210 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



be large, or very soon made up if meant to be so. 

 We learn that several American inventors 

 have their attention directecl to this matter ; 

 and it may be that home-bred ingenuity will 

 prove itself able to devise some conveliient pro- 

 cess equally efficient. 



Extract from a letter, dated, 



LiGHTSTKEET, Cohimlia Co., Pa., 

 April 15, 1868. 



"If Mrs. Allen Tupper, Mr. Adam Grimm, 

 Mr. H. A. King, or any other person largely en- 

 gaged in the bee business, should come east the 

 coming season, w^e would be pleased to have 

 them call on us, or stop with us a day or two. 

 By notifying us in time, we would bring them 

 from the depot, and return them when desired, 

 free of charge. H. W. Creasy & Co. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Objections Answered. 



A correspondent in the April number of the 

 JouKNAL thinks that the lioney-comb-emptier 

 is objectionable, because people in his vicinity 

 will not buy honey in a liquid state, except at 

 a low price. Perhaps they never had it thus 

 offered free from the coloring given in extract- 

 ing it from old dark comb (and mixed with 

 bee-bread) either by heat or pressure. We find 

 no difficulty in disposing of all we have in a 

 liquid form, either at home or abroad. 



But even if it would not bring so high a price 

 with him, let us ask if he can get as high a price, 

 or any good price, for his honey in such comb ; 

 and also whether he cannot see saving enough 

 in using this emptied comb, to be refilled in up- 

 per storage receptacles, to pay any difference in 

 the selling price of the honey. Okl comb is the 

 best for this purpose. 



The tendency of honey to candy is also urged 

 as an objection. Tliis has some iorce. We 

 find that honey taken out of the comb last June 

 and kept air-tight, is still as limpid as at first ; 

 but that honey taken out in December candied. 

 Therefore we propose to empty the combs as 

 fast as filled, and by putting the honey in air- 

 tight vessels, do not apprehend any trouble. 

 If it does candy, opening the jars and setting 

 them in water which can be gradually heated, 

 brings it back to the liquid state ; and none thus 

 treated has re-candied. 



We shall be able io secure, by the use of the 

 machine, our share of honey from the fruit blos- 

 soms, which every bee keeper knows to be of a 

 peculiarly delicate flavor ; but which, without 

 the machine, cannot be safely and i^rofitably 

 taken from tlie hive. 



James T. Langstroth. 

 Oxford, Ohio. 



Hasty observers frequently fall into error, by 

 attempting to found a fact upon an inference, 

 'instead of drawing an inference from a fact. 



[For the American Bee Joarnal.] 



Foulbrood in Iowa. 



Mr. Editor : — I see that Mrs. Tupper calls 

 for an explanation of the fears expressed by Mr. 

 Baldridge that there is foulbrood in some of the 

 apiaries of Iowa. I may state that it is a fact 

 that there is foulbrood in that State, at least in 

 Clinton county ; and it is spreading very rapid- 

 ly. So I am told by residents in the neighbor- 

 hood where it exists. It is spreading by the 

 bees of strong colonies robbing weak stocks re- 

 duced by the disease. 



If Mrs. Tupper had been at the Iowa State 

 Fair she could have seen foulbrood, without 

 going more than twenty rods from the en- 

 closure of the fair grounds, as there is there 

 an apiary badly affected with it. 



I will endeavor to explain how it is supposed 

 the disease was first introduced. Some boys 

 found a bee tree and cut it, securing the bees, 

 and putting them in a box hive. They then 

 placed a thick cloth over the bottom and car- 

 ried them home. On reaching home, however, 

 most of the bees were dead. These were 

 thrown out on the ground and soon began to 

 decompose. Neighboring bees then gathered 

 the honey that was in the honey-sacs of the dead 

 and decomposing bees. Foulbrood was not 

 discovered for some time after that, nor was its 

 character known when observed, though sus- 

 pected by some ; but some of the comb with 

 dead brood Avas sent to Mr. Quinbj^, who pro- 

 nounced it foulbrood. 



As to the fears that it was introduced with 

 Italian bees, they are entirely groundless. It 

 was discovered before any Italian bees were 

 brought to tliat part of the country. 



If Mrs. Tupper or any one else wishes for 

 more information about the matter, I would 

 refer them to Mr. David Hess, Lyons, Iowa, as 

 he was the first to discover the disease, and lost 

 some fifty swarms by it. He can probably state 

 the number of apiaries affected by it, and how 

 long ago it was discovered. I know only a 

 few apiaries in which it exists. 



Should any still doubt that there is foulbrood 

 in Iowa, they can see for themselves if they at- 

 tend the next Iowa State fair. 



R. R. Murphy. 



Fulton, Whiteside Co., III. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Hov/ to Feed Bees in Langstrotli Hives. 



In answer to Mr. Hunter's inquiry, I would 

 say that I found, this winter, the following to 

 be the best in practice : — Take a frame of empty 

 comb, lay it on a ])an and pour j^our liquid feed 

 into the empty cells until full ; now turn and 

 fill the cells on the other side ; then stand it 

 upriglit over the pan, to drain. When drained 

 enough, insert it in the hive. 



John M. Pierce. 



Buffalo Grove, Iowa, 



