1872.] 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



21 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



Washington, July, 1872. 



All communications and letters of business should 



be addressed to 



GEO. S. WAGNER, 



Office of the American Bee Journal, 



Washington, D. C. 



Mr. D. L. Adair, of Hawesville, Ky., requests us to 

 inform numerous correspondents, that he is in nowise 

 responsible for the delay in the publication of the pro- 

 ceedings of the North American Beekeepers' Associa- 

 tion. He promptly made out the report of the pro- 

 ceedings, and forwarded them to Mr. N. C. Mitchell, 

 a member of the Publishing Committee, and is 

 therefore relieved from any further responsibility. 



We have received several communications attack- 

 ing the business character of various queen-raisers in 

 this and foreign countries, which we for the present 

 withhold. If upon inquiry we find these accusations 

 to be well founded, we will publish the communica- 

 tions, in order to prevent others from being swindled. 



We would warn young beginners in bee-keeping 

 against endeavoring to increase their stocks too 

 rapidly. It will inevitably result in disaster and dis- 

 couragement. Long experience in bee-keeping will 

 enable the apiarian rapidly to increase his stocks, and 

 when winter comes, have them all strong and healthy, 

 while a beginner will find himself at the close of the 

 season the possessor of a number of weak and sickly 

 gtocks, and in all probability will commence the next 

 season with doctoring up feeble stocks, or what is 

 more than probable, abandoning bee-culture, all his 

 bees having died. 



We by no means adopt the views expressed in the 

 article " Imprudence of Beekeepers," published in 

 this number of the Journal. We are no believers in 

 monopoly in knowledge, nor do we, on the other 

 hand, fear that its spread will hinder the prosperity 

 of any beekeeper. The teachings of experience are 

 all on the other side. The various articles and dis- 

 cussions relative to bee-culturo ; the comparison of 

 views, and modes of working in the apiary, as pub- 

 lished in this and other journals devoted to bee-cul- 

 ture, have done much, very much to make beekeeping 

 what it now is. We believe that bee-culture has not 

 yet reached perfection, but that there is still much 

 room for improvement and progress in the works of 

 the apiary. Honey is still a luxury, but the time 

 will come when it will be within the reach of the 

 poorest, and the apiary will then prove more profit- 

 able than now. Let us have plenty of honest and 

 earnest discussion on bee-culture, and there will be 

 no danger of retrograde movement. 



We trust our friends will send us full accounts of 

 their swarming operations ; of abundance or failure 

 of the honey product, and any other matters that 

 may fall under their observation during their busy 

 season. 



We have received from Messrs. Geo. P. Rowell & 

 Co., a copy of their American Newspaper Direc- 

 tory, for 1872. It is well printed, well arranged, and 

 will prove of great value, not only to newspapers, 

 but to advertisers. 



We have received from the Commissioner of Agri- 

 culture, a copy of the proceedings of the National 

 Convention of Agriculturists, held in Washington 

 City, February 15th, 16th, and 17th, 1872. 



Correspondence. 



I have been in this county over two months, 

 and have only found three colonies of bees in 

 the county and can hear of no more. I have 

 scattered over a peck of clover (White, Dutch and 

 Alsike) along the roads and by -places, and in- 

 tend to sow buckwheat in the next month and 

 then have some of my Italians sent out here. 

 Will write you how they flourish " on the 

 plains." 



0. A. A. Gakdner. 



Kansas. 



Bees have not done very well here this Spring. 

 It is so very dry that we have had to feed all the 

 time to keep them along, but we have had a nice 

 rain and white clover is beginning to bloom, so 

 we are in hopes we shall yet have a good yield 

 of surplus honey. It has been a sad winter for 

 beekeepers, some have lost almost all, and others 

 a good share of their pets, with dysentery, but 

 we will try again, although cast down we are not 

 discouraged and have learned some profitable 

 lessons by sad adversity. We wish the Bee 

 Journal much success ; do not see how any one 

 can do without it ; know we could not, for every 

 number is worth more to us than the whole 

 year's subscription. We say, Hurrah for Gal- 

 lup's big hive! but think larger frames will beat 

 it ; at least we will try the long frames. 



C. E. Cox. 



Hudson, 111, 



The past year has been the poorest for bees 

 in this State ever known, very many have lost 

 every swarm. 1 saved nine out of eighteen colo- 

 nies put in the cellar. 1 left two strong colonies 

 in upright hives out doors (in a bee house), they 

 both died. I have yet to learn of any one in this 

 vicinity who saved as many as I did. I find 

 plenty of honey in the hives, and cannot account 

 for their death. Up to this time, June 10th, we 

 have had but two days this year that bees could 

 fly freely all day. 



M. G. Palmer. 



Portland, Me. 



