THE A3IERICA2V BEE JOURNAL. 



501 



For the American Bee Joimial. 



St. Joseph, Mo., Inter-State Exposition. 



B. s. irassER. 



For tlie American Bee Journal. 



Theoretical Bee-Ciiltiire. 



JAMES HEDDOX. 



I think I can accord witli the Bee 

 Journal in regard to the value of 

 theory. The editorial on the first 

 page for July 26th. contains about the 

 f.icts in the case. We want tlieories — 

 comet tlieories — and the only way that 

 I know of to separate the correct from 

 the incorrect, is by pructke. If you 

 mean that the apicultural part of the 

 University shall teach the th'"ories of 

 bee-eultufe only. I am exactly in ac- 

 cord with your ideas ; but if there is 

 to be a small theoretical apiary con- 

 nected with the University — one that 

 has no food and clothing anxiously 

 looking and longing for. and depend- 

 ing on its success, and this arrange- 

 ment, together with its scientific, theo- 

 retical teacher, is expected to turn out 

 pupils tl)at shall be practically equal 

 to the amount of capital it will require 

 to stock an area of one apiary's flight- 

 here is where we differ stilL 



Every graduate from this Univer- 

 sity will need to serve an apprentice- 

 ship in some apiary run to the necessity 

 of dollars and cents. I have more 

 faith in the capture of the wood- 

 chuck when "you've got to get him, 

 there is no other meat in the house." 



This University apicultural educa- 

 tion will polish and enlarge one's tal- 

 ents, but polished talent so often fails 

 where practical tact succeeds, that the 

 bystanders all wonder. To be sure, 

 talent attracts admiration, but tact 

 commands respect. Talent's -5 pounds 

 of honey isnotworthasmueh as tact's 

 15 pounds— not to eat— onlv in some 

 minds. 



This theoretical education is a grand 

 step towards fitting ones self for a 

 practical one to follow it : but this 

 latter education will hardlv be ob- 

 tained at any school, with or without 

 an apiary attachment, and anv at- 

 tempts made in that direction will. I 

 think, be abortive. 



Please place before vour mind's eve 

 two young men, one' just from our 

 Michigan State Agricultural College, 

 the other from a year's practice at 

 work in a large honev-producing 

 apiary— both just starting for them- 

 selves with 50 or 100 colonies— which 

 would you expect to succeed best '? 



Tact, or the right wav of doing the 

 right thing, is catching, and to be 

 caught one must come in contact with 

 those who have that practical com- 

 plaint. To the teaching of anv correct 

 theory, all hail : but I hope I am not to 

 understand this schooling to stand for 

 a competency? I think I do not un- 

 derstand you so. and this argument is 

 only made to show whv I wrote as I 

 did in the Bee JorRXA.L of Julv 26th. 

 when I understood that the school was 

 expected to turn out scholars for the 

 successful proprietors of apiaries. 



Dowagiac, Mich. 



The following is the premium list of 

 the Apiarian Department of the In- 

 ter-State Exposition to be held at St. 

 Joseph, Mo., on Sept. 4 to 9. 1882, of 

 whicti Mr. D. G. Parker has been 

 appointed superintendent : 

 Fi'.Kiavnis. 



Display of Italian bees. 1st prem.. 

 So; 2d pfem.. S3. 



Display of black bees, S2 ; SI ; 



Display of queen bees, S3. 



Display of imported queen bees. So. 



Display of beekeeper's tools, imple- 

 ments and fixtures. Only dealers in 

 these articles can make this entry. Slo. 



Best and largest display of honey in 

 comb, SIO : So. 



Best and largest display of extracted 

 honey, not less than 35 lbs, So ; S3 : 



Largest assortment of seeds for 

 honey plants, S2. 



Exhibition of a colony of bees in 

 hive, including their handling and 

 best method of subjugation to be prac- 

 tica'ly illustrated on Fridav, Sept. 8. 

 18S2. So. 



Honey extractor, S2. 



Honey knife, diploma. 



Bee smoker, diploma. 



Atomizer, diploma. 



Bee feeders, diploma. 



Comb foundation, diploma. 



Felt blankets, for covering brood 

 frames, diploma. 



Bee veils, diploma. 



Gloves, rubber gauntlets, diploma. 



Sections all in one piece, diploma. 



Sections, dovetailed, diploma. 



Wax extractor, diploma. 



SWEEPSTAKES. 



