TEE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



171 



hive in winter, but they quicldy revived. — It thus 

 appears that queens may be safely sent in this manner 

 in cold weather ; though it is rather difficult to pre- 

 serve and properly dispose of them when received at 

 this season. 



We copy from the " Western Farmer " an account 

 of how matters were managed in the " triangular 

 comb gtiide" case recently tried in the U. S. Ch'cuit 

 Court at Madison, Wis. ; from which it will be seen 

 how mere a sham the whole suit was. The decision 

 will probably be used to frighten timid or ignorant 

 parties into paying for the use of the" guide," though 

 we do not believe that suit Avlll be brought against 

 any who refuse to pay and show a determination to 

 resist and bring out the facts. 



We shall next month publish an extract from a 

 paper read by Dr. John Hunter before the Royal Society 

 in 1783, showing that the use of such a guide was 

 known to him, and published to the world, three- 

 quarters of a century ago. 



Correspondence of the Bee Journal. 



Independence, Mo., Dec. 17, 1809. — The season in 

 this part of the country has been only moderately 

 favorable. Up to the 5th of August there was too 

 much rain ; but" from that on the bees did very well. 

 We had an unusually good crop of white sumac, and 

 a very heavy one of fall bloom. Colonies gave from 

 twenty to sixty pounds surplus. Bees unattended to 

 suffered much from the moth. Many persons lost all 

 they had, whilst those who gave their bees proper 

 attention, obtained a handsome profit. 



As I did not give you my age, &c., with my photo- 

 graphs, I will now give it. I am a native of the State 

 of Tennessee ; born in Sumner County, in September, 

 1819; removed to Jackson County iu 1839; am a 

 practical mechanic (builder and joiner,) have been 

 experimenting with bees eighteen years, and have 

 now about 130 stocks in good condition. 



In view of the advantages that may be derived from 

 comparing notes, facts, and practical results. I 

 would suggest that the bee-keepers of the United States 

 hold an annual meeting, at some convenient point, iu 

 the interest of bee-culture alone ; and that such steps 

 be taken as will secure the attendance of inventors 

 with all the different models of hives, that the 

 practical utility of these may be investigated and 

 facts noted which will be advantageous to the public, 

 shielding them from impositions that bring reproach 

 on men who ai'e honestly endeavoring to advance 

 science and remove the superstitions that have so 

 long enslaved the minds of those who hav<' been 

 imposed upon. St. Louis, iu this State, is about as 

 near central as any other point, and the State Fair 

 will come off in October next ; aud as all the railroads 

 leading into the city are accustomed to giving half- 

 price fair tickets, for ten days, during the time of 

 going 'to and returning from the fair, I would sug- 

 gest that as the time and place of said mee'ing. 

 James D. Meddor. 



Newbury, Ohio, Dec, 18. — Bees have done but 

 little here the past season, and very few bees are kept. 

 I am just starting in the bee business, with only three 

 swarms in Langstroth hives, which I purpose to 

 Italianize as soon as possible in the spring. I sliould 



like to know through the Journal, if any have tried 

 lining hives with paper as a non-conductor and ab- 

 sorbent ; and if so, what success they h'ave had with 

 it. J. L. Way. 



Newton, Ohio, Dec. 18.— Bees have done poorly 

 with us through this season, not having swarmed 

 much, and many of the young stocks arc short of 

 stores. I removed only about 1000 lbs. of surplus 

 honey from my colonies, which should have given me 

 i five times as much. They are in good condition for 

 winter, as I doubled all m}'. young swarms, so that 

 they are all right and wintering finely. 



E. M. JonNSON. 



Bloomfield, Iowb, Dec. 18.— Bees did but little in 

 the way of storing honey this season, up to the first 

 of August ; but from that time till the frost killed the 

 blossoms we had a continuous honey harvest. 

 Some stocks cast swarms as late as the 1st of Sep- 

 tember, which filled their hives with nice rich honey. 

 My stocks (swarms included gave me 41 j lbs. each,) 

 of box honey. Each stock went into winter quarters 

 rich in stores and strong in numbers. 



I would like to know if any of the readers of the 

 Journal have tried introducing a queen into a full 

 hive, about swarming time, to induce natural 

 swarming. If so, I should like them to give us the 

 benefit of their experience through the Journal. — 

 J. P. Fortune. 



St. Catherines, Ontario, Dec. 24.— I find that I 

 cannot get along without the Bee Journal f and as it 

 costs me fifty cents a month for tobacco, I think I 

 will shut down on the " pernicious weed," and ex- 

 pend the money in Bee Journals.— O. Fitz Wilkins. 



Waveret, Iowa, Dec. 34. — I find in the December 

 number, page 118, of your excellent Journal, that 

 your correspondent, W. C. Condit, wishes to have 

 reports from those who have tested the method of 

 introducing queens by the use of grated nutmeg. I 

 find it works like a charm. I tried it with six queens 

 last season, very successfully indeed ; aud hencefor- 

 ward I shall do away with the caging process. 



The past summer was very poor for honey, though 

 one of my hybrid stocks gave me a good swarm 

 and sixty pounds of box honey. I do not think that 

 the black bees average five pounds of surplus honey 

 to the hive, in this country, the past season. Some 

 of my neighbors are feeling flnel5'', whose apiaries are 

 five miles distant from my Italian liees, on finding that 

 some of their young queens are giving them workers 

 witli two yellow bands. This speaks well for the 

 Italians in this part of the west. I use the Lang- 

 stroth hive. 



Enclosed please find two dollars, for which send 



the American Bee Journal to J. H. C. of , 



Jasper County, Mo. I send it to him as a New Year's 

 present, as he is abeeman ; and I advise your readers 

 to go and do likewise — sending the Journal to some 

 friend who will enjoy it as well as the rest of us. — 

 H. K. Lovett. 



New Cumberland, W. Va., Dec. 25. — I enclose 

 in this letter two dollars, and wish you to continue 

 sending me the Bee Journal for the coming year. 

 I lilve the principle on which it is conducted. The 

 various writers give us many practical experiments 

 in the cultivation of the honey bee. We can see all 

 over the States what bee-keepers are doing, and 

 where there is a good location or a bad one. I see 

 the honey product varies from place to place, almost 

 every year ; but it has come a little hard on us here. 

 We have had two bad seasons in succession. The 

 summer, a year ago, was so dry and hot that nearly 

 all the white clover and the red was killed. This 

 year, the season being wet and cold, the secretion of 



