1881. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



331 



dampness, and was now convinced the 

 hives should stand in winter where 

 thej would get all the sunshine. _ 

 Rev. L.Johnson, Kentucky, thinKs 



bees can usually he revived alter sev- 

 eral hours apparent death, except 

 where dysenterj has been the cause. 

 Mr. Johnson recited several instances 



where he had resuscitated bees ap- 

 parently dead from cold and from 

 drowning. , , 



C. F. Math corroborated Mr. .John- 

 son's views. , , . , 



F Delia Torre, Maryland, claimed 

 that dysentery was directly attributa- 

 ble to excessive moisture in the hive. 

 Sulphuretted hydrogen is caused by 

 the dampness, and this is a deadly 

 poison ; however, this can be over- 

 come by several chemical agents 

 among which is quick-time (unslaeked 



lime.) , , 



Miss Marie Nottnogel, Lexington, 

 Kv.. a beautiful little girl ot 7 years, 

 delivered a short recitation on the 

 honey bee, and was decorated a mem- 

 ber of the North American Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Society by President Cook, in an 

 eloquent little address. 



The following valuable paper from 

 \V. T. Stewart, Eminence, Ivy., was 

 read.entittled 



The Cultivation of Honey Plants. 

 Good forage of honey producing plants 

 is the foundation or chief corner-stone ot 

 profitable bee-keeping. We may be lull ot 

 knowledge pertaining to science in api- 

 culture, have all the books ami journals, 

 the best strains of bees, best hives, with 

 the best surplus arrangements, best extrac- 

 tors and foundation machines, etc., ana 

 with all these, if we are located where 

 pasturage is not plentiful, we cannot 

 make bee-keeping profitable. Good and 

 plenty of forage is the mainspring that 

 makes all the other things a success, it is 

 folly to try, or expect., or even hope to 

 make bee-keeping pay in dollars and cents 

 without a sufficiency of honey plants from 

 which to obtain honey, and yet it i_s the 

 most neglected thing in the bee business. 

 But few of us have ample pasturage nat- 

 urally for our bees, and the best of loca- 

 tions can be greatly improved at a trifling 

 cost and the very worst locations can be 

 made eood by a judicious planting for tor- 

 age The cost of artificial pasturage is but 

 a trifle when compared with the good re- 

 sulting from it. A few dollars spent in 

 making pasturage will pay a big percent- 

 age on the investment, if invested intelli- 

 gently. What to plant, when, where, and 

 how to cultivate to obtain the best possi- 

 ble results is what we want, and it is very 

 essential that we have a knowledge of the 

 nature of the various plants, and also tne 

 value of each particular plant as a honey 

 producer. It is just as easy to plant the 

 eood, as it is the poor, and takes the same, 

 land for either. After considerable exper- 

 imenting and close observation comparing 

 and calculating, I have come to the follow- 

 ing conclusions as to what is best to culti- 

 vate, and how to cultivate it : By obser- 

 vation, comparisons and calculations, 1 

 conclude that figwort (Simpson honey 

 plant) is the best honey plant I ever saw 

 Motherwort, second best ; catnip, third 

 best: melilot, fourth best, etc., and 1 prove 

 it in this way, to wit : White clover is 

 called king of honey plants, and we begin 

 bv comparing the advantages and disad- 

 vantages of the one plant with the other, 

 hence we get facts. 



For cultivation, white clover blooms the 

 second year from the seed, beginning to 

 bloom in .June, branching and blooming 

 profusely for 30 or todays, yielding abund- 

 ance of nectar, and of superior quality, is 

 greatly affected bv atmospheric changes, 

 some seasons being nearly a failure on this 

 account ; it secretes nectar about halt of 

 each day when the weather is favorable, 

 and fails some days in the best of seasons; 

 winter kills badly, etc., producing nectar 

 only about 15 or 30 days, averaging one 

 season with another. 



Figwort blooms the second year from 

 the seed, blooming the first of July, and 

 continues spreading and blooming until 

 killed by cold weather, or about 120 days 

 here in Kentucky. It will yield as much 

 honey to the flower as clover, and produce 

 as many flowers to the acre per day as clo- 

 ver It yields nectar from daylight till 

 dark every day, despite atmospheric 

 changes. Nectar is of first quality; it 

 conies from the root for a lifetime, where 

 once planted, winter does not kill ; it does 

 not need to be cultivated when once estab- 

 lished AVe at once see that with the same 

 number of acres of each, figwort is the 

 best bv about 80 to 100 days of honey har- 

 vest (quite an item). Motherwort bears 

 nearly the same comparison with clover as 

 does figwort ; the only important differ- 

 ence is that it does not hold out as long by 



about. 30 days as figwort. But even then 

 it lasts about -I times as long as clover, 

 and is fine forage as long as it lasts. U» 

