THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



649 



of their existence, notwithstanding 

 we have checlied their drone prodiie- 

 tiiin to a very great extent by only 

 giving tliem worlver cell foundation 

 or f;oiiibs. 



The bees in this apiary are still 

 gatliering nectar from the fall bloom, 

 which has taken a good start after the 

 few (lays of showery weather we have 

 had lately, and if frost does not dis- 

 turb these suiniy and yet cool days, 

 they may still gather a sufflciency to 

 go into winter quarters, although we 

 are preparing for that event inde- 

 pendent of this bloom nov\' on us. 



lliverton,x> Miss.. Sept. 23, 1886. 



ffor tbe American Bee Journal 



Tlie Solution of Bee-Keeping. 



J. W. TEFFT. 



As intelligence increases the re- 

 lations existing between the honey- 

 bee and man are being better under- 

 stood. Air is the first and constant 

 condition of animal or insect life ; and 

 as the close relation which its purity 

 bears to the physical health of the 

 honey-bee is better comprehended, 

 the greater is the demand for a per- 

 fect mode of protecting the bee from 

 sudden changes of extreme heat and 

 cold, by proper ventilation. Theory 

 after theory has been promulgated 

 only to prove to be failures when 

 practically tested, and the world is 

 to-day without practical authoritative 

 system which will work under all 

 circumstances. Why is all this ? My 

 answer is, that the application of 

 theories to bee-keeping has been in 

 the hands of scientific rather than 

 practical men. Ever since Moses 

 Quinby undertook to ventilate his 

 hives at St. Johnsville, X. Y., what 

 progress has been made in ventilation 

 and protection from extreme heat and 

 extreme cold, is shown by the condi- 

 tion of our bees every spring, and by 

 the writings in bee-papers. 



If the great scientific bee-men of 

 the past and present have failed to es- 

 tablish a perfect system of protection 

 from heat and cold, sudden changes, 

 and for ventilation, one of two con- 

 siderations must be arrived at. namely, 

 there can be no perfect system estab- 

 lished ; and that these theory men 

 have been working on a false basis. 



The first conclusion must be dis- 

 carded, tor a perfect system of pro- 

 tection from sudden changes of heat 

 and cold and proper ventilation can 

 be established. The second conclu- 

 sion is evidently the cause of failures. 

 As the scientist has failed to give the 

 world a true system, or one that may 

 be relied upon for all time to come, 

 would it not be better now to call 

 upon persons who have practical un- 

 derstanding of bees and mechanics, 

 as well as science, as relates to this 

 subject; men who can combine nat- 

 ural laws of the honey-bee and me- 

 chanical principles in harmonious 

 action V All that is required to pro- 

 duce a perfect system, is to have a 

 perfect understanding of the natural 

 laws of the honey-bee, and be able to 

 apply them by the proper mechanical 



contrivances to insure successful re- 

 sults. 



Science, unassisted by a practical 

 knowledge of meclianics, has not 

 solved, nor can it solve this problem. 

 The great problems of the day are 

 being solved by practical men, men 

 of advanced i(le;is, but who lay no 

 claims to scholarly education, titles 

 or renown. They are the men who 

 are to evolve a satisfactory system. 

 Bee-keeping is tired of reconciliations 

 between two things which should 

 never have been contrasted. Bee- 

 keepers are offended by a patronage 

 of an ally which it professes not to 

 need, and critics have rightly dis- 

 covered that in most cases where 

 theory, science, is pitted against prac- 

 tical bee-management, or fused with 

 it, there is some fatal misconception 

 to begin with, as to the scope and 

 province of either. 



The American Bee Journal im- 

 proves with each issue, and will im- 

 prove as the honey-producers demand 

 it. We as bee-keepers scorn the un- 

 worthy sheet which panders to low 

 taste and places before bee-keepers, 

 reading matter not pertaining to bee- 

 keeping. Let us as bee-keepers make 

 the most of the situation of things. 

 and strive to use every instrument 

 we have at hand for the service of the 

 bee. I believe the Amekican Bee 

 Journal is a pure bee-paper which 

 furnishes clean bee-literature of a 

 high class for perusal by all high- 

 minded bee keepers, and will come to 

 be one of these instruments. It cer- 

 tainly gives us the most sensible j 

 views. It publishes more bee-news 1 

 and special views from every part of 

 the world than all other bee-papers 

 combined. It is not an organ, and 

 neither apologizes for nor tolerates 

 theories. It has opinions on all bee- 

 subjects of the highest order. Its 

 fundamental doctrines are for the 

 general welfare. It has no subsidies 

 or exclusive privileges for anybody. 

