $1.50. Special prices to dealers in large lots on application. State Agents for Dittmer's Foundation! Catalog free. THE BEE & HONEY COMPANY (Will Atchley, Prop.) Beevllle, Bee Co., Texas. DOOLITTLE & CLARK Are now booking orders for QUEENS. Pkiceb: Untested— 1, $1; 3, $2.50; 12, $9. Select Tested— 1, $1.50; 3, $4; 12, $14. l'>05 Breeders, $2.50. Select Breeders, $5. Extra-Se- lect Breeders, $10. Two- frame Nuclei (without queen) $2.50; 3, $7; 12, $25. Borodino, Onondaga Co., N. Y. 17Dtf Please mention the Bee Journal. 492 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL June 7, 1906 Bee-Keepers' Supplies Lewis' Famous Bee-Hives and Sections, Root's Smokers and Extractors, Dadant's Comb Foundation, Etc., Queen-Bees and Nuclei in Season. Large and complete stock, prompt service. We meet all competition who will furnish first-class goods. INCUBATORS AND BROODERS We carry a complete stock of " Mandy Lee " Incubators and Brooders. Don't fail to investigate these machines. The more you know about incubation, the more you will like the "Mandy Lee" Incubator. The "Mandy Lee Brooder " is a complete old hen, all but the "cluck." Our free incubator cat- alog describes them. C. M. SOOT & CO. Indianapolis" indRE! •5"5* •fr'J* •§••{• Mention Bee Journal when writing. 8 ■■■ III i ■■■ ■ I ■ ■ 1 1 ■h ■ .■ w ■■ OK ■■■ ■■■ ■■■ ■■■ ■■« ■■■ ■ ■■ ■■■ m i. Ii'..i.1;,.l1'6'. T3J 1 Increased Business Compels Larger Space So we have just doubled our capacity iu the building at 141 Ontario Street, where we carry a full line of POULTRY SUPPLIES and I CIIIIC POPULAR LCffflO BEEWflRE Catalogs on application. Orders filled promptly at Factory Prices. Beeswax wanted — 28c cash or 30c in trade. Italian Bees in modern hives with select Queens for sale. Also Pure Italian Queens. YORK HONEY AND BEE flfl SUPPLY UUi H. M. ARND. M6R. (Not Inc. 141 Ontario. St., CHICAGO, ILL. (Phone North 1559.) Mention Bee Journal when writing. BEE-SUPPLIES We manufacture everything needed in the Apiary, and carry a large stock and greatest variety. We assure you the best goods at LOWEST PRICES and our excellent freight facilities enable us to make prompt shipments over 15 dif- ferent roads, thereby saving you excessive freight charges as well as time and worry in having goods transferred and damaged. We make the Alternating, Massie, Langstroth and the Dovetail Hives Our prices are very reasonable, and to convince you of such we will mail you our free illustrated and descriptive catalog and price-list upon request. We want every beekeeper to have our Catalog. SPECIAL DISCOUNTS now. Write to-day. Address, KRET6HMER MFG. GO., Council Bluffs, Iowa. Muscatine Produce Co., Muscatine, Iowa. Trester Supply Co., 103 S. 11th Street, Lincoln, Neb. Shugart-Ouran Seed Co., Council Bluffs, Iowa. T. B. Vallette & Son, Salina, Kau. Catalogs issued in English or German. "In eyery country tie successful adrertiser is the continuous advertiser.' J5he Lion Engine is sold direct from FACTORY to USER Acting on the theory that "testing- is proving ' we will send any responsible person, on certain very easy condi- tions, one of our three h. p. gas or gas- oline engines on 10 e of governor is used, which automatically controls the ex- haust, igniter and the gasoline; it also allows the speed to be changed from 100 to 600 revolutions per minute while the engine is in motion— a very superior feature. LION GAS OR GASOLINE ENGINES are simple in construction and EASY TO OPERATE They are used fur all purposes where power is required for operating pri- vate electric-lighting plants, small factories, printing offices; farm ma- chinery, such as cream separators, feed -grinders, corn shellers, wood- sawing machines, etc., and for a thou- sand and one other purposes. WRITE US A LETTER LIKE THIS: Lyons Engine Co., Lyons, Mich. Gentlemen: I am about to purchase a gas or gas- oline engine for purposes and wish you to Bend mo full particulars about your ap- proval offer aa advertised la American Bee Journal. Tours very truly, Swne , Town When writing, please state defi- nitely for what purpose yon wish to use this engine and whether gas or gasoline is to be used for fuel. This information is very important to us. Please remember we send the engine, not the engine agent. LYONS ENGINE CO. fl Lyons, Mich. June 7, 1906 1HE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 493 In Its Twenty-eighth Year The RuraTGaliiornian 6 Months 25c. A lar^e njnntlilv magazine devoted to Agricul- tural. Horticultural and rural pursuits*, showing the wonderful development of the Pacific Coast. Beau- tifully illustrated, well edited and art istu ally printed on fine book paper. An encyclopedia of in- formation for colonists. Address, THE RURAL CALIFORNIAN ICtf Mention Kooms ti and Temple Bluck, LOS ANGKLES, CALIF. Bee Journal when writing. f\ A 40-pnge Catalog: tree II f\f\*\ The latest work on lti:i:- KPP\ SUPPLIES, Hives.Fix- ^T W W W tures, Etc. Italian Bees and Queens. If interested in bees, do not fail to write us. John Nebel &Son Supply Co., High Hill, Mo. 6Ctf Please mention the Bee Journal. Successful Poultry Journal FKANK HECK, Editor. Subscription Price so cents per Year. Write for Advertising Rates. The most prominent and successful, practica poultrymen wriie for the t-ucces-ful Poultry Jour nal. and tell how they build their houses, mate their fowls, manatre their incubators, feed both young and old— and, in fact, tell how they succeed and make money. Bend for sample copy. SUCCESSFUL POULTRY JOURNAL ICtf 355 Dearborn St., CHICAGO. ILL. PETS If you are interested In Pigeons, Rabbits, Cavies, Dog6, Cats, Birds or Pets of any kind, you should send for a tree sample of PET STOCK. It's tlie Best Pub- lication of its kind in America. Has a national circulation, and it's only 50c a year. Address, HEX STOCK, 40Ctf Bos 20, YORK, PA. AllPPflW ^ ,ll,e Honey-Gather irjy Strain of VUGGII3 Italians and Carniolans, at 75 cents each; 3 for $2; 6 for $3.50; or J6.50 per dozen, for Untested. Tested, $1 each, or $10 a dozen. GEORGE W. BARNES. 17A26t 13S N. Pleasant St., Norwalk, Ohio. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Cheap Rates to Boston $19.00 for round-trip from Chicago (plus SI. 00) via the Nickel Plate Road, May 31st to June 9th, inclusive, with privi- lege of extension of return limit to July 15th. S24.00 via New York City, all rail, or $23.00 via New York City and steamer in both directions between New York and Boston. Stopover at Niagara Falls and Chautauqua Lake points, if desired, within limit of ticket. Tickets good on. any train on above dates. No excess fare charged on any train on Nickel Plate Road. Meals in Nickel Plate dining-cars, on American Club Meal Plan, ranging in price from 35 cents to $1.00, Mid-day Luncheon 50 cents ; also a la carte. Three through trains daily, with mod- ern Pullman sleeping cars to Fort Wayne, Findlay, Fostoria. Cleveland, Erie, Buffalo, New York City and New England points. Trains depart from La Salle St. Station, Chicago, the only Depot on the Elevated Loop. Write John Y. Calahan, General Agent, Room 298, 113 Adams St., Chicago, for reserva- tion of berths, in through standard and tourist sleepers, and full particulars. 2-20A4t Please mention Bee Journal when writing Advertisers. Parts OVER A- Lewis Sections in stock since Jan. 1, 1906. Dadant's Foun- dation and all other goods in propor- tion. Immediate ship- ments. Get your goods in a hurry, before the ink on your order blank gets dry, by sending to A. 0. WOODMAN COMPANY Grand Rapids, Michigan DAILY EXPRESS TRAINS Adams Express 12 j United States Express 22 American Express 9 | National Express 12 DAILY FREIGHT TRAINS P. M. System 20 and extras | T„. S . & M. S. System 6 and extras M. C. System 6 and extras G. R & I. System 12 and extras Grand Trunk System 10 and extras I G. R. G. a. & M. System 10 49C7t G. R. H. & h. M. System 10 Mention Bee Journal when writing. This Offer Good Lntil July 1st Only ! DOOLITTLE'S QUEEN- REARING BOOK For Only *J5 Cents When taken with the Weekly American Bee Journal for One Year at $1- inaking $1.25 for both. (Book bound in Leatherette cover, otherwise same as the cloth-bound book, which is $1.) This offer is open to any body, either new or old subscribers, but the latter when accept- ing it must send enough to pay their subscriptions a year in advance, if they are in arrears now. Mr. Doolittle's book tells in detail just how he rears the best queens possible; also gives His Methods of Comb Honey Production. Every bee-keeper should have this book. (126 pages.) Our Standard-Bred Italian Queens are unexcelled. Reared by best queen-breeders. Prices— 1 Untested, 75c; 3 for $2.10; or 6 for ■S4.00. Orders filled in rotation. Better get your orders in NOW for June delivery. The Weekly American Bee Journal one year with Untested Italian Queen — both for {1.50. Or, if your own subscription is paid to the end of 1906 or beyond, fend us $1.00 and the name and address of a new subscriber for the Bee Journal a year, and we will mail to you a Standard-Bred Queen FREE. Sample copy of the Weekly Bee Journal free on request, or a Trial Trip of 3 months (13 copies) for only 20 cents, to a new reader. Better order now, as there are lots of good things appearing in its columns every week. Address, GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, ILL. 494 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL June 7, 1906 CHARLES MONDENG SECTION MACHINE is covered by two Patents. With this wonderful inven- tion the cost of making- Sections may be reduced to $1.15 per 1000. If such Machine will interest you, write for further information. Do not write about it unless you mean business. BEE-SUPPLIES ^£ QUEENS My Catalog for 1906 is now ready for distribution. I am the Northern Headquarters for Adel Queens and Bees, and good, honest Bee-Keepers' Supplies. If you have not received my Catalog, write for it. Address, CHARLE5 MONDENG, ISO NEWTON AVE., N"., MINNEA-FOLiIS, MINN. Have You Passed the i Experimental Stage? Most bee-keepers have been convinced that when time and material are figured, it pays to buy hives, and the best is not only as cheap, but — The Best is the Cheapest ! The Elgin Hive excels in many ways— no nails to drive — no dovetails— can be taken apart at any time. Many are using them. You should! be. Write to-day for catalog, etc. We sell full line of SUPPLIES. The National Supply Co. ELGIN, ILL. Mention Bee Journal when writing. To sell lot of 300 empty 60-lb. capacity Honey- Cans. All in one lot, or less quantities. Cans are in first-class condition. We are also in the market for Fancy Comb and Extracted Honey. Correspondence solicited Michigan White Clover Honey Co. AGENCIES: DETROIT. MICH. 35 So. Delaware Street, Indianapolis, Ind. 150 E. Jefferson Street, Louisville, Ky. 643 Broadway S.E., Cleveland, Ohio. 20A13t Please mention the Bee Journal Queen-Clipping Device Free ! The Monbtte Queen-Clipping Device is a fine thing for use in catching and clipping Queens' wings. It is used by many bee- keepers. Full printed directions sent with each one. We mail it for 35 cent6 ; or will send it FREE as a premium for sending us One New subscriber to the Bee Journal Ifor a year at $1.00; or for $1.10 we will mail the Bee Journal one year and the Clipping Device. Address, CIEOROE W. YORK & CO., - CHICAGO, ILL. A GOOD BEE-HIVE Is made of the best grade of White Pine, ace rately cut, so it will go together without the use of tools, except a hammer. Such is the kind of Hives we make, at d such is the kind you get when you buy from U6. " It is a cinch " that we make lower prices than you can get from any dealer, as you save the middleman's profit when you buy direct from the manufacturer. We are Manufacturers, and sell direct to the consumer. Send us a list of your wants, and let us make you prices. We guarantee everything we sell to be satisfactory, or refund the money. We have large stocks of Dovetailed Hives, Sections, Shipping-Cases, Foun. dation, Veils, Smokers, etc., on hand, and can ship promptly. Minnesota Bee-Supply 60., Power Bldg., No. 33 JOHN DOLL &. SON. PROPRIETORS MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. si i I m m we m m when writing. Bee-Keepers If you want Sections that you can put a full sheet of foundation in 4 sections at once; or any other Bee-Supplies, send for Catalog to 20Atf A. COPPIN, Wenona, III. Mention Bee Journal when writing. One Fare for Round Trip plus $1.00 from Chicago to Boston and return, via Nickel Plate Road, May 31st to June 9th, inclusive. Also ex- cursion rates via New York City. Ex- tended return limit July 15th. John Y. Calahan, General Agent, Room 298, 113 Adams St., Chicago. 3— 20A4t A. M. REEVES DISTRIBUTOR OF ROOT'S GOODS FOR NORTHERN NEW YORK Perch River, Jefferson Co., N. Y. 19A4t Please mention the Bee Journal. ; itoet 39 co< *ps< *8:ei mm — Never Go Out « tt "And last from 6 to 21 years oo. Otisville, Pa., Jan. 18, 1904. □Dear Sir:— I have tried almost everything In the smoker line; 3 In the last 3 years. In short if I want any more smokers yonr new style is good enough for me. I thank the editor of Re- view for what he said of it. Those remarks in- duced me to get mine. Fred Fodner, Mention Bee Journal when writing* The Rietsche Press Made of artificial stone. Practically inde- structible, and giving entirely satisfactory re- sults. Comb foundation made easily and ?ulckly at less than half the cost of buying rom the dealers. Price of Press, $1.50— cash with order. Address, ADRIAN GETAZ, 4SAtf KNOXVILLE.TENN. |»"J.G. Goodner, of this State, writes me that he "prefers to pay $25.00 for a Rietsche Press rather than do without It." — A. G. Mention Bee Journal when writing. $■9.00 to Boston and Return $19.00 plus $1. from Chicago, via Nickel Plate Road, May 31st to June 9th, inclusive ; also via New York City at excursion rates. Return limit of July 15th by extension of ticket. Folders, rates and all information furnished by applying to John Y. Calahan, General Agent, Room 298, 113 Adams St., Chicago. 4— 20A4t Please mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. June 7, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 495 Excellent Goods Lowest Prices OF ALL KINDS ESTABLISHED 25 YEARS. We have published THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER for 16 years (monthly, SOc a year.) The largest and best il- lustrated magazine of its kind for the price published. Edited by two of the most experienced bee - keepers in America. Sample copy free. Our large, illustrated Price-List of Supplies free on application. Address, The W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co. JAHESTOWN, N. Y. Mention Bee Journal when writing. f)oney anb Chicago, May 18. — We are having- very little call for hooey, either comb or extracted. Fancy comb is bringing 15c; other grades from 10@14c. Extracted, white, 6)6@7c; amber, 5@6c. Bees- wax, 30c. R. A. Burnett & Co. Toledo, Feb. 19.— The market for comb honey has been better for the past two weeks than at any time during the past season. Prices are firm on account of the scarcity. We are getting I5@16c for fancy white clover; 14@15c for No. 1, and 13@14c for amber. Buckwheat, 13c. Extracted honey is in good demand at following prices: W hite clover in barrels brings 6&@7c; amber,5K@SMc; in cans every grade from l@lM»c higher. Beeswax is firm and in good demand at 23 and 30c. The above are our selling prices, not what we pay. Griggs Bros, Indianapolis, May 12— Fancy white clover comb brings 16c; No. 1, 14c; demand exceeds the supply; fancy white western comb brings 14@15c; amber grades in poor demand at 12c Best grade of extracted honey brings $Hfe'9c in 60-pound cans; amber, 6c. Good average bees- wax sells here for $33 per 100 pounds. Walter S. Pouder. Philapei pbia, May 31.— The season is so far advanced that there is not enough call for comb honey to fix a price. Some few lots are being sold at the best offers. We quote: Ex- tracted, fancy white, 7c; amber, 5^@6c. Bees- wax, 29c. We are producers of honey and do not handle on commission. Wm. A. Selser. New York, May 8. — There Is still some de- mand for comb honey, mostly for fane; grades. which are selling at from 14@15c per pound; off grades in no demand and prices are irregular, ranging from S(ai2c, according to quality; suf- ficient supply to meet demand. Extracted is in fair demand, mostly from California, of which there seems to be abundant supply of all grades. We quote: White, 6Ji@7c; light amber, 6c; dark, S(5;5Mc, accordingto quality and quan- tity. Beeswax scarce and firm at 29@30c. HlLDRETH & SrGELKKN. Headquarters for Bee-Supplies Complete Stock for 1906 now on hand. Bee -Supplies! FREIGHT- RATES FROM CINCINNATI are the LOWEST, ESPECIALLY for the SOUTH as 'most all freight now goes through Cincinnati. Prompt Service is what I practice. You will Satisfaction Guaranteed. SAVE MOBEY BUYING FROM ME. s^™3 free- Let me ^^ TT^T^^"^TaVTAOI bred >n separate apiaries, book your II I ■■ , ■■ . I\l ^^ theGOLDEN TEL Order for ^Qf, XJ JJU11 KJ LOWS, CARNIO- I.AM*. RED CLOVERS and CAUCASIANS. For prices, refer to my catalog, page 29. C.H.W. WEBER =' Office and Salesrooms, 2146-48 Central Ave. Warehouses. Freeman and Central Aves. Cincinnati, March 8.— The conditions of the market, at the present time, are not encourag- ing. Honey is offered from all sides, at prices utterly iegardless of the value of 1he article. At the same time, all indications point to an unusually good honey crop, which adds in tmaking it a drag on the market. Amber ex- racted honey in barrels, £@6&c; fancy white, in cans, 6!^@8J4c. Choice yellow beeswax, 30c, delivered here. The Fred W. Muth Co. Denver, Feb. 5 —Owing to the mild weather the demand for honey has not been as good as usual at this time of year. We are quoting strictly No. 1 white alfalfa comb honey at $3.35 to f 3. 75 per case of 24 sections: off grade and light amber at $3 to $3.30. White extracted alfalfa in 60-pound cans, 7J^@8^c; light amber, 6K<§j7Kc. Beeswax, 24c for clean yellow. The Colo. Honey-Producers' Assn. Kansas City, May 31.— The honey market here is bare, no new honey in market yet. The market is about $3.25 per case on fancy white. Extracted, 5}£@6c. On account of the warm weather and heavy receipts of fruits, the in- quiry for honey is dropping off, but we believe with the advent of new honey there will be a good demand for same. C. C. Clemons & Co. Cincinnati, March 7.— The demand for comb honey is slow, prices obtained are the same. Stock od hand seems to be sufficient to supply the wants. Quote fEncy white, 14@l6c Amber extracted in barrels, 5K@5J£c; in cans,^c more; fancy white clover in 60*lb. cans, 7J£@8H cents; Southern, equal to white clover in color, from 6H@7c. Bright yellow beeswax, 30c. C H.W.Weber. Please Mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. HONEY AND BEESWAX When consigning, buying or selling, consnlt R. A, BURNETT & CO. 199 South Water St. Chicago. III. ©DC Tot A/£ [N9IT16S \-2. farmers and ' 15c— Btamps taken— we will send for 2 yre. the Farmer's Call— red. sub. price 40c a year. F. C.is a wkly., 25 years old, 1,300 pa^es a year. Sample free. FARMER'S CALL,, yuincy.IIl. Mention Bee Journal when writing. FOR SALE Until further notice, finest quality new crop California VaterWhite White Sage and Light Amber HONEY in 60.1b. tins, 2 in a case; new cans and new cases Write for prices and sam- ples, and state quantity you want. HlLDRETH & SEGELKEN 265 & 267 Greenwich Street, New York, N.Y. 34Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. FOR. SALE Second Hand Empty 60-pound MONEY-CANS —two in a crate. In lots of 10, 40c per crate; 25 or more crates, at 35c per crate. THE FRED W. MUTH CO. 20Atf 51 Walnut St., Cincinnati, Ohio. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Wa Sell root's Goods in Michigan Let us quote you prices on Sections, Hives, Foundation, etc., as we can save you time and freight. Beeswax Wanted for Cash. M. H. HUNT A SON. Bbll Branch, Wayne Co., Mich Mention Bee Journal when writing;. 1 BEE-SUPPLIES | IS We handle the finest Bee-Supplies, made by the W. T. Falconer ^'. ^ Mfg. Co., Jamestown, N. Y. Big Discounts on early orders. Let us 9? ^"5 figure with you on your wants. ^ ■■g Muth Special Dovetail Hives have a Honey-Board, Warp-Proof ^ ;^ Cover, and Bottom-Board. Think of it, same price as the regular styles. ^ ^ Send for Catalog. &: THE FRED W. MUTH CO. 51 Walnut Street, CINCINNATI, OHIO. Mention Bee Journal when writing. 496 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL June 7, 1906 THOUSANDS of LEWIS HIVES Millions of LEWIS SECTIONS Now Ready for You at Your Very Door At the Following Distributing Points : Chicago, III., York Honey & Bee-Supply Go. 141 Ontario Street Indianapolis, Ind., G. M. Scott & Co. 1004 E. Washington Street Grand Rapids, Mich., A. G. Woodman Go. Davenport, Iowa, Louis Hanssen's Sons Minneapolis, Minn., Wisconsin Lumber Co. 432 Lumber Exchange Denver, Colo., Colo. Honey Producers' Ass'n 1440 Market Street St. Joseph, Mo., E. T. Abbott San Francisco, Cal., C. H. Lilly Co. Seattle, Wash., C. H. Lilly Go. Portland, Oreg., C. H. Lilly Co. Ogden, Utah, Fred Foulger & Sons San Antonio, Tex., Southwestern Bee Co. 438 W. Houston Street E. H, Taylor, Welwyn, Herts, England. I Fallbrook Cooperative Ase'a, Fallbrook, Calif. | Robert Halley, Montrose, Colo. Raymond Gariel, Paris, France. C.B Stevens & Co., Havana .S: Manzanillo, Cuba Paul Bachert, Lancaster, Calif. Fletcher-Doyle, San Diego, Calif. Arkansas Valley Honey Producers* Association, I Dadant & Sons, Hamilton, 111. Rocky Ford, Colo. 1 Adam A. Clarke, Le Mars, .Iowa. Grand Junction Fruit Growers' Association, | W. J. McCarty, Emmetsburg-, Iowa. Grand Junction, Colo. | Morris &, Anspach, Kenton, Onio. Cleaver & Greene, Troy, Penn. G. B. LEWIS CO., Manufacturers of Bee-Keepers' Supplies, Watertown, Wis. e Journal 46th Year CHICAGO, ILL., JUNE 14, 1906 No. 24 ^r- ***.:; &£ft Apiary and Home of C. H. Dibbern, of Rock Island Co. Ill (See page 502) 498 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL June 14, 19C6 PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY GEORGE W.YORK 8 COMPANY 334 Dearborn Street, GhiGago, 111. IMPORTANT NOTICES. THE SUBSCRIPTION PRICE of this Journal is $1.00 a year, in the United States, Canada, and Mexico; all other countries in the Postal Union, 50 cents a year extra for postage. Sample copy free. THE WRAPPER-IjABEL DATE indicates the end of the month to which your subscription is paid. . For instance, "deco6" on your label shows that it is paid to the end of December, I9u6. SUBSCRIPTION RECEIPTS.-We do not send a receipt for money sent us to pay subscription, but change the date on your wrapper-label, which shows that the money has been received and credited. Advertising Rate, per flgate Line, 10c. 14 lines make one inch. Nothing less than 'A inch accepted. Time Discounts. 4 times — 5 per cent 13 " ...10 " 26 " ...20 " 52 " ....30 " Space Discounts. lOOlines. .. 5percent 500 " ...10 1000 " ...20 " 2000 " ...30 " These rates are subject to either time or space discounts, at choice, but not both. Reading Notices, 25 cents, count line, subject to the above discounts. Goes to press Monday morning. National Bee Keepers' Association Objects of the Association. 1st.— To promote the interests of its members. '2d.— To protect and defend its members in their lawful rights. 3d.— To enforce laws against the adulteration of honey. Annual Membership Dues, $1.00. General Manager and Treasurer — N. E. Fhance, Platteville, Wii. t&- If more convenient, Dues may be sent to the ublisuers of the American Bee Journal. The Emerson Binder. This Emerson stiff-board Binder with clotb back for the American Bee Journal we mall for but 75 cents; or we will send it with the Bee Journal for one year— both for only $1.50. It it a fine thing to preserve the copies of the Jour* nal as fast as they are received. If yon have this " Emerson " no further binding is neces- sary. QEOROE W. YORK & CO.. 334 Dearborn Street. CHICAGO, ILL Contents of this Number Jlliist rat tons — Apiary and Home of C H. Dibbern 1st Page Apiary of Otto Scbulz, in Germany 5U2 Editorial Notes and Comments — rover tale's Oilcloth-Super Feeder SOI Cuban and Porto Kican Honey and the Tariff 501 Denatured Alcohol and Poorer Grades of Honey 501 Miscellaneous News Items — Death of J. C. Ack in 502 Home and Apiary of C. II. Dibbern 50*2 Otto Schulz in Germany sua Contributed Special Articles — Bees Destroying (^ueen-Cellswith LiveQueeos so4 Dadant Methods of Honey-Production (No. 13) 5f>4 Pollen— How to Use to Best Advantage. 505 Small vs. Large Hives and Supers 5U3 Canadian Beedorn — Bumbte-Bee Apiarist 5*6 National Control of Food Supplies 50k Specialize in Bee-Keeping 506 Our Sister Bee-Keepers — Early Swarming in Nebraska 507 Hives— n-Frame vs. lu-Frame for the Sisters... 507 Polled— Its Gatheiing and Value 507 Southern Beedom — Sister Bee-Keeper in the South 507 Mr, Hasty* & Afterthoughts — Advertisements Valuable as History 508 Brown-Tail and Gypsy Moths, and Potato-Bu^ 51 8 Davenport iC.) Safe in Minnesota 508 Queens and Drones Can't Digest Pollen ? sns Swarm and Drone Prevention 508 That Mouse-Eating-Honey Controversy 508 Weak-Colony-Over-Strong Experiences 508 Zinc and Tin Queen-Excluders 518 Dr. Miller's Question-Box — Bees Hanging Out 508 Destroying Ants in Hives 5^9 Hive Portico sow Likely Not Fou! Brood 509 Little Foul Brood 509 Moving a Swarm 508 No Queen-Excluder Under Sections 509 Queen-Excluder Under Extracting Supers 509 When tu Take Off Supers 508 Reports and JBxperiencea Black Bees vs. Italians 509 Home- Made Swarm Catcher 50s Large Hives. 509 Prospects All Right 510 Rain Starts Bees on Clover 510 Watering Place for Bees 509 Engravings For Sale ^ ■ s We are accumulating1 quite a stock of engrav- ings that have been used in the American Bee Journal. No doubt many of them could be used again by bee-keepers in their local newspapers, on their stationery, or in other ways. Also, if we can sell some of them it would help us to pay for others that we are constantly having made and using- in our columns. If there is ar y of our engravings that any one would like xc have, just let us know and we will quote a ver> low price, postpaid. Address, GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, - CHICAGO, ILL Langstroth on the «* Honey-Bee Revised by Dadant— Latest Edition. This is one of the standard books on bee-culture, and ought to be .in the library of every bee-keeper. It is bound substantially in cloth, and contains over 500 pages, being- revised by those large, practical bee-keepers, so well- known to all the readers of the Ameri- can Bee Journal — Chas. Dadant & Son. Each subject is clearly and thoroly ex- plained, so that by following the in- structions of this book one cannot fail to be wonderfully helped on the way to success with bees. ~ ~i The book we mail for^$l .20, or club It with the American Bee Journal for one year — both for $2.00 ; or, we will mail it as a premium for sending us THREE NEW subscribers to the Bee Journal for one year, with $3.00. This is a splendid chance to get a grand bee-book for a very little money or work. GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 134 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, IL NOT IN THE TRUST We will stamp your Cans "Pure Extracted Honey"— FREE Our prices for 1906 are the lowest to the National Bee-Keepers' Association. Write us. Now is the time] TO BUY FRICTION TOP CANS FOR HONEY AND SYRUP Canners Can Co. 1035 W. 47th St., CHICAGO. ILL. June 14, 1906 THt AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 499 m u m m L3 DADAKT'S FOUNDATION" IT EXCELS EVERY INCH equal to sample Beauty, Purity, Firmness. No Sagging, No Loss. Twenty-seven Years of Experience. We Guarantee Satisfaction. WAX WORKED INTO FOUNDATION BEE=SUPPLIES of all kinds. Beeswax Wanted ££,.. DADANT & SONS, Hamilton, 111. SEND FOR OUR CATALOG CAUCASIAN QUEENS! Caucasian Bees are very gentle. They are easy to handle and are, therefore, suited co be- ginners, timid bee-keepers and to those who keep bees in town. If you want to try this race, or if you want to improve the stock of your Ital- ian Bees, write to ROBERT B. McCAIN, 2Atf YORKVILLE. ILL. R. F. D. Big Profits in Capons [CAPON TOOLS , P. Pilling & Son, Caponizing is easy— soon learned. Complete outfit with free instructions postpaid $2.50. f iGape Worm Extractor 25c Poultry Murker 25c E'rencb Killing Knife50c |Capon Book Free. Philadelphia, Pa* DO YOU KNOW THAT THE SALE OF DITTMERS FOUNDATION Has increased so much that we were forced to double our melting capacity in order to fill orders promptly? There is a Reason for This — It is because Dittmee's Foundation is tough, clear, and transparent, and has the natural odor of beeswax. Agents for Dittmer's Foundation : W. D. Soper, Bee* Honey Co., Jackson, Mich. Beeville, Tex. E. H. Taylor, Welwyn Station, Herts, Ene. E. Grainger & Co., Toronto, Ont, Canada. Our warehouse is well stocked with all kinds of Bee-Keepers' Supplies. Beeswax always wanted. GUS DITTMER, Augusta, Wis. Mention Bee Journal when writing. r Wisconsin Basswood Sections And Prompt Shipments Is what we are making for our customers. — DOVETAILED HIVES AND SHIPPING-CASES — We carry a full line of SUPPLIES. Ask for Catalog. i 1TARSHFIELD HANUFACTURINQ CO., larshfield, Wis. Mention Bee Journal when writing. Root's Bee=5upplies Yon know what this means. FOUR CAR- LOADS OF NEW GOODS ON HAND. Onr business increased last year 100 percent over 1904. This is a proof that we are saving onr customeis monev. Try us. LOW FREIGHT RATES FROM TOLEDO. LARGE DIS- COUNTS—THAT TELLS THE STORY. Oar 80-page Catalog is sent free. GRIGGS BROS. 521 Monroe Street, TOLEDO, OHIO. Mention Bee Journal when writing. FOR_SALE About 300 perfect Worker Combs, mostly in Hoffman wired frames of the size used in the dovetail hives. Some are in loose-hang- ing frames. All frames have the thick top- bars. Price, 15 cents each. EDWIN BEVINS, Leon, Iowa. 23A4t Please mention the Bee Journal. Sections Best Northern Wisconsin, per thousand. No. 1. 14.20; and No. 2. $3.70; 241b. no aiip ^nippine-Case, 14c Root's Dovetail and Danz. Comb-Honey Hives. Italian Queens, etc. 12»13t H S. DUBY, St. Anne. 111. Mention Bee Journal when writing. If you want the Bee-Book Thai C"ver9 the whole Aplcultaral Field mure complete! v than any other published, send $1.20 to Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont, Cal., FOR HIS 44 Bee- Keeper's Guide." Liberal Discounts to the Trade. 65c for 12 Names ft^sW?