202 



luly, 11)12. 



American liee Journal 



that the total number of white flowers 

 mav exceed the red. 



Prof. Lovell says that "among the 

 wind-pollinated plants are the grasses, 

 sedges, and rushes; many homely 

 weeds, like the pigweeds, sorrels, net- 

 tles and ragweeds, as well as many de- 

 ciduous bushes and trees, as the alders, 

 poplars, elms, beeches and birches." 

 He estimates that these, including a 

 few pollinated by water, number 104(!. 

 Deducting this number from 4irJ», 

 leaves •2!I74 species depending upon in- 

 sects of various kinds. 



page of the ,\merican Bee Journal for 

 March, in his apiary display. Mr. 



Malta, an island in the Mediterranean 

 sea. was "Melita " originally. That was 

 its Latin name. " Mel " is " honey " in 

 Latin. Was the one derived from the 

 other ? 



An Industrious Nation is like the 

 honey-bees; we take away their wax 

 and their honey, and the next moment 

 they work to produce more. — rollaire. 



A Novel Display.— The photograph 

 given represents Mr J. C. Frank, of 

 Dodge City, Kans., and a corner of his 

 apiarv. The capital letters A R Y, 

 shown in the photo, are the last letters 

 of the word "apiary," used by him to 

 make his bees build, out of comb 

 honey, the sign shown on the front 



Mr. J. C. Frank and Part ok His Aimarv. 



Frank is an active worker, and makes 

 beautiful Fair displays of both bees 

 and honey. Success to such men, for 

 they help to advertise honey among 

 consumers. 



Bee-Keeping <^ For Women 



Conducted bv Miss Emma M. Wilson. Marengo. III. 



The Value ol Poplar Trees as Honey- 

 Producers 



I am just takiiii; renewed interest in bees 

 and honey, and want to ask a few questions: 



What is considered to be the honey-pro- 

 duction of our old. native [loplar trees, and 

 what is the quality of the honey? Canyon 

 tell me of any book that tells of the honey- 

 producinj; qualities of our trees and plants, 

 also any individual I miaht write to for in- 

 formation on the subject ? 



Can you give me the address of Prof. A. J. 

 Cook. I have several large, old poplar trees 

 that I have been offered a price, but have 

 been keeping them for my bees. I would be 

 glad to knrjw what others, with more expe- 

 rience, think of it. 



Duluth.Ga. ■ (Mrs.) H. Strickland. 



P. S.— Did you ever hear of bees commit- 

 ting suicide from the poplar tree, or in any 

 other way ? H. S. 



I do not know of any book that gives 

 very full information as to different 

 honey-plants. In the leading text- 

 books on bee-keeping a list of such 

 plants may be found, but nothing very 

 definite as to the value of each one. In 

 fact, it would be a very difficult thing 

 to say just how much was the honey 

 value of any given plant. In a general 

 way we know something about what 

 are good honey-plants, as, for instance, 

 white clover. But no one can say how 

 much honey can be obtained from an 

 acre of white clover. Kven if we knew 

 exactly how much honey was had from 

 a certain acre, that might be much less 

 or much more than from some other 



acre. Moreover, on precisely the same 

 ground, and apparently the same stand 

 of plants, the yield this year might be 

 quite diflferent from other years. 



Now after all this has been said, it 

 may be that some one who has had ex- 

 perience with poplar as a honey-plarit, 

 can give us some information that will 

 be of value. In the meantime, subject 

 to correction, it may be no harm to say 

 what is the impression about poplar 

 honey in this region where poplar does 

 not grow. That is, that poplar yields a 

 good quantity of somewhat dark honey 

 of fiavor that is approved where it 

 grows, but not liked so well elsewhere. 



