224 



July, 1914. 



American Vae Journal 



alighted upon it and began filling them- 

 selves. 



The hours at which buckwheat fur- 

 nishes nectar differ a little in different 

 localities, and the bees accordingly 

 vary their hours to suit the nectar- 

 gathering possibilities. 



When the corolla of red clover is 

 shorter than common, owing to droutli, 

 the bees are not long in finding it out 

 and they work upon it, even though 

 several years may have elapsed since a 

 single honey-bee had such an oppor- 

 tunity. 



The pamphlets above mentioned may 

 probably be had at low cost by address- 

 ing the author, Mr. John H. Lovell, 

 Waldoboro, Maine. They are well 

 worth perusal, by the lovers of Nature 

 study. ^____^^^ c. p. u. 



Parcel-Po.st Paokag-e 



This time it's Allen Latham. From 

 him comes a package of candied honey 

 in brick-form, about 2x3x4 inches, 

 weighing in the neighborhood of a 

 pound. It is wrapped in a single piece 

 of paraffin paper long enough to go 

 two or three times around. This is 

 contained in a neat, light, wooden box. 

 The whole affair is of the simplest 

 kind, no instruction being needed to 

 tell the customer how to open it. The 

 preparation, however, may not be so 

 simple as the package looks. 



The size is all right to put upon a 

 plate, and the consistency of the honey 

 could not be improved except for those 

 who prefer honey in the liquid form. 

 Indeed, it is of such peculiar consis- 

 tency that if one blindfold d were to 

 eat it upon bread, one might not really 

 tell whether it were candied or liquid. 

 While entirely granulated, it is a bit 

 creamy, making it nearly, if not quite, 

 as easy to spread as butter. One que- 

 ries whether it would be possible to 

 secure always just the degree of con- 

 sistency. It would be a desideratum. 



In one respect something is left to 

 be desired. That very consistency 

 which makes the honey so nice for a 

 spread is such that when the paper is 

 peeled off it does not come off clean 

 and dry, but some of the honey clings 

 to the paper, leaving the cake a bit 

 messy. Likely there is no help for this. 

 Generally, however, it is easier to have 

 the dry cake, and then it will not be so 

 nice for a spread. 



Although flavor has little or nothing 

 to do with mailing honey, the unac- 

 customed Illinois palate is struck with 

 the peculiar flavor (sumac ?), which, as 

 there is no accounting for tastes, may 

 or may not receive general approval, 

 with a leaning toward the belief that it 

 may. 



D. M. Bryant, of Ethelfei.ts, Va.. With an Early Swarm. 



Heat Ke<niire<l to De.stroy Dis- 

 ease Gerni.s 



Bulletin No. 02, of the Department 

 of Agriculture, entitled, " Destruction 

 of Germs of Infectious Bee Diseases 

 by Heating," is now out, and treats of 

 the matter mentioned in our May num- 

 ber, page IM. It is by Dr. G. F. White, 

 and is very interesting. It is one of 

 the most useful reports on the subject 

 of diseases, and shows the efficiency of 

 the author. It may be had in the usual 

 way by applying to the department of 

 Agriculture at Washington. 



Stati.stirs au<l Crop Prospects 



The following letter from Dr. Phillips, 

 In Charge, of Apiculture at the Bureau 

 of l^ntomology of Washington, D. C, 

 is self-explanatory: 



On Saturday I asked the Bureau of 

 Statistics to send you a marked copy of 

 Farmers' Bulletin No. r)!l8, "The Agri- 

 cultural Outlook," in which you will 

 Hnd the first report on honey. This is 

 in the nature of a forecast as to the 



probable 1914 crop, based on number 

 and condition of colonies and condi- 

 tion of the chief honey-plants. Natur- 

 ally since this is the first effort of this 

 kind, the beekeepers reporting were 

 mostly without experience in such 

 work, and it was sometimes not easy 

 to know how to accept their figures. 

 In some cases the questions were 

 seemingly not fully understood. The 

 report must be taken with these facts 

 in mind, and it is hoped that in the 

 future the reports will increase in com- 

 pleteness and accuracy. There is a 

 tendency on the part of most persons 

 reporting to be conservative in their 

 figures. For example, a beekeeper 

 might say that the bees were never in 

 better shape, and then grade them 106 

 percent compared with normal, when 

 they may be W percent or more above 

 normal. The.se features will probably 

 diminish with future reports. 



The necessity now is for more re- 

 porters who are experienced b ekeep- 

 ers and close observers. The present 

 list contains some .iOOO names, but 

 twice that number for the next report 

 would be better. After all the accu- 

 racy and value of these reports rest 

 with the individual beekeepers who 

 help. 



