;;■■ 



,,,\ JOE'*! " \li.iiA : .<is„- is hi\H i I [/*%'*«. 



though I had a half ton of white clover 

 and basswood, and have pot all yet, but 

 two kegs often gallons each, which I sold 

 for 15c. per pound to a store in Madison. 

 I find that it will grow anywhere if culti- 

 vated, and in very poor sandy land with- 

 out cultivation. I raised some of it in 

 my garden last season, and I tell you it 

 gave me a good deal of pleasure to see 

 the bees work upon it. It is far ahead of 

 catnip or anything else that I have seen ; 

 there are other flowers that they work on 

 as well, but they don't get the honey so 

 plenty. When you see them going quickly 

 trombone flower to another, just about long 

 enough to smell them, there's not much 

 honey there. 



James McLay, Madison, Wis. 



We hope our friend will send us some 

 seed of the Monarda for our experiment- 

 al honey garden. His remarks in regard 

 to the hasty visits bees give some flowers 

 we believe correct, for bees, like "we poor 

 mortals," sometimes work industriously 

 early and late and yet get but "little hon- 

 ey." We propose to test the honey quali- 

 ties of all plants of which seeds are sent 

 us (so far as we can on a small scale,) and 

 will report at the proper season. Please 

 give names and description as far as pos- 

 sible. 



No. 57. — Novice: — Our bees are carry- 

 ing in wheat flour at a fearful rate. Have 

 had an unusually severe winter, but look 

 for a glorious long season this year. Do 

 keep us posted on the honey market. 

 We are going for extracted honey entire- 

 ly, and expect to have tons to sell. In 

 haste, 



S. W. Cole, Andrew Chapel, Tenn. 



Feb. 6th, 1873. 



Clad to hear it. No danger of too 

 much. 



Xo. 53. — I have for years made the 

 simplified Langstroth Hive you recom- 

 mend, and my honey extractor is all that 

 could be desired, with a stationary can 

 and galvanized screen inside, made by a 

 neighbor mechanic. 



S. Luethi, Gnadenhutten, 0. 



Thank you Mr. Luethi. We wish a few 

 more would get neighbor mechanics to do 

 i he same. In our instructions for making 

 an extractor in our Feb. No., we supposed 

 we had given all the directions necessary, 

 taking it for granted that all bee keepers 

 knew that an extractor was simply a frame 

 10 hold the combs from breaking, while 

 they were revolved inside of a can to 

 catch the honey that flew out by centrifu- 

 gal force ; and we endeavored to give the 

 simplest and cheapest way of making it, 

 yet we are almost discouraged at the num- 

 ber of letters from all points, saying they 

 can't make it out. Perhaps those that we 

 have assisted most and do "make it out, 

 don't write ua because they have no 

 occasion to, We will hope so any way 



i Encouraging! Three just report having 

 succeeded. I 



No. 59. — E. M. Johnson, of Mentor, 0., 

 Jan. 1st, 1873, writes as follows : 



lam trying the "vinegar bitter?,'' as recom- 

 mended by the anonymous writer in the Jour- 

 nal, and so fai it is doing finely. The stock- 

 fed with it are as small and lively as in sum- 

 mer. The size of the bees is meant and net 

 the strength of the swarm, while those eating 

 honey are already getting distended, and if 

 they are confined long without getting out 

 nro going to suffer with dysentery ; have on 

 ly a couple, however, that show any signs of 

 it ; neither did 1 have more than two or three 

 Inst year, until March, after which I lost about 

 one hundred swarms. 15. M. Johnson, 



Mentor, 0. 

 Xo. CO- 

 li. II. Dixon, Canandaigua, N. Y., asks: 

 "How shall I make a feeder for encouraging 

 brood for every day feeding ? Can young fer- 

 tilized queens be kept in cages in large hives 

 with laying queens at liberty, two or thret* 

 weeks? How can I keep swarms from issuing, 

 without cutting out queen cells or clipping 

 queen ? The best way of keeping empty comb 

 through the summer, and comb with honey 

 in? - - - 



1st. Don't have a feeder; turn up one 

 corner of the quilt and pour the feed on 

 their backs. 



2d. Generally, but expect exceptions 

 when they are not gathering honey. 



3d. Take all their honey away with ex 

 tractor. 



4th. Put em in a dollar hive and "pile 

 'em up." 



Xo. iJL — " How am 1 to manage to ov- 

 erhaul hives in the cold, bleak weather of 

 April, to cut out moldy combs, clean out 

 dead bees, contract space, feed to get bees 

 to breed, etc ? When the weather is chilly 

 and damp the bees fly out on account of 

 the disturbance, get chilled and never re- 

 turn Is it not about time for me to 



stop fooling away money and time on 

 bees? on the ground that the section is 

 unfavorable or I am unqualified for the 

 business of bee culture. Think of it — 1 

 have been trying to get a start for the past 

 three years — have paid out for bees alone 

 not less than sixty dollars, for lumber 

 hives and fixings, enough to bring it up 

 to a hundred — my wife says more than 

 time enough to make as much more — two 

 hundred dollars is a large sum for a poor 

 man with a large family. Last fall 1 had 

 managed at a cash cost of all they were 

 worth, and trouble and worry enough to 

 pretty nearly add as much more, to get 

 four hives. But what I consider to have been 

 the strongest one, is dead ; one of them 

 is rather weak ; two have no brood, yet they 

 have queens and eggs. The one that is 

 dead had nothing but honey; the weakest 



living one had nearly all sugar syrup 



If the bee fever continues to rage what 

 section had I better emigrate to? 

 Very Respectfully, Yours, 



An Unsuccessful Novice; 



Never cut out moldy comb, however 



bad, until you have found by putting one 



comb at a time in the middle of a strong 



folony in May or June, that they won't 



