THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



691 



WEEKLY EDITION 



OF THE 



^^,^^s^3smIOAlMr^.^^ 







aOTHOMAS G. NEWMAN, 



Vol. XXI. Nov. 4, 1885. No. 44. 



APICULTURAL NEWS ITEMS. 



Tlie Slieep-Bces Lawsuit was "called" 

 at the ('ircuit t'ouit in Richland Centre, 

 Wis., on Wednesday, Oct. -H, 1885. Tt was 

 dismissed by .Judfi'e Cleinentson, who decided 

 that thei-e " was no cause of action," and 

 the.inrywas discharged. It may be argued 

 before the Supreme Court, and should that 

 ('ourt determine that there is a "case," then 

 it may come to trial on the ruling of the 

 Supreme Court. The ISee-Keepers' Union 

 made such a stir, and showed such fighting 

 enthusiasm in the matter, that the Judge 

 made a thorough examination of the laws of 

 the State and concluded that there existed 

 no laws or rulings upou which he could 

 instruct the jury. 



We think that the bee-keepers of America 

 have cause for pride in the success that has, 

 so far, attended their efforts in this matter. 



We shall watch the matter closely, and 

 check-mate any move that may be made by 

 the complainant, and now at the close of 

 the first combat, let us all jubilate, while our 

 Bird crows for Victory No. I. 



EDITORIAL AND SELECTED. 



Plant BIei>tslngs,and blessings will bloom; 



Plant hate, and hate will grow ; 

 You can sow to-day — to-morrow shall bring 

 Blossoms that prove what sort of a thing 



Is the seed — the seed that you sow. 



Oar Joys are our wings, our sorrows are 

 our spurs. 



Tlie Fire of a Forest^ fierce as it is, 

 will burn out in one day, but you cannot 

 arrest the progress of that cruel word you 

 tattered carelessly yesterday ; it will go on 

 slaying, poisoning, burning, embittering 

 beyond your control forever and ever. 



Style of Package, says the Indiana 

 Farmer, has much to do with quick sales, 

 nowadays, and this is no less true in selling 

 honey than any other product. With many 

 the idea prevails that there is an over-pi-o- 

 duction of honey, hence the depressed 

 prices. Comb honey now sells at from 14 to 

 to 18 cents per pound wholesale, whereas a 

 year or two since it readily brought 20 to 

 25 cents. But everything else is correspond- 

 ingly lower, it must be remembered, and 

 sales are slow in almost every department 

 of trade. 



For AVlnd-Breaks one of the best trees 

 is the Norway Spruce, says the Pennsylva- 

 nia Farmer. It is one of the hardiest of 

 evergreens, and grows easily from seeds. 

 Nurserymen propagate it to a great extent, 

 and sell the plants very cheap. Nice plants 

 2 feet high can be had at a cost of about $12 

 per hundred, from almost any large nurserj'. 

 Evergreens do very well planted in early 

 autumn. The roots become a little active 

 before winter, making the task of going 

 through the winter easy, and the plant is in 

 a good condition to go through the heat of 

 the summer. The hardy character of the 

 Norway makes it the most sought for for 

 planting for screens in the winter. The 

 north side of exposed farm buildings should 

 have these trees planted there at once— not 

 too near, or it makes the place too much 

 shut up in summer. Thirty feet is near 

 enough to the buildings. The comfort all 

 animals would derive from such trees in 

 winter time would prove very much to the 

 profit of the owner. 



Strike the tong-jong, Beat the fuzzy-guzzy. 



Let the loud hosannas ring 

 Tum-tum fuzzy-guzzy — Ding, dong, ding ! 



We will give full particulars of this suit 

 next week— including the complaint of the 

 plaintiff and the decision of the Judge. 



Do you ivlsli to be Honored ? Act 



well your part, whatever it may be — there 

 all the honor lies. 



Tlie Alfalfa, or Chilian clover, says the 

 Florida Dispatch, seems peculiarly adapted 

 to the South, and can hardly fail of success 

 in all parts of Florida. It is said that this 

 ■very valuable grass was brought into Greece 

 from Persia nearly five hundred years before 

 the Christian era. At present it is largely 

 cultivated in England, France, and other 

 parts of Europe, and gives great satisfaction 

 as a forage plant. It is being introduced 

 quite extensively into the interior of our 

 country, and though as yet California is far 

 ahead in its culture, in time Alfalfa will be 

 a prominent crop in all places where the 

 winters are not too severe. The power to 

 withstand great heat and dryness comes 

 from the long, searching tap-roots, which 

 are sent deeply down into the soil and find 

 moistui'c which is inaccessible to other less 

 energetic vegetation. 



