392 



THE AMERICAN BEE JUJlIi'lAL. 



bees having swarmed, and finding a 

 genial home and a safe place in which 

 to hibernate, in the carc>iss of the 

 lion that her husband had slain, they 

 simply did what Cyprians and Syrians 

 always do — pitch in and niakfe them- 

 selves at home. 



OUT-DOOR WINTEKINQ WITH PROTEC- 

 TION. 



One conspicuous advantage in out- 

 door wintering is found in the occa- 

 sional favorable changes of weather 

 that occur during winter, inviting 

 the bees to a cleansing flight, with 

 the opportunity of carrying out many 

 of the dead from the hive. 



Every experienced bee-master will 

 concede the superiority of woolen 

 blankets or felt cloth as a covering 

 over the frames. If a cushion is pre- 

 ferred, then All it with woolen bats, 

 and you will have sometliing that you 

 will never exchange for anything else. 



For packing, there is nothing like 

 clean, briglit straw ; being a non-con- 

 ductor of heat it is vastly superior to 

 leaves, fodder, husks, or anything else 

 that I have ever tried. I had about 

 as soon spread a sheetof lead over my 

 bees, as cloth made from flax, hemp 

 or jute, as they hold the moisture 

 instead of passing it off ; thus caus- 

 ing consequent death rather than 

 protection. 



IN-DOOR WINTERING. 



As to in-door or cellar wintering, I 

 have had little experience, and can 

 advise only from facts and theories. 

 I take great pleasure in referring to 

 eminent bee-masters, such as Rev. E. 

 L. Ijriggs, Rev. O. Clute, JMr. George 

 Grimm, and Mr. H. R. Roardman. If 

 I had a repository tliat was faulty, or 

 if I had determined to build a "new 

 one, the very tirst thing that I would 

 do would be to draw on the patriotism 

 of any one or all of the above-named 

 gentlemen, for an exact model in 

 detail, of their cellar or repository, as 

 well as the exact detail of the manner 

 of manipulation, or condition of ttie 

 colonies when placed in for winter. 

 With repositories thus secured that 

 will winter bees with a loss of ordy 2 

 per cent., the climax is reached, and 

 we may not fret any longer about 

 death in the hive or unsuccessful 

 wintering. 



Athens,©, Ohio. 



F'or tlie American B^-e Jnurnui. 



Wild Gooseberries and Currants 



W. A. I'UYAL. 



In .lanuary. when the willow is in 

 bloom, another f.iuiily of (Jalilornia 

 wild-flowers enjoy willi the willow 

 many a pleasant and grateful visit 

 from the bees. Ooinmeucing in the 

 latter part of the lirst month of tlie 

 year, and extending into February, 

 the wild gooseberries, arrayed in all 

 their thorns and a scanty supply of 

 leaves, commence to open Iheii insig- 

 nidcant flowers, which, however, to 

 the bees, .seem to have a chann, for 

 they dive deep and long into eacli one. 

 There are some three varieties to be 



WILLI ( THKANT OF C.VLIFOKNIA. 



found in this r State, but we have 

 never seen manyj growing in one 

 locality. 



The wild currants, which are as 

 pretty a flower as one could wish to 

 see, ('oaifs into bloom a little later 

 than the gooseberries, and their rose- 

 red, niany-lliiwered. druoping racemes 

 are eauerlv s(iui,'lit aflerliy tlie bees 

 on favorable California wniter days. 



These plants, too, are not very numer- 

 ous, but they, together with the first 

 described, are entitled to be classed 

 Willi our earliest spring (winter, East- 



; ern folks will say) bee-flora. 



i The wild currant here shown is 

 botanically known as Kibes sanguin- 

 euni, and is Ht to adorn any garden or 

 grace any bouquet. 

 North Temescal,»oCal. 



