72 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



water from our large tank to any part of 

 the house, and we kept alive by keeping 

 the house and beds wet with water. We 

 had to keep the children in a shady place 

 kept wet all the time. 



Our bees suffered fearfully. Nearly all 

 our nuclei were damaged or killed outright. 

 The strong colonies went through all right, 

 as they were able to keep fanned cool- 

 shade made no difference, they all suffered 

 alike. 



We did not know the extent of the dam- 

 age until our out-yards were visited. Bees 

 were parched as dry as powder ; combs and 

 honey boiled out of the hives. A bee 

 would die outside the hive in a moment. 



People that did not have plenty of water 

 handy had their faces blistered. We have 

 only a few untested queens left that were 

 in our strongest nuclei, but I hope to be 

 able to fill all orders promptly until we can 

 form more nuclei from our strong colonies, 

 and rear more queens, which we have been 

 busily doing since the hot day. 



I am told that the mercury in some of the 

 thermometers went to the top and bursted. 

 If this hot spell had lasted another day I sup- 

 pose we would not have had any bees left, 

 and people, too, would have suffered, as it 

 was all we could do to keep from suffoca- 

 ting. We had to be quiet and keep drink- 

 ing and throwing water. 



Last year we had a storm to damage us — 

 this year the heat ; still we are hopeful, 

 and trust we shall never see such a hot day 

 again. Our loss is great, but we hope to 

 soon be in running shape again. 

 Very truly yours, 



Jennie Atchlet. 



A Correction.— Mrs. Atchley, in an- 

 swering Query No. 930, on page 16, meant 

 to say that all queen-cells started before 

 the old queen leaves the hive are equally 

 good. Those started after she leaves may 

 not be equally good. Please note this cor- 

 rection. 



Uro. I. A. Xrjivis, of Elkhorn, Wis., 

 is in deep sorrow, his dear wife having died 

 of la grippe terminating in heart failure a 

 week or two ago. Surely, our brother and 

 his family of four children will have the 

 sincere sympathy of all bee-keepers in this 

 time of their affliction and sadness. For 

 nearly 23 years husband and wife walked 

 together a-down life's pathway, midst all 

 the joys as well as sorrows that came to 

 them, but now the dear one has been called 

 up higher, having fulfilled her mission as a 

 faithful sister, true wife, and devoted 

 mother. Only a little while, dear friends, 

 and there will be a blessed re-union on the 

 " other shore ;" then " what a meeting and 

 a greeting that will be!" 



Mrs. Travis was a consistent member of 



the Methodist church. The obituary in the 

 local newspaper says with sweet tenderness : 

 "We shall miss her presence among us as 

 with quietness of spirit and lovingness of 

 heart she mingled with us in social life." 

 That the sacred influence of her life may go 

 out to bless others, and that her children 

 may follow in her footsteps, is the hope 

 that the Bee Journal desires to express. 



Uniting' Oees.— One of Dr. Miller's 

 recent " straws " in Gleanings was on unit- 

 ing colonies, and reads thus : 



For years I have had colonies unite, gen- 

 erally when I didn't want them to, by 

 being in the same hive with a hole or crack 

 under the division-board. Working on the 

 same principle, here's the way I have 

 united lately : Having the colonies to be 

 united in two separate hives, I set one hive 

 on top of the other, with a piece of heavy 

 wrapping-paper between, the paper having 

 about its center a hole large enough for a 

 bee to go through. That's all. Just put 

 one hive on the other, paper between. In 

 a few days the paper is gnawed away, and 

 the bees all one family. It may fail some- 

 times, but not thus far with me. 



^V£ints or Excliang-es.- On page 91 

 you will find a department begun again 

 this week for the insertion of your " wants'' 

 or " exchanges." It will doubtless pay you 

 to patronize that department, though of 

 course we cannot hold ourselves responsi- 

 ble for any dissatisfaction that may arise 

 from the trades that may be offered. But 

 there is nothing wrong in fair exchanges, 

 and often much benefit. 



Petitioning' for Foreign Bees. — 



We recently received the following com- 

 munication from Ruth E. Taylor, of Bello- 

 na, N. Y., Secretary of the Ontario (N. Y.) 

 County Bee-Keepers' Association : 



At the last meeting of the Ontario County 

 (N. Y.) Bee-Keepers' Association, the fol- 

 lowing resolutions were adopted: 



Whereas, The United States Government 

 has voted many thousands of dollars for 

 the promotion of science and arts for the 

 benefit of the few ; 



Whereas, The United States Govern- 

 ment has voted many thousands of dollars 

 for the promotion of agriculture, but has 

 never voted a dollar for the promotion of 

 apiculture, upon which rests much of the 

 success of the agriculturist, horticulturist, 

 and the prosperity of millions; therefore, 



Jiesolved, That the bee-keepers of Ontario 

 County, N. Y., in convention assembled, 

 would respectfully ask and demand that 



