thing-if it is only opening clams-and by exchange of products, we can all get expert service in everything that goes to make up our lives. An expert beekeeper will verify your plans, or point out the weak points in a few minutes, and perhaps save the manufacture of bee-keepers' supplies, or an amateur bee-keeper thousands of dollars; but do not expect his services for nothing, nor that he will charge by the hour. He must have something for the time spent in educating himself, the same as for any other profession.

Buffalo, N. Y.

Italians vs. the Black Bees.

CHARLES WHITE.

On page 325, Mr. Nelson finds lots of fault with the Italian bees. I would like to have the address of the breeders that send out the worthless Italians that Mr. Nelson mentions-I would like to try one or two out of curiosity, as I have never found the traitor in any I have tried, that Mr. N. speaks of.

It is true that the Italians will swarm earlier in the season than the blacksthat is one of their redeeming traits, for if they are properly handled that will do them for the season, while the blacks will get strong enough to swarm about the time they should be working in the sections, and if there is any flow of honey they will surely swarm, and keep swarming as long as the honey-flow lasts.

I will admit that they can be kept from swarming, and have buckwheat for them to work on; that they will go into the sections ahead of Italians, but the Italians will start ten days later in the sections, then catch up with the blacks, if the flow lasts two weeks longer. If the flow should be cut short, and you take what surplus the blacks have put into, the sections, then they will starve before Spring. That is one of their traits, to have a hive full of brood when they should have it full of honey.

As for the stinging qualities of the blacks, there is nothing that will beat them except the hybrids, and they have the energy of the Italians and the wickedness of the blacks. I can nearly always tell what kind of bees a man has as soon as he tells me how they act.

I am often asked how I get rid of the moths. My reply is, " "Get Italians ;"

and it is generally asked by those who have blacks.

It is often remarked by visitors in my apiary, that my bees work better than theirs. They say theirs are not working well. I remove the cover of the hive to show them what the bees are doing, and the visitors nearly always say, "Hold on, until I get away!" After getting them over their scare, they are surprised, and say, "My; if I should do that with my bees, they would run me off the farm." I then tell them that mine are Italian bees, while theirs are blacks. They want to know then how I knew they were blacks.

I do not believe there is anything in the climate to make the difference, as I have had queens from a number of different States, and their bees are about the same.

Farmers' Valley, Nebr.

Bees Leaving Hives-Artificial Pollen.

A. C. BABB.

On Feb. 22, one of my colonies came out of the hive and flew around for sometime. I found the queen and put her at the entrance, and in a few minutes the bees were all in. While the bees were out I examined the combs, and found plenty of honey and some brood, but no bee-bread. The next day they came out again, and flew as they did the day before. I managed to secure the queen again, clipped one wing, and put her at the entrance as before, and soon the bees were all in again.

I went to another colony and took out a frame that was well supplied with bee-bread and honey, and gave it to the uneasy colony, which accepted it, and concluded to stay at home and be contented. The next day they went to work on the pollen substitute described below.

I have had the grippe since Jan. 15, and have not done any work the past two weeks, nor been out except when in the warm sunshine. I have not given my bees the attention that they should have had, but they have all wintered nicely so far. They have stores sufficient until the peach bloom opens, excepting the colony above described. It will not be long before the elms and peach-bloom will afford abundant pollen for the bees.

I have been using a substitute for pollen, made of equal parts of wheat and oats ground together. I sifted the bran

out, then put the flour on a plank 18 inches wide and 6 feet long, with strips nailed on the sides and ends to hold the flour. I put this out on warm days, only when the bees could fly freely.

Greenville, Tenn., March 1, 1892.

Bees Selecting a Home—Wintering.

R. A. SHULTZ.

I desire to give some of my experience about bees selecting homes. I passed through a farm about 11⁄2 miles south of here one day in the Summer of 1888. There was a large clearing on the farm, and as I passed through the clearing, I came to a party of men around a large white oak which was dead and dry. On approaching them, they said they had gathered there to cut a bee-tree. After looking, I told them that there was no swarm in the tree, as I saw the bees did not act right. They replied that they would cut it anyway, and see. They also had buckets to hold the honey, and a bundle of rags to smoke the bees.

The day was very hot, and they chopped a long time on the hard, whiteoak. At last it fell, and they all rushed to where the supposed bees were. There was about a dozen bees in the hollow of that tree, but they soon flew away, and the men took their buckets and axes and went home.

