THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



475 



ties. I think that the general crop is 

 very short, and that prices will rule 

 firm. 



Basswood a Failure.— I). H. Cogg- 

 shall, Jr., West Groton,© N. Y., on 

 July 16, 1S86, writes : 



We are getting no honey here as a 

 surplus. Hasswood is almost a total 

 failure, there being but little in 

 bloom. We think that there is an 

 insect that works in the bloom, and 

 then there are but few trees that 

 have any buds on them. Ihickwheat 

 is our only hope for a surplus from 

 this section, which blooms about 

 Aug. 1. 



Bees Have Done Well.— D. D. Iler- 



rick, Libertyville,(5 Ills., on July 20, 

 ]88(i, says : 



We have had a very dry time for 

 the last four weeks, but weare getting 

 a nice shower now. My bees have 

 done much better than I had any idea 

 they would, for we have had cool, 

 damp nights for the most of the time. 

 I have seen the bees laying out on 

 the hives only two nights this sum- 

 mer. Some of my first swarms have 

 stored from 40 to .50 pounds of surplus, 

 and one as high as 75 pounds. I think 

 that good enough. 



swarms, and a good flow of honey. A 

 few specimens of the Chapman honey- 

 plant, which we arn testing at this 

 place, are in bloom, and it seems to 

 be full of honey : from two to six 

 bees on a head of bloom all the time ; 

 there seems to be no limit to the flow 

 of nectar. 



Few Swarms and Little Honey.— 

 O. L. Hershiser, Water Valley ,k> N. 

 r., on July 20, 1886, says : 



For the last 2 or 3 days bees in this 

 locality have been very busily at work 

 on the foliage of the basswood, and 

 on red clover. Upon examination I 

 found great numbers of plant lice on 

 the under side of the leaves, and in 

 the case of the clover, there were 

 many fine globules of a sweetish sub- 

 stance secreted on the under side of 

 the leaves, which the bees are gather- 

 ing with great vigor. The bees work 

 on the upper surface of basswood 

 leaves, but the lice are on the under 

 side. This is, I suppose, the honey- 

 dew which we have read of in bee- 

 papers and bee-books. Bees in this 

 immediate locality have done very 

 poorly this season. The drouth cut 

 short the white clover crop, and cool 

 weather through April held the bees 

 back so that but few swarms issued. 

 In our own apiary of over 100 colonies 

 we have not had over a half-dozen 

 natural swarms, and other apiaries in 

 this vicinity have had none. The 

 hives are very populous now, and I 

 fear a swarmingtime during buck- 

 wheat bloom. Basswood bloomed very 

 sparsely in this locality— not more 

 than one-fourth of the trees having 

 any bloom whatever. Those trees 

 that did bloom did not secrete honey 

 to any great extent ; many of the 

 honey-glands in the blossoms were 

 perfectly dry, while in a few a mere 

 trace could be seen. Altliough our 

 honey crop is short in this locality, 

 and increase almost nothing, I am 

 informed that the shortage is only 

 local, and that less than 20 miles 

 northeast of here they have had many 



Much Swarming.— W. F. Clarke, 

 Guelph, Out., on July 20, 1886, writes: 



I am now writing under the shade 

 of a magnificent Northern Spy apple 

 tree, beneath which I have a rustic 

 seat and a table, where I have spent 

 many happy hours listening to the 

 hum of the "bees, watching them at 

 work, and weaving theories about 

 them, since swarming began. I never 

 had such a time in my life, owing to 

 the bees swarming without notice. 

 Usually they hang out for a day or 

 two or several days— this season there 

 has not been a solitary outside cluster 

 in my apiary. My first swarm came 

 off very early— May 19— just as 1 was 

 going down town to the postoffice, 

 about 11 a.m. I had noticed that the 

 hive was getting very populous, but 

 never dreamed of the colony swarm- 

 ing. From that day I have kept close 

 watch, and not a' colony that has 

 swarmed has hung out the usual 

 signs and portents. The bees have 

 come out with a rush, as on the spur 

 of the moment, and I have had the 

 most provokingly small swarms ; little 

 clusters that had no business to start 

 house-Ueeping oii their own account. 

