July, 1908. 



American Hee Journal 



Conducted by EMMA M. WILSON. Mareneo. 111. 



■\\Tiite Clover and a Banner Year. 



Whether because of the mild winter, 

 or for whatever cause, there was a great 

 show of clover plants this spring in the 

 vicinity of Marengo. There seemed lit- 

 tle doubt that there would be an un- 

 usual amount of white-clover bloom, 

 but the question was, "Will there be any 

 nectar in the bloom?" For there have 

 been too many years when clover 

 bloomed enough, but for some reason 

 there seemed to be nothing in it for the 

 bees. When the lirst blossom was seen, 

 we awaited the next ten days with great 

 anxiety, for as a rule, just about 10 days 

 after the very first blossom is seen the 

 bees begin to store from clover, if they 

 store from it at all. When the 10 days 

 were up, how we did rejoice! There 

 were unmistakable evidences that the 

 bees were gathering from white clover. 

 And in spite of cool days and still cooler 

 nights, the bees kept o:i' the gain. 



The sight of the stretches of white 

 blossoms is enough to gladden the heart 

 of any bee-keeper. White clover, the 

 whitest kind, in front, to the right, to 

 the left, white clover everywhere. It 

 is not only a little ahead of any former 

 year, but away ahead. In the third week 

 of June the weather has changed from 

 very cool to very hot — those hot nights 

 when one can hardly sleep for the 

 heat — and that seems to just suit the 

 bees. They come home so burdened 

 that they drop down in front of the 

 hives, on the hives, and for some dis- 

 tance around on surrounding objects, 

 sitting motionless for some time before 

 attempting to rise again. Unless there 

 is some unexpected change in the pro- 

 gram, this is likely to be one of the ban- 

 ner years. 



Queen-Rearing for Women. 



I have been rearing queens for the 

 last 10 years, at first for my own use 

 and then selling a few. About 3 years 

 ago I sent for the book, " Modern 

 Queen-Rearing," and a queen-rearing 

 outfit, and have reared and sold some 

 very nice queens. The small nuclei box- 

 es are home-made, each holding 2 Dan- 

 zenbaker sections fastened to the cover. 

 We always have some partly filled sec- 

 tions that we can use in this way. This 

 saves the time, trouble, and expense of 

 having the small frames filled by the 

 bees. It docs not pay to try to start 

 these small boxes too early or before 

 there is a honey-flow ; and a good tea- 

 cupful of bees should be used in each 

 one. 1 have some of these boxes hung 

 in a hedge. Of the first lot of queens 

 introduced I lose very few. It is not 

 so easy to introduce the second queen. 



The plan of caging a virgin queen for 

 a few days in the nucleus before taking 

 the laying queen awa> is but a beau- 

 tiful romance. How I do wish it would 

 work! but I find her dead nine times 

 out of ten. I have the best luck with 

 the ripe cells put in a few hours after 

 taking the laying queen away ; but I use 

 what I have at the time. If I have vir- 

 gin queens in the nursery cages I put 

 them in just at night of the day I take 

 the queen away. 



However, I introduce the second queen 

 to these little boxes ; and when I take 

 these out I let these boxes go for the 

 season, as they will all be robbed out as 

 soon as tne honey-flow ceases. I have 

 always lost about half of this second lot. 

 They may be too near the old hives ; but 

 it is a very handy place to have them. 

 We have a number of dovetailed hive- 

 bodies with a division-board in the cen- 

 ter, and an opening at the back of one 

 side. This makes two three-frame nu- 

 clei. I hardly ever lose a queen from 

 these. They are the best for early and 

 late queens. 



I hear some one ask if it pays. If you 

 count the satisfaction of being master 

 of the situation, the benefit of outdoor 

 exercise, and if you love to work with 

 your bees, it pays well; but if you are 

 looking only for the dollars and cents 

 you would better let some one else rear 

 the queens, and run your bees for honey. 

 Mrs. J. W. liACON. 



