214 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Apr. i. 



frame. The screen is L in the cut. A little board is laid over 

 the bee-entrance when not feeding. 



To make the feeder take ?s-inch board as large as desired 

 for the bottojn strips, and y^ inch by 1}.< wide. Saw kerfs in 

 each end piece, Joint together, and nail the bottom-board to 

 this rim. Apply a coatof cobalt, which is dissolved in alcohol, 

 and it will never leak. Cut some strips of wood separate, and 

 slip in the saw kerfs. See M in the cut. In fact, the photo- 

 graph explains the entire combination. 



After feeding is completed, take out the feeder, close the 

 bee-entrance, fill the enclosure with bits of old carpet, or a 

 small chail cushion, put on the large cushion and hive-cover, 

 and your bees will never become damp, nor combs moldy. 



After the honey-flow, if you have unfinished sections, set 

 the feeder on top of the super, pour in extracted honey, and 

 all your sections will soon be finished up in complete style. I 

 invite all bee-keepers to try one of these feeders. 



Reinersville, Ohio. 



Early Drones — Essays at Conventions. 



BY DR. J. P. H. BROWN. 



A correspondent asks how to get early drones. The col- 

 onies that are intended for drone-rearing should go into win- 

 ter quarters with plenty of stores ; at least with sufficient to 

 carry them till they can gather abundantly from natural 

 sources in the spring. Usually such colonies, unless unneces- 

 sarily tinkered with, have drones flying before those colonies 

 that have to be fed up in the spring. But if there is not a 

 surplus of food on hand in the hive, then it will be necessary 

 to feed, and the feeding must be kept up regularly, until 

 the bees can gather from natural sources. Regularity in this 

 matter is all-important, and the quantity of food given should 

 be proportioned to the amount they can consume, and a trifle 

 to store in combs for a rainy day. Poverty affects bees as it 

 does many humans — it "freezes the genial curreiits of the soul." 



A frame or two of nice, clear drone-comb should be placed 

 near the center of the brood-nest to receive the drone-eggs as 

 soon as the bees get ready to care for the larvae. You may 

 place the comb right in the center of the brood-nest, but you 

 will not find any drone-larvae there till the colony is in a con- 

 dition for drones. They do not care a fig how much you desire 

 them, the workers will have their own way. Sometimes it is 

 very difBcult for us to understand bee-instincts. "The notions 

 we form of their senses," observes John Hunter, who was one 

 of the most learned of England's apiarists, " must not only 

 be liable to great inaccuracy, but may often be totally inade- 

 quate representations of the truth." 



Some colonies will rear drones much sooner than others, 

 when all the conditions are apparently the same. The phys- 

 ical vigor of the queen has much to do in this matter. When 

 ova-production of the queen wanes from old age or infirmity, 

 the bees prepare for a successor in advance of the time the old 

 one ceases to lay. 



The queen-breeder should never lose sight of the import- 

 ance of breeding his stock up. To breed up, requires skill, 

 the greatest care, and "eternal vigilance." Drones only from 

 the best, choicest, and best-working colonies should be selected. 

 While first-class queen-mothers are indispensable, first-class 

 males are equally so. 



Drones from laying workers are defective in their procre- 

 ating powers; so also are the drones from unimpregnated 

 queens, if reared in worker-cells ; but, if reared in drone- 

 cells, they have the power of flight, vigor and capacity to fer- 

 tilize the queen. But in queen-breeding, unfertilized queens 

 cannot be depended upon for drones. All such drones should 

 be carefully discarded. These conclusions have been arrived 

 at by careful experiments and observations that I have con- 

 ducted with unfecundated queens. 



ESSAYS OR NO ESSAYS AT BEE-CONVENTIONS. 



The question of essays or no essays at bee-conventions 

 seems to have given rise to some discussion. In every organ- 

 ized convention, society, or association for the advancement of 

 science, there must be some means instituted to draw out 

 thought and to encourage discussion. There are usually two 

 classes of persons who attend these meetings. One is com- 

 posed of individuals who are gifted with the faculty of lan- 

 guage sufficiently large to enable them to readily express their 

 thoughts extempore. While the other class have their ideas 

 pent up for the want of ready words to express them. The 

 best thoughts, the most reliable judgment, and the best 

 digested experience, are often found with this latter class. 

