554 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



plus water which would be injurious 

 to plant growth, it pulverizes the soil 

 and renders it more porous, thus in- 

 creasing its capacity to absorb moist- 

 ure in the form of dews. Moisture is 

 drawn up from the wet soil below the 

 drain, by the same force that water is 

 drawn to wet a whole sponge when 

 only a part of it is dipped in water. 



Another reason why an under-drain- 

 ed soil can stand drouth better is the 

 fact, that the surface water being re- 

 moved, the roots run deeper into the 

 earth where more permanent moisture 

 exists. When the surface soil is sat- 

 urated with water, the roots of plants 

 creep along the surface, finding all 

 the moisture there they need. As 

 dry weather comes on, the surface 

 moisture is evaporated, the surface 

 becom es baked, and vegetation withers 

 and dies. 



We have had a practical illustration 

 of this principle in this section during 

 the last two years. We are in our 

 second season of drouth in this region. 

 When we planted our corn last year, 

 the ground was wet, and it remained 

 so for some considerable time, till it 

 had made considerable growth. As 

 the season advanced, the ground dried 

 out and the roots were left in dry 

 ground, and the crop wilted and made 

 a very feeble growth, and we did not 

 have half a crop. This season it was 

 different. The ground was dry when 

 it was planted. Many predicted that 

 if we had another dry season we 

 would not have any corn. We have 

 had our second season of drouth and 

 our corn, on an average, I believe, is 

 fifty per cent better than last year. 



As to under-drainage being the 

 cause of greater floods than formerly, 

 is a mooted question. The evidence 

 of early settlers goes to show that 

 floods were as great in early days as 

 DOW. In early days, when the river 

 bottoms were covered with timber, 

 and the streams and water-courses 

 were filled with rubbish, the effect 

 was to retard the outflow of water, 

 the streams were longer in rising, and 

 floods were of longer duration. As 

 the forests were cleared away and the 

 country was brought under cultiva- 

 tion, the rubbish in streams was 

 cleared away ; outlets for the surplus 

 water were formed by open ditches 

 by which the outflow of water was 

 hastened. The effect has been to pro- 

 duce a quicker rise in creeks and 

 rivers, and higher flood-marks. 



If all level and table lands were 

 tile-drained to the depth of three feet 

 or more, the soil to that depth, would 

 soon be rendered open and porous and 

 would require a heavy rain to saturate 

 the soil to that depth, before it would 

 begin to give off excess of water to 

 the drain ; and the water of satura- 

 tion would be given off gradually. 

 The effect of tile-draining, therefore, 

 is to hold back the water rather than 

 precipitate it at once into open chan- 

 nels. Open ditches and small streams 

 which have been cleaned of logo-brush 

 and leaves, allowing the water to run 

 off without any hindrance, increase 

 the height of floods. Not so with tile- 

 drains. 



It is an indisputable fact that 

 storms and cyclones are more numer- 



ous and more severe than formerly ; 

 but it is not so apparent that they are 

 produced by drouth, or that drouth 

 and cyclones go together. Some 

 ascribe them to one cause, and some to 

 another. Some ascribe them to elec- 

 trical disturbances, caused by railroad 

 tracks and telegraph wires ; others 

 ascribe them to planetary influences. 

 Perhaps we shall never know their 

 causes. Until it can be shown beyond 

 a reasonable doubt that tile-draining 

 is the cause of drouths and cyclones, 

 I think it would not be wise to discon- 

 tinue a work which produces such 

 bountiful returns for the money in- 

 vested. 

 Bromley ,OIowa. 



For the American Bee JournaL 



N. f . III. and S, V. lis, Convention. 



The Northwestern Illinois and 

 Southwestern Wisconsin Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Association met for their fall 

 meeting at the residence of O. J. 

 Cummings, in Guilford, 111., on Aug. 

 18, 1887 ; President Highbarger in the 

 chair, and about 20 members present. 



There was about 65 lbs. of surplus 

 honey reported, but the main question 

 was, what, how and when to feed bees 

 for winter. 



Mr. Morse said that he should feed 

 in the ratio of 10 lbs. of sugar to 3 lbs. 

 of water, and one heaping tea-spoonful 

 of tartaric acid. 



