THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



is: 



Poor Honey Season.— I was nearly 

 discouraged last spring when I found 

 18 out of 20 colonies of bees had died. 

 But 1 determined to try again and I 

 bouglit 10 colonies, which I increased 

 to 28, in good condition for winter. I 

 got 335 lbs. of clover honey in 2 lb. 

 sections. The season was a very poor 

 one for honey in this county, the long 

 drouglit cut the season very short. I 

 sold all my honey at 25 cents per lb. 



WJI. B. McCOKMICK. 



Uniontown, Pa., Dec. 5, 1881. 



Sixty Colonies on Summer Stands. — 



I am pleased to know that the Bee 

 Journal is to have smaller pages in 

 1882. They are more convenient to 

 preserve and handle. Every one who 

 has 5 colonies should take the Bee 

 Journal. I have 60 colonies on the 

 summer stands all in good condition. 

 They had a flight on Dec. 14. 



Thos. Plerce. 

 Gansevoort, N. Y., Dec. 19, 1881. 



Making Comb Foundation. — I had 



30 colonies of bees in the fall of 1880 

 packed in chaff ; all came out alive in 

 the spring, 2 were queenless and 1 left 

 the hive in April. They had no flight 

 from Nov. 9 till March 6. I increased 

 to61, and extracted 2,.500 lbs. of honey. 

 All have plenty of good honey for 

 winter and are in good condition, 

 packed the same as last winter. I 

 have tried all kinds of soap to make 

 comb foundation with, but had little 

 satisfaction. Last summer I used 1 

 lb. of honey mixed with one-fourth of 

 water ; it worked like a charm and 

 needs no washing. We have a ma- 

 chine to even the sheets and roll them 

 out 5 and feet long. David Byer. 

 Markham, Ont., Dec. 21. 1881. 



Clock-Work.— Success to the Bee 

 Journal. After reading it for the 

 past year, I have concluded that the 

 editor is like the pendulum of a clock, 

 steady, but right on the mark every 

 time. While you conduct the Bee 

 Journal. Mr. Editor, and I keep- 

 bees, send it right along to 



Geo. Williams. 



Nashua, N. H., Dec. 17, 1881. 



Packed in Chaff— Last spring I had 

 2." foliinies; I increased them to -52. 

 and rxtracted 2,900 lbs. of honey, and 

 took 100 lbs. of comb honey, leaving 

 them plenty of stores for winter. 

 Tliey are p icked in chaii. I believe 

 upward ventilation kills more bees 

 than anything else. I always put the 

 cap down tight with a sheet of paper 

 under it. and put the hives under the 

 chaff in a bin, with a heavy weight on 

 the top of the chaff. The tightest one 

 always winter tlie best 



Arthur J. Russell 



Millbrook, Ont., Nov. 22, 1881, 



Successful. — I cannot keep house 

 without the Bee Journal ; put me 

 down for a subscriber as long as I keep 

 bees. I began taking the Bee Jour- 

 nal with the first colony of bees, three 

 years ago. I have had good success, 

 which I owe in a great measure to tlie 

 Bee Journal. A. G. Kykert. 



Attica, N. Y. Dec. 24, 1881. 



The New Races of Bees.— My bees are 

 wintering well so far. I have not tried 

 the new races, and unless I hear better 

 reports about them, I think I shall let 

 them alone. I can sell extracted honey 

 at home for nearly as mucli as I can 

 comb honey. Isaac Shaep. 



Waveland, Ind., Dec. 29, 1881. 



Poor Bee Pasturage.— This is rather 

 a poor location for bees ; we depend 

 on white clover, and that has failed 

 for tlu-ee seasons. I lost all my bees 

 last winter except eight colonies, and 

 they were very weak. I obtained no 

 surplus, but increased to 31. and fed 

 about 200 lbs. of granulated sugar, 

 which gives them plenty for winter, 

 but some are rather weak in bees. 

 Wm. H. Rafteey. 



Pittsfield, 111., Dec. 26, 1881. 



Bees in Florida.— Perhaps a line 

 from one of your readers, formerly of 

 Salem, Ind., but now a sojourner in 

 this land of flowers, would be of in- 

 terest to your many readers. Bees 

 can be keitt here in any kind of a shell 

 that will keep out the rain and sun- 

 shine, and feed them on anything 

 sweet, except glucose — that curse to 

 honey-producers. It is no trouble to 

 winter bees here, if you leave them 

 enough to eat, or will feed them sugar 

 cane syrup, if they have not enough 

 honey. Tliose keeping bees here say 

 the orange is the best and first plenti- 

 ful bloom giving them honey and 

 building up their bees to swarming in 

 March ; but I think that for success- 

 ful honey gathering here I would feed 

 up my bees strong, so that I could get 

 the surplus honey from orange bloom, 

 which can be done, for it would be no 

 task to have the colonies strong by 

 the middle of February. Should I 

 ever stop any season here I would 

 try my hand at bee-keeping for our 

 Northern trade. The weather is 

 warm as our June is usually. We 

 have had but one frost here this win- 

 ter yet, and it is ttiought there will be 

 no more. The thermometer on Christ- 

 mas was 80^ at noon. 



