THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



231 



Mr. Editok: — The season has not been 

 as good a one for bees in this section as it 

 was last year. 



I commenced the season with 18 colon- 

 ies, two of them very weak ; have taken 

 up to date 27 swarms, mostly natural, 

 1,122 ft>s extracted honey, and 133 ]hs 

 comb honey. I shall take yet, at least, 200 

 tt)S comb and extracted honey. Mine are 

 mostly black bees. 



The three best honey plants here are: 

 white clover, basswood and buckwheat. 

 White clover commences about the middle 

 of June and yields honey probably on an 

 average three weeks. Basswood commen- 

 ces the 20th July and yields honey about 

 two weeks. Buckwheat comes on right 

 after basswood. From that and wild 

 flowers, we generally have honey till frost. 

 J. I. Parent. 



Saratoga Co., N. Y., Sept. 10, 1875. 



I began this spring wnth one stand, I 

 lost the others in the latter part of the 

 winter. I have taken 31 lbs of honey in 

 boxes. The last two I found were not 

 quite full, so I put them back, and in the 

 last two weeks they have taken almost all 

 the honey out of them. They did not 

 send oft any swarm until the 19th of last 

 month. 



"The prospects for the balance of the 

 season " are a colony to feed. They are 

 in a Langstroth hive, have about half 

 filled three frames and have brood nicely 

 started. 



Fall flowers just now are abundant. 

 White clover is, I think, our best honey 

 plant. That and fruit blossoms of various 

 kinds. Bee-keeping is not much of a 

 business in this part of the country, and 

 attention to honey-producing plants is not 

 an object. There is very little buckwheat 

 to be seen. J. 



Chester Co., Pa., Sept. 10, 1875. 



Ed. Journal: — Answers to your ques- 

 tions in September number of American 

 Bee Journal 



1. About 25 fibs per hive surplus and in- 

 crease of 1.^. 



2. Good. 



3. Poplar, linn and white clover. 



4. Poplar about the 1st of June, lasts 

 two weeks. White clover from May 20 

 till July 10. Linn from July 5 to 15. 

 Not always a sure crop, but very good this 

 season. E. W. Hale. 



Wirt Co., W. Va., Sept. 8, 1875. 



In response to the call in your Septem- 

 ber number, I have to say that, contrary 

 to the general report, the honey season in 

 this vicinity has been favorable. 



This being my second year as an apiar- 

 ist, and having no educator, my bees 

 could not be expected to do any thing 

 very large. I took from the cellar, in the 



spring, four hives (Italian bees) and divi- 

 ded. May 30th, making eight. 



July 6th, one hive swarmed, and another 

 a few days after. At this time the clover 

 honey was coming in very briskly, and at 

 the same time, part of the hives became 

 cramped for breeding room. Two of 

 them had at one time almost no brood. 



The 13th of August my heaviest young 

 hive sent out an immense swarm. After 

 having hived it, I gave it no attention till 

 September 1st, when I found it full of 

 comb, honey and brood in all stages. I 

 took off" my first surplus, July 28th, I have 

 taken off three hundred pounds to date 

 and expect from sixty to a hundred 

 pounds more, if the fall is favorable. 



I think this a fair yield considering in- 

 experience and the condition of my hives 

 generally. Two of the divided stocks 

 having failed to mature their queens, and 

 two swarming just as they were nicely 

 established in the surplus. I intended 

 when I divided that, that it would be all 

 the swarming necessary. 



The principal honey-yielding plants 

 are, white clover, wliich blossoms in 

 June, and, this season, is still in blossom. 

 Buckwheat which yielded till August 21st, 

 and then congealed. Golden rod is a fall 

 honey-yielder. I have seen bees on cat- 

 nip for six weeks or more, but as to 

 whether it is plentiful enough to yield 

 much honey or not, I cannot say. Three 

 miles east of this village, forest trees 

 abound, among them, bass-wood, which 

 would doubtless in its season, pay an in- 

 terprising beeist with a large apiary and 

 diligent extracting. 



C. B. Billinghurst. 



Dodge Co., Wis., Sept. 13, 1875. 



Bees in Northern Iowa have done well 

 since July 15. Then basswood came in 

 blossom, and lasted twenty days — five 

 days longer than usual. I extracted 

 7,000 fibs. In ten days, and will have 1,500 

 lbs. comb-honey. The hives are all heavy, 

 and still they are gathering more honey 

 than they use. They are now killing the 

 drones, and are breeding rapidly yet, and 

 are in splendid condition for wintering. 



J. W. LiNDLEY. 



Mitchell Co., Iowa, Sept. 16, 1875. 



I sold my bees down to fifty swarms 

 last spring. I have now one hundred and. 

 ten swarms, mostly pure Italians. It has 

 been a poor season for honey. They made 

 honey just fast enough to breed. All 

 that I divided in June, have thrown off 

 large swarms. They are now to work in 

 boxes for the first time this season. I 

 don't allow any hive to swarm but once, 

 if we have good weather. Through Sep- 

 tember I will get some box honey, and 

 all will be in good condition for winter- 

 ing. Frank Searles. 



Will Co., 111., Aug. 29, 1875. 