^ mumps taken— we will Bend for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Call— rec. sub. price 40c a year. F. C.is a wkly., 25 years old, 1.900 pages a year. Sample free. FARMER'S CALL, yuiocy.HL 500 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL June 14, 1906 Swarming Done Away With The illustration shows one of the A. K. Ferris hives under manipula- tion for Comb Honey Production. Every bee-keeper will want to read about Mr. Ferris' hives, which are so large that they have to be handled with a small derrick. Another important contributor on tbis great swarming problem is Mr. G. M. Doo- little, author of "Queen-Rearing." Mr. Doolittle's plan is no doubt a perfect solution for localities where the same conditions as those in his own apiary exist. Photographs illustrating every point will be used in connection with these arti- cles, and every effort will be made to have each thought so clear that any bee-keeper can immediately apply the teachings to his own apiary. Never has the outlook for so many interesting contributions been brighter than it is at the present time. Every bee- keeper who does not take Gleanings will surely not want to miss the remaining is- sues of 1906. If you have not seen the first installment of this series, send iu your name for a three-number trial subscription which will be given free of charge. The April and May numbers will be mailed to you, and by June you will undoubtedly be so interested that you will want to take out a six months' subscription at least, the special price of which will be 25 cents. If you choose to remit at once, make your request for the above issues in addition to the regular numbers for six months beginning June 15th, and we will send them free of charge. Gleanings in Bee-Culture MEDINA, OHIO SECTIONS i i Sections are in great demand at this season of the year. We are running full capacity, but can hardly supply the call for No. 1 Sections of all sizes. Place orders at once, or you are apt to be disappointed. We have a very large supply of No. 2 grade of Sections. These Sections are as good as some offer for No. 1. Not being snow-white — but having a tinge of cream grades them No. 2. Give this grade a trial this season. It will cost you 25c a thousand less. ALEXANDER FEEDER We are prepared to furnish the Alexander Feeder. We make them 19 inches long so they may be used with either an 8 or 10 frame hive. With a 10 frame hive they will project 3 inches beyond the hive for feeding, and the block may be laid crosswise of the feeder or be cut off as preferred. With the 8-frame hive the feeder projects 5 inches and the block lies lengthwise. We soak the feeders in oil to prevent the feed from 6oaking in. Price, finished, including block, 25c each; 10 for $2 ; 50 for $9. GERMAN BEE-BRUSH Some months ago Mr. K. F. Holtermann called our attention to a bee-brush which he received from Germany, made of genuine bristle or horsehair. He had used one a whole season, washing it out often, and it appeared to be as good at the end of the season as at the begin- ning. He considered it so far ahead of anything he had ever seen or used that he wanted no other. We concluded if it was so good for him it must be equally good for others. We are now provided with a stock which we offer at 25 cent6 each ; by mail, 30 cents. The bristles are black, and about 2 inches long, extending 8 inches on the handle. Made of while hair it would cost 5 cents more. BR-AISraHBJS - Medina New York City, Chicago, 111. Philadelphia, Pa. Washington, D.C Ohio. Box 1037 144 E. Erie. 10 Vine St. 1100 Md. Ave. THE A. I. ROOT CO. Medina, Ohio. St. Paul, Minn. 1024 Miss. St. Syracuse, N.T. Mechanic Falls, 1631 W. Gen. St. Maine. m ^^ -^ \r\ y.Ur^K >)S\/pirp jN Jii., A if ti$X (Entered at the Post-OfHce at Chicago as Second-Class Mail-Matter.) Published Weekly at $t.OO a Year, by George W. York & Co., 334 Dearborn St. ufcOkUE W. YORK, Editor CHICAGO, ILL, JUNE 14, 1906 VoL XLVI— No. 24 ^ Cbitortal Hotes anb Comments Denatured Alcohol and Poorer Grades of Honey There is general rejoicing that Congress has freed de- natured alcohol from the burden that has been upon it, and that now alcohol can be used to compete with gasoline and kerosene. Bee-keepers share in the general interest, and have besides a special interest from the fact that it may make an outlet for the poorer grades of honey. Whether that shall amount to anything or not depends upon the worth of a gallon of denatured alcohol, and how much honey it takes to make a gallon of alcohol. Probably we shall know definitely about that before the new law goes into effect — Jan. 1, next. It sounds just a bit strange to find bee-papers rejoicing at the cheapening of alcohol, when none of them would advocate the use of alcoholic drinks ; but denatured alcohol is not an alcoholic drink in the proper sense of the word. It can no more be used as a drink than can gasoline, but it can be used as a fuel, and in other ways. The only wonder is that the powerful lobbies that are generally credited with controlling Congress, should have allowed the Bill to pass. But whenever the people rise in their power, then even " powerful lobbies " in Washington, or anywhere else, have to take a back seat. Some of these days " the people " will arise and dethrone King Alcohol as a beverage ; and then there will be rejoicing, not only on earth, but in Heaven as well. May that day speedily come 1 worst of the bargain under the present arrangement. While nearly all of the exports from Cuba come to our port6, only a little more than one-third of the imports into Cuba are furnished by American farmers and merchants. Therefore, in framing the new treaty some changes of the utmost importance have been made in the tariff schedules, and in all cases these are calculated to increase the advantages of American shippers. Existing rates of duty have been lowered on goods entering Cuba, and other amendments have been made that officials say will redound to American advantage. On the face of it there is nothing said in the foregoing that threatens any change inimical to the interests of honey-producers in the United States. The statement is that important changes have been made in the proposed new treaty, but that in all cases these are to the advantage of American shippers. Certainly there is nothing in that to alarm American bee-keepers. Yet when our solons at Washington begin tinkering with a tariff there is no telling what will be its shape when they are through with it. The whole question, however, is rather one of politics than of beekeeping, and it is a little doubtful that bee-keepers could agree unanimously as to what would suit them if the whole question were left to their decision. Certainly, however, they have the right to protest against any injustice, and it will do no harm to keep informed. "The present treaty does not expire by its own term for 3 years," and it may be that " the new treaty will be with- held from the Senate until next session." Cuban and Porto Rlcan Honey and the Tariff Editor American Bee Journal — Dear Sir : — I have been reading bee-literature for the past 4 years, and in that time I have heard nothing said about a tariff on foreign honey high enough to protect the American article. With the present tariff of only l';, cents per pound on Cuban honey, is it any wonder that honey does not bring a higher price? It will be 6een from enclosed clipping from the New York Tribune of April 9, that the American honey producer has still more to fear in the way of Cuban competition. If the California fruitgrowers could ask for and get a protective duty on oranges, which they did (I think it was in 1896), I don't see why the honey-producers of the entire United States and her adopted children (one of which is Porto Rico) should not wake up and try to do the same. I hope the American Bee Journal, and also the National Bee- Keepers' Association, will give this matter theirattention. Porto Rico, April 24. W. J. Yors The clipping referred to states that there has been a conference between the officials of the United States and of Cuba, "with the purpose of framing a new reciprocity treaty to replace the existing convention," and says : The reason for the preparation of the new treaty is th::1 the officials here have become convinced that America is getting by far the Coverdale's Oilcloth-Super Feeder Frank Coverdale, of Iowa, tells about it in the Bee-Keep- ers' Review. With an idle super on hand, less than 5 cents for oilcloth completes the feeder, which may be used over or under a hive, or it may be used as an open-air feeder. Mr. Coverdale says : It is extremely simple; a dovetailed comb-honey super i6 lined with oilcloth which costs here 121.. cents a yard; and it makes a feeder that will hold about 3 gallons, and costs only 4 cent6 each, or 25 feeders for only $1.00. I believe the cloths will last for years. I have fed 3 times with some of mine, and can see no sign of injury. These feeders set on top of the hive, or the hive may be raised from the bottom-board, and the feeder set underneath, after the re- quired amount of syrup has been put into it. Long grass or hay must be thrown in ; this is to prevent the bees from getting drowned. Every comb-honey producer will usually have plenty of empty supers, and it is handy to fix them for this business. These cloths may be used in any super that will support them; even the different apartments of the T-supers may be fitted to take them. A shingle may be let down to the tins in one or all of the apartments, care being taken to see that the bees always have access to the feed ; or if placed underneath be sure there is an opening in front to allow the bees to fly out at all times. Those who use dovetailed supers or section-holders can key up the supers. When putting in the oilcloth fold the corners so as not to allow any chance for leakage. Push in a little1 sharp tack at each corner, close to the top edge of the cloth. Do this to keep the cloth sound from holes. Use just enough of these brads to hold it in place. We use the cheap grade of oilcloth, and, so far, have met no ob- stacle. See that you get sound cloth. Hold it up to the light, and if there ale any defects they will show. 502 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL Juue 14, 19C6 2TTiscellaneous Hetps * 3 terns ^ J. C. Aeklin, of St. Paul, prominent among Minnesota bee-keepers, died very suddenly at a hospital lately. The brief notice we received from a friend did not contain any of the particulars. But we expect to secure and publish them in a later issue. Mr. Aeklin was a noble man and sincere friend. He will be greatly missed in Minnesota beedom. Later. — Since the foregoing was written, we have re- ceived the following from the A. I. Root Co.: Mr. J. C. Aeklin, St. Paul Manager of the A. I. Root Co., while delivering some bees in Highwood, a suburb of St. Paul, was 6tricken with apoplexy from which he died the following morning, May 26. Mrs. H. G. Aeklin, who in former years was in active management of the agency, resumes charge again, and the business will be continued as usual. An able assistant who has for years done a large share of the work is still in service, and orders will be promptly cared for. Df. C. C. Miller and G. M. Doolittle are the two lead- ing apiarian writers of the world. We believe that no two other men contribute as much to the present-day literature of bee-keeping as they do. And both are intensely practi- cal, and so are also successful with bees. Mr. Doolittle wrote us June 4 that he had been in poor health since last February, and during the most of May he was able to do but very little, being confined to the house quite a share of the time. But we are glad to say that when he wrote us he was feeling better, though still quite weak. Dr. Miller was 75 years old (no, 75 years " young ") last Sunday, June 10, and, so far as we know, in excellent health for one of his many busy years. We are sure all the readers of the old American Bee Journal will unite with us in extending heartiest congratu- lations to both Dr. Miller and Mr. Doolittle, and trust that they may live yet many years to continue to bless not only bee-keepers but the whole world. Our Special and Premium Offers are always made to those subscribers who are entitled to receive the Ameri- can Bee Journal at $1.00 a year, and all new subscriptions that are received on our premium and special offers are at $1.00 each. Hence, such offers do not apply in countries where there is an extra postage charge for sending the American Bee Journal, such as England, France, Germany, etc. Any one living in those " foreign " countries where such extra postage is charged, would need to send the price of the Bee Journal ($1.00) and the extra postage. In Eng- land that would be $1.50. For instance, in this country we offer Dr. Miller's book, " Forty Years Among the Bees," free as a premium for sending us two new yearly subscrip- tions— that would be $2.00 ; but if the two new subscriptions came from England or Germany, it would be $3.00 ; or 50 cents more to cover the extra postage on the American Bee Journal sent to " foreign " countries, or those not taking domestic postage rates. Home and Apiary of C. H. Dibbern.— The pictures presented on the first page this week are the apiary and home— that the bees helped to pay for— of Charles H. Dib- bern, of Milan, Ills. The main figure in the apiary view is Mr. Dibbern himself, holding in his hand his latest inven- tion— the queen-trap, which he has used for a dozen years for hiving and controlling swarming. The group of chil- dren in the foreground consist of two grand children and a couple of neighbor's children. The apiary now consists of about 100 colonies, as Mr. D. has concluded that the locality will not support more profitably; besides, he has now ar- rived at an age where he does not care to do the hard work required in a larger apiary. The picture was taken early this spring, and as supers had not yet been put on, the hives have a somewhat squatty appearance. Mr. Dibbern commenced bee-keeping just 40 years ago this spring, and has had bees continuously ever since. He has never had any serious disease among his bees, and has never seen a case of foul brood. Like most bee-keepers with the bee-keeping instincts born in them, he has been a constant experimenter, and as a result has produced several inventions of merit. The T-super was original with him, and he described it in the American Bee Journal early in the '80's. In 1889 he discovered the principles of the horizontal bee-escape, aud published his discovery in Gleanings. This proved a little premature, as he had not perfected the inven- tion, and a host of others took up the idea and the escape was soon perfected by others. A hive also was " invented" which he now has had in use for some 20 years, and he sees no reason for changing it. His latest is the queen-trap, which, of course, is a modi- fication of the Alley trap, but, in his opinion, is a great improvement in several particulars. He has never patented any of his inventions, and always gave his ideas freely to the bee-keepers of the world. The home (see second picture) is a modest structure, built rather for comfort than any particular style or display. It is situated on rising ground on the north side of Rock River, near Black Hawk's Watch Tower, now a very popu- lar resort. The group consists of several friends and his entire family, consisting of wife, son, daughter, daughter- in-law, son-in-law, " the baby," and two other grand- children. Otto Schulz in Germany.— We have received a souv- enir postal card from Prof. A. J. Cook, who has spent the past year in Germany, as our readers know. The picture on the card is shown here, and it was written from Buckow, Germany, May 10, 1906, and reads as follows : Apiary of Otto Schnltz, in Germany Oil! A great day here. Otto Schulz is a genius. He makes foundation cells full-depth and very fine. He forms wax sheets on a large wheel, then thins at pleasure between rolls. It is very beautiful here. I have had a splendid time, but my wife ha6 been sick in the hospital for several weeks. She is now safe, and at home. My wife and daughter will remain here another year. I leave next Tuesday, and get home Sept. 1. A. J. Cook. Errata. — On page 461 two regrettable errors occur. In the first column, in the second line of the fourth paragraph, several words are omitted. The whole sentence should read, " May 20 a frame of brood was taken from each colony having 8 brood, and given to one having only 6." The omission of a comma in the next paragraph ac- counts for the absurd statement that " Two supers of 44 sections each were placed over the lower super." Putting the comma where it belongs changes the sense entirely, making it read, "Two supers of 44 sectious each were placed over, the lower super containing 12 bait-sections." W. H. Putnam, editor of the Rural Bee-Keeper, made this office a call recently when in Chicago. Mr. P. is per- haps the "heavy-weight " among all the bee-editors when it comes to avoirdupois. And he is as jovial as he is large. It was our first opportunity to have a somewhat extended conversation with him, although we had a " How do you do?" acquaintance with him before. A Good Thermometer, mounted on a large-size wood back, is being used as an advertising novelty by Walter S. Pouder, a bee-supply dealer at Indianapolis, Ind. One sent to this office is doing good service these hot days. It's somewhat satisfying to know just what the temperature is even if the knowledge doesn't help cool one off any. June 14, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 503 + Contrtbutcb * Special Ctrticles ^ j Small vs. Large Hives and Supers BY C. W. DAYTON. I NOTICED the statements relating to Mr. Andrew's bees, honey and hives on page 180. Simply for mutual examina- tion I wish to compare conditions. Mr. Andrews had 250 colonies, and I had 160, spring count. His yield was 25 tons, and mine 12 tons. Mr. An- drews moved to oranges. I , did not have oranges. Sage alone. But if he has oranges and sage both in one location it would not be any better than sage alone, except that oranges might give 2 or 3 extractings before sage came in. 1 did not extract until May 15. Oranges, as I understand, yield water-white, or very light amber at Riverside (or Corona). Here, oranges give dark amber, and it will not pay to mix with sage. Mr. Andrews may have extracted several times before I extracted at all. It may be that sage would last longer here at Chatsworth on account of the damper location. It was damp and cloudy here from April 10 to May 20. The clouds came over the mountains from the coast. Riverside and Corona are so far inland that there is far more clear weather when the bees could gather honey earlier in the season. Mr. Andrews' hive I take to be the regular, full-sized Langstroth, 10 frames in the lower story and the same size story above. My lower stories are for 10 frames, 13 inches long, and an extracting super on top 13 inches long, and S inches deep, or one-third the size of Mr. Andrews' ex- tracting super. My lower story is only 34 the size of Mr. Andrews.' I allowed the honey to become entirely sealed over, in- cluding both outside combs, and then allowed them to stay on the hives 3 to 4 days until they were built solid with brace-combs between the stories. From my 160 colonies there were 350 swarms, but only 100 were hived. Mr. An- drews' yield was 50 pounds to the colony in excess of my yield. At 5 cents per pound it is $2.50, not counting recep- tacles. If the cost of production is 4 cents per pound it comes to $2.00, leaving a net profit of 50 cents in favor of Mr. Andrews' hive, yield, or something. Or, is it possible that my small hive and awfully small super will do as well as larger? At the first of the season I had 12 or 15 colonies with 2 of these little supers on each. When I had extracted 3 or 4 times I took the extra super off, only leaving one, as it seemed that I got just as much honey from the one. Of course, 50 pounds of honey is considerable honey, but 50 cents profit is not much difference, yet it is one-fourth. But I wonder now if 4' of my hives, which are about one-half as large as Mr. Andrews', cannot be manipulated and handled as easily as 3 of the regular and larger size. One thing, I never use a brush on these small combs, and put 9 combs, (or a whole super) in the extractor at once. I have not brushed bees off extracting combs in 10 years. Of course, small combs are easier to handle all around, and more rapid. It takes me just two minutes to go 100 feet from the extract- ing house, take the cover off the hive, smoke the bees, take the combs out and put the empty combs in their places, close the hive, and get back into the extracting house again. I have the idea that it would take 5 or 6 minutes with the large hive. Of course, I must extract oftener where the small super is used, but I extract from but few lower stories, and that where there is no queen below or trie super remains full a long time. As I understand, the large stones run from 32 to 38 pounds at an extracting, when they are sealed, and my small ones go from 22 to 28 pounds. The large combs are thicker in the middle at the top in most of the colonies than at the ends and along the lower half. It has long been my belief that there are but a small proportion of the bees which gather honey compared to the whole colony, a large share standing around on the honey doing nothing, or else there is more inside work in the hives than we know of. If 5 pounds of bees went out after honey S times a day, they ought to bring back 25 pounds. And as sage honey is so easy to get they could easily make 25 trips a day if they were so disposed, as the days are 17 hours in length and sage is unlike many other honey-plants, in that the honey tubes are open for the visits of the bees all day long. . One thing against the large hives and supers is the trou- ble they make to carry them over the dry years when we need so few bees in the hives. Where the bees can be moved into the orange-groves the trouble does not occur, but very few apiaries are, or could be, so situated here. But it is much more labor to move large hives than small ones. Too much for the 50 cents I have figured above. Every one who has seen my apiary in years past has detested such a stingy super and hive. But my management is different from that of the large hives. In the spring I manipulate the brood- combs so that the small combs become solidly filled. If there is any pollen or solid combs of honey it is caused to be removed and carried into the super where such off grades can be extracted at the first round and kept separate from the sage. With larger super the dark would go in with considerable sage. Small supers enable more perfect separa- tion of grades. When the bees get the combs of honey all sealed and properly ripened they retire from the supers, only enough bees remaining to keep guard over the honey, and then the main force of bees begins to cluster out at the entrance. I tell from outside indications when they are ready to ex- tract. When the combs are completely finished in capping and ripening the bees are very easily shaken off, so that no brush is necessary. I set the combs in tin-bottomed boxes on the wheel-barrow which hold 24 combs each. I have 5 of these boxes and 150 to 200 extra empty combs so that I do not open hives the second time to put the combs in. The quick handling of small combs, without brushing, gives robber-bees very little time. But robbers seldom are numerous until near the close of the season. At that time I' take out honey in the middle of the day to keep the ex- tractor going until dark, if necessary. Then through the night, if robbers trouble my work, the boxes of empty combs remain stacked up with robber-cloths (cloths wet with car- bolic-acid water) over each. This renders them unattractive to robbers, while on the wheel-barrow, and also to the in- mates of the hives they are put into. The most of the trouble is caused by the bees of the colony rushing outdoors at the smell of the combs within, and perhaps turning to dig and pull at the cracks of their own hive. And, es- pecially, forgetting in the excitement, to guard their own en- trance. Carbolized combs maintain order in the colony in which they are placed. In a few hours the acid is all evap- orated and the combs are cleaned up more gradually, and with little strife. It is seldom that a box of combs is brought in to ex- tract containing a dozen bees, but, occasionally a few are. The boxes of combs are slid off the wheel-barrow onto shelves. Above the shelves is a 20-inch strip of wire-cloth extending entirely around the extracting house. The bees climb out of the combs and run up on the screen and soon find the escapes where they get out of the building. But most of the bees brought in are young, as they cling to the combs and are more difficult to shake off than old bees. The young bees go up on the screen in a cluster and stay through the night. A corner toward the sunrise is chosen. In one or two days the young bees find their way out the escape. Near the escape on the outside of the building I keep a nucleus hive. It is usually started with a cluster of bees the size of your fist, and a little chunk of brood such as most bee-men throw out in the grass. They start to rear a queen of their own, but in swarming-time it is easy to put in a ripe queen cell from one of the best colonies. They build combs from a strip of wax as a starter, except the one brood- comb I put in empty to give their queen a chance to lay. When one nucleus becomes strong enough to "go it" with- out further help it is moved away and another started in the same way. All the stray bees that come out go straight into the nucleus the same way as others have traveled, and a bee that has stayed out of its hive a day or two is always accepted, or, in fact, invited in. The older bees go home at once. Some of these nuclei have given 50 pounds of honey, and every one gives something, and will fill a regu- lar hive in time for the harvest the following year. The "breeding up" of the colonies into working strength is very much like the growth of plants. Plants grow faster and faster as the weather warms up until they reach the climax; then there is a slackening. My hives are abundant, in size, early or late, or, as, we may say, both ways from the climax. No old queen, after hiving with a swarm or any 504 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL June 14, 1906 of the newly-reared queens, reach so large an amount of brood as the queen that begins in the spring and builds with the expectation of casting a swarm. Thev prepare for the population of 2 full hives then. The reason the hives are so over-populated at this time is because the old bees, that should be off to the fields gathering honey, are loitering around the hive waiting to depart for the woods with the old and much respected queen. There are not often too many bees, but the bees are not in the right place. In order to set the bees at work we must change their dispositions, and that necessitates the removal of their queen. Now, if the colony swarms some day, and takes the old queen along, the old bees off in the fields do not, when thev return and find the old queen gone, get the pouts and stand around doing nothing. They keep on at their work more in- dustriously than ever, seeing that they have tlie future pros- perity of the colony depending upon them to an increased degree. When a swarm issues I take the old queen away at once. Then I confine the bees long enough that they forget the purpose for which they came out of their hive. Then they are permitted to return to the old hive grad- ually, as if returning from the fields. If they are permitted to come out and cluster and then are returned again and again the disposition of departing becomes more and more fixed upon them, so that when the honey they take along becomes digested and converted into wax for comb-building in their new home, they have become so disinclined toward, and forgetful of, their old domicile as to regard a new home as the only possible alternative. Chatsworth, Cal. m Bees Destroying Queen-Cells With Live Queens BY ALLEN LATHAM. ON page 445 Mr. Alley says : "I wish to inform the bee-keep- ers of the world that no bees, queenless or otherwise, ever destroy or tear down queen-cells that contain live queens. A colony having a queen (either a virgin or a fertile one) will not destroy a queen-cell until a queen first stings the imprisoned or embryo queen; then the worker- bees complete the destruction." I know Mr. Alley, and I know that he believes that he is right. He will say. too, that others are mistaken in be- lieving that bees will tear down cells when no queen is present. I wish that he was right, for then I should never bother to protect cells with cell-protectors made of wire- cloth. If bees are imprisoned in a hive they will gnaw away at a queen-cell till all the wax is off the cocoon portion, and frequently get a hole through above the cocoon. As soon as that hole is through it is good-bye queen, unless help comes. Therefore, Mr. Alley, I refuse to be informed, and I rather think that I shall not be in a class of one in refusing to learn this lesson. Does Mr. Alley, or anyone else, believe that a queen can sting the imprisoned virgin or embryo before a hole is gnawed? Does any one think that it is possible to thrust the sting through a wall of wax? If he does, then his power of belief is big. I wish to inform the bee-keeping world that the em- bryo queen, or the imprisoned queen, is never stung till after a hole is made in the cell. Personally, I doubt if the embryo queen is usually stung at all. A vigorous virgin nearly ready to emerge may arouse the ire of the free vir- gin, and be stung, but many an embryo is simply hauled out by the workers. The hole is begun by the free queen. As soon as a cell is thus injured the workers will tear it down. Many a time I have seen cells with holes in them, and the queen inside still alive. Has Mr. Alley not seen this? If the queen is alive, has she been stung? Last fall I was tardy in caring for a batch of cells, and when I went for them I found that a queen was out gnawing at the other cells. In one she had a hole which had been enlarged enough to pass a small pea through. Though others had been gnawed, none had holes. I wished to save • all the queens possible, and as I had been successful formerly in patching up torn or broken cells, I determined to save this one with the hole in it. I laid a bit of comb foundation over the hole and sealed it down with a hot iron. That cell and all the others of the batch hatched strong queens. The one in particular, which, if Mr. Alley is right, had been stung, became mated and showed every appearance of being a good queen. If Mr. Alley can explain away the last-stated stubborn facts, perhaps I shall relent and consent to be informed. Mr. Alley is a man of wide experience, and lie has kept bees twice as long as 1, ami I naturally would hesitate to question what he has to say. I have read the article from which I quoted with great interest. There are lots of good things in that article, but in the case quoted Mr. Alley has proved himself mortal, just like the rest of us. Norwich, Conn. 13-Dadant Methods of Honey-Production BY C. P. DADANT. A MUCH-DEBATED question in the production of ex- tracted honey is whether to remove the honey before it is ripe, and ripen it by artificial means, or remove it only when entirely ripened. We prefer the latter method. When the first extractor was introduced, bee-keepers had much less experience about the ripening of honey than they have to-day. It seemed quite natural to remove the honey just as fast as gathered by the bees. Larger quanti- ties could thus be harvested, but it did not take the producer long to find out that such honey often had no consistency, and would run like water. In fact, fresh harvested honey often drips from the cells when the comb is slightly inclined out of the perpendicular. This is, however, by no means constant, for some kinds of honey, in dry seasons, prove ripened very shortly after the gathering. Honey from heather is often mentioned by French apiarists as impossible to extract, owing to its great density. I have never had the good luck to visit a producer of heather honey, or I should have made particular enquiry as to the possibility of ex- tracting it promptly after it has been brought in. But our main crops of honey in the Middle West are not such as will bear being harvested at once without re- quiring artificial ripening afterwards. We have tried both artificial ripening and the more popular way of allowing the combs to remain in the super until the bees have thor- oughly evaporated the excess of moisture. The latter method is, in our opinion, much preferable. There is but one thing that would induce us to extract honey before it is fully ripe — the impossibility of furnishing the bees with a sufficient number of supers. We have seen a few such seasons, and in those instances we have taken the pains to place the honey in open tanks in warm rooms. Usually, when there is an extraordinary sea- son, the honey is less watery than in poor seasons, and the time required for ripening is therefore less. A very wet season, when honey contains a great deal of water and evaporates slowly, is usually a poor honey season anyhow. In such a season we leave the supers on until a few days after the crop is over. We have sometimes taken the addi- tional precaution of keeping the greater part of the honey in a tank for a few weeks. In a first-class year, if we are compelled to extract for want of a sufficient number of supers, we sometimes take off the first supers filled, leaving the last one on the hive for later extracting. The question has often been asked : Must honey be sealed over to be considered ripe? I do not believe that seal- ing is a criterion. There are seasons when the bees will seal combs when the honey is insufficiently ripened. We have seen this happen oftener with basswood than with any other crop. In such cases the honey may ferment, and will, a little later, burst the cappings. This may not be noticed if the honey is still on the hive, for the bees will then look after it and probably manipulate it and transfer it from one cell to another, as the careful housekeeper transfers her pre- serves when they show signs of fermentation. The bees have not the resource of boiling or heating their stores to remove the germs of fermentation, but trust them to do for the best with the means they have at hand. But if the honey which is capped and unripe has been removed from the hive by the bee-keeper, and has been extracted, he will soon notice that it forms gas-bubbles, and the watery portion will come to the surface. If the honey has been kept in the comb, the capping bursts and the liquid honey forms out. But this sealing of unripe honey is a rare exception. As a rule, the bees are very careful to ripen the honey thoroughly before sealing it. On the other hand, if the bees have been supplied with a June 14. 