AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



689 



there are now three strong colonies well 

 supplied with winter stores. 



Although my bees are situated in the 

 heart of the city, on a third-story 

 balcony, far removed from any pasture, 

 the original colony yielded about 50 

 pounds of white comb honey of delicate 

 flavor. 



One of my queens was reared by Doo- 

 little's plan, and although it is a method 

 which requires a combination of patience, 

 nerve and faith in a novice, where the 

 space for manipulation is extremely 

 limited, it is certainly one which will 

 insure the best queens, and I look for- 

 ward with keen pleasure to the coming 

 summer for increased knowledge and 

 space wherein to practice queen-rearing. 



For this winter's experiments my bal- 

 cony has been partly enclosed in glass 

 with arrangements for heating. One 

 colony is to continue active all winter, for 

 purposes of study, relative to food pre- 

 ferred by the bees. If any of the Bee 

 Journal correspondents have had ex- 

 perience in studying bees during the 

 winter in a glass enclosure, I would ap- 

 preciate any information given in regard 

 to management. 



The American Bee Journal comes 

 to me each week, and is always read 

 with much interest, and referred to 

 frequently. Answers to the following 

 questions will be thankfully received: 



1. What winter flowering plants could 

 be placed in my conservatory, which 

 would be most attractive to the bees ? 



2. Would the limited facilities for 

 flight have a bad effect upon the bees, 

 if light, heat, food and ventilation were 

 properly arranged? 



3. Would regular feeding result in the 

 production of drones? and, if so, could 

 fertilization take place within the con- 

 servatory ? 



4. Do flowers in a green-house, under 

 artificial heat, yield the same amount of 

 nectar that they would under natural 

 circumstances ? Carrie B. Aaron. 



Philadelphia, Pa. 



The foregoing questions were referred 

 to Prof. A. J. Cook, of Agricultural Col- 

 lege, Mich., who has kindly replied to 

 them as follows : 



The investigations which Mrs. or Miss 

 Aaron proposes to carry forward are 

 certainly very interesting, and we may 

 wish her all success. 



1. There are many flowers of our con- 

 servatories that furnish nectar, notably 

 poinsettia, which secretes nectar so 



abundantly that we have been able to 

 collect enough for analysis ; and mig- 

 nonette. There must be many others, 

 as Mr. Root found a conservatory in 

 New York city, where bees were kept 

 all winter, specially to work on the 

 flowers, and so increase seed production. 

 I would suggest that the questioner cor- 

 respond with Mr. A. I. Root, of Medina, 

 Ohio, and learn just where the conser- 

 vatory is ; and as she is so near, she 

 could easily visit it. 



2. I should not expect bees to prosper 

 in a green-house, but as "nothing suc- 

 ceeds like success," if it has succeeded 

 in New York city, it will doubtless suc- 

 ceed in Philadelphia. 



3. .If the colony prospered sufficiently, 

 no doubt drones would be produced, but 

 there is much doubt if such would be the 

 case. From quite extensive experimen- 

 tation, trying to mate bees in our con- 

 servatory, I question if it can ever be 

 made a success. The drones seem 

 alarmed, and pay no possible heed to the 

 queens. I do not believe mating bees in 

 confinement can ever be made a success. 



4. That flowers in a conservatory do 

 secrete abundant nectar, is proved by 

 the poinsettia already referred to. The 

 experiments performed by Prof. L. H. 

 Bailey, of Cornell University, give added 

 support to this view. It is probable that 

 even artificial light would result in pro- 

 ducing nectar, as well as in vigor of 

 growth. Bee-keepers will watch the 

 results of this experiment with no small 

 interest. A. J. Cook. 



"Bees and Honey" — page 685. 



Another Hive has been patented, 

 this time by Mr. John Conser, of Mis- 

 souri, dated Sept. 27, 1892. After 

 describing the improvements, the claims 

 of Mr. Conser are set forth as follows : 



1. The combination of a hatching-box 

 provided with compartments adapted 

 for the reception of brood-frames, hives 

 arranged adjacent to the hatching-box, 

 and having brood-frames adapted to be 

 placed into the compartments of the 

 hatching-box, and conductors connect- 

 ing the hives with the compartments of 

 the hatching-box, and provided with 

 queen-excluders, substantially as and 

 for the purpose described. 



2. The combination of a hatching-box' 

 provided with an opening, a hive ar- 

 ranged adjacent to the hatching-ho\, 



