them into winter quarters; they have been 

 breeding all winter. C. Eggleston. 



Macon City, Mo., Feb. 19, 1878. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



All about Teasel. 



Teasel is sown abont May 1st in continu- 

 ous rows, 3 ft. apart, and {binned down to 

 about 10 inches apart in the row. Alternate 

 rows are planted to corn, or turnips may be 

 sown between the rows. Teasel leaves lay 

 almost flat on tiie ground; it is therefore 

 difficult to cultivate it. Clay and gravel 

 soil is best for it, when highly cultivated. — 

 Light soils should be avoided, as it is liable 

 to winter-kill. 



The following year (May 1st) it should be 

 hoed; each i)!aiit will soon throw out a stalk 

 4 ft. high, and from every joint, or leaf, 

 other stalks will grow, attaining similar 

 height. At the extremity of eaoli stalk, or 

 branch, are buds which are called teasels, 

 varying in size from 1 to 4 inches in length, 



(This excellent cut is from Prof. Cook's New Manual 

 of the Apiary, and shows the Teasel bloom.— Ed.) 



and one-half the length in diameter. One 

 root often ])rod^ces 20 or more of these 

 buds. The lirst to bloom are the largest; 

 they are termed 1st, 2iul, and 3rd, according 



size. 



They bloom about July 5tli, and continue 



out 4 weeks. Each bud (teasel) blossoms 

 profusely, beginning first in the center of 

 the bud, the flower being similar to red 

 clover. 



After the bloom ceases, the teasels should 

 be cut. The bloom on the 1st ceases in 

 about 2 weeks; on the 2nd, 5 days after; and 

 so on. 



They are dried (or cured) by laying them 

 on a lattice-work floor, in a loose-sided 

 building. A good crop will cut about 300,- 

 000 teasels; they are worth 40c per 1000.— 

 (10 lbs. to a 1000). 



Its honey-producing qualities are equal to 

 basswood— and when the latter fails us (as 

 it did last season) the teasel yields profusely. 



The flavor of teasel honey is excellent; "it 

 it transparent and white, correspondents in 

 the Dec. and Jan. Nos. to the contrary, not- 

 withstanding. One of these asserts that 

 teasel produces two kinds of honey. Such 



an 'idea is preposterous! If such were 'a 

 fact,hvould the two car-loads of ivhite teasel 

 honey shipped to Thurber & Co. last tall 

 have been so admired ? My whole crop of 

 white honey was gathered from the teasel. 



Teasel produces no pollen, but bees will 

 be nearly covered with a white substance, 

 like flour, while working upon it. By this 

 I know that my bees gathered, their white 

 lioney from teasel. 



Teasel is one of the greatest honey-pro- 

 ducing plants in existence, and it will pay 

 to cultivate it for that purpose. 



Marcellus, N. Y. N. N. Betsingee. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



How to become Successful. 



In order to become a successful apiarist, 

 three things are absolutely necessary: 



1. A location abounding with honey- 

 producing plants, of the different varieties, 

 both early and late. For early — such as 

 willow, elm, soft maple, cherry, plum, 

 apple, currant, gooseberry, raspberry, &c. 



For summer — white clover, basswood, 

 mustard, cucumber, squash, poplar, pump- 

 kin, &c. 



For fall — buckwheat, golden rod, wild 

 sun-flower, and all the various varieties of 

 flowers that bloom in August and Septem- 

 ber,— thus keeping one continual flow of the 

 saccharine juices of nature's laboratory, 

 from early spring until the icy hand of 

 winter prepares all nature for her long 

 slumber. 



2. A good hive; not such as our fathers 

 used; (the old log gum, nail-keg, round 

 straw cap, &c. &c.) but a hive tliat permits 

 every comb to be taken out and exauiined, 

 and all necessary operations performed 

 without killing a single bee, or exciting 

 their anger. It should afford suitable pro- 

 tection against extremes of heat and cold, 

 sudden temperature and the injurious 

 ettects of dampness. It sliould be capable 

 of being adjusted to the wants of either 

 large or small colonies; to allow the combs 

 to be removed without any jarring; and to 

 furnish all needful security against the 

 ravages of the bee moth. The bottom 

 board should be permanently attached to 

 the hive, for convenience in moving it and 

 to prevent the depredation of moths and 

 worms; and it should enable the apiarist, 

 who relies on natural swarming, and wishes 

 to multiply his colonies as fast as possible, 

 to make vigorous stocks of all Ifis small 

 after-swarms. Such swarms contain young 

 queens, and if they can be judiciously 

 strengthened, usually make the best stock 

 hives. 



In order to become a successful apiarist, 

 it is necessary that he should understand 

 the internal economy of the bee-hive, to 

 some degree at least, and unless he is in 

 possession of such knowledge, (he may be 

 in possession of the best hive in the world, 

 and be placed in the best locality that the 

 country affords,) he will be almost abso- 

 lutely certain to make a failure. 



I know a man that has 200 colonies of 

 bees, and his average amount of surplus 

 honey per hive will not fall short of 80 Bbs. 

 He is the right man in t!ie right place, and 



