184 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



than in April, when they were put on 

 the summer stands. I have now 2,30 

 colonies In the cellar, in fine condition, 

 that will average about 60 pounds each, 

 of good honey. My best wintering breed- 

 ing colony has had only 2 dead bees on 

 the bottom-board so far this winter ; 

 while I have a few others that have had 

 more than a quart of dead bees to date. 



I am still not discouraged with bee- 

 keeping, and the prospects for another 

 year are promising. There is plenty of 

 white clover and plenty of snow to cover 

 the ground to keep the claver from get- 

 ting frozen. N. Staininger. 



Tipton, Iowa, Jan. 20, 1893. 



Dark Italians or Golden Italians? 



Which are the best honey-producers, 

 dark Italian bees or golden Italians ? I 

 have 32 colonies, mostly Italian hybrids, 

 and one golden colony, that I exchanged 

 queens last fall. As honey gatherers, it 

 was too late to find out much. I have 

 two golden queens due me in the spring. 

 I have heard it disputed, or claimed, 

 that the dark Italians would store more 

 honey and breed up faster than the 

 goldens. I do not want to make any 

 mistakes. I want the bees that will 

 breed up the quickest in the spring, and 

 store the most honey. 



Cazenovia, Wis. John Boggs. 



[Will some one who has had suflBcient 

 experience with both varieties, please 

 reply to the above question ? — Ed.] 



Hiving Swarms on Drawn Combs. 



After reading Mr. Hutchinson's article 

 on hiving swarms on drawn combs (page 

 823 of 1892), I must say I am sur- 

 prised, too. It seems very strange that 

 two bee-keepers living in nearly the 

 same locality have such a marked differ- 

 ence in experience. For the last ten 

 years I have hived swarms on starters, 

 full sheets of foundation, and full drawn 

 combs, resulting in favor of the last 

 named. I hived 20 swarms on drawn 

 combs last year, and met with the same 

 result — one colony giving me 80 pounds 

 of comb honey, 50 pounds of which was 

 gathered in 14 days from the time they 

 issued. I do not see anything slow, 

 gingerly or grudgingly about that, do 

 you ? 



Last year I hived swarms on starters 

 only; I put queen-excluders on, and 

 then the supers, and now for the result : 

 About one out of five gave me 20 pounds 



of comb honey, and filled their brood- 

 chamber, while the remainder gave me 

 no finished sections, neither did they fill 

 their hives. Just think of the condition 

 they were in for winter, or for the fall 

 honey-flow ! You may say that I did not 

 hive my swarms, but I did just the same 

 as I always do. Please remember that 

 the honey-flow lasted about the same 

 length of time. 



Mr. H. also speaks about sorting out 

 all imperfect combs, and melting them 

 into wax. Yes, we all know what a de- 

 sirable job that is — it is not only a dis- 

 agreeable work, but a very expensive 

 one. Orville Jones. 



Stockbridge, Mich. 



Down with Honey Adulteration! 



I am very glad to learn the American 

 Bee Journal is still taking a firm stand 

 against the aduleration of honey in any 

 form, and that earnest work has already 

 commenced for its suppression. I con- 

 sider it a more worthy enemy to draw 

 swords with than the one the National 

 Bee-Keepers Union (of which I am a 

 member) has been fighting. The mon- 

 ster must be crushed. All honor to Prof. 

 Cook for any truthful discoveries, but I 

 feel as if it (the idea of bees turning 

 sugar into honey) would do ten times as 

 much harm to our chosen pursuit as 

 good — it would make a loophole for the 

 adulterators (pension them off, so to 

 speak) to slip through, and then con- 

 tinue their villainous work. Hurrah for 

 the amendment to the Constitution of 

 the National Bee-Keepers' Union ! 



Walter Harmer. 



Manistee, Mich., Jan. 6, 1893. 



Value of Bee-Literature, Etc. 



We have had cold weather here, 18° 

 below zero, so I thought I would look 

 over my back numbers of the American 

 Bee Journal, and I see that I have been 

 a subscriber more than 20 years. Then 

 the Bee Journal was $2.00 per year, 

 and I would rather pay .^2.00 now for 

 it than to do without it. The Bee 

 Journal and other bee-papers are our 

 welcome visitors. We are always sure 

 to find something new, and they are 

 seldom laid down until every article is 

 read ; then when we are in bed we can 

 think of what we have read. It seems 

 wonderful how much can be learned 

 about bees, when we read the many 

 periodicals and books that have been 

 written, all devoted to the busy bee. It 

 seems the more we read and study, the 