The foregoing appears in Gleanings in 

 Bee Culture. Mrs. Bacon is one of the 

 very few of the sisters who rears queens 

 to sell, or is she the only one ? Her 

 closing paragraph is not likely to induce 

 many to follow her example, for unless 

 it be that master-of-the-situation argu- 

 ment, all the inducements belong equally 

 to the honey-business, with more money. 



Her experience with the dual plan of 

 virgins in nuclei is entirely different 

 from ours. She finds the virgin dead in 

 the cage g times out of ten. Strange ! 

 We never found one so. What can 

 make the difference? The bees can not 

 get at the virgin to harm her while she 

 is in the cage, and she can help herself 

 to the candy whenever she feels like 

 lunching. Possibly Mrs. Bacon does not 

 use a provisional cage. But are there 

 not other objections to the plan? 



Service and Good Fellowship,' and is in 

 every respect a unique one of its kind, 

 inasmuch as daily demonstrations are to 

 be given in every kind of employment 

 suitable for gentlewomen. Some 70 

 trades are represented, in all of which 

 skilled ladies are seen busy at work, and 

 ready to afford information and advice 

 to girls wishing to engage in their sev- 

 eral occupations, among them being lady 

 gardeners, poultry-farmers, bee-keepers, 

 etc. 



"The many ladies who are now taking 

 a keen interest in bee-keeping as an out- 

 door pursuit will find much to interest 

 them in apiarian matters, popular works 

 and periodicals devoted to bee-craft be- 

 ing displayed on the bookstall. 



Among other attractions connected 

 with bee-keeping, we are glad to see that 

 Messrs. Abbott Bros, have erected a 

 very pretty stall, in which are displayed 

 hives and bee-goods of various kinds 

 suitable for ladies' use. The attendant 

 in charge will give all information re- 

 quired by visitors, and explain how the 

 various appliances are used. 



"The entire exhibition is well calcu- 

 lated to show in the most practical way 

 'what to do with our girls'." 



What to Do With Our Girls. 



Under this heading the British Bee 

 Journal mentions an exhibition under 

 royal and distinguished patronage held 

 in London, as follows : 



"The exhibition is organized in con- 

 nection with 'The Girl's Realm Guild of 



Honey Drops for Coughs and Colds. 



Take i tablespoonful of malt and 

 about I pint of water. Boil for 10 min- 

 utes slowly ; then strain the water, and 

 pour it back into the saucepan. Next 

 put into that water i pound of good 

 sugar and about 3 ounces of honey. Not 

 more than 3 ounces of the latter should 

 be used, as otherwise the honey-drops 

 would be sticky, and would not keep 

 firm a long time, as they should do. 

 Boil the mixture, and stir until the su- 

 gar is thoroughly dissolved. While it 

 boils remove the scum and the impuri- 

 ties always existing in greater or less 

 degree in the sugar, and which rise to 

 the surface. Boil the mixture to 113 de- 

 grees Reaumur. The easiest way of 

 testing whether it is boiled enough is to 

 take up a little with a spoon, and dip it 

 into cold water. If it then breaks or 

 cracks like thin glass or ice, it is boiled 

 enough. Care must, however, be taken 

 not to over-boil or burn it, because burnt 

 sugar or honey is as detrimental to the 

 health of men as it is to bees. 



A smooth, clean slate or a marble slab 

 having been covered with olive oil, the 

 mixture is then poured on it and allowed 

 to cool for a few minutes. Then, as the 

 mi-xture stiffens, gather the ends and 

 sides, and double the cake like two 

 sheets of cardboard. Before it gets cold 

 divide it promptly into small squares of 

 proper size with a sharp knife, which 

 latter has been also slightly smeared 

 with the oil. The honey-drops are then 

 finished. If put in a tin with a well- 

 fitting lid, they will keep good for a long 

 time. Leaving them exposed to the open 

 air deteriorates them. 



These are the honey-drops of which 

 Mr. Woodlcy says, in a former number: 

 "There is a full honey-flavor in them, 

 almost as though it was a small lump 

 of heather-honey. A better remedy for 

 a sore throat could scaroely be im- 

 agined, as they melt slowly in the 

 mouth." 



I may add an incidental remark about 

 an objection which may present itself 



