Dec. 27, 1900. 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



821 



by the American I5ee Journal, let's adopt it. You know- 

 when President Koot — 



Pres. Root — Don't rub it in. Doctor. 



Dr. Mason — I am not rubbing it in ; these are the facts 

 in the case. When you took the first vote among the sub- 

 scribers to Gleanings in Bee Culture, as to whether the re- 

 form spelling should be adopted, you got a hundred or more 

 votes which said "yes, adopt it," before one came in against 

 it, then they began to come the other way, and you just 

 went with those that came in last. Some of them did not 

 want it done because it was changing so much, and some 

 threatened to stop taking the paper if it was adopted. This 

 is a changeable world, and we must change if we keep up 

 with the times- have to move or get left. If we can write 

 and leave out many useless and worse than useless letters, 

 and know what it means just as well, why not adopt that 

 method ? 



Mr. York — I suggest we take a vote on it ; how many 

 are in favor of reform spelling and how many are not, just 

 for the fun of the thing. 



Pres. Root — All who are in favor of adopting the 

 spelling reform to the extent that the American Bee Jour- 

 nal has done, raise the hand. 



All raised their hands in favor, except one lady, who 

 voted against it. 



Dr. Mason— May I ask the lady why ? If there is a 

 good reason, you may change every one of us, you know. 



The Lady — It is probably because I am not as bright as 

 Dr. Mason. I can't see thru it so quickly. 



Dr. Mason— Practice is all that is needed. 



FEEDING FOR WINTER STORES. 



What is the best way to feed bees for winter stores, 

 and when?" 



Mr. Aikin — The best way to feed them is during the 

 honey-flow, if you can. If there is no honey-flow, I don't 

 know. I don't want to answer that question. 



Jacob Hoffman — Feed them in time so they get it sealed 

 over before cold weather. 



Mr. Aikin — Here is another question that goes along 

 with it: "How much food is required for average colo- 

 nies ?" In my locality, we would want 40 pounds for an av- 

 erage colony ; in some other places, 20 pounds would do. 



W. L. Coggshall — How many pounds of honey do you 

 think necessary for the bees over winter? 



Mr. Aikin — Thirty pounds will do, 35 would be better, 

 and 40 would be better yet. Bees "cut a garment according 

 to their cloth." If they have plenty of honey, they breed 

 up nicely ; if they haven't they won't. 



Dr. Mason — How many pounds is required for an aver- 

 age colony ? 



Mr. Aikin- That depends upon where you winter them, 

 whether in the cellar or some other ftlace, or outdoors. 



Dr. Mason — I winter mine in the cellar. I like to have 

 them have a good lot ; they will average about 10 pounds 

 while in the cellar. 



R. L. Taylor — It makes quite a difference in the quality. 

 They will use twice as much poor honey as good. 



Mr. Fixter — It takes so much less to winter in the cel- 

 lar, why not winter in the cellar altogether ? 



A Member — I askt that question. We have about 40 

 colonies at home that will all have to be fed. They are very 

 strong colonies, and I would like to know the best way and 

 how to feed them, and how much sugar is required to win- 

 ter in the cellar ? 



Mr. Aikin — Does your question intend to cover the time 

 from now practically until new honey, next spring ? 



A Member — Certainly, from fall until spring. 



Mr. Taylor — Do you put your bees in the cellar and feed 

 them granulated sugar ^ 



A Member — Yes, sir. I want to know how much from 

 now until they will gather honey in the spring. 



Mr. Taylor — If he puts his bees in the cellar, he can be 

 very sure that if he feeds ten pounds of granulated sugar 

 per colony, they will all be alive so far as stores are con- 

 cerned when he takes them out in the spring. Of course, if 

 they don't get much honey until the middle of June, they 

 will want more than that. 



Mr. Fixter--It makes a difference what kind of a cellar 

 you winter the bees in. Some cellars require a great deal 

 more honey for bees than others. 



