26 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Jan. 26, 



tion, they can hardly be expected to 

 come out in good condition. 



During the windy days of late fall, 

 when the sun shines warm on the hives, 

 causing many bees to venture out and 

 perish, I shade my hives and so keep my 

 bees at home. Much has been said 

 about spring dwindling but very little 

 about fall dwindling, which I think is 

 just as necessary to prevent. I en- 

 deavor by every means in my power to 

 keep my bees quiet in their hives dur- 

 ing the rough, windy weather of late 

 fall. 



I put them in the cellar very early, 

 when the hives are dry and free from 

 frost, and keep them perfectly quiet, 

 with the thermometer standing at a bout 

 45°, until late in spring. 



Under the above conditions my bees 

 come out very strong in spring, with 

 clean, dry combs. 



Colerain. Mass. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



My Experience in Starting an Apiary. 



E. NUGENT, M. D., F. R. C. S. I. 



Being determined to embark in bee- 

 culture, I went to the Toronto Industrial 

 Exhibition last fall, where the first 

 Canadian Bee-Keepers' Convention was 

 held, and proved successful beyond con- 

 ception—thanks to the untiring exer- 

 tions of D. A. Jones, of Beeton, Out. 

 Matters of great interest were discussed 

 at numerously attended meetings and 

 the Ontario Bee-Keepers' Association, 

 formed and liberally subscribed to. I 

 had a good deal to learn and was fully 

 satisfied at the prospects bee-keeping 

 offer, as shown uy those present who 

 were fully competent to give an opinion. 



I then engaged the services of Mr. 

 Conklin, one of Mr. D. A. Jones' late 

 assistants, who was highly recom- 

 mended by that gentleman, and then I 

 set about purchasing 200 colonies, which 

 I fancied would not be a very hard 

 matter, especially when I had made up 

 my mind to give a good price for good 

 ■ stock ; but in this I was doomed to dis- 

 appointment. At first I had agreed for 

 200 to 250 colonies, my pick out of 325, 

 that were represented as" first-class colo- 

 nies " but in looking tliem over, with 

 my man, we could not get more than 50 

 at the outside, and of these only about 

 a dozen which my man and I would care 

 to accept. Then I turned my mind to 

 the States as a field to purchase from, 

 and had again arranged with a party 

 for 250 colonies, my choice out of about 

 400 first-class colonies ; but on visiting 

 the locality, was again doomed to dis- 

 appointment. The bees were not there 

 to choose from, and then after visiting 

 other bee-keepers, friends of the gen- 

 tleman, in the neighborhood could get 

 perhaps 100 which we much preferred 

 leaving than taking, at a much reduced 

 figure, or indeed at any figure, though 

 the representations made to me in let- 

 ters were quite assuring. You can 

 fancy the disappointment to a man be- 

 ing brought over 300 miles on such 

 representation. 



My man then tried Dowagiac, Mich., 

 where contrary to my expectations and 

 the unpretending letters of Mr. Hed- 

 don, we found everything quite beyond 

 all our ideas. About 450 colonies at the 

 two apiaries, all the hives Langstroth 

 and modified Laugstroth's, neatly and 

 well made and painted. Honey-boards, 

 marvels of neatness and simplicity ; 

 frames, covers, and all in keeping with 

 each other, and not slammed over in 

 workmanship ; the sections used perfect 

 pictures and jars for honey that would 

 make any one purchase the contents, 

 were it but for the jar alone ; in fact, all 

 here was a complete contrast to the 

 other heaps of confusion, starvation, 

 vermin and dirt visited. No wonder 

 some bee-keepers fail — failure is the 



Eroper thing for them, and the sooner 

 ee-keeping becomes a better-cared for 

 business, the better. I would strongly 

 advise those who desire to travel to 

 visit apiaries not to overlook those at 

 Dowagiac and Glenwood, Mich., and if 

 they are not pleased with their manage- 

 ment, I shall gladly learn where to see 

 better. 



