White clover honey was then quoted " in 

 slow demand at 12@14c," and a consid- 

 erable shipment would have been diffi- 

 cult of sale at much reduced figures. 

 In September, a party having several 

 hundred pounds of white clover honey, 

 and unable to get an offer of more than 

 lie, on South Water street, was about 

 to close out on an offer of 12c. made by 

 a Madison street grocer ; but, consult- 

 ing with us, held to his honey till Octo- 

 ber 21st, then accepted our offer of 15c, 

 which was the highest bid he could get. 

 We have at times found it difficult to 

 sell honey at the published quotations ; 

 and quite as often could not fill orders 

 at those figures. That at a distance of 

 12 miles from his town, Dr. Miller has 

 seen white clover honey which had been 

 bought by a grocer at 10c. per lb., is not 

 without precedent ; last spring white 

 honey retailed on West Madison street, 

 in this city, at 12£c, while some commis- 

 sion houses on South Water street were 

 holding it at 15c, in job lots. 



We doubt whether the National Con- 

 vention could " influence the Chicago 

 papers to give reliable quotations of the 

 honey market ;" and we further doubt 

 whether " reliable quotations " are pos- 

 sible, until a sufficient number of com- 

 mission houses, with ample means to 

 handle all the crop, may make of honey 

 a specialty. We see no way to get " re- 

 liable quotations," unless those quota- 

 tions be made by the apiarists them- 

 selves. To this end we made the fol- 

 lowing suggestion in our " Keport of 

 the Representative Lo Europe" : " We 

 should agree upon a price that will pay 

 for production and at the same time not 

 retard consumption, and then all should 

 be guided by this, and thus aid in estab- 

 lishing a regular market price for honey, 

 the same as is obtained for wheat, corn 

 and oats." When our Societies and Con- 

 ventions have united the bee-keepers 

 in one fraternal class, and that frater- 

 nity works each for the other's welfare, 

 thereby advancing his own, then may 

 we expect " reliable quotations, 1 ' for 

 they will be based upon cost of produc- 

 tion, and supply and demand.— Ed.] 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Bee-Keeping in Idaho. 



H. Z. BXJKKHART. 



Perhaps the readers of the Journal, 

 would be pleased to know how the 

 busy bee " improves each shining hour" 

 out here in the sage-brush lands of 

 Idaho. 



Upon my arrival last November, I 

 learned that there was only one colony 

 of bees in Southern Idaho, and these 

 were black bees ; they were hived in the 

 attic of an out-door cellar, and I am told 

 they neither increase nor produce sur- 

 plus honey. I learned, also, that a few 

 years ago a good many bees were 

 brought here, but from some cause un- 

 known they all died. This discouraged 

 subsequent attempts at bee-keeping un- 

 til quite recently. 



Having some experience with bees in 

 the State of Iowa many years ago, I de- 

 termined to kt try my luck" here in the 

 spring. Accordingly, I wrote to Salt 

 Lake City, Utah, and had a strong col- 

 ony of hybrids (I ordered Italians) for- 

 warded by express, at a total cost of 

 $27.25. They arrived in good condition 

 April 17th, and that, too, after riding 

 250 miles on a stage-coach. The fruit 

 blossoms were just passing their best 

 season, and the little toilers went to 

 work with a right good will. Much to 

 my surprise, they swarmed on the 8th 

 of May, and caught me with no hive 

 ready. I put them into a box until the 

 next day, when I put them in a Lang- 

 stroth hive. This colony gave off two 

 swarms, June 17 and July 2d, so that I 

 now have 4 strong colonies in fine con- 

 dition for wintering. In addition to this 

 increase, each colony has made some 

 surplus honey, in all 109 lbs., mostly 

 from the old hive. Five-pound boxes 

 readily bring $3,00. I have sold to the 

 amount of $31.25, and still have enough 

 left for spring feeding, if it should be 

 needed. There is no natural forage, the 

 supply chiefly coming from the numer- 

 ous clover patches and from the vegeta- 

 ble gardens and ranches. We have no 

 rains in summer. All vegetation de- 

 pends on irrigation, thus securing a con- 

 stant flow of nectar. Thus far my 

 prospects are good. The winters are 

 not severe, but subject to frequent and 

 rapid changes of temperature. I have 

 packed each hive on its summer stand, 

 after the manner described by Mr. 

 Moore, of Byron, N. Y., in his paper 

 read at the National Convention last 

 month, and confidently await their com- 

 ing out in the spring. 



Boise City, Idaho, Nov. 10, 1879. 



