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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAj 



CONDUCTED BY 



MRS. JENNIE ATCHLEY3 



Beeville, Texas. 



He Struck a Key-Note . 



I think Mr. B. Taylor strikes one of 

 thft key-notes in his closing paragraph 

 on page 218, when he says : " Friends, 

 there is plenty of room for our pleasant 

 calling. The flowers will no doubt con- 

 tinue to yield nectar. We must produce 

 better goods, market them more wisely 

 than heretofore, and we shall easily find 

 room for a greatly increased product at 

 fair prices." 



This is one thing that will no doubt 

 apply to all countries alike, and is a say- 

 ing well worth rehearsing. 



Jennie ATCHLEY^ 



Interested and Instructed. 



Mrs. Atchley : — I feel almost ac- 

 quainted with you, from having read 

 your writings for the past few years in 

 the American Bee Journal. 



I find your letters very interesting and 

 instructive, and would like very much 

 to become better acquainted. I have 

 110 colonies of bees. C. M. Elder. 



Ennis, Tex. 



Advantages of Dividing for Increase. 



We will suppose that our bees are 

 ready to swarm March 1st. Now let us 

 place half of each of the colonies on new 

 stands, leaving the old queens on the 

 old stands, but taking most of the brood 

 with the part set off, as it has no queen. 

 Have a queen-cell ready to hatch to give 

 each new colony or division, and these 

 colonies will all get ready for the first 

 real honey-flow May 15th, and we will 

 get about the same surplus from all 

 alike, thus dispensing with all the risk 

 of losing swarms, and the time lost in 

 watching and hiving. 



You may say it will do Just as well to 

 give the old colony a queen-cell ready to 



hatch after a natural swarm issues, but 

 the difference in labor and having things 

 just as I want them, is an item with me. 



Then in September, when our last 

 good flow comes from broom-weed, we 

 can, if we wish increase, divide all 

 strong colonies in the same manner as 

 above, and they will all likely fill their 

 hives for winter. This plan will give 

 the keeper a chance to reap a good har- 

 vest, and also increase his bees 3 to 1, 

 and can easily and safely be done if 

 caution and good bee-keeping judgment 

 is used. This is the plan that I shall 

 run an out yard on this year, and I will 

 be sure to tell you of my success or fail- 

 ure at the end of the season. 



Now, I am not giving this as the only 

 plan, mind you, or the only plan I use, 

 but if properly followed out by one who 

 knows how to take advantage of things 

 — bees, flowers, etc. — it will be almost 

 certain to result in success. 



Jennie Atchley. 



A Letter of Thanks. 



Mrs. Atchley : — I feel that I never 

 can thank you enough for your kind 

 letter which gave me information that I 

 have not found in " A B C of Bee-Cul- 

 ture." A. P. Lake. 



Batesburg, S. C. 



Hive for the South — Moving Bees. 



In answer to an article about hives, 

 on page 174, I would say that I have 

 been a practical bee-keeper for 9 years, 

 and have experimented with 7 different 

 kinds of hives, and have given them a 

 fair test. I am in love with a hive 

 12x14 inches in the clear, with 9 

 frames. I have tested the Simplicity- 

 Langstroth, both 8 and 10 frames; a 

 modified Langstroth hive 8 inches deep, 

 with 10 frames; and a shallow hive 

 12x22 inches in the clear, and 6 inches 

 deep. I find the last a good hive for 

 comb honey, but I can secure more 

 honey from the first hive mentioned. 

 The brood-nest is nearly square, and 

 the bees breed up early in the spring, 

 and winter better. 



The best yield of comb honey was 

 from a hive 12x14 inches, with 9 frames 

 in the brood-nest. I took 248 one- 

 pound sections of nicely sealed honey 

 from one hive, and made 2 nuclei from 

 it in early spring ; and one of the nu- 

 clei gave 48 one-pound sections nicely 

 filled and sealed. 



Now, Mr. White, I think if you will 