I am commencing bee-culture and 

 wish to make such fair interest for 

 money invested, as one entering into 



any such speculation should make. I 

 want to learn all I can and turn it to 

 account, and should I succeed, I hope to 

 establish more than one bee farm. No 

 doubt it will admit of such develop- 

 ment, and I think the day is not far 

 distant when we shall see bee-keeping 

 taken up by a far greater number of 

 persons. 



My 200 colonies cost me much more 

 .than they would, had I been able to get 

 such stock as I required in Canada, 

 where I could have saved 20 per cent, 

 duty, and paid less freight than $76.20, 

 which it cost me from Dowagiac here, 

 as also expenses going there in search 

 of them, and this is no small item to a 

 beginner, and unless bee-keepers rea- 

 lize this fact, that "what is worth do- 

 ing at all, is worth doing well and 

 right," they cannot expect to succeed 

 any more than in other neglected pur- 

 suits. There is no use in a person start- 

 ing without capital, but no matter how 

 little he may have, the golden rule is to 

 " keep within your means," for the idea 

 of getting something out of nothing 

 has been too often tried with just the 

 same results. 



I have built a bee-house, 22-in. clear 

 walls, chaff packed, ventilated above 

 and below, and I fancy for its size (20x 

 28 feet) the best in Canada. I have 

 purchased 200 selected colonies of Ital- 

 ians, hybrids and a few blacks. I have 

 a first-rate location, and should I not 

 do as well next year, as I expect, I shall 

 not blame Mr. Ileddon, nor shall I 

 throw up the sponge in despair. I shall 

 try on, and endeavor to find out causes 

 of failure, improve or rectify as the 

 case may be, and hope. Mr. Editor, to 

 give you a correct account in due time 

 of either success or the reverse. 



Strathroy, Ontario. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Clarke Redivivus. 



\VM. F. CLARKE. 



I think 1 may fairly claim to be the 

 Rip Van Winkle of American apicul- 

 ture. Shortly after my transference of 

 the American Bee Journal to Mr- 

 Newman, I became so unsettled in my 

 circumstances, as to render bee-keeping 

 out of the question. One cannot write 

 on apiculture and keep up with the 

 times, without being actually engaged 

 in the business, at least in a small way, 

 so my pen came to a stand-still. Then, 

 three years of ill-health sepervened, 

 necessitating retirement, quiet, and 

 rest. About the time I had got recuited, 

 and was meditating re-entrance on a 

 more active life, I found to my surprise 

 and chagrin, that, as in the case of the 

 veritable and historical Rip Van Win- 

 kle, the impression was abroad among 

 my old friends that I was dead. A cir- 

 cular issued by Wm. S Hawley, of 

 Rochester, came into my hands, in 

 which the following passage occurs : 



"The Rev. Mr. Clark, late editor of 

 the American Bee Journal, the man 

 who later accidently got a bee in his 

 mouth while drinking, and died from 

 the effects of having been stung on the 

 back part of his tongue, and in short, 

 others who have lost their lives in one 

 way or another in handling bees, will 

 not be apt to ask to be placed in the 

 ' Don't-care-if-they-do-get-stung ' army 

 of bee-men." 



The above extract was sent me by A. 

 I. Root, and it certainly read like an 

 obituary notice. I therefore penned a 

 brief communication to Gleanings in- 

 forming the bee-keeping fraternity that . 

 I- was- strll-" alive^ttrd-kteki-rrg; ' '--Where-- honey than- the Ger+>ian-bees-^tliat44iey 



upon I received a letter from Mr. Haw- 

 ley in which he says : 



" I presume you have read the articles 

 in Bee Journal, Gleanings, and the 

 Magazine. The first accuses me of 

 lying ; the second of reporting jou dead ; 

 and the last of an attempt to swindle 

 bee-men out $10 each ; to all of which I 

 plead not ' guilty.'. . . .Now, 1 ask you as 

 a friend to read the extract from my 

 circular again, and construe it as your 

 better judgement dictates. If from it 

 I am to be convicted of charging your 

 death, I must abide by the decision of 

 the court." 



