262 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



than are the bliick bees, but a large 

 number of our best comb honey rais- 

 ers say such is the fact. 



As some are aware, I run my entire 

 apiary for tlie production of extracted 

 honey, and the kind of bees I want 

 are those tliat will give me the largest 

 amount of that kind of honey, and 

 yet not be deficient in vigor, "hardi- 

 ness, or ease of handling. In this sec- 

 tion flowers usually yield very 

 copiously for a short time, then par- 

 tially cease for a time, then give au- 

 otht'V large flow, and so on. Daring 

 the season of 1879, white clover 

 yielded good for about two weeks, 

 then ceased almost altogether, and 

 about the 20th of August buckwheat 

 gave a large yield for a week or ten 

 days only. During all the rest of the 

 season, just enough honey was gath- 

 ered to keep brood rearing going on 

 nicely. Now, I think all can readily 

 see tiiat those colonies of bees stored 

 by far the most honey that partially 

 ceased brood rearing during tliese 

 flows, and bent their whole energies 

 to the storing of honey, and tliis rule 

 of course works to a greater or less 

 degree every season. Nearly all bee- 

 keepers desire to have their queens 

 raise as largely as possible of brood 

 during all times in the season, but 1 

 want queens that will be very prolific 

 at all times during the season e.xcept 

 during heavy flows of honey, and Lhen 

 have their progeny All their combs 

 with honey as quick as they can. It 

 is my business to see that the combs 

 are emptied often enough to allow 

 her majesty a fair chance to perform 

 her special duties. I have carefully 

 observed this matter for years, aud 

 have no hesitation in saying that the 

 colonies containing my extra prolilic 

 queens have not averaged so large a 

 yield of lioney as have those not rais- 

 ing so ranch brood. 



As I have already said, the more 

 my bees have shown by their color 

 and markings theirafBuity to tlieiryel- 

 low progenitors, the more Lhoi-ouglily 

 do they seem to possess those traits [ 

 have mentioned, especially the first 

 and third ones. 



Some nuike the claim that the yel- 

 low bees are not so hardy as ai-e the 

 dark or leather colored ones. Now, 

 really, I don't like to be disrespectful 

 jto ward anyone's opinion, but I really 

 do think all such talk is simple bosh 

 and hardly worth arguing. 



I cannot say from experience how 

 nnich truth there is in the claim of 

 Messrs. Ileddon and others that the 

 German bees store more readily in 

 sections than do Italians, but cer- 

 tainly do not doubt but such may be 

 the fact, and can very readily see that 

 for their purposes "the dark Italians 

 or hybrids might be much preferable. 

 If their claims are correct, then it 

 .seems that the different management 

 adopted by different bee-keepers is 

 the veal cause of so much difference 

 of opinion among tlie most practical 

 men we have in our ranks, as to the 

 relative values of light and dark Ital- 

 ians. 



I do not wonder at all that Mr. 

 Buchanan, as well as others vi'ho have 

 bred entirely for color aud nothing 

 else, made miserable failures. I only 



wonder that they attribute their fail- 

 ure to their bees, instead of to them- 

 selves, where the blame really be- 

 longs. I think if a. judicious breeder 

 will select the best of his lightcolored 

 colonies to breed from, he will not 

 have to report a failure. 



I see several lay a great deal of 

 stress in having or going to build up a 

 special strain of hybrids. Now, gen- 

 tlemen, have you looked this matter 

 over carefully in the light of experi- 

 ence gained "by men in the breeding 

 of other kinds of stock V 



Their experience proves that it 

 takes a great many generations, doz- 

 ens at least, and very great care and 

 judgmentin selections, before a strain 

 can be built up from two different 

 breeds containing the best qualities 

 of botli, without the poorest of either, 

 and tho.se desirable qualities perman- 

 ently fixed. In my humble opinion it 

 would take at least half of an ordi- 

 nary life time, and the use of a sure 

 method of controlling fertilization, 

 before a valuable fixed strain of hy- 

 brids can be obtained. 



I make a special business of bee- 

 keejiing ; everything else, even my 

 farm, being side issues, and I several 

 years ago decided that I could suc- 

 ceed better by confining myself to one 

 branch of bee-keeping, letting all 

 others alone. I have therefore de- 

 voted my entire attention to tlie pro- 

 duction of extracted honey, and have 

 steadily refused to be drawn into the 

 queen rearing, bee-selliug, or supply- 

 dealing branches of the business. The 

 opinions I have expressed are there- 

 fore those foiined winle engaged in 

 the one branch of bee-keeping named. 



