THE AMERICAl^ BEE JOURNAL. 



259 



^^-•AS^3B3^IOA^,.^^ 





THOMAS G. NEWMAN, 



Vol. nil. April 28, 1886. 1.17. 





JllEJ!LI|llj. 



Those who Plant potatoes should read 

 the "A B C of Potato Culture" before 

 plantint;. 



Mr. Boar, one of the prominent citizens 

 of Gordon, Ga., met with a most singular 

 death lately. On his return from a trip over 

 his field he noticed bees swarming. He 

 undertook to hive them, when they turned 

 upon him, settling upon his face, hands and 

 neck, and stung him to death. 



The Vineyard men are Speaking 

 Out.— Mr. E. Ba.xter, one of the proprietors 

 of the " Golden Hills Vineyards," at Nauvoo, 

 Ills., writes as follows concerning the article 

 by Mr. N. W. McLain, in the last issue of the 

 Bee Journal : 



I have just read the article on " Bees to- 

 Fruit," on page 24.5 of the Amehican Bee 

 JOUR.N'AL, which coincides with my personal 

 observations for years past ; as I have seen 

 the bees wild and eager for food, on clusters 

 that could yield nothing to them, being 

 sound in the berry. 



The evidence is accumulating that bees do 

 not injure sound grapes— and comes from 

 the careful and successful grape-growers 

 themselves. 



The C;reat X:iieiuy of knowledge is not 

 error, but inertness. All that we want is 

 discussion, and then we are sure to do well, 

 no matter what our blunders maybe. One 

 error conflicts with another; each destroys 

 its opponent, and the truth is evolved. This 

 is the course of the human mind, and it is 

 from this point of view that the authors of 

 new ideas, the proposersof new contrivances 

 and the originators of new heresies are 

 benefactors of their species ; whether they 

 are right or wrong is the least part of the 

 question. They tend to excite the mind ; 

 they disturb the public sloth.— Bucfcle. 



The AlternalliiK Hive, mentioned by 

 Mr. Kretchmcr, on page 204, i-amc duly, and 

 has been examined carefully. This matter 

 reminds us of a story— one that greatly 

 impressed us during our school-days, over 

 40 years ago. It was this : Two men were 

 coming towai'ds each other from ditferent 

 directions, and both saw a lizard-like reptile 

 on a low branch of a tree. Both men admired 

 its color. One declared that it was blood- 

 red ; the other, astonished at the color- 

 blindness of his friend, said he was a fool- 

 that the color was bottle-green. Both men 

 became excited, and quarreled vigorously. 

 They rushed at each other to decide by 

 blows the controversy— when, taking a look 

 at the reptile, each was astonished to find 

 that both were right I It was a chameleon, 

 and its color in the sunlight, but reflected 

 the hues of the surrounding objects. Being 

 disturbed by its visitors it became mottled, 

 the colors varying in different parts of the 

 body, as it is capable of doing very rapidly. 

 It was blood-red or bottle-green by turns, 

 and both of the disputants were right ! 



.Tust so, in this old hive matter, both are 

 right and both are wrong. Mr. Heddon, no 

 doubt, relied upon what he read in the 

 Patent Speciflcations ; in the last paragraph 

 of the first page it is distinctly stated that 

 " the bottom-board, G, of the box is perma- 

 nently attached to the sides." 



In the hive sent by Mr. Kretchmer the 

 bottom-board is attached to one side only, 

 and in a peculiar maimer. It is attached to 

 one end of the alighting-board by a piece of 

 sheet-iron, and also to a piece at the rear of 

 the hive in the same manner. Both the 

 alighting-board and the piece at the rear of 

 the hive, swing horizontally on screws near 

 one corner, by which they are attached to 

 the box. 



Mr. Heddon judged by what he read in the 

 Patent Speciflcations, and Mr. Kretchmer 

 had in mind the peculiar tjottom of a hive, 

 as shown in the model— and the story of the 

 chameleon is a good illustration; fuller light 

 reveals the true situation. 



But why discuss these minor matters any 

 furtherV Mr. Kretchmer says on page 2fJ4. 

 that he has "carefully examined Mr. Hed- 

 don's hive and special system for which it 

 was constructed," and adds the following as 

 his conclusions : 



I most cheerfully admit, with all due 

 honor to Mr. Heddon, that many of the 

 various combinations nre new, when applied 

 to that system of management and manipu- 

 lations laid down in his book ; and since 

 reading his patent, I believe that the claims 

 and combinations in it are valid. 



