180 



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Xhe Christian Woman, published 

 at Philadelphia, Pa., is one of the foremost 

 monthlies of the present time, in its pecu- 

 liar line of work. Being well printed and 

 ablj' edited, it is a pleasure, as well as a 

 great profit, to read its entertaining and 

 valuable contents. In its list of contribu- 

 tors are found the names of women who 

 have become famous on account of their 

 earnest words, and unselfish labors in va- 

 rious fields of activity. The February num- 

 ber contains this generous notice : 



The American Bee Journal for 1890, 

 sings, hums, gathers its stock of "honied" 

 articles, and •' stings " as industriously and 

 perseveringly as in the heat of flowery sum- 

 mer. The twenty -fifth volume is completed, 

 and the twenty-sixth is begun. Its charac- 

 ter and usefulness are the guaranty for the 

 future. It adheres closely and strictly to 

 its specialty, and says all that can be said 

 concerning the industry which it repre- 

 sents. 



It is proved that those who keep bees, 

 will find that bees keep them. - We have 

 our two colonies safely stored away in a 

 dry and warm cellar, and we hear a hum- 

 ming within. If this mild weather con- 

 tinues, with the thermometer at 60 de- 

 grees, and dandelions blossoming in the 

 fields, we suppose they should be put out-of- 

 doors. Still, there may be a change, and 

 golden-rod may not start in time ! 



We have inquired for parafflne combs 

 and glucose honey, so as to get that SI, 000 

 offered for a pound, but we cannot find any 

 in Philadelphia. Perhaps if every farmer 

 took the Bee Journal, and knew of the 

 offer, a specimen pound might be sent. 

 Some new Edison may arise to invent the 

 article ; but the offerer may be dead before 

 that prodigy arises. Moreover, the Ameri- 

 can Bee Journal will continue as long as 

 bees work and flowers grow, and the wise 

 will subscribe for it. 



In the same issue, in an item referring 

 to the Illustrated Home Journal, the 

 Christian Womaii utters the following 

 very complimentary words : 



The Illustrated Home Joup al is a mag- 

 zine which is prettily illustra d, well con- 

 ducted, and is a worthy competitor for the 

 approval and support of the best people. 



Salve lor Chapped Hands. — A 



salve that is good for all kinds of cuts, 

 chapped lips and hands, is made as follows : 



Take olive-oil, with just enough bees- 

 wax to thicken it, stirred in while it is 

 heated on the stove a few moments. If 

 liked, a few drops of rose-water may be 

 added after the mixture is almost cold. 

 The olive-oD should be from the druggists— 

 not the common oil used for kitchen pur- 

 poses. 



J^" The Iron Mountain Horticulturist 

 for March is on our desk. It is the first 

 issue of a new periodical published at Salt 

 Lake City, Utah, and edited by John C. 

 Swaner, the principal bee-keeper of that 

 region. Of course it has a "Bee Depart- 

 ment." It is well conducted, nicely 

 printed, and deserves success. 



Asters, <jiolden-ttod. Clematis. — 



John H. Christie, Dyersburg, Tenn., says: 



I send you one section of honey bj- ex- 

 press: I would like to know what it was 

 gathered from — I suspect that it is linden, 

 but there is no linden nearer than three 

 miles from my apiary, though it is the last 

 that is gathered in the spring harvest, and 

 but few colonies have it. 



I also send some leaves and flowers, and 

 parts of a vine, that grow here (but not 

 very plentifully), that bees work upon from 

 light until dark ; it grows about old fence- 

 rows and thickets in the fields where it is 

 protected from stock. It is a vine, and 

 the topmost part generally lives all winter, 

 but will sometimes die clear to the ground. 

 Please name the flowers and vine. 



I notice on page 58, that Mr. Ira Reeves 

 says that he does not believe that there 

 ever was an ounce of golden-rod honey 

 gathered. Now I could not say postively 

 that there was, for I never open the bees 

 to see if they have honey in them ; but I 

 can say that I have seen them upon the 

 golden -rod by the thousands, and have 

 smelt them in time of the golden-rod bloom, 

 by the time I would get within forty yards 

 of them on any warm, still night; and, be- 

 sides, the honey that they gather at such 

 times, tastes like the plant smells, and the 

 honey is as nice as any I ever saw — the 

 comb and honey is nearer the color of gold. 

 The aster that we have rarely gi-ows more 

 than 3 or 4 feet high, while the golden-rod 

 often grows 10 feet high. 



John H. Christie. 



We refer you to our comments on a let- 

 ter from Mr. L. G. Purvis, on page 106, 

 concerning honey from golden-rod. 



The honey you sent comes from several 

 flowers, and cannot be called linden honey, 

 though there is some linden in it. We are 

 not suflJciently familiar with Tennessee to 

 name the sources. 