 Collamer,OK. Y. 



For tbe Amencim Bee Joumak 



Notes of tlie Season, 



J. F. LATHAM. 



In this vicinity the apicultural pros- 

 pect for 1886 opened auspiciously. 

 When I made the first examination of 

 my colonies, on April 20, the combs 

 in most of the hives were well stocked 

 with brood, and with few exceptions 

 the condition of all was in an unusual 

 degree satisfactory. A week of very 

 fine weather followed, which gave the 

 bees an impetus to increase their 

 brood to such an extent that some of 

 it was chilled during the severe 

 weather that followed, though not 

 enough to cause appreciable harm. 

 The cold wave was succeeded by 

 moderate weather, and although the 

 sugar maples failed to bloom, the 

 pollen from the willows and an 

 abundance of surplus stores renewed 

 the early bloom. 



With the early fruit bloom swarm- 

 ing commenced on May 24, four days 

 earlier than I have known it to com- 



mence during my eight years of bee- 

 keeping. From the above date until 

 July 4, v\ hen the odth and last swarm 

 was disposed of, a lively experience 

 gave me an introduction to the reality 

 of nioderi] bee-keeping. By July 10 

 the dioulh had browned the white 

 clover bloom, and the surplus season 

 for comb li{iney virtually ended. Dur- 

 ing the four weeks that followed, bees 

 scarcely made a living ; several of my 

 colonies re(iuired feeding to carry 

 them to the tall bloom, having stored 

 about allot their clover honey in the 

 surplus boxes. By Aug. 20 the fall 

 harvest connnenced, from which was 

 stored a goodly quantity of surplus 

 and a bountiful supply of winter 

 stores. 



As a result of my apistical efforts 

 for the past season, I have 1,500 well 

 filled one-pound sections of clover 

 honey ; 400 pounds of extracted honey, 

 and an increase of 21 colonies from 

 natural swarms, making my present 

 stock 50 colonies in good wintering 

 condition as regards strength, food, 

 health, etc. Retrospectively I have 

 no reason to couiplain of the general 

 behavior of my co-workers. All of 

 the swarms staid where they were put 

 the " first time." No swarms abscond- 

 ed or attempted to abscond. The 

 young queens were remarkably vigor- 

 ous, and but one was lost during her 

 mating flight. Although a large ma- 

 jority of my bees are hybrids of the 

 Italio-German variety, I can recall 

 but two instances when I have re- 

 ceived stings that caused swelling ; 

 and those were more the result of my 

 imprudence than the habitual ma- 

 lignancy of the bees. 



Generally speaking, the past season 

 has been cold and dry, although 

 enough light rains have fallen to keep 

 vegetation green. The nights have 

 been unusually cool, and but few days 

 hot; notwithstanding, while the 

 flowers were in bloom they yielded 

 nectar quite profusely, which fact 

 seems to be somewhat at variance 

 with some of the theories regarding 

 the requisites of good honey weather. 

 If I am correct in mv observation, 

 the principles of distillation as prac- 

 ticed by nature and art, are but 

 slightly, if at all, at variance. 



The experience of last season, and 

 thus far the present season, has led 

 me to think that a more definite co- 

 operative system on the pare of api- 

 arists should be adopted in selling 

 their honey. The diction of prices, 

 and methods of disposal should be 

 more directly controlled by the pro- 

 ducer and consumer. As a staple 

 honey is increasing in prominence 

 yearly, and its sale should be made by 

 weiu'ht only. IMuch misrepresenta- 

 tion is often indulged by some or the 

 " handlers " of honey, too many of 

 whom are ignorant of its qualities, or 

 the first principles of its production. 

 The act of buying a lot of honey in 

 sections weighing on au average 12 or 

 14 ounces, an<l on retailing, repre- 

 senting them to customers as ''full 

 pounds" does not eniiance the price 

 or sale of comb honey in a very sub- 

 stantial degree ; for consumers soon 

 become educated to the fact that the 

 vender is making more money on less 



