1873.] 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



225 



necessai'y to shut up or confine the bees, even if 

 they have honey in the comb, it is best to give them 

 some food, as it keeps them better satisfied, and 

 enables them to go on with their work, and if a 

 queen is present there will be no cessation of ovi- 

 positing. 



The "natural food of bees in mature state is 

 saccharine juices or secretions of plants known as 

 sugar, ordinarily grape or fruit sugar, as they are 

 the most accessible ; but as they are never in nature 

 free from other secretions of the plants, they neces- 

 sarily vary. Cane sugar generally is purer and 

 furnishes the best food. It may be stated as an 

 ascertained fact that the purer the sugar, and the 

 freer it is from any foreign substance, the better it 

 is suited to the sustenance of the bees. Pure white 

 sugar, dissolved in water with a little heat, so as to 

 be of the consistency of their honey, is the best food 

 that can be given. A 1 coffee sugar will answer 

 every purpose. The lower grades of brown sugar 

 will do for feeding, if consumed in the summer, but 

 for winter use it should be pure. Every addition 

 of drugs, cream of tartar, or any other, slippery 

 elm, sassafras buds, or anything except sugar, as 

 frequently suggested, is unnecessary, if not in- 

 jurious. 



Brood can not be reared without farina. The 

 natural supply is found in the pollen of flowers, 

 and when gathered by the bees is known as bee- 

 bread. But any of the farinaceous grains will fur- 

 nish it. Dzierzon first noticed that bees would 

 substitute rye meal for the pollen of flowers. Since 

 which the meal and flour of oats, wheat, barley and 

 Indian corn have been successfully substituted for 

 the natural pollen, and found to answer the same 

 purpose. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



A Trio of Topics. 



CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. 



Mr. Editor : — Some time ago, Novice challenged 

 any one that he could extract one hundred pounds 

 of honey in less time than any one could take off 

 that much in boxes. From his article in the Feb- 

 ruary number, I would infer that this challenge is 

 still open. If so, I would accept it, and of course 

 claim the right to choose the weapons. 



So, then, some day in July next, we will take off 

 (at least) one hundred pounds of box honey (net 

 weight), weigh it, and store it in our honey room. 

 Two or three responsible judges shall witness and 

 time the operation. Would expect the same pro- 

 cedure from Novice. We take it for granted that 

 Novice would prefer to choose his own day for the 

 operation. So do we. Now then, Novice, take off 

 your coat and roll up your sleeves, for we shall do 

 our best. 



OVERSTOCKING. 



We fear that Novice's head is not quite clear on 

 this subject yet, notwithstanding his rapid strides 

 in bee-culture. In the February number, he refers 

 to Grimm's experience, and what he recommends. 

 Is it not within but a few years, that Grimm got 

 righted on this point, and is it not within this time 

 that Mr. Grimm realized his best results in bee- 

 keeping? I think his articles in past volumes of 

 the American Bee Journal will prove the same. 



I have read carefully, perhaps nearly all that has 

 been written in this country on overstocking. With 

 this and my own experience I have come to the fol- 

 lowing conclusion : 



If Novice, Grimm, and all of us, when we were 

 yet novices, would have simply accepted Mr. M. 

 Quinby's teachings on overstocking (we refer to 

 " Mysteries," " Bee Pasturage," " How many Stocks 

 may be Kept,") many of us would have done 

 much better; say by dividing our bees in small 

 apiaries of about fifty in one place. I am satisfied 

 that less than this number is best in this locality. 

 We believe that A. Grimm could have done much 

 better long ago had he kept fewer stocks in one 

 place. Are we not right, Mr. Grimm? 

 box honey. 



We shall have something to say hereafter on this 

 point. We think we can show Novice, and the rest 

 of mankind, that we can make as much out of our 

 bees with box honey, as can be made with extracted 

 honey. R. B. Oldt. 



New Berlin, Union Co., Pa., Feb. 15, 1878. 



Oaution. 



Editor American Bee Journal: — Being one of 

 the sufferers from the dishonesty of Prof. Chevalley, 

 of Switzerland, I would caution my fellow unfortu- 

 nates who may receive a letter from him regarding 

 the freight, to act cautiously, and invest no more 

 money until they are satisfied they will receive 

 queens therefor. I feel convinced it is only another 

 way of getting a small remittance from those who 

 are anxious to obtain a return from what I think 

 will be found a permanent investment. 



E. J. Peck. 



Linden, N J., March 15, 1873. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Wintering Bees at the South — Merits and 

 Demerits of the Italian Bee. 



Mr. Editor : — As there seems to be an erroneous 

 idea prevalent among our bee men, that the winters 

 of the South are the best for the successful winter- 

 ing of bees, I wish to give some account of the 

 range of our thermometer this winter. 



Up to the first of December, the lowest we had 

 the thermometer was l(j° F.. and that was on the 

 twenty-ninth of November, at daybreak. Until the 

 ninth of December, 48° was the lowest, at noon ; 

 the tenth down to 15°; eleventh, 18°; twelfth, 16°: 

 fourteenth, 24° ; fifteenth, 44°, and not down to 

 freezing during the day until the twenty-second, 

 when it dropped to 3°, and was intensely cold and 

 windy till the twenty-ninth, when it ranged among 

 the forties till the fifth of January, with fine 

 weather. The tenth of January, 10°; fifteenth, 

 64° ; nineteenth, 9° ; twelfth, 46°. A change of 

 fort}' degrees in twenty-four hours is not unusual 

 with us. 



The effect on weak stocks is disastrous. The 

 mild, inviting, sunshiny morning brings the bees 

 out from their cluster, and a sudden change of the 

 wind from the north will chill them to death before 

 they can " snug up" again. Strong stocks suffer in 

 a corresponding ratio : Each sudden change kills off 



