608 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



Oct. 



they have not gathered enough to eat. There are 

 four varieties of sumac here. The kind with red 

 berries, such as is used for tanning morocco, coloring 

 cloth, etc., is the best. By all means, beware of 

 swamp or poison sumac, as many are badly poison- 

 ed by it. Sumac has the same peculiarity as bass- 

 wood, of blooming at different times, commencing 

 July fourth, and continuing this year till the first or 

 second week in August. If friend T. sets out ten 

 thousand plants, in a few years he will have a 

 hundred thousand. A few years ago one stalk came 

 up, and now it covers four rods square. 



riGWORT, OK SIMPSON PLANT. 



Now a few words about Simpson plants. Last 

 spring I dug up in the highway about fifty plants; 

 some of them were then as much as a foot high. I 

 did not know that they would live, they were so 

 large ; but I watered them when they were set, and 

 every one lived. The ground was rather moist, and 

 it being a dry summer they did well. I hoed them 

 two or three times, and they have proved a com- 

 plete success, one plant spreading out three or four 

 feet across, and producing as much bloom as fifty in 

 the wild state. The wild ones have only a little 

 spike of bloom on top. It is surprising, the differ- 

 ence cultivation makes; they have been in bloom 

 over two months, the bees working on them from 

 morning till dark, rainy days and all, and they get 

 honey too; for by watching, you can see them very 

 frequently, going to and fi-om the hives. Simpson 

 plant is a success, and I must set some more. 



FILLING SECTIONS CLEAK UP TO THE WOOD, ETC. 



What is the reason that the bees do not fill the 

 section boxes clear to the edge? Some of the out- 

 side cells next to the wood are not filled out, and it 

 does not look as well as if it were all level. 



How do you get the bees out of the frames of box- 

 es, and how do you keep the bees from punching 

 little holes in the comb while you are taking it out? 



Sumac can be set on rocky, bushy, or almost any 

 side hill, and it will grow; and when once set it will 

 take care of itself. H. Perry. 



Southbury, Ct., Sept. 15, 1883. 



Thanks for the information about sumac, 

 friend P. I do not quite like the idea of its 

 being a pest to farmers. — The worst draw- 

 back to the Simpson is, that it runs out, as I 

 have notified you of late. Our own, that 

 have been such a sight seasons before, are 

 this year almost unworthy of notice, and a 

 new plantation must be made. — Bees will 

 usually till out clear to the wood better when 

 there is a heavy yield of honey. By omit- 

 ting the separators, you will also get them 

 better in the respect you mention, but you 

 will be more apt to find the queen has been 

 in the sections also. We shake the bees from 

 the sections as we take them from the frames, 

 and we endeavor to take off: the greater part 

 before the season is over ; then they will sel- 

 dom dig into the capped honey as they do if 

 you wait until they are gathering none, and 

 are frantic to save wliat little they have. 



A BEGINNER IN WAVNE COUNTY, OHIO. 



A year ago last winter (being then 15), the bees 

 were given to my care, 20 in number, and only 6 sur- 

 vived, weak at that. I increased to 13, putting the 

 new ones on L. frames. Being inexperienced, they 

 were put into winter quarters in too weak condition. 

 In spring I doubled up to 9; transferred to L. frame; 

 ran one for comb, 4 for extracting, and 4 for in- 



crease. I reversed the frames, put a crate on top, 

 and obtained only about 16 sections. From the 4 for 

 extractor I took about 138 lbs., and the 4 for in- 

 crease I increased to 13, they having to build out 

 considerable fdu. I now use only wired frames. I 

 do not think it pays to have any such crooked combs, 

 and intend to render them into wax. I bought a 

 queen of Mr. Rice, to breed from. They are very 

 gentle and industrious, and nice queens without ex- 

 ception. Four days ago a verj' active queen hatched, 

 and to-day I was going to give them some lai vas, and 

 was astonished to find nearly a frame filled with 

 eggs — worker eggs too. 



METAL CORNERS FOB, REVERSIBLE FRAMES. 



I am not quite satisfied with your metal corners. 

 I like to have them movable, so I can attach mine to 

 top and bottom, and reverse frames. I think it 

 were much handier if they were made to push on, 

 like the cover on the Peet cage. Just push them on 

 till it comes to the usual shoulder between the two 

 suspensions. Christian Weckbsser. 



Marshallville, O., Sept. V, 1883. 



If the frames were securely nailed first, I 

 presume metal corners could be made to 

 slip on as suggested ; but I am not sure the 

 advantages of a reversible frame are great 

 enough to induce many to use tliem thus, if 

 they were so made. 



goldenrod not to be depended on. 

 I question if it will be safe to advise planting 

 exclusively for honey, for this is the second year 

 that we have gone to extra expense preparing for a 

 large yield of goldenrod honey, and found ourselves 

 out just that much; fv^r though we have acres yel- 

 low with the golden bloom, like last year, not a bee 

 on it, though they are getting a little dark from 

 cockle-bur and sunflowers, and perhaps some from 

 alfalfa, which they seldom work on. 



SMOKER FUEL, NOVEL. 



I must not forget to tell you of our new smoker 

 fuel. I have been puzzled for some years to know 

 what good there was in so many patent-medicine 

 almanacs being published, but have at last discov- 

 ered. They are to supply fuel for smokers. Soak a 

 few of them in saltpeter water, and dry them; take 

 half of each kind, mix together, lay on a rag, and 

 roll all up together; this lights readily, and keeps 

 fire a long time, making a good smoke. We use it 

 all the time in preference to any thing else, and it 

 costs nothing except the saltpeter, 10 cents worth of 

 which will last a year. Isaac B. Rumford. 



Bakersfield, Kern Co., Cal., Sept. 13, 1883. 



Your experience with goldenrod has been 

 much like our own, friend R. ; still, I know 

 it yields largely in some localities. — Your 

 idea of smoker fuel was published some 

 years ago, except that it said any old books. 

 May be the medicine almanacs give more 

 smoke by virtue of the " reading matter " 

 they contain. 



HYBRIDS VERSUS PURE ITALIANS. 



Bees have done fair work here this season. We 

 have now 10,000 lbs. in sections, and I think we shall 

 extract about 4000 more, all from 150 hives, all hy- 

 brkls. Now, brother Root, we have to raise bees for 

 our bread and butter, and, like friend Heddon, we 

 have found the hybrid so far ahead of the pure Ital- 

 ian, that we want no other until we can find some- 

 thing that will beat ours; and in regard to their be- 

 ing crosser than Italians, that depends ou handling. 



