Chapter I: Front Matter

Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by =equal signs=.

ESTABLISHED IN OLDEST BEE-PAPER
1861 IN AMERICA

THE AMERICAN
BEE JOURNAL

Weekly, $1 a Year.} DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY {Sample Copy Free.
TO BEE-CULTURE.

VOL. XXXIII. CHICAGO, ILL., JAN. 25, 1894. NO. 4.
]

GEORGE W YORK. EDITOR]

=Beeswax=, so it is said, is formed by one equivalent of starch changed into fat by losing one equivalent of carbonic acid and seven equivalents of oxygen.

=The Ohio Convention= will be omitted this winter. So we are informed by Miss Dema Bennett, the Secretary of the association. She says that the Executive Committee has so decided, but will hold one next winter. Due notice of time and place will be given in the BEE JOURNAL.

=Bro. Geo. W. Brodbeck=, of Los Angeles, Calif., has been appointed chairman of a committee to secure and put in place the bee and honey exhibit at the Midwinter Fair now being held in San Francisco.

It is proposed that a "honey pyramid," consisting of comb and extracted honey, be built, six feet square at the base, and 15 feet high. It is thought that 1,500 pounds will be required, and that this will exceed the famous Egyptian pyramids—in sweetness.

California bee-keepers are invited to help make the display, which, no doubt, they will do in a handsome manner.

=Bro. G. M. Doolittle= is writing a series of semi-political articles for the _Free Press_ of Skaneateles, N. Y. The first is on "The Tariff Wrong in Principle." Another will be on "The Tariff for Protection Wrong;" the next on "The Tariff for Revenue Wrong;" then will come two articles on "The Liquor Traffic," which will probably be followed by one on the financial situation of our country. If the reader desires to see all these articles, send 25 cents to the _Free Press_ for three months subscription, asking the publisher to begin with Bro. Doolittle's first article, then you will have them all. For ourselves, we can say that we are always interested in what Bro. Doolittle may have to say, whether it be on bee-keeping, or anything else.

☞ Bees never puncture fruit, and unless the skin has been broken by other insects or birds, they never molest it.—_Newman._

=Basis of Honey-Predictions.=—Finally, we think we have learned upon what basis certain honey-prophets base their prophecies about honey crops. It appears to be something like this:

The more rain and snow in November and December, the more honey there will be the following season; and if there is no rain or snow in the two months mentioned, there will be no honey.

The predictions are made upon the reports of the State Weather Bureaus, or the Weather Bureau reports in Washington, D. C. All who wish to test the reliability of such a basis for a honey-prediction, should get the weather reports, and begin to foretell for themselves, and thus not be required to await the movements of some so-called "honey-prophet."

We believe the above rule for prophesying is for linden, sourwood, and white clover honey.

Who knows but this may be the secret to which the Tennessee honey-prophet, Sam Wilson, has been so tenaciously hanging on? We shouldn't be a bit surprised if it should prove to be that very secret. If so, every bee-keeper can now be his own "honey-prophet"—whether he gets any honey or not.

=Mr. N. W. McLain=—once in charge of a United States experiment apiary, and an apicultural writer—has been visiting recently at Mrs. Atchley's home. Mr. McLain's address is Hinsdale, Ills.

=The Iowa Honey Exhibit= at the World's Fair, we have pleasure in illustrating and describing this week. No separate appropriation was made for the exhibit, but the Iowa Columbian Commission, recognizing bee-culture as one of the many agricultural pursuits of the State, desired that a creditable exhibit of honey and wax should be made in connection with their agricultural exhibits, and for that purpose appointed Bro. E. Kretchmer, of Red Oak, Iowa, on Jan. 14, 1893. This being too late to secure suitable honey for an exhibit from the crop of 1892, only enough was placed in the case at the beginning of the Fair to retain the space.

There being no money to buy the honey for a suitable exhibit, Mr. Kretchmer, by issuing several circulars, and making several personal visits to prominent apiarists, enlisted the aid of the Iowa bee-keepers, and nobly did they respond by loaning the honey that was exhibited in the Iowa case. Believing that much credit is due those who thus generously loan honey for exhibition purposes, we give the names of those who aided thus, and also what they contributed:

E. J. Cronkleton, of Dunlap—100 pounds of nice comb honey.

F. A. Beals, of Salix—480 pounds of extracted basswood
honey, and 544 pounds of comb honey.

R. B. Arnold, of Foster—20 pounds of white clover comb honey.

T. C. DeClercq, of DeSoto—60 pounds of extracted clover
honey, 60 pounds of extracted basswood honey, and 105 pounds
of comb honey.