TIIK AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



'] 



Thus llie honey produced in Fi'ance averages 

 C5 lbs. per hive; in Austria, fij lbs.; and in 

 Orcece, 3f,- lbs The product ol" wax per hive 

 averages in Greece and Austria .'V,' lbs., and in 

 France onlj^ 1.^ Us. In proportion to the popu- 

 lation of the several countries, the product of 

 wax is in Greece ;,' lb. to each inhabitant; in 

 Austria, ;^ lb.; and in France only li ounce. 



For the .'ktiipricaii Tlpo .Tournal. 



Apistical Budget. 



The great value of fertile queens in early 

 spring, to supply stocks thvt have become queen- 

 less during the winter, is well known to bee- 

 keepers, and to supply them has been a subject 

 , of considerable thought with me. 



I have at last fallen on Mie following plan, 

 and as I do not know of any similar one having 

 been made public, I offer it for what it is worth. 



Make a large box, say twenty inches wide by 

 twenty inches long, and fourteen inches deep. 

 Nail slats across the bottom, (pieces of lath will 

 do), leaving half an inch space between them. 

 ■ The top to be made like the cap of a Laugstroth 

 lilve, and just large enough to fit over this other, 

 with holes for ventilation. 



Now make eighteen small boxes, six inches 

 wide by seven long, and six high. These are 

 to be made a? follows: sides and ends of half- 

 inch stuff; top and bottom of wire cloth, such 

 as is used for queen . cages, the bottoms may 

 be fastened; the tops must be movable. On the 

 inside of the ends, five-eights of an inch from 

 the top, nail a cleat to hold the frames. 



You are now ready for operations. Late in 

 the fall fill one or two frames with sealed honey 

 and put into each small box. Now lift out the 

 frames and bees in the nuclei, with the queen 

 to be wintered, and put them into the small 

 boxes. When you have the eighteen filled, 

 shut them up tight, that is so they cannot get 

 out, and put the whole number into the large 

 box, leaving fully half an inch space between 

 each one. Put on the top, and you have a 

 mammoth hive, made up of a number of small 

 ones, whose united heat and stores are equal to 

 the best store stocks you have. This hive is to 

 be buried along with the rest, or otherwise pro- 

 tected, and will come out in the spring rich in 

 stores and increasing in bees. 



One more item and I am done. Might not 

 pure queens be saved in this way: catch 

 Iiuudveds of handsome drones, and turn them 

 N^ loose in a large and well lighted room with a 

 young unfertile queen a few days old V I have 

 never tried it, but often thought I Avould. 



I have many more items, but do not wish to 

 crowd out others of more importance. 



II. C. Barnard. 



CUAITLESTON, IlMKOIS. 



[For iho American Bee Journal.] 



Uniting Bees in the Fall. 



Fo'i" several ytarr, I have practiced unilini 

 bees iir the fall in the following manner : 



I have a box six or eight inches deep, and 

 just the size of the lower part of the hive. The 

 bottom of the box is covered with wire cloth, 

 and two strips one inch square nailed on two 

 opposite sides to give a chance for ventilation 

 underncalii. Then paralyze all the bees you 

 wish to unite wil-h putr-ball smoke, put them 

 into the box, and set the hive over it. In a 

 .short time they will revive and crawl up among 

 the combs, and will not quarrel. 



If you wish to save any particular queen, re- 

 move all but that one. Do it just at night, 

 fastening up the hive so that the bees cannot 

 escape until the next morning. This has always 

 been with me a perfectly safe way of introducing 

 queens. The bees always keep the one you give 

 them if you remove all the others. 



To paralyze bees, make a tin tube six inches 

 long and two inches in diameter, with a wooden 

 stopper in each end, having a half inch hole 

 through it. Peel some dry puff balls ; lay one 

 on the coals until it smokes ; then put it in the 

 tube, and blow the smoke into the hive until 

 the bees drop to the bottom, which will be in 

 from tliree to eight minutes, according to the 

 size of the swarm. 



It is necessary that they should have room at 

 the bottom of the hive that they may fall clear 

 of the combs. J. L. Hubbard. 



Walpole, New Hampshire. 



[For the Bee Journal.] 



Another American Bee Plant. 



polanisia purpurea. 



This hardy plant is said to have been brought 

 from the Rocky Mountains. I procured a small 

 package" of the seed, which came from Kansas, 

 and havs raised it two seasons. It begins to 

 blossom about the first of August, and continues 

 in blossom five or six weeks. It is very hardy ; 

 the frost does not injure it, and I have not 

 known a worm or bug to eat it. 



It does best to sow the seeds in the fall. They 

 germinate early in the spring, growing to a 

 height of three or four feet, biancliing in all 

 directions, and having a large number of beau- 

 tiful puri^le blossoms. The bees work on it all 

 day, gathering honey only ; at least I have 

 never seen one having anj' ])ollen on its legs. 



I cannot tell yet in regard to the quantity or 

 quality of honey it yields, as I have not raised 

 enough for that ])urpose, but the bees Avork very 

 freely on it. 



It produces quite a quantity of seed, whii-h 

 can be saved atler it gets through blossoming ; 

 but whether the seed'is of much value I cannot 

 say. I am going to try it on the sheep this 

 winter, and Tf go'od for them, will report. 



It does not grow so luxvuianlly v^-hen sown 

 in the spring,''although it blossoms the same 

 season. I have a quaniily of the seed, and will 

 send a package ta iiuy address if a small sum is 

 enclosed to i)ay 1 osljige and expense of putting 

 up 



Will IT. A. Terry (or any other man) please 

 send me a parkageof s<!edsof CTflme Intefjrlfuliu, 



