1896. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



297 



grapes occurred in a subsequent year, when the bees were 

 idle for want of pasturage, but the grapes were left entirely 

 untouched, just because, for some reason, the birds were not 

 on hand to prepare the way for the bees. 



Now, is it not possible that Mr. Fultz, like Dr. Miller, 

 has been mistaken ? In each case there is circumstantial evi- 

 dence, but no one has yet said that he has seen a bee pierce a 

 grape. Strong inducements have been offered the bees to do 

 so — tempting grapes have been placed before them, and they 

 have been seen to run all over them apparently looking for a 

 weak point of attack, but they were either too modest to 

 pierce the skin of a grape while under the fire of observing 

 eyes, or else they were unable to do so. After a hole is made 

 in the grape, the bees have no trouble in sucking out the 

 juice, and probably they could grasp and pull the torn skin 

 just as they can grasp the splinter of wood. 



If bees pierce grapes, some one ought to be able to see 

 them in the act. Mr. Fultz saw a bee alight upon a sound 

 grape, and when the bee left the grape it was pierced. But 

 he did not see the bee pierce the grape. That leaves room for 

 the doubt that there may have been a hole unnoticed before the 

 arrival of the bee. If bees actually pierce grapes, some ought 

 to be able to say: "I saw a bee in the act of piercing a 

 grape." Is any one ready to say this? 



Prof. Cook's Many Friends will be pained to 

 hear of the death of Mrs. Cook, April 16. She was a great 

 sufferer, and death was a welcome release. It is probably 

 safe to say that the sympathies of the larger part of the Bee 

 Journal family go out to the good man in his great bereave- 

 men. When informing us of Mrs. Cook's death, the Professor 



wrote thus tenderly : 



Claeemont, Calif., April 20, 1896. 

 Deab Mb. York : — It is with a great burden of sorrow 

 that I have to report that on last Thursday evening Mrs. Cook 

 went to her long home. This was not a surprise, for we had 



know for a long time that it must be ; and as the last hours of 

 her life were filled with very severe suffering, we were almost 

 rejoiced when the release came, sad and unbearable as it seems 

 to feel that we shall never again have her with us. She had a 

 fixed and abiding trust in Him who doeth all things well ; and 

 we are all sure that what is our loss is her eternal gain, for 

 now she is in the arms of Eternal Love. She went with no 

 fear, but only sorrowed that she had to leave us behind to 

 mourn her loss. A. J. Cook. 



*—-¥ 



The Season in minnesota. — In the Farm, 

 Stock and Home for May 1, we find the following paragraph 

 from the pen of the editor of the bee-department, Mr. B. Tay- 

 lor, of Forestville, Minn.: 



We are having much rain here this spring, and the white 

 clover is showing in every pasture and waste place; this is 

 also basswood year here, and we expect a big honey crop in 

 1896, and shall leave no task undone to be ready for it. Now 

 is the time to not only give colonies needed attention, but have 

 hives, sections, foundation and other needed supplies ready 

 before the main honey-flow and swarming-time come. In good 

 years much honey is nearly always lost by the average bee- 

 keeper by not being ready. To succeed in honey-production 

 the necessary work must not only be done at the right time, 

 but also in the right way, and the best way can be learned 

 only by much study, and bringing mind as well as muscle into 



active play. 



: .^-.-^^ 



A Honey-Leaflet is being considered by Editor 

 Hutchinson, of the Bee-Keepers' Review. He is looking the 

 field over carefully, and then expects to prepare one himself. 

 We shall await with interest the result, for Mr. H. is sure to 

 get up a good leaflet when he starts on it. 



The Pacific North -west is getting to be quite a 

 honey country. An exchange says: " The honey product of 

 the entire Pacific Northwest last year was near the value of 

 $75,000. The industry will increase very fast the coming 

 season, markets for the product being very abundant." 



Mr. E. N. Draper, of Atchison, Kans., is 

 in deep sorrow, caused by the drowning of 

 his son, 14 years old, in the Missouri river. 

 The Bee Journal extends its sympathy in 

 our friend's bereavement. 



Prof, A. J, Cook, of Claremont, Calif,, 

 at the late meeting of the British Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Association, was made an honorary 

 member in place of the Rev. L. L, Lang- 

 stroth, who died last October. 



