January 



American Hee Journal 



As to alfalfa, I have tasted the West- 

 ern product only once, but if memory 

 serves me rightly, I believe I liked it 

 real well. Here in Ontario, when alfalfa 

 yields — whether because of slight mix- 

 tures with other honey or other causes 

 — the honey is o/f in color, and the 

 flavor not nearly up to our clover 

 honey. " It lacks character ; it is in- 

 sipid; and consumers are quick to 

 drop it." My, that is a hard crack at 

 the main variety of Western honey, 

 especially on this side of the Rockies. 

 What do our Colorado friends think of 

 it, anyway ? Get after the author of 

 the quotation, would be the advice of 

 this chap, who is far enough away 

 from the would-be combatants to feel 

 pretty safe. Anyway, I have a feeling 

 that said author is quite able to look 

 after himself, so I am not adverse to 

 stirring up a little trouble when chances 

 look so good ! 



Going South for Winter, Like the Birds 



I have read and re-read what Mr. 

 Wilder says in the December issue in 

 connection with his plans for " winter- 

 ing" in the future, down at Braden- 

 town, Fla. If I understand his invita- 

 tion correctly, the terms for other bee- 

 keepers to " bunk " in the same house 

 with him are, briefly: Rooms free; 

 board furnishing at "tenant's" own 

 expense, furnishing of room to be left 

 for another chap in case the first occu- 

 pant can not "come back." I have 

 always heard that it was "cheaper to 

 move than to pay rent," but this is one 

 better, as you are not forced to move, 

 and pay no rent. 



It looks good to this bee-keeper, and 

 if only I was sure of a bumper crop in 

 11)13, surely I would write at once for 

 apartments to be reserved. I have had 

 a longing for some time to migrate, 

 like the birds, each fall to a warmer 

 clime, and just as soon as financial cir- 

 cumstances warrant, certainly that wish 

 would be gratified. 



I believe I have already mentioned 

 the fact that prospects are poor for 

 honey next year in our section, so like 

 as not Mr. Wilder's kind offer will not 

 be of any use to this Canuck for a 

 while yet. 



Bee Short-Course at Guelph 



Dear Mk. Editor:— Do you know tliat tlie 

 annual honey crop in Ontario is wortli ohl' 

 and a half million dollars, andthat ten thou- 

 sand persons from Point Pelee to the Cobalt 

 rcEions. and further north, are engaged in 

 the business of producing it. keeping three 

 hundred thousand colonics of bees for the 

 purpose ? Even then I venture to say not 

 one quarter of the nectar secreted by Onta- 

 rio flowers is ever utilized. And altliounh 

 honey-prices are advancing every yt-ar. not 

 one-tenth of the honey is consumed in On- 

 tario homes that our people are capable of 

 eating. 



Now how can this industry be developed ? 

 Mainly by the educational methods now be- 

 ing used by the Department of Agriculture. 

 The successful organization work culmi- 

 nated last month in the biggest annual con- 

 vention of bee-keepers Toronto ever saw. 

 The next event is a '' Bee Short Course" at 

 the Ontario Agricultural College. ,I;in. o to 

 20. iyi2. This course is free to all who are 

 interested in bees, and every session from 

 beginning to end will be full of information 

 on the care of bees and how to make money 

 from them. 



During this course Mr. Morley Pettit. Pro- 

 vincial Apiarist, will give a series of demon- 

 strations and illustrated lectures covering 



all the main features of practical manage- 

 ment in a way that will be helpful to experi- 

 enced bee-keepers and beginners as well. 

 Lectures will also be given on alliedsubjects 

 by other members of the teaching staff, and 

 a few expert bee-specialists will be brought 

 in from the outside to tell how they have 

 made a guccess in their special lines, such 

 as the breeding of Queen-bees. the produc- 

 tion of beeswax, etc. 



Special time will be devoted each day tO' 

 the discussion of practical topics by mem- 

 bers of the class, and one whole day will be 

 set aside for a conference on foul brood. 



Remember the dates— Jan. o to 2ci. 1012. No 

 fees; no examination; reduced rates on 

 railways. 



For program and further information ad- 

 dress. G. C. Creelman. B, S. A.. I,L. D.. 



Guelph. On t. Pra. O. A. College. 



Conducted by Louis H. Scholi-. New Brauntels. Tex. 



