AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



633 



mortal the error of his ways, while the 

 o^Tifr " varmints " were allowed to pursue 

 their favorite pastime of c-atehing mice, at 

 which they are experts, aud at times un- 

 doubtedly catch chickens. 



The skunk, Mepldtin, is a larger, stouter- 

 built animal than the polecat ; color, black 

 with two broad white stripes extending 

 from the head to the tail, one on each side 

 of the back-bone. I believe they are more 

 troublesome to poultry than the polecat. 

 This is the chap that visits the bee-hives. 



They often harbor under old buildings, 

 and even behind boxes in the family cellar ; 

 are easily caught In steel-traps, and if the 

 trap is fastened to the small end of a fish- 

 pole, they can be safely drawn from the 

 hole, and taken away and shot. Simply 

 draw him out and let him hobble off, you 

 bringing up the rear, guiding him with the 

 fish-pole. Handle him gently— don't im- 

 pose on a skunk just because he seems to be 

 the weaker vessel — you are liable to be mis- 

 taken in this, and repentance often comes 

 too late. J. A. Nash. 



Monroe, Iowa. 



Bees Wintered "Well. 



I spent the winter in Florida, and have 

 just returned. I found my bees all right 

 on my return. I put 114 colonies into the 

 cellar last fall, and lost but two in winter- 

 ing. I have 111 good, strong colonies up to 

 date. Frank Rat. 



Hillsdale, Mich., May 5. 



First Wliite Clover Blossom. 



The white clover was badly crippled here 

 by the drouth last fall, so I don't look for 

 more than a half crop of early honey this 

 season. Bees are busy now on fruit-bloom, 

 and redhaw and willows will soon be in. 

 My little girl brought in the first white 

 clover blossom to-day. W. J. Cdllinan. 



Quincy, Ills., May 3. 



Honey One Thousand Years Old. 



Perhaps when you see the above heading 

 you will not read any more. But after I 

 read R. McKnight's article on page 338, 

 "Where Honey Comes From," I looked 

 backward (as all Bellamys do), and saw the 

 honey which we are getting was those 

 years in the carcass of the lion, which is 

 mentioned in scripture. So I thought per- 

 haps you could not see it, and I would try 

 and show you it. 



Now, I agree fully in Mr. McKnight's 

 theory, and I claim that honey eaten by 

 people passes through their bodies, and into 

 the atmosphere, and to the plants, trees, 

 etc., again, then taken by the bees to the 

 hive again, or if not taken by the bees from 

 the flowers, the atmosphere takes it to 

 other flowers, or rather the leaf first, and 

 in a manner we get the loan of the honey, 

 the atmosphere gets the loan of it, the tree 

 or plant gets it tor a time, the bee gets it 

 again, and what they consume in winter 

 goes to the atmosphere the same as what 



we consume or passes through our bodies ; 

 and that the same honey or sugar is going 

 its rounds, year after year, and has been 

 since grass grew, and will continue to do so 

 until there are no plants or trees, or people 

 or bees, to require it. The same may be 

 said of our water, which falls as snow, then 

 melts, then the atmosphere gathers it up 

 until it gets more than it can carry, then 

 lets it down again in either rain or snow, 

 dew, etc., and the same continues from 

 year to year. The same is true of our hay, 

 oats, etc., except the mineral part, the 

 ashes. Jas. R. Bellamy. 



Black Bank, Ont. 



Early Swarming. 



My brother had a swarm of bees to issue 

 to-day (April 27th). Before this year his 

 bees have swarmed the first day of May 

 ever since he has had them, which is five 

 years. S. L. Crump. 



Mt. Comfort, Ind. 



Bees in Pretty Good Condition. 



The bees are getting considerable honey 

 from rock maple now, and are building up 

 fast. As a general thing, they have come 

 through the winter in pretty good condi- 

 tion in this locality. W. G. Larrabee. 



Larrabee's Point, Vt., May 3. 



Report for 1893— Wintered Well. 



I started in the spring of 1893 with four 

 colonies of Italians in the Nonpareil hives. 

 One colonv wintered in a single brood- 

 chamber of less than 900 square inches, on 

 the summer stands, well protected with dry 

 packing ; it came out very strong, and I 

 took off 120 pounds of nice comb honey, 

 which I sold in the home market for 18 and 

 20 cents per pound. This colony did not 

 swarm. The other three colonies all 

 swarmed. I took off altogether 450 pounds 

 of comb honey. 



I bought two colonies, making nine, all 

 wintered on the summer stands with no 

 loss, and all are very strong. I had a very 

 large swarm to issue on April 30th, and it 

 is doing very nicely. My queens are all 

 clipped. 



I could not think of keeping bees without 

 the " old reliable " Bee Journal. 



Shreve, O., May 7. N. W. Shultz. 



Bee-Keepers Don't Want the Earth. 



To my mind it is not a matter of wonder- 

 ment that Mr. Melbee gets 24 cents a 

 pound for extracted honey. Brazen impu- 

 dence, even to the extent of asking twice 

 what an article is worth, accomplishes 

 wonders. Effrontery always succeeds. Mr. 

 Melbee may be sincere in believing that it 

 is right to get an unfair price for a genuine 

 article. I am not necessarily impugning 

 his honesty. Many people think so. But 

 really, isn't it a kind of cheating, whether 

 applied to honey or not ? Even though it 



