469 



Very likely Hamlet might have said as 

 truly, "There are more virtues in our plants 

 than are dreampt of in your philosphy, 

 Horatio." There is, no doubt, a fruitful 

 source for experimentation in the study of 

 the economic qualities of our common 

 plants. And the honey plants should cer- 

 tainly be chosen as the first to study, and of 

 these this family composite offers a 

 host.— A. J. Cook.] 



Battle Creek, Mich, Aug. 1, 1879. 

 I have taken the American Bee Jour- 

 nal since January, 1879, and am delighted 

 with it. This spring I bought a colony of 

 Italians, purchased me a hive, put them in 

 it, and with the aid of the Journal I have 

 managed them so that they have the brood 

 chamber well filled and 16 lbs. of surplus 

 honey. They are very strong and healthy. 

 My only trouble now is, where shall 1 win- 

 ter them ? Howard Betterley. 



Rushford, Minn., Sept. 2, 1879. 

 I send specimen of plant, two stalks of 

 which grow in my garden. It began to 

 bloom the first week in August, and will, I 

 think, continue to bloom for two weeks yet. 

 My bees work on it very busily. Will you 

 please give me the name of plant ? This 

 has been a poor season for bees since the 

 first of July, as they have gathered but little 

 more honey than enough to live on. Long 

 prosper the Journal. G. W. White. 



[The sprig and flowers sent are from the 

 Rocky Mountain bee-plant, or Cleome 

 integrifolia, described in " Cook's Manual 

 of the Apiary," page 238, and has many 

 times been mentioned in the American 

 Bee Journal, and commended as an ex- 

 cellent honey plant.— Ed.] 



Carson City, Mich., Sept. 15, 1879. 

 Please notice in the Journal that the sec- 

 cond annual meeting of the Northern Mich- 

 igan Bee-Keeper's Association will be held 

 at Carson City, Montcalm Co., Michigan, on 

 the 16th and 17th of December next. Notices 

 will be sent to all members, and due notice 

 will be given in the local papers in the vi- 

 cinity. O. R. Goodno, Secretary. 



Mohawk, N. Y., Aug. 27, 1879. 

 By mail you will find a miller of the com- 

 mon hive species, which are found around 

 hives quite plenty. Are they injurious to 

 bees ? Chas. G. Ferris. 



[The insect is a cut-worm moth, of the 

 genus Agrotis. There are several species 

 of these plain gray moths, which do no 

 harm about the bees, but are great plant 

 destroyers, as growers of cabbage, corn, 

 tomatoes, etc., can attest. The nearly full- 

 grown larvae come up in May and June to 

 cut off plants and dig out buds of fruit trees. 

 They (the moths) seek concealment by day, 



and so are found in and around houses, 

 hives, etc. They are attracted by lights, 

 and so are very apt to be found in houses 

 where people sit and read or work evenings. 

 —A. J. Cook.] 



Janesville, Wis., Sept. 18, 1879. 

 Having just commenced bee-culture I 

 would like to learn all 1 can. I have 19 col- 

 onies, all in good condition except 2 ; those I 

 got out of hollow trees in the woods, brought 

 them home and put them in hives, They 

 are strong in bees, but have not much honey. 

 Now what I wish to know is, how to prepare 

 sugar to feed them ? Please answer in the 

 next Journal ! L. Fatzinger. 



[Use "A" sugar, dissolving to the consist- 

 ency of honey or syrup with warm water, 

 and feed inside the hive.— Ed.] 



Eglinton, Ont., Aug. 25, 1879. 

 There are mysteries connected with the 

 bees which, after all the discoveries of the 

 most acute observers, are inexplicable. I 

 have a hive which appeared to be queen- 

 less. I united with it a good second swarm, 

 and it appeared afterwards to be working 

 well. The hive had one top box with an 

 ample opening for the bees to store surplus 

 honey, and, although the clover was very 

 abundant, and others gave abundantly in 

 the top boxes, 1 never saw a single bee in 

 the box of this hive. Could any of your 

 readers explain the cause of this ? J. L. 



[We think there is but little mystery 

 about the case cited above. The bees un- 

 doubtedly found all the room they wanted 

 for storing honey below, and did not become 

 sufficiently numerous to work in the boxes 

 till honey-gathering became light.— Ed.] 



Knowersville, N. Y., Sept. 15, 1S79. 

 Please give me the names of the enclosed 

 plants. W. D. Wright. 



[Both are species of solidago or golden rod. 

 See Manual, page 243, fig. 99.— A. J. Cook.] 



Neosho Rapids,]Kans., Sept. 13, 1879. 

 Herewith find plant which grows in great 

 abundance in the timber laud in this county, 

 and blooms Aug. 15 to Sept. 15. It is cov- 

 ered with bees from morning till night. It 

 attains a height of from 3 to 5 feet. My strong 

 colonies are storing honey very rapidly in 

 the boxes. Two years ago last April I found 

 a swarm of bees in the limb of a tall cotton- 

 wood tree. I cut it down, and got the queen 

 and about half a gallon of bees, and put them 

 in a hive. About the first of June they left 

 their hive and settled on a bush ; I put them 

 back ; the next morning at 10 o'clock they 

 came out again. I put them in another hive, 

 and about 2 o'clock they came out of it. Be- 

 ing my first experience with bees I did not 

 know what to do. The bees settled on a rose 

 bush, when 1 caught the queen and clipped 

 one of her wings, then put them in the hive 

 I had them in first, and commenced to feed 

 them. They went to work and filled their 



