The

of bees sucking water and going in every direction to the great forest below, which is not inhabited. All around us was the roar of bees, for the horsemint grows there in all its glory. forest must be full of bees, and this is a great bee and honey country. Beekeepers suffering from diseased or weak lungs could come up to this high country and be restored to health and at the same time enjoy prosperity by engaging in beekeeping.

When we reached the rocky peak which was the goal of our climb, we raised our hands to heaven, said our "little prayer," rested, ate our dinner, then went upon the tower and with our field glasses saw a mountain sight which only those can comprehend who have had a similar opportunity. Some mountains looked like stacks of rocks, others were in every imaginable shape. We saw, at the foot of our mountain, a little village, on the table land, which we reached before night, and found to be Highlands, North Carolina, where is located a great tuberculosis sanitarium where thousands of people have been and are being cured of this most dreaded disease. We found in a store there some honey in 2-pound sections, the first I had ever seen put up in this way. It was fancy. I paid 34 cents for a section of it. It was as fine in flavor as it ever was my pleasure to eat.

After spending the night there we returned home by private conveyance, as there is no railroad near and it is reached only by a steep, winding mountain road.

Our Yard at Fargo, Ga.

This is the picture of the home yard of our Fargo apiaries. It consists of 90 colonies. This was taken when about half the honey had been removed. This yard and the McCain yard gave us over 100 pounds average per colony of extracted honey.

Under the trees in the background

flows the famous old Suwanee river near its head waters. The yard is divided into two parts. This was done by moving them each way this spring to keep them out of the high back waters of the river. While our Texas beekeeping friends were losing their bees from floods, it seemed that the same fate awaited us, and it was only after much effort on the part of the

man in charge that they were saved. Mr. Bradley has charge of this branch of our business, and like Mr. McCain he is at home, having been reared down the river a short distance. Both are ambitious. Their greatest desire is the management of a great bee business, and perhaps I will never be able to furnish them all the bees they could handle.

Our McCain Yard at Fruitland, Ga.

The picture of the McCain yard, consisting of 100 colonies, the home yard of our Suwanee river apiaries, was taken while the spring crop of honey was on the hives. It averaged four shallow extracting supers per colony. We believe in using plenty of supers, and we usually get them filled, too, by our method of spreading brood and storing room. These hives are raised one inch from the bottom-boards, also the covers are rested on end cleats, allowing nearly one inch at the top. We talk and write "ventilation" and "practice what we preach." Some one might say that these ", "open" hives would be a good prey for robbers, but they don't attack such hives much, especially if a little precaution is used to keep down robbing.

We interested Mr. McCain in beeculture two or three years ago. Up to this time he was a trapper and hunter in the great Okefinokee swamp, near which he now lives. He is a bee enthusiast, and says that he never expects to go back to his old trade or do anything but keep bees. He follows closely my instructions and reaps results.

Closing of the Honey Season-Light Crop But Quality Good-How is FoulBrood Carried?

The honey season, which is just closing, records the dullest market the trade has known for years. Very little honey has been sold so far. Producers are holding for better prices. This is probably the best course, with a light crop of excellent quality and sugar on the rise. Extracting from wild harvest is over. Beans are now in bloom, and are reported yielding well.

This ought to be an excellent season for fall increase, which is frequently done in this climate. There is considerable bloom yet from which the bees may gather stores, so there ought to be little trouble from robbing. White sage has held out even yet, and there is some sumac and wild buckwheat, while all the stubble fields abound in drouth weed. Wax weed is still in and blue curls in restricted areas. It is well to build up what we can this fall, as there was comparatively little spring increase. The number of bees was also reduced last year from differ

ent causes. There was little natural swarming in the spring, and most beekeepers were after honey rather than artificial increase.

Just as soon as possible, we should begin fall increase. Have ready young laying queens and start nuclei, either by division-boards or small nucleus hives. In these new hives should be placed several frames of hatching brood. If starting right now, queencells could also be used, as there will probably be drones for two or three weeks yet. I have practiced this method for several years, and it usually works well here. A 5 or 6 frame nucleus is preferable. These should make strong colonies for next spring.

A good many here practice the method of taking off the supers and wintering the colony in one story. If this is done it should be later in the season when all the honey can be put in one story. The extra combs, of course, must be put away in mothproof quarters.

