762 



Twm mvmmmi^MM mm® jei^KifMi,. 



He says it is usuallj' asserted that bees 

 do no gathering on the day they 

 swarm previous to leaving the hive, 

 but that is not true. Mr. Doolittle 

 thinks they are just as active as on 

 other days. The reasgn for clustering 

 of the swarm, he says, is, no doubt, to 

 give the queen a rest before her long 

 flight. 



Speaking of honey, he says it is 

 "digested nectar." This nectar con- 

 tains much water, though tlie amount 

 is very variable — a mixture of several 

 kinds of sugar and a small amount of 

 nitrogenous matter in the form of 

 pollen. Nectar is peculiar in the large 

 amount of sucrose or cane sugar 

 which it contains. Often there is 

 nearly or quite as much of this as of 

 all the other sugars. We cannot, 

 therefore, give the composition of 

 honej' ; it will be as various as the 

 flowers from which it is gathered. 

 " Again, the thoroughness of the diges- 

 tion will affect the composition of 

 honey." He thinks it likel}^ that in- 

 complete digestion and the possible 

 variation in nectar make the determi- 

 nation by the analyst either by use »f 

 the polariscope or chemical reagents a 

 matter of doubt. He goes very fully 

 into the action of honey under the 

 polariscope, and shows that too much 

 reliance should not be placed on this 

 test. He finds the specific gravity 

 varies from 1.40 to 1.50. Honey will 

 generally granulate when the tempera- 

 ture is reduced below 70°. Some 

 honey seems to remain liquid indefi- 

 nitely. Granulated honey is almost 

 certainly pure. 



In speaking of honey-comb he saj^s, 

 "The late Prof. J. Wyman demon- 

 strated that an exact hexagon.al cell 

 does not exist. He also showed that 

 the size varies, so that in a distance of 

 ten worker-cells there may be a varia- 

 tion of one cell in diameter, and this 

 in natural, not distorted cells." "This 

 variation of one-fifth of an inch in ten 

 cells is extreme, but a variation of one- 

 tenth of an inch is common." We 

 have ourselves carried out a large 

 series of measurements which fully 

 confirm this, and we hope soon to be 

 able to publish tlie results. He says, 

 as we have also maintained, that bees 

 change from worker to drone cells, 

 not by any system, l)ut simply b}' en- 

 larging and contracting. The transi- 

 tion cells are usually of four I'ows, 

 althougli sometimes there are two or 

 as many as eight." 



Prof. Cook says, " An English writer 

 criticises Langstroth's representation 

 of these irregular cells, and adds that 

 the angles can never be less than 100*^. 

 This is far from the truth, as 1 have 

 found many cells where an angle was 

 considerably less than this." We have 

 also got a large number of impressions 



taken direct from the comb showing 

 that Langstroth is right. Some combs 

 which we last j'ear exhibited at the 

 Conversazione of the British Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Association had several rows of 

 perfectly square cells which would 

 represent angles of 90°. 



Referring to the number of cells to 

 the square inch, he says, "A recent 

 English author, after stating the 

 diameter of the cells, adds, ' The state- 

 ment, many times made, that 25 and 

 It) of these respectively is erroneous, 

 as they are not square.' He says these 

 are 28 13-15 and 18 178-375. After 

 many counts he thinks he should have 

 used his eyes rather than his mathe- 

 matics, for he finds worker-cells per 

 square inch vary from 25 to 29, and 

 drone-cells from 17 to 19 per square 

 inch. Our English author seems quite 

 to have ignored the fact that because 

 of this great variation, and for con- 

 venience of calculation, the above 

 figures were adopted as an average." 



A very interesting paragraph on 

 pollen and propolis concludes the first 

 part of the work, which occupies 163 

 pages. It is not rambling and spun 

 out like the writings of some authors, 

 but is concise, clear, and contains all 

 of any -^-alue to the bee-keeper. It is 

 also written in a Christian spirit to- 

 wards those from whom the author 

 diflVrs. 



The second part is practical, and is 

 devoted to the management of the 

 apiary. Here the principal hives, ap- 

 pliances, and various methods in use 

 in America are described very fully 

 and illustrated. In this part there is 

 also much new matter added, making 

 it very complete. The Langstroth and 

 Heddon hives have full justice done 

 them, as well as other hives in use in 

 America. Our English bee-keepers 

 will find much useful information, al- 

 though some of the appliances and 

 methods may not be suited to this 

 country. 



All Prof. Cook says as to the man- 

 agement of hives for surplus is as use- 

 ful for us as for our American friends, 

 but we do not encounter the same 

 difficulties in wintering as they do, 

 therefore we do not need to take the 

 same measures for the protection of 

 our bees. Our methods of open driv- 

 ing and transferring are also simpler 

 than theirs. The chapters following 

 are full of practical information, and 

 from them inuch may be learned. 

 Honey-plants are treated more com- 

 pletely than in any other work ; dis- 

 eases and enemies of bees, with what 

 is known about them, have also proper 

 attention. 



Prof. Cook is the leading scientific 

 authority on all that concerns bees in 

 America, and, as most of our readers 

 know, is a pleasant writer. Being 



Professor of Entomologj^ at the State 

 Agricultural College in Michigan, he 

 has the opportunity of testing methods 

 and appliances at the experimental 

 apiarj' attached to the College, .sonic 

 of tlie advantages of this being appar- 

 ent in the book before us. Unlike a 

 recent author, who not only jealously 

 withholds the names of many of the 

 inventors or advocates of particular 

 methods, but in many cases claims 

 them as his own, thinking, no doubt, 

 that he is the man, and that wisdom 

 will perish with him. Prof. Cook is 

 scrupulouslj" particular in giving 

 names. This is as it should be, and 

 we think it shows a much more noble 

 spirit to give glory unto whom it is 

 due than to rob those entitled to it. 

 Altogether the work is a great im- 

 provement on the former editions, and 

 is one that no bee-keeper should be 

 without 



BEGINNING. 



A Woman's Experience in 

 Keeping Bees. 



Jl'ritUn for the American Bee Journal 

 BY MRS. EMILY CASBON. 



You do not know how much pleas- 

 ure it gives me to read the American 

 Bee Journal. I do not set myself up 

 as an example for any one, but I have 

 had a little actital experience, and if it 

 will be a benefit to any bee-keepers, 

 they are welcome to it. 



In the fall of 1886 I bought a colony 

 of bees. They were in a box-hive 

 nailed securely with a glass in front, 

 and a wooden door on hinges. By the 

 way, the bee-man, of whom I bought 

 them, assured me that it was the very 

 best now made. I had been taking 

 the Bee Joirnal, consequently I had 

 read of the Langstroth, and knew 

 better. 



It was late i)i October, and the bees 

 did not have stores enough. I fed 

 them some old honey I had, but not 

 suflicieut. My feeder was a very com- 

 mon arrangement, being a pie-pan 

 with wire netting arranged like the 

 shape of the pan. I propped it out of 

 the honey just enough to let the bees 

 eat and not get into it. Being a new 

 hand at the business, I did not think 

 to warm the honey, so they would not 

 take it. 



I babied those bees worse than any 

 batch of bread I ever made, and I 

 have made a great deal. On Nov. 14, 

 I put those bees into the cellar, having 

 first tacked wire netting over the en- 

 trance to keep them in. I visited them 

 every day or two, to ascertain their 

 condition. I cleaned oft' the bottom- 

 board every little while, and there 

 were lots of dead bees. 



