674 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



New Foreign Honey Plants. 



Dr. G.L. Tinker, New Philadelphia, 

 O., writes as follows: 



Dear Editor— I send you some 

 specimens of the new foreign honey 

 plants I am cultivating, the seed of 

 which were sent to me by Mr. J.S. 

 Wood, of Denmark. 



The leaves and stems with buds and 

 flowers, enclosed in red paper is the 

 Sa-ophularia Chrysantlia. 



The stem and leaves wrapped in 

 brown paper is the Scrophularia lateri- 

 flora. , , . 



The leaves and flowers enclosed in 

 white paper is the Scrophularia lanci- 

 niata. 



The large hairy pubescent leaves 

 with long leaf stalks is the Scrophu- 

 laria vermalis. The plants from which 

 these were taken now measure 3 feet 

 across and 15 inches high. The whole 

 being a dense circular mass of leaves. 



The pliint with leaves like sage or 

 mullen is the Strachyo Lunula. 



The other plant, with leaves in a 

 whorl, is the Aruhis Alpina. 



All are perennial plants that will 

 bloom another year when their merits 

 can be better determined. The S. 

 Chnjsantha,! stated in the Journal, 

 would cease blooming the middle ot 

 August. But about this time new 

 shoots came out so that there has been 

 no interruption whatever to its won- 

 derful blooming <iualities. It has had 

 right along from 1!U0 to 400 flowers 

 upon each plant from the time soon 

 after it began to bloom (July 1) until 

 the present. And now yon can see 

 that it would bloom all winter if it 

 had a chance. Upon one plant on 

 Aug. 11,1 counted 19 bees at work at 

 one time. If this plant can be suc- 

 cessfully cultivated, it is full of bright 

 promi.se to bee-keepers. 



Dr. Tinker deserves the thanks of 

 bee-keepers everywhere, for endeavor- 

 ing to develop and obtain from abroad 

 the best honey-producing plants. 



Bee pasturage is the key to the sit- 

 uation. When we have provided the 

 bees with continual bloom to gather 

 honey from, we may expect, and ob- 

 tain, a continual tiow of honey. Until 

 then we have no cause to complain if 

 we obtain but a moiety of that crop 

 which Nature would provide, did we 

 supplement her efforts by providing 

 pasturage for our bees. 



Mr. J. S. Wood, of Denmark, is one 

 of the most progressive and enterpris- 

 ing bee-keepers of that country, and 

 also should have our united thanks 

 for bis exertions in developing the 

 honey resources of the world. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



A Standard Frame. — The Indiana 

 Farmer gives the following on the 

 subject of the general adoption of a 

 standard frame : 



While in attendance at the State 

 fair, we made it a point to inquire of 

 our many bee-keeping friends and 

 visitors their opinions as to the dif- 

 ferent sizes and styles of frames, and 

 what was likelyto become the standard 

 frame for bee-keepers in America. 

 With but very few exceptions the de- 

 cisions were in favor of the Lang- 

 stroth, size 9}sx}7%. Some were in- 

 clined to the belief that a deeper 

 frame was better to winter in for care- 

 less bee-keepers who never made any 

 l)retentions to preparing their bees 

 for winter. One gentleman from near 

 Bloomington, 111., said "he worked 

 about 75 colonies, in two apiaries, had 

 tried both styles of frames extensively 

 and was decidedly in favor of the 

 Langstroth frame, and proposed to 

 change all his remaining colonies to 

 that style of frame in the spring," for, 

 said he, " I work my bees exclusively 

 for honey. I have watched the mat- 

 ter closely and am satislied that the 

 broad space directly over the brood is 

 the place to secure the most surplus," 

 And, said he, " honey brings money ; 

 it is a matter, with me, of dollars 

 and cents, I do not keep bees for the 

 fun of the thing, and if I can only 

 raise them simply to see them ' come 

 through the winter all right,' I do not 

 care to bother with them. I do not 

 raise bees to sell, I am no dealer in 

 bee-keepers' supplies, neither have I 

 any government bonds to clip. I must 

 work for my living and if I cannot 

 make the bees pay, I must give them 

 up for something else. But I am 

 candid to say, on an average of seven 

 years my bees have paid me well, as 

 well as anything else on the place, and 

 I have quite a large farm, and rely 

 on mixed farming, altogether." 