 nip is a very excellent honey plant, and is 

 a favorite with bees. It blooms full three 

 months, and produces rich nectar, and 

 ihai abundantly; is easy grown from seea, 



blooms the second year, and continues to 

 spread and grow from the old root tor 

 years; it seeds itself, and new plants are 



constantly springing up. The old plants 

 are easily killed where not wanted. It will 

 richly pay to seed all the fence corners 

 ami place's not cultivated, with catnip. It 

 prefers rich, loose soil, but will grow 

 wherever yon tell it to. Melilot comes 

 readily from new seed, and blooms tin- 

 second and third years, then dies root and 

 branch, but will re-seed itself anywhere 

 and everywhere in the neighborhood nl 

 the old plant. It will thrive on any soil, 

 hard or loose— it has this advantage over 

 any other fine honey plant; and is just 

 about as good along traveled roadsides as 

 anywhere ; it is well suited for nooks and 

 comers ; it blooms profusely for full three 

 months, and is rich in nectar when it is 

 not too dry and windy. Honey is of good 

 quality, and you cannot afford to do with- 

 out it, and when once you have it you will 

 never be without it. • . 



Basswood is good, if we have plenty ot 

 it naturally ; but to undertake to cultivate 

 it alone for honey, would not be wise; 

 while you are waiting about 10 years tor it 

 to bloom from seed, you can get rich from 

 the fig and motherwort, judicious y 

 planted. Basswood yields abundantly 

 while in bloom.but it only lasts 10or 13 days 

 each season, and fails entirely some sea- 

 sons. But if you have plenty of forage 

 for the present, it will do well to plant tor 

 the future, to have in your old age. None 

 of the above named plants furnish pol- 

 len to any extent. For pollen the best 

 thing to cultivate is white mustard sowed 

 at intervals of 3 weeks on the same land, 

 you will have a golden sea of bloom until 

 freezing cold. It will bloom in 3 weeks 

 from seed, and the seed is ripe ready to 

 plant again in 4 waeks from planting. 

 The seed are valuable and ready sale. 

 While for rich pollen, it is undoubtedly 

 the best plant that grows, and yields on 

 fair days a goodly quantity of golden col- 

 ored honey of good flavor. 



e,u Money wi j;uu,. »k..w.. .... - 



Now 1 will give my plan of planting tor 

 surplus honey. I would plow and harrow 

 30 acres of rich land in the fall of the year, 

 and sow it thickly with figwort, mother- 

 wort and catnip mixed in equal quantities, 

 and then harrow or brush it in lightly, 

 then I would go to the forest and procure 

 enough basswood, wbitewood and poplar 

 bushes 3 or 4 years old, to plant the same 

 landtfO feet apart each way, either in the 

 fall or spring. The shade of the trees is 

 a benefit to tig and motherwort the second 

 year. I would start my apiary with 150 

 colonies near by, and, as the forage spread 

 and increased as it will do, 1 would in- 

 crease the number of colonies very early 

 in the spring. Each season I would scat- 

 ter white mustard seed all over the 30 

 acres for early pollen, and to stimulate 

 brood rearing, which it will do to perfec- 

 tion. In aoout 2 weeks from first sowing 

 of mustard, I would sow again. Both 

 crops will be ripe and goue, before the 

 other plants are ready to bloom, and the 

 seed, if saved nicely, will bring nearly as 

 much as an average crop of wheat. I he 

 mustard will keep the ground shaded and 

 moist, and be an advantage to the after 

 crop of honey plants. Besides all this, we 

 will get the benefit of clover and all nat- 

 ural forage just the same as we do now. 

 I would increase outside forage at the 

 same time, by seeding all the road sides 

 and rough places with melilot. But 1 

 would keep it out of my cultivated fig and 

 motherwort field. 



Bee-men beginning to see the Import- 

 ance of planting for surplus, we can sell 

 seed enough each year to defray all ex- 

 penses of 20 acres of land, and still seed 

 enough will fail on the ground to supply 

 all the vacant spaces ; then in 7 or 8 years 

 our basswood and poplar will begin to 

 bloom. Then with all these advantages 

 of forage and proper management of the 

 apiary, we would astonish the world with 

 our surplus honey report. Even G. M. 

 Doolittle would begin to crawl down from 

 his high pinacle of fame, and wonder at 

 our success. We at once see that all this 

 is practical, and that, too, at a tnflingcost, 

 when compared with the advantages 

 gained, especially to those who are so for- 

 tunate as to live in the country, or own a 

 little land ; us who live in town, and own 

 no land near by, cannot do so well. But 

 even then we can greatly improve our tor- 

 age. We can procure a few seeds ot the 

 above named plants growing wild, and 

 transplant them somewhere handy, where 

 we can save all the seed each year, and 

 then every time we take a little jaunt 

 around the neighborhood, we can scatter 

 a few seed in every available snot, and 

 soon it begins to spread from seed falling, 

 and greatly facilitates our chances for 

 surplus honey, without damaging any per- 



son. Another thing we ought to do. is to 

 not only plant in range of our own bees, 

 but outside of their range for other peo- 

 ple's bees. This keeps their bees oil Of 

 our bee-range, and we are the gainer ot 

 the forage in that way. 



