762 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Dec. 2, 



BEEDOM BDILED^DDWN. 



Honey and "Wax of "Victoria.— T. L.Chambers 

 estimates (rom statistics of the c.iistom-huuse that Victoria — a 

 partof Australia about as large as Minnesota — produces an- 

 nually 2U tons of wax and 400 tons of honey. A good season, 

 such as 1895, doubles the average. Most of the wax is ex- 

 ported. — Australian Bee-Bulletin, 



A Lookiug-GIass has been for a long time one of the 

 things recommended as a help to get a runaway swarm to set- 

 tle. Another use has been found for it. The bee-journal of 

 Alsace-Lorraine advises its rays to be thrown into the entrance 

 of a hive sotiewhat shaded, when at the timeof the first spring 

 flight the bees of this hive are slow to come out. 



Large Frames. — German bee-keepers are not of one 



mind as to size of frames. N. P. Kunnen pleads for a large 

 frame, 16x16 inches none too large {70 per cent larger than 

 the Langstroth frame), and doesn't agree with Dzierzon that 

 there is danger of too large colonies. As advantages of large 

 frames are urged : 1. Rapid development of brood in spring. 

 12. Strong colonies at the advent of harvest. S. Diminisbt 

 danger of chilled brood from sudden cold-spells in spring. — 

 Luxemburgischen Bienen-Zeitung, 



Xliick vs. Thin. Syrup. —L. 'A. Aspinwall, in Re- 

 view, strongly advocates the use of thick' syrup for feeding. 

 Somnambulist, in Progressive, says he lilies the theory of 

 "concentrating the food and thereby the storage of it, by rea- 

 son of which the colony remains more impact, conserving its 

 vitality," but in practice he can't make it work — bees won't, 

 take it. Better compromise, brethren. When you have been 

 so negligent that feeding must be late, give it to them thick ; 

 at the same time promising that next time you will feed so 

 early that you can use half water. Then if there is anything 

 in the chemical change made by the bees that some talk about, 

 you will have the advantage of it. 



Box-Hives. — It strikes rather strangely on an Ameri- 

 can ear to hear bee-culture in box-hives, perhaps more strictly 

 in straw hives, defended and practiced in part by some of the 

 ablest bee-keepers in Europe. Especially is it claimed that in 

 some localities movable hives are not the appropriate thing. 

 Lebrecht Wolff says in Cenlralblatt : " For the average bee- 

 keeper, and for those who cannot devote their entire time to 

 bee-keeping, movable-frame hives are not suited, because too 

 often they tempt to manipulations which turn out to be an 

 injury. With straw hives, the bee-keeper cajuiot go into the 

 hives, so he cannot commit the great mistakes that are the 

 order of the day with movable-comb hives." 



Honey-Cost of Wax. — Doolittle says in Progres- 

 sive — " What Doolittle ■?" did you say? Among bee-keepers 

 there is only one Doolittle, the uneqaled and unapproachable 

 G. M. Now please don't interrupt again. Doolittle says 20 

 pounds of honey must be fed to receive in return one pound 

 of wax, while the same amount of sugar syrup will give nearly 

 a fourth more wax ; but less than lU pounds of honey will 

 make a pound of wax when the bees have access to the fields 

 in a good honey-llow. This seems to^be one of the questions 

 almost impossible of answer, the present views as to the 

 amount bf honey for a pound of wax during a honey harvest 

 running all the way from 15 pounds down to nothing. 



Honey-Cakes. — Much is made of what the Germans 

 call IcbliUfhcii, in the fatherland. They are manufactured in 

 large quantities, keep an indefinite time, and one of the treats 

 the children expect when the vnler comes home from the fair 

 consists of these same. They are somewhat inappropriately 

 called gingerbread in English, as there is no ging'^r in them. 

 F. L. Thompson has been get'ing some recipes, which appear 

 In Review. Here is orje of the simplest: 



Two pounds of honey is brought to a boil with li pint of 

 water, then taken from the fire, and while still warm mixt 

 with 2 pounds of flour. The resulting dough is kneaded well 

 and then set to cool for some time. After some days (the 

 longer the dough stands the better), it Is put on a board, and 

 three yolks of eggs, with Hour, stirred In, and plump 1 '4' 

 ounces bii^arbonato of soda added, previously dissolved in 

 water. The whole is then well mixt. Next are added accord- 

 ing to taste, 2 pounds sugar, some crusht cinnamon, ,cloves, 



citron andjchopt'almonds ; the whole is well workt, rolled out 

 to a finger's thickness and laid on a tin, or put in a mold, and 

 baked in the|oven. 



monthly "Winter Consumption.— The Bienen- 

 Vater quotes afresh a report given in 1S96 of the monthly loss 

 of weight as ascertained at about 30 stations during the win- 

 ter of 1895-96. Here are the results in pounds, the colony 

 consuming the least being given, the one consuming the 

 most, also the average: 



Least. Most. Average. 



