Mr. Gravenhorst as far superior to the Ital- 

 ians. On the whole, the book presented by 

 this author is one that shows on every page 

 the practical bee-keeper, who has had years 

 of experience with hundreds of colonies of 

 bees. . . _ . . 



ftW* " The Societie de Apiculteur de la 

 Sonime" (Northern France) is composed of 

 practical men, but the society is "looking 

 for more light "in the scientific and prac- 

 tical management of the apiary. In a recent 

 letter to the editor of the American Bee 

 Journal, L'Abbe DuBois, the correspond- 

 ent of the society, remarks that they "find 

 the most important and interesting experi- 

 ments are made by their colleagues in 

 America," and adds : " Nothing can teach 

 them better than the American Bee Jour- 

 nal, which you edit with so much ability 

 and zeal." 



Herr C. J. II. Gravenhorst, writes to the 

 American Bee Journal from Germany 

 as follows : " We have had, not a severe 

 but a long winter, with much snow, and our 

 bees had only some cleansing days on the 

 31st of December, 1ST8, the 9th to 11th of 

 February and the. 10th of March. So far 

 they have wintered very well. Since the 

 10th of March we have, every night, had a 

 severe cold, quite unnecessary in the month 

 of March. Vegetation is far behind that of 

 other years." 



The Society of Bee-Friends in Bohemia 

 held a constitutional meeting on Februry 

 33d, in Prague. The following were elected 

 officers: First President, Julian Walter, 

 Professor ; Second President, Ludwig Wus- 

 sin, manager of the domains of Prince 

 Lobkowitz ; Vice-President, Johan Czerny; 

 Secretary and Publisher of the Society's 

 Journal, R. Mayerhceffer ; Bibliothecary, 

 C. E. Mascher, Professor ; Treasurer, J. 

 Reibstein. This society is one of the young- 

 est in Bohemia, but promises to flourish in 

 a short time. R. Mayerhceffer, Sec. 



A young gentleman desiring to sojourn 

 some time in Europe, especially in Austria, 

 and wishing instruction in the German lan- 

 guage, would find an amicable and agreeable 

 reception in my house. My villa is situated 

 in a romantic country ; here he may busy 

 himself with agriculture and especially 

 apiculture, receiving correct instruction in 

 the German language, which 1 fully guar- 

 antee. The conditions are very moderate. 

 The abode will be free: for board the 

 amount will be fixed according to his re- 

 quirements. Living in Prague is good at 

 moderate prices, fully 20 per cent cheaper 

 than anywhere else. For further particu- 

 lars address, Rudolf. Mayerhceffer, Pub- 

 lisher of the "Austrian Bienen-Zeitung," 

 Praga, Austria, Newstadt, N., 747. 



(&0txzsp8wHmtt. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



How to get Strong Colonies Early. 



L. L. LANGSTROTII. 



Few will question that to succeed in 

 this, our colonies must go into winter 

 quarters strong in numbers, with plenty 

 of young bees, and ample supplies of 

 wholesome honey. In my location in 

 Southern Ohio, black bees as a general 

 rule lose weight, after they cease to get 

 honey from white clover — ordinarily 

 about the middle of June — while Ital- 

 ians in some seasons will forage so 

 largely on the second crop of red clover 

 as to build new comb and add consider- 

 ably to their stores. Our fall forage is 

 seldom of much account, and the Ital- 

 ians frequently cease breeding by the 

 first week in September. The black 

 race which appears to be less prescient 

 of the future, will often, even in poor 

 seasons, breed much later and use up 

 all their honey. 



In similar locations Italian bees 

 should be induced by feeding to make 

 a good spread of brood, even if they 

 have all the honey they need, or are so 

 over rich that some of their combs need 

 to be emptied. This has been usually 

 accomplished by liquid feeding— but 

 where this is not needed for the sup- 

 port of the bees, I will venture to sug- 

 gest for trial a frame of flour candy 

 where pollen is scarce, or of pure candy 

 where pollen is in good store. My ex- 

 periments last winter and this spring, 

 seem to indicate that candy acts as an 

 incessant stimulus to the rearing of 

 brood, and may under some circum- 

 stances be used much more ad- 

 vantageously then liquid food. 



Colonies which have scanty stores 

 after they have been stimulated to make 

 the required spread of brood, should be 

 generously fed with liquid food. I say 

 generously for any parsimony here is on 

 the '•'•penny wise and pound foolish" 

 principles. Italian bees, particularly, 

 seem to know when they are well oft, 

 and labor accordingly— they are equally 

 conscious of poverty, and repress their 

 spread of brood. They can know 

 nothing of their owner's generous inten- 

 tions of anticipating their wants— and 

 if they could, would find too often that 

 good resolutions and timely supplies 

 are two very different things. How 

 many colonies have had all their hopeful 

 energy, not to say their very lives, ex- 

 tracted out of them ! 



Having referred to the want of fall 



