Chapter L: A. Aspinwall—I have experimented for 20 years with machinery, and

the profits for the last five years have paid for all the experiments. If we could learn how to successfully winter our bees, there would be a saving of thousands of dollars.

Upon motion of Mr. Hunt a committee of three (W. Z. Hutchinson, L. A. Aspinwall and Wm. Anderson) was appointed to draft a resolution expressing the views of the convention, in regard to the desirability of having the experimental work continued, the selection of a man to do the work, and the appointment of a committee to decide in regard to the line of work to be done.

Next came an essay from the Hon. Geo. E. Hilton, on the

=Advantages of Northern Michigan for Honey-Production.=

That Northern Michigan has advantages over the southern or older portions of the State, none familiar with the productions of honey can deny. But to know the advantages of any locality one must be familiar with the flora. The first advantage to be derived from these newer localities is the early flow. In springs following winters of deep snows our bees are bringing in pollen and some from the willows before the snow is all gone. The soft maples soon follow, then the hard or sugar maple, from which we get large quantities of honey. I have said that I believed were the bees in as good condition to store honey as during the basswood flow, it would come in nearly as fast. The honey very much resembles maple syrup. I think, however, that it gets its color from the mixture of dandelion that comes in at the same time. As I prefer to have this all used in the brood-nest, I do not put on the surplus cases until the raspberry bloom opens, but I have extracted from the stronger colonies' brood-nests to give the queen room, and fed to the weaker ones, and if you have never tried it you would be surprised at the results with the weak colony.

From what I have already written, you will readily see that our bees are in the very best possible condition to store surplus at the opening of the raspberry bloom. The blackberry comes before this is gone, and lasts until clover, and clover lasts until basswood, so you see it gives a continuous flow of white honey from berry bloom to close of basswood.

Some years ago one of the oldest honey-producers in the State (one who lives in the village where they keep the insane and raise celery, and who wintered his bees in a damp cellar, and brought them out in the spring reeking with mold, and declared they wintered splendidly), came to make me a visit during the berry bloom, before clover was in blossom. We went into the yard, and he remarked that my bees _seemed_ strong. "Oh, yes," I said, "they are doing very nicely."

I raised the cover to one of my chaff hives—"What!" he said, "_got surplus cases on?_" "Oh, yes," I said; and stepping to the next hive I showed him one tiered up, and the top one nearly finished.

"Well, if that don't beat me! Why, I had not thought of putting on a super yet," he further remarked. On looking further, he admitted there were more bees in one of my hives than in any three of his.

That year I took 1,500 pounds of berry bloom honey from 65 colonies, but I never knew blackberry to produce so much honey as in that year. My average, that year, was 80 pounds per colony, comb honey.

Two years ago last September, I was sick the entire month. As soon as I could safely get out, I commenced a trip among the bee-keepers, partially for a visit, but principally to buy honey. The most promising fields I found were in Mecosta, Clare, Isabella, Montcalm, Osceola and Lake counties, and the honey I found, as a whole, was of the best quality I ever bought. At Martiney, in Mecosta county, I found a fine lot produced by a young lady. In Clare county I found nice lots, also in Osceola county. In all these counties they get their honey principally from raspberry and willow-herb. The willow-herb coming soon after the berry bloom, and lasting until frost. In all these counties I did not see a section of dark honey, and here comes the sequel to their successful wintering—the brood-chambers are well filled with this white, well-ripened honey, and very little pollen (the willow-herb produces but little pollen); the bees breed up so fast, and the hives are teeming full of good, healthy bees.

In these counties, in the spring and early summer, there are thousands of acres of wild berries, and in the latter part of the summer and fall just as many of the willow-herb.

In Lake county there was less timber, and the golden-rod predominates in the fall, and there is not so much willow-herb. From Baldwin north there are acres and acres of golden-rod, that resemble fields of wheat. If I could be with you, I could tell you much more about this country than I can write, and it is the first time, I think, in 14 years, that I have missed a State convention.

I wish you all a pleasant and profitable time, which I know you will have.

GEO E. HILTON.

* * * * *

Byron Walker—I have been in the locality of the willow-herb one year, and it did not yield honey that year. I believe it is considered a sure producer of honey. In Clare county there are many asters, and bees have died in the winter. Perhaps the yield was light.

Chas. Koeppen—I believe that more depends upon ventilation than upon the stores. The foul air and moisture must be carried off. I have two apiaries—in one there was a good yield, and in the other but little.

