April 4, 1907 



2Sl 



reasonable expectation of success. 

 Bees are much more valuable in pol- 

 linating plants, without which work 

 agriculture would be a sad failure. 



There is a third point worthy of men- 

 tion : It takes people out-of-doors, and 



American ^ec Journal 



so is health-friving-. This is specially 

 to be desired by ladies who, in this, 

 find work that is not too taxing to their 

 strength, and yet gives the needed 

 fresh air and outdoor exercise. 

 Claremont, Calif. 





The " Old Reliable " as seen through New and Unreliable Glasses, 

 By E. E. Hasty, Sta. B. Rural, Toledo, Ohio. 



Bees With Pollen Lying Dead. 



A pretty humble apology I owe to 

 that poet, if bee-keepers — lots of them 

 — have seen bees with pollen lying 

 dead near the hives on chill days. The 

 fact that I had not seen it (or thought 

 I had not) doesn't let me out any. Poet 

 had a perfect right to say so, if it is a 

 thing to be seen to any extent. Never- 

 theless, I thank the Boss for suggest- 

 ing mercy (instead of immediate execu- 

 tion) on account of my locality. The 

 pollen season is right at hand, and I 

 must watch out to see if I can not no- 

 tice the same — and settle it whether it 

 is locality or obliviousness that led me 

 astray. Page 205. 



own apiary is by the old apple-trees 

 and old ornamental trees of an old 

 homestead, and I do not own the 

 ground there. Brother inherited that. 

 Not far away are nice thick woods 

 which I do own. Great gain in one re- 

 spect should I move. But whatever 

 would I do with my ocean of swarms 

 there 7 With better wintering I'm 

 convinced there wouldn't be quite so 

 many. Page 131. 



Don't Extract from Foul-Broody 

 Combs. 

 I gladly second Mr. Byer's protest 

 against using foul-broody combs to ex- 

 tract from. The people are half awake 

 on such subjects now, and looking 

 around for impurities and unclean- 

 nesses. Let's clean our own Chicago 

 stock-yards out, before they turn the 

 lime-light and the laws loose on us. 

 Page 133. 



Location for an Out-Apiary. 



E. D. Townseud, in a splendid paper, 

 thinks that to get a tip-top location for 

 the out-apiary, it may pay to put it off 

 as far as a day's ride by railroad. For 

 another thing, he seems to think clay 

 soil the best for us — providing south- 

 ern Michigan be the location and 

 clovers the crop. I think so, too. Alas, 

 I'm on sand ! I'm not exactly in Michi- 

 gan, but my bees sometimes are, I 

 reckon. If the raspberry honey of 

 northern Michigan is white, and that 

 of southern Michigan a good way off 

 from being white, that is a little curi- 

 ous — although not at all incredible. 



Going inside thick woods and clear- 

 ing just space enough for the apiary is 

 a taking scheme — paying scheme, if in 

 one season it put SO colonies ahead to 

 the amount of $160. Bees will un- 

 doubtedly winter and spring much bet- 

 ter in such a spot. But my glasses 

 have the word " swarms " scratched on 

 them. Wouldn't prefer 100 swarms 

 shut down to the choice of forest tree- 

 tops or no place at all. This, by the 

 way, is a personal point with me. My 



Skunks and Bees. 



The puzzle alluded to on page 134, 

 ought not to be a hard one — why the 

 skunk confines his attentions to the 

 colonies he has been to before. I often 

 feed bees at the entrance after night- 

 fall, and thump them out, lest they 

 fail to find the feed. Often it is a long, 

 hard job to get them out the first time. 

 After a few such experiences they 

 come promptly and with a rush. Well, 

 now, Peter 1 it will have to be con- 

 fessed that coming out to eat and com- 

 ing out to be eaten are not the same 

 identical thing. But the general effect 

 is the same. Bees often disturbed at 

 night (as long as they have half a force 

 left) are prompt to come out. And Sir 

 Strong Essences, having a lazy streak 

 about him, is disinclined to the delay 

 and extra scratching it takes to get the 

 others out. 



