474 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Aug. 1 



been an unusually heavy honey-flow from 

 clover. Reports from these portions show 

 that the fields were almost white with clo- 

 ver, as if they were covered with snow; and 

 where it has not been too dry there has been 

 from a fair to a good crop. In Michigan the 

 first indications showed a light crop; but late 

 rains are improving conditions somewhat. 

 In Illinois the yield will be anywhere from 

 light to fair. In Wisconsin and ^Minnesota, 

 light to poor. Missouri and Nebraska will 

 have a good yield. Taking it all in all, this 

 will be a better clover year, probably, than 

 we have had before for some time, and the 

 quality will be of the very finest. The light 

 crop of western alfalfa and sage honey will 

 tend to give a boost to the price of clover, 

 even if there should be a fairly good yield 

 in the Eastern States. 



The following are scattering reports re- 

 ceived since our last issue, in answer to the 

 following questions: 



1. Condition of bees? 



2. Climatic conditions (favorable ornot) 7 



3. Are bee-men suffering from drouth or wet 

 weather? 



4. Prospects for honey crop? 



5. Compare prospects with last year, same date. 



6. 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 paying for honey? 



11. Price bee-men are holding for? 



12. Is the crop moving readily? 



1, fair: 2, favorable; 3, no; 4, fair; 5, same; 6, 65 

 per cent: 7, same; 8, extracted alfalfa: 9, light am- 

 ber; 10, 5K; 11, 6to6^; 12, association marketing in 

 East at 6 to 6%. 



El Centre, Cal., .Tuly 15. H. Perkins. 



Honey conditions here are not quite so good as 

 last year. Since July 1, conditions have improved, 

 strong colonies working in second supers: medium 

 strong freely in first, and weak ones rapidly build- 

 ing up. 



Canon City, Col., July 22. W. G. Wright. 



1, weak early, but strong now; 2, favorable; 3, some- 

 what wet at present; 4, saw palmetto short: cabbage 

 palmetto is yielding some now, but can't tell out- 

 come: 5, a little better: 6, I don't know, but think 

 54; 7, about the same: short: 8, extracted; 9, light; 10, 

 75 to 80 per gal., but little handled; 11. 75 to 85; 12, it 

 is not. 



Osprey, Fla., July 19. I. T. Shumard. 



Bees wintered badly; weather now favorable, but 

 clover flow is over. Prospect for fall crop is only 

 fair. Crop secured Is a little larger than 1909: 25 per 

 cent of crop harvested; only comb honey is produc- 

 ed. Honey produced is very fine and white. Hon- 

 ey Is selling at 15 to 20. There will be none to move. 

 Nearly one-half of the bees were lost In wintering. 

 The cold weather in May was bad. Clover abun- 

 dant, but yield small. 



Milan, His., July 19. C H. Dibbern. 



1, good: 2, not so good; from the 4th to 16th too 

 much rain, but now the white clover is beginning 

 to yield honey again: 3, been suffering from wet 

 weather; 4, good: 5, nothing doing last year around 

 here: 6, about 30 percent: 7, bees had hardly enough 

 to live on: 8, both: 9, white: 10, 18 to 20 for comb; 15 

 to 18 for chunk or strained: 11, 18 and 20: 12, sells as 

 fast as taken off the hive. 



Somerville, Ind., July 22. Leonard D. Massie. 



Honey Is one-fourth of a good crop in Central 

 Iowa. 

 Colo, Iowa, July 21. D. E. Lhommedieu. 



1, fair to good; 2, first part of season good, followed 

 by drouth: 3, yes; 4, good; best crop for years; 5, not 

 very good last year; 6, flow Is over; 7, 150 lbs. better 

 than last year; 8, both: 9. white. 



Dixon, Iowa. July 19. E. A. Doney. 



White-clover honey-tlow about as good as we 

 have had in twenty years. 



Shenandoah, Iowa, July 20. O. II. Hyatt. 



1, good: 2, very dry; 4, }^ crop to date; no prospects 

 of fall flow: 7, Vi better; 8, comb: 9, light; li, 15 cts.; 

 12, yes. 



Viola, la., .July 20. A. T. Stout. 



1, good: 2, fair: 3, rather dry; 4, average gain of my 

 scale colony for .lune past 10 years, 35 lbs.; this year's 

 gain for June, 46%; 5, much better; 6, about 10 to 15 

 per cent: 7, scale colony, 1909, gain, 24 lbs.: 1910, gain 

 of 55^; 8, both: 9, white clover; 10, S3.60 per case of 24 

 sections; 11, 13.60 per case of 24 sections: 12, yes. 



