1896. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



247 



good and strong, and in localities where there is a good fall 

 flow it will be in good condition to store surplus. 



But in many cases it is better to expect nothing in the 

 ■way of surplus from the mother colony, merely allowing it to 

 build up in good condition for winter, and making the swarm 

 as strong as possible so as to store a good amount of surplus 

 from the light honey harvest. So perhaps the better plan for 

 you, as well as less trouble, is this : Set the hive with the 

 swarm in the place of the old colony, having previously set 

 the old colony on a new stand a rod or two distant. For the 

 next day or two all the bees that go to the fields from the old 

 hive will, on their return, go to the old spot, and will unite 

 with the swarm. That will make the swarm strong for sur- 

 plus work, and of course the old colony will be just so much 

 weaker, and that weakening will discourage them from 

 further swarming. You may make the matter surer — for by 

 the plan mentioned some have failed —you may make surer by 

 setting the old hive close by the side of the hive containing 

 •the swarm, and then in six or seven days from the time of 

 swarming moving the old hive off to its permanent location. 



The usual time for transferring is when fruit-trees are in 

 bloom. 



Young Bees Flying in the Early Spring. 



How early in the spring will young bees hatch, ready to 

 frolic? One of the bee-keepers here claims to have young 

 bees (this year's) flying out, and I contradicted him. (His 

 bees are 5-banded, and mine are Carniolan.) Remember this 

 spring has been cold. The bees have had two flights — Feb. 2 

 and March 9, then the one we disputed, on March 25. We 

 want you as referee. E. C. C. 



Tarentum, Pa. 



Answer. — Now you're trying to get me into trouble. I 

 think I'll say I don't know whether young bees of this year's 

 rearing were flying March 25 or not, and I doubt whether 

 your neighbor could tell by looking at them whether the bees 

 were two weeks or four or five months old. I'm pretty sure I 

 couldn't tell for certain. Tell your neighbor that it isn't best 

 to be sure about such things, and that he's altogether too 

 positive. Say it to him in a very stern manner, so as to make 

 him ashamed of himself. Then when he's feeling very penti- 

 tent, you may as well say a few more things to him. Say to 

 him that in a strong colony the queen commences to lay a few 

 ■eggs very early in the season, often in February. Tell him 

 that when the bees had a flight Feb. 2, it would be nothing 

 strange for the queen to lay at that time, and that would 

 make bees ready to fly March 25. Perhaps you can think of 

 other things to say without my suggesting them. 



Starters in ^Vired Frames— Transferring and 

 Uniting. 



1. If I use only a starter, aud wire the frames, will the 

 combs be built uicely over the wire? 



2. I have several weak colonies in box-hives that I wish 

 to transfer, as soon as practicable, onto some full sheets of 

 foundation, and some starters, and will arrange the frames 

 alternately — full sheet first, then starter — will this work this 

 way ? 



3. If I unite by April 15, by the Heddon method, will the 

 bees of the second driving unite well with the first driving 

 without fighting ? 



4. In using comb foundation, should the sheet touch the 

 frames at the ends ? C. S. R. 



Lamar, Ark., March 3U. 



Answers. — 1. Maybe, and maybe not. More likely not. 

 The bees will build down the comb just as they would if no 

 wires were present, and if the wire happens to be just where 

 they want the middle wall of the comb, it will be all right, but 

 it's just as likely to come in the wrong place. 



2. You may do better to have the full sheets by them- 

 selves, for if they are alternated the combs may not be so 

 evenly built. If the full sheets are first built out, there may 

 be danger that the others built between will be too thin. But 

 if all are filled with brood, there will be no trouble. 



3. Yes, unless there should be a dearth of forage. 



4. Usually a space of }i inch is left, but I have had good 

 success in wired frames with the foundation touching the en- 

 tire length of the end-bars. 



Every Present Subscriber of the Bee Journal 

 should be an agent for it, and get all others possible to sub- 

 scribe for it. 



