194 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



eight to twelve days, destroy her and raise 

 another from her eggs V If they are satisfied 

 with her for eight days, why not for eight 

 months ? I liave not heen able to solve this 

 question, though it has puzzled me not a little. 



I may here state, that I have had considerable 

 correspondence with Dr. Hamlin, and do not hesi- 

 tate in recommending him to the confidence of 

 tlie public, as a queen breeder. ]\Iany of us will 

 want qu(;ens earljr, and he can furnish them from 

 one to two months earlier than any northern 

 breeder. Every good honest breeder added to 

 the list is so much gained by the public ; and 

 judging from the inquiries already received, the 

 demand for queens next season is going to be 

 fully up to the supply. E. Gallup. 



Osage, Iowa. 



The Dripping Honey-Comb. 



Did you ever reflect that the great woods about 

 us, where we delight to hold our picnics and take 

 our summer walks, used to be infested by many 

 hurtful wild beasts ? Yet we never hear of a 

 bear, or a panther, or a wolf being met in them 

 now. It is hardly possible that they have re- 

 treated in a body before the face of the white 

 man, as the Indian has, but they have been 

 exterminated. We can never realize the hard- 

 ships and dangers our forefathers passed through 

 to make this pleasant land such a delightful home 

 for us. 



We can see, too, the might of civilization, and 

 the powerful resources it can bring to oppose all 

 the cunning and all the strength of the fiercest 

 wild beasts. A little winged bullet can deal a 

 death-blow to the powerlul panther or to the 

 enraged bear. Even a watch-fire will keep the 

 wolf and various other animals at bay the whole 

 night long. God gave to man dominion over all 

 the beasts of the field, and even the fierce lion and 

 tiger have been tamed by his skill ; yet is it not 

 strange Avhen men can do so much that they have 

 never invented some way of taming that unruly 

 member, "the tongue?" "But the tongue can 

 no man tame," saith the Apostle James; "it is 

 an unruly evil, full of deadly poison." 



Oh, what bitter, angry words sometimes roll 

 off' from it so glibly ! Hcjw they set on fire whole 

 communities, and work a mischief that years 

 cannot undo ! There is only one waj' to master 

 it. That is to give it all up into the control of 

 the Lord Jesus. He can tame it. He can keep 

 the lips pure from all evil-speaking. He can put 

 into the mouth only pure, good words, that shall 

 do gofid to all men. 



"Pleasant words are as a honey-comb, sweet 

 to the soul and health to the bones." 



Every child knows how nice a clean white 

 honey-comb is, with its dripping pearls of sweet- 

 ness. But oh ! it is not half as sweet as thosp 

 lips which drop only the pearls of loving, gentle 

 words. — ChihVs World. 



Water is indispensable to bees when building 

 comb or raising brood. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Several Items. 



Introducing Queens Safely. 

 Place a drop of the same kind of scented honey 

 or feed that the bees are fed with, on the queen's 

 head only, so as to cover her antennse. Then the 

 bees cannot recognize her, at least until they re- 

 move the feed, and by that time they are in no 

 disposition to sting. Whereas, if the feed be 

 dropped on any other part of her body, it annoys 

 her ; and she does not like to be assisted unless 

 the obstructions are on the head. 



Young Queens. 

 Are there cases of young queens being fertilized 

 at the time of or before going out with a swarm ? 



More Questions. 



Do bees work on the different varieties of the 

 wild mint, or the kinds cultivated for distillation 

 or other purposes ? If so, what is collected, and 

 what amount ? 



Do bees work on the Osage Orange, the Black 

 Locust, (three-thorned Acacia,) or the Mountain 

 Ash ? J. M. Marvin. 



at. Charles, III. 



!S^^ Bees gather honey from all the mint family, 

 but, none of the varieties yield it plentifully, thougti 

 what is obtained is agreeably aromatic. Blossoming 

 eoutinnously from July to September, and growing 

 in moist grounds, they are of some impoi-tance at a 

 period when other supplies are cut off by drought. 



The blossoms of the honey locust are said to yield 

 honey, though we have never seen bees working on 

 them. They are yellowish green, small and incon- 

 spieuous. and arranged in spikes. The pods are filled 

 with sweet pulp between the seeds when ripe, which 

 boyx are fond of, but we do not know that bees partake 

 of it. It seems to have been a favorite with General 

 Washington, as there are many fine and large old 

 specimens in the grounds of Mount Vernon. 



Whether the blossoms of the Mountain Ash or th« 

 Osage Orange yield honey, we are unable to say. — Ed. 



Comb Guides. 



The following is the article referred to in our last 

 number, as showin'j: conclusively that the bevelled 

 edge or triangular comb guide is no new invention : 



Extract from " Observations on Bees," by John 

 Hunter, Esq., a paper read before the Royal Society of 

 London, Feb. 23, 1792, and published in the Philoso- 

 phical Transactions, vol. 82, page 138. 



" As one perpendicular comb of the whole length 

 " and height of the hive, in the centre, dividing it into 

 " two, is the best position for exposing their opera- 

 " tious, it is necessary to give them a lead or direction 

 " to form it so ; therefore it is proper to make a ridge 

 " aloni^ the top, from end to end, in the centre, 

 " between the two sides, for they like to begin their 

 "work from an eminence; if we wish to have them 

 " transverse or oblique it would only be necessary to 

 "mike transverse or oblique ridires in the hive." 



Clearly, Clark's patent is worthless, as the Courts 

 will decide if appealed to. 



As all muscular exertion requires food to sup- 

 ply the waste of the system, the more quiet bees 

 can be kept, the less they will eat. 



