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THE AMEEICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[Sept., 



hornets do only in part and occasionally, is really the 

 work of the Sparrow, which, becanse its habits have 

 been little observed or studied, continues to be held in 

 high estimation in some districts. Even a small num- 

 ber of these birds can, in a few days, do exceedin!j;ly 

 great injury in a vineyard, at the time when the ripen- 

 ing grapes are becoming mellow. They then peck 

 open berry after berry, as though in sport, sip a little 

 of the juice occasionally, and flitting away to some 

 other cluster incessantly repeat the damaging process. 

 I have witnessed this hundreds of times ; and seen 

 them do the work so effectually that, year after year, 

 I have not obtained one undamaged cluster from my 

 arbor. — This cunning sparrow knows, too, how to 

 avoid traps and springes, and soon familiarizes him- 

 self with the most elaborate fantastic scarecrow set 

 up in terrorem, acting apparently in derision and 

 contempt of the baffled and mortified grape-grower." 

 Forty years ago, an American ornithologist, speak- 

 ing of this species of sparrow and the injury done by 

 it to grain fields in Europe, said — '' Fortunately we are 

 free from this pest on this side of the Atlantic," Kow 

 we import them, and boast of it ! 



COEEESPONDENOE OF THE BEE JOUKNAL. 



Ttkone, Ontario, July 16.— Bees are doing very 

 well here this year. I have got forty pounds surplus 

 honey from some of my hives already. — J. McLaugh- 

 lin. 



Washington Harbor, Wis., July 16. — This has 

 been the best honey season, thus far, seen by me A 

 second swarm hived on Tuesday June 21st, on Wed- 

 nesday night tlie 29th, weighed twenty-five pounds, 

 besides having yielded tliirty-eight pounds ten ounces 

 taken by honey machine in eight days. I had given 

 the swarm seven old corcbs and one empty frame, 

 placed it on the old stand, and removed the old stock 

 to a new place. On the 25th and 26th, it gained 

 twenty-one pounds six ounces in two days, on rasp- 

 berry and clover blossoms. This is the best day's 

 work and week's work I have noticed. The queen 

 began to lay on Monday the 27th, so they had no 

 brood to nurse. 



The next fourteen days they lost four pounds each. 

 Basswood began to bloom July 13th. One hive 

 gained fifteen pounds in four days ; and in the next 

 ten days I expect my five hives to gain thirty to forty 

 pounds each, which closes the honey season here. 

 The last two years the hives lost more in weight from 

 the 1st of August to the 1st of November, than in five 

 months in the cellar to 1st of April. — H. D. Miner. 



Borodino, N. Y., July 16. — I think that you pub- 

 lish by far the best Bee Journal. 



Gansevoort, N. Y., July 20. — I think the Ameri- 

 can Bee Journal worthy of every bee-keeper's atten- 

 tion, whether he keeps one stand or a hundred. 



I would like to learn from some more experienced 

 bee-keepers than myself, the best way to set bees for 

 summer ; whether exposed to the sun, in the shade 

 of trees, or under a shelter made of boards. 



It has been very dry here all summer, and flowers 

 have nearly all dried up. Bees have swarmed but 

 little and have not stored much cap honey. Box 

 hives are mostly used here, though there are some 

 others of diflferent kinds. — Thomas Pierce. 



Rich Valley, Minn., July 20. — The season for bees 

 has been fair thus far ; but I do not think this loca- 

 tion so well adapted to the business as most of the 

 States south. — L. M. Lindley. 



RiDGEWAY, Mich., July 21. — I have one hundred 

 and thirty colonies in box hives, somewhat like T. B. 

 Miner's equilateral hive. I shall have about twenty 

 hundred pounds of honey for sale this season. 



I cannot learn that it would be wise for me to 

 adopt the movable comb hive, as I have five hundred 

 dollars invested in box hives, and have been success- 

 ful with tliem. t-o far as I can learn I have the 

 largest apiary in Michigan, and have perhaps, in the 

 last thirteen years sold more surplus honey than any 

 apiarian using box hives, or perhaps any other 

 kind of hive. Honey sells for twenty to twenty-live 

 cents per pound. — J. F. Temple. 



Augusta, Me., July 22. — This is a very dry season 

 with us. Bees will not give much surplus honey ; 

 and in some cases old stocks will not get honey 

 enough to winter. — H. B. Coney. 



Gebhartsburg, Pa., July 22. — This has been a 

 remarkable honey season, and also for swarming. I 

 practice artificial swarming, yet in spite of all pre- 

 cautions I got two natural swarms, and that too 

 without the least preparation by the bees, for no 

 queen cells had been started. Tliis is contrary to the 

 books and my previous experience. — W. Baker. 



Hamilton, III., July 24. — No Bee Journal either 

 on the old continent or the new, can vie with the 

 American Bee Journal. — C. Dadant. 



Niagara, Ontario, July 30. — We have had a good 

 honey season, through June and part of July, from 

 white clover ; but I clo not tliink bees are doing much 

 now. I lost some honey for want of shade. The 

 combs melted, though in double boxes. — F. G. Nash. 



ExCEt.siOR, Minn., July SO. — Bees have done very 

 well here, until the middle of this month, the season 

 having been an unusually fine one, up to that time. 

 Since then, we have had a change of weather and 

 bees are doing nothing. The season has been a very 

 dry and hot one, thus indicating — not for the first 

 time — that dry warm seasons are the best for honey 

 in this latitude. — J. W. Murray. 



East Fairfield, Ohio. — Bees are doing very nicely 

 here this year. I should like to see your valuable 

 Journal have a wide circulation, and if it were care- 

 fully read, I think bee-keepers would generally do 

 well. — J. Heustis. 



Springfield, III., August 4. — Our pets have done 

 nothing since 20th of June, but eat up what they 

 saved before. The " heated term " has been unusu- 

 ally severe and long. We look for better things, now 

 that the weather has changed and vegetation begins 

 to revive. This morning one of my early June 

 swarms (Italian) threw off a very large swarm. Ou 

 examining the hive, I was not a little interested and 

 surprised to find five beautiful young queens, evidently 

 stretcliing their legs (my queens have legs) for tlie 

 first time. Three went " where the woodbine 

 twineth." I had use for the other two. Is not the 

 simultaneous hatching of so great a number unusual ? 

 — W. L. Gross. 



North Tinbridge, Vt., August 7. — We have had 

 a very great season here for honey, but not as much 

 swarming as usual. My bees have given me a profit 

 of twenty-four dollars per swarm, in box honey. — D. 

 C. Hunt. 



Cleveland, Ohio, August 8. — I think we have a 

 very poor locality for bees — the land being too flat, 

 wet, and cold. No honey in the white clover blossoms 

 this year. — R. Honey. 



