74 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 





Unfortunate.— I subscribed for the 

 Bee Journal the beginning of the 

 year, and I tliink I began tlie year well. 

 I am 65 years old, and have had bees 

 4 years. I began witli 2 colonies; 1 

 died, the other sent out three swarms. 

 One took to the woods, which left me 

 3 to winter. They came out all right 

 in the spring and increased to 15, 

 which gave me 2-56 pounds of honey, 

 and I sold it at 2-5c. per pound, netting 

 me $64. This was all in box honey. 

 In the winter of 1880-81 they all died, 

 and left lots of honey, some of which 

 Isold. Last June I bought 1 colony 

 in an observatory hive. Last spring 

 I sent to II. A. Burch, South Haven, 

 Mich., for 6 colonies of Italian bees. 

 They were to be delivered the 1st of 

 May, but no bees came ; I wrote a 

 number of times, and he said he would 

 send them as soon as he reached my 

 order, and he ke))t promising from 

 time to time, but neither sent the 

 bees nor refunded the money. At 

 last I brought suit against liim for 

 money or bees, and lie sent the bees in 

 ■poor condition the latter part of Sep- 

 tember, with liardly anything to keep 

 them througli winter. I have had to 

 feed them ever since. I cannot tell 

 whether they will pull through or not. 

 I bought 12 colonies of black bees this 

 fall ; they are nil in good condition. I 

 am going to Italianize them. 



S. T. WOOLWORTH. 



Gratiot, Wis., Jan. 24, 1882. 



Bees in Kentucky. — I am glad to 

 acknowledge tliat I am a more en- 

 thusiastic apiarist since my attend- 

 ■ance of the National Society, at Lex- 

 ington, Ky., and believe my success 

 in the past can be greatly excelled 

 ■during coming season. We all hail 

 wilh delight the improved appearance 

 and increasing value of our favorite, 

 the Bee Journal, and hope its Edi- 

 tor and statt' may be blessed with the 

 •great prosperity ever due to industry 

 and true merit. Bees are wintering 

 well in Kentucky and the prosjiect 

 for 1882 is flattering when we consider 

 the mild winter, hives stored with the 

 greatest abundance of rich stores to 

 induce early breeding; then we have 

 had a copious rainfall for 3 mouths 

 past which will bring ns a profusion 

 ■of early blossoms and rich verdure of 

 •clover and grasses for our little pets 

 to revel in. John T. Connley. 



Walnut Lick, Ky., Jan. 20, 1882. 



Honey Pop-Corn Balls.— Allow me 



to thank Mrs. A. M. Sanders for her 

 recipe for making honey pop-corn 

 balls. We have tried it and think 

 they are very nice. Bees are winter- 

 ing well, so far, in this vicinity. I 

 liave 45 colonies ; 25 in cellar and 20 on 

 the summer stands, packed in cliatf . 

 Being in attendance at the Michigan 

 State I3ee-Keepers' Convention, I say 

 you are right in. regard to the glucose 

 question. J. T. Smith. 



Bellevue, Mich., Jan. 23, 1882. 



Bee-Ciilture in D. C. — There is not 

 mucli intelligent acquaintance with 

 bees in the D. C. and parts adjacent, 

 and I do not know what can be done 

 to create a proper interest. Maryland 

 and Virginia ought both to be great 

 bee States, and I hope soon will be. 

 Washington City, I believe will, in the 

 near future, beat the world for its 

 honey flow, for its flora, and especially 

 for basswood and white clover it will, 

 as a city, be unequaled. The tide- 

 water regions of both States ought to 

 be admirable for honey, but it is al- 

 most entirely neglected. I am going 

 to see what I can do through the 

 clergy. If we can interest them, they 

 can soon interest their people. I have 

 now 42 coloines, wliich I hope will 

 winter safely— all hybrids and Italians. 

 I hope to do well next year. I read 

 the Weekly Bee Journal right 

 through. J. A. Buck. 



Washington, D. C, Jan. 23, 1882. 



