200 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Mar. 15 



HEADS OF Grain 



From Different Fields 



SHIPPING CARLOAD AND LESS THAN CARLOAD SHIP- 

 MENTS OF BEES. 



We intend to move to Salem, Oregon, about March. 

 We have about 85 colonies of bees; and as we could 

 not dispose of them here to good advantage we will 

 take them, together with supplies. I should like some 

 advice as to packing. Would it be safe to remove both 

 bottom-boards and cover, using screen secure'y fas- 

 tened on, and leaving an air-space between hives, say 

 of one inch? Would it be necessary for some one to 

 go with them, or are they just as well if packed well? 

 The railroad companies say they can not give a pass 

 with the car. 



Can you give me any information about Oregon, 

 west of the Cascades, as to honey production? 



Chatfield, Minn., Jan. 31. E. Munette, Jr. 



[We would not advise you to try to ship only 85 col- 

 onies of bees by freight from Minnesota to Oregon un- 

 less a man went along with the bees. If, however, you 

 are going to send a whole carload of household goods, 

 and the bees can be accommodated in the same car, it 

 might be practical to ship the bees, if there were no 

 transfers, even if the man did not go along; but it is bet- 

 ter 4o have some one present with the bees to give 

 them water occasionally if the weather is a little warm. 

 Usually it is not practical to ship less than a whole 

 carload of bees by freight. The western freight classi- 

 fication requires that a man who accompanies a car- 

 load in this way pay regular passenger fare, at the 

 same time sign a contract releasing the transporting 

 railroads from all liability from any injury to passen- 

 ger riding on such freight trains. 



If you ship the bees in March we would advise using 

 only just a screen on top. This should be nailed on a 

 two-inch rim of the same dimensions as the top of the 

 hive. This is for the purpose of giving clustering 

 room under the frames. 



Frames, whether self-spacing or unspaced, should be 

 securely fastened in the hive by means of wedges. 

 Hives should be loaded with the frames parallel with 

 the rails. But before putting the hives in the freight 

 car, four or five inches of loose straw should be thrown 

 on the car bottom, hives laid upon the str^iw, and then 

 secured to each other and otherwise braced in the car. 

 We never advise shipping bees by local freight unless 

 they can go right straight through without transfer to 

 point of destination, and not take more than 48 hours. 

 Even then the hives should be cushioned on straw and 

 securely braced in the car. 



When a man goes along with the bees he should be 

 provided with a water-pot, and water the bees every 

 now and then, if they are clustered tightly over the 

 wire cloth. When the car passes over the moun- 

 tains, loose quilting or something should be laid over 

 the top of the wire cloth to prevent the bees from get- 

 ting too much chilled.— Ed.J 



absorbents versus sealed COVERS. 



I have read the article in Gleanings for Feb. 1 by L. 

 C. Wheeler and your reply. Before the winter closes 

 I wish you would try an experiment ; but nrst I will 

 tell you how I pack my bees for winter. 



Over the frames I spread a piece of burlap, and on 

 this I set a chaff tray made like a super, of four-inch 

 lumber, with a piece of burlap tacked on the bottom. 

 This is filled with planer shavings, and they are heap- 

 ed up in the middle so as to be thicker directly over 

 the cluster. 



Last winter I saw the difference between a cushion 

 and one of these trays. When I packed my bees for 

 winter in October, 1908, 1 was short of trays, so I put 

 into a burlap sack enough shavings so that, when it 

 was spread out over the top of the frames, it made a 

 cushion about four inches thick. In February of last 

 year we had a very warm spell that followed a very 

 cold spell of weather; and when I looked at this hive 

 that had the cushion instead of the tray I found that 

 the cushion was wet and frozen around the edges, and 

 the frames below were damp and moldy. None of the 

 other hives that had trays were that way. I took this 

 cushion off, put on a chaff tray, and in about a week, 

 when I looked again, the hive and packing were dry. 

 I use the Hilton and the Woodman hive, and can see 

 no difference in wintering. The Hilton has thicker 

 walls, but the Woodman is made of heavier lumber. 



I wish you would have two or three of these chaff 



trays made, and put them on the hives that have the 

 wettest cubhions, and see if they get Wet like the 

 cushions. 



The top layer of shavings directly over the cluster is 

 usually a little damp — much more so with some colo- 

 nies than others; but the hives are dry and clean in 

 the spring, and our winters are long, and the snowfall 

 is usually heavy — especially so this year. 



