Oct. 23, 1902. 



THE AMERICAN BEE .JOURNAL. 



679 



of statistics by the Department with- 

 out a special corps of bee-keepinp re- 

 porters that would be willing to report 

 the crop of their locality in such a way 

 that we could compile fif^ures and issue 

 something- like reliable statements ; 

 and there have been various sugges- 

 tions that the National Society should 

 undertake it, but when you stop to 

 think that there are more than 3000 

 counties in the United States, and we 

 should have several reports from each 

 county, and thesending out of montiily 

 queries to the number of lO.ODO per- 

 haps would mean quite a little expen- 

 diture for printinf;-, stationery and 

 postage, it is hardly feasible for any 

 society to undertake that, since all of 

 that could be done under Government 

 frank requiring no postage, and they 

 could be printed in very large numbers, 

 and the Government has its great 

 prititing-ortices there that are at the 

 disposition of the members of the De- 

 partment if they order anything from 

 them. 



Now, I may be pardoned for adding 

 a word. I think I have scarcely touched 

 upon the many suggestions I have 

 made, some of which have been car- 

 ried out, but I want to say a word as 

 to how this society could assist in these 

 various things, or in any other work 

 that the society might think was an 

 advisable thing to undertake — how it 

 might assist me in doing that work, or 

 assist the department in doing it 

 through any other agent or individual, 

 and that is by a hearty support of what 

 little I have been able to undertake ; 

 and the seconding of the suggestions 

 that I might make, or the making of 

 independent suggestions to be perhaps 



submitted to me, since they would ask 

 my advice regarding them ; and, 

 directly, to appeal to the Secretary of 

 Agriculture, and to the Chief of the 

 Division of Ivilomology under whom I 

 work, to make this work, in so far as 

 possible, somewhat independent in the 

 department : that is to say, to give the 

 direct control of a certain fund, not of 

 course the handling of the money, but 

 the say as to how and in what direction 

 that money shall be applied ; and that 

 a certain sum shall be set aside to be 

 devoted to these industries directly. 

 The Chief of the Division of Ento- 

 mology, Dr. Howard, is a graduate of 

 Cornell University, a very intelligent 

 man, and understands, through numer- 

 ous conversations with me, something 

 of the status of the industry, and is 

 willing and anxious to have this done ; 

 but he does not know, himself, exactly 

 how to go about it, but he will defer to 

 this society and to recommendations I 

 may make ; and if he sees there is a 

 genuine union and demand for any 

 line of work, he is willing to authorize 

 and recommend it to the Secretary ; 

 and he has made many recommenda- 

 tions in accordance with suggestions 

 I have made. 



In any of these lines I am willing to 

 co-operate with this Association, and I 

 believe with a little more freedom in 

 the application of such a sura as could 

 be devoted to the interests of apicul- 

 ture at Washington, we might do a 

 great deal in the furtherance of the 

 work, in assisting organization, in dis- 

 seminating information concerning 

 our pursuit, and showing its impor- 

 tance to legislators, who would then 

 be willing to grant us more liberal 



appropriations. I thank you for your 

 attention. 



Dr. Miller— Just upon that one point 

 of statistics I want to endorse heartily 

 the thought of Prof. Benton, that if 

 wccan get statistics through the Gov- 

 ernment that is the way to get them ; 

 they arc in the business of gathering 

 statistics, we are not ; and we might 

 do something. I perhaps know more, 

 personally, about gathering statistics 

 than any other one man here, because 

 a good many years ago the National 

 Association — I don't know whether it 

 was the National Association or some- 

 body else— at any rate, I tried to get 

 hold of our United States' reports, and 

 it amounted to about that (a snap of 

 the finger). Prof. Benton, I am sure, 

 could get two reports more than I 

 could, and. perhaps, 2000 more, and if 

 that can be done I believe it would be 

 of a great deal of advantage. I want 

 very heartily to thank Prof. Benton 

 for answering the question that he 

 ought long ago to have answered per- 

 sonally to me. I hold him responsible 

 for that. I will never forgive him for 

 that, and that he didn't write me a let- 

 ter and tell me all he was doing: but 

 for the answer he has made this morn- 

 ing I vcantto thank him heartily. 



Dr. Mason — Better forgive him while 

 you are about it. 



Dr. Miller — Do you want me to for- 

 give you ? 



Prof. Benton — Yes. 



Dr. Miller— All right. 