Kentucky Bee-Keeping.— There are 



not a great many who have bees near 

 me ; at least those who have bees have 

 but few colonies ; scarcely any within 

 3 miles of this point, have more than 

 10 or 12 colonies. I began the winter 

 with 40 colonies in Langstroth hives, 

 mostly Italians, and as far as I know, 

 they are all alive. Some of them were 

 weak in the fall, but I have fed con- 

 siderable, as the weather wjis favora- 

 ble. We had rather a poor honey sea- 

 son last year on account of the severe 

 drouth, but a very favorable winter so 

 far, the weather being so open that 

 they have had several flights. We 

 have not had much severe cold wea- 

 ther, and little snow, but plenty of 

 rain and mud. As far as my observa- 

 tion has extended, the bees seem to be 

 consuming but little of their winter 

 stores, rather less, I think, than usual. 

 Success to the Bee Journal. 



J. r. Ellis. 

 Fiskburg, Ky., Jan. 26, 1882. 



Artificial Comb Honey. — Do people 

 in large cities buy and use our beauti- 

 ful section honey, and at the same 

 time think they are using or eating 

 artiHcial comb honeyV I am fre- 

 quently told by well-informed men 

 that section honey is manufactured in 

 Chicago, and none but experts could 

 tell it from our natural section honey, 

 except by its flavor. One man told 

 me, in traveling through New York 

 State he saw wagon loads of full comb 

 shipped from tlit^ factory. I told him 

 it was perhaps near Canajoharie, and 

 was foundation filled in frames ready 

 for the bees ; but he insisted it was 

 full-size comb, and added that in New 

 York city they manufactured large 

 quantities of section honey, and that 

 it sold 2 cents liigher, per lb., than 

 natural honey, and yet did not con- 

 tain a drop of honey. I have so far 

 always denied the possibility of any 

 such honey in sections. If tlie ques- 

 tions are worthy of any notice, please 

 give us light. A few words in expla- 

 nation : A friend of mine tells me 

 that he has frequently eaten artificial 

 section honey at liis sister's table, in 

 Chicago, that could not be told, until 

 cut, wlien it would show plainly from 

 the absence of the natural cells. 



Question— Could a sheet of wax be 

 made resembling capped honey, fast- 

 ened into a section, the section filled 

 with glucose of the proper consistency, 

 and then the other side sealed up with 

 a similar sheet of wax V I say no ; 

 but these are well-informed men. 



II. S. Hackman. 

 Peru, 111., Jan. 19, 1882. 



[We have expressed the opinion that 

 the manufacture of artificial comb 

 honey was not only impracticable, but 

 utterly impossible. However, we have 

 a series of investigations under way, 

 as stated last week, to ascertain how 

 the impression originated, and will 

 give publicity to the result when fully 

 learned. Undoubtedly, the whole 

 story has originated from a mistaken 

 impression, probably from the use of 

 too thick foundation in the sections, 

 or some one not thoroughly familiar 

 with apiculture, has seen some bee- 

 keeper using combs which were built 

 the previous season and saved over 

 for spring or summer use, then a fer- 

 tile brain has suggested that they 

 were artilicially filled with glucose and 

 capped over. Once imagining how it 

 unght be done, it is easy to give out 

 the impression that it was so done, 

 and a story or prejudice never loses 

 by traveling. Persons in large cities 

 might buy artificial comb honey, even 

 though they knew it to be such ; but 

 they would prefer the genuine. We 

 know they buy sugars and syrups, 

 and yet no one is so ignorant as not 

 to know that the majority of the latter 

 is glucosed. Some are even so demor- 

 alized that they buy bntterine, know- 

 ing it to be such, and the reason as- 

 signed is " it looks as well as most of 

 the butter."— Ed.] 



Bee-Culture in Tennessee.— I read 

 the Bee Journal with a great deal 

 of interest and profit. I would be 

 more interested if you had more cor- 

 respondence from Tennessee and the 

 South. I would like to see our people 

 more interested in the production of 

 lioney. From your correspondents in 

 the north, and iwrthwest, you seem to 

 labor under many more diiliculties in- 

 cident to your rigorous winters, than 

 we do in the souUi. It is a rare cir- 

 cumstance that oui' bees perish from 

 cold, and we never winter in houses 

 or cellars, or pits, but on their sum- 

 mer stands. Your reports, however, 

 indicate that your annual yield, per 

 hive, is greater than ours. Perhaps it 

 is owing to your superior care, manip- 

 idation and skill. It seems to me, 

 that, taking everything into consider- 

 ation, the south must be a better loca- 

 tion for an apiarist than the north ; 

 when we take into the account the 

 rigorous winters of the north, involv- 

 ing so much loss, so much care and 

 labor. We would like to see some of 

 your enterprising bee-keepers in this 



