May, 1910. 



I "»^^^-<c^^^RAmorican^ec -Journal 



a half century ato the industry scemeil to 

 be declining. Famous physicians pointed 

 out tlie great value of honey as a remedy in 

 certain maladies, while equally great botan- 

 ists drew the attention of farmers and fruit- 

 growers to tlie necessity of bees for the 

 proper pollination of many fruit and tield 

 crops. It was shown that the decline of 

 apiculture was not the direct and inevitable 

 conseciuence of the reduction in the area of 

 forests and tlie resultant absence of proper 

 shelter for bees, but that, with good care 

 and judicious selection of varieties of bees, 

 more energetic breeds might be obtained. 



SuoAR Not a Good SfBSTiTvrTE for Hoxev 



It was found that sugar was not a real sub- 

 stitute for honey, especially as food for the 

 aged, and still less for children, so that even 

 dear honey had a justification alongside 

 cheap sugar. The industry began to revive, 

 and while in some parts there is still a con- 

 tinuing decrease in the production of honev. 

 there IS a decided increase in others, espe- 

 cially in some places where there is little 

 fprest shelter. Even a considerable reduc- 

 tion in the extent of meadows and a corres- 

 ponding increase in the sown fields does not 

 prevent a successful further development 

 of apiculture, provided proper attention is 

 devoted to it. and provided there are in the 

 neighborhood such trees as the locust 

 (Kobinia pseudoacacia:. wild olive lElaeag- 

 nus oleaster, the maples, lindens, etc. 

 Among Russian held crops there are also 

 some invaluable as honey-yielders. such as 

 buckwheat, the clovers, rape, flax, etc. 

 If. to tide over particularly lean periods, 

 small plots are sown with phacelia or some 

 other honey-plant, then with moderate at- 

 tention bee-culture can be made a paying 

 industry. It is found that, without detri- 

 ment to their health, bees may be fed for 

 winter stores, or to carry them through a 

 dearth of honey with cheaper sweets than 

 honey. 



A report from Bessarabia states that in 

 the year 1800 the percentage of the whole 

 area devoted to agriculture was !-.8- in 1881 

 It was 44.6; and in 1887 it was 61. a steady 

 growth unfavorable to apiculture. There 

 was also a great reduction in the area of 

 buckwheat fields, the acreage in moo having 

 been 2741: in.iQoa. 3634: 1004. 1047-. IQOS. 887; and 

 loob. 403. I his shows a considerable reduc- 

 tion in one if the principal food-plants of 

 tlie bees, yet the following interesting data 

 as to the honey and wax produced are re- 

 ported: 



Year No, No. Tons Tons 



apiaries, colonies, honey, wax. 



•S" 4.082 84.241 123 40 



^'"^ 2.077 42.351 120 32 



""" 3,500 53.677 214 51 



""OS 3.418 50.220 253 60 



Thus, there was a decided increase in the 

 output in the face of less favorable circum- 

 stances, and with better instruction this 

 can be still further extended. Some other 

 provinces are without doubt more favorably 

 situated than Bessarabia, although the honey 

 trom this province is appreciated, and sells 

 at higher prices than some other grades 



New ,Jer.sey's Governor and tlie 

 Vetoed Foul Broo<l Bill 



We have received the following from 

 Mr. Albert G. Hann, Secretary of the 

 New Jersey Bee-Keepers' Association : 



The bee-keepers of New Jersey, through 

 their State -Association, succeeded in get- 

 ting a Foul Brood Bill passed; but when it 

 came before the Governor for his approval 

 he vetoed it on April 12th. We do not know 

 his reasons exactly, but understand he con- 

 sidered It too drastic. 



Our Bill was modeled after the one rec- 

 ommended by Dr. E. F. Phillips, of the De- 

 partment of Agriculture, and was consid- 

 ered a good one by all who saw it. We think 

 it was rather from a lack of understanding 

 on the part of the Governor, than from any- 

 thing else. We spent all our efforts to get 

 the Bill, on the Assemblymen and Senators, 

 thinking theGovernor would surely approve. 



To say that we are greatly disappointed is 

 expressing it mildly. After working so hard 

 to get the Bill passed, and then have it 

 stabbed by the Governor was the least of 

 pur expectations. 



But. then, there is no use to fr'etT'We will 

 simply have to stay sweet and try again. I 

 suppose we will have to frame a Bill to meet 

 the Governor's objection, and try again next 

 winter. This is individually our opinion. 



and will have to be approved bv the Asso- 

 ciation. 



In the meantime, we would like to have 

 more bee-keepers join the Association. Dues 

 are 50 cents a year. We know of some bee- 

 keepers who have held aloof from joining 

 the Association because they thought we 

 could never get a Bill passed. The stronger 

 the Association the stronger appeal we can 

 make next winter. 



.Ai.hekt G. Hann. Sa'vTreas. 



Pittstown. \. J. 



We regret very much that New Jer- 

 sey's Governor was not seen in ad- 

 vance by some leading bee-keeper, who 

 could have explained to him the need 

 of just the kind of a Foul Brood Law 

 that the bee-keepers had succeeded in 

 having passed, and which should have 



had his hearty approval. It is the same 

 experience that Missouri bee-keepers 

 had some years ago. It is discourag- 

 ing, but success will finally come if 

 bee-keepers do not give up. Persis- 

 tency does wonders, sometimes. Be- 

 fore the next session of the legislature, 

 let all New Jersey bee-keepers get into 

 their State organization, so as to be 

 ready to win next time. Numbers mean 

 much in a thing of this kind. 



We congratulate New Jersey bee- 

 keepers on succeeding in securing the 

 passage of the law, even if the Gover- 

 nor was not sufficiently informed on 

 the subject to s^ive it his approval. 