We did not intend to have anything to say 

 on this controvers.v, but now being appealed 

 to by both parties, we have given the fore- 

 going, and hope It will end the discussion 

 now too long drawn out. 



To give away a copy of " Honey as Food 

 and Medicine" to every one who buys a 

 package of honey, will sell almost any quan- 

 tity of It. 



I.. Reed, Orono, Mich., has sent us a 

 sample of the louse nectar which the bees 

 gathered last fall for winter stores. Of 

 course it cost him a loss of about 20 per 

 cent, of his bees. Fortunately for Mr. Reed's 

 bees, the winter has been a short and mild 

 one, and he adds : 



My bees are now in splendid condition ; 

 young bees are playing to-day. We have 

 lately had warm .lune weather ; and no 

 frosts for the last ten days. Bees are work- 

 ing on the soft maples and willows. The 

 prospect is good for a large yield of honey. 



In 'Temtlnti lleewivax, says an exchange, 

 when it Is chewed It should have no disa- 

 greeable taste, and must not stick to the 

 teeth. In the adulterated wax the nature of 

 the foreign material can generally be 

 detected by the tast« ; the addition of fat 

 can gencrully be readily detected. If it 

 sticks to the teeth, the preseneeof resin may 

 be assumed. A simple method of detecting 

 the presence of fat in wax consists in melt- 

 ing it and placing a drop on a piece of 

 woolen cloth ; after It Is perfectly cold and 

 solidifled, pour on a few drops of 90 per 

 cent, alcohol, and rub the cloth between the 

 hands. The wax will be converted into dust, 

 and will easily separate from the cloth if It 

 contains no fat, and will leave no stain ; 

 when it contains fat it will leave grease 

 spots. 



The BeeH are Sivarnilng.- This spring 

 is theearliest for many years in this latitude. 

 Mr. .lohnC. Gilliland, of Bloomfleld, Ind., 

 writes us as follows. Just as the forms for 

 this JouK.vAL are being closed up. It is 

 dated April 22, 1K80 : 



My Italians cast the first swarm to-day; 

 earlier by three weeks than any previous 

 year. They are working with a rush on 

 rock maple and fruit bloom ; with prospect 

 of the best honey season for several years. 



NeHf Prlce-LlHtM have been received 



from the following persons : 



F. Boomhower, Gallupvllle, N. Y.— 11 

 pages— Bees and Queens. 



A. Cox, White Lick, Ind.— 1 page— Bees 

 and Queens. 



A. F. Staufl'er & Co.. Sterling, Ills.— 8 pages 

 -Queens, Bees, and Bee-Keepers' Supplies. 



Catonsville Manufacturing Co., Catons- 

 ville, Md.— 11 pages— Bee-Keepers' Supplies. 



A. B. Johnson, Clarkton, N. C— 1 page — 

 Bees and Queens. 



C. Weckesser. Marshallville, O. — t pages- 

 Bees, Queens, Plants, etc. 



A. I. Root, Medina, Ohio — 40 pages — Bee- 

 Keepers' Supplies. 



Thonias Horn, Sherburne, N. Y.— 1 page- 

 Bees and Queens. This was accompanied 

 with a queen shipping-cage containing a few 

 living bees, which came in excellent con- 

 dition. 



Any one desiring a copy of either of them, 

 can obtain it by sending a postal card to the 

 address as given above. 



Bright, Beautiful and Charming as . 



May BlossoniK comes the American Agrir 

 culttirlst for May. With this number appears 

 the first of the series of engravings of the 

 homes of our farmer presidents- 2.'J inches 

 long, 17 Inches wide, executed in the best 

 style of art, and presenting a complete view 

 of Monticcllo. The engraving likewise 

 embraces front and back views of the 

 residence, the tomb of Jefferson, and also 

 neighboring objects of Interest. The long 

 and complete description of the engraving 

 by James Parton, the American historian, 

 will be read with surprising Interest. The 

 engravings are presented to all subscribers 

 to the American Atjriculluriitt as they appear. 

 The price of the American Ayriculturist, 

 English or German, is ?1.50 a year. We will 

 club it with the Amehican Bee Jour.val for 

 S2.2.J a year, each subscriber to receive both 

 papers and the special engraving and 

 descrfptione by American authors as they 

 appear. 



