556 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



the double-walled hive, and I tliink 

 that it is a very good one. I left them 

 ■on the summer stands last winter un- 

 protected by any wind-breaks, and 

 the ground froze about 3 feet deep, 

 but tlie bees came through all right. 

 Until July], my bees swarmed and 

 ■did better than ever before. I ex- 

 ■pected a good crop of honey, but I 

 iim afraid that it will fail. ^ly bees 

 are storing honey very fast at this 

 time, and I am in hopes that the fall 

 ■will be favorable, so that the bees can 

 make up for lost time. I have about 

 half a dozen colonies of Italian bees, 

 land the balance are the native black 

 bee. So far the black bees appear to 

 be the best workers, but the Italians 

 seem to build straighter combs. 



Anderson Gibson. 

 Ponca, Neb., Aug. 12, 1884. 



Tree-Trunk Method of Wintering. 



When I read an article like the one 

 from the pen of Wm. F. Clarke, in 

 the Bee .Joukn.\l of .July 9, 1884, 1 

 feel like criticising it a little. I do 

 not wish it understood that I am 

 writing this against his method of 

 wintering, for I am not ; but I have 

 known of bees dying in trees in win- 

 ter, or at least they were all right in 

 the fall, and in the following spring 

 were dead. But of cour.se tliis does 

 not prove that they were winter- 

 killed. That bees are sometimes 

 ■winter-killed in trees, we have proof 

 in Col. R. Walton's article on page 

 492. Mr. Clarke, in his article, de- 

 votes considerable space to " Bee-Life 

 in a Tree-Top." Is it possible that 

 Mr. C. never saw a bee-tree witli the 

 entrance near to the ground V If he 

 has not, then the nature of bees is 

 different here in Iowa ; for out of 

 some 50 bee-trees which were felled, 

 and which I can now call to mind, 14 

 ■of them had entrances close to the 

 ground, one was in a stump, and one 

 in a log on the ground. In some of 

 these trees the combs were actually 

 built below the level of the ground. 

 I am not writing this to get up a con- 

 troversy with Mr. Clarke, as I would 

 likely get the worst of it; but am 

 merely telling facts as I have seen 

 them. .J. W. Buchanan. 



Eldora, Iowa, Aug. 11, 1884. 



What is it? 



Since my last letter, there have 

 been heavy rains here, and the bees 

 are doing better. They are bringing 

 in a vast amount of pollen from corn, 

 and working strongly on buckwheat, 

 of which there is a large amount 

 sown. I will describe as well as I can 

 what to me was a curious scene : 

 There are 140 colonies of bees % mile 

 from here, working on 7 acres of 

 buckwheat, 20 rods from the apiary. 

 The bees cross the road over a rise of 

 ground in a direct line to the buck- 

 wheat field. I was in the road at this 

 rise of ground, looking at the thou- 

 sands of bees flying in the air ; it was 

 about 7 o'clock iu'the morning, and 

 the bees flying directlv towards the 

 sun, when my attention was drawn to 

 what I at tirst thought was fine drops 

 of rain, but upon close inspection 1 1 



saw that it was a fine liqviid spray or 

 fine drops which was ejected from the 

 bees. This was sometliing new to 

 me, and so I went back to my house 

 and got my assistant, W. B. Smith, 

 and returned, where we both saw it 

 distinctly many times. I then went 

 away \l^ miles and returned, and 

 again saw it repeated. Now, what 

 does this mean ? What bearing does 

 it have on the '-dry feces theory V" 

 Also on the pollen idea ? If this is 

 common, how can bees be confined to 

 the hive for •'> months and their intes- 

 tines not become distended and dis- 

 eased, thus causing the dreaded con- 

 dition of the bees which we call 

 diarrhcea V S. J. Youngman. 



Cato, Mich., Aug. 4, 1884. 



Only Half a Crop of Honey. 



We have only about a half crop 

 here. I began the season with 32 

 colonies, having lost 30 in the winter. 

 I began to feed them on May 8. and 

 got them in good condition by June 

 12. It was cold all through July, and 

 for a month the bees have been idle ; 

 now it is hot and dry, but I hope for 

 better limes. Up to date I have 

 taken off 9-50 pounds of comb honey 

 of the best quality. 



Joseph Lee. 



Farmers, Mich., Aug. 16, 1884. 



Bees Did Well on Basswood. 



I commenced the season with 55 

 colonies, some of which were very 

 weak. They have increased to 100 col- 

 onies, mostly by natural swarming. 

 The first part of the season was quite 

 favorable for brood-rearing until 

 about July 1. when we had unfavor- 

 able weather 5 days, which almost en- 

 tirely checked swarming. 1 obtained 

 only about .500 pounds of extracted 

 honey from clover, and that was all 

 that "they stored up to July 1. When 

 basswood bloomed, my bees did well, 

 and it lasted about two weeks ,• since 

 then they have not made more than 

 their living. I have in all about 4,500 

 pounds of honey, about 300 pounds of 

 it being comb, and the balance ex- 

 tracted honey. We have just had 

 quite a rain, and I am- in hopes that 

 we will have a little flow of fall honey. 

 A. C. Sanfobd. 



Ouo, Wis., Aug. IS, 1884. 



Not More than Half a Crop. 



I have not yet seen any reports of 

 the honey crop from this part of 

 Michigan! We had an unusual heavy 

 flow of honey-dew or aphid;e secre- 

 tion during the month of June, but 

 it is poor stuff, and a damage to the 

 honey crop. I had 45 colonies in the 

 spring ; increased to 71 by natural 

 swarming, and have taken 1,000 lbs. 

 of comb honey in one-pound sections, 

 mostly from white clover, and have 

 extracted 500 lbs. Basswood was a 

 complete failure, owing to cold, windy 

 weather when it was in bloom. Buck- 

 wheat is coming into bloom, but it is 

 not yielding much lioney on account 

 of dry weather. I hope that others 

 are doing better. 



