THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



195 



strong swarms. My Italiaus bnmght 7 

 swarms, the young ones swarming three 

 times. In the fall I got a nice lot of box 

 houej'. Willow and gooseberry are our 

 best blooms for honey and pollen, willow 

 commencing to bloom the last of April, 

 and continuing two weeks. For fall, 

 smartweed and buck-bush or beaver brush. 

 I enclose some leaves. What is its name?" 

 Rev. E. Lewis. 

 [The leaf enclosed is very like the whor- 

 tle-berry leaf, but we can not name the 

 plant. — Ed.] 



Logan Co. Ky.— June 9, 1876.— "I win- 

 tered 8 colonies in frame hives, on their 

 summer stands. All came out alive and 

 in ordinary condition — I fed about 60 lbs 

 coffee A sugar syrup. Have increased to 

 15 colonies, and have taken 310 lbs of ex- 

 tracted and 50 lbs. of comb honey. Am us- 

 ing Root's extractor. It is just the thing. 

 My frames measure 12x9 inches inside. 

 I use 24 to the double hive. We have an 

 unusual amount of white clover this sea- 

 son. I have received your premium 

 queen. Cannot tell how I like her until 

 I see her brood Will try for another 

 club this season." T. E. Shelton. 



Todd Co., Ky.— June 9, 1876.— "We 

 have a tremendous growth of white clo- 

 ver (the only resource for honey in this 

 locality) which makes our bees glad." 

 J. H. Johnson. 



Calumet Co., Wis. — " I will now make 

 my report for the two last seasons. Com- 

 menced with eight swarms in the spring 

 of 1874. Two very light, transferred in 

 May, to mj' double walled hives. In- 

 creased by dividing, to sixteen, and one 

 ran away. Took 336 lbs. extracted, and 

 600 lbs. comb honey, which retailed at 20 

 and 25 cents. Wintered in cellar, under 

 the house, without loss. Bought fourteen 

 more, making thirty in all. Transferred 

 the fourteen in April and May. Spring 

 late and cold. Divided in June and made 

 twenty more. Hived sixteen in July, that 

 swarmed ; and made eight more in August, 

 by dividing; making seventy-four in all. 

 Took 2,750 lbs. extracted, (which sold for 

 15 to 18 cents, mostly 16 cents,) 1,125 lbs. 

 comb hone}^ in small frames, (which sold 

 from 22 to 25 cents), making 3,875 lbs., or 

 130 lbs. to the original thirty swarms. 

 The honey of 1864 paid for the eight 

 swarms, and all bought since, except f75 

 for hives. Income for care of bees : 



3,875 lbs. honey $ 660.00 



74 swarms @ $10 each 740.00 



$1,400.00 

 75.00 



Total, less $75 for hives. ..$1,325.00 

 Profit each year over 300 per cent. Hive 

 is double walled, with paper between; 10 



inches long, 13J^ wide, by 11^ inches 

 deep; 9 frames, bottom board double and 

 loose; cap single. Not patented. I was 

 35 combs short to fill brood chamber. 

 Had over 400 built this summer, also over 

 700 small frame combs in supers, which I 

 extracted, they not being capped over. 

 These will be of great use next season. 

 Cut all drone comb from brood nest, as 

 fast as built, using it to start combs in 

 small frames for comb honey. The bees 

 sometimes build drone combs three or four 

 times in same place, but they will build 

 worker in time by keeping them trying. 

 Bees will swarm without drones or drone 

 comb. Mine have repeatedly done so. I 

 leave a little drone comb in a few to breed 

 from. Bees are mostly hybrids, which 

 we think are better than either Italians or 

 blacks, although twice as cross. We 

 tried the comb foundation, and like it. 

 We wish our friends to build up a home 

 trade for pure extracted honey. This we 

 have done with success. We must help 

 the dealers to introduce it. Instead of 

 selling at 9 cents, get 16 cents, or even 123^ 

 cents, the price of No. 1 sugar, at which 

 price any amount can be sold. Our honey 

 plants are, white clover, bass-wood, tam- 

 arac, (larix Americana), buckwheat and 

 rape, also wild flowers. Our honey last 

 season was from clover and tamarac, from 

 June 20th to July 15th, then bass-wood to 

 Aug. 3d, after which time we got no sur- 

 plus, as the fall was wet and cold. Fed 

 a few late swarms." 



J. N. Blanch ARD. 



Hartwell, Ohio. — June 4th, 1876. — 

 "My June number is on hand; contents 

 noted. I cannot refrain from criticising 

 some of the sore heads in the bee business, 

 for the constant growl they maintain upon 

 the subject ot strained or extracted honey. 

 Some of them take it for granted that if a 

 man sells extracted honey, that it must be 

 adulterated. It is true, a great deal of 

 what is purported to he pure honey, is not 

 honey at all, but the consumer can tell it 

 from pure honey if he tries it before buj^- 

 ing. I sell both extracted and box honey, 

 and my customers like the extracted the 

 best. Some few prefer the box, but the 

 most of them ask for extracted. Let each 

 honey producer sell pure honey, and noth- 

 ing else, and he will very soon establish a 

 reputation for selling pure honey, and 

 thereby keep up his prices and his name 

 at the same time. Please send my Jour- 

 nal right on, and when my time is up, 

 send me a notice of it, but don't stop the 

 Journal." Isaac A. Smith. 



Oneida, Ills. — June 12th, 1876. — 

 "When I wish you to stop sending the 

 Journal tome, I will notify you. I like 

 the A. B. J. so well, I don't wish it 

 stopped. I have wintered all the bees I 

 put into winter quarters last fall. I had 

 nine stocks in good condition early in 



