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Prefers Coliinilms. — Miss Dema 

 Bennett, of Bedford, O., on Feb. 21, 1888, 

 writes : 



In regard to tlie place for lioldingthe next 

 meeting of the North American Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Society I would lilte to express my pref- 

 erence for Columbus, 0. I understand that 

 the executive committee has the matter in 

 charge. 1 tliink that under ordinary circum- 

 stances Cincinnati would be the better 

 place, but this year there are quite a good 

 many advantages in favor of Columbus, and 

 I think that tlie attendance would be larger 

 at the latter place. 



Dr. Mason, the President, writes us on 

 this subject as follows : 



Auburndale, Toledo, O., Feb. 21, 1888. 

 The executive committee of the North 

 American Bee-Keepers' Society is consider- 

 ing the matter of changing the place of its 

 next meeting, but owing to Mr. Hutchin- 

 son's sickness, have not arrived at a con- 

 clusion, and will inform the bee-periodicals 

 as soon as it does. There is no special need 

 of haste, but the matter will be arranged as 

 soon as possible ; until then, it may as well, 

 perhaps, be better to not vote on the matter. 



Hints for March.— Mr. W. B. Tread- 

 well writes the following to the American 

 Agriculturist, as seasonable hints for be- 

 ginners : 



Examine every hive as far as practical, 

 and should any be found in want of stores, 

 these should be replaced at once, either by 

 laying bars of cream candy over the tops of 

 the frames, or by placing a feeder of hot 

 liquid feed over the frames under the cush- 

 ion, so that the bees can reach it without 

 leaving the cluster. Do not feed in the 

 morning, as this will be apt to induce rob- 

 bing, and when fed during the day the bees 

 become restless, are tempted to fly out, and 

 thus become chilled and die. 



Wheu feeding for stimulation, we would 

 advise the use of a good entrance feeder, 

 which, when placed at the entrance the 

 latter part of this month, should not be re- 

 moved until apple blossom time. Pour 

 about a gill of hot feed, made of two parts 

 water and one part of honey or sugar, into 

 the feeder every evening. 



We cannot too strongly insist on the im- 

 portance of regular daily feeding, when 

 once begun. Confine each colony to only as 

 many combs as the bees can conveniently 

 cover, giving more combs as required. Be 

 cautious, and not expand more rapidly than 

 the increasing bees will warrant, as they 

 may not be able to keep the brood warm. 



Ventilation from above should now be 

 stopped, by laying enameled cloth smooth 

 side down over the frames. Stimulative 

 feeding serves the same purpose, even if 

 the brood-nest is full of sealed honey. This 

 may, however, be uncapped. Guard against 

 robbing by leaving no combs or sweets ex- 

 posed, and contracting the entrances. 



Should any colony be found queenless, 

 either introduce a new queen or unite with 

 some weak colony. In the North rye meal 

 should be fed as a substitute for pollen. 



Alsike Clover.— M. M. Baldridge, of 

 St. Charles, Ills., wishes to make the fol- 

 lowing correction. The error was an over- 

 sight of the printer. He says : 



Four pounds of Alsike clover seed is 

 plenty for one acre when sowed alone. The 

 types on page 105 make me say 40 pounds, 

 which is fust 36 pounds too much. 



Statistics of tlie Honey Crop. — 



At the Chicago Convention Dr. Mason, 

 Prof. Cook, and the Editor of the American 

 Bee Journal were appointed a committee 

 to correspond with the Department of Ag- 

 riculture relative to securing reliable statis- 

 tics concerning honey and beeswax produc- 

 tion, the number of colonies of bees, etc., in 

 the United States. Dr. Mason has received 

 the following from the United States Statis- 

 tician, which will be read with interest : 



U. S. Department op Agkicuxture, 

 Washington, D. C, Feb. 21, 1888. 



Dr. A. B. Mason, President of the North 

 American Bee-Keepers' Society, Auburn- 

 dale, Toledo, Ohio. 



Sm : Tour favor of the 1.5th inst., ad- 

 dressed to the Commissioner of Agriculture, 

 and by him referred to me, is received. 



After correspondence with Mr. Eugene 

 Secor, of the Iowa Horticultural Society, 

 Mr. Geo. E. Hilton, President of the Michi- 

 gan Bee-Keepers' Association, Mr. Franklin 

 Wilcox, Secretary of the Wisconsin Bee- 

 Keepers' Society, and other prominent api- 

 culturists, I have decided to make an effort 

 to gather statistics relative to bee-keeping, 

 to be published in our regular crop report at 

 least once a year, provided those engaged 

 in the industry take sufficient interest in the 

 matter to furnish us with the necessary 

 data. In the first place it will be necessary 

 to have a special corps of correspondents 

 made up entirely from those actually en- 

 gaged in bee-keeping. To secure such a list 

 of reliable men, we should have to depend 

 upon the officers of various Bee-Keepers' 

 Associations. Our regular correspondents 

 who funiish us with monthly crop reports 

 are made up in the main of ordinary farmers, 

 and but few would be able to give reliable 

 information relative to the present condition 

 of apiculture ; therefore, what we desire, 

 and must have if a reliable report is to be 

 made, is a list of intelligent bee-keepers 

 one in every county where the industry is 

 of any comparative importance. So far we 

 have been able to secure such a list from 

 the State of Iowa only, with the promise of 

 a list from Wisconsin. Can you, from 

 among the members of your society, furnish 

 me such a corps, or give me the names of 

 prominent men in each State who could 

 do so ? 



