THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



139 



How to Test a Thermometer. 



Mr. Voiier asks on pasje 91 how to 

 test his thcrnionifter. The following 

 is from instructions sent from the 

 signal oUice at Washington to their 

 oljsevvers at signal stations : 



" The acpuraev of all thermometers 

 at each station will be tested on March 

 31, June 30, Sept. 30, and Dec. 31 of 

 each year in the following manner : 

 Place the thermometers to be tested 

 in the vessel provided for this purpose, 

 keep them in a vertical position, pack 

 linelv-pouuded ice around them to a 

 height a little above the freezing 

 point, and let them remain for one 

 hour, at the expiration of which time 

 read of the height of the mercury, 

 witliout removing the thermometers 

 from the ice." I use a baking powder 

 case. 



Can Ur. AV. Z. Hutchinson tell ns 

 any more about " feeding back " for 

 lioney, than he has done on page G56, 

 volume of 18S3. Wm. F. Ware. 



I)e Witt. Neb. 



Errata. 



In the article on "How to Test 

 Thermometers," on page 108 ; where 

 it says, "The point the thermometer 

 shows is freezing point, or 32-^ below 

 zero.'' It should 32^ above zero. 



Chas. Faust. 



Harvard, 111., Feb. 14, 1884. 



[The writing was indistinct, and the 

 error was not noticed until it was too 

 late to correct the type.— Ed.] 



Honey Prospects in California. 



Southern California has been blessed 

 with a copious rain of 12 days dura- 

 tion, and raining 13 inches " in that 

 time, which makes 19 inches up to 

 date, for the season. The ground is 

 thoroughly soaked. It is the best rain 

 we liave had since 1868. It was an 

 old-fashion California rain. The mer- 

 cury did not get below .50'^. As a mat- 

 ter of course, the bee-keepers are re- 

 joicing at the prospect for a large crop 

 of honey. My bees are working 

 lively. Bee-keepers will have a busy 

 time from now on. 



J. E. Pleasants. 



San Diego, Cal., Feb. 8, 1884. 



Carniolan Apiary. 



I cannot do without the Bee .Jour- 

 nal, even if offered a smoker for 

 doing so. My 206 colonies in the cel- 

 lar appear to be in good condition. I 

 have met with success every season, 

 when so wintered, but I find tlie chaff 

 hive a failure ; it is with me at any 

 rate. I will try the Carniolan bees 

 this summer. 1 will start an apiary 

 of them about six miles from my Ital- 

 ian apiary, from a queen received of 

 Frank Benton, last fall. I will get 

 some Italians imported from him 

 again this spring. A. .J. Norris. 



Cedar Falls, Iowa, Feb. 16, 1884. 



Bees in Good Condition. 



Mv bees flew to-day, for the first 

 in 110 davs. My 50 colonies are all in 

 good condition. Henry Jones. 



Chesaning, Mich., Feb. 17, 1884. 



Bees in Excellent Condition. 



Bees are having a grand jubilee to- 

 day ; the first " flight " since Dec. 12. 

 I never saw them so strong in num- 

 bers, or in better condition. One 

 queenless colony was dead ; the other 

 56 have plenty of stores, and appar- 

 ently as many bees as when they went 

 into winter quarters. I use a double- 

 walled hive of my own manufacture, 

 and, of course, winter on the summer 

 stands. Geo. E. Hilton. 



Fremont, Mich., Feb. 19, 1884. 



Bee-Keeping in Georgia. 



The weather has been quite warm 

 here for the last ten days, with con- 

 siderable rain during the last four 

 days. My bees have wintered well on 

 the sumuier stands, without any pro- 

 tection, and are gatliering their first 

 pollen to-day. Xo conditions are 

 necessary to' successful wintering, 

 other than strong colonies with sufh- 

 cient stores. I sell most of my honey 

 (extracted) in tlie Chattanooga mar- 

 ket, in tin pails, at from 15 to 20 cents 

 per pound, according to quality. 

 There is no person in this county mak- 

 ing a specialty of bee-keeping, and 

 but few are pursuing intelligent 

 methods in the business as a side is- 

 sue. Why do not enterprising bee- 

 keepers at the North, who are seeking 

 a better field for their business, come 

 to Northwest Georgia, and help us 

 develop our honey resources. Here 

 we have a great variety of honey- 

 producing trees and plants, among 

 which poplar and sourwood are the 

 finest producers as to quality and 

 quantity. Land is cheap, the climate 

 mild and healthy, good water plenty, 

 with an abundance of timber. This 

 certainly is an inviting field to bee- 

 keepers. L. K. Dickey. 



