June 20, 1907 



American ^ae Journal 



The Caucasian Bees 



I was so interested in E. A. Morgan's expe- 

 rience, on page 483, that I wish to say a word 

 too. 



I have been loth to say anything in praise 

 of Caucasian bees, for so many have con- 

 demned them who have had no experience 

 with the true Caucasian that I thought it 

 would be powder burned to no effect. I am 

 convinced that when the Caucasian bees have 

 been with us long enough to know them, 

 there will be a large number, who, at this 

 time condemn them, will be converted to our 

 side. 



I got my first queens from the Government, 

 and soon after I began to import direct from 

 the Caucasus, and now have as fine a lot of 

 Caucasian breeders as there are in this coun- 

 try. 1 have always prided my yard as being 

 the most gentle bees to be found. But when 

 I handle the Caucasian then I know they are 

 the gentlest bees to be found on this conti- 

 nent. Instead of picking up the smoker to 

 drive them back I simply blow on them and 

 they leave as if smoke were used. If I wish to 

 show them at any time of night they act just 

 the same as in the daytime. The light doesn't 

 seem to affect them in the least; no crawling 

 on the hands as with almost any other race. 

 I tind them to be the best of honey-gatherers, 

 cap their comb snowy white, and their sec- 

 tions are as clear of propolis as the old blacks. 

 They enter the sections readily, and I have 

 less burr-combs than with any other kind of 

 bees. 



I am trying a cross between the Italian and 

 Caucasian, using the latter as the mother, and 

 I have the gentlest and the finest yellow bees 

 that can be found. If they gather honey as 

 fast as they breed they will be all I ask. They 

 cannot help but winter, for I find that the 

 more quiet bees are the better they will win- 

 ter. I wintered 3 frame nuclei in the cellar, 

 and they came out without a spot in the hive. 

 I am sure that all who will try the gray Cau- 

 casians will find them just as has been stated 

 by those who know, and not as by those who 

 "don't know." A. D. D. Wood. 



Ingham Co., Mich., June S. 



DiseouFaging Outlook 



Bees are in as poor a condition just now as 

 I have ever known them to be at this time of 

 the year in this locality. Last fall the honey- 

 flow was almost entirely limited to the juices 

 of fruit and grapes, so "that the winter stores 

 were of the poorest kind. But on account of 

 the mildness of the winter the bees got 

 through fairly well; and in the fine, mild 

 weather during the whole month of March, 

 they built up well, and gave promise of fine 

 results this summer. But, alas! the cold, 

 blustery weather during all of April and half 

 of May played havoc with many of the most 

 promising colonies. Much of the brood 

 chilled and starved. Bloom containing nec- 

 tar is now plentiful, but the field-laborers are 

 too few to collect much surplus. On the 

 whole, the outlook for bee-men is not very 

 bright in this locality. 



H. A. SCHOPPENHOBST. 



Marthasville, Mo., May 24. 



Successful Wintering of Bees 



In reading the American Bee Journal this 

 week it seems that we Eastern bee-keepers 

 are in the "cold swim " with our Central and 

 Western brothers. This is the coldest April 

 and May that I remember, but, with it all, my 

 bees that wintered well are in fine condition. 

 On May IS I had one of the largest swarms I 

 ever hived; it filled a 10-frame hive practi- 

 cally full. Now I think the secret of my bees 

 being in the condition they are, is not from 

 feeding in the spring and fall, but because 

 each was a strong, heavy colony in the fall, and 

 wintered on 50 pounds of thoroughly ripened 

 honey. 



I put into winter quarters last fall 28 colo- 

 nies, but during the long, cold winter they 

 were taken with dysentery and I lost 6 colo- 

 nies through that cause. Now I think I have 



found two reasons for the same trouble in 

 this location — one is from honey that was 

 gathered late in the fall (and our fall crop is 

 very heavy here about every 3 years in 5) ; 

 and also from some of the hives becoming 

 damp, as that was part of the time that they 

 were under snow. I notice in the early 

 spring, in going over my bees, that the hives 

 were pretty damp. The dampness was not 

 due to sweat inside. 



