THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



beekeeper to do the same. If tlie 

 Apiculturist lacks in anything to 

 make it interesting and worthy of 

 your support, we would be glad to 

 have you make any suggestions 

 which would in your opinion, be of 

 advantage to all concerned. 



AN EXPLANATION. 



— Editors, like other people, are 

 sometimes imposed upon. We 

 have in mind a case of this kind 

 and where great injustice was done 

 an innocent party. In July, 1885, 

 the former editor of the Api- 

 culturist admitted to its columns 

 a communication of a personal na- 

 ture reflecting severely and most 

 unjustly upon the editor of one of 

 our esteemed contemporaries. The 

 writer of this was familiar with the 

 circumstances and strongly pro- 

 tested against the publication of 

 said article. As we had no voice 

 in the management of the Apicul- 

 turist at that time our opinions 

 and suggestions were not re- 

 spected ; consequentlj' the commu- 

 nication duly appeared as above 

 stated. After the journal had 

 gone to press and it was too late 

 to remedy the matter, the author 

 of the unjust article wrote the edi- 

 tor of the Apiculturist that the 

 trouble (if any existed) had been 

 satisfactorily settled, and expressed 

 his regrets that he had made the 

 matter public. 



Mr. Root has shown a disposi- 

 tion to deal fairly with all people. 

 We make the above explanation In 

 justice to the editor of "Glean- 



— The season of 1886 is close at 

 hand and the thoughtful apiarist 

 will have his hives, sections and 

 other apparatus in readiness in or- 

 der to take every advantage of the 

 coming honey harvest. In the 

 course of a few weeks the experi- 



enced bee-master can readily se- 

 lect the colonies most likely to 

 produce the largest amounts of 

 hone}^ As is generally the case, 

 some of the most prosperous stocks 

 the past season will be likel}' to 

 fall behind the coming season. 

 The causes of this are generally bad 

 wintering, or the queen has "played 

 out." Such colonies should be at- 

 tended to early, and by a little extra 

 care and nursing they will come 

 out all right. All the plans for the 

 season should now be made so that 

 there will be no confusion during 

 the busy days. 



— So far as reports have reached 

 us, bees are wintering better than 

 for many 3'ears. This is especially 

 true of those left on the summer 

 stands. We have often stated the 

 fact that, if bees could have a good 

 cleansing flight in February there 

 was no doubt about their coming 

 through in good condition. Very 

 few colonies after they have been 

 confined in the hives three irionths, 

 can survive such a "blizzard" as 

 struck New England Feb. 26, and 

 continued without abatement for 

 five days. As bees had a good 

 flight but two weeks previous they 

 came out all right. 



— Several correspondents have 

 asked for our opinion regarding the 

 latest new book and beehive. We 

 knovv but little about either of 

 them, but we venture the opinion 

 that both have some real merit, 

 though we cannot say that these 

 things will "revolutionize" the 

 world so far as bee culture is con- 

 cerned. Experience has shown 

 that the largest amounts of honey 

 have been taken from the Lang- 

 stroth hive, but not by the author 

 of the new bee book. Mr. Heddon 

 has never shown to the public that 

 he has made beekeeping so much 

 of a success as many other apia- 

 rists. There is, in a remote town 

 in Vermont, a very quiet man who 



