300 



April 11, 1907 



American ^ee Journal 



A Great Diffbrknce in Locautiks. 



I have just returned from a visit to 

 all of my out-yards — 3 in number. The 

 bees in No. 1, about 4 miles from home, 

 seemed to be getting a living from 

 fruit-bloom ; only 22 colonies in this 

 yard. 



Yard No. 2 is 10 miles from home, 

 and has 66 colonies; but the bees at 

 this yard were very cross, and much 

 inclined to rob. There is no fruit- 

 bloom to speak of within 3 miles of 

 these bees. 



Yard No. 3 is about 13 miles from 

 home, or say 3 miles the other side of 

 yard No. 2. This yard has 49 colonies, 

 and is almost surrounded by fruit of 

 various kinds, mostly wild fruit. Here 

 I found the bees roaring, and rushing 

 in and out, as if a real June honey-flow 

 were on. And the bees were evidently 

 gathering honey fast for the time of 

 year. 



I have given the above so that the 



readers can see what a diiference only 

 a few miles will often make in a loca- 

 tion. 



Fiei,d-Bees Storing Nectar in the 

 Cells. 



The American Bee Journal comes 

 out with the positive assertion that the 

 field-bees deposit their loads of nectar 

 directly in the cells themselves, and 

 that it is not given to the young or 

 nurse-bees, in the way we have been 

 taught. In this we will have to agree to 

 disagree with that observer, or else his 

 bees act differently from our bees of 

 Texas. I have watched the field-bees 

 deliver their loads to the nurse-bees 

 hundreds of times, and have never yet 

 seen the field-bees go direct to the cell 

 and deposit their loads of nectar. This 

 may not be of much importance, but it 

 is at least very interesting to me. I 

 should like to hear from some of our 

 more scientific writers on the subject. 

 L,. B. Smith. 



Rescue, Tex., March 20. 



The "Old Reliabli; " u,s bcuii throutrb Nbiv aud Unreliable Ulabstt, 

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



Taking Bees Out of Cellars. 



So Mr. Doolittle, although he has a 

 wheelbarrow with springs, prefers to 

 obviate jars still further by padding 

 the top with folded bedquilts. With 

 such an arrangement he successfully 

 wheels bees around in July and Au- 

 gust. His modus operandi of getting 

 bees out of the cellar is perhaps as good 

 as anything published ; and yet one 

 kind o' feels that there is something yet 

 to be desired. Would it be worth while 

 to have wet cloths enough for all the 

 entrances, and to put them all on at 

 once ? And would a bountiful supply 

 of thin ice be worth saving up (putting 

 it in the ice-house) ; and slide a dozen 

 square inches of it into each entrance 

 as the cloths are put on ? I don't win- 

 ter bees in the cellar, and so don't draw 

 on much experience in making these 

 suggestions. It seems whatever bees 

 do get out near the cellar-door hang 

 around there, and most diligently at- 

 tend to a business which even hard- 

 ened old beekeepers don't altogether 

 admire. I believe Mr. D. didn't men- 

 tion open doors the night before, 

 which (under some conditions) is said 

 to help, if my memory serves me right. 

 Page 148. 



Inferior Wax from Steam-Presses. 



This remark of Mr. Byer is not often 

 printed, if at all : " For some reason 

 wax from the steam-presses is never of 

 as good a quality as that obtained by 

 other means." And we shall look for- 

 ward with interest to see what the 2 



years' supply of slumgum pans out in 

 the Hershiser press. Page 150. 



Cleaning Sections Rapidly. 



"Colorado's" experience is instruc- 

 tive to all that hire help to clean sec- 

 tions, and probably to all of us. Tak- 

 ing the sections out and placing them 

 in a pile so the scraping can proceed 

 steadily just doubled the amount done. 

 Even if we don't hire we find with our- 

 selves that too much changing from 

 one thing to another is wasteful of 

 time. Page 151. 



Too Thin Bottom-Boards. 



Yes, Dr. Bohrer, I have already re- 

 proved the manufacturers who give us 

 the too thin bottom-boards and such. 

 Or was it the size of the " lump o' 

 sweetness" you would have us seek 

 that you wanted me to endorse? — not 

 less than 80 pounds nor more than 300. 

 If 300 pounds of " honey " be desirable, 

 why not 400 pounds be more desirable ? 

 Tell me that. Page 168. 



Lower Freight-Rates on Honey. 



Is that the way you give it to them, 

 Mr. Greiuer ? Men are indeed selfish ; 

 but most of them can — if you go at it 

 in the right way, and keep at it long 

 enough — be made to consent that their 

 fellow men shall receive justice. The 

 idea is that our Western brothers are 

 working to be relieved from unjust 

 classifications and unjust rates. Let's 

 not dump any logs and boulders in 

 their road until they ask for something 



more than justice. The case of wheat 

 transportation you mention is not ex- 

 actly parallel. Most well-wishers of 

 the human race (except possibly those 

 whose own toes are pinched) favor the 

 lowest possible rates on wheat, that the 

 poor may have bread as cheaply as pos- 

 sible. No similar consideration works 

 in favor of honey ; and it is not likely 

 ever to get into the specially-favored 

 class. Page 168. 



Swarming and Energy. 



C. W. Dayton seems to run his pen 

 through a troublesome truth when he 

 says, "This swarming disposition is 

 an indication of energy. If they lack 

 this energy they will fall short of en- 

 ergy for other accomplishments." Per- 

 haps the case is not quite so bad as 

 that. I think some cases of disinclina- 

 tion to swarm occur among bees of the 

 most energetic character. Page 169. 



Hivb-Entrances in Outdoor Win- 

 tering. 



The experience of P. E. I., that a 

 heap of little spruce-boughs piled over 

 the entrance turned out the best of 7 

 different ways of doing — that novelty 

 is fresh and toothsome. Such boughs 

 will not wad up and obstruct passage 

 as grass and leaves do. Lots of us 

 may some time have opportunity to 

 profit more or less by this if we do not 

 forget it. But covered up deep in snow 

 for all the latter half of the winter — 

 don't believe I would risk that, not 

 even with the boughs underneath. Too 

 much temptation to breed themselves 

 to ruin. Page 174. 



Yarns Domestic and Foreign. 



Those two yarns of the London Trib- 

 une and the Minneapolis Journal fur- 

 nish a good "tit for tat " between bee- 

 editors on two sides of the Atlantic. 

 But there is this much to be said in 

 favor of " we'uns :" The Yankee yarn 

 was not intended for full belief, while 

 the British yarn was. As to the lat- 

 ter, we have scarcely had so fine an ex- 

 ample of how many times the mere 

 writer will " get his foot in it " if he 

 reads up about bees and then tries to 

 write about them. Page 186. 



"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 leo 

 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. 



Our Wood Binder (or Holder) is 

 made to take all the copies of the American 

 Bee Journal for a year. It is sent by mail 

 for 20 cents. Full directions accompany. 

 The Bee Journals can be inserted as soon as 

 they are received, and thus preserved for 

 future reference. Or we will send it with the 

 American Bee Journal a year — both for $1.10. 

 Address office of the American Bee Journal. 



