1917 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



297 



bees. He reports them to be very 

 gentle, to breed up early in spring, 

 swarm early and to breed all season. 

 Mr. Livingstone says that all bees 

 propolizc- much worse in the south 

 than in the north, since propolis is 

 very plentiful. The Banats are much 

 like the Caucasians in appearance. 

 They raise large quccncells in clus- 

 ters. Banat ([ueens are slightly 

 smaller than Italians. Mr. Living- 

 stone keeps from seventy to one hun- 

 dred colonies in a yard. 



From Mr. A. B. Marchant I learned 

 much of interest about the Appalachi- 

 cola river section in Florida. Mr. 

 Marchant was engaged in honey pro- 

 duction on that river for many years. 

 The tupcio flow some years is won- 

 derful. The great difficulty with that 

 region, as well as much of southern 



Smoke 



By A. F. Bonney. 



HAVING a perfect fuel for the 

 smoker does not always insure 

 constant and perfect combus- 

 tion, nor is it always easy to get a 

 fire started, for the least obstruction 

 of the air passage will cause it to go 

 out. Having had many experiences 

 which had a tendency to cause ex- 

 plosive latiguage, the idea of a little 

 sliding door at the bottom of the fire 

 chamber developed, but a trial of it 

 did not encourage me to continue 

 with it. 



Finally our old friend. Salt Petre, 

 was called in, in this way: Two 

 ounces of the salt was dissolved in a 

 pint of water, and some corrugated 

 pasteboard wet -with it and dried in 



the sun ; next, pieces 5x8 inches in 

 size were rolled into cylinders and 

 tied with a string. This composes 

 Dr. Bonney's Perfect Smoker Fuel 

 Lighter, and is used in this way: 



Wrap greasy waste around the cyl- 

 inder so that it takes a little force to 

 put it into the smoker. Next pack 

 more waste in, until the fire chamber 

 is solid full ; then light the paper at 

 the top end, and you will have a 

 steady, constant, cool smoke which 

 will not go out. I have used twenty 

 of them, experimentally, so far. Any 

 fuel may be used, but the greasy 

 waste is so common and inexpensive 

 that there is np need that we look 

 further. 



Buck Grove, Iowa. 



Bee-Metamorphosis 



Here's a good one from Dundee, 

 Scotland: (C. C. M.) 

 In either se.x the ovum needs 



Three days before the chorion 

 breaks. 

 Five days the female-larva feeds; 



An extra day the male-grub takes. 



A week in prison lies the queen ; 



For thirteen days a worker hides; 

 A drone develops all unseen 



A fortnight and a day besides. 



The total time is just about 



A fortnight and a day for mother; 



Three weeks will bring a worker out, 

 And three days longer hatch her 

 brother. — Cyprian Stock. 



T. W. LIVINGSTON'S OUTYARD AT LESLIE. GA. 



More Food Values. — According to 

 W. B. Barney, of the Iowa Food De- 

 partment, a pound of honey, extract- 

 ed, has the same food value as the 

 following articles, figured at regular 

 retail prices: Milk, 21c: cheese, 25c; 

 apples, 35c; jelly, 30c; steak, 40c; or- 

 anges, 60c; eggs, 85c; butter, 21c, corn 

 flakes. 30c, puflfed wheat, 40c. 



Alabama, is the lack of summer pol- 

 len. After June 1 there is no pollen, 

 and the bees rapidly run down until 

 I it becomes necessary to move the 

 bees to other pastures for a pollen 

 supply. Thousands of colonies of 

 bees have starved to death in mid- 

 summer in localities that produce 

 wonderful honey-flows at some sea- 

 sons of the year. The principal lack 

 seems to be pollen after the close of 

 the spring flow. 



Titi and gallberry are reported as 

 valuable sources of honey in locali- 

 ties where there are suflicient plants 

 at other seasons to supply plenty of 

 pollen and sufficient honey to keep 

 the bees in condition. There are, of 

 course, many such localities, and the 

 stranger should take plenty of time 

 to investigate conditions all year 

 around before risking too much on a 

 beekeeping venture in the south. In 

 the next article the sweet clover belt 

 of Alabama and Mississippi will be 

 considered. This seems to be the 

 most dependable region and good 

 crops are the rule. 





A SOUTHERN BEE YARD IN WINTER. SUPERS ARE LEFT ON THE HIVES TO 

 PREVENT DESTRUCTION OF COMBS BY MOTHS. 



