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AMERICAN BEE JOURMAU 



to Father Langstroth, and as many times 

 I have persuaded myself that I was not 

 able, or could not spare the money. So 

 now I have hit upon a plan that will stop 

 this nonsense, and force myself to do what 

 I know is right. It is this : 



When I cleaned up my colonies, or hives. 

 after taking them out of the cellar, I 

 watched closely for the best colony in the 

 yard — the one with the most bees, honey 

 and brood. Finally I found it, and I put 

 Father Langstroth's name on the back of 

 the hive, and the proceeds of that colony 

 shall go to the Grand Old Bee-Master this 

 season; and I may get in the habit of it, 

 for all I know, and keep it up year after 

 year. Why not ? I owe it to him. I have 

 used his inventions, and have been very 

 successful for ten years, but I am a little 

 ashamed that I have to pound myself into 

 it. E. J. Ckonkleton. 



Dunlap, Iowa, April 24. 



[Good for you, Bro. Cronkleton ! We hope 

 others will follow your excellent example, 

 and set aside one or more colonies to work 

 for Father Langstroth. If blessed with a 

 good season, and your plan is generally 

 followed, the " Langstroth Fund" next fall 

 will be something grand. Of course, what 

 has been given the past year has been a 

 great help to Father Langstroth, as he has 

 frequently acknowledged. Let us not grow 

 weary in well doing. — Editok.] 



Bee-Notes from Tennessee. 



On account of the short crop last fall 

 quite a number of my colonies went into 

 winter without sufficient stores, and about 

 a dozen colonies died from starvation. 

 Finding this condition, I have fed liberally 

 about 20 colonies, and the whole apiary 

 was booming in March, until the 22nd. The 

 woods were getting green, peach and plum 

 trees were in full bloom, and apple trees 

 beginning to put on their white robes. 

 Then came heavy frosts, the mercury 

 reaching 12 degrees above zero on the 27th. 



Not only is all prospect of fruit blasted, 

 but the tender twigs of many trees, and the 

 raspberry vines, were frozen. The pas- 

 tures and forests, so green before, became 

 brown and dried. Bees have kept in-doors 

 almost continually since. In some places I 

 find the buds on lindens dead from the 

 freeze. White clover is now beginning to 

 look well again — there appears to be a fine 

 crop in prospect. We are still having 

 frosts, but the temperature is gradually 

 warming up. 



Inasmuch as there have been placed such 

 neat and tasty headings in the various 

 other departments in the Bee Jouknal, 

 why not make an improvement in the 

 " Sunny Southland " heading ? My objec- 

 tion is to the typography of "Southland." 

 Pardon me for suggesting that the twists 

 and turns of the first letters, and their 

 general appearance, make me think of a 



black snake with white spots on it. Did 

 this never occur to "'ye editor ?" 



This is the " onliest " criticism I have to 

 offer on the contents or make-up of the 

 ever-welcome Bee Jouknal. 



Lewis K. Smith. 



Gainesboro, Tenn., April 14. 



[No, Bro. Smith, we hadn't before no- 

 ticed the " snaky " appearance of the head- 

 ing you refer to— and we have seen lots of 

 snakes in our day, too. But please don't 

 think they were in our boots, for that 

 would be rather bad for a strong anti- 

 saloon man. No, those snakes were seen 

 out on an Ohio farm. If Mrs. Atchley 

 should ever get frightened at the snake-like 

 part of that heading, we'll have to do some- 

 thing about it, and may be before that 

 time. Glad you have no greater criticism 

 to ofl'er, Bro. Smith. — Editou.J 



Bees in Good Condition. 



I have taken my bees out of the cellar at 

 last. They were put into winter (|uarters 

 the first of November, and taken out April 

 15th — 51.J months without a flight— and all 

 came out in good condition but two cohj- 

 nies, and they died for the want of some- 

 thing to eat, and I would have been in the 

 same fix if I had not hustled around ; but I 

 did manage to keep the spark of 'ife in me, 

 and now I am planning for a big honey 

 crop this season, thougli it may be all plan- 

 ning and no honey, but we won't borrow 

 trouble, but look on the briglitside. If Mr. 

 Wilson would only tell me what kind of a 

 honey-flow we would have in this part of 

 Wisconsin, then we could get ready for it, 

 and not get "fooled;" but I suppose that 

 he has no jurisdiction over the honey-flow 

 of the northwest corner of this State. 



Don't think I have the " blues," for I am 

 not made that way, when I get 140 pounds 

 per colony, spring count, and my neighbors 

 did not get 10 pounds per colony. Not that 

 I rejoiced at their failure, but at my "good 

 luck," as they tell me I have with bees. 



I sold all my honey, and had orders that 

 I could not fill. No, I did not mix anything 

 with my honey so that it would fill the 

 orders, but I told my customers that I 

 would fill their orders next season. 



A. E. BllADFOKU. 



Hammond, Wis., April 17. 



Why Queenless Bees in Spring r' 



Ever since I have kept bees it has been 

 my delight to watch them and learn their 

 liabits. I see on page 4t37 the writer thinks 

 that so many become queenless in the 

 spring because the queen is more tender 

 after they commence to lay in the spring, 

 and the cold snaps " do them up." I think 

 that so many queenless colonies in the 

 spring come from virgin queens that 

 hatch out on the outside frame after we 



