272 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



would not pluck one leaf from the wreath 

 of any bee-keeper crowned with honor, 

 for any new and beneficial discovery, but 

 when I see that wreath snatched from one 

 and about to be placed upon the brow of 

 another, as I think unfairly, then I will 

 speak. I know neither one, personally. 



See Bee-keeper's Mag. 1874, Sept. No. 

 page 121. Mr. H. E. Bidwell, last winter 

 made a new discovery ! A what ! AVhy he 

 discovered that bees could be put into hot 

 beds and let have cleansing flights at the 

 apiarian's option. Have all bee-keepers 

 got hot beds ? the "Old Harry" has none ! 

 Some body else made that discovery, long 

 before, on a easier and less expensive plan 



See NortJi American Bee Journal 1873, 

 April No., page 234, Jewell Davis, of 

 111., tell us how to give our bees a cleans- 

 ing flight at any time. Last winter I made 

 me a flying-box, and tried it. I sliall try 

 it this winter, if occasion requires. I 

 have mine made about three feet every 

 way; First I make a solid bottom, then 

 cut a hole in two inches less than my 

 hive. I then nailed up sight posts at each 

 corner; then one inch strip across, from 

 post to post, and covered it with a mus- 

 queto-bar; when I want to fly a swarm 

 I bring them into a warm room, remove 

 the covering off the hive. Set on a flying 

 box. It would surprise you to see the 

 Ibees come out into the box and play. Oh ! 

 yes; how do I get them to cluster again? 

 They will cluster themselves when they 

 get through, or you can cover all up 

 with a quilt or a blanket; any thing to 

 make it entirely dark. Well, they will 

 soon return to their nests. Reader, who 

 discovered it ? Bidwell or Davis ? 



Leesburg, Ind. Harry Goodlander. 



I > » » » 



For the American Bee Journal. 



What I Have Done. 



I went into winter quarters witli 850 colo- 

 nies, about 50 of them, not in very good 

 condition. I lost 48, during winter and 

 spring, and had more than one half weak 

 colonies, the other half was in a medlnm 

 good condition. I sold and let my gh-ls have 

 100, and had consequently about 700 left. 

 These were divided into 11 ditt'erent apiaries 

 and later in the season iiato 15. They in- 

 creased to 1,158. 



And gave on box honey, net weight lb 14.887 

 extracted " 10.332 



Total, - - - ft25.219 



This amount was actually shipped and 

 sold to Mrs. I. E. Snaids, honey dealer in 

 New York. 1 have, besides this, about ^(KX) 

 of unfinished box honey on hand, previous- 

 ly sold and given away over 100ft, total 

 amount 25.919ft. Or an average of about 

 21 ft of box honey and 16ft of extracted. I 

 however, extracted only from 70 hives, 

 which gave aai average of about 147>^ft. 



Since my white and yellow box honey 

 was sold, delivered at .Jefferson station for 

 35 cts. per pound, extracted only for 12 cts. 

 I cannot see the very great gain, in extract- 

 ing, when I consider that I had selected the 

 very best stocks for extracting, while there 

 was a very great nund)er of stocks that 

 never gave any box honey, nor could I have 

 extracted nuich from them. 



To me it seems that I can easier raise box 

 honey at 25cts., than extracted for 12, even 

 if this latter could always readily be sold. 

 The honey business in this neighborhood 

 has becoihe very important. I, myself, 

 shipped, including live lots from other bee- 

 keepers, two car loads of a gross weight of 

 42,000ft, and a number of other parties 

 shipped and sold, surely not less than 30,- 

 OOOlt) more. And this was only al)Out half 

 as good and favorable a season than four 

 years ago. But I fear we get overstocked, 

 and unfess we sell or spread out much more, 

 our honey yield will diminish. Honey bees 

 are considered very good i)roperty and sell 

 readily at full prices, if offered for sale. 



Jefferson, Wis. Adaji Grimm. 



•»♦■»• 



For the American Bee Journal. 



My Experience. 



I made a visit to G. ^Y. Stineberg, 

 Shrevfi, Wayne Co , Oliio. Purchased 

 a queen from him t'.mt I am very 

 mucli pleased with, and he gave me 

 an idea to .?ave comb from moth. He 

 says, stretch a wire near the roof of a 

 barn, and there fasten your comb 

 about lour inches apart and moths 

 will not interfere. 1 had been smok- 

 ing with brimstone, kept in a close 

 box, and soaked them in water, put in 

 extractor, threw the Avater out and 

 dried in the shade, but still lost some. 

 Stineberg's advice was quite a relief. 

 f have tried it and the short experi- 

 ment I have had, has proxed satisfac- 

 tory. If the articles, appearing in the 

 Journal, were as freely written, as 

 our conversation generally is when 

 we meet Bee Friends, we would all 

 feel better and derive more benefit 

 from each others experience, and the 

 failures given as freely as the success- 

 es. But not long ago a veteran said, 

 it does him good to laugh at the arti- 

 cles of young queen raisers. I think 

 it poor policy wliile attempting to 

 teacli the stuttering child to laugh at 

 it. Why cant we have free exchange 

 of ideas and experiments without 

 snapping, ridiculing, &G. ? Who can 

 difier more than the claimed veteran 

 bee-men ? Very few will acknowl- 

 edge failures, except Novice, and he 

 is ridiculed for it. No wonder arti- 

 cles and criticisms appear without 

 signatures. 1. S. Millee. 



Bucyrus, O. 



