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Entered at the Post-Office at Chicago as Second-Class Mail-Matter. 

 l>iil>Iished ^Veekly at $I.OO a Year by Oeorgre W. York & Co., 3S4 l>earborn St. 



QEOROB W. YORK, Editor. 



CHICAGO, ILL, JULY 14, 1904. 



Vol, XLIV— No, 28, 





iEditorial Comments 





Photograhps of Things Apiarian. 



This is a splendid ticne of the year to take photographs 

 of apiaries and other thing^s of interest to bee-keepers. 

 Nature is at her best now in many parts of the world. 

 Never again will the apiary look more attractive than in 

 June or July, in perhaps the majority of localities where 

 bees are kept. 



We are always wanting' good apiarian photographs 

 with which to illustrate the pages of the American Bee 

 Journal. Many of our readers have kindly sent them iu. 

 Of course, we have not used all of them. Some were not 

 clear enough to make good engravings. We never promise 

 to use a certain picture until we see it. But the majority 

 of photographs usually make fairly good engravings. 



Why not have a photograph taken of whatever you have 



that you think would interest other beekeepers, and send it 



to us ? If we can use it, we will notify you on its receipt, 



and likely request some reading matter to appear with it in 



the American Bee Journal. 



The kodak time is now right here — 

 Most picturesque season of the year. 



Self-Spacing vs. Loose-Hanging Frames for Extracting. 



While perhaps all admit certain advantages in having 

 frames that sp^ce themselves automatically with rapidity 

 and accuracy that can not be approached by loose-hanging 

 frames, there is wide divergence of opinion as to the advis- 

 ability of using such frames in the production of extracted 

 honey. At the one extreme are those who say it is out of 

 the question to think for a moment of using such' a frame, 

 because the spacer interferes with the free use of the ex- 

 tracting-knife. At the other extreme are those who say 

 that after a large experience with both kinds of frames in 

 the production of extracted honey, they would not for a 

 moment think of using loose-hanging frames. 



Very likely the kind of frames and spacers used may 

 account in part, if not entirely, for such great difference of 

 opinion. Take a frame with top-bars ~s wide, with spacers 

 on each side at each end, or even on one side at each end. 

 and the interference with the knife, especially with meta i 

 spacers, will be something not to be endured. There will 

 also be trouble in the extractor, with spacers projectin" 

 one-half inch or more. No wonder that those who hav 

 tried such frames for extracting should prefer loose-han; 

 ing frames. 



The case is different with a different frame-top and end- 

 bars I's wide, spacers consequently projecting only '4 inch, 

 the spacers on one side only at one end, and on the other 

 side at the other end ; such a frame would make little 

 trouble in the extractor, and as the spacers are only at Qne 

 end on each side, the operator could always cut away from 

 them, interfering with the knife not enough to overbalance 

 the advantages of such frames. 



Florida Orange-Blossom Honey. 



A beautiful example of the good fellowship that exists 

 between editors of rival bee-papers appears in the June 

 Bee-Keepers' Review, by way of a picture of orange blos- 

 soms that is a gem, accompanied by an article on orange- 

 blossom honey by W. S. Hart, both picture and article being 

 loaned to the Review by Editor H. E. Hill before its appear- 

 ance in his own paper, the American Bee-Keeper. 



According to Mr. Hart, the shipping of tons of honey 

 from Florida under the mark of "Orange Blossom Honey," 

 seems little short of fraud." " As this honey all comes 

 from locations to the north, and outside of the orange- 

 growing districts of the State, it is not possible that it 

 could have come from the orange blossom." 



Too much can hardly be said in praise of orange-blos- 

 som honey as to color, body, and flavor, but the quantity of 

 nectar yielded is not abundant. Mr. Hart says : 



" I think I am safe in the assertion that a barrel oi pure 

 orange blossom honey was never shipped from this State." 



The special value of orange blossoms lies in the fact 

 that they yield large quantities of pollen that greatly aid in 

 building up colonies in February, March, and early April. 



The Experiences of Bee-Keeping. 



We suppose quite a number of our readers have heard, 

 or have attended, a Methodist class-meeting, or experience- 

 meeting. Those in attendance arise, one after another, 

 and relate their experiences in spiritual matters, and thus 

 are strengthened and encouraged in their religious life. 



Now, what the class-meeting is to the devoted Metho- 

 dist, we desire that the old American Bee Journal shall be 

 to its readers — a place where they can exchange their api- 

 arian experiences, and gain helpful information and en- 

 couragement in their work and study among the bees. 

 Hence, to each one of our readers who thinks he or she has 

 discovered something that will help some one else, we ex- 

 tend an in^vitation to sit right down and describe it as best 

 they can, and send it to us for the American Bee Journal. 

 If a goodly number will do this, it will make this journal 

 more valuable than ever to all. 



Perhaps it is not so easy to write with a pen. Then use 



