1897. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



213 



on top of the combs, and removed the unfinisht sections. I 

 mean to build this colony up right in the hive it now occupies, 

 and as I have only foundation, and no drawn comb to work 

 with, I presume it will take considerable time to get the bees 

 onto new, straight combs, and get rid of the irregular combs 

 they now occupy. These combs are not attacht to anything 

 at the top. They were attacht to the enamel cloth at first, 

 but got separated when I brought them home. 



Late last fall I found myself with a strong 3-frame 

 nucleus, which I feared would not winter on the honey con- 

 tained in the three frames. Having no frames of comb to 

 give them, I placed 11 untinisht sections of honey on the 

 other side of the division-board. February IT I found these 

 11 sections entirely cleaned of honey, and the bees numerous 

 and in excellent condition. I gave them a new supply of un- 

 finishtsections, and now I am going to begin to feed and fill 

 up with frames of foundation. This nucleus was protected 

 by a chaff cushion in an empty super on top of the hive, and 

 the hive packt on three sides with about five inches of straw. 

 This is the way 1 protect all my bees. Some of my outer cases 

 have bottoms, and some are without bottoms. Bottotis are 

 not necessary. Entrances are left as in summer, except in 

 the case of a nucleus or weak colony. It is then contracted a 

 half or more. I have never lost a colony protected in that 

 way, that had a queen and plenty of honey or sugar syrup. 

 There has been just one exception to this rule, which excep- 

 tion I told the readers of the American Bee Journal about, not 

 long ago. 



I said that I protected all of my bees in the way above- 

 described. I wish to modify that statement a little. Some 

 half-dozen colonies in large hives were left last fall without 

 any protection except the chaff cushion in the empty super. 

 These were so strong in bees aud honey that it would take an 

 unusually hard winter to kill them, but I believe it would 

 have been better for them if they had been given more pro- 

 tection. One excessively strong colony, on nine frames of 

 standard length in a hive 12 inches deep, was left in the fall 

 without outside protection. When the severe cold weather of 

 January came, I noticed a good many dead bees in front of 

 that hive, and I had to clear the entrance frequently. Then 

 I made an outer case and gave the bees the usual protection 

 of five inches of straw on three sides of the hive, and the mor- 

 tality ceast. With this exception but few bees have died in 

 my iiives the past winter. 



I have been intending to work for extracted honey more 

 than usual the coming season, but I shall have to reconsider. 

 The market reports do not afford much encouragement to any 

 bee-keeper who lives in a white honey locality, to spend his 

 time producing extracted honey. 



Later. — To-day (March 22) I examined that 3-frame 

 nucleus, and found the bees had cleaned out their second sup- 

 ply of 1 1 unfinisht sections of honey, and there was a good 

 deal of honey in the sections, too, as there also was in the first 

 lot given. I gave the bees a frame of foundation and another 

 lot of sections containing honey, and concluded this to be the 

 most piggish lot of bees I ever owned. If they do work next 

 summer in proportion to their appetites, I shall get a good 

 deal of honey. 



Some persons may, perhaps, fear trouble from mice where 

 straw is used for protecting hives in the manner I have de- 

 scribed; but it is a matter of fact that I have had but very 

 little trouble on account of mice getting into the hives. If 

 one is careful in cutting entrances they can be cut so shallow 

 that mice cannot enter, or, if one uses hives having Js-inch 

 strips to form the entrances, the entrances can be narrowed 

 by strips of zinc or wire-cloth. A cat belonging to one of my 

 neighbors kindly came and made her home in the bee-yard last 

 fall, and staid until the weather got too cold for her comfort. 



Decatur Co., Iowa. 



■White CIOTCr Seed.— We have quite a quantity of 

 White Clover Seed ou hand that we will send you at a bargain. 

 A little of it goes a good ways. It usually retails at 25 or oO 

 cents per pound, but we will mail you 2 pounds for 40 cents, 

 or for sending us one new subscriber to the American Bee 

 Journal for a year. 



The Xaiues and Addresses of all your bee- 

 friends, who are not now taking the Bee Journal, are wanted 

 at this office. Send them in, please, when sample copies will 

 be mailed to them. Then you can secure their subscriptions, 

 and earn some of the premiums we have offered. The 

 next few months will be just the time to easily get new sub- 

 scribers. Try it earnestly, at least. 



Proceedings of the Colorado State Bee-Kefep-- 

 ers' Couveutiou. 



REPORTED BV F. L. THOMPSON. 



IContlnucd from page 198.] 

 The Secretary's and Vice-President's reports were then read : 



• THE secretary's REPORT. 



The past season has been about the poorest we have ever 

 had, in the northern part of the State, while the bee-keepers 

 of the southern and western portions have had a very satis- 

 factory crop of honey, as you see by the statistics gathered. 



During the last annual session a number of very good 

 resolutions' were past by this Association, but part of them 

 could not be carried out on account of lack of funds, and the 

 resolution in regard to marketing was found to be not re- 

 quired, as most of the members had a very small crop of honey 

 to sell, and competition among dealers made it unnecessary. 



The past summer I requested Senator Teller to procure 

 for our Association a number of copies of the Government 

 Bulletin on " The Honey-Bee," for our members, and such 

 other books, etc., as might be useful in our industry. It was 

 my plan to start with this a small library in this building for 

 the use of bee-keepers, and combine with the same a collec- 

 tion of articles of interest to them. 



Frank Rauchfuss. 



THE vice-president's REPORT. 



Members of the Colorado State Bee-Keepers^ Association : — 



Our meeting records the passing of another year. It is 

 with saddened hearts that we learn of the death of one of our 

 esteemed members — Rev. F. O. Blair, of Trinidad. 



With some of our members it has been a prosperous year, 

 with others a very disastrous one. Yet with all our discour- 

 agements there is something bright ahead, and we have some- 

 thing to be thankful for. If we have prospered let us be 

 willing to tell our co-workers how our success has come. If 

 we have not succeeded, let the failure be known ; perhaps 

 some one can give a remedy. 



Co-operation is the sign of civilization. We find that in 

 all business enterprises there are so many interested in the 

 same thing that without some intelligent co-operation we are' 

 apt to clash in our undertakings, and both parties are in- 

 jured by the result. At our annual meetings there is always 

 much to do, and a short time to do it in. Please let every one 

 be prompt, so that the time may be well and profitably filled. 



Notwithstanding a large per cent, of our members have 

 had a failure in realizing a heavy crop, yet we find our mar- 

 ket in a poor condition, which shows plainly when we all have 

 a good yield we must look outside of our State for a market, 

 for a large share of our product. 



This makes it quite essential to keep up our Association 

 with all the vigor possible. We have a committee looking 

 after improving our foul brood law. They have done good 

 work, as you will find by the report. We should all be watch- 

 ful that this law is not repealed without giving us a better 

 one. The present law has certainly been a great benefit to 

 the State. At the rate the disease was spreading before we 

 had the law, the honey-business would have been destroyed, 

 and a great revenue to the State would have been cut off. 



There is still another enemy to our business I would call 

 your attention to. There is a cry coming from every part of 

 the Union against adulteration. We have every reason to 

 believe that there is much sweet sold for pure honey in our 

 market that is not honey. In looking through our groceries 

 this winter I found more than usual. Some Is put up in our 

 own city. Another brand is from St. Joseph ; another from 

 Omaha. 



They all have an appearance and taste that brands them 

 as not being pure honey. I have a sample here I purchast 

 last February. It is put up by a Denver firm. I would like 

 to have you examine it and give your opinion whether it re- 

 sembles alfalfa honey in appearance or taste. This honey 



