Feb. 23, 1899. 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



121 



a full crop of honey. Two such seasons in succession are 

 not only discourag-ing to the producer from the loss of in- 

 come, but they are disastrous in causing- the destruction of 

 the bees. 



If we do not get heavy rains from this on — and some of 

 long experience think it is now too late to save the crop 

 even if rains come — there will be a tremendous mortality 

 among the bees. Even one year of honey-dearth is serious, 

 as so many colonies starve, but with two following each 

 other in succession, there will be few colonies left, it is 

 feared, to reap the benefits when good seasons with bounti- 

 ful rains come ag^ain. 



Southern California has much to recommend it, but 

 this one drawback of scant rainfall is the one thing that 

 causes foreboding and unrest. It is not the bee-men alone 

 who suffer, but the ranchers and orchardists are also suf- 

 ferers. A. J. Cook. 



Surely, the outlook for bee-keeping this year in Prof. 

 Cook's section of California is very depressing. But all 

 any one can do is to try to " make the best of it," and hold 

 on, if possible. The good seasons will doubtless come 

 again in due time, and those who are able to bide that time 

 will reap the harvest. We know how valueless are simply 

 words at such a time, but if anything can be said that will 

 tend to inspire hope for the future, we feel that it should be 

 said. Let us trust that the rest of the country may have a 

 honey crop this year, and that old Southern California may 

 ere long roll in sweetness again. 



Mr. C. p. Dad.\nT, of Hancock Co., 111., wrote us 

 Feb. 15 : 



" We have just had a good day for the bees. The colo- 

 nies are strong, there is next to no loss, and you may say, 

 ' Hurrah for the bees !' They appear to be in splendid 

 shape." 



***** 



Mr. G. M. Dooi.itti.e, of Onondaga Co., N. Y., writing 

 us Feb. 10, said : 



" It is blowing very hard here, with the mercury 13 de- 

 grees below zero, and as we had about a foot of light snow 

 on the ground, which fell yesterday, all our roads will be 

 blockaded." 



« « * # » 



The Leahy Mfg. Co., of Lafayette Co., Mo., wrote us 

 Feb. 15 as follows : 



" We have been having some very cold weather here — 

 22 degrees below zero. For this part of the country this is 

 extremely cold. Bees will be short in quantity in the 

 spring, as hardly any one in this latitude protects them." 

 ***** 



Mr. Thomas G. Newman, of San Francisco, Calif., 

 writing- us Feb. 9, reported himself as still in the doctor's 

 care with little evident good. He said the weather there 

 was cold also, but that it is worse for them to have the tem- 

 perature at freezing than for the East to have it at zero — 

 the air being so heavy and humid at San Francisco. We 

 hope, as will thousands of Mr. Newman's old friends, that 

 he will find relief in some way, and fully recover his health. 

 ***** 



Mr. W. a. Prvai,, of Alameda Co., Calif, (near San 

 Francisco), writing us Feb. 1, said : 



" We have just had the hottest weather we ever had in 

 January ; it was for several days 75 degrees in the shade 

 here ; in the interior it was even hotter. It has been great 

 weather for the bees. Honey was coming in so fast from 

 the g'um-trees that it seemed the bees had a pipe-line from 

 the trees to the hives. Wild blackberries were beginning 

 to bloom ; so were the willows. Yesterdaj' a change came ; 

 a big- wind from the ocean blew in the clouds, and last night 

 it commenced to rain. The weather is now quite cool. The 

 warm weather was a little too good for this time of the I 



year. Vegetation, especially fruit-trees, were being forced 

 along too rapidly ; the frosty weather that is likely to fol- 

 lo-«' later would have a disastrous effect upon the fruit-blos- 

 soms, or the young fruit. Still, we may have no more cold 

 weather during the year." 



***** 



John Bauscher, Jr., of Freeport, 111., has issued one of 

 the finest Poultryand Seed catalog's for 1899 that has come 

 to our desk. It contains nearly 200 pages, is Nvell illustrated, 

 and contains much practical information. He mails it for 

 IS cents, and for 2 cents extra he will send a calendar. 

 Better write him for both, not forgetting to mention the 

 American Bee Journal when doing so. 

 ***** 



Ira B. Travis, son of I. A. Travis, of Walworth Co., 

 Wis., died at Littleton, Colo., Feb. 1. where he had gone on 

 account of ill health, being afflicted -n-ith asthma, which, by 

 reason of taking several colds, developt into consumption. 

 " Ira " was only a little over 21 years old, and an exemplary 

 Christian boy, beloved by all who knew him. He was 

 buried at his old home in Wisconsin. The Bee Journal ex- 

 tends sincerest sympathy to the bereaved ones. 



Our Advertisers we believe to be entirely reliable in 

 every case. If any of our readers find otherwise, we ^vould 

 consider it a favor if tiiey would report it to us. We do not 

 intend to accept the advertisement of a single irresponsible 

 or dishonorable dealing firm. We hope our readers will ex- 

 tend their patronage to those who patronize our advertising 

 columns, always remembering to mention the old American 

 Bee Journal when writing to them. It will help both the 

 advertiser and ourselves to thus mention this paper. 

 ***** 



Mrs. Mate Williams, of Wadena, Minn., is in sorrow 

 by reason of the death of her beloved daughter. Jessie, who 

 was a ■' noble girl, popular wherever known, and was a 

 valuable helper to her mother in the apiary and elsewhere, 

 as well as a sweet and dear companion." Mrs. Williams is 

 the conductor of the apiarian department of the Farm, 

 Stock and Home, as well as a regular reader of the Ameri- 

 can Bee Journal. Our sympathy, as well as that of our 

 subscribers, will g^o out to Mrs. Williams in her bereave- 

 ment. 



***** 



Mr. E. WhiTCOMB, of Friend, Nebr., President of the 

 United States Bee-Keepers' Association, has been deliver- 

 ing lectures recently on bees and bee-keeping, at local 

 farmers' institutes. Of course he created much interest in 

 the subject, just as the newspapers reported. Pres. Whit- 

 comb is right "at home" on bee-keeping. And he can 

 make it lively for his audience. He can dance and sing like 

 an Indian, too. Probably the old Association never had 

 such an all-around president. But he will need all his Yan- 

 kee and Indian tactics when he comes to preside over the 

 annual convention. 



* « * « » 



The Von Culin Incubator Company, of Delaware 

 City, Del., have lately reorganized and doubled their former 

 capital, and also added machinery to their present plant 

 that will increase their present output of machines 50 per- 

 cent. This was necessitated by the increast demand for 

 their incubators in 1898, after they had added to their 

 alreadj' high-grade machines their patented automatic ven- 

 tilation and temperature regulators. It would pay you to 

 send for their large catalog. Their factory is at 8 to 12 

 Washington Ave., Delaware City, Del. Don't fail to men- 

 tion the American Bee Journal when writing them. 



Editor E. R. Root, in Gleanings for Feb. 1, in com- 

 menting upon the improvements in some of their apiarian 

 exchange papers, had this to say concerning the American 

 Bee Journal : 



"The 'Old Reliable ' comes out with a new title-page, 

 new body type (just like ours, by way of compliment), and 

 one cannot fail to note an added freshness and vigor 

 throughout the whole journal. It is the oldest of all the bee- 

 papers on this side of the Atlantic. It is a weekly, and 

 always on time — the only one, I believe, that can really 

 claim that distinction." 



We make our very best bow for the foregoing compli- 

 ment. Coming, as it does, from one who is so competent to 

 judge, we can but appreciate it very highly, and continue 

 to strive to issue a good bee-paper. 



