94 



THE AMEEIOAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Canada, I would recommend twelve inches in 

 depth of comb for out-door wintering. 



This third class of bee-keepers will do credit 

 to a hive; or, in other words, they will build up 

 the reputation of a hive. But the first and sec- 

 ond class will destroy the reputation of any hive 

 that was ever invented. 



Now, reader, to which class do you belong? 

 Remember that I do not place you in either 

 class; your own actions place you where you 

 belong. I will do all in my power to help you 

 into the third class, but it is poor encouragement 

 to help those who will not help themselves. 



To explain to Mr. B. Puckett would be the 

 height of folly, for it would only be another of 

 Gallup's assertions. It would lack proof, at least 

 to him. 



The reader may want to know what became 

 of the swarms that were boxed up, &c. All 

 died, of course — twenty-two in number; and 

 would have died if there had been ten thousand. 



Osage, Iowa. E. Gallup. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



The Season of 1868 in Michigan. 



The past season here was extremely variable. 

 Most of the month of March was pleasant and 

 warm for the season, with but few days on which 

 the bees did not fly. At the close of the month 

 there was brood in the comb in most colonies, 

 throughout a large part of the cluster of bees. 

 April was less favorable. The month was cold 

 and wet, and at its close there was less brood in 

 many colonies than there was at its commence- 

 ment. May was warmer again, and the bees 

 commenced gathering pollen early in the month; 

 breeding was extensively resumed, and for a 

 few days, towards the close of the month, some 

 honey was stored. Swarms (Italians) com- 

 menced issuing May 24. Most of the hives were 

 now well filled with brood, and drones had 

 made their appearance. According to the rules 

 given by the advocates of artificial swarming, 

 such swarms should now have been made; yet 

 a division of stocks made at this time, or, in 

 fact, at any time during the season, would have 

 proved injurious to many, if not entirely ruin- 

 ous to some, of the divided colonies. Perhaps 

 enough bees and brood for one good colony 

 might have been taken without injury from four 

 or five frood hives, but even such a division 

 would seldom have proved advantageous. The 

 yield of honey ceased with the failure of fruit 

 blossoms. No more honey was stored until near 

 the 15th of June, from white clover. Early in 

 the month, most stocks were nearly destitute of 

 honey, some of them quite so, and the drones in 

 all colonies not queenless were killed. The 

 slaughter was general. Not only were the ma- 

 tured drones destroyed, but drone larvoa were 

 dragged out of the cells, and sacrificed to the 

 want s of the colony. Some young swarms, after 

 having been hived a week, deserted their hives, 

 and returned to the parent stocks, without hav- 

 ing made a particle of comb. In some old colo- 

 nies, breeding entirely ceased. In fact, bees 



were little better off on the 10th of June than 

 they were at the same date in April. About the 

 15th of June their condition again improved, 

 and for nearly three weeks honey was stored 

 quite freely. Another failure of honey occurred 

 early in July, after which time very little was 

 collected by the native bees, except for a few 

 days from buckwheat. The Italians have done 

 somewhat better. As a whole, the season has 

 been a poor one. But very few of the young 

 native swarms, or old stocks from which swarms 

 have issued, are supplied with sufficient winter 

 stores. Many of them are nearly destitute. 

 Even the best colonies of Italians, from which 

 no swarms issued, and in Avhich no drones were 

 reared, have stored onty about eighty pounds of 

 surplus honey in boxes, and that, too, with all 

 the box-room they could possibly use. Small 

 queen-raising colonies it has been necessary to 

 feed much of the time since July. 



I have used a home-made feeder, made in the 

 following manner: Take a piece of two-inch 

 plank, of the same dimensions as the top of the 

 hive; bore a two-inch auger hole nearly through, 

 so that the draw of the auger will go through 

 the plank; tack a small piece of fine-wdre cloth 

 over the hole, on the under side; put the feeder 

 on the hive, fill the auger-hole with honev, cover 

 it with the ordinary top board, and the swarm is 

 fed. If the bee-keeper wishes to feed more at a 

 time, enlarge the hole with a chisel and mallet, 

 or make several additional holes. Such a feeder 

 is cheap, quickly made, and the bees can be fed 

 in a moment's time, without attracting outsiders. 

 All can use it, as it is not patented. The wood 

 will absorb some honey, but the quantity will 

 be trifling. 



Although the past season has been a poor one, 

 it should in no way discourage bee-keepers or 

 bee-keeping. On the contrary, we should con- 

 stantly seek to learn some lesson from the past 

 that will be of use in future. The summer of 

 1862 was very propitious. It was followed by 

 one just the reverse. The same is true of every 

 season extremely favorable for bees and honev 

 that I have ever noticed. The season of 1867 

 was a very good one. I expected that of 1868 

 would be correspondingly poor, and have not 

 been disappointed. I prevented the issue of 

 swarms in every way practicable. When they 

 issued, I returned them to the parent hive, or 

 joined them to some other stock, and have now 

 very few if any colonies but what are in good 

 condition for winter. I think the early, univer- 

 sal slaughter of drones, too, indicated more than 

 a present scarcity of honey, as we were then 

 told. We were advised to make artificial colo- 

 nies, and manage the apiary the same as though 

 the drones had not been destroyed. We were 

 also told that we could see into the future. fur- 

 ther than the bees could, and that in all proba- 

 bility we should, by and by. have favorable 

 weather. But the prophecy was not fulfilled, 

 and the result has shown the iustinct of the bee 

 to be the nearest right. Bee-keepers who have 

 made swarms artificially, or allowed swarms to 

 issue at pleasure, to any extent, are now com- 

 plaining that they have too many bees and too 

 little honey. J. H. Townley. 



Tompkins, Mich., Oct. 14, 1868. 



