294 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



In chaff hives. The Winter of 1890-91 

 was extremely cold, with some 5 feet of 

 snow on a level. December, 1890, was 

 the severest month experienced in this 

 section for many years, and my bees did 

 not fly for npwards of four months. For 

 upwards of three months the hives were 

 completely covered with snow. The bees 

 came through in splendid condition, 

 gave me 500 pounds of white honey — 

 one-half comb; increased to 12 colonies, 

 and went into winter quarters on the 

 summer stands in good condition. The 

 present Winter has been very mild, and 

 bees flew on Dec. 16 — a "month later 

 than last year. I have banked snow 

 over the hives, but I am afraid that the 

 consumption of honey will be greater, 

 and the general condition not so good as 

 last year. They have at least four or 

 five weeks yet before them. Bees flew 

 freely on March 13, 1891. 



R. W. Fakley. 

 Hull, Quebec, Feb. 11, 1892. 



Drones in February. 



I wish to know if other bee-keepers 

 have had similar experience to mine this 

 Winter. We have had cold weather — 

 part of the time 15- below zero — and 

 good sleighing until Jan. 27, when it 

 moderated, and on Feb. 1, my golden 

 Italians came out in force with lots of 

 drones. Is it usual for bees to have 

 drones at this time of the year ? or is it 

 a peculiarity of my bees ? 



R. D. Davis. 



Commercial Point, O. 



[You do not say whether the drones 

 were young or old. It often occurs, in 

 case of queenlessness, that drones are 

 tolerated all Winter. It was two months 

 too early for young drones to be out for 

 a "frolic "in this locality. They may 

 be a little earlier in Central Ohio, but 

 not enough to make that difference. — 

 Ed.] 



An Old Bee-Keeper. 



I am now about 72 years old, and 

 awfully lame. I have 16 colonies of 

 bees. Last Summer I did not get a bit 

 of honey, but I must do the best I can, 

 as T am a doctor, and most of the time I 

 am in the sick room. I have 2 acres of 

 an orcliard, but my neighbors keep lots 

 of hens that destroy everything I sow 

 for the bees. Dr. P. W. Schmidt. 



Ottawa Station, Mich., Feb. 6, 1892. 



Spraying from the Heavens. 



I am in receipt of a letter from a 

 friend in New York, stating that it was 

 reported there that I could not sell my 

 honey on account of its being poisoned 

 from the spraying of the fruit-trees 

 while in bloom ; that the State authori- 

 ties had taken action upon it, and Min- 

 nesota honey was prohibited from being 

 sold. Whew ! What next ? My honey 

 has all been sold a long time ago, and it 

 was clover and basswood. What few 

 crab-apples and wild plums we have — 

 the Great Father attends to the spray- 

 ing of them from the Heavens above. 

 M. S. Snow. 



Osakis, Minn., Feb. 12, 1892. 



Bees Wintering- on Honey-Dew. 



From Nov. 17 to 24, 1891, 1 put 100 

 colonies of bees in the cellar under my 

 dwelling, with honey-dew in the hives 

 just as they stored it, except that I fed 

 all the dark honey back that was stored 

 in the sections, and have' not yet swept 

 up over one bushel of dead bees. 



O. B. Barrows. 



Marshalltown, Iowa, Feb. 13, 1892. 



Convention IVotices. 



UTAH.— The Utah Bee-Keepers' Association 

 will hold its annual convention in Salt Lake 

 City, Utah, on April 7, 1899. 



John C. Swaneb, Sec. 



Salt Lake City. Utah. 



COLORADO.— The Spring meeting of the 

 Colorado State Bee-Keepers' Association will 

 be held in Golden, Colo., on April 21, 1892. 

 E. B. Porter, Pres. 



H. Knight, Sec, Littleton, Colo. 



COLORADO— The second meeting of the 

 Weld County Bee-Keepers' Association -^ HI be 

 held in Greeley, Colo., on March 1, 1892, at 10 

 a.m., on call of the President. 



Greeley, Colo. H. E. English, Sec. 



TEXAS.— The 14th annual meeting of the 

 Texas State Bee-Keepers' Association will be 

 held at Greenville. Hunt Co., Tex., on Wednes- 

 day and Thursday. April 6 and 7, 1892. All 

 interested are invited. A. H. Jones, Sec. 



Golden, Wood Co., Tex. 



PENNSYLVANIA.— The tenth semi-annual 

 meeting of tlie Susquehanna Co. Bee-Keepers' 

 Association will be held at Bullard's Hotel in 

 Brooklyn, Pa., on Thursday, May 5, 1892, at 

 10 a.m. All are cordially invited. 



Harford, Pa. H. M. SEEiiEY, Sec. 



NEW YORK.— Cortland Union Bee-Keepers' 

 Association will hold their annual meeting in 

 the W. C. T. U. rooms oviir Chas. I'ollins' store 

 in Cortland, Tuesday, Feb. 'SM, 1892. All in- 

 terested in bees are earnestly requested to be 

 present. J. H. Kennedy. Pres. 



M. H. Fairbanks. Sec, Homer, N. Y. 



