THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



803 



WEEKLY EDITION 



OF THE 



iiijswiwl 



THOMAS 0. NEWMAIf, 

 :eiidxto:r. 



Vol. XXI. Bee. 23, 1885. No. 51. 



APICULTURAL NEWS ITEMS. 



EDITORIAL AND SELECTED. 



Cbristnias will be here by the time this 

 JouRNAii reaches its subscribers. It wishes 

 "peace and good-will" to all — with the 

 usual "oompliments of the season." 



One More Number will complete the 

 American Bee Journal for 188.5. Now is 

 the time to renew subscriptions, and seLd 

 an extra name or two with your own and 

 secui-o a premium. We have some colored 

 Posters, which we will send free, to put 

 up in conspicuous places. We will with 

 pleasure send sample copies to any one who 

 will try to get up a club. 



The WeatUer.— In order to know what 

 the predictions are for weather, we advise 

 our readers to subscribe for The Future, 

 published by Prof. C. C. Blake, at Richland, 

 Kans.. at $1.00 a year. He has been remark- 

 ably correct in his predictions during- the 

 past autumn and early winter. 



Mr. O. J. Hetlierln^ton, of East Sagi- 

 naw, Mich. .one of the mostsuccessful honey- 

 producers of that State, has sent one of his 

 hives to oiii* Museum. The frames may be 

 reversed by an ingenious contrivance of his 

 own. The metal ears are alike on the top 

 and bottom of the frames, and rest on a pro- 

 jecting piece of sheet-iron at the bottom of 

 the hive. The bottom-board is loose, and is 

 held firmly to the body of the hive by 

 Quinby clamps. It also has a movable side, 

 which is also held in place by clamps. It is 

 placed in our Museum to be examined by 

 our visitors. 



TIte Detroit Convention Report 



occupies nearly all the space in this issue of 

 the Bee Journal. We have now published 

 47 columns of it. There are about l."i more 

 ■which we hope to give next week, in order 

 to close it up this year. The essays omitted 

 are mainly those we did not obtain at the 

 Convention, but hope to have copies of them 

 in time for our next issue. We shall then 

 have published over 60 columns (or twenty 

 pages) of the report ; the fullest report that 

 has ever been given to the public in any 

 bee-paper in the world. We hope it will be 

 appreciated by our readers, for it certainly 

 ■was the most enthusiastic Convention ever 

 held In America. 



Bees that are Packed In Cellars or 



winter repositorie8,8ays the Indiana Farmer, 

 should be kept as (juiet as possible at all 

 times. When disturbed in any way, bees 

 fill themselves with honey which has a 

 tendency to create diarrhea. Very great 

 injury may be done by a lew careless 

 knocks against the hives. So long as the 

 bees are perfectly quiet, they should be left 

 entirely to themselves, but should they 

 become restless and uneasy they must be 

 put out the first warm day, to have a cleans- 

 ing flight, and be sure that the colonies 

 occupy the same stands from which they 

 were removed when placed into winter 

 quarters. 



Now, while the mind is fresh with the 

 experience of the past, is the best time to 

 lay out the plans for the next season's 

 work. The best results come from the 

 knowledge gained by the experience of the 

 past. A very great trouble with many of us, 

 is that we wait too long with contemplated 

 improvements. Our own experience teaches 

 that the bee-keeper had better be weeks 

 ahead than one day behind. There is no 

 other waj' to succeed than to be ready at 

 the right time. Plans should be laid now, 

 and gradually worked to completion as the 

 season approaches. 



Funny.— The Detroit Tribune of Wednes- 

 day, Dec. 9, 188.5, contains this "funny" 

 item in connection with its report of the 

 Continental Bee-Keepers' Convention : 



The Rev. Mr. Langstroth, of Oxford. O., is 

 an old bee-benefactor, having studied their 

 wa.\'S to such an extent that he can antici- 

 pate their wants. He invented the three- 

 story bee mansion so popular in apiarian 

 circles, in which the bee can retire to his 

 closet when he feels like depositing in his 

 bank without disclosing the size of his roll 

 to envious neiglibf)rs. Each bee also has 

 the combination to his own ?afe, and burg- 

 larious drones are often hustle 1 before the 

 queen for punishment for breaking and 

 entering. 



Concerning the hall where the Convention 

 was held, it says : 



It may be just as well to state right here 

 that an apiary is not a place for keeping 

 apes, but bees. Red Men's Hall, where the 

 Convention met, was filled to the brim with 

 those interested in the small but ambitious 

 bee. The red men were very peaceable, 

 their war whoops hanging on nails about 

 the walls. 



Bees and Horticulture. — Mrs. L. 