H. L. Hutchinson—I have not had a failure with golden-rod in ten years.

E. G. Grimes—Alsike furnishes the most honey in my locality.

Mr. Koeppen—Alsike is like other plants. Sometimes it furnishes honey, and sometimes not.

H. Webster asked if there was any foundation in the assertion that some bees gathered honey from red clover while others did not.

W. Z. Hutchinson—I one year had 1,000 pounds of honey from red clover. It was the result of a drouth that shortened the tubes of the blossoms. I had blacks, hybrids and Italians in the yard, and they all gathered honey from red clover.

August Koeppen said that it would pay to move bees to some other locality only when there was nothing that could be gathered at home. Migratory bee-keeping is largely practiced in Germany.

(Continued next week.)

* * * * *

"=The Honey-Bee=: Its Natural History, Anatomy and
Physiology," is the title of the book written by Thos. Wm.
Cowan, editor of the _British Bee Journal_. It is bound in
cloth, beautifully illustrated, and very interesting. Price,
$1.00, postpaid; or we club it with the BEE JOURNAL one year
for $1.65. We have only three of these books left.

FROM "THE STINGER."

The "Stinger's" a poet,
Knows a sheep from a goa-et,
And he stings at random all day;
He thinks he's a honey,
Because he's so funny—
For reference see A. B. J.
—_Progressive Bee-Keeper_

No, I'm not a poet,
Neither did I know-et,
Nor do I sting all the livelong day;
Once a week I've some fun
Making you folks jump and run—
So, what more do you wish me to say?

* * * * *

A certain editor reckoned without his host when he tried to heap more accomplishments upon Editor York than the latter was entitled too. Though Mr. York is a hard working man in the office of the BEE JOURNAL, he is saved the task of doing the stinging; which is, at times, hard work, for some of the people and things that "The Stinger" has to punctuate are pretty tough.

* * * * *

I think the reason why Editor York is not a "Stinger" is because he has not had much to do with the Punics. If he knew from practical demonstrations what those bees were, he would probably become a stinger, too. This is not intended as a joke on somebody's bees.

* * * * *

Rambler was hurt at last. For a time he was confined to the hospital, where I send all those who have been hit with my darts. He announced his injury in the BEE JOURNAL for Dec. 7, 1893, page 730, and he thought the wound inflicted by me must have been produced by a ramrod out of my gun. If he had been hurt as badly as he admitted he was, I am surprised. When my sting penetrated his thick hide he must have seen stars, consequently, at the same time, he had no trouble in magnifying a sting into the proportions of a ramrod. I would say in a fatherly way: My dear Rambler, keep your nose from rambling around in the loose way that you have been letting it stray about, and there will be little danger of its running up against the sting of The Stinger.

* * * * *

Rambler says he smiled a "smole" when his nose came in contact with my "stinger." Stings seem to have the same effect upon him that laughing-gas has upon a patient in a dentist's chair. Rambler, beware, for have you not heard that "laughing often comes to crying?" The next time we may hear from you, you may be sitting in a corner crying, because the sting got into your nose a little below the tip, and it is hurting you in a way that a sting never troubled you before.

* * * * *

The mission of The Stinger is to reform the bee-keeping world. (Did I hear you say that that is impossible, dear reader?) There is no man in the world that needs reforming more than the Rambler, and so his threats to expose me if I do not cease troubling him, fall upon me as uselessly as if he had never uttered them. For shame, on you, Rambler! to intimate that you will silence my pen. You might as well try to melt the snow on the tops of the high mountains away back of where you live, with that genial smile of yours, as to keep The Stinger from performing his mission. Rambler, beware of the day when I shall meet you in battle array.

* * * * *

Some one has sent me a copy of the December number of the _California Cultivator and Poultry Keeper_. It is a nice publication, but I do not see how it manages to live under such a load of a name. As it has a well edited apiary department, I imagine that the publisher will some day add _Bee-Keeper_ to the already long title.

* * * * *

A correspondent writes to know if The Stinger is a woman; she says she thinks The Stinger must be a female, because males do not sting. I would inform the fair writer, and all other persons who have doubts as to the sex of The Stinger, that he is a male; this male stings, if other males do not.

* * * * *

What is the difference between a swarm of bees and a sewing bee?

None, as far as buzzing is concerned.—_Ex._

* * * * *

Charlie—"Papa, why is it that honey, money and funny rhyme?"

"I don't know, unless that it is often very funny to get honey out of a bee-hive when the bees are all about your head, and because it is worth all the money one gets for it to get the honey from the bees. I heard a man say that he would not take honey from bees at any price."

