(ILEAXINU^- IN BKK C'LLTUUK 



Aug. 15 



Heads of Grain 



from Different Fields 



Honey from Acorns ; Exorbitant Express Rates ; 

 Importance of Ordering Early. 



Some years ago my brother (who is a bee-man) 

 while working in his field near the edge of a strip 

 of timber noticed some bees on a white-oak tree. 

 On making close examination he found they were 

 gathering something out of an indentation around 

 a small teat on the lower end of the acorns, and in 

 a few minutes that little cup would fill up again. 

 The acorns that the bees were working on were 

 very dark in color; but the green ones were passed 

 by by the bees. Then about one or two years after- 

 ward he noticed this same oak-tree and found It 

 was dead down within twelve or fifteen feet of the 

 ground. The owner cut the tree down before it 

 was entirely dead. Please inform us what it was 

 the bees were getting, where it came from, and if 

 the bees killed the tree. 



Again, 1 wish to state a little experience I had 

 this spring, not for my benefit now, but because it 

 may benefit .some one else and prevent him from 

 getting into the same trouble I did. About the 21st 

 of May I sent an order to Cincinnati for a peck of 

 buckwheat, to be shipped by express to Newport, 

 which is %% miles from my place. On the 27th I 

 was notified that it was in the express office. I 

 sent my oldest boy on horseback to get my buck- 

 wheat. The card I received from the express agent 

 did not state what the charges were, so I handed 

 my boy a dollar and told him to pay the express 

 charges and bring back the change: but, lo and be- 

 hold! on his return he informed me that there was 

 no change for me. Well, I will not undertake to 

 describe my feelings and tell all I said. If I had 

 known that the express company was simply going 

 to steal and rob in such a way I would have order- 

 ed one bushel to come by freight, and what I did 

 not need to sow I could have fed to my poultry. 



Now, Mr. Kditor, is there any way by which the 

 public can stop this wholesale stealing and rob- 

 bing by these notorious express comi^anies? You 

 take this case, and, of course, it is a small matter; 

 but just see — the article cost 40 cents, and then they 

 cliarged me one dollar to haul 12 or 15 lbs. just from 

 Cincinnati to Newport. 



Newport, Tenn., July Ifi. L. B. Vinson. 



[We are unable to give you an opinion regarding 

 honey from oak-trees; and as we have never seen 

 any thing like it we do not know to whom we 

 could apply for information. 



In ordering supplies from any distance, unless 

 there is very great urgency it is better to order 

 them by freight; and this illustrates the Impoi'- 

 tance of orderhui earlij. If the express companies 

 were not so shortsighted as to ch.arge such excess- 

 ive rates they would secure very much more busi- 

 ness than they now have. While the rates would 

 be lower, of course, it is our opinion there would be 

 greater profits in the aggregate from tlie increased 

 volume of business. Tnder the present conditions 

 there is not much we can do but grin and bear it. 

 We hope that .some day the interstate-commerce 

 law will have provisions regulating express rates. 

 If I'ncle Sam would put into operation a parcels- 

 post system tlie express companies would immedi- 

 ately meet his rates, and even then they would 

 make money by doing it. — Kd.] 



Washing Honey out of Cappings, and Feeding it 

 Back to Comb-honey Colonies. 



I am not using the capping-melter this year up to 

 the present lime, but may use it later on. I have a 

 plan that 1 likever> much for home yards where 

 one can be on hand every day to attend to the nec- 

 essary manipulations. I let the cappings drain 

 two days and two nights, stirring them up once or 

 twice during that time. 1 then wash them, using 

 as little water as possible. This Is done by placing 

 the cappings in a butter-tub, well packed down, 

 and pouring on some water. This water, after the 

 cappings have soaked In it a short time, is sweet 

 enough for feeding, and I feed it back at night to 

 colonies working in comb-honey supers, using the 



Alexander feeders. In this way 1 get all the honey 

 out of the cappings, and what drains out is of better 

 quality than it would be If run through the melter. 

