260 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



December, 



THAT ILLINOIS HONEY CROP. Tbey w&re hybrids— nearly full Ital- 

 ians. White clover was in full bloom 

 (J. E. Johnson). and yielded well from May 15 to Au- 



gust 15. What could not any one do 

 ON PAGE 225 Mr. Z. Cornell seems in such a long, good honey flow with 

 to infer that my September re- sweet clover, catnip and sraartweed to 

 port Is a falsehood, or an exag- continue on till frostV But sraartweed 

 geration, but still wants my plan or did not yield very well this year, 

 method. ■ No doubt Mr. Cornell is a much bet- 



On page 249 Mr. Pharr pats Mr. Cor- ter bee-keeper than myself, but I only 

 nell on the back'with the suggestion claim the credit of having enough 

 that my statement is perbaps not a lie, sense to keep my bees busy in see- 

 merely' "sounds rather fishy." I also tions when the honey flow was on, and 

 see In the November issue that the to get my bees strong early in the sea- 

 venerable Deacon comes in for a gen- son. 



tie poke in the ribs for stumbling a I have kept bees about twenty years, 

 little too near the trutb. Also the ed- but never, a very large apiary. T k^pt 

 itor himself is taken to task by Dr. bees in Kansas three years and took 

 Miller. The editor apologizes, but flrst premium on comb honey at the 

 won't take it back; and so it is, each Allen county fair, in 1892. I take fi7e 

 in his turn, must sample his own med- bee Journals, have read "A B G" of 

 icine. Bee Culture," also Langstroth's, 



Now I have no way of proving my Cook's and Hutchinson's books, al.so 

 statements, probably, to the satisfac- Newman's "Bees and Honey," "Ama- 

 tion of all; but my wife has kept an teur Bee-Keeper," and lately Dr. Mil- 

 accurate account of all honey sold and ler's "Forty Years Among the Bees," 

 she usually tells the truth. but there is just a lot of things I don't 



The cashier of the bank of Williams- know and never will know, 

 field, whose name is David Cation, has March 13 my bees began bringing in 

 so far taken seven cases of my comb pollen from maple, then I began feed- 

 honey and one gallon of extracted, iug them syrup. I fed every evening 

 about IGO pounds. If you will write just a little at first and then increased 

 him, enclosing stamp, he will inform the feed as the bees became stronger 

 you as to my honesty. and had more brood to feed. I fed in 



Two tJiousand pounds from twelve a feeder of my own make, something 

 colonies, spring count, and increase to like the Miller, always in the evening, 

 55 colonies, is something unusual here and over the brood frames with good 

 also, but it is true, nevertheless. But quilt over feedera and frames, having 

 I did not stop at that, so, at the risk the syrup lukewarm. This did not in- 

 of bfelng not considered just "fishy" but terfere with their working on nice 

 a whole fish-pond as well, I'll give you days anrl bringing in pollen and a little 

 my final report: honey from maple, box-elder, gooaeber- 



Twenty-three hundred pounds comb ry; and by tlie time apple blossoms 

 honey, 700 of extracted, 20 pounds of came out the bees were sti-ong enough 

 wax, 100 shallow extracting combs, to begin to draw comb in supers and 

 built this year, about 1,000 partly were given one super with shallow 

 built and filled combs in section boxes, frames with starters. By May 15 rasp- 

 Avhich were extracted and counted in berry and white clover were in full 

 above 700 pounds extracted. The bloom, with a good honey flow from 

 combs have been placed in supers and both and bees enough to fill two su- 

 stand safely from dirt or mice for pers. By the first part of June I had 

 1904, them working in three or four supers. 



We have good late rains, so an abun- Then a rainy spell struck us, just small 

 dant of white clover indicates a good warm showers every day for eight 

 season for 1904. days, and the swa.rming fever struck 



My best yield from one colony was the bees, 

 from a first swarm, 2.W pounds. That Now I could not have prevented 

 swarm came off early, and near the swarming if I had tried, except, prob- 

 close of the honey flow filled brood ably, by "brush swarming." So the 

 chamber and five supers chock full of question with me was, to not try to. 

 bees and worked in all five supers, prevent swarming and encourage loaf- 

 This first swarm did not swarm again, ing, but to let them swarm and go to 



