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Vol. XIV. 



Chicago, Illinois, January, 1878. 



No. 1. 



1^ Corks for honey jars should be 

 cut across the grain, to prevent leakage. 



i^The Keports of Conventions in 

 this issue have crowded out considera- 

 ble matter that was already in type. 



^"The plant sent by Mr. Moore, of 

 Shelbyville, Ky.i is not a shrub, but an 

 herb. It is an aster — of course good. 



^= Dr. J. P. H. Brown, is the first 

 on hand.with his Circular for 1878. It 

 is neatly gotten up, and contains much 

 information. 



i^It takes two years to raise teasel. 

 It is grown by farmers to sell to cloth 

 manufactm'ers. We do not think it 

 would pay to raise for the honeyi alone. 



1^ The time has come to prepare for 

 next season's operations in the way of 

 hives. It is not advisable to wait till 

 they are needed before ordering. — 

 Several did thislast year, and as every 

 one was in a rush just then — many 

 were sadly disappointed. We would 

 therefore urge all to order at once, and 

 then time enough will be allowed to be 

 sureto have them on hand when needed. 



i^Aswe were in doubt about the 

 advisability of adding a Small Fruit 

 Department, we submitted the question 

 in our last issue. The answers are 

 almost universal in opposition to it. — 

 Our readers want all the energies of 

 The Bee Journal, devoted to Bees 

 and Honey, and in this they sliall not be 

 disappointed. We shall do our "level 

 best" to make the volume for 1878 

 excel all its predecessors. 



i^° While at the Michigan Conven- 

 tion, we were entertained by friend 

 Russell, and made the acquaintance of 

 many Michigan apiarists. Mr. Russell 

 has 140 colonies in the cellar, in excel- 

 lent order, and a few on their winter 

 stands. His is a combination of the 

 movable-frame and bar-hive, and sus- 

 ceptible of changing size at will. For 

 wintering out of doors, he uses heavy 

 paper over the frames, and makes it 

 double, by sliding the cover down over 

 the brood chamber. One of his hives 

 has been added to our Museum. 



l^A correspondent writes: "I see 

 Mr. Betsinger claims to be the first in- 

 ventor of a sectional hive. Barker & 

 Dicer, of Marshall, Mich., claimed the 

 same thing, I believe, in the Aiheric an 

 Bee Journal for March, 1874. Will 

 Mr. Betsinger tell the readers of the 

 Journal in what year he invented his 

 box, and I should like to hear from 

 Barker & Dicer on the subject, also. 

 ' Honor to whom honor is due.' I am 

 using a section box and am interested 

 to know who is the inventor." 



i^° Friend D. D. Palmer has just 

 returned from New York, whither he 

 went with a car-load of comb honey, 

 which he sold to Thurber & Co., and 

 brought the cash, nearly $3,000 home 

 with him. He says, honey is retailing 

 in N. Y. at from 25 to 30 cts. per lb.— 

 He has inspected surplus boxes of 

 many styles on his trip, and says he 

 had learned enough to pay him well for 

 his time and trouble. Much of his 

 honey was in California frames, but he 

 wants no more to take to market that 

 is not glassed. He spent a few pleasant 

 hours with! us, both on going and re- 

 turning. A friendship of nearly a 

 score of years made the occasion the 

 more interesting and agreeable. 