The health of the bees in southern California, generally speaking, is good, though European foulbrood has crept

Ontario Crop Prospect

In the July issue of the American Bee Journal, I stated that from appearances at that date, Ontario would have one of the lightest cops of white honey recorded for some years. A meeting of the Crop Report Committee of the Ontario Beekeepers' Asssociation, held recently in Toronto, decided that, from the reports submitted, an average of about 15 pounds per colony would not be exceeded. Personally, judging by letters from various parts of the province, and knowing how things are locally, I am inclined to think these figures high enough, and if strictly No. 1 white honey only was taken into account, there would not be as much as that.

In several counties adjacent to Toronto, a light yield was secured from maple, willow, etc., as well as a very small amount from clover and basswood, but so far, I have not seen a single pound of the honey that would pass as No. 1. At a time of the year when we do not think of getting any white honey here in York county, the bees at the north yard began unexpectedly to store nicely, and we have a half crop at that one yard. Not very much for a good year, but something to be appreciated in a year of failure, when all hopes of getting white honey had been abandoned for the season.

Wintering Prospects

In our own locality the season has been very dry up to date (Aug. 13). Quite a large acreage of buckwheat near our York county yards, but little honey stored as yet, owing to drouth. To be of benefit rain must come soon. Present indications are that it will be hard to get sugar for winter feeding, owing to the difficulties caused by the terrible war now raging, and naturally we are hoping for enough buckwheat to winter with, in case sugar is not ob

A poor season is a good time to test out methods of introducing queens. Since the direct method of introducing by smoking with any ordinary fuel has been recommended (for years I used tobacco smoke for this purpose), I have been successful in almost all attempts at introduction.

About three weeks ago a friend sent me two queens rather unexpectedly at a time when no nectar was coming in. Just a week previous another queen had come under the same condition from another friend, and as I had taken the queen away from a strong colony early in the morning and introduced the new arrival successfully in the evening, I felt like trying the same game with the other two. Accordingly early in the morning, to avoid any robbers nosing around, I hunted out the queens of two hybrids, one of them more than ordinarily vindictive, as results will show.

Queens were run in these colonies late in the evening, and the cross colony was given an extra hard smoking so as to be sure of results. Next morning I found the results sure all right, as on the co.er placed in front of the hive was my nice yellow queen. About five days later I went through this colony and cut out cells started, and that evening ran in another queen after giving another smoking. The next morning this queen was outside, too. Since then I have had letters from two well known queen-breeders, one in Ontario and another in New York State, both reporting heavy losses by

the direct method of introduction. As both of these men have introduced queens by the hundreds, I did not feel as mortified as if I had been alone, for "misery loves company.'

It shows that conditions are bound to arise that make any plan of introduction fallible. This verdict might be modified if we except some elaborate methods used for the introduction of very valuable queens, but, as a general rule, some three or four of the recognized common methods of introduction are SO sure that one willingly takes the chance of losing a queen now and then instead of going to so much work to be positive about results every time.

Caring for Super Combs

Last month I spoke of caring for the large number of super combs not in use because of the failure of the honey crop. Very little trouble occurred with the moths in combs in the honey houses until the last few days, when some are beginning to be in evidence. Some time in May a pile of supers was placed out in one yard to have the honey cleaned up the combs had not been licked up after extracting last fall. These supers have been out all summer with only a hive cover loosely placed on top of each tier. Today (Aug. 13) no signs of the moths are present. Spiders have webs more or less all through the combs and not a moth gets a chance to deposit eggs. Last week I was up at the Lovering yard, and there we have over 100 fulldepth supers piled out in the yard in like condition and not a moth showing its work. I will take the hint, and if another season like the present comes along, outdoors will go all the combs

No doubt many will be thinking about the feeding question by the time this issue is in print; in fact, some have written me already asking as to quantity to feed, time to do this work,

As to quantity to feed, be sure you have enough, and in a year like this we are more apt to err by giving too little than overdoing the matter, especially if sugar is dear and the pocket book light, as is the case with many of us this year; at least I can speak positively as far as I am concerned. As to time, much will depend upon your location. Formerly we had no buckwheat, and we aimed to have all feeding done in September. Of late years quite a lot of buckwheat is sown, much of it quite late. While this late buckwheat yields little honey, enough comes in to keep the bees breeding, and there is a lot of brood in the hives much later than formerly.

