Tmm JiMUKicar* mmm jO'^fsmmmi^. 



141 



who had, but all will have some if they 

 neglect to give theii- bees the surplus 

 room whieli the honey-tiow demamls. 

 Every adverse report which I have 

 heard, has resulted directly from im- 

 proper construction or manipulation of 

 the hives ; usually the former. The 

 hive and system are entirely new. 



Reports Wanted. 



Now, Mr. Editor, it seems that there 

 is no longer any worthy dispute as to 

 who is the inventor of the hive in 

 question ; and with regard to the value 

 of it, would it not be desirable to test 

 its use practically, and call for a brief 

 report of the actual experience of those 

 who have used them ? 



As I am now issuing a weekly paper, 

 I know the value of " space," much 

 better than formerly, and that the an- 

 swers may be short (of few words) I 

 would suggest the following questions, 

 each to be answered with a word or 

 two, and only by those who have used 

 the hive in question ; 



1. How many hives have you used, 

 and for how many seasons ? 



2. Who made the hives, and from 

 what pattern ? 



3. What style of hive do you now 

 prefer, all things considered ? 



Dowagiac, Mich. 



[As the hive in question has been 

 adversely mentioned in the report of 

 the Ohio Convention, and as both it 

 and the system of management are 

 new, it will be in the interest of the 

 pursuit to let those report briefly, as 

 suggested, who have tested it. Let 

 the replies to the above questions be 

 brief and to the point, or else we can- 

 not promise to give space to this mat- 

 ter. Send all the Reports to this 

 oflSce direct. — Ed.] 



COi\VEI\TIOX DIRECTORY. 



CO:^'VEi\TIOI\ NOTICES. 



ty The Cortland Union Bee-Keepers' Association 

 will hold its spring meeting on May 8. iR>w, at Cort- 

 land, N. Y., at 10 a.m. All bee-keepers are invited. 

 W. H. Beach, See. 



CP" The Des Moines County Bee-Keepers' Associ- 

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

 Burlington, Iowa. JOHN NAu, Sec 



^^ The Hardin County Bee-Keepers' Assoola. 

 tion will meet at the Court klouse in Btdora, Iowa 

 on the second Saturday in each month, at noon 

 (12 o'clock), until further notice. 



J. W. Buchanan, See. 



^^ The next regular meeting of the Sus- 

 quehanna County Bee-Keepers' Association 

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

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



This is tlie Time for reading. The 

 long winter evenings can be utilized by 

 reading up bee-literature. We have all the 

 newest bee-books, and can fill all orders on 

 the day they are received. 



1888. Time and Place of MteUng. 



Apr. 11.— Stark County, at Canton, O. 



Mark Thomson, Sec, Canton, O. 



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

 John Nau, Sec, Middletown, Iowa. 



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

 H. M. Seeley, Sec, Harford, Pa. 



May 8.— Cortland Union, at Cortland, N. Y. 



W. H. Beach, Sec, Cortland, N. Y. 



B:^" In order to have this table complete, Secre- 

 taries are requested to forward full particulars of 

 time and place of future meetings.— &D. 



I.ig;]it Honey Crop.— David Watter- 

 son, Bristow, Iowa, on Feb. .5, 1888, writes : 



I had 29 colonies of bees in 1886, and lost 

 all but 3 colonies, and 1 have 9 colonies 

 now. The winter had been very cold until 

 last Thursday ; it is pleasant now. The 

 honey crop was li«ht, but there was 35 or 30 

 acres of buckwheat near me, and I got 75 

 pounds of honey. The indications for white 

 clover are good, it it does not get winter- 

 killed. There are plenty of flowers on the 

 prairies, and if we can save our bees, there 

 would be plenty of honey. In 1887 the 

 white clover was nearly all killed, and 

 about 90 per cent, of the bees. 



Bees Had si Fine FligfUt. — Jno. D. 

 Wise, Camden, Ind., on Feb. 14, 1888, says : 



I commenced the season of 1887 with 6 

 colonies, increased them to 10 colonies, and 

 my crop of honey was about 60 pounds of 

 comb honey, which I obtained from 3 of my 

 strongest colonies. White clover yielded a 

 little honey. Linden, although full of 

 bloom, yielded no nectar. The bees stored 

 enough from golden-rod and other fall 

 flowers so that I think they will winter 

 all right. They had a very tine flight 

 yesterday, and seem to be in good condition. 

 Six colonies are on the summer stands, with 

 chaff cushions on tlie frames. 1 have 4 col- 

 onies in chaff hives. 