One of the flowers sent is one of the 

 numerous family of asters — the other is a 

 species of clematis or Virgin's Bower, ap- 

 parently Clematis Virginiana. It is in the 

 fruiting stage. 



4aoIden-Ro<l Honey is excellent for 



medicine, and the following from Mr. C. J. 



Robinson, shows that the herb is also val- 



i uable for its medicinal qualities. He says : 



Different correspondents make different 

 mention of golden-rod as a honey-iiroduc 

 ing plant. The discrepancy is wide, and of 

 much importance — all important. Can the 

 discrepancy be reconciled — correctly ex 

 plained? Golden-rod is the common name 

 —SoUdago odora is the botanical name. It 

 is the variety known as " sweet scented 

 golden-rod" that secretes and furnishes 

 honey. Probably there is some difference 

 in the amount of nectar secreted by this 

 variety of the genus SoUdago, the "differ- 

 ence being occasioned by difference of soil 

 and climatic influences. 



SoUdago odora fluid extract and oil is 

 among the pharmaceutical preparations of 

 drug-stores, and used by physicians. B. 

 Keith & Co., manufacturing chemists of 

 New York city, give the medical properties 

 of the plant thus: "Aromatic, stimulant, 

 carminative, and diuretic. Employment — 

 pain in the stomach and bowels, flatulence, 

 suppression of urine, inflammation of kid- 

 neys and bladder, and for inhalation in dis- 

 eases of the respiratory organs." 



It will be seen from the above reliable 

 medical authority, that the golden rod is 

 one of our best herbs for medicinal use. A 

 decoction of golden-rod might convince 

 those who decry the plant, that the des- 

 pised weed is worthy of no small praise. 

 Try it. 



Two-Fifths Xrne.— R. H. Holmes, 

 of Shoreham, Vt., on March 3, 1890, writes 

 us as follows : 



Dear Editor: — In your issue of Feb. 23, 

 on page 119, in the report of the Vermont 

 Bee-Keepers' Convention, it is stated that 

 " Mr. Holmes completed at this meeting 

 his fifth year as President of the Associa- 

 tion," etc. The quotation referred to is a 

 mistake, which possibly grew out of the 

 fact that 1 had been President for two years 

 past, and Secretary for the three years 

 previous to that. If you will note the cor- 

 rection in the next issue of the Bee Jour- 

 nal, you will confer a favor upon me, and 

 give " honor to whom it is due," namely, 

 H. L. Leonard, of Brandon, Vt., and P. C. 

 Abbey, of Essex, who so ably performed 

 the duties of President while I was Secre- 

 tary. R. H. Holmes. 



The report was sent us by the Secretary, 

 coiTected from a reprint of the Free Press, 

 and credited to it. We presume the re- 

 porter made the mistake, and that it was 

 not noticed by the Secretary. We cheer- 

 fully make the correction. 



CInhs of 5 for $4.00- to any addresses. 

 Ten for S7.50 all are nt at one time. 



Oood market tor Honey.— Mr. 



Geo. G. Scott, of Wadena, Iowa, on March 

 3, 1890, wrote us as follows: "Enclosed 

 please find a favorable market report on 

 honey. It is an evidence of reduced stocks, 

 and a good market for the coming season 

 on comb honey." The report was from one 

 of our honey merchants, and reads thus : 



Chicago, Ills., March 1, 1890. 

 The receipts of white clover honey are 

 very light; demand good; and we find no 

 difli'culty in closing out our receipts of 

 white clover, as we have orders awaiting 

 arrival of goods. We would advise prompt 

 shipments, so as to take advantage of the 

 present firmness in our market. One- 

 pound sections will readily sell for 12i.<@14 

 cents, according to size and appearance of 

 crates. 



I^ew Catalogues and Price-Lists for 

 1890 are received from — 



W. T. Falconer Manufacturing Company, 

 Jamestown, N. Y. — 34 pages — Apiarian 

 Supplies. 



Geo. H. Kirkpatrick, Portland, Ind.— 8 

 pages— Bee-Keepers' Supplies. 



Marcus Holtz, Tifl3n, O. — 6 pages — Api- 

 arian Supplies. 



Chas. Dadant & Son, Hamilton, Ills. — 24 

 pages — Comb Foundation, and Supplies for 

 the Apiary. 



W. H. Norton, Skowhegan, Maine— 20 

 pages — Bees and Apiarian Supplies. 



St. Joseph Apiary, St. Joseph, Mo. — 8 

 pages — Bee-Keepers' Supplies. 



Handling: Bees. — This is the title of 

 a nice pamphlet containing 14 pages and a 

 cover, just issued by Chas. Dadant & Son. 

 It is a chapter from their book, Langstroth 

 Revised, and is an excellent thing for be- 

 ginners. Price, 8 cents. For sale at this 

 ofBce. 



