THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



263 



six one-pound boxes in all — and 

 the colony filled them. When one 

 case was about two-thirds filled, or 

 as soon as the outside sections were 

 capped at the top, the section- case 

 was reversed, and at the same time a 

 case of new sections placed under, 

 and next to the brood. I believe no 

 better system for getting section 

 honey has ever been devised. No 

 arrangement that we have seen is so 

 simple and convenient or costs less to 

 manufacture. These cases were 

 exhibited at the Bay State Fair held 

 in Boston, the first week in October, 

 and were said to be by many, the best 

 arrangement they had seen. 



The December number will con- 

 tain a better description of these 

 cases, illustrated by engravings, and 

 one also of the Bay State Reversible 

 Hive. 



What is it? Several readers of 

 the " Api" have written to this office 

 regarding a kind of dark honey their 

 bees have gathered during the sum- 

 mer. While at the apiary of Rev. 

 D. D. Marsh of Georgetown, some 

 twelve miles from Wenham, a sample 

 of this honey was shown that Mr. 

 Marsh had recently extracted ; this 

 was about the fifteenth of July. We 

 expressed an opinion that it might- 

 be honey dew. Some twenty years 

 ago our bees stored considerable 

 honey of this kind, but if our mem- 

 ory serves us rightly, it was gathered 

 each day before ten o'clock in the 

 morning. This was not the case 

 this year, as the bees worked all day 

 on which this honey in question 

 could be obtained ; this being the 

 case it cannot be honey dew. No 

 doubt some one or more of our 

 readers can throw some light upon 

 the subject. We know of no one 

 who can do so better than Professor 

 Cook. If there are others who have 

 looked into the matter we should be 

 pleased to publish their correspond- 

 ence. 



One of the readers of the "Api," 



whose communications can be found 

 in the Leti-er Box, has expressed 

 his opinion that this dark honey is 

 honey dew, and predicts that mor- 

 tality among the bees will be quite 

 heavy the coming winter. 



If it is honey dew, we can agree 

 with L. M. T. in all he predicts, as 

 in our opinion about every colony 

 that has stored in its combs a quan- 

 tity of this honey will die before 

 spring, unless the weather is most 

 favorable for frequent flights during 

 the winter. 



The proper remedy to apply was 

 to use the extractor and remove all 

 such honey by Sept. lo, and then 

 feed good honey or sugar syrup. 



We purchased two new colonies of 

 Mr. Marsh, and their combs are well 

 filled with this dark honey. These 

 colonies will be removed to Wen- 

 ham soon, and a report as to how 

 they winter will be made through 

 the " Api" at the proper time. 



Several customers have stated to 

 us that, in their opinion, queens that 

 they have received from this oflice 

 were not . fertilized. Here is what 

 one kind friend says : "You 

 ^eem to be considerably exercised 

 over the fact that I thought one 

 (dead one) of the queens you sent 

 me was not fertile. I founded my 

 belief on its size, taking for granted 

 what you have repeatedly said 'that 

 a virgin queen would easily pass 

 through the trap.' The queen was 

 small compared with any black 

 queens and it readily passed through 

 the trap I had just received from 

 you — this I can swear to, for I put 

 it through with my own hands. ''^ 



[Comment is really unnecessary. 

 However, I will try and explain mat- 

 ters, so perhaps our friend will not 

 again falsely accuse any one of send- 

 ing him an unfertile queen for a fer- 

 tile one. 



In the first place the queen did 

 not pass through the zinc, for how 

 could a dead queen do so? You 



