AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



785 



change of products, and as we have sup- 

 posed a perfect adjustment, any disar- 

 rangement of this adjustment will make 

 a decrease instead of an increase of 

 wealth. But in the case of the honey, 

 it will be quite different. An increase 

 in the honey crop will not mean a de- 

 crease in any other crop, but as before 

 said, will be a clean-cut addition to the 

 total resources. Indeed, it will be more 

 than the addition of the honey crop, for 

 according to good authorities, honey is 

 only a by-product of the bee, its chief 

 use being the fertilization of flowers. 

 The value of the beeswax produced is 

 also an item worth considering. 



It seems, then, pretty clear that the 

 neglect of the bee-keeping interests does 

 not arise from the fact that the prod- 

 ucts are too insignificant to warrant any 

 outlay for experiments. 



The second ground on which the neg- 

 lect might seem to be justified, is the 

 fact, if it be a fact, that everything per- 

 taining to bee-keeping is already so ful- 

 ly understood that there is no room for 

 experiment. The very suggestion of 

 such a thing will bring a smile to the 

 lips of any practical bee-keeper. If 

 there is any set of men that are excep- 

 tionally noted to be always on the strain 

 in the investigation of some unsettled 

 point, lying awake nights over some un- 

 finished problem, losing every year con- 

 siderable parts of the crop in seeking 

 some better way, surely they may be 

 found among bee-keepers. It is idle to 

 pursue further such a thought. 



What, then, is the reason that so far 

 nearly all that has been done has been 

 a matter entirely of private enterprise ? 

 Is it not because those who have in 

 charge surh matters have not been fully 

 awake to the importance to the public 

 interest of bee-keeping, and that bee- 

 keepers have been too modest to assert 

 their claims ? 



In view, then, of the importance of an 

 industry that adds to the general wealth 

 in a double way without detracting from 

 anything else, and in view of the fact 

 that bee-keepers are largely engaged 

 everywhere in experiments that could be 

 more economically and more satisfacto- 

 rily carried out at a place fully equipped 

 for the purpose, there seems only one 

 answer to the question whether bee- 

 keepers need an experiment station. 



As to the details of carrying out any- 

 thing of the kind, I will make no sug- 

 gestion except the single one, that 

 whoever is at the head of such an exper- 

 imental station should be a bee-keeper 

 through and through — one in touch with 



the mass of bee-kedpers, knowing their 

 needs and in entire sympathy at all 

 points with th(! work. To such a one 

 they will look hopefully for light, and 

 cheerfully render all the aid in their 

 power. 

 Marengo, 111. 



Winter Losses of Bees in Xorlli- 

 eastern Iowa. 



Written for the A.me7-ican Bee Journal 

 BY KEV. W. 1'. FAYLOR. 



Bees have wintered very poorly in 

 this part of the State. I have recently 

 moved from the central part of the State 

 to Clayton county, and have been 

 through a large part of the State. I 

 think at least 50 per cent, of all the 

 bees in this State have died since last 

 fall, taking the State as a whole. 



In the northern counties that I have 

 visited not more than two colonies out 

 of 100 are alive. The best report I 

 found in the east part was 9 colonies 

 wintered out of 18. These were kept 

 in a double-walled bee-house, whose 

 sides are packed with 12 inches of saw- 

 dust. 



In one village a man wintered 6 colo- 

 nies of bees in the cellar — these were all 

 in box-hive#. He told me he had 60 

 colonies last summer. The strangest 

 thing of all was, that two colonies in 

 salt-barrels that were left on the sum- 

 mer stands with no protection what- 

 ever, are strong and booming now. 

 These stood high up from the ground 

 on platforms resting upon four stakes 

 driven into the ground. One barrel had 

 a crevice about an inch wide, and fully 

 20 inches long. I could hardly believe 

 that it was possible that a colony of bees 

 could ever survive such a winter as the 

 past in such a house. If bees will win- 

 ter more safely in large hives high up in 

 the air, it is time bee-keepers were find- 

 ing it out. 



I brought with me two colonies of 

 very yellow Italians, and about 20 

 empty hives with nice combs, thinking 

 that I could buy bees to fill them up 

 when I got here ; but bees cannot be 

 purchased here for love nor money. A 

 blacksmith near the parsonage proposed 

 to go with me to where he was sure I 

 could get all the bees I wanted. Off we 

 went to the home of the " Bee-King," as 

 he is known in the county in which he 

 lives. In a few hours' drive we found 

 ourselves on the banks of Turkey river. 

 Mr. King had left his bees on the 



