104 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Feb. U, 



I'lTBMSHED WEEKLY BV 



GEORGE W. YORK & COMPANY, 

 50 FlUJi A.venuc. - CltlCAGO, IJ^l.. 



$1.00 a Year— Sample Copy Sent Free. 

 [Entered at tbe Past-Offlce at Chicago aa Second-Class Mail-Matter.] 



OBOK-C3-E3 ATV. "yOR-IC, 



EDITOR. 



Assisted by the following Department Editors : 

 Dr. C. C. Millek . . . "Questions and Answers. 

 Mrs. Jennie Atchlet - - - '•The Sunny Southland. 

 "Gleaner" .... "Among the Bee-Papeks. 



"Bee-Master" " Canadian Beedom. 



Dk. F. L. Peiro - - .... " Doctor's HiNT.s. 



Rev. Emerson T. Abbott - - " Notes and Comments. 



Vol. fflV. CHICA&O, ILL,, FEB. 14, 1895. No. 7, 



Editorial Budget. 



Apiciiltiiral Uteratiire receives a share of attention 

 (more or less deserved) every once in awhile— and sometimes 

 about twice in awhile. The leading and most influential bee-lit- 

 erature of the day never suffers, nor is it helped any, by reason of 

 any unwise criticisms— particularly the kind that abounds in flings 

 and spiteful personalities. 



But. I am happy in the belief that those who are competent 

 judges of the matter, concede that bee-literature, on the whole, 

 " was never better than it is to-day." 



Having read the literature of bee-keeping pretty thoroughly 

 for the past eleven years, I am free to say that I heartily agree 

 with Editor Hutchinson in the following estimate which he places 

 upon current bee-literature, and which appeared in his Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Review for January: 



Apiealtnrnl Hterature wax tiever better t/iaii it ix to-ehuj. and this in 

 the face of about the hardest times financially and apiculturally 

 that we have seen in a long time. As journal after journal came 

 in for December, all bright, fresh, well printed and illustrated, and 

 crammed with interesting and helpful articles, I fell to wondering 

 If my own journal appeared as attractive to the other editors as 

 theirs did to me. If it did, I am satisfied. Bet-kee]>ers have every 

 reaso7i to be promt of t/ieir tilrralitre. 



The italics in the above paragraph are mine. Please bear 

 those italicised words in mind while you read the essay on the sub- 

 ject of " Apicultural Literature," on page fl9 of this number of the 

 American Bee Journal. While a slight contrast may appear, I am 

 sure it will only serve to heighten your own appreciation of the 

 efforts of all deserving bee-editors who are striving to place before 

 their readers only that which is readable, practical and helpful. 



Referring to the genuine bee-literature of to-day (not the 

 spurious or fungous-growth kind), I said this in these columns Dec. 

 20,1894: " Bee-literature is a human creation— hence, of course, 

 imperfect— but, like everything good, '^ofii^ om to perfection.' " I 

 am of the same opinion still. 



The :\e]>ra!!ika Queen says that Mr. G. J. Weakley, of 

 Washington, Kan., has tried for honey-plants Alsike clover, 

 motherwort, sweet clover, white clover, melissa and catnip, and 

 that the best of all is the sweet clover. He thinks that the first 

 three named are the only three plants of the six that are 

 worth sowing for honey-plants alone. He sowed 10 pounds of 

 Alsike clover on l}.< acres, and 25 colonies filled their brood-cham- 

 bers and gave 100 pounds of surplus honey. He sows sweet clover 

 seed in the spring, in oats, 4 pounds to the acre, but not too early, 

 as it is liable to freeze. 



Mr. V. Wavenport's Article on the first page, this 

 week, is the third that he has written for the American Bee Jour- 

 nal within the past few months. Mr. D. has over 360 colonies of 

 bees, and he makes a success of bee-keeping, so what he says car- 

 ries with it the weight of extensive and profitable experience. 

