468 



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■tees Clustered on a. Coir's 

 Back.— Mr. E. C. Jordan, of Jordan's 

 Sprinss, Va., has sent us the following 

 items taken from the Campbell Coiintj-, 

 Va., Record. The first dated June 7, 18S8, 

 reads as follows : 



We are informed that a cow belonging to 

 Mr. Cradriock, near Wlufall, came up one 

 evening not long aijo with a whole swarm 

 of bees quietly settled on her back. We 

 did not learn whether Mr. Craddock suc- 

 ceeded in hiviug the bees. 



We have heard of the prognostic swarm 

 of bees that settled on the lips of Plato. 

 Virgil told us how, when the stock was lo^t, 

 anew supply was obtained by slaying four 

 heifers and four bullocks, and leaving their 

 carcasses in a grove tor nine days, when, 

 behold! they were found filled with bees, 

 and the grove resonant wilh their hum. 

 The Bihle tells us how Samson found honey 

 and bees in the carcass of the dead lion. 

 But this is the first time we ever heard of 

 bees selecting the back of a living cow for 

 their resting place. 



The second, published a week later, reads 



thus: 



Several persons have expressed to us their 

 incredulity with regard to that swarm of 

 bees on the cow's back, reported last week. 

 We are authorized by Mr. David Craddock, 

 the owner of the cow, to say that the facts 

 as stated are absolutely true. His wife 

 milked the cow while the bees were yet on 

 her back. They remained four or five 

 hours, and then sought other quarters. 



How Bees Make Cells.— In Mur- 

 ray's Magazine we find the following ex- 

 planation of the geometrical forms which 

 the cells of a honey-comb assume : 



Recent measurements and observations 

 have tended to dissipate the cell myth, and 

 to show not only that the honey-comb is tar 

 from regular, but that such regularity as it 

 has is due merely to mechanical conditions. 



Mr. Frank Cheshire tells us in his recent 

 volume, tliat careful measurements of the 

 finest pieces of comb, built wiih every ad- 

 vantage for securing regularity, show that, 

 so far from every ceil being geometrically 

 accurate, it is difficult to find a hexagon pre- 

 senting errors of less than thiee or four de- 

 grees in its angles. On the other hand, 

 there is a growing tendency to accept a 

 modification of Bnffon's explanation of the 

 origin of cell structure. Buffon attriinited 

 the regularity of the cells to mutual pres- 

 sure ; in illustration whereof he packed a 

 closed vessel with dried peas and filled up 

 the interstices with water. The peas, which 

 were thus caused to swell, assumed, under 

 the pressure which resulted, the form ot 

 more or less accurate geometrical figures. 



Perhaps a still better illustration of this 

 principle of mutual inter-action is seen in 

 soap-bubble.s. It a little soapy water is 

 placed ill the bottom of a tnmbler and air be 

 niown into the water through a tube until 

 the upper part of the gla^s is full of bub- 

 bles, the hexagonal form which these bub- 

 bles assume under mutual pressure, and the 

 trilateral pyramids at their bases, will be 

 readily seen. Not that these geometrical 

 figures are the same as those which the wax 

 assumes, hut they illustrate the principle. 

 For, at the temperature of the hive, the wax, 

 pared thin by the smooth-edged jaws of the 

 workers, has all the plasticity of a fluid 

 membrane. The bee has indeed to avoid 

 the danger ot paring away too far, and thus 



making a hole through the wall. But even 

 here it may be aided by mechanical condi- 

 tions. 



If we take a thin piece of soap and pare 

 away one face with the blade ot a pocket- 

 knife, we shall soon form a transparent 

 patch where the soap is very thin. But if 

 we continue to pare we do not cut through 

 the soap at this point; but for a time at 

 least, we merely enlarge the area of the 

 transparent patch. The thin film of soap 

 yields at this point, and the stress of the 

 blade falls on thicker and less yielding 

 edges. Some such mechanical yielding ot 

 the wax may guide the bee in its work. 



Honey Harvest Closed in Ala- 

 bama.— B. B. Toney, Padgett, Ala., on 

 July 6, 1888, gives this information concern- 

 ing the honey harvest of Alabama, and that 

 locality as a profitable place for bee-keep- 

 ing : 



I closed my honey harvest yesterday for 

 the year 1888. 1 commenced in the spring 

 with 130 colonies of bees, about 20 colonies 

 were weak, and 100 were strong and popu- 

 lous. 1 have not finished measuring yet, 

 but my crop will go to about 1,000 gallons 

 when done. This makes an average of 

 about 8>^ gallons, spring count. Quite a 

 large number of colonies gathered from 12 

 to 14 gallons each. Our poplar was the 

 largest flow, and the quality ot the honey 

 tine, thick, and well flavored. The linden 

 was only one-half of a crop, but very good. 

 This year is the best for honey that we ever 

 had. Ot this 1 expect to sell 800 gallons. 



This county lies in the northeast corner of 

 Alabama, and is without doubt the best for 

 bees in the State. If any one wishes to 

 locate in Alabama, let bim come and see 

 before locating. Perhaps the rough moun- 

 tains will fright him away. Its roughness 

 is the secret of niy success. This is in an- 

 swer to Mr. Geo. W. Morris' request on page 

 332 of the Bee Jouknal. 