 Harrison, in the Prairie Farmer, remarks 

 thus on the bond of union that should exist 

 between bee-keepers, fruit-growers, horti 

 culturists, etc. 



There appears to be a growing antagonism 

 between bee-culturists. horticulturists and 

 stock-raisers. Why should this be ? Are 

 they not brethren ? And does not the 

 prospei'ity of one aid in the advancement of 

 the others ? The horticulturist may dig, 

 graft, and bud. and what will the returns be 

 without the labors of the bee? The Creator 

 has provided no other means for the fertili- 

 zation of flowers but the visits of insects, 

 and there are no other insects at this time of 

 year to flit from flower to flower. The body 

 of the honey-bee is wisely adapted to this 

 purpose, being covered with fine hairs, 

 invisible to the naked e.ve, which brush oif 

 and carry the fertilizing powder to the 

 germ that requires it. The fruit sets better, 

 even when the tree has perfect flowers, 

 containing both pistils and stamens, if 

 pollen from another flower, or better still, 

 from another tree, is brushed upon its germ. 

 Who has not oltserved that a long-continued 

 rain-storm, occurring during fruit tiloom, in 

 preventing these little messengers from 

 their rounds, is followed by a failure of 

 fruit? 



AxaSouroe ol' Honey, the goldenrod 

 yields abundantly. It is surprising to think 

 that all about us, in the pastures and by the 

 roadsides, thousands of pounds of a most 

 delicious honey go to waste every year. This 

 plant yields honey in September, after most 

 other honey-plants are sere and dry.— Lewis- 

 tint, Me., Journal. 



Frank Iieslie's Sunday Ma^cazlne 



for January, beginning the Nineteenth Vol- 

 ume, is a brilliant holiday number, abound- 

 ing in text and pictures appropriate to the 

 season. It opens with an interesting and in- 

 structive essay on " Christmas Carols." Dr. 

 Talmage's sermon is on "Christmas in Amer- 

 ica," and there are several Christmas and 

 New Year's stories and poems, all finely illus- 

 trated. Perhaps the article that will attract 

 the most attention is" Prehistoric America," 

 by Rev. Geo. T. Rider, with twenty-two illus- 

 trations. There are many short and timely 

 articles, and the full-page pictures are beau- 

 tiful and numerous. The regular serials, 

 " Love's Harvest," and " Dilettante Days " 

 go on, and the Editorial Departments are full 

 and complete. Published by Mrs. Frank 

 Le.slie, .5:), ;5.5, and 57 Park Place, New York 

 city, at ^5 cents a number, or $2.50 a year, 

 postpaid. 



Many Thanks are due to our friends for 

 sending us so many new subscribers, when 

 renewing their own subscriptiorts. The 

 reduced price for 1888 has caused quite " a 

 boom," and is a. popular move in every sense 

 of that word. As we do not wish any one 

 to work for nothing, we have concluded to 

 offer premiums for new subscribers for 1886, 

 for in order to compensate for the reduction 

 of our price to $1.00, we should at least 

 thrihble our present subscription list. 



For 1 iieiti subscriber for a year (besides your 

 own renewall we will present you either 

 of the following books— 25 cents each. 



For 2 new subscribers— any 2 of the books. 



For iicio subscribers— all 3 of them; orthe 

 Western World Guide & Hand-book. 



For 4 new subscribers— Bees and Honey, (?1.) 



Gaskell's Hand-book of Useful Information 

 —a very handy book of 84 pages. 



Architecture Simplified ; or. How to Build a 

 Dwelling-house, Barn, etc., giving plans, 

 specifications and cost — 60 pages. 



Look Within for 5,000 facts wh'ch every one 

 wants to know — 75 pages. 



The Time for Reading has now come. 

 The long winter evenings can be utilized by 

 reading up bee-literature. We have all the 

 newest bee-books and can fill all orders on 

 the day they are received. 



When Renetvlng ycur subscription 

 please try to get your neighbor who keeps 

 bees to join with you in taking the Beb 

 Journal. It is now so eheap that no one 

 can afl'ord to do without it. We will present 

 a Binder for the Bee Journal to any one 

 sending us four subscriptions— with $4.00— 

 direct to this otfice. It will pay any one to 

 devote a few hours, to get subscribers. 



To Correspondents. — It would save 

 us much trouble, it all would be particular 

 to give their P. O. address and name, when 

 writing to this office. We have several letters 

 (some inclosing money) that have no name; 

 many others ha\-ing no Post-Offioe, County 

 or State. Also, it you live near one post> 

 olBce and get your mail at another, be sure 

 to give the address we have on our list. 



