THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



611 



WEEKLY EDITION 



OF THE 



THOMAS G. NEWMAN, 

 :hijdxtoti. 



Vol. XXI. Sept. 30, 1885. No. 39. 



APICULTURAL NEWS ITEMS. 



EDITORIAL AND SELECTED. 



CalU'oriila Poppy.— To seo this plant 

 ^Eschsl■h(l^tzia) in " all its glory," one must 

 be in its native home, ("alirornia, during 

 April and May. There it may bo seen in 

 patches of many acres, radiant with ils 

 brilliancy of fe'Olden-hued Howers. Though 

 a.s common as the commonest weed, it is 

 hig-hly cherished by the people of the Golden 

 State. Its fragrance is not such as to make 

 it attractive, still its rich color and its keep- 

 ing fresh for many hours after being picked 

 makes it a favorite with the many as a 

 bouquet flower. The plant is of low growth 

 the tallest varieties not growing over 15 

 inches high. We have not heard of more 

 than two varieties being found in its native 

 land ; but Eastern and European cultivators 



The Dew hangs jewels in the heath. 



Buds bloom for which the bee has pined ; 



I haste along, I quicker breathe, 



The night is still, the moon looks kind. 



Honey in one-pound sections sells much 

 faster than that in larger packages. It is a 

 neat package, and small enough for any 

 family, and can readily be sold for 23 cents 

 — the popular retail price. 



"How many kinds of the honey-bees I 

 are there in North America ?" asks a corres- 

 pondent. We now think of but seven : The 

 natives (brown or black), Italian, Cyprian, 

 Syrian, Hung.irian, Egyptian and Carniolan. 



Mr. D. A. Joiies, Beeton, Ont., has sent 

 us a copy of his new Catalogue for the fall 

 Fairs. It contains 16 pages, and enumerates 

 a full list of apiarian supplies. 



The Present Condition of the bees is 

 very encouraging. The losses of bees last 

 winter are mainly overcome now— and the 

 colonies generally will go into winter quar- 

 ters in excellent condition. Let us hope for 

 successful wintering and a large crop of 

 honey next year. 



The Honey Show at the Michigan State 

 Fair was not quite as magnificent as it was 

 last year— but it was good. Mr. W. Z. Hutch- 

 inson was awarded $150 in premiums in the 

 various departments. This must be very 

 gratifying to him, and speaks well of his 

 various exhibits. 



The Prenituni liist of the Shenandoah 

 Valley, Va., Agricultural Society is on our 

 desk. The Fair is to be held at Winchester, 

 Va., Oct. 13— ) 6, 1885. There is but one 

 premium for honey, and that is .50 cents, so 

 there will be no display. Mr. E. C. Jordan 

 should try a little missionary work on the 

 directors of that benighted society. 



The Query Department has become 

 very much crowded, and so we have given a 

 double dose this week. We have from .30 to 

 40 queries waiting their turn. This will 

 explain to some of the querists why their 

 questions are not answered earlier. It takes 

 time to get them printed, sent out, answered, 

 returned, and then placed in the Bee Jocr- 

 BAL in the order that they were received. 



Califarnia Puppy- p(nii( and flowers. 



have, by constant care and attention while 

 experimenting with the plant, succeeded in 

 producing several distinct varieties, but it 

 is doubtful if any of them rival the original 

 variety in beauty. To bee-keepers this plant 

 is only a benefit for the abundance of pollen 

 it yields. Though it is in its glory in April 

 and May, it blooms every month of the year. 

 Pollen obtained from it is of a dark orange 

 color. The engraving, which is from Vick's 

 Floral Guide, Rochester, N. Y., gives a cor- 

 rect representation of the flowers, but it is 

 rather too much reduced in size ; it should 

 be more spreading and have from 30 to 40 

 flowers. Those who plant flowers for pollen 

 should have the California Poppy. It is easy 

 to cultivate. The seed may be obtained 

 of James Vick, Rochester, N. Y. 



A Drone-Trap was sent to us by Mr. E. 



Nutting, of Kent, O., filled with drones, 

 caught in a short time from one of his Holy 

 Land colonies. The drones were very fine. 

