^j^ERICAj^ 



41st YEAR. 



CHICAGO, ILL, MAY 23, 1901, 



No. 21, 





City Ordinances Against Bee-Keep- 



ing. — We have received newspaper clippings 

 from the Rochester, N. Y., daily papers, an- 

 nouncing that an ordinance relating to the 

 keeping of bees within the city limits was 

 passed there by the common council April 

 Slh. to go into effect May 2d. It provides 

 that no bees can be kept within the city 

 limits without the written permission of lot- 

 owners within 100 feet of the hives; such 

 written permission to be filed in the ofHce of 

 the city clerk. 



The passage of the ordinance grew out of 

 complaints made by several residents of the 

 loth Ward to its alderman, against W. R. 

 Taunton, a bee-keeper. We understand that 

 Mr. Taunton is prepared to test the legality 

 of the ordinance, and is backed by the 

 National Bee-Keepers' Association, and also 

 the New York State Association. Personally, 

 we are in favor of having the matter pushed 

 to the fullest test, as we are very confident 

 that no such ordinance is legal anywhere. 

 Of course, there may be certain instances 

 where the keeping of many colonies of bees is 

 not advisable on account of the locality being 

 closely built up with occupied houses, and 

 yet, even in such a place, if the bees were 

 kept on the roof there would likely be no 

 danger whatever. This is the case in several 

 places in Chicago, and so far as we can learn 

 there has been no complaint from the neigh- 

 bors. Whenever there is trouble it usually 

 grows out of some spite or jealousy on the 

 part of those living near the bee-keeper, and 

 very likely from troubles arising from other 

 sources than the bees. 



We understand that in several other cities 

 in this country there are municipal ordinances 

 prohibiting the keeping of bees within the 

 city limits. We do not know whether their 

 legality has yet been tested, or whether the 

 bee-keeper has simply moved outside. We 

 certainly would not encourage the keeping of 

 bees in thickly settled portions of any city, 

 even though no harm would come from it to 

 any one. But there are many iiortions of 

 every city that are so sparsely settled that there 

 is no reason at all why bees could not be kept, 

 if so desired. Bees in such places are not 

 only a source of pleasure, but often yield 

 profit to their owners. It would hardly be 

 advisable to make a business of bee-keeping 

 in some cities, but in a large one like Chicago, 

 where there are hundreds of acres of vacant 

 property within the limits of the city, it 



appears to work all right. In some portions 

 of Chicago there are almost whole farms that 

 will not be divided into city lots and built 

 upon for many years to come. There is no 

 reason why hundreds of colonies of bees 

 should not be kept in such places, especially 

 when there is such an abundance of bloom 

 that is going to waste for the want of bees to 

 gather the nectar. 



In view of the many demands upon the 

 National Bee-Keepers' Association for funds 

 to be used in the defense of cases which are 

 constantly coming up for settlement, it be- 

 hooves every bee-keeper to send in his dollar 

 and become a member. No one knows when 

 he may have trouble of his own, in the settle- 

 ment of which he will be glad to call upon 

 the Association. We wish that all readers of 

 the American Bee .Journal were members of 

 the National Bee-Keepers' Association. Even 

 if any of them should never need its aid. they 

 have the satisfaction of contributing to what 

 has often proved a " Gibraltar of Defense " 

 in the pursuit of bee-keeping. It should never 

 lack for funds to carry on its righteous wars. 



Breeding for Good Stock. — The Lux- 

 emburg Bztg. gives some of the principles 

 that are held by Swiss bee-keepers : 



Parents transmit their good qualities with 

 more or less certainty to their posterity. The 

 longer a trait of character is continued from 

 generation to generation, the more certainly 

 it is transHiitted. The more alike the parents 

 are in their traits without being nearly re- 

 lated, the more surely are those traits trans- 

 mitted. Every country has its own condi- 

 tions, which, in the course of time, affect the 

 character of its animals, so that the natives 

 are the best for that country. 



As to the last item, it might be said there 

 is no native race of Ijees in this country, and 

 the fact that the Ijlack bee was first imported 

 into this country by no means settles the 

 (|uestion of its superiority, for this country. 



Slow Cooling of Wax. — The American 

 Bee-Keeper quotes the Progressive Bee-Keeper 

 as saying " the color will not settle." Prol)- 

 ably both will admit that the dirt settles, and 

 when the dirt settles the color of the dirt settles 

 with the dirt, and the color of the dirt, as 

 well as the dirt itself, is part and parcel of a 

 cake of wax in which the dirt has not settled. 



Unpainted Hives are discussed by G. 

 M. Doolittle in the -\merican Bee-Kee])er. He 

 figures as to the ni;ilter of economy. He has 

 hives and covers '-'li years old that are still 

 good. If he had kept them painted it would 

 have cost him i\.\'> for the 20 years for each 



hive, while 48 cents will get that part of the 

 hive new. It is only single-walled hives that 

 he believes should be left unpainted, the ad- 

 vantage being that in unpainted hives the 

 dampness has a chance to dry out. To the 

 objection of Arthur C. Miller that the inside 

 coating of bee-glue prevents evaporation, he 

 replies that " with the freezing of winter and 

 the moisture coming in contact with it, the 

 bright, shiny surface of this varnish becomes 

 dull and full of very fine cracks and holes so 

 that moisture and air pass through it." 



Honey as a Remedy. — We desire to 

 call particular attention to the article by Dr. 

 Jas. McLean, on another page of this issue. 

 It will repay a careful re-reading and heeding. 

 Bee-keepers and their families ought to be 

 the healthiest people on earth. Undoubtedly 

 they would be very much healthier than they 

 are if they reallj* knew how best to utilize one- 

 of their most common home productions — - 

 honey. The reading of a few articles like- 

 Dr. McLean's would be a great help to all. It 

 should have a wide reading. 



Artificial Ripening of Extracted 

 Honey. — W. S. Hart, in the American Bee- 

 Keeper, says he gets more honey and a more 

 uniformly high-grade article by extracting it 

 when one-third capped, and ripening it arti- 

 ficially. He built a room adjoining his honey- 

 house, covered it with glass, and put in an 

 evaporator of tin, in which tlie honey runs 

 slowly from side to side in a thin stream four 

 inches wide a distance of about 110 feet, un- 

 der the full heat of the Florida summer sun. 

 By drawing off from the bottom of the tank 

 he gets only the heaviest, while the thin 

 honey at the top of the tank is constantly 

 evaporating. 



Pictures of Apiaries Wanted. — All 



have doubtless noticed that during the past 

 year or two, since using a better qualit* 

 of paper, we have been endeavoring 't& 

 present to our readers half-tone pictures of 

 apiaries in different parts of the country. Of 

 course, we are after the nicest and best ones, 

 and it may be that there are quite a large 

 number that have not yet been shown, that 

 are far superior to any that have appeared on 

 these pages. At any rate, we would like to 

 receive good, clear photographs of modern,, 

 up-to-date bee-yards for the use mentioned. 

 Should any pictures be received that for any 

 reason wc could not use, we will return tbem,. 

 if re<iueslcd u> do so. 



It may be those who have not already had' 

 photographs taken of their apiaries will be 

 led to do so the cooling summer, by reason of. 

 the above suggestion. 



