THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



179 



WEEKLY EDITION 



OF THE 



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-^.^-^S 



rUBIjtSHED BY 



THOMAS G. NE'VvMAN, 



Kditor and Phopkietoii, 

 925 WEST MADISON-STREET, CHICAGO, ILL. 



Weekly, S^Z a year ; Monthly, SO cents. 



Vol. XXI. March 25, 1885. No. 12. 



1^ In answer to several corres 

 pendents we will say that Alsike clo- 

 ver blossoms just after the white 

 clover begins to bloom, and lasts till 

 basswood yields nectar. It would be 

 better to pasture the Alsike until 

 about June 20, and then it would 

 bloom about the time when basswood 

 ceases, and thus prolong the honey 

 season some, when something is most 

 needed for the bees to work upon. 



1^ Prom the Bienen Zeitung we 

 learn that Ilerr Dathe, a bee-master 

 of Hanover, has been to Ceylon, and 

 describes tlie bees there found. He 

 says that " the sting of Apis dorsata 

 is sharp and severe, but the action is 

 clumsy, so that this large bee can be 

 removed before it is inflicted." Of 

 Apis Indica he says: "They closely 

 resemble Italian bees ; they live in 

 the cavities of trees, in the gardens of 

 the natives, as well as in the forests." 

 Of Apis Jlorea he states that " they 

 are of little value, only producing a 

 small quantity of honey." 



1^ Frank Benton has issued a 

 Leaflet in which he tries to sting 

 Prof. Cook, Mr. T. W. Cowan, Mr. H. 

 Alley, and the editor of the Bee 

 .Journal. He puts us all down as 

 "know-nothings. ' Such egotism is 

 truly refreshing I 



^° From Jacob Ruch, Mt. Eaton, 

 O., comes a reversible-frame device. 

 It consists of a wire projecting-end 

 for the top-bar, wliich turns down on 

 the side-bar when not needed. It can 

 be up or down in an instant, and is 

 one of the best devices out of the 

 multitude whieli has been sent to tliis 

 office. 



®" Our readers will regret to learn 

 that our friend, the Rev. L. L. I,ang- 

 stroth, lias had an attack of paralysis, 

 as will be seen by the following letter, 

 dated Oxford, O., March 13, 1885 : 



For the information of inquiring 

 friends, I wish you to state that tliree 

 weeks ago I liad an attack of paraly- 

 sis, affecting uiy left arm and leg. ' [ 

 have recovered a comfortable use of 

 my limbs, but my general health con- 

 tinues, as it has been for the last 15 

 niontlis, to be very feeble. 

 Your friend, 

 L. L. Lancstuoth, per A. L. C. 



t^ Miss Emily C. West, of Flint, 

 Mich., has sent a device for a reversi- 

 ble frame, as shown by the illustra- 

 tion. It is made of wire and slips into 

 the top-bar of the frame. She says : 



" I think that the illustration will 

 show the simplicity of the arrange- 

 ment. It can be put upon any frame 

 just by making two brad-awl holes in 

 the center of tlie end-bars. The wires 



t^ The losses of bees liave been 

 quite large all over the Nortli, where 

 they were wintered on the summer 

 stands. Those wintered in cellars are 

 generally reported to be in good con- 

 dition. Ttiose who have bees to sell 

 will Hud plenty of buyers, if they are 

 wise enough to let it be known. We 

 have had many inquiries already for 

 information as to where to buy bees. 

 Those having bees to sell should ad- 

 vertise them at once. 



at the side keep the frame upright, 

 and the projections cause it to rest 

 firmly upon the edge of the hive. The 

 frame can be reversed in an instant, 

 and there is no chance for sticking it 

 fast to the frame. It can be made 

 from a single piece of wire, which 

 makes it quite inexpensive." 



i^In the report of the International 

 Congress, pages 154 and 155, there are 

 two essays, one by Mr. Viallon, the 

 other by Mr. Dadant, which seem to 

 contradict one another in regard to 

 the cost of beeswax. The contradic- 

 tion is only apparent, and not real ; as 

 in Mr. Viallon's tests, no account was 

 taken of the large quantity of honey 

 consumed by the brood reared in the 

 hives containing empty combs, and 

 it is evident that the colonies in these 

 hives reared a great deal more brood 

 during those 28 days than the colo- 

 nies that were given empty frames. 

 The quantity thus consumed, and the 

 greater strength of those colonies for 

 a future harvest, would probably 

 make lip the difference between those 

 reports, on the cost of wax. We can- 

 not, however, refrain from thanking 

 Mr. Viallon for his experiments, so 

 carefully reported, as they are very 

 useful to throw light on the subject. 



^ According to L'Apiculteur, the 

 sale of lioney in France was not satis- 

 factory last season. Much of it yet 

 remains unsold. Mar.seilles reports 

 50,000 kilograms of beeswax on hand, 

 and the receipts exceed the sales. A 

 kilogram is about two pounds. 



m" Mr. Elijah A. Daggitt, White 

 House, N. J., has sent us another de- 

 vice for reversing frames. It consists 

 of a tin arm to reverse a doubte " tin 

 corner "made similar to the novice 

 tin corner. It would hardly be sub- 

 stantial enough to suit the generality 

 of bee-keepers, we think. 



^ From Mr. W. H. Smith, Mt. 

 Salem, Ont., comes another device for 

 reversing frames. It consists of a 

 piece of hoop-iron with the top turned 

 over to make a rest for the frame. 

 This has two holes, and a slot slips 

 over 2 screws ; a third screw below 

 allows the reversing. 



i^By the courtesy of Secretary S. M. 

 Locke, we give a condensed report of 

 3 sessions of the New York State Bee- 

 Keepers' Convention. The rest will 

 appear as soon as we receive it. 



^° By the British Bee Journal we 

 see that the Ileversible-Frame Craze 

 has now reached that country. There 

 is no end to the number of devices. 



1^ The exports of honey from 

 Chili in 1883 were 1,.S10,2.56 kilos, val- 

 ued at $201 ,392. Of wax, 99,624 kilos ; 

 value, $85,617. 



i^° The Missouri Convention has 

 been changed. See page 189. 



Catalogues for 1885.— We have re- 

 ceived the following : 



Williamson & Bro., Lexington, Ky 

 G. M. Doolittlp, Iforodino. N Y " 

 .7. W. Chu-k, t'lrti-kslnirK-, Mo. 

 Fliinasran & Jllinski, Belleville 111 

 W. S. Cauthen, Pleasant Hill, S. c' 

 .las. O. Tacey. Tavistock, Ont. 

 Hilas D. Davis, Biadlord Vt 

 McClintock liins.. liavtnna. O.— Berries 

 Isaac F. Tillin-hust, I,a Plume, Pa.— Seeds 



