AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL,. 



327 



the bees are uneasy, there is something 

 wrong — as a general thing they are too 

 warm. I think the belief is general 

 among bee-keepers, that when the bees 

 are snugly stowed away in the cellar, 

 that it is not best to disturb them, as a 

 great many think they eat more if you 

 disturb them. This may be so, but there 

 are thousands of colonies of bees that 

 suffocate and die in the cellar, and out- 

 of-doors, during the Winter, that would 

 be all right if properly attended to. 

 Bees require care and attention, as well 

 as cattle and horses. 



Mark D. Judkixs. 

 Osakis, Minn.. Feb. 16, 1891. 



Trade-Mark Injurious. 



I think the trade-mark would be very 

 injurious to all the bee-keepers in the 

 United States. A label with the name 

 and address of the bee-keeper on, is the 

 best trade-mark vou can find. 



B. E. Brown. 



Prairie duChien, Wis., Feb. 22, 1891. 



[You are right about the trade-mark. 

 It would be the most disastrous thing to 

 the Union that could occur. The pro- 

 jectors of that idea did not think enough 

 about it before suggesting the matter to 

 the Convention. It would, in our opin- 

 ion, be not only death to the Union, but 

 it would serve a "death blow" to the 

 pursuit as well. The unscrupulous, the 

 dishonest, the adulterators, and the 

 abominable nuisances who sophisticate 

 in every community, would buy or steal 

 it, and use it to the detriment of the 

 pursuit. — Ed.] 



Hopes for a Big- Honey Crop. 



In the Spring of 1890, I had 40 strong 

 colonies of hybrid ])ees, but like many of 

 my fellow bee-keepers, I ran a non- 

 swarming, and as the sequel shows, a 

 no-honey apiary, as my surplus only 

 amounted to 250 pounds. My bees 

 went into winter quarters in splendid 

 shape, all in chaff hives, of my own con- 

 trivance. I always winter my bees on 

 the summer stands, and have not suf- 

 fered any loss for two years. Bees were 

 flying nicely on Feb. 14 and 1 5. I am 

 making arrangements for a good season, 

 and hope for a big lioney crop in 1891. 



F. N. JOHNSOX. 



Knoxville. Ills., Feb. 16, 1891. 



Bee-Keeping- Under Difaculities. 



Not long since a gentleman living in 

 Coryell county, this State, suffered the 

 loss of his house by fire, which was 

 supposed to have been caused by an 

 incendiary. A few days later, several 

 colonies of bees were stolen from him, 

 and excitement ran high in the neigh- 

 borhood. Search was immediately in- 

 stituted, and the hives were located near 

 the dwelling of a man named Franklin. 

 A number of the hives had been given a 

 coat of paint, which had not yet dried 

 when they were discovered. On search- 

 ing Franklin's house, honey was found. 

 Warrants being sworn out, Franklin and 

 his son were arraigned before a Justice 

 of the Peace, when they waived exami- 

 nation, and were placed under bonds of 

 $500 each, to await the action of the 

 Grand Jury. The accused bear a good 

 reputation, but the evidence against 

 them is very strong. 



R. Houston Henderson. 



Killeen, Texas. 



Hope for a Better Season. 



Bees have wintered well so far; and 

 although the weather has been cold 

 enough to confine them to the hives 

 most of the time, it has not been cold 

 enough to injure bees any, the mercury 

 not having reached zero, at any time. 

 We hope the coming season may prove a 

 better one for honey than the season of 

 1890. Joseph E. Shaver. 



Friedens, Va.. Feb. 23, 1891. 



Bees, Not Honey. 



The Bee Journal comes all right, and 

 I like to read it so well that I can 

 scarcely wait for its arrival. I have 

 never kept bees on a large scale, but 

 have handled a few colonies each year, 

 for several years. At present I have 11 

 colonies. At the close of last season I 

 had 12, but one weak colony died. The 

 rest are doing well, with plenty of honey 

 in each hive. My queens have been 

 laying for more than four weeks, and 

 my colonies are largely increased by 

 young bees. I keep them in the Sim- 

 plicity hive, and wish to increase to 100 

 colonies this season, if possible. I know 

 that if I make the increase, I will not 

 get any surplus honey, but my object is 

 bees, and not honey this season. My bees 

 are hybrids, and are good ones, and I 

 wish to keep them such. I wish, how- 

 ever, to use one tested Italian queen 

 from which to furnish queens for all of 

 my new colonies. Will some experienced 