Well, I read the extract over and over 

 again. It may be a confession of ob- 

 tuseness on my part, but I could come 



to no other conclusion than that Hawley i 

 had indeed reported me dead. But, on i 

 submitting the extract to another, his 

 critical acumen discovered a loop-hole 

 which I had failed to detect. He 

 thought the passage might be meant as 

 an enumeration of cases in which bee- 

 stings had proved dangerous or fatal, 

 and that "the Rev. Mr. Clark" and 

 "the man who later" died from the 

 effects of a bee-sting in the tongue, 

 were two distinct personalities. I give 

 Mr. Hawley the benefit of the criticism, 

 and exonerate him from the charge of 

 reporting me dead. But the construc- 

 tion of the sentence is such as at first 

 sight to convey the impression which I 

 and others received. The sentence is a 

 queer one anyhow. It contains a gen- 

 uine Irish bull. The bee-keepers re- 

 ferred to who are dead and gone, will 

 certainly not " ask to be placed in the 

 ' don't-care-if-they-do-get-stung ' army 

 of bee-men," or any other army, since 

 they belong to the silent host of the 

 departed. For myself, I frankly own, 

 that I belong to the timid class of bee- 

 keepers, who 



dread a bee-sting. 



I cannot, as many do, fondly call the 

 bees " my pets," for they have always 

 refused to be petted by me. I could 

 never enter them on my list of friends. 

 They have invariably acted the part of 

 enemies toward me, and have persecuted 

 me without cause. Nevertheless, I had 

 become so habituated to their stings, 

 that I did not care much for them. I 

 used to handle my bees without vail or 

 gloves, taking my chances. I always 

 managed to protect my face by keeping 

 it shaded with a broad-brimmed hat, in- 

 clined at a pretty acute angle. But, on 

 one unlucky day. a waspish Italian got 

 his dagger into the point of my upper 

 lip, just where the moustache divides, 

 and I have had a profound respect for a 

 bee-sting ever since. I shall never for- 

 get that sharp experience, " while 

 memory holds her seat." It is not sur- 

 prising, therefore, that I have read with 

 interest Mr. Hawley 's manifestoes about 



STINGLESS BEES, 



with more interest than faith however, 

 I am a natural born unbeliever upon 

 many subjects, and must have the proof 

 before I repose confidence. In com- 

 mon with most bee keepers who have 

 philosophised on the subject, I have 

 been led to regard the sting as an im- 

 portant appendage to the honey-bee. I 

 think the Creator had a wise design in 

 arming this little insect with a formid- 

 able dagger. As I have said in my 

 prize poem, 



" The bee 'a a warrior bold," 



and the warlike propensity in the bee is 

 like the same propensity in man. It is 

 meant for the protection of precious 

 interests and vested rights. The com- 

 bative element in man is intimately 

 connected with that quality of energy 

 which is so essential to success in life, 

 and I am inclined to think it is much 

 the same with the bee. As a whole- 

 some dread of the law keeps many 

 theives honest, so a like fear of bee- 

 stings prevent nocturnal marauders 

 from robbing hives. Mr. Hawley's ac- 

 count of the Brazilian or stingless bees 

 is 



HARD TO BELIEVE. 



He has been able to find but one in- 

 stance of their being tried outside of 

 Brazil. That was in Germany. The 

 experimenter claimed that these bees 

 were far more prolific ; that they stored 

 on an average fully a guarter more 



had longer tongues; that they were 

 more hardy ; that they were not ad- 

 dicted to robbing; that the queens 

 would not mate with other drones ; that 

 they are as large as the Italian, and 

 quite as handsome. All these good 

 qualities, and no stings! Truly this is 

 the apis angelica I O for an apiary of 

 them ! They would be " pets " in spite 

 of themselves! Wouldn't I caress and 

 fondly them, even if they buzzed dis- 

 content at my loving attentions ! But 

 I cannot help thinking that if such a 

 race of bees had found their way to 

 Germany, there would be more than 

 one instance on record of their being 

 tried. Our transatlantic brethern 

 would not have been blind to their 



angelic attributes. That class of apiar- 

 ists, who, like myself, are bee-hated, 

 would have heard of them ; adopted 

 them ; multiplied them ; and before 

 now, there would have been any quan- 

 tity of stingless bees in the market. 

