THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



55 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOUENAL. 



WASHINGTON, SEPTEMBER, 18G8. 



HdTTnE American Bee Journal, is now 

 published monthly, in the City of Washington, 

 ( D. C.,) at $2 per annum in advance. All com- 

 munications should be addressed to the Editor, 

 at that place. 



OF*In our last number we could give only a 

 mere sketch of Kriiger's method of securing 

 pure fertilization of queens. Having since re- 

 ceived a detailed statement of his process, as 

 employed by himself, we present a translation 

 of it in the present number. It is substanti- 

 ally the same as that of Mr. Kohler. 



dtSFThe method of providing a supply of re- 

 serve queens, given in the present number of 

 the Bee Journal, from the German of Hiibler, 

 we need scarcely remind practical apiarians, 

 can be advantageously employed in combina- 

 tion with the process of securing pure fertiliza- 

 tion of queens. The business of Italianizing an 

 apiary may thus be greatly facilitated. 



While giving place, in the present number, 

 to an article on "the Varronian Theory," we do 

 not design to re-open discussion of that topic. 

 When the late Professor sent us the first of his 

 articles, he requested us to withhold comment 

 or criticism till he "got through ;" but he died 

 before that point had seemingly been reached. 

 We could not regard his theory, so far as de- 

 veloped, as at all tenable, though we expressed 

 no opinion at the time, waiting for its full presen- 

 tation. Afterwards several correspondents no- 

 ticed some points ; but a kind of general rejoin- 

 der seemed wanting. The article referred to 

 supplies that pretty fully, and further remark 

 can scarcely be called for. 



A correspondent of an agricultural paper, 

 " who has paid much attention to bees," says 

 that "king birds live on king bees." Whether 

 by king bees he means queens or drones, we 

 are permitted to use the Yankee privilege of 

 guessing. If the former, the poor bird must at 

 all seasons be content with " short commons ;" 

 and if the latter, though he may "fare sumpt- 

 uously every clay" for several months annually, 

 be must probably "fill his belly with the east 

 wind " during the remainder of the year. 



"An old bee-keeper " thinks the common box 

 hive as good as the best, as it "has stood the 

 test the longest of any." Is the farmer to re- 

 gard the flail as good an implement as the 

 threshing machine, since it can plead a course 

 of long prescription for its use ? Is the travel- 

 ler to prefer the pilgrim's staff, the pcdlcr's 

 pack, and the Indian trail, to the railway, the 

 iron horse, and the baggage car, because the 

 latter are modern innovations, while the for- 

 mer have been in common use from time im- 

 memorial ? 



A subscriber requests us to send him another 

 copy of the Bee Journal for July, as a friend 

 has taken his copy from the office and lost it ; 

 and he does not wish to miss a number. We 

 compty of course, as we are always ready to do 

 in like cases, when in our power. Allow us, 

 however, to say frankly to his friend, and to any 

 other friend similarly careless, that, in the words 

 of Cowper, he is — 



" Such a friend that one had need 

 Be very much his friend, indeed, 

 To pardon or to bear it." 



Alsike Clover. — We received last month, 

 and should have noticed in our August number, 

 from Mr. H. M. Thomas, of Brooklin, Canada, 

 a sample of the Alsike clover grown by him last 

 season. The dried stalks are nearly five feet 

 long, retain the leaves and heads well, and 

 look and smell as if they would be excellent 

 fodder for cattle. Judging fjom Mr. Thomas' 

 remarks about the growth of young clover in his 

 field, from seed dropped in the summer of 1SG7, 

 it would seem that alsike might be safely sown 

 with rye and timothy early in the fall. 



Western beedieepers complain of a want of 

 pasturage this summer, and fear they will have 

 trouble in wintering their bees. Suggestions 

 for their benefit from persons who have experi- 

 enced like trouble, would doubtless be accepta- 

 ble. Here the spring was wet and cold, and the 

 summer hot and dry ; the locusts, the lindens, 

 and the white clover yielded less honc3Mhan 

 usual, and the bees are consequently not so 

 well provided for as heretofore at this season. 

 It is to be hoped that the usual fall pasturage 

 will supply the deticiency. 



(dPScnd us the names of Bee-keepers, with 

 their Post Office address. 



