an inch. Try this improvement once and 

 you will find it valuable. It conies quite 

 convenient, too, when you wish to cover a 

 joint in your comb, the staple reaching over 

 on both pieces. I think if you will look 

 over the back numbers of the American 

 Bee Journal some six or seven years ago, 

 you will find a full description by myself of 

 the thing you " only ask the credit of origi- 

 nating." 1 do not claim to have originated 

 It for a certainty, only the improvement. 

 J. W. Greene. 



Rockwood, Mich., Oct. 10, 1879. 

 I commenced the spring with 55 colonies 

 in fair condition ; increased to 65; I tried 

 Mr. R. Dart's plan to prevent increase. I 

 had 800 lbs. of honey this year, leaving my 

 bees plenty to winter on that is capped over. 

 Levi N. Miller. 



Woodbury, Conn., Oct. 15, 1879. 

 The piece of comb containing eggs 

 shipped to me by you, marked taken from 

 the hive 10:20 a. m., Sept. 29th, arrived here 

 Oct. 3d., at 3:15 p. m. : but on account of 

 being away, it was not put into the hive on 

 arrival, I reached home Oct. 4th, 7:45 p. m. 

 I then put the comb under the quilt until 

 Monday the 6th, and now I have over one- 

 half of the cells with capped worker-brood 

 in. II. L. Jeffrey. 



Baldwin, Pa., Oct. 24, 1879. 

 1 am looking around for a good location 

 for bee-keeping as a specialty— a location 

 where there is no doubt of the existence of 

 large surplus honey crop. Having very lit- 

 tle knowledge of the country and its re- 

 sources so far as regards bee-pasturage. I 

 would like to have your opinion on where, 

 in your judgment, you would consider the 

 best location (leaving out California) for an 

 apiary. W. P. Johnson. 



[There ai - e scores of locations in nearly 

 all the Central, and many of the Northern 

 and Southern States, where the right man 

 could undoubtedly do well as an apiarist. 

 But the person desiring to engage in the 

 business, is the one to determine if they will 

 meet his wants.— Ed.] 



Worthington, Iowa, Oct. 6. 1879. 

 I have been a bee-keeper for 20 years, and 

 this has been my poorest season for surplus 

 honey. Last fall I put 73 colonies in my 

 bee-cellar, left one on summer stand packed 

 with chaff, and 8 piled up in a fence corner 

 of the bee-yard, surrounded and covered 

 with straw. All came out strong, one was 

 queenless and two had drone-laying queens. 

 1 had them all very strong by the middle of 

 May. Extracted the first honey June 15th, 

 the last on July 5th ; in all, 2S85 lbs., be- 

 sides 195 lbs. comb honey in section-boxes. 

 1 increased to 112 by dividing, in August; 

 all are now strong in bees and honey. I 

 shall prepare for wintering the same as last 

 fall, and have no fear of any loss. I am con- 

 vinced it is not in wintering, but in prepar- 

 ing them for winter, that we are either suc- 

 cessful or meet with loss. P. Lattner. 



Shelbyville, Ky., Oct. 25, 1879. 

 The past has been a poor season for honey. 

 Bees in fair condition now. Have not had 

 a natural swarm this year, from 18 colonies. 

 Made two and lost two during the season. 

 IIobt. K. Moore. 



Libertyville, Mo., Oct. 25, 1879. 

 I have 11 colonies of Italian bees in good 

 condition for wintering. Have sold $60. 

 worth of queens. The Bee Journal gets 

 more valuable every month. Thanks. 



J. B. Dines. 



Fort Atkinson, Wis., Oct. 13, 1879. 

 Bees have done very poorly in this section 

 this season. My 30 colonies only gave 15 in- 

 crease and 300 lbs. of surplus honey, more 

 than what I had to feed back to the latest 

 swarms. This, you see, will barely pay ex- 

 penses. Some are nearly disgusted and 

 offer to sell for three dollars per colony in 

 large quantities. L. M. Roberts. 



Crown City, O., Oct. 7, 1879. 

 I'm happy! Why? Because my 92 colo- 

 nies have enough honey to winter them, 

 and what else? Why over 50 colonies have 

 queens reared this summer and the balance 

 last year's queens. My bees are strong, and 

 getting honey rapidly. I'm going to have 

 an outside box for every hive, and keep 

 hives and sections stuffed summer and 

 winter, with proper ventilation. Without 

 "stuffing," 1 claim no one can winter suc- 

 cessfully and obtain the largest yield of 

 honey on summer stands. I sleep better 

 when my bees are packed nicely. 



C. STewsom. 



Blairstown, Iowa, Oct. 12, 1878. 

 The season here has been dry, and con- 

 sequently bees have not done well. In May 

 and June they gathered considerable honey, 

 where they were kept strong and not allowed 

 to swarm, but since then they have done 

 very little, on buckwheat, golden rod and 

 asters ; not more than enough for winter 

 stores. We had a frost about the middle of 

 September that destroyed all forage except 

 white clover which is blooming quite pro 

 fusely, though not yielding much honey. 

 Since" the frost, the weather has been very 

 warm, inducing much activity and con- 

 sumption of stores so that it is impossible 

 to open a hive without attracting robbers. 

 Harry G. Burnet. 



Johnstown, N. Y., Oct. 17, 1879. 

 During the very warm days we have had 

 in October a neighbor said to me : "I think 

 there is something wrong with your bees, 

 and that you are losing a great many ; they 

 come to my garden and are on the decaying 

 fruit— apples, pears, &c— and I notice many 

 are unable to fly away ; they attempt, but 

 seem weak, and only fly a few inches and 

 fall, and then run over the ground, making 

 apparently frantic efforts to get away, but 

 are unable." This seemed surprising to 

 me, as I supposed my entire apiary was in 

 a healthy and thrifty condition, and a little 

 consideration has convinced me that the 

 bees had become intoxicated on the fer- 

 mented juice of decaying fruit. 



W. D Footk 



