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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



April 23, 1903. 



not been so bright and as plentiful as it is now for 12 to 13 

 years. But, for all that, we can never be sure of a good sea- 

 son ahead of time. The causes that make the nectar to ap- 

 pear in the blossoms are beyond human knowledge thus far. 

 We all have an indistinct idea that it takes warmth, mois- 

 ture and an atmosphere charged with electricity. But pre- 

 dictions on the weather — the one who says the least is the 

 best prophet, because he runs the least risk of making a 

 mistake. Hancock Co., 111. 



Don't Let Swarms Get Into a Mix-Up. 



HY WM. m'EVOY. 



LAST season was the worst one ever known in Ontario 

 for many swarms rushing out at the same time, and all 

 clustering in one great cluster. Where this takes place 

 it uses up much of the bee-keeper's time in putting thing-s to 

 rights, and delays all his other work, which needs very 

 prompt attention, and ends the season with many dollars 

 short in his honey crop. 



Last summer I saw the swarms coming out of eleven of 

 my colonies at the same time. I called my help and we 

 very promptly covered ten of them with quilts, and sheets, 

 and left the one that had the most bees out go on and alight, 

 which it did; and before they had half clustered four more 

 colonies started swarming, and these were just as promptly 

 stopped by covering them with quilts which went down to 

 the ground, and hung out about a foot from the hives ; and 

 under these quilts the bees rushed out of their hives pell- 

 mell for a few minutes, and then returned back into their 

 hives. 



—J As I keep all my queens' wings clipped, and finding 

 the swarm up the tree not returning, I knew that it must 

 have a young queen with it, and at once hived that swarm, 

 and promptly took the quilts off the 14 colonies so as to let 

 in the field-bees that were coming home hunting for their 

 hives. I then went to work, and divided the bees and made 

 a swarm from each of these 14 colonies, which I had pre- 

 vented from swarming, and secured a good yield of honey. 

 I hit on this method over 25 years ago, and have practiced 

 it every since, and it has been worth many dollars to me. 



Ontario, Canada. 



^ Association Notes. | 



The Foul Brood Bill in Illinois. 



Reports from Springfield are very encouraging. Pres. 

 Smith and Sec. Stone, of the Illinois State Bee-Keepers' 

 Association, are on the ground, and go to see some of the 

 lawmakers every week or two. If the bill becomes a law 

 we can thank the few bee-keepers who have personally 

 labored with their representatives in the IvCgislature. 



As we understand the situation now, the Legislature of 

 Illinois will adjourn about May 1, and between now and 

 then we will probably learn our fate. The most serious 

 danger that threatens us is that our bill will be smothered 

 by a multitude of other bills in the rush of the last days of 

 the session. But we have done all we could. The fact that 

 ihe two Associations have joined /ia7ids in efforts for the bill, 

 may have enough weight with the Legislature to cause 

 favorable action. 



Let me sound a note of warning : Don't any of you 

 break your hearts if we fail. This may be only the open- 

 ing wedge to break into a success in the next meeting of the 

 Legislature, in 1905. Then we can go at them with an 

 added force from our experience of the present. 



I wish to say right here that less than a dozen have 

 taken enough interest to subscribe money in aid of our bill. 

 Possibly less than joo, all told, have written to the members 

 of the Legislature and given any thought to the mattter. 

 And there are 35,000 bee-keepers in Illinois I If we fail, can 

 you guess why? Herman F. Moore, 



Chairman Foul Brood Committee, 

 Chicago-Northwestern Bee-Keepers' Association. 



Our Bee-HeeDin§ Sisters | 



Conducted bu EMMfl M, WILSON, Marengo, 111. 



The Spring- and the Bees. 



This has been rather an unusual spring. March 7 we 

 took out some 20 colonies of bees, let them have a good 

 flight, and carried them back into the cellar again. March 

 13, we took out 20 colonies, and left them out. March 19, 

 the thermometer stood at 75 degrees, and we took all the 

 rest out. Really, the weather was so warm that they might 

 just as well have been taken out two weeks before, although 

 we have had two or three snow-storms since. 



One day the thermometer stood at 76, and the bees were 

 having a lovely time bringing in such large loads of pollen, 

 and the next day the ground was covered with snow. 



Taking it all in all, I am glad we took them out when 

 we did, although it might have been better to have carried 

 the weaker ones back to the cellar during the storms. The 

 time for bringing the bees out of the cellar, as well as the 

 matter of returning, is rather a troublesome question to 

 decide. Who can tell just what is best ? 



Our bees wintered finely, and came out in good condi- 

 tion as far as we can judge from outside appearances, con- 

 sidering they were put into the cellar under very adverse 

 circumstances. On account of having a furnace put in we 

 were obliged to leave the bees out until December. They 

 were carried in the 8th and 9th, after the thermometer stood 

 at 8 degrees below zero. 



We have not done any overhauling yet, because for a 

 month past everything else has been set aside for the tab- 

 ernacle meetings, led by Rev. W. A. Sunday, with audiences 

 of 800 to 1200, resulting in more than 200 conversions. 



April 2 I picked a dandelion in blossom. Pretty early 

 for Illinois ; but everything is early this year. 



The Chayote as a Honey-Plant. 



Have any of our bee-keepers had experience with the 

 chayote ? Not the coyote belonging to the genus canis, 

 whose name is so similar to that of the tropical plant, but 

 the chayote, Sechium edule, the vegetable pear. 



However, it is on account of the chayote's value as a 

 beeplant, and not in regard to the edible qualities of its 

 fruit that I am chiefly interested. But as to any personal 

 knowledge concerning this Mexican vegetable, I have that 

 yet to learn, though if all goes well my experience will not 

 be afar off, inasmuch as I have planted the seed early this 

 month, keeping, of course, the buried treasure indoors, until 

 all danger of frost is over, before transplanting. 



Although a plant of the tropics, the chayote can be 

 grown in cool latitudes, it is said, therefore I hope it will 

 take kindly to Indiana soil. The instructions state that it 

 requires a somewhat sheltered situation, and something to 

 climb upon ; also, that it is the universal practice to plant 

 the entire fruit instead of extracting the seed, and planting 

 it alone. 



The United States Department of Agriculture, Division 

 of Botany, published a Bulletin by O. F. Cook, concerning 

 the chayote. It contains a number of plates, and is a beau- 

 tiful and interesting pamphlet, and, as far as known, this 

 paper is " the first adequate account of the nature, culture, 

 and economic value of this promising member of the squash 

 family." 



Regarding its value as a bee-plant, the Bulletin states : 



" As in other vegetables of the squash family, the 

 stamens and pistils are in separate flowers, pollination tak- 

 ing place through the agency of insects. To attract these 

 the flowers of both kinds, but especially the pistillate, yield 

 abundant nectar, which is secreted in ten glands, two at the 

 base of each of the lobes of the corolla. In most of the 

 countries into which it has been introduced bee-keeping has 

 not been a regular industry, and the value of the chayote 

 as a source of honey has not been noticed, but the reports 

 of experimenters in New South Wales contain very em- 

 phatic statements on the subject : 



'"When the plant is in flower I have noticed that the 

 vines were swarming with bees, and as flowers are scarce 



