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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



May 23. 



considerably inoro moist than the higher land ; and it, too, is 

 covered with white clover, but I failed to find any bees work- 

 ing on it, while the clover in the exposed position was covered 

 with bees. 



Now, if you are going to sow any of these seeds, pick your 

 time for it. As soon as the frost is all out of the ground, and 

 we get a storm of rain, lose no time in sowing, as the seed will 

 then get a chance to be covered with soil. But remember, 

 chickens are fond of clover seed. 



If you are going to plant any basswood trees, be careful 

 not to get them sun-scaled on their trunks, for if they are, the 

 borers will find them and frustrate your attempts to get fine 

 trees. To keep them from sun-scalding, wrap them with old 

 gunny-sacks cut in strips four or six inches wide, or shade the 

 trunks anyway you can for the first few months after plant- 

 ing. I am alluding to the Western States where the sun 

 gets such force previous to the trees getting a healthy start. 

 Above all, don't bo too kind to your trees. If the soil is poor, 

 don't mix any better soil with it and expect the trees to do 

 well by it, as it is positively injurious to them. Dig and plant 

 in the same soil that you threw out, treading in firmly, and 

 leave the surface concave around the trees to give them more 

 chance to catch the rains. 



Now I want to tell you not to be discouraged with these 

 things. I have practiced horticulture for 21 years — all its 

 branches — and during that time I have planted thousands of 

 trees in England, and in this great and glorious State of 

 Nebraska I have spent nine years, and still planting. Say, 

 (Zou.'t believe we are all dying for want here. Last year was 

 the first year that I have seen a failure, and last year the 

 farmers got half a crop ; but as to the sandhills part of the 

 State, I have nothing to say, only that I don't want any of that 

 part of the State. But in the fertile part trees do well after 

 they get established, and make a rapid growth. We are 

 classed as a treeless State, so if any of you fear to plant trees, 

 I say take courage and try. Don't believe you cannot profit- 

 ably improve your bee-pasture, but study how, and I am con- 

 vinced success will attend your efforts. 



But let me give a word of caution. If you buy trees or 

 seeds, buy them direct from the firms that have a reputation 

 to keep up. Of course, around our homes we can plant fruit- 

 trees and get the double benefit, and if you care to have a few 

 shrubs to beautify home grounds, use " barberry vulgaris," and 

 give it plenty of water ; and if you have a sunny corner where 

 everything will dry out and die, plant " lycium," and let it have 

 its own way. I know of no shrub or plant that can come any- 

 where near this for flowering. I have some plants of it, and 

 my bees put in from May 18 until the end of August working 

 on it. But there is no end of material to plant, and if we 

 plant trees and permanent plants we are conferring a benefit 

 on mankind as well as ourselves. I?'lorence, Nebr. 



Rapid Increase and Early Honey in California. 



BY DR. E. GALLUP. 



Now if any of you Eastern people are congratulating your- 

 selves that California is going to produce but very little sur- 

 plus honey this season on account of the loss of bees, etc., 

 don't flatter yourselves on that head. You may be mistaken. 



I was talking with Mr. Oderlin, who resides here in Santa 

 Ana, and runs a bee-ranch up in the foothills. He says his 

 bees commenced swarming March 20, and have kept it right 

 up to date (April 27). He commenced extracting April 2, 

 has taken out one ton, and the hives are full again for the 

 third extracting. If nothing prevents, he will have a ton of 

 honey in Milwaukee, Wis., by May 12. How many are going 

 to beat that, either North or South ? 



California vegetation and flora are immense. The foot- 

 hills and mountains are covered with a vast variety of wild or 

 natural flowers, which would astonish any person not ac- 

 quainted with this climate and its capabilities. It must be 

 seen to be appreciated, or even comprehended. Bees were 

 never in better condition so early in the season than they are 

 now. This is the universal conclusion so far as heard from. 

 One bee-keeper tells me that he cot only has his original num- 

 ber of colonies, but is away ahead, and all are in the very best 

 possible condition ; and that, too, after a loss of about one- 

 half the past year. 



