187-2.] 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



1& 



Kansas State Beekeepers Association held a 

 special meeting during our State Fair. At this 

 meeting there was a committee of three ap- 

 pointed to confer with the State Board of Agri- 

 culture with a view of securing larger premiums 

 and more space for exhibition at the next fair. 

 There was also a resolution passed instructing 

 our Congressmen to oppose, if necessary, any 

 further extension of the Langstroth patent. The 

 reason for this action was that Mr. L. had en- 

 joyed his patent for the full limit of the law, 

 and that the best territory for his patent was 

 i ow owned by other parties, it would be giving 

 ihern a privilege and a right for which they had 

 i ever paid, and thereby work an injustice to the 

 beekeepers of the country.* 



Noah Cameron. 



Lawrence, Kan., October 28, 1872. 



* The Beekeepers Association of Kansas labor 

 under a mistake as to the property of Mr. Lang- 

 stroth's patent, in case he should apply to Congress 

 for an extension, and the same should be granted to 

 him, that extension will return to his hands the entire 

 patent, and, of course, all the territory. — Ed. 



Novice. 



Dear Bee Journal : — The question has been 

 asked why we in September number made such 

 an attack on Mr. Alley and the Bay State hive, 

 without provocation. 



We should be very sorry, indeed, to have it 

 appear that w r e ever in these pages attacked any 

 hive, or any person, because they had displeased 

 us ; on the contrary, we have tried to keep stead- 

 ily beforo us the good of the people in regard to 

 improved bee-culture, and what we have said of 

 "Bay State hive," "Eureka hive," "Thomas 

 hive," "American hive," and even the "Quinby 

 hive," and in short all hives that are prominently 

 before the public (we beg pardon, we had 

 almost forgotten friends Gallup and Adair in our 

 enumeration), was not that we wished to injure 

 their owners, but that we wished to add our 

 mite of experience to the general fund, whether 

 it favors any particular individual or not. We 

 have had many letters making inquiries in re- 

 gard to the Bay State hive, as, in fact, we have 

 relating to most of the others mentioned above, 

 and to save writing to so many, we give our 

 views in the journal. Those of our readers who 

 may care to, we ask to see pages 252 and 258, 

 Vol. VI. j of this Journal, and others, that leaves 

 the impression very strong that the hive always 

 gives a good quantity of surplus honey. 



Now such is far from the case in our locality ; 

 for seasons in which bees work in boxes are the 

 exceptions, and "poor seasons and no profits the 

 rule. ' ' 



In our opinion, every colony should yield at 

 least fifty pounds surplus the icorst season, and 

 this can only be done with the extractor. 



As to whether the Alley hive is adapted to the 

 use, of the extractor, we will leave the question to 

 be answered by those using them. Most bee- 



keepers can judge from an inspection of the 

 frame on page 252, as above. 



Were box honey our sole reliance, we really 

 fear that the masses would abandon the pursuit 

 in disgust, as they did ten years ago, and seem 

 to have a strong disposition to do now. See last 

 two or three numbers of Journal. Give us facts 

 from experience, however stubborn they may be. 



To conclude, whenever the large. liberty our 

 editor so generously allows, is made use of to 

 extol patent hives, and to lead "unsuspecting 

 novices'''' to infer that their piles of honey boxes 

 are always filled, and that the blight results 

 narrated by them or their friends are the rule 

 and not exceptions, why shall not we give the 

 other side of the picture, and tell how we have 

 paid large prices for such hives, and watched in 

 vain for a hundred pounds or more of box 

 honey? 



Did any one ever hear of these "individual and 

 township rights men " telling you that very often 

 the bees would refuse to work in the "cunning" 

 boxes in spite of guide combs, etc. ? 



If it were worth while, we think, a report of 

 failures could be called forth from the silent and 

 suffering masses, that would show far differently 

 from the testimonials we have presented us. 



If any of "our wares," no matter where 

 recommended, fail to answer the purpose, give 

 us the results by all means. Let each and every 

 one do all in his power to enable us to see each 

 article recommended in bee-culture on all sides, 

 weak points and all, so that we may avoid dis- 

 appoint ment. 



How many of us are there who have not i >aid 

 out more cash in the pursuit of bee culture than 

 has ever been received ? 



So many that we fear this state of things can- 

 not last long unless there be a change, and so 

 we come back to our subject that we had inten- 

 ded to write on, viz. : 



How to start an apiary and manage it with the 

 smallest amount of capital, {hard cash) employed, 

 and yet to have it yield a sure, permanent profit 

 {hard cash again) all kinds of seasons, and with 

 the least amount of labor of brain and muscles 

 (which shoiUd amount to the same thing cash, or 

 its equivalent). 



With the above heading steadily in view, we 

 propose to write for the coming year of 1873, 

 never deviating, unless it be for the general good 

 of fellow beekeepers ; and in all cases it is our 

 express wish that the editor correct us whenever 

 he may think us at fault. 



Our wholesale feeding was a success thus far. 

 We arranged a waxed barrel of syrup, with a 

 broad, flat tin tube attached to the bung, then 

 the barrel was inverted at such a height as to 

 allow the tube to pass in at the back of a two- 

 story hive (of full blood Italians,) just between 

 the upper and lower frames. 



The lower side of this tube was made of per- 

 forated tin, and so we had a "barrel-teakettle 

 feeder;" and the Italians did put the whole 

 barrel of syrup in combs. 



They also built some beautiful white comb and 

 filled it with syrup ; but it was syrup still and 

 not honey, of course. 



We think they were nearly two weeks in using 



