476 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



July: 



through the timber, where there were fine 

 places for a home for it. and would at last find 

 it iu an inferior place not tit for bees to win- 

 ter in. This swarm went about five miles be- 

 fore reaching the timber, and had clustered 

 twice before selecting a home. But" had the 

 parent colony been situated near the timber 

 the swarm probably would have selected its 

 home before swarming. 



So. I think, as I said in the beginning, that 

 it depends altogether upon circumstances, 

 whether they select their home before swarm- 

 ing or not : and I have come to this conclu- 

 sion from an experience second to none west 

 of the Mississippi River, on this particular 

 subject. If Mr. " Rip Van Winkle " doubts 

 mv source of information I can refer him to 

 anv bee-keeper in this part of South Dakota. 



J. M. HOBBS. 



Yankton Co.. S. Dak., July 8. 



Sweet Clover— White Eyed Drones. 



A few months ago I had the pleasure of 

 visiting a bee-keeping friend, one of the vet- 

 erans in our State, whose painstaking and 

 methodical thoroughness in all that pertains 

 to the craft may well be an inspiration to 

 those of more slipshod ways. He is modest 

 and unassuming, and as ready to listen as to 

 talk. He remarked that he had seen nothing 

 from me in the bee-papers for a long time, 

 and I had to own it as a fact that the little 

 creatures keep me so busy that I have not 

 much inclination to write. They are doing 

 better than usual for the time of year, and I 

 ascribe that largely to the yellow sweet clover 

 that I am growing. I have a small field of it, 

 and also have it scattered in nooks and cor- 

 ners. It blooms here early in June — just 

 about a month ahead of the white variety, 

 which I have had for years. It promises to 

 be quite a boon to my locality, coming as it 

 does when ordinarily there is little for the 

 bees to gather from. I have had to feed bees 

 in June more than once, but this year I must 

 either divide colonies or take care of swarms. 



I had been thinking that my enthusiasm 

 was waning somewhat under the pressure of 

 crowding duties, but it all comes back to me 

 when I get after a swarm. 



I have been puzzled lately over some 

 drones that seem to be normal, except that 

 they have white eyes. I don't remember 

 noticing any of that kind before, and don't 

 know what to think of them. 



Mrs. a. L. Amos. 



Custer Co., Nebr.. June 27. 



Second-Hand Cans, Ete. 



Friend York: — I notice on page -441 that 

 •• Afterthought " thinks it important to com- 

 ment on an item contained in a private letter 

 to you, which you thought proper to publish 

 in May 16th issue. Now. there was no theory 

 advanced respecting bee-keeping, nor any- 

 thing else, but a simple statement of fact, and 

 what poiut he seeks to make I am too dull of 

 comprehension to discover. If he intends to 

 cast discredit on the statement of fact, he 

 simply advertises himself as anything but a 

 gentleman. 



It may be that the item " winged '' him — as 

 sportsmen would say — as he may be a dealer 

 in SECON'D-HASD CAN'S — old Standard Oil Co. 

 cans — any old rusty can that he can palm oil 

 on honey-canners. When he talks about time 

 or space to fill, and nothing with which to fill 

 it, the idea may be aptly applied to the col- 

 umn over which he presides, in numberless 

 instances which might be referred to. 



For instance, take the item headed, " Mr. 

 Doolittle and Our Country." The entire Bee 

 Journal could be filled with arguments, facts 

 and figures, to show the falsity, or fallacy, of 

 the idea intended to be conveyed, if one can 

 be gathered from what he says. If foreigners 

 come over here and invest their money, some- 

 body gets it ; if they are successful, so much 

 the better for every one concerned in the 

 business, from the highest to the lowest 

 laborer; if they finally sell out and take their 

 money back to a foreign i laud, some one has 

 made enough to buy them out, and has the 

 business ; if they invest in any of oiu' bonds, 

 their money goes into large business enter- 

 prises, like railroads, or manufacturing in- 



.^MANUFACTURER 0F>^ 



BEE-HIVES 



Sections, Shipping-Cases — Everything used by 

 bee-keepers. Orders fiUed promptly. We have 

 the best shipping facilities in the world. You 

 will save money bv sending for our Price-List. 

 Address, Minn. Be'e-Keepers' Supply Mfg. Co., 

 Nicollet Island Power Bldg., 



16Atf MINNEAPOLIS. MINN. 



rtease mention Bee Journal -when writiiiB 



I am Now Prepared 



to fill orders promptlv for Untested ijueens 

 reared from a breeder of the HUTCHINSON 

 SUPERIOR STOCK, or a select GOLDEN 

 breeder, and mated to Golden drones, at 75 cents 

 each; f4.00 for 6, or, $7.50 per dozen. 

 Money order office, Warrentown, N. C. 



W. H. PRIDGEN, 



22Atf Creek, Warren Co , N. C. 



Please mentior Bee Jotimal wben writing. 



BEE 



6A26t Mention th 



HIVES.SECTIONS AND ALL 

 BEE-KEEPERS' SUPPLIES. 



Big Catalog Free. Write 

 now. Leahy Mfg. Co., 2415 

 Alta Slta, E. St. Louis, 111. 

 ican Bee Journal. 



Catnip Seed Free! 