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 505 great deal of empty comb, and if the colony is very popu- lous, the honey will be scattered over a great area in the super and will be ripened readily, but little of it will he capped, until they ascertain that the crop is coming to an end. In such circumstances the more or less capping of the honey will depend most probably on the temperature. If it is low, the bees will concentrate their stores over the cluster and will more readily seal a part of the filled combs. If the temperature is high, and the hive very populous, the honey will remain scattered over a greater area and less of it will be sealed. The temperature has a great deal to do with the be- havior of the bees, and it is probably owing to its action that bee-keepers differ in their opinions as to the actions ot the bees. In Northern latitudes, where the nights are cool, the question of retaining the heat in the hive has a much greater influence on success than in localities where the great ques- tion is how to keep the temperature of the brood-nest and of the supers low enough so that the combs may not break down. So we can not lay down any rule that will serve for all climates, as to whether we may expect the bees to ripen all their honey before any of it is sealed, or whether they may seal it as fast as ripened. It is a good thing to err on the safe side, and wait until a great portion of it, at least, is sealed, before attempting to remove it. But in any case where there is doubt as to the sufficient density of the honey, it is well to keep it in an open vessel in a warm room — in as hot a room as you may have — during the re- mainder of the summer. The late Chas. F. Muth — who was an authority on honey, because he produced so much of it and bought and sold hun- dreds of tons of it — was in the habit of ripening his honey regularly, by storing it in tanks, covered with a cloth, in an attic. Honey harvested in June or July was thus kept by him until early in September, when it was put in retailing packages, and would granulate almost immediately after- ward. Our method has been to remove the honey only when it is ripe, as far as we can judge, and it is only in very rare instances that we have made any mistakes. Cool, wet sea- sons are the most dangerous. But we have harvested hun- dreds— I might almost say thousands — of barrels of honey which was barrelled at once and rolled into a dry cellar, and did not see the light again until it was prepared for re- tailing, in i Ictober, when we found it almost invariably per- fectly solid, with a regular grain of granulation, resembling butter. I see that lately a number of our European experiment- ing apiarists are discussing the density of honey, and great differences are shown as to its condition when first har- vested. I believe many people have but very remote ideas as to the great differences in density of honey fresh-gath- ered in different countries, under different degrees of heat, and with different hygrometric conditions. Stating how much water fresh honey contains would be as impossible as stating how much rain-fall may be expected during any one month in anv locality. Hamilton, 111. iji Pollen— How Use to Best Advantage BY G. M. DOOLITTLE. EARLY pollen," has a musical sound to all bee-keepers, and when you ask one as to the time of year that the bees first begin to gather pollen in his locality, he is all attention, and will tell you the earliest period he ever knew the bees t< i bring in the small loads, which are the harbinger of brood-rearing. But ask the average bee-keeper from what source this pollen comes, and four out of five can only guess at the matter, and that guess twice out of three times will be, "from willow." This guess may be right in some localities, but in this locality the first pollen comes from what is more commonly known as "skunk cabbage," from the smell the plant emits when the leaves are bruised, and from the cabbage appear- ance of its growth when it has arrived at maturity. But in early spring there is nothing to be seen of this cabbage growth; just a gnarled, pointed, reddish-colored hood, that rises about 2 or 3 inches out of the ground, inside of which, rising on a stem, is a little ball of flowers about as big as a marble, and this ball of little, short flowers are very rich in pollen. The hood has on one side, a slit or crevice in it, ofttimes hardly large enough for the bee to squeeze in, and as the ball of flowers fills the hood to within about bee- space all around, the bee which works on skunk cabbage for pollen gets covered more or less all over with the yellow dust, so that it makes her appear almost a laughable object as she runs into the hive. I have seen this dust from a thirty-second to one-sixteenth of an inch thick on the back or upper side of the abdomen of bees when they are entering the hives, though this is the extreme. Then the hood protects and keeps the bee warm when at .work on skunk cabbage, so that they will gather pollen from this source when it would be too cold to gather pollen from the trees, were the willow in bloom at this time. I have known bees to get pollen from this source as early as March 10. but it is more often from the 10th to the 15th of April before any pollen is obtained here in central New York. Following skunk cabbage comes the soft maple, from which the bees obtain pollen of a reddish tinge; and 2 or 3 days later the elm blooms, from which a liberal supply is obtained, if the weather is fine. This gives the bees a great start at brood-rearing, and an advance which is rarely checked by all the unfavorable weather which may come thereafter. However, in occasional years, we have a severe freeze just at the time all these early pollen-producing flowers are about to open, which spoils the whole, and in such years it is up- hill business for the bees till the willow and hard maples bloom, when large quantities of pollen are usually obtained. As I said to start with, early pollen is something that all bee-keepers are joyful over, but in some localities, later on, bees store so much pollen in their combs that it seems to those not as familiar with the inside workings of the hive as they might be, that some device for removing this pollen would be of great benefit to them, for at a bee-con- vention some years ago I heard offers as great as $25 from a single person for some plan to remove pollen from the combs. Some advise putting these combs of pollen into tepid water and soaking a week or so till the pollen becomes soft and mushy, when the combs are to be put into the honey- extractor and the pollen ad water thrown out. Others ad- vise making combs containing much pollen into wax, and then work the wax into comb foundation to put into the hives for the bees to draw out into comb again; but all such advice seems to me to be a damage rather than a help. In this locality wet get large quantities of pollen — prob- ably as much as is gathered in any place in the United States — yet I have never soaked or melted up a single comb on that account, neither did I ever have any thrown out by the bees, as others claim they have, unless said pollen had become moldy. With me there are two different periods in which the bees store much more pollen than is worked by the nurse- bees into chyme for the young brood. One is during the bloom of hard or sugar maple, and the other during white clover bloom. I have had combs of pollen gathered from the yield during hard maple which weighed as high as 4^4 pounds. At such time as this I work as follows : Whenever the bees gather so much as to crowd the queen, I take it away for the time being and place empty combs in its stead. If there come a few rainy or windy days at this time I find that this pollen is all exhausted, so that the cells are once more empty or filled with eggs, as it takes large quantities of food for the numerous brood at this season of the year. After apple-bloom there is little for the bees to work on, and the surplus of pollen is all soon used up, and more needed, when I set back that which was re- moved, and thus brood-rearing is kept up more effectually than by feeding syrup, honey, or any other plan of stimula- tive feeding, providing there is plenty of honey in the hive, which there generally is, if bad weather has not cut short the vield from the apple-bloom. I consider plenty of pollen in the combs during the period of scarcity between apple and clover bloom of great advantage, as it keeps brood-rearing going on without a break till the honey harvest arrives. The pollen gathered during white clover is treated dif- ferently from that gathered earlier. The early rarely ever has honey placed top of it, while that from clover is placed in the cells till they are nearly ; | full, when the cell is filled with honey and sealed over so as to preserve it against a time of need the next spring, or before bees can gather from natural sources in the early part of the year. During the summer, as I find combs o ntaining much pollen in this preserved state, they are hung away in the room for storing combs; or, if it is so early that the wax-moth is trouble- some, they are stored in upper stories over weak colonies of 506 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL June 14, 1906 bees where they will be protected till ready for their winter storage. Where stored in a room, they must be looked after, and fumigated if the moth becomes troublesome. Combs containing much pollen under honey are distin- guishable from those without, by holding them up before a strong light and looking through them, unless the combs are very old and the cells filled with the cocoons left from the maturing brood. When spring opens I again take the opportunity of placing all combs I have on hand containing pollen, near the brood, and find that this, together with the honey stored over the pollen, which honey has to be removed before the bees can get at the pollen, answers a better purpose for stimu- lating brood-rearing at this time of the year, than the feeding of pea, rye, or oat meal, as some recommend. In this way the pollen is used up to a far better advantage than by in- venting a machine to remove it from the combs, and saves all trouble of soaking or melting the combs as well. Borodino, N. Y. t \= (Ecmabtcm *23eebom-f ^ j Conducted by Morlet Pettit, Villa Nova, Ont. Specialize in Bee-Keeping- A plea for specialization in bee-keeping-, by L,. B. Bell of Arizona, appears in Farm, Field and Fireside. After speaking of the troubles of mixed farming and bee-keeping, fii?hMikttRhffWHauftI1 amateuJ V? compete with men equipped for the to of N^w Yort? ' adS' GU1' °f Colorado- or ^exan- workBedt'Un°"r T^' eUK f y/' " ^ese men began in a small way and Stif'm , ; b"1 lf you've got the bee-fever so bad you just 1p«,J It I ° ' g.° and sPend a season with some of these men and wil,hnnf.°k°e8f f/°.re 7°X pUVa dollar int0 U- Most ot th^e men *n ilnn fV. ? F',y /"?eD t0 that' aDd y°U WOUld- t0°> « JO" COUld lreCks?hirP„lai1 °'the; irking up "process aid see how many ■ wrecks there are and how few got there. Human life is too short to have any of it wasted in dabbling. A Bumble-Bee Apiarist ^J^u/Jt^ Kellyj0' Elgin Co., Ont., is a farmer who makes a specialty of sheep and clover seed, and also keeps bees. He recentlv thTrl^ , a° 'neenious system of ensuring the fertilization of ™n,?l u0SSl?Sl He pays tne b°ysof the neighborhood 25 cents for every bumble-bee's nest they locate for him. This he then moves to his own premises. He inverts over the nest a funnel-shaned screen, with a small hole in the top leading into a little box. Bv stir- ring up the bees he gets them all into the box, and then takes up the nest and transports bees and all to some convenient spot on his farm in this way he has almost il cornered " the bumble-bees of his neigh- borhood. In winter he protects them from mice by putting over the nest an oblong hardwood box, say 20 inches long by 10 or 12 inches wide and the same height. A small hole, protected by a piece of tin to pre- vent mice gnawing it larger, permits egress and ingress of the queen As a result of his pains, Mr. Kelly grows large fields of clover seed' averaging 4 or o bushels per acre. Those living near him get good crops of seed. 6 swu Mr. Kelly related an interesting experience of one year when he had pastured with sheep a field of red clover, taking the sheep off June 15 The second crop blossomed beautifully, and neighbors de- clared it the finest they had ever seen. It was, however, a little too early for the bumble-bees, and no seed worth mentioning was secured —Farmers' Advocate. <=v.u1Cu. This is the Mr. Kelly mentioned in this department some time ago. ^ i m National Control of Food Supplies The Canadian Grocer has a synopsis of a lecture de- livered by Anthony McGill, before the Ontario Grocers' Convention, on "National Control of Food Supplies," from which we can profitably take notes : Food inspection is a comparatively modern innovation. About the middle of the last century Dr. Hassall published in the London Lancet an extended series of investigations into the character of the various foods as offered in the London markets. A commission was appointed, and the first Adulteration Act in England was passed; Canada followed in 1874. The Act has undergone many amendments since that date, in consequence of increased experience in its working, but the fundamental principles remain unchanged. What Adulteration Is. It defines adulteration as follows: 1. If any substance has been mixed with it 60 as to reduce or lower or injuriously affect its quality or strength ; 2. If any inferior or cheaper substance has been substituted, wholly or in part, for the article ; 3. If any valuable consistent of the article has been wholly or in part abstracted ; 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 a diseased or decomposed or putrid or rotten animal or vegetable substance, whether manufactured or not; or in the case of milk or butter, if it is the produce of a dis- eased animal, or of an animal fed upon unwholesome food; 6. If it contains any added poisonous ingredient which may ren- der such an article injurious to the health of a person consuming it; 7. If its strength or purity falls below the standard, or its consti- tuents are present in quantity not within the limits of variability, fixed by the governor-in-couneil, as hereinafter provided ; 8. If it is so colored or coated, or polished or powdered that dam- age is concealed, or if it is made to appear better or of greater value than it really is. Mr. McGill cites the modern tendency to manufactured foods of all kinds, and the achievements of chemistry in introducing new food products such as glucose, cotton-seed oil, cotton-seed stearin, coal-tar dyes, synthetic flavoring materials, chemical preservatives (such as salicylic acid, formalin, etc.) ; these substances enter into the composition of modern foods to an extent little imagined by the ordi- nary consumer. He does not find fault with the inventor of new food materials, but mentions the danger of trying radical experiments with the workings of the human diges- tive organism. Again, in the manufacture of many new food substances, power- ful chemicals are used, and great care is necessary to make sure that these are properly rendered harmless before the finished product is put on the market. Many cases of poisoning through the use of dye6 containing arsenic, glucose containing free acid, and other similar in- stances are on record. I must, however, bear testimony to the great care which is nowadays taken by manufacturers, and to the purity of the products now offered. Chief Ground op Complaint. The chief ground of complaint rests in the non acknowledgement of the presence of a foreign substance. The importance which this assumes depends greatly upon the point of view. To the consumer it means that he is ignorant of what he eats. To the honest manufac- turer it is a very heavy grievance, 6inee it means unfair competition. To the producer it is also a ground for complaining. W hat of the fruit-grower who finds apple, turnip or other pulp used as a basis for jams, 6old as strawberry, raspberry, plum, etc., and dyed with coal-tar colors to imitate the genuine fruit? Just in the same way has the dairy farmer a right to complain of unacknowledged competition by the sale of oleomargarine or renovated butter for the genuine article ; the farmer who raises pigs has a bona-fide grievance when cotton-seed products are substituted for lard, and so on. Who Shall Be Held Responsible? The consumer, naturally and inevitably, must hold the retail dealer responsible. The Adulteration Act provides the retailer with a safeguard in two ways: First, he may plead the guaranty of the manufacturer or whole- saler, provided that he has taken the precaution to obtain such. Second, the Inland Revenue Department (which is charged with the administration of the Food Act) provides an inexpensive means of acquainting him with the nature of the articles he sells, by chemical analysis at a nominal fee. The manufacturer may thus be held ultimately responsible for the correct naming of his goods. There is no bar to the manufacture or sale of any wholesome food in Canada (except butter substitutes) pro- vided that they are correctly and honestly labeled. The Act requires that such articles be distinctly labeled as a mixture, in conspicuous characters, forming an inseparable part of the label. Penalties Provided. Distinct penalties attach to violations of the Act, and these may be classed as (1) penalties for adulteratingfoods, (2) penalties for sell- ing adulterated foods. If the adulteration is deemed injurious to health, the penalty for a first offense may reach $200 and costs, or 3 months imprisonment, or both; if the adulteration be deemed to be not injurious to health, the penalty may reach $100 and costs, and is not less than $5 and costs. Amerikanische Bienenzucht, by Hans Buschbauer, is a bee-keeper's hand-book of 138 pages, which is just what our German friends will want. It is fully illustrated, and neatly bound in cloth. Price, postpaid, $1.00; or with the American Bee Journal one year — both for $1.75. Address all orders to this office. June 14, 19C6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 507 (Dur+Stster Beekeepers % Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. Pollen— Its Gathering and Value J It is good fun to watch the bees carrying in pollen. Our bees seem to have such a fine time of it, or is that only imagination ? At any rate, they seem to hasten into the hive very eagerly as they come home with loads so big that one wonders how they stick to the pollen-baskets. A pecu- liarity is that the work of pollen-carrying is not evenly divided among all the workers ; the most of them do not gather pollen at all, and the rest carry extra weight. Most of the pollen is gathered in the forenoon, but if you watch closely you may see pollen carried in again in the evening, sometimes so late that you wonder that the bees can see to find their way home. Not every sister estimates pollen at its true value. Honey is carefully saved, but many a comb of pollen is allowed to be spoiled without compunction, and yet weight for weight it is doubtful if the honey is worth any more than the pollen — possibly not so much. In early spring, if a colony is without pollen, not a young bee can be reared till a stock of pollen is secured. The 8-Frame Hive vs. the io-Frame for the Sisters In general, the sisters will use the same implements and plans in bee-keeping as those of the sterner sex, yet equally in general they will have a preference for some- thing lighter to handle, wherever there is a choice. In the matter of hives there is a choice. A 10-frame hive is something like 20 percent heavier than an 8-frame one, and when one is lifting about to the limit of one's strength, an addition of 20 percent is no trifle. It is true that hives do not have to be lifted very often, in some cases not at all, and in the latter case the weight does not matter. Most of the sisters, too, can have help when- ever a hive is to be lifted. But in running for comb honey there are the supers, and for the larger hives they are in- creased in weight to a corresponding degree. Even if there is no lifting of hives there is no getting along without lift- ing section supers, and they must be lifted so often that it is a matter of no little consequence how heavy they are. So, if for no other reason, any woman who is working for comb honey will be likely to look with a partial eye on the 8-frame hive. But it must not be left out of consideration that a 10- frame hive is much safer for the bees than the smaller hive, and no woman should think of adopting an 8-frame hive unless she gives very close attention to her bees. Given the same care that will pass muster with a 10-frame hive, and there will be a lot of colonies starve every winter in the smaller ones. There must be extra combs of honey to give some colonies each fall, where 8-frame hives are kept, and again in spring some colonies will starve if left to them- selves. Not that bees in larger hives are always safe from starvation, but they are safe as compared with those in smaller hives. An objection is sometimes raised to the 8-frame hive because it is not large enough to accommodate a prolific queen. True ; but neither is a 10-frame hive large enough, and there is no law against giving a queen 2 stories of 8 frames each, and with 16 frames she is not likely to feel cramped for room. Then when the harvest comes, one story can be removed and super-room given in its place. When working for extracted honey, it is just as easy to handle the extracting frames in a large hive as in a small one, and the advantages of the larger hive for extracted honey are such that it has the general preference. In comparing square with tall sections, there is one thing to be considered that makes more difference to women in general than it does to men. It is the matter of the weight of supers when the bees have filled them. A section S inches high is 17 percent higher than a A% section, so a super of the 5-inch sections will be 17 percent heavier than one of 4'4 sections — a matter of considerable importance. Another matter equally concerns both sexes : The super that is 17 percent heavier will take a longer time to fill, and in general there is likely to be a little more even work in a smaller super. At the close of the season, if the bees have just enough honey to finish up a super containing 24 pounds, there would be a shortage if they were asked to fill a super containing 4 pounds more. But that exact state of affairs might not often arise. M I — Early Swarming in Nebraska My bees have commenced swarming, the first swarm issuing May 22. Is this not early for central Nebraska? Westerville, Nebr., May 24. (Miss) Jennie Booknaw. Indeed it is early, and your bees must have been in good condition to swarm thus early. They probably built up so as to swarm in fruit-bloom — an unusual thing. Southern 4- Beebom -fr Conducted by Lorjia H. Scholl. New Braunfels, Tex. A Sister Bee-Keeper in the South =J Mb. Louis H. Scholl:— My first experience with bees was 7 year6 ago when I found a very small swarm in my garden, and nothing else being handy, I simply put them into a Hour-barrel. To begin with, I was very much afraid of bees; in fact, all I knew about bees " was just to keep away from them.'' After calling up all the bravery I ever possessed — and, of course, I felt I was almost sui- ciding to attempt such a thing— I did really brush the bees in a paper pad and threw them under the barrel. I was almost ashamed to tell of doing such a desperate thing. That little handful of bees did wonders the next spring. Tbey stored such a lot of nice honey, and I am sure there was a half bushel of bees, but they never did swarm. I kept them in the old barrel, and 1 never saw one colony store so much honey. I never have done as well with hives, and talk about non-swarming ! If you will give them a barrel you won't be bothered with swarms 1 But now I am not any more afraid of my bees, wearing neither gloves nor veil. I can not say whether or not my bees are blacks, but they are not vicious Any one can handle bees if he or she is not afraid of them. I love my bees, and just live with them. I do believe they love me, for I can hardly work in the garden, they follow me so much. 1 have been feeding my bees lately on cake-sugar. It does not dope them like syrup. . Our main source for honey here in Arkansas, I think, is from chinquapin. We also have corn and cotton-bloom. Some say bees do not pay here, but that is not right. My husband i6 a cotton buyer, and, of course, we have to live in town. My bees are within 10 feet of the sidewalk, but they never bother any one. They are only com- mon bees. I have ordered Italian queens. Can 1 take brood out of one or two hives and put it into a new hive ard put the ordered queen with them? Of course, take some bees with the brood. I want Ital- ian queens, but do not like to destroy the common queens. The bees in this part of the country are of a very common kind. They do not store more than 30 pounds per colony the first honey-year. I feel sure that with improved stock we could beat that. I had a swarm act strangely last summer. They swarmed May 1, and 6uch a fine swarm, too. But only half of them would work; the other half clustered on the outside of the hive, and just lay there un- til cold weather drove them in. Were there 2 queens, or what was the real trouble? The American Bee Journal is a fine paper. Magnolia, Ark. Mrs. John Williams. We are glad, indeed, to have our sister bee-keepers take a part in " Southern Beedom." I have often been told by " elder brethren " that we needed the ladies to help us to be successful in life. I, myself, do not know much about that for— I am not yet married ; they were. However, we will be glad to hear from other sister bee-keepers of the South. There are a great many bee-keepers who were at first very much afraid of bees, but who soon got over their timidity and became successful bee-keepers. One person I have in mind in particular, declared that he would not go near a bee-hive " with a shot-gun," but soon afterward he surprised me very much, for he had purchased a dozen colo- 508 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. June 14. 190t nies of bees. Ever since then he has been a bee-keeper managing' several apiaries, and securing large crops of honey. The trouble with your swarm acting so strangely might have been for several reasons. Perhaps the hive was not large enough. Or the hive was poorly ventilated by the entrance being too small. My summer hive-entrances are large — ;4 inch deep, and the full width of the hive. The small 3s -inch-depth entrance is too small, and, with a large colony, clustering out would very likely result until cooler weather. Your experience with non-swarming of a colony in a large flour-barrel is quite in accord with the experience of the advocates of large hives to reduce swarming. It was not the barrel, of course, but the large amount of room in it that prevented swarming. The same could have been provided in a large hive. VTii\ £)asty's Ctftertfyougfyts j The " Old Reliable " as seeD through New and Unreliable Glasses. By E. E. Hasty, Sta. B. Rural, Toledo, Ohio. Advertisements Valuable as History Mostly we don't read bound volumes of back numbers as much as we expected to when we bound them — and when it comes to looking over very old ones the advertisements strike us as a very interesting part of the book — much that once made a great stir being now comically obsolete. Should decidedly object to having the ads missing from my back numbers. Obliterating them would be obliterating history, as our Editor suggests. Page 381. Swarm and Drone Prevention So H. S. Philbrook's idea of swarm prevention is to get the queen into business in an added story below. He finds it working well the second year. Good — so far ! But, as the elements of non-success are evidently pretty thick, we must have wide and numerous successes before we draw final conclusions. Some Cyprian blood in this case it seems ; and that makes it abnormal to a certain degree. We seem to get a sort of a hint that the held-in-reserve Daven- port plan is the same. Mr. Philbrook seems to have made a positive addition (although a minor one) to our manipulations. He finds that unsealed drone-brood, when sprinkled with sulphur, are im- mediately pulled out and carried out of the hive. Easy, and good. Page 383. Weak-Colony-Over-Strong Experiences And here are more experiences with the pig-a-back style of keeping a weak colony warm over a strong one. On page 390, A. E. Oliver lost half his queens. On page 411, V. Goodnow fails with 4 trials. C. Davenport Safe in Minnesota Those that don't believe that C. Davenport's swarm- controlling method amounts to much will don't believe it still more after reading his letter on page 401. Eucky for C. D. that the Emperor Tiberius is not reigning in Minne- sota. His way of keeping dangerous secrets from getting abroad was to chop off the inventor's head. Brown-Tail and Gypsy Moths, and Potato-Bug And now the insect invaders of national importance that are trying to fight their way across our continent are two instead of one — the Brown-tail moth in addition to the Gypsy moth. Even if Massachusetts should be defeated in its heavy fight (as looks possible), the rest of the country is realizing profit at the rate of very many millions of dollars a year from each year of delay. Strange that people should forget that part of the situation — and sheepishly conclude that it is a useless fight that is going on. What could Ohio have afforded to pay if the potato-bug could have been de- layed 40 years in its march to our borders ? And both the insects referred to seem likely to prove very much greater scourges than the potato-bug. Gypsy eats everything green except the farmers themselves — and could it be induced to eat some of them the situation might be bettered. Just as the potato-bug left alone kills out every potato-plant in the field, so Gypsy left alone reduces territory to a desert. Page 383. " Queens and Drones Can't Digest Pollen ? So Stachelhausen thinks that drone and queen are both unable to digest pollen for themselves. Quite possible. The alleged fact that drones only live 3 days when put with plenty of each kind of food but removed from the workers is pretty good evidence so far as they are concerned. Page 386. Zinc and Tin Queen-Excluders Dr. Miller answers " Ontario," on page 390, that it is bad economy to cover only part of a super-bottom with ex- cluding zinc and the rest with plain tin. As a general proposition I will not quarrel with this ; but ray strain of (hybrid) bees seems to be characterized by unusual willing- ness to store remote from the brood-nest. All my extract- ing supers are that way — have been so for many years — and I wouldn't tolerate it if I could see that I was losing any- thing material by it. My bees often bother me by putting too large a share of the fall honey above, almost never by putting too large a share below. That Mouse-Eating-Honey Controversy Mr. Doolittle thinks the method proposed to show that the mouse does not relish honey would also show that the old soldier does not eat hard-tack. Never mind. I can't afford to squeal much over my own wounds in the scrim- mage for pleasure in seeing him support another of my none-too-well-supported conclusions. In his actual experi- ences he has had both a chipmuck and a red-squirrel as pets, and both became serious nuisances on account of their fondness for honey. So I was right in ranking these ani- mals next to the bear in that respect. I'm still " chipper " with hope that I'll turn up all right about the mouse, also. My saying that the mouse peels the cappings off honey for pastime I am willing to withdraw, or at least put it on the doubtful list. But I jump right to another inference that may worry Mr. D. still worse. After the raw and freshly lapped surface has stood for a few hours in a somewhat damp atmosphere the mouse can lap it over again and get some water — and again by and by. He has learned to do this as one help in the struggle for life in rooms where water can not be gotten at. But if this is not right I am still glad the performance has been viewed by a competent observer. Does not look exactly like play, at any rate. Page 403. ^ Doctor ZTTilWs Question * Box Send questions either to the office of the American Bee Journal, or to Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, 111. Dr. Miller does not answer Questions by mail. Bees Hanging Out— Moving a Swarm-When to Take Off Full Supers-Hive Portico 1. The bees of one of my hives cluster around the entrance. This commences about 3 o'clock and gets worse until about dark. What causes this? The entrance is shaded and part of the hive, but the en- trance is only '.jxS inches, and can not very well be made larger. It is a 2-story hive. 2. I bought a colony of bees in an 8-frame hive, the frames being HXxll>2, and this hive was nailed shut so that no bees could get into the super, and now they fill one outside frame with honey and do not yet work in the super. Was this comb built so that no brood could be reared in it? The cells are curved upward, and are irregular. Should I cut out the comb, put in a foundation starter, and place in the middle? This colony was pretty weak, but is getting better popu- lated, and was, no doubt, a swarm of last year. 3. What is the best time to move a swarm after it is hived? June 14, 19C6 1HE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 509 4. To remove a super should one wait until the honey is all capped? 5. Is there any advantage in a hive having a portico in front ! Pennsylvania. Answers.— 1. As early as the last of May it is not usual for bees to hang out in that way, and results from the fact that the colony is too large for the hive they occupy, or else that it is too warm for them. An entrance } ..xS is pretty small for a strong colony on a hot day, and If you can not make it larger you can give them a little ventilation above by allowing the cover to be partly open. 2. I wouldn't be in a hurry to cut out that frame, for it is likely they can rear brood in it all right if they want to. If you want to make sure whether they can or not, uncap the sealing of the comb and put it in the middle of the brood-nest, and you will probably find brood in it a week later. It is possible that in some way there is not as direct communication as desirable between the brood-chamber and the super. It will help to 6tart the bees at work in the super if you put in it a piece of comb on which the bees have already worked, with either honey or brood, although empty comb that has been drawn out will do very well. 3. Right away after you get the bees of the swarm in the hive. Don't wait to get a few scattering bees in ; they can find the swarm where you put it, or else they can go back to the old hive. If you leave the hive standing till dark before putting it on its stand, as was formerly the custom, there is some danger that scout bees which found a suitable place will coax away the swarm to that place. At least, that is said to be the case. 4. No, if you wait till the outside sections at the corners are sealed, the central ones will become darkened. However, that doesn't hurt the taste of the honey, rather improves it, and if you want the honey for your own table, caring for the taste and not the looks, then there is no harm to have the central combs darkened. But the market demands sections of snowy whiteness. 5. It protects the bees against rain when they are clustering out. But it makes the hive warmer on hot days, and it furnishes a good place for spiders. Likely Not Foul Brood Will you kindly tell me if the enclosed sample is foul brood? Arkansas. Answer. — I am not an expert in foul brood, but I don't think there is any foul brood in the sample sent. It looks like chilled brood. If there has been no chance for chilled brood, poisoning may come in for suspicion, with just a possibility of something like pickled brood. You see I don't know very much about 6uch things, and any one who has anything in that line should send a sample to N. E. France, General Manager of the National Bee-Keepers' Association, Platteville, Wis. If not a member, send Mr. France a dollar to make you a member. A Little Foul Brood -Queen Excluder Under Extracting Supers I left a shallow extracting super on nearly all of my bees last win- ter. Some died, and I found a few colonies lightly affected with foul brood; say 10 to 50 cells in a hive failed to hatch. The combs in the supers were perfect — never had brood in them. 1. Is there any— or much— danger of such combs being affected! 2. If so, would I be the gainer or loser to put those supers on colonies that I will transfer into clean hives with comb foundation starters next spring? 3. Does it pay to use queen-excluders over the brood-chamber for extracting? Or would it pay better to let the queen lay where she pleases, and only extract frames with no brood and 6ealed brood? Oregon, Answers.— 1. It is not likely there will be any danger from using them. 2. You ought to gain by the value of the combs. 3. I don't know. A great many consider excluders indispensable when working for extracted honey, but so good a bee-keeper as C. P. Dadant says he has no use for excluders under his extracting supers. No Queen Excluder Under Sections Would it be advisable for me to use a queen-excluding honey- board when I run for comb honey? I never have had any trouble with queens or drones going up into the sections? It seems to me that the bees can work better in the supers without the board. Missouri. Answer,— If your queens never go up into the sections, what good can an excluder do? I can not say that my queens never go up into the supers, for once in a great while one does go up, but I would rather stand the inconvenience of those few times than to have ex- cluders, so I never use them under sections. Destroying Ants in Hives How can I destroy ants? My hives are just covered with them. Minnesota. Answer.