If you will read Mr. Doolittle's article, on page 246, you 

 will see that it is Just fun, as I said in a previous article, to 

 build up and make increase when one has the ready-made 

 combs, in this climate. 



Mr. Oderlin's increase, this year, was all from natural 

 swarming, and he has put the greater proportion of the 

 swarms back, as he did not want so much increase. Recollect 



that the season is earlier in the foothills, or low down, than it 

 is higher up in the mountains. But the season lasts, or con- 

 tinues, later in the higher altitudes. Now recollect another 

 phase of California bee-keeping, that is, that the plow or stock 

 can never interfere with the mountain apiary, as many of the 

 ranges are inaccessible to both. 



AVhen one can select a location with foothills on one side 

 and high mountains on the other, the bees take advantage of 

 both the early and late pasturage or honey-flow. 



There, I believe that I have answered inquiries by differ- 

 ent ones, in the above article. 



Santa Ana, Orange Co., Calif. 



The Length of Life of the Bees. 



BY H. P. WILLSON. 



Mr. Thomas G. Newman says, in his book entitled " Bees 

 and Honey," that "the natural life of the worker honey-bee 

 does not exceed six months." This seems to be the opinion of 

 many bee-men — in fact, of all, so far as I can read, but it 

 seems to me to be contrary to facts. Take our own bees, for 

 instance. On Sept. 16, 1S94, there was a frost that killed 

 all the bee-forage in this part of the country. The bees gath- 

 ered no more honey, and of course the queen would soon stop 

 laying eggs. There were certainly no eggs laid after the first 

 of October. If so, then the last young bees of the season 

 would be out about Oct. 21; but we will suppose the last 

 hatching would become full-grown bees by the first day of 

 November. (I am confident from examining the hives that no 

 brood was hatched later than the first of October, if so late.) 



The bees were put into the cellar Nov. 19, 1894, after a 

 good deal of cold weather, and were taken out of the cellar 

 April 6 and 7, 1895. At that time, and for several days 

 after, there was no brood in the combs, that I could find on 

 examination. The cellar was cold, and of course the queen 

 would not lay while the bees were huddled together to keep 

 warm. Suppose the queen commenced laying as soon as the 

 hives were taken out of the cellar, give her three days to lay 

 the first lot, and it would then be April 10: and 21 days 

 would extend to May 1 ; but these bees would not go out to 

 work for 16 days later. 



If the life of bees does not exceed six months, the old bees 

 would all be dead by the first of May, and not a bee left to 

 work outside the hive. Such will not be the case, however. 

 There will be plenty of bees at work, and bees, too, that were 

 out last fall. I have no doubt that many of the bees now in the 

 hives were matured last August. 



Bathgate, N. Dak., April 24. 



CONDUCTED BY 



Vm. C. C. MII^KBR, iU-lKEA'CO, ir.j.. 



[Questions may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct.! 



Using Hives Wherein Bees Have Died. 



Yes, Doctor, I ought to have been scolded a little bit for 

 my neeligence, but you answered in the right paper. (See 

 page 282.) Your answers are satisfactory, but I want a little 

 more information : 



1. Will swarms accept the hives where bees have died in 

 in them "? 



2. If not, what can I do to make the bees accept them ? 

 I also want to utilize my hives. C. L. C. 



Glen Rock, Nebr. 



Answers. — 1. Yes, I think you will find no difficulty. 



2. If there is any trouble at all, it will be because the old 

 hives are dirty, particularly where colonies have died in them 

 which were badly affected with diarrhea. The remedy is 

 obvious. Clean them. Scrape off the dirt, or wash and scald 

 off. 



Was It the Best Under the Circumstances ? 



I got up early this morning and went out to look at the 

 bees. It was just as I expected with these little 8-frame 

 hives. The bees in some hives had become so numerous that 

 some of them had to sleep out-doors. I found many bees 

 clustered on the alighting-place. I went to work and re- 