I would also be under obligations if you 

 and the fellow members of your committee 

 would kindly give me the points, which, in 

 your opinion, such an investigation should 

 cover, and the queries which you would 

 consider it advisaole to put. 



Trusting that you will give me all the 

 assistance in your power in order that a full 

 and correct report on the progress of this 

 glowing industry nwiy be made, I am, 

 Very respectfully, 



J. R. Dodge, Statistician. 



This commmittee, as representatives of 

 the "North American Bee-Keepers' So- 

 ciety," are now corresponding with one 

 another for the purpose of formulating a 

 plan to be followed by the different societies, 

 in order to comply with the above request 

 of the United States Statistician. TThey 

 will endeavor to give him " the points," the 

 " queries," etc., but many difficulties pre- 

 sent themselves. 



Now, we request any one who may have 

 suggestions to offer, to send such to Dr. A. B. 

 Mason, Auburndale, Toledo, O., at once, to 

 aid the committee to finish the work in the 

 most complete and perfect manner. Give 

 the committee your best thoughts and 

 most mature plan of operation— and do it 

 NOW. 



California Honey Crop in 1887. 

 —Messrs. Schacht & Lemcke, of San Fran- 

 ciso, in their third annual market review of 

 the honey and beeswax business of Califor- 

 nia, remark as follows : 



San Diego county, which in former sea- 

 sons has been the most productive county 

 for honey, yielded very little, and only sev- 

 eral carloads of the crop of 1887 have been 

 shipped from the northern part of that 

 county ; the honey shipped from the city of 

 San Diego having been kept for better 

 prices. 



In some parts of Los Angeles county, 

 which formerly produced several hundred 

 tons of honey, apiarists did not extract at 

 all last year ; while in others, not fifty miles 

 distant, they extracted 400 cases of honey 

 from 400 colonies of bees. 



San Bernardino county had probably the 

 best honey crop last season, for nearly 

 every apiarist had some honey to sell. In 

 the counties north of Los Angeles, comb 

 honey has been produced. Part of it was 

 very nice, in one-pound sections, and was 

 sold at from 13 to 16 cents, according to 

 quality ; the rest of it was very poor, and 

 should have been extracted. 



It is very difficult to estimate the amount 

 of honey produced in California, but we 

 may say that during 1887 not over 500 tons 

 of extracted honey and 100 tons of comb 

 honey was produced, against 2,500 "tons of 

 both extracted and comb honey in 1886, 700 

 tons in 1885, and 4,500 tons in 1884. 



ITears may Come and Years 



May Go, but it will take a thousand of 

 them to bring us to another year having as 

 many S's as we use to indic-8 the present 

 time. Full many a lesson does this year 

 inculc-8. 



We may cogit-8 about our bees— dial-8 

 concerning their winter repose — and spec- 

 ul-8 with " Old Probs " on the unseasonable 

 weather, which tends to invalid-8 what we 

 calcul-8 to do. 



We must not, however, hesit-8 to extric-8 

 them from untimely f-8, so that they may 

 gradu-8 among " the flowers that bloom in 

 the spring." To emancip-Sthem from cruel 

 f-8, will allow them to reciproc-8 with 

 honied treasures in wondrous store, and let 

 us anticip-8 our pleasures. 



If we particip-8 in their labors we should 

 never forget to supply their wants— else 

 they may capitul-8, leaving us no bees to 

 manipul-8, because we left thorn to f-8 until 

 too 1-8. That we deprec-8, at any r-8 ! 



Nevr Catalognes for 1888 are on our 

 desk, from the following persons: 



Thos. Jackson, Portland, Maine— 10 pages 

 —Forest City Nurseries. 



F. N. Lang, St. Paul, Minn.— 28 pages- 

 Field, Flower and Vegetable Seeds. 



F. E. Fassett & Bro., Ashtabula, O.— 8 

 pages— Flower Plants. 



D. C. Buck, Dundee, Mich. — 4 pages — 

 Queens and Bees. 



A. I. Root, Medina, O.— 40 pages— Bee- 

 Keepers' Supplies. 



A. Wortman, Seafield, Ind.— 18 pages— 

 Bee-Supplies and Poultry. 



Jos. E. Shaver, Friedens, Va.— 24 pages- 

 Apiarian Supplies. 



E. S. Armstrong, Jerseyville, Ills.— 38 

 pages— Hives and Supplies. 



