1896. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



761 



the entire two days. As perhaps many know, the lUionis 

 State convention " goes it blind," as some might think, so far 

 as a previously prepared program is concerned. It simply 

 passes slips of paper among those in attendance, who hand in 

 such questions as they most desire to have discussed. Of 

 course, such a plan, in order to be a success, requires an un- 

 usually bright and active presiding ofBcer, but Dr. Miller (the 

 well-known President of the Illinois State Association) meets 

 all requirements. 



We expect soon to begin the publication of the report of 

 the proceedings in full. We can promise you a rare treat, as 

 an expert shorthand reporter did the work for us. 



PERSONAL MENTION. 



Dr. C. C. Miller spent several days with us last week, 

 ■while attending the convention here. Although he's 65 years 

 old, he seems as young-hearted as ever. We hope he may be 

 spared yet many years to help on the work of practical bee- 

 keeping. 



Mr. Jonathan Periam, for many years the able editor of 

 the Prairie Farmer, favored the Chicago convention with his 

 presence at two of its sessions. He also took an active part in 

 the discussion of the sweet clover question. His ideas will ap- 

 pear in the regular report, soon to be published in these col- 

 umns. 



Mr. A. E. Manum, of Vermont, has been secured to give 

 a lecture on " Bees, Bee-Keeping, the Production of Honey, 

 and Queen-Rearing," on Wednesday evening, Nov. 25, before 

 the Bee-Keepers' Educational Society of Rhode Island, at 

 Providence. Mr. Manum is one of the largest producers of 

 honey and oldest queen-rearers in New England, and should 

 be able to give a very instructive lecture. Mr. W. G. Gart- 

 side, 289 Globe St., Providence, R. I., is the Secretary of the 

 Society. 



' :^ Mr. James A. Stone, the friendly Secretary of the Illinois 

 State Bee-Keepers' Association was able to be at the conven- 

 tion in Chicago last week only the second day. But all were 

 very glad to have his presence half the time, if not at all the 

 sessions. We don't liuow of another State secretary who 

 works as hard for their association as Mr. Stone — and for so 

 little pay. At the February Springtield meeting, he desires to 

 meet every beekeeper of Illinois. A full announcement of 

 that occasion will appear soon. Begin to prepare to go. 



The Frank B. White Company, a pushing young adver- 

 tising firm of this city, gave the fourth annual banquet to the 

 agricultural publishers and advertisers last Thursday evening, 

 Nov. 19. About 150 partook of the splendid menu, and 

 afterward listened to a number of the leading men who spoke 

 upon various topics of interest to those present. Dr. Miller 

 was honored with a place on the program, and talked on 

 " The Busy Bee Advertiser." He stuck to his text about as 

 closely as some colored preachers we have heard of. Perhaps 

 we ought to add that he was informed in advance that he 

 would " not have any trouble in saying almost anything he 

 wanted to under that title." He simply took advantage of 

 the liberty indicated, and finished on time. 

 l^-g^The F. B. W. Co. is to be congratulated upon the great 

 success of their annual "round ups." 



crlloney as Pood and Medicine. — A new and revised 

 edition of this 32-page pamphlet is now issued. It has 5 blank 

 pages on which to write or paste recipes taken from other sources. 

 It is just what its name indicates, and should be liberally dis- 

 tributed among the people everywhere to create a demand for 

 honey. It contains a number of recipes on the use of horey as 

 food and as medicine, besides much other interesting and vhmable 

 information. Prices, postpaid, are : Single copy, 5 cts. ; 2.5 copies 

 65 cts. ; 50 for $1.00 ; 100 for $1.50. Better give them a trial. Send 

 all orders to the Bee Journal office. 



"Wliite CoiubjHoney 'Waiited.— We would like 

 to correspond with those having white comb honey for sale. 

 Please let us know at once how much you have, etc. Address 

 the Bee Journal office, 118 Michigan St., Chicago, 111. 



CONDUCTED BT 



DR. O. O. MILLER. MARENGO, ILL, 



[Questions may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct.! 



Candy for Winterins Bees. 



1. I have 62 colonies of bees, all in 8-frarae dovetailed 

 hives. I am trying to farm and keep bees, and often 1 have 

 so much to do on the farm that the bees have to take care of 

 themselves. I have been lookiug them over, and some of 

 them are pretty light. I could feed them syrup now, but the 

 weather is so cold they will not carry it down. Can I feed 

 them in the cellar after they are put in ? Would not the soft 

 candy do ? How is it made ? J. W. S. 



Bradgate, Iowa. 



Answers. — 1. It would hardly be wise to feed syrup at 

 this time of the year, either in or out the cellar. Candy, 

 either hard or soft can be fed. The materials for soft candy 

 are powdered sugar and extracted honey. Use the very best 

 quality of honey you have. Make a dough of the honey and 

 sugar very stiff. You cannot do better than to follow the very 

 explicit instructions given in Root's " A B C of Bee-Culture," 

 which are as follows : 



There is just one candy that is used universally by bee- 

 keepers. Though used particularly as a food in queen-cages 

 and pound cages, it is also used for feeding during winter or 

 early spring. It is none other than what is popularly termed 

 the "Good" candy, after I. R. Good, of Indiana, who 

 introduced it in this country. It was, however, first invented 

 by a German by the name of Scholz many years before Mr. 

 Good introduced it. By Europeans it is therefore called the 

 Scholz candy. 



Make a stiff dough out of a first quality of extracted 

 honey and powdered sugar. These are the directions that 

 were given at first, but it would seem that, from the difference 

 in results, more specific directions are necessary. Mr. J. D. 

 Fooshe (or, rather, his wife, who makes it for him) has been 

 very successful in making candy. Their method is as follows : 

 Take good thick honey and heat (not boil) it until it becomes 

 very thin, and then stir in pulverized sugar. After stirring in 

 all the sugar the honey will absorb, take it out of the utensil 

 in which it is mixed, and thoroughly knead it with the hands. 

 The kneading makes it more pliable and soft, so it will absorb, 

 or, rather, take up more sugar. For summer use it should be 

 worked, mixing in a little more sugar until the dough is so 

 stiff as not to work readily, and it should then be allowed to 

 stand for a day or two ; and if then so soft as to run, a little 

 more sugar should be kneaded in. A good deal will depend 

 upon the season of the year. There should be more sugar in 

 proportion to the honey in warm or hot weather, than for cool 

 or cold weather. It should not be so hard in winter so but 

 that the bees can easily eat it, nor should it be so soft in sum- 

 mer as to run and daub the bees. For this reason the honey, 

 before mixing, should be heated so as to be reduced to a thin 

 liquid. For shipping bees, the main thing to look out for is to 

 see that the candy does not run nor yet get hard. It is one of 

 the nice points in making this candy to make it just right. 

 Don't delude yourself by the idea that a second quality of 

 honey will do. Always use the nicest you haye. We have 

 had the best results with first quality of clover extracted. 

 Sage honey, for some reason or other, has the property of 

 rendering the candy in time as hard as a brick, and, of course, 

 should not be used. 



With the Good candy we have been enabled, with the 

 Benton cage, to send queens not only across the continent and 

 to the islands of the sea, but even to Australia, on a journey 

 of 37 days. There is not very much trouble in mailing queens 

 to Australia, if the candy can be made just right so as not to 

 become too hard nor too soft on the journey. If it retains a 

 mealy, moist condition, the bees will be pretty sure to go 

 through all right. 



There are some, perhaps, who would like to make the 

 hard candy. The following are the directions we have used 

 in the older editions of this work. The candy answers a very 