Dr. Robert Valentine had 30 or 40 colonies of bees in round logs, which were about 200 yards off. I supposed them to be cleaning to occupy that tree, as it had a nice hollow, and was dry. I have also followed 3 or 4 swarms to trees, which left after being hived, and went straight to the tree, and it seems as if they knew where the hole was, or they could not go straight to it. They surely have reason enough about them to swarm, find a home, and go to it, or else it is a kind of 66 high grade instinct."

Bees have some curious movements. I had a second swarm to come out last Summer about 9 o'clock in the morning, and I hived them. At 12 o'clock they. were swarming again, and they did not cluster, but swarmed on until it was about dark, and then went back into the hive they were first put into, and the next day they went to work and did well.

I packed my bees for Winter in a straight row out in the yard. I first placed the hives close together, covered the alighting-boards with thin boards

cut for the purpose, so as to give an entrance. I then put up posts at each end, and nailed on a plank 16 feet long, letting the first come down on the boards over the alighting-boards. When boarded up the right distance, I put the packing in, and covered over with boards. I think this a cheap way to pack bees for Winter, and they keep warm. But there is one trouble about it-the bees are apt to get mixed, and kill each other. I have lost one colony with diarrhea this Winter, but the rest seem to be in good condition, with sufficient honey. They have been gathering pollen for some days, but it is cold with frost this morning.

Cosby, Tenn., March 3, 1892.

Rendering Wax from Old Combs.

S. H. HARRISON.

I have tried various methods and contrivances for rendering wax from old combs, and the best thing I have tried until now, is Doolittle's solar wax extractor, which I tried last Summer in Colorado; but having a small quantity of combs and fragments here that I did not wish to throw away, I began to think how I could do it best, and with the least cost.

One night after going to bed, the mat-ter of a cheap wax extractor came into my mind the (a la Doolittle), and thought struck me, Why not have a tin spout, made the shape of the tin part of Doolittle's extractor, only not so large, but perhaps a little longer, with a solid head at one end, and a bar of tin across near the other to hold it in shape; then take a piece of tin about 11⁄2 inches wide, double over both edges, leaving the bar about 4 of an inch wide, and long enough to bend in proper shape to form two legs, raising the end with the head in about 2 inches, and spread enough to keep the spout right side up.

Then take a piece of wire cloth, place it in the spout, pressing it to the bottom, but let one end rest on and over the bar across the lower or front end.

Put the combs or wax in the spout, or above the wire cloth, and (if the "better half" is good natured) set the whole in the oven of the cook-stove, placing a dish under the lower end of the spout, which projects a little from the oven, to catch the wax as it runs out. It works all right. Twenty-five cents is the expense of mine.

Mankato, Kans.

When to Spray Fruit-Trees.

JACOB MOORE.

Some time since I sent a request to Mr. James V. Mickel, of Ionia, Mich., for a statement of his views on the subject of spraying fruit trees. He has sent to me the following reply, which I think will be interesting to the readers of the AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, and so I send it for publication. He writes thus:

DEAR SIR:-Your favor requesting me to write a short article giving my experience in spraying fruit trees, is received.

Your first question, as to when is the proper time, I will have to answer there can be no date fixed, as the seasons vary so much. Some seasons would be a week or ten days later than others, and vice versa. My experience is that the best time is when apples or pears are about the size of a small cherry. The codling-moth does not deposit her egg until the blossom is fully opened, and I think a large majority of them are deposited after the blossom has fallen off. I should not expect to receive much benent, if any, by spraying while the trees were in blossom, but, on the other hand, I should fear injury by causing the fruit to blast.

It may be asked, why I recommend waiting until the fruit is as large as a cherry.

First, because I have found that for two or three days after the blossoms fall, the stamens and pistils remain in the calyx, which makes it difficult to force the spray into the calyx just where it is wanted, the stamens and pistils seeming to break the force of the spray. Last, but not least, we want the time as short as possible between the spraying and the hatching out of the egg, because at that time of the season we are liable to have heavy rains, which would make it necessary to do the work all over again. I am satisfied that a second spraying, a week or ten days later, would well pay for the expense; but in my own case it has been impracticable, on account of the work I have had to do at that season of the year, having an orchard of nearly 3,000 trees, in all my different kinds of fruit.

I would say for those not fully acquainted with the results obtained by spraying, that the codling-moth deposits her eggs when the tree is in blossom, or soon after in the calyx or "blow" end of the fruit, where it hatches out in ten

days or two weeks, and immediately bores and eats its way to the center of the fruit.

