Vol. XIII. 



AUG. 1, 1885. 



No. 15. 



TER>IS:«1.00PkRANNUM, INADVANCBll TT* o :^ /-/ 7i 7 V o Zl /5 /-7 TTl 7 J? 'T 9 



2 0opie8for8l.90; 3for82.75;Bfor$4.00, Jlifil(XjOLiblL(iLl Lily lO ( O 



lOor more, 75 cts. each. Single Number, I 



lUcts. Additions to clubs maybe made [ published sf.mi monthly by 



atclubrates. Above are all to be sent ,. -r -i:>(\(\rT\ xrVTATXTA i"kIITrk I per yen r extra. 



to O.VBP08TOFFICB. J A.i. KUUl, JM JliJJljN A, UxliU. ItheU.P. U.,42c 



f ClubB to different postofflces, not 1.KS8 

 I than M fts. each. Sent postpaid, in the 

 J U. S. and Canadas. To all other conn- 

 ; tries of the Universal Postal Union, I8c 

 r extra. To all countries not of 

 per year extra. 



NOTES i'KOM THE BANNER APIARY. 



NO. 68. 



THE BOOM ON BAS.SWOOD, ETC. 



ro two seasons seem to be exactly alike. Last 

 year the honey harvest began early, was of 

 short duration, but good while it lasted. No 

 honey from basswood. This year the season 

 opened late, the weather was cool, and the 

 How of honey light but steady— just right to keep 

 breeding going in fine style, but scarcely enough 

 to send the bees into the boxes. Last year we had 

 off more than 1000 lbs. of honey July 1st; this year 

 the bees had only commenced in the boxes at that 

 date, and they had made only a nice commence- 

 ment, some of them not that, when they began to 

 swarm, and nearl}- every colony swarmed; and we 

 think it was to our advantage that they did swarm; 

 for by the time that basswood blossomed we had 

 two colonies in flue working order where we would 

 have had only one had they not swarmed. The bee- 

 keeper needs to be wide awake, to f/iui/f, to watch 

 the season, the bees, and every thing, and plan his 

 work accordingly. For thi-ee years we have kept 

 our dish— our big tin cans and little tin cans right 

 side up, ready for the shower of —basswood honey. 

 At last it has come, is here now (July 22); the very 

 air is loaded with the aroma from the basswood 

 blossoms; the branches really seem to hang down 

 as though they were loaded: the bees come in so 

 loaded that they " drop," and they work until it is 

 dark and our cans are full. It is really astonish- 

 ing to see how much honey the 100 queen-rear- 

 ing nuclei bring in. It does seem as though bees 

 that have but little brood, and plenty of combs 

 to fill, store twice as much honey as bees with a hive 

 full of brood to care for. 



WOODEN QUEEN-EXCLUDTNG HONEY-BOARDS. 



We are giving these a thorough trial this season, 

 using about AG of them. So far we have just one 

 fault to find with them; and that is, the bees are in- 

 clined to fill U]} the openings with wax and propolis. 

 It is very evident, that, after being in use a year or 

 two, "something has got to be done " to clean out 

 the openings. We tried cleaning one to-day with a 

 tea-kettle of boiling water. We did it, but it re- 

 quired a tea-kettle full of water. Who will suggest 

 abetter way? How would it answer to HII a wash- 

 boiler with them, pour in water, and boil them, 

 keeping them below the surface with a weight, if 

 necessary, until the water is cool. Our objection to 

 the perforated zinc is its cost and lack of rigidity ; 

 Itut it has this in its favor— the bees are less inclined 

 to fill the openings. 



GUARANTEEINO SAFE ARRIVAI.. 



Your editorial upon the above subject is good. In 

 addition we would say, that when queens do arrive 

 dead or weak, or the purchaser thinks he ought to 

 have another queen, or the queen sent doesn't suit, 

 let him state the matter calmly, coolly, fairly, and 

 gentlemanly. The majority of customers do this; 

 but occasionally one is found who seems to think 

 that all the (lucen-breeder is after is the dollar- 

 that he has no care whether he pleases his custom- 

 ers or not, and he writes one of those sarcastic, cut- 

 ting, stinging letters that, to a breeder who is not 

 only willing but anxious to please his customers, 

 come like a blow in the face. We have received very 

 few such letters— just enough toknow how they hurt, 

 but not so many as formerly. One reason Is, that we 

 seldom have a queen arrive dead since using the 

 Good candy. We used to lose at least ten per cent. 

 This year we have lost none since the season open- 

 ed. Wt feel as though Bro. Good had never been 

 sufficiently recompensed, either in money or 



