THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



281 



enhancing the increase of useful 

 vegetation. 

 Cumberland, ? Me. 



For the Amerlcnn Bee Journal. 



Mm Sugar to Bees, 



H. E. HILL. 



" I have seen sugar taken there by 

 the barrel." I think that almost any 

 of those who practice sugar-feeding 

 have heard this remark, and if they 

 have ever attempted to give an ex- 

 planation as to wliy and the wherefore 

 of it, they will understand what a 

 fcisk this is. and generally to no pur- 

 pose. 



The teachings of such men as 

 Messrs. Hutchinson, Ileddon, Doo- 

 little and others are carefully followed 

 by many. Their writings are eagerly 

 sought after and their suggestions are 

 put into practice at the first available 

 opportunity, and many seem to think, 

 "All I have to do is to follow their 

 plans, and the result will be abundant 

 success." The writer has been no 

 exception to this class, for such 

 writers as these are our teachers. I 

 am sure that any bee-keeper cannot 

 too highly estimate the value of their 

 articles, that contain the results of 

 their experience and practice. But 

 do they not make mistakes some- 

 times '? 



For instance : Has Mr. Hutchinson 

 on page 152, given a lesson that will 

 prove beneficial both to bee-keepers 

 and the honey market, or otherwise? 

 Mr. H. says : " If no more sugar 

 should be used for winter stores, or 

 fed for any purpose for 20 years, these 

 same stories would live and be repeat- 

 ed." I do not wish to contradict this 

 statement, for although I Ijelieve 

 " those stories" would die out entirely 

 in that length of time, I have no more 

 to prove that such would be the case 

 than Mr. Hutchinson has to prove his 

 assertion. But certainly people could 

 not say as they do now^ " I have seen, 

 etc.," which seems to be the back- 

 bone of the falsehoods in circulation 

 at present. 



Farther on in his article, Mr. H. 

 says: "The sugar fed to bees is not 

 a drop in the bucket, so far as the 

 sugar market is concerned." I do 

 not think that anybody has intimated 

 that the sugar market would be built 

 up simply by the sugar consumed by 

 the bees, although the hundreds of 

 barrels used annually certainly assists 

 sugar manufacturers more or less. 

 But it builds the sugar market up by 

 laying the foundation for such con- 

 versation as we hear oftener than we 

 would if we left sugar out of tne 

 apiary ; something similar to the 

 following : A lady asks the price of 

 honey and adds: "Is this the pure, 

 or the manufactured?" The dealer 

 replies. " That is pure honey from 

 Mr. Brown." " O my, I can buy sugar 

 for 7 cents per lb., and if you want 

 to know what Mr. Brown makes 

 his honey out of, ask his neighbors." 

 Such stories lose nothing by travel- 

 ing and soon nearly everybody in 

 town will not pay 1.5 cents for sugar 

 when they can get it for 7. This 



seems too bad just because some 

 people think that bees cannot be win- 

 tered just as successfully on honey as 

 with something that gives grounds 

 for suspicion, thereby destroying 

 the market for the genuine article. 



Many of our moat successful apia- 

 rists do not use sugar for winter feed- 

 ing, nor any other purpose about the 

 apiary. One. for example, is Mr. J. 

 B. Hall of Ontario, whose colonies 

 number several hundred. His annual 

 crop of honey (principally comb) is 

 counted by tens of thousands of lbs. 

 His average loss in winter does not 

 exceed 3 per cent, and I am quite sure 

 if any of the bee-keepers that seem to 

 think success hinges on feeding sugar 

 were to offer sugar gratis, to be used 

 in Mr. Hall's apiary, it would be 

 refused. 



Of the many thousand pounds neat- 

 ly stored in Mr. Hall's honey-room 

 last September, he says in a private 

 letter, " I have just two one-pound 

 sections left. I have had to refuse 

 many orders." Mr. Hall has learned 

 by experience that feeding sugar does 

 not pay, as has Mr. Demaree also, 

 who says in a recent number of the 

 American Apiadturist : " I am now 

 convinced that sugar syrup is inferior 

 to honey for winter stores in this cli- 

 mate, and I want to enter my protest 

 here against the wholesale sugar- 

 feeding going on in the apiHries of the 

 country." This agrees with Mr. Hall 

 and the Editor of the Bee Journal, 

 when he says : " This sugar-feeding 

 is is undermining the honey-trade. 

 Mr. Newman, in an editorial on page 

 195, says : "To avoid the appearance 

 of evilj use honey for feeding bees." 



The above shows that some of our 

 best men are awake to the dangers of 

 feeding sugar to bees ; and let us all 

 hope that all men of influence, may 

 realize that fact, and use their influ- 

 ence in the way that is best for our 

 pursuit. 



