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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



J{ov. 4, 



with the old queen was the one that was being robbed. If so, 

 and it was weak or qiieenless, then it may have deserted the 

 hive and gone with the robbers. Such a thing sometimes hap- 

 pens. If the above supposition is correct, then lessening the 

 entrance may have had nothing to do with the desertion. It 

 Is possible, on the other hand, that closing the entrance had 

 something to do with the bees leaving, not because they were 

 hindered from robbing other hives, but because closing the 

 entrance made the hive too hot. For if I understand you cor- 

 rectly, the entrances were contracted, but not entirely closed, 

 and in that case they could still get at the other hives. 



2. If the colony with the old queen was weak and dis- 

 couraged, that would account for their not being so cross as 

 the other colony. Even supposing the colonies were of the 

 same strength, it might be that the progeny of the mother 

 might be quite different in character from the progeny of the 

 daughter ; for the worker progeny of the daughter would only 

 get half their characteristics from the queen, the other half 

 being from the drone that was their father. 



Growing Sweet Clover in Georgia. 



I am going to plant some sweet clover (iteUlotus allin) for 

 bee-pasturage as an experiment. The laud I am going to use 

 Is rich bottomland, which is in fine state of cultivation, and 

 has been a portion of a hay farm, and produces very heavy 

 crops of grass and peas. As this plant does not grow in this 

 climate at all, I would like 'some advice as to the proper way 

 of planting the same. I am going to plow the land well, har- 

 row it, and sow the seed on top, and roll the surface level. 

 What do you think of this method ? 



Bees are pouring in honey now (Oct. 9) from aster, 

 chiefly. I will take a super from each of my 80 colonies this 

 fall, which is doing better than for several years, as we don't 

 get much fall surplus here. It has been a fine honey-year. 



Georgia. 



Answer. — Your plan of preparation is all right, unless it 

 be that the surface should be packt more solid than you are 

 likely to have it. I have seen ground prepared beautifully, 

 the seed come up well, but the following winter killed every 

 plant, the plants being heaved out of the ground by the freez- 

 ing. Such a thing might not happen so far south as Georgia. 

 The editor of Gleanings says he has never known sweet clover 

 to succeed on rich soil, but I think the reason is that the sur- 

 face has been too soft, and the seed not being deep the plants 

 heaved In winter. I have seen a rank growth on rich soil, but 

 the seed was either planted deep or the surface trodden hard. 

 I think Mrs. Harrison says she could never succeed in getting 

 sweet clover to grow in Florida, but good success is reported 

 In Mississippi. On the whole, perhaps you will do well not to 

 risk too much till after trial. 



Getting Bees Ready Tor Winter. 



1. I am getting my bees ready for winter. Outside of the 

 regular dovetailed hive I have winter-cases which go over all 

 and have a separate cover. This leaves space between the 

 hive-body and side-walls of the winter-case of about two 

 inches ; on top there is room enough for a super. Last win- 

 ter I packt with leaves, and bees wintered well. Do you con- 

 sider straw just as good ? If yes, need it be cut straw, or will 

 the long straw usually bought In bales do? 



2. I am using 10-frame hives mostly, and have taken out 

 one frame in each, reducing to nine. Bees cover those well. 

 Would you take out more? When I take out one frame I 

 move the division-board up close; this leaves a small space. 

 As I have packt outside cases is there any need of putting 

 packing in the place where I took the frame out, or Just let it 

 go? Nebraska. 



Answers. — 1. I doubt If the straw is as good as the 

 leaves. If straw is used at all, it would be diflicult to pack 

 the long straw closely. It would bo better cut. If you can't 

 get leaves, can't you get planer shavings? Some esteem 

 these very highly, and they are easily obtained In most places. 



2. Prof. GastOD Bonnier, of Paris, France, if I remember 



correctly, made a series of experiments with lamps and ther- 

 mometers that seemed to show quite conclusively that an 

 empty brood-comb was just as good as a division-board. It 

 hardly seems as if it could be, the division-board being close 

 and the brood-comb open all around, but there seemed very 

 clear proof, the details of the experiments being very fully 

 given. As a matter of actual practice nowadays, it is prob- 

 able that most bee-keepers do not take out frames for winter- 

 ing, but leave the same number in winter as in summer. If 

 the combs are filled or partly filled with honey, that is still 

 better than to have empty combs. It is hardly necessary to 

 put in any packing. If you can have it (and if you can't have 

 it now, you can next year), the very best sort of packing is a 

 comb filled solid with sealed honey. 



M Subscribers : Nov. & Dec. 



2 MONTHS FOR 15 GTS. 



Get Your Bee-Keepiug Friends and Neighbors 

 to Take the Old American Bee Journal. 



We would like to have each of our present readers send us 

 three new subscribers for the Bee Journal before December 1, 

 1897. That surely will not be hard to do, when each will 

 need to pay only 15 cents for the last 2 months of this 

 year, or only about 7 cents a month for the weekly 

 American Bee Journal. Any one with only a colony or two 

 of bees should jump at such an offer as that. 



Now, we don't ask you to work for us for nothing, but 

 will say that for each three new 15c. subscribers you send 

 us, we will mail you your choice of one of the following list: 



Wood Binder for the Bee J ournal 20c. 



50 copies of leaflet on "Why Eat Honey?" 50o. 



50 " " on "'How to Keep Honey " 20c. 



50 " " on " Alsike Clover" 20o. 



1 copy each "Preparation of Honey for the Market "(10c.) 



and Doolittle's " Hive 1 Use " (5c. i 15o. 



1 copy each Dadants' "Handling Bees" (8c.) and " Bee- 

 Pasturage a Necessity " (10c.) 18c. 



Dr. Howard's book on "Foul Brood," 25c. 



Kohnke'B " Foul Brood " book '. 25o. 



Cheshire's " Foul Brood " book (10c.) and Dadants' " Hand- 

 ling Bees" [8c ] 18o. 



Dr. Foote'B Hand-Book of Health 25c. 



Rural Life Book 25c. 



Our Poultry Doctor, by Fanny Felld 25e. 



Poultry for Market and Profit, by Fanny Field 25o. 



Capons and Caponizing 25c. 



Turkeys for Market and Profit 25c. 



Green's Four Books on Frult-Growlng 25o. 



Kopp Commercial Calculator No. 1 25o. 



Silo and SUape. by Prof. Cook 25c. 



Bienen-Kultur IGerman] 40o. 



Kendall's Horse-Book [English or German] 25o. 



1 Pound White Clover Seed 25c. 



1 " Sweet " " 25c. 



1V4 " Al6lke " " 25c. 



1!^ " Alfalfa " " 25c. 



1V4 " Crimson " " 25c. 



The Horse— How to Break and Handle 20e. 



We make the above offers only to those who are now sub- 

 scribers ; in other words, no one sending in his own 25 cents 

 as a new subscriber can also claim a choice of the above list. 



The Horse— Ho-w to Break and Handle. — 



This is a pamphlet of ;>2 pages, giving complete instructions 

 for breaking and educating colts, teaching horses to drive, 

 and for use under the saddle, together with many instructions 

 which have never before been publisht, and which are the re- 

 sult of the author's experience covering a period of 20 years. 

 By Prof. Wm. Mullen, with whom the editor of the Bee Jour- 

 nal Is personally acquainted. Price, postpaid, 20 cents ; or 

 given as a premium for sending us one new subscriber to the 

 Bee Journal for the rest of the year at 50 cents. 



Every Present Subscriber of the Bee Journal 



should be an agent for it, and eet all others possible to sub- 

 scribe for It. See offers on page To 1 . 



