Volume 3 — CORRESPONDENCE.

THE HONEY EXTRACTOR.

Friend Locke:

Your beautiful book, Vols. I and II of the “American Apiculturist,” is before me and its contents noted. It seems to fill the bill, being replete with items of importance especially to the more advanced apiarist. While we cannot forget the labors of a Langstroth, a Quinby, and a few other dear names, your work fills a more modern want, and if you keep in view the interest of honey producers, as I do not doubt you will, you ought to meet with success. I have been in the business of raising and marketing comb-honey about 35 years. Made a little at it once, but of late years it hardly pays. The injudicious use of the honey extractor has been a great damage to us as beekeepers, and it is the only thing I know of that can injure your success. This engine bee business is a mistake. Some are clamoring for a large iron extractor, that will extract not less than four combs in no time. I suppose their reason for it is that the larvæ will not expire under the operation. Some do not relish larval honey anyway, and Joseph prefers quality to quantity, nor does he believe it benefits brood or comb to be violently whirled in the vortex of death.

They talk about a glutted market. Well! well! honey is down and the mourners go about the streets. What shall we do? Create a home demand? I think friend L. C. Root has answered this question on page 48, Vol. II, “American Apiculturist” when he says “we must devise some means of producing smaller crops,” and I would add without diminishing our income that we annihilate the extractor. What other method can we rationally adopt to curtail the quantity and enhance the quality and thus keep up a demand at home and abroad? Self interest for one is self interest for all honey producers. It is better to make a little pay than a good deal not pay. I am not talking for the supply business; if I were, I should undoubtedly advocate the extractor, because what bees it does not kill in the larval state are hastened to an untimely death by a cruel and barbarous system, which creates a demand for fresh victims, fresh queens and fresh workers, so that now the supply dealer alone makes anything.

When a law is passed by the Legislature against the wicked practice of extracting honey as now carried on, it will be the happiest day that the bee, or the beekeeper who keeps bees for profit, has seen. Of course I do not hope to do justice to this question in so short an article, but would submit it to your thoughtful consideration as one of the most important questions touching the interest of the American beekeeper.

J. C. Clark.

Alden, N. Y., Apr. 15, 1885.

CHAFF HIVES AND DESTRUCTION OF BROOD.

Mr. Editor:

I drop these few lines to you to ascertain whether the “Apiculturist” is opposed to publishing opinions of beekeepers in regard to certain hives, in certain localities, their good and bad qualities, etc.

I sent A. I. Root my opinion of the chaff hive, in my locality, how I lost my bees very nearly all one season, by using them; and I proved the cause to be the fault of the hive.7 I must have been right, or he would certainly have published the article. At least I thought I was, since he didn’t publish it, which is about two years ago. Now he ought not to have been opposed to publishing my article, because I have already read in the Gleanings, where he said he was always glad to have the children write pieces for it, because, as he says, they generally speak their mind right out, no matter whom it hits.

Now, I am no child, nor am I a professional writer; but I consider that my article was as well gotten up as any child could get one up, and it was just as plain spoken too, as any article a child ever wrote for Gleanings, but it must have hit in the wrong place.

Now, Mr. Editor, if the “American Apiculturist” is conducted and run on such selfish motives, I would rather have my money returned than be considered a subscriber.

You are at liberty to publish this if you choose.

Sometime since I saw an article in one of the bee journals, in answer to an inquiry as to the reason why a certain gentleman’s bees tore down their worker brood and dragged it out.

The answer that he received was this: in case the honey flow ceases suddenly, the bees will tear down their worker brood and rid themselves of it to prevent starvation which, so far as my experience goes, I have never found to be the case, although I have known the honey flow to cease very suddenly and very often with me.

When the honey flow suddenly ceases it is a very common thing to see the bees dragging out drone brood; but whenever I see any of my bees carrying out their worker brood I know that that colony is troubled with the moth (or wax) worm.

I then open the hive and assist the bees in ridding themselves of the pests, and I have never yet failed to find the latter travelling along just under the cappings of the brood, where their presence is easily detected by white streaks which are easily followed with the head of a large pin or the point of a knife and the worm removed without injuring the brood in the least.

I suppose that the bees, in their efforts to secure and remove the worms, tear out some of the worker brood.

J. C. Simmons.

Pottsville, Pa.

NEWS FROM NEW YORK.

Friend Locke:

Vols. I and II of the “Api” (bound in one) came to hand in nice shape. Its make-up is far superior to bound vols. of papers and magazines in general, being free from advertisements through the body of the book. In fact one could hardly tell that it was a magazine as it has a strong appearance of being compiled expressly for book form. The mechanical part of the work is ahead of any volume on apiculture we know of, and of course the literary part is par excellence, coming as it does from such men as L. C. Root, A. J. Cook, J. E. Pond, Arthur Todd, etc., etc.

No apiarist who wishes to be up with the times can afford to be without it. It is an ornament to any library.

The snow is all gone, but with the exception of a few days the weather has been cold and May 1 and 2 it froze quite hard in the night. The winter has been severe. The loss in bees in this county is fully 50 per cent, yet what are left are in fair condition.

Clover appears not to have been killed during the winter and I think we may look for a fair crop of honey if we can get our stocks strong enough to swarm in time.

Wishing you success, I remain yours truly,

C. M. Goodspeed.

Thorn Hill, N. Y., May 4, 1885.

NEW YORK AND FLORIDA.

Dear Sir:

Books, papers and “Apiculturist” received. Thanks.

Owing to the continued cold weather in January and February the orange bloom is not at its prime yet at this date (March 11), so I will omit the report of its value as a honey producer until next month.

The temperature for February was yet lower than for January. I have taken three observations daily for the two months.

For January, at 7 A. M., average for the month 55.° At 1 P. M., in sun and cloudy weather, highest 78°, at 8 P. M., 54.° Extreme temperature, hottest, 98,° coolest 34.°

For February, 7 A. M., 47,° 1 P. M. in sun, 79,° 8 P. M., 53.° Highest above 92,° lowest, 28.°

Greatest variation during seven hours, 58.°

February at 7 A. M., temperature only 7° colder; at 1 P. M. 1° hotter and at 8 P. M., 1° colder.

January was very foggy and damp and much more uniform in temperature than February.

Bees work every favorable day but no swarming in this vicinity this month.8

C. G. Ferris.

Sanford, Fla., March 11, 1885.