E. W. Wales. 



Disco, Mich., Aug. 16, 1884. 



Honey and Beeswax Market. 



Office uf The American bee Joitrnal, } 

 Monday, 1*) a. m., Aug. 'J5, 1S84 ( 



The following are the latest quota- 

 tions for honey and beeswax received 

 up to this hour : 



CINCINNATI. 

 HONEY— There is no change to note in the 

 price of honey, but demand is improrinK grad- 

 ually. Extracted brings t>S!"c on arrival, and 

 choice white corah honey in sections, 150160. 

 BEBSWAX-ls dull at :.'ii'»L'.sc on arrival. 



C. F. MUTH, Freeman & Central Ave. 



NEW YORK. 



HONEY— Sales of cniuh honey continue slow. 

 As yet there are no arrival.'* of this season's crop. 

 We have received several stiiall shipments of new 

 extracted honey, which sold readily. For prices 

 on this year's crop, we quote : Fancy white, 1-lb., 

 16(ail»c; fancy white. J-lb.. inciiiiHc; fair to good, l 

 and '.'-lb.. lii^Uc; fancy buckwheat, l-lb., l:i@13c: 

 2-lb., ll((ili2c. Extracted, white clover, in kegs or 

 small barrels, H^Cayc; dark grades, 7^7^c. 



BEESWAX — I'rime yeIli)W, ;jn(aj3i:c- 



MCCAUL & HILDKETH, 34 HudSOD St. 



BOSTON. 



HONEY.— New honey is coming in, and selling 



at l6'<tlHc. for best white land -i-pound sections. 



New e.xtacted. 8(^nc. Httney in ungiassed sections 



sells the most readily. Old comb honev all gone. 



BEESWAX-35C. 



Blake & Kiplet. 57 Chatham Street. 



CHICAGO. 



HONE Y— The demand for comb is very light. 

 The retailers have bought a little during this 

 month ; but sav that they do not tiave any call for 

 it at present. Prices range from li^(aHic per pound 

 for the different sized frames and style of pack- 

 ages. There is a continued dullness in extracted. 

 Some 01 the new crop is on sale. 



BBESWAX-Is dull, and :;5c for dark, with 30® 

 32c for vellow, is the range of prices. 



R. A. Burnett. i«i South Water St. 



SAN FRANCISCO. 



HONE Y— The market is devoid of any encour- 

 aging features to sellers. Otferiiigsare numerous, 

 there is no pronounced inquiry, and not a particle 

 of conipetitlon among buyers. Some comb honey 

 has been sold within the week at 7c, He, yc and 10c 

 for four different grades, the latter being extra 

 choice. White to extra white comb, !t(gil Ic; dark 

 to good, 7<a:ic: extracted, choice to extra white, 

 5@5J^c: dark and candied, 4c. 



BKESWAX-Wholesale. -J-.c. 



Stearns & smith. 423 Front Street. 



KANSAS CITY. 



HONEY— I have to report a little easier feeling 

 in the honey market. Dealers generally have an 

 idea that the crop is large and are not witling to 

 buy more than for present demands, which are, as 

 yet, comparatively light. Then, too, the immense 

 crop in California and low prices there have aten- 

 dency to equallize the Kaslern markets. Crops, 

 except in the extreme east, I think, are not so 

 light as is supposed, and there will be no scarcity 

 in the Mississippi Valley. My last quotations are 

 hardly sustained this week. I am trying to hold 

 this market up, but small buyers are quoting 

 country prices on me winch con^pel some conces- 

 sions. I think our bee-keepers will And it good 

 policy in quoting prices to these occasional buyers, 

 to hold a stiff margin of ■_' or 3 c. on them, and 

 when they do make a sale, it will count to their 

 profit. But when they quote prices or make sales 

 at about what their commission merchant or large 

 buyers are getting, these tellows use it to beat 

 down the prices in the regular channels, and it 

 only reacts on the producers after all. I am in 

 favor of tlie bee-keeper selling all he can around 

 home and any where else when he can get a good 

 price: but if he places himself in the field as a 

 competitor of the regular honey merchant, he 

 only pulls down the market loi his own head. 



BEESWAX-Nominal. :iom;i."ic per lb. 



Jerome TwiCHELL. 514 Walnut Street. 



8T. LOUIS. 

 HONEY — Steady; demand and supply both 

 small. Comb, 12®I4c per lb., and strained and ex- 

 tracted eiojGVsc. 

 BEESWAX— Firm at 32(a/32Xc. for choice. 



W. T. ANDERSON A Co.. 104 N. 3d Street. 



CLEVELAND. 



HONEY— The honey market seems to be im- 

 proving, so that there is a larger demand. Best 1- 

 Ib. sections were sold in quantity at IOc;in a 

 amall way 17c is occasionally obtained, but ]6e 

 would be the more reliable quotation; 2-lb8..be8t 

 white. I4ft'l5c: second quality slow at Io@r2c. 

 Extracted slow at 8&9c. 



BBBSWAX-30C. 



A. C. KeNDEL. 115 Ontario Street. 



SAN FRANCISCO. 

 HONE Y— We quote comb honey in 2 lb. sections. 

 I5ci extracted. 7(a)7^c. 



Geo. W. Meade & Co.. 213 Market 



