168 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOUENAL. 



[Jan. 



hundred colonies, but in the spring of 1870, all 

 were starved but live. 



The results in my own exi^eriments, have been 

 thus. In 1867, after so many perished, my best 

 hive gave me one hundred and seventy-four (174) 

 pounds ; and my four best gave five hundred 

 (500) pounds. In 1808, my best hive gave one 

 hundred and forty-two (143) pounds; others 

 decreasing in proportion. In 1869 I placed my 

 bees in three fields, some two miles apart, and 

 secured perhaps as average of fifteen pounds — 

 the best might have given as much as forty 

 l^ouuds. Then followed the desolating winter of 

 1870. Three-fourths of the bees cleared out, 

 dead. Bees with a fair field averaged about 

 fifty pounds. My best hive gave me two hun- 

 dred (200) pounds. This season, the bees in the 

 vicinity having been increased by swarms, fell 

 ofi', say twenty-five per cent., from last year in 

 surplus. My best hive, that gave me two Iiun- 

 dred pounds last year, fell off to one hundred 

 and forty pounds. From past results I must ex- 

 pect less favorable returns next season. 



With such results in succeeding seasons, 

 ought I yield to the arguments so strongly urged 

 that there is no danger of overstocking ? If there 

 is no danger of overstocking, why do beekeepers 

 with a few hundred colonies, divide them into 

 several ai)iaries and i)lace them in different 

 fields ? 



Rev. Mr. Langstroth writes — " Probably there 

 is not a square mile in this whole country, which 

 is overstocked with bees, unless it is so unsuita- 

 ble to beekeeping as to make it unprofitable to 

 keep bees at all." I think it probable that there 

 are few square miles of ground occupied by far- 

 mers where one xjolony might not I e kept on 

 each hundred acres. With a non-swarmer, with 

 box room for one hundred pounds of honey, 

 that amount of honey, or even the half of it, 

 would be very pleasant to the family. I think 

 the familj'^ should wish to try it. If two, or 

 three, or five colonies could find an ample field 

 on that area, so much the better. No doubt the 

 country affords fields where a hundred colonies 

 would do well. If I had two hundred, I should 

 rather ha\'e two fields for them. 



I remember, seventy years ago, one hundred 

 colonies in my father's yard. At the same time 

 his brother had about the same number in his 

 yard, three miles from my father's. Note their 

 sons, in the same fields, have not been able to 

 exceed about one-tenth of that number. I sup- 

 pose our country affords every variety of fields, 

 from one hundred colonies capacity down to one 

 single one. If you put a hundred colonies, 

 where but fifty can be sustained, or fifty stocks 

 where but ten can be supplied, or ten where 

 only five can be sujjplied, you overstock your 

 field, and a large part of your bees will be likely 

 to perish. Either our country has not such a 

 variety of fields, or there is danger of overstock- 

 ing. Jasper Hazen. 



Albany, N. T. 



Ji^"We incline to think that the unfavorable 

 results reported above sprang rather from mis- 

 management or ill-adapted management, than 

 from overstocking. It remains yet to be ascer- 



tained what one colony seasonably made populous 

 and duly so kept, can be made to produce in any 

 location in one season. But the beekeepers of 

 tliis country are now in a fair way of finding it 

 out ; and when that is known, it will not be very 

 difficult to ascertain how manv more such colo- 

 nies can be kept in the same location, without 

 interfering with each other's productiveness iu 

 the aggregate. — [Ed. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



The Diseased Stocks. 



Dear Journal : — Since the date of my hurried 

 note of Nov. 17th, my bees have continued to 

 die. Up to date some fourteen stocks present 

 sad evidence of disease, while more dead bees 

 are found on the bottom board of nearly every 

 hive in my apiary than should be thus early in 

 the winter. The mortality is gi-eatcr among the 

 Italians and hybrids than among the black bees. 

 The bees fall to the bottom board in a stupe- 

 fied condition, very few seeming able or willing 

 to leave the hive of tlieir own accord. Some, 

 however, remain on the top of the frames, and 

 others between the combs. I have resuscitated 

 quite a number of deceased bees after they were 

 subjected to three or four days of freezing 

 weather, away from their hives. I examined the 

 stock first alluded to, inspecting each comb in 

 turn and as nearly as possible left out all the 

 diseased bees. For a few days I thought the 

 proper remedy had been applied ; but it was not 

 so, for they are now dying as before. I detected 

 nothing wrong with the honey, but still that does 

 not argue that the " wrong" was not there. 



I concur on the editor's suggestion that the 

 honey may contain a noxious property, but 

 where did the bees gather it? It was not from 

 ihe fir tribe ; as there is scarcely a fir tree witliiu 

 foraging distance. Hence we must look else- 

 where. If a portion of the honey does contain 

 the "fatal principle," how are we to detect it, 

 as we are not sufticiently versed in chemistry to 

 analyze it? I shall take away the stores from 

 the stock just affected, and give them sugar 

 syrup, adding a small proportion of glycerine. 

 W. D. Mansfield. 



Canaansville, Ohio, 'Dec. 11, 1871. 



tl^^With the above communication we re- 

 ceived a small box containing a number of dead 

 bees from the diseased stocks. They do not look 

 like bees that have died of old age, and there is 

 nothing in their appearance which indicates that 

 they perished from any slowly operating cause ; 

 nor have they the peculiar offensive smell that 

 attends or proceeds from fouibrood. Under the 

 circumstances we think, with Mr. M., that 

 change of diet is probably the most efficient 

 means available for arresting the malady, — [Ed. 



The Pittsburgh Legal Journal says : — 

 " Though a law paper [or one devoted to any 

 other speciality] may be started, it cannot be 

 kept up without money, and though a subscrip- 

 tion is a great compliment, the payment of the 

 cash triples the obligation." 



