152 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



awa}' the comb from the bottom- 

 bar of reversed frames. Perhaps 

 there have been such complaints, 

 but I have not seen them in print. 

 There are combs in some of my 

 hives eleven inches deep by thir- 

 teen long that have been in use 

 two seasons, during w^hich time 

 they have been inverted several 

 times, but they sliow no signs of pas- 

 sage ways cut l)y the bees. They 

 are solid sheets from top to bot- 

 tom. Some of these were built 

 on foundation and some are trans- 

 ferred combs. No, they are not 

 quite solid sheets of comb either, 

 for each has a hole about half an 

 inch in diameter right through the 

 centre. Perhaps tliat is what 

 saved the edges from being cut 

 away. Mr. Heddon has undoubt- 

 edly reversed more combs than 

 any other man in America, and we 

 would like to know what has been 

 his experience in this matter. 



THE editor's advertisements. 



It is a cause of regret to me, 

 and I doubt not to many others 

 among your subscribers, that you 

 have withdrawn your advertise- 

 ments from the columns of the 

 Apicultukist. You place your- 

 self at a disadvantage with your 

 advertisers, when, in fact, you 

 are entitled to the place of great- 

 est prominence in the columns of 

 your journal. You have the ex- 

 pense of publication to bear, and 

 if, as you say, it is necessary for 

 a bee journal to be backed by the 

 supply business in order to live, 

 then why not make a reasonable 

 use of the advantage at your com- 

 mand ? Are you not also placing 

 the Apicui/ruRiST at a disadvan- 

 tage with contemporary journals? 

 Surely a vigorous, paying exist- 

 ence, like that enjoyed by '•'Glean- 

 ings" and the '■'■Am. Bee Journal," 

 tliough undoubtedly depending up- 

 on the supply business to the ed- 

 itors, is much to be preferred to 

 the sickly, uncertain life of a jour- 



nal that is a continual expense to 

 its owner. It is the everlasting 

 "puffing" of an editor's goods as 

 better than those offered by any 

 one else that is objectionable. A 

 page or two occupied by a simple 

 price-list is surely 3'our due and 

 could hardly be objected to by your 

 most radical advertiser. 

 Denison, Iowa. 



For the American Apiculturist. 



NOTES FROM CALIFORNIA. 



A. NuR'rox. 



The season is so far rather dry, 

 though the time for rains is not yet 

 passed. 



The question of adulteration can 

 hardly be raised against our honey ; 

 for honey here is cheaper than glu- 

 cose. 



Bees were bringing in pollen at 

 this place on New Year's day, 

 probably from the Australian blue 

 gum tree Eucalyphis cUiaria (a 

 pasture plant of geranium family 

 and as abundant in growth as 

 white clover) which blossoms in 

 February, followed soon by the wil- 

 low. This year neither blossomed 

 till March. These make dark 

 honey ; together with miscellaneous 

 bloom, they keep bees busy till sage 

 and buckeye, which furnish abun- 

 dance of thick but nearly water-col- 

 ored honey. I consider sage honey 

 the finest flavored I have ever seen. 

 It is sometimes so' thick as to be 

 poured with difficulty from a small 

 vessel. 



It is not alwa_ys when bees are 

 prone to take wing that tliey are 

 most vicious. The bees that cling 

 to the comb however, can not be 

 called ill tempered. An argument 

 that they are so might be carried 

 further tlms : — Dog number one is 

 more ferocious than dog number 

 two. Yet when an intruder comes, 



