274 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL-. 



we think we can meet all their objec- 

 tions. 



WINTERING BEES — SEALED COVERS. 



I lost all my bees near Richland Cen- 

 tre, Wis., last winter. I left them out- 

 doors, up there, for the first time, and 

 packed them in boxes, on the summer 

 stands, and with dry planer shavings, 

 as advised by others, and left the wood 

 covers on sealed down. I want no more 

 sealed covers for me, especially when 

 the winters are severe and continuous. 

 Had the winter been an open one so the 

 bees could have flown now and then, 

 sealed covers might have done no harm. 

 In my home cellar I do not find very 

 much difference whether the covers are 

 sealed down or slightly raised up. The 

 temperature therein seldom or never gets 

 below 40^, but ranges from 40- to 55'. 



My experience in wintering bees last 

 year, in Wisconsin, did not, however, 

 convince me that it was a poor plan to 

 leave bees out-doors, and to pack them 

 in planer shavings. I think they would 

 have died any way, whether in the cellar 

 or out-doors, even if the covers had been 

 properly arranged, and mainly because 

 their honey was of very poor quality. 

 Mrs. Pickard wintered her bees in cel- 

 lars, and was fairly successful, but, in 

 my judgment, this was mainly owing to 

 the fact that she fed her bees on sugar 

 syrup after the honey season closed, 

 and hence they had a good quality of 

 food to live upon. 



The loss of my bees in Wisconsin was 

 not, on some accounts, a very serious 

 one to me, and mainly because I had de- 

 cided to get out of Richland county, 

 anyway, at the close the past season 

 of 1893. When I went up there to 

 start an apiary, some five years ago, I 

 was led to believe that there would sel- 

 dom or never be a failure in the honey 

 crop in that part of the State, and es- 

 pecially where there was plenty of bass- 

 wood within range of an apiary. But in 

 due time I found this to be a mistake. I 

 kept bees up there four summers, and I 

 had just two crops of honey ! Now one 

 crop of honey in two years' time, in any 

 locality, won't suit ray purpose at all. 

 Basswood may bloom some every year, 

 but it is not safe to rely upon it oftener 

 than every other year. 



Respectfully yours, 



M. M. Baldridge. 



In reply to Friend Baldridge's ques- 

 tion, I have to say that I am not the au- 

 thor of the expression he quotes. I 

 think, however, that I gave it as a quo- 

 tation, but had no intention of having it 



understood that I endorsed it. I don't 

 endorse it. While I don't know all 

 about sweet clover, I have a friendly 

 feeling toward it, and I suspect that as 

 it becomes better known, it will have 

 more friends. 



There is no question that there is a 

 strong antipathy to sweet clover as 

 found growing along the roadsides — at 

 least in some places. On some of the 

 roads near me it was all cut down the 

 past summer — a distinction accorded to 

 no other plant. 



Let me make a suggestion to any who 

 would like to have sweet clover left on 

 the roadside, premising that as a gen- 

 eral rule it is cut down just after it com- 

 mences to bloom, when it has attained 

 full size. Advise those who have the 

 care of the roads in charge, to cut down 

 all sweet clover along the roadsides be- 

 fore it comes in bloom, or perhaps before 

 it has reached full height. It will be 

 easier to cut it down then, and the stub- 

 ble left will not be so disagreeable. 

 That's for the road. For you, it will 

 throw out shoots that will not grow to 

 such height as to be disagreeable, but 

 will still bloom, and will bloom later 

 than if left undisturbed. The later 

 bloom is more valuable, coming after 

 white clover. The hay thus secured 

 would be valued by some, especially 

 where animals have learned to like it. 



Friend Baldridge's statement about 

 putting bees out early makes me scratch 

 my head some. Baldridge, Thompson 

 and Way are all veterans, and a prac- 

 tice endorsed by them is not to be too 

 lightly considered. Yet I have always 

 thought that my bees suffered more 

 from early taking out than from longer 

 confinement. Perhaps the matter needs 

 reconsideration, with careful compari- 

 son of both ways. C. C. Miller. 



Marengo, III. 



Ontario Honey at llie f orlJ's Fair. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 

 BY H. D. CUTTING. 



I was very much surprised when I 

 opened the last American Bee Journal 

 (page 201), to find an extract from an 

 article by Mr. R. McKnight. On turning 

 to the Canadian Bee Journal for Feb- 

 ruary, I find Mr. McKnight's article en- 

 tire, with his closing remarks to Dr. 

 Mason. It is not only a slur on Dr. 

 Mason, but to many other American 

 honey-producers. The article is one 

 i mass of misstatements. I am also sur- 



