1870.] 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



59 



up when the weather is cooler, and we have 

 more leisure for rejoinder — say next winter. 



H. Alley. 



WenTiam, Mass. Aug. 8, 1870. 



[For the American Bee Journal] 



Bees in Central New Hampshire. 



The limited number of bee-keepers that are 

 found in this section of the country is sufiQcient 

 evidence that the securing of honey is not here 

 regarded as the royal road to wealth. Many a 

 farmer may have some four or five hives, which 

 are but a small taxation upon his time. From 

 them he is furnished with a luxury which if not 

 secured in this manner, probably no money would 

 purchase. 



Last year, (1869,) we secured five hundred 

 pounds in boxes — beginning in the spring with 

 twelve colonies. The harvest began on the 14th 

 or 15th of June, and closed the lOth of July. 

 The season was considered by .bee-kee])ers gener- 

 ally in this section of the country, as being a 

 very poor one. But few hives yielded any sur- 

 plus honey, save those that received extra at- 

 tention. 



On the 12th of November we placed fifteen 

 colonies in the cellar, where they remained till 

 the 9th of April, 1870. In our opinion, proper 

 ventilation is the necessary lesson to learn in 

 order to secure success ; and every man should 

 be fully persuaded in his own mind what course 

 is best for him to pursue. We have had some 

 experience with corn-cobs, paper coverings, wire 

 screens, straw mats, and old carpets. With us, 

 the last of these articles proves to be the most 

 satisfactory. 



Thirteen colonies passed the five months in- 

 carceration and came out fresh and fair. The 

 remaining two nearly failed us, as we attempted 

 to have them live without much change of air. 

 Those hives from which we removed the honey- 

 boards and covered the frames with two thick- 

 nesses of good woolen carpets, all came out in 

 the spring beautifully neat and clean. We shall 

 anticipate the same favorable results for the 

 coming winter. 



As the surplus honey harvest for 1870 has 

 already passed, we can begin to count our actual 

 gains. Comb-building began about the first of 

 June, and ceased the first week in July. Since 

 that date very little honey has been deposited in 

 the boxes, even when the bees were furnished 

 with nice frames of comb. The white clover 

 blossomed very profusely, and ripened rapidly, 

 and the bees were thus soon deprived of their 

 largest and best harvest field. 



Thus far we have secured somewhat over four 

 hundred pounds of No. 1 honey, and shall prob- 

 ably realize enough more to make Jive hundred 

 pounds, when all the boxes are removed and the 

 hives taken up that are not wanted for winter. 

 Thus far we have not succeeded so well as we 

 have wished in combining colonies. We would 

 not destroy any with brimstone, because that is 

 so very unkind ; but when we add colony to 

 colony many bees will kill each other. Tobacco 

 smoke and fragrant waters have at times failed 



to produce harmony of feeling. Perhaps it would 

 be better to sell the colonies we do not wish to 

 keep. 



We have, however, reason to be thankful for 

 the sweet blessing we have already received, and 

 are also thankful that our friends, west and 

 south, are having such bountiful returns. 



Dear Editor, we have just returned from a 

 visit to the school. The scholars were engaged 

 in reading their themes, it being Saturday after- 

 noon. Among the many subjects, one little girl 

 had selected the Honey Bee. It interested us so 

 much that we have taken the liberty to send you 

 a copy, that you may see what one of our little 

 Shaker girls, nine years of age, has written 



ABOUT BEES. 



"I love bees, because they make honey ; but 

 I do not love them sometimes, because they sting 

 me, and that I do not like, though I like their 

 honey. I have felt a sting from a honey bee, 

 and I never want to have one again, for I know 

 how it feels. It smarts well, indeed it does. A 

 bee is like a little girl, because it does good when 

 it wants to, and when it does not it will sting 

 you. Now, scholars, I will just tell you not to 

 'flict a bee, if you don't want it to sting you. It 

 is like a girl, for if you 'flict her, she will be un- 

 kind to you, and you must not 'flict her. Th.is 

 is all I have to write about the bee." — C. 



The Journal as a welcome visitor arrives while 

 we are engaged writing this communication ; 

 and the pages tell of great and precious trea- 

 sures. As time passes on we hope to be able to 

 write of more bountiful harvests. We have in 

 anticipation the simon pure Italian Bee, to take 

 the place of our blacks and hybrids ; and ex- 

 tended fields of Alsike clover, instead of the anti- 

 quated red. In that day of bounty and beauty, 

 we shall hope to write temptingly to our worthy 

 editor. Respectfully, 



H. C. Blinn. 



Shaker Village, iV. H., Aug. 1870. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Natural, Prolific, Hardy Queens. 



PART 2. 

 (Continued from July Number, page 11.) 



In early spring, or at any time desirable, pro- 

 ceed to stimulate a selected colony with liquid 

 feed. "Warm syrup or strained honey, is 

 the best for the purpose ;" placing alternately 

 empty combs or combs full of brood, from other 

 hives, until your hive is full ; or by the removal 

 of one or more colonies, on each side of the se- 

 lected one, the worker bees from one or moi'e 

 hives, can be thrown into the selected hive, and 

 so stimulate the swarming fever or impulse. 

 Proceed now as recommended in the July num- 

 ber, page 11, when the bees will commence build- 

 ing queen cells. The bee-keeper will thus secure 

 from ten to sixty queen cells per week. During 

 my experiments, each weekly i-obbing only stimu- 

 lated the bees to greater exertions to secure a 

 queen. Proceed thus until the desired number 

 of queen cells are secured, or the bees swarm. 

 If they should swarm before a suflficient number 



