THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



387 



THOMAS a. NEWMAN, Editor. 



MJIIIL Jnne 22, 188]. No. 25. 



Beantiriil Flotrersare now everywhere 

 to be seen. The bees are attracted by their 

 hues and sweetness, sip the honey from 

 their tiny wells, and with a liappy buzz fly 

 to their homes with their rich treasures. 



Bee-kissed flowers blooming: in every place, 

 Through this beautiful world of ours. 



And, dear as a smile on an old friend's face. 

 Is the smile of the bright, bright flowers I 



Please NoUce that the date of holding 

 the Convention at Chicago next November 

 occurs during- the second week of the Fat 

 Stock Show, when excursion rates will be 

 very low. 



Where to Keep Honey is the title of 

 Leaflet No. 3. For prices see the second 

 page of this paper. If you wish to see a 

 sample of it before purchasing, send for it. 



"Das Bienen^racbs und seine Ver- 



wertnng" is the title of a new pamphlet 

 by Mons. J. Dennler, editor of the Alsatian 

 bee-paper. Its subject is the making of 

 comb foundation by the plate and book 

 systems. We acknowledge the receipt of a 

 copy of it " with the author's compliments." 



Laying Workers.— In an exchange we 

 notice the following item concerning some 

 microscopic invosligations made by Mr. 

 Frank Cheshire of laying workers. His ex- 

 periments are always thorough, and the 

 reports concerning them are read with 

 much interest by his apiarian friends 

 throughout the world. Here is the item : 



At a recent meeting of the Royal Micro- 

 scopical Society, Mr. F. E. Cheshire called 

 attention to some specimens of bees, known 

 as " fertile workers." It was generally well 

 known that in the bee-hive all the eggs were 

 usually laid by the queen, and in her ab- 

 sence no ovipositino- occurs until they have 

 taken some of the eggs remaining in the 

 hive, and by a special feeding of the iarvie, 

 have been able to produce fresh queens. If, 

 however, it should happen that in a hive, 

 which has lost its queen, there are eggs 

 available for this purpose, it was found that 

 some of the workers under some special 

 circumstances, which could not be very 

 clearly explained, became capable of laying 

 eggs, but that such eggs produced drones 

 only. These bees were known as fertile 

 workers, and though there could be no 

 doubt as to their frequent existence, they 

 were very dillicult to catch, owing to their 

 being the same in appearance as the ordi- 

 nary workers. Tie now exhibited two of 

 these fertile workers having the ovaries 

 drawn out of the bodies, and attached to the 

 stings and abdominal plates, so as to' show 

 that they really were workers. There was a 

 remarkable peculiarity to be observed in 

 connection with the ovarian tubes of these 

 insects— every ordinary worker possessed 

 an undeveloped ovary which it was verv 

 difficult both to detect and dissect; but 

 when under the influence of some stimulus 

 the worker became fertile, a number of 

 points began to appear in the tubes which 

 afterward became developed, and It would 

 seem that the eggs were developed in alter- 

 nation, an examination of the tubes showing 

 them to contain developed eggs alternating 

 with others in an undeveloped condition, 

 and of which some very curious instances 

 were seen In the specimens before the 

 meeting. 



Paste for labels on tin pails may be made 

 thus : 



Make a thin solution of white glue, then 

 thicken it with wheat flour until it is about 

 the consistency of paste. This is to be made 

 the same as any other paste. Cover one side 

 of the label with the paste, then put on the 

 honey can or pail, and I think you will not 

 have any trouble about labels coming otf. 



Paste made in this way will hold the labels 

 to the tin so well that they will not come off. 

 Just try it, if you want to make your honey 

 to be attractive, and to sell readily. A nice 

 label on a can of honey helps wonderfully. 



Home markets for honey should be 

 created In every village and city In the 

 United States. The price of honey can be 

 largely increased it beekeepers will but 

 market their honey at home Instead of 

 shipping it to " the great marts of trade "— 

 there to be sacriflced by those who have no 

 Interest in it except to get their "commis- 

 sions" from its sale, and accept the ttrst 

 offer that may be made tor It, no matter 

 how low the price named may be. 



Some time since Mr. Pond made these 

 remarks concerning the habit of bee-keepers 

 of shipping their honey to a large city 

 instead of developing their home markets. 

