Feb. 28, 19(1 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



141 



of the ji-reat Creator, and are harder to lead 

 astray tlian a good many people. 



Bee.s did little more than set a living here 

 the piii-t season. I had only a few colonies 

 that stored any surplus, and a good deal of 

 that was from red clover, so I have had the 

 pleasure of eating some red clover honey, and 

 think it very tine. 



I am keeping only a few bees, as I am not 

 able to do much work, but what few I have I 

 want as good as can be had. the same as 1 did 

 when 1 was looking for a wife. 



Arthur A. Hoisek. 



McDonough Co., 111., Jan. 31. 



Poor Season— Bee Litepature. 



Last season was a very poor one with me. 

 as my bees swarmed too much. The color ies 

 in 12-frame hives, which I was running for 

 extracted honey, swarmed, and I put them 

 liack. removing two frames of brood and giv- 

 ing tliciii frames of foundation, and that put 

 an ciul to their swarming. They went to 

 work and st(]red more honey than those in the 

 Ill-frame hives. My crop of comb honey was 

 away heliind what it usually is. 



I iiave '20 colonies in double-walled hives in 

 good condition. I winter the bees on the 

 summer stands, and have very few losses— 

 none last winter. 1 make my own hives. 



I began taking the Bee Journal when I be- 

 gan keeping bees, and have learned all that I 

 know about bee-keeping from it. I would 

 like to have my bee-keeping friends subscribe 

 for it ; 1 tell them of the advantage in being a 

 reader of the Journal, and give them copies to 

 read, but they seem to think they know 

 enough without it. I tell them to look at the 

 honey I gel, when they get only a few half- 

 tinisht sections. My bees are Italians. 



James Laidl.wv. 



Ontario. Canada, Dec. 31, I'.Wll. 



In Winter Time— Bee-Keeping in 

 Maine. 



Now that the l)ees are all quietly dozing 

 away the long winter days and nights, tiered 

 up in their winter quarters, or snugly packt 

 on the summer stands ; the numerous odds 

 and ends consigned to the wood-pile, and the 

 necessary material stowed away under cover, 

 awaiting the opening of another spring cam- 

 ])aign — the busy bee-keeper has ample time to 

 rellect on his past conduct : make new resolu- 

 tions; reread some of the articles in his favor- 

 ite bee-paper that he only half read during 

 the busy season; build that " non-swarming 

 hive " which he knows will work to perfec- 

 tion : and occasionally write an article for the 

 bee-keeping fraternity, telling them how he 

 has discovered a method that will revolu- 

 tionize the industry! 



If he has been observing — as most bee-keep- 

 ers are — he has learned some things that he 

 will have to learn all over another way, the 

 next season — some things he has learned for 

 a positive fact. That big crop of honey he 

 was going to harvest is a sweet reality, or a 

 dismal mistake — more often the latter. 



I'erhaps he has tried the different strains of 

 bees, and thinks he has satisfied himself as to 

 which is the best, or is still perplext about it. 

 AVell, he can at least tell what he thhik-s, and 

 the laws of this free, expanding country will 



MdUlG'S ^^Snero things for t90t) 



Seed Catalogue ^ 



You should, by all means, bave this moot 

 ni<i(lern rafaloffue uf modern tiiiifw. 



It i.s hrimful iiud overflowing with t;i.>uiJ tiiiut^^ in 

 veiietable, farm and flower seeds. Howtnim 

 plants, fruits, bulbs, etc It contain'* :(.■> 

 novettic>» in vefretables and lluuer»* 

 never offered before, baa Kiti large puuf-s. 

 seven handsome colored plates and liundr*-iis of 

 illuatrationa. It gives practical, up-to-date cul- 

 tural directions and offers manv rash prizes. 

 The first edition alone costs over ?"30.W<U. bo while 

 w«* send it free to all customers, we must ask 

 others to send 10 cents for it. which amount they 

 nray deduct from their first order. You will 

 make a mistake if you do not write tonlay for this 

 the Novelty Seed Book of the year. Address, 

 W9I. HENBT 91 AITI.I;. Philadelphia. 