Now, our object is to spray some of the poisoned water into the cup-shaped calyx, where it dries down and remains until the worm hatches, and so when it eats its first breakfast, it is also its last

one.

In conclusion, I would say that as to whether or not the spraying of fruit trees is injurious to the honey-bee, I think I have fully answered when I say it is improper and injurious to the fruit crop to spray when the trees are in blossom. J. V. MICKEL. Ionia, Mich., Feb. 29, 1892.

Prevention of After-Swarms.

THEODORE HEISS, JR.

I noticed in the AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL that the subject of "Prevention of After-Swarms" has attracted some attention. Mr. Cronkleton claims to be in possession of a secret modus operandi, which he offers for sale, by which beekeepers might be benefited. Regarding this proposition, I venture the following assertion I know of a simple procedure which will produce the same effect, and my modus operandi is offered free of charge.

My method is the following: As soon as a swarm issues, I mark the parent colony, and the next day I uncover the hive and introduce a virgin queen by simply allowing her to run in between the combs. This simple transaction will prevent after-swarming, for the following reasons: It is a well-established fact, that by departure of the old queen, the queenless colony depends upon its queen-cells for its future queen, and as the first queen thus hatched destroys all the remaining queen-cells, unless signaled by the "piping" of a second queen, this new queen will take the old queen's place, hence there will be no after-swarming; the queen, if signaled, will leave with part of the bees, called an after-swarm. As the next queen (No. 2) hatches, if signaled by a third, another swarm will issue, and so on.

By introducing a virgin queen about two days old (which every bee-keeper should have at that time), all queencells will be destroyed by that queen, which will be mated in a few days, thus effectually preventing after-swarming, and advancing brood-rearing from 10 to 15 days.

According to my experience, bees in such a state of queenlessness never destroy a virgin queen introduced at the top of the hive, the bees not knowing whether such queen came out of their own cells or not.

Colonies thus treated will not only discontinue swarming, but if given sufficient space, will not give a swarm for the rest of the season.

If this method should not happen to be identical with Mr. Cronkleton's mode of operation, it certainly will answer the intended purpose.

Panama, Iowa, March 7, 1892.

Spraying Fruit-Trees While in Bloom.

SAMUEL UTZ.

On page 223 I notice an article by Mr. John G. Smith, on spraying fruittrees while in bloom. There is no doubt in my mind that he is right. We all know Paris-green is poison. My neighbors and I sprayed our fruit-trees last Spring with Paris-green- pound of Paris-green to 50 gallons of water. I only sprayed about half of my trees, but those that were sprayed were no better than the rest.

We all did the spraying before the trees were in bloom, so there were no bees killed; but now some of our neighbors say that it was the wrong time; that they will spray there trees this Spring when in full bloom. Now I would like to know through the AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL whether we as beekeepers must let them go on and kill our bees, or is there any way to stop them from spraying the trees while in bloom? If not, then we as bee-keepers are in a bad condition in this part of Ohio.

I have kept bees over 40 years; they are my pets, and if they were poisoned, I would feel very badly. I have 55 colonies, all in good condition, packed on the summer stands. I packed some with wool cushions on two sides, and a wool cushion on top. My best Italian bees are packed on four sides with wool cushions, and one on top: In this way I have never lost any bees. One and a fourth pounds is plenty of wool to pack one colony.

I notice on page 216 that Mr. Doolittle and wife were both down with La Grippe. I can sympathize with them, for I have been down for three weeks with the same disease. I am some better now, but not well yet.

Kenton, Ohio, Feb. 23, 1892.

Black Bees vs. the Italians.

IRVIN GROVER.

H

Statements like those of John Blanken, on page 253, hardly need a reply, but for those who are unacquainted with other races of bees, something more may be said. I am not a queenbreeder, but keep bees for pleasure and profit the more profit, the more pleasure to me. I have tested the blacks by the side of the Italians, and have found the Italians superior in every point mentioned by Mr. Blanken.

Last season I arranged two hives side by side for extracting, one colony was blacks, the other Italians; very nearly alike in strength when the honey harvest came, but at each extracting I got more than double the honey from the Italians, and had to feed them less in the Fall for Winter stores. It would be

as sensible to claim the box-hives or loggums were superior to the frame hives as to claim that black bees are better than Italians.

As for giving the blacks more smoke when handling, my experience is that it causes them to stampede clear out of the hive, and that I do not like when I am hunting for a queen.

