DEVOTED TO BEEiS AJ< P HOlVja Y, A JSjy IIO^JCE IIVTERESTS. 



A. I. ROOT, 





Published Montbly. 



„ „. , --, , ,. rXERMS: $1.00Per Amiiim in Ad- 



Pubhsher and Proprietor, > -^ vance; 3 Copies /or $2.50; 5/or »3. 75 ; 



) E!stal>lisliedL in 1873. ClO or more, 60c. each. Single Number 10c. 



Medina, O. 



Vol. IV. 



JULY 1, 1876. 



No. 7. 



BEE MEN, AN© BEE MATTERS, NEAR 

 MEMPHIS, TENN. 



BEAL NOVICE :— Tliis place is only twelve miles 

 from Memphis and right on the R.R., yet people 

 here are as ignorant of bee-culture as any back 

 woods place ought to be at this day and time. When I 

 came here . in Jan. last, if I said any thing about bees, I 



was asked '"have you seen Dr. E " or "John S— " 



some one, some the other ; "he is the bee man around 

 here". I found the Dr. witli thirty four colonies of com- 

 mon bees in box hives, about twelve inches square and 

 deep, with a small cap. I got him to go and look at my 

 hives and had considerable trouble to convince him that 

 twenty Langstroth frames were not too many. He finally 

 concluded to take 10 hives (by my agreeing to give him 10 

 more for the use of 10 good colonies for the summer) at 

 62.75 each. We transferred about "25 to get them strong, 

 and have got our money back already. He is satisfied 

 now, but will not take iny advice as to buying books or 

 papers yet. 



I am working for extracted honey altogether, of which 

 1 have sold all I have ever been able to get yet, at 15 cts. ; 

 so the regular Langstroth frame in one story holding 20 

 frames suits me very well here. I make them at $3,00, or 

 §2,75 in lots of 10. I use cypress, which I like nearly as 

 well as pine, dressed on both sides. Cheap enough is it 

 not ? Work all done by hand e.xcept dressing the lumber, 

 and strips for frames. I must have one of those saws after 

 they are tried a little longer, if I can get more than I can 

 do by hand. 



I can give my testimony in favor of honey vinegar. We 

 have used no other for two years, and nearly every one 

 who tastes our pickles asks my ^vife for her receipt for 

 making them. When told that we use nothing but honey 

 vinegar, they are surprised, and say that they have always 

 heard it would not keep pickles. The only tronble we 

 have had is, it keeps getting stronger and stronger, and 

 we have to occasionally put in some water. As we have 

 only used the waste honey from extracting, can not give 

 the i)roj)ortions of honey and water, but usually have it 

 too sweet at first ; and have to add more water. If it does 

 not sour enough, we put it in a keg and set it in the sun 

 with a black junk bottle in the bung. Do you thhik the 

 bottle has any thing to with the circulation of air? I 

 have thought it might. 



In reference to small or large type I am in favor of the 

 majority's ruling, and it seems to me all those whose eyes 

 are good yet, will vote for small, and the older eyes for 

 large. If the consideration of respect for age bo left 

 out, it is only a question of whether your readers mostly 

 wear spectacles or not. 



!lly l:ist machine before this one had no wire cloth in- 

 side the tin bars, and I find I can extract from new comb 



with this, better than the Peabody, which I had first, or 

 your other. Yet I liked the arrangement for turning the 

 casting back and taking out the frame Avork very mudi. 



I think your Home department a splendid feature and 

 well worth the extra "two bits." It suggests many things 

 most cf us never thought of, and sjiurs us up to other 

 things we knov/ but had put off. "Line upon line, and 

 precept upon precept." 



I have never known any trouble here wintering bees 

 except from starvation. 



Speaking of comb foundations ; when I moved here I 

 sold most of my bees and I priced them in this way ; first, 

 the hive so much ; next, bees and six frames of honey so 

 much ; and then 15c each per comb for all additional. 

 Many thought that too high and I moved a great m:iiiy 

 combs here which have been worth the money already. 



I forgot to tell about the other bee man that I spoke of 

 in the beginning. He had several patent hives and was 

 "out," so some of his friends told me, over §30,00 for 

 "rights." Had taken the premium at the county fair for 

 the best honey in boxes, I went to see him— not at homo 

 —saw his bees— frames all sizes and some of them two 

 inches wide ; saw several hives that had pollen, a prey to 

 the moth ; no regularity in hanging frames in hives. He 

 came to see me three days ago and wants to sell out. 

 Should think so. Bees had been swarming every daj and 

 going to tlie woods. 



Well, I have written most of this that you might see the 

 ignorance that prevails, even within 12 miles of a city like 

 Memphis. Is it any wonder men like Mitchell flourish ? 

 Keep up your humbug column, I have spoiled their fun 

 here. 



I "reckon" you will think I am well acquainted with 

 Novice, if you know little about me. I have been follow- 

 ing you since 1870 and should feel acquainted were I to 

 see you, which I hope to do some day. 



G. W. Gates, Bartlett, Tenn., May 29th, '7(5. 



■■! i^ II ft II Ol^ 



Just now there is considerable discussion in regard to 

 the merits of imported queens, and the dark colored are 

 being rather se\'erely censured. AVe would advise our 

 friends before saying harsh things, to put the suspected 

 workers on the window, and see if the yellow bands are 

 not all as they should be. Perhaps they may be of a dark 

 leather color instead of yellow, but if they are full and 

 distinct, should it matter about the color ? All the bees 

 we have seen that were reared from the Dadant importa- 

 tion, show the marks quite satisfactorily, especially when 

 young ; yet when old, many might pronoimce them hy- 

 brids: or even black bees, just because the bands are of 

 the dark hue mentioned. Honey ii the main object, and 

 bees that can board themselves ; not bees that are pretty 

 to look at. Is it not likely that the bees of Italy, are di- 

 verse in tlieir markings, like animated creation of every 

 kind ? 



