I'HE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



645 



In the fall it is difficult to tell with- 

 out seeing the queen. Give them a 

 frame of worker-brood, and if they 

 start queen-cells, it is pretty certain 

 they are queenless. — C. C. Millee. 



If they carry in plenty of full loads 

 of pollen, I think they have a queen, 

 drones or no drones. Why, open the 

 hive and look in. With my new hive, 

 I can tell in 10 seconds, without re- 

 moving a frame.— James Heddon. 



The presence of drones does not 

 argue surely that there is no queen. 

 The carrying in rapidly of pollen 

 makes it quite probable that there is 

 a queen. Why not look for eggs and 

 brood y They will make all sure. — 

 A. J. Cook. 



A queenless colony is usually with- 

 out many drones, often none. If it 

 has very" many, they are generally un- 

 dersized. The colony is first noticed 

 not to be working much, and the bees 

 carry in little pollen. If I want to be 

 sure that there is a laying queen, I 

 take out acenter brood-comb and look 

 for eggs and small larvse. — G. L. 



TlNKEE. 



When the hive of a queenless colony 

 is opened, the bees show signs of dis- 

 tress. They collect in many small 

 clusters. There is neither eggs nor 

 brood (unless they have a laying 

 worker). The absence of brood when 

 your other colonies have it, and are 

 carrying pollen, is a pretty certain 

 sign of queenlessness. Give a frame 

 of brood; if they start queen-cells, 

 you may know they have no queen. — 

 J. P. H. Brown. 



The only sure way to know whether 

 a colony is queenless or not, is to 

 make an examination ; if neither 

 queen nor eggs are found, you may be 

 certain she is not present, although 

 the presence of eggs is not always 

 sure proof. If any doubts remain, 

 put in a frame of comb containing 

 eggs, and see whether queen-cells are 

 built or not. If you find eggs but no 

 queen, it may be owing to laying 

 workers ; in such a case no queen- 

 cells will be built, but the irregularity 

 of the depositing of the eggs is a sure 

 test of their presence or not.— J. E. 

 Pond. 



Your colony may have a queen. 

 Drones are often tolerated when 

 stores are abundant. If, upon ex- 

 amination, you can find no queen, give 

 the bees a frame of worker brood ; 

 and if they start queen-cells, you may 

 safely conclude that they have no 

 queen.— The Editor. 



Convention Notices. 



tsr" The Pari' Handle Bee-Keepers' Association 

 will bold its next meeting in the K. of P. Hall, No. 

 1138 Main St.. Wheeling. W. Va., on Oct. ^6 and 27, 

 1887. All bee-keepera are cordially invited. 



W. 1j. Kinset, Sec. 



^F" The Kentucky State Bee-Keepers' Society 

 meets in Falmouth. Pendleton Co., Ky.. on Oct. 18, 

 1887. ThlB is expected to be u very interesting 

 meeting, and a large attendance is expected. 



J. T. CONNLKY, Sec. 



1^" The Wabash County Bee-Keepers" Associa- 

 tion will meet in the Court House at Wabash, Ind.. 

 on Oct. 26, 1H87. A large and interesting program 

 has been arrani:e;l. and all bee-beepers are cordi- 

 ally invited. K. S. CoMSTocK, Sec. 



^oxvtspoudtncz. 



This mark © indicates that the apiarist is 

 located near the center of the State named; 

 5 north of the center; 9 south; O* east; 

 K) west; and this(< northeast: ^ northwest: 

 o» southeast; and P southwest of the center 

 of the State mentioned. 



Fessler's Bees— A PoeE 



JAMES -WUITCOMB RILEy. 



"Talkinfi 'bout yer bees," says Ike. 

 Speakin' slow ami Berioue-like, 



"D' ever tell you 'l)out old ' Bee '— 

 Old ' Bee ' Kessler V" Ike, says lie :— 



" Minht call him ii bee-expert. 

