Chapter L: B. Case’s Botanical Index, Richmond, Ind.—A Quarterly

Botanical Magazine—40 pages.

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☞ The Emperor of Russia, while returning from a review on Sunday, March 12, was killed by a bomb thrown by a Nihilist. He was taken to the Palace and died in a few hours. The assassins have been arrested. His son succeeds him as Alexander III.

An Excellent Suggestion.

Prof. Cook has forwarded us for publication the annexed
open letter, addressed to Dr. N. P. Allen, President of the
North American Bee-Keepers’ Society. The reasons adduced in
support of the suggestion are well founded, and must strike
all minds favorably. September and October are usually among
the busiest months of the year to bee-keepers and farmers,
who have their later crops to garner, their honey to take off
and prepare for market, their fruit to gather and assort,
and their live stock to be made comfortable for winter;
while the date proposed by the Professor occurs just at that
period when everybody can spare the time best, when traveling
is the most enjoyable, and is quite late enough to enable
an approximate estimate of what the harvest will be. It is
competent for the Executive Committee (of which President
Allen is chairman) to fix upon such time as will best
subserve the interests of the Society. We trust they will
give the matter an early and careful consideration. Following
is the letter:

_To Dr. N. P. Allen:_

DEAR SIR: As the proposition which I am about to offer is of general interest to the bee-keepers of our country, I beg leave to present it through the AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL:

The American Association for the Advancement of Science convenes at Cincinnati, Ohio, on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 1881. This Association had at its last meeting, in Boston, August, 1880, more than 1,000 members present. Owing to its influence, and the large annual attendance, the local committee at the place where the meetings are to be held are able to procure greatly reduced rates on railroads leading to the place.

Now, I would suggest that the North American Bee-Keepers’ Association, which is to be held so near Cincinnati, convene at Lexington on Wednesday and Thursday, August 24th and 25th.

1st. This would accommodate such persons as myself, who wish to attend both meetings, and could not afford time or means were they widely separated by time.

2d. A committee consisting of yourself, Mr. Muth, of Cincinnati, and Mr. Wm. Williamson, of Lexington (I would do what I could to aid), could act in conjunction with the local committee of the A. A. A. of S., and I believe could get the commutation railroad rates to extend to the National Bee-Keepers’ Association.

3d. August is a quiet time with bee-keepers, and so far as I can see, nothing would be lost in making the date of our meeting earlier than the usual time.

4th. The fact of accommodating such as wish to attend both meetings, and the reduced railroad rates, could we secure them, would greatly increase the attendance at the Bee-Keepers’ Association, and would richly compensate for some loss, if such there would be.

I only make this suggestion, hoping that you and others interested will give it such consideration as its merits deserve.

A. J. COOK,

Vice Pres’t of Nat. Association and
President of Michigan Association.

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☞ At the Utica Convention, last month, Mr. L. C. Root was appointed a committee to endeavor to have the bill for the prevention of the adulteration of sugar, syrups, etc., then before the Legislature of New York, so amended as to include honey. We learn, with much pleasure, that Mr. Root has succeeded in having it include honey, and Mr. R. is quite sanguine that the bill so amended will become a law of the Empire State. If passed, we hope that the bee-keepers of New York will see to it that it will not be allowed to become a “dead letter” in the statute books of that State.

GLEANINGS.

=Bees and Grapes.=—The Klassen and Krock difficulty about the bees of the former committing depredations on the grapes of the latter, is to be submitted to arbitration. It seems that the real trouble was a “personal feud that does not concern bee-keepers at all”—the grape matter was an outgrowth. This matter was referred to in Prof. Cook’s article on page 74 of the BEE JOURNAL, and should now be entirely divorced from the Bee and Grape controversy.

=Bees Dead in box hives.=—Mr. G. Castello, Saginaw, Mich., says that on Feb. 22 he went to a neighbor’s, 5 miles distant, who had a box-hive apiary consisting of 103 colonies of bees. After looking them over, they found only 10 colonies alive; all the rest had died of dysentery.

