DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO PROGRESSIVE BEE CULTURE. 



VoL XVIII. 



Chicago, 111., March 22. 1882. 



No. 12. 



Published every Wednesday, by 



THOMAS G. NEWMAN, 



EDrrOK AND PllOPUIETOR, 



974 WEST MADISON ST., CHICAGO, ILL. 



TERMS OF StJBSCKIPTIOBf : 



WEEKLY— (52 numbers) Si3 a year, in advance. 

 Three or Si.Y Months at the same rate. 



Entsred at Chicago post office as second class matter. 



TOPICS PRESENTED THIS WEEK. 



Editorial— 



The Cheap Queen TrafBQ Again 177 



Flower Shows in England 177 



Conflictinc Theories of Bee-Keepers 178 



"Miner" Points 178 



Items 177, 17S 



Bee-Keeping in Florida 179 



Anions Our Exchau^es— 



A Standard Krame 179 



Bee Pasturage lH(t 



Reversiblf Frame IHO 



Sprinii DwindUng 180 



Bee Stings IHi 



How to Start Keeping Bees in Texas 181_ 



To Beginners 181 



Correspondence- 

 Some Slovenly Bee-Keeping 181 



A Few Practiciil Hints 181 



Bee-Keeping in Nebraska J82 



Honey from Corn 182 



Practical Uf-e of Comb Foundation 182 



The Temperature of Cellars 183 



Untested or " Dollar" Queens 183 



Does it Pay to Hear Cheap Queens? 184 



Is Our Chemist Abroad ? 184 



Manufacture of (.'omb Honey 184 



Do Bees Puncture Grapes ? 185 



Selections from Our Letter Box — 



Honey from <'ottoD 185 



Foundation Fastener 185 



Coral Beiry liiisn I85 



The Usc3<if (ilucose 186 



Drouth in Kansas 186 



Syrian Bees Igg 



Sweet Ckiver with Wheat 186 



Red Clovt^r Queens and Bees 186 



Kent'.ifky Itr.'s Jill Rit-'ht 186 



Bees in IJi'tter Cnmlition than for Years.. 186 



Thenminnk the Best for Tears 186 



A Veteran Bee-Keeper 186 



Feeding Syrups 186 



Kxperimpntal Wintering 186 



Bees in Kansas 186 



I-ost One out of Fiftv-three 186 



Clipping Queen's Wing 187 



A Reversible Frame 187 



Ftmndation Holder 187 



How 1 Bind the Bee Journal 187 



What a Contrast 187 



Profits of une Year 187 



The Winter in Nebraska 187 



Doing Well 187 



Bees Feeding on Pudding and Molasses... 187 



How to Sow Catnip 188 



Dimensions of aTwo-Pouiid Can 188 



Molding Combs 188 



Profits 125 per Colony 188 



P^^^^ 



The Cheap Queeu Traffic Again. 



The communication from Mr. W. Z. 

 Hutchinson, on page 183, on this 

 subject, calls for a few remarks. 



Our correspondent certainly mis- 

 understood our expression, which he 

 attempts to reproduce in his tirst para- 

 graph. Had lie copied the sentence 

 entire, it would give the impression 

 that where one might economize more, 

 scores of prudent breeders would far 

 exceed Mr. Salisbury's expenses. Not 

 only have we cited several cases where 

 experienced and extensive breeders 

 have found the cheap queen traffic un- 

 desirable, but in this issue we publish 

 a letter (on page 187) from another. 



We have carefully read our article 

 through to find the word "stripes" 

 which our correspondent quotes upon 

 us — it is not there, but, instead, in our 

 closing paragraph we said the " bee- 

 keepers want better stock, more 

 honey, longer-lived bees, and certain 

 profits." The matter of stripes was 

 certainly and purposely omitted, for 

 the "best bees" will have just the 

 requisite number, whether it be one 

 or a dozen. As we have understood 

 the matter, queens are not tested for 

 stripes alone, but for the best business 

 qualities, and if this object is not kept 

 in view in testing, why, untested 

 queens might fill the bill for all but 

 stripes. 



Nor did we say anything about 

 " hybrid queens," as charged in the 

 third paragraph given, but " worth- 

 less trash " is what we spoke of, and 

 many queens sent out, which throw 

 three-banded workers may be quite 

 as worthless as many which show not 

 one band plainly. But when a 



"tested " queen is bought or sold, it is 

 supposed her progeny will prove 

 among the best for all desirable 

 qualities, as well as possess the " three 

 bands," which are only a " test of 

 purity," or pure mating. 



The correspondent's citation of the 

 case of Dr. J. P. H. Brown establishes 

 no point, except that the Doctor, as 

 we all know, is an honest, conscien- 

 tious gentleman, who would not send 

 out any inferior stock, if he knew or 

 suspected it to be such, for any price ; 

 and further, he slates in his circular 

 that all his queens are reared from im- 

 ported stock. They are not reared 

 from " dollar " queens. 



We do not wish to controvert any- 

 thing in the sixth paragraph, nor in 

 either of the succeeding ones, except 

 vi^here " stripes " are unfortunately 

 and persistently attributed to us. 



Again we repeat, the bee-keepers of 

 America want the " best bee," and to 

 this end all bees should be tested 

 before leaving the hands of the 

 breeder. 



i^"The Oriental Casket," pub- 

 lished at 912 Arch St., Philadelphia, 

 Pa., is a literary gem. The March 

 number is full of things both inter- 

 esting and useful. In appearance it 

 is elegant ; in price moderate ; in all 

 things it is a credit to art, and a pleas- 

 ure to the reader. 



Flower Shows in England. — " Flow- 

 er Shows," says the Gardeners' Chron- 

 icle, " have become everywhere local 

 institutions ; they teach and they ex- 

 pand ideas; they promote that con- 

 tact amongst horticulturists of all 

 sections that was previously wanting, 

 and have and are doing a power of 

 good." The love for flowers is now 

 universal. So says Vick's Monthly. 

 Bee shows will soon become as popu- 

 lar as flower shows in Great Britain. 