Direct to Consumers. 



OurllftndHomeCotu'o-r I- ree, cosung ovhf t2 earh. 

 3 144 paces, with I'.iM) illustrations and 15,000 artnk^ 

 liflted. on which we cuarantetto kstc you from 15lo7f>%. Mom 

 compute bwk of llflllnd. Sent for 10c to pay costof mailinp, 

 which will be refunded with tirat order. Valuable book ol refer- 

 nce and ouehtto befn every household. Getit;lieep1thandy, 



-leller Chemical Co., Dept 13, Chicago. 



'•TheOolj Ball Order Drug Uoaselo the norld,"i^" 



the Bee Journal. 



Dittmer's Fouudatioii ! 



ReUil— Wholesale— Jobbing. 



I use a PROCESS lliat produces EVERY 

 ESSENTIAL necessary to make it the BEST 

 and MOST desirable in all respects. Mv PRO- 

 CESS and AUTOMATIC MACHINES are my 

 own inyentions, which enable me to SELL 

 FOUNDATION and 



at prices that are the lowest. Catalog griying 



Full Line of Supplies, 



GUS, DITTMER, Augusta, Wis, 



Please mention Bee Journal when writing. 



IGREIDER'S POULTRY 



avsdowell. 50 standard varieties. Handsoni- 

 .. .iiltry book of the season for 8c stumps. Full 

 loney-making hints. Aly birds are winners. 



B. H. CREIDER, Florin, Pa. 



t'lease mention Bee Journal "when writine 



BEE 



HIVES,SECTIONSAND ALL 

 BEE-KEEPERS' SUPPLIES. 



iW^ Catalotr Free. Write 

 nu\y. Leahy Mfg:. Co., 2*15 

 Alia Sita, E, St. Louis, 111. 



Mention the An 



Queen-Clipping 

 Device Free.... 



The MoNETTE Queen-Clipping 

 Deyice is a flne thing for use id 

 catching and clipping Queens 

 wings. We mail it for 2S cents; 

 or will send it FREE as a pre- 

 mium for sending us ONE NEW 

 subscriber to the Bee Journal /oi 

 a year at $1.00; or for$1.10 we will 

 mail the Bee Journal one yeal 

 ind the Clipping Deyice. Address, 



OEGRQE W. VORK & COMPANV, 



Chicago. 111. 



Good Instruments. 



DK niTsKlANS. 

 VIOLIN— Amati model, cho: 



3,tiark brown, lightredoramber, 

 bony triinmetl, lirazil wood bo 

 ' peiirl slide, lull leather boui d cai ^ 



..rth820. My I'riet* ♦6.2' 

 RGUITAR— ^ol'd Rosewood standird 

 "tdaid. Spanit.li ce 

 neck, celluloid iront, ebony tin; 

 im, besC quality patent he 

 1 leather uound canvas ci 

 .. „njlarprice»18. M> l*rlt-e$4 4 

 MANDOLIN-Sohd Ro^ewo 1 

 ; celluloidir.int; veneere f 

 piece, handsomely mlaid 



lee. Only «7. with 



bound case, extra set of 

 and tortnit^e pick. Send fo' 



•"""chVcaco. 



Please mention Bee Journal when wntinp 



FREE FOR A MONTH .... 



If you are interested in Sheep in any way 

 you cannot afford to be without the best 

 Sheep Paper publishl in the United States. 



fVool Market!. :i<id Sheep 



has a hobby which is the sheep-breeder and 

 his industry, fir--l,l'iremost and all the time. 

 Are you intereslail? Write to-day. 

 WOOL MARKETS AND SHEEP, CHICAGO, ILL. 



Please mention Bt« Journal w^en wriung. 



not prohibit him from believing it, tho othui-s 

 (lisa^cree. 



That bte-keeper who has been asleep for 20 

 years (page 777, 1900) seems to be wide-awake 

 cniiiijrh now, and after Prof. Cook. Very 

 gouil. It is just such chases as this that 

 brintr out facts. I wonder if he dreamed 

 t 111 iM- things during his 20 years' nap. If so. 

 lil<f !l;iiiiel of old, he feels that " Ihe dream is 

 riiiMiii. and the interpretation thereof sure." 

