876 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



"Will bees produce as much honey 

 where queen-excluding zinc is used, as 

 they will without?" It makes no differ- 

 ence in the amount. 



The members present expressed a 

 wish that the next meeting be held in 

 Middlebury, in January, 1895. 



The convention then adjourned. 



The attendance was good, the interest 

 unwavering, and the meeting as a whole 

 was one of the best that the Secretary 

 ever attended. H. W. Scott, Sec. 



t^~ Do not write anything for publication 

 on tlie same sheet of paper with business 

 matters, unless it can be torn apart without 

 interfering with either part of the letter. 



Justly Indignant — Wintering- Well. 



Although only a beginner in apiculture. 

 I feel a sense of indignation at the thought 

 of honest honey-producers advocating the 

 practice of keeping still and letting honey 

 adulterators pursue their fraudulent work 

 unmolested, thereby giving consumers 

 ground for classing all honey-producers 

 with such vile workers. I, for one, am 

 happy to see the Bee Journal crying out 

 against it. 



Bees are wintering well on the summer 

 stands. Mrs. Ida M. Statt. 



Blaine, Wash., Feb. 21. 



Hesults of the Fast Season. 



This winter the mercury has ranged from 

 40 to 70 degrees the most of the time, and 

 the bees on the summer stands have been 

 flying. 



I started in last spring with 7 colonies, 

 and they did not do much but swarm — 2 to 

 3 swarms from each hive, and some of the 

 early swarms swarmed again, making 27 

 colonies to go into winter quarters. I got 

 201 sections of comb honey, making an 

 average of 29 pounds per colony, spring 

 count, and increased 200 per cent. — all 

 Italians. 



Well, about the price of honey : I never 

 sell any for less than 25 cents a pound at 

 home, except when I ship it, or for .5-pound 

 lots 1 get .$1.00, and that is the bottom price 

 for full sections; if not full, 1 sell according 

 .to quality. We have no white clover or 



Alsike here, but there are about a dozen 

 linden trees in our village that bloom, and 

 I shall watch them next summer very 

 closely to see if they yield any nectar, as 

 most of my honey the past year was light. 

 I don't know what it was gathered from, 

 but it has a very pronounced flavor of 

 something that I can smell in the fields, but 

 I do not know the name. We generally 

 have a good yield from golden-rod. but it 

 failed last summer.. The bee-business is 

 very fascinating and enervating, as well as 

 congregating and captivating (in May and 

 June) — all of which I enjoy, even to an oc- 

 casional sting. J. E. Phicharu. 

 Port Norris, N. J., Feb. 9. 



Severe Weather in North Texas. 



We have had some very severe weather 

 in North Texas since Jan. 24th. It snowed 

 all day on Feb. 24th, and the 25th found 

 about 4 inches of snow on the ground ; but 

 it is warm now, and not a bit of snow to be 

 seen. My bees are in fine condition, yet I 

 hear some complaint of bees freezing to 

 death. W. H. White. 



Deport. Tex., Feb. 27. 



Feeding Bees in Early Spring. 



A very convenient method to feed is to 

 take the common cigar-box and clean out 

 the paper lining of the inside with hot 

 water, which will also remove the offensive 

 odor ; and when the box is dry, melt a little 

 beeswax and pour around the corners in- 

 side to stop any leaks that might waste the 

 syrup. Cut a piece of shingle, or the cover 

 of the box, so it will float in the syrup 

 when put into the box ; bore a few gimlet 

 holes in the float. Set the box on top of 

 the frames, pour in the syrup in the latter 

 part of the day, so the bees will not be 

 bothered by their neighbors. The float 

 prevents the drowning of the bees, and 

 should be small enough to float loosely. 



Let the box stay, and when it needs re- 

 plenishing, lift the cover off of the top story 

 or cap, and pour the box full again, and 

 cover up. The bees will carry the feed to 

 their combs for future use. I have more 

 bees to die between March and May than 

 any other time. The top stay should fit 

 closely to prevent the encroachment of 

 robber-bees while feeding. 



Marion, Ind. John Ratliff. 



The Season of 1893, Etc. 



My report for 1893 is as follows : Colonies 

 in the spring, 25; in the fall, 25; surplus, 

 800 pounds of extracted honey of good 

 quality. It was a poor year here, and 

 many got no surplus at all. Clover is not 

 in very good condition, but covered just 

 now with snow. 1 think tliat wheat is all 

 O. K., but fruit is doubtful. There are not 

 as many bees in this country as there were 

 a few ye.irs ago. 1). M. l^tI.AV. 



Seward, Nebr., Feb. 22. 