— If the ants have their nest under the hive or some- where near, pour gasoline or kerosene upon them. If their nest is inside the hive, it is because there is a warm place there for them where the bees can not get at them. Powdered borax sprinkled in such places helps to make them disagreeable for the ants, but the best way is to have no place for shelter where the bees can not get at the ants to rout them. If quilts are kept over the frames, that suits the ants exactly, but with only a fiat cover over, the ants can find no place safe from the attacks of the bees. Reports cmb (fxpertences Watering Place for Bees I am taking 2 bee-papers, and while I am able to keep bees I can not see how I can get along without them. I learn many kinks by reading the experiences of others, that save me much time and labor to work them out myself. The little item in the Journal a few weeks ago about providing warm water for bees by means of a lamp under a suitable pan, is alone worth the subscription price of the paper in this late, cold spring. Only in place of a pan I made a neat, wooden trough 10x20 inches in size, with a galvanized-iron bottom, and I find it is just the thing. An empty 500- section crate with a little fixing makes an ideal box to put the lamp in, and to set the trough on, and the lamp from the Daisy foun- dation fastener, with an inch block under it, is just right for the business. If the water thus warmed is put out early in the spring, and the bees attracted to it by means of pieces of comb, they will commence using it before they get in the habit of getting water else- where, and will stick to it instead of going to roadside ditches and other places far away from home, where they get chilly water and thousands never get home, and that in a time of the year when every bee is needed in the hive. I find a good plan is to fill the trough with lukewarm water in the morning, then turn the lamp just high enough to keep the water warm enough. A 1.2-inch board large enough just to go inside the trough, and bored full of %-inch holes, makes an ideal float. Bees wintered fairly well outdoors, but con- sumed much honey and need feeding now. There is much fruit-bloom, but the weather is too cool for bees to get much benefit from it. A. H. Snowberger. Huntington, Ind., May 8. A Home-Made Swarm Catcher I enclose a drawing of a swarm catcher that I made myself. It is not patented, and any one with a little mechanical skill can make the lid. Now give the pole a quick push up against the limb, when the bees will fall into the box. Release the string and the rubber band will close the lid. Dump the bees in front of the hive, and if they are not all caught use the box a second time. I also have an 18-foot pole with a hook on the end, and if the bees persist in returning to the limb of the tree, hook the pole over the limb and keep shaking the limb until all come down and go into the hive with the swarm. I like this arrangement better than the The Kilgore Home-Made Swarm Catcher and Shaking role. one. I have all my queens clipped, but occa- sionally I have a second swarm, and if the bees settle high up in some valuable fruit-tree I can get them without climbing or cutting the tree. To make it, get a small, light pine box about 8x10 inches. Knock off two sides of it and replace them with wire cloth, which will make it still lighter in weight. Fasten two small hinges to the top for a lid. Now get an IS foot light pole; fasten the box to the end of the pole, as shown in the picture, and fasten a short rubber band at A to pull the lid shut. Then fasten a stout cord at B on top of the lid, and have it go over the pole at C and run down to the bottom. To operate the swarm catcher, push the box up to the swarm, pull the string and open Manum swarm catcher. My outfit is a success with me, and I could not do without it. London, Ohio. S. G. Kilgore. Black Bees vs. Italians— Large Hives 'Tis not always gold that glitters. 'Tis not always beauty that shines. Though often designed to construe another meaning, yet it will very fitly apply to the fakes and fancies in the apicultural field of to-day. What is the prime object of the toilsome bee-keeper as he launches his little craft upon the sea of apiculture? Is it fame' Is it glory? No. Canst thou, by taking thought, add one cubit to thy stature, or canst thou make one hair white or black i Well do I re- member as I scan backward across the ledger 510 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL June 14, 1906 of life radiant with boyhood's dreams and fancies, how I loved to watch the long rows of bee-hives, and guess this one will swarm to-day. See how they cluster out I How rich they must be ! Perchance I ran acrosss an advertisement of queen-bees; I at once or- dered a catalog, and then a book on bee6. My fancy was stolen away as I unfolded its magic pages. My post-office was then 5 miles away. In the morning I hurried off for Beech Creek office to order an Italian queen. It's almost a sin to keep black bees according to the book I bought. Indue time I went to the post- office to see if her majesty had arrived. I made the usual inquiry, " Is there any mail?'' "Yes, sure. A little box full of flies." I hastened way with my " Italian flies." The queen was safely introduced by the old Peet method, and another was ordered. The queens wintered in fine order. The following summer was poor, and there was no chance for comparison between the races. But many more yellow queens were ordered. The next season wa6 fairly good. As usual I put sections on all the good colonies. Upon examination a few days later I found in most of the hives active work was going on in the sections, while the Italians were doing noth- ing upstairs. But, hark ! whence comes that sharp, buzz- ing sound that has run so often in every bee- keeper's ears? Yes, sure as fate. No. 20 — my fine yellow colony with a Dixie queen — is swarming. And so in turn as the days go by the long ladder is mustered into service almost every day, hiving those pesky Italians. But what are the black6 doing! Look in their boxes — they are almost full, and only 2 swarms! Fall comes, S5 pounds average for the blacks and 25 pounds for the Italians. Surely, my object was accomplished. I had The Bee-Hive Clock We have originated and had made specially for our readers, a bronzed-metal Clock, called " The Bee-Hive Clock." It is 10^ inches wide at the base, 9% inches high, and deep enough at the base to stand firmly on a man- tel or elsewhere. It is a beautiful piece of work, and would be both ornamental and very useful in any house, and particularly in a bee-keeper's home. The Clock part itself is warranted for 3 years to keep good time. So it is no play- thing, but a beautiful and needful article for everyday use. Clocks like "The Bee-Hive Clock " usually sell in the stores at from 84.00 to $5.00 each, but having them made for us in quantities enables us to offer them at $2.50 each by ex- press, or with the American Bee Journal a year — both for only $3.00. Either Clock or Journal would make an ideal gift. How to get "The Bee-Hive Clock" FREE Send us 5 New Subscribers to the Weekly American Bee Journal for one year, at $1.00 each, and we will send you this beau- tiful " Bee-Hive Clock " FREE (excepting express charges). Or, send us 4 New Sub- scribers (ar, $1.00 each) and 50 cents — $4.50 in all. Or, 3 New Subscribers (at $1.00 each) and $1.00—14.00 in all. Or, 3 New Subscribers (at $1.00 each) and $1.50— $3 50 in all. Only $2.50. f.o.b. Chicago, by Express. Weight, with packing, about 4 pounds. What Dr. Miller Thinks of the Bee Hive Clock Busily ticking away, in the room where I am sitting, stands a genuine bee-keeper's clock (please understand that the word " gen- uine " belongs to the clock and not to the bee-keeper) .or, as the legend upon the clock has it, " The Bee-Hive Clock." I don't know A $4.00 CLOCK FOR $2.50 • with the American Bee Journal h£a?£; Only $3.00 whether the idea of getting up such a clock was conceived in the brain of the Editor of the American Bee Journal, or whether he got it elsewhere, but the wonder is that such a thing was not thought of long before. Setting aside all idea of its association with the business of a bee-keeper, there is a pecu- liar appropriateness in having the minutes aud the hours " told off " in a case represent- ing the home of the busy little workers. The glance at the clock, with its ceaseless tick, tick, tick, tick, can not fail to remind one that the flying moments must be improved now or be forever lost, and that suggestion is reinforced by the thought of the never ceas- ing activity of the little denizens of the hive, always busy, busy, busy, working from morn till night and from night till morn, working unselfishly for the generations to come, and literally dying in the harness. Let us be thankful that the form of the old- fashioned straw hive or skep was adopted, and not that of any modern affair, patented or unpatented. The latter smacks of commer- cialism, but the former of solid comfort, for no other form of hive has ever been devised that contributes so fully to the comfort and welfare of a colony of bees as does the old- fashioned straw-hive. It appeals, too, to one's artistic sense as can no angular affair of more modern times. As an emblem of industry, artists have always used— probably always will use — the old straw skep. Thanks, Mr. Editor, for furnishing us a time-keeper so appropriate for all, and espe- cially for bee-keepers. C. C. Miller. Address aii orders to GEORGE W. YORK & CO., 334 Dearborn St., CHICAGO, ILL. Everything- for the Apiary Wholesale Agents for G.B. Lewis Co. Dadant's Foundation !$ BUY NOW— TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE DISCOUNT. 2 SEND US YOUR ORDERS. LOUIS HANSSEN'S SONS DAVENPORT, IOWA The Summit Reached 4 t o -:- t Prices of Queens, Italian and Caucasian: Untested in June, .$1 each ; dozen, $9. Tested in June, SI. 25 each; dozen, 119. Selected Queens of any grade, 35 cents extra. Prices of Nuclei on application. THe Wood Bee-Hive 6ompanu LANSING, MICH. 22Etf Please mention the Bee Journal. Please mention Bee Journal when writing advertisers. June 14, 1906 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 511 turned a leaf and begun working for glory. I got the glory, but precious little honey. Prob- ably the Italians would have made things hum for extracted honey with plenty of empty combs. This shows that nothing is perfect under the sun. Though I am proud to say I have had some better success with Italians of late. I had a few hustlers, but, after all, the honey was not so fancy. It looked greasy or water-soaked, and did not demand the high price that we got for No. 1 fancy. In the mountains of Western North Caro- lina are wide stretches of forests where the sound of the woodman's ax is not heard; where are towering cliffs and lonely dells where Nature weeps and echoes die. Here the black bees have found an ideal home, as the years have passed. I procured from a colored man a colony of black bees from a remote place 13 years ago. It was in a section of a hollow tree called in the South " a gum." It was so heavy that I could carry it only a few steps at a time till I must rest. At length I got it home to my apiary. The following spring I transferred the bees to frames and gave them 2 stories of 8 frames each. The hive stands there yet. I never have fed those bees a pound. They don't swarm, and never fail to give their quota of honey and of the best quality. Can we not infer from this that through ages in places so roomy the instinct to swarm has been lost? This brings us on to large hives. The con- venience and adaptability of small hives may be painted in glowing characters by their many advocates, but after a series of years I am forced to the conclusion that the majority of bee-keepers are using too small a hive, not only in the South, but in the North also. On this my first trip North (to Hudson, N. Y.) I noticed the same contrast between large and small hives as I find in North Carolina, the large always far outstripping the small. Some have objected to the honey that must go to the brood-chomber of a large hive as dead capital. Would you not as well object to the large slices of meat that lie on the platter, upon which your children feast to give them bone and muscle to surmount the problems of life! So with the busy bee — too much is just enough. G. W. McGuirb. Dark Ridge, N. C. Prospects All Right We have had no frost to injure fruit-bloom so. far this spring; no excessive rain either, and the prosptets for bees and fruit are all right, up to date. American Bee Journal Novelty Pocket-Knife Gold Fountain Pen All for $2.75 Worker Queen Drone (This cut is the full size of the Knife.) NOVELTY POCKET-KNIFE (Name and Address on one side— Three Bees on the other side.) Your Name on the Knife. — When ordering, 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 the name and residence of the owner, and on the other side pictures of a Queen, Drone, and Worker, as shown here. The Material entering into this celebrated knife is of the very best quality ; the blades are hand-forged out of the very finest English razor-steel, and we warrant every blade. It will last a life-time, with proper usage. Why Own the Novelty Knife?— 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. If traveling, and you meet with a serious accident, and are so fortunate as to have one of the "Novelties," your Pocket-Knife will serve as an identifier; and, in case of death, your relatives will at once be notified of the accident. How to Get this Valuable Kniie. — We send it postpaid for $1.35, or club the Novelty Knife and the American Bee Journal for one year — both for $2.00. (Allow two weeks for Knife order to be filled.) SOLID GOLD FOUNTAIN PEN Finally we have found a good Fountain Pen that is reasonable in price. The manufacturers of thi6 pen say that if you pay more than $1.25 for other fountain pens, it's for the name. This pen is absolutely guaranteed to work perfectly, and give sat- isfaction. The Gold Nibs are 14 kt., pointed with selected Iridium. The Holders are Para Rubber, handsomely finished. The simple feeder gives a uniform flow of ink. Each pen is packed in a neat box, with directions and Filler. T3 size t and the We mail this Gold Fountain Pen for only $1.25, or for $2.00 we will mail weekly American Bee Journal for a whole year. B3P" Sample copy of the American Bee Journal free; trial trip of three months (13 copies) for 20c ; regular yearly price, $1.00. Address all orders to ^ GEORGE W. YORK 8 CO., 334 Dearborn St., Chicago, 111. My bees are just booming, but I have expe rienced too many " slips between the cup and the lips " in my life to be too hopeful. Wm. Stolley, Sr. Grand Island, Nebr., May 22. Rain Starts Bees on Clover It has been exceedingly dry here, and vege- tation is beginning to dry up. A good rain yesterday hu» started bees on white clover. Bellevue, Ohio, June 6. H. G. Quirin. Queen-Button for Bee-Folks /i~Y/~^\ This is a very pretty thing /fflxjp/^A for a bee-keeper or honey- ; °^-jOf. - | se'ler to wear on his coat- jo ifSfJSk i"| lapel. It often serves to in- V* /(Swill o/ troclucethe subject of honey, vk* £™s v ■?/ and frequently leads to a X\t7^X sale. ^"— — The picture shown here- with is a reproduction of a motto queen-button that we are furnishing to bee-keepers. It has a pin on the underside to fasten it. Price, by mail, 6 cents ; two for 10c ; or six for 25c. The American Bee Journal one year and 4 buttons for $1.10. Address all orders to QEORQE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, - CHICAGO, ILL. Bees, Queens and Bee-Supplies We manufacture standard dovetailed bee- hives and supplies, cheaper than you ever bought before. Our Queens and Bees stand at the head in quality. Untested, 75c each ; $4.25 for 6, or $8 per doz. Tested, $1.25 each ; $12 per doz. Select Tested, $1.50. Special prices to dealers in large lots on application. State Agents for Dittmer's Foundation. Catalog free. THE BEE & HONEY COMPANY (Will Atchley, Prop.) Beeville, Bee Co., Texas. Mention Bee Journal when writing. The Choicest of Tested Queens By Return Mail— $1.00 Each, From our fine strain of 3-band Italians, that are unsurpassed as honey-gatherers. Try them ; they will not disappoint you. Send for price-list. J. W. K. SHAW & CO. 19Atf LOREAUVILLE, Iberia Co., LA. Mention Bee Jonrnal when writing. Italian and Caucasian BEES, QUEENS, AND NUCLEI Choice home-bred and im- ported stock. All Queens reared in full colonies. Prices of Italians in MAY : One Untested Queen $ .90 " Tested Queen 1.10 " Select Tested Queen 1 40 " Breeding Queen 2.20 1-comb nucleus (no queen) .95 2 " " " 1 60 3 .. .. „ 240 Untested in May; all others ready now from last season's rearing. Safe arrival guar- anteed. For prices on Caucasians and larger quanti- ties, and description of each grade of queens, send for free catalog. J. L. STRONG 16Atf 204 E. Logan St., Clarinda, Iowa. Mention Bee Jonrnal when writing. Queens Now Ready to Mail None better at any price. Untested at 50c; Warranted at 75c; Tested at $1.00. Discount on quantity. GRANT ANDERSON, 20Uf SABINAL, TEX4S. Mention Bee Journal when writing. AiiApnc ^ fi -e Honey-Gathering Strain of VllH.l.ll"' [ laijans and Carniolans, at 75 cents eocta: 3dr f2; 6 for J3.50; or $6.50 per dozen, for Untest» trade. Make small shipments by express ; large shipments by freight, always being . sure to attach your name to the package. My large illustrated catalog is free. I Sf t shall be glad to send it to you. $fe . WALTER 5. POUDER, | I 513-515 Massachusetts Ave., INDIANAPOLIS, IND. I This Offer Good Until July 1st Only ! DOOLITTLE'S QUEEN- REARING BOOK For Only 25 Cents When taken with the Weekly American Bee Journal for One Year at $1- making $1.25 for both. (Book bound in Leatherette cover, otherwise same as the cloth-bound book, which is $1.) This offer is open to any body, either new or old subscribers, but the latter when accept- ing it must send enough to pay their subscriptions a year in advance, if they are in arrears now. Mr. Doolittle's book tells in detail just how he rears the best queens possible; also gives His Methods of Comb Honey Production. Every bee-keeper should have this book. (126 pages.) Qur Stapdard-Bred Italiaji dueejis are unexcelled. Reared by best queen-breeders. Prices— 1 Untested, 75c ; 3 for $2.10 ; or 6 for $4.00. Orders filled in rotation. Better get your orders in NOW for June delivery. The Weekly American Bee Journal one year with Untested Italian Queen — both for $1.50. Or, if your own subscription is paid to the end of 1906 or beyond, eend us $1.00 and the name and address of a new subscriber for the Bee Journal a year, and we will mail to you a Standard-Bred Queen FREE. Sample copy of the Weekly Bee Journal free on request, or a Trial Trip of 3 months (13 copies) for only 20 cents, to a new reader. Better order now, as there are lots of good things appearing in its columns every week. Address, GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, ILL. BEE-KEEPERS SB I ||jS Send for our 1906 Free Illustrated Catalog. Good Goods, Low Prices ggj and Prompt Shipments are what you get if you send your orders to— PAGE & LYON MFG. CO. New London, Wis. Nentlon Bee Journal when writing. June 14, 1906 l'HE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 513 B66-K66D6r§' Supplies Lewis' Famous Bee-Hives and Sections, Root's Smokhks and Extractors, Dadant's Comb Foundation, Etc., Queen-Bees and Nuclei in Season. Large and complete stock, prompt service. We meet all competition who will furnish first-class goods. INCUBATORS AND BROODERS We carry a complete stock of " Mandy Lee " Incubators and Brooders. Don't fail to investigate these machines. The more you know about incubation, the more you will like the "Mandy Lee" Incubator. The "Mandy Lee Brooder " is a complete old hen, all but the "cluck." Our free incubator cat- alog describes them. 1004. East Wash. Street INDIANAPOLIS, IND. +•$• *+ ** Mention Bee Journal when writing. C. M. SCOTT & CO. " mmm ilk jBk ■■■ m ■ ■■ ■ ■■ ■ ■« ■ ■■ || ■■ YORK HONEY ' CO ^■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■l -■ - - mm [■HMmbI Increased Business Compels Larger Space So we have .just doubled our capacity in the building at 141 Ontario Street, where we carry a full line of POULTRY SUPPLIES and POPULAR BEEWARE LEWIS Catalogs on application. Orders filled promptly at Factory Prices. Beeswax wanted — 28c cash or 30c in trade. Second-Hand Cans We have some Second-Hand 60-pound Cans to offer in lots of 10 boxes (20 cans) at 40 cents a box, f.o.b. Chicago. Italian Bees in modern hives with select Queens for sale. Also Pure Italian Queens. YORK HONEY AND BEE flfl SUPPLY Ulli H. M. ARND. MSR. (Not Inc. 141 Ontario St., CHICAGO, ILL. (Phone North 1559.) & BEE-SUPPLIES We rranufacture everything needed in the Apiary, and carry a large stock and greatest variety. We assure you the best goods at LOWEST PRICES and our excellent freight facilities enable us to make prompt shipments over 15 dif- ferent roads, thereby saving you excessive freight charges as well as time and worry in having goods transferred and damaged. We make the Alternating, Massie, Langstroth and the Dovetail Hives Our prices are very reasonable, and to convince you of such we will mail you our free illustrated and descriptive catalog and price-li6t upon request. We want every bee keeper to have our Catalog. SPECIAL DISCOUNTS now. Write 1 to-day. Address, KRET6MER MFG. 60., Council Bluffs, Iowa. Muscatine Produce Co., Muscatine, Iowa. Trester Supply Co., 103 S. 11th Street, Lincoln, Neb. Shugart-Ouran Seed Co., Council Bluffs, Iowa. T. B. Vallette & Son. Salina, Kaj. Catalogs issued in English or German. "In every conntrc lie successful adrrrtiser is He coitiwns advertiser. Bee - books SENT POSTPAID BY GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Deakborn Street, - CHICAGO, ILL. Advanced Bee-Culture. Its Methods and Management, by W. Z. Hutchinson. — Tin- :i ntlii.r of this work is a prac- tical and helpful writer. You should read his book; 330 pages; bound in cloth, and beautifully illustrated. Price, $1.20. A B C of Bee-Culture, by A. I. & E. R. Root. — A cyclopedia of over 500 pages, describing everything pertaining to the care of the honey-bees. Contains about 400 engravings. It was written espe- cially for beginners. Bound in cloth. Price, $1.20. Scientific Queen-Rearing;, as Practi- cally Applied, by G. M. Doolittle. — A method by which the very best of queen-bees are reared in perfect accord with Nature's way. Bound in cloth and illustrated. Price, $1.00; in leatherette binding, 75 cents. Bee-Keeper's Guide, or Manual of the Apiary, by Prof. A. J. Cook, of Pomona College, California. 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. 544 pages. 295 illustrations. Bound in cloth. 19th thousand. Price, $1.20. l:annsi!-o(h on tlie Honey-Bee, revised by Dadant. — This classic in bee-culture has been entirely re-written, and is fully illustrated. It treats of every- thing relating to bees and bee-keeping. No apiarian library is complete without this standard work by Rev. L. L. Lang- stroth— the Father of American Bee- Culture. It has 520 pages, bound in cloth. Price, $1.20. Honey as a Health Food. — This is a IG-page honey-pamphlet intended to help increase the demand for honey. The first part of it contains a short article on "Honey as Food," written by Dr. C. C. Miller. It tells where to keep honey, how to liquefy it, etc. The last part is devoted to "Honey-Cooking Re- cipes" and "Remedies Using Honey." It should be widely circulated by those selling homy. The more the people are educated on the value and uses of honey the more honey they will buy. Prices: Sample copy for 2-cent stamp; 50 copies for 70 cents; 100 for $1.25; 250 for $2.25: 500 for $4.00; or 1000 for $7.50. Your business card printed free at the bottom of the front page on all orders for 100 or more copies. Forty Years Among; the Bees, by Dr. C. C. Miller. — This book contains 328 pages, is bound in handsome cloth, with gold letters and design; it is printed on best book-paper, and illustrated with 112 beautiful original half-tone pic- tures, taken by Dr. Miller himself. It is unique in this regard. The first few pages are devoted to an interesting biographical sketch of Dr. Miller, tell- ing how he happened to get into bee- keeping. About 20 years ago he wrote a small book, called "A Year Among the Bees," but that little work has been out of print for a number of years. While some of the matter used in the former book is found in the new one, it all reads like a good new story of suc- i essful bee-keeping by one of the mas- ters, and shows in minutest detail just how Dr. Miller does things with bees. Price, $1.00. "The Honey-Money Stories." — A 64- pagre-and-cover booklet, 5%x8% inches in size, printed on best quality paper. Many short, bright stories interspersed with facts and interesting items about honey and ils use. The manufactured comb honey misrepresentation is con- tradicted in two items, each ocupving a full page, but in different part's of the booklet. It has in all 33 fine illus- trations, nearly all of them bring of apiaries or apiarian scenes. It also contains 3 bee-Songs, namely, "The Hum of the Bees in the Apple-Tree Bloom," "Buekwheat Cakes and Honey," and "The Bee-Keepers' Lullaby." This booklet si 1 be placed in the hands of everybody not familiar with the f [-value of honey, for its main ob- lecl is to in i -rest people in honey as a daily table article. Price, 25 cents, or 3 copies for .".0 cents. 514 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL June 14, 19o6 CHARLES MONDENG SECTION MACHINE is covered by two Patents. With this wonderful inven- tion the co'st of making Sections may be reduced to $1.15 per 1000. If such Machine will interest you, write for further information. Do not write about it unless you mean business. BEE-SUPPLIES^ QUEENS My Catalog- for 1906 is now ready for distribution. I am the Northern Headquarters for Adel Queens and Bees, and good, honest Bee-Keepers' Supplies. If you have not received my Catalog, write for it. Address, CHARLES MONDENG, 60 NEWTON AVE., 1ST., M:i3Sr3STBAFOI-.IS, ^USTISr. Have You Passed the Experimental Stage? Most bee-keepers have been convinced that when time and material are figured, it pays to buy hives, and the best is not only as cheap, but — The Best is the Cheapest ! The Elgin Hive excels inimany ways— no nails to drive-no dovetails-can be taken apart at any time. Many are using them. You should be. Write to-day for catalog, etc. We sell full line of SUPPLIES. The National Supply^Co. ELGIN, ILL.J Mention Bee Journal when writing. GREAT SALE OF Hives, Sections, Etc. To reduce my stock 1 will sell No. 1 White Polished Sections at |3 90 ; No. 2, $3.40— all sizes; plain, 25c less per 1000. Best White Pine Dovetail Hives, S-frame, l^'-story, $1.30; 10-frame, $1.45. Great reduction in Smokers, Foundation, and all Apiarian Supplies. 24-lb. Shipping Cases, very nice, 13c; Quart Berry Baskets, $2.75 per 1000. Send for free Catalog. W.D. SOPER, R.F.D3. JACKSON. MICH. 14Et£ Please mention the Bee Jonrnal. FOR SALE 1U borse-powerGasoliDe Engine in good running order. $45.('0; empty s-1rame Hives. 25c; combs, 5c; and other used bee-supplies cheap. 50 ladies and gents' bicycleB, slightlv used, !?:<.<«' and up. Latest models in new bicycles. $14 and up; new tires. Sl.i 5 pair Sundries cheap, son series telephones, like new, $1.95 each. All (/"'ids I o-b. Chicago. E. W. PRESSLER. 24Alt 14t Armitage Ave., CHICAGO. ILL. Mention Bee Journal when wi-lttuc, ThpPietsche Press I Queen-Clipping Device Free 1 |lCKlClatlICrit»5i3 The MoNBTTB Queen-Clippit »»_j_ ~t ^.in.-ini atnti#» Practlcallv inde- « .__ s_ „ «„<* n,inax* Chicago, June 5. — The honey market is in about the same condition as when we quoted last. Very little call for either comb or ex- tracted. No. 1 white comb, 15c; other grades, 10@14c. Extracted, white, 6J-$@7c; amber, 5@6c. Beeswax, 30c. R. A. Burnett & Co. Toledo, Feb. 19.— The market for comb honey has been better for the past two weeks than at any time during the past season. Prices are firm on account of the scarcity. We are getting 15@16c for fancy white clover; 14@15c tor No. 1, and 13©14c for amber. Buckwheat, 13c. Extracted honey is in good demand at following prices: White clover in barrels brings 6J4@7c; amber, 5%@5J4c; in cans every, grade from l@lHc higher. Beeswax is firm and in good demand at 28 and 30c. The above are our selling prices, not what we pay. Gkiggs Bros. Indianapolis, May 12— Fancy white clover comb brings 16c; No. 1, 14c; demand exceeds the supply; fancy white western comb brings 14@15c; amber grades in poor demand at 12c Best grade of extracted honey brings 8H& 9c in 60-pound cans; amber, 6c. Good average bees- wax sells here for $33 per 100 pounds. Walter S. Pouder. Philadelphia, May 31.— The season is so far advanced that there is not enough call for comb honey to fix a price. Some few lots are being sold at the best offers. We quote: Ex- tracted, fancy white, 7c; amber, 5K&6c. Bees* wax, 29c. We are producers of honey and do not handle on commission. Wm. A. Sblser. New York, May 8.— There is still some de- mand for comb honey, mostly for fancy grades, which are selling at from 14@15c per pound; off grades in no demand and prices are irregular, ranging from $(g 12c, according to quality; suf- ficient supply to meet demand. Extracted is in fair demand, mostly from California, of which there seems to be abundant supply of all grades. Weqnote: White, 6Ji@7c; light amber, 6c; dark, 5@5Mc, according to quality and quan- tity. Beeswax scarce and firm at29@30c. Hildreth & Srgelken. Headquarters for Bee-Supplies Bee -Supplies! Complete Stock for 1906 now on hand. 5Sr£HraoH CINCINNATI are the LOWEST, ESPECIALLY for the SOUTH as 'most all freight now goes through Cincinnati. Prompt Service is what I practice. You will Satisfaction Guaranteed. SAVE MONEY BUYING FROM ME. Catalog mailed free. Send for same. Let me /\ TTTIT^^TCI bred in separate apiaries, book your fj I fc* fc' |\l ^ tbeUOLUEN VKI, Order for ^Qfj \J JJU11 fcJ LOWS, €AK\IO- LANS, RED CLOVERS and CAUCASIANS. For prices, refer to my catalog, page 29. C. H.W.WEBER =T Office and Salesrooms, 2146-48 Central Ave. Warehouses. Freeman and Central Aves. Cincinnati, March 8.— The conditions of the market, at the present time, are not encourag- ing. Honey is offered from all sides, at prices utterly regardless of the value of the article. At the same time, all indications point to an unusually good honey crop, which adds in tmaking it a drag on the market. Amber ex- racted honey in barrels, S@6Hc; fancy white, in cans, bH@S}ic. Choice yellow beeswax, 30c, delivered here. Thb Fred W. Muth Co. Denver, Feb. 5 —Owing to the mild weather the demand for honey has not been as good as usual at this time of year. We are quoting strictly No. 1 white alfalfa comb honey at $3.35 to 13.75 per case of 24 sections; off grade and light amber at }3 to $3.30. White extracted alfalfa in 60-pound cans, Tii@S'/ic; light amber, 65i@7}£c. Beeswax, 24c for clean yellow. The Colo. Honey-Producers' Assn. Kansas City, May 31.— The honey market here is bare, no new honey in market yet. The market is about $3.25 per case on fancy white. Extracted, 5^@6c. On account of the warm weather and heavy receipts of fruits, the in- quiry for honey is dropping off, but we believe with the advent of new honey there will be a good demand for same. C C. Clemons & Co. Cincinnati, March 7.— The demand for comb honey is slow, prices obtained are the same. Stock od hand seems to be sufficient to supply the wants. Quote fEncy white, 14@16c Amber extracted in barrels, SJf @5%c; in cans.^c more; fancy white clover in 60-lb. cans, l%®m cents; Southern, equal to white clover in color, from tbi@~c. Bright yellow beeswax, 30c. C. H.W. Weber. Please Mention Bee Journal when writing; advertisers. HONEY AND BEESWAX When consigning, buying or selling, consult R. A. BURNETT & CO. 199 South Water St. Chicago. III. 65c for 12 Names ??%££?$£•%£ stamps taken— we will send for 2 yrs. the Farmer's Call— rest, sub. price 40c a year. F. C. is a wkiy., 2& years old, i,3uu pages a year. Sample free. FAKMEB'S CALli, Quincy,Dl. Mention Bee Journal when writing- FOR SALE Until further notice, finest quality new crop California VaterWhite White Sage and Light Amber HONEY in 60-lb. tins, 2 in a case; new cans and new cases. Write for prices and sam- ples, and state quantity you want. Hildreth & Seqelken 265 & 267 Greenwich Street, New York, N.Y. 34Atf Please mention the Bee Journal. FOR. SALE Second Hand Empty 60-pound HONEY-CANS — two in a crate. In lots of 10, 40c per crate; 25 or more crates, at 35c per crate. THE FRED W. MUTH CO. 20Atf 51 Walnut St., Cincinnati, Ohio: Mention Bee Journal when writing. W« Sell ROOT'S GOODS IN MICHIGAN Let us quote you prices on Sections, Hives, Foundation, etc., as we can save you time and freight. Beeswax Wanted for Cub. M. H. HUNT & SON. Bell Branch, Wayne Co., Mich Mention Bee Journal when writing* I BEE-SUPPLIES I .^ We handle the finest Bee-Supplies, made by the W. T. Falconer ^'. •^ Mfg. Co., Jamestown, N. Y. Big Discounts on early orders. Let us ^ ^ figure with you on your wants. d. ^ Muth Special Dovetail Hives have a Honey-Board, Warp-Proof ^ i^ Cover, and Bottom-Board. Think of it, same price as the regular styles. ^' ^ Set fr~ Catalog. & it THE FRED W. MUTH CO. £ 51 Walnut Street, CINC SNATI, OHIO. >: Mention Bee Journal when writing. 516 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL June 14, 1906 FIVE POINTS OF COMPAKISON Just recently a Lewis agent complained that another concern was selling a hive cheaper than the Lewis hive, with the statement that he could not understand how that firm could afford to undersell the Lewis Company. We straightway had one of these so- called cheap hives sent to us at Watertown, and after a careful and unbiased inspection of the hive in comparison with the Lewis hive, we are able to give the answer as illus- trated below. 1. THE MATERIAL was a poor quality of pine, containing knots and other im- perfections. 2. THE COVER was of the simplest and cheapest design. 3. THE BODY was crudely made, having no handles. 4 THE FRAMES were very poorly made, the end-bars roughly sawed, showing poor spacing, and were not pierced. 5. THE SUPER contained no super springs. The slat fences were made of thin, flimsy pieces, so thin as to be easily broken even by shipment. The section-holders and section-slats were rough on both sides. LEWIS HEVES are all made of the best Wisconsin White Pine, absolutely clear. LEWIS COVERS are all standard cov- ers, made strong and substantial. LEWIS BODIES go together snugly and are all fitted with handles. LEWIS FRAMES are accurately and carefully made to give correct bee- spacing, and in the Dovetailed and Wisconsin hives are always pierced. LEWIS SUPERS are all completely fur- nished with super springs, the fences are made of strong pieces firmly put together. The slats and section-hold- ers are made of good lumber, smoothly planed. Summing up the matter, it was like comparing a Soap- Box with a Parlor Cabinet. Mr. Bee-Keeper, which will you have? 26 Distributing Points in the United States. Here they are: ENGLAND— E. H. Taylor, Welwyn, Herts CUBA— C. B. Stevens & Co., Havana C. B. Stevens & Co., Manzanillo The Chas. JI. Lilly Co., San Paul Bachert, CALIFORNIA Francisco SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Lancaster Fletcher-Doyle Co., San Diego Fallbrook Co-operative Ass'n, Fallbrook COLORADO— R. C. Aikin, Loveland Arkansas Valley Honey-Producers' Associa- tion, Rocky Ford COLORADO— (Continued.) Colorado Honey-Producers' Association, Denver. Grand Junction Fruit-Growers' Association, Grand Junction. Robert Halley, Montrose IO V7A— Adam A. Clarke, Le Mars Louis Hanssen's Sons, Davenport W. J. McCarty, Enimetsburg. ILLINOIS— York Honey & Bee-Supply Co., Chicago Dadant & Sons, Hamilton, 111. INDIANA— C. M. Scolt & Co., Indianapolis MICHIGAN — A. G. Woodman Co., Grand Rapids MINNESOTA— Wisconsin Lumber Co., 432 Lumber Exchange, Minneapolis, Minn. MISSOURI— E. T. Abbott, St. Joseph OHIO— Norris & Anspach, Kenton OREGON— The Chas. H. Lilly Co., Portland PENNSYLVANIA— Cleaver & Greene, Troy TEXAS— Southwestern Bee Co., San Antonio UTAH— Fred Foulger & Sons. Ogden WASHINGTON— The Chas. H. Lilly Co., Seattle G. B. LEWIS COMPANY WATERTOWN, WIS., U. S. A. 46th Year JUNE 21, 1906 Number 25 THIRTYTWO PAGES PUBLISHED WEEKLY BT GEORGE W.YORK 8 COMPANY 334 Dearborn Street, Chicago, III. IMPORTANT NOTICES. THE SUBSCRIPTION PRICE of this Journal is $1.00 a year, in the United States, Canada, and Mexico; all other countries in the Postal Union, 50 cents a year extra for postage. Sample copy free. THE WRAPPER-LABEL DATE indicates the end of the month to which your subscription ispa;.d. For instance, " deco6 " on your label shows that it is paid to the end of December, 19U6. SUBSCRIPTION RECEIPTS.