AMERICAN BEE JOURNAU 



59 



basswoood did not amount to much — it was 

 too wet iu the forepart of the season, but it 

 turned dry in the after part, and the blos- 

 soms dried it up. We got no fall flow on 

 account of the drouth. 



I extracted 3.500 pounds of honey by the 

 above method, and didn't have a swarm. I 

 kept the brood-nest disturbed, and gave 

 them plenty of room, and oh, what strong 

 colonies ! 1 had to raise my hives and slip 

 inch blocks under the covei's to let the bees 

 pass in and out. 



About the first of the second week of bass- 

 wood I commenced to make nuclei. First 

 I made one of my strong golden Italian col- 

 onies queenless. and let them rear queens ; 

 when they were about ready to hatch, I 

 formed the nuclei. I went to a colony and 

 took out 2 frames of hatching brood, and 

 put into a hive. I put in one empty frame 

 and took out some frames of bees just 

 hatched, from the mother colony, and 

 shook all in the nucleus. The reason I took 

 young bees was, they will stay, but old bees 

 will go back. I waited a few days and 

 gave them two more frames of brood. 

 Three days after I formed the nucleus, I 

 took a queen-cell from the colony I made 

 queenless. Now my colony is completed. 

 In this way I wasn't bothered with swarm- 

 ing, and increased from 19 colonies to 50 — 

 all good, strong colonies, and took 3,500 

 pounds of nice, white honey. 



John Boggs. 



Cazenovia, Wis., Oct. 23, 1893. 



Very Lig'ht Crop — A Hive-Cover. 



My honey crop was very light the past 

 season, being only 250 pounds, but it does 

 not discourage me. I have 80 colonies in 

 fine condition for winter. 



I send a model of a hive cover that I like 

 very much, and all bee-keepers who have 

 seen it think it is good. The zinc is crimped 

 over at each end ^.s of an inch. It makes a 

 very light cover — weight 43^ pounds, and it 

 is strictly water proof. 



I will give a short description of the hive- 

 cover. I call it •'The Favorite." The zinc 

 is 17x21 5-16 inches; the ends of the wood 

 frame are 4>.£xl4JJ4 ; sides, 20 5-10x2io 

 inches; thickness of lumber, % inch. Ship- 

 laped all around ^4 inch deep, which makes 

 it lap on the hive so the wind will not blow 

 it off, and it will not leak. This size is for 

 8-frame hives. Simplicity style, but it can 

 be cut to fit any size hive. I think this 

 cover will suit Dr. C. C. Miller, as he likes 

 a very light one. If I have not made it 

 plain, I will tiy again later. 



J. E. EXTART. 



McFall, Mo., Nov. 30, 1893. 



Another "Bee in the Ear." 



That acccount of the editor of the Pro- 

 (/rensive Bee-Kee/ter having trouble with a 

 bee in his ear (page fi40), sent a convulsive 

 shudder over me. Three years ago. w-hile 

 working in the apiary, a few bees got inside 

 of my veil. I paid no attention to them 

 until one started with a firm determination 



to go through my head by way of my ears. 

 Just how near she succeeded I would no.t 

 like to say, but it ■seemed as if she had ac- 

 complished half her journey, and was still 

 going further. Well, to say I was scared 

 the worst I ever was in my life, is putting 

 it mildly. When I tell you I take delight 

 in robbing ordinary yellow jackets' nests 

 with my naked hands in the hayfield, with 

 a crowd of men looking on at a safe dis- 

 tance, you will know I am not very timid 

 around bees, either. 



My first thoughts were to run to the 

 house, but I had taken but a few steps when 

 I realized that I would not be any better off 

 there, as my wife and family have never 

 materialized yet. As a last resort I turned 

 the smoker in my ear full blast, and the bee 

 came out, or I believe I would not be here 

 to tell the story. 



No person has any idea of the great ter- 

 ror it brings over one, without a trial. Who 

 will be first among the many bee-keepers, 

 to bring forth an invention to slip over the 

 ears, having a screen in order to not inter- 

 fere with the hearing ? I will give up all 

 my part, and only ask that the inventor 

 deal liberally with his customers. 



Lockwood. N. Y. J. H. Axdre. 



Look Before You Leap. 



This is the leisure season, and people 

 gather around the warm stove to '"cuss" 

 and discuss the merits and demerits of 

 different sections of our great country, 

 some favoring one State and some another, 

 some favoring 'South, some East and West 

 — any place but cold Minnesota. I spoke 

 of Texas. One of our townsmen spoke in 

 regard to Texas, something after this style : 

 You don't know what you (as a Northerner) 

 are talking about. Just after the War 

 closed, there were eleven families that left 

 Osakis for Sherman. Tex., and all came 

 back that could. I tell you a person from 

 the North has no business down their. I 

 left here in January, and got back in June, 

 and I have located on a farm here for life. 



The cemetery at Sherman has three little 

 graves marking the resting-jjlace of our 

 three little children, all being taken from 

 us in three weeks. My wife being sick, she 

 thought it advisable to go North again ; she 

 barely survived to get back, but soon re- 

 covered, and three more children blessed 

 our home, which are with us, plump and 

 healthy ; while children in the extreme 

 South resemble calves reared on "'skim- 

 milk." W. T. 



Osakis, Minn., Nov. 29, 1893. 



Extracted Honey for Farmers, Etc. 



The past year has been one of the poorest 

 of all the poor years of the past, in my 

 locality. The bees were so weak from poor 

 wintering, and the cold, wet, backward 

 spring made it imjDossible to get them ready 

 for the harvest from clover. The flow from 

 clover was very good ; basswood was only 

 fair, the bloom not being very profuse. At 

 the close of the basswood season a long and 