We have a small quantity of Catnip 

 Seed which we wish to offer our read- 

 ers. Some consider catnip one of the 

 greatest of honey-yielders. We will 

 mail to one of our regular subscribers 

 one ounce of the seed for sending us 

 ONE NEW subscriber to the American 

 Bee Journal for a year with SI. 00 ; or 

 will mail to any one an ounce of the 

 seed and the American Bee Journal one 

 year — both for $1.30 ; or will mail an 

 ounce of the seed alone for SO cents. As 

 our stock of this seed is very small, 

 better order soon. 



GEORGE W. YORK & CO., 



144 & 146 Erie St., - CHICAGO, ILL, 



B668= Supplies 



CATALOG FREE. 



I. J. STRINQHAM, 



105 Park Place, - NEW YORK, N. Y. 



13A26t Please mention the Bee Journal. 



,nd 



Send for circulars; 



improved and original Bingham Bee-Smoker. 

 Fob JSIears thr Best on Earth. 

 25Atf T. F. BINGHAM. Farwell, Mich. 



Please mention Bee Journal -when writing. 



ALBINO QUEENS I'J^.lZteLl'^^rX 



want the gentlest Bees — If you want the best 

 honev-gatherers vou ever saw — try my Albinos. 

 Untested Queens in April. fl.OO; Tested. 11.50. 



iiA26t J, D. GIVENS, Lisbon. Tex. 



Please mention Bee Journal when writing. 



The Emerson Binder 



This Emerson stiff-board Binder with cloth 

 back for the American Bee Journal we mail for 

 but 60 cents: or we will send it with the Bee 

 Journal for one year— both for only fl.40. It is 

 a fine thing to preserve the copies of the Jour- 

 nal as fast as they are received. If you have 

 this "Emerson" no further binding is neces- 

 sary. 



QEORQE W. YORK & CO., 



144 & 146 Erie Street, CHICAGO, ILL. 



ilustries; if their bonds are finally paid with 

 the accrued interest, it only shows success of 

 great enterprises. 



No one need worry, nor have any sleepless 

 nij^hts over our ability to stand all such 

 drains upon our life-blood — the old '■ ox in 

 the pasture " doesn't realize that it's even.rfi/ 

 tiiiu. But why pursue the subject ; 



A^'ain. referring to the " daughter thrown 

 in." in the manner in which he does it. 

 There are many wealthy Americans, as well 

 as many who are not so wealthy, whose 

 daughters, worthy of every mark of consid- 

 eration and respect, exercise the right — as I 

 presume •'Afterthought" would claim for 

 himself— to select a partner for life from 

 among those they think proper, and many of 

 them marry husbands of foreign birth. 



But to return to the cans. Those cans were 

 bought of George W. York <fe Co. How does 

 ■■ Afterthought " know, or what does he care, 

 how many •' tUriifs " were paid for, or lost on, 

 them r Of what interest is it to him, or the 

 public, whether much or little was lost on 

 them, unless, as suggested, he may be lathe 



SECOND-HAND bUSlneSS i 



Wm. M. Whitset. 

 Kankakee Co.. III.. July 15. 



Good Season for Bees. 



This has been a very good season here, and 

 the bees are doing nicely. 



J. Warres Shermax. 

 Suffolk Co., N. Y., .Iidy r>. 



Dry and Hot. 



I have 45 colonies of bees, all in fine condi- 

 tion, although it is very dry and hot, the tem- 

 perature being 104 degrees in the shade. Yet 

 mv bees are gathering some honey from sweet 

 clover, Samuel H. Hitt. 



Jo Daviess Co., 111., July 16. 



Selecting a Home Before Swairming. 



Two vears ago I had an empty hive under a 

 shed not more than 10 feet from the working 

 colonies. One day my wife said that she saw 

 bees coming out of that hive, and wanted to 

 know if I had put a swarm into it. I replied 

 that I had not. That afternoon a swarm 

 issued from one of the old colonies, and we 

 put it into that hive. The next day a swarm 

 came to us from the northeast, and settled on 

 a small cherry-tree not more than 20 feet 

 from where the empty hive had been. It 

 looks very much as though that stray swarm 

 had intended to take possession of that empty 

 hive, but finding it gone they settled on the 

 cherry-tree. (I got 'em.) 



On June 15 I had two swarms go together, 

 and in 1" days the brood-chamber was filled, 

 and I took off H fine sections of clover honey. 

 YorxG Bee-Keeper. 



Logan Co., 111.. July 8. 



Heavy Losses— Ahead of Dr. Miller. 



I find that some l>ee-keepers in this locality 

 have had bad luck, having lost all they had. 

 A great many colonies died in the fall, or 

 soon after, as there was no honey around here 

 at that time. I saved 10 out of 22, and this is 

 the first time I ever lost any in wintering. 



My bees are swarming more- than I want 

 them to this season. I have one colony that 

 has not swarmed in live years, and they have 

 always stored more than any other two. but 

 they are very weak now, and I think the 

 (|ueen must be worn out. 



I have worked with bees, off and on. ever 

 since I was a boy. and I am now "8 years old, 

 and never have ti> wear glasses. I can take 

 dog and' gun and hunt from morning till 

 night, and am as good a shot as ever. My 

 wife is 74, and iiuite strong. We have been 

 married 56 years, and have had 15 children. 

 I think that beats Dr. Miller's TO years. 



I keep bees because I like them. Sometimes 

 they are somewhat ugly, but if 500 were to 

 sting me it would not hurt. 



Henry White. 



Humboldt Co. Iowa, July 1. 



