THS, 



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Spencer, Mass., Dec. 10, 1878. 

 I think the world of the Bee Journal. 

 It is the only paper that comes to our ad- 

 dress of which every word is read. I never 

 skip anything, and I am sure it is worth five 

 times its cost to any bee-keeper. 1 wish it 

 abundant success. E. F. Sibley. 



Chillicothe, Mo., Dec. 12, 1878. 



Dear Editor.— Thanks for the compli- 

 ment paid me by the last annual meeting of 

 the North American Bee-Keepers' Associa- 

 tion bv their electing me a Vice President 

 for this State. When time and opportunity 

 offer 1 will try and duly respond. 



J. W. Greene. 



[Dr. Greene is an advanced apiarist and 

 fully alive to the interests of apiarists in 

 Missouri, and will be made very useful in 

 furthering their interests in every possible 

 manner. Dr. G., will please look out for 

 the Honey and Bee Show next season, and 

 correspond with the managers of the State 

 Fair relative thereto. Missouri can and 

 should make a good show. — Ed.] 



Maysville, Ky., Dec. 17, 1378. 

 I begun the season of 1878 with 70 colonies 

 of Italian and hybrid bees, increased to 94. 

 Worked 30 for extracted honey, and got 

 3,150 lbs. ; worked 40 for comb honey and 

 not 1,750 lbs. Total yield of 70 colonies 

 4,850 lbs. of honey and 24 swarms. 



Wm. C. Pelham. 



Jefferson, Wis., Dec. 5, 1878. 

 1 see that I am elected one -of the Vice 

 Presidents of the North American Bee- 

 Keepers' Association. I accept the position, 

 and will cheerfully co-operate, to further 

 the interests of apiculture generally. I 

 hope to attend the next meeting of the 

 Association next October, in Chicago, and 

 unite in the discussion of the themes of 

 importance that will come before it. 



Chistopher Grimm. 



[ Of course, we fully expect you to be pres- 

 ent, and aid us in every way possible. You 

 must see that Wisconsin's Bee and Honey 

 Show is one of the best in the United 

 States. It is important that you confer with 

 the manager of the State Agricultural So- 

 ciety and arrange the preliminaries and get 

 prizes offered by them as well as the Na- 

 tional Association. — Ed.] 



Ripton, Wis., Dec. 8, 1878. 

 Dear Editor. — Allow me to join you in 

 the welcome you extend to L. L. Langstroth. 

 In our younger days we remember him as a 

 friend to the bee-keeper, and a gentleman in 

 all of his dealings. Those able bee-masters, 

 Langstroth and Quinby, gave us our first 

 lessons in bee-keeping, and we hope never 

 to forget those happy days, and the names 

 of our eminent teachers. R. Dart. 



Catskill, N. Y., Nov. 25, 1878. 

 I have derived more practical knowledge 

 from reading Prof. Cook's new " Manual of 

 the Apiary," than from any other book. 

 E. H. Wynkoop. 



Lowell, Ky., Dec. 4, 1878. 

 I see I have been elected one of the Vice 

 Presidents of the National Bee-Keepers T 

 Association. I assure you that no man takes 

 deeper interest in bees than I do, and I shall 

 gladly undertake all that may be required of 

 me in that position so far as my delicate 

 health will permit. R. M. Argo. 



[Your interest in the science and long ex- 

 perience in the business procured that 

 appointment. When the propertime arrives, 

 you will, no doubt, do all you can to get up a 

 good Honey and Bee Show in connection 

 with your State Fair, and thus aid producers 

 in bringing up the standard to an honorable 

 position. Improvement in the race of bees, 

 and in production and marketing, are the 

 desirable points. Give it all the thought and 

 attention you can, that when the time for 

 action comes you may be ready.— Ed.] 



New Orleans, La., Dec. 12, 1878. 



I send flowers and leaves of what is 

 named here "Japan plum." It is Mespilus 

 Japonica, and Evergreen, and produces a 

 most delicious fruit which often ripens here 

 as early, as February. The blossoms 

 appear in the autumn months. This year 

 the earliest bloom was seen the first week in 

 August ; from 1st September until now, it 

 has bloomed profusely and it is yet in full 

 bloom, with an abundance of embyo fruit. 

 And unless we have a freeze— (ordinary 

 frosts do not affect it), it will continue to 

 bloom a month longer. At present it is 

 almost the only thing in full bloom. My 

 bees (300 colonies) have taken a very large 

 quantity of delicious honey from it, and in 

 60 hives there is so much, that the extractor 

 has been resorted to. My bees are 15 and 30 

 miles South, in the adjoining parish. 



John M. Putnam- 



The Mespilus Oermanica grows in Eng- 

 land, and is much praised for its fruit. 

 From Mr. Putnam's account the M. Japon- 

 ica is unprecedented in its length of bloom. 



We think two months a long time. We 

 pay high tribute to mignonette, cleome 

 and borage, when we tell of four months of 

 bloom ; but this is mild praise when com- 

 pared with this Japan Plum which flowers 

 from August 1st till January. 



The flowers are in a dense panicle, and 

 were still fragrant after their long journey. 

 The leaf is lanceolate, and very thick, some 

 like the wax plant. I should say it was an 

 evergreen. The apiarists of the South are 

 to be congratulated on this valuable acquisi- 

 tion to their bee forage. I hope it will 

 thrive North as well as South. 



A. J. Cook. 



