416 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



coiiHidered by some, as profitable a plant as 

 can be sown.* Tiie common catnip, that is 

 generally despised as a worthless weed, is 

 one of the very best honey-producing plants 

 that grows, and every bee-Ueeper should 

 look with tenderness on these little weeds 

 and encourage their production rather than 

 destruction. But sweet inignonnette is the 

 queen ot all honey-producing plants tliat 

 bloom from June until December. This of 

 all otlier plants ought to be raised to a cer- 

 tain extent, by every bee-keeper without 

 exception. Not only for its unrivalled 

 honey-producing qualities, and the splendid 

 aromatic flavor of the honey thus i)r<)(luced, 

 but for its beauty and fragrance. When it 

 is planted or sown to any extent, our atmo- 

 sphere will vie with the spicy breezes of 

 Ceylon. 1 might enumerate and eulogise 

 the good (lualities of a thousand honey-pro- 

 ducing plants, trees and shrubs, that are 

 ornamental and useful, but, in fact, there is 

 hardly a plant that grows that does not pro- 

 duce honey, I merely mention these few 

 to set you* to thinking over the subject. 

 With one kind word for the "busy bee," 

 hoping the time is not far distant when all 

 "Who keei> a garden of flowers may welcome 

 the little worker as kindly. 



"Thou cheerful bee ! come, freely come 



And travel round my floral bower; 

 Delight nie with thy wand'rinji hum. 



And roi-;se me from my musini.' hour. 

 Oh ! try no more tho.^e tedious fields, 



My honied treasures all are thine; 

 Come, taste the sweets my garden > ields, 



The bud, the blossom, all— all are thine." 



There was quite an interesting display of 

 apiarian supplies on exhibition, such as bee- 

 keepers' text-books, bee papers, and many 

 things necessary to the successful manage- 

 ment of an apiary. 



On motion, the next place of meeting will 

 be in Lexington, the tirst Tuesday in May, 

 at 10 a. m., and hereafter regularly on the 

 first Tuesday in Mav and October. 



W. Williamson. Sec. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Doolittle's Report. 



I have just read an article in the last is- 

 sue, from G. M. Doolittle, Borodino, N. Y., 

 to which, with my experience, observation 

 and information, it is difiicult to give full 

 credence. I do not say,forido not know, 

 that what be says is not true, but it sounds 

 to me much exaggerated. 



He says be connuenced this season with 

 67 stocks; tlu^t his honey season connuenc- 

 ed June 18th and ceased Aug. 2.'5tli— two 

 months and 7 days. That in this time he 

 took 10,284 lbs. of box iioney frowi 4.5 stocks, 

 and 893 lbs. of extracted from 2 stocks- one 

 stock yielding 5B6 lbs.,— that 3 stocks yield- 

 ed respectively 288, 301, and 309 lbs. of box 

 honey; that one colony yielded in 3 days 

 66 lbs.; that during his honey season of 07 

 days, his 67 stocks averaged 166% lbs. each, 

 being 23^ lbs. for each colony per day; that 

 in addition to all this his stocks had in- 

 creased from 67 to 152, all in good condition 

 for winter, and having, of course, 2.5 to 30 

 lbs. each, which would make his average 

 yield per stock about 192 lbs. He concludes 

 by saying, that for the last .5 years, with an 

 averatie of 50 stocks, he liad cleared .$6,000. 



Now, Mr. Editor, if all this is true, Bro. 

 Doolittle's name should be changed to Doo- 



much. If it is not true, he ought not to 

 have written such an article, and you ought 

 not to have published it, for it will induce 

 many into the bee business, resulting in 

 failure and loss. J no. Fox. 



Columbia, Tenn., Oct. 16, 1877. 



[ We cannot doubt friend Doolittle's cor- 

 rectness. The re])ort is large, but he has 

 for years made a good report each season. 

 There is so much difference in .seasons as^ 

 well as localities, that what looks almost 

 impossible to some, may, with everything 

 favorable, be easily accomplished by others. 

 We expect a full report of his management 

 in a future number of the Journal. He i& 

 building now and preparing for winter, 

 when that is over be will prepare an article 

 on his mode of treatment and management. 

 —Ed.] 



One signing himself "A Novice," writes- 

 from Otisco Valley, N. Y., Oct. 12,1877, and 

 remarks as follows: 



"Mr. Doolittle says basswood opened on 

 July 14tii and lasted until the 28th. which 

 with teasel yielded abundantly. This is 

 undoubtedly correct, but he claims this ta 

 be white honey. Basswood, we all know, 

 yields abundantly the very finest of honey, 

 but teasel honey is very dark, as (Jark as 

 West India molasses, much darker than 

 buckwheat, and is of a very strong flavor. I 

 have lived in a locality where much teasel is- 

 raised. Dullness of trade has stopped the 

 farmers growing it, much to the joy of bee- 

 keepers in this locality. This must not be 

 understood as a slur on friend Doolittle, it 

 is not; thinking his report might induce 

 some to plant teasel tor honey, I write a 

 word of warning. If teasel will not pay to 

 grow for market, it certainly will not for 

 honey. 



"My honey crop has been very good. I 

 commenced the season with .59 colonies; in- 

 creased to 110, and got, in cap honey. 4,69S 

 lbs., which is about nine-tenths white." 



[The honey we saw in New York, ex- 

 hibited by friends Betsinger and Doolittle 

 was not dark honey by any means— and 

 they aver it was gathered from teasel. Will 

 friend Betsinger tell us more about the 

 teasel and its honey, for our next issue? — 

 Ed.] 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Marketing Honey. 



Perhaps tlie readers of the Journal. 

 would be interested with a brief sketch of 

 liow we marketed our honey this season. 

 We live 12 miles from the railroad, and had 

 to haul our honey that distance (m a spring 

 wagon. Our honey was shipped by freight 

 and went through to New York in tine con- 

 dition. We placed in the front of each car 

 three bags of sawdust, laying them on the 

 bottom and against the front enil. Then 

 we placed twi< tiens of crates on the bottom 

 of the car, then three bags nu)re of sawdust, 

 then two tiers mtn-e of crates,and so on until 

 the car was filled, when bags of sawdust 

 were crowded down at the back end of the 



