538 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



whether they are the flrst or last on 

 the ground. 



The flrst three clauses would be 

 restrictions upon specialists, and 

 would naturally incline the majority 

 of any legislature to favor such en- 

 actment. The last would gravitate 

 toward doing away with the one- 

 horse, puttering bee-owner, as well as 

 to discourage others from going in. 



Now let us hear from others, and 

 improve upon this, or bring forward 

 something more practicable. 



New Richmond, ? Mich. 



Nebraska Farmer. 



Bee-KeeniDg in Mraska. 



G. E. T. 



The past three years, during which 

 time I have kept bees, have been 

 considered poor seasons for honey ; 

 judging by what mine have done, I 

 conclude that Nebraska must be one 

 of the best places in the world for 

 bees. One reason is,perhaps, because 

 of our early spring flowers, with a 

 succession of bloom of various kinds, 

 sufficient at all times for them to live 

 upon and rear their brood, until the 

 honey harvest, which comes from 

 what is commonly called heart 's-ease. 

 They also work upon Spanish-needles, 

 sunflowers, etc. If we had clover, it 

 would enable them to do still better. 

 Another is, that our dry atmosphere 

 is favorable for wintering ; it has 

 been said that more bees die from 

 dampness than from cold. 



Beekeeping is very interesting and 

 particularly desirable for those who 

 wish to be out-of-doors for the benefit 

 of their health. There is much to 

 learn, but half an hour's instruction 

 will enable any one to proceed with 

 the business by reading bee- books for 

 help, as it is needed. As one can 

 work much more at ease, if there is 

 no fear that the bees will sting, I 

 think it better to wear a bee-hat and 

 gloves. Prepared in this way, there 

 is no need to feel nervous. 



To increase colonies by division is 

 simply to take a part of the frames 

 covered with bees from one hive, and 

 place in another a little distance 

 away. Cyprians and Italians will re- 

 main quietly upon the comb, when 

 taken from the hive, and it is easy to 

 find the queen, which, in dividing, I 

 think it better to do. Take her to the 

 new hive with the 'frames of brood 

 that are nearly ready to hatch, leav- 

 ing the larvse and eggs for the old 

 colony, as they will do better in rear- 

 ing a queen. This can be done in 10 

 or 15 minutes usually, and is less 

 trouble than to hive a swarm from the 

 limb of a tree. 



I have been told that black bees 

 gave but little profit last season. It 

 is therefore a matter of interest, 

 which can be expressed in dollars and 

 cents, to know what the yellow bees 

 did, but as I. know of no Italians or 

 Cyprians except my own, in this 

 country, I can only tell you of them. 



Last May I found that the last 

 remnant of my bees had dwindled 

 away. As they had got safely through 

 the previous winter without protec- 



tion, I supposed they would again, 

 and, like many others, did not expect 

 such a winter. It was a loss of their 

 full value, notwithstanding the fact 

 they had paid for themselves several 

 times, as I had sold bees enough to 

 pay the first cost, and then increased 

 from 18 to 60 colonies, besides taking 

 1,500 pounds of honey. 



To begin with again, I sent South 

 for bees, 20 pounds, enough for three 

 pretty good colonies. I bought three 

 queens at that time, and three later. 

 I increased them to 39 colonies, and 

 extracted 300 pounds of honey. They 

 are now put up for winter with from 

 25 to 50 pounds of honey per colony. 

 Having the combs already, enabled 

 them to do more than they otherwise 

 could, though the use of comb foun- 

 dation would have been nearly as 

 good. 



A swarm of black bees flying over 

 in June, I brought down by ringing a 

 bell— hived them, and gave them 

 combs. They filled up their hive- 

 nothing more, except, that in Septem- 

 ber I took one frame of brood and 15 

 pounds of honey ; I did not Italianize 

 them, for I wanted to contrast them 

 with yellow bees which were divided 

 five or six times, and then some of 

 those divided again. 



For tbe American Bee Journat 



For tbe AmericaQ Bee Joum&t 



ProBOseil Laliels for Honey, 



HENRT A. COOK. 



I have noted the muddle over names 

 of honey. How are the following for 

 one man's solution of the difficulty ? 



