Part 4

Viola, Wis., March 13, 1881.

=Mortality of Bees in House and Cellar.=—I put 60 colonies of bees in a house and cellar last Nov.; 12 of them are dead and I have taken out one-and-a-half bushels of dead bees. Nearly all have the dysentery. I cannot do without the Weekly. I wish it much success.

MILO MUNGER.

Harvard, Ill., Mar. 14, 1881.

=Bees Doing Well.=—My bees had a nice flight on the 9th, 10th and 11th of this month and are now doing well. It is cold again to-day.

J. R. WAGGONER.

Grantville, Kan., March 12, 1881.

=Dwindling in the Cellar.=—I put 53 colonies in the cellar, in good condition, which are all alive but one; but there are a great many dead bees on the bottom of the cellar—more than I ever knew before. I gather them up and carry them away occasionally, to prevent their tainting the air. Will the loss of so many weaken the colonies, and what is the cause of it? My bees have not seen the light this winter, yet they seem all right excepting the loss of so many on the cellar bottom.

WM. F. STANDISH.

Evansville, Wis., March 9, 1881.

[If the colonies were very strong, the loss may not be appreciable. The cause may be attributed to age of the bees when put away, and subsequent long confinement; or the cellar may have been too warm at times, and the bees become uneasy.—ED.]

=Contradictory Experience.=—The poor bees have suffered dreadfully in this locality, and the circumstances and conditions under which some have perished and others survived the past trying season, are so varied that I am quite at a loss what to think about bee preservation during the winter season. I had 12 colonies last fall; I packed 6 with chaff 6 inches thick around them, and have 1 colony left of the lot. There is honey in the combs, but the bees are all dead. I put 3 colonies in the cellar; 2 of them are alive, but in a bad condition, the combs being dirty and moldy. I left 3 on the summer stands, and 1 is yet alive. None died for want of honey; there was plenty of food for them in the hives. The 6 were put into the chaff in the latter part of November, and taken out on the 8th of March. The combs look clean and free from mold. About a week before I took them out of the chaff I had taken off the front boards, and finding the bees alive, shut them up again. Upon taking them out this was the only colony that was alive. When I took the chaff off, the bees were crowded around the entrance ready to fly, which they did at once, and had a lively time until they were driven inside by the approach of night. Do you think the other 5 colonies were dead the first time I looked at them? They had a passage through the chaff 1 inch high by 4 wide. A friend of mine here had 4 colonies wintered outside, with an old piece of sail-cloth over them, and only lost one, while old bee-keepers, with between 50 and 100 colonies, have lost one half, and others have lost all.

F. A. HUTT.

South Bend, Ont., March 11, 1881.

[Your question is a stunner; we have no data on which to base an intelligent opinion.—ED.]

=Wintered Without Loss.=—My 27 colonies came through the winter without the loss of a single one, for which I can thank 4 or 5 colonies of Italians, for without them I should not have had honey enough to have kept them through, even a moderate winter, to say nothing of such a stinger as we have had. I have withheld my opinion in regard to the change in the JOURNAL from a monthly to a weekly till I had tried it a couple of months, and will now say that it would be a great disappointment if you were to go back to a monthly. I am glad that you have so often devoted your first page in each number to the subject of bee-pasturage, for that is, or should be, our leading study now, till we are on surer ground. The best way to make bee-keeping popular is to make it pay; and it will pay if we can get the pasturage every year. I would rather have a tip-top honey plant than an Apis dorsata, if it had a tongue long enough to lick the molasses out of the bottom of a 5 gallon keg. We shall have plenty of white clover this year.

WM. CAMM.

Murrayville, Ill., March 12, 1881.

=Bees Uneasy in the Cellar.=—This has been a very hard winter for bees in this section of the country. Nearly all the bees are dead that were left on the summer stands. I have 40 colonies in the cellar, all alive but restless. They need a cleansing flight very much. The Weekly BEE JOURNAL pleases me very much.

CHAS. H. DOW.

Freedom, N. Y., March 12, 1881.

