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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



Jan. 4, 19C6 



getting straight combs. Do not get the foundation in too 

 hot a place. Have upward ventilation in all hives during 

 the honey-flow, but particularly in those where foundation 

 is being drawn out. New swarms are especially hot- 

 blooded, and require more ventilation than others. 



In favorable springs we can get some combs built dur- 

 ing sugar-maple bloom, by putting foundation in the center 

 of the brood-nest of strong colonies. Of course, this is ex- 

 ceptionally early ; but in a good flow from fruit-bloom a 

 couple of frames of wired foundation can be put between 

 sealed brood-combs, and will be built out and occupied by 

 the queen. Later, during the main honey-flow, any number 

 of new combs can be got in this way; but with this disad- 

 vantage : The lower edge of the foundation is often gnawed 

 away to leave a bee-space between the bottom-bar and the 

 comb. This is especially the case in a slow flow. Founda- 

 tion should never be left in the hive when there is no honey 

 coming in. 



Combs built in the super when there is a brisk flow on, 

 are much more apt to fill the frames nicely ; but here are 

 other disadvantages : If a full super of foundation is put 

 on at once it is very liable to induce swarming ; and if 

 combs are mixed in with the foundation these are filled and 

 bulged away over against the foundation. To overcome 

 the bulging use a "foundation separator," which is like a 

 fence separator grown to the size of a division-board. 



Some of my Canadian friends who object to dummies 

 in comb-honey production will no doubt object to these on 

 the same score — " too much truck ;" but it gives nice, 

 straight combs on both sides, and also supports part of the 

 weight of the bees, relieving the tendency to sag the foun- 

 dation. 



Those who use wide spacing in the super will find it 

 necessary to space foundation close until it is drawn out. 



^v 



(Dur* Sister 

 23eelKeepers 



Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. 



The Bee and Honey Pedigree. 



The pedigree of honey 



Does not concern the bee ; 

 A clover, any time, to her 



Is aristocracy. 



— Emily Dickinson. 



J 



Honey-Vinegar — Honey in Remedies. 



One of the good Wisconsin brothers, Elias Fox, sends 

 the following on the uses of honey : 



Honey- Vinegar. — Two pounds of honey dissolved in 

 one gallon of soft water. Set in a warm place until thor- 

 oughly fermented. It makes the purest, the healthiest, and 

 the best vinegar on earth. 



Honey for Dyspepsia. — Take a good glass of boiling 

 hot water and stir in it 4 tablespoonfulsof honey, and drink 

 while hot before retiring. It will promote sound sleep, good 

 digestion, free action of the liver and kidneys, and cure 

 nervousness. 



Hoeny in Cough Remedies.— Always use honey in all 

 cough remedies instead of sugar. 



A Honey Salve that never fails to cure boils and car- 

 buncles is made by mixing together pure honey and wheat 

 flour. Make a stiff paste, spread on a piece of muslin, and 

 press tightly on the sore. Remove and apply a new one 

 every 12 hours. 



—^ 



Honey to Keep Lips Soft and Smooth. 



To a young lady anxious as to the condition of her lips, 

 " Mme. Qui Vive," in the Chicago Record-Herald, replies : 



" To keep the lips soft and smooth apply honey or white 

 vaseline." 



One can not help wondering why she should give vas- 

 eline as an alternative. Surely, no one would hesitate to 

 decide that the pure and delicious product of the busy bee is 

 far and away ahead of any preparation of the disagreeable 



coal-oil to keep a young lady's lips in condition for any 

 proper uses for which they were intended. 



Quite likely, however, " Mme. Qui Vive " thought that 

 in a large number of cases, if not the great majority, vas- 

 eline would be found more ready at hand than honey. 

 Should it be so ? 



-^ — ■ 



"Bees Do Nothing Invariably." 



An Australian bee-paper credits the saying, " Bees do 

 nothing invariably," to "the late Mr. L. Harrison." 



Good friends on the other side, you have things some- 

 what mixed. That saying originated with one of the sis- 

 ters, and when you wrote " the late Mr. Harrison " you 

 probably had in mind " the late Mrs. Harrison," who wrote 

 many a good thing. But neither should the credit for that 

 saying be given to Mrs. Harrison, but to another of the 

 sisters — Mrs. Ellen S. Tupper, who atone time edited a bee- 

 paper in this country. 



A Bee-Story from Vermont. 



A friend from Elizabeth, N. J., sent me the enclosed 

 clipping a few days ago. They knew all about me and my 

 bees, and I really think they thought I had " bees in my 

 bonnet" when I told them some things about the bees when 

 they were visiting me during the past summer. 



I thought possibly some one could amuse themselves 

 with the clipping. I am inclined to think that the queen- 

 bee did not need to lead the workers to the place where the 

 honey was, and so consequently the person who wrote the 

 article was not "posted" on bees. 



Grand Rapids, Mich. (Miss) Elsie A. Cutter. 



The clipping referred to reads as follows : 



Shrewsbury, Vt., Sept. 30. — When Elmer White found 

 a bee-tree last summer, which he figured would yield at 

 least a bushel of honey, he was greatly pleased, for he 

 needed a new shotgun for the fall hunting, and was a little 

 short of ready cash. He estimated that the sweet would 

 pay for half the cost at any rate, and visited the tree now 

 and then until the hard-working bees had filled and sealed 

 the combs preparatory to a long, cold winter. 



Then he cut the tree down, smoked off the indignant 

 bees, and, with the help of his wife, carted the honey home. 

 There was a little over a bushel, and it was finally decided 

 to put it in the loft over the corn-crib. Here, Mrs. White 

 said, it would keep dry and get air enough to prevent gran- 

 ulation. As honey wasn't bringing much at the time, it 

 was thought better to hold it until the first of September, 

 when the price would advance. 



Along in August Mr. White went to Rutland and picked 

 out a fine, breech-loading shotgun for $12, and told the store- 

 keeper to put it aside and he would call for it before duck 

 season. He paid $4 on deposit, and felt so pleased that he 

 bought his wife a new poke sunbonnet for $3. Then he 

 went home to farm it and wait for the rise in the price of 

 honey. 



The rise came about Sept. 1, as he expected, and last 

 week he drove to the village and met a traveling produce 

 merchant by appointment. Together they journeyed back 

 to the farm, and the pair, accompanied by Mrs. White, got a 

 ladder and proceeded to the corn-crib. The merchant had 

 brought some tin boxes and a pair of scales, and leav- 

 ing the latter in the barn and swinging the former on a 

 rope, he followed the farmer to the crib-loft. Mrs. White 

 remained on the ground. 



The surprise of the pair when they found every parti- 

 cle of the honey missing from the comb can scarcely be im- 

 agined. Not a grain had been left. The comb itself re- 

 mained intact, but the sweet had been taken to the last drop. 



" Wal, I'm jiggered, if that don't beat me clean holler," 

 gasped Mr. White, gazing in dismay at the dry comb. 



The merchant, who had been examining one of the 

 many small air-holes, laughed uproariously. 



" I guess this explains it," he said, pointing to a hole 

 well stuck up around the edges. "Those bees were a little 

 too smart for you, Captain. They've flown in and retrieved 

 their losses." 



And so it turned out. The intelligent insects, under 

 the leadership of the queen-bee, had followed the destroyers 

 of their home to the farm, and, when the honey had been 

 deposited within reach, had industriously taken it away a 

 little at a time. It was useless looking for it now, as they 

 had flown far with the sweet particles, and were now be- 

 ginning their winter's feast. 



While this story may have fact for its foundation, the 



