THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW, 



319 



gether that uo cracks are left in which to 

 put propolis. 



«^rf»,<mir«.HMK 



THE EFFECT OF MOISTUBE UPON HONEY 8E0EE- 

 TION. 



For several years Mr. Sam. Wilson of 

 Tenn. asserted that he could forecaste or 

 foretell the honey season of a given locality. 

 He did not explain how he did this, and, as 

 he did not always " strike it right," the 

 matter was looked upon as visionary. Later 

 he explained that he believed that the secre- 

 tion of nectar depended not only upon the 

 weather at the time of bloom but upon the 

 weather or moisture of months previous. 

 If there were abundant rains the previous 

 autumn, and snow in winter, then a honey 

 crop might be expected. He now says that 

 he believes that one class of plants may 

 need moisture at a different period from 

 those of another class. Mr. Heddon devotes 

 a column of his last Quarterly to this subject, 

 and inclines to the opinion that here may 

 be found a solution of the cause of the poor 

 seasons, rather than in the fact that bass- 

 woods aud other honey producing plants 

 have been cut away. We all know that bass- 

 wood and clover often bloom most pro- 

 fusely at a time when, so far as we can 

 discover, all the conditions necessary for a 

 honey flow are present, yet there is no honey. 

 Mr. Wilson may be correct as to the cause, 

 but, if he is, about all we can do about it is 

 to wait until a good season does come. 

 There may be some satisfaction in knowing 

 why the blossoms don't secrete honey, but 

 unless we can supply a remedy we are no 

 better off. There is one point, however, in 

 this theory, if it proves to be a true theory, 

 that may be of some benefit. If we can 

 know in advance that no honey will be se- 

 creted, it will help us to plan accordingly. 

 "Forewarned in forearmed." It would 

 also be an advantage to know in advance if 

 a good season is coming, but it must not be 

 forgotten that the weather at the time of 

 bloom may oppose or destroy the beneficial 

 effect of previous months. Simply a change 

 of the wind will sometimes arrest or start 

 the secretion of nectar. In basswood time 

 I have seen bees "snooping" around and 

 trying to rob, and an hour later the whole 

 apiary be in an perfect uproar caused by 

 bees begining again to come in loaded. 



To return again to the main subject : if it 

 is true that previous drouths affect a honey 

 flow— and this does not appear unreasonable 



— then the question arises what causes the 

 drouths that come now almost every year ? 

 If they are caused by the cutting away of 

 of forests, the draining of swamps, and the 

 like, what hope have we ? If they are 

 brought about by some other cause, a sort 

 of chance, so to speak, if a few more turns 

 of the wheel of time will again show us the 

 " bow of promise, " then may we hope and 

 smile. 



BEE JOURNALS AND THE SUPPLY TBADE. 



Hasty touches upon the fact that Bros. 

 Root and York are in "cahoots," that the 

 latter will conduct a supply business for the 

 former, and he wonders, and wonders- 

 well look at his "view " for this month and 

 see what he does say. One or two other 

 journals have commented upon this point 

 and intimated that the "Old Reliable" 

 will have attached to it a " supply house tag. " 

 When Bro. York was here in September he 

 told me that there would be no connection 

 whatever between the journal and the Root 

 supply business — he was simply paid to 

 attend to the business. When I have written 

 this to some correspondent (several have 

 written me about the matter) he has replied 

 " yes, he may be at work for the Roots, but 

 it's probably on commission. " Probably 

 no amount of explanation or assertion will 

 convince some people that the American 

 Bee Journal is not now in some way con- 

 nected with the supply business ; but, no 

 matter what the arrangement may be be- 

 tween Messrs. Root and York, I am well 

 satisfied that the journal of the latter will 

 not suffer by that arrangement. Bro. York 

 does not claim to be a practical bee-keeper 

 and has nothing to say one way or the other 

 about hives, implements and the like, leav- 

 ing that entirely to his correspondents, and 

 it is not at all likely that he will now begin 

 to boom Root's goods— I know he won't. 



Now that I liave commenced on this sub- 

 ject I may as well say a little more. I be- 

 lieve that the American Bee Journal is the 

 only bee journal in this country the editor 

 of which is not interested to some extent, 

 at least, in the sale of supplies. Perhaps 

 the editor of the American Bee Jorunal can- 

 not say that he is ivholly disinterested — he 

 will wish to sell as many goods as possible 

 for his employer— but this is getting down 

 to splitting hairs. I know how diificult it is 

 for the editor of a bee journal to keep en- 

 tirely free from the supply trade. I tried to 