=Bees Much Better Than Expected.=—My bees are much better than I had any reason to expect. I left them on their summer stands, and did not even take the tops off, but I have them all off now. I had about 80 and now have 70 colonies in good shape. I find I must either attend to my bees or quit the business, and have made arrangements with a friend who has about the same quantity, who will take charge. We shall call it the “Gipsy Apiary,” and our motto will be, “if the honey will not come to us we will go to the honey.” Mr. Heddon thinks it won’t pay to move for honey, and he is pretty good authority, but we will try. Keep us posted through the JOURNAL where is the best place to sell honey. Keep the ball rolling in the suppression of adulterated honey, as well as other adulterations.

I. H. SHIMER.

Hillsboro, Ill., March 14, 1881.

=Have Young Bees and Brood.=—I put 15 colonies of bees into winter quarters and now have 13 in fair condition; some had young bees 2 weeks ago, and all of them have brood. The last 2 years have been very poor for bees; the last the worst, being followed by such a cold and long winter. About one half of the bees in this locality are dead.

G. M. GIVAN.

Moore’s Hill, Ind., March 14, 1881.

=Bees in the Cellar 135 Days.=—I carried 22 colonies of bees out for a flight on March 8. This is the first suitable day for bees to fly there has been here since they were put in the cellar on the last of Oct. They came through the 4½ months’ confinement very well, except 2 or 3 third-rate colonies that had more hive room than they could well keep warm through this cold winter, and now they seem to be somewhat reduced in numbers. The day was rather cold, snow did not soften in the shade but the sun shone brightly, “the winds were asleep,” and the bees seemed to enjoy the fray, but left a good number of the slain on untrodden snow. They were returned to the cellar at night and will be supplied with water in their hives, hoping to secure the starting of a good cluster of brood before they are placed on their summer stands, about the 1st of May. I usually keep them in confinement without a flight for 5 or 6 months, with good results, but in 1879 brood rearing ceased about the 1st of Sept.; the hives were destitute of brood when carried out, April 18, and although the hives filled rapidly with brood, before it began to hatch nearly all the old bees were dead, giving me the most disastrous case of spring dwindling that I have known in an experience of 25 years. I hope to avoid such losses in the future.

A. WEBSTER.

E. Roxbury, Vt., March 10, 1881.

=The Best Honey for Winter.=—By this time I presume all the readers of the BEE JOURNAL know that the winter has been quite severe—about as destructive to the older people as to bees. Bella Lincoln, the oldest bee-keeper in this section of the country, died this winter; and since then nearly all of his 100 colonies of bees have also died. My 60 colonies are in the cellar with chaff over the frames; some are dead, and the entrances to others are soiled, indicating dysentery. Several which had sealed honey stored in the summer are all right. Some worked on a cider mill, but if they have good sealed honey I do not think it makes so much difference about the kind of winter. I like the Weekly BEE JOURNAL, because it “enthuses” me every time I read it. In any kind of business one needs some enthusiasm, at least once a week.

C. F. SMITH, JR.

Vandalia, Mich., March 12, 1881.

=Carrying in Pollen.=—My 5 colonies of bees wintered well on summer stands, in double-walled Langstroth hives. They are carrying in dark pollen to-day; I think they get it from the maple.

H. H. LITTELL.

Louisville, Ky., March 5, 1881.

=Chaff-Packing of Bees Triumphant.=—The winter has been a severe one everywhere. Since the 1st of Nov. until the first days of this month my bees had not had a flight. I live in a very high altitude, about the highest good land in the State. The winter begins early and lasts long. We have an abundance of snow now and it is blustering wildly to-day. I despaired of seeing my bees come out alive; they were covered solidly with snow for 3 months, only the tops of the hives being visible. At last the weather softened and I dug away the snow. The next day or 2 the sun came out warmly and my bees began to fly, and greatly to my happy disappointment they are all alive—all that I had out on the summer stands. One only was dull, which I examined and found enfeebled with dysentery, arising from the feed I gave them in the fall. All others were strong. Just 122 days had intervened between the flights. The sick colony has since died, but the others are in the best condition. This success is a tribute to the chaff-packed hive. Is there another record of 122 days’ confinement and yet come out strong?

W. S. BLAISDELL.

Randolph, Vt., March 11, 1881.