^ 



Tiit||[[-M 



Amalgramatioii Protested. 



Several articles have appeared in the various bee-journals, 

 and more will appear in our columns, strongly protesting 

 against amalgamating the Bee-Keepers' Union with the N. A. 

 B.-K. A. While I have advocated this step, I shall do so no 

 more, i/, in the judgment of our wisest bee-keepers, it is not 

 best. So far as I am concerned, I don't care what is done, only 

 so the Union or something shall take hold of this adulteration 

 business and fight it to the end. We need more fighting and 

 legislation. — Editorial in Gleanings. 



Sweet Clover. 



E. F. T. writes : "How deep do you plow sweet-clover 

 seed in ? Would it grow on sandy soil ?■ In what month do 

 you generally sow it?" 



Without paying any attention to the order of answering, I 

 may say that I don't generally sow it at all, but let it sow 

 itself. My brother-in-law, who is a much better farmer than 

 I, insists that it is best to have nothing else sown with it. The 

 piece that I spoke of being plowed in was plowed in last spring 

 about 6 inches deep in May, seed having fallen on the ground 

 the year before. I don't think it would make much difference 

 what time the seed was put in from November till the first of 

 June, providing it was put in fairly deep, or the ground well 

 firmed if put in shallow. I've seen it grow well on sandy soil 

 and on very stifif clay. I don't think it would grow on a bare 

 rock, and it would probably not make a good growth in clear 

 sand. — Dr. Miller, in Gleanings. 



The Dietetic Value of Honey. 



Probably most people consider honey as the equal in value 

 for food of any sweet sauce — no better, no worse. All should 

 know that it possesses one great superiority — ease of digestion. 

 The nectar of flowers is almost wholly cane-sugar. The secre- 

 tions added by the bees change this to grape-sugar, and so pre- 

 pare it that it is almost ready for assimilation without any effort 

 on the part of the stomach ; in fact Prof. A. J. Cook once 

 styled honey "digested nectar." It will be readily seen that 

 honey is a very desirable food for those with weakened diges- 

 tive powers. If a person is very tired, "too exhausted to eat," 

 it is astonishing how a few tastes of honey will act like magic. 

 Almost no effort is required to make it ready for assimilation. 

 Persons suffering from some forms of kidney trouble will flnd 

 that honey is a much more beneficial food for them than is 

 cane-sugar. 



In eating comb-honey, many strive to reject every particle 

 of wax, fearing that, a? wax is indigestible, nightmare and 

 other troublesome consequences will follow an indulgence in 

 warm biscuit and honey. It is true that bread is more easily di- 

 gested than warm biscuit,as the latter is inclined to " pack " in 

 chewing, but it many surprise some to know that comb-honey is 

 really an aid to the digestion of hot bread or biscuit. The philos- 

 ophy of the matter is that the flakes of wax prevent the "pack- 

 ing," while the honey readily dissolves out, leaving passages for 

 the gastric juice to enter the mass of food. * The flakes of wax 

 are indigestible, that is true, but when warmed are perfectly 

 smooth and soft and will not injure the most delicate mem- 

 brane ; in fact, they act as a gentle stimulant, and are benefi- 

 cial in some forms of alimentary difficulties. 



The unpleasant symptoms from which some suffer after 

 eating honey may often be removed by drinking a little milk. — 

 W. Z. Hutchinson, in Country Gentleman. 



An "Infallible" method of Introducing ftueens. 



Do you want an itifnUiblc method of introducing queens ? 

 Well, according to the November issue of the Leipziger Bie- 

 nenzeitung, Dr. Metelli, that well-known Italian bee-master, 

 pretends to know and practice one. First he prepares the col- 

 ony which is to receive the queen. If they have neither queen 

 nor brood, the bees are contracted in the brood-nest on as few 

 combs as possible, the upper story is emptied of its honey- 

 frames, and the two stories are separated by a bee-tight wire 

 {ContinuaJ on page 249.) 



