10 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



January 



I prefer for crossinp; the thre<?-baud- 

 ed Italians, Carniolans and blacks. If 

 I was left to choose only one strain 

 of bees I would he loath to give up 

 the blacks; especially as they make 

 the prettiest comb honey. 



Greenville, Miss.. Dec. 7, 1903. 



CHICAGO NORTHWESTERN 

 CONVENTION. 



ARTIFICIAL POLLEN. 



By C. S. Harris. 



I WAS VERY much interested in the 

 editorial concerning artificial pol- 

 len in the November issne of the 

 American Bee-Keeper. which was on 

 a line with my own experience the 

 pa.st season. 



I'suall,v after a good flow fi-om saw 

 palmetto, the bees continue brood-rear- 

 ing, Avhich keeps them in good shape 

 for the cabbage palmetto, shortly to 

 follow: but this year all colonies cur- 

 tailed their brood and many queens 

 cea.»*ed laying. 



In this i)articular instance, as re- 

 •gai'ds full colonies, it turned out to be 

 a piece of good hick, as cabbage pal- 

 metto was a complete failure and the 

 bees reared for it would have been 

 merel.v consumers: but during the saw 

 palmetto flow some queens in nuclei 

 had been badly crowded and. wanting 

 more brood. I end^eavored to get these 

 queens to lay. but with little success, 

 until pollen was obtained from some 

 source. 



At the time, a friend suggested that 

 a lack of pol](Mi might be the cause of 

 the trouble and this seemed the more 

 likely from the fact that the bees had 

 stored little or no i)ollen from magnolia 

 bloom when, generally, the combs wex'e 

 crowded with it at this time. 



Unless nectar is coming in freely 

 when magnolia is in iiloom the pollen 

 from it is apt to become a nuisanr-e. 

 as the bees will sometimes lill several 

 combs in th^e middle of the brood nest 

 with it and they are much slower in 

 removing it for the queen than honey 

 in a like i>osition. 



This locality is strong on pollen, or. 

 always has been heretofore, and this 

 is my first exjierience of a shortage. 

 It dill not occur to me to try artificial 

 pollen, but the hint furnished by Mr. 

 Paries" experience may prove of great 

 value upon some similar occasion in 

 the future. 



Holly Hill, Fla., Nov. 26, 1903. 



Advancement in the Use of Formalin Gas in Treat- 

 ing Foul Brood. 



(By .J. E. Johnson.) 



I ATTENDED the Chicago conven- 

 tion December 2nd and 3rd, and 

 I don't think a more profitable or 

 harmonious bee-keepers' convention 

 was ever held in the United States. 



On Thursday President York could 

 hardly get the bee-keepers to stop talk- 

 ing bees or get them to understand 

 that they must satisfy the inner man 

 with something to eat. Four or Ave 

 members would man.v times arise to 

 speak at once. Good natiu'e and har- 

 mony prevailed through all the con- 

 vention. There Avas a large attend- 

 ance. Among those present were Dr. 

 C. C. Miller, AV. Z. Hutchinson, E. T. 

 Abbott, Hnber Root, N. E. France. D. 

 K. Smith. Niver of New York and Fred 

 W. Muth. of Cincinnati, and many 

 other well-known bee-keeping experts. 

 Best of all everyone seemed to agree 

 that this was to be a harmonious and 

 profitalile convention: and I want to 

 say right here that I think all the un- 

 kind feelings aroused at I^os Angeles 

 were tied up in a bundle and sunk 

 in Lake Michigan. Uet us hope never 

 to rise again. Let us all practice for- 

 bearance and patience with one an- 

 other. We are not all built alike, and 

 don't see alike. I belieAe we all want 

 to do what is right and surely we afl 

 want the National Association to pros- 

 per. I don't expect to be able to do 

 much good, but I do want to impress 

 upon the minds of all that it is so 

 ver.y easy to do harm. 



I believe the venerable Deacon is 

 right in a certain sense about the two 

 opposing parties, and that is this: 

 When friends misunderstand each oth- 

 er and are caused to utter bitter words 

 against each other, when tiie light of 

 forgiveness and forbearance shines iu 

 upon them, the.v will know each oth- 

 er's metal and be bound in closer 

 friendship than ever. In the good book 

 it sa.vK that in the day of .iudgment 

 those that are to be clad in white robes 

 have come up out of great tribulation. 

 lA>t our motto be kind words and kind 

 feelings toward one another, ami 5,000 



