1898. 



THE AMEKICAN BEE JOLRNAt.. 



471 



the center again at midnight. The next day she does the 

 same thing again, only going in an opposite direction, or 

 toward the opposite side of the hive, which brings her on one 

 of the two outside combs of brood, between the hours above 

 mentioned. 



" Very early in the morning or late at night I rarely find 

 a queen on either of the outside combs of brood, but midway 

 between them and the center of the brood-nest, while at from 

 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. 1 find a queen on one of the outside combs 

 of brood, nine times out of ten, providing the brood-nest is in 

 a normal condition. If an empty comb is inserted anywhere 

 in the brood-nest, the queen will be quite likely to be found 

 on this comb 24 hours later ; but in such a case the brood-nest 

 would not be in a normal condition." 



Consumption During Season of Repose. — M. Leon Du- 

 four says that in his part of France this season lasts eight 

 months — from Sept. 15 to May 15 — and may be divided into 

 three periods : 



The first period is from Sept. 15 till Oct. 15. During this 

 period there is still activity, brood is present, and altho there 

 are some days when nectar Is gathered, the consumption is 

 considerable, varying from three to five pounds. 



The second period Is of four months, from about the mid- 

 dle of October till the middle of February. During this time 

 there is no brood, no work, and the daily consumption is light, 

 amounting to 11 to 13 pounds for the four months. 



The third period includes the end of winter and the be- 

 ginning of spring, the three months from Feb. 15 till May 15. 

 Activity returns, flowers become increasingly abundant; some 

 days the hives increase in weight ; but the weather Is very 

 variable, the activity of the bees and the feeding of brood re- 

 quires abundant nourishment, so on the whole there is heavy 

 consumption, the loss in weight varying according to the 

 colony from 16 to 20 pounds. 



At least 'i'i pounds must be left for winter stores. — 

 L'Aplculteur. 



The W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co., of New York State, for 

 three months this season had an unprecedented rush of bee- 

 supply orders. But it seems they were able to give their cus- 

 tomers more prompt service than many of their competitors. 



Dr. a. B. Mason, of Lucas Co., Ohio, Secretary of the 

 United States Bee-Keepers' Union, wrote us July 18 : 



" I never saw bees so busy on sweet clover, and still they 

 are getting very little surplus honey." 



Mb. W. Bowling, of Ontario, Canada, wrote us recently : 



"The Bee Journal is a first-class bee-paper, that tells one 

 where to get first-class bees and first-class honey ; and also is 

 a first-class kicker against adulterators. I wish you every 

 success." 



Mr. O. O. Poppleton, now in Brevard Co., Fla., writing 

 us July IS, said : 



"We are having another little spurt of honey-gathering, 

 which may increase my average yield from lU to 20 pounds 

 over former estimate of 80 pounds (on page 4-11) — a good way 

 to be disappointed ; and I have, besides, 25 per cent, increase 

 — a little the best I have done since the big freeze In 1895. 

 Things are partially recovering from the effects of that freeze, 

 but it will be many years before the phenomenal yield of Ib'Jl 

 can be repeated." 



Mb. W. a. Pryal, of Alameda Co., Calif., writing us on 

 July 14, reported : 



" We did not have any rain to speak of since I wrote you 

 previously. The rains then helpt out some, but not enough to 

 do any great amount of good. Aside from the diy weather 

 the season is a nice one, tho it could be improved In a few par- 

 ticulars. But as man cannot improve the weather any, wh;ii 

 is the use of complaining? 



"This city has had Its wish gratified. We have a camp of 



soldiers on this side of the bay. They are at Frultvale, a sub- 

 urb of the city, four miles to the Ea.'Jt. I am four miles to the 

 North, opposite the Golden Gate. So 'soger boys' are a com- 

 mon sight on the streets of Oakland. They are members of 

 some of the California regiments, and we wanted some of the 

 Eastern boys so as to show them some of the nice things here- 

 abouts." 



Mb. W. L. Coggshall, of Tompkins Co., N. Y., writing 

 us July 17, reported: 



"A frost July 11th and 12th, when basswood is In full 

 bloom, and no rain since, with North winds and cool nights, 

 has the effect to make bee-keepers blue. We'll have the 

 shortest white honey crop In eight years ; so I helpt the men 

 (4 of us and a boy) put up 100 tons of hay in just 15 days." 



Mr. Thos. G. Newman, of San Francisco, Calif., General 

 Manager of the National Bee-Keepers' Union, writing us July 

 16, said : 



"The high winds here, about nine out of the twelve 

 months of the year, make bee-keeping almost impossible in, 

 around and about San Francisco. It Is all that the bees can 

 do to gather enough to live on, altho we have pasturage 

 for them In abundance. Further south and east they often do 

 well, but here, never. The great drouth all over the southern 

 part of the State will make this year's crop of honey very 

 short." 



Mb. E. B. Gladish, Secretary of the Leahy Mfg. Co., of 

 Missouri, called on us July 21. He had been on a two weeks' 

 vacation to Niagara Falls and then back again, calling on the 

 A. I. Root Co., of Ohio, after which he crost the State of Mich- 

 igan, and Lake Michigan, and then visited several manufac- 

 turers of bee-supplies in Wisconsin. 



It is surprising how some of the bee-supply manufacturers 

 travel around. It almost tempts us to go into that line of bus- 

 iness, for we have always had a great desire to travel, but are 

 simply held down In our office all the time trying to get out a 

 bee-paper every week. But " what can't be cured must be 

 endured," we presume, and so we will have to be content to 

 remain at home, and let others do the traveling around. 



"H. E. Hill is now editor of the American Bee Journal,'' 

 is the way the Australian Bee-Bulletin announced it when Mr. 

 Hill took the tripod of the American Bee-ivecjjc?'. Editor Hill 

 comments on the excusable error as follows : 



"The similarity of names is doubtless responsible for the 

 antipodal confusion. But we can stand it If Bro. York can." 



that 



Why, certainly, we can stand It. It's the truth generally 



J hurts. Whatever anyone says of or against us that Isn't 



true always hurts the sayer more than it does us. Of course 

 It is a little unfortunate that the American Bee-Keeper wasn't 

 called by some other name, for, like the rose, if called by a 

 different name it would be "just as sweet." 



Mr. Paul Van Stckle, of Porto Rico, has just lately been 

 visiting Editor Hill, of the American Bee-Keeper, who says : 



" Mr. Van Syckle was for a number of years located in 

 Cuba, where we made his acquaintance and enjoyed his hospi- 

 talities. An apiary at San Juan, Porto Rico, constitutes a 

 part of his present industrial interests, of which he expects to 

 soon be in charge again. He relates a story of home markets, 

 good prices, profusion of nectar-ylelding flowers, and general 

 favorable conditions, that makes us fairly 'homesick' for a 

 Porto Rican bee-ranch." 



Very likely by the time this number of the Bee Journal 

 reaches its readers, Porto Rico will be under the flag of the 

 United States. 



Mr. W. S. PouDi B, of Marlon Co., Ind., wrote us as fol- 

 I)ws July 18 : 



" I start for Atlantic City to-morrow morning for 10 days' 

 rest. I never workt so hard in my life as I have this season, 

 and I know you have workt hard, tjo. I wl^h you could join 

 me on the trip." 



Thank you, Mr. Ponder. Indoi'd we would like to go with 

 you, but we couldn't possibly get away, for the Bee Journal 

 requires our constant attention. A weekly bee paper, and no 

 helper that can bear the brunt of the work, ties us down pretty 

 closely. Others will have to take the vacations, and we will 

 remain home and report them. 