— We do not send a receipt for money sent us to pay subscription, but change the date on your wrapper-label, which shows that the money has been received and credited. Advertising Rate, per flgate Line, 10c. 14 lines make one inch. Nothing' less than % inch accepted. Time Discounts. 4 times — S per cent 13 " ....10 " 26 " :..20 " 52 " ...30 " Space Discounts. 100 lines... 5Dercent 500 " ...10 " 1000 " ...20 " 2000 " ...30 " These rates are subject to either time or space discounts, at choice, but not both. Reading Notices, 25 cents, count line, subject to the above discounts. Goes to press Monday morning. National Bee Keepers' Association Objects of the Association. 1st.— To promote the interests of its members. 2d.— To protect and defend its members in their lawful rights. 3d.— To enforce lawB againBt the adulteration of honey. Annual Membership Dues, $1.00. General Manager and Treasurer— N. E. France, Platteville, Wia. ?W If more convenient, Dues may be sent to the ublishere of the American Bee Journal. r._ ai.J C+rn-L' is an illustrated monthly r3.rm dilCl »JlUL,K. magazine in the interest of Coen Breeding, Cultivation and Live Stock, Price $1 a year, but for a short time will be sent a year on trial for 10c and names of ten farmers who grow corn. Farm & Stock, 228 Charles, St. Joseph, Mo. NOT IN THE TRUST American Ttee Journal Contents of this Number Illustrations — Aspinwall, L. A 538 Dewey's Foundationer 532 Pettit, Morley 1st Page Scholl, Louis H 1st Pane Stachelhausen, L 53* Townsend, E. D 54o Editorial Notes and Comments — Book a Necessity for Beginners f>22 Crosses vs. Pure Italian Bees 521 Marketing the Honey Crop 521 National and Local Associations 521 Miscellaneous News Items — Bee-Keepers' Demonstrating Field-Meeting. . . 523 Gleanings Editor a Poultryman 52a Handling Honey Years Ago 522 National Association c. 523 Those Two 'Long Fellows' of Beedom 523 Canadian Beedom — Beginnerand Bees 523 Dummies and Deep Top-Bars 523 How to Buy Bees 523 Postal Vigilance 523 Tomfoolery About Bees 524 Oar Sister Bee-Keepers — Hive-Entrances in Winter and Spring 524 Honey and Pollen trom Blackberry 524 Pollen-Gathering and Temperature 524 Queen less Colonies in Spring and Later 524 Wild Grape and Other Bloom 524 Southern Beedom. — Bee-Keeping in Uvalde Co., Tex 525 " Full Blood" and Other Bee-Cranks 525 Introducing Queens with Tobacco-Smoke 525 Report on Sweet Clover 525 Mr. Hasty' & Afterthoughts — Getting Things Down Fine 525 " Keep All Colonies Strong" the Watchword.. 525 NotaHard Bee-Puzzle.' 526 Our •" Prime Swarm " a *4 Head Swarm " in Eng- land 525 Poppy and Hollyhock as Bee-Attracters 525 Some Queen-Rearing Comments 525 Water as a Swarm ing Discourager 526 Contributed Articles— Best Hives for Wintering and Extracting 527 Cheshire < Frank R. ) and Foul Brood 526 Chicago-Northwestern and National 526 Dewey Foundationer 532 Mimicing Moths 532 Mints as Honey-Plants 530 Queen-Rearing— Small Nucleus System 531 Retention of Heat in Brood-Nest 530 Ruches and Ruchers in Europe 528 Willows and Bees 529 Convention Proceedings — Control of Increase 533 How Many Bees Shall a Man Keep?.... 539 National at Chicago 533 What Have We to Hope for from the Non- Swarming Hive? 538 Dr. MilUr^s Question-Box — Growing Catnip and Sweet Clover 541 Making Honey-Vinegar 541 Salt and Sulphur for Foul Brood 541 Some Questions on Management 541 Swarming Questions , 541 T-Supers 541 When Do Bees Swarm? 541 Reports and Experiences An Experience with Bees 542 Heavy Honey-Flow 542 Killed by the Frost 542 Peach-Bloom for Bees 542 Season Disastrous to Honey-Flow 542 Should Have a Full Honey-Flow 542 Working on White Clover 542 June 21, 1906 »=^^^ 1 Lan&stroth on the Honey-Bee •3K? «6 as Revised by Dadant— Latest Edition. This is one of the standard books on bee-culture, and ought to be in the library of every bee-keeper. It is bound substantially in cloth, and contains over 500 pages, being revised by those large, practical bee-keepers, so well- known to all the readers of the Ameri- can Bee Journal — Chas. Dadant & Son. Each subject is clearly and thoroly ex- plained, so that by following the in- structions of this book one cannot fail to be wonderfully helped on the way to success with bees. The book we mail for $1.20, or club it with the American Bee Journal for one year — both for 52.00 ; or, we will mail it as a premium for sending us THREE NEW subscribers to the Bee Journal for one year, with $3.00. This is a splendid chance to get a grand bee-book for a very little money or work. GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street. CHICAGO, ILI, EngravingsForSale * * We are accumulating quite a stock of engrav- ings that have been used In the American Bee Journal. No doubt many of them could be used again by bee-keepers in their local newspapers, on their stationery, or in other ways. Also, if we can sell some of them it would help us to pay for others that we are constantly having made and using in our columns. If there is any of oar engravings that any one would like to have, just let as know and we will quote a very low price, postpaid. Address, GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 334 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, II< It The Emerson Binder. This Emerson stiff-board Binder with cloth back for the American Bee Journal we mall for but 75 cents; or we will send It with the Bee Journal for one year— both for only 11.50. It Is a fine thing to preserve the copies of the Jour- nal as fast as they are received. If you havt this " Emerson " no further binding Is neces- sary. OEORQE W. YORK & CO.. 334 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO, ILI* We will stamp your Cans "Pure Extracted Honey"— FREE Our prices for 1906 are the lowest to the National Bee-Keepers' Association. Write us. Now is the time] TO BUY FRICTION TOP CANS FOR HONEY AND SYRUP Canners Can Co. 1035 W. 47th St., CHICAGO. ILL. Mention Bee Journal when writing:. June 21, 1906 American Dee Journal u DADANT'S FOUNDATION" IT EXCELS EVERY INCH equal to sample Beauty, Purity, Firmness. No Sagging, No Loss. Twenty-seven Years of Experience. We Guarantee Satisfaction. WAX WORKED INTO FOUNDATION BEE=SUPPLIES of all kinds. Beeswax Wanted at all times . nn» DADANT & SONS, Hamilton, 111. SEND FOR OUR CATALOG CAUCASIAN QUEENS ! Caucasian Bees are very gentle. They are easy to handle and are, therefore, suited to be- ginners, timid bee-keepers and to those who keep bees in town. If yon want to try this race, or If you want to improve the stock c f your Ital- ian Bees, write to ROBERT B. McCAIN, 2Atf YORKVILLE. ILL. R. F. D. Big Profits in Capons {CAPON TOOLS , F. Pilling & Ron, Caponizing is easy— soon learned. Complete outfit , with free Instructions , postpaid $2.50. ^Gape Worm Extractor 25c i Poultry Marker 250 [French Killing Knife50c | Capon Book Free. Philadelphia, Pa, DO YOU KNOW •THAT THE SALE OF DITTMER'S FOUNDATION Has increased so much that we were forced to double our melting capacity in order to fill orders promptly? There is a Reason for This — It is because Dittmer's Foundation is tough, clear, and transparent, and has the natural odor of beeswax. Agents for Dittmer's Foundation : W. D. Soper, Bee a; Honey Co., Jackson, Mich. Beeville, Tex. E. H. Taylor, Welwyn Station, Herts, Ene. E. Grainger & Co., Toronto, Ont, Canada. Our warehouse is well stocked with all kinds of Bee-Keepers' Supplies. Beeswax always wanted. QUS DITTMER, Augusta, Wis. r Wisconsin Basswood Sections I And Prompt Shipments a Is what we are making for our customers. f\ — DOVETAILED HIVES AND SHIPPING-CASES & We carry a full line of SUPPLIES. Ask for Catalog. f\ THE ITARSHFIELD HANUFACTURINQ CO., Harshfield, Wis. & FORSALE About 300 perfect Worker Combs, mostly in Hoffman wired frames of the size used in the dovetail hives. Some are in loose-hang- ing frames. All frames have the thick top- bars. Price, 15 cents each. EDWIN BEV1NS, Leon, Iowa. 23A.4t Please mention the Bee Journal. If you want the Bee-Book That covers the whole Apicultural Field more completely than any other published, send $1.20 to Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont, Cal ., FOR HIS "Bee-Keeper's Guide." Liberal Discount! to the Trade. Mention Bee Journal when writing:. Private Lessons hy mail, or in Oak Park, on forethought, memory, health, accuracy, self-con- trol, concentration, original- ity and the resources of re- sourcefulness. 6 trial lessons by mail for $5. The Earl Pratt Library Reports Oak Park X Chicago, Illinois Local Correspondents Wanted. Send 4 cents for Outfit. Mention Bee Journal when writln*. 520 June 21, 1906 American Itee Journal Swarming Done Away With The illustration shows one of the A. K. Ferris hives under process of manipulation. Every bee-keeper will be interested in reading about these hives arranged according to the Ferris' system for the Prevention of Swarming for Comb Honey Production. The Non-Swarming articles by Mr. Ferris and Mr. G. M. Doolittle are proving ex- ceedingly interesting. This great series is fully illustrated and will be continued throughout the remaining issues of 1906. Among our other regular contributors are Mr. J. A. Green, Dr. C. C. Miller, E. W. Alexander, and many other bee-keepers of note. No bee-keeper who will take time to look through one number of Gleanings in Bee Culture can satisfy himself that he does not need this " Journal of Profit." We make it easy for you to give Gleanings a thorough trial ; here's the offer : A six mouth's trial trip, 25c. If you will send in your remittance before the back numbers from April 1st, in which the introductory articles on the Non-Swarming series have appeared, are all gone, we will include these free of charge. Gleanings in Bee-Culture MEDINA, OHIO SECTIONS Sections are in great demand at this season of the year. We are running full capacity, but can hardly supply the call for No. 1 Sections of all sizes. Place orders at once, or you are apt to be disappointed. We have a very large supply of No. 2 grade of Sections. These Sections are as good as some offer for No. 1. Not being snow-white — but having a tinge of cream grades them No. 2. Give this grade a trial this season. It will cost you 25c a thousand less. ALEXANDER FEEDER We are prepared to furnish the Alexander Feeder. We make thera 19 inches long so they may be used with either an 8 or 10 frame hive. With a 10-frame hive they will project 3 inches beyond the hive for feeding, and the block may be laid crosswise of the feeder or be cut off as preferred. With the 8-frame hive the feeder projects 5 inches and the block lies lengthwise. We soak the feeders in oil to prevent the feed from soaking in. Price, finished, including block, 25c each; 10 for $2 ; 50 for $9. GERMAN BEE-BRUSH Some months ago Mr. K. F. Holtermann called our attention to a bee-brush which he received from Germany, made of genuine bristle or horsehair. He had used one a whole season, washing it out often, and it appeared to be as good at the end of the season a6 at the begin- ning. He considered it so far ahead of anything he had ever seen or used that he wanted no other. We concluded if it was so good for him it must be equally good for others. We are now provided with a stock which we offer at 25 cent6 each ; by mail, 30 cent6. The bristles are black, and about 2 inches long, extending 8 inches on the handle. Made of white hair it would cost o cents more. BRANCHES — Medina New York City, Chicago, 111. Philadelphia, Pa. Washington, D.C. St.Paul, Minn. Syracuse, N.Y. Mechanic Fall6, Ohio. Box 1037 ' 144 E. Erie. 10 Vine St. 1100 Md. Ave. 1024 Miss. St. 1631 W. Gen. St. Maine. THE A. I. ROOT CO. Medina, Ohio. (Entered at the Post-Office at Cuicago as Second-Class Mail-Matter.) Published Weekly at $1.00 a Year, by George W. York & Co., 334 Dearborn Street. GEORGE W. YORK, Editor CHICAGO, ILL., JUNE 21, 1906 Vol. XLVI-No 25 An Independent Bee=Paper The American Bee Journal is absolutely an independent publica- tion, and neither is it nor its editor connected in any way with any bee-supply business whatsoever. It stands entirely upon its merits as an educative force in the field of bee-keeping, and as a medium for legitimate advertisers in Apicultural or other lines. It i6 the oldest, and only weekly, journal of its kind in America. Its publishers believe that it deserves to be in the hands of every would-be progressive, successful bee-keeper in the land. It is in its 46th year, and to-day is acknowledged to be better in every way than at any time during its long and honorable history. Cdifortal ^Nofes and Comments Marketing the Honey Crop The honey crop of 1906 will soon be here, and it will need to be marketed. Whether it will be sold in the producer's home market, or shipped away, will depend upon several things. It is a good time now to talk about this honey-market- ing question. It is a big question to many bee-keepers. Suppose some of those who have had successful experi- ences in both the home and outside markets, just write out their methods for the good of others. We will be pleased to publish such articles. We can use a number of them if they are brief and to the point. So, kindly send on what you have to say on the honey- selling subject, and we will publish it very soon — in good time to be of practical use this year. An interchange of successful experiences in this matter can not help being a good thing for all. If you do not wish your location published, lest some one might run in on you, what you write can be published with name and State of writer only. with my old grade drones. To say that I was disappointed is putting it very mildly. Facts are stubborn things to butt up against. I have but little doubt that an inferior strain of pure Italian queens crossed with black or hybrid drones would give bees less productive than pure-bred bees from some better strain ; but a cross between our best strains of pure Italian queens and black or grade drones, I am satisfied, will give larger yields of honey than it is possible to secure in any other way. 1 wish it were otherwise, for I like the pure bees much the best, as they are so much nicer to handle, and withal so handsome that it is a constant pleasure to work them. My present practise is, so for as I can, to breed from the best pure queen I can find, and pay no attention further. My own yards and my neighbors' furnish enough black and grade drones to give vigor to my stock. Crosses vs. Pure Italian Bees J. E. Crane, as he relates in Gleanings, had mixed blood in his hives, but found a distinct improvement upon getting a choice Italian queen and allowing her royal offspring to mate with his grade drones. He concluded that if this made so much improvement the improvement would be greater still if his bees were pure Italian. So he got a choice Italian queen from a different source, and secured young Italian queens purely mated. Mr. Crane says : But, alas! they did not come up to my expectations, for not one of them was equal to some of those colonies whose queen had mated The National and Local Associations We have received the following letter from Leo F. Hanegan, Manager of the St. Croix Valley Honey-Pro- ducers' Association, in Wisconsin : Editor American Bee Journal— Dear Sir : — Your article on page 461, about some local and State associations dropping the National, hits us exactly; but in our case we are prepared to show that our reasons for dropping the National were other than what you evidently anticipated. In dropping the National we did not explain wby we did it, nor will we explain to them or anyone without good reasons, as we do not care for friction. The fact is, that we have given the National no small number of members it probably would never have enlisted were it not for our help, and yet, on the other hand, the National is a " good thing," and deserves the support of every bee-keeper in our land. We had arranged to make our members also members of the Wis- consin State Association, but at the last annual meeting of the State Association some resolutions were passed which barred us from con- tinuing that membership. We regretted this, as it is largely due to the encouragement aud help of Wisconsin State Inspector N. E. France, of Platteville, that we are in existence, and we have a great deal of respect and good feeling for this gentleman, not only for what he has done for our Association, but for what he has done for Wiscon- sin bee-keepers. We dropped the National, but not the State — the State dropped us, and so notified us. In the case of this Association dropping the National, it was not a case of trying to " rule or ruin," but a business proposition which was influenced by no one but the Executive Committee of this Asso- ciation, every man of which has the highest opinion of the officers and manager of the National Bee-Keepers' Association. Trusting you will square us with the fraternity, inasmuch as we are being accused through your Journal, we are, Your6 respectfully, St. Croix Valley Honey-Producers' Association, Leo F. Hanegan, Manager. N. B. — Inasmuch as we have over 280 members, were we to use our influence against the National, we certainly could be harmful to it; but kindly 6ay that we are not sousing our influence. We have simply stopped sending memberships to the National, for reasons we have not published to date, and probably won't make known. L, F. H. We may say, in the first place, that we did not know until we received Mr. Hanegan's letter that his association had dropped the National. So, of course, we could not have had him or his association in mind when writing the edi- torial on page 461. We made no accusation against any particular association, as it will be clearly seen that we did June 21, 1906 American Dee Journal not name any. The criticism contained in the editorial re- ferred to can be applied only to such persons or associations as it may fit. If the coat does not fit, it is not necessary to put it on. Mr. Hanegan says that the reasons for the St. Croix Valley Honey-Producers' Association dropping- the National will probably not be known ; also, that it was an action en- tirely on the part of the Executive Committee of that Asso- ciation. Of course, if such action is satisfactory to all of the 280 members, it must be all right, for we believe in the membership of an association running the association, or delegating their authority; But we can not see from this just what the St. Croix Valley Honey-Producers' Associa- tion has gained in severing itself from the National. We can see this, however, that if every member of that associa- tion should join the National individually at $1.00 each, it would cost them about $140 more than necessary, because any local association can join the Na.tional in a body at SO cents per member instead of $1.00. We are glad to know that the St. Croix Valley Honey- Producers' Association is not using its influence against the National. We do not see why any local association should try to use its influence against the National, but, rather, that such influence should be used in its favor. We thoroughly believe that every local bee-keepers' association in this country should be affiliated with the National, and that one or more delegates from such affiliated associations should be sent to the annual meetings of the National. It seems to us that hardly in any other way can the National keep in proper touch with the interests of bee-keeping throughout the whole country. The National Bee-Keepers' Association has done some splendid work for the bee-keeping industry during the past nearly 36 years of its existence ; it can still do much good work, and we believe that under its present management it means to continue to doit. So far as we know, its officers and Board of Directors enjoy the confidence and support of practically all the bee-keepers in America. Of course, there may be some exceptions, as noted in the editorial on page 461, where a few, having become dissatisfied, endeavor to injure it, but this.it seems to us, can be but for a short time, if they have any influence whatever. We are fully aware that no local association can be compelled to join the National in a body ; in fact, we do not think that any one would think of compelling such uniting. It seems to us it ought to be considered a privilege by the local association to become members of the National in a body at SO cents per member. We believe every local asso- ciation owes it to the National to affiliate with it in that manner. And while it is economy for the local association to do this, on account of the larger membership that would be gained in this way by the National, it results in larger financial resources, and also gives the National the added influence of numbers in membership, which count a great deal in many ways. The German Central Union of bee- keepers has nearly 40,000 members. America has not yet been able to get 3000 bee-keepers into one organization. We believe the last United States census shows that there are something like 700,000 bee-keepers in this country. We do not believe our National Bee-Keepers' Association can pos- sibly ever be as large through only individual membership as it would be by local associations joining in bodies at the lower rate of membership fee. This writer is not an officer in the National, but simply one in the ranks, and desires to see it grow in numbers and power as the years pass on. It now has the largest amount of money in its treasury in all its existence, and we believe it is in a position to do great things for all the bee-keepers of this continent. In order to do this, however, it will need the hearty support of all other organizations of bee-keepers in America. We wish to thank Mr. Hanegan for writing, even if he was wrong in thinking that the association of which he is the able manager was referred to in the editorial in ques- tion. Possibly some good may result from what has been published so far, and, if so, it will be all right. The Ameri- can Bee Journal has stood by the National organization of bee-keepers in this country longer than has any other bee- publication, and it expects to continue such support so long as it can consistently do so. Just now we believe that with the exception of a few minor points the National is in a position to do the best work of its life for the bee-keepers of this country, and it has the opportunity. The question is, Will it embrace the opportunity, and prove itself all that it can be, not only to its membership but to the whole bee- keeping industry of this continent ? A Book a Necessity for Beginners Beginners sometimes expect to get all the information they need through the question department of this Journal, and are not well pleased when told they ought not to utilize that department until after having made a thorough study of some good book of instruction on bee-keeping. But no sounder advice could be given for their own profit. Here is what the British Bee Journal says about it : The first " instructions " we invariably give to beginners with bees is to procure a reliable " guide-book " on the subject. Without such help it is like groping in the dark. We are also careful to impress on beginners that it is impossible to teach the art of bee-keeping in our " Query and Reply " column. All we can do is to give advice in cases where unforeseen difficulties arise which are beyond the skill of novices; but there are many things that can not be done by rule of thumb, nor is it possible to frame instructions that will meet all cases, seeing that " bees do nothing invariably." So there is always plenty of room for questions after the most thorough study of the book, and nothing here said is intended to discourage the sending in of such questions. ■ Miscellaneous flews Items The National Convention Report is begun on page 533. We expect to continue it in smaller installments from week to week. This will insure a more careful reading, we think, as a little of it can be read weekly, while if all were given at one time perhaps none of it would be read. It will certainly be profitable to go over all of it very carefully, as there are many good things in it. J. T. CalveFt, Treasurer and Business Manager of the A. I. Root Co., dropped in to see us last week when passing through Chicago. He reported a good business in bee-sup- plies east of the Mississippi, and especially in the eastern part of the country. West of the Mississippi the honey sea- son having been poor last season, and also there being a greater loss of bees in that territory, there has not been so great a demand for bee-supplies this season. Those " Two ' Long Fellows ' of Beedom," on the first page, are getting to be pretty well known in beedom, or at least among the readers of the American Bee Journal, and that includes the best part of the bee-keepers who read bee- literature. In them is splendidly represented the bee-keep- ers of the " North " and the " South," for Mr. Pettit (6 feet 1 inch) is the editor of " Canadian Beedom," and Mr. Scholl (6 feet 3 inches) is editor of " Southern Beedom." They are two young " boys " that appear to be quite able to look out for themselves — and several others besides. But they may have to " stoop to conquer," should they ever decide to attempt to persuade some fair young damsels to share their " lofty " lives with them. They certainly are two of about as " high livers " as can be found amongst bee-keepers. Most of us have to " look up to them " whether we want to do so or not. Handling Honey Years Ago.— Dr. F. D. Clum, of Cheviot, N. Y., sends us the following on the honey com- mission business many years ago : When I was 16 years of age, I was clerk and book-keeper for Dan- iel W. Quinby, a near relative of Moses Quinby. At one time he con- trolled the selling price of honey in New York City. After awhile, when Mr. Quinby became advanced in years, a certain wholesale grocer went to his largest shippers and offered them a cent or two in cash above the probable price oSEered by D. W. Quinby, and they ruined his honey-business. D. W. Quinby was a very honest man, of Quaker descent, and I, June 21. 1906 523 American Me Journal as bis old-time clerk, will vouch for the fact that he always returned to the shippers the full value for their honey. It hurt the old man very much to think that his old-time patrons sold their honey for a cent or two above the market price to a wealthy wholesale grocer, for, said Mr. Quinby, " They will certainly lo6e in the end." Mr. D. W. Quinby died soon afterward, and I, his clerk, studied medicine and became a physician. Since then I traveled six times around the world. I am now located on the bank of the Hudson, re- tired from business, and keeping bees. F. D. Clum, M D. We think Dr. Clum could give something very interest- ing about the methods of handling honey in the olden time. It is always well to know past experiences, as then what- ever progress and development there have been during the intervening jears can be traced, and often valuable lessons learned. Gleanings Editor a Poultryman.— Editor E. R. Root is combining poultry-raising with bee-keepiag. In an in- cubator supervised by him, he says he " got 47 chicks out of a possible 130," and last accounts 6 of the 47 were still alive. No doubt it requires a very hardy strain of chickens to withstand his plan of treatment— possibly " hybrids." The American Food Journal, published by H. B. Meyers & Co., at 334 Dearborn St., Chicago, Ills., is a 34- page monthly magazine devoted to the interests of pure food. Subscription price, $1.00 a year ; 10 cents per copy. In the May issue, Dr. E. N. Eaton, late analyst of the Illi- nois Food Commission, gives "Household Tests for Food Stuffs," among them being this : Jellies, Jams, Honet, Preserves and Syrups. Glucose may be tested for in all these products by a very simple test. In a glass vessel as narrow as possible, place the jelly, honey, etc., and if not real thin add as much again warm water and dissolve. Then add six times the volume of strong alcohol. A white turbidity is due lo dextrin and indicates commercial glucose. Bright colored jellies, jams and preserves indicate artificial color. The National Association.— The Board of Directors, on April 11, 1906. voted " No" on this question : " Should the National Bee-Keepers' Association assist a not-paid-up member in defending a suit in a matter arising while he was not a member ?" General Manager N. E. France, of Platteville, Wis., is now offering 55.00 as a premium to any member of the Na- tional who will, by Aug. 1, 1906, send him the best design for a honey-label for the use of the National's membership. Here is a chance for some one to earn $5.00, and also help a good cause. Notice that only members can compete in this. If you want to enter the race, and you are not a member, send your $1.00 membership dues for a year to Mr. France at once. Bees as a Nuisance. — Mr. France says that nearly all such complaints arise from the owner of the bees not being as friendly and generous to his neighbors as he should be. Several such cases have come up lately, and he asks bee keepers so to place their hives, and also carefully handle the bees, as not to be a cause of complaint. The Association is not expected to settle neighbors' quarrels. A Bee-Keepers' Demonstrating Field-Meeting is to be held at Jenkintown, Pa., Tuesday, June 26, at the exhi- bition apiary of the A. I. Root Co. It is located in a suburb about 10 miles from the center of Philadelphia, at the home of Wm. A. Selser. This is the second annual bee-keepers' field day conducted by the Root Company at the same place. Messrs. A. I. and E. R. Root, and perhaps one or two others from the Medina office, expect to be present, and hope to meet their many bee-keeping friends. The program of the day begins at 9:30 a.m. and closes at 9 p.m. Almost every 15 minutes some special demonstration in bee-keeping takes place. Among those who are expected to " perform " are, Prof. H. A. Surface, G. M. Doolittle, W. L. Coggshall. A. I. Root, E. W. Alexander, W. K. Morrison. N. D. West. Dr. E. F. Bigelow. Grant Stanley, Dr. E. F. Phillips, and Rev. D. E. Lyon. Various operations of the apiary will be shown to the wondering populace. It promises to be one of the greatest events of the kind ever known in beedom. Of course, everybody is invited to attend. Full particulars can be had by addressing Wm. A. Selser, 10 Vine Street, Philadelphia, Pa., who is the local representative of the A. I. Root Co. ..,- Canadian 1 Bo&dom Conducted by Morlet Pettit, Villa Nova, Ont. Dummies and Deep Top-Bars Glad to see Dr. Millet is so reasonable — he almost sees as I do (page 461). Why do I dislike a dummy ? Simply because I think I get along just as well without it, and do not have to handle the extra piece, nor have the extra width of hive. Further, I do wish I could persuade Dr. Miller and others (from entirely unselfish motives) to give staple spacers a fair trial. No other spacer I know of has so few objections and so many advantages. Now as to wax built between top-bars. It is one of the rules of logic, as I learned it at the University, that vary- ing one of the conditions of the proposition and leaving all others unchanged varies the result. That one condition must have a very direct causal relation to the change in result. Dr. Miller has stated the conditions with the one change so distinctly that those who run may read the nat- ural conclusion. Here they are : 1. Accurate spacing between top-bars, top-bars >s-inch deep — no wax between top-bars. 2. Accurate spacing between top-bars, top-bars Ji-inch deep — too much wax between top-bars. Is it not obvious that Mr. S. T. Pettit, who has con- tended for years that a ^-inch top-bar causes wax to be built between top-bars, must be right? And now "such very true combs " are in use by the thousand in the " Marble Apiaries." But do not forget the importance of a narrow bottom-bar, only -'+ -inch wide, mak- ing a wedge-shaped comb. How to Buy Bees The Farming World has good advice on the above sub- ject. It warns prospective buyers against foul brood and old drone-combs. It recommends stimulative feeding with syrup, and large hives containing 12 frames of standard size. ^ i ^ — Postal Vigilance Uncle Sam is very careful of the mail-matter submitted to him for transportation. A letter properly and plainly addressed was by some means sent to the wrong office, then returned to the writer. The latter forwarded the en- velop to the Post-Office Department at Washington for ex- planations. The matter was taken up, thoroughly ferreted out, and the correspondence, consisting of about 18 letters in all, returned to the writer of the letter. This shows that even an unregistered letter going astray will be hunted up with the greatest care, and should tend to strengthen the confidence of the corresponding public in the Post-Office Department. — am i m The Beginner and Bees Hives in fruit-bloom should be chock-full of bees right into the corners. The beginner wants quiet bees if he can get them. He can learn their disposition pretty well by lifting their cover off quietly. If they boil out and sting him a few times they are probably cross. If they pay little or no attention, but crawl around quietly on the frames, they are all right. Then he should select a hive having straight combs, if he is buying bees on combs which have not been built from foundation. A look in the top will generally show whether the combs are built straight— each comb attached to only one frame— or whether they are built " criss-cross " or cornerwise of the hive, and each comb 524 June 21, 1906 American Hee Journal attached to two or more frames, in which latter case it will be impossible to handle the bees without first transferring them. But about the worst snag a beginner can run up against is a queenless colony. If there are many bees standing around on the alighting-board, and apparently doing noth- ing in particular but killing time ; and if the field-bees are working indifferently and carrying in small loads of pollen, or none at all, when other colonies are working well ; and if lhe bees in the hive are cross and irritable, it would be well for the beginner to give that hive the go-by, and select one where the bees are going in and out with such a rush that they have no time to notice him or anything else ; and where any bee that shows an inclination to loaf on the front do6rstep gets knocked off his feet by the " field gang ;" and where the loads of pollen going in are so big that he wonders how in the world the bees manage to make them stick on, anyway. A colony like that is worth the money you pay for it.