182 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



The American Apiculturist. 



Published Monthly. 



MANAGER, 



TEBMS: $1.00 PER YEAR. 



SEE INDUCEMENTS TO SUBSOEIBEES. 

 Wenham, Mass, July 1, 1S87. 



THE MANAGER'S CORNER. 



W. Z. Hutchinson's Book has lain 

 on oui- table some time, but owing to 

 pressure of spring work in our apiary, 

 to which we liave to attend, we have 

 not been able lo review it sooner. We 

 have read the very flattering reviews 

 of this work, and are sorry to say we 

 cannot quite agree with them. We in- 

 tend to express our views fully and 

 freely on bee matters and sliall en- 

 deavor at all times to do exact justice, 

 and in the present instance shall live 

 up to that rule. 



The mechanical and typographical 

 part of the book is good, the cover 

 quite unique, and the style excellent. 

 The price, twenty-five cents, seems to 

 us rather high fur the small amount of 

 matter it contains ; and when we rec- 

 ognize the fact that it is largely a 

 compilation, or in other words, an ex- 

 pression merely of the best thoughts 

 of our best writers, it strikes us that 

 the general public will be inclined to 

 tliink they are paying dear for what 

 they have already read in the bee 

 journals. From the reviews we have 

 read we supposed we should find some- 

 thing original at least; but when on 

 reading w-e found the ground travelled 

 over was the same that Townley, 

 Doolittle and others had worked over 

 and over again during past years, we 

 could only say to ourselves, how easy 

 it is to write a book if one has an en- 

 cyclopoedia to fall back upon ; and 

 then again, we must say we don't like 

 to see any book, not intended as an 

 advertisement, start out as does this, 

 with a clean-cut certilicate in favor of 

 some hive. Advertisements are all 

 right in their proper places, but Mr. 

 H. has in our judgment overstepped 



the bounds of propriety in this respect. 

 We wish it distinctly understood 

 that we consider the ideas contained 

 in the book to i)e valuable ; and were 

 they original with Mr. H. we should 

 have no fault to find, other than with 

 the price. Mr. H. as a writer gener- 

 ally is terse and vigorous, and many 

 of his articles are of value to beekeep- 

 ers. We hope all our readers will read 

 the book, as it will prove to them when 

 they find nothing that has not already 

 been told in our journal, that the "Api" 

 still leads, as we shall always endeavor 

 to make it. 



Close Attention sliould now be 

 given the bees. Do not relax in the 

 least till you have secured every ounce 

 of comb honey it is i)ossible to secure. 

 When one set of sections is a little 

 over half filled raise them up and 

 place another set under these. When 

 the first set is nearly capped over re- 

 move it to a colony too weak to work 

 in the sections and let them finish it 

 and at the same time place another 

 new set of sections on the hive from 

 which the full set were taken. If 

 dull weather sets in for a few days, feed 

 the bees with thin syrup made of su- 

 gar and honey; this will have a ten- 

 dency to keep the bees from desert- 

 ing the sections. 



A Curious Fact.— One of the 

 queer things about wintering bees 

 last winter is the fact that colonies 

 that were weak in the fall came 

 through in splendid condition, while 

 the strongest colonies in many apia- 

 ries died. Now, here is a chance for 

 Mr. Heddon, Professor Cook, J. E. 

 Pond and some others to give us their 

 ideas as to this very singular condi- 

 tion of things. It looks to me as 

 though these eminent apiarists have a 

 problem that will for a long time puz- 

 zle them. Take right hold of it, broth- 

 ers. 



Preserving Empty Combs.— 



Empty combs may be kept in good 

 condition by placing them in a dry, cool 

 cellar. If possible, arrange It so that 

 there will be a free draught of air 

 through the cellar at all times. The 

 temperature will be kept so low that 

 the moth eggs will not hatch, and the 

 ventilation, as above advised, will pre- 

 vent tlie combs from moulding. 



