THE AMERICAIS BEE JOURNAL. 



161 



tell all that he knows, I am indebted to a 

 great extent for the interest which I now 

 feel in this pleasurable and profitable pur- 

 suit. I think bee-keeping is the most in- 

 teresting and recreative of all secular em- 

 plovment for a clergyman, and it is perhaps 

 owing to the fact tliat the greatest discover- 

 ies and inventions in this art have been 

 made chiefly by clergymen. I read all tlie 

 journals and everything that I can find on 

 bee-keeping with pleasure, and anxiously 

 desire to do all that 1 can to promote this 

 useful art in this great Canada of ours." 



D. P. XlVEN. 



Warren Co., 111., March 19, 1877.— "1 hear 

 of some losses through this county, but not 

 by practical bee men. I had 80 colonies 

 here at my home put in the cellar on Dec. 

 16th, full of ice. On Jan. 27 it turned warm 

 and continued so till Feb. 28; since th(jn 

 cold weather has prevailed. The tempera- 

 ture in the cellar ran to 48 deg., and has 

 thus continued. The bees are humming, 

 and carrying out the dead, and appear to be 

 in good condition. At the river I have 40; 

 Mr. Holliiigsworth, 100; and Dr. D. G. 

 Campbell 40, all in one cave dug in the 

 sand. A month ago they were doing finely. 

 In another cave adjoining ours, Mr. N. L. 

 Jarvis has over 100 colonies stored. I am 

 glad to see the constant improvement you 

 are making in the Jouknal, and hope for 

 its continued prosperity." 



T. G. McGaw. 



Perry Co., 111.—" I commenced last year 

 with 6 colonies; I now have 10. 1 wintered 

 on the sunnner stands, unprotectected from 

 the north and west winds. There are a 

 great many dead bees. 1 read Prof. Cook's 

 essay before the Mich. B. K. Association, 

 and should be glad to have him give, 

 through the Jouknal, his method of queen 

 raising. Also, I would ask H. Alley to give 

 his mode of drumming out a queen. Also, I 

 would like C. F. Muth to give his method of 

 management on the roofs in the city." 



Joseph Bkown. 



Cuyahoga Co., O., March 24, 1877.—" To 

 all appearances, bees are wintering well. I 

 have 25 colonies in the cellar and 5 on their 

 summer stands, boxed and packed in chaff. 

 I think those outside are doing fully as well 

 as those in the cellar. I am a novice in the 

 bee business. I commenced the season of 

 1876 with 15 very weak colonies; increased 

 to 30 by artificial swarming, raising my own 

 queens snd some for my neighbors. I took 

 only about 600 lbs. of surplus, which I sold 

 at 20c. to 25c. per lb. I use the Langstroth 

 hive and Isham's honey boxes, which have 

 given entire satisfaction. The winter has 

 been a hard one here, and I hear of many 

 losses in wintering in this vicinity. I tried 

 the foundation in a small way, but it was a 

 failure; possibly owing to its being the 

 bleached wax — am open to conviction, how- 

 ever. The wax introducing cage, invented 

 I think, by S. K. Marsh, is a success, with 

 which I have never failed. Whether the 

 great problem of successful wintering shall 

 be solved or not, it is evident there is no 

 lack of theory in the matter, but the 'chaff' 

 will be winnowed in time and results 

 established that will secure a more uniform 

 success. We have a good deal to learn yet 

 and though progress is slow it is none the 

 less sure, and bee-keeping will rank among 



other branches of industry, subject to the 

 same laws of demand and supply, stimulat- 

 ed by the one and depressed by the other. 

 Very few indeed are likely to make a for- 

 tune at it, even the most successful, if we 

 may judge from the reports of Harbison 

 and others. Still it makes a reasonable 

 compensation, and as a recreation has at- 

 tractions only known to those who have 

 tried it." C. S. B. 



Adelphi, Iowa, April 13, 1877. — "I came 

 through the winter with 68 colonies in Finn 

 hives; lost none by freezing, but have lost 

 some since by robbing, while I was away 

 from home. Have heard so much of comb 

 foundation that I have bought a pair of 

 Finn's plates. I expect to give my bees all 

 the advantages in my reach." 



J. J. KiSER. 



Mower Co., Minn., April 12, 1877.—" On 

 Nov. 10th I buried 62 swarms, and on April 

 9th set out 59 in excellent condition— having 

 lost 3. Their loss was due to the fact ot 

 their having been buried in three pits, and 

 one hive in each pit stood directly under 

 the chimney or ventilator, and all the mois- 

 ture that collected in the chimney fell 

 directly upon this one, and of course it 

 could not stand a continual bath and died a 

 martyr to neglect. If I could have had time 

 to personally superintend the placing of 

 each hive, the result would have been 

 different. I remove the covers in winter- 

 ing. I have buried my bees 11 years in suc- 

 cession and have never lost any (that were 

 in proper condition for wintering) when 1 

 have in person placed them in the pit. The 

 advantage gained by this method is that 

 the bees are left perfectly quiet until taken 

 out, and the temperature is very even, the 

 thermometer standing at about 45 deg. all 

 winter." I. Ingmundson. 



Macomb Co., Mich., April 17, 1877.—" Out 

 of 54 colonies I have lost 26, and have 

 several inore in a poor condition. I think 

 that my bees gathered largely from apple 

 pumice from a cider mill near by; they did 

 not die from an insufficient supply of honey, 

 A neighbor, living about 4 miles from me, 

 keeps his bees in a common box hive, and 

 has lost 22 out of 29 colonies. He saj's that 

 he will adopt the movable-frame hive. The 

 loss of bees is very great through this sec- 

 tion of Michigan, a large percentage more 

 in common than movable frame hives." 



Wm. P, Evritt, 



Des Moines, Iowa, April 16, 1877,— "I 

 have had from 20 to 30 swarms of bees for 

 3 years, in this city. Last year I sold down 

 to 15; increased to 28; sold .'if2I2.00 worth of 

 honey in small frames. I have used 12 of 

 Finn's double-walled hives for 3 years. I 

 winter on summer stands, and have never 

 failed to come out strong in spring. Two 

 swarms have been in the Finn hive for two 

 years, without having a comb moved; one 

 of them cast a swarm last summer, it filled 

 its hive and stored 60 lbs. of honey in three 

 weeks. I have purchased more bees this 

 spring, and shall put them all in Finn hives 

 as soon as possible: liaving used it for five 

 years I believe it lo he the best. With this 

 hive and The Ameiucan Bee Journal, 

 no one need fail of having bees and honey," 

 Mrs, a, Brackett. 