Benzonia, Mich., Feb. 5. John A. VanDeman. 



[In our reply to Leon C. Wheeler we did not explain 

 that we were using chaff trays, the same as you are, 

 and that we had been using such trays for many years 

 back. If you were to carry the experience a little fur- 

 ther you would find there would not be much differ- 

 ence between a loose chaff cushion, fitting on top of 

 the hive, of a suitable size, and a chaff tray. The only 

 merit ot the tray, in our judgment, is that it is a little 

 neater, and makes a little better contact on top of the 

 hive. As usual we are trying several different ways of 

 wintering, using sealed covers and absorbing cushions 

 as well as trays. The result of the experiments will be 

 given in the spring as heretofore.— ED.J 



bee-keepers' institute in SYRACUSE, N. Y. 



On Wednesday, Feb. 9, a bee-keepers' institute was 

 held in the City Hall, Syracuse. This was one of a se- 

 ries of institutes provided for by the State Department 

 of Agriculture to be held in different places, and it 

 proved to be very helpful and interesting as will be 

 seen by the following program: 



10 A.M— Out-apiaries, Charles Stewart, Johnstown. 



Value of the Italian Bee, M. Stevens, Pennellville. 



Sectional Hives, S D. House, Camillus. 



1 : 30 P.M.— Question-box. 



Early Experiences as a Bee-keeper, 0. L. Dines. 



Wax-rendering. Mr. Stewart. 



Bee Diseases, Mr. Stevens. 



7 : 30 P M.— Question-box. 



Wintering Bees, W. D. Wright, Altamont. 



Comb Honey, How to Get it, N. D. West, Middleburg. 



Production and Sale of Extracted Honey, I. Kinyon. 



The morning and afternoon sessions were conduct- 

 ed by Mr. Charles Stewart, of Johnstown. The discus- 

 sions were directed in such a manner as to bring out 

 the essential points without loss of time, making a live 

 me-ting all the way through. 



The subjects were well presented, and brought out 

 considerable discussion. Sectional hives, wintering 

 bees, and bee diseases, seemed to arouse the most in- 

 terest; and in the discussion of bee diseases especial 

 emphasis was placed on the value of the Italian bee as 

 the most important factor in combatting black brood. 



The evening session was conducted by Mr. N. D. 

 West; and his talk on comb honey and how to get it 

 was given in the convincing manner of the successful 

 veteran producer. 



Medina, O. JESSE A. WARREN. 



IS JAPANESE CLOVER A HONEY-PLANT? 



Some time ago I saw in Gleanings something about 

 sowing seed of the little Japanese clover for bee pas- 

 ture. Now if it is what is called Japanese clover here, 

 it doesn't amount to any thing for bee pasture There 

 are hundreds of acres of a plant by that name in reach 

 of my bees, but I rarely see a bee on it. It is an annu- 

 al, makes a green carpel late in summer, and blooms 

 in September. If it yielded nectar my bees would 

 surely get considerable. It will take to meadows in 

 places, but most of it grows along roadsides and on 

 slopes outside. MRS. Almeda Ellis. 



Fremont, Mo. 



[Nearly all honey-plants will fail to yi^ld honey in 

 some localities, and yield profusely in others. For 

 instance, the great honey-plant al alfa, thai produces 

 hundreds and hundreds of cars of honey in the irri- 

 gated West, yields practically no honey in the Eastern 

 Stales. The sjme is true of a large number of other 

 plants. It is possible and even probable that Japa- 

 nese clover is not a yielder of honey. — Ed.] 



WHITE CLOVER CAUSING BLOAT IN CATTLE. 



In Gleanings for Feb. 15 you ask for information in 

 regard to white clover and bloating. In reply I will 

 say that bloating from white clover is not an uncom- 

 mon occurrence. During the early summer, when 

 growth is heavy, and when it is wet, care has to be ex- 

 ercised when grazing. Cattle put on such pastures 

 about 10 or 11 o'clock,iand taken off at 3 P.M., when the 

 clover is dry, are not In so much danger. Violent ex- 

 ercise, or sticking with a knife to let out the gas, is the 

 usual remedy. I believe that alsike, under the same 

 conditions, would do likewise. 



Lexington, Ky., Feb. 21. L. E. HiLLENMEYER. 



