Beaver, Oct. 6, 1879. 

 Enclosed find 2 specimens of plants which 

 grow profusely in our vicinity, and from 

 which bees obtain considerable honey from 

 about the middle of September until the 

 bloom is destroyed bv the frost. Am 1 cor- 

 rect in supposing them to be asters ? The 

 larger variety grows from 3 to 4 feet high, 

 and is found principally along the shady 

 edges of the woods on runs and creeks, 

 while the smaller variety, from 8 to 12 inches 

 high, is always found on the upland. From 

 the number of bees frequenting them, they 

 must contain much honey. 



Wm. S. Barclay. 



[Yes ; these are fragments of two species 

 of asters.— W. J. Beal.1 



Augusta, Ga. 

 I send you samples of a few of our 

 Southern forage plants— 12 different varieties 

 including two varieties of solidago. These 

 plants are referred to in my paper on " Bee 

 Forage in the South " read before the Nati- 

 onal Association at Chicago, last month. 

 Please place these specimens in your "Mu- 

 seum of bee-keepers' curiosities." The 

 North American Bee-Keepers' Society, 

 though still in its swaddling clothes, has 

 the power to wield an immense amount of 

 good to our Country. While its meetings 

 sum up the experience of the wisest and 

 best bee-keepers, and while it aims to assist 

 the honey-producers to protect their pro- 

 ducts from adulteration and to encourage 

 their sale, it should never lose sight of the 

 question of the still yet undeveloped mys- 

 teries in the development of the honey-bee, 

 and of the many occult pages in its natural 

 history. The American Society for the 

 advancement of National Science ; the 

 American Pomological Society ; the Ameri- 

 can Medical, Association, &c, all have their 

 standing committees for investigation and 

 observation. Would it not be advisable to 

 have something of the sort in the Bee- 

 Keepers' Society ? May the North Ameri- 

 can Bee-Keepers' Society virtually know no 

 North, no South, no East, no West, but work 

 for a common good and a common cause, 

 and may its sessions always be harmonious 

 and instructive, so that its members can 

 return to their homes socially and intellectu- 

 ally benefitted. J. P. II. Brown. 



Peoria, 111., Oct., 1879. 

 In driving along the Illinois river bottom, 

 about Oct. 1st, we noticed large quantities of 

 aster simplex in bloom ; is it a good honey 

 plant ? During this warm weather, bees are 

 bringing in honey quite freely from some 

 source. Golden rod, asters, and a species of 

 smartweed {polygonum), are all the source 

 we know of. Inordinary seasons, golden 

 rod is through blooming by this time. We 

 have noticed white clover blooming beauti- 

 fully in some places, but have had no oppor- 

 tunity of ascertaining whether it is yielding 

 honey. Mrs. L. Harrison. 



[I had always supposed that all of our nu- 

 merous asters were good honey producers. 

 I know no reason to suppose that aster sim- 

 plex is any exception.— W. .1. Beat,.] 



LaCrosse, Wis., Sept. 16, 1879. 

 I send you a part of a plant that grows in 

 great abundance on the sandy prairies in 

 this locality. The blooming season is dur- 

 ing the month of August. The poorer the 

 soil, the better the plant grows and the 

 more honey the bees can gather from it, pro- 

 vided it is not too dry, which is hardly ever 

 the case in this locality. The honey is very 

 light in color, not as good as the white clo- 

 ver and linden honey, and it also has a 

 peculiar taste. The plant is called by many 

 mint, but I believe it to be white sage. 

 Please reply through the Journal what 

 the plant is called. I shall gather some of 

 the seed and send to you. L. H. Pammel. 



[The above is wild bergamot {Monarda 

 fistnlosa), a well-known honey plant.— W. 

 J. Beal.] 



Cambridge, 111., Oct. 31, 1879. 

 It may not lie too late yet to give my ex- 

 perience with my bees last winter. I am 

 satisfied I have found the true principle of 

 wintering, though it is not new by any 

 means. I must tell the readers of the best 

 bee paper, how cheaply and well I brought 

 them through. In the east side of a small 

 hill I dugout a hole 9x12 feet and 5 feet deep, 

 letting the bottom slant with the hill ; posts 

 were set on the sides and ends, good heavy 

 ones to hold up the roof, a double door was 

 put in the east end ; the top was made roof- 

 shaped and covered with about a foot of 

 straw, then 6 inches of dirt, then a good coat 

 of straw on top, with some long grass to 

 keep it from leaking. A 2 inch pipe was put 

 in the west end for ventilation, and a 

 small hole was kept open in the east end, all 

 the winter. A slanting doorway was cut out 

 and boards laid on top with straw kept on 

 top to keep out the heat of the morning sun. 

 Now for the results, I put 48 colonies in the 

 cave the 4th of December and took them out 

 on the 8th of March, having looked at them 

 but once during the winter. They all came 

 through in fine condition except 4, and these 

 were sitting on the damp ground, as my 

 cave proved too small for the number of 

 colonies. The temperature generally stood 

 at 40° to 46° fell but once to 36°. They kept 

 very quiet, and in their first-fiight never 

 soiled the hives a particle. The cave was 

 boarded on the inside. The floor should be 

 made drier than mine was, with sand or 

 something of the kind J. V. Caldwell. 



Wellesley, Mass., Sept. 20, 1879. 

 What is the cause of a peculiar odor 

 emitted from the hives in late summer and 

 early fall? Last year I noticed nothing of 

 it, but this season it has been very percep- 

 tible. 1 do not suppose it to be anything 

 uncommon to bees, or due to any wrong in 

 their condition, as mine have always win- 

 tered well, coming through in the spring 

 strong and vigorous. Never noticed it be- 

 fore the last of August, or after frosty 

 nights had set in. I winter them under an 

 open shed, with bags of rowen stuffed in 

 at the top and sides of the hives, allowing 

 them flights on sunny days. 1. Flagg. 



[The odor comes from some plant upon 

 which the bees work. — Ed. J 