 One word more as to the 



STINGLESS 1SEE SOCIETY OF AMERICA. 



Mr. Hawley may be thoroughly honest 

 and upright. From my slight knowl- 

 edge of him, I am inclined to think that 

 he is. But an " association " of which 

 he is president, executive, and mem- 

 bership, can hardly be expected to in- 

 spire public confidence. If he were 

 well known as a responsible bee-keeper; 

 had these bees in actual possession ; 

 could state from personal experience, 

 that they were angelic insects ; and 

 offered them for sale from his own 

 apiary, the case would be different. As 

 it is, it is proposed to try an experiment, 

 on an insufficient guarantee. Bee- 

 keepers have been swindled so often, 

 that it is no wonder they have learned 

 caution, and even become suspicious. 

 With all my lack of faith, I would like 

 to see the experiment tried, but I con- 

 fess I do not see much likelihood of it, 

 in the present shape of matters. If 

 Mr. Hawley could go to Brazil, as Mr. 

 Jones did to Cyprus and Palestine, on 

 his own hook, import the harmless 

 creatures, and then offer them for sale, 

 the thing would be feasible. The men- 

 tion of Mr. Jones reminds me that he 

 has embarked in an enterprise which 

 fills me with 



HORROR AND ALARM. 



He has undertaken to import the big 

 bee of Java, that awe-inspiring insect, 

 about which I read a paper at the 

 Chicago meeting of the North Ameri- 

 can Bee-Keepers' Association. I im- 

 plored my fellow-bee-keepers to give, 

 that dreadful bee a " good letting alone" 

 until I was dead and gone. That a fel- 

 low Canadian should be so cruel as to 

 bring this fearful apis to my country, is 

 indeed "the unkindest cut of all!" 

 But Jones says he doesn't care if their 

 stings are an inch long, provided they 

 will gather more honey than others. 

 He is not satisfied with 250 pounds of 

 honey per hive, and a prospect of $10,- 

 000 profit next year. Covetous man ! 

 He will certainly find himself in the 

 penitentiary or some other awful place, 

 if he introduces into a civilized country 

 like Canada, such a savage barbarian 

 of an insect as the big bee of Java ! 



THE WEEKLY. 



I cannot close without expressing my 

 gratification that the American Bee 

 Journal has grown into a Weekly, and 

 my hope that its success in that form 

 may be even greater than that of its 

 monthly predecessor. 



Listowel, Ont., Jan. 15, 1881. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Notes by the Way-Side. 



H. L. JEFFREY. 



I have been thinking for the past two 

 seasons I would try to send you a report 

 in the shape of "Notes by the Way- 

 Side." Since I was appointed Vice 

 President of the National Association, 

 in 1879, 1 have devoted all the time I 

 could spare in trying to give a little in- 

 formation to the box-hive bee-men that 

 are within 20 miles of me, and I have 

 picked up a few items that I think call 

 for an article that will invite the atten- 

 tion of amateurs, novices and special- 

 ists to look out for some trouble, andtne 

 cause I cannot determine, though I am 

 satisfied it is not a fungoid growth. 

 Mr. L. A. Pennoyer's letter, on page 3 

 of the American Bee Journal for 

 Jan. 5, is what has caused me to men- 

 tion the trouble now. It is not the reg- 

 ular foul brood, but, so far as I can 

 learn, it is just as destructive in its ten- 

 dency to depopulate a colony. The first 

 symptoms shown are that nice combs of 

 larva? are to the casual observer sud- 

 denly nothing but empty cells, or even 

 a comb well stored with' eggs, and yet 

 the colony keeps running down or de- 

 populating till there are no bees left. 



In this trouble the brood simply dries 

 up, and if the comb is looked at in the 

 same position it occupied in the hive, 



