THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



451 



A Scurrilous Pamphlet. 



Distin^niishcd Tisitors. 



" Des Vessies pour des Liinternes 

 ou la science apistique dii Comte G. 

 Barbo. par Giotto Ulivi." This is the 

 title of a pamphlet, the translation of 

 whicli is, " Tlie windbag for the non- 

 sense of Count Barbo, by Giott) 

 Ulivi." This witli the occompanying 

 volume contains about ].'!0 pages ; but 

 the title is sufficient to disgust any 

 lionest seeker after truth. Count 

 Barbo is a gentleman who devotes 

 himself to tlie study of apiculture 

 from a praiseworthy love for natural 

 liistory, and has a discriminating 

 judgment and scientific attainments 

 which constitutes him one of tlie best 

 authorities in Europe on all matters 

 pertaining to the honey bee. Being 

 wholly disinterested in all controvers- 

 ies pertaining to them (as we are 

 quite sure he never reared a bee for 

 tnitilc), he has in no way allowed 

 prejudice to influence him in one of 

 his conclusions, nor has impatience 

 hindered him from making thorough 

 and exhaustive researches into mys- 

 terious problems. From a personal 

 acquaintance with Count Barbo, we 

 feel assured that Ulivi's ridiculous 

 bombast will only bring upon himself 

 contempt, and increase the universal 

 respect and esteem for the noble 

 Count. 



Bee-C'iilture in Florida. 



Bees as Tipplers.— Mr. W. T. Clary 

 has kindly forwarded us several ex- 

 tracts from the Farming World, em- 

 bodying a series of strictures from 

 correspondents of that paper on Mr. 

 A. C. Stipp, of South Carolina, for 

 having advocated the use of the " old 

 box gum " in preference to the mova- 

 ble frame liive of modern date. Al- 

 together the correspondence is too 

 lengthy for publication in the Bee 

 Journal, and we will have to be 

 content with making the following 

 amusing extract from Mr. Stipp's 

 m first letter, whicli has opened a fair 

 field for attack : 



A good fruit year is always a bad 

 bee year. They may do very well in 

 the early part of tlie season, but they 

 will not do much after brandy time 

 comes. Tliey are great drinikards, 

 and when they have plenty .of brandy, 

 ■which they always gather from the 

 fruit and distill for themselves, like 

 most otlier drunkards, they cease to 

 accumulate and only go tlirough with 

 what they liave. They neglect the 

 more important duties of making a 

 living, and mix their honey with their 

 brandy and betake tliemselves to hard 

 drinking until many of them die 

 drunk, if they don't fill a drunkard's 

 grave. 



Ou tlie Uth iiist. w-e were agreeably 

 surprised witli a personal call from 

 Mr. James Anderson, bearing the 

 following courteous introduction : 



T. G. Newman, Esq., My Dear 

 Friend.— AWow me to introduce to 

 you our most advanced bee-keeper in 

 Scotland. To live in the West and 

 not have the acquaintance of James 

 Anderson, of Daisy, Scotland, is not 

 to be in the bee world. Eor 50 years 

 he lias lield his own against iill comers, 

 and he it was who went to the first 

 Crystal Palace Show in London, and 

 completely revolutionized the mode 

 of taking surplus. He is on a short 

 visit in search of health, whicli I 

 sincerely hope he will gain, and bring 

 back a host of information to us from 

 our " American cousins." Well do 1 

 remember your hajipy visit to Perth, 

 and only hope 1 may be able some day 

 to come and see you. 

 Yours, faithfully, 



RoBT. J. Bennett. 



Glasgow, Scotland, May 22, 1882. 



We met Mr. Anderson at the Perth, 

 Scotland, bee and honey show, of 

 ■wliich Society Mr. Bennett is the 

 honored Secretary, and although Mr. 

 Bennett's very welcome letter was not 

 necessary to insure Mr. Anderson a 

 cordial welcome, il lent a greater zest 

 to our friendship for the distinguished 

 visitor who bore such honorable cre- 

 dentials. We are glad that so far Mr. 

