u Jowrnal, 



DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF THE PRODUCERS OF HONEY. 



VOL. XX. 



CHICAGO, ILL., JUNE 2, 1884. 



No. 23. 



Published every Wednesday, by 



THOMAS Q. NEWMAK 



Editor and Proprietor, 



National Experimental Stations. 



National Government shall agree to 

 establish and conduct such station as 

 is provided for. It is to be hoped the 

 bill will become a law. 



By our exchanges we notice that 

 there is a bill now before Congress 

 providing for the establishment of 

 National Experiment Stations in con- 

 nection with the agricultural colleges 

 of the different States. This bill ap- 

 propriates $15,000 to each State agri- 

 cultural college, for the purpose of 

 " conducting original researches or to 

 verify reported experiments on the 

 physiology of plants and animals, the 

 diseases to which they are severally 

 subject, and with the remedies for the 

 same ; the chemical composition of 

 useful plants at their different stages 

 of growth ; the comparative advan- 

 tages of rotative cropping as pursued 

 under a varying series of crops ; the 

 capacity of new plants or trees for 

 acclimation within the isothermal 

 limits represented by the climate of 

 the several stations and their vicinity; 

 the analyses of soils and waters ; the 

 chemical composition of manures, 

 natural or artificial, with experiments 

 designed to test their comparative 

 values for raising crops of different 

 kinds ; the composition and digesti- 

 bility of the different kinds of food 

 for cattle ; the scientific and economic 

 questions in the production of butter 

 and cheese ; and all other researches 

 of experiments bearing directly on 

 the agricultural industry of the United 

 States." 



The bill further provides that the 

 management of the stations shall be 

 in the hands of the trustees of the 

 several colleges, one of whose profes- 

 sors shall be appointed superintend- 

 ent, and such other assistance is pro- 

 vided for as may be needed. The 

 State accepting the money from the 



Prospects for Honey Crop in England 



From the London Journal of Horti- 

 cnlture we learn the following con- 

 cerning the prospects for a honey 

 crop in England : 



The cold dreary days and long nights 

 of winter are over, and the warm 

 breatli of spring is felt. Bees begin to 

 stir themselves, casting aside, with 

 unmistakable vigor, the inactivity 

 which has through a wise rule of Na- 

 ture kept our bees in tlie warm shel- 

 ter of ttie hive, when to venture forth 

 would mean certain death to them. 

 We have now, however, reached a 

 season of great activity among bees, 

 and usually the enthusiasm and en- 

 ergy visible about every healthy col- 

 ony is communicated to its owner, 

 and displays itself in the increased 

 interest taken in the bee-corner of the 

 garden. 



The mortality of bees the past winter 

 has been much below the average ; for, 

 except in cases of absolute starvation, 

 very few colonies, so far as we can 

 learn, have perished. There has been 

 an immense show of bloom on fruit 

 trees of all kinds, and whenever the 

 leaden clouds which have so persis- 

 tently excluded the sun's rays for a 

 great portion of the month, allowed 

 the warmth to be felt, it has been 

 very cheering to bee-keepers to note 

 how plentifully both honey and pollen 

 could be gathered. Judging from a 

 careful examination of our own colo- 

 nies, and taking things altogether, 

 we think the prospects of bee-culture 

 are very promising for a really good 

 season. 



Foul Brood.— On pages 291 and 292 

 we gave space to a statement from 

 each side of the controversy about 

 Foul Brood between the Nebraska 

 Convention and Mr. Flanagan, and 

 having done so, we said we " could 

 not consent to burden our columns 

 with any arguments pro or con." 

 President Von Dorn has sent us a re- 

 sponse denying tlie statements of Mr. 

 Flanagan, but we Iiave concluded to 

 let the matter rest where it is, so far 

 as the Bee Journal is concerned ; 



for if we re-open the controversy, 

 there will be no good place to break it 

 off. One statement from each side is 

 all that can be reasonably expected of 

 us. We would like to see an amicable 

 adjustment of the whole matter. 



Deep Cells in Foundation. 



It had long been wished for, but so 

 far had baffled the skill of man to 

 make anything akin to the deep and 

 perfect cells as made by the bees in 

 their combs ; but to-day Mr. E. B. 

 Weed placed a sample of comb foun- 

 dation on our desk, in which the cells 

 are the deepest we ever saw. It is 

 made with wood base, and the wax is 

 pressed into the shape of cells on both 

 sides by very powerful machinery — in 

 the sample we have, the cells are over 

 Jb of an inch deep, by measure. 



As this is something really new, we 

 will here state the principal advan- 

 tages claimed by Mr. Weed : 



1. It cannot possibly sag, melt down 

 or break down, no matter how many 

 bees are clustered upon it, or what 

 treatment it receives in shipment or 

 extracting. Swarms can be placed on 

 it with impunity. This advantage 

 can hardly be over-estimated in 

 swarming time. 



2. The great height of side-wall in- 

 sures acceptance by the bees, when 

 ordinary foundation would not be 

 noticed. 



3. No wax is wasted in the base ; no 

 wire is used ; there are no holes to 

 punch in the frame and sew wire into; 

 a much smaller quantity of wax can 

 be used, ten feet to the pound, mak- 

 ing a very good side-wall. 



It has been demonstrated in every 

 apiary that wood is the only substance 

 to which bees will attach their combs 

 without objection ; but heretofore the 

 inflexible nature of the material has 

 proven an insurmountable difficulty 

 in the way of its use for the base of 

 the honey-comb. This difficulty is 

 now overcome by the use of powerful 

 machinery that moulds the wood to 

 the proper shaiie, without splitting or 

 breaking it. The wood is prepared so 

 that moisture can have no effect on it. 



Whether this is a success or not, Mr, 

 Weed is entitled to much credit for 

 his inventive development. 



