60 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[For the American Bee Journal .] 



Large Growth of Alsike Clover. 



I have to-day sent you a sample of my alsike 

 clover. It measures six feet seven inches la 

 length. I have a remarkable heavy crop ot it 

 this season, from which the bees, (both native 

 and Italian) extract honey as readily as they do 

 from the small white clover. I am saving it for 

 seed, and it consequently affords a large amount 

 of pasturage for my bees. It has been in full 

 bloom for four weeks, and will be for a week 

 longer, before it will be fit to cut for seed. 



There is a farmer about one mile aud-a-ha1f 

 from my place, who sowed a large field with 

 alsike for pasturage for his stock. I have visited 

 the field a number of times, and always found it 

 grazed down to about the height of white clover, 

 but still producing a multitude of blossoms, and 

 literally swarming with bees. I think, if it is 

 not grazed down too short, it will blossom until 

 fall. 



Bees have not done as well as usual here this 

 season, on account ot it being so wet and cold. 

 H. M. Thomas. 



Brooklin, Canada, July 23, 1869. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Size of Hives. 



Mr. Editor:— There have been some things 

 written in the Bee Joornai., in relation to the 

 size of hives-, and I wish to refer to a few of 

 the statements. 



Mr. Gallup says that it is an established fact 

 that hives should not contain less than two 

 thousand cubic inches. Mr. Bingham says that 

 in the latitude of New York, where the honey 

 season is short, a hive containing less than tw^o 

 thousand cubic inches would be unsafe, &c. D. 

 C. B. thinks that two thousand cubic inches is 

 not enough, but inclines to adopt twenty-four 

 hundred, where uo buckwheat honey can be 

 made. 



Neither of these writers give any reason for 

 their statements. According to my view of 

 the matter, the reason they would probably as- 

 sign for a hive of that size, I should give for 

 having a hive of smaller size. Will bees make 

 much more box honey when the hive is two 

 thousand or more cubic inches capacity, than 

 in one, say, of a cubic foot? Of course they 

 must be longer iu filling a large hive than a 

 small one ; and it follows that they wdll have 

 less time to work in boxes. Will not a hive 

 containiug seventeen hundred and twenty-eight 

 inches, or a cubic foot, be sufficient for store 

 honey and brooding space ? According to my 

 experience bees never die of starvation, in this 

 section, in such a hive, other things being 

 equal. In the spring of the year, when the 

 brood space is empty, I think there must be 

 room enough for the queen to operate in, and 

 the bees will have less comb to cover and pro- 

 tect. If this be so, what is the use of from 

 three hundred to six hundred cubic inches more 

 of space 'i Why not reserve such space for box 



honey ? If I recollect right the German bee- 

 keepers recommend only about twelve hundred 

 cubic inches. I have had hives of that size that 

 have done well— so well, that I am inclined to 

 think that even that size of hivewnll do. 



I should like to have Mr. Gallup tell us why 

 " every hive should have about two thousanc. 

 cubic inches in the breeding apartment." 



Charles S. Paine. 



Randolph, Vt., July 25, 1869. 



[For the American Bee Journal] 



Coal Oil for Bee Stings. 



Mr. Editor : — I have a new remedy for a 

 bee sting. A gentleman removing from South- 

 ern Illinois, this spring, told me that coal oil 

 would cure the bite of a rattlesnake, by bathing 

 the bitten spot with it. 



I applied the oil to a bee sting, and it gave me 

 immediate relief A few davs after I bad a lit- 

 tle boy stung on his knee. His mother applied 

 coal oil to it, and the boy immediately quit cry- 

 ing. Sometime afterwards, a party removing 

 was detained at my house by high water. Two 

 of the small children went to the bee gums, 

 commenced fighting the bees, and were stung 

 all over. I do not know how many bees stung 

 them ; but suppose aot less than fifty, probably 

 more. We wetted eveiy place with coal oil ; 

 and as soon as this was done, they ceased cry- 

 ing and did not seem to sufi"er, nor did any 

 swelling follow. 



One of my neighbors has also tried it, and 

 reports that it was a perfect success. 



I am well pleased with your invaluable Jour- 

 nal, and cannot do without it. 



Peter Brickey. 



Jones' Tanyard, Mo., Aug. 8, 1869. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Is Tobacco Smoke Injurious to Bees ? 



I should like to ask whether tobacco smoke is 

 injurious to bees? I think it is to a certain extent. 

 As far as I have seen, if anyone will put on some 

 sort of protection for the face and hands, he 

 Avill have no need of smoke. The first reason 

 I have for thinking that tobacco smoke is hurt- 

 ful, is this, that to a great extent it stupefies the 

 bees, and this generally at the time of tlie day 

 when they need all their force for gathering 

 supiilies. Now it must take them considerable 

 time to recover from its effects, which I con- 

 sider would be better spent in gathering 

 honey. In the second place, I think that, in 

 order to get them quiet enough to handle, you 

 are in dang'ir of smothering the queen, or at 

 least of injuring her very seriously. I think 

 that any other smoke has the same effect to a 

 certain extent. 



I also find that it makes my bees cross, as 

 they will not let any person go near them for 

 two or three days after. 



Geo. T. Burgess. 



LucKNOW, Ontario, Canada. 



