AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



529 



pastures new. They went in the direc- 

 tion of my neighbor, who had the bee- 

 tree in his yard. In a few minutes the 

 whole neighborhood was disturbed by the 

 most terrific beating and rattling of 

 bells and tin pans that I have ever had 

 the misfortune to listen to. I knew by 

 this outrageous racket that my bees had 

 gone to his house, and that everything 

 on the place was producing all the 

 racket it could, in order to settle them. 



But as I had the queen's wings clip- 

 ped, the bees were not gone long before 

 they returned to the hive where J had 

 the queen caged by this time, and placed 

 on the frames. They quickly entered, 

 and all seemed to be contented until the 

 next day about 10 o'clock they again 

 came out, and went to my neighbor's 

 tree, and went into the tree, but soon 

 returned to the hive where the queen 

 was left. 



These proceedings were repeated for 

 several days, until finally one day, ac- 

 cording to my friend's opinion, the 

 " moon got right," and the tree was cut. 

 But to his great sorrow there was not a 

 dozen bees in the tree. However, the 

 cutting settled the trouble ; the bees all 

 returned to the hive, and soon filled it 

 full of comb and honey. 



I am happy to say that myself and the 

 rest of my neighbors soon recovered from 

 the awful shock caused by the atrocious 

 beating and rattling of the tinware. 



C. B. Bankston. 



Thorndale, Texas. 



Friend B., don't you think you ought 

 to have given your neighbor that swarm 

 of bees ? 



Colonies Visiting Each Other. 



I claim that my apiary is the original 

 " Red, White and Blue " in the State of 

 Texas, and probably in the United 

 States. My hives are all numbered. I 

 was looking through my apiary one 

 morning recently, and my. attention was 

 drawn to quite a number of bees crawl- 

 ing from No. 25 into No. 26. My 

 curiosity was so excited that I sat down 

 and looked at their actions for quite 

 awhile, but I failed to solve the (to me) 

 mystery. I looked at them several times 

 during the day, and the same actions 

 were being carried on. Each colony 

 was strong, and was working with a 

 vim, carrying in honey and pollen. 



A week has now passed by, and the 

 same actions are going on, but more 

 strongly in the morning. I opened both 

 hives, and apparently all was right. 



Each colony appeared to be storing 

 honey. This is something new and 

 strange to me. If they pass from No. 

 26 to 25, they go on the wing and crawl 

 back. My hives are about 12 inches 

 apart. 



Later. — I now suspect robbing, but if 

 so the mystery is not yet solved, as both 

 colonies are strong, and No. 25 makes 

 no resistance whatever, but submits 

 quietly as though they were helpless. I 

 will keep watch of this curious freak, 

 and try to find out all I can, and report. 

 They may be crazy, for ought I know. 

 This is central Texas, and the ther- 

 mometer has been 102° in the shade. I 

 noticed the bees standing on their heads 

 and fanning their wings for dear life. 

 J. C. Bell. 



Holland, Tex., Sept. 20, 1892. 



Friend Bell, your hives are too close 

 together. The bees have become just 

 about the same as one colony. They 

 may carry the honey from one hive to 

 the other. I have often found one of 

 the colonies broken up entirely where 

 two were so close together that the bees 

 could " neighbor " by crawling from one 

 to the other. Try your hives farther 

 apart, and all will be well. 



At the Dallas Fair, in Texas, on Oct. 

 27th, a great bee-meeting will be held 

 for Southern bee-keepers. Don't fail to 

 be there. 



He Uses Printers' Ink.— Wm. 

 L. Douglass, whose countenance is seen 

 in his advertisement in so many periodi- 

 cals, has built up his extensive business 

 almost wholly through liberal and per- 

 sistent advertising. His first year of 

 advertising was a trifle, comparatively, 

 the Boston Herald getting $90 in 1883. 

 Since then he has increased it to $100,- 

 000, and the year ending with July 1st, 

 1893, it will be $150,000. When he 

 first commenced to advertise, his busi- 

 ness was $450,000 ; this year it will be 

 $1,750,000. This is the shoe business 

 which he has built up since 1883. We 

 mention these facts as a lesson to mer- 

 chants on advertising as the source of 

 success. With the means used and the 

 accompanying business sagacity, this 

 success should be expected. The readers 

 of this in like manner may secure it ! 