 My I'wii observations compel me to agree 

 Willi iiiiii ill the main. Experiences similar 

 to this Mi:ikc NIC think that in the majority of 

 iHsiK 111! isMiiiig swarm does not know where 

 ils future home is to be. But in some iu- 

 stMiires I think they do know where they 

 iiiteiiil to " pitch their tent." Two instances 

 caiiii- to my notice last summer, where swarms 

 left for parts unknown. One, after going 

 aliiiiit a halt mile, clustered again, and re- 

 muiiipil there thru the night and until nearly 

 iiiiiui the next day. The other was found on 

 II fence ;i mile or more from the nearest api- 

 :iiy. wiieir it remained two da^'s and two 

 iii'.;lits lifter it was discovered.' I do not know 

 how long it had been there before it was 

 found. 



On the other side of the argument: Two 

 seasons ago a large swarm of hybrid Italians — 

 the largest I ever saw — left for the woods as I 

 was about to take them down. They started 

 in a direction a little south of west. I threw 

 M-venil jinils of water among them with a 

 liiuiil-spray pump. Tho it didn't stop them it 

 liHiied tlieiii from the direction in which they 

 were going, and headed them northwest. I 

 followed them until they tired of my coui- 

 (lany, tho I \vas not at all tired! They were 

 ninv workiii'.;- toward the south. They past a 

 nei/lilicr- 11 mile from the apiary, and then 

 liii'iie'l tlieii eourse again. It seemed to me 

 tliat they were making for a certain place. I 

 have an idea, but not much proof to offer, 

 that a prime swarm is more likely to have a 

 future home in view than an after-swarm. 



I believe that for some localities the black 

 or Gernmn bee is a better all-around bee than 

 the Italian, especially if working for comb 

 honey. I think — tho rny experience will 

 lianliy warrant my expressing views on the 

 siil'ieet — that if the same amount of labor and 

 time had been spent improving the black l-iee 

 that has been spent in improving the Italian, 

 it would be a much better bee for the locali- 

 ties where the season is short, and perhaps 

 eiiiiipare favorably where the season is longer. 

 I liMve been trying the Italians and the crosses 

 fur the past four seasons, and so far the 

 blacks have proven the most profitable. If 

 there were a demand for bees I should want 

 the Italians for profit every time. 



In this county the bees can be put back on 

 the summer stands about the middle of April. 

 If the weather is fine there is usually enough 

 honey to keep up brood-rearing nicely, until 

 alioiit the middle of June, when white clover 

 lieuiiis to ttiu-im; then the main flow is on 

 \vliirli liisis aliiuit three weeks. Very little 

 s\\ arming occurs liefore the beginning of the 

 How. The blacks, if strong, will usually cast 

 one or two swarms, and then devote their 

 timi to storing honey, while the Italians can 

 1 1 I iided upon to swarm twice, three times, 

 innie. In 10 to 20 days the prime 

 ■an I le expected to repeat the perform- 

 uiL 1 liave had them swarm repeatedly be- 

 fore tlie frames were full of comb. Perhaps I 

 have been unfortunate in the strains of Ital- 

 t Ills I have secured, but I have had queens 

 li I iihio. I'rnn-ylvania, and Texas. The 

 1 \ irain wa- le-s given to swarming, bet- 

 1 !• liuiMri -. and workt more readily in 



tin. SI lic.iis. li is only justice to say that I 

 think the Italians coultl be handled so that 

 lliey would produce as much--or possibly 

 more— honey in this county, but it would re- 

 quire more labor and attention. If I succeed 

 in doing this I will tell of it later on. 



O. B. (iKIFFIN. 



.\roostook Co., .Maine, Dec. 20, 11100. 



Poor Season— Wintering Bees, Etc. 



Last season was a poor one from beginning 

 to end. There were plenty of llowers, plenty 

 of rain, plenty of bees to gather the honey, 

 and everything suitable for a good honey 

 crop, but there seemed to be no nectar secreted 