=Look out for the Robbers.=—We have had a very hard winter on bees in this section of the country. Bees that were not properly packed for winter are nearly all dead, while those that were properly packed are nearly all in good condition. We are having good weather now and the bees are flying nicely. Those having weak colonies and hives of combs without bees will have to look out for robbers and keep their small colonies crowded upon as few combs as they can, keeping the entrance contracted, so that only 1 or 2 bees can enter at one time. Hives in which the bees have died should be closed tightly. The Weekly BEE JOURNAL is a welcome visitor. I could not think of doing without it.

J. A. OSBORNE.

Rantoul, Ill., March 17, 1881.

=Two-thirds of the Bees have Died.=—Over ⅔ of all the bees in this part of the State are now dead. I have met with a heavy loss, on account of a cider mill that was within 80 rods of my apiary last fall.

HIRAM ROOP.

Carson City, Mich., March 12, 1881.

=Bees in Good Condition.=—We put out on the summer stands on the 9th and 10th of March, 150 of our 200 colonies that we had in the cellars in good condition. These were the first days that bees could fly with safety since the first of Nov. We have 50 colonies more in one cellar, but as they seem to be doing well, we shall leave them in until it becomes settled weather. We left 9 colonies on their summer stands but the winter was so long and severe that we could not feed them and 3 of them starved. Now we are busy transferring, that is shaking the bees off the combs, cleaning them off and putting them into clean hives. If we find any not strong enough we double them up. We consider ourselves nearly masters of the wintering question, as our real losses for the last 10 years, we think, would not exceed 6 per cent.; in fact we did not lose a colony in winter or spring, until the number had reached about 100. The BEE JOURNAL is a welcome Weekly visitor.

T. S. BULL & SON.

Valparaiso, Ind., March 15, 1881.

=Death Reigns among the Bees.=—Having made some inquiry concerning the bees within a radius of about 2 miles, I find some bee-keepers, some who keep bees, and those that let the bees keep themselves. Mr. H. had 3 colonies, all are dead; Mr. L. had 7, one left; Mr. D. left his 11 colonies without protection and now has 11 empty hives for sale; Mr. B. let the winters’ blast try his 20 colonies and now has 12 empty hives; Mr. F. packed 37 in chaff and has 11 left; Mr. A. put up 57 in complete order, but with all his precaution all are dead; Mr. B. put into winter quarters 73 colonies of fine Italians, 58 of them are dead. I packed in clover-chaff 101 colonies, and 23 have gone the way of all the earth. My bees were confined in their hives from Oct. 20 until March 6. I packed 24 in Langstroth hives with space the whole width of hive left open, to give plenty of fresh air, yet at the same time warm, with a due amount of packing, and in this lot have not lost one colony, and very few bees; but the end is not yet. To-day I found young bees with brood in all stages.

G. W. NAFTZGER.

South Haven, Mich., March 17, 1881.

=No Loss In Wintering.=—Nearly all the bees in this vicinity that were left to care for themselves are extinct. I had 14 colonies packed comfortably in chaff before the cold weather commenced, and have not lost any yet. I am highly pleased with the Weekly BEE JOURNAL, and wish it great success.

J. P. MOORE.

Morgan, Ky., March 14, 1881.

=Poor Season but Fair Profit.=—After selling my surplus colonies, I commenced the season of 1880 with 37 colonies in fair condition; increased by division and natural swarming to 63, and 12 nuclei. I reared 30 Cyprian and Italian queens; had 100 Gallup frames of foundation drawn out, and extracted 400 lbs. of honey. Estimating the increase at $6 per colony, and deducting the expenses, my income for care and labor is $250, or about $6.50 for each colony in the spring. I put 75 colonies, in fair condition (including the 12 nuclei), into winter quarters Dec. 8; some were short of stores, and all had poor honey. On March 1st I found 8 colonies and 4 nuclei dead—4 starved and 8 died from the effect of poor honey and long confinement. More of them are diseased and must have a flight soon or die. With the loss of stock already mentioned, and allowing for more to follow, the credit will be cut down to $3.50 per colony. The season has been the poorest I ever knew, but even $3.50 is a fair profit on the investment. White clover gave no honey; basswood lasted only 10 days, but yielded well; had it lasted 2 weeks longer I should have had an average yield of honey for the season. Without this flow of basswood honey, the bees must have been fed, but now they have enough stores to carry them through till spring. As the heavy snows have no doubt preserved the clover, the outlook for honey this summer is good. I hardly need say that I am pleased with the Weekly BEE JOURNAL.

