330 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



no more. Sometimes the royal grant 

 is revoked, and tlien all the royal 

 issue are slain. 



As every general rule has an excep- 

 tion, I must tell my reader that on 

 June 2, 1716, after a swarm came out, 

 that very evening and the two follow- 

 ing, they gave notice for a second 

 swarm, which rose the fifth day, when 

 I joined them to the first. That night 

 and the next, they called as before, 

 and rose twice ; I returned them both 

 times, at each taking a queen from 

 them. A few days after, they rose a 

 third time, settled, yet went home 

 again. Finally, they rose a fourth 

 time, when I took two queens from 

 them, putting them back to the old 

 colony, after which they came fourth 

 no more. I mention this as being 

 very singular, and what I never ob- 

 served before nor since. 



I perfectly remember, though many 

 years ago, I heard these previous 

 notices given for a first swarm, which 

 are exceedingly rare (that being the 

 only time I ever took knowledge of 

 them), and in a colony too ; where 

 placing my ear close to the top of the 

 uppermost box, I could very easily 

 and distinctly hear the least noise, 

 and what was acting about the 

 throne. And just as the swarm be- 

 gan to rise, there seemed to be the 

 greatest lamentation among the 

 branches of the royal family. Notes 

 of woe expressive of the deepest sor- 

 row, as though they were taking an 

 eternal farewell of one another. It 

 was really in some measure moving 

 and affecting. 



I could resemble it to nothing bet- 

 ter, than to the dearest relations, and 

 most loving faithful friends taking a 

 final leave of each other, with the 

 tenderest, most affectionate embraces, 

 and with floods of tears. But to re- 

 turn. 



With the second swarm, two of the 

 royal princesses go forth very often, 

 and sometimes three, in'hopes to gain 

 a kingdom. That princess, who is so 

 happy as to get the throne first, is 

 proclaimed queen, and crowned ; the 

 rest are all slain, as I have found 

 them the next morning. 



England, A. D. 1740. 



For tne American Bee Joumai 



Tlie Uses of Beeswax. 



HORACE BANKS. 



Dear Editor :— A few weeks since 

 I found the following article on the 

 above subject, taken from an old copy 

 of the New York Grocer, where it was 

 headed, " A chapter on wax ; its uses 

 for manufacturing and artistic pur- 

 poses—extent of its production, etc." 

 I think it will be interesting to many 

 of your readers, and hope to see it in 

 the American Bee Journal. Here 

 is that portion of the article relative 

 to the uses for beeswax : 



" The uses for wax are numerous 

 and important. Its property of pre- 

 serving tissues and preventing mold 

 or mildew was well known to the an- 

 cients, who used cere-cloth for em- 

 balming, and wax for encaustic paint- 



ing, as in the wall pictures of Pom- 

 peii. Wax candles and tapers play 

 an important part in the processions 

 and ceremonies of the Roman Catho- 

 lic church. Wax is used by the man- 

 ufacturers of glazed, ornamental and 

 wall papers, and on paper collars and 

 cuffs for polishing the surfaces. It 

 is used in varnishes and paints, and 

 for the " stuffing " of wood which is 

 to be polished, as for pianos, coach 

 workj fine furniture, and parquet 

 floors. 



" Electrotypers and plasterers use 

 wax in forming their molds. Wax is 

 an important ingredient in prepara- 

 tions for covering surfaces of polish- 

 ed iron and steel to prevent rust. 

 Combined with tallow, it forms the 

 coating for canvas and cordage to 

 prevent mildew, as in sails, awnings, 

 etc. Artificial flowers consume much 

 wax, and, despite the introduction of 

 paraffine, ceresin and mineral wax, 

 its use appears to be extending. One 

 of the oldest of its applications is in 

 the laundry, and in polishing wood- 

 work. The wax-product in the United 

 States is stated to be 30,000,000 pounds 

 annually, and increasing— worth in 

 money at least $6,000,000. Of this 

 about $700,000 worth are exported,and 

 about $1 ,200,000 worth of honey also 

 goes abroad. The total product of 

 honey and wax is worth at present in 

 the United States nearly $15,000,000." 



These figures on the honey crop are 

 now very much enhanced, and I leave 

 it for you, Mr. Editor, to give us the 

 latest statistics. 



Baltimore, 5 Md. 