=Honey for sore Eyes.=—Mr. S. C. Perry, Portland, Mich., says:

“A neighbor of mine had inflammation in his eyes. He tried
many things of many physicians; ‘was nothing better, but
rather grew worse,’until he was almost entirely blind. His
family was sick, and I presented him with a pail of honey.
What they did not eat he put in his eyes, a drop or two in
each eye, 2 or 3 times a day. In 3 months’ time he was able
to read coarse print, and now, after 4 months’ use, his eyes
are almost as good as ever. I have also found honey good for
common cold-sore eyes.”

MISCELLANEOUS.

=Feeding in Winter.=—Mr. A. B. Weed, in the _Michigan Farmer_, says:

“Many colonies which were put up for winter with but a small
amount of provision, have consumed what was given them, and
starved for want of more. Others have but a small amount of
stores left, and must be fed soon if they are to be saved.
The best way to feed such is to give them frames of well
ripened honey, but this the weather will not always permit.
The next best thing for them is candy; this can be given
at any time, and can be laid on top of the frames. If the
cluster is low down in the hive, it should be put down into
it, where it can be reached.”

=Bees and Grapes.=—Mr. W. H. Stout, in the Lancaster, Pa., _Farmer_, gives the following as his experience:

By close investigation I have satisfied myself that bees do not destroy sound grapes. I had, during the past season, 22 colonies of Italian and common black bees; all the hives were in close proximity to the grapes, while a number had the vines trained over them for shade during the heat of summer. The grapes are of the Concord variety, of which I had an abundance of fine fruit, some clusters of which grew within 18 inches of the entrance to the hives. Bunches of the grapes remained on the vines until the frost had killed the foliage, which fell off and left the grapes exposed, affording every temptation to the bees; and this, too, through a season when the honey yield from natural sources was so small that the bees consumed stores they had gathered earlier in the season. But the bees do work on grapes, and also on other fruits under certain conditions. If the skin of grapes, peaches, pears, etc., is ruptured from any cause, the bees, wasps, ants, etc., are very quick in discovering it, and soon leave only the dried shells. During the hot weather of August, especially when there are frequent showers, the skin of ripening fruit cracks, for reasons which I will leave to some philosophical friend to explain. My conclusions are not hasty; nor were my observations superficial; but they were prolonged from the time the first grapes ripened until the close of the season. I found some clusters of grapes literally covered with bees scrambling and fighting for the little sweets contained in the cracked grapes, which are the only ones on which they work, as I found out by driving the bees away and removing from the clusters all the bursted grapes, when the bees, as soon as they found only sound fruit remained, went away and left the grapes uninjured. We also laid some bunches of grapes on top of the hives and others close to the entrances, also left clusters hanging on the vines close to the hives, where they remained uninjured by the bees as long as the fruit was sound. I know very well that bees can gnaw through heavy muslin, or shave off wood and straw. To cover the bees we have quilts made of heavy muslin, which they sometimes bite through, and we have wood and straw hives on which they have enlarged the entrances; but, nevertheless, I am fully satisfied they do no injury whatever to sound fruit.

=Feeding Rye-Meal.=—In the _Indiana Farmer_ Mr. F. L. Dougherty says:

“Bees will not raise brood without pollen in some shape.
We frequently find colonies with but very little, and at
times none at all. In crowding them on a few frames, quite
frequently those left in the hive contain but little, if
any. So it becomes necessary to furnish it to them, until
they can gather it from natural sources. Unbolted rye-meal
is probably the best substitute, although they will use
wheat-flour, corn-meal, oat-meal, or in lieu of any of these,
will even carry saw-dust. To get the bees started, place a
piece of comb on the meal, and if the weather be pleasant and
no pollen to be had they will soon appropriate it. They will
leave the meal when natural pollen makes its appearance.”

