4o8 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



July 15 



pie-trees near bee-hives (oO to 100 yards) . 

 For comi)arison, counts were also made on 

 the same varieties of trees where no bee- 

 hives were near, to determine the percentage 

 of blossoms and fruit-si)urs that failed to set 

 fruit, and the number that set fruit with 

 and without bees. Only spurs that bore 

 blossoms this year were counted. 



It was found that, where the bees were 

 near, only 7 i)er cent of the fruit-spurs fail- 

 ed, on the average; while where there were 

 no bees 49 per cent of the fruit spurs that 

 normally set three or four apples failed. 

 These did not set a single ap))le. 



Mr. Trumble summarizes his investiga- 

 tion as follows: "Our conclusion is that, to 

 prevent such difhculties in the future, we 

 must get bees. The common honey-bees 

 are the best insect pollinators on earth. 

 They come out earlier in the spring, stay 

 out later in the fall; begin earlier in the 

 morning, and work later in the evening; 

 and they will work under more unfavorable 

 weather conditions than any other insect. 

 From my work with bees I have calculated 

 that a single honey-bee is capable of cross- 

 pollinating over 16,000 apple-blossoms in a 

 day; but during the blossoming period there 

 are so many blossoms that the bees do not 

 go far from the hives, so we need hives all 

 over the orchards." 



tions and give a full description of the out- 

 fit in our next issue. 



AUTOMATIC CAN-FILLERS. 



Our readers will recall a number of inven- 

 tions that have been described and illustrat- 

 ed for the purpose of automatically shutting 

 the honey-gate when a five-gallon can is 

 full, thus making it unnecessary for one to 

 stand and watch to prevent the honey from 

 running over on the floor. Mr. Hutchinson 

 has very successfully used an electric bell 

 that would ring when the can was nearly 

 full, so that he could come and snut ofT the 

 stream at the proper time. The other inven- 

 tions have provided means for automatical- 

 ly shutting the gate at the proper moment. 



The great trouble with electrical devices 

 in affairs of this kind is that points are like- 

 ly to corrode so that poor contact is made 

 and the warning is not given. The mechan- 

 ical devices for shutting the gate, in our 

 opinion, have been entirely too complicated 

 to be i)ractical for the average bee-keeper. 



Mr. W. C. Evans, of Fort Collins, Colo., 

 has invented an automatic filler which is 

 ahead of any thing we have ever seen, and 

 is so simple that there is practically nothing 

 to it. The great wonder is that no one 

 thought of it before. The stream of honei/ 

 is not shut off at all; but when one five-gal- 

 lon can is full the honey is automatically 

 directed to another can standing alongside. 

 Faster work is done, and there is absolutely 

 no danger of honey being spilled over oh 

 the floor; for after the first can is full, and 

 the honey is filling the second can, this first 

 can may be removed and a third one put in 

 its place, so that, when the second can is 

 full, the stream will be turned again into 

 the third can. We hope to show illustra- 



HONEY REPORTS. 



In our last issue, page 402, we inserted the 

 following set of (piestions, to which we de- 

 sired our readers to respontl by postal card: 



1. Condition of bees? 



2. CUniatic conditions (favorable ornot)? 



3. Are bee-men suffering from drouth or wet 

 weather? 



4. Prospects for honey crop? 



5. Compare prospects with last year, same date. 

 t). Percentage of full crop harvested to date? 



7. Compare yield with last year, same date. 



8. Kind of honey produced in your locality, comb 

 or extracted? 



9. Color of honey produced this year? 



10. Price local dealers are i)ayiiig for honey? 



11. Price bee-men are holding for? 



12. Is the crop moving readily? 



It is a little early yet to get returns, and 

 we have therefore received at this date only 

 a eom])aratively few cards; but they will give 

 us some idea of what is cloing in several of 

 the near-by States. The responses are by 

 number, anil, of course, correspond to the 

 numbered questions above. 



Hees are doing finely now, having a good flow of 

 honey from white clover. 

 Tlconderoga, X. Y., July 1 1. G. H. Adkins. 



The honey-flow seems to be unusually short in 

 Florida this year. 

 Bradentown. Fla., July 5. E. H. Rood. 



The prospect for a crop of honey is not as good as 

 last year. It is too dry. 

 Wolverine, Mich., July 9. L. K. Feick. 



Perhaps you would like to know that the clover 

 honey crop is good here in Southeast Pennsylvania. 

 Royerslord, Pa., July 1. W. E. Petekman. 



1, poor to good: 2, too wet: 3. wet weather: 4, not 

 very good: 5, 50 per cent: 6. nothing: 7, same: 8, 

 extracted: 9, white. 



Dry Fork, W. Va.. July 8. E. C. Mersing. 



Report of crop up to July 8. Bees have scarcely 

 whitened the combs in my vicinity. 1, fair; 2, no; 

 3, drouth: 4, very poor: 7, not a pound. 



Mancelona, Mich.. July 7. S. D. Chapman. 



No rain in June to speak of. and none in sight yet 

 here; dry as ashes, and forest fires around. Only 

 one-third honey-crop if fall flow should not prove 

 something unusual. 



Wausau. Wis., July 7. (J. A. LUNDE. 



1, good; 2, bad till June 27: 3, wet; 4, can't tell 

 about the fall crop; 5, equally bad: 6, none at all: bad: 

 7, eciually bad; 8, coml); 9, none produced: 10 and 

 11, don"t know: 12, there Is no crop to move. 



Norwood, Pa., July 4. Rev. W. B. Green. 



1, fair: 2. favorable: 3. neither since June 15: 4, 

 fair: 5. better than last year at same date; 6, none; 

 7, better flow than same date last year; 8, both; 

 most comb; 9, white flow now on; 10, none on mar- 

 ket. Rea Bee & IIONEY Co. 



Reynoldsville, Pa., July 7. 



1 hived a swarm of bees on June 22, and by June 

 2") they had drawn comb in eight Hoffman frames, 

 and filled them with honey. Can you beat that? 

 1 never saw any thing like it. 



Bay City, Mich., .June 26. WM. E. I>eCourcy. 



1. (Jood: 2. favorable; 'A. neither: 4, fairly good; 

 5, better: 6, 50 per cent or a little better; 7. much 

 better; 8. mostly comb; 9, white, mixed with light 

 aml)er; 10, 15 to 16: 11, most is sold direct: 12, yes. 



IJtitz, Pa., .luly 6. Snavely Bros. 



Thirty days of fine weather with heavy flow of nec- 

 tar: 150 lbs. to colony already secured; same condi- 

 tion in Missouri, Kansas, and throughout this 

 State. 



Humboldt, Neb., July 4. J. L. Gandy. 



