1863. 



THE ILLmOIS FAKMEK. 



4t 



From the 'Wisconsia Farmer. 



Important Pacts in Kelation to Bee- 

 Keeping— Letter of Dr. Kirtland. 



Pbop. Hott. — ^In compliance with your request, 

 I herewith communicate some suggestions that may 

 be of benefit to the readers of your valuable Jour- 

 nal, many of whom are interesting themselves in 

 the' " science" of bee culture. Intending this as 

 but an introduction to a series of articles on this 

 subject (should they be acceptable) I wiU not 

 launch out too deeply at first, but will give a few 

 extracts from a communication from the pen of 

 the celebrated Dr. J. P. Kirtland, of Cleveland, 0., 

 in response to a letter of inquiry from me. 



Speaking of the management of his bees in 

 early spring, he says he furnishes them with un- 

 bolted rye flour, " placed in shallow boxes, with a 

 little straw for them to alight upon — immense 

 quantities of which they carry into their hives as a 

 substitute for pullen," which " stimulates them to 

 a rapid increase of brood." 



This rapid breeding in the spring, that the stock 

 may be kept strong, being of primary importance 

 to the apiarist, is mentioned first, then come the 

 answers to my questions. 



First Query. — What is your opinion in regard to 

 the capacity of our country for producing honey ? 



Answer. — As a whole, our country is peculiarly 

 fitted for the production of honey, different sec- 

 tions however, differ greatly in this respect. My 

 apiary in Laporte county, Indiana, yields three 

 times as much as the one I cultivate" here. Soil, 

 climate, character of the forests and of the culti- 

 vated crops exert great influence. I know nothing 

 of your vicinity, having never been nearer than 

 Madison, but should infer that it was rather favor- 

 able for producing honey and pollen. No State in 

 the Union has ever had its capacity for producing 

 honey employed to one-third its extent, nor has 

 bee cultivation here attained that perfection which 

 it has in certain parts of Europe. Taking the 

 community at large, yet as both an art and a 

 science, in the hands of a few, here it is greatly in 

 the advance of Europe. The introduction of Mr. 

 Longstroth's movable comb system is working a 

 revolution which will, in a few years, increase the 

 income from our apiaries to several millions of dol- 

 lars m the State of Ohio. Europeans seem not to 

 comprehend these improvements. The capital 

 now mvested in bees in this State exceeds two-mil- 

 lions of dollars, and is rapidly increasmg. 



The introduction of the Italian bee, and of Mr. 

 1 wmmg 8 new method of controlling and manao-ing 

 bees, are aiding the advancement of Mr. Long- 

 stroth's discoveries. ° 



In conclusion, I would say that I think that 



•?vL^"^' ^° * ^^^ y^^''^' essentially interfere 

 with the use of sugar in the United States, as it 

 ElizTbe^r^* Britain down to the time of Queen 



1^/l°°?l^'^^'"3'-— ^^^e you any practical know- 

 leage ot its use for culinary purposes ? 



Answer.--I have never tested its adaptability as 

 a direct substitute for sugar in various culinary 

 purposes, but do not suppose it can be very uni- 



versally used for such purposes, yet it obviates the 

 necessity of preparing sweetmeats in a family, to 

 a great extent. 



It forms the article of sweetening in the health- 

 ful Kennett's ale, and I have little doubt it would 

 be preferable to liquorice in the preparation of 

 London Porter and all malt liquors. 



Honey as an article of food is nutritious and 

 healthful, if taken separate from the comb, but no ,; 

 species of animal life can digest bee comb, except 

 the larva of the bee moth. The French are begin- 

 ning to understand this matter, and now nearly all 

 the honey among them is promptly strained, cann- 

 ed and sealed, while fresh and retaining its flavor. 

 We shall do the same as we grow wiser. 



Third Query. — What amount of honey do you 

 think a strong stock of bees and their increase 

 should produce, etc ? 



Answer. — There are too many contingencies in- 

 volved to allow a definite answer. Mr. Crowfool's 

 was certainly an extraordinary case. 



Fifth Query. — Do you use the Longstroth hive ? 



Answer. — I do use the recently simplified and 

 improved kind which he has just introduced. I 

 look upon this as 2^ perfect hive. Ransom & Cobb, 

 of this city, have commenced the manufacture of 

 it on an extensive scale, add offer it to persons 

 having the right to its use, for $1.50 each, which 

 ordinary mechanics cannot do. Besides it is not 

 only better than any other patent hive, but it is 

 cheaper. They propose to furnish the whole Un- 

 ion. These late improvements are important in 

 many particulars. It would be well for your bee 

 cultivators to communicate with Ransom & Cobb 

 in relation to them. 



Sixth Query. — What do you think of the merits 

 of his system of bee culture ? 



Answer. — ^It is superior to any yet devised, and 

 is working an important revolution in the api- 

 arian's pursuits. It has alrerdy placed us (Ameri- 

 cans) in the advance of European bee culturists. 

 If Dzeiron and other Germans could visit sturte- 

 vant's or my apiary, and see our modes of mani- 

 pulating and cultivating the bee, they would say, 

 as the Ethiopean Queen did of old when she visited 

 Solomon. We follow out Longstroth's system in 

 detail. 



Seventh Query. — How many hives do you keep, 

 and to what extent are you introducing the Italian 

 bee? 



Answer. — I have forty-five stocks at my home 

 apiary, all Italian ; and perhaps fifty or sixty stocks 

 in Laporte county, Indiana, all black bees. The 

 latter I may change this season, if I recover my 

 health. Fifty is my limit for my home apiary, 

 where half the land is water, and the remainder 

 very poor for bee feeding, two hundred is my max- 

 imum for Indiana, where the fields are prolific in 

 bee feed. 



Your eighth query you will find answered in the 

 proceedings of our late Bee Convention, which 

 are reported in the "Ohio Farmer," a copy of which 

 I have sent you. My health is bad and I write 

 with pain and difficulty. 



J. P. Ktbtlaitd. 



Cleveland. Ohio. 



P. S. — ^I have wintered forty-five stocks without 

 the loss of one— one queen died. My Indiana 

 stocks I have not heard from. 



A new system of quieting and handling bees has 

 been introduced by Mr. Twining, which promiBea 



riMM 



m 



^mmsm^Slj^ 



