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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Oct. 20, 1904. 



ing- virgins will be allowed to emerge, which virgin will 

 accompany a third swarm, and this may continue until four 

 or more swarms have issued." This is not at all true here. 

 We caught 19 virgins in a second swarm a few years ago. 

 In the early part of July we were at a friend's some 30 miles 

 distant when a second swarm issued, and we found three 

 virgin queens out with it. Only yesterday we had a second 

 swarm, and found five virgin queens out with the swarm. 

 Our experience is that when a second swarm issues every 

 virgin queen which is old enough to fly at the time the 

 swarm issues will go out with the swarm. 

 czr It seems to us that there is enough " tommy rot " creep- 

 ing into our bee-journals under the guise of orthodox teach- 

 ing, but which only tends to mystify the profession of bee- 

 keeping, to make " one tired ". 



It is probable that Mr. Massie wrote that paragraph 

 without careful thinking. 



A week or so after a prime swarm issues, let him go in 

 the evening and place his ear against the side of the hive, 

 and if the bees intend to send out a second swarm he will 

 hear piping and quahking. The piping is done by a young 

 queen which has emerged from her cell, the quahking by 

 others still in their cells. Only one of the young queens has 

 been allowed to emerge, the others being guarded in their 

 cells by the workers. These guards seem to look out for 

 two things : preventing the emergence of the imprisoned 



queens, and preventing the free queen from tearing open 

 the cells and destroying the occupants. When the second 

 swarm issues, the guards may relax their vigilance and 

 allow all the imprisoned queens to emerge, and they may 

 not. That depends upon whether " further swarming is 

 contemplated ". If no further swarming is contemplated, 

 the queens which have been quahking will be freed from 

 further imprisonment, and a number of them may issue 

 with the second swarm, just as Mr. Massie says. 



Very likely Mr. Massie is familiar with all this, and 

 when he has had time to think it over will take pleasure in 

 saying in a future issue of the Rural Bee-Keeper that in- 

 stead of being "tommy rot " it is the simple truth that if 

 further swarming is contemplated only one virgin is allowed 

 to emerge. 



Mr. Massie says: "Our experience is that when a 

 second swarm issues every virgin queen which is old enough 

 to fly at the time the swarm issues will go out with the 

 swarm ". Further experience will teach him that this is 

 by no means always the case. When a second swarm issues, 

 and a third swarm is contemplated, a number of queens 

 may be held in their cells fully able to fly if they could only 

 get out of their prisons. 



Itlisccllancous Hcxps Jtcms 



The Southland Queen, published for some years in 

 Texas, has recently been sold to Mr. P. F. Adelsbach, edi- 

 tor and publisher of the Western Bee Journal, of California. 

 This is the second time the Southland Queen has been sold 

 during its lifetime. Mr. Adelsbach also bought the Rocky 

 Mountain Bee Journal some time ago. So he has three bee- 

 papers in one now. There are now eight papers published 

 on the American continent, devoted to bee-keeping, one of 

 which is in Canada, and the others in the United States. 



The G. B. Lewis Co. are trying to be better prepared 

 with a good supply of sections, hives, etc., for another sea- 

 son by keeping their factory and full force busy now and 

 until next spring. We called on them a week or two ago 

 and had a very pleasant chat with Mr. Geo. C. I<ewis, the 

 genial and hustling president and manager of the firm. 



They have several million feet of basswood lumber for 

 sections, of which they are making 50,000 a day. They re- 

 ported the season of 1903 an extra ordinarily heavy one for 

 bee-supplies, but that 1904 was about 40 percent ahead, mak- 

 ing it the best season. Mr. Lewis did not say so, but we 

 are inclined to believe that this increased demand for their 

 goods came somewhat from their increased advertising in 

 the American Bee Journal this year. There are others who 

 also would likely find a larger demand for their wares if 

 they would use a more liberal space in our advertising col- 

 umns. The American Bee Journal is read by bee-keepers, 

 and they all need bee-supplies. While our list of subscribers 

 may not be as large as some others, the quality, we believe, 

 more than makes up for the lack of quantity. Hence, the 

 good results from a generous patronage of our advertising 

 columns. 



St. Louis Convention and Fair.— At the National 

 convention, Sept. 27-30, were represented about 25 States 

 besides one each from Russia and Cuba, and two from the 

 District of Columbia. Illinois had 35 present, Missouri, 29, 

 Colorado 11 ; New York, Texas and Wisconsin, 8 each ; In- 



diana 7 ; Michigan and Iowa 5 each ; California, Ohio, Kan- 

 sas, W. Virginia, Utah and Nebraska, 4 each ; Florida 3 ; 

 Alabama and New Jersey, 2 each ; and 1 each from Ten- 

 nessee, Mississippi, South Carolina, Pennsylvania and 

 Minnesota. It is quite likely that there were more present 

 than the foregoing from the difl'erent States named, but we 

 believe their names do not show on the membership roll. 



It will be seen that it was a very representative conven- 

 tion. It was exceedingly enjoyable, at least to us, to meet 

 the bee-keepers from so many different parts of the land. 

 It was a congenial crowd, too. The stings were all left at 

 home, or else they were kept out of sight. 



It seems that the Wisconsin-Minnesota bee-keepers, and 

 also the Texas folks, failed to gel together the expected 

 carloads of people to attend the convention, so the carload 

 that went to Los Angeles in 1903 still has the record. Per- 

 haps if the National meets in Texas next year, a carload of 

 Northern bee-keepers can be corralled and invade that part 

 of the South for a few days. It would be a nice trip, even 

 if there will be no Grand Canyon in it ! 



We have said nothing yet concerning the World's Fair. 

 In many respects it is a beautiful one. But the blight of 

 beer is written all over it. A friend of ours, who is there 

 all the time, told us that he and another gentleman, out of 

 curiosity, counted those drinking in only one beer hall one 

 evening, and there were 2200 persons, seven-tenths of them 

 young women and girls I Think of what that means I We 

 should think that even a self-respecting drinker would him- 

 self be ashamed of that awful displaj'. We hope that the 

 exhibit of beer and beer-guzzling at the St. Louis Fair will 

 so disgust the American people that they will soon arise ir 

 their might and wipe the whole accursed business off th 

 continent. 



Among the exhibits of many of the States in the Ag 

 cultural Building, are found small displays of honey. '' 

 State of Colorado has, in the Horticultural Building 

 best and most attractive display of honey and bees 



