254 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



I had 19 swarms in the spring,— one 

 qiieenless and several quite weak; have 

 increased to GO, and all strong enough to 

 cover 8 and 12 frames; have obtained 

 about 400 lbs. box honey and 300 lbs. of ex- 

 tracted. 



2d. Frosts and cold weather will 

 prevent getting any more honey this sea- 

 son 



3d. The best three plants are : white 

 clover, linden and buckwheat. 



4th. White clover commences about 

 June 1st. to 15th, and usually continues 

 until July 15th; second crop in Aug. and 

 Sept., not profuse. Linden, July 15th, 

 continues about two weeks. Buckwheat 

 August 1st, profuse until Sept. 1st. 



We have millions of golden-rod, blue- 

 thistle, motherwort, etc., which help lo 

 fill up intervals. Our honey this season is 

 from white clover and buckwheat. Noth- 

 ing from linden J. H. Maktin. 



Washington Co., N. Y., Sept 20, 1875. 



We set out 23 colonies from cellar in 

 not very good condition, owing to a hard 

 winter and scarcity of honey last fall. I 

 fed them on rye meal, but they seemed too 

 feeble and cold to get out much. As soon as 

 the willow began to blossom, they began 

 to increase and gather honey and pollen, 

 and I never saw bees do better. They 

 stored honey from soft maple, poplar and 

 fruit. flowers, until bass-wood came and we 

 had plenty of that, and afterwards came 

 buckwheat, catnip, balm, and other honey- 

 producers, but an early frost put an end to 

 their joy in a great measure. 



Owing to poor health, I was not able to 

 secure as much honey as I might other- 

 wise have done, but I am sure they liave 

 enough for wintering, and I fear too much 

 for their own good. We took about 1000 

 lbs. extracted and comb honey. 



We have a good location for an apiary, 

 being on the banks of the Turkey river. 

 Our bees have access to timber and 

 prairie. Mks. S. A. Hill. 



Fayette Co., Iowa, Oct. 1, 1875. 



Mr Editor:— In answer to your ques- 

 tions, please let me say, that I had 60 

 colonies early in the spring, which in- 

 creased to 85 by June 20. By Aug. 15th 

 they began to gather honey very fast, and 

 by Sept" 15th they had filled their hives 

 and went to work in the caps, which 

 contain 10 frames, 10x14 each. 



Prospect is good, as caps are now 

 nearly filled, and they will continue to 

 work till frost. 



Our best honey-plants are bass-wood 

 and two kinds ot weeds that are picntiful 

 in these bottoms, but I do not know their 

 names. Tlie lioney from them is very 

 superior in quality. I have been in Texas 

 and other soulliern states, and as far north 

 as Michigan, but I would not exchange 

 locations for any other — even California. 



Italians are the most gentle, and best 

 breeders, but for profit give me hybrids, 

 and I have tried them -in Italy, Brazil, 

 Spain and Portugal, as well as in this 

 country. Joseph M. Teller. 



Cass Co., Sept. 5, 1875. 



Below please find my success up to 

 date. 



1st. My bees did badly through June 

 and July, owing to the grasshoppers eat- 

 ing up all vegetation. Linn bloom lasted 

 only 7 days. My 50 colonies would not 

 have averaged over a quart of bees, when 

 the Linn trees came in bloom. I have 

 had only 5 swarms. 



2d. The prospect for the balance of 

 the season is very flattering. I have ex- 

 tracted one thousand pounds to date, and 

 will get over 200 lbs of box honey, and 

 my hives are full of bees and honey now. 



3d. The best honey plant here this 

 season was smart-weed. It commenced 

 blooming about 1st of Aug., and will last 

 until frost. Golden-rod commenced blo(mi- 

 ins; about the 1st of Sept., and is still in 

 bloom. These are the only honey-pro- 

 ducing plants except white clover, and 

 there was none this season ; the grasshop- 

 pers ate it all up. 



I have now twelve hundred pounds of 

 honey that I have been oftered 18 cts. per 

 pound. J. L. Smith. 



Ray Co., Mo., Sept. 10, 1875. 



I shall reply to your interrogatories in 

 Sept. No., in the order in which you place 

 them : — 



1st. Bees used nearly all their honey 

 this summer to promote breeding; have 

 increased my stock 50 per cent, by artifi- 

 cial swarming; have taken but little comb 

 or extracted honey. 



2d. No prospect beyond late buck- 

 wheat and a few wild flowers. 



3d. Our hone3^-producing plants are: 

 1st., fruit blossoms and locust; 2d., white 

 clover and linden, (the native linden is 

 much better than the English); 3d., buck- 

 wheat. It has been the misfortune of our 

 farmers to plant the gray buckwheat; this 

 is the first season it has given us any 

 honey for ten years past. 



4th. White clover came into bloom 

 June 23d. Linden bloomed July 4th; 

 each lasted about 6 weeks. 



Wm. S. Barclay. 



Beaver Co., Pa., Sept. 6, 1875. 



My twenty-five stocks wintered through 

 all riglit, in a cave which I made for the 

 purpose. They did well until after fruit 

 blossoms, then a honey-dearth occurred, 

 caused in tlie first jilace by diy, and then 

 very wet weather, wliicli lasted until tlie 

 latter part of .July, when they began to do 

 better, and have continued to do well up 

 to this dale. Have taken about 450 lbs. of 



