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(JLEANINCS IN BEE CULTURE 



9S9 



more stable in spite of the larg;e crop of honey 

 that h:is been secured. Reports from everywhere 

 show that clover honey this year is of exception- 

 ally fine quality. It has been an old-fashioned 

 clover year. 



In Eastern Colorado the indications show that 

 there will be a fair crop. As to the Western 

 part of the State the following letter will explain: 



The western part of Colorado has had but a very light How 

 from alfalfa, and unless we have rain there will be no flow 

 from sweet clover. Guv Cl.\rk. 



Crawford, Col., July 26. 



DANGER OF ROBBING AT THIS TIME OF THE YEAR; 

 THE VALUE OF THE ROBBER-TRAP. 



Now is the time to avoid robbing. Nothing 

 costs the bee-keeper more than to let a bad case 

 of robbing get started; for so long as these rob- 

 bers exist at all they will continue to annoy both 

 the bee-keeper and the weak colonies. We do 

 not nowadays intend to let robbing get start- 

 ed; but if it does, we use the robber-trap. This 

 is nothing more nor less than a common hive 

 with a Porter bee-escape so arranged at the en- 

 trances that the robbers can pass into the hive 

 but not out again. Something more effective 

 than the Porter for this purpose is a long flat 

 wire-cloth cone, the apex of it reaching about to 

 the center of the bottom-board. The robbers 

 w ill enter this better; and as the point of the cone 

 is so far from the entrance they do not find their 

 way back. This trap is put on the stand of the 

 robbed colony, when, presto! they are caught. 

 When the robbers are once trapped they should 

 be taken immediately to an isolated location or 

 brimstoned. Having once acquired the stealing 

 habit they will do tenfold more damage in "a bee- 

 yard than they can ever do good, and it is " a 

 mighty good riddance " when they are removed 

 entirely. 



SUSPENSION OF THE "AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER." 



The announeement appears in the August is- 

 sue of the America?! Bee-keeper that that number 

 will be its last. In extending words of good by, 

 the editor, Mr. Harry E. Hill, offers his thanks 

 to friends and colaborers in this very nice way: 



GOOD BY. 



To every thing earthly there must be an end. So far as the 

 present editor and publishers are concerned, the end of the Amer- 

 ican Bee-keeper has been reached. This is the last edition of the 

 Bee-keeper, and I wish to express my sincere appreciation of and 

 gratitude for the courtesies of my numerous readers whose kind- 

 nesses enabled me. during the first eight years of my connection 

 with the paper, to increase its subscription-list from six hundred 

 to nearly three thousand copies a month. Memories of these 

 friends will always be recalled with pleasure. 



After nearly eleven years of pleasant associations with the bee- 

 keeping brethren of the English-speaking world, as editor of the 

 Bee-keeper, it is with a feeling of profound regret that I bid them 

 good by, and to each and every one of my readers I wish a full 

 measure of success and happiness. 



For several years past, other business interests have claimed 

 my full attention, and I have repeatedly tendered my resignation 

 to the publishers. This has always been met by the question, in 

 substance, " What will you take to stay with us f " I was com- 

 pelled to name my price, and it was always promptly conceded. 

 This old round world never held two more whole-souled, honor- 

 able, conscientious, and worthy business men than W. T. Fal- 

 coner and D. E. Merrill, who have been my employers in this 

 work, and I naturally wished to do all in my power to reciprocate 

 their courtesies in business, and 1 held on. 



Mr. Hill is a good bee-keeper and a ready 

 writer. He has an easy-flowing, forceful style, 

 and his stepping down from the apicultural field 

 of bee buzzings will be regretted. We trust that 



we may hear from him occasionally through oth- 

 er mediums now published. He has other busi- 

 ness interests outside of bee-keeping, and long- 

 since desired to be relieved. 



The untimely death of Mr. D. E. Merrill, of 

 the Falconer Co., mention of which we made on 

 page 757, June 15th issue of this journal, so in- 

 creased the responsibilities of Mr. Falconer that 

 he did not care to continue the publication of the 

 paper. It is announced that all subscription 

 moneys paid ahead will be refunded as soon as it 

 is practicable to do so. 



CYRENIUS CLIPPED TURKEY FEATHER FOR BRUSH- 

 ING BEES. 



Mr. F. H. Cyrenius, of Oswego, N. Y., of 

 whom mention was made on page 928, last issue, 

 while here at Medina, inquired if we had ever 

 used a turkey feather for brushing bees off from 

 combs. 



"Yes," we said, "that is older than the hills." 



"But," he said, "the feather I use is trimmed 

 down to within ^s inch of the midrib. This 

 makes the bristles stiff, and, unlike a brush or 

 broom, it does not roll the bees off from the 

 combs, making them angry, but lifts them oft 

 their feet — the stiff spines of the feather passing 

 right under them." 



He has sent a sample trimmed as he recom- 

 mends. If you can imagine a long stiff turkey 

 feather with the soft portion on either side 

 trimmed down to within fi inch of the quill or 

 midrib, you will have his improved brush. He 

 calls attention to the fact that this brush is so 

 light that it can be carried over the ear like the 

 old-fashioned quill pen of the schoolmasters of 

 ye olden times. 



We suggest that some of our extracted-honey 

 men try the clipped-quill brush, and report how 

 they like it. 



A GOOD SCHEME FOR EMPTYING COMBS CON- 

 TAINING ODDS AND ENDS OF HONEY, WITHOUT 

 THE USE OF THE EXTRACTOR. 



On reading this heading you may say there is 

 nothing very wonderful about this — that all one 

 needs to do is to scatter the combs, after the hon- 

 ey-flow, around in the yard where the bees can 

 get at them, when they will very soon clean 

 them up. Y-e-s; but it causes more or less of 

 an uproar; and after the honey is gone, the bees 

 are likely to pounce upon weak nuclei or to sting- 

 viciously. We would not advise practicing this 

 near a public highway unless the combs would 

 be emptied along about nightfall. They should 

 then be taken away. During the night the bees 

 will recover to a great extent from their excite- 

 ment, and will be less likely to cause disturbance 

 next morning. 



The suggestion has been made to remove all 

 such combs some rods away from the yard. This 

 is far better than exposing them in the apiary it- 

 self. But even this has its disadvantages, for it 

 will take some hours before the bees find the 

 honey. Feeding syrup outdoors is good; but 

 one should generally use a feed made of water 

 and granulated sugar, two of water and one of 

 sugar; and that syrup should be placed in feed- 

 ers^ so constructed as to permit the bees taking it 

 only very slowly. When so arranged the rob- 



