January, 



American l^ee Journal 



the largest success with bees? In order 

 to accomplish this, however, we must 

 have the hearty support of all our pres- 

 ent subscribers; and, then, as fast as we 

 shall add other thousands of readers to 

 our list, we shall lie al)le to carry into 



the result may be different. Here is the 

 result of melting up some very old 

 combs, as given in Gleanings in Bee 

 Culture : 



There were 225 combs, Langstroth size, and 

 the total amount of wax secured was 69 

 IH)unds, which is a little over 3 pounds to 



Apiary of B. F, Miller, Memphis, Tenn. 



effect plans for an enlarged and a better 

 bee-paper in every way. 



But first let us have the prompt re- 

 newal of every present subscription, and, 

 if possible, a new one with each. Then, 

 after that, the other desirable things 

 will be more certain of realization. Try 

 it, all of you, and see if we are not right 

 in our statements about this matter. 



Death of John M. Rey 



On Aug. 9, 1908. John M. Rey, of 

 Saginaw, Mich., died of gastric ulcers of 

 the stomach. He had been a bee-keeper 

 for 36 years, and a long-time reader of 

 the American Bee Journal. He was born 

 in Wirtemberg, Germany, Oct. 13, 1852. 

 His widow, 5 daughters, and one son 

 survive him. 



Apiary of B. F. Miller 



.A.s a friend came to my place with 

 a camera, I had him take some pictures, 

 and am sending some of them. 



I got the bee-fever 3 years ago from 

 a swarm alighting in the shop lot, and 

 can't say that it has abated any yet, al- 

 though I have found more work and 

 expense about it than I had any idea of ; 

 but I like it, and believe my hardest 

 time is over, both as to labor and ex- 

 pense, and I gather experience. I ap- 

 preciate more and more the text-books 

 and the "Old Reliable," for their writers 

 "have been there" and generally know 

 whereof they write. I also appreciate 

 J. J. Wilder's book, "Southern Bee- 

 Keeping." It is a good book for begin- 

 ners, especially in the South. 



I increased from 3 to 9 colonies this 

 season, and extracted 200 pounds of 

 honey. I have 6 Dadant and 3 8-frame 

 Simplicity hives that I will run for comb 

 honey. B. F. Miller. 



Memphis, Tenn., Sept. 29. 

 ♦^ 



Melting up Old Combs 



The results of melting up old combs 

 is a matter of interest. Under some cir- 

 cumstances, without proper appliances 

 at hand, enough wax will be obtained to 

 pay for the work, and it may be better 

 to use the old combs for lighting fires. 

 Under the most favorable circumstances 



each 10 combs. The total time of rendering 

 was 9 hours. The combs were melted in two 

 washboilers, and run through the press twice, 

 yielding 63 pounds of wax the first time, and 

 6 the second. 



At 30 cents per pound, 69 pounds of wax 

 will bring $20.70. From this we must deduct 

 the cost of the labor, $i.So, leaving $18.90. 



Medium brood foundation, to fill 225 Lang- 

 stroth frames, at 51 cents per lb., amounts to 

 about $16.32, so that we get our full sheets 

 of foundation for nothing, and have considera- 

 ble left. The work could usually be done 

 when the labor would not be worth 20 cents 

 an hour. But even if this is not possible, 

 there is nothing lost. 



sideview of the house looking west. No. 

 5 is a front view. 



The drought this year has been the 

 worst I ever knew — no rain of any con- 

 sequence since last May. The cisterns 

 and wells throughout this section are 

 nearly all dry. Almost every one is 

 hauling water — hauling it from wherc- 

 ever they can possibly find it. The Ohio 

 River is lower than I ever knew it be- 

 fore, and I've lived on the banks of the 

 dear old stream for about 30 years. In 

 early spring the rains were excessive, 

 so much so that the farmers almost des- 

 paired of getting their crops planted. 

 But when the rains ceased, they seemed 

 to have quit for good. 



I got a fairly good crop of honey, 

 however, from white clover, which, of 

 course, comes in June with us here in 

 Ohio, and so did not suffer much from 

 the drought till near the close of the 

 clover season. The fall flow from wild 

 aster was light, but the bees stored 

 enough to carry them over till spring. 



I think the American Bee Journal is 

 getting better all the time. I congratu- 

 late you on your good work. 



W. W. McNeal. 



.•\melia, Ohio, Oct. 14. 



[We decided to use only one of the 

 5 pictures — No. 3. All were fairly 

 good pictures.] 



Apiary of W. W. McNeal 



Editor York ; — I am sending some 

 small photos of my apiary, with a view 

 to getting a line on the proper density. 

 I will number them for convenience. 

 No. I is a corner in the apiary as it 



Delayed Fertilization 



It is generally believed that if a queen 

 is not fertilized within 2 or 3 weeks she 

 will prove of little value. W. Guenther, 

 a German veteran of excellent repute, 

 says in Prak. Wegweiser, that while this 

 may be true of queens reared early, 

 queens reared later in the season whose 

 fertilization is delayed on account of 

 unfavorable weather prove to be excel- 

 lent queens. He has had a number of 



Api.\ry of W. \V. .McNe.\l. 



was at my old home, Wheelersburg, 

 Ohio. No. 2 is also a corner in the 

 apiary, but at the new home on Pleasant 

 Hill, Clermont Co., Ohio. No. 3 is a 

 similiar view, and as I said before, is 

 intended to get a better idea as to the 

 correct shade or density. No. 4 is a 



such experiences when fertilization \vas 

 delayed 5 or 6 weeks, and in 1886 a num- 

 ber of queens were not fertilized for 2 

 months, yet proved good. Queens fer- 

 tilized as late as October' were generally 

 good, while those fertilized in spring 

 were likely to be poor. 