[The annual honey crop is about 

 one hundred millions of pounds, and 

 its value is probably about ten mill- 

 ions of dollars. This would give for 

 the annual value of the production of 

 honey and beeswax, about sixteen 

 millions of dollars.— Ed.] 



Bead at the Vermont Convention. 



How anil f liy Plants Proice Honey. 



PROF. W. W. COOKE. 



Self-fertilization takes place where 

 the seed-vessel and pollen are together 

 on the same flower, and come in con- 

 tact, and cross-fertilization occurs 

 when pollen from one flower is car- 

 ried to the seed-vessel of another 

 flower. The reasons why nature de- 

 sires to cross plants is to secure 

 greater height, weight and vigor, and 

 more seeds. Most plants are spoiled 

 by self-fertilization, the same as close 

 breeding in animals ; some plants 

 usually self-fertilize, as the pea, let- 

 tuce, onion and ground-nut ; but 

 large, new varieties of peas are ob- 

 tained by cross-fertilization. The 

 means whereby nature obtains cross- 

 fertilization are three, wind fertiliza- 

 tion as in grasses ; insect fertilization 

 as in most flowers ; as in honey-suck- 

 les. The prepotency of the pollen 

 from another plant over that from the 

 plant itself, is among the curious 

 features of plant life. Plants also 

 obtain cross-fertilization by having 



the pollen and seed-vessels on sep- 

 arate plants, as in the case of willows. 

 On separate parts of the same plant, 

 as in corn when in the same flower it 

 is attained by having pollen ripen be- 

 fore the seed vessel, or vice versa, as in 

 the plantain, fire-weed, gentian and 

 verbena. There must be some great 

 benefit in cross-fertilization to offset 

 the great waste of valuable pollen in 

 some flowers, and small, closed flowers 

 of violet have 100 grains, while the 

 peony has three and one-half million 

 grains. 



In relation to the means taken by 

 nature to entice insects to plants, it is 

 to be noticed that wind-fertilized 

 plants are dull in color, destitute Df 

 odor, and contain no honey, as in the 

 case of pines and all conifers, hemp, 

 hop, and grasses. Large conspicuous 

 flowers are visited much more fre- 

 quently, and by a greater variety of 

 insects than small inconspicuous ones. 

 Bees probably distinguish flowers by 

 bright-colored leaves. When bright 

 blue flowers were cut off in an experi- 

 ment, bees crawled over to get other 

 flowers. When the small upper leaves, 

 which bees do not use to stand on, 

 were cut off, the bees visited the 

 flowers as usual. Odors attract in- 

 sects, as shown by flowers covered 

 with a muslin net. When possessed 

 of odor they do not so much need 

 color. Pourteen per cent, of white 

 flowers have a sweet odor, while only 

 8 per cent, of red ones have it. Honey 

 was certainly put in flowers to entice 

 insects. When the honey-sac was 

 cut off a large number of flowers, 

 more than half of them were not 

 visited by insects, and produced no 

 seed. Even dark colored streaks on 

 colored leaves of flowers are believed 

 to be for guiding the insect to the 

 honey-sac, so that it can suck a 

 greater number of flowers in a given 

 time, and hence produce more perfect 

 cross fertilization. As honey is of 

 uscto plants only as it helps to cross- 

 fertilize them, it is always placed 

 where it will aid in this. 



When mature, the pollen-vessels 

 and the seed-vessels always stand in 

 the pathway leading to the honey-sac. 

 A certain amount of heat is necessary 

 for the formation of honey. With 

 some flowers, if the sun ceases to 

 shine for half an hour, bees will cease 

 to work on them for lack of honey. 

 In most plants, the construction and 

 position of the pollen-glands and the 

 seed-vessels are evidently arranged 

 with the evident intention of making 

 the bees rub against them when it 

 seeks the flower for honey. In such 

 cases the pollen is moist or glutinous. 

 In wind-fertilized plants the pollen 

 is dry and powdery, and the seed-ves- 

 sel is usually sticking out and hairy ] 

 to catch the pollen. 



Many flowers are irregular, one or i 

 more leaves flattened to serve as a ', 

 landing place for the bee, and their 

 honey-sac is on that side of the flower. ^ 

 Violets have large conspicuous flowers \ 

 adapted to cross-fertilization, and ] 

 these flowers are very fragrant, and 

 have much honey. In the harebell^ 

 the honey-sac is at the bottom of the , 

 bell. The pollen-vessels open first i 

 and shed pollen into the bottom of the ' 



