THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



on this continent. It is to be lioii^d 

 that our Halifax friends will guurd 

 with scrupulous care the patch of it 

 they yet possess. 



Planting for Honey. 



It is but a very short time since a\\ 

 the inquiries about planting for honey 

 ■were answered nearly thus: "It will 

 not pay to plant anything for the bees, 

 unless it is useful for something else." 

 The Bee Journal for August, 1880, 

 page 361, took the opposite ground, 

 and now, to plant for honey has be- 

 come almost as popular as the reverse 

 was before that date. To furnish flora 

 for our bees is just as reasonable and 

 wise as to furnish pasture for our 

 stock, and the time is coming when 

 those wlio lack natural flora, and do 

 not provide flora for the bees, will be 

 thought as old fogyisli as those who 

 prefer box hives, black bees and from 

 6 to 10 pound boxes for surplus comb 

 honey. It is very pleasing to notice 

 the agricultural, as well as other bee 

 papers besides the Journal, coming 

 into line and advocating pcogi-ess in 

 this matter. The Indiana Farmer, of 

 last week, advises bee-keepers to plant 

 for honey, and adds : 



We have not had the room and time 

 for extensive |>laiiting ourselves ; but 

 so far as our personal experience goes, 

 we are satisfied of the feasibility of the 

 j)lan. We believe that it will pay in a 

 financial point of view, and in the more 

 settled districts is destined to become 

 the chief corner-stone for profitable 

 bee-keeping. 



Yes, it " is destined to become the 

 chief corner-stone for profitable bee- 

 keeping ;" there can be no doubt of it 

 in the minds of reflecting, p^-aclical 

 men. It it will pay to have bees work 

 on basswood or white clover for a week 

 or two, how much more profitable will 

 it be to give them continuous pasturage, 

 from which to gather honey from 

 spring till frost ? This is self-evident, 

 and settles all controversy ! By all 

 means, plant for honey. There are 

 many good honey-producers, but none 

 are better than sweet clover — and none 

 can give a more continuous flow of 

 honey from June till after it is too cold 

 for the bees to fly. 



I^-On Dec. 31, 1881, Mr. W. F. Con- 

 ner, 1-51 Water street, Chicago, made 

 a voluntary assignment, and Elisha 

 Moore, Jr., was appointed assignee. 

 The liabilities are put down at about 

 $1 ,800, and tlie assets are nominal. So 

 said the Chicago IVibune. Mr. C. had 

 handled some honey, but we hope bee- 

 keepers are not largely interested. 



i^"Onpage395of the Bee Journal 

 for Dec. 14, Mr. Heddon makes use of 

 the following language, in speaking of 

 comb foundation : " Every year I re- 

 ceive samples by mail, and wherever 

 I have ordered a few pounds, I have 

 never in a single instance received 

 ever so small a lot equal to the sam- 

 ples. Nearly every piece of these 

 samples betrays the use of soap." We 

 have received several letters from 

 foundation manufacturers in reference 

 to this matter, all complaining of in- 

 justice done them by implication. Of 

 course, this was farfrom Mr. Heddon's 

 intention, who probably intended only 

 to censure tlie frequent practice of se- 

 lecting the finest specimens as samples 

 of their general sales. We trust no 

 further notice will be taken of this 

 matter. 



^^ Many topics suggested by our 

 correspondents for editorial articles 

 are waiting until we can get time to 

 write them. We hope soon to reach 

 them — we are very busy now. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



Progress.— The Iowa City Bepubli- 

 can, in its report of the Fine Stock 

 Convention, held at Iowa City, Iowa, 

 says: 



" Points of Progress in bee-keep- 

 ing" by Eev. O. Clute, was the sub- 

 ject of an interesting address. The 

 speaker, who has become well-known 

 the couTitry over, delighted an already 

 tired audience with a wonderfully in- 

 teresting inipromtu talk. He ex- 

 plained ids method of earing for bees, 

 extracting honey, etc., illustrating his 

 remarks by exhibiting his hives and 

 other apparatus. 



