AMERICAN BEK JOURNAL. 



409 



Working Lively — Severe Hail-Storm. 



I gave the bees an overhauling yesterday, 

 put surplus cases on those that needed 

 them, and they are working lively to-day. 

 As I write they fly by my window as thick 

 and fast as shot. 



We had one of the hardest hail-storms 

 here last Sunday, about 4 p.m., that I ever 

 witnessed. Ice was seen the next morning ; 

 yet, strange to say, the gardens were hurt 

 but very little beyond a little knocking 

 about. Albert Vought. 



Illawara, La., March 17. 



Small Loss in Cellar Wintering. 



Bees wintered in the cellar have come 

 out with a small loss, and in splendid con- 

 dition. I lost, by becoming queenless, 5 

 colonies out of 111. O. B. Barrows. 



Marshalltown, Iowa, March 21. 



Carrying in Pollen. 



Bees are carrying in pollen very well at 

 present. They began on March 7th. A good 

 many bees starved to death this winter. I 

 have wintered all of mine so far. 



Theo. F. Craig. 



Otwell, Ind., March 18. 



Bees Have Wintered Well. 



Bees have wintered well around here, 

 and are in good condition. Mine have con- 

 siderable brood now, and bees worked well 

 on soft maple yesterday, which is some- 

 thing new — so early for Minnesota. I hope 

 that we will have a good spring and honey 

 crop. N. J. Thill. 



Lake City, Minn., March 19. 



How About Montgomery Co., Ark.? 



I am preparing to go into the honey-pro- 

 ducing business, and am thinking of going 

 to Montgomery county. Ark. Can any one 

 tell me about this part of Arkansas as a 

 bee-country ? or had I best remain where I 

 am — in Central West Virginia ? It seems 

 to me that we have too much rain in West 

 Virginia in May and June, for success in 

 bee^culture. Some one please answer 

 through the Bee Journal. J. S. 



Long, W. Va. 



California Flowers and Climata. 



In Kings, Tulare and Kern counties are 

 an abundance of cheap and splendid alfalfa 

 fields for bees to pasture on. Government 

 lands are scarce, not any in the valleys, but 

 lots of land high in the mountains, at pres- 

 ent under snow (Feb. ISth), and mo.st of it 

 will be until the first of June; but herein 

 the San Joaquin valley, not more than ten 

 miles from the snow, everything has a dif- 

 ferent appearance; on the plains are wild 

 tlowers, along the canals are willows in 

 bloom, in the orchards almonds in bloom ; 



oranges hanging among the green leaves 

 look very nice in the dooryard; the roses 

 are in bloom, and lots of other plants. The 

 bees are all yellow now-a-days, caused by 

 the pollen off the willow bloom. 



Land can be bought here in Tulare 

 county, all the way from $30 up to $150 per 

 acre, water-right with the land. The price 

 depends upon the amount of improvements, 

 and location of land to a town. 



As to climate, that all depends upon the 

 person. We can fill your orders if you will 

 let us know what it is. 



I believe, come to think about it, there is 

 one order that we could not fill, and that 

 would be an order for blizzards. I have 

 not heard of any in the State. 



Traver, Calif. Fred M. Hart. 



Prospect for a Bountiful Crop. 



Bees are gathering honey very fast now 

 from fruit-bloom. The past winter has 

 been very severe on bees, but I lost only 

 one colony out of 16. The prospect now is 

 for a bountiful honey crop, but cold, wet 

 weather may stop the honey-flow, as it has 

 done for the last three years. Can some 

 one let me have No. 17 of the Bee Journal. 

 Vol. XXVII? I lost that number, and 

 want it, as with that exception I have a 

 complete file. I will return something of 

 equal value to any one sending me that 

 number. W. R. Tate. 



Bowling Green, Miss., March 13. 



Moving to New Country. 



In regard to southern or southwestern 

 Texas being a desirable place to move to, 

 I will speak from experience and say, let no 

 one move a family there, without first 

 going and looking around, and, by all 

 means, being his own judge, as he should 

 be, in all new countries. By all means, no 

 one should go to malarial localities, regard- 

 less of what others may say. 



Nokomis. Ills. E. Sandford. 



[Mr. S. is quite right about personally 

 investigating before moving "bag and 

 baggage" into any new part of the coun- 

 try. See for yourself first, and then you'll 

 know whom to blame if all doesn't prove as 

 expected. — Ed.] 



Wintering Well — Nice Weather. 



My bees are wintering well so far. They 

 are packed on the summer stands with oats- 

 chaff. I walked through the yard a few 

 days ago, and was surprised to see how 

 they were carrying in pollen, and I thought 

 some honey. 



Just one year ago the 6th of March I had 

 both of my legs broken, just above the 

 ankle joints, and was laid up nearly all last 

 summer, but by good care I got along 

 finely, and can walk pretty well again. 

 Last fall, with some help, I got the little 

 workers packed snugly on the summer 