 In handling amber grades of honey, the melter 

 would be all right; and for outyards I would use It 

 at all times in order to keep cleaned up. This 

 sweetened water could be used for making vinegar, 

 of course; but not every bee-keeper has sale for vin- 

 egar; and if so, it is not all profit, as the barrels cost 

 quite a sum. The reason I had not tried this plan 

 before is becau,se It had never occurred to me to 

 feed back during the height of the honey-tlow until 

 I read Alexander's book. 



To get off my subject a little. I shall have to ac- 

 knowledge that comb-honey production does not 

 pay me at present prices as compared with extract- 

 ed honey. I have a great plenty of nice store combs, 

 and my bees will put 40 lbs. of honey In a set of ex- 

 tracting-combs in about the same time it would re- 

 quire them to fill a 24-lb. super. I have only four 

 colonies working in sections at present. 



Bridgeport, Wis., July 6. Harry Lathrop. 



Bees on Shares — who shall Pay for Extra Labor ? 



In running 500 colonies of bees on shares, what 

 would be a fair agreement between the two parties 

 when the person running the bees has to have a 

 horse to ride around to the yards? Which party 

 should own and feed the horse? In case where 

 there is a lot of painting to be done, and covers and 

 bottom-boards to be made, should the man running 

 the bees make them, or should the owner oi the 

 bees have them made? 



Hayneville, Ala., .fuly 16. A. B. Brown. 



[In keeping bees on shares it is the usual rule for 

 one party to furnish all the labor, and the other to 

 furnish all the supplies, except that each one of the 

 parties pays for half the sections, shipping-cases, 

 square cans, or barrels. At the end of the season 

 both parties share equally in the honey and wax. 

 As the painting of the hives— or, in fact, making 

 new ones — would not in any way increase the hon- 

 ey crop, it would be fair for the owner to make this 

 an extra, and allow extra time. Of course, if the 

 other party will agree to do extra work, and if this 

 could be shown to be necessary to produce a crop 

 of honey, well and good; but as a matter of equity 

 and justice, the one doing the work should, in our 

 opinion, have additional compensation for paint- 

 ing the hives. 



As to the feed and care of the horse, the owner of 

 the bees should pay for the feed and the rent of the 

 horse; and the other party should do .all the work, 

 including the care of the horse. When there are 

 500 colonies it will be necessary to have a complete 

 equipment, and that equipment would Include a 

 livery horse and wagon, an automobile, or a motor 

 cycle and a livery. — Kd.] 



Does Black Color Irritate Bees, or is it the Rough 

 Texture of the Clothing ? 



I just read the article by Mr. Baldensperger, page 

 409, and must beg to differ regarding the effect of 

 color on bees with reference to flowers: for I have 

 noticed that, when there are flowers of the same 

 variety, of different color.s, such as hyacinths, cro- 

 cus, wall flowers, etc.. the bees visit them without 

 regard to color. 



As to irritation, 1 think it is not so much the 

 darkness as the roughness or hairiness. I believe 

 that the instinct of bees leads them to attack any 

 thing that resembles their natural enemies, such 

 as bears, coons, etc. They do not fly at the black 

 net of one's veil. A dog approaching a hive will be 

 attacked at once; but a person in a smooth black 

 coat will not. Do they sting negroes more than 

 whites? I had an a.ssistant once who wore a rough 

 dark-blue c jat, and in a few minutes it was com- 

 pletely speckled with stings. When he changed it 

 there was no more trouble. 1 sometimes wear a 

 smooth dark coat when working with the bees, and 

 do not find that they notice It at all. 



Metchosin, B. (".. July 11. W. Fi.sher. 



Only Young Queens do the " Piping." 



"Piping" is never done by the old queen. If 1 

 should hear this before the first or prime swarm l.s- 

 sues 1 would conclude at once that the first swarm 

 from that hive had either absconded or that the 

 queen for .some reason had died some two weeks 

 previous; but If the swarm had left without being 