Best display of honey. S25. Exhib- 

 itors competing for sweepstake premi- 

 um will not be permitted to enter 

 same honey for other premiums. 



For largest and best displav of comb 

 honey ana in the best marketable con- 

 dition. S25. The honey entered for 

 this premium must be from the apiary 

 of the exhibitor, and must not be en- 

 tered in any other class. 



SPECIAL PREMIUMS. 



By O. A. Sandusky. St. Joseph. Mo., 

 for the best display of comb honey, in 

 1 or 2 lb boxes. S5. 



Also, for the best crock or firkin, 

 not less than 20 lbs, So. 



The Secretary is authorized by Hon. 

 Jas. X. Burnes" to purchase and pay 

 for 20 lbs of premium honey, awarded 

 a lady resident of any otherState than 

 Missouri. S20. 



The Secretary is authorized by Hon. 

 Jas. X. Burnes to purchase and pay 

 for 30 lbs of first premium honey, 

 awarded a Missouri lady, S-30. 



Gen. James Craig, of St. Joseph. 

 Mo., will purchase and pay for the 

 best 30 lbs of comb honev, exhibited 

 in 1 or 2 lb boxes. $15. 



These premi urns, amoimting to $191 . 

 are very liberal — more so than anv 

 other association has offered. A large 

 number of persons have commenced 

 the •' bee business" since our last ex- 

 hibition, and the displav will, no 

 doubt, be large, notwithstanding the 



honey sea.son has been anything but 

 satisfactory so far. It has been too 

 wet and ciikl. giving but little honey 

 from white clover. If it continues as 

 warm for the next two weeks as it is 

 at present, we can rely on a good dis- 

 play ot comb honev atour exposition. 

 So far. only those who fed their bees in 

 the months of March and April have 

 taken off anv surplus honey. 



I am satisfied that the oi'ily way to 

 manage an apiary in the early spring, 

 is to feed the bees three table spoon- 

 fuls of pure sugar in a saucer tilled 

 with water every morning. It should 

 be placed where the bees can reach it 



' without being exposed : tliis will in- 

 sure a populous colony ready to go to 



: work when the honey season opens. 



I It makes no difference how much 

 honey the bees have on hand; this 

 plan will pav. 

 St. Joseph', Mo., July 27, 1882. 



For the American Bee JonmaL 



Bee Notes from Mississippi. 



OSCAE F. BLEDSOE. 



The season this far in this locality 



has been encouraging for bee-culture. 



I It is being fully demonstrated to me, 



that an apiary well managed will pay 



well here. I'have sold a quantity of 



honey in this town in the 1 lb. section, 



! though heretofore honey has been very 



] slow sale as brought in "from the coun- 



i try in buckets, etc. The 1 lb. section, 



I with a beautiful comb of honey in it, 



I seems to be irresistible. I have on now 



] 2,000 of them that will soon be fuU. 



' As to the increase of bees, there seems 



i to be no limit to possibilities in that 



direction. I commenced the season 



with -15 colonies : lost about 15 swarms 



from not having queens" wings clipped, 



and now have 1-30. My trouble has 



been too much swarmiiig : I checked 



it all I could. Many of my hives were 



■ too small. Severe experience has 



; taught me to clip the wings, or one 



i wing, of every queen, and to prepare 



'• large roomy hives and plenty of them 



before swarming season commences. 



It takes about 4,900 cubic inches inside 



measure for a powerful colony of pure 



Italian bees in this locality, and then 



the surplus has to be depleted regu- 



larlv during honey flow. 



i I 'am now supplying all hybrid and 



I black colonies with pure Italian 



queens. I rear my queens thus : Take 



! 2 or 3 frames, with bright comb, and 



place them in the colony you breed 



from, so that they can ba easily gotten 



at and removed. ' Look at thein every 



morning. As soon as the queen gets 



j on one of the combs she will fill both 



sides with eggs as far as honey wiU 



i allow her. \V hen you have eggs, re- 



' move the comb. "Tou now have eggs 



; laid within 24 hours. Take one or 



two frames and nail two pieces across 



inside parallel with the top-bar, and 



I at distances of about 3 inches. Cut 



I the comb into strips about i inch wide 



' and shave off one side of the strips 



nearly down to the eggs orfoundation. 



Dip the side shaved off in wax barely 



melted, and quickly fasten to the un- 



: derside of the top bar and the two 



I cross-pieces : take a small spoon and 



