852 



T'H® m^MMMlCMm mWM JQ-'UimMMI*. 



The Southern California Bee- 

 Keepers' Association, at its last meeting 

 adopted a preamble, constitution and by- 

 laws, elected a full set of officers and is 

 ready for business. Delegates were in 

 attendance from San Diego, San Ber- 

 nardino, Orange and Los Angeles counties. 

 The initiation fee is * 1.00, and the yearly 

 dues are $1.00. 



The constitution provides for auxiliary 

 Associations wherever seven persons who 

 own and handle bees can be brought 

 together to form such an association— such 

 Associations are entitled to send represent- 

 atives to the parent Association. 



-No provision has been made for honorary 

 membership, but corresponding members 

 may be elected by the Associations from 

 among the bee-keepers in any part of the 

 world. No fee is required from this class 

 of members, but it is required of such 

 members to give exact and reliable informa- 

 tion of anything of interest to progressive 

 bee-keeping that may come to their knowl- 

 edge, particularly as to new inventions in 

 appliances for the apiary, and discoveries 

 in scientific bee-keeping, reporting to this 

 association the discovery of any new strains 

 of bees that would be an improveipent over 

 the kinds now owned and handled in the 

 jurisdiction of the Southern California 

 Bee-Keepers' Association. 



Abadge has been adopted to be presented 

 to each member upon his initiation, made 

 of sky-blue silk ribbon with a devise on it 

 of a Queen bee surrounded with worker 

 bees, with a legend, "The Southern 

 California Bee Keepers' Association," all 



in gold. 



The membership is made up of practical 

 progressive men who for the most part 

 have been in the business in this locality 

 for many years and fully understand the 

 needs of the fraternity in all respects.— 

 Rural Californian. 



Milk ahd Honey.— The chronicler 

 of old could think of no language in which 

 to clothe his idea of a really-good country 

 than to discribe as " a land flowing with 

 milk and honey," and if the signs of the 

 times are not wonderfully misleading, that 

 is to be the truthful description of the 

 United States in the near future. It will 

 delight thousands to learn that the use of 

 milk as a beverage is so rapidly on the 

 increase that the dairy lunch rooms are 

 numbered by the dozen to-day where they 

 were unknown two years ago ; and that, 

 at both the hotels and restaurants milk is 

 being much more largely used as a 

 beverage. It is an ill wind that blows good 

 to no one, and in this movement we can 

 see good to all concerned. The honey will 

 follow suit, for our apiaries are annually 

 on ' the increase, and many can now be 

 named that produce from 5,000 to 25,000 

 pounds annually.— KxcJiangc. 



The 'W^ax'Scales or wax-plates as 

 they grow, or are formed on the bees, are 

 five-sided, very thin, semi-transparent, and 

 exceedingly brittle, requiring preparation 

 by the bees before they are in a fit state to 

 buUd combs with. If a bee is plunged into 

 water, the scales of wax may easily be 

 detached with the point of a needle, when 

 they wUl rise on the surface of the water, 

 and can be examined with ease, or they 

 may be mounted as specimens to show the 

 state of wax in its first secretion. To get 

 some idea of how this wax is formed, we 

 have only to form an idea as to how tallow 

 or lard is produced, and then know that 

 nearly the same process is required to form 

 honey into wax, which is required to form 

 meal or food of any kind into animal fat.— 

 Exchange. 



Queen=cells which are large and 

 corrugated are said to produce much 

 better queens than do those which are 

 small and smooth. Those queen-cells which 

 have their cover cut off smoothly and 

 evenly by the queen when emerging, and 

 in which the royal jelly is not all consumed 

 give superior queens. A scarcity of royal 

 food means small:or imperfect queens. — 



G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



Enraptured.— This is the opinion of 

 one who sent for a sample copy ; 



I am enraptured over your beautiful and 

 artistic Home Journal, and inclose 50 

 cents for a year's subscription. — A.T.CooK, 

 Hyde Park, N. Y. 



We hope the reader will think and do the 

 same as Mr. Cook, after examining the 

 sample sent last week. 



Distance Weeessary to Prevent 

 Impure Fertilization. 



I think five miles would be pretty safe. — 

 R. L. Taylo«. 



From six to ten miles. They frequently- 

 cross at four miles distance. — J. P. H. 

 Brown. 



Not less than three miles. I have no faith 

 in the half-mile theory — C. H. Dibberx. 



