AMERICAN BEi^: JOURNAL. 



761 



breed late, and go into winter quarters 

 with a big colony of young bees. Such 

 colonies will need no feeding, and quite 

 sure to winter safely if properly cared 

 for, will come out in the spring strong 

 in bees, and be ready to quickly build 

 up strong in time for the next honey- 

 flow. 



The new colony may be rnn for all the 

 surplus that can be got from it, and in 

 the fall two or more of them be united 

 to make a strong colony, or, what is 

 probably better, their queen be de- 

 stroyed, and the bees given to the parent 

 hive. When this plan is adopted, 

 starters — three cells wide — in the brood- 

 frames for the new swarms will not only 

 be cheaper, but will give more section 

 honey than where full sheets of founda- 

 tion is used ; the reason being that the 

 full sheets will be drawn into combs 

 quickly, and make room in the brood- 

 nest for storing honey. While with 

 starters, combs are completed slowly 

 and filled with brood as fast as built, 

 and the honey has by necessity to be 

 stored in the sections. But if it is de- 

 sired to save the new swarms for future 

 use, full foundation is best, as the bees 

 are likely to make too much drone-comb 

 brood hived on starters. 



Where starters are used, the combs 

 may be melted into wax, and new start- 

 ers used each year. Drone-combs should 

 never be used to hive new swarms upon, 

 where surplus is the main purpose, be- 

 cause if there is ready store-room for 

 honey in the brood-nest, it will be used 

 and filled before the bees will work in 

 the sections. 



We have described the plan we have 

 mainly followed for more than 25 years, 

 and have realized better results from it 

 than any method we ever tried, when 

 present and future good was considered. 

 We have tried many other methods for 

 experimental purposes, but shall strictly 

 follow the one herewith described in the 

 future when working for either comb or 

 extracted honey. 



When the bee-keeper has as many 

 colonies as he desires, increase can be 

 prevented and the energies of the bees 

 be turned into surplus honey, and we 

 have found that a few powerful colonies 

 worked for either comb or extracted 

 honey, will furnish more means to buy 

 food and clothing than many colonies 

 and little surplus. 



Forestville, Minn. 



^f" Do not write anything for nublication 

 on the same sheet of paper with business 

 matters, unless it can be torn apart without 

 interfering with either part of the letter. 



Fine Prospects for Fall Crop. 



I took 1,100 pounds of extracted honey in 

 May, with more to follow soon. There is 

 more horsemint, and it is better than since 

 1888. The prospects are fine for a fall crop. 

 We have had splendid rains. 



Mrs. S. E. Shekman. 



Salado, Tex., June 4. 



Too Cool and Dry. 



Thousands of laborers out of employment 

 —the honey-bees. For the past three 

 weeks it has been so cool and dry here that 

 the bees have not gathered one ounce of 

 honey. White clover will be a total fail- 

 ure. Basswood will soon be in bloom, 

 which will be a fair yield, providing the 

 atmosphere is not too cool and dry. To- 

 day the bees are not flying. 



D. O'CONNELL. 



Cooperstown, Ills., June 5. 



One-Cent I*ostage j^tanips we 



prefer whenever it is necessary to send 

 stamps for fractions of a dollar. By re- 

 membering this, you wiU greatly oblige us. 



Rain Needed Very Much. 



It looks now as though our honey crop 

 was going to be as Mr. Wilson predicted, 

 not because of dry weather last fall, but 

 because of no rain this spring. Clover is 

 all right, but it is so dry I am afraid it 

 won't bloom much. However, we may get 

 some basswood honey, as there is lots of 

 basswood within one mile of me. 



If I am allowed my little say about that 

 much handled subject, "adulteration," I 

 would say this was one of the things to 

 which the saying, " Be sure you're right, 

 then go ahead," applies pretty well, it 

 seems to me. 



I hope the friends will stick by the "Old 

 Reliable" through "hard times" and 

 " good times." E. S. Miles. 



Denison, Iowa, May 31. 



Ready for the Honey-Flow. 



We had a good rain on May 29th and 

 30th, which was very much needed. Bees 

 are beginning to swarm. They are gather- 

 ing honey now from hoarhound and per- 

 simmon. The rock moss is almost gone, 

 and the bees are working on the red clover 

 this year— something they hardly ever do. 

 "There will be a continuous flow for a month. 



