)2 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



pasturage in some of the mountainous 

 portions of the state. 



Along the rivers and streams wliere 

 the alfalfa is abundant and the fields 

 are irrigated the honey flow most sea- 

 sons is wondeiful. Mr. G. W. Swink, 

 of Rocky Ford, reports that last summer 

 he weighed a populous colony of bees 

 every day during the height of the honey 

 harvest, and found that it increased in 

 weight one day eleven and one-lialf 

 pounds. It would be interesting to 

 know, if any fellow could find out, just 

 how much in addition was consumed 

 bv the colony that day, workers, drones 

 and young bees, so that we could get 

 the exact amount gathered in a single 

 day. 



Foul brood is making sad havoc with 

 the apiaries in some portions of the state, 

 and energetic measures are being em- 

 ployed to stamp it out. 



The future is full of promise for the 

 beekeepers of Colorado, and this state 

 is destined to rank among the foremost 

 in the production of honey. The vast 

 alfalfa fields under ditch so as to be ir- 

 rigated from time to time during the 

 season furnish a nearly continuous honey 

 flow from June to October. Our cloud- 

 less skies during most of the summer are 

 so continuous that the busy honey 

 gatherers are interrupted scarcely an 

 hour of daylight whi'e the honey harvest 

 lasts. The wild flowers too, some of 

 them provided with stores of honey, 

 have been waiting for ages to yield their 

 delicious supplies of luscious sweets for 

 the use of man. 



Trinidad, Col. F. O. Blair. 



EVIDKNCE THAT DR. MILLER 

 READS THE API. 



The March Api has some good read- 

 ing. J. Edward Giles makes a pretty 

 good point on page 33 when he trots out 

 his Shetland oony to prove that "speed is 

 not governed by size alone." After all, 

 friend Giles, are you not mistaken in 

 saying my argument is hardly conclu- 

 sive, for the only point I was trying to 

 establish was the very one that you 



make, namely, that speed is not gov- 

 erned by size alone? You will remem- 

 ber that the argument had been ad- 

 vanced that increase in size would 

 bring increase of speed. 



But Mr. Editor, what makes you let 

 A. C. Tyrrel hold up my ignorance to 

 the public scorn, by asking me to tell 

 why his bees swarmed in such an unus- 

 ual manner? He knows very welhhat 

 I don't kn)w. Moreover I think he 

 knows very well that I don't know why 

 bees swarm in their usual manner. How 

 I wish I did. Friend Tyrrel, when you 

 tell me just why bees swarm usually, 

 I'll try to tell you what made your bees 

 cut up so. 



I'm quite interested to know how you 

 come out with your house apiary, friend 

 Alley. I'm quite ready to liear that 

 you made quite a gain by it, and on the 

 other hand, it would not greatly sur- 

 prise me if you should bluntly tell us 

 in the May number that it did more 

 harm than good. But give us all the 

 particulars. 



Marengo, III. C. C. Mifxer. 



I am happy to say that the bse-house is 

 ■workiua: nicely in every respect. Wish 

 yon could see it Dr. I Itnow yon would 

 go liome and build one n3arly like it. 

 This very moment a northwest .<rale is 

 blowhig, the tempt^rature several degrees 

 below tiie freezing point outside, while 

 inside it is up in the sixties and the bees 

 perfectly quiet. This is owing to the 

 fact tluit three days previous to to-day, 

 the bees have been on the wing and work- 

 ing in flour. A steady fire' is now baing 

 kept in the house and, Dr , yon bettor be- 

 lieve there is solid comfort in working in 

 that house, it is so much like suramcr. 



'I'he colonies placed in the house have 

 Avintered very well. 'I'hey are strong just 

 now. After the bees were put in no at- 

 t 'mpt was made to control the tempera- 

 ture. Most likely the May Apt Avill tell a 

 good deal about the Bay State hons3-api- 

 ary.— Ed. 



SPECIAL NoriCK. 



The readers of the Api should not 

 forget that one queen of any race reared 

 in the Bay State apirary will be mailed to 

 any subscriber at a discount of twenty- 

 five per cent from the regular prices 

 found in our catalogue. 