Russell, Iowa, July 9. J. C. Davis. 



1, good: 2, dry, but better than wet years; 3, a lit- 

 tle from drouth; 4, good: 5, 100 per cent better; 6, 90: 

 7, see No. 5; 8, mostly comb; 9, white-clover and 

 basswood, quality good; beautiful; 10, 15; 11, 15; 12, 

 just a little. In this locality it is the best season in 

 years. Basswood is just over. The fall crop may 

 depend on timely showers. 



Forest City, Iowa, July 19. Eugene Secor. 



1, my bees good: others, heavy winter loss; 2, no; 



3, drouth stopped work July 4; 4, average: no bass- 

 wood bloom; 5. 1 ;7: 6, 50; 8, both; 9, white: 10, about 

 15 cts. per lb., comb or sections; 11, as above; 12, too 

 early; bound to be a demand greater than for years 

 on account of no fruit; not even a Duchess apple 

 here. 



Marshalltown, Iowa, July 21. E. C. Wheeler. 



1, bees healthy, all swarms weak June 1: 2, favor- 

 able: 3, nearly a drouth: 4, fair; 5, much better: 6, 

 Vi to % to date; 7, much larger; 8. comb and extract- 

 ed; 9, white, clover; 10, section, VlVi; bulk, 11; ex- 

 tracted, 10, without container: 11, normally. No 

 swarms this season from yard, and very few wild 

 ones. 



Buckgrove, Iowa, July 20. A. F. Bonney. 



1, fine condition: 2, never better: 3, jvist enough 

 rain; condition fine; 4, very good; 5, no comparison; 

 no white-clover honey last year; 6, 100 per cent; 7, 

 very light at this date a year ago; full crop now; 8, 

 mostly comb: 9, white thus far; 10, none to speak of 

 on the market yet. I took off one super or one 24- 

 section case which I am retailing at 15 cts. per sec- 

 tion; price to dealers, 12^: 11, 1 am going to try for 

 S3.50 from dealers: this is early honey; 12, in a retail 

 way, yes: honey white, and finished. 



Paullina, la., July 20. F. L. Parke. 



1, good: 2, fair: 3, no; 4, fair; 5, better: 6, 1^; 7, 50 

 per cent better: 8, comb; 9, white, clover: 10, S3.00 to 

 |3.25; 12, ye.s. Bees are in fine condition. White 

 clover is about all over; averaged about 50 lbs. comb 

 honey per colony. 



Circleville, Kans., July 19. Chas. S. Bordner. 



1, fine; 2, good, but too wet; 3, wet: 4, poor; 5, 

 better; 6, 10 per cent; 7, last year, 0: 8. comb, most- 

 ly: 9, white; 10, no local dealers; 11, 15 cts., 4K sec- 

 tions: 12, none to move, 



Walton, Ky., July 19. J. G. Crisler. 



1, fine: 2, too wet; 3, wet: 4, good, considering 

 weather: 5, 50 per cent better: 6, one-third; 7, about 

 double; 8, comb; 9, white; 10, 1254 cts.: 11, not hold- 

 ing; 12, yes. 



Tupelo, Miss., July 20. J. D. Rowan. 



The honey season so far has been extra: have had 

 plenty of rain; the prospects are good for fall flow. 



Avalon, Mo., July 20. F. <!. Ashbaugh. 



North Missouri will have one-half crop from white 

 clover; quality good. We do not have any fall sur- 

 plus here. 



Unionville, Mo., July 19. Ei.mer F. Quigley. 



Total amount of honey for 1909, 5000 lbs.: colonies, 

 200: spring, 1910, had 250 colonies: up to date I have 

 250: no increa.se up to d.ate. I have over 20,000 lbs. 

 of honey. Nearly all extracted retails to the grocer, 

 954. I sell almost all to consumers. I have extract- 

 ed 3000 lbs., sold 2500: specific gravity, 43; honey is 

 very white. 



Liberty, Mo., July 19. J. F. Diemer. 



Since my la.st report the bees are doing better; 

 had some nice rains. Bees are working well on 

 basswood. 



Wolverine, Mich., July 23. L. K. Feick. 



1, fair to good: 2, not favorable: 3, yes: very dry; 



4, not the best; 5, not so good north, but better so 

 far here: 6, none harvested here: some in Northern 

 Michigan yard; 7, about /4: 8, both; 9, very light in 

 color: 10, 11, 12, too early. 



Otsego, Mich., July 21. O. H. TOWNSEND. 



