360 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



June i. 



<^ T. OLDEST BEE PAPER fij' 





PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY 



GEORGE W. YORK & COMPANY, 

 118 Micblgaa St., - CHICAGO, ILL. 



REGULAR COXTRIBUTORS : 



G. M. Doolittle, of New York. Prof. A. J. Cook, of California. 



Dr. C. C. Miller, of Illinois. Dr. J. P. H. Brown, of Georgia. 



J, H. Martin, of California. Rev. E. T. Abbott, of Missouri. 



Barnett Taylor, of Minnesota. Mrs. L. C. Axtell, of Illinois. 



Chas. Dadant & Son, of Illinois. 



$1.00 a Year— Sample Copy Sent Free. 

 [Entered at tbe Post-Office at Cbicajiro as Second-Class Mail-Matter.] 



VoLinVI. CHICAGO, ILL, JUNE 4, 1896. No. 23, 



Many Disappointments will have to be endured 



the next few weeks by those who failed to order their supplies 



in time to have them on hand when needed. Probably some 



honey will be lost on account of it. Nearly all dealers will 



likely be very busy for some time yet, and do the best they 



can, they just cannot fill all orders promptly. So be patient 



with them, for in all probability the blame is yours for not 



ordering earlier, or before the great rush that we have kuown 



at this time of the year to almost overwhelm some dealers in 



years gone by. 



■*-•-♦ 



Removing' Honey-Boards. — In a recent number 

 of the Bee Journal, Dr. Miller asked Mr. Hutchinson to ex- 

 plain a point mentioned in one of his recent articles in this 

 paper. In reply, Mr. H. said in the last Review: 



Dr. Miller wants me to explain how I can unite weak 

 colonies with those that are stronger, if I do not take oH the 

 honey-boards oftener than once in three years, on the average. 

 As a rule, not more than one-fourth of my colonies each year 

 need such treatment. To be honest, I don't believe very much 

 in the uniting of colonies of bees at any time. Much depends, 

 however, on circumstances, and what we wish to accomplish. 



Ttie Medals and Diplomas awarded at the 

 World's Fair, in 1893, we understand have been finally pre- 

 sented to those who were so fortunate as to win them. Mr. 

 W. C. Lyman, of Downer's Grove, III., wrote us on May 25, 

 that he had received his medal and diploma, and that " they 

 are beauties." We presume others have theirs. We hope 

 our Canadian friends are now happy, for only recently they 

 were casting reflections upon the United States for being so 

 slow about issuing the awarded signs of honors. Being 

 "slow" can be forgiven, if one is only "sure." And 'tis said, 

 "All things come to him who waits." 



^*~-*-^ 



Tlie Fifth Year of the present management of the 

 American Bee Journal is begun with this number. Four 

 years' work is completed. We have tried to make advance- 

 ment in the contents and general make-up of the Bee Journal, 

 from time to time, and sometimes we think that we have suc- 

 ceeded, at least in a small degree. 



We wish to take this opportunity to return sincere thanks 



to the many who have encouraged us in our work by prompt 

 payment of subscription, kind words, and various other ways. 

 We hope always to merit them, and shall endeavor in the 

 future, as in the past, to do the very best we can for our 

 readers. 



Judging from general reports as to the prospects for a 

 good honey season this year, we feel that better days are in 

 store for bee-keepers. We shall be glad to rejoice with them, 

 if after so many years of failure in various localities this year 

 shall prove to be a good one. Let all strive to make the very 

 best of whatever comes, and then if success is not attained 

 the fault will not be at their door. 



State Appropriations for Bee-Keeping is 



asked about in the "Question-Box" department this week. 

 The answers are varied and interesting. They show but very 

 little agreement in the minds of leading bee-keepers as to just 

 what is the most needed aid for apiculture by the State. 



We had thought for some time that experiment stations 

 would be the best investment for the State to make, but re- 

 cently we have come to the conclusion that there are other 

 lines that need and deserve help most. 



The suggestion that it be used in distributing tracts and 

 pamphlets telling about the many valuable and interesting 

 uses of honey is a good one. This would aid all. It would 

 help create a larger demand for honey. It seems to us that 

 just now bee-keepers know pretty well hoiv to produce the 

 honey — and the next thing is to be able to get some cash out 

 of it. While there is considerable fun in keeping bees, still 

 most folks don't live entirely on fun. There must be some 

 real financial profit connected with it, or it will likely soon be 

 dropped. 



The idea of using a State appropriation in circulating 



bee-papers of course would at least appeal to publishers, and 



that would indeed help bee-keepers themselves. But for the 



best all-around help, we believe it would better be invested in 



literature that will educate the general public as to the uses 



of pure honey, and thus finally aid in overthrowing all kinds 



of glucose mixtures which so compete with the real bees' 



honey. 



.*-•-*' 



Apicultural Experiments.— The 21st Annual 

 Report of the Ontario Agricultural College, located at Guelph, 

 Ontario, Can., has been received. But the part that particu- 

 larly interests bee-keepers is the report of the apiculturist, 

 Mr. R. F. Holtermann, covering an interesting series of ex- 

 periments. Not having space to go over this report in detail, 

 I shall have to go over most subjects briefly. 



FEEDING THE BEES. 



A number of colonies were fed sugar syrup, with the 

 Boardman entrance-feeder, and the feed was given a little 

 above blood heat. The results are tabulated, and the experi- 

 menter observes that " there is a considerable difference be- 

 tween the first weight of the hive, plus the syrup, and the 

 actual weight six days after the last syrup was stored. The 

 difference in weight may be attributed to evaporation, the con- 

 sumption of stores which goes on all the time under natural 

 conditions, and the increased consumption likely to go on 

 whenever the bees are under the excitement or stimulus of 

 storing." 



The conclusion is thus stated : 



1. That there is a greater difference between the weight 

 of stores supplied to the bees in the feeders, and the increase 

 in the weight of the hive. There is a loss which cannot be 

 explained in any satisfactory way. 



2. That it will not pay to extract the honey with a view 

 to making a profit, and supply the bees with sugar syrup for 

 winter. 



3. That, when feeding has to be resorted to, the strong 

 colonies should be given sufficient comb and stores to cover 



