THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



187 



A New Discovery. 



Friend W. H. Ware, of Bayou Goula, La., 

 about a month ago, sent us the New Orleans 

 papers containing notices of a new dis- 

 covery in bee-lteepins by Alex. McConnell, 

 of that city, and asks if there is not some 

 mistalje about it. The State Recjister says: 



"Mr. McConnell has often been mention- 

 ed in these columns as one of the most prac- 

 tical bee-keepers in tlie Sonth. He is a 

 cultured, scholarly j^entleman, who finds a 

 real pleasure in bee-keejunK, and who has 

 devoted many years of study and careful ex- 

 periment in' the manajiement of bees. A 

 visit to his apiary is a rare treat, as he al- 

 ways has something new in the way of ex- 

 periment to communicate. On our recent 

 visit he sliowed us the very nicest honey- 

 comb made by the bees of materials which 

 he prepared and furnished them with. He 

 assures us t:iat there is no trouble in get- 

 ting bees to use this material, and we are 

 satisfied that the combs cannot be dis- 

 tinguished from those made in the ordinary 

 way. We consider this the most important 

 discovery in bee-keeping, since the inven- 

 tion of the movable-comi) frame, and that it 

 will greatly exceed tlie invention of Langs- 

 troth in its effect to increase the honey pro- 

 duction. Mr. McConnell informs us that he 

 will shortly take measures to introduce this 

 valuable discovery to the bee-keepers of the 

 world. Louisiana is the best honey-produc- 

 ing State in the Union, and it is to her 

 honor that one of her sons will thus greatly 

 assist in causing the land to flow with 

 honey, if not with milk." 



As friend C. O. Perrine is down there 

 with .500 colonies of bees, we wonder if Mr. 

 McConnell has not been using artificial 

 comb foundation extensively, and astonish- 

 es the natives with it ? 



The New Orleans Picayune is very par- 

 ticular to specify the advantages claimed, 

 as though a patent right was to be the out- 

 come of this new discovery. It says: 



The inventor claims for his discovery: 



1. That it will enable colonies to con- 

 struct their combs 2 months earlier in the 

 spring, and to make honey out of a crop of 

 spring flowers that passes away before bees 

 can make comb by the old process. 



2. It will enable bees to gather four times 

 as much honey as they usually gather in the 

 spring months when new comb has to be 

 made. In Southern Louisiana bees in 

 strong colonies usually collect a little over 

 12 gallons of honey yearly, in movable 

 combs emptied whenfiiil by centrifugals. 



Mr. McConnell drew from a working hive 

 a sheet of new comb with young bees in it, 

 and live Italian bees crawling over it, that 

 had been made by the new process in 33 

 days. They started work on March 13th, 

 and the comb and young bees were exhibit- 

 ed on April 3d. 



True, the feat is astonishing ! Ordinarily, 

 worker bees are hatched out in 21 days— but 

 Mr. McConnell's, we are informed by the 

 Picayune, " had been made by the new 

 process in 33 days." It is, indeed, wonder- 



ful ! ! Astonishing, for Louisiana— tliat 

 bees sliould have started to work "on March 

 13th and the comb and young bees were ex- 

 hibited on April 3d" ! ! Prodigious ! ! 



The Picayune grows eloquent, and adds 

 that " hundreds of barrels of honey are 

 yearly shipped from Louisiana"— but ".this 

 new discovery bids fair to quadruple the 

 best yield, or secure .50 gallons yearly for 

 every strong colony." 



Either the Picayune has been humbug- 

 ged; Mr. McC. has "playing roots" on it, or 

 there is a great mistake somewhere. Which 

 is it ? Will Dr. Kush, C. O. Perrine, and 

 other bee-men in Louisiana give us some 

 light on this subject ? 



Stevenson's Extractok.— Since our 

 last issue, friend Mutli has sent one of these 

 extractors to this office. It is manufactured 

 by C. F. Mnth, Cincinnati, though he calls 

 it by the name of his friend who first sug- 

 gested its general character. It is very sub- 

 stantial and neat, and as it will hold about 

 70 lbs. of honey below the revolving frame 

 holder, it is not necessary to remove it 

 every time a little extracting is done; and 

 it can remain there till it is ready for bot- 

 tling. The frame holder is smaller at the 

 bottom than at the top. and when revolving, 

 the honey is thrown downward instead of 

 horizontally against the stationary can. 

 This not only prevents the usual raising and 

 spattering of honey on the person operat- 

 ing it. but also admits of extracting from 

 any piece of comb without its being in a 

 frame. It has also two neat tin covers. The 

 whole top and revolving frame-holder can 

 be taken out in a moment, for cleansing, or 

 any other purpose. It has a " honey gate," 

 and is a very desirable extractor. 



111^" In reference to the decision of the 

 Postmaster General, friend W. .J. Andrews 

 writes: "Our postmaster notified us yes- 

 terday that he had received instructions 

 from the Postmaster General not to allow 

 any bees sent in the mails. This cuts us 

 off in the dollar queen business. If this 

 ruling is not revoked we shall decline all 

 future orders for dollar queens, and I'ear 

 tested queens altogether to be shipped by 

 express." 



New Books.— We have received from the 

 publishers, Dick & Fitzgerald, 18 Anii St., 

 New York, two excellent works, viz.: 

 "Dick's Kecitations and Readings," and the 

 "Vegetable Garden." Each is -30 cents, in 

 paper covers, or .50 cents, bound in cloth, 

 and they are well worth the money. 



