I think the method of Mr. Enos' is bet- 

 ter than mine, and I think Dr. Greene's 

 method is a still further improvement ; 

 though, for all practical purposes, mine 

 answered very well. 



My improvement in transferring is 

 simply this : I proceed just as all others 

 do, quiet the bees by smoking them, 

 then carry the hive to be transferred to 

 some suitable place, and if out of 

 doors, say two rods off, turn it bottom 

 side up, and then place a box over the 

 hive to be transferred, not being par- 

 ticular whether it is the same size or 

 not ; a little larger would be better than 

 smaller, and 10 inches is deep enough. 

 The side of the hive next to the opera- 

 tor, we call the front side of the hive, 

 dow place the back edge of the box on 

 the back edge of the hive, and, with 

 the left hand, raise the front of the box 

 as high as may be necessary to see all 

 that is going on in the hive. Now 

 commence drumming on the sides of 

 the hive with a stick or small hammer, 

 and you can see the bees go up into the 

 box until you are satisfied they have all 

 ascended. In most cases, the queen 

 and the drones are the last to go up. 

 It usually occupies 15 or 20 minutes, 

 then put the box and bees in some cool 

 place on a sieve, or on a board made 

 specially for that purpose, by making a. 

 large hole or mortise in it, covered with 

 wire cloth, so that they can get air. It 

 is not necessary for me to tell how to 

 transfer the combs, as that has been 

 done many times during the past year. 



I claim that this method of "driving 

 bees out of a hive in transferring is 'a 

 great improvement over the old method 

 of having a box made precisely the 

 same size of the hive, and placing it on 

 the hive, and then tying a cloth around 

 both to prevent the bees from coming 

 out, and then drumming for some time, 

 not knowing in the mean time whether 

 they have gone up or not. Any person 

 trying this method I believe will never 

 try the old method again. 



This method is not original with me, 

 I have never seen it in print, but it is a 

 decided improvement over the old 

 method, which I have seen in print 

 many a time. One great advantage is, 

 the drumming box will suit any hive, 

 while by the old method you were re- 

 quired to have a box the size of each 

 hive you had to transfer, or in other 

 words a box for every style of hive. 



Chariton, Iowa. 



[This is the precise plan used by Eng- 

 lish apiarists in driving bees for pub- 

 lic exhibitions, and one that we shall do 

 well to "borrow"' from them for our 

 public exhibitions at Fairs, &c— Ed.] 



For the American Bee Journal. 



The Banana as a Honey Plant. 



A. A. B. 



In a previous article descriptive of 

 the honey resources of this section of 

 Florida, by some fortuity, I neglected to 

 include in the list of honey-producing 

 plants the banana. Possibly it has been 

 described before. I have never seen a 

 description, however, hence give one 

 now. 



Recently noticing bees working upon 

 the blossoms I concluded to examine 

 them. To my surprise I found that 

 each blossom had a sack on its under 

 side which contained several drops of 

 nectar of the consistency and sweetness 

 of thin syrup. This sack gradually 

 opens allowing the contents to escape, 

 unless appropriated by some insect. The 

 blossom hangs in a position that rain 

 cannot enter to dilute or wash out the 

 nectar. Procuring a teaspoon I emptied 

 into it the contents of a dozen blossoms 

 which filled it full. Each stalk, on good 

 land, will produce a head having a hun- 

 dred hands or divisions of blossoms, and 

 each hand averages six blossoms, giv- 

 ing 600 blossoms to the stalk. Esti- 

 mating 100 teaspoonsful to the pint (88 

 of the one used filled a pint measure) 

 we have 50 spoonsful or half a pint to the 

 stalk. Planted in checks 8x8 feet, there 

 will be 680 plants per acre, yielding ac- 

 cording to the above estimate, 423^ gal- 

 lons of nectar. But usually more than 

 one stalk in a hill blossoms and matures 

 fruit annually. The blossoms used were 

 below those that produce fruit, which 

 latter I am told are much richer in 

 honey. 



The first blossoms which open mature 

 fruit. These vary in number from 25 

 to 100 according to quality of land, cul- 

 tivation, &c. They sell here at from 

 1% t o 2c. per finger or pod. Estimating 

 the yield of nectar at 42 gallons, and the 

 fruit at 25 fingers per bunch and the 

 bunches at 25c. each— which you see is 

 a low estimate for both— the result will 

 be a barrel of nectar and S170.0U worth 

 of fruit per acre. How does this show- 

 ing compare with other cultivated 

 plants as combined honey and money 

 crop V 



I send you some blossoms with nectar 

 enclosed. They are. not much over half 

 the usual size, having beeo taken from 

 a small stalk on poor land and rather 

 late in the season for the best develop- 

 ment and secretion of honey. Very 

 little attention is given to banana cul- 

 ture, being overshadowed in importance 

 by the culture of the Orange, which 

 has been known to give returns of over 



