July T, 1904. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



473 



right under them. By this time there was a pretty good 

 smoke, and pretty soon he said they had let loose. We came 

 inside of the trees and were looking, and he said they were 

 around a certain hive, and I could get them there. I went 

 to it and I found they were going in as fast as they could, 

 and they are still in there, or at least I Have not seen them 

 come out, and have watched in the middle of the day, and 

 am writing now where I can see the yard plainly. As they 

 have not come out I have been thinking whether or not the 

 queen was missing in it all. Do you suppose such is the 

 case ? They seem to be working all right. 



I have had 5 swarms, 3 in May and one besides the 

 above in June. I had one come out and partly settle and 

 then go back, and in two days come out again and settle 

 with another one that had come out. They were so large I 

 could not get them all into one hive, so I put another hive- 

 body on top of it and they all went in ; both seem to be full 

 of bees. They have been doing well, and are now working 

 strong in the supers. I will have to put on extra supers on 

 several of others, but it has been so cold almost all of June 

 that I have not done it yet, but it is getting warmer, and I 

 hope it will stay warmer ; it has been worse than it was last 

 spring. 



I did not get the bees cleaned up until May, and I only 

 lost one colony, which starved. I had plenty of honey, but 

 being so lame, and having so much to do, one did not get 

 attended to the same day, and it got cold so I could not at- 

 tend to them, and did not get it done at all ; the spring kept 

 so cold I could not do it. I sawed off the ends at the top 

 and laid a full frame in under the cushion ; they ate all that 

 and were dead when I could see to them. 



All the colonies came out strong with lots of brood, 

 where I could attend to them, and the weather was warm 

 enough to be safe to open the hives. I gave them clean bot- 

 tom-boards and a clean hive, and cleaned off the tops of the 

 bars, so they have no carrying out of rubbish, only just to 

 go to work with a clean house. 



I was very thankful that I got so I could walk without a 

 cane before I had to hive any bees, else I do not know how 

 I could have done it. I have done everything out-of-doors 

 for a year with a cane in one hand and a basket in theother, 

 in which to gather all my truck — all last summer and fall ; I 

 tell you, it seems good to go around without it. Had I not 

 gotten the rheumatism and neuralgia so badly in the win- 

 ter, my eye would have been well now, but that threw it 

 back a month. It is gaining now, and I hope it will soon be 

 entirely well. If any of the sisters, or brethren, have, or 

 should have, rheumatism, I would recommend them to be 

 sure to write to Prof. Malcom Watson, Battle Creek, Mich., 

 who will send them a week's trial treatment. I have not 

 found any thing that is equal to it. Any ordinary case will 

 be entirely cured in 30 days, but I have had it so long it 

 will take another 30 days, but it has done me a lot of good. 

 I have spent enough to cure me, in liniments and oils, and 

 to no permanent good. This is not about bees, but I pity 

 any one so much that has rheumatism that I want to tell 

 him how to get cured. Our good editor might get it, and 

 I certainly would want him to know how to get rid of it. 



I get so much good from the other sisters, that I want 

 to contribute my mite, if it will do any good. And I want 

 to thank Dr. Miller for the saltpeter rags, not only for 

 smoke but for bees up in a high tree. 



Well, if I don't stop, I will go in the waste basket, if I 

 don't already. Mrs. Sarah J. Griffith. 



Cumberland Co., N. J., June 13. 



If I understand you rightly, the swarm went into an 

 empty hive ; that being the case, the queen is probably all 

 right, as the swarm would hardly have staid there without 

 a queen, or any means of rearing one. 



Honey as a Health-Food is the name of a 16- 

 page leaflet (3|^x6 inches) which is designed to help in- 

 crease the demand and sale of honey. The first part is 

 devoted to a consideration of " Honey as Food," written 

 by Dr. C. C. Miller. The last part contains " Honey-Cook- 

 ing Recipes" and "Remedies Using Honey." It should be 

 widely circulated by every one who has honey for sale. It 

 is almost certain to make good customers for honey. We 

 know, for we have used it ourselves. 



