274 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



The central association for the en- 

 couragement of beekeeping in Italy 

 has lately held a meeting at Milan, 

 and guests from Switzerland, France, 

 Germany and England were there. 

 Wm. Cowan, editor of the British 

 Bee Journal was there, and promises 

 a detailed description of his visit, 

 the meetings, etc., and in future 

 numbers of " Notes," I shall hope to 

 give a few extracts from the same. 



The great bee master, Dr. Dzier- 

 zon is to have a Golden Jubilee 

 shortly, and festivities are being or- 

 ganized in Germany to celebrate the 

 same with befitting splendor. Del- 

 egates from Italy and other countries 

 are to visit the doctor. 



A prominent Britishbeekeeper has 

 started for the region whence came 

 the Carniolan bees, with a view to in- 

 vestigate in their birthplace the mer- 

 its claimed for them. He proposes 

 taking in, on his return journey, the 

 various countries on the eastern 

 coast of the Adriatic sea, and also 

 visit several queen-rearing apiaries in 

 Italy. For their gentleness, Carnio- 

 lans seem to be getting into favor in 

 England, but from what I have heard 

 their great swarming propensity is 

 against them for a business bee. 



The honey harvest in Switzerland 

 for 1885 has been one of the finest 

 of the century ; 50 to 100 lbs. is an- 

 nounced on every side, and often 

 from 100 up to 200 lbs. per colony. 



In England the season has been 

 good, and one beekeeper in south of 

 England expects to record by end 

 of the season a minimum crop of 

 200 lbs. per colony. 



Compared to the returns from my 

 bees in Pennsylvania, such news al- 

 most makes me wish myself back in 

 old England again. 



The price of honey has fallen con- 

 siderably in Switzerland, principally 

 from too much haste on part of pro- 

 ducers to rush their crop on the mar- 

 ket. There is no harmony of action 

 amongst beekeepers there any more 

 than here, and honey is rushed in 

 quantities into the great centres of 

 population while the smaller towns 

 are left unworked. 



Lately there has been a great cry 

 out about the manufacture of honey 

 in Switzerland ; and Monsieur Bert- 

 rand took the trouble personally to 

 investigate the matter. He found 

 there was only one factory for false 

 honey ; buying its glucose in Germ.any, 

 and its honey in Italy. He found 

 two small shop-keepers who mixed 

 their honey with glucose before sell- 

 ing their patrons the pure Swiss 

 honey from the Alps, but, otherwise, 

 the mountain of talk brought forth 

 a very small mouse of adulteration. 



Many merchants in France and 

 Germany decorate adulterated stuff 

 with the name of Swiss honey, Alpine 

 honey and so on, and such conduct 

 has contributed to discredit Swiss 

 honey more than anything else. 



Fhila., Fa. 



BINTS FOR BEGINNERS. 



By J. E. Pond. 



HIVES AND THEIR MANIPULATION. 



In beekeeping it is well to follow 

 the old rule, viz. : — "first get your 

 cage and then your bird." This 