T. E. TURNER.

Sussex, Wis., March 1, 1881.

=Planting Buckwheat for a Honey Yield.=—In answer to Mr. A. Hodges, on page 78, I will say that buckwheat is a peculiar plant about yielding honey. I have never known it to fail here in yielding enough honey for the bees’ winter stores, and usually very much more; in other localities in the same latitude, it cannot be relied on at all for a honey crop. It seems, however, that it never yields through the entire season in which it can be made to bloom. Quite a large amount of it is cultivated every season in my vicinity, much of it generally coming into full bloom as early as the middle of July, yet I have never known it to yield any honey earlier than the 1st of August, and very rarely before the 10th; but when it commences to yield honey, it does so profusely until the plant itself is ripe, or killed by frost. I would say to Mr. Hodges, or any one else intending the sowing of successive crops of buckwheat, that it is useless to sow any early in the season, to blossom before the 1st of August. I am intending to sow about 20 acres of it this season for my bees. I shall put the first crop of it in the ground about June 25; the rest about July 10. That from the last sowing will remain in bloom until frost comes, even if that is delayed later than ordinary.

O. O. POPPLETON.

Williamstown, Iowa, March 9, 1881.

Local Convention Directory.

1881. _Time and Place of Meeting._

April 2—S. W. Iowa, at Corning, Iowa. 5—Central Kentucky, at Winchester, Ky. Wm. Williamson, Sec., Lexington, Ky. 7—Union Association, at Eminence, Ky. E. Drane, Sec. pro tem., Eminence, Ky. 7—N. W. Ohio, at Delta, Ohio. 13—N. W. Missouri, at St. Joseph, Mo. D. G. Parker, Pres., St. Joseph. Mo. May 4—Tuscarawas and Muskingum Valley, at Cambridge, Guernsey Co., O. J. A. Bucklew, Sec., Clarks, O. 5—Central Michigan, at Lansing. Mich. 10—Cortland Union, at Cortland, N. Y. C. M. Bean, Sec., McGrawville, N. Y. 11—S. W. Wisconsin, at Darlington, Wis. N. E. France, Sec., Platteville, Wis. 12, 13—Texas Bee-Keepers’ Association, at McKinney, Collin Co., Texas. W. R. Howard, Sec., Kingston, Hunt Co., Tex. Sept. — —National, at Lexington, Ky. —Kentucky State, at Louisville, Ky. Oct. 18—Ky. State, in Exposition B’d’g, Louisville, Ky. W. Williamson, Sec., Lexington, Ky.

☞ In order to have this Table complete, Secretaries are requested to forward full particulars of time and place of future meetings.—ED.

CLUBBING LIST.

We supply the Weekly =American Bee Journal= and any of the following periodicals, for 1881, at the prices quoted in the last column of figures. The first column gives the regular price of both:

_Publishers’ Price._ _Club._

The Weekly Bee Journal (T. G. Newman) $2 00 and Gleanings in Bee-Culture (A. I. Root) 3 00 2 75 Bee-Keepers’ Magazine (A. J. King) 3 00 2 60 Bee-Keepers’ Exchange (J. H. Nellis) 2 75 2 50 The 4 above-named papers 4 75 3 75 Bee-Keepers’ Instructor (W. Thomas) 2 50 2 35 Bee-Keepers’ Guide (A. G. Hill) 2 50 2 35 The 6 above-named papers 5 75 5 00 Prof. Cook’s Manual (bound in cloth) 3 25 3 00 Bee-Culture (T. G. Newman) 2 40 2 25

For Semi-monthly Bee Journal, $1.00 less. For Monthly Bee Journal, $1.50 less.

Honey and Beeswax Market.

BUYERS’ QUOTATIONS.

CHICAGO.

HONEY.—The market is plentifully supplied with honey, and sales are slow at weak, easy prices. Quotable at 18@20c. for strictly choice white comb in 1 and 2 lb. boxes; at 14@16c. for fair to good in large packages, and at 10@12c. for common dark-colored and broken lots. Extracted, 8@10c.

BEESWAX.—Choice yellow, 20@23c.; dark, 15@17.

NEW YORK.

HONEY.—Best white comb honey, small neat packages, 14@16c.; fair do., 14@16c.; dark do., 11@12; large boxes sell for about 2c. under above. White extracted, 9@10c.; dark, 7@8c.; southern strained, 80@85c.