Most bee-keepers have the Italians, and know them to be superior.

Mr. L. C. Root, in "Quinby's New Bee-Keeping," says that a queen can now be bought for $2, that in 1860 would have cost $20-the price Mr. Quinby paid for his first queen. If the investment paid then, it surely must

now.

Cooperstown, N. Y.

Bee-Scouts Selecting a Home.

A. J. DUNCAN.

If the subject of bee-scouts is not entirely exhausted, I would like to give a little of my experience. I think it was in the Winter of 1884-85 that was so disastrous to bees-nearly all the bees in this part of the country died-I lost all I had (38 colonies).

In the Spring I succeeded in buying one colony, and took 2 on shares; being in hollow logs I transferred them to movable-frame hives. Of course, about swarming time I watched my bees with a great deal of interest. I had cleaned out the hives nicely, and stacked them upon each other perhaps 3 feet high,

One day I noticed a few bees working in one of the hives, but supposed they had found a little honey. The next day the number was considerably increased, and they were working in two hives that were about a foot apart, the entrances being towards each other. They kept getting stronger each day until the fourth day (I think it was about 10 o'clock a.m.) I heard a roaring, and saw a very large swarm of bees, or rather 2 swarms. They settled on these 2 hives, and went right in as fast as they could go. A queen was in each hive, and they divided fairly well. It might have been an accident that the queens took separate hives, but it was hardly an accident that the bees came here.

Again, last Summer I had a very large swarm come out. The bees clustered, and I hived them nicely in a good, clean hive, as I thought. The next forenoon they came out and started for the timber, which was close. I followed them; they went slow, and I nearly kept up. They went straight to a squirrel-hole in a hollow limb, and went in as fast as they could get in. Now, did they know where they were going to, when they started?

While I think a large majority of bees select a place to go to before they swarm, I think some do not, but wander aimlessly around, and finally perish. Hartford, Iowa, Feb. 20, 1892.

Poisoning Skunks in the Apiary.

WM. C. WOLCOTT.

I notice by recent articles in the BEE JOURNAL, that some bee-keepers have been troubled with skunks in their apiaries. I think that my way of getting rid of these pests is better than those of some others.

My bees, in the Summer, are from 30 to 60 feet from the house. I have short pieces of board with one end on the ground, and the other end resting against the hive bottom-board, near the entrance to the hive.

A few years ago my bees were somewhat troubled with the skunks. In the morning, when I went out, I found several boards knocked down, and some entrance-boards on the ground.

I used no trap to catch the skunks, but got a bottle of strychnine and an egg. I broke a hole in the small end of the egg, and then took strychnine enough to make a ball about as large as a com

mon-sized pea; I pulverized it very fine, and put it in the egg and mixed it with the egg, which I then put by the hive.

After the skunk eats the egg, it will be found dead within three rods of the hive. I have killed a number of skunks in this way, but never had one get more than three rods from where it ate the egg. I never have had one leave any unpleasant odor around the house. I found one dead with the egg-shell under its neck, where he ate it. I have not been troubled with skunks for five or six years.

Eldorado, Wis.

Mating of Queen-Bees, Etc.

JOHN D. A. FISHER.

I have read and re-read with much interest Mr. Geo. S. Wheeler's article on page 106. From his stand-point, queenbreeders could sell tested queens that they call pure, and yet they would be mismated and produce hybrid bees with From this standthree-yellow bands. point all a queen-breeder would have to do, would be to keep his queens very yellow, and he would be sure to get the three yellow-banded bees; whether the queens mated with Italian or black drones, the yellow bands would come all the same.

My experience has been very different from the above. I have bought some large and beautiful yellow Italian queens from noted queen-breeders. I have reared young queens from these beautiful mothers, and whenever one of these young queens mated with a black drone, she produced hybrid bees.

Last June I had a very large, bright yellow queen. She was the largest and the prettiest virgin queen I ever saw. How I did want her to mate with one of those beautiful Italian drones then flying in my yard! But to my disappointment, when her young bees began to hatch, about half of them had no yellow bands. I have two beautiful yellow Italian queens in my yard now, that produce bees about half of which have no yellow bands.

I cannot agree with Mr. Wheeler, that an Italian queen mated with a black drone will produce all well marked worker bees. It would place our noted queen-rearers in a position that they could not guarantee a queen to be pure. If a man would send to me for a selected tested queen, and I had a beautiful yellow and large queen that had pro