Published by The A. I. Root Co., Medina, Ohio. 



H. H. Root, Assistant Editor. E. R. ROOT, Editor. A. L. Boyden, Advertising Manager. 



A. I. Root, Editor Home Department. J. T. Calvert, Business Mgr. 



Entered at the Postoffice, Medina, Ohio, as second-class matter. 



VOL. XLII. 



FEBRUARY 15, 1914 



NO. 4 



Erdi torial 



Indications for another good honey year 

 are exceedingly favorable throughout the 

 country. Snows and rains have put the soil 

 in fine condition for the clovers. Abundant 

 rains in California practically assure a sage 

 crop. 



A NEW WAY OF MAKING BEE-CANDY FOR 

 WINTER FEEDING. 



In this issue, p. 141, our con'espondent, 

 Mr. A. V. Small, calls attention to a very 

 simple and what we believe to be a very 

 feasible plan for making bee-candy for 

 winter feeding. We hope some of our read- 

 ers whose colonies may be running short 

 will make a trial and report. 



SIMPLIFYING OUR NOMENCLATURE. 



The suggestion comes from Dr. Miller, 

 through the Dadants, that in the future we 

 write the words " foul brood " as one word, 

 " foulbrood." We entirely agree with the 

 suggestion ; and the very fact that we have 

 made as one word for the last two years 

 such words as beehive, beehouse, beekeeper, 

 beekeeping, beemaster, beestiug, and bees- 

 wax, consolidating them as one word, makes 

 it easy for us to adopt foulbrood. 



FURTHER PROSPECTS IN CALIFORNIA. 



Reports continue to come in telling of the 

 amount of rainfall in California. The num- 

 ber of inches varies according to the partic- 

 ular locality, of course, but there is no doubt 

 that prospects on the coast are brighter at 

 this time than they have been for a good 

 many years. Most of the rain, top, has 

 " soaked in." The following from C. H. 

 Clayton, at Los Angeles, is indicative of the 

 tenor of the reports in general. 



We are having fine growing vs'eather — as fine as 

 we liave even seen at this time of the year. Last 

 year at this time we had 2.95 inches of rain. This 

 J ear to date we have had over 15 inches. 



ARTIFICIAL substitutes FOR NATURAL 

 POLLEN. 



Several schemes have been proposed for 

 supplying the bees with jjollen artificially 

 when the natural article is not available by 

 reason of peculiar weatlier conditions or the 

 scarcity of the sources of supply. Some 



progress is being made, but we should be 

 glad to get reports from others who have 

 discovered means by which we can make our 

 bees rear brood on artificial substitutes in 

 the cellar, or outdoors when the weather is 

 inclement. 



OUR COVER PICTURE. 



The view shown on the cover of this issue 

 shows one end of the apiary of J. A. Ninin- 

 ger, of Nickerson, Kan. Mr. Nininger writes 

 that the picture was taken in the fall of 

 1912, at which time there were 39 colonies 

 that had averaged about 50 pounds of comb 

 honey each. The honey was mostly from 

 alfalfa, which, together with smartweed and 

 heartsease, are the principal honey-plants in 

 the locality. The smartweed honey is dark 

 and strong, but there are some who will liave 

 nothing else if they can get it. The flow 

 commences about the last of July or the first 

 of August. The colonies build up on it in 

 fine shape for winter. 



Ten-frame hives are used throughout. 

 The high stack of supers shown are extract- 

 ing-supers set over a hive for the bees to 

 clean up. 



The colonies are wintered on the summer 

 stands; but a super is put on filled with 

 packing material, then several thicknesses 

 of newspaper are wrapped around, and tar- 

 paper placed over the whole. During the 

 winter of 1911-12 the cold was very severe, 

 the thermometer registering 24 below zero. 

 There was considerable snow, however, 

 which was in the bees' favor. All came 

 through in good condition and built up 

 early in the spring with the exception of 

 two colonies which had no protection. More 

 than twice the average number of bees had 

 died in these two colonies. 



THE VALUE OF HONEY RECOGNIZED BY 

 WHOLESALE GROCERS. 



We note with pleasure that the large 

 wholesale gi^ocers in the country are begin- 

 ning to recog-nize the peculiar valuable 

 features of honey as a food as they never 

 have before. Many of them are making- 

 special displays, and are featuring honey as 

 it desen-es to be featured, instead of letting 