Investments in Bee-Keepin;;. — 



The following are given in a late number 

 ot the City and Country, as the statistical 

 items concerning bee-keeping : 



Statistics show that the total amount of 

 honey produced annually in America is es- 

 timated at 120,000,000 pounds, which at the 

 average ot 15 cents per pound, places the 

 value of the products in first hands at 

 »1S,000,000. The product of the hives is not 

 the only thing valuable aliout this industry, 

 evidenced by the fact that the colonies in 

 this country number over 3,000,000. At the 

 average piice ot $11 per colony their value 

 would be 3t3.i,0('0,000. This sum added to 

 the total product of the hives make the 

 total involved »51, 000,000. The United States 

 and Canada produces the bulk ot the pro- 

 duet. 



The average price of houey at wholesale 

 is not now over 10 cents per pouud, when 

 counting the whole crop of both comb and 

 extracted ; and Sll.OO per colony for bees is 

 double the amount ot their value. 



4;;iiapnian Honey Plant.- Mr. L. 



Highharger, Leaf Kiver, Ills., on July?, 

 1888, says : 



Those who have the Chapman honey 

 plant should examine it closely, as there is 

 a worm that is cutting the balls otf. It re- 

 sembles a caterpillar, but is whitish in 

 color. It does its work very quickly, and 

 needs looking after every day. A friend of 

 mine tells me that it is destroying his plant, 

 and he lives five miles from here. 



Recipes tor Honey-Cakes, etc. 



—J. W. Tefft has sent us a lot of recipes for 

 making honey-cakes, etc., which we publish 

 for the benefit of our readers. The use of 

 honey in making cakes, cookies, and other 

 fine articles of food, has long been practiced, 

 and some of the nicest we ever ate were 

 made with honey. We wish that honey 

 was more generally used than it is iu mak- 

 ing such articles. Here are the recipes : 



Hickory Cake.— Stir one cup of honey 

 and one-half cup of butter to a cream ; add 

 the yolks of four eggs beaten up, one-half 

 cup ot sweet milk, two cups of flour, one 

 tea-spoonful creain-of-tartar, one-half tea- 

 spoonful ot soda, whites of eggs well beaten, 

 one coffee-cup ot hickory nuts, a blanched 

 almond chopped fine, and one coffee-cup of 

 raisins. 



Bride's Cake.— One cup of butter, two 

 cups ot honey, three and one-half cups of 

 flour, one cup of corn-starch, one cup sweet 

 milk, and the whites of six eggs beaten to a 

 stiff irotli. Beat the honey and butter to a 

 cream, then add the starch and flour, and 

 two tea-spoonfuls of cream-of-tartar mixed 

 in flour, and one of soda in the milk. Put 

 the eggs in the last thing. ' 



Anciei, Cake.— One and one-half cups of 

 white honey, the same amount of flour, one 

 tea-spoontul ot cream-ot-tartar, one of Coul- 

 ton's vanilla, the whites of eleven eggs ; sift 

 the flour four times, add the cream-of-tartar 

 and sitt again. Beat the eggs to a stiff 

 froth, add the honey, beat lightly, then add 

 the flour. Do not stop beating until you put 

 it in the pan. Bake moderately. 



Pumpkin ok Squash Pie.— Pare and 

 stew a pumpkin or squash until it is soft 

 and dry. It must be done slowly at the last 

 to prevent scorching. Put through a colan- 

 der, and to one cupful of the sifted pumpkin 

 add one egg, four table-spoonfuls of honey, 

 a pinch of salt, one tea-spoonful of ginger or 

 cinnamon, and one pint of milk. This 

 will fill one pie on a large plate. Make a 

 crust as for any pie, and turn the edge un- 

 der on the plate, pinching in shape to form 

 the rim, but make it thin and delicate. 

 Bake slowly until of a golden brown. 



Then Mr. Tefft offers the following sug- 

 gestions concerning the sy.st«matic use of 

 honey,and its desirable effect on the system : 



Sweeten your tea and coffee with ex- 

 tracted honey. It is a true brain and nerve 

 food and tonic, it gives refreshment aiid 

 nutriment to the mental and physical ex- 

 haustion, and tired and confused brain : 

 gives new life to the weak and debilitated, 

 relieves nervousness from excess or any 

 causes ; improves the appetite, tones the 

 system, and has proven to be of great value 

 in many diseases, producing a contraction 

 of the muscles of the digestive organs ; and 

 as an aid to digestion it is wonderful in 

 building up lost power. It would be difh- 

 cult to conceive of anything more nourish- 

 ing and strengthening,creamy and delicious. 

 For nursing motheis it is highly reeom- 

 meiided. For lung and throat diseases 

 nothing can he better, it is a cheap remedy 

 lor the consumptive, and in tact it should 

 take the place of sugar iu many things. 



niost Valuable to the horticulturists, 

 is what the Farm, Field and Stockinan 

 says of the honey-bee. Here is an item 

 from its last issue : 



The bee is the friend of horticulturists 

 and agriculturists, and as there is no insect 

 that increases in such vast numbers so early 

 in the spring, when their services are so 

 much needed, they are of more value to the 

 farmer, gardener and fruit-grower than all 

 other insects. 