CioocI Fliglil!i« for the Bees.— J. M. 



Harvey, Brooks, Iowa, on Feb. 20,1888,says: 



I had 75 colonies of bees to commence the 

 season of 18S7,that increased to 107 colonies, 

 and gathered 500 pounds of comb honey, 

 and 500 pounds of extracted honey, from 

 white clover and basswood. I stored 94 

 colonies in the cellar on Nov. 18, 1887, and 

 they are in good condition, with the tem- 

 perature from 44' to 48°. I have 13 colonies 

 on the summer stands, and I have lost one ; 

 the others had a flight on Jan. 38 and Jan. 

 29, and also on Feb. 16 and Feb. 17. 



Sawed Sections. — Chas. H. Van 

 Vechten, of Victor, N. T., asks : 



How can 1 smooth the sections after leav- 

 ing the saw. I get sections smoothed on 

 one side ; they are said to be sawed ; then 

 why are they smooth on one side, and not 

 on the other ? 1 run saws and cannot get 

 one that will cut smooth enough for me. 



[That is easily accounted for. The man- 

 ufacturer gets stuff of double thickness, 

 planed on both sides, and then saws it in 

 two, leaving one side smooth ; the other re- 

 maining as the saw leaves it.— Ed.] 



The Bees in l\ortliWcstem Mis- 

 souri.— J. G. Graham, Agency, Mo., on 

 Feb. 18, 1888, writes : 



We have over 100 bee-keepers, with about 

 1,000 colonies of bees, in this county, and 

 many bee-keepers are using improved hives 

 with all the modern appliances in their 

 apiaries; but our bee-keepers are mostly 

 farmers, and not writers, hence we do not 

 hear from them very often. 



Out honey crop was very short last year ; 

 Alsike clover and linden only, yielding any 

 surplus, and we have but little Alsike. As 

 Alsike blooms before linden, our honey was 

 unmixed, and the quality was very fine. 



Bees are wintering well (according to re- 

 ports received so far), having had several 

 flights since Jan. 1 ; my Syrians have al- 

 ready commenced brood-rearing, and every- 

 thing promises well so far, for another sea- 

 son. Bee-keepers are enthusiaMtic in their 

 talk about making our display at the Ex- 

 position next fall to outstrip our last ; but 

 time will tell better what we will do. 



Trying Time to Come.— Edwin 

 Hutchinson, East Avon, N. Y., on Feb. 21, 

 1888, says : 



I had packed on the summer stands 84 

 colonies of bees in the fall of 1887. They 

 flew from every hive yesterday, and seemed 

 to be in good condition. But the trying 

 time is to come— the month of March and 

 the first half of April. 



Drone-Laying- Queens.— M. W. W. 



asks the following questions : 



I have 2 queens, and about every thirty- 

 sixth bee that hatches out, is a drone. I 

 now have drones hatching out. What is the 

 cause ? Would it not be better to supersede 

 the queens 1 They are mother and daugh- 

 ter. 



[The queens are useless, and should be 

 superseded as soon as practicable.— Ed.] 



White Clover and Weak Colo- 

 nies.— W. B. Thome, Glenn, Kans., on 

 Feb. 21, 1883, writes : 



One would think from the many predic- 

 tions, without investigation, that the com- 

 ing honey crop would be large ; but in those 

 States where the severe drouth prevailed 

 last summer, and where they depend upon 

 white clover as the principal honey source, 

 there will probably be disappointment. 

 The older plants of white clover are almost 

 entirely dead, and the dependence must rest 

 upon the young growth, which, unless it be 

 an extraordinary season, will not do to de- 

 pend upon ; and, no doubt, many will find 

 their colonies in a weak condition, from the 

 fact that the bees were old before going into 

 winter quarters. All these facts before us, 

 cause us to have more or less misgivings, 

 and if 1 get an average of 35 pounds per 

 colony, 1 will be content. A half-loaf is 

 better than the past year's nothing. 



Affiliated Bee-Associations, etc. 



— R. F. Holterraann, Brantford, Ont., on 

 Feb. 11, 1888, says : 



The Brantford Bee-Keepers' Association, 

 at a meeting on Feb. 4, applied for aflilla- 

 tion with the Ontario Association. They 

 are the first to take this step, and I had the 

 honor to be the first to propose such a 

 scheme (affiliation of county associations 

 with the Ontario) in Canada. Reports show 

 that bees are wintering well so far. Those 

 wintering outside should soon have a flight. 

 It was about 17° below zero yesterday. 



