664 



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granulates quite easily when uncap- 

 ped in the cells or extracted. It is our 

 main dependence for winter stores. It 

 Ms very abundant, and very hardy, yet 

 never troubling cultivated fields. 



Uettins Uees Out of Cases. 



In answer to J. M. Biirtch (see page 

 636), I would say that I think that he 

 does not smoke the cases of honey at 

 the right time. Smoke them in the 

 middle of a day when the bees are 

 working, when the mercury is above 

 €5°, and they will move pretty lively. 

 Take oft" a case before the bees begin 

 to return, for after that you surely 

 " cannot budge them." As the case is 

 removed, quite a cluster may be on the 

 bottom, which can be dislodged by a 

 dextrous shake, and you will have nine- 

 tenths of them out ; the rest will leave 

 very shortly, if put where robbers can- 

 not reach them. 



Albion, N. Y., Oct. 7, 1889. 



black ones, as some claim that " they 

 are the best honey-gatherers." 



Honey is cheap — only 10 cents per 

 pound ; we held ours at Vii cents for 

 a long time, but finally had to sell with 

 others. Some of our older bee-keepers 

 put the price down. 



We are taking the cases off and 

 preparing the bees for winter. We 

 have considerable unfinished comb 

 honey that we are extracting ; it sells 

 at 8 cents per pound. 



Brighton, Iowa, Oct. 7, 1889. 



THE SEASON. 



A Woman's Account of the Work 

 in t lie Apiary. 



Written for the Ameruvin Bee Journal 

 BY MRS. ^V. A. SHAFNIT. 



GERMANY. 



Legislative Protection for 

 culture in Germany. 



Api- 



We started with 35 colonies of bees 

 last spring. The spring was very late 

 and cold ; apple-bloom came, but it 

 was too cold for bees to work on it. 

 Then came the locust, but the weather 

 still continued cold. In the latter part 

 of May our last j"ear's queens were 

 killed, and dragged out ; nearly half 

 of the colonies did this. We never saw 

 anything like it before. The weather 

 then commenced to warm up, and the 

 fields were white with clover, and the 

 air was sweet with perfume ; it lasted 

 until the middle of July, and within 

 that time the linden gave a good sup- 

 ply of honey. 



During June and July we had our 

 honey-flow, for surely a flow it was, 

 and it kept me busy three days out of 

 the week, taking honej", with what help 

 my husband could give me from his 

 corn and harvest work, working from 

 one to two hours eveiy day at noon- 

 time. He cut out queen-cells and in- 

 troduced new queens. We did not let 

 our colonies swarm more than once. 



The honey flow ceased the last of 

 July. The fall crop was promising, 

 but proved too dry. Golden-rod 

 bloomed, but there was no honey in it. 

 We have had no golden-i-od honey in 

 this section of the country for three 

 years. Our roadsides and fence-cor- 

 ners are lined with it. 



We have 65 colonies now, and we 

 are killing some of our poor ones, 

 which are the blacks. Give us the 

 Italians, and others can take tlie 



Written for the Australasian Bee Journal 



BV T. J. MULVANY. 



There are few countries in which the 

 taste for apiculture is more generally 

 spread among the people, or in which 

 the bee-keepers as a class are more in- 

 telligent, enthusiastic and energetic in 

 co-operating for the promotion of their 

 mutual interests, than in Germany. 



As compared with the United States 

 of America, there is not, perhaps, the 

 same amount of go-ahead enterprise 

 exhibited, and consequently the num- 

 ber of large apiaries kept by people 

 who adopt that as their exclusive call- 

 ing, is comparatively few. There are, 

 however, a great many people who 

 keep a moderate number of colonies, 

 pai'tly for their own use and gratifica- 

 tion, and partly as a means of increas- 

 ing their modest incomes, and amongst 

 them probably a large majority con- 

 sists of country clergymen, school- 

 teachers, and men engaged in other 

 business than that of agriculture. 



These are generally thrifty, economi- 

 cal people, accustomed to live com- 

 fortably upon small means ; and by 

 them a few pounds per annum of addi- 

 tional income is looked upon as a mat- 

 ter of more importance than can easily 

 be realized by people who judge of 

 profits by the standard of "eight 

 hours'" work and " eight shillings a 

 day " for ordinary labor. Such a mod- 

 erate earning can generally be ob- 

 tained by the sale of a small quantity 

 : of comb honej-, and, perhaps, of a few 

 colonies of bees, all at remunerative 

 prices, which can usually be com- 

 manded in the immediate neighbor- 

 hood. 



There is scarcely a man amongst 

 those who keej) even a few colonies, 

 but belongs to a local bee-keepers' as- 

 sociation, and regularly receives, and 

 reads, his copy of the bee-paper se- 

 lected as the organ of the society to 

 which he belongs. Several of these 

 local societies are afliliated to a pro- 

 vincial association, and these again to 



a Central National Association, which 

 comprises all the separate States of the 

 " Fatherland," and which holds period- 

 ical general assemblies, each year, in 

 a difl'erent pact of Germany. 



This .systeiu of holding what they 

 term " Wanderversammlungen," is pe- 

 culiarly a German one ; is universally 

 adopted by men of science, members 

 of the learned professions, artists, 

 architects, engineers, both civil and 

 mechanical, as well as by many of the 

 trades and minor callings, and tends 

 greatly to promote social intercourse 

 and co-operative action between the 

 members of each profession or calling. 



The yearly assembly is fixed as a 

 sort of holiday trip, usually in the 

 Easter or Wliitsuntide holidays, and 

 occupies two or three days, which ai'e 

 employed in accordance with a well 

 considered programme, in business 

 meetings, social intercourse, and pleas- 

 ure excursions. 



The town or city selected as the 

 place of meeting offers every possible 

 facility and assistance to the executive 

 committee charged with the general 

 arrangements, and the raihvajs usually 

 issue return tickets at reduced rates 

 for the visitors. The whole system is 

 carried out with a strict regard to 

 economy of means, which is rendered 

 practical bj* the co-operation of large 

 numbers for a common object. 



For instance, in the local bee-keep- 

 ers' societies, the annual subscription 

 does not exceed two or three shillings, 

 induding the price of the bee-paper, 

 which is supplied to those societies at 

 the rate of one shilling per member, 

 while the price to outsiders is three 

 shillings per annum. This, again, is 

 only possible where so great a number 

 unite for the purpose. 



The Bienenwirlschaftlices Centralblatl, 

 which is the organ of the German Cen- 

 tral Association, is a well-got-up paper 

 of 16 pages, in pamphlet form, with an 

 outer cover, issued twice a month, and 

 has a circulation of 8,000. 



To show how municipal, provincial, 

 and central governments assist in pro- 

 moting the movement, I may mention 

 that in a late number of the Central- 

 blalt, the following notice appears : 



GEKM.IN APICUI.TUR.4t. CEKTKAL ASSOCIATION. 



For the Til Waadervorsiimnilung and Exhi- 

 bition of the German Central Association, to 

 take iilaee at Stctlin, in September, the follow- 

 ing (Trants of money have been made : 



1 nvthecitvof Stettin 1.000 marks. 



2. By the Provinceof Pommern.. 2,000 marks. 

 :j. liv the Royal Minister for Agri- 

 culture :i,000 marks. 



Further grants of assistance are in prospect, 

 of which due notices shall be given, etc. 



Now here we see £300 already 

 granted as subsidies by the local and 

 central governments, while further as- 

 sistance is still expected. The 

 ways, wliitdi are State property, 

 no doubt, issue 



rail- 

 will, 

 return tickets to mem- 



