18S2 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



347 



same. As nearly as we can now remember, 10 to 13 

 lbs. are sown broadcast, or T to 8 if by drills, on good 

 rich ground, about August 1st. The succeeding 

 spring it will bloom, and ripen seed about July. 

 Great care is necessary in cutting the crop as soon 

 as the pods begin to turn yellow; it' left until ripe, 

 the seed will shell out. It should then be cured in 

 the shade on canvas, or tight floor. After thi'ash- 

 ing, spread and frequently turn, to prevent mold- 

 ing, until seed is quite dry. A fair crop would be 

 13 to 15 bushels per acre. A. C Kendel. 



Cleveland, O., May 11, 18S3. 



Our winter rape is now in bloom, but a 

 great portion of it was killed by tlie spring 

 frosts, ^^ery likely we sowed it too late, and 

 it did not get root enough. Jiy the way, it 

 looks to my eyes exactly like seven-top tur- 

 nip, both in leaf and flower, and I should be 

 glad to have somebody tell me the difference. 



SCORCHED HONEY, ETC. 



I have some honey slightly scorched. "Will it in- 

 jure the brood to feed it to the bees? Will it make 

 any difference in the flavor of it when they put it 

 in the comb? James Shore. 



Gcrmantown, Pa., May 19, 1883. 



It sometimes happensthat honey is slight- 

 ly scorched in melting it after it has candied, 

 and the query often comes up, as to what to 

 do with it. I have several times found that it 

 was just as good as any to feed to the bees in 

 warm weather ; but as sugar that is scorched 

 in the least surely produces dysentery, if they 

 are obliged to use it when the weather is too 

 cold for them to lly, I should be a little 

 afraid of scorched honey in cold weather. 

 In regard to the bees changing the flavor, 

 that is something quite out of their power. 

 I have fed it to them until it was nicely 

 sealed up in the sections, but it was burnt 

 honey still, and so I am obliged to conclude 

 that bees have only the ability to collect and 

 ripen honey, but not to remove any bad 

 flavor or scorched taste from it. 



NATURAL QUEENS VERSUS FORCED ONES. 



I received a dollar queen two years ago from friend 

 Hayhurst; raised some forced queens from her, 

 which did not look very well; that is, they were 

 quite dark — almost black. Last summer the bees 

 tried to supersede her; 3 or 3 times I found a young 

 queen in the hive with her. These young queens 

 were very fine, large, gold-colored ones. I have two 

 of them now, and also the old queen, which is an- 

 other proof that natural queens are better than 

 forced ones. J. L. Peabody. 



Denver, Col., May Ki, 1883. 



BUYING BEES NEAR HOME, ETC. 



Early this spring, I wrote to you about the price 

 of bees; since then, I have purchased six swarms at 

 $3.00 each, by furnishing the hives. Cheap for even 

 black bees, is it not? But the beauty of it is, they 

 are all yellow ones. The old queen was imported 

 from the North, about four years ago, and cost, with 

 about onc'half pound of bees, $15.00. I had one 

 swarm this spring that I bought last fall, from 

 which I have taken two swarms; consequently I 

 have nine swarms at work for mc now, storing up 

 honey at the rate of about 8 lbs. per day (not per 

 hive, but all of them). Horsemint and sunflowers 

 are at their best just at this time. Now, friend 



Root, instead of hunting for that cave of which you 

 spoke in the copy of Gleanings you sent me, in 

 which to winter your bees, just bring them down to 

 Texas, and you can let them stay out and work all 

 winter; that is, they may not have to stay home -10 

 or 60 days during the season. G. K. Page. 



Corpus Christi, Texas, May, 1883. 



That is a sensible way of doing, friend P., 

 and 1 have no doubt but that a great many 

 might get bees near home at much less prices 

 than we are obliged to charge, to say noth- 

 ing of the excessive express charges where 

 they are sent long distances. — It might be 

 cheaper for me to spend a good many dollars 

 in building a cave, or some equivalent, than 

 to go away off down there. Who do you 

 suppose would run the bee-hive factory? 



HOW TO KEEP A SWAR.M FROM GOING BACK ON THE 

 TREE. 



Shake in the basket, and hold the basket a few 

 minutes in the tree, or near where they clustered, 

 and keep on shaking the limb, and they will soon all 

 cluster in the basket, when you can empty them out 

 in front of the hive, and they will not return to the 

 tree. I learned this way by getting just a little out 

 of patience with a swarm last season. They were 

 determined to stay on the limb of a cherry-tree, and 

 I was bound to shake them off, so I kept up an awful 

 shaking, still holding the basket, but was surprised 

 to soon And them all in the basket. Of course, if 

 you get the queen the first time, all is well; but in a 

 thick bushy top it is sometimes difficult. I almost 

 forgot to say how many bees I have, but will sign,^ 

 D. G. Webster, 113. 



Blaine, Boone Co., 111., May 13, 1883. 



how shall we put up extracted honey? 



I propose to run ten hives for the extractor this 

 year. I should like to know the best way to put up 

 the honey for market, whether in jars, one or two 

 pound, or in tin cans that hold more. I have 70 col- 

 onies, most of them in good condition. 1 saw a few 

 of them hanging out at the entrance yesterday 

 morning. I think that pretty good for this year; 

 they don't like to go out with a rubber coat on, to 

 gather honey, as they have to nowadays. 



George Brockett. 



Randolph, Ohio, May 15, 1883. 



Honey retails best in our lunch-room in 

 our 5-cent covered pails. They hold just 

 about H lbs., and we sell pail and all for lioc. 

 The next best thing, for both honey and 

 maple molasses, is the 1-quart mason fruit- 

 jars, holding 3 lbs. We sell these at an even 

 half-dollar, full of honey, and for 40c. filled 

 with the maple molasses. If sealed up 

 while hot, neither will candy until opened. 



WHEN TO PUT ON THE BOXES, ETC. 



I am a beginner in this business. I have 30 

 swarms; and if the ABC book does not give full 

 directions for putting on honey-boxes, and when, 

 please write me a few lines in regard to it. Now one 

 word in favor of the Waterbury I received of you 

 last January. It came to hand in good condition; 

 has run, and tallied time as well as can be asked for. 

 I wind it by drawing the stem-wheel on my pants 

 knee. It can be wound in half a minute this way. 



Everett Leary, 



Milford, Oakland Co., Mich., May 1, 1883. 



Put on the boxes when your hives are full 



