1872.] 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



a large consumption of honey that ought to be 

 saved for spring (especially where the beekeeper 

 is green euough to winter in on ten pounds), by 

 placing them indoors on or about that date. 



Sometime last fall we predicted that bee- 

 keepers in this section would experience a greater 

 loss of bees than for twenty-five years past, and 

 judging from reports from all quarters, this pre- 

 diction has been verified. The year 1871 has 

 been bad enough. Thousands of stocks not only 

 failed to store any surplus, but actually went 

 into winter quarters in a starving condition, 

 consequently bees will be scarce, and those who 

 succeed in getting them through (if Mr. Hazen's 

 overstocking theory is true, which I greatly 

 doubt) may hope for good results. * * * * 



G. S. Silsby. 

 Winter port, Me., March 2, 1872. 



[For Wagner's American Bee Journal.] 



Eggs in Queen Cells. 



As this is a problem not yet satisfactorily 

 solved, I will throw in my mite, gleaned from 

 careful observation. In dividing a colony of 

 bees, I removed the queen and a few frames of 

 brood from the parent stock, leaving it without 

 queens or queen cells, my object being, to have 

 them rear a number of queen cells for queen 

 raising. I put in frames of nice old comb in 

 place of those removed, comb that had not been 

 in colony of bees for months. Pome days after 

 in examining the hive I found a number of queen 

 cells sealed over, one of which was on one of those 

 old combs. I took particular notice of it, as it 

 struck me as being something singular. That 

 seemed to me clear proof that the bees will 

 transfer eggs from one cell to another lor the 

 purpose of queen raising. I think it yet remains 

 to be clearly proven that queens will deposit 

 eggs in queen cells and that such eggs will pro- 

 duce good queens. Brethren let us have more 

 light— not the light of theory only — but of de- 

 monstrated facts. 



J. S. Flory. 



Fayelteoille, W. Va. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Cannot West Virginia have a Convention ? 



Apiculturists of West Virginia cannot we de- 

 vise means to meet together and have such a 

 concert of action as to induce the people of our 

 young State to enter into bee-culture with an 

 earnestness that will show to our sister States we 

 have one of the best sections in the United 

 States for bee-culture ? It is a source of wealth 

 we hope soon to see developed. Light on the 

 subject is what the people want. Shall we then 

 with one voice say, "Let there be light." We 

 solicit correspondence on the subject. 



J. S. Flory. 



Fayettevillc, Fayette Co., W. Va. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Imprudence of Beekeeping. 



This may seem an impertinent heading, but I 

 select it as appropriate to my few well meant 

 remarks. It does seem to me that in some re- 

 spects the improved beekeepers of the country 

 are among the most imprudent of business men 

 — and women too, if you please. Finding their 

 avocation recreative, healthful, interesting and 

 in a measure profitable, it seems a large major- 

 ity of them are doing all in their power to make 

 converts and get everybody else into the busi- 

 ness. This is too true of the older members 

 of the calling, but more especially so with the 

 younger ones. It is not uncommon for "begin- 

 ners" (besides parading their much exaggerated 

 "notes" in print to the disgust of experienced 

 beekeepers and to the astonishment of the rest 

 of mankind) to convert a dozen or a score of 

 other new beginners in a single year. What 

 other class of business men would be so much 

 interested in making competition? Now, that a 

 publisher of bee literature should want to in- 

 crease the number of beekeepers is but natural, 

 legitimate and consistent with his interests. 

 And, too, it may be consistent for men selling 

 patented bees and patented bee hives to do so. 

 But for the honey producer to do so much to 

 increase competition, seems to me the most su- 

 preme folly and an unpar lonable business blun- 

 der. And pray wTiat objects cau there be in it? 

 I see but two ; one to show the gaping bystander 

 or reader how much the "great bee man " 

 knows ; the other to tell folks that "he is mak- 

 ing money out of his bees." Nor is this, what 

 I believe to be great mischief, all confined to the 

 thousand and one local small men scattered 

 throughout the country. Men who would be 

 leading lights, and some who are b'ading lights, 

 shine sometimes entirely too brightly. The re- 

 ports of these big yields and large profits — most 

 of which are outrageously exaggerated — going 

 the rounds of the newspapers, are "waking" 

 multitudes of men "up to the profits of bee- 

 keeping." And suppose, fellow beekeepers, that 

 our numbers increase for the next ten or fifteen 

 years as they have in the last two years, where 

 will be our market? Yes, where will we be in 

 the short space of five years ? I am familiar with 

 the old idea that extensive production makes 

 ready market, and it may be true, as regards 

 staple articles, but I am satisfied it will not be 

 so with honey, a thing that almost anybody cau 

 raise either in the country or in the city. 



I concur with some of the sensible writers in 

 the February number of the Journal, that it is 

 quite possible to overstock bee pasturage ; but I 

 have much more to fear from the present pros- 

 pect of overstocking the markets with honey. 

 And if I am correct in my notions, I have done 

 no wrong in suggesting to my brother beekeepers 

 to be a little more prudent. 



Chillicothe, Mo. J. W. Greene. 



A fertile queen and good worker comb is the 

 stock in trade of the apianar. — Hullm:a_n. 