As we like the bulk of this brood to be hatched before doing any feeding, I would like all to be fed about Oct. 10 or 15. As we usually have many colonies to look after, we have to start about Sept. 26 in order to get through by the middle of October. At that date we feed a thick syrup made of 100 pounds of sugar to 50 of water. A sack of sugar is dumped into a tank used for storing honey, and on top of the sugar

a little over 50 pounds of boiling water is poured. A vigorous stirring with a large stick will in a few minutes give as good a feed as can be made. Best results re obtained by feeding the syrup quite warm, especially if the weather is chilly at the time.

Systematic Requeening

How I wish my bees were as sensible as Dr. Miller's, page 279. He says: "The bees usually requeen in good time, if the matter is left to them." And for that reason he does not do away with 2 year-old queens, if they appear to be making good Sorry to say that I do

FAR WESTERN

not practice systematic requeening, but in my case quite a large percentage of the colonies fail to replace 2-yearolds before they fail, and often act this way just at the close of fruit bloom, and this means a setback for the clover harvest.

[The answer criticized by Mr. Byer is not by Dr. Miller, but by the junior editor, as may be seen by the initials, C. P. D. at the foot of the reply. The question had been asked of me. Dr. Miller might have replied in a way more suited to Mr. Byer's views.C. P. D.]

BEE-KEEPING

Supering

With the slow flow we have had this year, it has not been advisable at any time to raise the first super until it was three-fourths finished. And by that time the second super would be half full, in many cases. Then, changing places and placing an empty super on top answered the requirements of this season. I had four supers on only one colony, quite a number had three on, but the great proportion had but one or two.

The bee-escape method is the nicest in removing comb honey, but smoking the bees out, then removing the super and jarring the remainder out on the ground works fast and well if the bees are not robbing. Fifteen cases an hour can be easily taken off by the smoke and jarring method, by one man.

New Net Weight Law on Section Honey

With the enforcement of the new net weight law there will doubtless be some changes in the methods of combhoney production. If stamping the net weight on a section has a tendency to limit sales, the beemen will have to put out a section holding 16 ounces net weight in order to hold the trade. It is doubt ul whether much more can be secured for a 16-ounce section than has been had for a 121⁄2 ounce one. The public will no doubt get used to the change, and after those who have had the idea that whenever they bought a section of honey they were buying a pound get over their disillusionment the trade will go along as formerly.

For those who have been weighing their sections in the past, the law works little hardship. The time taken to stamp the sections is not long. By packing uniform weight sections in a case the case may be filled full, if a single tier case, and then the tops of the sections may be stamped quickly and the cover put on. Where the double tier case is used the lower tier is put in and the tops of the sections are then stamped, then the ends of the case are stamped, and the top tier is

put in and these sections are then stamped and the cover put on.

By the use of the minimum weight stamps it is not necessary to weigh every section, but all doubtful ones must be weighed. Until one becomes sure of himself every section should be weighed, for no section will be allowed below the minimum stated. I

NOTES FROM

think there will likely be trouble here and also the rubber stamped sections may be imperfectly stamped or the leaking honey will absorb dust and obliterate the marks.

There is one thing good about the stamping, and that is, the tops of the sections have to be well scraped or the stamp will not show.

Packing Comb Honey

We have had a busy time in the honey house these days. Two to five girls have been busy cleaning the sections of comb honey, and it keeps one person busy nailing shipping-cases and another grading, stamping and packing the honey. One hundred cases of honey is the most that has been put up in one day. At this ra'e the work will not last many days, as half of the bees are run for extracted honey, and the flow has not been so bountiful as last year. Two of my apiaries will not average one case to the colony, while two others will do better than that, probably two cases to the colony, though the flow is not over yet.

In scraping the sections we find that old silver plated knives, cut off with the blade pointed and about half length, make excellent tools. Paring knives were used last year, but are not stiff enough. The table knives are much better. We pay the girls 5 cents a case for scraping the sections, and they earn from $1.00 to $2.00 a day.