Our Bee-Keeping Sisters 



Conducted by F..mm..\ M. Wilson. Marengo. 111. 



=1 



Honey Preserving Fresh Butter 



Wash the butter thoroughly in several 

 changes of water, slightly salted and boiled 

 for about 5 minutes. The hands of the 

 operator should be thoroughly washed and 

 then rinsed in water previously boiled. The 

 butter is then well worked up with the 

 hands, and after being well kneaded there is 

 no longer any butter-milk left. Put the but- 

 ter into glass jars, the best for the purpose 

 being tliose holding 2 pounds. These jars 

 must first be well washed in boiling water, 

 made thoroughly clean and then dried. 



When ready for the butter, turn over the 

 jar and burn in it a sulphur match, then put 

 in the butter, pressing it well down. This 

 done, pour on the top. to the depth of about 

 one-third of an inch, thoroughly ripened 

 honey just about to granulate, and screw on 

 the lid. If the operation is carried on ex- 

 actly as directed above, the butter will keep 

 well right through the winter. 



Scotland. D. M. Macdonald. 



It is quite a compliment to the Sis- 

 ters' department that so distinguished 

 an apicultural writer as Mr. D. M. Mac- 

 donald, from far ofT Scotland, should 

 favor us with the foregoing. Mr. Mac- 

 donald may be assured that the com- 

 pliment is greatly appreciated. On the 

 face of it, one can hardly doubt the 

 good effect of honey thus used in pre- 

 serving butter. There will be plenty 

 of opportuhity to try it the coming 

 summer. 



Why These Things Are So 



They are so because the source from 

 which bees gather honey is the same today 

 as it was. not only "20 and 30 years ago," but 

 since the beginning— free. The poultry- 

 man's product comes from grain, etc.: said 

 grain costs him more today than it did 20 or 

 30 years ago; the grain comes from land that 

 then cost him 5 or 10 cents an acre, and that 

 now costs him S5 to $10. and way up to Sioo or 

 more. 



The dairyman pays more for his milch 

 cows and their keep than formerly, and so 

 has to charge more for his butter and milk. 

 Hogs cannot produce scent lard and eat the 

 high-priced corn grown on the high-priced 

 land. What, may I ask. do you have to pay 

 for your bees' pasturage? It costs no more 

 than it did 2a or 30 years ago— it's free. See? 

 If you had to pay so much for every tree and 

 plant that the bees worked on. wouldn't you 

 have to ask so much for the honey gathered? 

 As you pay out nothing for tlie source, you 

 ask only the sum which recompenses you for 

 your time and labor and other expenses. 



Prices have risen on queens and nuclei be- 

 cause the source of them also has risen. 

 Pure-bred Carniolans or Italians are worth 

 more today than the black bee. and the 

 black bee has not any more value than ii 

 had since the beginning— at least I think 

 that is correct. 



As to the "slump." the bee-men are re- 



sponsible, in that they should hold their 

 honey rather than sell it for less than it 

 should bring. Because farm products take 

 a slump, it doesn't stand to reason that 

 books (or anything else) should, too. Then 

 why honey? 



Now take cotton, and suchlike. Has not 

 practically one man in Wall Street got pos- 

 session of it? Wheat, etc.. goes to Wall 

 Street first, and is given to the miller's at the 

 price they choose to let it go for. The miller 

 sells it to the wholesaler at his price; then 

 the wholesaler sells it to the retailer at his 

 price, and then the consumer pays the re- 

 tailer what he in turn asks for it. It passes 

 through t> hands, and. mind you. the seed it 

 came from was high— grown upon high land. 



It's a wonder to me. flour is as cheap as it 

 is. 6 having to make a living out of it before 

 the consumer receives it. Honey doesn't 

 pass through so many hands; in most cases 

 the producer sells tothe consumer. If every 

 bee-man had to have his honey worked 

 over by some manufactorv. and sold again 

 and again to others, of course it would rise. 



And now another reason why; Honey is 

 not an absolute necessity. People i<7h live 

 without it. and when it gets out of their 

 reach they will not buy it. If bacon went to 

 60 or 70 cents a pound people would still buy 

 it. If flour and meal went to So per ico 

 pounds, wouldn't they still Arac to Buy it. 

 some way or other? 



It is true that we have customers who 

 would buy honey if it soared to Si a pound; 

 but they are few and far between, and very 

 rich. 



The foregoing has always been my idea 

 upon this subject, and it is one that we have 

 thought much about. 



Eola. Tex. ;Mrs.) M. E. Pruitt. 



Mr. Doolittle raised the question, 

 "Why are these things so?" without 

 attempting to give any answer to the 

 question. It has remained for a sister 

 to give one of the first answers. It will 

 be interestfng to know whether others 

 agree with her. 



Beginning With Bees 



I do not know anything about bees, but I 

 would like to learn, and in February I 

 bought 2 colonies of bees from a man who 

 was moving away. The bees were in his 

 cellar and seemed to be all right, so I gave 

 him Sis for the 2 colonies and 3 extra hives, 

 etc.. and left them in the cellar. When this 

 warm weather came. I went to look at my 

 bees, and found them dead. I thought them 

 all dead, and so did the father of the man 

 I bought them of. who has kept bees for 

 many years, and in whose cellar they were. 

 Well, wetook themoutside. pulled the hives 

 in pieces, and poured the bees out upon the 

 ground, and in about 15 or 20 minutes I no- 

 ticed some of them moving, and called the 

 man's attention to it. We watched them 

 awhile, and in half an hour there was about 

 a pint of live bees. We put them back into 

 the hives and fed them some honey and 

 water. One colony, which the man said was 