Preparation of Honey for the Mar- 

 ket, including the production and care 

 of both comb and extracted honey, 

 instructions on the exhibition of bees 

 and honey at Fairs, etc. This is a 

 new 10 cent pamphlet, of 32 pages. 



Bee and Honey Show in Scotland.— 



The following is from the London 



Journal of Hwticulture : 



The East of Scotland Bee-keepers' 

 Society held its annual exhibition at 

 Damdee on August 31st and two fol- 

 lowing days. Notwithstanding the 

 unfavorable nature of the season, the 

 display was unusually full and of 

 splendid quality. Maiiy of the lead- 

 ing bee-keepers in the lowland dis- 

 tricts were unable to stage a single ex- 

 hibit, but those from the interior and 

 highland districts came forward in 

 force with large and well finished lots. 

 Altogether, about 2,000 lbs. of honey 

 were staged, and every class was well 

 competed in. The most striking ex- 

 hibits were those in the classes for the 

 most artistic displays over and under 

 100 lbs. Mr. liaitt was first in both 

 classes, and his exhibits were justly 

 admired for their excellent finish and 

 tasteful arrangement. Part of the 

 same lots took two first prizes at the 

 great Preston Show in the following 

 week, and there elicited many com- 

 ments highly flattering to Scottish 

 bee-keepers. Altogether, there were 

 seven entries in the display classes, 

 and in all the quality of the honey was 

 very fair. The poo"r taste shown in 

 the arrangement of some entries 

 where shelves and stages were relied 

 on, received a check in the awards of 

 the judges in favor of those exhibiting 

 less carpentry work, but more variety 

 in the size, form and decoration of the 

 sections and glasses of extracted 

 honey. 



In "the classes for living bees the ex- 

 hibition was unusually full, no less 

 than ten observatory hives being 

 stnged, containing bees of four diifer- 

 ent races— blacks, Italians, Cyprians, 

 and Syrians. Besides these, there 

 were five neat nests of humble bees 

 and one enormous " byke " of wasps. 

 Several of the observatory hives pre- 

 sented novel features in the direction 

 of an attempt to keep the combs in 

 their natural position side by side, 

 while rendering them capable of indi- 

 vidual inspection. The one exhibited 

 by the Secretary, Mr. Warden, accom- 

 plishes this by having the hive double 



the usual height, and so arranged that 

 the padded quilt could be raised to the 



top, and any separate frame thereafter 



lifted to a position open for inspection. 



The Eternal Fitness of Things.— An 



exchange gives the following eccen- 

 tric item concerning the inauguration 

 of a new glucose factory in Canada. 

 It is very suggestive : 



The promoters of a new glucose 

 factory in Toronto conceived the odd 

 notion of inaugurating it by a cham- 

 pagne luncheon served on the top of 

 the chimney, a hundred and sixty feet 

 high. When the champagne rose 5 or 

 6 feet higher, the cranial cavities that 

 held it would hardly be a choice risk 

 for a life insurance company. How- 

 ever, the precaution of a railing had 

 been provided, and, as the relations of 

 glucose to the wines of France made 

 in Canadian cellars are well recog- 

 nized, the ceremony was not alto- 

 gether foreign to the fitness of things. 



Unkind Personalities.— The use of 



unkind personalities in argument is 

 always an evidence of weakness on 

 the part of the one who uses them. 

 An exchange remarks : 



When a controversy is ended, and 

 the arguments on both sides are 

 exhausted, you will sometimes see one 

 of the contestants take his stand at a 

 safe distance and call ugly names. He 

 imagines himself a hero, has a bellow- 

 ing voice, and can excel all others in 

 the noise he continues to keep up 

 after they are silent. He is at a safe 

 distance from the scene of strife and 

 can at any time make safe his retreat. 

 Besides, if challenged, he can explain 

 his personalities to mean anything in 

 general and nothing in particular. 



