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pound in the mails. The only thing I 

 see in the way of their granting this is 

 the sugar, which rattles out of the 

 cage into the mail-bags, as it always 

 does from all cages provisioned with 

 the "Good" candy. The use of 

 powdered sugar instead of granulated 

 helps the matter some, on account of 

 that which rattles out of the cages 

 being finer than the other, so that it is 

 not noticed so much ; yet I have often 

 feared that even this might possibly be 

 used as an argument to exclude our 

 queens from the mails, and if there is 

 a fear in this direction witli queens, it 

 would be multiplied many times, were 

 bees by the pound to be sent ; for there 

 is more sugar rattling from this cage of 

 one-half pound of bees than there is 

 from 20 queen-cages. 



Mr. P. says that the cage when 

 ready, weighed exactly 8 ounces, and 

 the bees the same number of ounces, 

 when started, yet now the whole weighs 

 only 13 ounces. This loss in weight I 

 apprehend is largely in sugar. There 

 are some among our number who 

 claim that the bees eat the sugar in the 

 " Good" candy, but I am satisfied that 

 this is not so, and believe the same 

 quantity of sand to hold the honey in 

 place would be just as good, as far as 

 the bees ai-e concerned. Be this right 

 or wrong, the fact remains, that I 

 have never received a queen with ac- 

 companying bees, but what a pile of 

 sugar would be rattled out on my 

 bench during the few hours that I 

 might happen to leave them there, 

 after their arrival ; and the case is tlie 

 same where I leave them thus before 

 sending out. If this food-matter can 

 be overcome, I do not see but what we 

 are on the road to success. 



Will it not be a grand thing for us 

 Northerners, who sometimes lose our 

 bees in wintering, to send South dur- 

 ing the month of May, and get bees 

 enough with queens to stock all of our 

 empty combs, for only a few dollars, 

 and these bees come to our very doors, 

 thus saving miles of travel to the ex- 

 press office, saying nothing of heavy 

 express charges ? This will give the 

 man living in the remotest parts of the 

 United States, an equal chance with 

 those who live in the very heart of the 

 world. 



Well, as I said in my book, I am 

 glad of the privilege of living in this 

 progressive age. The hints contained 

 in the book seem to have waked many 

 up along the different lines which it 

 suggests, for I have many letters 

 speaking in approving terms of the 

 different thoughts which it contains. 

 A day or two ago I received a good 

 letter from that well known bee-keeper 

 of California, Mr. R. Wilkin, in which 

 he rehearses the trials and troubles 

 that he had in rearing queens while in 



Ohio, some 16 or 20 years ago ; telling 

 how well he is succeeding by the plans 

 given in my book, and says : "Like 

 you, I almost stood spell-bound in view 

 of the possibilities the new ideas of- 

 fered. Accept my gratitude for your 

 success in developing our beloved 

 pursuit." 



I take very little credit to myself, 

 for nearly everything the book con- 

 tains are thoughts which have origin- 

 ated with some one else, yet I must 

 say that it has given me pleasure in 

 being able to so arrange them, after I 

 had collected them for years, that they 

 are proving a help to others. This 

 would be a very poor world which 

 looked only to the good of self, and I 

 am truly glad that I could be the 

 means of helping some others along, 

 as I have been helped along by others. 

 Many of the very best thoughts which 

 I have been able to secure, have come 

 through the columns of the Ajieeican 

 Bee Journal, and I am glad that 

 your life, Mr. Editor, is spared to 

 make the same so interesting, and 

 keep it at the head of the bee-litera- 

 ture of the day. Truly yours, 



G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



Borodino, N. Y. 



[The foregoing, though written as a 

 private letter to us, contains some of 

 the newest news in the bee-world, and 

 we think it of sufficient importance to 

 present it to our readers, and do so 

 without consulting Bro. Doolittle. The 

 point about the sugar is "well taken," 

 and should be considered in adopting 

 bee-food for use in the mails. — Ed.] 



SEASONABLE HINTS 



About the Care of Honey, and 

 Work in the Apiary. 



Written for the City and Country 



BY A. H. DUFF. 



The honey flow seldom continues 

 longer than July, and in many cases 

 from the first to the middle of the 

 same. Exceptional seasons furnish 

 honey later than this, and sometimes 

 up to the first of September, but we 

 can mostly count on July for closing 

 the heaviest of the crop. At the close 

 of this time we are very liable to omit 

 some very important work in the api- 

 ary that may cause heavy damage. 

 The condition of every colony at the 

 close of the honey' season should be 

 well examined. If we have allowed of 

 much swarming it is possible tnat some 

 colonies will be found queenless. In 

 this case robbing is sure to follow. 

 Queenless colonies will not protect 

 their stores as they should do, and will 



do in if proper condition, and during the 

 dearth of honey they will take advan- 

 tage of any opportunity that presents 

 itself in this line ; hence, the impor- 

 tance of putting them in proper shape, 

 so that they will protect and defend 

 their rights. 



If robbing is once commenced in a 

 large apiary, it is very difficult to stop 

 it. It seems that it takes the entire 

 summer and fall before the notion gets 

 out of them to rob. 



It is but an easy matter to examine 

 all colonies, and if brood in all stages 

 of development is found, which at the 

 close of the honey season will always 

 be found if the colony has a fertile 

 queen, there will be no danger ; but if 

 J oung brood cannot be foimd it is evi- 

 dent that there is something wrong, 

 It is true that in such colonies may be 

 found a young queen that, as yet, has 

 not begun to lay. If such a queen 

 is found, we can watch her daily 

 for a few days and ascertain if she is 

 going to prove all right ; but it is not 

 necessary to wait more than three or 

 four days. If eggs are not found dur- 

 ing this length of time, she should be 

 removed and a fertile queen introduced 

 in her stead. 



When such queens are not at hand, 

 we can substitute a comb of brood from 

 some other colony, when they will 

 rear a new queen. All colonies at this 

 time that are entirely destitute of brood 

 should be supplied from other colonies. 

 In this manner we will make them safe, 

 for if they are queenless, the bees will 

 rear a queen from the brood given 

 them. Brood for queen-rearing should 

 not be over three days old, and to make 

 sure that we use brood that is young 

 enough, it is better to have a supply of 

 eggs only, or a frame of brood in all 

 stages, and a quantity of eggs also. 

 The bees will select the proper brood 

 for queens, if thus supplied. 



All surplus honey should be removed 

 from the hives at the close of the honey 

 season. If left it will soon become 

 dark and have a solid appearance that 

 will prevent it from bringing a first- 

 class price in the market; and for an- 

 other reason : the bees cannot protect 

 a large surplus so well, and, imless the 

 hives are very close, robbers will find 

 their way to the honey : hence, we say 

 that all surplus honey should be taken 

 off immediately after the honey flow. 



Comb honey should be carefully 

 stored away in a close building so that 

 the bees cannot find it. Honey should 

 not be stored away in cellars or under- 

 ground repositories of any kind, but 

 should be kept above ground, and 

 should have plenty of light and air and 

 at the same time prevent the bees from 

 entering. 



Comb honey can be kept free from 

 ants and other insects by placing it on 



