308 



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Cfaapman Honey-Plant.— M. W. 



Shepherd, Rochester, O., on April 26, 1888, 

 writes as follows concerning this honey- 

 plant : 



I wrote to Commissioner Coleman for 

 seeds of the Chapman honey-plant, and re- 

 ceived them. Please detail the best method 

 of sowing the seed, aud cariuK for the 

 plants while growing. 



The season thus tar has been very un- 

 favorable for bees. Owing to the continued 

 cold weather the supply of pollen has been 

 cut short, and the result is, the bees have 

 not generally built up as they otherwise 

 woulil have done. The outlooli for white 

 clover is bad, but linden may produce well. 

 There has never been any honey gathered 

 from fall bloom here— not more than for the 

 keeping up of brood-rearing. 



The following are the instructions given 

 in the report of the committee appointed by 

 the Detroit Convention to examine and re- 

 port on this plant : 



Its seed may be scattered in waste places, 

 or it may be sown in drills or hills like 

 onion seed. It seems to be characteristic 

 of the plant to root out all other vegetation, 

 and take possession of llie soil. It may be 

 sown broad-cast, and liarrowed in like rye. 

 By the latter method it makes a vigorous 

 growth, and seems to take entire possession 

 of the soil. 



The height of the mature plant is from 3 

 to 4Ja feet ; each root bears from 5 to 15 

 roun'd balls or heads, from 1 inch to 1% 

 inches in diameter. These heads stand up- 

 right, and the entire surface is covered with 

 small, white flowers bearing bluish stamens. 

 The stalks and leaves so nearly resemble 

 those of the common thistle, that, were it 

 not for the head, the difference would not 

 be easily noticed. 



The flowerets on the top of the head open 

 first, then they open later along the sides of 

 the ball, continuing in the order of nature 

 around the entire surface of the sphere. 

 Near the stem the last flowerets open, after 

 the blossoms on the top of the heads have 

 disappeared, and the seed-capsules of the 

 first blossoms liave hardened. 



From the time of the appearance of the 

 bloom upon the tops of individual heads, 

 until the fading of the last blossoms upon 

 the lower part of the head near to the stalk, 

 is about eight days, the continuance of the 

 blooming depending upon the nature of the 

 soil and the season ; but the heads or buds 

 sent out from each individual shoot and 

 forming each individual cluster, vary in 

 degree and size, so that the natural term of 

 blooming and honey-bearing may be safely 

 reckoned at from 20 to 30 days. 



The term of blooming may also be pro- 

 longed to a consideralile extent by cutting 

 back a portion of tlie plants, and the facility 

 with which the honey liarvest may be thus 

 prolonged constitutes an important feature 

 when estimating the value of this plant. 

 The plant is hardy, easily propagated, per- 

 ennial, and appears to flourish in all kinds 

 of soil, and there is no danger of its becom- 

 ing a pest or noxious weed. It does not 

 bloom until the second season, and as it 

 does not spread in seeding, its extirpation 

 would be easily accomplished. 



Bogrns Comb Honey Again.— 



One of our subscribers being in Chicago re- 

 cently, called at this office and left the card 

 of a certain commission firm in this city, 

 who bluffed him and almost made him be- 

 lieve that they could supply any amount of 

 manufactured comb honey ; that they 

 knew where it was made, and that they 

 could furnish it on short notice. He re- 

 quested us to investigate it thoroughly. 



Having the above information (?) we pro- 

 ceeded to look into the matter. We called 

 upon the before-mentioned firm, and was 

 shown some comb honey in cases holding 

 21 pounds each. The cases and also the 

 sections were covered with propolis, and 

 the combs were somewhat irregular— all 

 indicating that it was genuine honey, and 

 not the reported manufactured article. 



In order to ascertain the truth regarding 

 their claim to be able to furnish the manu- 

 factured comb honey, we asked if that 

 really was the bogus article; and almost be- 

 fore we had finished our question, we were 

 met with a strong assurance that the firm 

 never had anything to do with manufac- 

 tured honey. " Why," said they, " we 

 would give S500 for a sample of manufac- 

 tured comb honey. The Michigan Bee- 

 Keepers' Association has offered Si, 000 for 

 a pound of it. You cannot find it in Chi- 

 cago. It does not exist !" Thus was 

 another false report exploded. 



Ever and anon the famous— and infamous 

 —Wiley lie appears in its various forms, 

 but never without all its blighting effects ; 

 and just as frequently as it reappears, it is 

 met and "downed '"—but, alas, it will not 

 stay down, so long as exist those who are 

 so willing to do anything to cause a sensa- 

 tion. Enough has been written already to 

 have a thousand times relegated that 

 "scientific pleasantry " to the borne where 

 many other fine-spun theories and hallu- 

 cinations of attenuated imaginations have 

 been forced. 



