him, and yet be very far from being a prac- 

 tical bee-keeper. The hive, the bees, and 

 all their surroundings, must be kept in good 

 condition. Then, due attention, in proper 

 time, will insure success. Without the 

 necessary knowledge, it is useless to be to 

 any expense, or to have anything to do with 

 them. Many persons now keeping bees, re- 

 ceive no profit or benefit. Bee-keeping 

 when properly managed, is a remunerative 

 business, and is especially adapted to men 

 who have become debilitated or are advanced 

 in life, and ladies who are dependent on 

 their labor for their support. It is an easy 

 vocation and within the ability of invalids. 

 Many who are not sufficiently strong and 

 healthy to perform hard labor, can attend to 

 an apiarv, there being but little labor required 

 after they are once put into proper con- 

 dition. 



Thus it will pay to devote a little time 

 and money to become posted in the best and 

 most successful management. It is better 

 to first send and get ideas of experienced 

 bee-keepers, than to learn by experimental 

 knowledge just what to do, and when. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



From Western Illinois. 



WM. CAMM. 



I do not want my name, to be put in 

 the column of " blasted hopes." I 

 will acknowledge that I am sorely dis- 

 appointed, for this was the first year that 

 I had counted upon any income from 

 my bees, and although I started with 

 nearly four times as many as I did last 

 spring a year ago, I shall not get half so 

 much honey in any shape, and indeed it 

 will be more than I expect if all make 

 enough to winter on ; but I will not 

 admit that I am discouraged. All out- 

 lay for hives and boxes will keep till 

 another season, and such a drouth as 

 this will not come every year. I have 

 no melilot, but it does seem to me that 

 if there is a plant that it would pay to 

 cultivate for honey alone it is figwort 

 (scrophularia nodosa). 



In my thick double-walled hives I find 

 it best to cut the entrance M or % deep 

 inside, but % or % outside, then the re- 

 turning bees fiy almost into the hive 

 and over those going out, for the latter 

 always run some inches on the alight- 

 ing-board before taking wing. 



To stop robbing, close the entrance 

 blocks to suit the case, and then lay 

 unon them a piece of board as broad as 

 the block, and shove it back against the 

 front of the hive so that the robbers can- 

 not get down behind it. 



Where a black queen is mated with a 

 yellow drone, her progeny are gentler 

 and more industrious than the blacks, 

 this I know ; but when a yellow queen 

 meets a black drone the result seems to 

 be a cross lot of chickens. Wishing 



lately to introduce a yellow queen, I 

 placed the cage containing the Italian 

 queen upon top of a neighboring hive 

 until I could find and remove the black 

 queen. After looking over the comb 

 once I had to carry the hive into a build- 

 ing out of the way of robbers, leaving 

 nothing on the stand. I failed to find 

 the black mother-bee, and meanwhile, 

 as many bees had taken wing, a good 

 swarm had clustered on and about the 

 cage which had the yellow queen in it. 

 I removed a black queen from a weak 

 colony, placed the caged Italian in it. 

 and let the bees run in, and now they 

 are working like a natural swarm. 1 

 mention this, because it seems to me 

 there is something in it that might be 

 utilized in making artificial swarms. 

 Winchester, 111., Sept. 7, 1879 



From the Farmers' Review. 



Hints on Wintering Bees. 



PROF. A. J. COOK. 



In view of the serious losses by bee-keep- 

 ers during the past winter, and its two or 

 three predecessors of the past ten years, 

 there is scarce any subject so worthy of 

 attention and study, and so sure to gain it as 

 the one at the head of this article. If we 

 may judge by the past, we may expect these 

 trying seasons about once in three years. 

 Notwithstanding this probability, I feel cer- 

 tain that the wise and painstakina apiarist 

 has nothing to fear ; more than this, I 

 believe these trying winters will be to his- 

 advantage, on the principle of the "survival 

 of the fittest." The careless, ignorant bee- 

 keepers, with their unmarketable honey, 

 will be weeded out, and he will be spared 

 competition. This is a double advantage, 

 as it is the illy-prepared honey of these 

 ignorant, slovenly bee-keepers that most 

 depreciates prices. 



It seems more and more certain that wise 

 forethought and corresponding action is go- 

 ing to bridge over these dreaded disasters. 

 I know of no one in this vicinity who knew 

 how, and practiced what he knew, that suf- 

 fered loss the past winter. I know a few 

 who knew, but were too negligent to act, 

 hoping that good fortune would make it 

 unnecessary, who lost heavily. I know 

 many more, who neither knew or practiced, 

 who lost all or nearly all. 



That we may the better fortify against the 

 dangers that are sure to confront us sooner 

 or later, and may any winter, let us learn 

 what these evils are. 



Experience proves very clearly that very 

 severe cold, even for two or three weeks, is 

 dangerous to bees. This may work evil in 

 two ways : The bees feel the chill, essay to 

 move, and drop from the cluster and perish. 

 With more activity, they eat more, and thus 

 may use up the honey where the cluster is 

 formed, and the surrounding honey bein» 

 chilled and inaccessible, the bees actually 

 starve. If the cold be long continued, the 

 danger is greatly augmented. Extremes of 



