retain the heat ; that hives should face to 

 the south ; that the entrances may remain 

 open, and the bees be enable to pass around 

 the warm end of the frames on to other 

 combs, when their supply, of honey is 

 exhausted, and that, when we select a site 

 for an apiary, there should not be anything 

 left to obstruct the rays of the sun in the 

 winter; that the surface should be level and 

 the hives near the ground for warmth with 

 the rear slightly elevated in the winter to 

 cause moisture to pass freely out of the 

 hives. Bees arranged in this manner may, 

 with little care, be wintered out of doors 

 with the best of success, even if there are 

 cracks in the hive wide enough to enable 

 them to pass freely in and out and the hives 

 are exposed to the severest weather. 



Jerome Wiltse. 



Coushatta, La., Feb. 5, 1879. 

 An incident occurred in our parish several 

 years ago. 1 will give it as my friend, Mr. 

 G. W. Singleton, a gentleman of undoubted 

 veracity told it to me. lie said: "Several 

 years ago in the month of November, I 

 took one of my hives and killed the bees, as 1 

 thought with sulphur. A little boy playing 

 around covered up the apparently dead bees 

 in a hole in the ground by putting some dry 

 leaves on them and covering over with dirt, 

 saying that next spring he would hive them. 

 The following spring after a severe winter 

 1 took a hoe on a warm day and uncovered 

 the bees, and to my astonishment the bees 

 were not dead and began crawling and fly- 

 ing around." L. M. Howard. 



[There must be some mistake about this, 

 for bees could not live so long without food, 

 even if they were not killed by the 

 sulphur.— Ed.] 



Bell's Station, Tenn., Jan. 38, 1879. 

 Bees here are generally wintered on their 

 summer stands ; bid this season there is a 

 heavy loss. Some have lost one-half and 

 others all of their bees. I have heard of but 

 one bee-keeper in this neighborhood who 

 has lost none, but myself. I examined my 

 bees to-day and find plenty of eggs, cap- 

 ped brood and honey. If nothing prevents, 

 my bees will be strong by the time of the 

 first harvest. The Bee Journal is a wel- 

 come visitor here. John H. Smith. 



Lawson, Mo., Feb. 12, 1879. 

 I started Feb. 10, with J. L. Smith to 

 Kansas City to sell our honey, &c. We 

 visited severel bee-keepers while we were 

 gone and found that they had left the bees 

 on their summer stands and many have 



Serished, and the dysentery ravaging the 

 alance. Upon arriving home, 1 found my 

 house and its contents a pileof ruins, having 

 been destroyed by tire in my absence. Last, 

 fall I put 80 colonies in the cellar and packed 

 15 witn straw, and they are doing well, only 

 one showing signs of dysentery. I prefer 

 the packing in straw for this climate ; it is 

 so easy to give them a My on any warm day 

 in winter. It has paid me well for the 

 small amount of labor expended last fall in 

 putting them up. F. B. Campbell. 



Lansing, Mich., Jan. 21, 1879. 

 I most fully appreciate the honor of being 

 appointed V. President of the National Asso- 

 ciation for Michigan. 1 believe the Associa- 

 tion is a power for good in the country and 

 may become even more so in future. I will 

 do heartily what 1 may to aid. I congrat- 

 ulate the Society in its happy selection for 

 President, which is a bright 'omen for its 

 future usefulness. Very truly, 



A. J. Cook. 



Youngsville, Pa., Feb. 11, 1879. 

 Allow me to express, through the medium 

 of your excellent Journal my acknowledg- 

 ments of the honor conferred on me by the 

 National Bee-keepers' Association, in elect- 

 ing me as one of its Vice Presidents, in, and 

 for this noble old commonwealth, the key- 

 stone of the federal arch. Christianity and 

 patriotism prompt me to feel a degree of 

 pride in my native state, with its vast agri- 

 cultural and mineral resources. Her moun- 

 tains are filled with iron and coal, and her 

 valleys pour out rivers of oil. I might 

 modestly intimate how much of strength, 

 warmth and light, she has furnished to the 

 inhabitants of earth, but, as it would not be 

 strictly a bee article, I will desist. When a 

 boy, 32 years ago, my brother and I gave our 

 five shining silver dollars for a colony of 

 bees in a section of a hollow log, and brought 

 it home in triumph ; we little thought of 

 the proportions to which the science of bee 

 culture would grow, in these swiftly passing 

 years. From the hidden wonders contained 

 in those rude structures called gums and 

 skeps, where we could only guess as to the 

 condition of things within ; with bees as 

 dark as the shades of night and little honey 

 fit for the table ; we have passed to movable 

 comb hives made in a workman-like manner 

 and protected with durable paints, stocked 

 with beautiful yellow Italians, and tons and 

 tons, of white comb and extracted honey, 

 free from pollen and some that we know of, 

 is free from glucose, or any other abomina- 

 tion. It is this growing interest of our 

 country that the National Association pro- 

 poses to foster, and I therefore cheer- 

 fully accept the position assigned me, in the 

 hope that 1 may do my part, to add to its 

 interest and usefulnsss. W. J. Davis. 



[We hope all the Vice Presidents will not 

 only by every possible means help on our 

 art, and develop its resources, but also will 

 attend our next Annual Convention, which 

 now promises to be the most important and 

 interesting bee meeting ever held on the 

 American Continent. We already have in- 

 dications that it will be far more largely 

 attended than auy previous meeting.— Ed.] 



Jordan's Springs. Va., Feb. 6, 1879. 

 I have 94 colonies ot native and Italian 

 bees. All have gone through our hard win- 

 ter without the loss of any. 1 would not 

 give the Langstroth hive for all others com- 

 bined. 1 sold all of my 1st, 2d and 3d grades 

 of honey for 25c, 20c. and 15c. It goes to 

 Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New 

 York, St. Louis and Chicago. I sent sam- 

 ples of my honey to the great fair at St. 