Charlie—"Well, that's funny."

* * * * *

Student in apicultural class at agricultural college—"Professor, why is it dangerous for a person with the blues to go into an apiary?"

Professor (perplexed)—"I do not know; the text-books do not say anything on the subject."

Student (with much glee)—Because bees are said to have a preference for blue!

* * * * *

"To be or not to be stung," might have been written by Shakespeare instead of all that stuff about shuffling off this mortal coil, that school boys are so fond of spouting on declamation days. If he had said that about the bees, and a little more too, we might now be classing the Bard of Avon as something of a bee-keeper; and perhaps we would be having a peep into his immortal works through the pages of our friend, _Gleanings_.

* * * * *

Mr. Maybee—I have read that a professor in one of our agricultural colleges says that there is considerable difference between the sting of a wasp and that of a bee.

Mrs. M.—I am not willing to take that learned man's word for it, as I was stung by both, and did not see the difference; both are too hot for me.

_LANGSTROTH FUND._

[For years, bee-keepers have felt that they owed the Rev. L.
L. Langstroth—the Father of American bee-culture—a debt
that they can never very well pay, for his invention of
the Movable-Frame Hive which so completely revolutionized
bee-keeping throughout all the world. In order that his few
remaining years may be made as happy and as comfortable as
possible, we feel that we should undertake a plan by which
those bee-keepers who consider it a privilege as well as
a duty, might have an opportunity to contribute something
toward a fund that should be gathered and forwarded to
Father Langstroth as a slight token of their appreciation,
and regard felt for him by bee-keepers everywhere. No amount
above $1.00 is expected from any person at one time—but any
sum, however large or small, we will of course receive and
turn over to Father L. All receipts will be acknowledged
here.—ED.]

List of Contributors.

Previously Reported $79 95
Margaret Swain, Pendleton, Ind. 50
Ed. Weidner, Earlville, Ills. 1 00
Scott LaMont, Jarrett, Minn. 90
Wm. Kittinger, Caledonia, Wis. 1 00
——————
Total $83 35

CLUBBING LIST.

=We Club= the _American Bee Journal_ for a year, with any of the following papers at the club prices quoted in the =LAST= column. The regular price of both is given in the first column. One year's subscription for the American Bee Journal must be sent with each order for another paper:

_Price of both._ _Club._
The American Bee Journal $1 00

and Gleanings in Bee-Culture 2 00 1 75
Bee-Keepers' Review 2 00 1 75
Canadian Bee Journal 2 00 1 75
The Apiculturist 1 75 1 65
Progressive Bee-Keeper 1 50 1 30
American Bee-Keeper 1 50 1 40
Nebraska Bee-Keeper 1 50 1 35
The 8 above-named papers 6 25 5 25

* * * * *

=Have You Read= page 101 yet?

LETTER BOX

_REPORTS PROSPECTS &c_]

☞ Do not write anything for publication on the same sheet
of paper with business matters, unless it can be torn apart
without interfering with either part of the letter.

=The "Bee Journal" a Great Help.=

There is so much valuable information in the BEE JOURNAL that I cannot afford to destroy them, but will bind them and keep them as a book of reference. Really, I don't see how I could do without the BEE JOURNAL, or some other bee-paper that would come up to its standard. Last year I produced 1,500 pounds of comb honey, while in former years I never got over 400 pounds. Of course the extra flow last year accounts for much of my better success, but I also attribute very much of it to the "Old Reliable."

Myself and son have now 55 colonies in winter quarters, all apparently doing well except one colony that I think is queenless. Our success last year would have been much greater had the dry weather not cut the basswood flow short.

A. H. SNOWBERGER.

Huntington, Ind., Jan. 5, 1894.

=Had Plenty of Good Flights.=

I had 5 colonies, spring count, and increased to 11. They did very well the forepart of the season, but it was too dry to grow buckwheat, or any other honey-plant. The bees went into winter quarters in good condition, and are all right up to date. They have had plenty of good flights so far, but the worst is to come yet. In the spring, if the weather stays warm, they consume more than when it is cold. Bees were rather scarce last spring.

W. F. RINCK.

West Alexandria, O., Jan. 1, 1894.

