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Experiments. — It is understood that 

 Prof. Cook intends to " hatch out "an ex- 

 tensive system of experiments at the Michi- 

 gan Agricultural College. The money ap- 

 propriated by Congress in the Hatch bill is 

 to be divided among the different States, 

 and some of the Michigan portion will be 

 expended under the personal supervision of 

 Prof. Cook in making experiments. Con- 

 cerning vphat he proposes to do, the Cana- 

 dian Honey Producer remarks as follows : 



Prof. Cook stated that in 1878 they started 

 to teach bee-keeping at the Acricultural 

 College, Michigan. For sometime very 

 little was done to assist bee-keepers. He 

 urged the claims of bee-keepers, and while 

 those in authority agreed that it was an im- 

 portant matter, the time had passed by 

 without the College being in a position to 

 do anything. His duties were too numer- 

 ous to enable him to do much. Every year 

 he had gone before the board to fight the 

 matter, but he had been unable to secure 

 any one but an inexperienced hand. A year 

 ago, however, they had decided to build a 

 larger place for bees, and enlarge the de- 

 • partment. They had now a good building, 

 and everything in apple-pie order. A few 

 experiments had been conducted. They 

 had tried pollen and not pollen for winter. 



Each State was given $1.5,000 for experi- 

 ments, and he had secured a part of this 

 grant for experiments in bee-keeping. So 

 far as he knew there was no other Agricul- 

 tural Colleges working in this direction, and 

 only one or two States. There were great 

 problems which wanted working out, and 

 he was about to give the plan of work he 

 proposed following, and he desired the 

 friendly criticism of bee-keepers. 



He was crossing Syrian and Carniolan 

 bees ; the latter were gentle, good comb- 

 honey builders, the former energetic and 

 prolific, and he was receiving encourage- 

 ment, and thought something could be done 

 which would give good results. In cross- 

 ing, the objections which found ground 

 with cattle and the like could not be ad- 

 vanced in bees ; cattle had strains followed 

 up for generations in the way of milk or 

 beef production, two distinct objects— 

 whilst the objects with bees were less 

 distinct. 



With the strain of bees spoken of, he had 

 been experimenting for five years. 



He wanted to get a man to work who 

 could spend hour after hour, down close to 

 a hive of bees, closely observing them. 

 That was aim Number 1. Caii I get a bet- 

 ter bee ? 



He believed next that something could be 

 done in the direction of special planting for 

 bees. There might be nothing in it, but he 

 thought there was. They had a large area 

 in Chapman honey plants and melissa. He 

 was also trying Rocky Mountain bee-plant 

 and pleurisy-root. There might be nothing 

 in it, but it would be better for the country 

 for him to try it, than for bee-keepers to 

 try a little and each fail. 



Mexico is so completely an unknown 

 land to most people, that it is well to have 

 a little insight into its history. " Our 

 Neighboring Republic and its Presidents," 

 in Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly for 

 December, fully illustrated, gives a con- 

 nected view and portraits of all who have 

 been at the head of the Mexican Republic 

 from the days of Hidalgo. 



-Homey at Je-wlsli Feasts.— Mr. 

 Alfred Neighbour,of London, in the British 

 Bee Journal for Sept. 13, 1888, gives these 

 items of interest on this .subject : 



I have often noticed at this season of the 

 year that there has been rather an unusual 

 demand for honey in the combs, the custo- 

 mers for the most part bearing evidence of 

 belonging to the Jewish persuasion. This 

 year there has been no diminution in this 

 respect, and our supplies (being rather 

 limited, owing to the unfavorable weather) 

 have been largely drawn upon— which has 

 led me to make inquiries into the cause of 

 this consumption of honey by the Jewish 

 people, and 1 find that it is on the occasion 

 of the first day of their new year. 



This occurred on Thursday, Sept. 6, being 

 the first of the month—" Tlshrl, 5649 "—and 

 as it is a festival day, also the harvest sea- 

 son when most kinds ot produce have been 

 gathered, the new fruit, etc., are partaken 

 of at mealtimes, because the opportunity 

 admits of the additknuil blessing being 

 said before eating the new ripe fruit. New 

 Twncy with new apples makes an excellent 

 bon bouehe, and is greatly appreciated on 

 the occasion. 



Jly informant tells me that observant 

 Jews, whenever partaking of food, always 

 repeat a certain short blessing of thankful- 

 ness, and an additional one when the fruit 

 or produce is the first of the season. 

 Moreover, their festivals are days of glad- 

 ness as well as of prayer ; and in what bet- 

 ter way can people display their pleasure 

 and gratitude than by the sober enjoyment 

 of the good things in season, more es- 

 pecially by a community who are the de- 

 scendants of the inhabitants of "a land 

 flowing with milk and lioney ?" 



