THE AMEEICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



81 



s-warms made with ten full frames became so 

 filled that they assisted in siipplyins; full frames 

 for other new swarms, and so on. At that rale 

 of progression how do you suppose we should 

 liave ended, had we not had another fessa'ion 

 of the honey crop about this date (Septem- 

 ber 10th) ? 



"VVe have now forty-eight (48) hives full of 

 bees and honey, ami we should like awfully 

 building combs, swarms, and queens up to a 

 hundred, as we jusr, begin to get our hand in; 

 and now, especially, as Argo has got fifty-two 

 (52). By the way, how in tlie world did he 

 manage to do it ? We think it looks like a tall 

 operation to make forty-eight stocks from 

 eleven ; and so it is, to raise all nice yellow 

 queens, as we have done. 



■Now for the facts in our case. The black 

 bees have done mithing here, since the middle 

 of JulJ^ The superiority of the Italians was 

 never more apparent — as the black bees from 

 our neighbors were continually trying to rob, 

 while the Italians were so busy. 



After the while clover had failed, we went to 

 work to find wliere the honey came from. Part 

 of it, we think, did this time really come from 

 buckwheat ; but, in the latter part of the day, 

 they seemed to be working very busily in a 

 certain direction, and the hives had a strong 

 smell of something like humble bees' honey, 

 which we thought must be from the xkX clover. 

 To make a sure thing of it, we started off in tbe 

 direction th<-y went, to find it. After a long 

 walk we did find some red clover, but not a bee 

 on it. We searched further in that direction, 

 and were Ibrced to go home, finding nothing 

 fiom which bees were getting honey. But the 

 ne.\t day we saw them so busy again, until 

 near dark, bringing both honey and pollen al- 

 most as white as snow. Then we resolved that 

 we would unravel the mystery; and as we 

 thought it might possibly be something from 

 some lorest tree, we went this time into the 

 woods, and there the riddle was solved. A 

 wbite flowering plant, growing from two to 

 four feet high, we at first found spaiingly, and 

 then more and more plenlilully, until further 

 off, from one to two miles from the apiary, we 

 found acres of it, and alive with little "yellow 

 pets" as happy as the day is long, "from morn 

 to dewy eye " bringing their htavy loads. As 

 no one here seems to know tbe name of the 

 plant, we send you a leaf and fiowers inclosed 

 in this. Any information as to what it is, would 

 be a favor.* 



Will you, Mr. Editor, or any one else, please 

 tell us what you think of the following plan 

 of wintering bees, here, in our open uncer- 

 tain winters, when there may be summer wea- 

 ther in January, or the mercury below zero in 

 March ? 



For instance : — take forty hives, with caps and 

 honey boards off, pile them in two rows four feet 

 long and five leet high, with the entrances 

 turned outward, in the middle of the apiary. 

 Put a good roof over all, board up the ends, 



*We sent the leaf and flowers to Professor Porter, of 

 La Fayette College, Easton, Pennsylvania, for Identifi- 

 cation, but hava not yet received his reply. 



and have the sides on hinges to open up during 

 mild weather that the bees can fly, and so that 

 they may be shut down in cold weather. So 

 many colonies placed thus together would cer- 

 tainly keep warm even in very cold weather, 

 and during a protracted warm spell the sides 

 could be liited up, or used as a ready means of 

 ventilation at any time. Would not this secure 

 nearly all the advantages of being in a cellar or 

 a biuiilar place ; and al the same time, of win- 

 tering in the open air ? 



We do not like to try the experiment, until 

 we have the opinion of some one who has had 

 more experience than we have. A vehement 

 determination not to lose the forty-eight swarms 

 we have, if we can possibly help it, by winter- 

 ing -in a cellar; nor to have them weakened 

 both in bees and honey, by the inclemency of 

 "all out doors " (with the bars down), is our 

 present " frame of mind." 



And, as wc lay down our pen, and prepare to 

 go home because it is almost twelve o'clo( k and 

 Saturday night, we make our best bow before 

 closing the door, and wish all manner of success 

 and happiness to both the Editor of the Bee 

 Journal and all its readers, from 



Novice. 



Sept. 11, 1869. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Another Suggestion. 



Mr. Editor : — I see some one has suggested 

 the idea of a bee-keepers' photograph album 

 with three yellow bands, for your gratification. 

 Would it not be more appropriate to use one 

 iK\t\i oneoY tioo yellow bands, for the pictures 

 of some of our Italian queen-iaising brethr^-u ? 



Allow me to sugt^est a sort of semi-fraternal 

 bee-business directory. Few persons make api- 

 culture a speciality, and I, (and I presun)e 

 others) am often curious to know what else they 

 do tor pastime. Who has not wondeied what; 

 "Gallup"* does ? What is there in one's men- 

 tal composition to cause " bee-on-the-brain ?" 

 Then, for the satisfaction of the mutually 

 curious, let all correspondents send in their age, 

 residence, vocation, and the extent to which 

 ttiey are interested in bees, and let the same be 

 published in our most excellent American Bee 

 Journal, with which we are we 1 pleased. 



J. W. Greene. 



Chillicothe, Mo., July 15, 1869. 



E^We like our correspondent's suggestion; 

 but think he should have set an example, by 

 carrying out his idea fully in his own case, in 

 his communication. 



♦Gallup is a hard-fisted, hard-working farmer, who 

 earns and eats his bread '• In ihe sweat of his face.'' 



A colony that contemplates swarming never 

 seems to be as active and industrious as its pop- 

 ulousness would induce us to expect. — Hofman. 