 He said : 



Many producers of honey are not sales- 

 men, and consequently have no real knowl- 

 edge of the best ways and means of dispos- 

 ing of their goods. Instead of making a 

 market for their surplus honey, and dispos- 

 ing of it in that market, they all rush it into 

 some large city, and, of course, overstock 

 (hat market at once. Compare for a 

 moment the crop of honey of the last ten 

 years with the number of people in this 

 great country, and how much per capita will 

 it show up 'i There are thousands and thou- 

 sands of people who would gladly buy 

 honey, if they could do so near their homes, 

 who never see an ounce from one year's 

 end to another. 



Ten thousand home markets, each con- 

 suming a ton, are far better for the regular 

 sale of the honey which Is produced than to 

 depend upon one market taking the whole 

 of the ten thousand tons. What injures the 

 pursuit most is an uneven distribution of 

 the product. Let us see if this cannot be 

 remedied this season, at least in part. 



In Canada the bees " are in clover," and 

 the honey crop promises well. The Cana- 

 dian Bee Journal says : 



This bids fair to be the bee-keepers' jubi- 

 lee year ; as thus far we have had a continu- 

 ous flow of honey. 



Mr. R. F. Holtermann, editor of the Cana- 

 dian Hrmey-Prnduccr, writes as follows, 

 dated at Brantford, Ont., June 16, 1887 : 



On Monday morning, June 1.3. I had ."iO 

 pounds of mostly clover honey from one 

 upper story, and put another' full upper 

 story on, to give the bees room. The same 

 room I gave to a number of others, and 

 took from ■'^0 to -40 pounds of honey. Itees 

 have been " booming " ever since. Reports 

 generally through Ontario are good. Swarm- 

 ing has been very early, but we are giving 

 bees ventilation, shade and room, and keep- 

 ing down increase. 



Union ConTention at Cliicago.— The 



North American Bee-Keepers' Society and 

 the Northwestern Bee-Keepers' Society will 

 meet in joint convention In Chicago, Ills., on 

 Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, Novem- 

 ber 10, 17 and 18, 1887. The Secretary's no- 

 tice will be issued soon. 



Diseased Bees.— There Is a bee-disease 

 in Germany called " Maikrankheit," because 

 it Is usually seen in May. The bees have 

 distended abdomens, because they have not 

 been able to void their feces, after partak- 

 ing of pollen collected in the early spring 

 after it had been touched by frost. A good 

 remedy is to put a little salicylic acid in 

 syrup and feed it to them— keeping the hive 

 dry, and preventing the accumulation of 

 moisture inside. 



Well! How Funny !— Here is an Item 

 from one of the mammoth metropolitan 

 weeklies, which may at least produce a smile 

 at the reporter's ingenious way of " dressing 

 up " a " fancy " to be presented to the 

 credulous reader : 



That bees are remarkable architects for 

 Insects is conceded, but Father Poupain 

 Bridoui, S.J. (Lille, 16712), tells of a hive in 

 which the bees built of wax a cliapel, with 

 doors and windows, bells and vestry. In 

 this chapel the bees collected and made 

 music. The reason was at last discovered. 

 A sacrilegious thief who had stolen a pyx 

 from an altar, threw it into the hive while 

 under fear of being caught, and the good 

 bees at once took care of it in this artistic 

 fashion. 



We never before heard that bees were 

 accused of being over religious I The only 

 way they have been said to "sing" in 

 church Is when they have found a home 

 under the roof or in the walls of the build- 

 ing, when their gladness shows Itself in a 

 merry and satisfied " hum." 



Bring on your next "funny story," and 

 get a laugh in return therefor. 



Our Neiv Book List on the second page 

 Is the place from which to select the book 

 you want. We have a large stock of every 

 book there named, and can HII all orders on 

 the day they are received. 



Frank Leslie's Sunday Itlagazine for 



July contains two important historical arti- 

 cles, which are especially timely in view of 

 the possible European complications. These 

 are, " Francis Joseph I. and the Austria 

 Hungary Empire," by George Makepeace 

 Towle, and "When Greek meets Turk," by 

 Oscanyan. Read together they afford a 

 clear view of Central and Southeastern 

 European politics. Several lighter articles, 

 beautiful poems, and many fine illustrations 

 add to the interest and charm of the mid- 

 summer number of the favorite Sunday 

 magazine. 



