color and strength of both drone and worker 



firogeny. Select two more colonies from the 

 ight colored young queens, regardless of 

 the color of drones ; we will call this No. 3 ; 

 and the one with light colored drones No. 4. 

 Start cells from No. 3, and mate the queens 

 with drones from No. 1. Start cells from 

 No. 1, and mate with drones from No. 4. 

 Start cells from No. 4 and mate with dx'ones 

 from same hive. Tiiis is not in-and-in breed- 

 ing ; the queens from No. 4, are only half 

 sisters to No. 4 drones, the drone sire having 

 no influence over the drone progeny and by 

 breeding in-and-in and selecting carefully, 

 you will not only know what you have, but 

 will positively establish any particular type 

 that you wish. By selecting the strongest 

 working colonies for breeding, and dispatch- 

 ing those that are weak and poor noney 

 gatherers you will establish a type, and Avill 

 lose no strength. 



A standard, close and strict, will not make 

 bees breed to a particular color or size any 

 more than the standard of excellence will 

 prevent black necks on the light brahmas or 

 yellow on white leghorns ! Any thorough- 

 bred bird or animal may be bred regardless 

 of selection, and vary, without being impure 

 — bees not excepted. H. L. Jeffrey. 



Woodbury, Conn. 



®nv l^iettjer "^ox. 



Hlllsboro, O., Oct. 11, 1878. 

 We had 57 colonies in the fall of 1877; 

 lost none during winter ; lost 1 in the sum- 

 mer ; have now 71 ; sold 1, and had 3 new 

 swarms go oft'. Wintered out doors, 13 

 packed in leaves, all wintered well. I liave 

 taken 3,100 lbs. of comb honey. I never 

 used the extractor. We sell our honey at 

 16 and 17 cents wholesale. We use mostly 

 4 lb. boxes. We have no Italians. 



Thos. H. Dick & Bro. 



Henry, III., Nov. 9, 1878. 

 I have obtained 2,000 lbs. of white clover 

 and basswood honey, besides 1,500 lbs. of 

 mixed honey this season, from 170 colonies 

 In the spring (now 200). Does oak bloom, 

 timothy, hemp and aspen produce honey ? 

 All in this section like the American Bee 

 Journal and wish it success. 



Otto Halbleib. 



[The aspen yields some honey ; some of 

 the others named give pollen, but little, if 

 any honey.— Ed.] 



East Berkshire, Vt., Sept. 18, 1878. 

 Dear Editor:— Being interested in bees 

 and honey, 1 desire to inquire if something 

 cannot be done by County and State Agri- 

 cultural Societies to advance bee-keeping 

 interests by way of offering a subscription 

 to the American Bee Journal for the 

 best display of honey ; Italian queens and 

 implements might also be offered. Two 

 years ago, there were only two exhibitors, 

 of honey. At our State Fair this year, there 

 were six. So you see scientific bee-keeping 

 is on the rise. We have no Bee-Keepers' 



Society in our County (Franklin) yet, but 

 think one may be organized this winter. 

 The season has been very good since June 

 15th, but the month of May was very poor, 

 so much so, that I had to feed to keep some 

 of my bees from starving ; fruit blossoms 

 were of no account. Have averaged about 

 70 lbs. of comb honey per colony and doubled 

 my number of colonies. j 



F. W. Comings. 



[Some of the managers of Fairs have 

 already given a year's subscriptions to The 

 American Bee Journal as a premium, 

 and if bee-keepers in eag^i locality would 

 write to the Managers of the Agricultural 

 Societies in their locality, suggesting such a 

 plan of proceedure, they would in nearly all 

 cases be glad to offer such a premium. — Ed.] 



Claypool, Ky., Oct. 7, 1878, 

 Dear Editor:— The past season has 

 been a poor honey season with us. The 

 spring was favorable up to the last of 

 May when it set in cold and wet, continu- 

 ing so for about a month. On this account 

 our white clover crop was a total failure. 

 Bees gathered no surplus from June 1st up 

 to about the middle of August. From the 

 20th of Aug. till Oct. 1st, we had a moderate 

 flow of honey, enabling our bees to go into 

 winter quarters in good condition. 



Below is a statement of our seasons- 

 operations : 



Apiary Dr. 



To 43 Colonies in spring @ $10. each. $430.00 



" Apiarian supplies on hand 50.00 



" Apiarian supplies for season 46.00 



Total $526.00 



Apiary Cr, 



By 65 Colonies in fall @ $8. each $520.00 



" Apiarian supplies on hand 50.00 



" 50 empty hives on hand @$l 50.00 



" Bees and hives sold 70.75 



" 1,200 lbs honev @ lOc. per lb 120.00 



" 30 lbs. wax @ 20c. per lb 6.00 



Total $816.75 



526.00 



Balance in favor of Cr $290.75 



James Erwin. 



Mt. Joy, Pa., Oct. 17, 1878. 

 In answer to a question in the Bee Jour- 

 nal for Oct. I would say, that bees can get 

 honey from red clover, if the weather is of 

 the right kind. If there be no rain for a 

 month before its blooming, the clover heads 

 will not get so long, and the bees can reach 

 the nectar. The past season has been a poor 

 one ; May and June was wet but about July 

 18th, when the second crop of red clover 

 bloomed after being mowed, the bees worked 

 on it with a will. I got from 40 to 50 lbs. of 

 red clover honey from some of my colonies. 

 There was nothing else, and had it not been 

 for it my colonies would not have had 

 enough to winter on. The black bees 

 gathered but little from red clover, and are 

 now short of honey for winter. Alsike 

 clover is as good as red clover, for feeding 

 purposes— perhaps better. J. F. Hershey. 



