May 7, 1903. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



303 



I have said all this to get to a place where 1 

 can relate what to me is the most interesting 

 part of ray experience, viz. : 



August it, 1902, I hived a large swarm of 

 bees in one of the above hives; it was raining 

 almost daily, and was cool. Knowing there 

 had been no nectar in the bloom all summer, 

 even if the bees could have flown, I reasoned 

 that they could gather nothing since it had 

 been so cold and wet. I concluded I would 

 helper look at them. Aug. !(!, IIKW, seven 

 days after I had put them in the hive, was a 

 nice, warm, sunshiny day, and although I 

 had never done anything of the kind, I deter- 

 mined to look into them, especially as the 

 bees were Hying lustily from the other hives, 

 and not a bee coming out of this one. I put 

 on veil and gloves and removed the top from 

 this hive, and there the bees were in a bunch, 

 dispirited, lifeless, and seemingly in a starv- 

 ing condition. I grew bolder and lifted out 

 all the frames. There was not a scintilla of 

 comb made ; I was at a loss as to what to do. 

 1 could not bear the idea of their starving, so 

 I put on an empty super, and placed in it a 

 pie-pan, laid some cobs in it, and tilled with 

 syrup. I made the syrup by lilling a gallon 

 bottle with granulated sugar and pouring in 

 cold water and shaking until all was dis- 

 solved. The bees were ravenous, and soon 

 emptied it. I continued to fill the pie-pan 

 with sugar syrup for some days. 



All of this time it was raining, when I 

 thought I would see if they were simply eat- 

 ing syrup or were building comb. I again 

 lifted the frames and found they were rapidly 

 filling them with the most beautiful white 

 comb. Matters were now becoming decidedly 

 interesting to me, and knowing all my other 

 new colonies were in almost as bad a condi- 

 tion, I placed empty supers on them, with 

 pie-pans in the supers, and fed all until I had 

 fed S15 worth of sugar to the 9 colonies. As 

 7 of them had to make their comb out of 

 sugar, is it at all surprising they consumed 

 45 gallons of syrup, or 3 gallons for every 

 dollar's worth of sugar J 



Now, what of the result? About the mid- 

 dle of March I noticed an enormous amount 

 of a wet, black stinking mass on the bottom- 

 board under the frames. So I determined to 

 look into them, expecting to tind my late 

 swarms, sugar-fed, all dead. To do this I had 

 to remove the straw from the top, and got a 

 man to lift the hive while I pulled out the 

 bottom from under each, and scraped off this 

 mass, in some one inch thick and very foul. 

 I turned over each bottom-board, and this 

 gave them a nice, clean bottom. I did not 

 put the straw back on top, but left it banked 

 up north of them. In a few days I lifted up 

 some frames and found quite an amount of 

 brood. In a short time I removed the straw 

 from the north of them, and the next night 

 we had a pretty hard freeze. Did it kill the 

 brood i 



Some of the colonies, especially the one 

 coming off Aug. 9, 1902, are full of bees. Did 

 they develop last fall > or are they the old 

 bees that I put in there* The four colonies I 

 bought I did not get until late in the fall; 

 they were empty and starving. I fed them 

 until cold weather. Surely, they could not 

 have developed young bees last fall or during 

 the winter, so the bees there now must be the 

 ones put in last fall. All 9 colonies came 

 through, but one was so weak the others 

 pounced upon it when I was gone one day, 

 completely annihilating it. They punctured 

 the comb and tore it up in a great way. 



I may add that I immediately subscribed 

 for the American Bee 'Tournal on buying my 

 first 2 colonies. I have since bought Prof. 

 Cook's " Manual of the Apiary." I am too 

 busy with my profession to read much bee- 

 literature, but it is getting " mighty interest- 

 ing." W. A. WiSEM.^x, M. D. 



Douglas Co., 111., April 13. 



[The freeze may and may not have killed 

 the brood. 



The bees present in the middle of March 

 were mostly those reared after the swarm was 

 hived Aug. 9, and the bees in the other colo- 

 nies were, as you surmise, reared before win- 

 ter. Generally no young bees leave the cells 

 after October.— Editor.] 



CONVENTION NOTICE. 



Illinois. — Till' .spring meeting of the east- 

 ern part of the .Vorthern Illinois Bee-Keepers' 

 Association will he held at the residence of 

 James Taylor, in Harlem, Winnebago Co., 

 111., on Tuesday, May 19, 1903. All interested 

 in bees are cordially invited to attend. 



B. KENNEDT, .SVi'. 



A Good Poultry Supply House. — A new adver- 

 tisement of an old reliable poultry supply house 

 comes into our columns this issue. It is that of 

 W. J. Gibson A: Co., of Chicag-o. Many of our 

 readers ha\e had satisfactory deaUnfjfs with 

 these people for years. There is hardly any 

 necessity of the poultry business but what is 

 carried by this concern, who make it a point to 

 supply to their customers the best, and only the 

 best, there is going. In the personnel of the 

 house there is a t,'ood deal of poultry talent, cer- 

 tain of the members being actively engaged in 

 the poultry business. At least one, Mr. H. M. 

 Horton, is well known to poultrymeu, and is at 

 present a director in the National Fanciers' As- 

 sociation. Naturally, they know what the 

 poultryman's needs" are, and what is best 

 adapted to meet them. In the interest or our 

 readers we heartily commend the advertisement 

 to their notice. Please mention the American 

 Bee Journal when writing to them. 



The Nickel Plate Road 



is the short line to the East, and the 

 service equal to the best. You will 

 save time and money by traveling' over 

 this line. It has three through daily 

 express trains, with through vestibuled 

 sleeping-cars, and American Club 

 Meals, ranging' in price from 35c. to 

 $1.00, are served in Nickel Plate dining- 

 cars ; also a la carte service. Try a 

 trip over the Nickel Plate Road, and 

 you will find the service equal to any 

 between Chicago and the East. 



Chicago depot: Harrison St. and 

 Fifth Ave. City Ticket . Offices 111 

 Adams St. and Auditorium Annex. 

 John Y. Calahan, General Agent, 113 

 Adams St., Room 298, Chicago. 'Phone 

 Central 2057. 1— 17ASt 



Catnip See d Free! 



We have some of the seed of that fa- 

 mous honey-producing plant — Catnip. 

 It should be scattered in all waste- 

 places for the bees. Price, postpaid, 

 15 cents per ounce ; or 2 ounces mailed 

 FREE to a reerular subscriber for send- 

 ing us one NEW subscriber to the Bee 

 Journal for one year, with $1.00 ; or for 

 SI. 20 we will send the Bee Journal one 

 year and 2 ounces of Catnip seed to 

 any one. 



GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 



I'M & 146 E. Erie St., - CHICAGO, ILL. 



MounilinjonGolleoe I 



Open to both sexes from the beg-io- \. 



ning. Founded in 1S46. Highest grade V 



scholarship. First-class reputation. 25 w 



instructors. Alumni and students occu- ^ 



pying highest positions in Church and A* 



State, Expen.ses lower than other col- IP 



leges of equal tirade. Any young person k 



'ith tact and energy can have an educa- f* 



tion. We invite correspondence. Send V 



for catalog. kg 



MOUNT UNION COLLEGE, r 



Alliance, Ohio. w 



Please mention Bee Journal 

 when writing advertisers. 



I HONEY AND BEESWAX 



S MARKET QUOTATIONS. 



Chicago, .April 18.— Little change from laist 

 quotation, sales are few and prices not firm. 

 No. 1 to fancT white, lS@li.c; other grades 

 range from 10@14c. Extracted, white, 6f*7c; 

 amber, 5ii@b%c. Beeswax selling on arrival 



at 32c. R. A. BORNBTT <s Co. 



Albany, N. Y., Mar. 14. — Honey demand 

 quiet; receipts and stock light. Comb selling, 

 light, ISc; mi.xed, 14(ai5c; dark, 13@14c. Ex- 

 tracted, dark, at 7@7}4c. lieeswax firm, 30@32c. 

 H. R. Wright. 



Kansas City, April 20.— The supply of comb 

 honey is about exhausted. The demand good. 

 We quote you as follows: Fancy white comb, 

 24 sections, per case, $.1.50; No. 1 white comb, 24 

 sections, $3 40; No. 2, white and amber, per 

 case, $3.0O@3.2S. Extracted, white, per pound, 

 6@6«c; amber, 5>^c. Beeswax, 25@30c. 



C. C. Clemons & Co. 



Cincinnati, Apr. 27.— Little demand for comb 

 honey at present: fancy white sells at 15(S.16c in 

 a small way. We quote amber extracted at 

 S'A@(,%c; white clover, 8@9c. Sales not as lively 

 as expected this season of year. Cuban ex- 

 tracted is offered on all sides, and future prices 

 are awaited with intense interest. Beeswax 

 strong at 30c. The Fred W. Moth Co. 



Nb'W York, April .1.— Comb honey is moving 

 rather slowly of late and prices are somewhat 

 declining. We quote fancy white at from 

 14@lSc; No. 1, white, 13c; amber, ll@12c. Ex- 

 tracted quiet and easv, with plenty of supply. 

 We quote white at 6^fc7c; light amber, 5"4(a.6c; 

 dark at 5c. Beeswax steady at 30(i'31. 



. HiLDRBTH & SBQBLKBK. 



Cincinnati, Apr. IS-The comb honey market 

 is a little better, as the big stock is almost ex- 

 hausted; prices are better— fancy water-white 

 brings 15@1(jc. The market for extracted has 

 not changed whatever, and prices are as fol- 

 lows: Amber in barrels, 5ii@SHc: in cans, 

 6@6}ic; white clover, 8@8>^c. Pee-Jwax. 28'a30c. 

 C. H. W. Wbbbk. 



San Francisco, Mar. 11.— White comb honey 

 12>i@13Hc; amber, 9(i911c; dark, 7(a»7>uc. Ex- 

 tracted, white, b%@t~]ic\ light amber, SJ^i&ac- 

 amber, S@5lic: dark. 4@4^c. Beeswax, good to 

 choice, light. 27@29c; dark, 25@26c. 



Demand is fair on local account for water- 

 white, uncandied, but there is not much of this 

 sort obtainable. Market for same is firm at 

 ruling rates. Candied stock and common qual- 

 ities are going at somewhat irregular and rather 

 easy figures, holders as a rule being desirous of 

 effecting an early cleau-up. 



TRACTED HONEY ! 

 Send sample and best price delivered here; also 

 Fancy Comb wanted in no-drip cases. 



THE FRED W. MUTH CO. 

 32Atf Front add Walnut, Cincinnati. Ohio. 

 Please mention Bee Journal -when ■WTitiii& 



If you want the Bee-Book 



That covers the whole Apicultural Field more 



completely than any other published, 



send $1.20 to 



Prof. A. J. Cook, Claremont, Cal., 



FOR HIS 



"Bee=Keeper's Guide." 



Liberal Discounts to the Trade. 



FREE FOR A MONTH .... 



If yott are interested in Sheep in any way 

 you cannot afford to be withont the best 

 Sheep Paper published in the United States. 



Wool Markets and Sheep 



has a hobby which is the sheep-breeder and 

 his industry, first,foremost and all the time. 

 Are you interested ? Write to-day. 

 WOOL MARKETS AND SHEEP. CHICABO. ILL. 



Please mentinu Bae Journal -wVien writing 



DAIRYMEN ARE DELIGHTED 



'ow k*ep*ra always 



ork. We furoish capllal. S«tid 

 . for ftiJl line of samples srrt rartlcolars. 



DKAPEK PUBLISHING CO., Chicago, Ills. 

 Flease mention Bee Joomal -when vntlne 



