166 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Mar. 18, 



the pleasures that arise from a personal acquaintance with 

 those engaged in the same pursuit as ourselves. 



Our present literature has advanced from a crude state to 

 almost a perfect ideal. The older bee-keepers can remember 

 in their early experience, if they would hear of an article in a 

 paper on bees, they would travel for miles to read it. And 

 then our hives and fixtures seem to have reacht perfection, 

 and the mode of operating the same has become so general 

 among bee-keepers that there seems to be nothing farther to 

 be desired. But in this we are in error, for on opening any of 

 the bee-journals one will find some new improvement on hives 

 and fixtures, or a new system of management to secure certain 

 results, and as certain conditions bring certain results, so are 

 some results often discovered more by accident than by delib- 

 erate planning of the apiarist. 



In advising with several of the members last spring, it 

 was thought best to secure the services of three or four of 

 the more experienced members to experiment on such lines as 

 they may select. This was done to add new interest to the 

 next convention, as much as to the benefits derived from the 

 experiments. What benefits, if any, will be shown by the 

 reports of the staff. As no members of the staff have reported 

 to me their success or failure, I fear the work was interfered 

 with by there being a very small honey harvest, and in some 

 parts none at all the forepart of the season. But with dis- 

 couraging reports, I would urge the appointment of a staff to 

 continue the unfinisht work, and select other lines for the 

 coming season. 



I would especially urge each member of the association to 

 give special attention to some line of work in the apiary, that 

 they are not satisfied with, and continue on that line until all 

 doubts are dispelled. It would add new interest at the con- 

 ventions. 



The adulteration of honey should be considered by this 

 convention. I would suggest that the Secretary be instructed 

 to correspond with the secretaries of all associations in the 

 State, asking them to circulate petitions among their mem- 

 bers to be signed and presented to their various members of 

 the next legislature, looking toward the enactment of a strin- 

 gent law. We could then drive the foul curse of adulteration 

 of foods from our State. 



The season of 18yii was one long to be remembered by the 

 bee-keepers of eastern Iowa. The fearful winter losses, and 

 absence of an early honey harvest, combined to discourage 

 some of our apiarists. But there was much to be learned, 

 even in a year of failure. In my apiary it was forseen in the 

 spring that feeding would have to be done to all the colonies, 

 and it was continued until basswood came into bluom. This 

 and other causes I will not mention in this paper, greatly In- 

 terfered with a line of experimental work I had laid out in 

 my own apiary. 



In conclusion, let me say that I feel grateful to the mem- 

 bers of the experimental staff for the way they were willing to 

 take hold of the work, and the assistance they gave me on 

 other lines. F. M. Merkitt. 



The experimental staff was continued over to the coming 

 season. Owing to the failure of the honey crop they were 

 unable to accomplish anything last season. 



The election of officers for the ensuing year resulted as fol- 

 lows : President, F. M. Merritt; Vice-President, T. O. Hines ; 

 Secretary and Treasurer, W. A. Hay, of Anamosa. 



The place selected for holding the next meeting was 

 Maquoketa. W. A. Hay, Sec. 



A Nc'w Binder for holding a year's numbers of the 

 American Bee Journal, we propose to mail, postpaid, to every 

 subscriber who sends us 20 cents. It is called "The Wood 

 Binder," is patented, and is an entirely new and very simple 

 arrangement. Full printed directions accompany each Binder. 

 Every reader should get it, and preserve the copies of the Bee 

 Journal as fast as they are received. They are invaluable for 

 reference, and at the low price of the Binder you can afford to 

 get It yearly. 



Xhc Alsike Clover Leaflet conslsts^of 2 pages, 

 with illustrations, showing the value of Alsike" clover, and 

 telling how to grow it. This Leaflet is just the thing to hand 

 to every farmer in your neighborhood. Send to the Bee Jour- 

 nal office for a quantity of them, and see that they are dis- 

 tributed where they will do the most good. Prices, postpaid, 

 are as follows : 50 for 20 cents ; 100 for 35 cents ; or 200 

 for OO cents. 



* » » 



"Ko-w is the Time to work for now subscribers. 

 Why not take advantage of the offer made on page 170 ? 



CONDUCTED BY 



Z>K. O. O. Jim,J.ER, MAKE2VGO, ILL. 



[Questions may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct.1 



Carniolan Bees and AdvertiscincnU. 



I would like to try the Carniolan bees, but I do not find any 

 advertisement of any queens of that kind for sale. Could you 

 tell me, through the Bee Journal, of any one who has Carnio- 

 lans for sale ? A. S. R. 



Answer. — It's rather early to think of getting queens, so 

 it's rather early to find advertisements of them. In plenty of 

 time for you to order you'll find queens advertised, and if you 

 don't fiud advertisements of any particular kind you're pretty 

 safe in concluding that practical honey-producers don't care 

 much for that kind. [Carniolans are offered in this number. 

 — Editor.] 



Flour and Comb-Biiiidins. 



Our bees had several good flights here last week. I gave 

 them ground rye and wheat flour, and it was a pleasure for 

 me to see them so busy carrying it in. Do the bees build comb 

 from wheat or rye flour ? F. W. H., East Alton, 111. 



Answer. — Probably flour of any kind cuts very little fig- 

 ure in the matter of comb-building. Feed sweets, and comb 

 will be built if it's needed. 



The Dzicrzon Hive. 



There is an old German who lives across the road from me, 

 and has been telling me of a hive they used in Germany, but 

 he can't give a discription of it so that I can make one. The 

 name of itis " Dzierzon." He says it is an automatic hive. If 

 you can give a discription of it in the American Bee Journal, 

 I should be much obliged, not only for me, but the old gentle- 

 men who is past 85 years. H. W. S. 



Answer. — Dr. Dzierzon is the one who to-day stands high- 

 est of all men living as a leader in bee-culture. No living man 

 has done so much for bee-culture. An English translation of 

 his book, "Rational Bee-Keepiug," lies before me, but I feel 

 very sure it isn't worth while for you to have a description of 

 one of his hives. You wouldn't be satisfied to use it. E'er one 

 thing, you wouldn't be satisfied to have a hive from which you 

 couldn't lift out the frames at the top after taking off the 

 cover. With the Dzierzon hive you open the side or end, draw 

 out one frame, then another, and you cannot get the last 

 frame out of the hive without first taking out every other. As 

 to being an automatic hiver, it is no more so than hives com- 

 monly in use here. It is some time since I read his book 

 through, but I don't remember seeing anything about automa- 

 tic hiving, and certainly full instructions are given as to the 

 managements of swarms that issue. 



^ I ^ 



Quecnicisncss — Putting on Su|>cr§, Etc. 



1. As I bought three colonies of bees and have not much 

 experience, I would like to know how to tell when a colony is 

 queenless in the spring after taken out of the cellar"? 



2. Must the super be put on the hive as soon as Intake 

 them out of the cellar ? ; I .' 



8. Can I let the bees work in the supers all the season 

 if I do not intend to feed them for winter ? 



M. S., Dubuque Co., Iowa. 



Answers. — 1. One way is to look for the queen. "^But 

 sometimes you may fail to find the queen, altlio a good one is 

 present. A better way is to look for eggs and brood. If you 

 find eggs, or little white grubbs, in the colls you may know a 

 queen is there. In rare cases the qiipon may not bo laying 

 when taken from the cellar,but will surely begin in a day or two. 



