1895. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



53 



get in and raise particular h hard times, or free trade, or 



wliat some call " the blessings of a free country." 



Well, the bees got filled so heavy they could not fly, and 

 ■were about one inch deep on the floor, and as my suspender 

 buttons got lost off behind, I stepped into the bee-roora to put 

 some wire nails in place of the buttons (I am a single man), 

 and the whole inch of bees marched up my stocking leg and 

 commenced getting off on my calf, and on the leg of the pants. 

 You can imagine about how I felt when I went down to 

 the post-ofJice after the mail, and to have the post-master tell 

 me the Bee Journal had not come, when I 'knew the others got 

 theirs in the forenoon. I did not swear, but said to him, " I 

 never in two years had the Bee Journal fail to be in the box on 

 Friday with a, former post-master ! ' Then his nose went up, 

 and then was the time I felt so ugly, for I saw my Bee Jour- 

 nal lying on the distributing tabic. I called him to get it, 

 and he said something about a great fuss and little thing, and 

 I something about his nose — but I was really thinking about 

 concentrated food for an enormous growth in calves, and so I 

 ■went home and used the boracic acid freely. What? You're 

 right, it is good ! Worth the price of two bee-papers. 



Well, when I got a little easy I went to looking over the 

 Bee Journal, and what do you think I struck first? Why, 

 that short oit to clean up extracting-combs, and I with 238 

 hives, or over 2,000 combs, all dripping and souring, and the 

 tiees robbing, and I unable to do the work of putting them on 

 the hives to clean up without a great deal of trouble in many 

 directions. So I spread the combs to seven in a hive, put out 

 60 of them 50 feet from the yard, as quickly as I could, and 

 then I saw the show ! By 4 o'clock every bee had left. I put 

 in the 60, and prepared the 178, and put them out the next 

 ■day, and they were cleaned up at half past 4 o'clock, and I 

 vpas a happy man. So much for the Bee Journal. 



The bees seemed to understand perfectly well what I was 

 doing; took the protection to their industries with great kind- 

 ness, which was a new revelation to me. But I did not have 

 to change politics, as some other voters did along about those 

 days. 



I gave that copy of the Bee Journal away as a sample 

 copy, and have forgotten who wrote the article. But I esti- 

 mate it was worth to me more than one week's wages at .S2.00 

 per day, in time saved, besides, never a bee offered to rob after 

 that, nor to sting, and they all began to breed up, and but few 

 threw out dead brood three weeks after. (I noticed only one 

 hive.) 



I extracted all unfinished sections, have 4.000 pounds of 

 nice white extracted honey, and IJ.j tons of nice section 

 honey, over half of it the very finest I have ever seen in this 

 region. Good judges call this the best honey-field in the State. 

 I had, spring count, 108 colonies — packed 125 in chaff, 

 and put 28 into the cellar, making 103 in all, aud well sup- 

 plied. The white clover is thick, aud like velvet, and 8 inches 

 of snow to-day (Dec. 10). St. Ann, N. Y. 



^ 



plenty of linden, tulip trees, sourwoods and wild flowers are 

 yet to be found, but one who goes there must be willing to put 

 up with lack of good society, good means of communication, 

 and other refinements of civilized life. Now, friends, what 

 do you think or that article? Does it describe the mountains 

 of East Tennessee or the honey-resources? Does it not cast a 

 slur on the good citizens, and bee-keepers, also? 



It implies that we are not civilized. I might ask Mr. H. 

 F. Coleman, of Hancock county. Are your people civilized over 

 there? He would say, "Yes, sir." Have you got good schools, 

 good churches, and good society? He would say, "Yes, sir." 

 The same might be asked Mr. A.C.Babb, of Greene county, and 

 his answer would be the same; and Sam Wilson, of Cocke 

 county, would say "Yes, sir." I affirm that we have as good 

 citizens and as good society as can be found at Knoxville; and 

 we as mountain people have as good a place for producing 

 honey as can be found in Tennessee, and far better than Mr. 

 Getaz says his is. 



We produce pure honey from the blossoms, and not honey- 

 dew. Sutton, Tenn. 



Report of the Northern Illinois Convention. 



BY B. KENNEDT. 



