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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Feb. 16, 190S. 



In the spring- we bought 4 colonies of black bees. They 

 were regular hornets. We increased to 9 by dividing or by 

 taking a frame of brood from each colony that we could 

 and giving them an Italian queen ; by fall they were very 

 strong-. 



We got a good supply of honey that season, averaging 

 about $4.00 worth a colony, besides what we kept for home 

 use. We did not lose a colony that winter, and increased to 

 13 with a fair honey crop the next season. 



The season of 1903 was a good one, as we had 1300 

 pounds of extracted and 800 pounds of comb honey from 29 

 colonies, spring count. 



Last season we had 35 colonies, spring count, and 

 about 325 pounds of extracted and 300 pounds of comb 

 honey. I began to sell my first super of honey, and have 

 had such a demand for both comb and extracted honey the 

 past year that I could not supply half of my customers. I 

 sell all from house to house. The extracted is put up in 

 quarts, half -gallons and gallons. I have regular customers 

 who wait for their winter supply. I never sell any honey 

 that is not nice and does not look No. 1. 



Some order honey from the house, or take it when they 

 come for their berries. I get 8)3 cents for all extracted and 

 I2I2 to 15 cents for comb honey, according to the quantity 

 wanted. 



I mold the beeswax in small cakes, and sell at 5 cents a 

 cake, which brings me 45 cents a pound ; or 40 cents a 

 pound for large cakes of 4 to 6 pounds to the laundries. 



We use now only the 10 frame dovetailed hive. There 

 is very little trouble in hiving a swarm when one does 

 issue, as the bees always settle on a low tree near the api- 

 ary. Last season it seemed as if every swarm would settle 

 on the same tree. We try to keep down swarming by divid- 

 ing, and keep them strong by sometimes moving the combs 

 of hatching brood from one colony to another, giving the 

 strong one empty combs. 



The bees sting me very much, and it always swells and 

 feels bad ; while the helper they very seldom sting. 



We winter some of our bees in a cellar and some in the 

 house-cellar. Forty colonies went into winter, but I fear 

 some were a little light. 



I like the Sisters" department, so that is why I try to do 

 a little. If you think this any good, I may tell what we do 

 next season. Mrs. J. E. Milugan. 



Linn Co., Iowa, Jan. 16. 



You have no doubt by this time realized that one can 

 not be too careful about not leaving honey exposed in the 

 apiary. It is almost sure to start robbing unless nectar is 

 coming in very abundantly. 



You did not say anything about taking any bees with 

 the two frames of brood that you took to start those 2 

 colonies with, but I suppose you took the adhering bees 

 with them. One frame of brood and bees is not enough to 

 start a nucleus with at any time of year early or late, for 

 many of the bees will return to the parent colony. Two 

 frames of hatching brood well covered with bees is the very 

 least that should be taken, and usually three would be bet- 

 ter, especially if rather late in the season. Of course, I am 

 not referring to baby nuclei, or several nuclei, in one hive 

 for queen-rearing purposes, but nuclei for increase. It is 

 much better to have them strong to begin with. 



You certainly have been very successful in your ven- 

 ture, also in disposing of your beeswax to such good advan- 

 tage in your home market. 



One reason why you are stung more than your helper 

 may be that you make quick, nervous movements, while 

 your helper does not. Watch and see. 



By all means let us hear from you as to the results of 

 next season's work. We heartily bid you welcome to our 

 corner. 



Among the thousand and one remedies recommended 

 for bee-stings, there is at least one which might be called a 

 woman's remedy— the washerwoman's Javelle water — which 

 is used to take out fruit-stains and the like. Whether effec- 

 tive or not, it is probably as good, at least, as the average 

 bee-sting remedy. 



Some Facts About Honey and Bees.— This is the 

 subject of an article written by Mr. J. E. Johnson, and pub- 

 lished on pages 581-82 of the American Bee Journal for 

 Aug. 25, 1904. We have republished it in 4-page leaflet 

 form for general distribution, and furnish it, postpaid, at 

 35 cents per 100 copies. Send all orders to the office of the 

 American Bee Journal. 



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The " Old Reliable " seen through New and Unreliable Glasses. 

 By E. E. Hastt, Sta. B Rural, Toledo, Ohio. 



BEE-KEEPERS A CLOSE CORPORATION. 



