ee- 



\eepeps' |\e\^ie(„o. 



A MONTHLY JOURNAL 



Devoted to tl^e Interests of Hoiqey Producers. 



$L00 A YEAR. 



W. Z. HDTCfliNSON, Editor and Proprietor. 



VOL X. 



FLINT. MICHIGAN, NOV. 10, 1897. NO. II. 



Retrospective— Larger Hives Needed; Smoke 



for Arresting Swarms; Scent: Sweet 



Clover; Beet Sugar; etc. 



I,. A. ASPINWALL. 



m LTHOUGH the 

 Ix bee is trans- 

 cendently wonder- 

 ful in her ini=tinc- 

 tive endowments, 

 still, by the imnaor- 

 tality of memory, 

 reason enables as 

 through cur mis- 

 takes and, failures 

 to rtach logical 

 conclusions and 

 results, \v h i ch, 

 (though not more wonderful than the work- 

 ings of instinct); are progressive and end- 

 less in the chain of advancement. 



Another season with its mistakes and 

 conse<iuent failures has passed, and wise is 

 the man who can see a profit aside from 

 that of dollars and cents. I sometimes look 

 npon the mass of humanity as money-mad. 

 When we see men possessing a fortune of 

 millions and struggling for further gain, 

 what does it mean y There are others who, 

 as Langstroth construed the poem; see, 



'"roDKues in trees, bonks in runninR brooks," 

 Sermons in bees, and (iod in everythinK. " 



I certainly have seen many sermons in bees 

 the past season, most wonderfully display- 

 ed in their God-givcu instinct, which I hope 

 to speak of in a future paper. 



The season as past has been remarkable 

 in many respects — one that promised well 

 for a flow of basswood honey, in that the 

 previous season, moisture was abundant, 

 reaching well to the roots; but it seemed to 

 disprove the theory that an abundance of 

 moisture a year in advance is essential to a 

 honey crop, or proved that it was an off 

 year; which so frequently occurs in fruit 

 culture. But, learning by failures as well 

 as success we shall require several seasons 

 to prove the theory of advance moisture be- 

 ing necessary to the secretion of nectar. 

 The phenomenal flow of clover honey would 

 seem to prove the theory correct, and the 

 failure of basswood as being due to an off 

 season. Taking into consideration the 

 aforesaid theory, we can scarcely expect an 

 equally good yield from clover another 

 season, the present autumn being rather 

 dry. Still, the stand is good, and I shall 

 look for something comparable in that line, 

 weather being favorable. 



The production of comb honey by our 

 present advanced methods f.nd appliances — 

 beautiful sections — comb foundation — the 

 bee escape, etc., enabling us to place upon 

 the market so delectable an article in the 

 most attractive form, makes bee keeping a 

 most fascinating pursuit.' Still, we have 

 swarming to contend with; and occurring as 

 it does, during the period of preparing sec- 

 tions, and flllitig them with foundation, re- 

 moving and emptying supers, certainly calls 

 forits suppression as much as possible. This 

 season being extraordinary, I was convinced 



