August, 1910. 



Amc»rican Hee Journal 



247 



which are new and original, having 

 been prepared by the author with a 

 tliorough realization of the need of 

 more accurate illustrations of the or- 

 gans of the bee, especially of the inter- 

 nal organs. 



This bulletin can be secured only 

 from the Superintendent of Documents, 

 Government Printing Office, Washing- 

 ton. D. C, as the Department's supply 

 is by law limited to an edition barely 

 sufficient to furnish libraries and the 

 collaborators of the Department with 

 copies. Price, 20 cents. 



Putting Empty Supers On Top 



There is a difference of opinion as to 

 giving additional super-room. Some 

 say put the empty super of sections on 

 top in all cases, having supers thus 

 finished more promptly, while others 

 say put the empty super under the 

 partly filled one, so as to encourage 

 prompt beginning of work in it. Per- 

 Iiaps the best way is to do both. While 

 a good flow is on, and there is every 

 prospect of its continuance, one need 

 not hesitate to add a fresh super under 

 the first super when no very great 

 progress has been made in the first. 

 And in addition to this an empty super 

 may be placed on top. 



More than one reason may be given 

 for putting this additional empty super 

 on top. It serves as a sort of safety- 

 valve. If the bees, for want of prompt 

 attention, become in the least crowded 

 for room, they can go above and com- 

 mence work there. If they do not need 

 the room, they can let it alone, and no 

 harm is done. No harm, but some 

 good. For this space above helps to 

 prevent overheating in hot days, and so 

 is a factor in preventing swarming. 

 The bees may do a little preparatory 

 work in this upper super, making it 

 more acceptable to them when it is put 

 under, so that they will commence 

 work in it more promptly. With the 

 best of care it may sometimes happen 

 that a sheet of foundation is not suffi- 

 ciently fastened in the section. One 

 may not notice it ; but let the super be 

 put on next tlie brood-chamber, and a 

 heavy mass of bees coming suddenly 

 upon it causes the foundation to fall, 

 making a bad mess. If it be first put 

 above, there will be no heavy weight 

 of bees upon it, and the bees will make 

 it their first care to fasten the founda- 

 tion properly. Even if it should tum- 

 ble down it will not be so bad in the 

 upper story as in the lower, for in most 

 cases no honey will be in it above as 

 there would be below. 



Miscellaneous News-Items 



How to Get Publif l>ocunients 



There is an ever-increasing demand, 

 on the part of the general public, for 

 the publications emanating from the 

 various Government Departments in 

 Washington, D. C., and the fact that in 

 the fiscal year ended June 30, 1910. 

 more than half a million documents 

 were purchased by people from every 

 part of this country, and in foreign 

 lands as well, at a cost of over $87,000, 

 is proof of the assertion that public 

 documents have become a commodity 

 that many thousands of readers are 

 willing to pay for. At the same time 

 the numerous inquiries, addressed to 

 various officials, that are eventually re- 

 ferred to the proper official, indicate 

 that, generally speaking, the public has 

 but a ver\' hazy idea as to how public 

 documents can be obtained, and how 

 their prices may be learned. To im- 

 part this information, an inquiry re- 

 garding public documents that may be 

 addressed to the Sitperinteiidtut of Doc- 

 innoits. Government Printing Office. 

 Washington. D. C, will meet with 

 prompt and satisfactory attention. 



though a very short acquaintance they can 

 not know so well what a graceful and gra-. 

 cious personage she is— or was — with every 

 prospect that Mrs. York will be equally 

 graceful and gracious. A mere man may 

 not always be relied on as a good judge in 

 such matters, but in this case the judgment 

 of the mere man is buttressed by the judg- 

 ment of the female portion of his family — a 

 judgment not to be disputed. 



It will not be out of place to congratulate 

 the readers of the "Old Reliable" upon the 

 brighter and better journal they may now 

 expect because of the brighter and better 

 life upon which the senior editor has en- 

 tered. The Associate Editor. 



The " senior editor " submits as grace- 

 fully as possible under the most gra- 

 cious circumstances, to the publication 

 of this unsolicited very congratulatory 

 contribution from the junior editor, for 

 the former doesn't wish to incur even 

 the mildest displeasure of said latter 

 junior editor. Suffice it to say, further, 

 that the " new queen " is indeed a treas- 

 ure ; and if the old American Bee Jour- 

 nal isn't "brighter and better" from 

 now on, it won't be from any lack of 

 interest or desire on her part. 