John Craycraft. 



Waldo, Fla., Dec. 26, 1881. 



Worth $50 a Year to Me.— Please 

 send me the Journal as long as you 

 and I live. I have received it for l'881, 

 and it was worth 25 times its sub- 

 scription price to me. 



Samson J. Hopkins. 



Evansville, Wis., Dec. 30, 1881. 



Hybrids as Honey Gatlierers.— I have 

 12 colonies of bees in winter quarters. 

 I have kept bees for 10 years, and, 

 seeing so many bad reports last win- 

 ter from all over the country, I thought 

 it my duty to rejjort my success in 

 wintering. During all my experience 

 in bee-keeping I have lost only 1 col- 

 ony, and that was 9 years ago. Last 

 winter I had 7 colonies ; all came 

 through strong ; they never were in 

 better condition than last spring. My 

 bees and myself were ready for tlie 

 honey harvest. Apples and cherries 

 yielded abundantly ; next came white 

 clover, but, to my disappointment, 

 only for a few days. Dry weather set 



in and there was no more honey for 

 us. My average crop per colony was 

 about 30 lbs., all in 2 lb. sections. I 

 have 3 colonies of Italians, but like 

 my hybrids best, not for beauty, but 

 for honey gathering. I sold all my 

 honey at 25 cts. per lb. 



C. H. Nagle. 

 Allentown, Penn., Dec. 18, 1881. 



Enthusiastic Appreciation. — I con- 

 sider the Bee Journal indispensa- 

 ble. I should be lost without its timely 

 hints. Its Convention notes, contain- 

 ing the views of the master minds of 

 the apiarian world, is enough to make 

 the heart of the smaller apiarist leap 

 for joy. Long live its editor, who 

 fights so valiantly against glucose and 

 adulterations generally. I have 28 

 colonies with blankets over the tops 

 and Jo i'lcli strips under. I will give 

 the re"sults in tlie spring. I keep feed 

 in dry places for them every warm 

 day, of which we have had many. The 

 weather is warm and rainy. 



G. W. ASHBT. 



Valley Station. Ky., Dec. 28, 1881. 



Home Market for Honey. — The 



weather is remarkably warm for the 

 time of year. My bees are in cellar, 

 and, to all appearance, are doing well. 

 I leave the entrance below open, keep 

 the room perfectly dark, and they are 

 as still as mice. I have no fear as 

 long as tliey have plenty of air below. 

 I sell all my lioney at 25 cents per lb. 

 at Galva. It is in pound boxes with 

 label on top of each section, as fol- 

 lows: " One pound of pure, unadul- 

 terated comb honey from the apiary 

 of J. M. A. Miller." I lind no trouble 

 to sell all I have to spare at a good 

 price with the above guarantee, and 

 those who attempt to use my name to 

 sell an inferior article at a reduced 

 figure, are cutoff. 



J. M. A. Miller. 

 Galva, 111., Dec. 23, 1881. 



[Yes ; the way to succeed is to de- 

 velop the home markets. — Ed.] 



What a Contrast.— A year ago, at a 

 corresponding date, the earth was cov- 

 ered with deep snow ; every stream 

 and rivulet was frozen over, and the 

 merry jingle of sleigh bells resounded 

 over hill and dale. To-day the weather 

 is as warm iis a pleasant May day, and 

 in place of the musical jingle of bells 

 we had more animated and much 

 sweeter music (to our ears) the hum- 

 ming of countless numbers of bees. 

 So far this winter we have scarcely 

 had ten days in succession when our 

 bees were not flying one or more days. 

 We fee! quite safe now, should we get 

 acold snap for even six weeks. Our 

 bees carried pollen to-day from rye 

 and oats, chopped, placed in the yard 

 for them. W. II. Stout. 



Pine Grove, Pa., Dec. 2S, 1881. 



Wintering Nicely. — I have 80 colo- 

 nies of bees in chaff hives. They are 

 wintering nicely, and had a flight 

 every few days during the winter, so 

 far. 1"". E. Townsend. 



Hubbardston, Midi., Dec. 29, 1881. 



