596 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 1. 



fection. Two or more feeders may be placod 

 on the hive ai one time if it is desired to feed 

 faster. The feeder is sufficiently deep so that 

 the jar will not tip over, and every thing about 

 it is close enough to prevent the escape of the 

 heat of the cluster. Another advantage is, the 

 jar being glass, one can see when it needs re- 

 filling, without taking it Tip, which is impossi- 

 ble with a tin can or crock. I call it, for short, 

 the Stephens bee-feeder. 

 Dennison. la.. Jan. 24. 



[This came some time ago, as will be seen 

 above, but was overlooked, and hence we pro- 

 duce itnow in anticipation of fall feeding.— Ed.] 



DlSCOURACJlE 



SCARCELY ANY WHITE HONEY. 



We are getting scarcely any white honey in 

 this section, and it is so dry we fear we shall get 

 but little dark honey, as the buckwheat will be 

 a failure unless it rains soon. D. Compton. 



Troy, Pa., July 19. 



THE FIRST FAILURE. 



The honey season is now so far advanced that 

 I am able to report to a certainty a total failure 

 —the first in a lifetime. E. E. Edwards. 



Alexandria, lud.. July 1^. 



ONE OF THE WORST SP:AS0NS EVER KNOWN. 



I have been in the bee-business for several 

 years, and this is one of the worst I have had. 

 The spring frosts cut off the bloom, and, fol- 

 lowed by dry weather, left the bees in bad 

 shape. I have not had a swarm, neither have 

 I taken any honey, and shall have to feed soon 

 to keep them living. I have about 40 stocks. 



R. W. BURIIELL. 



Caledon East, Out., July 19. 



MOST UNFAVORABLE SEASON. 



We are having the most unfavoiable season 

 here thstwe have seen in more than 30 years. 

 All kinds of fruits were killed here by the suc- 

 ceeding frosts, commencing May 13. We have 

 had but very little rain since the frosts. Mead- 

 ows are yielding less than a quarter of the usu- 

 al crop of hay. Pastures are dried up. I am 

 feeding my cows hay and grain daily. Money 

 is tight, and many men are out of work. I have 

 ten colonies of bees which had to be fed until 

 chestnuts bloomed, to keep them alive. 



D. H. Odkll. 



North Collins, N. Y., July 1.5, 1895. 



UNPRECEDENTED DROUTH, AND HONEY 

 FAILURE. 



We have here a season of unprecedented 

 drouth. It is a tough one for farmers, and a 

 dollar does not grow on every bush this year. 

 Rainfall at my place, since the first of Febru- 

 ary, has been only 7.1 inches, whereas in 

 ordinary seasons the average for the corres- 



ponding period is about 18 inches. It is a 

 sandy ivgion here, mostly, and the ground is 

 like dry ashes to a great depth. Forest fires 

 have been running fearfully. Hay and oats 

 are dried up; and even apple-trees, two years 

 from setting. !?how symptoms of dying. I doubt 

 whether there is a ton of good clover within 

 two miles of me. I have but two new swarms 

 of bees, which came out early in June, both 

 from one hive. A dozen others have not 

 swarmed at all, and they are laying in little or 

 no surplus honey. Sweet clover is the only 

 grass that still looks green and bright under 

 the heat and dryness. But corn thus far is 

 growing finely. Buckwheat has no sweetness. 

 Muskegon, Mich., July 18. A. Baxter. 



Bees are doing well at present, but we are 

 needing rain very much. R. B. Larkin. 



Patronville, Ind., June 15. 



Bees in this part of the country are doing 

 better this season than they have for several 

 years. Mrs. J. N. Heater. 



Columbus, Neb., July 12. 



Bees are doing fairly well — have made about 

 two tons of honey so far. H. T. Gifford. 



Vero, Fla., June 4. 



Bees' are booming — commenced swarming 

 June 1. Total loss wintering and springing, 15 

 percent. I have now 90 colonies. 



Chas. M. Welsh. 



East Galway, N. Y., June 3. 



The bees are doing well this season for the 

 first time in three years. Our box-hive friends 

 have had no surplus honey at all for three 

 years, but are getting very good yields. 



Brownsville, Tenn., June 3. S. H. Clark. 



encouraging for CALIFORNIA. 



The honey in Southern California is very fine 

 in quality this season. I have not seen it bet- 

 ter in twenty years. A. P. Herrick. 



Carapo, Cal., July 9. 



hopes revived. 



The heavy rains of this week will bring on 

 the blessed heartsease. We got 1000 lbs. from 

 23 stands last year, after this time; so our hopes 

 are revived. W. M. Miller. 



Joy, III., July 19. 



done well. 

 My bees are doing well; have increased two- 

 fold, because I could not attend to them, but 

 yet are making considerable surplus. 



E. G. Hedding. 

 Paw Paw, W. Va., July 18. 