=A Good Report—Bee Management.=

My 18 colonies of bees came through the winter in good condition last spring. They gave me a surplus of 2,000 pounds of white and sweet clover honey, 1,400 pounds of extracted, and 600 pounds of comb honey. The former sold here at $1.00 a gallon, and the latter at 13 cents a pound. I run 5 colonies a different way for extracted honey, and those 5 gave a surplus of 800 pounds. It was done as follows:

I watch until they prepare to swarm, and the honey-flow is close. I take out all frames from the brood-chamber, except the one the queen is on, which I put in the center, and fill the chamber with new frames of full sheets of comb foundation. I then take a full sheet of Root's perforated zinc, with ¼-inch bee-space between the frames and zinc, and put it over the brood-chamber. I then put a chamber on top of the zinc, and put the frames with the bees and brood in this top chamber, and cover it up. Now I have a laying queen and lots of room for brood below, and as fast as the brood hatches above, they fill it with honey if the flow is here. It was here this year, for they filled the top chamber, after the first extracting, in four days—6 frames two-thirds capped.

My increase is from 18 to 25 colonies, which are in double-walled hives, and in as good condition for winter as I ever had them.

HENRY BOHLMANN.

Defiance, O., Jan. 1, 1894.

=Uses of Perforated Zinc.=

In reading the short item by Mrs. Jennie Atchley, in regard to the different uses of Dr. Tinker's perforated zinc, I thought I would add a little of my experience to those already given.

1st. In hiving young swarms, I have found it to be excellent to place over the entrance to keep them from leaving or returning to the home hive.

2nd. When four or six swarms issue at the same time, and cluster together, I have found it to be of the greatest value to me. I look the bees over, find my queens, and place them in separate hives, and put on the zinc over the entrance; then I take a large dipper and dip the bees from the place where they alighted, putting them in front of the different hives, when the bees will separate, each swarm going into its own hive.

In using the zinc, some might misunderstand me. I only leave the zinc on the entrance from two to four days; if the queens are young, I only leave it on two days, so as to give them a flight. With old queens I leave it on longer.

ANDREW M. THOMPSON.

Canaseraga, N. Y.

=Something from Central California.=

Being a Californian, and having not as yet crossed the State line, it is with great pleasure that I read the reports from other States or localities throughout the United States. I was pleased to see in the BEE JOURNAL a report from Kern county—a county joining Tulare county on the south—of my neighbor realizing nearly 300 pounds per colony. Now I have reasons to believe that bees will produce a great deal of honey per colony in Kern county, as I own a small ranch containing 685 acres down there, and am quite familiar with the country. We have the largest alfalfa fields in the world in Kern county, Calif. We have a man in Kern county who owns in one body almost 1,000,000 acres of land.

I have seen the time that all the counties in the San Joaquin valley, consisting of Kern, Tulare, Kings, Fresno, Modara, Merced, and Modesto—all were joined in large tracts, and had their herds after herds of bellowing cattle roaming over its one level plain, as the San Joaquin valley is level, not one elevation 50 feet high in a valley that is 75×200 miles in size.

Our Senator, Tom Fowler, who owned cattle all along the coast from San Francisco to Los Angeles, used to say: "I own the cattle that roam on a thousand hills." I am the same old 76. Tom and all of his bellowing herds are no more. The "76 ranch," which is located in Tulare county, was Tom's head-quarters. It has been cut up into small farms, all the way from 20 up to 2,000 acres, and there are thousands of happy and beautiful homes, school houses, churches and towns, instead of the mustang and its master.

Our part of the State is not generally known, as this is central California, and the cities north and south try to claim us as theirs.

FRED M. HART.

Traver, Calif.

=A Little Experience with Bees.=

Bee-keeping has about "gone to seed" in this part of the country. If a person undertakes to keep bees on modern principles, he is considered a crank. They think "pa" knew it all. "Pa" kept 15 or 20 colonies, and would get 20 or 25 pounds of honey from one colony. "Pa" would take care of his bees; he would put little blocks or nails under each corner of the hive, and then moths would not bother them!

I have read Quinby's book, "A B C of Bee-Culture," _Gleanings_ for two years, the BEE JOURNAL for one year, also "Bees and Honey," and with my practical experience, I feel that I am just beginning to learn my A B C's.

My experience is not very extensive. I ran one colony this year for increase, and made 10 colonies from it, and they only cast one natural swarm. I got the idea of artificial increase from "Bees and Honey." That alone has been worth ten times the price of the BEE JOURNAL to me. Those 10 colonies of bees could not be bought for $20. People will say "times are too hard—I can't spare the money."

I can't close without telling how much I enjoy "In Sunny Southland." That alone is worth the price of the paper. Long live the AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL!