May 21, 1903. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



329 



[ Our Bee-MeepinS Sisters) 



Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. 



Death of Mrs. A. J. Barber. 



Mrs. A. J. Barber died at her home in Montezuma Co., 

 Colo., March 24. Her loss will be reg^retted not only by 

 Colorado bee-keepers, but by thousands of others. 



In its last issue, the Rocky Mountain Bee Journal had 

 this to say of our departed sister : 



" Mrs. Barber was well known to the bee-keeping; fra- 

 ternity, not only of her own State, but of the United States. 

 In her experience as an apiarist, she had evolved some 

 orig-inal ideas of g^reat value to bee-keepers, which she 

 freely imparted to the craft whenever the opportunity pre- 

 sented. She conducted several large apiaries, being the 

 most extensive woman bee-keeper in Colorado, and, per- 

 haps, in the world. 



" She was a pioneer of the early days of southwestern 

 Colorado — days when the gore-thirsty Qte was never off the 

 war-path. Her first husband was killed many years ago in 

 an unequal battle with that tribe. She is spoken of by 

 those who knew her familiarly, as a remarkable woman — 

 naturally refined, sympathetic, and kind, yet, when occa- 

 sion demanded, could be as brave as any heroine of fiction. 

 Notwithstanding nearly her whole life was lived amid the 

 turmoil, hardships, and meager advantages of the Western 

 frontier, she acquired a splendid education, and was always 

 recognized for her superior intelligence and modest worth." 



Spring' Feeding- of Bees. 



1. A colony has stood on the summer stand all winter, 

 and is strong and apparently healthy. If, on opening the 

 hive on a warm, pleasant day in early spring, it is found to 

 be quite damp, drops of water standing thickly on the walls, 

 what better thing could be done than to lift the cover and 

 let the sun shine directly on the pad for an hour or so in the 

 middle of the day ? 



2. In "Bees and Hone)'," by Newman, in reference to 

 spring feeding, we find this : " If there are no other bees 

 in the neighborhood, the food can be given in shallow pans 

 and placed in the noondaj' sun, at some distance from the 

 bees." Do you advise this as a safe way of feeding a small 

 apiary, provided all colonies are reasonably strong, and no 

 other bees nearer than a mile ? 



(Perhaps I can aid you to give a clearer answer in re- 

 gard to this particular case, by stating that my bee-pasture 

 lies principally north of my apiary, while to the south there 

 is practically no bee-pasture for a mile ; then there is an 

 apiary at least twice as large as mine ; then a little farther 

 south there is fine pasture.) 



3. If a safe plan, how far from the hives should the 

 food be placed ? 



4. How much per colony should be given, and how 

 often ? 



5. Would not a bowl or can inverted on a plate, or some 

 such thing, be better than an open shallow pan for such 

 feeding ? 



6. Bees began gathering pollen early in April, and 

 bloom was coming rapidly, wlien, on April 28 and 29, we 

 had a cold wave, ice and snow, so all bloom is destroyed 

 and no more expected till about the 'ast of May. All colo- 

 nies are strong, but there is not much honey in the hives. 

 Under these circumstances am I not obliged to feed in order 

 to be ready for early June alfalfa bloom ? 



I am a beginner, and have the whole business to learn, 

 and while I am at it I want to learn it right. 



Decatur Co., Kans., May 2. Auntie Bee. 



Answers. — 1. The condition you mention is one likely 

 to arise with any strong colony, especially if the entrance 

 be somewhat contracted, and need occasion no alarm ; but 

 your idea of drying it out with the sun is all right. 



2. It depends upon circumstances whether the plan is 

 good. It seems more like getting forage from the fields 

 than feeding in the hive, but the strongest colonies get the 

 most. If other bees are within a mile, some jwatching 



would be needed to see whether they get a start. Even at a 

 greater distance they might sometimes carry off sopie of 

 the feed, for bees have been known to forage more than 

 two or three miles from home. 



3. The distance is not important. Five, ten, twenty, or 

 more rods, just as it suits your convenience. 



4. Half a pint to a pint daily would not be out of the 

 way. But you should not give enough to have the combs 

 clogged so the queen will not have room to lay, and it is 

 not well to feed except when the weather is favorable for 

 bees flying. 



5. Yes, and no. Yes, if the can or bowl be large enough 

 to give sufficient standing room for the bees ; otherwise no. 



6. Surely, if colonies are strong you should keep them 

 strong, and in order to do that they must have plenty of 

 honey to draw on. It takes lots of honey, more than most 

 people suppose, to keep up the amount of brood-rearing 

 that is needed for good, strong colonies ; and anything that 

 curtails the brood-rearing at this critical time is most dis- 

 astrous to your future honey crop. By all means feed if 

 they need it. I hope you may find yourself mistaken, and 

 that all bloom may not be destroyed so that you will not 

 have any until' June ; but if that is true, then frequent feed- 

 ing to stimulate your colonies is what you need. 



Honey in Bread. 



"What nice bread this is ! Mr. John's baker's bread is 

 it not?" " No, I make all my own bread." "What yeast 

 do you use ?" " A half-cupful of honey, a pinch of tartaric 

 acid, a little flour, and some water. I prefer dark honey for 

 it." " Well, I would not wish for better bread." In the 

 dry weather bread made with honey yeast does not get so 

 dry as bread made with other yeast. In the United States 

 the large bakers are among the greatest honey-buyers. — 

 Australian Bee-Bulletin. 



The last sentence of the above would indicate that in 

 the United States a large amount of honey was used in 

 bread-making, which is rather doubtful. It is true that 

 large amounts of honey are bought by bakers, but used 

 chiefly, I think, in making honey-jumbles and things of 

 like nature. 



[ Hasty's Afterthoughts ] 



The " Old Reliable " seen through New and Unreliable Glasses. 

 By E. E. Hasty, Sta. B Rural, Toledo, Ohio. 



I,ONGING FOR HUM. 

 for the hum of some bees in the skies ! 

 O for some summer, O for some flies ! 

 (Loud cries of, " Put him out I " ) 



CUBAN honey IN THE UNITED STATES. 



Shall we let Cuban honey in cheaper because our breth- 

 ren are there producing it ? It was not with that expecta- 

 tion that they went to Cuba, I reckon. As people make 

 their beds so they must lie on them, as a general thing. If 

 they are true Americans they don't want to take the posi- 

 tion of holding out hands for alms. Of localities capable 

 of producing floods of cheap honey, 'spects we are carrying 

 enough already. Page 227. 



FORMALDEHYDE, FORMALIN, ETC. 



As to formaldehyde vapor, what we want now is not 

 more chin-music on the rondo, " It's reliable — It's unreli- 

 able — Nobody knows yet," but answers to square questions, 

 " How can I get it ? How shall I use it ? What does it 

 cost? What sort of stuff is it, anyway ?" Some simple in- 

 ventions and pictures of them, are just nicely in order, that 

 we may try it without bungling, and without that waste of 

 time which we usually incur when getting into something 

 totally new. And let some of the first users give us their 

 actual adventures — not too briefly. A sort of clandestine 

 article, formaldehyde is, I believe — more largely used in do- 

 ing wrong than in doing right — and by users who don't 

 want the fact of their using it known. Perchance that cir- 

 cumstance may make us more or less annoyance and bother. 



We read of both formaldehyde and formalin ; what's 



