THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



43 



1 some 20 miles, which I did, and need- 

 ing money, as I thought, al)out the 

 end of tlie honev season, I otTeied to 



, sell o colonies for $30, but found no 

 one who would give that price. On 

 openiufiT those 3 hives a short time 

 afterward, to mv amazement, I found 

 them full of hoilev (al)out loO pounds), 

 which 1 sold for !■") and L'O ci-nts per 

 pound, realizing more money than I 

 had asked for the " blessed bees " one 

 iii.iuth before. In 1.SS3 1 began with 

 7 colonies; increased to 14; took 1,800 

 pounds of white clover honey ; and 

 bought (i colonies ; so I now have 20 

 colonies tucked up nicely on their 

 •suihnier stands, where I have always 

 kept them. Geo. W. Morris. 



Salvisa, Ky., Jan. 1, 1884. 



The Cause of Dysentery. 



I am pleased to see that the " pollen 

 question " has so much space given to 

 it in the Bee Journal. I have been 

 a firm believer that pollen was the 

 chief cause of dysentery, for the last 

 8 years. When we assort the combs, 

 putting those having considerable 

 pollen all together, with plenty of 

 honey, the bees have dysentery ; while 

 those not having pollen in the hive are 

 free, every time, from it. I expect to 

 be in Chicago at the October Conven- 

 tion, and will try and tell the Conven- 

 tion something about bees. 



W. A. Carmack. 



Marengo, 111., Jan. 7, 1881. 



Nomenclature of Bee-Keeping. 



Mr. Editor :— In your " Xomen- 

 clature of Bee-Keeping," on pages 603 

 and 604, you say a "Bee-moth is a 

 miller which preys upon the combs ;"' 

 and Mr. W. F. Clarke says about the 

 same, in his criticism. I always sup- 

 posed it was the larvfe instead "of the 

 moth or miller that actually ate the 



combs. O. O. PoPPLETON. 



Williamstown, Iowa, Jan. 2, 1884. 



[The point is well taken. Such 

 criticisms are just what is wanted. 

 Of course it was an oversight in 

 writing.— Ed.] 



Experience with Syrian Bees. 



Last spring found me with 10 colo- 

 nies, two of which I divided into 

 nuclei, for queen rearing ; leaving 8, 

 which I ran for comb honey. I re- 

 ceived 425 pounds in one and two- 

 pound sections, and increased to SI 

 colonies ; all but 2 or 3 of which are in 

 fine condition, and packed with saw- 

 dust on the summer stands. My best 

 colony was a Syrian, which, with in- 

 crease, gave over 100 pounds and in- 

 creased to .5 good colonies. The first 

 swarm gave 40 pounds, and then 

 threw out a very large swarm, leaving 

 behind them 40 queen-cells (45 of 

 which I destroyed); and gave 12 lbs. 

 of surplus. I find them as gentle as 

 my Italians, but making a very differ- 

 ent class of movements ; requiring 

 .some knowledge of the race in order 

 to manipulate them with the best re- 

 sults. I am much pleased with them, 

 and shall stock my apiary principally 

 with them. My report might have 



been much better, had I not sustained 

 a great loss both of honey and pa- 

 tience, by delay of sui)plies ordered 

 from a proniinent dealer, it being two 

 months from time of ordering until 

 1 received them. I wish to give my 

 method of disposing of after-swarms. 

 Instead of hiving them in the usual 

 way, I shake them into 3 or 4 empty 

 hives, and, of course, all will soon re- 

 turn to the parent colony, except the 

 division where the (jueen happens to 

 be ; here I give them a frame of un- 

 sealed brood, and let them remain un- 

 til the queen is laying, then I use her 

 when needed. This is often easier 

 than finding a virgin queen. A happy 

 Xew Year to the Journal and its 

 Editor. \V. C. Steddom. 



Oregonia, O., Jan. 1, 1884. 



[You will probably order earlier in 

 future and save a rupture of patience, 

 and increase your honey crop.— Ed.] 



Warm Cellars. 



Allow me to ask Mr. Ira Barber, of 

 De KaU), IST. Y.. through the Bee 

 Journal, how he manages to keep 

 his bees at such a high temperature 

 as 6-5° to 90-' th-ough the winter ? 



Martin Emigh. 



Ilolbrook, Ont., Jan. 5, 1884. 



A Critic Criticised. 