 Why is this thusly V Is it a peculiarity 

 of the season, or is our contracting 

 method belittling the swarms i* I 

 have some fears that what with our 

 division-boards and dividing colonies 

 we are getting the bees into a con- 

 fused condition. Are they bound to 

 swarm anyhow, do as we may, and 

 will they go off in handfuls if they 

 cannot go more numerously r" I have 

 had only one decent, old-fashioned, 

 ,?|-of-a-bushel swarm this year, and a 

 disgusting lot of little quart clusters, 

 that will barely set enough stores for 

 wintering, let alone giving me any- 

 thing for my care and trouble with 

 them. 



Bee-Sting Remedies, etc.— B.Novis, 

 Blauveltville,o^ N. Y., on July 16, 



1886, writes : 



The other day a horse was stung to 

 death by bees, at Areola, N. J. At 

 first one bee stung the animal, which 

 made a spring into the air and landed 

 upon a stand on which were several 

 hives. In a moment the horse was 

 literally covered with bees, and 

 despite the efforts of his owner to 

 rescue it, he died in one hour. The 

 owner was stung so severely as to 

 need medical treatment. There is no 

 doubt, I believe, that the recipes for 

 bee-stings, published from time to 

 time in the Bee Journal, have 

 cured those by whom they have been 

 recommended, but they (particularly 

 ammonia) have no more effect on me 

 than so much water. It must be that 

 the remedies have different effects on 

 different systems. Perhaps some will 



find the following as sure a cure as I 

 have: Dissolve a table-spoonful of 

 salt in a half-goblet of vinegar, and 

 make it tepid ; api)ly to the sting with 

 a rag. Since using this remedy a bee- 

 sting has lost all its terrors to me. A 

 lady told me. the other day, that an 

 onion cut in halves and rubbed on the 

 sting was a sure cure. I shall try it 

 the next time I get stung. 



OUR CLUBBING LIST. 



We supply the American Bee Journal 



one year, and any of the following- publican 

 tlons, at the prices quoted in the last column 

 of figures. The first column givoB the regu- 

 lar price of both. All postage prepaid. 



Price of both. Club 

 The American Bee Journal 1 CO.. 



and Gleanings in Bee-Culture 2 00. . 1 75 



Bee-Keepers'Mag-azine 2 00.. 175 



Bee-Keepers' Guide 1.50.. 140 



The Apiculturist 200.. 175 



Canadian Bee Journal 2 00.. 1 75 



Texas liee Journal 2 00.. 1 75 



The 7 above-named papers 6 50 . . 5 50 



and Cook's Manual 2 25.. 2 00 



Bees and Honey (Newman)... 2 00.. 175 

 Binder for Am. Bee Journal. .1 75.. 1 60 

 Dzierzon's Bee-Book (cloth).. .3 00.. 2 00 

 Roofs A B C of Bee-Culture.. 2 25.. 2 10 



Farmer's .isocount Book 400.. 3 00 



Guide and Hand-Book 1.50.. 130 



Heddon's book. "Success,".. 1 50 1 40 



Home Market for Honey. 



t^' To create Honey Markets in every 

 village, town and city, wide-awake honey 

 producers should get the Leaflets " Why Eat 

 Honey" (only 50 cents per 100), or else the 

 pamphlets on "Honey as Food and Medicine," 

 and scatter them plentifully, and the result 

 will be a demand for all of their crops at 

 remunerative prices. " Honey as Food and 

 Medicine " are sold at the following prices : 



Single copy, 5 cts. ; per doz., 40 cts. ; per 

 hundred, $2.50. Five hundred will be sent 

 postpaid for $10.00; or 1,000 for $15,00. 



On orders of 100 or more, we will print, if 

 desired, on the cover-page, " Presented by," 

 etc. (g'i\ingthe name and address of the bee- 

 keeper who scatters them). 



To give a^vay 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. 



Now Is tlie Time to Join tke CTniun. 



—Let every bee-keeper send for a copy of 

 the Annual Report and a Voting Blank — fill 

 it u]>, and become a member. It is to the 

 interest of every one to do so. The dues are 

 only 25 cents a year ; and it is Intended only 

 to call for one assessment (of §1.00) each 

 year. Send to tliis offloe for the Report and 

 Voting Blank. 



Wlien Renewing your subscription 

 please try to get your neighbor who keeps 

 bees to join with you in taking the Beb 

 JouKNAL. It is now so cheap that no one 

 can afford to do without it. We will present 

 a Binder for the Bee Journai^ to any one 

 sending us four subscriptions— with J4,00— 

 direct to this office. It will pay any one to 

 devote a few hotirs, to get subscribers. 



