Mar. 23, 1899. 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



187 



Root's Column 



PLAIN 

 SECTIONS. 



Who said they were 

 not Money ^Makers ? 



Read this Unsolicited Testi- 

 monial : 



I have tried the fences the past season: and if 

 any season would show up the poor side of an 

 appliance for bees or bee-hives, the last one 

 surely would. I watcht the outcome of usinjr 

 fences very carefully, and note the foUowinpr: 

 Two hives of bees, side by side, were g'iven the 

 second super each, one containing- fences, the 

 other old-style sections 454x4Xi no fences or sep- 

 arators, both having- stored the first supers 

 nearly full. The one containing fences stored 

 nearly double the amount that the other did. 

 Now, I found this to be the case all over the 

 apiary: in fact, the bees seemed to give the pref- 

 erence to supers containing- sections and fences, 

 no matter whether they were next to the hive- 

 body or two or three supers above. I won't say 

 why this is so, but will leave that for you. As 

 to the matter of cleaning fences, it is not a very 

 great task, as only the uprig^hts have to be 

 cleaned; and the pleasure of having- neat and 

 even sections of honey compensates for what- 

 ever extra time is used. W. T. Sherman. 



Millard, Wis.. Feb. 13. 



And now read this, from that 



careful and conservative 



bee-keeper, 



J.E.Gran6,o!Mi[ld!6biiry,Vt.: 



Will the evolution of the honey-box bring the 

 plain section into general use? I believe it will. 

 One dealer in Washington told me he would pay 

 three cents per pound more for the 4x5 plain- 

 section honey than for the old-style sections. 

 Indeed, I was offered two cents per pound more, 

 for 5,000 pounds of clover honey, to be delivered 

 next fall, than I have been receiving of late for 

 my best g-rade of honey, if put in plain 4x5 sec- 

 tions. In New York I inquired of ZSIr. Segelken 

 for his plain section honey, that I might com- 

 pare it with that in old-style sections. He said 

 be had very little left in plain sections, as such 

 lots were pickt up first by retail dealers, who 

 preferred them to the old-st^-le sections. I found 

 the same true in Albany, N. Y., where I stopl to 

 look over the honey. As these retail dealers are 

 not in the supply business, I thought their 

 opinions worth recording. 



We now have about half a 

 hundred more like them. 



Keep Your Eye on 

 this Column, J^^JVJTc 



It may save you dollars. 



THe ft. I. Root Company 



MEDINA, OHIO. 



1^ 



Bees In Good Condition. 



Last year was almost a failure here. We 

 got but 900 pounds of extracted honey and 

 200 pounds of comb honey. The season 

 bids fair this year. Six hundred pounds of 

 the extracted was dark honey-dew, and the 

 comb honey also. But 300 pounds of ex- 

 tracted in the fall from asters, was very 

 fair. As it is a pretty warm day, I shall 

 make an examination of the bees. 



J. WiLET MOUNTJOT. 



Anderson Co., Ky., March S. 



Small Loss in Winter so Far. 



I had 102 colonies of bees packt for winter, 

 and I think the.v are wintering fairly well. 

 I saw them Feb. 3."), and I think there were 

 but seven dead ones in the lot. I expected 

 to lose very heavily, for the weather was 

 cold and no bright, warm days so they 

 could fly, until the middle of February; 

 since that time they have had a very fair 

 show. 



I like the American Bee Journal very 

 much indeed. I don't think anyone should 

 try to keep bees without one or more good 

 papers — the more the better. 



Jos. S. Seccomb. 



Cayuga Co., N. Y., March 5. 



Satisfied with the Business. 



I have 200 colonies all in good shape. I 

 have been feeding flour for three weeks, 

 but my bees are getting natural pollen now 

 from the pussy-willow. I produced 10.000 

 pounds of section honey last year. My 

 honey is sold here and at Spokane ; some of 

 it went to the miners. 



I have been in the bee-business for many 

 years. I use the Langstroth-Simplicity S- 

 frame hive. I am satisfied with the busi- 

 ness, and also truly satisfied with the Amer- 

 ican Bee Journal, to which I credit my suc- 

 cess. May it lay on my table as long as I 

 live and keep bees, is my prayer. 



Isaac Hays. 



Yakima Co., Wash., Feb. 27. 



Not a Promising Outlook. 