Mr. Ernest W. Halstead, of Mississippi, 

 says: "The American Bee Journal is the 

 queen of the colony of bee-papers, I could 

 not do without it for a great deal more 

 than it costs," We would like ten thousand 

 more subscribers just like Mr, Halstead, 



Mr, J, H. Martix has been elected Secre- 

 tary of the California Bee-Keepers' Ex- 

 change, the former Secretary, Mr. Young- 

 ken, having other business requiring his 

 undivided attention, was forced to resign, 

 Mr. Martin needs no introduction or com- 

 mendation, as all know him as •• The Ram- 

 bler," Success to him and the new Ex- 

 change. 



Mr. C, F, MuTn, of Cincinnati, in a re- 

 cent number of Gleanings, gave " the other 

 side'' of the honey commission business; 

 that is, his side. He tells how some honey- 

 producers impose upon dealers when ship- 

 ping. Verily, there are at least two sides 

 to the question. No, bee-keepers are not 

 all, and altogether, perfect .iust yet. Wings 

 have not begun to sprout on them — neither 

 upon some of the honey commission men. 



Mrs. H. Stiles, of the State of Washing- 

 ton, wrote when renewing her subscrip- 

 tion: "I have taken the American Bee 

 Journal two years, and am much pleased 

 with it, I find something in It every week 

 that is worth the price of the journal to 

 me," 



Mr. B, S, K. Bennett, of the Pacific Bee 

 Journal, has made quite an improvement 

 in the second quarterly number of his little 

 paper. He says Editor Hutchinson "is 

 just the nicest editor " he knows. Too bad 

 he doesn't know all the editors. At least 

 half of them are "the nicest" folks on 

 earth ; the rest are — well, we're all trying 

 hard to keep up with the others. 



Mr. a. I. Root is, and has been for a 

 good many years, a good deal of a preacher, 

 if we may judge from his sermonettes in 

 Gleanings, It he practices all he preaches 

 — that is, takes all of his own medicine— he 

 must be a very busy man, and ought to be 

 pretty healthy spiritually. Between good 

 potatoes and better sermons, the readers of 

 Gleanings ought to be well-kept in both 

 body and soul, 



Mr. F. H. Jewhcrst, of Richmond, Va., 

 some time ago, sent Gleanings a sample of 

 crimson clover honey that Editor Root 

 called " fully equal in every respect to any 

 clover honey he ever saw," We think that 

 is the first honey of the kind we have ever 

 heard of , If it e(|uals sweet clover honey, 

 it surely is fine. The more we eat of the 

 sweet clover honey the better we like it. 

 Shouldn't wonder it we'd soon say it's the 

 best uf all houeii-i. It if- the Ijest «'<■ ever have 

 eaten, and we've sampled quite a number 

 of kinds, considering our youthfulness! 



Bee-Keeper's Guide— see page 301. 



Queens aii«l Queen-RearinsT. — 



If you want to know how to have queens 

 fertilized in upper stories while the old 

 queen is still laying below; how you may 

 safely introduce any queen, at any time of 

 the year when bees can fly ; all about the 

 different races of bees; all about shipping 

 queens, queen-cages, candy for queen- 

 cages, etc, ; all about forming nuclei, mul- 

 tiplying or uniting bees, or weak colonies, 

 3tc, ; or, in fact, everything about the 

 queen-business which you may want to 

 know— send for Doolittle's " Scientific 

 Queen-Rearing" — a book of over 170 

 pages, which is as interesting as a story. 

 Here are some good offers of this book: 



Bound in cloth, postpaid, .$1.00 ; or clubbed 

 with the Bee Journal tor one year— both 

 for only $1.T.t ; or given free as a premium 

 tor sending us three new subscribers to the 

 Bee Journal for a year at $1.00 each. 



" Facts ai»«l l''i8-iires"" is the title 

 of a little book which" deals with the live 

 stock and kindred statistics of the country 

 in general and Chicago in particular. It is 

 full of interesting records of great value to 

 those interested in the live-stock industry. 

 It is issued by Wood Brothers, of Chicago, 

 III,, and South Omaha, Nebr, TUey send it 

 free to live-stock men who write for it. 



Please Send Us the Names ol your 

 neighbors who keep bees, and we will 

 send them sample copies of the Bke 

 Journal. Then please call upon them 

 and get them to subscribe with you, and 

 secure some of the premiums we offer. 