As to whether it would be to your 

 interest to sell your trees to be cut for 

 the timber, or to preserve them for 

 your bees, much depends upon condi- 

 tions. It must be taken into accoutit 

 that if cut as timber you have their 

 value once for all; while as lioney- 

 yielders their value is continuous. If 

 there are no other poplars within 2 or 

 :i miles, and no other plants that yield 

 nectar at the same time as poplar, then 

 it is likely that it would not be advis- 

 able to sell them. On the other hand, 

 if poplars are reasonably plenty within 

 2 or 'i miles, or if there are plenty of 

 other honey-plants that yield at the 

 same time as poi)lar, then it may be to 

 your advantage to sell the trees. 



Mr. .1. J. Wilder, of Cordele, Ga., is 



an able bee-keeper who probably un- 

 destands well the honey sources of 

 your State. 



Prof. A. J. Cook is now California 

 Commissioner of Horticulture, and a 

 letter addressed to Sacramento would 

 reach him. 



A bee will not hesitate to sacrifice 

 its life in defense of its home. .Any- 

 thing aside from this in the line of 

 suicide is likely mythical. 



More Trouble With Swarms ' 



It is always a matter of interest to 

 watch the course of an enthusiastic be- 

 ginner in bee-keeping. The proverb 

 has it that "The course of true love 

 never runs smoothly." The same is 

 true of bee-keeping. And that very 

 fact makes one of its chief charms. To 

 meet difficulties and to overcome them 

 — that's the thing for your true bee- 

 keeper. 



Mrs. SpofTord was advised, on page 

 171, to try the Demaree plan of pre- 

 venting swarming, under the impres- 

 sion that she was working for ex- 

 tracted honey. This was a mistaken 

 impression, and she thought she might 

 succeed by trying the Townsend plan 

 of having a super filled with sections 

 except an extracting comb at each 

 side. Also on one hive she would put 

 a super containing partly-drawn combs 

 in sections. But "The best laid plans 

 of mice and men gang aft agley." Same 

 with women, as witness the following 

 letter: 



I am a disgusted bee-woman today. On 

 May 24 I went throut;li all the frames in my 3 

 hives. In No. i 1 cut out. 1 think, 'j queen- 

 cells. In Nos. .: and }, I couldn't tind a queen- 

 cell, but there was brood in both. But in 

 both No. 2 and No. 3 I found scattered about 

 in the bottom of the cells a deposit light in 

 color. There was none in No. i. In No. 2 I 

 actually found the queen. \ 



Now this is June 2. and out came a swarm 

 from No. i. 1 was miserable, and said to 

 myself: It will have to go. I .im not pre- 

 pared to hive it; haven't the strength. Half 

 an hour of disgust and I started to tind ;i 

 box. Result, a box into which I put 2 e\ 

 tracting-frames filled with foundation. Thr 

 box was placed on top of a step-laddn 

 which was also resting on a box. I stood ou 

 a chair. 



I shook four fifths of the bees into my im 

 provised hive, and r>ut a sheet of wireclolli 

 over it. It is now an hour later, and Ihosu 

 left in the tree have gone into the box. also. 

 I don't want them, and I am so disgusted not 

 to be able to find some way to discipline 

 them and make them return home to work, 

 1 shall improvise a super and put a few sec- 

 tions in it. and let them do what they like; 

 and I shall again go through the hives tomor- 

 row. 



Townsend's extracting super, under the 

 sections, did not work this time, "What 1 

 have in mind to do is to make them join the 

 weakest of the colonies next fall, 



(Mrs, J CiiAs, \. Si'OFford. 



Norfolk. Conn, 



Please, Mrs. Spofford, don't be dis- 

 couraged. If you will allow another 

 proverb: "Faint heart never yet won 

 fair lady," and that other classic : " If 

 at first you don't succeed, try, try again." 

 There is a crumb of comfort in the 

 fact that you can have a colony reach 

 that point of strength to be ready to 

 swarm so early as June 2. when not a 

 fruit-tree was in bloom the middle of 

 May. If you can do that every year, 

 and if you can keep down swarmin.t;. 

 you ought to get crops if crops are to 

 be gotten. 



You cut out all queen-cells May 21. 

 and it seems in all fairness that those 



I 



