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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Maloiie, Iowa, and Mr. Wm. Kimball, of 

 DeWltt, Iowa, were the owners of nearly 

 all the honey, and Aaron Coppin was the 

 owner of every colony of bees on exhibi- 

 tion, and the bee and honey show would 

 have been a very slim affair, except for 

 the displays of the exhibitors above 

 named. Mrs. Harrison also refers to me 

 as the best grumbler at the Illinois State 

 Fair, but fails to state the cause of the 

 grumbling, and I would be very much 

 pleased if she would do so. I could state 

 the reasons, but am ashamed to publish 

 to the world the manner of doing busi- 

 ness, in connection with the bee and 

 honey show, at the Illinois State Fair. If 

 the readers of the Bee Journal, knew 

 the cause of the grumbling, I am satis- 

 fied they would say that it was time for 

 some one to do a little fault-finding. 

 Wenona, Ills. Aaeon Coppin. 



Alfalfa Honey. 



The Winter has been mild so far, with 

 very little snow ; lowest temperature 10° 

 above zero. Bees with plenty of stores 

 are wintering well on the summer stands. 

 The honey crop of 1890 was below that 

 of 1889. From 34 colonies. Fall count, 

 in 1889, I received 1,400 pounds of 

 honey ; while, from the same number of 

 colonies in 1890, only 1,200 pounds 

 was secured, all white comb-honey, being 

 gathered from alfalfa. Comb-honey 

 sells readily at 16 cents per pound, 

 wholesale. F. H. McDonald. 



Star, Idaho, Jan. 24, 1891. 



Have Done Well. 



My 39 colonies of bees gave 4,000 

 pounds of comb and extracted-honey last 

 season, and increased to 62 colonies. I 

 lost 2, and the others are in good condi- 

 tion. I attribute my success to the 

 American Bee Journal. 



Independence, Ky. M. G. Bagby. 



Bees in South Dakota. 



Bees are wintering nicely in South 

 Dakota. We had a very small surplus 

 last year, but prospects are more favor- 

 able for next season. Most bees are on 

 the summer stands, which, perhaps, is 

 the best way they can be wintered here ; 

 but it must be remembered that South 

 Dakota is much warmer than other 

 States in the same latitude. I hope the 

 Bee Journal may reach all the bee- 

 keepers in the West, as it is best adapted 

 to our wants. R. A. Morgan. 



Vermillion, S. D., Feb. 16, 1891. 



Fine Prospect for White Clover. 



On Dec. 4, I put 48 colonies into win- 

 ter quarters, in fair condition, and do 

 not think they have broken cluster since. 

 The thermometer has registered from 

 38^ to 40^ above zero during the last 4 

 Winters. I had one colony on scales 

 last season, and weighed them every 

 night, and the last 19 days of June they 

 put in 84 pounds of honey ; then the 

 honey-flow ceased for 1890, and the bees 

 did not make a living after that. Pros- 

 pects for white clover never were better. 

 I think of joining the Union, if found 

 worthy. A. S. Straw. 



Edwardsburg, Mich., Feb. 8, 1891. 



Poplar Trees. 



Of just what value is poplar to the 

 bee-keeper ? Do the bees get much 

 honey from it ? At what time (in what 

 month) does it bloom ? A. I. Root makes 

 no mention of it in Gleanings (so far as I 

 can see), and I cannot find much any- 

 where to enlighten me on the subject. 

 There are thousands of acres of poplar 

 trees a few miles from here, and if they 

 are valuable honey-producers, I want to 

 know about it. Do any of the readers 

 of the Bee Journal know anything 

 positively about the matter ? 



P. D. Ellingwood. 



Berlin Falls, N. H., Feb. 12, 1891. 



Self-Hiving Arrangement. 



I saw in the American Bee Journal 

 for 1890, page 169, an article on the 

 management of bees in swarming time, 

 by Frank Coverdale. What I wish to know 

 is, when the hive of the parent colony Is 

 put on top of the newly-hived swarm, is 

 the entrance on the old hive left open all 

 the time,- from the first, until the old hive 

 is taken off the new swarm, so that bees 

 can fly in and out of the old hive, and 

 also, at the same time run up and down 

 into the new hive by the corner of the 

 enameled cloth being turned back over 

 the section boxes on the new swarm ? If 

 so, it looks to me as if the heat would 

 leave the lower hive too much. 



Wm. M. White. 



Chestertown, N. Y. 



We sent the above to Mr. Coverdale 

 for reply, and this is what he writes : 



In answer to Mr. White, I will say 

 that while the swarm is on the wing 

 arrange everything as described on page 

 169 [1890]. The body of my hive has 

 no entrance. The entrance is on the 

 bottom-board. A ^-inch cleat is nailed 



