DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO PROGRESSIVE BEE CULTURE. 



YoL XVIII. 



Chicago, 111., Angust 23, 1882. 



No. 34. 



Published everr \Veiine><l:iy \>y 



THOMAS C. NEWMAN, 



KlUTUU AMI PitUPKIETOU, 



925 WEST MADISON ST., CHICAGO, ILL. 



At SKS.OO a Year, In Advance. 



WEEKLY— (52 numbers) #3 a year, in advance. 

 Three or Six Months at the same rate. 



GeorKC Neighbour & Sons. London, EnRland, are 

 our authorized HEents for Europe. 



Po«t»8:e to Eiirnpe 50 cents extra. 



TOPICS PRESENTED THIS WEEK. 



Editorial— 



Kditorial Items 5:^9, 531 



tStiitistics c>n Bees and Honey 529 



Bees ut the Michigan State Fair 530 



Wax Kenderinsr 530 



Tlic Weather tor Aueustand September.. 530 



tjlucose or " Sugar" Meal : 531 



Wise Precaution 53I 



British Honey Shows 531 



Convention Notes— 



Ijijcal Convention Directory 532 



Norfoiit, Ontario, Associatioa 532 



National Convention 532 



Among Our Exchanges— 



Care of Comb Honey 530 



Bees Blottini! Out Railway Signal Light . . 532 



Correspondence — 



Keversible Frames, etc.— A Visit 533 



My Strain of Leatlier-Colored Bees 533 



A Cruml) for tlie Curious 534 



Mr. Ahbntt on Bee P^xcretions 534 



Bee-Keepingin Belleville, Ontario 535 



HiimiT I'no-tically Applied 535 



Apis .Mcllillca Poisoning 53f> 



The llaliit- nf Honey Ants 53B 



A Few Honey Plants 537 



Selections from Our Letter Box— 



Indian Currant or Coral Berry 538 



HiveCovers 53H 



Shuck's Problem 53)^ 



Queen Cages ".'.'.'.'.'.'.".'.".'.'.". 538 



Sowing Catnip Seed 53H 



Tri-State Fair 538 



Ijate Swarming .", !!!*.'!* 538 



Linden a Failure \\[[ '..| 53^ 



Crops were Never Better !!!!!!!'."!! 538 



Progressive Transferring .' 538 



In Regard to Swarming 539 



The Dzierzon Theory 539 



Rejoinder to Mr. Vandervort !.!!!!!'.!!! 539 



Mountain Mint 539 



Bas.-^wood Coioe i-nd Gone i.*!!.*.*!!.'.'."!." 539 



Immense White Clover Crop .539 



Shipping Crates 540 



No Honey from Basswood [ 540 



Is Satistied 64^1 



Robbing Parent Colony '..'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.. 541) 



Ci-ops En-.rraous 540 



Reversible Frames 540 



Fall Italianizing \ 540 



Best During Fourteen Tears '.'.'.'. '.. 540 



Bees Robbing .54^) 



Bees Increased 250 per cent. 540 



Statistics on Bees and Honey. 



As the time nuikily approaclies for 

 the couvocatioii of the Xorth Ameri- 

 can Bee-Keepers' Society at Cincin- 

 nati (Oct. 3-5), State Vice Presidents 

 should be preparing to make tabulated 

 statements of the industry in their 

 respective States. Heretofore but 

 little concert of action on their part 

 lias been manifested, and except that 

 the Bee Journal gave each year an 

 estimated approximation to the crop 

 and business, no information has been 

 furnished of the number of colonies of 

 bees in the country, annual increase 

 or diminution, net amount, kind and 

 quality of lioney produced, success and 

 manner of wintering, and styles of 

 hives in use. Of coarse these tables 

 were in some respects most valuable 

 data, but as we could only reach our 

 readers, we could not deny that the 

 tables fell far short of being accurate 

 in their recapitulations, and after 

 weeks spent in corresponding, in per- 

 plexity, and in uncomfortable head- 

 aches, we were still obliged to admit 

 they were but estimates. Even then, 

 with our self-imposed task as perfect 

 as we could make it, we were assailed 

 by some because it was incomplete, 

 the parties finding most fault having 

 done but little or nothing to help us 

 in our work, not taking enough in- 

 terest in a public enterprise to render 

 their own private reports. 



To be sure, the United States Cen- 

 sus Bureau is supposed tc^ive reliable 

 tables upon all matters pertaining to 

 the stable wealth of the country, but 

 tliose reports are collated only once 

 in ten years, and then the time is 

 nearly half consumed till the next de- 



cade before tlie report is published. 

 If the President of the North Ameri- 

 can Bee- Keepers' Society was to issue 

 a circular to the several State Vice- 

 Presidents, urging the importance and 

 necessity for brief tabulated state- 

 ments to be submitted to tlie Conven- 

 tion, and by tlieir Secretary to be 

 massed in a general statement, it 

 would afford a useful and fruitful 

 tlieine for discussion and legislation 

 by the Society. These Vice Presidents 

 could urge the matter upon the bee- 

 keepers in their respective States 

 through the bee papers and agricultu- 

 ral publications, and by means of 

 public and private methods, and thus 

 could be accomplished much more 

 than can be done by any single enter- 

 prise. 



A correct and reliable report of this 

 character would be a matter of na- 

 tional importance, and we believe can 

 be accomplished only through the 

 National Society. In this connection, 

 it is gratifying to be able to commend 

 several Vice Presidents who have al- 

 ready taken the initiative in this mat- 

 ter; but in order to make tlie report 

 as reliable as possible, and avoid com- 

 plications wliich may embarrass the 

 Secretary, or entirely destroy the re- 

 port's usefulness, we beg to suggest 

 that President Cook or Secretary 

 Parmly furnish to each of the Vice- 

 Presidents a tabulated form to be 

 used in making up their reports. 

 Uniformity will greatly assist in its 

 compilation. 



i^"By referring to page 503, it will 

 be seen there is a movement on foot to 

 organize a Tri-State Bee-Keepers' So- 

 ciety, to comprise Ohio, Michigan and 

 Indiana. The meeting takes place in 

 the evening of Sept. 13. Prof. Cook, 

 Thomas G. Newman, and many prom- 

 inent bee-keepers have accepte.l invi- 

 tations to be present. 



