XHis;. MME'REcmK MMM j&Jumnmi^. 



G75 



EDITOR. 



voiniv. octn.m no, 42. 



Xlie Columbus Con-venlion has 



monopolized a large space in this issue of 

 ttie Bee Joubnal. Next week we hope 

 to give the remaining portion. In order to 

 do this we omit the Queries and nearly all 

 the correspondence. As that convention 

 presents the newest matter for the craft in 

 America, we must give it In time to be fresh 

 as well as seasonable. 



Xhe Alabama State Fair occurs 

 at Montgomery on Oct. 32, and in the Bee 

 and Honey Department the premiums 

 amount to $fi8, besides diplomas. Capt. W. 

 H. Black makes an exhibit there. His 16 

 colonies last spring have increased to .38, 

 besides Riving over 1,000 pounds of surplus 

 honey in one-pound sections. That is a 

 little over 6i pounds per colony, spring 

 count. That is a report not to be ashamed 

 of in this exceedingly poor season ! 



^^^^^^^'-■j .^^^^^»^» — ».-^ 



On moiuitain Sides.— A California 

 paper thus moralizes over the fruit-bees 

 controversy and its results : 



The irrepressible conflict between fruit- 

 grower and apiarist has ended in the latter 

 Beeiiig to the mountains, taking the little 

 busy bees to gather the nectar from the de- 

 licious mountain flowers. The orchardist 

 charged that the bees punctured the ripeii- 

 ina fruit with their lancet tongues, and 

 while the hpe-masler knew this to be an 

 error, he had no choice but to go among the 

 hills where fruit-growing is not yet a lead- 

 ing industry. 



Nay I Rather say that the rich mountain 

 flowers have enticed the bee-keepers to the 

 delicious bee-pasturage provided by Nature 

 away up the mountain sides, leaving the 

 valleys to the raisin-growers— thus solving 

 the problem to the advantage of both the 

 fruit-growers and bee-men. How much bet- 

 ter to have it so, than to quarrel over it. 



HiiilKtin I%o. :t9, issued by the Agri- 

 cultural College of Michigan, on Sept. 1, 

 1888, contains "experiments with insecti- 

 cides," by Prof. A. J. Cook (wlio is well- 

 known to our readt-rs), having charge of the 

 Department of Zoology and Entomology 

 at the College. The expeiiments were 

 made for the purpose of destroying the 

 Codling Moths, Curculio, Ants, and other 

 insects. The Bulletin also gives valuable 

 information concerning the planting of 

 trees, etc., and advises the planting of Lin- 

 den trees instead of Maples and Locusts, 

 which are so susceptible to injury. He says: 



Our American linden or basswood is a 

 tree of rare beauty, and a more vigorous 

 and rapid grower than either maple or elm. 

 It IS attacked very rarely by inst'Cts, and so 

 tar as 1 have observed 1 sh luld say that ten 

 transplanted basswoods live and thrive to 

 one of maple. Last but not least, the linden 

 is a very valuable honey-tree, as the honey 

 from basswood is usuiiUy very plenteous 

 and of mo-t excellent quality, as we sliould 

 expect iiora the delicious fragrance of tlie 

 beautiful flowers. When we plant a linden, 

 then, we are adorning our street,or grounds, 

 wiih a tree that will very likely live and 

 thrive, a tree that will surprise us with its 

 rapid growlh and development, and a tree 

 that will liless the C(miing generation with 

 the valuable product which it so bountifully 

 yields. 1 believe there is no native decidu- 

 ous tree that offers such inducements for 

 transplanting as does the American linden. 



Unless we conclude then to plant lindens 

 exclusively, and such a course has much to 

 rei'omuiend it, I should say plant all our 

 beautiful trees : linden, maple, elm, oak, 

 tulip, chestnut, ash, willow and even poplar, 

 then, as with the man who practices mixed 

 husbandry, and like the maid who divides 

 her eggs among several baskets, we shall be 

 almost sure to win at some point, and not to 

 lose in all. 



1 f it is thought that trees of one kind when 

 planted in a single or double strai^iht row 

 look the best, then 1 say plant linden. If 

 we plant irregularly, and pay some heed to 

 grouping, which I have done, we can then 

 plant all kinds of trees with excellent efffCt. 

