Seasonable Hints.— In this north- 

 ern climate, if your bees are not already 

 in winter quarters, lose no time in put- 

 ting them in at once. See that all have 

 30 pounds of good, capped honey for 

 winter food ; if they have not enough, 

 feed them. Any colonies that are 

 weak should be united, so that they 

 may be strong in numbers. A division 

 board to contract the chamber will be 

 convenient. Cover the frames with a 

 sheet of duck, coarse factory cloth with 

 cotton batting between, or some wool- 

 len quilt, to keep them warm and 

 absorb the moisture, and place in the 

 cellar or winter repository. Keep the 

 temperature from 35° to 45°, and see 

 that it is properly ventilated. 



If you wisn to winter out of doors, 

 protect either by packing in chaff, hay 

 or straw, 3 or more inches thick, with 

 a slanting-board roof to keep it dry, or 

 use a box for packing as described by 

 Prof. Cook in his new Manual. 



Having placed your bees into winter 

 quarters, store your mind with bee 

 literature, for it will make you wise 

 and successful, — and then make hives 

 and boxes for next season's operations, 

 or procure them of some reliable dealer. 

 This is very often the most economical 

 way— but don't wait till next spring 

 before you send your order for them , 

 and then get them by express. Order 

 them early and get them by freight, 

 thereby saving expense and worry. 



Progressive Ideas.— One import- 

 ant action taken by the National Bee 

 Keepers' Convention, was that in refer- 

 ence to "• increasing its usefullness," as 

 reported on pages 378-9 of this issue. 

 We mean particularly its advice to 

 local societies to hold " Bee and Honey 

 Shows" once in each year, at which 

 time manipulations with bees should 

 take place, and competitive exhibits of 

 honey should be made. The National 

 Society decided to offer a " diploma for 

 the most expert handling of bees," 

 leaving the local society to determine 

 the kind of manipulation— whether of 

 transferring, finding and caging the 



queen, uniting or dividing colonies, 

 &c., &c. And for the best exhibit of 

 honey in the most marketable shape, 

 they agreed to "award a suitable 

 medal." 



This is a move in the right direction 

 and must tell for good ; educating the 

 bee-keepers up to the right standard 

 and getting them to adopt scientific 

 management, and the most i-ational 

 ideas. It has a farther intention — that 

 of banding bee-keepers together for 

 purposes of mutual interest, securing 

 a uniform price for honey in each api- 

 cultural district. We really think this 

 is the most important move that has 

 been made for many years. 



Now, w^e ask : Will bee-keepers all 

 over the country endorse this policy, 

 by becoming members of the National 

 Society. It will take money to carry 

 out a plan of operations, which is thor- 

 oughly agressive, but the dues of each 

 member, (one dollar,) will do it, and 

 carry it forward to success. The name 

 and dollar may be sent either to the 

 Secretary, Dr. E. Parmly, 19 West 38th 

 St., New York; the Treasurer, J. H. 

 Nellis, Canajoharie, N. Y., or to the 

 President, the editor of tliis Journal. 



Providence permitting, we'll show 

 you all, by next summer, something in 

 the line of success heretofore un- 

 thought of. Now, how many will 

 endorse this policy? Reader, will you? 



Many interesting conununications 

 and letters are flefened on account of tlie 

 Report of the Proceedings ot tlie National 

 Convention. Tiiey will appear in our next 

 issue. 



»♦■ > ■♦« 



New Post Office Ruling.— The Post 

 Master General lias issued a circular to Post 

 Masters instructing them to receive "all 

 articles of tiie third class (excepting in all 

 cases liquids, poison, glass, and explosive 

 materials, prohibited by section 133 of the 

 postal laws), when enclosed in a special tin 

 envelope," a sanqile of wliicli was sent to 

 the Post Masters with the instructions. 

 This order now admits honey knives, and 

 perhaps queens. We shall see our Post 

 Master and ascertain before our next issue, 

 in plenty of time for the queen business of 

 next season. 



