226 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



hives, of the lioiu'y not I)eing properly dis- 

 tributed ill tlie liive etc. 



Lloyo Z. Junks says in introducing a 

 queen it is important to put a little honey 

 on her back and stick her wings down so 

 she can't squeal. 



Novice advises against the nse ot rosin 

 in waxing honey barrels as it in time gives 

 a bad taste to the honey. 



BEE-KEEPERS' MAGAZINE. 

 Cake of Comb.— In an able article by 

 Rev. J. W. Shearer, he advises that old 

 comb, if not rendered into wax, should be 

 burned, lest it become a nursery of moths. 

 This advice is so generally given that we 

 think there must be some occasion for it, 

 but in our own experience we have never 

 had the bee moth trouble pieces of comb 

 lying outside of the hive, even if left the 

 whole year. May it not be that the differ- 

 ence in climate has something to do with 

 it? In the latitude of Chicago, perhaps the 

 nights are too cool for the deposition of 

 eggs, without the presence of the bees to 

 keep up the heat. 



Mkjnonettk.— In reply to a (piery, Mr. 

 James Vick, the celebrated seedsman and 

 tiorist, says mignonette is an annual, which 

 in nortiiern latitudes does not re-seed the 

 bed, but must be sowed anew earh' in the 

 spring, as soon as frost is gone and soil in 

 good condition. Succecdr- in any fair soil 

 and in a growing time will ilower in 4 to 6 

 weeks after sowing. 



BEE WORLD. 



The present number ot the World closes 

 a controversy between two (lueen breeders 

 which has occupied a large space in the 

 World, and the inatt»!r closes just about 

 where it began, each party saying he has 

 his last say. We can only ask, " What has 

 been gained by occupying so many pages 

 with a personal (luarrel of no interest to the 

 mass of readers?'' Would it not be better 

 to avoid the beginning of strife by carefully 

 excluding all bitter personalities, allowing 

 at the same time the fullest discursion in a 

 kindly spirit of all points pertaining to bee- 

 culture? 



BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 



British bee-keepers were almost discour- 

 aged with the unfavorable season during 

 the early part, but now are jubilant over 

 the unusual flow of honey in July. 



In a lecture by J. (J. Desborough, he gives 

 America the credit of inventing the honey 

 slinger. The credit belongs to a German- 

 Major Von llruschka. It is said the idea 

 was first suggested to him by seeing his 

 little son whirling around in play a small 

 pail to which was attached a string. In the 

 bottom of tiie pail was a piece of comb 



honey, and the Major noticed that the 

 honey was emptied out of one side of the 

 cells. The hint was not lost, and the result 

 was the extractor. 



A poet speaks of the rose as furnishing 

 supplies for the bees, and in a foot note the 

 editor says "A poetic fancy, but not fact." 

 Brother Abbott, you have only part of the 

 truth. A few weeks ago we saw a honey 

 bee and a humble bee both working on 

 roses on the same bush. The imperfect 

 roses, resulting from high culture, although 

 beautiful to look upon, are not the sort that 

 bees love to visit; but the wild rose, which 

 produces seed, is visited by the bee. The 

 same remark is made about the peony; but 

 is it not just possible that the single peony, 

 which produces perfect seed, yields honey 

 also? 



Fort Plain, N. Y., Aug. 11. — I send you by 

 mail a (jueen of this year. She is laying 

 eggs since June, whicii are barren; not a 

 single egg of hers has ever hatched. If you 

 think it of any interest I would beg you to 

 try and find out by the microscope whether 

 the fault lies in her organs or the eggs. 



Julius Hoffman. 



The queen from Mr. Hoffman was a tine 

 Italian, very long considering her late jour- 

 ney, and to all appearances perfect within 

 and without. The spermatheca was very 

 full and plump. The ovaries large, and the 

 tubes full (»f ovules. The oveduct contain- 

 ed several eggs. The only explanation that 

 can be offered in such a case is that the 

 eggs are sterile or not perfect. 



We know that among our vertebrate ani- 

 mals we frequently see females that have 

 perfect ovaries to all appearance in which 

 the eggs grow, and yet the females are 

 .sterile or barren. Of course the egg is im- 

 perfect. 



The egg is by no means a simple affair. 

 The yolk or essential part possesses a 

 nucleus and a nucleolus, called germinating 

 vesicle and geriuinative dot respectively. 

 Now it is probable that these sterile fe- 

 males, though jxtssessed of ovaries in whose 

 folicles eggs grow, are yet impotent to pro- 

 duce these essential parts. With the mi- 

 croscope I had I could not tell in regard to 

 this. A. J. Cook. 



(E^We would like a full report from all 

 who have tried inelilot clover, borage, cat- 

 nip, alsike clover, or other artificial pastur- 

 age for bees— north, south, east, and west — 

 setting forth the kind of soil they seem to 

 do best in; date of first bloom and length of 

 blooming period; if bees gather honey from 

 them; color of honey; if the seed is saved, 

 Ac, «&c. Please sit down at once and let 

 us hear from you. 