— E. G. H., in Farmers' Advocate. Tomfoolery About Bees What tomfoolery is often published in the name of science appears strikingly from the following clipped from the Mail and Empire : Bees Obet Orders. Id a communication to the Academy of Science, the celebrated naturalist, M. Bonnier, makes some interesting observations on the habits of bees. In the afternoon when they are collecting water from the leaves of aquatic plants, he says they will not touch honey offered to them on these leaves, or on floats of various colors. But if honey is offered to them in the morning in a similar way, it is carried off. He explains this as arising from the strictness with which they obey orders. If they are sent out for water they will not 6tay to gather honey. Uee-Keepin Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. Honey and Pollen from Blackberry From the large number of bees [working on blackberry blossoms it must be that much nectar is secured from them. For only a small proportion of the bees are found laden with pollen. A careless observer might easily take the pollen for that gathered from white clover, as it has much the same appearance, only lighter in color. Queenless Colonies in Spring and Later Early in the spring it is not worth while to coax along a queenless colony ; better break it up, distributing the combs and bees where they will do most good. But later on, when queens are in the height of laying, it is not a hard thing to keep a queenless colony going, and even building up quite as rapidly as if it had a queen. No use to let a hiveful of queenless bees remain idle when they can just as well be rearing a lot of brood. The same applies to a col- ony with a young queen which is not yet laying. Go to a strong colony, and draw from it 2 frames of brood, by preference those not the most mature, but the frames well filled in place of the frames taken away. Put in this strong colony 2 empty combs, and let them be placed in the center. The 2 frames of brood are, of course, to be given to the queenless colony. A week later you will find the 2 combs in the strong colony filled with eggs and young larv;t. Take them out, putting in their place 2 other empty combs, and give the eggs and brood to your queenless col- ony. You will see that these frames of eggs and very young brood have as yet cost the bees very little. The greater part of the feeding is done by the queenless bees. You can keep this going just as loner as there is room in the queenless colony for more brood, and it will thus be kept strong, and you will have just so many more bees than you would have had if you had given no brood to the queenless colony. ^m i ^ Wild drape and Other Bloom Wild grapes are quite plentiful in this locality, and are of considerable importance to the bees. This 25th of May the bees are very busy on them, getting both honey and pollen, the latter being of a rather light greenish yellow. Apples have gone out of bloom, a single clover bloom may be found here and there, but it will be 10 days or so before clover bloom will count for much, so the grape-bloom does an important service by helping to keep brood-rearing a- going. It's a delight to the eye, on driving along the coun- try roads, to see rod after rod of the wire fences festooned with the wild grape, and when in bloom the delicate but delightfully penetrating perfume makes one think of the odors of " Araby the blest." Pollen-Gathering and Temperature May 28 the mercury stood 37 above zero at 6 a.m. When it got up to 47 a stray bee here and there could be seen fly- ing at some of the hives. At SO degrees, with a raw north wind, all colonies were astir, but none of the returning bees carried pollen. At 52 degrees (8:40 a.m.), a very few bees were bringing small loadsof pollen. At 58 degrees (11 a.m.), full loads of pollen were going in, but the proportion of pollen-carriers was not up to the usual mark, and not more than half the fielders seemed at work. Half an hour later a full proportion were carrying pollen, dropping off again at noon. But that day didn't at any time become warmer than 60 degrees, and a full force of fielders were not at work till 3 days later, when the weather again became reasonable. Hive-Entrances in Winter and Spring In the spring our bees have an entrance only an inch square. About May 24, after some very warm days, it seemed too bad to close them up so tight, and a few were opened up, especially of the stronger colonies to which a second story had been given. Then came a cold spell when for a whole day (May 27) the mercury never got higher than 44 degrees above zero, and we were glad we hadn't opened up any more. In no case had the bees been hanging out, and it is doubtful that they needed more than the one square inch for an entrance. True, they began, in some cases where second stories had not yet been given, to build combs down below the bottom-bars in the 2-inch space, but the waste of that comb (which was of course cut away, and a second story given) was not so bad as would have been the waste of heat with a big entrance. It is very important to have all cracks closed up tight early in the season, so as to favor brood-rearing, but what with old covers and old hives it is not always as easy as one would wish to keep all snug. It is easy, however, to keep a small entrance, and a few cracks at the top will do no harm if the entrance is small enough, the only requirement being that the entrance be large enough for the passage of the bees. A hole an inch square allows free passage for a pretty strong colony. Some one may object that a colony needs a larger en- trance than an inch square in winter, thinking that of course they need a larger entrance when it gets warmer in the spring. But in winter they're so nearly dormant that they do nothing to change the air, and in spring they'll stir up and change the air whenever it is needed. Handy Tool-HoldeP. — We find we are short of the part of this Tool-Holder which has on it the cogs or ratchet by which the blade is raised or lowered when grinding. We need to have some castings made of that part. If any one of our readers who has one of these Tool-Holders will kindly write us, so we can learn who it is, we will consider it a very great favor. Address the office of the American Bee Journal. .lune 2i, 1906 American Ttec Journal 'TJeedom Conducted by Louis H. Scboll, New Braunfels, Tex. A Report on Sweet Clover 'Friend Scholl : — You ask for us to give you our ex- -perience with sweet clover. ! I haven't had much, but I will tell what I know. I sowed 3 pounds in September, 1903. In the summer of 1904 it grew 6 feet high, what the hogs left of it. It was sowed on sandy land with clay foundation. It had white blooms on it, and bees worked on it strong ; but there was not enough of it to tell about the amount of honey it gave. Well, Mr Scholl, I have not told you very much, but I Aiope it will help you a little. T. R. Greener. Grapevine, Tex. m m "Full-Blood" and Other Bee-Cranks The following clipping hails from a Texas agricultural paper that has a " bee-column " in it : I am somewhat of a bee-crank, but not a full-blood one. I have 34 hives. I have the Patton gum-hive. I have hived lots of 'bees, but have never been able to find a queen through hiving yet. Probably you will say I don't know one when I see it, but I think I do, for I '.found one once in an old hive after the bees had all died out. Some one please tell me how to find a queen in hiving them. I guess you full-blood bee-cranks will think it funny, but I will think it ■more the funnier if I can find one alive. It was " most the funniest " though when the replies from about a dozen of the " full-blood bee-cranks " appeared in the next issue with a dozen different ways telling how the questioner could have the fun of finding a queen alive. Introducing1 Queens With Tobacco Smoke A few mornings since I found a very small swarm clinging to the leaves of a grape-fruit tree in my home yard, which evidently had set- tled there the previous evening, probably having been driven out of some tree in the woods by ants— my colonies all showing up as usual. I hived the swarm, putting 3 combs of honey, bees, brood and ■eggs; in the absence of queen-introducing-cage conveniences I •smoked them, thinking that by giving them alia smoky odor the queen might, under the circumstances, be accepted; when, too late, the hive was opened the ball of bees was disintegrating, and the dead queen being dragged toward the entrance, some bees still attempting to sting her. If I had not used smoke would it have been any more likely to have been successful? or what would have been the best method of procedure? W. F. McCready. It seems that perhaps the swarm was not queenless at all, hence having 2 queens one of them was destroyed. With the few cases that 1 have practised in using tobacco smoke to introduce queens, I have been successful ; but this method was never used very extensively by me. Bee-Keeping- in Uvalde Co., Tex. An extract from an article on bees in Uvalde Co., Tex., by Mr. J. K. Hill, one of the leading bee-keepers of that section, and published in Dallas (Texas) Semi-Weekly News, will give one an idea of the extent of the beekeeping in- dustry in this single county of Southwest Texas : We now have about 17,500 colonies of bees in Uvalde county. Eight years ago there were only about 6000 colonies. This shows how the bee-indu6try has grown in recent years. The value of the bees and appurtenances for the management of sameare worth about $137,- 500. What is termed a full honey crop in this country is 120 pounds bulk comb honey per colony. Should every colony in this country yield this amount it would give us 2,100,000 pounds of honey. This sold at the average price of 10 cents per pound would bring to the bee- keepers $210,000, or about 150 percent on the investment. Do not think that I mean to say that this amount is made by us bee-keepers, for every man in the business does not understand the proper management for profit. The bee-bu6iness is a scientific study; in fact, as fine a study as law or aD.v other scientific study, and when properly managed under just ordinary conditions, should yield 120 pounds per colony. I harvested 183 pounds of comb honey one year, 2221,,' pounds another, 146 pounds another, and 202 pounds average per colony. The latter crop was harvested by hired help entirely, and was not satis- factory under favorable conditions that year, as that year was the best yield in the country's history. There was produced about 1,500,000 pounds. One of the chief things in securing the best results from bees is in the control of swarming. When this is mastered the beekeeper is on the road to success. Sometime in the future I will attempt to explain how to manage bees so as to get the best results. Mr. /iasfys flffcrfhoui The " Old Reliable " as seen through New and Unreliable Glasses. By E. E. Hasty, Sta. B. Rural, Toledo, Ohio. Some Queen-Rearing Comments Why, Mr. Alley, those Italian fellows were too honest to profit any by your book — after having stolen it entire with the sole exception of your name ! Instructive to see that Mr. Alley himself states that his Adels are of Carniolan origin and not of Italian origin. Instead of saying that all other yellow bees came down from Cyprians and Holy Lands, I would amend by saying that the primitive yellow bee is not now to be found, but that the Cyprians and Holy Lands represent it more faith- fully than other yellow bees do— all being descended from it. Page 404. "Keep Colonies Strong" the Watchword Base and foundation of successful bee keeping to keep colonies strong — and this done only by having room enough in the brood-chamber. These are indeed pretty forcible words from C. P. Dadant. Page 405. Our "Prime Swarm" a "Head Swarm" in England And this is hardly an admirable or praiseworthy circum- stance. When we get something new of course a new word appears as the name for it. Presto, our English speech- partners rather take pains to call it by a different name. When they get something new I fear we are similarly guilty. So that which is an " elevator " here is a "lift" there ; and that which is a railroad " switch " here is a rail- road "shunt" there— and, behold, on page 406, a " prime swarm " is a " head swarm " (Laugh all ye little children with nothing else to do but laugh), to the puzzlement of Yan- kee readers. If this sort of thing keeps up, and the world stands thousands of years enough, the result will be two different languages. Mad ! Hope the British language then will be to the American about what the Welsh is to the English now. Getting Things Down Fine Lots of wisdom in the Stachelhausen article on pages 406 and 407 ; but it strikes me that he rolls his gold-leaf thinner than the metal will bear. If the proper expert should go over it with sharp spectacles he would see lots of holes, may be. Poppy and Hollyhock as Bee-Attraeters Nice for those who are intense lovers of both flowers and bees to select for their most-constantly-in-sight beds the flowers that attract bees and make a fine floral display, too. How came Sister Wilson to omit the poppy from the list ? From her Hamlet she has left Hamlet out. I think there is no extra-nice flower so sure to draw lots of bees as 526 June 21, 1906 American Ttee Journal the poppy. It has been suspected that something else than either pollen or honey makes the bees so wild over poppies — but that doesn't signify when the object is simply to get the bees into our floral view. The hollyhock also draws bees well, at least it often does. The old single kinds draw rather better than the grand Chaters which present-day floriculture would want. And great sport it was for the children to capture bees without danger by closing a holly- hock over them. Even if it was a bumble-bee, all the same. Alas, my prime favorite among the flowers does not draw bees at all — so I can't propose that for the list. Page 408. Water as a Swarming Discourager Dr. Miller is quite right that it is hard to stop the swarmtng-act, once begun. Yet I can give a method which will succeed if you can be on hand soon enough — say when not more than a quarter of the bees are in the air. Squirt a powerful and undivided stream of water into the entrance. Do it relentlessly, with nozzle pressed to the entrance, till most of those inside are wet. It doesn't seem to do much harm; but seeing (as he says) they'll be at it again next day, the occasions are few when it is worth while. To set a big wire-cloth catcher right over the hive is rather better practise — but that is not what was asked for, and it has its own drawbacks, also. Page 409. Not a Hard Bee-Puzzle The puzzle propounded by H. D. Black, on page 410, is not a hard one, I think. In a location where bees can get a surplus only one year in 10, one should not expect them to have so much brood at one time as in a good location. Very likely the pollen-resources of the place may be still poorer than the honey-resources. (Wfribufed Article Chicago-Northwestern and National BY DR. G. BOHRER. THE Chicago-Northwestern and National Bee-Keepers' Conventions, held in Chicago, on Dec. 19, 20, and 21, 1905, probably constituted as able a body of bee-keepers as ever assembled in this or any other country. I will name a few of them : M. M. Baldridge, of Illinois, a veteran bee-keeper whom I met at the first convention of bee-keepers of a national character ever organized in North America, which was dur- ing the winter of 1871. at Indianapolis, Ind. I cannot recall any others who were there that are now living. It was called "The North American Convention of Bee-Keepers," in or- der that it might embrace our cousin bee-keepers from Canada, as there were one or two present. Among them was Rev. William Fletcher Clarke, who was something of a writer, but probably not a man of extensive practical experience in apiculture. At Chicago there were several Canadian bee-keepers pres- ent who are intensely practical. I say "intensely," because they demonstrated by their mode of discussion of any subject, that they have but" little use for any thought not backed by experience. Then, there was present that veteran, C. P. Dadant, who was one of the Rev. L. L. Langstroth's greatest friends and admirers, and who, with his father, revised Langstroth's book on bee-keeping, and who in practice has blended the ideas of both Langstroth and Quinby by using the length of frame used by the former and the depth used by the latter, which is about 2% inches deeper than the Langstroth frame. That Mr. Dadant is a most successful bee-keeper no one will ques- tion who is familiar with him as a business man. Besides Mr. Dadant there was another stalwart bee- keeper, as well as the author of " Forty Years Among the Bees,"— Dr. C. C. Miller— and his assistant in apiculture, that amiable, distinguished, and exemplary lady, Miss Emma M. Wilson, who edits the Sisters' department of the American Bee Journal. N. E. France, our untiring general manager, was there, who has been the medium through which many differences have been adjusted, and foul brood diagnosed and exter- minated. There was also present Mr. Whitney, of Wisconsin, another thoroughly practical man and an enthusiast, of ~~ summers. Others present were: Mr. Hershiser, of New York; Mr. Hilton and Mr. Hutchinson, of Michigan; the latter being not only an author, but the editor of a bee-paper. Other editors of extensively patronized bee-papers, who were in attendance at this convention, were Ernest R. Root, W. H. Putnam, and George W. York. Besides these there were nearly 200 ladies and gentlemen of extensive practical experi- ence in bee-keeping. The discussions of this gathering of distinguished bee- keepers are now on record, and I hope that the same will, by installments at least, be given to the bee-keeping public. On account of a shortage of time I did not have the pleasure of being present at more than two sessions of the National, consequently I have little comment to offer in regard to its proceedings. At the Chicago-Northwestern session that I attended, the question as to which has the brighter future, comb or extracted honey, was considered. I, being called upon, stated that with a strong National pure- food law, extracted honey would be far the greater product, as people will in time learn that honey free from wax (which is wholly indigestible), is not only the most wholesome form in which to use it for food, but that it is also the cheapest to the consumer, as the producer can put it on the market cheaper than he can afford to place, comb honey there. The people are learning very rapidly that such a thing as artificial comb, filled with artificial honey, sealed by human hands, is not accomplished. They are also learning that_ the producer of comb honey, as a rule, sells his honey by weight, and that the retail dealer sells it very largely by the piece, so that the consumer of section-honey pays the same price for a light-weight section as he does for a full-weight sec- tion, or one that weighs a pound. This fact is doing, in my opinion, a vast amount of harm to the section-comb honey market; but I hope to be able to discuss this and other ques- tions that were before the conventions, in the near future. Lyons, Kansas. Frank R. Cheshire on Foul Brood BY REV. ROBERT B. M'CAIN. THE name at the head of this article is one to conjure by. The world has not known a higher authority in the realm of scientific bee-culture than Frank R. Cheshire. It is a great wonder that his name does not more often appear in the discussion of the "deep things" of our craft. Of his two volumes which contain the results of his monumental work on " Bees and Bee-Keeping," the first, which is devoted to the scientific aspect of the subject, is undoubtedly the most thorough, exhaustive and exact work on the subject extant. The second volume, which treats of practical bee-keeping, is larger in size, but is in the main out of date owing to the great improvement that has been made in hives, equipment and the practical management of bees in recent years. Chapter 12 of this second volume is an exception to this statement. It is entitled "Diseases and Enemies," and contains the most comprehensive and thor- ough discussion of the subject of foul brood, from the scien- tific point of view, to be found in literature. In justification of the review of this subject at this time, a quotation from the closing paragraph of the chap- ter seems sufficient. Mr. Cheshire says : "Our modern hives keep the old pests (such as wasps, spiders, mice, etc.) pretty much at bay, but infectious dis- orders are on the increase, and are also appearing in new forms. It is no safeguard to shut one's eyes to the danger. Safety rather lies in a knowledge of the magnitude of any evil, and respecting this one, slackness is all but crimi- nal." The greater part of the chapter under consideration is June 21, 1906 American Ttec Journal given to the discussion of the disease which is commonly called "foul brood." He discusses the disease under three divisions: i. "The symptoms and the nature of the disease. 2. The means of its propagation. 3. The method of its cure." In regard to the symptoms of the disease he gives those tests which are used throughout the bee-keeping world, viz., the sunken cappings of the brood, the coffee-colored larvae, the characteristic glue-pot odor, and the viscous nature of the contents of the diseased cells. It is in the discussion of the nature of the disease that he displays his masterly power of investigation and presents some facts which are not generally known. After proving that Bacillus alvei is the germ which causes the disease, he proceeds to show how these minute microscopic organisms multiply in almost inconceivable num- bers. His investigations led him to the conclusion that the name "foul brood" is misapplied, since the germ does not confine its operations to brood alone, but attacks the mature bees of the colony. It is doubtless true that the majority of the bee-keepers of the present time think of this disease as affecting the brood only, and nine-tenths of the supposed remedies of the disease are based on that theory. Cheshire found that "foul brood" is a disease of the blood: that queens, workers, and drones are affected by it, and that they die from the effects of it. Moreover, he proved that the ovaries of the queen and the spermatozoa of the drones were subject to the ravages of this disease, and that eggs, either before or at the time of their deposi- tion in cells, could be, and were, objects of attack of Bacillus alvei. This statement will help many to understand the rapid dwindling of colonies that seemed to be very slightly affected with the disease so far as the brood was concerned. Having established, by investigation, the fact that Bacil- lus alvei produced a "chronic disease" in full-grown bees, including the queen, he at once concluded that it was possi- ble and even likely that the disease would be found in the ovarian track and in the eggs of the queen. It is commonly known that foul brood in some cases appears to be particu- larly destructive amongst the smaller larvae, and Cheshire judged that in these cases the eggs contained the germ of the disease at the time they were laid. He explained to a fellow bee-keeper what would be the probable peculiarities of the disease in the early stages of the brood, and later obtained from him a queen whose brood developed the disease soon after hatching from the egg. She was alive when she came to his hand, but he at once began to dissect her, finding her ovaries abnormally yellow, and very soft. Detaching the ovarian tube he counted 5 bacilli "swimming along with a lazy sort of progression." Having taken out "a half-developed egg, and crushing it flat, 9 bacilli were quickly counted." It must be remembered that the bee's egg is, to the size of a bacillus, enormous. "Its length of 1-14 inch, and diameter of 1-70 inch, would enable it to accommodate 100,- 000,000 spores of this organism, which stands to the egg itself as a single drop to 1,500 gallons." It certainly does not diminish the terrors of this dread disease when we are made to understand that in the act of mating the queen received the germ of the disease into the vulva because the drone himself was affected. Further than this, it was Cheshire's belief that the spermatozoa of the drones may be so devitalized by foul-brood germs that when they enter into the eggs to differentiate the sex their office is only partially performed. Turning from the nature of the disease to the con- sideration of the means of propagating it, we have some ideas that are not altogether in harmony with current thought. In nearly all of present-day discussion it is confi- dently asserted that honey is the seat of the contagion, and that bees carry the disease into their hive by robbing. Cheshire says, "While I have searched most carefully in honey in contiguity with cells holding dead larvae, have examined colonies dying out with rottenness, inspected ex- tracted honey from terribly diseased colonies, and yet in no instance have I found an active bacillus, and never have been able to be sure of discovering one in the spore condition. ... I have now discovered that it is impossi- ble for bacilli to multiply in honey, because they cannot grow in a fluid having an acid reaction." Such minute bodies as bacilli, 1,000,000,000 of which may be contained in the body of a dead larva, must occur in honey as an occasional contamination, but the idea that they grow in honey or that honey is the usual means of their introduction into healthy colonies is, according to Cheshire, contrary to all evidence. If an acceptance of these ideas would lead to the abandonment of some current notions about foul brood, it would by no means lessen vigilance and care in handling the disease. For while Cheshire's investigations led him to place little importance on honey as the means of propa- gating foul brood, he emphasized the fact that the disease is exceedingly infectious, and that the agencies which are constantly engaged in its dissemination are all too numerous. Chief among these agencies are the bees themselves which, owing to the feathery nature of the hairs of their bodies, gather and carry large numbers of the germs with them into their colonies. Within the diseased colony the nurse- bees are constantly engaged in carrying the disease from the sick to the healthy larvae. It is likely, also, that the full- grown bees of the colony are contracting the disease through air-tubes and at the segments of their abdomens. Among the agencies for the spreading of the disease must be named the bee-keeper himself. The germs of foul brood are so small that ordinary particles of dust are huge in comparison to them. The bee-keeper's hands, made ad- hesive by propolis, carry the spores or bacilli, and so may transfer them, even hours later, to healthy colonies. This is a point worthy of the attention not only of those who have the disease among their colonies, but also those whose business it is to inspect bees. For while they may visit an apiary with worthy motives and with legal authority, they may nevertheless become the means of propa- gating that which it is their purpose to eradicate. As a precaution against infection, in addition to the utmost care, which should always be exercised, it is advised that a solution of corrosive sublimate, ,'s ounce to one gallon of water, be used on hands and tools. Great care should be taken not to let the clothing of the operator come in contact with the disease. In concluding this review it will be interesting to note that the cure in which Mr. Cheshire places greatest confi- dence, is almost identically the same as some which are being exploited in certain quarters as new discoveries. He counsels the destruction of infected brood and comb, if the case is bad, but advises the preservation of the hives and frames if the operator will be careful to disinfect them. His treatment is given in his own words : "If the bees are worth saving, make a swarm of them into a skep, and transfer 48 hours later into a frame hive. If there be much brood, and the case not a very bad one, and the robbing season not at hand, unqueen, cutting out all royal cells 11 days later, and giving from a healthy col- ony a royal cell just sealed. When the queen hatches — by which time nearly all the worker-brood will also have left their cells— make a swarm of them into a skep, and transfer, on the second day, into a frame hive. The queen will, in 7 or 8 days, begin to lay and probablv all will go well." This is but an imperfect outline of Cheshire's masterly discussion of this subject. To be appreciated the original must be studied in its entirety. The writer hopes that the reading of this outline will inspire some to take up the en- tire work, especially the first volume, and give it careful examination. Certainly we can not inquire too carefully into the nature of these little toilers which work so faith- fully for us. The more we know of them and of the things that affect them either for good or for ill, the better will we be prepared to handle them for their welfare and for our own profit. Yorkville, 111. % Best Hives for Wintering and Extracting BY IV. W. M'NKAL. THIS is beautiful spring weather. The air is laden with the sweet perfume of the apple and cherry blossoms, and the bees are having a fine time. I had not seen the apiary for 6 months, and the eagerness with which I sought it upon my return home a few days ago can well be imagined, for the hum of the bees is one of the delights of my boyhood June 21, 1906 American Itee Journal days, that grows more enchanting as the years hasten by. My enthusiasm fairly bubbled over as I noted with what splendid success I had met in wintering each and every col- A good business queen, in a good, strong colony, with plentv of well-ripened stores, is the pivot upon which success must" be turned in solving the wintering problem. These are cheaper than packing boxes, and ever so much more encouraging to look upon; and it's Nature's way. To show the readers of the American Bee Journal how- little I have need of winter-cases, I will describe briefly the hive I am using. Some bee-keepers may say I am not up to date when I state that rny hive is simply a modified Lang- stroth. But I defy any one to produce honey more cheaply in the so-called "improved" hives. I made the hive a little shorter and some deeper. The brood-frames are of the standard Hoffman style. The super contains 9 extracting combs of standard depth, g}i inches. So does the brood-chamber, excepting that these frames are 11 inches deep, outside measure. The super is covered first with a heavy piece of enamel cloth, then a 5^-inch board cover cleated at both ends to prevent warping; and then the very important, if not almost indispensable, telescopic gable cover. It is to this feature of the hive, together with the %-inch deep entrance, and 5-inch extension of a portico, that I wish to speak more particularly than to the number or depth of brood-frames. I am firmly of the belief that bee-keepers have made a mistake in discarding the deep, telescope gable cover. I have never known a cover of that kind to be blown off the hive by the wind; and during the storms of winter and the scorching heat of summer it affords the very best protection to the bees at the least possible expense. For winter use it is supported by the portico cover, and a couple of cleats nailed to the hive-body about 1 inch from the top edge of the hive. This effectually sheds the rain and keeps the hive dry. In summer, when the super is on the hive, it rests on a couple of cleats nailed to the extracting super about 3 inches from the top edge. The cover being 10 inches deep in full, or 8 inches to the eaves, it is sufficiently heavy to take out any perceptible twist in the super that may cause the super to kick up at one corner a little, thereby permit- ting the escape of heat or energy; and yet it is not heavy enough to be burdensome to handle. By boring three J^-inch holes in each end-piece at equal distances on a line a little below the corner of the eaves, the ventilation will be ample over the flat super-cover inside. To my notion, this arrange- ment for protection, when used in conjunction with the large entrance, is far better and more economical than the old-time shade-board and heavy stone. Then, again, in the fall of the year all that remains to be done to prepare the bees for winter is to remove the extracting super, bore a couple of small holes in the super- cover, several inches apart, and cover them with window- screening tacked down to hold it in place. Now fill the tele- scope cover nearly full of fine blue-grass hay, or wheat or oats straw. Forest leaves afford good protection, but they spill out worse than the hay when handling the covers afterward. But the hay soon takes the shape of the inside of the cover and is easily returned if, perchance, it falls out when lifting the cover. In theory this might seem to be an objectionable feature, but in practice it will be found that a filling of fine hay will, if properly pressed down when put in, adhere to the cover so well as to cause no trouble, prac- tically, at all. The holes in the gable-ends of the cover per- mit the air to circulate freely over the packing, which keeps it perfectly dry and sweet. That is the way I winter my bees here in Southern Ohio. The apiary always looks neat and tidy. There is no tearing up or changing of locations ; no packing boxes to get out and repaint; no loss of bees by unfavorable conditions in the weather at the time of packing; and no queens stung by the bees getting mixed up and entering the wrong hive. If any one knows of a way more simplified, I would like to hear of it. When it comes to the question of the best size of frame for extracting purposes, I know to a certainty that more honey can be secured, and at less cost, by using the Langstroth frame, or a frame of that capacity. Bees will enter a 10-frame Langstroth hive-body, when used as a super, (and it is well covered to prevent the escape of heat), about as quicklv as they will a shallow one. The cost of construction is very nearly the same, and the cost of manipu- lation is practically the same at the start; but before the season is far advanced the odds are greatly in favor of the full-depth super. This fact will be appreciated when one has out-apiaries to look after, or in any case when the apiary can not be visited often. Just as much time will be con- sumed in putting on a shallow case as one of double capacity, and, furthermore, such manipulation necessitates a return trip in less than half the time that the larger one will. Were 2 of the smaller ones given to the bees at once, the space thus to be occupied would necessarily be colder by reason of the increased chances for