There are many other plants not named 

 above, that we might work to good advan- 

 tage, such as peppermint along wet, low 

 places. Buckwheat, in some localities, 

 pays well to cultivate. It does no good m 

 this locality very often. Spider plant, 

 clcoiue and mignonette 1 have not testea, 

 hut suppose from reports it will nay to 

 cultivate them. There is an aster culled the 

 "last rose of summer" that is beautiful 

 on lawns, and is a most, excellent honey 

 producer late in the fall. Raspberries are 

 tine forage for bees, and also for humanity, 



and should be cultivated largely lor both. 

 1 might picture out many practical plans 

 for beautiful lawns of honey producers, 

 but it would be too tedious for thisoccasion. 

 In conclusion, let me say that it would he 

 well for us to exchange seeds with those 

 who have something that we have not, 

 and we have what they have not ; variety 

 is the spice of life. Now let us ever re- 

 member this one thing, that to make 

 money out of honey, we must have good 

 forage, and if we do not have it naturally, 

 we must make it. 

 On motion, adjourned till 9 a. m. 



MORNING SESSION, OCT. 7. 

 Mrs. Harrison, 111., offered the fol- 

 lowing resolution, which was adopted : 

 Resolved, That the President and 

 Secretary be empowered to issue life- 

 membership certificates to all bee- 

 keepers they may approve, upon the 

 reception of a fee of $10 for such mem- 

 bership, without further annual dues. 

 Dr. J. P. H. Brown, Ga., offered the 

 following, which was adopted : 



Resolved, That the Vice Presidents 

 be especially instructed to appoint 

 suitable persons in the prominent 

 towns of their respective States to 

 encourage exhibits of honey, bees, 

 etc., at the local fairs, and to secure 

 the offering of suitable premiums for 

 the same. 

 The following was adopted : 

 Resolved, That a committee be ap- 

 pointed to prepare a pamphlet contain- 

 ing statistics of the honey crop, and 

 general information about exhibits of 

 bees, honey and apicultural imple- 

 ments at fairs and expositions, and 

 advice about the best way of conduct- 

 ing the same; said pamphlets .to be 

 supplied to the Vice Presidents and 

 others, and that the committee have 

 power to draw on the Treasurer of this 

 Society for all necessary expenses. 



The President appointed the follow- 

 ing gentlemen said committee : T. G. 

 Newman, 111.; C. F. Muth, Ohio ; Dr. 

 J. P. H.Brown, Ga.; D.A.Jones, On- 

 tario, and Dr. L. E. Brown, Ky. 



The following paper was read from 

 D. A. Pike, Smithsburg, Md., giving 

 The History of the Albino Bee. 

 Late in the fall of 1873 I reared a queen 

 from a colony of Italian bees, and allowed 

 her to remain with the colony until the 

 spring of 1S74, when I noticed that one- 

 half of her worker progeny were very 

 nicely marked Italian bees, the other halt 

 being marked in the following manner: 

 About the eyes they approach nearer a 

 purple than the Italians ; beginning at the 

 waist they first have three distinct yellow 

 bands, then three distinct white bands ; 

 the white is pure, not muddy or dirty ; the 

 wings are finer, and of a bright silvery 

 color ; their shoulders and the under part 

 of the abdomen is very thickly coated with 

 white hair ; the queens are very prolific. 

 As soon as I noticed them I begad to breed 

 them out, using the greatest care, so as to 

 get them pure if possible. I removed them 

 from my own colonies to a place where 

 they were not likely to come in contact 

 with other bees. I kept them there until 

 they reproduoed themselves with all the 

 markings of the pure albino, watching 

 them very closely, and examining them 

 carefully until I no longer found any Ital- 

 ian bees among them, or any bees bearing 

 any other mark than those of the albino. 

 Then I considered that I bad them m their 

 purity, and that they would not breed 

 back to the Italian bees. 



I have tested them as to their merits, 

 and have placed them in competition with 

 the Italian and Syrian bees, all having 

 about the same pasturage, and find that 

 they gather more honey, are more gentle 

 to handle, and stick closer to the combs 

 than any other bees. The queens and 

 workers are the handsomest bees I ever 

 saw. I have given them a severe test, in 

 order that 1 might feel safe in guarantee- 



ing them to the public, and ill order to see 

 whether they were a distinct race or not. 



