'im AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



169 



cessful bee-keepers. Fi-oni careful 

 estimates it is ascertained that in our 

 immediate vicinity there are over 200 

 interested in bee-culture. We cor- 

 dially invite all to join us and helj) to 

 make this Association second to none 

 for mutual benelit and the promotion 

 of scientilic bee-cultnre. 



Adjourned until the second Tues- 

 day in May, ISS."), at 10 a. m. 



John 0. Lynch, Sec. 



V. O. Shannon, Pres. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Pollen Theory and Over-Production. 



.J. E. POND, .ri!. 



Notwithstanding my last article on 

 the subject, on page 731 of the Bee 

 Journal for 1884, there is still a 

 radical difference between Mr. Iled- 

 don and myself in regard to the " pol- 

 len theory." In that article I sug- 

 gested that the coming winter would 

 be just the time to show whether or 

 not all colonies (or enough of them to 

 prove the rule) fed on sugar syrup 

 alone, would winter withont diarrhea; 

 a far different thing from admitting 

 that if they did it would be owing 

 wholly to no pollen being left in their 

 hives. I did say that Mr. II. had of- 

 fered some evidence in favor of his 

 favorite theory, but that evidence can 

 be used also in proof of Mr. Clarke's 

 hibernation theory, which, by the 

 way, I firmly believe will be found to 

 be the solution of the problem. Mr. 

 Heddon and myself differ in tliis ; I 

 do not believe "that the presence of 

 pure pollen, whether sealed up as 

 such, or found as floating particles in 

 the honey stores, has au^lit to do with 

 causing bee-diarrhea. In fact I be- 

 lieve that every colony will winter 

 safely when the conditions are right, 

 with pure pollen remaining in the 

 hive in the ordinary quantity tliat is 

 usually found at the close of the sea- 

 son. Allow me to ask, when or where 

 have I ever misquoted Mr. H. V Will 

 he please point out the spot V 



He has repeatedly said that " he 

 was sure the ' pollen theory ' was cor- 

 rect ; that the facts shown fitted that 

 theory more closely than any other 

 set of facts offered in proof of any 

 other theory," etc. I am aware that 

 he has said, " he did not know the 

 theory to be correct," but still urged 

 it with all the vehemence possible, 

 even to the exclusion of other mat- 

 .ters; leaving it to be inferred that 

 upon the presence or absence of pol- 

 len alone depended the success or non- 

 success of wintering. I have re- 

 peatedly said that I did not believe 

 the theory, and I now put myself 

 squarely on record, by saying, that 

 when the method of positively safe 

 wintering is discovered, it will be 

 found to consist in some plan by 

 which our bees can be kept in a state 

 of quietude ; in as nearly a state of 

 hibernation as it is possible to put 

 them. I have found it the rule in mv 

 own apiary (which, by the way, has 

 consisted of from .5 to 00 colonies), 

 that the colony which remained the 

 most quiet, used up the least stores 

 and came out the brightest in the 



spring. In fact, I have wintered a 

 colony from the middle of November 

 to the middle of February on less 

 than ") pounds of stores, and that on 

 the summer stand, and during an ex- 

 ceedingly severe winter. 



Mr. il. and myself disagree also on 

 the question of over-production, not- 

 withstanding that I am taunted by 

 him as being an amateur, and only 

 keeping a few colonies, and that as a 

 consequence am not qualified to dis- 

 cuss the question. I do believe that 

 I know something of the laws which 

 govern supply and demand (for I have 

 given a little attention to tlie study 

 of political economy), and that 1 am 

 as well qualified to discuss the matter 

 as though I was a specialist bee- 

 keeper, kept •'iOO or more colonies, be- 

 lieved in the right of priority of loca- 

 tion, and the right to pre-empt all tlie 

 good fields I could find, and offer for 

 sale those I could not conveniently 

 occupy. 



I believe, too, that the matter of 

 supply and demand for honey is gov- 

 erned by the same laws that govern 

 the matter of production generally ; 

 and that the present lack of demand 

 and consequent low prices is owing 

 to the ignorance of bee-keepers as to 

 the best ways and means of disposing 

 of their crops. I may be wrong, still 

 I am content to leave my views to the 

 criticism of the public ; feeling as- 

 sured that until the production of 

 honey gives a larger yield than less 

 than one ounce per capita for the peo- 

 ple of the country, that I shall be 

 deemed far wrong when I say that 

 over-production is a bugbear which 

 this generation need not fear. 