the escape of warm air through the joints. Any one can prove to his own satisfaction, that bees will not enter 2 shallow cases as readily in early spring as thev will a large one of equal capacity. There is more pleasure in extracting from shallow frames than deep ones, but I fear that in many cases the desire to keep the crop separate by means of shallow frames or frequent extracting has more often resulted injuriously rather than promoted the quality of extracted honey in gen- eral. Honey that has been stored in large combs and left on the hive till it is thoroughly ripe, though there has been a blending of flavors, is far superior in quality to honey of a certain distinct flavor, but being in a less ripened condition. When I place a super of Langstroth combs on each of my colonies, separating it from the brood-chamher by means of a wood-zinc honey-board, and covering it with a heavy piece of enamel cloth, then the flat super-cover, and last the large ventilated telescopic gable cover, I know it will not be neces- sary for me to make a trip back there again very soon. And I also know that if there has been any honey in the flowers, I will take a box full of honey from each of those hives when I do return. Reader, if you know of any more simplified method for the production of extracted honey, giving equally certain and pleasing results, I would be delighted with the knowledge of it. Wheelersburg, Ohio, April 26. Ruches and Ruchers in Europe BY ADRIAN GETAZ. RUCHES and Ruchers — what a queer title ! Well, in French ruche means hive, and rucher the place where the ruches are kept. However, the word rucher is more specially applied to the bee-houses, or rather, bee-sheds, in which they are usually kept in Europe. During the last 20 or 30 years many apiarists have increased considerably their apiaries, and the term "apier" has come into use to designate the keeping of the ruches in the open ground. The rucher is a necessity with straw-hives. A straw- hive completely soaked in wet weather would be a mighty poor home for the bees, or anything else. In a recent con- tribution to one of our exchanges, Mr. Greiner gave a descrip- tion of straw-hives, and expressed the opinion that they might possibly come into use here. Well, "I don't know," but the possibility is rather remote. The straw-hives of Europe are made by the peasants during the winter even- ings, and sold at a very low price. Made in a factory at factory prices they would cost considerably more than the wood hives. THE RUCHER. The rucher is an excellent institution. It is a kind of bee-house with an open front. The front wall is replaced by 2 or 3 long shelves on which the hives are placed. The ends and back are closed, thus forming an ample protection against the wind. The space between the shelves and the back wall is sufficient to permit the apiarist to do his work. A roof covers the whole and extends sufficiently in front to protect the hives against the rain and snow, and also against the hot sun during the middle of the day. The hives have no bottom, that is, not often; the shelves constituting the bottoms for all. An excellent idea of what a rucher is can be suggested by the engraving representing Gravenhorst's apiary in the "A B C of Bee Culture," only the passage behind the ruches is not shown. The passage being comparatively dark, the bees do not frequent it to any extent, and therefore do not bother the apiarist when at work. Another advantage is the possibil- .Mine 21, 1906 529 American Ttee Journal ity of working during rainy days. This alone would be an immense advantage to the queen-breeders who have to do their work at certain determined days, whether it rains or not. In winter, straw or some other material can be packed around the hives, and being kept dry is far more effective than when exposed to the weather. The ruchers are gen- erally turned toward the south and the ruches receive the sun's rays during the morning and evening, while they are protected against the sun during the middle of the day by the projecting roof. A better kind of shading apparatus could not be devised. FRAMES. Many of our writers are inclined to consider the hives opening 'behind and having the frames across as an awk- ward and old-foggy contraption. Well, there is no doubt that when the hives are in the open air and placed right on the ground, the frames must come out at the top, but it is easy to see that in a rucher the case is altogether different. To pull out the frames at the top, when another shelf or the roof is immediately above it, is not exactly a very convenient arrangement — not nearly so convenient as frames placed across and taken out from behind. The frames thus used are provided with nail spacers on the front side, so as to prevent them from being pushed too close to the preceding ones, and with a kind of wing on the back side, to get hold of them when they are taken out. An objection has been made here to that kind of arrange- ment, that it is necessary to take out all the preceding frames when you want to get at a certain one. I never could see the point. Neither can I see an advantage in being able to handle the Hoffman frames by 2 or 3 at a time. When I want to inspect a hive for queen-cells, amount of brood or honey, or any other purpose, I want to see all the frames. Some people insist on the necessity of having hives light enough and small enough to be carried easily, or frames that can be moved and carried by 2 or 3 or more together; just as if the apiarist's business was merely to be "toting around" hives and frames just for the fun of it. The European frames are all deeper than ours. The Dadant size, or about, is usually adopted for the hives having supers. The shape is sometimes square, usually longer than high, with a half-depth frame for the supers. Another type is the De Layen s. This is something like what we call here the Long Ideal hive and frames. The frames for that pur- pose are usually much taller than long. As many as 20 and even 24 are used in a hive. A division-board permits their being added successively as the honey-flow progresses. Very few people know that the original Langstroth frame was 2 or 3 inches deeper than the one we call by that name now. Exactly why the change was made I can not tell, but I suppose on account of the cheapness of the small frame. Not the frames themselves as much as the hive containing them. With a low frame, a mere box made of 4 planks about 10 inches wide was all that was needed. By reducing the number of frames to 8, a wide piece for the bottom and another for the top were sufficient. To reduce the size still more the top-bar of the frames was made only % of an inch thick, and the spacing reduced as much as possible. And here you are. "Simplicity," sure enough. And cheapness, too. And it is this very cheapness that has made the mov- able-frame hives as popular here. At the price which a better hive would cost, there would not be more than one ■ where there are 20 now. We are a nation of bargain-hunt- ers, anyway. Our women will go to a bargain counter and pay 98 cents for a worthless article, when a good one can be had for a dollar in a regular store. Our bee-keepers kick at the price of a good, big Dadant hive, and then have to pile 2 or 3 small Dovetail hives one upon another in order to get a sufficient space. Where the saving of money comes in, I don't see, not speaking of the increased manipula- ti"ii-. WINTERING. It is admitted that the bees winter better in a straw-hive than in a wood one. It has been suggested that the straw absorbs the dampness of the hive and therefore creates more health}- conditions; I doubt this very much. After a year of use the interior of a straw or any other hive is completely coated with propolis and impermeable by moisture. But there may be other things in favor of straw-hives. If kept dry in a rucher, the straw i< about as good protecting m. it . i il against the cold as could be devised; yet a good chaff-hive or similar protection ought to answer the purpose as well. But for my part I am well satisfied that the superiority of the straw or even wood box-hive lies in another direction. Anyone who has transferred bees from box-hives knows that the combs are usually very irregular. It seems that the bees start at random at several different places, and then fill up the best way they can with small, narrow combs. The result is that there are numerous passage-ways between the combs, and that the cluster of bees during the winter can gradually move anywhere in the hive where there is some honey. But in a frame hive the case is altogether different. The bees are separated by combs occupying the entire width and depth of the hive. Sometimes one of the spaces (or several) between the combs gets empty of all its honey, and the bees, being unable to go around the comb on account of the cold, perish there. Occasionally the cluster moves grad- ually toward one end of the hive, and when the honey at that end is out, they are unable to go to the other. Somebody will say here that Doolittle says that it is not so, that the bees which die in the winter are old bees that have reached the end of their allotted life. Perhaps it is so when the bees are wintered in a cellar — if not always, at least sometimes. With a cellar sufficiently warm, it may be possible for the bees to get around the emptied combs and reach the honey that may be elsewhere. But we can reach the aim without having to go back to the box or straw hive. Many European apiarists use very tall frames, and the bees, having their honey above, can always follow it, as the heat of the cluster goes above and permits them to move up. There is, however, one objection. While tall frames are the best for hives of the De Layens or Long Ideal patterns, they are not adapted to use in connection with supers. Tall frames mean shorter frames and less of them, consequently less space at the top; smaller supers and more of them, and the upshot would be something like the tower of Babet during the summer-time — something that the bees would find very difficult to ventilate properly. The celebrated Italian apiarist, Dr. Dubini (now dead) used to manage it in a different way. He always made sev- eral holes in the combs for passage-ways, and to prevent the bees from plugging them he put a small tin tube in each. I suppose that the holes were about l/2 inch in diam- eter. I have an idea that such holes would be a benefit to the queen. In passing from one comb to another, she must spend some time in going over or under, and, after it is done, hunt up the empty cells. Passage-holes would reduce the time lost, and possibly help to prevent the queen from going into the supers, as this very likely occurs when she passes over the combs. Knoxville, Tenn. Willows and Bees— Brood-Nest Heat BY G. M. DOOLITTLE. WISCONSIN" asks Dr. Miller this question, on page 369: "I would like to plant lots of willow trees of the yellow-brush kind. Bees work on them very much. Do they yield honey?" To this question Dr. Miller replies: "G. M. Doolittle is the man that knows all about willows, and somewhere he has told us about the different kinds, but I don't remem- ber where. If I remember correctly, some of them yield honey, some pollen, and some both. Perhaps he will be kind enough to tell us- briefly again." When the Doctor tells any one that Doolittle knows all about willows, Doolittle is sure that he is making a mistake, for there is "lots" that Doolittle does not know about the willows, right in his own locality. I wish I knew more about them, for I consider them as of the greatest value to our bees. In fact, I know of nothing which so stimulates the bees to active brood-rearing as these very same willows; especially those which yield honey, as does the "yellow-brush kind" that Wisconsin asks about. But this kind is not the first to blossom. These 11 1 are called the "pussy wil- low" here. We have several kinds of these pussy willow here, which put out their blossoms quite irregularly. Some are a month 530 .Tune 21, 1906 American Ttee Journal earlier than others, and some of the buds on the same trees or bushes are io days later than others. The kinds which seem to attract the bees most are the black willow, upon which the kilmarnock is budded, and those which produce a long, cone-like flower similar to the black willow. From these two kinds the bees obtain large quantities of pollen, but as far as I can ascertain, no honey. The flowers are of a rich orange color, and consist of a center, out of which spring hundreds of little thread-like filaments, upon which the pollen is supported. It is very interesting to see the bees work on these flowers, as you can see their motions so plainly, for the tree or bush does not grow so high but what some of the lower limbs are about on a level with the eye. It naturally grows on low, swampy ground ; but with a little culture to start, will readily grow on dry ground. The golden willow (the kind with the "yellow-brush") and the white willow give us our first honey, unless I except the weeping willow, which is grafted or budded on the black willow. This last is about 3 or 4 days earlier in blossom- ing, and where there are many of these weeping willows, they would be quite an acquisition to any apiary located near them; but as there are very few trees of this kind about here, there is not enough to make any perceptible show in an ordinary apiary. Neither of these last 3 willows mentioned give any pol- len, in my opinion, for from a close observation for years I have never seen a single bee with any pollen in her baskets while she was at work on them. When these willows are in bloom, and the weather is warm, the bees will rush out of their hives at early dawn, coming home so loaded that they will drop short of the entrance, the same as they do in a heavy clover or basswood yield of nectar. And they work on these willows all day long, the same as they do on bass- wood. The flowers are similar to those which grow on the birch and poplar, being of long, tag-like shape, as large around as a slate-pencil, and from ij4 to 2 inches long. These tags or blossoms secrete nectar so profusely, when the weather is right, that it can many times be seen glistening in the morning sun, by holding the blossoms between the eyes and that orb, and on two occasions I have seen whole trees with the nectar sparkling like so many diamonds par- tially hidden amongst the leaves; while the trees resound with the busy hum of the bees from morning till night. From the few trees along the creek near here, the bees store often from 10 to 20 pounds per colony while the trees are in bloom. The honey is quite similar to apple-blossom honey, and of a nice, aromatic flavor. The golden willow yields the most nectar of any willow with which I am acquainted, and as this first honey is used for breeding pur- poses, it lays the foundation for a surplus from the clover and basswood, by filling the hives with brood at just the right time so that the bees from this brood come on the stage of action as laborers just when these surplus-honey yielding flowers give us our crop for the year. For this, the great value of the willows will be seen. "RETENTION OF HEAT IN THE BROOD-NEST AGAIN." Under the above caption, on page 441, some experiments are given, as conducted by Dr. Miller, to see whether Doo- httle was right in claiming that the crust of bees prevented the heat from the cluster escaping into an upper hive. If I shall not be considered too inquisitive, I would like to ask whether the sun was shining on the hive when the Doc- tor conducted his experiments; for, if so, he would have gotten a higher temperature in that hive than he did with his thermometer in the shade, in the open air, unless his thermometer in the open air was in the sun. And I do not think his thermometer in the open air stands in the sun at all, for all records of open-air thermometers are given "in the shade." So, if this upper story stood in the sun and his outside thermometer in the shade, the difference which he reports between the temperature of the two, would be hardly as great as I would expect under such circumstances. Again, the only time when such experiments can be tried, to give any correct idea, is at night, for when bees are working "busily," as the Doctor reports that his were at the time of his experiments, the crust of bees is sure to be broken to a more or less extent, so that the heat escapes from it to quite a large degree. Then, with the mercury at 50 to 60 degrees in the shade, outside, the crust is never very compact, and when the mercury goes to 70 and above the crust bees very largely abandon their position, for they are not needed under these circumstances, as the general heat coming from the hustle and bustle of the hive is suf- ficent to keep up the necessary brood-temperature in the brood-nest. I am pleased to see that any have gone to experiment- ing, for good will come from it; and this note is only "thrown in," to help the matter along, by guiding a little in the "right direction." Borodino, N. Y. Mints as Honey-Plants— Moths BY PROF. A. J. COOK. THE mints — Family Labiatae — are a close second to the legumes among honey-plants. Like the legumes, the flow- ers are irregular in form, which fact alone would warrant the assertion that they are rich in nectar-secretion. Many regu- lar flowers, like the common orchard bloom, or rosaceous plants — the linden and tulip — are profuse in the secretion of nectar, but the \ery fact of irregularity is conclusive on this point. Indeed, there can be little or no doubt but that in the evolution of these plants with irregular flowers the modified bloom had special reference to the secretion of nectar, the visits of bees and other nectar-loving insects, and the valuable necessary act of pollination. While we know that many plants, like some varieties of our apples and pears, which have regular flowers — by which we mean that all the petals or flower leaves are alike in size and form — must be cross- pollinated to produce seeds, we are equally certain that all with irregular flowers require this cross-pollination, or at least are the better with it. Irregular flowers, then, such as we see in the mints and legumes, always speak to us of two truths — the necessity of cross-pollination, and, with suitable moisture and nutrition, the invariable presence of nectar. We are not surprised, then, that the sages, motherwort and horse-mint, are among our best and most *amed honey- plants. The mints are typical bilabiates. That is, while the flower is typically of 5 parts, or constructed on the plan of 5, the petals are so united as to appear in 2 parts. A type of flower familiar to us all is the common snap-dragon, which, though not a mint, is also a bilabiate. Thus, we may say such flowers have an upper and lower lip, and a throat which is more or less open, as the work of cross-pollination makes most advantageous. The stamens which bear the pollen are high up in this throat, as is also the stigma of the pistil. As the bee or other insect pushes back into this throat for the coveted nectar-drop, its back becomes powdered with the pol- len, and as it crowds into the next flower this pollen-dust is brushed off on the waiting stigma, and thus the bees be- come indeed the marriage-priests which unite the elements of the bloom, and insure offspring. As the pollen and stigma are not conterminous in time of ripening, we easily see how cross-pollination is insured. Chief among the honey-bearing mints are the incompara- ble sages of California. These are not excelled even by the clovers or linden. The honey is white, delicate of flavor, and must ever rank among the very best in appearance and qual- ity. Not only this, but the quantity is often phenomenal. This comes from the fact that the flowers are borne in long racemes or compact heads, and as the separate flowerets do not bloom all at once, but in succession, the plants are in bloom for weeks. The sages, then, are marvelous honey-pro- ducers, first, because of the generous secretions of each flow- eret, and second, because of the immense number of these flowerets and the long period of bloom. The motherwort, catnip (which was so highly esteemed by the late Mr. Quinby as the best plant for roadside and waste-place planting), the famous heather of Scotland, are other familiar examples of the mints. Of the three most common families of plants conspicuous for their irregular flowers, each has one or more very noted honey-bearing species. White clover, alfalfa, sweet clover, and mesquite, are all famous among the legumes ; white sage, black or ball sage, and horse-mint, are as important among the mints; while willow-herb and figwort are famous among the plants of the other most familiar bilabiate family — Scropulariacese. The legume family gives us our most valued cultivated plants, like clover, beans and peas. The mints are valuable for ornament, and extracts; while the figwort family fur- nishes us many of our finest ornamental plants, like the June 21, 1906 531 American Itee Journal tacomas and biguonias. The mints and figwort may well ' be planted in waste-places, for a goodly number of them will serve to fence out famine in the hives in case of failure of other honey-plants. Mr. Harbison — and who can speak with more authority?— feels sure that bee-keepers may well take pains to plant black sage, which he and many other bee- keepers of California think even more productive than white sage, where fire or other agent has destroyed it. MIMICING MOTHS. I have just had the pleasure of looking through one of the many fine collection of insects of Berlin. The clear- winged Sesias claimed my attention and admiration. They are moths, yet look astonishingly like bees and wasps, which they mimic in a wonderful way. This, no doubt, preserves them from hungry birds that otherwise would snap them up. These Sesiids are borers, and the caterpillars boring in trees and plants often do serious harm. Here belong the destruc- tive peach-tree borers and squash-borers. While these moths fly among bees and wasps in the bright sunshine of noon- day, and in form and color are so like them, they are yet easily told. Their body is tipped with a brush of hairs in- stead of the sharp, polished sting. Berlin, Germany. Queen-Rearing —The Small-Nucleus System BY HENRY ALLEY. WITH the advent of the Langstroth hive success in api- culture rapidly advanced. From the box-hive system which was no system at all, no particular success could ever be expected. The beginner in bee-keeping has been taught by all the text-books on bee-culture that the only way to make apiculture a success was to "Keep all colonies strong." We should keep this fact in mind at all times, and print it in large letters, and post it in some con- spicuous place in the apiary. Experienced bee-keepers well know that weak colonies are worthless and bring no re- turns of any kind. This not only applies to large hives, but to nuclei as well. I would as soon tolerate sick chickens in my coops as a feeble and weakly lot of bees. Of the two nuisances the former are much more desirable. No apiary can be run successfully on babyish principles. Every colony of bees, whether the hives be large or small, should be crowded with bees, brood and food, and each one should have a vigorous queen. If any other methods are adopted, failure will surely result so far as profits are concerned. Now, first, the principles of honey-gathering are equally applicable to success in queen-rearing. Good queens can not be reared on the baby system, or by the half-starved and half-nourished way some people say they can. There should be plenty of bees to cover all the combs and brood of a nucleus, so that the temperature at all times may be kept up to the natural point. Strong and vigorous queens are the kind that fill the '•ombs with brood, the hive full of bees, and store the honey in the supers. The larger the force of bees, the more honey, and the larger the profits. Has any one ever discovered that weak and feeble colonies of bees build queen-cells, and swarm in the natu- ral way? The swarming sometimes takes place, but not in the natural way. What are the conditions under which bees build queen-cells, and swarms issue? Why, strong colonies, hives full of bees and combs full of brood. If the advice some people are giving bee-keepers is taken seriously, many bee-keepers will be dividing up their strong colonies into say about 40 small ones. Now, if a few bees work well in queen-rearing, why won't the same principle work well in honey-gathering? The fact is, such a system won't work well in any case. Don't expect to succeed in bee-keep- ing unless Nature's ways are pretty closely followed Some 12 years ago, Mr. E. L. Pratt had a queen-rearing apiary of baby nuclei about 2 miles from my yard. While Mr. P. could manage his system very well, it never would do for me, nor would it do for bee-keepers generally. Well, Mr. Pratt sold his entire outfit to me, and moved away. I converted the entire thing into kindling-wood, as I could find no one who wished to purchase it from me. His nucleus frames were 4% x 4% x % section boxes. Eight of these sections just filled a brood-frame about the size of the stand- ard Langstroth frame. Now this whole thing in theory was very ingenious, but far from practical. I tried to use the small frames in the way Mr. Pratt did, but I could not in- duce any queen to deposit eggs, except in a few of the cen- tral combs. The queen did not take to the wooden parti- tions right in the center of the hive. Queens want a clear field to work in. I could not rear a strong colony of bees by any such arrangement. Another great difficulty with the Pratt system was in the arrangement of the combs in the nucleus boxes. As the small combs had no projecting top-bar, the frames had to rest on cross sticks at the bottom. When opening such hives the bees naturally run to the bottom of the boxes. By so doing there is great danger of crushing the bees and queen when the frames are replaced. If I understand correctly, the system above mentioned is now largely used by Mr. Pratt. I also understand that he now fastens the frames to the cover of the hive, so that all lift out together. The difficulties attending this method need not be explained here. All can see them at a glance. The question is, Why is all this clap-trap arrangement in queen-rearing necessary? Can any one explain it? Dare any reader of the American Bee Journal rise up and say that such a contrivance is any improvement, or even as good as small combs constructed on and used as per the Langstroth system? Doesn't the reader see that the small hive (call it baby nucleus, if you please) having hanging frames and so constructed that each frame can be lifted out separately, is far more practical and much easier to manipu- late in every way? These new-fangled notions in connection with bee-keep- ing are perplexing indeed, and to those who love simplicity in all things used in practical bee-culture, they seem like a nuisance. I am not tooting my own horn, as I have nothing in the way of bee-supplies for sale. My whole time is devoted to queen-rearing. To carry out the entire Pratt system of queen- rearing, one requires about a cart-load of fixtures. Some 60 pieces in number, and an expenditure of some $8. This does not include hives for nuclei. For many years I have used small boxes for nuclei. Per- haps they cannot be classed as "baby" nuclei, as each box is large enough to take four 5x5 frames, 3 pints of bees, and the boxes are kept full of bees and brood at all times, as much so as it is possible to do. The hanging frames are used, as they are easily and quickly removed without dan- ger of crushing the bees. So long as these small boxes are kept well supplied with bees and brood, the young queens are sure to make a successful mating trip. There are suffi- cient bees to defend the hive against robber-bees, and the bee-moth. Now, I know from long experience that when such small nuclei are used, and not kept up in young bees and brood, the queens, when they make the mating flight, are pretty sure to be balled as soon as they enter the box. Mr. Pratt says this is not so with his baby-nucleus system. Try it, and see if I am not correct. Rather queer, isn't it, that bees behave so much differently in some parts of the country than they do in others? In 00 percent of all cases where nuclei contain only a few old bees, and no brood, the young queens will be de- stroyed when returning from the mating flight. Young bees will not do such mean work, but bees, like the human family, don't stay young. Old bees are worthless in queen- rearing, and are a nuisance in the apiary at all times. Speaking of these small boxes, I wish to say I rear no queens in them. Only the strongest colonies of bees are used by me in the production of queen-cells. My queens are kept in small nuclei after they hatch until they have filled the combs with eggs, and the queens are tested. Now there may be many of the readers of this Journal who are contemplating making queen-rearing a business, and I am quite sure I can give some good practical advice to all such people. If I were to start again in the queen-rearing business, I would not tolerate even the small boxes I now use in ray apiary. Now these boxes are very handy and convenient, and almost inexpensive, but there are several reasons why I would not, with my present and past experience, use such a system again. At present I am established, and am sort of obliged to continue in the same old way. But take my ad- vice. If one is about to enter the queen-rearing business, June 21, 1906 American Bee Journal adopt the standard Langstroth frame for nuclei. There are many reasons why you can and should do this. Some of them are these: In the first place, you would have but one size frame in the apiary. You all know that brood-combs of several sizes and styles are a nuisance in any bee-yard. I would use 3 frames (not less than 2 in any case) in all nuclei. When fall comes around, the queen-trade is over, and the nuclei can be doubled, say putting 3 in a large hive, and when so united they are likely to winter successfully. On the other hand, what would one have to go into winter quarters with if there were several hundred sickly baby nu- clei that had but a few bees and no brood? If the standard frame is used, the bees could be di- vided again in the spring after the hives are well filled with bees and brood. So you see, after the first cost of using standard frames for nuclei, the expense is really nothing, while all the nucleus colonies will be strong and in fine condition for any purpose. By my nucleus system, in the fall I have a fine lot of bees and brood to unite for winter. They are united in October, making about 20 strong colonies in all. When fed up they appear to be in fine condition. Now I have tried for the past 20 years to winter the nuclei when in the above condition, and only with partial success. I find it quite difficult here in this climate to winter full colonies, even when they are in the best of condition in the fall. What prospect have "baby" nuclei of wintering, if full colonies can not be successfully carried through the 6 months' confine- ment they will have to endure? My advice is not to adopt any "babyish" fixtures to use in keeping bees, if you wish to succeed. Not one of our suc- cessful bee-keepers has ever adopted anything of the kind. They all use standard and practical equipment in their apiaries. No man can succeed in anything by spending his time fussing with fussy and unnecessary things. Follow Nature's methods as near as possible. Lots of things can be done with bees, and one can get any amount of pleasure in them, but they are not practical nor profitable. Essex Co., Mass. m Dewey Foundationer— An Adjustable Machine for Securing Foundation in Sections BY E. H. DEWEY. THIS foundation-fastening machine is box-shaped, with the cover, which is about one-half its length, depressed be- tween the sides ; a table sliding on the same is drawn to the rear by a spring attached to the side of the machine. The forward edge of the machine is beveled. A support is attached to the forward edge of the table at such an angle as to permit the operator to have his work under observation constantly. A gauge, mounted by an iron plate, is secured to the sup- port by bolts. The gauge and plate automatically center the It will be noticed that the upper forward edge of the- gauge is cut away and the stationary plate projects over the upper edge, but not quite flush with its base. CD A curved yielding spring is attached to the beveled edge starters, and if sections of more than one width are used the machine is adjusted by loosening the bolts and slipping be- tween the support and the gauge a wedge of the desired thickness. The button, which acts as a check to the movable plate, is turned when the machine is adjusted, to permit the plate to stop at the desired spot. of the table to hold the section securely against the base of the gauge. Two rods extend in a horizontal position from the forward end of the table to the plate supports. The plate supports are reciprocated on bolts that pass through the sides of the machine and the supports. The curved plate is secured to the supports. Two creases that meet at the center and rear of the curved plate collect and convey the melted wax away from the machine at one point. The section is slipped over the gauge and is held in posi- tion by means of the spring on the forward edge of the table. The stationary plate is about 3-16 of an inch from the sec- tion. When the plate is well heated the thumb of the right hand is placed on the rear edge of the table with the fore- finger extended on the upper side of the machine. The table ig now pushed forward, by the thumb, until the curved plate, after passing over the edge of the section, comes to rest. The starter is now slid down the stationary plate until it comes in contact with the heated plate, when the table is released and the starter is pushed to the section to which it is securely fastened. The instant the cable is released the curved plate is auto- matically withdrawn from the section, and any adhering wax is carried away from the section and the working parts of the machine. A screw prevents the table from being carried completely over when the table is released. Full sheets may be secured, as readily as starters, and both if desired. Attention is particularly called to the position of the curved plate with reference to the section when the machine is closed. In its passage the curved plate does not come in contact with the section at any point. No dripping wax can soil the section or the machine. The beveled edge of the gauge permits the heated plate to pass beneath the stationary plate without touching any part of the machine. Sections are supplied with starters as fast as they can be picked up, and come from the machine absolutely free from dripping wax or smoky deposit from the lamp. The machine is the only one