64: 



THE AMEKICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[Sept., 



Up to the first of July, my bees did little more 

 than make a living. Still, I received thirty 

 pounds .surplus honey in boxes from the old 

 stock.*, and my swarms filled their hives. In 

 1871, the bees began swarming on the 22d of 

 March. All first and second swarms have filled 

 their hives — two-story Langstroth's, which I 

 have used for this season's increase. I now 

 number twenty hives. Having all new comb, I 

 have used my Hruschka but little. On Monday, 

 June 5th, I extracted the honey from the upper 

 story of one hive, and on the following Monday 

 found it full again, and a considerable quantity 

 capped. 



My bees are natives, except one colony of 

 Italians. 



A man near here boxed a fugitive swarm 

 about the first of April, and they have increased 

 to five. 



If from the above your correspondent thinks 

 this a good honey district, he will find plenty of 

 North Carolinans to welcome him. 



West Tennessee, July 25, 1871. ^^ ^- ^- 



[Fur the American Bee Journal] 



Bee ITotes from Wayne County, Oliio. 



Mr. Editor : — I am a constant reader of the 

 Bee Journal, and when welcoming its visits, 

 often feel like throwing in my mite with the rest, 

 having bee on the brain at times, like others. I 

 began bee-keeping some years ago (won't say 

 just how many). In 1870, I was the possessor 

 of three stocks — one Italian and two blacks. 

 During that summer my colonies increased to 

 twelve, three Italians and nine hybrid stocks. I 

 wintered them in-doors, without losing a single 

 stock. Last spring I started in good earnest to 

 Italianize them, and increase them by artificial 

 swarming, which I regard as much the better 

 plan, when properly performed. I have now 

 thirty-live stocks, nearly all Italians. 



I stimulated in early spring, so that my bees 

 were in good condition when the swarming season 

 began. The present season has not been more 

 than an avera,ge one for bees in these parts, 

 owing to the drouth in May and the changeable 

 weather in June» Black bees swarmed but very 

 little this season. 



Well, Mr. Editor, and readers of the Journal, 

 I have two Italian stocks to which I paid a little 

 more attention than to the rest, and will give 

 you a statement of my success with them. 



One of them gave me eight artificial swarms, 

 (Italians) good and strong enough to survive the 

 coming wintei', and each worth fifteen dollars — 

 total from this colony .^120. The other gave me 

 three swarms — together worth $45, and seventy 

 i;)Ounds of choice box honey, worth, at twenty- 

 five cents per pound $17.50— making a total profit 

 from the second of $62.50, and a grand total 

 from the two of one hundred and eightj^-two dol- 

 lars and fifty cents ($182.50) ! 



If any of the readers of the Journal have 

 beaten this this season, let us have the record, 

 and oblige E. J. Worst. 



Jfew FiitsbicrgJi, Ohio, Aug. 7, 1871. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Bees in Alleghany County, Maryland. 



;Mr. Editor : — As I do not see that anybody 

 is writing for the Jov;rnal from this part of the 

 countrj', I thought I would send you a .short 

 letter showing how the bees are getting on here. 

 Mine did jiretty well all the fore part of ,the 

 season, but are not doing anything now, scarcely 

 getting enough to support themselves. My first 

 swarm came off on the 27th of April, and I had 

 to feed it about two weeks, as the weather was 

 so cold here that they could not go out to get 

 anything. 



I am using the Buckeye hive. Some say the 

 chambers will stick after the swarm has been in 

 for awhile ; but I say it will not, for I had a 

 swarm in one for about two months, and it has 

 not stuck yet.* But still I do not see why it was 

 patented, unless it was for the moth-trap ; and as 

 for that, I advise all bee-keepers to keep it out 

 of their apiaries, as it is more of a hiding place 

 for moths than a trap. I find the best trap is to 

 keep the colonies strong, and then I am not 

 much troubled with moths. 



There are plenty of " old fogies," as they are 

 called, in Alleghany county, and they cannot be 

 persuaded to do anything. When I advised one 

 to get a frame hive, he said — "it costs too 

 much," and when I told him he would get his 

 money back again if he would take pro])er care 

 of his bees — "I will have trouble with them 

 then, and so it will be all the same !" I let him 

 off for I thought there was no use to talk to him. 



About one-third of the people in Alleghany 

 county are bee-keepers of their own sort. They 

 have their bees in nail kegs, flour barrels, and 

 various other things imaginable. One man had 

 his hives in grass a foot high. He acknowledged 

 that it was wrong, but had no time to look after 

 them. Three years ago there was hardly a 

 frame hive in this county, and little or no atten- 

 tion was paid to bees ; but now improved bee- 

 keeping is gradually increasing, and after awhile 

 I think Alleghany county may take rank with 

 other counties in this business. 



I have one stock of Italians, and intend Italian- 

 izing my whole apiary. I ain so far the only one 

 here who has any Italians, and it will con- 

 sequently be a difficult matter for me to keep 

 them pure. Can any ]3erson give me a safe plan 

 for fertilizing queens in confinement. There are 

 many plans given, but I do not like to try them, 

 because so many older bee-keepers than I am 

 have failed, and I am but a boy. I would rather 

 take the advice of older ones than try experi- 

 ments myself. 



A Beginner. 



Cumberland, Md., Aug. 8, 1871. 



* Further trial, in a good honey season, will eflfeet- 

 ually settle that point. — [Ed. 



If a man intends to keep bees, he must, in the 

 first place, make the hives in the very best man- 

 ner ; by this we mean, of good materials and of 

 good workmanship. A hive badly joined by an 

 awkward carpenter, is worse than a hollow tree. 



