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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



July 14, 1904. 



a lead-pencil. We are not particular, only so it is as plainly 

 written as you can write. We do not expect that it will look 

 like copper-plate work, or eng'raving. Just do the best you 

 can, and we will attend to the rest. Get down the facts in 

 simple language, just as you would write a letter to a friend. 

 No one expects eloquence in a bee-paper. Just plain, sensi- 

 ble, business-like talk is what is wanted. That's all. 



Now, no doubt during the present season there will be 

 many a new apiarian experience that ought to be written 

 up (or down), and published for the benefit of all. We can 

 take care of the publishing end, if you will attend to send- 

 ing us the story. 



Hybrids or Italians— Which ? 



Under this heading, in Gleanings in Bee-Culture, G. M. 

 Doolittle advises the honey-producer to breed from a good 

 queen, allowing the young queens to mate with any drones 

 they might chance to meet. He does not say so, but he 

 would, of course, expect the honey-producer to buy a new 

 queen to breed from as often as the old one should die. A 

 large number of honey-producers would be likely to improve 

 their stock by following this course rather than to follow 

 their present course of hit-or-miss rearing of queens without 

 regard to either father or mother, but many will prefer to 

 make some effort toward selection of both sire and dam. 

 Admitting that a cross gives vigor, it will hardly be con- 

 tended that all crosses are alike. Suppose two daughters of 

 the same queen, one mating a drone of the very poorest 

 stock, the other meeting one of the very best. Are those 

 two young queens likely to be of equal value ? 



Location of Bait-Sections In the Super. 



The general practice probably has been to put one or 

 more partly drawn sections in the center of th,e super, in 

 order to induce the bees to begin work in the super more 

 promptly than they would without such inducement. Of 

 late, there is some tendency toward putting baits in the 

 corners of the super rather than in the center. 



There is something to be said on both sides. With the 

 bait in the center, work will begin in the center, gradually 

 extending outward, and the central sections will be finished 

 while the corner sections are not yet filled. With baits in 

 the corners the work will be more evenly distributed from 

 the start, and there will be a more even finishing of the en- 

 tire super. 



But if baits are used in the corners, it is absolutely 

 necessary for even work that there be at least one section 

 in each corner, making four times as many baits needed as 

 when putting baits in the center. Moreover, a single bait 

 in the center will start work in the super a little sooner than 

 will four corner baits ; and that little is sometimes a very 

 important matter. 



Some have no difficulty in taking the unfinished sec- 

 tions from the corners of several supers, massing them in 

 a super and returning them to the bees to be finished. For 

 these the best plan may be to use a central bait. Those 

 who can not get good work by such returning may do well 

 to plan in advance to have the number of baits quadrupled 

 in order to use them in the corners. 



" The Hum of the Bees in the Apple-Tree Bloom " is 

 the name of the finest bee-keeper's song — words by Hon- 

 Eugene Secor and music by Dr. C. C. Miller. This is 

 thought by some to be the best bee-song yet written by Mr. 

 Secor and Dr. Miller. It is, indeed, a " hummer." We can 

 furnish a single copy of it postpaid, for 10 cents, or 3 copies 

 for 25 cents. Or, we will mail a half-dozen copies of it for 

 sending us one new yearly subscription to the Ameridan 

 Bee Journal at fl.OOi 





Miscellaneous Items 





I Mr. T. 0. Andrews, to whom we referred recently as 



having been elected to the presidency of the California 

 National Honey-Producers' Association, was elected to fill 

 the vacancy caused by the resignation of Geo. W. Brodbeck 

 from the board of directors of that organization. The 

 vacancy in the presidency had not yet been filled when last 

 we heard, but doubtless will be soon. We were clearly mis- 

 taken in the former statement that we published. 



A Midsummer Fair is to be held July 22 and 23, on 

 the grounds of Mr. Leiter, on Lake Geneva, in Wisconsin, 

 for the benefit of the Lake Geneva Fresh-Air Association. 

 An elaborate premium list has been prepared, in which is 

 the following, under the heading of " Apiary :" 



Best case of comb honey, not less than 24 sections. 

 Best extracted honey, not less than 6 one-pound jars. 

 Best one-frame nucleus hive, with bees. 

 Best general exhibit. 



For further information, address the secretary, George 

 F. Porter, Lake Geneva, Wis. 



Fourth of July at Dr. Miller's.— For several years 

 Dr. Miller has extended to us (Mrs. York and the writer) a 

 most cordial invitation to come to Marengo and help eat 

 fresh from the vine some of the luscious strawberries that 

 grow on his farm, which is located a mile south of the town. 



Finally, we decided to go, and did so on Saturday, July 

 2, arriving in Marengo about 7 o'clock in the evening. 

 Very shortly after arriving and greeting the members of 

 Dr. Miller's family, we began to eat strawberries. We had 

 them every meal until Monday evening ; and then, lest we 

 should too soon lose the "strawberry-eating habit," we 

 brought several boxes of them home with us. We certainly 

 never ate more delicious strawberries. 



On Sunday we attended the Presbyterian church and 

 Sunday-school, being members of Dr. Miller's Bible class. 

 In the evening there was a patriotic service, there being 

 also present members of the Grand Army Post and Woman's 

 Relief Corps. The popular pastor, Rev. Mr. Van Page, de- 

 livered a fine address appropriate to the occasion. The 

 music by the choir was in excellent keeping with the rest of 

 the service. 



All day Monday — the Fourth — we visited and talked 

 bees. We went into tlie home apiary and opened a few 

 hives, but it was a little too cool to do the best work with 

 the bees. 



Dr. Miller had supers on such colonies as were ready for 

 them, a few hives showing three supers each. He had taken 

 off only two supers full of honey. White clover seemed to 

 be in abundance, with white sweet clover just coming into 

 bloom. Previous to the opening of the honey season, the 

 Doctor had, all ready to put on the hives, 26,000 sections in 

 supers. His faith seemed to be large. We hope he may have 

 all those sections filled with honey by the end of the season. 



Dr. Miller's family consists of Mrs. Miller, her sister 

 (Miss Emma M. Wilson), and their beloved mother, Mrs. 

 Wilson, who is 84 years of age. She is a dear old lady, eats 

 her three meals a day, and is as happy and contented as 

 any one could well be. What a benediction is such a person 

 in any home I 



On the first page are the latest pictures of Dr. Miller 

 and Miss Wilson, the photographs ha ng been taken at>out 

 two months ago. Especially pleaseo; ^vill be the women of 