Titusville,^3 Pa. 



For ibe Amencan Bee Joomal. 



DesIoiuesCo,, Iowa, Conyention. 



The Des Moines County Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Association met at the Court 

 House in Burlington, Iowa, at 10 a. m. 

 on April 27, 1886. The subject of 

 wintering was discussed. Mr. Breder 

 has a bee-house built expressly for 

 wintering. The Secretary also has 

 such a building. Many others winter 

 their bees on the summer stands, and 

 some in cellars. Some prefer to have 

 a hive slope forward, and others to 

 liave them stand level, the latter 

 method seeming to have the most 

 followers. 



" Which race of bees winter the 

 best ?" The general answer was, "No 

 difference." Mr. Landeck favors tbe 

 blacks because they work earlier in 

 the morning. Mr. S. J. McKinney 

 favors the Italians because the queen 

 is more easily found. A vote was 

 taken as to which bee was the best 

 worker, and the hybrid was preferred 

 by the majority. 



Mr. Bischoff and Mr. Landeck 

 reported drones at their apiaries. The 



subject of swarming was discussed, 

 and the majority favored luitural 

 swarming; also some claimed that 

 there was no difference between nat- 

 ural swarming and dividing colonies. 

 Mr. Bischoff had a Shuck's invert- 

 ible hive on exhibition, which attract- 

 ed much attention. Winter losses 

 were about 10 per cent, according to 

 the reports of members. 



John Nau, Sec. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Exteusiye Brood Rearing, etc. 



ALLEN LATHAM. 



I wintered 5 colonies of bees, and 

 they came through the winter in fine 

 condition ; each had brood by March 

 1. I fed them several pounds of rye 

 meal. We have had two weeks of 

 nice weather here, and since Sunday, 

 with the exception of Tuesday, the 

 mercury has risen to 80-J above zero ; 

 to-day going to 84°. This weather is 

 the weather for bees. They have 

 carried in a large amount of honey 

 for this time of the year, and I believe 

 I never saw pollen go in so fast and 

 in such loads. I examined my bees 

 to- day, and I found that every hive is 

 nearly full of brood. The weak colo- 

 nies have nearly the same quantity of 

 brood as the strong ; one hive, which 

 has not more than a pint or so of bees, 

 has about one thousand square inches 

 of brood, or four full frames. If this 

 weather continues they will do well, 

 but if it does not, and a cold spell 

 comes, there will be some chilled 

 brood, I fear. I have not yet taken 

 the packing from the hives (I packed 

 mv bees for the winter with shavings), 

 aiid I shall leave it till May. Last 

 March, as I examined one hive, I 

 found a sealed queen-cell in it with a 

 larval queen inside. The hive had a 

 fertile queen which I saw, and also 

 eggs and brood. What is the reason 

 for their rearing a queen at that time 

 of the year ? Apple trees are nearly 

 ready to bloom. 



Lancaster, <xMass., April 23, 1886. 



Conveution Notices. 



CP" A cordial invitation ia extended to all to 

 attend the sth annual meeting of the Texas State 

 Bee-Keepers' Association, to be iield at JudKe W. 

 H. Andrews' bee-farm, at McKinney, Tex., on May 

 5 and fi. 1886. Indications fnr :i tJrand meeting 

 STOW brighter every day, and every elTort will be" 

 made to render this meeting the best and largest 

 ever held in the State. Nu hotel bills to pay. 



B. F. Cahkoll, Sec. 



J^" The next meeting of the Cortland Union 

 Bee-Keepers' Association will be held at Cortland. 

 N. Y., on May 11, 1886, at lua.m. 



D. t\ SHATTUCK, Sec. 



tW The next annual meeting of the Michigan 

 State Bee-Keepers' Association will be held In 

 Tpsilanti, Mich., on Dec. 1 and 2, 1S8B. 



H. D. CnTTlNG, Sec. 



J^" The Central Michigan Bee- Keepers' Associ- 

 ation will meet on May !«. 1886, with Capital Grange 

 at their Hall in North Lansing. Mich., to hold:! 

 sessions, viz : Forenoon, afternoon and evening. 

 All interested in bee-culture are invited to attend 

 and bring articles of the apiary f(jr exhibition. For 

 any special information address the Secretary, 

 E. W. WOOD, N. Lansing, Mich. 



iW The Illinois Central Bee-Keepers' 

 Association will hiikl its next meeting at 

 Mt. Sterling, Ills., on Tuesday and Wednes- 

 day, Oct. 19 and '20, 1886. 



J. M. H.UIBAUGH, Sec. 