 The trap has several new features. Not a 

 drone can get out of the hive without getting 

 caught in the trap, where they are impris- 

 oned until liberated, and are completely 

 under the control of the apiarist. 



" Don't Stop "—that is what many write 

 to us about their papers, when their time is 

 nearly out. One subscriber says : " This 

 has been a year of disaster, and it is not con- 

 venient for me to send you the money now 

 to renew my subscription. It runs out with 

 this month ; hut don't stop sendina it. I will 

 get the money to you within three months." 

 Such letters are coming every day, and so 

 for the present wo have concluded not to 

 stop any papers until requested to do so. 



Another Suit — Beex and Urapes 



fiustav Uohn, of San Bernardino, Calif., on 

 Sept. 14, 18K.">, sent the following to the 

 Manager of the Bee-Keepers' Union : 



A suit has been commenced against me in 

 the Justice Court of this city for $'iiiO, for 

 damages alleged to have been done by my 

 bees to my neighbor's grapes during 1884 

 and 1885. I am a member of the National 

 Bee-Keepers' Union, and desire the aid and 

 assistance of this National organization. I 

 have engaged good counsel, and hope to win 

 the case. Please inform me what assistance 

 I may expect from the Bee-Keepers' Union ? 



That question is a poser I We have just 

 completed arrangements for " a vigorous 

 fight" over the Wisconsin suit, and have 

 expended nearly all the money in the 

 treasury, a little over $2:W. But we will do 

 all we can— all that our finances will permit 1 

 The great bulk of bee-keepers seem to be 

 asUep, and the pursuit is left to care for 

 itself. By this time the membership should 

 have been thousands instead of hundreds I 

 Then we could show to the enemies of the 

 pursuit that ours were not idle words— but 

 that they were to be " backed up " by dollars 

 and cents as well as unbounded enthusiasm. 



A Honey Pyramld,at the Fair at Ithaca, 

 N. Y., was what the Ithaca Journal called 

 the exhibit of Messrs. W. G. Fish and E. W. 

 Landon, two enterprising bee-men of the 

 county of Tompkins, N. Y. Besides an ex- 

 hibit of comb foundation and machines, 

 making it on the grounds, smokers and 

 other implements for bee-keepers,, they had 

 honey extractors at work "turning out" 

 honey, pure and enticing before the eyes o 

 the multitude. The Journal adds : 



In their exhibit scientific bee-culture is 

 practically shown and illustrated in detail. 

 Live bees are exhibited in small glass hives, 

 and one may admire the beauty of the Ital- 

 ians, study the economy of the hive, reflect 

 upon the constant industry of the "busy 

 bee." or engage in the fascination of hunting 

 for the queen, all without the least danger 

 of being stung. 



Three inventions, namely, the movable- 

 comb hive, the honey extractor and the 

 comb foundation have raised bee-culture 

 out of the well-worn ruts of the past, placed 

 it upon the scientific basis where it now 

 rests, and changed it from uncertain man- 

 agement and guess-work to a certainty, 

 giving complete control of the hive. No 

 one who visits the Fair this year should fail 

 to inspect the bee and honey exhibits. 



That is the way to do it. That exhibit has, 

 no doubt, done more good and built up a 

 larger local trade and reputation than they 

 could have acquired in several years. 



Unite Weal« Colonies, says Mrs. L. 

 Harrison in the Prairie Farmer. She states 

 her method thus : 



" If two. three, or more colonies are to be 

 united, choose the best queen, and remove 

 all the others. The frames containing honey 

 should be put together into one hive, and 

 the bees put together and driven in, the sur- 

 plus queens having been first removed. 

 They will not quarrel, as they have now no 

 home of their own, but accept the condition 

 gratefully. Some daj's before uniting, the 

 hives should be brought together, and a 

 board or grass put in front of their entrance, 

 so they would mark the location. A few 

 days after the bees have been iHiited, if any 

 of the remaining comb contains, honey, it 

 should be uncapped and placed in the uppei 

 story, and a little opening given in the 

 honey-board or muslin, so the bees can come 

 up and carry the honey below. When the 

 combs are emptied of honey, the frames 

 should be stored away carefully for another 

 season, when they will be worth more to 

 their owner than lioney in the bank." 



