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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



that developed in sugar cane. Besides 

 tlie saccharine matter in nectar, there is 

 mucilage and acid, etc., which, as yet, 

 chemistry has not separated — there 

 being no occasion for it, as with cane 

 juice. On page 578 appears one of my 

 unguarded expressions, which is con- 

 strued into a very different meaning 

 from that which I intended to convey. 

 I stated that, "Prof. Cook has not 

 broached the subject of the origin of 

 foul-brood." I was well aware that the 

 Professor has held that foul-brood is a 

 germ disorder. In this we have agreed. 

 The points I wrote about were concern- 

 ing the origin proper — where, when, and 

 how do the germs originate ? I hold 

 that the germs — the microbes — originate 

 incidentally by means of fermentation — 

 fermenting of dead brood. The originat- 

 ing of the micro-organisms has been the 

 issue in which Prof. Cook has not joined 

 so far as I know. C. J. Kobinsox. 



Richford, N. Y. 



Bees Storing Honey Very Fast. 



Bee-keepers here are greatly discour- 

 aged on account of the poor market for 

 their product. Sales are slow, for nice 

 comb-honey in sections, at 10 cents per 

 pound. Our bees did well last year, but 

 the drouth began just as the bees had 

 filled their hives, and only about one- 

 fourth of a crop was secured on account 

 of the bees robbing as soon as their 

 honey was broken. A num.ber of colo- 

 nies died from neglect, and .the moths 

 destroyed many more early in the Spring. 

 Swarming is about over, and harvest has 

 just- begun, and unless it rains soon, we 

 shall not be able to take any surplus 

 honey this year, but bees are storing 

 honey very fast, and we are hoping for 

 rain. Should our hopes be realized, there 

 will be more honey produced here this 

 year than ever before. 



A. W. Lamkin. 



Cotulla, Tex., May 4, 1891. 



Beats all Previous Records. 



Bees are booming, and the weather is 

 all that one could wish for queen-rear- 

 ing. The usual time for starting cell 

 building is May 8, but there are now no 

 less than 100 capped queen-cells in ray 

 apiary. Will commence to mail queens 

 by May 20. The season beats all pre- 

 vious records, the colonies being strong 

 enough to swarm, and gathering honey 

 each pleasant day. ' Henry Alley. 



Wenham, Mass., Mav 2, 1891. 



Wind-Flower. 



I send you some specimens of a flower 

 that grows in great profusion on the 

 prairies here. It is an excellent honey 

 plant. Will you kindly name it for me 

 through the columns of the Bee Jour- 

 nal, giving the common, as well as the 

 Latin name. It is known here as the 

 crocus flower. Mrs. M. N. Stanley. 



Adrian, Minn. 



[I am very glad to send the name of 

 the flower which interests Mrs.'M. N. 

 Stanley, of Adrian, Minn. It is the 

 prairie wind-flower, or anemone. Ane- 

 mone patens var. nuttalliana, of Gray. 

 It is a handsome purple flower, and more 

 showy, though no prettier, than our 

 eastern anemone, A. Nemorosa. Mrs. 

 Stanley says it is known in Minnesota 

 as the crocus. This is not strange, as 

 the name would be suggested by the 

 form of the flower. It is interesting to 

 know that we may add this to the rich 

 array of honey plants in our American 

 flora. This flower belongs to the crofoot 

 family, and so is related to U\e peony, 

 larkspur, columbine (so rich in nectar), 

 buttercup, cowslip, meadow rue, liver- 

 leaf or hepatica, and Virgin's bower 

 or clematis. Few of these, however, 

 are remarkable as honey plants. — A. J. 

 Cook.] 



Hives for Wintering. 



On Nov. 4 a good colony was prepared 

 for the cellar, its weight being 423^ 

 pounds; on April 17 it weighed 33 

 pounds. I shall weigh it again, or ex- 

 amine it with a view to taking away 

 some of the old honey. To prepare the 

 hive, make holes at right angles with 

 the entrance, if the bottom-board is fast, 

 and raise up the frames by placing strips 

 on the rabbets. If the bottom-board is 

 detachable, make the holes in a rim, on 

 which the hive is to stand ; the object 

 being to secure more ventilation at the 

 bottom — none is necessary at the top in 

 cellar wintering. To-day I found a col- 

 ony queenless, with not a sign of any 

 brood having been in the hive. The 

 colony is extra strong, with plenty of 

 honey. John A. King. 



Mankato, Minn., April 28, 1891. 



Supply Dealers should write to us 

 for wholesale terms and cut for Hastings' 

 Perfection Feeders. 



