THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL AND GAZETTE. 



105 



giving orders, in variously modulated toues, for 

 foraging excursions, the construction of royal 

 cells, the expulsion of the drones, stimulating 

 industry and reproving sloth, and giving orders 

 at stated times for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and 

 tea. If at certain times we cautiously listen at 

 the hive, we can hear a voice, alternately ap- 

 plauding or censuring, thus showing that there 

 is present within some controlling personage 

 heedful of the weal or woe of the community." 

 After that the old fogies may lake courage. 



For the American Bee Journal and Gazette, 



WinteriBg Bees in the Open Air. 



Bees have not been able to fly in this section 

 till now. The last flight they had was late in 

 November. Our winter has been dry and 

 "steady hold," only about a week of extremely 

 cold weather. Bees out-of-doors were flying 

 yesterday and to-day, and have emptied them- 

 selves nicely. I liave been wintering a two- 

 story frame-hive on the Avest side of a building, 

 but otherwise unprotected. They were flying 

 briskly to-daj'. 



I took out the combs — twenty in all — to-day, 

 and put them into a clean, two-story hive. 

 Found the colony in fine condition; plenty of 

 bees and honey, very few dead bees, combs 

 bright, and a few hundred egrjH — no brood in 

 any stage of existence They are now in good 

 shape to go on breeding, and, without doubt, 

 will give me an early swarm and a rich harvest 

 of honey. For large yields of honey we prefer 

 the two-story hive in this locality. The honey 

 is stored in frames instead of small boxes. 



A box-hive could not be treated as above, 

 simply because the combs are statioriary. 

 Reader, do you see how important it is to have 

 your bees in frame-hives ? 



M. M. Baldiudge. 



St. Charles, Kane Co., Ills, Feb. 18. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Correction. 



Mr. Editor: Will you please oblige one of 

 j'our subscribers by inserting the following ar- 

 ticle on Extraordinarii Swarming in the Decem- 

 ber number, page 120 : 



I presume the readers of the Journal would 

 like to know when anything unusual happens 

 in Bee-land. Last year I-had a hive of half- 

 bred Italiansthat beat any bees I have heard 

 of in this country, in the swarming line, hav- 

 ing produced an increase of ten swarms in the 

 following way : The old stock swarmed j\Iay 

 12th, IGth, and 18th. These were put in hives 

 containing a few combs. The first or prime 

 one sent oSfour swarms in June, from the 12th 

 to the 30th. These were hived, and did well. 

 The one that came off" May ISth swarmed twice 

 in June. The old stock swarmed again in Au- 

 gust, and gave STi pounds of honey. Eiglit of 

 these swarms had honey enough for winter. 

 J. Lorenzo Davis. 



Delhi, Ingham Co., Mich. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Bees and Grapes. 



Is bee-culture to be regarded as detrimental, 

 to grape-culture ? 



Highly gratifying are the elTorts which are so 

 generally being made for the advancement and 

 improvement of grape-culture in this country. 

 Despite the deplorable obstacles interposed by- 

 mildew, rot, etc., perseverance and judicious 

 experiments will ultimately secure the desired 

 object, enabling us to produce excellent wines, 

 by the selection of such varieties of the vine as 

 are adapted to climate and location — wines not 

 inferior to those produced in foreiii-n lands, not 

 only recompensing the vinyardist^for his exer- 

 tions and sacrifices, but contributiua; largely to 

 the moral improvement of the people. 



Grape-culture consequently deserves general 

 appreciation and adequate protection, to cheer 

 and reward those engaged in it, who have still 

 annualy to contend with numerous discourage- 

 ments. Thus, when a small portion of the crops, 

 perhaps, had escaped the devastating influence 

 of rot and mildew, it suffers again from the in- 

 cessant depredations of passerine birds and 

 noxious insects. Among the latter, grasshop- 

 pers, Avasp and humble-bees, more especially, 

 incite the execrations of the vinyardist by the 

 extensive injuries they inflict on the ripening 

 ll-uit; and even the common hive-bee has often 

 been' included in the list of the proscribed. 



Against these latter— the honey-bees— com- 

 plaints have been made, for some years past, in 

 various sections of the country, Avhich have led, 

 and may still lead, to sad disagreements and un- 

 happy disputes. As a friend alike of grape- 

 culture and of bee-culture, I thus feel myself 

 induced to communicate my own experience 

 and sentiments, on both topics, for the common 

 benefit of both branches of rural economy. 



Bee-culture is justly prized in Europe and 

 in this country as a profitable pursuit, as is evi- 

 dent enough here from the almost countless 

 multitude of patented hives invented for the 

 accommodation of the interesting insect. But 

 that Avhich is destined to give it an unprecedented 

 advance among the industrious arts,is the recent 

 development of the mysteries in Avhich the na- 

 tural history of the bee was so long enshrouded 

 —thus making scientific truth the basis of prac- 

 tical operations, aud introducing certainty and 

 success to a large extent, where all Avas doubt 

 and haphazard before. Every friend of pro- 

 gress is noAV aAvare that by the observations and 

 researches of distinguished and eminent api- 

 arians and naturalists, bee-culture has been 

 elevated to the rank of a science, and is enga"-- 

 ing correspondent attention from the intelligent, 

 cultivated, and enterprizing everyAvhere; and 

 hence the study is deserving of general appre- 

 ciation and encouragement. 



Who, indeed, Avould regard Avith envious 

 feelings the busy bee engaged in gathering 

 nectar and pollen from the blossoms of trees, 

 shrubs, and plants, and thus rendering them 

 available to human Avants, Avheuhe reflects that 

 all these stores of honey and Avax Avould other- 

 wise be lost, since by no kuoAvu or conceivable 



