42 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



These questions will be answered 

 by experienced and practical apiarists. 

 What they advise and suggest may be 

 safely adopted and followed by the 

 novice and inexperienced beekeeper. 



As the winter does not eud till April, 

 we will give answers to questions in 

 the March number, concerning mouldy 

 combs and how to treat them; also, 

 best methods for preventing the rear- 

 ing of useless drones. 



NOTICE TO CONTRIBUTORS. 



We have permitted one of our most 

 valued correspondents to express Ids 

 opinions quite freely concerning pa- 

 tents. His ideas do not agree with 

 our own. Many men have spent 

 the better parts of their lives in 

 perfecting some valuable advice, by 

 which mankind might be benefited. 

 We believe such untiring zeal should 

 be rewarded. How can this best be 

 done except by government protec- 

 tion, or, in other words, by a patent? 



If any one has obtained a patent 

 through" fraud upon any article used by 

 beekeepers, we will, upon satisfactory 

 evidence publish the facts to the world. 



While the columns of the "Apicul- 

 turist" are open to all Avho desire to 

 discuss questions pertaining to bee 

 culture, we do not intend for anyone 

 to use them to berate any publication, 

 or the character of any person. What 

 we want is solid facts, such as will ad- 

 vance the cause of apiculture. 



DELIXQUENT SUBSCRIBERS. 



A few of our subscribers have not 

 renewed their subscriptions. To such 

 we shall mail a few more copies of the 

 "Api," as we wish to give plenty of 

 time to all in which to send in the re- 

 quired amount for another year's sub- 

 scription. 



APICULTURIST BEE FABM 

 NOTES. 

 Very little of interest to our readers 

 has transpired at the Apiculturist Ap- 

 iary the past three months. Our bees 

 were placed in the cellar some over 

 two months ago. A few days since, 

 we examined them by opening the door 

 to the bee-room and letting the light 

 in for only a moment. Although this 

 ■was a hasty examination, yet to all 

 appearances the bees were in fine con- 

 dition. Very few dead bees (not a 

 quart in all) were on the floor, and 

 everything seemed to be as well as we 



could expect or desire. Of course, the 

 worst part of the winter for the bees 

 is to come, but then, if bees are not • 

 now in good condition we could not 

 expect them to be so later on. 



Nearly all our colonies had more or 

 less sugar syrup fed them in the fall, 

 and as the late gathered honey was of 

 a fine quality, we have every reason to 

 expect the bees to go through the win- 

 ter safely. The pollen theory never 

 disturbed us, and so far as our experi- 

 ence goes, not one colony has ever, 

 died from eating pollen. 



We intend to open the cellar again 

 in March, and examine the bees. If 

 any are uneasy, and seem to be suffer- 

 ing for a cleansing flight, such will be 

 placed on the summer stands. If old 

 " Prob " says that "a cold wave is ap- 

 proaching from the northwest " the 

 bees will be placed in the cellar again, 

 and left there until it is sufllcientiy 

 warm and safe to put them out for the 

 season. 



The business at the Apiculturist Bee 

 Farm the coming season will be the 

 production of the finest queens, and to 

 furnish apiarian supplies of the best, 

 latest and most approved kinds. All 

 the articles, such as hives, smokers 

 and in fact everything ofl'ered for sale 

 at the office of the " A|)iculturist" will 

 be only such apparatus as are the most 

 nseful and needful in the apiary in 

 order to make bee culture a success. 

 We believe in working good material 

 and doing good work. Cheap, sluimy 

 made articles are a nuisance in any 

 apiary. We have some liives in our 

 apiary that have been in use for twenty- 

 five years. One good coat of paint 

 would make them look as good as new. 

 These hives were made of the best 

 lumber, and if well cared for, will last 

 twenty-five years more. As a rule, 

 most goods used and sold by dealers 

 are constructed in an unworkmanlike 

 manner, and of the meanest material. 

 Such goods do the dealer no credit. 

 In our experience with bees we have 

 purchased more or less nucleus hives. 

 The frames were constructed of 

 coarse lumber and made up so poorly 

 that they were worthless, to us, at 

 least. We have re'ceived frames made 

 with but four nails, one at eacii cor- 

 ner, and without the use of a proper 

 nailing block, and very nearly one- 

 fourth of an inch out of " true." 

 Frames will not hang thus made so that 

 they will not touch the one next to it 

 at the bottom, and when removed from 

 a hive, many bees are killed and the 



