192 



American ^ee Journal 



^^^^3g3Rie^]^^^^ 



PUBLISHED MONTHLY AT 



1st Nat'l Bank Bldg. Hamilton, Illinois 



Entered as second-class matter at the 



Hamilton, Illinois. Post-office. 

 C. P. Dadant, Editor 

 Dr. C. C. Miller. Associate Editor. 

 Frank C. Pellett. Staff Correspondent. 



IMPORTANT NOTICE. 



THE SUBSCRIPTION PRICE of tills 

 Journal is $1.00 a year in the United States 

 of America and Mexico; 3 years, $2 25; 5 

 years. $3.00; in Canada. 10 cents extra, and in 

 all other countries in the Postal Union. 25 

 cents a year extra for postage. Sample 

 copy free. 



THE WRAPPER-LABEL DATE indi- 

 cates the end of the month to which sub- 

 scription is paid. For instance. " deci6" on 

 your label shows that it is paid to the end 

 of December. 1016. 



SUBSCRIPTION RECEIPTS.— We do not 

 send a receipt for money sent us topay sub- 

 scription, but change the date on your ad- 

 dress, which shows that the money has been 

 received and credited. In case of errors, 

 please write us. 



Copyright: IQ16. by C. P. Dadant 



THE EDITOR'S VIEWPOINT 



has been settled ; honey will be in- 

 spected by the State Market Commis- 

 sion and a certificate issued showing 

 the grade, and the packages labeled 

 accordingly. With this assurance of 

 the quality of the honey which will 

 enable banking houses to estimate the 

 probable price, money can be borrowed 

 to nearly the full value of the crop at a 

 very low rate of interest (probably 

 from 'iyi to 4 percent), which will en- 

 able the producer to hold his crop for 

 a time in order to take advantage of the 

 most favorable market. 



We commend this move to beekeep- 

 ers of other States. 



June i>lanageiueut 



This is the most important month of 

 the year, in the North and Middle 

 States, for it is the month of swarms 

 and large honey crop. Be sure and 

 have the supers on all strong colonies 

 early, especially if they are whitening 

 the tops of the brood-combs. Give 

 plenty of entrance room. Well shaded 

 hives, young queens and ample ventila- 

 tion will help prevent swarming, if 

 there is also plenty of room for the 

 surplus. An excess of drones is an 

 incentive to swarming, as the burly 

 noisy fellows are much in the way. 

 No drones are reared where there is 

 no drone-comb. 



The bees should not be permitted to 

 hang out in clusters. When this hap- 

 pens they need more super room, more 

 ventilation or more shade. 



If you want increase, beware of over- 

 doing it. Better make less divisions 

 and have all your colonies strong. Be 

 sure that the queens reared are from 

 the best mothers. Strong colonies 

 with prolific queens are the key to 

 success. 



issue also contains to recognize that 

 we have to do with as serious and posi- 

 tive a scientist as Uncle Sam ever 

 found among his people. Dr. Mclndoo 

 has volunteered to refrain from any 

 scientific expressions in the descrip- 

 tions here published, in order to make 

 himself fully intelligible to all. As the 

 manner in which bees recognize each 

 other or distinguish between odors or 

 flavors is of practical importance, we 

 are all interested in the studies of this 

 question. We may also take pride in 

 the fact that America has come to the 

 front with scientists who are leaving 

 an imprint equal to that of the leaders 

 in the Old World. 



Beekeeping in Wi.sconsin 



This is the title of Bulletin No. 264 

 of the Agricultural Experiment Sta- 

 tion of the Wisconsin University. It 

 is written by N. E. and L. V. France, 

 and nothing more needs be said con- 

 cerning it, as these names recommend 

 it. Beekeeping is coming more and 

 more to the front, and these publica- 

 tions are a great help. 



The 8en.se Organs of the Bee 



In this number our readers will find 

 the first article of a summary by Dr. N. 

 E. Mclndoo concerning his studies of 

 the sense organs of the honeybee. If 

 Dr. Mclndoo did not already possess 

 titles to the attention of the public by 

 his previous studies, it would only re- 

 quire looking at the photo which this 



Loo.sestrife Honey 



We received a short time ago a sam- 

 ple of loosestrife honey from Mr. R. 

 H. Terpenning, of New York. This is 

 the first time we have heard of this 

 plant yielding honey in sufficient quan- 

 tity to be graded separately. The honey 

 is a very dark amber and rather strong 

 in flavor. The "twang" resembles 

 slightly that of the sumac of the East 

 except that it is much stronger. 



Standard Gra<les of Honey 



We learn from the Western Honey 

 Bee that California beekeepers are just 

 now undertaking to do what should 

 have been done many years ago, to 

 standardize the grades of honey. Honey 

 comes from so many sources and the 

 mixtures vary to such an extent that it 

 will be rather dil'ficult to establish a 

 standard, but once a standard is estab- 

 lished it will be of untold value in mark- 

 eting our product. 



California beekeepers are informed 

 that money can be borrowed on ware- 

 house receipts of honey, at low rates, 

 provided that it has been standardized 

 inspected and labeled by the State. 



The matter of determining standards 



Dr. N, E. McIndoo 



Foreign Beekeeping ■! 



We are happy to say that, in spite of 

 the bloodshed and strife, in war-torn 

 Europe, the progress of beekeeping is 

 continuing. The Swiss and Italian 

 bee journals are appearing regularly. 

 The French-Swiss or Romanic "Bul- 

 letin d'Apiculture " has not missed a 

 single number. Its former editor, Mr. 

 Ulric Gubler, resigned his editorial 

 chair in March of last year, on account 

 of advanced age. He was 80 years old 

 on May 18, 1915, and this anniversary 

 was celebrated not only bythe Orphan's 

 Home of which he has been the mana- 

 ger for over a quarter of a century, 

 but also by the city and Canton of 

 Neuchatel, who sent him numerous and 

 valuable presents. He is still interested 

 in bees. His successor in the manage- 

 ment of the Bulletin is Mr. Schumacher, 

 of Daillens, Vaud. 



In France, the ancient I'ApicuIteur, 

 now the oldest bee magazine in the 

 world, is still published, but irregularly. 

 Some other journals, such as " L'Abeille 



