130 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



matured in September, and less than is 

 usual with us in October, Light stores 

 and too many old bees, will "wipe out" 

 about 50 per cent, of the colonies in 

 these parts before fruit bloom. The 

 average yield the past season was about 

 }i crop of honey with about 25 per cent, 

 increase. People are neglecting their 

 bees very much on account of several 

 poor seasons in succession. I have 113 

 colonies in fair condition in the cellar 

 and am feeding more than ever before. 



G. N. ASHBY. 



Albion, N. Y., Jan., 1891. 



Very Poor Results. 



Our bees did very poorly last season 

 both in honey and increase. Seventy-two 

 colonies, Spring count, gave us only 200 

 pounds of comb-honey, 500 pounds of 

 extracted-honey, 15 swarms, 200 un- 

 finished sections and 200 pounds in 

 frames for feeding next Spring. We put 

 the bees in the cellar on Dec. 24, when 

 they were in fair condition. They are 

 very quiet, at a temperature of 45-^. 



We like the improvement you have 

 made in the Bee Journal very much. 

 S. J. Chuech & Son. 



Cedar Rapids, Io\<^a, Jan. 6, 1891. 



Gathering- from Cat Willow. 



I expect to establish a few more out- 

 apiaries, as I now think they will pay 

 well enough in this State. There are 

 very few bee-keepers around here. Last 

 Spring I moved my bees to Wood Ridge, 

 N. J., as the country about that place 

 is partly meadow, and has plenty of cat 

 willow. The bees are gathering large 

 quantities of pollen from the willow, 

 which blooms in March. It seems that 

 in June the country about Wood Ridge 

 is not suited for bees, so I will have to 

 take them to a better place. It seems 

 odd to me that my bees in the city, at 

 my residence, have gathered more honey 

 than those in the out-apiaries. I believe 

 it is mostly white clover honey. 



John Blanken. 



Jersey City, N. J., Jan. 11, 1891. 



Bees in Good Condition. 



I have 180 colonies of bees in Winter 

 quarters. I obtained but little surplus 

 honey last year, but my bees never went 

 into Winter quarters in better condition. 

 If there is a good flow next season I shall 

 be ready for it. H. B. Visson. 



Ottumwa, Iowa, Jan. 8, 1891. 



Satisfactory Honey Crop. 



I started last Spring with 15 colonies, 

 they increased to 23, and I have ex- 

 tracted 1,200 pounds of honey. I use 

 Langstroth hives and work entirely for 

 extracted honey. Not being accustomed 

 to handle bees, at the beginning of the 

 clover bloom I moved up a frame of 

 brood to keep them from swarming. 

 If there is any other way to prevent 

 swarming without getting brood in the 

 upper story, I would like to know it. 



Benjamin Townsend. 



Lyndhurst, Ont., Jan. 12, 1891. 



Italianizing an Apiary. 



I have an apiary of 40 colonies of bees, 

 which I wish to Italianize the coming 

 season. As I have but little practical 

 knowledge in that branch of bee-keeping, 

 will friend Doolittle, Heddon, Dr. Miller, 

 Demaree, or some one else tell me 

 through the Amebic an Bee Jouenal, 

 the easiest, most simple and least 

 expensive way, and the best time in the 

 season to do this. Do not refer me to 

 books or back numbers of the Jouenal. 

 I v/ant something fresh and to the point, 

 and so plain that "though a fool I may 

 not err therein." It may also be of 

 benefit to other readers. 



A. J. Duncan. 



Hartford, Iowa, Jan. 12, 1891. 



»♦■♦■♦♦ 



Carniolan Bees are Best. 



I have not done very well for 3 years 

 past. It was too dry for the bees to do 

 well here last Summer and I had to feed 

 them until the Fall rains came. After 

 that they did pretty well until we had 

 the first fro'^t in October. What little 

 honey I did get was very nice. The 

 basswood did not keep in bloom more 

 than 5 days last year. My bees are 

 about 3 miles from it, and if I do not 

 have my colonies all strong at the time, 

 they do not get very much benefit from 

 it. I see by the Bee Jouenal that some 

 bee-keepers find fault with the Carniolan 

 Bees, I have had them for 6 years and 

 can say that I have found them just as 

 Frank Benton recommended them. I 

 have always got my queens from the 

 most responsible breeders in the United 

 States, and have always found them to 

 be far superior to any other breed I have 

 tried for this part of Nebraska. I also 

 got these queens for ten of my neighbors 

 and have not heard anything but that 

 they were all well pleased with them. 

 The reason I prefer this breed is that 

 they winter better in cellars than the 



