AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



197 



Winter, and discarded as soon as I had 

 a fair chance to test it, by actual use, in 

 warm weather. I liave investigated 

 several cases of alleged failure with my 

 escape, and have invariabfe^ found it was 

 the old style, and not my new 4>^x6K 

 inch,between sheets of tin, that was con- 

 demned. So far I have not heard one 

 word of complaint, but many compli- 

 ments from those having tried the new 

 pattern. It has worked perfectly with 

 me and my neighbors, and I do not see 

 how it could be improved. 

 Milan, Ills. C. H. Dibbern. 



Good Results. 



In 1889, I had 4 colonies, Spring 

 count, which increased to 20 by natural 

 swarming. From these I took 600 

 pounds of surplus honey in one-poond 

 sections. In 1890 I had 10 colonies. 

 Spring count, which increased to 30, and 

 from which I took 1,200 pounds of 

 comb-honey in one-pound sections. 



Rush City, Minn. J. R. Robie. 



Spraying- Frmt-Trees with Poison. 



My bees are very quiet in the cellar, 

 with the temperature at about 50°. 

 Everything has gone well with them so 

 far, but there may be trouble ahead 

 from spraying fruit-trees with poison 

 when in bloom. This may become a 

 craze that will bring death to our bees. 

 I apprehend nothing from malice or 

 envy, but ignorance sometimes causes a 

 great wrong. We must do all we can to 

 protect our pets — although 82 years of 

 age, they are my pets still. I like to be 

 with them now as well as 50 years ago. 

 We have had bad seasons of late, but my 

 colonies have kept themselves and given 

 me a fair return. I am still hopeful. 



Waterville, O. L. Eastwood. 



Honey Report for 1890. 



I commenced the season with 110 col- 

 onies, removing them from winter quar- 

 ters on April 17, having sustained a loss 

 of 6 colonies in wintering. A part of 

 the season seemed to be quite favorable 

 for honey, but there seemed to be no 

 nectar in the flowers, or very little. I 

 sold 1,042 pounds of extracted-honey, 

 besides keeping some for our own use, 

 and I got about 20 pounds of comb- 

 honey. I sold the extracted-honey in 26 

 pound lots at 123^ cents per pound, and 

 in 13 pound buckets at 13 cents per 

 pound. I put 97 colonies into winter 

 quarters. I fed in the Spring about 500 



pounds of honey in extracting combs, 

 saved over for the purpose. Counting 

 the diminution in bees, and the 500 

 pounds of honey fed, I might say the 

 season of 1890 was a total failure with 

 me. I put the bees in the cellar from 

 Nov. 11-13, which is a little early, I 

 believe, for this year. I bought 49 col- 

 onies, which were put into the cellar in 

 December. All seem to be doing very 

 nicely at present, but I think those put 

 in last, are the most quiet. It was warm 

 and dry in November and December, but 

 we had about an inch of rainfall, and 8 

 inches of snow on New Year's, which I 

 think excellent for the white clover crop. 

 I think that the prospects are quite en- 

 couraging for bee-keepers in this part 

 of the country. I like the new form and 

 make-up of the Bee Journal very much, 

 and look forward to the visits of both it 

 and the Home JourIstal, just like those of 

 old friends, for I prize them both very 

 much. I would say to those wishing to 

 write to me, that we have a new post- 

 oflfice, so that they can write me at the 

 new address. W. C. Nutt. 



Murphy, Iowa, Jan. 20, 1891. 



Gathering Honey Now. 



I started in the bee-business a year 

 ago last May, by capturing a runaway 

 swarm that had settled on a grapevine 

 on my place. During the Summer and 

 Fall they cast 3 swarms, making me 4 

 colonies, which supplied the family with 

 honey that season. Last Spring, each 

 of the 4 colonies cast one swarm, now 

 making me 8 colonies. The 8 colonies 

 gathered 624 pounds of comb, and 150 

 pounds of extracted-honey. After the 

 honey-flow was over, I divided the 8 

 colonies into 20, which I now have in 

 good condition, and gathering honey at 

 the present time. I owe much of my 

 success to the American Bee Journal, 

 and to a neighbor who is an old-time 

 bee-keeper. California is the bee-keep- 

 ers' paradise. The bees gather honey 

 almost every day in the year, but the 

 heavy flow begins in March, when the 

 orange trees are in blossom, and a little 

 later the white sage comes in. 



Thos. S. Dowse. 



Ontario, Calif., Jan. 19, 4891. 



Gathering Honey from. Pine Trees. 



I had a very poor honey crop last sea- 

 son. My bees worked among the pines, 

 during what some of my neighbors 

 called a flow of honey-dew. The pine 

 trees were covered with little green in- 



