Feb. 8, 1900. 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



89 



The Rich Honey. Fields of Colorado.— Editor Root, 

 of Gleaning^s in Bee-Culture, was surprised to find how 

 densely some portions of Colorado were occupied by bees, 

 altho these areas are limited, for not a tenth of the State is 

 likely ever to come under cultivation. There is supposed to 

 be considerable overstocking in places, for the amount of 

 the crop rises and falls to some extent with the number of 

 colonies on the field, yet there seems to be no overstocking 

 in some places where the density of occupation would prove 

 ruinous in ordinary locations. J. E. Lyon has about SOO 

 colonies in a location where there are 2,000 colonies within 

 Smiles of him; and there are locations where 300 colonies 

 can be kept in a single apiary. This is possible where 

 alfalfa and sweet clover both abound. Mr. Root adds ; 



" Now let me give a word of caution to the tenderfoot 

 of the East who may look with longing eyes over toward 

 Colorado. Take my advice. Keep out of it. The good bee- 

 localities are already overstockt, and I did not learn of a 

 single place where the Easterner or anybody else could 

 locate and go into bee-keeping profitably, or, perhaps, I 

 might say honorably, because the localities have been so 

 thoroly taken up that it should be a matter of honor for 

 others to keep out. I know of no way in which one can go 

 into these fields without buving some one out." 



Sweets for Children. — In a recent issue of the Ladies' 

 Home Journal, Mrs. Rohrer wrote on "The Use of Sweets 

 by Children," and among many excellent things we find 

 this paragraph : 



"We have in common use another sweet — honey. This 

 is prepared by the bees from the nectar of various plants ; 

 it contains two kinds of sugar — one capable of crystalliza- 

 tion, the other not. The former is similar t6 ordinary 

 glucose. Honey may be taken in small quantities with 

 bread and butter ; it should be used from the comb, un- 

 strained. It contains 78.74 percent fruit sugar, with only 

 2.69 percent of cane sugar." 



But we don't quite understand why Mrs. Rohrer should 

 advise the use of comb honey in preference to the extracted, 

 or " strained," as she probably would call it. 



Likely Mrs. Rohrer does not know that in all proba- 

 bility two-thirds of the annual honey crop is of the ex- 

 tracted kind, and doubtless the greater part of the honey 

 used for table purposes is in the liquid or extracted form. 



As that great honey specialist,- Mr. W. A. Selser, lives 

 near the office of the Ladies' Home Journal, perhaps he can 

 call in some time and enlighten Mrs. Rohrer on the subject, 

 or at least learn her reasons for recommending comb honej' 

 exclusivelv. 



Eucalyptus for Honey and Health.— Dr. J. McLean, 

 of Alameda Co., Calif., writing us Jan. 3, had this to saj' 

 about eucalyptus and its honey, as well as something about 

 the value of the tree as an impurity absorber for cities : 



Dear Sir : — It has just occurred to me that it might be 

 well for you to know — if j'et unknown to you — that honey 

 obtained from the flowers and leaves of the eucalj'ptus tree 

 is worth SO percent more than any other honey, however 

 fine in quality it may be. I have for many years used it in 

 Australia for many human ailments, with wonderful results 

 every time — no human mixture can equal its curative prop- 

 erties, and were mankind made conscious of the marvellous 

 benefits to be derived from the use of such honej', an exten- 

 sive and ready sale would be sure to follow. 



I am, however, conscious of the difficulty you would 

 have in your peculiar climate to successfully cultivate 

 eucalyptus plants of the eucalyptus globulus, or of the 

 eucalyptus anygdalena species, yet there are others in the 

 ISO different varieties quite hardy enough to thrive well with 

 you, and would form splendid wind-breaks and hoar-frost- 

 destroying fringes around your vineyards and orchards — 

 planted 8 feet apart, and, helpt properly to grow until one 

 or two years old, no invasion of locusts or grasshoppers 

 could approach the enclosure within 30 or 40 feet. 



Bees love to work and rest amidst the evergreen euca- 



lypti foliage, because of the agreeable warmth and sweet 

 odor evolved all the year around from such. 



Eight years ago I suggested in a treatise on the fever- 

 destroying properties of the eucalypti, that fringes of choice 

 eucalypti plants should be planted on the streets in Chi- 

 cago by the corporation, placed in suitable guards so that 

 six or more plants be placed in charge of every adjacent 

 residence, and an annual reward be given for the best kept 

 plot of plants — on an arbor day set apart for the special 

 purpose of encouraging the growth and ornamental appear- 

 ance of said plants. 



If such a course were adopted, you might ere long trans- 

 form the now unbearable, stewy summer heat, and perish- 

 ing winter colds, into most agreeable and healthful tem- 

 peratures during those sea.sons in and around your city. 



For 20 years 1 was officially connected with forestry in 

 Australia, and therefore know something of what I now 

 suggest. I would be pleased in any way to aid the Chicago 

 corporation should such an idea be favorably considered, 

 even to the supervising of the planting operations. 



Sincerely yours, Dr. McLean. 



Certainly, it is very kind in Dr. McLean to offer to aid 

 Chicago in an effort to become healthier by planting euca- 

 lypti. We wish the " city fathers " could be interested in 

 the matter, but fear it would be a hopeless task. 



Distance Bees Work. — Mr. Ira Barber gives some 

 items in the Bee-Keepers' Review. In 1871 his bees workt 

 on celandine or touch-me-not that covered a fire-slashing 

 whose nearest point was four miles from him, and the 

 farthest point nine miles. His bees were just as busy nine 

 miles away as four miles, bringing in 5,000 pounds of celan- 

 dine honey for which he got 25 cents a pound. His bees 

 work on linden eight miles and more away. In 1897 they 

 gathered 3,000 pounds of honey from lindens ten miles dis- 

 tant. He thinks bees prefer long distances. His bees have 

 workt on alsike clover five miles away, when abundance of 

 it was scarcely visited close bj'. 



"Again," he says, "I have seen basswood blossoms 

 fairly float with nectar right in my bee-yard, with colonies 

 right under the branches, and remain there all day with 

 scarcely a bee to be seen on them, while the entire force 

 of the yard was going miles from home, in search of the 

 same kind of honey." 



Mr. T. F. Bingham, of Clare Co., Mich., writing us 

 under date of Jan. 30, said : 



" My bees are doing well. We have no sleighing. The 

 cellar is at 47 degrees, and not below 46 degrees so far, with 

 bees quiet. It has usually been SO degrees." 



* # « * ♦ 



Dr. Mason saj's this among his" good things " in the 

 Bee-Keepers' Review : "I believe we as bee-keepers and 

 honey-producers owe Bro. York a vote of thanks for in- 

 augurating such a course " — talking bees and honey to 

 school children. He thinks that parents of the children 

 and others might be invited in, and that interest might be 

 added by the use of large drawings of important parts of 

 bees, also samples of honey. , 



« * * ♦ * 



Mr. O. L. HkrShiser, we understand, did some good 

 work in the Buffalo, N. Y., public schools the past year, in 

 talking on bees to the scholars. We believe he was invited 

 into nearly all the schools, and with bees, hive, and other 

 things apiarian, enlightened the yoMng minds a good deal 

 concerning the little bus}- bee and its work. Mr. Hershiser 

 was invited to do this by the superintendent of schools, we 

 believe. It would be a fine thing if more of the kind could 

 be done in every public school in the land. 



