MAY 1, 1915 



areas an> coMMi'd almosl exchisiv t'ly with 

 this plant, wliirli opens its l)lossonis in tlie 

 first part of Aufrust. Beekeepers migrate 

 to the heath lands from considerable dis- 

 tances. Kntire ti'ains loaded only with bees 

 to be earrie<l to these late-bloomina: pas- 

 tures may be seen. The "Heidimkers" have 

 from the eommon German black bee bred 

 a varielj' called the heath-bee that differs 

 from the orisrinal especially in its fei'tility 

 and swarm impulse. Tn this respect it 

 equals the (~"arniolan bee. I^eekeopers who 

 move to the heatli want to increase as much 

 as possible by natural swarming', and to 

 have a high number of skeiis when moving 

 to the heath. About the middle of Septem- 

 ber the tlow from the heath stops. Those 

 skeps that the beekeeper does not want to 

 winter are " drummed off," and tlie 

 " swarms," weighing from 4 to 6 lbs., are 

 sold from 75 cts. to $1.10. For I21/2 ('ts. 

 a swarm up to 11 lbs. can be sent by mail 

 to any part in Germany. Such swarms are 

 put on combs, and fed sugar syrup for 

 winter .stores. The queens of such swarms 

 are often exchanged, either in the fall or 

 next spring:. The honey from the heather 

 is not considered first-class; and as soon as 

 it is cai)ped it is so viscous that it cannot 



1)L' c.xt lacteil excejil by using a new device 

 by which, after the comb is uncapped, 

 something like a blunt nail is forced into 

 each cell. Most of the heath honey is 

 either sold as comb or chunk honey, or 

 strained honey that has been melted with a 

 gentle heat. It is only in the last few years 

 tliat the modern hive has begun to gain 

 favor with the Heidimker. 



Besides this Erica vulgaris, there grows 

 especially abundant in Karnten and Carni- 

 ola the Erica carnea on the lower mountain 

 sides, ft blooms quite early in spring, 

 when snow may be within a few feet. This 

 very beautiful flower, which covers exten- 

 sive areas like a crimson carpet, furnishes 

 pollen and honey. The honey is said to be 

 of very fine quality, but is used by the bees 

 to build up. 



] am surprised that I never see any thing- 

 mentioned about the heaths of America. 

 Are there none in the northern or north- 

 eastern parts'? The Erica vulgaris grows 

 in Germany on peat and sandy ground. 

 The heath honey is by many considered a 

 lX)or winter food, but excellent in spring- 

 to breed up rapidly. 



Rempten, Bavaria, Germany. 



DR. ULRICH KRAMER 



BY ERNEST TSCHUDIN 



The Swiss beekeepers have suffered a 

 severe loss by the death of Dr. U. Kramer, 

 which occurred in Zurich on the 19th of 

 August, last year, a few days before his 

 70th birthday. His name is known not only 

 in every Swiss beekeeper's home, but also 

 far abroad, on account of his practical and 

 scientific writings on the honeybee. He had 

 becTi a lover of nature since his earliest 

 days, and especially the bee captured his 

 interest. Wiiile still in the state's service as 

 teacher at the public schools at Zurich he 

 unselfishly sacrificed most of his holidays 

 to the cause of beekeeping, griving during 

 this time more than 200 lectures on beekeep- 

 ing, and dozens of instruction courses of 

 several days each, all of which practically 

 meant unpaid work in those days. Since 

 189.5, when pensioned as teacher, he devoted 

 all his time and strength to the promotion 

 of beekeejiing in Switzerland. 



Kramer was founder of the Zuiich Bee- 

 keepers' Association, 1887. and three years 

 later he advocated the uniting of the dilTci- 

 enl beekeepers' societies into a national or- 

 organizalion. wliicli now counts about 9500 



members, belonging to 116 individual soci- 

 eties. Ki-amer had been its president for 

 nearly twenty years. In the same year, 

 3884, he initiated the observation stations 

 for sfudjang weather and yield conditions in 

 different regions of the country, reports to 

 be sent in monthly. For twenty-two years 

 Kramer acted as chief of this work, and 

 published highly interesting reports witli 

 colored tables, Avhich threw new light on 

 the matter. 



Tn the last fifteen years this institution 

 has been also adopted in Austria and a few 

 German states, as well as the luating-station 

 system, another creation of Kramer. He 

 established the first station of this kind on 

 a small island in the lake of Zurich. 



With tlie advance of beekeeping in tlie 

 last twenty years the im])ortation of foreign 

 stock, especially Italian and Garniolan, had 

 assiuiied great jiroportions. Tlie results, 

 however, were not always satisfactory, and 

 Kiaiiier. basing liis statements on careful 

 and painstaking obse^rvations, was one of 

 tile first to declare that the native "brown'' 

 bee was tlie race best adapted to the pecu- 



