THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Jan. 5, 19r5. 



spoken of the honey, in its ripened form, when coming: 

 from that sac or stomach, as "digested nectar". I have 

 always preferred to speak of it as a sac for carrying nectar 

 and honey, and as this sac is used entirely for the purpose 

 of holding honey and nectar, it is as cleanly as if the same 

 was a " thrice washed " vessel used for the storing of said 

 honey after it comes from the hive. 



The only point of issue between Mr. Getaz and myself 

 would be that he carries the idea that the field-laborer, 

 when returning with its load from the field, deposits the 

 same in the cells, while all of my observation during the 

 past 30 years says the load of nectar is given to one of the 

 nurse-bees immediately upon the loaded field-bee entering 

 the hive, and, if the same is deposited in the cells before it 

 is evaporated, the nurse-bee is the one to do it. This part 

 is easily proven with an observation hive having only one 

 comb, by watching the loaded bee which comes on the side 

 of the comb next to you. I have sat hours by such a hive 

 during a good flow from basswood, and I never yet saw a 

 bee which had just returned from the field, do aught else 

 with its load of nectar but give it to a younger bee. 



This part is also easily proven by those who do not 

 have an observatory hive. Twenty-one days before an ex- 

 pected honey harvest change a black queen for an Italian, 

 or vice versa, and 30 to 35 days later take a look at the en- 

 trance of the hive at about noon of any pleasant day. Only 

 black bees will be seen returning with their loads. Now 

 look in the surplus arrangement to the hive, where honey is 

 being deposited in the cells, and you will find nearly all the 

 bees there of the Italian race. 



"But how is the nectar evaporated?" writes one. 

 " Tell us in the American Bee Journal." 



When bees are gathering nectar from the fields they 

 give the same, on entering the hive, to the young or nurse- 

 bees, as I have said above. If no more is gathered than 

 these nurse-bees can hold in their sacs, none is put into the 

 cells. If more is gathered in any one day than their sacs 

 will hold, the surplus nectar is put into the cells by these 

 nurse-bees until evening, and then evaporated down, 

 although this evaporation is going on to some extent dur- 

 ing the day. At night all hands join — from the outside 

 laborer with well-worn-out wings, down to bees but a day 

 or two old — when the nectar or thin sweet is taken into the 

 honey-sac, thrown out on the partly doubled tongue, drawn 

 back in again, thrown out and drawn in again, and so on, 

 until by this stirring-up process and the heat of the hive, 

 these small particles of honey are brought to the right con- 

 sistency, when it is deposited in the cells preparatory to 

 being sealed up in due time. 



In order thus to evaporate the nectar, the bees hang 

 loosely or in festoons, so that when the drop of nectar goes 

 out on the partially-thrown-out tongue, it shall not hit 

 another bee, the combs or the hive. 



Now, by their great roaring, humming, or whatever we 

 have a mind to call it, the heat is increased in the hive till 

 the nectar is thickened very fast by this stirring up process 

 which is being gone through, as spoken of above. Take a 

 short straw or goose-quill in your mouth and blow a drop of 

 water gently through it out to the end, and then draw it 

 in again, out once more and in again, thus continuing for 

 some time, and you will have an idea of the process, all but 

 the stirring up. This the bees can do better than we can, 

 as it is a part of their trade, and they have the tools to do it 

 with, made on purpose for that very business. 



All bee-keepers of any experience can tell whether the 

 bees have been getting nectar of any amount during the 

 day by the roaring they make at night, as bees make this 

 roaring only while reducing their nectar. L,et two or three 

 days of rain succeed a plentiful honey harvest, and all roar- 

 ing will cease with the night of the third day. 



Many a night have I watched this process of the reduc- 

 ing of thin nectar to honey, and by the light of a lamp one 

 can see the tiny drops of nectar sparkle as it is thrown out 

 on the tongue and drawn in again. When nectar is com- 

 ing in slowly you will not be likely to see this process, as it 

 goes on so slow at such times. 



All doubtless have observed that when bees are getting 

 honey plentifully, it shakes out of the combs easily, or falls 

 out of its own accord when the combs are turned partly over 

 sidewise, during the afternoon and at night; while in the 

 morning, before the bees go to the fields, not a particle can 

 be shaken from the coftibs, this going to show that the most 

 of the evaporating of the nectar is done at night. 



