IHE BEE-KEEPEliS' RFAIEW. 



Ill 



from Mif^" to 180° was equal, but it was very 

 slight, requiring a careful exainiuatiou in 

 the light of a wiudow to detect it, while 

 from 180 to 11)4 the chauge in the bass- 

 wood honey was but little greater Jthau 

 that from 1(!8 to ISO, but the change in the 

 color of that from willow herb was very 

 decided, so that it had become a golden 

 amber and to all appearance identical with 

 that of the basswood treated to the same 

 temperature. Yet the color of these was 

 still many shades lighter than that of the 

 alfalfa honey when exposed for the same 

 time to a like degree of heat. The change 

 in the flavor of the honeys from the willow 

 herb and from basswood after having been 

 subjected to 180 of heat was so slight that 

 it would be almost rash to affirm that I 

 could detect it. but at i;i4 the change was 

 quite evident and about equal. 



Comparing the two samples heated in 

 their own comb, the one in the first experi- 

 ment and the other in thi^, it apj)ears that 

 the one heated in the tin vessel is much less 

 changed both iu color and flavor than is the 

 one heatfdin earthen ware. 



Of the three samples used in this present 

 experiment the one with its own wax is the 

 least injured in color, that from willow 

 herb next, and that from alfalfa most of all. 



In respect to flavor that from alfalfa is 

 injured least and the other two about 

 equally. 



If the heating is done gradually, as it 

 should be, injury begins before the temper- 

 ature reaches 170^ 



Probably all fair samples liquefy readily 

 atH") . 



The difference between the melting 

 point and the danger point is so wide that 

 there is no necessity for running any risk. 



Lapeeb, Mich. Mar. 3, IS'.XI. 



^;r^>P=fy^^^« 



Italians Working on Red Clover. 



C. M. HICKS. 



ra'EEING the discussion in the Review 

 is regarding Italians working on red clover 

 leads me to say that, for the last thirteen 

 years, I have given considerable study to the 

 matter of getting a strain of Italians that 

 would work on the second crop of red clover, 

 as that blossoms in this locality in August, 

 at a time when we have bushels of bees with 

 nothing for them to do. 



My first Italians were from a man here in 

 Maryland who claimed he had such nice, 

 big bees that worked on red clover. I kept 

 breeding them for some years; then 1 got 

 a (fueen from York State. After that I 

 bought queens from most anyone who 

 claimed that his bees worked on red clover. 

 Same were good, and I bred from them, 

 either in queens or drones. ( )thers were not 

 good and were soon discarded. So my bees 

 are the result of many crosses. 



As to the amount of red clover honey I 

 have secured I never kept an account. It 

 would be impossible on the first crop, as 

 when that is in bloom, white clover, blue 

 thistle and lots of others are in full bloom, 

 but to give you an idea of what they have 

 done, I will mention the details of last sea- 

 son. It opened up grand ; there was a flood 

 of honey until the last of June, when we had 

 aterrit)le hail storm. After that it was cold, 

 and although blue thistle, basswood, white 

 clover, etc. were in full bloom no honey was 

 gathered as it was so cold and windy that 

 the bees flew very little for days. The sum- 

 mer season closed, and I had several thou- 

 sand of partly filled sections on my hives. 

 In August the bees commenced on red clo- 

 ver, and, coming in so loaded as to fall down 

 in front of the hives. My sections were all 

 completed, and others besides. Three and 

 four nuclei were given sets of combs which 

 were filled with honey, and the bees have 

 wintered through with plenty of honey, as I 

 was lookiTJg at them yesterday. My two 

 yards contain 10.^> hives without the loss of 

 one this winter, and yesterday they were 

 getting natural pollen. 



As to the (piality of red clover ho"ey, it 

 is nice and white, and it sells right along the 

 same as other light honey. 



HiuKSViLLE, Md. April 1,181)6. 



Cautions Needed in Preserving Combs — A 

 Defense of the Solar wax Extractor. 



O. (). POPPLETON. 



T T is seldom that I disagree widely with 

 I anything from the pen of Mr. R. L. Tay- 

 lor but I certainly do with some things in 

 his article in March No. of the Review. 

 Will you kindly letme do a little criticizing ? 

 Under his 2nd head, describing how to 

 put combs in empty hives to preserve them 

 from moths, he omits one very important 



