1895 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



207 



all is over. The last is my condition. We will 

 look at it from my standpoint, and let the other 

 fellow answer for himself. Right here we nev- 

 er have any honey for the bees to work on to 

 more than make a scant living until the middle 

 of June. We have no fruit-blossoms to amount 

 to any thing. Dandelion is the first for eaHi- 

 ness. When the dry seasons have not killed 

 the white clover, that will give the bees a liv- 

 ing until about the middle of June. There may 

 be a little honey gathered in the fall, and a lit- 

 tle in the spring before the middle of June. 

 But it is all dark, and but little of it. But one 

 pound of it will materially darken 100 lbs. of 

 white honey, so it is very important to go over 

 all the conabs and take out every ounce of this 

 dark honey, at the commencement of the white- 

 honey flow, so we have extracting No. 1, or, as 

 we mark it, one X. It is dark, and most of it 

 goes to the baker's. 



Now we have emptied our combs of the dark 

 honey. But we have not washed out the combs; 

 and, do the best we can, there will be enough of 

 the dark honey left to shade. The next extract- 

 ing is No. 2 as to color. If the honey is coming 

 in pretty last, the combs will be full in a week 

 or ten days. If the weather has been fair, and 

 not much rain, the honey will be thick and 

 good— about two-thirds capped over. We must 

 get this extracting out, for the same reason we 

 did ihe tirst, for from now on until the close of 

 the bass wood season, we get our whitest honey; 

 and now, if we are to get a good crop of honey, 

 the bees are doing their best, and will fill their 

 combs once in a week. Assuming that the bees 

 have three sets of eight L. frames, or their 

 equivalent in some other frames, if we empty 

 the combs once a week we can go right along 

 with the second set of extracting-frames. If it 

 is a good season they can be extracted three 

 times yet, making five extractings in all. The 

 honey will be good if the season is not wet. If 

 it rains much or often, then we have to wait 

 longer between extractings. 



We will now see how it would work to wait 

 until the close of the season, as above, extract- 

 ing thriceduriiig the heavy honey-flow. We shall 

 have to empty (3 sets of L. frames, if we wait 

 until the close of the season ; or, in other words, 

 we shall have, at the close of the season, in- 

 cluding the brood-nest, seven stories of combs. 

 How about the wind blowing them over? How 

 many of us are prepared to keep over that 

 many empty combs, if we had them? If we 

 have 100 or more colonies, we shall have to 

 have a big pile of extra supers and extra combs. 

 If we extract at the close of the season, the 

 bees will be cross, and get every one on the 

 steal, and we shall have the biggest robbing- 

 scrape you ever saw, unless extra care is used. 

 No greenhorn can do it; and how about the 

 empty combs, after they are extracted, all 

 sticky with honey? What are we to do with 

 them— put them away in that condition, or 



give them to the bees to clean up? If the bees 

 are to clean them, not one man in ten will do it 

 without getting the bees to robbing. Well, 

 what are we going to do about it? For my 

 part I am going to extract while the bees are 

 gathering honey. I get no fall honey. My bees 

 have to winter on basswood honey, and we 

 must quit extracting in time for them to put 

 up their winter supplies. We put our honey in 

 barrels, right in the yards, as it comes from the 

 combs; drive in the plugs, take the honey 

 home, and deposit it in our honey-house. We 

 don't loosen the plugs. We don't extract thin 

 honey. We wait for it to get thick enough to 

 keep well. We don't wait until all is capped, 

 but only from one-half to two-thirds. When 

 the weather is very dry, honey may be extract- 

 ed as soon as gathered, and be good. Of course, 

 when we are extracting we get some honey that 

 was gathered the same day, and some the day 

 before; but how can we help it? If it averages 

 thick and good, and will keep sweet, that is all 

 we can expect. We sometimes have honey that 

 sours more or less. We don't sell that for first- 

 class if we know it. The bakers can and do 

 use sour honey, and they buy it. They say it 

 takes more soda or less acid to make it work 

 right. 

 Platteville, Wis. 



MANUM IN THE APIARY. 



SECTION cartons; winter ventilators. 



By A. E. Manum. 



" Good-morning, Charles. It seems to me you 

 are out in good season this morning." 



" Yes, Manum, I find myself confronted with 

 a little difficulty this morning, and I have call- 

 ed to consult with you. As you know, our car- 

 tons came last Friday afternoon, and this 

 (Monday) morning my helpers all came in good 

 season, as we were inteniiiJig to get my honey 

 all ready to car with yours Tuesday, as you 

 and I had agreed upon, and I learn the freight- 

 car we had ordered for the purpose is already 

 at the station in waiting for us. But upon 

 going to work putting the sections of honey into 

 the new cartons I found that the latter were 

 too small. We opened all the boxes, and tried 

 some from each box, and found all alike — too 

 small— and I have come over to see if yours are 

 likewise too small." 



"No, Charles, mine are just right; and, as 

 you see, my honey is all crated and marked, 

 and ready to ship." 



" Now, that is very strange, Manum. Your 

 cartons and mine were ordered at the same 

 time, and of the same firm. Our sections are 

 just alike, and my cartons are too small, while 

 yours are just right. Well, here; I have brought 

 over 20 of mine for you to examine." 



"I declare, Charles, they are too small, sure 

 enough. That is too bad. We have waited 



