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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[May, 



in four spaces. To prepare such hives for winter- 

 ing, the combs containing the latest brood, or empty 

 combs in which the bees cluster, should be placed 

 at one side of the hive, and the balance of the 

 combB be well filled with honey, with a hole cut in 

 the center of each comb for the passage of the bees. 

 By having the cluster at one side of the hive, the 

 bees work towards their stores ; and when they 

 reach the opposite side of the hive, which will be 

 about mid-winter, three or four of the empty combs 

 should be removed and their places filled with 

 combs well stored with honey. If the combs are 

 built of the proper thickness, they will contain 

 about one pound of honey each. My nucleus 

 swarms have wintered, to all appearance, as com- 

 fortably as my full colonies. No sign of dysentery 

 or uneasiness has appeared, although remaining in 

 my wintering house from the 5th of November to 

 the 6th of February (three months), at which time 

 they had a cleansing flight, and on the 8th of Feb- 

 ruary were returned to winter quarters, where 

 they still remain. 



W. J. Davis. 

 Youngsville, Pa., March 12, 1873. 



Bee-Oulture vs. Bee-Keeping. 



" Bee-culture" is to be widely distinguished from 

 "Bee-keeping." The latter, if it imply merely the 

 careless and neglectful possession of one or more 

 hives of unfortunate bees, will invariably be found 

 both uninteresting and unprofitable; for in this, as 

 in all agricultural pursuits, want of care, and of 

 that degree of skill which is sure to result from 

 care, will lead to disappointment and failure. But 

 on the other hand it is claimed that bees, with good 

 management and timely attention — and they need but 

 little of either, but what they do need they need 

 imperatively and at the right season — can be made a 

 source both of pleasure and profit. — Rev. 0. Lawson. 



[ For the American Bee Journal.] 



Sundry Items. 



Mr. Editor. — The April number is at hand, filled 

 with good things. Permit me to make a few running 

 remarks on it. " Novice," with his usual ability, 

 makes a very good plea in self-defence, mentioning all 

 he has to sell, except his monthly. 



Gallup' s ideas on pure fertilization are very good, 

 but one thing more is needed : after you have made 

 your select colony of queen, workers and drones, cut 

 out all drone comb in the rest of the apiary, and 

 allow none to be made during the summer; then if 

 you are not troubled with your neighbors' drones, 

 pure fertilization is a certainty. 



Thanks to D. L. Adair for his excellent article on 

 Italian bees. This is a subject that is occupying the 

 attention of a great many bee-keepers. Gen. Taylor, 

 in one of his battles in Mexico, shouted " More 

 grape, Capt. Bragg, more grape." So we say " More 

 light, D. L. Adair, more light." 



It appears that "Novice" and Mr. Furman have 

 at last got their challenges accepted. Now, gentle- 

 men, no dodging ; fair play ; pitch in, and we will 

 see who comes out second best. 



Your first article in the March number on " Alter- 

 nate Generation and Parthenogenesis," is excellent 



and well worth the price of a year's subscription to 

 the A. B, J. 



A short time ago Mr. King sent me his bee journal. 

 Now, as I never was a subscriber for it, I do not see 

 why he sent it, unless it was to draw my attention to 

 the loss of Mrs. Tupper's bees. 1 confess I do not 

 see anything in this affair that justifies a call on the 

 public for help. I learn from the journals that there 

 has been a great loss of bees, in many parts of the 

 country, this past winter, and if Mrs. Tupper lost her 

 bees by fire, I lost all mine by frost. But that is no 

 reason why we should call upon the public for help to 

 make up our losses, which have been caused either 

 through ignorance, carelessness or wilfullness. To me 

 at least there is something unaccountable in the whole 

 affair. Why did Mrs. Tupper bury her best stocks 

 with the choicest queens? If I mistake not, she has 

 denounced the practice of burying bees ; but this is 

 not the only time she has said one thing and done 

 another, and the only consideration that has saved 

 her in the past from severe criticism has been her sex. 

 But the last straw has been laid on the camel's back. 

 She has long enough been made the figure-head of 

 the "King ring," without being exposed. And, 

 moreover, we are told, with the utmost sang froid, 

 that we are more deeply indebted to her than to any 

 other ! I would like to know for what ? Has she 

 ever given a single new idea to the bee-keeping, 

 public ? All that ever I could see she has done has 

 been this — she has entered into other people's labors 

 (like a great many more,) and reaped the benefit, 



I, with yourself, Mr. Editor, and many others, felt 

 indignant at the presumptive untruth sent out through 

 the country by Mr. King, and would, in closing these 

 few lines, respectfully suggest that he cut off from his 

 name the prefix "Rev.," as inappropriate for one 

 who deals in trickery and deception. 



Old Drone. 



Geneva, III. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Foul Brood. 



BY M. QUINBY. 



Little has been said lately on this question in the 

 Journal. I would inquire if this is the effect of its 

 disappearance generally through the country, or 

 whether bee-keepers despair of finding a cure or 

 remedy ? If the first, I would like to ascertain why 

 it has disappeared. I hardly think that its diminu- 

 tion can be attributed to what has been said for the 

 last five years, although it may have contributed 

 something towards it. Twenty years ago a chapter 

 was published containing as clear a view of the sub- 

 ject as we have now. It was then traced from a dis- 

 eased stock to a healthy one, like measles, whooping 

 cough, small pox and some other diseases incident 

 to the human family. The original cause was yet 

 in the dark. But enough was known respecting it 

 to suggest a remedy. 



"A disease broke out among the silk worms of 

 France which threatened their entire destruction. 

 A man by the name of Pasteur, after making him- 

 self acquainted with the habits of the worm, applied 

 the microscope, which revealed the fact that a species 

 of fungus grew all through the body of the diseased 

 worm, and the germ of this fungus was found in 