The economy of the bee-hive is a wonderful study, and 

 the more we study and understand, the more enthusiastic 

 we become, and the more we understand the better our 

 chances of success. Onondaga Co., N. Y. 



®ur:* Sister 

 ^eeKccpcrs 



Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. 



Fair Exhibits of Honey Cookery. 



=/ 



" It's sad, Mr. Acklin. Takes a big lot of honey-sweetened pies 

 to win first prize at a State Fair ; and then the judges and super- 

 numeraries eat 'em all up. Pshaw 1 that's noi the spirit that conduces 

 to a first-rate Fair. Such an honor should be held for more than the 

 cost of a few pies." 



The above remarks by Mr. Hasty, on page 825 (1904), 

 caused me to look the matter up and see just how much 

 money Mr. Acklin was wasting on honey-sweetened pies, 

 etc., and I was astonished at the amount, for if my arith- 

 metic is all right, he took $110 worth of premiums in all, and 

 $12 of it was for goodies that he — more likely his wife — 

 cooked with honey, including pie, cake, marmalade, jams, 

 and jellies. Either it must have taken quite a number of 

 each of the five kinds to make a display, or they must have 

 been marked up pretty well in price to make it a losing 

 business, with each display at $2.40. 



But I really think Mr. Acklin deserves a vote of thanks 

 from bee-keepers in general for his efforts in bringing 

 honey and honey products before the people in the way he 

 is doing. That's what will help the sale of honey. 



Making a Scriptural Cake. 



" Search the Scriptures "! a lady was heard to observe 

 in a Catonsville car, coming into town. " I have searched 

 the Scriptures this morning from cover to cover and until I 

 was blue in the face, and what do you think I did it for ? To 

 find the recipe for a cake ! 



"A year ago I paid 5 cents at a church fair for an 

 envelope said to contain a card upon which was printed the 

 recipe for a Scriptural cake. It sounded interesting — it cer- 

 tainly ought to have been good ; but when I opened the 

 envelope this is what I read : (Here she fished a card from 

 her portemonnaie, adjusted her glasses, and read the fol- 

 lowing) : 



SCRIPXURAI, CAKB RECIPE. 



^}i cups of I Kings, iv, 22. 



1 cup of Judges, v, 25, last clause. 



2 cups of Jeremiah, vi, 20. 

 2 cups I Samuel, xxx, 12. 



2 cups of Nahum, iii, 12. 



2 cups of Numbers, xvii, 8. 



3 tablespoonfuls of I Samuel, xiv, 25. 

 A pinch of Leviticus, ii, 13. 



6 Jeremiah, xvii, 11. 



Yz cup of Judges, iv, 19, last clause. 



2 teaspoonfuls of Amos, iv, 5. 



Season to taste of II Chronicles, ix, 9. 



"Now", she resumed, " I have had that thing in my 

 possession until I have grown to hate the very sight of it. 

 First I thought it would be fun to look it up, and put it on 

 my dressing table. Then I got tired seeing it there and it 

 drifted to the sewing basket. Next I kept it in the machine 

 drawer to measure the hem for curtains. Finally I threw it 

 in the waste paper basket, but the maid spied it and returned 

 it to me as something of value. In desperation I decided to 

 be haunted no more, but look up the exasperating thing 

 and have done with it. This morning I have looked it up ; 

 here is the recipe, and I mean to lose the original card before 

 I return home this day ". And she laid it maliciously down 

 on the seat opposite her and deliberately got out of the car, 

 leaving it to haunt some one else, but she also left the key 

 to the puzzle, which, being interpreted, readeth as follows : 



Ayi cups of fine flour, 1 cup of butter, 2 cups of sugar, 2 

 cups of raisins, 2 cups of figs, 2 cups of almonds, 3 table- 

 spoonfuls of honey, a pinch of salt, 6 eggs, '/z cup of milk, 2 

 teaspoonfuls of yeast powder, season to taste with spices. — 

 Baltimore Sun. 



See Langstroth Book Offer on another page of this 

 copy of the American Bee Journal. 



