1872.] 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



93 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Washington, October, 1872. 



All communications aud letters of business should 



be addressed to 



GEO. S. WAGNER, 



Office of the American Bee Journal, 



Washington, D. C. 



With the present number we present to our readers 

 a large number of excellent articles on wintering 

 bees. We trust they will prove a help, and prevent 

 the great loss which bee-keepers Buffered last winter. 



When my father read to Mr. Langstroth the article 

 upon the Biencuzeitung. printed in lis! mouth's Jour- 

 nal, entitled, " My Uncapping Instrument," Mr. L. 

 suggested as au improvement over the use of hot 

 water, plugs of soap stone, so made as to be inserted 

 into the body of the instrument, in the same way as 

 those used by tailors. The heat retaining qualities of 

 the soap stone, would enable the beekeeper to use the 

 iron for a long time, without any change. 



At the recent celebration of the 400: h anniversary 

 of the University of Munich, Dyierzon received from 

 the Faculty the title of Doctor of Philosophy, in 

 recognition of his eminent services iu the advance- 

 ment of Apiarian Science. 



Prof. T. C. Porter, of Lafayette College, Faston, 

 Pa., writes us that the plant which was sent to us 

 from Red Hill, Albemarle Co. Ya., was the Melitotus 

 Alba, L. White Melitot, Sweet Clover. "It is some- 

 times cultivated in gardens, aud is occasionally found 

 spontaneous in their neighborhood." 



He further states concerning the pollen alluded to 

 in the article of "Miller and his Wife, and their 

 troubles," published in last month's Journal. "He 

 is right about the pollen masses of the Asclepias. In 

 the portion you sent me, they are very numerous, and 

 can be readily made out with a lens of ordinary 

 power." 



We would be much obliged to those of our subscri- 

 bers who are in arrears, if they would send iu their 

 remittances during thi: coming month. The salest 

 way to send will be through a Post Office order. 



At the request of Mr. Langstroth, we insert the fol- 

 lowing: Mr. Editor, please publish iu the American 

 Bee Journal, the following facts. 



1. Before starting for Washington City, in Janu- 

 ary last, I purchased a double accident ticket of the 

 agent of the " Railway Passengers' Assurance Com- 

 pany." The time covered by this ticket, for which I 

 paid one dollar, was forty-eight hours, and the sum 

 guaranteed was $G,0L0 in case of fatal injury, or $o0 



per week for injury causing total disability from busi- 

 ness. On reaching Washington, my foot was rua 

 over by the wheel of a street ear, aud I have been 

 totally disabled from my business for twenty-one 

 weeks. 1 hare found the company very courteous and 

 obliging, and they have promptly discharged their 

 obligations in my case. I desire cordially to rueom- 

 mcud this company to the patronage of the traveling 

 public. A single ticket, covering twenty-four hours, 

 for twenty-live cents, guarantees $3,000 in case of 

 fatal injury, or $15 per week, w.iiie totally disabled 

 from business. L. L. L. 



[For th«t Aincric.in Ho i Journal ] 



Wintering Bees. 



The winter of 1^72 will bo remembered by the 

 bee-keepers as one of the most disastrous exj e- 

 rienecd. The causes of the loss of so many bees 

 is well understood, or is supposed to be, namely : 

 the large amount of honey dew gathered by the 

 bees in the fall of 1871. '1 his honey was stored in 

 the cells and sealed, and did not sour, but it had 

 a tendency to physic the bees, and caused dysen- 

 tery. The only remedy for the disease, (if dis- 

 ease it can ^ called), was weather warm enough 

 for the Ines to tly out as often as once in two 

 weeks. Apiaries protected from the cold north 

 winds by buildings, fences, and even those situ- 

 ated in valleys where the bees could fly out in 

 the middle of the day as often as stated above, 

 came through safe and in good condition. Bees 

 thai were put in cellar* wintered badly or perish- 

 ed. Many hives that were taken out alive in the 

 spring, soon died. Their abdomens were ex- 

 tended to their fullest capacity, but they made 

 no attempt to ily, even when the weather was 

 warm ; they seemed to understand that they 

 could not raise their bodies from the hive. These 

 stocks soon dwindled away, leaving plenty of 

 honey in the hives. The only sure remedy is to 

 remove the honey from the hives in the fall, and 

 feed syrup made of granulated sugar. 1 have 

 used this kind of feed for 1"> years, and speak 

 from experience. I do not guess that they will 

 live upon it, but I know that this kind of food is 

 much better than honey gathered late in the fall. 

 I put about two quarts and one pint of water 

 with six pounds oi sugar ; boil a lew minutes ; 

 when cold, give it to the bees. Most any bee- 

 keeper can devise a way for feeding his bees. 

 All that is needed is to have a box, say one that 

 will hold a quart ; make it tight as possible with 

 nails ; then run some hot nulled beeswax in the 

 corners on the inside ; make a float to lit inside 

 the feeder, and small enough to allow for swell- 

 ing, so that it will rise and fall as the feed is put 

 in and removed. This feeder can be used with 

 or w ithout a cover. Glass is best for a cover 

 wheii any is used. Fill it curly in the morning 

 or just before dark, at night. 



1 dont think it pays to feed new swarms un- 

 less they have the hive one-half or two-thirds 

 full of comb. Old stocks, that have their hives 

 full of comb and but little honey, should be fed. 



