THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



685 



tlie other 12, and I have had the bene- 

 fit of their experience. Both of tliem 

 winter their bees without loss, Mr. B. 

 using the chaft'-ciishions, while Mr. 

 R. uses a plan of his own, which, be- 

 cause it is less trouble and cheaper, 

 I am going to try. He nails together 

 four pieces of wood, each one inch 

 thick and two inches wide, and tacks 

 on this frame, for a bottom, a coarse 

 cloth like that made to hold corn or 

 oats. This clotli-bottomed box is 

 tilled with c'ry sawdust. To enable 

 the bees to get at tlieir honey, a thin 

 stick is laid on top of the brood-frames 

 .at right angles to the openings, and 

 over it is placed a coarse cloth which 

 covers all the openings except im- 

 mediately on each side of the stick. 

 The box is then placed on the frames, 

 and after the cap is put on, the bees 

 are ready for the winter's cold. Mr. 

 R. leaves his hives on the summer 

 stands, and has never lost a colony by 

 this plan. 

 Blauveltville,o, N. Y.,Sept. 28,1885. 



For the Ameiican Bee Journal. 



Characteristics of Syrian Bees. 



8— J. SINGLETON, (90). 



The article on page 568, from the 

 Journal of Horticulture, is calculated 

 to mislead those who have had no ex- 

 perience with Syrian bees. If the 

 writer had said that that colony of 

 Syrian bees was unmanageable, in- 

 stead of stigmatizing all Syrians as 

 such, he would have been nearer 

 right. 



I have had considerable experience 

 with Syrians during the last three 

 years, and must say that I prefer 

 them to any Italians I have ever had, 

 and I have purchased queens from 

 most of our best breeders. I like 

 them so well that I have this year 

 reared three-fourths of my queens 

 from that strain, and re-queened that 

 proportion of my apiary of 90 colonies 

 with them. I have repeatedly han- 

 dled them without smoke, as readily as 

 the quietest Italians; a thing I cannot 

 do with blacks. They are more ener- 

 getic, and more ready to enter the 

 surplus apartments than the Italians ; 

 they are hardier, stand the winter 

 better, breed later in the fall, and 

 breed up more quickly in the spring ; 

 besides, they cap their honey whiter — 

 more like the blacks. 



The queens are large, beautifully 

 striped, and very prolitic. I prefer to 

 have them mated with Italian drones, 

 as the bees are quieter on the combs 

 and not so nervous, although in their 

 purity they are better for that than 

 the blacks ; and as to their attacking 

 anything or anybody, except in de- 

 fense of their hives, I have never ex- 

 perienced it, and so far as I have 

 known of them, they attend strictly 

 to business. Myself and others have 

 stood in front of their hive-entrance 

 when they have been flying in and 

 out in numbers, and we were not 

 molested ; whereas the same treat- 

 ment with the blacks would cause 

 them to sting with a vengeance. 



I belive that from the Syrian and 

 Italian cross we shall ultimately pro- 



duce the " coming bee "—Apis Ameri- 

 cana. Dr. Tinker is evidently of the 

 same opinion. My Syrians and Syrio- 

 Italians have worked well in 2 and 3 

 stories of 14 Langslroth frames each, 

 without showing any disposition to 

 swarm, which is very different from 

 the account given in the article re- 

 ferred to. 

 Cleveland, 6 O., Sept. 24, 1884. 



Bees and Honey at Mich. State Fair. 



W. Z. Hutchinson and brother 

 made a fine exhibit of the different 

 races of bees under glass ; also a large 

 exhibit of comb and extracted honey. 

 The comb honey was packed in very 

 neat shipping cases, containing 14 

 one-pound sections ; the extracted in 

 honey-jars, holding from live ounces 

 to one pound, three different sizes ; 

 and a good collection of bee-keeping 

 implements, a case of bee-literature, 

 bee-hives, etc. 



R. L. Taylor, Lapeer, exhibited 

 a foundation imachine, colony of Ital- 

 ian bees (which received first pre- 

 mium), a machine for making holes 

 in frames for receiving wires, and two 

 cases of comb honey. 



O. H. Townsend, Alamo, exhibited 

 comb lioney in shipping-cases, ex- 

 tracted honey in jars, beeswax, etc. 



Mr. Rogers, of Lenawee .Junction, 

 and Frank Easton, of Hartford, each 

 showed a case of comb honey ; Miss 

 Anna Cutting, of Clinton, two cases 

 of comb honey. J. Ward showed a 

 bee-hive and a feeder. McLain & 

 Bro., of Aurora, Ills., exhibited an 

 extra large bee-hive and a model for a 

 bee-house ; C. Barkenbus, of Kalama- 

 zoo, a honey-extractor ; J. Vander- 

 vort, of Laceyville, Pa., two ma- 

 chines for making comb foundation. 

