Jan. 10, 19U7 



American ^ee Journal 



earth's surface is nearly J4 water. I 

 think 70 per cent ot the surface is ocean. 

 We see that to secure abundant mois- 

 ture, to give us the "early and the lat- 

 ter rain," the seas must largely exceed 

 the land. Nature was equally provident 

 in her supply of forest growth. I do 

 not know what proportion of the land 

 was originally forest, but I think more 

 even than 34- We all know how valua- 

 ble the forests are in our economy. What 

 a wealth of lumber has come from our 

 grand woodlands. We have felled them 

 at an alarming rate, that we might turn 

 them into gold. Many of the very rich 

 men of our country, and of the world, 

 have secured their riches from the for- 

 ests, but only in their destruction. Do 

 we appreciate the value of the forests 

 as we should, in their better use of re- 

 taining the water as it comes in the 

 rain? With the forests, the rain is 

 largely retained and passes into the 

 ground to keep it moist for plant- 

 growth. When we cut them we de- 

 stroy this agency for conserving the 

 moisture, and make it certain that much 

 more of the rain will run off, and so do 

 no good, and often do great harm. 

 There is no doubt that many lands 

 have been converted into desert wastes 

 by this ruthless destruction of the for- 

 ests. Europe, wiser than we, has com- 

 menced tree-planting on a gigantic 

 scale. She, also, by law prevents cut- 

 ting of more of her forests. We must 

 do the same, and must commence to 

 replant, the sooner the better. 



A Chance for Bee-Keepers. 



We, as bee-keepers, should see to it 

 that this work of tree-planting is car- 

 ried on at once. We should see to it 

 also that honey-trees are kept to the 

 front. In Germany, the linden is one 

 of the trees most planted. Let us work 

 to have the basswood set out here in 

 generous measure, in the East, and the 

 honey and other locusts where they 

 will grow and do well. The Tulip and 

 Eucalyptus are well worth considera- 

 tion. 



Claremont, Calif. 



Home Hive-Making and at 

 Factories 



BY DR. G. BOHRER. 



On pages 1015 and 1016 (1906) Mr, 

 Latham calls attention to the length. 

 width, depth, and space around the 

 frames of hives; that it should be made 

 very precise, as to uniformity — to all of 

 which I fully agree. He also calls at- 

 tention to the cover, I think, which (I 

 will say with him), should be made as 

 good as it is possible to make it. 



But one other matter which I find 

 quite important is the bottom-board, 

 which should never be less than % of an 

 inch thick, and should be well cleated 

 at each end to prevent warping. I have 

 some hives, made by a bee-supply fac- 

 tory, that have bottom-boards but little 

 over J4 of an inch thick. They have 2 

 joints running crosswise. The result is 

 that they shrink and let the bees pass 

 out 2nd in through these joints at will. 

 Many hives with this kind of a bot- 

 tom-bo?rd have been sold to bee-keep- 



ers, and are but little better than no bot- 

 tom-board at all. It is not at all safe 

 either to move them from one apiary to 

 another, a short dist;ince, or to ship as 

 freight or express by railroad, with such 

 flimsy and almost worthless bottom- 

 boards. 



The object sought in making hives at 

 home, and out of lumber selected from 

 boxes, is, of course, to get them as cheap 

 as possible. And though once in a great 

 while a hive may be, and no doubt is, 

 fairly well made, as to dimensions, 

 workmanship, and material, the rule is, 

 according to such observations as I have 

 been able to make, that the home-made 

 hives are poorly made, in workmanship, 

 exactness in dimensions, and in fitting 

 qualities of the comb-frames. 



Forty years ago I made quite a num- 

 ber of my own hives, and while I suc- 

 ceeded quite well I could seldom hire a 

 carpenter who would made them exact, 

 except I was present to direct in detail 

 just how each part was to be made. And 

 while our factories, as a rule, make hives 

 sufficiently uniform in each particular 

 factory, the different factories make 

 their hives too different. It is desirable, 

 as a rule, to buy hives from but one fac- 

 tory to be used in the same apiary. 

 Supers of different depths are made. 

 Shallow frames also differ very much 

 as to depth. All these differences should 

 be done away with, as they cause more 

 or less trouble where hives made in dif- 

 ferent factories are used in the same 

 apiary. 