 Anderson's impressions of our coun- 

 try have been most favorable, and he 

 will take back to Scotland a founda- 

 tion machine and various other im- 

 plements of our most improved pat- 

 terns. He goes from liere to visit a 

 son several years a resident in Texas, 

 and from thence to visit another in 

 Colorado. We wish him an agreeable 

 visit in our country and a pleasant 

 return. 



On the same day (July 11) Mr. Pat- 

 rick Robertson, of Newhall, Scotland, 

 paid us a visit, bearing a letter of 

 introduction which Mr. Bennett closes 

 'thus gracefully : " Kind regards, and 

 Aope you will liave an extra good sea- 

 son. Has Apii< Americana reached 

 the top of the tree yet V" 



Mr. Robertson's visit to the United 

 States is for tlie purpose of making this 

 a future home. He gOL^s from tiere to 

 Des Moines. Iowa, from there to 

 Winnepeg, and thence to Los Ange- 

 les, Cal.,where he intends engaging in 

 bee and orange culture. He is a gen- 

 tleman of affable address, discrimi- 

 nating oljservatioii. and much expe- 

 rience, and we wish and predict suc- 

 cess for him, in wliatever enterprise 

 he may engage. 



Mr. W. S. Hart, of New Smyrna. 

 Fla., lias kinilly sent us a copy of his 

 circular issued under tlie ausiiices of 

 the State Iinniigration Agent, and 

 published in the Tallahassee Floridian. 

 It is quite lengthy and interesting, 

 but we confine ourself to making a 

 few extracts. The circular consists 

 of a series of ijuestions and answers. 

 We presume copies can be obtained, 

 by sending a few stamps to pay post- 

 age, of Mr. Hart : 



Question. — Does it pay to keep bees 

 in Florida ':' 



Answer.— Ves, in many portions of 

 the State it pays as well or better 

 th.iii in any other State, and there are 

 l)arts where bees can scarcely make a 

 living. 



Q.— \V^hat is the average increase 

 and honey production per colony in 

 an average year V A.— In good loca- 

 tions the average natural increase is 

 from 1 to 3 and bW pounds of honey. 

 They often do much better than this. 

 I have known one colony to increase 

 naturally to nine strong ones, in one 

 season, and give considerable surplus 

 honey besides. 



Q. — What enemies and disease do 

 they have to contend with V A.— I 

 have never seen or known of a dis- 

 eased colony of bees in this State. 

 Foul brood," dysentery, etc., are un- 

 known here. The enemies are toads, 

 dragon files, ants, moths, and birds: 

 but Italian bees, well attended, will 

 keep so strong in numbers that the 

 combined efforts of their enemies 

 seem to affect them but little. 



Q.— What part of the State would 

 you recommend for an apiarist to 

 i locate in V A.— Having never been 

 iu the northern portion of the Slate, 

 I know but comparatively little of its 

 honey resources. I am told that bees- 

 do very well in many localities, and 

 one correspondent writes that his 

 bees get the swarming fever in Octo- 

 ber, from a heavy fiow of honey,, 

 which usually comes about that time, 

 lam better "acquainted with South- 

 Florida and consider the coast coun- 

 ties lying south of the northern limit 

 of the mangrove tree (a little north of 

 29th parallel) unsurpassed tor the in- 

 dustry. 



Q.— Do bees get lazy after being in 

 your State for a while V A.— No. 



Q. — Do the bees gather the year 

 round, what do they gather from, and 

 wliat is the quality of the honey ? 

 A. — No, there are usually three and 

 sometimes four honey seasons, with 

 ; honey droutlis between, each year. I 

 will quote from an article of mine 

 published in the Florida Agri'-idturist, 

 I of November 9lh, 1881 : " Our bees 

 I winter i)erfectly on the summer 

 i stands, 'and gather honey or i)ol!en 

 i every month in the year. The first 

 honey flow commences about tlie 1st 

 I of February and swarming about the 

 j 10th of March. In Ajiril or May we 

 j usually have a honey drouth of a few 

 weeks, sufficient to check the swarm- 

 ing fever. Then comes the saw 



