233 



GLeAN^GS in bee CULtUUE. 



May 



WHAT TO SAVE, AND HOW I DO IT. 



Cases to hold sections; all good hives; bottom- 

 boai'ds and alia-hting--boards. 



I have a caldron, or kettle, that li<ilds a barrel of 

 water. I set it <in blocks or stones, and till it nearly 

 full of water; then I put in M bushel of unleached 

 ashes; stir it up well, and after hives and every 

 thiug has been scraped clean, and the kettle bi>ils, 

 dip in your hives; keep turning them over quite oft- 

 en, so that all parts will get an equal soaking; ten 

 mituites for each piece will be enough. After they 

 are rinsed off, and dry, it's fun to see how nice they 

 will take a coat of paint. All hives that h-,)ve con- 

 tained foul brooil should he kppt where the bees can 

 have no access to thpin until they are cleaned. 



I am sanguine that this dreaded malady can be 

 rooted out, but it will take a little time and a great 

 deal of care. If any should be so unfortunate as to 

 get it, I would saj' to them, '"Examine every stock 

 in the fall: just before the last brood is hatched is 

 the best time to see whether there are any cell-* that 

 contain foul brood. Stocks that have it only lightly 

 are the ones most likely to be overlooked, for a bad 

 case is seen at first glance. All stocks should be 

 closely examined at or near the close of brooding, 

 just before all the brood is hatched; but if left a 

 week or ten days later, the bees will remove it, and 

 the bee- keeper will pass them as a sound stock." 



How we got foul brood, we can't positively say; 

 but we will, at some future time, tell what we think 

 about it, as a word of caution to others not to do 

 likewise. It came all on a sudden; and before we 

 wereawareofit we had sown it broadcast allthrough 

 the apiarj-. Three years previous to the advent of 

 foul brood with us we had 3 splendid seasons, and 

 our apiary numbered 113 colonies, and wo had nearly 

 surplus combs enough to supply all new swarms 

 with a full set of brood-combs; but, alas! we did not 

 know which had been exposed and which had not; 

 80 we thought the only safe way was to destroy all. 



OUR LOSS IN THREE YEARS. 



Forty stocks, and burned 20 chaff hives (at first we 

 did not know how to clean the hives); more than 600 

 bee-combs, 2500 454x454 sections; these had all been 

 on the different hives, and we did not know which 

 Were which, so we burned them; straw mats, chaff 

 cushions, etc., all cremated. J. Botler. 



Jackson, Mich., March 20, 1882. 



SOME OF FRIEND TAYIiOR'S VAGARIES. 



WISE, AND OTHER — WISE. 



^' Out of the Fryinij-pim— Into it Again! 



!jC|gnrrJAVfi never seen bees come through a winter 

 Ji[[^'|[ (even as mild as ours generally are) as bright 

 and lively. I thought lust yenrat one time 

 that I was out ot the bee business. I had sold out 

 my entire stock, fixtures, etc., to a neighbor. 



BKES COMING BACK TO OLD " MAKSTER." 



After the bees were removed a considerable dis- 

 tance to their new home, I noticed a few returning 

 to their <.ld stands. I fixed up a iiox, and in two or 

 three days enough had returned from three miles 

 distant to fill a quart measure. I gave them a 

 queen-cell (from a neighbor's apiary )i and the, 

 thrived amazingly. To-day th' y till a 20-frame L. 

 hive, and — well, I'm going to pit this colony against 

 all North Carolina the coming season for a big yield. 



LARGE YIELDS OP HONEY. 



Some friend, I have forgotten where he abides, has 

 spoken of large yields of honey as " fishy," " snake 

 story," etc. I believe the friend who is skeptical 

 upon reports of " large yields" resides in Texas, or 

 — somewhere in the South. I want to whisper to 

 him gently, that he may expect a big " snake story" 

 from this neighborhood this summer; and if he re- 

 sides near enough, I should be gad to have him come 

 and see the "snake." With this one colony built up 

 from "nix" I sh.ill make — let me se3 — well, I won't 

 say yet, but I now prophesy. Novice, that even you, 

 with all your chari'y lor the brethren, will raise 

 your eyebrows, when you hear my report, and no 

 doubt think of the " snake" brother, with a mind to 

 join him against mo. Wait and see. 



HANDLING BEES IN WINTER. 



When I first began handling bee«, only four or five 

 years ago, I wrote and asked the question through 

 Gleanings, whether or not the bees returned all 

 the honey they " sucked up" out of the combs while 

 being handled. I concluded they returni d it, but 

 know better now. I am positive that they do 7iot re- 

 turn all. When being handled frequently, they 

 se^m to think "it's master's honey and master's 

 bees," and that it's too good to put all back; 

 and from that time they certainly use more 

 stores than they would have done if left un. 

 molested, especially if the weather is Just a little 

 pleasant. I shall not in future molest a hive of bees 

 during the winter season, even if they are out for a 

 fly, unless I see manifest symptoms of something 

 b3iug wrong With them. 



bee-keepers. 



Regarding the buslacss of keeping bees, as a busi- 

 ness, there is not one doubt existing ia my mind but 

 that it will support a man and family, almost in any 

 locality, always provided the man is possessed with a 

 love for the bees and their ways, and the pursuit it- 

 self, and especially industry. Why, I know of over 

 a dozen ihen who With their families have moved 

 into our town in the last two years, from fams; 

 they claim that farming is "played out;" "no money 

 in It," etc. They "have to work 14 hours out of 

 every 24," etc. We know that many, very many, 

 succeed at farming; do well; many grow wealthy, 

 while others fail. 



Now, I am c )nvincf>d that, in bee-keeping, every 

 man would not do well; but from the fact of one's 

 failing in a business, we can not justly condemn that 

 business, especially when we know of many who are 

 making the same lucrative in every respect. 



LAZY PEOPLE. 



I wonder if many of us think that we are lazy? 

 Any way, if you have the very smallest doubt on the 

 subject, dear fri nd, don't undertake bee-keeping 

 for a living; if you do, you will regret it. Don't for- 

 get this. Laziness in any form (and 1 am sorry to 

 say there are various forms) and bee-keeping won't 

 go together to one's financial satisfaction. 1 know 

 of one bee-keeper near me who thinks he is the 

 most industrious man in existence; he thinka it, 1 

 am sure; but. I can see better; he neglects his bees; 

 his apiary is kept slovenly; he seems to delight in 

 being as lar from his bees through the day as possi- 

 ble. He works at times hard, but soon gets over it, 

 and lags. This man will fail. He will not succeed 

 at the business, I am certain; yet he has entered the 

 ranks as a bee-keeper, and follows no other busi- 

 ness. I have a mind to have a photo gotten up next 



