116 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



May 



Trade Journals are nearly all of them 

 men of real intelligence and ability, 

 most of them graduates of college. 

 They certainly know what bee-keeping 

 is, and no doubt they would prefer to 

 offer it. But like others who have 

 something to offer which the youngster 

 is desirous to buy they have learned 

 the lesson of giving mysterious mys- 

 tifying advice as to what the young 

 Bee-Keeper wants. The real fault lies 

 with the older Bee-Keepers. It is not 

 because they are careless in bringing 

 such literature into the house ? or is it 

 because in a majority of American 

 Bee Keepers the atmosphere of intelli- 

 gence is lacking that the youngster of 

 the hour must go out from its shell to 

 acquire it? 



^ ■■■ ^ 



OURREKT COMMENTS. 



BY H. E. HILL. 



A bee-keeper of some extent and 

 reputed learning, recently informed 

 me that the largest concern in the 

 U.S., engaged in bee-culture, is the 

 " Arkansas Bee Syndicate. " My in- 

 formant takes no journal devoted to 

 the interests of his business, and ex- 

 plains my ignorance of this gigantic 

 enterprise in Ark., by saying that 

 they do not patronize the advertising 

 columns of the bee papers, hence they 

 are boycotted by the press. " AVhis- 

 per it not, in Gath. " 



There has been quite an influx of 

 bee-keepers into Southwest Texas 

 during the past few months, from 

 various parts of the U. S., and Can- 

 ada. 



ly all being securely attached to the 

 bottom bar, in my experience. Ac- 

 cording to a quotation from the Aus- 

 tralian Bee-Bulletin, by "Gleaner" 

 in the A. B. J., bees won't do it in 

 Australia, unless the combs are placed 

 above before they get them "roun- 

 ed off " on the bottom. Bees in 

 America are not so particular, how- 

 ever, especially when a little crowded 

 for room. 



It is becoming evident that spread- 

 ing brood, like stimulative feeding, is 

 one of the " abandoned hobbies" with 

 the majority of the bee-keepers, a 

 majority, at least of those whose 

 methods are made public through the 

 medium of the press, and yet I adhere 

 to the moderate practice of spreading 

 brood, and am satisfied that stimula- 

 tive feeding, when done discreetly, 

 has its reward in a more adequate 

 force of honey-gatherers at the ad- 

 vent of "harvest time". A very 

 populous colony, rich in stores, has 

 no need of such assistance, it is rec- 

 ommended only for the building up 

 of the weaker stocks, and has for 

 years, and still is a success with me. 



'• Bees, hived on empty frames 



never build drone comb until they 

 have occupied the hive at least 21 

 days, or until the worker brood begins 

 to hatch, " says a Florida bee-keeper 

 of 20 years experience. Is that a 

 fact ? 



Using combs one season in the up- 

 per story has always resulted in near- 



The Pittsburg Times, of April 13, 

 published a very interesting article 

 on the "value of honey as food. " 

 No better means could be adopted by 

 those interested in extending the con- 

 sumption of honey, than to secure the 



