DEVOTED TO SCIENTIFIC BEE-CULTURE AND THE PRODUCTION AND SALE OF PURE HONEY. 



VOL. XVII. 



CHICAGO, ILL., DECEMBER 28, 1881. 



No. 52. 



Published every Wednesday, by 



THOMAS G. NEWMAN, 



Editor and Proprietor, 

 974 WEST MADISON ST., CHICAGO, ILL. 



TEKMS OP SUBSCRIPTION! 



WEEKLY— (52 numbers) S3 a year, in advance. 

 Three or Six Months at the same rate. 



SEMI-MONTHLY— The first and third numbered 

 eacli month, at ISl.OO a year, in advance. 



MONTHLY— The first number of each month, at 

 5© cents a year, in advance. 



tW Any person sending a club of six is entitled 

 to an extra copy Hike the club) sent to any address 

 desired. Sample copies furnished free. 



BJT" Remit by money-order, registered letter, ex- 

 press or bank draft on Chicago or New York, pay- 

 able to our order. Such only are at our risk. Checks 

 on local banks cost us 25 cents for collecting. 



Free of postage in the United States or Canada. 

 Postage to Europe SO ceuts extra. 



Entered at Chicago post office as second class matter. 



This Number ends Volume XVII. 



This number of the AslericanBee 

 Journal closes the volume for 1881 — 

 the first year of the Weekly. The en- 

 thusiasm caused by its weekly visits 

 is even greater than our most san- 

 guine expectations, and it is exceed- 

 ingly gratifying to know that our ef- 

 forts to make an acceptable Weekly 

 paper are so universally appreciated. 

 To all we return thanks for generous 

 encouragement. 



It is hardly necessary to say that, 

 for the coming year, we shall devote 

 all our energy, determined to make 

 the Journal even more interesting 

 and instructive than it has heretofore 

 been, if that is within the range of 

 possibilities. Its record, character, 

 power and usefulness, in the past, 

 will be its guarantee for the future, 

 ever keeping in view the one grand 

 object of its existence, that of further- 

 ing the interests of honey producers, 

 by losing no opportunity to create a 

 demand for this God-given product, 

 opening up new avenues for its use, 

 creating new demands and eager pur- 

 chasers, both at home and abroad — 

 thus benefiting every honey producer. 



In short, the Weekly Bee Journal 

 will continue to be the medium of the 

 best thoughts of the most advanced 

 apiarists of this age. It will keep 



abreast of the highest progress, favor 

 the freest discussion, and, by every 

 means in its power, advance progres- 

 sive bee-culture. 



With this issue several thousand 

 subscriptions expire, and as we do not 

 wish to lose any of them, we earnestly 

 invite all to promptly renew, and 

 thus save the unnecessary trouble of 

 taking the names from our mail list, 

 and having to replace them again in a 

 few days. Promptness in this will 

 save us much valuable time and 

 perplexity. 



Once in a while we receive a rather 

 uncourteous letter because the Bee 

 Journal is discontinued when the 

 time is out that has been paid for. We 

 try.to please all our subscribers, but it 

 is not an easy task for us to determine 

 who does and who does not want it 

 so continued ; so we must ask to be 

 informed on the subject. 



Now, if all who desire it continued 

 would drop us a postal card, or men- 

 tion it when they are sending a remit- 

 tance, it would save us much trouble 

 and themselves the annoyance of 

 having the Journal stopped. 



As this is the last article for the 

 year, we commence at one the labors 

 of the new year, stopping but a mo- 

 ment to wish all our readers 



A HAPPY NEW YEAR. 



(j^ Christmas has come and gone, 

 with its good cheer, joyous smiles and 

 happiness generally. On Christmas 

 eve, the editor received a small box 

 with the following letter from Mr. W. 

 H. Smith, of Burlington, Iowa : 



I send you by express, charges pre- 

 paid, a Christmas present consisting 

 of 2 jars of the nicest honey you ever 

 ate, in my opinion ; if you find it so, 

 please report. It is made from willow 

 bloom, and was taken from the second 

 story of the hive last July. It has 

 crystalized and has been again liqui- 

 fied. 



Your request for bee and honey 

 report was too early in the season for 

 me. Our bees were gathering honey 

 at that time, and ?$ of it was yet on 

 the hive. We were very successful 

 with our bees last winter, losing a few 

 late in March and April ; some starved 

 and some were queenless, making Sin 

 all, leaving 42, I believe, to commence 

 the season with. From these we ob- 

 tained nearly 2,000 lbs. of honey ; 

 about 600 lbs. being extracted, the 

 balance comb. We increased by nat- 

 ural swarming to 85 colonies ; in the 

 meantime we Italianized 18 colonies. 

 Our honey is put up in the most ap- 

 proved plan, and sells more readily 

 than others at fair prices. 