'^> 



; ,,-,v^$-^^-^-sg$*|5*;^igi». 



PME GOHB HONEY, 



:-i;> [WARRANTED.] 



I Just a; Gathered by the Honey-Bees. 



•^'! FROM THE APIAKY OF 



I M. C. GODFREY, Chicago, Ills. 



PURE HONEY, 



Tlie Honey Crop of Vermont 



S. B. RYDER. 



I hear it reported that there will 

 not be a large crop of honey in Ver- 

 mont this year. 1 send some individ- 

 ual reports which have reached me. 

 They are as follows : 



V. V. Blackmer, of Orwell, says 

 that he will not get as much honey as 

 last year. He has over 100 colonies, 

 but a number are weak. 



S. L. Peck, of Ira, expects -500 

 pounds of comb honey ; he has 23 col- 

 onies, but only a part of them are in 

 condition to yield a surplus. His bees 

 are doing fairly well. 



Alexander Eraser, of Hinesburgh, 

 has 103 colonies, and about 3,000 

 pounds of surplus honey. 



I. N. Howard, of Low Hampton, 

 N. Y., recently took 2,400 pounds of 

 comb honey, and 500 pounds of ex- 

 tracted, from 50 colonies. 



E. L. Westcott. of Fair Haven, was 

 recently oflered 14 cents a pound for 

 his honey, which consists of 3,000 

 pounds of comb and several hundred 

 weight of extracted. 



It is reported that G. G. Taylor, of 

 Fairfield, commenced a few years ago 

 with 2 colonies of bees, now has 123 

 colonies, and makes more money 

 from his bees than any owner of a 

 dairy in town. 



In regard to plants for honey : I 

 have seen more domestic bees on bur- 

 dock blossoms than on any other 

 plant I have observed. Still, I would 

 not recommend the growing of bur- 

 docks, as they are well-rooted, noisome 

 pests, unless one can make a contract 

 with a certain medicine company for 

 the material from which to manufac- 

 ture " burdock blood bitters." 



I wish that "bee-keepers would put 

 their observation and experience to- 

 gether, and in the course of time com- 

 pile a table giving the relative value 

 of plants for honey, as accurately as 

 can be ascertained. I have never 

 heard of such a table, and the various 

 scattering reports seem to differ 

 widely on this point. 

 Brandon,-*© Vt. 



[WARRANTED.] 



I Taken from the Comb by Machinery. | 



t|!> FROM THE APIARY OF ,;ii.' 



t| M. C. GODFREY, Chicago, Ills. >' 



i'^SifsM^feMv* . • ^•^:^.f .-'-'. '-•-*.--•-■ ■ 



I know it is simple, but it " tells the 

 truth," and avoids ambiguous terms. 

 "Pure honev" is all honey; "pure 

 comb honey '" is both honey and comb. 



Eureka Springs, 'o Ark. 



[For a name we prefer " honey," or 

 " honey in the comb," without using 

 the word " pure "—because that im- 

 plies that there is an impure or made 

 article, which, so far as the latter is 

 concerned, is erroneous. — Ed.] 



Convention Notices. 



1^" The Iowa Bee-Keepers' Association will 

 meet in the bee-lieepers' tent on the State Fair 

 Grounds at DesMoines, Iowa, on Sept. 7, 1887. at 

 10 a.m., and continue as long as may seem protl ta- 

 ble. All are invited. A. J. NOBRIS, Sec. 



|»" TheredarVallej- Bee-Keepers' Association 

 will be held at Waterloo, Iowa, on Sept. fi and 7, 

 1887. The CedarVallev Bee-Keepers' Produce and 

 Supply Union will meet with the above Associa- 

 tion. This meeting will be made both pleasant 

 and profitable to bee-keepers. All interested in 

 apiculture are cordially invited to attend. Do not 

 be discouraged with this year's crop, but come and 

 have a good time. H. K. Hubbard, Sm- 



Union Convention at Clileago,— 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 16, 17 and 18, 1887. This date will 

 occur during the second week of the Fat 

 Stock Show, when excursion rates will be 

 very low. 