Some Swarming. 



We read on page 137, that Mr. As- 

 pinwall had last year 10 swarms from 

 40 colonies. That stumps me again. 

 Somehow I got it in my mind that he 

 didn't have any. No " great shakes," 

 if the above report is right ! Some 

 years if you tried your best to make 

 colonies in common hives swarm, you 

 wouldn't get so many as 10 from 40. 



losses, in cold weather. Keeping warm 

 pre-eminently a matter of economy 

 with bees. Anda colonyof beesdoesn't 

 compare well with a fire, or even with 

 a lamp, as a commercial source of 

 heat. Page 136. 



Pure Blood and Drone Progeny. 



And now a writer on page 138 says 

 we must trace pure blood by the drone 

 progeny. It's not for me to scoff ; but 

 I should say that was pretty high doc- 

 trine. Perhaps common folks might 

 be pardoned for holding off until a con- 

 siderable body of experts agree to that. 

 Get some " brethren " in your empty 

 church before you ask us to " jine." 



Heat from Colony Below a Super. 



It is true, as D. J. Pawletta found, 

 that a strong colony below does not do 

 nearly as much as we would expect to 

 keep honey in a super above from get- 

 ting cold. I have often noticed it — 

 and sort o' kicked at nothing on the 

 subject. I guess the explanation is 

 that we figure much too largely on the 

 total amount of heat which a colony 

 has in store lor any possible uses, or 



Honey-Butter and Pure-Food Law. 



It may be the rendering now given 

 to the pure-food law does here and 

 there go a little " into the pictures " in 

 forbidding certain words to be used at 

 all concerning compounds whether 

 they describe correctly or not. The 

 butter crowd are powerful, and possi- 

 bly a little ugly— and possibly our 

 officials are a trifle too much " afeared " 

 of them. Not sure things are getting 

 to that pass, but have kind o' smelt it, 

 that the word " butter " was to be held 

 too sacred to be used at all except the 

 article were pure — and also unmingled, 

 and untreated. But even if the charges 

 are partly true a little annoyance for a 

 while may well be borne. Considering 

 how long we have been waiting for the 

 chance, we should be glad to bear 

 something. Things will come right 

 eventually to every honest maker. If 

 apple-butter and peach-butter have to 

 give up their " butter," honey-butter 

 need not waste many tears. If honey 

 mixed with butter can not be called 

 "honey-butter," call it" Honey— and," 

 with not a letter more — and a shrewd 

 pusher of products wouldn't ask for 

 any more captivating label. Page 146. 



Honey as a HeaUh-Food. — This 



is a 16-page honey-pamphlet intended to help 

 increase the demand for honey. The first 

 part of it contains a short article on " Honey 

 as Food," written by Dr. C. C. MiUer. It 

 tells where to keep honey, how to liquefy it, 

 etc. The last part is devoted to " Honey- 

 Cooking Recipes " and " Remedies Using 

 Honey." It should be widely circulated by 

 those selling honey. The more the people are 

 educated on the value and uses of honey, the 

 more honey they will buy. 



Prices, prepaid— Sample copy for a 2-oent 

 stamp; 50 copies for 70 cents; 100 for $1.25; 

 250 for J2.25; 500 for $4.00; or 1000 for S7.50. 

 Your business card printe.. free at the bottom 

 of front page on all orders for 100 or more 

 copies. Send all orders to the office of the 

 American Bee Journal. 



Why Not Advertise ?— There are many 

 dealers in bee-supplies, and those who have 

 bees and queens for sale, who are not now 

 advertising, that might increase their business 

 by advertising in the American Bee Journal. 

 The rates charged are very low, as will be 

 seen by referring to the second page of this 

 number. During the next 6 months will be 

 done the bulk of the season's business among 

 bee-keepers. Why not begin at once to let 

 the readers of the American Bee Journal 

 know that you have something to sell? Our 

 advertising columns are open only to those 

 who will give their patrons " a square deal." 

 If you are in that class we will be pleased to 

 have your advertisement in our columns. 



