March, 1913 



American Vae Journal 



others in the mountains, -J miles away, 

 will barely live, as the sage failed on 

 account of the drouth. My 40 years of 

 bee-culture have all been in California, 

 with both pleasant and funny experi- 

 ences. I read " Forty Years Among 

 the Bees," loaned to me by a bee- 



California Bee- Yard of Mrs. Lucy Sex- 

 ton. OF GoLETA. Calif. 



keeper years ago. This book has put 

 me in the best way of bee-keeping. 



I will try to organize a club of Cali- 

 fornia women bee-keepers, and will 

 send more views. 



(Mrs.) Lucy Sexton. 



Goleta, Calif. 



'Your letter is very welcome, together 

 with those dainty pictures. Your 4() 

 years' service certainly entitles you to 

 rank among the veterans. We will be 

 glad to have further items drawn from 

 your long experience. 



Honey Recipes 



HONEV-AND-NUT SANDWICHES. — Mix 



one cupful of honey with two teaspoon- 

 fuls of lemon juice, then stir in enough 

 finely chopped nut meats to make a 

 stiff paste. Spread on slices of but- 

 tered bread, cut into pieces, place two 

 together and serve. 



Honey Candy. — One quart of honey, 

 three heaping tablespoonfuls of butter, 

 two tablespoonfuls of vinegar, half a 

 teaspoonful of baking soda, and two 

 teaspoonfuls of lemon e.xtract. Put 

 the honey, butter and vinegar into a 

 saucepan, and boil until the mixture 

 will harden when dropped into cold 

 water; then stir in the baking soda 

 and the lemon e.xtract. Pour into a 

 buttered tin to cool. When half cold 

 mark into squares, and when cold 

 break apart. 



Honey Fruit Cake. — Four cupfuls 

 of flour, half a cupful of butter, three- 

 quarters of a cupful of honey, one-third 

 of a cupful of apple jelly, two eggs, one 

 teaspoonful of soda, one teaspoonful 

 of powdered cinnamon, one teaspoon- 

 ful of grated nutmeg, half a cupful of 

 currants, half a cupful of chopped can- 

 died orange peel, a quarter of a cupful 

 of warm water, and a quarter of a tea- 

 spoonful of salt. Warm the butter, 

 honey and apple jelly; remove from 

 the fire ; add the eggs beaten, then the 

 soda dissolved in the warm water; add 

 the spices, flour and fruit. Turn into 

 a buttered-and-floured tin, and bake 

 until ready. — f.adiis' Home fotunal. 



E\R Western ^ Bee-Keeping 



Conducted by Wesley Foster. Boulder. Colo. 



Moisture Over the Winter Cluster 



The writer examined an apiary of 

 about lUO colonies Feb. 2. The covers 

 were removed and the general condi- 

 tions noted. About half of the apiary 

 had the Acme tin cover and inner 

 cover which gives a space about 2 

 inches between the inner cover and 

 tin cover. The holes in the center of 

 the inner covers were closed by 

 a shingle being laid over them or 

 a piece of burlap stuffed into the 

 hole. A few of the colonies had 

 comb-honey supers still on, and these 

 seemed to be drier and the clusters 

 spread out better than some of the 

 others. A burlap cloth placed over 

 the frames, and the tin cover with a 2- 

 inch space kept the bees in driest 

 shape, unltss part of the burlap ex- 

 tended outside of the cover when it 

 would siphon the moisture into the 

 hive and keep the bees damp. A few 

 flat covers with burlap between cover 

 and frames were also unsatisfactory, as 

 there was considerable moisture and 

 frost around the edges of the interior 

 of the hive. 



It is evident that the inner cover 

 with a small hole in the center for the 

 passing off of moisture ladened air is 



agricultural demonstration train cov- 

 ering the larger part of Colorado, be- 

 ginning Feb. 17 and continuing for one 

 month. Bee-keeping will be repre- 

 sented with an exhibit, and the writer 

 will go as attendant. 



Fremont County Bee-Keepers Organize 



Bee-keepers met in Canon City a 

 few weeks ago and organized the Fre- 

 mont County Bee-Keepers' Society, 

 with F. W. Brainard President, and 

 Wm. Babberger Secretary-Treasurer. 

 The association is small, but there are 

 several elements that augur well. Most 

 of the members live within a few miles 

 of Canon City, so they can get together 

 quickly. They have all sufliered from 

 fruit-tree spraying — this has driven 

 them together for defense. 



Colorado now has four county or- 

 ganizations manifesting a semblance of 

 life, and there are three or four dead 

 ones. But organization among the 

 bee-men for real benefit never was in 

 better shape than at the present time. 



essential. Do not close the hole tight. 

 -A burlap cloth in place of the honey- 

 board is good if all edges are kept un- 

 der the cover. 



Several combs of honey were exam- 

 ined. The honey was thick and well 

 ripened. This was an agreeable sur- 

 prise, as the honey gathered in the 

 locality where this apiary is situated 

 was not of very good quality, owing 

 probably to the wet season. The dan- 

 ger that may come from disturbing 

 bees in winter was shown. A third of 

 this apiary had to be moved, to make 

 room for the erection of a building, 

 when there was considerable snow on 

 the ground and the weather was not 

 warm. These colonies had dead bees 

 scattered throughout their hives, over 

 the top of the frames, in the corners, 

 and almost everywhere. The cluster 

 had been disturbed, the bees scattered, 

 and many, probably a handful in each 

 hive, had chilled before getting back. 

 Those hives in the apiary that were not 

 disturbed, did not show dead bees ex- 

 cept a few on the bottom-boards. 



iHEit .'^Ll. iiu-NS .Average One Pound. 



The Leaky Cells were Bi ilt on a 



Curled Foundation Starter and 



Fast to the Separators. 



Bee-Keeping on a Demonstration Train 



The Colorado Agricultural College 

 Extension Department will operate an 



Prospects and Locations 



The bee-men are now busy getting 

 supplies ready for the coming season. 

 Prospects are good, and we hope for 

 a favorable season. 



A letter just received from a bee- 

 keeper in the Middle States asks about 

 prospects in Colorado, especially the 

 Uncompahgre Valley. It is hard for 

 me to compare Colorado with the Mid- 

 dle States, for I know little about the 

 locality where the gentleman is now 

 located. Bees as a source of income 

 are kept by a large number of people, 

 but money is lost in Colorado bee- 

 keeping about as quickly as anywhere. 

 The Uncompahgre will compare favor- 

 ably with any of Colorado's valleys. It 

 lies in Montrose and Delta counties 

 principally, and is supplied with an 

 abundance of water — too much in 

 places, as considerable portions of the 

 land is seepy. 



Eastern Colorado has better roads, 

 and is more developed than the west- 

 ern part of the State. It has less water 

 available for irrigation, but freight 

 rates are less to and from markets. 

 Land is possibly more productive in 

 western Colorado, and the honey crops 

 have been more uniform, although 

 failures have been experienced on the 

 Western Slope. Bees may be pur- 