BEESWAX.—Prime quality, 20@23c.

CINCINNATI.

HONEY.—The market for extracted clover honey is good, at 8@10c. Comb honey is of slow sale at 16c. for the best.

BEESWAX.—18@22c.

C. F. MUTH.

SAN FRANCISCO.

HONEY.—The “Vigilant” takes 600 cases to Liverpool. There is a slightly improved feeling consequent upon a little more inquiry, but prices show no material appreciation. Discouraging reports are received from the southern part of the State, as to the prospects of the coming crop, but other sections give promise of an abundant yield. With a good supply yet on the market, prices are not apt to be buoyant until the anticipated failure is more fully settled. We quote white comb, 12@13c.; dark to good, 9@11c. Extracted, choice to extra white, 5½@6½c.; dark and candied, 5@5½c.

BEESWAX.—22@22½c., as to color.

STEARNS & SMITH, 423 Front Street.

San Francisco, Cal., March 11, 1881.

SPECIAL NOTICES.

☞ Constitutions and By-Laws for local Associations $2 per 100. The name of the Association printed in the blanks for 50 cents extra.

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☞ “What is the meaning of ‘Dec. 81’ after my name on the direction-label of my paper?” This question has been asked by several, and to save answering each one, let us here say: It means that you have paid for the full year, or until “Dec. 31, 1881.” “June 81” means that the first half of the year is paid for, up to “July 1st.” Any other month, the same.

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☞ We will send sample copies to any who feel disposed to make up clubs for 1881. There are persons keeping bees in every neighborhood who would be benefited by reading the JOURNAL, and by using a little of the personal influence possessed by almost every one, a club can be gotten up in every neighborhood in America. Farmers have had large crops, high prices, and a good demand for all the products of the farm, therefore can well afford to add the BEE JOURNAL to their list of papers for 1881.

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HUNDREDS OF MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN rescued from beds of pain, sickness and almost death and made strong and hearty by Parker’s Ginger Tonic are the best evidences in the world of its sterling worth. You can find these in every community.—POST. See advertisement. 9w4t

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☞ When changing a post-office address, mention the _old_ address as well as the new one.

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☞ We have prepared Ribbon Badges for bee-keepers, on which are printed a large bee in gold. Price 10 cents each, or $8.00 per hundred.

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☞ The Volume of the BEE JOURNAL for 1880, bound in stiff paper covers, will be sent by mail, for $1.50.

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☞ Notices and advertisements intended for the Weekly BEE JOURNAL must reach this office by Friday of the week previous.

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☞ Instead of sending silver money in letters, procure 1, 2 or 3 cent stamps. We can use them, and it is safer to send such than silver.

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LADIES WHO APPRECIATE ELEGANCE and purity are using Parker’s Hair Balsam. It is the best article sold for restoring gray hair to its original color and beauty.

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☞ The date following the name on the wrapper label of this paper indicates the time to which you have paid. In making remittances, _always_ send by postal order, registered letter, or by draft on Chicago or New York. Drafts on other cities, and local checks, are not taken by the banks in this city except at a discount of 25c., to pay expense of collecting them.

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PREMIUMS.—For a club of 2, _weekly_ we will give a copy of “Bee-Culture;” for a club of 5, _weekly_, we will give a copy of “Cook’s Manual,” bound in cloth; for a club of 6, we give a copy of the JOURNAL for a year _free_. Do not forget that it will pay to devote a few hours to the BEE JOURNAL.

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☞ Sample copies of the Weekly BEE JOURNAL will be sent _free_ to any names that may be sent in. Any one intending to get up a club can have sample copies sent to the persons they desire to interview, by sending the names to this office.

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☞ Any one desiring to get a copy of the Constitution and By-Laws of the National Society, can do so by sending a stamp to this office to pay postage. If they desire to become members, a fee of $1.00 should accompany it, and the name will be duly recorded. This notice is given at the request of the Executive Committee.

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☞ It would save us much trouble, if all would be particular to give their P.O. address and name, when writing to this office. We have several letters (some inclosing money) that have no name. Many others having no Post-office, County or State. Also, if you live near one post-office and get your mail at another, be sure to give the address we have on our list.

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