November O.OU 3.15 1.32 



December 0.55 3.94 1.32 



January 1.19 7. TO 1.98 



February 1.59 6.16 3.08 



March 1.76 12.13 5.28 



From Nov. 1 to April 1, the greatest loss by a single col- 

 ony was 22.05 pounds, the least, 6.38 ; the average, 12.32. 



Production of "Wax. — Abbe Dubois has an inter- 

 esting article in I'Apiculteur anentthe voluntary production of 

 wax. At the head of those who maintain that ijees produce 

 wax voluntarily when it is needed, he places Dzierzon, Ber- 

 lepsch and Sartorl. As leading those who believe that wax is 

 produced involuntarily whether needed or not, he places Lang- 

 stroth, whom he styles " the Dzierzon of America." Abbe 

 Dubois himself takes a middle ground. When bees con- 

 sume more than they need or use for other purposes, then it is 

 secreted as wax. Generally this results in the production of 

 wax when needed, but not always. When bees swarm, they 

 load up with honey. If the swarm is put on empty combs, the 

 honey is put into the cells and little wax produced. If no 

 combs are present, the bees retain the honey, and wax is 

 secreted. In winter, if bees are excited by disturbance to 

 gorge themselves, scales of wax are produced, altho not used. 

 His general conclusion is that it is a dead loss of wax to give 

 the bees no chance to build comb in time of harvest, but to al- 

 low them to build too much is at an expense of honey, not com- 

 pensated by the wax produced. 



Honey as Food is the name of a 24-page pamphlet, 

 3;4'x6'-4' inches, which we are now printing fur general dis- 

 tribution among those who should be users of honey. It is 

 just the thing for bee-keepers to hand to every one of their 

 customers, and also to those whom they would like to have as 

 customers. It is very handy in size — just right to go into an 

 ordinary business envelope. It contains 12 illustrations, five 

 of which are somewhat comic, and help to make it attractive. 

 There is a blank space for your name and address. About 

 X of the pamphlet was written by Dr. Miller, and then we 

 added thereto many new and valuable honey recipes — for 

 cooking and for medicinal purposes. In all, it makes a neat 

 little pamphlet. Send name and address and we will mail you 

 a sample of •' Honey as Food." 



Prices for quantities, postpaid — 25 for 30 cents; 50 for 

 50 cents; 100 for 85 cents : 200 for .^1.40. By express, 

 not prepaid, 500 for $3.00; 1,000, §5.00. 



Novelty Pocket-Knife.— Dr. W. B. House— the 

 noted Yellowzono doctor of Michigan — sends us a tine testi- 

 monial for the Novelty pocket-knife which we are offering on 

 the last page of the Bee Journal. Here is what he says : 



Dear Bro. York : — I want to testify regarding your 

 "Novelty " pocket-knife. During the ten years that I have 

 been coroner in Chippewa county, I have been astonisht at 

 the large proportion of cases in which it has been wholly im- 

 possible to identify bodies. Over and over again I have buried 

 bodies that were, and still remain, unidentified. But the ad- 

 vertisement of your knife brings to mind another case that 

 would have been placed with the unknown dead but for one 

 thing— In his pocket was one of these "Novelty" knives, 

 bearing his name and address, thus enabling me to at once 

 obtain communication by wire with his father and wife, in 

 Bay City. This corroborates the statement in your advertise- 

 ment regarding its usefulness in this respect. 



Epcry pcrsan ahiixild (dwdys atrni some easy and positive 

 means (if idcnliJicntloiL. Yours very truly, 



W. B. House. 



We have carried one of these "Novelty" pocket-knives 

 for several years, and a great many of our readers have them 

 also. But we should be ghid to supply all. It Is a very neat 

 and handy knife, as well as a good "identifier" incase the 

 owner gels "lost, strayed or stolen." Better have one of 

 them. See last page for description, etc. 



