276 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



blacks, and so far they have proved them- 

 selves inferior to mine in every respect. It 

 is with them as with fancy stock generally. 

 Give common stock the same care as is 

 given to fancy stock, and there would be a 

 great improvement in it. Give blacks the 

 same care as Italians, and they will give 

 just as good satisfaction. It is my opinion 

 that when Italian queens are shut out of the 

 mails, that Italian bees will be worth no 

 more than blacks; for I notice that it is 

 those who have queens for sale are the 

 most prominent in lauding the Italians to 

 the skies and kick the others under foot." 

 J. L. Andekson. 



[Friend Anderson is rather rash in giving 

 his opinion. There are many we know who 

 never sold a bee in their lives that prefer 

 Italians to blacks. But all, have their 

 opinions, and may freely express them, too, 

 in the A. B. J.— Ed.] 



Van Buren Co., Mich., June 29, 1877.— 

 "Bees are doing first rate here." 



John Crowfoot. 



San Louis Rey. Cal., June 18, 1877.— "We 

 had some very hot, dry weather from the 

 8th to the 13th, during which the ther- 

 mometer rose to 108°, 10.5°, 103% etc., while 

 the hygrometer was down to 65° to 70° — 

 showing an unexampled dryness of the air. 

 My bees took up 10 gallons of water every 

 hour while the heat lasted." 



G. F. Merkiam. 



South Haven, Mich., June 26, 1877.—" My 

 Bingham smoker has given the most un- 

 bounded satisfaction. There is nothing in 

 the market in the line of bee smokers that 

 can at all compare with it." 



H. A. BUKGH. 



Nelson, Pa., July 4, 1877.— "This is the 

 best season for white clover for several 

 years; frequent showers causing it to last 

 longer than usual. My honey last year was 

 all mixed, but I shall have quite a lot of 

 pure clover honey this year, owing partly to 

 the good season, and partly to about 100 sec- 

 tions of comb that I extracted at the end of 

 last season. These were from unfinished 

 boxes which were filled and some of them 

 partially capped over before the bees built 

 new comb in boxes. For this reason, if for 

 no other, I prefer the sectional boxes for 

 comb honey. So does neighbor Bolt. 



"I have used frames of each of the follow- 

 ing sizes: 11Jixl9, 10x19, 10x12, and 13x13 

 in.; now I am transferring and putting 

 natural swarms into a frame 12x12 outside, 

 or UKxllK inside measure, and think 1 

 have got through changing frames. Mr. 

 Bolt has been through all the above sizes, 

 and is now using one 12x15, the longest way 

 up and down. I use my 2-story hives with 

 the extractor, or one-story with boxes, as 

 occasion requires; and the 12x12 frame be- 

 ing a sort of medium between tall and shal- 

 low, or large and small frames, answers the 

 best, all things considered. 



"I have a smoker which I made by at- 

 taching a bellows to my old Quinby puff- 

 ball fumigator, which is simpler in con- 

 struction til an any of the smokers advertised 

 in the Journal, as far as I can judge from 

 the cuts, and I think it is as convenient and 

 as durable as any of them. It is operated 



with one hand, the bellows worked with 

 the thumb— just as one would use an oil- 

 can in oiling machinery. I use dry, rotten 

 wood in it, and can go to dinner leaving it 

 standing on top of a hive, come back and 

 find it ready for use." John Atkinson. 



Jefferson Co., Tenn., July 20, 1877.— "We 

 have had a good season here for honej'' — 

 the first for several years. Last winter we 

 lost about 60 per cent, of what few bees 

 were left. I had only 7 weak colonies left; 

 which I have increased, mostly by artificial 

 swarming, to 19 strong ones, and have taken 

 450 tt)s. of extracted, and about 60 lbs. of 

 box honey, and have raised 15 extra queens. 

 Honey-dew has been very plentiful this 

 year, which is produced by an insect, or 

 rather by various kinds of insects, which 

 feed on the leaf of the oak and other trees. 

 The sourwood honey harvest has been good 

 here this year. Strong colonies storing 

 from 16 to 40 lbs. from that alone. It is the 

 finest honey that we have, is very thick and 

 as clear as water. It commences to bloom 

 about June 20th, and continues 5 weeks. I 

 send you sample of the bloom and wish that 

 I could send some of the honey by mail. I 

 think it can't be beat by any other honey." 



[ The sample is received. It is a tine 

 honey-producer and no doubt gave excellent 

 honey.— Ed.] 



Kennebec Co., Me., July 26, 1877.—" The 

 honey season promised well at the com- 

 mencement, in the last of May, but our 

 bright skies were soon clouded. We have 

 had a very dry summer, and the flowers 

 produced but little honey, and that has been 

 dark and thick, and of strong flavor. Bees 

 have swarmed but a little or not at all, and 

 unless we have a good fall honey-harvest, 

 many colonies will not get enough to carry 

 them through winter. I fear this dark- 

 colored honey is not good for wintering on. 

 Will those who have had experience in 

 wintering bees on dark, strong honey please 

 report tor the Journal? I have 20 swarms 

 of bees and am in hopes to get them in good 

 condition to winter. Fewer bees are kept 

 in this State than in any other of the 

 Union." Isaac F. Plummer. 



Montcalm Co., Mich., July 32, 1877.-" We 

 have no basswood honey this season. There 

 was an immense bloom, but a dry scorching 

 sun and high wind destroyed it all. We 

 have had three poor seasons now in succes- 

 sion. The fall flowers may help us some. 

 I send you photograph of my home apiary. 

 It contains 200 colonies. In the foreground 

 is a field of alsike clover. I keep my farm 

 seeded with it, and consider it the best 

 honey plant. The small building to the left 

 is a store-house for honey. A few rods dis- 

 tant I have a .5-horse power saw mill for 

 cutting hives and frames. Just over the 

 oldest boy's head is a mammoth swarm 

 hanging on the apple tree." 



Hiram Roop. 



[ Friend Roop will please accept our 

 thanks for the photo. It will occupy a 

 place in our museum, and be an interesting 

 study to many of our visitors who know him 

 only by name.— Ed.] 