 When it come to handlin' beee— 

 Roll the sleeves up of his shirt 

 And wade in amonKSt the trees 

 Where a swurm ud settle, and — 

 Blamedest man on top o' dirt !— 

 Rake 'em with his naked hand 

 Right back in tlic hive agin— 

 Jes' as easy as yuu please ! 

 Nary bee at split the breeze 

 Ever jabbed a stinger in 

 Old ' Bee' Fessler— jes' In fun, 

 Er in airnest— nary one !— 

 Couldn't agg one on to nuther, 

 Ary one way er the other ! 



"Old * Bee' Fes9ler,"lke, says he, 



"Made a speshyality 

 Jes' o' bees, and built a shed ; 

 Lenth about a half a mild '. 

 Had about n thousan' head 

 O' hives, I reckon— tame and wild ! 

 Durni!e?it buzziir ever wuz !— 

 Wuesn teleeriiph poles does 

 When thev're suckin' home the news 

 Tight as they kin let 'er loose !— 

 Visitors ran out. and come 

 Clean from town to hear 'em hum. 

 And stoii at the kivered bridge ; 

 But wuz some 'ud cross the ridge 

 Alius, and uo olus'ter- so's 

 They could see em hum, 1 s'pose ! 

 'Peared like strangers down tnat track 

 Alius met folks comin' back 

 Lookin' extra fat and he9.rty 

 Fer a city pu-nic party ! 



" 'Fore he went to Floridy, 



Old ' Bee ' Fesfiler," Ike, saye he,— 

 " Old ' Bee ' Fessler couldn't 'bide 



Children on bis place," says Ike. 

 " Yit for all thev'd climb inside 



And tromp ruimd there, keerleas like, 



In their bure leet. * Bee' could tell 



Ev'ry town hov by his yell— 



So's 'at when tliey bounced the fence 



Didn't make no difference !~ 



He'd jes' git down on one knee 



In the grass anfl pat the bee ; 



And, ef 't adn't staid stuck in, 



Fess 'ud set the sting agin— 

 'N potter off, and wait around 



Fer the old familiar sound. 



Alius boys there, more or less, 



Skootin' round the premises ! 



When the buckwheat was in bloi'm, 



Lawzy ! hi)w them bees 'ud boom 



Round the boys 'at crossed that way 



Fer the crick on Saturday ! 



Never seemed to me su'prisin' 

 'At the ating ot bees 'us pizin'. 



'* 'Fore he went to Floridy." 

 Ike says, " nothin' 'bout a bee 



"At old Fessler didn't know,— 

 W'y, it jes' 'peared like 'at he 

 Kuowed their language, high and low ! 

 Claimed he told jes' by their buzz 

 What their wants and wishes wuz ! 

 Peek in them-air little holes 

 Round the porrhes of the hive— 

 Drat their pesky little souls !— 

 Could a skinned the man alive ! 

 Bore riglit in there with his thumb. 

 And squat down and scrape the gum 

 Outen ev'ry hole, and blow 



*N bresh the crinnbs off, don't you know ? 

 Take the rnof uir, and slide back 

 Them-air glass concerns they pack 

 Full 0' honey, and pes' lean 



'N grabble 'mongst em tor the queen ! 

 Fetch her out and show you to her— 

 Jes', you might say, interview her ! 



" Year er two." says Ike, says he, 



""Fore he went to Floridy, 

 Fessler struck the theory 

 Honey was the same as love.— 

 You could make it day and night.— 

 Said them bees o' his could be 

 Got jes' twic't the work out of 

 Kf a feller luunuKed riuht. 

 Heeontendpil i-lhees tound 

 Blossoni> all the year around. 

 He tTould s-'it em down at onoe 

 To work all the winter months 

 Same as summer. So one fall 



When their summer's work wjis done. 

 ■ Bee ' turns in and robs 'em all - 

 Loads the hives then, one by one. 

 On the cyars, and 'lowed he'd suf 

 Ef bees loafed in Floridy ! 

