652 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Oct. 15 



at its apparently poor condition, having 

 only about five frames of brood and a mod- 

 erate number of bees. But conditions were 

 soon reversed. White clover commenced to 

 bloom, and at the same time hive No. 3 

 steadily commenced to lose in strength while 

 its partner, No. 1, forged ahead by leaps and 

 bounds. Its queen was larger and more ac- 

 tive, filling every available cell with eggs, 

 while the bees had almost filled the second 

 story with honey. All this time hive No. 3 

 steadily lost in strength, and on .luly 8 the 

 queen was superseded. No doubt the stim- 

 ulus caused by feeding induced the queen 

 to overexert herself, and the result was that 

 she played out when she ought to have been 

 in her prime. This hive remained rather 

 weak all summer, and gave me only 40 lbs. 

 of surplus honey (extracted) while hive No. 

 1 gave 92 lbs., also about 25 lbs. of sealed 

 combs, which I reserved for emergency in 

 case any colony should be short of stores 

 this fall or next spring. I am convinced 

 that, when all colonies have sufTicient stores, 

 it is unwise to feed, and cause the queen to 

 expend her energy when it is not needed as 

 much as during or just before the main 

 honey-flow. 



Were it not for the fact that No. 1 swarm- 

 ed (due to carelessness on my part by over- 

 looking some queen-cells) I am sure my sur- 

 plus from this colony would almost have 

 been doubled. At this writing the stimu- 

 lated colony has very little brood and only 

 a fair number of bees, while all of the others 

 are in excellent shape. I believe that colo- 

 nies which are left quite alone are the ones 

 which give us the best results, and that the 

 bees know better than we when to rear brood 

 and when to retract. 



Cincinnati, Ohio, Sept. 17. 



ESTABLISHING A MARKET FOR HONEY IN 

 THE RURAL DISTRICTS. 



BY J. J. WILDER. 



It is very encouraging for a bee-keei)er to 

 have a ready demand for the honey that he 

 produces, especially when he can feel sure of 

 all returns; and there is nothing that will 

 create enthusiasm in a bee-keeper quicker 

 than to have orders for twice as much hon- 

 ey as he can produce each season. If the 

 people living in rural districts are supplied, 

 this is sure to be the result. 



On the public highways, for fifteen or 

 twenty miles I have established what I call 

 my " honey stations." A farmer every five 

 or six miles is kept supplied with honey as 

 long as my supply lasts. Most of these 

 farmers live near one of my apiaries or else 

 at some point to which I can carry the hon- 

 ey without greatly inconveniencing myself. 

 I carry out about as much honey as I think 

 . will be needed when I go to bring in a load 

 or to work in an apiary. Sometimes the 

 supply at one or more of the stations runs 

 lo.v before I return again; and, when so, tlie 



parties v§ry often stop at my packing-house 

 while in the city, and carry out a supply 

 themselves. 



Usually, at each of the stations there is a 

 sign, " Honey for Sale," and it is surprising 

 how much honey is disposed of in this way 

 to passersby. Many city people while driv- 

 ing through the country patronize these sta- 

 tions rather than buy their honey in the 

 city. Also many tourists buy quantilies 

 and carry it to neighboring States. Even 

 the chicken-peddlers load it in their wagons 

 and carry it in this way for miles around. 

 They sell it or exchange it for eggs, chickens, 

 butter, and other farm produce. (This last 

 idea I got in Texas in my boyhood days 

 when my father was jieddling.) 



The honey is all sold to these stations at 

 regular wholesale prices, the peddlers pay- 

 ing cash for what they buy, and the "sta- 

 tioners " pay as it is sold. The honey that 

 I have reference to is extracted or chunk 

 honey, put uj) in pint, quart, and half-}:al- 

 lon Mason fruit-jars, and also in one, two, 

 five, and ten pound pails. It is not neces- 

 sary to do any crating. I have found that 

 this is the easiest way to dispose of honey, 

 and the quickest way to establish a sure 

 market. I have to resort to the city mar- 

 kets to dispose of a part of my crop, but it 

 is not as satisfactory a way. 



Cordele, Ga. 



WHY YOUNG BEES ARE SOMETIMES DRIV- 

 EN OUT OF THE HIVES. 



BY C. W. POWELL. 



On p. 56(5, Sept. 1, Mr. E. G. Pettit wants 

 to know the reason why his bees are killing 

 the young bees. I happen to know ihe 

 cause and the remedy. The cause is lack 

 of stores; and the remedy, of course, is feed- 

 ing. This puzzled me for several years, for 

 I kept seeing young bees, that were appar- 

 ently sound and healthy, thrown out of ihe 

 hive in great numbers. I also noted that 

 some hives would suddenly become greatly 

 reduced in bees, but until this season I did 

 not discover the cause and apply a reinedy. 

 As often before, I found droves of young 

 bees running away from the hives. I watch- 

 ed until I located the hive they came from, 

 then looked into it and found there was no 

 honey, so I began feeding, and the trouble 

 ceased at once. Young bees are \ ery greedy, 

 and the old bees will sacrifice the young 

 ones before they will starve themselves. It 

 is very important to watch carefully, for it 

 is useless to feed for stimulative purposes 

 unless sufTicient food is supplied for hatch- 

 ing brood. 



MUST WHITE - SWEET - CLOVER SEED BE 

 HULLED TO GERMINATE QUICKLY? 



There has been some discussion about the 

 germinating of the hulled and unhuUed 

 sweet- clover seed, the general opinion 

 being that the seed must be hulled or else 

 it will not germinate for several months. 

 I took a handful of seed this fall, covered 



