THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



373 



that may be sealed ; place them in a 

 broad frame made for the purpose ; 

 hang them in the extractor, and 

 throw out the honey, putting tlie sec- 

 tions of drawn comb bacli into the 

 case, and put tliem away for next 

 year's use. 



In the fall, after extracting sections 

 when recasing the sections of empty 

 combs (as we use no separators), the 

 combs are not always perfect in the 

 frames ; when we find one side a 

 little fuller than the other, we put the 

 two full sides together, and the hollow- 

 ing sides together. No matter if the 

 full sides of the combs should touch 

 each other, when the bees begin 

 operations the following season, they 

 will cut right through, building out 

 the other sides equally, and the occa- 

 sional crooked ones are thus made 

 straight. 



In reply to several inquires received 

 of late, allow me to append the fol- 

 lowing : 



1. How to get the sections out of 

 Heddon's cases. 



This troul)led us very much the first 

 few days after using the case, but 

 now we can remove the sections from 

 our cases two or three times as fast 

 as from any other arrangement. We 

 invert the cases, four inches and a 

 half above our honey table, the end 

 pieces of the case just touching the 

 rests made for the purpose. Now we 

 have a solid wooden block scant 4 

 inches square and 12 inches long. 

 This will readily slip through each 

 department containing 7 sections. 

 We hollow out one side of the block 

 so that it will not bear any on the 

 sections, except at the corners (the 

 same object can be added to a block, 

 by tacking on two little beveled 

 strips). Lay this block across one 

 row of sections, bring the palms of 

 the hands down solidly and squarely 

 on top of the block, one at each end ; 

 and the sections, block and all, will 

 drop right through. (For a little 

 handle, a shingle nail driven in will 

 answer the purpose, in the middle of 

 the upper side of the block, with 

 which to draw it up.) Now you can 

 slide the sections out from under the 

 cases. This can be done in much less 

 time than you have been reading this. 



In emptying cases we usually drive 

 all four rows of sections out, and then 

 set the case aside. The honey will 

 not break by the sections dropping 

 this four inches, as they sort of slide 

 out of their position, not having half 

 an inch to fall. 



Two Queens in One Hive. 



Last evening I saw what I have 

 long wanted to see. I examined a 

 hive, where I had introduced a young 

 laying queen, some 3 weeks ngo. On 

 the lirst comb I removed, I found my 

 queen all right. On removing another 

 comb, by the side of the first one 

 taken out, what should meet my eyes 

 but another laying queen. Now, I 

 know two queens can do duty in one 

 hive. I removed one of them to 

 another colony that was queenless. 

 W. H, Shiuley. 



Glenwood, Mich., July 19, 1883. 



Large Honey Crop. 



Our honey crop is very large and of 

 the finest quality. We are having a 

 great excess of rain. We cannot 

 tliresh our wheat (it is so wet,) and we 

 fear it will be damaged in the shock. 

 N. P. Allen. 



Smith's Grove, Ky., July 17, 18S3. 



Illinois as a Honey-Prodiicing State. 



