off and cliaff mattresses 4 inches thick over 

 them. Tlie explanation, in Oleaninqs, last 

 summer, of how to nial^e square-edged mat- 

 tresses, by sewing up only one piece of 

 cloth and tudiing in tlie corners, and stitch 

 before they are turned, is well worth the 

 price of one year's subscription. We have 

 a very warm winter. Some days in Decem- 

 ber the thermonieter stood at 68= out of 

 doors. I put a load of ice in the cellar to 

 keep my bees still. I have made a new 

 smoker "that beats them all. I have thrown 

 mine down, and let it lie for 3 hours and 

 picked it up and it was ready for business, 

 without re-liuhting." L. Sutliff. 



Fremont Co., Iowa, Feb. 8., 1878. 

 "I have just finished reading the Jouk- 

 ?IAL, and am highly ])leased with it. In the 

 fall of 1876 1 went to California and remain- 

 ed thereO months. California was over-done 

 in the bee business, up to last year, when 

 the drouth played sad havoc with bees. — 

 The Los Angeles and San Gabriel mount- 

 ains, or the orange and white sage districts 

 produce good honey, while the bay country 

 is so affected with tar weed, that the honey 

 is almost worthless for food. I went into 

 winter quarters in the fall of 187(5, with 

 nearly 80 colonies. Went west and remain- 

 ed till July 3, 1877; when I came home, I 

 found over 3^ of my bees dead, there being 

 hardly a strong colony in the yard. Bass- 

 wood started all to strengthening up, so by 

 the time heart's-ea.se bloomed, all were 

 strong again. When basswood bloomed, I 

 had 4(5 colonies; increased 2, making 48 in 

 all. 1 extracted .5..500 lbs. of honey, and my 

 bees went into winter quarters strong in 

 bees and stores. I am wintering out of 

 doors, with packings of straw. I liave sold 

 nearly all my honey to farmers, at I'.l'^^ cts. 

 per lb. The weather has been excellent for 

 wintering out of doors, excepting their hav- 

 ing drawn largely on stores, but I think 

 they will be strong in spring." W. Mokkis. 



Wenham, Mass., March 11, 1878. 

 "Bees never wintered as well as during 

 the past winter. All my colonies have come 

 out nice and strong. The weather the past 

 week has been like May. My bees, on the 

 10th of March, commenced to carry in 

 pollen. I have been a bee-keeper upwards 

 of 20 years, and never knew them to carry 

 it in so early. Some 15 years ago, they com- 

 menced on March 1(5 to carry it in; but, as a 

 general thing, they cannot do much at it 

 earlier than aboi,it April 10. You did not 

 understand me correctly about sending 

 queens by mail. I have for the past (5 or 7 

 years paid letter postage on all packages 

 containing queens, and have had no trouble. 

 I do not ship them as my friend Cameron, 

 of Kansas, suggests. We. sent 1 package, 

 containing .5 que^tMis, to Canada, last year. — 

 The postage fell short 3 cts., and it was re- 

 turned with the words "■not vmilable" 

 marked on it. They were re-packed, full 

 letter postage paid, and they went all right." 



H. Alley. 



Napoleon, (J., March 14, 1878. 

 " Bees have wintered well in this section. 

 I wintered without loss. They are strong 

 and well." G. W. Zimmerman. 



St. Hilaire, Quebec, March 12, 1878 

 " On Dec. 1, I put (30 colonies in the cellar 

 The thermometer has ranged from .50 to .5.5° 

 all winter. As the weather has become 

 unusually warm at this time of year, I now 

 throw a few shovels full of snow, every 

 other day, uiuler my hives, to keep thVin 

 quiet. Not one of them exhibits anysio'ns 

 of uncomfortableness. Spring, in the Prov- 

 ince of Quebec, seems to come fully one 

 month earlier than usual." 



Tiios. Valiquet. 



Edgerton, Kansas, March 8, 1878 

 "Our bees are in the best condition that 

 they ever were at this season of the year — 

 They have been gathering pollen for over a 

 week, filling up with brood quite rapidly — 

 The buds are bursting, grass is starting 

 and everything indicate a very earhr 

 spiiiifi-" A. B. DiLLE. 



Plymouth, Wis.. Feb. 16, 1878 

 "Last season was a very fair one with us 

 Had 2.000 fts. of honey; 1,940 lbs. of whicli' 

 was comb-honey and !)(i2 lbs. extracted- and 

 such a season for swarming! May I never 

 experience the like again. I used every 

 measure that is known to science to prevent 

 increase, but all to no purpose. It is need- 

 less to state that I have lost the conceit 

 which I entertained, of being able to pre- 

 vent swarming under all circumstances 

 I think the black bees were as nuich dis- 

 posed toswarm as the Italians. I am winter- 

 ing 98 colonies; a few which I fed late in 

 the fall, have dysentery and will probably 

 die before spring. Well, this serves me 

 right; for I neglected to supply the proper 

 conditions, which I knew to bc'neci'ssarvto 

 insure safety. The sample Case and Boxes 

 came safely. Shall adoiitthcni this season* 

 only, 1 find that I shall have to make the top 

 and bottom 6 inches long. AVinter is too 

 warm for this latitude. Tliermometer stood 

 at 42= at noon to-day." J. N. McColm. 



Chicago, Feb. 23. 1878. 



" I^r^/TJi^ •^'^^/f ^^ =-i» yoi'i- ' article 

 headed Honey Adulteration,' in the Febru- 

 ary No. of your .Jouknal, yon suggest that 

 the labels on the jars containing the adul- 

 terated honey, condemned in Glasgow 

 Scotland, may have been counterfeited ~ 

 Your readers would naturally ii)fer tliat 

 they were counterfeited or used by some 

 other dealer in, and packer of honey As 

 C. O. Perrine is, and has been for years the 

 most prominent in this line, I desire to 

 state, as his Manager for a long time and 

 fully knowing to all honey and other 

 goods packed and shipped in America and 

 abroad, for the past 3 years, that I never 

 saw or knew of a single counterfeit label 

 put upon a jar of honey in this house In 

 this connection, I will add that we have 

 been shipping honey to Europe for 3 or 4 

 years, and we have not had a single com- 

 plaint ; but, on the contrary, have received 

 the highest praise for (piality of goods stvle 

 of packages and safe paclcing. The onlv 

 objection to repacked honey was the candv 

 ing of it, which is the best evidence of its 

 purity and one party (a late shipmentV 

 refused to pay a sight draft, with invoice 

 and bill of lading, as he wanted to see the- 



