igoj. THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 73 



ciivc-red that the drones had left the er, the muskrat has supplanted the 



l)rood nests and congregated on the skin in popular favor and the price 



honey in the supers. They think went down. Striped skins are dyed 



that this fact disposes of the theory and blended to make coats and boas, 



that the drones help to keep the brood and the black skins are used for 



w arm. They argue that if it were so. mufifs. 



the drones would have remained or The skunk-hunting season lasts 



would have been allowed to remain from the middle of September until 



in the brood nest to help in protect- -well into November, 

 ing the brood agamst the cold.- gj,^^j. ^^^^^^^^ ^^^ becoming more 



LApiculteur. scarce in this State on account of 



77" their popularity, but in New York and 



DRONES PIPING (?) n 1 ■ ..u • ^- c 11 



Mr. Bassaler asserts that the pip- Pennsylvania there are scientifically 

 ing at swarming times is between the conducted skunk farms, where light- 

 young queens in the cells and the colored skunks are kept for breeding 

 drones that may be near (?).~L'Api- Purposes and the dark ones killed for 

 ^^ll-gyj. their fur. — Newspaper Clipping. 



SKUNKS MORE PROFITABLE AFFECTIONATE BEES. 



THAN BEES. A "Windy City" reporter apparently 



Augusta, Me., Jan. 12. — Skunks net at loss to know what to do ran loose 



an annual revenue to the State of on the following: 



Maine of from $125,000 to $150,000, Bees at Keeper's Bier. 



according to a recent investigation in- A most remarkable demonstration 



to the skunk-hunting industry. This that the honey bee has affections oc- 



is double the amount received from curred at Wall Lake, la., when Oli- 



the honey industry. Nearly 25,000 ver J. Seer, a pioneer apiarist, died, 



gallons of skunk oil are produced in It had been his custom to move 



Maine every year, and there is a wide among the bees without covering his 



demand for it, owing to the curative hands or face. The bees followed him 



properties it is said to have for rheu- about the yard and into his workshop 



matism and other ailments. The in- with never an offer to injure him. 



creasing popularity of the oil has In the winter when their supply ran 



caused the price to advance within low he fed them sugar syrup and rye 



a year $1 a gallon, the wholesale price flower. He covered their hives with 



now being $5 a gallon. An average blankets to keep them warm, 



skunk produces one quart of oil. From the day of his death there was 



The fur of this disagreeable, but unrest in the colony of bees. On the 



profitable little animal is also vahi- day of his funeral the bees swarmed 



able, the price for skins varying with about the hearse and thousands fol- 



the fashion. The dark skins are the lowed it to the cemetery. Several 



more valuable, a pure black skin be- swarms of bees deserted their hives 



ing worth from $1 to $2, according to and were found in trees in the ceme- 



quality. Striped skunk skins bring tery near the grave of their former 



from 25 to 40 cents, while those with owner.— Chicago Record Herald. 



a part stripe bring from 50 to 75 



cents. Three years ago the skin of a We must not contradict, but in- 

 dark skunk brought from $2.50 to $3, struct him that contradicts us; for a 

 and there were not enough to meet madman is not cured by another run- 

 the demand. Since that time, howev- ing mad also. — Antisthenes. 