 Said lie bet he'd know the reason 

 Kf his didn't work that season ! 



" And," says Ike, "it's jes," says he. 



'■ Like old Fessler says to me,— 

 'Any man kin fool a bee, 

 (Jit him down in Floridv !' 

 Peiired at fust, as old ' Bee ' said, 

 Fer to kind n' turn their head 

 For a spell -hut bless you ! they 

 Didn't lose a half a ilay 

 Altogether !— .les' lit in 

 Tliem-air tropics, and them-air 

 ("acktusses a-ri pen-ni n. 

 'X inngnoliers, and sweet peas, 

 "N 'Simmon and pineapple trees, 

 'N ripe bananners. here and there, 

 'N dates a-danglin' in tlie breeze, 

 N llgs and reezins ov'rywhere— 

 All waitin' jes" Cor Fessler's bees ! 

 'N Fessler's bees, with gaumy wings. 

 A-«ittin' down and whoopin' things! 

 Fessler kind o' overseein' 

 'Km, and sort o' "hee-o-heein' !" 



" Fess of course, he took his ease. 

 But 'twuz bilious on the bees !— 

 Sweat, you know, 'ud just stand out 

 On their forreds— pant and groan 

 And grunt round and limp about ! — 

 And idd ' Bee," o" course, a-kuowln', 

 'Twuzn't no fair shak to play 

 On them pore dumb insecks, ner 

 To abuse 'em that-away. - 

 Bees has rights. I'm here to say. 

 And that's all they ast him fer ! 

 Cleared big money ! Well. I guess 

 ' Bee ■ shipped honey, more or less. 

 Into ev'ry State, perhaps, 

 Ever put down on the maps ! 



" But by the time he fetched 'em back 

 In the spring agin," says Ike, 

 They was actiu' s'picious like. 

 Though they 'peared to 'lost the track 

 ■ ' every thing they saw or heard. 

 They'd lay round the porch and gap, 

 At their shaddere in the sun. 

 Do-less like untellsorae bird 

 Suddently "ud may be drap 

 In a blooinin' ehurry-tree, 

 Twitterin" a tune "at run 

 In their minds faniiliously : 

 They'd revive up, kind o", then. 

 Like they argieo--' Well, it's ben 

 The most loneest summer we 

 Ever saw or want tu see ! — 

 Must be right, though, er old ' Bee ' 

 'tJd notify us !' they-says-ee. 

 And thev'd sort o' square their chin 

 And git down to work agin— 

 Moanin' round their honey makin' 

 Kind o' like their head was achin'. 

 letchin' fer to see how they 

 Trusted Fessler that away— 

 Him a-lazin' round, and smerkin' 

 To hisself to see 'em workin' ! 



*' But old ' Bee,' " says Ike. says he,— 

 " Now where is he ? Where's he gone 7— 

 Where's the head he helt so free !— 

 Where's his pride and vanity !— 

 What's his hopes a restin' on ?— Selected. 



For tne American Bee JonrnaL 



ABicultiiral Expressions— Darl^ Honey. 



D. MILLARD. 



'' Be careful " is an injunction often 

 imposed upon bee-keepers, but gen- 

 erally intended to apply to the prac- 

 tical part of the profession. But I 

 caunot help thinking that we as 

 honey-producers should be more cau- 

 tious as to how we express ourselves 

 when in the presence of the unin- 

 formed, who would be our patrons ; 

 and if this be true, still greater care 

 should be exercised in speaking 

 through the press. 



It is a mistake to suppose that all 

 who read are well versed in apicul- 

 tural terms, therefore,a word wrongly 

 used often causes a wrong impression. 

 Even when we use the best known 

 terms, we are often misunderstood, as 

 for instance, as has been stated, the 

 words " extract of," for extracted. 

 But the word extracted is now so well 

 understood when connected vi'ith the 

 word honey, that I doubt if any 

 change could be made for the better. 



