BEST PJ'.OTKCTIOX FIJOM BEE STINGS. 



First, try to p.et rid of your cross bees.— 

 Tliere. is a vast difference between bees. I 

 never took tlie trouble to use protection, 

 not even a bee veil, with some colonies 1 

 iiave had; to others, I wonkl as soon think 

 of soinjif witliout protection, as to attack a 

 leoi)ard without it. First, approach the 

 colony with Bingham's smoker; fjive them 

 a puff, in the entrance, before you touch the 

 liive; be careful not to strike your toe 

 a«ain.u;t it, then open gently, ready to give 

 another puff of snioke on the least show of 

 light; but never putf unless they do fight.— 

 1 use nothing hut the bee veil. Gloves are 

 worse than useless. All clothing should be 

 light colored, no red nor black. 



R. M. Akgo. 



Lowell, Ky.. Jan. 5, 1878. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Adaptation to Our Business. 



For 11 years I have read with pleasure 

 and profit the Ameuican Bee Joubxae, 

 and have gathered the experience and best 

 thoughts of its able correspondents. 1 

 have sent it about .50 new suDscribers, since 

 1 began taking it. Some of them are suc- 

 cessful bee-keepers, and well i>osted in the 

 business, but others soon played out, not 

 having energy enough to leani how to keep 

 bees, or possessed no adaptation to the 

 business. This is often the case in other 

 pursuits. To succeed in any business, we 

 nuist take pleasure in it. 



In Southern Kentucky there is not one 

 bee-keeper giving his wiiole time to the 

 business; all liave other pursuits, and the 

 bees get but a small share of their thoughts 

 and labor. I wish that some of our young 

 men, who love the honey bee, and delight 

 in its labors, would prepare themselves for 

 the pursuit of bee-keeping alone, as thous- 

 ands are doing for other pursuits. I would 

 not pursuade men or women to engage in 

 bee-keeping, if they have no natural adapta- 

 tion, or love for it. 



Bee-keeping has been reduced to a 

 science, and is capable of becoming a great 

 national industry. The honey bee has 

 been man's attendant in all ages, countries 

 and climes; still, bee-keeping is but in its 

 infancy. 'Tis true, that many valuable dis- 

 coveries and inventions have been made in 

 the last half century, and bee-keeping now 

 takes a high stand among the various pur- 

 suits of man, yet, I believe we are but the 

 pioneers in successful bee-keeping. We 

 must advance— onward being the watch- 

 word of all who would succeed. 



In addition to our standard works on bee- 

 keeping, our bee papers and conventions, 

 we need a school, where the science will be 

 taught, and all the various manipulations 

 practically demonstrated, so that our young 

 men may graduate, and receive diplomas, 

 as they do in Jaw, medicine and other pur- 

 suits. Every state should have such a 

 school, and then we may expect that the 

 old and slovenly way of bee-keeping will 

 be abandoned, and the millions of pounds 

 of honey that now go to waste will be 

 gathered and stored in waxen cells, to bless 

 mankind. 



N. P. Allen. 



Smith's Grove, Ky., Jan. 7, 1878. 



For tlio American Bee .Journal, 



Chips from Sweet Home. 



In the Amebioan Bee Joubnal, of Jan., 

 page y, II. Haines says, under date of Nov. 

 tW, "I have just built a hec house h^i, ft. 

 long, 7 ft. wide and 8 ft. high." A bee 

 house of such dimensions is certainly of a 

 queer shape. Is in not a cave? Also, "i 

 have stored .50 hives, (double tier), and liope 

 they will winter well. I have .50 colonies 

 out of doors; top of caps Idled with chaff, 

 anil shall thus try both ways." I had a 

 postal card from 11. Haines, dated Nov. 28, 

 — days later tlian the above, in which he 

 says, "Bees O. K. 83 in house, — 17 iu 

 cave." Now, why does he not tell tliesame 

 story to all? Is it a winter repositorj% a 

 cave or a house? Why did he say, Mov. 28, 

 that he had fixed .50 for out doors, and 6 days 

 lirevious. that he had none out doors? — 

 Which of these two stories are correct? — 

 Or, is neither? If this is not contradictory, 

 please untanule and make it straight. 



1 would not willingly wrong any one, but 

 it is as much of a pleasure for me to expose 

 error as it is to hold up the truth. Why do 

 j)ot some of his 'numerous visitors tell us of 

 his Cyprian bees, and how many hives of 

 each "kind? If he has as many orders, or 

 nam<;',s as he showed me at the Convention, 

 why not satisfy the Amebican Bee Joub- 

 NAL and Maijazlne that he has Cyprian 

 be(-'s, and he only, and advertise. If he is 

 the first to introduce Cyprian bees, to him 

 the honor belongs. Let him send his 

 receipts, etc. to the Bee Journal, to prove 

 that he is right, as the right wrongs no 

 man, also, let him remember that two 

 wrongs never make one right. 



Eliza, Mercer Co., 111. D. D. Palmer. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Apis Dorsata. 



In the absence of further information 

 about this bee, (which I hoped to receive 

 before this), I will make some remarks 

 upon Mr. Cori's article, which late informa- 

 tion may confirm or show to be incorrect. — 

 It is singular that this bee, according to 

 Herr Cori, is not hunted in Java, and yet, 

 in some of the other islands of tiie Archi- 

 pelago is so fearlessly and successfully 

 hvinted, as described by Mr. Wallace in last 

 month's issue. That " these bee-hives are 

 in hollow trees" is an important fact, in 

 addition to what Mr. Wallace gives us.— 

 The bee-hunters probably consider it far 

 more important that they also build in the 

 open air, where their products can be the 

 more readily secured. 



Not many of our skilled bee-keepers 

 Avould care to secure honey and wax after 

 the method described by Mr. Wallace. It 

 does not follow from the greater length of 

 the sting that the wcmnd is more painful, 

 nor does the fear the Javanese have of being- 

 stung weigh much with me. We all know 

 how the public generally view bee-keeping. 



"How long have you kept bees?" "30 

 years." "Did yon ever getstung?" "Yes." 

 "I would like to keep bees very much, but if I 

 thought I would ever get stung I never 

 would go near a hive." This conversation 

 was with an army officer, who had been 

 in many engagements. I gave him a frame 



