146 



THE ILLINOIS F-A.Il]MER. 



The Honey Bee. . 



Were it not for the dangers and un- 

 certainties which besot the Apiarian, 

 bee-keeping would be one of the most 

 pleasant and profitable of rural occupa- 

 tions, and has been styled *' the poetry 

 of rural economy.'' But this imagina- 

 tive poetry has been with many bee- 

 keepers real sorry prose. It has been 

 the experience of most of those who 

 have commenced the business with high 

 hopes, that their bees have succeeded 

 well for one or two years, then com- 

 menced running down, in many cases 

 without any apparent reason ; in others 

 with a reason plainly enough seen, but 

 with no knowledge on the part of the 

 owner of a remedy, or at best, no 

 means of applying the remedy if known. 



There was no way of getting at them, 

 they were as safely garrisoned in their 

 strong hives with each a vencmed spear 

 for offensive or defensive warfare, as 

 the like number of valiant soldiers be- 

 hind a wall of bristling bayonets. 

 Their counsel was all their own. No 

 spy had been in their camp and re- 

 ported their weak points to the enemy. 

 But all is changed. Constant observa- 

 tion has divulged their weak points. 

 The most irascible stock of these insects 

 can be perfectly tamed in a few minutes, 

 and be handled as familiarly as ever 

 Rarey handled a conquered steed. 



We have seen within a few days, — on 

 our own premises, — hives to which we 

 have been forced to give a wide berth 

 when passing, taken from the stand, split 

 to pieces with axe and chisel ; the comb 

 taken out piece by piece, and examined ; 

 all that was worthless to the bees cut off 

 and thrown away; a portion of the honey 

 taken ; the brood comb and bees put 

 into a new hive,^etback upon their stand, 

 and in less than half an hour seen them 

 as busily at work as though nothing had 

 happened, and evidently highly pleased 

 with their new quarters. All this took 

 place in the presence of several specta- 

 tors, who were so mueh interested that 

 they surrounded the operator, assisting 

 in the work and partaking of the honey 

 with a seeming forgetfulness of "a 

 sting behind,'' which the enjoyment of 

 all unsanctifipd sweets is said to leave. 



We have kept bees for over twenty 

 years. Sometimes with indifferent suc- 

 cess, at others with none at all. Our 

 stock has ranged from one to twenty 

 hives, and from that to zero, with a 

 short sojourn on every point between, 

 and hardly honey enough for our family 

 use. 



Had we known]|in the outset, what we 

 now know, with the use of a proper 

 hive, we might have realized hundreds 

 of dollars from our bees. But thanks 

 to men who study. We have apw a 

 hive which gives the Apiarian the com- 

 plete control of these busy workers. 



Those who will read, can know as much 

 of their habits and the management 

 necessary to secure success, as of any 

 domestic animal kept by the farmer. — 

 School Viiitor. 



The above contains may important 

 truths, which our readers should profit 

 by. It is but the history of thousands 

 of farmers who have attempted bee- 

 keeping. Now, with a good bee dress, 

 which costs but a few shillings, one can 

 handle bees without danger of being 

 stung ; while a free use of sweetened 

 water from a fine rose on a watering pot 

 will make them perfectly quiet. Our 

 oldest son now manages the bees. A 

 sting effects him seriously, by swelling 

 up and becoming very painful ; without 

 a bee dress he would almost as soon enter 

 a den of rattle snakes as to meddle with 

 a swarm of bees, but armed with the 

 dress he manipulates them at his ease. 

 A few days since he discovered one of 

 the swarms without a queen, and of 

 course doing nothing ; he had to over- 

 haul another bive for a queen or a brood 

 comb with queen cells ; to do this the 

 whole swarm was taken out of the hive. 

 We shall now have no difiSculty in 

 doubling our weak swarms if we have 

 any at the close of the honey season, 

 and the millers can be taken out at all 

 times. We have ^ the movable frame 

 hives, of both Langstroth's and Phelps'. 

 The double hive of Phelps' patent 

 pleases us better the more we -become 

 accustomed to its use, and for the class 

 of timed bee-keepers it is valuable; we 

 would call the attention of all such to 

 the letter of H. B. G. on the subject. 

 The more we examine into the subject of 

 bee culture, the more are we convinced 

 that every farmer can, with very little 

 cost, have an abundant supply of the 

 most delicious honey, if he is disposed 

 to make the trial. The exhibition of 

 swarms of bees at our State Fair, for the 

 past three years, has been of great value 

 in calling the attention of farmers to the 

 facts demonstrated, that these warlike 

 insects can be managed with perfect ease 

 and safety. Ed. 



-«•»- 



Where are the Ploavboys of the 

 West ? — The state society offers five 

 premiums — $20, $15, $10, $5, and a 

 volume of transactions, respectively, for 

 the best plowing to be competed for by 

 boys under eighteen years of age; the 

 lists are open to the world. Will our 

 sucker boys allow these premiums to be 



taken out of the State ? and what county 

 in the State witl furnish the champion 

 plowboys ; We give here what will be 

 required of each boy, so that those who 

 are inclined to prepare for competition 

 may do so intelligently. 



The name of the plowman must be 

 given, as well as the kind of plow to be 

 used, at the time of making the entry. 

 The quantity of ground allotted to each 

 team will be one- fourth of an acre; 

 time allowed to do the work two hours ; 

 width of furrow, eleven inches ; depth, 

 not less than six inches; the furrow 

 slice, in all cases to be lapped ; the teams 

 to etart at one time, and each plowboy 

 to do his work without driver, or other 

 assistant. Each plowboy to strike his 

 own land, and plow entirely independ- 

 ent of the adjoining land. Within the 

 fourth of an acre plowed, each plowman 

 will be required to strike two back fur- 

 rowed lands, and finish with the dead 

 furrow in the middle. — Prairie Farmer. 



MoLiNE, 111., July 25th, 1860. 

 M. L. DuNLAP, Esq., Champaign. 



Dear Sir. — Having seen the en- 

 closed paragraph, we thought you might 

 have a boy who would like to compete 

 for the prize, or if not having one of 

 your own, might know some likely lad 

 who can handle a good plow in a work- 

 manlike and ikillful manner. If so, we 

 will furnish one of our best 12 in. plows, 

 or make a 11 in. plow if you think nec- 

 essary to fulfill the conditions of the so- 

 ciety, for such boy to use, and if he 

 takes either of the two highest premiums 

 we will present him with the plow. 



Awaiting your reply, we remain 

 Yours, very truly, 



Deere & Co. 



Remarks. — Here is another addition- 

 al incentive for the plowboy, and we 

 hope the now double priie will be warm- 

 ly contested for. It is too far to send 

 our teams, but may be "our farmer" 

 may try his hand if he can hire a team 

 at the fair. But we think the farm boys 

 of Morgan who can come with their own 

 teams are the lads to do it. The plow, 

 Messrs. Deere, should be twelve inches 

 to cut the eleven inch furrow. Ed. 



Artificial Swarming of Bees. 

 About the 15th of July we made two 

 artificial swarms; and they are now do- 

 ing as well as any of the natural swarms; 

 indeed, better than some of them. The 

 process was new to us, but by carefully 

 studying Langstroth & Quimby's work 

 on the honey bee, we succeeded. We took 

 three sheets of comb out of the Phelps 

 hive with the bees adhering to them, and 

 put them into a new clean hive, and set 

 them a few rods from the other hives, 

 and fastened them in until the evening 

 of the second day. Both swarms now 



'.^iUP:^ 