Mr. Taylor- If the temperature is about the same, I 

 don't see why it should make much difference. If your cel- 

 lar is very damp, the temperature ought to be a little higher 

 than when it is very dry. 



Mr. Aikin — I realize that there is a great deal of mis- 

 understanding in regard to this matter, and we can not 



take the time of the convention to go fully into detail.s; but 

 get this one fact into your mind, that it is wise always to 

 have an abundance of stores for your colonies better that 

 there be 10, 20 or 30 pounds more than they use than half a 

 povind less than they need ; and simply to give the colony 

 enough now to last them until the first day of next March, 

 might not be at all a wise policy. I would want my colonies 

 to have enough in the fall to be sure that they got clear 

 thru in the spring when they can go out and forage if there 

 is anything to feed upon ; because a colony that is wintered 

 with barely enough stores to carry it thru until spring when 

 you think you can feed them safely, is almost sure to come 

 thru in a poor condition, and you will never be able to cal- 

 culate what you have lost by them coming thru in that 

 semi-starved condition. I am well satisfied that with 10 or 

 IS pounds more stores they might make you all the differ- 

 ence between a very handsome profit and a very serious loss 

 in that colony for its season's work. 



A Member — Would it be best to feed at the entrance or 

 in the hive ? 



Mr. Aikin — That part of the matter I have never exper- 

 imented with. 



D. H. Coggshall — I know how some feed. I never had 

 occasion to feed much. Take a colander and put the combs 

 on the under side of it and turn the honey and let it drop 

 from a short distance ; that drops the honey into the combs ; 

 hang them up, let the honey drip off, then put those in 

 hives ; put these combs below, and the bees will put it 

 above. 



Mr. Aikin— It is best to have the colony store it as sol- 

 idly as possible in the combs, and not scatter it thru a 

 whole lot of combs. Four combs solidly packt with stores 

 is far better for the colony to winter on than eight combs 

 with the same stores scattered thru eight combs. 

 Continued next week.) 



Contributed Articles. 



No. 9.— Interesting Notes on European Travel. 



BY C. P. DADANT. 



HERE we are, at Paris, the city of arts, the city of fash- 

 ion, the leader in a thousand things, the capital of the 

 world. But if I should try to detail my stay in Paris, 

 and the sights we saw, I should make the editor and the 

 readers weary of my prose. 



We arrived at midnight, and it lookt as if it might have 

 been noon, for the boulevards were as busy, the crowds were 

 as thick, on the sidewalks, in the cafes, in the restaurants, 

 as at midday. They had just emerged from the theatres, 

 and before these people were ready to go to bed, the market 

 gardeners and hucksters would in their turn come forth to 

 prepare for another busy day. That city never sleeps. 



Two or three readers of the American Bee Journal have 

 askt me to give my impressions of the Paris Exposition as 

 compared with the World's Fair at Chicago. I think I can 

 repeat what I have heard other Americans say : The French 

 exposition is more artistic, the details are better finisht, the 

 buildings more elegantly decorated, than at Chicago, but 

 our World's Fair was on a much greater scale. Not only 

 were the buildings larger, but there were more of them. We 

 had some 40 States of our own from which to draw, outside 

 of the foreign element. The buildings were situated far 

 enough apart to give a fine view from all sides. The 

 lagoons, the avenues, the Court of Honor, and that beauti- 

 ful lake could not be replaced by any of the beauties of 

 Paris. The view of the " White City" from the steamboat 

 on Lake Michigan was a sight which will be hard to match 

 anywhere. 



On the other hand, we must acknowledge that we have 

 the fault of making things too " rough and ready," and not 

 taking pains enough in the finish. In that Court of Honor, 

 I remember seeing holes in the columns, where scaffolding 

 had been taken off, and the woodwork was showing under 

 the plaster, thus effacing the "marble finish" impression, 

 and taking away the admiration which the artistic work 

 should have left. No such defects were to be seen at Paris, 

 and each and every detail was finisht up as if all that archi- 

 tecture was to remain for centuries. But the lack of space 

 had compelled the building of these works of art in too 



