Brandywine Summit, Pa., Nov. 14, '78. 

 "I received seven first-premiums and di- 

 plomas at tiie Delaware County Fair, for 

 liaving the finest display of lioney, bees, 

 bee-hives and apiarian implements." 



J. T. Williamson. 



Philadelphia, Pa., Nov. 11, 1878. 

 Nice comb iioney is selling iiere at 25 

 cents per pound. It is sad to see tiie 

 amount of bottled honey (so called), wliich 

 I suppose contains only 40 per cent of honey, 

 and one 1 sampled contained no honey at 

 all. Should I find time I shall put a few of 

 tthe samples found iu commerce to a test. 

 ♦ W. B. Rush. 



Limerick, 111., Sept. 9, 1873. 

 A woman living across the corner from 

 •here, liad a swarm of bees put into a com- 

 mon box 11 years ago. They swarmed every 

 year since, and gave some surplus. In 1877 

 thev gave 4 swarms, and one 10 lb. box of 

 -hon'ey. In 1876 3 swarms and two 10 lb. 

 boxes of honey. One other year it gave 3 

 swarms, and tlien she sold it to me for:$(i.35. 

 It gave nie 3 swarms this year and is good 

 for 30 lbs. of honey. The first swarms 



generally sold for $5.00, without a box, the 

 uyer taking them home at night. She has 

 been for years successful in wintering; she 

 leaves and empty honey box on top; when 

 frost gathers in it, she drys it ; said hive 

 stood on a bench one foot high, winter and 

 summer, in a three sided shed opened to the 

 South ; the front board of the hive being 

 2ik inches shorter tlian the rest, making the 

 entrance the full width of the hive and 3i^ 

 inches deep. This swarm has paid for itself 

 several times. E- Pickup. 



Dundee, 111., Oct. 7, 1878. 

 The spring of 1878 opened early with us. 

 'We put our bees out on March 4th. They 

 soon began to carry in pollen, and rapidly 

 increased in brood, and by the time fruit 

 trees bloomed they were ready for work. 

 Then cold rains came, and frost, and as a 

 result thev barely got enough to live on. A 

 part of May was quite warm, and on May 

 11th in the afternoon, the first swarm issued 

 and on the following morning tiie second. 

 These I was obliged to feed. White clover 

 came on about the middle of June, and the 

 bees were again ready for business.- We 

 took 1,300 lbs. of extracted honey and 65 lbs. 

 of comb. The average from each colony 

 ■was 70 lbs. I increased mostly by natural 

 swarming. We liave43colonies, one-half of 

 wliich belong to me. As I have all the care 

 of them ; it will take all my time next sum- 

 mer. I owe nearly all my knowledge to the 

 American Bee Jouknal. We wish it 

 prosperity. Fayette Pkkuy. 



Chattanooga, Tenn., Nov. 6, 1878. 

 Friend Newman.— 1 see that I have 

 been appointe.l a Vice President of the 

 National Bee-Keepers' Association. This is 

 a compliment entirely unsought by me, 

 nevertheless it is appreciated. 1 take 

 pleasure in forwarding to you .$1.00 which I 

 believe is the initiation fee? PU'ase en- 

 roll me. If the fee is not right I'll make it 

 so. I have never been able to attend the 



meetings of the Association, and do not see 

 any prospect ahead for doing so, but I will 

 take great pleasure in co-operating with 

 the fateniity for tlie general good of the art 

 and trade. Please accept of my hearty con- 

 gratulations upon the manner of the Asso- 

 ciation's selection of you for President. 

 You are undoubtedly the man that can 

 serve tliem best. S. C. Dodge. 



[Thanks, friend Dodge, for congratulations, 

 but more for the expressions of determina- 

 tion to co-operate for the good of producers. 

 The Association will come nearer to you 

 soon, we expect, and then we shall be glad 

 with your presence, if you cannot come to 

 the next meeting at Chicago. We hope you 

 will try to do so.— Ed.] 



Wilmington, N. C, Nov. 18, 1878. 

 Friend Newman :— I see by your valu- 

 able paper that I have the honor to be 

 elected one of the Vice Presidents. I assure 

 you no one feels more deeply interested in 

 the subject of bees than myself, and what- 

 ever I can do to further the interests of api- 

 culture, you may rest assured I will gladly 

 undertake. R. C. Taylor. 



[Yes, friend Taylor, your interest in bees, 

 and busines-Iike habits procured your ap- 

 pointment. North Carolina is a good State, 

 and contains many bees, but exceedingly 

 few apiarists ! The work of procuring the 

 adoption of scientific principles in your 

 State lies before you. Neighborhood bee- 

 talks ; and County and State Conventions 

 loom up as the result of your labors ! Lo ! 

 your State is ripe for the harvest. Buckle 

 on the armor and victory is yours.— Ed.] 



Medford, Minn., Nov. 16, 1878. 

 The results of the year have been poor; 

 the fall crop was fair, and helped to fill up 

 the hives so they are in good condition for 

 wintering. My crop was a few pounds less 

 than one ton. Nearly 1,600 lbs. of extracted 

 and 385 lbs. of box honey. I coinenced the 

 season with 41 colonies and increased to 56. 

 J. E. Cady. 



Harrisonville, Mo., Nov. 16, 1878. 

 The spring of 1878 opened early, and my 

 .50 colonies of bees came through all right. 

 But during May and June they stored 

 but little honey, on account of excessive 

 rains. July was rather dry but there was 

 niucli honey-dew on the hickory, and bees 

 stored it fast, soon making their hives heavy. 

 August with occassional showers, maturing 

 vegetation, gave promise of a bountiful 

 yield of honey in Sept.— usually the great 

 honey storing month with us. But Septem- 

 ber was dry, and this with early biting frosts 

 about the middle of the month, ruined the 

 lioiiey prospects ; so that I extracted only 

 20 lbs. on an average from my 90 colonies ; 

 but my bees are all in good condition for 

 winter. Buckwheat yielded no honey this 

 season. Honey-dew and Spanish needle 

 were our main source. Lee Emrick. 



