± ^^^^^^^^^ ^ — ^^^^^^^^^^>. 



879 



will. It will seed itself after the first 

 sowing, and is in bloom from July un- 

 til frost, and during this time no day 

 passi-s wlien the bees can worli but 

 that they work on it, whatever other 

 plants may bloom at the same time ; 

 but as to tlie quality of the honey I 

 eannot sa)', as we have never had it 

 unmixed, but I hope it is better than 

 the white sage honey of California, 

 Avhieli 1 do not like. 

 Adams, Nebr. 



TRULY GREAT. 



A Visit from tlie Fatlier of Prac- 

 tical Apiculture. 



WrUteii for VieAmerUMn BeeJaii/mal 



BV JAMES HEDDON. 



I cannot convey to the minds of mj- 

 brother 'bee-keepers the enjoyment 

 which my family and myself experi- 

 enced from the four weeks visit witli 

 Father Langstroth, which I shall al- 

 ways remember as an honor, and with 

 the greatest pleasure. 



I mav' say that prior to this time, 

 and owing perhaps to his ill-health, I 

 had had but little correspondence with 

 him, always considering it a dutj" 

 never to write to him except in an- 

 swer to his letters. I had met him 

 once in Detroit and in Chicago amid 

 the rush and confusion of conventions, 

 but knew so little of his character, that 

 I believe what I am about to say will 

 be interesting to the thousands of bee- 

 keepers who have reaped rich rewards 

 from his life work. 



Nearing 80 years of age, and not in 

 the enjoyment of very robust physical 

 health, I was astonished to find his 

 mental powers as young and vigorous 

 as those of a man of middle age. In- 

 deed, it was a rare treat to converse 

 upon our favorite topic with the man 

 whose clear, practical mind had trans- 

 formed bee-owning into commercial 

 honej'-produeing. Together we trav- 

 ersed the past in the field of apiculture, 

 and never was I more interested and 

 edified than in listening to his descrip- 

 tion of tlie early days^f practical api- 

 culture in this count*', as well as to 

 his trials in the introduction and de- 

 fense of his own invention. 



Twice while here he preached in the 

 Congregational church, and I think 1 

 maj- safely say that many years have 

 passed since our city has been honored 

 with such beneficent and well-delivered 

 sermons. His voice is round, full and 

 melodious, fully equal to fcjur times 

 the capacity of anj' church in the citj-, 

 and this, together with his impressive 

 manner and kind, moral utterances, 

 caused many wet eyes in his large 

 audiences, and created verv much 



favorable comment among our church- 

 going people. 



His perfectly honest, sincere and 

 kiiidly spirit sheds rays of sunshine 

 over ever}' household he enters, and 

 while all regret his departure when the 

 time for leaving comes, they rejoice in 

 the effects of Ids presence while with 

 them. 



Thus I found him whom we bee- 

 keepers have learned to love, and re- 

 gard as our benefactor, a very excep- 

 tional and great man, entirely outside 

 of his greatness as an apicultural in- 

 ventor. I thank him for what he has 

 written regarding my late invention ; 

 not for the facts which he has stated, 

 for these were compelled convictions, 

 but for the labor and pains which he 

 took in gathering in and publishing to 

 the public the important truths which 

 his article contains, but 1 feel it my 

 iluty to make clear the fact that mj' 

 own invention, and mj' knowledge of 

 bee-culture which led to it, never could 

 h.ave been, but for his own of 37 years 

 ago. 



Before we can learn the conditions 

 of the interior of a hive by outward 

 s_Ymptoms, we must be able to dissect 

 its interior, comjjaring these outward 

 symptoms with its internal conditions. 

 Father Langstroth's hive was the first 

 ever constructed which made it prac- 

 ticable for the honey-producer to do 

 this. Now we have learned to almost 

 instantly deterniine internal condi- 

 tions by outward symptoms, and this 

 and the invention of comb foundation, 

 giving us uniform combs, led to the 

 first functional improvement of anj" 

 importance in hives which has been 

 made since Father Langstroth's. in 

 1851. The improvements which have 

 have been made have all been in the 

 nature of detail mechanical construc- 

 tion ; new and inii)roved clothing for 

 the better carrying out of the construc- 

 tion of Father Langstroth's great in- 

 vention. 



Dowagiac, Mich. 



BEG-INNERS. 



A Few Seasonable Hints to the 

 Inexperienced. 



Written for the Prairie Farmer 



BY MKS. L. HARRISON. 



It is poor policy for beginners to 

 purchase l^ees in boxes and barrels, as 

 transferring is not the best kind of 

 work for a novice. Better buy a good 

 colonj' or two, not more, of Italians in 

 a movable-frame hive. The Lang- 

 stroth frame is to be preferred for tliis 

 reason, that two-thirds of the scientific 

 bee-keepers use this frame, and bees 

 sell better in hives where this frame is 

 used. Every hive in an apiary should 



be exactly alike, so that every cover, 

 frame, etc., can be mixed up and all 

 fit when put together. Better choose 

 a hive first, and not get a half a dozen 

 diS'erent ones to see which is preferable. 



Bees can be shipped long distances 

 on the cars without injury, if packed 

 correctly. I obtained my first lot of 

 bees from Wisconsin, and the bottom- 

 bars of the frames were placed in a 

 board '"',_,'"',_, notched so that they 

 not strike against each other. If the 

 frames of a hive have not been re- 

 moved this spring, this is not neces- 

 sary, as the}' are fastened securely with 

 propolis. Bees in transit need air, 

 which can be admitted through wire- 

 gauze, nailed over their fly entrance. 



Persons who only do work by halves 

 should never fix up bees for transpor- 

 tation, either by rail or wagon, for dis- 

 aster will certainly follow. Bees that 

 were sent oft' by a prominent bee- 

 keeper were three weeks knocking 

 about on the cars before reaching their 

 destination, and arrived in good con- 

 dition. In this case several thicknesses 

 of woolen blanket were wrung out of 

 water and spread over the frames. 

 This served to keep them cool, and to 

 furnish water. Bees should be fast- 

 ened in their hives, when they are all 

 in, or those loose in the air may follow 

 and be very annoying. A man who 

 moved his bees sixty miles in the cars, 

 and traveled with them, told me that 

 every time the train sto])ped a bee 

 would fly in that appeared to follow 

 them all the way. And when hives 

 are moved in wagons these loose bees 

 might follow and sting the horses. 

 Night is the best time to fasten up a 

 hive, as bees leave very early when 

 the weather is warm. 



When I ship bees I ent wire gauze 

 and fit it into the entrance of an empty 

 hive, by putting in the gauze and 

 driving in a piece of wood which fits 

 exactly. This gauze is then of the 

 fit, and can be quickly slipped over the 

 fly entrance and fastened along the 

 edges by placing Utile strips of wood 

 over them, and nailing. New muslin 

 is spread over the frames, and a per- 

 forated board nailed on. The per- 

 forations serve to admit air, and to 

 help to keep them cool. 



Success in bee-culture is attained 

 only by the faithtul performance of 

 many little items. Some persons never 

 have any "luck" with bees, why? 

 One year the moths destroyed them, 

 and another season the swarms left 

 while the hives were being made 

 ready, washed with apple-tree leaves 

 and salt. A person who expects to 

 make a success in bee-culture must 

 studv their lessons well, learn the 

 habits of these industrious insects and 

 their wants, and supply them. Last 

 vear the honey crop was an almost 



