92 



THB MMBMICMff MMM JOU'Mffiat. 



they were not wired. Mr. Percival 

 uses full sheets in the middle of the 

 brood-nest with starters on the frames 

 at the sides. 



In reply to this question, Mr Manum 

 said if old combs and starters are 

 placed alternately in the brood-box the 

 combs will be bulged. He discouraged 

 the general use of foundation, but 

 thought that the specialist could not 

 afford to do witliout it. 



Mr. Davis, on account of expense, 

 last j'ear tested the use of starters, and 

 being satisfied with the results, tried it 

 again. 



As to the width of tlie starters, some 

 thought an inch better than three or 

 four, while others preferred the latter 

 width. 



Tlie Question Drawer. 



1. What shall we do with unfinished 

 sections at the close of the honey sea- 

 son ? Mr. Manum advised to extx-act 

 them or feed to the bees between fruit 

 bloom and honey-fiow. If candied, 

 uncap and place them over the brood- 

 nest, to be cleaned by the bees. 



2. Is it advisable for bee-keepers to 

 join the Bee-Keepers' Union ? Mr. 

 Manum said, yes, by all means. It is 

 on the same principle as insurance on 

 buildings. 



3. Is it profitable to use a bee-tent 

 to place over the hive during manipu- 

 lation to prevent robbing ? Mr.Leonard 

 said yes. 



4. Is comb honey injured by freez- 

 ing ; if so, in what respects ? Mr. 

 Manum said that the flavor is un- 

 changed, but the caj5s are sometimes 

 injured, and the combs cracked. 



5. Are bees ever smothered from 

 having the hives covered with snow ? 

 Mr. Manum answered no ; the more 

 snow the better. When a thaw comes 

 clear the entrance. Dead bees should 

 be removed, as sometimes they clog 

 the entrances, thereby smothering the 

 bees. 



The discussion of "Marketing 

 Hone}-" was participated in enthusi- 

 asticallj'. Most of the reports were 

 laughable as well as lamentable. Tlie 

 convention adjourned to meet at the 

 time and place designated by the ex- 

 •ecutive committee. 



Marcia a. Douglas, -Sec. 



CONVENTION NOTICES. 



S^W~ The DeB Moines County Bee-Keepers' Associ- 

 ation will hold its next meeting on April 24. 1888, at 

 Burlington, Iowa. JOHN NAn, Sec. 



tW The Hardin County Bee-Keepers' Associa' 

 tion will meet at the Court House in Eldora, lowa, 

 on the second Saturday in each month, at noon 

 (12 o'clock), until further notice. 



J. w. Buchanan, Sec. 



iS~ The next regular meeting of the Sus- 

 quehanna County Bee-Keepers' Association 

 will be held at New Milford, Pa., on Saturday, 

 May 5, 1888. H. M. Seeley, Sec. 



CONVENTION DIRECTORV. 



1888. Time and Place of Meeting. 



Apr. 24.— Des Moinee County, at Burlington, Iowa. 

 John Nau, Sec, Middletown, Iowa. 



May 5.— Susquehanna County, at New Milford, Pa. 

 n. M. Seeley, Sec, Harford, Pa. 



S^~ In order to have this table complete, Secre- 

 taries are requested to forward full particulars of 

 time and place of future meetings.— Ed. 



Bees are Quiet, etc. — Geo. G. 

 Scott, Wadena, 6 Iowa, on Jan. 18, 

 1888, wi-ites : 



Mj' 34 colonies of bees are wintering 

 well in the cellar. Thus far they have 

 been as quiet as I ever knew tliem to 

 be. The temperature is from 38° to 

 48"^. My surplus honey last season 

 was about one-third of a crop, and I 

 was pleased to get that much. Last 

 Sunday the mercury was 44° below 

 zero at sunrise, and again at midnight. 



Sections and Separator!!; Chas. 



W. Bradish, Glendale, N. Y., on Jan. 

 23, 1888, asks the following questions : 



As I intend to change my surplus 

 arrangement from two-pound to one- 

 pound sections, and as I have never 

 used any of the latter, I would like to 

 ask : 1. What kind of one-pound sec- 

 tions is the best, all things considered? 



2. What advantage are 4 bee-spaces ? 



3. If separators are used, what width 

 is the best ? My bees are now all in 

 good condition. All are alive, and 

 the temperature is from 35° to 40° in 

 the cellar. 



[1. The one-piece sections have en- 

 tirely run all others out. 



2. The general opinion expressed by 

 the largest honey-producers at conven- 

 tions and elsewhere, is that they are of 

 but little if any advantage. 



3. Two inches. — Ed.] 



Extracts from a Diary James 



F.Johnson. Salem, ? Mo., on Jan 28, 

 1888, writes : 



The New Year came in warm and 

 cloudy. January 4 was warm and 

 pleasant. The bees had a jubilee, the 

 thermometer being 64° in the shade. 

 The bees carried in water. On Jan. 

 12 the weather turned cold and 

 stormy. On Jan. 14 we had a blizzard, 

 which left several inches of .sleet on 

 the ground. On Jan. 25 the bees had 

 a chance to fly ; the sleet and ice melt- 

 ing fast, and the bees looked clean and 



bright. On Jan. 28 the weather was 

 still warm and pleasant, and the bees 

 are beginning to prepare for spring. 



In reply to L. G. Reed, on page 11, 

 I extract the following from my notes 

 on " Plants for Honey :" "As a sub- 

 stitute for white clover and bssswood, 

 — mustard and sunflower. The black 

 walnut tree is also valuable." 



Quite Warm S. J. Miller, To- 



peka,oKans.. on Jan. 28, 1888, writes: 



My bees had a fine flight to-day, it 

 being 70° above zero, and it was un- 

 comfortable in the house unless the 

 windows were raised. I think our 

 winter is broken. 



More than Pleased. — F. M. Tain- 

 tor, Coleraine,K3 Mass., on Jan. 30, 

 1888, has this to say about the Bee 

 Journal : 



I am more than pleased with the 

 new appearance of the Bee Journal. 

 I thought it was perfection before, but 

 now it comes in even a newer and 

 neater appearance, and is a great 

 honor to its publishers. I feel proud 

 in showing it to friends, and at one 

 dollar a year I do not see whj' eveiy 

 person, keeping even one colony, can 

 aflbrd not to have it. 



Good Results F. H. Benton, 



Renovo, 5 Pa., on Jan. 28, 1888, says : 



I commenced the season with 10 col- 

 onies of bees ; increased them to 13, 

 and I got 500 pounds of comb honey, 

 and 100 unfinished one-pound sections. 

 I ^\^nter my bees on the summer 

 stands ; they each had from 40 to 60 

 pounds of stores to winter on. 



Bees Uneasy in the Cellar. — 



Robert Cissnan, Hageman,v3 Ind., on 

 Jan. 31, 1888, writes : 



I have kept bees in this locality for 

 ten years. The season of 1887 was 

 the poorest that I have experienced. 

 From 115 colonies in fair condition in 

 the spring, I have taken about 100 

 pounds of comb honey, and increased 

 them to 140 colonies. I had to feed 

 them 300 pounds of sugar for wnter 

 stores. They went into winter quar- 

 ters in light condition. I will have to 

 feed them in the spring. I have win- 

 tered my bees in the cellar for the last 

 three seasons, with success. They are 

 not wintering very well now ; they are 

 uneasy and crawl out of the hive in 

 great numbers ; bloating up as large as 

 their skins will hold. I do not know 

 the cause ; it m.ay be that I put too 

 much tartaric acid in the sugar sjTup. 

 One-half of the bees in this localitj-, 



