THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAI.. 



103 



tall comb will breed as many bees as the 

 other probably. 



I have never used a comb 12 by 12, but 

 have used one S inches deep by 12, and 

 found when bees were reduced in spring 

 in that, comb 8 by 17 inches was far su- 

 perior, from tbe fact, that bees will spread 

 their brood along tlie top of a long comb, 

 in weather, when they cannot be induced 

 to spread it hxttcrly across space into 

 another comb. I am now using a comb 

 10 by 12 inches, and don't think it breeds 

 up as well with weak stocks as the shal- 

 low frame, but can't tell why, unless it is 

 because we leave out the lower cold 

 strata entirely, leaving the hive so much 

 warmer. IMy experience with pure Ital- 

 ians for box honey, corroborates Mr. But- 

 ler's exactly, on page 50. Can't our pres- 

 ent bee, be' improved by judicious select- 

 ions in breeding ? J. P. Mooke. 



Binghamton, N. Y. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Missouri Bee Killer, &c. 



On page 36, Feb. No. present Vol., 

 Mr. Sonne's article calls for observers to 

 help him to awaken an interest of all bee- 

 keepers to the importance of it. I have 

 been acquainted with those insects for 

 four or five years here in this section of 

 Southwest Missouri, but never knew them 

 in Central Indiana or the Alleghany 

 ^lountains. In Northern West Virginia, 

 where I have formerly lived, I have seen 

 them destroying many of my bees, and 

 other insects and sometimes each other 

 in the same manner. They are very stupid 

 and dull in cool or rainy weather, and ap- 

 pear to be much more numerous in dry 

 weather and when the sun shines very 

 hot. This country seems to be a nahiral 

 home for them and there aie many of 

 them here, and I think they are on the 

 increase. IIow much they may interfere 

 with our apiary in the future I cannot 

 tell. I know they kill many of my bees 

 but I cannot see that my colonies are 

 weakened by them. ^ly bees are kept 

 at a good breeding stage all summer. 



Mr. Sonne speaks of there being plenty 

 of flowers, and that his bees would not 

 bring honey in, now we have many times 

 past had plenty of flowers for honey ; 

 but no honey, because the weather was 

 not such that the flowers would secret 

 honey. As yet, the cold winds and rains 

 early in spring, when peach and early 

 bloom comes are more of a drawback 

 to me than the Missouri bee-killer. 



My bees are in prime order on summer 

 stands. E. Liston. 



Virgil City, Cedar Co., Mo. 



For the American Bcc Journal. 



Honey Granulating- 



In the February number, on page 30, 

 Mr. Charles Dadant says : "That if they 

 (the readers) on the market, from Decem- 

 ber to June, a so-called honey in liquid 

 condition, they can, with absolute cer- 

 tainty, declare it a sophisticated honey, 

 or at least a honey which, by boiling, or 

 by pure mixture, has lost its character as 

 a true and pure article." 



That may be the case, where he lives or 

 in any cold country, and cold may be the 

 cause of honey granulating there, but it is 

 not the case here. I am justified in think- 

 ing, that honey from certain flowers has a 

 greater tendency to candy, than that from 

 others, and possibly if both are extracted 

 or strained together, it will all granulate 

 within a short time. I bought in June 

 last, one hundred stands of bees, and com- 

 menced to extract on the 27th of July. 

 The honey of that extracting was gathered 

 from white sage, sumac and other moun- 

 tain flowers. After three or four weeks 

 I extracted again. A great deal of that 

 was gathered from a blue flower, which 

 we here call flea w^ced, (it smells some- 

 what like vinegar, but rather strong and 

 disagreeable), which came into bloom af- 

 ter the first extracting. Both lots were 

 treated alike, sealed up in five gallon tin 

 cans, placed out doors in the warm sun- 

 shine and stood there for several weeks. 

 I use a great deal of honey myself, have 

 for months, had a can of the first extract- 

 ing open, only covered with a piece of 

 thin paper to exclude flies, and it is now 

 as liquid as wiien extracted, only thicker 

 on account of lower temperature. Another 

 can of the same lot, soddered up airtight, 

 was on examination a short time ago like 

 the one mentioned, and a sample of the 

 same in a two ounce bottle simply corked 

 shows no signs whatever of granulating. 



On the other hand, every drop of the 

 second extracting became within two 

 mouths as solid as lard. Cold could not 

 have done it, for it was in the latter part 

 of summer or heginulug of fall, and it is. 

 even in winter seldom cold enough here, 

 where I live, in tiie mouth of a cannon, 

 to find in the morning a sheet of ice one 

 sixteenth of an inch thick. I am there- 

 fore inclined to think, that the honey 

 from certain flowers, and particularly 

 from this flea weed, itill granulate, while 

 that from others may under certain cir- 

 cumstances do so, and that a mixture of 

 both will granulate within a certain time, 

 dependent on the proportion of the two 

 kinds of honey. 



I will only add, that I have five ye: r's 



