608 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



Dec. 



would, on account of the difficulty of plow- 

 ing among trees, put the sweet clover on a 

 piece by itself. If you keep bees enough to 

 gather the honey, and go to work prudently, 

 I think you can safely make the land pay 

 you the interest and taxes atS!15.00 per acre. 



HOPES NOT BLASTED. 



I went into winter quarters last fall with 12 swarms 

 of bees. All wintered well, but ;? were robbed to 

 death in the spring-. After uniting queenless colo- 

 nies this fall, I now have 13, all well supplied for 

 winter. Increased this season, 4 stands, and about 

 100 lbs. of comb honey. I do not know but T am a fit 

 subject for Blasted Hopes; but, friend R, do not 

 put me there; my hopes are still good, especially in 

 the Holy-Land queen I got of you this fall. I 

 know of no bee-keepers in this region who have 

 done much better than I have this season. Glean- 

 ings comes very regularly, and is welcome. I should 

 not like to do without it. Wakben Foote. 



Glendale, Utah, Nov. 10, 1883. 



statistical INFORirATION. 



When I read in regard to statistical information on 

 page 723, American Bee Journal, I concluded I would 

 be satisfied to have the statistics of live bee-men, 

 that is, of those who read bee journals, and those 

 could easily be reached by simply giving a call 

 through the bee journals. As far as my experience 

 goes, I have never seen any box-hive or log-gum bee- 

 men produce honey enough to affect the market, 

 even if they sometimes run up to 100 colonies. They 

 generally produce honej- in such a shape as to make 

 It unsalable. What we want Is the statistics of 

 scientific, go-ahead, live bee-men, and I will do all I 

 can to help in my neighborhood. We have but three 

 live men in this locality. H. S. Hackman. 



Peru, 111., Nov. 17, 1883. 



I think you are pretty nearly right, friend 

 H., but I fear it will be a task to make all 

 the bee-men "<aZA-" who do take and read 

 the journals. 



GETTING SURPLUS HONEY UNDER THE BROOD-NEST. 



Well, now to bees. They have not done very well 

 out here this season, as it was so cold the fore part 

 of it. Mine averaged 80 lbs. to the colony. I read in 

 Gleanings once that you would like to hear from 

 some one who would try getting surplus honey under 

 the brood-nest. I tried it, and got 180 lbs. of comb 

 honey and 24 lbs. of extracted from the same colony. 

 I tried another colony, equally good, and had the 

 slirplus on top. I got 157 lbs. from that one, all comb 

 honey. They were brown bees. I had some that I 

 did not get much frotn. I am going into winter 

 quarters with 40 colonies in good shape. 1 came 

 very near forgetting to tell you how I liked my $35 

 mill. I tell you, it works well. David Shangle. 



Judd's Cor., Shia. Co., Mich., Nov., 1883. 



Many thanks, friend S. I should hardly 

 feel like calling it a poor season, when you 

 give such reports as the above, especially 

 from the hives you tried with the surplus 

 arrangement below. With the Simplicity 

 hives it is very easily done, for we have only 

 to move the brood into the upper story, and, 

 come to think of it, the bees often move the 

 greater part of their brood-nest into the up- 

 per story themselves, late in the season ; but 

 I have thought at such times they always 

 seemed rather backward about storing sur- 

 plus in the lower story. Will you please tell 



us how you arranged the hive to have the 

 surplus below? and will others tell us about 

 this matter who have tried itV 



BUCKWHEAT HULLS INSTEAD OF CHAFF. 



Last winter I experimented by packing some of 

 my bees with buckwheat hulls (we have a mill here 

 that removes the hulls from the kernels previous to 

 grinding), and some were also packed with buck- 

 wheat chaff. Those packed with buckwheat hulls 

 came through very nice and dry — better than the 

 chaff-packed. I am going to try both again and fix 

 more with hulls. I think hulls would be best of any 

 thing for packing chaff hives. G. J. Flansburgh. 



Bethlehem Center, N. Y., Nov. 13. 1883. 



Xo doubt you are right, friend F. 



PALMETTO honey, AND JARS OR TIN BUCKETS. 



I have sent you of late, a case of our 1-lb. palmetto 

 honey, and would ask your candid opinion in regard 

 to the package. I do not believe I should ever have 

 been able to create a demand for extracted honey in 

 small packages as I have got it, had I adopted the 

 tin bucket of friend Jones, instead of my square 

 glass jar. I admire the beautiful labels of our 

 friend, and I purchased a lot which I offer for sale. 

 In spite of the fine labels, however, these tin buck- 

 ets would not draw in our market as those square 

 glass jars do. Please examine my package, and if I 

 differ with you, I hope you will give us your candid 

 opinion in your next issue. C. F. Muth. 



Cincinnati, O., Nov. 7, 1883. 



Eriend Muth, we tender our thanks for the 

 box of honey -jars, which came to hand 

 without a particle of leakage, or a trace of a 

 daub of honey anywhere. I pronounce the 

 palmetto honey equal to clover, both in fla- 

 vor and looks. In regard to which would 

 sell the better, our customers here rather 

 take the Jones pails ; but as tastes differ so 

 much, 1 would display for sale both jars and 

 buckets. The Jones label has given quite a 

 start to our honey sales ; perhaps because it 

 is a new thing, however. 



A PROFIT OF $33.30 FROM ONE HIVE IN ONE SEASON. 



On the first day of May, 1881, my house burned (no 

 insurance), and burned all my bees except one Ital- 

 ian hive, and that was (onsiderably damaged. It 

 made enough honey to winter on, and a small 

 amount of surplus. This year I made from It 127 

 lbs. 15 oz. of honey, f 19.05; sold 5 brood combs, $L25 

 each, $6.35, and 5 queen-cells at $1.00 each, $5 00. To- 

 tal, $30.30. Then it gave me one swarm, sold for 

 $13.00; sold the old swarm for $10 00, which is $33.00 

 more, making $53.30 from one hive. Now, "how is 

 that for high"? I have bought 3 hives of black 

 bees, and increased to 4 for my start for 1883. 



T. R. Turnham. 



Rockport, Spencer Co., Ind., Nov. 13, 1882. 



ASTER HONEY, ETC. 



As I have never seen a report from this part of 

 the State, 1 thought I would send one. I began 

 bee-keeping in 1879, with one swarm; have gone 

 " slow." In the spring of 18S3 I had 4; have increas- 

 ed this season to 11, and obtained 325 lbs. extracted 

 honey, 173 lbs. of which was obtained from a weed 

 which blooms the latter part of Sept., and yields 

 honey until frost. The honey is delightful, of a 

 rich golden hue, and of excellent flavor; equal, I 

 think, to any I have obtained this season, and we 

 have white clover, linden, sumac, and a variety of 



