50 



THE AMBEICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



I continually use three of my best queens in 

 this way, aud so have every three or four clays 

 a fresh supply of cells, to be made use of accord- 

 ing to circumstances, in the yard, or otherwise, 

 to mature for market. I have yet lost no queen 

 by the frequent change, and like the method 

 much better than any that I have seen described. 

 J. W. Truesdell. 



Warwick, Canada, July 30, 1869. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Stocks and Hives Suited to Pasturage. 



The facility afforded for securing new colo- 

 nies of bees, to any desirable extent, by artifi- 

 cial means, removes much of the interest 

 formerly felt in natural swarming. The little 

 time required for fully stocking any field, by 

 annually doubling the stock by natural swarms, 

 until the field is full}' occupied, renders the 

 question of increase of colonies a subject of 

 minor importance. 



Every apiarian, with a field limited in its ex- 

 tent and power of production, must naturally 

 inquire — "By what means may I secure the 

 greatest amount of honey produced by my field, 

 in surplus, in the best stale and shape for mar- 

 ket and use?" 



I will hazard a few suggestions in answer to 

 this inquiry. 



1. Negatively. Keep no more bees than your 

 field will supply. Limit the number of your 

 colonies stiictly to the capacity of your field. 

 It you have as many colonies of bees as can be 

 sustained during the working season, and se- 

 cure sutEcient stores for winter, little surjilus 

 need be expected. In such case the result would 

 naturally be that a few strong colonies would 

 give some surplus ; the medium one might jus-t 

 squeeze through the winter; and the weak ones 

 starve to death. Under such circumstances, 

 one-half the number of colonies Avould give 

 double the surplus that the whole would do. 



2. Procure hives with surplus room for 150 

 lbs. or 200 lbs. of honey. Place in such hive 

 the working force of two of your common colo- 

 nies. You may thus secure double or triple the 

 working force in each colony, and secure from 

 one colony 200 lbs, or more, of surplus honey. 

 This may be done, if your bees swarm, by 

 placing two or three swarms in the new hive. 

 Or by placing in the first swarms issuing trom 

 the old hive ; place the new hive in place of the 

 old one, and drive out all the bees from the old 

 hive; they will enter the new hive. Place the 

 worker brood in a small box, putting it in com- 

 munication with the new hive. Thej' will hatch 

 all the brood, and secure thus a great colony. 



I now think, from experiments already made, 

 that colonies may thus be brought to an average 

 ot 200 lbs. One ton from ten colonies per sea- 

 son. 



If I had an apiary with common swarming 

 hives in use, I should treat them in that manner, 

 confidently expectiug an average of from 150 

 lbs. to 200 lbs. Judgmg from my past experi- 



ments with the large hives, I have no doubt 

 I should secure it. If I feared the stock was 

 too large for the field, I should divide it, placing 

 it in two fields. 



If any of your readers have doubts of the 

 success of such course, and see obstacles in the 

 way, I would thank them to state them in the Bee 

 JoDKNAL, and I will seek to remove any imag- 

 ined objections. 



Jasper Hazek. 



Albany, N. Y. 



[For the American Bee Journal 



Influence of Locality. 



Mr. Editor: — I had almost come to the con- 

 clusion that it was useless for me to be at any 

 more expense in trying to succeed in bee-keep- 

 ing, for not withstanding having the benefit of 

 the Journal, Avith all its learned contributors, 

 and with all my energy, I have not for the last 

 two years obtained honey enough to spread on a 

 piece of bread and butter as big as my hand, and 

 had about concluded not to trouble you any 

 further for the Journal. But your generosity 

 in sending me the July number, and on reading 

 its contents, together with something of a 

 change in the prospect for honey the remaining 

 part of the season, has induced me to add 

 another two dollars to the many already lost in 

 the business I have ever so much delighted to 

 pursue. 



lam convinced that much depends on location 

 in the success of bee-keeping. I am situated 

 on the high rolling prairies of Northern Illinois, 

 and notwithstanding my dwelling and apiary 

 are in the midst of eight or nine acres of fruit 

 and ornamental trees, mostly fruit, and of near- 

 ly twenty years growth ; yet in consequence of 

 so much high cold wiird in the spring, that the 

 season of blossoms passes off with but little 

 advantage to the bees, particularly as it has 

 been this season, I could hardly count on one 

 good day for gathering honey while the fruit 

 trees were in blossom, though everywhere the 

 trees were covered with a snowy whiteness. 



But I see that my friend Marvin, only about 

 twenty-five miles from me, tells quite a different 

 story, in regard to bis bees. His management 

 maj' be much better than mine, but I am certain 

 his location is better calculated for bee-keeping. 

 Being in the valley of the Fox, his fields of fruit 

 and other pasturage are ensconced by high blufi's 

 on one side, and by natural forests of linden and 

 other honey-yielding trees on the other. I see 

 by the Journal that his bees were swarming 

 on the twenty-fifth day of May, while my best 

 Italians were four weeks later this season. 



I had about two acres of alsike clover, which 

 commenced to blossom the first week in June. 

 All that saw it while in bloom, said they never 

 saw so beautiful a field before. It stood up well, 

 and about eighteen inches high, so thick upon 

 the ground that another blossom could hardly 

 be put in without crowding on its neighbor. 

 Whenever the weather would admit, which was 



