28 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOUHJSAL. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



A Letter from Kansas. 



Editor Journal : The past season 

 has been to the Apiarist the poorest for 

 years in this section of the State. The 

 causes to which the general faihire is 

 attributed, are man}^ ; among the most 

 prominent that might be mentioned 

 were the cold Winter and backward 

 Spring we passed through, which had 

 the tendency to reduce the colonies to 

 a few handfuls of bees (as a general 

 thing), and the negligence on the part 

 of many to stimulate and build them 

 up early in the season. Consequently, 

 when the early blossoms came there 

 were no Bees to gather the honey. 

 Most of the stocks, however, were pret- 

 ty strong by the 20th of June, and in 

 fair condition for the basswood harvest ; 

 but unfortunately the blossoms failed to 

 secrete any of the sweet fluid. From 

 the Ist of July to the 2-4th of Septem- 

 ber, we were subjected to drought, with 

 ver}^ warm, sultry weather, causing a 

 complete failure in the Fall flowers. It 

 is very easy to perceive that we are 

 not placed in an enviable position so far 

 as the profits of apiculture are concerned. 

 I was informed last week by a gen- 

 tleman who has been in the business 

 fifteen years, that out of sixty colonies 

 with which he started last Spring, he 

 has made no increase in his number 

 during the season, and, unfortunately, 

 has not obtained one pound of surplus 

 honey. He farther states that two- 

 thirds of his stocks do not weigh as 

 much now as they did last March. You 

 can di'aw your own .conclusions. I have 

 mine, which are, that in the Spring of 

 seventy-four there will either be quite 

 a demand for Bees, or there will be a 

 large number of disgusted Apiarians. 



As for myself, I do not profess to be 

 anything but a beginner at the business ; 

 and I do not keep them for the profit, 

 but for the pleasure derived from ob- 

 taining knowledge under difficultii's. T 

 started with one colony last year, I 

 increased that one to five, and obtained 

 about thirty pounds of sur])lus honey; 

 lost one during the Winter. From four, 

 have increased during the past season 

 to eight; but have obtained no surplus 

 honey. This is not a bad beginning. 



considering the disadvantage of residing 

 in the heart of a city of twenty-seven- 

 thousand inhabitants. 



I have all my colonies in good condi- 

 tion, by feeding sugar syrup in Novem- 

 ber — six in the cellar, and two in an 

 experimental hive outside. If thi& 

 should prove a success, I will, in the 

 Spring, furnish your readers with a full 

 description of the method, and give 

 them the benefit of it. Lou. 



Leavenworth, Kan. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Pollen. 



In Vol. 9, page 28, I made the asser- 

 tion that brood could not be raised with- 

 out pollen. On page 27 J. Butler ex- 

 perimented in this direction, and de- 

 clares that his Bees did raise brood 

 without pollen. 



Now, I must confess this somewhat 

 astonished me, for it was contrary tO' 

 all our knowledge and practice. I how- 

 ever believed Mr. Butler in his public- 

 statement, but still I thought thei-e 

 must be a great mistake somewhere. It 

 however stimulated to further investi- 

 gation, and I have come to the conclu- 

 sion that be was right in his observation, 

 but wrong in his conclusion, and in or- 

 der to establish this I Avill quote high 

 authority, but before doing so permit 

 me to remark that it is admitted by all 

 distinguished apiarians, both in Europe 

 and America, that brood has been raised 

 (to a limited extent, however,) without 

 pollen being visible, as in Mr. Butler's 

 case. 



In Vol. 1, page 253, of the American: 

 Bee Journal, Dr. Donhoff, in analyzing 

 the excreta of Bees, says : "What was 

 left aftei- again filtering could, from its 

 insolubility, be only the I'emains of pol- 

 len. Itap])eared i;nder the microscope 

 like an indistinctl}' granular mass." 

 When I first saw the above, I at once 

 came to the conclusion that pollen was 

 retained in the bodies of the Bees for 

 sometime, and the following further 

 coiivinced me, as well as solved the 

 mysteiy. 



Baron Herlepscli, on page 230, Vol. 1, 

 says : "It lias been demonstrated that 

 common workers are produced in col- 

 onies wliieb liave not a particle of pollen 



