Lincoln, Mo.. Dec. 28. 1877. 

 " Our lioney season coninienced in August. 

 We extrat'ted <> bbis, liad 600 lbs. of box 

 honey, and then enonjj;h to winter on. It is 

 warm and rainins. and I think bees are 

 eating more honey than nsual." 



Mks. J. W. Dick. 



Knoxville, Iowa, Dec. 17, 1877. 

 '' Tiie past season was a poor one. My 

 bees did not swarm, but I divided two that 

 stored enonsli to last tliem over winter. I 

 received a beautiful Italian queen from J. 

 Oatnian & Co. lam winterinj^; my bees on 

 their sunnner stands. The weather is 

 warm, and my bees iiave had a tiy every 

 day this week." J. W. Bittenbendek. 



Erie Co., Pa., Dec. 2.5, 1877. 

 " Our bees have done poorly the past 

 season. They wintered in good condition. 

 70 colonies increased to 125; new swarms 

 were all large at time of swarming, but did 

 not fill up hives as usual, and made very 

 little box honey. Have sold about 800 lbs., 

 realizing from IG ti) 20 cts. jicrlb. We use 

 the black Ix-es, jjartially hybridized, have no 

 extractor, and permit'natural swarming. — 

 The season has been so discouraging that 

 we intend to turn over a new leaf, by ado])t- 

 ing the plan given by Herbert A. Burch the 

 coming season. We have no expert bee- 

 men in this county from which to learn, so 

 I am reading up as best I can." 



D. ViDETO. 



Jersey Co., 111., Dec. 29, 1877. 

 "Bees have not done very well here, this 

 year. It was too wet and cold during fruit 

 and white clover bloom; that being our 

 principal source of supply for surplus 

 honey. I made an average of .52 lbs. of sur- 

 plus, per hive, and increased 100 per cent. — 

 Have gone into winter quarters with each 

 hive in good condition. I winter on sum- 

 rqer stands. I use Armstrong's Centennial 

 Hive, and think it the best hive 1 ever saw, 

 for all purposes. I think the Bingham 

 smoker ahead of anything in the smoker 

 line. I experimented some with comb- 

 foundation this summer, and think it a 

 success. I could not think of doing without 

 the Journal." H. D. Edavards. 



Mears, Ocean Co., Mich, Dec. 19. 1877. 

 " It seems to me that bee raisers, when 

 they give their yield of honey, would do 

 well to give the size of hive, depth of frame, 

 side or top storing, etc., give the name of 

 their town, county and state. It would 

 have a tendency to settle on a standard hive 

 and frame. I think I hear some say that 

 there would be too many letters to answer. 

 Do not pay any attention to them unless 

 they have a quarter enclosed. I always 

 throw in a 25c. scrip, and have never failed 

 of getting an answer yet. I have 2.50 

 swarms, (Italians and hybrids), in two 

 different cellars. My cellars have two 

 rooms each. 1 think they are better,— 

 keeps them cooler in warm weather, and 

 warmer in cold weather. Expect to keep 

 them in one of the cellars until May 1st. If 

 they loose 1 pint of bees each, through 

 April, they will lose more than that out doors; 

 besides, they will have more honev left to 

 go through the long, cold rains of May. I 

 do not want any swarms before June 5th, 

 rather have them on the 10th." 



E. Stanhope. 



St. Clair Co.. 111., Dec, 27, 1877. 

 " I had 53 colonies in good condition in 

 May, of last year; now I have 76. Some of 

 them I expect to have to feed before spring, 

 unless the weather is exceedingly favora- 

 ble. White clover was plenty, but yielded 

 no honey after June 1st. The surplus that 

 I got was from honey dew, and though 

 dark, I retailed it for 25 cts. per lb., or 5 lbs. 

 for $1. I only got 200 lbs. of extracted, and 

 30 lbs. of comb honey. I do not think a 

 pound of comb was built this season. I got 

 about enough fall honey to keep them 

 breeding and give them stores for winter." 



C. T. SSIITH. 



Smith's Grove, Ky., Dec. 7, 1877. 

 " I commenced the past season with 40 

 colonies, having reduced my number by 

 letting 20 die during winter, also by sale of 

 some. I got about 1,200 lbs.— almost equal 

 quantities of extracted and box honey. I 

 made 20 artificial swarms, and had 4 swarm 

 naturally. I doubled my nucleis and bal- 

 anced the stores of my bees in November, 

 and iilled the top story, with dry leaves.— 

 They seem to be doing well on their sum- 

 mer stands." N. P. Allen. 



Steele Co., Minn., Dec. 24, 1877. 

 "The past season was good. I had 19 colo- 

 nies in an out-door cellar. All came 

 through in good condition. One was queen- 

 less. I got 3.000 lbs. of honey, (800 lbs. 

 being comb honey), and increased to 47 

 colonies. I have sold nearly all my honey 

 in this neighborhood. I began 2 years ago 

 with 8 colonies. That season I got 800 lbs. 

 of honey, and sold it for .'§38. I have moved 

 my bees to Casswood, 5 miles away, every 

 year. This year I am building a house at 

 Medford, which is surrounded with fine 

 basswood timber. I have 26 stocks in my 

 cellar there, and 21 stocks here. This cellar 

 and house I am building expressly for my 

 bees, and am letting them furnishtlie capi- 

 tal. The location, house and all will cost 

 upwards of S500. I would not change cold 

 Minnesota for a place in California. We 

 can get about as much honey per stock, and 

 save so much transportation. Honey will 

 be one of the cheapest of sweets in Minn, if 

 we continue to have good success. I am 

 satislied we must take large quantities and 

 sell cheap, to make a perminent business.— 

 My aim is to get all to use honey, and if 

 cheap enough, we can succeed. People will 

 not use as much of other sweets if they use 

 honey; in this we shall gain an important 

 step, by educating the people that large 

 quantities of honey can be taken from the 

 bees cheaper than it can be made by man 

 from any stuff; that it will granulate; and 

 that there is a difference in kinds; that if 

 you extract basswood lioney in a neighbor- 

 hood where there is no basswood, and 

 where the extractor has never been used, 

 they will say that it is not honey at all, 

 because it does not look like their buck- 

 wheat cond) honey, etc. Honey peddlers, 

 of course, understand the situation; all of 

 this can and must be overcome, in order to 

 make bee-culture a success. Let every one 

 work up a home market, and if a brother 

 bee-keeper happens to work over on your 

 ground, (as one did on my held), do not be 

 discouraged, but pay him back as I did, for 

 I found his ground as good selling ground 

 as I presume he did mine. Both iiad been 

 worked up." j. e. Cady. 



