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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



spring, but for some reason, three of them 

 lost their queens after having a good start 

 in brood, and one made a failure on rais- 

 ing a queen and lias not a fertile one yet. 

 My others are in good shape, but have 

 had to help these three. I have three 

 nuclei besides the nine, and all doing 

 well. I keep the Italian, and do not want 

 any other. I use the extractor, and don't 

 see how any one can discard it after once 

 trying it. Many wishes for the success of 

 the A. B. J." I. W. Cramer. 



Sherwood, Mich. — "As there have been 

 complaints made, from time to time, 

 through the columns of the Journal in 

 regard to the Chicago Honey House of C. 

 O. Perrine, and his manner of doing busi- 

 ness, I will give my brother bee-keepers 

 the history of two transactions I have had 

 with him. In the fall of 1872, I shipped 

 on a contract made by Wm. H. Buell 

 400 lbs. of honey by express ; after writ- 

 ing a number of letters, and waiting eight 

 months, and beginning to think all was 

 not as it ought to be, I concluded to make 

 a trip to Chicago ; found Mr. Perrine very 

 busy, but very gentlemanly, who told me 

 the weights of my honey had been lost, 

 and had not remitted, being in hopes of 

 finding them. He, however, paid my de- 

 mand, and nearly made me think he was 

 ' more sinned against than sinning,' al- 

 though it had cost me $15 to collect $80. 

 Again, about the 1st of Aug., 1875, I 

 wrote him a postal, inquiring the price of 

 honey. He answered: 'No market.' In 

 October I received a postal, stating that 

 he was paying 18 and 22 cents per lb. I 

 at once shipped him between four and 

 five hundred lbs., about two-thirds of 

 which he paid 18 cents per lb., and the 

 rest he allowed 12 cents per lb. At least 

 three-fourths of the honey shipped him 

 was clover and bass-wood ; the rest, golden 

 rod, catnip, and a small quantity of buck- 

 wheat, there being four acres within reach 

 of my bees. At the same time one of my 

 neighbors took his whole crop to Chicago 

 amd sold it for 20 cents per lb. cash ; 

 amounting to between three and four hun- 

 dred dollars. A large per cent, of mine 

 was whiter than his. Now, if my brother 

 bee-keepers want to send their honey to 

 him, it is their privilege, but I have done 

 sending mine to the so-called "Chicago 

 Honey House." C. E. Swain. 



Hartwell, O., May 3d, 1876. 

 Dear Editor : — I see you notice in 

 your May number a " Manual for Bee-keep- 

 ers," by A. J. Cook. If it treats of house 

 culture, please send me a copy. I should 

 think some of you bee editors would en- 

 deavor to notice liouse apiaries to some 

 extent, so that beginners in that method 

 would learn something applicable to our 

 system. You all seem to think that every 

 bee-keeper uses the out-door system, and 



consequently your advice, etc., is based 

 upon that theory. I know people who 

 have been very successful with the house 

 system, and would not use any other, and 

 they certainly deserve some notice in the 

 bee literature of the country. 



My bees are doing finely. Last season 

 was a very poor one with us; we had to 

 feed or lose our bees. I have 13 stocks in 

 fine condition, all Italians. My two 

 houses will hold 40 stocks. I want to " fill 

 up " this season and will do so by " arti- 

 ficial swarming." Is that right? 



Isaac A. Smith. 



[We do not remember seeing anything 

 in Prof. Cook's Manual about Jwuse cul- 

 ture. 



Personally we have had no experience 

 with the house apiary, and until we have 

 difterent information from what we now 

 possess, we think we prefer our hives out 

 doors in the summer, and down cellar in 

 the winter. 



We shall very willingly publish the ex- 

 perience of those who have tried the mat- 

 ter thoroughly. Novice went into it very 

 enthusiastically, but with his usual frank- 

 ness, admits much loss last winter. — Ed.] 



Albany, Ga.— May 7, 1876.—" Last year 

 I became interested in bees, sent for your 

 Journal, and in Nov. bought for $30, 

 three hives said to be in perfect order, and 

 having extra honey ; on opening, I found 

 one hive empty of bees, but alive with 

 worms ; the other two had about a quart of 

 bees and many worms. I destroyed the 

 worms, and fed the bees all winter, and 

 now I have six fine hives, every frame full 

 of brood and comb. Transferred one 

 swarm, the others I took from natural 

 swarms. Last week I went through the 

 hives and cut out all extra queen cells, 

 caring more for honej' than increase of 

 stock, and if we have a good season I ex- 

 pect to make a great quantity of honey. 

 China berry, or Pride of India, sorrel, 

 wistaria, and many sweet garden flowers, 

 peach, plum and blackberry blossoms, 

 give good pasturage now ; later we have 

 asters, golden-rod, and many I do not 

 kuow the names of. Another year I shall 

 plant a patch of buckwheat for them." 

 Kate L. Bridge. 



Smith's Grove, Ky.— May 18, 1876.— 

 " My bees are gathering honey rapidly 

 from white clover; never saw a better 

 prospect for a rich honey harvest. I have 

 just received one of Dadant's Imported 

 Queens. She is just splendid to look at; 

 and if I carry out my present notions, will 

 have as tine an apiary this fall, as there is 

 in Italy. 1 want to attend the next meet- 

 ing of the North American Bee Conven- 

 tion at Philadelphia." N. P. Allen. 



