192 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



skillofthe apiarist and hisknowledge of 

 beelieeping. We should say from one 

 hundred to one hundred and tifty colo- 

 nies, and yet there are those who man- 

 age much larger apiaries successfully. 



If during the busy season one has a 

 boy to assist with the lighter work 

 and to do the running about, a much 

 larger number of colonies can be cared 

 for tlian where one is obliged to do all 

 the work alone. 



One great help in this regard is to 

 have every implement and all fixtures 

 arranged systematically and handily; 

 this saves much valuable time. 



LETTER BOX. 



Charleston. S. C, June 8, 1885. 

 Mr. S. M. Locke. 



Dear Sir : I wrote you on Saturday 

 asking if you had forgotten me, and 

 tliis A. M. comes the Volume of the Ap- 

 iculturist for '83-4. 



It is really an addition to my A pi- 

 cultural Library and the only wonder 

 is how you can furnisli it and the cur- 

 rent year's at the low price of 01.75. 

 Have you not over cropped yourself? 



You may keep back ray numbers for 

 several months, if you will only guar- 

 antee, when they do come, that they 

 will be as valuable as your April and 

 May consolidated number. Mr. Che- 

 shire's opening essay was worth all I 

 ever paid you. I anticipate much pleas- 

 ure in studying over Vols. I and II 

 which I have not had time to do up to 

 this moment. S. C. Boylston. 



Macon, Ga., June 28, 1885. 

 Gentlemen : 

 I wrote to you one week ago, and in 

 consequence of its contents, will now 

 state that the queen has got to work 

 and is the handsomest bee queen I ever 

 laid my eyes on. I am much pleased 

 with your dealings. You will hear from 

 me again. J. T. SrKoiiEUY. 



Dkar Sir : 



I write to inform you of the safe ar- 

 rival by mail of the back numbers of 

 the "Apiculturist" and also (much 

 to my pleasure) of the beautiful look- 

 ing queen which you sent. 



I am much impressed with the 

 promptness and neatness with which 

 you fill your orders and altiioiigh a be- 

 ginner in the science of beekeeping I 

 hope to patronize you to the extent of 

 my needs. W. E. Li,f)Yi). 



liapidan, Va. 

 Yours of the 1st inst. just received. 

 Thanks very much for your kindness 

 in answering my questions. I will 

 send you $1.50 lor renewal of Ameri- 

 can Apiculturist and queen as soon as 

 I have time. I will also get some 

 queens of you in August. 



R. R. CUYLER. 



Christiansburg, Kij-, July 10, 1885. 



The honey season is 

 over here and was the poorest since 

 1882; the white clover bloom as plen- 

 tiful and lasted as long as usual but the 

 weather was unfavorable to the secre- 

 tion of nectar. The rainfall has been 

 unusually light, succeeded by a cool 

 spell at least once a week during the 

 white clover harvest. North and east 

 winds have prevailed much of the time, 

 and we never get much honey when 

 tiie winds blow from those quarters. 

 What honey we have secured is of ex- 

 cellent quality. 



Bees liave not been up to rousing 

 colonies this season as tliey usually 

 do. Queen-rearing on a large scale has 

 simply been out of the question. 



From about seventy-five colonies I 

 have had but one swarm. This fact 

 alone tells the story about our poor sea- 

 son. When the season is good here 

 swarming is the greatest drawback. 



We got about one-fourth of a full 

 crop this season. G. W. Demaree. 



Arlington Heights, June 18, 1885. 

 We have had since the tenth of May 

 a most extraordinary season for bees. 

 Colonies that were weak in spring have 

 built up strong in the shortest time that 

 I ever knew them. They are throwing 

 off large swarms and have been for ten 

 "days, iully a month earlier than for two 

 years. All the flora has secreted a 

 great deal of honey thus far and clover 

 and linden are going to blossom pro- 

 fusely. Bees wintered poorly in wes- 

 tern U.S.; fully one-half died from 

 bee cholera and starvation, but every- 

 thing looks favorable for good increase 

 and a full crop of honey. 



Frank C. Bicnedict. 



Harford, Pa., June 23, 1885. 

 Dear Sir : I received your book. 

 Vols. I and II, a few days since and am 

 well pleased with it. I think those that 

 buy it will wish to continue their sub- 

 scriptions and have them all bound. 

 They are useful and instructive. 



W. J. LowRY, M. D. 



