THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



59 



ianized, not a vestige of dead brood 

 could be found in the hive. I account 

 for the cliange in one of two ways ; 

 Either tlie Italian brood has more 

 vitality to resist disease, or the effect 

 was produced by tlie greater energy 

 of ttie Italians in cleaning up the 

 combs and keeping all foul matter 

 out of the hive. 



I have no doubt that many colonies 

 have been destroyed on the suspicion 

 that they had foul brood, when the 

 introduction of Italian queens would 

 have obviated all difficulties. The 

 Italians are better house-keepers and 

 nurse-bees, and more vigorous in pro- 

 tecting their hives from all intruders. 

 They keep the brood covered better 

 in cool weather, or when the hives are 

 opened. I have found light-colored 

 hybrids as good workers as pure Ital- 

 ians, but not so easy to handle. In 

 my own experience I have found that 

 the darker the bees the crosser they 

 are. 



When the above-mentioned colony 

 of hybrids were changed to about one- 

 half pure Italians, by the introduction 

 of an Italian queen, and all signs of 

 dead brood had disappeared, I con- 

 cluded to extract the honey, which I 

 had not done before lest other bees 

 might get the honey. The dark hy- 

 brids were very cross, but with a good 

 veil, my hands covered, except my 

 fingers, and an assistant to smoke the 

 rascals when they went on the war- 

 path, I attacked them and took 60 

 jjounds of nice, white clover honey, 

 but received ten stings in the opera- 

 tion from the remaining hybrids. My 

 assistant received three or four stings 

 and then retired to a place of greater 

 safety. I would rather handle 3 colo- 

 nies of Italians than 1 of dark hybrids 

 or blacks, and I shall defend pure 

 Italians every time until I find some- 

 thing better. 



In November, 1883, I came to Flor- 

 ida and shipped by express some 

 nuclei with untested queens, so as to 

 be sure to get a good stock of Italians. 

 Thirteen out of 1.5 queens, proved 

 to be pure Italians. In .January there 

 were severe frosts, for this country, 

 and quite cool weather for nuclei. As 

 soon as the bees were well at work, 

 and the brond was hatching, I found 

 dead brood in one nucleus of the hy- 

 brids. As soon as I could rear a pure 

 queen for them, the dead brood all 

 disappeared as it had done in Iowa. 



We are not situated in the best 

 location for honey, as we came here 

 for health, and not purposely to keep 

 bees. In my opinion the only healthy 

 places in the South are on what is 

 called high pine land, and several 

 miles from any sluggish river or rich 

 hammock land. We have taken 

 nearly 50 pounds of honey per nucleus, 

 sold $13 worth of queens, and have 22 

 colonies on hand. This, perhaps, is 

 not a very good showing, but a fair 

 profit on our labor. 



I know of no place in Florida where 

 bee-keeping could profitably be fol- 

 lowed exclusive from other business 

 except at New Smyrna, IS miles east 

 from here, and there is only a small 

 section of a few miles in length where 

 the black mangrove grows on the 

 islands in the Helsborough river. 



That location is already pretty well 

 occupied. We are 9 miles east of the 

 St. John's river, and 18 miles from 

 the coast, near the eastern boundary 

 of what is called high pine land, so 

 that our bees liave tlie range of high 

 pine tlat-woods a mile to the east, and 

 scrub at one point within one-half 

 mile south. Scrub is a worthless 

 white sand covered with scrub pine 

 and a great variety of low brush, 

 palmetto, whortleberry, etc. Flat- 

 woods are low and very level, during 

 the wet season a good deal of it being 

 covered with water. 



Raising oranges and other fruit is 

 the principal business here, and it is 

 not much trouble to keep a few bees 

 also. We had three honey-flows 

 when the bees gathered a surplus : 

 In January, from the scrub pine ; in 

 February and March, from Orange 

 blossoms ; and in May, from palmetto. 

 We have been here three winters, 

 and the season of blossoming has 

 varied from 4 to 6 weeks. This win- 

 ter we have had no frost, and orange 

 trees are putting out blossom buds 

 now. Last year we had hard frosts 

 in January, and oranges blossomed in 

 March. 



I think that this is a very healthy 

 place for people troubled with catarrh, 

 asthma, bronchitis or rheumatism. 

 Dyspeptics are often much benefited 

 in the pine woods. But to get health 

 here, one needs to be out-of-doors a 

 great deal. The soil is a light sand, 

 and will not produce much without 

 being fertilized. Many people buy all 

 their vegetables, but with a little 

 fertilizing we are having as nice veg- 

 etables as I ever ate in any country. 

 Cabbages, turnips, collards, radishes, 

 beets and lettuce are very nice and 

 tender. Egg-plant, tomatoes, squashes 

 and melons are easy to raise. Sweet 

 potatoes grow every where, but one 

 has to learn how to cultivate them. 

