THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



15 



Are riiieens wings olipjiod to prevent them 

 swarm 1 njj; ? or to prevent tlieni leaving 

 hives at other times. If (luecns do not leave 

 at other times, eannot you give some other 

 method that will accoiiiplish this result ? 



Would you advise attempting to increase 

 from two strong pure Italian stocks to six 

 this season, the object being to increase 

 with honey enough to winter on. Would 

 it be safe to increase further ? 



CiiAs. E. Selkirk. 



Some queens wings are clipped to prevent 

 swarming, but more are marked, we think, 

 to be sure of their being the same one bought. 

 It does not prevent their leaving the hive. 

 They do not seem to realize that they cannot 

 fly and are more liable to be lost if clipped, 

 than if they can manage themselves natur- 

 ally. We do not clip a queen for any pur- 

 pose. 



AVe are sure you will find no trouble in 

 increasing from two good colonies to six. 

 To do it surely, however, you would have to 

 feed liberally in the spring and perhaps 

 again during dry weather in August. 



Will you tell us if there is any danger of 

 bringing "foul brood" to our aparies, by 

 purchasing queens from Europe as Mr. 

 Bingham and others assert, T. 



There may be danger, if the queen is 

 brought from some parts of Europe, but we 

 think foul brood has never existed in Italy. 

 We have never seen a case of this disease 

 in all our experience. All the queens we 

 have received from Europe have been 

 healthy, if alive. 



I sent my last letter for publication in the 

 JouRXAL. I think where persons impose 

 on us and take a high price for hybrid 

 queens, they should be exposed, that others 

 may not loose money in the same way. 



G. il. Williams. 



There are two sides, to this question. This 

 JocRXAL has not taken upon itself to pass 

 judgment upon others ; believing that its. 

 columns may be better filled. If we give 

 place to complaints, we must in justice to 

 the other side give explanation, and the dooj. 

 once opened to complaints and excuses, 

 however just, much valuable matter would 

 necessarily be excluded to make room for 

 them. 



Therp is still another reason. The law 

 gives us no right to publish /acts eycn, if 

 their tendency is, to injure the business of 

 another. If a suit for libel be brought 

 against us— it would not be sufficient for us 

 to prove that what we had published was 



the truth. In law "the greater the truth, 

 the greater the libt;!." If we have ourselves 

 been injuitjd by any one, we have redress 

 in a suit for damages. By no law, human 

 or divine, have ive been made a judge of the 

 business, even of those who advertize with 

 us. We admit nothing to our columns, 

 known to partake of the nature of a hum- 

 bug. Though we may not believe all that 

 our advertizers say about their patents — 

 hives or othtu- articles— we learned long ago 

 that all do not think alike on these matters. 

 • Others may value what we do not think val- 

 uable. We try to give rules and records of 

 experience, and let all judge for themselves. 

 Every one has a right as well as a desire, in 

 bee-keeping, as in other matters, to "prove 

 all things, hold fast that which is good." 



Please describe Melliot clover. Is it good 

 for anything but bees ? 



John H. Guenther. 



t INIelliot is good for nothing but honey, 



[ unless it may pay to plough it under for 



I mulching. It is the "sweet clover" found 



in many flower gardens ; grows three feet 



high or more, branching out at the bottom, 



and remains in bloom nearly all summer. 



Is it best to give bees flight before moving 

 them ten miles. They are yet in the cave. 

 Newsom Bros. 



It is alwas best to give them a flight be- 

 fore moving them any distance, after taking 

 them from any winter repository. 



Having a friend going to Europe I intend 

 to send for some bees. Can you tell me how 

 many Mr. Dadant hrouglit home alive on his 

 second trip to Europe ? J. C. B. 



Mr. Uadant did not go to Italy the second 

 time as he advertized and expected to do. 

 We are not informed, why he changed his 

 plans. We sent him an empty comb to take 

 with him by his request, and until July, 

 thought he had gone. No doubt unforseen 

 occurances prevented. Last season he im- 

 ported queens direct but did not go himself. 



What is the best way to Spring weak colo- 

 nies ? Is wild rice a good honey plant ? 

 What time does it blossom, and how long 

 does it stay in bloom ? A. Aspinwall. 



You will find this question partially ans- 

 wered in Seasonable Hints. Be sure your 

 weak colony has a good queen, keep the hive 

 closed, leave no more comb than the few 

 bees can cover— and feed them regularly, all 

 the synip they will use. We have seen a 

 pint of bees in 3Iarch with a good queen and 

 two combs changed to a large colony having 

 twelve combs well filled with brood by last 

 of May. Will some one who knows — tell us 

 about wild rice ? 