In short, let our factories give us 

 hives made of good, substantial material 

 in every part of the hive, and cease try- 

 ing to make something out of next to 

 nothing; for, a thin and so, worthless 

 bottom-board, a division-board of the 

 same kind, and a leaking cover, are 

 abominations that bee-keepers can not 

 condemn in terms too pronounced. 



Lyons, Kan. 



Experience with Bee-Sting 

 Poison 



BY WM. W. GREEN. 



Having seen occasional references in 

 the bee-papers to severe cases of pois- 

 oning from bee-stings, I thought per- 

 haps my experience might be interest- 

 ing. During the past 2 years I have 

 received many stings that produced only 

 the usual local swelling, but 4 times I 

 have been affected very seriously. The 

 last time I closed the hive at once, went 

 into the house, got out my watch and 

 clinical thermometer, and proceeded to 

 take notes. Perhaps they will be of in- 

 terest to some medical readers: 



June 17, 1906, at 3:30 p. m., stung on 

 neck near laryn.x by honey-bee. Re- 

 ceived full charge. 



One minute later, tingling of tongue, 

 mouth, and throat. 



Five minutes, tingling and burning of 

 all mucous surfaces with swelling. 



Ten minutes, face badly swollen, scalp 

 tingling and hair erecting; eyes "full of 

 sand" and almost closed ; tears flowing 

 freely; mouth, nose, and throat swollen 

 internally, with choking sensation ; face 

 very red ; temperature normal (98.6 de- 

 grees) ; pulse 96, and small. 



Fifteen minutes, body very red all 

 over, papillae erected (goose-flesh) all 

 over. 



Twenty minutes, face swollen to 

 bursting ; applied cold wet cloths to face 

 and lips; nasal passages closed; hands 

 swollen, with intense itching; pulse 96, 

 full and strong. 



Thirty-five minutes, great pressure in 

 head, throbbing of carotids and in ears; 

 sensation of chilliness, but surface con- 

 gestion not subsiding; temperature 97.7 

 degrees ; pulse 80, small. 



Forty minutes, swelling and redness 

 of face leginniiier to subside, burning 

 and itching of scalp very marked; head- 

 ache; pulse 78; medium temperature, 

 97.8 degrees ; drank a glass of water. 



One hour, swelling of 'face and sur- 

 face congestion subsiding ; some chilli- 

 ness; temperature 97.3 degrees; pulse 

 60, medium. 



One and one-half hours, face still 

 somewhat swollen, but surface conges- 

 tion mostly subsided ; tired, depressed 

 feeling ; temperature 98.0 degrees ; pulse 

 62 ; drank a glass of water. 



Two and a half hours, swelling of 

 face almost gone, swelling of hands 

 all gone, and hands cold ; sensation of 

 coldness predominant ; temperature 98.O 

 degrees ; pulse 62 ; took dose of whisky. 



Four hours, ate small meal, the first 

 since 9 a. m. ; slight nausea afterwards. 



Six hours, bad headache ; face slightly 

 flushed and swollen; slight eruption or 

 rash on chest; bee-odor on skin very 

 distinct. This was proved by three per- 

 sons besides myself. Reminded some of 

 us of formalin. 



There was not much local swelling 

 caused • by the sting at any time, but 

 the place was sore to the touch. My 

 idea is that the whole charge was in- 

 jected into a large blood-vessel, and 

 carried all through the body at once. 



On former occasions nausea was a 

 more pronounced symptom, all the other 

 symptoms subsiding for a time after 

 vomiting, but returning again. The rash 

 was also more marked. 



Not being a "medico" I may have 

 missed some points, but I at least did 

 not complicate the symptoms by taking 

 medicines, for my treatment is given 

 in full above. 



My apiary is not so large as it was 

 once, as my experience is making me 

 a little shy of the sharp-pointed bees. 



Chicago, 111., Aug. 19. 



Production of Honey on a 

 Large Scale 



BY G. W. MCGUIRE. 



To make any calling in life a suc- 

 cess requires both a theoretical and 

 practical knowledge of the principles of 

 the pursuit. And right here let's add 

 one more word — SYSTEM. Every great 

 movement of nature is conducted by a 

 strict, divine system, which never errs. 

 But in the frail systems of men we must 

 keep culling out and adding new leaves 

 to the adopted system of our pursuit, 

 ever keeping an eye to the profit side, 

 and everything to which there is no 

 profit attached should be discarded. So 

 in conducting a large business every- 

 thing should be uniform and simple. 



