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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



March 31, 



F. jr. R. DAVEXPORT. 



The Progressive Bee-Keeper has kindly loaned us the two 

 enRravings showing Mr. Davenport and his apiary in this 

 number of the American Bee Journal. From that paper for 

 November we take the following interesting notes concerning 

 our Texas bee-keeping friend : 



F. J. R. Davenport, the subject of this sketch, was born 

 March 18, lb49, near Beaver Dam, in Ohio county, Ky., 

 where he remained until he was about 26 years of age. 



From his earliest youth he has been an admirer of bees 

 and bee-hives, for his father, Robert Davenport, who was 

 born in Ohio county, Ky., May 16, 1823, has always been an 

 enthusiastic admirer of the busy little creatures. The old 

 gentleman states that he dropt corn for 10 cents per day, 

 when he was only S years of age, and earned enough money 

 to purchase one colony of bees, and has never been without 

 them since. He moved to Texas in 1873, where he still re- 



F. J. R. Davenport.' 



sides. In the 'SO's he owned and superintended three api- 

 aries, consisting of more than 1,000 colonies. In 1883 he 

 extracted 22,000 pounds of honey, and, by the way, he in- 

 vented his own extracting machine, which answers every pur- 

 pose that the patent extractors do. 



From the above it Is natural to suppose that the son in- 

 herited his enthusiasm for bees from his father. 



In December, 1873, F. J. R. Davenport was married to 

 Miss Josie Austin, daughter of Rev. James F. and Crinna 

 Austin, of Cool Springs, Ky. In October, 1875, he moved 

 with his family to Texas, and for 18 years has resided in Ellis 

 county. His education is limited, and he states that while 

 his advantages for an education were not very good, he was 

 nevertheless favored with better opportunities than he im- 

 proved. From childhood, as before stated, he admired bees, 

 but his limited finances forbade him making any attempt at 

 the business until 1886, when he purchast two colonies. For 

 four years he accommodated himself with nail-kegs and rude 

 boxes of his own construction, and such other things as were 

 inexpensive and possibly convenient. In 1890 he secured his 

 first patent hives, and from that time dates his bee-keeping 

 on modern methods. He bought books, subscribed for bee- 

 journals, and, as fortune favored him, he soon had all of his 

 bees transferred to frame hives, and has been improving them 

 ever since by introducing good queens of different varieties, 

 principally Italians, Cyprians and Holy Lands. He has studied 

 the nature and workings of bees, and, together with his ex- 

 perience, has acquired quite an eSicient knowledge of them. 

 He has acquired the art of queen-rearing, and in fact can do 

 almost anything with them that any one else can. He mani- 



fests great interest in the bee-keepers' associations, and at- 

 tends the conventions when possibly convenient. His apiary, 

 consisting of 176 colonies, is in a shady hackberry grove, and 

 presents an attractive scene. 



Besides being an enthusiastic bee-keeper, Mr. Davenport 

 is also a prosperous, energetic farmer. He owns a large farm 

 of the best quality, black, waxy land, and has it well im- 

 proved. He has two windmills with hydrant attachments, 

 which convey the water to bis house, garden and lots. He 

 also has good stock, Jersey cattle, Berkshire and Poland 

 Chiua hogs, and even tine poultry, such as Brahma, Lang- 

 shan and Brown Leghorn. To use the expression, " He lives 

 at home, and boards at the same place." He has almost re- 

 tired from farm work, as his bees require most of his time, 

 but he superintends everything, and his four industrious boys 

 execute his plans. By his industry and managerial qualities, 

 together with the assistance of a noble companion, he has 

 accumulated an estate valued at !S10,000. He and his family 

 are members of the Methodist church. He is of quite a jovial 

 disposition, and his avoirdupois tips the beam at 210 pounds. 



May he and his family enjoy many more years of health, 

 prosperity and happiness. 



Five-Sixteenths End-Bars are preferred by their largest 

 customers, says Editor Leahy, so hereafter they will make 

 them 5-16 instead of H thick. — Progressive Bee-Keeper. 



A Superstition in Oldenburg, Germany, is that no swarms 

 will leave throughout the following season, and that all 

 swarms will settle low, if bees are fed before sunrise on Holy 

 Thursday. 



Pop-Holes in Section Honey, — Editor Hutchinson thinks 

 the whole secret of getting corners in sections all filled out 

 without any pop-holes, lies in giving the bees free communica- 

 tion on all sides of the section. 



Needs Much Salt. — D. W. Heise thinks that average of 

 250 pounds per colony from J. McArthur's bees, as reported 

 in the British Bee Journal, should be taken with a little salt. 

 The editor of 'the Canadian Bee Journal thinks it would better 

 be all salt without the dose. 



Laying First on Outside of Comb. — A Stray Straw in 

 tileanings mentioned that frequently, in enlarging the brood- 

 nest, the queen first lays on the outer side of a new comb, and 

 wondered why. G. M. Doollttle says it's because on the inner 

 side of the comb the cells are largely filled with pollen. 



The Composition of Honey, according to Dr. Oscar 

 Haenle, is in general as follows : Dextrose (grape sugar, crys- 

 tallizable) 42; Levulose (fruit sugar, uncrystallizable) 35; 

 Saccharose (cane or beet sugar) 2 ; total sugar, 79 per cent. 

 Water, 20 ; nitrogenous matter, 10 ; mineral matter, 0.2 ; 

 phosphoric acid, 0.02. 



Best Way to Ship Comb Honey. — This topic was dis- 

 cust at the South Texas Convention, and E. J. Atchley said, 

 "Comb honey cans, with large screw-caps, is by far the best 

 in this climate." Do they cut the honey out of the section 

 before putting it in the can, or has the printer of the South- 

 land Queen been taking liberties with the report? 



Effect of Cold on Brood. — Editor Rauschenfels says 

 nymphs, larvic and eggs perish in about an hour if subjected 

 to a freezing temperature. Brood subjected to a falling tem- 

 perature ceases to eat at 41-, and falls Into a lethargic state 

 if the temperature continues to fall, which terminates in death 

 if the temperature is not raised. 



Better Get Standard Goods. — Fred S. Thorington is askt 

 by a correspondent whether the correspondent better get dove- 

 tailed hives or some more like the ones he now has. Mr. Thor- 

 ington says, "When goods are ordered, they should be of some 

 standard patent." (Quite likely he said "pattern," and Leahy's 

 devil "patented " the word.) He further says : "If hives and 



