1872.] 



TQE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



1^00 



make it appear that it was our old Editor, until 

 I read it over two or three times, but may the 

 Journal prosper as ever. 



Minna. "W. K Eowley. 



I like the Bee Journal more and more, it 

 seems as if every number was better. I hope 

 it will still continue to grow in the minds of the 

 bee-keeping public, and that all interested will 

 do all they can to increase its circulation both 

 at home and abroad. Bees in this vicinity are 

 wintering rather poorly. I think a great many 

 colonies are as weak now, in numbers as tliey 

 have been in former times, the 1 st of April. ]Most 

 of the bees in this vicinity are wintered on their 

 summer stands, with no more protection than 

 in the summer ; the consequence is, a great 

 many come out warm days and fall down on the 

 snow and die. I think more bees are lost this 

 way, here, than in any other way, except by 

 foul brood. 



Bee-keeping in this vicinity is not progressing 

 any more than it was five years ago. Last Sep- 

 tember I was traveling in the West. I had the 

 pleasure of visiting the apiary of Mr. Adam 

 Grimm, of JetTerson, Wis. I must say that I 

 never saw a nicer lot of honey gathered from 

 any apiary than tliat of Mr. Grimm's ; and here 

 I had a good chance to see his Italian bees 

 and his method of queen raising and shipping 

 queens, &c. 



I also called on Mr. Wolfe and Mr. Adam 

 Furbringer to see their bees and I found none 

 but Italians in my travels around Jefferson, so 

 that all of tlie queens reared by Mr. Grimm 

 were pure and mated witli Italian drones. I 

 saw some of the finest productive Italian queens 

 I ever saw at Mr. Grimm's apiary ; full swarms 

 of Italians. If I were to purchase Italian bees 

 or queens, I would as soon get them of Mr. 

 Grimm as to send to Italj\ With the advantages 

 he has, I think his queens and bees are equally 

 as pure and productive as any that can be Ibund 

 in any country. I came away well pleased with 

 my visit and was well paid for my journey to 

 W^isconsin, and hope I may live to take another 

 trip out there again. D. W. Fletchke. 



Lansingville, N. Y., March 12, 1873. 



The summer of 1871 was the poorest season 

 for bees ever known in this part of the country. 



No swarms and very little honey from the 

 black bees. Our Italians swarmed some as a 

 matter of course, but had to be swanned back 

 again in the fall or strengthened from other 

 stocks. 



We broke up quite a number of black stocks 

 and divided their honey and bees among other 

 stocks that were deficient. 



Our bees are in winter quarters yet. We 

 have not been into the cellar since about the first 

 of December. 



From appearances they will remain whei-e 

 they are for two weeks yet. G. H. Bowerman. 



Bloomfield, Ontario, April 1, 1872. 



It has been the worst season here in Central 

 Michigan since November last — that I ever 



knew, and I have not been without bees for 

 three months in fifty-three years. I commenced 

 the winter with 70 swarms, and have lost just 

 one-half that number. Yet I have been more 

 fortunate than most other beekeepers, as some 

 have lost all, wliile others have lost from 80 to 90 

 per cent, on tlieir investment. I attribute it to 

 a combination of causes : 1st. Bees filled the 

 body of their hives in June a.nd July with a lai'ge 

 amount of honey, leaving no room in the brood 

 comb for their queens to deposit eggs for rearing 

 workers, to supply the loss of superannuated 

 bees. 2d. The weather was so cold for five 

 months, that bees could not fly out at all to dis- 

 charge the faices, and consequently many died. 

 This retention of their faeces produced cholera, 

 as was shown by the besmearing of their hives 

 and combs. 



Now one word in favor of tlie Italians. My 

 bees are mostly of that species, having bred 

 from tlie most undoubted purity, from Mr. L. L. 

 Langstroth, Mr. Nesbit and Mr. J. H. Townley. 



My experience teaches me that the Italians 

 are more hardy, more prolific, more easily 

 handled, and will work earlier in the morning, 

 later at night, and make more trips to the same 

 fields in a given length of time than the mulat- 

 toes ; also, less inclined to rob, beside swarming 

 at least two weeks earlier. Last spring my first 

 swarm came olf on the 18th of May and no 

 black bees swarmed till the 8th of June. 



As to Alsike clover I think it is better for 

 honey than any other honey producing plant I 

 ever saw ; also that it is better for hay or for 

 pasture than any other grass, nor will it wash 

 out on side hills or heave by hard freezing. 



Byron, Mich., April 6, 1872. O. E. Wolcott. 



Bees have wintered rather poorly on their 

 summer stands, specking their hives badly ; 

 many dying, many not having an opportunity 

 to fly out from the middle of November until 

 about the middle of Februai-y. What are left 

 are very weak, but are getting to work lively 

 now. Mine have been at work on buckwheat 

 flour since the 25th of March. I give them the 

 fine bolted flour, pressed down in small heaps 

 in vessels or on a plank. They waste but very 

 little. My bees took but little notice of the 

 flowers of the Partridge pea. Did not see over 

 3 or 4 on them throughout the season, yet they 

 were very busy visiting two or three stalks of 

 mother- wort close by ; also catmint, portulaca, 

 pansey and buckwheat. Yet the pea is a fine 

 blossom for garden culture, even if bees do not 

 attend to it, so, many thanks to the Commis- 

 sioner of Agriculture for sending me the seed. 

 I suppose through your agency. 



Spring appears to be fairly opened now. Most 

 of the frost isi out of the ground and Alsike 

 clover is starting finely. I have over four acres 

 out, sown last spring. Some of it was in bloom 

 by the 1st of July and kej^t in bloom until frost 

 put a stop to it. I suppose the Journal will go 

 on. We feel very sorry at losing the main lea- 

 der of the Ai^iarian cause in America — if not in 

 the world. Moses Bailkt. 



Winterset, Iowa, April 8, 1872. 



