1881 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



609 



the dividing line, between delivering and ac- 

 cepting property, it was pretty hard to say 

 just where my responsibility ceased and his 

 commenced. Thei-efore a fair way would be 

 to share the loss equally, which "was done, 

 and he, in a very gentlemanly way, ex- 

 pressed himself satistied. In thinking it 

 over since, it looks as if I ought to do a lit- 

 tle more than half, for I expected to deliver 

 his queen at a point where he could go and 

 get it. I did not do this. By the way, I do 

 not know that any act I ever did has called 

 forth such bitter and unkind words as the 

 one of proposing to be responsible for my 

 advertisers. You too. my good friend, are 

 censuring a little, and yet you have, right in 

 your letter, yourself asked to be permitted 

 to pay somebody else's bills. The Sunday- 

 School Times was my precedent for my posi- 

 tion toward my subscribers in protecting 

 them from spurious advertisers. Here is 

 their offer:— 



The Sunday School Times iiitviids to admit only advertise- 

 ments thit arn trustworthy. Should, however, an advertise- 

 ment of a party not in Kooii standinsr be inadvertently inserted, 

 the publisher will lelund to subscribers any money that they 

 lose thereby. 



Will you send me to the asylum as a luna- 

 tic, if I still adhere to my purpose of pro- 

 tecting my subscribers f 



JUDGES AT OUR FAIRS, ETC. 



The foui'lh annual fair of the Southern California 

 Horticultural Society closed on the 10th of Sept. It 

 proved a success all the way throug'h; the bee-keep- 

 ers of Southern California made a fine display of 

 honey (both camb and extracted), bees, bee-hives, 

 and implements of the apiary. I entered but four 

 articles, and received a premium on each. First 

 premium on honey vinegar and hybrid bites; second 

 premium on Italian bees and comb fdn. There was 

 considerable sport made about the judges whom the 

 society appointed; one was a grocerymau; the other 

 two, I was unable to learn their occupation. They 

 all might have been good judges of honey, but 

 when they came to the rest they knew nothing about 

 it. When they came to the comb fdn. they wanted 

 to know what it was made of, what it was used for, 

 and how it was used. When told, they said tiicy 

 could see no difference in the make of it, so they 

 decided in favor of the white. Inclosed you will 

 find sample of both kinds; white, flrst premium; 

 yellow, second premium. The yellow is my own 

 make, made on the 9-inch C. 01m mill. Hold them 

 up between you and the light, and notice the diflfer- 

 euce in the bottom of the cells. Which do you think 

 Is the better one? Soeak right out. 



Los Angeles, Cal., Oct. 30, '81. W. W. Bliss. 



You are right, friend B.; the machine on 

 which the sample of white fdn. was made 

 was very badly adjusted, and the material is 

 quite unsuited for the purpose, compared 

 with the yellow. I know the judges are oft- 

 en sadly at fault ; but, poor fellows, they 

 doubtless did the best they could, where 

 they had been placed. Men should have oc- 

 cupied these positions, capable of judging ; 

 but if the proper men stayed at home during 

 the preliminary meetings, what better could 

 the officers of the fair do V Suppose, friend 

 Bliss, you pitch right in and help them to do 

 better next season. I am sure they will 

 gladly welcome you at the time they choose 

 the officers, etc. 



MISSIONARY BEES. 



The inclosed letter explains Itself. You will see 

 by it my bees have been doing some mission work, 

 and I hope It will do j-ou as much good to read the 

 letter as it did mc. Surely it is more blessed to give 

 than to receive. C. A. Hatch. 



Ithaca, Kichland Co., Wis., Nov. 8, 1881. 



Mr. C. a. Hatch : — Our society has sent mo the 

 barrel of honey that you kindly sent to our treasurer, 

 Mr. Coc, and I am happy to convey to you in behalf 

 of the poor children cared for in this house, their 

 grateful thanks for your sweet gift. We give the 

 poor children of the Industrial School, generally, 

 syrup with their bread at noon, and when they got 

 the honey on their simple lunch the,v declared it was 

 the best syrup they had ever tasted. One or two, 

 more knowing than the rest, let the others into the 

 secret, and the.v were greatly surprised nt getting 

 such a treat, as it "wasn't Cliristmas." The news- 

 boys and bootblacks, who are also fed and lodged 

 here, have been greatly delighted with the hone.v, 

 and I am sure, if you sliould come to New York and 

 let yourself be known as the gentleman who sent the 

 honey they would load .you with the latest news, and 

 ''shine" you up in the highest style of the art. 



Georob Calder, 

 Sup't of the Children's Aid Society. 



New York, Oct. 25. 1881. 



$€l^s and §ii^ri^^. 



T is again this season very dry here ; bees are 

 suffering. I have worked with bees for several 

 seasons, but the seasons are so very bad that I 

 can do but little with them. T have, of course, In- 

 creased some, but they are making no surplus hon- 

 ey at all here, and have not for several years. This 

 seems to bo a poor bee country. I like very much 

 to handle bees. H. Wehrman. 



Truxton, Lincoln Co., Mo. 



MY TEST OF PURITY. 



When you take out a ccmb of young bees, if they 

 run and tumble off the combs they are uot puro 

 Italians, and I do not want any black blood in my 

 bees. The 2-story 8-frame L, hive is my choice. 



Purdy, Mo., Oct. 8, 1881. M. Terry. 



Father bought me two colonies of bees this spring, 

 and he aud I found four bee-trees this fall, so you 

 see we want to gain all the information that we pos- 

 siblj' can. We have not cut the trees yet. 



Henry L. Rouse. 



Ionia, Chickasaw Co., la., Oct. 31, 1881. 



The 244-lb. scales wore just "boss " for that mon- 

 ey. Here they would cost about eight or nine dol- 

 lars. I have sold honey this summer to the amount 

 of $73.47, and have used and will use 200 lbs. more 

 this winter, making in all about 800 lbs. honey from 

 12 swarms. Increased to 32; lost 5; one was robbed 

 out. We have had a 6-inch fall of snow. 



Albert OsBUif. 



Spring Bluff, Adams Co., Wis., Nov. 7, 188L 



HOW DOES HE KNOW? 



Unless Mr. T. R. Butler (page 546) has his queen 

 marked, " as they do hogs down South," how can he 

 know that the queen producing black bees is not a 

 daughter of the old queen, impurely fertilized — the 

 old one being dead, or retired on a pension? 



J. L. Van Zandt, M. D. 



Eido, Texas, Nov. 8, 1881. 



tVer.v true, friend V. ; how are we ever to know 

 there has not been some changeln the queens unless 

 we have some better way of marking queens than 

 any yet devised?] 



