July 12, 1900. 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



441 



the melon-growing' interest of the Arkansas valley in this 

 State. Senator Swink noticed that the tirst blossoms on 

 the melon-vines did not set, did not bear fruit, but that with 

 the second or third blossoms there came a little wild bee to 

 the blossom, and with its comiu},'- came melons also. Now, 

 Senator Swink reasoned to himself, if that little bee cnn 

 bring fruit to the second blossom, why not secure returti^ 

 from the first blossoms ? He distributed hives of bees 

 amonp his melon-patches, and these bees have not only 

 been fertilizers of melon-blossoms, doubling the average 

 yield, but likewise they have furnisht annually much excel- 

 lent honey, artistically and skillfully stored, as many of us 

 know who have visited the Colorado horticultural apart- 

 ments. 



Be sure that there are sufficient bees in the neighbor- 

 hood, or at least within two or three miles, to visit properly 

 the blossoms. When possible, endeavor to favor the bees 

 by selecting a sheltered situation for the orchard, or by 

 planting windbreaks. 



About a third of the pamphlet report from which the 

 foregoing is taken, is devoted to a very full report of the 

 last annual meeting of the Colorado State Bee-Keepers' 

 Association. 



Nuova Quida Pratica Per L'Apicoltore Novizio is the 



name of a book received at this office, said book being writ- 

 ten by Carlo Perrucci. Lack of a knowledge of the Italian 

 language causes a lack of a suitable notice such as the 

 book no doubt deserves. Names of prominent apicultural 

 writers in other countries than Italy, not omitting some 

 from this country, shows that as a text-book in apiculture 

 it is not intensely local. Figures being the same in Italian 

 as in English, it is interesting' to note that the book is up- 

 to-date in giving IS days instead of a longer time for the 

 development of a queen. 



Keeping Bees in India.— Mr. Sladen says in the British 

 Bee Journal that altho Italians have been introduced into 

 India, the climate does not seem adapted to them, and they 

 have disappeared. He says : 



The only bee at present admitting of cultivation is 

 Apis mellifica, variety Indica, various races of which occur 

 in the hills and plains, and in Ceylon. It may be known 

 roughly from honey-bees unsuited to cultivation by its 

 medium size. The large bee, A. dorsata (about % inch 

 long), and the small bee, yi./7orf a (about S/16 inch long), 

 both of which build their combs out in the open from boughs 

 of trees and shrubs, or from overhanging ledges of rocks, 

 should be avoided except for experiment. 



"Say What You Mean."— Mention was made on page 

 408 of instruction being given by an experienced writer to 

 put a queen on top of a hive to introduce her, in which case 

 it seemed that further particulars ought to have been given. 

 The writer in question sends privately the following desired 

 particulars, for which he will please accept thanks : 



Editor York : — With regard to that queen, I will saj' 

 for your edification that she should have a bandana parasol 

 held over her by a little girl drest in blue ; and should have 

 at least three pages, or four, who have been properly fed on 

 sweets to fan her — keep her cool. When she issues from the 

 cage she should have one or two of McKinley's Philippine 

 warriors on hand to defend her in case some marauding 

 Boer should conclude to do away with her majesty. 



There are a great many other things that might be said 

 with regard to her, but you being a man conversant with 

 bee-lore and various other things connected with the sale of 

 supplies, will fully understand that a busy man has not 

 time to tell all of these things in one letter. 



Wishing you success in your attempt to introduce this 

 queen to a " hive," I am. Very truly yours. 



We fully endorse the instructions except as to one item 

 — the " bandana parasol." Of course, a " bandana parasol " 

 is all right, but the easy inference is that no other parasol 

 ■would answer. m this opinion we must dissent. In all 



the cases in which we have tried parasols of different 

 material, there seemed to be no advantage whatever in 

 those of bandana. Of course, localities may differ, but wc 

 strongly suspect that the advantage of the bandana mate- 

 rial is all in the imagination of our good friend. 



iiU-^ 



Mr. a. I. Root, of The A. I. Root Company, called on 

 us lately when in Chicago. He also went to see Dr. C. C. 



Miller. 



* * * ♦ « 



Mr. J. O. GrimslEY, of Overton Co., Tenn., Secretary 

 of the National Queen-Breeders' Union, wrote us June 16th 

 that they were having the " best honey season for several 

 years. Bee-keepers are much encouraged." 



« * » # # 



Mr. Harry Howe, of Cuba, wrote us recently that bees 

 are starving where he is, and that there would be no honey 

 until September. What with foul brood and starvation it 

 would seem that bee-keeping is not all " a bed of posies " in 



Cuba. 



* # * * » 



Mr. B. S. Taylor, of Riverside Co., Calif., dropt in to 

 see us a week or two ago. He had been visiting relatives 

 in Michigan. He keeps about 200 colonies of bees, but the 

 honey prospects are not very iiattering in his locality this 

 year. Mr. Taylor went to California about 10 years ago for 

 the good of his health, the doctors saying he could not live 

 long. He has regained his health, and is doing nicely in 

 his new home. California may not always have wonderful 

 floods of honey, but it certainly has been able to do wonders 

 for many in the way of restoring impaired health. 



* * * * * 



Prof. a. J. Cook, of Eos Angeles Co., Calif., writing- 

 us June 25th, said this concerning the honey crop and pros- 

 pects in California : 



" Altho this is a very dry season in California, yet we 

 are getting a very good supply of honey. There will be a 

 good deal more than the bees require for their own needs. 

 It seems to depend much on the time the rains come whether 

 a small rainfall brings a honey crop or not. The present 

 season was very early, and the flowers have continued to 

 bloom for a long time. 



" It will not be long before there will be large alfalfa 

 fields in many parts of Southern California. This royal 

 crop will be grown by irrigation, the water being pumpt. 

 This will make a honey crop independent of the winter 

 rainfall, as is now true in parts of the San Joaquin valley. 

 This is one of the gains from the recent dry years. People 

 have learned of the great and invaluable reservoir beneath 



the ground." 



* * * * * 



Mr. C. p. DadanT, of Chas. Dadant & Son, leaves for 

 the Paris Exposition July 12th, the very date of this issue of 

 the American Bee Journal. One of his daughters will ac- 

 company him. Mr. Dadant bears with him a duly author- 

 ized certificate showing his appointment as a delegate to 

 represent our National Bee-Keepers' Association at the 

 congress of bee-keepers to be be held in Paris, Sept. 10th, 

 11th and 12th, or at any other meeting of bee-keepers which 

 he may be able to attend while he is abroad. Certainly no 

 other American bee-keeper could quite so well represent the 

 bee-culture of United States in Paris as can Mr. C. P. Da- 

 dant. Being a native of France, and thoroly familiar with 

 everything connected with bee-keeping the past 30 years or 

 more, both in Europe and America, he is eminently quali- 

 fied to represent the apiarists of his adopted country. And 

 as he pays his own expenses, the National Association can 

 only be the gainer all around. 



All will unite with us in wishing Mr. Dadant balmy 

 winds and a waveless sea — a pleasant voyage, and safe 

 return. 