ABROAD

We were barely installed in a room in the Hotel St. Gotthard, in Zurich,

when we received the visit of Mr. Spuhler, the translator into German of Bertrand's "Conduite du Rucher." He wanted to arrange to entertain us the following day, which was Sunday, and take us, in the afternoon, with a few other beekeepers to an apiary in the mountain above Zurich. We called upon him at his home in the forenoon, met his wife and daughter, saw his apiary, and took note of his honey extractor, of which we give a cut. This honey extractor is as much better than ours as their public roads are better than ours.

When we see the way in which they build everything, houses, factories, bridges, hives, bee houses and extractors, we think that if they came to see us they would regard many things that we have as shabby. But they don't consider cost. This extractor costs $28, in a country where labor is cheap. It is reversible, and the baskets open to put the comb in. The tin of the can is more like boiler iron, for strength than like American tin.

In the afternoon, they and several of their friends called at the hotel in two carriages and we went together through the city and up the hill to another such

view as can be found only in Swizerland. There we met the beekeeper whom I have mentioned in the October number of 1913, page 343, who gave me the best possible arguments in favor of house apiaries. His bee-house is a model, built on a cement floor and foundation and roofed with tile, the hives ranged like so many closets, on one side, the extracting room and storing room on the other. No need of wheelbarrow or truck to carry the supers. One could not have things handier unless he could manage to have the bees bring the honey to the extractor. For feeding also, in cool or rainy weather, or at night, nothing can be more convenient. Each hive has an opening in the rear where the food may be poured into a separate partition of the feeder, where the bees cannot go.

But with all these conveniences, I would not exchange our methods for theirs. How could we produce our large crops in such cramped quarters? We often have two supers on a colony at one time, sometimes three and even four or five. Our large crops would be out of the question or we would need enormous buildings. Would it be possible to combine the use of a bee-house with the expansible hives

breeding to emphasize the qualities of a race, and it is in this direction that the efforts of the mating stations are bent, To my argument that nature seeks cross-fertilization, he replied by giving the instance of wheat and other cereals as self-fertilizers.

However, not all the beekeepers agree with this. Neither is their breeding of the pure black race of bees uniform. I saw more or less mixture of Italians wherever I went. Mating stations as now existing are objected to by many on account of insufficient isolation which prevents the positive control of matings. Mr. Spuhler, who is a very experienced beekeeper, assured me that he had known of matings at a distance of 6 kilometers. As this is only 334 miles, there is nothing astonishing about it. [See the article from Mr. Spuhler on page 311.-ED.]

You will now have to follow us in a tourist excursion. On the evening of Aug. 25, we went to Neuhausen, near Schaffhouse, at the famous falls of the Rhine. We have seen Niagara Falls, the falls of the Yellowstone and the Yosemite, which are all greater in

some way than the falls of the Rhine. Yet the latter have a peculiar beauty all their own and we lingered there, came back to them after leaving them and lingered again. We could have remained there a week and enjoyed their grandeur. The on'y thing that mars them is what we find at Niagara Falls, factories with industrial use of a part of the water. Nothing of this sort yet exists either at the Yellowstone or at the Yosemite. These will probably remain wild in spite of the ambition of electrical engineers. The greatness of the canon of the Yellowstone places this fall at the head of all.

The big castle at the Rhine Falls has been put to mercenary uses. It is controlled by venders of trinkets and souvenirs of all descriptions. That sort of thing is objectionable, and the government ought to take the matter in hand. The beauties of nature should belong to the public without hindrances.

Back towards the south we came and landed at Lucerne. Stopped at the Alpina hotel, where the usual breakfast of coffee, milk, butter and honey was

served to us. I have not yet said any. thing about the quality of Swiss honey. It was a bad year in which to judge it. The only places where we saw really white honey were at the hotels, and we were told that in many cases it was a manufactured article. But it was good, and I would have accepted it as pure in most instances. The honey crop of 1913 was dark and strong. But the price is high, something like 16 to 25 cents per pound for extracted honey.

We took a long carriage ride around Lucerne. Saw several monoplanes flying about, for they have a large aviation field, and you can get a half hour ride for $20, we were told. Much as we would like to fly, it did not tempt us. We thought the country most beautiful. Small house apiaries caught our eye frequently. Everything is neat and everything was full of bloom. Economy shows everywhere. They save all the chips, all the tree roots for fuel, and one cannot see dead trees rotting in the woods as in America. They make bedding for their stock, and manure out of all the weeds and the low-land grasses. After leaving Switzerland we