Newsy Bee-Keeping Letters and Apiarian 

 Pictures Wanted 



To begin the year 1912, the editor of 

 "Southern Beedom " wishes to receive 

 from his many bee-keeping friends of 

 the South, newsy letters about them- 

 selves and their successes and failures, 

 together with photographs of their api- 

 aries, and any other important things 

 of bee-keeping, with a description of 

 each picture. These will be welcomed 

 very much at this time, especially, and 

 throughout the year from those who 

 have none to send now. Kindly write 

 a few lines as soon as you find time to 

 do so, and tell some of the good things 

 that have happened in your experi- 

 ences with the bees, and what you have 

 learned about them and their manage- 

 ment. It will be just as interesting to 

 hear why and where failures were 

 made, as well as the successes. 



It should be remembered that there 

 are to be no conditions as to how you 

 shall write this matter, whether with 

 pen and ink or pencil, or on what kind 

 of paper, nor how long the letters 

 shall be, or how many words shall be 

 used. Just bear this in mind, and in 

 addition, that the editor wears glasses, 

 "by the aid of which he is able to dis- 

 cern all kinds of writing, good or bad, 

 in the English, German or Spanish 

 language." 



We hope that all of our good friends 

 who have written us from time to time 

 heretofore will continue to do so, and 

 that we may add many more to the list 

 hereafter. With this wish we hope 

 that each and every one of us will have 

 a bounteous harvest this year, and en- 

 joy the best of health also, for without 

 the latter the harvest is not much en- 

 joyment. 



The Texas Department of Agriculture and 

 Bee-Keeping 



Bee-keeping has reached such a stage 

 of development in Texas, and informa- 

 tion on apicultural and kindred sub- 

 jects has grown to such an extent, that 

 the Texas Department of Agrictilture, 

 located in the Capitol Buildiuj:; at Aus- 

 tin, Tex., has added to its various 

 branches one on bee-keeping, and its 

 aims are to furnish all enquirers with 

 reliable and authentic information per- 

 taining to this important industry of 

 Texas. This was necessitated by the 

 innumerable inquiries for just such in- 

 formation as has come to the office of 

 the Agricultural Commissioner from 

 time to time ; and to facilitate the work 



of this important branch, the writer 

 was appointed, several irionths ago, as 

 "Consulting Apicultural Expert" of 

 the Department of Agriculture. All 

 letters for information on bee-keeping 

 questions will receive proper attention 

 by the writer; therefore, to make this 

 branch of the Department an impor- 

 tant one, all bee-keepers and others in- 

 terested are asked to make use of the 

 opportunity of asking questions at any 

 time. 



It is the desire of the Commissioner, 

 Hon. Ed R. Kone, of the Texas De- 

 partment of Agriculture, to do all in 

 his power in aiding the bee-keepers 

 and others of the State in their voca- 

 tion, and the services of the Depart- 

 ment are at your service at all times. 

 In fact, the Department of Agriculture 

 is yours, and for you to luake use of 

 whenever possible. 



Gathering Texas Bee-Keeping Statistics 



Texas produces great crops of honey 

 annually, but how much is not known, 

 and can not even be safely guessed at. 

 The investments in the bee-business 

 are large, but there are no figures to- 

 show the extent of these investments. 

 There are no statistics to show how 

 enormous the bee-keeping industry of 

 the great Lone Star State is today, and 

 if such figures are available we are 

 satisfied that they would be larger than 

 is generally supposed. This industry 

 is an important one, and its develop- 

 ment during the last 10 years has been 

 greater than at any previous time. 

 Therefore, the figures of the old census 

 may safely be multiplied several times- 

 for an estimate of the present output 

 of honey and investment in the bee- 

 business. Just how much to luultiply 

 them nobody can tell. 



The necessity of reliable statistics of 

 this kind needs no argument. The 

 compilation of such reliable informa- 

 tion from each State in the Union 

 would be a great piece of work at 

 times when it is desirable to show the 

 real extent and worth of the bee-keep- 

 ing industy, either of any State or the 

 whole country. 



I am just in receipt of a letter that 

 has been sent to all bee-keepers of the 

 State, as far as it was possible to get 

 the names of these, showing that an 

 effort will be made by the State Ento- 

 mologist, of the Agricultural and Me- 

 chanical College, Colle.a;e Station, Tex., 

 to gather reliable statistics from every 

 bee-keeper in Texas, for tabulation. A 

 list of questions accompanies the let- 



