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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



■Be Season in Central Iowa. 



O. B. BABROWS. 



Unless we have a fall flow of honey, 

 which has not come yet, this part of 

 Iowa will have an exceedingly light 

 crop of surplus honey. We had an ex- 

 ceedingly fine flow of white clover honey 

 from about the middle of June until 

 about July 23, and during that time 

 two or three days of linden or basswood. 

 Now, why is there not a large surplus ? 

 Because we did not have the bees to 

 gather it. 



To illustrate : I put 100 colonies of 

 bees into the cellar the last of Novem- 

 ber, 1891, in excellent condition except 

 having the so-called honey-dew to win- 

 ter on. About Feb. 1, they became un- 

 easy, showed signs of diarrhea— bad 

 odor — and would crawl out and die on 

 the cellar bottom, until about April 1 I 

 put them out, and many of them were 

 weak in numbers. The sun shone but 

 one or two days in the week, and the 

 bees would fly out and get chilled, and 

 drop down and die. 



I put the hives back into the cellar, 

 with lots of honey in them, and when 

 spring dwindling was over, I had 48 

 colonies left, but they were generally 

 weak. By July 1 they built up and 

 commenced swarming, and as I had the 

 hives I let them swarm, and put them 

 into those which had comb built and 

 considerable honey. 



Well, the white clover and basswood 

 flows were both over by July 23, and I 

 don't think I have over 800 pounds of 

 surplus honey, while some years I have 

 had over 5,000 pounds. 



Jacob Moore, who lives four miles east, 

 put 112 colonies into the cellar, and 

 had 43 left, with a surplus now of per- 

 haps 1,000 pounds, where he has had 

 some seasons 8,000 pounds. Mr. Pink- 

 erton may have a little over 1,000 

 pounds of comb and extracted honey, 

 while one year he had 11,000 pounds. 



Mr. J. W. Sanders lost nearly all of 

 his bees, and does not expect any sur- 

 plus honey. 



My hives do not weigh quite as much 

 to-day as they did on July 24, which 

 shows that the white clover and linden 

 bloom are over, and that the fall flow 

 has not begun, and possibly may not 

 begin this year. I am inclined to think 

 that what is true of central Iowa will 

 apply to the large part of the State. 



This part of Iowa has not yet secured 

 one-fourth of a crop of honey. This 

 place (Marshalltown) has a population 



of about 10,000, with 12 or 15 grocer- 

 ies, and all the honey I have seen was 

 what I sold one of them (about 40 

 pounds). 



Farmers who keep a few bees have 

 lost about all of them, and it is only a 

 few who pay considerable attention to 

 bee-keeping, that have any bees left. I 

 see most of the bee-men living in this 

 county, every few days, and hear from 

 many outside of the county. 



During the early part of the season I 

 spend most of my time with my bees, 

 and know whether they are gaining or 

 losing in weight. I keep a record, and 

 know my bees nearly as well as a farmer 

 knows his horses or cattle as to pedigree. 



We may get a fall flow of honey yet — 

 it is what we are all looking for, but it 

 has not begun yet. The colonies are 

 slowly growing lighter in weight. Of 

 course, some farmers may have half a 

 dozen colonies near a buckwheat patch, 

 that are gathering a little honey, but 

 put 100 colonies near that same patch, 

 and the honey gathered from it would 

 not be perceptible. 



Marshalltown, Iowa, Aug. 16, 1892. 



Convention Notices. 



COLOR ADO— The Colorado State Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Association will hold their " Honey-Day " 

 in Longmont, Colo., on Sept. 28th, 1892. 



Littleton, Colo. H. Knight, Sec. 



WISCONSIN— The Southwestern Wisconsin 

 Bee-Keepers' Association will hold its next 

 annual meeting as Boscobel, Grant Co., Wis., 

 on Jan. 13 and 14, 1893. All members of the 

 Association are requested to be present as the 

 following- officers are to be elected; President, 

 Vice-President, Secretary. Assistant Sec, and 

 Treasurer. Blank Reports will be sent each 

 member, for the year 1892, with instructions. 

 A cordial invitation is extended to all bee- 

 keepers, and especially to those that would 

 like to join with us. Each member will be no- 

 tified at least one month before the meeting. 



Boscobel, Wis. Edwin Pike, Pres. 



Bee Journal Posters, printed 

 in two colors, will be mailed free upon 

 application. They may be used to ad- 

 vantage at Fairs over Bee and Honey 

 Exhibits. We will send sample copies 

 of the Bee Joubnal, to be used in con- 

 nection with the Posters in securing 

 subscribers. Write a week before the 

 Fair, telling us where to send them. We 

 would like to have a good agent at every 

 Fair to be held this year. Here is a 

 chance for a live man — or woman. 