Are you Entitled to a pension? Vou 

 may be and may not know it. If you ex- 

 amine the Guide and Hand-Book you will 

 soon find out. Thousands of things worth 

 knowing will be found in it. The Bee 

 JouRNAi, for 188(5 and the Guide Book will 

 both be sent for S1.30. ■ 



Capt. Urdrlnuiton'm book on " Spain and 

 the Spaniards" contains this historical in- 

 cident abfiut bees : 



The Canon Cepcro, so well known in the 

 first Coi-tes, being shut up in the convent 

 of the Cartusa at iSevilie, by order of King 

 Ferdinand, by way of passing the time 

 applied himself to study the economy of 

 bees, which he had followed up at Cozalla, 

 and was so successful in his management 

 that in u very short time he had a thousand 

 hives. When the civil war commenced 

 circumstanci's caused their being neglected 

 and disprrsi'il. and some swarms finding no 

 holey or cax'ities to suit them, attached them- 

 selves to a beam in an outhouse, where they 

 made their combs in a similar manner to 

 that by which the tree-wasps suspend their 

 curious fabric from the branches. They 

 were so satisfied with this novel situation 

 that they never left it nor swarmed, but kept 

 adding successive combs until they nearly 

 reached the ground, and hung from the 

 point of suspension like a huge living and 

 waxen stalactite. The owner never dis- 

 turbed them, but had the lower combs cut 

 ott'. as they were wanted, and the colony had 

 now remained a considerable period without 

 their showing any disposition to change it. 



Tlie Soutlieastern ITIlcliisan Bee- 

 Keepers' Association have decided to hold 

 their regular meeting this fall at Detroit, on 

 Dec. 8, 9, and 10, with the North American 

 Bee-Keepers' Society, the Michigan State 

 Bee-Keepers' Association, and the North- 

 western Bee-Keepers' Society. 



Rattle-Snakes and Honey. — The 



Glvhe-Democrat mentions the following snake 

 story and vouches for its truth : 



Near Fayetteville , Ark., two young farmers 

 named Young and Stewart were out hunting 

 a few days ago and discovered bees passing 

 out and in through a hole about 40 feet from 

 the ground in a large black oak, which was 

 some 4 feet in diameter. Of course they 

 thought that they had made a rich discovery. 

 They were not then prepared to cut the tree, 

 and started for home. On their way Young 

 bought Stewart's interest in the find, paying 

 $1 cash for it. Next day Young invited 

 several friends to help him cut the tree and 

 share the treasure it contained. So supplied 

 with axes and buckets they proceeded to 

 the woods and cut down the tree. After it 

 fell crashing to the ground. Young ran with 

 a handful of leaves and stopped ihe hole 

 through which the bees entered the tree, but 

 soon they came swarming out at a split 

 made in the trunk by falling. One of his 

 friends suggested that he did not believe 

 that the bees were going to give them much 

 trouble, and for him to pull the plug out of 

 the hole. He did so, and immediately a 

 rattle-snake came crawling out at the hole, 

 coiled himself by the side of the fallen tree, 

 raised his flat head, distended his mouth, 

 shot out his tongue, and gave out that 

 paralyzing sound with his rattles which, 

 when once heard, is never forgotten. He 

 was soon dispatched, however, and the work 

 of discovery went on. They then chopped 

 into the log, split out a long block, and there 

 found coiled up in the hollow of the log two 

 other rattlers, which were pi omptly killed. 

 What promised to be a delicious feast only 

 proved to be a fine mass of dry comb, so 

 thoroughly had the honey been eaten out by 

 the snakes. The tree was perfectly covered 

 at the stump, and the snakes to reach the 

 hollow had to climb 40 feet, which is claimed 

 to be a new performance with rattle-snakes, 

 or at least an unobserved characteristic 

 among them heretofore in this part of the 

 country. 



The Time for Reading has now come. 

 The long winter evenings can be utilized by 

 reading up bee-literature. Wo have all the 

 newest bee-books and can fill all orders on 

 the day they are received. 



■Wlien Renewing your subscription 

 please try to get your neighbor who keeps 

 bees to .join with you in taking the Bee 

 Journal. It is now so cheap that no one 

 can afford to do without it. 