The honey was exquisite ; and we 

 have no doubt that it is even superior 



to the honey from Mount Hymettus, 

 of which the ancient Grecian Sages 

 wrote — calling it " food for the gods." 

 At least, the honey we have eaten, 

 gathered from thyme on that histori- 

 cally celebrated mountain, did notsuit 

 our palate as well. Mr. Smith has our 

 thanks for the honey, and especially 

 for the kind thoughtfulness which 

 prompted him to remember us at 

 Christmas time. 



The Apiary Register will be ready to 

 send out early in January. 



It devotes 2 pages to each colony, 

 embracing between twenty and thirty 

 headings, neatly ruled and printed, 

 with space at bottom for remarks, and 

 so arranged that a single glance will 

 give a complete history of the colony. 

 Each book will also contain printed 

 rules for the apiary, and twelve pages 

 ruled and printed for an apiary cash 

 account. As each book is intended 

 for a several years' record, it is gotten 

 up on first class paper, and strongly 

 bound in full leather covers. There 

 will be three sizes, sent postpaid, at 

 the following prices : 



For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00 



" 100 colonies 220 pages 1 50 



" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00 



The larger ones can be used for a 

 few colonies, give room for an increase 

 of numbers, and still keep the record 

 all together in one book, and are there- 

 fore the most desirable ones to pro- 

 cure at the start. We have added 

 these to our new Premium List for 

 getting up Clubs for the Bee Jour- 

 nal, as will be seen on page 407. 



Send in your orders at once, and the 

 books will be forwarded as soon as 

 completed. 



Time Now to Mature Plans for Next 



Season. — The Indiana Farmer gives 

 the following good advise : 



A few colonies of bees, if well man- 

 aged, will, one season with another, 

 afford sufficient honey for any ordinary 

 sized family, besides a surplus for 

 sale. Now while your bees are rest- 

 ing is the time to study up, and ma- 

 ture plans for the next season's work. 

 Good books fully up to the times are 

 within the reach of all. Read upon 

 the subject to be able to avoid the 

 many mistakes made by those who 

 have gone before. For one of the 

 very first requisites toward successful 

 bee-keeping, is a knowledge of the 

 nature and temperment of the bees, 

 and the means by which they are to 

 be governed. 



<@T The Bee Journal of next year 

 will be stitched, the edges trimmed, 

 and each number will have 16 pages . 



How to get the Weekly Bee Journal 

 free of cost for 1882.— Until further 

 notice, any subscriber who desires to 

 obtain a good book on apiculture, can 

 have either Cook's Manual, Quinby's 

 New Bee-Keeping, or Novice's ABC, 

 bound in cloth, postpaid, and the 

 Weekly Bee Journal for one year, 

 for $3.00 ; or with King's Text-Book, 

 or Blessed Bees (a romance), bound 

 in cloth , for $2.75. The Journal and 

 all five books for $6.00. This is a rare 

 chance to get a good library on bee- 

 keeping. A person can sell the books 

 for their published price, $6.00, and 

 get the Weekly Bee Journal free 

 for his trouble. 



Those having already paid for the 

 Weekly Bee Journal for 1882 may 

 send for the books alone and deduct 

 the $2 already sent for the Journal. 



Errata.— On page 397, first column, 

 the last 6 lines of the first paragraph 

 after Mr. Sayles' name, should have 

 been credited to John Hodgson. As 

 it is, it misrepresents Mr. Sayles' 

 views, and was an error of the printer. 



&T Concerning Ozone, the Sunday 

 School Times remarks as follows : 



The advertisement of " Ozone," 

 which has for a few weeks appeared in 

 our advertising columns, was not ad- 

 mitted until after satisfactory corres- 

 pondence concerning it with gentle- 

 men in prominent official position in 

 Cincinnati, to whom the advertisers 

 referred. Those gentlemen certified 

 favorably, to the Publisher, concern- 

 ing the preserving qualities of Ozone, 

 and the good standing of those adver- 

 tising it. 



The Bee Journal twice refused 

 the advertisement, but being assured 

 of the good standing of the Company, 

 as well as of the good qualities of the 

 article, we inserted it a few times, as 

 have some of the best papers in 

 America. 



Prof. A. B. Prescott, of the Ann Ar- 

 bor University, has analyzed the com- 

 pound and declares that it is not ozone 

 at all, but powdered charcoal and sul- 

 phur, with a little cinnamon in it, to 

 give it a pleasant odor while burning. 



We give this testimony in justice to 

 our patrons, and advise caution, though 

 the Prentiss Co. threaten to prosecute 

 any one who may interfere with their 

 business. 



<@T The Kansas Bee-Keeper, pub- 

 lished by Scovell & Anderson, is to be 

 enlarged to a 20-page pamphlet in 

 1882, and the price raised to 60 cents a 

 year. See our new clubbing rates 

 with it, in another column. 