In Mr. Clarke's letter {page 9) he 

 asks : " Is ' pollen ' always ' the farina 

 of fiowers ' '?" and suggests that the 

 farina of rye or other meal may be 

 pollen. The use of pollen as signify- 

 ing meal is now obsolete, according to 

 tlie best lexicographers ; its use is 

 now confined solely to the fecundating 

 powder found on tlie anthers of flow- 

 ers. If bees feed on pollen — say pol- 

 len ; if on meal, say meal. Since my 

 note appeared in the Bee Journal, "I 

 have received several letters urging 

 me to publish my vocabulary, and I 

 will probably do so as soon as I have 

 time to revise it. It will contain 

 nearly 400 vocables, all relating strict- 

 ly to beekeeping. John Phin. 



Cedar Brae, Paterson, N. J. 



My Report for 1883. 



I commenced the spring with 28 

 colonies in fair condition ; increased 

 them to 62 colonies by natural swarm- 

 ing, and harvested 3,100 pounds of 

 honey (2,100 pounds extracted and 

 1,000 pounds in one and two-pound 

 sections). The largest amount taken 

 from any one hive was 330 pounds of 

 extracted honey ; the largest amount 

 of comb honey was 84 pounds from 

 one hive. I have sold 7 colonies at $6 

 each, and have sold about all of my 

 honey at home at an average of 15 

 cents per pound. I packed 55 colonies 

 in sawdust on the summer stands on 

 Nov. 1, in fair condition, and they are 

 doing well, notwithstanding the ther- 

 mometer indicated 243 below zero on 

 Jan. 5. I use the standard Langstroth 

 10-frame hive, and obtain increase by 

 natural swarming. Give me the 

 Italians and hybrids for general pur- 

 poses, and the Bee Journal as my 

 guide. .J. W. Sears. 



Ilarrodsburg, Lnd., Jan. 9, 1884. 



Prospects in California. 



AVho would or can keep bees in this 

 age without one or more nee publica- 

 tions V My choice is the Weekly Bee 

 Journal. I have a copy of every 

 number which has been published ; 

 and for nine years 1 have been its con- 

 stant reader, and from it I have de- 

 rived both pleasure and profit. Long 

 may it continue on its useful mission. 

 The rainfall here of this winter, up to 

 date, has been about 5 inches. As far 

 as I can ascertain, bees are in good 

 condition, and the pulse of their 

 keepers beats higher than it has for 

 many years, at this season. 



J. E. Pleasants. 



Los Angeles, Cal., Jan. 1, 1884. 



Home Market for Honey. 



I commenced last spring with 28 

 colonies, and got 1,300 lbs. of honey, 

 mostly extracted. It was all sold in 

 my home market at 9 and 10 cts. per 

 lb. for extracted, and 18 cts. per lb. for 

 comb honey. I have 62 colonies in 

 winter quarters ; all are in the cellar 

 except 5 double-walled hives, on the 

 summer stands. Each have from 25 

 to 35 lbs. of good honey. My cellar is 

 very dry, with temperature from 35^ 

 to 45°. They are very quiet, so far. 

 S. J. Church. 



Cedar Kapids, Iowa, Jan. 8, 1884. 



Cold in Nebraska. 



Even since Dec. 27, the thermome- 

 ter has been below zero during the 

 nights, and once it was 19° below. 

 There is plenty of snow, and it Is con- 

 tinually cloudy. Wm. Stolley. 



Grand Island, Neb., Jan. 8, 1884. 



[In Chicago the thermometer has 

 been as low as 27- below zero, during 

 the weeks' blizzard. — Ed.] 



Pasturage for Bees Over-stocked. 



I have kept bees for over 25 years, 

 and have experienced its various ups 

 and downs, but as a general thing 

 more of the latter than the former, 

 still I eiijov, as well as ever, to care 

 for and study their industrious and 

 wonderful habits. I have .50 colonies, 

 apparently wintering well. Within 

 a radius of 3 miles there are about 250 

 colonies. The past season has been a 

 good one for honey, but not in this 

 immediate vicinity, on account, in my 

 opinion, of its being over-stocked, and 

 of one side of our pasturage being cut 

 off by the St. Lawrence river (IJ^ 

 miles wide). My product was only 

 about 800 pounds of comb honey from 

 30 colonies. Robt. Henderson. 



Ogdensburg, N. Y., Jan. 7, 1884. 



Bees Buried Under the Snow. 



Since the second day of the new 

 yeai, we are wrapped in a severe snow 

 storm. The mercury has been playing 

 around zero all the time. To-day the 

 snow fell to the depth of about 10 

 inches on a level, and at this writing 

 (9 o'clock p. m.). it is coming down as 

 fast as ever. Bees are buried in 

 •• clamp snow." W>i. Bolling. 



Dunkirk, N. Y., Jan. 8, 1884. 



