276 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[JUNE r 



In our opinion Mr. Wedden cannot be com- 

 pelled to remove his bees out of his yard unless 

 it can be proved beyond a doubt that his bees 

 are a nuisance ; a thing not easily accomplished, 

 for it would be very hard for any one to swear 

 to Mr. Wedden's bees, if there are others kept 

 in the town. 



Mr. Gould removed from Wenham six years 

 ago, and the fact that there has not been a large 

 crop of fruit since then, as there was before the 

 bees were removed, is enough to satisfy any 

 reasonable man that the bees were a benefit in- 

 stead of a damage to the fruit crop, and those 

 fellows who kicked up so much fuss, feel kind 

 of cheap about it when the thing is mentioned. 



Our advice to Mr. Wedden is, not to take any 

 notice of what is said about it, and it soon will 

 blow over. You need not fear a " law-suit," as 

 nothing can be done about it until they can 

 prove that they are your bees doing the mis- 

 chief. H. Alley. 



Wenham, Mass. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Judicious Feeding, 



Although it may be deemed of first import- 

 ance to impress upon the mind of the bee keep- 

 er the necessity of proper feeding in the fall, 

 when honey is scarce, in order to bring his 

 stocks successfully through the winter, it is of 

 but little less importance to feed in the spring 

 to induce an excess of early brood that each 

 colony may be made strong in numerical force 

 to avail themselves of the honey harvest in 

 Store for them. The most skeptical will have 

 but once to try the experiment to be convinced 

 of its satisfying results. Let one take two col- 

 onies, equally strong in every respect, and 

 standing side by side, feed the one, and let the 

 other gather from the fields. In the one case 

 he will receive, four-fold for his outlay and 

 trouble, while in the other the stock will have 

 only leached a proper working force when the 

 blossom has ceased to yield its nectar, and 

 Claims his most careful attention to enable it to 

 safely pass the rigors of a severe winter. 



Did it ever occur to our friends who com- 

 plain of cross bees that they could educate 

 them to behave themselves? Try it once; and 

 every time you find it necessary to disturb them 

 offer them some food, and murk in a short time 

 the change in their conduct to the hand which 

 feeds them. Whenever they get a puff of 

 smoke, or feel a gentle jar of their home, ob- 

 serve how they will wait for their expected re- 

 turn of food, and as eagerly devour it as did 

 one of my colonies a days since, quick to resent 

 the indignity of a Brahma pullet insisting to 

 build her nest on top of the open frames ol 

 their hive, from which I had removed the hon- 

 ey boards and left them exposed to the sun ; ev- 

 en after this they showed no resentment to- 



wards myself. I have no cross colonies ; and 

 were I so unfortunate as to get one, I doubt not 

 but that I could teach it better manners than to 

 resent any experiment I might choose to 

 make. 



Although, Mr. Editor, it may be a digression 

 from the caption of this article, I cannot refrain 

 from saying that I have been greatly pleased 

 with your careful selections for the Journal 

 since it has passed under your hand, and I feel 

 that each correspondent should be duly grate- 

 ful towards you, that if he has been guilty of 

 any false teachings, or has stated any erroneous 

 or impracticable experiments, it has been care- 

 fully pruned from his manuscript, otherwise 

 how much loss might be entailed, or how much 

 profit swallowed up! You, Mr. Editor, have 

 been duly chosen umpire, and to you we look 

 that that which is impracticable or useless shall 

 not appear in the columns of the A. B. J., how 

 else can we look upon it as we are wont to do, 

 as our sure guide to success in the science we 

 so dearly love ? Prune off then, all the useless 

 branches; cut away all worthless sprouts, and, 

 just while your hand is in, if this hasty sketch 

 fails to suit your purpose, burn it up ! I as- 

 sume it will prove no offence to an ardent ad- 

 mirer of the "B." 



Beaver, Pa., May 8, 1873. 



How to Rob Bee-Hives. 



A soldier arrived from Savannah, who was 

 through with Sherman, tells of the trip, as re- 

 ported in the Dayton Journal : 



The boys learned how to rob bee-hives with- 

 out the penalty of stinging. The plan was, to 

 rapidly approach a hive, take it up suddenly, 

 and, hoisting it upon the shoulder, with the 

 open end behind, run like thunder. The bees 

 hustle out and fly back to the place where the 

 hive stood. The honey belongs to the boys 

 who win it. A cavalry lieutenant, with his 

 squad, rode up to a plantation house one day 

 and were pretty crabbedly received by the girls 

 of the house, who desired to know " Why in 

 thunder you 'uns can't let we 'uns be?" and 

 hoped the devil would get the Yanks. The 

 lieutenant was not very well pleased with his 

 reception, and seeing some tempting looking 

 hives of honey in the yard, he ordered one of 

 his men to hoist one up to him. The hive was 

 handed up in a jiffy, and the lieutenant, bidding 

 the gals good-bye, started off with the hive on 

 his shoulder. But the bees came out the wrong 

 way, and swarmed upon the lieutenant and hjs 

 horse, compelling the former to drop the hive, 

 while the taunting Rebel females on the porch 

 clapped their dainty, tiny hands, stamped their 

 little bare feet, and screamed " goody ! goody ! ! 

 ! ! ! " until they cried for joy. 



