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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



ment on the property of the citizen, and 

 with the other to bestow it upon favored 

 individuals, to aid private enterprise, 

 and to build up private fortunes, is none 

 the less robbery because it is done under 

 the forms of law, and is called taxation." 



It is altogether wrong, and as bee- 

 keepers we only desire what is right. 



The following, from Volney White, of 

 Findley's Lake, N. Y., published on page 

 82 of Olea7vmgs, states the matter very 

 clearly, and we endorse it most fully : 



Again, I ask, by what principle of 

 justice can the government put its 

 strong hand into my pocket and take 

 my money and give to somebody else 

 because he is engaged in another kind 

 of business ? 



I make some butter, as well as pro- 

 duce some honey ; and as prices have 

 been for a number of years, I have not 

 netted 2 per cent, on the capital in- 

 vested, with labor thrown in ; please tell 

 me why I should not have a bounty of 

 5 cents per pound on my butter ; and 

 then the men who produce pork, beef, 

 wheat, oats, potatoes, and, in fact, 

 every product of labor, should have a 

 bounty ; for the producers all say, and 

 truly, that they cannot make reasonable 

 profits on their business. 



A man who desires the government to 

 take other people's money and fjive to 

 Mm, for no equivalent, is either very 

 selfish, or else he has not looked the 

 matter over carefully ; for it indisputa- 

 bly would be a violation of every prin- 

 ciple of justice. 



Let us use our efforts to get stringent 

 laws passed in all of the States against 

 the adulteration of honey, and then get, 

 if we can, executive officers elected who 

 will not neglect their enforcement ; and 

 that is the best we can do. 



Speaking' of seed catalogues lately 

 sent all over the country, Mrs. L. Har- 

 rison wrote thus to the Prairie Farmer : 



When looking over these gems of art 

 which come to us so freely, " without 

 money and without price," arrayed in all 

 the colors of the rainbow, lot us not be 

 unmindful of our little pets. If any- 

 thing grown would pay us for honey 

 alone, it would be tin; raspberry ; its 

 hanging blossoms yield nectar following 

 rain. Order some mignonette and sow 

 a bed, if for nothing more than to see 

 the bees enjoy it, and carry its fragrance 

 into their hives. 



New Honey-Plant for Bees. 



— Bulletin No. 95, issued by Director E. 

 W. Hilgard, of the University of Cali- 

 fornia, mentions a waste-land forage 

 plant which is a good honey-plant for 

 bees, and ofifers seed for free distribution 

 provided a small amount is sent him, 

 sufficient to cover postage and packing. 

 The plant (Sida elUottii) is thus de- 

 scribed by an exchange : 



It is a green shrub or little bush which 

 grows spontaneously to a height of 18 

 inches to 2 feet. Cattle and hogs are 

 very fond of it ; horses and mules as yet 

 do not seem to like it. 



The plant has a long tap-root, taking 

 possession of waste places and wild 

 lands. It seems to prefer hard clay or 

 rocky land. Scatter the seed on the 

 hills, and in a few years it will cover the 

 whole surface. In the meantime, pas- 

 turing does not hurt it. The seeds 

 germinate readily. 



It is a member of a family which are 

 all innocuous. Mucilaginous and nutri- 

 tive, it requires no irrigation whatever, 

 and while young is quite leafy and suc- 

 culent, and seeds freely. Sowing the 

 seed is not advised except on places 

 designed for permanent pasturage, and 

 not on meadows intended for mowing. 



"Weak Colonies. — The Natwnal 

 Stockman offers this very timely advice : 



Look after the bees, and see if each 

 colony has plenty of stores. They may 

 have honey, and possibly live through, 

 but that is not the main point; if they 

 have not plenty, they will not be rearing 

 young bees as they should, and when 

 Spring opens, you will have a weak col- 

 ony or dead bees. A colony that is weak 

 when fruit bloom comes, will require a 

 greater part of that season to build 

 itself up, and cannot store much surplus 

 honey. To help the weak colonies, feed 

 them regularly from now until bloom 

 comes. Do not feed much at a time ; 

 about a quarter of a pound of syrup a 

 day is suilncient if fed regularly. I have 

 tried this, and know that it pays. 



Anotlier new bee-escape has been 

 placed in our Museum. It is the one 

 illustrated and described on page 451, 

 and is a double-acting bee-escape, and 

 hence it is called the "Lightning." 



