THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



121 



Owen Co., Ky., Feb. 7, 1877.— "Dec. and 

 Jan. were cold months with us; but our 

 bees are doing pretty well so far. 1 com- 

 menced 1876 with 8 stocks; increased to 27, 

 and got about 50 lbs. of nice comb honey. I 

 wish some one would give their method of 

 hanging frames, so that they will be true 

 and an even distance apart. 1 would like 

 to know how to hook frames together, as 

 spoken of by the late Mr. M. Quinby, I be- 

 lieve, so that they will stand when the 

 sides and ends of the hive are removed. Al- 

 so how the hive is held together without 

 nailing ?" G. W. Jenkins. 



[If you will study this cut, you will see 

 how Mr. Quinby's clamp is used for hives. 



The same only smaller is applied to frames. 

 They are strong, durable and work well. 

 The two wedging pieces against which the 

 sides draws have each two spurs cast on the 

 under side, which drive into the wood before 

 they are fastened, making them very firm. 

 A hive properly put together witii these 

 clamps is nearly as strong as when nailed.l 



Dyer Co., Tenn., Feb. 19, 1877.— "Bees 

 did but little here last season. In the 

 spring I nad about -10 stands, increased 6, 

 and got only 75 lbs. ot comb honey. They 

 are all wintering well; no loss as yet. Do 

 bees always go West when they swarm ? If 

 so, why? Nearly all swarms here go west 

 when leaving for the woods. I have two 

 other small apiaries— 12 and IS stands res- 

 pectively—that did no better than my home 

 apiary. They increased a little but gave no 

 honey." John H. Chkistie. 



[Much that concerns swarming is shroud- 

 ed in mystery. Bees swarm incessantly, at 

 unseemly times, or refrain from swarming 

 altogether, but who can tell why? They 

 " go West," like some young men should, 

 but their actions, if governed by laws, are 

 unknown to man. If the woods are west of 

 your place, that may explain it in your case. 

 Ed.] 



1. Is melilot clover good for hay or pas- 

 ture ? 



2. How high does it grow? 



3. Will white clover or blue grass run it 

 out? 



4. When and how long does it bloom ? 



5. When is the best time to sow the seed, 

 and must it be sown twice to be permanent 

 and continuous ? E. J. Thomas. 



Linn Co., Iowa. 



1. When melilot is young and tender, 

 stock eat it quite readily, especially sheep. 

 But we do not recommend it for hay or pas- 

 ture, but simply for honey purposes. It is, 

 however, one of the best of fertilizers. 



2. From 3 to feet, with many side 

 branches. 



3. Never knew this to be the case. 



4. In the latitude of Chicago it begins to 

 bloom and yield honey about the 10th of 

 July and continues thus till heavy frosts 

 occur. Light frosts do not injure it much, 

 if any. 



The best time is in the fall, but it can be 

 sowed any month of the year with perfect 

 safety. Sow in the spring with oats, barley, 

 rye, or wheat. By so doing the use of the 

 ground, the first season, is not lost. The 

 plant being a bi-ennial it does not bloom in 

 general till the second year. After it 

 blooms it then dies, root and branch. 

 Whether you sow in the fall or spring, the 

 land should be seeded again the ensuing 

 fall, then you insure a continuous crop. 



M. M. B. 



" Is sugar as good as syrup for feeding in 

 the spring? " P. Wir.DE. 



[We prefer to feed thin syrup, for water 

 is also essential for brood rearing.— Ed.] 



Shelly Co., Mo., March 2. 

 I have a few young swarms in new hives 

 which have become infested with cock- 

 roaches. Please tell me, through Journal, 

 how I can get rid of them. Do they eat the 

 honey ? or what calls them to the hive ? 

 E. C. Phillips. 



[Of course they eat the honey. Expel 

 them with your smoker, and kill them. 

 —Ed.] 



Catnip Seed.— We have a nice lot of 

 good clean seed of this honey-producing 

 plant. Bee-keepers should see to it that 

 such and other forage for bees abound in 

 their localities. 



W. G. Walton of Hamilton, offers an Ital- 

 ian queen from an imported mother to the 

 one sending the largest number of subscrib- 

 ers to the A. B. J., before August 15th. 

 Send on your clubs, now, and compete for 

 this extra premium. 



