1871.] 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



231 



iu which the funnel may be inserted, and which 

 may be closed with a cork, when not in nse. 



In the Northern States, bees ill supplied with 

 stores, should be fully fed in the latter part of 

 September or the beginning of October ; but this 

 feeder answers admirably when cold weather 

 comes on, before they have obtained sufficient 

 supplies. Last fall I put a colony into a hive 

 with only empty combs, and by using this feeder 

 they are now in good condition, and do not re- 

 move the honey faster than they consimie it, as 

 they know that they can get it as readily as 

 tlaough they had themselves stored it in the 

 combs, above the cluster. When you get through 

 with feeding, pour warm water in the feeder, 

 rinse it well, and let it dry. 



Mr. Editor, I have now ful'y described what I 

 know from experience is an excellent feeder, and 

 thus make it public— desiring at the same time 

 to receive due credit for my invention. 



J. F. Hershey. 



Mountjoy, Pa., Jan. 12, 1871. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



How I Lost a Number of Queens. 



About the beginning of tlie month of June 

 last, I had a large number of nice prolific Italian 

 queens, and only a small number of orders to 

 fill. I therefore concluded to use them in mak- 

 ing artificial swarms. In my southern apiary I 

 had a number of hybrid colonies in very good 

 condition. These stocks I concluded to use in 

 getting uj) strong artificial stocks. My mode of 

 doing this was as follows : I took from movable 

 comb hives all the combs but two, without any 

 bees, put them into an empty hive, and placed 

 the latter on the stand of one of those box hives. 

 All the old worker bees out in the field, and a 

 large number that left the hives afterwards, 

 went into this hive, and a good colony would 

 doubtless have been created if I could have in- 

 duced the bees to accept one of those fertile queens 

 in a short time. In the evening I introduced 

 caged queens into nineteen colonies so formed, 

 liberating them at evening on the third day, 

 with every appearance of acceptance. To my 

 utter surj^rise, however, on examination a week 

 later, I found that eleven out of the nineteen 

 queens were either killed or had swarmed out 

 with a small body of adherents. Two of the re- 

 remaining eight were still held prisoners by the 

 workers. After destroying all the sealed queen 

 cells, I liberated those queens and they were ac- 

 cepted. 



I report this failure to the Journal to make 

 'others cautious in liberating queens in artificial 

 colonies so foi-med. In former days, I proceeded 

 as follows, when forming artificial colonies with 

 surplus fertile queens. I divided a strong stock, 

 by taking two-thirds of all the brood combs, 

 with the- adhering bees — putting them into an 

 empty hive. I then removed the so-created 

 colony to a new location and introduced a caged 

 fertile queen in the evening, and liberated her 

 on the evening of the third day. I scarcely ever 



failed in having my queens accepted, and always 

 succeeded in creating a good colony. 



A. Grimm. 

 Jefferson, Wis., Jan., 1871. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Note from a Lady Beginner. 



Dear Bee Journal :— Please don't think us 

 presuming upon our short acquaintance — only 

 six months — for truly we greet your coming with 

 ever increasing interest, inspired the while with 

 increasing thirst for knowledge in our chosen 

 profession, we hope to be "admitted" some day. 



We do wish though, that Mr. " Novice" would 

 please change his name, or rather take one to 

 which he has a better claim, say, "Blessed Expe- 

 rience," and let «s have his ; only we should want 

 a prefix, like "very anxious," or something else 

 that would express halt the desire we feel to know 

 just the right time to do the right thing for our 

 bees. 



With only four stands of bees, and less than 

 one year's experience, we are able to promise 

 that with /ufif the success that otliers report, we 

 will become just as much of an enthusiast. Feb- 

 ruary 22 we found the bees carrying pollen, but 

 could not tell whether from the field or some old 

 comb stored in an outhouse. But, to-day, March 

 0, they are bringing such bright yellow loads, 

 and come in such numbers, that we must open 

 wide their doors. 



The bed Elm is in bloom, and tlie bees make 

 music to our ears, among the branches, bringing 

 the hope that the coming season here may not be 

 like unto the last in the lack of honey. 



Sue W. 



Pacific, Mo. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Eeport from Dayton, Ohio. 



I put up last summer about 500 pounds ex- 

 tracted honey in glass jars, heating and skim- 

 ming it first. None of it had candied in the 

 least, though upon noticing the fact that much of 

 that in other hands liad candied, I exposed 

 some out doors to all the cold we have had since 

 February 1st, and it has not changed, but is now 

 bright and limpid as when first put up. 



Last season was hartlly an average one here, 

 in yield of honey. We had good weather to near 

 the middle of July, and the bees worked steadily, 

 filling up empty combs, but made very little new, 

 and did not swarm. Our fall pasturage, of 

 golden rod principally, and a lew other honey- 

 yielding fiowers, never amounts to anything 

 more than, at the best, to keep up the strength 

 of the hives. Comparatively no buckwheat is 

 planted in this vicinity, so that our honey is 

 obtained from fruit trees and raspberry blossoms, 

 white and sometimes red clover, locust, and lime 

 or basswood trees. 



The melexti'actor will doubtless largely in- 

 crease the yield of honey, and in seasons like 

 our last summer be very advantageous ; but bee- 