The outlook tor honey this season is not 

 very promising. Many of the fruit-trees, 

 flowers, etc., were in bloom when the Feb- 

 ruary freeze came, and all were killed. 

 Just think of it. zero this far south ! We 

 have never had it so cold before. The bees 

 were breeding up fast, but that stopt them 

 for awhile, and weak colonies were lost. I 

 have made a Manum swarm-catcher, Daisy 

 foundation fastener, section-press, and an 

 Alley queen-trap, besides hives, covers and 

 bottom-boards. This is all done in my spare 

 time at nights, etc. I have a small shop 

 and a good variety of tools, and my brother 

 has a saw-mill and planer, so I don't have 

 much trouble about lumber. Success to 

 the American Bee Journal. Lee Elder. 



Harrison Co., Miss., March 7. 



An Anti-Robber Block. 



I notice a great many questions in the 

 Bee Journal about stopping robbing, and at 

 the Colorado Bee-Keepers' Convention it 

 was discust. and none of their theories 

 were ever a success with me. I have a 

 plan of my own that I have never given to 

 the fraternity, and I have never tailed to 

 stop robbing. I have stopt them from rob- 

 bing queenless colonies when they had half 

 of the honey carried out, introduced a 

 queen, and everything was all right. 



I take a block of wood somewhat longer 

 than the entrance, 1^4 inches square, and 

 saw four or five notches in it large enough 

 for a bee to go in and out. Place it in 

 front over the entrance late in the evening 



SECOND=HAND 



Siuo-Pounfl Cans 



For Sale Cheap. 



Second-hand 60-pound Cans, two in a 

 case, vre offer, while they last, in 

 lots of five or more cases (10 cans) at 40 

 cents a case, f.o.b. Chicaj^o. They are 

 in good condition. Better order at once 

 if you want some of them. Address, 



QEORQE W. YORK & COMPANY, 



118 Michisfan St., Chicijfo, 111. 



ALBINO QUEENS 'UZlXlLl^Tro^ 



want the (:rentlest Bees— If you want thebest 

 honey-gatherers vou ever saw — trv mv Albinos, 

 Untested Queens in April, Si. 00; "Tested, $1.50. 

 9A2bt J. D. GIVENS, Lisbon, Tex.i 



PATENT WIRED COMB FOUNDATION 



Has no Sag in Brood-Frames. 



Thin Flat-Bottom Foundation 



Has no Fishbone in the Surplus 



Honey. 

 Being the cleanest is usually workt 

 the quickest of any foundation made. 



J. A. VAN DEVSEN, 



Sole Manufacturer, 

 Sprout Brook, Montgomery Co., N.Y* 



^aliYrfct-Mia I If you care to know of its 

 V^aUlUrnia I Fruits, Flowers, Climate 

 or Resources, send for a sample copy. of Cali- 

 fornia's Favorite Paper— 



The Pacific Rural Press, 



The leading Horticultural and Agricultural 

 paper of the Pacific Coast. Publisht weekly, 

 handsomely illustrated, $2.00 per annum. Sam- 

 pie copy free. 



PACIFIC RURAL PRESS, 



330 Market Street. - San Fkaxcisco, Cal. 



HAD THE GRIPPE? 



Wire fences, as well iis people, have felt the srlp— 

 of hard winter. Notice how the.v comjiare "after 

 tiiliinir." No "tired feehns" about the Pase. 

 PAGK WO VKX WIKK FKNCK CO., AltKIAN, iHICH^ 



Please mention Bee Journal -when "WTitingt. 



Improved Farm 

 For Sale: — 



Near the best market and best 

 shipping point in West Michig-an. 

 Now T.\CKI,E THE SUG.^R BEET. 



A. L O. BAXTER, Muskegon, Mich. 

 DITTMER'S 



Comb Foundation 



Wholesale and Retail. 



Wforkinci V\Za?c 



INTO FOUNDATION FOR CASH A SPECIALTY. 



Hives, Seetions, 



and a full line of SUPPLIES. 



I sell the VERY BEST at lowest prices and 

 ship promptly. 



Send me your name for 1S99 catalog and prices, 



whether you are a larg-e or small 



consumer or dealer. 



Beeswax always wanted for cash or trade at the 

 highest price. Address, 



GUS DITTMER, Augusta, Wis. 



