Scovell's Queen Cages.— Friend Sco- 

 vell writes that his cages are just the thing 

 for Introducing Queen Cells as well as 

 Shipping Queens. He gives the following 

 as the modus operandi: 



" Trim the cell pretty close, take it by 

 the small end and dip it into melted wax, 

 and put into the bottom of the cage ; put 

 the cage, without its lid, bottom up, over an 

 opening between the frames ; cover with 

 cloth and the cell is introduced. It can be 

 examined at any time by raising the cloth 

 and picking up the cage." 



Friend Scovell says he introduced 25 

 Queen Cells in that way in one week, with- 

 out the loss of a single Cell. 



Shugk's Bee Feeder.— We have re- 

 ceived one of these Feeders for our Museum. 

 It is designed to be used at the entrance of 

 the hive ; the entrance can be contracted or 

 wholly closed with it, unless the entrance 

 is too large for it. When the Feeder is in 

 place at the hive entrance, tlie food, pre- 

 pared from coffee A or C sugar, by dissolving 

 it in boiling water, may be poured in as 

 often as necessary. As the Feeder fits 

 close to the hive, no bees can reach it from 

 the outside. It is an ingenious contrivance 

 and withal very cheap. 



■ 51^°" As we must report on the Cyprian 

 queen which was to be sent us from H. 

 Haines, we will say that he has sent us four 

 queens— three came dead, and the one that 

 came alive was an Italian. Mr. H. ex- 

 plained that his hired man sent it by mis- 

 take. One of those received dead was sent 

 by mail, and two by express. Experimen- 

 tum crucis. Je vous rernercie. 



The Everett Extractor. — Friend 

 Everett has sent one of his Extractors 

 for 4 frames to our Museum. It is nicely 

 painted and looks really beautiful. The 

 only criticism we should offer is that 

 the gearing hardly gives power enough 

 for a 4-frame extractor. Friend Everett 

 was the first to get up the small comb 

 holder for extracting honey from small 

 pieces and partly filled sections, and 

 well deserves the credit, for it is a very 

 convenient arrangement. 



Honey and Wax.— We will take Honey 

 and Wax in exchange for Implements for 

 the Apiary, to any amount, at the usual 

 market prices of both. 



A Substantial Basis. 



The San Francisco Bulletin remarks as 

 follows concerning the cause of last year's 

 failure of the honey crop in California: 



" In several of the past years the yield of 

 honey was so great that the production was 

 far in excess of the requirements of the 

 local markets, which were consequently 

 overstocked. The quantity shipped from 

 the State was wholly inadequate to prevent 

 extremely low prices prevailing at home. 

 This was notably the case at the close of the 

 season before last, when the yield was not 

 short of 3,000,000 pounds. Many apiarists, 

 with a short-sighted eagerness for profit, 

 then drew so largely on the honey in their 

 hives as to leave an inadequate amount 

 remaining for the support of their colonies 

 during the next season, which unfortunately 

 proved a dry one. The loss of bees in con- 

 sequence during the last season was im- 

 mense; over 18,000 colonies being destroyed, 

 it is estimated, in Los Angeles county 



The Bulletin adds: "The business has 

 now passed that experimental stage in 

 which our industries are too often followed 

 merely for temporary gains and quick 

 profits, and the present efforts to place it 

 upon a substantial basis bid fair to be at- 

 tended with that permanent success which 

 always inures to perseverance and system- 

 atic management." 



These "thoughts," first "breathed" by 

 the Bulletin, become to every scientific api- 

 arist really "words that burn!" A "sub- 

 stantial basis " — " permanent success!" 

 These are the watchwords — the things to 

 be earnestly sought after, and as the Bulle- 

 tin sagely remarks, " always inures to per- 

 severance and systematic management!" 



Entrance Eegulator. — Friend 

 Albert D. Rust, of Fort Worth, Texas, 

 has sent us one of his Entrance Regu- 

 lators. It is intended to place it at the 

 entrance of the hive, making it in- 

 stantly any size desired. It is to be 

 hung just far enough above the en- 

 trance to let it swing up, and when 

 turned down j ust to fit, and must always 

 be adjusted wiien up. It consists of 2 

 pieces of zinc with square holes cut in 

 the lower side of each ; when by push- 

 ing in or drawdng out one of them, the 

 holes not being opposite each other are 

 closed or opened at pleasure. 



Some time since friend Davis, of 

 Wolf Lake, Ind., sent us drawings of his 

 Queen Dial, and other apiarian appliances 

 used by him in iiis apiary. He has our 

 thanks. The Dial, particularly, is a useful 

 article. 