☞ That excellent Monthly, published in Nyon, Switzerland, by Mons. E. Bertrand,—the “_Bulletin D’Apiculteur pour la Suisse_”—gives the Weekly BEE JOURNAL the following kind notice:

“We have received the first 2 numbers of the AMERICAN BEE
JOURNAL, which has been transferred from a Monthly to a
Weekly, by its Editor, Mr. T. G. Newman. Only one apiarian
publication is issued every 2 weeks, the _Bienen-Zeitung_ of
Eickstadt. That of Mr. Newman’s is, therefore, ‘the only one
in the entire world which is published weekly.’ It is also,
without doubt, the most universal. Its principal contributors
are among the most distinguished bee-keepers of America,
together with scientists, entomologists, chemists and
farmers; and the number of those who send it communications
can be called legion. It is, with an understanding of the
full extent of the services which it renders, through the
abundance of the observations and of the information which it
brings before its readers, that we offer to our colleague and
friend our warmest felicitations on the occasion of the new
development of his publication.”

This very kind notice is the more valuable as Mons. E. Bertrand is a man of intelligence and wealth, whose sole interest is his love of the pursuit of bee-keeping.

☞ _L’Apicoltore_, the organ of the Central Società d’Apicoltore d’Italia, also gives the BEE JOURNAL the following very kind notice, in its excellent number for February:

“The bee-papers are every day augmenting to suit the
increasing need of the readers, and the publisher of the
AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, Signor Newman, who came to Europe and
to Milan last year, announces that at the beginning of 1881
his Monthly JOURNAL will be issued every week.”

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☞ In Mr. A. Hoke’s letter, on page 77, he stated that the dead bees covered the ground for several yards. That was bad enough, but our compositor made it a hundred times worse by adding the word _hundred_. The reader will please discount that expression accordingly.

_SELECTIONS FROM
OUR LETTER BOX_
]

=But Few Bees Lost.=—We have had a pretty hard winter for bees, although I have heard of but few losses in this section. My bees are packed in chaff, and are all alive but 2 colonies, which were very weak when packed. Success to the BEE JOURNAL.

F. W. BURTNETTE.

Morrice, Mich., March 12, 1881.

=An Old Queen.=—We have had a couple of warm, bright days at last, and my bees are flying, what of them are alive. Out of 33 colonies, I think I have 10 or 12 alive, some of them pretty strong, others weak. I have 3 Italian colonies—they seem strongest. What hives I have looked into, where the bees are dead, appear to have plenty of honey, and the other bees appear to be taking the honey out, and I fear are taking from the weak colonies also. Should I prevent them from appropriating it? I noticed some drones with one of my Italian colonies; what does that mean at this time of year? I have been a short distance south, returning home 3 weeks ago. There has been great loss of bees in Fayette and Wayne counties, as well as in Wabash. Please answer above questions in the BEE JOURNAL.

JOEL BREWER.

Lincolnville, Ind., March 10, 1881.

[It is not advisable to let bees have access to combs in
other hives; if they need honey, put the combs in the hives
where wanted, and not too many. If the strong are robbing the
weaker colonies, exchange stands with them. The presence of
drones thus early indicates an old or defective queen. Unless
there is a large quantity of sealed worker brood (indicating
the queen is perfect), we would supersede her as soon as
possible, unless the bees save the trouble. —ED.]

=Gathering Pollen.=—My bees gathered pollen lively to-day, and are strong for this time of year. My loss in wintering is 4 colonies, leaving 8 to commence the season with. Nearly all the bees in this county are dead.

JOHN C. GILLILAND.

Bloomfield, Ind., March 15, 1881.

=No Winter Flight Yet.=—I am trying to winter 163 colonies in Mitchell hives. All are boxed and packed in chaff with 2 thicknesses of burlaps over the bees; the ends of the hives to the division-boards are filled with chaff; combs contracted to such numbers as bees would cover. They were put into winter quarters Nov. 13, and have had no flight yet. I find many colonies affected with dysentery, and 12 are dead. It is snowing to-day with prospects of another blizzard. I cannot estimate the loss at present; will report at a future time. With many others, I am free to throw in my mite of joy for the weekly visitations of the JOURNAL.