196 



GLEANIKGS tN BEE CtJLTURE. 



APRtL 



they went nosing- around as though Ihey were look- 

 ing for something that they did not have in the 

 hives. I set out a shallow box, filled with flour; 

 they went to work on it with the hum of joy that 

 they always make when we give them what they 

 want. The first day of March being a fine spring 

 day, I made a thorough examination, and found 

 them in splendid condition, without any exception 

 — every queen laying, but no brood hatched; so you 

 see I can throw up my old hat (I have no other), and 

 halloo "Hurrah for the new departure! remove all 

 pollen from the brood-nest in winter." Some broth- 

 er will say, " Hold on. Lane, the danger is not all 

 past yet." I think it is. Mj' experience teaches me 

 that all colonies that are in good health and good 

 condition the first of March are out of danger. 

 Whitestown, Ind., March 17, 1883. S. H. Lane. 



I am jrlad your bees are doing so well, 

 friend L. ; but I can not quite agree with 

 yon, that tliey are surely " out of the woods," 

 even this first of April, nor that it was sure- 

 ly the absence of pollen that saved them, for 

 almost every one's bees are alive now. In 

 fact, all plans have succeeded during this 

 past winter. 



$€l%i and §um(is. 



^c 



PLAN FOR HONET-HOUSE WANTED. 



^^«/tILL some of the friends give us a plan for a 

 wll convenient and not expensive honey-house, 

 to be used for extracting, storing honey, 

 taking care of brood-frames, putting hives together, 

 etc.; say one large enough for 50 or 100 colonies? 



FOLDING TENT WANTED. 



Also give a plan for making a tent for use in the 

 apiary; such a one as will admit of folding up into a 

 small compass. 



FEEDING CANDT IN THE OPEN AIR. 



Is it safe or advisable to feed honey or candy in 

 the open air at this time of the year? I have suc- 

 ceeded in doing it so as to prevent fighting among 

 bees, by shading the feed from the sun when the 

 bees got too furious. F. A. Palmer. 



McBrides, Mich., March 2, 1882. 



[Why, friend P., it seems to me you have answer- 

 ed your last question yourself. I fear the folding 

 tent wiU be hard to make at a low price.] 



Send me the primer, ABC. I wish to enter the 

 " bee sohool." J. W. Gregory. 



Lincoln, 111., March 13, 1883. 



HONEY FROM CORN. 



Last summer I had corn honey, and it tasted as 

 ranch like sweet-corn honey as basswood or white 

 clover or buckwheat. Almon Achenbach. 



Columbia, Tuscola Co., Mich., Feb. 13, 1882. 



Bees were doing a rousing business in pollen 

 March 1, 2, and 3. John T. Schafer. 



Ada, O., March 7,1883. 



[That is what we hear from almost every point, 

 friend S.] 



I should like to shake hands with Mr. T. M. Pear- 

 sons, of Tippecanoe City, O., for his experience (p. 

 38, Jan. Gleanings) in transferrliig and fixing up his 

 neighbors' bees. It's mine, to a dot. J.H.Myers. 



Saratoga Springs, N. V., i*eb., 1882. 



WIRE nails by mail. 



It makes them pretty high priced, but, like the 

 dog after the woodchuck,"got to have 'em." Bees all 

 right. F. Baker. 



Holly, Mich., March 4, 1883. 



I have wintered 2.50 swarms in bee-house in perfect 

 Order to date. Most of them were set out for a fly 

 during the late Avarm spell, but are now enjoying a 

 morning nap, which I hope will last till April 15. 



H. R. Boardman. 



East Townsend, O., March 6, 1882. 



I started in the spring of 1881 with 11 colonies, and 

 some were very weak. I increased to 38 by artificial 

 swarming, and got 400 lbs. of honey, and sold some 

 queens and bees; and if mine winter better this win- 

 cr, I shall have a better chance next summer. 



Orrville, O., Jan. 26, 1883. C. J. YODER, 



CHAFF HIVES. 



I sold the only two colonies I had in j'our chaH 

 hives, with all fixtures, for $35.00. I offered my cus- 

 tomer colonies in other hives at $6.50; but he 

 thought these would be the cheapest ia the end, and 

 I think he was right. H. Barber. 



Adrian, Mich., March 13, 1882. 



IN FLORIDA. 



I am away down south among the orange-blossoms, 

 and 1 brought a poor little hive of bec:s along that 

 could not by any chance get through the winter at 

 home, and they arc doing well here. I have made 

 them a full sized hive, and I want some fdn. 



E. M. Johnson. . 



Longwood, Orange Co., Fla., Feb. 28, 18t>3. 



ONLY A POSTAGE-STAMP WANTING. 



I put a letter in the office this day two weeks ago 

 with an order for goods, and with two postofHce 

 orders, one for fifty dollars, and one for th'rty; and 

 on inquiry, the postmaster tells me my letter was 

 not stamped, so it went to the Dead-Letter Office. 



Philip Earhart. 



Davenport, Towa, March 10, 1883. 



[Your $80.00 came around all right in due time, 

 friend E., but T would not advise you to follow up 

 that way of doing business.] 



On our lawn, where my bees sit, the water was 14 

 feet deep. I put them (100 swarms) on top of my 

 house. They gathered pollen, and, to all appearance, 

 do as well as on their stands. The strange part 

 about it is, how they get back, for all the hives look 

 alike, and sit close together, side by side, and the 

 front within-C inches of back. Kich'd Cadlb. 



Shawncetown, 111, March 8, 1883. 



[Why, friend C, this seems to upset some of our 

 theories, at first glance; but I presume the fact 

 that the whole aspect of things was so changed ac- 

 counts for it partly.] 



TOBACCO rOIiVMN. 



RECEIVED the smoker some days ago, and will 

 say that, when I smoke or chew tobacco you 

 will pretty soon get your pay for the smoker; 

 and, by the way, I think you will got it before that, 

 for I think it is I who am benefited, and not you; it 

 is I who am saving money by the quitting, and not 

 you. It is three weeks to-day since I tasted the 



