112 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[Nov., 



faction, we think we can get as niucli profit, and 

 far more pleasure, from one Italian swarm in a 

 Langstroth liive, tlian we can front twentj^-five 

 (25) swarms of black bees in box hives. 



J. P. Moore. 

 Binghamion, N. Y., Oct. 3, 1870. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Bee Eeport from Champaign Co., Ills. 



Mr. Editor: — I write to let you know how 

 bees have done here, this season. I had last 

 spring fifty-one (51) stocks, nearly all in my 

 own hive with frames, and on the top four glass 

 boxes, holding ten pounds each, box and all. I 

 sold two stocks for thirty-six dollars, and they 

 earned for the man who bought them one hun- 

 dred (100 dollars, in swarms and honey. 



During the blooming of the trees in the spring, 

 bees had a week to gather honey. Then they did 

 not get any more until the white cover blos- 

 somed, and we had a rain on the 10th of June. 

 From that time until the 25th of .June bees did 

 splendid ; but after that to the 1st of August, 

 they did not collect as much as they consumed. 

 Then we had the fall flowers, and they have 

 done very well. 



T bought ten swarms on the 2Bd of June, but 

 before they commenced work forage failed. I 

 fed them and four of my own late swarms ; one 

 hundred pounds of sugar and two gallons of 

 honey. I then stopjied until the first of Sep- 

 tember. Then I fed them over one hundred 

 pounds more of sugar, doubled up three colonies 

 and broke up two. So I now have seventy-two 

 (72) stocks, all of which I think will winter. 



My bees have made about 800 or 900 lbs of 

 honey. To strengthen the weak ones, I took oft" 

 boxes full of honey and bees, and gave them to 

 weak swarms. Thus they got bees and honey 

 at the same time. In doubling swarms, I open 

 both hives and take five of the lightest frames 

 from one, and five of the best from the other, 

 put them in and brush all the bees out, and they 

 will not fight. 



Bees have done better in the country than in 

 the village, as our village is nearly overstocked. 

 The Spanish Needle is a good honey-producing 

 plant ; also a tall flower called Wild Arti- 

 choke. — It has been very dry here ; but rains 

 have gone in streaks. Two or three rains come 

 in the right time, would have been worth a 

 thousniid dollars to me. The white clover dried 

 up early. Tlie bees visited the groceries and 

 were lost by thousands. My bees are nearly all 

 Italians, which I consider the best. 



I gave a description of my hive in the Journal, 

 last year. Every one uses it here. It costs 

 about four dollars, and can be made for a little 

 less. 



We have had no frost yet, and the bees are 

 collecting honey still, and will do so as long as 

 the Wild Artichoke lasts. I feed my bees by 

 taking ofl" one of the boxes, and put on a sau- 

 cer with some pieces of comb in it. Then dis- 

 solve sugar and fill the comb and saucer. They 

 will take it up every night. Feed till you get 

 them heavy enough. 



I divided ten swarms, and they did well, 

 though I divided them too late in the season. 

 If one is going to divide, it should be done 

 early. 



Last year was a splendid season for honey. 

 Thirty-two weak stocks gave eighteen swarms, 

 and twenty-six hundred pounds of honey. 



Dr. II. Chaffee. 



Tolono, Ills., Oct. 3, 1870. 



[For the American Beo Journal.] 



White Clover crop. — Buckwheat yielding no 

 Honey. 



' Mr. Editor : — I once moi-e take up my pen' 

 to advocate bee-keeping. As I said in my last 

 article that my apiai-y was increasing, I have 

 now ten new swarms from eleven old colonies, 

 and I am every day expecting some second swarms 

 to issue, as queens in the hives that sent out 

 swarms, can be distinctly heard uttering the 

 word "i)eep! peep!" and according to more 

 able apiai-ians than myself, that is the true sign 

 that second swarms will issue in a few days, if 

 the weather be favorable. 



The other morning I Avas out Avhere my bees 

 are. I supi:>ose you have a strong idea of what I 

 saw, when I raised up one of my stands. There 

 were a half dozen of the fattest full grOAvn moth 

 worms almost any one ever saw. They were 

 lying back in all their glory, after gorging them- 

 selves with the rich feast on which they no 

 doubt had luxuriated. I made short work of 

 them, however. Those round, plump, greasy- 

 looking fellows seem to think, from all appear- 

 ance, that they are lords of creation. But I 

 soon dislodged them from their snug quarters, 

 by means of a sharp-pointed iron bar made for 

 the i^urpose. "They slept rather late that morn- 

 ing, and were caught up with." 



The piping of the young queen was something 

 new to me. I told some of my bee-raising friends 

 of it, and they hooted at me, calling me a de- 

 ceiver and impostor. I referred them to Mr. 

 Langstroth' s book, and Mr. Quinby's, and told 

 them that they should subscribe for the Ameri- 

 can Bee Journal, or even read it, and they would 

 find that what I said in regard to the young 

 queen's piping, was strictly correct. My friend 

 Mr. K. (whom I converted) in a conversation 

 with Mr. S., asked him why he did not take the 

 American Bee Journal. "Why," replied he, 

 "they can print anything in a paper, and there 

 are fools enough to believe it." I have known 

 Mr. S. for about fourteen years, and know that 

 he has had bees all that time. Yet he has not 

 any more stands now, than he had ten years ago. 

 (It is no wonder.) 



The honey product of this season seems to be 

 good. Bees are storing great quantities of sur- 

 l^lus honey. The weather has been very favor- 

 able for honey-gathering, for the past six weeks. 

 White clover has been in bloom for the last fif- 

 teen days, and will probably continue till the 

 middle of July. From it the best honey is 

 gathered. In the spring the early flowers were 

 cut oft' by sleet, which fell about the 18th of 

 April. 



