1882 



GLEAl^miSS IN BEE CtlLTUIlE. 



55*? 



out occasionallj", and I have had them do so when 

 laying 3 weeks, I have j?iven it no further attention, 

 and do not know whether it is a peculiarity of some 

 strains, or whether it is more frequent in eeitain 

 seasons. The queens were all daughters of an im- 

 ported Italian mother. I am inclined to think that 

 young queens, not fully occupied in laying, fre- 

 quently take a play, and perhaps old ones may sume- 

 times in the spring. T. L. Von Dorn. 



Omaha, Neb., Oct. 10, 1883. 



THK GOOD CANDY. 



You need have no fears al)out the bees digging the 

 Good paste to pieces, causing the sugar to rattle out 

 of the cages. Their hci)ig ahU to do so, however, is 

 one of the good features about this feed. I have ex- 

 perimented by keeping queens caged ten days or 

 more, and tind that they dig away only the sugar as 

 fast as it becomes dry of honey; and as long as 

 there is any honey in the sugar they arc all right. 



TO PHEVENT SECOND SWAHMS UNITING, AND DKl V- 

 ING THEM BACK TO THEIR HIVES. 



I had two swarms come out at the same time, with 

 virgin queens, and unite. Having my smoker ready, 

 I waited until they commenced to cluster, when, as 

 an experiment, I thought perhaps I might not only 

 prevent their clustering together, but drive them 

 back to their hives; so I gave them plenty of smoke, 

 and had the satisfaction of seeing them divide; each 

 swarm with its queen returned to its hive, and re- 

 mained, of course, as I had, while they were out, 

 opened the hive, and destroyed their queen-cells. I 

 don't know if this plan would work successfully at 

 all times or not; and as this was my first experience 

 In this direction, I rather feared that perhaps I 

 might succeed in driving them to the woods. But 

 as experience keeps a good, though dear, school at 

 times, I made the venture. Who can tell us more 

 about this matter? 



TESTING TIN CANS BY VACUUM. 



Being a tinner by trade, I will give you the plan 

 we used to test our fruit-cans with at the shop. Get 

 a thick piece of harness leather, a little larger square 

 than the mouth of your cans. Next place a lighted 

 lamp or candle in front of you, and a cup of alcohol 

 at your left. Now with a bit of sponge touch the al- 

 cohol, then the candle; drop it burning into the can, 

 and place the leather (previously softened with wa- 

 ter) over the mouth of the can, and hold it down to 

 exclude air. The burning alcohol destroys the air 

 in the can, forming a strong vacuum. After two or 

 three seconds (not longer), if in pulling off the leath- 

 er it comes off with a sharp crack, or report, the can 

 is tight; while those from which the leather comes 

 off easily, without resistance or report, are faulty. 

 Such can be quickly tested, and the leaks found, by 

 applying your mouth to the seams, and trying to 

 suck air through them. I think, after giving this 

 plan a trial, and " kind o' get the hang on't," that 

 you will like it as being the quickest, neatest, and 

 cleanest. 



TO STOP ONE COLONY ROBBINf! ANOTHER. 



I wonder how many of the brethren gave my 

 swarm-catcher a trial this season. Since sending 

 you a description of it and its use, as mentioned in 

 May No., page 219, I have found another use for it; 

 and as the "robbing season" is at hand, I wish oth- 

 ers to give it a trial, and report. This spring I had a 

 bad case of robbing. Both hives were large and 

 heavy; and as other means failed to stop them, I be- 

 gan to think I would have to get help to move the 



colony to the cellar, when the idea occurred to me 

 to try the swarm-catcher, by placing it at the en- 

 trance of the colony that was doing the robbing. 

 They made a great ado about it, flying until thej' 

 were completely tired out, when they tinally clus- 

 tered on the screen, like a natural swarm. I then 

 reversed the catcher and let them run into their 

 hive, and I must say that I never saw a more sub- 

 dued-looking lot of bees than they were. Did they 

 renew the attack next morning? No, indeed; not 

 they. From their actions, one would think they had 

 concluded that honest hard work gathering pollen 

 was preferable to stealing honey, after the scare 

 they had received. Jo8. M. Brooks. 



Columbus, Ind., Sept. 11, 1883. 



The rattling-out of the sugar, and drying- 

 up of tlie honey, we have obviated by the 

 glass bottle, 1 think, friend E.— Thanks for 

 the idea on testing cans.— Very likely your 

 plan will stop robbing, for almost any thing 

 that draws their attention to their own hive 

 will break up this excitement. As the 

 swarm-catcher is less trouble than to move 

 a hive, I think it may be valuable for stop- 

 ping robbing, when we know which hive it 

 is tliat is "• guilty." 



CAEIFORNIA PRIVIT. 



Since my last communication on this plant as bee 

 pasture, I receive lots of letters and cards; the 

 friends taking it for granted that I am an M.C.,and 

 have the franking privilege at home during the re- 

 cess, and no campaign work to do; but this, I sup- 

 pose, is the penalty for not minding one's own busi- 

 ness. One friend demands why it was not "found 

 out before." Well, I must let his loluj reverberate 

 away back to Columbus, and the reply will probably 

 be, "The other fellow didn't do it." I have a small 

 stock of the privit, but do not oare to sell them. Let 

 G. W. A., of Indianapolis, apply to his nearest nur- 

 seryman, and he can no doubt procure them for 

 him. To those who can not obtain them thus, I will 

 sell a few hundred cuttings in the spring; or to the 

 Southern friends this fall, in the same way, I will 

 f uroish a few of the sijmjihoricarpiis. 



Stelton, N. J., Sept. 9, 1883. G. W. Thompson. 



BONESET OR THOROUGHWORT. 



I inclose you a sprig of a weed that grows in great 

 profusion here in lawns and vacant patches of 

 ground, in wet seasons like this. It grows about 4 

 ft. high, and blooms from August till frost. My bees 

 are getting about as much honey from It as they did 

 from the linn. It has a rich yellow color, but not as 

 good flavored as the linn honey. I am out of vessels 

 to hold the honey, or I could have had two or three 

 hundred pounds of it by this time. I took .50 lbs. (eX" 

 tracted only, from upper stories), the other day 

 from two stands. 



EXTRACTED AT I'i'AC, AND COMB HONEY AT 25C. 



I think I will run a part of my apiary for comb 

 honey next year for the McAlister market, where it 

 sells for about 35 ets., when the extracted honey will 

 bring about 12'/Jc. Do j'ou think it would pay me to 

 quit extracted for comb honey at the above prices, 

 the distance to market being about 90 miles? 



Poteau, Ark., Sept. 16, 1883. H. C. Bethel. 



I would raise comb honey, friend B., at 

 the prices you mention, even though I had 

 to carry it 1(0 miles.— The plant you send is a 

 very common one, although it does not al- 

 ways yield honey in paying quantities. 