Prof. Benton — I would not want a 

 good man like Dr. Miller to hold such 

 a grudge against me. 



(Coatiaued next week.) 



Jt.M JsL.;sC>^..i!t«&i^;i4.'»t .^>M.£CiftC.^..A:L<fit..JiL.AC^!t/^iC 



1 



Contributed Articles. | 



Preparing Bees for Outdoor Wintering. 



BY C. P. DADANT. 



Mr. C. p. Dadant; — I have )jeeii much interested in reading your 

 writiiiE^s in Ihe American Bee -Journal, and have i)fotilted by your ad- 

 vice at different times, and if not asl;ing too much 1 would like you to 

 ■write an article on outdoor wintering, and give full description as to 

 how you would prepare the bees — I mean, how to prepare and winter 

 them without putting each hive in a separate winter-case. I think 

 you wrote on this subject a few years ago, but as I recollect it I tailed 

 then to grasp exactly your meaning on some points. If you could give 

 another article on the subject I am sure it would be appreciated by 

 many bee-keepers. 



1 have over 00 colonies sitting somewhat scattering, and facing in 

 different directions. Would it do to group these close together late in 

 the fall, and front them all one way for wintering ; Would they not 

 get badly confused when they would fly out on warm days '. And. after 

 getting used to their winter location, would they not again gel con- 

 fused when set farther apart in the spring. 



The season here has been poor for bees — too wet and cold. They 

 did not work in supers until late in .June, and then were hindered a 

 great deal by rain. Basswoud bloomed very heavy, but owing to the 

 rain and cold they stored no honey from it. I got about l,.=iOll pounds 

 of very tine clover honey in sections (including a little exiraetedi. but 

 I am entirely sold out already, and could sell that much more. I sold 

 nearly all the comb honey at Iti and 17 cents per pound; extracted and 

 "chunk honey '' at 13 cents. This last sold the most readily of all. 



Huntington Co., Ind., Sept. IS. A. H. Sxowbergek. 



Replying to the above enquiries, I will say first that I 

 have never seen any good come from bringing the hives to- 

 gether in the fall and spreading them apart again in the 

 spring. I have, however, been told of some bee-keepers do- 

 ing this and being well pleased with the result, but 1 do not 

 accept these statements without some doubt. Many people 

 take too many things for granted, and make superficial ob- 



servations which they would see in a very different light if 

 they took the pains to investigate more thoroughly. 



It is a fact that any one can ascertain with very little 

 trouble, that the bees get so accustomed to their location 

 that if the hive is moved but two inches, the bees when they 

 alight will at first almost invariably notice that two inches 

 of difference. If you move the hive forward, they will at 

 first almost invariably notice that two inches of difference. 

 If you move the hive forward, they will of course alight as 

 usual at the entrance, but if the removal is two inches to 

 the right or to the left you will see them alight to the side 

 formerly occupied. If the hive is moved back that distance, 

 they will fall short of the entrance about the distance 

 moved. As one might easily conceive, they will soon be- 

 some used to so small a difference in the distance, and not 

 all the bees will notice it, but enough of them will be an- 

 noyed by it more or less to show the practical apiarist the 

 danger of moving bees without notice. 



If you have the patience and the opportunity of moving 

 your hives from two to six inches every day to get them 

 together, the inconvenience to the bees will be less than the 

 advantage gained from their being brought together for 

 shelter. But so very few people have the time and oppor- 

 tunity of doing this' that one can hardly advise it as a prac- 

 tical thing. If you move them two or three feet, especially 

 when many hives are in the same spot, there will be much 

 confusion, a great deal of fighting, and, if you are a practi- 

 cal bee-keeper, you will regret it. 



When bees are moved a great distance, say beyond their 

 usual field-range, they easily recognize the spot at their first 

 flight and remember it. especially if the apiarist has taken 

 care to place in front of the alighting-hole some sort of ob- 

 struction that will show them that something is changed in 

 their whereabouts. The old, experienced bee. that usually 

 flies out of its hive in a "bee-line," will then face about 

 and reconnoiter before going away. But if it has left the 

 hive in the usual bee-line, there are many chances that it 

 will get disconcerted in coming home. Although some re- 

 liance mav be placed on the " home" call, many bees will 

 have alighted in the wrong place, and perhaps have been 

 destroyed. Bees may be changed from one spot to another 

 within a short distance, if they are given a very decided 