Foxboro,o Mass, 



For tse American Bee Journal. 



Are Bees Taxable? 



E. B. SOUTHWICK. 



In reply to Mr. Unger's question, 

 on page 88, 1 wish to say that as bees 

 are qualified and not absolute prop- 

 erty, they are not taxable without a 

 special law to that effect made by the 

 State (I think that Illinois has no 

 such law) ; but bee-hives, combs, 

 honey and all bee-fixings are absolute 

 property, and any assessor has the 

 right to assess them at their cash 

 value, even if no other assessor in the 

 United States does, or ever has as- 

 sessed them. 



As I understand it, the assessor 

 asked Mr. U. for the number of hives, 

 and said that he assessed them from 

 one to two dollars each. I think that 

 he was very reasonable and just, for 

 it is a very poor apiary whose hives 

 would not be worth SI to $2 each, 

 even if they were only used for kind- 

 ling wood, the combs for wax, and 

 the honey used in the family. 



^yhat has been done in the past 

 should be no guide or rule for the 

 present or future. We should have a 

 rule of right and a principle of jus- 

 tice to guide us regardless of the past 

 or future. Justice requires that all 

 absolute property should be assessed 

 and taxed according to its real value 

 without any reserve whatever ; and 



when the assessors do assess our 

 apiaries at $1 or $2 per hive, we ought 

 not to complain. 

 Slierman,^ Mich. 



ror the American Bee Journal. 



Report— Hive Door- Yards- 



J. A. PEAKCE. 



My location is a fruit farm in (Jraiid 

 Rapids, Mich. 1 bought 3 colonies of 

 bees for .'520, last April, and moved 

 them 10 miles. Their hives looked as 

 if the bees had eaten too much pollen, 

 if Mr. Heddon is correct. They were in 

 hives with Langstroth frames and tlie 

 Heddon case. \\'e had an abundance 

 of fruit bloom, and they soon built up 

 strong. While clover was also very 

 plentiful, but there was no basswood. 

 The fall bloom was fair. They gave 

 me a little over 100 pounds of honey 

 to the colony, in <ine-pound sections, 

 and I have now 7 strong colonies in 

 double-walled hives, with an air- 

 space between tlie walls of the hive. 

 I have not been able to give them per- 

 fect ventilation at all times, but I 

 think that I can accomplish it by 

 another winter. I mean lower venti- 

 lation, as they are covered warm 

 above with quilts, on the summer 

 stands. 



There is one subject that has not 

 been mentioned in the Bee .Touhnal 

 since I have taken it, tliat 1 would 

 like to say a word about; i'.,e., the 

 "door-yard" to the bee-hive. The 

 leading works on apiculture seem to 

 attach some importance to a clear 

 place in front of the hive, but none of 

 them suggest any thing which has 

 proven quite satisfactory. Prof. Cook 

 recommends sand or sawdust ; Mr. A. 

 I. Boot mentions coal cinders, and 

 speaks of stretching a piece of can- 

 vas up to a hive raised a little on 

 spring balances, and the bees stored 

 as much in 4 minutes as they had be- 

 fore in ."). This carried to days, one 

 can see what it would be. 



After heavy rains and winds, when 

 you look for the sand and sawdust, 

 lo ! they are not there ; and when you 

 seek diligently for them, they are not 

 to be found, except only a little in the 

 entrances of the hives. To remedy 

 this, I took a little water-lime, say 1 

 to -5 of sand, and made a little door- 

 yard to the hives nearly the shape of 

 a large turtle's back. This keeps 

 down all grass, is perfectly clean and 

 hard, and the bees seem to like it. 

 The most of the bee -men here have 

 sand, sawdust, warped boards that 

 the toads can sit under, tall grass, 

 weeds, etc., before their hives. 



Perhaps I am taking too much 

 pains in this direction, and may be 

 the bees will store just as much and 

 as fine honey if they struggle through 

 tall grass and weeds to get into their 

 hives, as if they have a clear entrance. 

 I would like to hear from my fellow 

 bee-keepers what they use, and what 

 they think is necessary, as I w-ish to 

 be right. I give my bees fresh and 

 saltv water near their hives in in- 

 verted fruit-cans. They visit them a 

 great deal, but the salty can the most 

 frequently after being confined to 