Bee-Keepins; is taught in schools in 

 Russia. Tlic Schoolmaster, an English 

 paper, gives the following under the head- 

 ing of " A Hint from Russia :" 



A new departure in girls' schools is being 

 tried in Russia, countenanced and aided by 

 the State. A lady has opened in a village 

 near Kief a school where girls of the lower 

 classes will be instructed in such branches 

 of petite culture as women can profitably 

 attend to, from market-gardening to bee- 

 keeping. The school is to yearly grant an 

 aid of 1,.500 roubles. " Rural School Boards 

 in England," says the St. James' Gazette, 

 " might perhaps take the idea into serious 

 consideration. The wives and mothers of a 

 future generation of British husbandmen 

 would probably find a practical knowledge 

 of dairy-farming and poultry-keeping even 

 more useful than the arts and sciences they 

 are now encouraged, if not required, to 

 study." 



To the latter the British Bee Journal 

 appropriately adds : "To this. we would 

 add bee-keeping." 



Another IVorel Bee-Suit has been 

 tried in Germany, as we notice by an ac- 

 count of it in Dcr Bien^ii-Vatcr aus Boh- 

 mcn (The Bee-Keeperof Bohemia.) It says: 



A widow (Theresa Schottel) who kept 

 bees in Mutzig, Alsace-Lorraine, was hauled 

 before the court, by three of her neighbors, 

 to answer charges brought against her bees. 

 The three neighbors claimed that the bees 

 collected on the udder of their cows and 

 goats, that they drew out the milk, that the 

 cows and goats, kicking at the bees, caused 

 the bees to sting the udders, and that the 

 udders became so swollen and painful that 

 the milk could not be drawn. The case was 

 decided in favor of the widow, and the com- 

 plainants were obliged to pay costs. The 

 Judge declared the charges unfounded. 



Benton Qneens.— We have the fol- 

 lowing letter from Australia, asking for its 

 publication. We think Mr. Frank Benton 

 has gone from Munich, and this may ac- 

 count for his non-attention to Major Shal- 

 lard's letters. We publish it, hoping it will 

 meet Mr. Benton's eye, and be thereby the 

 means of straightening the matter out. We 

 feel sure that there m.ust be some reason 

 for the delay of two years, and await de- 

 velopments. Here is the letter of Major 

 Shallard : 



Glenbrook, New South Wales,Aug.31,1888. 



In May, 1886, I sent Mr. Frank Benton, of 

 Munich, Germany, £7 for six queens. He 

 acknowledged receipt of the money, and 

 sent one queen (which arrived dead) in the 

 early part of the following August. Since 

 then 1 have written him four letters, but 

 can get no reply. 



Mr. Benton has had my money now for 

 two years, and I should like to see the 

 queens. 1 write this in the hope that its 

 publication will compel him to attend to the 

 matter, as he has evidently decided to ignore 

 my letters on the subject. 



Major Shallabd. 



Bees l^o\r in Fasliion. — Among the 



"edicts of fashion" just announced, are 

 some very extraordinary and elaborate 

 " fancies." A " fashion " paper says : 



The ladies of Turin presented to the 

 bride, Princess Bonaparte, a regular out- 

 and-out "palanquin," or sedan chair of 

 fabulous value, an exact copy of Louis XV 

 style— panels painted by renowned artists, 

 handles of solid gold, and pockets contain- 

 ing a prayer book bound in red velvet edged 

 with gold, a bonbouniere in gold with en- 

 ameled miniature, lace fan mounted in gold 

 set with pearls, and perfumery case in gold 

 and brilliants. 



This same "faire ladye" designed the 

 " embroidere of her bridale mantel," which 

 was a mixture of bees and eagles in precious 

 stones. 



The latter reminds us of the broach pre- 

 sented to the Princess Beatrice, by the api- 

 arists of England, consisting of a bee formed 

 in precious stones — elaborate, suggestive 

 and beautiful. 



Money in Potatoes, by Mr. Joseph 

 Greiner. Price, 35 cents. This is a com- 

 plete instructor for the potato grower, ex- 

 plaining his new system in 40 lessons. For 

 sale at this office. 



A 'Wealtli of Illustrations of the 



highest quality adorns the pages of the 

 American Agriculturist for November, 

 making it one of the finest and most useful 

 issues of this sterling magazine ever pub- 

 lished. The leading article describes the 

 Lakeside farm and herd of Holstein- 

 Friesian cattle and thorough-bred Clydes- 

 dale, Hambletonian and French coach 

 horses. The numerous illustrations of 

 famous cattle and horses are reproduced 

 direct from life, without the intervention of 

 mechanical engraving, thus making the 

 pictures so natural and true to life as to 

 really make a new departure in live stock 

 Illustration. 



