238 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



April 10, 1901. 



thoughtful life, it is not difficult to under- 

 stand why he is also a good citizen. 



Systematic study of his little charges, 

 patience, punctuality, neatness, gentleness, 

 are indispensable. Routine work may appar- 

 ently succeed for a time: but the perplexities 

 and emergencies sure to come up sooner or 

 later oall forth originality of thought and a 

 thorough understanding of the habits of bees. 



Did you ever see a really successful bee- 

 keeper who was not something of an enthu- 

 siast over his pets ; Who did not enjoy 

 working with them '. To him their methods 

 of housekeeping, brood-rearing, and the gath- 

 ering of supplies have an interest higher than 

 that of purely mercenary gain. The construc- 

 tion of the cell, the •' bee-line " to and from 

 the distant clover-field, the evident recogni- 

 tion of strangers, these and many other traits 

 point to a higher order of intelligence than is 

 usually accorded to insect life. While much 

 has been written about them, there are vol- 

 umes yet to be learned. Surprising incidents 

 are of freiiuent occurrence if we but note 

 them. Those who know the bee understand 

 that it does not go about seeking whom it may 

 sting, but simply attends to its own business, 

 and bravely resents the intrusion of others. 



Careful study of the bee increases our in- 

 terest in it, our respect for it. And the 

 awakening of love and kindliness toward the 

 lowest of tiod's creatures naturally extends to 

 His masterpiece — man. 





Wintering Experiment. 



I tried an experiment the past winter by 

 putting 8 colonies of bees into my cellar in 

 the same room with the furnace, and took 

 them out March 14, all in good condition. 

 C. B. Howard. 



Seneca Co., N. Y., March 30. 



Getting Extraeting-Combs. 



On page 198, C. D., of Michigan, asks: 

 " How do you have your extracting-combs 

 built ? In the surplus case or in the brood- 

 chamber ?■' I wish C. D. to try my plan with 

 at least one colony in a three-story hive. 



As soon as his colonies are strong and 

 honey coming in, see that the middle story is 

 the brood-chamber. I use ten-frame three- 

 story Langstroth hives for extracting, noth- 

 ing less, and am never troubled with swarm- 

 ing. Furnish the upper story with eight 

 combs for extracting, using combs having the 

 most drone-cells. Now see that you have six 

 good worker-combs in the middle story, and 

 in the center insert an empty frame between 

 two frames of brood and sealed honey, and 

 you will be surprised how soon you will have 

 new worker-combs built, and without starters. 

 In the lower story have at least five combs, 

 alternating them with empty frames to secure 

 straight work. As the combs above are filled 

 with honey and brood, the bees will work be- 

 low. I think Mr. Dadant might see some 

 advantage if he would give ray plan a trial — 

 unless he prefers frames of different sizes. 



Lucas Co., Iowa. Geo. W. Riker. 



A Report- Laying Worlcers. 



I started in with 20 colonies of bees in 1901, 

 and increased to 80 colonies, and got 2000 

 pounds of honey. 



lUOO was a failure for honey ; I had only 20 

 colonies out of 100 last spring to start with. I 

 have 84 good colonies to start with this spring, 

 and they have plenty of honey, I expect to 

 increase up to 200 colonies this season. 



We have had some zero weather in March. 



I hear a great deal about drone-layers and 

 laying workers, and what to do with them. I 

 have looked and sweated for hours looking for 

 laying workers and drone-layers, and then I 

 would hitch the team and drive seven or eight 

 miles to some bee-keeper and ask him more 

 (luestioDB about laying workers than some 10- 



Qu66nsiioiislioiil[lHav6 



Does blood tell in other stock ? Give 

 your bees a chance. Stock used for 

 breeding- the queens offered — not from 

 a sport, but my pick out of an apiary 

 giving last season an average yield as 

 follows : 

 Honey-Gathering:. 



102 lbs. extracted and 68 lbs. comb honey per 

 colony besides increase and stores for winter. 