 They take back seats, while the "darn-on talkiest" fellows 

 come to the front and monopolize the time, even if they have 

 to " grind out " "cases," " examples" and "instances" "on- 



sight " to suit the occasion. The essay is the only means they 

 have to make themselves heard. 



An essay is supposed to be the embodiment of the thoughts 

 ana experience of the writer. Ideas go on the paper criticised 

 and analyzed by the writer according to his faculty of percep- 

 tion. Thought is brought in contact with thought, and discus- 

 sion is thereby drawn out. 



It is to the interest of bee-keepers to organize, encourage 

 and maintain the existence of societies devoted to the promo- 

 tion of the bee-keeping industry. To say nothing of their 

 social feature, their educational power is great. It has been 

 my good fortune to attend a number of meetings of the 

 North American Bee-Keepers' Assoication, and I always found 

 that the interchange of thought compensated me for the time 

 and expense incurred in making the journey. 



. Augusta, Ga. 



The California State Convention. 



BY .JOHN n. MARTIN. 



The California State Bee-Keepers' Association met Feb. 

 5, in Los Angeles. The usual routine business occupied a 

 good share of the morning session. 



Mr. Flory, from Lemoore, Kings county, presented his 

 credentials as a delegate from the Central California Bee- 

 Keepers' Association, and was admitted to the rights and 

 privileges of the meeting. 



Mr. Mclntyre described his fire-proof honey-house. It is 

 14x22 feet, and cost less than .S200. He could store 30 tons 

 of honey, and could hold his honey over, or until he could 

 secure better prices. He had no fears of his building and 

 contents burning, and had no insurance rates to pay. 



MARKETING THE HONEY CROP. 



Capt. Wood sold the most of his honey in the home mar- 

 kets, and if he could not get his price, held it over until the 

 next year. Dealers would offer 4 cents per pound, but he had 

 always made money by holding it for better prices. 



The commission men came in for a share of blame, but as 

 a general thing commission men had come up to their agree- 

 ments. 



Mr. Brods, a dealer from Riverside, said it was not neces- 

 sary to ship to commission men. He bought large quantities 

 of honey every year, and made an agreement with the pro- 

 ducer upon a settled price. Many producers have to sell their 

 honey early ; in such eases he advanced money and held the 

 honey for several months, that better prices might be obtained. 

 He keeps posted in relation to all Eastern markets, and all the 

 profits he desired was the usual rate of half a cent per pound. 

 He thought that bee-keepers could get a better price for their 

 honey by allowing only one or two men to handle it. 



Several committees were then appointed. 



CO-OPERATION AMONG BEE-KEEPERS. 



The afternoon session opened with an essay by Mr. Brod- 

 beck, upon " Cooperation of Bee-Keepers. " The discussion 

 that followed was of deep interest to bee-keepers. 



Mr. Mellen, secretary of the co-operative store in Acton, 

 Calif., spoke of the success attending their organization. Co- 

 operative associations are being formed in various portions of 

 the country, and it is a move in the righi direction. A co- 

 operative association comes in contact with all other such or- 

 ganizations, and the more organizations the greater the 

 power. How to co-operate is taught in a 50-cent book written 

 by Herbert Myreck, and sold by W. A. Wayland, Tennessee 

 City, Tenn. At present we are at the mercy of the capitalist, 

 and co-operation is the way out. 



Mr. Levering spoke in a discouraging strain in relation to 

 the fact that bee-keepers would not work togefner, but he 

 hoped that something would be accomplished. 



Mr. Brodbeck said that plans were being perfected for the 

 organization of a local association in Los Angeles. There- 

 would be a selling agent appointed, and the honey sold by 

 samples. All members of the association would agree to 

 grade their honey and send samples, and also agree to stand 

 by the association. 



Mr. Cory said that he had put up honey in small cans, 

 labeled finely, and had obtained satisfactory prices, but after 

 getting a market established the next season resulted in a 

 total failure of the honey-yield, and not having the honey for 

 his former customers, he lost his market for succeeding sea- 

 sons. 



Prof. Cook remarked that the bee-keepers and laboring 

 men should hold together like the great corporations. Have 

 patience and agitate. The fruit-men had organized, andjwere 



