1871.] 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



285 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Washington, June, 1871. 



23= Want of room compels us to omit a number of 

 advertisements this month. The reader will under- 

 stand that they are 7iot withdrawn. 



We ac:aia caution bee-keepers asrainst suffer- 

 ing themselves to be blackmailed bj' parties otfering 

 to sell riirhts or demanding pay or damages, under 

 pretext of the Clark patent, for the use of the trian- 

 gular comb-guides, or any similar device for securing 

 straight combs. The Clark patent was improperly 

 granted, is utterly invalid, the decision of the U. S. 

 Court iu its favor was fraudulently obtained, and 

 those exacting " royalty" for the guides are guilty 

 of procuring money under false pretences. Clark or 

 his assignee will never institute and prosicnte suit 

 against any one resolved to resist the demand, as that 

 would bring the matter again within purview of the 

 Courts. 





VCF" Mr. D. L. Adair, of Elawesville, (Ky.,) claims 

 to have a patent for a bee-feeder substantially similar 

 to the one described in the April number of the Jour- 

 nal, as the invention of Mr. Hershcy, of Mountjoy, Pa. 



C^^ We inadvertently omitted to say in our last 

 issue that Mr. Gravenhorst, though not making a 

 business of raising Italian queens for sale, is willing 

 to serve the bee-keepers of this country by procuring 

 for them pure Italian queens from Dzicrzon's apiary, 

 at customary rates ; or will send queens of his own 

 raising, if desired, at four dollars each, in gold. Re 

 could not, of course, insure safe transportation by 

 steamer, but would use every endeavor to have the 

 queens sent and reach their destination alive and in 

 good condition. Egyptian queen bees, also, would 

 be procured from the apiary of F. W. Vogel, at ten 

 dollars each, and forwarded with despatch. Mr. G.'s 

 address is C. F. H. Gravenhorst, Kleiner Exerzier- 

 plaz 8, Braunschweig, Germany. 



0^" We have received letters frequently of late 

 from persons whose minds seem exercised on the 

 hive question by an anxious desire to give " honor to 

 whom honor" is due, though they have been led to 

 imagine that Huber, Munn, Debeauvoys, or somebody 

 else, is entitled to the credit of inventing the movable 

 comb-hive. To such inquirers we would say that we 

 intend to take an early opportunity to give an ac 

 count of the inventions of the parties named, with 

 accurate cuts and illustrations. Meantime, we beg 

 to assure them that none of the devices and con- 

 trivances refsrred to are patented, but are public 

 property, available for practical ends by anybody 

 who chooses to use them. Let any one who desires 

 make an exact and perfect imitation of any or of 



all of them, and introduce them in his apiary for 

 trial, without the least apprehension of infringing 

 anybody's rights. For economical and prudential con- 

 siderations, however, Ave would suggest that he make 

 orily one of each kind ; and we will guarantee that, 

 after subjecting them to a fair test, he will — never 

 desire to make or une a second. 



If, after drumming out a swarm, it is found 

 that the queen is not among the bees, and the num- 

 ber of the latter is sufficient for a good colony, place 

 the driven swarm where the parent hive stood, and 

 remove the latter to a new location ; supply the swarm 

 at once with eggs and brood to raise a queen ; and if 

 an advanced maturing queen cell is available, insert 

 it on the second or third day. 



CORRESPONDENCE OF TEE BEE JOURNAL. 



Tiffin, Ohio, April, 17.— There is quite a demand 

 for ring-tailed hogs in this nook of the woods. 

 It is proposed to train them to walk up a few 

 steps and hitch their tails to the stispended honks, 

 and then feed as per patent — thereby saving lime iu 

 hooking or tying the tails three times a day, everj' 

 day. There is no telling to what extent a hog can be 

 educated, some having, as is well known, been taught 

 to play cards, and tell the time of day by the dial of 

 a watch. Some say bees cannot be educated. I say 

 they can, and to have them store honey in the side 

 frames takes training. Yet the life of the bee is too 

 short for much to be done in that line in one genera- 

 tion, tor like Paddy's horse, which when once he got 

 used to do without eating, took a notion to die, so the 

 best taught bees are apt to die soonest. 



Last summer was the best honey season I ever saw. 

 I won't say how much honey I took from some of my 

 best colonies, for fear of not being believed by old 

 fogy bee-keepers. Bees are doing remarkably well at 

 present. Success to the Journal. J. J. Fisher. 



Bricksburg, N. J., April 17. — We have had a 

 much more quiet and favorable spring here than one 

 year ago. The means I indicated for spring manage- 

 ment here, have been of much benefit; as I will de- 

 scribe iu future. We had tine, warm summerlike days 

 in succession, commencing April 7lh, which gave 

 quite a start. I have transferred most of my bees to 

 nucleus hives, putting as many of such hives to- 

 gether as may be necessary for the convenience of 

 the swarm. This will render transportation cheaper 

 and safer. J. L. IIubbard. 



Amesburt, Mass., April 20. — My bees are in fine 

 condition, and the hives are rapidly fllling up with 

 brood. I hope to rejjort early swarms, and a good 

 yield of surplus honey. A. Green. 



Edgefield Junction, Tenn., April 20. — I sent you 

 per mail this day, a honey and pollen producing plant, 

 or weed, of great value to the bee-keeper, which I 

 wish you to name. It came spontaneous last fall, 

 just after the breaking up of a meadow. It lived 

 tlirough the winter, bloomed in the latter part of Feb- 

 ruary or early part of March, and has been in continu- 

 ous bloom since. Tlie bees have worked on it every 

 fine day, for more than six weeks. I have a field of 

 about twenty acres literally yellow with it. T. B. 

 Hamlin. 



|^~ Dr. Parry, the botanist of the Department of 



