20 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



t 



from the top-bar, it must be made heav- 

 ier. 



Combs that have been transferred 

 properly fill the frame completely, and 

 on this account are better than most of 

 those built in the frames, as it is a diffi- 

 cult matter to get bees to fill frames 

 completely clear to the wood on all sides, 

 even when full sheets of foundation are 

 used. 



In transferring combs, always be sure 

 to have them fill the frame completely. 

 Cut all pieces square and fit them closely 

 together. The extra trouble will be 

 well repaid by the greater value of the 

 combs obtained. 



To fasten the combs into the frames, 

 I prefer to use %-inch wire nails, driv- 

 ing them through the top-bar into the 

 comb as near the septum as possible. 

 They may also be nailed from the bot- 

 tom, but if the fitting has been carefully 

 done, this will usually not be necessary. 



If you have any pieces that cannot be 

 fastened securely with nails, tie them in 

 with ordinary cotton wrapping twine. 

 The bees will remove this themselves 

 if you do not get around to it in time. 



Pieces of comb of any size may be 

 used, but it is best to have them reach 

 from the top to the bottom of the frame. 

 It will pay to save all pieces of good 

 comb four inches square or more. 



While I want all my brood-combs built 

 on full sheets of foundation in wired 

 frames, I think that for extracting 

 combs it is much more profitable .to use 

 good comb in this way than to melt it 

 up and make it into foundation. I also 

 think it will pay even the comb-honey 

 man to have at least a few sets of ex- 

 tracting-combs, so that there is no excuse 

 for melting up good combs. 



Ottawa, 111. 



Bee-Keeping in Mississipni. 



Written lor the American Bee Journal 



BY W. T. LEWIS. 



This has been a light honey year here 

 on account of the cold snaps and rain 

 .lust as our best and finest honey-plant, 

 the holly trees, in the bottoms were in 

 full bloom. We had only three or four 

 days of fine weather for the bees after 

 the honey began to come in, till a rainy 

 and cold spell put a stop to everything 

 with them. The crop will not be more 

 than }4 or X af an average so far. 



The holly tree should be added to the 

 list of honey-trees, for it is the finest 



with us, the honey being perfect, and 

 clear golden in appearance. 



This country does not come up to 

 some others altogether in quality, but it 

 never makes a complete failure in honey 

 as we know of, and sometimes it brings 

 up a good showing on the credit side. 



We have no bee-association in north 

 Mississippi, therefore the only way we 

 can get at what our country is doing in 

 this direction is by occasionally seeing a 

 report from some one in a bee-paper. 

 We need a State bee-association — at 

 least one for north Mississippi. The 

 Secretaries of some of the State and 

 County associations will confer a favor 

 upon us by mailing us a copy of their 

 constitution and by-laws, that we may 

 organize an association here in Mississ- 

 ippi, and county or district. We have a 

 good many of the improved hives in our 

 country and part of the State, yet no 

 association. Recently a hive manufac- 

 tory was started at this place, and is run- 

 ning by steam power, scattering im- 

 proved hives over the country. 



I hope Gusty Schraeder will write 

 often. Her article on transferring is 

 good, and that is the right way, though 

 told in a funny manner. It was about 

 the way I did ray transferring this year, 

 and all did finely. 



Success to the American Bee Jour- 

 nal. 



Lewisburg, Miss., June 8. 



P. S. — What has become of the Chi- 

 nese contributor to the Bee Journal? 

 W. T. L. 



[Several have asked the same question 

 about our Chinese writer on bees. He 

 is doubtless devoting his time to the 

 care of his numerous " sugar-flies," and 

 may be getting ready to write a book on 

 the experience of a Chinese bee-keeper 

 in America. It will be a funny one, if 

 he does. 



We hope Mr. Wong Lung will send in 

 his report for 1894, later on. — Editor.] 



Sugar for Winter Stores. 



Wriltenfur l/ir " Uw-Ktr/jci-.s^ Jicoicw^ 

 BY HON. B. L. TAYLOR. 



With a view to bring out in some 

 measure, if possible, the difference in 

 value between sugar syrup and honey 

 for winter stores, I selected, at the 

 proper time in the fall of 1893, 24 col- 