 He received the first premium, as 

 well as at the TriState Fair at Toledo, 

 Ohio 



H. D. Cutting, of Clinton, exhibited 

 a large collection of implements, 

 honey extractor, comb-foundation 

 machine, case of bee-literature, ex- 

 tracted honey, bee-hives, comb foun- 

 dation, etc. 



The Bingham smoker and honey- 

 knife received the first premium. 



Chas. Dadant & Son, of Hamilton, 

 Ills., and J. Van Deusen & Sons, of 

 Sprout Brook, N. Y., each sent sam- 

 ples of comb foundation. .James W. 

 Tefft, of Collamer, N. Y., sent a bee- 

 hive, with the request that it be pre- 

 sented to Prof. Cook after the Fair. 



G. L. Tinker, of New Philadelphia, 

 O., exhibited a bee-hive, queen-cage, 

 and honey-sections ; also a nucleus of 

 Syro- Albino bees. 



Convention Notices. 



t^~ The Central Michig-an Bee-Keepers' 

 Association will meet in the Pioneers" Rooms 

 in the State Capitol, at Lansing:, Mich., at 9 

 a. m.,'on Nov. 12, 1885. All who have bees 

 or are interested in bee-culture, are invited 

 to attend. E. N. Wood, Sec. 



t^~ The next annual meeting of the 

 Northern Michigan Bee-Keaper's Associa- 

 tion will be held in the Council Rooms at 

 Sheridan, Mich., on Oct. 22 and 2:i. ISH.o. A 

 cordial mvitation is e.\tended to all. 



F. A. Palmer, Sec. 



Local Convention Directory. 



I8«5. Timt and place of Meetim^. 



Oct. I0.*-Witba8h County, at N. MancheBter, Ini. 

 J. J. Marltn, Sec, N. Manchester, In<l. 



Oct. 15, 16.— Western, at Independence, Mo. 



C. M. Crandall. Sec, Independence. Mo, 



Oct. !,'>. — Progreasive, at Macomb, Ills. 



J. G. Norton. Sec. Macorab, llifl. 



Oct. 17.— Marshall Co., at Marshaiitown, Iowa. 

 J. W. Sanders, Sec, I.eGrand, Iowa 



Oct. 21.-Md., Va. & W. Va., at Hauerstown, Md 

 D. A. Pike. Pres., SmIthsburK, Md. 



Oct. 22, 23.— Northern M ichiKan, at Sheridan . M kh. 

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



Oct. 28, 29.— Central Illinois, at Jacksonville, Ills. 



Nov, 5, e.-N. J. & Eastern, at Trenton, N. J. 



Wm. B. Treadwell, Sec, 16 Thomas St., N. Y, 



Nov. 12.— Central Michlizan, at Lansing, Mich. 



E. N. Wood, Sec, N. Lansing, Mich. 



Dec. 8— 10.— Michigan State, at Detroit, Mich. 



U. D. Cutting, Sec, Clinton, Mich. 



Dec. 8— 10.— North American, at Detroit, Mich. 

 W. Z. Hutchinson, Sec, Rogersville, Mich. 



Dec. 8-in.— Northwestern, at Detroit, Mich, 



W. Z. Hutchinson, Sec, Ito.^ersville, Mich. 



tW In order to have this table complete. Secre- 

 taries are requested to forward full particulars of 

 time and place of future naeetlngs.- BP. 





Good Results of the Season.— Fred 



Bechly, Searsboro,© Iowa, on Sept. 

 29, 1885, says : 



I commenced the spring of 1885 

 with 8 very weak colonies, increased 

 them to 23, and have obtained 900 

 pounds of extracted honey. 



Good Honey-Gatherers.— Peter Bil- 

 ling, Pawnee City,cxNeb.,on Sept. 23, 

 1885, writes : 



Bees have done fairly well this sea- 

 son. I increased my apiary from 9 

 weak colonies to 22 good ones, and 

 will have about 3-50 pounds of comb 

 honey. My bees are Italians, and are 

 good honey-gatherers as well as beau- 

 tiful to behold. 



Treatment of Bee-Stints.— Dr. G. 

 L. Tinker, Kew Philadelphia,o O., 

 writes : 



On page 604, Mr. Thos. Gorsuch in- 

 quires regarding the use of soda for a 

 beesting in the eye. I think it would 

 be of some benefit as well as the sub- 

 sequent use of slippery-elm water. 

 The solution should be ice cold, or as 

 cold as can be borne and frequently 

 applied. The common baking soda 

 will not injure the eye if applied in a 

 very weak solution of water. In all 

 severe bee-stings a small tea-spoonful 

 of soda dissolved in water and taken 

 internally, at once, is of benefit. For 

 the vital depression, stagnation of the 

 blood, or chill that takes place directly 

 after receiving the stings, whisky in 

 liot sweetened water, should be taken; 

 and for tlie great fever that generally 

 follows, belladonna, aconite and 

 nitrate of potassa, together with the 

 continued application of ice or ice- 

 water to the affected parts. 