Quality of Comb-Honey Produced. 



"Man! It would dazzle you.'^—Wm. Envoy, 

 Ontario Gorernraent Inspector of Apiaries. 



Wintering: Qualities. 



Up to the present (January 30; I never found 

 these bees to show the least indication of unrest 

 — always perfectly quiet. They are wintering- 

 perfectly. — Frank T. Adams, iJrantford, Can- 

 ada. 

 General Commendation. 



Out of those queens you sent me I have pro- 

 duced the best race or strain of bees I ever 

 owned. Remember that is saying- a lot, as I 

 have tried every breed imported in this country. 

 The bees winter better, build up, and stand cold 

 chilly winds in spring better, and are more suit- 

 able than any bees I ever owned. For the sea- 

 son they g-ave me about double the honey the 

 pure Italians did, and more increase. Glad you 

 are going into the qneen-business, and are going 

 to join the ranks again. We are much in want 

 of a few men like you. C. W. Post, Ex-president 

 Ontario Bee-keepers' Association (owns 365 col- 

 onies). 



S. T. Pettit, Canada's most successful comb- 

 honey producer and bee-keeper, says: " The 

 blood in my apiary is largely the progeny of 

 queens sent by you, and they are grand bees." 



Prices of Queens. 



They are dutv free to the United States. 

 Tested, $2.CK.> each; $I(t.00for6; $18 00 per dozen. 

 Untested until Julv 1, $1.25 each; $7.00 for 6; or 

 $12.00 per dozen. Same after July 1st, $1.00 each; 

 $5.50 for 6; or $10 00 per duzen. Larger quanti- 

 ties, prices on application. Postage stamps 

 taken for fractions of a dollar. To be fair to 

 every one, no selei ted tested queens are offered. 

 Every one has the same chance. The above 

 queens are bred from a careful selection of Ital- 

 ians and Carniolans. Pure Italian and Caruio- 

 ian queens same price. Price of full colonies 

 on application. Orders booked as received, and 

 filled as quickly as possible. Order early. 



Address, R. F. HOLTERMANN, 

 Bow Park Co., Limited, Brantford, Ont., Canada 



•iDSt Please mention the Bee Journal. 



r-.ira. ll3U:nes every gootlegg. 

 .lid get oue free. 



• SPRINGFIELD, OHia 



Sen! f^ rcaUloL-TieNo U'i Sell si 



IhViHCIBLE HATCHER CO., 



$300,000,000.00 A YEAR 



- ' ' r |.;iit of ir If you work 



)'s i.iiuM[\ ))rnduct pays 

 II Imi --jiiiiplis and partic- 

 sh .Mliilal Ii. start 



and \ nil I 

 tor lis. riiili- S: 

 that sum. s.'tiil 

 iiiars. \Vf liir 



busiiiL-ss. Draper Publi£blDgCo.,Cbicago,lll. 

 Please mention Bee Journal \phen ■writirvK 



" Free Trial Proposition."— There is a certain 

 somethidgf about the "tree trial" propositioa 

 that maizes it attractive to even the person who 

 is accustomed to buy for cash. Formerlv the 

 "free trial" idea was limited entirely to trial by 

 sample, and only such merchandise as could be 

 sampled were subject to "free trial;" matters 

 have been changed quite materially, however, 

 within the past few years, and now many 

 things may be had on "free trial" terms. It re- 

 mained for the Kalamazoo Carriage and Har- 

 'ness Mfg. Co., Station 33, Kalamazoo, Mich., to 

 introduce the principle of "free trial" in the 

 selliug of the output of their large factories. 

 They advertise in our paper to send any buggy, 

 carriage, trap, surrey, harness, etc., whicli they 

 make, to any purchaser on "30 days free trral," 

 and they lay just claim to being the " Pioneers 

 of the free-trial plan." They not only give that 

 length of time in which to test the vehicle, but 

 they at the same time sell it to the buyer at 

 manufacturers' prices. That they do these two 

 things, and that they give the best of satisfac- 

 tion is true beyond doubt, as we have never had 

 a single complaint from our readers, many of 

 whom must have embiaced their offer. 



