578 



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Best Honey Gatherers.— This has been 

 a poor season for honey here. We had 

 a splendid run of basswood ; I think 

 the best I ever saw, but that was all we 

 obtained this season. Colonies that 

 were in condition to take advantage of 

 the basswood, gave a fair yield. I had 

 a few colonies of Italians and hybrids 

 that gave 100 lbs. of extracted to the 

 colony, during basswood bloom. I see 

 that Mr. W. H. Gibbs, Clinton, Mass., 

 says that from 23 colonies of black bees 

 he obtained 1.015 lbs., while from 37 

 colonies of Italians and hybrids only 

 491 lbs. of honey, making a very favor- 

 able showing for the natives. Such has 

 not been my experience. I have had 

 both blacks, Italians and hybrids for 

 the last 9 years, side by side, and the 

 Italians and hybrids have invariably 

 been the best honey gatherers. I 

 weighed one colony of hybrids (very 

 bright) for 8 or 10 days during basswood 

 bloom, to see what it would do ; it 

 gained from 5% lbs. to 14 lbs. a day. 

 On Sunday, June 27, it gained 14 lbs. 

 While on the same day a strong colony 

 of natives by its side, gained 6 lbs.; no 

 guess work, actual weight. They have 

 always done in about the same propor- 

 tion for me, except when honey is 

 scarce, then the Italians and hybrids 

 will make a living and store some honey, 

 when the natives will do nothing but 

 use up the stores on hand or starve to 

 death. I raise no queens to sell. 



L. G. Purvis. 



Hartford, Iowa, Oct. 30, 1880. 



Melilot Clover.— I had 50 colonies of 

 bees last spring in good condition. I 

 fed flour early ; they thrived on fruit 

 blossoms and I expected a good crop of 

 honey, but alas, how they failed. In 

 the last of May and June I had to feed 

 125 lbs. of honey to keep them from 

 starving. I had 10 frames full of brood 

 and for 6 or 8 weeks the hives were full 

 of bees. On opening a hive, not 2 lbs. 

 of honey were to be found. I shall have 

 to agree with the friend that writes so 

 much on over-stocking, for there is 

 about 200 colonies within 2 miles of my 

 apiary, and nearly all are in the same 

 condition. Within 4 miles, where there 

 were but few bees, about 300 colonies 

 did well, and I have to go there to get 

 honey to put in my hives, as we use the 

 same hives. I have now about 70 colo- 

 nies. I have kept bees nearly 50 years 

 and always thought when they swarmed 

 the first time there would not be a 

 queen under 8 or 9 days, but I had two 



occurrences to the contrary ; a swarm 

 with the old queen came out and my 

 wife went to the hive to get a frame of 

 brood for the swarm and heard the 

 queen piping and told me so, when I 

 came home at night. I told her she 

 must be mistaken, but upon examina- 

 tion, I found brood in all stages from 

 the egg first laid, to the hatching bees 

 by the thousand. This was in August 

 in buckwheat time. I had six or seven 

 natural swarms and some of them that 

 I have not fed 2 lbs. of honey. I shall 

 put in frames of honey from the country 

 next week and I expect to winter them, 

 hoping for a better season. I have one 

 or two thousand small sweet clover 

 roots. These I shall send all over the 

 vicinity, and sow 7 to 10 quarts of seed, 

 and it will get scattered pretty well. Oh, 

 how the bees thrived on it this year, 

 when they could find it. A. Griffes. 

 Albion, Mich., Oct. 8, 1880. 



Heavy Losses.— My bees have done 

 well this summer. They go into winter 

 quarters in good condition. There are 

 only three bee-keepers left about here, 

 out of about thirty last year ; they say 

 it does not pay. I lost more than any 

 one else because I had more to lose. 

 My loss was $220 at a low estimate. 

 We had a very unfavorable winter last 

 year. The coast is clear now for my 

 bees and I have sown considerable 

 white clover this vear. H. Berney. 



Custar, Mich., Nov. 8, 1880. 



The National Convention.— The Bee 



Journal came to hand very early, of 

 this I was glad for I was anxious to see 

 the report of the National Convention, 

 at Cincinnati. It gave me much 

 pleasure to see the enthusiasm with 

 which the members were working. I 

 read with great interest Mr. A. J. King's 

 essay on " the Bee-keeping Industry," 

 Dr. J. P. H. Brown's address on 

 " Queens," and also with no less interest 

 that of the editor of the Bee Journal 

 on the "Improved Race of Bees," In 

 fact all the productions were so practi- 

 cal and to the point that every bee- 

 keeper could read them with interest 

 and profit. I must congratulate the 

 Society with its success. It would have 

 given me great pleasure to have been 

 present at the Convention, but it came 

 in such a busy season that it was im- 

 possible for me to leave home. I hope 

 the Society will always meet in the 

 same good spirit and that the future 

 will crown it with success and a golden 

 harvest. There is one thing I notice 

 and feel it my duty to mention just 

 here. The committee on nomination of 

 officers has appointed as vice-president 



