AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



117 



Various Bee-Xotes and Coiii- 

 iiiciits on Tilings. 



Written for the American Bee JoumaZ 



BY O. r. MILLER. 



On page 822 (1892), Mr. Demaree 

 says that bees can only take food in a 

 liquid state, which I believe. If this is 

 so, what will we do with the statement 

 from reliable people that I have heard 

 say, and I have read it in bee-literature, 

 that a boiled chicken put into the hive 

 of a starving colony they will devour 

 greedily, and winter on it? I have heard 

 an old, reliable man say this. I also 

 heard the same man say that he had 

 wintered his bees on corn bread by 

 baking a large loaf, then split it in two, 

 and while hot put molasses on it, and by 

 the next morning it was all devoured by 

 the bees. 



My bees seem to be doing well in their 

 winter quarters in the cellar, where they 

 have been ever since Nov. 1st. 



I am much pleased with the American 

 Bee Journal, and with its new dress. I 

 think that the one article, on page 823, 

 is worth the subscription price for one 

 year, although I have been following the 

 plan there suggested, yet I have gath- 

 ered some new ideas from the article. 



My report for the past season, though 

 not a good one, is as follows : 



I had 40 colonies, spring count, took 

 about 2,300 pounds of honey, most of it 

 being white clover and linden. I sold 

 (and gave away) .^160 worth up until 

 now, and still will sell some more. I in- 

 creased by natural swarming to 58 colo- 

 nies, nearly all in good condition for 

 winter. 



I find no trouble in selling my honey 

 at an advance of from 2 to 5 cents more 

 per pound than that put upon the mar- 

 ket. I also find no trouble in selling to 

 parties who once purchase of me. My 

 rule is to sell none but the best article 

 of both kinds, and guarantee every 

 pound of it. Some ask, " Must we keep 

 it in the cellar, where it is cool ?" I an- 

 swer no ; put it in the pantry or kitchen, 

 and if it sours, let me know, and I will 

 give you two pounds for every one that 

 sours. I have been in the market for 6 

 or 8 years, and never had to replace a 

 pound of sour honey, nor have I ever 

 had to carry any over until the next 

 year. I sell my honey to consumers, 

 and take it to their houses. 



I plant buckwheat for my bees, and 

 this year, they have stored quite a 

 good amount of honey from this plant, 

 and I got a nice lot of the grain, which 



I consider all clear gain, as I got enough 

 of the honey to pay for the seed and 

 sowing, and the patch was too wet in 

 the forepart of the season to farm, and 

 would have grown up in weeds had it 

 not been for the buckwheat. I can 

 nearly always find some such patch 

 on my farm. By planting the buck- 

 wheat, the ground was in fine order, 

 and is now in winter wheat. I intend to 

 sow a small piece of stumpy land in the 

 spring to buckwheat early, so as to florae 

 in between white honey and fall honey ; 

 about that time it is generally dry here, 

 and no honey, but last year I drilled in 

 a row in my garden, and the bees 

 worked on it at that time of the year. 



I received a circular, a few days ago, 

 advertising (to me) a new variety of 

 clover, called, I think, " purple clover." 

 The blossom is long, and the plant seems 

 to be quite full of bloom. They want 

 $10 per bushel for the seed, or 20 cents 

 per pound. Does any of the readers of 

 the Bee Journal know anything about 

 this new plant? 



Glendon, Iowa, Dec. 27, 1892. 



COWVENTIOW DIRECTORY. 



1893. 



Time and place of meeting. 



Jan. 28 — Ontario Co., at Canandaigua. 

 Miss Ruth E. Taylor, Sec, Bloomfield, N. Y. 



Feb. 7, 8.— California, at Los Angeles. 



John H. Martin, Sec, Redlands. Calif. 



April 5, 6.— Texas State, at Greenville. Tex. 

 A. H. Jones, Sec. Golden, Tex. 



May 4.— Allegany Co., at Belmont, N. Y. 

 H. C. Farnum, Pres., Transit Bridge, N. Y. 



In order to have this table complete, 

 Secretaries are requested to forward full 

 particulars of the time and the place of 

 each future meeting. — The Editor. 



ZTorth American Bee-Keepers' Association 



President— Dr. C. C. Miller.... Marengo, Ills. 

 Secretary— Frank Benton. Washington, D. C. 

 Treasurer— George W. York... Chicago, Ills. 



• * m * • 



XTational Bee-Keepers' Union. 



President— James Heddon ..Dowagiac, Mich. 

 Sec'y and Manager— T. G. Newman. Chicago. 



Webster's Pocket Dictionary we offer 

 as a premium for sending only one new 

 subscriber with $1.00. It is a splendid 

 Dictionary— and just right for a pocket. 