Those cf our readers who have not yet bought 

 a vehicle or harness, will do well to write the 

 Kalamazoo people requesting their 22d annual 

 catalog. It is fully illustrated with each articl'- 

 offered, and is almost sure to contain just what 

 you are looking for. Please mention the Amer- 

 ican Bee Journal when writing them. 



year-old school boy, and I would try to intro- 

 duce nice queens, and the old bees would kill 

 them as fast as I put thera in. 



The best way to do with such bees is to 

 carry the hive away from the bee-yard and 

 shalse them out of the hive, and let them fiy 

 back to the yard and take up with the other 

 bees. Life is too short to fuss with thera. 



G. W. Nance. 



Woodbury Co., Iowa, March 31. 



Basswood and Pine Frames. 



Ten years ago I made some brood-frames, 

 usiug basswood for some and yellow pine for 

 others, of V-shaped top-bars. I can see no 

 evidence of wax-worms on either the poplar 

 or pine, but plenty on the basswood. Why 

 things are so different with me than they are 

 with Mr. Niver I do not know, but I suppose 

 it is caused by the diiierence in "location." 

 With him they "located " in pine; with m& 

 in basswood. A. Ziegler. 



Huntington Co., Ind., March 17. 



Don't Get Excited Over " Futures." 



We have been having some very nice rains, 

 and the present prospect is that we will have 

 some honey, but I do not think any one is 

 justified in getting excited over " futures.'' 



I may give a report later on of my last 

 year's crop, and if you think it would Ije ap- 

 preciated, some of my observations, experi- 

 ences, failures and successes. 



J. W. George. 



Riverside Co., Calif., March 15. 



[Certainly. Send on you report, etc. — Ed.] 



Moving Bees— A Hopeful Bee=Keeper 



I shipped 31 colonies of bees from Taylor 

 Co., Iowa, to Wyandotte Co., Kans., in 

 March. They came through in good shape. 

 I left the winter-cases on in shipping, and 

 have not removed them yet. 



My average yield of honey last year, in 

 Iowa, was 00 pounds per colony, spring count. 

 The prospect does not look very bright for a 

 honey crop at present, as there is very little 

 white clover to be seen coming now, but it 

 may come later. Part of a bee-keeper's living 

 is " hopes," and we are living in hopes of a 

 good season this year. Bert Gardxeu. 



Wyandotte Co., Kans., April 1. 



Bounteous Returns Expected. 



It has been snowing or raining here nearly 

 the whole of this month, and over nearly the 

 whole State. The outlook for a good honey- 

 How, and for good farm crops, is very en- 

 couraging. A plentiful supply of irrigation 

 water is the main thing, and, hiving secured 

 that, our farmers and bee-keepers are antici- 

 pating bounteous returns for their toil this 

 season. E. S. Loyest. 



Salt Lake Co., Utah. 'March 27. 



Bees in Fine Sliape. 



Bees are in fine shape this spring, having 

 plenty of honey to carry them through brood- 

 rearing. J. F. Hunter. 



Morrison Co., Minn., March 36. 



Colonies Seem Strong and Active. 



I hired a man yesterday to put my bees on 

 the summer stands; they seem very strong 

 and active. They went into the cellar the 

 first of December, and never had a ^Hight 

 until to-day. The temperature of the_cellar 

 was from 35 to 40 degrees. _ ~i C^ 



D. C. Wilson. 



Linn Co., Iowa, March 28. 



Packing Bees for Winter. 



(Ine page 1U4, Ira I). Bartlett is reported as 

 packing his bees for winter by putting on a 

 piece of carpet, kiln-dried planer-shavings, 

 two inches kiln-dricd sawdust, then eight 

 inches of planer-shavings. How many inches 

 of planer-shavings lioes he put next to the 

 carpet '. Why does he put in-ithe layer of 