My observations have led me to the results 



mentioned above, and 1 do not hesitate to 

 give them the first rank in the bee world. 

 I believe that they arc the coining bee. 



The following paper, from W. J. 

 Davis. Youngsvillo, Pa., was read : 



Bee-Keeping as a means of Support. 



For ages the honey hce has I n the 



servant of man, yielding the product of 

 its labors lor his use and pleasure. Until 

 about the middle of the present century. 

 the home of the bee was the abode ot 



mystery, and whether that home was con- 

 structed of straw, clay or wood, around it 

 gathered superstitions thick and strong, 

 The discoveries of Dr. Dzierzon, of Ger- 

 many, and our own honored Kev. Lang- 

 strotb, have solved the mysteries and dis- 

 pelled superstitions, so that the apiarist of 

 to-day may know with certainty just the 

 condition Of his colonies at all times, and 

 generally able to correct all that is uuong. 

 In 1840, bee keeping in Germany was de- 

 clared to be of no importance in rural 

 economy. From 1850 to 1855, the staid old 

 Germans began to open their eyes at the 

 announcement that Dr. Dzierzon realized 

 a profit of from 30 to 50 per cent, on the 

 capital invested. And now in our own 

 country from 100 to 500 per cent, on the 

 amount invested is not an uncommon 

 yield. The use of honey and wax extrac- 

 tors, and the manufacture and useof comb 

 foundation, the importation and improve- 

 ment of the Italian bee are all things of 

 the immediate past. 



From the light of the past and present, 

 we ask what is the prospect of bee-keep- 

 ing as a business, or the sole vocation of 

 an individual. The first question to be 

 decided is, " will it pay ? " This must be 

 determined by "the man and the loca- 

 tion." It is not the province of this essay 

 to speak of the wealthy amateur, or the 

 scientist, who keeps bees alone for the 

 pleasure or knowledge derived, nor yet of 

 the farmer or mechanic, who keeps a few 

 colonies simply to supply his own table 

 with choice disbfs of honey, but as a 

 source of revenue. Neither will 1 take 

 the liberty to array the names of the 

 honey producers of the United States and 

 Canada, who have made bee-keeping a 

 financial success. But to the young man, 

 about starting in business for himself, we 

 will say that bee-keeping presents brighter 

 prospects of success.than it has in the past. 

 Scientific bee-keeping as a business, is 

 both a profession and a trade. It pays no 

 especial homage to any of the learned pro- 

 fessions. The apiarist deals with, and 

 studies the great forces of nature. He 

 sees in a marked degree the importance of 

 the early and the later rain, and the bright 

 warm sunshine at particular times, hence 

 becomes a climatologist; of necessity he 

 takes up the sciences. He studies into 

 the intricacies of animal life. He becomes, 

 in time, a botanist. Philosophy is brought 

 into use in the proper ventilation of his 

 hives, and in the construction of winter 

 repositories. He observes the difference 

 in soils for the yield of nectar from a par- 

 ticular bloom, and the effect of altitude in 

 the quality, as well as quantity of honey 

 secured. . . 



To engage in bee-keeping as a business, 

 it is necessary to understand the nature 

 and wants of the honey bee, and a knowl- 

 edge of their management. This may be 

 obtained in theory, by a study (not merely 

 a reading) of all the standard works ex- 

 tant, and journals devoted to the science 

 of bee culture. Add to this the practical 

 use of the knowledge obtained in some 

 large apiary for a year or two, if possible, 

 and then you will be prepared to look for 

 a location (as the young M. U. would say), 

 u Do not try to build up by crowding out 

 some one already established; there is 

 room enough for all the bee-keepers of the 

 United States for some time to come." 



It surplus honey be the object sought, 

 get the very best unoccupied held, if pos- 

 sible, where soft maple, red raspberry, 

 white clover and basswood abound, with- 

 out special reference to railroad facilities. 

 If the rearing and sale of superior colo- 

 nies and queens be the object in view, 

 mail and railroad facilities are very im- 

 portant. 



u lain. . .. 



Thus armed and equipped as the law di- 

 rects, a few hundred dollars may be in- 

 vested in bees, with better prospect of sat- 

 isfactory returns, than an equal amount in 

 almost any other direction. One hundred 

 dollars invested in an old horse is thought 

 to be a small matter, but glOO invested in 

 one purchase of bees, would be thought by 

 some to be extravagant. The horse may 

 turn his heels to the sun on five minutes 

 notice, and his late owner, if very saving, 

 might estimate the value of shoes and 

 hide ; but the man who invests S100 in 

 bees is expected to become a "bloated 

 bond holder " in 3 or 4 years, or " bees are 

 no good." 



It is true, we are like the farmer, met 

 by unfavorable seasons. Drouth or ex- 



