390 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



whole number of colonies, 400 pounds 

 of comb-honey In one-pound sections, 

 and 400 pounds of extracted-honey, of 

 fine quality, all of which has been sold 

 in the home market at from 15 to 20 

 cents per pound. The Fall flow of honey 

 gave the bees plenty to do. Bees are 

 wintering in good condition on the sum- 

 mer stands, with the exception of some 

 late swarms, which are in the cellar. 

 John W. Beatty. 

 Excelsior Springs, Mo., Mar. 19,1891. 



Very Little Surplus. 



I am a " tenderfoot " in the bee busi- 

 ness, but I have learned that bees will 

 not live long without something to eat. 

 I have learned, also, that every man who 

 has queen-bees for sale has the best 

 workers, and the gentlest bees in exis- 

 tence ; but mine are not that kind. Most 

 bee-keepers in this vicinity winter their 

 bees on the summer stands. We had 

 very little surplus honey last year, and I 

 think some of the bee-keepers will not 

 have a very large surplus of bees next 

 Spring, for we have had very severe 

 weather since ground-hog day. My bees 

 are in the cellar, and are wintering first 

 rate. O. H. Stevens. 



Elk Point, S. D., March 10, 1891. 



Trade-Mark Fallacy. 



The question of a trade-mark for bee- 

 keepers' use, as a means of protection, 

 seems to me as bearing a long way in the 

 wrong direction, because in bee-keeping, 

 like all other occupations, frauds will be 

 found who want to use the good name of 

 some one, to cover up their own evil 

 deeds. It is an utter impossibility for 

 any one association of persons, as widely 

 scattered as the bee-keepers of this 

 country are, to have any mark or guar- 

 antee of purity, which can be used pro- 

 miscuously by its members, without the 

 employment of a competent and thor- 

 oughly honest inspector of the product, 

 before this mark or guarantee can be 

 placed upon the article for sale. Should 

 such a mark be found upon an impure or 

 inferior article, it would, of course, 

 stamp any article bearing the same mark 

 as of the same class, and I am not pre- 

 pared yet to brand the whole bee-keep- 

 ing fraternity as frauds. I have no 

 doubt of the good intentions of the ad- 

 vocates of a trade-mark, and think that 

 upon further consideration, they will be 

 convinced it is a scheme which cannot be 

 a success. A. H. Wadhams. 



Torrington, Conn. 



No Use for the Trade-Mark. 



In regard to the trade-mark, the less 

 said about that the better. I have a 

 trade-mark which has served me well, 

 and it grows more valuable each year. 

 I put it on every section. It is as fol- 

 lows : "L.Eastwood, Waterville, O." 

 I have a way of preparing sections for 

 bending, that I like better than any 

 other. Spread a paper on the cellar 

 floor, place the sections on the paper, 

 and in the morning they bend easily, and 

 without breaking. I put them together 

 as fast as I can handle them, using a 

 toy mallet. I require no device for 

 squaring them, as I can do that with my 

 eye. After the grooves have been wet 

 with hot water, they do not bend in 

 proper shape so easily. My bees are 

 very quiet in the cellar, with the tem- 

 perature at 50^ to 55^. I do not think 

 there is any danger of keeping them too 

 warm. Last Winter the mercury often 

 went down to 50^, and they never win- 

 tered belter. L. Eastwood. 



Waterville, O. 



Home Market — No Trade-Mark. 



I think Query 755, on page 313, is a 

 very foolish one. What is the difference 

 whether the queen stands on her feet, 

 head or tail when you clip her wings, so 

 you clip them ? Since I have kept bees, 

 I have never sold a pound of comb-honey 

 for less than 15 cents, nor extracted for 

 less than 12>:2 cents. I generally sell 

 in the home market, and would not give 

 a snap of my fingers for a trade-mark. 

 Sell nothing but good honey, and then 

 people will buy again. I have 18 colo- 

 nies of bees. The prospect for white 

 clover is good. 



Matthew Rebholz. 



Kane, Ky., March 6, 1891. 



Apiarist's Paradise. 



This country, along the coast for a 

 distance of 60 or 70 miles, and also up 

 the Coquille River for about the same 

 distance, is a paradise for the apiarist, 

 and for those who wish to engage in the 

 cultivation of fruits of almost all varie- 

 ties. Flowers are in bloom every month 

 in the year, and the foot-hills are teem- 

 ing with berries. This is truly the home 

 of the busy bee, as " the woods are full 

 of them," and it is not an uncommon 

 thing to find cedar trees with from 100 

 to 200 pounds of honey in them. There 

 are thousands of acres of Government 

 land here, still open to entry. 



Bandon, Greg. E. G. Geovee. 



