1898. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



681 



country they will be able to draw from the now unworkt flora 

 " thousands of tons of honey that is now practically a loss to 

 the world." What would be the efifect upon the already some- 

 what low price of honey, to have " thousands of tons " more 

 thrown upon the market ? As for ourselves, we would not be 

 alarmed, but we shouldn't wonder if a good many bee-keepint? 

 specialists would hesitate before lending their influence toward 

 the introduction of what they would think might tend to lessen 

 their own chances of success. 



As to the increase of wax-production, by the Apisdorsata, 

 we do not see that the demand is yet so greatly exceeded by 

 the supply. The very best yellow beeswax will net scarcely 

 25 cents a pound in the open market, which is not an exceed- 

 ingly high price. But even at the present price of beeswax, 

 there is no fortune in its production ; and to greatly increase 

 the supply will hardly make wax-production more profitable. 

 If bee-keepers could be assured of a uniform price of bees- 

 wax at 28 to 30 cents a pound, they might feel that it would 

 pay to increase its production with the bees they now have; 

 but often beeswax does not command so good a price as men- 

 tioned. 



We shall be interested in watching how the Department 

 of Agriculture progresses in its experiment with Apis dorsata 

 in the Philippines, when once it is authorized to proceed with 

 the investigation. Even if it is decided never to bring this 

 bee to the United States, it will be of scientific Interest to 

 have Its value, or worthlessness, establisht. 

 ••-*-*■ 



Healthful Honey. — Under this beading, and with 

 the sub-head, " Used Instead of Sugar, It is Economical and 

 Palatable," appears a quarter-column in the Baltimore Ameri- 

 can, In which it is shown that a pound of good honey will go 

 as far as a pound of good butter, and costs much less; will 

 keep Indefinitely, while butter must be eaten fresh ; it is more 

 wholesome in hot drinks than sugar ; together with some use- 

 ful Information as to the qualities and kinds of honey. It is 

 a good thing to have such information put before the public, 

 and when such papers as the Baltimore American take the 

 pains to copy it from such a paper as the Philadelphia Times, 

 it ought not to be difiScult for bee-keepers to secure its inser- 

 tion in their local papers. They will find the article in ques- 

 tion, word for word, together with much more equally inter- 

 esting matter in the little pamphlet "Honey as Food," which 

 can be had at such low rates for free distribution, at the office 

 of the American Bee Journal. That the Philadelphia Times 

 failed to give the proper credit is a small matter, only so the 

 truth may be widely publisht. 



Xo Exterminate 'Weeds or Orass, Editor 

 Root says in Gleanings, "is to apply a sprinkling of salt 

 around the place where you wish it killed out. It does not 

 usually pay to try to kill out the grass or weeds except in 

 front of the entrance to the hives." 



Colonies Short of 'Winter Stores.— Editor 

 Root, in Gleanings for Oct. 15, gives this timely note of 

 warning : 



There is every reason to believe that, owing to the poor 

 honey crop this year, there will be a scarcity of stores in the 

 hives for winter. Many bee-keepers, whenever a failure of 

 honey occurs, will philosophize something after this fashion : 



"Them bees didn't get me no honey this year. If they 

 can't pay for theirselves, I guess I'll let 'em go Gallagher." 



And they do. 



Another class, also forgetting the big crop of last season, 

 and being too busy with their other work on the farm, will 

 just simply neglect the bees. It did no harm to let them go 

 last season, because there was plenty of honey In the hives ; 

 so In a half-hearted way they "guess" there is enough in 

 them this fall. At all events, they are too busy ; and if the 

 bees die — well, perhaps they will buy more next season. 



The careful, provident bee-keeper knows perfectly well 

 that it is very unwise to let bees shift for themselves at any 



time ; and there Is scarcely one who looks back over the past, 

 who will begrudge sugar fed that the bees did not earn that 

 season, but perhaps may earn next year, or some time in the 

 future. 



There are quite a number of bee-keepers — so-called — who 

 simply neglect their bees, and then are surprised that they die 

 in winter. No doubt a great many colonies simply starve be- 

 fore spring — all because their owners failed to provide food 

 enough to carry them through. No farmer would treat his 

 horses and cows in that fashion, and expect to succeed. 

 Neither can the bee-keeper. 



Mr. H. W. McComb, of Washington Co., Iowa, called on 

 us last week, when on his way to visit friends in Pennsylva- 

 nia. He reports that white clover is just everywhere this fall 

 in his locality, which he thinks promises a great stand of it 

 next year. 



Mr. C. W. McKown, of Knox Co., III., dropt in to see us 

 Oct. 20. He has about 100 colonies of bees, and secured only 

 about 1,000 pounds of honey the past season. One year he 

 had about 13,000 pounds, and sold all in near-by towns. Mr. 

 McKown has taken the Bee Journal almost continuously since 

 1872. 



Dr. C. C. Miller, of McHenry Co., 111., writing us Oct. 

 15, had this to say about his nearly 300 colonies of bees : 



" I got the bees home from the out-apiaries this week, and 

 will hope now for one good day for a flight, and then they can 

 go into the cellar any time when it looks as if cold weather 

 had come to stay, which time may be any time within the next 

 six weeks." 



The Des Moines Incubator Co., of Des Moines, Iowa, are 

 among our annual and reliable advertisers. We understand 

 their incubators take front rank among machines of that class. 

 If any of our readers are expecting to adopt the artificial or 

 incubator method of raising poultry, it might be to their In- 

 terest to correspond with the above firm, not forgetting to 

 mention having seen their advertisement in the American Bee 

 Journal. 



Miss Nora Hutchinson is the 20-year-old twin daughter 

 of W. Z. Hutchinson, editor of the Bee-Keepers' Review. She 

 is a violinist, and last week we received a splendid photograph 

 of herself with violin in hand, taken by her father. Miss Nora 

 and her twin sister, Cora (who plays the piano) are great help- 

 ers at home — one does the housework and the other sets the 

 type on the Review. How's that for a " team ?" Success to 

 them all. 



Mr. a. W. Hart, of Stephenson Co., III., gave us a short 

 call Oct. 20. He is the man that has had a little good-natured 

 controversy with Mr. Bevins, of Iowa, on the question as to 

 Italian bees gathering better honey than blacks. Mr. Hart Is 

 69 years of age, and has 31 colonies of bees, but got very 

 little honey this year— so he was quite "in style" with many 

 other bee-keepers. Last year he had 11 colonies in the spring, 

 increast to 22, and harvested about 800 pounds of honey. 



Dr. C. C. Miller, referring to something Mr. Root said 

 in Gleanings, wrote this " straw " for that paper : 



" I may say that, after more than 30 years being 'dry,' 

 Marengo now has saloons. I think it a moderate statement 

 to say that I've seen more drunken men on the streets in the 

 past three months than iu 10 years before." 



That's perfectly natural. Doctor. If a "drunkard fac- 

 tory" didn't turn out drunken men, pray what else would It 

 do? That's its business. The thing that surprises us is, the 

 ■fact that some people are so willing to furnish ihcir boyn to 

 keep up the supply of drunken men these "drunkard fac- 

 tories " turn out. What a pity that so many people value the 

 almighty dollar more highly than a man's soul. But some 

 glad day It will be different. "When will that be ?" did you 

 ask. Why, when all the righteous people of these United 

 States decide to stoJid together against the awful saloon curse. 