My way of wintering is this: I am a great 

 believer in newspaper for warmth, which I 

 used as packing for supers over the comb 

 honey over the Hill's device, and after put- 

 ting the lid on I laid quite a number of news- 

 papers over the top of hives; and hive-covers 

 made of heavy duck canvas thoroughly 

 dipped in pure boiled linseed oil thoroughly 

 tied down over the whole hive, and then a 

 sheet-tin frame laid on top of the cover with 

 a weight on to keep the water from the top of 

 the hive. 



I can box, on a short October day, thor- 

 oughly, 25 hives for winter, and barring dys- 

 entery, which they had this year, I find that 

 !>!! percent with heavy stores will go through 

 in any winter, which can't be worse than the 

 past one. In all of the colonies I lost there 

 was at least from 15 to 35 pounds of stores 

 left. I have 16 boxes now with 2 and 3 supers 

 for comb honey, filling fast. The rest are for 

 extracted. I have at least 35 pounds of apple- 

 blossom honey in one hive — the first that I 

 ever have succeeded in getting, and I tell you 

 it is fine. When I take it oft I may forward 

 a box to the editor. 



My apiary is located in one of the largest 

 white clover belts in Chester Co. , Pa. Last 

 year I had one colony that I run only for 

 honey in sections, and it carried in 176 pounds 

 of strictly white clover; all the others I run 

 for increase, and reached to the above num- 

 ber of colonies from 8 stored as described for 

 wintering. Geo. M. Steele. 



Philadelphia, Pa,, May 25. 



Cold and Baeliward Season 



It is very cold and backward here. I have 

 been feeding my bees for some time, which 

 makes them very strong and active in spite of 

 the cold weather I have had S swarms. I 

 put them on full empty combs and feed them 

 every day. Alfalfa will be out in bloom in 

 about 2 weeks, and then I look for a good 

 honey-flow. The sweet clover is looking fine, 

 and 1 am preparing for a good crop unless it 

 stays cold all summer. E. S. Armstrong. 



Olathe, Colo., May 30. 



Very Bacliward Season 



The season has been very backwar,d here. 

 White clover is as yet not more than '4 of a 

 crop. Raspberry and blackberry are in bloom, 

 the former being nearly over. 



Centralia, Mo., June 4. J. K. Boyd, Sr. 



Feeding to Keep fFom Starving 



I am feeding my bees to keep them from 

 starving, although the orchard has been white 

 with bloom. The weather is too wet and cold. 



Peotone, 111., June 1. C. Schrier. 



" Songs of Beedom." — This is a beau- 

 tiful 16-page-and-cover pamphlet, 6x9 inches 

 in size, containing 10 bee-songs— words and 

 music — all the songs so far written specially 

 for bee-keepers, we believe. It is nice, as 

 well as convenient, to have these songs all in 

 one binding. Every bee-keepers" organiza- 

 tion should have copies for use at conven- 

 tions. They could be sold to members after 

 using once, or held by the secretary for use 

 at future meetings. Of course, every bee- 

 keeper's family will want at least one copy. 

 It is sent, postpaid, for only 25 cents, or 3 

 copies for 60 cents ; or, we will mail one copy 

 with the American Bee Journal one year — 

 both for $1.10. Send all orders to the office 

 of the American Bee Journal. 



Agricultural Exhibit 

 in Chicago 



Here is something different, yet practical — 

 a permanent exhibition of things agricultural. 

 The idea is to have on daily free exhibition 

 almost anything from husking mitts to ma- 

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 worked out and is now an assured fact. 



The exhibition will be held in the commo- 

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 White's Class Advertising Co., 118 W. Jack- 

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 which Mr. Frank B. White is President, oc- 

 cupies the entire top floor of the " Electrical 

 Building," corner Jackson Boulevard and 

 Desplaines Street. 



The exhibition hall is 88 feet by 50 feet, in 

 the eastern half of the floor. It is light, airy, 

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 show condition for daily inspection. A spe- 

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 and purchasers. 



This is an excellent opportunity for manu- 

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 Chicago is a great trading center, and many 



excursions daily bring great crowds of pleas- 

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 many will visit it, learn the good points of 

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Being thus represented also saves manu- 

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 a special salaried representative. 



The sizes of spaces run in multiples of 5 

 square feet, from 5x5 up to 10x20 or more, as 

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An attractive folder entitled, " Would You 

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Our readers, when in Chicago, are urged to 

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