482 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 



ever 70 lbs. comb honey from one colony this season, 

 stored in 1-lb. sections in wide frames each side of 

 brood-nest. I found, while extracting last week, 

 that a part of the honey was candied in the cells— 

 gomothir.g' I have never seen before. 



I would sny to friend Thorn, my bees have worked 

 on sumac blossoms every year since I commenced 

 bee-keeping. Any time from morning till night I 

 could count from one to ten bees on nearly every 

 bunch of blossom?. I think they must get consider- 

 able honey from it. R. J. Fox. 



Nalick, Middlesex Co., Mass., Sept. 18, 18S2. 



FRIEND BOOITIHOWER'S REPORT. 



ALSO niS IDEAS ABOUT SEVERAL MATTERS. 



WITHOUT a doubt, this has been one of the 

 most unfavorable seasons ever experienced 

 ^ -^ by bee-keepers in this State, especially in 

 this part. The commencement was cold and wet, 

 with cold rains nearly every day until about the first 

 of July. With July came a little more favorable 

 weather, and colonies that had good care were in 

 fair condition for storing surplus; and had it not 

 been for the extensive drought that set in July 

 5tb, a good and satisfactory crop of honey would 

 have been secured. But as it was, the red clover, 

 which began to yield honey freely, was soon closed 

 by the extremely dry hot weather. 



MELILOT, OB SWEET CLOVER. 



This was not so much affected, and to this valua- 

 ble plant we are indebted for what little honey we 

 have, as it gave our bees work through July, when 

 every thing failed, and kept them at work, breeding 

 and getting i-eady for buckwheat, which usually 

 commences to bloom the first of August; but as I 

 have before stated, the extreme drought kept it, 

 and so affected the buckwheat that, with the excep- 

 tion of some fields that were cultivated upon wet or 

 moist land, it was not of much good for bees: and 

 as this is our main dependence for a fall crop, we 

 have been disappointed, and therefore must be con- 

 tented with but little. Although the season has 

 been a short and poor one, it has not passed without 

 teaching us some good lessons in this our favorite 

 pursuit. 



OVERSTOCKING. 



I think we are benefited somewhat by having once 

 in a while one of these short and poor seasons; it 

 teaches us that there is danger of getting too many 

 bees in one place, and also that it is not a good idea 

 to count the chickens before they are hatched. 

 Now, here is a subject that is, I am afraid, not being 

 taken into consideration as much as it ought to be 

 by bee-keepers; that is overstocking a locality with 

 too many bees; and I think that where there are 10 

 bees for every blossom, it is not quite as good as it 

 would be if there were 10 b'ossoms to one bee. Here 

 in our locality are over TOO colonies of bees working 

 on the same ground, and those that are surrounded 

 have not done nearly as well as those occupying the 

 grounds upon the outside. A yard of only 33 colo- 

 nies, located out 3 miles, has made more honey than 

 IVO colonies located hero in the village, and sur- 

 rounded on all sides by other bees. Now, why this 

 difference, if we are not overstocked? In good sea- 

 sons, or in a season like 1831, we would not have 

 been very muA affected; but like the one just 

 passed, we can clearly see that there have been too 

 many bees; and the result is, it has not been very 



profitable to any of us ; and my advice upon this im- 

 portant question is, do not overstock your locality, 

 and intrude upon grounds that are already occupied 

 by parties who have an older right. 



HOW FAR WILL BEES WORK TO ADVANTAGE? 



Much has been written upon this subject, and I 

 have come to the conclusion, and have clearly satis- 

 fled myself, that bees will not work to advantage, 

 nor even fly the distances that arc claimed by some 

 writers. Some claim that bees work from choice 

 from 3 to 4 miles, and some have gone so far as to 

 claim that they will fly 7 miles to obtain honey- 

 Now, my idea is, that this is all a mistake, and I hon- 

 estly believe that, if a colony of bees had to depend 

 upon going 7 miles to obtain food, they would be ex- 

 terminated in leis than one week. My opinion is, 

 that whoever locates his bees so that they are obliged 

 to fly from 4 to 7 miles to obtain their supplies, will 

 get severely disappointed, and make the businc's a 

 failure in a very short time. 



EXPEniENCE WITH COMB FDN. 



From what I read, there is much said in regard to 

 the different makes and kinds of fdn. now used. In 

 the last four years I have given this matter much 

 thought, and no little time have I spent in experi- 

 menting. I have used and experimented with near- 

 ly every make— that without wire and that with, and 

 the result is, that I think it a bill of expense to use 

 or make wired fdn. After using all kinds, I have 

 chosen the fdn. made upon the 01m mill. With this 

 1 have no trouble with any sagging, and 1 have used 

 it extensively the past two seasons. I also have 

 used several hundred sheets made on A. I. Root's 

 mill, and never had a sheet sag or fall down. The 

 reason I like the 01m fdn. best, is because it makes 

 such a beautiful and perfect side wall, the cells being 

 nearly high enough for the receiving of eggs as soon 

 as it is taken from the mill, and the ease and rapid- 

 ity that fdn. can be made upon it. After the ma- 

 chine is started I can use it all day with nothing but 

 cold water. After using the 01m mill for two years, 

 I am perfectly satisfied with it, and could not he in- 

 duced to e.xchange for any other make; and as for 

 wired fdn., I claim it is expensive; and if the sheets 

 are properly put into the frames, and used as I do, 

 good fdn. is better without wire than with. 



F. BOOMIIOWER. 



Gallupvillc, N. Y., Sept., 1883. 



May I suggest a little more charity, friend 

 B., in your remarks about ttie distance bees 

 fly y JFriend March has given us plain clear 

 proof, as it seems to me, that bees may fly 7 

 miles, or even more, for stores. I should be 

 sorry to have one of our friends say any 

 thing that might reflect on another. I hearti- 

 ly agree with you, in thinking it not advisa- 

 ble to locate "bees, expecting them to pros- 

 per, when they have even four miles to fly, 

 as a rule. Our bees seldom work profitably 

 when they fly over about 2i miles, as nearly 

 as I can determine. —Wiring fdn. is by no 

 means solely for the purpose of preventing 

 sagging while the cells are being built out. 

 It is that the combs may ever after stand 

 shipping and handling, in any kind of weath- 

 er. I am very glad indeed to hear so good a 

 report of the mills you mention, but I more 

 than half suspect I could make fdn. that 

 would not sag, on almost any of the mills 

 now in the market. The shape of the cell 

 has, of course, something to do with it, but 

 it is an easy matter for the maker to alter 

 his punch, so as to make any kind of cell his 

 customer may order. 



