Feb. IS, 1906 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



141 



each. When through with them the whole is united by 

 simply removing the screen. 



The above comes in quite an opportune time, as I have 

 contemplated preparations for rearing a large number of 

 queens to requeen a lot of apiaries soon. I was as yet un- 

 decided as to what plan to use for getting the queens purely 

 mated, this having to be done at only one or two yards. 



The " baby " nucleus seemed to be the thing ; but, 

 again, it would have required much time to prepare them 

 Then they would be on hand afterward with a lot of small 

 combs that could not have well been used for anything else. 

 With the other plan the regular combs can be used for both 

 purposes — during queen-mating, and for honey afterward. 

 Hence, it seems, to me, at least, the most practical. 



Some Peculiarities of the Southern Honey-Flow 



It is very natural for honey-producing plants to yield 

 nectar in warm, still, sunny weather, but all plants do not 

 require the same weather conditions. Some require damp, 

 cloudy, cool weather; some very dry, hot weather, etc.; but, 

 in all events, the weather conditions have to meet the con- 

 ditions of the honey-secreting bloom, else it yields no honey. 



Here in the South we are not troubled so much with cold 

 weather during the blooming of honey-plants. The bees 

 will visit the bloom, but of all bad weather for honey-gath- 

 ering it is windy weather. It not only hinders the bees in 

 their flight and work on the bloom, but it is detrimental to 

 honey-secretion. If it rains we have many flowers that the 

 rain can not wash the nectar out of, and the bees will store 

 between showers. 



Three years ago I took off a nice crop of honey the first 

 of March, gathered from the mayhaw — the earliest crop of 

 honey ever reported from this section. The weather was 

 cool but sunny. 



We had 3 days of cool, damp, cloudy weather last year 

 in August. During that time I visited my Magnolia apiary, 

 and on approaching it I heard the heavy roar of the bees. I 

 thought wholesale robbing was in full force, but I soon saw 

 that they were gathering honey, and, looking on the alight- 

 ing-board, I saw particles of magnolia blooms. This told 

 the tale. I went a few rods into the swamp, which was 

 beautifully decorated with the large, rich magnolia blooms. 

 I examined a bloom. There was the nectar visible, and all 

 the bees had to do was to alight, fill themselves and return. 

 The weather soon cleared off and the magnolia honey was 

 no more. These 3 days of damp, cool, cloudy weather saved 

 me from having to feed a part of my bees last year, and also 

 saved many old-style gums from being turned bottom end 

 up the coming spring, in this section. 



We had a very dry, sultry spell here the latter part of 

 last August, and up to this time bees were living from hand 

 to mouth. All at once they began storing from the cotton 

 bloom, though it looked as if the cotton was going to die in 

 the fields from drouth and heat, yet it yielded heavily until 

 the bees had stored from 30 to 60 pounds of honey per colony. 



The peculiarities of the honey-plants in the South are 

 that they do not all require the same atmospheric condi- 

 tions for yielding nectar. In many portions we have many 

 varieties of honey-plants, therefore we generally get a crop 

 of honey, and that accounts for our not having to feed our 

 bees. The sudden stop of the horjey-flow in many portions 

 of the South last year, when the atmospheric conditions re- 

 mained the same, was quite a mystery to some of us bee- 

 keepers. 



It seems that the sumac and a few other honey-plants 

 require a change in the atmospheric condition during their 

 yielding, or they will suddenly stop, J. J. Wilder. 



Cordele, Ga. 



To the Southern Bee-Keepers 



We have been very anxious to receive communications 

 and reports of all kinds from bee-keepers of the South, on 

 topics connected with bee-keeping. Write me direct, here 

 at my home — New Braunfels, Tex. — and I'll be glad to hear 

 from you. Write me personal letters if you wish, in which 

 you can tell me of your experiences, your successes and 

 your failures — anything relative to apiculture. If you are 

 experimenting with anything let me know about it, or ask 

 me any questions, and I shall be only too glad to help you 

 along. 



Any news items or notes, no matter how poorly written, 



and if only on a postal card, can be arranged for our depart- 

 ment, just so we get the ideas and the news matter. 



Remember, also, that our department includes the 

 whole South, no matter where you are. Who will be the 

 first to help make our department a good one ? 



^ 



(Dur+Sister 

 Beekeepers 



Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. 



A Sister at a Farmers' Institute 



J 



Mrs. A. L. Amos, of Comstock, Nebr., has again been 

 invited to address the Farmers' Institute which is to meet 

 at Broken Bow, Nebr., Feb. 14 and IS. The invitation re- 

 questing Mrs. Amos to appear on the program, contained 

 these words : 



" The people were so pleased with your paper on " Bee- 

 Culture" at our institute last winter that we desire at this 

 time that you should supplement that paper with further 

 information along the same lines." 



What one woman can do many another woman should 

 be able 10 do. Mrs. Amos has set an excellent example for 

 other sisters to foltow. Many of them are most entertain- 

 ing speakers, and when what they say comes from actual 

 experience in the bee-yard, it is doubly entertaining and 

 helpful to those who are so fortunate as to hear them. 



One Woman and Two Colonies 



T. Celestine Cummings says in Successful Farmer : 



" One woman I know started an apiary with 2 colonies 

 and made a net profit the first year of $100, the second 

 doubled her income, and after that averaged $250, more or 

 less. When the farmer turns his attention to honey-mak- 

 ing on a large scale it becomes one of his most valuable 

 assets, bringing from a reasonable number of colonies more 

 than the returns from all the rest of his farm." 



How's that for " one woman ?" Can any of the brothers 

 beat it ? What a pity that we were not told exactly how 

 that $100 from 2 colones was secured. Then after reaching 

 $250 a year, why did she stop at that ? Why not go right 

 on increasing so as to get $100 more from each 2 colonies? 



After reading that item about the farmers, one begins 

 to wonder that there are farmers left. Why don't they all 

 turn bee-keepers ? __ 



A Woman's Determination and Success 



Dear Miss Wilson : — I am afraid some of us are not 

 doing our part in helping you with our department. My 

 conscience hasn't been quite clear about it for some time, 

 notwithstanding the various excuses I can bring forth, such 

 as these : A young baby and two other tots to look after. 

 Then I am my own servant and seamstress (though many 

 things are bought ready-made). 



I can hear some one say, " Well, why don't she let bees 

 alone ?" 



I won't do it. So, there 1 I think I am entitled to a little 

 recreation, pleasure and profit, but — this is not the report. 



I had 17 colonies last spring, and have 17 now. They 

 gave me 930 pounds of comb honey, most of which was 

 gathered in the fall, and much of it was fancy. I had 

 "much ado" to keep the bees together, and not allow (?) 

 them to swarm ; and it was too much work ; I won't have 

 the time this year, so I expect to try a different plan. Since 

 swarming commences here in April, and my best honey- 

 flow is in the fall, I think I'll allow all to swarm once, and 

 thereby have double the colonies for the fall crop ; then 

 double them back to the original number after the flow is 

 over. This will be an experiment, for I don't know that I'll 

 get any more honey, for this locality may be somewhat over- 

 stocked now. I am situated in a trucking belt, and all 

 available land is under cultivation, so the bees have to take 

 " 'most any old thing " in any old place they can find. 