Mr. Highbarger said that his feed 

 would be 6 parts of sugar and 1 

 part of water and extracted houey ; 

 that he should use cigar boxes for 

 feeders, cutting the cover so as to be 

 yi inch small in the inside of the box, 

 and cut through it, using the cover to 

 float on the feed, so that the bees 

 could take the feed and not get into it. 

 He would place these boxes on the 

 frames at night. 



Mr. Taylor exhibited a feeder to 

 cover the whole top of an 8 frame 

 hive. 



Some of our best bee-keepers were 

 appointed to read essays at the annual 

 meeting next January, and prepara- 

 tions were made to make the annual 

 meeting the best we have ever had. 

 The Association tendered a vote of 

 thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Cummings, 

 for their kindness and hospitality. 

 D. A. Fuller. Sec. 



For tlie American Bee Joumat 



Tlie Season in Massaclinsetts, etc, 



ALLEN LATHAM. 



The season here is as everywhere 

 else, poor. I have not one decent 

 box of honey ; to be sure I have 

 several hundred partly filled, but not 

 in a salable condition. We are now 

 having heavy rains, and if we have 

 suitable weather in September, asters 

 and goldenrod, etc., will bear lots of 

 honey. 



Clover yielded honey for about two 

 weeks, and since then bees have 

 barely gotten enough honey for breed- 

 ing. But they have swarmed— 



swarmed where there was no houey to 

 be gathered. Swarms that I hived in 

 June are now swarming. I lay it to 

 hot weather, and having nothing to 

 do. Unless we do have honey later, 

 bees here will have to be fed, and all 

 bees that have gone to the woods will 

 starve. I hope for better luck next 

 season. 



EXTRACTED HONEY. 



In respect to the discussion on •ex- 

 tracted honey," I would say, why car- 

 ry it on any further i Does the 

 English language furnish a better 

 word than "extracted?' I think not. 

 That word expresses the right mean- 

 ing. What if one or two unobserving 

 people get the idea that it means 

 " extract of honey V" It is their own 

 fault, and one twenty-flve-millionth 

 part of the United States ought not to 

 be of great weight. If the word " ex- 

 tracted" does not suit, and cannot, 

 why try to find another word when 

 there is none ? Take Mr. Demaree's 

 advice and say " honey in the comb," 

 or honey " out of the comb," and the 

 stupidest person in the country, if he 

 has the least bit of reasoning, can see 

 what is meant. I have been disgusted 

 to see some of the simple, silly ideas 

 expressed by some correspondents on 

 this subject. 



Lancaster,0Mass., Aug. 22, 1887. 



Home Farm. 



Tlie Hive for Maine. 



J. E. POND. 



Some years ago I wrote an article in 

 praise of the Langstroth hive and 

 frame, which was criticised quite 

 severely, as recommending a frame 

 too shallow for down-east winters. 

 The criticisms were all theoretical, 

 and based upon the idea that deep 

 frames were needed in Maine, and 

 that a frame as shallow as the Lang- 

 stroth, would prove disastrous in cold 

 weather. 



As time passes on, I find a change 

 in the opinions of bee keepers of ex- 

 perience, and that now they are rapid- 

 ly falling into line with my own 

 views. 



Mr. J. B. Mason, one of the ablest 

 apiarists in the country, combated me 

 quite strongly for a time, but after a 

 series of experiments, came over to 

 my side of the question, and came to 

 stay, too. He has tested matters 

 thoroughly, and while he thinks the 

 point is not right in theory, he knows 

 the practice proves it to be right in 

 fact. 



Mr. Isaac Hutchins, also, has test- 

 ed the matter, and he too is now a 

 champion of the Langstroth frame. 



The fact is, and for years has been. 

 that bee-keepers have been hampered 

 with certain opinions that have been 

 handed down from generation to gen- 

 eration, and instead of breaking out a 

 new road for themselves, have stuck 

 to the old beaten track, without re- 

 gard to whether they could find an 

 easier road, or a shorter cut, or not. 



Bee-keeping is a science, and it is a 

 progressive science, too ; and he only 



