Jan. 15. iyi2 



ed on buckwheat are less valuable for any 

 later How; but ibis assertion does not seem 

 to be entirely without some foundation. 

 Some bee-keepers think that it is the strong 

 flavor of the buckwheat honey that makes 

 the bees dull, and renders them more or less 

 indifferent to later-blooming flowers with 

 less pronounced odor. 



THE ONE-HOLE FEEDER. 



The one-hole-feeder idea, as expounded 

 by the editor, is best taught in England, 

 and for a long time already. In England I 

 became acquainted with a feeder I am now 

 using exclusively. I don't know who the 



A feeding-jar having an adjustable opening for 

 the syrup. 



inventor is;' but it is a splendid feeder, by 

 means of which feeding may be easily adapt- 

 ed to all possible requirements. The illus- 

 tration explains the construction. One 

 could turn on from one to nine holes; and 

 when the bottle is empty it may be refilled 

 without the bees escaping. 



BEE-STIXGS AND DARK CLOTHES. 



Although I always wear dark clothes when 

 working in the apiary, I experience no in- 

 convenience from them as regards stings, 

 because they are so strongly saturated with 

 the hive odor and with bee products that 

 the color becomes a secondary factor. My 

 black felt hat, however, has many a time 

 served the useful purpose of attracting pug- 

 nacious liees away from my unprotected 

 face when an unexpected onslaught happen- 

 ed to render the situation unpleasant for me. 



DARK HONEY FOR A>\E:MIC' PEOPLE. 



Mr. Editor, you are quite right in your 

 explanatory note to what Dr. Miller gleaned 

 from Deutsche BieiK nzucht. Hasawood hon- 

 ey is not dark, page <J14. The fact is, the 

 tongue can not trace the basswood-honey 

 admixture in the dark honey the bees gath- 

 ered in considcraVjle (juantities during .July; 

 still another fact is that, in the morning 

 and evening, bees made a great roar in the 

 basswood-trees. About the same time, great 

 quantities of highly aromatic propolis were 

 accumidating in the hives. This propolis 

 remained rather fluid for a considerable 

 time. 



57 



It .seems odd, but it is a fact, that I sold 

 my dark honey sooner than the light, owing 

 to what I stated in my advertisement in the 

 local paper, viz., thai the dark honey, on 

 account of its higher i)ercenlage of phos- 

 phorus and iron, could be especially recom- 

 mended for nervous and anannic persons, 

 scrofulous children, and for all those who 

 have to do much brain work. After this ad- 

 vertisement appeared, the majority of t'-j 

 orders coming in were for dark honey. 

 However, there is one very important differ- 

 ence between my dark-honey customers and 

 my light-honey "customers. " Rather few re- 

 peat orders are coming in from tlie former in 

 comparison with those from the latter. 



HIGH PRICE OF SUGAR. 



The editorial, page fill, Oct. 15, regarding 

 expensive sugar for fall feeding, reminds 

 me that, at the time of writing, the price of 

 sugar has not fallen much in spile of the 

 fact that the beet har\est has been very 

 much better than was expected some months 

 ago. Indeed, the beets contain a much 

 higher percentage of sugar than in former 

 years. It is the yield in weight that is un- 

 satisfactory. Bee-keeper.s in most European 

 countries feel very keenly the indirect tax 

 levied on sugar. In Oermany the sugar tax 

 amounts to about SI. 70 per 100 lbs.; iti Hol- 

 land, Austria- Hungary, Italy, etc., this tax 

 is higher still. We are making etTorts to 

 get tlie sugar we need for feeding our bees 

 free of tax. But difllculties arise from the 

 necessity of having such sugar characterized 

 by some admixture that does not harm the 

 bees, but at the same time prevents an U- 

 legitimate use of the sugar. Sand, sawdust, 

 peat fiber, etc., have been suggested and 

 tried in some states; also pepper (from cap- 

 sicum) in conjunction with a coloring mat- 

 ter. These latter means for characterizing- 

 sugar have been tried in Holland. The 

 pepper is said not to have any deleterious 

 effect on the bees. 



I think $8.00 for sugar, page 610, Oct. 15, 

 is a rather stiff price. The highest price I 

 have had to pay this autumn was $7.50, the 

 tax included. 



Wendhausen, Wildesheim, Germany. 



[We believe it is true that bees sting more 

 when working on buckwheat than when 

 working on a source that is a slower and an 

 all-day yielder like clover. When honey 

 comes^ in with a rush, as it does from buck- 

 wheat, then slacks up and stops, bees be- 

 come cross. W'hen they are robbing in a 

 wholesale way they become furious when 

 the bee-keei)e"r cuts'ofT suddenly the su})ply. 

 It has the same elTect when nature stops 

 the flow of nectar. 



We knew that slow feeding had been ex- 

 ploited more in l'Airoi)e than in this coun- 

 try. The scheme you show in the feeder is 

 a good one and worthy of adoi)tion in this 

 country. We are convinced that slow feed- 

 ing has come to stay here. For queen-rear- 

 ing and brood stinitflation it is invaluaV)le. 

 -Ed.] 