So Editor Hutehinsoa can peacefully contemplate our craft re- 

 duced to such a close corporation that bee-papers would cease to ex- 

 ist. Bee-men too few to support papers. Now my feelings are in- 

 clined to '• rage and pitch " a little at such a prospect as that. How 

 is it with thee, gentle reader? Page 874. 



DIVERSE CONCEPTIONS OF APICULTURE. 



What a lot of diverse conceptions of apiculture comprise the A, 

 B, C, D of the thing! And what a contradictory mix societies and 

 conventions and journals oft make of the incongruous list! Quite 

 enough to malse Pegasus wake up and snort. 



A'3 Apiculture— nice, rural side-show, 

 Lo a few hives, set up seven in a row. 

 Where'er you go. 



B 18 Bee-Ology— science the best : 

 Pays us in wisdom, life, proflt and zest- 

 Come and be blest ! 



C is cute Charity's bee-keeping plan. 

 For the paniry and purae of each laboring man- 

 Teach him, who can! 



D is trust Dives— and sooner be hung 

 Than drop a cool dewdrop on Lazarus' tongue- 

 Go it— you're young! 



A MISSOURI PROVERB AND HONET-PRODUCTION. 



A good Missouri proverb is that furnished by Mr. Calhoun, page 

 874: " No one so tar from market as he who has nothing to sell''. 

 Same class of proverbs as Solomon's, " Where no oxen are the crib is 

 clean ". The world over, in all ages, it sfeems to be the case that 

 nothing tends to beget nothing — and abundance of something good 

 tends to find its way where it is needed. But a turnip is not going to 

 ship a jug of warm, red blood — too far from market. Also, the Mis- 

 souri proverb kind o' brings us around toward the encouraging fact 

 that there is never so much honey produced in our country as ought 

 to be eaten in it. No fundamental impossibility to trouble us. 



BEE-KEEPINS IN RUSSIA. 



So Russia mostly uses hives of the kinds without frames; but the 

 proportion of frame hives steadily and rapidly increases. It was 13 

 percent in 1894 ; now probably over 36 percent. In the 17th century, 

 and previous apiculture (or api-e'</;j(«)'e), was very prosperous; and 

 there were large amounts of both honey and wax to export. Now the 

 nation pays out $2,000,000 a year for bee-products. Lilie good, thrifty 

 people they are scratcliing around to see if that sum can not be saved 

 by improved apiculture; and thus it comes about that their repre- 

 sentative, Mr. Abram Titoff, has been for some two years searching 

 the United States for ways and ideas that may perchance make Rus- 

 sian apiculture more profitable. Mr. Titofl's paper read at St. Louis is 

 a very noteworthy document. To help stimulate the declining indus- 

 try the tax on bees was removed more than 100 years ago. Pages 878- 

 880. 



CANDT-MAKERS AND ADULTERATION STORIES. 



Misery loves company. It soothes us some to learn that the 

 national society of candy-makers has to struggle with prevalent lies 

 about adulterations of candy. The case of flour is not quite similar. 

 No amount of lying about flour would bluff people off from using it; 

 but when candy and honey are believed to be spurious and unwhole- 

 some consumption declines. Page 881. 



A QUEEN TARN TO KILL THE HONET TARN. 



A fib about a regular trade in queens at $50 to S300 each is not a 

 yarn that we need to get infuriated at. Wonder if we can not turn it 

 to good use. Lies oft devour each other; and we should be happy in 

 seeing a harmless lie devour a pestilent one. Tell the good people 

 that if honey were all manufactured by machinery, interest in queens 

 would surely die out ; and there would be no fancy prices. Queens 

 can't do anything toward manufacturing honey except in the old- 

 fashioned honest way. Page 3. 



IMPORTANT OMISSIONS APT TO MISLEAD. 



How often a comrade in print leaves us utterly in doubt whether 

 what he is giving us is remarkable and important or very much a mat- 

 ter of course — all by omitting to tell us a few necessary things. About 

 California's 8th question (page 8), as many as three different theories 

 suggest themsehes. Supposing that he increased 3 colonies to 54, he 

 hardly gave them a chance to swarm that year. Increasing 54 to 65 

 would leave room for some swarming; and of 65 run for a season 

 without any artificial increase we would of course expect some swarms, 

 Swarming, however, is a very lawless matter — to present view. It is 

 quite Impossible to forecast it. A season with no swarms when we 

 expected and wanted some is not unusual; and to have two such in 

 succession is only mildly surprising. But a second supposition is that 



