42 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



well, but lost six colonies more iu the 

 spring, after I put them on their summer 

 stands. 



The last winter the weather was very 

 mild and we had a great deal of rain in 

 the months of February and March, so that 

 water got into my cellar. I had it bailed 

 out twice and sometimes three times a 

 day, but one morning when I went to my 

 cellar I found the hives standing next to 

 the bottom, 3 and 4 inches in water, saw 

 at once that it was an impossibility to 

 keep the Avater out by bailing. I there- 

 fore employed some hands and ordered 

 them to dig through on the lowest side 

 under the wall of the cellar to let out the 

 water, which came from the bottom of 

 the cellar in a good stream ; they succeed- 

 ed after a day's hard work. 



Although I had more or less water iu 

 my cellar for six weeks before I took my 

 bees out, I found (March 18th) when I did 

 take them out not a single colony dead 

 among 1-54 I put in the cellar, and only 

 two afiected with disease. Every comb 

 bright and clean, except those that had 

 stood in the water. This convinces me, 

 that bees in a dry cellar will towards 

 spring suiter more from thirst, than bees 

 will suffer on account of dampness in a 

 damp cellar. 



I agree with Mv. Wolf, that bees put up 

 for wintering should be in a good condi- 

 tion, they should not be kept too warm, 

 neither too cold ; if kept too warm it 

 would induce them to commence breed- 

 ing, they would get dry and sutler from 

 thirst, the young bees hatching iu the cel- 

 lar, repository or clamp, would not have 

 a chance to fly out and clean themselves, 

 and on that account would be etlected 

 with disease. If bees are kept to.o cold 

 the evaporation of the bees would freeze 

 the combs and get wet and mouldy, and 

 if not sufficient ventilation is secured 

 from the outside and plenty of fresh air 

 admitted, it will create a bad smell and 

 bees will get sick and die. 



After further discussion on the same 

 subject the opinion was general, that bees 

 can be wintered in a cellar, repository 

 or clamp without any or but very trifling 

 loss ; if, when put up for wintering they 

 are in a good condition ; (that is to have 

 ])lenty of honey, to be strong in numbers, 

 and have a young queen,) they are not to 

 be kept too warm neither too cold ; (tem- 

 perature not below o5 nor above 45 deg. 

 Fahrenheit,) they should not be kept in a 

 too dry nor a too damp place ; if kept too 

 dry they will suller from thirst, if kept in 

 a damp place their combs will mould, 

 create a bad smell, and bees will get ef- 

 fected witli disease if plenty of fresli 

 air is uotadmitled, or artiticial heat used. 



The meeting then adjourned until Janu- 

 ary iiOth, 1875. 



Christopher Grimm, President. 

 William Wolp\ Secretary. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Why is it? 



Mr Editor : — Why is it that my bees 

 always winter well on their summer 

 stands, notwithstanding the mercury goes 

 as low as :33 deg. below zero, as in the 

 winter of 1872-3, and yet no sign of 

 dysentery, when other bee-keepers who 

 wintered otherwise, lost heavily while I 

 lost none? 



AVhyis it that bee-keepers object to fall 

 honey for wintering, when we in this 

 neighborhood, winter on honey that is 

 gatliered iu September, and never have 

 the dysentery among our bees ? 



Why is it that some box hives that I 

 bought, wintered (without any upward 

 ventilation at all, and was air tight) as 

 well as my other hives that had on honey 

 quilts and caps filled with chaft'? 



Why is it that I got 20 cents IR lb. for 

 my extracted honey in half bbls., from 

 the oldest and most reliable wholesale 

 grocery and commission house in St. 

 Louis, and other bee-keepers are com- 

 plaining of dishonest honey merchants ? 



Oskaloosa, 111. D. 31. Laswell. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Letter from Kansas. 



Editor .Journal : — Three poor years 

 for the bee-keeper in succession and two 

 poor years for the farmer makes me feel 

 as though there might be a better place 

 for both professions, in fact after reading 

 what bee-keepers are doing iu other 

 places we do not feel like owning that we 

 keep bees at all. We did not keep them 

 very well last summer; during about ten 

 days iu the latter part of June they seem- 

 ed to be determined to fly away without 

 much ceremony. If they would alight 

 they would in many cases not give me 

 time to get from the field to the house be- 

 fore they would be gone. That is one 

 great objection to the Italians, they are 

 bound to swarm just when you want 

 them to stay in the hive and work. 3Ir. 

 Ilazen tells us to use a non-swarming 

 hive, but we have no faith in it, for we 

 have known them to swarm wlien the 

 hive was not half full of comb, and last 

 season we had one to swarm the second 

 day after hiving, but they were put in a 

 hive of empty comb and got away entire- 

 ly unknown to me. I had weighed the 



