For the American Bee Journal. 



Things in General. 



Dear Editor : You will recollect my be- 

 ing at yom- office this spring, as you was 

 about to depart tor tlie Burlington Conven- 

 tion. 1 must say 1 was well paid tor my 

 visit to the American Bee Journal office. 

 It is worthy of a visit from any one interested 

 in the science of bee culture. We need 

 just such an establisiiment ; and it is for the 

 interest and well-being of apiarists to sup- 

 port and maintain such. We hope that 

 friends Newman will not cease in their ef- 

 forts to advance the science of apiculture. 

 Tliere is much to l)e done yet, and one item 

 of special interest is marketing. We must 

 establish a home market ; create a demand 

 at home, let our neighbors know what good 

 honey is ; and not let our home market be 

 monopolized by old fogies who deal in a con- 

 glomeration of wax, pollen and honey. 

 All progressive bee-keepei"s should take tlie 

 American Bee Journal, read it and grow 

 wise ; tliey will never regret it. 



After leaving your office I went to my old 

 home in New York State ; 1 then departed 

 for Michigan in search of better pasture and 

 locality for keeping bees, and am well 

 pleasecl with this section of the State, for 

 It abounds in white clover and raspberries. 

 And I am informed that bees obtain honey 

 very plentifully in the autumn, but from 

 what source I am unable at present to say. 



As an illustration, I will give you the pro- 

 duct of friend Bidwell's apairy for 1877. 

 Beginning with 17 colonies, he increased to 

 34, and obtained a surplus of over 2,000 lbs. 

 of comb honey. Mr. Bidwell came to Mich- 

 igan some four years since from New York 

 state, and started with one colony of bees, 

 buying another one also the second year. 

 He uses the vertical-bar hive, and strange 

 to say is not in favor of tlie movable comb. 

 Mr. B. uses sections of 2 lbs. each, made of 

 two pieces of H bich pine, about 6 inches 

 wide, 12 inches or more in length, divided 

 into sections with strips % inches wide of 

 same stuff', a groove being sawed every two 

 inches in the 6 by 12 inch pieces. These 

 are easily split off as required, forming neat 

 sections of about two pounds each. 



G. A. Walrath. 



West Bay City, Mich., June 11, 1878. 



For tne American Bee Journal, 



Sad History Repeated. 



Fkiend Newman : Perhaps you remem- 

 ber my writing to you last fall, telling you 

 tlie past season had been the poorest I ever 

 saw, and expressing my fears about winter- 

 ing, &c. You wrote me you hoped my fears 

 would not be realized ; but they were, and 

 fourfold, too. Out of 104 colonies, 1 now 

 have but 26, and some of them very weak. 

 One hive that swarmed 4 times last summer 

 is among the strongest, and it has been my 

 experience that liives that swarmed 4 to 5 

 times often come out among the strongest 

 the following spring. You see that 1 am not 

 a believer in the theory that bees swarm 

 themselves to death. Thay sometimes lose 

 their queens on their fertilizing tour, and it 



as often happens with those tliat swarm but 

 once or twice as otherwise. 



I started in the spring of 1877 with 78 colo- 

 nies, and most of them very strong. They 

 commenced in the boxes earlier than usual, 

 but the drouth in May caused white clover 

 to be scarce, and when in June it commenced 

 to rain, it invariably cleared off cold ; and 

 this was kept up till after basswood bloomed. 

 In fact, tlie bees were killing their drones 

 when it was in full bloom, and soon after the 

 weather came off dry and very hot. Golden- 

 rod came into bloom the last of August, and 

 on the 30th a hive on the scales gained 1 

 pound. On the 31st, it commenced to rain 

 and was cold, and they did nothing for 12 

 days, then they gained about 7 pounds in 6 

 days ; then it came on cold again, and that 

 was the last. I suppose about $200 laid out 

 in sugar for them at that time would have 

 kept about 100 colonies active ; but the $200 

 to spare was what was the matter. Some 

 have lost all, and some but about half. One 

 man told me he started in with 21 last fall, 

 and came out this spring with 3 only ; while 

 some men within 10 miles of us wintered 

 with small loss. 



I have concluded that having the eggs all 

 in one nest don't pay, especially in a bee- 

 hive in this locality, consequently, have sold 

 my house and lot for $2,000 (ami my neigh- 

 bors all say at a sacrifice of $500), and intend 

 to lay out the money in a small farm, and 

 keep sheep or some other stock, as I am not 

 able to do much work, and may keep a few 

 of the pets, if where I settle should prove to 

 be a good locality. 



Can any of our friends inform me about 

 East Maryland. I see farms are advertised 

 as cheap there, and as I think a milder cli- 

 mate will be better for me and two of my 

 children, I intend to go and see the country, 

 and may visit friend Porter, at Charlottes- 

 ville, Va. Retells me bees do well there. 

 But I have never heard as to the prosperity 

 of bees in East Maryland. My first swarm 

 came off yesterday. H. B. RoLFE. 



Westtield, N. Y., June 8, 1878. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Moore's Section Boxes. 



Dear Editor:— I have been expecting 

 for some time past to send you one of my 

 section boxes as I use them, but I have been 

 so very busy with the bees, and for them on 

 account of being hindered in building a 

 honey house, that I have had no time for 

 anything else. 



As fast as the sections are removed from 

 the cases on the hive, glass is adjusted to 

 edges of uprights and the caps put on, 

 making a tight box very quick. If it should 

 be necessary to open the box at any time 

 before shippment, the caps are slipped off 

 and readjusted with very little trouble. Be- 

 fore shipping, the caps are removed and a 

 very little warm glue is put on with a brush 

 causing them to adhere to the sections mak- 

 ing a perfectly tight box. 



For shipping, 1 use crates holding 1 doz. 

 boxes, setting them in 2 rows glass to glass, 

 the rim of cap preventing any breakage, 

 making a perfectly safe package for ship- 

 ping long distances, and a neat and most 



