124 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Was Not Stung Once, Last Season. 



I stated in the spring with 14 colo- 

 nies ; increaseJ to 43, and received 

 1,200 lbs. of comb hoiiev in one and 

 two-ponnd sections. I did not get 

 stung 'once, last season. 1 do not 

 claim to be an expert (I guess I am so 

 awkward that my bees pity me). I 

 bave them all packed on the summer 

 stands. Up to this time, all are in 

 good condition. I told a friend the 

 other day that if I only kept one bee, 

 and that" a drone, I would have the 

 Bee Journal so that I could keep it 

 intelligently. lie said he could not 

 see the point. I told him to try bee- 

 keeping without it, and he would see 

 more points tlian he wanted to. 



E. J. Sawin. 



Kirkwood, 111.. Feb. 9, 1884. 



Well Done. 



ily report for 1883 is as follows : I 

 commenced the season with 70 colo- 

 nies, increased to 93, and obtained 

 from them 8,000 lbs. of honey ; 3,000 

 lbs. being comb honey, and .5,000 ex- 

 tracted. Jaiies Corbit. 



Palmyra, :Mo.. Feb. 9, 1884. 



Testing Thermometers. 



There are only two points at which 

 thermometers can be tested by nat- 

 ural standards — the freezing and the 

 Ijoiling points of water. A mixture 

 of snow or poiuided ice and salt may 

 be had at different temperatures de- 

 pending upon tlie temperatures of the 

 air, of the ice and of tlie salt. Pure 

 water freezes at 32^ and boils at 212^'. 

 In the case of boiling water, we must 

 note the barometer also, because 

 water boils at different temperatures 

 depending upon the pressure of tlie 

 atmosphere. I have tested many 

 thermometers for scientific purposes, 

 and these are the general jirinciples 

 involved. To give long details would 

 probably occujiy too miicli space. If 

 Mr. Yoder's tliermometer shows 32-' 

 in a bowl of pure ice in a melting 

 state, but not melted, it is no doubt 

 correct enough for all ordinary work. 

 Thermometers change as much" as two 

 or three degi-ees after being made, 

 unless the tubes are filled and kept 

 sometime before being graduated. 



Cedar Brae, X. .J. .Iohn Phin. 



Bees Banked up with Snow. 



I put into winter quarters, in the 

 fall of 1SS2, 31 fair colonies, in pretty 

 good condition, so far as stores were 

 concerned. When the first big snow 

 storm came, I took a shovel and bank- 

 ed up some 15 hives with snow and 

 dirt, half way to the top on three 

 sides, leaving the entrance side naked ; 

 the other 16 were left without any 

 protection except some cushions on 

 the top. In ilarch, on one nice, 

 warm day, I opened the hives of 

 those that were covered up, and I 

 found frost and ice all arovmd on the 

 inside, one-half of the bees dead and 

 dying ; the result was, I had to change 

 them to other liives, and then they 

 had the dysentery, and in three weeks 

 I had only 20 colonies, and many of 

 those reduced to a mere handful. 



Those I left without banking up, 

 came out very much better ; indeed, 

 my losses were from those that were 

 banked. After the cold, rainy weather 

 had passed, and I had fed many of 

 the weakest ones, up to June \^), the 

 honey began to come in, and the)' be- 

 gan to swarm, and so continued to 

 keep it up until Aug. 31, in spite of 

 all I could do to prevent it, increasing 

 from 20 to 58, and I got 1,.5U0 lbs. of 

 honey (1,200 lbs. being extracted), and 

 here let me say that! could have had 

 ■500 lbs. more if I had not been short 

 of supplies. I now have 46 colonies 

 buried in a clamp, and 12 on the sum- 

 mer stands. I expect to leave those 

 in the clamp initil about April l,or 

 mitil pollen begins to come in. I will 

 report in the spring just how I suc- 

 ceed, and will possibly have to give 

 the " other side '' of successful win- 

 tering. J. W. Margrave. 

 Hiawatha, Kans., Feb. 7, 18S4. 



[Losing 500 pounds of honey by neg- 

 lecting to get supplies in proper time, 

 is a heavy penalty. Let all take warn- 

 ing by this and procure everything 

 they need early in the season, and 

 have it on hand long before it is 

 wanted.— Ed.I 



Prospects in California. 



It has been raining for the past ten 

 days ; over 15 inches in all tor this 

 winter. Prospects are good for a 

 first rate honey season, as the soil has 

 had a thorough soaking. Bee men 

 and farmers are in good cheer over 

 the prospects. Old residents claim it 

 to be the heaviest rain we have had 

 for a number of years. Vegetation is 

 finely advanced, and it is probable the 

 season will commence early. 



M. n. IMendelson. 



San Buenaventura, Cal., Feb. 7, 1884. 



Wintering Well. 



We have had a very hard winter on 

 bees so far. The thermometer indi- 

 cated 32^ below zero, on Jan. 5, and 

 20^ below several times during the 

 month. I hear some complaining of 

 their bees being dead, but I think, as 

 a whole, bees are wintering very well 

 in this county. I have 76 colonies, 

 packed with "chaff on the simimer 

 stands ; they seem to be all right yet. 