Prices, prepaid — Sample copy free ; 10 for 20 cts. ; 25 

 for 40 cts.; SO for 70 cts.; 100 for ^1.25; 250 for $2.25; Son 

 for $4.00 ; 1000 for $7.50. Your business card printed free 

 at the bottom of the front page, on all orders for 100 or 

 more copies. Send all orders to the Bee Journal office 





Nasty's Afterthoughts 





' Old Reliable " seen through New and Unreliable Glasses. 

 By E. E. Hastt, Sta. B Rural, Toledo, Ohio. 



DIRECTIONS FOR AN OBSERVATORY HIVE. 



Even if you don't preserve all your American Bee Jour- 

 nals, preserve the one with diagrams and directions for 

 making an observatory hive. Keep it till you make the 

 hive. If every bee-keeper kept an observatory hive on view 

 it would increase the market for honey quite a bit — every 

 one that sees gets interested, and most of those that get in- 

 terested want some honey. Allen L,atham should have our 

 thanks for the article and diagrams. Page 359. 



CHICKENS AS DRONK-CATCHKRS. 



Mrs. Mary A. Ray, in the Sisters' department, touches 

 on one of the semi-important minor matters when she gives 

 her experience with chickens taught to catch drones at the 

 hive-entrances. She finds they soon learn to take heavy- 

 laden workers, also. The theory is, that a chick or duck 

 might indeed break over for once, but would get a sting in 

 the throat sufficient to cure it of such wrong-doing in the 

 future. Doubtful theory. Like other doubtful theories, I 

 guess it needs looking after. Quite a good few living crea- 

 tures succeed in swallowing worker-bees without getting 

 stung much. Sad if poultry get into the same company. 

 Page 360. 



HATCHING EGGS OVER BEES. 



And who should score a little fragment of success in 

 hatching eggs over bees but our good and enterprising 

 brother, Allen Latham ? With a week's effort just one egg 

 showed a little touch of red. Well, that partly redeems the 

 thing from the charge of whole-cloth mendacity. Page 362. 



INDIVIDUAL HIVE-SHED— RELIQUEFYING BARREL HONEY. 



We should scarce expect the man who runs a watch- 

 maker's business, an apiary, and an 80-acre farm, too, to be 

 the one to invent a diminutive shed for each hive — but so 

 it is. Good thing, no doubt, for those who have few colo- 

 nies, and are willing to take the trouble. 



And this Missouri Yankee's method of reliquefying 

 honey is to turn the barrel upside down '. After having 

 duly laughed at the plan we might as well get at the true 

 inwardness of it. Yes, honey often candies, and then, after 

 a while, reliquefies, or partly reliquefies itself (more fre- 

 quently the latter). Turning the barrel over just as this 

 natural process is beginning will help along nicely. Pre- 

 suming that there is a space of half an inch or more under 

 the upper head, all the mass peacemeal has to move that 

 far— but such honey as they sell in paper bags is not going 

 to get juicy by merely turning it t'other side up. I should 

 suppose that when the barrel of honey reaches a partly 

 fluid state, rolling it a little semi-occasionally will hurry 

 matters up. To get honey fluid enough to run out a bung- 

 hole, and obviate the necessity of taking the head out, is 

 worth something. A. G. Erickson, page 362. 



LEATHER LOOPS FOR CARRYING TOOLS. 



Leather loops on one end of the comb-carrier, in which 

 the brush and tools can be thrust for carriage 1 That's an 

 idea I have not met before. One advantage of it is tHat the 

 loops are unobtrusive— you don't have to use them unless 

 you want to. Page 364. 



QUEEN-GUARD AND SWARMING OUT. 



I don't think a queen-guard put on an entrance after 

 hiving (with five queens inside) is going to be of any par- 

 ticular use one way or the other. You see, the bees don't 

 know the queens can't follow— and once out in the air they 

 won't come back to a hive they have recently been hived in 

 as they would to the paternal (maternal ?) roof. So I think 

 that in C. G. Ascha's case, they would have staid all the 

 same without the guard. Page 364. 



PROPOLIZKD CAMBRIC FOR BEE-GLOVES. 



And what about S. T. Pettifs propolized cambric for 

 bee-gloves ? I feel a little suspicious about the plan. Fussy 

 getting the material propolized. Liability to getting it 

 torn full of holes. Should think it would be disagreeable 



