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Vol. XXVIII. 



JAN. 15, 1900. 



No. 2. 



DooLiTTLE has painted that picture of a 

 bee-cellar to the life, p. 17. I never thought 

 before to see how many bees would fly out in 

 a given time. To day, Jan. 5, I went down 

 cellar. Air sweet — 45° ; listened by the watch 

 full five minutes — not a bee flew. Different 

 story two months later. Five bees fly out then 

 to one now. 



In REPI.Y to friend Crane's question, p. 13, 

 I'm afraid Ti'lta petiolaris is only two weeks 

 later than the European linden. Yet if no 

 later than the American, why should the Brit- 

 ish make so much fuss over it ? Surely they 

 ought to be familiar with any superiority the 

 American may have, and it can be had at low 

 prices compared with the new comer. 



A BEE-KEEPER writes that the T tins made 

 by The A. I. Root Co. are too weak, and asks 

 where he can get the old fashioned kind. I 

 told him I felt sure he could get the kind de- 

 sired by so ordering from Medina. [Our T 

 tins are made heavier than formerly ; but if 

 our friend were to order ordinary stock he 

 would probably get just what he desires. — Ed. ] 



I've been i,ooking through the latest A B 

 C. What a misnomer is the name ! To be 

 sure, it gives the abc's ; but it doesn't stop 

 there, and goes right on up through the fifth 

 and sixth reader. I'm afraid beginners hardly 

 realize what a treasure they have in such a 

 work. How much it would have been worth 

 to me when I began working with bees, and 

 how many wrong moves it would have saved 

 me, it is hard to estimate. 



In reply to that question, p. 6, it does seem 

 remarkable that sweet clover grows every- 

 where and yields everywhere. The only ex- 

 ception, I think, on record is that of Mrs. Har- 

 rison, who couldn't get it to grow in Florida. 

 Just possibly, if she should accidentally drop 

 some seed there where it was not wanted it 

 might make a luxuriant growth. [That is 

 just it. If Mrs. Harrison could just accident- 

 ally drop some seed where it was not wanted 

 it would surely grow. — Ed.] 



W. Winterton says in the British Bee 

 Journal that, in Root's ABC, Symphoricarpus 

 racernosHS is called " Snowdrop,''' no doubt in 

 error for " Snowberry." Our British friend 

 will hardly accuse the A B C of error if he will 

 remember that, while botanical names are the 

 same the world over, popular names are not 

 always the same in two different countries. 

 In the United States tongue, " Snowdrop" is 

 the correct popular name. 



Mr. Editor, I don't see that I can get up 

 any quarrel with your political platform, p. 6. 

 Whenever you can get enough to stand with 

 you — and the current seems to be setting that 

 way — the day of doom has come for the sa- 

 loon. [Yes, the current is setting that way 

 very rapidly. The time will soon come when 

 politicians will have to dance to the music of 

 the churches rather than to the music of the 

 saloons. The saloon has had, and even now 

 has, a .strong " political pull " on our legisla- 

 tors ; but as sure as there is to be a millenni- 

 um, just so sure the day of better things will 

 come ; and then only good clean men can get 

 into office. — Ed.] 



Mr. Editor, you say, p. 20, that when bees 

 quiet down in cellar after a fire has been start- 

 ed, no one can state definitely how much of 

 the trouble was due to cold and how much to 

 foul air. Quite right. But I'll tell you one 

 case in which you can tell definitely. Tem- 

 perature in cellar 50° ; same outdoors. Bees 

 noisy. Fire started toward evening, running 

 temperature to 60°. Next morning bees still, 

 with thermometer 50° inside and out. Foul 

 air had all to do with it in that case. [That 

 is a clear case ; and the fact being established 

 in this case, it will be reasonable to assume 

 that in the other cases foul air is equally the 

 disturbing cause. — Ed.] 



Formerly I kept my bees in two cellars, 

 with the belief that the fewer bees the purer 

 the air. I've changed my practice for the 

 past few winters, and am shaky as to my for- 

 mer belief. I now cram all the bees into one 

 room of my house-cellar — less trouble to 

 watch, and so many bees keep it warm enough 

 so fire is not often needed. The warmer cellar 

 makes better ventilation. [Tn a cold locality 

 like that of Marengo, I am rather of the opin- 

 ion that a large number of colonies in the cel- 

 lar is more conducive to good results than a 