 La.it Xoi'ember I arranged with him to write a number of articles, 

 which fact will account for this paragraph appearing at tbe end of 

 his first article, entitled, " Something from a Big Bee-Man," (see 

 page C60— 1894) : 



Other Subjects. — Some time I may try to tell the kind and 

 size of hive I use, how I control swarming, about the different 

 kinds of bees I have, what I know about bees improving, and bees 

 improving themselves when left alone: also what I think I know 

 about bees degenerating under some of the most popular plans that 

 are practiced at the present time for the suppression of swarming 

 or increase. C. Davenport. 



As the large and small hive question has been recently dis- 

 cussed considerably, Mr. D.'s article will be read with much 



interest. 



My Xlianks are due, and hereby tendered, all of my ex- 

 change newspapers that have given such kind notices of the recent 

 changes and what they are pleased to call improvements in the 

 American Bee Journal. To quote a part or all they said would 

 take up too much room, and so, to be as impartial as possible, I 

 will, instead of reprinting the much appreciated compliments, 

 simply say " Thank you," to them aU. 



Winteriiig Uces lender a Hay-Staclt.— Mr. R. N. 



Leach, of Humphrey, Nebr., writes thus about wintering bees un- 

 der a hay -stack : 



I have kept a few colonies of bees for 13 years, but it has been 

 more pleasure to me than profit. I have wintered bees in the cel- 

 lar, on the summer stands, packed them in chaff, and in a hay- 

 stack. I like the latter best. All of our hay is stacked. The 

 stack I intend to feed last, when stacking it, after I have put on 

 the ground about one foot of hay, I nail together pieces of '3x4 

 scantling, thus a. and set them in a row on the hay, nail a few 

 pieces of boards on the sides, and then stack bay over them. After 

 the hay is settled, cut a hole in, and when ready put in the bees 

 and stop up the hole. I then have the bees in a place perfectly dry 

 and frost-proof. I put chaff cushions on top and wire screens — the 

 cushions to let the moisture out, and the screens to keep the mice 

 from doing any damage. R. N. Leach. 



This is decidedly interesting. Please tell us how long are the 

 pieces of 2x4. When do you put the bees in the stack ? and when 

 do you take them out ? How many hives do you put in a stack ? 

 How many winters have you practiced it ? What proportion of 

 the bees lived, and what proportion died '. Please let the readers 

 of the American Bee Journal know all about it, won't you ? 



My Ilees and Honey. — Editor Ernest R. Root, it will be 

 remembered, visited me last September, staying over night, and 

 in his " Notes of Bicycle Travel" in Gleanings for Jan. 15, he had 

 this to say about my bees and honey: 



That evening, before supper, we took a look over the apiary of 

 the American Bee Journal, situated in the rear of Dr. Peiro's 

 yard. The neighbors at Bro. York's, if I remember, were afraid 

 to have them there, and so the Doctor kindly offered to "take 

 them in." Mr. York very modestly professed to know little or 

 nothing about bees, and wished me to look them over, and assume 

 the role of instruetur. (Such modesty in an editor who gets out 

 such a good bee-journal is quite inexcusable.) 



A smoker was procured, and we preceded to open up the hives. 



" Why," said I, " Mr. York, you have got supers on at this 

 season of the year." (\"ou will remember it was the first of Sep- 

 tember.) "I would take them off, for surely you do not need them 

 now." 



" But they are gathering honey noio," said Mr. York. 



"Impossible," said I. 



"Indeed, they are." 



On pulling off the covers, I saw sure enough that the bees were 

 putting honey into the sections. 



" What in the world can they get around here, almost in the 

 city ?" 



" I cannot tell you," said Mr. York. 



We opened two or three hives, and every one of them seemed 

 to be busy piling in the surplus. In the meantime Dr. Peiro came 

 out and enlivened the proceedings with his easy-flowing wit and 

 banter. After looking over the bees, Mr. Y'ork called my atten- 

 tion to the lawns, as we neared Mr. York's home. I presume there 

 were a good many acres in reach of these bees ; and tbe constant 

 mowing and sprinkling allowed the white clover to spring up and 

 yield nectar oat of season ; but on sampling the honey that evening 

 at the table, there seemed to be something besides white clover 