I believe that we are largely creators 

 of circumstances. As time rolls on 

 we are drifted hither and thither, 

 often by circumstances over which we 

 have no control. A number of years 

 ago I became infatuated with apicul- 

 ture, and the longer I engaged in the 

 business, the better 1 liked it. Keiths- 

 burg, 111., where I was located, was 

 one of the very best points for an 

 apiary in the country ; and when my 

 favorite occupation promised to pan 

 out big, 1 felt that I was enlisted for 

 life in the sweet work. Unfortunately 

 for my hopes and desires, I became 

 sorely afflicted, and while all last sea- 

 son I worked hard in my apiary, there 

 was not an hour that I did not suffer 

 pain ; and when the spring of 1883 

 opened, I became so completely afflic- 

 ted that I was driven from the field of 

 apiculture into the uncertain pursuit 

 of health. In my wanderings I pulled 

 up at this beautiful little city of four 

 thousand inhabitants, where 1 studied 

 the profession of medicine 20 years 

 ago. My healtli is much improved, 

 and I have reason for believing that I 

 shall entirely recover. But I have no 

 bees, and although I have enquired 

 earnestly for a scientific apiarist in 

 these parts, I have found none. There 

 are a few box-hive and log-gum fogies, 

 and I found one bright light in the bee 

 world, who insisted that the drones 

 laid all the eggs. There is a young 

 gentleman about 3 miles from the city 

 who is learning scientific apiculture, 

 and will make a success of it, I think, 

 for he is both intelligent and indus- 

 trious. I do not know whether I 

 shall stay here next season or oot, but 

 if I recover my health entirely, Isliall 

 have an apiary wherever I may locate. 

 I am inclined to believe that Illinois 

 is as good a State for honey produc- 

 tion as there is in the Union. I shall 

 work, wherever I may be, to extend 

 the circulation of the Amekican Bee 



JouKNAL, for it will kill fogyism 

 wherever it goe.s, and clean the cob- 

 webs of superstition from the brains 

 of all who read it. The Journal 

 comes to my new address regularly, 

 and I read it with the enthusiasm that 

 a boy does his first primer. 



J. R. Baker. 

 Warsaw, Ind., July 17, 1883. 



Honey from Alfalfa. 



In regard to California honey gran- 

 ulating, all the honey I have put up 

 (some 19 tons) wouldcandy by Novem- 

 ber or December, and some of the best 

 became candied in warm weather. In 

 giving a list of the principal honey- 

 producing plants, in Cook's Manual, 

 no mention is made of alfalfa, which 

 is our main source of honey here. 

 Last year 8,000 out of the 9,465 lbs. of 

 honey which I put up, was from 

 alfalfa. Since May 27, 1 have extrac- 

 ted 7,100 lbs. of alfalfa honey ; and it 

 is first-class honey too. P. Loucks. 



Kingsbury, Cal., July 9, 1883. 



[Alfalfa has often been mentioned 

 as a honey producer. In the Bee 

 Journal for July 19, 1882, page 456, 

 this paragraph occurrs : 



Alfalfa yields a good quality of 

 honey, and is in bloom every month in 

 tlie year ; it will grow without irriga- 

 tion in any kind of soil, amongst 

 stones, on such land as cannot be cul- 

 tivated. Scatter the seed plentifully 

 during the winter months, so that the 

 winter rains may settle it into the 

 soil and give moisture enough to 

 cause it to germinate ; keep sheep off 

 the ground so planted, and let the 

 alfalfa get a start, and nothing but 

 gophers can eradicate it. Most per- 

 sons think that alfalfa must have 

 plenty of water at all seasons of the 

 year in order to grow, but for bee 

 pasture good results may be had from 

 it without other moisture than that 

 obtained from rain. 



Of course it is an oversight of Prof. 

 Cook's not mentioning it in his Man- 

 ual ; he will, no doubt, include it in 

 the next edition.— Ed.] 



The Honey Harvest. 



Every one keeping bees think that 

 the harvest of honey will be good in 

 this locality. There has been some 

 quite severe losses since the gathering 

 of last year's crop ; but the bees that 

 stood the storms are doing a fair busi- 

 ness at present, although we have had 

 it pretty wet, and it continues to be 

 so, with the heaviest of showers, and 

 as much of the dreadful cyclone as 

 one would wish to see, having due re- 

 spect for his house, bee hives, etc. 

 Yet we have some very warm days 

 between these great storms, and no 

 cold days that would be considered 

 wholly lost to the honey bee. It is my 

 opinion that the bees are doing well 

 on the clovers, and in 2 or 3 weeks 

 buckwheat will be in. then they will 

 be " the busy bees " in earnest. It is 

 the great event always with us in this 

 country. John Morris. 



Manston, Wis., July 13, 18S3. 