A New "Queen" from Kiug.ston 



I am sure that many of the readers of the 

 .American Bee Journal will join me in con- 

 gratulating the senior editor on the success- 

 ful introduction of a new queen into his 

 beautiful home. If that is a trifle enigmati- 

 cal 10 some, let me say that the said editor 

 ^vas so fortunate as to be able to induce Miss 

 Grace Hitchcock, of Kingston. III., to be- 

 come Mrs. George W. York. July 2. igio. be- 

 ing the exact date of said change of name 



But I am also sure that their congratula- 

 tions can not be so liearty as mine, for not 

 having known Miss Grace as I have, even 



Governmet Bulletin on " Bee.s " 



Under the tersely comprehensive 

 title, " Bees," the United States De- 

 partment of .Agriculture has issued 

 Farmers' Bulletin No. 397, as we an- 

 nounced last month. It is written by 

 E. F. Phillips, Ph. D., contains 44 pages, 

 and may be had free by applying to the 

 Secretary of .Agriculture, Washington, 

 D. C. The aim of the bulletin is said 

 to be "to give briefly such information 

 as is needed by persons engaged in the 

 keeping of bees, and to answer in- 

 quiries such as are frequently received 



from correspondents of the Depart" 

 ment." Of course, the work must be 

 " briefly " given to get it inside 44 pages 

 of rather large print. 



Commendable is the following para- 

 graph to warn against illusionment on 

 the part of the would-be bee-keeper: 



It is a mistake, however, to paint only the 

 bright side of the picture, and leave it to the 

 new bee-keeper to discover that there is 

 oflep another side. Where any financial 

 profit is derived, bee-keeping requires hard 

 work. and work at just the proper time, other- 

 wise thesurplus of honey may be diminished 

 or lost. Few lines of work require more 

 study to insure success. In years when the 

 available nectar is limited, surplus honey is 

 secured only by judicious manipulations, 

 and it is only through considerable experi- 

 ence and often by expensive reverses that 

 the bee-keeper is able to manipulate prop- 

 erly to save his crop. Any one can produce 

 honey in seasons of plenty, but these do not 

 come every year in most locations, and it 

 takes a good bee-keeper to make the most of 

 poor years. When, even with the best of 

 manipulations, the crop is a failure through 

 lack of nectar, the bees must be fed to keep 

 them from starvation. 



Death of A. .J. King 



A postal card received from W. A. 

 Pryal, of Oakland, Gal., announced the 

 death of A. J. King, at San Diego, Gal., 

 June 24, 1910, of valvular heart trouble. 

 The April American Bee Journal con- 

 tains a biographical sketch of Mr. 

 King, who at one time was quite promi- 

 nent in American beedom. 



American Bee Journal in " Aus- 

 tralian " 



The Australian Bee Bulletin is one 

 of our most valued exchanges. At least 

 28 percent of the reading matter of the 

 May number is copied from the Ameri- 

 can Bee Journal. As it is all properly 

 credited, it shows a sincere apprecia- 

 tion of the contents of this Journal. 

 We are glad to have our exchanges 

 copy anything they like from our col- 

 umns, when given due credit, as the 

 editor of the Australian Bee Bulletin 

 always does. 



••• 



Foul-Brood Law in Ohio and — 

 Illinoi.s ? 



Ohio bee-keepers are feeling good 

 over the fact that they have secured 

 their foul-brood law, the Governor be- 

 ing too well informed to veto it. By 

 the time legislative scandals are 

 straightened out in Illinois, possibly 

 there may be something doing in that 

 State in the way of a foul-brood law. 

 The opposition of a very small number 

 of bee-keepers has been held account- 

 able for the failure to secure a law; 

 but it now begins to seem that such 

 opposition may have had very little to 

 do in the case. Bee-keepers had put 

 nothing into the "jack pot," and so 

 were entitled to no consideration! Let 

 us hope that the cleaning up of the rot- 

 tenness in the Illinois legislature may 

 be so complete that there shall here- 

 after be no hesitation about passing a 

 law so plainly in the interest of the 

 general good. 



•*• 



Bees Lieavlng a Honey-House 

 Through an Kscape 



E. D. Townsend has made a radical 

 departure from the orthodox plan of 

 letting bees leave a honey-house 



