AMERICAN BKn; JOURNAL. 



409 



we hope to have our business so arranged 

 that we can call on our bee-keeping 

 friends in various parts of the country. 

 But until then we will have to be con- 

 tent with knowing the most of them 

 through their pleasant letters. — Editok.] 



Had a Splendid Honey Season. 



This has been a splendid season with 

 me. I have secured 3,000 pounds of 

 comb honey. I have had considerable 

 experience with the bicycle as a means 

 of traveling to and from my apiary, 

 which is located about 4: miles from 

 home. I have boarded at home and 

 taken care of my bees without any 

 trouble whatever. I am now en{ 

 in preparing my honey for market. 



G. F. Tubes. 



Turtle Point, Pa. Sept. 14. 



In Good Condition for Winter. 



My crop of honey is small this year, 

 ^ith few swarms, but all colonies are in 

 good condition for winter. 



L. C. Pierce. 



Otsego, Mich., Sept. 12. 



Bees Did Fairly Well. 



It has been very dry here — no rain 

 from June 15th until Sept. 7th. My 

 bees have done fairly well, several colo- 

 nies having gathered 56 pounds each. 

 H. W. Brown. 



Scottville, Mich., Sept. 13. 



Bee-Keeping in Louisiana. 



I am in the north part of Bossier par- 

 ish, Louisiana, I have only 50 colonies 

 of bees, situated on the hills, and the 

 Red river runs within 100 yards of it. 

 For 28 miles north it is swamps and 

 natural growth of willow, and west it is 

 about 4 miles to the hills. 



The spring flow of honey is from wil- 

 low and maple, and sumac, which is 

 very fine in flavor and a bright color. 

 The summer yield of honey is from the 

 abundance of wild flowers which grow 

 in the swamps, and some clover. A 

 good portion is from the large farm 

 fields of cotton and corn. We don't 

 have any fall flow, only enough for win- 

 ter. 



Up to July 1st I took 2,700 pounds 

 of extracted honey from about 30 colo- 



nies. From July to October they will be 

 in big luck to fill up for winter. 



Louisiana bee-keepers hardly need to 

 think of their bees during winter— the 

 hives are left on the stands from one 

 year to the next. We manage to leave 

 them enough stores for winter, and 

 hardly ever have any to freeze. Some- 

 times a weak colony freezes up. 



The only drawback is, that I lose so 

 many swarms, and I know they are 

 properly cared for, but I think they 

 want to swim in the honey of the 

 swamps. I hope some bee-keeper will 

 give his idea about the cause of the 

 swarms leaving. T. J. Lusk. 



Plain Dealing, La., Sept. 12. 



Working on Golden-Rod and Asters. 



So long as I can sell a dollar's worth 

 of honey I shall take the American Bee 

 Journal. I have had very poor luck 

 with my bees this season. I lost 31 

 colonies last spring, and have not had a 

 new swarm this season, and but very 

 little honey. But I never have seen bees 

 work busier in all my life than they do 

 now on golden-rod and asters. 



J. W. Miller. 



Rodney, Mich., Sept. 14. 



A Fair Honey Crop, Etc. 



My 20 colonies of bees came through 

 the last winter all alive, but two colonies 

 were queen less and one was very weak. 

 The other bees got away with one of the 

 queenless colonies the next day after 

 they were put out of the cellar. I sent 

 for an Italian queen for the other, but it 

 was late before they got started, yet she 

 saved the colony, and they have stored 

 one super of 28 sections full of honey. 

 The weak colony has stored no surplus 

 nor cast a swarm, but are in good shape 

 now for winter. 



Fruit-bloom was good for building up 

 on, but white clover was a failure. 

 Basswood was splendid while it lasted. 

 I have taken from 19 colonies, spring 

 count, over 500 pounds of basswood 

 honey, and there is considerable to take 

 ofif yet. After the basswood flow they 

 scarcely made a living until about two 

 weeks ago, when they commenced gath- 

 ering from buckwheat and golden-rod, 

 and although it is terribly dry they are 

 now storing some honey in the sections. 

 I think I will have at least 500 pounds 

 to take off yet. Have increased to 34 

 colonies. 



In the "Old Reliable," page 309, 



