58 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[Sept., 



governing the extension of patents, than to have 

 made such a splendid display of their ignorance, 

 as to insist that those who had purchased the 

 right to use, would have to do it again, when 

 the fact is an extension does not effect the right 

 of a previous purchaser to use. But as has heen 

 said, "When ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be 

 wise." 



The third argument advanced was said to have 

 been explained by Mr. Owen, when called upon, 

 in the following language : "Let any one at- 

 tempt an improvement in bee hives and he is 

 immediately set upon by the Langstroth faction 

 as an infringer, and threatened with a law suit, 

 and if any one wants a hive, and uses any other 

 than the Langstroth, he is told that he must 

 incur the additional expense of a Langstroth 

 right, or lay himself liable to a legal prosecution ; 

 and lie for one would be glad when this black 

 mailing system was at an end and the inventive 

 genius of American beekeepers would be un- 

 trammelled." 



We think that Mr. Owens' language will fully 

 reveal the spirit that governed the signers of the 

 remonstrance. Now the trouble with this " in- 

 ventive genius" class of beekeepers is, that 

 they are not allowed to appropriate all of the 

 important principles of the Langstroth patent to 

 their own use, by attaching them to some peculiar 

 shaped hive and then call it an improved hive, 

 or give it some hideous name, and then pass it 

 off on uninformed persons as their own inven- 

 tion ; and because they are not allowed to 

 appropriate with impunity, they consider them- 

 selves blackmailed and their '• inventive genius " 

 trammelled. Now we hope when the remon- 

 strants learn that Mr. Langstroth has not even 

 made an application for an extension, they will 

 still consider their " inventive genius untram- 

 melled," only so far as falsehood and misrepre- 

 sentation are concerned. 



Reporter No. 2. 



.[For the American Bee Journal.] 



The Miller and his Wife in Trouble. 



Kind Editor : — I have some items which I 

 will part with to our bee brothers, and at the 

 same time ask others whether they too meet 

 trouble almost daily, or whether things all go 

 smooth and right with them ? Well, I will take 

 my text in the word trouble, commencing with 



Trouble No. 1. There is something wrong at 

 the house, says my brother miller. Look ! your 

 wife is knocking and pulling her hair at a fearful 

 rate some fifty yards from the house, and your 

 daughter with the babe is also taking steps for 

 some safe place. Soon word came to the mill, 

 to come and take care of the bees, they have run 

 us all out of the house. I was soon at tire field 

 of battle and found my orders had been dis- 

 obeyed. I had been extracting honey the even- 

 ing before, and told my son to put the empty 

 combs and frames into empty hives, closing them 

 up tight. 



He thinks it will do as well to put them up 

 stairs, so up they went ; but the bees soon found 



their way to them, and in a very short time, the 

 house and yard were filled with bees, and from 

 some cairse became angry and went for 'em. 



I removed the combs and the first trouble 

 ceased. 



Trouble No. 2. George and myself almost 

 out-generaled. 



As we have no particular house for our ex- 

 tractor', we pressed the old smoke house into 

 service, closing the door and working by candle 

 light, there being no windows iir the smoke- 

 house. But there was soon trouble on hands, 

 the bees found some cracks and holes and in 

 they came. This would not do, so we got paper 

 and paste and papered our house, but still they 

 came in under the shingles, &c, so we packed 

 up our matters and left for the kitchen. There 

 all went right when honey was very plenty, but 

 when it got scarce they again found us out, 

 coming in at places where we would not have 

 believed they would. The floor was full ; my 

 better half stepped on one, but did not stay long 

 with her foot on him. That was too much : ' ' get 

 out with your honey-slinger " was the orders, 

 and as we always obey orders in the kitchen, for 

 we are very much afraid of dish rags and broom 

 sticks, we got out. But where shall we go ? The 

 smoke house was the orrly place we could think 

 of, so more paper and paste was added. 



Trouble No. 3 comes next. Our dear old 

 friend Langstroth says in his book, page 308, 

 " the gentleness of bees when properly managed 

 makes them wonderfully subject to human con- 

 trol." This is very true as we all will acknowl- 

 edge, but they appear to have such a love for 

 honey that they cannot control their appetites, 

 for they will break that commandment : "Thou 

 shalt not steal." Some days I can hardly open 

 a hive, for they follow me from hive to hive, so 

 that I have to give it up for that day ; they ap- 

 pear to know me and watch where I am going 

 to open the next hive. As soon as it is open, 

 they go on the old Dutch rule : " Everyone help 

 himself." I would rather they would wait until 

 it is handed round. I think I love my bees as 

 much as any man, but I am tempted sometimes 

 to knock a chap down that wants to salute me 

 with a kiss of charity. Sometimes they appear 

 to have great respect for me, calling cousin and 

 aunt in my ears. I think in the evening when 

 honey is scarce is about as good a time as any 

 to open a hive. But how Catharine Grimm 

 managed to get one or two barrels out in a day, 

 without having the bees after her, trying to rob, 

 I can't see ; perhaps she could tell me. I find 

 they have not yet adopted the eight hour system, 

 as they are on the look out late in the evening. 

 When honey is very plenty, I know they are not 

 quite so troublesome, but mine trouble me even 

 then ; who can give the time and plan to prevent 

 this? Let us hear. 



Trouble No. 4. For the last two weeks bees 

 are again dragged out of the hive on account 

 of the pollen of the milk-weed hanging to their 

 legs. In October No., 1871, p. 87, of A. B. J., I 

 thought it was false growth or natural deformity, 

 but I have learned better since. See Quinby's 

 book on bee-keeping, p. 82, where it is fully de- 

 scribed. The American Agriculturist of New 