 J. A. Osborne. 



Rantoul, 111., Feb. 11, 18ai. 



A Warm Cellar for Bees. 



Bees are wintering finely in the cel- 

 lar ; they keep very quiet, and there 

 are no signs of dysentery yet. My 

 bees were taken into the cellar oh 

 Nov. 13 ; the honey-boards were all 

 removed and a piece of rag carpet 

 spread over the frames (coffee sacks 

 are just as good) ; the bee cellar is 

 very large, and has an open chimney ; 

 it is kept at 45^ to .50-. If it ge"ts 

 lower than 4.5^, I always raise it to 50'-'; 

 if the bees have good honey they will 

 winter well. Tliere is not a gallon of 

 dead bees in the cellar at present, 

 from 51 colonies. In tlie cold winter 

 of 1880-81 my bee cellar was below the 



freezing point nearly all the time ; 

 and out of 35 colonies only 9 came out 

 alive ; nearly all of them "being weak. 

 That gave me enough of cold cellars ; 

 since then the cellar is kept warm. I 

 have not lost one. I do not believe 

 pollen is the cause of dysentery. AU 

 we want is a warm cellar. I prefer 

 the hybrid bees and the standard 

 Langstroth hive for comb honey. 



11. T. Hartman. 

 Freeport, 111., Feb. 10, 1884. 



1^ The Northeastern Bee-Keepers' 

 Association will hold its second an- 

 nual meeting on Wednesday, March 

 5. at the Court House, in Lapeer. 

 Hotel rates reduced to SI per day. 

 W. Z. Hutchinson, Sec. 



Honey and Beeswax Market. 



OFFICE OF AMEKICAN BEE JOtTBNAI., I 



Monday. 10 a. m., Feb. 18, 1884. 1 



The following are the latest quota- 

 tions for honey and beeswax received 

 up to this hour : 



CINCINNATI. 



HONET— There is no change to note in the hon- 

 ey market. No change in the price of extracted 

 honey, but there is an improvement in the de- 

 mand. Comb honey is in large supply, and the best 

 in 1 lb. sections brings no more than IGc. a lb. from 

 store. Extracted. 7(a.luc. 



BEESWAX— Fair demand, and arrivals are fair. 

 It brings 28(s32c. on arrival. 



Chas. F. Moth. 



NEW VORK. 

 HONEY— White clover and basswood in 1 and 2 

 lb. sections, lri(g;2lc. Dark and second quality, 

 1.5c.: extracted white clover in kegs and bar- 

 rels, 9®inc. 

 BEESWAX— Prime yellow, a-K835c. 



H.K. &F.BTHDRBEB&CO. 



CHICAGO. 



HONEV— Goes off slowly, and prices are lower on 

 sections that are imperfectly dlled. The demand 

 seems to be chiefly fur lots that are fancy in ap- 

 pearance, and in every way perfect salesaremade 

 of 1 lb. sections at loCLt-'ic. : iH'^'- 'b. sections. 14® 

 18c.; dark and mixed in color, very slow, at about 

 V2(3f\3c. Extracted honey steady, but limited de- 

 mand; prices range from "(ailOc. per lb. 



BEESWAX— Scarce, at i;8®35c., according to 

 color and clf'anliness. 



K. A. BDHNETT. 161 Sonth Water St. 



KANSAS CITY. MO. 

 HONEY— Demand good and stocks very low. 

 Little or no nice 2 lb. sections in this market, and 

 a tew shipments would be readily taken at l7(^18c. 

 Extracted honey— in fair demand for dark fall at 

 8(«t9c. 

 BEESWAX— None in this market. 



JEKOME TwicHELL. hii Walnut Street. 



SAN FRANCISCO. 

 HONEY— Market is quiet, and common qualities 

 difhcult to place at anything like satisfactory fig- 

 ures. Fancy qualities are scarce. White to e.xtra 

 white comb, 15@18c; dark to good, !K*nc;,extrac 

 ted, choice to extra white. Gwi.7^ac. ; dark andean- 

 died. 5(A— 

 BEESWAX— Wholesale, 27Hl330c. 



STEARNS & SMITH, 423 Front Street. 



ST. L,ODI8. 

 HONEY— Dull and alow sale. Comb ]2@16c..and 

 strained and extracted 6'<t8c. per lb. Top rates f ■ 

 fancy small packages. 

 BEESWAX— Steady at 32®33c. for choice. 



W. T. ANPEHSON <lt CO., 104 N. 3d Street, 



CLEVELAND. 



HONEY— The honey market has been dull with 

 us during the month of January, but the past week 

 it has been better, so that stocks are again re- 

 duced. Choice white I lb. in good order, sold at 18 

 cts.; the same quality when broken sold at 16c.: 2 

 lb. best white. 16@l7c.; second quality, no sale. 

 Extra cteil as usual, not at all wanted In our market. 



BEESWAX— In great demand, but no supply; 

 nominally 30c. per lb. 



A. C. KENDEL, 115 Ontario Street. 



BOSTON. 

 HONEY.— Demand light. 1 lb. sections comb 

 honey. I8@20c.: 2 lb. I6^i8c. Extracted, 9@ilc. 

 BBBSWAX-35C. 



BLAKE & BIPLET, 57 Chatbam street. 