The Northern Illinois Bee-Keepers' Association met in 

 Rockford, Dec. 18 add 19, 1894. There was a very fair at- 

 tendance, the members reporting about 900 colonies and 

 20,000 pounds of honey for 1894. Mr. C. H. Stordock, of 

 Durand, reported the largest yield, being about 97 pounds 

 per colony, spring count. 



Dr. C. C. Miller was present, which always insures a good 

 meeting. The following questions were discussed : 



PUTTING BEES OUT IN THE SPBING. 



Is it best to put the colonies on the old stands when tak- 

 ing out of cellar ? Most thought it best if possible, though 

 some did not do it. 



CONA'INCING EXTRACTED-HONEY CUSTOMERS. 



How can we convince customers that our extracted honey 

 is pure? Have the honey well ripened, build up a good repu- 

 tation for honesty, and explain to customers the kind of 

 flowers it is gathered from. Several samples of extracted 

 honey were shown, two being from Colorado. 



BIGHT OK TEN FRAME HIVES ? 



Honey-Resources and People of East Tennessee 



BY WM. WEBB. 



I find in the American Bee Journal fvir Dec. 6, 1894, a 

 description of the "Honey-Resources of East Tennessee," 

 which I claim is correct only in part; and I am very able to 

 make my statements good, by bee-men of from 15 to 40 years' 

 •experience. 



It is said in the article referred to, that in the latter part of 

 May and in June we have honey-dew in abundance or not at 

 all, and that this in good seasons is the main source of our sur- 

 plus. Now I will say that at that time of the year is our 

 main honey-flow, which comes from the poplar, the holly, the 

 tiack gum, the linden, the locust, the chestnut and other trees 

 and shrubs too numerous to mention. This explanation may 

 do for Knox county and the vicinity of the city of Knoxville, 

 but who of the readers of the Bee Journal would want to eat 

 the filthy stuff that the writer of the article I mention says is 

 "the main source of surplus" of East Tennessee? I admit 

 that we have some honey-dew, but it is not my hope for a 

 surplus; if it was, and that was my chance except sonrwood, I 

 would now quit bee-keeping. But it is not, and I am thank- 

 ful for it, for we can produce as nice white honey in this moun- 

 tainous part of East Tennessee as can be produced anywhere; 

 but it takes attention to do so, on account of the dark yield- 

 ing trees and the white yielders blooming so close, nearly at 

 the same time. The sourwood blooms in July, after all the 

 rest is over, and all bee-men that have seen sourwood honey 

 know that is white. 



The writer of the article I refer to, says that immense 

 quantities of honey could be obtained in the mountains, where 



Is the 8, or 10, frame Langstroth hive the best ? 

 halt use the 8, and the balance the 10 frame hive. 



About 



SOME ESSENTIALS IN BEE-CDLTURE. 



What is the most pressing want of bee-keepers to-day ? 

 Dr. Miller said " money." 



What is the greatest essential to successful honey-produc- 

 tion ? Strong colonies and plenty of flowers. 



SUPERSEDING QUEENS— SECTION FOUNDATION. 



Is it advisable to supersede queens, or let the bees do it ? 

 Most of the members thought it best to let the bees attend to 

 it, and let the bee-keeper watch them, and to supersede when 

 the beos do not attend to it. 



Which is better, thin or extra-thin foundation for sec- 

 tions? Thin. 



How many use full sheets of foundation in sections? 

 Only one — Dr. Miller uses full sheets. 



WIRING BROOD FRAMES— SECTION-HOLDERS. 



How many wire brood-frames ? And is it best? H. W. 

 Lee thought it was not necessary, while others thought that 

 it was. 



What is the best section-holder ? Dr. Miller thought the 

 T super with a follower and wedge the best. 



DAMPENING SECTIONS FOR FOLDING. 



What is the best method of dampening sections when they 

 break in putting together? Some put them into the cellar a 

 day or two before using. Dr. Miller uses a teakettle about 

 half full of water, and takes a bunch of 500 sections and 

 pours the water in the V groove, doing the whole in a minute 

 or two. 



FEEDING BACK DARK HONEY— CONTRACTION. 



If you have a quantity of dark honey, is it a good plan to 

 feed it back ? If so, when ? Yes, in the spring, but not in 

 the fall. 



Do you practice contraction of the brood-nest 7 If so, 