 A poor man iiere would have to sup- 

 port himself by working for others at 

 SI. 2-5 to §1.50 per day for common 

 work. 



Lake Helen,© Fla., Jan. 13, 1885. 



For the American Bee JournaL 



The International Congress. 



The bee-keepers who signed the 

 Call for the ■International Congress, 

 now add the following ''Notes for bee- 

 keepers who intend going to the Con- 

 vention at New Orleans on Feb. 24, 

 25 and 26,1885:" 



The Convention will assemble at 10 

 a. m. in the Lecture Hall on the Ex- 

 position Grounds. Among the sub- 

 jects which will be considered during 

 the sessions of the Convention will be 

 reports of the honey resources and 

 production of America and Europe ; 

 preparation of honey for market; 

 transportation; lower rates of freight; 

 marketing ; the advantages of the use 

 of 'comb foundation; sections, the 

 best size and the best way to use 

 them ; the best race of bees for Amer- 

 ica ; prevention of swarming ; fertili- 

 zation of queens ; bee-pasturage ; 

 bee-keeping as a pursuit ; besides the 



discussion of otlier questions of in- 

 terest that will be propounded. Essays 

 to elicit discussion are expected from 

 some of the most prominent bee-keep- 

 ers of Europe and America. 



Uees and bee-keepers' supplies for 

 exhibition must be sent with all 

 freight prepaid, and directed to Maj. 

 E. A. Burke, Director General of the 

 Exposition, for Department of Agri- 

 culture, New Orleans, La. The Board 

 of Management of the Exposition has 

 established a Department of Informa- 

 tion and Accommodation, at Nos. 164 

 Gravier and 15 Union streets, for the 

 purpose of furnishing visitors with 

 information as to suitable board and 

 lodging houses, or furnished rooms 

 with directions how to reach them. 

 For such service no charge is made. 



Bee-keepers, on arrival in the city, 

 are advised to go at once to the office 

 of this department and make the best 

 arrangements that they can for quar- 

 ters, and if they will leave their cards 

 and address at the same place, tlieir 

 friends will know where to look for 

 them. The most of the visitors to 

 the Exposition find it best and cheap- 

 est to rent rooms and take their meals 

 at restaurants. Furnished rooms 

 will cost from 75 cents to $1 for each 

 person, per day, and board and lodg- 

 ing about double tliese rates. We are 

 assured that the hotels have not ad- 

 vanced their rates, which are $2 to S3, 

 according to the location of rooms,, 

 etc. The Committee. 



Local Convention Directory, 



Time and place of Meeting. 



Keb. 4.— N. E. Michiean. at Vassar, Micb. 



W. Z. Hutchinson, Sec, Ropersville, Micb. 



Feb. 11.— Seneca Co., N. V'.. at Ovid, N. Y. 



Ira Wilson, Sec, Ovid, N. Y. 



Feb. 17.— Ohio State, at Columbus, Ohio. 



C. M. Kingsbury, sec, Mt. Vernon, O. 



Feb. 24-26,— International, at New Orleans. La. 



Mar. 11.— New Jersey and Eastern, at N. V. City. 

 W. B. Treadwell. Sec. 1(5 Thomas St., New Vork. 



April 3.— N. E. Kansas, at Hi^iwatha, Ivans. 



L. C Clark, Sec, Granada, Kans. 



May 4.— Linwood. Wis., at Rock Elm Centre, Wis. 

 B. Thomson, Sec, Waverly, Wis. 



May 28.- N. Mich. Picnic, near McBride. Mich. 



F. A. Palmer, Sec, McBride, Mich. 



June 19.— Willamette Valley, at La Fayette. Oreg, 

 E. J, Hadley, Sec. 



ty" In order to have this table complete. Secre- 

 taries are requested to forward full particulars of 

 time and place of future meetinfrs.— Ed. 



jKB" The New Jersey and Eastern Bee- 

 Keepers' Association will hold their next 

 annual convention at Cooper Union, in 

 New York Citj', beginning.on Wednesday, 

 March 11, 1885, imd to continue two days or 

 iijore. The coniniittee promises a good 

 progianinie, and extends a cordial invita- 

 tion to all. 



W. B. Treadwell, Ass't. Sec. 



«s- The Ohio bre-keeper.s will hold 

 tlieir annual convention in the Agricnl- 

 tural Room of tlie State House at Colum- 

 bus, Ohio, on Feb. 17, 1885. All subjects 

 pertaiuiiiu tobee-cnltnre will be discussed, 

 more especially those of spring and suiu- 

 nier niana«emeiit of bees. Eminent 

 speakers will be in attendance. All are 

 cordially invited. 



C. M. KiNGSBUEY, Sec. 