High Point, Ga., Feb. 9, 1884. 



Bees Flying. 



It is very warm and cloudy, with 

 rain and snow at intervals. Bees 

 were fiying yesterday. They spot the 

 snow some ; a few very late swarms 

 seem to be the worst. With those 

 having clover honey, it is not percep- 

 tible as yet. I shall have something 

 new for the Bee Journal, from my 

 microscopic investigations concern- 

 ing drones, dysentery, floral farina, 

 early and late swarms, etc. 



A. M. Firman. 



Quasqueton, Iowa, Feb. 18, 1884. 



Bees Getting a Little Restless. 



I commenced, in 1881, with 3 box 

 hives of bees ; they swarmed 3 times 

 each, and the nine went into winter 

 quarters and came out all right; 3 died 

 in March, 1883. I bought 3 more the 

 same spring. I transferred all from 

 box hives into standard Langstroth 

 hives. I put 24 into winter quarters 

 and lost 3, so in the spring of 1883 I 

 had 21. Last summer I had trouble. 

 I tried to keep them from swarming 

 more than once ; when a swarm is- 

 sued, I noted the date on tlie hive, 

 when the young queen hatch. I de- 

 stroyed all the queen cells but one. I 

 lost 6 young queens and had to replace 



them ; 4 swarms came out and left no 

 queen in the hive ; in such cases I put 

 them back and give them unsealed 

 brood from another hive. They in- 

 creased to 42 colonies. J^or a place to 

 winter in, 1 excavated in the side of a 

 beaver dam, 2i.< feet deep by 12x14, 

 and built two vvalls of logs 6 feetlilgh, 

 with a 3 foot space between. This is 

 filled and covered with dirt, 18 inches 

 deep. I have 2 ventilators in the top 

 of the cave. 1 have 2 doors to the en- 

 trance, with a place at the bottom to 

 admit fresh air. My hives are all 

 numbered, both hive and cap. I take 

 off the cap and leave it on the stand, 

 and put the hive in ; the next hive I 

 set on the first, and so on, until they 

 are all in. Tliat makes the bottom 

 board cover the hive underneath. I 

 think each colony had 35 lbs. of sealed 

 basswood honey, when they were set 

 in for winter. All through December 

 and January they were very quiet; 

 but within the last week they are get- 

 ting a little restless. 



C. S. Hawkins. 

 Sauk Rapids, Minn., Feb. 16, 1884. 



Convention Notices. 



f^ The sixth annual convention of 

 Texas bee-keepers will be held at the 

 " Bee Garden " of Judge W. H. An- 

 drews at McKinney, Collin Co., Tex., 

 on April 24 and 25, 1884. A larger 

 number of leading bee masters than 

 ever assembled on a similar occasion 

 in the South, is anticipated. 



Wm. R. Howard, Sec. 



Kingston, Tex., Jan. 16, 1884. 



18^ We intend to organize a bee- 

 keepers' association for Southern In- 

 diana on March 20, 1884, to meet at 

 the Merchants and jSIanufaeturers' 

 Club Rooms, Madison, Ind., at 9:30 a. 

 m. Kentucky bee-keepers are invited 

 to participate. H. C. White. 



^" On account of the inclement 

 weather, only a few of the Rock coun- 

 ty bee-keepers responded to the call 

 to meet at the Pember House, Janes- 

 ville. Wis., on the second Tuesday in 

 February, to organize a bee-keepers' 

 association, so we will have another 

 meeting on the first Tuesday in March 

 nextj at 1 p. m., at the same place. 

 All bee-keepers are courteously in- 

 vited, and we hope there will be a 

 good attendance. L. Fatzingbk. 



Janesville, Wis., Feb. 13, 1884. 



1^ The Western Bee-Keepers' As- 

 sociation will meet at Independence, 

 Mo., Thursday, April 24, 1884. 



C. M. Crandall, Sec. 



Independence, Mo. 



i^° 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. 



^" We now club the British Bee 

 Journal and our Monthly for $2.50. 



