1^2 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[Dec, 



better than any otliers persons I had seen. I wish to 

 state, in justice to myself and otliers, through yonr 

 valuable Journal, that I made no such statement in 

 regard to any honey extractor whatever. 

 Yours respectfully, 



CUARLES F. MUTH. 



Cincinnati, Ohio, Oct. 18, 1870. 



OOREESPOUDENOE OF THE BEE JOUENAL. 



Waksaw, (Minn.) Oct. 3, 1870.— This has been a 

 poor season here for bees, except in basswoodtime. — 

 L. B. Alukich. 



WiNTEKSET, Iowa, Oct. 10.— The weather was very 

 dry here in June, July and August, so much so that 

 we shall get very little surplus honey. Buckwheat 

 bloomed finely, and bees have got plenty to winter 

 on, and some to spare in some hives. September 

 and October thus far have been very wet, except 

 one or two days at a time ; and now it is wet and 

 cold or the bees could have gathered a good deal of 

 honey in the last four weeks. 



Well, perhaps some person would like to have an 

 easier, better, and less wasteful way of feeding bees in 

 the spring with flour, so that they will work at it 

 more naturally or like gathering pollen from flowers. 

 It is this: Take good No. 1. wheat flour aud put it in 

 piles of one pint, more or less, to suit convenience. 

 Press it down firmly with the hand or anything else 

 convenient. Set it in a warm place, out of the reach 

 of winds, with a few drops of sweet anise about it, to 

 attract the bees ; and you will soon see tlieni lively at 

 work on it, if they are in need of it and the weather 

 is warm enough for them to be out. Fine bolted oat 

 meal, buckwheat or rye flour will perhaps answer as 

 well, but 1 have not tried them yet. They seem to 

 gather it with much less waste, and less is blown 

 away. Bees gather it on their legs, without resting 

 on or wallowing in it, as where it is given loosely, 

 without ])ressing down ; yet they will gather it all up 

 clean, mostly while on the wing, the same as if 

 gathering pollen from flowers. — Mr. Bailey. 



Geddes, N. Y., Oct. 18. — This has been the best 

 season here lor houev, that I have known since I had 

 anything to do with bees. My experience iu bee- 

 culture extends back only seven years, but four 

 years of that time I went it blind, like thousands of 

 others, who, keeping eight or ten stocks, if they got 

 Loney enough for their own use, think they are doing 

 well. I sLaTted in the spring, with nine stocks and 

 increased them to sixteen, four natural and three 

 artificial swarms. Besides this, I obtained, as sur- 

 plus, five hundred and thirty pounds of box honey, 

 and seventy pounds of sti-ained honey — leaving from 

 thirty to fifty pounds in each of the hives for the bees 

 to winter on. — My best stock gave me one hundred 

 and ten pounds of box honey. 



Tills I consider a very poor locality for bee-keeping. 

 I live lietween Syracuse and Geddes, with half or tuo- 

 thirds of the territory useless for bees. I have not 

 heard of anybody cultivating sweet clover for bees. 

 I do not see why it would not pay to cultivate it. I 

 think if it had not been for the sweet clover that 

 grows along the New York Central Railroad my bees 

 would not have stored any surplus honey this year. 

 This clover is in blossom for over two months, aud 

 is alive with bees when the weather will admit. — I 

 consider two dollars invested in the Bee Journal, 

 mouey well spent. — II. O. Salisbl'KY. 



Wei.lsvilt.e, I\Io., Oct. 18. — Our sfeason early was 

 good. Dry weather through May and June spoiled 

 our season, till the middle of July ; since then it has 

 been good. Bees are strong in winter stores. Ours 

 is a uood bee country. — J. Bakfoot. 



Willow Bkancii, Ind., Oct. 20. — I have not done 

 quite as well with my bees as I expected, this season. 

 July and August wereveiy dry. Commeueingin the 

 spring with seven colonies (all black bees) iu log and 

 box hives and not an Italian bee within ten miles. 

 With the assistance of Dr. Hathaway of r\Iuncie, 

 we transferred them on the 27th of May into Lang- 

 strotli hives, made fourteei out of the seven, Italian- 

 ized them, and on the fourth of July run them up to 

 twenty-six by artificial swarming. The drouth then 

 setting in and continuing so long, I was almost 

 scared about my jiets, but with September theie 

 came good rain, and as I had sown 4/2 acres of buck- 

 wheat they laid up ]i!enty of winter stores from its 

 sweet bloom, though they did not give me any box 

 honey. They were like Novice's l)ees, " nary comb" 

 would they build. Now, by the way, Mr. Editor, 

 Wlio is Novice ? and where does he live ? I wish to 

 know also where Alsike clover seed can be bought on 

 reasonable terms. I want to sow from five to tea 

 acres next spriug. 



I am going to try to winter my bees on their 

 summer stands, as they all have jlenty of honey, 

 and I have no melextraetor, to take it from them 

 with. — Is it common for bees to stop breeding so 

 early as the first of October, while the weather con- 

 tinues fine? Mine ceased that early this year. 



I can recommend Dr. Stephen Hathaway of 

 MiUKie, Ind.,aud Mr. Adam Grimm of Jeli'erson, Wis. 

 as being reliable and responsible queen bee breeders, 

 so far as I have tried them. I do not see how any 

 bee-keeper can do without the Journal. Success to it, 

 and all bee-raisers. — J. Smith. 



EiDGEFiEi.D, Conn., Oct. 21.— Bees have done well 

 here this season, although it has been very dry since 

 June. My Italian stocks ai'e very heavy, fully one- 

 third heavier than the blacks. I believe I am the 

 only one in this town that takes the Journal, ai^i am 

 sorry that I have not the first four volumes. I have 

 tried to get others to subscribe, but they say they 

 caunot atibrd it ; while I am certain that I cannot 

 afford to do without it.- S. W. Stevens. 



Lattner's, Iowa, Oct., 27. — Enclosed find two 

 dollars for the Bee Journal, which I think is as 

 necessary for a beekeeper, as a compass for a sea- 

 ca] tain. The honey harvest for 1870 is over, aud iu 

 this locality it has been a good one. My bees have 

 done well. I have a credit for their account of 

 eighty-four prime swarms, and eight hundred and 

 forty-two dollars for honey sold, with about two 

 hundred dollars worth yet on hand, for this season's 

 work. My best hive yielded 242 lbs. of honey aud 

 one swarm. The honey was taken out with the 

 honey extractor, and sold for twenty-five cents per 

 pound. The swarm yielded thirty-six pounds of box 

 honey, at thirty cents [ler pound. Whole amount 

 from the best hive, fifty-one dollars and thiily cents 

 ($.51.30) aud one swarm (Italian) worth ten dollars, 

 (810.) 



Next season will probably be a poor one for all 

 those beekeepers who do not use movable comb hives 

 and the honey extractor, for this reason : The hives 

 are all filled with honey (sealed) and no room to 

 breed, or at least very little. Next season there will 

 be late swarms and small ones, out of all the hives 

 that are now the heaviest and the strongest, unless 

 tiie honey is taken away this fall or next spring — that 

 is, wh it they can spare. I find that colonies with 

 plenty of bees in the spring, aud but very little honey 