 Were it nnt for the inconvenience of this 

 style of planting, when we come to u-ie our 

 mowers to cut the yrass along the way side, 

 I should certainly advise this irregular 

 planting and grouping. Owing to the en- 

 hanced beauty, 1 prefer it even with the 

 inconvenience thrown in. 



To conclude, I say then, either plant lin- 

 dens or else ail our desirable native species. 

 If we must set maples, then practice great 

 care that we may resist the borers and save 

 our trees. 



sages, this plant is a good honey- producer. 

 Another plant sent by the same person is 

 the prickly mvpy—Aryemone platyceras 

 —not known to be specially uselul for 

 honey.— T.J. BuRRiLL.] 



M'liat a Commission merchant 

 Has to Say About Honey In con- 

 versation with J. T. Carson, a commission 

 merchant of Louisville, Ky., last week, 

 some points of special value to bee keepers 

 were brought out. He reports the honey 

 crop unusually short so far as his inforiua-. 

 tion g.ies, and he usually handles quite large 

 quantities. Comb honey sells in Louisville 

 much more rapidly than extracted, and that 

 in one-pound sections much better than 

 that put up in larger packages. 



Bee-keepers should be careful to not leave 

 honey on the hives until it gets a yellowish 

 cast, as that which is the whitest and clean- 

 est sells first. 



Shipping crates for comb honey should 

 have glass at one end, but do not need it on 

 two ends or two side<, as one side is just as 

 good, and there is less liability of breakage. 



Mr. Carson has all his honey shipped by 

 freight, as express companies not only 

 charge more, but their agents are so often 

 hurried that it is not handled as safely as by 

 the freight hands. A large shipment of 

 comb honey put up in an unsalable shape 

 hung on the Louisville market for over a 

 year, while that put up neatly in one-pound 

 sections found ready sale. 



Good comb honey could be sold in Louis- 

 ville at 20 cents less 5 per cent, commission 

 and freight. As the honey crop has been 

 very light, those who have any may expect 

 good prices and prompt returns.— Zn,dian.a 

 Farmer. 



Some Xexas Iloney-PIants.— J. 



C. Bell, BeltoD, Tex., on Sept. 39, 1888, 

 writes : 



As requested on page 620, I have sent 

 Prof. Hurrill three stalks or stems with 

 flowers for name. The old stalk came up 

 from an old root that lives through the win- 

 ter. The two tender stalks came from the 

 same root after the August rains. The sec- 

 ond crop does not secrete honey as whII as 

 the first. 1 also sent one white bloom for 

 name that is very fine for bees ; it grows 

 wild here, and blooms the second time 

 when it rains iu the summer. 



[The plant sent by Mr. Bell sometime ago 

 proves to be Salvia azurca, variety grandi- 

 florn, occurring from Kansas well south- 

 ward in Texas. Tlie determination has 

 been made from some specimens recently 

 received direct from Mr. Bell. Like all tlie 



A Xrusty CiJuide.— Under this head- 

 ing tlie Prairie Farmer gives Prof. Cook's 

 new " Manual " the following superb notice, 

 which we most fully endorse : 



A new edition of the " Bee-Keepers' 

 Guide, or Manual of tlie Apiarv," is on our 

 desk. This is the fitteeiitii thousand of the 

 deservedly popular Guide of the Professor. 

 Let none fear to trust this guide up the 

 steep anil ruaged paths of beekeeping, for 

 it will ultimately land them on the summit 

 of success. His feet are freshly shod, his 

 Alpine-^tock newly pointed, and you can 

 lean on his arm wiih safety. On the way, 

 with magnifying glass in hand, he will 

 show you the wonderful mechanism of this 

 uselul insect ; its tongue, which does not 

 talk, but laps anil sucks up the nectar into 

 its haversack, and Us manv-jninted legs, 

 which gather and carry the "p illen. Tiiis 

 Apian way is bordered with many beautiful 

 fliiwers, tor which the bee acts as marriage- 

 priest, and they are fully described and 

 illustrated. Let all who can, take a trip 

 with this (Juiile, for they will remember the 

 pleasant " outing " many years to come. 



Mr. X. II. Kiow will only visit bee- 

 keepers who may invite him to do so— he 

 will not thrust himself upon them. If any 

 wish to have such a visitor, they may send 

 the invitation to this ofUce. We expect him 

 to call here within a few days. 