One to two miles for practical purposes^ 

 of queen-rearing. To insure absolute safety 

 they should be about seven miles apart. — 

 G. L. Tinker. 



I doubt if any one knows. I should say 

 from four to five miles at least. Of course 

 they might not mix, it separated only two 

 miles, but who knows that they might not J 

 I should prefer even six miles. — A. J. Cook. 



Three miles at least. I have known black 

 bees to be crossed with my own Italians at 

 full three miles "in a bee line." Whether 

 that distance is far enough I cannot say, 

 but think it fairly safe.— J. E. Pond. 



When there were no Italian bees but mine- 

 in the neighborhood, a black queen nearly 

 five miles away produced yellow-banded 

 bees, and had mated with a drone from my 

 apiary. If there are mixed bees withia 

 four or five miles, some queens are liable 

 to be mismated. — M. Mahin. 



I do not know ; some persons report see- 

 ing large swarms of drones high in the air. 

 They may have regular trysting places for 

 all I know. Where many colonies of Ital- 

 ians are kept, other bees stand a poor 

 chance. Italians are boss, whether at a 

 pan of feed, in the field, at war — or in love. 

 —Mrs. L. Harrison. 



In answering this question.some guessing 

 is absolutely necessary. In my opinion 

 drones rarely ever fly more than one or 

 two miles from their home. This " guess " 

 is based on years of practical experience. 

 If there were no hybrids or other race or 

 varieties of bees in two miles of my apiary, 

 I would expect to see 98 per cent, of my 

 Italian queens purely mated. — G. W. Dem- 

 aree. 



It would hardly be safe to count on pure- 

 fertilization if there were impure bees 

 within five miles.— The Editor. 



Written Jar the Ameriean Bee Journal 



Convention I^otices. 



Query 745. — How far would colonies of 

 Italians used for queen-rearing need to be 

 removed from hybrids to prevent their 

 crossing with the hybrid drones ? — Sub- 

 scriber. 



At least three miles. — Dadant & Son. 

 At least three miles. — P. L. Viallon. 

 Five or more miles. — G. M. Doolittle. 

 Five or six miles. — J. M. Hambaugh. 



Probably five miles would do. —Eugene 

 Secor. 



Prom five to six miles, to make it sure. — 

 James Heddon. 



Some say half a mile, but I think I should 

 feel safer at three miles. — C. C. Miller. 



I should prefer five miles ; yet in many 

 cases a less distance will do. — H. D. Cut- 

 ting. 



sy The Annual Meeting of the Ontario Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Association, will be held in the city of St. Cath- 

 arines, oa the 7th and Hth of January. All interested 

 in bee-keeping are cordially invited to atteiid. 



W. CotTSK, Sec, Streetsville, Ont. 



tW The Annual Meeting of the Indiana State 

 Bee-Keepers' Association, will be held in the Agri- 

 cultural Rooms, State House, Indianapolis. Jan. 16, 

 17, 1891. GEO. C. THOMPSON, 3ec., bouthport, Ind. 



»y The 8th semi-annual meeting of the Susque- 

 hanna County Bee-Keepers' Association will be held 

 at Montrose, Pa., on Thursday. May 7. 1891. 



H. M. Seeley. 8ec., Harford, Pa. 



•y The 22d Annual Meeting of the New York 

 state Bee-Keepers' Association, will be held in 

 Agricultural Hall. Albany. N. 7 on Jan. 22-24, 1891. 

 Riduced Railroad Rates, Pay full tare to Albany, 

 and we will give you return certificates over any 

 road coming into Albany (except the Boston & 

 Albany) at one-third of the regular fare. A cordial 

 invitation is extended to all. Come and bring your 

 friends with you. A complete programme will be 

 published as soon as completed. „,..-„ v 



GEO. H. KNICKERBOCKEK, See,. Pine Plains, N. T. 



t»- The Annual Meeting of the Ohio State Bee- 

 Keepers' Association, will be held in Toledo, O., on 

 Tuesday and Wednesday. Feb 111 and 1 1 . ISs'l . J ull 

 particulars as to railroad and hotel rates, and place 

 bf meeting, will be given later. Let all interested 

 in bee-keeping make an extra effort to be present 

 on this occasion. D...^*«,.H r> 



Miss Dema Bennett, Sec, Bedford, O. 



DB. A. B. MASON, Free. 



Supply Dealers should write to us 

 for wholesale terms and cut for Basting's 

 Perfection Feeders. 



