.^. 



VOL. XIX. 



CHICAGO, ILL., AUGUST 22, 1883. 



No. 34. 



Published every Wednesday, by 



THOMAS G. NEWMAN, 



Editor and Proprietor, 



Canada Thistles for Honey. 



Dr. J. C. Thorn, of Streetsville, 

 Ontario, has written to the Canadian 

 Farmer, wondering why the Canada 

 thistles should not be ipentioned in 

 the newest bee books among the 

 honey-producers. It has often been 

 mentioned in the Bee Journal as 

 such, but as it is an objectionable 

 pest, and should not be encouraged, 

 even if it is a good honey-producer. 

 The Doctor says : 



I can only account for the omission 

 of any notice in these works of a very 

 important source of honey in Canada 

 by the supposition that it is rare in 

 in the United States. As the States of 

 Michigan and Kew York are our 

 immediate neighbors, 1 am at a loss 

 to understand why it has not yet 

 crossed the borders and taken the 

 oath of allegiance, it being essentially 

 aggressive, migratory and tenacious 

 in its characteristics. It is now 

 naturalized over the large extent of 

 country, extending from Quebec to 

 Sarnia. Its flowering season extends 

 from the latter end of June to the 

 same time in August. It may be 

 fairly relied upon for a continuous 

 flow of honey. It ranks, in my esti- 

 mation, scarcely second to clover and 

 basswood. 



During the season of 1882, when all 

 other sources of honey seemed to fail 

 in this region (even clover and bass- 

 wood), the thistle came to the rescue 

 of 100 starving colonies in my apiary, 

 and in the space of 1.5 days they had 

 accumulated from that source alone 

 sufficient winter stores. The present 

 season, with an abundant flow from 

 clover, and a partial one from bass- 

 wood, the thistle has as usual made 

 its delicious aroma perceptible in the 

 extractor, making glad the hearts of 

 bee-keepers. The honey from this 

 source is rather thinner than that 

 from clover, clear, not inclined to 

 granulate, of a delicious flavor and 



aroma, only to be recognized by those 

 who have passed through tields of 

 ripening grain purple with thistle 

 heads nodding to the breeze. 



Beeswax.— Concerning the boiling 

 of beeswax and preparing it for the 

 market, an exchange remarks as 

 follows : 



It is found that the larger the cakes 

 of wax are the better it keeps, and 

 the higher price it brings. Also, that 

 the more gently it has been boiled, the 

 better it likewise is ; for too hasty 

 boiling renders it hard, and this in- 

 creases the difficulty in bleaching it. 



The Premium List of the Maine 

 State Agricultural Society is received. 

 It shows premiums amounting to $60 

 on bees and honey. Any one inter- 

 ested can get a premium list by 

 sending to Mr. A. L. Dennison, Sec, 

 Portland, Maine ; or to Mr. Horace B. 

 Cony, Augusta, Maine, who writes us 

 as follows : " While our premiums 

 are small compared with other States, 

 still it issomething,andif bee-keepers 

 will attend and exhibit, we can do 

 better hereafter. This is our first 

 attempt, so we could not expect 

 much." 



Ontario Convention. 



The third annual general meeting 

 of the Ontario Bee-Keepers' Associa- 

 tion will meet in the City Hall 

 Toronto, on Tuesday, the 20th day of 

 September next, during the second 

 week of the Industrial Exhibition. 

 As the North American Bee Keepers' 

 Covention meets at the same time and 

 place, it has been arranged that the 

 two bodies hold joint meetings in 

 discussing matters pertaining to our 

 common interests, as the leadmg bee- 

 keepers of America are to be present. 

 This will, undoubtedly, be the most 

 interesting meeting of apiarists ever 

 assembled in Canada. The venerable 

 Mr. Langstroth and all the prominent 

 bee-men of the United States are ex- 

 pected to be present. A profitable 

 time is anticipated, and a good turn- 

 out requested. The convention will 

 last three days. A meeting for the 

 purely business work of our associa- 



tion will be held sometime during the 

 convention, of which due notice will 

 be given. R. McKnight, 



Fres. Ontario Bee Association. 



Preparing Bees for Winter. 



In the American Agriculturist for 

 September, Prof. Cook writes thus : 



The apiarist should prepare his bees 

 for winter as soon as the frost makes 

 all farther gathering of honey im- 

 possible. Examination will show 

 whether there is sufficient honey 

 stored to winter the bees. If the 

 frames, just as they are taken from 

 the hives, containing bees, honey and 

 comb, weigh 30 pounds in the aggre- 

 gate, then the^jp is enough honey. If 

 not, good thick honey, or thick syrup, 

 made by dissolving granulated sugar, 

 should be fed at once, so that all cells 

 may be capped over before the cold 

 days of October check the labors of 

 the hive. It is best that the honey 

 be so abundant in the frames that we 

 need not give the bees all the frames 

 used in summer. It is better to use 

 not more than 7 or 8 Gallup or Ameri- 

 can frames, and not more than 5 or 6 

 Langstroth frames These are con- 

 fined by division-boards. It is best 

 to carefully exclude pollen. Frames 

 of pollen are set aside, to be returned 

 when breeding is resumed the suc- 

 ceeding spring. 



The bees may easily change the 

 position of the cluster in the cold days 

 of winter, and it is desirable to cut 

 small holes the size of a thimble 

 through the combs, an inch or two 

 above the centre. Cover above the 

 bees with sacks of dry sawdust, which 

 should be long enough to reach over 

 the division-boards and to the bottom 

 of the hive. These protect the bees 

 from the extremes of heat and cold, 

 and promote bealthfulness. Thus 

 prepared, the bees to be wintered in 

 chaff hives on their summer stands, 

 will need no further care until the 

 succeeding April. If the bees are 

 placed in the cellar, they need not be 

 touched again until just before winter 

 comes, when they are to be taken in. 



W Mr. E. F. Smith, Smyrna, N 

 Y., writes: "I should have been 

 more explicit about my report. The 

 colony, and its increase, have given 

 761 pounds to date. My apiary report 

 will soon be forthcoming, and will 

 show more than an average of 200 

 pounds per colony. 



