200 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



been plainly said that some bee-keepers are 

 selfisii or they would harp on the same 

 strain. This cannot be said of me, for 

 never did 1 expect that mine or any other's 

 words would change this current one iota, 

 and further. I. to-day. am firmly resolved to 

 detatch myst^lf from bee-culture at my 

 earliest opportunity. 



Eifiht years ago I had 3 acres of small 

 fruit ill bearing. I also had an apiary of 40 

 to 50 colonies. My raspberries and straw- 

 berries netted me 93^c. perqt., all through 

 the season. My extracted honey about that 

 time was in good demand at 'l9c. per B)., 

 net, or about S~0 per barrel. We had extra 

 honey seasons along then— say 1870-3. You 

 may guess that I was not long in deciding 

 whicii business to throw up and which to 

 put all my time and thought to. 



The law that Prof. Cook speaks of, viz., 

 supply creating demand, being true of fruit 

 and many other things (but not honey) kept 

 the price of berries firm, and more than that 

 gave them an upward tendency till now. 

 My dealer in the city writes me thus, in 

 answer to questions: "I can buy choice 

 white, extracted honey for 8c. per fb; comb 

 iu snmll boxes is slow at 12c. to 14c. per ft. 

 Choice strawberries were not sold out of my 

 store, last season, for less than ^6 per 

 bushel." 



By the above we see that while honey has 

 declined more than half at wholesale, 

 berries have advanced more than 20 per 

 cent. Having had considerable successful 

 experience in both these branches of busi- 

 ness it seems to me as plain as ever truth 

 was told, that the big stories and talk about 

 "this much neglected pursuit" by the 

 nurserymen, has more foundation than the 

 same kind of preaching by our inexperienc- 

 ed and middle-men apiarists. Prof. Cook, 

 in his essay, in throwing out inducements 

 to all to join in honey raising, very appro- 

 priately and wisely appeals straight to the 

 pecuniary selfishness of mankind. But a 

 little further on calls some one, or some 

 faction, "selfish" and "sordid." I cannot 

 think who has imagined bee-keeping a 

 "good thing" since honey sank below 10c. 

 per lb? and this sinking it was what caused 

 many to think that the good of those al- 

 ready in the business, and those that 

 tliought of joining, demanded a stop to the 

 supply. 



My father and also Mr. Bingham have 

 been traveling the past few mouths, and 

 they both affirm that the markets have now 

 honey enough to last over, if not a pound 

 was produced during 1877. In regard to the 

 healthfulness and pleasure of bee-keeping, 

 I cannot agree with the Professoi", but 

 rather think Quinby was right when he 

 said that the definition of bee-keeping was 

 "hard work." 1 know of no business not 

 sedentary, so terribly trying to the nerves 

 as handling bees. 1 know of no worse 

 habit for the production of dispepsia than 

 tasting honey continually, wliicn is a com- 

 mon iiabit among bee-keepers who are 

 around it so much. No labor can be more 

 ill-atlapted to the muscular system than one 

 that holds it in a strained position a part of 

 the time, and then asks you to carry heavy 

 loads carefully, or you will injure them. 

 Bee-keeping is not to be compared with 

 fruit culture as a pleasant and healthful oc- 

 cupation, iu my estimation. 



This may not be thought by some to be 

 the proper place to print such remarks, but 



I think the editor would rather print truth, 

 or even lionest error, than so much axe 

 grinding. All the interest 1 liave personal- 

 ly in this debate, is that when Okl Time 

 proves my statements, I may be allowed to 

 "flap my wings and crow," and say "didn't 

 I tell you so?" Such is human weakness, 

 and you know I don't make any claims to 

 be "perfection;" only outspoken and 

 honest. I would rather be honest and right 

 than popular. Better be even the head of a 

 dog than the tail of a lion. " The man who 

 prays out loud every chance he gets needs 

 watching." 



Yours for the truth, whether dark or 

 bright, James Heddon. 



Dowagiac, Mich., May .5, 1877. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Bees of the same Colony Fighting. 



Mr. Marvin, in March number, tells us 

 why bees of the same colony fight, but if he 

 had told us how he knows those things, we 

 could understand then whether his state- 

 ments were founded on experiments or 

 mere guess work. First he says "Queens 

 should not be handled at any time if it can 

 be avoided; as they ai"e liable to contract 

 an odor from the hand, and sometimes from 

 the cage, that their own bees mistrust the 

 queen not being theirs and kill her; and all 

 bees that have come in contact with her are 

 liable to be killed also." 



Now if Mr. Marvin ever had a case of this 

 kind, how can he prove that it was the odor 

 that caused the fight ? Would it not be 

 more natural to suppose that when the 

 queen was removed a short time, the bees 

 missed her and immediately commenced 

 preparations for supplying her place; when 

 she was returned some bees were disposed 

 to receive her, and some were anxious to 

 kill her, and they not all being of one mind, 

 they would have a fight over it ? But 1 

 never saw a case of the kind. Bees will 

 sometimes kill their queen when they want 

 to swarm and the queen refuses or is unable 

 to go with them. 



As to bees fighting because they contract 

 an odor while they are out of the hive, is 

 not according to my experience. My ex- 

 perience is that, in most cases, a bee that 

 comes in with a load of honey can enter 

 any hive and will be gladly received, and 

 only those that come with a hostile intent 

 are fought. I have had several cases of 

 bees of the same colony fighting, and in 

 every case I found the hive destitute of 

 honey and none to be had in the field, and 

 just as soon as they were fed, fighting 

 ceased; I am satisfied that it was hunger 

 that made them desperate. 



HOW TO HAVE ALL AVORKER COMB BUILT 

 IN BROOD CHAMBER. 



Many think this a very important con- 

 sideration, as well as what to to with drone 

 comb. Here is my recipe, and if it don't 

 work I will not charge anything for it: 

 Start each frame with a strip of drone comb 

 about an inch wide. When they have all 

 the drone comb they want, they don't 

 generally build more. A strip in each 

 frame seems to satisfy the bees with di'one 

 comb, and in many cases they will not 

 make another cell of drone comb in the 

 hive, and it puts the drone comb where it 

 will hardly ever interfere with the rearing 