Williamstown, Iowa, April 10, 1S82. 



For tlie American Bee Jou;-naL 



Chemical I'roperties Required in Soil. 



A. U. KOHNliLE. 



On page 389, vol. 17, of the Bee 

 TouiiNAL, a German bee-keeper in 

 the IHenenvnler is giving his experi- 

 ence as to certain elements nece.ssary 

 in the soil, to cause plants to yield 

 honey. Special mention is made of 

 nitrogenous compounds and lime, but 

 that buckwheat would yield an abun- 

 dance of honey on rocky soil. But 

 other agents may be present in such a 

 soil, winch are the main cause of a 

 profuse honey flow, to discover which 

 the bee-keeper who intends to plant 

 for .honey would liave to experiment, 

 to find out whether it does or does 

 not pay. By the word " experiment, " 

 I mean for the bee-keeper to find out 

 w'hat fertilizer is wanted to give his 

 own soil the quality of causing plants 

 growing thereon to yield honey. M. 

 G. ViUe, a French experimenter, 

 makes this statement in his fifth lec- 

 ture : " If the agriculturist desires 

 to restore sugar to his beetroot, he 

 must supply the soil with potassa," 

 Botassa or potash in the most avail- 

 able form is found in wood ashes. If 

 this plant food is absent, all the other 

 agents present will not be of much 

 avail. Experiments which I am about 

 to make next summer will hold good 

 only to soil at my disposal, which is a 



rich, sandy loam, hence not conclusive 

 for any other part of the country or 

 even this county. 



Now as to the question whether or 

 not it will pay to raise i)laiits espec- 

 ially for honey, depends altogether 

 upon circumstances. In one of my 

 late articles referring to a, German 

 writer, who thinks that it pays to 

 raise them, instead of potatoes, I ex- 

 pressed my doubt as to its beluga 

 good investment, though a correspon- 

 dent of the Bee Journal makes me 

 say the very opposite. Where land is 

 worth from $500 to $1,000 i)er acre, as 

 it is here, and the lu-onts of market 

 gardening are from $300 to $500 per 

 acre, it would not pay. I5ut lands 

 worth from $10 to $30 per acre, which 

 do not rent for more than $1.00, or 

 at most $2.00. per acre, would pay bet- 

 ter in honey plants. Some years ago 

 I .saw in the State of New York a 

 field of potatoes, where two men had 

 worked digging them a half a day ; 

 the proceeds" were not (luite a bushel; 

 the ovi'ner abandoned tlie task of har- 

 vesting tliem. On the otlier hand, I 

 have seen fields yielding 300 bushels 

 per acre, selling at a dollar per bushel. 

 Where it will pay under all circum- 

 stances, is in waste iilaces, such as are 

 not or cannot be cultivated ; .but, do 

 not plant a little of everything and 

 not much of anything; that is poor 

 policy. 



In gathering honey bees do not visit 

 different kinds of flowers in one trip, 

 but gather honey frcnn (uie kind of 

 flower only; if tliey are oliliged to fly 

 long distances to liiid them, they lose 

 much valuable tiiiu^ in getting a load ; 

 if a bee-keeper wishes to try different 

 kinds of honey plants, the seed of 

 each kind should be scattered as near 

 in one spot as possible ; this will not 

 only be an advantage to tlie bees, but 

 to the bee-keeper to facilitate the ob- 

 servations he should make, to dis- 

 cover their value in his locality. 



Youngstown, O. 



For tliG American Bee Journal. 



Bee-Keepiiig iii Sweden. 



T. G. STALHAMMAK. 



In Sweden, last year was a very bad 

 and trying one so far as concerned 

 apiculture. No lioney.but few swarms, 

 and no possibility for them to build 

 up or store honey for winter, except 

 by giving foundation and using feed- 

 ers. This I have Ijeen doing, and 

 must feed every colony eight pounds 

 of loaf sugar, at the "entrance. Last 

 winter (1880-81) was a, very trying one 

 for the Ijees as well as for mankind in 

 this country, the thermometer sqme- 

 times showing 30'^ C. I .saw a colony 

 which took up its abode in a pillar or 

 column, the cavity being one foot 

 square, made of four boards \}4, inches 

 thi.ck. nailed together, airy and windy 

 all'along for 9 feet. It was covered 

 up and downward, but insutticiently, 

 the bees having easy access upward, 

 as well as wind and rain. The bees 

 had built their combs nice and straight 

 2% feet long, which were well stored. 

 Our examination was made in April, 

 when the winter had passed, and they 