But why will bee-keepers assist in keep- 

 ing the " Wiley lie" upon its feet? Why 

 do they not attempt to stop its ravages, in- 

 stead of repeating what they know to be 

 untrue? Hereafter let all compel every 

 one who asserts that comb honey is manu- 

 factured, to produce the proof, and thus 

 help to enlighten the public, and to close 

 up the mouths of irresponsible reporters, 

 whose perverted imaginations and greed 

 for notoriety, is unequalled except by the 

 falsity of the fabrications which they pro- 

 duce. By so doing the malicious slanderers 

 would soon cease their abuse of this im- 

 maculate and inimitable sweetness— honey 

 in the comb. 



Vierw Catalogues for 1888 are on our 

 desk, from the following persons: 



J. C. Sayles, Hartford, Wis.-lO pages- 

 Apiarian .Supplies. 



J. N. Colwick, Norse, Texas— I page- 

 Italian Bees. 



CONVEI^TIOI^ NOTICES. 



t^" The next meetinK of the N. W. Ills, and 8. W. 

 Wis. Bee-Keepers' Association will be held in R<'ck- 

 ton, Ills., May 22. issH. D. A. Fuller, Sec. 



t^^ Tlie spring meetinff of the WisconBin Lalce 

 Shore Center Bee-Keepera^ A9,sociation will be held 

 on May 31. 1888, in Mueller's Hall, at Kiel, Wis. 



FBKi). Zasthow, Sec. 



ffy The Hardin County Bee-Keepers' Associa. 

 tlon win meet at the Court House in Bl'lora. Iowa, 

 on the second Hatunlay in each month, at noon 

 (12 o'clock), until further notice. 



J, w. Buchanan. Sec. 



Cleaning Musty Combs.— A Sub- 

 scriber at Creamery, Pa., asks the follow- 

 ing questions : 



Will the bees clean out old, musty brood- 

 combs containing larvae and dead bees ? Or 

 would it be better to melt them into wax ? 



Yes ; the bees will clean them up better, 

 quicker and cheaper than you can do it ; 

 and if the combs are straight and in good 

 condition otherwise, it will be better to let 

 the bees clean them, than to melt them up. 



Bees Robbing'.— P. M. Little, New 

 Waterford, C, sends us the following to 

 answer : 



I have 10 colonies of Italian bees. A 

 neighbor of mine, about one mile distant, 

 has 13 colonies, and some of them are weak. 

 Some three weeks ago, or less, he fed his 

 bees outside ; about a week ago he took 

 the old hives from tlie stands and trans- 

 ferred the frames and bees into clean hives, 

 (being careless about his work.) On Friday 

 and Saturday of last week 3 of my strongest 

 colonies attacked his weak ones, and de- 

 stroyed 4 or 5 of them. He wanted me to 

 shut my bees up, or he would kill them. In 

 justice to both parties, what would be the 

 proper method of procedure to allay the 

 trouble ; that is, to stop the robbing ? 



The careless work of your neighbor makes 

 him responsible for the robbing ; his bung- 

 ling work caused it. As robbing is de- 

 moralizing, not only to his apiary, but also 

 to yours, it was to your interest to do all 

 you could to stop it, and should have con- 

 tracted the entrances to your hives so that 

 only one or two bees could pass at a time. 

 The weak colonies of your neighbor should 

 have been covered up with a large sheet ; 

 this would allow the robbers to leave, and 

 keep others from getting in, and still not 

 smother the bees ; or they may be removed 

 to a cellar for a few days, and when re- 

 turned to their stands, the entrances should 

 be contracted, so as to allow but a single 

 bee to pass— thus enabling the bees to de- 

 fend their hive. 



"TUe Rulers, Flags, and Coats-of- 

 Arms of all Nations," the title of the beau- 

 tifully lithographed album published by W. 

 Duke, Sons & Co., the cigarette manufac- 

 turers of Durham, N. C, is on our desk. 



The album contains pictures of rulers 

 and statesmen, -.vliich approximate the color 

 and naturalness of fine and artistic oil 

 paintings. The beauty and accuracy of all 

 the portraits are interesting as an exhibit 

 of the perfection attained in the art of 

 lithography in colors. Aside from its com- 

 pleteness, the album has value as a book of 

 reference. Its beauty and utility make It 

 worthy of a place in any parlor. The firm 

 sends it for 75 of their cigarette folders re- 

 turned to them. 



Ne-w' Subsorib<-rs can obtain the full 

 numbers for 1887 and 1888. for SI. 7.5. while 

 there are any sets ot 1887 left. 