of the kind ever supplied with a curved reciprocating plate ; in fact, it is constructed on entirely new lines, and has stood the severest tests satis- factorily. Berkshire Co. , Mass. [This is one of the things that is all right if it does all that is claimed for it. We understand that a patent was ap- plied for, and that it was to have been put on the market this season. But we do not recall seeing it advertised in any of the bee-papers. — Editor.] Amerikanische Bienenzucht, by Hans Buschbauer, is a bee-keeper's hand-book of 138 pages, which is just what our German friends will want. It is fully illustrated, and neatly bound in cloth. Price, postpaid, $1.00; or with the Americai. Bee Journal one year— both for $1.75. Address all orders to this office. June 21, 1906 533 American Itee Journal f Convention Proceeding NATIONAL AT CHICAGO Report of the 36th Annual Convention of the National Bee-Keepers' Association, held in Chicago, 111., Dec. 19, 20 and 21, 1905 The National Bee-Keepers' Association held its Annual Convention in Brunt Hall in the Bush Temple of Music, Chicago, 111., on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, De- cember 19, 20 and 21, 1905. The opening session took place on Tuesday, December 19, at 7 :30 o'clock p. m. ; the President-elect, Mr. C. P. Dadant, of Hamilton, 111., occupied the chair. The Secretary, Mr. W. Z. Hutchinson, read a paper written by Mr. L. Stachclhausen, of Converse, Texas, on THE CONTROL OF INCREASE The natural way of increase is swarming, and, there- fore, the first problem is control of swarming, and this is very important for bee-keepers who keep a large number of colonies in several apiaries. As we have no man in the out-yards to watch for swarms, and as it would not pay at all to keep such a person there during swarming-time, every swarm cast by any colony would be very probably lost. I am tempted to give you a scientific talk about the cause of swarming, but I think you prefer more practical hints. We know a number of ways to prevent swarming; one of the most practical ways to prevent, or, at least, to delay swarming, is to use large hives; that is, a large comb-surface, by which the bees can extend the brood-nest in every direction. At the same time colonies in such large hives will develop faster during the spring, and become stronger colonies. We can force such a development in smaller hives by spreading the brood and other laborious and dangerous manipulations. In a large hive with plenty of honey a healthy colony will develop to the greatest possible strength without any manipulation made by the bee-keeper. It may be said that such large hives do not always, and under all circumstances, prevent swarming. This is true, but I have observed, if, in an apiary, io-frame Lang- Stroth hives are changed to larger ones, the bees will swarm less by and by every year. In my locality the bees from hives not larger than 8 or 10 Langstroth frames will swarm so much that one man could hardly manage an apiary of ioo colonies. I could tell you stories about the ways some of my bee-keeping neighbors acted to get rid of these surplus swarms. For about 24 years I have used larger hives, and have no trouble of this kind any more. This is a very important difference, if bees shall be kept in as many colonies to make a profit-bearing business. In my locality the problem is to keep the bees from swarming till the main honey-flow commences. During this flow the bees will not swarm, if they have not made prep- arations for it before this flow commenced. With such cir- cumstances, hives as large as the Dadant hive will prevent swarming sufficiently in most years. In other years, which are more favorable for brood-rearing, I have to watch my colonies more carefully. If I find a very strong colony with brood much extended, I have to manipulate it, especially if I find queen-cells started. It may be set down as a rule, if we find 2500 square inches of comb-surface occupied by brood, this colony will probably swarm soon, even from a very large hive. The prevention of swarming may have different pur- poses. If we can't, or are not willing, to watch our colonies during swarming-time, we can make the swarms artificially a little earlier; thus they would swarm naturally, but in this case we will get as much, or even more, increase. If we want less increase, we make only so many artificial swarms as we think necessary to prevent natural swarms. Or we may not want any increase at all, and wish to keep the whole force of a colony together and have it as strong as possible during the honey-flow. For this reason we have to select different ways for prevention of swarming If we make swarms artificially, we can make one or more swarms from every colony strong enough, or we make one swarm from two such colonies, or we take the material to form a new swarm from a larger number of colonies. All this is done for a permanent increase. A second way is, when no increase is wanted, to divide a strong colony for some days only, and when the swarming fever has past, we unite these two colonies again. A third way is to manpiulate the colony in such a way without dividing it, that it will not or can't swarm. We will consider these three ways. There are, again, many different ways of artificial swarm- ing. During many years I used the well-known plan to make three out of two. A strong colony, A, is shaken into a new hive with starters or full sheets of foundation, and this hive is set on the old stand of A. The brood-combs with- out bees are placed in another hive, and this is set on the stand of another strong colony B, and the colony B receives a new stand C. To the colony now at B a queen fertilized, or virgin, or even a queen-cell, is introduced. If the honey- flow is good and of long duration this plan can be used with profit, but the colony at B is in a bad condition for some days, having no young bees to feed the larvae, a part of them may starve and be drawn out afterwards. The colony C has lost all the field-bees, and if the hive does not contain very thin, watery honey, -the young bees can't prepare the necessary larval-food, and some of the young brood is lost again, except we give some water to this colony in some way till some of the young bees will fly out to gather this water outside. Since a few years I prefer for these reasons, another plan, especially recommendable if we want very little in- crease. I take from a colony, which I expect would make preparation to swarm, 3 or 4 brood-combs (3 of my frames have not quite as much comb-surface as 2 Langstroth frames). The bees from these combs are shaken back into their hive. In place of these brood-combs empty combs or frames with full sheets of foundation are given to this tolony. Eight of these brood-combs from different colonies are set in another story, and 2 empty combs added; this story is set on top of another strong colony over a queen- excluding honey-board. In this way I go through the yard till all the colonies strong enough are managed. In about 2 or 3 hours these brood-combs over the excluders will be covered with young bees, and now I remove them again. Two such stories with brood and bees from 2 different colo- nies will form a new colony, which is placed on a new stand, a queen in a cage closed with candy is introduced, and at the beginning of the honey-flow one or more supers are given to this colony and this bee-yard is safe for 10 days, at least. The advantage of this plan is, that the colonies are weakened not more than necessary to prevent swarming, and the new colonies are at once ready to store honey. Hereby, it is important that we take mostly capped brood from the colonies, and that we give the frames of foundation at the proper place. Our purpose is that this foundation should be drawn out and eggs laid in these cells at once by the queen, therefore they must be given at such a place, where the queen is laying eggs in the center of the comb, or will soon do so. If we have taken away combs, in which some young bees are gnawing out of the cells, just in the center of these combs, we can put the foundation right in their place, because in a few days the queen would lay eggs there anyhow. If this cannot be done, a safe way is to remove the remaining brood in the old colony close together, and to give the foundation on both sides of the brood-nest be- tween the last brood-comb and that comb containing mostly pollen, which generally is found on both sides of the brood- nest. If this is not observed, and we examine the colony 10 days later, we may find these combs filled with honey instead of with brood, and this will be a hindrance for the queen all the summer through. Many other ways of ar- tificial swarming can be used, too many to be mentioned here. The second way to prevent swarming is to divide a tolony, which will probably -warm very soon, or has already June 21, 1906 American Ttec Journal started queen-cells, for a few days only, and to have that part of the colony which receives the brood-combs with the queen- cells weakened so much in bees, that these surplus queen-cells are destroyed by the bees themselves. As soon as this is done both colonies are united again. This can be done in different ways. 1. The old colony is removed from its stand and a new hive containing some empty combs and some frames with starters is set on its place. From the old colony is taken I brood-comb with I or more queen cells and placed between 2 empty combs in the new hive on the old stand. By shaking or brushing, more bees from the old colony are added to this swarm, being careful not to get the queen in with the bees. The supers are given to this swarm on the old stand, and the parent colony, having the old queen, is set to one side or on top of this swarm. By this manipu- lation the parent colony is weakened so much that it gives .up all swarming and will destroy the queen-cells. This generally takes place in less than 6 days, and now both colonies are re-united. The queen-cells on this 1 frame of brood are cut out, the brood-comb set back into the old colony, the new hive is removed and the parent colony set back on the old stand. This plan was lately recommended in the United States and called "the Sibbaldplan." 2. Another way of this kind is known as the "shook- swarm system." From a strong colony nearly all of the bees with the old queen are shaken or brushed into a new hive with starters or foundation, and this is set on the old stand. The old hive with the brood-combs and a sufficient number of bees to cover and nurse the brood is set to one side of the swarm. For reuniting we wait till the brood has I>. STACBELIIAUSEN. hatched from the old brood-combs and unite the young bees with the swarm by setting the old colony to the other side of the swarm 10 days later. In 10 or 11 days afterwards all the brood of the old colony will have hatched and now we shake all the bees from this colony in front of the swarm. When we make the shaken swarm we can give one or two brood-combs or none at all; we can give to the swarm empty combs, full sheets of foundation or starters only; all this depends on circumstances. I used this shook-swarm system for producing section-honey and I will tell you how I planned it out. My experience was, that I could not get a satisfactory crop of section-honey, if I had given the sec- tion-supers to an old colony in a 10-frame Langstroth, or a still larger hive. About 18 years ago W. Z. Hutchinson recommended in a little book, "The Production of Comb Honey," for this purpose the use of swarms which were hived in a con- tracted brood-chamber containing starters only. Since then I have used swarms only for the production of section-honey, and worked all the other colonies for extracted honey. Using large brood-nests I got less swarms every year and made them artificially by shaking the bees off from the combs, manipulating these swarms exactly as recommended in this little book. Such shaken swarms always worked just as well as natural swarms — even better, as they were generally stronger. The only disadvantage of these natural or shaken swarms is, that they are getting weaker every day during the first 3 weeks, and more bees are necessary by and by for nursing the increasing brood. To avoid this I used Hed- don's plan for preventing after-swarms, by changing the place of the parent colony and so drawing some bees from it to the swarm every 8 or 10 days. It does not change the principle, if this drawing of bees from one colony to the other is performed in some other way. Some bee-keepers claim that shaken swarms should not be made, except a colony has started queen-cells. This is not so, if a large brood-chamber is used, but it is necessary that the colony be as as strong as possible and have many young bees. The starting of queen-cells is a sign that a surplus of young bees compared with the open brood is present in a colony; in a large hive so much brood may be present, that no such surplus of young bees may appear, nevertheless more of them will be in the hive than in another, smaller hive, which has queen-cells. When the shaken swarm is made, this open brood is removed, and we have exactly the same condi- tion as with a natural swarm. Further, in criticising this plan it is said, that the swarm has to build a new brood-nest, which causes a larger con- sumption of honey, which honey would better be stored in the sections. But such swarms work with more vigor than a colony which is nearly in a condition to make preparations to swarm; as no combs are in the contracted brood-chamber all the honey gathered is forced into the sections, which con- tain full sheets of foundation, and some of them partly drawn out. These circumstances overbalance the necessary bpilding of new combs. In my opinion, the most satisfactory way of producing section honey is to use large brood-chambers in the spring, and when the main honey-flow commences the colonies are managed after this shook-swarm system. This is especially true, if all natural swarms must be avoided. 3. This building of new combs can be avoided in the fol- lowing way: A shaken swarm is made on the old stand, with the old queen, and the parent colony is set to one side or on top of this swarm. As soon as one of the young queens has hatched and has destroyed the other queen-cells in the parent colony, both colonies are reunited. If the old queen shall be kept, it is not necessary to hunt up the young queen in the parent colony. At evening, before the bees cease to fly, we exchange the places of the two colonies for about an hour, and any field-bees from the swarm will enter the parent colony; now the hives change places again, when the bees are not flying any more. These field-bees are used to an old queen, and will, during the night, kill the young virgin queen. The next morning both colonies are united again. If the young queen shall be kept and the old one removed, the best way would be to wait till the young queen is fer- tilized, then the old queen is found, removed, and both colo- nies united. In this way no new brood-nest is to be built, and the colony is divided during a few days only, the swarming im- pulse is removed, and the bees themselves have destroyed the queen-cells; but the plan will hardly work for section honey, and the same I think can be said about the Sibbald plan. In both cases the brood-nest, after reuniting, will contain too many empty cells, which will at once be filled with honey. Now we have to consider the third way of preventing swarms by preparing the colony in such a way, that it will not or can't swarm. Here may be mentioned the different plans, by which the queen is prevented from swarming out, in a mechanical way, as by the use of a queen-excluding honey-board or a queen-trap, or by caging the queen for some time. These plans are quite against the nature of the bees, and have generally proven unsatisfactory. We can remove the old queen entirely and allow the colony to rear a young one. This plan will prevent swarming, if at the right time the surplus queen-cells are destroyed, but the colony is weakened con- siderably, probably more so than if a prime swarm and no after-swarm were allowed. The plan takes too much work and attention to be practical in a large apiary. Another way of this kind has been known for some time, but is not mentioned very often. When queen-cells June 21, 1906 535 American Dee Journal are reared in an upper story, over an excluder, it was ob- served that such colonies did not swarm as long as there is sonic brood in this upper story. If this is true, it is plain that swarming can be prevented, if once in a while some brood-comb- are removed from the lower story to the upper one over ibis excluder. This idea can be used for section honey, if a divisible brood chamber is used. When the flow commences, the upper part of this brood-chamber is removed, a queen-excluder laid on top of the lower part, over this one or more section supers and on top of them the upper part of the brood-chamber. The upper brood-story is kept on the hive till all the brood has hatched and the combs are filled with honey, then these combs are extracted or used for winter food in the same or another hive. Against this plan I have only this objection, that the queen-excluder is a considerable hindrance for the bees, but I think in many cases, when section honey shall be pro- duced, it can be dispensed with, as the section-supers them- selves have probably the same effect as the queen-excluder. Another plan is described by Dr. C. C. Miller, and called the "foundation plan." When in a colony queen-cells are found with eggs in them, these eggs are destroyed; if, io days later, larvs are found in queen-cells, the queen is found and caged and all the queen-cells destroyed, the hive re- moved and in its place is put a hive containing three frames of foundation. Upon this hive is put an excluder and over the excluder the old hive, with brood and bees, and over this the supers. The queen is run in at the entrance of the lower hive and the colony is left for a week or io days. At the end of this time the lower story is taken away with the ex- cluder, and the queen is put back in the old hive, which gets the old stand. This is a modification of the last-described plan. I have never tried this plan, but it seems to me, that in some localities, the colony may swarm after treatment, and that the exam- ination of all colonies every 8 or io days to destroy the eggs in queen-cells or to treat the colony, if larvae are present, will take too much time and labor. Another way belonging to this class is "Simmins' non- swarming system." It is said that the bees will not swarm, if an empty space is given to them between the brood-nest and the alighting hole, in which the bees can build combs. Simmins says that an important item in this management •consists in supplying every section with fully worked combs. As this is hardly possible in a large apiary worked exclusively for comb honey, this may be the reason that the plan was not favorably accepted on this side of the Atlantic. You will see that this principle is partially employed in Dr. Miller's foundation plan. L. Stachelhausem. The President declared the paper open for discussion. Mr. McEvoy — One point in the paper read was as to shak- ing bees onto comb. Some people complain that these colo- nies would grow weak in a few days after, but my plan is to put a cone bee-escape across the front after 5 or 6 days for a few hours; the bees come out and they cannot get back into it again. Then you can send your bees where you want to. Another point is that the queen destroys the young queens because the guards are off the cells. The first queen that hatches will do it. Mr. Holtermann — I think that the subject that we have here tonight is one of the most important subjects that is going to be brought before the convention, that is, the control of increase. We have had different methods given to us. The paper I think is a very good one and very exhaustive. I think that there is a method which can be given in addition to what has been here. . Some 4 or 5 years ago I began bee-keeping again, and the writ- ings of the Dadants had made quite an impression upon me, for I always looked upon them as very successful bee-keep- ers, and good, sound reasoners; and their observations led me to adopt a larger hive. I had been a strong advocate of the 8-frame Langstroth hive up to that time, and I adopted a 12-frame Langstroth hive. What Mr. Stachelhau- sen says is correct. I think the basis or the beginning of the successful control of increase is large colonies. Now, there are several features which come into play in the control of increase. First of all, the general impression is that the time to note the swarming impulse is when eggs are deposited in the queen-cell cups. I think in that practice we make a mistake. I think the first indication towards swarming is the drone-brood ; but we will let that alone because in a great many cases they may not swarm at all. But the next is when cell-cups are built. I have had men say to me, "I see cell-cups built in many cases and no swarming." That is true. The conditions may change, and so on, so that they will not swarm when cell-cups are built, but that is the very reason why we should note that. In my manipulation in the apiary when I sec cell-cups built I take it as a hint that the bees are drifting very closely towards swarming, and that is the time, in my estimation, that the brood should be taken out, if at all, unless you arc approaching, as far as you can tell, the close of the honey seasmi, and then you do not need to do that. The next point I find, and I think where bee-keepers make such very great mistakes, is in the amount of super-room given to the bees. I don't know how it is over here, perhaps, as fully as it is in Canada. But the general method is to give an extracting super to a colony of bees. I am satisfied as long as we think we can run our bees successfully with only one super, so long we will not make the most out of our bees, or succeed in keeping down swarming to the greatest extent. No one should think of taking extracted honey with- out having at least an average of 2 supers to the hive. Then there is the matter of ventilation. I would like to take you into a frame building on a hot summer day with a ^-inch board roof, and very little ventilation, and put you at work extracting; and yet there are nine-tenths of the bee-keepers who consider it economy to have half that, and have no more protection than that ^-inch board; and they have what is equal to a stove in addition in that building in the young bees and brood in the hive. I consider it a very gross extravagance to use a hive with as little as a %-inch board protection. We should protect them more. Next, in order to keep down swarming I am going to try to show you the importance of ventilators in the supers. You have a colony of bees there, and all the fresh air they can get has to come through that brood-chamber and up into the super; by the time it reaches the super that air is foul, and your bees on that account become discontented and want to swarm, and therefore I use the system of ventilation with supers. A great many of the entrances to hives are too small. In our country we have hives in which the entrance does not go all the way across the front of the hive. I learned a lesson from Mr. S. T. Pettit, to enlarge the entrance of the hive during the warm season by means of wedges % of an inch at the front and going to a point at the back, and as soon as the swarming-time comes on slide one between the bottom-board and the brood-chamber, and in that way increase the entrances % of an inch. By those methods we can keep down swarming to a great extent. In using the greater amount of super-room, you want to get the condition where you have sufficient super-room in your hive that the worker force in that hive is contented, and in such numbers that the bees that are dying off from day to day are about equal to the number of bees that are coming on. You can't do that unless you have the extra amount of super-room. The reason why I have said I consider this perhaps the most important subject that will come before this conven- tion is this: I am thoroughly satisfied that the secret of large yields of honey is to keep the bees together. No matter whether your honey-flow is short or long, it makes no differ- ence so far as I can see it as to that point. Your bees then are always ready; your bees come with large forces, and they can take" advantage of everything that may turn up, no mat- ter whether it is clover, basswood or buckwheat — whatever gives you the largest amount of yield. As far as fall flows are concerned, I know by observa- tion that a great many do not get the amount of honey they could in the fall of the year, because by that time their colo- nies are so broken up they really have few, if any, strong colonies left. Dr. Miller— When you speak of ventilating supers, do you mean extracting supers, or sections, or both? Mr. Holtermann — 1 have particular reference to extract- ing supers. The only method I can see of ventilating the comb-honey supers is by having a ventilator at the top of the brood-chamber. I don't think it is practicable to use them in comb-honey supers at the time when the bees are capping the honev. Mr. Nau — I work the super in the same way Mr. Holter- mann does, and I have no swarms. I have a 13-frame Langstroth hive, and whenever one super is half full I put another under it. I get as high as 6 supers full of honey off one hive. Dr. Miller — I would like to emphasize the point that is Juno 21, 1906 American Itee Journal made by Mr. Holtermann, and that is as to the importance of ventilation. I have had from year to year what I call "piles," that is, piling them up 3 or 4 stories high, and allowing each colony to have an abundance of ventilation ; in other words, the full entrance to each story. I never had one of these piles swarm. I wouldn't like to say that will always be a certain preventive of swarming, from the fact that these piles were generally formed from what were rather weak colonies in the first place, and built up gradually to very strong ones. The ventilation of the colony can always be made a success with extracting supers, as Mr. Holtermann says; and I have wondered rhany a time why men working for extracted honey did not have a current of air running right up through the whole thing. Mr. Holtermann says that by having the air come out through the brood-chamber but not through the supers will work for section honey. A good many years ago, before any such thing as sections' were known, I was in the apiary of Adam Grimm, of Wisconsin — he was working at that time for comb honey, and had little boxes upon his hives and over them a telescope cover, and the day I was there, he was raising up these covers and block- ing them up a little so that the air could get up through the brood-chamber, and I remember, with his very emphatic Ger- man way of saying things, he turned to me and said, "I con- sider that very important." From that time on for a number of years I had that same kind of ventilation. But I want to tell Mr. Holtermann this, that in the upper part of the story, all of the sections near that will be much slower in completion than the others, and that is the objection to it. I am dreaming some time of having a kind of way of ven- tilating the super sections right up through the center. In some such way I would like to have the advantage of the ventilation and still hold on to the sections. But in the matter of ventilation when working for extracted honey, T believe you have the key of the whole situation; I don't believe you need have much swarming there at all. Mr. Holtermann — You know why that is, Dr. Miller ? Dr. Miller— No, I don't. Mr. Holtermann— The impression I had at one time was that if I made an opening at the top of the hive the air would go in at the front and come out of the top, but the fact of the matter is you will find that the air is drawn in at the top. That air is cool when it first strikes the hive, compara- tively, and it has not been raised to the temperature neces- sary for that evaporation to go on, and therefore in using ventilators in comb-honey supers there is the tendency for the bees not to cap as readily there as in other places, because it does not ripen as rapidly. Mr. Taylor— Will not bees carry the honey out there, too, as well as not cap? Mr. Holtermann — There may be a tendency for them to do that because they can't ripen it as well. Mr. Taylor — The ventilation would help to ripen, if any- thing, and they would not carry the honey out. Mr. Holtermann— If the temperature outside is 80 de- grees and the hive temperature is nearly 100, the temperature of the air when it first enters the hive has to be raised to the inside temperature by the bees. Mr. Taylor— That is in the shade. But out in the apiary, it is generally as hot outside as it is inside. Mr. Holtermann — It is night and day. Mr. Taylor — The reason I have given for that is, that the bees to guard their honey will carry it away from an open- ing for fear of robbing. Dr. Bohrer — The question under discussion is not a new one. Mr. R. C. Otis once put this question to me: "Why do bees swarm at all?" The reply was that it is their na- ture to. It applies to the honey-bee as well as every other de- partment of the animal kingdom — to propagate their species. There are two things that come as near controlling it as anything — one is when there is an abundant flow of honey, provided you give (hem room. I think the first movable hive I made had 18 frames, and I had one of the largest swarms I ever had come out of that hive. I never had a swarm cast where bees were hived in sugar hogsheads. And I have never seen swarms cast from an old-fashioned salt- barrel, or any receptacle of that kind. Take a large hive and give them abundance of room, and if the honey-flow is abundant they will work at that and not have much swarm- ing, but give them small hives and they begin to give trouble. At the present time I can't think of any plan that will effectually prevent swarming. Mr. Holtermann — Isn't the reason because they are confined in those hives during the daytime and they are com- paratively warm and the ventilation is not proper? Mr. Taylor — I would like to ask a question of Mr. Hol- termann. He spoke of looking for the starting of queen- cell cups. Are there no cups left over from the previous year in your hives? Mr. Holtermann — There are cups, but I don't think any- one would mistake this year's cups. There is a very distinct difference. If those cups are there, and you expect a honey sea- son ahead of you, that is the time you should deal with the swarming matter. When they begin to put brood and larvae and eggs in the queen-cells, in my estimation you have gone a step too far to prevent the swarming without a seriou& breaking up of your colony. To protect your colonies tem- porarily requires a great deal of labor, and a good many ex- tra hives. Mr. Baxter— Hunting for cups is too much work for me. I have found by 25 years' experience that there is an absolute rule to prevent swarming, and that rule is to have large hives and see they have room which, with- out giving any other ventilation, gives them ventilation. But under certains conditions that is not enough. I want ventilation from below — I don't want it from above. It is sufficient if you raise a hive about % of an inch above the bottom-board. I have hives, some of which could be raised, and some could not be, and no matter how many supers I put on top of those movable bottoms, when the weather be- came warm they would swarm anyway ; but where I raised the hives from the bottom and gave them sufficient room above I have never had any trouble with swarms ; and I have had as many as 250 colonies. Mr. Holtermann — What is the length of your honey- flow? Mr. Baxter — It begins about the first of June and ends the middle of July, and occasionally in the last of September or the beginning of October. It is for extracted honey. I wouldn't bother with comb honey ; I have tried it long enough. Dr. Miller — In my locality, working for section honey, raising up the hive will help, but it won't prevent swarming; a whole lot of them will swarm. With reference to this matter of the size of hives, I believe in that general rule, and if I didn't believe in any other wise I would because of the testimony of the men I believe in so thoroughly as I do the Dadants; and yet in my locality that does not work as I would like it to. One year I got 2 of the Jumbo hives, deep frames — 10 frames — and deeper than the Langstroth, and I was going to have that, and have nothing else if those things didn't swarm. The next spring after they were filled, the very first colony that swarmed was one of those Jumboes. Mr. Bohrer — With regard to ventilation, that big salt- barrel had no upward ventilation, but it had lots from below. In addition to Dr. Miller's trouble I had lumbago in handling the same hive. Mr. Holtermann — What did you put in the supers of those Jumbo hives? Dr. Miller — The same as I did in the others. Mr. Holtermann — Drone comb? Dr. Miller — No, sections with foundation. I am not sure whether they waited until I had the supers on. Mr. Ferris — There is nothing I have studied more than the question of producing the most brood from the least number of bees I winter, and getting the most honey from them. To keep them entirely from producing any swarms until after the flow is over, I divide them at my will. I use both 10-frame Langstroth and a special hive which holds 14 Langstroth frames, 2l*4x2i}4, and a division-board through the center. This makes a large hive. Provide that through the center with a solid division-board which is re- movable, place a queen in the fall on each side of that di- vision-board. I winter 2 queens in an ordinary colony of bees in this hive. Then in the spring I work each division up to 7 frames full of brood. Then 1 add on another story, and as each story has a place for the division-board, I put in a division-board, and in that way I get both sides worked up to an exceedingly strong colony in brood, up to the time when the honey-flow begins. At this point I take away both queens, and let them be a few days queenless. and then either give them a capped queen-cell or a queen already mated. In this way you can prevent swarming, 1 think, as well as in any other way. An old queen will swarm quicker than a young June 21, 1906 537 American Ttee Journal one, and by following this method you get enormous swarms. I get, with a io- frame Langstroth, 4 stories full of bees by June 17, and not one of those colonies ever yet cast a swarm. And while others are not getting a pound of surplus in my locality, they yield me 200 pounds of comb or extracted. I can endorse what has been said about ventilation. You need considerable of it. For extracted honey, upward ven- tilation with a hole at the back of each side about J