Progress of Bee-Ciiltureiii England. 



— P. R. Jackson, Esq., writes as fol- 

 lows to the West Sussex Gazette: 



Although there are few pursuits 

 which with a like amount of care and 

 capital yield equally remunerative re- 

 sults, apiculture, as compared with 

 other branches of industry, has been, 

 till lately, much neglected in England. 

 In May, 1874, several pliilantiu-opic 

 and spirited gentlemen acquainted 

 with bee-keeping, much interested in 

 its pursuit, and convinced of the prac- 

 tical benefits resulting therefrom, 

 formed a committee, and instituted 

 the British Bee-Keepers' Association, 

 for the encoui-agement, improvement, 

 and advancement of bee-culture in the 

 United Kingdom, particularly as a 



means of bettering the condition of 

 cottagers and the agricultural labor- 

 ing classes, as well as for the advocacy 

 of humanity to the industrious labor- 

 er — the honey bee. Under the aus- 

 pices of this Association, the cottager 

 soon found the hive bee the most pro- 

 fitable live stock, necessitating a very 

 small outlay, and thriving with little 

 expenditure of time, which could be 

 given when most convenient. So suc- 

 cessful has bee-keeping proved under 

 the modern rational and humane sys- 

 tem, that a hive of bees returns in or- 

 dinary seasons from 100 to 500 per 

 cent, on its actual cost, many cot- 

 tagers not only paying their rent by 

 their bees, but realizing a considera- 

 ble profit beyond this. Such success 

 has attended the efforts of the British 

 Bee-Keepers' Association, that nu- 

 merous county associations have been 

 formed, over three of which the 

 Princess Christian, the Duke of Con- 

 naught, and the Archbishop of Can- 

 terbury preside. Many noblemen also, 

 as Presidents and Vice Presidents, 

 are interested in bee-keepers' asso- 

 ciations, which are doing good work 

 in their respective counties. Over the 

 Parent Association, the Baroness Bur- 

 dett-Coutts, ever ready to lead the 

 way in encouraging works of practical 

 utility, has for sonie time presided. 



No county in England is more favor- 

 able for bee-keeping tlian Sussex, for 

 which a Bee-Keepers' Association is 

 about being started, and the name of 

 a popular nobleman as its President, 

 augurs w-ell for its prosperity and ad- 

 vancement. A pursuit at once so in- 

 teresting and profitable, should stu-ely 

 meet with the hearty support and co- 

 operation of all who have at heart the 

 comfort and well-being of the indus- 

 trious cottager. 



Wasted Sweetness.— Mr. W. Z. Hut- 

 chinson, in the Sural Nete Yoi-ker, 

 says : 



There is, probably, enough honey 

 that goes to waste for want of bees to 

 gather it, to sweeten all of the pies, 

 cakes and cookies that are baked. 

 Upon nearly every eighty-acre farm 

 there is enough honey secreted by the 

 flowers each year to furnish its owner 

 with "sweetening i)Ower" from honey 

 harvest to honey harvest. It is ad- 

 mitted by our best ai)iarists that a 

 few colonies in a place give better re- 

 sults than a large number ; therefore, 

 if the bees were scattered about, a 

 few colonies at each farm , there would 

 not be so much sweetness wasted. 

 To be sure, there are, and probably al- 

 ways will be, people who make a spe- 

 cialty of bee-keeping, owning their 

 hundreds of colonies; and this is all 

 riglit ; it is to such persons as these 

 that we are indebted for the improve- 

 ments that have made bee culture 

 the safe, pleasant and profitable pur- 

 suit it now is ; but this need not deter 

 any farmer from keeping a few colo- 

 nies of bees that will supply his table 

 with that most delicious and healthful 

 of sweets, i>ure honey. They willpro- 

 bably find bee-keeping to lie one of 

 the most fascinating occupations in 

 which they were ever engaged. 



